A thrifty tip

I know lots of folks practice thriftiness by cutting open tubes to use the remaining product, whether that's toothpaste or lotion. I thought I would share an easy tip to then keep what's left fresh for longer without having to use saran wrap, ziploc, etc. 

I think I got at least ten more uses out of both this face mask and sunscreen after cutting open the tube!

When I've squeezed out and used as much product as I can, I'll cut about the top 1/3 of the tube off. I make sure to use whatever product is left on the inside of the cut piece and wipe it clean, and then use the piece as a cap. Easy and effective!

Coupon Fairy

I was grocery shopping a few days ago and decided to pick up some Goldfish crackers for a snack. I was pleasantly surprised to find that someone had left on top of the bag a clipped coupon for 50 cents off. A small but very sweet gesture, much appreciated by me. Thank you Coupon Fairy!

Health incentives

My employer has a neat health incentives program that provides cash rewards for participating in "health activities." Several are web-based and easy to do, you just need to remember to log in every day or so during a certain period to track various health indicators. For example, I recently completed one called "Manage Your Stress" where every day for two weeks I rated my average stress level. If I had low levels for most of the days, I was rewarded $50 at the end of the two weeks! Easy money. Obviously you can cheat your way thru this but I went in with the attitude of might as well make the most of it, and I found that just being aware of the need to rate my stress encouraged me to do little things to help my stress levels. I guess that's the whole point, right?

Another more challenging activity involves using a FitBit or another fitness device/app to track your steps, weight, sleep, etc. If you weren't aware already the CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week, which is roughly 10,000 steps/day. With this activity you commit to certain pursuits (i.e. walking 75,000 steps/week, tracking your weight for a week) and if completed are rewarded points. You earn $100 every time you accumulate 1,000 points! My boyfriend gifted me a FitBit Alta for my birthday, and I just reached my first 1,000 point mark last week.

So far this year I've earned $250 in health incentives. There are actually more opportunities available if you have a specific diagnosis or lifestyle that can be targeted (i.e. asthma, smoking, obesity, etc.) and I fortunately have no real medical history so have less "earning potential" from this program. Still, an awesome way to encourage folks to make some small changes regarding their health, and I'm happy to be benefiting! My employer actually does not publicize this program too much (not intentional I don't think, more of an oversight), I just happened to stumble across it, so it's worth doing some research to see if your employer offers something similar. 

Birthday freebies

Something I look forward to on my birthday each year are the little freebies I get from my favorite stores. I know lots of retailers offer birthday rewards, I've seen comprehensive lists floating around online (just google "birthday freebies" or something similar). These are the ones I chose to redeem during my birthday month of April.

Sephora offers a nice deluxe beauty gift to anyone who is signed up for their Beauty Insider program- signing up is free! They had two options to choose from this year; I went with the Marc Jacobs liner and lipstick, they were both so itty bitty and cute, and lovely quality. Marc Jacobs is a high end brand so it's nice to be able to try something from the range. *Redeemable anytime during your birthday month

Ulta offers a gift for its Ultamate Rewards members, it is also free to sign up. I received this very generously sized hairspray mini, which I passed along to my mom because I have a jumbo one I'm working through and she was in need of it. Ulta changes the gift each quarter (Jan-Mar received a Benefit mascara). *Redeemable anytime during your birthday month

As a Starbucks Gold level member, I received a free drink- any drink, any size. You also qualify for this as a Green level member. I went with a venti skinny iced vanilla latte. I know the new rewards program is a bit controversial, you can check out the information here. I only reached Gold level status by redeeming gift cards I received. *Reward added to your account ~2 days prior to your birthday and expires the day after your birthday

Lastly, Native Foods Cafe is an awesome vegan restaurant with the most amazing food- and this is coming from a non-vegan. If you sign up for their rewards program in store you get a $10 reward to use during your birthday month, and that is actually enough to pay for an entire meal! I had their famous Twister Wrap with sweet potato fries and ended up paying maybe a dollar for tax etc. *Redeemable for about 2 weeks around your birthday

These are the freebies I enjoyed for my birthday last month! Please share any birthday freebies you take advantage of!

