Monday, March 28, 2011

Budget birthdays and loads of sarcasum (be advised, I rant)

My fiance and my birthdays are are about 1.5 weeks away from each other (and mine falls on Mothers day this year too.... so within a week and a half, we have 2 birthdays and mothers day... and that can get really expensive when you don't have really any spending money... not to mention a lot of time and schedule coordinating among lots of people.

Normally for a family members birthday, we have a nice dinner out that my mom treats for and we come home to cake and presents... for close boyfriends/partners/fiances we generally do a nice dinner at someone's home that they cook, exchange presents, and have cake...

then there's mothers day... if my mom isn't working, we go to a restaurant or brunch or something after flowers and cards, and gifts are presented... in the past my mom would just pick up the tab, but last year for my mom's birthday, my sister decided to change things up at the table... You'll have to read the post on that... long story short, my mom's birthdays, mothers days, etc will now be "our treat" for our mom in addition to presents, flowers, etc and that means well have to pay for our now fiances too... yup that's plural folks.

My older sister couldn't take that I was getting married and instead of waiting 3 months for me to get married, she convinced her boyfriend to jump the gun so she could be the center of attention yet again, so shes engaged now... and has also decided to throw her engagement party the day after my fiances birthday... so that's four things coming up all in a week and a half time sequence... She's also feeling very bent out of shape that she needs to celebrate my fiance's birthday at all... even when I brushed off her poor planning for her engagement party so close to everything.

So, I did what any normal and sane person would do. I called my mom up explained to her that because it will be a busy 2 weeks for everyone and that everyone would be doing a lot of money spending, that it would be perfectly fine to do a joint birthday celebration for Keith and I. (only one cake needed, one dinner out, and only one night we'd have to get all 5 of us free for schedule wise.) I didn't mention that my sister was pissed that my fiance even had a birthday to begin with... So she told me she'd think about it, but I think I sold her on the idea because work has been slower and it should be more convenient for everyone else, (including my sister who the world revolves around)... and its also good to do a joint thing especially since I don't want to make them make my fiance feel even worse and more homesick by how they treat him. Ya, i'll miss the solo birthday gig, but its not like my 25th was going to be awesome anyway with all the family drama and what not that was going on. I won't get the huge blow out party my sister got last year for 25, or the diamonds for that matter.

I have no idea what to do about my sisters engagement party gift wise... but we will figure it out and get them something... or we'll never hear the end of it (Oh ya, and btw, my mom is helping her plan that party too... and guess what that meant? Yup, and hour and a half crying and arguing conversation on the phone about my mom NOW offering to throw me an engagement party 4 months after the fact when the wedding invites are already in the mail because now she feels guilty for treating my sisters engagement all properly and leaving mine out in no wheres ville.)

---
My sister is also upset that I can't tell her right this instant how nice a place i can afford to pay for, for mothers day this instant.

Friday, March 25, 2011

I Finished the LA MARATHON

Finishing the LA Marathon yesterday was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. When the race began so did the rain. For 26.2 miles it rained. It was cold... my fingers were numb and they could hardly move. My right leg kept cramping due to the chill, so running for long segments was out of the question...

At mile 10 I was able to meet up with my three friends (Blake, Amy, and my Fiance) who offered me love, gloves, and some snacks to keep me and my partner moving along. We walked through 2 inches of standing water at times, and tried to avoid puddles to no avail. There wasn't a dry spot on anyone and the wind chilled us all to the bone. We thanked the countless volunteers along the way who stood out with us to give us water and oranges... I remember seeing a sign along the way that said, "If your loosing faith in mankind, watch a Marathon" and I couldn't have agreed more...

At mile 15, I got to see my friends again, and I got to meet up with the folks from Child Share. My partner needed to drop out of the race so i hooked up my i-pod for the first time and hit the pavement solo... but after 15 miles of cold, I just couldn't stop knowing there were others from the charity still going, wanting to finish... and besides being wet and cold, I felt okay...their warm smiling faces just propelled me to continue.

