My sister has a different outlook on life than I do. Sometimes I'm surprised at her spendy-ness (what's the opposite of thrifty-ness?). She has always liked the finer artsy things in life, good thing she has a high paying job to support it. A quick recap of our facebook emails:
Me: hey - My friends are getting married in Vegas in December. I am booking flights and hotels. Would you guys be interested in going? Splitting a hotel room?
Is mom or dad part of their loyalty program? Do you get promotional mail sent to your house?
I am planning to go to Peru or Colombia at the end of the year or possibly over MLK holiday week in Jan.
Sister: i've always wanted to go to peru and bolivia! and i can't find the people or the right time! I would go in jan cause it's after our rush season.
i'm still confused how you have money for these trips...
Me: I don't buy clothes. I don't buy housewares. I don't buy books, I borrow from the library. I don't rent movies, I illegally download them. I bought only used furniture off craigslist when I moved in. I cook dinner at home Sunday through Thursday. Yesterday I took left over food from an office meeting home and ate it for dinner. I don't pay for yoga or gyms, I volunteer for free classes. I don't spend free time "shopping".
Also, boyfriend pays for 1/2 the meals we eat out. Boyfriend pays me some rent and electricity bill. He has a car that's paid for and drives me around. We alternate paying for groceries. He has two jobs. I work extra jobs periodically on the weekend, mornings, or evenings. I sell stuff I no long use on Craigslist, like coats or old ipods. I send my clothes to consignment stores.
When I (boyfriend too, so "we") travel, we do it cheap. We stay in hostels, I find great flight deals, etc.......
so it's not that surprising.
Sister: yes, but all of that can equal a $1500 flight to Peru? That's the minimum I've seen no matter what time of year you go. Plus you're not getting paid during your trip.
Me: I do get paid during my trip. I have 3 weeks of vacation time. I know 2 weeks paid vacation time is pretty normal.
Think about it this way:
$50 used tempurpedic mattress from craigslist vs. $350 new mattress from ikea = $300 SAVED
Eating out 1 less meal a week, let's say the average meal is $20 (yes, DC is expensive), and let's say you do this for 2 months = $160 SAVED
I work one weekend (14 hours total) as a food sampler at costco = $350 MADE
Wearing a dress borrowed from a friend for my office's formal dinner = $50 SAVED
Boyfriend and I decide not to go to 1 music concert = $100 SAVED
These 5 decisions/actions above save me almost $1,000 right there.
Plus - I just found airfare to Lima, Peru for $834 dollars. It's for the week in January that has Marting Luther King Jr. holiday. I just saved $650 dollars from what you were expecting to pay.
There are certainly ways to travel for cheap. Consult with a cheap-o like me!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Looking towards the rest of the year
There are several costly adventures/expenditures I had planned for the rest of the year. But as usual I have to bring myself down from the clouds and reassess the financial situation.
Trips for the year:
February - NYC
May - West Virginia
July - Montreal
August - Cape May
August - San Francisco
December - Las Vegas (? trip in question)
December - Colombia/Costa Rica (? trip in question)
Other:
$900 property tax payment (sux!)
$2,500 yoga teacher training
Electronic items:
new laptop (my laptop is still alive from 2002!)
new cell phone (I am using phone from 2004!)
So you can tell that electronics are not my priority. I am going to hold off on the laptop and cell phone until next year. Next on my chopping block - travel in December. My very good friends are getting married in Vegas. It wouldn't be too expensive - the flights and the hotel would be the biggest expenses. Now, South America is another story. It will be a much longer and expensive trip. I don't know what to do - I will continue researching fares. Now I really want to do yoga teacher training but of course that has to be the most expensive. Blah - now i have to scrap up property tax money.
Trips for the year:
February - NYC
May - West Virginia
July - Montreal
August - Cape May
August - San Francisco
December - Las Vegas (? trip in question)
December - Colombia/Costa Rica (? trip in question)
Other:
$900 property tax payment (sux!)
$2,500 yoga teacher training
Electronic items:
new laptop (my laptop is still alive from 2002!)
new cell phone (I am using phone from 2004!)
So you can tell that electronics are not my priority. I am going to hold off on the laptop and cell phone until next year. Next on my chopping block - travel in December. My very good friends are getting married in Vegas. It wouldn't be too expensive - the flights and the hotel would be the biggest expenses. Now, South America is another story. It will be a much longer and expensive trip. I don't know what to do - I will continue researching fares. Now I really want to do yoga teacher training but of course that has to be the most expensive. Blah - now i have to scrap up property tax money.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
We return to the regularly scheduled broadcast
I have been away from blogging - sorry! I have been working on a national fuel efficiency campaign for work. Hopefully some of the 240 million (!) drivers in American will be empowered to save money on gas (short term goal) and take simple steps to support clean air and a healthy environment for their children and grandchildren (long term goal). The campaign is comprehensive - There's a website, radio public service announcements, billboards, podcasts, and 2 million cards printed with money-saving tips.
Drive $marter Challenge - keep in mind, these tips are suppose to be simple steps, not rocket science.
Gas Myths Page
Gas Saving Online Resources
Take the Challenge here
It's so encouraging to see that people who have taken the Challenge have pledged to save $13 million in gas expenses and have saved 40 metric tons of CO2 from polluting the air.
More updates to come...
Drive $marter Challenge - keep in mind, these tips are suppose to be simple steps, not rocket science.
