gavinsnana
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If we forget we are One Nation Under God, then we are a Nation gone under. Ronald Reagan
Joined: Oct 13, 2011 11:02:40 GMT -5
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Post by gavinsnana on Dec 28, 2011 21:52:45 GMT -5
I like your name money squirrel. Thats what I need to be.. ;D
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Dec 28, 2011 22:25:51 GMT -5
Sorry all -- slow connection meant duplicate post a little earlier. Now where was I --
Renee -- donate them. Someone will be able to use them. Hope you have some more me time now that the pressure of holiday retail is over.
azmom -- We look forward to having you back with us full time in January. I can't believe how big your children are getting as well.
dakota-- Love the photos of mini-D in your Christmas letter as well as his signature.
Ses -- I have been working with my spreadsheets as well. Making minor changes and adjusting it some as the worksheet for the renovations is no longer needed. BTW -- have we created an Excel monster out of you.
Shan -- I did adapt some of your worksheets that you sent last year to add to the ones I have been using for years.
gavinsnana -- Welcome to our little family. Ask as many questions as you like -- some of us have been together for four years (I joined at the end of January 2008) and we often may refer to things that new members may get lost with. Also if you haven't done so read the first page of the thread (our thread restarts every month) as it explains many of our codes and ideas. Remember that this is a process and it takes time to change your old habits. Some hints: Write down your expenses -- you will become aware of those small leaks. Use some technique to help you -- stars, calendars, spreadsheets. Whatever works to help you make those small changes. Also there are several sample spreadsheets that were shared last year -- let us know it you would like one.
I will post this before I lose it and continue ---
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Dec 28, 2011 22:38:13 GMT -5
Start -- you are always so busy and amazing.
Sheila -- Sorry about your family drama. BTW -- sounds like the Boy is growing up to be a fine young man.
Honey -- hope the interview turns out to be what you want it to be. Any word about the twin terrors?
mrsl -- great news about DH's new job and your success in your writing.
mk -- haven't mailed the books yet. I need to finish the last one before I ship them off to you. Been catching up on several things that have cut into my recreational reading.
Mizbear -- hope you get all of DM stuff sorted out and that your temp arrangement of having her as your roomie will work out well.
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ses
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Post by ses on Dec 28, 2011 22:42:59 GMT -5
Gavinsnana--can you set up automatic savings deductions to reduce your net income and force savings? I did this ($500/mo to IRA) and killed two birds with one deduction, so to speak. The lesser income is a real bummer for about 3 months, but you adjust. Just depends how badly you want this. You are at an age when this becomes ever more important and more do-able.
Do you have a well funded emergency fund? Six to eight months expenses.
How much do you have in 401k s. Have you done one of the retirement calculators to see how much you will have coming in and how long it will last.
About three years before I took early retirement I calculated how much income I would need for retirement then started living on that amount and throwing everything else into savings/retirement funds. It helped me to have a specific reason for savings(early retirement), therefore much easier to trim my lifestyle and boost savings.
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Honeylioness
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Post by Honeylioness on Dec 28, 2011 22:50:49 GMT -5
gavinsnana -
I ran the numbers you posted and have a few questions.
* You mentioned your husband has his own income. Does his salary pay for groceries and eating out? I ask because there were no figures posted for these items.
* Is the $3000 a net or gross amount?
* In tallying your posted amounts they come to $1,107 which, if the $3,000 is a net amount, would leave a monthly unaccounted for $1,893 each month.
I agree that at the moment your budget is more of a theory than an actual budget. I would second the suggestion another made that you need to track each dime for a month or so.
Some people use a spreadsheet, some use a small notebook that they carry with them to track all money spent. This will let you see a true accounting of where you are spending money then where you can cut back.
What type of money are you able to put aside at the moment? Something to think about as you start this process is adding a line item to your budget called "savings". The easiest way to do this is either with a payroll deduction directly into savings or a transfer from checking to savings set up as an automatic transaction. All too often we say we will save what is left over each month instead of being deliberate in setting aside the money up front.
