tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56577460829333286252024-03-13T19:31:15.953-07:00Spend for SandyHelp Me Decide How to Save, Spend, and Manage Money.Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-64986116344562877002011-09-21T19:58:00.000-07:002011-09-21T19:58:12.170-07:00Long Term Care Planning, Already?This week, I attended two of three classes provided by a financial planner who specializes in retirement and estate planning. I've learned A LOT!!! And "A LOT" doesn't do justice to the wealth of information I've gained. In this post, I'll share a few of my favorite bits of information from the long term care insurance presentation:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/ltcinsurance.asp#axzz1Ye49DSmg">Long term care (LTC) insurance</a> is purchased to cover expenses related to care in home, continuing care retirement communities, assisted living and nursing homes.</li>
<li>The majority of long term care is paid for from Medicaid, followed by out of pocket expenses from the customer and/or their family.</li>
<li>Medicare and Medigap (health care for people age 65+ (and younger, in some cases, ex. disabled persons)) does NOT cover long-term care expenses.</li>
<li>Medicaid (health insurance for the impoverished) does cover LTC expenses. For a single person (1-person household) aged 65+ years (someone who is considered to be "aged"), to be eligible in my state of residence, you cannot have assets valued at more than $2,500 and a monthly income no greater than $350. </li>
<li>Policies can be purchased based on the amount of money a person's care would be on a daily basis and for how many years such care would. Additional features -such as inflation protection, age and health at time of purchase, individual and shared plans, restoration of benefits- impact the cost of a policy.</li>
<li>The Federal government will enact the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-care-meeting/proposal/titleviii">CLASS Act </a>(beginning late 2012 or early 2013) to help Americans prepare for the expense of long term care. <a href="http://www.aarp.org/health/health-care-reform/info-01-2011/The_CLASS_Act.html">Here's a summary</a> of the the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act from AARP.</li>
<li>Some states have "partnership programs" that incentivize the purchase of long term care policies.</li>
</ul>I'm so fired up about this topic! I'm interested in learning more about this product so I can discuss it with my parents as they prepare for full retirement.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Have you heard about long-term care insurance? </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Have you talked about it with your parents/loved ones?</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Do you know someone who has purchased a LTC policy? </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>What was the experience like?</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-6562910358400147052011-09-15T13:17:00.000-07:002011-09-15T13:17:48.146-07:00Hello....Again<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FQ1cMlI6gVQ/TIk-YDWCCzI/AAAAAAAAAAM/P7L9rdJLJwo/s1600/SandyX.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FQ1cMlI6gVQ/TIk-YDWCCzI/AAAAAAAAAAM/P7L9rdJLJwo/s320/SandyX.png" width="169" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandy X</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Hey there! Remember me? Sandy X?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know, I know.... I haven't been around since August 19th (almost exactly a month ago). So what have I been up to? Weekend trips out of town, a major project at work, and developing my skills and approach to making more money. Sounds exciting, right? This blog hasn't been the only thing I've neglected in the past few weeks. I haven't been exercising regularly, I've slacked on my "daily" readings (local news and my favorite blogs), and staying in touch with family and friends. Fortunately for me, my failure to maintain these routines have not been life threatening. Additionally, I have a chance to "pick the ball back up" and keep moving forward. So, I' back....again =)</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-56102178303671115962011-08-19T18:36:00.000-07:002011-08-19T18:36:28.212-07:00About that "New Toy"....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qdC5CIJKixU/Tk8Nl9LiKnI/AAAAAAAAAD4/sddqgDXj-K0/s1600/IMAG0345%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qdC5CIJKixU/Tk8Nl9LiKnI/AAAAAAAAAD4/sddqgDXj-K0/s320/IMAG0345%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>On July 26th, I shared how excited I was to be the <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-new-toy.html">proud new owner of a Keurig coffee maker</a>. My reasoning behind the purchase was largely because I was spending quite a bit of my food budget at Panera Bread on coffee and bagels.<br />
<br />
Well whaddya know. Just two days ago, my colleague bought a Keurig coffee maker!!!<br />
<br />
I'm seriously reflecting on my $120+ investment. I've thought about selling it on CraigsList or Ebay....that way I won't have to keep up with the occasional $13 purchase of fancy K-cups and I can <strike>freeload off of</strike> use the ones at work.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>What do you think? Should I sell my new toy and indulge in the one at work? </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Or Should I keep it?</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-54652620589513002782011-08-16T19:52:00.000-07:002011-08-16T19:52:37.087-07:00We Stole Your Stuff<div style="text-align: justify;">If you've ever paid attention to the time of day that I publish my blog posts, you'll notice that it's usually during regular business hours (i.e. when I should be focusing on the work for which I receive compensation).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allinthis.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/laptop-thief.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://www.allinthis.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/laptop-thief.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, today is a special exception....because my work laptop was stolen.....once again.....while people were in the office (thank goodness no one was hurt!).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The last time this happened was about 10 months ago (on October 28, 2010, to be exact). Nevertheless, when I get into a better frame of mind and can focus, I'll be sure to share my most recent financial experiences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I apologize for shortchanging you today.</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-78406282624192053842011-08-09T14:54:00.000-07:002011-08-09T14:54:11.961-07:00A Post Full of Pictures: Ups and DownsA quick update before I get started...<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">In the <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-net-worth-update.html">August net worth update</a>, I wasn't sure if I had had a recent contribution. I didn't. As promised, I double checked, and my most recent contributions were on 08/05 and 07/20. I wrote the August update on 08/02 and the July net worth update was posted on 07/20 ;)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now on to today's post...(in <strike>pictures</strike> screenshots) </div><br />
