Thursday, March 31, 2011

The day before pay-day routine

I just took a break to quick check my bank balances. Something I always do the day before pay-day. Actually it's something I do way too much. Mint.com is amazing, but I find myself checking my accounts way more than necessary! Anyway, some of you may or may not know that this is my first month being debt free except for student loans, which are deferred and don't count! Not that you need a complete run-down of my finances, but this is kinda fun...well, it's fun for me.



I've mentioned a few times that there are days I completely resent my budget. Other days, I remind myself that it's a bit of a lifeline. Either way, it's a necessity for me and it should be a necessity for you! Pretty much every penny I get ends up in a budget category and my budget is fairly reasonable. At least as fair as any grad student budget. So even though I don't always stick to it exactly, I stick to it pretty darn close. Just watching those categories go from green to yellow to red on Mint.com keeps me on track. This month I had a few unexpected expenses. That meant juggling a few things here and there. There were days I had to practice some serious restraint. In fact, yesterday I ate peanut butter and crackers, a can of pears, and a coke for lunch. That's what I had in my desk! There were times I was totally craving Starbucks or Grey House, but I made coffee in my office instead. This is not a pity party by any means! Everything all worked out in budget land. Barely. When it's all said and done, I have a whoppin' $4.86 left over this month. That will get transferred to the wiggle room account for the future when I just can't resist a yummy coffee!

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