nikiz628
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 22, 2024 9:13:40 GMT -5
Sunnyday- One of my goals this year is to get my kiddo's pictures printed for them. I've diligently stored them in organized files on shutterfly for years (DS1 is 13, DS2 is 8). The only album I ever got completed is DS1s first year, so I am way behind. I ordered two of these photo boxes, 1 for each of them. I love that it has 18 containers inside- perfect for 18 years! So my plan is to print my absolute favorite pics from each year of their life to put in each of the boxes. I want to figure out some way to label the pics on the back so they know what they are from (will probably just print labels to stick on) Then they will each have just a case of photos when they move out vs. several photo albums to have to deal with. For their little newspaper clippings, awards, non photo items, etc. I have 1 tote each for them to take when they move out. What they choose to do with it after that will be on them. It's way better than the 20+ totes my mom dropped at my house when I moved out, full of albums, old schoolwork, toys, clothing, etc.
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nikiz628
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 17, 2024 10:51:37 GMT -5
Everyone has been busy, kudos to you all! Sending warm vibes to those of you freezing- its been super cold here as well. They cancelled school Monday and Tuesday because it felt like -27 and -30. Our heat briefly went out. I woke up Monday and the house was 50 degrees. I called H and he came home to investigate. Thankfully, our exterior vent had just frozen up so it killed the airflow to the ignitor. A couple minutes with a hammer and chisel and he had that baby opened back up and the heat kicked right on. THANK GOODNESS. I kept seeing dollar signs flashing in my brain. I did manage to get all the interior Christmas decor down last week. Our prelit tree has been dead for years and I have just been stringing lights over it. This year, I apparently got a hair up my butt and decided I was going to cut the dead prelits off. It was an easy job, just time consuming. I turned on a movie and watched it while I did my surgery. By the time I was finished, I had burns on my hands- I can only assume its from whatever chemical treatment they put on artificial trees. But the tree is officially just an artificial tree now. I deep cleaned the living room the same day. I shampoo'd the area rug and the furniture, washed the walls and ceiling fan blades, took down and washed all the curtains, and then organized/decluttered the tv stand, coffee table, and cabinet. It was WONDERFUL when it was all finished. I lit a candle and curled up on the couch with my book, so that I could thoroughly enjoy my work.
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nikiz628
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 8, 2024 14:55:34 GMT -5
This week's goal is to get the Christmas decor down. My kiddos head back to school tomorrow, which will make this much easier to accomplish. I want to go through and organize it as I put it away. I did this at the end of the season last Christmas and this Christmas me was so happy I did.
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 8, 2024 14:52:10 GMT -5
And this is why I have stuck around in WIRR for years. I love you ladies, thank you!
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 6, 2024 7:37:55 GMT -5
Shoutouts! nidena - Nice update, numbers went down a nice chunk! chiver78 - Almost 95% paid off! nikiz628 - You’ve got this!! Do you have a plan of attack? (FYI, you’ve had a couple restarts, this is race #7 for you.) Link to SmileysI can change it to 7. In my mind, I never finished the restarts so I just called it Race 3 every time.
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 6, 2024 7:36:53 GMT -5
H will be bringing home approx. $12,000 from a side hustle within the next month. We are discussing the best way to use this. We have a couple ideas:
1. Pay off his truck balance- currently $8,624.50 with a 4.25% APR (payment is $382 a month). Use remaining money to bump savings/pay towards smaller balances.
2. Pay off a BIG majority of our Discover card- currently $15,124.49 with a 25.99% APR (minimum payment is right around $400 a month).
He's leaning towards option 1, I on the other hand am leaning toward option 2 because the interest is killing our progress. If it was YOU- which would you choose?
nikiz628 seeing your table, I'm wondering whether it might be better to knock out Quicksilver and Menards instead, and put the rest on the Discover? But, I don't know what your minimum payments on those are. Just a thought. I am open to any and all ideas for a plan of attack with that payment when it comes lol. Minimum payments are roughly: Discover $400 Quicksilver $222 Menards $86
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 6, 2024 7:33:47 GMT -5
So far, everything that I have decluttered is in limbo in my garage. I asked H if he could set up a few tables out there so that I can sort it by sell/donate- and then get photos of the sell stuff to actually get it listed on FB. We have a lofty goal this year to get the garage back to usable space. It's been a Hoarders episode for years. We don't really need or care to park in it, but I would love to turn it into a game room/hang out of sorts for my kids to use when they have friends over. Its detached and not super close to the house, but next to our pool and outdoor bar & grill area, so I see a lot of potential in this idea. But step 1 is GET THE CRAP out.
