February is the Month Of…

…bills.

Thought I was gonna say love eh? Nope – February is my month of bills. I think we all have one. That one month in which all of our major bills seem to come due all at the same time. For me, that month is February. It consists of car registration, car insurance for six month (save some money paying for six months up front), Valentine’s Day gift (not a bill and I like buying presents but it adds to the month of bills), renters insurance, and every other bill I pay every month. Its a stretch on a non pandemic year when I have full time work and health insurance. So far I have almost everything paid for except the car insurance. It’s a big bill here in CA and it wipes me out for awhile when it comes due. I have faith that it will work out and I will get that and still be able to eat, but it’s stressful. So if you are out there wondering how you will afford that next bill you aren’t alone. I think a lot of us are in that boat right now. At least we are in good company.

In terms of money we have no money | Best of funny memes | Funny pictures, I love to laugh, Bones funny — I feel ya Gru.

I have discovered I have no…

…discernible taste in home decor! OK I do but I cannot afford my taste.

As the days of my roommates departure get closer and closer my apartment is getting emptier and emptier. I thought my consolation of losing a great roommate would be getting to decorate and pick out furniture. The more I look at furniture the more frustrated I get! It’s not fun it’s stressful! It’s all really expensive and anything affordable looks cheap. I have tried consignment stores and they are almost as expensive as the new stuff and look used…like real used. I want to know what has or hasn’t been done on my couch is you get my drift?!

I did find one piece I LOVED! It was a want though not a need because it’s a headboard so it’s purely decorative. That means I can’t buy it. 😦 I found my couch. It is more then I wanted to spend but it’s the first quality looking piece, I like it, and it’s still in the range of affordable. So I will finance that and at least have a place to sit. My dad is giving me a TV for my birthday so he’s basically my hero. I need a TV stand but since I am not getting my TV till my birthday I have some time on that one.

I went looking for a mirror and other wall decor and it’s all so pricey! There are so many other things I need to buy that it just isn’t practical. BUT how does a home feel like a home with blank, sad walls?

So basically I am totally lost with interior design on my budget. It might just take time and finding the right deals? I am remaining optimistic! I will find the right pieces.

Finding Money to Spend…

…on myself.

There is a Sex in the City episode that has spoken to me recently. The episode opens with Carrie buying an endless amount of gifts of an endless amount of registries looking for affordable items. Later in the show she adds up how much she spent celebrating one person’s life choices (engagement gift, wedding gift, travel for the wedding, baby gifts) and it’s not a small number. I started really thinking about this concept and it’s completely right.

She also says, “I’m thrilled to give you gifts to celebrate your life I just think it stinks that single people are left out of it.” She’s right – it does stink. I have spent so much of my hard earned money on others that I will never see if I don’t get married or have babies. (Everyone has birthdays that doesn’t count). This is not to make anyone feel bad about gifts purchased for you but it really does stink for single folks.

Every time I go to purchase something for myself I second guess it…do I really want to spend that money? When purchasing a gift I don’t think twice about spending more then whatever it was I wanted for me. So how much can I spend on myself without feeling guilty? Is there any money left after buying all the gifts I need to buy? Is there money for those gifts int he first place?

Does anyone else have this problem?