I'm going to start saving for a wedding

I have the slightest inkling that I may be needing this sooner then I once thought, and with the emergency fund past $11,000.00 (which was my goal for the end of the year) I'll be taking all the "extra" money leftover at the end of the month and saving it for a ceremony and reception.

I know my mom is willing to pitch in $5,000 so i'm hoping to match it by the time i need to so I figure I should start saving now.

I applied for a different job at the city ***crosses fingers and hopes for the best again***

No Spend Month final Update

What I've spent during the No Spend Month

Cell phone: $56.88
Electric Bill: $32.51
Traffic Ticket Bill from July: $220.00
Mortgage, Property Tax, HOA Bill, PMI: $1,078.38 (plus $107.71 extra mortgage principle)
Offering: $259.00
Internet Bill: $31.99
Earthquake Insurance annual premium $261
Car insurance adjustment: $22

Day 1 -Vegas
Day 2 -Vegas
Day 3 - $31.82- Groceries
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 -
Day 7 -
Day 8 - $43.24 Kohl's
Day 9 - $12.53- Groceries
Day 10 -
Day 11 -
Day 12 -
Day 13 - $26.66- Gas for the rental car
Day 14 - $42.75 Groceries
Day 15 - $6.00 Subway** (its coming out of my grocery budget)
Day 16 -
Day 17 -
Day 18 -
Day 19 - $46.66 Gas for my car
Day 20 -
Day 21 -
Day 22 -
Day 23 - $29.22 Groceries
Day 24 - $8.00 Boscows *** (coming out of grocery budget)
Day 25 -
Day 26 -
Day 27 -
Day 28 - $25 OC Foodie Fest
Day 29 -
Day 30 - $16.17 CVS

OC Foodie Fest: I was Volunteering all day and the "volunteer tent and food area" apparently never made it past the blue prints and all the food trucks too cash only so I got hit with $5 of ATM fees to take out $20 so i could get some food because I was there from 8:15am to 7:00pm

CVS- I ran out of make up remover and I needed to print some pictures for boyfriends care package... and for my walls since the pictures in the frames needed replacing and it was cheaper to print out more because I had a $4 of $20 coupon and the prints were cheaper if you printed more... and they had a buy one get one free sale on 5x7!

=) My frames are happy now

I'm going to mail boyfriends care package today, but that's going on next month's budget.

Emergency fund surpasses $11,000!!!!!!!

Bofa $1200
ING: $1288.33
CD: $200.00
EF: $7,731.85
Sallie Mae Cash: $200.11
Sallie Mae CD: $200.14

Money pending transfer to Sallie Mae: $200.00

$11,020.43 before interest for the month!!

Thank you no spend month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Budget

I finally got my new take home pay after all the different changes at work so here is my new budget that will start in September:

$1,289.74 a check

Mortgage (Property Taxes, PMI, Principle, + Interest) $828.38
HOA $250.00
Extra Mortgage Principle $82.36
Offering $129.00

$1,289.74 a check

Offering $129.00
Christmas Savings $50.00
Emergency fund $160.74
Gasoline/car $140.00
Groceries & Food: $150.00
Insurance (Car, Earthquake, Homeowners) $110.00
Roth IRA $250
Utility Bills (cell, Electric, Internet) $150.00
Unbudgetted $100.00
Fun Money $50.00

Emeregncy Fund Update

Sallie Mae Savings $200.11
Sallie Mae CD's $200.14
BOFA Checking $1,200.00
ING Checking $1,000.00
ING Emergency Fund $7,931.72
EF CD $200.00



Total: $10,731.97



Wealth Builder $92.09
Bonds $456.16

Plus I should have a few more dollars to toss in once the month is done and everything clears all the pending payments

No Spent Month update

What I've spent during the No Spend Month

Cell phone: $56.88
Electric Bill: $32.51
Traffic Ticket Bill from July: $220.00
Mortgage, Property Tax, HOA Bill, PMI: $1,078.38 (plus $107.71 extra mortgage principle)
Offering: $130.00
Internet Bill: $31.99
Earthquake Insurance annual premium $261
Car insurance adjustment: $22

Day 1 -Vegas
Day 2 -Vegas
Day 3 - $31.82- Groceries
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 -
Day 7 -
Day 8 - $43.24 Kohl's
Day 9 - $12.53- Groceries
Day 10 -
Day 11 -
Day 12 -
Day 13 - $26.66- Gas for the rental car
Day 14 - $42.75 Groceries
Day 15 - $6.00 Subway** (its coming out of my grocery budget)
Day 16 -
Day 17 -
Day 18 -
Day 19 - $46.66 Gas for my car
Day 20 -
Day 21 -
Day 22 -
Day 23 - $29.22 Groceries
Day 24 - $8.00 Boscows *** (coming out of grocery budget)
Day 25 -
Day 26 -
Day 27 -

Boscows- 2 tacos and a drink plus tip at the bar with my friend Amy... There was some huge family drama that day and i needed to hang out with Amy, but she was already out at the bar so i swung by and hung out for a few hours, (only ordered one happy hour drink cause it is a "no spend month" and my grocery budget allowed for some wiggle room since i was so good this month)-- and Boscows was better then a gallon of ice cream all by myself throwing a pitty party in my living room.