Along mile 18 I met a lady named Denise who lives near Riverside... it was her 46th marathon and she claimed it was her worse one to date. I remember telling her that if it wasn't for child share and my poncho, I would have dropped out... we talked for a few blocks about Child Share and what they do, and she's hoping to look up the organization after the race to see how she can help. As I was about to leave Denise and jog a bit to warm my legs, a runner came up to me and asked if I knew I was bleeding...

I was shocked when i looked at the back of my ankle and just saw blood soaking my socks. It looked worse than it was. Because of the rain, the back of my ankles had lost a layer or so of skin right at my sock line... blisters, yes I expected those, but this??? I flagged down a bike medic for a band-aid or something, but he told me it wouldn't stick in the rain and I would have to make it to mile 19 for a quick patch up at the medical station... so i walked and jogged on. At the medical station they taped up my ankle with some gauze, but the medic told me the rain would make it come off eventually, and as i approached mile 20 it was soaked and in shambles, the tape unraveled around my legs.

At mile 20, my friends were there and Blake met me with his fully stocked medical kit (he's a paramedic after all!), and he properly taped up both my feet and we swapped out my socks for dry ones (since i thought to bring an extra pair), I grabbed some food, and emotionally I told them that I had endured to much to stop. I would finish at all costs and I even took an umbrella from my fiance and started walking again with it while I ate my sandwich.

Along mile 23 the umbrella broke from the wind... I got a medical blanket from the station and with tears in my eyes I walked through 3 inches of rain. They closed the roads along some of the course and made us walk 2 by 2 on the sidewalk, but even then it was flooded...

I kept telling myself I was walking for the kids out there that didn't have homes... that didn't have families.... that needed to be loved... I made it to mile 24...

my music resonated loudly in my ears, inspirational upbeat songs i had loaded the night before that i focused on with all I had as I kept pace and passed people by... tearfully I rounded down the final stretch. I saw the finish line and my legs started jogging.... then i had to walk because my leg cramped up.... the wind blew away my emergency blanket.... and with tears in my eyes i crossed the finish line.... I cried as the lady put the medal around my neck and i turned around and looked at the clock.... I knew I had not only finished, but I had beat my previous time despite all odds and injuries.

Only 19,740 people finished the race. Many dropped out due to hypothermia, and they even ran out of ambulances at one point and were putting people in cars to wait for ambulances to return... at times we were even asked to stop so medical personnel could cross through to get to dropped out racers.

I finished in 7 hours, 23 mins, and 28 seconds. I passed 187 people during the last 4.5 miles, while only 16 people passed me. It was the hardest race I've ever run... but it was worth it. I came home and found out that more people had donated to Child Share the day of the race...

Personally, I've raised $1,283.08 for Child Share
and you can still help and donate too!
Thanks for all the encouragement, love, and support!

the hard truth about my fiance's job hunt

It hasn't amounted to much.

Every place he has applied (which has been many) has turned him down for the same reason. When he was 18 or so he did something stupid. he shoplifted and got caught.

While he did his probation and has walked the straight and narrow and has learned his lesson for good, it still shows up on his record... and people have been turning him away from jobs he would have gotten if it hadn't happened.

While we are still trying and still hunting and filling out applications, we may have to come to the reality that we will be a one income family until it falls off his record, or employment becomes better in California.

:(

Why I still like my realtors… and why they will get my future business.

When I first bought my house I originally started the journey with one realtor who I felt didn’t think I was worth the ground I was standing on because I was so young … so, since I didn’t sign a contract with her, I canned her and grabbed a referral from my old church… some woman who dropped her kid off at the after school program there. Between her and her partner, they showed me over 40 units, told me it was okay to decide to turn down a counter offer if I didn’t love the place and didn’t want to pay more, and really listened to what I wanted out of a home… Even if it meant showing me the same place 2 or 3 times to make sure it was something I really wanted.

