Give Me Back My Five Bucks

Last week a friend and I were talking over coffee. She said that she didn’t know how I could live on a budget, or afford to do all of the things that I do – like go skiing, play team sports, travel, buy concert tickets, and even save for retirement. She said that the few times she tried budgeting, she felt deprived and irritated, so she stopped (a feeling I could absolutely relate to). I told her that the only reason I can afford to do anything is because of budgeting. Some people are just good with their money. They … Continue reading →

So I’ve switched all of my expense tracking over to Quicken Home & Business. I really liked my Excel spreadsheet that I was working with, but Quicken is SO much easier to split up my business expenses and help me prepare come tax time. Plus, I already had the software from before so I didn’t have to spend any money. And because of the switch, that means I have to figure out how to show my monthly budget reports here. Quicken has some really cool charts and stuff, but I calculate my expenses differently through Quicken than I did through … Continue reading →

On Friday before BF and I headed back to my hometown, he got news that he has been officially accepted into his program and he starts today (Monday). So this time next year, after his classes and internship, he should be fully certified to start his career. He’s very excited (except for being a poor student), and I’m happy for him. He’s probably going to get a part-time job, but because his program is only 1 year long, it’s super condensed and requires a huge amount of group study and reading. So he won’t be able to work too many … Continue reading →

BF and I are heading back to my hometown this weekend. His parents have flown into town, and my parents want him to completely re-do their deck while we’re in Mexico, so he’ll have to go take a look and quote on the job. Here is my budget for the weekend: Friday $14 ferry $15 parking Saturday $50 hair cut (haven’t gotten my hair cut in almost 5 months) $12 movie (friend begged me to go to SATC2 with her, even though I already saw it. Got suckered in.) Sunday $15 lunch with friends $14 ferry TOTAL = $120 Typical … Continue reading →

I just got my paws on something that I have been waiting for FOR YEARS: Quicken Essentials for Mac. I almost didn’t switch over to Mac because I hated the last version of Quicken for Mac. True story! That version was awful. So I ended up installing Parallels on my Mac just so I could run Quicken for PC (and Rollercoaster Tycoon – what!?). Well, Parallels broke for me a few years ago (can’t figure out how to fix it – I think I need a Windows XP disc), so I’ve been using an Excel spreadsheet. Which is all fine … Continue reading →