Finance

So I've been thinking a lot lately about financial responsibility. Mostly about how I don't have any. I like pretty things, and I have no willpower. That's a very dangerous combination when I'm trying to pay off debt and build up my savings. My parents have been amazing. Not that they're anywhere near loaded, but I'm so lucky that they're paying for my education (for the rest of their lives, probably) and they've been willing to shoulder my car payments whenever I'm off somewhere not making enough money.

As part of my plan to leave my internship a much better person than when I started, I would like to come up with some plan of action to get my finances in order. When I moved here, it ate up about half of my savings, so if my paychecks ever get straightened out (that's another, longer, more infuriating story), I'm going to start putting money into savings again every month. I'm hoping to get at least back to where it was before my move, possibly more, so when I move again I have that cushion to fall back on.

Also, I need to start digging myself out of debt. I know I won't be able to pay off my (rather staggering) credit card debt before I move again, but I can get started. While my pay has been askew, I've been relying fairly heavily on my credit card. That wouldn't be a bad thing if I hadn't already been relying fairly heavily on my credit card to fund my pretty things for the past couple of years.

So along with my credit card, the bulk of my debt lies in my car and the running tab I'm keeping of the money I owe my parents from missed car payments and housing from my summer in NYC. The good news is, my car should be paid off come April or May. The flip side of that is, I haven't been able to make car payments, so that's all going on my parental tab. Once the car is paid off, though, the parental tab will stop accumulating, and when I get a real job, I can work on that.

I also have a list of things to get or do when I reach certain goals along my weight loss path. I need to put some money aside for that, so when I reach a goal, I can do/get whatever it is I've been working towards. Along those lines, I need to put aside some money for Christmas, which is getting scarily close, and things that come up to which I would like to give money. This month is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and since half of the women in my family have had breast cancer, I feel like I should do/donate something for the cause. I can't give nearly as much as I'd like, though, because of the whole living paycheck-to-paycheck thing.

So for the most part, right now I just need to concentrate on cutting down on unnecessary expenses, making budgets and controlling my money better. It will also help when they fix whatever is wrong in the Clemson system and I'm actually getting paid what I'm supposed to be getting paid. So no more random purchases online, and no more going to the store and picking up whatever I want. I need to put thought into every dollar I spend, and think twice about whether I need what I'm buying.