Honeylioness
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Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:09:59 GMT -5
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Post by Honeylioness on Jan 31, 2013 22:00:49 GMT -5
A few months back Honeylioness had an impassioned plea to get us back to the focus of our thread. The fundamentals. The basics. Plus the friendship. Did y'all know we've successfully planned vacations together? Life keeps on going with new babies, relationships, homes, challenges, jobs and financial hurdles but we stick to it. So, get sticky!
Here are some way to get your goals to stick:
#1. Post your numbers - just put it at the top of a post in bold and let us know how you're doin' and what you need help with #2. Track your numbers - technically this should be #1 but you know it. If you need ideas for tracking post and ask the veterans for guidance #3. Share your life but please keep it somewhat financially related - we know that everything influences finances especially when we're stressed, tired, excited and busy. BUT this is a financial accountability group, not a therapy session If you want to go off topic consider starting a fresh thread and posting a link so those who are interested can support you there.
For the new people there are no real set rules here, you set your own. The basic goal most if not all of us have are to keep track of the days we don't spend and hopefully by that work on saving money. Some are looking to put it into savings others to pay down debt.
For some they only count the day as a no spend day if they spend nothing at all. Others will count it if they keep their total under $5. Some count all spending others only count a certain part of their budget. For example MittenKitten personally take $400 out of the the bank in cash for everything that is not related to vehicle expenses (like gas, oil changes, insurance etc) or the house (mortgage, utilities, HOA) If I spend out of the $400 I count it as a spend day (although if it is less then $5 I usually count it as a no spend day.) You set your own rules. Any questions feel free to ask.
You can post your no spend days daily or whenever you want, just put it in bold at the top with the first number being the number you want me to record. If you are doing daily then: Today (or yesterday) $0 Spend day
More then one day at a time: 4/31 days $0 Spend Which translates into 4 out of 31 days in July have been no spend so far. Some use the bigger number as their goal number so do 4/15 No spend Days which means they have a goal of 15 no spend days this month.
Here's a handy guide to some of our terminology: NSD: No Spend Day CSD: Controlled Spend Day BFF: Best Friend Forever DH/DS/DD/DSS: Dear Husband, Dear Son Dear Daughter, fiance, boy friend, Dear Step-Son DIL, MIL, BIL, SIL: Daughter in law, Mother In Law, Brother in Law, Sister In Law NKCW: No Killing Co-Worker Day (could also be no kill DH NKDH etc) NS or NSD: No Spend or No Spend Day NEO: No eating out HTH: Hope This Helps KWIM: Know What I mean FWIW: For What It's Worth IMHO or IMO: In my Humble Opinion or In My Opinion Having a Startsmart Day is referring to when you have 20+ things on your must get done in a day and you accomplish them. Single Mom-KY aka Smokey; MittenKitten aka MK; Pt_In_NY aka Pointy; The Boy is Sheila in Cali's son. Blue is Red_Wagon's DH TBear is MizBear's older niece. ZBear is MizBear's younger niece.
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Honeylioness
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Post by Honeylioness on Jan 31, 2013 22:05:04 GMT -5
I will pull my final numbers together this weekend.
Shanendoah - I meant to reply earlier but good luck with the adoption/fostering process.
MittenKitten - Sorry to hear you have another sick child.
3cats - How are you doing? Been worried about you.
SaverBee - Great job!
Sheila - I can actually see daylight with the quilt. I know it has been a while since you got an update and I am really very sorry about that. I took today to work from home so I could get a lot of work done on it. Pauline helped quite a bit as well. Not sure if you wanted to see pictures of it so far .. or have it be a surprise.
My goal is to finish it this weekend so I can send it to you priority mail on Monday. *fingers crossed*
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Jan 31, 2013 23:28:46 GMT -5
I want to thank all of you for the amazing times we have had as a group -- Today is my five year anniversity with this group. We have had some people come and go. We have shared good times and rough times -- marriages, births, deaths, meetups in Kansas City and the Black Hills, Virtual New Year Eve parties, lost jobs and new jobs. So many new friendships around the country -- forged through this NS thread so of course I am in again for the start of another year.
Time for bed. Good Night all!