The past few days have looked like this....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rPi40T_6XK8/TkGnLhsZeeI/AAAAAAAAADs/5nB-4jJ8ko8/s1600/3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rPi40T_6XK8/TkGnLhsZeeI/AAAAAAAAADs/5nB-4jJ8ko8/s400/3.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dI31UKOhte4/TkGor1r06LI/AAAAAAAAAD0/__nEZxrt_MI/s1600/2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dI31UKOhte4/TkGor1r06LI/AAAAAAAAAD0/__nEZxrt_MI/s320/2.PNG" width="299" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YkaMkKffZwA/TkGmaYAMHlI/AAAAAAAAADk/PILE9-optEw/s1600/1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YkaMkKffZwA/TkGmaYAMHlI/AAAAAAAAADk/PILE9-optEw/s400/1.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Am I stressed? Nope. Why? Mostly because I don't intend to access the money in my investment accounts for another handful of decades. Additionally, in that time, I plan to allocate my assets (and <a href="http://youtu.be/g4XaUPrncKA">diversify</a> within asset classes) to reduce my exposure to equities (I'm thinking pet rocks might be a good bet in my older age, but that business<a href="http://www.petsdo.com/blog/pet-rock-made-man-multi-millionaire-6-months-lives"> sounds vaguely familiar...</a>). It also doesn't hurt that my investments (outside of my 403b) outperformed the S&P 500 and DJIA =)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6lH1Ln5_YVY/TkGoF1VrXmI/AAAAAAAAADw/WcSP0QxgNOo/s1600/Portfolio+Performance.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6lH1Ln5_YVY/TkGoF1VrXmI/AAAAAAAAADw/WcSP0QxgNOo/s400/Portfolio+Performance.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-46508415250695026742011-08-04T11:11:00.000-07:002011-08-04T11:11:33.341-07:00August Net Worth Update<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dZSHhUr1UGI/Tjm53qHJWMI/AAAAAAAAADg/SADz14h1xmI/s1600/August+Net+Worth.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dZSHhUr1UGI/Tjm53qHJWMI/AAAAAAAAADg/SADz14h1xmI/s1600/August+Net+Worth.PNG" /></a></div><br />
My assets decreased by $579.62 and my liabilities decreased by $587.71. This is the first time since reporting my net worth updates that my assets decreased! Here's the summary explanation:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Assets</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>403(b):</i> (+33.06) I'm rather sad about the pathetic performance of this account. I haven't double checked, but considering that my last net worth update was so late, I think this simply reflects an increase in my investments. Otherwise, this number includes my matched contribution(s) and simply shows how the market took it's toll on my investments....and that $33.06 is all I have to show for it. I'll get around to checking on the details and will update you.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Emergency Savings:</i> (-394.74) In the <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/07/july-2011-net-worth-update.html">last net worth update</a>, I mentioned that I'd take $400 out to cover my car registration expenses. Well. This is the effect of it: $57.14 in my "emergency savings" account. I'm not losing any sleep over it. In the event I have a major unexpected expense, I'll put it on my credit card and will pay the balance with "car payment" money. Sounds familiar, hunh?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Regular Brokerage Account and Roth IRA:</i> (-98.75 and -169.19) I really don't want to talk about this. But, a part of investing means that your equities are at risk of losing its value. That totally happened here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Savings Account</i>: (+50) I transferred $50 to this account in preparation for a trip to New England. Only a day or two later, plans for such a trip were scrapped (at least for this year). I think I'll re-transfer the money and use it to cover my massive credit card debt. A bit on that later...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Liabilities</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Car Loan:</i> (0) Despite having money transferred to my credit union account, I have not gotten around to transferring the funds to my car loan account. I'll receive a direct deposit this week, and thought that I would wait until new car payment funds cleared so I could make a larger payment. I know, it doesn't make much of a difference and I should probably stop being lazy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Credit Card:</i> (-6.00) Since receiving my new rewards credit card, I've been treating my old one like a bald-headed-stepchild (or however the saying goes). The $6 balance on the card is a recurring service I pay for. Since it's related to work, I should probably get around to submitting a reimbursement for it. I know, laziness is rearing its ugly head again...<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b></b>Rewards Credit Card</i> (-703.49) So far I've racked up 11,674 points (put another way, I can redeem it for travel worth $116.74). I've also racked up a bunch of debt. In fact, my balance is $1,115.65 (as of 08/04). Airfare, gasoline, food, car parts, and other stuff. I need to <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoGo6kBNlFnOdDFYcGFZYVZObHRwOFlwSUhxd2NvOVE&hl=en_US&authkey=CNO8tf4K#gid=37">reconfigure my expense tracker</a> to better capture how much I'm spending in these various categories. Currently, they're all filed under my "CC Rewards" column. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Student Loan: </i>(+121.73) As I indicated in my last update, my student loan payment decreased (I still don't know why). Anywho, I am $121.73 closer to a zero balance.</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-29147660291735053832011-07-28T20:59:00.000-07:002011-07-28T20:59:42.351-07:00Spending Fast<div style="text-align: justify;">No, I'm not spending money quickly; instead, I am not spending money. Like <a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/fasting">one of these fasts</a>. It wasn't until today that I had a sort of epiphany. (Warning: it's not as major as it seems.) I haven't spent money for the past two days [GASP!]. Three days ago, I paid my phone bill and applied a few bucks towards my credit card balance (that hardly counts as "spending" as it's more of an obligation, rather than something that's discretionary. "Spending" sounds much more fun to me and, although it's the same thing, I set aside "bill paying" in my head. But I digress...)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