They even popped by months later after we closed, post remodel, to drop off a home warming present and to see all the new work I did on the place to make it “home”. (Yes, I’m sure they were also scoping out my place for future sell-a-ability, but that’s their job too!) Besides Christmas Cards, what really took the cake for me was the fact that they took an interest in me.

Knowing I was young, they realized I had HUGE potential as a referral candidate. I’m the only one of my friends to have bought any property at all… and once my friends get there, who do you think they are going to ask for help… me….

So, why am I writing this all right now? Well, as you all know, I’ve been training for the LA Marathon and trying to raise money for Child Share… well, one of my realtors just donated $50 to sponsor me when I sent out my final email blast to update people on my training and fundraising progress… That simple gesture, has probably made me his client for life now. They take an interest in my interests. That $50 donation means I’m calling them when I need to sell my condo… That’s $50 well spent (with a tax deduction too!).

You can still donate to the cause!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/amanda-bellamy/la-marathon


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

some weekly money musings

I revisited my lunch and breakfast in the not so flattering way at work today... & of course I wasn't at the gym (because karma can be mean sometimes)... but rather, I was working at City Hall on an event program for a special event we have coming up... so I was on a very short deadline. Despite my tummy flip flops, I was still able to finish what I needed to do today, so when I got "home" (to the condo), my fiance stepped up to take care of me and set up the TV in the bedroom and let me watch a movie while he brought me ice cream from the freezer. After the movie was over and the ice cream had settled he went off to hunt for a job and left me here with my laptop, so I thought I'd write about a few money musings I've come across this week since I'm feeling much better post ice cream. =)

Local Target just lost a customer-
After church on Sunday, my fiance and I were planning on going to target to buy a cheese grater and a cooling rack because we got an offer from offermatic ($10 off a purchase of $20 at Target) and while we were in the store we came across these blue plastic square type bowls that are basically made in our wedding color... for $0.88 a piece. We cleaned them out and bought 18 of them (2 per table, 9 tables) so we can put out M&M's and other snacks on the outside tables for guests to much on... and post wedding we will have plenty of cereal and ice cream bowls.
The only problem is that we have 12 tables that we are using for the wedding, so we needed to find a few more. On The way home, we hit the Target near the condo and found the same bowls for $1.25... we picked up the 6 we needed and when I went to cash out, I asked the teller if they would match them for the price I had found them at, at the other Target. He called the manager over and the manager said he couldn't (even though I had a receipt and had made the purchase 20 mins ago at the other target and had the same bowls in my car still). So we did buy them because we needed them... but I left the conversation feeling a bit cheated. It would have only saved me a buck or two, but the fact that the guy wasn't willing to do it kind of rubbed me the wrong way and I don't plan on shopping at that Target anymore. I have plenty of Target choices in my area, and matching the deal would have kept me as a regular shopper there, but after that conversation I realized that I'd rather drive farther to the Target that was near my fiance's church and conduct my business there when we are in the area.
Just to be on the safe side, we hit another target latter that day to see what the price of the bowls were there, and surprisingly the bowls at that store WERE NOT even marked down at that location (they wanted $1.79) for them. If we had found them cheaper, I would have taken the $1.25 bowls back to the other target, but I'm glad I picked up the 6 I needed, even though they were more money then the first batch.

