Women in Red Savers 2017

[forwardwego]

Shoutouts Part 1 of 2:

chiver78 How have you been? Looks like you are wrangling the debt management well. How goes the weekly saving challenge? Looks like you have $171, and (hopefully) a helpful reminder week 26 total if possible should be $351....how about putting that extra $175 together with another $5 to catch up in weekly challenge? 


snapdragon Please accept my sympathy in the loss of your mother. I am glad you had some recent time with her, and that she is no longer burdened with pain. July 2nd marked 28 years since my mom died and it still sucks. We are here for you. I hope your Jamaican wedding vacation is a good mental break, and congratulations on over $7K saved for a solid 70% 

nikiz628 Great idea doing mid-year budget and goal re-evaluations. That fine tuning is so helpful for maintaining motivation for the second part of the year. And 3 strikes from Murphy is plenty, dude is officially evicted. Congratulations on over $4100 saved and "pert near" 100% on both DS's funds!! 


seriousthistime Thank you kindly for your time and care in doing the smileys. Congratulations on being 51.3% to goal. You, tobinikui (51.8%) and Niki (52.3%) are closest to the bullseye for being on pace at midyear. 


megaptera Hooray for being in the new house! And thisclose to listing the old house. I'm very glad you have continued to post here through this process. You are at the savings starting line and ready to race (save) very soon. 


speechchick71 Hello! So great to see you back!! You have had a lot of changes: helping both parents in the final years and tending to their estates. I'm so glad you were able to do what they needed. Congratulations on your new home, your new/used car, and on preparing for the PA program...all very exciting. And nice work with your finances in order for the next goal/phase. Please keep popping in, you were missed very much. 


tobinikui Congratulations on $12,013 saved and being on target (plus a smidge) for midyear!! Nice work updating right on time for the smiley update . Nice work also getting your financial and legal ducks lined up. I think I understand your feeling that you live paycheck to paycheck, even though you have substantial savings. I feel that way too. I think in my case it is good. It keeps me from feeling "rich" and blowing money that belongs in savings. Does that sound about right?? 


Jaguar Hola! Nice job on $1,278, 20.5% saved. Looking forward to your next update after the GST and Trillium payments next week.   


bankergurl Thanks for sharing the many ways to save automatically (like the CheckOut51 Rebate)! You set a very good example of diversifying your savings methods, and also of mixing in a sprinkling of recreation with the work. Congrats on $18,610 saved for 84.6% of goal. Good work on your 52 week challenge tackling both ends!


regecko You are clearly deserving of the Rookie Saver Award! (And more)
Congratulations on your accomplishments, best wishes with your annual review, looking forward to your lovely new adjusted goals @ August. Nice Use of the 3 paycheck month!


minnesotapaintlady Nice July Update at over 60%. It's good to be here on the savers' board especially when savings are growing slower and seem to spring spending leaks. You have solid goals, and the tide will turn or a windfall materialize and you will know exactly what to do with it. It's reasonable to use part of the car replacement fund for the upcoming big car repair bill, but sorry you are facing that. Keep up the good work



And now it's intermission and the cliffhanger position goes to movinonup (Thanks friend for so graciously being the "middle man").....



 

[forwardwego]

Shoutouts Part 2 of 2:


movinonup Good job evaluating the best use of the Insurance policy, and also improving your monthly cash flow. Nice work with $2634 saved. Looks like a   on the horizon for your Monthly Challenge!!


trimatty471 Congratulations on $13055 saved for 75%, earning your
 and 3 more in sight. 


shanendoah congratulations on $660 saved and continuing to endure. 


finnime $566 18.9% is great...infinite improvement over a starting EF of $0.
Feels good doesn't it??   


teachermom Good for you... so close to $10K and 6 's. What did you learn at your meetings regarding retirement? Sorry you are another saver who was recently knocked by a big car repair bill. You are right, so thankful to have the money saved for it, but painful to have to do.


sealy Hi Saver Friend! I'm sorry your savings has been taking hits lately. Will you be able to build it back up some in July? Hang in there, you can do this.


nidena Welcome to the Savers thread! Good job setting your goals, and congratulations on having no credit card debt. Being a WIR Saver is a great way to keep it that way!