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Dec 29, 2011 0:00:01 GMT -5
gavinsnana -- I have several areas that I save money for -- very similar to the savers thread that I don't post on. I have been doing it for years long before I even knew about the WIR threads on the old boards. Some of these are the necessary ones -- insurance, taxes, hurricane evacuation fund, retirement and savings. I consider setting a set amount aside each payday for savings so that those unexpected expenses don't require major damage to the cc. I also dedicate money for all aspects of life -- new computer, home repair (since I just renovated I hope to rebuilt this up to make up what I spent over the last several years), travel, clothes, entertainment, etc. This leaves me with very little fun money which pays for gas, food and small items. I know that if I need it I can tab the money saved but I force myself not to transfer from one category to another unless it is really needed. That way I can save for travel and not feel that stress over how to pay for it. I also love a challenge and this challenges my skills in several ways. Also, I work any system anyway I can. I use a cc that pays me a percentage and since I pay it off each month I earn money not pay interest. One year (and I hope to do it again in 2012) I kept track of whatever I saved using coupons and put that amount into savings. It came to over a thousand dollars. I figured that if I didn't have a coupon I would have spent that money so now I "spend" the equivalent into my savings area known as coupons so that is another challenge I use to add to my savings. It is there in case of need but I hope to not touch it. I think that the above explains why I chose my name to be moneysquirrel since I do squirrel away my money in as many ways as I can.
Also if I don't see it in the usual register than it doesn't "exist". Also you might want to have some money automatically deposited in a saving account or an online bank. I have an ING account that receives a deposit once a month. I subtract that amount once I receive my pay check as I know it will be gone later that month. ING takes a few days to get your money transferred back so it prevents you withdrawing it at a whim.
Hope you enjoy our little family.
Time for bed. Good night all.
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mrslynch
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Post by mrslynch on Dec 29, 2011 8:29:12 GMT -5
azmom--i am now madly in love with jon acuff. i had read his second book and i just finished quitter, which i plan on reading again (i skipped his first book, stuff christians like, not because i find it offensive but because i'm jewish and probably wouldn't understand the humor ) anyway, to answer your question, i use host gator for my hosting. i also registered my domain name through them. you can set up a self-hosted wordpress blog through pretty much every host. i believe red wagon uses dreamhost, which i've also heard is good. with host gator, i pay $8.95/month for the hosting. i may upgrade the plan at some point but for now, it's doing just fine. the self-hosted wordpress is supereasy to use and you know i'm willing to help you set it up! if this isn't making any sense, send me an email and i'll clarify anything you need thanks, everyone, for you congratulations. i'm very happy that dh has this new job. now if june would just hurry up and get here! i've signed up to take a $30K challenge for my blog; that is, i'm trying to earn $30K in 2012 through blogging efforts (how i'm going to do this still escapes me). if i can accomplish 1/2 of that by june, i'll have $15K in an ef plus the $10K that dh and i are trying to save together, for a grand total of $25K before i would quit my f/t job. wish me luck!
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Dec 29, 2011 9:41:06 GMT -5
Went to the oddest wake last night. Normally at a wake you expect red eyes and sadness but this was not the case. BIL's dad had been so sick for so long that everyone seemed at peace with his passing and had a "he is done with the pain" philosophy to it. Have to go to the funeral in a couple hours, hoping that has the same vibe. Grumpy this week and trying really hard to work past it and embrace my new more zen like outlook on life. gavinsnana- I have to agree with what the others have said. I have on line banking so my first month or so here (nearly 5 years ago ) was to track what I had spent in pervious months on things. I had no real budget, just paid my bills and spent the rest. It was shocking how much we were spending on crap and disposable items (eating out, junk food, movie popcorn, movies, late fees, etc) Things we didn't physically have but cost us a substantial amount of money. I learned that I needed to be realistic. Just because I want a grocery budget of $200 doesn't mean that was going to happen lickety split. Had to start with a realistic one and whittle my way down. Still not at $200 yet but hovering around $300- pretty damn good considering we probably started around $600 to $700 a month. Keep track of what you are spending. $5 to rent a movie, $10 for McD's, $3 for Starbucks, etc. (or whatever your vices are) adds up fast if you aren't paying attention.
