Today, a Freelance Diaries by a former technology employee in San Francisco who was laid off a year ago, and is now a full-time freelance marketing consultant. Below, you’ll notice:

• Her work/life balance is blurred: She works out every day and takes a 2-hour lunch with no worries, but also works past 10pm many nights
• How there’s lots of “meta-work,” including administrative work, billing clients, and keeping them updated with her work
• She earns a $6,000 check — which is a 300% freelancer raise in less than 3 months (and a 30% raise from her former full-time job)

Once you’re done, take 5 seconds to sign up to learn specific strategies and tactics to earn more money at Earn1k.com.

Day 1 (a Monday)

9 a.m. Wake up and open my laptop. A year ago, I’d be rushing to my desk at this time, probably with some free breakfast in hand. Ah, the good days of free breakfasts… as a freelancer working from home, I don’t get that benefit anymore, nor do I get to chitchat with my coworkers every morning. Work pretty much starts as soon as I let it, but not having to rush off, commute or deal with a ‘manager’ makes it worth it.

10 a.m. Monday mornings I send a weekly update to a major client. I spend a full hour working on this single email because it’s where I talk about what I’ve done and why they should keep paying my fee.

Lesson Learned: Spending an hour on what seems like an administrative email seems long, but it’s turned out to be one of the most important ways to keep my client happy. My client gets almost no face-to-face time with me, so this is my way of showing up. I recap everything I accomplished in the previous week in terms of the objectives we set at the beginning of our relationship, and I outline my plans for the coming week. I make sure to emphasize results, not just tasks. I’ll use this email later when it’s time to raise my rates (“Last month, I accomplished XYZ. This month will be even bigger….”) This is the longest email I send to anybody all week.

11 a.m. Daily workout session. It’s so great to have the freedom to go to the 11:00 session — I don’t have to get up early and it’s never crowded. My friends think it’s weird / sketchy that I can go to work out in the middle of the day for 2 hours, especially since they’re not sure how I actually make money to afford stuff like this. I love perpetuating the mystery for them.

1 p.m. Time to get back to work.

4 p.m.: I’m feeling a little distracted, or maybe just tired from an intense afternoon of writing, so I decide to take a short walk. Not having in-person coworkers or a watercooler to distract me means that work can get surprisingly intense.

Lesson Learned: Giving myself intentional breaks away from the screen – and not just mindlessly surfing Facebook – are really helpful in restoring my mental energy, but don’t make me feel like I’ve been wasting time.

7 p.m. Dinner out with my boyfriend. Saves time on cooking / cleaning that I’ll use to do some work for a third client I’ve recently brought in.

9 p.m. Back in front of the screen, I switch to client #2. I always get a ton done between 9 p.m. and midnight, most people’s t.v. time. It can be annoying to work late, or to have stuff to do when everyone else is having fun, but then I remind myself that I already had my fun time – in the middle of the day while everyone else was at their cubicles.

Day 2

9 a.m. Sometimes I check my email on my phone from bed. I know everyone says this is bad, no boundaries, blahblah, etc. I tend to agree, but for some reason I always get a ton of emails from one client between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., so I’m a bit anxious to see what’s up.

My client appreciated the weekly update, but didn’t respond specifically to any of the questions / requests I put in it. Still no answer on the website budget from this client, but the deadline hasn’t changed. I usually like emails because they’re safe and allow me time to craft my communication, but some in some situations a phone call works best. I hate phone calls, but in this case I call my client to get a final answer on this so I can move on.

Lesson Learned: Because I get almost no face-time with clients, the immediacy of a phone call can be just as important as the long, detailed weekly emails I put together.

11 a.m. Work out again. It’s daily!

2 p.m. Today I have an in-person meeting with a potential client. I don’t like commuting around to in-person meetings, but sometimes these are the best way to pitch yourself. I know I’m much better in-person than on the phone, so if there’s a new client I really want to work with, I always try to get an in-person with them.

5 p.m. I’m back at home and doing some publicity work for a client. This means researching past news on competitors, writing stories, and calling up journalists to pitch them.

Day 3

9 a.m. Work, work, work. People tend to think freelancers can do whatever we want, whenever we want. It’s pretty much true – I could do that, but I actually need structure in order to get stuff done. When I first started freelancing, I loved the flexibility, but sort of lost sight of structure. I didn’t get a whole lot done each day, and I would always wonder why. Getting up and starting work at the same time every day gives my whole day structure so I can be productive.

11 a.m. You-know-what.

1 p.m. My client is sponsoring a big conference this week, so I spend the rest of the afternoon running around and making sure everything is in place.

Day 4

1 a.m. I am falling asleep when I hear a “bzzz. bzzz. bzzz.” Oh no… a series of text messages. No one ever texts me at this time of night just for fun. I wish I could just pretend I hadn’t heard it, but I drag myself out of bed to see what’s up.

My client has a public image emergency. Business journalists and bloggers rarely work on a 9 to 5 schedule, so that means I don’t either. I’m told that a huge last-minute story about my client’s company is going to break in less than an hour. They need me to produce a public statement and letter to my client’s customers. I am on Skype with the co-founder and corporate counsel well into the wee hours of the morning.

Here’s where being a freelance consultant hurts me: I’ve done a good job, so I’m close with the company. But, I am still a freelancer, so I’m not that close from a legal and business perspective. For legal reasons, it’s common for me not to hear about developments like this until they’re already happening. Like at 1 a.m.

10 a.m. I am tired. This would never have happened at my old job, which, despite its many shortcomings, always ended with the regular workday.

11 a.m. Somehow I still manage to go to work out. Maybe this freelancing deal is not so bad after all — I’d be stuck at my desk looking at a spreadsheet if it were my old job.

1 p.m. Lunch with a friend who’s also a freelance consultant. It feels great to be sitting around at this restaurant in the middle of the day. Neither of us looks at our watches.

3 p.m. This week has been heavy for one client, so I devote the remainder of my afternoon to monitoring press reactions and preparing for their conference.

7 p.m. All I want to do is stare at the ceiling, but I need to spend some time tending to my other clients. It’ll be a working dinner tonight.

Day 5

7 a.m. Ah, Friday. Friday still feels like Friday to me, even as a freelancer making my own schedule. I’m helping my client at their big conference today so I’m up early.

2 p.m. I’ve spent all morning running my client’s booth, making sure speaking spots have gone well, and meeting new people. Here’s my thinking: my contract with my current client will inevitably end, so attending industry events like this one makes sure that I get visibility with other potential clients. It can be exhausting, but it works better than sending ‘cold’ emails to people I don’t know very well–emails are pretty easy to ignore, while face-to-face conversations are hard to forget.

An extra note: I do marketing, so one way I get through these conferences is by thinking of them in terms of audiences. Here, my primary audience is my client. For me right now, that’s the person I need to impress most. But actually, it doesn’t stop at that person. I have a secondary audience: my client’s peers and/or competitors. These people might turn into clients if they see and like the results of my work. In my view, I even a tertiary audience – people who will never become my clients, but who might talk about me to potential clients if they’re impressed with what they see.

These are some of the things going through my head as I walk around and talk to people at this conference. I actually get really nervous talking to people I don’t know well, but I know I have to do it if I want to make my freelance consulting thrive. I pretend that I’m somebody gregarious – and I make sure I have a set of things to talk about that I can fall back on.

By the end of the day, I’m all talked-out and just want to go home and stare at the wall. The good thing is, I did have a couple of decent conversations and people that I’ll follow up with via email (I never use business cards – remind me too much of a used car salesman, but that’s just my take on it).

Day 6

11 a.m. I get up late! Unlike some freelancers and consultants I know, I don’t do any official work on Saturdays or Sundays. I do, however, work on experimental projects that often end up netting me more income. I also catch up on stuff that supports my business, but isn’t directly income-generating. Stuff like reading industry blogs, reading people’s Twitter feeds, maybe writing a blog post.

1 p.m. A fat check arrives in the mail. It’s for over $6k– more than 3 times fatter than the checks I used to get as a freelancer 3 months ago.

7 p.m. I go to a dinner party with a client who’s now also become a friend. Lots of people in my industry are at this party, so there’s plenty to talk about and ideas to throw around. I’ve developed social relationships with a lot of the people I work with, and have found it be a big source of new projects. All else being equal, most people would rather work with friends than with random strangers.

Day 7

11 a.m. Catching up on administrative stuff. Working for myself means that I spend my own time to take care of business essentials like billing, accounting, marketing and sales. That’s all stuff I don’t get to invoice somebody for, so it often ends up getting done in my ‘off’ time, on the weekends.

6 p.m. The workweek for me really starts on Sunday evening. It’s my time to ready myself for the coming week and queue up stuff to launch on Monday morning.

8 p.m. Dinner with friends from my old corporate job. They complain about their jobs and their executives and tell me how lucky I am not to work there anymore. Nobody really gets what I do all week, and they’re continually confused as to how/why I have money. I don’t tell them that I actually make 30% more as a freelancer than I did when I was working next to them. I tell them they could be freelancers too, or at least start it on the side, but their eyes just glaze over. Shrug. I guess that means less competition for me, but fewer 3-hour lunch buddies.

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Below, you’ll notice:

• He now makes 3 times what he made at his fulltime job — but he still nets less overall
• His tactics for managing his clients
• Weaving lifestyle (video games from 3:30pm – 6:00pm) with work

Be sure to sign up at Earn1k to get specific scripts on increasing your rates, managing clients, and using psychology against yourself to keep motivated.

“I’m a freelance project manager. Which I know sounds weird. Project management, I always thought, was one of those made-up corporate jobs, kind of like that one guy from Office Space who deals with people so the engineers don’t have to. You’ve seen it, right? Of course you have.

In reality, project management basically just means I get paid to make sure things get done. It’s incredibly valuable to companies that are disorganized or run tight deadlines. The hard part is packaging it because it’s not often perceived as high-value (kind of like how most people think they know how to write well).

The trick for me is, I never position myself as a project manager when first pitching to a client. I’m usually brought on to do something small, like a writing project or a PR project. At some point, the client realizes their organization/communication flow used to suck and I’m making it better. So after that I usually just end up being a project manager. That’s the classic “sell them what they want, give them what they need” technique, I guess.

Anyways, here’s my Diary.”

Day 1

6 am: Wake up. Yeahhh, freelancing doesn’t always mean you get to sleep all day. Although sometimes it does!