I have to print out a few pictures and mail a package this month and I have $26.68 left in my grocery budget, but I should have enough food to get through the month so i'll be using that to print a few pictures and mail my boyfriend his care package with all kind of cute letters and things i've made him. (cause we are cute like that!)

Someone got her tile refund

and it was me. My Emergency Fund is in the over 10 grand!!!!!!!!

**** Gushes *****

Sallie Mae Savings $200.11
Sallie Mae CD's $200.14
BOFA Checking $1,200.00
ING Checking $1,000.00
ING Emergency Fund $7,803.72 (added $1352.07- Tile refund and the Puppy $$)
ING CD $200.00


$10,603.97
-----------------
Wealth Builder $92.02
Bonds $456.16

Kiva Update:

Current KIVA Loans:

Location: Monrovia South, Liberia

Repayment Term: 6 months

Activity: Food Market

Repayment Schedule: Monthly

Loan Use: To buy more bags of rice, onions, peppers, palm oil, and beans

Repaid: $0.00



Gbawulu Group

Location: Monrovia South, Liberia

Repayment Term: 6 months

Activity: Construction

Repayment Schedule: Monthly

Loan Use: To buy bags of cement to make blocks

Repaid: $4.22



La Esperanza Group

Location: Ita, Paraguay

Repayment Term: 6 months

Activity: Food Production/Sales

Repayment Schedule: Monthly

Loan Use: Materials such as sugar cane, flour, sugar and coal

Repaid: $23.44



Iyunge Group

Location: Cibitoke, Burundi

Repayment Term: 8 months

Activity: Fruits & Vegetables

Repayment Schedule: Monthly

Loan Use: purchasing bigger quantities of beans but also new products to sell her customers

Repaid: $14.58



Siguikadi Group

Location: Kadiolo Sikasso, Mali

Repayment Term: 8 months

Activity: Retail

Repayment Schedule: Monthly

Loan Use: Purchase of selling items

Repaid: $20.83



Fight For Progress Group

Location: Makeni, Sierra Leone

Repayment Term: 12 months

Activity: Food Market

Repayment Schedule: Monthly

Loan Use: Buy palm-oil, rice, and oranges in wholesale quantities

Repaid: $12.50



Altantuya Lhasuren

Location: Tsetserleg, Arhangai, Mongolia

Repayment Term: 20 months

Activity: Butcher Shop

Repayment Schedule: Monthly

Loan Use: to purchase meat

Repaid: $8.34



LOANS PAID IN FULL:



Zenaida Daing- Farming, Sta. Josefa, Agusan Del Sur, Philippines

Elizabeth Aidoo- Food Market, Wiawso, Ghana

Mobateli Plus Group -Manufacturing, The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Paz y Amor Group -Fruits & Vegetables, Dominican Republic

Dustmatov Eralboy - Livestock, Tajikistan

Seccelambras Group -Food Production/Sales, Peru

Rashidat Mumuni -Fish Selling, Nigeria

Karla Vanessa Montiel Barahona -Housing, Nicaragua

Eal Nub -Fish Selling, Cambodia

Atim Irene's Group -Medical Clinic, Uganda

Obama Group- Grocery Store produce- Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania



As of today i've loaned and re-loaned out a total of $450.00 through KIVA to 18 different groups in 17 different places all around the world. Its amazing what $25.00 here and there can do when you continue to relend it out when you have been paid back. =)

A horrible week for my friend

In two weeks:

My old roommate got engaged...

told me she was pregnant...

told me I was going to be in her wedding...

I started helping her plan said wedding...

then she had a miscarrage...

now since there is no baby in the picture, she is no longer engaged... and is single...

....

No Spend Month Progress

I can't believe it, but I think i'll be able to add $600 to my emergency fund from my no spend month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had the $54.94 left over from Vegas...
Then there was the $190 from taking the unbudgetted money, fun money, and piano money
I puppy sat (minus my kohls experience) $131.76
I have $28.62 left over after paying all my utility bills
I have $66.68 left over in my gasoline stash due to using my mom's truck, the rental, ect.
and then there's the regular $128.13 that i plop in my EF every month!

Bam! $600.13 all in the month of AUGUST!!!! I can't wait till Friday when i get paid, and can officially drop the money into my emergency fund.

Home owners Insurance + Earthquake Insurance

On Monday I'll be going to Statefarm to pay for my Homeowners Insurance, and my Earthquake insurance.

They failed to send me corrected statements, so i'm going to have it all get taken care of in person, on Monday.

I may also need to bump up the insurance on my car... when I was talking to the gal on the phone, she mentioned most homeowners have $300,000 in coverage so ppl can't sue you and take your home... mines currently less than that so i'm going to chat with the gal in person on Monday and get everything squared away.

=)

My Commentary on the Dow Jones...

The Dow started 2010 at 10,583.96 points... and closed yesterday at 10,213.62

On January 4th, I had
• $11,500 Invested, 1,351.528 shares @ $8.53 a share... So $11,528.53

I had finally broken even after a horrible 2009...

If I had kept that in the market, it would be worth $8.21 a share after yesterdays closing... or $11,096.04

and i'd be in the red again...