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gavinsnana
Senior Member
If we forget we are One Nation Under God, then we are a Nation gone under. Ronald Reagan
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Post by gavinsnana on Dec 29, 2011 10:00:07 GMT -5
Gavinsnana--can you set up automatic savings deductions to reduce your net income and force savings? I did this ($500/mo to IRA) and killed two birds with one deduction, so to speak. The lesser income is a real bummer for about 3 months, but you adjust. Just depends how badly you want this. You are at an age when this becomes ever more important and more do-able. Do you have a well funded emergency fund? Six to eight months expenses. Yes, I have a savings, IRA, CD's, 401K (which is taking a hit)How much do you have in 401k s. Have you done one of the retirement calculators to see how much you will have coming in and how long it will last. Yes, I have a good amount, sorry, not going to share that here. I am not in financial trouble, we are pretty much set up well. I work, but my money is mine and I have been spending a lot. I need to discipline that spending and save more. Spending out of want and not need.About three years before I took early retirement I calculated how much income I would need for retirement then started living on that amount and throwing everything else into savings/retirement funds. It helped me to have a specific reason for savings(early retirement), therefore much easier to trim my lifestyle and boost savings. I have retirement coming early in 3 years from a company that back then, was still doing the retirement, now its 401k. I plan on putting that directly into a savings, letting it build and roll it into an IRA or CD, something safe. Hubby is retired and has his own business and has a nice port folio. He dabbles in E-bay.. full time and makes very well. We have only been married a couple of years and we have always kept our money separate. I am a widow. He told me sweetly and nicely, that I do need to curb my spending and save more.. not that we are hurting, far from it.. but he is a very frugal guy and saves like a squirrel! LOL.. He is trying to discipline me.. which is good.. So, this is where I am at. I am writing everything down, asking myself, Need? or Want? and tuck away everything I can.
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gavinsnana
Senior Member
If we forget we are One Nation Under God, then we are a Nation gone under. Ronald Reagan
Joined: Oct 13, 2011 11:02:40 GMT -5
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Post by gavinsnana on Dec 29, 2011 10:02:51 GMT -5
gavinsnana - I ran the numbers you posted and have a few questions. * You mentioned your husband has his own income. Does his salary pay for groceries and eating out? I ask because there were no figures posted for these items. * Is the $3000 a net or gross amount? * In tallying your posted amounts they come to $1,107 which, if the $3,000 is a net amount, would leave a monthly unaccounted for $1,893 each month. I agree that at the moment your budget is more of a theory than an actual budget. I would second the suggestion another made that you need to track each dime for a month or so. Some people use a spreadsheet, some use a small notebook that they carry with them to track all money spent. This will let you see a true accounting of where you are spending money then where you can cut back. What type of money are you able to put aside at the moment? Something to think about as you start this process is adding a line item to your budget called "savings". The easiest way to do this is either with a payroll deduction directly into savings or a transfer from checking to savings set up as an automatic transaction. All too often we say we will save what is left over each month instead of being deliberate in setting aside the money up front. We eat out occasionally. THe 3000, is after taxes. So, you see, I should be saving at least 1000 instead of ther 500 a month I have been. THis is not including the 401k that is coming out. He pays most bills, I pay for grocieries and my car 446. What I am needing is discipline.. a big change for me.. to stop spending..
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Dec 29, 2011 10:52:54 GMT -5
gavinsnana: Since it seems like your biggest issue is discretionary spending, when you really want to save, I think the best thing is probably to set up auto deductions from your checking account to your savings account. You might even want to consider an online savings account (I have one through Sallie Mae, I know others use ING). I suggest this for a couple of reasons- when I log in to my regular online banking, I don't see the money in the Sallie Mae, so I "forget" I have it to spend. In addition, it takes roughly 3 days to transfer the money from Sallie Mae back in to my regular account. That means if I am going to spend it, it has to be a planned spend (like DH's school tuition). So out of sight, out of mind, and not instantly accessible are the keys for me. It will be tough the first couple of months as you get used to your new spending amount, but making it automatic, so that the money never even hits your checking account, should make the transition easier.
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Honeylioness
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Post by Honeylioness on Dec 29, 2011 11:37:15 GMT -5
For next month I like:
Judicious January Just Stop Spending January Just Do It January
MrsLynch - Sometimes the waiting for the new job starts can be as stressful as the actual looking process. Hang in there.
reenee - I agree that you are allowed to do with a "gift" whatever you want. I think your hesitation and feelings come more from your frustration with grandma's casino habit that the gift itself. Go ahead and donate them.
