Shop-a-palooza

I'm home sick from work today...I've been sick all week, but have been toughing it out to go to work. Finally I decided to take a day off to stay home, sleep, rest, and cough in peace.

Anyway, thanks for weighing in on my ethical question. I talked to another co-worker who said that she thinks he probably did get paid, and that I shouldn't worry about it. I decided that if he asks, I'll split it, otherwise it's mine to keep.

So then I spent it all. On myself.

First, I headed over to Zappos.com and found a pair of Uggs. I've wanted Uggs for YEARS, and finally decided to go for it. I bought the biggest youth size, which saved me about $30. My boyfriend's cousin works there, so we also got to use her discount, bringing the total down to $88. SCORE!

They came last night, and I tore the box open and wore them around the house last night. Freddie asked if I was going to wear them to bed. I considered it, to be honest. They're so soft and warm. I want to wear them everyday.

Next, I went to Nordstrom.com and checked out the selection of Toms. Mine are wearing out (getting a hole in the big toe, like all my canvas shoes do). I decided to get the Carpe Diem ones. Because I want my feet to feel inspired. These were about $60 with tax. I'm still waiting for these to arrive, but I think they'll be a lot of fun to wear.

Robin Williams would be proud.

Last, I headed over to Sephora.com and picked out some new makeup. I got Bare Escentuals again, after using liquid foundation for a year or so. But that's the boring part. I also got a lip gloss set by Smashbox and an eyeshadow/blush palette by Stila. I am SO excited for these to arrive. I'm going to clean out my makeup case and get rid of some stuff I never wear to make room for my new additions. I love Stila eye shadow, a little goes a long way and it has a nice shimmer. I spent $96 for all three items at Sephora. I also found a coupon code for a Hello Kitty clutch and 12 extra samples with my order, so those will be fun to get too.

If I feel up to it later, I'm going to go and work on some Christmas shopping for other people, now that I've shopped a ton for myself. It was fun to pick out some new things for myself with my stipend, and even more fun that it didn't come out of my regular budget.

Have you done any splurging on yourself this season?

$250 Ethical Question

Tonight I came home and had a check for $250 waiting for me. I had no idea what it was from, until I Swagbucks'ed the company. I realized that it's my stipend for having a student teacher this semester. Score! I knew I'd get paid, but I forgot about it so this is a nice surprise.

Here's my ethical question. I shared the responsibilities of having a student teacher with a co-worker of mine. My student teacher split class time evenly between us, however he did all of his videos, interviews, and coursework in my class. We filmed weekly planning videos and did an exit interview together. The other teacher didn't do that part. For that reason I'm pretty sure that I am the only one who got paid, and not my co-worker. The videos and filmed planning sessions weren't a ton of work or anything, but it was an extra responsibility that fell to me.

So, do I have an obligation to split the money with my co-worker? Of course I'm tempted to keep my mouth shut and not ask about if he got paid. If he did, great, if he didn't I don't need to know. I did do a bit more work than he did, and the student teacher chose me to be the one to help him with his class requirements, but I'd feel gipped if the roles were reversed since he taught with both of us.

I haven't decided what to do, and I do think it's a gray area...so readers, weigh in. To share or not to share?

Screw It

Today's payday! Holla! I went ahead and paid the extra $300 on my student loan right away. And if I'm super crazy strict all month, I could save another $700 in my E-fund.

But we're talking super strict. As in, homemade gifts, regifting, freebies, not going in with my co-teachers for a gift for all the kids. Not buying new running shoes, even though I need them. Not taking my car in for it's 75,000 mile service. Not eating out as much, or going to Magic Mountain with my boyfriend. Basically being cheap.

I decided that I just don't wanna. (Yes, that's meant to sound whiny). I am tired of being super disciplined. I want some new jeans. I want to splurge on some Christmas presents. I want to bring good food to parties, not whatever was cheapest to make.

So, I'm taking that $700 and enjoying myself this month. The 75,000 mile check up isn't exactly fun, but I've been putting it off because I don't want to budget for it. That's the other responsible thing I'll be doing, but I'm giving myself permission to get a little spendy this month. No debt. Nothing too crazy. But I'm throwing off the shackles for this month. I've been disciplined for a LONG time. My E-fund is growing nicely, my student loan is shrinking. I'm cool with saying "screw it" and just spending the money.

Do you ever let yourself "fall off the wagon?"

Did I Just Categorize Running as FUN???

I'm telling you, I hardly recognize myself these days.

Last week on Thanksgiving I did the Turkey Trot here in Long Beach. It's a super cool 5k on the beach, where people dress up. Very family friendly and fun vibe. I ran it with my friend Elaine, and set a new personal record of 32:21 for 5k. :) That beats my old time by 3:26, which made me very happy! (I'll post pictures when I get my camera back from my mom's house, I left it there on accident.)

I have NEVER been a runner. I literally did not think it was possible for me to run three miles. One of my earliest school memories is running in Kindergarten and coming in last place. But I've completed two 5k's now, and it definitely makes me feel good about myself. It's a challenge everytime, but the feeling of finishing the race without stopping to walk AND beating my old time made me want to keep signing up.

