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Almost Done

February 5th, 2009 at 09:38 pm

The company that was hired to kill all the mold has finished and now the leak can be repaired. I'll be so happy when this is all behind us. The HOA will be reimbursing us so that is one less thing to worry about.

I am a little worried about work. I called over a week ago about being able to return and have not heard anything. I called two days ago but again, nothing. I will try again today.

ETA: Grrr. I just called my bank to check my savings account balance and I discovered that the bank did not transfer money from my savings to my checking like I asked them to do on Monday. It was a telephone transfer. I really needed that transfer to be done on Monday to cover a check I had sent in the mail. Chances are that check bounced.

Sigh.

The bank shows no record of me asking them to make that transfer so I doubt they will cover a bounced check charge if it does bounce.

Cost of Christmas So Far:

December 14th, 2008 at 04:24 am

$12.38.

I have bought one present to date.

I plan on donating $40 to the OCRF as a gift to my aunt and grandma. I also plan on getting my brother a $20 gift card and one more thing for my Dad.

I think the total cost will be just over $100.

I think that's just a little more than I spent last year.

Good news is that I've been working a lot this pay period so the paycheck I will get on the 20th will be a good amount. Because the 20th is a Saturday, payday will be the day before, on the 19th. If I am not working that day I will be able to go to the bank. I am, I don't think I will be able to cash it in until I get back from vacation. I leave the 20th and won't be back until the 30th.

School is almost done! I have one. more. final. to go. Monday is my last final. 2 o'clock on Monday I am free until Jan. 20th!

Good Thanksgiving

November 28th, 2008 at 04:42 am

I always seem to get sick around the holidays!

My brother was sick over the weekend and he was so kind to give it to me. Thankfully, I got sick AFTER my Calc III exam on Tuesday, but I was not well enough today.

I was able to enjoy all the food though. My dad, brother, and myself went to my boyfriend's parent's house for Thanksgiving dinner. His mom made a wonderful meal and sent us home with two pies: Apple and Pumpkin.

I feel asleep soon after I finished eating. Smile

Overall, it was a good day.

Onto financial news....

I have not been working since my mom died. I am scheduled for a couple hours this Saturday but that's it for this week. Also, I will have to dip into my savings soon. I will need to take $225 out for December rent as I have obviously not made anything this month. But that's what savings are for, right?

The only other expense I will have in the next couple months is textbooks. I am expecting to buy 5-6 books and spend about $300. But I plan on reselling a few of my current textbooks so I may recoup some of the cost. My dad will be paying my tuition, which is $600. Tuition spiked for the spring ($7 increase/credit!) and there is a rumor that they are thinking of increasing it by 25% for next fall!

I must remember to write to the governor and senators complaining about the tuition spike...

Tutoring Opportunities and Class Schedule

November 14th, 2008 at 01:38 am

Due to budget cuts my school is getting rid of the math center at then end of this semester. Students used to be able to get tutoring for free but this semester they've had to pay for tutoring.

Next semester my job will be closed because of construction. I am going to tutor kids in math so I can have some income.

I'm thinking of charging $15/hr for 1 student and $25/hr for groups up to 5 students. Do you think these prices are reasonable? I'll be offering tutoring for up to Calculus 3.

My classes for next semester are:
Math 330: Linear Algebra
Math 285: Differential Equations
French 212: 4th semester French language
French 221: French culture class
Computer Science 302: Data Structures

If I get the schedule I want, I will be in class for 3-4 hours a day.

That Went Quickly

September 13th, 2008 at 07:19 pm

On September 10th I spent the last of my spending money.

$75 sure does go away quickly.

But I was also saving all of my change and ones (totaling about $9 from the spending category only).

I bought a game for my nintendo DS (Zoo Tycoon). I don't like it that much so I'm thinking of reselling it on half.com. I also bought another Betta fish and a fish tank. That came to about $30 plus another $20 for the game.

The rest of it was spent at Port of Subs. I have a break for lunch in my class schedule and I haven't been bringing lunch or a snack to school. I definitely intend to bring food from now on.

