Auto ins part TROIS

State Farm called me back with the lowest quote of them all. $83.oo a month.

Shopping around is good
=)

So at the end of APRIL, I'll be calling down to State Farm and talking to my agent and getting my pretty new INS for only $83.00 a month.

And I figured out what to do for my auto maintance... Normally i get a discount for being a AAA member at my dealership for car maint... but they recently started doing maint/parts at 10% off on WED's... so I'll just always have to take it in on WED's... (my day off which is nice) and make an appointment in advance to insure i get the discount. YeAh!

bad week... continues... but i'll flip it into a YIN/YANG post...

My roommate (the greek goddess friend) will be late on her rent payment... she gave me most of it, but she's short $40 bucks because her parents only gave her $160.00 this month... not $200.00..... and I don't get the $10.00 electric bill till today... hopefully....She's being charged a $40.00 late fee to me (her suggestion because she feels bad) and shes going to pay me when she gets her paycheck. We'll see how that goes...

and gas is way way expensive out here right now. It cost me over $52 the other day to fill up my toyota camry...

on the plus side,

the house downpayment fund is at $784.42!!!! (my extra paycheck had some extra on it so i sent it over to the house DP fund for a moral boost. and this is before interest from ING and Emigrant. (IGO is in there... it posts the last day of the month)

MY 2007 ROTH IS MAXED OUT AT $4,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woot extra paychecks!

for 2008 ROTH: I have purchased $300.00 in shares, and now have $450.00 in savings to go towards 2008. It's in savings because i want to buy a little each month as opposed to buying it in one fell swoop because of the market lately.

Housing market is rebounding

all the condo's i was looking at under 200,000 are no longer listed anymore... i even widened the search areas...

---> there are only 2 places for under $200,000....

sad day...

My accounts are all wacky...

The other day I posted a blog about how I thought i'd lost money on one of my accounts....

I'm not so sure I actually did.... i'm trying to cross check everything and balance out everything, and i've no clue... i'm waiting for everything to pend and get in one place so i can add uninterrupted.... so i'm paying the credit card so that money leaves... and double checking to make sure there's no schedule transfers left to scare me later...

I've been trying to figure all this out because I had to go to the doctors on friday and it cost me $15.00 in a co-pay and 26.84 for my perscription.... [I'm getting migrains now... apparently that's normal when your 21... ] and figuring out where the money was going to come from to pay for it.... I have to be forgetting something....

housing woes and the Packing begins

I'm so fed up its not funny... and I can't WAIT till my lease is up. DEE made a huge stink about wanting the garage to put some of her boxes in since she's already packing up for home... and is now making my Greek Goddess Friend and roommate move 2 boxes out of the garage so only "Her" stuff is in there... Drama Drama Drama

127 Days Until I No Longer Have to Live With DEE...

:)

127 Days Until I'm Back Home With Mom...

:(

I just realized last night that I haven't talked to my mom in probably almost a week... and that the last conversation was only 5 minuets long asking about the costco membership card... I'm so used to not being around her and not involving her in my life...

I wonder how long I'll last at home... Hopefully at least a year...

Either way, I myself am starting to get into packing mode... hense the scrap booking. (yes I can justify my new hobby, --- lol). I'm trying to sort threw all my boxes of keep sakes and momentos and pick what I want to save, and what I'm okay with letting go now. I figured it be easier just to make a scrapbook of growing up and the like instead of just having huge piles of photo albums and boxes of stuff i'd like to save...

I found movie ticket stubs that have faded and you can't make out what the movie was... there that old. lol.

what I do know, Is that My mom needs to finish my room... She pulled off all the wall paper and didn't paint it yet... and my sister still has a lot of her stuff in there... which means I can't slowly start to unpack or bring things over....

Auto Insurance Part Deux

I continued my hunt and called around:

EZ Insurance is a LIAR on price so they loose my business... I filed one of those internet search, typed in what I want and then they give me that email with a low price...$ 63.00 a month.... so I call to verify and they don't give me the type of coverage I asked for...

Progressive is also a LIAR for the same reasons, originally quotting $65.00 a month... but in the end, both companies quoted me around the same price as Mercury and AAA so they are scratched for lying. I like companies that are straight forward.

• All State- too Expensive over $100 a month for a policy
• Esurance- too Expensive over $100 a month for a policy

I called ahead with AAA and got a quote for dropping the extra extras and raising the deductible to $500.00 and killing the multiple policy discount.... it's now neck and neck between

• AAA Approx: $87
• Mercury Approx $87

I get car repair discounts (10%) with AAA at the dealership where I bring my Car to get serviced, and because I'm already a member, I might stay and keep them over Mercury if the price is the same.

But i'm not sure if the AAA quote takes into account that I'm a student or not... because I'm not anymore and i don't want that to change my current policy, although I've been honest and I told one of the reps once and they didn't do jack about it.... so i'm keeping my mouth shut till renewal time.

I'm still waiting on a quote from State Farm... and another smaller company will be calling me back on Monday. I really feel like i'm shopping around and I'm going to get the better deal in the end. WOOT for that.... and slow days at work when the boss man is AWOL for the day-- under the weather.

Auto Insurance

-LOL-

I've been internet searching, phoning, etc all morning and here's what i've come up with:

Assuming my policy is
50,000-100,000 Bodily injury
25,000 Property Damage
50,000-100,000 Uninsured/Underinsured

• __NEED TO CALL AND DOUBLE CHECK___ EZ Insurance with a $500 Deductible $756 a year, $63.00 a month
• __NEED TO CALL AND DOUBLE CHECK___ Progressive $500 Deductible 785.04 a year, $65.42 a month

AAA policy with $750 Deductible $1130.00 a year (few other benefits in policy i'll scrap at renewal probably to get it to a $500 Deductible for the same price) $95 a month

• Mercury policy with a $500 Deductible $1,133.80 a year $95 a month
• All State policy with a $500 Deductible $1215.85 a year $101.32 a month
• Esurance policy with a $500 Deductible $1696.00 a year $141.33 a month

I'm waiting on a quote from Statefarm...

I've also heard great things about Progressive...

BUT FOR RIGHT NOW... this means I don't have to put any money towards car insurance because I already have enough in there to renew my account and pay for the new AAA card even if I don't switch companies! which I probably will.

Originally I was over Insuring my car with AAA so I had a lot of coverage for assetts that I don't have.

wow... Looks like a POSITIVE change in my MARCH MONEY MADNESS BUDGET since i don't have to pay Insurance!!!!!! ... that and a $16.00 refund check will be on its way because I lowered something on my current policy.

so far a good day!

phew... its been a bad week.....

Sorry I haven't been blogging much this week. I got a little tap on the hand for my excessive internet use at work and I am making a huge effort to only be doing business on business hours... Especially since I decided to report my boss to HR... But that's another story I'll get into at another time. But that doesn't mean I'm gone for good in the blogging world or anything like that... It just means I'll be making trips to the library with my laptop to blog after I'm off work.... which should have been what I was doing before all this.

But on to the crap that's been this financial week. It seems like all was really going well in February for me... I fully stocked the Emergency Fund, and come next week I'll be able to max out my retirement for 2007... I sold stuff on line and set the parameters for Money Madness March... all good.... all good...

and while those are fixed and will happen.... Some how I miscalculated the amount of money I was using to go towards stuff some where along the line and I'm really glad i had some padding in my BOFA account because when everything is deducted my account was off 46.61.

It's a good thing I'm house sitting for 2 days and they are giving me a pretty $50.00 check. But where did I go wrong?

• I didn't check something I sold online before I shipped it... of course it was the only one I didn't check.... and had to issue a refund to the buyer... a refund I spent before i received it, so it became money I had to then Find in the budget..... --- Money reminder: Don't spend it till you get it.
• Secondly, My new hobby (scrap booking) is a pretty penny... those stickers and words can add up fast and I wasn't being very careful. ---- Money Reminder: Take the few extra moments to add up your amounts before you hit the register. Seeing the total before the tax just might make you buy one thing less.
• I forgot to deduct the $30.00 i spotted my boyfriend for the birthday party we were going to because he doesn't get paid till this Friday and we both went in and got the twins some presents together.
  

It just goes to show that even those who seem to have it together still struggle with the "I WANT" and overspend. I'm guilty.... I ended up wrecking my budget from other areas and found enough money to cover everything else so i'm good and in the clear now because of that one check...

But hopefully by the end of the month i'll have: The money from my boyfriend, the electric bill reimbursements from my roommates, and a $25.00 rebate check from my Credit Card company. That all together should be ruffly $75.00 that I can then put into the House Down payment fund, and thus hopefully end this month on a high note.


As for March Money Madness Month:

1. My trunk is half way cleared out (each time i go inside I've been taking something with me. )
2. I have been driving better and using neutral and I think its stretching my car MPG further... enough so that my boyfriend is trying to drive more friendly himself.
   
3. I sorted my change in the jar by denomination and I'll deposit it in March with whatever is left over from February.
4. I've listed all the books I don't want anymore on half.com (if they don't sell by the end of May they are getting donated or tossed.)
5. I can't change my car insurance policy and can't join on my mothers because I'm the soul owner of my car and her name is not on the title. but when my insurance is up I'll either go with Mercury or AAA... which ever is cheaper although I'll loose my multiple policy discount because I won't need renters INS anymore... so i'll have to fiddle with the numbers.
6. My boyfriend is saving the water bottles at his house for me to recycle and I've got a bag I need to cash in from my apartment.
   