My mini-revelation surprised me in two ways. First, I realized - aside from looking at my expense tracker- that I spend quite a bit of money on food. I still long for Panera (it hasn't been a week yet and I'm already dreaming about the next time I'll treat myself to their goodies), I haven't eaten any cheesy goodness from a fast food restaurant (ex. Subway's meatball sub, an organic cheeseburger from Elevation Burger), and no random snacks from my local CVS (I've been thinking a lot about sour gummy worms). I tried the meal planning thing; actually, it wasn't much of a plan. I made a crock-pot meal on Saturday and have been eating it for lunch and dinner all week long. I'm so sick of chicken stew! Chicken stew and rice. Chicken stew on a flour tortilla. Chicken stew and toast. Plain ol' chicken stew. I finished what was left of it tonight for dinner. Luckily, I changed things up a bit with a bowl of imitation Fruit Loops and pizza (that was on sale this past weekend) for dinner last night and lunch today.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My second surprise was that I didn't feel bad for not spending money. There was a bit of awkwardness because I haven't been too many places outside of home and work. As weird as it may seem, spending money has almost become an automatic thing (yikes!). I've always been aware of my spending (as evidenced by my near obsession with expense tracking), but I haven't been so conscious about my non-spending. We'll see if it matters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Update: <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-new-toy.html">I tried bottled water for my coffee and it tasted better!</a> Then again, it was a different type of coffee (Caribou's K-cup vs. the Gloria's Hazelnut that I tried at first). Frankly, the brand of hazelnut is unimpressive (which sucks, because it's my favorite flavor of coffee!). Nevertheless, I will continue to experiment in order to find the perfect cup o' joe. And if things don't work out, I'll sell my new toy for half of what I paid for it on Craigslist and head straight to Panera. Okay, okay, I'm joking....but only a little ;)</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-37035605791379512772011-07-26T07:50:00.000-07:002011-07-26T07:50:37.604-07:00My New Toy<div style="text-align: justify;">In my <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/07/is-meal-planning-my-ticket.html">last post</a>, I talked about using meal planning as a way to adhere to my food budget of $50 per week. I did okay on a trip to the grocery store (I spent $50.60, but $10 of it was for non-grocery items<<paper towel and toilet paper). However, I did not purchase breakfast items. I knew that breakfast <strike>is</strike> was best at Panera Bread. But when I did the math (at least $3.02/day for at least twenty days each month), I knew that I might be better off (at least a little bit), by putting $60.40/month elsewhere (savings account maybe?). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So what did I do? I bought one of these...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-adRQcsFMxg4/Ti7PkVNzk6I/AAAAAAAAADc/VAbXmtn0qDM/s1600/IMAG0195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-adRQcsFMxg4/Ti7PkVNzk6I/AAAAAAAAADc/VAbXmtn0qDM/s320/IMAG0195.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>The machine, additional pods of hazelnut coffee and skim milk set me back $120.22. The cost per cup (excluding the depreciation of the machine) is $0.67 compared to the $1.75 I <strike>pay</strike> paid at my lovely bakery chain restaurant.<br />
<br />
I tried it last night with tea (nothing special there), and this morning with coffee (it doesn't taste like Panera :/). I even made a second cup because I thought the first was a mistake.<br />
<br />
The next time I use this machine, I'll use purified water (as recommended). I'll let you know how it turns out.<br />
<br />
By the way, why did I purchase an "expensive" single brewer coffee maker? I've had coffee from <a href="http://www.keurig.com/">Keurig</a> (machine and pods) before and it's always delicious. Like, addictive delicious. I figured, why not have the same deliciousness in my home?<br />
<br />
I'll do my best to make breakfast at home as pleasurable as breakfast on the go (I'll miss you cinnamon swirl and raisin bagel!). I should remind myself that there was life before carrying out breakfast every morning. But the smell of freshly brewed coffee for a few months has easily overshadowed such memories. At any rate, I'll do my best to "get back to the basics." <br />
<br />
P.S. Okay, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic. You would be too, if your coffee wasn't on point!Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-30825019104408457352011-07-21T10:18:00.000-07:002011-07-21T10:18:51.295-07:00Is Meal Planning My Ticket?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://peasinablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/embrace-meal-planning2-for-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://peasinablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/embrace-meal-planning2-for-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've been <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/06/quick-update.html">ashamed of my food spending</a> for the past few months. I budget $50/week for food and have easily blown through more than a quarter of that budget with my work day breakfast purchases, alone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shout out to <a href="http://www.panerabread.com/">Panera Bread</a>. I love your hazelnut coffee (w/skim milk) and cinnamon swirl and raisin bagels, toasted with no cream cheese or butter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Any who, I've laid out my spending through the end of the year using my <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/07/updated-budget-template.html">new budget template</a>, noting that I'll be using my <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-got-rewards-card.html">new rewards credit card</a> (and maintaining the tradition of paying the balance in full), and trying to plan for upcoming expenses, such as a weekend trip to the Big Apple.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In an effort to restore my ability to "respect the budget", I know I have to do a better job of sticking to my $50/week food budget. And I'm wondering if meal planning is the way to go. Frankly, I have not been a model for eating meals that are nourishing or financially responsible. I won't go into any great detail about the $20+ I spent for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory a week or two ago...or about the beer and banana chips I ate for "dinner" last night, but I know I have to spend a reasonable amount (i.e. not $20+/meal) and it should be good for me (ex. add veggies, protein, and maybe better carbs to my beer).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is where meal planning comes in. I've heard about it here and there, I know that it involves me making a list of stuff I want to eat for the next week, and making sure that my grocery list allows for some flexibility around core items, but frankly, I've never done it. The closest I've come to meal planning is whipping out a grocery store circular and buying only what's on sale. I wouldn't say that peanut butter, cantaloupe and pork chops constitutes a meal, but at least I spent less on such purchases =)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Have you successfully used meal planning to manage your finances and to ensure you eat balanced meals? What has worked best for you? I appreciate your insight!</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-23389997411971614982011-07-20T12:27:00.000-07:002011-07-20T12:27:29.326-07:00Too Much Time...<div style="text-align: justify;">At the beginning of July, I shared a <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/07/updated-budget-template.html">new budget template</a> that I plan to begin using in August. Since then, I've adopted a template from my boyfriend that allows me to view my expenses on an annual basis (with a month to month snapshot).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've spent an inordinate amount of time trying to reconcile my monthly expense tracker tabs with this new "annual budget" tab. At times, I tell myself that I will only use the annual tab for the upcoming months. Then, I find myself toiling away at the workbook to get the numbers <i>just right. </i>I've spent at least 5 hours in the evening and at work trying to achieve an accurate reflection of my budget for the past six months.<br />