Ya, i'm kind of glad I got out and i'm going to take the rest of 2010 on the side line.

Retirement Perspectives MY MONEY IS ALL MOVED OVER NOW!

**Since my accounts basically are almost entirely out of the market at this point, i'll be updating my "retirement perspectives" every pay cycle (every 2 weeks) instead of every week.

End of 2009 Balance: $26,529.33 | Current 2010 Balance: $30,717.35
Additional Contributions since 2009: $4,036.12
Growth: $151.90 (0.96%)

Discontinued 401a Account: Makes up 2.99 % of my Retirement
$918.37/$898.62 invested. (New contributions suspended.)

Discontinued 457 Account: Makes up 3.37% of my Retirement
$1,034.13 (Earns pennies a week and I can’t move the $$$$ until I quit.)

ING DIRECT CD Roth IRA: Makes up 55.46% of my portfolio
$17,037.04/$16,750.00
Up 1.713% from inception +$287.04

The money is all moved over now!!!! To think if I would have just saved it all in here in the first place I’d have a lot more to show for it (and much better CD rates for sure), but that’s what investing in your 20’s is all about… making choices and taking a few risks early (to learn what to do and what not to do), and then moving forward with those lessons hopefully learned (and not too painfully).

At least my adventure in a variety of mutual funds didn’t cost me any of my principle investment (just inflation eating it away since I definitely didn’t gain much.) Sure there was the “Thrill” when the account went up and I thought all about those “dividend” gains too… but then there’s the crappy feeling of seeing your account lose value… loose principle value… and that just hurts.

I think it will be smart to just save the rest of my contributions for 2010 in a non retirement savings account and decide what to do in March before the contribution cut off period for 2010. By that time I’ll either have the $3,000.00 to open another investment account at Vanguard, or I’ll be able to drop that into the savings account and slowly buy some CD’s with it. Liquid it earns 1.10%... the highest CD they offer is 1.25% for 3, 4 or 5 years. Each month I’m taking a few hundred bucks and plopping it in a CD and keeping the rest liquid as I hope to see interest rates get higher.

Pension: Approximately 38.18% of my portfolio
If I quit tomorrow, I’d just have the cash in the account (earning an automatic 6% until withdrawn).

Total: $11,727.81

$2,647.80 (What I’ve put in out of my paychecks) 442.92% Return from inception.

I’m currently buying additional time in my retirement accounts from when I was 16-18 years of age (Cal PERS service prior to membership). It’s less than a year’s worth of service credit, but I’ll be having $33.06 deducted from each paycheck for a while….

No Spend Month Update

What I've spent during the No Spend Month
Cell phone: $56.88
Electric Bill: $32.51
Traffic Ticket Bill from July: $220.00
Mortgage, Property Tax, HOA Bill, PMI: $1,078.38 (plus $107.71 extra mortgage principle)
Offering: $130.00
Internet Bill: $31.99

Day 1 -Vegas
Day 2 -Vegas
Day 3 - $31.82- Groceries
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 -
Day 7 -
Day 8 - $43.24 Kohl's
Day 9 - $12.53- Groceries
Day 10 -
Day 11 -
Day 12 -
Day 13 - $26.66- Gas for the rental car
Day 14 - $42.75 Groceries
Day 15 - $6.00 Subway** (its coming out of my grocery budget)
Day 16 -
Day 17 -
Day 18 -
Day 19 - $46.66 Gas for my car

Tonight i'll be going down to my local park for one of those free family movie nights cause i'm a sucker for Disney movies and since its a no spend month I won't be "going out" and spending cash.

=)

It would be a better "date" night if my boyfriend were here.... ***blushes*** ya, I'm dating that old friend of mine who lives in another state. cause then we could cuddle in fuzzy blankets, eat popcorn from my house and watch a cheesy disney flick together in the park.


had to toss another food item that went bad... One small zucchini started getting limpy on me...

the oatmeal has been weighing on me with the warmer weather... so this week I used up most of the eggs i bought and hard boiled them and eithe put them in my salads I made for BOTH potlucks I went to... or i've been slicing them up and eating them on toasted wheat bread since that's the only way I can eat eggs at work (if they are hard boiled at home and then taken to work)

No Spend Month Update

What I've spent during the No Spend Month
Cell phone: $56.88
Electric Bill: $32.51
Traffic Ticket Bill from July: $220.00
Mortgage, Property Tax, HOA Bill, PMI: $1,078.38 (plus $107.71 extra mortgage principle)
Offering: $130.00
Internet Bill: $31.99

Day 1 -Vegas
Day 2 -Vegas
Day 3 - $31.82- Groceries
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 -
Day 7 -
Day 8 - $43.24 Kohl's
Day 9 - $12.53- Groceries
Day 10 -
Day 11 -
Day 12 -
Day 13 - $26.66- Gas for the rental car
Day 14 - $42.75 Groceries
Day 15 - $6.00 Subway** (its coming out of my grocery budget)
Day 16 -
Day 17 -

Groceries- I bought some dinner things to suppliment the few things i'd been using up in my pantry. I was also incharge of "family dinner" on Monday (4 ppl) so we BBQ'd some chicken breasts from the freezer and I made a HUGE salad to go with it. I also have to bring a salad to a potluck at church on Thursday... So I decided to keep things simple (and not to waste food) I'd do salad's this week for lunches too. (and get all salad out and move forward next week with a different veggie option.)

