art of being broke

September 22,2008

2008-09-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

0.50 on coffee
1.19 on second cup of coffee
1.00 on Corn Nuts
0.85 on cookies
49.80 on gap coat
24.44 on gap sweater
21.73 on gap skirt

99.51

September 21, 2008 Spending

2008-09-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

5.41 on Bed Bath and Beyond closet organizer
24.99 on frying pan
16.88 at Duane Reade
14+2 tip on chin and eyebrow hair removal
20 + 5 tip on hair blow dry.

88.28 Total

September 20, 2008 Spending

2008-09-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

40.00 on denim stretch pants (not good, but oh well)
12.00 on cooking wine
52.70 on groceries

104.70 Total

September 18, 2008 Spending

2008-09-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

1.00 on muffin
6.49 on batteries
5.00 on lunch
3.00 on smoothie
3.60 on tea with brownie

19.09 Total

Back to counting....September 17, 2008 Spending

2008-09-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

1.00 on muffin
7.48 on lunch
1.35 on coffee (v. bad)
0.85 on cookies
3.00 on birthday card

Total: 13.68

September 3, 2008 Spending

2008-09-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

7.56 on stamps
2.50 on pomegranate juice
2.50 on cookie
11.87 on writing notebook
1.25 on bottle water
6.50 on lunch
16.00 + 2.00 = 18.00 (facial threading)
50.18 Total

Taking the leap to be broke in Brazil!!! No posting until September 16.

September 2, 2008 Spending

2008-09-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

1.35 on coffee (v. bad)
0.25 on coffee cake
7.58 at Duane Reade
6.48 on pomegranate juice and energy bar
7.00 on lunch

22.66

Sept 1, 2008 Spending

2008-09-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

1.90 on very big coffee
2.00 on ice cream
20.00 on dress

23.90 Total

August 31, 2008 Spending

2008-09-01T20:26:00.003-07:00

15.00 on dinner
11.00 on movie ticket

26.00 total

August 30, 2008 Spending

2008-09-01T20:25:00.001-07:00

15.00 on food with friend
2.75 on ice cream

17.75 total

August 29, 2008 Spending

2008-09-01T20:24:00.001-07:00

The Big Kahuna: I promised to go 1/2 on improving the living space with my roommate so I spent 216.21 on a sofa.

August 28, 2008 Spending

2008-09-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

5.80 spent on lunch at Wendy's.

August 27, 2008 Spending

2008-08-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

1.00 on day old danish
8.21 spent on lunch at Wendys (v.bad)
1.00 on bag of peanuts (must break this addiction)

10.21 Total

August 26, 2008 Spending

2008-08-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

4.00 on breakfast
5.41 on plastic travel bag

9.41 Total

August 25, 2008 Spending

2008-08-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

34.95 spent on business lunch (to be reimbursed, but still counts)
1.89 on protein bar
14.76 on groceries

Total: 51.60

August 24, 2008 Spending

2008-08-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

4.18 spent on breakfast
3.00 spent on laundry
10.00 spent on brunch

17.18 Total

August 23, 2008 Spending

2008-08-24T07:42:00.001-07:00

$1.29 on McDonald's coffee (who knew coffee costs more than a dollar at Mickey D's now?)

$12.50 on groceries

1.99 on shower curtain

28.14 at Filene's Basement

26.83 at Duane Reade

22.75 on Shampoo and hair clip

39.95 on walking shoes

43.35 at Sephora on hair cream and mascara (because it made me happy, but I'm still going to debtor's hell)

149.97 (not very good)

August 22, 2008 Spending

2008-08-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

81.00 on Metro Card
1.99 at Duane Reade
10.00 on lunch
3.00 on ice cream
4.00 on clear bra straps that subsequently disappeared
42.00 on bowling with friends (v. bad)
16.00 + 2.00 = 18.00 (on facial threading)

Total: 159.99

August 21, 2008

2008-08-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

1.63 on grapefruit juice
1.18 on bagel
7.04 on lunch

9.85

August 20, 2008 Spending

2008-08-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

3.99 on magazine
1.75 on Starbucks cookie
7.04 on lunch

Total: 12.78

August 19, Spending

2008-08-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

7.04 on lunch (6.50 + tax)

Monday August 18

2008-08-20T08:21:00.001-07:00

I rolled the big "O" today and spent 0.00! Very good for me indeed. Had forgtten my lunch at home, but had a lunch scheduled and someone else picked up the tab!

August 17, 2008 Spending

2008-08-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

1.57 on iced coffee drink
8.02 on groceries

Total 9.59

August 16, 2008 Spending

2008-08-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

1.50 on breakfast
40.00 +5 tip on hair relaxer
34.86 on groceries

Total: 76.36

August 15, 2008 Spending

2008-08-16T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the day my true frustration comes out....

I spent 22.00 on lunch with friends, I knew I would be going to this place, but still should have spent less.

20.00 on a pair of Haiviana's flip flops (to blend in on vacation)

27.00 spent on manicure, pedicure. I would not normally be terribly upset if I felt it was money well spent, but it was not the people were mean and did a poor job.....and I especially should not have gone as I knew I'd be having to pay for a hair appointment on Saturday. V. Bad!

