Repack, Refurnish, Rearrange, Relocate

Repack, Refurnish, Rearrange, Relocate - Lately, those are the only words in my vocabulary. Yet again (as I've previously alluded to) I am moving. I have moved...wait let's count it...eleven times in the past five years. That's not even counting the moving that my family did back home (we've moved three times since I left for college...). Whether it was into or out of a dorm or sorority house, moving abroad to Copenhagen or moving to a new apartment, my living situation has constantly been in transition. Most of the time, I BARELY unpack before I'm uprooting again and moving to a new place. 

After graduation, we moved into a townhouse in Uptown where we planned on staying for at least two years but our plans quickly went south when our rent spiked and we could no longer afford our place. 

So yet again, this weekend, I am moving. Ugh. Sigh..... 

This is one of those times when I wish I was Harry Potter....or Ginny....or Hermione....even Luna, just so long as I could wave my wand and have everything moved and organized in my new location. That or I wish this would happen.... 

 ....yea I wish that I could just pick up my 'house' and move it. Alas, this is NOT the case (I grudgingly admit that I do not, in fact, have magical powers. Blimey).

I am forced to resort to the old fashioned way - pack up my life into plastic bins and cardboard boxes, strategically maneuver it all into my car (that is now teeny tiny) and unload it at the new location. 

Great, I can handle it. A little manual labor never hurt anyone. 

Oh my, I almost forgot to mention.....

....it's supposed to be 102 degrees this weekend. Nah, that's COLD for a Dallas summer. 

Don't all go feeling that badly for me just yet. I have hired a mover to move my bed, dresser etc and pick up a couch from my friends house. I have also recruited several handsome, muscular young men to slave away in the heat lifting all my heavy stuff. I've offered them a homemade baked good of their choice in return. I have also commandeered a truck for the weekend. Thanks Stew, you're a doll.

I. can. do. this. 

Moving has it's advantages though. It's a great way to get rid of stuff you don't need, clean out junk drawers, throw away old school papers....YES! I had been hoarding finance and accounting notes since sophomore year! Go ahead, say it....NERD!

My new living situation is a huge change for me. I'll be living alone in a one bedroom place. All 560 sq. ft. to myself. Teeny tiny. Just like my car.....are you sensing a theme in my life?

Downsizing - you guessed it.

I'm downsizing my budget too and all these recent changes are contributing to that. Stay tuned for my new budget rules in a later post. For now, you can admire my new floorplan.....again, all 560 sq. ft of it (sans microwave...weird).

Being on a Better Budget

Budget Resolutions:

1. Eat 3 (only 3!) lunches out per month. If each lunch is around $10, that's $30 a month which is reasonable. It's really easy for me to go home and make a sandwich or have a yogurt. It's really silly to be spending $60-$80 a month (6-8 lunches out) when I'm already buying groceries. Another idea I had was to pack a lunch and take it somewhere on my lunch break like Starbucks or a nearby park. This way I can spend some time outside without sitting on a patio at some expensive restaurant.
2. I read about a good was to curb the $4 cup of coffee habit - get a gift card to your favorite coffee place and load it each month with $10-$20 depending on how much you want to budget. You get to use that card for the month and when it runs out, it's office coffee for you. My office coffee is pretty bad so instead, I buy Starbucks Via in both hot and cold forms. For about $12 I can make 10 cups of Iced coffee and 6 cups of hot coffee. Bonus: Starbucks gives great rewards like free syrup and soy milk when you use your card. 
3. Stick to some sort of clothing budget. This morning, I was in a frenzy trying to find something to wear to work, mainly because nothing was fitting right. I think it's time I made a trip to the tailor and re-purposed from ill-fitting outfits. I could probably get a few pairs of pants, some shirts and a blazer re-fit for about $50-$60. That's the same cost as a new pair of work pants from Gap.
4. Dinner Parties!! Talk about a cheap way to feed a crowd, plus I love cooking for my friends. It's easy for me to prepare the main course and have friends bring dessert or sides. We've even had microwave dinner parties where everyone just brings whatever they have or picks up a few prepared things from Eatzie's. It's really a cheap way to eat "out" with friends. Bonus: BYOB! By far the cheapest way to consume alcohol! 
5. Stop the unnecessary Target runs. Why, oh why, do I always leave Target spending at least triple what I intended on spending? I go in there for shampoo and leave with a new DVD, a bathing suit and some mascara. The best way to avoid this would probably be to not allow myself to wander around the store. Set a timer, get in, get out. Spend less. 
6. Automatically transfer something like $200 to a savings account each month or another checking account and use that as your "play" money. When it runs out, DON'T transfer more in or charge it to a credit card (not that any of mine haven't already been maxed out). This is really the most desperate way to limit unnecessary spending.

At the end of the day, some costs are unavoidable. Rent, utilities, cable (well i guess we could get rid of that...but come on!), 401k contributions, groceries (any ideas on ways to cut grocery bills?)...the list goes on. I've had to accept the fact that car insurance is going to cost me at least $100 a month no matter how much I try to reduce my policy. When the car runs out of gas, I can't just avoid filling it up because, well, I have to go to work if I want to get paid.The lesson at the end of the day is save where you can and watch where those extra dollars are going. Every month when I check my account and realize I have $20, I panic and vow to "save more" next month. Well, let this be the month where I actually commit to this resolution. Wish me luck!