Gas Myths Page
Gas Saving Online Resources
Take the Challenge here
It's so encouraging to see that people who have taken the Challenge have pledged to save $13 million in gas expenses and have saved 40 metric tons of CO2 from polluting the air.
More updates to come...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Doing OK according to...
CNN net worth comparison calculator!
My Net worth is approximately $162k.
Apparently people my age have
The statistics are not very surprising, but what surprises me is how far above these numbers I am. I guess the people I hang with could be high rollers, so I don't really see the $400 net worth people. But regardless, this just emphasizes to me the importance of being financially responsible and appreciating the resources and opportunities my parents gave me.
My Net worth is approximately $162k.
Apparently people my age have
The statistics are not very surprising, but what surprises me is how far above these numbers I am. I guess the people I hang with could be high rollers, so I don't really see the $400 net worth people. But regardless, this just emphasizes to me the importance of being financially responsible and appreciating the resources and opportunities my parents gave me.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Ethics and money making
J at Budgets are Sexy wrote on Monday about his conscience and saving money at the gas pump. Making money and ethics was on my mind this week because I had won several tickets to the 5th Annual Congressional Blues Festival at Kennedy Center. I won them for free in a raffle and asked my musically inclined friends if they wanted to go, but alas one had class, etc. etc... I decided to sell them, but had hestiations.
The festival is a lobbying event for a non-profit that aids Blues musicians. They get corporate sponsors to pay for the event, but also sold tickets to the event for $35. In addition, they had a random lottery that awarded (i don't know how many) tickets. In an email - they did mention that more than 6,000 people were in the lottery. Anyways - if you were in this position would you sell the tickets? for how much?
I think selling tickets for more than face-value is illegal (i really have no clue about legal stuff). I don't know how that applies to a ticket I received for free, but has a value of $35. I sold the tickets for 10 bucks each and was thanked by the buyers for not inflating the price. But still - I almost have an inkling to donate the money I made from those tickets to the music makers foundation. Thoughts?
The festival is a lobbying event for a non-profit that aids Blues musicians. They get corporate sponsors to pay for the event, but also sold tickets to the event for $35. In addition, they had a random lottery that awarded (i don't know how many) tickets. In an email - they did mention that more than 6,000 people were in the lottery. Anyways - if you were in this position would you sell the tickets? for how much?
I think selling tickets for more than face-value is illegal (i really have no clue about legal stuff). I don't know how that applies to a ticket I received for free, but has a value of $35. I sold the tickets for 10 bucks each and was thanked by the buyers for not inflating the price. But still - I almost have an inkling to donate the money I made from those tickets to the music makers foundation. Thoughts?
Monday, April 21, 2008
New Net Worth
CD: $10, 653
401k: $3,531
Savings: $1,000
Checking: $182
Condo: $374,000
Total Assets: $389,366
Total Liabilities: $227,175.34 mortgage
Networth is: $162,191
According to ehow, a CNN Money calculator from 2004, and James at DINKS (dual income no kids) finances...I was calculating my net worth incorrectly. I added my condo's value according to the tax assessor.
401k: $3,531
Savings: $1,000
Checking: $182
Condo: $374,000
Total Assets: $389,366
Total Liabilities: $227,175.34 mortgage
Networth is: $162,191
According to ehow, a CNN Money calculator from 2004, and James at DINKS (dual income no kids) finances...I was calculating my net worth incorrectly. I added my condo's value according to the tax assessor.
Eating Out (aka: my financial downfall)
After tracking my dinner spending habits for the past month, I found that I cooked dinner 14 out of 30 days. This is vastly superior to 2 years ago when I ate out almost exclusively. (It did suck after a while.)
The good news: I have more or less achieved my goal of cooking dinner at home three times a week.
I still want to cut down on eating out. Or at least at expensive restaurants in my neighborhood. I have been able to trade eating dinner out on Saturdays for eating brunch instead. I'm assuming it's cheaper. Another incentive for the switch is that I can get out of bed late and famished and be able to cross the street for a great brunch - instead of making breakfast, washing pans, and having bacon smoke infused into my hair! I tend to cook on the weekends because I have ample time to defrost, marinate, and prepare ingredients.
How do I determine my next goal? I am analyzing the past month's cooking data...
I cooked 46% of dinners.
Dinners cooked sorted by day:
Sunday - 3 dinners
Monday - 3 dinners
Tuesday - 1 dinners
Wednesday 2 dinners
Thursday - 2 dinners
Friday - 0 dinners
Meals that are tough to cook:
1. Wednesday night dinner - I volunteer on Wednesday nights, so I can't cook, and I doubt bf will. Unless, I can persaude him to...Dinner most likely will be something easy to prepare (pasta). We usually get very excellent Indian takeout for $9.
2. Sunday Brunch - I adore. I know making brunch is possible, but I wake up at noon - I don't think any of the breakfast-y things I make would cover breakfast and lunch. Hmm....maybe an every-other-week agreement should be made here.
3. Friday night dinner - I'm always itching to get out of the office and do something to kick off the weekend right.
Even with just those 2 meals a week plus 2 brunches a month - I'd be eating out 10 times a month! Which is better than 16, but still A LOT. I think this might be a good goal to work on, it will reduce my dining out to 33% instead of 53%.
I'm sorry to say, I haven't recorded my lunch eating expenditures. I don't think I will start marking my calendar, but I will aim for brining lunch 3 times a week. I would estimate that right now I bring or get free lunch from work 1 day a week.
