I am so grateful that I'm safe, that my family is safe, that I have a roof over my head, that I don't have to worry about what I'm going to eat tonight. That I don't have to worry about violence erupting around me. And that I don't even have to worry about gas prices. I feel so immensely grateful right now for everything that I have.

That said, back to your regular spending/saving/job/money journaling...

I think (yet another thing for which I'm grateful today) that I got a raise at work. My paycheck (which is biweekly) was $100 more than it should have been, so I guess that's a $50/week raise. (See, my boss doesn't let his employees know when they get raises. He just increases the amount they get paid. I got a promotion last month- by default since a coworker of mine quit- so I half-expected I'd get something) Much of that will go to taxes, but still, I'm not complaining. I'm going to start putting $1100 a month rather than $1000 into my tax fund, which should cover it (maybe I should make a subaccount for my taxes at ING? hmmm...) which leaves me $100 a month to go into savings. My lifestyle is not going up, that's for sure. I'm happy where I am- I need to remember that. I am happy with what I have and going out to eat more or buying fancier clothes isn't going to make me happier.

Here's my spending for the end of August and the beginning of September:

Tue Aug 30- $2.00- Snacks
$5.62- dinner (had to eat dinner out because I had an open house to go to after work)
Wed Aug 31 $5.00- Lunch
$100.00- Red Cross donation
Sept. 1 $2.75- lunch
$19.95- groceries

Groceries includes (slightly more expensive) Peanut Butter Company peanut butter. I'm going to be loving my PB and Js this week!

All my prayers go out to everyone who was hit by the hurricane... And everyone who's being hit currently by gas prices. It sucks, that's all there is to it.