Saving on beauty

I wear a full face of makeup daily, and skincare is very important to me. So, my cleansing routine at the end of each day is a three step process to make sure all of that makeup is off. My favorite step one cleanser is The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. I find oils are the easiest, most gentle way to remove makeup. 

Just finished a bottle today! Fresh & clean new one ready to go :)

Now this cleanser is $21 for a 6.7 fl oz bottle, which is reasonable compared to high end cleansers but still pricey. Luckily the Body Shop always has sales going on, so I waited until last month to stock up during a Buy 3 Get 3 Free sale. I also had a $10 birthday perk handy, which I combined with 10% off for being a rewards card member and 5% cashback using my Discover CC.

Total cost per bottle: $8.36 

Much better than $21! I bought 6 and passed along 2 to my mom, who also loves this cleanser. She wears makeup only a couple times a week so the 2 bottles should last her the whole year, and I'm all stocked up with my four. Love getting a great deal on my must have beauty items.

Murphy & family

Recent expenses have included:

$350 flight change fee thru Delta for unexpected visa issues with my mom's trip to Korea - this made me absolutely furious, but nothing could be done.

$2154 to the IRS for 2014 tax error - horrified. I felt sick when I got the letter.

$318.95 gifts for mom to prep for Korea - what I bought her takes care of gifts for all of this year's occasions though- Mother's Day, Christmas, birthday.

$500 to dad to use as spending money in Korea - he is currently very underemployed, a nice gesture.

TOTAL: $3,322.95

A rough start to the month. I was so gungho about my savings at the start of the year, I was all set to hit the 20k mark by May. All of this plus the $1180 I owed in taxes this year really dampened my spirits and set me back considerably. Still, I am thankful to have the savings to dip into when Murphy visits, and to be able to do things for my family. Just need to buckle down these next few months I guess. Sigh.

What I gave away/used up in April

I live in a very teeny studio apartment- approximately 300 sq ft! There is minimal storage space, which has driven my ongoing quest to only keep (and buy) what I truly use and need. I do a pretty good job of it, overall I don't really have hoarding tendencies and don't get too attached to things. However, for some reason I've recently become motivated to cut back even more, even if it's just a few small things here and there. This is what I was able to give away and use up in the past month.

-3 mugs to my church: We serve coffee and pastries every week and everyone who considers themselves to be a church member is asked to donate a mug. This church has been my home for 2+ years now and I only just "officially" became a member by bringing a mug :)

Some essentials: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, Soap and Glory 
A Great Kisser  Lip Balm, LUSH Ultrabalm, Tarte Maracuja Oil, 
Jack Black Lip Balm, Liz Earler Super Skin Concentrate, etc

-3 Bath and Body Works candles: A few years ago I was obsessed with these and would always stock up during sales. I finished off 3 halfway burned candles and saved the containers for storage. Pictured is the one I keep at my desk with a few essentials that I am always reaching for.
-Pink and red striped scarf from Hollister, fluffy earmuffs, bookends, and about 6 miscellaneous clothing items.
-1 highlighter: Now it may seem silly to take note of this, but I feel like I have so many pens and highlighters lying around! I'm trying to use the same ones to finish them off. It gave me great satisfaction to use up and throw away a highlighter. I know I sound crazy :)

That's all! Just a few things, but I was glad of it. I hope to be more mindful about using things up and giving things away. Decluttering is so satisfying!

My very first penalty

Toward the beginning of April I overdrafted on my checking account and was penalized $35 from Bank of America. I'm still not 100% sure what happened, but I think I transferred money over to my mom's account from mine without realizing that my rent check would be cashed the same day, and ended up going under. This is the first time I've ever been penalized for anything and I was horrified. From reading online it sounds like I could have called the bank and there is a good chance they would have credited me back the $35 since I have been a customer for 10+ years and this was my first ever error. I debated doing that, but in the end I figured it was a mistake on my part and I should own up to it, and learn a lesson! And to be honest it was around the time that I was studying for my licensing exam nonstop and I was just too exhausted and had no brain space for that kind of stuff. A poor excuse I know. Anyway a good reminder for me that no matter how careful you are, a mistake can indeed happen. I hope I go another 10 years before the next one does.

Time off

It is Monday evening and I am full of barely suppressed glee as I've taken the day off tomorrow! Although long weekends are also wonderful I find that having a mid-week break feels absolutely luxurious. It makes the work week feel so much shorter, you get an extra "Friday evening" of unwinding, and it's just a lovely break from routine. This one is a bit special as the reason I've taken off is to celebrate my birthday! It's a rule of mine to never work on my birthday; even if I don't do anything special the fact that I don't have to work is special enough! I've started the evening off right by treating myself to a cheeky pizza (frozen Digiorno, which I love). I'm planning on taking a bath with some of my favorite LUSH products, drinking a glass of red, and watching my favorite Korean television program.

I am truly blessed to have a job that I absolutely love, but man I dream of being able to work part-time. How awesome would it be to work Mon/Tue, have a break Wed, then go back Thurs/Fri? Although I save my PTO for long vacations as I do like to travel, I'm contemplating using some of it to just take one random "mental health" day off every month. At my previous job we were given 26 days of PTO a year, most of which rolled over, plus we would usually get an extra 2-3 added on for doing well on certain workplace goals etc. We got 11 holidays off in addition to that! Really great PTO for the US, especially at a nonprofit. I used to take a day off every other week and still manage a 2 week holiday along the way. Those were the days...

Anyways, I'm off now to enjoy my bath! Hoping everyone is able to treat themselves to some R&R!

Korea plane tix

I mentioned previously that my mom was hoping to visit Korea this year. The timing seemed to work out well as she recently lost her job. That sounds ironic, right? Shouldn't she be buckling down on the dollars as someone who is newly jobless? But mom is one of the many low wage, low skill immigrant workers in this country who are employed by ethnic businesses that don't offer benefits- including paid time off. So being laid off actually meant she had this window open to take a trip, the first in five years. She has the money for the trip saved and should hopefully be able to find another job doing what she has been for the last 10+ years (working at a dry cleaners) fairly easily when she comes back.

Anyways, I had been searching online for plane tickets for her, and everything I saw from Baltimore to Seoul was around the $1,200 range. Reasonable for the distance, but I was able to go last October 2015 for around $950 (flying out from Chicago) and I was hoping to find something closer to that number. Well wouldn't you know it, the day after I almost went ahead and bought tix at $1,150, I saw round trip tickets thru Delta for... $763.16 (including all taxes and fees- no baggage charges for international flights)! The only compromise is that they fly out of Reagan and not BWI, but still totally worth it. Holy cow, what a STEAL of a deal! After a quick phone conference I snatched those babies up. The best part is that my dad, who actually hasn't been back to Korea in about 25 years, decided to go as well! And at that price it was totally manageable. I am so happy for them!

My favorite flight aggregators to search for international deals are kayak.com and skyscanner.com. Please let me know if you use other sites to find good deals!

March beauty treats

In March I allotted $100 for non-essentials: entertainment, clothing, gifts, anything other than eating out (separate category) that wasn't a necessity. Most of the month was spent studying for a licensing exam that I just took (and passed!) this past Saturday, so I ended up spending nothing on entertainment, which is rare. About $25 went toward a birthday present and $3 was spent on three Laura Ingalls books from a resale shop- I'm a sucker for childhood classics. With the rest I was super happy to be able to pick up a few pretty cosmetics.

