Create a budget, and stick with it

I fine tuned my apartment living budget and I’m trying to go by it since I’m moving out next week. Let’s see how month 1 goes and we’ll go from there.

I managed to stay inside the budget last month! Go me!

Unfortunately, this month I bought a Mulberry purse and Repetto flats, so I’ll have to stop at that.

Well, life is shifting big time this month. Without a budget, I’m pretty much screwed. So I made one tonight and it helps to have a good idea of where everything needs to be.

So now is the “sticking with it” part! It’s probably going to take about a couple months for me to get used to it, but that’s fine. I’m ready to be good to myself.

Moving out on July 10. I really need to get a budget together especially with everything I need to buy.

Moving out sooner than I thought, so I’m playing with budgets that will keep my grocery purchases to a minimum on a weekly basis after I do an initial run in the grocery store to stock up on some things AND allow me to save between $200-300 a month until the end of the year.

I’m tired of spending more than I have. I’m fortunate enough to have my mother to cover my expenses, but I don’t want to depend on her forever, nor do I want to make things harder for her. She already pays for my college and my housing and I should really save some money, or at least spend it wisely. I know that my Amex bill for this month (april) will be a sentence of death, but I will try compensate in may.

I really have no need for a budget right now because I’m still living at home and I don’t really spend that much money, but I’ll need one when I move out. I’ve started paying around with budgets that when the time comes, I’ll be ready.

to buy some DVDs that were on sale at HMV. I was actually in the check-out line, but at the last minute I turned around and put them back. I don’t NEED DVDs right now… I need to pay off my student loan and pay for rent/groceries, and that’s it right now. I’m glad I didn’t succumb to temptation, but I still need to not buy food from the food court at work. My excuse yesterday was that I got called unexpectedly for my on-call and didn’t have a lunch. But going forward I should assume that I’ll always be called for my on-call and pack a lunch accordingly, and if I don’t eat it then I can just save it for the next day. Those $5 mall lunches really do add up.

This is going to be a major necessity soon..

the plan is to move into an apartment asap.. this will shift the money around some.. I don’t think it will be more.. I mean the rent is more, but the money saved from not having to go out to eat because of a nasty kitchen will offset it.. big time..

It was my birthday and I splashed out quite a bit on new dresses, dinners out, drinks and cab rides. But birthdays only come once a year and if you can’t spend a bit on your birthday… :P