Friday, August 31, 2007

lalalalalalala

I scheduled the day to pay off my car! September 4th.... when it posts its PARTAY!!!!!

Coincidently, its also the day i have 2 papers due... one on a book i have yet to read.... so come tuesday morning i will be one happy slappy girl!!!! woot.

The extra money from this months extra check was put in my 3 month emergency fund... it would have been more but i was a little spendy this month and had to take some out to cover some stuff... including a donation to a charity organization. =D but $160.00 went to the 3 month fund... woot

  • Emergency fund: Need: $697.58; with raise contributions I still need to find $497 more then my monthly deposits to hit the goal.
  • Toyota is mine in 4 days
  • Networth just jumped [i registered my toyota payment on there]
  • Roth IRA: With the raise, i'll still need to put in $325 extra....
  • Invisiline- NOW $132.55 more
less then 1,000 to make in refunds, overtime, etc to meet my yearly goals!!!! I love how each week this seems way more do-able!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

no church no more

sadly, awakening is disolved... Dusty can't do it anymore... last Sunday was the last night apparently... i don't have a church right now... A few of us are still gonna meet on Sunday nights and see what happens... but for now... i'm churchless and its depressing.

financially, since this is a blog about finances... it also means i have no place to give to anymore... which is sad... but meh....

Paycheck 1:

  • Groceries $170.00 [since were at least getting dinner for fellowship, i stuck some of it here]
  • Car Insurance $110.00
  • Renters Insurance $17.00
  • Basic Necessities $45.00
  • Roth IRA $100.00
  • Gas and Auto Maint $200
  • Utilites $50.00
  • Cell Phone $50.00
  • Fun money $50.00
  • Braces minimum payment 134.00
  • House Downpayment: $25.00
  • 3 Month Emergency Fund $100.00
  • X-mas Fund $50.00

Paycheck 2:

  • Braces fund $245.00
  • Rent 600.00 now with new roommate [Edit]
  • Future W $15.00
  • money games $241.00 extra to BRACES [EDIT]

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Retirement Question.... i want feedback!!!! from anyone and everyone!!!!



I know everyone always advises to save as much as you can and as early as you can for retirement and this has resonated with me for some time... Especially after seeing my mother and knowing that she has zip in savings and is turning 56 this year...

I have already created an overview, very basic, of what my finances will be like, all rounded down etc for next year.... if everything goes to plan, i will pay off my invisiline loan in full and max out my Roth IRA .

Here's were my question comes in... AT BEST, i'll pull 40 grand Gross... and that's a huge stretch... Next year roth contributions bumps up to 5,000.... which is more then 10% of my GROSS income even when its stretched.

I want to buy a house eventually... I've rented, and frankly with the market the way it is, i'd love to be getting equity instead of flushing stuff down the toilet to another's wallet. Since house prices are finally going down the next couple of years will be prime for me to get on the property banwagon... houses have never been so low! What was 300,000 last year is 250,000... and there are a few single bedroom places for less then that!!! i'd love to get into something in a year or so... but i'll need at least 60,000 for a 20% down... [if the market stays were it is] and that will take years to do.

So.... Here's my question... Should i adjust my plan to save more for a downpayment [but still 10% GROSS] ... or just max out the roth because eventually 5,000 won't cover 10% of my income?

JUST FYI--- i'm a local government employee... which means CALPERS for me... not Social security. I currently pay 1% into it, and council puts in the other 6%.... here's the formula

  • I get 2% of my highest annual pay X [how many year's i've worked] ... for the same number of years i've worked.
  • So, since i'm 21... if i stay with the city till i'm 55... that's 34 years... [at 2%, i get 68% of my largest annual pay]

So lets plug in some pretend numbers:

  • .68 x 35,000= 23,800 a year for 34 years [runs out when i'm 89] $809,200 before taxes
  • .68 x 40,000= 27,200 a year for 34 years [runs out when i'm 89] $924800 before taxes
  • .68 x 50,000= 34,000 a year for 34 years [runs out when i'm 89] $1,156,000 before taxes
  • .68 x 60,000= 40,800 a year for 34 years [runs out when i'm 89] $1,387,200 before taxes

Friday, August 24, 2007

RAISE RAISE RAISE

YUP.... finally its here!!!!! 6% baby!!!! woot woot woot woot!!!! $14.35 to $15.22!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hehehehehehehehehe weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! which equals at least $2,202.00 a month!

and that means that retro pay should be coming soon!!!!!