7am: Drive over to a coffee shop to start working. I have noticed that good, work-friendly coffee shops (meaning they don’t have screaming children or broken tables) are rare. The only one in town worth going to costs $5 a cup, and parking there sucks. But it’s worth it. My time is important, so I try to save it any way I can.

8am: I spend a few hours at the coffee shop doing some work, following up on deadlines, shooting emails. No interruptions or random requests from clients, which is nice. I know you’re not supposed to leave your email open all day (the 4-Hour Workweek people tell me so) but whatever. I like to be responsive to clients, and I have a good process for handling email already.

2pm: My productivity level is dropping off. I guess that’s why I get up at 6 to work. Once I hit that “I don’t feel like working anymore” zone, I usually stop and pick it back up in the evening. So I drive home.

3:30pm – 6pm: Playing video games… nothing to see here. Man, I don’t miss my old job.

12 am: I catch up on some work. I’ve figured out that I do my best creative work at night, and like to power through stuff (menial work, invoicing, etc.) in the mornings. I’m a big believer in finding out what times you do your best work, then sticking to that.

Day 2

8am: I check my messages and see that I have one from my client (I turn off my phone at night. Boundaries, you know?). Apparently, he got his laptop stolen. Oh, and he wasn’t backing his stuff up, despite my recommendations to do so, so we’ll fall behind on one of our projects. Great.

Sometimes, clients will simply not do what you recommend – EVEN WHEN THEY AGREE WITH IT. They just ignore stuff. You have to live with that, I guess. Sometimes it’s not just about telling your clients what they should do, or lecturing them – it’s also being realistic about what they WILL do and working around that.

9am: At the coffee shop again. I work best in 4-hour bursts.

6pm: And yet, I’m still here… so I go home after sending a weekly email update to my clients. They don’t ask for it, but they always respond well and seem to like knowing what I’m doing. I guess it’s better than them wondering what I’m up to.

Day 3

10 am: Irritating. I like my client, but he absolutely doesn’t take ANY time to spell check his emails. I get something like this:

“cn weht \ time tmr?

Or what si itcan you telme minalkj

Otahnxk”

WHAT??? I’m not sure what to do with this. Usually I reply to confirm what I think he’s saying. I can’t really think of a nice way to say “Hey, it would really make me less irritated all the time if you spell-checked your emails.”

1pm: Write a pitch to a new prospect. Let’s see if it works out. I don’t pitch that often (I’m pretty happy with my current clients) but you never know what will be the next big thing, I guess. I keep the door open for stuff like that.

2pm: I have a tip – always, always keep track of what you spend your hours on, even if you think your client doesn’t care about the little details. My client never asked me before, then he suddenly calls me and is like “Hey these 20 hours – what are they for?”

It wasn’t a big deal, and of course I figured it out eventually but for a few seconds I was like “UHHHH… hm…” Lesson learned.

4pm: Here’s another tip: don’t drink and work.

Day 4

10 am: Spend 2 hours on a conference call with clients. They’re always traveling and in different time zones, so finding time to chat is difficult. Plus the calls themselves are pretty useless. I’ve realized that sometimes, clients just want someone to talk to and explain every little detail of what they’re doing. I’m like their therapist.

1pm: Finished writing a ridiculously long email with detailed notes from our call. Send it off to the clients, because they’re horribly unorganized (still). I can tell it helps them think about things more clearly, and they appreciate it a LOT.

These guys are really gushy too. They reply back with things like:

“Thank you SO SO SOOOO much for this.”

“thanks… you are incredibly professional and thoughtful and I am deeply grateful for your hard work and dedication.”

Good. I keep all this stuff in mind when it comes time to raise my rates.

9pm: My parents, both engineers, don’t really get what I do. I just tell them I do business stuff. They always ask me if I need money.

I guess it’s nice to know I have a safety net. I’m not opposed to the idea of asking for help if I need it – I’m just not that prideful I guess.

Day 5

11 am: Some days I just don’t feel like working. So I won’t today. It’s Friday, which is practically Saturday anyways. Ah, freelancing is nice after all.

People always go “wahh lucky” when I tell them stuff like this and I’m like hey screw you. I don’t get paid vacation and sick days, you ass. And it wasn’t just luck (although I admit luck helps).

1pm: As I write this, I’m thinking: It’s good to have flexibility. It’s good for my motivation. Now, when I take a day off, I usually charge into the next day with a roar and get really pumped up about knocking out work tasks. It was the opposite when I used to work as a management consultant at a top-tier firm. I dreaded Monday mornings.

I haven’t done a detailed analysis of the numbers, but I estimate that back then, I worked 60 hours a week (I worked from home all the time) for 50 weeks = 3000 hours. Let’s take my salary, around 60K, that makes my time roughly worth $20/hr.

Now I work fewer hours (about 40), and I charge $60/hr. And while you might think, Wow! $60/hour, that’s like $120,000 a year! You’re way richer now! No, because less than half of those hours are chargeable. Plus, I haven’t factored in benefits, 401(k) matching and the biggie: paid health insurance. All things factored in, I’m still making less than before.

Yeah, sorry to be a downer. But hey, new businesses take time to grow and things are looking positive so far. And I’m increasing my rates this year.

Day 6

11 am: It’s Saturday now, which basically means nothing to me. Back to the coffee shop. Most of the time, I work 7 days a week.

3pm: That’s as good a time as any to call it a day, at least for the client work.

4pm: One thing I like about my work is I can spend more free time on other, “riskier” business ventures. Right now a partner and I are working on a new product together, so I do some of the market research work at home for a few hours.

Day 7

1pm: On Sundays, I like to spend some time learning new things. Right now I’m watching a training program on product development. Very interesting stuff.

It’s hard to get over the fact that I’d be paid to watch this if I had a real job – instead I’m paying for it myself. But I really believe in consistently gaining new skills in order to grow.

4pm: Writing a Craigslist post for some help the clients want to hire. Not really what I was hired to do, but if they’re paying, I won’t complain. Yet another reason why I like charging by the hour – too many variables in project pricing.

5pm: I invoice one client, clean up my notes, and get ready for tomorrow.

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Today’s post is by a 27-year-old woman who lives in San Francisco without a car, and commutes by train to work. She tracks her spending extremely well. But does she ignore the Big Wins to focus on smaller savings?

* * *

Day 1
7:30 a.m.: Saturday. Wake up around the time I get up for work. A little annoyed but I can’t fall back asleep so I get up and get coffee at the specialty coffee shop down the street. They are a little expensive, but really good so I try to limit myself to one a week. Spent $3. On my way out I pick up a check at the front desk. I rent out my parking space and it’s the beginning of the month. Gain $250.
10:20 a.m.: Resisted the urge to buy breakfast while I was out, thinking I could whip up something at home. I have bacon but don’t have eggs. I don’t have anything to make for lunch next week either…so I decide it’s time to go grocery shopping. I get some ham, eggs and hotdogs and the rest is all frozen pre-made food, which I know is bad but I promise myself I will try to eat some fruits and veg this week as well. $2 for the bus, $47.21 at Trader Joe’s.
12:30 p.m.: No plans today so I’m just staying home and cleaning up my apartment and other tasks that I’ve put off all week. I get on my computer and check email and various blogs, and then the I tally up what I’ve spent this week and enter it into a Google spreadsheet. I track every penny I spend. It sounds a bit weird to most people but I really rather enjoy it and finding out how much I spend on stuff. I usually try to enter it as soon as I get to a computer, but sometimes receipts just pile up. For purchases without a receipt I make a note on my iphone. It’s really just informational for me since I make enough now to cover anything I could want to buy, but I started doing it when I was a poor grad student to make sure I wasn’t spending more than I brought home. Since the beginning of the month I add up my expenses for last month. Without counting rent, I’ve spent a total of $1967.30 for the month of September and it breaks down as follows: $117.75 for transportation; $235 for health care; $140.29 eating out; $153.18 for alcohol/wine; $757.83 for household things (including a couch off craigslist for $680); $12.05 for toiletries; $134.76 for electronics (bought a GPS); $34.97 in entertainment (tickets to museums, movies, shows etc; Netflix subscription) and $32.94 in misc stuff. Some of the things I split with my boyfriend, like the couch and the Netflix subscription. For those curious, my rent is $2,020 a month for a one-bedroom in San Francisco which I split with my boyfriend. I also look up how much I’ve spent on my phone minutes. I don’t talk on the phone a lot so I’m on a T-mobile pay-as-you-go plan on an jailbroken iPhone. September’s phone minutes cost $14.03. I get data from wherever there is open wifi access. I get the mail and Wired mag has sent me yet another renewal notice. It’s actually close to renewal time so I decide to finally do it. $20 for a 2-year subscription.
2 p.m.: I get a couple of emails from various financial intuitions about successful money transfers. I schedule nominal amounts (~$150) of money to be pulled out of my checking to my savings and an index fund after every paycheck, just so I’m saving and investing but I don’t have to think about it. The start of a new month is always an interesting time for my finances, but now everything is in order and I can get off the computer. Phew!
4 p.m.: For the rest of the day I putter around the apartment while streaming Netflix. Total spent today: $72.21. Total gained: $250

Day 2
9:30 a.m.: Sunday. Get up, shower and make myself a nice breakfast of eggs, ham and toast and a cup of Earl Grey tea. I park myself in front of the computer while I eat and read the news. Unemployment is at 9.8% now. Thankfully we both still have our jobs. I chat with boyfriend on skype. He’s out of the country and coming back on Wednesday.
12:20 p.m.: I take the bus to meet up a couple of friends for snacks and drinks. We’re going to the premiere of an indie film that we all worked on, and then having dinner afterwards. Bus fare there $2, Snack and drinks pre-show $25, Tacos afterwards $14. I bought 2 tickets for the event last week for $20, so I’m not sure if I’m supposed to count it for today.
9:15 p.m.: Bus Fare Home: $2. Total spent today: $43 (doesn’t include the tickets I paid for last week.)