I absolutely love beauty products. They are my guilty pleasure and what I choose to splurge on. I hoard gift cards, stalk sales, request as gifts, and use mostly credit card points/cashback to fuel this vice. Recently I realized my make up was becoming more like a collection, so I am much more selective about what I buy because I do want to be able to use and enjoy all of what I have.

Everything aligned, starting with it being a low spend month. Ulta was having their annual 21 Days of Beauty, where each day they featured a popular beauty item on sale at a steep discount. Last year they had the Too Faced Sweethearts blushes listed, and I had missed them after hemming and hawing too much. Well, they were back this year at 50% off! I also got 5% cashback by using my Discover card and had a $27 gift card, so I picked up all three blushes and the new Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly palette. Too Faced is one of my favorite brands, they are of excellent quality and I love the cutesey packaging. Total value (before tax): $126. Total out of pocket (including tax): $62.20. Still too expensive for some, but for me it was well worth it and I have been enjoying these new beauties.

My mom always cautions me about sales by saying, "Even if the savings are incredible and you only spend ten dollars, you are still spending ten dollars." I think that's a great mindset to have when shopping. I'm happy about my steal of a deal because I was able to stay within budget.

Finding $$

The other day I pulled out my wallet in search of a spare CTA (public transit) card for visiting friends. I hadn't used the wallet in ages as I've gotten used to carrying around a more conveniently sized card case. At any rate I "found" about $20 in dollar bills. Is it just me or is one of the best feelings ever finding money- even when it's your own!

I have found other people's money on a couple occasions. Once I was in high school and picked up $10 laying on the ground at the mall. Another time I found maybe $150 in the couch cushions of a lounge at Johns Hopkins, where I was working as a counselor for the CTY program. No one ever reported it missing/inquired so I got to keep it. And fairly recently I spotted a $100 bill on the ground at an airport, but I could tell immediately who had dropped it and she sure was relieved to have it back! That made me feel good too.

I've lost money as well, most memorably on a high school trip to Disney World where I lost my wallet, which must have had close to $200 in it. Man oh man was that the worst feeling ever. I kept thinking about how hard my parents had worked so I could have that money.

One thing I never used to do was pick up coins. I see lots of coins lost or abandoned on the sidewalk or on the bus/train, mostly pennies but occasionally some silver shine as well. These days I've realized how much change can add up, and will pick up whatever I see. As I explained in this recent post I use a credit card for 98% of my purchases, so it takes me a long time to gather coins. I can't wait until I have enough to take to one of those machines and get a gift card in return (no fees!) I know a lot of you snowflake that extra money to put toward bills etc., but I tend to squirrel them away for treats.

Here's to hoping that you find more than you lose!

My student loans

I graduated in 2009 from a private university in Atlanta with a BA in Sociology and Religion. I graduated in 2011 from a private graduate program in Chicago with a MSW degree. I mention that these institutions are private to indicate that the cost of attending was significantly higher than if I had chosen to attend public schools. Whether my decisions were wise, for the degrees I received...well, that's another post :)

I graduated with a mix of Perkins/Stafford loans that totaled roughly $47,000. Not too shabby, considering I got 6 years of private education out of it. I was lucky to have received plenty of grants and scholarships along the way. I'd say 90% of my friends graduated with loans that had one more place value. But for a new graduate who had never had debt and was very fearful of it, that number sure looked big enough to me.

My mom gifted me with $9,800 at my MSW graduation. This cash was the result of a LOT of scrimping and saving on her part, and I immediately put $4,500 toward student loans. The other half I used to travel for a full month later that year to Korea, Vietnam, and China, and gifted 1k to my grandparents while I was in Korea. I didn't start aggressively paying off my student loans until about two years postgrad. Before then it was more important to me to build up my Emergency Fund. Still, about four years after my graduation I had managed to get the loans down to $27,000. And then my amazing mom stepped in again, and offered to pay that off for me. I am now paying her back, sans interest.

