Stumble It!
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Friday, August 15, 2008
Annual Credit report
Just found this Annual Credit Report site. Of the 3 I was able to access 2, there is an issue with my 3rd. Grr.
Stumble It!
Stumble It!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Household Budget
It's time to start analyzing our finances again. I have been avoiding this chore like I avoid weeding on a 90 degree day...
I started going through my receipts for the year so far. I entered all my 2nd quarter numbers into a spread sheet. My categories are Eat Out, Groceries/Household, Kids, Adults, House, Gas.
I am sure the gas and eating out numbers are off, hubby is terrible about keeping receipts. Spreadsheets like this are helpful to me because I can look and see that in May we were spending money 6 out of 14 days, 3 in a row, eek! I am pretty sure we were doing a project on the house, but still, we could have planned our trips a little better!
I am encouraged to see that we only spent $951.29 in the Grocery column. I included all household, toiletry and gift items in here as well. Most of the Kids purchases were baseball related.
I don't have any amounts for the bills we paid yet, that's step 2! Most of them are paid online, so it won't be hard to assemble that data. Then I can combine the numbers and paint a better picture to create a real budget, with a plan and everything!!! I am doing this now because I want to really cut the extras out, so I can start birthday and Christmas shopping.
Some helpful budgeting links:
Free Budget Forms
Simple Debt Free Living
Create a Budget
Kiplinger's Budget Tool
The Day My Personal Financial Statement Talked To Me
Stumble It!
I started going through my receipts for the year so far. I entered all my 2nd quarter numbers into a spread sheet. My categories are Eat Out, Groceries/Household, Kids, Adults, House, Gas.
I am sure the gas and eating out numbers are off, hubby is terrible about keeping receipts. Spreadsheets like this are helpful to me because I can look and see that in May we were spending money 6 out of 14 days, 3 in a row, eek! I am pretty sure we were doing a project on the house, but still, we could have planned our trips a little better!
I am encouraged to see that we only spent $951.29 in the Grocery column. I included all household, toiletry and gift items in here as well. Most of the Kids purchases were baseball related.
I don't have any amounts for the bills we paid yet, that's step 2! Most of them are paid online, so it won't be hard to assemble that data. Then I can combine the numbers and paint a better picture to create a real budget, with a plan and everything!!! I am doing this now because I want to really cut the extras out, so I can start birthday and Christmas shopping.
Some helpful budgeting links:
Free Budget Forms
Simple Debt Free Living
Create a Budget
Kiplinger's Budget Tool
The Day My Personal Financial Statement Talked To Me
Stumble It!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
First T-ball game
This is the real reason out April & May budget were shot to hell. Note the pink spikes, helmet & very WHITE pants. The pants are 2 sizes too big for her so she is wearing a belt. I'm not sure how I managed to get them clean but I did, so they are white for her next game!!! 
She really did a good job on the field, can't ya tell??? (Pink glove, camo no less)
We also had to buy a tee so she can practice in the batting cage at home (yes we have a full size batting cage 12x12x40 feet) and a pink bag to carry her things in (TJMaxx woohoo). The bat she uses is also hers, it's purple with pink grip tape. We had that last year, I don't remember why!
Poor thing ended up on the RED team, sigh, at least it's only 5 games that she'll look like an obnoxious Valentine's Day card.
She really did a good job on the field, can't ya tell??? (Pink glove, camo no less)
We also had to buy a tee so she can practice in the batting cage at home (yes we have a full size batting cage 12x12x40 feet) and a pink bag to carry her things in (TJMaxx woohoo). The bat she uses is also hers, it's purple with pink grip tape. We had that last year, I don't remember why!
Poor thing ended up on the RED team, sigh, at least it's only 5 games that she'll look like an obnoxious Valentine's Day card.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
2008 Goals
Goals, resolutions whatever you call them! I was working on these while babysitting 2 8 year old twins, so I may need to tweak them.
1. Budget our money better. Pay bills on time- while our village doesn't report to credit companies, the pay the electric bill every 2 months is starting to drive me batty.
2. Pay down our debt by at least $2400. We have a loan payment of $130 a month so we'll snowball the other $70 into the best place for it. Number 3 was list debts so we know what we have to pay when, but it fits better with #2.
3. Use savings, rebates & misc found money to fund our emergency fund. We had a good start to it last year but it was depleted opening various checking & saving accounts that are more accessible to us. Once we get the direct deposit fixed we'll set up a weekly payment back into the ING account. We want to have at least $1000 in the EF by December 31, 2008
4. Blog daily, I have been neglecting my blogging. Mostly because I work online as well & it is just a lot of sitting in front of the computer.
5. Work on one DIY project everyday. We have a HUGE list of improvements we will be making in 2008 and most are to be done by us. The only thing I won't do is the roof!
6. Do better at cards to friends & family. Birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I have been really slacking lately.
7. Focus on MYO (make your own) mixes and grocery items. Now that I have the stand mixer of my dreams, and while it still wasn't the "Frugal" thing on my list it was a deal you just couldn't walk away from. The day we bought it the Licorice was available for $259.99, free shipping & a $50 rebate. So we end up only paying $10 more than my Mom did for her Artisan. Plus I have the horse power I need for it to last a very long time.
I mean really, the bread machine I want was $199 and it only took me a year to kill the $50 bread machine I had!!! Plus I will be selling my old stand mixer on ebay sometime after the holidays (last set like mine sold for $102).
8. Eliminate more clutter. As we can replace substandard items with good quality items I need to get rid of the old stuff!!!
We have to be really careful with our money now that we are back to one main income source & we are planning on moving some rooms around again on top of the remodeling & updating.
Of course I am babysitting again. When school is in it's only a couple hours a day, but they are friends with my kiddos so it's nice. And they were here almost everyday while someone else was getting paid to watch them...
So who knows what 2008 will hold, I am going to spend the last few days of 2007 reflecting & celebrating with my family!
Happy New Year!
1. Budget our money better. Pay bills on time- while our village doesn't report to credit companies, the pay the electric bill every 2 months is starting to drive me batty.
2. Pay down our debt by at least $2400. We have a loan payment of $130 a month so we'll snowball the other $70 into the best place for it. Number 3 was list debts so we know what we have to pay when, but it fits better with #2.
3. Use savings, rebates & misc found money to fund our emergency fund. We had a good start to it last year but it was depleted opening various checking & saving accounts that are more accessible to us. Once we get the direct deposit fixed we'll set up a weekly payment back into the ING account. We want to have at least $1000 in the EF by December 31, 2008
4. Blog daily, I have been neglecting my blogging. Mostly because I work online as well & it is just a lot of sitting in front of the computer.
5. Work on one DIY project everyday. We have a HUGE list of improvements we will be making in 2008 and most are to be done by us. The only thing I won't do is the roof!
6. Do better at cards to friends & family. Birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I have been really slacking lately.
7. Focus on MYO (make your own) mixes and grocery items. Now that I have the stand mixer of my dreams, and while it still wasn't the "Frugal" thing on my list it was a deal you just couldn't walk away from. The day we bought it the Licorice was available for $259.99, free shipping & a $50 rebate. So we end up only paying $10 more than my Mom did for her Artisan. Plus I have the horse power I need for it to last a very long time.
I mean really, the bread machine I want was $199 and it only took me a year to kill the $50 bread machine I had!!! Plus I will be selling my old stand mixer on ebay sometime after the holidays (last set like mine sold for $102).
8. Eliminate more clutter. As we can replace substandard items with good quality items I need to get rid of the old stuff!!!
We have to be really careful with our money now that we are back to one main income source & we are planning on moving some rooms around again on top of the remodeling & updating.
Of course I am babysitting again. When school is in it's only a couple hours a day, but they are friends with my kiddos so it's nice. And they were here almost everyday while someone else was getting paid to watch them...
So who knows what 2008 will hold, I am going to spend the last few days of 2007 reflecting & celebrating with my family!
Happy New Year!
Monday, October 1, 2007
October 1st????
The month of September went by in a blur! A blur of early mornings, late evenings, arguing about homework, almost daily baths/showers, bills and ignoring the budget.
WE got totally upside down this month, which stinks because it is going to take another month to get right side up again. Started with the washer breaking, $92 later I am back to abusing my GE! We bought a used car & had to fix it up & put it on the road. A much needed expense, but an expense none the less. And my poor van is still sitting at the repair shop, I'm not sure if it's because we can't pay the almost $1000 bill or if the mechanic really doesn't feel like tackling the huge project! Unfortunately for him we are wanting it fixed. I was so discouraged earlier in the week I had considered cutting our losses & sell it for scrap or a project car. But hubby told me that if we put this $ into it, we'd be able to trade it in for full book value by the end of the year (or shortly after). So I am trying to look at it as a win win, either way I will finally have my soccer mom vehicle back & we'll be back to a 2 vehicle family!!! Progress!
We are still trying to sell our concession trailer. I think that if it doesn't sell locally in the next month I'm going to list it on Ebay. Everyone around here is looking to haul their motorcycles & snowmobiles, it is just too finished for that!