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Feb 1, 2013 9:34:10 GMT -5
Honey: YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited Thank you thank you thank you. I feel horrible that you had to take a day off from work to work on it. Thank you as well to Pauline for helping you with it. No need to send advanced pictures. I'm looking forward to being surprised. Nate is going to flip out when he sees it! Let me know how much I owe you and I'll drop a check in the mail this weekend. Money- happy anniversary Ok- so last month's plan to just "not go over budget in my catagories" was a resounding Eh. I have to add things up. Most were ok but I am sure we went over on our eating out budget but were ok with our grocery budget (maybe even a smidge under). DH's hobby budget was blown out of the water which he is aware of and has promised once again to do better this month. If all goes according to plan tonight is the Boy's first date. She has been over to the house before but always with a group of other kids. Tonight it's just her coming over to watch movies with DS. I'll be there to supervise but I'll try not to hover to the point of annoying. She is a really sweet kid and her mom adores the Boy (I guess she was his 6th grade teacher's classroom aide and remembers DS fondly). It's so cute to see the Boy crushing on a girl.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 1, 2013 12:07:34 GMT -5
I succeeded in my January goal in that I started tracking again. And I have to feel a slight success in that NSD>CSD>Spend days.
My goal for February is to have 13 NSD, 10 CSD and only 5 spend days (since these are days when the spending isn't planned).
Of course, it looks like today is going to be one of them because our little Beagle girl has thrown up 6 times in the last 24 hours and doesn't appear to be able to hold down water. So, off to the vet we will go. We've done most of the shopping we need to for our Dim Sum Superbowl, but I expect there will be some shopping that needs to be done today or tomorrow for Pad Thai fixings
MoneySquirrel: Happy Anniversary! I think this month represents my 3rd anniversary here, though I took most of last year off.
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pointy
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Post by pointy on Feb 2, 2013 19:18:07 GMT -5
Goals for February: 20 NS and 26 No QVC Days
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grits
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Post by grits on Feb 2, 2013 20:35:11 GMT -5
Goals for February: 20 NS and 8 CSD.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 2, 2013 22:28:22 GMT -5
goals for February; 25/28 NSD, 3 eating out days. Honey: I am doing okay. I am just really down. 44 years of marriage (1/31), his 78th birthday (2/21), 30 years since he died (2/26), 15 years since Dad died (2/26). Usually I can handle it but this year is hard. Thanks for your concern.
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Feb 3, 2013 13:19:08 GMT -5
Update: 1 NS day and 2 CS Days
I wanted to check in with all of you before I get started on everything today.
3 cats -- I am sorry that you are going through all of this. My tough emotional month is coming up soon so I can relate somewhat to what you are feeling.
Shan -- Good luck with the adoption/foster process. I know you have been working toward this for a while now. So glad that the process is winding down.
Honey -- How is the new job? Adjustment of routine with the girls is improving I hope.
I did manage to finish a new bracelet for me this week so I am glad that I got that done. Needed it for an upcoming wedding.
I spent both days this weekend but all of it was control spends -- had to stock up on the usual allergy meds, renew my gym membership, and needed groceries. Still working on correcting projects today. Will try to finish all of them prior to the Super Bowl but may have some overlap. Giving tests and have another set of projects coming in next weekend so really want to get this set done today. In order for me to get this done I have to sign off now.
Will check in when I can. Hope all have a good week.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 3, 2013 14:38:54 GMT -5
Why is it that some people think that since it has been that long, I should be over it? There are years that go by and I don't think about it other than just think about it. Then there are years like this. I think my anniversary for this thread was last month but I don't know how long. update: 2/28 NSD, 0/3 eating out days.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 4, 2013 11:17:28 GMT -5
Update: 1NSD/1CSD/1Spend
As predicted, Friday was a spend at the veterinarian for miss Junebug. Anti-nausea meds and she is now doing just fine. We also got the majority of our grocery shopping done on Friday. That allowed Saturday to be a no spend day- in fact, I don't think I even got dressed on Saturday. We stayed home all day. Sunday, C did have to run to the store for one last thing we needed for our Dim Sum SuperBowl party, but that was planned, so it was a CSD.
Monday night is the night that I am supposed to make dinner each week. I am making the curried sliders tonight. When C and I were talking this about it yesterday, he mentioned that those were what he really wanted (especially the yogurt & curry dipping sauce). So there we go. Today and tomorrow should be no spend days. Not positive about Wednesday. We have our meeting at the adoption agency to go over/finalize our home study and to meet with the placement adviser and start the child search- or at least get our info in front of birth parents for now. It will be another 4-6 weeks for the foster license to come through.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 4, 2013 22:36:12 GMT -5
update:4/28 NSD, 0/3 eating out days.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Feb 5, 2013 9:31:01 GMT -5
Okay, let's see what I have going on so far with NSD's. It was a busy weekend working, so I didn't have time to spend much money.
