DH and I started the year with a negative net worth-(-$21,800) to be exact. We will be finishing the year with a net work of $382 to the positive! I wanted to end this year with a positive net worth, even if it was only be a few hundred dollars, and we did it! Unfortunately, we didn't do quite as much debt pay down this year as I had hoped, but we did make progress, which is the important thing.
Next year, I just want to keep moving in the right direction. The mortgage and the student loans HAVE to go down, so I know we'll make progress there :p There credit cards are the hard part, but I know we can keep them going down too.
With DH's next paycheck (his 'extra' one this month since this is a three paycheck month), I am going to add $1180 to our emergency fund. This will put us at $1500. From then on, I want to add $110 every paycheck. If we get through next year without ever having to touch the emergency fund, we'll end 2011 with $4360 in it, which would meet my goal of having $3000 in it by year end 2011. Heck, that even gives us a little bit of buffer to still meet our goal in the event of an actual emergency!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Oh boo.....
I was going over our numbers for our taxes tonight, and I completely forgot that this is the year we have to start paying back the $7500 first time home buyer's tax 'credit' DH and I got when we bought our house. Basically, $500 gets added to our tax liability every year for 15 years. If we had bought 6 months later, we would have been eligible for the $8000 tax credit that didn't have to be repaid. Oh well. What's done is done, but I can't believe I completely forgot about it.
Without considering the $500, we'll owe around $100 on our federal taxes and get back around $300-$400 on our state. That puts us $200 to $300 to the positive, so considering the $500, we'll need to pay $200-$300. That's not too terrible, but I like for everything to come out as even as possible. I'll need to go back and make sure I'm not missing any deductions of course once I have all of our tax documents, but it's nice to know ahead of time what to expect come tax time.
Without considering the $500, we'll owe around $100 on our federal taxes and get back around $300-$400 on our state. That puts us $200 to $300 to the positive, so considering the $500, we'll need to pay $200-$300. That's not too terrible, but I like for everything to come out as even as possible. I'll need to go back and make sure I'm not missing any deductions of course once I have all of our tax documents, but it's nice to know ahead of time what to expect come tax time.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
I don't really like one of my best friends anymore....
This is not even close to being related to finances, but I just have to rant: I do not like one of my best friends like I used to. Myself and 3 other girls have been best friends since our freshman year of high school. Of course, we have had a few spats, a few differences along the way, but nothing insurmountable.
One of these girls just gets on my nerves lately. She has basically said I am "wasting" my life by having a baby at a young age. She doesn't want to have children till she is 30-35, if at all, which is fine, but please do not insult my and my DH's carefully planned life choices. DH and I have our reasons as to why we wanted to have a child now, just like she has hers for why she doesn't want kids till later in life. She constantly makes comments about how my baby boy will grow up to be an inconsiderate jackass like all men are (she's married BTW, supposedly happily). Yeah, last time I checked, my DH is an awesome, thoughtful guy who intends to raise his son to be the same way.
She just rubs me the wrong way a lot lately, and some of the things she has said to me are downright insulting and hurtful.
In financial news, DH and I are still spending a bunch on eating out! No surprise there, with the random food cravings I have. Last night, it was hot dogs at like 11 PM. At least hot dogs are a cheap craving to fulfill! I still need to post a debt update. I have been so lazy about keeping up with it lately. I know it's important to keep track so I stay accountable, but my mind is just elsewhere right now!
One of these girls just gets on my nerves lately. She has basically said I am "wasting" my life by having a baby at a young age. She doesn't want to have children till she is 30-35, if at all, which is fine, but please do not insult my and my DH's carefully planned life choices. DH and I have our reasons as to why we wanted to have a child now, just like she has hers for why she doesn't want kids till later in life. She constantly makes comments about how my baby boy will grow up to be an inconsiderate jackass like all men are (she's married BTW, supposedly happily). Yeah, last time I checked, my DH is an awesome, thoughtful guy who intends to raise his son to be the same way.
She just rubs me the wrong way a lot lately, and some of the things she has said to me are downright insulting and hurtful.
In financial news, DH and I are still spending a bunch on eating out! No surprise there, with the random food cravings I have. Last night, it was hot dogs at like 11 PM. At least hot dogs are a cheap craving to fulfill! I still need to post a debt update. I have been so lazy about keeping up with it lately. I know it's important to keep track so I stay accountable, but my mind is just elsewhere right now!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Goals for Next Year, Take 2
I've had a chance to talk to DH about our goals for next year. I have a few things to add, and a few more specifics to add. My itch has gotten better, so thankfully I have been able to back off the Benadryl. My head feels so much clearer now.
Financial
1. Increase retirement savings from 11% of household income to 13% of household income. We'll do this by increasing my IRA contributions $1200 next year ($100 a month) and by increasing DH's 401K contributions by 1 percent.
2. Pay off all consumer debt by December of 2011. In order to do this, we will need to pay $1520 (starting in January) a month to it, every single month. I think we can do this if we are a little more diligent about tracking our spending and reigning it in when our numbers get high
3. Start 529 plan for baby boy. I don't care if we only put $10 a month into it, I just want to get it started. DH said we should try put $25 a month into it. This is less than a dollar a day. If we do this, we will add $300 to it next year. Not a huge start, but a start, none the less.
4. Have $3,000 saved in emergency fund by year end
5. Track our spending every single month and stay within budget guidelines
Personal
1. Lose all baby weight, plus 25 pounds
2. Go out on one baby free date with DH every two weeks. I want to make sure we make time for each other and our relationship. I don't want to be on those couples where everything falls apart after having a baby-you know, the ones who never go out together any more, never have intimate time together, don't communicate. Relationships require work to keep both partners happy, and I imagine this is even more true when things change a lot in a short time (ie. having a baby!).
Financial
1. Increase retirement savings from 11% of household income to 13% of household income. We'll do this by increasing my IRA contributions $1200 next year ($100 a month) and by increasing DH's 401K contributions by 1 percent.
2. Pay off all consumer debt by December of 2011. In order to do this, we will need to pay $1520 (starting in January) a month to it, every single month. I think we can do this if we are a little more diligent about tracking our spending and reigning it in when our numbers get high
3. Start 529 plan for baby boy. I don't care if we only put $10 a month into it, I just want to get it started. DH said we should try put $25 a month into it. This is less than a dollar a day. If we do this, we will add $300 to it next year. Not a huge start, but a start, none the less.
4. Have $3,000 saved in emergency fund by year end
5. Track our spending every single month and stay within budget guidelines
Personal
1. Lose all baby weight, plus 25 pounds
2. Go out on one baby free date with DH every two weeks. I want to make sure we make time for each other and our relationship. I don't want to be on those couples where everything falls apart after having a baby-you know, the ones who never go out together any more, never have intimate time together, don't communicate. Relationships require work to keep both partners happy, and I imagine this is even more true when things change a lot in a short time (ie. having a baby!).
Friday, December 3, 2010
Goals for Next Year
Normally, goals make me feel refreshed and remotivated-not today. I have this nasty itch, and the doctor has me taking Benadryl since it is safe during pregnancy, but it sure does put me in a fog. And when I am in a fog, I feel VERY apathetic. I guess I should look up last year's goals and see how they went, but I just don't feel like it at the moment. I'll just focus on next year for now!
Financial
1. Increase retirement savings from 11% of household income to 13% of household income. We'll do this by increasing my IRA contributions $1200 next year ($100 a month) and by increasing DH's 401K contributions by 1 percent.
2. Pay off all consumer debt by December of 2011. I need to crunch the numbers to see what we need to pay every month to make this happen.
3. Start 529 plan for baby boy. I don't care if we only put $10 a month into it, I just want to get it started.
4. Have $3,000 saved in emergency fund by year end
Personal
1. Lose all baby weight, plus 25 pounds
2. Go out on one baby free date with DH every two weeks. I want to make sure we make time for each other and our relationship. I don't want to be on those couples where everything falls apart after having a baby-you know, the ones who never go out together any more, never have intimate time together, don't communicate. Relationships require work to keep both partners happy, and I imagine this is even more true when things change a lot in a short time (ie. having a baby!).
Financial
1. Increase retirement savings from 11% of household income to 13% of household income. We'll do this by increasing my IRA contributions $1200 next year ($100 a month) and by increasing DH's 401K contributions by 1 percent.
2. Pay off all consumer debt by December of 2011. I need to crunch the numbers to see what we need to pay every month to make this happen.
3. Start 529 plan for baby boy. I don't care if we only put $10 a month into it, I just want to get it started.
4. Have $3,000 saved in emergency fund by year end
Personal
1. Lose all baby weight, plus 25 pounds
2. Go out on one baby free date with DH every two weeks. I want to make sure we make time for each other and our relationship. I don't want to be on those couples where everything falls apart after having a baby-you know, the ones who never go out together any more, never have intimate time together, don't communicate. Relationships require work to keep both partners happy, and I imagine this is even more true when things change a lot in a short time (ie. having a baby!).
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tis the Season......
Only 26 days till Christmas! DH and I got our Christmas tree this weekend, and we got it decorated and the rest of the house done too. It looks like a Winter Wonderland. DH and I did a little bit of shopping over the weekend, taking advantage of the deals (mainly online, DH did a little bit of instore shopping though). We bought:
Pair of dress shoes for DH: $41
Soothe and Glow Sea Horse for the baby: $8
Sterling silver hoops for myself: $11
Christmas doormat: $5
9 foot blow up Santa: $35-this would definitely be DH's purchase :)
Router for DH's mom: $22
New pedometer: $10
Earrings for my mom:$10
Wallet for me:$7
All in all I was pretty happy with what we got. I only have one more Christmas present to buy, and then I am done! Awesome. Now to work on getting that mountain of presents wrapped....
Pair of dress shoes for DH: $41
Soothe and Glow Sea Horse for the baby: $8
Sterling silver hoops for myself: $11
Christmas doormat: $5
9 foot blow up Santa: $35-this would definitely be DH's purchase :)
Router for DH's mom: $22
New pedometer: $10
Earrings for my mom:$10
Wallet for me:$7
All in all I was pretty happy with what we got. I only have one more Christmas present to buy, and then I am done! Awesome. Now to work on getting that mountain of presents wrapped....
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
It's Thanksgiving Eve!
Yay for Turkey Day tomorrow! DH and I are frying our first turkey tomorrow to take to his grandma's house. Keeping our fingers crossed that it comes out great! I am tackling a big, long to do list today that is being slowed down by the fact that I have a nasty cold. Blech. Our Christmas shopping is so close to being done. I have to order one more present online, buy two gift certificates, and order a few more things for DH. Now I just have to work on wrapping the mountain of presents that has taken over the baby's nursery.
Speaking of the baby, I had my shower, and we got sooooo much stuff. This baby is seriously going to be so spoiled. I think there were only two or three things we didn't get that we really needed, but the gift cards we got more than covered those things. I am trying to get everything organized with some semblance of order to it.
Here's the updated to-do list before baby:
1. Vacuum and steam clean living room couches and game room couches
2. Clean out/organize game room-DONE
3. Install car seat and have it checked for proper installation-by Dec.13th, just in case baby decides to come early
4. Meet with pediatrician
5. Go on hospital tour-11/16-DONE
6. Get maternity pictures taken-11/6-DONE
7. Repair/paint bathroom ceiling
8. Clean all blinds in house
9. Clean baseboards
10. Organize coat closet
11. Stock up on frozen/easy to prepare meals and such
Some progress has been made, but not quite enough. We're getting there though!
Here's the rest of the to do list for today:
1. Dust living room
2.Sweep living room
3.Mop living room
4. Vacuum living room furniture
5. Get all my coupons together for some early morning deal shopping tomorrow at Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid
6.Mop kitchen
7.Sweep kitchen
8.Finish contract work for today
Blah! Guess I better get my self in gear.
Speaking of the baby, I had my shower, and we got sooooo much stuff. This baby is seriously going to be so spoiled. I think there were only two or three things we didn't get that we really needed, but the gift cards we got more than covered those things. I am trying to get everything organized with some semblance of order to it.
