Thursday, May 17, 2012

Car...


All is well in my world. This new Wealth Watchers Plan is working pretty well for me. I find the $40/day more than sufficient throughout the week so I have money left over for the weekend, etc.  So far, I am still within budget for the month and it’s kind of hard to believe. I don’t get paid again until the 30th.

Things have been non-stop since I started my new job. I just got back from traveling to another country for work last night and I’m pooped!!! I am so glad that I get to work from home on Friday and Monday due to NATO. I may even catch up on some laundry. =)

My car’s check engine light came on Tuesday. I have to call and make an appointment to find out what’s wrong with it plus it’s been acting up a little bit lately as I mentioned. I still have $2,000 in an emergency fund that I can use that for repairs if necessary. So, I am not too worried. Hopefully it will be a minor fix.

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Mother’s Day….


Mother’s Day is swiftly coming up on May 13th. I have no idea what to get my Sister and Mother. So far, I think my brother-in-law is going to cook out at their house which means my Mom and Sis can just chill out. I can bring some stuff over to contribute to the meal. Thing is, that will cost money in addition to buying gifts.

I think the gifts are going to be $25 gift cards each but I have a goal to spend no more than $100 for Mother’s Day, including the stuff for the meal. I hope I can pull it off. That being said, I have put aside some money each day to save towards Mother’s Day with my little $40/day experiment.

Hopefully, a little planning and foresight will go a long way and my checkbook will be happy with me. FYI…I am doing really well this week with my Wealth Watchers $40/ day Daily Dollar Limit. I may already have the $100 available for Mother’s Day by the end of the week. =)

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Gail Vaz-Oxlade & Til Debt Do Us Part…

So how many people have watched Til Debt Do Us Part on CNBC? It’s a show where Gail Vaz-Oxlade will put a couple on a strict cash budget and then put that couple through money and relationship challenges. This is supposed to strengthen their relationship and put them on the path to financial stability.

Well the concept of a cash budget appeals to me. What I do know is that CHITOWN CANNOT BE TRUSTED WITH A CREDIT CARD!!! I don’t even carry them in my wallet anymore. The problem is that I am just as careless with a debit card. If there is money in the account and all the bills are paid, I have this mindset that the money can be spent. Well, that only works if you don’t run out of money before the next paycheck. That is rarely the case for me…Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever made it to the next paycheck without going into the Red. So Sad!

Any Hoo…Below is the cash budget that I came up with using the budget on Gail’s website. I tweaked it a little and of course added some color but overall…it works!!!