Random Money Thoughts – January edition

Posted on January 28, 2011 3 Comments

Even with the addition of a fabulous new pair of gray Uggs, this January is just slowly slogging by. It’s cold, it’s dark, and I’m tired and not feeling much like myself. I’ve been lacking motivation and only got to the gym twice this week, I overslept two days, and no amount of coffee seems to be perking me up. I need spring to get here quick.

Even though I’ve been lacking the motivation to move my body this week, my finances seem to be doing just fine rolling in and out.  I didn’t make any non-essential purchases this week, and didn’t do any big meals out, so my “how I spent the week” would be tragically boring. There’s still been a lot of stuff on my mind though, so I’m doing a random round-up of this week’s money thoughts.

  • I’ve been looking at the foreclosure market in Oak Park a little lately. I can’t purchase one yet because we don’t know where we’ll be in six months pending B’s job hunt (finally!), but it’s hard not to daydream given the super low prices around my neck of the woods. Still, no matter how much I daydream about buying a foreclosure and fixing it up enough to have an office and a workout room AND a craft/hobby/creative space, I wonder if buying in Oak Park, no matter how much I love it, will be right for me once I’m ready to buy. The property taxes are so so high – the median in Oak Park is $4,406 compared to $2,285 for the rest of the state and $3,147 for Chicago. Those stats are kind of misleading because there’s a lot of discrepancy in inventory (condos vs. mansions) but everyone I know in Oak Park complains about their taxes being significantly higher than similar areas. Still, I guess in the grand scheme of things $1,000 difference isn’t so bad. Maybe I will end up buying a place in Oak Park. That would be awesome.
  • Speaking of B’s job hunt starting up, this New York Times article did not make me happy. Trust me, we knew going in it was going to be bad. B did some informational interviews with lawyers, judges, and local politicians, all who warned him that like the housing market, the market for lawyers in Chicago was over-saturated. They almost universally told him don’t do law school if you’re in it for the money.  He wasn’t, and he still isn’t. He’s in it for the challenge and the chance to do something he loves and something that matters, and I’m so incredibly proud of him for following his dream and persevering despite a lot of struggles that he totally forbids me to write about. It’s been such a huge accomplishment and a long journey and I’d be totally heartbroken if this job search yields no return. I’m scared and excited and stressed out for him. The Illinois bar is at the end of February. Wish us luck.
  • I don’t think my alcohol free January did anything for me. I didn’t spend significantly less, didn’t go out any less, and probably spent more on food since I wasn’t paying for the glass of wine or beer. Physically, I’m still just as tired and groggy as I was before. I didn’t lose any weight or body fat, either (not that I’m trying to, I was just curious if I’d get any leaner). So, if anything, this experiment taught me that one or two beers every once in a while is really probably OK for me. In fact, it probably helps me to sleep better – despite my tiredness, I still don’t fall asleep until well after midnight. I think caffeine is probably the bigger culprit. But I am totally addicted and I don’t think I can go 30 days without it, especially not in January. Maybe I’ll try that experiment in the spring.
  • I’m getting kind of pumped for New York next week. I think I”ll listen to “New York State of Mind” like 17 times this week. I have to remember to buy snacks and magazines for the plane ride before I get to the airport. And I have to start praying now for good weather. Help me out, East Coast!
  • I almost bought an indoor bike trainer for $50 on Craig’s List today but stopped before I did.  (For those of you who are not triathletes, this is a little attachment that turns your regular bike into a stationary bike for when it’s cold outside.) It’s a good value, but I need to do some apartment rearranging before I buy it and B has expressly forbid me from rearranging anything until after the Bar exam. (Probably for the best. Remember the last time I tried rearranging things during his study period??? Uh, yeah, I do. That was a hot mess.)
  • And finally, I think I’m going to have to buy a bunch of clothes this summer. All of my summer clothes are from my pre-weight loss days. As in, they’re all two or three sizes too big on me. Last summer I bought one new sundress and one new pair of shorts and sort of wore them everywhere, thinking my new size had to be a fluke and I’d eventually go back up. Hasn’t happened (I’ve kept 20 lbs. off for 12 months now… yeah!). So this summer, I’m happily going to be swapping out my size 8′s and 10′s for 6′s and 4′s. At least that’s something to look forward to during the long winter! (And something to save for!)
Category: Life

Comments

3 Responses to “Random Money Thoughts – January edition”

  1. Allison
    January 29th, 2011 @ 4:01 pm

    way to go on the weight loss, that is awesome.
    I think the weather would get me down living in Chicago as well.
    Hopefully getting out of town will clear your head and shake off the cob webs.

  2. Link Roundup: Just the Girls Edition | Well Heeled Blog
    February 2nd, 2011 @ 8:04 pm

    [...] @ The Budgeting Babe is daydreaming about buying a home and finds herself looking at the foreclosure market. I’m right there with you, [...]

  3. Maggie
    February 3rd, 2011 @ 3:05 am

    I can completely relate to B’s job hunt. I’m a third year in law school and even though I’m no where near the midwest, the legal job market where I live is pretty bad right now.

Leave a Reply





  • Sponsors

  • Twitter

  • %d bloggers like this: