In the month of May I managed to rack up a huge Visa bill due to

1. 7 day Chicago trip to visit my cousin and her husband.  Shopped till I dropped.  Enough said.
2. $300 spent eating out.  Due in part to the fact that I just “had” to have 17 reunion dinners with all my friends from home.  It wasn’t just my wallet that suffered, believe me.
3. HUGE cell phone bill.  As in almost $100! (I have a $25 plan).  This was a result of my apparent inability to pick up a phone and change my phone number to a local area code.
4. $427 Driving School fees.  This one was actually an investment, since it is going shave about 40% off my insurance.

After a shocker of a Visa bill, I knew I had to make some changes.  As a person who works full time, does not have a car and pays no rent, I should definitely have more than $300 in the bank.  Unfortunately, that is the state of my finances right now.

I’d be in better financial shape if I hadn’t committed to an all-inclusive 7 day vacation to the Dominican with my girlfriends at the end of the month.  I don’t regret this decision though.  I am someone who believes in the value of experience.  This is our last year of undergrad.  After this year, who knows what we will be doing and where we will be.  Yes, if I didn’t go on this trip I would have an extra $1065+ to put towards a new car, but I can always wait a little longer.  There is nothing I can do about the cost and I think it will be 100% worth the money.

In the meantime, I know there are plenty of things I can do on a daily basis to help save money and ease the strain that this vacation will be on my wallet.  I’m in the process of constructing a mid-month budget to help me stay organized and on top of my finances.