It's been almost a year since my lender became Bank of Mom, and after my payment this month I'm down to an even $20,000 owed. That would mean I paid off more than $27,000 in 5 years; a lot more actually, considering the amount that went toward interest. I'm too lazy to look up the exact numbers.

I could be even further along in my repayment but I chose to prioritize other goals alongside paying down my student loans, namely traveling. In the past five years I have visited China, Vietnam, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Korea twice. I have absolutely no regrets about those trips and would do it this way all over again. I am thankful to my mom for her generosity and sacrifice, and am proud of the progress I have made on my student loans. My goal is to have them fully paid off in the next three years.

**I am aware that loan forgiveness programs exist for social workers, but after some research realized they weren't for me.

Paper or plastic?

My dad signed me up for my very first credit card when I moved to Atlanta for college in 2005. Since then I have accumulated seven more for a total of eight credit cards and one debit card. In hindsight I shouldn't have opened so many simply because I don't use them all regularly. However, I have never had a balance on any CC that was not paid in full and have never paid a single penalty. That's pretty impressive considering I have used a CC for 98% of my bills and purchases since age 18 to accumulate the points and cashback. I pay off the balance every Sunday when I review my expenses from the past week.

Credit Card Overview

1. Capital One: My oldest card, which I keep for the credit history and because it doesn't charge international transaction fees. I use this card only when I travel out of the country.

2. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Visa: My main credit card, which I love for the miles as Southwest is my airline of choice for domestic travel. This is the only credit card I own that has an annual fee ($69), but it more than pays for itself. I get at least one free round trip/year to visit my folks, usually two. Last year I used the miles to score a free round trip flight to Jamaica. 

3. Discover: My second most used card which I like it for its cashback program. It gives me 1% cashback on all purchases and 5% cashback on rotating categories (i.e. from April-June the 5% will be for spending on restaurants and movies). Discover also partners with tons of online retailers so that when I shop them using my Discover card, I receive an extra 5-15% cashback. Lastly, you can redeem your cashback for gift card deals (i.e. spend $90 to receive $100 to so-and-so retailer). I use my cashback from this card to fuel "guilty pleasures," mostly beauty products thru Sephora :) 

4. Citi Mastercard: My mom had never had a credit card in her life but was sold when I told her about the points etc. She didn't want to open one herself, so I added her as an authorized user on this card, which I wasn't using. I manage the card for her in terms of paying it off etc. Mom has accumulated $600+ on this card using their cashback program, and we'll finally be redeeming it this year to go toward her plane ticket to Korea.

5. American Express Blue: This one is really stupid, I opened it when I was in college because I thought it'd be cool to have an AMEX. Haha! For awhile I had my dad on here as an authorized user for the same reason as mom (see above), but that wasn't working out. I keep this card because it is my second oldest, but otherwise don't use it.

#6, 7, 8: The remaining 3 are store credit cards for Nordstrom, Banana Republic, and the Limited. These are my preferred stores for buying clothing, which I don't do often. When I do shop the card member deals are great, but I honestly don't need these cards and may consider closing them. 

My one debit card is for my bank to access my checking account. And I always have a small amount of cash on hand for very specific purposes: 1) if I go out to eat etc. with a group, it's easier to split the check if everyone has cash; 2) there are some favorite small businesses and restaurants around the city that are still cash only; 3) my mom told me I should have $20 emergency cash on me at all times :)

I'm organized and have been doing it this way for so long that it's not a hassle at all to manage so many different cards. As you can see I am definitely a plastic over paper kind of gal. How about you? 

Owing the IRS

My dad (who does taxes professionally) just completed my taxes, and it turns out I owe $1322! I had a part-time job in addition to my full-time job for some of last year, and I guess I accidentally claimed too many exemptions. I did get a $142 refund from the state, so in total I'm down $1,180. Now remember when I was all happy about my bonus in this post? It was $2,184. 39, and after I gave my mom 1k I was left with $1,184.39. Almost the exact amount I owe, figures! I guess I should consider it a blessing that I'm not having to dip into my savings to pay it back. So after all is said and done I have $4.39 of my bonus to play with. Woo hoo.

