Well I received my laptop back and it cost me $250, I guess its better than buying a new one. At least I have a ton of new programs.

I received a call yesterday for a job, I passed the first interview and then took the computer test. I am just waiting to hear how I did on that, for some reason I think I did really well.

I also received a call from the hospital for an insurance verification position. At this point it is not what I am looking for but the goal is to get my foot in the door learn what I can and move up the chain.

$10 was added to the challenge, I cooked dinner today...yes on a Friday
So keep your fingers crossed and the prayers coming I really appreciate it

Ok good news I am trying to stay focus as well as positive. Why I stopped blogging? I have no idea but I am definetly starting back and am glad to be back.

Well as you all know I lost my job, finally graduated, wrecked my car. Then the a/c gave out in my car, my power window also stopped working in my car, my laptop crashed and last night my tv stopped working. Oh and I pretty much cleaned out my savings. Thats what has happened to me over the last few months not to mention that i apply for at least 6 jobs a day

On a different note I am trying to stay positive, even though I do not have a regular income I have started the $20 challenge again with a weekly deposit of $10. I cranked up my old laptop and hooked up my desk top's monitor so I am officially back in business until I can get the other repaired (make sue you guys always back up files). My a/c was fixed by a family friend for $160 thank God because had I taken it to a shop I would have easily been looking at a few hundred dollars.

I went a retrieve a TV that I gave my brother a while ago but then a friend called and said he had one. My mom's friend gave me $50 today and I added that to my challenge and then the good news...I got a letter from the unemployment office that my benefits has been extended. THANK YOU LORD!

Today was my 3rd NSD so I added $2 to the house fund. I also paid an extra $18.71 on the principal for my car (check written yesterday)...the goal is to pay a extra $50 a month
Tomorrow is a big day (Things to do):
* See the dentist (that will set me back about $400)
*See the Gyn ($30 copay)
* Gas ($30)
* Traffic Ticket ($91 Mom actually gave me $40 towards this)
* Buy lotto for work
* Head to the gym
* Pick up a few items at the grocery store for Sunday's dinner and Friday and Saturday night snacks

Hopefully Saturday and Sunday will be no spend days for me, but we'll see

Two days in a row that I have had a NSD So $2 was added to my house/challenge
That's it for now

Today was the first NSD for the month I didn't even leave the house, so I added $2 to the challenge house fund. I washed and colored my own hair saving me about $45 plus I polished my own toes saving me another $12; grand total saved $57. It's expensive being a gal
I was able to get a little studying in again, so that was a plus, it's hard to study at home with all the distractions. All in all I had a good day without even leaving the house.
March is woman's month so I decided to post a little something about how women have been such a driving force:
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, formed The National Association of Colored Women in 1896. Married George Lewis Ruffin, the first African American to graduate from Harvard Law School.
From 1890 to 1897 Ruffin served as the editor and publisher of Woman's Era, the first newspaper published by and for African American women. It was used to highlight the achievements of African American women and to champion black women's rights

Overall last month every thing was down except for clothes and dining out. In January I bought no clothes and my dining out expense was about $4 more in February. Oh I forgot my gift expense was up, had a friend to die and sent flowers. In addition,I added two bucks to my cc challenge because I finally made it to the gym. For the month I only had 4 NSD
Well here it is last month's spending:

Income Categories
Other Income $82.84
Wages & Salary $1,249.49
Income - Unassigned $170.35
Total Income $1,502.68

Expense
Automobile $110.01
Bank Charges (interest) $48.68
Bills: internet/ storage $108.54
Clothing $79.77
Dining Out $48.09
Education $0.95
Gifts $116.28
Groceries $175.70
Healthcare $22.26
Hobbies/Leisure $5.00
Household $17.43
Job Expense $14.70
Miscellaneous $109.17
Personal Care $37.81
Services/Memberships $47.91
Taxes $247.33
Utilities $112.36
Total Expense $1,301.99

