Budgeting on a Friday

Is it really Friday already? I’m not really sure where the week went. I’ve been busy with work, and photography and cleaning this dang house. It seems that the list is never-ending.

Without further ado, let’s get down to business, our little Piggy Bank Budget:

This week, I literally didn’t even look at anything to buy, that’s how busy it’s been around here. I usually stop by all of my favorite clothing/shoe website at least once a week if not several times. Instead, this week I spent time going through our income, expenses, bills and debt to see where we really stand. And it really made me want to sell everything I have and pay things off.

In addition my $400+ savings of last week is now gone on an urgent care bill.

Last Friday, I happily reported to my hubs that we had at least one airline ticket covered to Cozumel. Only 10 minutes after that, I went and got the mail to see a note from our insurance that we owe $270 to the urgent care I visited here in Tucson while we were down here closing on our house. I was literally dying, I had bronchitis and a sinus allergy and couldn’t even see straight. And even though we pay over $600 a MONTH for our health insurance apparently they do not cover out of area urgent cares. Our address was still Denver at the time and the urgent care in Tucson was considered out of area, so there’s a deductible on it. ANYWAYS, to make a long story short even thought it was an URGENT CARE and it should be covered by our insurance it’s subject to the deductible which I didn’t even realized we had on something like UC and ER. To say that I am disappointed and a little frustrated is putting it lightly.

Anywho, if you want a good reality check and a motivator to stop spending here is something to look at.

• Calculate your monthly take home income (after taxes)
• Add up your set expenses (rent/mortgage, car payments, bills, savings and so on)
• Add up your financed expenses (for us it’s our fridge and washer/dryer)
• Add up your credit card debit

Once you have all the above added up in set numbers take your monthly income and deduct the set expenses from it. Then deduct the financed items.

The number you have left is what can go towards your credit cards.

BUT there is still things like food to think about, and if you have a pet their food, and other necessities like gas, and cleaning products, and gifts for birthdays and so on.

Let’s just say that even though I didn’t save or spend any money this week, putting numbers on paper really made me realize how much we need a budget, and to budget for little things as well.

What are you budgeting tips, do you do the envelops/cash method? How does that work out? What about rewards on credit cards? I was just able to get about $200 worth of cash from the rewards on our credit cards… so I’d rather use my card and get money back especially since I have to buy food and such.

Thoughts and ideas are welcomed.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

 
 

Is it Ethical?

As many of you out there I kept hearing about 50 Shades of Gray, and how great it was. I knew the basics, it was based off of Twilight (fanfiction) and that it was very much a erotic novel. So I gave it a try thinking it would be a mindless but good read.

 

Unfortunately, the author really disappointed me with her lack of originality when it came to her plot and characters. I posted a link on my Facebook from a blog I came across that spoke about the ethical issue of turning a fanfiction into a for-profit book.

After receiving a few comments from friends, it seemed that I had to explain why I disliked the story and the book. So I wanted to share it here with you and see what your thoughts are.

I don't like the fact that the story (plot and characters) are literally stolen from another author.
The books (50 Shades of Grey) started out as fanfiction for Twilight. The names originally used were Edward/Bella and so on. When the author decided she wanted to publish a book because she got such a great following on fanfiction (20k+ comments) she took the original story off the internet and only changed the names of the characters.

It's fine if she wanted to leave it as fanfiction, and I applaud her for getting so many followers. However, when she went to publish the story, she should have changed a great deal so that those of us who have read Twilight don't make the obvious connections.

Here are a few examples:

• Both Edward and Christian were adopted by wealthy and loving families
• Edward/Christian have a deep dark secret that makes them dangerous towards Bella/Ana
• Edward and Christian have stalker tendencies and are domineering
• Edward/Christian are both very handsome with reddish hair and a great physic
• Edward/Christian like to give extravagant and expensive gifts
• Edward/Christian both play the piano, and it’s always sad classical music
• Christian has two siblings Mia and Elliot who are just like Emmet and Alice. Mia is a happy and energetic fashion lover and Elliot is the frat boy always up for anything.
• In both books the couple are initially attracted to each other, the hero tries to stay away but the heroine wants the relationship anyways. They end up breaking up because one of them believes that they are in danger. (this is the end of book 1).
• Both stories are set in the state of Washington.
• There is another male who is good friend with the heroine (Jose/Jacob). Ana/Bella thinks of him as a brother while he wants a relationship with Ana/Bella.
• Ana is Bella. She talks like her, she acts like her, she says things that Bella would say, she is clumsy and uncoordinated, beautiful but doesn’t see it.
• Bella/Ana have an eccentric mother who lives away from them with a different husband. Bella/Ana live with their father/stepfather whom they love dearly
• Charlie/Ray (fathers) love to fish and watch sporting games. Charlie is a cop while Ray is ex-military.

