Well, I still have my debit card (haven't lost it!) -- already a month! -- I've charged 14 purchases and made 7 cash withdrawals...paid fees on 2 of those for not using the bank's own ATM...but, one was done late at night (security-wise that ATM made sense!) or when the bank's ATM was out of order, so I'm not that concerned about it...still, I need to plan better if I want to make sure to avoid fees...

Same deal as last time -- I placed and delivered the order, and got a frozen capuccino from the Coffe Cup...I also got to keep the stamps, which means ANOTHER free coffee!! yay!!

1. New bed for Ale... Pending, not urgent yet, but increasing in priority as she grows...she'll soon be too big for her bed!--will start quoting!!

2. New bike for Ale...Has dropped even lower in priority...depending on how things go, maybe Santa can bring it!

4. Ale's birthday party!! - She wants to have it at the Children's Museum...Museum is available! will have the party next Friday!...depending on how many children/adults attend, it might be about the same that I would have paid for the cheapest party package at Pizza Hutt --if ALL attend, which is difficult, given that it's on a Friday!--and a much more interesting and unique experience...I'm already working on the invitations!!

8.55 gallons @ $3.47 = $29.67

Not as bad as I thought it would be, considering my sister's car broke down while I was away and, she used my car to get around!

no school supply list yet...I have all that stuff in stock, so I don't have to worry, but, if I didn't have it, that would mean reduced time to look for good prices on the stuff...which is difficult anyway, as most schools in ES follow a Jan-Oct schedule, so the "good" time of the year to shop is actually Nov-Dec!!...
Maybe they figure if you have enough money to send your kid to a bilingual school you don't care about costs?? (WRONG! I know a lot of people in my same situation....trying to give our children an education that is as close as possible to the one we received on limited income!)

I guess I have to focus on getting those navy sweatpants in the meantime!

it just occurred to me today, as I was having breakfast, that, instead of buying clothes that Ale didn't really NEED, I might have bought 2 more pairs of shoes for school, only 1 size bigger than the ones I got...I'd be covered for school shoes for the whole year!! ...


OH, well, not much I can do about it NOW!

the ministry of economy of my country is having a contest for entrepreneurs!...basically, if you are salvadoran and have a small business or if you have a good idea, you can participate...I'm thinking of participating...they have 9 "grand prizes", which are $6,000 seed money and follow-up counseling for a year. Also, the ministry would be your co-signor so you could apply for credit from the local banks (which traditionally don't give credit for micro businesses)...the really cool thing is, even if you don't win, the different phases of the contest include:
1. they'll help you write your business plan
2. They'll give you special training in different areas of your choice (administration, taxes, human resource management, strategic planning, accounting, IT, for example)

so, even if you don't win, you get something very valuable out of it!

I want to do something with translations...at this stage, I have a vague idea of what and how I want to do it (that is ok, that's all I need)...but, I also need A NAME!!!....I've never thought about this...anybody have any ideas?? (good or bad, I'll take them all!...I can work with anything and see how I can adapt it or something!...obviously, I have to do something that will be good both in English and in Spanish!)

HELP!...I have a week to turn it in!

Ouch! the trip certainly took its toll!...I'm over budget in enterntainment and Others...and it's just mid-June!...I guess that means I have to do a lot of damage control in the next 17 days! (not too easy, with Ale's b-day on the 26th!)...

If I add up all the categories that made up the Others last month, I'm $22 below what I spent for May, but, still...

Oh, well, it's not like we have monthly off-sites!

Things I got during the trip to Vegas (Ross' Dress for Less!):
shoes (2 pairs)- 1 black school shoes and 1 white tennis shoes...found white Skechers at $11.99 + tax (12.95) and black Stride Rites at $12.99 + tax ($14.03), so I spent $26.98 -- woohoo!! (original prices were $36 and $42, respectively!!) that leaves $12.16...AND, I found alight sweater - navy, at $10.99 ($11.87 tax included) ....that leaves $0.29 from the money that was given to me...from now on, everything comes out of MY pocket!

Stuff I still need to get:

School supplies (need list, have stuff in stock -leftover from sale last year)

sweat pants for gym class (2) - navy blue... available at many stores, checking prices at the moment

Book bag - need to check if the school has restrictions on these (can they have characters or do they need to be solid colors only?...) Size will depend on school supply list!...we also have some left over from the sale...


Stuff I'd like to get

coin bag - for Ale to bring her allowance to school...might knit THAT one! -- Ale had a wonderful idea...her pink tennis shoes (Converse-look-alikes) had small bags attached to the sides...we took them off because we knew she might lose them, she suggested she might use one of those as a coin purse!!

So...that officially closes the "like to get" list for Ale's school stuff!

