Today's topic that I am going to discuss is....the debit card. This little piece of plastic holds a lot more power then one might think. It's so easy to swipe a debit card when you do not have physical cash in your wallet.
$1.50 cup of Tim Horton's...swipe. $4.00 sandwich from Subway....swipe. $15 purchase at Wal-Mart...swipe.
Do you ever actually count how many times you use your debit in a month? Well, I did and let me tell you, the results were not pretty. I have unlimited debit usage on my card, therefore I can swipe to my heart's content and not be charged extra. That is where the problem begins. I used my debit 29 times in September, which averages out to more then once a day!
What did I purchase you may ask? It seems that I purchased a lot of food. No time to make coffee in the morning? I'll just buy a cup at school. The girls want to go out for lunch?...sure! Gelati after a long day at school?...sounds great! Before I knew it, small purchases ended up totaling a large number.
It's so easy to spend, spend, spend, until you've realized you might have spent too much. I knew it was going to be an adjustment to living on a budget, but I do not think I have grasped the concept yet.
A wise friend of mine, Tiffany H., takes out the money that she needs for the week, and only uses that. I think that is a great idea, because you can’t overspend. I think that is what I am going to try, and see what happens.
I'll have to put my debit and credit card in a safe spot, which is not my wallet, and only bring it out when necessary. That way, I can hope to get back on the wagon, because right now the wagon is dragging me in the dust.
So I think I'm going to cancel out September and call it a learning experience. I have learned from my spending mistakes, and now I will try to make a few changes to fix my problem.
We'll see how that goes...
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Cheap Entertainment
Now that I have to watch what I spend, I can’t go out as much and spend money on entertainment (i.e. restaurants, movies, etc.). Somehow I have to try and find or create my own amusement, which is what I experienced today after school. Given that it is a weekday, I generally do not go out, but this counts as entertainment anyways.
I was just about to turn the tv on to watch the Ellen Degeneres show, and unwind after a day at school. Instead, my mom called me into the living room to come and see something. I was not sure what I was going to see when I got into the room. She was standing in the living room looking out the window, so I went over to see what she was looking at. We have a massive Pine tree in our front yard (the kind that people donate to City Hall at Christmas). As I looked out, this squirrel came scurrying down the tree, dropped a pine cone into a pile and then scurried back up. Now you might wonder what the big deal is, or how this is interesting. Well, the pile of pine cones that had accumulated was huge! And he actually had two piles going. He had the giant one, and right next to it, he had a mini version. I stood there for a little while transfixed on the squirrel. He went about his business, scurrying down and up the tree, dropping pine cones into the pile. I was just so amazed at what he was doing, I couldn’t turn away. It was also very cute to watch. He must have been working on that pile for quite some time, because it seemed more then a day’s work.
Needless to say, I found a form of cheap entertainment that stole about 20 minutes of my time. Now that I think about it, I believe animals are very interesting to watch. When they do not know you are watching them, they can do very interesting and weird things. Or, in the life of a squirrel, they keep on going about their business.
My dad wanted to clean the pile of pine cones away, but I told him not to. I couldn’t let all the hard work of the squirrel go to waste. I am not sure if the squirrel is actually going to do something with the pine cones, but a hard day’s work is just that; hard. This little squirrel worked his tail off to get the pile that big, so he must have a reason behind his methods.
The moral of my story today is that if I look hard enough, I think I can find free entertainment all around me, other then the television. It may not be great entertainment, but it’s different and cheap. Who knows, I may learn a thing or two in the process. That’s good enough for me!
Just so you can have a visual, here is a picture of the pile of pine cones. A picture never does a story justice, but it's better than no picture at all.
I was just about to turn the tv on to watch the Ellen Degeneres show, and unwind after a day at school. Instead, my mom called me into the living room to come and see something. I was not sure what I was going to see when I got into the room. She was standing in the living room looking out the window, so I went over to see what she was looking at. We have a massive Pine tree in our front yard (the kind that people donate to City Hall at Christmas). As I looked out, this squirrel came scurrying down the tree, dropped a pine cone into a pile and then scurried back up. Now you might wonder what the big deal is, or how this is interesting. Well, the pile of pine cones that had accumulated was huge! And he actually had two piles going. He had the giant one, and right next to it, he had a mini version. I stood there for a little while transfixed on the squirrel. He went about his business, scurrying down and up the tree, dropping pine cones into the pile. I was just so amazed at what he was doing, I couldn’t turn away. It was also very cute to watch. He must have been working on that pile for quite some time, because it seemed more then a day’s work.
Needless to say, I found a form of cheap entertainment that stole about 20 minutes of my time. Now that I think about it, I believe animals are very interesting to watch. When they do not know you are watching them, they can do very interesting and weird things. Or, in the life of a squirrel, they keep on going about their business.
My dad wanted to clean the pile of pine cones away, but I told him not to. I couldn’t let all the hard work of the squirrel go to waste. I am not sure if the squirrel is actually going to do something with the pine cones, but a hard day’s work is just that; hard. This little squirrel worked his tail off to get the pile that big, so he must have a reason behind his methods.
The moral of my story today is that if I look hard enough, I think I can find free entertainment all around me, other then the television. It may not be great entertainment, but it’s different and cheap. Who knows, I may learn a thing or two in the process. That’s good enough for me!
Just so you can have a visual, here is a picture of the pile of pine cones. A picture never does a story justice, but it's better than no picture at all.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Wal-Mart: Friend or Foe?
