Another Reason to Have an E-Fund

F went to Ireland last weekend and was supposed to return yesterday. Needless to say, he didn't return. Right now he has a ticket for Thursday, but if flights do not start up again soon who knows if he will get back by then.

Another reason to have an emergency fund: volcanic ash.

Hey, you never know!

A Temporary Hiatus

Unfortunately my life has gotten a little bit overwhelming. School is busy, work is busy, and I haven't even been doing any wedding stuff. I hate that what keeps getting dropped from my life is blogging - and when I think about how I can barely blog once a week is stresses me out. In fact, I've been meaning to write this post for about a week!

I've decided to take a temporary hiatus. This doesn't mean I'll stop blogging, but it does mean I can stop stressing about blogging. If I can only get a post out once a week or once every two weeks it is okay because I'm on a temporary hiatus.

And I mean temporary, I love blogging too much to give it up. Come May 25th my last final will be handed in and I'll be back full-time.

So I apologize for my lack of posts recently and for my lack of posts in the next two months, but at least now you know why.

Becoming a Wife

I've had a couple of requests for a post about the wedding, and while this isn't about the wedding budget, it is something I've been thinking about since I read this article in the New York Times.

Commitment to a relationship has never been easy for me. My past relationships mostly ended after three months, before things got too serious. Obviously I'm now in a long-term relationship and about to make the biggest commitment of my life, so things have changed. Much of that is because how great F has been when it comes to my fears. He has let me get to where I need to be on my timeline.

I think my fear of commitment stemmed from a fear of losing my independence. It has always been really important to me and I take comfort in knowing that I can take care of myself, both financially and personally. I've never wanted to be called a Mrs. [insert man's name]. Instead I've always wanted a relationship in which the two of us were partners and came together because we wanted to be together, not because we we had too rely on each other for something. [Please note I'm describing my feelings, not what I think about other peoples relationship].

This is a big part of the reason that F and I still keep our money separate and probably still will after marriage. Our plans are to combine when we have to (such as if we buy a house together). For me the benefits of this is that I don't become obsessive about his money like I am about mine. It also means that we can both splurge on little things as long as we are making our savings goals. Finally, for me, it means that I'm always going to be in our relationship because I want to, not because I have to. It gives me peace of mind and it works because we talk about money - a lot.

I'm also not changing my last name. I have a lot of reasons for this, including that I never thought I would. I'm going to be almost 30 by the time I get married, this is a long time to have a name (think professional career, two degrees, and close to a third all with this name). It is also a unique name and I love the way it sounds and looks on paper. And in a way I guess it is also a way for me to keep my independence, but still be in a commitment. While I will be a wife, technically I'll never be a Mrs.

I've guess I've always been a feminist without knowing it.

I highly suggesting reading this article if you have the time: The Marrying Kind.

Picture by harold.lloyd (won't somebody think of the bokeh?)

March Spending

March was a particularly spendy month for me, however I knew it would be going in and the spending was for good reasons! A good friends bridal shower and bachelorette party ate up a lot of my cash, but thanks to F who basically bought all the groceries this past month it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I need to crunch some numbers tonight to see exactly where I stand, but I do know it wasn't my most expensive month, so bonus points there.

On other news my taxes are being figured out and hopefully I'll know what my refund will be early next week. I'm very very anxious about this since I've been relying on my refund to fund my India trip. Not something I like to do, but with all my other savings goals and expenses had to be done.

I also got my India visa earlier this week so now I can officially go on my trip! I'm so excited. In fact it is probably the only thing getting me through one of my classes this semester.