I'm glad the weekend is here. It will be a busy one because it's midterm week and I have lots of exams to grade. But after next week, we have spring break. I'm really looking forward to this year's s.b. Now that I have finished the dissertation, I won't keep feeling like I should be doing something productive with all that extra time! Life is good.

Went to a discount bookstore yesterday and got a few things. Almost bought 9 more books than I did. They had those recent collector's editions of the Little House books for 50% off the cover price. (I like owning attractive copies of books I read as a kid.) BUT I found myself thinking, "I can always borrow these from the library if I want to read them again." So I stuck with the short story anthologies that I wanted and that tend to go out of print so quickly. Saved $36.00!

Saved money today by:
1) premade lunch
ummm...not much else...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Just got a message that someone bought one of my books listed on Amazon. An extra $5 coming my way. It's all starting to really add up!

Other than that, I have saved money today by bringing my lunch to work. And tea to keep in my desk.

I've been wavering lately about the gift I had planned to get myself after I had defended. I had decided on some lovely (but expensive) plates, but am now wondering if I really want to spend that much on them. I do want to treat myself in a big way. And I haven't seen anything else I've like as much. What to do? What to do?


***UPDATE***
Just took a look at my seller's history on Amazon. Since last May, I have earned $253.00 by selling my used books and CDs. I'm impressed! And selling my books has also helped me curb my buying habits because I now know how little of a return I would get for each book if I did want to sell it later.

I am now officially a doctor! (Of classics, not medicine.)
The exam went wonderfully well and I enjoyed a few days in sunny southern California. YAY! I even got to stay one extra day because of all the snow here on the east coast.

It feels wonderful to have completed my degree! I'm still grinning whenever I get to write "Dr." before my name. May I always feel as proud of that as I do right now.

I'm also happy that staying an extra day in LA was not a financial hardship. I've saved so much money these past few months by following people's advice here on the forums and by being inspired by your own stories. Thank you!

So far, I have paid off my credit card debt and have started to build up my emergency savings. Next on the list is to find a permanent job, pay off my student loans and save for a house.

Wow! It's been a long time, but I have been very busy.

Just put my dissertation in the mail to my committee. Very exciting and anxiety-producing. Most of my time this past month has been spent to get that ready.

Money-wise, I've had some ups and downs. Another semester worth of tuition, but a gift from my dad will cover that...and my cc debt. (WOW!) By February, the only debt I will have will be student loans.

Did get some free money for signing up for a trial period for insurance with two of my credit cards. Naturally, I cancelled as soon as the checks cleared.

Also got a refund from my Flex Spending Account. Feels like free money because I have already paid those bills. Now that I know how this works, I will definitely sign up to have more withdrawn from my check next year.

Best wishes to all!

Just made $15.00 on Amazon selling some CDs and a book! What great news. My sales have been stagnant for some time now; will have to go through my shelves and see if there are other items I can list.

Also endorsed a $20.00 check from Citibank. They've got this 30-day free trial offer for CC insurance with the incentive check. As far as I can tell, as long as I remember to cancel my subscription within 30 days, I've earned $20.00 for free. Unlikely I'll forget! :-)


Ok, back to the dissertation...