The new Budget!
Paycheck 1:
  • Groceries $140.00
  • Car Insurance $110.00
  • Renters Insurance $17.00
  • Basic Necessities $45.00
  • Roth IRA $100.00
  • Gas and Auto Maint $200
  • Utilites $50.00
  • Cell Phone $50.00
  • Fun money $50.00
  • Braces minimum payment 134.00
  • House Downpayment: $10.00
  • Future W: $10.00
  • "money Games" $35 .00
  • 3 Month Emergency Fund $100.00
  • X-mas Fund $50.00

Paycheck 2:

  • Braces fund $245.00
  • Rent $800.00
  • Offering $50.00
  • money games $6.00

the journey, an update

3 month emergency fund: i'll still need $857.58 I'll have $103.00 left over from the extra check... so i'll need to find $754.58 -- With the raise, i'm doubling contributions so it becomes: $554.58

Roth IRA [2,000 contributions] With the raise, we up this sucker another $25.00 a month... i'll need to put in $325 extra....

Invisiline- to get the loan down to 2,000 grand, i'll need only $176 extra.--- NOW 132.55 with some extra money that came in this month.

Pay off toyota... will have the money in 7 days... will have it paid off in 9!!!!

Net worth... if the goals are met and I get my tuition check, i'm gold.

So, i NOW need to make 1012.13 by years end!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

account overload!

I have too many savings accounts... too many savings goals... I NEED SIMPLIFICAtion...

i'm starting to get a little crazy with accounts, so i'm going to go ahead and get rid of some. I'm moving all my emigrant accounts to IGOBANKING to keep it simple... and i'm going to get rid of some of them in the process. With school starting i need to simplify things... and who knows, i might even set up automatic stuff soon... but not today... i still like doing it all by hand.

i also am finding it a little discouraging to see so many accounts move forward inch by inch as apposed to really denting one a lot... I'm getting rid of the new car fund.... I put the money in the house dp fund instead.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

theres nothing to do at work... so i figured i'd run some numbers

There is NOTHING to do at work today... which is kind of pathedic. But there's like 2 people in the gym and one out at the pool... i'm going crazy and you can only clean the gym so often. So i turn to the blog...

I've been meaning to run some numbers for awhile, and they actually look better then i thought.

My 3 month's emergency fund[the crap i lost my job or can't work for 3 months] should really be $5,463 if i include just my expenses... $7,413.00 if i want to include my roommates portion of the rent. For now, i'll just aim for $5,500.

I looked online at potential properties i'd love to own... well assuming i have my 20% down payment... and running the numbers, i only need to save around $60,000... not 67,000..... i hope the market keeps this way for the next 2-3 years... =) i doubt it will though. but 60,000 is now the new target goal.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

keeping on track! It's time to run the numbers on those goals


Okay, i set some goals for where i want myself to be in at the end of the year financially... which is only a few months away... and its time to crack the numbers and see how i'm going to make this happen.


3 month emergency fund: year end goal $1,450.00 [aka- one months total apt rent.] if I keep everything at $50.00 a month, i'll still need $857.58 by Dec 31st. Not including overtime, i'll have $103.00 left over from my extra paycheck this month after i pay off my car and put that $300 back in my regular emergency fund that i used to get the toyota loan down to 517. So... if i add that 103 i'll need to find $754.58 -- I'll be retro paid in a few weeks for that raise of mine... hopefully this will dent a good portion...


Roth IRA [2,000 contributions] keeping contributions the same, i'll need to put in $425 extra.... man i wish i could max this out instead... poo... maybe the money fairy will give me 2 grand back from the government when i file my taxes... but i doubt that will happen. so for now... $425


Invisiline- to get the loan down to 2,000 grand, i'll need only $176 extra.


Pay off toyota... will have the money in 13 days... will have it paid off in 15!!!!


Net worth... now calculating this will be tricky... but here goes. if i hit all these goals and everything stays good elsewhere... i'll have a net worth of $17,689... but, i'll also have my tuition reinburstment check back... which means i'll clear the 18,000 in net worth mark!!!!!

so, between overtime, extra saving, and my raise and its retro pay, i need to make 1355.58 by the years end to do it all.... 3 words my fellow bloggers... Bring it on.

church stuff... kind of finance related at the end

I feel like i'm in a pickle. I started going to this church in high school... and for the most part i've stuck with it, stuck it out through pastoral changes, drama, new people, old people etc... and i like "my" church. I even volunteer with the high school group on wed nights because someone needs to be there for these guys.

But i don't feel i attend church there anymore... and its sad. I can't go anymore on Sunday mornings, because even though i have asked my boss to come in on time so i can go, he doesn't anymore... and now doesn't even come in on the weekends at all. Nor do they offer a service on another day that i could attend.

I do attend a Sunday night thing, ---yes i described it as a thing because i'm not sure what it is--- Awakening. We do a "service" type thing once a month, but if there arn't too many people it boils down to a kind of small group thing... which is what the other 3 weeks are.

