Confused By Personal Finance

My first BLACK FRIDAY

2011-11-25T13:04:00.002-06:00

A co-worker convinced me to go out for black friday. I was hoping that she would forget, but yesterday around 8 pm she called trying to map out a plan of attack for midnight shopping. So I stayed up and left and went to Old Navy at midnight. I didn't go in because my co-worker didn't answer her phone, so then I went to our next destination...Target.

Once I got to Target, I immediately got in line and waited in line to pick up a Nikon digital camera. After waiting in line for an hour, I got some sense and decided to look at the camera and my new friend in line stated that she would save my place because she was interested in the same camera. So I go up to look at the camera and much to both of our disappointment, the camera operated on 4 AA batteries. I ended up spending an hour in line and did not purchase a thing.

I did not experience any crazy people fighting for items, but I did experience plenty of crazy people on the streets! There were so many accidents that night and I am so thankful that I made it home safely. I have come to the conclusion that Black Friday shopping is truly not worth it, unless I am shopping online. I can say that I went through the experience, but I will not be out next year.

30 Days to Declutter My Life...Day 1

2011-11-07T21:54:00.003-06:00

I have been so tied up with work that I have neglected my personal and financial obligations. I have decided that I would make it a priority to straighten up my life and get organized in order to take care of business. I am going to try to leave work early and spend time on a certain section/area a night.

Tonight was my laundry basket full of papers. I wish I would have taken a picture of it but I'm not sure where my camera is at the moment. It's somewhere among the junk I know.

But anyways...my laundry basket has been full of papers since before I even moved. And when something was too much for me to handle at the time, into the basket it went. So that was priority for the night because it was one of the most depressing points in my room.

It took around an hour to get it all cleaned out and I made sure to put everything in its proper place instead of stashing it in another pile somewhere.

As a result of me cleaning out my laundry basket, here is what I accomplished tonight...

I updated my ancient and unused eBay account and listed some computer games for sale.
I found the list of books I issued this summer to my AP students.
I found a paper that reminded me to contact someone about my reimbursement from the summer workshop.
I found a parent contact number and entered it into my iPad for safe keeping.
I found my secret pal info sheet for work and entered the information into evernote.
I found a literacy book that I had been looking for since I moved!!! (So happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I found a copy of our new evaluation rubric, so now I have one copy at work and one at home.
I found a whole lot of change, pens, lip balm, and glossy print paper.

It is amazing what you can find when you get rid of the clutter. I still have a long way to go and I may have a pic for you tomorrow when I attack the area where I think my camera is.

My goal is to get rid of my papers, have an organized room, and sell some clothes in order to make a little change and get rid of unused items. I started selling my games on eBay first to get my feet wet, and I will eventually get to my clothes before the month is up.

Does anyone have any tips regarding decluttering?

Getting it Together

2011-09-30T07:41:00.000-05:00

A NEW PLACE

This weekend I will be moving to a new place! I am renting a room out of a house that I used to live in many, many years ago. The rent is $450 and includes utilities, cable, and internet. I needed to move because my student loan consolidation should be complete soon and I need to make room to pay it. I could have moved home, but I know that will not work.

CLOSER TO MY SIDE HUSTLE

A while back I mentioned working at home rating classroom videos. I could not complete this task from my old apartment due to the internet connection being slow. I slept in my new place last night and completed the certification for that job and passed! Now I just have to wait on my schedule and I can start work. :)

A NEW JOB?

I have been really unhappy with my job lately. I had some time off this week due to me having emergency surgery, but I go back on Monday. I was trying to wait five years so I can receive student loan forgiveness ($17,500 gone!), but now I'm thinking that I won't make it. So I'm thinking of maybe applying to grad school now instead of next year.

On another note...why does student loan consolidation take so long? I started the process back in July and it's still not done. I need to request a forbearance on my loans again because I cannot pay $800 a month.

Student loan consolidation...

2011-08-03T17:57:00.008-05:00

My student loans will be coming out of forbearance soon (with the exception of one that I've started paying) and I wanted to consolidate before they were due. Consolidating my student loans was and still is a very tiresome process. Definitely not as simple as I would have liked it to be.

To start, I had to determine who all my lenders were. This alone made me glad to be consolidating! Then I went to each lenders website and obtained the current balance on every single loan. I think I had like from 14-17 in all with 5 lenders.

To start my application, I had to visit the student loan consolidation website and enter each loan one by one. After verifying a bunch of information, I was prompted to sign and mail in some forms. I thought I was done after this, but I received a letter in the mail asking to submit another form. I had to submit my pay stubs as well because I'm applying for the ICR repayment plan. I chose that plan because I will qualify for student loan forgiveness in two more years.

One thing I like about the process is that you are provided with an estimated payment amount for each plan. The amounts for me are listed below...

I will only have $17,500 forgiven, and the ICR will allow me to pay less interest with fewer payments.

As of this moment, my application status is in certification. This means that they are still contacting all the lenders to verify the amounts, and will then send me an updated payment schedule. I submitted my application on July 6th, so I guess that gives you some kind of idea of how long this takes. My student loans are part of the main reason I'm moving home because I'm sure I would not be able to afford it any other way at this time.

Advice for those with a MacBook...

2011-08-03T17:57:00.002-05:00

To make your battery last longer, leave it plugged in as much as possible.

I always thought that would drain your battery, but according to my Apple Genius that helped me today that is not true. Leave it plugged in.

My battery cost me $99, so as you can guess I'm going to try to make this bad boy last as long as possible.

Friday Checkup #5 (late)

2011-07-30T08:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a REALLY good day! My paycheck was more than what I make in a month due to funds from tutoring being paid. I still haven't gotten paid for mentoring which is about to make me very angry - but anyway...

The first thing I did was to put $500 in savings to FINALLY start my BABY EF. I hope I don't get stupid and spend it foolishly.
Then I paid off the two cards I used when I was on my trip in addition to my JcPenney card, which had a balance of $553 and some change.
I gave myself a little allowance and purchased some books, a much needed handbag, and some other items from Wal-Mart totaling around $150.
I paid all my upcoming bills as well.

Going back to budget I posted a while back, the only thing left on the yellow sticker now is Best Buy, which has a balance pretty close to $2000. With me starting my last side hustle, which I heard can go on to October, that card should be paid off by year end. Then I can focus on getting rid of my big boy truck...

Last side hustle for the summer

2011-07-21T17:12:00.001-05:00

After waiting for over two months, I have finally heard something back from my last summer side hustle - the one where I get to work from home. I received an email today asking for my shift request and with training information. I'm so glad that I heard something because I was really losing hope.

Training is self-paced for two weeks and the pay is a little over $200. Once I am certified, the pay will be $18/hour. We can only work 4-hour shifts a day, so I requested to work every single day. I'm not quite sure how long we will be needed, but I hope it is at least two months.

The only negative is that I will be chaperoning a field trip out-of-town for a week. We will be traveling by bus and once we settle in the cities, we will be gone from 8 am - 9 pm. I'm pretty sure I will be exhausted by the end of the day and I wasn't planning on bringing my laptop with me, but now I guess I will so I can get some work done.

Troubles in Jobland...

2011-07-19T22:48:00.002-05:00

I won't divulge the name of my school district (if you really want to know you can google it), but they have closed.school.indefinitely until the city pays them money owed.

Therefore, if there is no school, there are no students for me to teach, meaning no paycheck.

This is when you truly need an emergency fund.

I have nothing saved and two more rent payments to make.

Times like this make me think that I'm being smart by moving back home.

I am so sick of this city and want to move so badly.

I feel that it is going down the drain and I would not want to raise kids here.

I wanted to stay at my school a little while longer, but I cannot deal with an incompetent administration (not school level - just to clarify).

I don't know what's going to happen but I really hate it for the children that are in this district. Delaying the school year means less time to prepare them for end of course tests. We are already last in the state.

I may need to meditate tonight.

Friday Checkup #4

2011-07-15T18:02:00.003-05:00

I just got back from a week long workshop and noticed the importance of credit cards. There are many arguments for and against the use of credit cards, but I feel that it all boils down to responsibility.

I paid off two of my cards! Yay!
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Then charged them up again.

Why?

By attending the workshop, I would be reimbursed for gas, meals, and receive a stipend as well. I did not want to use any funds related to my checking account, so I used my credit cards. When I receive my check I will pay them back off. I even spent less than I had planned, so that means a few extra dollars for me!

The main point is...two of my credit cards are paid off basically.

I leave today with a quote from August's Ebony magazine.

There is a lot of money advice in this issue. The quote is related to a post I wrote a few weeks ago and is from Ebony's editor-in-chief, Amy DuBois Barnett...

Money is a diamond-encrusted watch flashing on the wrist of someone who rents his home, leases her fresh-off-the-line car and has no savings. Wealth is the ability to contribute to your retirement fund, own a home with a monthly payment that you can comfortably afford, donate to charity and send your kids to the best schools possible to ensure their future success. Money is fun--but wealth is forever.

two small wins

2011-07-10T17:15:00.002-05:00

Yeah, it's been a minute and I know I haven't been keeping up with my weekly updates. I have so much to share and so little time to post.

I did want to take a quick minute to post two small wins for today. You see, I was struggling with cravings for a new hair color and Starbucks.

I dealt with them by
1. Admitting that you can only see my hair color in sunlight and dying it to black won't make that much of a difference.
2. I have tea at home and it's much better than Starbucks. And it's free.

I was able to save up to $12 today by dealing with my cravings instead of giving in.

Friday Financial Checkup #3

2011-06-25T12:14:00.001-05:00

I'm a little late with this and about to be late for work, so I will make this short and sweet.

I spent $90 over my food budget and I'm sure that number will be higher.
I'm still keeping up with my doctor's appointments, trying to take care of myself.
I would still like to quit my part-time job and play with my budget daily trying to make it work.
I have been searching for an apartment that is closer to my job AND affordable.

Friday Financial Checkup #2

2011-06-17T17:35:00.000-05:00

This week was slightly depressing because I did not get paid for summer school as I expected. I was told that it would be on our next paycheck. I did receive my stipend for having my AP tutoring session.
Other news...

I completed tutoring this week, which helps to make up for summer school. I have no idea when payday for that will be.
I received a cancellation on my Perkins loan, leaving 50% of my loan remaining.
I calculated my student loan payments...post on that coming soon.
On Wednesday, I went to the grocery store after work instead of eating fast food.
I have been looking for apartments closer to my job because I am fed up with the commute.
I still hate my part-time job and am about to go there now.

How was your week?

Friday Financial Checkup #1

2011-06-10T17:25:00.000-05:00

Since I do not commit to this blog as much as I should, I'm going to try to make my way back by summing up my week on Fridays. The list below contains my financial updates for the week.

I was dismissed from my summer school job due to no students, but another opportunity arose for me to tutor for the same pay.
I received my insurance renewal and my renter's and truck insurance decreased by $10 total.
I got a new tire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My paycheck from my retail job is now direct deposited to my ING checking. The goal is to get used to not seeing or spending that money.
I received $25 from a project I worked on last year.

That is about it. I'm going to try to keep this list action oriented instead of planning oriented. I'm known for planning all day, but now I'm interested in results only.

How did your week go?

Rich vs. Wealthy

2011-06-10T14:53:00.000-05:00

I ran into this You Tube video over the weekend and really enjoyed the insight provided by the young ladies. One of the questions asked was something along the lines of the difference between being rich and being wealthy.

My favorite response was from a med student who replied that being rich is being able to afford things such as a nice car and nice home to make others think you have money while being wealthy is being able to pass down money through the generations. So insightful!!!

The video is below...

Work Updates

2011-05-24T16:20:00.000-05:00

Retail...I hate it
I have been working at my retail part-time job for almost a month now and I have one word to describe it...boring. It is soooooooooooooo boring! All I do is stand around all day, pray for customers to come around, and listen to my co-workers gossip. I hate boring jobs and now I can think about is how soon can I quit. I have a lot of events coming up in July, so I will make a decision then. Right now I'm thinking about quitting in July before I leave out of town for a workshop, in October when I'm thinking about moving, or January after the holidays. I make $8.50 an hour and commission is included.