We opened a checking account attached to our TD Ameritrade account. I missed checks so much! It was convenient, they arrived just in time for school pictures & a PTA fundraiser (cookboks). The account earns interest, plus it isn't one for everyday use, so we won't be using a ton of checks just more checks for things I would have used cash for in the past (like the MIA school book order from last Christmas...). Which means that the $ will actually earn interest! Woohoo!
Other progress an the home front, we had a tree taken down (our unexpected expense, he just showed up and started cutting, he was supposed to come & tell us when we were on the schedule, oops). It was old & wasn't ever going to fall in the direction we wanted it to, and it wasn't nearly as expensive as I've heard from others. I can't imagine having to pay $2500 to have a tree taken down, we are spoiled it only cost us $400.
That's about it, I'll have to go over the goals and do an end of Summer wrap up! Maybe after dinner :D.
WE got totally upside down this month, which stinks because it is going to take another month to get right side up again. Started with the washer breaking, $92 later I am back to abusing my GE! We bought a used car & had to fix it up & put it on the road. A much needed expense, but an expense none the less. And my poor van is still sitting at the repair shop, I'm not sure if it's because we can't pay the almost $1000 bill or if the mechanic really doesn't feel like tackling the huge project! Unfortunately for him we are wanting it fixed. I was so discouraged earlier in the week I had considered cutting our losses & sell it for scrap or a project car. But hubby told me that if we put this $ into it, we'd be able to trade it in for full book value by the end of the year (or shortly after). So I am trying to look at it as a win win, either way I will finally have my soccer mom vehicle back & we'll be back to a 2 vehicle family!!! Progress!
We are still trying to sell our concession trailer. I think that if it doesn't sell locally in the next month I'm going to list it on Ebay. Everyone around here is looking to haul their motorcycles & snowmobiles, it is just too finished for that!
We opened a checking account attached to our TD Ameritrade account. I missed checks so much! It was convenient, they arrived just in time for school pictures & a PTA fundraiser (cookboks). The account earns interest, plus it isn't one for everyday use, so we won't be using a ton of checks just more checks for things I would have used cash for in the past (like the MIA school book order from last Christmas...). Which means that the $ will actually earn interest! Woohoo!
Other progress an the home front, we had a tree taken down (our unexpected expense, he just showed up and started cutting, he was supposed to come & tell us when we were on the schedule, oops). It was old & wasn't ever going to fall in the direction we wanted it to, and it wasn't nearly as expensive as I've heard from others. I can't imagine having to pay $2500 to have a tree taken down, we are spoiled it only cost us $400.
That's about it, I'll have to go over the goals and do an end of Summer wrap up! Maybe after dinner :D.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Article Series #4
Are you throwing money away? John Nardini, Woman's Day 11/19/02
42 easy ways to fatten your wallet...
1. Avoid late fees - Duh! If we paid our electric bill late every month for a year the late fees would = one hour of pay (gross pay). That stinks! I don't want to waste my time working for what is essentially nothing. Figure if we paid all our bills late (one of the credit cards used to charge $35 a month if late, ouch) I'd probably spend 2 weeks working for FEES, don't even get me started on the ATM machine!!!
2. Don't let credit card debt linger - basically sending the minimum payment will drag out the process into a decades long waste of money.
3. Skip credit cards with annual fees - there are just too many options out there to settle for something you have to pay to have.
4. Get the most out of your gas purchases - I didn't know that filling up in the early AM or late PM could make a difference on the volume of gas, hmmm. Apparently gas is denser then. I don't think I've ever read that before.
5. Make sure your car is in top running shape - I'm not a "car" person but I do know enough to keep the oil changed & check the tires every so often!
6. Keep your trunk empty - this article was written by a man! I keep an assortment of items in my van at all times, sorry the benefit of having emergency supplies (napkins, wipes, plates, cups, blankets, toys, window cleaner, sweatshirts, etc) far outweighs any % of gas mileage saved!
7. Skip the extended warranty when you buy a new car - OK, most new cars come with a warranty & if you take your vehicle in before it expires your shop will probably do all the necessary or unnecessary work to leave you with a "new" car.
8. Compare Insurance prices - it also pays to keep multiple policies with one company (extra discounts).
9. Drop collision or comprehensive coverage on older cars - I will be keeping mine thank you, it is worth the $0 deductible glass coverage. I do drive a mini van afterall!
10. Ask about discounts - air bags, ABS, anti theft, multiple policies, my favorite - safety courses.
11. Join a credit union - Been there done that, they are a great value, just find one that is convenient. Ours was more hassel than it was worth.
12. Find out about discounts - Lots of banks waive fees if you use direct deposit, look for free checking, free with interest is better!
13. Order checks from an outside company not from the bank. They are SO much cheaper.
14. Balance your checkbook every month. Don't trust the bank to find errors, unless they are in their favor. And if they are, my experience has been that they will just make the corrections & not tell you what is going on.
15. Return unwanted items quickly - sounds familiar... Don't remove tags unless you are 100% certain you are keeping it. The Prince got a shirt for his birthday that makes him look like a stuffed sausage, but we couldn't exchange it because (even though I specifically said not to) he removed the tags.
16. Shop in the men's department - article claims that socks, turtlenecks & plain white tshirts are cheaper there. I'm not sure about that, and if I bought socks that fit me I'd be in the boys department not the men's & then I'd loose all my socks to the Prince.
17. Lower your dry cleaning costs - What dry cleaning costs??? Even if it says dry clean only I still wash it, I've never had an issue EVER. Even suit coats have gone in the washer on gentle, fluff dried then hung while still damp. If you aren't as brave then find a good local dry cleaner, or try the "dry cleaning" wipes that go in your dryer.
18. Stop at your grocery stores discount rack - Yup, breads, discontinued items, managers specials on meats, we've been here before!
19. Buy in bulk - sure, but only if it's cheaper & you have the room.
20 - Get the most out of your meat purchases. - Sure. Goes with meat your butcher, I've had pork loins slices for boneless chops, I've also found that it isn't hard to do it myself.
21. Refinance your mortgage - maybe back in 2002 that was good advice! Now do your homework.
22. Prepay your mortgage - You can pay extra per month or make an extra payment every year. Unless you have higher interest debt then pay that first!
23. Cancel PMI after you own 20% of your home. Read your fine print, we can't cancel ours until a specific date no matter what the % is. And what is it based on? Equity? Value? or the Loan? Our home has been valued at $120+ our loan principal is $70, but it doesn't work that way. I wish it did we pay over $800 a year for it.
24. Compare tax assessment with your neighbors - Sure you can challenge them if there are discrepancies, but I know in our area what usually happens is 1) nothing 2) you get reassessed higher 3) they raise your neighbors assessments.
25. Learn to do simple home repairs - Not everything is as easy as they make it look on HGTV! Do your homework. It won't be cost effective if you have to run out & buy a ton of special tools.
26. Shop homeowner's insurance (renter's insurance) - again, multiple policy discount!
27. Ask about discounts - non smokers, fire extinguishers, alarm systems.
28. Increase your deductible - this will save you money on your premium, but you'll have to pay more out of pocket each incident. We've only been in the house for 4 years & we've had 1 claim & 1 incident that should have been (tenant disaster of 2007).
29. Itemize your return - If you have enough deductions. We do not.
30. Donate - if you itemize that is
31. Double check your return - or triple, quadruple...
32. Use your "included" phone minutes, sure just don't go over...
33. Drop unused services on your phone - My services are a package & it would cost me more to have the few I use so check your rates first.
34. Take advantage of energy audits offered by many power companies - If yours offers!
35. Replace standard light bulbs with CFLs - I think that is a dead horse (pardon the phrase). All of the appropriate bulbs have been changed.
36. Adjust your thermostat - We immediately changed to digital. If you can't/won't keep the thermostat at a normal 68, may I suggest coal, pellet or wood heat! Our coal furnace keeps us at a balmy 75+ all winter. Whether I want it to or not.
37. Allow sunlight to warm your home - This will be nice with the upstairs apartment. I am also having hubby install a couple solatubes in the bathrooms (both are convenient for the fixtures). They will light dark spaces & our local discount home store has them for $100.
38. Insulate your home using furniture & wall hangings. I guess this depends on you house, but then the carpet didn't block the draft & stuff against the walls is fine, but we can't place furniture in the worst areas (windows & doors or registers).
39. Keep your refrigerator and freezer at the recommended temperatures. No one likes frozen eggs or squishy pop-sicles any ways!
40. Check the seal on your fridge doors. I know these can be replaced I have had to do it in the past, just don't mix up the fridge & freezer pieces!!!
41. Keep appliances lint & dust free. I try to remember to clean the coils, really I do!
42. When using your oven peek through the window or wait until food is almost done before opening the door. - If only my oven had a window & if I knew when it was "almost" done I wouldn't be peeking!!!
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Sunday, June 3, 2007
Why do we torture ourselves so???
