People! I am now officially a contributing member of society again. I know you we're all pretty worried about me living on the streets or having to sell off all my shoes. But all is well, I (finally) have another job!

And the first treat I'd like to spoil myself with are these bad boys!

(I know, I know. I WON'T. But I really really reallyreallyreally want them...)

Having a second job again means having the ability to put money aside and not living week to week (or day to day... o_o ) hellooo, could I avoid doing laundry just one more week in order to afford a cup of badly needed fancy coffee? Yes, these are the important decisions I make in my life. And yes, I can always go another week without clean clothes...as long as I have socks.

It means that these next few months I should have more money coming in that going out, rather than having just enough to pay my bills

. 

It means that, hopefully, my phone won't be sending me texts that my bank account is under a 3 digits.

And it means that my relationship can be equalized again. Because honestly, that poor kid feeds me, plays Driving Miss Tiffy, and makes sure I'm able to have a few cocktails on the reg... What a man... ;) 

In the meantime to avoid spending what little money I have, I've been drinking wine from Trader Joe's and baking donuts. SO.MANY.DONUTS! 

I was apparently wearing my "I can do anything" big girl pants the other week, when I agreed to cater a sweets table for a wedding. With 200 guests. GULP. 

On one hand, I'm more excited than a pig in mud! My first job to bake for people that aren't my friends and family! People that aren't obligated to 'Ooo' and 'Ahh' and make yummy noises. Wooo weeee!

On the other hand, what the frogs was I thinking? I'm an amateur baker with an ego at best. 

Anyway, the game plan is to put my head down and just be the donut lady. Easy peasy ;)

For your viewing pleasure!!

BBBS

me&my siblings :)

I have nothing to give, but time. And volunteering your time costs ZERO dollars!!

Tomorrow I have my first interview with the Big Brother/Big Sister program in Chicago.

I can't think of anything less expensive and more fulfilling. Wish me luck!

Day 4: SUCCESS!

After a quick trip to pick up some food for the weekend, I'm feeling quite proud of myself.

Picture this:
I'm pushing a crabby toddler in a stroller while dragging two 3 year olds through a crowded grocery store at lightning speed saying, "Please stop touching. Please stop touching. Boys, I won't tell you again, PLEASE stop touching."

I've got exactly $23 dollars in my wallet and that's all I have to spend on meal food, not treats or snacks. (The old Tiffany would have just taken out her debit card without a care in the world.)

After gathering all my necessities and making my calculations, I see a 12 pack of toliet paper for $4 bucks (over half off!) Plus a 12 pack could last me almost 3 months! Seeing as with all my sale items and my store loyalty card, I thought we might just make it under par.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. It was about a buck fifty over. And with jussst a glimmer of hesitation, I grab a box of frozen pasta and put.it.back.

We have to celebrate the small wins, people.

DAY 1!

Happy 2013, everyone! I love new beginnings. Everything seems fresh, like a do-over of all the mistakes you may have made in the past year (or years.) They've been wiped clean. And now you can do things differently!

Except that old habits die hard.
Today is Day 1...and what I should have done is STAY HOME. There's no temptation in my cozy bed.

Instead I found myself at a bar with my man, cheering on his Wildcats. (Ok, so in addition to my bad shopping habit, as a couple, we spend far more time and money in bars than we should. Even when we've been "hooked up" by our friends and co-workers we still spend over $40 a night without a second thought.)

SO here's the run down of how I did on this first day!

I brought my own mug of coffee that I made at home (1 point for Tiffany) AND I walked the 20 minute walk there instead of taking a cab (2 points...what? Are we not keeping score here?) I ate before I left so I wouldn't be tempted to order food, but the smell of fried deliciousness overtook my senses and the man bought me an order of chicken fingers. (Ok, I lose a point here.)
I didn't order any drinks (because I shouldn't drink before work and because drinks cost money.) But I did accept drinks that were given to me (Is that cheating?)

Then I walked home and made an early dinner before I had to be at work. Even though I was running late, I still managed to take public transportation to my job and be on time.
After work, I waited the extra hour and a half for my manager to get off so I could bum a ride home instead of taking a cab!
Then I patted myself on the back for being so resourceful :)

The running tally for January so far:
$700.36 (Rent/Utilities)
$0 Cash

If today is any indication of how the next month will pan out, I think I'll probably be saving countless money not taking cabs or ordering coffee out.

We got no money, but we got heart, heart, heart.

“Ok. don't panic. Don't panic. It's only a VISA bill. It's a piece of paper; a few numbers. I mean, just how scary can a few numbers be?” 

Show of hands: Who has seen or read Confessions of a Shopaholic? It's a light-hearted, beach read about the quirky Becky Bloomwood and her misguided love affair with her credit card. She's endearing and (arguably) quite likable.
Except that she's kinnnd of a compulsive liar and sort of selfish and has not an ounce of self control in her entire body.
However, anyone that has ever hidden unopened bills from themselves... or faked an accent when collectors call... or has bought a pair of $250 shoes instead of paying the gas bill... or has had a bad day and needed to buy something...just a little something...as a consolation... or...er..is this just me? :) Anyway, I find her completely relatable in the worst kind of way.

So here I am.
Up to my ears in debt.
Trying to start a new business.
And I am the queen of not following through. (I get bored, lose interest, forget about it, don't have time...I have a laundry list of reasons why...I embarrassingly have a million unfinished projects sitting around my itty bitty apartment.)

Here is my public declaration...
::drum roll::

January 1st begins the first month of my Spending Fast! I'll be using And Then We Saved as my bible! (Check her out!)

Simply put, I will not be spending money on anything I don't NEED. 
And similarly to Ms. Bloomwood, I can justify most of my "wants" as "needs"(ahem...$100 rabbit fur ear muffs...) The following is a very black and white, if not all-inclusive, list of things I will have to spend money on and things I just can't.

NEEDS! Things I will have to spend money on

Rent.

Utilities.

Phone bill.

Groceries. (comparative shopping, coupon clipping (!?) and researching deals rather than going to the fancy store that's only a stones throw away.)

Monthly bus pass/ public trans. (or walk! most everything I need is within a mile of me!)

Photo supplies. (done cost effectively and sparingly.)

WANTS! Things I can NOT spend my money on

Eating out.

Fancy coffee. (and the yummiest. :( )

Clothes/ Shoes. (learn to shop my closet and repurpose old items.)

New makeup.

Cute little notebooks.

Trinkets/ knick knacks/ tchotchke (AKA JUNK)

Books. (Get a library card! borrow or have a book swap with friends! some of these money saving tricks are so smack-me-in-the-head-DUH!)

Pretty paper.

Boxes of greeting cards. (already own a half dozen..)

Waxing. (they created razors for a reason, i suppose.)

Cabs. (I'm embarrassed at the amount of cabs I take.)

Home decorations.

Yarn.

Cupcake liners. (I don't know...I'm a hoarder of the weird variety. they ARE usually on sale :) )




Alright, seeing as my "wants" list is quite a bit longer than my "needs" list, now would be the time to wish me luck.