Wedding Budget

So me and the fiance, talked out a budget (again) for the impending nuptials here's what we came up with:

Wedding:

Church & Reception Hall $500
Cake $400
Dresses* $1,150 (5 @ $200 each, 1 @$150)
Tuxedos* $950 (5 @ $150 each, 1 @ $200)
Photographer $1000
Flowers $300
Car rental $180
Preacher(s) $300 (2 @ $150 each)
Piano & Guitar Player $100
Singer $100
Cocktail reception $1,300 (130 people @ $10 each)
Invitations $125
Bells $100
Extra Rings $400 (2 @ $200 each)

Total: $6905

Honeymoon:

Hotel, Flight and transport - $2,000
Spending Cash - $1,000

Total: $3,000

Grand Total: $9905

9 days to go...(single digits y'all!)

So I'm down to 9 days to go till I'm debt free.

I am not awake at all right now though.

I have the day off today but I might go to work - Have I mentioned I need a new job?

I called my electric company for my balance. They continue to send out my bill later and later in the month, throwing off my check-book balancing. The amount came to just a couple dollars under what I was expecting and I did the math:

Once I'm paid next week, I'll take out about $335 for my remaining debt, $100 for food and gas for the next 2 weeks, $100 for insurance and gym membership, $220 I'll hold onto and/or give to my girlfriend for our vacation.

Give or take, that will leave me with about $120-$140 in debt-free celebration cash. Not a whole lot but I guess it's better than just $5

OK, time to sleep in some more.

14 days to go...

So I worked pretty long and pretty late yesterday.

I have a lot of work to do today including:

• dropping off a bill,
  
• dropping off the rent (yup a week and a half early so I don't have to worry!)
• going to 1st job to play 'catch-up'
  
• going to 2nd job
  
• updating my budget on the web - assuming I have time

Oh, and this is supposed to be a relaxing Saturday...oh well. Tomorrow I'm doing much of the same.

In the meantime or when/if I get a break - I'm going to try and figure out if I want to actually USE the gumball machine that I bought over a year ago and has since been collecting dust. It lacks gumballs/'super-balls' and a stand. I bought it right around the time I was racking my brain for every possible way to make money & cut expenses - so I incurred an investment of about $60 which has netted me a whopping $0 since purchase.

I thought of the vending industry as a great way to create passive income.

Who knew you had to actually take about a half-hour of initiative and find someplace you can place the gumball machines. I had a great location planned - a laundry mat - until the owner and I had a dispute. So since then, I have let good ole' procrastination set in and I my pocket is $60 lighter from last year with nothing really to show for it thus far.

Just got paid, it's friday...morning

So I got paid from my primary job today.

I did some rudimentary calculations and determined that "Reggie" will be debt free on 8/3/07 - and verifiably [I guess it's not a word but I'm using it anyway] debt free (as in able to call the credit card company and hear an automated voice say "your current balance is zero dollars , your available credit is ..." ) as of 8/9/07 or so. That was a great feeling up until I got home and found a $122 bill that may throw me off until the 2nd pay period in August. Arrrgh [also not a word]!!!

I'm supposed to be heading on Vacation in August too and I was hoping it would be a debt-free journey to the wild west. I do have 2 possible sources of income that can throw me back on track:

1. A lost/incorrectly deposited check from my 2nd job (for a little more than $150)
2. A lost/not yet received tax return( for about $175) from the last of the 4 agencies I have to pay each year - living where I do. I did my taxes in February so I'm unsure what the tax man is doing...probably earning interest on it to help build bombs, arrest more black people or something constructive like that.
   

One bright spot of today, other than being paid my meager wage, was the purchase of Maxed Out Since I did have to work the 2nd job today I will watch the movie in its entirety tomorrow, after My good friend's happy hour - I'm shooting for no more than $20 spent at the happy hour but, when alcohol is involved that figure generally creeps upward.