I feel like I could be doing better things with my time, such as spending more time on my education or make-up blog and working out and taking care of myself better. Other factors are how much debt I have paid off by mid-summer and how much my student loan payments will be. I'm tired of putting my loans in forbearance and have decided to begin paying on them by summer's end. At this point I'm not sure how much my payments will be under the payment plan I want to choose.

Other Summer Jobs
Working retail is not my only gig this summer. I'm still waiting for my position to begin with the testing service. I've signed my contract and am just waiting to hear from them. That job pays $18 an hour and I will work from home.

I am also doing summer school and submitted my contract last week. It's only for the month of June and I'll have to work 7-4. I will get paid close to $5000 before taxes for completing this work. This assignment is different from regular summer school because the students will work on the computer. I'll basically be there to supervise. I plan on utilizing my time by completing lesson plans for next year.

In July I will be participating in two separate events that are paid. One is a workshop at a University a few hours away. I will receive a $50 a day stipend, free lodging and travel reimbursement, and $1000 worth of free materials for my classroom. The other event is the week long summer camp I do each year and it pays $25 a day for a week.

Other Funds...
I am still waiting on some funds to come in for work done throughout the year. I have received my funds for tutoring - around $700. I expect $350-700 for mentoring and $315 for my work with the science club. I am also expecting $100-150 for hosting a Saturday tutoring session for my AP students.

What's the point?
My goal for this summer is to completely get rid of my credit card debt or come close to it and to begin paying on my student loans. I also need to purchase a new tire because I have been riding on my spare for many months now.

I have already made progress on my debt by paying my TWO payday advances (things were really bad) and catching up on bills that were way past due. It felt so good to delete items from my sticky note on my budgeting spreadsheet. I really need to work on tracking my expenses though and stop letting things dictate my life.

Yay for side hustles!!!

2011-04-11T18:56:00.000-05:00

So...I'm still doing the science club and only have two weeks remaining.

I just got a job today working from home with a testing service. It pays $18 and hour and training is included. If I only work 30 hours a week I will be brining in lots of cash.

I'm due to receive my stipends from mentoring and after school tutoring next month or in June.

I'm applying for other summer positions - hope to hear something soon. I'll even do summer school if I have to.

I'm glad to say that I'm actually doing something about my situation. Kinda didn't want to blog unless it was due to a positive action on my part.

I've decided to put off surgery because I'm going to try using natural medicines to help my condition.

2011-04-04T20:18:00.001-05:00

I finally decided to do something more regarding my financial situation and that is to look for part time work. I've applied to four places today (forgot how long job applications are!) And will apply to more this week.

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burned out

2011-03-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

I am officially hating my job right now. I am one burnt out teacher and I'm getting to the point where I don't care. And when I don't care, something serious needs to happen. I don't know if it is the school or what, but I need a change.

Dinner tonight...the BEST salad ever!

2011-03-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

This is my variation of the salad found at www.344pounds.com. It's simple but so amazing.

First, I sliced up my chicken breast and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then I placed the chicken in a skillet with heated olive oil.

While my chicken was cooking, I got out my salad greens (baby italian mix from kroger), cut my tomatoes, got my cheese (feta and italian mix) and prepared my plate.

Once my chicken was nice and golden as I like it, I applied the BBQ sauce and cooked for 1-2 mins. more on low heat.

I topped off my salad with Ken's Greek dressing.

I only cooked one chicken breast tonight and have some left to eat this again tomorrow. I'm out of feta cheese, so I hope I still like it tomorrow.

I'm SLOWLY adjusting my life for the better. I know there are a lot of things that I need to work on. I feel...or better yet... I KNOW that eating out ruins my finances and my health. I'm thinking of posting pictures of my meals and talking about food more not in order to become a food blog, but to see how my finances will change as a result. I have another meal that I want to post that I prepared Sunday, but I will wait until the weekend to share it.

Quickie Post: Side Hustle

2011-03-22T19:20:00.000-05:00

Starting tomorrow I will begin working at an after school program for disadvantaged youth. The program is part of a grant with a local university and I will only have to attend four sessions for 1.5 hours each. There is only one session a week and my pay will be $385.

I'm seriously debating having my surgery so I can work this summer. I've been seeing a specialist and have been on a new set of meds that are working better than any other I've tried.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir - 'Lux Aurumque'

2011-03-15T13:39:00.000-05:00

One of the most AMAZING things I've ever seen!

on to the next...

2011-03-14T19:54:00.004-05:00

TeacHer Finance recently posted about not wanting to be in the classroom forever and I can totally relate. Just last week, I mentioned to my colleague that I no longer enjoy going to work each day. I've gotten to the point where I don't care. I have slacked up on all my paperwork mainly because I see no point in it. I see no point in a lot of things that I have to do as a teacher, so now I just don't do them. When I do complete tasks, I get told later that it doesn't count and then I get mad.

My colleague suggested that maybe I try a different school. With current legislation, I'm afraid the culture will be the same wherever I go, which is teaching to the test. I hate to say it, but I basically have no choice. Students are no longer students - but professional test takers. They are burned out and we work day and night modifying teaching strategies and planning and they could care less because they just guess during the test anyway.

I would love to opportunity just to TEACH! It doesn't even matter the subject matter. I just wish I could teach without worrying about being reprimanded because I have not submitted paperwork that has been duplicated in five different places already.

Some may read this and think that I'm one of the bad teachers that need to lose my job, but that is not the case. All of my evaluations are excellent and test scores are great. It's becoming more and more stressful to keep this up though. I value my time a lot and I feel that it is wasted constantly because of mundane tasks.

I am currently working on ways to make life easier for myself next school year, and I wanted to teach for at least five years...but...I have made the decision today that I am going to apply to graduate school in the fall to pursue my PhD in education. I am a research oriented person and I know that by pursuing this I'll be living the vision that I have set for myself.

Sorry to ramble, but her post really spoke to me since this has been on my mind.

being brave

2011-02-15T20:39:00.002-06:00

I did something today that I should have done a long time ago - moving to a cash based system. I haven't the strength to cut up my cards yet, but I have taken them out of my wallet and put them away. I also went to the ATM tonight to withdraw funds for food and gas to last until my next pay day on the 28th. I've always been so scared to carry cash because if someone robs me then I can't get it back. Plus, I tend to lose things (including money) pretty easily, yet it always comes up a month or so later.

To make me feel a little better, I'm not going to keep all my cash on me at once. I'll be living off of $100 a week. At this point all of my bills that are due and can be paid with this check have been paid. My goal is to not touch my debit or credit cards until next payday. And even then I will only touch my debit card to make my next withdrawal on payday.

On a good note - This payday means that I am finally caught up on my truck payment! I made my plan and stuck with it and now that is one thing I can cross of my list. Now I'm going to focus on catching up on my cell phone bill.

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I do have one small budget dilemma...

I am wanting to go out of town so bad for Spring Break. The reason is because I am really missing some of my college friends and I've been working really hard lately and could use a break. I would not take an all out vacation. Matter of fact, I would have free lodging (staying with friends) and I could drive wherever I needed to go.

I am thinking of Dallas or Gulfport. The cost of the rental of a small economy car plus gas together would be much less than driving my truck. I know that all summer I will be on bed rest as a result of my upcoming surgeries, so I would really like a break.

What do you think???

Catching Up on my truck payment (plus finalized BUDGET!)

2011-01-24T22:10:00.004-06:00

Above is my final budget for any given month. I looked at all of my bills and based this off of due dates. There is an excess of funds, but this is how I plan to spend it...

$200 in debt snowball
$60 in fun money (This will be my money for clothes and entertainment. I'm tired of not living life!)
$28.03 - This or any other remaining amount will be used to help build my checking account cushion. I would like a cushion of $100. After that, it will go to savings.

I made sticky notes to remind me of the order that I need to take care of my debt. The only item not listed is the payday advance I had to get when my tire was messed up (which messed up other plans I had).

SO....how am I getting out of that mess???

First, I have to mention that I opened an account at a new payday loan place. I did this for two reasons:

So I won't have to drive 30 minutes from my job and an hour from my house to pay a loan.
The place that is closer to me (five minutes away!) had a special where new customers pay no interest on the first loan.

I figured that the no interest part is the best since it saves me $30 AND I don't have to worry about spending extra gas.

Now back to the original question...how am I getting out of this mess?

I am selling my cell phone. Yep, my HTC HD2 that I haven't even had a year. I really do not use many features on the phone and my previous cell phone is in great condition. I listed my phone on craigslist last week for $275 and will be meeting a buyer tomorrow that has offered $230.

I really did not want to sell for less than $250, but I've had no other serious inquiries. Now I can pay off my payday loan without rewriting AND complete number one on my priority list.

NEXT is the truck...

Since I'm selling my phone to pay off the payday loan, I can pay the late balance on my truck that much faster. This plan is sketched out on the second sticky note. By the time my next truck payment is due, I will have completely paid my late balance and can move on to catching up on my electric and phone bill. After that is the credit cards. YAY!

Decisions made...

As much as I really don't want to, I am going to HAVE to go on an envelope system. This Friday (payday), I WILL take out $40 for food, $60 for gas, and $20 to keep in my wallet for emergencies. I would take out the whole amounts for food and gas, but I'm scared that I will overspend. When I do this, I will no longer carry any credit OR debit cards with me. This is why having $20 on hand is more important, in case I have a flat or something.

I CAN AND I WILL GET OUT OF DEBT!

NO SPEND DAY #2

2011-01-18T22:24:00.003-06:00

For a moment, I wasn't paying attention to my spending (horrible I know) but as I was reading a few blogs tonight, I realized that today was a NO SPEND DAY! I did not have any change in my purse for the vending machine (trust me...I was looking!) and I cooked dinner tonight. Tomorrow should be another no spend day because I have leftovers and I also prepared my lunch for tomorrow.

I'm thinking of maybe working at a hotel part-time for some extra money. There are several by my apartment that I want to try. I figured that would be a pretty good part-time job because I could still study/prepare for work/grade papers. It will be hard, but I might as well work part-time until May, when I have my surgery.

Now I'm off to grade papers. Seriously.

Murphy came and kicked me in the behind today!

2011-01-06T19:36:00.002-06:00

This morning already started off kind of crazy because I overslept. I usually try to get to work by 6:30. I didn't wake up until 7:41 when my co-worker called. It just so happened that we had department meetings all day and I am the chair so I wasn't in too much trouble.

So I woke up and got dressed and got to my truck. First thing I see is a flat tire. And I mean it is all the way flat. I called roadside assistance and they towed my truck to the dealer - it was the closest shop. The tow was covered by my insurance (I love California Casualty!). The tire was beyond repair and I had to purchase another one. I couldn't ride on the spare, because I am still on the spare from my other tire. My co-worker picked me up and I went to the dreaded, awful, check cashing place. I was almost to the point of tears earlier because I was planning on getting my one tire replaced by the end of the month, and BAM! Another gets damaged.

I hate to do so because I know it will hurt my credit, but I am going to have to forego paying my car note this month. I'm pretty sure I won't get another extension, but I would rather owe them than start the payday cycle again. It will just take me a little longer to get my new tire.

I want to get to the point where I am very strict with my money. One theme I keep getting from Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey is the relationship between power and money. Getting in debt and overspending means I am completely powerless and out of control. I need to show my money who's boss. Why should I let something that's tangible control me. I know I'm better than that. It is time I begin acting like it. Dave Ramsey has a very detailed budgeting sheet on his website. I'm going to work on completing that and getting to a zero based budget. In a way it sounds scary to account for every penny, but I know it will be worth it.

Oh...and I planned on today being a no-spend day. Instead I purchased a tire and an alarm clock.

NO SPEND DAY #1

2011-01-03T19:24:00.001-06:00

I am elated to report that today has been a no spend day for me. I did not eat out of the vending machine at work, and I made my own meal today from what I had at home already.

Medical Issues (may be TMI for some)

2010-12-30T15:12:00.003-06:00

I can forget about working this summer. Or doing much else. I just left the doctor and found out my surgery is going to be 2 operations. And that they are very very intensive. All I could do was cry in the doctor's office. Because of this, I am going to wait it out until summer. Until then, they are going to send me to infectious diseases so I can get on an antibiotic regimen to ease some of my symptoms. To get an idea of what I suffer with, here is a video (very graphic). I actually went through the situation in the video two years ago and had surgery and skin grafts underneath both arms. Now, the issue is in my pubic area, inner thighs, and buttocks. And breast.