The hubby & I had a realization, a light bulb moment, if you will yesterday. We took BOTH children to Wal-Mart. What were we thinking? Well the Prince has a birthday party today & I wanted him to pick out the gift & The Princess, well she is 3 & I'm pretty sure CPS would frown upon leaving her home alone! The realization - neither one of us EVER wants to do that again! The 4 of us in a store is just too much.
All in all I think we escaped with little damage. It was later in the evening & both kiddos had already had a full day of outdoor fun, so I figured they would be too tired to fuss obnoxiously. Was I wrong or what! We only made 1 unexpected purchase, zoopals utensils. They were a little cheaper than the frosted animal cookies they like, so they had to trade. We'll see if reason works come Wednesday when they want a snack!
Anywho - Total damage $83
$10 gift
$10 pool filter 2 pack
so $63 for food & household stuff
We went out Friday for dinner using Restaurant.com Dining Certificates
for a local restaurant. I bought the $10 certificates during a sale so I paid $6 for $40 in certificates. Regular price would have been $12 (still not bad). You have to use them one at a time, but even with 4 of us our bill was only $28, so we paid $18 + $1.50 (for the certificate). We had enough leftover for a small dinner last night for all 4 of us so that $19.50 fed us twice. Plus the kids were rather well behaved, so bonus!
We have been spending more money than I would care to lately, but we are doing it to finish some much neglected projects. We found windows on clearance, and we bought one to replace the icky leaky window in our living room. It was $60 for a 72"x63" window. I don't remember original sticker exactly but I think it was $198. It was cheaper than the sliding door we originally wanted to put in the space (that was $1500 for the nice door + installation & permits).
We were hoping to pick up a few windows, but that was the only one they had the correct size for. The window in now is a triple with 2 crank outs, one crank out is broken & warped so it doesn't close & the frame cracked so it is unsealed (ant super highway). I've thought about caulking it, but hubby was supposed to replace it the summer we moved in... The new window is a double vinyl double hung with mullions between the panes. It is missing the screens but it WAS on clearance!
We also finally bought the "stuff" to set up the batting cage. Not a very frugal purchase but I was informed about it the day before it arrived via UPS. He picked that up last spring & it has been sitting in the box ever since. Now it will at least be a useful splurge! It came with a golf net too, so maybe I'll be able to practice. I'd love to be able to hit the ball farther than 25 yards a swing before hubby drags me out on the course!
I also went to a bunch of yard sales this weekend (reason there was no Frugal Friday Tip!) A neighboring community had it's attic & sellar days. I scored big time for the Princess. $29 for 3 bags of clothes, most new with tags. In the bags were 5 dance leotards (she'll be taking dance in the fall), a winter coat, lots of t-shirts, 4 skirts, 2 pants, 3 pjs, 3 sweaters, 4 or 5 turtlenecks & a boutique style dress/outfit. I figure she is set for clothes for the next 2 years with minor filling in with some seasonal stuff. Right now she is a 3T/4T so most of what I bought was in the 4/5 range. Lots of good preschool clothes. If it needs a little altering I can handle it, but I figured out that I'd have spent more on the dance outfits than I did for the entire purchase! Sweet!
I also picked up 3 pair of shorts & 2 t-shirts for the Prince, 6 books (including Harry Potter- Sorcerer's Stone), 6 silk ties for hubby, 2 new table cloths & a pair of pillow cases (for either fabric or the Princess's room haven't decided yet).
If anyone here is into sewing/quilting sign up for my Fat Quarter Swap. It's themed Patriotic, sew here comes the red/white/blue!!!
Also if you have faved me in Technorati & I haven't reciprocated please let me know. Last time I went to Technorati I couldn't find the list of people who had faved me so I feel I must be far behind!
All in all I think we escaped with little damage. It was later in the evening & both kiddos had already had a full day of outdoor fun, so I figured they would be too tired to fuss obnoxiously. Was I wrong or what! We only made 1 unexpected purchase, zoopals utensils. They were a little cheaper than the frosted animal cookies they like, so they had to trade. We'll see if reason works come Wednesday when they want a snack!
Anywho - Total damage $83
$10 gift
$10 pool filter 2 pack
so $63 for food & household stuff
We went out Friday for dinner using Restaurant.com Dining Certificates
for a local restaurant. I bought the $10 certificates during a sale so I paid $6 for $40 in certificates. Regular price would have been $12 (still not bad). You have to use them one at a time, but even with 4 of us our bill was only $28, so we paid $18 + $1.50 (for the certificate). We had enough leftover for a small dinner last night for all 4 of us so that $19.50 fed us twice. Plus the kids were rather well behaved, so bonus! We have been spending more money than I would care to lately, but we are doing it to finish some much neglected projects. We found windows on clearance, and we bought one to replace the icky leaky window in our living room. It was $60 for a 72"x63" window. I don't remember original sticker exactly but I think it was $198. It was cheaper than the sliding door we originally wanted to put in the space (that was $1500 for the nice door + installation & permits).
We were hoping to pick up a few windows, but that was the only one they had the correct size for. The window in now is a triple with 2 crank outs, one crank out is broken & warped so it doesn't close & the frame cracked so it is unsealed (ant super highway). I've thought about caulking it, but hubby was supposed to replace it the summer we moved in... The new window is a double vinyl double hung with mullions between the panes. It is missing the screens but it WAS on clearance!
We also finally bought the "stuff" to set up the batting cage. Not a very frugal purchase but I was informed about it the day before it arrived via UPS. He picked that up last spring & it has been sitting in the box ever since. Now it will at least be a useful splurge! It came with a golf net too, so maybe I'll be able to practice. I'd love to be able to hit the ball farther than 25 yards a swing before hubby drags me out on the course!
I also went to a bunch of yard sales this weekend (reason there was no Frugal Friday Tip!) A neighboring community had it's attic & sellar days. I scored big time for the Princess. $29 for 3 bags of clothes, most new with tags. In the bags were 5 dance leotards (she'll be taking dance in the fall), a winter coat, lots of t-shirts, 4 skirts, 2 pants, 3 pjs, 3 sweaters, 4 or 5 turtlenecks & a boutique style dress/outfit. I figure she is set for clothes for the next 2 years with minor filling in with some seasonal stuff. Right now she is a 3T/4T so most of what I bought was in the 4/5 range. Lots of good preschool clothes. If it needs a little altering I can handle it, but I figured out that I'd have spent more on the dance outfits than I did for the entire purchase! Sweet!
I also picked up 3 pair of shorts & 2 t-shirts for the Prince, 6 books (including Harry Potter- Sorcerer's Stone), 6 silk ties for hubby, 2 new table cloths & a pair of pillow cases (for either fabric or the Princess's room haven't decided yet).
If anyone here is into sewing/quilting sign up for my Fat Quarter Swap. It's themed Patriotic, sew here comes the red/white/blue!!!
Also if you have faved me in Technorati & I haven't reciprocated please let me know. Last time I went to Technorati I couldn't find the list of people who had faved me so I feel I must be far behind!
Payperpost Love!
Have you signed up for Payperpost yet? It is the coolest thing in blog marketing yet! I have been enjoying my experience so far. I started with my first post on March 7th and have since been paid $77.25. I also have a "due" of $32.00. It takes 30 days to get paid & they send is right to my PayPal! It's not a ton of money, but I have been able to make a couple grocery store trips & buy some adorable hair clips for the Princess.
The better your page rank the better (or more) offers you can choose from. I try to be a little picky about ones that I choose. I suppose I could find a way to relate drug rehab to frugality or personal finance, but there always seems to be something more interesting to talk about! The newest cool op is to blog about your Police concert experiences. I wish I could say that I had any. Sadly I realized that I am a "radio" Police fan! The box set we used to have was far more punk rock than we were into in the day!
I am pretty sure that the rules are that you can't do back to back monetized posts, so not all my posts are Payperpost & not all my sponsored posts are either. But I do believe that it has been my most profitable so far. I am looking forward to a long relationship!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
New Budget
Well, now that I have started working from home our finances have changed a bit. We are still catching up, but the future is looking a bit brighter! The great thing is that I can be flexible in my schedule & work whenever I can fit it in. My plan is to work as much as possible for now (I am approved for up to 40 hours a week, but I can't work 7 straight, so that makes it challenging).
I haven't gotten paid yet, so that first check should be a good one. That will help us get caught up, then after that we should be current! Woohoo current is good!
I am working on a new budget & we are trying to figure out banking. It is hard to believe how much of a pain it is to not have paper checks in 2007, but we are not as much of a paperless society as we'd like to think! We wanted to open an ING checking account, but without funding the checking account we have now (don't like the credit union & it's too far out of the way now to deal with) so we figured go electronic, but dh has his paycheck direct deposited to his account now card, which makes sense for us, free bill pay, debit card access, easy to pay at the pump for gas groceries, etc. But we can't use it to fund the new ING account, unless we have them issue a check....blah blah blah! Why does it always have to be so confusing! I understand that most normal people have checks, try and explain that to my husband. I keep getting the "I don't trust you with checks" lecture, like okay, that was over 7 years ago & you weren't telling me the whole story (not making deposits & using the card without telling me) so sure the checks bounced, not really my fault I was just the one who wrote them. So we have been pretty much without checks since 2005. I am ready go nuts & he is in heaven. It is just crazy that two people could be so different!
