Showing posts with label purchases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purchases. Show all posts
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Haircut update
I finally got around to getting a haircut yesterday. It wound up costing $53, tip included. I think that's pretty good, considering my last haircut was December '07. It's nice and short and I love it. When I weighed myself post-haircut, i had dropped a whole pound. Imagine how nice it feels to have one pound less dragging your head down every day. ;P
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Big spender
Parting with my money has always been difficult for me. Whenever I make a big purchase (usually when I buy something like plane tickets once or twice a year) it just hurts. I immediately feel guilty, and mentally go over my budget again and again to reassure myself that yes, I can afford it.
Before I moved in, I had planned and budgeted for the purchase of both a bed and a dresser. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been sleeping on a klick-klack sofa since I graduated from college two years ago, mostly to conserve space in the small apartments I've lived in. The dresser I had in my last apartment was purchased from some dude on craigslist for $50 a year and a half prior, and was falling apart. I had about $1,000 budgeted for this; I wanted a nice matress/bed that would last for a long time, and can you blame me after I'd been sleeping on a glorified pull-out-sofa for almost two years?!
Well, when the previous tenant moved out, she left her bed and dresser behind for me. She'd bought the bed last December, so it was less than a year old, and the dresser was a relic from her grandmother's basement that she didn't want back. That means that I had $1,000 left on the table. Normally I'd throw that at my loans, or put some in savings, but there was one thing that I'd been wanting for a long time: a new computer.
My old computer, a Toshiba laptop that I purchased in January 2005, had died around January of this year. Well, it still works, technically, but the screen is too dark to make out much of anything. Sometime soon I'd like to hook it up to an external monitor so I can snag all my photos and stuff off there. Anyway, not only did I want a new computer, but I kind of needed one, too. One of my jobs is being a freelance fact-checker, and I've had to take shorter stories that I could do over my lunch breaks at work, which means that less was money coming in from that channel.
I had my sights set on a MacBook, for various reasons. One being that I knew it wouldn't die of spyware complications within a year, as Windows machines have a tendency to do. After much research, I went with the low end model and upgraded the memory, bringing up to speed with the higher end MacBook for $100 less. I also got a "free" printer (after rebate). The whole thing wound up costing about $1,100. It's a lot of money, and paying the credit card bill was definitely painful. But, it was the only big ticket item I plan to purchase this year. And I could afford it.
Before I moved in, I had planned and budgeted for the purchase of both a bed and a dresser. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been sleeping on a klick-klack sofa since I graduated from college two years ago, mostly to conserve space in the small apartments I've lived in. The dresser I had in my last apartment was purchased from some dude on craigslist for $50 a year and a half prior, and was falling apart. I had about $1,000 budgeted for this; I wanted a nice matress/bed that would last for a long time, and can you blame me after I'd been sleeping on a glorified pull-out-sofa for almost two years?!
Well, when the previous tenant moved out, she left her bed and dresser behind for me. She'd bought the bed last December, so it was less than a year old, and the dresser was a relic from her grandmother's basement that she didn't want back. That means that I had $1,000 left on the table. Normally I'd throw that at my loans, or put some in savings, but there was one thing that I'd been wanting for a long time: a new computer.
My old computer, a Toshiba laptop that I purchased in January 2005, had died around January of this year. Well, it still works, technically, but the screen is too dark to make out much of anything. Sometime soon I'd like to hook it up to an external monitor so I can snag all my photos and stuff off there. Anyway, not only did I want a new computer, but I kind of needed one, too. One of my jobs is being a freelance fact-checker, and I've had to take shorter stories that I could do over my lunch breaks at work, which means that less was money coming in from that channel.
I had my sights set on a MacBook, for various reasons. One being that I knew it wouldn't die of spyware complications within a year, as Windows machines have a tendency to do. After much research, I went with the low end model and upgraded the memory, bringing up to speed with the higher end MacBook for $100 less. I also got a "free" printer (after rebate). The whole thing wound up costing about $1,100. It's a lot of money, and paying the credit card bill was definitely painful. But, it was the only big ticket item I plan to purchase this year. And I could afford it.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Cost of Moving
Even without having to throw down first/last/security, moving was one of the most stressful and expensive things I've done this year. Let's break it down.
First/last/security: $0
I didn't have to give anything to get into my place, other than my word that I'd stay here until the end of August 2009. Done!
Administrative costs: $150
I had to pay $150 administrative fee to my former landlord in order to get out of my lease. She said this was to cover the legal cost of having to draw up a lease for the new tenant. Kind of annoying, but keep in mind that I was able to get someone to rent my apartment for September 1 within less than a week of breaking my lease, so I wasn't liable for any rent costs while the apartment was vacant.
Cleaning costs: $80 + $20 tip = $100
My landlord requires each apartment to be professionally cleaned between tenants. She couldn't get her usual cleaning crew in there since August is the busiest month for people moving in/out of the building, so it became my responsibility. I asked one of the housekeepers at the inn to clean it, and she agreed to do it for $80.
Broker costs $470
By involving a broker in the renting of my old place, I had to agree to pay half the fee. I could've tried posting the apartment on craigslist and renting it myself, but my landlord was incredibly picky about who lived in the building and wanted to approve whoever I found. Since I didn't have the resources to do a background check and credit check on someone (which she, of course, does), I'd be at her mercy with this, and she was pissed that I was breaking my lease and not inclined to be helpful. I didn't want to hold things up and wind up having to pay rent for September (and possibly beyond) just because I hate to spend money. It hurt to shell out nearly $500 bucks for this, but the peace of mind was definitely worth.