Total:

69.00

August 14, 2008 Spending

2008-08-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

7.50 on a very, very tasty filling sandwich from a nice, clean deli

In fact, this sandwich was so tasty and filling, I cannot list it as a bad purchase. But next time I will have to get the 3.75 pizza special.

Total: 7.50

August 13, 2008 Spending

2008-08-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

7.53 on lunch at Pax Wholesome foods (again above the alloted 6.50)

August 12, 2008 Spending

2008-08-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

I have not been doing a very good job of posting my purchases on time. Mostly it is a combination of my laziness and my unhappiness at breaking my rules. Oh well. But there is still time to get back on track. So in the spirit of wanting to finish what I started here goes:

Tuesday August 12.

7.58 on lunch

Total: 7.58

Why am I upset? Because I knew the total would be alloted above the 6.50 before I went into Burritoville....

August 11, 2008 Spending

2008-08-11T18:33:00.001-07:00

5.62 spent on lunch (v. good)

total 5.62

August 10, 2008

2008-08-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

1.35 on coffee (not good, but that's all I spent for the day)

August 9, 2008 Spending

2008-08-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

61.01 spent at Target
.95 spent on coffee

Total 61.96

August 8, 2008 Spending

2008-08-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

44.58 on groceries

August 7, 2008 Spending

2008-08-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

1.00 spent on breakfast
7.04 spent on lunch (6.50 Toastie's salad plus tax)
9.10 spent at Duane Reade
3.49 spent at corner store
4.00 spent on laundry
12.48 on eyebrow shaping and mini-mustache removal (grizzly bear prevention)
Total: 37.11

August 6, 2008

2008-08-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

.75 on breakfast
4.62 on lunch (v. good)
15.95 on Italian black Vogue ( to support)
18.00 on cab ride ( v. bad)

Total: 39.32

August 5, 2008 Spending

2008-08-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

1.35 on coffee ( not good )
2.81 on pretzel (also not good)
9.76 spent on lunch (v. bad)
32.00 paid to cable
15.00 paid to internet
2.48 on organizer for work ID and metrocard
1.00 on chocolate raisins

Total: 64.4

August 4, 2008 Spending

2008-08-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

7.50 on Metrocard Day pass (because I am a disorganized goof)
3.75 on breakfast
3.75 on lunch
1.00 on bag of peanuts (dinner)
34.00 on gap shrug (not good, but not terrible this is to protect me from air conditioning)

Total: 50.00

August 3, 2008 Spending

2008-08-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

5.00 spent on tip at diner
20.00 spent on blow dry (peer pressure)
5.00 spent on tip to hairdressers
12.00 spent on lunch with friends (v.bad but could have been worse)

$42.00 Total

August 2, 2008 Spending

2008-08-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

Not falling off here:

1.90 spent on coffee at Barnes and Noble, it was freezing cold in the air conditioning but still v.bad
22.00 spent on groceries
5.00 spent on knick knacks at knick knack store
20.00 spent on cooking gas bill

total: 48.90

August 1, 2008 Spending

2008-08-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

1.50 spent on coffee/bagel
40.00 spent on Portuguese lesson (vacation related expense)

Total: 41.50

July 31, 2008 Spending

2008-08-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

18.48 spent on taxi ride (v. bad)
18.00 spent on ticket to Imax Batman (16.00 + 2.00 convenience charge)
3.00 spent on fixing broken shoe
3.50 spent on snacks for weekend
9.18 spent on shaving cream and PEOPLE magazine featuring the Obamas and the birth of the pregnant man's child.
Total: $52.16

July 30, 2008 Spending

2008-07-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

$3.00 on broccoli omelet
$3.50 on cup of Gazpacho
$0.75 on pack of almonds
$3.50 on breakfast muffins

Grand Total: $10.75

July 29, 2008 Spending

2008-07-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Not slacking here....so here's my tale of the tape

$2.32 on horrible tasting Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwich (which was also not what I ordered, bad purchase)
$6.29 on lunch salad in subsidized cafeteria of friend's workplace
$34.96 Spent on vitamins (a girl's gotta stay healthy)
$2.19 on Protein bar (dinner)

Total: $45.94

July 28, 2008 Spending

2008-07-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I fell short of the big $0 yesterday, but still didn't do too bad.

0.85 spent on package of almonds
1.00 spent on strawberries and yogurt
1.50 spent on muffin (dinner)
2.50 spent on health food oatmeal raisin cookie

Total: $5.85

July 27, 2008 Spending

2008-07-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

$0.50 on cup of coffee

Total: $0.50 (v.good...tomorrow I shoot for o.oo spent)

July 26, 2008 Spending

2008-07-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

$13.00 Spent on pedicure (peer pressure)
$1.00 given for block party raffle ticket (also peer pressure, but well, it is only 1.00)

Total: $14.00

July 25, 2008 Spending

2008-07-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

$1.15 on orange juice
$1.00 on day old pastry
$4.50 on sandwich
$2.29 on vegan brownie (I am not vegan, but this brand of brownie is quite good)
$40 on Portuguese lesson (vacation related expense)
$59.79 spent on groceries (So this means, absolutely no food can be purchased in restaurants this week.)

