I'm a graduate

I'm a graduate with my second masters degree!!! Yeah for Me!! I came back home on Sunday after spending a month and a half in NYC finishing up this degree. It's all over and done with but boy did the bills pile up. I have 17 days until my wedding and am spending the day trying to get myself organized and get everything back on track.

One thing I have noticed is the closer I get to the wedding the less time, energy, and money I have for myself. I have only accomplished one goal this year and my credit card bills haven't been paid in full in a couple of months.

Sigh...

In order for me to figure out where I am going I have to figure out where I am at right now.

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Are you truly using ING Direct?

I know I am.

I have started 3 sub savings accounts with ING Direct. They have three different purposes. One is for Christmas 2010, one is for Car expenses and repairs ( which includes my six month insurance renewal, registration, inspections, and oil changes) and an account to fund my summer in NYC. I eventually will add more money to Christmas Account and make it a Birthday/ Christmas Account.

As it stands I am contributing $50.00 every two weeks into each account for a total of $300 a month.

I am so not trying to use credit cards this year for anything (okay, I am putting wedding expenses on credit card, only because I'm paying international vendors).

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Preparing for a summer in the city

Those of you that have been reading my blog for the past year know that I am in a grad school program that required me to spend last summer and this summer coming up in New York City at a certain school on the Upper West Side. Last year I funded my 6 weeks in the city through income that I get in the summer from being a teacher and my part time job.

This year I will fund my summer in the NYC differently. I have an ING Direct sub account strickly for my living expenses this summer. Every month I put $100.00 into that account.

As it stand right now I have $225.00 in the account. However, by the end of June I will have $625.00 in the account. Finishing off these classes so that I can graduate was supposed to take six weeks but it is looking like me and my cohort will only have to be there 5 weeks (from the last week in June 28-August 1. This will give me $125 a week to spend for food, transportation to Philly and back on the weekends ( only $22.00 round trip with my megabus), and possibly metrocards. Last year I lived close to school and close to Harlem so I walked everywhere, and the only time I used public transportation was to take the train downtown to catch the megabus.

My only other concern is housing. Last summer I dropped $2000 on a room six weeks. I had to pay for the whole month of June even though I was only there for the last two weeks. This year I am going to negotiate my sublet. I refuse to pay more than $1100 for 5 weeks, and still would like to be within walking distance of everything.

Around May I will start the hunt.

This morning I heard birds tweeting when I woke up. It has me thinking about spring, and then summer, school, my final project, and then.... my wedding.

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

School Expenses are killing me!!!

I haven't posted much on finances because not much is going on. All my bills are automated, I pay off my credit cards every month, and I don't have the car loan anymore. I am slowly building my emergency fund back up after I took a big chuck on paid off my loan, however the one thing is taking up all my extra money right now is my tuition for grad school. I have to make 3 payments of $3500 towards my fall semester and I owe about $4000. I have to pay it off or I won't be able to register for spring classes. After bills and automatic savings the rest of my money goes to paying that off. I can't wait until January when I start my student loan debt snowball.


until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

I'm Back from School and ready to blog again!!!

Yes I am truly back! It feels good to blog again. I have so much to tell you about. Let me just start by saying NYC was so expensive.... but oh so much fun. I loved living in the city for the time I lived there and will be going back in Feb and again next summer. But boy did it put a hurting on my pocket.

I didn't budget or set any goals while I was out there, just focused on school and that in itself was so intense. I will have August goals up this week. I have been focused so much on school that I really am failing at my yearly goals.

Also me and my love decided that we are going to get married next year. We are doing a destination wedding in August of 2010 in Negril Jamaica. I am so excited. It is looking like we will have roughly 50-60 people there celebrating with us for 5 days, and then going to another resort for our honeymoon. We have already put the deposit down on the resort, I bought my two dresses ( one for the ceremony and one for the reception and Trash the dress (TTD). I am having my boarding pass Save the Dates being made by an amazing designer, and I am just plan excited.

More updates soon.. I am just happy to be back!

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Had to take money out of Emergency Fund

This weekend was a tough weekend, I spent it at Columbia for my orientation and found a place to sublet in New York while I'm there, but because of that I had to take money out of my emergency fund.

I ended up finding a sublet from another Columbia student who will be gone for 2 weeks, its real close to the school ( about 9 blocks from Teachers college), but the price tag is $1000.00 for the month of June and $1000.00 for the month of July plus a $1000 security which I will get back when the girl comes back and checks her room. So I am sending her 2 checks: 1 for 1000, and 1 for $2000.

I am will going to have work hard to get my emergency fund to $20000 by the end of the year. As it stands now it has less then $10,000.

