Financial Update, And The Setting Of Goals

As I recounted in a post waaaay back (ie the last one), I've been putting together an emergency fund.  Well I am proud to report that in (slightly) less than three months, I've managed to save (just) over $2600, making my emergency savings account fully funded!  Granted, this is fully funded for now; if anything big changes in the way I live (like say getting a car, or a new apartment) then I'll have to adjust accordingly (the goal is to have 3 months worth of  expenses in the thing).  For now, however, I'm good to go.  I would like to thank my tax refund, my new (but temporary) job, and my own self for not spending as much.

This being done, it's on to new goals.  It'd be lovely if I could say "well, now that that's finished, I can spend away!" and be done with it, but it makes more sense to build on the momentum, for a couple reasons.  One: falling behind is a lot easier than clawing back on track, and I don't want to go through that all over again, and two: there are things I want to do.  Things that are not free, and that I don't want to have to pay Senor Visa extra for.  So, to commit it to...screen so I can't take it back, my next goal is to save up three thousand dollars for what I will call "apartment supplies".  I want to move out, and I'm going to need furniture.  And flatware, and kitchen supplies, and basically everything that doesn't come with the apartment (I'm planning on renting, so there's no talk of a down payment just yet.  Phew!).  

Just to make things a bit more complicated for myself, I'm embedding another little goal.  I have several dear friends who are, for one reason or another, no longer living in my hometown.  I also, due to a snafu by one of the grad schools way back when, currently have a small but not insignificant credit to an american airline that needs to be redeemed by January.  Again, it's not a huge amount; realistically, if it covers my fuel taxes and whatnot, I'll count myself lucky, but it's there, and I'm going to use it.  So while saving up for moving out, I'll also be trying to leave myself enough to go on at least one trip before 2009, to visit one of my friends.  I don't have a strict deadline for when I want to have the apartment fund complete, but I don't want it to be too much longer than by 2009, which presents challenges of its own.

I'm working at a new job.  It's been great, and I'm learning a ton, but it's a temp position and ostensibly will be over by the end of August.  This means that to save enough (or indeed, anything), I need to find myself a new position that pays (at least) as well as this one, and right quick.  So there you have it, everyone: my goals.  Ladies and gentlemen, here goes nothing.