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Mar. 23rd, 2011 12:23 am
My hair IS getting longer....
Ten years without a haircut and it never budged. Catch diabetes and suddenly im Rapunzel. Sixty pounds lighter Rapunzel.
Mar. 23rd, 2011
My hair IS getting longer....
Ten years without a haircut and it never budged. Catch diabetes and suddenly im Rapunzel. Sixty pounds lighter Rapunzel.
Writer's Block: Puttin' it on wax
Mar. 23rd, 2011 02:39 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
Carrie: Songs From the Back Room.
Jenn: That Soul Bleeds Cotton Candy.
Carrie: Songs From the Back Room.
Jenn: That Soul Bleeds Cotton Candy.
Writer's Block: Puttin' it on wax
Mar. 23rd, 2011 02:39 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
Carrie: Songs From the Back Room.
Jenn: That Soul Bleeds Cotton Candy.
Carrie: Songs From the Back Room.
Jenn: That Soul Bleeds Cotton Candy.
WARNING. MATH AHEAD.
So. At the beginning of March, I made a monhly budget, based on absolute basics:
Rent: $500 (29.34272300469483568075117370892%)
Medications: $480 (27.586206896551724137931034482759%)
Groceries: $400 (22.988505747126436781609195402299%)
Utilities (estimated): $152 (8.7356321839080459770114942528736%)
Phone: $104 (5.9770114942528735632183908045977%)
Unusable Credit Card Minimum: $64 (3.6781609195402298850574712643678%)
Gas: $40 (2.2988505747126436781609195402299%)
(all percentages rounded to the nearest quadrillionth)
What I've done, is every month, throw $325 into my credit card, and try very hard not to touch it. Gas and Groceries were taken direct from cash.
I've been pulling off the credit cards very sparingly, and only for what I saved for. If I needed pills, I pulled off the cards. If I wanted to eat out, I pulled off cash (groceries). Any overages or left over money, were paid to Crys to pay off what I owe her ($1134 owed, $678 left).
Bills are starting to be due soon, and I've just been kinda mindlessly looking at my cards, not checking their balances, just trying not to spend more, so I decided to check out what I've got.
As of tomorrow, I should have $800 in credit, and maybe $30 in cash.
What the hell?! $800? EIGHT HUNDRED?!
Okay, so I shouldn't have that much money left over. I still have rent to pay, a phone bill coming up and a credit card minimum. All of which are LOWER than my estimates based on last month's bill.
So I have $800 in credit. And another paycheck coming up, about $425:
$800 - Credit
$30 - Cash
$425 - Next Week's Paycheck
-----------------------------------------------
$1255
$56 - Unusable Credit Card Minimum
$101 - Phone Bill
$500 - Rent
-----------------------------------------------
$598 left over.
How did this happen? I'm sure a lot has to do with the fact that I've managed to get some free insulin from my doctor, haven't needed a new vial of Humalog since the first one, and a box of free syringes. I also scored on some cheap lancets (as well as some free ones) and strips.
According to Microsoft Money 2.0, circa 1992, here's where my money actually went compared to my budget:
Rent (Including Crys payments) - 30.57%
Groceries - 19.58%
Utilities - 18.64%
Leisure - 8.40%
Furnishings - 8.28%
Medications - 7.5%
Bank Charges - 3.46%
Gas - 3.34%
Clothing - 0.22%
Rent is spot on. Meds, WAY off (28% vs 8%), Groceries were down (23% vs 20%), Utilities were MORE, but MS Money includes the phone in utilities, so that becomes only slightly higher (15% vs 20%) and gas was a little more than expected (2% vs 3%).
So, in the end, I made money somehow. And I have enough now that I think I go back to how I was using the cards back in 2006 when I first got them: pouring nearly my entire paycheck into them, and letting the card bear the brunt of any overages, and the rewards of underestimations. I paid off a $2000 credit card that way from full to nothing in four months.