Day 3
7:30 a.m.: Monday. Get up, get ready for work and make a cup of tea. I walk 5 minutes to the train station, grab a free newspaper and enjoy the ride. I have a monthly pass that is taken out of my pay pre-tax. A free shuttle connects the train station to the building where I work. Recent layoffs at work has increased my workload a bit, so I have a busy day ahead.
11:15 a.m.: Get bored with work so I decide to check my bank account for suspicious activity. Everything looks normal, as it does most of the time. I have about $1,750 in my checking account and $36 in credit card charges. The $1,750 is my budget for this month (not including rent), which equals about one paycheck. Every month I “zero out” my checking account by moving any money left to an ING savings account and only spend what I earn that month. It sounds nutty but that’s how I keep a budget. If I spend over that amount I have to really think if it is worth the hassle of pulling it back out of my ING account. I’ve tracked my spending for long enough to know that’s more than enough for most months – so I tend to spend my money freely.
12 a.m.: Lunch time! I have some pre-packaged Indian food from my Trader Joe’s run on Saturday.
4 p.m.: Around this time I start to zone out and think about dinner. I poke around epicurious for delicious looking recipes. Something baked would be nice….
6:44 p.m.: I arrive back in the city. I was interrupted with work while on my recipe search so I won’t be cooking tonight. I come home and bake a goat cheese pizza I got on Saturday and pour myself a glass of wine.
7 p.m.: I eat in front of the TV, putting in the Netflix DVD I got in the mail today and relax for the rest of the evening. Total spent today: $0

Day 4
7:30 a.m.: Tuesday. Same routine as yesterday. My weekdays pretty much all look the same, but this week is interesting because I’m taking Wednesday to Friday off!
9 a.m.: UGH. Arrive at work. Since I’m gone the rest of the week I have a bunch of meetings crammed into today, plus there is work I need to hand off before I run off on vacation.
11:40 a.m.: Coworker’s farewell lunch. A very delicious $20.
5:50 p.m.: Train arrives back in the city. I decide to eat something fresh tonight so I go to the grocery store across the street from the train station. I pick up an Ahi tuna steak, some yogurt and a pineapple. I live so close to the grocery store that when I buy fresh stuff I only buy for one meal. Spent $10.30
6:15 p.m.: Come home, pour a glass of wine, and make some rice. I sear the tuna and enjoy my dinner in front of the TV. Snack on pineapple the rest of the evening.
8:36 p.m.: Get kind of bored and surf Target.com. There’s a ring I’ve been eyeing but last time I checked it was sold out. OH WOW I CAN’T BELIEVE IT it’s back in stock.You get free shipping if you spend $50, so I look around and find some shoes and sweater that is suitable for work. Total for my order is $67.86. Total Spent today: $98.16

Day 5
7:30 a.m.: Wednesday. OMG vacation! Why am I up? Stupid alarm clock… I stay in bed reading the news on my iPhone out of principle.
9 a.m.: Boyfriend’s plane arrives around 1 p.m. I pace around and decide to go downtown to watch tourists. I get a latte at Starbucks ($2.90) and buy some eye cream at Sephora ($43.80), plus bus fare for $2
11:25 a.m.: Come back home and check plane status — estimated arrival is 20 minutes early. I log on to Zipcar and book a car. WTF! the car that’s parked in my building is already booked! I guess I should have done it earlier….Instead, I book a car that’s a block away. Current estimate for Zipcar charges is $28.74 for a 3 hour reservation. Boyfriend will expense that as part of his trip so I won’t be paying for it.
1:30 p.m.: Pick up boyfriend at the airport. Since we don’t have a car, often we decide to go shopping for heavy things when we get a Zipcar. We get a bag of rice and a case of my favorite wine plus some other groceries while we’re at it. Total grocery: 169.06
5 p.m.: We unpack for a bit and then head down to happy hour at the sushi place down the street. 4 rolls, 3 cocktails and 1 beer later, we are out $45.22 Total Spent today: 262.98. A bit much for one day but that bag of rice and case of wine will last for a while.

Day 6
8 a.m.: Thursday. I make breakfast while boyfriend makes coffee. We both have the rest of the week off, which is nice.
12:30 p.m.: We decide to have a day of unpacking at home, but for lunch we make a trek to our favorite taco truck. Their burritos are huge so we split one ($7.50). The truck is halfway to Trader Joe’s so we go check it out. We have plenty of food at home already so we didn’t buy much – just some more ham for breakfast and some ground beef and chicken stock. Total $16.31 + $4 bus fare.
2 p.m.: My body lotion stopped pumping this morning so I take a knife and cut open the bottle. I can get another several weeks of lotion just digging out what’s left on the bottom. Since I’m writing this diary I can imagine Ramit mocking my “frugal” habits while throwing a cup of pennies over his head – LOL. To each his own, I guess, but I don’t get the attitude that I should be wasteful just because I can afford to be. I also reuse my ziplock bags depending on what was in it and save medium to large cottage cheese or yogurt containers, but that’s another story for another day. I am a firm believer in the saying “waste not, want not.” It wasn’t until recently that I became this affluent (and by affluent I mean thoroughly middle class), and I’m not going to take it for granted. Total spent today: $27.81

Day 7
8:30 a.m.: Friday. I have to say, my ham breakfast is delicious.
11:30 a.m.: I feel like a shopping trip today so we take the car out to Ikea, Target and Petsmart. Zipcar for 3.5 hours ($33.54); Bridge Toll ($4); Target (clothes hangers and cleaning supplies – $4.68); Ikea (plant, cushion, pet toy and a soft serve – $21.83); Petsmart – Forty some odd dollars, but I have a $100 gift card from my credit card rewards.
3 p.m.: I check my email and PG&E has sent me a bill. $22.99 for last month that I pay right away.
5:15 p.m.: Happy hour! There’s a place nearby that is doing 50c oysters and I love oysters. Total $38.00 for the oysters and drinks. Afterward, we take a walk up the Embarcadero (the waterfront) and watch tourists at Fisherman’s Wharf.
9 p.m.: $4 bus fare back home. Total spent today: 129.04

In Sum
Total for the week: $633.20. It’s a bit much for a typical week, but I was on vacation for a good chunk of it. Most of the spending was on food, either eating out or grocery and I also stocked up staples (as much as wine is a “staple”). It’s still early in the month but I’m well within my budget so I should be fine the rest of the month. I am perfectly at ease with my spending this week.

My thoughts

• I love that she rents out her parking space to earn $250/month. If you’re interested in earning more, I’ll be announcing something next month…sign up here to get details first.
• I don’t know how long she’s been tracking her money, but she’s skilled at managing costs and monitoring her spending.
• She understands her own behavior and how to strategically apply barriers to control her behavior. Here’s a good sign of someone who’s expert at self-awareness: “If I spend over that amount I have to really think if it is worth the hassle of pulling it back out of my ING account. I’ve tracked my spending for long enough to know that’s more than enough for most months – so I tend to spend my money freely.”
• This is a move right out of my parents’ handbook: “My body lotion stopped pumping this morning so I take a knife and cut open the bottle.” I laughed out loud. My parents add water to the shampoo bottles.
• I’m a huge fan of how she takes vacation and enjoys it without guilt. That’s Conscious Spending at its best.
• Overall, I’m impressed with her self-awareness and control. This is someone who has a smooth financial system. Next steps include earning more (at work and on the side), investing more, double-checking her asset allocation, and planning for longer-term events. But these are natural and completely manageable from her current level.

Save hundreds per month. I’ve recently added new premium tips to The Scrooge Strategy to help you save money, including:

• How to save 20% on restaurants (this alone saves me hundreds per year)
• How to travel to the 10th-most expensive city in the world
• How to cut your cable costs and get them to pay YOU

…and lots more. Sign up for a 1-month free trial at The Scrooge Strategy.

Today’s entry is by a 25-year-old single mother. This woman’s spending is definitely troubling — she spends 8% of her take-home pay on self-described “bad habits,” including cigarettes and writing bad checks. But be careful: It’s easy to say, “Why don’t people just SPEND LESS??!” without understanding the full context of why they do what they do.

* * *

Day 1
6:45 a.m.: I call my bank to make sure that nothing unexpected has been withdrawn from my checking account. I breathe a sigh of relief. The balance is right where I left it: $2.24. I rouse my three-year-old, special needs daughter from sleep and take her to the bus stop.
8:26 a.m.: Am displeased to find I fell back asleep after taking my daughter down to catch her bus — I’m supposed to be at work at 9:00! I contemplate calling a cab, but know I can’t afford it, period. I get ready and run to the bus stop.
8:43 a.m.: Arrive at bus stop. I see the college kids waiting. I envy them, but there’s no time for expanding my mind when it’s imperative that I expand my bank account.
10 a.m.: Slam my hands on my keyboard when I realize I have forgotten my lunch.
12:15 p.m.: Spend $5.18 for a hefty serving of garlic chicken and rice on top of shredded cabbage. Yummy!
12:45 p.m.: Go to the convenience store and get a Coke and a pack of cigarettes ($0.85 for the Coke, $6.35 for the cheapest pack of cigarettes). Feeling guilty about spending money on cigarettes and Coke, I make a vow to quit both by payday. Unfortunately, this is about the thirtieth time I’ve made this vow.
6 p.m.: Get home and make the kiddo chicken nuggets and canned vegetables. Use the last of the milk, and hope that she’ll be okay drinking water for the following two nights.

Day 2
12 p.m.: Use the loose change in my purse to buy a Coke ($0.85). Sit outside my office on a gorgeous Honolulu afternoon to drink my soda and eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I’m broke, but at least I’m broke in paradise.
12:30 p.m.: Call MOHELA and beg for another deferment on my student loans. They comply.
7 p.m.: Begin to panic at the fact that I only have one cigarette left. Go into the living room and beg mom to loan me a pack until I get paid on Thursday. She reluctantly agrees.

Day 3
9 a.m.: Use one of the dollars to buy a Coke ($0.85).
12:15 p.m.: Use another bill to buy a Coke ($0.85).
5:07 p.m.: Grumble at the high price of food in Hawaii ($6.99 for a gallon of milk!). Write a bad check to cover the cost of food ($109.97). Wish I could go back to Missouri, where everything is cheaper. Also realize if I didn’t live with Mom, I’d starve.
7:45 p.m.: Beg Mom for another pack of smokes.