I'm not too confident that the antibiotics will work much and I'm definitely not looking forward to cutting out everything in my groin area.

I'm not feeling too good at all today. I just want to be better.

2010-12-29T22:59:00.004-06:00

Instead of working like I planned, I read Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover from beginning to end. After doing so, I realize that I am not attacking my debt as much as I could be. I have got to work harder.

Next book: Suze Orman's The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke.

2010-12-28T11:49:00.004-06:00

Hello all! I hope that you had a great holiday. I spent Christmas visiting family. We really don't do Christmas gifts, so I didn't do much shopping in that category. Last week we had a baby shower for my principal and I was one of the ones in charge of getting it together. With the cost of food and gift, that took a little bit out of my budget. It was a very nice event though. After the baby shower, I went shopping with our two assistant principals. I wasn't ready to go home and we were already at the mall. I did good at resisting alot of temptation but I did spend once we got to Lane Bryant. Although it was not in my budget, I'm glad that I shopped there. I purchased some much needed pants for work, two sweaters, and some other items. Everything that I bought was on sale and another customer gave me a coupon. You can see how much I saved below...

That's great for Lane Bryant! And plus, I REALLY needed some new work pants.

Not having to work has made me very bored and lazy. I went to the library last week and signed up for a library card. I checked out several books and even saw a co-worker there as well. I got a little work done there (I was trying to avoid going to Starbucks) but I still have much more to do. I still have grades and planning and I must get it done by Friday (personal goal). I don't want to go to work on Monday with items still looming over my head when I have time now to take care of it.

I feel like I may go to Starbucks one day this week, but I have been fighting the urge with Nutella Hot Chocolate! Yummy!

I've been contemplating purchasing a kitchen table. I sold my other one before I moved but now I'm missing having a space to work. I do so much better sitting at a table than on the couch or floor. Then part of me says that I can hold off a little while longer...so that is what I'm going to do.

To keep track of my finances, I have been entering in amounts into my spreadsheet daily. I'm not keeping a daily total, just adding to the former amounts. I'll post that information on the 15th, on my next payday.

I need to check on my disability insurance. I may be going in for surgery soon and I know I'll be out for a while if that is the case. This is another reason why I want to plan for work now. I need to check on my benefits since I'll be missing out. I have to change my address at work too so that I'll get my W-2 in a timely fashion.

I guess that's enough rambling for today. I'm about to get dressed, do laundry, and go to the library and pick up Dave Ramsey's book that I have on hold. I'm going to finish planning for one of my classes, leaving two left. And I'm going to try to avoid Starbucks.

Good day all!

Putting it all out there...

2010-12-19T19:10:00.002-06:00

TeacHer suggested that I lay out all my financial information. This was a good exercise for me because I learned that I am hardly making a dent in my truck payment. I have updated NetWorth IQ as well. So here it is...

Income

Base Salary - $1915.39 twice a month

After Union dues, insurance, retirement, and taxes, I take home $1316.33 twice a month.

Other Assets

I have no idea how much my retirement accounts are right now. Five percent is automatically taken out for the state retirement system. According to my last check stub, I've contributed $2,133.96 this year.

I also have a tax-sheltered annuity or 403(b) - I'm really confused about this account! - and I've contributed $1,100 this year.

My miniscule Sharebuilder account holds $11.06.

Bank Accounts

My Wells Fargo Checking holds $1649.27 and Savings $21.31.

My ING Checking holds $4.19 and Savings $2.14.

Nasty Nasty Debt!

The payoff for my monster of a truck is $29,265.70.

I have five credit cards in which only four have balances - $2,726.26.

My student loans total up to be $76,814. Since I am a teacher, some of that will be forgiven, but I'll still have a pretty penny to pay back.

According to Credit Karma, my credit score is 642 - fair.

My Vantage Score is 652 (D) and my Auto Insurance Score is 824 or poor.

My bankruptcy was finalized in September of 2004 and in February a significant amount of bad reporting should be cleared from my credit report.

As far as my monthly expenses...

Rent - $620.01

Electricity* - $100

Water* - $20.00

Truck Payment - $665.39

Truck Insurance - $152.00

Renter's Insurance - $22.00

Washer and Dryer Rental* - $37.27

T-Mobile* - $120.00

Internet* - $38.00

Netflix - $10.91

Food - $200.00

Gas - $240.00

Debt Repayment - $100.00

That leaves me with basically $300 a month. This is including my recent raise, so I should be able to make a slightly bigger dent in my finances.

What am I doing now to help myself?

Well finally submitting the paperwork for my raise was a pretty good beginning.

Paying my credit card bills on time each month, even though it is only the minimum.

Turning the heat all the way down or even off when I'm away.

Moved to a cheaper place.

Got rid of cable.

Making sure I do a good job at work.

What could I do better?

Quit eating out as much and prepare food at home (and not prepackaged food either!)

Exercise to increase health and to prevent me from buying new clothes - I'm gaining weight and have not been able to fit some things.

Learn to say NO!

Since I really did not achieve my goals for 2010, I'm hoping to do a much better job in 2011.

My main goal is to get rid of my truck and get a small car (2007 Honda Accord). At first I was going to try the Dave Ramsey method, but I am too impatient to save up $1000 before paying my debt. I understand the concept, but I'm going to start with a smaller amount - $300. I chose $300 because if I were to go to the check cashing place that would be the highest amount I would borrow. And of course, I want to pay off all my credit cards and I would like decrease the balance on my truck by $10,000.

I hope this gives all of you an accurate and detailed picture of my finances. Any feedback is always appreciated!

Fighting the Urge to Spend

2010-12-19T10:53:00.002-06:00

My bank account has never looked so lovely for more than a day. There is so much that I want to buy! Especially the Sephora Hello Kitty Collection!

BUT I will stay strong and not give in!!!

My big mistake (almost)

2010-12-15T20:19:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned earlier this week, I almost made the worst financial decision ever on Monday night. I felt so desperate to get out of my truck, that I was almost willing to let it be repossessed while I purchased (financed) another vehicle.

The other vehicle was a 2007 Honda Accord. I love Honda Accords...well not the newer models...but anything 2007 and older. I went to CarMax because everyone told me that I may be able to trade in my truck. Well of course I could have traded it in, but not without paying a $15,000 down payment!

My truck was appraised at $13,000 mainly due to cosmetic damage and mileage (thank you stupid and selfish ex-bf for the mileage!). I still owe $29,000 on the truck because I haven't even had it a year. The salesman ran the application again without the trade-in and I qualified for the car with less than $900 down and payments of $347 for 60 months. If I went with the 36-month option, my payments would have only been $544 which is still much less than I am paying now.

Factoring in the monthly payments and insurance, I seriously considering giving the truck back and dealing with the consequences. I sat at the desk long and hard, contemplating my decision. I tried calling my mom and she didn't pick up which meant I really needed to be a big girl and do this on my own. I called my dad and all he did was annoy me and I missed majority of that conversation.

So I sat and thought some more. And finally something clicked and sense came knocking at my brain. I realized that I was sacrificing something huge for a short term gain. I was sacrificing my dreams of owning a home, getting out of debt, getting to a place without debt collectors calling...all of that just to drive a smaller vehicle. I don't know why I even entertained the thought, but I am glad that I walked away.

Even though I'm stuck with the truck a little longer than I hoped all is not lost. In January, I'm going to start on Dave Ramsey's Baby Step 1: Building a $1,000 emergency fund. I'm starting in January because I want to get my tire and oil change this month which will eat up the rest of my extra funds. It should take around 4 months to make this happen. Next, I will work on paying down my debt, which should not take long at all because I will receive stipends for tutoring and mentoring.

By June, I should be attacking my truck payment. I'm definitely working this summer, whether it will be summer school or research. By Memorial Day 2012 or even Christmas 2011 I should be out of my truck. I want to sell it privately but will trade it in if I have to. My next car...I'm still wanting the 2007 Honda Accord. And it will be mine!

Goooooood News!!!!!!

2010-12-15T17:35:00.004-06:00

I received my raise with my paycheck today. I also received my retroactive pay. With all this money I...

Paid extra on my credit cards so they can finally get below their limits and not go over once interest is added.
Paid off my electric bill that was several months due.
Paid my phone bill.
Paid off my balance with my old apartment complex for damages.

I had been so behind with everything and now I am FINALLY caught up! The only thing left is getting a new tire and an oil change. That should be taken care of soon, saving money from this paycheck and the next one on the 17th. Today is such a great day!

Below is a pic of my budget spreadsheet from my previous payday.
The negative balance resulted in me filling up on gas and not wanting to go to the check cashing place. That was paid back today.

I have been using my debit card lately for food and gas purchases, but now I'm thinking about taking it out as cash to try to prevent overdrafts. I hate using cash, especially at the gas station, but I think it will help me because I can transfer money instantly to savings.

2010-12-14T19:11:00.002-06:00

Our Christmas gift was $225! I spent $25 for a meal and margarita from my favorite restaurant, and the rest is in the bank. Tomorrow is payday, so of course I will be up all night checking for my raise.

I almost made a HUGE mistake this week regarding my finances. Like the biggest mistake ever. But...that will have to wait because I have to do laundry and grade exams for my AP students.

3 more days til Christmas break!!!

2010-12-12T19:39:00.002-06:00

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. Work is insane, but this is the last week and then I'll have a two week vacation! Yay!

I'm glad to announce that I did not go to the check cashing place this week. So on Wednesday, I'll have a payday without paying them. It was very hard but I made it!

I get both of my checks for this month this week and I won't get paid again until January 15th. I hate this, but I'm going to see if I can forget that the other money is there. It would be really nice to get my raise this week as well as my retroactive pay. They told me that it would be before Christmas "hopefully".

I also find out what our Christmas gift is from the teacher's union for all the reps. That meeting is on Tuesday.

I'm still driving on my full size spare and I hate it! I really need a new tire and soon.

i want clothes!!!

2010-11-30T20:20:00.004-06:00

Thanks to J. Money at Budgets are Sexy for posting this video. Man I wish I had some money to afford some clothes right now. This $4.00 shirt I have on now came from Ross! If I get any money for Christmas, I'm going to spend at half on clothes and half on debt.

eta...I don't know what I'm doing, so apologies for the video being too large for my layout.

2010-11-29T18:44:00.002-06:00

So much has happened, I really don't know where to begin.

I'll start with Thanksgiving. I went to my mom's and from there we left to my aunt's house in my mom's car. When we got back several hours later, someone had stolen my license plate off my truck! We called the police and he took his sweet time getting my information down and was more into the basketball game on TV than my truck. After that I was scared to go anywhere! I stayed in the house until Sunday, and that was because I had to get out and do something. So I went to Starbucks with my free coupon and worked for several hours. I got a lot done actually, so that was a good thing.

I also need a new tire. On the Saturday before last, my tire was completely flat. I called free roadside assistance and he replaced it for me but the sad thing is that the tire cannot be repaired and that will cost me $280. I am expecting a "Christmas Gift" for being a union rep and attending all the meetings. They have not told us the amount, but I'm praying for it to be enough to cover my tire. Our treasurer keeps saying that we will be pleasantly surprised and I hope she has the good sense to know that $50 will not cut it for time invested. This is the first year they have done this, so no one has a clue how much our "gift" will be. That meeting is next week, so I'll find out soon.

I called Nissan to try to either negotiate my terms or lower my interest rate. At first they said no to everything and after I asked to speak to a supervisor, she came back saying that they could offer another extension. I was glad for this because I had already used up my extensions. So what this means is that the payment that I did not make in November will not count against me, the late fee will be waived, and in December I will only have to pay my normal $665.39 instead of the double of that amount I would have had to pay instead. I think if I would have stood firm, I could have probably gotten a better deal, but I took this and I am proud that I stuck with what I wanted until I got a favorable response.

Money is super tight right now. I had plenty of days not eating out last week because I was dead broke (51 cents in both checking and saving). I did go to the check cashing place last week, but instead of getting my usual $300 (payback of $360) I borrowed $100 meaning I'll have to pay back $120. I only borrowed enough for gas and personal items...no food or junk. I think that's progress!?

Working on my food problem

2010-11-22T21:17:00.005-06:00

Yesterday went really good in regards to food. I did not eat out at all. It may not have been the healthiest, but it did the job. Here's how it went down:
Breakfast - slice of whole wheat toast and nutella, 2% milk, OJ
Lunch - ramen noodles
Dinner - homestyle mac and cheese from kraft

Today I ate out by grabbing a snack on my way home. I got home pretty late and had to try to find places to get my tire fixed (no luck there). Now I am making broccoli and rice casserole for the potluck at work tomorrow and salmon for dinner tonight.

The salmon I am making is from Omaha Steaks. I have always wanted to try that place and stopped in and saw that the salmon was on sale for $19.99. I know that seems pricey, but I purchased it anyway for one thing, convenience. Almost everyday, I get home late and do not feel like cooking at all. But the salmon is already seasoned and it's prepackaged in single fillets, a double plus in my book! For me this means that it will keep for a while because I can put it in the freezer without consequence and it saves me a lot of time. Below are pictures of my work for the day...
My intention is not for this to become a food blog, but I believe that health and wealth are directly related. I know change is not going to happen overnight, but at least this is a start and a public acknowledgment as to why I am so broke. I am very curious to see how this will play out over the next few months.

Special thanks to Budget Bytes for the recipe. I love your blog! Also, thanks Fabulously Broke (FB) for commenting. I LOVE your blog as well.

Good night all!

Eating Out

2010-11-21T22:35:00.001-06:00

My eating out is severely contributing to my health and financial issues. For my last payday I had everything mapped out. I had enough money to cover all my expenses and to pay off the check advance. I skipped paying my truck payment just to get somewhat caught up in my expenses. So what did I do, I spent money eating out twice in the course of a few hours. The first place gained almost 40 bucks from me and the other almost 20. I always say I have to do better about eating out, but I never do so. It's one thing to sit and complain about the problem all the time, but now it is time for action. So for my first challenge, I am going to aim for eating at home twice a week. I will not eat out or even eat food that's free if it does not come out of my kitchen. I know Thanksgiving is coming up, so I'm allowing home-cooked meals and leftovers, but as far as restaurant food, its a no. If I don't do something about this now, I will never get out of debt. Next week I will ramp up my goal.

So this week...
Eat at home at least TWO times this week.

2010-11-11T21:16:00.001-06:00

I canceled my automatic truck payment for the month and paid all of my bills tonight. T-MOBILE...you can stop calling me now!

What should I do?

2010-11-09T18:53:00.002-06:00

No matter how I've tried to tweak my budget for the upcoming pay period, I'm going to be super short.

Options...

Pay $360 check advance. Borrow $300 from check advance and $500 from WF advance. I don't like this because I'm digging myself deeper into the payday advance option.
Don't pay my truck payment. Use that money instead to pay off $360 check advance, $260 phone bill and $120 internet bill. I am extremely overdue in both my phone and internet bill. So much so that they are on the verge of being turned off. I do not like this option, but I like that it gets me out of the payday loan cycle and I'm not borrowing more money.

What should I do?

Raise coming soon! Hopefully.

2010-11-07T21:20:00.002-06:00

FINALLY, I have submitted the paperwork necessary for my salary increase due to obtaining my Master's degree. The increase won't be huge, only slightly less than $3500 more yearly, but every small amount helps! I asked when the raise would become effective and I was told hopefully sometime before Christmas. That doesn't make me feel too comfortable, but if that does happen in addition to the retro pay I will be a very happy person!

It's been almost 3 months...

2010-10-24T13:41:00.002-05:00

...since I last posted and I've been going through hell. I've been feeling extremely depressed as a result of not only financial issues but personal as well. I am trying to survive but I'm finding that I am neglecting myself in the process. I say this because I thought putting all of my time into my work would help me forget my pain, but now my health is suffering.

I need to make an appointment for the doctor because my disease is getting worse and worse each day. I suffer from hiddranetis suppurativa (I know I butchered the spelling) and it is at the point where I think I'm about to have a second surgery. The first surgery was underneath my arms, but this time it will have to be in my groin area. :(

Not only am I depressed from my disease, but I am extremely lonely. Part of the reason is that I work so much, another reason is that my only interest works just as hard as I do (we work at the same school), and I'm just so damn lonely. I miss having a companion around all the time to talk and laugh with. At first I tried to get back with my ex to fill this void, but now I know better. I'm not going to lower my standards just because I want some company, but I hope and pray that someone comes along soon.

On the financial front, I moved into a new apartment. It is slightly smaller, but still quite nice and located down the street from my old apartments. The rent is cheaper as well, going from $733 to $620 a month. I'm also saving in terms of entertainment. I cut out the cable completely and am sampling netflix at the moment. I'm thinking about not continuing with netflix because everything I want to watch is either on the network's site or on hulu. I do not miss cable at all because there was nothing ever on anyway.

Even though I will save money in the future by living here, I am very behind on a lot of my bills and need to catch up pronto! My only goal from now until the end of December is to pay off my check advance and be caught up on all my bills. After I'm caught up, I plan to aggressively attack my credit cards to raise my credit score. After my cards are completely paid off, I can start paying on my student loans.

As of now, my student loans are deferred. I could not come up with the $200 a month to start paying. I definitely want to start paying on them by the summer. After 5 years of teaching I get $17,500 forgiven and within 10 years of making regular payments, I can have the rest forgiven. So it makes a lot of sense to start paying on them as soon as possible.

I've started the cancellation process on my Perkins loans. My original amount that was due was $7000. Now it is $4800 due to cancellation. In 3 more years, that loan will be completely taken care of as well.

The last financial update that I really need to get started on is my raise for getting my Master's. I was under the impression that it would come once my licensure information went through since we updated it to notate that I have my Master's degree. Well I received my license in the mail and still no raise. I called HR with no response or call back, so I will keep trying on this.

The very very last thing is that I NEED TO STOP EATING OUT!!!!!

2010-07-26T20:41:00.002-05:00

I am currently out of town for an AP workshop and it has been nothing but stress. I should have know because before I came, the event organizer kept calling me like a bill collector saying that the school has not sent in the payment. Then at registration they had me signed up for the wrong class. Luckily, I was able to sit in the correct class for the week.

But the main issue is the cost of the trip. My school gave me around $890 to cover hotel, food, and transportation by taxi. The room is slightly more since I am staying an extra day so I won't have to leave early. Food isn't a problem really. The taxi is the main problem. This morning I paid $28 to get to my destination. That adds up to almost $60 a day for five days, plus another $50 to get from and to the airport. My school only gave me $100 for transportation. I figured it would be much cheaper to rent a car, but I have no credit card. So I paid $50 to get to the airport from my workshop to rent a car with my debit card. My dad is going to put some money in my bank account tomorrow. My school said that they would reimburse me for the rental.

I am extremely stressed. I thought that all costs were covered and didn't even plan to spend extra. I even packed light to avoid checking in a bag, to save those costs to go out. Well I have no funds to go out whatsoever. I found a walking tour, but honestly, I'm just tired and I plan on working while I'm here. I have my list of things to do and plus I really need to work and plan for the school year because it starts next week.

I took a sleeping pill to make sure I can get some sleep tonight. I have too much on my mind and have to wake up too early, so I can't afford to toss and turn all night. Apologies for the horrid writing of this post, but I had to get this off my chest. Hopefully things will get better as the week progresses. Good night!

it has started

2010-07-23T19:47:00.002-05:00

I called my mom yesterday to let her know when my flight was leaving and before we got off the phone she asked me for some money. I'm feeling frustrated already and this makes me not want to move home.

stipends came in

2010-07-18T19:46:00.002-05:00

Well most of them anyway. I also got a check for teaching a summer camp for a week.

Other than that, I've been trying to keep busy and forget about my breakup. I just got back from DC on a business trip and I have another trip coming up in two weeks.

Moving home seems to be the best option but my room at my mom's has become a storage area. I'm going to have to gradually purge and set up the room so I'll be ready to move right in in November. And I have several people interested in buying my furniture when the time comes, so that will be good. I have a lot of stuff to get rid of!

Should I move back home?

2010-07-05T20:35:00.002-05:00

I keep going back and forth about whether or not I should move back home when my lease is up. When I think about going home, the first thing that pops into my mind is that I'll be able to save $1000 a month, which will help me get out of my truck sooner. Getting out of my truck is my main goal because it takes up half of my income each month. Since I can't do anything with the truck note yet, I plan on changing my living situation.

Part of me feels as if moving home will be a way for me to let go of my responsibilities as an adult. I feel that being 27 years old, I should step up and deal with my mistakes. I also think about living with my mom before and how frustrating it was for me. Being in loud situations is not for me. Then there is the dog too. Last time I was at my mom's I had severe allergies to him, which is weird because before I did not.

Despite all of my negative feelings, when I think of moving home, I still think about $1000 to put on my truck each month. I was talking with my friend the other day, and he said to me that moving home would be a bad idea. He is very familiar with my home situation and also said that when I get home, I'm going to think about all the extra money I have and that I'm going to want to go out of town more and spend money on clothes. When I thought about it, it really makes sense. I can see myself spending instead of saving.

So what are your thoughts about moving home with my mom?

No stipend this payday

2010-07-01T16:27:00.003-05:00

I'm so sad. I was really hoping that it would come this month. But on a good note, I don't have to pay union dues or insurance during the summer, so my check was $200 more than usual.

And I paid the check advance place and did not borrow any more. :)

One reason i hate payday

2010-06-29T21:21:00.001-05:00

When I'm expecting something like a bonus or stipend, I will stay up all night until I see my paycheck posted to my account. I hope my other stipends come tonight. Come on midnight!!!

Keep Track of Savings Goals with Mint.com

2010-06-29T16:40:00.006-05:00

I have one more reason to love www.mint.com. Mint now can help you keep track of your goals, such as savings or paying off debt. The goal screen looks like this:

After selecting your goal, you set the amounts you want to save or put on your goal. For this example I am doing a one month emergency fund as my goal.

After that, you have the option of creating a new account for your goal, or using a current account. I opted to use my ING Savings account.

Once you are done you will have this little reminder of your goal(s) on your home screen.

It's so motivational to see a reminder of your goals. I love this feature and I'm about to set up another goal for my credit card payments. If you have tried this feature, please let me know what you think.

In need of new PF blogs to read

2010-06-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been bored with some PF blogs, mainly because most of the bloggers have already met their goals. When I first discovered PF blogs, I remember reading way back to almost the beginning of some, intrigued by their struggle and then success over their finances. Right now I need some serious motivation and am interested to read about how others are coping.

I still love some PF blogs, such as Fabuously Broke in the City, Punch Debt in the Face, and Budgets are Sexy. But I am still in need of some new reads. If anyone has any good PF blogs to read, please leave a comment and let me know!

Thanks!

one check in...

2010-06-26T18:42:00.001-05:00

Just as I got home today I received a check from a workshop that I attended in April. Check amount...$400! Check advance...Gone! Well as soon as the check clears.

having faith

2010-06-26T17:01:00.002-05:00

I was so close to going to another check cashing place. I had NOTHING to my name and I needed gas and food. I had all of documents I would need with me and then something told me to go to the mailbox before I went to the evil place. So I went to the mailbox and there was a check for $325!

The check is an advance draw payment for my work-related trip next month. It felt so good to see that money because I knew that if I were to go to another check cashing place, it would be hard as hell to pay it back. Once I get paid next week, I'll transfer the funds to savings, because my trip is not until the middle of June. I was not expecting it at all, but the Man above sure knows what you need and when you need it. He is very purposeful.

I am still waiting to receive several stipends and I hope the first of them come next week. I have attended professional development sessions all month and all of them are paid sessions. I will be attending another session next week that is also paid. Once the money arrives, I should have close to $2000 in stipends from attending PD sessions.

More BF Updates

2010-06-17T10:13:00.002-05:00

I never mentioned it on the blog, but we ended up getting back together and my laptop was returned. But the whole time being with him, I have not felt safe, I've felt inadequate as a person, and I just felt so down about myself. So down that in fact last week I had to call the suicide prevention hotline to calm down. I've also been having dizzy spells and I think they are due to stress.

