Break Up

I broke up with K.

We had been dating for 4 months, and for the last 1.5 months he pulled away and I saw his true colors. In the end, he turned into a complete jerk and I realized it is better for me to be alone than to be together with him and unhappy almost all the time. The first 2.5 months of our relationship were amazing, but the constant tears, fights/arguments and lack of communication for the last 1.5 months has been too much to handle.

I know this is good for me - once I get over the heart break... :(

Happy (Late) 4th of July + Long Weekend Spending!

Hope you all had a fun and safe 4th! I had a great time with friends. We had an all-day BBQ/beach fest yesterday and it was a blast - especially the food and drinks! I ended up only getting slightly sunburned on spots I missed and met some new people that I got along with, which is always fun. However, I managed to spend a fair amount of money this weekend, especially since I had a half-day on Thursday which didn't help matters! Now I have pulled pork cooking in my crock pot (using my Mom's recipe!) and am doing some studying.

Thursday (half-day)
$20.97, Costco (party food, K spent over $100 total)
$7.70, Frozen yogurt
$13.50, Dinner with roommates

Friday
$16.34, Groceries (mostly party food)

Saturday
$8.50, brunch at a food stall (didn't have breakfast and the BBQ wasn't until 1pm)

Sunday
$30.70, Groceries (finally - for myself!)
$33.53, gas
$3.74, laundry detergent (on sale plus $2-off coupon)

Total: $134.98

It's July: Goals, Networth & Budget Leftovers

Where did the time go? Wow - July already! My networth actually decreased slightly, as the markets didn't go up. Here's a review of my June goals and a list of my July ones. I had $200 leftover from my June budget, so I put $100 into my E-fund and $100 into my Roth IRA. :)

June Goals
1. Get first ever credit report! Pass! I pulled my Experian credit report, which was basically but it was good to do!
2. Try more recipes. Pass!
3. Plan a trip for later this year - either home, to NYC or perhaps something else entirely! Half-pass... I've requested a week off in September to go to NYC.
4. Sign up for summer golf lessons, with a budget of ~$200. Fail.
5. Celebrate: One-year of being at my company and one-year of blogging! Pass! Had drinks with my roommates about my 1-year of employment - they don't know about the blog!
6. Review/Adjust annual goals. Fail.

July Goals
1. Continue CFA studying.
2. Figure out rent situation for August.
3. Review/adjust annual goals.
4. Book flight/finalize trip to NYC in September.

Emergency Fund: What To Use It For?

Some recent events - like my car being towed and getting locked out of my apartment - have had me thinking what my emergency fund is really for. Obviously, yes, anything that constitutes (in my opinion) as an emergency; any unexpected, rare, sudden occurrence.

For instance, if May had not been a 3-paycheck month, I would have had to take the towing fees out of my emergency fund. If one of my roommates had not been coming home soon when I was locked out, I would have called a locksmith and would have paid for that out of my emergency fund. Luckily, I have not yet had to dip into the fund to pay for anything!

I then made a list of what I would personally use my E-fund for:

• Job loss
• Medical expenses
• Taxes (if owe any)
• Other: out-of-city/state moving expenses, major car repair (if car fund doesn't cover it), plane ticket to wherever in case of a family emergency/death
  

I am sure I am missing any sort of incidents, because who knows what could happen - but these are the "big ticket" items I could come up with.

Is there anything else you would add? What have you used your emergency fund for?

Weekend Spending

I already gave a brief rundown of what my weekend plans were, and ended up following them - mostly. I did go shopping on Saturday after staying in on Friday, and then went to the driving range after my mini shopping excursion. It was by far the most gorgeous weekend we've had in two months thanks to May gray and June gloom, so I got a bit of sun on my arms where I forgot to apply sunscreen. On Sunday I went to the gym in the morning and then studied the rest of the day. (Oh, and watched some episodes of season 2 of Gossip Girl that I borrowed from a friend... it's an addicting guilty pleasure!) :)

Friday
$5.75, Lunch with roommate

Saturday
$25, sandals on sale (used a Macy's gift card)
$21.63, pair of white shorts (perfect for July 4th!)
$8.10, sandwich for lunch (took the leftovers home for dinner)
$9.18, a lot of fruit at the grocery store!

Sunday
$0, stayed home!

Total: $69.66

This Weekend

Sorry for my lack of posts recently! I even forgot to do my usual weekend spending one from last week, oops. (I have been focusing on studying this week.)

K has been out of town on business since Tuesday and won't return until Thursday, which helps with my chance to study. I took last night off and read some more in the latest book my Mom sent me, watched TV and basically did nothing/relaxed. Today, once I finish catching up on blog reading from this week, I am going to the mall to do some shopping! I've been keeping my eye on these sandals and am looking for a few new clothing items - both for work and casual wear.

I then plan to go to the driving range that is in the vicinity of the mall (with a driving range card that I found from a few years ago, which still has money on it and is still valid!) and after that, I will come home and spend the rest of the night studying. On Sunday I am going to the gym in the morning, study all afternoon and go to the driving range with a friend in the evening.

It will be a good weekend! :) Hope you enjoy yours.

A Lot of Studying

I have mentioned previously that I signed up for the CFA Level I exam in December 2009. It is directly related to my career path and is a graduate-level, independent study exam, though 3-day seminars and 16-week courses are available. I am lucky enough that my employer covers the registration costs of the each of the three exams as well as additional study materials. A lot of individuals in my industry are looking towards this instead of an MBA, though having both is even better, of course!

I have been trying to put in a lot of study time. 250+ hours of study are recommended, an average of 15 hours per week for 4 months. Luckily I started early and have time on my side and am about to complete a second topic area of study. However, it is an extremely overwhelming amount of information. Most of it will be brand new material, but a lot of it also comes from my Finance degree and Accounting minor background, which certainly does help. And some days I just don't have the brain capacity to study, or I get distracted by doing things with friends.

The studying will be a long, stressful, trying time over the next months until the exam at the beginning of December. I have always been a hard worker and diligent studier, I just know I have to buckle down and learn all the material. In the end, whatever the result, it will be worth it - for I truly enjoying increasing my knowledge.