******
Forgot to add that I also bought 3 X 3-packs of socks for Ale at $0.99 + tax ($1.07) each, so $3.21 total...$2.92 coming out of MY pocket...so, the total I've personally spent is now $103.42

...we came back yesterday, but I'm just now starting to be capable of some coherent thinking!...a mixture of exhaustion, sleep deprivation and dehydration...will blog at length some other day!...for the time being, as a friend so aptly said: Let's just put an end to this ceaseless spending! (I spent about $180 in total, of which about $40 are refundable...$10 were for a calling card...about $15 for non-refundable meals...$83 for clothes for Ale and myself - more for her than for me, but will write separately on this...some souvenirs for my family...the rest is mostly for water and non-alcoholic beverages!)

The trip was fun, and I don't regret going! It was definetely worth it!

I can have Ale's party at the Children's Museum...they are not really offering the service right now, so they'd rent me the space, but I have to bring the food (which works great for me,as my cousin and I can make things for much less than whatever they'd charge!... our cost is $0.17/piece for sandwiches and $0.25/piece for hot-dogs, for example!)...the children can play in the Museum, so there's no need to hire an entertainer ...I think we can make something quite grand at a reasonable budget!!

Ale's school fund stands at $336 right now...estimated by end of July is $466...from here, I have to pay $54 for the Technokids fee (computer training- the $54 is the fee for the year)...$18 accident insurance ...about $25 for the pants/socks/cardigan...(I still have those other $40 for shoes) ...that would leave me with $369...with that I can cover 2 months tuition...add $42 and I can cover 3 months tuition, which would be ideal....at the end of the year, I'd be able to "save" those 3 months into the School fund for 2007...we'll see how it works out!...I just like to keep these things in mind, and writing them down helps....also, as I go, I can see how my plans change/evolve!

It was announced in today's newspapers!!...I filled the car last Thursday, and obviously have been very good at not driving unnecessarily this week, because the needle has barely moved down, but, I'm still going to try to fill it today (unless the stations have already upped the prices!)...

You DO realize how gas at $3.69 totally messes up my budget (well, everyone's), don't you?? aaaarrrghhh! -- I had based my budget with gas at $3.50 max, which seemed kind of reasonable, seing that when I did that, gas was at $3.24!!-- ((sigh))...

At least, since it's cool most mornings and evenings (when I drive to and from work) I'm not using the air conditioning during the week...only on the weekends, and only around noon!

went to Siman (dept store) today...no cardigans (in ANY color), no sweatpants... shoes WAY too expensive (white tennis shoes ON SALE $45.99!!)

I just came back from the bank, I went to dispute the charges ($30.07) on my cc...the account executive had said that this sort of request has to be done in person, not via mail...so, today I took the time to do this in between bringing some print jobs to Xerox and picking up another job that was almost ready (it's about a block away...I had to run!)

...they say it takes about a month for this sort of thing to be resolved! ((sigh))

I have made several changes, added columns and some conditional formatting...I have set a max amount for everything now (the "Others" is still murky and, eventhough I have separated several categories, I still need to work on it...just to make sure Others is still Others and does not include anything necessary...but, at the same time, the objective is to recognize that there are Others, and that these need to be reduced...not just to reallocate them to justify them!)...soooo, the conditional formatting: if I go over the budget, the Total for the month cell turns RED...ouch! (talk about getting a visual!)...If I stay under or right on budget, it stays green!

I'll let you know how I do at the end of the month!

to look at sweat pants, shoes and sweaters/cardigans...I almost had a heart attack!...a pair of sweatpants for $24??...a cardigan for $24??...

At least, it gives me a reference point regarding prices...

I went to Hiper Europa and they don't have either...went to Hiper Paiz and they had some pants... some were $6 and some were $10...but neither looked like they could survive 2 trips in the washing machine without coming apart!!

I found Hush Puppies mary janes at $25 at the Hush Puppies store...I found the same style for $15 at the outlet....(didn't check for sizes, though...I really think my best bet is to wait at least until mid-July to get the shoes...unless I find a REALLY great bargain!...because Ale outgrows her shoes every 6 months!)

the unit's offsite this year will be in Las Vegas...AND, this year they decided to invite us (admins)...we are leaving on Thursday and coming back on Sunday/Monday...all expenses are paid until Saturday brunch....so all we have to take care of is meals on the weekend...
We'll see how I do in a "non-controlled" environment!...(my daily routine keeps me away from places of "temptation"! LOL!)

On Friday I was invited for lunch, and then, as I was going home, my sis, my daughter and I were invited for dinner! That's lucky! (plus, it allows me to go out without touching my "entertainment budget"!)