Will I rejigger my budget, then? Maybe. There were a LOT of donations this month, thanks to my begging to make ends meet, thinking the meds would be the full $480. There were also five paychecks for me this month. Anything that ends up being more than I expected will get bumped up in next month's budget. Anything that's less, though, will remain the same.
Especially medications, since the $480 I've budgeted is what it would cost if I had to buy every medication I have in one month (I'm lucky I got the deals I got, and the free meds to boot). Plus, the medical bills are coming. Those are gonna hurt Hopefully I'll have enough of the credit cards paid off to alt least take care of the smaller bills right away.
We're not out of the woods yet. But the sun is up. We can put the torches away.
If anyone can see any major flaws in my math (I SUCK at math) or logic (I SUCK at logic) let me know. I'd rather know now than later.
So. At the beginning of March, I made a monhly budget, based on absolute basics:
Rent: $500 (29.34272300469483568075117370892%)
Medications: $480 (27.586206896551724137931034482759%)
Groceries: $400 (22.988505747126436781609195402299%)
Utilities (estimated): $152 (8.7356321839080459770114942528736%)
Phone: $104 (5.9770114942528735632183908045977%)
Unusable Credit Card Minimum: $64 (3.6781609195402298850574712643678%)
Gas: $40 (2.2988505747126436781609195402299%)
(all percentages rounded to the nearest quadrillionth)
What I've done, is every month, throw $325 into my credit card, and try very hard not to touch it. Gas and Groceries were taken direct from cash.
I've been pulling off the credit cards very sparingly, and only for what I saved for. If I needed pills, I pulled off the cards. If I wanted to eat out, I pulled off cash (groceries). Any overages or left over money, were paid to Crys to pay off what I owe her ($1134 owed, $678 left).
Bills are starting to be due soon, and I've just been kinda mindlessly looking at my cards, not checking their balances, just trying not to spend more, so I decided to check out what I've got.
As of tomorrow, I should have $800 in credit, and maybe $30 in cash.
What the hell?! $800? EIGHT HUNDRED?!
Okay, so I shouldn't have that much money left over. I still have rent to pay, a phone bill coming up and a credit card minimum. All of which are LOWER than my estimates based on last month's bill.
So I have $800 in credit. And another paycheck coming up, about $425:
$800 - Credit
$30 - Cash
$425 - Next Week's Paycheck
-----------------------------------------------
$1255
$56 - Unusable Credit Card Minimum
$101 - Phone Bill
$500 - Rent
-----------------------------------------------
$598 left over.
How did this happen? I'm sure a lot has to do with the fact that I've managed to get some free insulin from my doctor, haven't needed a new vial of Humalog since the first one, and a box of free syringes. I also scored on some cheap lancets (as well as some free ones) and strips.
According to Microsoft Money 2.0, circa 1992, here's where my money actually went compared to my budget:
Rent (Including Crys payments) - 30.57%
Groceries - 19.58%
Utilities - 18.64%
Leisure - 8.40%
Furnishings - 8.28%
Medications - 7.5%
Bank Charges - 3.46%
Gas - 3.34%
Clothing - 0.22%
Rent is spot on. Meds, WAY off (28% vs 8%), Groceries were down (23% vs 20%), Utilities were MORE, but MS Money includes the phone in utilities, so that becomes only slightly higher (15% vs 20%) and gas was a little more than expected (2% vs 3%).
So, in the end, I made money somehow. And I have enough now that I think I go back to how I was using the cards back in 2006 when I first got them: pouring nearly my entire paycheck into them, and letting the card bear the brunt of any overages, and the rewards of underestimations. I paid off a $2000 credit card that way from full to nothing in four months.
Will I rejigger my budget, then? Maybe. There were a LOT of donations this month, thanks to my begging to make ends meet, thinking the meds would be the full $480. There were also five paychecks for me this month. Anything that ends up being more than I expected will get bumped up in next month's budget. Anything that's less, though, will remain the same.