<br />
Just a few notes: January, March, April, May, and June are all works in progress; those months with orange backgrounds are really screwed up (at least there's hope for getting May straight by moving around a few things); the plus signs (+) indicate that the information associated with that column/row is correct (as such, you'll see that my REAL problem is figuring out how to track my credit card expenses). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMh7uNFu6XA/Ticp5kntjRI/AAAAAAAAADU/P1E63dzpGQo/s1600/Annual+Budget.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMh7uNFu6XA/Ticp5kntjRI/AAAAAAAAADU/P1E63dzpGQo/s400/Annual+Budget.PNG" width="400" /></a></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>What do you think? </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Should I keep going until I get the past months right or move on?</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-64777524467735847432011-07-20T12:01:00.000-07:002011-07-21T09:55:43.261-07:00Surprise! You Have a New Student Loan Payment Amount!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://harshikaram.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/surprise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://harshikaram.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/surprise.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By no means is my new student loan payment epic. In fact, it's only $0.95 less than what I've been paying. Hardly enough to pay for a cup of coffee. At any rate, I was a little surprised to find a message in my Direct Loan Servicing inbox notifying me that starting July 28th, my electronic debit will be $228.26. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Frankly, I wasn't expecting my student loan payment amount to change until I actively switched to the regular payment schedule. <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/01/early-graduation-from-graduated.html">I've written before that switching to the regular payment schedule would boost my monthly payments to $265.</a> I don't know what it would be if I switched today (and since <a href="http://www.dl.ed.gov/">www.dl.ed.gov</a> is acting super-duper slow today, I won't bother finding out in time to publish this post!).<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE: If I switch to the regular payment schedule beginning August 28, 2011, my monthly amount will be $368.74.</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nevertheless, I'm sure the retirement of my car loan will usher in yet another change for my monthly student loan payments, as I hope to extend my accelerated debt elimination plan to the federal government once my disposable income increases =)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
By the way, there was no specific explanation as to why my payment amount changed. However, the website offered that the change might have occurred because of loans being added to my account and some other unlikely actions that I can't remember :)</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-23021230957110033522011-07-20T11:48:00.000-07:002011-07-20T11:48:11.306-07:00July 2011 Net Worth Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long (I've officially missed 4 on time posts). Here's where I left off....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R9KiyIsy0QY/TicZ6cyjhRI/AAAAAAAAADQ/aZSapXvR88w/s1600/July+2011+Net+worth.PNG" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">My assets increased by $960.35 and my liabilities decreased by $1132.14. Here's the summary explanation:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Assets</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>403(b):</i> (+739.34) This includes three bi-weekly contributions of $205 (total of $615). The rest reflects the growth of the underlying investments (two mutual funds). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Emergency Savings:</i> (+15.26) $15 of this amount reflects my deposits of $5 into the account every two weeks. I've earned $0.26 in interest on the balance. This amount will soon dwindle to $51.88 as I've set up a transfer of $400 to cover my new credit card balance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Regular Brokerage Account and Roth IRA:</i> (+$56.37 and +$158.92) Nothing new here: recurring deposits of $25 into the regular brokerage account every two weeks and no deposits into the Roth. You won't notice it, but I deposited $75 into my regular brokerage account since the June 1st update; however, the growth noted here is $56.37. Even though the balance for the regular brokerage account is higher than last month, I actually have an unrealized loss. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Savings Account</i>: (-$9.54) This account is still suffering from motion sickness. Despite my deposits via "Keep the Change" and monthly deposits of $25 ($50 deposited since my last net worth update), the change in the balance is lower than it was in June. It doesn't help that I recently transferred $100 to cover part of my credit card balance. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Liabilities</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Car Loan:</i> (+1027.53) I can hardly believe I put over one thousand bucks towards this account since my last update. Nevertheless, I am officially under a $5k balance! The end of this loan is fast approaching! Maybe then I can make up with my dwindling savings accounts balances :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Credit Card:</i> (+$397.27) I paid off my balance and have since had a number of transactions. However, the balance for this account is $0, thanks to the $280.41 payment I made. Going forward, this account will only have a recurring expense of $6 every week for a virtual assistant I pay. Most of my expenses will now go to my shiny new rewards card...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>*NEW*</b>Rewards Credit Card</i> (-368.98) ...And it really <b>is</b> shiny. Like "bling-bling-gold" shiny. Anywho, I've been swiping away with my new friend: I reserved a hotel room for a family gathering later this month, purchased airfare to Florida for September (I jumped on a fare sale, a round-trip ticket for $95.40 ain't too shabby), and food. Going forward, I plan to use this account for all food, gasoline (and other vehicle maintenance) and miscellaneous expenses; furthermore, I will pay the balance in full every billing cycle (over at least two payments per cycle to keep the balance low). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Student Loan: </i>(+$76.33) Every month, $229.21 diligently goes towards my student loan. I'm looking forward to increasing this amount, soon! </div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-19568135004480069432011-07-05T19:42:00.000-07:002011-07-05T19:42:44.651-07:00Updated Budget Template<div style="text-align: justify;">This week was all about budget templates! (Sounds kind of corny, but whatever). My boyfriend and I discussed our respective expense trackers and a friend of mine asked about the budget template I use. My convo and special request got me to thinking about how I could improve my budget template. Here's the new and improved template with notes on how to use it: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/budget4sandyx">http://tinyurl.com/budget4sandyx.