A Shocking Realization

Starting August, I have started to keep track of the days when I eat out and/or spend money in any way. What I observe is quite shocking. This month, I have spent money on all but two days. And those two days happen to be the days when I did not venture out of my home. So, every time I step out of my house, I end up spending money. This is quite insane!!! No wonder I am broke and in debt. The next couple of months look lean – until I get a full month’s pay at the end of September. So, I have resolved to try harder not to spend my money so frequently. Here is the tally so far for August:

Eating Out: 2 Days
Spending Money: 7 Days
No-Spend Days: 2 Days

I’m rather proud of the small number of eating out days. :-)

Over the weekend, I went to the casino with a friend. Now, I don’t have any money to spare, but my friend was all excited about going and the enthusiasm was very contagious. I had just returned some stuff to the supermarket and received about $20. I decided that that would be my limit. Here is an account of my thrilling $20 gambling spree: We started at the craps tables, where I placed two bets and lost both in succession. Then I hurriedly moved to the roulette tables, where the money in hand fluctuated between $5 and $35. I eventually left the table with $30 to return again to the craps tables where I again held at various times coins in the range of $5-$40. Eventually, I withdrew my original investment of $20, and decided to place the rest on the table to either win or lose. The dice rolled a 4 first, and then a 4 again more than doubling my money. Overjoyed, I withdrew the whole thing and cashed out. Just before heading out, I lost a dollar on the quarter slots. I had made a net profit of $39. No such luck for my friend. To cheer her up, I took us both to dinner - $25.50 in all. My profits for the evening - $13.50 which I am snowflaking. This brings me to reach this August’s monthly challenge amount of $400.

Forgotten Treasure

I just made the most delightful discovery! I was cleaning out a cupboard and came across a purse that I have not used in the last three years. I considered putting along with a collection of other things that I hope to sell at a yard sale in a few weeks’ time, but the purse is too pretty to sell. Anyway, I looked through the pockets and among other relics of myself three years ago, I found thirty-five dollars secreted away neatly in a small, almost-hidden pocket!!! I was in raptures and did a victory dance around my living room. I now have more money to add to my June Monthly Challenge!

It is amazing finding money when you don’t expect to see it there, and I am almost tempted to conceal another tidy little sum in some other secret cache to discover in another two years’ time – but I’ll probably remember it all along and it won’t really be the same thing.

P.S. I received a variety of important looking documents and an ATM card from my new HSBC Direct savings account. I’m quite impressed, and HSBC has convinced me that by banking with them, I am truly getting good value for my money. My old credit union savings account wasn’t half as fancy, and I feel quite the snob right now. :-)

Now, Seriously!

Money seems to be wandering around looking for me. I said about a month ago that once you start looking for money, it seems to just keep coming to you - it's true: FINDING MONEY IS EASY ONCE YOU START LOOKING FOR IT. It practically falls into your lap apparently. Check this out - My major professor is working on a grant application and needs some extra help. She offered me an additional 5 hours of work/week for the Fall. Time-wise, this fall is going to be a tight semester, but with a bit of effort, it can be done. That would mean an additional $1200 after taxes over the whole semester! That would probably pay for my internship applications. I was dreading that expense. I love my major professor!

The Lowest Pay I Ever Got Offered

I met with a couple today about babysitting their child over the summer. They were a sweet couple and the child was adorable! Everything seemed to be going well - I thought things were going better than I expected, because they were looking for someone to babysit approximately 32 hrs/week (could be more or less), and I was thinking - wow, that's almost like a full-time job - the pay will be worth it. They told me that they would pay a flat weekly rate rather than an hourly rate. And then they offered me $80/week. at 32 hrs/week, that is $2.50/hr - about one-third the minimum wage ($7.25 in this state)!! I was completely taken aback - I pointed to them that the hourly pay was way too low and they asked me what I would be willing to take. Unfortunately, the shock had blurred my mind and I said I'd think about it. I would love to work with them - they seemed so lovely, and I would like the money - but I can't do it at that pay. I had initially thought $8-$10/hr. Nearly 4 times as much as they were offering. Should I negotiate to minimum wage? That would be approximately $900/month for 2 summer months. Is it worth it? I am almost at the point where I want to give up the idea. What do you think? Any feedback is appreciated!

Some More Money

My sister used my referral for RME. I got the $10 referral bonus, and she also gave me her $25 sign in bonus. Isn't she sweet? So altogether, I now have $60 free from Revolution Money Exchange. I'm so glad I signed up for it. You can too - please use the button on the left panel to do so. It will help me out too and I will appreciate that very much.

Today, I started doing cleaning, garden and maintenance work around my apartment building for $50 off rent. The pros are - I get reduced rent, it's good exercise, I like it. The cons are - I could be engaged in more intellectually stimulating work, I'm spending way too much time for the $50 off.

My May-June challenge is coming along nicely. With some Amazon.com sales, the RME money, and soon my reduced rent, I'll easily hit the mark. I also have been advertising online for baby/pet/house-sitting. In a small college town like mine, I imagine it is hard to come by such work - especially in the summer. However, one couple contacted me and I am going to meet with them and see if I can babysit their daughter. If this works out, I can count on another $60/month hopefully. Wish me luck!

Monthly Challenge

Over the past few months I have been an avid reader of several personal finance blogs. People are so creative when trying to reduce debt and increase net worth. I think I shall adopt several of these ideas in my debt-reduction journey as well. The first idea I shall adopt is a monthly challenge that I found on MevsDebt's Blog. This is how it works. I challenge myself to find an additional sum of money to pay towards my debt each month. I’ll set a goal of $100. And I track my progress towards that $100 as I get money. Each month I review what happens so my readers can see how I got there. Amanda at MevsDebt also offers to text-link a webpage on her progress sheet for a month for $2.00. I shall do the same once I update my PayPal account which I have not accessed in several years.

Stimulus Check Deposited

A stimulus check of $600 has been deposited in my account. I love the government – it’s giving away free money. Now, my plan had been to apply all of this money towards my Chase Visa card debt. But since this is summer, and I don’t get paid very much, I will probably end up using the stimulus money to stimulate the economy – like the government wants me to. Incidentally, I saw on the news yesterday that economic analysts say that with the skyrocketing gas prices, $600 of additional expenditure by each person is hardly likely to give the economy the boost that it needs. Be that as it may, I am still glad about this money. Hopefully I’ll end up not having to use it anyway. I will spend as little as possible and if I still have any money left over at the end of September (the first month of full pay I will receive after the summer), then it’ll go directly towards paying off my high-interest Chase Visa balance.

I am away on vacation, and I managed to steer clear of the airport shops – no books or snacks bought. And before I left home, instead of buying a soda-pop on the way, I brought some iced-tea with me. I’m quite good at this when I put my mind to it!