SES - I spent some time yesterday setting up my spreadsheets for next year. And making sure my 2011 charitable donations are all accounted for. I am a bit hamstrung as I can only work with my current UI payments as income.
startsmart - I would say "Pay off that $400 balance" as having one less bill will free up that amount each month for you to set aside into savings. As to your FaceBook comment about 2012 goals - I would love to know what final list you come up with as I have been thinking about the same thing as well.
mizbear - I do understand the comment about your grandmother's passing easing your stress. As much as we miss loved ones it can feel like a relief - and acknowledging it does not make up "bad" people.
Sheila - While I was sorry to hear of your family's loss over Christmas it sounds as though everyone understands just how sick he was and that they are able to acknowledge that he is now free of the pain. Now they can remember him as he would want to be remembered. As a wonderful man with talents and the love of family.
moneysquirrel - I have not heard much about the Terrors. Except that the quiet one had STILL not dealt with the last bill she left unpaid. I got a call from a collection agency before Christmas and sent a really TERSE e-mail to the organization. Also gave the collector the names and numbers of the organization's staff and told them to bug THEM and not me. Also pointed out that the name on the account was for a CHILD ... and one only in the country for a few months. So - hopefully NOT my problem anymore.
gavinsnana - shanendoah was able to articulate what I was getting at: "out of sight, out of mind". This is why I set up a direct transfer from my checking to savings each payday. I can't spend what isn't in my account.
If you feel that you need to be doing something more proactive during the first month while you are tracking your spends and getting some real numbers I have a couple of suggestions:
* Continue to ask yourself if this is a WANT or a NEED
* If you purchase something make a commitment that you have to get rid of TWO similar items.
For instance - buy a new shirt? You have to go home and pick TWO shirts/tops to give to charity.
Purchase a set of kitchen glasses? Go home and chose several other glasses or mugs (perhaps mismatched ones) to donate.
Not only will this get you to stop and think a bit longer before buying, but as you mentioned you are preparing for retirement in a few years - it is never too early to start paring down your "stuff". This is something several of us have been working on this last year. Because like most Americans we all own way too much "stuff".
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MittenKitten
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Post by MittenKitten on Dec 29, 2011 11:57:35 GMT -5
gavinsnana: Using your debit card can be handy since then you know exactly where the money goes BUT it also means you can keep spending as long as their is money in there.
Set up an automatic transfer to a savings account whenever you get paid so that you save FIRST. That is one of the rules of saving, pay yourself FIRST. In fact have it transferred to an account at a different bank so you can't even see it whenever you see your checking account. I use ING for my savings and EF. My checking accounts are local and I use those to pay bills. ING makes it very easy if I need to transfer money to my other accounts. Also you can do ladder CDs (Purchase CDs that mature at different times so you can have access to your money if you need it and take advantage if the rates get better, I know at ING they will automatically renew unless you go in and stop it)
Also as I said with the negative of the debit card one way to change that is to use the envelope system that Dave Ramsey talks about. Put the money you can spend in cash in an envelope. When it is gone you are done. It can be a real eye opener but it can also be harder to spot your leaks.
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MittenKitten
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Post by MittenKitten on Dec 29, 2011 12:01:17 GMT -5
money: Glad you liked the goodies. DS#1 has really gotten into comics lately. He doesn't know they are coming so they will be a surprise when he gets them. In fact if you put his name on the box you will make his day. I will PM you as his last name is different then mine.
reenee: Donate them. They are a gift, regardless of where she got them so be thankful for the thought but don't feel guilty about donating them. The gambling is a different issue.
Gotta deal with kids.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Dec 29, 2011 12:49:50 GMT -5
Hey! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great Christmas and I spent 6 days mostly technology free which was great. Spending was minimal (including my SIL cooking lunch for us yesterday, which meant we were way late getting home, but worth it). My dad (and mom) gave each of us kids $5k from our Grandma's estate. Ours is going to go into our new to us car fund. So, we'll be up to $7k. I would like to spend around $10k in a year or two, but the car is at 180k miles, so hopefully it will keep going that long. We talked about paying off the Nissan, but our interest rate is 4% and who knows what interest rates will be like when we are ready to buy.
Happy no spending.