TheHaitian Hey there! Glad you are back. Nice update of $32468 and 68.35% accomplished! If you can't update every month, maybe you could try every other month? Very nice that when left on autopilot your savings did well. And it's good that you recognize that autopilot does not presently work for your debt repayment. Learning and going forward, taking a break but not giving up.  I hope little Carlie is well and thriving.


Saving4Norway $10300 saved and 45% accomplished is good. If I adjust out the "Denmark 2018", it gets even better with 64%!! Nice savings. Looking forward to hearing about your summer school in Norway. How exciting to travel and immerse yourself in the experience with no money concerns! You are right, lessons from WIR Savers are incredible. 


azucena Congratulations on your new home! Has the dust settled yet?? Eager to see what your next goals and plans will be.  You have been an awesome saver and it has helped you make your dream home a reality. Would you say being a WIR Saver enhanced your saving?


Poptart and shopaholic814 Hi Ladies!! I'm missing you, hope you are well and hope to see you pop back in soon. 


And a thank you to saver supporters: Blonde Granny  debthaven zibazinski  lund  NastyWoman  dee27  janee  xoxo

[debthaven]

Awww thank you for tagging me forwardwego ! I do love reading this thread lol.

[forwardwego]

You are so welcome debthaven, I appreciate the support and encouragement!

[forwardwego]

Update 7/7/2017 $23830 (Start $12165, Goal $26000)

2017 FUND	Present	Goal	% Met	$$ Needed
Veh XF	1800	1800	100
Med XF	1200	1200	100
EF Bridge *	5700	6000	95	300
Rental Margin	7750	10000	77	2250
DD invest/gift	4000	4000	100
Rusty J Boxer Pt2	2000	2000	100
Weekly Challenge	1380	2000	69	620
TOTALS	23830	27000	88	3170

$50 base + (sum of $12 thru $63) = $2000

12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24		26	27	28	29		31
32	33	34	35	36	37	38

*EF/Bridge Goal is adjusted downward from original goal of $10K to $6K. My retirement annuity has been finalized so my EF/bridge fund is now more an EF. I thought of bumping that goal up, but soon our rental house will need a new A/C so just going to keep my overall goals as they are for now.

[chiver78]

forwardwego , thanks for the shoutout! I am hanging in there. life keeps throwing me curveballs, but I think I'm ducking them pretty well so far. I'm determined to have at least one more balance wiped out by the end of 2017.....which may be able to happen sooner than planned. I was right in thinking that using that CC for my brakes might trigger a transfer offer. it's already there when I log in! just need to figure out what to do with it....

the calendar savings is temporarily wiped out until I can replenish back to current, not what I actually used. that will happen in mid-August. the first week is the remaining low point on cash flow for 2017. after that, I'll be back on track there too. 

baby steps! 

[nidena]

Got back from my trip to the Midwest trip last night.  Hadn't taken my laptop with me so the only movement that my money saw was the automated payment of my bills.  Today, back home, was a different story.  I transferred money into my Roth and opened two new savings accounts at USAA for my other savings goals.  My current savings account is a holding bucket for money that belongs to my mom and it was getting difficult to remember how much in the account was allocated to my two LTC insurance savings goals.  So, now, I have a savings account for LTC and another for a new-to-me vehicle and the original account will get no deposits from here on out.

My Jeep needs a few repairs so I'll use the credit card to pay for that (and net the points for $$ spent) and then pay it off in full.  I used the CC on my trip just to have that extra financial protection as I made my way to and from Iowa.  I went $300 over my budgeted $500 but I'm okay with that.  I'll still be able to pay off the CC in full.