So, on Sunday I signed up for two more races. One is called Fast and Furious. It's a super cheap one in Long Beach on December 17th. Only $15! No medals or t-shirts, but I'm fine with that. I just want a reason to keep training and a chance to best my former time. I also signed up for the Long Beach Pajama 5k on February 11th. I'm doing that one with a friend from college who just had a baby. I think it will be fun, and again it gives me a reason to keep training. That one is $35.

I decided to fit both races into my November budget. One of them came out of my "cushion" that I set aside for unexpected expenses. The other came out of my fun budget.

Fun. As in, I sacrificed a dinner out or some new clothes to pay for a 5k.

Who am I, you guys?

But, I really am starting to enjoy running. It doesn't mean all my workouts are pretty, or that I always feel like going running after work. But I'm sort of hooked on the feeling I get after I do something I didn't know I had in me.

That feeling is similar to how I first felt when I successfully stuck to a budget. It's how I felt when I managed to go a whole year without shopping and get my credit card paid off for good.

A while back, BF said that if I can be as disciplined as I am with my finances, he knew I could take up running. I told him that was ridiculous, and that they were totally unrelated. And in some ways, they are. But I think the satisfaction of accomplishment translates. My competitive nature helps me succeed in both. The runner's high is similar to the budgeter's high. Or the debt-payer-offer's high. They both take a lot of work, and aren't inherently fun. But when you get to the payoff, they have their own appeal.

So, I encourage you, dear readers. Try something challenging that you're not sure if you can do. Believe that you can. Get through those first crappy weeks, where you hate it and you feel like it will never get better. Because it will. And the payoff is totally worth it.

No Spend November Update: Week 4

I did pretty awesome with no spends this week...I'll do a final post to see if I pulled off my eleven days...it will be incredibly close, but possible. Anyway, here's the info:

Tuesday: Bought stuff at Target, stuff for Thanksgiving, and two new long-sleeved workout shirts. Definitely not a no spend, but a good night for shopping.
Wednesday: NO SPEND! Came home after work and watched West Wing with the BF.
Thursday: Stopped and bought flowers and picked up some last minute Thanksgiving items for my mom.
Friday: NO SPEND! I gave blood in the morning, then hung out with BF's dad who took us out to dinner. BF bought me coffee on the way home.
Saturday: NO SPEND! Lazed around, then brought Thanksgiving leftovers to a party, along with a bottle of vodka I had in the freezer.
Sunday: Big time spending. Gas, pharmacy, car wash, groceries, out to dinner with friend, brought BF coffee at work. I also paid for two more 5k's.
Monday: NO SPEND! BF made quiche for breakfast, I made a pot roast in the crock pot for dinner. Went on a run and then watched more West Wing after dinner.

Because I was able to pull off FOUR no spend days this week, I am up to ten! YES! I have two more days left in the month, so as long as one of them is No Spend (which is totally do-able), then I will make my goal! I'll give an update after the 30th and make my new No Spend goal for December.

Anyone else manage some No Spend Days? Or did Black Friday get you? :)

Dabbling in Stocks

I saw that ING Direct was offering a $100 bonus through Sharebuilder if you opened an account this weekend and made two trades by the end of January. I know very, very little about stocks, but I decided to take the plunge and try to earn $100 (and maybe more if my stocks do well).

I transfered $50 from my ING Savings into a Sharebuilder account. I signed up for a free trial of their premium service so that I could make investments for only $1 (gotta remember to cancel is before January 1st!). I took a survey indicating that I was conservative about investing (more afraid of losing money than excited about earning it), and it suggested two investments. I set it up to make the trades on Tuesday. Since it's two investments, I'm hoping that counts for my two trades. I'll have to double check on that though.

The way I figure is that even if I lose all $50 (which is doubtful), I will still end up $50 ahead thanks to the bonus. I'm honestly planning on closing the account once the bonus posts to my account, since the whole stocks thing makes me nervous. Maybe I'll keep dabbling and let that $50 investment ride, but we'll see how it goes.

Anyone else done Sharebuilder before? I'd love some insight or advice on how to make it work for me!

My Financial Bucket List

Krystal at Give Me Back My Five Bucks is doing a giveaway on her blog for $500, thanks to Life Insurance Finder. I liked that blogging about this giveaway had a fun topic, so I'm actually doing this one in hopes of winning that $500. The topic: What's on your financial bucket list?

1. Pay off my student loans, which would make me debt free!
2. Get my six month E-fund fully funded (I'm more than halfway there!)
3. Get in the habit of fully-funding my Roth IRA (this starts in January)
4. Pay for a wedding without raiding my E-fund. No, I'm not engaged, but if we're talking bucket list, this is on there for sure.
5. Buy a home.
6. I want a pair of Uggs, but I can never bring myself to spend the money on them. Maybe this will be my 2012 reward if I meet all my goals.
7. Another trip to Europe, to see some of the countries I've yet to travel to.
8. Travel to every state in the US, and visit every Major League Baseball Stadium (okay, this is BF's bucket list item, but I've adopted it).
9. Buy something really nice for my mom (can't say what, she reads this. And it won't be tomorrow, but someday...)
10. Get BF out of debt...but this be my territory until after we combine our finances...for now gentle encouragement will have to do.

And if I win the $500, I'll be that much closer to my goals. :)