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azmom
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Post by azmom on Dec 29, 2011 13:02:28 GMT -5
gavinsnana: Hope you find what you were looking for with all of the suggestions thrown your way. Just remember to take baby steps, don't get overwhelmed and be patient. The best part of figuring this all out is learning from your mistakes and setbacks. They are the best eye-opening gift Muttleyn: HELLO...Yea for the Christmas gift and tech free week. Mrs. L I have yet to read any of his books but they are on my list. Thanks for the info. I'll e-mail in the New Year if (okay, when) I need help) Dakota: Are you around? How is everything going? Miss you. Shan: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS TO ADD A BLOG ROLL TO MY BLOG I would have never figures it out and yes I finally got around to adding just a few to my list. Do you happen to know if I can change the font? KitchenAid Mixer anyone? It was my Christmas gift this year (free from DH's points). I posted a few please help questions on my blog anotherhousewife.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/i-have-a-kitchenaid-mixernow-what/I'm working on my goals for January and I think because our life has changed so much I am going to just go back to the basics and follow my own advice to newbies and track every single cent I spend, use cash for my grocery budget and really menu plan, AND give myself a sticker for all of my NSD. Anyone else making NSD goals for January?
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financialpeace
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Post by financialpeace on Dec 29, 2011 14:14:15 GMT -5
Update: 8/15 NSDs
I like the "Just Do It January". I need a kick in the pants to just stop spending and to be more involved here. There was no reason for me not to hit my goals this month. We didn't even exchange gifts with anyone this year because of my unemployment situation, so there is no reason for me to have spent so much money on unnecessary stuff. But, that title works well for my current situation, not necessarily the majority of the group's.
I have been reading many personal finance and personal success books lately. I was feeling pretty confident in the plan I made, but yesterday my confidence crashed. My plan was to open a Roth IRA for each of us before our 25th birthdays. My DH's 25th is in two weeks. I got started at Vanguard and then realized that I need $1000 to open it. We have almost $13K in savings, but I am really reluctant to take any money out of there and put it in a place I can't get to it because my DH is still in his probationary period at his new job, and I haven't had any luck finding a job yet (submitted 21 job apps so far. so frustrating). We currently do not have any money saved for retirement. I thought DH had around $5000 at his previous job, but it turned out that he wasn't vested at all and lost all of it when he left that job for our move. He will have a 401K at his new job, but it doesn't kick in until his probationary period is up which I believe is in February. They automatically start him at 3% and they do a partial match. I was going to just have him set the percentage to get the maximum match and then focus on the Roth, but now I am wondering if I should wait one more year on the Roth and have him max his 401K contributions....okay, funny story. As I'm typing this I just got a call for an interview for a 6 month temp. position. Not excited about the temp. part, but it would be a start. It's an accounting position, though, and I have zero experience with accounting. I always did well in my accounting classes in college, but that was several years ago, and I have never actually used accounting stuff in a job setting. We'll see.... Anyway, should I focus on maxing his 401K and wait on a Roth IRA for him until our situation is more stable or should I focus on both? If I don't have a job with 401K by my 25th birthday in April, I would still set up a Roth IRA for me, so that we both are contributing to retirement by our 25th birthdays.
I'm having trouble explaining what I want to. It doesn't help that my DH is pestering me for breakfast, and I got that phone call that completely made me lose my train of thinking. Please let me know if you need anything clarified before chiming in on what I should do.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Dec 29, 2011 14:35:08 GMT -5
azmom: I don't think you can. I'm pretty sure font selections are determined by the template you are using. But, I will double check tonight when I have time to see.
stand mixer: so years ago, when I was in my early 20s, my mom gave me a stand mixer that was wonderful. I loved it and used it for everything. You could put just about any bowl on it, and it had a rotating base for ease of scraping the sides of the bowls. At one point, during my many moves of that time period, I gave it back to my mother to put in a garage sale because I just didn't use it enough to justify hauling it around. Last Christmas, my mother found me another stand mixer at a garage sale for like $15. She mailed it up to me (slightly more expensive), but still quite a bit cheaper than buying one. I feel awful for saying this, but I hate it. It comes with it's own bowl that gets fixed in to place. It's taller than it is wide, making it difficult to add ingredients while the blender is going. It does not rotate, making scraping down the sides of the bowl (especially the "back") difficult even when it's off and in the "up" position, impossible and it's down and running. I've used it twice since Christmas Eve to make cheesecakes, because using my hand mixer on cream cheese seems to take so long, but at the same time, it's felt like I've ended up with more cheese on my hands, or on the side of the bowl not getting properly mixed, than is reasonable. I think this stand mixer may have to be retired to the basement until I forget about how much I dislike it and then bring it up again.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Dec 29, 2011 16:31:25 GMT -5
Sorry Gavinsnana- we have a saying here "mean people suck" Sorry they are scaring you away.