Difference $200.69

Today was a no spend day so $2 was added to my new home challenge
Next week is spring break so I plan on finishing up at least two papers so I'll be busy, no time to relax

I went to the library today and this guy sat at my table, it may not have bothered me as much but he kept staring at me which gave me the creeps. The funny thing is he sat there the entire time staring at me. So after about 45 minutes I decided to leave and look for the security guard to walk me to my car, but of course she was no where to be found. Any how I made sure my keys were in hand and headed to my car constantly looking in back of me. When I got to my car and pulled out I saw this car flash their lights and a hand stick out I thought you have got to be kidding me this can not be this guy. But it was a woman who sat across from me at a different table and said she followed me out because she did not like the way the guy was staring at me. She said it creeped her out. I thought that was so nice of her. She said she thought at first it was my boyfriend but then she notice we were not talking and he kept staring at me. Wow it is so nice to know that there are people out there who really cares
On a different note today was a NSD so $2 was added to the challenge/house fund

I am determined to have at least 4 no spends days by the 28th
So today I bought gas and hit the grocery store as well as buying the office Powerball tickets, that way tomorrow I won't spend a dime. The next time I will spend is Thursday (if I missed something that I need) and that will leave me with Friday and Saturday... wish me luck

Today's spending:
Expense Categories
Automobile $20.00
Dining Out $9.00
Gifts(Cousin's B-day) $10.00
Groceries $23.43
Hobbies/Leisure $1.00
Household $6.68
Taxes $0.77
Total $70.88
Oh and I added .62 to my challenge cc balance

Today was only my second no spend day for the month The only good thing is $2 went to the challenge for not spending. I can't believe the month is almost over and I only had 2 NSD

Ima posted today that she added her one dollar bills to the challenge for Washington's birthday and I decided to do the same, so $12 added to my new home challenge
Thanks Ima you rock

Today wasn't a bad day, I found my ring, had lunch and breakfast at home, got my $28.34 from DollarInbox and went to class which was just an hour long. But the bad part was I had Mcdonald's on the go for dinner (woke up late for class) spending a little more than $3 so I doubled this amount and added it to my cc challenge. On a different note when I was feeling down about being single (still am ) I met this guy yesterday who I am really not into but it is ok to have some one to talk to once in a while. I guess it's the holidays that drive me into this depressing mode. With V-day approaching I guess I just went down hill

A new month and new goals. Well today I hit the gym my first of three for the week. Next I went to the grocery store and spent $13.29 not too bad, my goal is to not go back until next Sunday (fingers crossed). Any how I thought I had lemonade mix so I only bought 1 lemon and low and behold no mix. But I am determine not to go to the store until next Sunday so water it is. Besides water is healthier anyway.
I used the cc for my purchase in order to earn points and paid it off as soon as I got home, adding an extra $1.71 a dollar for going to the gym and .71 cents to round up to the nearest dollar (both part of my challenge). I got some home work done, not a lot but it's better than nothing tomorrow I'll hit the library. Now I am just hanging around waiting for the Superbowl...GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I came home and tallied every thing up for the day. I have $114 to last me until the 16th..wow, hope I can do it. Any how here's the totals starting off the new month

Wages & Salary $1,249.49

Amount Saved
IRA $25.00
EF $49.38
Misc Savings Account $10.00
Personal Checking $10.00
New Home Account/Challenge $10.00
Total Saved $104.38


Expense Categories
Cellular $94.12 (have to work on this)
Charitable Donations $20.00
Misc: Storage $48.47
Personal Care $23.98
Taxes(Medicare,Federal,SS)$229.05
Utilities $177
Total Expense $592.62

Transfers
Auto Loan Principal Payment $265.56
Interest $115.73(this maybe wrong I always over calculate)
Transfer Total $381.29