Day 4
8:15 a.m.: PAYDAY! Thank God! It’s the first of the month, and it’s the “big” pay day because I also get my daughter’s social security and my childcare assistance. In total, I receive $1,381 on the first of each month.
8:45 a.m.: Get to the office and use the internet to pay bills and buy my daughter’s birthday presents from Amazon. Birthday presents: $71.50 Phone bill: $82.50 Student loan: $60 (this loan I couldn’t defer because I am delinquent in payments). Miss K: $25 (Post-dated check to a friend for babysitting for me last week). Old Navy online: $28.52 (two shirts for kiddo, three shirts for me).
12 p.m.: Go to used bookstore by my office and buy four books to read over the next two weeks ($21.43).
5:15 p.m.: Pay my daughter’s sitter $325 for partial month payment (total/month = $650).
5:30 p.m.: I shove my way through the clogged aisles of Wal-Mart to buy two jumbo packs of diapers and one value pack of baby wipes. At the checkout stand, daughter has screaming meltdown complete with hair pulling and punches to my face. Total for Wal-Mart: $37.53.
6:45 p.m.: Realize I forgot to buy smokes at Wal-Mart while waiting for the bus. Take one look at my screaming, crying child and decide to suck it up and buy them at the corner store were the cheapest brand is $8.96! Also buy monthly bus pass ($50).
7:30 p.m.: Pay Mom $350 for what remains of my portion of this month’s rent (total/month = $600). Am glad I contributed some of last pay period’s earnings to the rent.
8:30 p.m.: Count what remains of payday: $212.83, after subtracting the money to cover my bad check for groceries. Feel pretty proud until I realize that I have to buy the kid’s Halloween costume! Damn!
9:15 p.m.: Go down to corner store and buy six pack of Coke ($4.96).

Day 5
12 p.m.: Take off work early to take kiddo to her neurology appointment. The half day off comes out of my pay because I have used all my vacation days for taking time off for various doctors’ appointments and illnesses.
1 p.m.: Am not pleased to learn that I did not pay for the last visit’s co-pay. Must shell out $28 to cover today’s visit and the visit we had six months ago.
2 p.m.: Frustrated that I have to take off work and pay co-pays only to hear doctors tell me they have no idea what’s causing my daughter’s delays.
3 p.m.: Stop for Jamba Juice ($4.37).
5:30 p.m.: Mom reminds me that I owe her two packs of cigarettes. Walk to Wal-Mart for three packs of cigarettes for me, one for Mom ($31.75).
8:15 p.m.: Bored. To entertain myself, I spend an hour texting my ex-boyfriend who moved to Louisiana a few months ago. I splurge for unlimited text messaging because it’s a fairly cheap form of entertainment. Wish I had the money to go visit friends on the mainland, especially this friend.

Day 6
11 a.m.: It’s the last day of my daughter’s swimming lessons! They were worth the $96.
12 p.m.: Take kiddo to McDonald’s to celebrate her swimming achievements ($9.60 for her meal and mine). Wonder if it’s sad that I consider McDonald’s a luxury. Decide yes, that is very sad.
1:45 p.m.: Mom watches kiddo while I pick up her Halloween costume. She’s going to be a ladybug ($34.97).
10 p.m.: Talk Mom into babysitting my daughter while she sleeps so I can go out. Go to my favorite bar and talk some guys into buying me drinks. Even talk one guy into buying me a hot dog from the vendor outside the bar. Sweet.
1:15 a.m.: Buy cigarettes from the bar ($7) because I smoked the ones I brought.
2:30 a.m.: Take a cab home ($10.80). Worth the money to stay safe.

Day 7
12 p.m.: Make my weekly calls to mainland friends (free minutes on the weekends!). Get irritated when a friend grumbles about her financial situation because she’s better off than I am. Try to remember that her problems seem just as big to her as mine do to me, but it doesn’t help.
7:15 p.m.: Congratulate myself on not spending any money today!
9 p.m.: Run down to the corner store for a six pack of Coke and a candy bar ($5.87).
10 p.m.: Feel bummed because I won’t have any money to spend on myself on my upcoming birthday. Hope kindly relatives send me cash in the mail this week!

In Sum
Money spent on bills: $845.50
Money spent on kiddo: $183.00
Money spent on food: $130.03
Money spent on bad habits: $67.38
Money spent on transportation: $60.80
Money spent on me: $35.95
Money left over: $61.08 (this is what I must survive on until next pay day, eleven days away… think I can make it?).

* * *

How would you try to help this person? Note from 10 years of doing this and learning about people’s money behaviors: “Helping” usually starts with (1) them wanting help, (2) you listening and understanding before rushing in with “solutions,” and (3) some way of sustaining the behavioral change.

So what would you do?

[Update]: Please read comment #8 before you leave a comment.

* * *

Read other Money Diaries. Or to be featured anonymously in a future Money Diary, click here.

This week’s post is by a 36-year-old IT professional who describes himself as a “fledgling financial connoisseur.” He’s still working out the kinks to automating his finances and actively implementing my Scrooge Strategy tips. Read on to see how he’s doing — and notice how there’s a transition period between not managing your money and getting it fully automated.

* * *

Day 1
5:50 a.m.: Wake up and check email. Notification that EZTag has automatically charged $40 to my check card. Also see email reminders for electric bill and gas bill (~$219 and ~$26), but they are both due in 2 weeks, well after my next paycheck. $40.
6:45 a.m.: Arrive at work and eat breakfast – a granola bar and apple that I brought from home. Since I eat lunch out almost every day, I try to at least bring my breakfast.
11:40 a.m.: The work crew wants to go to the local Thai buffet for lunch. $12 including tip.
3:50 p.m.: Get roped into going to a work social for a few drinks after work. $20 including tip.
6:40 p.m.: Fill the gas tank up on the way home from the work social. $31.08
6:50 p.m.: Check mail when I get home. Totally unexpected bill from the radiologist for $231.34. I’ll have to remember to phone my oncologist and/or insurance provider next week to find out why this portion wasn’t covered by my “100% plan” health insurance, especially since the procedure was “covered” by a copay. I expect the run around, but thankfully we have an emergency fund setup just for this type of thing.
7:45 p.m.: Make our grocery list for tomorrow. It’s decidedly thin, since we spent so much for 4th of July weekend. Net cash outlay for day 1: $103.08. Looking forward to the upcoming weekend, we usually spend less money than during the week.

Day 2
7:45 a.m.: Arrive at work, get invited to breakfast. I had already eaten my apple and granola bar so passed on breakfast, but joined them and had a coffee instead. $1.86
10:40 a.m.: Receive email that my company’s semi-annual employee discount stock distribution has been deposited to my stock account. +$4495.39 available for withdrawal once it clears. Need to discuss with my wife how we want to distribute the proceeds (typically we put 25% in savings, 50% towards debt, and reserve 25% for “guilt-free spending.” I really regret not contributing the maximum allowed for the full enrollment period.
11:30 a.m.: Go to lunch at a local dive. Had a jalapeno/cheese chicken sandwhich. $10 including tip.
2:30 p.m.: Login to ING to initiate a distribution from my Homeowners Association and Car Insurance subaccounts. Both are due by the end of the month. $61o and $450. Will fire off payments once it clears and I receive the invoice for my car insurance.
5:45 p.m.: Go to the mall to exchange some drinking glasses that we bought a couple of weeks ago for a different color. End up getting +$3.65 cash back for the exchange.
5:55 p.m.: Buy an espresso from Starbucks on the way out of the mall. $2
6:45 p.m.: Weekly grocery shopping trip. We shop at a different Kroger than normal this week since it was on the way home from the mall. End up seeing some friends and get asked out for dinner. Kroger was out of my wife’s favorite yogurt, I’ll have to remember to pick up some tomorrow. Somehow our “thin” grocery list still cost $68.26.
8 p.m.: Dinner with friends at a sushi bar/Chinese restaurant. $26 including tip. Net cash outlay for day 2: $104.47.

Day 3
8:25 a.m.: Head to my parents to help them go grocery shopping. Stop at Starbucks for a coffee. $2
11:30 a.m.: Go to Whole Foods for lunch and a few things. $28.61
12:45 p.m.: Wife goes to Sally Beauty Supply to pick up a few cosmetics. $14.38
4 p.m.: Head to Randalls to pick up produce and some ice cream. $22.36
7:15 p.m.: Go to Kroger to get the yogurt they were sold out of yesterday. $2
7:25 p.m.: Pick up an espresso on the way home. $2
10:22 p.m.: Read “Scrooge Strategy: Save hundreds by not spending money in the first place” email. Discuss with my wife. We cancel 4 online gaming subscriptions that we haven’t used in months, and decide to open an ING subaccount to save for a really nice espresso machine (and pertinent accessories) to satiate my espresso habit. Net result: $60/month extra go into savings instead of paying for something we don’t use, and in a few months we’ll have a nice espresso machine out of the deal. Awesome. Net cash outlay for day 3: $71.35.

Day 4
Took our little doggie to the dogpark, but otherwise stayed home. Cooked all our meals at home. No cash expenses today, yay! Net cash outlay for day 4: $0.

Day 5
7:30 a.m.: Breakfast courtesy of work – new team moved to our floor (they closed down another office location and merged the two) so they had a catered continental breakfast. $0
11:45 a.m.: Lunch crew met a former colleague at Berryhill Baja Grill for fish tacos and seafood burritos. Lunch comped as a business meeting. $0
4:55 p.m.: Filled up the gas tank again. $30.06
7:45 p.m.: Mowers finally show up to mow/trim/weed the lawn. They’ll charge me tomorrow for their services tonight. Net cash outlay for day 5: $30.06

Day 6
7:45 a.m.: Regular breakfast at work (apple & granola bar). $0
9:15 a.m.: Receive lawn services invoice & receipt via email. $35.36 after taxes.
11:30 a.m.: Kung pao shrimp at local Chinese restaurant. $8 including tip.
2:00 p.m.: Pay July car payment. $322
2:05 p.m.: Tomorrow is payday so I pay extra on the credit card bill – 3x monthly minimum. $100
4:45 p.m.: Meet my brother at Buffalo Wild Wings for a few drinks after work. $22 including tip.
8:45 p.m.: Wife and I go to the local butcher to stock up on pork baby back ribs & pork tenderloin which is on sale. Get 4 racks of ribs (and a few other things), and a rain check on the pork tenderloin. $51.78 total.
9:07 p.m.: Login to checking account and see that my ING withdrawal has cleared. +$1060. Will pay homeowners association tomorrow. Still waiting on semi-annual insurance invoice so I can pay that… Net cash outlay for day 6: $539.14

Day 7
5:00 a.m.: Woke up early. Breakfast at home, and fix lunch to take to work.
6:25 a.m.: Arrive at work. It’s Payday! Login to my bank account, credit accounts, savings accounts, etc to make sure my “automatic savings plan” and “automatic payments” all cleared. Net cash result to checking after 401k, savings, discount stock plan, credit card payments, mid-month mortgage payment, etc = +$1858.20.
11:00 a.m.: Lunch is catered due to an event on my floor, so my lunch sits in the fridge. Free lunch = rule.
10:00 a.m.: Receive email from Scrooge Strategy that my credit card was declined. Update billing info to reflect new card as the previous one expired. $8
12:30 p.m.: Pop over to the Godiva store at the Galleria to pick up some chocolates as a surprise for my wife. $15.70
2 p.m.: Remember to call about the medical bill I received last week. Turns out it’s legit. Because the new “medical plan fiscal year” just started, I haven’t yet cleared my deductible for out of network services. I’ll have to pull out the $231.34 from my emergency fund for this unexpected expense, and also setup an “Unexpected Medical Expenses” subaccount on ING for this type of thing.
6 p.m.: Try to login to homeowners association website to pay HOA bill, but it’s down for maintenance. Will try again tomorrow. Net cash income for day 7: +$1834.50