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gavinsnana
Senior Member
If we forget we are One Nation Under God, then we are a Nation gone under. Ronald Reagan
Joined: Oct 13, 2011 11:02:40 GMT -5
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Post by gavinsnana on Dec 29, 2011 18:35:28 GMT -5
Sorry Gavinsnana- we have a saying here "mean people suck" Sorry they are scaring you away. Yes they do. I will not let them scare me away. I will be vague in my posts. Looking forward to saving more this year and I appreciate the tips
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Dec 29, 2011 19:37:54 GMT -5
You can be a vague as you want or need to be. From what I am understanding your primary goal is to get a handle on your discretionary spending and try to put more in savings each month? Hang out visit, get used to the accountability of announcing each successful no spend feat, easy peasey
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gavinsnana
Senior Member
If we forget we are One Nation Under God, then we are a Nation gone under. Ronald Reagan
Joined: Oct 13, 2011 11:02:40 GMT -5
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Post by gavinsnana on Dec 29, 2011 20:24:32 GMT -5
You can be a vague as you want or need to be. From what I am understanding your primary goal is to get a handle on your discretionary spending and try to put more in savings each month? Hang out visit, get used to the accountability of announcing each successful no spend feat, easy peasey Yes! My goal is to increase my savings... from a nice cushion to a huge cushion. I love to shop and I see it, I buy it. Trying to curb it. and writing things down will be a help when I see just how much I am spending. I am writing things down for January.. and saying NO to much.. to see if I can do it and how much I really can save.
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Dec 29, 2011 22:13:09 GMT -5
Update: 17 NSD and 9 CSD
OK, I managed another NSD today but not for lack of trying. I went to 5 different places today looking for certain objects but couldn't find anything on my list and was not really tempted by anything else. So I got another nsd.
I can't believe that I only have a few days left before I return to school Monday. I haven't been to the mall this entire break but think I may go tomorrow. At the rate I have been going it may be a total waste of time but at least I will be getting some exercise. Also, I have a few more hours of online training to do but since I have finished 2/3 of it, I think I will get it done before returning to school.
gavinsnana -- glad to see that you are planning to stay with us. Only post what you are comfortable with posting. I don't share a lot of really personal stuff here. When I first started I rarely posted and just updated my numbers. It took me several months before I responded to anyone and felt comfortable enough to do shoutouts. Take your time and ask questions if you need any help. It seems as if you identified your weakness so take steps to develop your strenght in overcoming it.
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ses
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Posts: 654
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Post by ses on Dec 29, 2011 23:37:57 GMT -5
AZmom--I absolutely LOVE my mixer. Especially for making yeast breads--so easy and so cheap!
I want a "do-over" for the month of December! I spent the first half of the month dealing with a nasty intestinal flu, then i had some surgery on my foot-it doesn't hurt at all until I put on a shoe. The two days before and after Christmas were good and Christmas was great. Then I flew past your basic UTI directly to a nasty bladder infection, (I usually get one about every decade). I am SO ready for January, whatever we call it!
No, I haven't got my 2012 spreadsheets up and ready to go yet, but they should be done soon.
Honey--any word on the possible job yet?
Gavinsnana-- when you take your 401k be sure to do an institution to institution transfer or you will have to pay income taxes on all of it at one time instead of spreading the taxes out over several years.