I went to Wal-Mart tonight to pick up a few items that I needed. However, I never seem to walk out of Wal-Mart with only the items on my list. As soon as I walked into the store the Halloween candy to my right caught my eye. As soon as school begins, the school supplies are quickly replaced with Halloween candy. So of course I had to browse all the delicious candy and chocolate that was staring me in the face. Somehow I managed to pull myself away without putting anything into my basket.
The next section that sucked me in was the makeup and beauty supplies. I can always use a new eye shadow or nail polish, so it really doesn’t hurt to see the new fall colours.
Once I finished browsing that section, with a couple of new bottles of nail polish in my basket, I proceeded to grab the items I actually came to Wal-Mart for. I got all the items I needed and decided to stop at the shoe section before heading to the cash register. It really isn’t a complete trip to Wal-Mart if I don’t stop at the shoe section. With the turn of a new season, all of the new fall shoes are out. Let me tell you, Wal-Mart has some very cute shoes at very affordable prices. Fourteen dollars for a pair of flats is a steal, so of course I had to get two pairs! I figured I would treat myself a little bit, since I have to take public transportation to and from school. For that reason, I can rarely wear heels, so flats are great. It may seem like an excuse to purchase a couple of pairs of shoes, but it’s true!
At that point I figured it was probably best to stop browsing the many sections of Wal-Mart and head to the cashier. After the cashier rang up all my items and gave me the final total, I was a bit surprised. Given I knew that I had grabbed a few items that were not on my list, it was still a shocker. How did an initial $10 purchase turn into $50?
This trip to Wal-Mart is usually the way it always goes for me. Rarely do I walk into Wal-Mart and only purchase what I have on my list. There are just so many other items that I do not really need, but seem to always convince myself I do.
Now that I try to stay on a strict budget, shopping has become very difficult. Needless to say, Wal-Mart has proven to be a weak spot for me. I think I am going to have to go to Wal-Mart only when I really need to. Or else I will have to put on blinders once I walk into the store and stop at the sections I need to, with no distractions. However, that does not seem like an easy feat for me.
My name is Karleigh and I am addicted to Wal-Mart.
The next section that sucked me in was the makeup and beauty supplies. I can always use a new eye shadow or nail polish, so it really doesn’t hurt to see the new fall colours.
Once I finished browsing that section, with a couple of new bottles of nail polish in my basket, I proceeded to grab the items I actually came to Wal-Mart for. I got all the items I needed and decided to stop at the shoe section before heading to the cash register. It really isn’t a complete trip to Wal-Mart if I don’t stop at the shoe section. With the turn of a new season, all of the new fall shoes are out. Let me tell you, Wal-Mart has some very cute shoes at very affordable prices. Fourteen dollars for a pair of flats is a steal, so of course I had to get two pairs! I figured I would treat myself a little bit, since I have to take public transportation to and from school. For that reason, I can rarely wear heels, so flats are great. It may seem like an excuse to purchase a couple of pairs of shoes, but it’s true!
At that point I figured it was probably best to stop browsing the many sections of Wal-Mart and head to the cashier. After the cashier rang up all my items and gave me the final total, I was a bit surprised. Given I knew that I had grabbed a few items that were not on my list, it was still a shocker. How did an initial $10 purchase turn into $50?
This trip to Wal-Mart is usually the way it always goes for me. Rarely do I walk into Wal-Mart and only purchase what I have on my list. There are just so many other items that I do not really need, but seem to always convince myself I do.
Now that I try to stay on a strict budget, shopping has become very difficult. Needless to say, Wal-Mart has proven to be a weak spot for me. I think I am going to have to go to Wal-Mart only when I really need to. Or else I will have to put on blinders once I walk into the store and stop at the sections I need to, with no distractions. However, that does not seem like an easy feat for me.
My name is Karleigh and I am addicted to Wal-Mart.
Friday, September 11, 2009
First Blog Ever
This is my first blog that I have ever written. I never really got on the blog bandwagon, but I will now. Blogging is an interesting concept for me. It’s a bit like a journal, yet you are writing to the general public who may or may not read what you are writing. But enough about my thoughts on blogging, let’s get to the actual point of this blog.
It is officially day 11 as a student again, and it is definitely a transition. For three years I have been working full time, which meant a full time income. Going from five shifts a week of work to five days of school plus one day of work has been a difficult adjustment. For three years there was always disposable income at my fingertips whenever I felt like spending. However, that has all changed. Now I only work four times a month, and if you do the math, that is not a whole lot of cash.
I figured my first blog would be a little bit of an introduction into what my entries will be like. I’m sure many students are able to relate to my money woes.
What happens when you have bills from a life you lived before school that seems to follow you while you are in school?
How do you pay for them all and still have the cash to spend a bit on yourself?
Those are questions I wrestle with daily. So I figured that would make a good subject for a blog. I will discuss the lows and highs (if any) of having to live the next couple of years with a limited income while in school. I am sure I will always have something to say on the subject of living on a student salary. So stay tuned….
It is officially day 11 as a student again, and it is definitely a transition. For three years I have been working full time, which meant a full time income. Going from five shifts a week of work to five days of school plus one day of work has been a difficult adjustment. For three years there was always disposable income at my fingertips whenever I felt like spending. However, that has all changed. Now I only work four times a month, and if you do the math, that is not a whole lot of cash.
I figured my first blog would be a little bit of an introduction into what my entries will be like. I’m sure many students are able to relate to my money woes.
What happens when you have bills from a life you lived before school that seems to follow you while you are in school?
How do you pay for them all and still have the cash to spend a bit on yourself?
Those are questions I wrestle with daily. So I figured that would make a good subject for a blog. I will discuss the lows and highs (if any) of having to live the next couple of years with a limited income while in school. I am sure I will always have something to say on the subject of living on a student salary. So stay tuned….
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)