Subway- I got caught starving durring band practice cause I worked that morning, ran to the puppy sit gig to check on em, and then hit practice and by 4 i was all grumpy and irritable so i choose a veggie footlong at subway with a bag of chips (saved half the sandwitch for the next day since I was stull puppy sitting and I really hate cooking there.)

Here are the Grocery Purchases and quantities for the MONTH so far BY STORE:
Ralphs
Non-Fat Milk (2) $5.18
Parmesan Cheese $3.49
Brown Sugar $0.99
Whole Wheat Bread $2.50
Pepper Jack Cheese Block $3.07
Cheese Its $2.50
Ralph Value Cookie $1.99
1 package of broccoli chicken bake (2 Pieces) $3.99
Sour Cream (1 container) $1.50
Whole Wheat Bread $1.99
Ranch Salad Dressing $2.00
Apple Sauce $2.27
Balsamic Vin Salad Dressing $2.00
Sprouts $0.99
Jeno Turkey Sausage $3.49


Henrys
Yellow Squash (1.59lbs) $2.22
Green Bell Pepper (1) $0.69
Org Green Leaf Lettuce $1.49
Cilantro (1 bunch) $0.25
Green Onions (4 bunches) $1.50
Large AA Eggs $1.29
Org Tomato Red pepper soup $3.99
Quick Oats (1.49 lbs) $1.28
Mushrooms (2.94 lbs) $7.33
Sour Cream (1 container) $1.99
Avocado (9) $6.24
Red Grapes (2.03 lbs) $1.99
Squash Zucchini (.1.66 lbs) $1.55
Potatoes (5 lbs) $1.59
Cantelope (3) $3.50
White Corn (6 Ears) $1.00
Romain Lettuce $0.88
red leaf lettuce $0.89
spinach $1.99
celery $0.77
shredded red cabbage $1.29
shredded carrott $1.29
cucumber (3) $1.00
bannanas (1.66 lbs) 1.15


I had to toss 1/2 gallon of Milk (it was still cheaper to buy the gallon and toss some of it then to buy the small container), and the first Organic Lettuce (I thought it was romain when I bought it and it wasn't working for me), and one bunch of green onions (I forgot how much I hate to cook at the puppy place so by the time i got around to cooking what i planned on with them, I had to toss em).

Being Pro-Active… Looking at my tax information for 2011

I don’t know about you, but for me, I file my taxes as soon as I get all my information for the year (W2, and my 1099’s from my interest dividends). In my mind the government has had my money long enough so I’m all about getting my return done immediately. But the key to being able to file early is being on top of your filing cabinet. Yup, keeping track of all your deductions, how much you have paid in taxes already for the year, and what your future earnings will look like… etc.
The only reason I’m expecting any money back is because I’ll actually be able to itemize for the first time ever!!!!!!!!!!!! I keep my paycheck deductions set up so I break even if I just take the standard and personal deductions on a federal level (state I always just keep at zero because they are crazy and I almost always end up owing them more.) Frankly, without my excel spreadsheets I would be loss in the formulas and the receipts.
So what am I looking at for deductions?
• Personal Deduction for 201: $3,650.00
• Child Share $120.00
• LTG to date: $1,950.00
• State Taxes to date: $1021.65
• Mortgage Interest to Date: $4,082.76
• Property taxes to date: $816.13
• PMI (for the whole year) $632.88
• Charitable Mileage ($0.14 a mile, 335 miles for childshare) $46.90
Write off: $12,320.32 | Standard with personal deduction $9,350.00 Yup… I get to itemize!!!!
• I’ll have another $2,000.00 in mortgage interest, another $1040 to LTG, probably $600 or so in property taxes, and another $480 in state taxes by the end of the year too.
So I should be looking at writing off $16,440.32 and I get to exclude $901.85 in mandatory paycheck deductions to my pension, and another $859.56 in elected pension deductions too… so that’s $18,201.73 in deductions most likely.
WOW. Even if I estimate my income on the high end for this year at 44,000.00 (I’ll probably make 42-43,000.00) I’ll only be paying taxes on $25,798.27 putting me safely in the 15% tax bracket.
8375 @ 10% plus 2613.49 @ .15% = $3,450.99 in taxes due, and at a minimum I’ll have paid Uncle Sam $4,409.84… So my refund should be around $900-1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paid my Mortgage again.

So, this month I tossed an extra $107.74 towards my mortgage.

To Date I've paid an additional $605.93 on my mortgage inaddition to the normal payment. If I stopped now and just paid the minimum on my mortgage, I'd have saved $2,574.34 in regular payments and $7,829.23 in INTEREST.

That's $10,403.57 for parting with $605.93! WOOT!!!!

Current Balance: $115,609.48 @ 5.25% interest.

Next Month marks my first year as a homeowner... Boy does time fly by fast!!!!!!!!!

My car scratches are gone!

A long while ago i hugged my old garage a little too closley and got the stucko stuff on my car... a friend told me if he worked at it for a while he might be able to get most of it off so it wouldn't look bad...

