Employed for One Year!

I have officially been employed for one year! I can't believe it's come by so quickly and I have my first year in the workforce under my belt.

Especially in this economy, I am very glad to have my job.

Too Many Appointments!

I managed to schedule a lot of appointments this week. It's messed up my work schedule so I'm doing make-up time and then taking time off for my appointments, which has meant long days.

It also means two co-pays of $10 each and an unknown amount. One of the appointments is a one-time-only deal and I was told that it should be covered under my insurance... so hopefully I don't receive a huge bill for it!

It'll be interesting to put a bunch of co-pays into my budget, but I always keep a bit of a buffer so I know I should be fine. Plus, my E-fund is always there if it does turn out to be a larger-than-expected expense!

Running Around (and a Wedding!)

I ran around like the wind after work yesterday. I had a Dr.'s appointment, then needed to get some bloodwork done at the nearby lab. Yuck - I hate needles, but luckily it was a complete breeze and they were so quick I didn't have to pay the $1 parking fee due to the "grace period" for short visits! $10 co-pay. I then made it on-time to my hair appointment. $60 (including tip) and it looks fantastic!

Stopped by Target on the way home and picked up various items including a picture frame for a friend's graduation present ($9.99) and some wood salad spoons ($3.19) as a little something extra for my friend's wedding this afternoon. Also some cosmetics, ice cream and 2 frozen pizzas ($3.33 each!) as I was way too lazy to try to make dinner at 8pm, especially since I had a low-key night in - roommates are both out of town and K is coming back from his business trip this morning. Target total was $30.54, some of which will be coming out of my gift fund. Total spent on Friday: $100.54.

My friend's wedding day has finally arrived and I can't wait! The weather is gorgeous and it will be a blast. I also have not been to a wedding since I was 12, and then I didn't even know the couple. I am so excited!

Sidebar Updates

I've updated my sidebars. I am easily within reach of the $8,000 in my E-fund! And hopefully soon I'll be using more of the money in my Travel Fund... Though that could be easily wiped out with a plane ticket or two!

Net Worth for May

I updated my net worth for May. It increased by 12%, thanks to my retirement accounts and my extra paycheck in May!

One Year Blogiversary!

Today is officially my one-year blogiversary! It really surprises me that it's been a whole year since I graduated, landed a job, and started down the path of personal finance. I have created my own net worth and learned a lot along the way!

One year ago, my goals were simple: donate to charity, open an ING savings account and open a Roth IRA. I have done all three (I contribute $25 monthly to a rotation of 3 different charities, including my alma mater) and even maxed out my Roth IRA for 2008! I absolutely love my ING savings account... especially the sub-accounts.

One of the biggest events, both personally and financially, was my promotion. It has been exciting and enjoyable - and it occurred so quickly that it truly surprised me! However, it also makes me respect the company I work for in seeing my potential, and that I hope I can be here a long time. I did my taxes for the very first time (using TaxACT) and I also started dating K in March!

I have felt welcome in the pf (and general blog) community and continue to read all of yours daily as inspiration. Here's to another great year of blogging and personal finance! :)

(Almost) Halfway Through the Year!

It's officially June and almost halfway through 2009. Wow! I feel like so much has happened, yet not enough - and that it's going by WAY too quickly! How did I do with my May goals and what will I try to accomplish in June?

May Goals
1. Begin studying for CFA Level I. Pass! I started May 3rd and have been putting in a few hours a week. The exam is in December, so I feel comfortable just easing into the studying. Just need to keep it up!
2. Add $20 prescription and $30 Blackberry Data Plan into budget. Pass! Was able to fit these in without much adjustment, since I had some wiggle room in my budget anyway.
3. Take my car in. Really... Pass! Well, it went in for a tire rotation and 14-point oil change/checkup at the local EZ Lube ($40 with coupon, would have cost $60+ without!) - they made some recommendations, but I discussed with the men in my life who said those are unnecessary at the moment. Hooray!
4. Go out more often with friends! But keeping "Entertainment" spending at $75 max. Pass! I went out with my roommates once, out with my best friend and her bf once, went to a grad/pool party and spent less than $50 on all of it! (Also thanks to some free movie tickets I had.)
5. Use Crock Pot for new, quick and easy meals. Pass! I made this, this and this. I would highly recommend the first two! :)
6. Look into taking ballroom dance lessons with K who keeps mentioning it! Fail. The subject has come up, but we keep procrastinating on actually doing it. And we didn't even make it to yoga!

June Goals
1. Get first ever credit report!
2. Try more recipes.
3. Plan a trip for later this year - either home, to NYC or perhaps something else entirely!
4. Sign up for summer golf lessons, with a budget of ~$200.
5. Celebrate: One-year of being at my company and one-year of blogging!
6. Review/Adjust annual goals.