So I made an appointment for our EAP counselor at work and told her about the situation between me and my BF. She was so in shock over things that I told her, such as him totaling my car last year and living with me without paying a single bill. And there is the issue regarding the laptop that I blogged about recently. After speaking with her, I received the courage again to ask him to leave and called my dad for support. I also asked my dad to go with me to file a restraining order to make sure that I get it done and do not go back to him.

In a way I feel so horrible because I felt things were getting slightly better between us, but then again things were getting worse for me. I wanted to separate and still remain cordial, but he proceeded to curse me out and say some very hurtful things. I hope I can find the strength to continue to work thorough this situation in a way that's best for me.

Depressed

2010-06-15T21:33:00.003-05:00

I am so back to where I used to be.

All of my credit cards are maxed out again.

And I've been going to payday advance places.

I hate living my life like this. The main reason is because of the truck, which takes up almost half of my income each month.

So what to do???

Well tomorrow I set up an appointment with a therapist with the EAP through my employer. I have been seriously depressed. I have no desire to do anything. I have dizzy spells often. I need help.

I still like my plan of using my credit cards, but only for fixed expenses. I will keep those automated, but use cash for my variable expenses. Yes hard cash. No debit card.

I've decided to use the extra income from this summer to build up my savings after getting out of the payday loan habit. I was going to use this to pay off my credit cards, but I really realize that by doing so, I'll only have the option to use my credit cards in case of an emergency and building up the balance again. My savings goal is $1000. Once that is reached, I will aggressively attack my credit cards.

I really don't want to, but i'm going to have to move. Since I can't decrease my truck note, I have to alter my living space. I think there are some studio apartments close to my job that are around $400 a month. I would love to stay in the same area as I'm in now. I've looked at other apartments in my area and I could still save over $100 by moving.

I gotta get this situation turned around.

Possible Career Change???

2010-06-07T17:55:00.002-05:00

I always said that I wanted to stay in the classroom at least long enough to have my student loans paid for...BUT...while browsing Google Reader today I found a link to an excellent opportunity that is actually what I wanted to transition to. The position is a trainer to the employee trainer of a very successful company. This is my dream job for my dream company! I really don't want to get into too many details, but the job will require me to relocate, which I have no problem doing. I just submitted my resume and cover letter.

I hope the webinar I attended last month on branching out of the classroom was a sign that this was coming and is meant for me.

Free Identity Theft Protection from Suze Orman

2010-06-05T20:58:00.002-05:00

I just got done watching the Suze Orman Show and today is her birthday! As a birthday gift to her viewers, she is offering free ID theft protection service for one year. To sign up just go to www.suzeorman.com.

BF Update and More

2010-05-24T20:46:00.002-05:00

I thought I wanted to tell the long version, but actually, I really don't want to bring it up anymore. I really miss him, but I can't be in a situation where I constantly feel disrespected. I took him back several times in hopes that things would get better, but they actually got worse each time. So this time was the last, and as the night progressed, I realized that I was making the right decision for me.

So now I am single, and still without my laptop. The police called yesterday and said that they would call him. It's looking like it is going to be a civil matter. I filed a claim with my insurance company as well. I really hope I get my laptop back in one piece.

Besides my missing property, I actually feel good about the situation and I feel like I've been given new life. Immediately I started taking better care of myself, after letting myself go with him. I've gotten in the habit of taking to old friends again and I'm loving myself. I feel like I got so caught up in the relationship with him and trying to make him happy that I really lost myself in the process.

In addition to feeling better, I've been cleaning as well and have an urge to decorate so that this place does not remind me of the year I spent with him. Today I went to JcPenney and purchased some bath items to decorate my bathroom. I meant to take before and after shots, but I forgot. I'll just take pics later I guess. I want to decorate my living room next.

Before I started decorating, I treated myself to a new cell phone and a dinner at Carrabas grill. The cell phone is the HTC HD2. I've been waiting on it to come to my local store forever! I have been so tired of having a boring phone and wanted something that I can use to assist me in my work and entertain me when traveling. This phone is definitely a huge step up from my Samsung Behold.

My dinner was pretty nice. I just wanted to treat myself to something different. The restaurant was extremely nice and so was the atmosphere. I ended up having the grouper and could not finish it at all.

I was trying to eat healthy since I really can't workout right now.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...

I GRADUATED ON SATURDAY WITH MY MASTER'S OF ARTS IN EDUCATION!!! I'm so glad that I'm done with school for the moment!

I'm off to finish decorating now. Hopefully my next post will actually be related to my finances.

I'm so angry...

2010-05-22T00:09:00.001-05:00

I kicked my bf out tonight and he took my MacBook with him. I filed a police report and further measures will be taken. Long version of the story will be post very soon.

Busy Busy

2010-05-04T21:28:00.002-05:00

My capstone is almost done - or at least it must be done by Thursday.
Poster presentations are also Thursday.
I'm in the process of organizing an international field trip for my students.
State testing is this week.
Problem based learning scenarios must be in by next week in order for me to receive my stipend.
I may have surgery soon which means no income at all this summer due to recovery time.

I'm tired and can't wait for this school year to be over!

Using Credit Cards Wisely

2010-04-27T19:25:00.001-05:00

have been going crazy with my credit cards lately. So much that I am about to freeze them right now and not post my spending plan until I have them under control.

I am very fortunate to host a guest post by Sharon Smith regarding the use of credit cards. The tips mentioned are very helpful to me and hopefully will reach out to anyone else struggling with credit card debt.

Tips to use your credit card wisely:

Credit cards come along with a lot of benefits. They come in handy when you are shopping online or booking a hotel, and eventually make life a lot easier. Using your credit card wisely has its many benefits. It can boost your credit scores, thereby making it easier to receive a debt consolidation loan, if required. However, if you rely too much on your credit cards , you may fall prey to financial troubles. If you cannot manage your credit cards wisely, you will be piled up with higher interest charges, late fees etc. Use your credit card carefully to avoid any pitfalls. That way, you would have all the benefits of credit cards without the drawbacks.

Here are seven useful tips to use your credit cards wisely:

The best and the most important thing that you can do with your credit card is to pay off your credit card balances in full, every month: This is the best way to avoid the myriad of problems like higher interest charges, late fees etc that a credit card brings with it.
Only charge your card the amount that you can afford to pay back at the end of the month.

Use the Auto pay feature to pay your bills. This not only gives you a mental freedom, but also ensures that your bills are getting paid on time. Else you can run upto a late fee of $30 or more. This eventually may lead to a lower credit score.

Limit the number of cards to two. Applying for a lot of cards, can hurt your credit scores. At the same time, closing down several credit card accounts at one go will decrease your credit scores.

Read the fine print carefully. Gather information about the 'teaser rates', annual fees, your credit limit, payment due date etc.

Try and keep your credit card usage within the 30% of your credit limit. The credit bureaus keep a track of how much of your available credit is being used. If you exceed your credit limit, your credit scores will drop.

Do not overspend on your card. Neither use your card as an emergency fund. Keep in mind, that this is not free money and you need to pay off the entire amount next month.

Ever since the financial downturn hit the US market, the credit issuers have become very stringent in their behavior with the credit card holders. If you miss one payment, there may be a slash in the credit limit or the interest rate would reach a towering amount.

Please be warned, that if you do not use your credit cards responsibly, it will lead you to a downward spiral. And once that happens, it is all down hill from there. So use your credit cards sensibly to your advantage, so that you can get the most out of your money.

Sharon Smith may be contacted by e-mail at findsharonsmith@gmail.com. Thanks Sharon!

Quick Update on my Truck

2010-04-19T19:37:00.003-05:00

Because I have collision insurance, I will not have to pay a deductible for the repairs. We took it to the shop this afternoon and it will take up to 12 days for the repairs. The rental is around $7/day.

I'm just really glad that I don't have to pay as much as I though initially and am so thankful for good car insurance.

Oh No They Didn't!

2010-04-18T17:52:00.002-05:00

I wanted to talk about lots of things lately, such as my new Credit Karma score of 655, possibility of working for the IRS, grad school Graduation in May, and summer plans...but that has all been pushed aside because of this mess!Around 4am this morning I hear a loud crash and looked outside and saw this. The person driving was intoxicated and her "friends" tried to hide her from the police. Another "friend" drove off in the car and tore off the license plates.

I am very thankful that my truck is not totaled like the other two cars, but the entire situation made me so upset! I called the insurance company today and a claim adjuster should be calling me soon. It's times like this that I hate that my deductible is $500.

Bye bye savings!!!

Missed Job Opportunites Again!

2010-04-12T17:55:00.001-05:00

I am so angry right now because money is just slipping through my fingers!

Someone from the census bureau called me to offer me a job and throughout the conversation she kept speaking as if I would be working through the day. I informed her that I am a teacher and that I cannot attend training during the day. She said that she would keep my information on file in case any night time training opportunities come around.

Then around 4 days later, I received another call from a different rep offering me a position and once again, I had to decline because there are no afternoon or evening training sessions available at this time.

Taking a job with the Census Bureau meant that I would get paid $17/hour and reimbursed $0.50/mile. I could have also worked as many hours as I wanted.

Hopefully they will have afternoon training sessions soon...until then I'll just keep plugging away on my capstone and work.

Could it really be this simple???

2010-03-31T09:56:00.002-05:00

As I've mentioned before, I have automated all of my finances. Even the one bill that was not automated at the time now is so. Also, I set up an automated payments so my credit card will be paid each month. There are no words to describe the how I feel. Even though I still have debt, I feel so free. I don't have to worry about making a payment late or paying anything because it is already done for me. The only thing I really have to steer clear of is monitoring my credit card usage.

I would have never imagined that automating my finances would have this much of an impact on my daily life. If you have not automated your finances by now, I highly suggest it. I plan on posting more on my system later.

Possible ID Theft Victim

2010-03-30T11:46:00.003-05:00

I received an email from Capital One confirming my address change. There was one huge problem though...I did not change my address.

So of course I called them up and they are sending me a new card and they also corrected my address. The address that was given to them was based in California and I've never even been to California.

After getting things straightened out with Capital One, I went to Equifax.com and placed a fraud alert on my credit file.

A fraud alert simply alerts creditors or anyone trying to access my credit file that I am a possible victim of ID theft and to take extra measures to verify my identity. The fraud alert was free to place and lasts for 90 days. If I want to extend the time of my fraud alert, I can go online and place a new one at least 30 days before the current one expires. Equifax will also place the fraud alert with TransUnion and Experian, so I will not have to contact them.

All of this is quite scary. I am always careful of how and where I use my information, but I am still at risk, as well as anyone else who may be careful. I haven't even used my Capital One card in a while. I hope this is the last of it and that no other problems will occur.

Speaking Up For Myself

2010-03-25T19:11:00.002-05:00

Today I was able to save close to $110 simply by making a few calls and requesting what I felt was right.

First Call:

I went online to Nissan's website to restart automatic payments on my truck. Upon entering the site I saw that I had a $10 late fee posted to my account. I looked at my payment history and confirmed that I have never had a late payment on my truck. So I called and found out that the charge was for them receiving my payment extension paperwork late.

This was definitely not right because they actually had to resend my paperwork to me and when they resent it after I called, the finance rep informed me that they would take care of the late fee and that he would note my account. So I informed the rep of this today and she informed me that the rep did not note my account before.

I really don't like to complain, but I was not about to pay $10 for something that was not my fault. I asked to speak to a supervisor and immediately the rep said that she would take care of part of the late fee. She said this would be so because part of it was paid because I paid extra last month.

Once again, I stated that that would not work for me because the fee was $10 and I don't need to pay any part of it. After asking to speak to a supervisor again, she agreed to credit the entire $10. Some may think it is ridiculous to fuss over $10, but I was concerned about what is right.

Second Call:

A little while ago my internet was not working at all and I had to have AT&T come out and check the connection. While setting up the appointment, I was told that there would be a charge only if I were responsible for any damage to the modem or any other hardware.