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 4, 2024 16:46:05 GMT -5
2024 Race Info: RACE 3 Debt | Interest Rate | Starting Balance | Citi Best Buy | 0% Promos Only | 4663.23 | Quicksilver | 28.24% | 6482.19 | Discover | 28.24% | 15124.49 | Menards | 30.24% | 2340.05 | Citi Diamond | 0% BT until * | 2715.27 | Discover Loan | 12.99% | 9432.97 | Sofi Loan | 22.9% | 8507.08 | Van Loan (Ally) | 9.29% | 31082.93 | Truck Loan (CU) | 4.8% | 8265.87 |
| TOTAL | 88,614.08 |
NikiZ628(3): (1/4/23 $88,614.08 WIR302)Seeing it all together like that makes me want to , but accountability is #1. Lets do this! As far as how long weve been around these parts. I was here in 2008 under a different s/n. I came back in 2013 with this account. WIRR really has been a lifesaver for me.
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 4, 2024 16:23:35 GMT -5
I want to be clear about something: many years ago - what was it nidena , debthaven , Minnesotagirl7 about 15? - I found WIRR, and I learned how to really take control of my money and be honest about my debts. And I was horribly in debt at the time. I learned the term "snowball", I learned how to be practical about my bills, to stop spending more than I could afford to pay, I learned to negotiate, I buckled down and took on a second income role to help me get out of the mess. And I did.
Now here I am, years later, and while it's not the same crippling madness it once was, I know how to handle my debt. Even with all the expenses I've had the last two years, I know how to review things without panicking and find resources to take command of the situation and move forward. I've learned to breathe. And I learned it here.
To anyone new to WIRR: breathe. Relax. Learn. Be patient with yourself, and when others on the board offer advice, know that we've been through it, too, we are not trying to criticize, or make light of your situation, we're trying to offer you some practical ideas based on the experiences WE have all had. And we've had a few doozies, so - you truly are NOT alone. Ive been back here for 10 years this year, so 15 is probably very accurate.
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 4, 2024 16:22:35 GMT -5
I did a HUGE clothing clean out last January and I am pretty proud to say, I have kept my side of the closet very organized since then. I also made sure if I bought a new piece, an old piece left to make room. So, doing a reset and clean out on my clothing yesterday took less than an hour total. I got rid of several pieces that were never worn last year. Everything is neat and tidy again for another year.
I also gave my desk nook a little facelift. My desktop computer crapped out awhile back, so H found me an old one at his work that was getting tossed (he works IT for a school corp). It's in perfect condition, just surplus equipment so he cleaned it up and brought it home for me to us. Its AMAZING! I bought some peel and stick wallpaper squares at Dollar Tree and put them on the wall behind my monitor (7 total squares were needed so super cheap upgrade). I bought a new wireless keyboard and mouse with an amazon gift card (so free!) and a new cork board ($8 at walmart). The final upgrade was a clear acrylic makeup brush spinning organizer for all my colored pens that I use in my planner and what not. $9 at TJ Maxx. I am so happy with my new and functional space!
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 4, 2024 16:20:46 GMT -5
I got a jump on decluttering for the year but I need to borrow my dad's truck to get it all hauled to good will. Will call him in just a few minutes to get going on that. I'm going to really focus on my stuff, what my parents have left here, and keeping my kids on track before hounding dh on his stuff. But his stuff cannot expand either, and my patienceisnt endless. Does anyone have a pre-made bullet journal or printable bullet journal they like and would recommend? I think it depends on what you mean by bullet journal. Erin Condren and Happy Planner have great stuff that is both organized and pretty. Full Focus planner is plain but excellent regarding zeroing in on goals. I have used a Happy Planner since 2017- this is the first year I just opted for a random brand planner I found at TJMaxx instead. We shall see if I like it lol.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 31, 2023 14:21:55 GMT -5
Of course I am in again! It's my favorite thread!
I spent yesterday completely cleaning out and reorganizing my kitchen cabinets. H got me new pots and pans for xmas (SO NEEDED, ours were wedding gifts from 2008 and had definitely hit the point of needing replaced). I purged quite a bit of stuff, which felt amazing. We had so many duplicate items and items I just never use, it was time for them to go. I am putting them on our local buy nothing group as a kitchen bundle.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2023 21:31:00 GMT -5
Sharon- I've had my eye on one of those for awhile.....
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2023 17:35:21 GMT -5
Ugh...I am eagerly waiting the 2024 thread. Our frivolous spending is out of control.
