The Vicious Circle

I have been traveling entirely too much lately. I have only been home one weekend this month. And I have plans to travel this weekend and next. I haven’t worked a full 5-day week in a long time, which makes me so giddy I might pee myself. All of this traveling has been by choice, except for one work-related trip last weekend. This being said, I have come to the conclusion that my social life is ruining my progress and livelihood. Ultimately, I would like to own my own dwelling, as a few of my more accomplished friends have done. I understand how paying rent for my Uptown apartment is viewed as wasteful and I, for the most part, concur. Although I have no desire to do yard work, play handy-man, or live in the ‘burbs, it would be nice to have a yard where my dog could run and play without being on a leash attached to my hand.

I really need to focus on putting more in savings. This is a problem I have struggled with in the past. At the rate we are spiraling out of control as a country, the social security program will not benefit me in any way. I will have to retire one day and will eventually depend on someone to wipe my ass and care for me (probably in an old-folks home), especially since I have no desire to have my own children [side note: why is it so abnormal not to want kids? People treat you like there is something wrong with you when you make that statement. There are tons of people who have had kids that definitely shouldn’t have… ahhh if only more people had my train of though. I digress]. It’s time to re-evaluate my mid-twenties lifestyle.

I always seem find a reason to spend the money I should be saving. For instance, the last transactions from my bank account include: iPhone 3GS, car charger for said iPhone, lawyer fees for my speeding ticket, gas and spending money for different trips taken this month, purchases on half.com/eBay, lunch/dinner with friends, bars, etc. Some of the things I spend my money on are borderline ridiculous.

After mulling over my expenses on an all-too-convenient report from my bank (thanks, Wells Fargo), I have realized that the restaurant / bar / travel columns out-weigh every other column ten-fold. Based on my spending report if I were a boring person I would have much more money in the bank. This leaves me with the question: I wonder if it is better to enjoy life as you go, or do without in your younger years so that you can save for the future.

I am certain I am not the first person to spend money on wasteful things, nor will I be the last. I have recently off-set some of these ridiculous purchases by selling some of my other ridiculous purchases on eBay. I am also forming a resolution to say “No” to weekend trips and expensive outings that will most likely be forgotten and/or end up a hazy insignificant memory, due to extensive beer-therapy … right after my Vegas trip in September…. and quite possibly a long weekend get-away for Labor Day. Haha.

My poor spending habits are a vicious circle…

Breaking up is hard to do...

So I finally broke down this week and bought a new iPhone 3GS. With such a cheap price tag, they make it hard not to join the Apple Cult. The awkward part came when I had to call Sprint Customer Service to inform them I would be cancelling my service once my contract was up in a few days. I had to endure a 15 minute phone call “breaking up” with the Sprint Lady on the phone. I was uncomfortable as she made suggestions on how to fix our ill-fated agreement (relationship, if you will). She suggested I try out the new Palm Pre and went on to ask “what does AT&T offer that we don’t.” By the end of the conversation I felt like I just dumped a clingy ex-girlfriend after a 9 year relationship. She really laid it on thick and made me feel like such a dick. I quickly forgot all about Sprint as I synced all 365 contacts from my old Palm Treo to the sleek, new iPhone, and downloaded a crap-load of awesome applications ::::high-five:::: It’s hard to deny that Apple’s product line is simply the best around. I am certain Steve Jobs could quite possibly take over the world one day.

Moving on, I did as I said in my last post. When I got back from Puerto Vallarta, I became a proud puppy-owner. Her name is Grace. I got her at the end of May. So far, things have been going really well. She is four months old now and she is really smart. I’m scared I will become one of those dog people that spend way too much time with their animals and find someway to relate any conversation to the dog. It’s kind of sad, but I can see it happening a little. It reminds me of those overly proud parents who show pictures of their ugly newborn rug rats every chance they get. With that being said, here is a picture of my pup...

(All-together-now: AWWWWE).

She’s borderline amazing! Since I’ve had Grace, I have met a ton of people that live in my building. They all gather at the dog park around 9-10pm to let their dogs play before bedtime. I call them the dog-park-mafia. So far I have transitioned well. I will keep you updated.

I am pumped about this weekend. Phil and I are headed down to Lake Travis for the weekend. A bunch of us are staying at Jeff’s Lake House to celebrate the 4th. If it’s anything like Jeff’s Bachelor Party there last year, it should be a blast!

Until next time…