Wal-mart Coupon
On black friday we bought a camcorder to record our engagement and inside it there was a coupon for 25 free one hour photo shots. It expired this month, and since we are putting pictures on the table tops for the reception in various sizes, we thought we should just get them done at Walmart and save a few dollars. I tried to use the online site, but it wouldn't let me activate my coupon, so we drove down to the store. When we got there, the 1 hour photo machine didn't take memory sticks, but the instant machine did (for a larger price.) I explained to the tech that I had tried to use it online, but i couldn't enter my coupon so i brought my memory stick to the store. He told me I could use the instant machine and that he would charge me the 1 hour price. The photos turned out really great, and I have to give props to Walmart. I think I may actually like them better than Target now. =)

Utility Bill increase
Apparently Cox has decided it wants more money from me, $3 more a month. When I called about the increase the lady told me it was across the board and I asked if I could talk to someone about temporarily lowering my bill for a few months because money is tighter now. She kindly transferred me to her manager, and while I was waiting my cell phone started to die so I had to hang up the phone... I'll call back later if I can find the time and try and reduce my bill that way (without affecting the speed hopefully).

Banana Bread
My neighbors like my fiance because he accidentally tripled the recipe for banana bread... and they all benefited as we found ourselves swimming in it.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Market Update on local Housing

Every now and then I look at what the other units in my area and complex are selling for and I try to compare them together to get a realistic idea about what my condo is actually worth. Right now its tricky because many listings don't have photos (so you don't know their condition), or they are short sales which can change their actual market value because they are a pain to actually get to close on... but I still take a look every so often so I can see realistically what direction the housing market is actually going. So lets look at the sales for the past 6 months for my association:
  • We finally had a ONE BEDROOM actually sell in my complex which is the best indicator what what my unit might sell for. It went for $115,000.00 (with an upgraded kitchen.... but the rest of the place needed some TLC. Over all my place is much nicer since the entire thing was redone.) I'm just not sure my place is $5k nicer with this crazy market...)
  • Something to note though, is the two bedroom market in my complex. 5 months ago a two bedroom sold for $186,000.00, 3 months ago in December one sold at the beginning of the month for $178,000.00... and two sold at the end of the month for $177,500.00, and then for $169,000.00. Finally, This month one sold for 166,000.00... The downward trend doesn't give me the warm fuzzys because as 2 bedrooms become cheaper, the likelihood of people opting for a 2 bedroom place over a one bedroom place drastically increases. But, properties are finally selling and closing which is a very good thing!

But then, the association next door had a one bedroom sell last month for $145,000.00. It definitely was a fixer upper on the inside, but that association has a detached garage, fireplace, and community pools as extra amenities.

The association on the other side of me with less complex amenities (so its similar to mine since we don't have garages, fireplaces, or pools... ) is showing a downward trend. Comparetlively I think the Units are smaller than the one bedroom units in my complex... but 6 months ago a one bedroom went for $113,000.00 and $115,000.00... 4 months ago $113,000.00... 2 months ago $115,000.00... last month $105,000.00 (Ouch!) Their Two Bedrooms last month sold for $153,000.00 and $161,500.00

The complex across the street had a one bedroom sell last month for $155,000.00 (that association has a pool, & covered parking)

So who knows if my place is valued around the $120,000.00 I paid for it. I'm not looking to sell for the next few years (if then), so for now i'll sit back and watch.

Current listings:

  • One Bedrooms (145,000 159,000 184,995) All three are at the place with the pool, gargage, and fireplaces.
  • Two Bedrooms (160,000 163,000 170,000 170,000 179,000 189,000 210,000) some from my complex, the fancy one, and the one across the street.

Mortgage update + Condo Costs

Yesterday was payday friday... so its time to pay the mortgage and update everything! I was able to toss an extra $86.36 to the mortgage this month... looking at the balance, I wish I would have added 6.39 to it!

New Balance: $114,006.38

The pay off date is still January 2039... 8 months ahead of schedule. If I continue to pay the minimum on my loan, I will pay $111,996.75 (last months figure was off) in interest instead of the original $116,404.23, saving me $4,407.58 in interest over the life of the loan... all for parting with $1,339.10 a little before I had to!