Especially medications, since the $480 I've budgeted is what it would cost if I had to buy every medication I have in one month (I'm lucky I got the deals I got, and the free meds to boot). Plus, the medical bills are coming. Those are gonna hurt Hopefully I'll have enough of the credit cards paid off to alt least take care of the smaller bills right away.
We're not out of the woods yet. But the sun is up. We can put the torches away.
If anyone can see any major flaws in my math (I SUCK at math) or logic (I SUCK at logic) let me know. I'd rather know now than later.
WARNING. MATH AHEAD.
So. At the beginning of March, I made a monhly budget, based on absolute basics:
Rent: $500 (29.34272300469483568075117370892%)
Medications: $480 (27.586206896551724137931034482759%)
Groceries: $400 (22.988505747126436781609195402299%)
Utilities (estimated): $152 (8.7356321839080459770114942528736%)
Phone: $104 (5.9770114942528735632183908045977%)
Unusable Credit Card Minimum: $64 (3.6781609195402298850574712643678%)
Gas: $40 (2.2988505747126436781609195402299%)
(all percentages rounded to the nearest quadrillionth)
What I've done, is every month, throw $325 into my credit card, and try very hard not to touch it. Gas and Groceries were taken direct from cash.
I've been pulling off the credit cards very sparingly, and only for what I saved for. If I needed pills, I pulled off the cards. If I wanted to eat out, I pulled off cash (groceries). Any overages or left over money, were paid to Crys to pay off what I owe her ($1134 owed, $678 left).
Bills are starting to be due soon, and I've just been kinda mindlessly looking at my cards, not checking their balances, just trying not to spend more, so I decided to check out what I've got.
As of tomorrow, I should have $800 in credit, and maybe $30 in cash.
What the hell?! $800? EIGHT HUNDRED?!
Okay, so I shouldn't have that much money left over. I still have rent to pay, a phone bill coming up and a credit card minimum. All of which are LOWER than my estimates based on last month's bill.
So I have $800 in credit. And another paycheck coming up, about $425:
$800 - Credit
$30 - Cash
$425 - Next Week's Paycheck
-----------------------------------------------
$1255
$56 - Unusable Credit Card Minimum
$101 - Phone Bill
$500 - Rent
-----------------------------------------------
$598 left over.
How did this happen? I'm sure a lot has to do with the fact that I've managed to get some free insulin from my doctor, haven't needed a new vial of Humalog since the first one, and a box of free syringes. I also scored on some cheap lancets (as well as some free ones) and strips.
According to Microsoft Money 2.0, circa 1992, here's where my money actually went compared to my budget:
Rent (Including Crys payments) - 30.57%
Groceries - 19.58%
Utilities - 18.64%
Leisure - 8.40%
Furnishings - 8.28%
Medications - 7.5%
Bank Charges - 3.46%
Gas - 3.34%
Clothing - 0.22%
Rent is spot on. Meds, WAY off (28% vs 8%), Groceries were down (23% vs 20%), Utilities were MORE, but MS Money includes the phone in utilities, so that becomes only slightly higher (15% vs 20%) and gas was a little more than expected (2% vs 3%).
So, in the end, I made money somehow. And I have enough now that I think I go back to how I was using the cards back in 2006 when I first got them: pouring nearly my entire paycheck into them, and letting the card bear the brunt of any overages, and the rewards of underestimations. I paid off a $2000 credit card that way from full to nothing in four months.
Will I rejigger my budget, then? Maybe. There were a LOT of donations this month, thanks to my begging to make ends meet, thinking the meds would be the full $480. There were also five paychecks for me this month. Anything that ends up being more than I expected will get bumped up in next month's budget. Anything that's less, though, will remain the same.
Especially medications, since the $480 I've budgeted is what it would cost if I had to buy every medication I have in one month (I'm lucky I got the deals I got, and the free meds to boot). Plus, the medical bills are coming. Those are gonna hurt Hopefully I'll have enough of the credit cards paid off to alt least take care of the smaller bills right away.