</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here are a few tips I shared with my friend:</div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The first tab (annual budget) offers a monthly and annual snapshot of your expenses. If you get paid every two weeks and have two "extra" paychecks per year, you can update the formulas accordingly.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>I prefer to track my expenses based on when I receive my paycheck (every two weeks). You can track based on what's easiest for you (by week, every two weeks, or monthly). </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The orange categories capture transactions from my checking account, since this is where the bulk of my expenses come from. The green category captures credit card spending. It's a bit subtle, but you'll notice that this tracker assumes that you pay your credit card balance in full (credit card transactions are combined with checking account transactions; both are deducted from your total income). </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>If you use your credit card to make the majority of your transactions (and to earn points, rewards, miles, etc.), you can categorize your credit card spending and change the "credit card transactions" column to "checking account transactions". </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>If it's more helpful, you can move the credit card transactions column next to the "cash transactions" column and exclude it from your "total income - total expenses" category. Doing so will make it easier to reconcile your bank statements with your expense tracker (this is the way I use my tracker). See the third tab for an example of this. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The blue/green column (cash) captures transactions you make using cash. In the [orange] ATM/Cash Back column, you're tracking money that has been withdrawn from your checking account. In the separate blue/green column, you're tracking the use of the aforementioned funds after they've been withdrawn. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>You insert your income (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) in the formula for total income minus total expenses. If you have any funds that carried over from the previous pay period, you can add it to this formula (second tab) or as a line item (third tab). </li>
</ul>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-33838232356999839232011-06-30T13:42:00.000-07:002011-06-30T13:42:24.022-07:00Quick UpdateHowdy! Just a quick update today (I've been crazy busy/disorganized/distracted).<br />
<ul><li>I finally got that crack fixed in my windshield. Except, it didn't go down as planned. A couple of days ago, I noticed a new, longer, unrelated crack that REALLY needed fixing. A repair wasn't an option, so I had the windshield replaced. When I made the appointment, I passed along my insurance information to file a claim, but when I got to the place, the insurance company had not contacted the repair shop. Since I'm travelling this weekend and felt super uncomfortable with the damage, I spent $265.63. That's about twice as much as I originally planned for. At least it's all safe and nice-looking =)</li>
<li>I've spent about 85% of my food budget already and I have another week to go before I get paid again. I've also managed to go over my gas budget. Thank goodness for savings. I guess I better think long and hard about my recently acquired eating out habits (Goodbye Panera?)</li>
<li>Speaking of Panera Bread, they're running a survey through June. For every entry (i.e. completed survey), a person gets a chance to win $2,000 cash. I've been completing surveys religiously. Keep your fingers crossed!</li>
<li>I might be in the market for a new oil change shop. I went yesterday and I "didn't pay at the register". The guy "fit me in" and shared that I could tip the car fixer-upper dude. I was only half way paying attention when this went down because I was working on a presentation for work and watching the clock for an important phone call. Nevertheless, when I went to pay (walking towards the counter as I have in the past), the staff person on duty said that they'd taken care of me and that I should have a nice day. Talk about weird!!! Hook ups are nice and whatnot, but I don't know buddy "like that"; frankly, I'd feel more comfortable paying as agreed and being confident that my car was serviced correctly (there's no way to guarantee that one way or another, but at least I'd get peace of mind). Anywho, I'm thinking I might need to find another shop or learn how to change my own oil!</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b>That's all for now. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>But before I go, would you take a "hook up" as I've described up here?</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Also, enjoy your Fourth of July weekend!</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-90082449586226925562011-06-28T07:39:00.000-07:002011-06-28T07:39:06.787-07:00Making it Easy<div style="text-align: justify;">Not too long ago, I let on to a <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-got-rewards-card.html">bit of worry I had about abandoning the "Keep the Change" </a>program for points on a new rewards card. It wasn't until this morning that the light bulb went off...I can continue to save the same amount, just in a different way. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bank of America knew what the heck they were doing. They were smart enough to hire some psychologists, maybe behavioral economists, to construct this savings plan. When a few cents here and there are added to our ordinary purchases, it's easy. On the other hand, setting aside a "big chunk of money", even automatically, is a little more difficult.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I've learned is that I can set aside more than $25 a month to the Bank of America savings account. If I take a close look at my savings from the "Keep the Change" program alone, I know that I can comfortably increase my savings by $23.09 (this is an average of my KTC savings between April 1st and today). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Doing this, I don't have to worry about my savings decreasing, and I can focus on accumulating rewards with my new credit card making purchases that, ordinarily, would otherwise be made with my debit card. So, what's next? When I get my new card (I can't believe I'm excited about this....I really need to "get a life" LOL!), I will change my automatic savings from $25 to $50. Since I won't be making many purchases with my debit card, I can rest easy knowing that I will continue saving as much money as I have these past few months.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Mini-crisis averted!</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-58746938861977139362011-06-23T07:41:00.000-07:002011-06-23T07:41:01.896-07:00I Got A Rewards Card!<div style="text-align: justify;">I finally got around to getting a rewards card. Yesterday, on a whim, I called my credit card company and told them I'd like to upgrade my card to a rewards card. I had a sense that the time was right, because they recently <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-pleasant-surprise.html">upped my credit limit</a>. I'm also pretty sure it had something to do with my <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2010/12/one-more-day-of-2010.html">paying my balance in full every month</a> for the past six months (and keeping the balance relatively low, prior to that).