For the next 30 days, I will go out to dinner 10 times or less. Going from 16 dinners out to 10 dinners shouldn't be hard (crosses fingers)- it's only 6 meals. And while I'm putting all my thoughts on this blog, I might as well throw in that I have a built-in "cheat" for this month. I am going home for a few days and know I won't pay for meals.
The good news: I have more or less achieved my goal of cooking dinner at home three times a week.
I still want to cut down on eating out. Or at least at expensive restaurants in my neighborhood. I have been able to trade eating dinner out on Saturdays for eating brunch instead. I'm assuming it's cheaper. Another incentive for the switch is that I can get out of bed late and famished and be able to cross the street for a great brunch - instead of making breakfast, washing pans, and having bacon smoke infused into my hair! I tend to cook on the weekends because I have ample time to defrost, marinate, and prepare ingredients.
How do I determine my next goal? I am analyzing the past month's cooking data...
I cooked 46% of dinners.
Dinners cooked sorted by day:
Sunday - 3 dinners
Monday - 3 dinners
Tuesday - 1 dinners
Wednesday 2 dinners
Thursday - 2 dinners
Friday - 0 dinners
Meals that are tough to cook:
1. Wednesday night dinner - I volunteer on Wednesday nights, so I can't cook, and I doubt bf will. Unless, I can persaude him to...Dinner most likely will be something easy to prepare (pasta). We usually get very excellent Indian takeout for $9.
2. Sunday Brunch - I adore. I know making brunch is possible, but I wake up at noon - I don't think any of the breakfast-y things I make would cover breakfast and lunch. Hmm....maybe an every-other-week agreement should be made here.
3. Friday night dinner - I'm always itching to get out of the office and do something to kick off the weekend right.
Even with just those 2 meals a week plus 2 brunches a month - I'd be eating out 10 times a month! Which is better than 16, but still A LOT. I think this might be a good goal to work on, it will reduce my dining out to 33% instead of 53%.
I'm sorry to say, I haven't recorded my lunch eating expenditures. I don't think I will start marking my calendar, but I will aim for brining lunch 3 times a week. I would estimate that right now I bring or get free lunch from work 1 day a week.
For the next 30 days, I will go out to dinner 10 times or less. Going from 16 dinners out to 10 dinners shouldn't be hard (crosses fingers)- it's only 6 meals. And while I'm putting all my thoughts on this blog, I might as well throw in that I have a built-in "cheat" for this month. I am going home for a few days and know I won't pay for meals.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
One Year Ago....
I was looking at old posts on my blog and saw that one year ago I was blogging about my networth. So today, I will calculate a new networth. (Whooohooo, my boss said I could leave early from work today!)
CD: $10, 653
401k: $3,531
Savings: $1,000
Checking: $182
Total Assets: $15,366
Total Liabilities: $227,175.34 mortagage
Networth is: -$211, 809.34
Not much difference, eh?
CD: $10, 653
401k: $3,531
Savings: $1,000
Checking: $182
Total Assets: $15,366
Total Liabilities: $227,175.34 mortagage
Networth is: -$211, 809.34
Not much difference, eh?
Friday, April 11, 2008
Everyone Dies Alone
I regularly read well-heeled girl's blog. She recently wrote about being a 20-something year old and facing challenges, expectations, and questions about what the future may hold. Many commenters chimed in with their experiences feeling alone, wanting to stay on the academic path by enrolling for advanced degrees, and being uncertain about the future. Read it here.
(this was originally a blog comment, but it got long and mean, so it didn't quite fit in with the other comments.)
Yes - I feel overwhelmed and lonely sometimes with lots of questions about the future...
But these feelings aren't specific to Gen Y-ers, all young people in all eras have felt this way. I feel like articles that people write to define/compartmentalize/generalize young people are counter productive to actually -living life-. I do appreciate knowing that other people get down sometimes just like I do, but I don't like articles summing up generations because that feeds into "our" expectations.
For example, Meg commented on Well Heeled girl's entry that she was taught her whole life should be directed towards college...but where did this expectation come from? I know parents and role models are a huge factor, but I also think these articles and books are detrimental because they help reinforce "societal norms" like going to college (or being stick thin, or being heterosexual, etc). I often wonder what my life would be like on a remote island without all the social conditioning and definitions of "success" that mainstream media [read: advertisers] drown me in.
Anyways, getting into a great college and graduating is a short-term goal that is very helpful in life, but is just a means to the end. I had a blast in college - I met people, partied, learned stuff, and graduated with a double major in 3 years. But now I'm finished with that, I'm on to something new, I would hate to be stagnant and perpetually stuck with my 18-year old mindset. Looking to the future, I know that getting married, having kids, and living in my dream house aren't necessary for me to be happy. I'm weary of people who "always knew I wanted 2 girls and 1 boy".... because I wonder: you are going to shape your life around an idea you had when you were 8? I liked eating crayons when I was 8. C'mon!
Instead of looking outwardly into the world to see what options and paths are offered to me for a "happy" and a "fulfilling" life, maybe in being introspective and honest with myself, I can find my own path to happiness. I doubt there's a cookie cutter template of happiness for all people. I liked how Well Heeled girl has planned action-oriented steps and that she knows sad feelings are normal and mandatory in life. For a control freak like me, it helps to remind myself that I can't control what happens at the office, in the world, or how other people act/think, but I can temper my own thoughts and change my perspective (think positive). Also, it helps me to know that I am the one who decides when I'm at peace with something and I can take as much or as little time as I want.
