July Spending Overload

I've done quite a bit of spending this month! There was an extra $37.31 on groceries for July 4th. There has been a lot of spending on friendships. (And more tomorrow - I'm going to happy hour with my roommates!) I normally spend about $75 on dining out in an average month, but have spent over $100 this month. I've also spent more on groceries than usual (due to my break-up... I keep buying comfort food!), including $42.65 at Costco for some frozen items, 2 flats of cherries and a flat of blackberries.

I also bought a new jacket that I had been pining over for the past few months. Since it was unavailable in stores, it came to $146.81 after tax and shipping. This was an unplanned purchase, however I rarely spend my clothing budget so I am very excited for it to arrive next week! (Luckily I had set aside for my car trouble!)

Yet... I don't care about all this spending! I tend to come under my monthly budget every month, which includes a fair amount of savings already. So, it's actually nice to have a more carefree, I-don't-care-what-I-spend month... knowing that it's deserved and that I still won't be completely blowing my budget. :)

Annual Goal Review

Since it's halfway through 2009, I wanted to see how I'm doing on my annual goals that I made back in January.

Goal: Increase Net Worth to $15K
Progress: Apparently this was easier than expected! My networth is currently at $22K. Let's just hope it can stay above the $15K mark, barring any unforeseen emergencies or stock market plunges during the rest of the year.

Goal: Increase E-fund to $8K
Progress: My E-fund is at just over $7K and there are still 5 months left in the year! Definitely on track for getting right around the $8K mark, which would give me a 6-month E-fund based on my average monthly expenses only.

Goal: Contribute at least $3K to 2009 Roth IRA
Progress: So far, I have contributed $2,150. I contribute $200 a month plus some of any monthly budget leftovers. I am on track to contribute $3K for 2009... perhaps I should bump this up to $4K?

Goal: Take one extra vacation
Progress: Well, I took a trip to NYC in April. I have another trip planned there in September and then I will be going home to the Northwest for Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, I am planning on taking a cruise to Mexico with friends in January! That will be my "extra" trip, even though it will technically be in 2010. :)

Goal: Get back into golf
Progress: I have been going to the driving range fairly frequently, once a week or every two weeks. I've started pricing out some group lesson packages and would still like to do that!

Goal: Study and sit for CFA Level I in December '09
Progress: I registered a few months ago and am in the process of studying! It is overwhelming but I tried to start early and am getting into a good routine now. As the exam gets closer, studying will become my life!

Personal Finance Mad Lib

There's a really fun personal finance mad lib created by Punch Debt In The Face going around the blogosphere, so I thought I would join in!

Hi, my name is Money Maus. I currently have $14 dollars in my wallet. When I started managing my finances I was worth $4K, and now have a net worth of $22K. I currently work in finance and have been doing it for 1 year. I make roughly $35K per year. I want to have $2MM+ waiting for me when it comes time to retire. Aside from learning about finances, I really enjoy text messages. I think the world would be a better place if greed didn't exist. I had chicken/ravioli/broccoli for dinner last night and it was scrumptious. I have had 4 significant others over the course of my lifetime (counting awkward middle school relationships and relationships that lasted 4 months or less). One thing that makes me different is my petite size. Now that I'm done with this mad lib, I think I'm going to go to sleep.

No Price on Friendship!

In the past week, I have spent time with quite a few friends. Some I hadn't seen in a few weeks, a few months, and even one in two-and-a-half years! And I've spent a bit more money than usual doing so - but you can't put a price on friendship. :)

Last Friday, I went to lunch with one of my current roommates, $5.75. In the evening, I went out with my old roommates and we had a blast. I spent $6. On Saturday I drove up to visit a friend in a different town. We went for sushi ($10) and frozen yogurt ($4.02). In the evening, we met went bar hopping with her and her husband's friends, $11. Last night I went out with two friends for sushi (again!) and drinks, $24.31.

It's already been an expensive month, especially with July 4th - but I have definitely needed all the time with my friends. And I'm looking forward to more of that time this weekend! :)

Car Trouble!

I had a fantastic weekend but it ended with a little bit of car trouble. On Sunday around noon, my car battery completely died! I was in a large parking lot and luckily I have AAA, so I called them and they were able to jump-start my car... but not 5 minutes later, at a stoplight on the busiest street in the area, my car died in the middle of the road! The car locked up so the good samaritans who tried to help me couldn't put it in neutral to push it to the side of the road. Eventually I was able to get it towed to a Firestone where they ran an electrical test and confirmed that yes, it was indeed my battery.

$148.73 and a few hours later, my car is fixed and happy! (Thank goodness for my car fund, too.)

Post-Break Up Update

The weekend was really difficult. I basically holed myself up, let myself grieve for the loss of my relationship with K, then got very angry and today am starting to find peace. Slowly.

I threw away the toothbrush he left here and moved the few pictures of him/us into a folder of a folder. I've told all my closest friends about what happened. And everyone has told me I am better off. Which I know I am. But still, as with anything difficult, there's a process of going through all the emotions. (And to be honest, this is the first time I've had my heart legitimately broken. It's a horrible feeling!)

I spent $4.18 for dinner at In-N-Out on Friday with two friends, $37.87 on groceries (including my favorite ice cream and a $5-per-lb. bag of my favorite cherries), $13 on a few items at the pharmacy and $16.95 on a yoga mat that I have already used once.

And readers, thank you! All your kind comments have been nothing short of amazing! :)

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.