Women in Red Savers 2016

[seriousthistime]

Updates!

	Stars	Name	Amt Saved	Goal	% Saved	Roses	Smilies
1		azucena	$35,840	$50,000	71.7%
2		bankergurl	$13,678	$12,000	114%
3		chiver	$105	$1,378	7.6%
4		forwardwego	$2,856	$15,400	18.5%
5		gracendignity	$750	$3,000	25.0%
6		megaptera	$11,645	$19,500	59.7%
7		minnesota  paintlady	$18,020	$24,000	75.1%
8		movinonup	$648	$24,829	2.6%
9		Ombud	$7,375	$11,100	66.4%
10		PauletteG	$210	$11,160	1.9%
11		Rocky Mtn Saver	$300	$1,000	30%
12		Saving4Norway	$4,500	$18,500	24.0%
13		scrgrl47	$15,640	$43,050	36.3%
14		sealy	$1,696	$12,400	13.7%
15		seriousthistime	$1,744	$8,148	21.4%
16		shanendoah	$1,850	$7,250	25.5%
17		snapdragon	$5,025	$10,000	50.3%
18		speechchick	$223	$17,700	1.3%
19		Sugilite	$344	$9,000	4.0%
20		teachermom	$3,155	$15,100	20.9%
21		TheHaitian	$11,770	$50,000	24.0%
22		tobinikui	$3,800	$5,000	76.0%

We have our first dancing banana onboard.  Congrats bankergurl!  Will you increase your savings goal or continue to outdo your original goal?

Lots of   and a very nice garden in bloom. 

Please don't forget to include a tagline when you update.  It is very helpful and speeds the process along.

[seriousthistime]

Apr 2, 2016 8:56:04 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Mar 23, 2016 16:33:28 GMT -5 gracendignity said:

I have received my 2nd paycheck for March, so it's time to update my list.

NAME:                YEARLY GOAL:                MONTHLY GOAL:                % MET:

Emergency Fund     $1200                            $100                                      25%

Gift Giving              $1200                              $100                                    25%

Travel                     $600                                 $50                                    25%

My divorce was final on March 17.  Now comes the transferring of funds, selling some property, etc.  I'm not sure exactly how much I will end up with but it is a scary-small amount.  The first transfers are to take place within 30 days of the final decree date.  The property sales won't be for awhile so money will be trickling in for awhile longer.  Emotionally it's been a pretty hard week, and I've just kind of put one foot in front of the other and puttered along, but I'm starting think ahead again and planning how I'm going to grow this decidedly small amount of money into a retirement fund.  I've enjoyed my pity party long enough and it's time to get out my big girl undies and conquer my little corner of the world.

I received my grant money last week, too, so next month I'll start my course in legal scoping/transcription.  On my sewing machine is my first miniature quilt for the little shop my daughters and I are (slowly) starting up.  Who knows where life will find me next year?  The possibilities are endless!

Grace

Grace, next time you update, would you please include a tagline?  I had to do some calculations to get your update ready for the smilies.   I had to total your annual goal, and then multiply your monthly goal x 3, and check it against your percentages.  

Looks to me as if your tagline with this update would be

gracendignity, 3/23/2016, $1,000 (goal $3,000).

Thank you in advance.  It speeds things up for me for members to include taglines with their updates. 

Good job saving, by the way. 

Obviously I'm not that great at math. On further thought I think it should be" 

gracendignity, 3/23/2016, $750 (goal $3,000).

[Saving4Norway]

Fund	2016 Goals	Last Month	This Month	% Met	Roses
Iceland Trip	3000	0	0	0%
Vehicles	1000	0	0	0%
Gifts&Donations	1500	0	0	0%
MC Trips	3000	1500	2000	67%
Santiago 2019	2000	0	0	0%
Home Improvement	4500	1500	2000	44%
Cultural	500	500	1000	200%	March
Vacay Prop	1000	500	500	50%
Sisu	500	500	500	100%	February
Christmas & PS	500	0	0	0%
Quilting	500	0	0	0%
Seabrook	500	0	0	0%
TOTAL	18500	4500	6000	32%

Saving4Norway 4/2/16 $6,000 (Goal $18,500)

[forwardwego]

Shoutouts   


Rocky Mtn Saver Congratulations on making 2 updates in March, earning your first , & achieving 30% !!!
It sounds like it's been very challenging to undergo big changes at work, but still maintain consistent savings. How are things on the workfront??



chiver78 Woo Hoo for being on target with the weekly challenge...$105! Have you thought of tracking your EF here and scoring some smiles for that?? Good job talking yourself out of the property purchase. You had some very good input from the savers. 


sealy Yea for being at nearly $1700! You've had some solid advice from the savers regarding the delinquent child support. You've done the right thing and supported the kids, maybe someday it will come back around.
Will you receive another "10th check" to apply to debt and savings?




tobinikui So excited that your little baby girl is progressing so nicely. So glad you are a saver, and are able to outline a strategy to manage your unforeseen change of circumstance. Nice to be able to put that to the back burner and focus on the real priority...family and the health of baby girl. How is she now? Is there a projected homecoming for her??


bankergurl 114% GREAT! Do you have a target date for the "Mom payoff"?...I know you are so excited!



gracendignity WHOOO, that is a lot going on. Congrats on being right on target with 25% of goal!
And congrats on being in your new place, with new time and place for quilting, and the grant rec'd for your class! keep up the good work, and enjoy your growing sense of peace.


Ombud Wow, your savings is growing like gangbusters...very exciting that You are getting so far with the 2016 ROTH Your DD surprising you with the payback seems to have been pivotal, do you think so too??



seriousthistime Nice job! I think at nearly 22% you've surpassed the plodding speed
Nice work getting the items to the consignment shop (any luck yet?), and awesome self-talk on getting yourself past the stores and not buying wine. I'm feeling much better, but still have the residual cough which has cut into both my eating, and drinking of adult beverages. So not the ideal way to improve in those categories, but I'll take the win.


Jaguar How is it going with getting the spending brought to a slow down or halt? That is tricky. I think it compares somewhat to diet and nutrition. Once a "slip" or exception is made, the slope can get very slippery. But, You can do it. YOU CAN DO IT!!



snapdragon Very exciting for you to be past the 50% mark. That has always been one of my favorite milestones, representing when the balance of power shifts, and your control of the situation grows and grows, instead of the other way around.
 

shanendoah That's great not to have to pay anymore $$ to Uncle Sam...and yea for being on target with over 25% and your first . You are in good company here, I would also love to be able to do my boring simple taxes So how's it going with the new water heater plan? 

teachermom This is a very big time for you. After you do the payoffs, will your debt race then be reflective of all your non-mortgage debt? You did so well before with building a solid EF out of a variety of activities...you can do it again. I'm imagining that you are going to feel like you are doing a thorough financial house cleaning, and can then move forward better than ever. 


TheHaitian Congrats on 24%! I hope you will have a Murphy free month.



minnesotapaintlady and 6 's You are blazing a speedy path toward 100%



megaptera Good 4 U! Almost 60%! It is painful to pay for things that you can't even make a picture of. However I've heard it said that if you HAVE to eat a frog, best to just go ahead and get it overwith. I hope that made sense...just saying glad you got that painful payout behind you


movinonup Yea for forward progress...are you close to having your trips paid for yet??


scrgrl47 Congratulations on being over 36% of the way to goal! GOT TO LOVE that 52% LT savings! I think I understand the feeling of "gee it's nice to be strong but it would also be nice to partner with someone on these goals." So many tradeoffs in life....



Kudos to you and all the savers for devoting their time, energy, and effort to being stronger financially through hard work and dedication whether alone or in a team situation

[movinonup]

Apr 3, 2016 13:19:41 GMT -5 forwardwego said:

movinonup Yea for forward progress...are you close to having your trips paid for yet??

I should have everything paid off on time.  Trip #1 has been paid in full.  Part of trip #2 is due with April's CC payment.  The rest of trip #2 will show up on the statement that gets paid in May.  I will be able to make those payments in full, either from my regular cashflow or from reimbursements from my MIL's Estate.  The Estate will soon be reimbursing me for mortgage and maintenance payments that I made last year.

