Operation: Cutback

Remember all those resolutions?  Well… it’s time to get to work on them.  I paid bills this morning and let me tell you–it was depressing.

Since I’m not going to be making more money any time soon, I need to start making some adjustments in my spending.   Here are the corners I think I can easily cut (I figure if I publish them here, I’m more likely to follow through):

Netflix– We’ve already determined that I’m horrible at watching the movies I have.   I just checked my Netflix account and I’ve had them at home since September.  Time to either get rid of it all together or downgrade.  Potential Savings: $16.99/month if I cancel; $8.99/month if I downgrade to one movie at a time.

Magazine subscriptions– I currently subscribe to both People and Entertainment Weekly, yet I rarely read both of them every week. I could always borrow from friends or pick up an occasional issue at the newstand.  Potential Savings: People is approximately $10/month (for the yearly plan), so I’m guessing EW is similar.  I could save a total of $20-$25/month if I cancelled both.

Cable– I spent $92/month on cable and internet.  I have digital cable and HBO, but I rarely watch TV.  Yes, the new season of Big Love started this week, and I enjoyed True Blood when it was on.  But is it really worth the extra $13/month? Also, if I downgrade to “basic” cable, I could save another $38.50 Potential savings: $13.00-$51.50

Cell phone– Believe it or not, I need to upgrade my cell phone plan.  Here’s the thing. I have a super cheap phone plan.  I have a ton of talk minutes, but I do not have unlimited texting.  So I end up paying extra money every month for texting charges. So I think if I get a higher monthly texting plan, I’ll actually end up saving money.  Potential savings: I’m not 100% sure, but I’m guessing $50/month.  Maybe more.

With these small sacrifices, I could save $92- $144 per month, which would more than pay for my car insurance and garbage pickup!  And that’s without really giving up anything major. I can live without cable TV and celebrity magazines, right?   Maybe I’ll even read more books.  I’ll have to get them from the library, though.

Anyone have any other “painless” suggestions?  I don’t regularly drink $4 lattes or get weekly mani/pedis, so that’s not a problem.  Also, don’t bother reccomending cutting coupons or shopping at Goodwill–it’s not going to happen. TJ Maxx is a stretch for me.

Procrastination is Expensive

So, I’m leaving for San Antonio in the morning, right?  And, as usual, there are a number of things on my last-minute to-do list, some of which ended up costing me a fortune!

Item #1:  Dry Cleaning    
Cost of procrastination:  Approx. $10  

I had a bunch of clothes I needed dry cleaned.  The dry cleaners by my house has online coupons and they take competitor’s coupons.  Generally, I’m not a coupon-clipper, but it’s a good deal.   Anyway, I forgot to print the coupons off at work on Friday before I left for Chicago, so I decided I’d take them in on Monday.

Monday, I print off the coupons and conveniently forget that the dry cleaning is in my car until I head to the gym.   I head to the cleaners at about 5:45 and the lady tells me that if I can get my clothes to their OTHER location by 6:00, it will be ready the next day.  (This is crucial since the dry cleaning I had to drop of consisted of most of the stuff I planned to take on my trip.)  I ask the lady where the other location is, and I’m off.

Lo and behold… I hit every flipping stoplight on the way there.  And when I get there, it’s not at the intersection the lady told me.  So, I drive a little bit further, realize it’s 6:01, and stop at a different dry cleaners.  One that doesn’t accept coupons.  So, I paid full price instead of getting $2 off for each of my 4 pairs of pants and an additional 20%.

Grrrr….   And then today when I go pick it up, I realized I was just a block off.

Item #2:  Laptop bag   
Cost of procrastination: $80

I’ve had my laptop for almost a year now.  I’ve taken it on 2 or 3 trips, but since it’s so big (17″), it doesn’t fit in a conventional laptop bag.  I’ve had to take it in a duffel bag, which is awkward.  After each trip, I vowed to look for an adequately-sized laptop bag.   I never got around to it.  I even have a $75 gift certificate from Dell that I’ve been saving for such a reason.  But, I waited too long and decided to just drop by Best Buy on my lunch hour and pick one up from them.   BIG MISTAKE.  There were only 2 bags in the whole store that would fit my laptop.  And the cheapest was $80.   EIGHTY DOLLARS!!   I knew it would be a pain to carry around the duffel bag once again, so I caved.   The worst part?  The bag isn’t even cute!!