SAMMMMEEE. We have January slated to be a NO SPEND month as of right now. We need to get it under control.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2023 17:10:38 GMT -5
Gotta follow the math and knock off most of the larger interest rate balance. Plus being so close to paying it off completely should light a fire to throw every extra cent at it . That's very much where my mindset is.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2023 16:15:53 GMT -5
My sister got me an at home gel polish set for Christmas, complete with the UV curing light and several bottles of color. To make room for this, I just decluttered all of my old polishes. I filled 2 gallon sized ziplock bags with bottles. My 15 year old niece will be happy to take these off my hands.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2023 16:14:44 GMT -5
We had a 0% BT card expiring next month that we haven't knocked out yet. Thankfully we got another BT offer for 0% so we moved that balance and bought ourselves another year. I am going to take any help we can get right now lol.
Also- opinions wanted. H will be bringing home approx. $12,000 from a side hustle within the next month. We are discussing the best way to use this. We have a couple ideas:
1. Pay off his truck balance- currently $8,624.50 with a 4.25% APR (payment is $382 a month). Use remaining money to bump savings/pay towards smaller balances.
2. Pay off a BIG majority of our Discover card- currently $15,124.49 with a 25.99% APR (minimum payment is right around $400 a month).
He's leaning towards option 1, I on the other hand am leaning toward option 2 because the interest is killing our progress. If it was YOU- which would you choose?
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 21, 2023 9:48:59 GMT -5
Hello ladies! I am still alive. As I said in the decluttering thread, I blinked and 2023 was ending. Things have been crazy financially for us this year. I plan to jump back into racing in January- the last few months have just been survival mode for us as far as budgeting and money goes. A big shake-up was me having to get a new car. My Acadia was paid off and the plan was to drive the wheels off of it (or at least get 2 more years out of it). Well, we had to drive from Central Indiana to Sarasota for my son's travel baseball tournament at the end of June. We made it about an hour south of Atlanta and the Acadia died. We were stranded- we being me, my husband, our two boys, my niece, AND our dog. THANKFULLY, we were close to an exit and were able to get off the interstate in the middle of nowhere. There was a service center there- 30 minutes from closing. They weren't going to be able to help us that day but the service manager took pity on us and GAVE US a rental SUV to get us on our way to the tournament. I cried a lot of tears that day, there are still good people in the world. They had to replace the alternator and a few other things, which allowed us to at least get back home. A Band-Aid of sorts. We decided we weren't going to any more money into it (it cost us $3,000 in Georgia). So in July, we purchased a Chrysler Pacifica. More than I wanted to spend, a car payment I wasn't anticipating having again, but a vehicle that's safe and should get both of our kids to 18. (fingers crossed). I am going to skim back and try and catch up on everyone's progress today! I have missed you all!
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 21, 2023 9:24:29 GMT -5
I am still alive. I blinked and 2023 is wrapping up. I've still been working on decluttering and simplifying my home- its a big goal for 2024. I hope everyone is doing well. I am going to try and scan back and catch up on at least the more recent posts today. I've missed you all.
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Post by nikiz628 on May 25, 2023 17:17:40 GMT -5
UPDATE 5/25/23 RACE #6 (fixed the number for the main spreadsheet) DEBT | INTEREST RATE | STARTING BALANCE | CURRENT BALANCE | DIFFERENCE | Discover Card | 25.99% | 15,421.93 | 14,410.11 | -1,011.82 | Quicksilver Card | 25.99% | 6,024.77
| 6,282.41 | +257.64 | Menards Card | 27.99% | 1,730.44
| 2,260.00 | +529.56 | Best Buy Citi Card | 0% Promos Only | 1,665.02 | 2,617.14 | +952.12 | Care Credit (DS1 Orthodontics) | 26.99% | 4,433.57 | 0.00 | -4,433.57 | US BANK | 0% until 1/24 | 3,411.36 | 2,900.00 | -511.36 | Discover Loan | 12.99% | 12,736.93
| 11,036.58 | -1,700.35 | SOFI Loan | 22.49% | 10,144.87 | 9,245.75 | -899.12 | Truck Loan | 4.8% | 13,297.91 | 11,022.49 | -2,275.42 | TOTALS |
| 68,866.80 | 59,774.48 | -9,092.32 |
NikiZ628(6): 5/25/2023 $59,774.48 (10/12/22 $68,866.80 WIR284) I have literally sat down countless times to post this update lol. I know I totally fell off the smiley updates, but I am still trucking along. I can't seem to find 5 seconds to sit down and post updates these days. We've really got to re-evaluate our spending over here. We've just had so many random expenses lately and it's really thrown us off.
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Post by nikiz628 on Mar 3, 2023 12:07:05 GMT -5
Hoping to sit down today to get my numbers updated. I don't know where time has gone!