For example, in the pf blogosphere - people routinely change their perspective to get out of debt. Instead of thinking that shopping or material things providing happiness and relief, people re-frame their thoughts to see that paying off credit card debt and watching their account balance numbers go up each month actually provides more happiness.
So in the quarter-life crisis context, instead of seeing a lonely/confusing time, I really do see being young as a precious time that should be enjoyed to the fullest and the height of opportunities and possibilities. It's great!
Here's a tidbit - an excerpt from the "quarter life crisis" wikipedia entry -
Characteristics of quarter-life crisis may include:
* feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at one's academic/intellectual level
* frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career
* confusion of identity
* insecurity regarding the near future
* insecurity concerning long-term plans, life goals
* insecurity regarding present accomplishments
* re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
* disappointment with one's job
* nostalgia for university, college, high school or elementary school life
* tendency to hold stronger opinions
* boredom with social interactions
* loss of closeness to high school and college friends
* financially-rooted stress (overwhelming college loans, unanticipatedly high cost of living, etc.)
* loneliness
* desire to have children
* a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you
I wanted to add a botched Tony Robbins quote:
"Fear is a better motivator than desire, attractions, or potential rewards could ever be."
(this was originally a blog comment, but it got long and mean, so it didn't quite fit in with the other comments.)
Yes - I feel overwhelmed and lonely sometimes with lots of questions about the future...
But these feelings aren't specific to Gen Y-ers, all young people in all eras have felt this way. I feel like articles that people write to define/compartmentalize/generalize young people are counter productive to actually -living life-. I do appreciate knowing that other people get down sometimes just like I do, but I don't like articles summing up generations because that feeds into "our" expectations.
For example, Meg commented on Well Heeled girl's entry that she was taught her whole life should be directed towards college...but where did this expectation come from? I know parents and role models are a huge factor, but I also think these articles and books are detrimental because they help reinforce "societal norms" like going to college (or being stick thin, or being heterosexual, etc). I often wonder what my life would be like on a remote island without all the social conditioning and definitions of "success" that mainstream media [read: advertisers] drown me in.
Anyways, getting into a great college and graduating is a short-term goal that is very helpful in life, but is just a means to the end. I had a blast in college - I met people, partied, learned stuff, and graduated with a double major in 3 years. But now I'm finished with that, I'm on to something new, I would hate to be stagnant and perpetually stuck with my 18-year old mindset. Looking to the future, I know that getting married, having kids, and living in my dream house aren't necessary for me to be happy. I'm weary of people who "always knew I wanted 2 girls and 1 boy".... because I wonder: you are going to shape your life around an idea you had when you were 8? I liked eating crayons when I was 8. C'mon!
Instead of looking outwardly into the world to see what options and paths are offered to me for a "happy" and a "fulfilling" life, maybe in being introspective and honest with myself, I can find my own path to happiness. I doubt there's a cookie cutter template of happiness for all people. I liked how Well Heeled girl has planned action-oriented steps and that she knows sad feelings are normal and mandatory in life. For a control freak like me, it helps to remind myself that I can't control what happens at the office, in the world, or how other people act/think, but I can temper my own thoughts and change my perspective (think positive). Also, it helps me to know that I am the one who decides when I'm at peace with something and I can take as much or as little time as I want.
For example, in the pf blogosphere - people routinely change their perspective to get out of debt. Instead of thinking that shopping or material things providing happiness and relief, people re-frame their thoughts to see that paying off credit card debt and watching their account balance numbers go up each month actually provides more happiness.
So in the quarter-life crisis context, instead of seeing a lonely/confusing time, I really do see being young as a precious time that should be enjoyed to the fullest and the height of opportunities and possibilities. It's great!
Here's a tidbit - an excerpt from the "quarter life crisis" wikipedia entry -
Characteristics of quarter-life crisis may include:
* feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at one's academic/intellectual level
* frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career
* confusion of identity
* insecurity regarding the near future
* insecurity concerning long-term plans, life goals
* insecurity regarding present accomplishments
* re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
* disappointment with one's job
* nostalgia for university, college, high school or elementary school life
* tendency to hold stronger opinions
* boredom with social interactions
* loss of closeness to high school and college friends
* financially-rooted stress (overwhelming college loans, unanticipatedly high cost of living, etc.)
* loneliness
* desire to have children
* a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you
I wanted to add a botched Tony Robbins quote:
"Fear is a better motivator than desire, attractions, or potential rewards could ever be."
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Risky?
I opened a money market account today w/ Indy Mac bank. Bankrate.com gave the bank a low rating for on their "Safe and Sound" index. From the website:
Hmm - Indy Mac Bank of Pasadena only got 1 star. Should I be worried? Big financial institutions like Countrywide didn't even have a rating, so I'm not sure how accurate/updated this rating system is. I had pared down my choices for my $1,000 to either a 3 star rated bank with an interest rate of 3.59 or Indy Mac with a 3.97 rate.
