I promised a numbers update... here it is

At 22 years of age, This is where i stand...

Net Worth: $33,402

1. Comprised of my car KBB value at trade in, good condition with 35,000 miles. $11,040.00... not too shabby.
2. Todays value of my CAL Pers retirement $4,023.00. This will go up soon, but i haven't gotten my last Pers statement.
3. my Roth IRA value $8567.54/$9,000 invested.... i keep telling myself my shares are on sale.... God bless buying a bit each month....
4. emergency fund $6,000.00. This i'm really proud of. =)
5. house dp fund $2,954.56 It's slowly growing
6. small various accounts set aside for annual bills and ins payments... $395.16
7. Savings bonds 427.38
8. AND NO DEBT! (ya, i'm just that cool)

I can also safely assume that i'll make $40,000 this year before taxes. Not too shabby for my second year on my own in an apartment in money sucking Orange County. The net worth can only go up from here.

I also want to thank my wonderful readers for their comments and suggestions as to my little predicament. I appreciate them all. and I think i found a solution to my mini problem (me realizing that i'm suffering from the same problem as the guy who wrote about the 60% solution... I find that what i really get in a pickle over financially is the birthdays, holidays, auto repairs, ect .... the emergency fund isn't really there for... but i don't want a bazillion sub saving accounts)

I decided that I will have to have one more savings account--- but i can deal with that. I'm calling it the "i will spend this by december" account.

Normally at the end of the month, I take the extra money from little things like the electric bill, or the 60 cents left from my cell phone payment and sluck it towards the house downpayment fund... well, I'm now going to siphone that money into this savings account. I'm also going to put my raise in there... and any holiday, retro active pay or overtime money into here. The interest from this account will go towards my house downpayment fund (a bonus for saving).

I'll use this for birthdays, christmas's, car maint... replacing broken stuff in the apartment, etc.

Come December, if i'm sitting on any cash I'll take some of it to use for my Roth IRA 2009... Which irronically i'll be trying to start saving for in August. August is extra paycheck month and my extra paychecks always go towards my retirement... so 2009 gets a jump start.