in new york

So, my two checking account system isn't even fully in place (still waiting on the debit card from the new account, hoping the mail doesn't screw me over again), and it's already relieving a lot of stress. 

While it wasn't necessarily the best idea to come to new york after being here a month ago (financially), I don't feel super guilty or nervous because I have my bill money put away and things are looking fine. My emergency fund is not where it needs to be, but I'll start working on that again after the checking account system is going full swing. 

Also, I used my credit card for the first time yesterday for a metrocard. $10. Felt a little weird, but I know I've got a handle on things. 

And I filled out a new Fafsa to prepare for grad school. Oh! I put my application in on Thursday, I didn't update that here. I hear they have a 95% acceptance rate, although that wouldn't account for a surge in application as a result of the economic crisis, which I'm sure there was. At any rate, I met the Dean of admissions and I got a good feeling about it. So it looks like if I can find a way to pay for it, I'll be in school again in January. The financing will probably come almost fully from federal loans, but I'm going to try to work full time as long as possible so I can control the amount I'm borrowing. I have no idea how much it's going to cost me, so I feel a little in the dark about how it's going to get paid for. But I imagine that will become clearer with time. 

difficult things

I'm trying to get a revision done on my grad school application, and I thought I would take a break and post about it.

So, Suze Orman is the one who finally got me thinking about my financial health. I know she's a crazy personality, and goes on Oprah so much she'll have to fight Dr. Phil in the celebrity death match, but her advice is pretty solid and got me back on track. And what Suze says about grad school is worth thinking about. Basically, you should only do it (and possibly/probably go into debt doing it) if it is an orchestrated move in a career path. In other words, you should have a specific end-point in mind before you decide to go back to school.

I feel good about my choice. At the end of 3-4 years I'll be immediately marketable in a constantly growing field. I'll be qualified to make twice what I make now. I'll be in a lot more debt, but in a much better position to pay it off. And I'll get to visit my nephew every month if I want to.

Now I just have to get through the application. Without stabbing my eyes out.

Progress Report

Alright, back on the horse.

So, I have successfully set up my two checking accounts. Let me explain what I'm hoping my system will be like.

A couple of you (and many many people on budgeting blogs all around the interwebs) have told me about your cash based systems. Here's the thing: I suck at cash. Hard. I will blow through $80 in my wallet and have absolutely nothing to show for it. It's like cigarettes...if they're there, I'll smoke 'em. If they're not, I'm not gonna try to get any. Same with Coke Zero (yeah, Megan feels me on this). I don't really know why this is. I idly wonder if it's because my first several jobs were cash-based, and I just never really got used to managing it well. But it doesn't matter; what does matter is that I know that I'm better with plastic. Baristas can get as pissed at me as they want to, and I hate that Visa makes money off of me with every swipe, but this is how it's gotta be if I'm going to take care of myself.

So, enter the two checking account system. I've seen this work for a bunch of people, so I'm excited. It's really just a continuation of my former budget proposal. I added up all my monthly predictable expenses:

-rent
-phone
-cable
-power (I'm estimating high on this, but it should be on it's way down over the next few months)
-loan payment
-gym
-savings

I then divided the number by 4. $197. Every week when my paycheck gets deposited I'm going to leave that amount in my first checking account (the one I have checks for) and move the rest over to my daily account (the new one). This way it doesn't matter when my roommates cash the checks I write them, and that money is out of my hands before I have the chance to spend it. The daily account is for groceries, eating/drinking out, and shoes. I'm actually pretty comfortable with the weekly amount I have, I'm just hoping it works out in a practical way.

Also, I received my first credit card in a long time yesterday (yay)! As soon as the Sprint website comes back online, I'm going to set up automatic payments for my cell phone with my credit card. Also my gym payments. And that's all I'm going to buy with it. I'll build a great purchase/payment history and then be able to negotiate better rates in about two years.

And finally, I got the keys for my PO box. I'm going to start changing my address with all the relevant parties next week.

Fin.

getting positive

ok, sorry for the whine-fest. I was feeling very defeated, but things are looking a little up.

I called Suntrust and they very kindly faxed a copy of the documentation I needed, so I should be able to get another bank account set up.

Then I got brave and checked my savings account balance and was pleasantly surprised. It's not great, but it's not bad either. The automatic debits of $20 a week really started adding up. I did turn them off for a little while, but I'm going to be sure to start them up again once I get the two accounts set up.

And I'm looking into getting a PO Box, upon the suggestion of my brother. I'm offended that I have to pay extra money just to get my mail delivered to me, but if I have to do it I'll do it.

stagnating

So you may have noticed...I haven't posted in a while.

I confess, I'm feeling very stymied. I feel like I'm in a cycle of telling myself "Everything's going to come together next month." First it was April, because I had the Florida trip at the end of March. And then May, because I lost track of my spending in April and went to New York. And still, I don't really know what to do. I haven't been able to build up my savings, I've actually had to dip into it a lot. I'm further away from my goals than ever before. It's discouraging.

To make everything in my life more hellish, I think the USPS is out to get me. I absolutely cannot get mail delivered to my house. A missing transcript ended up costing me $25 in shipping fees. My old bank has mailed two letters to me enclosing an affidavit to prove that I paid them what I owed and neither of them have shown up. My credit card bill showed up, but my card never did. So I had to pay the initial annual fee over the phone (costing me $15 on top of the $60 fee) because I had to cancel the first card and get another one sent, nullifying the original account number. I still haven't received the second one. This is on top of never receiving three absentee ballots from Florida, lab results from my doctor's office, and probably some other things I don't even know about. If you sent me a birthday card, I didn't get it (unless you're my Aunt Julie).

Because I don't have the affidavit from Suntrust, I can' get a new bank account. And since I really think the two checking account budget solution is the only one I'll really be able to work well with, I'm feeling like everything I want to do is impossible.

And I have no idea what to do about my mail! There's absolutely no reason I should not be receiving it. I labeled our mailbox with everybody's names like the mailman asked me to, but honestly I think that's a ridiculous thing to have to do just to get my mail. If it's addressed to me at my address, why isn't it getting there? Is somebody stealing it? I just don't understand.

And to top it all off, I have to turn off my automatic debits into my savings now until I get everything straightened out. I feel like a failure.

Some Extra Income

I was inspired by this post on Get Rich Slowly to think about ways I could easily get a little extra income flowing my way. I already have two casual part-time jobs to help out, but they aren't very demanding on my time. I figured if I could do something that's useful to somebody on my own time in a flexible way, why don't I try?

I'm not a fast enough knitter to really be able to sell things, but I am a very good editor and I have experience proofreading and citing a couple friends' theses. So that seems like a good idea.

Before I try to advertise to strangers, I figured I'd see if anybody stopping by here knows people who could use proofreading services for a thesis or dissertation. It'll come cheap, and this way I could build up some experience and good references.

So let me know, okay?

quickie

short note about cost of living. I don't often think about the "cost of living" in the Boston Metro Area past rent. It's obvious to me that my rent is around 3 times as much as when I was living in Gainesville, but I had a recent object lesson in the smaller effects.

I bought deodorant. In Florida. The same kind I buy here. It was two dollars cheaper. Seriously. I never think about how all the little things I buy could be so much more expensive because of where I live. It's reason enough to seriously consider moving back South...

Compare the cost of living between two cities here. It's awesome.