I am a balance the checkbook weekly kind of person, we haven't had a checkbook since 2005 & then I wonder why I am always a little tense! I am a need to know kind of girl. If I can't just look it up I go nuts. I guess it's the OCD in me, but then he should be used to it by now, after 12 years of marriage!
With our tax deductions corrected, after taxes & 401K deductions we should be meeting our expenses with enough left over to save for a new car. I have been looking at the Honda Hybrids, simply because dh drives 45 minutes a day to work & it is mostly highway. A car that gets 50 mpg would do wonders to improve our vehicle expenses budget! Even with the gas prices what they are now we'd be saving $30 a week on gas, I think that makes up for the "drag" of a payment! Say he drives 400 miles per week, the hybrid Civic gets 50mpg that = 8 gallons of gas/ week at $3.20/gallon = $25.60 vs. the 20mpg he gets now = 20 gallons/week = $64.00 So Savings = $38.40/week or ~ $153 a month. Figure a payment ~$330 - $153 savings = $177 actual payment out of pocket. Plus we are going to try to pay as much up front as possible when we go, so maybe the $330 won't be $330 or it won't be for a really long time. MSRP is around $23000 on a 2007, not sure what it is on a 2008. I am hoping to sock away $175 a month now just for the car, then anything over that will be gravy!!!
I haven't gotten paid yet, so that first check should be a good one. That will help us get caught up, then after that we should be current! Woohoo current is good!
I am working on a new budget & we are trying to figure out banking. It is hard to believe how much of a pain it is to not have paper checks in 2007, but we are not as much of a paperless society as we'd like to think! We wanted to open an ING checking account, but without funding the checking account we have now (don't like the credit union & it's too far out of the way now to deal with) so we figured go electronic, but dh has his paycheck direct deposited to his account now card, which makes sense for us, free bill pay, debit card access, easy to pay at the pump for gas groceries, etc. But we can't use it to fund the new ING account, unless we have them issue a check....blah blah blah! Why does it always have to be so confusing! I understand that most normal people have checks, try and explain that to my husband. I keep getting the "I don't trust you with checks" lecture, like okay, that was over 7 years ago & you weren't telling me the whole story (not making deposits & using the card without telling me) so sure the checks bounced, not really my fault I was just the one who wrote them. So we have been pretty much without checks since 2005. I am ready go nuts & he is in heaven. It is just crazy that two people could be so different!
I am a balance the checkbook weekly kind of person, we haven't had a checkbook since 2005 & then I wonder why I am always a little tense! I am a need to know kind of girl. If I can't just look it up I go nuts. I guess it's the OCD in me, but then he should be used to it by now, after 12 years of marriage!
With our tax deductions corrected, after taxes & 401K deductions we should be meeting our expenses with enough left over to save for a new car. I have been looking at the Honda Hybrids, simply because dh drives 45 minutes a day to work & it is mostly highway. A car that gets 50 mpg would do wonders to improve our vehicle expenses budget! Even with the gas prices what they are now we'd be saving $30 a week on gas, I think that makes up for the "drag" of a payment! Say he drives 400 miles per week, the hybrid Civic gets 50mpg that = 8 gallons of gas/ week at $3.20/gallon = $25.60 vs. the 20mpg he gets now = 20 gallons/week = $64.00 So Savings = $38.40/week or ~ $153 a month. Figure a payment ~$330 - $153 savings = $177 actual payment out of pocket. Plus we are going to try to pay as much up front as possible when we go, so maybe the $330 won't be $330 or it won't be for a really long time. MSRP is around $23000 on a 2007, not sure what it is on a 2008. I am hoping to sock away $175 a month now just for the car, then anything over that will be gravy!!!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The countdown begins
And other stupid stuff going on in my life right now...
It is Thursday - Hubby starts his new job Tuesday & so far we are expecting a paycheck Friday, otherwise it won't come until May 4th, that could make things tight...eeek! So we are 6 days away... It may not seem like a HUGE thing to most, but it is going to cause major upheaval here. He has been working 3rd from home for over a year now, of course we had the food shops too, but he took last summer off from the job. Now he will be 8-5 working 45 minutes away. We have no cell phone & at the exact moment no car on the road. The next few days will be challenging to say the least!
To top this event off, hubby broke a bone in his foot 2 days ago. He was carrying the desk chair upstairs & rolled the foot. I sent him to the ER when it started swelling in only one spot, I've sprained before & it swelled EVERYWHERE... so 1 1/2 hours in the ER & an air cast. The instructions he was given said to use crutches, but he wasn't given any or any assistance getting out of the hospital. How does "Stay off of it completely for a few days" translate to "walk yourself to your car with out crutches"... We were able to locate a pair in the family so we didn't have to go buy any, thank goodness!
While annoying, (and painful for him, ~eye rolling~) it wouldn't have been so bad if:
a) It is still cold here & our furnace is still going, it HATES me & I have an impossible time of dealing with it
b)we ran out of coal & had to have a few bags delivered, which means I am lugging 50# bags of coal down our basement stairs, cuz the store dropped them on our porch not outside our basement door, grateful & yet... (ok wouldn't even be worth mentioning, except delivery guy & store partner is hubby's best friend)
c) we are now mid way through taking over the upstairs apartment, I had to haul the file cabinet up by myself & my sewing stuff could be in the basement for a month at least, the next piece of furniture I get to haul (without injuring myself, knocking on wood!) is my old sewing desk. It is heavy & old so it's wood, up 16 stairs with a 180 degree turn, wish me luck!
d)we need to do minor reworking of the plumbing before we can use the bathroom up stairs, we had the gas shut off so no hot water. We are going to reroute the line through our hotwater heater & move the back apartment to the newer tank. So we are getting rid of the ancient hotwater heater (sounds like a jet plane taking off when it runs, creepy).
e)he starts work Tuesday, which means I will only be able to get him to help on weekends, oh wait baseball starts next week, hubby is possibly coaching (on crutches hehehe!) so the 5th Saturday of never I may get him to do the heavy lifting...
f)we decided to get my sewing studio out of the basement (better light, no musty smell) so I can start sewing things to sell. I still haven't figured out what I am doing, but I'll get there!
I think I forgot to discuss the apartment.
We decided a few things that are life changing 1 - we aren't going to rent the front apartment out again, it was the easiest way to get our 2nd bathroom, the kids a playroom, a bigger office & upstairs sewing studio... 2 - We are stuck in this house for at least 5 more years & I am going to be doing that on my terms, don't want another terrible tenant abusing privileges & flooding my house 3 - hubby's new job is going to double our income so we can afford to pay more $ on the mortgage without the rental income, we still have 1 apartment to help out 4 - going from a 3 apartment to a 2 apartment we may be able to lower our insurance premiums (for some reason 3 was where things went up...) So I think the benefits outweighed the cons on this one & now I am burdened with the task of not only completing the transition, but also to make it worth while & make $ from up here (we used the argument that our business was leasing the space to avoid the you can't afford it argument from my parents).
So much to do & so much time spent re-doing my myspace layout this morning...must go do laundry!!!
It is Thursday - Hubby starts his new job Tuesday & so far we are expecting a paycheck Friday, otherwise it won't come until May 4th, that could make things tight...eeek! So we are 6 days away... It may not seem like a HUGE thing to most, but it is going to cause major upheaval here. He has been working 3rd from home for over a year now, of course we had the food shops too, but he took last summer off from the job. Now he will be 8-5 working 45 minutes away. We have no cell phone & at the exact moment no car on the road. The next few days will be challenging to say the least!
To top this event off, hubby broke a bone in his foot 2 days ago. He was carrying the desk chair upstairs & rolled the foot. I sent him to the ER when it started swelling in only one spot, I've sprained before & it swelled EVERYWHERE... so 1 1/2 hours in the ER & an air cast. The instructions he was given said to use crutches, but he wasn't given any or any assistance getting out of the hospital. How does "Stay off of it completely for a few days" translate to "walk yourself to your car with out crutches"... We were able to locate a pair in the family so we didn't have to go buy any, thank goodness!
While annoying, (and painful for him, ~eye rolling~) it wouldn't have been so bad if:
a) It is still cold here & our furnace is still going, it HATES me & I have an impossible time of dealing with it
b)we ran out of coal & had to have a few bags delivered, which means I am lugging 50# bags of coal down our basement stairs, cuz the store dropped them on our porch not outside our basement door, grateful & yet... (ok wouldn't even be worth mentioning, except delivery guy & store partner is hubby's best friend)
c) we are now mid way through taking over the upstairs apartment, I had to haul the file cabinet up by myself & my sewing stuff could be in the basement for a month at least, the next piece of furniture I get to haul (without injuring myself, knocking on wood!) is my old sewing desk. It is heavy & old so it's wood, up 16 stairs with a 180 degree turn, wish me luck!
d)we need to do minor reworking of the plumbing before we can use the bathroom up stairs, we had the gas shut off so no hot water. We are going to reroute the line through our hotwater heater & move the back apartment to the newer tank. So we are getting rid of the ancient hotwater heater (sounds like a jet plane taking off when it runs, creepy).
e)he starts work Tuesday, which means I will only be able to get him to help on weekends, oh wait baseball starts next week, hubby is possibly coaching (on crutches hehehe!) so the 5th Saturday of never I may get him to do the heavy lifting...
f)we decided to get my sewing studio out of the basement (better light, no musty smell) so I can start sewing things to sell. I still haven't figured out what I am doing, but I'll get there!
