Weekend Ramblings...

I went to view theee house yesterday and there were 6 cars parked in front of the driveway. My initial thought was WTF??!!! Why are those people in my house tracking dirt on my carpet and possibly damaging my hardwood floors???!!! At that point my heart began to race and my mind began to wander aimlessly. I then began to think 'Are those the folk who have the contract on my house?' 'Are they possibly showing my house to folk who will love it as much as I do and the asking price isnt a concern to them?' I then began to have a sinking feeling in my stomach and I had to psyche myself up before making a U-turn to pass by the house again. Once I left the neighborhood, I intentionally changed my thoughts. I began to think 'If that house is meant for me, it will be mine and there is nothing anyone or anything can do to prevent it from being mine.' So do you wanna know what I did? I went home and allowed Houston to run rampant in the yard.I then settled in and looked at brain cell destroying reality tv shows.

I feel obliged to add I spent $168 on a pair of UGG boots (those to the right). I have yet to determine if I will return them because I have wanted a second pair for a while now. I love the COMFORT of UGG boots and anyone who knows me will tell you I wear them ALLLLLLL the time during the winter months. Frankly, I needed another pair. Yesterday was the first time this season I wore my existing pair. And oh my!!! How I miss wearing these boots!!! They are my all purpose boots. Meaning, I will throw them on with a banging outfit and change shoes upon arriving at my final destination. I will wear nice fitting jeans, a complementing shirt/sweater/henley/poncho of my choice, and have these boots as my wonderfully comfy foot accessory. Yep, I love Uggs and I am leaning towards keeping them. Nope, change of mind. I AM going to keep them!!!

For the record, I never purchased these boots because they were the IN item to have. When they first came upon the fashion scene, I thought they were the ugliest things around. But I tried a pair on while in Nordie's and have been hooked ever since. But I happen to think I make them look good ;-)

Overspending......

That about sums it up. You guys, I have been soooo bad and am somewhat ashamed...Hence the lack in posts. Well, really the lack in posts stems from pure unadulterated laziness. But, I have been spending like crazy since last weekend. 'IT' started off with hair products. BUT, who could forgo KeraCare hair products for $0.88 cents??!! JCPenny had a sale where if you bought any conditioner or shampoo, you get a second for $0.88 cents. Who can refuse THAT??!! Well, I for one could not. I purchased my beloved staple KeraCare Humecto ($11.55) and a product from the Mizani line, Mizani Moisturefuse Conditioner ($11.96). I am going to use the Mizani conditioner this weekend and see how it works for me. Anywayz, this purchase totaled $13.48, including tax.

Okay here's a break down of the items I have purchased LAST WEEK and THIS WEEK COMBINED (those that I can remember<----- that's the sad part of it all).



Well yesterday I spent $100 on portraits...of my dog. I also spent $8.00 on a pair of cutting shears (for my hair).

Last week I spent:

• $15.00 on a white, button down collar shirt from Limited (On sale and I needed one).
• Two assorted color head bands from the GAP on sale for $2.99 each, for a total of $6.28. I have worn one of each everyday since the purchase. I am definitely getting my money's worth... any sympathy from you guys yet?
• I have been pigging out on fast food, mainly Chic-Fil-A and Ukrops ( a local grocer with great prepared food). This is where the bulk of my money has gone. I KNOW I have spent more than $50 on food alone!!! And I know I should not have been spending money eating out when I have food in my freezer... Hmmm I really need to get it together...

But on a brighter note:



I have oficially begun my home search!!! Yep, yep!! My sister/realtor and I viewed a total of 6 homes last weekend. I forgot to take along my digital camera to take pics of each home, but I will definitely do so this upcoming weekend. Well, here's the break down:

• Home #1 - was absolutely beautiful but totally out of my price range-----> $350K and this was AFTER the $100K price drop.
• Home #2 - was really nice but the neighborhood wasn't quite desirable
• Home #3 - has been on my radar for a few months, but after having my mom view the home, she stated the home smelled damp and she expected water damage. She also wasn't fond of the numerous cracks in the walls and ceilings. Possible foundation problems....my mom knows a lot about home searches and the process, so I will take her word for it
• Home #4 - was absolutely darling and I could envision Houston running around the back yard as I sat on the slated deck....But the kitchen was so small you could literally open the fridge door while washing dishes. Did I mention the fridge was on the opposite wall of the sink? It was really small and I need a comfortable sized kitchen.
• Home #5 - was cute...in it's unique way, but didn't really talk to me. a tri-level with a huge back yard, but I wasn't very impressed.
• The last home (Home #6) had an awkward floor plan and I didn't really like the space.
  

Needless to say, I will be spending this weekend continuing my home search. I will definitely remember to take my camera to share the homes I viewed.

Eliminating monthly debt...

Well it just occured to me, I have yet to give an account of my monthly bills. I attempted to create a lovely spreadsheet like I have seen on so many PF blogs, but fell terribly short in doing so. I couldnt figure the software out, so I chose to do it the old fashion way until I learn the google document software.