The technician came out to my house and informed me that somehow I just had a bad modem and that it would have to be replaced...and...IT WAS NOT MY FAULT! He stated that if there was a charge, then I should haggle with the company and suggest signing a contract to continue service in exchange for taking care of any fees. :/

I received my bill last week and there was a $99.95 charge for him coming out. I called in today and stated that the faulty modem was not by any misuse on my part and I should not have to pay in fees because a modem that they supplied went bad. Without any argument, they credited my account. Now that phone call was definitely worth it!

***

As I said earlier, I am not one to call and complain to companies, but I felt really strongly about the two issues above. It feels good to know that I am not powerless as a consumer. Tomorrow, I'm going to continue my fight and try to get my secured card transferred to an unsecured card with no fees. Wish me luck!

635 is my new number

2010-03-24T19:37:00.006-05:00

635 is my current credit score by TransUnion courtesy of www.myfico.com. There were no errors on my credit report and the main thing hurting me is my credit card usage. Apparently, if I pay off all of my credit card balances (already done, but not reported to the credit reporting agency), my credit score will be in the range of 685-725.

MyFICO.com was a very simple website to use. The account creation process was simple, yet secure, and the cost was minimal ($15.95). Even though I had a great experience with the website, I do not believe that I will pay for my score for a while. I plan to continue to use Credit Karma for my score and I will be able to check my credit reports through www.annualcreditreport.com in May or June. This year I will try not to be so anxious and check all three scores at the same time.

The only negative I found with using myFICO.com to access my credit report is that it did not give the dates as to when the negative items will be removed from my credit report.

Below are some screenshots from my credit report.

How an Impulse Shopping Trip Turned Right

2010-03-21T19:28:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went to the Apple store to purchase an iPod that I don't need. While in the store, I kept debating between the iPod Nano and the iPod Touch. Then something hit me. I really need an external hard drive to back up my information to.

So instead of purchasing an iPod, I purchased the external hard drive and the AppleCare Protection plan.

Replacing Wants for Needs, a rare happening for me.

I'm Broke Because of My Job

2010-03-18T20:29:00.003-05:00

As an educator, I spend a lot of money on classroom expenses each year. Last year, I spent well over $500, and could only deduct $250 max on my tax return. Just this week alone, I spent close to $200 for supplies for ONE activity!

I am mad at myself first of all because I know that I cannot afford all of this stuff. I am also upset because I could use other resources if I weren't a procrastinator. I know that the help is out there and people love teachers! I need to learn how to ask and plan accordingly.

By planning ahead, I will be able to shop around for prices as opposed to shopping at the highest cost place because it is convenient. There are also online resources available to teachers such as:

On DonorsChoose.org, teachers submit information regarding what they need and how they plan to use it in the classroom. A classmate of mine asked for three laptops for her classroom and received them within two weeks! I read that two-thirds of teachers are given funds from various donors each year.

Although the year is almost over, I have a lot of ideas in my head for next year. My goal is to plan, plan, and plan some more during the summer so I can ask for funds and have a successful year.

New Goal Complete! Automated Finances!

2010-03-16T20:22:00.002-05:00

So after finally paying off my credit cards (yay!), the goal was to rack up points on my reward card by paying my rent and truck payment with my credit card. Well too bad for me that they have to be debited from my checking account. So what I did is automate all my bills that were possible (all but one).

Food, gas, and other expenses will be paid for with my credit card. When the bill comes, I will pay it in full each month. This way I won't have to worry about overdraft fees from the bank.

I hope this plan works for me. I must say that I do feel more confident, but I do have to watch my spending.

No more credit card debt!

2010-03-04T18:39:00.002-06:00

Thanks to my student loans I no longer have credit card debt. My next main goal is to save tons of money so I can get rid of my truck that I am very upside down on.

1.29.10 Payday Budget

2010-01-29T14:59:00.002-06:00

In checking - $8.42

Paycheck - $1143.04

Extra Income - $98

Total Cash - $1249.46

Expenses:

Curves - $37.15

Insurance - $17.90

Credit Cards - $30.00

Loan - $360.00

Rent - $729.00

ING - $25.00

Dining Out - $17.46

Cash Left - $32.95

I went to the check cashing place last week, which is the $360 I have to pay back. I was going to have to borrow again, but I received my paycheck from proctoring the ACT exam a while back. The amount was the same I was going to borrow, so it worked out well.

I've been going back to pen and paper when creating my payday budget. Sometimes it really helps to actually write things down. And by writing it down I can see that the future is a little brighter.

2010-01-21T20:28:00.002-06:00

I'm constantly saying and thinking that I need to get back on track. I had plans and resolutions, but we all know what happens with resolutions. Tonight I was thinking about what is it that I did last time to feel better about my situation and how I planned on getting out of trouble.

As much as I hate thinking about living paycheck to paycheck, I think planning my spending for each pay period helped me more than anything. It was just easier to see things that way.

Also, posting more about my money issues helped as well. I've gotten so lazy or I will begin to write and then not post it. But posting regularly really kept me focused.

Finally, I need to find new financial blogs to read. When I first started researching budgeting and got into blogs, I would read an entire blog back to the beginning. I love reading through posts where one has struggled and over time overcomes huge obstacles. But now, they have reached their goals, and the blogs are less than inspirational.

So I'm going to try to find my way back to being able to at least cope with my money troubles. I get paid on next Friday, so I'll post my payday budget then.

story of my life - except the rent to own part

2010-01-21T19:03:00.000-06:00

January Spending Week 1

2010-01-09T11:08:00.000-06:00

Friday January 1st - none

Saturday January 2nd -
$697.75 Rent
$50.00 Traffic Ticket
$19.46 Domino's Pizza (credit)
$3.99 Starbucks (credit)
$1.00 Kinko's copy card

Sunday January 3rd - none

Monday January 4th -
$17.90 Cancer Insurance
$1.00 Transfer to Savings

Tuesday January 5th -
$2.15 Vending Machine at Work

Wednesday January 6th -
$1.25 Vending Maching at Work

Thursday January 7th -
$6.21 McDonald's breakfast (credit)
$8.06 Sonic Drive In (credit)

Total Spent this week = $808.77

No tutoring for me :(

2010-01-04T20:59:00.003-06:00

One of my resolutions is to increase my income by $5000. One method that I planned on using to achieve this is being a tutor on tutor.com. I went tonight and filled out the application and proceeded to take the exam. They did not have any openings in my field (biology), but they did have openings in statistics, geometry, calculus, chemistry, and trigonometry. I tend to do well in all of these subjects, so I took the tests for all except for trig.

How about I failed them all! I thought the tests would be no problem, but instead they were NO JOKE!!! I quickly realized that I have forgotten most of the material and was so disappointed. They give you an opportunity to take the exams again in 3 days, but I'm not going to. If I don't feel like the information is readily available, then I don't want to tutor someone.

Even though they are not hiring for my field, I plan on taking the biology test this weekend. Then hopefully an opening will arise and my name will pop up.

There are other plans to increase my income:

Summer school - I did this last year and literally did nothing but play Sims 3 all day and told students to get off myspace. I received a little over $3000 doing this for around 4 weeks.
At Home call agent - I would really like to work at home and have flexible hours since BF and I are sharing a car. I know of a few agencies, I just need to make sure I meet the tech requirements.
Census taker - I applied for this job several weeks ago and scored really well on the written test (96%). We were told that hiring would begin in the spring and the position could last from 5-10 weeks. The pay for my area is $17.00/hr! I noted that I can work 35-40 hours. I plan on working this many hours by pulling doubles on the weekends. The job also pays for mileage.
Fellowship - I am considering applying for a year-long fellowship. The position would be a great opportunity for me, while remaining in education. It also pays $80,000 for the year! My concern about applying for this position is that I feel like I would be abandoning my current job and students, especially since I am scheduled to teach AP Biology next year. I am really looking forward to that. I figure I might as well apply and whatever happens happens.
Retail - Retail is last on my list because it pays the worst. Also, I know for a fact that I would spend even more money by shopping while working. If I do this, it will be during the summer or in late May.

Why am I so determined to increase my income??? Because after tweaking my budget over and over again, I will only have enough at the end of the month to eat OR buy gas for work. Living with BF has been helpful, but I want to be able to make it on my own if need be. Moving is not an option and neither is this truck payment (not until the end of the year anyway). My mistakes have led me to be in the circumstances I am in now, so I will hustle to increase my funds.

What I Won't Do:

Wait tables - I would really love to, but my medical condition is becoming worse and the stress will really get to me. I hate that because I used to make a lot of money waiting tables. I'll just be glad if I can make it this year without another surgery.
Deliver Pizza - In my city, this is a dangerous job. Too dangerous. Even though I live in the nice part of the city.
Independent Sales - I've sold Mary Kay before and ended up spending too much time and money. I value my time A LOT!

So please wish me luck with my job search. I plan on posting progress on here so I can remain accountable. Whatever I do, I need to get rolling by February/March.

The Best Time to Buy a Car

2009-12-16T05:00:00.001-06:00

I'm constantly doing my research on car buying now so this time next year I will be prepared to make an informed decision about my purchase. No more hasty decisions for me!

While browsing Yahoo I came a across an article which states when the best time to buy a car is. The article is really encouraging me to be more patient on when to trade in the truck.

Your wallet may already be reeling from holiday spending, but it’s worth your while to consider adding a purchase with a five-figure price tag to your list. Why? Because December is the cheapest time to buy a new car. In fact, if you’re looking for a bargain, six of the 10 best days to buy all year are between December 14 and the end of the year.

Buy in December

That’s the conclusion the car pricing experts at TrueCar.com reached when they crunched data from the last three years of pricing trends. “The average discount in December is around 6.5 percent off MSRP, compared to 4.5 percent in a typical month,” says Jesse Toprak, TrueCar.com vice president of Trends and Insights.

» 2010 Best Cars for the Money

There is an old rule of thumb in the auto industry, Toprak explains, that says “the end of the week, the end of the month, and the end of the year” are the best times to buy. “Statistically speaking,” he tells us, “that actually turns out to be the case.”

Why would prices dip at the end of the year? Like so many things in the car shopping process, the phenomenon is psychological – but it has real impact on the financial health of car dealerships and shoppers.

The calendar hits 2010 next month. But for automakers, it’s been 2010 since mid-summer. Some of the earliest model year 2010 cars were rolling off of factory lines by July, and by now, dealerships are filled with cars with next year’s date on the window sticker.

Best Days to Buy in December
Date	Expected Average Discount
12/14/2009	6.86%
12/16/2009	6.74%
12/21/2009	7.13%
12/24/2009	7.25%
12/28/2009	6.90%
12/31/2009	7.04%

But they also have plenty of 2009 cars left to sell -- more than in a typical year, in fact. That’s because automakers overbuilt, underestimating the impact of the recession on American buying habits. On Jan. 1, 2010, the value of those 2009 cars will drop because they will seem out of date. Dealerships want to get rid of them before that drop comes.

In reality, the differences between model years can be subtle. The 2010 Ford Fusion is a dramatically better car than the 2009 version, since Ford significantly modified its midsize sedan between model years. The 2010 Honda Accord LX, however, is virtually identical to the 2009. Honda lightened the color of the ventilation switches. That’s it. That’s the full list of changes. Yet, come January 1, the 2009 Accord will be worth thousands less than its 2010 counterpart -- so dealers are willing to negotiate this month to push the 2009s out the door.

There are a handful of exceptions to Toprak’s guidelines. Prices of some vehicles vary seasonally. Convertibles, for instance, are typically cheapest in colder months. All-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicle prices dip a little in the summertime. “But even with trucks,” he says, “buying an expiring model- year vehicle in December may be cheaper than buying the same truck in the summer,” when dealers don’t feel the pressure of January 1 looming.

Buy at the End of the Month

No matter what month you do your car shopping, Toprak says, you can still save money by timing your purchase carefully. Plan to buy, he says, late in the month. Dealerships are most willing to accept a lowball offer as the start of a new month rolls around.

“There is something called an Objective Bonus,” he explains, “that few shoppers seem to know about.” It’s a simple concept. Automakers set targets for their dealerships each month – “if they sell a certain number of units by the end of the month, they get a bonus from the automaker.” If you time your purchase for the last few days before the calendar switches over, you might find yourself negotiating with a dealer who knows he needs to sell just a few more cars to qualify for a big check from the home office – so he’s willing to take less from you in order to get one sale closer to his quota.