I guess i feel like there isn't much real planning or thought that goes into it... we don't even meet inside the building anymore... just sit outside on the patio, sing 2, maybe 3 songs acoustic style, chit chat for a few minuets on what a passage of scripture means to us all, then get dinner. Part of me is yearning for more i guess... i miss being taught... i miss learning deep down what it all means... context... history...
blah! Just had to get that off my chest.

Now the finance part... I'm having a hard time tithing... not financially... i mean i've set some money aside for it, i wish it was more, but i volunteer as another way to give back... but it seems like i have to climb over hurdles to do it in the first place... and financially the church needs what it can get, offerings been low. I finally got Awakening to put an offering basket in the back at the once a month service last month... and the check never got cashed and its a month later... part of me doesn't know if i should cancell the check or not... I can't stand it when i know money should be taken out and its not... i'm worried i'll forget its in there and spend it! Either way, i'm not writting a new check until the first one is cashed... which i'll ask about Sunday night... so it looks like i might just hold on to this months offering and stick it in my 3 month emergency fund.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Tires, net worth, house, and stuff

Well, the tires set me back around 160 with the install... good thing i have that gas and auto maint fund eh???

~the net worth bumped up a bit... and in 13 days it will bump up even more when i OWN MY TOYOTA!!!! woot!!!!

~ i finally have $50.00 saved up in my house dp fund!!! even though its only $50/$67,000 it's still nice to see a bigger number next to it [it was laughable when it was $4.00... and pathedic at $20]. I can't wait till its a 3 digit number. The nice thing about saving is that it always gets bigger faster, because you get to keep the interest earned!!!

I also got paid today, just a normal check, no OT so everything was set up for transfers today... more money to Dental, Christmas Fund, and even $2.00 to my house and Wedding funds so business as usual. When i get paid from Half.com and see what is left in Bofa at the end of the month, there should be some lovely improvement.

my next paycheck will have some nice OVERTIME on it. I have a monday meeting after work and saturday i'm picking up at least 4 hours extra.

okay, i'm out for now... doing a lot of account double checking, etc.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

WOOT WOOt woot


SHOUT OUT TIME to all the ladies and gents of MSN MONEY's WIRR----


the Racers [myself included] have paid off a combined total of over 1 million in debt in less then a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Woot and a big thanks to JANDO_27 for the tip off!

New Tires


Well School starts Tuesday, so its time to replace the last 2 tires on the Amanda mobile... looks like another friendly trip to Costco.
guess i'll get to do that 2 morrow ... on my last day off for 4 months... stupid college...
and knowing my luck, [and the knowledge that i have less then 300 miles to go for my next service check] i need to get the ruddy thing serviced for 25,000 miles... so that's another $70.... fun eh?.... [that's sarcasm...FYI]
on a brighter note, [cause its good to end on a positive] I sold another book on Half.com, so looks like trip to Walmart... which is across the street from Costco... so i'll ship that out tomorrow and save a run down there and hopefully something else will sell by then too...
okay, peace out from this chica!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

new blog

Just FYI... i have started a rather amusing blog based off a conversation i had with a few of my male friends... not financially related...

http://www.jbsbottom.blogspot.com

but apparently i'm now aiming to have Jessica Biel's backside... should be good for laughs!

I like count downs that make me smile

19 days until i get the money to pay for my car in full. 22 days till the amount clears and i'll own my toyota.

which means in 22 days my only debt left will be at zero % for a whole dang year!!!!!!

but can little old me wait it out... the 22 days that is.... technically i don't have to wait....

I could take my $1,000 emergency fund and pay it off right now... and have the whole emergency fund back in 24 days [including the holding and pending through different accounts.]

it just seems so long since toyota has heard from my monetarily... and i do quite enjoy the looks i imagine they carry on their face when they see my electronic demands to own my property in my time frame and not there's. Fankly, i'm thinking i should send them something... it won't dent the interest which is nothing because the balance is getting down there... but i want it to be mine... mine mine mine...

oh what the hey! I want to send them something so i might as well... i won't pay the thing off in full... but i need a boost financially. a $300 boost sounds good to me.

Friday, August 10, 2007

half.com

in the past 2 days, i've sold 5 books on half.com... and while this means another trip to Walmart for shipping envelopes, it also means more cash!!! which is always welcome!

anywho, i was surprized by what sold. I had a textbook i bought split in 2 pieces for dirt nothing last term and saved at least 50 bucks off the used school price...... well i listed it and mentioned that the book was in 2 pieces, no missing pages... and made it lovely to carry to and from class cause you only had to take the half you were using.... it sold... i'm shipping it out today.

not only does this give me some extra cash for the odd and end... but it also de clutters my small apartment and that's good cause during the school year I always want to clean less and less and this will ultimately give me wayyyy more space in my book shelf. I ultimately hope i can get rid of one of the book shelves [there actually DVD stands... ]

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

phew!!!!!!! the crap hit the fan and i ducked!