Here's the updated to-do list before baby:
1. Vacuum and steam clean living room couches and game room couches
2. Clean out/organize game room-DONE
3. Install car seat and have it checked for proper installation-by Dec.13th, just in case baby decides to come early
4. Meet with pediatrician
5. Go on hospital tour-11/16-DONE
6. Get maternity pictures taken-11/6-DONE
7. Repair/paint bathroom ceiling
8. Clean all blinds in house
9. Clean baseboards
10. Organize coat closet
11. Stock up on frozen/easy to prepare meals and such
Some progress has been made, but not quite enough. We're getting there though!
Here's the rest of the to do list for today:
1. Dust living room
2.Sweep living room
3.Mop living room
4. Vacuum living room furniture
5. Get all my coupons together for some early morning deal shopping tomorrow at Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid
6.Mop kitchen
7.Sweep kitchen
8.Finish contract work for today
Blah! Guess I better get my self in gear.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Seeing Red
Alright, so excuse me while I go on another rant here about my dad. I am just so irked by him and some of the things he did/said this past weekend.
He came over Sunday so he could use our computer to put in some job applications and so I could make him a resume. Well, in the four hours he was here, he did not put in a single job application. Instead, he told me the places where I 'needed' to put in an application for him. He said he types too slow, and that he really had to get some applications in today. First off, we have 2 computers in the house-a desk top and a laptop. I always use the laptop, and he could have used the desk top. He did not go near neither computer. When he had been here four hours and was still giving me places to put in applications at, I kind of snapped. I told him HE needed to be putting in these applications, that it was not my responsibility to spend four hours of my Sunday putting in HIS job applications. He gave me the typing excuse again, and I told him the only he was ever going to get better was to practice. He just pisses me off because he doesn't even TRY to learn. He just wants me to do it.
That will never happen again. My time with my husband is very limited lately, and I don't appreciate spending 4 hours of it doing job applications for him. His work has been crazy busy, due in part to good business, but also because they have fired a few people who didn't meet the quality standards. He works 12 hours Monday thru Friday and some weekends. By golly, I want to take advantage of the time he does have off!
My dad also made a bunch of comments that make me realize why he is so horrible with his finances and finding a better job. He seems to have a 'glorified poverty' viewpoint. Seriously, his expenses could be paid with a full time, minimum wage job. He is currently working about 18 hours a week at a job that pays $.50 over minimum wage. This had to go on for months before he decided he needed to look for another job. The economy is pretty good in our area; he just has to make the effort, which he does not.
I have such strong feelings of anger towards him right now. His behavior is just really ticking me off. Some of the things he says are just so stupid and incorrect, they literally make me want to punch a wall. I love my dad, but his behavior and actions right now just anger me so much.
In other news, DH's company shorted him about $200 on his last paycheck. They are so slow correcting mistakes too. It's not a huge deal, just a pain to get fixed because one payroll lady covers 3 plants, so it's hard to catch her. We'll get it fixed though.
I really need to post a debt update. I have been keeping track on my spreadsheet, but for some reason, these numbers just haven't made it to my blog. We have been eating out like crazy lately; even worse than normal I think. I am so hungry all the time, and what sounds good to eat is literally all over the place. I am surprised I haven't gained more than 20 pounds as much as I am eating. I guess being pregnant really does boost up your metabolism because I have been eating like a cow lately and I'm still hungry in an hour.
My baby shower is this weekend, and I am so excited for it! I can't wait to get to see my family and friends, and I am anxious to see the cute things that the baby is going to get. Less than eight weeks till we get to meet the little guy! I am so excited. DH is excited too, but he is so scared he is going to 'break' the baby. It's kind of funny to think that a grown man is intimidated by a little eight pound baby! I hope once the baby gets here he gets a little bit more confidence in his baby handling skills.
He came over Sunday so he could use our computer to put in some job applications and so I could make him a resume. Well, in the four hours he was here, he did not put in a single job application. Instead, he told me the places where I 'needed' to put in an application for him. He said he types too slow, and that he really had to get some applications in today. First off, we have 2 computers in the house-a desk top and a laptop. I always use the laptop, and he could have used the desk top. He did not go near neither computer. When he had been here four hours and was still giving me places to put in applications at, I kind of snapped. I told him HE needed to be putting in these applications, that it was not my responsibility to spend four hours of my Sunday putting in HIS job applications. He gave me the typing excuse again, and I told him the only he was ever going to get better was to practice. He just pisses me off because he doesn't even TRY to learn. He just wants me to do it.
That will never happen again. My time with my husband is very limited lately, and I don't appreciate spending 4 hours of it doing job applications for him. His work has been crazy busy, due in part to good business, but also because they have fired a few people who didn't meet the quality standards. He works 12 hours Monday thru Friday and some weekends. By golly, I want to take advantage of the time he does have off!
My dad also made a bunch of comments that make me realize why he is so horrible with his finances and finding a better job. He seems to have a 'glorified poverty' viewpoint. Seriously, his expenses could be paid with a full time, minimum wage job. He is currently working about 18 hours a week at a job that pays $.50 over minimum wage. This had to go on for months before he decided he needed to look for another job. The economy is pretty good in our area; he just has to make the effort, which he does not.
I have such strong feelings of anger towards him right now. His behavior is just really ticking me off. Some of the things he says are just so stupid and incorrect, they literally make me want to punch a wall. I love my dad, but his behavior and actions right now just anger me so much.
In other news, DH's company shorted him about $200 on his last paycheck. They are so slow correcting mistakes too. It's not a huge deal, just a pain to get fixed because one payroll lady covers 3 plants, so it's hard to catch her. We'll get it fixed though.
I really need to post a debt update. I have been keeping track on my spreadsheet, but for some reason, these numbers just haven't made it to my blog. We have been eating out like crazy lately; even worse than normal I think. I am so hungry all the time, and what sounds good to eat is literally all over the place. I am surprised I haven't gained more than 20 pounds as much as I am eating. I guess being pregnant really does boost up your metabolism because I have been eating like a cow lately and I'm still hungry in an hour.
My baby shower is this weekend, and I am so excited for it! I can't wait to get to see my family and friends, and I am anxious to see the cute things that the baby is going to get. Less than eight weeks till we get to meet the little guy! I am so excited. DH is excited too, but he is so scared he is going to 'break' the baby. It's kind of funny to think that a grown man is intimidated by a little eight pound baby! I hope once the baby gets here he gets a little bit more confidence in his baby handling skills.
Friday, November 12, 2010
So Ironic
Literally three days after I paid my car off last week, I went outside and there was a HUGE crack in my windshield. I have no idea how it even got there. It looks like a huge rock hit it, but there are no huge rocks in my drive way! Anyways, $238 later, I have a new windshield. I just thought it was ironic that not even a week after I pay my car off, the windshield goes kaput!
Rant: My dad called me a few days ago, wanting to know if I thought my mom (whom he is now divorced from) would let him borrow $400. Apparently, when they got divorced 16 years ago, he feels he got the short end of the stick because she got to keep the house and he received nothing (even though he had sold land he owned before the marriage for the down payment). I'm sorry, but if you thought you weren't getting a fair deal in the divorce, the time to deal with it would have been then, not 16 years later. Secondly, my mom is horrid with money. I seriously doubt she would have $400 to lend him (not that she would anyway, but still). I paid his car payment for him and told him to think of it as an early Christmas present. He just irks me sometimes. He complains about his work being slow, but says he 'needs' for me to put in some job applications for him because he types too slow. Um, hello?! The only way I know to get better doing something is to practice it! And I'm sorry, but if your work is slow, then it really doesn't matter how long it takes you to put the application in, now does it? Grrrr..................
Rant: My dad called me a few days ago, wanting to know if I thought my mom (whom he is now divorced from) would let him borrow $400. Apparently, when they got divorced 16 years ago, he feels he got the short end of the stick because she got to keep the house and he received nothing (even though he had sold land he owned before the marriage for the down payment). I'm sorry, but if you thought you weren't getting a fair deal in the divorce, the time to deal with it would have been then, not 16 years later. Secondly, my mom is horrid with money. I seriously doubt she would have $400 to lend him (not that she would anyway, but still). I paid his car payment for him and told him to think of it as an early Christmas present. He just irks me sometimes. He complains about his work being slow, but says he 'needs' for me to put in some job applications for him because he types too slow. Um, hello?! The only way I know to get better doing something is to practice it! And I'm sorry, but if your work is slow, then it really doesn't matter how long it takes you to put the application in, now does it? Grrrr..................
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Car is Gone!
The car loan is officially gone! The last payment finally posted. I am psyched. It's a 2005 with 60,000 miles on it; I'm praying it will run for many, many years to come. Now, if only the Bank of America card would disappear along with it.......
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Oops...
DH and I were cleaning out the game room the other day, and I find boxes of stuff I *thought* I had sold on eBay, but apparently had never even listed. I am such a slacker. I just got the two biggest things listed. Hopefully, they will sell and bring in between $40-$60. Not an astronomical amount, but every little bit helps! This will go straight to Bank of America to get it paid down.
DH and I are still trying to conquer the eating out monster. Honestly, I don't know why this is so hard for us! We have literally been trying to cut down on our eating out for the past three years. Some months we do well.....others, not so much. Like last month, when we spent almost $250 just on eating out! This month is not off to the best start in regards to not eating out, but I know we can get back on track. I have a roast defrosting to throw in the crock pot tomorrow for dinner.
I'm still waiting on payments to post so I can do an update and see where we stand, debt wise.
DH and I are still trying to conquer the eating out monster. Honestly, I don't know why this is so hard for us! We have literally been trying to cut down on our eating out for the past three years. Some months we do well.....others, not so much. Like last month, when we spent almost $250 just on eating out! This month is not off to the best start in regards to not eating out, but I know we can get back on track. I have a roast defrosting to throw in the crock pot tomorrow for dinner.
I'm still waiting on payments to post so I can do an update and see where we stand, debt wise.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Fingers Crossed x
The other day, DH's plant manager asked to meet with him. He told my DH he is interested in making him a supervisor in the 'near' future. How near, I'm not sure. But DH has been hoping and working towards this for a while now. If DH gets promoted to a supervisor, his pay will increase by anywhere from twenty to twenty five thousand a year. This would be HUGE for us. I don't want to get my hopes up before we know for sure, but I am keeping my fingers crossed!
I've worked on a little Christmas shopping this past week. One of our nieces is now completely done, and I got a few things for DH. DH will have his bonus on the next check, then we can really put the pedal to the medal and get this Christmas shopping done! I even did a little bit of gift wrapping the other day, since I felt in a *Christmasy* mood (not sure why, since Halloween was a few days away, but hey, I figured I better capitalize on it!).
Next week is going to bring some LONG hours on one of my contracting jobs, but the payment will be worth it (LOL, or that's what I tell myself). I am feeling pretty good for being almost 31 weeks pregnant, so I guess I should take advantage of that and work on a few more projects.
I've worked on a little Christmas shopping this past week. One of our nieces is now completely done, and I got a few things for DH. DH will have his bonus on the next check, then we can really put the pedal to the medal and get this Christmas shopping done! I even did a little bit of gift wrapping the other day, since I felt in a *Christmasy* mood (not sure why, since Halloween was a few days away, but hey, I figured I better capitalize on it!).
Next week is going to bring some LONG hours on one of my contracting jobs, but the payment will be worth it (LOL, or that's what I tell myself). I am feeling pretty good for being almost 31 weeks pregnant, so I guess I should take advantage of that and work on a few more projects.
