final august $$$ update

alright, so basically the lessons i have gleaned from this financial experiment are these:
1. i spend 97% of my superfluous money on food, drinks, and movies.
2. i believe that this is because of a lack of organization on my part.

i would love for my whopping $35-$40 every two weeks to be going to more amusing things. though the odd cocktail and sweet treat are just fine, 97% of my spending money should not be going to that when it could be going toward a concert or a fun afternoon in apalachicola or thomasville.

so while i mull over possible solutions to this issue today, here is the last excerpt of the lulu carpenter financial pages for august 2009.


8/22/2009 $10 (canopy roads for yet another cabo blt...that is a little embarrassing).
8/22/2009 $22.47 (amazon.com for flight of the conchords season 2. this came out of the fun money i had allotted myself from my paycheck, this is what fun money is for!!)
8/22/2009 $2.00 (had to pay my etsy fees, took it out of fun money too)
8/22/2009 $0.80 (the beginning of pms lemon filled donut. it was almost worth it).
8/23/2009 $19.79 (fresh market flowers and a card for my great-grandmother's 91st birthday. expensive, but worth more than what i spent, to hang out with her and hear some stories i hadn't heard her tell before).
8/24/2009 $9.00 (saw the movie, postgrad with senor mas and ate a lot of reece's pieces and popcorn by myself-which is a little embarrassing).
8/25/2009 $1.28 (candy. plain and simple. i am not immune to the untouchable forces that are pms).
8/25/2009 $1.00 (uncontrollable need for bbq chips from hopkins).
8/27/2009 $1.00 (i told you it was uncontrollable)
8/29/2009 $8.59 (a treat for myself on a working saturday. brown rice sushi and sparkling water from fresh market).
8/29/2009 $1.75 (reece's crispy crunchy bar. sent employee out for it because we were both needing chocolate).
i'm going to cut it off there. i didn't spend any money yesterday and will do everything in my power not to spend anything today. therefore, august is complete. i spent a total of $77.68, which i will round up to $78 to pay on my credit card.
wow. so, aside from the $200 i budgeted to pay on my card this month, i also paid an extra $296. dear lord. i paid $496 on my card this month?! that seems almost insane to me. it pains me to know i spent $296 willy-nilly this month. having to double it was a real lesson (and punched my savings account in the groin).
alas, a new budget is in the works for the remaining months of the year, in which i will only be able to pay $100 on my card per month. but, i intend to keep the credit card "frozen" so to speak, in case of emergency. it should be paid off by june/july at the latest. but hopefully sooner. i am glad to have a credit card for emergency things and buying concert tickets online etc. but, i am rather peeved with the way spending is "sold" to americans. buying things is fun when you have the money for it, but putting it all on cards seems so easy and hits you like a drug. then you have the hangover. i couldn't tell you how many times this month i thought, i NEED that. i had to talk myself down from the credit card ledge so many times. i am rather proud of myself for not giving in.
well, adieu for now friends!
lu