-movinonup

[bankergurl]

Savings has been going great!  MO and I had two huge winning casino weekends in a row ($1700 profit one and $660 the next!!).  We were able to put a good chunk in savings as well as pay several big weeks in the 2016 Weekly Challenge, pay for a large electrician bill (so we didn't have to take that out of savings) and also pay for 4 tickets to Garth Brooks next month!  We leave for vaca in one week!!!!!  SEVEN DAYS!!!!  And the same day we leave for vaca we will be taking out a huge chunk from savings to pay off a loan to my Mom.  SUPER happy with how things are going, a lot of unexpected items (bills) keep coming up, but we are hurdling them as they come and keep moving forward!


Current Deposits = $13,678.00
+$25.00 My Payday to Our Savings
+$25.00 My Payday to Mom Loan Savings
+$1200.00 Casino Wins
+$25.00 MO Payday to Our Savings
+$50.00 Coin
+$400.00 MO Bonus
+$600.00 Rent from Rental #2
+$400.00 Rent from basement
+$5.88 Cap 360 Interest
+$4.12 Even Out Amount
+.12 GC Savings Interest
+$4.88 Even Out Amount
+$5.00 Added Interest on our Rental Deposit Account
+$205.00 52 Week Challenge Week #13,14,15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 46, 47
Total Deposits for 2016 = $16,228.00




Banker Gurl : 4/3/16 $16,228.00  (1/1/16 $0, WIRS1) Goal - Contribute $12,000

[bankergurl]

Here is where we currently at with savings.  It looks great!  Too bad it will be drained soon, but for good reason! 

Account Name	Balance 1/1/16	Balance 2/11/16	Balance 3/1/16	Balance 4/3/16
Local Savings	$2630.00	$2910.00	$3155.00	$1830.00
GC Savings	$240.00	$6245.00	$5245.00	$16,150.00
Cap 360 - Us	$3100.00	$2160.00	$2235.00	$80.00
Cap 360 - Mom Payoff Savings	$4050.00	$4135.00	$4185.00	$55.00
Cap 360 - Rental Deposit	$1250.00	$1250.00	$1250.00	$1255.00
52 Week Challenge 2015	$1081.00	$1378.00	$1378.00	$1378.00
52 Week Challenge 2016 (Week 19)	$0	$80.00	$158.00	$533.00
Totals	$12,351.00	$18,158.00	$17,606.00	$21,281.00

Thanks Serious and Forwardwego for updates and shout outs! I have no idea if/how I should change my goals for the year...I am open to suggestions!

[Ombud]

Without a doubt, forwardwego. I'm proud of her bc I didn't expect it so soon .... eventually yes, but it so soon?

[Saving4Norway]

Always making changes, it seems!

Fund	2016 Goals	Last Month	This Month	% Met	Roses
Iceland Trip	2000	0	0	0%
Vehicles	1000	0	0	0%
Gifts&Donations	2500	2000	2000	80%
MC Trips	3000	1500	2000	67%
Santiago 2019	2000	0	0	0%
Home Improvement	4500	1500	2000	44%
Cultural	2000	500	1000	50%	March
Vacay Prop	1000	500	1000	100%	April
Sisu	500	500	500	100%	February
Christmas & PS	500	0	250	50%
Quilting	500	0	0	0%
Seabrook	500	0	500	100%	April
TOTAL	20000	6500	9250	46%

Saving4Norway 4/4/16 $9,250 (Goal $20,000)

[sealy]

I will receive a 10th check. I plan to use it on CC #1

[sealy]

Apr 4, 2016 23:34:40 GMT -5 sealy said:

I will receive a 10th check. I plan to use it on CC #1

now that it's here I think it's more important to have my extra mortgage payment taken care of. That'll be one less thing to worry about.

[azucena]

I had to look back and find my last post from Feb.  Savings balance was $35,840 and my goal is $50,000 for a house down payment in the fall.  We pushed back the move from this spring to save more, enjoy the time without studying, and to keep getting our house ready for the market.