I've also decided to itemize everything I spend money on here on this blog to really foster some creativity and motivation as i pair down.

Happy saving!

Valentines day

V-day was fantastic!

Not only did my wonderful man take me to a very fancy 4 course swordfish dinner... showered me with flowers, chocolates, and the cutiest little stuffed puppy dog i'm ever held........

i got to spend the whole day with him which made it extra wonderful! He even tucked me in at the end of the night.... it doesn't get cuiter then that!

oh but it does....

he promised me he budgeted the whole thing ahead of time and used his debit card... not his credit card. He's learning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I love him!

WOOT!!! EF FULLY FUNDED!!!!

So my emergency fund is fully funded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had one and a half hours of overtime from a meeting stuck on the paycheck that I just got today.... and it put me over the top!!!!!

EF: $5,000.00

I Love Payday!!!!

(and I have $11.89 left over too... So now I can use it to buy a mask for a costume party i'm going to on Saturday)

hehehehehe

Half.com... and my funny man

Well i sold another 2 items on line, listed a bunch of books for sale and took one off the market--- why off the market... my boyfriend...

I was selling my harry potter books on tape since i haven't listened to them in ages and its one more thing to pack... and he saw them on the closet shelf and mentioned how good he heard that they were and how he was thinking of listening to them.

Well i had already sold 2 of the 6 i owned... so I unlisted the first one (sold 2 more today) and i figure if he likes it, i'll buy them cheaper then i'm selling them for later from amazon's market place or something. (he won't buy used... but I will... so it will be cheaper in the long run cause mine all have the original packages and artwork and like no shelf wear, lol...) and if he doesn't like it, i'll re-list it. either way a win for now.

=)

I wonder how much this is all going to make when i take out the shipping costs... I'm sure its enough to help with the EF and some for the house maybe!

Emergency Fund Update

As most of you know, I Budget $100 a month to cover my Electric bill and my cell phone bill. Why so high??? I make sure I have enough to cover the whole electric bill incase my roommates wig out on me and incase its a little on the high end.

My electric bill for the month is coming in at $31.18... the cell $56.36.... leaving $12.46 extra before the roommates chip in... which i'll add to the emergency fund....

which leaves $20.37 left to "find" to fully fund my emergency fund since i'll put $731.00 in there from the paycheck I'll get on Friday.

WOOT!!!!

Yesterday I also listed some stuff on-line and I sold something for a few dollars so today i'll pop on down to the post office after work and ship it out. =) A little extra $$$ and one less thing to pack when I move.

I'm also going to cash in some recycle that's on the patio today too! Dunno what's there, but i'm really aiming to get this emergency fund done (its been a long time coming)...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Edit:

Make that 2 items to ship out.

=)

Money Madness Month

To be honest... dead honest... I've been spending all kinds of money on silly things I don't need...

In a word... I started Scrapbooking.... and I've been just pulling money from places so nothing hasn't been paid for... using overtime insteadof saving it... but while i'm not incuring debt... that's money I could be putting into my emergency fund or towards my house down payment.

I'm Declairing March:Money Madness Month.

I'm going to pair down and get financially fit... My mom gave me a $50.00 gift card that has to be spent on Fun... and trust me it will-- summer clothes??? but March I don't have any birthdays, parties, or events that are going to cost an arm and a leg. it's the perfect month (and the aliteration was niffty too) to re-join the thrifty and the smart shoppers of the world. I have a goal and dang it I want to reach it.

I was looking at homes online and even drove past one for sale yesterday... and to be honest, I've grown accustomed to a nice area... where things don't look run down... and while yes, the first place I buy will be a fixer upper..... but it also needs to be something that can meet my needs for a few years... possible a decade or so...

With the market the way it is right now, I'll truly need around $45,000.00 to settle into a place I want once you figure in closing costs and a 20% down payment. It is my only hope that the market keeps dropping down the way it is and the type of place I want for myself will become more in reach.

I say this because if i move home for a year and a half and can only save 1833 a month... this hits me around 35,000.... a whole 10,000 shorter then what I realistically need. I already have people willing to rent out the room or extra rooms but I need to find a place i can afford on my own without relying on that income.

So.... Here's what i'm thinking.

