Budget Confessions

(photo by me) If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you may know that I’ve been trying to stick to a budget since January.  For a recap, go read my Spring Update and Summer Update. I have a confession to make.  Despite creating this budget and “trying” to stick to it, the fact of [...]

Spring Budget Update

(Photo by me) Well folks, we’ve hit the month of May, which is the final month of the budget I set out back in January and the month when I get my summer semester student loan and start a new summer budget. Here’s a re-cap of my budgeting up’s and down’s: Fall 2008 – I [...]

Budgeting Lessons Learned in March

  Always take a calculator with you when you shop.  It’s amazing how a quick trip to Target can turn into a $90 expenditure.  Adding up prices on your calculator as you add them to your cart helps you reconsider whether you really need the item. If you go over budget, keep writing down what [...]

New Year’s Resolution

(photo by me) Since I’m in graduate school, I’ve mainly been living off of my student loans.  That means that I get most of my money in a big chunk in the beginning of the semester.  This has revealed some of my poor money habits to me.  It’s very easy when you have $4000 of [...]

Money slips so easily through your fingers

(photo by me)    I had a very unpleasant realization about money yesterday: I have lost my ability to control how I spend.  I started off this semester with a $4000 student loan and a bi-weekly paycheck from my graduate assistantship.  As of today, I have only about $100 in my bank account.  Total.  And about $10 left [...]