The gift of toilet paper

Last August my cousin moved here to Chicago from the west coast to start graduate school. She drove across the country with her mom, who helped get her settled. On one of their trips to Costco my aunt bought me two "gifts" as well- a 12 count of paper towels and 36 count of toilet paper. I was THRILLED, which probably says a lot about me :) 7 months in and I still have half the TP to go, which means I'll likely make it a whole year without having had to purchase any. Awesome. As for the paper towels, I haven't even opened the pack yet as I'm working my way thru the couple rolls I already had on hand. Side note: I'm extremely thrifty with paper towels LOL, something I picked up from my mom without realizing it. She will use a paper towel, wash it gently, and hang it to dry for one more go. While I'm not that extreme I have been known to yelp with indignation when my boyfriend reaches for a paper towel instead of a napkin to wipe his mouth.

In Korea it's actually customary to gift toilet paper when someone moves into a new home, quite a practical present. I am very thankful to my aunt for her thoughtfulness, and think about her from time to time as I put her gift to good use :P

What I ate this week

Monday, March 14th

Breakfast: defrosted Korean rice cake (떡) & juice (kale, banana, mandarin orange, frozen peach, turmeric, flax)
Lunch: defrosted beef stew & salad
Dinner: whole wheat penne pasta w/ ground beef, onion, mushrooms in marinara sauce & salad
Snacks/Drinks: CLIF chocolate peanut butter bar (I was starving after a small/early lunch!), homemade puppy chow ("muddy buddies"), water, jasmine green tea with honey and soy milk

3/15 now that's some hearty oatmeal!

Tuesday, March 15th
Breakfast: instant maple oatmeal with trail mix
Lunch: l/o pasta from Mon & salad
Dinner: brown rice & Korean side dishes (반찬)
Snacks/Drinks: honey roasted peanuts, Nutty Buddy, water, 1 glass red wine

Wednesday, March 16th
Breakfast: defrosted Korean rice cake (떡)
Lunch: egg salad on pita
Dinner: tortellini & defrosted corn, peas
Snacks/Drinks: 1 chocolate Long John, almonds, water, milk

3/17 leftovers from creative savv's easy rice & veggie bake recipe

Thursday, March 17th 
Breakfast: peanut butter and banana on whole wheat toast
Lunch: l/o tortellini from Wed & salad
Dinner: rice & cauliflower bake using this recipe from creative savv. I used brown rice, substituted cauliflower for the spinach, and left out the olives. It was easy and tasty!
Snacks/Drinks: 1 chocolate Long John, cheddar and sour cream chips, water, milk

Friday, March 18th
Breakfast: chocolate chip scone & coffee
Lunch: l/o rice & cauliflower bake from Thurs
Dinner: 2 carne asada tacos, Mexican rice & beans
Snacks/Drinks: mixed fruit (banana, orange, melon, apple), 1 date, puppy chow, 1 can diet cherry coke

$2.31 Left for March's groceries...can I do it?

This month is the first of a new grocery budget cycle I've started of alternating between $60 and $100. During the $100 month I hope to stock up on enough meats and dry goods for both that month and the following, when most of the $60 will go toward produce. 

