Why is March taking all my money?!

According to some other bloggers, March has been a crazy month in terms of spending! I can relate... even though I went on a weekend getaway and spent a crazy weekend in Vegas (thanks, Travel Fund!), my spending has still not been good. And March isn't even over yet!

Maybe it's the fact that it's officially spring? Or because of daylight savings time?! Whatever the reason, I have been spending a lot more on various activities! I've been going to the driving range more frequently at about $10 each time. I've seen some movies, had wine or food at my book club meetings (I normally stick with water!), and had a lot of little expenses that have just added up. I've also bought some birthday gifts this month - totaling $55 but that'll come out of my Gift Fund, which still needs to be transferred.

I know I'll have to buy a few more groceries over the weekend. And I'm also playing golf ($30) and possibly going out with my roommates. I'm not sure if I'll be able to save any extra money this month... it would be the first time that's ever happened! But I'll try to save $50 from budget leftovers.

Confession

I have a confession to make.

I bought new shoes. And not just one pair... but two!

Even after I said I would take a 6-month shoe shopping hiatus.

Oops! And of course I completely rationalized them: One was a much needed pair of black heels to go with all my fancy dresses, and the other was one pair was on sale and will be fantastic for spring/summer! But I can afford the heels so nothing wrong there. And I got triple rewards points for buying them! :) But really, self. NO MORE SHOES!!!

Friday Ramblings

Well, I somehow survived Vegas Trip 2010 last weekend! It was a blast, I couldn't have asked for a better or more fun group of friends to go with. I even made a new friend, and oddly enough my fortune cookie at the Rio Carnival World Buffet ringed true: Watch for a stranger to soon become a friend. :)

I'm not quite done with the final cost breakdown, as I'm still waiting to hear from one of the people about the total cost of hotel room plus gas. I think my share will be approximately $80. I lost $30 gambling, which is the most I've EVER gambled in Vegas! I think I'll be at around $375-$400 for the 3-day weekend, which isn't bad at all! Definitely put my Travel Fund to good use.

I've had a very busy week. Recovering from the trip and Daylight Savings Time, my golf class, kickboxing, yoga, and hanging out with some friends. Tonight I finally have time to relax, do laundry and clean the apartment. A good night in! I'm also hoping to get a lot of reading done. I'm horrible when it comes to reading; I usually have a few books going at once and right now is no exception. Time to finish Unaccustomed Earth, then read The Alchemist for next week's book club and hopefully get back into Shantaram. :)

Tomorrow I'll be volunteering in the afternoon and in the evening I'm off to see the Swedish movie version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I'm very excited! I love independent films and this one actually looks like a fantastic book-to-film one. (Or so the reviews say...) On Sunday I'm supposed to go to the driving range with some of the girls and I'll also probably run some errands.

What are your weekend plans?

Vegas Trip 2010!

This weekend I'm off to Vegas with some friends! A group of us are taking Friday off and driving there (I love mini road trips!), and it also happens to be both of my roommates birthdays. As if it couldn't get any better, one of my best friends is flying to meet us there for the weekend and I can't wait! We haven't seen each other in almost 3 years, so this will be a blast. :)

I've taken out $450 from my Travel Fund for this trip. I'm hoping I don't have to use it all, but I don't mind if I do! I don't think we'll be seeing any shows (unless we find a great last-minute deal) - but I do plan on going out to dinner, going out to some bars/clubs and perhaps a little bit of gambling! Especially since my friend has never been to Vegas. :) And it's been a year since I went last!

This is my second vacation of 2010 already! I am loving this year! Even though I've been to Vegas before, do you have any suggestions of things I should do?

Happy Friday!

In bullet point format :)

• It's PAYDAY!
• I rented a movie from Redbox using a free promo code.
• I had $100 leftover from my February budget, which I put into my Roth IRA.
• My roommate's parents are in town... and they're taking us out to my favorite restaurant for dinner tomorrow night! :)
  
• I'm going over to a friend's place for dinner on Sunday to watch the Oscars (The Hurt Locker FTW!) and have dinner. I'll be making this appetizer and I'm excited!
• I bought a cute beach coverup dress for $21, which was the remainder of my clothing allowance I gave myself from my bonus.
• I put $85 into my CL/25th Fund! :)

Have a great weekend!

Hello, March!

Can you believe it's March already?!

I had a blast skiing this weekend with my friends! We unfortunately had some set backs and didn't get to the ski hill until 1pm, so we only got in a few hours of skiing. And after not going for 6 years, my body is sore this week! But it was so much fun, even if it was an expensive day trip! I ended up spending $105 for my gear rental, half-day lift ticket, food and my share of gas.

I have been thinking a lot about my 2010 goals recently. I'm excited to say I've already completed some of them and I'm on track to meet others! So far, I've joined a volunteer program and now I'm taking a month-long golf class. Both are going great and I'm meeting new people which is always fun. :)