I think I forgot to discuss the apartment.
We decided a few things that are life changing 1 - we aren't going to rent the front apartment out again, it was the easiest way to get our 2nd bathroom, the kids a playroom, a bigger office & upstairs sewing studio... 2 - We are stuck in this house for at least 5 more years & I am going to be doing that on my terms, don't want another terrible tenant abusing privileges & flooding my house 3 - hubby's new job is going to double our income so we can afford to pay more $ on the mortgage without the rental income, we still have 1 apartment to help out 4 - going from a 3 apartment to a 2 apartment we may be able to lower our insurance premiums (for some reason 3 was where things went up...) So I think the benefits outweighed the cons on this one & now I am burdened with the task of not only completing the transition, but also to make it worth while & make $ from up here (we used the argument that our business was leasing the space to avoid the you can't afford it argument from my parents).
So much to do & so much time spent re-doing my myspace layout this morning...must go do laundry!!!
Saturday, February 3, 2007
31 Days - Wrap up
31 days wrap up over at the Simple Dollar.
Oh my so it is already Feb 3rd... guess the Ground Hog should have clued me in to that little fact....
I feel so much better off knowing where I am financially (ok, well as much as I know!)
I am going to spend the month of Feb. reviewing the info & establishing some long range goals & a financial plan. I need to write a business plan for our business. I also need to plan for the tax return. I will be taking 10% of it & putting it somewhere safe.
I am going to think about every penny I spend in a different light though (I know the idea is to be flexible, but at the moment I don't have that ability).
Ah well it is already 8 degrees here & I am going to go sew something! SO I can focus my creative energies on something other than obsessing on our $, or lack there of...
Oh my so it is already Feb 3rd... guess the Ground Hog should have clued me in to that little fact....
I feel so much better off knowing where I am financially (ok, well as much as I know!)
I am going to spend the month of Feb. reviewing the info & establishing some long range goals & a financial plan. I need to write a business plan for our business. I also need to plan for the tax return. I will be taking 10% of it & putting it somewhere safe.
I am going to think about every penny I spend in a different light though (I know the idea is to be flexible, but at the moment I don't have that ability).
Ah well it is already 8 degrees here & I am going to go sew something! SO I can focus my creative energies on something other than obsessing on our $, or lack there of...
Friday, February 2, 2007
First shopping trip of Feb. 2007
Oh boy what a trip!
I actually spent $87 at Aldi, just on stuff! I needed to restock the pantry bad, I guess!!! I did score with Moo Tubes being on Managers Special (I should have bought the case!) They were $0.79 a box marked down from $1.79. I bought 3 boxes, I hope they freeze well, but the way the kids eat them I doubt they'll be in there for too long. I also picked up a couple gallons of milk, at least one goes in the freezer, we drink about 2 gallons a week here, unless I make cookies & then we can drink 3.
We also had to pick up coal (it really would have been so much easier to have ordered 4 pallets & had it delivered~sigh).
Pay the Dish bill.
I think that pretty much did it for the spending portion of dh's pay check. I should be fine for the week as far as food goes! I am used to getting by on 75 - 100 a week on groceries & stuff. So when I run out of say cooking spray I'll buy one the next trip, etc... Well we have been running out of things lately (I haven't been replacing before we run out, like I am used to doing) so I needed this trip to get my kitchen back to functional!!!
I am going to have to get back in the habit of doing a menu plan. It's not that I need it to plan my shopping around, I really just like to have a plan for leftovers. I am a leftover person, dh is not, so I have to be creative. Chicken on Sunday leads to chicken rice casserole on Thursday...& so on.
I also had to pick up a few things to go in my Valentine's Day Swap box...shhhh!
I actually spent $87 at Aldi, just on stuff! I needed to restock the pantry bad, I guess!!! I did score with Moo Tubes being on Managers Special (I should have bought the case!) They were $0.79 a box marked down from $1.79. I bought 3 boxes, I hope they freeze well, but the way the kids eat them I doubt they'll be in there for too long. I also picked up a couple gallons of milk, at least one goes in the freezer, we drink about 2 gallons a week here, unless I make cookies & then we can drink 3.
We also had to pick up coal (it really would have been so much easier to have ordered 4 pallets & had it delivered~sigh).
Pay the Dish bill.
I think that pretty much did it for the spending portion of dh's pay check. I should be fine for the week as far as food goes! I am used to getting by on 75 - 100 a week on groceries & stuff. So when I run out of say cooking spray I'll buy one the next trip, etc... Well we have been running out of things lately (I haven't been replacing before we run out, like I am used to doing) so I needed this trip to get my kitchen back to functional!!!
I am going to have to get back in the habit of doing a menu plan. It's not that I need it to plan my shopping around, I really just like to have a plan for leftovers. I am a leftover person, dh is not, so I have to be creative. Chicken on Sunday leads to chicken rice casserole on Thursday...& so on.
I also had to pick up a few things to go in my Valentine's Day Swap box...shhhh!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
My finances so far in 2007
At least I can say I am eons above 2006, since in 2006 I had absolutely no idea what was going on with our money(yes dh, it is our $ even if you are the only one currently employed).
Ok, so at least I can be comforted by the fact that I have a temporary gig coming up here in a couple weeks (Easter Chocolates, yum!!!) The best part about that was they don't pay me until we close shop (day after Easter), so I get it lump sum.
If only I could put off buying groceries until then???
So, now that I have determined that we are frugal (cheap, broke, poor, etc...) by necessity I need to find a way to fix it. I think I am going to start by cutting our food $ back a lot. I know it is already below averages for a family our size, but we could do better. We still buy a lot of snack type stuff (granted I can & do bake cookies, I just don't see me whipping out a potato & the deep fryer for chips any time soon)
Our real time cash out flow is higher than our cash in flow, not good.
We spent about $1800 extra in Nov, Dec and Jan ($ from gifts, closing a savings account & some profit dh made drop shipping) That was supposed to have caught us up on overdue bills, so we would be starting from 0 in 2007, but we aren't.
If we sell our concession trailer...that is the only way we can make this work, but then we are out of business permanently. SO that really isn't an option yet, we are still weighing the advantage of keeping it higher than selling. The payment on the trailer =$37 a week, that is almost my food budget.
I've said before that I am trying to follow The Simple Dollar's 31 days to fix your finances However, I am at a point where I'm not sure I can continue, I will, but most of the advice is in dealing with a budget surplus that I just do not have. I know I need to pay myself first, but there just isn't the cash left on pay day to do that, it is either already spent or must be. We are in a sort of crisis mode right now. To top it all off, we have found out that one of our tenants is moving out (presumably by months end). Now this would be a good thing if it wasn't January.
We have been wanting this family to move out, pretty much since they moved in (it's a one bedroom apartment, there are 4 people living in it, it was a favor, will never happen again). However, now I have to worry about getting it filled shortly after they leave, but still find time & $ to do repairs they won't pay for (they should, but a lawyer will cost more & we'd never get a dime anyways). Plus, the natural gas will have to be left on, which means I'm paying. Just found out dh never paid the bill from the last time the apt was empty in 2005, that cost us $488. It was empty from Jan - March.
Dh had to go buy more coal today, I don't know how much he spent. I do know that he had to pay $700 on the mortgage & trailer on Saturday. Our cost of living here is only $378 a month (that includes taxes, insurance & mortgage) the rest is covered by rent income. He WAS a month behind on the trailer.
Also, in doing our books for the end of the year I figured we lost $4800 last summer, not to bad, since only $750 of that has been realized (in the trailer payments) to date. So if you take out the trailer loan we made a whopping, hold on to your seats $1200 last summer. We had 2 locations & a fairly steady customer traffic flow. Sure there are plenty of things that will change if we open this year (#1 being that we are back to 1 location, unfortunately it isn't the highest traffic location, but it is the most captive audience, State Park). Our business insurance was insane because of the park & the 2 locations, so hopefully that will go down & we will be able to advertise our existance in the park this year. Helps if people know you are there. I would work more as long as it's only one location, the sheer amount of paperwork & shopping was overwhleming last summer.
Now I feel like I am rambling...
So far I have a clearer picture of where we are, where we are going is still a lot fuzzy, but I'm sure I'll find a way!
Ok, so at least I can be comforted by the fact that I have a temporary gig coming up here in a couple weeks (Easter Chocolates, yum!!!) The best part about that was they don't pay me until we close shop (day after Easter), so I get it lump sum.
