This month should be a little more hectic, unfortunately, as I'm counting down the days til the MCAT. I'm working less hours, thanks to a flexible job, but that also means that I'm getting less monies! And these monthly expenses aren't getting any cheaper. In addition, spending time studying at a place that sells coffee means that I will buy a cup. In addition to that addition, I've been spending money buying practice tests (running $35 a pop) to mimic the real test. There's about 8 total available. I'm not planning to do all of them, but if I'm feeling brave and do, that's $280 out the window.
Man, studying is expensive! Not only is it costing me job hours, I'm spending money on materials for my brain and stomach. I could probably study at home, but I have such a short attention span. The internet is my enemy (pinterest, reader, etc.).
For April, I managed to do MOST of my goals.
1. Drive slower. Hm, I don't think so. I calculated my mpg and for the two fill-ups I did in April I went from 28.8 mpg to 27.6 mpg. Oh well. Honestly, I wasn't very motivated with this.
2. For my emergency fund, I managed to put away $167. I put an extra $50 to my student loan as well.
3. And I am on top my study schedule! I revised it though, so I gave myself some leeway.
4. I caught up with a friend I haven't kept in touch with for over a year. I went over to her place, and we talked and caught up, and it was nice. I should do this more often!
5. I haven't started looking for an apartment.
Now Hello May! I'm ready to tackle you with vigor! My goals for this month:
1. Blog more, duh! Writing and tracking my thoughts is such a nice release. I need to practice formulating sentences in some sort of coherent order anyway, since I have to write essays in the test.
2. Stay within budget. I spent very little on eating out last month. $109 to be exact, and that's a whoppin' record for me. However, I spent about $20 on coffee, and only $7 on boba. This month, I'm expecting less from my paychecks and hopefully I won't drown in my budget because it will be really tight.
3. Do an oil change.
4. Check my credit report. I love doing this so it should be easy!
5. Contribute $20 to a brand new CORGI FUND! My boyfriend and I have decided to get a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. They are so adorable. However! No purchase will be made until we create a solid budget to account for all regular and irregular expenses, and we KNOW that we will be able to take care and cherish it for its whole life. I always hear stories of people who found out they aren't able to afford or take care of a dog and so they give it away to a shelter. How traumatizing is that to a pet! My roommate from college did this to a two month old puppy. Actually I ended up taking care of that puppy while she was on spring break, and when I was gone for the weekend she gave it away. Anyway, I want to make sure we're well prepared.