I figure both are FDIC insured and went with Indy Mac. My only other thought on the matter is - WOW, interest rates suck now!
| Bankrate.com's Safe & Sound Capitalization, Asset quality, Earnings and Liquidity (CAEL)® is a proprietary, analytical product that assesses the financial condition of banks, thrifts and credit unions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disclaimer: This information is believed to be reliable, but the information is not guaranteed. In addition, events since the information was collected may have altered an institution's financial condition. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To learn more We believe that many banking consumers consider a bank's financial stability to be pertinent to their banking decisions. Bankrate.com's Safe & Sound CAEL rating feature is an independent resource to assist consumers in those banking decisions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hmm - Indy Mac Bank of Pasadena only got 1 star. Should I be worried? Big financial institutions like Countrywide didn't even have a rating, so I'm not sure how accurate/updated this rating system is. I had pared down my choices for my $1,000 to either a 3 star rated bank with an interest rate of 3.59 or Indy Mac with a 3.97 rate.
I figure both are FDIC insured and went with Indy Mac. My only other thought on the matter is - WOW, interest rates suck now!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Who the what where???
My online checking account recorded $4,547.64 spent in March. Here's the breakdown:
Housing - $2,627
$1378 - Monthly mortgage payment
$848 - Bi-annual property tax payment
$401 - Monthly condo fee
Bills - $401.62
$46.38 - Monthly cable internet bill
$46.73 - Monthly cell phone bill
$158.51 - 2 months worth of electricity bill
$150 - Extra credit card payment
Food - $533
$320 - 7 Dinners/Brunches including one zip car rental ($45 average)
$123 - 16 Lunches ($7 average)
$90 - Groceries
Nightlife - $254
$189 - Theater, Concert, Convention
$64 - Bars (6 outings - I don't drink much, can you tell?)
"Other" - $489
This category sucks, I have barely any information on where this money went.
$140 - Green recreation
$60 - Bank fees
$60 - Shopping (clothing, toys, bed/bath/beyond)
$220 - ATM withdrawls (????)
That totals: $4304. So there is $243 NOT ACCOUNTED FOR??? Ooh wait. I spent $220 on airplane tickets and bought yoga pants for $23, then returned them.
The most unnecessary expense is taking cabs. I am horrible about this. I always take cabs - probably once a week to work and once a week to yoga. I'm trying to cut back. I suspect cabs are where a good chunk of money went to from the ATM withdrawals section because cabs only take cash. D'oh - I want to say when the weather turns better, I won't spend as much on cabs, but really I don't even need to take cabs now!
I have a new budget planned out on mint.com for April. I am excited it's a new month so I can test my budgeting abilities.
Housing - $2,627
$1378 - Monthly mortgage payment
$848 - Bi-annual property tax payment
$401 - Monthly condo fee
Bills - $401.62
$46.38 - Monthly cable internet bill
$46.73 - Monthly cell phone bill
$158.51 - 2 months worth of electricity bill
$150 - Extra credit card payment
Food - $533
$320 - 7 Dinners/Brunches including one zip car rental ($45 average)
$123 - 16 Lunches ($7 average)
$90 - Groceries
Nightlife - $254
$189 - Theater, Concert, Convention
$64 - Bars (6 outings - I don't drink much, can you tell?)
"Other" - $489
This category sucks, I have barely any information on where this money went.
$140 - Green recreation
$60 - Bank fees
$60 - Shopping (clothing, toys, bed/bath/beyond)
$220 - ATM withdrawls (????)
That totals: $4304. So there is $243 NOT ACCOUNTED FOR??? Ooh wait. I spent $220 on airplane tickets and bought yoga pants for $23, then returned them.
The most unnecessary expense is taking cabs. I am horrible about this. I always take cabs - probably once a week to work and once a week to yoga. I'm trying to cut back. I suspect cabs are where a good chunk of money went to from the ATM withdrawals section because cabs only take cash. D'oh - I want to say when the weather turns better, I won't spend as much on cabs, but really I don't even need to take cabs now!
I have a new budget planned out on mint.com for April. I am excited it's a new month so I can test my budgeting abilities.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
$2.61 Bar Tab and Dinner for...?
I was surprised to see my Friday happy hour bill to be $2.61! Food and drinks were 1/2 off at The Sign of the Whale bar/pub downtown. I had an Old Domion beer (my new favorite, replacing Blue Moon) and 8 chicken wings. They were giving away free shots, but nothing I would ever drink. Otherwise good times on the cheap!
I made dinner last night and while i'm sure it was cheaper than eating out at a restaurant - i'm not sure it was cheaper than very tasty indian/pakistani takeout next door. The lamb kebab and fish kebab dishes are $9.00.
$5 beef (shank instead of flank strips, but at $3.99 a lb instead of 5.99 a lb, i can cut it up, no problem)
$.79 tortillas
$2.99 cheese (big block, because i don't pay for someone else to shred my cheese!)
$.32 Jalapeno
$1.50 sour cream
$2.00 plantains
Onion
potato
seasonings
Total: 12.60 (divided by 2 people = 6.30)
So I guess it was cheaper - plus going to the grocery store once forces me to buy other dinner foods that will keep me from eating out.
I made dinner last night and while i'm sure it was cheaper than eating out at a restaurant - i'm not sure it was cheaper than very tasty indian/pakistani takeout next door. The lamb kebab and fish kebab dishes are $9.00.
$5 beef (shank instead of flank strips, but at $3.99 a lb instead of 5.99 a lb, i can cut it up, no problem)
$.79 tortillas
$2.99 cheese (big block, because i don't pay for someone else to shred my cheese!)
$.32 Jalapeno
$1.50 sour cream
$2.00 plantains
Onion
potato
seasonings
Total: 12.60 (divided by 2 people = 6.30)
So I guess it was cheaper - plus going to the grocery store once forces me to buy other dinner foods that will keep me from eating out.