In Sum
Net income for the week was $986.40 to checking (stock deposit notwithstanding). However there are still a lot of outstanding bills (gas, electricity, cell phone, cable/internet) that need to be paid, plus living expenses for the next 2.5 weeks until next payday. Thoughts about this experience:

• Damn, I eat out a lot. Stark contrast to my previous job when I only ate out maybe once a month because I couldn’t afford it…
• Damn, I pay to drink a lot of espresso/coffee! After reading Scrooge Strategy and deciding to cancel a few unused subscriptions, it really was a no-brainer what to save for. Hah!
• This experiment made me realize that while my finances are fairly automated, there is still room for improvement. Still, being the fledgling financial connoisseur that I am, I still like a lot of hands on especially when it comes to paying for non-credit card bills. There have been too many instances where the bill doesn’t match the services rendered for me to trust automatically paying them. Plus, by manually paying them, it forces me to realize and accept said services on a monthly basis – and to feel the financial impact first hand.
• Also realized that we are living paycheck to paycheck – even though we have enough income/money in the bank not to. We’ll have to discuss this and see if we need to realign our financial strategy. Reading my diary comments like “but they are both due in 2 weeks, well after my next paycheck” make me realize that either we aren’t saving enough or aren’t proactive enough in paying bills (or both.)
• Poignant comment my wife made when we were discussing our ING accounts a couple of nights ago (when we setup the espresso subaccount): “We have $350 saved for that dresser already? Why didn’t we start this years ago? We should do this for ALL major purchases!”
• Reviewing my money diary for the past week really has made me realize just how much I’ve changed due to I Will Teach You To Be Rich. Thanks, Ramit.

* * *

Note from Ramit:

This is a pretty good example of someone who’s starting to pay attention to his finances. Notice the transition period between “not paying attention” and “automating finances” — it requires more attention for a few weeks, which is a big enough barrier that most people don’t do this for their entire lives. But if you do it, you don’t have to worry about the day-to-day logistics for the rest of your life.

To be featured anonymously in a future Money Diary, click here.

Today’s post is by a 24-year old social worker who also works a second job. She’s a semi-conscious spender who’s struggling with the willpower to cut down on spending. But in strict financial terms, she might be doing ok.

I’m trying something different today by offering some advice and resources in the diary below. Let me know what you think.

* * *

Day 1
5:40 p.m.: Got the email requesting me to do Money Diaries! Sweet. Checked my Wachovia Account Statement and saw that my loan payment of $200 went through although I submitted it last week. While I enjoy the convenience of online payments, I loathe the turtle pace it often takes to see my true available balance. Bought a Caramel Frappacino at Starbucks with the debit card. I thought about it for at least a half hour in the car beforehand and flip flopped, but I rationalized it by telling myself that I ran this morning so I am allowed to treat myself. Brought lunch so that was an avoided expense. Total Spent today: $3.79

Day 2
4:45 p.m.: After at least 4 days of visiting the Nike Running website and looking at some sweet new gear (training for a marathon) and ordered a Dri-fit shirt and shorts with the desirous zipper pocket in the back, totaling $61.99 including shipping. I have an Orange (ING Direct) Savings sub account specifically for clothes so I transferred the appropriate amount over. I haven’t been too spendy lately; the last time I bought clothes was over a month ago. I am proud of myself – clothes are my weakness. T-Mobile Bill came in today: $84.10. That is an automatic deduction, which after 4 months of having my AWESOMEDONTKNOWHOWIEVERLIVEDBEFOREIT Blackberry (suck it iPhone-users), I still am unable to get a handle on when the bill comes and is deducted from my account. Total Spent today: $146.09

Day 3
3:15 p.m.: Bought breakfast this morning, but I basically had no choice – ate breakfast #1 at 5 a.m. and then after my track workout, I had to eat (obviously) and I had to be to work soon after I showered and left the locker room. So I got sausage egg and cheese and an Odwalla smoothie (new obsession), bringing the breakfast total to $8.45 on debit. In the back of my mind I know I should start leaving my debit card at home for the day thereby forcing myself to bring lunches, breakfasts and any other snacks I might need. Somehow I counteract this thought with “well what if there is an emergency?” Total spent: $8.45
[Ramit's comment: What she is talking about is using barriers to prevent yourself from spending money]

Day 4
10:12 p.m.: I managed not to spend any money today! I actually lost my wallet for about 2 hours (it was in a binder in my work car). Made pancakes at the boyfriend’s house for a late breakfast/brunch and was treated to what basically is a guaranteed weekly Saturday dinner by my bf. Upset after checking the mail and seeing I still haven’t received my paycheck from my second job. Total spent: $0
[Ramit's comment: See the results of going cash-only for a couple weeks]

Day 5
2:40 p.m.: Bad morning, failed attempt at a running workout due to knee pain which in turn made me have to spend 12 bucks on a Runner’s Knee strap at Sports Authority. Please note, I spent about 25 minutes perusing the store although I KNEW what I was going for, which is usually the more desired approach to shopping. Not seeing anything I liked more, and because I just spent $60 on running gear, I left with only the strap. Oh but look, Barnes and Noble is in the same strip so of course I had to run up in there and get a Dean Koontz book and another book I had been eyeing. I am very impulsive and have difficulty really restraining myself. I spent $23 on two books that I EASILY could have gotten on half.com for half the price, but I like the instant gratification of having what I purchase. The positive of today is that I was able to refrain from buying food! Total spent: $36.57
[Ramit's comment: I'm not opposed to spending money, but much of this unplanned spending could be mitigated by (1) using barriers and (2) PLANNING WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND BEFOREHAND AND USING WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY TO NOT GET INTO SITUATIONS THAT TEMPT YOU TO SPEND MORE]

Day 6
4:30 p.m.: So I was in an extreme rush this morning and in an effort not to be late and for an excuse to get a frozen coffee from Panera, I stopped after my first appointment to get a sweet breakfast sandwich and aforementioned iced coffee $8.42. I also neglected to bring lunch so I took out a $20 at the bank and bought a meatball sub for $5.08. I did have some snacks that held me over for later. I didn’t feel guilty however. I find that the closer I get to receiving my paycheck, the less restrictive I am on myself about my spending. When I got home I saw that my paycheck came from my second job: $259.50. Whoop! Total spent: $13.50
[Ramit's comment: It's interesting that this Money Diaries participant is pretty perceptive about the causes of her overspending -- for example, how she loosens her spending near payday, or how she is impatient and spends more to get something NOW! -- but isn't so clear on the solutions. In this case, she could plan lunches at the beginning of the week and save significantly.]

Day 7
6 p.m.: Deposited my check today and felt fine about buying lunch at Whole Foods. I know it really will just make much more sense to buy lunch fixings at the grocery store, but I hate making it and putting everything in a bag. [Ramit's comment: I know what you mean, from my original article on barriers and my mom's Indian food.] Buying ready-made food is just so much more appealing, albeit expensive. I spent about 40 minutes in Best Buy today looking at laptops as well although I believe that I am very far from purchasing one. I am constantly reminding myself that it’s not a necessity at this point, being that I have a work laptop. I do have a sub account set up, and to date it has $25 in it. It may just end up being funds for a laptop that I want to buy for a friend for upcoming b-day present. Generous, I know, but she spilled milk on hers, has had a bad streak with electronics and has no money (but is learning from tips I’ve provided via I Will Teach…). Total spent: $10.96

In Sum
I spend way too much on food, and would do better buying – no, USING the food I have at home to make dinner and lunch. I realized that I don’t spend AS ridiculously as I once did, but the food thing is getting out of hand. $100 got automatically deducted from my Wachovia Checking to ING Direct as well as $25 towards the “clothing account.” In all reality I should be saving way more being that I have a company car and a second job. I need to write down my savings goals because they aren’t currently clear. I can appreciate however, my discretion and not going absolutely nuts and draining my checking account on a regular basis. This week: $125 saved, $219 spent, extra $259 earned. Not a bad 7-day stretch.

* * *

My comments:

• If I were her and I knew that willpower was a problem for my spending, I would automate the hell out of my money and make sure it was aggressively going to sub-savings accounts to hide it from myself.
• She seems to identify some of the reasons WHY she’s overspending, but that’s only part of it. There is a lot of emotion in this post (”I felt fine…I am constantly reminding myself…I spend way too much…”). Though most people cannot turn off all emotions like I have, I like to move towards a slightly cooler, systemic way of handling money, rather than a hot/emotional way of thinking about it.

  Also, guilt drives me nuts with money. We all know people who sigh and say, “I know, I know…I really should pack my lunch / contribute to my 401(k) / work out more…” and then do nothing. Just identifying what you “should” do. Guilt is one thing. Action is another.

• She’s right that it’s not all bad. Process-wise, there’s a lot to work on. However, while I don’t know her income or debt, the spending numbers here are modest enough that they could probably be handled with some automation, a change in perspective, and perhaps some earning on the side. Easier said than done, of course.
• This reminds me of a lot of my friends who spend extravagantly because there’s no overarching goal to save for. In other words, their savings account is really a “should” account — “I really should save for something… — until the next shiny item comes along and they buy it. Forget the 10 Year Savings Strategy. Sometimes, it can be something 3-4 months away. And we need these sub-savings accounts for specific items, not guilt-inducing “should” accounts that invariably get ignored.

All in all, pretty interesting to read.

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Today’s post is by a 26-year-old who works in television and is engaged to a guy without a job (and a wedding looming). Notice how her costs are extremely low and she’s very conscious about her spending…but is she missing the bigger picture? Let me know in the comments.