• 3/29 deposited bonus of $2671 for a total of $38,511
• 4/4 federal tax refund $510, jumped into a new tax bracket (yay, boo) so refund was less than expected but I really shouldn't complain $39,021
• 4/8 $550 from paycheck $39,571  I think this is a new record for my savings account, I know for sure $40,000 will be

At the beginning of March, I received my Fellowship of the Society of Actuaries designation, a credentialing process that has taken me 15 years to accomplish.  With that came a $5000 raise and a promotion which includes a 12.5% bonus target.  I increased my 401k by 1% for a total of 15%. Going to be close to maxing it out this year for the first time and will definitely have to watch the limits next year.  Between my exam raise in Jan and merit and promotion raises in March, my net paycheck has increased $163.  I intend to keep a close eye on this figure and keep moving our 'extras' into savings at the beginning of each pay period.  Really want to stave off the lifestyle creep as much as possible.

Keep up the good work guys!

[forwardwego]

UPDATE 4/8/2016 $3007 (goal $15400)

2016 FUND	Present	Goal	% Met	$$$ Needed
Homestead EF	1500	2000	75	500
Vehicle XF	500	1500	33	1000
Medical XF	100	1500	6	1400
Travel	20	1000	2	980
SL Payoff	300	5000	6	4700
DD Wedding Pt 1	60	2000	3	1940
Rusty J Boxer Pt 1	110	1000	11	890
Weekly Challenge*	417	1400	29	983
TOTALS	3007	15400	19	12393

*Weekly challenge/53 Friday summary

1	2	3	X	5	6	7	8	9	X
11	12	13	X	X	X	17	18	19	X
X	22	23	X	25	26	27	28	29	X
31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	X
41	42	43	44	45	46	47	X	49	X
X	X	22

14+10+22+24+20+4+50+16+40+52+48+30+15+21+51=417


So happy to break into the $3K range 

[sealy]

made extra payment on mortgage.
didnt touch house fund since I
used 10th check.

savings update soon

[seriousthistime]

Update

	Goal	Added	4/9/16	% Saved	Roses
Travel	$1,500	$60	$541	36.1%
Moving fund	$1,500	$0	$75	5.0%
Pet care	$3,120	$120	$840	26.9%
Weekly savings	$2,028	$78	$546	26.9%
Total	$8,148	$258	$2,002	24.6%

Seriousthistime, $2,002, 4/9/2016 (Goal $8,148)


Some of my items at the home consignment store have sold.  I hope I sell at least a few more of them. If I do, the money is going straight to the moving fund.

I'm just plodding along here, not making impressive progress but continuing on anyway.

[tobinikui]

Hi all -
Baby girl is still in the hospital. She is 9.5 weeks old, and had been doing so well, up through Saturday night. Now she's back on oxygen, and had to have her feeding tube put back in. Two steps forward, one step back. I had gone back to work for about 2.5 weeks, and as of Friday, was going back out on maternity leave as of today. So, I rescinded that this morning, and will be going back to work tomorrow at 50% time again. Baby girl will probably be in the hospital for at least another full week. The big question now is whether she'll come home on oxygen or not.

Our 2015 tax refunds have come in. ($1,500ish in refunds, after the preparation fees). At this rate, my savings goals for the year involve really just maintaining our existing $3,000 emergency fund. The longer I'm out on 50%, the tighter our finances get for the year. I know this is just a season in the totality of our lives, but I have to admit... I am getting tired - physically, emotionally, you name it.
*sigh*

[tobinikui]

Tobinikui ER Fund: $3,500.00 (2016 Start $4,134.17, Goal $5,000)

[Ombud]

Hugs  tobinikui

[forwardwego]

tobinikui This must be like a scary roller coaster. We are here for you. Baby girl has had 9 good weeks...I hope her setback will be brief and she'll be progressing like before soon.

[Jaguar]

I've been shopping, but I'm getting back on the saving wagon by months end, it ain't pretty but I'll march on.

[shanendoah]

That money we didn't end up having to pay in taxes - I now know what we'll be spending it on. Braces.
Pop Tart has dental insurance through me but is also on Medicaid. However, Medicaid will only pay if you score at least 25 points on their "what's wrong" scale. Pop Tart has a very extensive overbite, but that's it, so she only scores a 9. So, that's $4,100 on braces. (Which is better than the $5400 the other place we talked to quoted us, so I can't really complain.)

Well, that is what savings are for.

[teachermom]

Haven't started adding to my savings again......so no new update but I am still here. I have only $150 left to pay on my credit card debt and I will be done with it!! Woohoo!!!! So want to pay it off with my cash and be done but it is all I have until payday on April 30th so....will have to wait. After that I will be focusing on my car payment and building up my EF again.

Everyone is doing a great job!!! Congrats!!!

Teachermom

[Saving4Norway]

In a rather unexpected turn of events, I won a silent auction bid for a week's vacation at a summer home in Denmark. Looks like my "Iceland" fund is going to be renamed "Denmark" now.

[TheHaitian]

Not updating $$$ till the end of the month but quick update.

Our savings plan is changing again. We will have our first IVF cycle starting next week or so (after 4 failed IUI's) and my wife felt that she would be more comfortable if:
- we get general savings to 10k
- use my bonuses to pay down debt vs going to our ROTH IRA's.

So the change is forgoing maxing Roth 2016 (or 2015) in exchange for lowering the balance to the credit cards (all at 0% right now.

Between my 401k, her 403b and general savings I think we can reach 40k savings this year.

[forwardwego]

UPDATE 4/15/2016 $3066 (goal $15400)

2016 FUND	Present	Goal	% Met	$$$ Needed
Homestead EF	1510	2000	75	490
Vehicle XF	500	1500	33	1000
Medical XF	100	1500	6	1400
Travel	20	1000	2	980
SL Payoff	300	5000	6	4700
DD Wedding Pt 1	60	2000	3	1940
Rusty J Boxer Pt 1	110	1000	11	890
Weekly Challenge*	466	1400	33	934
TOTALS	3066	15400	19	12334

*Weekly challenge/53 Friday summary

1	2	3	X	5	6	7	8	9	X
11	12	13	X	X	X	17	18	19	X
X	22	23	X	25	26	27	28	29	X
31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	X
41	42	43	44	45	46	47	X	X	X
X	X	22

14+10+22+24+20+4+50+16+40+52+48+30+15+21+51+49=466

IBU (itty bitty update)  

[forwardwego]

My first eligibility to retire without penalty is April 2017, and it's my goal to do just that. So I've been talking with a co-worker who retired a little over a year ago. I knew there was a time gap between final day worked and first check. She said hers was 5 and a half months!!!   When the first check (finally) comes it includes pay for the gap months, but of course the withheld taxes are higher because it's a "big" single check. So I have got to have a plan for this. Has any of you experienced something like this? 

[Deleted]

I need to come up with another $2000 by August 1st for tuition for DS so I'll be updating my list for May.  I have it in his ESA, but that's ALL I have in his ESA and I don't want to have to tap that for his first year if I don't have to.  I'm starting to get to the point where I'm giving myself a bit of a tummy ache over some of the goals I've set. 

[Ombud]

April 15th update with 2nd job done. My choice, just haven't told them yet. Quiting. Next one starts 4/30/16. I can walk away because:

2016 Roth: 6500 of 6500
Walkway: 2600 of 2600
♡  Vacation: 250 of 2000

OMBUD $9350 (1/1/16 $0, Goal $11,100)

forwardwego , I left county on 2/19th; 1st pension check was 4/1. But maybe gov't pays fast?

[sealy]

Apr 15, 2016 15:53:49 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I need to come up with another $2000 by August 1st for tuition for DS so I'll be updating my list for May.  I have it in his ESA, but that's ALL I have in his ESA and I don't want to have to tap that for his first year if I don't have to.  I'm starting to get to the point where I'm giving myself a bit of a tummy ache over some of the goals I've set. 

Is he able to get financial aid?

[sealy]

Apr 12, 2016 15:51:05 GMT -5 shanendoah said:

That money we didn't end up having to pay in taxes - I now know what we'll be spending it on. Braces.
Pop Tart has dental insurance through me but is also on Medicaid. However, Medicaid will only pay if you score at least 25 points on their "what's wrong" scale. Pop Tart has a very extensive overbite, but that's it, so she only scores a 9. So, that's $4,100 on braces. (Which is better than the $5400 the other place we talked to quoted us, so I can't really complain.)

Well, that is what savings are for.

i cant really say what I want because its not making sense when I write. So I'll just say google smile for a lifetime maybe there's one in your town.