Moving vehicle: $0
I didn't have to rent a moving van -- I was lucky enough to be able to use the inn's "company car" (an old Passat with a huge trunk from the owner's former business that now resides behind one of our inns), and my parents and boyfriend came to help. Between my parents' car and the inn's car, we were able to get everything here (just down the street, remember) in a handful of trips. The only thing that didn't fit in the cars was the klick-klack sofa frame, which my dad and boyfriend carried the three blocks down the street. In order to conserve space in the small apartments I've been living in, I've been sleeping on a klick-klack sofa for the past two and a half years. My back is super excited to finally have a real bed.
Painting costs: $90
Before I moved in, I decided to do something I'd never been able to do do in any apartment I'd ever lived in: paint. The living room was a steely shade of blue and the bathroom was a creamy baby blue; though I didn't love either of these colors, neither particularly offended me. The bedroom, however, was a mustard color that I simply couldn't live with. I decided to paint it taupe and get green apple bedding and accents for the room. The primer, paint, and painting supplies were pretty expensive, which definitely put the kibosh on any further painting endeavors, but I'm glad I did the bedroom, at least.
Decorating costs: $160
I lucked out and inherited an amazing bed, an antique dresser, love seat, and kitchen table and chairs from the girl who previously lived here. I really didn't have to buy any furniture, which was great, because I'd been planning to buy a bed and dresser when I moved in. This left a lot of money on the table, which I wound up using to buy a big ticket item I'd wanted for a long time (more on that in another post).
I did have to buy new bedding, bathmats, and some other little things. I was able to get a good break on the duvet cover from Crate & Barrel by purchasing it during tax-free weekend and using a $25 gift card I got for my birthday last year, bringing the cost from $110 down to $75. I purchased the bath mats at Kohls for $17, and the sheet set from Marshall's for $40. Along with some other little things, it wound up being less than $200. I plan to make a trip to Ikea sometime in the near future to buy some much needed curtains, throw pillows, and another set of sheets. I'm budgeting about $100 for that trip.
Total costs of moving: $970
This is a little more than what one month's rent would have cost at my old place, about the equivalent of having to pay a security deposit. At the end of this month, I'll get my security deposit back from my old landlord, almost breaking even.
First/last/security: $0
I didn't have to give anything to get into my place, other than my word that I'd stay here until the end of August 2009. Done!
Administrative costs: $150
I had to pay $150 administrative fee to my former landlord in order to get out of my lease. She said this was to cover the legal cost of having to draw up a lease for the new tenant. Kind of annoying, but keep in mind that I was able to get someone to rent my apartment for September 1 within less than a week of breaking my lease, so I wasn't liable for any rent costs while the apartment was vacant.
Cleaning costs: $80 + $20 tip = $100
My landlord requires each apartment to be professionally cleaned between tenants. She couldn't get her usual cleaning crew in there since August is the busiest month for people moving in/out of the building, so it became my responsibility. I asked one of the housekeepers at the inn to clean it, and she agreed to do it for $80.
Broker costs $470
By involving a broker in the renting of my old place, I had to agree to pay half the fee. I could've tried posting the apartment on craigslist and renting it myself, but my landlord was incredibly picky about who lived in the building and wanted to approve whoever I found. Since I didn't have the resources to do a background check and credit check on someone (which she, of course, does), I'd be at her mercy with this, and she was pissed that I was breaking my lease and not inclined to be helpful. I didn't want to hold things up and wind up having to pay rent for September (and possibly beyond) just because I hate to spend money. It hurt to shell out nearly $500 bucks for this, but the peace of mind was definitely worth.
Moving vehicle: $0
I didn't have to rent a moving van -- I was lucky enough to be able to use the inn's "company car" (an old Passat with a huge trunk from the owner's former business that now resides behind one of our inns), and my parents and boyfriend came to help. Between my parents' car and the inn's car, we were able to get everything here (just down the street, remember) in a handful of trips. The only thing that didn't fit in the cars was the klick-klack sofa frame, which my dad and boyfriend carried the three blocks down the street. In order to conserve space in the small apartments I've been living in, I've been sleeping on a klick-klack sofa for the past two and a half years. My back is super excited to finally have a real bed.
Painting costs: $90
Before I moved in, I decided to do something I'd never been able to do do in any apartment I'd ever lived in: paint. The living room was a steely shade of blue and the bathroom was a creamy baby blue; though I didn't love either of these colors, neither particularly offended me. The bedroom, however, was a mustard color that I simply couldn't live with. I decided to paint it taupe and get green apple bedding and accents for the room. The primer, paint, and painting supplies were pretty expensive, which definitely put the kibosh on any further painting endeavors, but I'm glad I did the bedroom, at least.
Decorating costs: $160
I lucked out and inherited an amazing bed, an antique dresser, love seat, and kitchen table and chairs from the girl who previously lived here. I really didn't have to buy any furniture, which was great, because I'd been planning to buy a bed and dresser when I moved in. This left a lot of money on the table, which I wound up using to buy a big ticket item I'd wanted for a long time (more on that in another post).
I did have to buy new bedding, bathmats, and some other little things. I was able to get a good break on the duvet cover from Crate & Barrel by purchasing it during tax-free weekend and using a $25 gift card I got for my birthday last year, bringing the cost from $110 down to $75. I purchased the bath mats at Kohls for $17, and the sheet set from Marshall's for $40. Along with some other little things, it wound up being less than $200. I plan to make a trip to Ikea sometime in the near future to buy some much needed curtains, throw pillows, and another set of sheets. I'm budgeting about $100 for that trip.
Total costs of moving: $970
This is a little more than what one month's rent would have cost at my old place, about the equivalent of having to pay a security deposit. At the end of this month, I'll get my security deposit back from my old landlord, almost breaking even.
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