I just moved.
And it was EXHAUSTING. My body is tired and I have to work. OMG, I have got to put some hours in or I will be broke at the end of next month and I need my Christmas money.
I was initially going to call some movers, but I called one guy and he wanted to charge me $300 to move my stuff from storage to my new place. WHAT??
I just took 3 days and moved EVERYTHING myself, with the exception of my treadmill because that was definitely a two man job and I paid 2 guys $30 buck to move it for me.
Thank you God.
So, $30 and 3 days and I'm moved. Now I just need to put everything up.....oh boy. God, give me strength.
I spent $2600 in 2 days.
$600 deposit for my new apartment
$575 first month's rent
$1000 for a pledge for my church
$352 for tithes
$150 for giving to church
$150 for rent for staying with my friend for half the month.
That was A LOT of dough in a short amount of time. AND I still need furniture for my new place.
*sigh*
I need a personal accountant. I don't like this budgeting stuff. I MUST do it on a regular basis or it piles up. JUST LIKE LAUNDRY and I don't like laundry (whine). OMG, so I'm updating my budget today because I HAVE to and there are less than 2 weeks left in the month and I need to start on my November budget.
Happy accounting.
***Update: I just finished and I'm missing about $300 in expenses. (shoulder slump).
I'm still learning this budgeting stuff...
Budgeting is giving me anxiety. And I'm moving into prayer mode because it is too much going on and I need PEACE!!
I have to move. I HAVE to move. There is no way around it, so that means paying a deposit and first month's rent. So, that will be about $1200. I also have to pay tuition. I HAVE to pay tuition and that's about $2000. Then there are other obligations for this month to the tune of $1500. Where is all this money going to come from? I can't work more hours because I'm over 28 hours for the year. So I need to work 5 hours less per pay period.
I'm not complaining. God has blessed me with a take home income of about $3800-$4000 per month, so I'm not complaining, I'm trying trying to make all the numbers fit and with the impromtu trip to Chicago and the ramifications from that, I'm just a little anxious. And I'm hungry and I want to scrap this fast today, but I know I CAN'T. God is too GOOD TO ME!! And I LOVE HIM, so I have to keep going, but this is stressful. If I can get myself settled into a place I'd be more happy...but then I won't have any furniture and a friend just asked me if she could stay with me when she moves to another city because her job is still here. I told her that would be no problem because I have to have my place by the end of this month.
The furniture that I want will cost me about $5000, but I don't have that. When I just did my budget, I have about $2700 in the bank and I'm behind on paying my student loan. Not really behind, I've paid, but only the minimum which is getting me no where. I need to pay about $1000 per month to see some real results.
Lord, I know you are here with me, just give me some peace, please? Thank you, Lord!!
I'm done with FPU and now my safety net is gone and I don't like it. Of course I'm supposed to get my own accountability partner, but I don't like this aloneness while I'm trying to get debtfree.
God, help me with my relationships, please!!
I HAVE GOT TO STAY FOCUSED!!!
I just spent $92 for a hotel in Chicago (that I'm not going to use), $35 for train tickets, $45 for a hotel room in Bloomington, about $20 for printing, $15 for food and $16 for some Garrets Popcorn for my mom. All to get two grants in the office to Chicago ON TIME!!
The $92 was money down the drain and I'm not happy about it.
Background....
About 4 or maybe 5 years ago, I can't remember, I started working for a non-profit and my job was to help with grant writing. I assembled a team (well the team was already there) and we wrote a grant for an after school program. I was excited about it, but it was tedious work. Grant writing is not easy. We stayed up late nights because all of us had day jobs, so this grant writing was something we did in our free time. We were under a steep deadline and we knew it wasn't going to be able to be mailed and get to the office on time, so I drove to Springfield to drop it off by the deadline time of 2:00 pm and I got there at 2:27pm (or something close like that) and it was marked with the date and time it came in. We got a letter in the mail that it was late so it would not be read. I was crushed. I poured my time and energy into that project...
Some time later, the same thing happened with another after school program. This time we had to submit it online, but it was a federal grant which was way more rigorous. It was due to be uploaded by 4;00 pm, I didn't make the deadline, so I didn't even submit it.
Now, the same grant has come up again and we decided to write it again. I worked and worked and the team that was one about 7 people was now only 2, and the deadline was Monday, October 6. My goal was to be done by Friday, September 26, but working and homework and other stuff was in my way and then the stupid stuff happened in Chicago....that screwed me up. Crazy, right?
So that means I wasn't done until Tuesday night and I didn't trust the mail so I decided to take the grant to the office in Chicago myself. I booked a room for Thursday night, booked a train ticket and THEN I remembered, Ihave to be out of town for work on Thursday night and I can't cancel. AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!
I wanted to scream, but I was too tired to, so I changed my train reservations, but I couldn't do anything about the hotel because I bought it on Priceline. UGH!!! I can't wait to be out of debt. I'm not using these bargain basement sights that sometimes are not even bargains if you can't cancel and you waste your money....
So, how did I get a Chicago Public Library Card?
As I was traveling on the train I realized that I forgot a page in the grant. So worked on it on the train and had to go to the library once I was in Chicage to print it out.
I got to the library (after walking for like 10 blocks) and was told that I needed a library card to use the computer and because I had a library card where I lived, that qualified me. So I got a card, put some money on it was printed way (it wasn't that easy, but this blog post is already long). I got the grant to the building on time. I even got another grant completed while I was in Chicago and turned that one in too. Thank God!!!
I just don't know why I had to go through so much hell to get it turned in?!!
Now I just pray for favor. God grant us favor being awarded the grant.
Now for my $92...I'm on the phone now trying to get the hotel transferred into my sister's name so that she and her husband can have a night at the hotel...
