Ozzy Gurl's

I'll probably be depositing $100-$120 dollars to checking this weekend. So far in my change collection, I have $17.22 saved.

To answer fern's question, I'm majoring in communication with a focus in electronic media, and am minoring in English. I have a lot of experience, and have a few contacts already. Next Tuesday there will be a career fair, and a lot of major national and local networks will be there. I want to get into producing, eventually. But for right now I just want a J-O-B.

The concert was AMAZING. I wasn't a huge fan of the person...I only went because my best friend LOVES him...but it was awesome. I have a newfound respect for the artist. It was very much a club vibe going on, which was fun. I'm not a big fan of clubs, bars, and the like...but it is fun every so often to just dance. ;-)

I think I have a PT job at a shop in the mall. I'm still waiting to hear back, but the manager said she would definitely be in touch as they are in need of people. So...yay for that!

Hope y'all are doing okay! We're about to get the tornadoes that ripped through Mississippi and Alabama earlier. Funnnn....

So, I have applied for two PT jobs locally. Even though I can only be at them for 2-3 months, I really could use the extra money. I'm also continuing the search for FT jobs beginning in May that relate to my field. There is no real progress, but I have made a few contacts, which is always a positive thing. So, we'll see.

I've decided that if I don't have a job when I graduate, I will be moving back in with Mom and Dad, find a FT local job (most likely at a restaurant), and continue looking for a FT job in my field. Please pray that I will have a job though! I absolutely adore my parents, but I really need to get out on my own.

Tomorrow I'm going to a concert! My friend got two concert tickets as a Christmas present, and she's taking me. It'll probably not be too cheap as I'm paying for parking, and I need to fill up my gas tank to make it to the city. But it will be really fun, and I have budgeted for it. So I'm excited!

So, in my savings, I now have $10.75. Yay!

And I found the perfect little black dress today that was originally marked $90. It was reduced to $2.97. With tax, it was $3.14, and I used a gift card. I am on SUCH a shopping high! :-D

And thanks for all of the birthday wishes, everyone! And my senior defense went really well. :-)

I am 21. :-)

Nothing big planned until this weekend, but my parents bought me an iPod! Yay! And they took me to Red Lobster, where I got free ice cream. Fun, fun!

I have my senior thesis defense in 30 minutes...I am appropriately freaking out. I just talked to a few of my friends who have already gone, and they're just kinda sitting in silence, muttering to themselves. It's stressful.

Okay. Well, I'm signing off...I do have some more money saved, which I will make into a separate entry at some point later.

A friend of many mutual friends of mine was murdered on Friday. It's just very shocking. I didn't know him well, but he was so full of life. He didn't deserve to be so brutally killed. No one does, but he especially didn't. It was just the harshest reminder that life is short, precious, and not guaranteed at all.

It's so funny how we take our friends and family for granted? Even people we don't know very well...we still take their part in our lives for granted.

Needless to say, it's been a struggle between planning for the future and instant gratification these past few days. I bought a coffee because...honestly...I could be dead tomorrow. And I wanted a coffee. If I'm going to be dead, does the coffee matter?

I really don't think this way, just FYI. I'm a very responsible person. But when someone dies...it makes me evaluate my own life. But again, I am very responsible, so don't worry about me blowing all of my savings. ;-)

Plan for tomorrow, but live for today.

I now have $1.63 in change; probably more, as I haven't counted any change in my car or bottom of my purse yet. I'll get to it...I've had a very rough week, so this Friday night is all about mindless relaxation.

I'm also re-reading my favorite financial book...Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach. I think it is such an informative read, and is really what got me started thinking about my finances.

Midterms and my senior thesis defense is next week...as is my 21st birthday! I haven't had time to get really excited about it, but I think I am...I really don't know how I feel! But a bunch of my friends will be celebrating with me on Saturday, and my parents are taking me out for a fancy dinner at a family friend's restaurant on Friday evening. So it'll be fun to see everyone again. It'll also be fun to have a glass of red wine every so often. ;-)

That's all! I hope y'all are doing good.

Seventy-one cents...only nineteen dollars and thirteen cents to go!

So, I took not only my $20 saved up, but a bag of loose change that I've had for a long time (since eighth grade, to be precise). I ended up making a deposit of $41.19 into my account. :-)

So now, the goal is to have $20 in change saved by March 15th, and make another deposit then. Think I can do it?

Counted extra loose change, brought the total up to $18.34. Any left over $1 bills will be added tomorrow, a deposit will be made Saturday, then it will go back to down $0 for my next $20.

Up to $16.43. I'm gonna have some dollar bills left over by Saturday, so I'll definitely have $20 to deposit into checking. :-)

I should also be getting my banking statement.

So, my pot o' change is up to $15.73. I should have $20+ by the end of the week, to make a deposit in my checking account on Saturday. Yippee!

I did some shopping today. I went to J.C. Penney's and bought a $40 pair of jeans for $7! I had a gift card, too, so I really got them for free.

I bought a Valentine's Day card for my best friend...$3. Usually I stick with the dollar store or make my own cards, but there are two people in this world who I will splurge for cards...my mom and my best friend. :-)

I went to Bath & Body Works and bought some room diffusers, $12.50, and a change purse (ironic, huh?), $6.

