So my promotion has finally come through! Yeah! It came with the nice raise that I have already figured out where things are going and what I can do with the extra money. I have asked that no special announcement is made. There is someone who started around the same time who is not progressing and really wants to, so I don’t want to get those evil looks at the next meeting because I got a raise and promotion and this person did not.

I usually work a second job while working my main job. I quit my part time job in January I was just burned out of the company and really needed a break. I am looking for another one now as I am ready to go back to work and earn some extra money. I hope to find something I really like and that will make some decent money, hard for a part time job.

So I am still waiting for the raise and promotion to take effect. We had to rewrite my job description again. Part of me wonders if the univ is taking so long to do this and work with me because it would mean they loose money on the contract that they get paid to administer, lessening the margin the agency pays to them. It is frustrating to be told three months ago we value your work and want you to have a promotion and a raise and then have to wait for so long. We all knew it would take some time but this is crazy. I guess if I really want a raise to equal 15% I need to wait. I have already figured out how much I would make at different %’s between 1 and 20, including upping my 401 k deductions and everything. Easy as pie with excel and it gave me some ideas as to where I could be financially in a year at different salaries. I worry about what one person I work with is going to say. He started two weeks before me, we make the same amount of money and he is not even close to getting anything and our sup here is not talking to him about a perm position.

I am also really working toward getting a “real” job with this same place because I really like the work that I am doing and the money is great but at some point I am going to have to leave contract work if I want to buy a house. Unless I can save a years worth of living expenses in case the job ends. I know I could qualify now but I also know my own personality that if I loose this contract I would be scared about not being able to make my payments and I would probably get an ulcer if I had to worry about it. I have already made the decision that I would probably rent out a room in the house for a couple years to help offset some of the costs that are associated with buying a new house, such as buying furniture and fixing things the way you want them. It would be helpful to have that little extra.

Spending is kind of out of control already this month, girl scout cookies just killed me and I have sent them to various friends outside the us.

Over the weekend I spent some money: movie and sandwich dinner with a friend, pizza on Saturday, new comforter cover for my down comforter that I have never used was given to me by a friend after her husband bought a bigger bed right after she bought the comforter. She had never found a cover she liked and since it is white, it needs one. Cover came with cover and two pillow cases. Now I am going to start watching that store and see if a bed ruffle goes on sale at all. The bed could use one.

Maid service comes tomorrow. Wish I could not participate in that but it is part of the rent I pay to rent my room and since I have to pay regardless of whether she cleans my room or not I guess she could vacuum for me. That is all the room needs since I dust everything each week. She comes twice a month. At least the bathrooms are always clean.

Bought lunch for sis and mom at Ikea Saturday while shopping with them as I owed them since they helped me move but then we ran out of time for lunch on move day.

And my home town in California got snow for the third weekend in a row. Being at 1800 feet it gets threatened each winter but not much usually falls, and here I am in Sac with no snow!

Been a couple of busy days.

I have finally found a recycle center that i think will pay money. I believe in recycling but my former rooma mate did not and i want to get my money back. Here is CA we pay between 5 and 20 cents for each item, that is money out of my pocket (or someone elses when they brought soda to my house). Why not pocket that money and use it for a movie or something fun, or freeingup something.

I have noticed that the recycling here in the office is hit or miss. I don't buy sodas often, maybe one a week and that is when i need a sudden shot of caffeine or something. But i do keep a couple bottles of water in the house because the water is so gross in sac and a water filter does not help and a brita would not fit into my section of the fridge. Frustrating. Soi am planning to make some money this weekend. there is a movie i want to see so i will do it this weekend.

other spending not bad. i got coffee and a scone this am with a friend while walking to work and i shared a pizza with a friend last night but no other spending planned as i brought lunch (pizza) and plan to go home tonight and finish some homework.

spending yesterday only included coffee and a cookie at starcuks while studying with my french group and teacher. about $4.90.

In at 7 to be able to leave around 345 or so.

not much happening today i am trying to finish laundry and moving the furniture in my room so that i can fianlly be settled. Need to box up some clothes that do not fit right now that will hopefully fit in the future and get them out of my way!