Total Condo Costs:

  • Money paid to aquire the property and get keys: $7,057.08
  • Money Spent to Remodel and Repair Property: $17,672.29

Total: $24,729.37

  • First Time Home buyers Credit: $8,000.00
  • Current equity: $5,993.62
  • 2009 Prop Tax Deduction: $90.10
  • Electrician costs -$95.00
  • TILE Refund $1,265.00
  • 2010 Federal tax break $1,087.00*
  • 2010 State tax break $461.00*

*The positive difference between what I would have gotten back claiming the standard deduction... and the increased amount from itemizing the housing expenses.*

Current amount in the hole: $7,927.65

If I sold the condo tomorrow, I'd have to sell the property for $138,230.53 Assuming a 6% total commission, enough money to refund the amount i'm in the hole for... & enough money to cover the $8,000.00 tax CREDIT i'd have to repay.

If I wait out the remaining 20 months left on the credit, I'd be able to sell for $122,980.40(assuming 6% total commission)

Just FYI-I look at my monthly payments, property taxes, extra mortage principle payments & my HOA dues as a wash because if i add all those up, its equivalent to the market rate of the apartment complex i'd be living in if I hadn't bought my condo... and that money would be going down the drain anyway.

A Huge update

You may have wondered where my Vegetarian updates went to... Well after training for the marathon a few weeks back, I blacked out and fell in my shower and almost broke my nose

It was a morning of worst case scenarios... i didn't eat enough for breakfast, didn't bring enough training snacks along for the lengthy walk, my partners knee was giving out on her so we took it slower, the sun was hot in the now afternoon so we drank too much water and diluted our electro lights. When I finally got home I made a quick snack (but i hadn't gone grocery shopping for the week so there weren't many options in the house), and popped in the tub... after a while i turned on the shower part to wash my hair and got really dizzy, tried to get down on my knees and fell in the process as i blacked out for a few seconds and smacked my upper lip on the tub and bruised myself pretty badly--- I was lucky i didn't break my nose... and that my braces had been removed only a few weeks before.

With the intense training, (and not being very familiar yet with a vegetarian diet and easy protein swaps), my body wasn't getting what it needed... so I abandoned it 2 days after the black out... and I felt sooooo amazing after that. So for now, I'm back to my normal eating habits.

Now, An “us” update
It’s been about about 2 weeks since my fiance moved here to California to begin the hunt for a job. We are finally unpacked, organized, and into the new swing of our routines. While he’s settled into the condo (and I’ve temporarily moved in at night with a family from my church), the application and job hunt has begun, and we haven’t driven each other mad yet as we live in a small space and make compromises.

Thankfully, I have some wonderful friends (including a contractor who is letting my fiance work with him when he can)… but it’s not a “real job” with benefits, an hourly wage or anything really... He gets a day wage/project wage at the finish of an assignment. Half we are putting into an envelope to pay back his parents (he owes approximately $1500.00), ¼ we have set aside in a jar for our honeymoon, and ¼ we are setting aside for taxes because he’s not an employee anywhere and I’m not getting in trouble with the IRS for not paying enough taxes. So far he has only worked 1 day, but he gets to go to work today again... and since my friend lives close by he has been just picking my fiance up so he hasn't had any commuting expenses.

We’ve had some luck on the job hunt though. A few places are actively hiring (while some are accepting applications but not hiring…. And most aren’t taking any at all), BUT my fiancé did score an on the spot interview to work at a gas station near our condo part time. He finds out in a week or so if he gets it... So we are crossing our fingers and hoping it will work out.

