I'm having one of those poor starving artist days.
Today is the last day of the month which means there was a paycheck in my mailbox at work. Tomorrow is the first of the month which means rent is due. I currently use 2 credit cards, one for work stuff and one for me (to keep petty cash separate from my own spending). Now, the billing cycles on the 2 cards are different and the card I use for work is due late in the month while the card I use for me is due before the middle of the month, so I tend to be able to pay more on the work card since I don't have to figure in rent after the mid-month paycheck. I'm very conscious of this and I tried to pay a smaller amount on the work card last month so there would be a bigger balance in my checking account so that I could pay more on the me card this month. But even though I haven't spent extravagantly, my checking balance is no bigger than last month. I think this is partly due to the fact that utilities are more than I expected ($20 more than last month even though I was out of town for 2 and a half weeks--how does THAT work?) and partly due to the fact that I haven't been using the me credit card this month (in an attempt to keep the balance from growing even more).
That's probably hard to follow for anyone not me, so here it is in simple terms: I can barely make my monthly income cover my monthly expenses, but I can't afford to pay off the credit card I had to run up with moving expenses in August and airfare in October/November (even though I was reimbursed for said airfare).
I literally burst into tears when I wrote out the rent check and saw the remaining balance was as low as it is. I don't know if I can afford to buy groceries until my next paycheck if I make the payment I need to on that credit card. I'm not looking for charity, just sympathy right now. I was thinking about going out for coffee and using the Heine Bros. free wi-fi to play online this evening, but now I think I'll just stay in and read since that doesn't cost any money. I can't even afford a $1.50 refill in my to-go mug.
This sucks.
"...my checking balance is no bigger than last month. I think this is partly due to the fact that utilities are more than I expected ($20 more than last month even though I was out of town for 2 and a half weeks--how does THAT work?)"
ReplyDeleteSorry about that. I guess I'll have to stop having week-long parties at your place while you're away. The stack of four 1800 Watt power-amps that I use aren't exactly conservative when it comes to power consumption.
Jesse
And to top it all off, my cousin throws a party in my apartment and doesn't even invite me!
ReplyDeleteWait, I don't remember give you a key... ;)