* * *

Day 1
10 a.m.: It’s Monday and I just made it to work. My fiancé, T., has recently moved to my area and really needs a job. Unfortunately he just dropped out of school for two reasons: 1) We were four hours apart and 2) The profession he originally wanted to go into — culinary arts — would mean we wouldn’t see each other much.
1:01 p.m.: Drive home to heat up leftovers of pineapple marinated pork and au gratin potatoes. The really beautiful thing about being engaged to a culinary school dropout is that he can cook. T. and I fiddle with some electronic equipment so I can get a work task done.
7:13 p.m.: Get home from work. T. and I cuddle in bed for a while. He makes pork and mushroom dumplings and steams rice for dinner. The meal probably cost about 25 cents per serving. Not too bad for a couple on a budget.
10:47 p.m.: We start watching “Smart People,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Dennis Quaid. I fall asleep soon after the movie starts. I’m pretty sure T. played Halo 3 well into the night…Total daily spending: $0.

Day 2
9:51 a.m.: Get to work early and eat strawberry whipped yogurt from Aldi’s (49 cents) While I’m eating, I check my accounts online… 401k is in the tanker, but am I really surprised? (Right now my vested total is $3,200, which is much less than I contributed.) $779.23 in my checking account; $4,252.07 in my online savings with 3% interest; $452 in my Ameritrade account I opened only because it was part of Suze Orman’s Save Yourself plan, which offers $100 if you deposit $50 into the account for one year. Not a bad return.
10:30 a.m.: Peruse over daily newspaper and notice a few jobs T. might be interested in. Long story short, we met four months ago when we were both in a mutual friend’s wedding. Six weeks later we got engaged. My dad still doesn’t know about it because he hasn’t been answering his phone. T. was going to school in a city four hours away, but quit and moved in with me last month. He is now looking for work. I am terrified that he’s going to have a very difficult time, as he now has looming (huge) student loan payments and no degree. He really needs to find a job.
11:15 a.m.: Call a few moving companies. T. and I are moving to a condo less than a mile from where we live now. Rent is $700 for a 680-squre-foot one-bedroom, plus the third month is totally free. I’m quoted $260 for a two-hour move, and the movers provide wardrobe boxes. Not too bad. Another place I called charged $120 an hour, plus an hour charge alone for travel time!
12 p.m.: Check the county web site to find out requirements for getting a marriage license. T. and I want to get married at the courthouse to wed as soon as possible. Apparently it costs $93 for the license and $30 to have a deputy clerk perform a ceremony after a three-day waiting period. Much cheaper than an actual wedding! My mom still has no idea we are planning to elope.
1:47 p.m.: T. picks me up and we go for lunch at a nice steakhouse. We get calamari, prime rib, steak, and sodas for $24.60 including tip. How, you ask? I bought a $25 certificate at Restaurant.com for $2. We saved about 50% and got a luxury meal. I confess, I do eat out with coupons. We are trying not to eat out as much, but if we do it at a discount it’s a little less of a blow.
2:15 p.m.: Talk to T. about getting married, and possible moving and wedding dates. This stuff really stresses me out, and I hate paperwork!
3 p.m.: When I return to work I discover my purchase of a 53-piece flatware set has arrived. I paid $19.99 for it.
4:24 p.m.: Check credit card statement. So far I’ve charged $139.76 worth of items including groceries, Body Shop toner and a facial mask, a prescription for acne medication, that flatware set, and a new 2009 Entertainment book. I’m trying to cut down on spending…However, I just charged $544 for my auto insurance six-month premium and my card is automatically billed for my cell phone plan. That should be about $80. Yikes! If I don’t charge anything until my next statement, the balance will still be at least $763. I’m really hoping visiting my parents for Thanksgiving won’t be too expensive. Luckily, I used credit card rewards points to purchase my flight and already paid for the rental car. Total daily spending: $24.60 (lunch at steakhouse).

Day 3
9:49 a.m.: Get to work. T. and I had a fight last night stemming from his getting friendly with my roommate, who I’m not on good terms with. Neither of us slept very well and I barely spoke to him. I’ve decided that I’m not going home for lunch to see him. Instead, I’ll run errands!
9:55 a.m.: Re-checked credit card statement… Forgot that T. and I ordered our wedding rings and my card’s been dinged for one of them already. It’s $39.99 off Amazon.com. So much for keeping the bill under $800…
11:04 a.m.: Chat with coworkers about weddings. One woman says wedding planning is the most stressful thing you can ever do. Another agrees with me on a courthouse wedding. In fact, she wanted to do it over Christmas, but since her boyfriend’s family couldn’t come — nixed the idea. Apparently her sister was able to do a wedding with 425 guests for $4,500. That’s amazing!
12:30 p.m.: Get Body Shop facial products and my wedding ring in the mail. The band pretty closely matches my engagement ring and fits perfectly. All for under 40 bucks. Not too bad.
1:56 p.m.: At Target. A few weeks back I received coupons for up to $30 in gift cards if I 1) transfer or bring in a new prescription and have it filled and 2) join Target’s Pharmacy Rewards program (must have Target’s credit card). Did that and walked out with my $9 prescription (paid for with my Health Savings Account card), $30 gift card and a $2.68 hot dog and drink combo. Is it bad that I eat lunch at the Target snack shop?
2:10 p.m.: Text from T. He has a job interview as a cook  at a nursing home. Good news: full time, with benefits. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. It’s been a difficult and stressful month.
7:12 p.m.: Arrive home to roses on the nightstand and a leg of lamb in the oven. T. is trying to get back on my good side with a home cooked meal and flowers! Okay… It works. Total daily spending: $51.67 (wedding ring, prescription, hot dog and soda) T.’s spending: About $30 ($20 lamb, sack of potatoes, roses from grocery store).

Day 4
10:02 a.m.: Drive to work (late) while eating a hot dog and chugging a can of Aldi’s GT Cola.
11:37 a.m.: My 2009 Entertainment book has arrived! I can’t help but look at all the great coupons in there. I see at least five restaurants that we can definitely go to in the near future. The $20 investment is well worth it.
2:15 p.m.: Our photographer brings me two desserts from a shoot. (I work at a TV station.) I drive home quickly and eat banana creme brulee with T., then stick a berry crepe thing in the fridge.
4 p.m.: Stop to fill up my Toyota Matrix after a meeting across the street from my office. Gas is $1.95 a gallon, and my total is only $20.56!!!
10:21 p.m.: Just got home from the Media Battle of the Bands event. My coworker’s wife was singing in one of the bands. There was free sushi there so I definitely took advantage. T. had a couple drinks. Spent $20 on cover, $6 for parking, and T. spent about $15 on drinks. We don’t do this very often. Total spending: $81.56 (Entertainment book, gas, going out) Dinner was free, though.

Day 5
8:46 a.m.: Wake up and immediately check my bank account activity online. It’s payday so there is now close to $2,000 in my account.
9:30 a.m.: I feel guilty about spending so much money last night. Not to mention the fact that we went out for lunch the other day on top of that. I’m really hungry and I brought another dessert to eat from yesterday’s shoot but it’s terrible so I throw it out.
1:55 p.m.: T. found out that they hired someone else for the cook position before looking at his resume. The receptionist told him that the guy who got the job was unqualified and that T. should have gotten hired. I’m really disappointed to hear that, because that would have been a good solution for T. He loves talking to elderly people and making food, so I’m sad. His cooking really is amazing. This is very scary. We need to get married soon so T. can be put on my health insurance plan through work. That doesn’t sound romantic at all, but it’s what we have to do.
2:03 p.m.: Tears well up in my eyes, but I really don’t want to cry in the office. Thank God no one else is around.
2:05 p.m.: Still hungry, but will wait to eat until I get home later.
3:19 p.m.: Go home for lunch. Make a lamb leftover sandwich and chat with T. We agree to have a “no spending” weekend of more leftovers and job-hunting for him. Our plans include Target so he can apply for seasonal work.
4:45 p.m.: T. went over to a swanky bar & restaurant club and they’re interested in having him work in the sushi room. He has worked in a sushi place before, so let’s see what happens…Total daily spending: $0.

Day 6
8:35 p.m.: Have not left the house except to check the mail and find soda left in my car. I’ve had a craving for it all day. We had leftovers for lunch (I think we’re going to have that leg of lamb until we leave for Buffalo.)
9 p.m.: Break down and buy a night guard for my teeth and replacement toothbrush heads on Amazon.com. T. says I grind my teeth really hard. That’s probably why I had a cavity a few months ago. So I realized that the cost of getting a bite plane far outweighs the disaster of having my tooth enamel ground away. Total daily spending: $32

Day 7
11:09 a.m.: Just returned home from CVS’ing while T. is sleeping. He needed more contact solution and I saw the online ad and had to go. With the Extra Care Bucks rewards program, it was FREE. I also got a few other free items: deodorant, soda, Q-Tips, and make-up. Most of the items were free after ECB’s. That means you pay for the items, and get the amount back in Extra Care bucks, which you can spend on on ANYTHING in the store at another time. It’s a great way to rack up free toiletries. My total was $55.78. However, I got $47.95 in ECB’s. That’s my best day yet doing this. I’m not nearly as good as some of the Super Moms, but I’m getting there! I also saw a coupon for a $25 CVS gift card with a transferred prescription. Perfect! (Since I just transferred my prescription to Target, I’ll transfer it back to CVS and get $25 more in free gift cards)
3:13 p.m.: T. and I spend a few hours fishing off an old bridge this fine Sunday afternoon. Spending time with him is priceless, and in this case, doesn’t cost a penny. It makes me think about how the simple things in life really are the most rewarding. Total daily spending: $55.78 (but got $47.95 back to spend).

In sum:
Total weekly spending: $245.61 – $60 in very unusual expenses (wedding ring, night guard) – about $75 in eating/drinking out. Because my fiancee does not have a job, we should not be spending money on that right now and I feel guilty. Most of the expenses were necessary though (gas, groceries, toiletries). However, out of the deal I got $30 in Target gift cards and close to $50 to use at CVS so I’m not doing as bad as I thought. This was a very valuable experience for me, as I got to see where I can cut back and be a smarter consumer.

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Today’s post is by a 25-year-old who lives at home with his parents in an attempt to save money to buy a house. Meanwhile, he obsesses over small expenses thinking that they affect his housing fund.