Friday, October 22, 2010
To Do List Before Baby
1. Vacuum and steam clean living room couches and game room couches
2. Clean out/organize game room
3. Install car seat and have it checked for proper installation-by Dec.13th, just in case baby decides to come early
4. Meet with pediatrician
5. Go on hospital tour-11/16
6. Get maternity pictures taken-11/6
7. Repair/paint bathroom ceiling
8. Clean all blinds in house
9. Clean baseboards
10. Organize coat closet
11. Stock up on frozen/easy to prepare meals and such
2. Clean out/organize game room
3. Install car seat and have it checked for proper installation-by Dec.13th, just in case baby decides to come early
4. Meet with pediatrician
5. Go on hospital tour-11/16
6. Get maternity pictures taken-11/6
7. Repair/paint bathroom ceiling
8. Clean all blinds in house
9. Clean baseboards
10. Organize coat closet
11. Stock up on frozen/easy to prepare meals and such
Good News!
DH got word today that he will be getting the $1000 bonus. Yay! Now comes the fun part of trying to time when to change his deductions so he doesn't lose 50% to taxes. I know it has to be paid within 30 days, so we should either get it Nov.5th or Nov.19th. I was going to put it all in our EF, but DH said we should use it for Christmas shopping (we were going to use his extra paycheck in Dec. for Christmas, so we would now use that for the EF funding). He thinks we should get our Christmas shopping done early this year, mainly because I am getting kind of huge. I guess you are supposed to be kind of huge at 29 weeks pregnant, but it sure does make outings complicated. If I do a lot of walking (like a few hours, kind of like you would do with a bunch of shopping), I get the worst ache in my lower stomach and upper legs. It's only walking that does it though. I can still do my prenatal dance DVD pain free. Wow, I have kind of gone onto a tangent here. Back on topic.....
The plan will be to
-leave the bonus in checking so we can use it for Christmas shopping.
-DH should be getting some back pay as well, which we will put towards the Bank of America card.
-Use extra paycheck in December to bump the EF up to $1500 (it's only at $150 right now).
Baby boy is supposed to arrive in early to mid January. He is paid for in full, for now :p DH will be taking off a week, which he can do unpaid or paid. I would love to have him take it unpaid if we can swing it, so he can save his vacation pay and days. I think we can swing it, but I'll review that once we get closer to it.
I'll need to review our withholding with baby boy as our dependent and adjust that accordingly. I also want to bump up DH's 401 K contributions to 12 percent from 10 percent as soon as we get our withholding adjusted. This will get us contributing 12 percent of our total household income, which is only 3 percent away from our ultimate goal of 15 percent.
The plan will be to
-leave the bonus in checking so we can use it for Christmas shopping.
-DH should be getting some back pay as well, which we will put towards the Bank of America card.
-Use extra paycheck in December to bump the EF up to $1500 (it's only at $150 right now).
Baby boy is supposed to arrive in early to mid January. He is paid for in full, for now :p DH will be taking off a week, which he can do unpaid or paid. I would love to have him take it unpaid if we can swing it, so he can save his vacation pay and days. I think we can swing it, but I'll review that once we get closer to it.
I'll need to review our withholding with baby boy as our dependent and adjust that accordingly. I also want to bump up DH's 401 K contributions to 12 percent from 10 percent as soon as we get our withholding adjusted. This will get us contributing 12 percent of our total household income, which is only 3 percent away from our ultimate goal of 15 percent.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Blah, Blah, Blah
Well, I have not done a good job tracking our spending this month. I got to October 10th on my little spreadsheet and just kind of quit. I just entered in everything, and WOAH. This month has been bad, spending wise. I forgot to account for the fair being this month, my mom's birthday, and the extra Halloween spending we do for candy, decorations, and party stuff. We are currently $40 over our budget for the month, and we still have 13 days to go. We are doing good in the gas category, okay in the entertainment category, and okay in the grocery category. We still have room to spare in all these categories, and I think we will stay within budget for all of these this month.
We are doing terrible in the eating out category. We have spent $150, which is $40 over the budget I had set for this month. The misc. category (includes gifts, grooming, car maintenance, etc). is over budget by $173! Why is that? Let's see, I totally forgot that my mom and brother have birthdays coming up! Also, DH surprised me with a video game the SAME day I surprised him with one. I swear, we didn't plan it that way!
Realistically, I think we can end the month about $350 over budget. While not ideal, it's better than throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There's always next month!
We are doing terrible in the eating out category. We have spent $150, which is $40 over the budget I had set for this month. The misc. category (includes gifts, grooming, car maintenance, etc). is over budget by $173! Why is that? Let's see, I totally forgot that my mom and brother have birthdays coming up! Also, DH surprised me with a video game the SAME day I surprised him with one. I swear, we didn't plan it that way!
Realistically, I think we can end the month about $350 over budget. While not ideal, it's better than throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There's always next month!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Spending for Week 1 of Month
I am jumping the gun a little bit since tomorrow is technically the 7th, but I need to track my spending better and putting it on the blog helps keep me accountable. Therefore, I have estimated what I will spend tomorrow, and I will stick to it!
My totals are:
Groceries/personal stuff is a bit high, but I know that's because we had to spend extra getting DH some cold/flu medicine, we bought some Halloween candy (we try to get 1-2 bags a week so we don't have to spend $40 on candy in one week for all the trick or treaters), and I bought some new makeup for the fall. Eating out is decent. It could definitely be lower, but I know from past experience it could be much worse. Entertainment and gas are both great. Misc. is high because of the bras, but I needed them since my other ones were getting tight. However, I might take one back. It just doesn't have the fit that I like, and no one likes an ill fitting bra. This weekend will be high entertainment wise because we are going to the fair, which costs $20 just for tickets to get in and for parking! We always have a blast though, and it only comes once a year. I can't wait to scarf down some of that yummy food!
| 1-Oct | McDonalds | 2.67 | |
| 2-Oct | Lunch at Steak n Shake | 12 | |
| 2-Oct | Movie Tickets | 13 | |
| 2-Oct | Walmart-Groceries | 110 | |
| 2-Oct | Walmart-Makeup | 15 | |
| 3-Oct | 6 GumDrop Pacifiers | 10.19 | |
| 3-Oct | Bras | 30 | |
| 3-Oct | Groceries | 11.12 | |
| 4-Oct | cough syrup | 5 | |
| 5-Oct | East Coast Wings | 17 | |
| 6-Oct | Gas | 27.45 | |
| 7-Oct | Subway | 6 | |
My totals are:
| Eating out | 37.67 | ||
| Groceries/Personal Stuff | 141 | ||
| Entertainment | 13 | ||
| Gas | 27.45 | ||
| Misc. | 40 | ||
| 259.12 | |||
Groceries/personal stuff is a bit high, but I know that's because we had to spend extra getting DH some cold/flu medicine, we bought some Halloween candy (we try to get 1-2 bags a week so we don't have to spend $40 on candy in one week for all the trick or treaters), and I bought some new makeup for the fall. Eating out is decent. It could definitely be lower, but I know from past experience it could be much worse. Entertainment and gas are both great. Misc. is high because of the bras, but I needed them since my other ones were getting tight. However, I might take one back. It just doesn't have the fit that I like, and no one likes an ill fitting bra. This weekend will be high entertainment wise because we are going to the fair, which costs $20 just for tickets to get in and for parking! We always have a blast though, and it only comes once a year. I can't wait to scarf down some of that yummy food!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Fall is Here!
Finally, the 90 degree days are gone in my state! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE summer, but this summer extremely hot, and I have been ready for some cooler weather. Normally, it starts cooling down the beginning of September, but it took until the end this year. Next week, some of the lows are going to be in the 40's. Brrrr!
That reminds me, we need to get the propane tank for our fireplace filled. During the winter, we save so much on our heating bill by using the fireplace instead of the electric heat. Our living room has high, cathedral ceilings, and heating them with the heat pump is a losing battle. The fireplace gets the whole house warm and cozy in no time. Filling the tank will probably cost close to $300; I think it is pretty much completely empty.
DH said he should find out next week whether or not he will get his bonus, and if so, how much exactly it will be. If he does get it, I think we will put the majority in savings, using some to help cover the cost of getting the propane tank filled. I am always torn between sending money to savings or towards our debt. I know DH and I need more in savings, but it's just so much more satisfying to see the debt go down. If we are going to end the year with $1500 in savings, I definitely will need to send a good chunk to savings. I'm getting a little ahead of myself though, since we don't even know if he'll get it or not.
That reminds me, we need to get the propane tank for our fireplace filled. During the winter, we save so much on our heating bill by using the fireplace instead of the electric heat. Our living room has high, cathedral ceilings, and heating them with the heat pump is a losing battle. The fireplace gets the whole house warm and cozy in no time. Filling the tank will probably cost close to $300; I think it is pretty much completely empty.
DH said he should find out next week whether or not he will get his bonus, and if so, how much exactly it will be. If he does get it, I think we will put the majority in savings, using some to help cover the cost of getting the propane tank filled. I am always torn between sending money to savings or towards our debt. I know DH and I need more in savings, but it's just so much more satisfying to see the debt go down. If we are going to end the year with $1500 in savings, I definitely will need to send a good chunk to savings. I'm getting a little ahead of myself though, since we don't even know if he'll get it or not.
Balance Tranfers are Done!
All of the balance transfers are completed, thankfully! I just totaled up the numbers, and we are about the same debt wise as our last update, due to the balance transfer fees. Thankfully, we will recoup these fees in two months, which is much quicker than I had anticipated.
BOA actually lowered our interest rate, so I sent the money that would have went there to my car, since it had a much higher interest rate. Aside from the student loans, we have the car loan, DH's BOA credit card, and the new Citi card. My car will definitely be paid off this month, which just leaves the two credit cards. It will be nice only having to make the two credit card payments a month as opposed to the six we were making.
I get paid this week, but this will all be going to groceries, gas, dates, etc. However, DH will be getting paid next week, and we should have a decent debt pay down from it. My goal is to make $2300 in debt payments for the month of October.
I did a little Christmas/birthday shopping for DH. His birthday is four days after Christmas, so I have to plan accordingly. I was able to get him 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of khakis, and 2 hoodies for $140, which is awesome. I love Kohls and their coupon codes. My plan is to have all my shopping for him done by the end of November for both his birthday and Christmas.
BOA actually lowered our interest rate, so I sent the money that would have went there to my car, since it had a much higher interest rate. Aside from the student loans, we have the car loan, DH's BOA credit card, and the new Citi card. My car will definitely be paid off this month, which just leaves the two credit cards. It will be nice only having to make the two credit card payments a month as opposed to the six we were making.
I get paid this week, but this will all be going to groceries, gas, dates, etc. However, DH will be getting paid next week, and we should have a decent debt pay down from it. My goal is to make $2300 in debt payments for the month of October.
I did a little Christmas/birthday shopping for DH. His birthday is four days after Christmas, so I have to plan accordingly. I was able to get him 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of khakis, and 2 hoodies for $140, which is awesome. I love Kohls and their coupon codes. My plan is to have all my shopping for him done by the end of November for both his birthday and Christmas.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Plan for the Rest of 2010
*October-Will receive a payment of around $1k for contracting work done a couple months ago. Put this straight to the car loan. In addition to this, pay $800 extra to the car loan.
*November-If DH gets his bonus, put this into savings (also, remember to change DH's withholding so he actually sees more than half of the bonus). Pay $800 extra to car loan.
*December-Pay off car loan. Use DH's extra paycheck to cover Christmas shopping expenses. End the year with $1500 in savings. Have EVERYTHING ready for the baby.
*November-If DH gets his bonus, put this into savings (also, remember to change DH's withholding so he actually sees more than half of the bonus). Pay $800 extra to car loan.
*December-Pay off car loan. Use DH's extra paycheck to cover Christmas shopping expenses. End the year with $1500 in savings. Have EVERYTHING ready for the baby.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Consumer Debt Free by November 2011?
I was playing around with Bankrate's debt pay down calculator yesterday, and it looks we just might have ALL of our consumer debt gone by November of 2011. This requires us to pay $800 extra EVERY month to it. $800 is a stretch some months, other months not so much. It just depends on how much overtime DH has, what project I am working on, and how much we are spending elsewhere.