Even though I've spent $75 in 9 days, I made $96 in the same amount of time. Two more of the textbooks I put on half.com sold and minus the cost of shipping, I made $96 on the three books. The money from half.com is being directly deposited into my savings.

Sunday should be interesting. There is a wedding of 36 but they are ordering off a menu.

My Own Tipping Story

August 28th, 2008 at 12:26 am

I've heard a few stories about waitresses receiving large tips ($1,000+) from customers. I have a story similar to that myself:

Sunday I was serving in the restaurant between the two banquets I had to work that day. I had two customers come in together and one of them had a two-for-one coupon. Their bill (after one entree was discounted) came to $8.54. They tipped me $10!!

Obviously quite a bit less than $1,000, but I thought the customers were being more than generous by tipping me that much.

School started on Monday and so far it is going just fine. It's amusing to see the freshmen walking around with their maps and walk up and down the same block 5 times before working up the courage to ask for help. I can't believe one year ago I was one of those freshman.

I have to take this moment to make fun of my boyfriend: he was supposed to sign up for Spanish 112 (first year Spanish II) but instead accidently signed up for Spanish 212 (second year Spanish II). Even though he has been in class the past two days, I was the one to notice that he signed up for the wrong class. Luckily we were able to get him into the right class today, so it worked out alright.

Onto financial news: Starting September 1st, I'm going to switch to the envelope system. I haven't been putting as much into my IRA as I would like, and I think I can do that better with the envelope system.

So my plan is this (I feel better writing it down): I get paid on the 5th and 20th of every month and I currently have $100 of each paycheck going into my checking and the rest into my savings. On the 5th, I will cash $100 from my checking, and withdraw $165 from my savings (to cover gas, groceries, and spending money). On the 20th, I will withdraw another $100 from my checking (and possibly my savings) and put that into my IRA. The amount I put into my IRA will depend on how much I have saved in my regular savings.

I'm going to the bank in a couple days and I will switch my savings (which is currently a flex account) into a a regular savings account. With the flex account you only can withdraw your money once a month, but with a regular savings you have 6 withdrawals a month. I can also access my savings online if it is a regular savings but not if it is a flex account.

I Think I Need to Set Harder Goals...

July 21st, 2008 at 05:39 pm

I've surpassed my August 31 goal and am just a few dollars short of my October 31.

Once my credit card bill comes I will need to transfer about $160 out of my savings and into my checking because... I bought a bike!

It was a whim purchase. I really did just wake up one day and say, "I'm going to buy a bike!". But I love the bike I got. I've had it for almost a week now and I've been using it every day. I rode it to the pharmacy to get my meds, I rode it to Walmart to get milk, I love it! My boyfriend even fixed up his old bike and we've been riding to and from each other's houses.

I would like to get a basket for the front of my bike by the end of next month. I also need to get a helmet. The basket can wait a couple months, but the helmet I will be getting with next payday.

And to further my excitement, I found gas that is UNDER $4!

I have to go to school now and then work right after. Unfortunately I cannot ride my bike there.

Temporarily Surpassed My Goals

June 21st, 2008 at 06:37 pm

Thanks to a very large paycheck, I have just over $1700 in my savings! Thank goodness for banquets!

BUT I will be needing to withdraw about $500 from my savings to pay for my parking permit and car registration. That still leaves me with about $1200, which means I have completed the Sept. 30th goal on June 20th.

I feel much better now that my savings account is in the 4 digits.

Bad Timing

June 5th, 2008 at 02:07 am

As you can tell, I have very, very little in my savings. And a heck of a lot of expenses are coming up soon- I have to register my car with the DMV by the 28th of June and the parking permit fee for Uni is due the 27th of June. In total, that will be just over $500.

I called my insurance earlier this week to take off my old car and to put on my new one. I didn't know which insurance to get and I forgot what my parents told me to get so I told the lady "basic coverage". She asked me if I needed collision and I said yes. My 6-month premium was $1400. I called my grandma (I'm on her policy) and and she got me the insurance I really needed (no collision!) and the premium went down to about $600. Insurance is so confusing!

