i am really intrigued by the article on spending habits that krikri linked to--mostly because i am nosy. but seriously, is that how real people live? even the two lowest paid people live much more luxurious lives than i do. and i have to say, there is a lot of starbucks going on in all of those tallies. i think i need to do a spending diary, too. mine would be pretty boring, though--groceries, a bart ticket here or there, maybe an ice cream. blah, so boring.

i recently started using a credit card--before that it was always debit, but someone i trust told me that our bank's rewards-points-system thing is pretty good, so i figured, "why not?" and signed up. i get four times as many points for using a credit card instead of a debit card, and i figure it will build good credit. plus, i just set it up so that my balance is paid in full each month automatically from my checking account. now, i pretty much pay for everything with the card. it's out of control. but, at the rate i'm moving, i'll probably get several hundred dollars in rewards a year, especially since i pay for a lot of work stuff with the card, and then get reimbursed. i love free stuff!

one purchase i am definitely going to make in the next week is a terrapass. i've been thinking about this for a while now, and i just watched an inconvenient truth, and am now really motivated to do it. i think everyone should do this--it's so easy, mostly affordable, and absolutely necessary.