I didn't notice yesterday, but today when I was getting into my car i didn't see the HUGE scrapes that were on my car... so i started walking around it, assuming I forgot what side it was on...

but its gone...

The dealership detailed the outside of my car FOR FREE because they had it sitting there for so long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It helps to be nice and build relationships with your car mechanic. I'll have to thank him next time I see him because I didn't notice when I picked my car up... and he was off that day.

Retirement Perspectives

End of 2009 Balance: $26,529.33 | Current 2010 Balance: $30,796.83
Additional Contributions since 2009: $4,113.13
Growth: $154.37 (0.97%)

Discontinued 401a Account: Makes up 2.99 % of my Retirement
$921.87/$898.62 invested. (New contributions suspended.)

Discontinued 457 Account: Makes up 3.36% of my Retirement
$1,034.10 (Earns pennies a week and I can’t move the $$$$ until I quit.)

ING DIRECT CD Roth IRA: Makes up 13.36% of my portfolio
$4,000.00 Invested| Worth $4,115.88
Up 2.897% from inception +$115.88

ShareBuilder Roth IRA Approximately 41.95% of my portfolio
Contributions: $12,750.00
Worth $12,920.16 | UP 1.33% since inception… +$170.16
--------Money Market Cash: $12,920.16

I mailed the paperwork and ING Direct received it… so any week these funds will move to my ING Direct CD/Savings accounts, and I’ll start saving towards the $3,000.00 in need to open a Vanguard account.
($2,250.00 left to invest for 2010, than Jan, Feb, March of 2011 will let me open the account by the deadline to drop my 2010 contributions in, and I’ll have $4,250.00 to use for 2011 investing.)

Pension: Approximately 38.33% of my portfolio
If I quit tomorrow, I’d just have the cash in the account (earning an automatic 6% until withdrawn).

Total: $11,804.82

$2,724.81 (What I’ve put in out of my paychecks) 433.23% Return from inception.

I’m currently buying additional time in my retirement accounts from when I was 16-18 years of age (Cal PERS service prior to membership). It’s less than a year’s worth of service credit, but I’ll be having $33.06. deducted per paycheck for a while….

I HAVE MY CAR BACK

I finally got my car back from the dealer today.

The total repairs $1,180.24 billed to the insurance policy

=)

Lets hope its really and fully working more than 2-3 days before the problem comes back.

No Spend month update.

What I've spent during the No Spend Month
Cell phone: $56.88
Electric Bill: $32.51
Traffic Ticket Bill from July: $220.00
Mortgage, Property Tax, HOA Bill, PMI: $1,078.38 (plus $107.71 extra mortgage principle)
Offering: $130.00

Day 1 -Vegas
Day 2 -Vegas
Day 3 - $31.82- Groceries
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 -
Day 7 -
Day 8 - $43.24 Kohl's
Day 9 - $12.53- Groceries
Day 10 -
Day 11 -
Day 12 -
Day 13 -

I know today i'll be buying gasoline for my car because I have to turn in the rental car with a full tank of gas so I'll be finding the cheapest station I can on my way over there.

I sent an extra $25.96 to my house payment because I had a little over an hour of overtime from a meeting, and if it lands in the first check, its just easier to tack it on to the mortgage to balance my accounts.

changing insurance premiums

I called State Farm and made adjustments to my Earthquake & Homeowner policies so I should be receiving new statements in the mail so I can pay them both next month (they are due in September... I'll have been a home owner for a while year!!!!)

I also plan on changing some coverage when I get my auto insurance renewal in November. Based on those changes, and the ones I'll make in November, I'll start saving $110.00 a month for car insurance I believe... but I'll make the change to the budget once i get the statements in the mail.

:)

No SPend Month Update

What I've spent during the No Spend Month
Cell phone: $56.88
Electric Bill: $32.51
Traffic Ticket Bill from July: $220.00

Day 1 -Vegas
Day 2 -Vegas
Day 3 - $31.82- Groceries
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 -
Day 7 -
Day 8 - $43.24 Kohl's
Day 9 - $12.53- Groceries

Ralphs: $5.57
Whole Wheat Bread $2.50
Pepper Jack Cheese (Block): $3.07

Henry's: $6.96
White Corn (6 Ears) $1.00
Avocados: (2) $1.76
0.75 lbs of Yellow Squash $0.97
0.87 lbs of Zucchini $0.85
0.77 lbs of mushrooms $1.92
0.58 lbs of Oats $0.46

Kohl's got the better of me...

So Sunday rolls around... the last day of the HUGE sale at Kohl's )no sales TAX, and an extra 15% off everything... plus sale prices) that i'm avoiding because its a no spend month... and I'm doing laundry... and one of my bras got completely ruined cause it accidentally got put in the dryer (it was hiding in one of my bath towels)...

So I decided to make an exception and go to kohl's...but before you chastise me, I told myself I wouldn't buy anything until I went through the massive closet... So i spent some time finishing all my laundry and making a list of things that needed replacing due to wear and tear... and tossed out a few things I no longer wear, and put a bag of clothes that didn't fit in another closet for donating later (if i don't drop 5lbs and love the stuff again).

