For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile, you know about the budgeting ups and downs I have been going through.  Now that I’m working full time, I’m still having to really watch how I spend, because I’m not in a permanent position yet, and thus money is still very tight (even more so than before, since I’m no longer relying on student loans to subsidize my living).

I’ve re-arranged my September budget spreadsheet to help reflect these changes, and I like the new version better.  I’ve organized it so that all of my general expenses are at the top, with shopping ban and discretionary expenses at the bottom.  The general section is made up of absolute necessities (rent, utilities, etc), regular monthly expenses (Netflix subscription, YMCA membership, etc) and necessities that are flexible (toiletries, household items, etc).  I think that having things organized in this way will help me to focus my spending more on what I actually need, and spend less on things that I can do without.

I also added a section to Necessities for loan/credit payment.  I want to get my student loans and my credit card paid off, and while it may take awhile, if I can at least set aside $100 every month, I’ll be making progress.  I’ll try to make it more if I can.  More and more I’m beginning to feel that credit is an evil thing, because it lures you into a false sense of security, then makes you more and more dependent on it when you face the reality of how much income you actually have.  At least, that’s how I feel about my student loans.