In summary, my goal amounts are such:
Roth 2017   $1000  (of $5500)
LTC 2018     $1000  (of $2800)
Larger EF     $5000 (goal is complete! )
Vehicle        $100   (of $20,000)

Total $7100  (out of $33,300)

[azucena]

Thanks for the tag.  We are settled in the new house and June was a blur of spending. Put down our 20% of $70k and made $22k in "profit" off of the old house.  Not really profit when you consider the mortgage payments made and the upgrades and work that we did, but I'll take it.

Probably spent too much on things for the new house but it was fun getting the place in shape.  Mostly on craigslist and facebook swap sites so that helped minimize the damage for a couple of dressers, closet organizer, shelves, etc.  Cut off the spending on July 1 and will get other things slowly over time - couches, bar stools.

Savings account sits at $25k.  Going to let it idle there for the rest of the year and focus on other goals.  I'm okay with this as emergency fund.  Part of why I hadn't posted is that I'm trying to figure out the next target - the down payment has been the focus for quite some time so I'm struggling to figure out what is next.  But need to pick something and gather steam again before I fritter away too much $$.

Choices:

A - building up the girls' savings accounts.  Goal was to save $1000/yr for DD1 and DD2. They are turning 9 and 5 in a few weeks, and we had fallen a bit behind.  In the course of buying the house, their money was pooled into our funds to give us enough liquidity.  Current total balance is $6656 so need $7344 to get back on track.  A few years ago I set both accounts to receive payments from each paycheck to total $1k/yr but we've never really been on goal.  I'd like to catch this up and keep it on track.  Not meant to pay for college per say, just something to get them each started in whatever way they need as young adults.

B - $7k van loan at 4% interest with 2 years left; $250/m.  I've hated the mini-van from the day we bought it - totally DH's call, he liked the low mileage on it.  It's been constant repairs and really just needs to be replaced.  Would like to try a Sienna this time (instead of Odessey) but can't find one used for $16k to keep the same payment without a ton of miles on it.  Also not sure the van is worth $7k to trade in so this will be the first time I've been upside down on a vehicle.  Need to find some kind of personal shopper for used cars and see if they can find one.  Is there such a thing?

C - $7k in student loans at 3% interest, $150/m.  Just ready to knock this one out too and be done with it.

D - will take $5k extra principal payment each year to payoff our new mortgage in 15 yrs which is right about the time DD2 would be in college.  That would help with cashflowing tuition because we aren't going to qualify for financial aid.  Seems like a good plan to me to attempt, put the idea in DH's head and he needs to think about it.

Should also mention that we are maxing my 401k and on target for retirement goals so that's not a factor in this decision.

Based on our past saving rate, we can probably "easily" save $7k by the end of the year which means accomplishing A, B, or C.  If we continue to be careful with spending, could get to $10-12k.  D will probably happen at bonus time in March.  Thoughts?

My dad passed away in May so that's taken away some of my focus.  Trying to figure out his estate and just cope with the loss - it's left me distracted.  Being reminded to update here will help me get back on track.

[bankergurl]

We received rent from Rental #2 and that was a very nice boost to savings and we are now back to $20K!  Vegas is in 3 weeks! 

June 30, 2017 = $18,610.00

+$5.00 FB Sales
+$1300.00 July Rent for Rental #2
+.15 GC Savings Interest
+$4.85 Even Out Amount
+$2.87 Cap360 Interest
+$7.13 Even Out Amount

+$50.00 MO Payday to Our Savings (7/7)
+$20.00 To get to $20K!!!!
July 7, 2017 = $20,000.00

Accounts	1/1/17	2/1/17	3/1/17	4/1/17	5/1/17	6/1/17	7/1/17	7/7/17
Local Savings	$2,510	$3,455	$7,025	$8,595	$9,295	$10,490	$7,170	$7,175
GC Savings	$2,025	$2,875	$2,900	$2,910	$3,425	$3,735	$3,720	$5,045
Cap360 - Us	$1,620	$1,875	$2,135	$2,335	$2,540	$2,800	$3,000	$3,055
Cap360 - Mom Loan	$900	$1,105	$1,265	$1,415	$1,570	$1,805	$1,955	$1,960
Cap360 - Rental #1	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,265	$1,265	$1,265
Cap360 - Rental #2	-	-	-	-	-	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500
Totals	$8,315	$10,570	$14,585	$16,515	$18,090	$21,595	$18,610	$20,000