WAHOOOOO!!!!! they fixed the interest rate which means i can pay off my car this month, and still keep everything normal!!!!
woot woot woot woot woot
ohhhhhh yeah~

Sunday, August 5, 2007

oh Sh*t

I mentioned in a couple of posts that i got my braces bill in the mail a few days ago and figured out my monthly payment, etc... but i picked it up the other day as i was cleaning and i noticed something wasn't right... And of course the error is when the "promotional period" ends... So i grabbed the phone ASAP because it said the promotional period ended in October 07!!!!! not July 08!!!!!

The company that submitted my application screwed up and gave me a 3 month grace period instead of 12!!! I called Care Credit and they told me i have to deal with my actual dental office since they submitted the application.... and they are closed on the weekend!!!! which means monday after i get off work i need to go down there and raise hell till they fix it. if not... i got to get myself $3,835 by october 27th cause the rate shoots up and so does back interest [which for 16 days was 45 bucks!!!!!]... and getting almost $4,000 is not going to happen very easily.... i think if i take every dime to my name i'd just make it... i currently owe $3,835.
  • i'd have 2 more months of payments i planned @379 which brings it to $3077
  • my extra Aug paycheck approx $900 brings it to $2177 and i won't pay off the car
  • I have 200 bucks in bofa account which brings it to $1977
  • i have 1,000 in my ing account as my original emergency account..... were at 977
  • my 3 month emergency fund should be 463 by then.... were down to 514...
  • i can take the x-mas fund and "money games cash" for the 2 months so that knocks off 180... so were at 334...
  • my other savings accounts at emigrant for wedding, house, etc have 86 bucks in it... so were at $248...
  • and i should have 248 left after buying textbooks that i could use in the mean time to cover my rear if need be.

Okay... its kind of comforting to know that i think i can get it paid off if i have to...but that will leave me pennyless and i'd really have to be careful about everything...

hopefully they'll fix this all up... or hopefully i'll know come monday if i need to start scrambling and sending that cash... which i'll do ASAP to kill that interest down as soon as possible!!

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Money Games Monthly Report July


House Downpayment: $48.74.... figuring i need 67,000 for a 20% down in this area..... i'm not even going to write another word.
New Car Fund: $27.87.... lol, no i'm not getting one anytime soon... i'll own my Toyota finally this month... this was just a gas rebate from work... figured better here then spent.
Future Wedding: $10.66... not engaged... nor will i be anytime soon... but weddings are expensive... even for something simple... who knows... it may buy a dress one day... or pay for the whole thing... either way the future hubby one day won't complain, that's for sure.
3 month emergency fund: $363.04... i want 3 months worth of income saved... not 3 months expenses saved. which means.......$6,337.98 .... gulp... and this will only go up when i get my raise... whenever my work processes their paperwork... horrible buggers... as of now... $5,974.94 left to go... at least its under 6 g's now.

happy day my fellow friends!

i'm actually liking IGOBANKING... i think it was like the phase i went through with the transition from ING to Emigrant... remember the "but i like the orange bouncy ball better..." but sucked it up from the way better rate... well i'm doing that now with IGO and its growing on me... or i just like the feeling that my emergency fund over there is growing!
I haven't been posting a lot of what i've been saving over here to my little sub accounts... since mainly this blog has been all about debt repayment... but as my net worth rises every month and i continue to decrease the debt, i will begin to include some of those finer aspects... the Plus side!!!
But i worked an extra 3 hours... and i'm sending that overtime to my car... $51.01... which brings my Auto Debt to $816.61!!! woot baby woot!

That unbudgeted money

Duh!!! its August already and i don't have a christmas fund set up yet... and to be honest, i can't really rely on lots of overtime like i did last year... i just got lucky frankly.... and i'm happy to report that this year i have more people to shop for since i do have that handsome hairy boyfriend of mine! lol... so the Christmas fund was born at Emigrant Direct today. I took my old 3 month efund and changed the name, arn't i smart? I debated putting it over at Igobanking... but decided against it. I already had the account made at emigrant... and i hate seeing zero's in my accounts... unless its a bill that says i owe... lol!
  • Paycheck 1: $1056.33 $140 Groceries, $110 Car Insurance, $50 3 month emergency Savings, $17 renters Insurance, $45 basic Necessities, $200 Gas and Auto Maint, $75 Roth Ira, $50.00 Utilities, $50.00 Cell phone Bill, $50.00 Fun, $134.00 Braces minimum, $102 to savings for braces, $30 x-mas fund, $3 "money games"
  • Paycheck #2 $1056.33 $800.00 Rent, $50.00 offering , $43.00 "money games", $143.00 goes to braces, $20.00 x-mas fund