I am going to be honest. DH and I spend WAY too much on vacations, eating out, and gifts. For our week long cruise we went on this year, our 3 day beach trip with my mom, and our 5 day beach trip, we spent about $3700. Yeah, that could have more than knocked out a credit card! Even as I write this though, I just can't say I regret doing it. We had a fantastic time on our cruise, and it was our last big vacation for a while with just the two of us. I have a lot of great memories from it, and I would definitely do it all over again. The cruise is where about $2500 of our vacation money was spent. The two beach trips were much more frugal and again, we had a blast both times. Next year, I am setting the annual budget at $2000. This can pay for a 5 day cruise and a beach trip.
Anyway, here is the budget I am looking at from October 2010 to November 2011.
I don't think I forgot anything. We've just got to stick to the numbers, and I have to be faithful about tracking everything.
I am going to be honest. DH and I spend WAY too much on vacations, eating out, and gifts. For our week long cruise we went on this year, our 3 day beach trip with my mom, and our 5 day beach trip, we spent about $3700. Yeah, that could have more than knocked out a credit card! Even as I write this though, I just can't say I regret doing it. We had a fantastic time on our cruise, and it was our last big vacation for a while with just the two of us. I have a lot of great memories from it, and I would definitely do it all over again. The cruise is where about $2500 of our vacation money was spent. The two beach trips were much more frugal and again, we had a blast both times. Next year, I am setting the annual budget at $2000. This can pay for a 5 day cruise and a beach trip.
Anyway, here is the budget I am looking at from October 2010 to November 2011.
| Mortgage | 855 |
| Power | 129 |
| TV/Internet | 133 |
| Phone (includes my Dad's line) | 90 |
| Car Minimum | 285 |
| Citi Minimum | 150 |
| BOA Minimum | 100 |
| Sallie Mae Student Loan | 100 |
| Wells Fargo Student Loan | 130 |
| DH Student Loan | 129 |
| Food | 400 |
| Gas | 140 |
| Eat out | 100 |
| Vacation | 167 |
| Gifts | 150 |
| Fun | 100 |
| Misc. | 150 |
| Extra to debt | 800 |
| IRA for Me | 129 |
| Life Insurance | 15 |
| Water Bill | 20 |
| Campus Loan | 80 |
| Car Insurance. | 95 |
| 4447 |
I don't think I forgot anything. We've just got to stick to the numbers, and I have to be faithful about tracking everything.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Maternity Shopping
Well, I had to break down this week and get some maternity clothes. I had been getting by just fine with summer sundresses since it is still in the 90's here, but next week, it is dropping down to the low 70's during the day. I know cold weather is right around the corner. I had already gotten two pairs of jeans and a few sweaters on sale earlier in the summer, so I have some things. I bought a pair of black pants, a black dress, two long sleeved shirts, two camisoles, leggings, and a pair of maternity jeans online at Target for $126. I am pretty extremely happy with what I got. Everything is very flattering and looks great, but I still have room to grow. I am ready for fall and even winter now!
I hadn't anticipated spending that money this week, so DH and I are trying to cut back and postpone some other expenses just so everything balances like we want it to. I still think we'll stay within our budget allotment this month.
I hadn't anticipated spending that money this week, so DH and I are trying to cut back and postpone some other expenses just so everything balances like we want it to. I still think we'll stay within our budget allotment this month.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Net Worth
DH and I now have a net worth of -$3600. It looks like we are going to be able to meet our goal of having a positive net worth this year! YAY! I just added up our retirement totals, and we are at $23,600. Hmm. Not as bad as it could be, but it could definitely be better. It looks good on me, since I am only 23, but not so good for DH, who is 27. Right now, we contribute 10 percent of DH's salary (between $5500 and $6000 a year), get a $600 match from his company, and put $1400 a year into a ROTH IRA for me. Like I said, not horrible, not great. We are contributing more into his plan right now since it helps us tax wise to get that deduction. Our goal is to increase his contributions by 1 percent a year until he is maxed out at 15 percent of his salary. Once we get the car and credit cards paid off or at least down, we'll increase my IRA contributions as well so I am maxing it out. I am not sure when I will return to a traditional job. I guess it depends on how contracting goes, how DH's job is going, and how well DH and I like me working from home. There are just too many variables to know for sure right now.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Balance transfers almost done!
So far, I have gotten the Chase card and $2000 from DH's Boa card transferred to the zero percent interest card. I am still waiting on my Bank of America card to be done with and the credit union card. When all is said is done, we'll just have the new Citi card, my car loan, and DH's Bank of America to make payments on. I talked to DH, and we are going to focus on paying off my car once and for all. Once that is completed, we'll work on tackling the Bank of America card. I would love to have my car paid off by the end of this year. The balance is right at $4100. I know we are going to pay $500 this week with DH's check to it, so that will bring it to $3600ish. To pay it off in three months, we'll need to put a little over $1200 a month to it. I think that is doable, especially if we can get our spending reigned in like it needs to be.
The EF is at $200 right now, which is just pathetic! We still need to work on getting this up to at least $1500. I would prefer it to be more, obviously, but I think $1500 is a good place to start.
The EF is at $200 right now, which is just pathetic! We still need to work on getting this up to at least $1500. I would prefer it to be more, obviously, but I think $1500 is a good place to start.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Changes
DH received a balance transfer offer this week for 0 percent until September 2011. I am thanking our lucky stars for this, considering some of our interest rates are 16 flipping percent now. He took the offer, and we are transferring my Bank of America, the credit union card, Chase, and part of his Bank of America card to it. Once I get everything finalized, I'll have to post a new update and format.
Things have gone pretty well this week financially. We only ate out one time, and we spent $10 on a pizza. DH needed a new hard hat for work, and I found the one he has to have for $30 instead of the $45 it normally is. My laptop charger started blowing sparks yesterday, but I found a new one for $13. DH also decided we needed to skip the football game this year, which I am very proud of him for. I know he really wanted to go, but he said we could see it even better from home, for less, which is true!
One thing I need to address in our budget is the randomness of my contract payments. I always receive what I am owed, but it isn't always on a specific date. I think I just need to reschedule when I pay some things. Maybe use the first paychecks of the month for bills and necessities, while using the payments in the second half of the month for extra debt pay down, savings, or any extras.
Things have gone pretty well this week financially. We only ate out one time, and we spent $10 on a pizza. DH needed a new hard hat for work, and I found the one he has to have for $30 instead of the $45 it normally is. My laptop charger started blowing sparks yesterday, but I found a new one for $13. DH also decided we needed to skip the football game this year, which I am very proud of him for. I know he really wanted to go, but he said we could see it even better from home, for less, which is true!
One thing I need to address in our budget is the randomness of my contract payments. I always receive what I am owed, but it isn't always on a specific date. I think I just need to reschedule when I pay some things. Maybe use the first paychecks of the month for bills and necessities, while using the payments in the second half of the month for extra debt pay down, savings, or any extras.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Sometimes I feel.....
Like such a witch. I am generally a friendly, decently nice person most of the time, but boy, when I don't like someone, I REALLY don't like someone. DH's druggie brother was married to this absolute b*tch from 2007-2008. Seriously, this chick was the most opinionated, mean, my way or the highway type person I had ever met. When they split up, I was so glad that she was gone.
She came into town this past weekend, and she and my MIL went out to eat, which is fine. They had always gotten along pretty good, and they had stayed friends when she and DH's brother split up. However, now my MIL is saying how we need to invite her to my baby shower, have her help us decorate, blah, blah, blah. I HATE this girl. Absolutely hate her. I don't want anything to do with her, and I certainly do not want her snide, opinionated comments when I am trying to celebrate the arrival of my baby boy. I REALLY don't know what my MIL is thinking with this one, considering she KNOWS we do not get along.
On the financial side of things, I just plain out suck lately. I'm spending too much and not working enough. DH and I went camping, which should have been a cheap weekend since we had already paid for the campsite. We wound up spending $60 in 2 days on fast food while gone! Seriously?! I am disgusted with us!
I told DH we are starting over fresh tomorrow. He is grilling tenderloin tomorrow for dinner to get us started on the right foot. We have got to buckle down if we are ever going to get our debt going down again. Argh!
She came into town this past weekend, and she and my MIL went out to eat, which is fine. They had always gotten along pretty good, and they had stayed friends when she and DH's brother split up. However, now my MIL is saying how we need to invite her to my baby shower, have her help us decorate, blah, blah, blah. I HATE this girl. Absolutely hate her. I don't want anything to do with her, and I certainly do not want her snide, opinionated comments when I am trying to celebrate the arrival of my baby boy. I REALLY don't know what my MIL is thinking with this one, considering she KNOWS we do not get along.
On the financial side of things, I just plain out suck lately. I'm spending too much and not working enough. DH and I went camping, which should have been a cheap weekend since we had already paid for the campsite. We wound up spending $60 in 2 days on fast food while gone! Seriously?! I am disgusted with us!
I told DH we are starting over fresh tomorrow. He is grilling tenderloin tomorrow for dinner to get us started on the right foot. We have got to buckle down if we are ever going to get our debt going down again. Argh!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
So disappointed in myself!
Well, I was all gung ho about getting back on track about a week ago. A few days ago, I was in a horrid mood and what do I do? I go shopping to try and improve that bad mood. I would up spending $213! Seriously!? I know better than this. I came home with a couple toys for baby boy, a baby wrap so I can wear little man around the house, a Scooba, and two Christmas presents for DH. I did do good with what I got for the money, but still. DH is a lot easier on me than I am on myself.
DH and I have done better with eating out, which we've been working on for a while now. It's just a constant struggle for us, but I think we are getting better. I really need to start tracking my spending again more faithfully.
We had a good Labor day weekend. Saturday, we went boating and fishing with DH's cousin. We had gorgeous weather for it. Sunday, we got baby boy's room painted. We went over budget by $30 for this because we had to do THREE coats of paint for it to look nice. It's done though and looks pretty good, and I will get a rebate back for the paint. Monday, we went swimming and fishing again, and got some cleaning done around the house. All in all a very nice weekend.
I should have an update tomorrow or early next week. DH gets paid tomorrow night, I get paid next Friday. I should get that large contract payment early October, and I am soooo looking forward to that! It will really help boost our savings up.
DH and I have done better with eating out, which we've been working on for a while now. It's just a constant struggle for us, but I think we are getting better. I really need to start tracking my spending again more faithfully.
We had a good Labor day weekend. Saturday, we went boating and fishing with DH's cousin. We had gorgeous weather for it. Sunday, we got baby boy's room painted. We went over budget by $30 for this because we had to do THREE coats of paint for it to look nice. It's done though and looks pretty good, and I will get a rebate back for the paint. Monday, we went swimming and fishing again, and got some cleaning done around the house. All in all a very nice weekend.
I should have an update tomorrow or early next week. DH gets paid tomorrow night, I get paid next Friday. I should get that large contract payment early October, and I am soooo looking forward to that! It will really help boost our savings up.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
I think I am addicted to Walgreens
Walgreens has had some killer deals this week. I have finally gotten their coupon rules down and gotten the hang of 'rolling' the register rewards from transaction to transaction. They also have Pepsi 2 liter products on sale for $1 each, and when you buy two, you get a free Red Box rental. This is just awesome, since my DH loves the Redbox.
For about $20.50 out of pocket (including sales tax in this. We get charged sales tax on the price of the product, not what we pay for it) or $13.5 when you factor in the Register Rewards I still have to spend, I have gotten:
3 Packages of the Walgreens tampons
4 Carmex lip balms
2 Carmex lotions
2 Soft Soap female body washes
4 Ivory Spring Mens body washes
1 Colgate toothpaste
4 2 liters of Diet Pepsi
I have gotten two free Red Box Rentals, and I still have $7 in Register Rewards to use.
I am getting a nice little stash. My dad is coming over Sunday, and I am giving him some body wash, lotion, lip balm, and deodorant from my growing stash. He lives on a pretty tight budget, so it's nice to be able to help him out by giving him some of the things he needs.