Since I bought my car I have this desire to spend more money... and yet, I have none to spend. What I really want to buy is a sewing machine! I used to have one but we sold it and now I want to get into sewing again. I also have switched to cloth pads and I have this urge to buy (or make) several at once. But all of this will have to be put on hold for awhile.

In a stroke of luck (or unluck?), just as my parents were about to take me off their health insurance (I was going to switch the Uni's health insurance since it's cheaper) when I started developing abdominal problems after my meals. My doctor told me that it's mostly likely an ulcer or a gallbladder stone. I have an ultrasound for this Friday.

Work is going well. My muscles are really sore from all the weddings/banquets I've worked but I'm making a good amount in tips.

I hope everyone's summer is going well!

Just About Everything

April 8th, 2008 at 06:08 pm

I can't believe it's April already...

Most important news: I turned 19! A month ago actually, on March 7th. I still can't believe that I'm in my second semester of college and 19.

I quit my job. I'm taking more classes this semester and the homework for each class has increased. My boss says I'm welcome to come back anytime.

I have to work during summers but I'm not sure I want to continue working during the semesters. Especially now that I'm getting into more higher up classes and the work load is only going to increase more. I want to have some free time instead of going from class to homework to work. I will decide on whether to continue working or not during the school year later.

I've registered for my classes for Summer and Fall terms [Summer term is optional]. I'm taking 3 classes over the summer. On the upside I don't have to worry about taking these classes over the regular semester, putting me a little ahead of schedule, but the scholarships from the school don't apply to the summer term. It will cost me $1,034 for the Summer term. I've stepped up my scholarship search and applied for two more (the scholarships are outside my school. I found them on Fastweb.com). Luckily the $1034 is not due all at once.

I filed my taxes early this year and got my refund a couple weeks after I quit my job. Perfect timing as my refund will get me through April and May. I put it in savings to collect interest and will withdraw it as needed.

I will be getting an economic stimulus check of $600. Yay! This will go towards tuition and books for the summer.

I haven't contributed to my IRA in awhile (bad Cassandra!). I will over the summer though. My goal for the summer is to spend as little as possible (just food, gas, rent) and save everything else.

That's pretty much it. I don't expect to be online much over the next month: finals started in one month!

That Wasn't Too Bad

October 25th, 2007 at 06:53 pm

Got back from the DMV and grocery shopping. I spent sooo much today.

$19.95 Smog Check
$28.25 for my car title
$83 for registration
$64.89 on groceries.
Grand total: $196.09

Ouch. Groceries cost so much because I also bought my Halloween costume. Good thing that Halloween and registration comes only once a year.

On the bright side I don't need to go shopping for the rest of the month. I don't need gas for another week and a half and I'm good on groceries for 1.5-2 weeks.

I'm going to do some job searching today. I applied again to the store I used to work at and while I don't REALLY want to work there, I know they're willing to hire me again and it's a decent job. Only problem, I'll be surrounded by clothes. I may have to leave my credit card and money at home whenever I go to work.

Thank you, Life

October 15th, 2007 at 09:44 pm

Life has a sick, sick mind. It has a knack for allowing things to explode all at once.

This Saturday past we had a banquet. It was for a small amount of people, but because my work had laid off several people those of us who were still there were very strained. And to top off the fact that I was running around, picking up the all the extra jobs I too got laid off.

My last day is this Sunday.

I don't NEED to work. My aunt gives me money each month and starting in December my parents will give me money each month. I work to save money. So, I can either find another job right away and continue saving or I can take the rest of the semester off and take $25 or so dollars a month from my savings for spending money.

And the icing on the cake: the dealer called me today to tell me what had to be done to fix my car and how much it was going to cost.

$1,250.

The tire rod, alignment, and something else I can't remember now all need to be completely fixed. They also have to order new parts for my car.

If life were a person, I would probably hit him right now.

A Bit Worried...