I then bought a pretzel and diet coke. $3.63.

Oh yeah...earlier I needed to get ink for my printer...$21.

I paid for everything with cash. Nothing from checking, nothing on CC.

The rest of the week is planned to be no/low spend.

My pot is up to $14.07. :-)

I'm also going to begin my hunt for a PT job (again) this week...unfortunately, not too many people are keen to hire a soon-to-be graduate who will be leaving town in three months.

I also am going to a career fair this week for that FT job hunt. :-)

How is everyone this week?

Here is a new twist on nachos that I made for Super Bowl Sunday! The original recipe is from 30 Minute Meals by Rachael Ray...however, the one I am printing here is what I did differently. Delicious, cheap.

You will need:
1 pkg. ground beef (you can also substitute ground chicken or turkey)
1 pkg. chili seasoning
2 hot dogs, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
Garlic, however much or little you want
Canned tomatoes (diced, crushed, whatev)
Some oil (I used olive oil)
Shredded cheddar

Heat a large skillet over high heat, covering the bottom with olive oil. Dump in the ground beef, let it brown up for a few minutes.

Add the garlic, onions, and hot dogs...mix it together and let cook for another couple of minutes. Add in the chili seasoning, mix and let cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and let cook for 1-2 more minutes.

Line a pyrex baking pan with the tortilla chips and pour the mixture over it. Cover it with cheddar cheese, and pop in the broiler for 2-4 minutes until the cheese is all melted.

Let cool for just a few seconds, then enjoy! Sour cream and guacamole goes well. It's very filling, and a little goes a long way.

I found some change lurking on my desk...bringing my grand total to $12.46. :-)

I get paid this Friday (it's on a biweekly basis). I need to budget for a prescription ($10 a month...I have to remember to call it in on Thursday so I can pick it up either on Friday or Saturday). At least $30 will go to the checking account, some will go in the ziplock baggie, the rest will go for groceries and whatever cleaning supplies I need.

CC bill should be coming in soon...ugh. My goal for February is to not charge ANYTHING. Think I can make it? :-p Maybe, maybe not...usually when my goal is to charge nothing, something always comes up...maybe my goal should be to charge no more than $20.

I need a new pair of jeans...I only have 3 pairs, and my favorite one has a hole in it, now. I have a gift card for J.C. Penney's, so I think I'll wait for a couple of weeks to see what kind of sales they've got going on for February.

I also need to budget for one of those portfolio folder things...I forget what they are called, but you stick your resume in them. I should go to the college bookstore and price them...they have really fancy ones with the school emblem on the front in gold. The ones I saw at Wal-Mart were not only cheap but they looked it, too...I'd rather spend a couple extra dollars to look like I care rather than walk in to an interview with something vinyl, lol.

Ugh...job search.

I think I'm going to go through my car and see if I can find some more change. I haven't done that in a while, so there may be some lurking around.

American Idol tonight! I know, I know...but I do love it. I think I'll whip up some chicken cutlets with some Asian inspired sauce, and a salad for dinner. Of course, I still have a TON of leftovers from Sunday...maybe I'll just have some more of that. That'll probably be better...yes, I'll make a sandwich and a salad. The chicken cutlets will be for tomorrow...maybe...my best friend is coming to visit on Thursday, so we might end up going out for dinner (someplace cheap, of course!).

I think I'm good for now. :-) How are y'all doing?

Good news! I have $12.22 in my savings ziplock baggie. I put in any extra dollar bills and coins (other than quarters) in every week...and the $12.22 is after two weeks of savings. The plan is that when I get $20, it goes into the bank.

I also deposited $119 into the bank...it'll be gone soon, as it's to pay for my books for this semester, which were put on my CC, and the bill will be coming in sometime this week. Yuck. At least I know that I'm covered.

Also got a bit of an early birthday/graduation gift...my TV blew out last week, so my parents bought me a new one this weekend. Not that I need a TV, but it's nice to have one!

Hmmm. I think that's all for right now.

Hello, everyone! Let me introduce myself.

I'm O.G. (Ozzy Gurl...it's a long story about how I decided that to be my forum and blog name). I'm 20 years old, and I graduate in May with a B.A. degree. I have around $600 in my checking account, $7 in my wallet, and that seems to be about it. I made some stupid financial decisions last year, and am now struggling to save so that I can afford emergencies, necessities, and maybe the odd little splurge.

Luckily, I am not in debt. If I don't absolutely need something, then I don't buy it. I have a credit card with a $500 limit, and try not to whip it out. I did use it this month to purchase textbooks, but I'm already covered in my checking account to pay for the bill entirely when it comes in.

I have a minimum wage job on campus (10 hours a week), and am desperately searching for a PT job until I graduate, and then a FT job that might be the first building block to a hopefully successful and happy career. I also have an extra income of $500 a month, but that is unreliable. For the month of January, I won't be receiving it, but hope that I'll have it in February, March, and April.

I go in spurts...I think saving is fun for a while, and then I feel the desperate need to buy something...ANYTHING...to prove that my life is more than just sitting in my room and staring at pennies. I am slowly changing that mindset, but it is a journey and one that I am ready to share.

Thank you for reading (if you have made it this far), and I look forward to joining this community!