First Quarter Fiscal Budget

Its March, and that means, its nearing the end of the first fiscal quarter for 2007. A good time then, to review, and to justify spending. I did not come here with a blank check after all, so my monies has to be viewed as to ensure lasting supply, i.e; my parents will cut me off unless I make clear where the money is going.

Let's see. My first purchase was a thick winter coat, and a fashionable hoody jacket, to blend in with the rest of the student body. Oh yes, it keeps me warm too. Despite arriving here having followed the advice of the AFS packing advisor, my extremities were still freezing, proof that the world is getting colder, not warmer as the misguiding environmentalists want us to believe. Total cost; no more then $100. It may be cheap, it may be expensive, but because of the exchange rate, I'm not very certain.

Spending literally stopped after that purchase for the rest of the month of January. There were the school lunches which averages around $2.00 a day. Assuming I go to school everyday, I may have spent around $40.00 there.

Choir tuxedo, $70.00, cut down to around $30.00 because they said, I was only here for half the year. Oh and they gave me their T-shirt for free.

I did splurge during the month of February however, having a lobster dinner during a friend's birthday party. We went Dutch, so I didn't feel guilty. Word of advice; never order seafood when you are in the Midwest, unless its dipped in batter and deep fried. Went to another friend's birthday party, took him out for dinner for showing me around school on my first week. He now teaches me tennis. I'd say that steak dinner was worth it. Of course, I ordered the wrong thing, pasta with what I believe was expired cheese sauce. Although they told me it was the Jack Daniels seasoning, I don't think you should season a pasta with alcohol. Its a waste of good drink.

I did go out and buy 2 computer games that were on sale, and a brilliantly designed scientific calculator. Me being me, I had to buy the most expensive model, but it was only an additional $10.00 from the regular modal. I would have realised it was a lot of money if it were not for that darn exchange rate again.

But for the month of March, I really went all out. I had a pair of black slacks made, I bought a sports jacket for spring (I love it!). In a misguided attempt at exercise, I bought a tennis racket too. Will now go looking for shoes, except here, all sports shoes are called 'tennis shoes'. What's wrong with this country? They also have a wrong concept of football, badminton players are considered homosexual, automobile racing requires either speeding down a straight road, challenging who can change gear better, or driving around a big circle a ridiculous number of times, the only thing exciting happening is the pit change, and the number one sport in the world, REAL football, is known as a sissy sport. This coming from a country who has all the best sporting channels, ESPN, Star Sports, Fox Sports America, Madison Square Garden Network, and Versus. You turn to any of those channels and what do you see? Surely not tennis or football, but golf, or old men fishing.

No joke! I mentioned the U.S. Open to my school tennis players and they had no idea what I was on about.

Oh yes, I had my haircut. In a display of capitalism at its finest, I was charged $13.00 by someone who had undoubtedly practiced sheering sheep for the hairdo I hide under a hat today.

Hat: $3.50. Best investment I ever made.

Well, now the amount of money I have left in my account totals $1525.00. Oh how am I going to last until the end of June? Of course, drastic measures need to be taken. I have already decided to switch my lunch of the fried cardboard offered by the school for something healthier and cheaper, a bottle of cream soda, costing $1.25. I have also started to buy foodstuffs on wholesale. Did you know they sell cup noodles and chocolate bars in packs of 50 here? Me neither!

I can feel my wallet getting fatter already. Or is it just me?