So..my thoughts have turned to spending my tax refund since my brother got a deposit yesterday that will take care of him through March at least. What happened to saving? I'm not sure. Thing is, I do have things I've been wanting to buy but I can't justify pulling money out of the EF for them.
I bought a memory foam mattress topper for my bed. It was $110 at Costco. I pulled out $140 cash since I don't have a Costco card and I wanted to cover all bases in case it cost more than I'd originally planned. The one I wanted was $100 but they didn't have that one at the store I went to. The one I bought is actually better than the one I was going to get, and only $10 more. I also bought shampoo, that should last me a while. That cost $14. I then bought dinner, $5. I have $11 cash left from what I pulled out of my account. I was debating about using it tomorrow if I go out to lunch after church. If I don't, I'll deposit it on Tuesday when I go to the bank.
I bought a new pair of jeans at Target for $20 so I have a pair of jeans that actually fit while I'm still trying to loose weight. Wearing slightly baggy ones was getting on my nerves.
I have been waiting to get my digital camera repaired for over a year. Normally something like that it would be cheaper to buy new than to repair. However, my dad gave me this camera so I feel guilty over ruining it after only two years of use. So I am prepared to pay up to $200 to get it fixed. I didn't make it to the camera store today so I don't have an official estimate yet but last time I checked on it they said $150.
I need a Good pair of everyday shoes, not just the cheapest pair I can find at Payless. I've been systematically getting rid of shoes that really don't fit right and am down to almost nothing. A good pair (Dansko, etc) will run anywhere from $50 - 100. I haven't decided if I'm going to do that or not. I do have a coupon for a shoe store in town that's $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. I might go check them out.
That leaves me with ... (500 - 140 - 20 - 200 - 100) $40. Wow. Um. I had really inteded on saving the rest. Why is it when the money is going towards savings I can justify spending it on things I do need but have been putting off but when the money is going towards debt I can put things off a little while longer?
I made an extra $40 I wasn't planning on tonight babysitting for a new family. That'll help. I think end of March I will have my EF all built up. That makes me happy.
Spending the tax refund.
February 25th, 2007 at 06:46 am
February 25th, 2007 at 05:08 pm 1172423310
February 25th, 2007 at 07:33 pm 1172432037
Target is not close by for me so it's not some place that I frequent. Coming from having to shop at the larger size stores where I'm lucky to find jeans on sale for $25 (but only if I buy two pairs making it $50), I don't mind paying $20 on a pair of jeans. I'm tall and finding a pair that actually fits properly is rare.
The camera is a want not a need I'll admit. But it's something that I have missed since it's been broken.
While I agree that I will feel so much better once I am debt free and have a savings, I also think that every once in a while you have to splurge a little. Sorta like going off of your diet for a day but accepting that it's just for a day and you'll be back on track the next.
I'm not generally one to buy anything for myself if it's not on my budget. After this week's deposit I will be within a month of having my EF to where I want it to be. I'm ok with it.
I don't know that I'll actually get the camera fixed or that I'll find a pair of shoes that I want to buy. Those are the last two items. If I don't find what I'm looking for this weekend, then that money will go into EF.