If only I could put off buying groceries until then???
So, now that I have determined that we are frugal (cheap, broke, poor, etc...) by necessity I need to find a way to fix it. I think I am going to start by cutting our food $ back a lot. I know it is already below averages for a family our size, but we could do better. We still buy a lot of snack type stuff (granted I can & do bake cookies, I just don't see me whipping out a potato & the deep fryer for chips any time soon)
Our real time cash out flow is higher than our cash in flow, not good.
We spent about $1800 extra in Nov, Dec and Jan ($ from gifts, closing a savings account & some profit dh made drop shipping) That was supposed to have caught us up on overdue bills, so we would be starting from 0 in 2007, but we aren't.
If we sell our concession trailer...that is the only way we can make this work, but then we are out of business permanently. SO that really isn't an option yet, we are still weighing the advantage of keeping it higher than selling. The payment on the trailer =$37 a week, that is almost my food budget.
I've said before that I am trying to follow The Simple Dollar's 31 days to fix your finances However, I am at a point where I'm not sure I can continue, I will, but most of the advice is in dealing with a budget surplus that I just do not have. I know I need to pay myself first, but there just isn't the cash left on pay day to do that, it is either already spent or must be. We are in a sort of crisis mode right now. To top it all off, we have found out that one of our tenants is moving out (presumably by months end). Now this would be a good thing if it wasn't January.
We have been wanting this family to move out, pretty much since they moved in (it's a one bedroom apartment, there are 4 people living in it, it was a favor, will never happen again). However, now I have to worry about getting it filled shortly after they leave, but still find time & $ to do repairs they won't pay for (they should, but a lawyer will cost more & we'd never get a dime anyways). Plus, the natural gas will have to be left on, which means I'm paying. Just found out dh never paid the bill from the last time the apt was empty in 2005, that cost us $488. It was empty from Jan - March.
Dh had to go buy more coal today, I don't know how much he spent. I do know that he had to pay $700 on the mortgage & trailer on Saturday. Our cost of living here is only $378 a month (that includes taxes, insurance & mortgage) the rest is covered by rent income. He WAS a month behind on the trailer.
Also, in doing our books for the end of the year I figured we lost $4800 last summer, not to bad, since only $750 of that has been realized (in the trailer payments) to date. So if you take out the trailer loan we made a whopping, hold on to your seats $1200 last summer. We had 2 locations & a fairly steady customer traffic flow. Sure there are plenty of things that will change if we open this year (#1 being that we are back to 1 location, unfortunately it isn't the highest traffic location, but it is the most captive audience, State Park). Our business insurance was insane because of the park & the 2 locations, so hopefully that will go down & we will be able to advertise our existance in the park this year. Helps if people know you are there. I would work more as long as it's only one location, the sheer amount of paperwork & shopping was overwhleming last summer.
Now I feel like I am rambling...
So far I have a clearer picture of where we are, where we are going is still a lot fuzzy, but I'm sure I'll find a way!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Kids & Money
My biggest GOAL of 2007 is to start & keep going with the financial education of my kiddos. So I've been doing a bit of surfing looking for little tidbits to help in their financal education.
I can't say I didn't get a good head start, I did. DH, there's another story. He was the baby of the family (by 11 years) & I think they just assumed he'd figure it out on his own??? Or they really did intend to give him money for the rest of their lives...
My Dad taught me a lot about stocks & investing & I was forced to save, which netted me a very large tax bill when I was 15 (had to get $ so wouldn't show up on financial aid apps) and a very little money to start college with (I think I spent it on 1 semester's worth of tuition, books & fees...) SO I had a decent chunk, that didn't go very far even with aid & I went state college not private, oh my...I digress.
I won the $50 Stock contest our Senior year of Highschool (eek, that was a while back!). I think I turned $10,000 into $15,000??? It's been a while, but I think I was the only one in the class still active after the first 2 weeks (you'd think I was a total loser right?, just weird). SO the $50 was mine even if I lost all of it. So I had an idea on how to pick stocks, when to trade, when to hold. I can even read the WSJ & understand it most of the time! Which when you think about it is pretty impressive with all those silly numbers & weird letters!
So, how did I end up here, in debt, living dh's pay check to pay check...well lets just say my education ended there. As long as I had a job I had money, my needs were met, my Mom had a new job so there was extra cash in the household (she had been a stay at home Mom, even through layoffs & unemployment)so I guess I just expected things to not change so drastically when I went to college. HA (~ not blaming anyone but myself here, maybe just whining a little!)
Back then the credit card companies were so eager to give cards away they. I had a summer internship at a major CO & they paid well, I ended up with 2 credit cards my first summer (My intentions were great, one was a gas CO card so I was earning cash back + when I filled up with their gas, the other was a low interest acct, I wanted them for emergencies & book buying, I was traveling over an hour a day in an older car, in another state, but they gave me soooooo much credit, like $2500 to start & when I made regular payments it just kept going up & up before I knew it it was $5000) SO leading us down the path of financial destruction, I was married before I turned 21 (by choice, not necessity) & 6 months after the I Dos Dh was into his first bought of unemployment which was funded by my credit, not Unemployment....
So, needless to say I am like a sponge, open to just about anything to educate my kids so this doesn't happen to them.
I know DS is going to be President someday, he can talk a line of BS like you wouldn't believe. He even has his teacher fooled into thinking she runs the class!!! Kind of like sometimes he lets me be in charge around the house! This means he will need to go to a "Good" college, which means big bucks for us in only 11 years. We are hoping for a football scholarship, but it is highly unlikely!!! We are ok now, at the moment he wants to drive a bulldozer, we tried explaining that he wants to own the Construction Co so he can drive all the equipment, but he insists that we are full of it!
DD is a constant entertainer, I just don't see a lab coat in her future...But, I'm not into labeling them just yet & funding her move to Hollywood could cost as much as DSs ivy league schooling....
SO I surf, I soak it all in, & I pray that I understand it myself!!!
I have found a few sites to share dealing with kids & money, for us (the parent) & for them (GAMES, does anything else work these days???) Why can't Nintendo create an algebra based game??? Spelling anyone???
Money Central by the US Treasury has age appropriate activities (5-8 & 9-13). It has some fun games (at least in the 5-8 activities where I was)
ING's Orange Kids
Pay JR. has great links to some other kids & money sites in their Education Center
The Simple Dollar posted a link & review about a money savvy pig, loved it, how cute!
Rich Dad - Richard K has developed the Cash Flow Game (either adult of kid version)
I still think that the best starter for money education & realestate was Monopoly! Pass Go collect $200!!! Obviously teaches strategy, how sometimes buying pricier properties can pay off, sometimes it doesn't...Monopoly Jr.
is great fun for the kids. I have played it numerous times with the Prince. Atleast until the Princess stole all the money...
All in all I figure the more I know, the better off they are. And they will never know if I don't teach them.
I can't say I didn't get a good head start, I did. DH, there's another story. He was the baby of the family (by 11 years) & I think they just assumed he'd figure it out on his own??? Or they really did intend to give him money for the rest of their lives...
My Dad taught me a lot about stocks & investing & I was forced to save, which netted me a very large tax bill when I was 15 (had to get $ so wouldn't show up on financial aid apps) and a very little money to start college with (I think I spent it on 1 semester's worth of tuition, books & fees...) SO I had a decent chunk, that didn't go very far even with aid & I went state college not private, oh my...I digress.
I won the $50 Stock contest our Senior year of Highschool (eek, that was a while back!). I think I turned $10,000 into $15,000??? It's been a while, but I think I was the only one in the class still active after the first 2 weeks (you'd think I was a total loser right?, just weird). SO the $50 was mine even if I lost all of it. So I had an idea on how to pick stocks, when to trade, when to hold. I can even read the WSJ & understand it most of the time! Which when you think about it is pretty impressive with all those silly numbers & weird letters!
So, how did I end up here, in debt, living dh's pay check to pay check...well lets just say my education ended there. As long as I had a job I had money, my needs were met, my Mom had a new job so there was extra cash in the household (she had been a stay at home Mom, even through layoffs & unemployment)so I guess I just expected things to not change so drastically when I went to college. HA (~ not blaming anyone but myself here, maybe just whining a little!)
Back then the credit card companies were so eager to give cards away they. I had a summer internship at a major CO & they paid well, I ended up with 2 credit cards my first summer (My intentions were great, one was a gas CO card so I was earning cash back + when I filled up with their gas, the other was a low interest acct, I wanted them for emergencies & book buying, I was traveling over an hour a day in an older car, in another state, but they gave me soooooo much credit, like $2500 to start & when I made regular payments it just kept going up & up before I knew it it was $5000) SO leading us down the path of financial destruction, I was married before I turned 21 (by choice, not necessity) & 6 months after the I Dos Dh was into his first bought of unemployment which was funded by my credit, not Unemployment....
So, needless to say I am like a sponge, open to just about anything to educate my kids so this doesn't happen to them.
