get on the ball
I will kick off this holiday weekend by getting some things done that I’ve been neglecting. I’ve been a little busy and preoccupied.
I have to:
- check my credit report again, because I’m trying to check a different reporter and my credit score every four months leading up to getting the house, and I was supposed to check again this August,
- check my tax withholding to make sure I’m not behind on paying the IRS as I go, since I’m making more money than I thought I would this year,
- research home-buying counseling for the cheapest and best deal (I’m hoping that I’ll have the time to take advantage of one before the time comes to get a loan, because I could get a discount on a mortgage if I participate in counseling),
- set up an appointment to talk to someone at the brokerage that holds my IRA,
- set up a Roth with Vanguard,
- budget for this week’s pay check, and
- tally up this month’s net worth progress.
I might not get it all done by Tuesday, but I’m sure going to try.
Have a great weekend!
Update, 9/2/08: I did everything on this list except open the Roth and check my tax withholding. While web browsing, I found about 2 or 3 dozen(!) counseling agencies in my city that can help with home buyers counseling. The remaining task is to find out which one is free, because I have decided that I am not paying for it. I checked my credit report and score, tallied August’s progress, and budgeted my paycheck (see my 9/2/08 post). I also set up a brokerage appointment this morning for Thursday afternoon.
my own time and money
Took the day off yesterday to get some things accomplished during business hours and I’m (almost) convinced – I NEED to be working for myself on my own clock. Now C2A and the Millionaire Mommy are starting to get through to me.
Talked to a housing counselor, too. She gave me a long onerous application to get housing counseling, for which I would have to pay $150, because I make too much to get it for free. I don’t think I’m going to take her up on her $150 offer. But I’ll keep considering it…
doing it yourself
On behalf of an organization I’m working with, I’ve volunteered to get a certain task done that takes specialized knowledge that I have. It will save my organization some money. But that means that all the headache some contracted hire would have gone through to get the work done is now MY headache. As I get into the nitty-gritty of this task, I find myself wondering if maybe we should have just paid someone else to do the work?
let’s get down
I want to shake my booty on a regular basis and learn something new while I’m doing it. I’ve found some dance classes not far from work and home… I think I’m going to try one out this coming Wednesday or the weekend. But if I like it, and I probably will, I’m going to have to pay to take them on a regular basis, which is my intention because I want to tone up and get rid of some of my *ahem* extra baggage. I want to look as good to myself with my clothes off as I do with my clothes on, and since the idea of aerobics bores me, I’m trying to dance.
Of course, the frugalist in me wants to hold off on that indefinitely – I’m trying to move into a home of my own and retire when I’m old. The money I could put towards dance classes could go to my savings.
However, there are certain things that you just ought to go ahead and do. Gotta enjoy life, you know? There will ALWAYS be something I can spend money on that could take precedence over taking a dance class. If not the house, then retirement, or debt – something. At some point it isn’t prudence, it’s just procrastination. Part of being responsible with money is having the ability to make choices instead of being forced into corners. I have the ability to choose to do something fun that’s good for my health, and after too much hemming and hawing, finally, I’m going to give it a shot.
no spend weekend my foot
Sistah Beginner delivered her new 7 pound 6 ounce baby boy after work on Friday!
Word to the wise: the markup in the hospital gift shop isn’t unfair. It’s fair. Because if you’re smart, you’ll listen to the little voice in your head that says, stop at a florist before you get to the hospital to get flowers. Don’t wait until you get to the gift shop to get them, ‘cause you won’t have much of a choice once you get to the hospital. And if you don’t listen to that little voice, it’s your own stupid fault if you find yourself looking at a beautiful spray of "It’s A Boy" flowers that leave you breathless but not quite oblivious to the fact that they cost over half the allowance you left yourself for the week. They charge that because they know that you aren’t going to hop back in your car and go to get something somewhere else ‘cause you’re already at the hospital. So it’s really my fault that I pulled out a credit card to pay for the flowers, because I needed to keep my allowance in my checking account, because if I spent over half of it, I wouldn’t be able to buy groceries for the week, and then I’d wind up eating out a lot, and then my stupid spiral of spending would happen, and then I wouldn’t be able to save as much in the Emergency Fund, and THEN I’d be mad. Sorry for the run-on sentence, but that’s just how it works. One false move and the whole thing just starts tumbling out like a really bad run-on sentence.
And no, this couldn’t have been prevented with planning because there was no way for me to know she was going to have that baby any sooner than next week – he’s a few weeks premature. And no, I wasn’t going to leave her hospital room without getting her something, ‘cause not one person bought her any flowers or balloons, and I’m her best friend.
