After 1,590 blog posts and 2,709 comments, I’m closing this account.

I’m planning on continuing Daily Dollars on my personal blog, Oh Hey, so I hope that you’ll continue to track your spending along with me. (And perhaps follow me on Twitter and like the Oh Hey Facebook page?)

Thank you for 4 years and 4 months of reading and commenting and Tweeting and sharing. It’s been so fun and I’m so appreciative.

Short and sweet. See you around!

Account Closed

This week has been harsh, yo. Unexpected doctor bills, a vet visit, and prescriptions have left me with an empty bank account until next payday.

• $47 vet
• $16 Chipotle
• $40 CVS
• $235 doctor bill
• $19 Target
• $34 gas

What did you spend your money on this week?

Daily Dollars – April 8 – 14

On my 30th birthday, I created a 40×40 list outlining 40 big things I want to achieve by my 40th birthday. One of the first goals I tackled was buying a great camera and taking photography classes at the local art school. I’ve since taken 4 classes and have loved every frustrating second of it.

Even though my focus has been on digital photography (and maybe exactly for this reason), every teacher I have had has echoed the same tip:

Print. Your. Photos.

Computers crash. Accounts get deleted. Files get corrupted. Software gets outdated. But a printed photo in your hand can last for generations. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t backup, upload, and protect your digital files, but the value to photography is still in the physical photograph.

And just like there’s value in that 5×7 photograph, there’s value in photo gifts.

Taking your favorite photo and transforming it into something that you can use and enjoy every day is the reason why we take photos. Not to stuff them into a box and shove it into the back of a closet. But to relive those memories and share them with those around us.

Shutterfly is a great place to turn your photos into tangibles (I just ordered 200 prints last weekend) and the best part is how reasonably priced everything is. You can barely get a generic iPhone case for $35, but you can order a custom iPhone case for that price at Shutterfly.

Remember as you’re taking photos and backing up your hard drive to take a few extra minutes to order prints and send someone a photo gift.

You’ll appreciate it when your computer crashes.

Follow Shutterfly on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

The lovely people at Shutterfly compensated me for this post with a Shutterfly gift card. I am a regular Shutterfly customer and all opinions are my own. Please see my site policy with any questions.

The Best Photography Tip You’ll Ever Hear

The spending embargo is back in effect and the pantry is full of food (and dog treats) for the month. I might go wild and stop at RedBox this weekend, but I think that’s a $1 allowance that’s allowed in exchange for saving $20 on the movie theatre.

• $145 Costco
• $30 Petsmart

How’d you spend your money this week?

Daily Dollars – April 1 thru 7

It’s April 2nd. You know what that means, right? Time to reevaluate my 2012 financial goals! Overall, things are going well. There’s been a few small missteps but I think I’m on the right path to meeting all my goals this year.

Did you sent any financial goals for this year? How is your progress?

2012 Golden Rules

• Absolutely, positively, no credit card usage allowed.
• No sweat.
• Any and all tax returns, bonuses, or other windfalls (wishful thinking?) are to be applied towards credit card debt.
• I received a bonus and a tax return – 100% of the bonus went towards credit card debt and 100% of the tax return went to paying off my Mac.
• Any money made from blogging will be deposited into the emergency fund.
• I haven’t made a red cent blogging this year, so this hasn’t been an issue.
• No new purses. No exceptions.
• Oops. Won’t happen again.

2012 Financial Goals

• Pay computer in full. (I broke down and bought an iMac after Christmas. Part necessity, part impulse.)
• I’m on track to pay my Mac off before the 0% expires in July. Yeah!
• Double emergency fund, bringing total to $6,000.
• I’ve increased my emergency fund balance by 10% this quarter. Once my Mac is paid off, I’ll begin making flat monthly contributions.
• Reduce credit card debt by 25%.
• I’ve decreased my credit card debt by approximately 5%. I’m snowballing debt, paying the most on the card with the highest balance, so I’ll be increasing payments once the Mac is paid. Paying that first credit card balance this year will meet my goal of paying off 25% of my total credit card debt.

Q1 Financial Review

Soooo. Remember when I said I was on a spending embargo for the month of April? I may have bought a purse less than 48 hours after implementing the embargo. In my defense, the purse was on sale, I had an additional 15% off coupon, and I had a little extra money in my paycheck from sales commissions.

Back to the embargo. Right after I pay all these bills.

• $155 Kate Spade
• $28 vet
• $928 rent
• $490 car payment
• $165 Sallie Mae
• $64 utilities
• $62 State Farm – renters insurance
• $90 State Farm – car insurance
• $550 Chase
• $500 computer payment
• $77 Sprint

Daily Dollars – March 25 thru 31

• $16 HomeGoods
• $7 Hudson News (emergency pop and pretzels at the airport)
• $36 internet
• $38 grocery
• $35 gas

I’m on a self-imposed spending embargo until vacation next month. (My mom and I are going to Mexico!) The only purchases that are allowed are bills, gas, and groceries. Hold me to it, okay?

Daily Dollars – March 18 thru 24

I did it. I registered for BlogHer again this year. I’ll be traveling to New York City in August to blog and network (and visit my sister). Years of experience have taught me that it’s never too early to start preparing so I ordered my business cards from Tiny Prints. Of course, there’s no need to order months in advance with Tiny Prints because they can have your custom business cards printed and delivered in no time.

I chose one of Tiny Print’s custom templates in a super cool folded design that just so happened to match my personal blog. I edited my info, added my logo, and in minutes they looked one-of-a-kind without the one-of-a-kind price tag. These business cards printed on high quality card stock and the colors are spot on, so there’s no mistaking that you (and Tiny Prints) take pride in your business.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve ordered from Tiny Prints. I order custom greeting cards all the time (my little cousins love when a goofy photo of them to their birthday cards) and I’m almost through my last batch of business cards, which get compliments whenever I hand them out.

It’s safe to say I’m a big fan of the quality (and price) of custom Tiny Prints business cards. Have you ordered from them yet? Are they great, or what?

The awesome people at Tiny Prints supplied me with a new stash of business cards. Please see my site policy with any questions.

Prepping for BlogHer with Tiny Prints Business Cards

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m in Chicago celebrating my birthday (March 18th) with friends and family. Where did you spend your money this week? Any big plans for the weekend?

• $19 ticket to see The Hunger Games
• $8 Warby Parker sunglasses (I received a GC while at SXSW so all I had to pay was tax!)
• $45 Forever 21
• $10 Elizabeth Street Cafe

See you next week!

Daily Dollars – March 11 thru 17

Poor neglected personal finance blog.

I’ve been focusing my energy elsewhere (here and here) and just haven’t had the desire to talk or read about budgets or savings or the dreaded state of the economy. I have been sticking to my budget and when the mood strikes me again, I’ll be posting furiously.

So, where did you spend your money this week?

• $86 grocery
• $28 dinner and movie
• $14 Hobby Lobby
• $50 doctor appointment
• $47 prescriptions
• $32 gas

Daily Dollars – March 4 thru 10