Money motivates more than disease?
I was reading articles on the personal finance section of CNN money.com and I found a story that described how money motivates people more than their own health. Is money really that powerful?
There are some disclaimers though - this contest probably provided the employee with better team support and structured program to loose weight which had to help. It's interesting how people are taking better care of themselves now, not because they want to stay alive or be sexy, but to save money on healthcare costs.
"Jeff Erb of St. Louis used to weigh 288 pounds. His cholesterol was climbing. He took high-blood-pressure medication and suffered heart palpitations. In January 2007, Erb's company, the online brokerage house Scottrade, launched a Biggest Loser-style contest for its employees.
"I didn't think I would be able to do it," says Erb, who is 26. "I have been big since I was five years old." But motivated by a chance to win extra vacation days and money, he started watching his portions and hit the gym three days a week for 45-minute cardio sessions. A year later, Erb has lost a whopping 114 pounds. His team came in second and he won $250. But more important, that list of medical problems has disappeared."
There are some disclaimers though - this contest probably provided the employee with better team support and structured program to loose weight which had to help. It's interesting how people are taking better care of themselves now, not because they want to stay alive or be sexy, but to save money on healthcare costs.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Travel Deals
I love to travel. I am also embarrassed to admit I love to bargain hunt. (I love to root around in a Value-Village for great finds.)
(love for traveling) + (love to bargain hunt) X internet resources = me spending a lot of time online to get great deals.
Anyways, I just got tickets to go to California for $218 rt including taxes and fees. Both flights are non-stop which is usually a huge upcharge on coast to coast flights. I've seen Kansas city and houston airports TOO many times. I earned some frequent flyer points and got my preferred flight times. Of course the main reasons I got cheap tickets was because I booked in advance. One and a half months to be exact.
(love for traveling) + (love to bargain hunt) X internet resources = me spending a lot of time online to get great deals.
Anyways, I just got tickets to go to California for $218 rt including taxes and fees. Both flights are non-stop which is usually a huge upcharge on coast to coast flights. I've seen Kansas city and houston airports TOO many times. I earned some frequent flyer points and got my preferred flight times. Of course the main reasons I got cheap tickets was because I booked in advance. One and a half months to be exact.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Is a tax refund a windfall?
From Investorwords.com
Definition
Money received which was not expected and not a direct result of something the recipient did.
So - The answer is no. But...I still messed up some pretty nice lump cash sums in the last year.
$1,000 (From my Grandparents for furniture)
$800 (for a "plasma"/"flat screen"/"HD" TV or whatever shiny new tech toy is out there from my mother. Funny thing is - I don't even WANT a TV.)
$300 (Chinese New Years red envelope money from G-parents)
$1,000 (2006 tax refund)
Of the $3,100 in unexpected cash - I saved exactly ....zip-zero! And I feel like the biggest ass ever.
So one of my 2008 goals is to save $5,000 for a savings account. This is more than 10% of my salary.
Good thing my tax preparer e-filed today and said to expect $2,417.
The remaining amount to my savings account goal would be $2,583.
Divide that by the 9 months left in the year - and I should be saving about $300 a month.
$150 a paycheck. That sounds more do-able. $150 is about comparable to 3 nice dinners for bf and I.
I am going to stick to it. Seriously....
Definition
Money received which was not expected and not a direct result of something the recipient did.
So - The answer is no. But...I still messed up some pretty nice lump cash sums in the last year.
$1,000 (From my Grandparents for furniture)
$800 (for a "plasma"/"flat screen"/"HD" TV or whatever shiny new tech toy is out there from my mother. Funny thing is - I don't even WANT a TV.)
$300 (Chinese New Years red envelope money from G-parents)
$1,000 (2006 tax refund)
Of the $3,100 in unexpected cash - I saved exactly ....zip-zero! And I feel like the biggest ass ever.
So one of my 2008 goals is to save $5,000 for a savings account. This is more than 10% of my salary.
Good thing my tax preparer e-filed today and said to expect $2,417.
The remaining amount to my savings account goal would be $2,583.
Divide that by the 9 months left in the year - and I should be saving about $300 a month.
$150 a paycheck. That sounds more do-able. $150 is about comparable to 3 nice dinners for bf and I.
I am going to stick to it. Seriously....
Family Help
My dad's paying my property taxes for the first half of the year. He offered, I didn't want to ask him. I wasn't going to ask him, I was saving up for that expense. Anyways, I accepted his help.
What's odd is that the property tax rate went down. I've never seen a tax decrease before. This is shocking! It moved from .88% to .85%.
What's more odd.....
Day 1: My dad asks how much my property tax is.
Day 2: My sister writes an email (in a mentoring, not bragging tone) about her big bonus and raise.
Day 3: I get a random voicemail from my sister offering to pay my property taxes.
Fishy? I know my dad asked my older sister to help pay my property taxes. I'm sure I don't want my sister to feel like she should have to offer to help. But I'm not sure I like how my dad is viewing our "family" finances. I guess he's all about pooling money together to help each other...good thing i'm on the low end of this financial totem pole, but what does he expect later down the line from his kids???
What's odd is that the property tax rate went down. I've never seen a tax decrease before. This is shocking! It moved from .88% to .85%.
What's more odd.....
Day 1: My dad asks how much my property tax is.
Day 2: My sister writes an email (in a mentoring, not bragging tone) about her big bonus and raise.
