nikiz628
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Post by nikiz628 on May 13, 2020 11:42:52 GMT -5
chiver78- Thank goodness you are so diligent!
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nikiz628
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Post by nikiz628 on May 12, 2020 20:56:24 GMT -5
That's so sweet TheO! Thanks friends. I totally trust our dentist, plus he's a friend (through A). The last thing DH said was maybe I was right and he should have told me to book a double appt as usual. I book on Doctolib (I know it exists in the US but I don't know how popular it is). There was a new warning to arrive exactly on time to keep the waiting room as empty as possible. Guilty as charged ... parking there is hell so I often arrive early because I worry about not finding a spot and being late. I bring marking or a book and wait. I WON'T be doing that now. FWIW, the three appts I booked for DD and this one ALL said that you're not allowed in without a mask (or a scarf if you don't have a mask). With all the work I've had done, I need to see the dentist every 4 months. It's been 6 months so I really prefer to go. At our dentist right now, they have parking lot attendants who “check you in” and take your temp. You wait in your car until it’s your turn. You go in solo (or if it’s a minor, they get 1 parent).
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nikiz628
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Post by nikiz628 on May 12, 2020 16:20:19 GMT -5
woo hoo! the $10k check has arrived. hopefully the big one is tomorrow. WOO HOO! Glad you won't have to worry about that one now. Fingers crossed the other arrives tomorrow.
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nikiz628
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Post by nikiz628 on May 12, 2020 13:45:12 GMT -5
After much discussion, I think H and I are ready to officially race our credit card debt. Now that we are basically done with home renovations, money should open up a bit around here. At least I hope so, because I feel like every extra dime we've had for the last few years has gone in to the house. We are still planning to reno the kitchen, but it will mostly just be a facelift vs. a full scale demo/redo. And I don't plan to tackle this until fall at the earliest. I am going to sit down today and get my numbers/info together to officially kick off Race #5.
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Post by nikiz628 on May 11, 2020 18:45:54 GMT -5
Another lost weekend. I come to the office to relax, LOL. Last Friday I bought my mom some miniature roses, which I'll call an essential expenditure. Yesterday I bought DH and I lunch for $26 rounded. MTD total non-essential spending $141.30. Received the 'not driving as much due to stay in place' auto insurance refund today, so that was a nice surprise.
Ours is supposed to arrive any time now, if I read the notice correctly.
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Post by nikiz628 on May 11, 2020 18:45:07 GMT -5
Our appraisal is finished, thank goodness. We spent the last 3 days cleaning/decluttering/touching up paint/etc. She said we should have the report in a few days, so fingers crossed our house looked very valuable today lol.
Now, to just keep the house looking this great for at least a few days!
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Post by nikiz628 on May 9, 2020 23:36:53 GMT -5
I feel so bad for graduating seniors who are in the job market. With all of the job losses and cuts, I think it will be very difficult to find jobs. None of these people did anything wrong. It's the damn virus that has changed our lives. Amen. I totally feel for them as well. I got married in 2008 and got laid off when I got back from my honeymoon due to flooding in our area (completely destroyed the apartment complex I managed). I graduated college in 2009... then the economy tanked into the recession. That's when we really spiraled down the debt tunnel (and found WIRR actually). It was like one bad thing after another. I never did use my degree.
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Post by nikiz628 on May 8, 2020 11:35:28 GMT -5
Our refi appraisal is scheduled for Monday at 2pm... so you all know what I’ll be doing all weekend. 🤣
::cracks knuckles and pulls out every cleaning product in my arsenal
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Post by nikiz628 on May 6, 2020 18:31:05 GMT -5
The deer fence is up in the front garden but I'll need to do some work to secure it after everything is planted. So far I've got mint, lavender, rosemary, calla lilies and one lantana done - many more lantana, geraniums, mint and then all the seeds to go. I also organized my parent's freezers (3 total) and started weeding the small back garden my mom started. I bought boxes and brought them into the house so I can pack everything that got shoved into the car at the last minute when I moved. Those boxes will go into storage until I buy a new house. If anyone has connections to the governors of midwestern states, tell them to get their sh*t together so I can safely come buy a house! This thing is expected to surge in the areas with no social distancing and in small communities with meat packing plants which remain open. I would really like to buy a house and spend money renovating it in one of these states, but not until it's safe to do so. Indiana started opening up this week. Here's the site I use to look up properties. It's more up-to-date than realtor.com. Unfortunately. I just left Wal-Mart. I haven't been in about a month to get groceries so I needed to stock up. It seems like most Hoosiers heard "go back to normal" when in reality its a phased process. So many little kids running around, so many maskless faces, and so many people crowding each other. I was ready to BOLT.
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Post by nikiz628 on May 6, 2020 18:24:03 GMT -5
vetswife, I am sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself <3
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Post by nikiz628 on May 5, 2020 11:56:50 GMT -5
I didn't think it was supposed to get colder until the end of the week, but here we are sitting at 48 degrees and it's raining. I think I need to go through DS2's dresser again today. Now that we are transitioning to summer type clothes, I need to see what is in there that still fits and pull out the stuff that doesn't. I know we didn't save as much in this size from DS1 (because he was rough on his clothes at this age), but I am going to double check the other totes in the basement before I order new clothes. Maybe I shoved some stuff in another size marked tote in a hurry (fingers crossed).
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Post by nikiz628 on May 3, 2020 13:30:19 GMT -5
UPDATE: Race #4 5/3/2020RACE #4 | INTEREST RATE | STARTING BALANCE | LAST UPDATE | THIS UPDATE | DIFFERENCE | Truck Loan | 4.8% | $24.945.53 | $22,651.74 | $22,341.23 | -310.51 |
NikiZ628(4) 5/3/2020 $22,341.23 (6/26/19 $25,195 WIRR197)
Total Paid in 2020: $1,485.10 Total Amount Paid Off: $2,853.77
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Post by nikiz628 on May 3, 2020 13:25:15 GMT -5
Nikiz - they will let an appraiser come to your house at this time? I'm not sure our governor would consider that essential, but who knows? They seem to be making it up as we go along. Yes, they are allowed. Actually Indiana is starting to lift restrictions on Monday. Do I think it's too soon? Most definitely. But I can at least acknowledge that the "5 step plan" our Governor released is logical and the right way to slowly re-open. (I still expect a huge surge though).
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 30, 2020 21:15:32 GMT -5
When my boys are going through a growth spurt, they can eat like this. And they are both thin. My 4 year old put away 3 pancakes yesterday. And 3 helpings of spaghetti tonight. He also tends to be a grazer. He’s more likely to eat one big meal and graze all day, than eating 3 regular meals. His doctor said it’s totally normal at this age. My 9 year old is just a bottomless pit most days. 😂. But his pants won’t even stay up because he has no gut or butt.
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 30, 2020 20:52:18 GMT -5
Saw this and thought of y'all: That’s going to be me with my recycling piles. Our center is closed until further notice so I’ve got 2 months of recycling piled up in my garage. 😬
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 30, 2020 12:35:43 GMT -5
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 29, 2020 20:23:04 GMT -5
wvugurl26 you're getting so much done!!! nikiz628 I'm SURE you will appraise for what you need to with all of the gorgeous work you and your DH have done in the house! I think you made the right decision! If you can afford a 15Y loan, you'll save a HUGE amount on interest. When my ex and I bought this place in 1984, the standard mortgage was 15 years. Same when my DH bought my ex out of his half of the house in 1998. My DS2 has a 25 or 30Y mortgage too, but they're quite recent here. ETA: Please remember to give the kids snacks when you kick them out during the appraisal. ;-) I am pretty much just a snack distributor at this point in our "quarantine". All day long I hear "Can I have a snack?" "Can I have a snack?" What are you doing in the kitchen "Looking for a snack"
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 29, 2020 16:30:55 GMT -5
We pulled the trigger and decided to refi our mortgage while the rates are so low. We currently have a 30yr/6.75% rate that we are just shy of 13 years in to. We are going to get our rate cut by half and refi at a 15 year length (with a cash out on equity to pay off our HELOC). Our payment is only estimated to go up $2 from our current mortgage/heloc payments combined and we will save $$$ on interest.
