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I need to save money. I have two major purchases to make within the next 3 months (that's the deadline I've set for myself.) So I have to get moving on my save money plan. The first step is to start living on a budget again. I've been kind of "just getting by" since I've been in San Francisco and that is no longer acceptable. I've got a great job (THANK YOU LORD) and I make enough to be able to do more than I am, but I spend more than I save....no good. In Houston I used to have all of my bills (and their due dates) posted on my wall, so that I would manage those better. So last night in class (yes, I said in class...it was too boring to pay attention...lol), I wrote out my bills and due dates again. I have a system when it comes to bills. I get paid twice monthly, so I make 2 charts. One is titled 5th and one 20th, to correspond to my pay dates. I then list out which bills need to be paid with which check, so that when I get paid, I take care of those first and never have to worry about missing a payment. I don't have much to pay, my bills are less than $1000.00 a month, so I also write into my budget some savings. I put aside $50 from one check and $50 from the other each time. It really adds up:) Also, I have a couple of old debts to pay off (poor credit decisions as a college freshman....I know ya'll know about those), so I also add in a monthly payment for those into my budget so that I can eat away at the balances. Whenever I can afford to, due to overtime at work or extra cash from whatever, I pay a little more to one or two bills than I normally can afford. I'd rather pay off my debts than have extra cash in my hand for right now. I'll be able to relax (a little) on the budget eventually, but for now, it's getting me where I need to be financially. I will keep you guys posted. I'm saving to buy a computer and a camera, so stay tuned...

Love and light...