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nevertheless, I made the call, was advised that an "upgrade" would not suffice and that I'd have to open a new account, so I did. I answered questions about my income, bank account balances, and rent payments. All in all, it took about 12 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the coming weeks, I should receive a shiny new credit card with a $15,000 limit. I don't care what the APR is because, like I've done for the past several months, I'll be paying the balance in full. Additionally, there is no annual fee. I will earn 1.25 miles for every dollar spent, miles do not expire and there's no limit on the miles I can earn. Additionally, I can redeem my miles for airfare, hotel, and more (I'm most interested in airfare purchases). If I spend $1400 a month on my new card, I can rack up 1,750 points a month (21,000 a year). I'm already thinking about what expenses to charge (phone bill, groceries, gas, miscellaneous expenses). Sadly, this will impact my <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-keeping-change-credit-card.html">"Keep the Change"</a> savings; however, I'm hopeful that the purchases I'll be able to make with my miles will offset the change. I'll keep you posted!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Do you have a rewards card? </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>What's your favorite feature of the card?</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> What do you use your points/miles for?</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-72951189802196938122011-06-21T13:31:00.000-07:002011-06-21T13:31:51.642-07:00Summer Spending<div style="text-align: justify;">Tis' the season for barbeques, festivals, fun in the sun and friends! Undoubtedly, all of these things mean mo' money, mo' money, mo' money....that you'll be spending "mo' money" of course =)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As I have done in the past, I've <b>failed</b> to plan for my upcoming summer expenses. Namely, expenses for and round-trip travel for two family reunions. Both will take place states away and fortunately, my sister and I will drive. It's fortunate that we're driving because 1) it's much cheaper than flying and 2) since two of us are driving, the travel expense will be split in half.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At any rate, I'll be looking at a couple hundred dollars of "unusual" expenses. I better start figuring out how to make the most of what I'm working with. So far, all I've come up with is to be diligent about preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner at home (something I <b>should</b> have been doing over the last 8 weeks, instead of being Carefree Carrie!).</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>What summer-specific expenses do you have this year? If you have a regular income (and regular expenses to go along with them), how are you preparing for your seasonal transactions? Did you save for these upcoming expenses?</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Kr0tTbTbmVA" width="425"></iframe></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-16573930118436483492011-06-16T08:41:00.000-07:002011-06-16T08:41:41.802-07:00Trouble Staying Focused<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.denniscummins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/woman-focus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.denniscummins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/woman-focus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm still sick and continue to struggle with my spelling, <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/06/out-sick.html">as I shared earlier this week. </a>Nevertheless, I will do my best to think through my drug/sick-induced brain to share with you what has been going on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My spending for the last two months has been kind of "free spirited". I've purchased breakfast nearly every day (Monday through Friday), eaten out almost as much for lunch, and had more take out for dinner than usual. Additionally, I've spent quite a bit of time entertaining friends from out of town or going out of town to be entertained by friends (yeah, yeah, I know, gasoline is extra stupid expensive). These things don't pay for themselves and unfortunately, many of these expenses were not part of my regular budget. So what did I do? I used money I set aside for my super duper car payments. Or, I used my credit card....and then used money from my super duper car payment to pay off the credit card balance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm all for the "life is short, so you gotta have fun." Yet, sometimes, I find myself struggling to balance it all. Surely, additional income would help me "have it all", so to speak. What's most important, however, is that I develop a firmer sense of discipline to remain on track with my goals, while having a little bit of fun, as well :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My boyfriend has a similar goal of paying off a debt sooner than later. He has diligently set aside $2,000 a month to get rid of a second mortgage on his first property. He has faced similar temptations of spending money in other places (heck, I'm likely the source for half of such temptations); in spite of them, he's on track to get rid of his loan by the end of August (congrats in advance, babe ;>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Me? I'm repeating the same old sorry song about pushing back "the date". I haven't thought at length about what it means to pay off this debt ASAP. "I know" that it will mean I can save a super amount every month (for my $10K goal). "I know" that it will mean that I can have a chunk of disposable income to do whatever I want with (shopping and weekend trips to California have been among my latest obsessions). However, I'm not connecting what "I know" with what I should be doing. <i>Side note: I love to see how behavioral economics shows itself in my life :)</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nevertheless, I will continue reminding myself of why I set out on this particular journey and continue to work towards my goals....in spite of many "distractions."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>What do you do when you lose focus? What helps you get back on track?</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-72609904521302911202011-06-14T20:19:00.000-07:002011-06-14T20:19:08.810-07:00Out Sick<div style="text-align: justify;">In the midst of my Nyquil, orange juice, grapefruit juice (I ran out of orange juice), hot tea, and naps, I genuinely thought that I'd get around to writing today. No such luck. My brain has been foggy since Sunday afternoon, and if it weren't for spell check, this post would have eleven trillion misspellings (I know, that's impossible, but bear with me and the drama). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A quick summary of my spending over the past week or so: I bought a new phone (and got a plan upgrade...i.e. more money each month); I'm expecting a few reimbursements (they're all going to my credit card balance); and my car note balance is finally under $5,000 (<a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/05/no-more-posts-about-my-car-note-until.html">that's all I have to say about that</a>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope to have something a little more intriguing by Thursday. By then, I should be well enough to focus on what's going on and to give you a relevant update.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Until next time....</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-68962110141963165242011-06-08T16:58:00.000-07:002011-06-08T16:58:14.319-07:00Hello From Out of TownMy apologies for not posting yesterday. I've been so wrapped up in work. I've been out of town since Monday night for a conference. I'll work on a post for tomorrow (Thursday, June 9th). In the mean time, here are a couple of things that I learned about, like and want to share.<br />
