It’s been way too long since I’ve done a weekend spending log. I plan to do better with that in the upcoming weeks when my spending has the potential to get really out of hand because of the holidays, so I have to be vigilant about keeping track. I didn’t spend all that much money over the weekend. Spending the last several Friday evenings in my 8-week class really does a good job of curbing my Friday spending. I have a bad habit of shopping after work on Fridays and I have not been able to do that. I know I am probably the last person, but I finally saw Iron Man over the weekend and it was pretty good. Movies come and go so fast, sometimes it’s just easier to wait until I can rent it. I attended a jewelry party over the weekend and purchased a pair of silver earrings for $20 which was the amount I allotted myself to spend at the party. There was also a woman selling handbags and another giving henna tattoos, but I opted out of both of those purchases because I really didn’t want to spend anymore money. I made an online credit card payment of $100 over the weekend also, but I didn’t count that into my total because it won’t clear for another day or so.
Friday
Movie Rental $4.00
iTunes album download $11.00
Saturday
Earrings $20.00
Groceries $33.00
Metro fare $3.00
Sunday
Eyebrow shaping $10.00
Window shopping for gift ideas...FREE
TOTAL: 81.00
Monday, November 17, 2008
People seeking to make a quick buck off of the Inauguration
Since I live in the District, the whole city has been buzzing about the Inauguration activities that will be taking place in honor of President-elect, Barack Obama. I am excited about the prospect of being so close to all of these activities, but I since I don’t have personal or professional connections (working on it though!) to take advantage of to gain entrance to any events (so far), I am relegating myself to events open to the general public. I would like to attend at least one Inauguration Ball partially because of the opportunity to be apart of a historical event and partly because I love to dress up.
One thing about this whole flurry of Inauguration talk that I hear everywhere from work, to conversations with friends, to overhearing random tidbits of convos on the Metro is: Where will out-of-towners stay because it is virtually impossible to get a hotel room anywhere near DC? Homeowners are taking advantage of this fact by attempting to rent out rooms and even their entire homes to out-of-town guests coming for the Inauguration. Washingtonians plan to rent out their homes for astronomical prices to make some quick money.
I respect your hustle if you plan on going through the headache of finding reliable tenants, clearing your home of personal effects, and being prepared for any damage your short-term tenants could inflict on your personal effects or property. Since I rent and don’t own my place, I am not taking any chances. It’s just not worth it for me…though I live in an ideal part of the city for that sort of thing. I have a good relationship with my landlord and am not trying to mess things up by having subleter’s damage my apartment. But my friends are welcome to come visit me and couch surf to take in some of the events with me if they so desire.
So I’m just curious, would you sublet/rent out your place if you were in the DC area to make some money off of the Inauguration activites?
One thing about this whole flurry of Inauguration talk that I hear everywhere from work, to conversations with friends, to overhearing random tidbits of convos on the Metro is: Where will out-of-towners stay because it is virtually impossible to get a hotel room anywhere near DC? Homeowners are taking advantage of this fact by attempting to rent out rooms and even their entire homes to out-of-town guests coming for the Inauguration. Washingtonians plan to rent out their homes for astronomical prices to make some quick money.
I respect your hustle if you plan on going through the headache of finding reliable tenants, clearing your home of personal effects, and being prepared for any damage your short-term tenants could inflict on your personal effects or property. Since I rent and don’t own my place, I am not taking any chances. It’s just not worth it for me…though I live in an ideal part of the city for that sort of thing. I have a good relationship with my landlord and am not trying to mess things up by having subleter’s damage my apartment. But my friends are welcome to come visit me and couch surf to take in some of the events with me if they so desire.
So I’m just curious, would you sublet/rent out your place if you were in the DC area to make some money off of the Inauguration activites?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Today was an accidental no-spend day
What does a day-off from work due to Veteran's Day and two looming deadlines for grad school assignments equal? An accidental no-spend day! During a mid-week vacation day, I would have normally gone out to shop, seen a movie, met a friend for lunch, or at least take a coffee-run to Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, but with a group project to prepare for and a paper to finish by tomorrow, I did the practical thing and did my school work and some other tasks I needed to take care of. I also took a great mid-day nap.
If I ever start my own company, I will have plenty of couches for people to take optional naps in lieu of lunch breaks, because I for one feel so much more productive after a nap! But I digress, maybe on a week when I have a fully stocked fridge and a week's worth of money on my Metro card, I will try a whole no-spend week...well maybe I'll try that after the holidays.
What is the longest stretch you have gone without spending money?
If I ever start my own company, I will have plenty of couches for people to take optional naps in lieu of lunch breaks, because I for one feel so much more productive after a nap! But I digress, maybe on a week when I have a fully stocked fridge and a week's worth of money on my Metro card, I will try a whole no-spend week...well maybe I'll try that after the holidays.
What is the longest stretch you have gone without spending money?
Monday, November 10, 2008
November Goals
The month of October flew by, It is hard to believe its over. I know its 10 days into the month, but now is the time to set my goals for the month:
- Choose holiday gifts for my immediate family. I have a self imposed budget of $150 for gifts this year. I will load a Visa gift card with this amount and once its gone, I'm done shopping. This amount does not include my mother's gift which is also a very belated birthday present, so will be pricer than every other gift I purchase. I'm open to any home made gift ideas any one might have!
- Purchase holiday cards for friends and family members and mail them.
- Register for Winter/Spring 2009 grad school classes after talking with my advisor. Price textbooks which will be purchased in December.
- Put in request for any time I will need off from work for the rest of the year.
- Go to the gym a minimum of once a week. There are a few classes I want to try out including this dance inspired workout called Zumba.
- Attend a minimum of one professional or networking event. Meet a minumum of at least three people at any event I attend and keep in touch with them (via email).
- Formally ask at least one person I admire professionally to mentor me. Set up expectations both ways so this can be a mutually beneficial relationship.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Get Out and VOTE!!!
I'll leave all of the political commentary to the political bloggers, but I hope that those who haven't voted early get out and vote today. It's not necessary for me to explain who I voted for and why, but I will say that I cast my vote first thing this morning. Your voice should be heard also, every vote counts!
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