Back in Action?

It is so weird to be coming back to this website. Surreal in fact.

My debt has only continued to pile up through my early and in to mid-twenties. Unexpected expenses tend to be the biggest culprit. My inability to save ahead for these things is pathetic.

I picked up one of my favorite guilty pleasure reads (Save Karyn) recently and realized that I needed to do something about my debt. I always have a budget going, but I have such a hard time sticking to it. It feels like every couple months I'm attempting to get myself back in gear.

The only time I have ever felt fiscally responsible was when I had this blog.

Writing and posting about my finances took the secrecy away. I couldn't hide from it. In fact, the positive feedback only made me stronger in resolve to stick to a budget. So, I've decided to turn back to what helped me five years ago when I had first moved out on my own.

First action: Figuring out where I'm at in terms of my finances. I don't even know what my debt looks like at this point. Only a vague estimate. Please don't pay attention to the bar graphs on the side in the mean time.

Vanishing Act: Where did Vixen on a Budget go?

A lot has happened in the last year:

I moved in with my boyfriend last July. Started having severe anxiety over school, work and my relationship. Decided to take some time off of school.

Incurred extensive amounts of debt because I dreaded going to work (and despised the two hour commute).

Currently, things are looking a better. The relationship is a lot more stable. I'm still not in school and facing a major dilemma as to whether go back now or wait six months until I'm 24 which would save me considerable amounts of money in the long run (future post on this matter). I work at a new location that is five minutes from my house. More importantly, I love my job once again. There is no pressure, yelling, or chaos in my workplace. Which is hard to find in a restaurant.

Now, I just need to start getting my finances (and health) back on track.

The Quarter is Ending!

Finals are just around the corner. I have one next week and then eight papers (two of which are over twelve pages) due the week of finals which is the week after next. I'm nearly delusional with all the writing I've been doing.

Financially? Eek! I've been so crazed with school that the last thing I'm thinking of is budgeting. I'm hammering out a new one for the month and trying to sort out my cash flow at the moment. Expect a budget by the end of tonight.

Much to my chagrin, I still haven't gotten my stimulus check. As soon as I get that, I can put the money I pulled out of savings back in. I have direct deposit and the letter said I should have gotten by today. Hmmmm?

My pretty little garden is doing wonderfully. The basil is amazing and the first jalapeno just appeared!

I'm attempting to catch up with everyone right now. I predict lots of reading for the next couple weeks. I miss everyone's blogs!

There goes my savings.

For whatever reason, my university is going to require that I pay out of pocket for my summer tuition and eventually get reimbursed in July. That will drain ALL of my savings (1,200 dollars) and leave little to pay for books. I'm not even sure how I'll pay for books.

Time to start selling stuff. Oy.

The economy has caused me a 30% pay cut.

Lately, I feel like I'm suffocating. I can hardly keep up with all the schoolwork. It's causing me to be forgetful which has resulted in two parking tickets. Oh, and I need to buy like four more books for my classes. That equates to about 200 dollars. I'm expecting my stimulus check to catch me up at the moment.

The economy has really hit my restaurant. I've gone from averaging a hundred dollars a day, to eighty five dollars a day... to seventy dollars a day.. That's a 30% pay cut. I love my job, but regretfully, I'm going to have to leave to a better bar and/or restaurant. I have a girlfriend of mine who averages two hundred dollars a day at a fancy schmancy hotel in Pasadena. I'm willing to make a forty five minute drive (no traffic) to earn that type of money.

Oh, and the corportate restaurant chain I work for may get audited. Lovely. Fucking lovely.

The herb garden is wonderful. I've already used the basil and rosemary. The tomato and jalapeno plants are blossoming.

(Pardon the cursing. Oh, and I updated my bars!)

Quick and Dirty.

It's the third week of the quarter and I'm dieing. Taking an extra class is kicking my ass. On top of that, I've been working closer to 35 hours a week while taking more than a full load. I'm also picking up an extra shift Thursday before I go to school all day (oy!). I'm virtually working full-time these days. I can't do this.

What does this all equate to?

My finances are looking awfully good. I've been spending more money on food at school, but able to curtail going out since my life is AT school.

On the downside, I haven't been able to post here on the blog or read other people's blogs. I have to admit, I'm sorely missing it. A heavy dose of Strange Bird, Gilded Butterfly, Well-Heeled or countless other PF Bloggers would be lovely right now... but I have to go write a five page paper!

Saving Money With Being Eco-Friendly

I've always been an eco-friendly gal. In fact, I have quite a few friends who refer to me as the "hippy". It's not just the interest I've had in environmentalism since I was a child (seriously, my mother would buy me books on the subject), but my liberal stance on many issues.

I've realized lately though that I'm definetly not doing my share in the world. I use paper towels; I print up plenty of stuff for school that I could attempt not to; I don't buy all organic products (although in the shift).

How does this effect me financially? I've been wanting to subscribe to two different magazines for some time now. I LOVE getting magazine subscriptions in the mail. I nearly sent off for a subscription today when I took another moment to think about it. How much paper would that be using up just to sate my lust for reading? How many books do I already own (over 300)? How many pieces of paper, trees, and pollution went into that? In reality, I could read wine reviews online easily. I could find political articles like they have in Vanity Fair easily online.

In reality, I don't need magazine subscriptions when I can get that information online. In the process, I save myself money as well as helping the environment.

Beyond that, there are so many ways that eco-friendly products will save you money in the long run. A pack of dishtowels will cost more initially, but over time will last a lot longer than the equivalent rolls of paper towels in terms of price. My previous post on starting an herb garden will require an initial output of money, but once again will save me uber-amounts of money in the long run. B and I use garlic, jalapenos, green onions, cilantro and tomatoes on a weekly basis. I use rosemary and thyme a couple times a week. We'll be saving money, but we'll know for a fact that we are gardening our products without pesticides. Furthermore, the products won't be shipped.

I currently re-use the stockpile of Trader Joe paper bags I have. Once those give out, I'm going to get a cloth bag to carry my groceries in. B and I will often walk to little eateries around here instead of driving. There's lots of little changes that can add up in the long run.

How do you save money while being eco-friendly?