Day 3: I get a random voicemail from my sister offering to pay my property taxes.
Fishy? I know my dad asked my older sister to help pay my property taxes. I'm sure I don't want my sister to feel like she should have to offer to help. But I'm not sure I like how my dad is viewing our "family" finances. I guess he's all about pooling money together to help each other...good thing i'm on the low end of this financial totem pole, but what does he expect later down the line from his kids???
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A Few Travel Run Downs
2006
Thailand - two weeks
$725 for round-trip flight (LAX to Bangkok w/ stop in Taipei)
$150 rt flight (Bangkok to Phucket)
$1,000 spending cash (paid for boat travel, ATV excursion, hostels, clubs, etc.).
Because I backpacked and stayed in hostels for half the trip I saved a lot of cash. I traveled with a Thai friend of mine and stayed with her family for 3 nights while in Bangkok, so that helped tremendously. I didn't buy any souvenirs except for a $7.93 purse. Honestly, the tourist trinkets were cheap and gaudy. I understand a lot of people go to Thailand for knock-off Von Dutch clothing or Pumas, but I'm not the type to wear that ever. I did however spend between $100-$150 on thai massages! I can rationalize the massages since I'm into alternative/holistic wellness, but I regret buying so many books at airports and in Thailand. The boredom on 16 hour trans-pacific flights coupled with my idea of paradise includes reading on the beach until noon, results in spending $50 on magazines and books. Since I couldn't carry around heavy books while backpacking all over, I donated them to bookstores who were devastated by the tsunami.
2007
Switzerland - 2 days
$49 bucks for 2 nights in dorm.
$50 for entertainment stuff (cigarettes, clubbing, food)
$12 train from airport to Montreux
I stayed with my sister who was a part of a study abroad program. I was planning on just informally joining her, but the school found out and charged me $49 USD. Not a huge amount, but this charge wasn't intended. Ohhh....wait! I just remembered I ate 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners in the school's cafeteria. Lake Geneva is gorgeous. Also Montreux Jazz festival had free concerts outdoors that we attended.
Italy - 1 day
$30 train to Locarno, Switzerland
$40 bus to Milan
$150 taxi*
$100 hotel*
$80 dinner*
*prices are for 2 people
This day was pretty much a debacle. Besides seeing the beautiful alps and visiting a gorgeous rambling monastery on Lake Maggiore, I messed up this day. Our (sister and I) goal was to get to Milan to catch a flight, but we decided to stop in Locarno, where they had this famous bridge where you could bungee jump. The jump was apparently in a newer James Bond movie. I didn't call ahead and we couldn't make a reservation. Worse than that, we missed out bus to Milan. Then we pretty much got conned into a taxi (language problem) who drove us a good distance (maybe 25 miles) to get us caught up to the bus. At least, the bus still had an hour to drive, but I got into a argument with the driver. Since we had a plane to catch, we had to catch that bus or else stand to lose plane tickets.
We got a hotel near the airport and ate dinner. Since neither of us were going to be in Italy, this was our chance to eat Italian. Capers, swordfish, pasta, and carpaccio - it was delicious. My sister and I are complete. total. utter. foodies and our expectations are pretty high - so it was perfect to end this day with a yummy dinner.
Morocco
$120 hostel* (for 4 nights)
$200 food*
$60 Hamman*
$120 excursion to ben-ait-haddou & telouet*
*prices for 2 people
We met another American (recent college grad) at the airport upon landing and split a cab with him to his hotel. We clicked and bonded (he was traveling alone) - so my sister and I took up his offer of staying with him at the Marrakech Four Seasons. We used the pool the next moring and bought him breakfast. All 3 of us hung out for several days. We found a traditional Morroccan bed and breakfast and stayed there for $30 bucks a night. We saved by taking the rooms on the roof which are usually very hot (Morocco in July, think about it) and noisy (right behind the kitchen). But the 12 ft. by 12 ft room had air-conditioning, two twin beds, and a private bathroom, what more can you ask for? The excursion to the Atlas mountains was awesome and for a 12 hour trip, $60 was super cheap.
Greece - backpacking alone
$150 plane ticket from Milan to Santorini (easyjet)
$250 hotel rooms (5 nights, didn't have anyone to share w/)
$50 bars/clubs
$100 food
$100 ferry tickets to Paros, Samos, Lesbos, Izmir
Food was less of an expense because I was traveling alone. Food stands and eating grocery store stuff is more condusive to the singleton. I did meet some girls at a bar and we hung out for the night. Later I met 3 Italians (with a rented car) who make a yearly one month trip to Santorini. They drove me to different beaches and showed me the local homey restaurants. Greek yogurt and honey is THE best.
Turkey - backpacking alone
$40 overnight bus from Izmir to Istanbul (not comfortable, but amusing to watch Fast and Furious 2 on the TVs. Very cultural, eh?)
$50 hotel room (1 night - I needed sleep, tv, and a shower)
$52 hostel (4 nights)
$50 food
$15 boat cruise up Bosphorous
$200 hookah
I ate mostly at food stands along the bosphorous and outside the Blue Mosque. My hostel was right behind the Blue Mosque in the older section called Sultanahmet (sp?) I met other young travelers at the hostel which had internet and great advice. Topaki Palace and the big cistern have nominal entrance fees and by traveling myself I could avoid the huge packs of tourists and go at my pace. The most foolish thing I did was buy a hookah, I resisted all the hawking of tourist shit for 4 days, then on the last day I actually bought something. One good decision I made was to not go to a club. I really wanted to check out the scene before I got to Turkey, but after hearing horror stories from other ppl in the hostel and meeting a few Turkish people who regularily went....I decided to pass. (thoughts on this? anyone been to one of those fancy clubs on the water?)