Got gas last friday and still have more than a half a tank. Car pooling is great and the parking this month until the 14th was only $20 when usually it would run me $70! Parking for the month should run me around $60 instead of the 140 i was paying.

Any money saved at the end of the month is going to pay off a cc early so i am really intereseted in paying off before the end of June.

got my state refuns. part to cc bill part to savings.

watched the osars with my friend v yesterday and bought ribs to cook and cookie dough spent 13.49. ribs for me for a couple meals this week so that is good.

no spending on the forecast today. i will run home after work and make a sandwich for dinner to eat on my way to class. have a french priject i have not even started due tonight! gotta get in gear but i am just so tired this past week. Plan to be home and in bed aslep by 9:30 at the lastest.

Well I forgot about my test in my business class had to be completed by Friday. I thought it was Sunday so I popped into work today planning to take it when I realized that it was over. I am worried and not worried about it. I mean the class is for fun and to put my loans into deferment, not something I am going to get credit for a degree program.

I haven’t about 125 of my fun money for the month in the past few days. Dinners out, movies rented, the spa trip for veronica birthday. It all adds up. I guess it is good I am fighting another cold and wont really do anything this week.

Watching the Oscar’s tonight friend house and all she wanted me to bring was sugar cookie dough from the store so she can make cookies. I offered to make the dough but she wanted pre made. Found some coupons and will pick it up. Kind of a hostess gift thing to me.

Carpooled in today. We have paid $20 each for the next two weeks of parking for our parking space but there are no more spaces available after this. In order to get the cheap on street parking we might have to be at work at 6:30 am! This is going to kill me sooner. But at least I am going to bed much earlier.

Bought coffee and a donut today $4.10 but ate an bagel and cream cheese for lunch from home so no money spent for lunch.

Will rent a video tonight and stay in. I am really tired and want to do a lot tomorrow in my new room settling where the furniture should go, doing French and business homework etc.

Have a good weekend

Money saving things done in the past two days: carpooled in to work with a co worker. Since I moved last weekend we now live about a mile apart. He is willing to do the driving and I will just split the parking pass. We might loose our pass as our current lot is being turned into some condo place so that will limit where we can park. About 60 cars are loosing space so we have been looking for a new place for a month. If we can still work with the agency and find someplace else to park I will save about $100 a month in parking and probably about $15 in gas (only 10 minutes to work about 6 miles). That is significant savings for me each month and over a year would amount to just under $1500. If we can’t continue someplace else then parking will still be about $40 each if we find an all day space and pay the meter each day. I would be saving the same each day.

I cut my French class last night I was so tired I was nauseous. I took a three hour nap, ate a sandwich did some home work and was back in bed about 10:30. I hate to miss class but I was to tired and to sick. Have a major project due on Monday that I need to complete this weekend and I need to do my business class homework too. I love taking classes just for fun.

Tonight is the big girls night spa thing and dinner. Should be a lot of fun!

Watched a great documentary this past weekend: Emmanuels Gift. Story of a young man from Ghana who was born with one leg deformed and he ended up riding his bike accross Ghana to bring up the fights of the diabled in Ghana. He eventually ran in a San diego Triathlon and has made a large impact in Ghana. Watch it!

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V. Dirthday at work spent 23 dollars on cake, candles, card, growing plant of flowers, all going to lunch today and then mellow me out and bucca for dinner.

Payday! Bills already scheduled, checks written for those I cannot pay online and ready to mail, checks to cash so that I have my spending, gas and grocery money for the month of march, rent check done and given to landlord/room mate.

Almost bounced a check! Well not really but it felt like it. I have not mailed anything but I thought I would have money to send back to savings at the other bank but I forgot the taxes check was in the mail and has not yet cleared. I wrote the checks for March’s saving plans and will send those off today and for the event tomorrow so I am going to wait until I get paid back from my friend and then I can deposit that check into my savings instead or against a credit card bill if I can’t do my weekly extra payments against my account.

Nothing else except I didn’t hit the grocery store last night or make lunch for today. I need to pick up something unless I eat oatmeal for lunch then I can save money. Hm…will have to think about that.