Right now we are surviving on my income alone so he can knock out the debt to his folks before we walk down the aisle… so we have been cutting corners and finding swaps for things. But his family has been so helpful and supportive!!! I've stopped getting a lot of gourmet foods and have opted for more simple ingrediants, and we haven't had one meal out at all since we parked ourselves in California! Here's some of the little things we have been doing to cut back:
  1. I learned to make bread from scratch sans a bread machine. While I was out in Utah, my fiancé’s mom showed me how to make bread and sent us home with some basic ingredients to help us start off. (We also plan on getting food staples when we go out over the Christmas holidays back to Utah because the price difference is just unreal. Yeast is maybe $3 for a whole container in Utah. In California it is $3.00 an ounce because they only sell them in individual use packets.) :/ and I like my homemaid bread. It tastes fantastic!!!
  2. We have been sticking to our $50 a week budget for groceries… before we go out we look at all the ads, compare the costs at the stores and make a list of what we have on hand already, and what we need to make meals for the week. He has given up daily soda and junk food purchases since we can't afford those right now… and I have given up some of my diet luxuries like artichokes when they go on sale, and expensive healthy convenience foods… and Costco runs that don’t involve staples like Milk, cereal, and just cheese. (no gourmet treats... no more weekly humas...)
  3. we have also changed what and where we shop. (see my ode to fresh and Easy)...
  4. His parents sent him with huge staple supplies to help us out while he job hunts (like lots and lots of Peanut butter, spaghetti, some canned soup, top ramen, etc.

So far I have to say that I'm very proud of "US" and how we are managing things right now. We keep looking for deals and ways to save money, and also trying to figure out how to change our spending habits completely. Just this week alone, my fiance started to hand wash the pots and pans and larger stuff so we didn't have to run the dishwash every other day (since I can't stand doing dishes by hand.... I don't mind drying them, i just don't like the washing part.) and we found a recipe on line to make your own granite counter cleaner... so we are going to give that a whirl when the bottle we have is empty.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

my ode to fresh and easy

I must apologize to fresh and easy. I originally wrote them off because they were a smaller store and they didn't have a wide variety and selection of foods there... I also figured I wouldn't be able to take advantage of the deals I kept receiving in the mail because I didn't like their produce selection and I couldn't use the coupons they sent me to go towards dairy purchases.

With my fiance now here, and since his cute meat eating self eats double what I do, I must now eat my works and thank fresh and easy. Please continue to send me $5 off coupons... and i'll keep shopping there =)

Last week I was able to use a $5 off a purchase of $20 (not including dairy, alcohol, or giftcards) to purchase:
Apple juice $ 1.99
Steak (2) $ 5.47
Chicken Breasts (1.99 lb) $ 8.58
Butter (3 packages) $ 2.97
Bananas (2) $ 0.38
Toilet Paper (Free with $5 off Coupon)
$ 4.99
Tax $ 0.35

Spending $19.73... and then hitting Ralph's like normal along with Henry's.

and again, this week as well I could take advantage of the deal again since they sent me a new coupon attached to the ad. In fact we were able to pick up almost all of our groceries this week at fresh and easy (sans produce, which I will buy at Henry's because the selection is better.)

1 hot dog package
$ 1.19
16 oz shredded cheese $ 3.99
1 lb of tomatoes $ 0.98
chili powder $ 1.99
1lb frozen peas $ 0.99
ranch dressing $ 1.89
4 lbs white granulated sugar (Free with $5.00 off) $ 3.69
2 cans of tomato sauce (Free with $5.00 off) $ 0.78
2 lbs of ground beef $ 3.98
burger buns (Free with $5.00 off) $ 1.19
kidney beans (Free with $5.00 off) $ 0.79
tortilla chips $ 2.99
parmesan cheese $ 2.99
white bread (Free with $5.00 off) $ 1.19
Sprite soda (Free with $5.00 off) $ 0.89
CRV (Free with $5.00 off)
$ 0.10

for $24.69 =) This week we bought 2 gallons of fat free milk, 2.5 lbs of spinach, and 2 packages of deli meat from Costco (using my AMX rebate check so it was only about $5 out of pocket)... and now all I need to pick up is some apples, bananas, Lettuce, Zucchini, from Henry's & dishwasher soap I'll probably pick up from target since I have a gift card with about $3 on it.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Retirement Update

The Goal is to get the Green space to take over the purple =)

