Yesterday I did Suze Orman's online expense sheet. It is really kinda awesome for me to have done this because it is my desire to develop some personal financial security. I really want to improve my FICO score and to have an emergency fund which would also double on the down payment of a house some time down the road. Doing the expense sheet has made me see my own fianances more clearly so that I know better of what I need to do to achieve my goal.

The expense sheet really makes you think about where all your money is going to. She asks you to *guestimate* (that was for (e:zobar)) what you are spending per month on everything form toiletries to movies, tobacco and alcohol. You enter in your rent, your loans, utilites as well as your monthly income. Under the fast food category I realized I can save the most without sacrificing too much. I am spending $100/month on eating food in the cafeteria! My big challenge now is trying my hardest to limit this to let's say $25 month. Even things that seem relatively benign such as going to the movies can be a huge expense over a year period. The one great thing I realzed when doing all this was that I didn't have to put anything into the tobacco category. If I was still smoking a pack a day I would have to enter in $168/ month at a rate of $6.00 pack. There is no way I could afford to go back to smoking! That is more than $2000/yr.

I'm really annoyed that I have an expense in the cable category. I really did not want cable it was something my roommate considered to be essential and now I am stuck paying for half of it at least until July. After that I will refuse to pay for it anymore because I really don't need TV and don't even care if I don't even have one of those things they ran out of coupons for when they make the digital switch so that you can watch TV with an antennae.

So, I definitely recommend doing one of those expense balancing sheets for yourself sometime if you are interested in improving your financial situation. It is a great way of facing reality.

(e:mike) and I saw this parked on Anderson. We saw it the night before and it was much funnier when it just said WTF? When I went back to photograph it with my real camera instead of my phone someone added "Wash me!". The add on isn't quite as funny but WTF? Was exactly what Mike and I said when we saw it. This thing is like twice the size of a hummer at least. When you look at it from the front it actually looks like a 16 wheeler. I should have shot it from the front too cause this photo almost makes it look small.

In Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism there is a letter that Nichiren wrote to one of his followers that is titled "Winter Turns to Spring". It is a letter he wrote to Myoichi, a recent widow with children in order to encourage her. It really is such a beautiful letter but the reason I share it is just because we all need that little reminder that winter without fail turns to spring.

I lifted this off unzipped.net. Looks like I'll have to read this blog some more.

Thank you so much for fixing my mess of a computer last night. I really thought that I was going to lose almost all of my digital photo files and that would have made me so sad. I am sorry you were so allergic to my rabbit dandered computer. I didn't even think of that happening and am so happy that I at least spent the time carefully vacuuming out the inside because I can't even imagine what you would be like if I didn't. I always thought you would be able to come over to my house as long as you didn't go in the rabbit room but now I know that you really never could come over. Anyways, I am most greatful. Thanks again!