I figured I might as well buy the few things I need this month when they are on sale, then wait and pay wayyy more money next month just to prove a point (and i didn't blow all kinds of cash in Vegas last month which paid for the traffic ticket, AND my car won't be costing me money after all AND I'm puppy sitting this month too so the emergency fund will still grow AND rules were meant to be broken ) =D

So what did I get and how much did I spend?:

2 bras
One top to match a skirt I already owned (and had nothing that would match it)
Gym Top for the LA Marathon (I begin training next month and last years will not cut it again)
New Shorts (for Marathon Training)
Gym Capri's (for work)

When I got to the register I opened a Kohl's charge card to get an additional $20% off on top of my coupons... I saved $112.24 and spent $43.24 with Tax and everything.

Then I turned around and wrote a check to pay the credit card bill 2 seconds later =D

EMERGENCY FUND UPDATE

I got rid of my Auto/maintenace fund... I figure if I didn't use it for the last set of car emergencies, I probably wouldn't use it for the next set of emergencies either... and since AUGUST as a no spend month (and by nature a simplifying month), i deleated the account and transfered the money into my emergendy fund account as that is my most important goal right now.

Emergency Fund Savings Places:

Sallie Mae Savings (1.40%) $100.11
Sallie Mae CD's (3.00%) $200.14
BOFA Checking $1,200.00
ING Checking $1,000.00
Emergency Fund (1.10%) $6,551.65
EF CD (2.00%) $200.00


GRAND TOTAL: $9,251.90

Other $$$$$

Wealth Builder (All interest from 2010 minus sallie mae) $92.02
Bonds: $456.16
Christmas Fund $350.00
Car Tax Bill 2011 $170.00
Costco/AAA Bill 2011 $50.00
Insurance $$$ $520.60

Other: $1,638.78


Current NET WORTH: $56,208.21 (looks like i'm on target to meet a networth of 60,000.00 by the end of the year!!!!!)

Home Owners Insurance Policy

I got the bill in the mail for my homeowners insurance policy... But I never made changes or amendments to it from when I renovated the property... So i'm going to need to upgrade it on Monday when I chat with them on the phone.

I also recieved a quote from another insurance company so i'll compare the rates between the two, and if the State Farm is higher than the FARMERS, i'll see if they will match the coverage and price because I like State Farm and I know they can offer some deals and such because they are individual owned...

***crosses fingers and hopes its not too expensive!***

Any thoughts on what kind of coverage I need?

This is what I currently have:

Building Property: $7,500.00
Personal Property: $25,000.00
Loss of use: Actual Loss Sustained
Loss Assessment: $1,000.00

Deducitible: $500.00

Personal Liability $300,000.00
Damage to property of others $500.00
Medical payments to others (each person) $1,000.00

Car shouldn't cost me a dime | Tile update

Apparently the newer broken part is also covered under the pretty warranty I bought when I got the car... so glad the lady made me buy it.

BUT because i've been making claims on my policy (and as a result they have been replacing things that weren't broken), the policy company are sending a rep out to meet with the guys fixing my car to verify the part is broken and will fix the problem first, so they are giving me a free rental car for the 2-3 days they will keep my car to fix the locking mechanism. So My car will get dropped off on Monday morning... and then i'll be house sitting for a week in the mcmansion again.

If all goes well, it looks like my emergency fund should do some lovely growing this month after all!

I finally got the statement credit on my account from my tile fiasco... (and guess what grout is chipping again... ya, mine!)...

The 2010 No Spend Month Update

I'm kicking myself for picking August... all the "tax free" holiday sales... But then again... Do I really need more stuff for my closet? No, I don't. I'm actually trying to toss out all the stuff I don't wear so I can figure out what I do need to buy to use the clothes I already have... lol.

What I've spent durring the No Spend Month
Cell phone: $56.88
Electric Bill: $32.51
Traffic Ticket Bill from July: $220.00

Day 1 -Vegas
Day 2 -Vegas
Day 3 -$31.82- Groceries
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 -
Day 7 -

Kiva Update: Monrovia South, Liberia

Location: Monrovia South, Liberia
Repayment Term: 6 months
Activity: Food Market
Repayment Schedule: Monthly
Loan Use: To buy more bags of rice, onions, peppers, palm oil, and beans

Hawa Gull, is the leader of a group of five borrowers called 'Hawa Gull Group'. She is 48 years old, married, and has three children who range from 16 to 20 years old. She was not able to attend school due to lack of financial support. For more than 18 years, she has been selling rice, onions, peppers, palm oil, and beans in Joe Bar Market, on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia.

She plans to use her 20,000 Liberian Dollar portion of this 66,250 Liberian Dollar group loan to buy more bags of rice, onions, peppers, palm oil, and beans. She describes herself as a devoted and serviceable woman. Her goal is to improve her business and educate her children.