Buy on Saturday

The day of the week you go shopping can change the amount you’ll pay as well. In most weeks, TrueCar.com’s analysis shows, the biggest discounts tend to fall on Saturdays.

Car dealers are acutely aware of all the competition they face from other brands and even other dealerships selling the same brand. They know that when shoppers leave the house intending to make a purchase, they generally do.

“I ran dealerships for a few years,” Toprak says, before launching his career as an analyst. “The thinking at dealerships,” he explains, “Is that if you don’t give customers enough of a discount to close the deal on Saturday, they will go down the road somewhere else. They’re shopping on Saturday, and they intend to buy that day.”

Buy on a Holiday

Finally, TrueCar.com’s data shows you should consider car shopping when your neighbors are wrapping presents, or getting things ready for their party. Two of the least expensive days of the year are Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, when the average discount tops 7 percent off MSRP.

Maybe those commercials that propose giving a car as a Christmas gift aren’t completely crazy after all.

Credit Score Increasing!

2009-12-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

I love using Credit Karma to track my credit score. It's free, safe, and well...free!

When I first began using the site, my credit score was around 510-512 and that was in 2007. A few years later and now I am at 631 as you can see above.

What is even better that I know my official score is actually higher than this. When we were looking for a house, the lender reported that my score was in the 660 range. I'm hoping that once I am ready to trade in the truck, my credit score will be even higher and I will be able to get better financing.

Other things I like about Credit Karma is that they have a Credit Report Card that grades various categories such as credit utilization, total debt, debt to income ratio, and percent of on-time payments.

I am so happy to report that my percent of on-time payments is 99.19%. I'm guessing the 0.81% is from a while back because since the bankruptcy I've paid everything on time.

My credit utilization could be better...it is at 62% right now. Overall the scores could be a lot better and I'm going to keep working on them so I can reach my goals!

Sinking further and further

2009-12-06T09:30:00.002-06:00

My hair has been falling out due to the amount of stress I have been feeling lately. Not only is my personal life in deep turmoil, but I am constantly feeling like I am going backwards in regards to my finances. I went to the check cashing place yesterday because I don't have enough money for gas in the truck. I didn't borrow the maximum like I used to, only $100. I called and requested that my replacement credit cards be sent to me (I cut them up a while back). My savings is gone which is why I must rely on credit.

I only plan on using the cards for gas and groceries...not for eating out! December is a crazy month because I get two paychecks in the same week (next week) and won't get paid again until January 15th. So it's really important that I get my life in order! I won't be giving any Christmas presents this year, and I wanted to decorate but all I could do is buy a wreath that was on sale. It's quite nice actually and brings a smile to my face when I walk to the door.

Because of my situation right now, I've decided not to attempt to automate my other finances at this time. I don't want to risk getting overdraft fees in my checking account. I've been trying to work my budget for the upcoming pay periods and am struggling with it. The way it's looking now, I will have to be a starving hermit in order to survive. I'm going to continue playing with it and post it soon. I've started back using iCal to track my finances. I slacked off last month and because of that forgot about my car and rental insurance that is automatically debited from my checking. My account was -$330 because I didn't use my calendar!

I've been thinking about goals too. One main goal is to get rid of this truck! I'm confused because I know that if I keep making payments for around a year, I can trade it in and get a much better interest rate than what I am paying now. When I think about the amount of gas it takes it makes me want to try to trade it in now. I know that if I am patient I can get a much better deal later. I wish I would have stuck with the first car I wanted all along, a new Honda Accord. Then I definitely would not be in this mess. Why did I let other people influence me?

Other goals include building my savings account up again, getting a part-time job, and getting a Roth IRA. I have to work on making these goals more specific, but these are the things that I want to change most.

Old goals revisited

2009-11-29T09:15:00.003-06:00

One thing about New Year goals is that they are so easy to forget. These are the goals I set for myself last year:

$2500 in savings. FAIL. The maximum that I've saved is $1500.
Pay off all credit cards and medical debt. PASS/FAIL. I paid all medical debt and I did pay all my credit cards...but...when I bought my MacBook I opened a Best Buy credit card to pay for it. Right now that card is the only credit card debt I have.
Protect my job! PASS. The fact that I'm at my school another year after so many teachers were let go last year says a lot. I've been doing alot of extra work and trying new strategies with my students. I'm concerned because 86 out of 122 students are failing. I have data and documentation that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do, but I gotta get these kids to do their work. When I put in the grades for work that they have done, the grades were okay. Soon as I started putting in zero's for missing work the bad grades came. I've talked to parents, extended deadlines, modified assignments, but they still won't do the work. Veteran teachers have all said that as long as I have documentation of my efforts, I'll be fine.
After this spring, pay for school out of pocket. FAIL. I've continued to borrow for school this year. Next semester is my last, so I won't be borrowing for too much longer.

Sometimes I feel bad because I have not reached my goals. I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere financially and I am terrified to check my net worth. When I think about it, I have taken some steps to improving my situation. My job automatically takes 5% of my pay for retirement and I contribute $50 per pay period to an annuity set through my employer. I have all the insurance I need and feel comfortable if something were to happen. I've eliminated just about all my credit card debt (thank goodness!) and I'm in the process of automating my finances. Of course my paycheck is direct deposited, but I've automated my truck payment, auto and renter's insurance, and Directv. I'm still checking to see if my other expenses can be automated and plan to have them done by the end of the month.

Then I think about my spending plan that I created a while ago, my situation is not as bad as it seems IF I stick to the plan. Some of the categories have changed slightly, but overall it is the same. I always read other blogs about how people get out of debt by sacrificing, making more money, etc. I just want to be that person one day. (ETA...I just realized that the plan I mentioned was based on me not having a car payment. :( )

Overlimit Protection for Credit Cards? BOOOOOOO!

2009-11-12T17:56:00.003-06:00

I received a survey from HSBC today asking about overlimit protection for credit cards. Basically, for a small fee, the bank would let your purchase go through if it would allow you to be over your credit limit. If you don't choose to have this protection, then it would deny your card at checkout if the purchase would place you over your credit limit.

My question is who in their right mind would want to be over their credit limit? If you have to go over your credit limit, then you don't need to make the purchase in the first place! I'm not even using my credit cards anymore because of all the fees involved.

My take is that this is an implementation meant to prey on weak-minded people (my former self) who may become desperate for cash. My days of being that person are long gone. I've paid off all of my credit cards with the exception of one (to be paid off in spring) and I've cut them up so I can't even use them. I used to always cut close to my limits and once I started paying them down, I would charge them back up again.

How do I feel about credit cards now??? I believe that it is important to have them to build up credit and to make automated payments, but I don't depend on them like I used to. In the spring, I'll request my cards again so I can make a small purchase (very, very small...like $10-20 bucks) but that's it. If I cannot pay cash then I feel that I don't need it.

With my new truck loan and student loans, the last thing I want to worry about is credit card payments.

Money and Life Updates...

2009-11-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

This is way overdue but the car repairs ended up being more than $6,000. I refused to pay that much on a car that I had purchased only two months prior. So we traded in the Mercedes and got a 2009 Nissan Titan. The truck was the only thing we could purchase because of finance issues. The plan is to trade it in December 2010 for something that is more affordable on gas and insurance.

I received A's in all of my classes this semester so far. I will be done with my last class on November 17th. I will graduate on May 22, 2010 with my Master of Arts in Education (MAEd).

I am seriously beginning to dislike the location where I work. I don't mind teaching, but I don't like how some things are operated, the huge amount of paperwork, and the disrespectful kids. I work at an inner city school where the students basically run their households because the adults do not discipline them as they should. So when the students come to school they act the same way, which is unacceptable. There may be another job opportunity coming up soon, but I don't want to mention it just yet.

My bf and I are still together. It has been six months so far. He is in the VERY long process for applying for a city government job and has to go take another test this week. He's already had his fingerprints done and they have checked his references...all very good signs. If everything goes well, he will start training in March. This opportunity will definitely bring more money into the household.

We were considering purchasing a home, but decided against it because the homes we qualified were not what we are looking for. We are going to wait a few more years and save up for our dream home.

I feel that there are more updates but I must have a brain fart right now or something. As you can see, not much has been going on, but I am hoping for some big changes soon.

Mint has brought me out of hiding!

2009-11-08T21:57:00.002-06:00

I've been so tied up with life lately that I have really neglected this blog. When I had things on my mind to write about I would be too lazy to turn on the computer. I also forgot the main reason I began this blog. I started to keep myself accountable and to make a plan for my very grim future at the time. Even though I am not out of that situation, I am in others and I really need to start blogging again. Especially since I logged onto Mint today and say that I spent $788.59 on food within the last 30 days. $800 freakin' dollars!!! That could have been my truck payment, credit card payment, or textbook money. I really need to get myself together before this situation gets out of control. Actually it is already out of control, but I need to fix it.

roughing it

2009-09-13T20:48:00.002-05:00

These past few weeks have been really hard for me. I have been super broke! Usually, I would go to the check cashing place and borrow $300, but my bf talked me out of it. So both of us have been living really rough lately and even though it has been hard, I'm proud of myself for not getting into more debt. Before I would have also used my credit cards and max them out after getting them paid down. I haven't done that this time either because my bf made me cut up all my cards a few months ago.

I was feeling relieved thinking about payday on Tuesday and then the car problems started. Nothing too serious, just regular maintenance needs to be done. I'm kinda nervous because I've heard that it can get expensive. Tomorrow after work we are going to the Mercedes dealership to assess what needs to be done and how much it will cost. My appointment to have the work done is Tuesday. I have to work but bf is taking it in for me. I really hope it is no more than $500. Anything more and we're going to have to sacrifice for another two weeks.

Time Management for Teachers

2009-09-02T18:54:00.002-05:00

If anyone still reads this, you know that I have seriously neglected this blog. There are many, many reasons which I hope to talk about later, but one main reason is time management. I wake up around 6:20, get dressed, go to work, leave at 4:30, take my bf to work, come home to cook dinner, work some more, pick up bf, and go to bed. Then I repeat it all the next day. Some days are more hectic than others because I am taking classes at night for grad school and I also have teacher duties such as football games, volleyball, step team, etc.

With that said, I'm so tired of not having time for ME. I have neglected myself and I know it cannot be healthy. There are a few ways that I know of that can help me save time. I do not know if it will be helpful for all teachers...this is mostly a record for me.

1. I do not have to grade EVERYTHING. Bellwork can be randomly graded. I should focus grading on quality work, not busy work.

2. Make use of planning time. My planning period has become my napping period and I need to use this time to work.

3. Make myself less accessible. Last year I gave my students my phone number and they called me like crazy asking me about due dates, work, etc. This year I said no more! If a student needs to reach me, they can email me or they can come during my tutoring hours.

4. Invest in a crock pot.

5. Keep a strict schedule. My goal for this year was to leave all work at work, but that is definitely not happening! I've gone from bringing one bag home a night to two and both are overflowing with papers.

6. Deal with issues as they come. I am constantly adding things to my never ending to do list. This afternoon, I came up with a great idea of getting things done. I began to clean my desk and instead of putting things aside for a later time, I took care of it right then and there. And each task did not take more than 5 minutes.

So this is my working list so far. These are things that have worked for me so far and I know I'll be adding more to the list. I am determined to get my life in order while I am still early in the school year.

Budget Frustrations

2009-07-22T09:30:00.005-05:00

I'm so happy I have my new car, especially since my other one was totaled out. That Mercedes drives better than I could have ever imagined. I love my new luxury, but it has put a huge dent in my budget. I keep scanning it over and over to see where I can cut out something. I based it on my salary from my first year teaching, so my income will be slightly higher than listed.

Because I do not like having a car payment, my goal is to pay off my car completely by July 2011. I will have to be very aggressive, but I believe I can do it! How do I plan to accomplish this?
-All bonuses will be applied to my car loan. ($3000 in September)
-Student loan and grant money will be applied to the car loan. (I would rather pay the interest rate on my student loan than my car. This will be up to $12,000 this semester and $5,000 in the spring)
-I will work each summer and take on extra paid professional development opportunities to increase income (that can add as much as $9000!)
-I will work part time during the next two summers (up to $6000 total!)