<ul><li>Putnam Investments makes an "impulse savings" app for its customers, <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110606006262/en/Putnam-Investments-Creates-iPhone-App-Enable-Shoppers">Business Wire</a> </li>
</ul><ul><li><u>Taxing the Poor: Doing Damage to the Truly Disadvantaged</u> A look at how, historically, state and local tax policies have affected poor people, <a href="http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520269675">University of California Press</a></li>
</ul>Take care!Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-67023102949584319552011-06-02T12:21:00.000-07:002011-06-02T12:21:41.364-07:004%<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coxrail.com/images/4percent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://www.coxrail.com/images/4percent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What a pretty vague title for today's post, hunh? It doesn't have anything to do with an APR or an APY. It has everything to do with how much my salary will increase.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday, I had a performance evaluation, and at the end of it I was informed of my raise. Hooray for more money! I doubt that it would have been an appropriate question to ask, but I'm wondering when it will kick in (likely at the beginning of our fiscal year, i.e. July 1st).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I haven't thought about what exactly I plan to do with the raise (about $80 extra per check, gross, not net pay) but I'm pretty sure that it will go towards a debt repayment and/or savings. After all, I'm okay with my current budget for regular expenses.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>UPDATE: </b>I paid the majority of my credit card balance with "car payment" money, instead of savings (<a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/06/june-2011-net-worth-update-and-other.html">like I suggested yesterday</a>). All that remains is a measly $8.35; Capital One won't allow you to pay more than your balance + 10% of the balance. I could have waited until all of my transactions cleared so that the full balance would be reflected, but I've been having an A.D.D. day today.</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-11624439447352937702011-06-01T07:29:00.000-07:002011-06-01T07:29:59.629-07:00June 2011 Net Worth Update and Other StuffI guess I'll do the "other" stuff first, since I didn't post yesterday.<br />
<br />
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. I sure did! Two of my girlfriends came in from out of town. We attended a jazz festival (got caught in a torrential rain shower), a wine festival, a museum, and we talked and talked and talked, and ate and ate and ate. With the exception of my one friends being sick, it was an absolutely marvelous occasion (sadly, my other girlfriend became ill, too). Oh, I guess I kind of skipped over the fact that all of our eating put a dent in my budget. Fortunately, keeping track of my expenses allowed me to slow down....bear with me, I'm a work in progress!<br />
<br />
Since that's out of the way and it's a new month, why not go ahead with my net worth update? I thought it would be pointless to wait until Thursday :) I'll warn you, the recap of May isn't looking too sexy....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FzOZj46TTsQ/TeZFZscgEII/AAAAAAAAADI/1rDzvQBB25Y/s1600/June+2011+Net+Worth.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FzOZj46TTsQ/TeZFZscgEII/AAAAAAAAADI/1rDzvQBB25Y/s1600/June+2011+Net+Worth.PNG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">My assets increased by $229.59 and my liabilities decreased by $214. Here's the summary explanation:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Assets</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>403(b):</i> (+138.76) When I checked this morning, the last reported contribution (of $205) was May 11th. I've since received a paycheck (and contributed to this account). At any rate, the difference between the recorded contribution from today and my last update reflects that my investments (two mutual funds) have decreased in value. Good thing these things (i.e. monthly fluctuations) don't stress me out (hooray for the long-term)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Emergency Savings:</i> (+5.36) On a whim, I set up $5 deposits into this account (for every two weeks). I know it's not much, then again, it's not much (yeah, re-read that). I figured that I spend $5 a week on useless junk, so why not do something a little more positive with "junk" money. The $0.36 is interest earned on the account. Also, I split the account into "emergency fund" and "around the world". So far, all of the funds are in the "emergency fund" part, as I have yet to achieve my $10,000 goal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Regular Brokerage Account and Roth IRA:</i> (+$88.72 and +$3.72) Nothing new here: recurring deposits of $25 into the regular brokerage account every two weeks and no deposits into the Roth. Additional differences are because of increases in the value of my investments.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Savings Account</i>: (-$6.97) This account should be motion sick with all of the ups and downs (okay, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic). At any rate, I deposited $18.03 by <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/03/from-loose-change-to-keeping-change.html">"keeping the change"</a>, maintained my monthly $25 deposit, but (and here's the kicker), transferred $50 to cover my butt because I overspent this weekend. Yikes! Good thing I have this sucker as a cushion (albeit, a small one). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Liabilities</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Car Loan:</i> (+511.10) Slowly, but surely, this loan is going away. I'm looking forward to knocking it under $5K this month :) I may get around to it today, but I have $959.76 in my Del-One deposit account to be applied to the loan balance. We'll see... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Credit Card:</i> (-$397.27) A large portion of this expense is $250 for an LLC tax. I meant to pay it using money from a tax refund (or maybe it was the "extra check" in April), but clearly, I didn't get around to that. A few of the other expenses include $50+ for a domain and web hosting service (to be reimbursed), parking (I don't trust my debit card to those machines) and food. Sadly, I did not plan well enough and I recently realized that my track record of paying my balance in full is at risk. I'm anticipating another reimbursement (work-related) and will probably cover the difference with savings. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Student Loan: </i>(+$100.17) Every month, $229.21 diligently goes towards my student loan. I'm looking forward to increasing this amount, soon! In fact, one of my goals is to pay off my student loan long before its ten year term!