Debt Update

Now that all my loan payments have posted for the month, I now owe only $26,899.80 total! On a side note, I have decided to quit the drugstore game for a while. I used up all my ECBs at CVS yesterday just b/c it is such a hassle to get there w/o a car. Since I live within walking distance to a few Walgreens, I still may try to get some of their deals, but no CVS for now.

Monthly Credit Card Budget

Now that I have my monthly budget laid out, here is what I plan on spending on my credit cards:

Chase:
Gym: 21 (21 pts)
Cell phone: 55 (55 pts)
Groceries: 150 (*5=750 pts)
(Total: 826 pts)

Citi:
Transit Pass: 86 (86 pts)

Discover: $0

Total: $312

(All of this is included in my budget, but this way I'll still be able to earn at least a little bit of credit card rewards. Note: The points that I have are just an estimate.)
: )

Projected Budget

This is what I am thinking my budget will now be:

Average monthly income: $1636.54 (818.27*2)

Monthly Expenses:
1/2 rent: 462.50
1/2 utilities: 115 (summer)
my portion of Comcast: 20
gym: 21
monthly transit pass: 86
groceries: 150
cell phone: 55
misc. expenses: 80 (about $20 per week, usually cash withdrawals)
Total: 989.50

Debt Repayment:
Citi Loan: 500
Perkins: 63.64
Direct Loans: 25
Total: 588.64

Expenses + Debt = 1578.14

Leftover: 58.40
($25 of this will automatically go from my checking to my savings every month.)

Amount in checking at the end of the month: 33.40 (Yup, this sounds about right unfortunately.)

Okay, so this sounds totally doable even if I don't have very much extra leftover at the end of the month.

Increased Emergency Fund...for now....

So, I finally received my check from the other person's insurance company! $1316.22 to be exact. I have added it to my emergency fund for now, but will probably take it out eventually for a new car. Coincidentally, yesterday was also street cleaning where I was parked and to my surprise, my car would not start. So, now I have a nice $50 city parking ticket. At this point I am thinking of donating my car to Easter Seals, because I don't want the hassle of selling it for parts. Plus, if I donate it, that would be a tax deduction. I don't look at the car situation as a bad thing since I only spent $2100 on the car in the first place and got to drive it for a year, it's only an $800 loss and now I am actually saving money since I don't have to pay for gas or car insurance anymore. That's a $80-$100 savings in gas every month and around $800-$900 a year in insurance. I should be posting my readjusted budget soon.