Things I need to get:

School supplies (need list, have stuff in stock -leftover from sale last year)

shoes (2 pairs)- 1 black school shoes and 1 white tennis shoes...comparison shopping at the moment!

sweat pants for gym class (2) - navy blue... available at many stores, checking prices at the moment

Book bag - need to check if the school has restrictions on these (can they have characters or do they need to be solid colors only...) Size will depend on school supply list!...we also have some left over from the sale...


Stuff I'd like to get

light sweater - navy or white...not very common...keeping my eyes open...the alternative might be to knit it myself...the cold months are still far away enough that I might just finish in time...(might be more expensive than a ready-made one, though!)

coin bag - for Ale to bring her allowance to school...might knit THAT one!

****
will update this list as I find items, including prices, before making a final decision....

it's $1.75 for a frozen capuccino...
The Coffee Cup has a promotion of "buy 10, get 1 free!"...no, I don't buy enough to get 1 free...but, today, since some co-workers were having a meeting, they asked me to order it for them and, since they know "I don't serve coffee" (not that I've ever said that, I guess it's just an attitude thing! :P) ...they said they'd let me keep the stamps in exchange!! woo-hoo!!...they ordered 10 cups of coffee, so my next frozen capuccino will REALLY be free!!!

$1.75 to be added to my $20 challenge for this month!

1. New bed for Ale... Pending, not urgent yet

2. New bike for Ale...Has dropped even lower in priority

4. Ale's birthday party!! - She wants to have it at the Children's Museum...Same as last month!...if I don't get an answer by next week, will look into alternatives!! ((Events are suspended indefinetely at the Museum, as they are still trying to decide how they are going to revamp them...no info on prices or anything, so I have no way to make a comparison...))

************
#3 and #5 were car and car registration card. Car is bought (and being paid off little by little!) and, registration card was issued and is valid through July 2007!!

Well, last year in June I was literally DROWNING in debt!... the apt still hadn't sold and my car was giving me very serious problems (this was the beginning of the end for that car!)...

It's good to see so much progress!

Thanks to all for your support in the process!!

Received partial payment $15 for translations done in April.

OK. Tracking expenses for half of last month has made me realize a couple of things:

1. I DO have entertainment $$...it's just not budgeted!...have allotted $25 to this one (last month spent about $40!)...((sigh)) CREA makes things more expensive, as for the weekends we go, there is always something to buy or pay for...

2. I NEED to set up an emergency fund...even if just $3/month, so that I have $$$ to replace little things (like the fan that broke)

3. I need to set up a "wardrobe" fund for Ale (she IS growing and, buying clothes and shoes will continue to be a recurrent expense!...)

4. My lunch money should also be kept separate, although I did stay below budget for this! (my allocated budget for lunches is $4/week...that means I can buy lunch -if necessary- 1x week and, buy my drinks the rest of the days)

5. Most important, I need to track my expenses on a DAILY basis (and not hoard the tickets/bills/invoices until the end of the week and then input the info in my spreadsheet)...this way I can see the real damage I'm making and can correct as I go, instead of resorting to hitting my head against the wall in frustration, which really does nothing to remedy the situation!

OK. New month = new opportunity for improvment!...will make the best that I can!

I didn't even use up half the tank this week! HOwever, I'm not fueling today..I'm waiting until tomorrow, so that this goes on June's expenses...(that will make June a 5-week expense period for gas, and keep May at 4 weeks, but I'd rather do this, considering that in April I had to FILL the tank as the car was delivered to me with an empty tank!...also, because I had a lot of "set-up" or initial expenses on the car!)

Ok, I've been tracking expenses in several categories:

Car (gas, maintenance and others) - $126.37

Ale's (new) school - $100.00

Supermarket - $110.26

Others (source of shame!) - $120.89

This last one has to be split, as this includes regular lunches ($5/week), entertainment,unbudgeted expenses (necessary but not put on budget!) and "nothings"...I have to work on a set budget for entertainment and, cut the "nothings" as much as possible...wish me luck!

Total for May
Challenge statistics:
to discount from challenge this month:
-$3.00 tax on employee day payment

Earned in April: $339.80

net for January: $12.15
net for February: $318.40
net for March:$380.00
net for April: $222.00
net for May:$336.86
Total ytd for 2006 (net):$1,269.35

TARGET: $4,000

$2,730.65/ 7 months to go!

I got a deposit for $20.06 - English lessons...need to update my $20 challenge numbers!

Total for May
Challenge statistics:
to discount from challenge this month:
-$3.00 tax on employee day payment

Earned in April: $319.80

net for January: $12.15
net for February: $318.40
net for March:$380.00
net for April: $222.00
net for May:$316.80
Total ytd for 2006 (net):$1,249.35

TARGET: $4,000