For about $20.50 out of pocket (including sales tax in this. We get charged sales tax on the price of the product, not what we pay for it) or $13.5 when you factor in the Register Rewards I still have to spend, I have gotten:
3 Packages of the Walgreens tampons
4 Carmex lip balms
2 Carmex lotions
2 Soft Soap female body washes
4 Ivory Spring Mens body washes
1 Colgate toothpaste
4 2 liters of Diet Pepsi
I have gotten two free Red Box Rentals, and I still have $7 in Register Rewards to use.
I am getting a nice little stash. My dad is coming over Sunday, and I am giving him some body wash, lotion, lip balm, and deodorant from my growing stash. He lives on a pretty tight budget, so it's nice to be able to help him out by giving him some of the things he needs.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
I am tired!
This has been a crazy week so far! I am pleased though, I have done a good job sticking with my cleaning routine and contracting schedule. DH and I have eaten dinner at home every night this week, which is a small miracle for us. It has taken a couple of months, but I think I have really gotten into the swing of working from home. I just feel like I am in a good routine that really works for me. Hopefully, I can keep in the swing of things once the baby comes. For me, the key to keeping a clean house is doing a little bit every day. I also do bigger things on certain days. On a daily basis, I:
*Do the dishes
*Vacuum furniture (with 4 cats and a pooch, this is definitely a daily must!)
*Run the Roomba vacuum cleaner (okay, this is cheating, but the Roomba is awesome! We will never be without one again.)
*Wipe down the kitchen and bathroom counters
*Dust living room tables (glass tables that show every finger and paw print)
*Do one load of laundry (much easier for me than doing it all on one day)
*Pick up and put up stuff, as needed
On.....
Mondays:Wipe down kitchen cabinets, back splash, and clean appliances
Tuesdays:Dust the whole house
Wednesday: Clean and mop both bathrooms
Thursday: Mop whole house, besides bathrooms
As long as I stick to my routine, the house cleaning is easy. DH has a few things he does, but he tends to do bigger things that need to be done on a weekly basis (yard work, guinea pig cage, scrubbing litter box. etc.)
We bought DH's grass seed the other day, for a total of $80. It was a little more than I estimated, by about $20, but at least it is paid for. DH is going to seed at the end of the month. I am going Friday to get the paint for baby boy's room. I need to check and see what painting supplies we already have so I don't double buy. The paint we want has a rebate, so that will help keep the costs down too.
*Do the dishes
*Vacuum furniture (with 4 cats and a pooch, this is definitely a daily must!)
*Run the Roomba vacuum cleaner (okay, this is cheating, but the Roomba is awesome! We will never be without one again.)
*Wipe down the kitchen and bathroom counters
*Dust living room tables (glass tables that show every finger and paw print)
*Do one load of laundry (much easier for me than doing it all on one day)
*Pick up and put up stuff, as needed
On.....
Mondays:Wipe down kitchen cabinets, back splash, and clean appliances
Tuesdays:Dust the whole house
Wednesday: Clean and mop both bathrooms
Thursday: Mop whole house, besides bathrooms
As long as I stick to my routine, the house cleaning is easy. DH has a few things he does, but he tends to do bigger things that need to be done on a weekly basis (yard work, guinea pig cage, scrubbing litter box. etc.)
We bought DH's grass seed the other day, for a total of $80. It was a little more than I estimated, by about $20, but at least it is paid for. DH is going to seed at the end of the month. I am going Friday to get the paint for baby boy's room. I need to check and see what painting supplies we already have so I don't double buy. The paint we want has a rebate, so that will help keep the costs down too.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Bring on Fall!
We are back from vacation, and I am happy to say we stuck to our vacation budget within $20! We had gorgeous weather, and it was a nice trip all around. DH thought he saw a shark about 30 feet from where we were swimming in the ocean, so that was kind of scary! DH got paid this week, so I have a new update.
We are at $14,270 paid off, so we are moving in the right direction again. Everything but BOA went down from our last update. I feel like I am getting back into my 'dedication to financial improvement' mindset. I looked up some easy recipes to try next week to continue to reduce how much we spend on eating out. DH surprised me today. He said that instead of having the yard seeded and plugged this year (which would have cost about $300), he would just spread some grass seed himself (about $60). DH is a picky man when it comes to the yard, so I wasn't expecting this, but it definitely pleases me.
Fall is a kind of pricey time for us, in the entertainment sector at least. We normally go to a pro football game, the fair, a haunted house, the pumpkin patch, and go camping in the mountains. I just love fall and like to enjoy all the fall activities. I've set some money aside to compensate for this and paid for somethings already (like some camping expenses), and if we cut back out eating out like I want to, this will make things even better.
Here are the upcoming expenses we have for September:
Painting supplies for the baby's room-September 3rd-$50
Camping stuff: September 11th: (stuff for smores, firewood, batteries for gear):$30
Football game: September 18th: $2oo (I know, I know! This is pretty expensive, but DH really enjoys it. He doesn't ask for much, so when he does, I try to make it happen, if I can).
Haunted house tickets: not sure of date, they normally go sale the end of Sept.):$59
Grass seed:$60
Total:$399
A pricey month! All of this is budgeted for, so I still feel like we can make some progress on our debt. No work yet about DH's bonus, but I am keeping my fingers crossed!
| Start | 29-Aug | ||
| Sallie Mae | 12762 | 12055 | |
| Wells Fargo | 11700 | 10958 | |
| Campus Loan | 8250 | 7357 | |
| Chase 2 | 2300 | 1333 | |
| Credit Union Card | 700 | 680 | |
| BOA | 9300 | 8780 | |
| BOA 2 | 1833 | 2191 | |
| Car Loan | 7875 | 4150 | |
| Chase 3 | 1710 | 0 | |
| Chase | 2353 | 0 | |
| Car Loan 2 | 2090 | 0 | |
| Target | 149 | 0 | |
| DH School | 376 | 0 | |
| Capital One | 376 | 0 | |
| 61774 | 47504 | ||
We are at $14,270 paid off, so we are moving in the right direction again. Everything but BOA went down from our last update. I feel like I am getting back into my 'dedication to financial improvement' mindset. I looked up some easy recipes to try next week to continue to reduce how much we spend on eating out. DH surprised me today. He said that instead of having the yard seeded and plugged this year (which would have cost about $300), he would just spread some grass seed himself (about $60). DH is a picky man when it comes to the yard, so I wasn't expecting this, but it definitely pleases me.
Fall is a kind of pricey time for us, in the entertainment sector at least. We normally go to a pro football game, the fair, a haunted house, the pumpkin patch, and go camping in the mountains. I just love fall and like to enjoy all the fall activities. I've set some money aside to compensate for this and paid for somethings already (like some camping expenses), and if we cut back out eating out like I want to, this will make things even better.
Here are the upcoming expenses we have for September:
Painting supplies for the baby's room-September 3rd-$50
Camping stuff: September 11th: (stuff for smores, firewood, batteries for gear):$30
Football game: September 18th: $2oo (I know, I know! This is pretty expensive, but DH really enjoys it. He doesn't ask for much, so when he does, I try to make it happen, if I can).
Haunted house tickets: not sure of date, they normally go sale the end of Sept.):$59
Grass seed:$60
Total:$399
A pricey month! All of this is budgeted for, so I still feel like we can make some progress on our debt. No work yet about DH's bonus, but I am keeping my fingers crossed!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Vacation Time!
DH and I are leaving to go on vacation tomorrow! I am so excited. Everything is pretty much packed, but I need to finish a little house cleaning. It is just crazy to think that next time we go, a baby will be coming with us! We want to keep all spending for this trip at $300 (gas, eating out, groceries, fun) or under. We should be able to do this pretty easily and hopefully come back with some left over.
DH will hopefully be getting a bonus of $1K in the next month or so. It is certain yet, but I really hope he gets it! It would certainly give us a nice boost. Here is what we want to do in the next couple months (by November 1st).
*Have $2K saved in emergency fund
*Pay off Chase once and for all
*Pay for those pesky home expenses in cash
Three little things that all sound relatively simple. Let's hope sticking with them is as simple as it sounds!
DH will hopefully be getting a bonus of $1K in the next month or so. It is certain yet, but I really hope he gets it! It would certainly give us a nice boost. Here is what we want to do in the next couple months (by November 1st).
*Have $2K saved in emergency fund
*Pay off Chase once and for all
*Pay for those pesky home expenses in cash
Three little things that all sound relatively simple. Let's hope sticking with them is as simple as it sounds!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Baby Spending
I have to admit, before I got pregnant, I made myself a budget for baby things and swore I would stick to it. DH and I saved the money up. I am about 5 months pregnant, and we have spent every dime of the baby fund, but for the most part, I think we are okay and have pretty much stuck to budget (for the most part).
$400 of our baby fund went to medical bills, which was what the insurance company told us it would be. The doctor is paid through the delivery of the baby in January. Any additional bills should be minimal, thankfully. Talking to the insurance company really helped me understand what would be covered and what would not be covered.
My mom bought our crib and changing table for us, which I really appreciated! That cut down a lot of the nursery expense for us. DH and I have spent about $250 on things for the baby. We got an awesome pack n play for $110, spent $35 on a baby mattress, $60 on baby bedding and room decor, and about $45 on clothes and random things like bibs and toys. We have a bunch of other things that were either passed down or gifted to us. We have a stroller, car seat, base for the car seat, two diaper bags, a baby monitor, a bunch of bottles, some sleep sacks, a tummy time mat, baby towels and washclothes, shampoo and soap, a variety of clothes, bibs, random toys, and some blankets. I think we are in pretty good shape. I have my shower in October, and we'll probably get the rest of what we need from that.
I have to admit, it's hard not to go overboard. I love to get things for this baby, and he isn't even here yet. DH has discovered that they make baby clothes with his favorite sports team on it, and he pretty much wants every piece he has seen, LOL. I know I'll only be pregnant with our first child once, so I want us to get to enjoy this time, but within reason.
The things I can think of that I still need:
Pacifiers:$15
2 Waterproof Mattress Cover:$20
Waterproof pads:$20
Sheet for pack and play:$10
Bottle nipples:$15
Burp clothes:$12
Sound machine:$20
Thermometer/Medical Kit:$25
Baby bath tub:$20
Not too bad. We also have a huge box of size 2 diapers and a huge box of size 3 diapers. I found a killer deal on Amazon and got something like 440 diapers for $36. We're getting there!
$400 of our baby fund went to medical bills, which was what the insurance company told us it would be. The doctor is paid through the delivery of the baby in January. Any additional bills should be minimal, thankfully. Talking to the insurance company really helped me understand what would be covered and what would not be covered.
My mom bought our crib and changing table for us, which I really appreciated! That cut down a lot of the nursery expense for us. DH and I have spent about $250 on things for the baby. We got an awesome pack n play for $110, spent $35 on a baby mattress, $60 on baby bedding and room decor, and about $45 on clothes and random things like bibs and toys. We have a bunch of other things that were either passed down or gifted to us. We have a stroller, car seat, base for the car seat, two diaper bags, a baby monitor, a bunch of bottles, some sleep sacks, a tummy time mat, baby towels and washclothes, shampoo and soap, a variety of clothes, bibs, random toys, and some blankets. I think we are in pretty good shape. I have my shower in October, and we'll probably get the rest of what we need from that.
I have to admit, it's hard not to go overboard. I love to get things for this baby, and he isn't even here yet. DH has discovered that they make baby clothes with his favorite sports team on it, and he pretty much wants every piece he has seen, LOL. I know I'll only be pregnant with our first child once, so I want us to get to enjoy this time, but within reason.
The things I can think of that I still need:
Pacifiers:$15
2 Waterproof Mattress Cover:$20
Waterproof pads:$20
Sheet for pack and play:$10
Bottle nipples:$15
Burp clothes:$12
Sound machine:$20
Thermometer/Medical Kit:$25
Baby bath tub:$20
Not too bad. We also have a huge box of size 2 diapers and a huge box of size 3 diapers. I found a killer deal on Amazon and got something like 440 diapers for $36. We're getting there!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Getting Back on Track
Okay, so my plan is to get things back on track by October 1st. I am giving us a month and a half to reign in the spending and get our debt going back down again. Why so long? Well, we are going on vacation on the 21st for 5 days. We will be having about $500 worth of household expenses in September. We have the cash budgeted for this, thankfully, but this can mean little progress in the meantime. We also want to get the baby room painted and decorated. At my last doctor's appointment, we found out we are having a little boy! I am so excited.