We're not out of the woods yet. But the sun is up. We can put the torches away.
If anyone can see any major flaws in my math (I SUCK at math) or logic (I SUCK at logic) let me know. I'd rather know now than later.
So. At the beginning of March, I made a monhly budget, based on absolute basics:
Rent: $500 (29.34272300469483568075117370892%)
Medications: $480 (27.586206896551724137931034482759%)
Groceries: $400 (22.988505747126436781609195402299%)
Utilities (estimated): $152 (8.7356321839080459770114942528736%)
Phone: $104 (5.9770114942528735632183908045977%)
Unusable Credit Card Minimum: $64 (3.6781609195402298850574712643678%)
Gas: $40 (2.2988505747126436781609195402299%)
(all percentages rounded to the nearest quadrillionth)
What I've done, is every month, throw $325 into my credit card, and try very hard not to touch it. Gas and Groceries were taken direct from cash.
I've been pulling off the credit cards very sparingly, and only for what I saved for. If I needed pills, I pulled off the cards. If I wanted to eat out, I pulled off cash (groceries). Any overages or left over money, were paid to Crys to pay off what I owe her ($1134 owed, $678 left).
Bills are starting to be due soon, and I've just been kinda mindlessly looking at my cards, not checking their balances, just trying not to spend more, so I decided to check out what I've got.
As of tomorrow, I should have $800 in credit, and maybe $30 in cash.
What the hell?! $800? EIGHT HUNDRED?!
Okay, so I shouldn't have that much money left over. I still have rent to pay, a phone bill coming up and a credit card minimum. All of which are LOWER than my estimates based on last month's bill.
So I have $800 in credit. And another paycheck coming up, about $425:
$800 - Credit
$30 - Cash
$425 - Next Week's Paycheck
-----------------------------------------------
$1255
$56 - Unusable Credit Card Minimum
$101 - Phone Bill
$500 - Rent
-----------------------------------------------
$598 left over.
How did this happen? I'm sure a lot has to do with the fact that I've managed to get some free insulin from my doctor, haven't needed a new vial of Humalog since the first one, and a box of free syringes. I also scored on some cheap lancets (as well as some free ones) and strips.
According to Microsoft Money 2.0, circa 1992, here's where my money actually went compared to my budget:
Rent (Including Crys payments) - 30.57%
Groceries - 19.58%
Utilities - 18.64%
Leisure - 8.40%
Furnishings - 8.28%
Medications - 7.5%
Bank Charges - 3.46%
Gas - 3.34%
Clothing - 0.22%
Rent is spot on. Meds, WAY off (28% vs 8%), Groceries were down (23% vs 20%), Utilities were MORE, but MS Money includes the phone in utilities, so that becomes only slightly higher (15% vs 20%) and gas was a little more than expected (2% vs 3%).
So, in the end, I made money somehow. And I have enough now that I think I go back to how I was using the cards back in 2006 when I first got them: pouring nearly my entire paycheck into them, and letting the card bear the brunt of any overages, and the rewards of underestimations. I paid off a $2000 credit card that way from full to nothing in four months.
Will I rejigger my budget, then? Maybe. There were a LOT of donations this month, thanks to my begging to make ends meet, thinking the meds would be the full $480. There were also five paychecks for me this month. Anything that ends up being more than I expected will get bumped up in next month's budget. Anything that's less, though, will remain the same.
Especially medications, since the $480 I've budgeted is what it would cost if I had to buy every medication I have in one month (I'm lucky I got the deals I got, and the free meds to boot). Plus, the medical bills are coming. Those are gonna hurt Hopefully I'll have enough of the credit cards paid off to alt least take care of the smaller bills right away.
We're not out of the woods yet. But the sun is up. We can put the torches away.
If anyone can see any major flaws in my math (I SUCK at math) or logic (I SUCK at logic) let me know. I'd rather know now than later.