In Which I Need To Budget

In the past I'd maybe go to a few local conferences a year and call it even. None were so expensive that they'd break the bank.

But this year is a little different. I planned to take a class (it's going on right now) and I planned on 3 local conferences (Children's and Young Adults Literature Conference, 4th Street Fantasy and the MN SCBWI conference in the fall). So there you go. A couple hundred dollars here and there and I'm set for the year.

But then I really enjoyed my class. And I found an Advanced Children's Writing Workshop.
And I also learned that Donald Maass will be here in the fall for a Story Masters workshop (the people I heard about this from said they attended this conference last year and that it was amazing)

So if I were to throw these two into the mix (and these are way more expensive than the others. The Story Masters conference is like $500) and suddenly I find myself spending more money than I planned...

Which made me realize that I think I've reached a point in my writerly life where I need to budget better. I think this year is a wash. I've applied for the advanced class (though you have to actually supply a writing sample, so I may not get in) and depending on how that goes will make my decision on the Donald Maass conference. But I think, starting next year, I'm going to have to actually sit down, figure out how much I'm willing to spend that year on writing related expenses and budget accordingly.

This will be especially important if I apply to Hamline's MFA program for next year (very likely).

So how about you? Do you budget your writing expenses?

In Which We Discuss SCBWI Membership

How many of you are members of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for my non- writerly pals)? I think it's quite a fair amount of you, at least it seems that way with all my blog hopping.

I'm trying to decide if I should join up. Wait, let me correct that. I'm trying to decide if I should join up ASAP or if it's OK to wait a little longer.

I like the idea of being able to add that tidbit to my queries, and the MN chapter seems pretty cool. (I also love how SCBWI lets pretty much anyone join, whereas Science Fiction and Fantasy only allow you in if you have a legit sale. Sigh. It's not like I'm not trying...)

If it was cheaper to join, I'd do it right now. But it's right at that price point that makes me hesitate. I'm not exactly rolling in the dough right now (having to fix Yvie's tooth and pay off a new window for the house).

I guess I'm just looking for opinions. Do you think it's something I should jump into RIGHT NOW, or do you think it's OK for me to wait until maybe I'm a bit more financially stable (which, to be fair, may be never...)

Thoughts?