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Day 1
3:45 p.m.: I read my email while taking a break from work and I find out I’ve been chosen to do the Money Diaries. Oh jeez! Why today? I just spent $107.00 on the Inazuman DVD Box Set. I suppose I still have time to cancel the order but the demand for Japanese TV shows in America is small so I think I’ll make this my only real purchase of the week.
4:30 p.m.: I left work at 4 and carpooled home. It’s been a month since the coworker chipped in anything, so he gave me $20. I think what with gas going down I might want to tell him he now only has to pay me once every 5 weeks or so. Sure that’s less money coming in but honestly, I feel bad taking too much money for what is essentially a mile out of my normal commute.
4:45 p.m.: I get home and the giant box from DeepDiscount’s DVD sale is on my bed. Luckily they are all presents (Christmas time) bought by my siblings for each other under my credit card account. This of course means that I have now find a way to collect almost $400 from them. Why I lend money to relatives I will never know. My brother will probably pay me back after the first of the year unless he gets some seasonal work or sells something on eBay, but everyone else should pay me back within a week.
5:56 p.m.: Dinner is over and I finished my exercising. I’ve decided that even though there are a few things I could buy that I genuinely need, I’m not making a special trip out. I resigned myself to the comfort of my bedroom, my TV and DVD player for some entertainment. Ah yes, that TV was literally funded with my first paycheck at my current job. Why I didn’t save that money and buy it later I don’t know. At least I didn’t put it on a credit card. Total Spent Today: $106.95

Day 2
7:38 a.m.: I check my budget for the month on my work PC while I wait for some of my systems to come up. It looks like buying all my Christmas presents in November was as dumb an idea as buying them all in December except I get to skip the stores for a month. While I’m nowhere near maxed out, I will probably have to tap into savings to cover the bills next month. I guess I should just leave the CC home for a few weeks. Also on the way to work I debated going through the drive-thru at some fast food place to get a breakfast sandwich but for the sake of my wallet and my waistline I didn’t. I also got my eBay invoice. $22 in fees this month. Not too bad but it’s been a slow month for acquiring merchandise I guess.
9:02 a.m.: After getting a big project at work rolling, I check the email yet again and find out that the Inazuman set has shipped so no chance to cancel it now. Oh well, if I don’t like it I suppose I can sell it.
10:30 a.m.: I give in to my hunger and eat an apple from my lunch. This of course means that I now have an inadequate lunch and since tonight I work late I will have to pick up a side dish somewhere.
1 p.m.: I got back from lunch without too much damage. I walked around the mall eyeing a few items here and there. Steve & Berry’s was having a final closeout of shirts for $1 a piece as they are closing tomorrow. While it is tempting to find a few shirts for lounging around, none are work appropriate and I pretty much picked out all the casual ones I wanted last week. I also walked around the dollar store and Target. Normally I love to browse their stationery and pen section to see if there are any good new pens on the market. I instead went straight for the cafeteria and bought a Popcorn Combo for $1.58 including tax. I ate half of the popcorn and put it in the back seat of my car. I’ll save that for tomorrow’s snack I guess.
5:30 p.m.: I’m getting my haircut tonight by the same barber who cut my hair when I was one year old. At least she gives us all a good deal so I paid about $8 for mine.
8 p.m.: Same old nightly routine in my parents’ house. I live in my bedroom as I have since I was back in school. Despite making more money than both my parents combined, I just can’t seem to find a place. Perhaps it’s because I refuse to buy into slums, or maybe because I spent every dime I had in college.
10 p.m.: After talking with a friend about car insurance, I decided to give Progressive a try. Looks like my insurance can be cut in half next year from what I paid this year. I’m not sure if it’s because I turned 26 or because my car will be paid off, but I look to pay about half with Progressive compared to what I paid last year with Encompass. That will certainly be nice as my car insurance is set to expire in April and that’s also tax time. Total spent today: $9.58

Day 3
9:38 a.m.: A coworker mentions that GMAC is desperate for money and their CDs are much higher than even ING Direct. This may be worth looking into. Granted with what little savings I have, it may just make more sense to stick with ING. The differences equal only a few dollars but I’ll have to look into it and do the math. Still, I should work on a rent/housing fund if I ever want to get out of my parents’ house this decade.
10:23 p.m.: I just got the $25 from Amazon refunded to my credit card for the DVD they never sent me. I’m kind of glad they didn’t give me store credit as I would’ve spent that so fast it would make your head swim. I have $75 in Amazon gift certificates now. I don’t know what I’m saving them for (maybe a Kitchen Aid Mixer?) but it seems silly to give Amazon free interest on holding my money. Perhaps I should just use them along with my next order and put the cash in a separate account at ING. That might make sense I guess. Of course the worst part was my CC has about $1,500 charged to it this month. Eek!
1 p.m.: I had a craving for a Wendy’s Frosty but it was too packed so instead I ate the leftover popcorn. At least I didn’t spend any money outside of maybe 3 miles worth of gas, which is pretty cheap now.
2:58 p.m.: I’m thinking of converting my Electric Orange I just started a couple weeks ago to get the $25 sign up bonus into a future housing fund. Maybe if I can get my car paid off I can start making say $400 a fortnight to it to pay for housing. The only problem is that it doesn’t earn all that much interest but I do need to keep it somewhat liquid, I guess. I am so envious of my friend in Nebraska with her lovely apartment at $350 a month. Why is it that everything here is $650 a month and up for garbage? I don’t even live in a city!
5:20 p.m.: I filled up my gas tank at $2.099 for regular at Mobil. Of course after I drive another 3 miles or so towards home I realize that Shell just dropped down to $1.999! So basically I spent 81.29 cents more because I didn’t wait to check the price. I guess that’s just more bad luck than anything else. Still, it’s amazing to fill my tank up from half way for less than $20.
5:45 p.m.: In today’s mail I found out the hinges I bought to repair my desk’s keyboard drawer came in. While I did have to pay $20 including the shipping, I guess they are worth it since these are solid brass and were the only ones I could find (online or off) that were the same size. The only problem is the brass doesn’t match the rest of the black hardware and I am tempted to replace all the other hardware since the brass looks much nicer. Total spent today: $17.06

Day 4
8:30 a.m.: I’m sitting at work completely and totally exhausted. I guess it will be a frugal Friday as my friend I usually hang out with at least once a week is at seminary in Pennsylvania this weekend. Perhaps I’ll take her our for lunch/dinner next Wednesday as I have the whole day off.
1 p.m.: Since I didn’t pack a decent lunch, and I desired something hot, I got three breadsticks from the Pizza Hut Express. Not only is that $1.78 spent that I did not plan, but it’s also 450 calories I now have to burn off.
3:32 p.m.: Well, I get to leave in 28 minutes and while the prospect of spending a Friday night home with my family is not my idea of a good time, unfortunately none of my friends seem to want to go out or even come over to my place. Of course, when you live at home in your mid 20s your friends start to get the idea and stop coming over. Total spent today: $1.78

Day 5
1:30 p.m.: Slept in today and outside of going to Stop & Shop to take advantage of their sale on Pepsi, I haven’t spent any money. This morning my parents and I went for a drive to look at the neighborhoods of some houses for sale as well as some apartments. More than half of the houses needed a lot of work (something I’m really not ready to do at this point in my life) and quite a few were in areas where kids are constantly hanging out. I don’t have a problem with kids normally but honestly I’d rather live in a neighborhood full of old people. They make less noise and cause less trouble. Plus my town has a bit of a juvenile delinquent problem and they tend to congregate closer to downtown so I guess I should look more towards the higher priced outskirts.
2:30 p.m.: I realized with all the spending I’ve done this month I’ll be getting something around $50 in rewards from my credit card. I have made a vow that I will put all these rewards together and use them on something I really, really want and thus use them as a sort of forced savings plan. I wouldn’t mind a Kitchen Aid mixer, despite not having my own kitchen yet. I just have to be good and not spend it on DVDs, books, video games or other forms of entertainment. Honestly, I just need to keep my eye on my spending and I’ll be fine. Total Spent today: $4.20 – Hmm, maybe I won’t do so bad this week.

Day 6
I am so glad this week is about over. I did manage to go an entire day without spending money. I decided to play handyman and went to my grandmother’s house to get some projects done that she’s been needing help on. I did some weatherstripping as well as moving some stuff out of her garage into the basement. The best part was that I got to stay for dinner. I did check some sales papers and outside of a few non-essential items, I don’t see anything I really need to buy this week. Total spent today: Nothing!

Day 7
1 p.m.: I took a trip to Best Buy on my lunch break and picked up two 50 packs of DVD-Rs for $10 each. Including tax I spent $20.98, which is a fairly good price. I debated on not buying these but I figured they are at least $14 less than the Taiyo Yudens I normally buy and they don’t go bad so it was certainly worth it, to me.
4 p.m.: Well, I’m going to go straight home tonight and just relax doing nothing. I can’t really go out and I can’t really spend any more money. I can tentatively say, unless I go out to eat on Wednesday, that I won’t be spending any more this week. I can at least guarantee today, though. Total spent today: $20.98

In Sum:
All in all I spent a grand total of $160.55 this week. What’s even more sad is that the depreciation of those items are pretty close to 100%. Granted, I did have daily living expenses such as food, gas and a haircut but this week keeps me $160.55 further away from ever getting out of here. In my defense I have some automatic savings already in place for the house but still, that $160 would be better in my high interest savings account than in the form of DVDs and cheap snacks. Maybe though, I’m being too hard on myself. Perhaps I’m viewing this as an all or nothing game where I must either spend it all or save it all. Where is that happy medium? I hope someday to find out.

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Today’s post is by a 25-year-old woman who feels guilty about spending money she doesn’t have.

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Day 1
10 a.m.: Pay day! Go online to check my payments and see how much I got paid. Another small pay check. I consider working more hours despite knowing school is too demanding to do so.
2 p.m.: Decided to buy Starbucks for everyone at work. Spend $13 against my better judgment. Half of me is happy to do something nice, half of me is ashamed of spending the money.
7 p.m.: Spending the weekend alone, boyfriend is out of town. Decide to buy some groceries, not because we need them but because I know I’ll be lonely. I walk to the grocery store so that I cannot buy more than I can carry home. Despite this spending limit, the bill still reached $55.

Day 2
10 a.m.: Wake up alone, feel like going shopping. Decide instead to do some yard work, my wallet cannot handle any shopping.
5 p.m.: Came home for supper on my break from work to save money. The $20 bill I thought I had in my wallet is gone, I must have spent it but can’t even remember where.

Day 3
9:30 a.m.: Just spent $30.54 on postage stamps. I needed to buy 10 stamps to mail a few letters, ended up being caught up in all the cool designs and bought more than I needed. I probably won’t even use the ones I bought because I like them too much.

Day 4
1:30 p.m.: Wrote a check today for a race entry fee, had to check my account online to make sure I had the $45 in my account. I also made a note to myself not to use the account until the check clears. Feel guilty that at 25 I don’t even have a $50 cushion in my checking account.
9 p.m.: Go for supper with my little sister. The bill is $25 and I am prepared to pay for it but I’m secretly happy when she grabs the check and insists on paying.