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gavinsnana
Senior Member
If we forget we are One Nation Under God, then we are a Nation gone under. Ronald Reagan
Joined: Oct 13, 2011 11:02:40 GMT -5
Posts: 3,201
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Post by gavinsnana on Dec 30, 2011 9:00:46 GMT -5
gavinsnana: Using your debit card can be handy since then you know exactly where the money goes BUT it also means you can keep spending as long as their is money in there. Set up an automatic transfer to a savings account whenever you get paid so that you save FIRST. That is one of the rules of saving, pay yourself FIRST. In fact have it transferred to an account at a different bank so you can't even see it whenever you see your checking account. I use ING for my savings and EF. My checking accounts are local and I use those to pay bills. ING makes it very easy if I need to transfer money to my other accounts. Also you can do ladder CDs (Purchase CDs that mature at different times so you can have access to your money if you need it and take advantage if the rates get better, I know at ING they will automatically renew unless you go in and stop it) Also as I said with the negative of the debit card one way to change that is to use the envelope system that Dave Ramsey talks about. Put the money you can spend in cash in an envelope. When it is gone you are done. It can be a real eye opener but it can also be harder to spot your leaks. I do transfer into savings.. but I want to do more.. I said my first NO to buying something this morning. I am stopping and asking myself.. need? want? Baby steps.. I do have it to spend.. but.. I have been spending and buying too much.. Hubby doesn't really say anything, because he says its my money.. but.. I want to be more disciplined and responsible. Like the diet.. do I need that cake.. Well, no you don't need it, but you want it. I like to shop, buy clothes.. I see it I buy it.. I want to discipline myself, turn over a new leaf so to speak. Happy New Year!
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azmom
Established Member
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 12:31:41 GMT -5
Posts: 256
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Post by azmom on Dec 30, 2011 12:38:33 GMT -5
Facebook Help: When you set up a facebook page for your blog what category did you set it up under?
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redwagon
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 14:16:11 GMT -5
Posts: 2,642
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Post by redwagon on Dec 30, 2011 14:59:58 GMT -5
not done catching up yet but here we are so far:
blue - his woes continued. He got sick last Friday with a terrible cold and was unable to smell or taste anything until Wednesday. Which means he went through the motions but didn't enjoy anything over Christmas. I felt really bad. He kept having nightmares he'd never be able to taste food again. He was thrilled on Wednesday when he smelled burned toast lol. But he is excited about the iPad, bought a new Nook with Christmas money, and is feeling much more positve and optimistic about life. Phew.
reenee - hugs
sheila - so sorry to hear about BIL's dad. that is so sad.
mrslynch - terrific news!! hope he enjoys the new job!
I like Just the Basics. I need to reground myself.
gavinsnana - welcome!! I would start with writing down everything you spend and categorizing it: eating out, groceries, fun stuff, etc. See where you're overspending and make a goal to cut that down.
azmom - so sorry about the computer! I second mizbear that it might not be totally gone. Weird things happen.
sheila - my family's wakes usually end with people gathered in a circle laughing and telling stories about the person. We get weird looks from people who don't know us well.
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sheilaincali
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 17:55:24 GMT -5
Posts: 4,131
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Post by sheilaincali on Dec 30, 2011 19:33:17 GMT -5
azmom- sorry unable to answer your question Hopefully someone else will know the answer for you. red- glad Blue is feeling better. That's my kind of wake- I don't want people sitting around crying over me. Tell a dirty joke that I would appreciate and share a funny story. That's the way I would want to be remembered. I agree with Red- I like "Just the Basics" for January too. It's simple and the fresh start so many of us seem to need/want with the first of the year
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moneysquirrel
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 13:12:39 GMT -5
Posts: 1,915
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Post by moneysquirrel on Dec 30, 2011 22:34:51 GMT -5
Update: 17 NSD and 10 CSD
Today was a CSD. I decided to pick up the RXs I would need to refill next week today so it would count for this month and not next month. Also for one of them I had a coupon that expires tomorrow that saved me half of the original price . Other then those I did not spend anything. I decided not to go to the mall -- just wasn't in the mood. Managed to get another hour of training in today only one more to go. Will finish it tomorrow as I am too tired to even consider it tonight.
Sheila -- I think that most of the wakes in my family turn in mini family reunions with funny stories and many smiles and laughter. I know that many people won't get it but I think it is also a stress reliever. Also for someone who has been ill for an extended time it becomes a celebration of their life.
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startsmart
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 12:45:52 GMT -5
Posts: 4,447
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Post by startsmart on Dec 30, 2011 23:05:32 GMT -5
Hey ladies! I'm out of town for the weekend visiting with grandma.happy no spending weekend!
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