An-T-wayz, my monthly bills consist of:

• rent-400 (WHAT!!! I stay with my mom...for a few more months)
• 105-auto insurance
• 89-home phone which includes DSL
• 89-cell phone

That's a total of $683 a month. Not bad. Not bad at all. Well, I am happy to say that I have ALREADY cut that number down to $642!! That's $41 bucks a month I am saving. Here's what I did. I took the liberty of calling Cingular, (now the new AT&T hehehe) and changed my mobile plan. I WAS paying 59.99 (phone plan) + 14.99 (wireless bundle) + 7.99 (7pm Nights & WkEnds). I am now paying $39.99 (phone plan) + $7.99 (7pm Nights & WkEnds) a month. I got rid of all the bells and whistles. I was not using them. I barely talk on my cell phone EXCEPT the weekends and those minutes are free!! I was really wasting a lot of money there.

I also tried calling my local phone company to make changes to that service as well. But being that I made these calls while driving AND looking for hair salon, I decided to put safety first and I will pursue the home phone service price cut Monday of next week.

On another note, I have been very bad this week. I have been eating out like nobody's business AND buying hair products like I have the hair length of Lady Godiva. I will not buy anything next week!!! I will not buy anything next week!!! I will not buy anything next week!!!

Although I fell off track this week, overall I have surpassed my expectations since beginning my financial freedom journey. Y'all have NO idea. I think I was in an emotional funk this week and that had an effect on my spending. I have always known whenever I get in funky moods I tend to overspend. But since beginning this intentional financial journey, I am more aware of the monies leaving my person. At one point while in the Beauty Supply Store, I left the store without purchasing anything in my basket. That is when I had an A-HA moment. But that A-HA moment didn't occur today while I purchased yet ANOTHER deep conditioner. HAHAHA!!!

Although I didn't spend NEARLY as much as I have in the past, the monies I did spend could have been put to better use. **SIGH**

Returnables...Revisited

Well, I returned both pair of shoes and my CC was credited $120!!! Now in yesterday's post, I mentioned owing $160 on one credit card and I intended to pay that $160 off today. Well, because of my returns, I now will have a balance of approximately $40 bucks!! I am going to pay that today and once I perform that action, the CC is going into a drawer not to be used. There was, however, an issue with returning the $190 purse. I failed to mention in any of my previous posts that my debit card was infiltrated this time last week. Yep, someone made an unauthorized purchase on my debit card to pay a darn $240 t-mobile bill. So I had to cancel that debit card and I have since received a new card. Well, the problem came when I attempted to return my bag which was purchased on my OLD debit card. The cashier informed me since I didnt have the original card, I would have to 'settle' for a store credit or keep the item. I think the cashier was terribly misinformed. I politelt thanked him for his service and left the store. I am going to try returning that item to a differnt store and see what happens. I have a feeling I will get a better response the second time around.



Oh, to make matters worse, when I pulled the purse out of the bag, there was a lady in the opposite line observing my transaction...and my purse. She went on and on about how nice a bag I was trying to return. Oh well, if you're reading this, once I return it, you are free to grab it up and do what you will with it. The saga of the returnables continue...

Return-fest...

I am addicted to pf blogs. I scour this site on a daily basis to find entertaining yet motivational and educational blogs. Today, I came upon this post titled The end of spending while looking for such material. This post got me reminiscing about my spending days, a mere 3 weeks ago. It has a lot of truth to it. I am proud to say, I am no longer an impulsive buyer. I don't buy because it's nice or 'on sale'. I purchase items because they are a necessity. Now, it's only been 3 weeks, but I am sooo proud of myself. Today, I am taking back those items I spoke of in this post titled I have to get rid of them. I have enlisted my sister as a source of companionship during my return fest. NOw, I have to go to Tar-Jay (Target) to purchase a few neccessities. This is when my will power will be tested. I have to report back later and let you guys know how that went. Until then, enjoy the post linked post above, The end of spending, and let me know what you think. Toodles!!

It'll be another month...

...before I can begin my house search and I feel like crying. Well, not really. I am over that feeling, but I thought the pic was cool and cute. Well, I guess you wanna know what happened. My sis comes into my room last night and says 'Girl, I got some bad news' I already knew what it was because we have YET to go and preview homes. Anyways, she has to take a couple more classes before her liscence is reinstated or some crap like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have to wait and y'all know how I do not like to wait for anything. Sooooo, it'll be another month or so before I officailly begin my home search. Therefore, I will refrein from going to realtor websites looking for prospective homes. I am forced to blog and do actual work while at WORK...go figure.

Anyways, I have been lurking soo many pf sites and I am hooked. I already gave y'all the link to Single Ma's Blog in an earlier post. I now introduce Dimples. I like her site a lot. Go visit it and tell her I sent you. HA!! She's as sista girl trying to get her finances in order as well. She has a lot of resources that would be beneficial to a lot of you wanting to save and budget. It's in this post here Cool PF Stuff.

Now, let's talk finances. I have been doing GREAT this past month with my spending habits. Meaning I have not been going to the malls. I have been taking my lunch and breakfast to work instead of eating out and I have been eating dinner at home. Saving mucho moolah. BUT!!! Yesterday, there was a disruption. I had an impromptu lunch date with a former colleague. Now, I bought my Marie Callendar chicken pot pie to work with EVERY intention of devouring it at my desk. But do to the unsuspected lunch date, I spent $4.00 exact on a chicken breast and a roll. I then went home and didnt feel like cooking so I spent $10.43 on a pork chop dinner from a soul food restaurant. That's a total of $14.43 I should not have spent!!! I even ended up with a head ache after eating that darn salty pork chop. I guess I learned my lesson, huh...