Okay, so two days ago I was breaking down in tears because it seemed like no matter what I did I could never get out of the rathole im currently living in. I got an extra shift permanently added to my schedule and im not a moron - i know how to live on a budget and what I can afford. With the extra shift each week I can afford my own place but it seemed like everywhere I went they wanted 3x rent as minimum monthly income. I was ready to give up... but yesterday I came across an ad in the paper... a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom duplex for 550 per month... water, sewage, trash, and lawncare all included in the rent. I called and talked to the lady doing the renting and scheduled a meeting with her for today.

Today I went downtown and got myself a haircut. The guy cutting my hair was obviously gay, did a great job, and was fun to talk to - I gave him an 8 dollar tip on a 12 dollar haircut

After that I went to subway to try out their five dollar footlong thing... I was once again disappointed because apparently when they say "chicken and bacon ranch sub" thats exactly what they mean... you a handful of small pieces of chicken, a couple of the thinnest cut slices of bacon imaginable, and some ranch squirted on it. So once again I am resolved that if ever I desire a sub, subway is the LAST place to go for one. I reccommend a Publix store - get the ultimate, white bread, mayo and spicy mustard on both sides of the bread, yellow american cheese, and load it up with pickles and olives - and remember to ask for Publix brand meat. You'll get much more value for your dollar.

Anyway after my disappointing lunch at subway I took a bus back across to the other side of the city where my new place will be. I checked it out and I was quite happy with what I saw. The carpets looked a little old, but they were clean. The place was freshly painted. The kitchen was nice and clean and there was enough cabinet space to suit my needs. The refrigerator is big enough to suit me. TWO BEDROOMS! I can't believe I'm getting a place with two bedrooms for only 550/month!

So here's the plan... tomorrow I bring in a money order for the move in cost and sign the lease. Not today, but this coming thursday I'll be moving all my stuff in. I'll be buying a new bed for one bedroom, where I'll also put in my dresser and I'll buy a nightstand to put in there too. The other room I'll put my current mattress and my weight set as well as my minifridge and a desk I'm going to buy. For the living room I'll be buying a couch, a coffee table, and a TV stand for my TV, although I won't be buying cable for a while.

My lack of cable will also mean a lack of regular internet for a while so if you don't see me online much anymore - that's why. There's a McDonalds with wifi not too far away so I may head down there every now and then, but I won't be hooking up cable/internet until I know what my new expense/income ratio will be.

I am sooo excited about this. There's a few basic things to measure a "successful" person... to me, these are having income to support having one's own place, a car, and the capacity to seek out a special someone. For quite a while now I've had none of these things. Now I'm going to at least have my own place, and that step toward being successful in my own eyes just makes me so happy.