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>That's all folks!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">(at least for today;>)</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-72344664979237993802011-05-26T09:00:00.000-07:002011-05-26T09:00:06.210-07:00In Case of Emergency...<div style="text-align: justify;">I had the weirdest dream the other day. I found myself in a makeshift shelter (a community center or school gym). There were at least 60 beds crammed together with people of all ages on their cots. As the dream transitioned, I found myself working as a part of the staff/volunteer group/whatever responsible for coordinating people: directing them to beds, leading group discussions, and shuttling them in from wherever they came from. I don't know where this dream came from, but I don't doubt that it has something to do with the hundreds of families who have been displaced by floods and tornadoes in the South and the Midwest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In one part of the dream, I distinctly remember a guy, propped up on his elbow, talking about how he came to the shelter. He said that he could afford a room at the Marriott but for so long. He was facing the possibility of running out money and had to find an alternative for his family.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What did I take from this dream? I started to think about my own prepardness in case of emergency, rather, my lack of such prepardness. After a quick Google search, I found <a href="http://ready.gov/">Ready.gov</a>, a campaign by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that calls on us to "Prepare. Plan. [and] Stay Informed".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Growing up in South Florida, I've had my experiences with hurricanes and their aftermath. I have memories of boiling water, eating packaged and canned food, and going to the mall and grocery stores (because they had generators and/or restored power before us...we went for the air conditioning). As an adult, however, I have to think about what I would do in case of an emergency. Where would I go? How would I get there (my nearest relatives are four hours [driving] away)? How much money would I need?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This last question really has me scratching my head because I know that I'd have to have such funds available in cash. When the power is out, that ATM machine is not of much help, neither is a check scanner. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nevertheless, I will do my best to be prepared for -God forbid- an emergency, by combing over the checklists at <a href="http://ready.gov/">Ready.gov</a> and taking said recommendations seriously.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Are you prepared for an emergency? </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>How much cash would you stash in case of one?</b></div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-71398352713365702412011-05-24T08:12:00.000-07:002011-05-24T08:12:20.702-07:00My Response to J. Money's 5 Favorite Things<div style="text-align: justify;">J. Money of "Budgets Are Sexy" posted a fun <a href="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/2011/05/5-for-friday-favorite-things-edition/">"5 for Friday"</a> on May 13th. I'm a little late, but what the heck, here goes:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>1) What’s your favorite credit card?</b> My Capital One. They recently raised my limit (hooray for my credit score). However, I'm still in the market for a rewards card.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>2) What’s your favorite financial book? </b><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=YtE6JJ78XLcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=i+will+teach+you+to+be+rich&hl=en&ei=olzVTbCYH8mbtwfq3pnpCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false"><i>I Will Teach You to be Rich</i></a>, by Ramit Sethi, because he "keeps it real" and it's targeted to my age group. I'm so annoyed that many personal finance books are directed to middle age folks<<<same reason why I had to cancel my subscription to <u>Money</u> magazine (good thing my sister subscribes to it...she's older anyways :>). I also like Suze Orman's <i>The Road to Wealth</i> because it covers so many topics!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>3) What’s your all-time favorite financial company?</b> <a href="https://home.ingdirect.com/open/open.asp">ING Direct</a> and their new acquisition, <a href="https://home.ingdirect.com/products/products.asp?s=ShareBuilder">Sharebuilder </a>(which I used before the A&M). They make saving and investing, respectively, easy to do. And their websites aren't fussy :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>4) What’s your favorite financial tool? (could be software, investment vehicles, or anything you consider a “tool” really) </b>Google Docs (specifically, the spreadsheets). I use it to track my expenses every day, keep a bird's eye view of my savings and investment account balances, and to track my debt elimination progress. What's best is, even when I'm out of town (and I have internet access) I can keep these things updated.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XyjY8ZLzZrw" width="425"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>5) And lastly, what’s your favorite coin? ;) </b>Quarters. I park in a city that only accepts quarters in meters.</div>Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657746082933328625.post-65123801699364487132011-05-19T10:57:00.000-07:002011-05-19T10:57:41.404-07:00No More Posts About My Car Note Until...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nataliedee.com/020608/no-more-frog-and-turtle-jokes-until-an-agreement-is-reached.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.nataliedee.com/020608/no-more-frog-and-turtle-jokes-until-an-agreement-is-reached.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>I won't write any more posts about my car note until the balance is zero. I got so frustrated the other day when I spent and additional $335.06 on GG. The same old story: I go in for an oil change (with my coupon, of course) and come out with a list of <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/05/again.html">things to fix.</a> "Fortunately", I spent $100 less than what was estimated.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, my many car repairs, and other unplanned expenses, have postponed my payoff date. When I started writing about this issue, I anticipated a payoff date of <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2010/09/thursday-09092010.html">May 2012, then February 2011</a>, then <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2010/09/stay-on-track-or-defer.html">April 2011</a>, then <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2010/09/contribute-or-screw-it.html">October 2011</a>, then<a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/02/tax-refund-what-tax-refund.html"> July 2011</a>, then <a href="http://spendforsandy.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-keeping-change-credit-card.html">August 2011</a>. Currently, it's September 28, 2011. We'll see about that. I failed to plan for this car note elimination thing to be a moving target. In the meantime, I will avoid obsessing over the matter. You won't read another post about this darn note until it's paid for!Sandy Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09613859018921225524noreply@blogger.com1