Argh, so much to take care of today, and only 90 minutes to do it before I have to leave for work.

It turns out I'm visiting the (ex-?)bf this Labor Day weekend. He offered to pay my travel expenses, but I'll also be eating his food for three/four days, so I haven't decided if I'm accepting the reimbursement. I'm using the CC for Amtrak, but I have to make sure I have the cash for the shuttle bus. (Yes, I do, but only in coins unless I break a $10. Good enough.)

I have to pay the rent. I can't remember if it's $70 or $75, but I'll leave a check for $75. Long story short, my lease technically begins today, but I've been living on the living room futon at my current apartment since mid-August, and will continue to do so until the end of September. This is because 1) I had to move in early, and 2) my roommate's old roommate wanted to stay an extra month. But I get reduced rent for September. (Done.)

I just paid my credit card bill. $35.19. I always do this on/near the first of the month, along with the rent, so I never forget and court late fees come the 12th.

I got my direct deposit, and it doesn't look like they took out for my 403(b). I need to call the Benefits Office and see what's going on with that--maybe the forms haven't gone through yet, or there's an error. I also need to switch my direct deposit from ING to Bank of America. Probably can't get that done today, though.

I need to pack clothes for this weekend. I'll probably bring a load of laundry (there are no laundry facilities in my building). I'm also bringing two books: The Millionare Mind, and YF&B. (Done, and done.)

I'm not sure when utility bills come in, but soon? Not looking forward to this AT ALL. Especially since the roommate insists on running the AC all day, even with it's 60 - 70 degrees out, and then complains that I don't always dim the living room lights, or shut off my computer at night. Argh. Oh, and I've probably contributed significantly to the gas bill. Double-argh.

Shut off alarm clock for the weekend. (Just did it.)

Check food perishables. Refrigerate or eat or bring. Do my dishes. (Done, done, and done.)

Want to shower before I leave, but might not make it, time-wise. (Hey, I made this one too! Go me!)

It's done! It's winging its way to Vanguard via certified mail right now! I had to walk through the pouring rain to go to the post office, but THAT'S OKAY! At least I got to leave work on time!

After this, it's $333.33 a month, with a little extra tacked on at the end to max it out. Hopefully, I'll make it.

I need to electronically transfer the next rollover next March. I have a two week window to do this.

Tomorrow: Go to the library after work, get a library card, and get to know their personal finance section very, very well. *squee!*

The roommie went on a Costco trip today. He had just shelled out $900 out of the $1000 in his bank account for late car taxes, got 13 gallons of premium gas at $3.49/gal, doesn't get paid for another two weeks, and decides that he had to go to Costco because he "ran out of orange juice and has nothing to drink."

Umm, okay.

So, I went with him to pick up a few items. Wasn't really planning on it, but why the heck not? I'll seize the opportunities that are presented to me.

On the way there, I asked why he couldn't wait a few more weeks until payday, and drink water like the rest of us. He replied, "It's okay, I paid for overdraft protection on my checking account."

He then proceeded to complain about the lack of music on the 6-CD changer in his car, and expressed his desire to get an iPod to hook up to his car stereo. I offhandedly said that he'll have to wait a while before he can do that. And he said, also offhandedly, "Well, I can get it on credit."

...no comment.

Didn't get much at Costco, only two items.

- an 8 pack (8 lbs.) of Barilla thin spaghetti - $5.89
- 6 30-oz cans of crushed tomatoes - $5.39
- total: $11.28

Costco always screws with the grocery bill beacuse the individual items cost so much more than "usual". But these two purchases should last for two months or more.

I didn't get the gallon of chickpeas for $2.29 that I wanted, though. I wasn't sure if I could open the can and freeze the leftovers.

I also stopped my roommie from spending an additional $9.99 on drinks besides the orange juice that he "needed" to buy. He laughed, and said that he'll probably thank me in a few years.

Really, I just wanted to make sure he had enough money left to pay the BILLS.

Oh, and I was particularly amused by my reasoning against purchasing a bag of potato chips. I said to myself, "The unit price on this bag of potato chips is $2.49 per lb. The unit price for the *actual* potatoes two aisles down is $2.50 for 5 lbs. Not only are the raw potatoes five times cheaper, they aren't loaded with fat, salt, and god knows what else, proving that fresh produce is not only healthier but also undeniably cheaper than heart disease and obesity-causing junk food."

Yeah! Go me! Someone hand me a cook--oh, wait, nevermind.

God, I'm such a dork.

I just broke up with the bf.

I don't curse much usually, but I'll make an exception this time. Children, please cover your eyes.

FUCK.

I guess the car fund just took a dip in priority. Maybe I'll lower it to $250/mo, and up the emergency fund by $100.

In the meantime, I think I'll go cry some more now.

Instead of taking the shuttle straight home after work today, I did two things.

1. I walked to the Salvation Army store I found a month or two back, and looked at their hours. Monday through Saturday, 9 to 5. So I can go during my lunch breaks, or on Saturday. It's a bit of a hike from my apartment, but hey--free exercise!

2. I then walked to the Barnes & Noble, found the Personal Finance section, sat down on the ground, and spent 2-1/2 hours reading David Bach's The Automatic Millionaire.

I even took notes.

I still need to clean up my scribbles and come up with a concrete plan of action, but that was 2-1/2 hours well spent. I'm definitely going back and reading more, both from him, as well as the other books. I still have a lot to learn.

I can do this. I'm not making much now and I probably won't make much for the remainder of my career, but I can do this. At the very least, I'm going to try.