Anyway, that was my spending this weekend. That, plus some gas. I didn’t need it, but hey, I was near cheap gas so I filled up. I’ll be going shopping tonight. I’m going to have a good week. I’m also going to hope that you have a good week, too!
cheap weekend
So far I’m not on track to save as much as I should this month compared to my progress in previous months. There are several things that contribute to this. First, eating out because of laziness – not shopping, not cooking. Another reason is the trip down south to visit my parents. There was a lot of eating out and spending on gas that I don’t usually spend. Also, I didn’t work a full forty hour week each week of August, so I’ve gotten less income. Oh what a mess can happen when your income is short and your expenses are long! I’ll live – some people would love to be in the situation I’m in, saving over $300 from a weekly check. I will forgive myself for being human and wanting to live my life, take a roadtrip, and enjoy the summer instead of slaving over a hot stove. However, I’m not completely off the hook – this weekend will be cheap. I’m helping Sistah Beginner move to her new place and set up the nursery for her soon-to-be-born bundle of joy. Except for putting a little gas in my car to help with the move and buying lunches and work snacks for next week, I am on spending lockdown. I’m still going to try to save as much as I can in the emergency fund this month, and slower progress isn’t going to stop me from getting my hustle on.
employment rant/tantrum
I want a job that I can call my own. With benefits. I don’t feel like schmoozing to get it. I don’t want to re-do my flippin’ resume any more. I don’t want to sit through another blasted interview. I want to make plans for getting the house without wondering if I’m going to have steady employment when I move in. This temping pays better than unemployment, but I have been without a position of my own for nine months now. Nine months. Where has the time gone? The year is flying by, and my resume is waiting. My skills are waiting to be used and honed at a more challenging level than they are now. Time is a-ticking. And I’m starting to lose my patience. I’m also starting to get to used to my temporary position, which is bad, because what I need to be doing is getting ready for my next opportunity. I got a call about a job today. It’s another temporary gig out in the ‘burbs. I don’t want it. I want a full time direct hire job. And whether or not I feel like networking or revising a resume or any of that other stuff, I’m going to have to. I’m a security-oriented type of woman. And I need to get out of this employment purgatory.
talkin bout money
I don’t usually talk about politics here, but like many other Americans, I’m keeping my eye on the election coverage. And you know what frustrates me? I still don’t know what is going on with the candidates’ plans to improve the economy. I care less about the candidates’ upcoming Vice Presidential picks than I do about whether or not they will let me keep more of my paycheck, or whether they know how to give people like my parents some slack. I am hearing some things, but it’s mostly because I’m actively looking for the information. I wish that the information on financial issues was louder and more prominent than it has been. You know what would be really cool? If the candidates started saying stuff like, "We need Americans to get more financially literate and start saving more." Oh, I would love that. So goes the substance of dreams… Anyway, I would still like to know how and when we can look forward to a more stable economy.
thirty bucks
I have thirty bucks in my checking account until payday, which is Thursday. To me, that’s not much, even though I can stretch that amount of money for much longer than two days. But I remember those days not so long ago when having $30 left over after food and bills was great! Funny how your perspective changes, the more money you make. Once upon a time, buying lunch instead of bringing lunch was Forbidden. Now it’s optional. I’m not worried about the little pennies like I used to be.
Mister Ant’s mom has been staying with us for the last few days. She’s semi-retired, living on her savings and pension. She is a great money manager – penny and pound wise, she has everything she needs, and I look at her as a finance role model. But to be completely honest, I can’t do everything she does. Even though she can afford to not cut corners, she picks up sale papers at the stores just to see what’s on sale. She wipes out the hotel room for all the little freebies like lotion and shampoo (which she says is great for cleaning toilets) before she checks out. That’s just more effort than I am inspired to put in, even though I’m always saying that Every Little Bit Helps.
But being around her reminds me that I really can stretch everything more, and that doesn’t just mean my thirty dollars. I can reduce. I can reuse. I can actively look for sales instead of passively coming across them when I’m already tempted to buy. I can be more creative. I can get back to my frugal roots and stop acting like I don’t still have goals to reach. When I’m her age, I want to be able to hop on planes and go to see my grandchild like she does.
she better make me a dress
My cousin’s daughter has been saying she wants to be a fashion designer for a while now. Since it’s her 13th birthday, and she is starting to act distracted at school, I figured that now is as good a time as any to give this kid a reason to focus on something, behave better, and see if this dream she has is what it’s cracked up to be. I’m getting her a moderately priced sewing machine with my next paycheck. She better make me a dress, too.
