Women in Red Savers 2016

[forwardwego]

Aug 11, 2016 17:32:30 GMT -5 Ombud said:

Aug 10, 2016 19:46:45 GMT -5 forwardwego said:

1) Challenging all savers to evaluate and make a short term goal to achieve by the end of August.

I have no idea if this is possible, have:
♤ earthquake insurance $$s due December
♡ 1/2 France trip $$s ($800)
megaptera & mollyc , 

I admire your goal and your spirit...I think you can!!

For Aug 31 goal I'm trying for another rose.

[sealy]

forward right now I'm just trying to make it through this month. I would've been debt free at the end of this month but used CC #2 again. I have cancer insurance that pays for diagnostics and mamos so I finally sent in all my paperwork so I have more money now. I need to pay some bills but I may be able to save at least $5.
Thank you for the shout out they always motivate me to do better.

[TheHaitian]

For August my saving plan is simple: do not go into debt more than 2.5k...

Sad but we have spent all the 14.5k we have saved so far this year and used our "hell broke lose" funds ~50k to pay down debt.

Yes having the debt paid off feels great and make carrying $3,200/mortgage more breathable but damn I miss having that security blanket!

Starting September it will be another story! Fingers crossed!

[Saving4Norway]

Aug 11, 2016 17:10:56 GMT -5 snapdragon said:

Aug 10, 2016 23:56:53 GMT -5 teachermom said:

snapdragon Where are you going in E. WA to wine taste?? i live im E. WA

Teachermom

Were going to Chelan and staying by the lake. There seems to be about 30 wineries in the area so we have lots to choose from. ( Of course, I really don't enjoy wine. Whites are too oakey and reds are to tanninsh so I prefer blushes or dessert wines....hopefully there will be cider hiding at a few of the places.

Snap, we have similar tastes!

[Saving4Norway]

July and August are when I spend lots of my planned savings. This is a mid-month update that is pretty close to being accurate, but might have extra money left because I tend to over-budget in case of emergencies.

Fund	2016 Goals	Last Month	This Month	% Met	Roses
Demark Trip	2000	0	0	0%
Vehicles	1000	0	0	0%
Gifts&Donations	2500	2000	2500	100%	Aug
MC Trips	3000	3000	3000	100%	June
Santiago 2019	2000	0	0	0%
Home Improvement	4500	4000	4000	89%
Cultural	2000	2300	2000	100%	March
Vacay Prop	1000	1000	1000	100%	April
Sisu	500	500	500	100%	February
Christmas & PS	500	250	500	100%	Aug
Quilting	500	0	0	0%
Seabrook	500	500	500	100%	April
TOTAL	20000	13550	14000	70%

Saving4Norway 8/15/16 $14,000 (Goal $20,000)

[murphath]

Saving4Norway:

I asked on a prior page but you may not have seen it:  is Santiago 2019 for the Camino de Santiago?  Just did it with my SIL and another friend:  480 miles, carrying a pack and sleeping in albergues.  Pure bliss!  LOL.  It was wonderful.

[saveinla]

Aug 15, 2016 12:37:40 GMT -5 murphath said:

Saving4Norway:

I asked on a prior page but you may not have seen it:  is Santiago 2019 for the Camino de Santiago?  Just did it with my SIL and another friend:  480 miles, carrying a pack and sleeping in albergues.  Pure bliss!  LOL.  It was wonderful.

murphath, 

How long did it take for you to do this trip?

[megaptera]

Jul 4, 2016 11:01:39 GMT -5 megaptera said:

UPDATE

megaptera: 7/4/2016 $13,445.00 [1/1/2016 $0.00 / Goal: $19,500.00]

Savings	Current	Goal	%
Land	$7,195	$12,000	60%
Car	$3,000	$3,000	100%
House	$3,000	$3,000	100%
Christmas	$250	$1,500	17%
Total	$13,445	$19,500	69%

I'm a little late with my end of month update, but here it is! Not great, but not horrible. As I reported a couple of months ago, DH took a substantial drop in pay for more stability at his job, so savings has become a struggle. It's a good thing we had already saved (and paid) for many of our land development costs (permitting, engineering, etc.) because.....we broke ground!  It will continue to be a long process (clearing, installing septic, etc.), but it's finally begun. We are also continuing to max out retirement accounts, so we're doing ok there. The car should be paid off by end of August and DS1 will start paying for some of his expenses, so things should ease up a little in the next couple of months.

Thanks for the shoutouts, Forwardwego!

Good luck to everyone with their continuing financial goals.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe July 4th!

Seriousthistme, forwardwego, and ombud, thanks for the smilies and shoutouts!

This was my previous update. I think it's time to revamp my savings goals. Our "land" fund is essentially at zero since paying permitting and other fees. We should be mostly finished with those expenses, but may just have to cash flow them (or roll them into our construction loan) if any more come up. I'm not sure how much we'll be able to save for the other items, since starting next month we'll start paying on our construction loan along with our current mortgage.  Hoping this will be VERY temporary and the house will be done soon and we'll be able to sell our current place quickly.

I may try to set up new goals next month, however small they may be, or I may just wait a few months until we see how things are going to go.

Keep up the good saving everyone!

[Jaguar]

Well I went to the bank, the cheque/bank issue is SOLVED, but I had to pay some $57.00 for 50 new cheques, so that's a shitty win there.

The Provincial/Federal tax government thing is still in the SHIT PILE. They gave me my August monthly payment and it was OVER the correct amount. So now I have two months payment to send back to them.

Everything is moving along at snails pace. I'm hoping it's finished by Christmas.

[Ombud]

Aug 16, 2016 16:15:55 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

Well I went to the bank, the cheque/bank issue is SOLVED, but I had to pay some $57.00 for 50 new cheques, so that's a shitty win there.

The Provincial/Federal tax government thing is still in the SHIT PILE. They gave me my August monthly payment and it was OVER the correct amount. So now I have two months payment to send back to them.

Everything is moving along at snails pace. I'm hoping it's finished by Christmas.

😡 I hear you on bank difficulties 😠

USAA send money feature has been disabled since June 3rd. I don't have checks. So if I have to pay someone, I go to the bank, get cash, put it in an envelope, and give it to them. Prior to June 3rd I'd just use the POP feature. They FINALLY elevated it to tech support 😕

[Saving4Norway]

Aug 15, 2016 12:37:40 GMT -5 murphath said:

Saving4Norway:

I asked on a prior page but you may not have seen it:  is Santiago 2019 for the Camino de Santiago?  Just did it with my SIL and another friend:  480 miles, carrying a pack and sleeping in albergues.  Pure bliss!  LOL.  It was wonderful.

Yes, I'll be turning 50. A friend of mine and I are interested in the adventure but not yet committing. I figure it can't be cheap, so I thought I better start saving.

Your route was between 400-500 miles? What was your average mileage/day? Have you totaled up your expenses yet? May I ask about how much you budgeted/spent?

[forwardwego]

UPDATE 8/19/2016 $16014 (goal $24000)

2016 FUND	Present	Goal	% Met	$$$ Needed
Homestead EF	2000	2000	100
Vehicle XF	1100	1500	73	400
Medical XF	1070	1500	71	430
Retirement Bridge	3200	9600	33	6400
SL Payoff	5000	5000	100
DD Wedding Pt 1	1500	2000	75	500
Rusty J Boxer Pt 1	1000	1000	100
Weekly Challenge*	1144	1400	81	256
TOTALS	16014	24000	66	7986

*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	X	27	28	X	X
X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
X	X	22

14+10+22+24+20+4+50+16+40+52
+48+30+15+21+51+49+47+46+41
+45+44+43+42+26+39+38+37+36
+35+34+33+32+31+29=1144


Happy to have reached "sweet 16" 

[murphath]

Saveinla asked:

How long did it take for you to do this trip?


Including travel time, we were gone for 42 days.  That included 2 days in Santiago at the end and another 3 in Paris before flying home.  We'd booked our flight from Santiago to Paris ahead of time so that was an impetus to keep walking.  The actual hike took us 34 days.

Saving4Norway wrote:

Yes, I'll be turning 50. A friend of mine and I are interested in the adventure but not yet committing. I figure it can't be cheap, so I thought I better start saving.



Your route was between 400-500 miles? What was your average mileage/day? Have you totaled up your expenses yet? May I ask about how much you budgeted/spent?


We flew into Paris, took the train to Bayonne where we spent the night.  The next day we took the bus to St. Jean Pied de Port and headed to the Pilgrim office.  We averaged @ 15 miles a day but that was with our first two days only being 6.1 miles and 8.5 respectively.  The Pyrenees were beautiful but we wanted to start out slowly because it's definitely uphill!  We booked an albergue at Orisson the first night and I highly recommend doing that. He begins taking reservations in November for the subsequent season.  It was wonderful to keep seeing our first night mates along the hike.  Many didn't make it; and most ended up taking some kind of transportation along the way: taxis, buses etc..  We were three stubborn old ladies, I guess, and walked the whole way--except for taking a horse drawn carriage for 17k.  Horses are considered one of the methods of transport a true pilgrim can use--feet are the only other, LOL!  I saw the sign for the carriage and since it was so inexpensive-15 euros-we decided to try out the other pilgrim transportation method.

As far as cost, there is a wide range of prices, but it truly is very reasonable.  Some people only stayed in the municipal albergues which are @ 5e night.  We had no choice a few times, but when we did, we opted for the private albergues which were @ 9-10e night.  All the albergues were full one Friday when we arrived in Logrono so we had to stay in a hotel: 63e for a double room.  Albsolutely everything was full when we got to Burgos and we didn't know what we were going to do (there is only one municipal albergue there; and another small convent one).  There was a convention  so "no room at the inn".  We walked all over that city and were exhausted.  We finally decided to ask a taxi driver if he knew of a place but even the one he knew was full.  However, there was a campground 6k back (we'd passed it on our way in) and that's where we stayed.  We did take the taxi there (since we had already walked those k's and taxied back the next a.m.--again, because we'd already walked that walk).  

Food is not too exciting in Spain, to be honest.  Pilgrim meals either at restaurants or at the albergue are 10e.  Coffee and toast at a bar in the morning will run @ 3-4e.  Sandwiches (bocadillos) are @ 5.  I'd say we spent @ $20-30 day average for everything.  That includes stopping at a bar for a break and cold drink (Kas limon is divine).  Some albergues have equipped kitchens and many pilgrims cook for themselves.

My total budget, SFO/CDG/SFO; Santiago/CDG, train to Bayonne, hotel in Santiago for 2 nights, airbnb in Paris for 3 nights, tour to Finnesterre (we were done walking by then!), small souvenirs etc. was $3,200.

You are much younger than the three of us (63, 62 & 60) so you should be able to do it.  I suggest that you buy trail shoes rather than hiking boots.  We hated our hiking boots!  I left mine under a park bench in Santiago. Also, bring a pair of good hiking sandals because you will want to change into those at the midway point each day.  My friend who did that had no foot problems.  I'm a daily hiker and I was surprised by the blister problems I had with my left foot--only my left one.  My SIL had similar issues, as well as shin splints.
I got a crack under my little toe and I think by overcompensating for that, I caused the friction that resulted in the blister. Many people cover there feet with vaseline to prevent the cracks/blisters.  Wish I'd know that ahead of time.

My friend found a trail shoe that she really, really likes:  Altra Lone Peak 3.0.  They'll run you @ $120 but worth every penny according to her.  Good hiking poles are a necessity.  And get ready for walking on rocks, rocks and more rocks.  Any possible way they can throw rocks on the ground, the Spaniards do it.  You first hint of this is on the descent to Roncevalles.

We were also very smart to pack as little as possible in our backpacks.  I had 1 pr. hiking pants, 1 pr hiking shorts, 2 hiking shirts, 1 skirt and t-shirt (for evening wear),a pr. of crocs,  my pj's, a microfiber towel, a sleeping bag liner, toiletries, journal and that was it. Total weight was @ 13 lbs.  People were getting rid of stuff from their packs all the time.

Let me know if you have any other questions.  We were incredibly lucky with the weather.  Although we bought rain ponchos in St. Jean that fit over the backpack, we only had to use them 2x and even then, it wasn't raining hard.  I guess that's not the norm.  We only had about 3 days of 90 degree weather.  But we would get up early (@ 5 or 5:30) and be on the hike before 6.  It was actually very peaceful at that time.  We'd usually be at our destination by 2--no later than 3.  We had several long days because we had to make up for those first two days when we didn't average the 15 miles.  So, give yourselves 40 days just for the hiking part, if you can.  That will allow you to take your time, as well as take a rest day or two.  We didn't have that luxury.

[debthaven]

Murpath I really enjoyed reading about that. What an accomplishment!

Norway, just so you know, not many ppl who still work can do it in one go like Murpath did. So if you do want to, know that many ppl do just part of it at one time.

Kudos to you and your friends, murpath!

(Sorry to interrupt lol)

[murphath]

Thanks, debthaven.  And you are right:  most of the Europeans we met were doing it in stages.  Three ladies from Geneva started in Le Puy and each year they walk for two weeks.  They pick up where they left off the following year.  Airfare prices keep most Americans from doing the same-although, I will say, most start in Sarria (118 miles out), porter their backpacks, and stay in hotels.  Not a pilgrimage for them at all.

[Ombud]

murphath, did you map it out and do it on your own or go thru a company like Sherpa? I've been looking at their literature and wondering if I can just do it (my walk is a lot LOT shorter and I've decided against the Pyrenees, doing Provence instead)

Have you taken classes at DVC? GS1 went there the last 2 summers as its hard to get all the GEs at SFSU. He loved it. Think GS2 will do 2 yrs there (only mentioning thus bc you (I think?) suggested it for GS1 b4 we knew about his scholarships)

[forwardwego]

Good evening WIRR Savers! Such exciting adventures!!
Maybe someday?

[tobinikui]

Account Name	Original Balance	Remaining Balance	Paid Off / Paid %
Random	$600.00	$600.00	100%
Christmas	$1,469.53	0	0
DSD	$1,400.00	$400.00	28.6%
DS	$500.24	$500.24	100%
DD	$2,200.13	0	0
Taxes	$500.00	$500.00	100%
Insurances	$500.00	0	0
ER Fund	$10,000.00	0	0
Total	$17,169.90	$2,000.24	11.6%

Tobinikui: $2,000.24 on 8/23/2016 (Goal $17,169.90)

This is it! We can finally start putting money back into savings! Hurrah! My small retro raise came this week as well and bumped my check by about $950.00. Because of that, I was able to more than double what I had been hoping to save this week. Going forward, I will probably only be able to put away around $800/month. It's much lower than I had hoped (thanks to a car payment & nanny fees to protect our sanity), but it's far better than being in a hole each month! 

Our main credit card was used for fraudulent activity this past weekend in Utah, but the company caught it immediately. They are canceling the card & issuing us new ones. A bit of a headache, since there are several autopay accounts on that card, but we are very lucky! 

It will be a while yet before I relax entirely regarding our finances, but I am doing my best to limit expenses. But just the fact that we can start saving money again brings me huge relief! I know this is a long distance marathon, and not a sprint, but having a plan, and finally moving past the craziness of the first part of this year, is a relief!

My big challenge now will be to reign in my savings. I historically try to save too much & then end up having to juggle money around. One thing at a time, right?

[murphath]

Ombud wrote:

murphath, did you map it out and do it on your own or go thru a company like Sherpa? I've been looking at their literature and wondering if I can just do it (my walk is a lot LOT shorter and I've decided against the Pyrenees, doing Provence instead)



Have you taken classes at DVC? GS1 went there the last 2 summers as its hard to get all the GEs at SFSU. He loved it. Think GS2 will do 2 yrs there (only mentioning thus bc you (I think?) suggested it for GS1 b4 we knew about his scholarships)


I don't really know anything about hiking in Provence--other than it would probably be beautiful.  The Camino is very well marked so pretty much anyone can do it without fear of getting lost.  There is a tour company (Camino Ways) and we certainly met people that used them.  We did it like true pilgrims: walking with our packs and no reservations.

I've taken classes at Solano--don't have to cross a bridge to get there.  Loved, loved, loved all the classes there.  My 3 kids went there, too, before transferring.  CC's in Calif. are so wonderful!

[forwardwego]

UPDATE 8/26/2016 $16520 (goal $24000)

2016 FUND	Present	Goal	% Met	$$$ Needed
Homestead EF	2000	2000	100
Vehicle XF	1200	1500	80	300
Medical XF	1000	1000	100
Retirement Bridge	3300	10000	33	6700
SL Payoff	5000	5000	100
DD Wedding Pt 1	1520	2000	76	480
Rusty J Boxer Pt 1	1000	1000	100
Garage Door*	1500	1500	100
TOTALS	16520	24000	68	7480

*Converted "Weekly Challenge" account to "Garage Door" (replacement) account

[Ombud]

forwardwego, good thing you were doing the weekly challenge!! What happened to the garage door?

[forwardwego]

Hi Ombud , The garage door is an old (@ 40 years old) large heavy wooden door, and had a sag to it for a long time. Earlier this year one of the springs broke and we had it replaced, but now it sags even more. It could give out at any time. With trying to save a cushion for retirement, I would be spreading the money and myself too thin to start a separate garage door fund, so just had to let go of the weekly savings money. You are right, I'm grateful I had the weekly savings money built up. I may try to do another weekly challenge with the last 3-4 months of the year, and hopefully get to use that for something more fun than a garage door. 

A couple benefits are the new door will be hurricane rated which is safer and insurance might give us a break. Also it is insulated which could help a little with heating and cooling.

[Deleted]

Update for Sept:  I got my property tax refund, paid for 3rd quarter from PT job and sold some crap (yay less crap!), so made a big dent...which is good because the remaining months of the year are probably going to be very slim. 

Fund	2016 Goal	Current	Needed	% Comp.
2016 Roth	$5500	$5500	$0	100.00%
2017 Roth	$5500	$5400	$100	98.18%
Replacement Car	$3600	$3600	$0	100.00%
College	$2400	$1800	$600	75.00%
Vacation	$3000	$3000	$0	100.00%
Pr. High School	$3750	$3400	$350	90.67%
Car Maint	$1000	$1050	$75	105.00%
Christmas	$1000	$1000	$0	100.00%
Sea Base	$500	$500	$0	100.00%
Y Membership	$500	$500	$0	100.00%
Total	$26750	$25750	$1000	96.26%

[nodebt42]

Aug 3, 2016 13:30:48 GMT -5 nodebt42 said:

8/31/2016 (2016 Goal: $6,500)

Account	Have	2016 Goal
Emergency Fund	$4,002.70	$6,000
Christmas	$200.00	$500
Total	$4,202.70	$6,500

[azucena]

Aug 9, 2016 7:20:37 GMT -5 azucena said:

Jul 5, 2016 6:48:06 GMT -5 azucena said:

Previous updates

7/14 withdrawal of $700 for home repairs for total of $43,508
7/20 paycheck transfer of $405 for total of $43,913
7/29 paycheck transfer of $100 for total of $44,013
8/3 withdrawal of $1783 for home repairs for total of $42,230
8/9 paycheck transfer of $100 for total of $42,330

8/15 paycheck transfer of $952 for total of $43,282
8/31 paycheck transfer of $675 for total of $43,957

[Deleted]

Minor update.  Squeezed another $100 out of the budget and was able to complete my 2017 Roth savings goal!  I should be able to just coast across the finish line now.  Which is good because I need new snow tires and I stole a couple hundred from Christmas fund I want to put back. 

Fund	2016 Goal	Current	Needed	% Comp.
2016 Roth	$5500	$5500	$0	100.00%
2017 Roth	$5500	$5500	$0	100.00%
Replacement Car	$3600	$3600	$0	100.00%
College	$2400	$1800	$600	75.00%
Vacation	$3000	$3000	$0	100.00%
Pr. High School	$3750	$3400	$350	90.67%
Car Maint	$1000	$1050	$75	105.00%
Christmas	$1000	$1000	$0	100.00%
Sea Base	$500	$500	$0	100.00%
Y Membership	$500	$500	$0	100.00%
Total	$26750	$25850	$900	96.64%

[Ombud]

Jul 1, 2016 10:34:02 GMT -5 Ombud said:

They fought me on UIB but apparently lost bc I'm on it. No job offers, apparently a seasonal worker but adjusting.

Back working after 2 months on unemployment so guess who has a phone interview 9/9 to see if they were eligible for those 2 months? Yep, me and the last line in the letter is that they might want repayment 😟

On a brighter note, $172.74 left for September b4 paycheck hits (this is GOOD):

Ombud $4800 ($5500 by 12/1/16 goal)

2 roses: 🌷2016-2017 property tax + 🌷 all but $50 of October trip which is spending money THERE not air / hotel / hike ✈

[teachermom]

Update.....I am still here....savings is slow going. Was overpaid on my June check and they took it all out of July....so didn't have enough to make ends meet, thus used my card but wasn't able to pay in full like usual. Just got paid and paid that off. Hoping next month to be back on track.

Hope everyone is doing well! Some seem to be rocking their savings goals which is awesome!!

Teachermom

[snapdragon]

Oh teachermom - that sounds beyond frustrating. I'm hopeful that September will be a better month for you.

[TheHaitian]

TheHaitian : 08/01/16 ----> $25,027.79 / $40,000.00

Lord thank you, it is almost over... at least I hope. Sold MA home, check. Buy DC home... Check! But it was not easy...

Home in MA closing was postponed 24 hours, so of course home in DC closing had to show them it could up that... First closing was postpone 6 days, bank called me right before 5 PM on Tuesday to announce it... then on Wednesday morning I threw one hell of a tantrum that my inner toddler would be proud of so the bank managed to move the closing up Monday (it was supposed to be Friday, postpone till following Thursday).

So moving place was booked all week this week so could not deliver our stuff till next Tuesday 09/06. So pay +$1,000 for an extra week hotel stay... So my wife used her "spending logic"... she wanted a sectional for the basement that was $830 at IKEA... if we are going to spend money might as well spend it on the sectional vs the hotel.

Yep you got it... We closed at 4 PM Monday (checked out of the hotel that morning) and went to IKEA and spet ~1.2k.
We've been at the house since then, my wife and I share a sectional and my mother in law made herself a bed on top of the cardboard that had the sectional and $1.99 pillows bought at IKEA ...

So an extra 10 days of storing our stuff (against our will) is going to cost an extra $400, plus an extra $300 for the hotel for the 3 days, 1.2k at IKEA. You can see where I am going with this... we are way over budget for this move! But looking on the bright side, we closed, cable/internet/security is getting installed on Friday and movers next Tuesday. One day we will look behind and smile... just not TODAY.

Savings, I grew tired of watching savings account be 0.... we literally have nothing saved! So got paid today and sent 1k to savings, hopefully will be able to keep it there. I start my 401k contributions after my 90 days probation which is the end of September... Not going to hit that goal but will have something saved!

Onward and upward....

Account	Account Goal	Account Balance	Spent Money	Total Saved	Difference	% Goal
Savings	14,500.00	1,000.00	14,500.00	15,500.00	-1,000.00	106.90%
C - Retirement	18,000.00	4,314.00	0.00	4,314.00	13,686.00	23.97%
S - Retirement	7,500.00	5,213.79	0.00	5,213.79	2,286.21	69.52%
TOTAL	40,000.00	10.527.79	14,500.00	25,027.79	14,972.21	62.57%

and adding:


We also need to revisit before October 1 what is our plan with my employer relocation fund…. A lot of people did not understand why we bought vs renting and basically here it is :


A 2 bedroom in DC goes for about $2,500-$3,000/month. I did not mention 3 bedroom because the only one we found that was somewhat in our price range was $3,970/month… YEAH!!! While my mortgage on a 550k semi-detached townhome after 5% down is $3,200/month and if/when I drop the mortgage insurance in 3-5 years goes down to $2,800/month.


But here is the main point… my employer covered 17k out of 20k closing costs for me. On top of that for the next 3 years I will get $36,000 in mortgage assistance vs only $500/month for 12 months if I rented. For me it was a no brainer…. But it is also a risk because I have to stay with them for 4 years; if I leave before that or get fired I have to pay the money back.


So starting October 1 we will get $1,500/month for the first 12 months, $1,000/month for the second year and $500/month for third year. I vote save it all and re-build the nice cushion we had before we had to deplete it and so far my wife is on board with that. Just got to make sure she is still on board comes October…