Still doing the cash flow juggle.
Thankfully at this moment I only owe $200 on the credit cards. I was hoping to be at $0 before the trip, but it's not going to happen. Not due until September anyway so it doesn't really matter. Still have to pay for the cat spay on Thursday. That will be around $100. We kept my husband's favorite kitten and found a good home for the others. So we are now a 4 cat household. Up from our original 2, but down from our recent 6.
I did add a new expense. I had to purchase a new phone. :/ Mine has been deteriorating for months. First it started randomly shutting off, then it started dropping calls, maps stopped, and then it would take 12 hours to send a text message. It was extremely frustrating, and I knew the end was coming.
We made the decision to go ahead and purchase a new one before the trip since we were traveling across country, and the phone is our sole source of GPS. We didn't want to get lost when my phone died on us. Or not be able to call for help if something happens. My phone even shut off twice when they were trying to switch me to the new phone, so it really was getting to be unusable.
I have to pay full retail price with my phone company. So it was quite expensive, I am appalled and embarrassed at the price, especially since in the past you would get a new free phone every 2 years. Now the monthly bill is cheaper, but you are responsible for the phone purchase. It cost almost as much as my husband's laptop.
Oh well. I sprung for the good one. The price difference wasn't much different for it or a cheapo one, and I figured I might as well get what I want since I do use my phone constantly. I take really good care of them, and they last a long time, so over multiple years it doesn't seem like as much.
They want you to just make payments every month (0% interest), but I went ahead and put down a $200 payment because I'd rather pay up front and avoid monthly bills. The lady said no one EVER does that. Weird. I couldn't pay for the entire amount because of being squeezed from the trip. But I plan on saving up and paying it off in the next couple months. In the mean time I have to pay $20 a month on it. Which is fine since my bill actually just dropped $15 a month or two ago. So really only an additional $5 out of the budget. Not a big deal in the scheme of life, and it certainly is an upgrade. Honestly I am just thrilled that I can send texts again!
My birthday is coming up, and I am super excited this year. I FINALLY convinced my husband and family to buy me practical things I actually need/want rather than junk that is "more fun." I am getting a new bed and sheets. Just what I want! I also wanted a vacuum, but the price went up. So I have been promised it for Christmas. haha. Not many women can honestly say they want a new vacuum and bed frame for holidays! I am not materialist at all, and I prefer usable things that will improve my quality of life. A comfortable bed, and a way to suck up cat hair sounds pretty good to me.
Phone Bill and More
July 12th, 2016 at 02:37 pm
July 12th, 2016 at 04:35 pm 1468341308
July 12th, 2016 at 05:12 pm 1468343570
July 12th, 2016 at 06:00 pm 1468346449
July 13th, 2016 at 01:33 am 1468373605
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July 14th, 2016 at 03:33 am 1468467199