But first we have to have the house appraised- which hasn’t been done since before our major addition and Reno. Fingers crossed we come out ahead on the investment. Now, on to how this fits in this thread- I’ve got about 7-10 days to get the house ready for the appraiser. It’s in good shape but I’m going through each room and tidying it up/making it look as desirable as possible. I told H we can hide the random clutter in my SUV and kick the kids out of the house on appraisal day. 🤣
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 29, 2020 15:21:16 GMT -5
TheHaitian My 2 cents (based on your last numbers update on 4/7) I would pay off the Citicard and CapitalOneII for sure as they are your lowest balances. I would even consider paying off CitiCardII and TD depending on their current balances. And then I would take the minimums that you were paying on those and roll them in to getting the other higher balances down quicker. The rest of the ~$20k left I would definitely hoard for now. It's good that your job is secure but you are correct in the wondering about the other unknowns coming up with this. Moving forward, I would do my best to do try and implement a bare minimum on spending. Only true necessities for the time being. I appreciate that you share your journey with us, and I am not casting judgement at you at all, but it does seem to be "living outside your means" that is really causing you to struggle. This is the perfect time FOR ALL OF US to buckle down and determine what is really a need vs. a "need" (aka a want that feels like a need). You've got this no matter how you proceed with the $20k stash. Good luck!! very true - but I would add a few splurges that enhance (rather than decimate!) mental health.....getting tough for everyone! Very true and valid point. How about splurges with a spending cap? 😂 I say as I await my latest amazon order....
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 29, 2020 13:41:45 GMT -5
TheHaitian My 2 cents (based on your last numbers update on 4/7) I would pay off the Citicard and CapitalOneII for sure as they are your lowest balances. I would even consider paying off CitiCardII and TD depending on their current balances. And then I would take the minimums that you were paying on those and roll them in to getting the other higher balances down quicker. The rest of the ~$20k left I would definitely hoard for now. It's good that your job is secure but you are correct in the wondering about the other unknowns coming up with this. Moving forward, I would do my best to do try and implement a bare minimum on spending. Only true necessities for the time being. I appreciate that you share your journey with us, and I am not casting judgement at you at all, but it does seem to be "living outside your means" that is really causing you to struggle. This is the perfect time FOR ALL OF US to buckle down and determine what is really a need vs. a "need" (aka a want that feels like a need). You've got this no matter how you proceed with the $20k stash. Good luck!!
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 29, 2020 13:26:57 GMT -5
2020 Savings | START | CURRENT | GOAL | STILL NEED | Emergency Fund | $1,000.00 | $1,925.56 | $2,000.00 | $74.44 | DS1's Savings | $1,960.29 | $2,061.29 | $2,200.00 | $138.71 | DS1's Savings | $734.55 | $835.00 | $850.00 | $15.00 | TOTALS | $3,694.84 | $4,821.85 | $5,050.00 | $228.15 |
NikiZ628 4/29/20 $4,821.85 (Goal $5,050.00 WIRS2)
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 29, 2020 13:19:06 GMT -5
Have y'all have seen the Adopt a (graduating) Senior on social media? You pick a senior, they complete and give you/the coordinator a short favorite things questionnaire. Then, you buy/bake/whatever things for them from the list. Unbeknownst to him, I adopted niece2's boyfriend and began shopping for him last night. It is so fun! Tonight I'll bake him pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, niece2's paternal grandmother's recipe. They are doing that where I live. I adopted my niece (duh) and my little sister's boyfriend. I ordered a bunch of little gifts off their "likes" list that their parents provide when you adopt. I put together gift baskets and dropped them off at their houses the other day. I made a shirt for sister's BF that said "Senior Skip Day Champions Class of 2020". He thought it was hilarious. Editing to add photo of shirt:
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 22, 2020 9:38:12 GMT -5
UPDATE: Race #2
Race #2 | INTEREST | ORIGINAL | LAST UDPATE | THIS UPDATE | DIFFERENCE | Auto Loan (SUV) | 4.00% | $32,991.93 | $10,805.70 | $10,418.85 | -386.85 |
NikiZ628 (2): 4/22/20 $10,418.85 (3/26/18 $32,991.93)
Total Paid in 2020: $1,527.25 Total Paid Overall: $22,573.08*My goal for 2020 is to get this loan under $7,500.....
