Got's to be mo' careful!

There is a Bible verse that talks about how money sprouts wings and flies away towards heaven. I'm pretty sure I know EXACTLY what that means. I FINALLY got my check from the blog I write for. $300 smackaroos. And what do I have left? $19.51.

Yeah. I know. What in the ham sammich did I do with it? I have absolutely NO clue! Y'all this isn't good AT ALL! My bills are paid (at least), but that money was supposed to a) be for Christmas presents or b) pay down debt. And I've done neither. Let's look at my bank account and figure this mess out:

Initial deposit: $280 ($20 for cash)
-$17.00 (gas)
-$20.00 (money borrowed from Big Brother cuz I was too lazy to go to the ATM)
-$16.00 (Boy scout popcorn) (technically this should have been covered by funds in my account before the check)
-$5.00 (Parking)
-$102.27 (check for my guy's HOAs) (again, this should've been covered b/c he put the money in my account the day I wrote the check)
-$5.93 (Lunch)
- $12.23 (lunch at new trendy spot)
-$44.84 (gift for Boss Lady (I'll get $29.88 back from co-workers b/c we split it))
-$97.15 (Cable)
-$12.00 (parking)
-$7.54 (lunch)
-$12.00 (parking)

*** My spending totals more than $300, but my roomie also gave me her half of the bills and I had a check from my part-time deposited within the last week for another $175.00.

Umm... yeah. My unnecessary spending is out of CONTROL and needs to be fixed. Like, yesterday.

True confession: I did a "no, no" and dipped into my Fit Fund to tide me over until my check came in. THAT should've been my first clue that I was overspending. Well, my check has come and gone and I STILL haven't replinished my fund.... I get paid Tuesday and priority numero uno is to replenish my Fit Fund (it's coming out of my spending budget since I SPENT it).

Budget Busters

I have a confession: I just paid $65.00 for parking tickets. *SIGH*

Talk about a budget buster! Goodness! I racked up one ticket each week for three weeks in a row. THEN I was lazy (yes, the L word) and didn't pay one of the tickets until the $20.00 late fee kicked in. The doggone late fee was more than the ticket!!! I'm sitting here seething because IWASTED $65.00! Oh, what I could do with $65.00. But I'm not going to seeth long - the past is the past, right?

Now that I've thrown the L word out there, I want to share my two cents about it. Laziness in its many forms (procrastination, forgetfulness, etc) is one of my biggest budget busters. When I'm lazy, I don't pay my bills on time, and get hit with a late fee. When I'm lazy, I don't look for good deals and pay more than need be. When I'm lazy . . . well, you get the picture. Defeating laziness keeps me on top of my bills, helps me save money, and has really PUSHED me to pay off my debt. And keeps me on my budget.

*Oh, what I could have done with $65.00 . . .*