Rocky Mtn Saver: 1 NSD/3 CSD
Last night, I worked on my taxes, and I think I will have a slightly bigger refund than I'd figured on. I normally like a small bumper of a few hundred dollars, but I qualified for a credit I didn't expect, so it's a little higher. That'll work out well, though, because I need to buy a new laptop. Mine died about 3 months ago and I've put off replacing it. I can put what I planned in savings and the overage toward the laptop. So, yay!
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 5, 2013 10:44:40 GMT -5
Update: 2NSD/1CSD/1Spend
I also did a quick run through on our taxes last night- using the standard deduction instead of itemizing, just to get an idea. It looks like we'll get a little over $1,000 back. I do actually try to plan not to get a big refund, but 2012 was the first year that C did not receive any unemployment, plus was back in school, so it was a little hard to plan for.
This is good because the appraisal on the house came back quite a bit lower than we were hoping for. In order to refinance, we need to be able to bring $18k to the table- $13k to buy down our loan and $5k in closing costs. We can do it (the $5k in closing costs will have to go on a credit card, but we'll be able to pay it off in 2 months), but it means pretty much emptying our cash reserves. We'll get about $1200 back from our current escrow account, and with the tax refund, we'll at least have a mini EF again. We'll stop paying the extra $450/month on my last remaining student loan, and we'll be saving $500/month on the mortgage payment, so it won't take too long to build ourselves back up. In addition, once taxes are done, we can close out the MIL's estate account, and we'll transfer about $7k from that to our accounts. It looks like the mortgage company on her condo is happy just to keep having us make the monthly payments on the HELOC and not ask for it all now. What this means is that we won't be cash depleted for very long, but I'm still not a fan of it.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 6, 2013 10:30:30 GMT -5
Update: 3NSD/1CSD/1Spend
Yesterday was almost a CSD- we filled out all of our tax information using TurboTax, and you pay for the software when you file. Well, we can't file yet. We're taking an education credit for C and those forms won't be ready for another couple of weeks. On a good news note, between itemizing and getting all the information into the system, it looks like we'll get back over $3k- which has me feeling better about all the other money that's about to leave our accounts.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Feb 6, 2013 10:50:43 GMT -5
I have found my problem and it's my DH! I can't wait for him to go back to work next month. Don't get me wrong he is working on projects around the house but he is nickle and dime-ing us to death. Ok maybe not to death but to the point of annoyance. I think he gets bored during the day because he has started to remember things we can't possibly live without and make trips to the store.
Things that if we made a list we could get in one shot at Target or whatever. But nooo. DH will "run to CVS" quick 3 times a week, pop in to the grocery store for one to 3 things 2 or 3 times a week, etc. Then when I get home from work he's itching to go and do so he is encouraging us to run to the store or go out for dinner.
It's not a ton of money that he is costing us. Daily sums on average of $10 or less. But it's starting to drive me insane! AHHHHHHHH.
Ok sorry- got that out of my system.
Shanen- that's great with the updated tax refund. We will probably end up owing this year. Hoping to get it to $1,000 or less. We rarely get a refund.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Feb 6, 2013 15:46:58 GMT -5
Rocky Mtn Saver: 1 NSD/4 CSDLOL about your hubby, Sheila! He sure does sound like an antsy little kid. Good thing you're booting him out the door and back to work. I have to say that I'm relieved at how well February is going money-wise. I had a hectic and expensive January due to moving and working extra hours. But it seems to be settling down now and I feel like I have some monetary breathing room. I'm enjoying preparing taxes on the weekends, much to my surprise. I like the personal contact with clients, which is something I don't really do in my weekday accounting job. It doesn't pay great, but I like doing it, and there will be a bonus at the end of the tax season. I like the office I'm working for - they're diligent and honest and sincerely interested in helping clients while following the rules.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 6, 2013 16:36:37 GMT -5
update: 5/28 NSD, 1/3 eating out days. I went out and got a hoagie, chips, and soda for supper. I am eating at home but I bought it just for supper. My regular job is slowly dieing out. I worked 4 hours last week, 9 hours this week, and 6 hours two weeks ago. I still haven't gotten paid for watching DGS since Sept 17th. I have my clearances. They have submitted their hours to Child Care Services. I am just waiting for the service group to get it all together. I have been told a number of times that I will get paid for services from September. I hope they are right. I finally found the phone number and will call the office in ten days if I don't hear something by then.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Feb 7, 2013 11:26:33 GMT -5
Rocky Mtn Saver: 2 NSD/4 CSD
Got a NSD yesterday but we'll see what today brings. The furnace has been acting up and I'm not sure we can put it off too much longer. The repair folks are coming by today to 'discuss' it further. Joy.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Feb 7, 2013 11:27:30 GMT -5
3cats, are you going to look for a new regular job?