52 Week Challenge
2017 Total = $819.00(We have paid weeks 1-27 and 45-52)

Banker Gurl 7/7/17 $20,000 (Start=$8,315/Saved $16,890-Spent $5205 = $11,685/Goal $22,000/Remaining to Goal $5,110)

Roses Earned: 

Laughlin Trip

New Deck for Rental #2

[bankergurl]

Chiver78 - Yes CheckOut51 is very similar to Ibotta. I signed up for Ibotta a few years ago, and I can't remember why I didn't stick with that one. I think it was before I had a smartphone so we too hard to keep up with it.  I should look into going back to that one too.  If something is on both you can get multiple rewards!

Nikiz628 - Wow I will have to check out some more of those!  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all there is out there!  If you had to choose one of those (besides CheckOut51), which would you choose to use?  I think I could add one now and look into adding others later.  And awesome idea to put all of those towards the Disney Fund! (Can I come with!!!)

Speedchick71 - Good to hear from you!  Sorry about your father.    Congrats on becoming a home owner!

Snapdragon - That is overwhelming for sure!  Go all "Jack Sparrow" in Jamaica!

Serious/Captains - My saved total is still wrong on the smiley list.  The $18,610 on my last update is the amount we currently have in savings, but we had money in savings when we started, so it isn't accurate of what we have saved this year.  As much as I would like to take credit for the extra $$$ it isn't correct.  Please use the number in purple, that is the total saved for the year.  I will continue to put that in purple so it stands out for updates.  Thank you!

 

Banker Gurl 7/7/17 $20,000 (Start=$8,315/Saved $16,890-Spent $5205 = $11,685/Goal $22,000/Remaining to Goal $5,110)

[debthaven]

Azucena wow what a great dilemma to have lol.

The best "bang for your buck" would be from D, in terms of lower interest over the life of the loan (although I DO know that many people say to keep the 30 year loan and invest). But I can confirm that it's great to have a paid-off mortgage by the time you have kids in college.

This is what I would do (but hey I'm not the most prudent person lol). I'd probably live with 20K in savings, and put 5K towards A/B/C, then continue putting savings towards that goal until I hit it. 

If you're not comfortable with that, you can always put 5K to the goal of your choice, continue saving till you hit 25K again, and rinse and repeat.

IF you have a problem / expense, the money is there. If you don't, you go back down to 20K and then spent the additional 5K on one of your goals every time you reach 25K again.

Just a thought.

ETA: Given the life of your loans, I'm guessing C (the SLs) will cost you the most in interest over time, so I'd probably hit that one first (of A/B/C). I'd play a "game" with myself to add money to A as I can, but I wouldn't make that a priority. B would be my last priority, as long as the car is reliable enough to get me from one place to another. If I hit the other goals, I'd feel more comfortable paying more for the car of my choice, later.

[forwardwego]

azucena I am so sorry you have lost your dad. It is natural to feel unfocused and distracted. Take your time. We are here for you. I also struggle transitioning after accomplishing a major goal. A couple thoughts concerning prioritizing your next goals: Your debt interest rates are quite low, so try not to "worry" about them. It's been said that people find a way to pay off debt, it's "harder" to save than it is to pay off. So IMHO get caught up and on target with your girls' savings accounts first. Your $25K savings/EF is substantial. If the minivan continues to aggravate, you could tap a bit of the $25K to trade for something more dependable and less expensive when repair costs are factored in, and keep the payment from climbing. 


ETA: Debthaven and I were posting @ same time. I like the idea of using $5K for your favorite of ABC, build back to $25K, repeat. 


