long time no write

if you can't tell from my total neglect of this blog, my budget and finances have not been at the top on my mind lately. saving money and sticking to the budget is sooo much harder in the summer it turns out... there is just so much more that i want to go out and do. on top of that there are trips (i went to chicago in june, michigan in july, and new orleans in august) and visitors. all of this costs money. plus i am busier so it is harder to do things like update my budget every day and write on this blog.

i need to get back to it though because while i am definitely not abandoning my budget by any means, i am still not exactly sticking to it either. last month i had a lot of issues. first of all, i totally overspent on all of the following things:

• trip to new orleans: i had budgeted for it but still spent too much
• car repair: my damn car's check engine light keeps coming on
• entertainment: my friend had a going away party which involved going to dayton, staying in a hotel, going to a club, etc. it was a cheap trip compared to other trips and while it was a ton of fun, financially i probably should not have gone
• clothes: my shoe situation was getting desperate so i got two new pairs. i also got some cheap, crappy clothes for new orleans (i was down there to volunteer with habitat for humanity), a bathing suit, and some new work clothes (which honestly i probably really did not need but they were on super sale)

on top of all that, i switched insurance companies and learned that the new company charges you $5 per payment! i have auto and renter's insurance through them so that would be an extra $10 per month. that pissed me off so i just made one payment for 6 months. that is fine except that i had not saved up for that so i ended up having to go into the emergency fund for it. but i guess that is what the emergency fund is for?

so i came back from new orleans all ready to get back on track but almost immediately i was back in bad budget land... my friends lina and alex came to visit at the beginning of the month and we went to the state fair, ate out a lot, and i had a bbq and bought a bunch of food and beer and stuff for that. then i decided i absolutely needed a new blow dryer and straightener (i mean the old ones were really terrible but still) and of course had to buy expensive ones. and then last night i decided spur of the moment to go out for a $60 dinner. i am not doing a very good job here.

i talked to bryan, aka my financial guru, about all of this and he does not think it is as bad as i do. his thing is, as long as i make active decisions about things and do not put things on the credit cards, it is ok to spend more and save less on a month by month basis. i have put a lot of thought into it and i realized that i am not willing to sacrifice my social life for my budget so that means that i am going to continue to go out and meet people (which is a big goal of mine right now) and that means spending at least some money. what i can do is drink cheap beer, eat at home and just have an appetizer, etc. but i am not willing to give up socializing, or honestly even cut back on it at all, because it is really important to me to be meeting new people and expanding my social circle, and that doesn't happen if you stay at home.

i am still paying off $800 per month to my credit cards (well not this month since $200 has to go to the emergency fund) so i feel like i am doing a good job and am allowed to make choices like this. also, i found a couple friends who want to move in with me so hopefully in october or november we will be moving to a new place which will cost me less money (both rent and utilities/cable/etc.). so that is another thing i am doing for my budget.