I’m sure I’d find many more similarities if I went through the book with a fine toothed comb.

That being said. I don't have a problem with the book having sold a million copies and the author making money. This is not the first book or the last that will catch on with a given group and sell like wildfire.

However, the above is my honest opinion. I have a hard time not finishing books, so I finished the first one but wont be reading the second or the third.

This is by no means great literature, and I did not go into reading it thinking it would be the next Wuthering Heights. What I didn't expect was to find a copy of Twilight with a bit more adult thrown in. If it wasn't for the fact that the plot and characters are someone else's, I'd gladly read the next books and support the author.

To add on to my comment. I have an issue with the fact that the author tried to use Tess of the D’Urbervilles as the classical book that Ana loves (Bella loved Wuthering Heights) and fails miserably and making it tie into the story. She just throws it out there to make herself seem smart. Yet, it’s just something else she stole from S. Mayor and Twilight. At least Mayor was able to incorporate the classic better into the story.

Please let me know what your thoughts are on this. I will not be offended if you do not agree with me or have other thoughts.

Again, I am not annoyed that the book is an erotic novel, in fact that’s part of the reason I wanted to read it. I’m annoyed that there is no originality to the story. It’s just Bella and Edward in human form.

Piggy Bank Budget Week 2

 

 

WANT:

 

Price: 19.80

Price: 22.80

 

Price: 34.80

Price: 24.80

 

REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT:

Original Price: 120.00 Current Price: 59.00

Original Price: 129 Current Price: 64.99

Original Price: 210 Current Price 104.99

NEED:

Original Price: 9.99 current price 6.00

 

As you can see from the above, there are lots of things that I want, but I truly just need a new pair of beater flip flops as I’ve almost literally worn a hole in mine. $6 sounds like a good deal to me, and I may order a few of these to keep around. Granted, I wont be ordering anything until July.

The first four items are things that I would have bought just because they are cute, it’s hot here in AZ (so dresses and skirts are welcomed) and because as single items they don’t really have a heavy price tag. The blue shoes from Nine West are one’s I’ve been drooling over for month. Literally, I’ve been waiting for them to go on sale so I could get them. Same goes for the Vince Camutos. I’ve had my eye on these guys for months.

NOW… if I had purchased all these items, which before this challenge I totally would have. I would have spent a total of $331.18.

I wouldn’t have really put the numbers together and look at them, and realized that that’s a plain ticket back to Denver to visit my family plus a $100.00 of spending money. Or a trip for one to San Diego for 4 nights (flight and air – on Travelzoo today from Tucson).

Sooo this week I’m putting $330.00 into my virtual piggy bank towards a vacation that the hubs and I are desperately in need of.

The total so far $465.00 ($135+$330).

That’s a good chunk of change.

What are you saving on this week?

A little something to love

This maternity session. Amy is beautiful, her baby bump is adorable. She has the sweetiest little girl and an amazing little family. You can find the some of my very favorite shots on the photo blog.

Never hurts to ask…

I have a personality issue where I feel that I shouldn’t have to ask for things. That these things are so obvious that they should just be done on their own without me prompting.

For example, I shouldn’t have to ask the hubs to put away the food and I shouldn’t have to ask my teacher for an explanation on a grade… these are things that should just happen.

However, what I’ve learned is that what I see as obvious or necessary may not be so obvious and necessary to someone else. A good example of this is folding laundry. There are certain things (undies) that I like to fold, and stack neatly in my drawers… the hubs thinks that this is completely unnecessary and slightly crazy. he’s stated several times that the undies are small enough that I could just throw them into the drawer and never even notice. However, my OCD personality will not allow for it.

With this whole photography thing going on, I’ve needed to learn lots of things and still have so much more to learn. So while I kind of winged it and learned as I went when photography was just for me, now I’ve had to crack down and get a move on. … SO my personality issue has reared it’s ugly head again. I know that the only way I’ll improve is if I have someone critiquing my photos, and giving me an honest professional opinion.

That being said, I kicked my fear in the booty and asked a few photographers for help. I figured the worse they can do is say no, or not respond. Well, guess what?! They all responded back! And two of them are some of my all time favorite photographers. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say about my work!!!

The lesson, I’d like to leave you with on this Tuesday morning is never be afraid of asking for something. The worst that can happen is a no, which leaves you with nothing less then what you had before.

Happy Tuesday all! I’m off to pick up my handsome baby brother from their airport! Can’t wait to have him here with us for a few days!