Thoughts, ramblings

[LAYAAN]

Go Tinu!!!!!!!! The end is near!!!!!

Life gets so much better after you finish your degree. Promise. No matter what comes afterward, you are never again in a situation where one person controls your entire life.

Thank you Marsh. You are so right about that. I attended a conference recently and someone there at the career forum said "Finish your degree no matter whether you decide to use it later or not. Just finish it, you will feel so much better."

[LAYAAN]

Until you get married, haha.

That's true depending on who you marry and what state of mind you are in when you choose the guy.

[marshmlofluff]

Until you get married, haha.

 

Marry your advisor...then you get the "best" of both worlds!

 

 

[Pkittie]

Tinu, I have been reading all your posts...Almost seems like, I know you by now

 

BTW I'm Indian too & would love to be friends with you. I was cracking up reading your posts about marriage...Another single gal in her 30s...You are so strong & wise. You should be proud of yourself for staying here & pursuing your education. I was inspired to read some of your posts! Stay the course, gal....

[LAYAAN]

Thank you Poochie for your message. Sure, I am always open to being friends.

[LAYAAN]

I walked 4.15 mile today.

[Pkittie]

4.15 Miles...wow...you are awesome Tinu! I'm sure all the endorphins released in your body must be making you feel really positive

[LAYAAN]

Thank you Poochie. Yes, that is another advantage of exercising. I had an accident few months back and my knee has not healed yet. So, I only walk. My physician told me not to run anymore.

I neglected my health and have put on a lot of weight that I need to lose. The added weight is putting more pressure on my knees, so I must lose it if I want my knee to heal.

I just do my best. I walk around the block, in the neighborhood, etc. I go mostly in the evenings after school. I listen to meditation music or Christian sermons on my ipod while walking. The whole experience is really relaxing.

You should try it too.

[LAYAAN]

Hurray! I finally pushed myself to complete the written proposal and submitted all chapters of my 1st proposal draft to my boss today. I feel so good.

I emailed the 2nd PI notifying her that the proposal is already submitted to my boss and when she would like to have a copy of it.

Thank you everyone for your support.

[annie24]

yeah tinu!!!!

[LAYAAN]

Thank you Annie. You have helped me a lot. Thank you so much for your support. It means a lot to me. I do not know what I could do without that support.

[annie24]

you are a strong woman, i have confidence in you.

[Pkittie]

Congrats Tinu!

[LAYAAN]

Thank you Annie and Poochie.

[LAYAAN]

I realized that I haven't been paying attention to my finances for last month or so and that has backfired. I'm getting sucked into credit card usage which is not good at all.

1) Credit card 'X' promised to give 5% cash back on everyday purchases. So, I started using that card which I had stopped using for a long time. Now, as it turns out, all the spending for April and May 2010 using that card has been fruitless because there is a certain limit that needs to be met to get that 5% reward in one year and that one year is different for everyone. As it turns out, my one year is from May to May following year. So, I got some very negligible amount back today. I called the company and asked them what happened. They explained this to me.

2) Credit card 'Y' promised to give 5% cash back only for promotional offer (because people are closing the accounts). I thought "Oh, well, I would be better off putting as much amount on credit card from X so I can reach the limit. Had I gathered this information before, I would not have used credit card X, instead would have put it on Y and would have saved myself some real good money.

I'm upset at myself for not being wise and giving the company benefit of my ignorance. Since, the new May to May period for credit card X has now begun, I can't put anything on card Y if I want to get maximum benefit by spending a certain amount by next May on card X. I really hope that I've learned my lesson and won't repeat this mistake again.

3) As I was coping up with this, I found out that I paid someone for phlebotomy work for my research. This was more than a month back. I should have asked the girl to cash the check immediately. Darn it! I'm so mad. Its been over a month, and she goes cashes it now when my credit card payment was due and I had only few extra dollars remaining in my account. Now I've to deal with this overdraft fee from the bank. Come on. The harder I try to save money, the farther being I'm falling.

4) I had to bear some sudden expenses for my pharmacy exam books.

Staying on top of your finances is walking a thin line man! I will try and talk to the bank and the girl, but I guess nothing really can be done to reverse the charges.

5) I normally cook all my meals at home. I hardly eat out. This last month, I ate out a lot. I feel bad now. I feel like I should have saved that money instead for my pharmacy exam books instead. It would have come in real handy.

 

Today, I told myself that I will not go out for lunch. I came home and munched on something. So, that is good. I got to be more disciplined. I didn't cook last week. This long weekend, I hope that I can get cooking done so I don't have to worry about food for next week.

[penelope13]

Tinu, do you make a monthly budget for your expenses?

[LAYAAN]

nope... I hate to give you that answer. I don't have a budget.

[penelope13]

May I suggest you making one, at least for the next few months? If you do so, also plan in some money for unforeseen contingencies

[LAYAAN]

Definitely.

Do you have any suggestions? websites? books?

[penelope13]

No, sorry. I have no references for you, but I am sure there are hundreds both online as well as books.

 

I would start by writing down what your bills are, how much you want to pay off for your credit cards, calculate what you want to spend on food (include also some money for going to a restaurant at least once a month), some amount for fun, clothes etc, as well as a small amount (if at all possible) to save.

 

Then try to stick to it as much as possible (at the beginning you may have to adjust your budget a bit, if you were totally of on your estimates .

 

You could also start by simply tracking every single cent that you spend in a given month. You'll be surprised how different your spending might be from what you imagine it to be.

[annie24]

link removed

 

free site.

[LAYAAN]

Thank you Annie. I appreciate it. I will give it a try.

[LAYAAN]

I walked 4.39 miles today.

[Pkittie]

Tinu, did you manage to get a lot of studying done? It's great that you are making time for your walks regularly....

[LAYAAN]

completed 2 chapters. went to see my professor and pick up his corrections on methodology chapter of my proposal. did not get any cooking done. Will work on it today.

How about you? Did you get studying and cooking done?