Until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Looking for A Sublet in NYC

As you know I will be spending this week in NYC working on my second masters degree at Columbia.  As  you also know NYC especially Manhattan is very expensive, and living in Manhattan is even more expensive. My goal for April is to secure an inexpensive sublet, and by inexpensive I mean between $800-1200 for the six weeks I will be there.  Right now I am searching Craigslist looking for the perfect place that is walking distance to Columbia.

Wish me luck!

Until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

I got in!!!

My interview was yesterday and I am still in shock! I can't believe it, I was accepted to Columbia University. I am going to be in a wonderful program and will end up with a second master's degree in Educational Leadership. This program will open so many doors for me, and I am so excited.

But what did I wear?

This weekend I ended up going to King of Prussia mall, which rivals Willow Grove Mall as my favorite mall of all time, and stopped by Banana Republic. I ended up buying a black pants suit (it was buy the blazer, get the pants free) and ended up also getting some nice linen pants and some trouser jeans all for $150.00. I also put it on my gap card so I received an additional 10% off. Don't worry, it will be paid off next month.

Until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Big Interview coming up

I just got a call from the graduate school that I applied to for a second master's program in Educational Leadership.  I am so excited.  The interview is next Thursday and I really am hoping that I get in because this would be a great opportunity for me and open up so many doors. 

 On the financial front this interview will require me plan for transportation to the city where the interview will be held and buy a new suit and get my hair did.  I always wear black suits, but are they really appropriate for an interview.

  Do you have any suggestions for places to shop for suits, what color should I get, and where are some good places to shop for them?

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

I've been a bad girl and other news!!!

Its only January 11 and I have already gone over my budget for the miscellaneous category. I decided that this year I was going to become more healthy and start eating and exercising more. I have been on the Master Cleanse for the past five days and I am feeling great, but I wanted to make some lifestyle changes for after I get off the cleanse. I began researching super foods and decided to buy some... in fact I spent 31.00 buying Gogi Berries and Acai supplements from Amazon.com. At least my order qualified for free shipping so that is one thing I didn't have to pay for!

Good News:
I will be receiving a refund check from grad school for over $3000 sometime this month or early next month. That is going right into my emergency fund! I may need to use some of it to pay for a summer class but for now I am keeping it stashed away! I don't think I will have a problem reaching my goal of $20,000 for the year. With this economy I believe I definitely need it.

School News:
The new semester starts this week. I really can't wait. I am taking 3 classes and one of them is an online class. I thought online classes were easy but from looking at the syllabus I was totally wrong.

One thing I was not wrong about was the price of books. 3 classes and four books... total $286.00, and that's buying used! I need to hurry up and write me one!

After this semester I have two more classes to take during the summer ( hopefully summer session 1) and then I am done with this degree. Essentially, around the same time I am done teaching for the year will also be the same time I am done with my Masters. Now that is something to look forward to!


Until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

The Grades are In !!!

I took 3 courses this semester and my grades were A, A and A-!!!! I said I wanted to get A's this quarter and an A- certainly does count as an A! This calls for a celebration!!!

I am off to work but before that I must put the ingredients for cajun chicken and shrimp in the crockpot!!!



until next time, think prosperous thoughts


YBP

Building up the E Fund

I put my whole check in savings... all $355.00 of it. The total now stands at $3456.00. I have never been able to do that before... put my whole part time check in savings. Perhaps I am maturing a bit, I seem understand the difference between a need and a want... or maybe its the economy scaring me into savings... perhaps it is a little bit of both.

In any case turning 25 has changed me in so many ways.


oh.. and the semester is over... THANK YOU JESUS!!!!


until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Frustrations of A Grad Student

I am almost done with my Masters degree in Multicultural Education, and very happy about it. In fact I am taking three classes this semester, plan on taking 3 classes in the spring semester which starts in January, and will only have 2 classes to take during the summer session and will be finished.... Yeahh.!!! I can't wait until its over, but I also have to get through this semester and next semester. This semester is really kicking my butt. I have so much work to do, plus my 2 jobs... but I take it all in stride.

Next semester I am taking three classes spread out on different days at 2 different campuses. I am not liking this too much but will have to get used to it for the sake of getting my degree finished as soon as possible. The way it's looking is I will have classes on mon, tues, and thursday, with 2 classes in the city and 1 class in the Philadelphia suburbs. The class in the Philadelphia Suburbs meets on Mondays from 7:15-9:45pm. In order to get there on time I will need to leave my house at around 6:30pm. If you are from the Philadelphia area you know that the commute to the suburbs is horrible at 6:30pm, and in the middle of winter it's even worse! Here's too many cancellations of class due to snow days!!!!!

Time to get back to the many papers that I have due in the next few weeks.

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP