Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2011 0:06:10 GMT -5
SES I did click the reply button not the quick reply.
MoneysquirrelNo, I don't think they were between the brackets.
Let's see how this works...
ETA: IT WORKED!
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redruby
Established Member
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 8:44:24 GMT -5
Posts: 270
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Post by redruby on Jan 1, 2011 10:24:34 GMT -5
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I don't think I did a who am I either. I am am a 35 yr old mama of 4 kids 3 dogs and 1 cat= this number is flexible at times because I breed and raise puppies and the occassional stray. Ha Ha I am a teacher and I want to be able to go to the store and buy something I want and pay cash and not have to worry about the effects later on when the bills are due.
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pointy
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 18:27:35 GMT -5
Posts: 141
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Post by pointy on Jan 1, 2011 11:51:40 GMT -5
My final update from December: 22/21 NS and 29/27 No QVC... For my January goals: 22 NS and 27 No QVC Why I'm here: I've been on the CS/NS and Savers boards for two years and both have helped me build an emergency fund, cut down spending (especially QVC, tho I still love it!), and save for other goals like vacation and re-furnishing my home office to better support my freelance work. The friendships are inspiring and the accountability keeps you honest! ;D
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moneysquirrel
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Joined: Dec 19, 2010 13:12:39 GMT -5
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Post by moneysquirrel on Jan 1, 2011 12:09:32 GMT -5
Just stopping in to wish all of you a Happy New Year!
Plan on spending today finishing up some creative projects that I can do quickly if I just focus on getting my creative juices going. Also think I finally have my Excel sheets the way I want them for 2011. I always make changes at the beginning of the year as to new things to track also I am an Excel nerd and I like to play with the program.
Will try to check in later today.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Jan 1, 2011 14:40:22 GMT -5
Final 2010 Update: 13 CS + 9 NS = 22 of 20 6 of 10 MOAN
Happy New Year! While I'd love to start 2011 off with an NSD, we need to go grocery shopping and I won't have time tomorrow.
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dakota4600
Familiar Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 10:22:48 GMT -5
Posts: 831
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Post by dakota4600 on Jan 1, 2011 16:10:32 GMT -5
Happy New Year!!!It looks like I'll be kicking off the New Year right with a NS/NEO day. I was thinking of using a Groupon that expires on the 5th, but my parents invited us over for dinner.
I've been doing a 2010 wrap up and figured out that post taxes our two biggest expenses were mortgage and utilities (22% of take home) and food (14%). The food includes restaurants as well as groceries, but it still seems high. Since I can't do much about our mortgage I think I'll focus on food. To that end I made meatballs and pizza dough and froze them. Once my new food processor comes, I'll make a big batch pasta sauce.
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ses
Familiar Member
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Post by ses on Jan 1, 2011 16:53:54 GMT -5
Happy New Year I have my Excel pages all set up waiting for the first expenditure of the year. The blizzard conditions of the past 3 days have moved on and the sun is shining. However, I will wait for the sun to do its job on the steep driveway before going out. There is no real need to go out until Monday afternoon anyway. I still haven't got my expenses for 2010 done. It will have to be paper tracking since i didn't have any spreadsheets then. Yuck! Perhaps that will be tomorrows big excitement. Can someone tell me how I can ETA once a post has been entered on the board.
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ses
Familiar Member
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Post by ses on Jan 1, 2011 17:15:12 GMT -5
Chloe(and any other Newbie)--One important thing no one has mentioned yet is the fact that none of us, that I know of, have ever been totally successful the first few months. So if you don't meet all your goals--or even any of them at first---don't get discouraged.
I was reading the thread on YM, I think, asking why the "lurkers" had not posted before. The general concensus was a feeling of intruding on established groups or getting flamed. That is not the case here. We welcome "new blood" whenever anyone shows up. If you have a question or comment or just need some encouragement and hugs SPEAK UP! This is truly a very warm and welcoming and supportive group.
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reeneejune
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Joined: Dec 20, 2010 19:49:40 GMT -5
Posts: 430
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Post by reeneejune on Jan 1, 2011 17:51:21 GMT -5
So far today is a success on the no eating out (and therefore no spending) front. I've decided to add the condition that if I run to the grocery store to pick up items for lunch the same day (without planning ahead and packing my lunch) I'll consider that an "eat out" day as well. I didn't plan very well for today. BFF, her hubby, another couple, and I went to the New Year's eve bull riding and dance last night. Not only did I forget to toss something into my bag to eat for today, I also forgot socks! (am now sad that there isn't an embarrassed smiley) But I had left a container of taco soup in the fridge at work the day before yesterday and a bag of tortilla chips in the car, so I've survived. I didn't do an about me, so here goes: I'm a single 26 y.o. woman living in western Oregon. For the next couple of months I'm living with my Grandma and my Auntie (Auntie lost her home in a devastating fire July 2010). I've gone from an income of about $300 a month to $2,000 a month in the two years I've been a member of this group, and I've also paid off around $12,000 in old bills, collections, fines, and debt. I've also improved my credit score from the high 400's to the mid 500's (which is still in the toilet, but getting better every day). When I'm not working my tail off, I'm an avid seamstress and write a blog about my current sewing odessey.
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MittenKitten
Well-Known Member
Home of the Circus
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Posts: 1,070
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Post by MittenKitten on Jan 1, 2011 18:06:15 GMT -5
Money Challenge/Question: For those who have yet to retire what is your money retirement plan? Do you feel you will be okay for retirement? The challenge part is to set up one or if you have one set up check on it to make sure all is going according to plan!
Angel: I usually type and then highlight what I want I want to gel:bold and hit the bold button.
Down with a migraine all day today. I got nothing accomplished except a no spend.
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constanz22
Senior Member
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Post by constanz22 on Jan 1, 2011 18:15:34 GMT -5
1 NS I never left the house today... MK Sorry to hear about the migraine...I get awful one's too. No fun at all...
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reeneejune
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Post by reeneejune on Jan 1, 2011 18:41:39 GMT -5
QOTW - I'm contributing to my employer sponsored 401K, and as of this coming June, I'll be contributing enough to get the full employer match. My plan/mindset is to plan as though social security won't be available when I retire. Since I'm only 26, I feel like the best way to achieve that is to manage my money responsibly, and work towards goals like buying and paying off a house before I retire.
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spruby
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Post by spruby on Jan 1, 2011 19:27:22 GMT -5
retirement - a topic near & dear to me based on personal experience and my work (I work for the government agency that insures private sector defined benefit plans)
Our goals are to be maxing out all retirement vehicles possible (doing all but one); buy a place and have it paid off in 10 years (or the money to do so); and substantial non-retirement savings.
We have multiple retirement income sources already - but need to continue to bulk up the 401(ks)/TSP account and bulk up the savings (house and other). I think social security will still be in place but may be more means tested. The reality is that the vast majority of individuals don't have the personal savings (inside or outside retirement plans) to fund modern retirement (i.e. not working for 10-30 years and living off assets).
My biggest concern is access to/money for paying medical insurance. The single biggest issue/cost right now for people retiring (voluntarily or otherwise) before they are Medicare eligible is getting access to and paying for health care coverage.
Ultimately our plan is keep saving, multiple streams of income/sources of value, and minimizing the biggest expense - housing (outside medical insurance).
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Jan 1, 2011 19:37:15 GMT -5
Spent $27.21 at the grocery store, but it works out like this; cat food and litter- 16.67 minus disc of 5.19 add tax @6% paper products- 3.38 minus disc of .38 add tax @ 6% tp- 2.55 minus disc of .18 and no tax Food- 9.66 minus disc of .17 and no tax.
Does that make sense? At least it works out. Now how do I put it on the excel sheet? I need to get another desk calendar. I have 2 wall calendars but none for my desk. I can start on the one wall calendar and then transfer to the desk one. for those who want to edit, use the modify button at the top of the box but only if you used the reply button and not the quick reply. There is an embarrassed smiley on the screen if you use the reply and not the quick reply. Plus there are more smileys on the left side of the screen of the reply. I just noticed you can type 59,000 keystrokes before you get nitz'd. Gee, I don't think anyone will do that much.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jan 1, 2011 19:48:22 GMT -5
Ok- lets try this again (I wrote this all out a few minutes ago and hit spell check and my browser window closed- so take 2)
Who I am: 35 years old, married, one 12 year old DS (The Boy), and Zoe (our 8 year old lab mix). We live in Minnesota but have also lived in TX, Alaska, and California. I am a bookkeeper for a road construction company. I do all the ap, ar, pr, gl, hr, bidding, etc. Basically I work alone in the office most of the year while the guys are in the field. During the winter my boss (who happens to be my dad too) is in the office from about Dec to April with many breaks and vacations in between (him not me).
Why I joined: I joined this group 9/1/07 because DH and I had a serious money leak we needed to plug. Thank goodness I did because the lessons I learned here saved us when DH and I spent virtually all of 2009 unemployed (and resulted in a move back to MN).
Goals: I have some pretty extensive personal goals for 2011. 2010 was a good "rebuilding" year for us but 2011 is when we hope to really hit our stride. 25- NSD (anything other than bills, groceries, gas and our monthly haircuts equals a spend day). 25- NEO allows for our once a week eating out trip with our niece.
We want to try to see how long we can go without buying anything new to us- new clothes, new books (not counting book swap books), dvds, etc. We each get our $20 a week allowance and that's what we have to use for anything we want that isn't food or fuel. I can't really think of much I want to buy except for some fabric to try to make some american girl doll clothes for my nieces. The Boys (Dh and Ds) spend their allowance $ on video and computer games.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Jan 1, 2011 19:48:49 GMT -5
spruby, I am having trouble getting health insurance right now. Could you give me some suggestions? I think you have my e-mail but I will give it to you if you don't.
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ses
Familiar Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:18:37 GMT -5
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Post by ses on Jan 1, 2011 21:25:24 GMT -5
Preparing for retirement--a topic near and dear to my heart. You can never plan too much. About three years before i retired I calculated what my approximate monthly income would be based on my pension and personal savings. I lived on that amount so that when the decrease in income happened it would be something I could handle. When I actually retired I found i had underestimated a little. Which was a good thing since SS had been frozen the past two years. I also made sure my car was paid off about three months before retirement and my house was paid off two weeks before retirement. If the economy had been different I might have thought about downsizing my house. But not now. I am downsizing the "stuff" in it, though. I live a simple lifestyle with a few splurges, a trip to visit with family once or twice a year, books when I want them (used if possible) spending time with friends. My plan is to get a 4% return on my investments to afford a 3% draw-down. I have yet to need my TSP/ Roth IRA/personal savings, and hope it will be a very long time before I need to. Each year I tone down the risk a bit when I do a re-balance. I, too, agree with spruby that there will most likely be a means testing in future SS. (can someone explain to me why people are upset that the full retirement age be raised to 70-75, those people haven't even been born yet!) I will be very interested in the changes we will see in Obamacare and how it will impact retirees. I know the rule of thumb has been to save 10% of your income, but I really think we should strive for a minimum of 20-25%savings rate.
I think we all need to be very cognizant of what happens in the new congress. I will not be surprised to see some major shake-ups. Europe is facing big time austerity moves and I can't see us avoiding them, too. Perhaps those who will have the hardest time will be the parents of chidren. It will be hard to plan for retirement instead of providing the "wants" for your children. Live simply when they are young and they won't have to support you when you age and there might be a nice inheritance later.
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Jan 1, 2011 21:27:24 GMT -5
1 NS Day Managed to get quite a few things off my to-do list. I go back to work Monday so some of tomorrow will have to be spent on preparation for classes. I know what I am going to do I just have to get it in a format that is translatable to 10 year olds.
Retirement planning -- Have some from 401K invested, max out the Roth each year and save for the future. I am not eligible for 401K at this new to me school for another year or two but when I am eligible I will take advantage of the opportunity. House is paid off so just have to save for upkeep. Did a lot of renovations (still have some left to do) in the last few years so major work on the house should not needed be in the near future.
Sheila -- I lost an earlier post as well when I spell-checked my entry. So it is not just you experiencing problems.
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spruby
Established Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 23:35:01 GMT -5
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Post by spruby on Jan 1, 2011 21:34:14 GMT -5
3cats - I still have your email - and you are in PA (holler if I have that wrong!) Let me do some digging through material I have at work - a project I'm working on has provided a lot of state by state health insurance info (for a few states) and PA is one of the states. I'll email you something by next weekend. BTW - if you don't hear from me - please ping me - sometimes things slide on my to do list - I won't be offended by a reminder at all!!!
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cheerleadingmama7
New Member
I cheer for savings!!
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 22:34:07 GMT -5
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Post by cheerleadingmama7 on Jan 1, 2011 21:55:54 GMT -5
Goal: 20/31 NSDWhy I am here: I have been working on spending less and saving more for 2 years now in an effort to get out of debt and I am now at the point where I need to build savings. In order to build my savings I need to have a LOT of no spend days. My rules: A No Spend Day is a No Spend Day - That means that other than my regular required monthly bills I don't spend a dime. I go grocery shopping approximately every 2 weeks so those are spend days. I need to cut back on the quick trips to the grocery store cause we didn't plan well, or the trips to Starbucks cause I had a bad day. It all adds up quickly, and I need to keep the money in my pocket instead of others. A little about me: I live in PA with DH and 2 DS (age 3 and 8) and 2 dogs. I am the director of a career school and I love teaching. Hobbies include reading because I love learning new things, gardening when it is nice outside, and most recently the art of saving money! I have lurked on the boards for 2+ years and posted occassionally....time to jump back into this full force.
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on Jan 1, 2011 22:09:33 GMT -5
Retirement Ugh...I have only been thinking about retirement for the past 3-4 years. I am embarrassed to say that I cashed out my retirement from my first TWO jobs because I was young and stupid with money, and retirement seemed so, so, far away. Well, now I'm 41 and have not saved one cent for retirement. I do, luckily, have a good job with the county government and have been there 11 years this month, so, I will at least have a halfway decent pension. I really want to start some independent retirement savings and my goal for this year is to start a Roth, I think. I still have A LOT of debt and really want to get that paid down/off. I also have a couple of big projects/repairs that need to be done to my house that I've already put off for over 2 years. I am stretched so thin, I just don't see how I can ever start saving for my retirement. It's pretty depressing...and I had planned to stay at the county until I retire, but, things are not looking good, so, my other goal this year is to look into options and have a back up plan if my job goes away.
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on Jan 1, 2011 22:10:26 GMT -5
cheerleadingmama What part of PA are you from? I am in NE PA!
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ses
Familiar Member
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Post by ses on Jan 1, 2011 22:25:02 GMT -5
constanz--could you set up a savings plan that will be called "IRA" but you won't deposit it (just hold it in another account) until April 2012 for tax year 2011. That way it would be available if (we will hope it won't) your job has issues.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Jan 1, 2011 22:47:25 GMT -5
cheerleadingmama; I am from central PA
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on Jan 1, 2011 23:06:00 GMT -5
ses Yes, I could probably do something like that. I won't really be able to do much until after I pay my taxes in April. I am going to owe close to 2K, so, that is my primary focus right now, saving up to pay those. Once they are out of the way, I can probably split any budget surplus between debt payoff and savings. I would likely know more about my job security over the summer when they do the budget, like June/July, although honestly, anything could happen at any time. Thanks for your input!
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notallwhowander
Initiate Member
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Post by notallwhowander on Jan 1, 2011 23:29:03 GMT -5
I'm at 1CS. We spent $19.29 on groceries tonight. But was proud of us as we came home with: a package of lean steak, a package of baby back ribs, bag of spinach, green onions, mushrooms, celery, carrots, cucumber, and tofu. The meat was marked down 50% off as we stood talking to the butcher - I've never been that lucky before at this store!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2011 23:42:43 GMT -5
Money Challenge/Question: For those who have yet to retire what is your money retirement plan? Do you feel you will be okay for retirement? The challenge part is to set up one or if you have one set up check on it to make sure all is going according to plan! My plan is to buy enough income producing properties to fund our retirement as well as fund our Roth (and traditional 401k when we earn more) until we have 4 million dollars. I still have a ways to go but we are steadily improving over the last two years. We have one property and are saving for another. I am saving 2% in a Roth and will fund at 9% starting in June of this year. My goal for this month is 26 NSD.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Jan 2, 2011 0:57:25 GMT -5
So didn't end up doing the grocery shopping because CostCo was closed. It means I have to get up early tomorrow in order to fit everything in. Unfortunately, it did not end up being an NSD as DH's video card decided to go kaput. Because of the age of his computer, we replaced not only the video card but the mother board, processor, and new RAM. He had the money in his allowance, so its not throwing us out of budget, but it was definitely an unexpected spend. Retirement: My IRA and DH's 401(k) from his previous job are just sitting there. I did go in and make some changes to the IRA just last week to put the money in more agressive markets since we have at least 30 years to retirement. My 403(b) at the current job is currently at 6%, 4% from me, and the 2% matching from work (which is the max). I have it set to increase by 1% every May, since we get raises in mid-April. Its no where near fully funded, but at the same time, I've been proud of us that we haven't decreased retirement savings during the last 20 months that DH has been on UE. I'd love to be able to start DH a ROTH this year, since it doesn't look like he'll be working again for at least 2 years, but getting the flooding issue in the basement solved is a higher priority. DH believes the best retirement plan is to have a paid for house, so we pay extra on the mortgage and hope to have it paid off in less than 20 years.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2011 9:49:35 GMT -5
). We want to try to see how long we can go without buying anything new to us- new clothes, new books (not counting book swap books), dvds, etc. We each get our $20 a week allowance and that's what we have to use for anything we want that isn't food or fuel. This is also one of my goals. It is hard NOT to buy books though. I am getting my book fix by finding free books for Kindle. I do not NEED anything new. I do not even need FREE books. I have a bunch I haven't read that I am still looking through, but I know myself well enough to know that if I see a book for free...I better download it now or I will be kicking myself when it goes off the free list. Yesterday was a spend day for me. I had to get Little Man's hair cut. He looked like the sheep dog on Bugs Bunny. I also had to stop at the pet store and get some medicine for the fish tank. We had one fish die of fin rot and I needed medicine to stop the other fish from getting it. Today will be a spend as well because I have to drive 3 hours to take DSD home. BUT I am proud of myself because I do already have a 1 NEO. I made an amazing Chicken Parmigiana last night for dinner. Better than ANY I have ever had in a restaurant.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2011 9:53:26 GMT -5
Challenge Question I am not prepared yet for retirement. I am 35 years old and I only have $3,688 in my Roth. I AM trying to fix that by making auto deposits into the account every month. I also contribute 3% of my check to a 401K, but the company does not offer a match. I probably shouldn't have even done the 401K with this company because I actually work for the other one more, but at the time this company was the one most of the schools went through to hire subs.
What I do plan on doing it continue to put money into my Roth. I also plan to pay off as much debt as I can. I am hoping to have all of our cc debt paid off by time DH retires in 4 years.
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