Income less Expenses $922.67

Grand Total $171.20

I figured I would have $81 to last me until Friday...wrong. I paid a family friend who helped me get my washer/dryer $20 plus I gave my nephew $10 for helping. I figured he(family friend) lives about 20 minutes away and neither one are working and times are hard no need in me taking advantage even though I know they would have done it for free. But I can mark my washer and dryer off the list of things to buy
Today I spent $3.50 at Wendy's and added $.50 to my challenge/cc

I was taking nap today and got a call from bebe stating that I had a $10 GC that was getting ready to expire. For those you have not shopped at this store, there is nothing in there that is less than or $10 so why would I go. In addition, to the phone call I also got an email stating that my reward was about to expire. I was tempted to go to see if I can find something for $20 (chances are slim to none) but no need in me going to waste gas and to buy something that I simply don't need
On a different note I rounded up the change after leaving the grocery store today and paid. 89 cents towards my challenge/cc

I forget to post my $10 weekly deposit to the challenge, thus far YTD $1762.40
Balance for my new home account $745, it's amazing I had almost $8k the first part of last year and now I'm down to $745 but once I get this cc paid off I will be able to sock away more
I have about $113 to last me until next Friday, hope I can hold out

Today I bought a bunch of newspapers only because I collect them when there are major events (9/11, the death of JFK.Jr etc) but the only problem is I can not remember what I paid for for them
I put in a buck for the Powerball at work and went to Staples for school supplies ($4.78)rounded up the change and added it to the challenge cc. Also went to the gym so another buck added to cc
On a different note I got an email stating you can get $25 restaurant coupons for $5 so if any one is interested follow the instructions below:
I am not dining out until I get this cc paid off but thought this was a great buy Getting your gift certificate is this simple:

1. Click on the following link: http://www.ingoodhands.com/ 2. Drag your mouse over the photo of the table place setting in the lower right corner that says “Special Offer!”
3. Click on the yellow oval that says “Start looking”
4. Enter the restaurants.com site to choose the restaurants you like, select the number of gift cards you want and proceed to checkout. Don’t forget to put in the Promotion code “ALL”
5. Print your gift certificate and go eat!

Ok I pretty much stayed in today and only studied for about 10 minutes Then I hit the gym so $1 was paid towards my CC challenge next I went to Publix spent $17.13 on groceries(and only bought fruit no chip, dips etc) as well as personal items so I paid an additional .87 cents towards my cc (rounding up my change) I washed and curled my own hair saving $35 and I added this to my house fund
YTD challeng $1751.99

I am so glad I joined a 24-hour gym. Just left and it's a little before 2am. I had a great work out and I feel so good. Since school has started I can't really go every day but my goal is 3 times a week
$1 added to the challenge CC
YTD $1714.86

The Heat won today..yayyyyyyyyy!!!!
So I paid a buck on the cc.I haven't done that for a while
Go D. Wade!!!!!!!!!
YTD Challenge $1713.86

I went ahead and paid off my Target CC(part of my challenge), so 3 down and now 1 to go. I struggled with this because I wanted to add this money back to my EF (it's the money my sister owed me) but I know from experience you can save more when there is no debt
YTD challenge $1712.86
CC balance $4008

Today was my birthday and I had a ton of emails wishing me a happy birthday...sites like Mypoints, Macys, Coke rewards and even saving advice. I thought it was neat because of all the emails I got this is the only site that didn't want me to buy anything
My mom and I went to dinner, my treat and TJ Maxx home good store and I did not buy a thing. Mom on the other hand picked up some things I used the cc but she paid me as soon as we got home, which I knew she would
I also finished up one of my projects for school so that was a plus and watched a great Lifetime movie
I paid $1.06 on my cc/challenge and picked up my check from my sister, whew glad that is over
Today's spending:
Expense Categories
Dining Out $14.56
Misc(mom purchase) $13.97
Gifts(dinner for mom)$14.56
Groceries $7.84
Sales Tax $1.01
Total Expense $51.94
All expenses were put on the cc for point but as soon as I got home I paid it

