Weekend's Over Wednesday: Getting Ahead for Once

Though I go back to work tonight, I'm excited.  Yes, I'll have to endure eight hours on the clock of a large retail business.  However, I'll have been paid by the time I clock out at 7 AM CST.  This is no ordinary payday.

It's a chance to get ahead on a few things.

Normally, I use one payday to cover rent and a couple of important things at or near the end of the month while using the other to cover utilities and other expenses.  This month, I'm getting paid three times because of how the calendar works out.

In order to move into the place I currently reside in, I had to make some sacrifices and borrow some money to take care of expenses from moving out of the old place.  When it comes to debt, it's easy to get in, but it's hard to get out.

Thanks to some maneuvering of my own at the end of 2012, I was able to position myself to actually get ahead on a few other consumer debts that I have.  One of them will be a credit card that I had when I was in college.

It's long since expired, and I did not even bother asking for a new one.

The cool part about an expired card is that it's easier to pay off since it can't be used for purchases.  The income tax refund I get this year will solely be used to pay it off the rest of the way.  Any remainder will be applied towards other consumer debt.

If I play my cards right, I'll hopefully pay off at least three of my consumer debts this year.  If I'm really fortunate, I might pay off even more.

How I'm Reducing Expenses

I don't eat out anymore.  After all, that would wreck the eating habits that I'm trying so hard to adapt to (low carb).  That alone has allowed me to save money for other things such as paying for utilities and other expenses.  I bring my own lunch to work and all I drink is water.

I also don't drive or do more laundry than is necessary at the moment.  I had enough money to do a little bit more laundry this week.  Next week, I might take the opportunity to do even more.

Doing What Needs to Be Done

I will need to get an oil change on my car soon.  I'm definitely going to use this payday as an opportunity to get the oil that I prefer.  I may also begin budgeting for obtaining parts for a tune-up.  I know I had a parts store print out a list of items I'll need in order to get that done.  If I can't find it, I'll have to go back and ask again.

Unfortunately, cleaning up the living quarters didn't happen like planned.  I'll see what I can do in the next couple of days.  I visited a couple of friends yesterday, and the friends I was planning to visit will happen this coming Monday instead (four day weekend for them because of the next holiday).

Sunday Send Off: Plans for the Week.

Tonight is my "Friday."  In other words, I have Monday and Tuesday nights off.  I'm really looking forward to 7 AM Monday morning.  As I sit here consuming the remainder of my Woodchucks and relaxing, I couldn't help but plan for the week.  Of course things are somewhat tentative, and might change depending on the situation, so I'll have to adjust accordingly.

 Needless to say, I'm thinking that this week is going to be interesting to say the least (and in a good way).


Laundry

I'll definitely need some clean clothes for when I go back to work Wednesday night.  I might do enough of a load to last me a couple of days or do enough to last the usual five depending on the situation.

Meet a Friend for Dinner

 It's been forever since I've had dinner with this friend.  She's one of the most sociable people I've ever met.  She also tends to get worried if she doesn't hear from her friends in a while (she wanted to know if I was mad at her).  It's been a while, so I might as well visit with her and another friend at the same time (haven't had an extended conversation with him in a while either).

Sell the ole' HP dv7 notebook

 I don't use it very much, the touch pad is a royal pain on OS'es other than Windows (right click doesn't work unless I want to do some major tweaking), and switchable graphics and the Linux kernel don't currently get along.  Somebody else is needing a computer to use, and $275 USD sounded good to him.

With that money coming this Thursday, I just might be able to swing...

A Samsung Galaxy S2

I currently have the Exhibit II 4G, which is decent, but the specs are a little low.  If too much stuff is loaded, Android practically has to reload itself after killing as many processes as possible.  For a regular, everyday consumer, it's a great phone.  For what I want to do, I need something a bit more powerful.

Pay Bills

I also get to pay some more bills, which is a part of life.

All in all, I'm looking forward to this week.  Now to get this published, eat some more food, finish off those Woodchucks, and head for bed.