I just want to make sure that our debt does not go up and that it gets moving in the correct direction again. When the baby comes in January, I know that will probably throw my contracting schedule all to heck for a while (not that I'm complaining! Sounds like an awesome trade off to me!), so I really need to do more now to compensate for it.
I know we all have set backs, but I just have had no reason to have a set back. My set back was caused by just plain old overspending. At least it's something relatively easy for us to correct.
I just want to make sure that our debt does not go up and that it gets moving in the correct direction again. When the baby comes in January, I know that will probably throw my contracting schedule all to heck for a while (not that I'm complaining! Sounds like an awesome trade off to me!), so I really need to do more now to compensate for it.
I know we all have set backs, but I just have had no reason to have a set back. My set back was caused by just plain old overspending. At least it's something relatively easy for us to correct.
Blogger Slackingness
Wow, I have reached a new height of blogger slacking. It has been over two weeks since I last blogged, and even longer since I have posted a debt paydown update, or any kind of financial update.
I don't know what my issue has been lately, financially. I just feel kind of apathetic, which I have no business feeling, since I still have a ton of debt to paydown. I don't want our debt to go up, but I have not been monitoring our spending at all lately. Of course, all the bills are paid on time, but I just feel like I am doing the bare minimum right now, financially. I need to get out this mindset and get focused again.
First things first, a debt paydown update:
This is not good. We have officially gone in the wrong direction. There has been no emergency that caused this. We just had some irregular expenses that I overlooked, we have been eating out A LOT, and we have been spending money left and right on extras that we don't really need. This has to stop immediately.
Our savings is up to $678, so that is a small victory, even though we needed to add way more than that. Blah. Just blah.
I don't know what my issue has been lately, financially. I just feel kind of apathetic, which I have no business feeling, since I still have a ton of debt to paydown. I don't want our debt to go up, but I have not been monitoring our spending at all lately. Of course, all the bills are paid on time, but I just feel like I am doing the bare minimum right now, financially. I need to get out this mindset and get focused again.
First things first, a debt paydown update:
| Start | 15-Aug | ||
| Sallie Mae | 12762 | 12055 | |
| Wells Fargo | 11700 | 11005 | |
| Campus Loan | 8250 | 7393 | |
| Chase 2 | 2300 | 1340 | |
| Credit Union Card | 700 | 680 | |
| BOA | 9300 | 9094 | |
| BOA 2 | 1833 | 2152 | |
| Car Loan | 7875 | 4313 | |
| Chase 3 | 1710 | 0 | |
| Chase | 2353 | 0 | |
| Car Loan 2 | 2090 | 0 | |
| Target | 149 | 0 | |
| DH School | 376 | 0 | |
| Capital One | 376 | 0 | |
| 61774 | 48032 | ||
This is not good. We have officially gone in the wrong direction. There has been no emergency that caused this. We just had some irregular expenses that I overlooked, we have been eating out A LOT, and we have been spending money left and right on extras that we don't really need. This has to stop immediately.
Our savings is up to $678, so that is a small victory, even though we needed to add way more than that. Blah. Just blah.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Hmmm
Well, I am going to just say it out-my debt paydown this month officially sucks. The plan was to pretty munch send all of DH's paycheck to Chase this week. However, DH explained to me that he wants to start building our savings up. So, we sent $440 to savings. We also went ahead and paid all the expected medical bills for the baby, even though they aren't due till October, just to get them done with-another $326. DH's work boots literally fell apart the other day, so there went another $180 (this should be partly reimbursed by his work, but I am not sure of the exact amount). They had lasted two years, so I know they are worth it, and DH says they don't hurt his feet as much as the cheap ones, which I know is important when you are on your feet 12 hours a day. Another $350 went to DH's doctor bills and car tax. While I can account where every penny went, it still kind of sucks that our debt went down so little this month! Oh well.
I know DH is right about the savings. I will be getting a payment in October for completion of a project I don't normally get to work on, so this should around $950? This can put our savings up to $1535. DH wants to get the savings up to $2k before we really start blasting the debt again, so we plan to add another $465 in August. I am hoping by September we can resume debt blasting mode again.
I know DH is right about the savings. I will be getting a payment in October for completion of a project I don't normally get to work on, so this should around $950? This can put our savings up to $1535. DH wants to get the savings up to $2k before we really start blasting the debt again, so we plan to add another $465 in August. I am hoping by September we can resume debt blasting mode again.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Laundry Rant
Somehow, I have let the laundry get so backed up that both of the laundry baskets are full and it is now overflowing into the floor. I am assuming it is about 8 loads. I am trying to figure out how on Earth it got so backed up, since I only had a couple loads to do Wednesday. I know DH spilled Diet Mountain Dew all over our bedding, and then one of my cats threw up on the comforter I had just put on, but still! It just seems a little excessive.
QVC had their Christmas in July special going today, which made me think ahead to Christmas, even though it is five months away. I have bought quite a few gifts already. I tend to buy things through the year as I find them at a good price. We'll definitely be going Black Friday shopping this year though. DH wants to get his mom a laptop, and my mom wants a Sony reader. I would like to find the laptop for around $250, which should be doable since all she needs is a basic one for internet searching, email, you get the idea. Heck you can find a good one now for $300-$330, so it all depends on the sales. The Sony reader is normally $150, so I think I should be able to find it for $125 or less? Just guessing though.
QVC had their Christmas in July special going today, which made me think ahead to Christmas, even though it is five months away. I have bought quite a few gifts already. I tend to buy things through the year as I find them at a good price. We'll definitely be going Black Friday shopping this year though. DH wants to get his mom a laptop, and my mom wants a Sony reader. I would like to find the laptop for around $250, which should be doable since all she needs is a basic one for internet searching, email, you get the idea. Heck you can find a good one now for $300-$330, so it all depends on the sales. The Sony reader is normally $150, so I think I should be able to find it for $125 or less? Just guessing though.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Yikes!
I just noticed it has been 10 days since I lasted blogged! Yikes! What on Earth have I been doing in that 10 days? Nothing all that important, just working, cleaning a lot (late spring cleaning if you will), and spending time with DH. I started doing work on a new project that has not been nearly as lucrative as I thought it would be. I have been told it should pick up by September, and I am really hoping it will.
Nothing really new on the debt paydown or financial front. We have had a lot of small, irregular bills trickle in- car tax, life insurance premium, some medical bills for a minor surgery DH had, things of that nature. Nothing we can't handle, but just enough to nickle and dime you to death! I am trying to learn the 'drug store game' and did my first trip to Walgreens last week. I got two packs of printer paper, a Schitck quatro razor, two packs of batteries, and toothpaste for around $12. I was pretty pleased, since it was my first attempt. I know if I had bought all that at Walmart, I would have spent $30.
We find out what the baby is in about 3 weeks. I can't wait. I am so ready to start decorating the room and getting it really ready for the little one.
Payday is next week, so I should have a nice update. Hopefully, Chase will bite the dust with this update!
Nothing really new on the debt paydown or financial front. We have had a lot of small, irregular bills trickle in- car tax, life insurance premium, some medical bills for a minor surgery DH had, things of that nature. Nothing we can't handle, but just enough to nickle and dime you to death! I am trying to learn the 'drug store game' and did my first trip to Walgreens last week. I got two packs of printer paper, a Schitck quatro razor, two packs of batteries, and toothpaste for around $12. I was pretty pleased, since it was my first attempt. I know if I had bought all that at Walmart, I would have spent $30.
We find out what the baby is in about 3 weeks. I can't wait. I am so ready to start decorating the room and getting it really ready for the little one.
Payday is next week, so I should have a nice update. Hopefully, Chase will bite the dust with this update!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Update 2 for July
We are now at $14,229 paid off. By the end of the July, we should have the Chase card paid off.
| Start | 13-Jul | ||
| Sallie Mae | 12762 | 12145 | |
| Wells Fargo | 11700 | 11005 | |
| Campus Loan | 8250 | 7475 | |
| Chase 2 | 2300 | 1264 | |
| Credit Union Card | 700 | 680 | |
| BOA | 9300 | 8549 | |
| BOA 2 | 1833 | 2114 | |
| Car Loan | 7875 | 4313 | |
| Chase 3 | 1710 | 0 | |
| Chase | 2353 | 0 | |
| Car Loan 2 | 2090 | 0 | |
| Target | 149 | 0 | |
| DH School | 376 | 0 | |
| Capital One | 376 | 0 | |
| 61774 | 47545 | ||
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Spending This Month
July 2nd:$75 at Walmart-food items, some 4th special food items, lotion
July 2nd:$11: Subway-so yummy!
July 3rd:$8:KFC
July 3rd:$25:Gas
July 4th:$6: Grocery store
July 5th:$35: Food items
July 6th:$11:Pizza Hut
July 7th:$3-McDonalds
July 8th:$9:lunch with friend
July 8th:$15: cat food
July 9th:$28:car registration
July 9th:$22: DH Gas
July 10th:$20:East Coast Wings
July 11th:$119:Pack N Play for Baby (oops. Totally not planned for, but found on clearance.)
July 12th:$100:Walmart groceries
July 12th:Bojangles:$8
July 13th:Fishing bait:$13
Total:$508
We are pretty high due to buying the pack n play, but I think we can still do pretty good this month. We will likely not meet the $770 goal, but the $900 goal is attainable. We won't be spending any money till this weekend, so that helps. If we can keep spending to groceries, gas, and a couple date nights, I think we'll be okay.
July 2nd:$11: Subway-so yummy!
July 3rd:$8:KFC
July 3rd:$25:Gas
July 4th:$6: Grocery store
July 5th:$35: Food items
July 6th:$11:Pizza Hut
July 7th:$3-McDonalds
July 8th:$9:lunch with friend
July 8th:$15: cat food
July 9th:$28:car registration
July 9th:$22: DH Gas
July 10th:$20:East Coast Wings
July 11th:$119:Pack N Play for Baby (oops. Totally not planned for, but found on clearance.)
July 12th:$100:Walmart groceries
July 12th:Bojangles:$8
July 13th:Fishing bait:$13
Total:$508
We are pretty high due to buying the pack n play, but I think we can still do pretty good this month. We will likely not meet the $770 goal, but the $900 goal is attainable. We won't be spending any money till this weekend, so that helps. If we can keep spending to groceries, gas, and a couple date nights, I think we'll be okay.
Change of Plans
Lo and behold, my credit card interest rates got hiked up AGAIN. On two of the cards at that. Sigh. I just feel so defeated sometimes in getting all this mess paid down. When your rates are 19.99 percent when they used to be 8 percent, it's rough. I think we are going to put paying down the car on the back burner for now. We are going to get the Chase card paid off in July, and I would like to get the credit union card paid off in August. I don't know if we'll be able to do this since we will be going on vacay and will both be missing work a few days unpaid, but I am going to give it our all. September on, who knows. If BOA doesn't hike my rate up by then, we might focus on the car again, but it just depends.
I need to do a spending update too, but I just don't feel like doing it right now. Maybe later. I need chocolate
I need to do a spending update too, but I just don't feel like doing it right now. Maybe later. I need chocolate
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Spending Update Again
July 2nd:$75 at Walmart-food items, some 4th special food items, lotion
July 2nd:$11: Subway-so yummy!
July 3rd:$8:KFC
July 3rd:$25:Gas
July 4th:$6: Grocery store
July 5th:$35: Food items
July 6th:$11:Pizza Hut
July 7th:$3-McDonalds
July 8th:$9:lunch with friend
July 8th:$15: cat food
July 9th:$28:car registration
Total:$226
I know I have to do some grocery shopping tomorrow, which will add to the total. I had forgotten all about my car registration. I only have 6 days till I would have been past due, eek! I accidentally did that one time before, and the $200 fee is not kind.