ETAA: Another thought... When do you think you will be granting your daughters use of their "seed money"? If the answer is age 18 or even age 16 you have ample time to create a "new track" for that goal. Use the $6656 to pretty much immediately eliminate either the SL or van loan. For sake of example let's say you pay off the van. Then combine your projected savings of $1166 per month + $400 being used for payments = $1566 at your disposal. $1566 divided over 3 goals = $522 per month per goal. The SL will payoff in @ 14 months. (Then direct that $522 to prepay mortgage). The girls' savings will be caught up in the year 2020 when they turn 12 & 8. You may despise your van less because it's paid for, and every month longer that you can stand to keep it you will build $522 more toward vehicle you love. 

[seriousthistime]

Jul 7, 2017 16:30:44 GMT -5 bankergurl said:

Serious/Captains - My saved total is still wrong on the smiley list.  The $18,610 on my last update is the amount we currently have in savings, but we had money in savings when we started, so it isn't accurate of what we have saved this year.  As much as I would like to take credit for the extra $$$ it isn't correct.  Please use the number in purple, that is the total saved for the year.  I will continue to put that in purple so it stands out for updates.  Thank you!

 

Banker Gurl 7/7/17 $20,000 (Start=$8,315/Saved $16,890-Spent $5205 = $11,685/Goal $22,000/Remaining to Goal $5,110)

 Banker Gurl, I do the smilies, so it is my bad.  

But in my defense, some Savers start every year at zero regardless of the actual value in their real life savings accounts.  Some work on multi-year goals and add to whatever is in existing accounts at the start the year, starting at whatever the balance is on January 1.  Some keep track of the current balance (saved minus spent) and other people track savings ONLY because all savings is meant to be spent eventually.

So there are many ways to save and to track savings, and I will put you down on the smilies in any way you say, as long as it is clear.  Could I suggest you add a tag line something along the lines of

Banker Gurl 7/7/17 $16,890 (Goal $22,000)

and maybe unbold your tag line above and put the simplified one in bold in your updates?  Or

Attn: "Sh**-for-brains" smilie person >>> Banker Gurl 7/7/17 $16,890 (Goal $22,000)

I appreciate you putting your total saved for the year in purple so it stands out, but I may actually miss that one too.   We are here to support each other, and I want to support you the way you want to be supported and leave as little room for error as possible.

Thanks in advance to all for making the smilies as foolproof as possible -- because a fool is doing the smilies, often after a long day at work, and over an adult beverage! 

[nikiz628]

bankergurl- If I had to choose one, it would definitely be iBotta. I've earned $323 in cash since I started using it. (On Checkout51, I've only earned $66.65 since signing up around the same time). Of course you can tag along to Disney!! The more the merrier! 

[sealy]

forwardwego I will work on getting it back to $10,000 after school starts again.  I used it for hotel, mortgage payment (since I don't get paid a full check in July), and other stuff that I thought I needed.  Good news my mortgage is down I will be posting a new update soon.  

[sealy]

Jul 6, 2017 13:35:22 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Awww thank you for tagging me forwardwego ! I do love reading this thread lol.

me too.


azucena sorry about your dad.

[azucena]

debthaven and forwardwego - interesting thoughts thanks for commenting. I hadn't thought about using the girls savings to basically wipe out one loan right now. I'm still not used to how quickly we can rebuild savings given my income growth over the past 3 years. Definitely a first world problem.

The van has to go sooner rather than later because it's constantly needing work. And it's left a total bad taste in my mouth. Every time something else goes wrong it brings up issues for DH because he pushed to buy it when I wasn't ready. I don't need those kind of emotional ties to a vehicle.  It's totally soured me on Odessey which is a problem because it seems used Siennas are harder to find. I think the next step is to figure out what it's worth to trade in so I know if we are upside down like I think and just how much.

[shanendoah]

shanendoah: 7/10/2017 $685 (Goal: $960)

Ahh, the joy of auto withdrawals. Today, $25 went into savings. At the same time, $1350 was coming out of savings, because today is the day that the credit card payment for the card the car repairs were put on is due.

Just muddling through. Thanks for the shoutout.

[teachermom]

Update

Been super busy with the end of school, moving classrooms, and training classes. Finally had time to figure out my update. Plugging along!!

Savings 2017
Fund	Goals	Previous Bal	June 2017	YTD	Spent	End Bal	% Met
Emergency Fund - Minor	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$0.00	$1,000.00	$0.00	$1,000.00	100.00%
Emergency Fund - Major	$20,000.00	$405.70	$618.70	$1,024.40	$0.00	$1,024.40	5.12%
Insurance - Deductible	$300.00	$300.01	$0.00	$300.01	$0.00	$300.01	100.00%
Roof	$4,000.00	$3,010.83	$990.00	$4,000.83	$0.00	$4,000.83	100.02%
Plumbing Updates	$3,000.00	$0.10	$0.00	$0.10	$0.00	$0.10	0.00%
Appliances	$2,700.00	$0.05	$0.00	$0.05	$0.00	$0.05	0.00%
Hardwood Floors	$3,000.00	$0.04	$0.00	$0.04	$0.00	$0.04	0.00%
Tires	$700.00	$702.54	$0.48	$703.02	$361.50	$341.52	100.43%
Car Maintenace	$2,200.00	$1,220.50	$825.00	$2,045.50	$2,043.82	$1.68	92.98%
Car Replacement	$30,000.00	$400.05	$800.72	$1,200.77	$0.00	$1,200.77	4.00%
Gifts	$1,100.00	$500.56	$201.12	$701.68	$0.00	$701.68	63.79%
Spring Break Trip 2017	$500.00	$800.00	$0.00	$800.00	$800.00	$0.00	160.00%
Summer Trip 2017	$500.00	$500.00	$0.00	$500.00	$0.00	$500.00	100.00%
MN trip 2017	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$0.00	$1,000.00	$0.00	$1,000.00	100.00%
Student Loan Payoff	$2,000.00	$0.00	$551.41	$551.41	$0.00	$551.41	27.57%
Total Savings	$72,000.00	$9,840.38	$3,987.43	$13,827.81	$3,205.32	$10,622.49	19.21%

Teachermom 7/10/2017 $13,827.81 (1/1/2017 $0.00, Goal $72,000.00)

[Poptart]

I'm back! And super poor! I was unable to meet my savings goal and had to cash flow the birthday celebration which was not too bad, in the middle of all this we decided that it was time to get some new furniture, and then our fridge died! Gah. I'll have money again...some time next year,lol.

[Jaguar]

Right now I just cannot contain my excitement....... I got next years Trillium Benefit, and they didn't screw this one up!

[Jaguar]

I'm still waiting on GST, but that should be along soon as well. Yes both were a wee late, but I filed my taxes later than I usually do.

[bankergurl]

Nothing too exciting to report.  Over $1300 in car repairs (between 2 vehicles) in the last few weeks.   So I am sure we will need to take out of savings to cover those once the bill is due.  Other then that just trucking along as normal.

Less then $5K to meet my total savings goal for the year!

July 7, 2017 = $20,000.00

+$10.00 Mortgage Savings

+$50.00 My Payday to Our Savings
+$75.00 My Payday to Mom Loan Savings
July 14, 2017 = $20,135.00

Accounts	1/1/17	2/1/17	3/1/17	4/1/17	5/1/17	6/1/17	7/1/17	7/14/17
Local Savings	$2,510	$3,455	$7,025	$8,595	$9,295	$10,490	$7,170	$7,175
GC Savings	$2,025	$2,875	$2,900	$2,910	$3,425	$3,735	$3,720	$5,055
Cap360 - Us	$1,620	$1,875	$2,135	$2,335	$2,540	$2,800	$3,000	$3,105
Cap360 - Mom Loan	$900	$1,105	$1,265	$1,415	$1,570	$1,805	$1,955	$2,035
Cap360 - Rental #1	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,265	$1,265	$1,265
Cap360 - Rental #2	-	-	-	-	-	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500
Totals	$8,315	$10,570	$14,585	$16,515	$18,090	$21,595	$18,610	$20,135

52 Week Challenge
2017 Total = $819.00(We have paid weeks 1-27 and 45-52)

Banker Gurl 7/14/17 $20,135 (Start=$8,315/Saved $17,025-Spent $5205 = $11,820/Goal $22,000/Remaining to Goal $4,975)

Roses Earned: 

Laughlin Trip

New Deck for Rental #2

Banker Gurl 7/14/17 $17,025 (Goal $22,000)

[sealy]

good morning everyone.  

[NastyWoman]

Jul 10, 2017 7:09:19 GMT -5 azucena said:

debthaven and forwardwego - interesting thoughts thanks for commenting. I hadn't thought about using the girls savings to basically wipe out one loan right now. I'm still not used to how quickly we can rebuild savings given my income growth over the past 3 years. Definitely a first world problem.

The van has to go sooner rather than later because it's constantly needing work. And it's left a total bad taste in my mouth. Every time something else goes wrong it brings up issues for DH because he pushed to buy it when I wasn't ready. I don't need those kind of emotional ties to a vehicle.  It's totally soured me on Odessey which is a problem because it seems used Siennas are harder to find. I think the next step is to figure out what it's worth to trade in so I know if we are upside down like I think and just how much.

I am totally vegging out on a long, and racing to its end (Wednesday) vacation, but when I read this Sienna/Odessey comment my nosy self thought: this statement should tell you enough about the quality difference between the two cars. So I would personally go for a Sienna with some miles over any Odyssey. Just a thought...

[nidena]

I received the remainder of my Disability Pay today which allowed me to add to the balances for savings.

7/17/2017

In summary, my goal amounts are such:

Roth 2017 $1000 (of $5500)
 --I'm holding off on adding to this since I can't contribute unless I receive actual income.
LTC 2018 $2000 (of $2800)

Larger EF $5000 (goal complete as of last post)

Vehicle $130 (of $20,000)



Total $8130 (out of $33,300)

[tobinikui]

One down & one to go!

My will has been witnessed and notarized, and with any luck, my DH's will be done by tomorrow evening. I had taken mine to our local bank and got the run-around for some reason, so I brought it to a coworker who is a notary. I tore up the old one, and even typed out some funeral wishes that DH and I have discussed over the years. Things will be pretty straight forward if we die individually (odds are in our favor on this), but will be helpful to those we leave behind, on the off chance we die together.

I am still working on finalizing the notebook for DH. I'd say it's 75% done. He was not in the mood for our financial meeting last week, so I'll have to reschedule it. We've been busy lately, doing some daytrips & traveling with the little ones.

I have been doing really well with reigning in expenses this month. I have thus far skipped the trip to the local bigbox store, where I never leave without spending close to $300, in favor of online orders from @m@zon. It might be a bit more expensive in the short term, but our bigbox store is very inconvenient (location, hours, etc). And, I make fewer impulse purchases online, than in person! We are on track to save even more than we usually do, even with a few annual purchases this month, because I am keeping the purse strings tight! Of course, there won't be much to show for it, since this month's paychecks are already spent for last month's credit card bill. If I can keep the momentum going though, that would be huge!

We are making progress, but it's so stinking slow. I also decided to follow Dave Ramsey's advice, and stop the college savings contributions for now. That money is better directed to paying off the minivan, and bulking up our cash savings (ER fund). We already have more than he advises, but I am aiming for a number that helps me sleep more soundly at night. Ha. With two little ones, and a stay at home DH, I consider our bare minimum ER fund to be closer to 1.5 months of living expenses.

In the mean time... I just keep pushing forward.

[tobinikui]

Our wills are both done. Phew!