Last month (before my new budget) I spent just under $150 on groceries building up my freezer and pantry. So I decided March would be a $60 month. Yesterday when I stopped by the store I had only $13.12 of my budget remaining, with 2 weeks to go. Yikes! This is what I picked up, mostly from Aldi and a couple items from my corner grocer:

1.29 Large eggs

.95 Frozen sweet peas 16 oz

.99 Frozen broccoli florets 12 oz

1.49 Mushrooms 8 oz

1.49 White onions 3 lb

.79 Iceberg lettuce 1 head 

1.49 Instant Oatmeal 10 packets

.59 Mac and cheese

1.49 Cheddar & sour cream potato chips 9 oz 

TOTAL with tax: $10.81

Remaining budget: $2.31

I have enough rice, pasta, beans, fish, ground beef, and chicken for the next couple weeks. Now, I know I can go over my budget without any consequences, but this month I'm really going to do my best to stick with that $60 to see what it feels like. I'll evaluate the number at month's end. Sneak preview: I already know going forward it's going to be upped quite a bit. I only bought about half of my groceries organically this month, and I'd like to go back to most/all organic. This is the first time in a long time I've bought "regular" eggs, and I'm unhappy about that, even at $1.29/dozen. I know they only cost $1.29 for a reason.

Extra sweet

My boyfriend and I went on a little walk after dinner last night and made a pit stop at Dunkin Donuts for one of our favorite treats: chocolate Long Johns. We stopped in maybe 45 minutes before they closed and the guy tossed in an extra donut for free. Yippee! 82 cents/each instead of $1.23. Next time we'll go ten minutes before closing time and see if they give us a whole box's worth :P

Annual raise and bonus

I was thrilled to learn that I received both a bonus and raise this year. We were all a bit unsure of how that would work out as the company has taken some big hits recently. My raise came in at 4.67% with a bonus of $3,700. This was a nice little increase from last year, my first with the company, when I received a 3% raise and $2,152 bonus. I appreciate the extra money even more as someone who not too long ago was part of the nonprofit world, where bonuses for my role are nonexistent.

My manager had told me that the bonus would land in my account by April 11th, but it turns out she actually meant March 11th, so I was doing a happy little dance of surprise this past Friday. After taxes chomped away their dues I was left with $2,184.39 of the $3,700. Ouch. As planned, I immediately transferred 1k to my savings and 1k to my mom. She is planning on traveling to Korea soon for an extended period of 4-6 months to stay with my grandparents. Mom was laid off from her job managing a dry cleaners just a couple weeks ago, and found another job right away. However, this one is a 45 minute drive from home and in an unsafe neighborhood so it's not a long term solution. She is just holding on to it for the next month or so while she gets extensive dental work done, after which she will go to Korea. Mom is treating this trip as a last opportunity to spend quality time with her parents before they pass, as it is unlikely she would be able to visit Korea again anytime soon. I told her to use the 1k to splurge on my grandparents on my behalf.

This leaves me with $184.39 to spend as I please! Right now my top contenders are:

1. A new microwave. My current one has developed an unpredictable temper after several years of loyal service. IT chooses how long, and if, it will heat my food items. I seem to have given up that right.
2. A new office chair. My current chair was bought used for $5 from a friend, and has gotten really unsteady and leans at odd angles. It has turned into a sort of carnival ride every time I sit on it. I work from home so this would be a good investment.
3. A dresser. The drawers gave out in my old one so I currently store my clothes on top of two folding chairs that are sitting side by side.

Nothing too exciting, but my birthday is in April and I've already budgeted money for treats, so spending my bonus on practical items makes sense to me. I am thankful to have received these financial blessings in a time when many (including mom) are losing jobs, underemployed, or not receiving any sort of extra.

An introduction

Hello :) My name is Esther, and for the past few months I have grown increasingly preoccupied with personal finance, personal finance blogs, and living well on less. I have always managed my finances responsibly, but recently I've become much more focused on actively budgeting and being financially planful. This may be because I'm anticipating high cost goals and commitments in the near-ish future: getting married, starting a family, buying a home.

I've started this blog as an outlet for all of the finance junk whizzing around in my head, and in the hopes that it will help me stay motivated. My favorite blogs that I've found to date have been a mix of money and personal (SHAKING THE MONEY TREE tops my list, I love her!), so that's what I'm planning to do with my own. 

More posts will come with the nitty gritty details of my finances. For now, it's nice to meet you :)