I have not done as much work this week as I needed to, so that kind of bites. I took my little brother to driver's ed and picked him up two days this week, and I had lunch with a friend and spent the afternoon with her, so that kind of threw me off my schedule. Just gotta stick with it!
Our net worth is now -$7865. We're getting there, slowly but surely.
July 2nd:$11: Subway-so yummy!
July 3rd:$8:KFC
July 3rd:$25:Gas
July 4th:$6: Grocery store
July 5th:$35: Food items
July 6th:$11:Pizza Hut
July 7th:$3-McDonalds
July 8th:$9:lunch with friend
July 8th:$15: cat food
July 9th:$28:car registration
Total:$226
I know I have to do some grocery shopping tomorrow, which will add to the total. I had forgotten all about my car registration. I only have 6 days till I would have been past due, eek! I accidentally did that one time before, and the $200 fee is not kind.
I have not done as much work this week as I needed to, so that kind of bites. I took my little brother to driver's ed and picked him up two days this week, and I had lunch with a friend and spent the afternoon with her, so that kind of threw me off my schedule. Just gotta stick with it!
Our net worth is now -$7865. We're getting there, slowly but surely.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Spending Update for Month
July 2nd:$75 at Walmart-food items, some 4th special food items, lotion
July 2nd:$11: Subway-so yummy!
July 3rd:$8:KFC
July 3rd:$25:Gas
July 4th:$6: Grocery store
July 5th:$35: Food items
July 6th:$11:Pizza Hut
July 7th:$3-McDonalds
Total thus far for the month: $174
My goal is to keep the spending for this month under $900 or about $29 on average a day. We are on day 7 and at $174, so we are on track for the month. If we can stay at this rate, we will be at $770 for the month. After a couple of overspending months, this makes me really happy! We are really trying to cut down on the eating out. We would have so much more money for debt paydown if we could just stop eating out all the time. I don't get why this is so hard for us!
July 2nd:$11: Subway-so yummy!
July 3rd:$8:KFC
July 3rd:$25:Gas
July 4th:$6: Grocery store
July 5th:$35: Food items
July 6th:$11:Pizza Hut
July 7th:$3-McDonalds
Total thus far for the month: $174
My goal is to keep the spending for this month under $900 or about $29 on average a day. We are on day 7 and at $174, so we are on track for the month. If we can stay at this rate, we will be at $770 for the month. After a couple of overspending months, this makes me really happy! We are really trying to cut down on the eating out. We would have so much more money for debt paydown if we could just stop eating out all the time. I don't get why this is so hard for us!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
How to Make This Mess Right
I am constantly coming up with budgets and calculating debt pay down to determine if there is a better way for DH and myself to better ourselves financially. It helps my sanity to write things down, so here is what I have been thinking lately:
I think I can tolerate my student loan debt. While I would love to redo things, the fact is I can't. I got three years of education from the debt, which is better than nothing. The student loan debt is at a low interest rate, and it will be gone in 8.5 years with no extra payments.
The credit card and car debt has to go ASAP. We have $17,156 in credit card and car loan debt. By the end of this year, we should have the car and one-two cards gone. Next year, we will focus on getting rid of the smaller card that is left and the big ole' BOA card.
I know we need a larger emergency fund, but when we have debt at such high interest rates, it makes it hard to make that a priority. By the end of the year, I would like to have $1000 in an emergency fund, just as a means to get us started. Once we get BOA paid off, then we can really focus on this. I would ultimately like a six month emergency fund of our expenses, but I know this will take time. I also know once we get the debt paid down, DH wants to divert some money to saving for fun and wants. I am okay with this. When the time comes, we'll have to find a happy medium between saving for emergencies and adding a few more wants to our lives.
We have our retirement savings at 12 percent of our total household income, so I am okay with this right now. We are saving what the retirement calculators say we need to save for a comfortable retirement, so I pray they are accurate!
I think I can tolerate my student loan debt. While I would love to redo things, the fact is I can't. I got three years of education from the debt, which is better than nothing. The student loan debt is at a low interest rate, and it will be gone in 8.5 years with no extra payments.
The credit card and car debt has to go ASAP. We have $17,156 in credit card and car loan debt. By the end of this year, we should have the car and one-two cards gone. Next year, we will focus on getting rid of the smaller card that is left and the big ole' BOA card.
I know we need a larger emergency fund, but when we have debt at such high interest rates, it makes it hard to make that a priority. By the end of the year, I would like to have $1000 in an emergency fund, just as a means to get us started. Once we get BOA paid off, then we can really focus on this. I would ultimately like a six month emergency fund of our expenses, but I know this will take time. I also know once we get the debt paid down, DH wants to divert some money to saving for fun and wants. I am okay with this. When the time comes, we'll have to find a happy medium between saving for emergencies and adding a few more wants to our lives.
We have our retirement savings at 12 percent of our total household income, so I am okay with this right now. We are saving what the retirement calculators say we need to save for a comfortable retirement, so I pray they are accurate!
Friday, July 2, 2010
July Spending
DH and I have got to do a better job keeping our spending under control. I am going to faithfully track every penny spent this month!
July 2nd:$75 at Walmart-food items, some 4th special food items, lotion
July 2nd:$11: Subway-so yummy!
July 3rd:$8:KFC
July 3rd:$25:Gas
July 4th:$6: Grocery store
July 5th:$35: Food items
July 6th:$11:Pizza Hut
July 7th:$3-McDonalds
Total thus far for the month: $174
My goal is to keep the spending for this month under $900 or about $29 on average a day. We are on day 7, so we are on track for the month. After a couple of overspending months, this makes me really happy!
July 2nd:$75 at Walmart-food items, some 4th special food items, lotion
July 2nd:$11: Subway-so yummy!
July 3rd:$8:KFC
July 3rd:$25:Gas
July 4th:$6: Grocery store
July 5th:$35: Food items
July 6th:$11:Pizza Hut
July 7th:$3-McDonalds
Total thus far for the month: $174
My goal is to keep the spending for this month under $900 or about $29 on average a day. We are on day 7, so we are on track for the month. After a couple of overspending months, this makes me really happy!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
To Do List Before Baby Comes
So, there are a few things DH and I need to get accomplished before the baby comes in early January. A little bit is financial, but a lot of it is big cleaning/organizing jobs. Truth be told, the cleaning and organizing needs to be done ASAP, since a lot of it is stuff we have been putting off for a while.
1. Clean out and organize closet in bedroom.
2. Buy storage unit drawers for closet in bedroom: $30
3. Clean out all bathroom cabinets and organize
4. Clean grout in bathrooms with toothbrush
5. Steam clean all furniture
6. Clean out dressers and donate unneeded clothes
7. Clean all windows in house
8. Organize kitchen cabinets
9. Clean out coat closet
10. Steam clean rug
11. Clean out my trunk
11. Pay off my car
12. Pay off Chase card
I have been BEYOND irritable lately. Thankfully, since I work from home now, I don't get a huge chance to take this out on humans! :) It's just the littlest things on TV shows or on message boards irritate me to no end. I am chalking it up to pregnancy hormones, since by the time DH gets home, I feel sane again.
Speaking of DH, there is a good chance DH will get to go to first shift before the baby comes! He is on second shift now, and I would LOVE for him to get on first. I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything materializes and it actually happens.
1. Clean out and organize closet in bedroom.
2. Buy storage unit drawers for closet in bedroom: $30
3. Clean out all bathroom cabinets and organize
4. Clean grout in bathrooms with toothbrush
5. Steam clean all furniture
6. Clean out dressers and donate unneeded clothes
7. Clean all windows in house
8. Organize kitchen cabinets
9. Clean out coat closet
10. Steam clean rug
11. Clean out my trunk
11. Pay off my car
12. Pay off Chase card
I have been BEYOND irritable lately. Thankfully, since I work from home now, I don't get a huge chance to take this out on humans! :) It's just the littlest things on TV shows or on message boards irritate me to no end. I am chalking it up to pregnancy hormones, since by the time DH gets home, I feel sane again.
Speaking of DH, there is a good chance DH will get to go to first shift before the baby comes! He is on second shift now, and I would LOVE for him to get on first. I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything materializes and it actually happens.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Early update for the 4th
Our update this pay period is kind of blah. We has a lot of payments for stuff we don't race, but is necessary-mortgage payment, doctor payment, car insurance, Chase repay (ick!).
We are now at $14, 048. We have a whole $45 worth of progress from our last update, LOL. DH gets three paychecks this month instead of the usual two, so this will be a good month, even if we are off to a slow start.
| Start | 1-Jul | ||
| Sallie Mae | 12762 | 12145 | |
| Wells Fargo | 11700 | 10950 | |
| Campus Loan | 8250 | 7475 | |
| Chase 2 | 2300 | 1380 | |
| Credit Union Card | 700 | 680 | |
| BOA | 9300 | 8641 | |
| BOA 2 | 1833 | 2142 | |
| Car Loan | 7875 | 4313 | |
| Chase 3 | 1710 | 0 | |
| Chase | 2353 | 0 | |
| Car Loan 2 | 2090 | 0 | |
| Target | 149 | 0 | |
| DH School | 376 | 0 | |
| Capital One | 376 | 0 | |
| 61774 | 47726 | ||
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Blech
I have felt pretty down today, which leads me to remember one downfall of just doing my contract work-no paid sick days. I am just plain out tired, with a headache and nausea. I am cooking a tenderloin roast for DH's dinner, and the smell is making me so nauseous! I am irritated with myself because I have not done as much work as I wanted to today. I think I am going to go try and eat something, take a nice long nap, and try to do some more work when DH gets home. It's my goal to be done with work when he is home, but that just won't work some days. He has a new game for his PS3 that he can play while I work, so I know he won't mind that! I just let myself get so down when things don't always go as planned, but I have to stop that. I need to learn to go with the flow and adapt when things don't always go my way.
I have my snack (Salt and Vinegar chips-so nutritious! Sorry baby), and I am just thinking about our goals for the rest of the year. Here are the goals I had set for the year and our current prognosis:
Financial Goals
Pay off Chase 3-1586-This card is now gone. I will continue to use this card for all expenses and pay it in full every month for rewards. This month is a struggle to pay it in full!
Pay off Chase-2190-This is at $1400. I think we can pay this off this year.
Pay off Chase 2-2353-This card is gone. Yay!
Pay off BOA 2-Now at 2142. I don't think we can pay this off this year.
Have BOA 1 card at $8000-Now at $8641. We are on track.
Have credit union card at $367-Now at $700. We will get this done.
Continue to pay student loans in a timely manner-Doing.
Pay $450 a month to my car-If I can do this, the balance will be $1777 by December 2010. I am now trying to pay this thing off completely. The balance is around $4200, so we should get this done by October.
Save $900 total in baby fund-This has been taken care of. DONE
Save $2100 total in emergency fund-have $300 (pathetic!), so $1800 more to go-We're at $100 again. I think $1000 is a more attainable goal. Sigh.
Save $630 for DH's crown in February-have $315, so $315 more to go.-Done. DH now has a new crown.:)
Leave 401 K and IRA contributions alone. If I do this, we should contribute around $8K to at least hit the $22K.-Actually increased these. Yay!
On the plus side, the car will be paid off. On the negative, BOA 2 will not be paid off and our EF will still be fairly low. Sigh. We HAVE to get out debt under $40 K by year end. We are at $47,771 right now, so $7772 to go, which is around $1295 worth of progress a month. We CAN do this.
I have my snack (Salt and Vinegar chips-so nutritious! Sorry baby), and I am just thinking about our goals for the rest of the year. Here are the goals I had set for the year and our current prognosis:
Financial Goals
Pay off Chase 3-1586-This card is now gone. I will continue to use this card for all expenses and pay it in full every month for rewards. This month is a struggle to pay it in full!
Pay off Chase-2190-This is at $1400. I think we can pay this off this year.
Pay off Chase 2-2353-This card is gone. Yay!
