Money, Money, Money

Usually it's a problem of not having enough. Now, it's actually the opposite. I finally got my tax refund back and I'm overloaded with such a large checking account balance. My first instinct was one word - iPhone! But, I resisted. I've managed to not do anything with the money, which ended up being $900 more than I was expecting.

Logically, I know I need to save most of it. I need $2000 for the first month's rent and security deposit on Spencer and I's new apartment. I owe my mom $500 for some tax thing that I don't understand. Whatever - she's not Dina Lohan, I trust her.

I've concluded that I have about $700 that is not already dedicated to something else (apt, mom, etc). Of course I have over $4000 in credit bills, which I suppose I could work on. But, where's the fun in that?

Here are some things I'm considering:

1) iPhone - Mt. Sinai employees get a 24% discount on AT&T service. Even though the plan would run me about $100 a month, with that discount it ends up being only about $20-25 more a month than I'm playing for my 2007, Verizon flip-phone.

2) Underwear - It's the most basic part of a man's wardrobe. Most of my underwear is boxer briefs from the Gap. Sexy? Maybe a year ago. I figure that I could get an entire new boxer brief collection from H&M for about $100-$125. But since I don't have a bf (at the moment), I figure there's no point in spending money for something sexy that no one will see.

3) Gym equipment - My lifting gloves and iPod armband are so unbelievably funky. You can't wash them so it's impossible to clean them. I work out, sweat, take them off and throw them in my bad. It's a vicious cycle. And my earbuds are the original ones that come with a new iPod. They are starting to get worn down. The left one stops working when I'm sweating profusely on the treadmill. All totaled, I could probably get everything for about $150

4) Save it - I'm going to need a bed (a real one, not the kind you inflate), furniture, a TV and a million and one things that I can't think of right now for my new apartment. If I put the money directly in my ING account, I will earn a little interest on until it comes to sign the new lease.

So many choices, but only one that seems right. Saving has never been my strongest skill. After putting some towards my credit card and buying some essentials, I've decided to save. I can't wait for the day when I have a large sum in my checking account for no special reason.