I am decreasing my Adobe Fund to $500! I just realized that I need the Adobe CS3 Web Premium instead of the Design Premium. Design comes with Indesign and Web comes with Fireworks & Contribute. I already have Indesign and having Fireworks & Contribute for $100 less would be a nice bonus!

So, that's $100 less I need to save up for my software.

I've been wanting to start my own web design company for a while now. I've taught myself a lot about web design and I feel I know enough to make simple websites for people who may not be able to currently afford one.

I've already decided that I just really can't take on this workload before I graduate. But, I still want to start planning for it now.

Although I could do without any additional software, it would make my life easier to have Adobe CS3. Or, at the very least, Photoshop & Dreamweaver (and maybe Flash).

Unfortunately, this software costs money, lots of it! Thankfully, I am a student and can purchase it at a discount. So, I'm looking at about $600 that I need to save up in order to get the software.

I've decided that I'm going to figure out a way to save up this money before I graduate in May 2008. The only rule is I will not spend any money from my weekly paycheck.

I've already signed up to do surveys. So, I've decided that any money I receive in the form of a giftcard, I'll go ahead and exchange it for cash out of my paycheck. Then, I'll use the giftcard for something that I would have normally used cash for.

I also am going to try to sell some items on ebay and craigslist. This includes quite a few wedding items, which I should be able to make a little more for. I am also going to include the sale of my wedding dress in my savings.

So I think with selling a few things and doing quite a few surveys, I could save up enough money to buy my software.

Anyone have any other ideas to earn more money?

I'm starting to get back on track!

After my taxes threw my finances for a spin, I started to get money back into my checking account. Then, transferring to a new school cost me a lot more money in gas which pretty much cut my checking account down again. But, it's been almost a week since my last day of classes and I already see a difference. I have money sitting my account and it MUCH more than I have charged on my credit cards (which for once is REALLY low...I've been to busy to do anything...it's pretty much just gas and a few school expenses). So, I'm getting ahead. YAY!!!

Also, I've determined that by the end of the month, I will be able to put $800 more towards my car. That leaves me with at least $6,400! YAY!

How can I put another $800 towards my car? Well, this week I will have worked 11 more hours than I usually work. Plus, during the next two weeks I will work a total of 50 hours more than usual! YAY!!! I plan on putting ALL of my extra money in savings and towards my car. I'm soooo happy!

Also, I have three cars that I have that are exactly what I want! They range in price from $5,900 to $7,495. I just need to contact the people and then check the carfax, narrow it down to the one I like, and get it checked out by a technician. I should be checking out the cars in person tomorrow. I'm so happy. This will be MY first car. I will own it. (well, my dad's name will also be on the title, but it will be MINE.) This is a huge step for me. My biggest purchase yet.

So, I ended up spending over $350 on gas during May and June (so far). That isn't bad considering I was driving over 100 miles a day. I can't wait to get my new car because the gas milage will be 40 mpg. That will help save a lot of money!!!

I realized AGAIN tonight how much LASIK is really a NEED. It isn't even a want anymore. I really do need it. And in my opinion it is worth EVERY penny. My eyes are TERRIBLE! I mean absolutely horrible. To give you mind picture, you can stand two feet in front of me and if I don't have my glasses on, your face is a blur. That is TERRIBLE! I can't where contacts anymore because they were making my eyes so sensitive to the sun that I couldn't even open my eyes if they were in. Apparently as your eyes get worse, the more sensitive they are to the sun. Glasses for me are so outrageously priced. I have to get the thinnest lenses they make, thus equally at least $130 for the lenses alone. That's crazy. Then, I can't have just one pair, because if something happens to one...i'm screwed. I can't drive, I really, honestly can't function. So, I have to keep both pair with me at all times. It honestly is risky for my ability to function to rely on a small item that is made of thin wire or plastic. LASIK is a must. If it works for me, I will no longer be in this situation. I'm believing I'll have enough saved up to get LASIK by 2008, hopefully before I'm married. We'll see.

Sorry, random ranting. My glasses just got bent tonight (I haven't even had them very long) and it just reestablished the fact that need LASIK.