Total: $108.73 (yikes)

July 24th, 2008 Spending

2008-07-25T07:04:00.000-07:00

0.75 on cup of coffee
1.75 on egg bagel (I have zip zero food in my apartment right now)
6.45 on lunch
1.00 on cup of coffee
1.00 on pack of gum

Grand Total: 10.95

Grizzly Bear prevention: $15.00 on eyebrow wax

2008-07-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

As much as I fantasize about giving up all grooming and letting myself grow into a grizzly bear, I somehow think that'd be a bad idea. So I spent $15.00 on an eyebrow wax on July 23.

July 23, 2008 Spending

2008-07-24T04:44:00.000-07:00

0.60 on cup of coffee
6.37 on lunch
3.75 on organic banana peanut butter and jelly sandwich (dinner)
1.00 on cup of coffee to go with sandwich
Starbucks pound cake loaf: FREE! I figured out how to con the system. Walk into Starbucks minutes before they close and they'll be so ready to leave they won't even charge you.

Total:
$11.72

July 22nd spending

2008-07-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

You thought I was joking eh?

Spending for Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

7.04 for salad at Toasties
0.75 for package of Snackwells cookies to mask the taste of the salad
1.00 for bag of peanuts (dinner)
1.99 for box of organic cereal from discount store
0.49 for piece of chocolate from store.
0.50 for cup of coffee from cafeteria
Grand Total: $11.77

The Rules...(Or The Real Ten Commandments)

2008-07-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

No one can get a grip on their finances without implementing some very firm rules. Which won't be easy to follow, living in the most consumerist city in the most consumerist country in the world with consumerist friends who love nothing more than to eat out and shop. But no more I say! Fifth Avenue be damned....

1. I will not purchase any coffee that costs more than $1.00.
This effectively prices me out of any name brand coffee. Even Dunkin Donuts.

2. I will not spend more than $6.50 on lunch. (pre-tax)
Why $6.50? Because this is the price of a salad at Toasties.

3. I will not purchase any alcoholic beverages.
If someone else wants to purchase them for me, then so be it.

4. I will not spend more than $50 for a pair of shoes or item of clothing.
Not that I do this anyway, but a friendly reminder.

5. I will not sacrifice my vacation to Brazil.
It's too late anyway, I already cashed in my frequent flyer miles! And vacations are the only things that keep me sane, and according to all those insanity memoirs losing your mind can be quite costly with all the treatments, pills, etc.

6. I will visit my nephew in Maryland.
Because I don't want to be an absentee auntie.

7. Two hair appointments per month are allowed.
Because I am beauty-challenged, and going bald is equally as costly as getting a blow-dry which can cost as little as $15.00.

8. I have $100.00 in wiggle money each month. And $100 per paycheck must be deposited into my savings. (Two things, sure, but I have combined it into one, to call it the $100 rule)

9. Any windfall must go half to debt, half to savings.

10. Each rule can be broken once.

So at the end of the process I should be slimmer, free from caffeine addiction, and less dependent on alcohol to have a good time or relax. Wish me Luck!

My Expenses

2008-07-21T18:46:00.001-07:00

Here is what I have to live on each month:

Every two weeks I get paid exactly $1043.43 every two weeks.

My rent: $437.50 to share a two-bedroom apartment in urine-filled Bed-Stuy, NY. ( I split everything with another person)

Cable Bill: $30. (Why oh why did I ever sign up for this?)

Cooking Gas: Approximately $20 every two months.

Electricity: Approximately $22 per month.

Student Loan payment: $32.96 per month because I am a genius consolidator.

Cell Phone: Approximately $60 per month

Internet: $15.00 per month

Sunday Delivery of the NY Times: $10 per month. (Will be canceled soon if paper mysteriously disappears)

$143 Paid to Discover Card each month.

Approximately $50 paid to CitiCard each month.

$81 for monthly subway pass.

Grand Total: $901.46

Total leftover for savings, etc: 1185.40

So for anyone who wonders how you make it on less than 40k in NYC. This is how you do it.

The Plunge...

2008-07-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I planned to start keeping this site in May. But consumerism is a bitch....it's hard to break the chains. But no more. From this day forth everything I purchase will be listed on this site.

The crazy thing about debt, is that most of us don't know how it got where it is. I sure don't. But surely it lies in my penchant for running off and doing things that are normally reserved for those with trust funds, (living abroad, private college, working in NYC publishing) or at least with savings accounts that hover above the $1500.00 mark. But as in the words of the dying Madonna/Evita "The choice was mine and no one else's."

But the news is not all bad. I have a FICO score in the high 700s, which according the the credit report site makes me better off than 75% of Americans. 75%! No wonder the economy is melting down. I also have my credit cards on 0% interest promos.

P.S. Some of you may wonder, well, can you ask your parents for help?

A. Yes, if I needed to make up the difference on open heart surgery.

My mom just got laid off right as the stock market plunged and took a nice chunk out of her 401k, my brother is still in high school and my sister has a two year old, so I really don't have the moral high ground when it comes to asking for money.