Going Wine Tasting!

Remember the bachelorette party I was invited to a while back? Well, it's this weekend!

A lot of the girls who were invited ended up canceling last minute. So, instead of 15 girls for a wine-tasting getaway, it will be 5. Which also (unfortunately) means that the accommodation price has increased a lot. I had expected about $200 total for the entire weekend, but now it will be more like $250-$300. Accommodations alone per person are $135. Then there's the wine tasting (~$50) and one nice dinner (~$40) on Saturday plus any other costs such grocery store food (we're only eating out for that one meal I believe, so ~$15). Her bachelorette gift for $30 already came from my Gift Fund. Plus I'll be bringing my own bottle of wine to share from home!

Based on those numbers, I am hoping to come in at under $250 for the weekend, which still isn't bad! I'm just glad I don't have to fly anywhere and it's only a 45 minute drive from where I live. :)

However, it is my very first bachelorette party so I'm extremely excited and I believe a small group will be great. I can't wait to see my girlfriend and have a lot of fun! My trusty Travel Fund will cover all the expenses.

Extra Income!

I received two Pinecone Research checks this month for $3 each. I also received mileage reimbursement from 1Q09 at work for $9.90.

I am putting $10 of it into my Gift Fund!

Weekend Spending

Basically, I had one of the most amazing weekends of my life. As usual, I spent all weekend with K. On Friday we went out with a few of my friends for a birthday celebration and had a blast! That night, K said he would like it if I would call him my boyfriend! So, it's official, we are together instead of just dating. :) On Saturday we went to brunch and then on a 3-hour hike in a local state park and along a long stretch of beach. My legs and feet were so tired and sore the next day! But it was a blast. On Sunday after brunch we drove our cars to his place and washed them by hand - music turned up loud, in the sunshine, and having a great time together. I couldn't be happier right now!

Friday
$25.79, Gas
$0, Bars (K paid!)

Saturday
$0, Brunch (K paid)

Sunday
$11.98, Brunch
$41.54, Birthday present for my brother

Total: $79.31

Welcome to the world of Blackberry...

Yes, that's right. After 2 years with my wonderful LG VX6800, I am finally getting a Blackberry!

I am getting a Curve. I am still on the Family Plan with my parents, but now I will be paying $30 per month for the unlimited data plan. (My parents will pay for the voice portion as part of their plan.) This will fit in fine with my budget. :) The phone itself is free, as we had a $100 credit towards a new phone with Verizon for being loyal customers. (My Mom and younger brother are also getting new phones, but they chose different free/cheap phones.)

It's arriving tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited!!

Twitter

I joined Twitter yesterday! You can follow me here.

What's funny is I used Twitter over a year ago. I got bored with it as hardly any of my friends used it. Now I'm excited to start it up again as a somewhat anonymous blogger. :)

Weekend Spending

Hot weekend. It was in the high 80's every day! I spent almost the entire weekend with K. On Friday we went for a (simple) hike in a local state park/beach area - I think this is going to become a weekly occurrence. On Saturday, he made a delicious breakfast and then we ran some errands and took a long walk on the beach. On Sunday we went to brunch then watched a movie at his place - thank goodness for a/c! That night I went to the Britney Spears concert with some friends and had a blast. (I will admit that I like her performances. I saw her 7 years ago and she was fantastic then and great now.) ;)

Friday
$73.41, Shopping (I bought a new tank top & a bathing suit - love them both!! K paid for groceries for dinner)

Saturday
$6.35, Coffee for K & an Italian soda for me
$11.60, Groceries

Sunday
$30.54, Brunch
$26.84, Target (prescription re-fill & some groceries)
$10, my share of parking & gas for the concert

Total: $158.74

NYC!

I ate, shopped and spent time with my parents/friends who live in the city during my NYC vacation. I spent more on clothes than I did on anything else during my trip! I bought a new pair of work out pants, a new pair of wedge heels for spring/summer that I absolutely adore, 1 pair of pants and 2 cardigans for work. Here's my spending breakdown from my wonderful Easter vacation to NYC!

Clothes: $218
Gifts: $30
Food: $24 (I got away with so little because my parents live in NYC for part of the year, so I was able to stay with them and they paid for the majority of my food! So lucky. I offered to pay on numerous occasions, but they wouldn't let me.)
Alcohol: $30 (1 round of drinks at a bar with 2 friends)

Total: $302

I can't believe how little I spent! I know this isn't an ordinary vacation since I had no flight or accommodation costs. I am taking $84 from my Travel Fund to cover the non-clothing expenses of my trip. (The clothing is being covered by the clothing allocation of my bonus.)

We'll see how I fare on wherever I go next! :)