1. Clean out all the crap in my trunk of my car so its lighter and more efficient on gas.
2. Put car in Neutral at stop lights, excellerate slower and take it easy.
3. Plan trips in a logical order to save gas that way.
4. CARPOOL as much as I can where i'm not the one driving.
5. Change my Car insurance over to my mom's account before I move out. (this will lower the monthly amount i'll have to stock away... and it will drop my renters insurance since I really don't own anything worth stealing.-- and if i'm robbed... all the stuff i got was free anyway off freecycle and from friends so.... ya.)
6. For Extra cash list all the books, etc. that I don't want anymore on Half.com (it will also help with packing up for the move home too)
7. Eat my pantry (which will ultimately help with the move home)
8. Do cheap dates with the boyfriend ($1.50 theather... double date nights playing pool at his folks house... he's got a jaccuzzi... and a vast selection of movies)
9. Roll coins and put them in the high yield savings account... not the jar on my desk. Every bit helps.
10. pay with my Credit card to get the 2% cash back bonus... which leads to $25.00 cash reward sooner... and allows my money to grow some interest while it waits in ING to pay the Bill...
11. Try and wait to pay my credit card off at the end of the month (not every few days.... that way the money stays in my account longer and I get to earn interest off it.) I'll start by aiming to pay it only once a week.

This money will go directly to the house downpayment fund once march starts. Till then, these tactics will help me get the last few dollars to help get my emergency fund done by the end of february.

I'm taking suggestions too!!!!

3 month emergency fund...

So, I was looking at the pretty total...

its $4,186.17

I'll have 731.00 at least from this paycheck i'm getting on friday...

That means i'll only need to "find" $82.83 to fully fund my emergency fund....

I'm gonna start looking under couches and rolling coins...

BRING IT ON!!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Edit~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I went browsing some online accounts I have and "found" $50.00... I was going to start an auto maint fund at the beginning of this month and transfered the $50.00 there, then decided against it since i'm moving home and if i have to get my car serviced i'll have the cash on hand or within a paycheck... so i'm transfering this money to my ef...

I still gotta roll and count coins, and there is some recycle on tha patio i'll cash in today... but now i gotta find:

$32.83...

Roth and Huge Decision Part Deux

My roth contributions for 2007 are $3,350!!!! and its extra paycheck month so the Roth is gonna get even more later on!!!! Woot for Tax returns

=)

Thanks for the comments on my Huge Decision. To answer your questions,

Budgeted the way things are i'll be able to save at least $1833.00 a month, but i'm aiming for $2,000.00

My mom is asking me to just pay for groceries and whatever I need--- My Car insurance I've always paid myself, but she'll let me go back on her plan because its cheaper that way. So room and utilities are free. (yeah!)

While I'm still in my apartment till June, I'll be using the money i'm saving by splitting the master with my friend to fully fund my $5,000 emergency fund (I have a short term savings account with $1,200 in it too, fully funded) and maxing out my Roth for 2008. I'll have 2008 maxed out by the time i pack my boxes and move home.

Since I'll be spending 2009 in house saving mode, depending on how my finances are, I might take one year off of roth contributions since maxing out 2007 and 2008 is more the 10% of my income, but this is still up for grabs and depends on what I actually can save up. I could just drop tax return and any extra checks in here.

huge decision...

I'm going to move back home when my lease is up for a year and a half...

I talked to everyone about the house and we all agreed its bad timeing and that it would be a stretch to afford it... and I also talked with my mom and she is more then willing to let me come back home and stay for a year and a half... RENT FREE because

I'll be able to max out my roth for 2008 and stock away at least $2,000 a month for my downpayment on a condo... And were talking a 2 bedroom condo, not a tiny 500 square foot hole in the wall...

----------
Reasons for the change:

1. I don't have roommates who can afford to move into my current apartment (the downside of being the only one with a real job)
2. I don't want to throw away 1200 on a single apartment
3. I want to have my own room (i'm at that point in my life where i'm tired of walking over other peoples dirty laundry, lol)
4. I have a rent free option and motivation to do it and minimize the amount of time In which i'd need to do it.
5. It places me at a good time in the market cycle so I should be able to find something great and in the winter people drop prices on their home a bit even more!

Auto Insurance...

So my account is up in May and since i won't be living in my apartment for much after that.... and I won't have a new address... I've been talking to my mom about letting me go on her auto insurance account like I used to, and just paying the pro rated difference until the end of the year.

This will ultimately save me a few bucks here and there because its a house, not an apartment, and there are discounts for multiple plans.... The only down side is that i'd have to drop my renters insurance... But next year i'd go ahead and get my own account again... most likely...

ok ok... I'll be a good little girl

I kept my roth contributions where they should be... Monthly for 2008 I'm doing $200 a month, plus extra checks and if i'm really smart, i should be able to max the thing out for 2007 and 2008...

(thank you for schooling me)

But I do need to have a conversation with the people i'm planning on moving out with... specifically numberwise because things keep changing and the move is coming soon and we need to be all set to go... so we know what we can afford...

So this means 2 seperate conversations... one with my current roommate (my greek goddess friend) because she's planning on sharing a room with me and i don't want to in the house...

and one with the red head, and the double, and with my Greek Goddess Friend to make sure that we have enough money to cover the actual expenses that go along with affording a place... utilities, etc...

The way I keep seeing things inside my head, I'm not sure the house will work...