Day 5
12 p.m.: See a sweater I must have, convince myself it’s practically free because it’s on sale. Another $69.29 on the credit card.
12:30 p.m.: Get home from buying said sweater to a credit card statement. It seems that since I acquired a significant amount of credit cards I can’t keep them straight, missed the payment on one last month. Could have sworn I paid it. Went online immediately and paid as much as possible on the card: $125.00.

Day 6
11:30 a.m.: Decide I need to go out to eat again. Spend $13 on the meal and feel guilty two fold, unhealthy and expensive.
4 p.m.: Get a phone call that the underwear I ordered is in at my favorite local store. I go down to pick them up, not only did they get in the 4 pairs I ordered, but also a regular shipment, I pick out one more pair. The total is $108.85; I just spent $108.85 on 5 pairs of underwear! On the credit card of course.
7 p.m.: Despite having an unlimited pass for a local yoga studio I go to a class at a different location because I prefer the longer class. Drop in fee is $13, he gives me a deal, only $11. Drop in gets expensive over time but I convince myself I deserve it and I’m doing something good for myself. After 2.5 hours on the mat I know I made the right choice.

Day 7
10 a.m.: Decide to stay home all day to limit my spending, not much I can do from home, but first thing in the morning I resist the urge to buy something online. I go read instead.
11 a.m.: Get an e-mail to renew my JPG magazine subscription. Enter my credit card number for another $35.
10 p.m.: Am pleased with myself because I manage to go the rest of the day without spending a dime despite going shopping with my little sister.

In Sum:
Amount of money spent that I actually had: $0, number of things I bought that I actually needed: none. Number of nights spent worrying about money 6/7.

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Today’s post is by a 23-year-old married guy who works for an insurance company in San Francisco. Check out how small slips in budgeting and spending can add up before you know it.

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Day 1
7:30 a.m.: Wander around the house half-dazed, decide to eat breakfast at work rather than attempt to feed myself in present state. Grab a banana, pear, emergen-C, 2 Omega3/DHA gummies, and a packet of instant oatmeal. Make a PB&J, throw all these into my backpack, make sure my BART ticket from last week still has money on it ($14.50, CHINGY!) kiss my wife goodbye, and head out the door.
12:13 p.m.: Received an email from Amazon.com: I made $5.86! From the sale of a book, which cost me nothing except gas/time to get it. After shipping I make about $4. Now I just need this to happen another 40 times this month and I’m good. Sales are slowing, though. I’ve made $27.89 since end of January; usually it’s 2-3 times that much, so this is a slow month for sure.
12:30 p.m.: Spent the day thus far working (very little) and (mostly) working on my own personal business stuff from my office computer, such as looking for free things on FreeCycle, which I will pick up after work. I locked down a free microphone for the wifey, possibly some free books from the same person, which I’ll sell on Amazon, and a succulent plant that is half-dead in a very nice pot, which I can either let die and reuse the pot, or get it healthy if possible. Either way it will be sold at some point.
1 p.m.: Going over finances from the weekend. Here’s what it looks like since last Friday when I got paid: Payroll Direct Deposit – $769 + $214 I had leftover = $983; $40 from the ATM for Medical Marijuana; $250 transfer to the joint account my wife and I share for food/groceries/Amazon shipping expenses; $8 plastic stand for G1 smartphone (I’m addicted to phone accessories); $5.43 Frisbee; $51.11 new clothes at Crossroads (John Varvados dress shirt for $24.50?? YES PLZ!!); $32.61 Lizzy Pulitzer sweater at an outlet. (Normally I wouldn’t, but it was just so nice, and the original price was $160 yowzaz!); $33.33 on “personal items” (use your imagination). Balance starting the week is $562.89 in my account and $234.65 in the shared account.
1:30 p.m.: Wow, I spend too much on payday weekend every time. Sadly, that’s only what I spent from my account. Our joint account has about $120 on eating out/groceries ($36 on groceries) over the weekend as well. This is why I eat PB&J at work (as he bites his PB&J mournfully) AND I haven’t even paid ANY of my bills yet. I text my little brother in Arkansas to remind him he owes me $100 for a phone I bought him around Christmastime. A loan, not a gift.
5:30 p.m.: Realized my BART ticket was wrong, it only had $1.40 on it, so I put another $21.80 on it for the rest of the week.
6 p.m.: Get home and eat pizza my wife left me before her yoga class.
7:30 p.m.: My wife picked up the free books/microphone (no plant, sadface) ; she got a bunch of really nice ones. Instead of listing them on Amazon I sit around getting high, playing with my G1, and watching PBS and the news all night with the wifey and our roommates.

Day 2
7:30 a.m.: I eat breakfast at home, as is my normal routine. The wifey hasn’t gone grocery shopping yet this week so it’s slim pickins. I pack a lunch consisting of just fruits (which we make sure are always plentiful) because I’m out of PB&J. This may necessitate a run to the Subway around lunchtime. Luckily there’s always free coffee at work.
10 a.m.: COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE! Check my bank account online. Some more items came through, some from last week even. I can’t stand having stuff I bought a week ago show up on my bank statement so much later. Reading through my news feeds I see an entry from CNewmark (creator of craigslist, has a great blog where he talks about politics and birdwatching) about Recovery.gov. Apparently keeping track of my own money isn’t going to cut it anymore, I need to keep track of Obama’s economic stimulus as well.
2:30 p.m.: As predicted, I buy a $6 Subway sammy on the shared/food account, and munch half of it at my desk. I’ll probably eat the rest at home later in a cloudy daze before we go to BSG night (Battle Star Galactica, we watch it with friends on their projector).

Day 3
9 a.m.: Brought breakfast from home, I eat it at my desk while shopping for G1 accessories on eBay before I start my day. I spend $5.05 on screen protectors and $26.14 on a docking cradle. I’m still deciding if I want to use the cradle at work or at home…
12 p.m.: Looking at my WaMu Online statement, this is something I do several times a day. And for exactly this reason: I find a mysterious $4.99 charge from PayPal. Investigation reveals a pair of socks from eBay that I apparently forgot about. And I found out I accidentally had them shipped to my mom’s house in Arkansas…bummer dude.
7 p.m.: Finally getting around to putting some of my Amazon stock online. While I’m there I check my account balance. I made $33.75 for the first half of January. That’s half what I normally make. Also, the wifey reminded me I owe her $70 from a month ago for something or other. I transfer $100 into our joint account because it’s low and she’s probably going to go shopping sometime this week. We’ve spent quite a lot eating out already, I’m sure I’ll have to put another $75 at least in there before I get paid next week.

Day 4
11:32 a.m.: Woke up late and rushed to get out of the house on time. Ate breakfast at my desk, didn’t pack a lunch so I might get food with a friend.
11:53 a.m.: Broke down and bought a car cradle/charger for my G1. $25.38 but it’s worth it because I’ll use it all the time. We might sell our TomTom since we never use it anymore, thanks to Google Maps on my G1.
4 p.m.: UH-ooooh, eBay at work is such a bad idea. Boredom equates to purchases I can somehow justify. I just bought an ergonomic MS4000 keyboard. I get pain in my wrists at work, so it really is an investment in myself. But with a $29.99 pricetag, and of course I had to donate a dollar at checkout to save blind kittens. $30.99 isn’t bad compared to what it retails for, but still…..
7 p.m.: We hit the jackpot! I got about 30 assorted glazed and plastic pots with even more drip saucers. A couple of rectangular plastic pots (like for an outdoor window) with dying flowers I intend to restore. And three full TJs bags of new-good condition books. After weeks of not pulling much of anything, this is a great boost to inventory. I spend a few hours potting up cuttings, taking more cuttings, watering/rearranging plants, and posting some books on Amazon. This weekend I’ll have to do a craigslist sale and thin out some of my plants, they’re getting far too populous.

Day 5
9 a.m.: Dragging today, thank goodness it’s Friday at least. I eat breakfast at work, find nothing in my free inbox, check my WaMu online statement. Not bad, I still have about $400 left. I need to drop about $200 of that on a hospital bill I’ve been putting off way too long. And I just got a text from T-Mobile saying my account is past due. I’ll die if they kill my G1, so I probably need to shoot them some money today. I can do that online later.
8 p.m.: I basically spend all day Friday cutting jokes with my office mates/boss, reading Greader and talking to my friends/family back home on Gchat, downloading music on my G1, and generally kicked back at the office. I manage to spend absolutely no money, cheah! I do a lot of browsing for high-dollar items I plan to buy w/my stimulus check though. And due to way too much coffee at work and a complete lack of any company at the house, I end up taking a very nice nap and basically sleeping all night. Sleep is free, thank goodness.

Day 6
2:30 p.m.: Valentine’s Day… Woo, I count my lucky stars. After an entire week of procrastination, I find the day upon us with no plans or reservations of any kind. My wife opts to watch movies she rented from the library (for free!) on the couch after we wake up at 1:30. We spend all day doing that because the weather is completely terrible. 7 p.m.: Just when I think I’ve gotten away with a money-free holiday, we decide to go out for dinner. This basically consists of driving around and looking at which places don’t have people at every table. We settle on a nice Vietnamese place. Unfortunately, we sit down to find the menu consists of three choices for each of a three-course meal, with no prices on anything. Here’s wear I start to sweat. Luckily there are prices on the drink menu. I order a $7 glass of wine, we decide that we both love the exact same things on the scant menu, and order identical meals. Long story short, we walk out of there for $88 including the tip.
9:30 p.m.: We skip the bar and billiards in favor of a cheaper night at home playing scrabble and watching dubbed Thai/Israeli movies from the library.

Day 7
11 a.m.: The wifey and I spend the day cooped up inside due to rain.
7 p.m.: Dinner at Cafe Zoetrope in the Francis Ford Coppola building in San Francisco. We absolutely love this building, and it’s my wife and her cousin’s first time being there to eat. My sister’s boyfriend works there so I usually get hooked up on drinks, but he’s out of town so we are cautious and split a plate of the Puttanesca – look this one up, we had a fun time discussing its origins with the waiter. Another long dining story short: We get our drinks comped, dinner is still $67.28 (OUCH). At least this is the end of my purchases for the week.

In sum:
All in all, this is a terrible week for me financially. I failed to use the programs my phone offers to keep track of my budget. I spent way too much on accessories for my phone/office ($92.61) and eating out ($161.28). So yeah, I spend the next week broke and trying to keep my accounts from bouncing, which they both do and I pay fees on my next paycheck. Lame.

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