Item #3:  Haircut/color  
Cost of procrastination: $70 + tip

I’ve needed a haircut for a while.   And I’ve really needed to get my roots touched up.  I usually go to a friend of mine in Tuscola.  She’s really good and charges dirt cheap prices, but is really hard to get in to.  So, yesterday, I decide I need to do something about this hair before my trip.   I call a local salon (not my friend) and get an appointment today… SCORE!   Unfortunately, the local salon charges twice as much as my friend, so–once again– procrastinating does not pay off.

Total Cost: About $160  I’m not likely to stop procrastinating anytime soon, but MAN is it tough on the pocketbook!!

Freewriting Frenzy

Monday. Ugh. I considered calling in, but that will just throw off my productivity for the rest of the week. Plus, I’m pretty sure I can’t spend another day on the couch. I wasn’t even tired last night so I took some Tylenol p.m. I went to sleep, but it wasn’t exactly “quality” sleep. Oh, well… now I’ll have some on hand for those sleepless nights.

Another week. I need to get lots of stuff done this week at work. It probably helps that I’m leaving on Sunday. I always tend to get more stuff done before I leave. I’m looking forward to happy hour on Friday. Genuinely looking forward to it, not just for something to do. It’s work peeps and I’m excited to hang out with one of my coworkers and his wife, who I’ve never met.

I’ve decided that I’m probably not gonna have enough money for my road trip. That sucks. Damn this economy. I’m also not going to be able to have my house painted. I’m gonna look into some landscaping options, but that’s not looking too promising. Again, damn this economy. I’m not even sure I’m feeling the pinch myself, but I keep hearing about it and thinking maybe I should be a little thriftier. Plus, I have debt I should pay down first.

I need to work on a relationship post sometime this week. As I’ve mentioned before, I really don’t have one right now, but there are lots of priors I can learn some. And maybe it will bring me some boyfriend karma. Who knows?

I’m having a really hard time writing for 15 mins straight. Maybe because I can’t think of anything to say, or maybe because I know I need to get ready and start my week, but I honestly don’t know how I’m going to fill the next 5 mins. Maybe I’ll just stop here.

(ps: I picked the Maxine cartoon above b/c my co-worker forwarded me a bunch of ridiculous Maxine cartoons the other day… I thought it was hilarious because it’s sooooooooo not me!!)

Friday Freewrite

Just rolled out of bed. I think I slept better last night. Thank God. Thoughts of Jason Bateman this morning. hmmmmm….

I need to be productive today. Work stuff and personal stuff. Got a call fromt he cable company last night that I hadn’t paid my bill. Oops. I really thought I had. The guy was super rude and hung up on me. I need to resolve this. Yes, I need to pay the bill, but I also need to let them know how rude he was.

WHat else… Lost last night was great! i’m so glad it’s back. I can’t wait to dissect it today. But, again, I need to get some work done.

Fun plans for today/tonight. Lunch w/girls and then Bunco. Animal print. I like my outfit. Should be fun.;

Got a pkg in the mail from my dad yesterday. Its a collection of poems written by his girlfriend. As you may recall, I HATE poetry. But my dad designed the cover, so it’s cool. I’m proud.

I broke a chair last night. Sitting in it. Not even sitting down in it. Just sitting there on the computer and the slats broke. It’s a cheap chair. I mean, I’m not stick thin but there’s no reason I should break a chair. Yuk.

I’m hoping to get some more stuff done this weekend. I have zero plans for Sat./Sun. so hopefully I can get some stuff done around here. Oh, and I got an estimate on the house painting. It’s really high. I’m thinking I’ll probably do it myself. I don’t WANT to do it myself, but, well….

I need to get myself on a spending plan. Especially now that I have a car payment. I really need to be more aware of what I’m spending and actively work to pay down my debt. Especially if I want to move/make a change in my life. I can’t do that with debt hanging over my head.

Maybe this weekend I can find some time to do some research on writing. I’m not 100% convinced that it has to be completely fictitious. I was chatting with a friend yesterday and realized i have TONS of stories to tell. Yes, i could make them a little more interesting. Maybe _______________ (that word i can’t think of that’s like a fictional autobiography… why can’t i think of it?) creative nonfiction is more my game.

15 mins are up. This was actually kinda hard this morning. I didn’t have much to say/write/think about. Maybe after my shower.