Current KIVA Loans:

Gbawulu Group
Location: Monrovia South, Liberia
Repayment Term: 6 months
Activity: Construction
Repayment Schedule: Monthly
Loan Use: To buy bags of cement to make blocks

La Esperanza Group
Location: Ita, Paraguay
Repayment Term: 6 months
Activity: Food Production/Sales
Repayment Schedule: Monthly
Loan Use: Materials such as sugar cane, flour, sugar and coal
Repaid: $14.06

Iyunge Group
Location: Cibitoke, Burundi
Repayment Term: 8 months
Activity: Fruits & Vegetables
Repayment Schedule: Monthly
Loan Use: purchasing bigger quantities of beans but also new products to sell her customers
Repaid: $10.42

Obama Group
Location: Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Repayment Term: 7 months
Activity: Grocery Store
Repayment Schedule: Monthly
Loan Use: to start selling water, juice and sodas at wholesale prices
Repaid: $19.44

Siguikadi Group
Location: Kadiolo Sikasso, Mali
Repayment Term: 8 months
Activity: Retail
Repayment Schedule: Monthly
Loan Use: Purchase of selling items
Repaid: $16.67

Fight For Progress Group
Location: Makeni, Sierra Leone
Repayment Term: 12 months
Activity: Food Market
Repayment Schedule: Monthly
Loan Use: Buy palm-oil, rice, and oranges in wholesale quantities
Repaid: $10.07

Altantuya Lhasuren
Location: Tsetserleg, Arhangai, Mongolia
Repayment Term: 20 months
Activity: Butcher Shop
Repayment Schedule: Monthly
Loan Use: to purchase meat
Repaid: $6.94

LOANS PAID IN FULL:

Zenaida Daing- Farming, Sta. Josefa, Agusan Del Sur, Philippines
Elizabeth Aidoo- Food Market, Wiawso, Ghana
Mobateli Plus Group -Manufacturing, The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Paz y Amor Group -Fruits & Vegetables, Dominican Republic
Dustmatov Eralboy - Livestock, Tajikistan
Seccelambras Group -Food Production/Sales, Peru
Rashidat Mumuni -Fish Selling, Nigeria
Karla Vanessa Montiel Barahona -Housing, Nicaragua
Eal Nub -Fish Selling, Cambodia
Atim Irene's Group -Medical Clinic, Uganda

As of today i've "lent" $450.00 through KIVA to 18 different groups in 17 different places all around the world. Its amazing what $25.00 here and there can do when you continue to relend it out when you have been paid back. =)

Retirement Perspectives

End of 2009 Balance: $26,529.33 | Current 2010 Balance: $30,759.43
Additional Contributions since 2009: $4,036.92
Growth: $193.18 (1.22%)

Discontinued 401a Account: Makes up 3.12 % of my Retirement
$961.19/$898.62 invested. (New contributions suspended.)

Discontinued 457 Account: Makes up 3.36% of my Retirement
$1,034.06 (Earns pennies a week and I can’t move the $$$$ until I quit.)

ING DIRECT CD Roth IRA: Makes up 13.38% of my portfolio
$4,000.00 Invested| Worth $4,115.41
Up 2.885% from inception +$115.41

ShareBuilder Roth IRA Approximately 42.00% of my portfolio
Contributions: $12,750.00
Worth $12,920.16 | UP 1.33% since inception… +$170.16
--------Money Market Cash: $12,920.16

Sold off everything this week. I’m going to put this money into my ING DIRECT CD Savings account. Transfer should take 30 days or less once I mail the forms Monday. I’ll open a Vanguard account with New contributions.

Pension: Approximately 38.13% of my portfolio
If I quit tomorrow, I’d just have the cash in the account (earning an automatic 6% until withdrawn).

Total: $11,728.61

$2,648.60 (What I’ve put in out of my paychecks) 442.82% Return from inception.

I’m currently buying additional time in my retirement accounts from when I was 16-18 years of age (Cal PERS service prior to membership). It’s less than a year’s worth of service credit.

RETIREMENT UPDATE

I have sold/liquidated all my mutual funds, and I've decided that I'll be transfering all the funds over to my ING Savings/CD account instead of transfering them to Vanguard.

For 2010, all my contributions will be going to my cuurent Roth Ira at ING.

I think in 2011 I'll open a brand new account at Vanguard with $3,000.00 and then i'll send $1200 to the CD/Savings account at ING, and $800.00 to the new Vanguard acccount through out the course of the year.

The No Spend Month: Update

What i've spent durring the No Spend Month

Day 1 -Vegas
Day 2 -Vegas
Day 3 - $31.82- Groceries

Ralphs
Non-Fat Milk $2.59
Parmesan Cheese $3.49
Brown Sugar $0.99

Henrys
Yellow Squash (.84lbs) $1.25
Green Bell Pepper (1) $0.69
Org Green Leaf Lettuce $1.49
Cilantro (1 bunch) $0.25
Green Onions (2 bunches) $0.50
Large AA Eggs $1.29
Org Tomato Red pepper soup $3.99
Quick Oats (.68 lbs) $0.54
Mushrooms (1.20 lbs) $2.99
Sour Cream (1 container) $1.99
Avocado (5) $2.50
Red Grapes (2.03 lbs) $1.99
Squash Zucchini (.79 lbs) $0.70
Potatoes (5 lbs) $1.59
Cantelope (1) $1.00


Day 4
Day 5

Monthly Spending - July

July Spending:

Condo Expenses:
• Mortgage Interest $507.88
• Principle $142.76
• Additional Principle $81.74
• Property Taxes $125.00
• PMI $52.74
• HOA $250.00