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 22, 2020 9:33:53 GMT -5
H and I are finally showing our backyard some love & TLC. It's always the last on our spring to do list because nobody sees it. And by the time we get around to it every year, its too hot and miserable outside to be motivated. Needless to say, it's overdue. We literally started at the "front" of our backyard and we are working our way to the end of the yard, cleaning/fixing/decorating whatever needs it. Yesterday he built a cute a/c surround with our old fence panels. This will be nice when we get the patio next to it (outside our bedroom exterior door) because it will help mask the noise a bit. I also used old bricks from our chimney that we removed to create an edge around a shrub in the corner of the fence (that will eventually be next to said patio). He also tidied up the lines at our meter and removed the old cable lines that we don't use anymore. And I finally emptied the kids old plastic sandbox (that was FULL of rain water as well). I am going to see if my brother wants it for my baby nephew, otherwise it's going curbside. I also re-stained the kids playset. I had sanded it a couple weeks ago, but kinda walked away from it. I found some old stain in the garage and used it up on the wood. It looks brand new! The kids were really excited about it. We are hoping to get back out there today to continue the progress.
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 22, 2020 9:29:49 GMT -5
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 18, 2020 21:32:15 GMT -5
UPDATE: Race #4 4/18/2020RACE #4 | INTEREST RATE | STARTING BALANCE | LAST UPDATE | THIS UPDATE | DIFFERENCE | Truck Loan | 4.8% | $24.945.53 | $22,937.22 | $22,651.74 | -285.48 |
NikiZ628(4) 4/18/2020 $22,651.74 (6/26/19 $25,195 WIRR197)
Total Paid in 2020: $1,174.59 Total Amount Paid Off: $2,543.26
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 18, 2020 20:36:19 GMT -5
Our governor threw out a proposed reopen date for the state of May 1. Considering we haven't even seen peak in our state yet, I think this has bad news written all over it. People were protesting the stay at home order outside of his home today. A mass of people all crowded together on sidewalks- seems smart with a contagious disease floating around.
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 18, 2020 20:34:03 GMT -5
I was up extra early this morning so I could be at the grocery store close to opening. This was a quick run for just a few things to get through the weekend. The bigger shopping trip for our weekend away will be later. I did find my diamond earring in the parking lot. It has been run over a few times so will need a trip to the jewelers but I found it. On a whim I went over by where I had parked the last time and because it was still dark it glinted in the street light. What amazing luck! I am so glad you found it!
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 16, 2020 13:39:22 GMT -5
I never thought I would be pacing my house trying to find something to do.... I mean there are things that need done, but the motivation for the projects is just not there.
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Post by nikiz628 on Apr 15, 2020 12:23:53 GMT -5
H and I are doing pretty well with the quarantine actually. Of course, I am the type that LOVES not having to share my people, so that may be why. He does have to go in to work 2 days a week for 2 hours, so we are getting a bit of a break from each other. I am more "touched out" with my kids. It's been us round the clock for almost a month. They need a break from me just as much as I need a break from them. Other than my 2 trips to the grocery store solo, that hasn't happened. I told H I may go for a solo walk today or tomorrow just to get a few minutes to myself before I snap haha. They are even camping in our room right now, so even my bedtime routine is kid time.
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