Mutual Funds:
  • Discontinued work 401a: $1,072.83
  • Vanguard Savings (eventually for mutual funds once I get $3k) $500.00

Cd's/Savings/Money Market

  • Roth IRA @ ING: $19,416.51
  • Discontinued work 457: $1,035.44

If I quite my job tomorrow and cashed out my pension, it would be worth $15,781.71 or I could wait till 55 and draw an actual pension since i'm vested which would be equivalent to $6,735.08 a year until I croak. If I Keep working untill i'm 56, my pesnion would be worth $38,350.00 a year till i die, or $33,096.00 if I take an option that provides benefits to a spouce if I die first.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Updated Wedding Budget

South County Boy's family has offered to pay for lunch for everyone (Ie family and Bridal/Grooms men parties) the morning of the wedding, so I don't have to worry about getting everyone lunch.... yummy subway!

We also were able to pick up all the groomen's ties, the grooms tie, one for South County Boy's dad, and one little one for our Ring Bearer while we were in Utah! (yup. Southcounty boys nephew whos 2 and 1/2 right now will be our cute little ring bearer. We arn't having a flower girl as of now). We are giving the ties as part of the groomen gifts since we aren't requiring them to rent suits (black slacks, black jacket, white shirt) & our tie. I think everyone already has these except for my "bro" and South County Boy has a suite that should fit for the wedding.

My future mother and law is mailing out the invitations and reply cards for Keith's side of the family to save on postage costs for Keith and I (she's also sending out some of the invitations to family memebers as "announcement" type things (i'm glad i ordered extras.) I think we will meet with the Stake Pres and the Bishop this week, and then i'll mail my california invites out.

My Utah bridesmaid and I picked out her dress last week (its the cutest out of all of them) and my future mother in law found a cute skirt/jacket combo for cheap in a really pretty blue that will go with the color skeme. I also tried on my dress for her to see while we were there, and all they had was a size 10, and it fit (was way tight tho), so i'm not worried about getting into my dress next week!!!!!!!


here's the updated break down:


David's Bridal
  • Dress $299.99
  • Bag for Dress $10.00
  • Blusher (to use a simple veil) $20.00
  • slip $50.15
  • shoes $53.10
  • Earrings and Necklace for me $20.00
  • 4 earring/necklace sets for bridal party $83.96
  • take up shoulders $40.00
  • hem $120.00
  • bustle $35.00
  • cups $20.00
  • tax $72.37

Utah

  • Keith's Ring $160.28

Tie One on

  • 7 Neck Ties in matching Blue $105.70

Walmart

  • Picture Frames $14.37
  • Picture Frames $9.97

Deposit with Wedding Planner

  • OCBW (Deposit) $1,000.00

Target

  • Body Slimmer $21.75

Amazon.com

  • 4 tote bags with shipping $23.99

Vista Print

  • Wedding Invites (50) $23.44
  • Thank You cards (50) $18.05
  • Reception Reply Cards (50) $14.88
  • Return Address Stickers $4.06
  • Shipping $12.74

TOTAL
$2,233.80

Our goal is to have the entire thing cost $8,500.00 with my mom giving us $5,000.00 to help cover the majority of the costs.

"Tenative Costs"
wedding and reception (including cake) $4,475.00
finger foods, snacks, etc from costco $300.00
stamps $70.00
pictures for frames $45.00
programs $60.00
water bottle stickers $6.00
hair and make up- Free
eyebrows $12.00
mani pedi $50.00
flutes $13.00
sand ceremony $25.00
wedding advice/guest book $30.00
court fee $60.00
sound equipment $100.00
bridal shower $200.00
batchelorette party $100.00
cake cutter $25.00
Flowers for my hair $100.00
Rehersal Dinner $300.00
Toasting glasses $70.00
DJ $200.00

$ 6,241.00 + $2,233.80 (Spent) = $8,474.80