I know DS is going to be President someday, he can talk a line of BS like you wouldn't believe. He even has his teacher fooled into thinking she runs the class!!! Kind of like sometimes he lets me be in charge around the house! This means he will need to go to a "Good" college, which means big bucks for us in only 11 years. We are hoping for a football scholarship, but it is highly unlikely!!! We are ok now, at the moment he wants to drive a bulldozer, we tried explaining that he wants to own the Construction Co so he can drive all the equipment, but he insists that we are full of it!
DD is a constant entertainer, I just don't see a lab coat in her future...But, I'm not into labeling them just yet & funding her move to Hollywood could cost as much as DSs ivy league schooling....
SO I surf, I soak it all in, & I pray that I understand it myself!!!
I have found a few sites to share dealing with kids & money, for us (the parent) & for them (GAMES, does anything else work these days???) Why can't Nintendo create an algebra based game??? Spelling anyone???
Money Central by the US Treasury has age appropriate activities (5-8 & 9-13). It has some fun games (at least in the 5-8 activities where I was)
ING's Orange Kids
Pay JR. has great links to some other kids & money sites in their Education Center
The Simple Dollar posted a link & review about a money savvy pig, loved it, how cute!
Rich Dad - Richard K has developed the Cash Flow Game (either adult of kid version)
I still think that the best starter for money education & realestate was Monopoly! Pass Go collect $200!!! Obviously teaches strategy, how sometimes buying pricier properties can pay off, sometimes it doesn't...Monopoly Jr.
is great fun for the kids. I have played it numerous times with the Prince. Atleast until the Princess stole all the money...All in all I figure the more I know, the better off they are. And they will never know if I don't teach them.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Preparing for 2007 Financially
Ok, so I have been following The Simple Dollar's 31 days to Fix Your Finances
I have completed up to day 10 & BOY am I informed! I have managed to corner DH on every aspect of our finances & lay out for him everything he has messed up in the last 3 years. But I think we have a sound understanding & a plan of attack. I can't wait for the next days task to be posted!!! I am really liking the simplicity of it all, dh is not a financial wonder & has a hard time grasping concepts like if you spend $20 on chicken wings how are you going to pay the phone bill???
SO right now I have our expenses & how many hours he has to work to meet them. Realizing that he is falling short a few hours a week is really frustrating, especially since we are so close, with no wiggle room at all.
I'd post what I have done so far but it is far humbling a task!!! Maybe in the end I'll fill in the blanks, but right now it's just all TOO REAL!!!
I have completed up to day 10 & BOY am I informed! I have managed to corner DH on every aspect of our finances & lay out for him everything he has messed up in the last 3 years. But I think we have a sound understanding & a plan of attack. I can't wait for the next days task to be posted!!! I am really liking the simplicity of it all, dh is not a financial wonder & has a hard time grasping concepts like if you spend $20 on chicken wings how are you going to pay the phone bill???
SO right now I have our expenses & how many hours he has to work to meet them. Realizing that he is falling short a few hours a week is really frustrating, especially since we are so close, with no wiggle room at all.
I'd post what I have done so far but it is far humbling a task!!! Maybe in the end I'll fill in the blanks, but right now it's just all TOO REAL!!!
Shopping trip #2 - 2007
Ok, back to the store we went. 1/8/07 WalMart
Food: $28.28
Household: $5.24
Kids: $16.21
Kids was training pants & wipes. She needs to get into big girl pants, but then the 7 year old needs to get dressed for school in less than 20 minutes... Parenting dilema, I can only be in one place at a time & the bathroom and ds's bedroom are too far apart to yell!
Household - dishwasher soap, comet, & yarn (had to fix dh's slippers, somehow the Princess managed to chew through the lacing??? Guess that could be a blog in itself...)
Food - milk x 2
cheese slices & brick
juice
reduced bakery items (french bread, was Oven baked french toast last night.)
bologna (the $1/pound stuff)
waffles
"pop tarts"
granola bars
salsa
oatmeal
yogurt sticks
tube buscuits (I buy the cheap ones - usually $0.25/tube)the kids like to cook with them, so a 4 pack will last us a while
So total 2007:
Grocery: $106.58
Household: $62.73
Sales Tax: $3.98
Food: $28.28
Household: $5.24
Kids: $16.21
Kids was training pants & wipes. She needs to get into big girl pants, but then the 7 year old needs to get dressed for school in less than 20 minutes... Parenting dilema, I can only be in one place at a time & the bathroom and ds's bedroom are too far apart to yell!
Household - dishwasher soap, comet, & yarn (had to fix dh's slippers, somehow the Princess managed to chew through the lacing??? Guess that could be a blog in itself...)
Food - milk x 2
cheese slices & brick
juice
reduced bakery items (french bread, was Oven baked french toast last night.)
bologna (the $1/pound stuff)
waffles
"pop tarts"
granola bars
salsa
oatmeal
yogurt sticks
tube buscuits (I buy the cheap ones - usually $0.25/tube)the kids like to cook with them, so a 4 pack will last us a while
So total 2007:
Grocery: $106.58
Household: $62.73
Sales Tax: $3.98
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
What to do today -
Trent at the Simple Dollar has an interesting list up of what can I do today to make me rich in the future.
Loved the list.
Drink cheaper coffee - I already drink cheaper coffee (I don't work outside the home, so while I think I am at least a half a pot a day I'm not ordering double shot grande mocha lattes).
Make your own fast food - Do bologna sandwiches count??? I do cook a lot of meals at home, but then there are 4 of us, eating out is just too expensive, even if we eat off the value menu!
Read a book - Ok, so we have TV & we already cut it back as far as we are willing too, guess it's a luxury expense. But, the kids watch a lot of the educational stuff & if we cut it back to the basics we'd lose dh's hockey!
Get cheaper hobbies, well..... I just don't think so! I sew, dh golfs, the Prince even has clubs... It's not like I spend more than $10 a week over the course of a year... well, dh got new clubs & I got the serger last year (his terms, grrrr), we do watch for coupons for golf & it's not like they go every week. They only went 2x last summer.
Air up your tires - we don't have a vehicle on the road at the moment, not an issue
Use free software - we already use free antivirus & spyware. We did have to buy a spyware when dh's work software got a nasty bug.
Buy in bulk - well I love Sam's Club, I just can't seem to get out of there cheaply... plus as I noticed at the store on the 3rd, sometimes more doesn't mean less$ in fact in most cases it actually cost more. IE sugar, usually I buy 10 pounds at Sam's but we haven't been & I needed it, so I was going to go for the 10 pound bag, it actually cost $0.02/pound MORE than the 5 pound??? go figure
Plan careful road trips - well not having a vehicle of ones own you do that anyways...
Check the library - while I love the library as a resource ours basically stinks, so occaisionally you find what you want, but sometimes it's far less frustrating to go to Amazon.com
Drink lots of water - One I should have put under my health & fitness 2007 goal, I know I need to drink more than I do.
Keep a list of what you spend - don't do this, maybe I should, but then I need to have a notebook & remember to keep it with me & not lose it...
Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescents done! The Finance Journey has a post about these lights & Wal-Mart
Write a grocery list. Usually I do a little beyond that & plan my menu. I got out of the habit, once I stopped shopping sales (Wal-Mart & Aldi have the best general prices & usually less than sales in the other chain grocery stores around here) Now when we were getting coupons in the mail for the new grocery store for free stuff & $5 off any order over $10, well I was all over that, but now I need to get back to it, since our Wal-Mart has started raising prices on some items already.
Invite friedns over - sure, except they are both single guys (at least the friends we get together with) I really don't want to eat anything they cook! So I either cook, or we order out for pizza & wings.
Programmable thermostat was the first real improvement we made to the house! The first winter we had it was nice, I got to see just how cold we really were! Now I'm not so sure it is a relevant piece of electronics! The coal furnace while tied into the thermostat, will not kick down if it's over, the damper will close but if it's windy it will not stop & we will be stripping down to shorts & Ts!
Turn your computer off - well that would make it really hard for dh to work since he's on the puter 3rd shift. We do turn the desktop off, that thing is an energy hog & runs so loudly that it will keep you up if you don't!
The 10 second rule - I guess I do this without thinking. I usually edit the cart before or at the checkout. I can usually pull a couple things out that are just not necessary after I've walked around with them for a while. And when I shop online I have done my research, so I'm not making spontaneous purchases.
According to Trent if you do all of these things you could potentially save $4600 a year, not bad if you have it to put into an account on Dec 31st! Woohoo. Unfortunately that isn't what happens here... I don't get to see the money I save as it all goes into the house or debt reduction, so I can at least feel good about the fact that $4600 of that is from my efforts!!! Gooooo Meeeee!
Loved the list.
Drink cheaper coffee - I already drink cheaper coffee (I don't work outside the home, so while I think I am at least a half a pot a day I'm not ordering double shot grande mocha lattes).
Make your own fast food - Do bologna sandwiches count??? I do cook a lot of meals at home, but then there are 4 of us, eating out is just too expensive, even if we eat off the value menu!