Pay off BOA 2-Now at 2142. I don't think we can pay this off this year.
Have BOA 1 card at $8000-Now at $8641. We are on track.
Have credit union card at $367-Now at $700. We will get this done.
Continue to pay student loans in a timely manner-Doing.
Pay $450 a month to my car-If I can do this, the balance will be $1777 by December 2010. I am now trying to pay this thing off completely. The balance is around $4200, so we should get this done by October.
Save $900 total in baby fund-This has been taken care of. DONE
Save $2100 total in emergency fund-have $300 (pathetic!), so $1800 more to go-We're at $100 again. I think $1000 is a more attainable goal. Sigh.
Save $630 for DH's crown in February-have $315, so $315 more to go.-Done. DH now has a new crown.:)
Leave 401 K and IRA contributions alone. If I do this, we should contribute around $8K to at least hit the $22K.-Actually increased these. Yay!
On the plus side, the car will be paid off. On the negative, BOA 2 will not be paid off and our EF will still be fairly low. Sigh. We HAVE to get out debt under $40 K by year end. We are at $47,771 right now, so $7772 to go, which is around $1295 worth of progress a month. We CAN do this.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
No more job :)
My last day at my first job was Friday, so I am officially consulting full time now. My assignments for this week are unfortunately of the lower paying kind, but next week should yield some of the higher paying ones. Here is what I HAVE to make by June 30th, so I may be logging extra hours, depending on pay:
Lab bills:136
Living Expenses:315
Christmas savings:50
EF Savings:50
Total:551, in 9 days, I have already earned 71, so 480 left or 53 a day. Anything extra will be sent to the EF to get our savings up.
Lab bills:136
Living Expenses:315
Christmas savings:50
EF Savings:50
Total:551, in 9 days, I have already earned 71, so 480 left or 53 a day. Anything extra will be sent to the EF to get our savings up.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Quick Update
Apparently, I used a wrong figure the other night in my update, so our pay off is actually more than I had first thought.
We are now at $14,003 paid off! I am so glad to get over the $14K mark. Next up, $15K in July. DH has an extra paycheck in July, so I am shooting to get as close to the $16K mark as we can.
| Start | 18-Jun | ||
| Sallie Mae | 12762 | 12150 | |
| Wells Fargo | 11700 | 10950 | |
| Campus Loan | 8250 | 7475 | |
| Chase 2 | 2300 | 1400 | |
| Credit Union Card | 700 | 700 | |
| BOA | 9300 | 8641 | |
| BOA 2 | 1833 | 2142 | |
| Car Loan | 7875 | 4313 | |
| Chase 3 | 1710 | 0 | |
| Chase | 2353 | 0 | |
| Car Loan 2 | 2090 | 0 | |
| Target | 149 | 0 | |
| DH School | 376 | 0 | |
| Capital One | 376 | 0 | |
| 61774 | 47771 | ||
We are now at $14,003 paid off! I am so glad to get over the $14K mark. Next up, $15K in July. DH has an extra paycheck in July, so I am shooting to get as close to the $16K mark as we can.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Update and Ramblings
| Start | 15-Jun | ||
| Sallie Mae | 12762 | 12150 | |
| Wells Fargo | 11700 | 10950 | |
| Campus Loan | 8250 | 7475 | |
| Chase 2 | 2300 | 1400 | |
| Credit Union Card | 700 | 700 | |
| BOA | 9300 | 8641 | |
| BOA 2 | 1833 | 2142 | |
| Car Loan | 7875 | 4357 | |
| Chase 3 | 1710 | 0 | |
| Chase | 2353 | 0 | |
| Car Loan 2 | 2090 | 0 | |
| Target | 149 | 0 | |
| DH School | 376 | 0 | |
| Capital One | 376 | 0 | |
| 61774 | 47815 | ||
We have now paid off $13,959. So close to the $14K mark it hurts!
I got three prenatal bills in the day, all for lab work, for a nice total of $156.75. I just paid $21 to it, so the bill is now at $136.75. The balance is due in 45 days, so that shouldn't be an issue. Since this counts towards my deductible, the amount I will owe the OBGYN might decrease. I am not positive if they will adjust the estimated amount or if they will just send me a check for the difference.
My last day at my first job is Friday. I am so excited to get to start my consulting as my full time job. It looks like the assignments I will be getting for next week will be paying at the upper end of the range, so that's a nice way to start things out.
I am 10 weeks pregnant tomorrow, and I think I am starting to show just a smidge. It's probably just bloat though, since it is so early. I haven't gained any weight though, so YAY for that.
Here is what I want to get paid/saved up for by June 30th:
Lab work bills: $136.75
Keep Chase on Repay Schedule
Hotel for August:$225
Nothing out of the ordinary, but you gotta stay focused!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Upcoming Expenses for the Year
I'm just trying to thing ahead financially as to what expenses we might have coming up. I know we will definitely have some prenatal expenses coming up. I will need to pay $263 to the OBYGYN by my 7th month of pregnancy to cover all my visits and the delivery of the baby. So, we definitely have some time for that, but it is something to consider. We are also going to the beach for a few days in August, so we will need to set aside money for the hotel and fun.
August 21st-$425-hotel, food, entertainment
September 15th:$200-Propane tank refill
October 20th:$263-Medical expense for OBGYN
December 1st: Christmas:$1500
August 21st-$425-hotel, food, entertainment
September 15th:$200-Propane tank refill
October 20th:$263-Medical expense for OBGYN
December 1st: Christmas:$1500
Monday, June 7, 2010
I am going to go for it!
DH and I have talked and talked and talked. Tomorrow, I will be turning in my resignation at job number 1. I feel like such a huge weight has been lifted off me. I know time management will be key to making this work, so here is what I had in mind for a daily schedule, Monday-Friday.
10:00 AM:Wake up, shower and dress, breakfast, put in load of laundry, start Roomba vacuum cleaner
11:00 AM:One hour of work
12:00 PM:Take dog for walk, do dishes, 30 minutes of work
1:00 PM:One hour of work
2:00 PM:Free time, lunch
3:00 PM:Laundry, dust, vacuum furniture, 30 minutes of work
4:00 PM:Errand time/exercise, depending on the day
5:00 PM:One hour of work, snack
6:00 PM:Nap
7:00 PM:Nap
8:00 PM:One hour of work
9:00 PM: Dog walk, any cleaning that needs to be done
10:00 PM:One hour of work
11:00 PM:Start dinner for DH (he works second shift)
12:00 AM:Time with DH
1:00 AM:Time with DH
2:00 AM:Bed
I know I have a lot of house cleaning in there, but I would rather have too much than not enough. The nap is just being realistic, with me being so exhausted all the time with this pregnancy. I can squeeze for hours in if need be. The weekend schedule will probably change every week, but as long as I get my six hours a day in, I'm happy.
10:00 AM:Wake up, shower and dress, breakfast, put in load of laundry, start Roomba vacuum cleaner
11:00 AM:One hour of work
12:00 PM:Take dog for walk, do dishes, 30 minutes of work
1:00 PM:One hour of work
2:00 PM:Free time, lunch
3:00 PM:Laundry, dust, vacuum furniture, 30 minutes of work
4:00 PM:Errand time/exercise, depending on the day
5:00 PM:One hour of work, snack
6:00 PM:Nap
7:00 PM:Nap
8:00 PM:One hour of work
9:00 PM: Dog walk, any cleaning that needs to be done
10:00 PM:One hour of work
11:00 PM:Start dinner for DH (he works second shift)
12:00 AM:Time with DH
1:00 AM:Time with DH
2:00 AM:Bed
I know I have a lot of house cleaning in there, but I would rather have too much than not enough. The nap is just being realistic, with me being so exhausted all the time with this pregnancy. I can squeeze for hours in if need be. The weekend schedule will probably change every week, but as long as I get my six hours a day in, I'm happy.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
To quit or not to quit?
Here I sit at 12:00 AM pondering a huge decision. I was already set to leave job number 1 when I have our baby in January. However, I am pondering quitting early. When I say early, I mean in the next month or so.
Job 1 has been awful lately. My boss is the biggest b*tch I have ever worked for, and considering some of my bosses, that is saying a lot. I am miserable there, so miserable. The environment is like a succubus that just sucks the life and joy out of you. One of my coworkers drives me to my last bit of compassion and I have just had it. I am so freaking tired of. I just started bawling today thinking about it this week.
DH told me if I was this stressed, that it isn't worth it. It isn't good for me or the baby, and I have to agree. If I decide to quit, my plan is to do my consulting work to make up for as much of the income as possible. The only issue is that the assignments I get for consulting vary in pay. There is a minimum that I know the pay will never drop under though.
I am just thinking things out:
If I do 6 hours of consulting work a day, or 42 hours a week, the minimum pay would be 294 a week, the maximum would be 630. I know, big difference huh? Here is what out budget would be at $294 a week, the minimum. This is also based on DH just working 40 hours a week. He has been working a TON of overtime lately, but I know better than to depend on that.
I think it could work. Of course, I pray I will get assignments that pay more than the minimum pay. Normally, the assignments pay more towards the mid end of the range, at least. But, I know we could do it on the minimum. I have just have to be disciplined and make sure I work that six hours EVERY day, without fail. I can do it at any time of the day, which helps out. Our debt paydown will be slow down, but I think at this point, I would be willing to accept it. Sigh. It all sounds so good on paper, but working up the courage to actually make the move is so scary.
Job 1 has been awful lately. My boss is the biggest b*tch I have ever worked for, and considering some of my bosses, that is saying a lot. I am miserable there, so miserable. The environment is like a succubus that just sucks the life and joy out of you. One of my coworkers drives me to my last bit of compassion and I have just had it. I am so freaking tired of. I just started bawling today thinking about it this week.
DH told me if I was this stressed, that it isn't worth it. It isn't good for me or the baby, and I have to agree. If I decide to quit, my plan is to do my consulting work to make up for as much of the income as possible. The only issue is that the assignments I get for consulting vary in pay. There is a minimum that I know the pay will never drop under though.
I am just thinking things out:
If I do 6 hours of consulting work a day, or 42 hours a week, the minimum pay would be 294 a week, the maximum would be 630. I know, big difference huh? Here is what out budget would be at $294 a week, the minimum. This is also based on DH just working 40 hours a week. He has been working a TON of overtime lately, but I know better than to depend on that.
| Hubbie | 2405 |
| Me | 1264.2 |
| 3669.2 |
| Mortgage | 855 |
| Power | 125 |
| TV | 130 |
| Phone | 80 |
| BOA | 200 |
| BOAC | 50 |
| 1fbusa | 200 |
| Chase | 30 |
| Credit card | 20 |
| Car | 285 |
| Geico | 80 |
| H20 | 10 |
| LifeIns. | 10 |
| food | 400 |
| gas | 100 |
| dates | 100 |
| misc. | 100 |
| cfnc | 129 |
| Sallie Mae | 100 |
| Wells Fargo | 130 |
| Campus Loan | 80 |
| Savings | 200 |
| Extra to debt | 200 |
| 3614 |
I think it could work. Of course, I pray I will get assignments that pay more than the minimum pay. Normally, the assignments pay more towards the mid end of the range, at least. But, I know we could do it on the minimum. I have just have to be disciplined and make sure I work that six hours EVERY day, without fail. I can do it at any time of the day, which helps out. Our debt paydown will be slow down, but I think at this point, I would be willing to accept it. Sigh. It all sounds so good on paper, but working up the courage to actually make the move is so scary.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Update!
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I still haven't been paid from my two week long pet sitting job I just did, which I am kind of irked about. I'll text the girl tomorrow and see if she can let me stop buy to get it or even mail it to me. I need my $$$!
I am nine weeks today, and still utterly exhausted. Everyone keeps telling me this will get better, so I am praying for the cleanliness of our house and our finances that they are right!
My mom bought us a crib and changing table when we told her because she was so excited. That means our two biggest purchases are done! For the rest of the stuff we need, I am going to wait till I have my shower to buy anything else.
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