January 25, 2011

New Years Resolutions (part two...I guess)

Guys, I did it. I am about three weeks into January and am fully sticking to my new years resolutions!

Well at least the first two, for now.

About the budget:

I get paid $747 every two weeks. Yikes, I know.
If it's the first of the month:
  • $500 directly into savings
If it's the middle of the month:
  • $40 into savings
  • $460 into a different rent account
That leaves me with $287 for two weeks:
  • $100 for groceries ($50 a week)
  • ~$15-$20 for gas (this averages out over the month as I fill up when when I fill up, and it usually lasts me three to four weeks)
  • The rest (~$160) is for fun. I realize that this is excessive, but I enjoy buying things! I can't be one of those super thrifty people. Not yet at least. I'm already saving for summer and car insurance, which means that in the short-term-long-term I'm set. Also, I haven't even spent close to this 160ish amount, and what I have left over by the time my next paycheck comes in goes straight into savings. 
Since I do have so much excess, I think after a few months I'll see what I can cut (maybe only $75 for groceries over two weeks?) That way I won't have to work over the summer, which is a number one priority right now :).

Anyways, guess what I'm supposed to be doing work, so I think I'll sign off for now and make this into a series. Hahahaha (evil laugh).

January 13, 2011

Get crafty, pt. 2

Ok guys, I'll make this one short seeing as it's waaaaaayyyy past Christmas...but look what I made:

 It was my only Christmas decoration, but I think it turned out well. My mom collects the pine boughs from a mountain in Southern Utah and just buys all the decorations during the previous year's sales. She makes these as presents for all of her neighbors and helped me make one!
 Close up. Basically you just wire the boughs together how you want them, and trim them to look good. My mom makes the bows, but they're not too hard...just a lot of bending and wiring. Then we glued on the ornaments.
 This is the one I made for my landlords.
Close up.

The end.

January 11, 2011

Get crafty, pt. 1

It's a new semester and that means plenty of time for procrastinating! Which means that I can finally update my blog with things that I did last semester.

[side note: ever notice how a student (and probably professors) mark their time in semesters? How the year doesn't start with January first but with "sometime-in-august"? So, right now, this is the middle of my year. Though it's everyone else's beginning.....oh well!]

I made awesome blinds, bitches. The window above my bed did not come with any sort of shade and seeing as I was in the basement, I selectively chose to think that no one could see into my bedroom...though I'm sure the neighbors got plenty of entertainment anyways. But, NO MORE will I (and Tommy ;) ) be giving free shows to the world! Thanks to this blog, hiphousegirl[dot]wordpress[dot]com (again, not linking because of the super-stalker way I discovered it), I found this blog and made some sweet-as blinds.

Step 1. Buy supplies.
      -Fabric that you like
      -Blinds that fit the width (height doesn't matter) of your window
      -Fabric glue

 2. Cut up the blinds. Take most of the slats off by cutting the thin strings that connect them. Measure the height of your window and decide how many folds you want in your new shade. I chose three, each being about a foot apart.
 3. Glue fabric onto blinds. Drink beer.
 4. The hiphouse girl used cans to make the glue stick, but I found that they just rolled off. Probably due to the unevenness of my apartment.
 5. Find boyfriend to hang them up!


 YAY!!! More crafty posts to come!

January 3, 2011

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO POST RIGHT NOW!!!

It's been soooo long since I have posted and I have done a LOT of crafts and I really want to post them. I've also accomplished some house-hold items that I've been waiting to do and I've started a fitness program. 

But I also have made some New Year's resolutions aaaannnnddd I think it's really the only time sensitive post soooo here goes:

  • Really and and truly budget myself. I don't want to get a job this summer and I'm confident that I can make enough money until then to live semi-comfortably. Now that I have bought a ski pass, and Christmas is over, I have no business spending as much money per month as I do. More on this later
  • Lose weight. Seriously. It's getting out of control. I've joined a couple of fitness sites and calorie counting sites, etc. I think I can do it relatively painlessly...as long as I cut back on the calories and walk to school and go to the gym a couple times a week.
  • GET A REAL HOBBY. It sucks not having one...I love Tommy soooo much but I just feel like it it's gonna end reeeaaal fast if we keep hanging out all the time. Not from my end, but his. He'll get sick of me. They always do.

Anyways, I these are probably very typical resolutions, but they're the only thing that I want to come out of the new year. I'm watching TV right now and can't really focus on anything.