Debt Hater

Finished May in the Black and On My Way to Tokyo!

So, I had just $75 of disposable income for the last week of this month, and was concerned that I wouldn't make it. But, I returned a pair of shoes I ordered this month (didn't fit), which put back $35. We were treated to lunch by the company one day this week, I had lunch in the fridge from last week I didn't eat and then my leftovers at home were plentiful enough to make last the remainder of this week.

I finished the month with $180 in the black and didn't spend all of my disposable income. I plan to stick to my Tokyo shopping, eating and getting around budget of $1,300 (that's about ¥123,162).

So, I'll holla back when I am home. And I plan to Twitter my Japanese adventures, so if you don't follow me, you may want to get on board.

Tootles!

DH

Countdown to Tokyo, Japan!

Once upon a time, I made a list of places I wanted to see before I died or got so old I couldn't go. Hawaii, Tokyo, West Africa, Spain and Australia has been on the list. I once promised my brother a graduation trip to Australia... then I found out I was more than 10Gs in debt. No trip for kid bro. I spent the next few years digging myself out of my silly consumer debt hole.

I wised up and figured out that if I wanted to go to all these exotic locales, I'd have to save the cash FIRST. Then go.

And now, free from debt, I'm about to hit one close to the top of my list the first week of June: Tokyo, Japan!

I love anime (grew up on Voltron and Robotech, what!). I love Japanese-fighter video games (Samurai Showdown is da bomb). I just like saying things like Totoro and domo arigato.

How can I afford this fun, ramen-and-sushi filled trip?
Luck? Yeah, mostly.

My best friend (since were 10 years old, and we still blah blah on the phone for hours like we ain't seen each other in years) found a sweet deal from Travelzoo in the weekly travel alerts they send out. She issued me a challenge (well, it wasn't a challenge, but I took it as one, as I will explain in a sec). Trip to Tokyo, four nights in the Four Seasons and a half-day city tour, $1,199 including airfare. We have 12 hours to book the trip. Call me in the morning and let me know if you want to go.

The old me would have said no. Why? Fear.
Fear that I didn't have enough money. Fear that I would get to Japan and be utterly lost and miserable. Fear that I'd be kidnapped and smuggled into some underground sex circuit (I recently saw Taken, so I was bugging). But, first and foremost, the fear of making a snap decision when it had to do with so much money.

I've made decisions like that before and it landed me in an ocean of consumer debt.

I did not want to miss this opportunity. A plane ticket to Japan normally costs more than this whole trip. So, instead of freak out or make decisions willy nilly, I did what I have learned to do -- the math.

I had been saving for nearly nine months for a birthday trip to somewhere. I settled on Hawaii (also on my To Go list) and had picked a condo, airfare, car rental, and surf lessons. I added it up and found that I was on track to save more than $1,500 over my trip budget. Hmm... if I kept saving then I'd be able to cover the cost of my trip to Tokyo. I called my friend and told her to book it.

But then, lo and behold, we actually got our bonuses this year! So I used some of the money in the bonus to cover the cost of both trips and am now sticking the money I had been saving to travel into my emergency fund. Done and done (as Homer Simpson is fond of saying, right before something bad happens).

Of course, today, I had to blow $135 getting an expedited passport. I had to file a lost passport claim and pay to get a new one processed immediately for the trip. I spent the ENTIRE morning at the passport office in D.C.

That $135 cuts into the money I set aside to shop (and EAT) in Tokyo. That sucks because $135 U.S. is about ¥13,043. That's about 10 bento box lunches or a meal in an expensive restaurant. It's a banging souvenir for myself. It's... it's a lot of dough.

Oh well. This passport will be NOT be misplaced. I ain't going through this again. :-)

June 1 -- Tokyo here I come!

DH

April Monthly Report: Recommitting to Fiscal Discipline

I won't bore you with the deep details of my April spending report.
If you've read my monthly reports before you know that I went over budget on food, probably on clothes and didn't spend much on gas.

It's the same thing every month, whether I'm way in the black, teetering on the red or hemorrhaging cash. (Just FYI, I was way in the black for April thanks to my bonus, certainly not thanks to my spending discipline, of which I exhibited none).

All of that got me to thinking: Ok, first quarter of the year is offer and summer is already approaching. What am I doing?

Single Ma's post "April Showers Bring May Flowers" was my much needed inspiration to take a quick break from playing and spending (believe me, I've been having a good time!).

I haven't paid much attention to my long-term goals, set at the beginning of the year and in my mind and heart for much longer than that. So now it's time to get back on the ball so I don't waste this year like I did last year.

Single Ma had a list of MUSTs in her post. A good idea, I thought, so I came up with a list of my own MUSTs (FYI, not all of these are financial, but they are in keeping with my goal of investing in me in 2009):

I MUST keep non-necessity spending to at or under $650 $675 a month.

I MUST exercise for at least 45 minutes, four times a week, preferably in the morning.
(Remember my back pain? It got much better when I regularly did my core strengthening exercises. I stopped. My back hurts again, a lot. If pain isn't a big enough motivator, I don't know what is!)

I MUST set realistic goals for retirement saving and get help from a financial planner if I need it (and I think I do, because, frankly, I am one of those people who simply isn't motivated to do this).

I MUST spend time with friends twice a month, even if it's by phone. Relationships are key!

I MUST monitor my goals monthly to make sure I am on track.

I MUST go back to my 2009 Goal list and start checking things off. So far... not so good.

I had set a goal of 6-months of living expenses in my e-fund. I have three, which, by most standards, is plenty for a person in my situation. I may reevaluate this goal, but, for the mean time, that's what I am aiming for.

So, tell me, what have you been meaning to this year (or meaning to do every month) that you haven't done consistently yet?

DH