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 7, 2013 11:57:25 GMT -5
Update: 3NSD/1CSD/2Spend
The meeting with the adoption agency lasted from 3-5pm yesterday, and then we had to fight downtown traffic at rush hour. No suprise- we went out for dinner last night, making it a spend. But, we are now officially in the "sit and wait" stage, looking for a good match. We should be eligible to receive birth parent referrals starting next week and foster care referrals in 3-4 weeks. We also got the information we need to be able to go look at kids on a couple different websites, and we're planning on attending an adoption event in April. Yes, I am now starting to get excited.
When it comes to getting the house refinanced, though, we're still in the PITA stage. We can't put any of the closing costs on a credit card because Fannie Mae rules state none of the money can be borrowed. So the plan is to close the MIL's estate account today and transfer that money into our account, then transfer money from our online only account to come up with the whole $18k we need to bring to closing. I have to remember that we're getting about $13k instant equity in our home from this, so we're really only spending about $5k, which at $500/month savings, will take us only 10 months to see a return on the investment.
Of course, we do also owe the adoption agency another $3,200. However, that's not due until the end of the month, and then we can put it on a credit card to give us another 30 days to come up with all the cash to pay it off. (Which should be quite doable, as March is a 3 paycheck month.)
What this all really means, though, is that I need this board more then ever for the next few months as we are really going to need to be within (or under) our budget, as we build our cash reserves back up. That means no random spending.
3Cats: I think you're being awfully generous by giving them another 10 days. What we realized during our latest round of bureaucratic inefficiency is that the state never did anything, except when we bothered them. They wouldn't even track down paperwork that had been sent to them- we had to find out exactly who it had been sent to before the worker assigned to our case would look for it. And then she sat on it until we contacted our social worker and asked about it again. In other words, our case/paperwork only got worked on when we were asking about it. If I were you, and especially since they owe up money back over 5 months now, I'd be contacting them every couple days at least
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 7, 2013 22:24:28 GMT -5
update: 6/28 NSD, 1/3 eating out. Taxes are done and am getting a thousand back. 2-4 weeks and I will have it back.
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ses
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Post by ses on Feb 7, 2013 22:26:31 GMT -5
I'm back! I haven't posted since late December. But I have been reading and keeping up with you all. I hope all the newbies join us again in February. I can't remember when we had so many new people here.
The month of January is just a blur. I remember closing out 2012 at the office and setting up 2013. I remember two week long blizzards/snowstorms. I remember dragging through over a week of "almost" flu and cold. I never got really sick--just on the verge. The various "bugs" were just flying around town so I just hibernated as much as possible. I did get my annual budget averages done. I came in $.83 under my average monthly budget!!! I have no place else to share this rather major accomplishment with people who realize what a big deal this really is.
The only other excitement in my life is our new house guest. Perhaps, I should say "deck" guest. A young (maybe about a year old) brown Tabby male cat has taken up residence. He peers in the deck door pleading for someone to come out to visit. He wants to come inside so bad. He has, in fact, snuck in two or three times to slink around and explore for an hour or so. He is so much faster than I am!!! I really don't want him in the house until I can get him to the vet for shots and a clean bill of health. If he comes around my chair and I touch him from behind i can pet him and scratch his ears. I even picked him up twice, from behind, and he purred for a few moments before he remembered he wasn't supposed to enjoy it and jumped down and ran. As soon as he decides to be friendly and take a ride in a carrier, he can come inside during the next snowstorm.
Shan--I'm pulling for you. I know you have wanted this for a long time.
3cats--your first post was January 1, 2009. That was my first anniversary and I was thrilled to pass on some of the stuff I had learned the previous year. I don't think we have ever had anyone make such a dramatic turn around in such a short time.
Sheila--the days , weeks and months are flying by. He will soon be back at work.
Honey--How goes the new job? Is everyone settling into the new routine?
Rocky--can't imagine anyone enjoying tax season. I guess it depends which side of the desk one is sitting. I am dreading it, I am converting a Traditional IRA to a Roth. I keep telling myself 2012 was the right year to do it, but that will not make writing the check any easier.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Feb 8, 2013 9:25:10 GMT -5
SES- Yeah You're back!!!!! Sorry to hear that January was such a blur for you. Hoping you are feeling back to normal. What do the other cats think of this new possible house guest? Too funny- I think Onyx is out there spreading the word about what a sweet set up she has and inviting cats over to check it out for themselves. Shanen- I have been following your comments regarding your adoption process so far. I know that you and C will be wonderful parents and I am hopeful that you will find the child (baby, etc) that is meant to be part of your family soon. Good luck 3cats- Congrats on the tax refund. I'll owe again this year. Good luck with getting what you are owed out of the county. I agree with Shanen- hound them until they get it resolved. In this case the squeaky wheel is the one that will get fixed.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 8, 2013 11:10:35 GMT -5
Update: 4NSD/1CSD/2Spend
SES: Good to see you! Glad you're doing okay now. Hopefully new kitty will be able to get to the vet soon and then [have a nice warm place to weather the snow. And thank you for the good wishes.
Sheila: Most days I'm pretty certain we'll be good parents, and then there are the moments when I want to strangle my dogs and I wonder.
Of course, now that we're over the stress of paperwork for the adoption, this refinancing process is going to be the death of me. We can't put any money on the credit card, because Fannie Mae rules say none of it can come from debt. So we closed out the estate account and transferred that money, and the mortgage guy wants proof we're legally able to take the money (I sent the court document naming C as executor. I am not going to give them a copy of the will; that's just too much), and also account statements showing not just the money transferred into our account but also that it came from the estate account. Problem is, estate accounts don't have online banking to begin with, and even if they did, we closed out the account. We don't have access to a transaction record showing that's where the money came from. We should get the final statement on the account sometime next week, but this is getting to the point of ridiculous. Today I sent an email that said- how about I just pay down the mortgage now, with my current lender, to what we need it to be for the new loan, and then the only money I bring to closing will be closing costs, and it's obvious from our bank statements that we have that money. My other option is to wait until May, when all of this money will have been in our accounts for over 2 months and lenders will stop questioning our right to it. Of course, if we decide to wait until May, I'll still probably use the money now to pay down the mortgage. No point in paying more in interest just to bring lots of cash to the table for closing.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 8, 2013 22:32:11 GMT -5
update: 6/28 NSD, 2/3 eating out day. I went to Burger King and spent $2.93 on supper, burger, fries, and a drink.
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Feb 8, 2013 22:57:32 GMT -5
Update: 5 NS day and 3 CS Days
Have a few moments so thought I would pop-in and update my numbers. Looking forward to a few days off so I can catch up on both housework and school work. Mardi Gras is Tuesday so a longer break than normal. Will be on a school sponsered trip the latter part of that week. I am looking forward to that experience.
SES -- glad you rejoined us. How is the newest member of your household? I know you don't quite claim him yet but I suspect it is only a matter of time before he joins your two housemates?
Taxes: Can't even begin since I still have a few papers that haven't arrived yet -- due to arrive mid-February. Sheila -- like you I usually have to pay into the system each year -- 3 cats -- glad you are getting a refund -- see my note to Sheila as to my expectations.
I can sleep in tomorrow -- watch I will not be able to because I can.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 9, 2013 13:24:36 GMT -5
about my refund: I have $10 extra a week taken off for taxes. I put that on my W-4. Like the rest of you, I usually had to pay in. Now I know I will get at least a couple hundred back. It's sort of like a savings plan. I know that every February I will get a refund and that's the time my homeowners insurance is due, property taxes are due, and my car insurance comes due. I used to pay fees because I didn't have the money to pay them at once and had to pay monthly. It is a lot easier for me, FOR ME, to do it this way than to try to put the money in savings because I usually have one emergency after another, car repair, hot water heater replacement, motor on furnace replacement. I still have my EF but it has been hit hard this year. With my refund I can replace some of the monies that went out and still pay the expenses that are coming due. It has been this way for over 20 years and before I joined this group, I took the money and went away to rejuvinate myself. Now I just go down to my GF'S place and start over.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 9, 2013 13:26:07 GMT -5
Honey are you around or are you one of the thousands without electricity? Please let us know.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 10, 2013 1:07:11 GMT -5
update: 6/28 NSD, 3/3 eating out days. I got groceries tonight after work and I was hungry. So I ate out. I ate at Subway. I spent $4.77 for a sub and then got groceries. Between the cats food and litter and food for myself, I spent $37.72. I am not upset about eating out, just that I went to the store hungry and I knew what that would mean and I did it anyway. I even bought 2 Reese's peanut butter eggs. Those I did not need, but boy are they good. I am not going to make my goals.
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