September 30th, 2007 at 05:48 am

Winter is coming up and rumor has it that my work will be closing earlier during the winter due to lack of golfers. Completely understandable, very hard to golf in the snow.

But I don't like it.

This means that I will go from making $400-$500/month to $300-$400/month. It's not as much as a problem now that my dad got a new job (YAY!!) and my parents will be giving me money every month to pay for my bills and whatnot, but it does mean that I'll have to put less into savings each month. I was hoping to put $400 into regular savings and $100 in IRA, but now it looks like it will be $300 into regular savings and $100 into IRA.

Good, but not what I was hoping for.

Here's what I plan on spending each month:
-$25 DSL
-$100 gas ($25/week)
-$60-80 groceries (depending on if I need to buy kitty litter/food)
-$80-90 fun money. A girl has got to act like a carefree college student every once in awhile, right?

The above will be covered by my parents. What I earn is strictly for saving.

Unexpected Savings

June 12th, 2007 at 05:13 am

Sometimes all you need to do to save money is to open your eyes.

Taking my usual way to work I found a new gas station that I hadn't noticed before. It's about .15$ cheaper than any of the other gas stations in my area and best of all, I don't have to drive outside of my normal route to get there.

Onto the purpose of Monday's post: my week's spending. I didn't buy the new iPod today (woke up late) so I'll be getting that tomorrow along with a father's day present. I want to spend less than $300 tomorrow (it is so incredibly weird to talking about spending that much!). I haven't the vaguest idea what I'll be getting my dad. Possinly a book.

Wednesday, Thrusday, and Sunday are no-spend days. Friday or Saturday I will be gasing up, but I haven't decided which. I've done more driving this past week than I expected and it has thrown me off. I expect $40 will be enough to gas up. Whatever day I don't buy gas on will be a no-spend day.

I filed my taxes late this year (I know, I know!) however I did not owe the government any money so I was not penalized. Not the best habit to get into, filing taxes late, but I'll do better next year, I promise. I just received my return so I'll be taking that to the bank tomorrow. I'll put $75-100 of the return into my checking and the rest will be put into my IRA.

As per advice of someone on here (I can't remember your name, my apologies!), I checked with my state's labor commissioner and according to them: "If you quit, wages and compensation must be paid no later than the day on which you would have been regularly been paid or within 7 days, whichever is earlier."

I should have been paid by today, at the very latest. I will be going in tomorrow to discuss this with my ex-boss. If I do not receive my paycheck within a couple days, I will be making a complaint. This wouldn't be the first trick she's pulled and I'm no longer going to put up with it.

Frustrating Day

June 9th, 2007 at 01:30 am

Almost three weeks ago I put in my 2 weeks notice at my previous job (which was in retail). My last day was last Saturday (6/2) and I was promised my last paycheck would be ready today (6/8).

But it wasn't. My ex-boss said she had completely forgotten to send it in. She told me to come back in a week.

I was counting on that paycheck. It would only be about $200, but every little bit helps.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the laws regarding the time frame in which you are supposed to receive your last paycheck?

On another note, I have my Roth IRA with Wellsfargo and my savings and checking with a local state bank. I've always been more than happy with my local state bank. The interest rates are good, they've always been helpful and friendly, and there's no ridiculous fees (once I overdrew on my checking account. They called me that day to tell me and said they wouldn't charge any overdraft fees if I deposited money by the end of the next business day). The only reason my Roth IRA is at Wellsfargo is because my state bank offers only traditional and Sep IRAs.

BUT the university I'm attending has an agreement with Wellsfargo. If you have a checking account with Wellsfargo and use their debit card at the university (for games, cafeteria, books, etc.) you receive 5% back, regardless of what you bought.

My question is this: should I transfer banks completely? Or just my checking? Can I open a checking account with Wellsfargo for my purchases at my university and close it once I graduate?

Starting a new checking account at Wellsfargo would be helpful in keeping track of my education expenses. But is it good to open a new account and close it a few years later? Would it make a difference if I closed the account because I moved out of state (or even out of the country)?

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated!


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