Today was payday and I'm broke again

I paid the following:
$130 EF
$10 Misc/gift fund
$10 Personal checking
$10 house fund
$25 IRA
Total Saved $185

Expense Categories
$183.37 Federal Income Tax
$98.74 Social Security Tax
$64.68 Cable/Satellite
$60.07 Online/Internet Service
$51.24 Water & Sewage
$23.09 Medicare Tax
$20.00 Charitable Donations
$1.00 Hobbies/Leisure : Lottery
$1.00 Miscellaneous
$47.91 Gym fees
$471.22 CC 2
Expense Total $1022.32
On a different not my sister called to say she has the $300 she owes me so I am picking it up in the morning in order to pay off cc 2

Well I received my $7 check from surveysavy so I added this to my challenge

YTD contribution $917.39

Well my winning streak for not dining out ended today. Came home from work to have lunch and mom decided she wanted my turkey and left me enough for a half sandwich I'm not annoyed that she had it only annoyed that I'm the only one who ever buys it.And Boar's head is not cheap. Anyhow I was starving and heading to gym so I stopped at McDonald's and got a kids meal costing me $3.30 so $6.60 was paid on the BoA cc/challenge.
Today was the first day of class which I'm happy with because the instructor seems to be really nice and I'm closer to graduation. The only problem was the book cost me $167 arrrrgh. I emailed the instructor prior to class for the ISBN number and never got a response so I had to buy it today. But I am really considering copying the first few chapters and ordering online, the international version for about $40 plus shipping
I always buy international books which are the same material but are in black and white...like who cares, but we'll see

I just realized that I did not get a bill from VS so I called them and the address was incorrect, thank goodness I will not be charged a late fee. So I decided to take the money out of the EF to pay them off a whopping total of $367.06. I know this was not an emergency but my EF goal is $1000 and I had more than that in there so why earn less than 2% interest to incurr more on the CC
So now I only have 2 CC lefts and I plan on paying Target off the next pay period
YTD paid on the challenge $907.09

I decided to pay off two CC since I am earning less (interest) money on my savings account and these balances are driving me crazy; in addition, in the past what I have
learned is that once your CC is paid off you can save a lot more much faster so I said what the heck and took the money out of my house fund
Total paid $506.66
Paid:
-Macys store card
-Macys Visa Card
As I was balancing my account I notice that one of the CC mysteriously tacked on a dollar my previous balance was 81.73 but on my new statement it states my previous balance was 82.73 and no reason for the extra buck so I will be on the phone with them at lunch tomorrow.
This is part of my challenge so I am adding this to my YTD balance

Also any one looking for the link to Pinecone I posted on a previous post

Added my weekly deposit of $10 to the challenge. I have about $20 to last me until next Friday and I am really trying not to transfer any funds from other accounts. Also I have had breakfast, lunch and dinner at home for the last two days but haven't been able to add to my challenge so all in all I'm doing ok about not spending any money

I totally forgot that my sister asked to borrow $300 for her rent until Friday... she gets on my nerves with that $%%@# gosh. Last month she called and my uncle ended up lending her the money and now she's calling again. Why did she move into a place that she could not afford? Her and my BIL separated and she had been saying for a while that she was going to file for a divorce so why not look for a place in case you have to live on your own in which you can afford? And my BIL he is so pathetic how she ended up with him only God knows. Now he has his things in my storage you think that he would call me and say here is a few dollars? Nope, but the only reason why I have not called him is because before they moved they allowed me to store my things in storage but I have a trick for him. I am going to start buying things for my new house so that when I finally move I won't have to worry about anything and the first thing I am buying is a bed so he can get his crap out

Anyhow went to the gym so a buck was added to my cc challenge

washed my own hair but I have no money to add to the challenge for doing so but when payday rolls around I am adding $35 to the house fund