[Amissa]

Oh wow - I didn't expect this many replies! Thank you! Note: This is a lengthy post.

First off, I do hit up thrift stores - I don't care about fashion and having the latest & greatest. I'm a little picky about my clothing, so if I find something that I can't live without, I buy it in two or three colors. All the shoes I could possibly need (all 8 pairs) are in the floor of my closet. I do have Syms within reasonable driving distance, Kohl's close by, SuperTarget (still figuring whether their clothing will last), and a Dillard's with slow moving inventory on the styles that I prefer (which means I wait til it's on sale and they'll still have my size). There's even an outlet mall that I occasionally visit, but I find the prices aren't really better than the regular stores on many items, just some.

I have no patience for digging through racks of clothing at Ross & the like, nor garage sales. Maybe I'm too proud? I will check out Freecylce, cuz I've got some clothes that were hardly worn & they don't fit anymore. I'd be happy to trade them or give them to a specific person - I've got my eye on a resale shop that benefits a local women's shelter too.

I do shop around - I've found some great deals, e.g. Bandolino shoes for $10 with tax (original retail $60) and some Skechers for $29.61 with free shipping (retail everywhere else for $60). However, finding the deals requires shopping, which tempts me to spend money more often. Maybe this is my problem? I'm fairly disciplined & often I'm just not in the mood to spend money. (Sometimes I am in the mood to spend!)

As far as money management goes, I've been using MS Money for a few years now & I don't know how I go along with it before! I love the cash flow forecast. After all bills & deposits are entered, I look to the lowest point in the forecast in the next 90 days and remember however much I have left. Any money I spend outside of my regular expenses are deducted from that figure in my head & it keeps me from going into the red (b/c I don't like getting too close to the line).

Re: Kohl's credit card, my first inclination is to say 'no thank you' without thinking about it. I've got three cards now & I've been looking to close one b/c I think it may help my credit score. However, if I begin to shop more at Kohl's, I will definitely consider their card more seriously, but only if I can stick to $30 a month - plastic is too tempting to spend more than budgeted and then I hate being strapped that much more to pay it off quickly.

I never buy 'dry clean only' unless I love the piece so much that I cannot live without it. Even then, dry clean only items tend to be more formal pieces that will not be worn very often and there's the dry clean touch-up garment kit where I can do it in a dryer. (This is also part of my predictament; I've been invited to recurring formal dinners once a quarter, starting next month. I've creatively salvaged a bridesmaid dress skirt & paired it with a velvet top.)

Thank you also for pointing out that I should assess my current wardrobe. I live in Texas, so it's just now beginning to cool off a little & our winters are more wet than cold. When I switch out my seasonal clothing, I'll definitely assess the condition of the item (some sweaters are beginning to lose their shape), whether it can be repaired cost-effectively, whether I will wear it and then determine its fate. I may have become the lady who has a closet of clothing and nothing to wear, without realizing it.

Having looked at my bills last night, I realized that my car is my biggest expense. I have a used Honda Civic and even though my record is nearly spotless, my insurance is $79 a month (best deal I could find for what I want/need). My loan payment is $220 a month with another year and a half to go! I don't have cable TV, internet access or a home phone, just a cell with a $40 plan that ends up being $50 with taxes. I've even audited my cell phone usage & shopped for a better plan, but nothing is better than what I've got. (I used to be on prepaid until I didn't have a home phone anymore.) I'm cold natured, so my electric bill is usually about $50 a month & my apartment is (luckily) positioned as to keep cool anyway. (The AC has only come on twice since Labor Day.) I'll all for layering the clothing to keep warm, but this is my first winter in this apartment. I stick to $20-25 a week for groceries/household products/hygiene/cosmetics, I eat out once a week, for an average of $8.50. I get an average of 33 miles per gallon with mixed city/highway miles and only a seven mile commute to work. $68 a month to my student loan; $395 rent with water/trash paid (anything much lower will be questionably safe) - I even checked into housing assistance, for which I think I qualify, but I would have to spend 15% of my monthly income (about $600) towards housing before I get any help to cover housing expenses above that floor. About $85 a month goes to a post-tax IRA every month (a floor amount that I cannot reduce), and about twice as much into my 401(k). I've been saving about $120 each month into a regular savings, until this week. I need that money for an out-of-town wedding for which I am a bridesmaid this weekend (of which is going on plastic so I don't overdraw my cash accidentally).

Again, thank you all for your support. I don't feel as pinched now, realizing that there are other ways to work my situation without robbing my retirement of exponential growth.