Giving/Donations
• LTG $260.00

Automobile Expenses
• Gasoline $140.42
• Car maint: 625.15
• New Battery: 80.08

Utility and Monthly Bills
• Electricity: $26.70
• Cell Phone $57.48
• Internet $31.99

Groceries
• Ralphs $62.46 (mainly due to a girls night and alcohol purchased)
• State brothers $10.95
• Henry’s $69.06
• Trader Joes $4.28

Household Supplies
• Target: $4.34
• Home Depot: $0.95

Eating Out
• Chilli’s $10.80
• Islands $16.00
• Casa Francos: $10.00
• Maya Inn: $4.00

Going out/Activities
• 4th of july Street Fair $9.00
• Movie: $10.50
• Dinner @ friends house $8.00

Gifts
• Birthday $35.00

Shopping
• Daisy Shoppe $61.93
• Milano shoes $45.65
• Spencer’s $24.99
• CVS $7.06

Vacation:
• Hotel: $40.00
• Gasoline: $20.00
• Show: $60.00
• Entrance Fee: $10.00
• Food/Drinks: $29.92
• Keepsakes: $18.58
• Toll Roads: $4.75

Total Spent for July: $2,960.16

Jan $ 1,981.94 | Feb $2,718.57 | Mar $2,229.26 | April $2,484.38 | May $3,059.49 | Jun $2,188.71 | Jul $2,960.16

Starting the No Spend Month in the Green | The Car is broken again | and my Mother is a DRUNK...

Starting the No Spend Month in the Green because:
I thought Vegas would end up costing me more than it did... and with a last min Puppy sitting gig before I left ($120), some work gas checks (21.55), and a CC rebate check (25.00) that came in the mail... and the few dollars from my extra paycheck that I didn't use towards Vegas ($108.39)I have money leftover from last month to the tune of $274.94

Which will cover the cost of my $220.00 Ticket!!!! Sadly tho, before I left for Vegas, my co-worker had to jump my car because it wouldn't turn over. (Guess that old battery of mine was fine after all.)... ...

So my car is getting dropped off at Toyota after work today... so I'll have them also work on getting my car doors to open still... apparently it wasn't the 3 actuators they replaced... But my "buddy" who works there said he'll have it checked out for free and they should be giving me a new alarm system for free because they think that the alarm is triggering the door unlock thing... but now its not working in normal weather conditions instead of just the super hot temps.

But August is no spend month so hopefully since my ticket is covered I'll also be able to cover the repair costs once they figure out why its not working. Thankfully my drunk mother is loaning me the spare car to drive around.

Yup, i'm back to calling her my drunk mother. She knew i was coming by her house at 8pm when I got back from Vegas to pick up the spare car to make sure I could get to work the next day... My sister and I both confirmed on the road when she was sober. She said if we got back after 9 she'd leave the keys under the mat cause she had work at 11am the next day.

I got there a bit before 8, all the lights were off, the door was open and she was just sitting on the couch in the dark watching TV with the car, DRUNK DRUNK DRUNK DRUNK. I could smell it on her and tried just to get the keys and leave but instead I had to tell her all about vegas (which her drunk self won't remember tomorrow) and on my way out she hugged me in a tight i'm so drunk hug that I just wanted to push her the heck away from me.

Back from Vegas

I'm back from a weekend in Vegas and I didn't go broke. In fact, on everything I spent less than $200.00 TOTAL, and I even won a few dollars. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas... and i'll never go again with my sister without some of my friends... but i'll keep that adventure off the web for now.

Here's the Vegas Break Down:

Hotel: $40.00
Gasoline: $20.00
Show: $60.00
Toll Road Fees: $4.75
Enterance Fee some place: $10.00
2 Rounds of Drinks: $21.00
Shot glass, 2 fridge magnets, and a t-shirt (it said "Irish i were drinking"): $18.58
lunch: $8.92

$183.25

I was willing to bet and play with $10.00 (as entertainment) on the trip since I knew gambling wasn't going to be a whole lot of it, and I came home with $9-$10 more so I almost doubled my money.

I'm not a big drinker (never have been with the alcoholics in my family)So i mainly ordered a drink or so when it was free when gambling or when we went to happy hour... and i'm not much of a gambler either, hense the low cost.

My trip would have cost me more money but my sister's boyfriend and friend kept insisting that they treat me (hense me picking up two rounds later at my first opportunity).

What I didn't pay for:
$10 Drink at the show I didn't want (My sister)
$10 a quick dinner after the show (Their Friend)
$20 brunch (Sister's Boyfriend)
$12 metro ticket (Sister's Boyfriend)
$10 in drinks (Sister's Boyfriend)
$7 appetizers (What it would have costed if my Sister's Boyfriend let me chip in at happy hour where ladies drank free)

Total: $69

Which still would have put me around the $250 mark which was what I had planned on spending anyways.

The first night was horrible... and at one point i stormed off alone down the strip at 2am towards the hotel when my sister finally hit every last nerve I had.

Day two was much better when everyone told her she was being an @$$ and then it was happy sailing for the most part (With mild upsets from her directed at other people.)
Pretty much when I was having fun, my sister wasn't...

But it was a good experience, i'd go again, just with different ppl- That's for sure.