Now, to make copies of everything & give them to family (sealed, and just in case)!

Next, running credit reports. It's obnoxious, but I have to do DH's by mail. He and his son share the same name, with a different middle initial, DOB, SSN, etc., but the name similarity is enough to confuse the credit bureaus. Go figure. DH gets his credit score monthly, through one of our credit cards, but, it's probably been over a year since we ran the actual reports. I will tackle that next! Mine should be pretty straight forward.

DH has also expressed a desire to change the beneficiaries on his life insurance policies, so I will call & get that started as well. All these things that get put off for another time... I am relieved to know I am getting them done now.

In other news, I decided to stop making contributions to my 401k, and the kids' college savings, in favor of paying off the minivan faster. I will be covered by a pension thankfully, but I still don't like it. Between both payments, I'll probably be able to direct an extra $500/month to the minivan though, which will add up quickly. I really want to be 100% done with that loan by this time next year. I guess that means we are on baby step #2. Never again will I finance a vehicle. Suffice it to say, the kids' college accounts will sit and wait for a good long while, while we finish #2, and then work on #3 and #4!

[bankergurl]

 We had to take $1000 out of savings to cover car repairs, rental landscaping, and general overspending.  This will be our last update before Vegas Vaca, so unless we hit a jackpot we will be waving bye bye to the $20K mark.  Gotta have some fun in life though too!  As long as the overall picture (debt going down) keeps going in the right direction then I am happy!

July 14, 2017 = $20,135.00

+$20.00 FB Sales

+$50.00 MO Payday to Our Savings 

-$1000.00 Car Repair/Rental Landscaping/Overspending
July 21, 2017 = $19,205.00

Accounts	1/1/17	2/1/17	3/1/17	4/1/17	5/1/17	6/1/17	7/1/17	7/21/17
Local Savings	$2,510	$3,455	$7,025	$8,595	$9,295	$10,490	$7,170	$7,195
GC Savings	$2,025	$2,875	$2,900	$2,910	$3,425	$3,735	$3,720	$4,055
Cap360 - Us	$1,620	$1,875	$2,135	$2,335	$2,540	$2,800	$3,000	$3,155
Cap360 - Mom Loan	$900	$1,105	$1,265	$1,415	$1,570	$1,805	$1,955	$2,035
Cap360 - Rental #1	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,260	$1,265	$1,265	$1,265
Cap360 - Rental #2	-	-	-	-	-	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500
Totals	$8,315	$10,570	$14,585	$16,515	$18,090	$21,595	$18,610	$19,205

52 Week Challenge
2017 Total = $819.00(We have paid weeks 1-27 and 45-52)

Banker Gurl 7/21/17 $19,205 (Start=$8,315/Saved $17,095-Spent $6205 = $10,890/Goal $22,000/Remaining to Goal $4,905)

Roses Earned: 

Laughlin Trip

New Deck for Rental #2

Banker Gurl 7/21/17 $17,095 (Goal $22,000)

[TheHaitian]

TheHaitian - 07/22/17 : $33.912.28  -----> Goal : $45,000

Hey,

I was in the neighborhood and figure I might as well update this. About to head to the racers thread and post my total debt which made me cringe when I added it up the other night! Definitely cannot have a laissez faire attitude when it comes to the debt. While it was good to have one less thing to worry about or a few less thing to worry about, it pushed us back a few steps backwards. We loosen the reign a bit too much...

Enough about our debt. In regards to savings we are on track of reaching (in some case surpassing) our goals this year! So YEAH for small wins!

Account	Account Goal	Account Balance	Difference	% Goal
Savings	12,500.00	11,000.00	1,500.00	88.00%
C - Retirement	18,000.00	11,712.38	6,287.62	65.07%
S - Retirement	10,250.00	7,179.12	3,070.88	70.04%
HSA Account	6,750.00	4,020.78	2,729.22	59.57%
TOTAL	47,500.00	32,468.07	15,031.93	68.35%