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Post by nikiz628 on Jan 2, 2023 20:23:45 GMT -5
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 27, 2022 21:21:57 GMT -5
Someone in one of my declutter Facebook groups posted their list to help them each year. I love the way she broke it down, and I really love that she included her phone. I just used it to make my own plan of attack for 2023. ibb.co/7W5JqQm
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2022 21:55:00 GMT -5
Wow, do we really only have EIGHT racers now? That's insane. I remember when we had so many we had regions. I hope the Twitter post brings some new faces.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2022 18:52:37 GMT -5
Hey all! My book is live now on Amazon!! Counting Tiny Dinosaurs I took all the pictures I used in the book and am just happy. Getting first copies before Christmas. This is AMAZING! I think some of the littles on my Christmas list might end up with this book next year!
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2022 18:52:10 GMT -5
I hope everyone had a great Christmas yesterday. It's been below zero for days in Indiana (-40 the other night, I have NEVER seen it get that cold in my 36 years here). Surgery at the beginning of the month went very well! I struggled the week after because I ended up with a cold. It took everything out of me. I couldn't stay awake for anything- the smallest activity, like washing myself on the side of the tub, resulted in me needing to take a nap. The wrist and elbow though never gave me any pain. The stitches came out last Monday, so now I am just on lifting restrictions for 6 more weeks. The incision sights look great- better than my right arm!
Right now I am working on enjoying Christmas break with my kiddos and getting the house cleaned up. I plan to do my big room by room 360 purge once they return to school on the 5th. I am so ready to downsize in many areas. I might even do the 2,023 items in 2023 challenge this year. I haven't done it in a couple years.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2022 18:40:19 GMT -5
We are setting everything up for a NO SPEND JANUARY. I think it will be nice after the last couple of months basically throwing our money out the window every week for school expenses, birthdays, holidays, etc.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2022 17:52:11 GMT -5
UPDATE 12/26/22 RACE #6 (fixed the number for the main spreadsheet) DEBT | INTEREST RATE | STARTING BALANCE | CURRENT BALANCE | DIFFERENCE | Discover Card | 25.99% | 15,421.93 | 14,873.00 | -548.93 | Quicksilver Card | 25.99% | 6,024.77
| 1,399.61 | -4625.16 | Menards Card | 27.99% | 1,730.44
| 1,650.00 | -80.44 | Best Buy Citi Card | 0% Promos Only | 1,665.02 | 2,700.00 | +1,034.98 | Care Credit (DS1 Orthodontics) | 26.99% | 4,433.57 | 0.00 | -4,433.57 | Discover Loan | 12.99% | 12,736.93
| 12,117.29 | -619.64 | SOFI Loan | 22.49% | 10,144.87 | 9,934.89 | -209.98 | Truck Loan | 4.8% | 13,297.91 | 12,678.41 | -619.50 | TOTALS |
| 65,455.44 | 55,353.20 | -10,102.24 |
NikiZ628(6): 12/26/2022 $55,353.20 (10/12/22 $65,455.44 WIR284) Final update for 2022. We have busted @$$ to pay off what we have in just over 2 months. H had a BIG paying side job that paid for the majority of that, the rest was just smart money spending and allocation. Discover is KILLING us in interest (its adding on almost $400 a month at this point). We still need to contact the companies and see about lowering the interest rates. We also got a BT offer with 0% 21-month terms- looking into that. We will continue to hammer that Quicksilver balance since it's so close to being paid off now. I've already picked up 4 sub jobs for January, so I anticipate being able to snag quite a few more as teachers start to use their PTO after the holidays. I've also been donating plasma when I can make it to the donation center- I earn $100 a visit, that's more than I make in a day subbing and it only takes 45 minutes. It won't bring in a ton, but I am about to do our big new year purge throughout the house. I plan to list it all on FB to see what I can earn, with all money going towards the race. We've still got a long way to go, but I am definitely beginning to breathe a little easier.
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Post by nikiz628 on Dec 26, 2022 17:37:07 GMT -5
Just received notification of my updated pension and disability payments. They're each going up more than $100 for a total increase of $326 each month. Definitely excellent news. Now that's the kind of increase we want to see lol
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Post by nikiz628 on Nov 29, 2022 14:31:35 GMT -5
nikiz628 - Weird. I don't see it in my outbox either, so I must've messed up sending. I just said the master spreadsheet shows that you won your race #3 in 2019, it was ~$1500. So just want to confirm you want the new/combined race to be another race #3, or race #6. Just let me know. Oh haha! Just tell me what number it SHOULD be and I will change it!
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