tip #10: the theory of fives

So, if you live in a big city, you might be unaccustomed to having modern appliances such as a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and garbage disposal in your home. I know I am. A long time ago, I taught myself to put all the quarters I get as change into a separate pocket than the dimes/nickels/pennies, because I always need them to do laundry. And laundry is a pain in the ass enough to lug down the hill and sit around watching it to think about also going to the bank for quarters. So now, automatically, every time I get change back, change goes in the wallet, quarters go into the side pocket. I clean out the side pocket every night and put them in a jar in my bedroom.

A while back, a girl friend and I were talking about budgeting and she told me about something called The Theory of Five. Full disclosure requires me to tell you that I remember absolutely nothing about The Theory of Five, so I just made up my own, and it's my very favourite of my money tips.

well hello, Mr. Lincoln!

Each night when I pull the quarters out of my bag, I also flip through my wallet. If there are any five-dollar bills in there, I put them in a jar in the pantry. Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn't. But I don't miss $5 really, and now at any given time I have between $20-$35 in the jar in the kitchen. I used to use it solely as my emergency take-out fund when I was working, because let's be honest, sometimes you work all day and just can't be bothered to cook. But now that I'm unemployed I use it for all kinds of things: a night out at the movies, to buy a bottle of wine to take to someone who's invited me over for dinner, last week I even used it for Christmas postage.

I don't do well with complete deprivation so it's nice for me to have a little fun cushion nearby.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I was "good" over the weekend: Friday night, $20, Saturday AM, $26 for brunch and $5 on my BART card to get to San Leandro, and spent NOTHING on Sunday or Monday. But today I'm going to the movies.

Start saving your fives so you can buy me a drink next time I see you. :)

She's BAA-AAACK!

WOW, back from vacation. It was marvelous:

We got a resort package from Living Social and I got our (first-class) tickets with my American miles-- which reinforces my tips to be a member and use collective buying vouchers. Those two things saved us about $2K. I had budgeted myself $300 in cash and I ended up spending about $400 (I really don't believe vacation is the time to be frugal!!) so now I'm back to reality and SUPER-BUDGET.

We got home early early Thursday morning and I didn't spend a dime all day, except a little of my food stamp money on groceries. Yesterday I rented a Zipcar, $14.94 for an hour and a half, and spent $43.31 on wine, and more of my food stamp allowance to stock up at Trader Joes. That wine money, by the way, was for 8 bottles, 3 of which will be taken to various homes for holiday get-togethers. I went to dinner with a collective buying voucher (Boyfriend picked up the balance) and spent $20 having some drinks with friends.

I have a catering gig tonight so it will be another zero dollar day, and tomorrow should be as well since I'm stocked on groceries and all I'm planning is some gym time, a home-cooked meal, and some Netflix.

More tips coming soon!

an expensive week

OY VEY, did I have an expensive week! Too many social events in December, both planned and impromptu. I had a marvelous time and wouldn't take it back! But when I get back from vacation I have got to take it down a notch. Or maybe a lot of notches.

I haven't been accountable all week either, and I don't even know if I can remember: Wednesday I had to run errands for my trip, but that included returning some things that I had already paid for-- so that's kinda like putting something back in the black column right? (Wait for it-- it will be, come Saturday.) In addition to spending about $100 on THINGS, and getting about $100 "back" on things returned-- spent $10 on dinner and $13 on drinks. Thursday I went to a friend's office Christmas party thinking "hey, free booze" but it turned out to be lame so we went out instead. Whoops. I think I spent $26. Friday I catered so I got a free meal, but got a couple of drinks after with a friend-- $16. And yesterday I went to the movies AND out to dinner with friends, and spent $56. OH, and took a cab home-- there's another $8. OUCH!

BUT. Here's the (sort of) pro: last night's dinner/wine was $45 and I used my credit card for the first time since I got laid off. It hurt. But since I had returned something on Wednesday that cost $56, and I had paid my Amex bill before I returned it-- it was paid for! Or at least, I don't have to pay for it later. WHEW. In the immortal words of Maebe Fünke, "well that was a freebie."

So today and tomorrow I'm nesting and packing. I leave Tuesday morning for 9 days in Costa Rica. I bought the flights on my miles and my boyfriend is paying for the rest of the main expenses. I am taking $300 for fun money-- $200 of mine that I budgeted in, and $100 from my parents for Christmas. I think most of my days will be spent lying by the pool with a book, so I'll mainly use that for food and maybe some Christmas gifts.

I'm not taking my laptop -- the HORROR!-- so you guys won't be hearing from me again until after the 14th. So everyone be sweet while I'm gone and I promise to be frugal while I'm there. :)