FAIL

I think I may have overdrafted.... I know I did. I just hope they don't charge a different fee for each transaction. I kept thinking the rent check was $50 less than it actually was. And the truth is, I decided I didn't need to write down all my stuff in a checkbook ledger because the internet does it for me. And then on Thursday I left my computer at Nes' house and decided I could live until Monday without it. I therefore was unable to check my bank account balance. Darn... I really REALLY hope they don't charge separate fees for each transaction.... that'd be 4 fees of $35. AKA, a butt-ton of money. Crap.

General Update

So, the budget thing is going well, as is being alive. Not going so well is book reading... I've so far this year only completed one book I'm pretty sure. It's not really a book either, it's the script for the play I'm currently in. It definitely counts, I've already decided. So the current book count for 2010 is... ONE. Go team!

Budget

Okay, so I dunno if I should be private with my money dealings and if I shouldn't post my budget here, so I'm going to do it and if it's dumb of me, someone tell me so. But here's where I'm hashing this out. I've never had a budget before and I think I need some help with it. That's why I'm posting it. So more experienced budgeters can tell me if I'm underestimating or overestimating or forgetting something important. And I think I'm going to do a bi-weekly budget, both to keep in the 'B' theme I've got going on and because that's how often I get paid.

BI-WEEKLY BUDGET:

1/2 Rent: $150

Gas: $40

Food: $40

1/2 Electricity: $15

Entertainment: $20

Pop: $12

TOTAL: $277

I get paid around $300 every two weeks, so this seems pretty sound to me. By the looks of it, I should be able to even save $23 dollars from each paycheck. If I was actually able to do that throughout the year I would end up with $552. That would mean a very merry Christmas for whoever's name I drew.

So, most awesome budgeting beauties out there, does that look okay?

New Challenge: Banking!

As a Hite, I am notoriously poor at managing my money. The only person in my family that has always been good with it since forever that I can really be sure about is Karl. He never trusted banks and instead kept all of his money in a Gundam pencil case tin. When he finally had real income, Karl had to enlist the help of a major banking firm and to ensure his money's safety, Karl buried the Gundam tin right outside the bank near the entryway. I am not this awesome. I am in fact anti-awesome at banking. The only thing I have going for me is that the more money I have, the better I am at keeping/managing it. I rarely have enough money for this to come into play. Therefore, my next challenge for 2010 is to help me overcome my constant fear of overdraft. This is a major problem to fix and comes in many parts.

PART I: Budget
I will make myself a weekly budget that includes all of the necessities and niceties of living; food, gas, rent, entertainment, utilities, and free money. I will stick to this budget. I will put my budget in my wallet, on my wall, and all over my planner.

PART II: Bills
I will pay my bills on time and with no grief. I am lucky to be able to have the conveniences that are directly associated with bills and I will therefore smile as I give Portland General Electric $30 a month.

PART III: Balance
I will balance my checkbook and keep a current and complete record of all transactions made. I will keep one for my checking, savings, and credit card accounts. I will see where I spend my money and adjust my spending accordingly.

It's a nice, simple, and complete plan for altering my spending/banking. I can dig on this. I'll make it happen.

100 Books in 2010!

First challenge of the year: to read 100 books in 2010. It sounds a bit ludicrous, I know, but I'm willing to give it a go! And if you want to join in, check it out here: BOOK CHALLENGE

The first book I'm working on is Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. I should be finished in just a few days.

Challenges!!!

I decided that being an oddly competitive person, the best way to get myself to do something is to challenge myself. Sometimes, I put a reward or prize at the end for myself as well, just adding to my motivation. So in the 2010, I will be putting myself up against challenges. Some will be long term (like my first challenge, which will be blogged about shortly) or short term (like getting an assignment turned in on time). I think this will DEFINITELY help me in my achieving goals. But here's the other thing: if I'm doing this stuff all by myself, there's no competition, there's no blood curdling urge to win, there's no reason for me to try. I have two solutions. First, readers of my blog, you should participate in my challenges or create challenges of your own. Second, I go it alone but create a baseline standard for how I should be progressing and then compete against that. However I induce the slightly ridiculous and insane urge to beat everyone else, this will be awesome.