1. Write this blog entry
2. Upgrade WordPress (or switch to Django?)
3. Pull up Photoshop and finish that goddamn design I’ve been working on for ages…

You graduate. Everything changes. All of a sudden, you begin to realize the actual cost of living on your own: paying for rent and utilities, paying for gas, paying for all the food that you eat, and paying for all the shopping that you do. Fourty thousand dollars just doesn’t seem to go as far anymore.  Except… you’re making almost double that amount and it still seems like you never have enough money in that bank account.

I felt a lot like that when I first started working. I didn’t know if it was supposed to be like that, or if I just didn’t know how to manage my money right. Now I know. I didn’t know how to manage my money right. Here’s three important rules that I learned the hard way.

1. Live below your means.
2. Save regularly.
3. Never spend more than 25% of your income on fixed costs.

What does this mean? Fist of all, it means that you shouldn’t spend like you’re rich. Spend a hundred dollars like it took you a week to earn. Don’t make impulse buys. Don’t treat yourself to expensive restaurants every day. Make luxuries a treat instead of demanding luxury every day.

Second, it means that you should set aside a fixed amount of money every paycheck. That’s right, every paycheck–not every month. If you’re like me and you get paid twice a month, this usually means that one of the paychecks usually goes towards covering rent and utilities while the other one is for spending. The point of saving a fixed amount every paycheck is that you will eventually learn to budget the amount that you don’t set aside, because it’s got to last for longer than one pay cycle. It’s a way of teaching yourself financial discipline.

And finally, don’t make the stupid mistake that I did. Fresh out of college and with a nice job, I thought that I could live comfortably in a nice downtown condo. I can. I could live comfortably, but doing so prevents me from spending or saving comfortably. Live in the cheapest place you can stand. The money you save adds up almost instantly. It’s like having an extra paycheck every month.  Take that money you saved and invest it or spend it. You’ll feel happier, you’ll have more money, and when it comes time to move out, you’ll have much less to worry about when it comes to getting your deposit money back.

And that’s my spiel. This is mostly for my own personal reference, but feel free to learn from it anyways.

And to that extent, it’s great. Work time is for work, and all the other time is for me. This means weekends and nights are time for play. But what about working on your own personal projects? I guess this is just my own time management skills, or the lack thereof. I can find time to work; I can find time to play; I can’t find time to work on my own personal projects.

Like redesigning this blog. I still haven’t had a chance to sit down and get it done. Maybe I should schedule a meeting with myself in Outlook and block out time for it…

Sure, it’s a bit on the expensive side, but the experience is just so fantastic. Everything from the packaging and unboxing experience to the boot-up and everyday usage of an Apple is just so much more thought out when compared with Windows or Linux.

No crappy accessories, no cluttered icons and applications on the desktop, a great UI, and well-designed applications really do put OS X a step above the rest in terms of usability. And honestly, for what I do on the computer (both at work and at home), Windows and OS X provide essentially the same level of features. Just that OS X executes much better.

I know that designing great software is hard to do and I’m impressed that Apple has done such a good job compared to Microsoft. This is my personal opinion.

It’ll allow me to focus on design and content, and less on how exactly I can code my templates.

You probably think I’m crazy. But I’m telling ya, this is totally worth it! The one I got is Native Instruments’ Audio 8 DJ. It’s a professional DJ sound card, with a ton of inputs and outputs for a modern audio setup. I’ll be using it next Friday night in Austin.

Last year, I resolved to find a job. To stay in touch with my friends after I graduate. To get a car. To be in a meaningful relationship. Make at least $500 every month. Pay rent on time, every time. To travel. To keep up my blogging habits. Check, check check check check check check, and check.

Now for 2008!

1. Keep in touch with friends that are still in college, as well as those that will be graduating
2. Go home and visit family more
3. Put some money in stocks
4. Travel (with friends)
5. Start my own production/promotions group
6. Introduce Austin to higher standards for parties (and liqueur)
7. Finish working on my album
8. Take medicine on time, every day
9. Work out at least every other day
10. Go hiking in the mountains at least once
11. Go camping
12. Be more frugal in spending my money
13. Redesign my blog
14. Take a picture of me standing in the middle of Times Square
15. Make more money
16. Keep a good and meaningful relationship
17. Drink some really good champagne and wine
18. Become a better DJ
19. Make some cool friends in Seattle
20. Learn to cook better

Or maybe I should be a bit more general. I need to start thinking about my goals for next year. Things I want to achieve. Things that I should work on is simply a means to an end, right? So ultimately, I need to a list of what I want to accomplish next year.

This year has been pretty awesome, so a part of me is feeling like it’ll be pretty difficult to do better next year. Of course, the other part of me is saying that I can always do better. That would be nice.

So really, this post is kind of like a teaser. I talk about what I’m going to talk about without giving away anything that I was going to talk about. Yeah, sucks doesn’t it?