By doing all of this, I can see my car being paid for in two years easily. I don't feel as bad about using my student loans to help pay for it because the interest is a lot lower and because I'm a teacher, I will be able to have a huge portion of my student loans forgiven. After my car is paid for, I plan on using the same strategy to pay my remaining student loan debt.

Debt free by the time I'm 30. That's a nice dream. I think 35 is more realistic for me. Or 33 even. Debt free by 33. House by 35.

4.0 GPA may be saved

2009-07-21T21:22:00.002-05:00

I have really been going through some things this month and as a result missed one of my class assignments. I really was not motivated to do it because I really hate the class and it is mad boring. The last day of the class was last Saturday and I was prepared to do without my perfect 4.0.

Today I was checking my online class info for my final exam grade and saw an email from the professor asking if I realized I missed the assignment. I asked if it was too late, not really stressing about it, and then she told me I could complete the assignment and turn it in tonight. So I just emailed it to her and I hope my 4.0 is still intact. I think that even with me missing the assignment, I would still have an A. She is really fast at grading so I should know something by tonight or in the morning.

Car Fund Partially funded!

2009-07-15T19:37:00.002-05:00

I know a while back I said that I would just save money and not categorize my savings, but purchasing this car has changed my mind. When I purchased my car insurance, I opted for a $500 deductible so my monthly payment would be lower. I don't want to be in a position where something else happens and I can't pay the deductible, so with the extra funds from this paycheck I created my car fund with ING direct. It was very easy to create a second savings account and took less than 3 minutes. Overall, I would like my car fund to have a total of $1500 to allow for unexpected maintenance, but that may have to wait. I feel a lot more secure knowing that I have funds set aside for my car.

So what about this car?

2009-07-10T08:54:00.003-05:00

So that is pretty much what my car looks like. It is a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500. It only had 27,000 miles on it when I purchased it. The dealer was asking for $24,999 and I paid $22, 995. Over all I spent a little over $25,000 with taxes, title, and registration included.

So how and WHY did this happen?

First you have to keep in mind that I have wanted a car for the longest time anyway. Before I purchased a car though, I wanted to save money each month in the amount of a car payment so I could be sure I could afford it. Well that definitely did not happen!

My bf had an accident in my car Fourth of July weekend, and it was then that I decided to go ahead and get a new car. I started looking online and saw a 2008 Pontiac G6 convertible with 48,000 miles for $20,995. I went to the dealer and test drove it and realized how compact the covertible was on the inside. I did not like it at all! I told my bf that I wanted something to show out in (bad I know!) and he told the dealer. I was so embarrassed! But the dealer then said that he had just received my E500 yesterday and showed it to me. I instantly fell in love. I couldn't drive it that day because they hadn't serviced it yet.

The next day, the dealer called and told me they had fixed it all up and I could test drive it. The drive was so smooth and I just had to have it. Against the advice of my bf (he told me to leave the dealer and come home) I purchased the car with a blank check from Capital One.

...

In a way, I'm glad I have a car that I'm proud to have instead of something I really didn't want. I test drove plenty of cars during the few days I was car shopping and I'm pretty satisfied with my choice. There are some things I wish I would have done differently, but as a first time car shopper, you live and learn.

I should have let the bf take over negotiating and purchasing the car. I'm sure the dealer knew how excited I was and threw anything at me.
I should have waited instead of buying the car the very next day.
I should have had a stronger idea of what I wanted going into negotiations and held firm.
I should have had anything I had an issue with be taken care of (battery light) and had all dealer promises in writing before purchasing.

With this car I have no choice but to cut back on spending. I do plan on putting every extra money towards my car payment. I want to be done paying this within three years time. I know I'll be receiving extra money this year, and next summer, I'll work at the school and part-time to pay it off as soon a possible. Pray for me please!

New Car - a Mercedes Benz E500

2009-07-09T19:42:00.002-05:00

I know I just made the biggest mistake ever. My car note could have easily been my savings. What is up with me and spending lately. I need to do a spreadsheet tonight for my paycheck next week. More on my car purchase later, once I get over the shock.

Study group? :(

2009-06-24T17:40:00.001-05:00

It makes me so mad when people ask me to join a study group and don't show up. I already did not want to come, but I'm the only one with a book so I agreed. Why is no one here? Woooooooosaaaaahhhhh!

3 Days until Conference

2009-06-24T09:51:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited to get out of town and head to Orlando. Even though it is a work based conference, we will be done at 5pm, so I will have plenty of time to have some fun. I know that I should be planning to visit all types of places, but I think I'm going to use this time to chill out. I want to do the things I wanted to do all summer, such as focus on writing quality posts for my blogs, reading, and exercise. Working and going to school this summer has really put a wrench in my plans. If my co-workers want to go out while we are there, I'll tag along, but as far as going out, I'm not sure. I may start looking at some attractions in Orlando so I can go out at least one day. As for the rest of the time, I just want to get as much rest as I can. I don't want to come home needing a vacation from a vacation like I usually do.

But what types of things should I look for to do? I don't want to do the big touristy things, such as theme parks. I don't want to go out to night clubs either, since I'll be alone (my co-workers are much older and I'm sure they don't do night clubs). I wouldn't mind visiting something like a jazz bar with poetry or a nice park. I would even be fine with going to the mall to see if I can find some great deals and get in a good workout while shopping. If I go to the mall, I have to have some type of plan in motion first, so I won't go crazy!

I'll probably be better off reading and playing the Sims 3.

Tracking and Budgeting - A New Approach

2009-06-24T08:31:00.006-05:00

The other day I came across this post by Budgets are Sexy regarding budgeting. I really liked how one of his readers set up a financial snapshot using Word. It's plain and simple, and does not require daily tracking of expenses. So for the month of July, I'm going to enter all of my regular expenses into iCal and create my snapshot at the end of the month. I want to use my paystubs as well to track what I am spending on insurance and retirement. I'm not sure if I pay for insurance during the summer, but they have been taking it out so far. This will give me a good idea of what my bare minimum is and where I should cut back if necessary. He also writes about budgeting with an Excel spreadsheet and it's pretty good too. It tracks net worth, savings, credit card debt, and expenses.

There are many other ways to budget as well. Fabulously Broke has created an Excel budget that I used often when I first started this blog. She gives details about it here. No Credit Needed demonstrates how to budget using only cash and envelopes. There are also online sites that you can use, such as Mint, Quicken, PearBudget, You Need a Budget, and Mvelopes. If all else fails, there is the never fail pencil and paper method, which I always use in addition to whichever electronic version I'm using at the time.

So for now, I'll continue to use pencil and paper and the other method using my iCal and Word. I used to rely on Mint, but I'll have to post about that later, as I've grown frustrated with them. I've tried almost all of the methods above and the main thing is to take the time and find out what works for you and meets your needs.

Unexpected Summer Happenings

2009-06-15T21:54:00.000-05:00

As I completed my first year teaching, I had plans on relaxing all summer. You know, sitting around doing nothing...well not really. I wanted to work on my writing and blog a lot more. I also wanted to spend time concentrating on school (one more year of grad school left!). Tuesday the chair of my department at work called me in to work for a summer school program. The job is very easy. All I do is sit at a desk all day and tell the students to get off of myspace. That's it. It's so boring, but it does pay $25 an hour. By working 9 hours a day for three weeks, I'm able to rack up a nice piece of change. This money would make for a great savings cushion, but I recently purchased a MacBook (soooooo worth it) and this money will be used to pay off that purchase.

After this assignment is done, I'll be attending a conference in Orlando, FL which is paid for by my job. The conference is a week long and I pick up my plane tickets and money this week. Once I get back, I have to teach a week long course for students that have to retake their state standardized exam and I also have to proctor the exam the week after that. Once I'm done with that I'll have a week to myself, which I plan to travel to Jacksonville and Maryland to visit friends. After that vacation week, it is back to work for school in-service. So this summer is ending up to be very busy for me! I definitely did not plan on this, but I am glad all this happened becuase I got a chance to purchase something I've been wanting for a while and then it keeps me busy.

I do feel that I have gotten off track with a lot of things. I'm not as structured as I used to be. I've been spending more and most of the time is on silly unnecessary things. I feel like I need to get back to survival mode, like I was when I first started this blog. Then, I was dead broke, working minimum wage depressed because I couldn't find a job with my degree, and I was frustrated with the process of correcting my credit report. I was making plans to get out of my situation and I feel now I've gotten comfortable, which I shouldn't be.

31 tasks by May 31st: review

2009-06-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

This challenge was a huge fail for me. I am glad to have accomplished some things, especially adding an Electric Orange checking account from ING. I was only able to save $150 due to car repairs and purchasing textbooks. I also bought a 32 in. flatscreen TV this month. My bf has moved in with me and having a 13 in. TV was not working out, so we went to Wal-Mart and purchased one. Nothing else is new, just going along, so glad to have completed my first year of teaching. I hope you all are doing well!

Spending Update

2009-05-17T11:39:00.003-05:00

May 13th (continued)
$15.00 Kroger (gas)
$8.50 Zaxby's (dining out)
$3.36 Arby's (dining out)

May 14th
$13.53 Molly's (dining out)

May 15th
$154.05 Kroger (groceries)

May 16th
$17.01 Kroger (gas)
$20.20 Papa John's (dining out)

May 17th
$3.93 Burger King (dining out)
$6.66 Starbucks (dining out)

I'm so ashamed and don't want to hit the publish button, but I have to be honest with myself. Off to work on the spreadsheet now.

No. 10, 12, 14, 16 (31 tasks challenge)

2009-05-13T16:43:00.002-05:00

10. Open Electric Orange Checking and Savings (for travel plans)
I've finally created my Electric Orange Checking and ING Direct Savings accounts. I'm not planning on using the savings account for travel plans anymore, but for general savings. I decided on ING because every time I call, the customer service is great and I like how quick they are to answer the phone. The website is really easy to use and I trust them as a bank.

12. Update direct deposit to ING Checking
I have decided against this. Mainly because I do not trust my HR department with simple tasks...they have the reputation of losing paperwork. I figure I will keep my funds in my Wachovia checking, just to have easy access to my money at a brick and mortar bank.

14. Increase W2S automatic transfers
My Way 2 Save account with Wachovia is currently earning the best interest rate of 4.90% APY. I called and increased my monthly automatic transfer amount to $100 which is the maximum. Before I was transferring only $10. With this automatic transfer and ING, I will be automatically saving $150 per month. Next month, I plan on increasing my ING automatic savings amount. My goal is to eventually automate up to $500 in savings per month. With no kids and no car note I think it is very possible. I just have to get my spending in control.

16. No cash - CC only plan (for comparing the two methods)
I've been using my credit cards only so far and they are both pretty full already! I have now experienced using only cash and only using credit cards and I do not like either system. What I have decided to do is to transfer a set amount of money to my Electric Orange account each month/pay period and use my debit card for basic purchases like food, gas, and personal items. I chose to do this because my debit card will not be connected to the account that my paycheck goes into, therefore I will feel safer using it just in case something happens, my paycheck will not be affected. Also, I won't have to worry about overdraft fees because of the account's line of credit. I think this will be safer and it will help me curb my spending. Since I'm not familiar with the time it takes to transfer money to the account, I will do so all month and begin this process next month. Now I can freeze my credit cards again, reducing temptation.

Spending Update

2009-05-13T16:40:00.002-05:00

I've been really bad with tracking my spending. I'm pretty sure that I am going to forget something, but we will see.

May 10^th

$4.03 Tropical Smoothie Café (dining out)

$24.21 JcPenney (4 king size pillows and a purse…had $35 in certificates to use!)

May 11^th

$4.03 Tropical Smoothie Café (dining out)

$7.84 McDonald's (dining out…for a friend)

$20.00 Gas for car

$43.00 Manicure and Pedicure (couldn't help it…was stressed out)

$31.37 Walgreens (personal items)

$8.39 Walmart (hair and beauty items)

$7.19 Sally's (hair rollers)

May 12^th

$28.21 Cracker Barrel (dining out)

May 13^th

$20.14 Walgreens (baby shower supplies)

This weekend I need to start putting my numbers into a spreadsheet so I can get some sort of idea where I'm spending and so it won't be overwhelming at the end of the month.