Read a book - Ok, so we have TV & we already cut it back as far as we are willing too, guess it's a luxury expense. But, the kids watch a lot of the educational stuff & if we cut it back to the basics we'd lose dh's hockey!
Get cheaper hobbies, well..... I just don't think so! I sew, dh golfs, the Prince even has clubs... It's not like I spend more than $10 a week over the course of a year... well, dh got new clubs & I got the serger last year (his terms, grrrr), we do watch for coupons for golf & it's not like they go every week. They only went 2x last summer.
Air up your tires - we don't have a vehicle on the road at the moment, not an issue
Use free software - we already use free antivirus & spyware. We did have to buy a spyware when dh's work software got a nasty bug.
Buy in bulk - well I love Sam's Club, I just can't seem to get out of there cheaply... plus as I noticed at the store on the 3rd, sometimes more doesn't mean less$ in fact in most cases it actually cost more. IE sugar, usually I buy 10 pounds at Sam's but we haven't been & I needed it, so I was going to go for the 10 pound bag, it actually cost $0.02/pound MORE than the 5 pound??? go figure
Plan careful road trips - well not having a vehicle of ones own you do that anyways...
Check the library - while I love the library as a resource ours basically stinks, so occaisionally you find what you want, but sometimes it's far less frustrating to go to Amazon.com
Drink lots of water - One I should have put under my health & fitness 2007 goal, I know I need to drink more than I do.
Keep a list of what you spend - don't do this, maybe I should, but then I need to have a notebook & remember to keep it with me & not lose it...
Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescents done! The Finance Journey has a post about these lights & Wal-Mart
Write a grocery list. Usually I do a little beyond that & plan my menu. I got out of the habit, once I stopped shopping sales (Wal-Mart & Aldi have the best general prices & usually less than sales in the other chain grocery stores around here) Now when we were getting coupons in the mail for the new grocery store for free stuff & $5 off any order over $10, well I was all over that, but now I need to get back to it, since our Wal-Mart has started raising prices on some items already.
Invite friedns over - sure, except they are both single guys (at least the friends we get together with) I really don't want to eat anything they cook! So I either cook, or we order out for pizza & wings.
Programmable thermostat was the first real improvement we made to the house! The first winter we had it was nice, I got to see just how cold we really were! Now I'm not so sure it is a relevant piece of electronics! The coal furnace while tied into the thermostat, will not kick down if it's over, the damper will close but if it's windy it will not stop & we will be stripping down to shorts & Ts!
Turn your computer off - well that would make it really hard for dh to work since he's on the puter 3rd shift. We do turn the desktop off, that thing is an energy hog & runs so loudly that it will keep you up if you don't!
The 10 second rule - I guess I do this without thinking. I usually edit the cart before or at the checkout. I can usually pull a couple things out that are just not necessary after I've walked around with them for a while. And when I shop online I have done my research, so I'm not making spontaneous purchases.
According to Trent if you do all of these things you could potentially save $4600 a year, not bad if you have it to put into an account on Dec 31st! Woohoo. Unfortunately that isn't what happens here... I don't get to see the money I save as it all goes into the house or debt reduction, so I can at least feel good about the fact that $4600 of that is from my efforts!!! Gooooo Meeeee!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Club Mom article...
By ClubMom Member Janette, Omaha, NE Janette is a ClubMom Member from Omaha, NE. Copyright © 2006, CMI Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. |
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Ahh the dreaded emergency repair...
http://www.moneysmartlife.com/2006/12/10/patching-the-crack-in-our-monthly-budget/
I think this is why the first step in most programs for debt reduction say to start an emergency savings fund. I know, but have I done it? NO! Not yet at least. But then I am not in 100% control of things right now. In fact it is becoming an increasingly more difficult struggle over finances here...
So, how would we handle such a crisis. {We have glass coverage on the van, so as long as it wasn't one of the kids fault we'd only have a deductible to pay, but other emergencies happen} Like last year, when on Dec 21st we woke up to a 51 degree house. Hmmmm that's odd, the furnace should be running.... oh my furnace died, the wiring actually fried, we were lucky it didn't start a more serious fire.
So we bought the coal furnace (http://thefrugalmomma.blogspot.com/2006/12/snowy-day-in-wny.html ). We thankfully had been saving to replace the furnace & had some money set aside (enough to cover the install, fuel & a first payment on the furnace). Of course I found out in June that we hadn't made a payment in months...but that's another post about sharing responsibility & decisions & earning trust...
I have read that a good emergency account is 3 months pay. OK, that amount of money will take years to build up. Unless you are single, renting & would like to live out of your car for 4 months (you still have to pay for the car right???). I know that the way to become wealthy is to pay yourself first, but emergencies happen all the time. The furnace wiped us out completely. All of the money we saved was gone, now we find ourselves starting over again. So how much do you sock aside, when you don't make enough to pay the bills to begin with.
I know that we are putting our biggest expenses to work for us. Our house is a 3 unit, do I like living with tenants HECK NO, but the extra $ every month helps us keep our payment to a minimum. So we got 2x the house for the same money.
Our next biggest expense was the ice cream business, long story but I am pretty sure that ship is sailing away! So, that one didn't work out this summer for us at all, at least last year we did a little better than break even. This year, I know it is still costing us... Why am I not the one in charge??? Grrrrr. All of the things I said wouldn't work, guess what THEY DIDN'T!!! Ah such is life.
Our 3rd biggest expense (not really monetarily our biggest, just the first one I would cut if I could) is our DSL, thankfully I convinced him to drop the cable modem...We get our DSL for $45, the cable was $75. So we saved $30 a month there, but of course DH needs it to work, dial up just isn't fast enough for his up links. At least it's mostly deductible. So we need to make the Internet work for us. I know he is looking at other things to do (selling high demand items, google adwords, etc).
I wish I could say the candle consultant business is going to save us, yeah right!!! I am really only doing it thinking I'll get out of the house & be around adults once in a while... Plus it isn't really something I want to go out & do 5 nights a week, I'd be happy with 1. Of course at 1 night a week, it just about keeps you busy enough to not be profitable, so we'll see. Postage alone is crazy!!! (Deductible at least, but then you need income to deduct from right!)
So I am adding to my list of 2007 Goals to save $100 a month (in an account) for emergencies!
I think this is why the first step in most programs for debt reduction say to start an emergency savings fund. I know, but have I done it? NO! Not yet at least. But then I am not in 100% control of things right now. In fact it is becoming an increasingly more difficult struggle over finances here...
So, how would we handle such a crisis. {We have glass coverage on the van, so as long as it wasn't one of the kids fault we'd only have a deductible to pay, but other emergencies happen} Like last year, when on Dec 21st we woke up to a 51 degree house. Hmmmm that's odd, the furnace should be running.... oh my furnace died, the wiring actually fried, we were lucky it didn't start a more serious fire.
So we bought the coal furnace (http://thefrugalmomma.blogspot.com/2006/12/snowy-day-in-wny.html ). We thankfully had been saving to replace the furnace & had some money set aside (enough to cover the install, fuel & a first payment on the furnace). Of course I found out in June that we hadn't made a payment in months...but that's another post about sharing responsibility & decisions & earning trust...
I have read that a good emergency account is 3 months pay. OK, that amount of money will take years to build up. Unless you are single, renting & would like to live out of your car for 4 months (you still have to pay for the car right???). I know that the way to become wealthy is to pay yourself first, but emergencies happen all the time. The furnace wiped us out completely. All of the money we saved was gone, now we find ourselves starting over again. So how much do you sock aside, when you don't make enough to pay the bills to begin with.
I know that we are putting our biggest expenses to work for us. Our house is a 3 unit, do I like living with tenants HECK NO, but the extra $ every month helps us keep our payment to a minimum. So we got 2x the house for the same money.
Our next biggest expense was the ice cream business, long story but I am pretty sure that ship is sailing away! So, that one didn't work out this summer for us at all, at least last year we did a little better than break even. This year, I know it is still costing us... Why am I not the one in charge??? Grrrrr. All of the things I said wouldn't work, guess what THEY DIDN'T!!! Ah such is life.
Our 3rd biggest expense (not really monetarily our biggest, just the first one I would cut if I could) is our DSL, thankfully I convinced him to drop the cable modem...We get our DSL for $45, the cable was $75. So we saved $30 a month there, but of course DH needs it to work, dial up just isn't fast enough for his up links. At least it's mostly deductible. So we need to make the Internet work for us. I know he is looking at other things to do (selling high demand items, google adwords, etc).
I wish I could say the candle consultant business is going to save us, yeah right!!! I am really only doing it thinking I'll get out of the house & be around adults once in a while... Plus it isn't really something I want to go out & do 5 nights a week, I'd be happy with 1. Of course at 1 night a week, it just about keeps you busy enough to not be profitable, so we'll see. Postage alone is crazy!!! (Deductible at least, but then you need income to deduct from right!)
So I am adding to my list of 2007 Goals to save $100 a month (in an account) for emergencies!
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