I will post more travel stuff soon.
Thailand - two weeks
$725 for round-trip flight (LAX to Bangkok w/ stop in Taipei)
$150 rt flight (Bangkok to Phucket)
$1,000 spending cash (paid for boat travel, ATV excursion, hostels, clubs, etc.).
Because I backpacked and stayed in hostels for half the trip I saved a lot of cash. I traveled with a Thai friend of mine and stayed with her family for 3 nights while in Bangkok, so that helped tremendously. I didn't buy any souvenirs except for a $7.93 purse. Honestly, the tourist trinkets were cheap and gaudy. I understand a lot of people go to Thailand for knock-off Von Dutch clothing or Pumas, but I'm not the type to wear that ever. I did however spend between $100-$150 on thai massages! I can rationalize the massages since I'm into alternative/holistic wellness, but I regret buying so many books at airports and in Thailand. The boredom on 16 hour trans-pacific flights coupled with my idea of paradise includes reading on the beach until noon, results in spending $50 on magazines and books. Since I couldn't carry around heavy books while backpacking all over, I donated them to bookstores who were devastated by the tsunami.
2007
Switzerland - 2 days
$49 bucks for 2 nights in dorm.
$50 for entertainment stuff (cigarettes, clubbing, food)
$12 train from airport to Montreux
I stayed with my sister who was a part of a study abroad program. I was planning on just informally joining her, but the school found out and charged me $49 USD. Not a huge amount, but this charge wasn't intended. Ohhh....wait! I just remembered I ate 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners in the school's cafeteria. Lake Geneva is gorgeous. Also Montreux Jazz festival had free concerts outdoors that we attended.
Italy - 1 day
$30 train to Locarno, Switzerland
$40 bus to Milan
$150 taxi*
$100 hotel*
$80 dinner*
*prices are for 2 people
This day was pretty much a debacle. Besides seeing the beautiful alps and visiting a gorgeous rambling monastery on Lake Maggiore, I messed up this day. Our (sister and I) goal was to get to Milan to catch a flight, but we decided to stop in Locarno, where they had this famous bridge where you could bungee jump. The jump was apparently in a newer James Bond movie. I didn't call ahead and we couldn't make a reservation. Worse than that, we missed out bus to Milan. Then we pretty much got conned into a taxi (language problem) who drove us a good distance (maybe 25 miles) to get us caught up to the bus. At least, the bus still had an hour to drive, but I got into a argument with the driver. Since we had a plane to catch, we had to catch that bus or else stand to lose plane tickets.
We got a hotel near the airport and ate dinner. Since neither of us were going to be in Italy, this was our chance to eat Italian. Capers, swordfish, pasta, and carpaccio - it was delicious. My sister and I are complete. total. utter. foodies and our expectations are pretty high - so it was perfect to end this day with a yummy dinner.
Morocco
$120 hostel* (for 4 nights)
$200 food*
$60 Hamman*
$120 excursion to ben-ait-haddou & telouet*
*prices for 2 people
We met another American (recent college grad) at the airport upon landing and split a cab with him to his hotel. We clicked and bonded (he was traveling alone) - so my sister and I took up his offer of staying with him at the Marrakech Four Seasons. We used the pool the next moring and bought him breakfast. All 3 of us hung out for several days. We found a traditional Morroccan bed and breakfast and stayed there for $30 bucks a night. We saved by taking the rooms on the roof which are usually very hot (Morocco in July, think about it) and noisy (right behind the kitchen). But the 12 ft. by 12 ft room had air-conditioning, two twin beds, and a private bathroom, what more can you ask for? The excursion to the Atlas mountains was awesome and for a 12 hour trip, $60 was super cheap.
Greece - backpacking alone
$150 plane ticket from Milan to Santorini (easyjet)
$250 hotel rooms (5 nights, didn't have anyone to share w/)
$50 bars/clubs
$100 food
$100 ferry tickets to Paros, Samos, Lesbos, Izmir
Food was less of an expense because I was traveling alone. Food stands and eating grocery store stuff is more condusive to the singleton. I did meet some girls at a bar and we hung out for the night. Later I met 3 Italians (with a rented car) who make a yearly one month trip to Santorini. They drove me to different beaches and showed me the local homey restaurants. Greek yogurt and honey is THE best.
Turkey - backpacking alone
$40 overnight bus from Izmir to Istanbul (not comfortable, but amusing to watch Fast and Furious 2 on the TVs. Very cultural, eh?)
$50 hotel room (1 night - I needed sleep, tv, and a shower)
$52 hostel (4 nights)
$50 food
$15 boat cruise up Bosphorous
$200 hookah
I ate mostly at food stands along the bosphorous and outside the Blue Mosque. My hostel was right behind the Blue Mosque in the older section called Sultanahmet (sp?) I met other young travelers at the hostel which had internet and great advice. Topaki Palace and the big cistern have nominal entrance fees and by traveling myself I could avoid the huge packs of tourists and go at my pace. The most foolish thing I did was buy a hookah, I resisted all the hawking of tourist shit for 4 days, then on the last day I actually bought something. One good decision I made was to not go to a club. I really wanted to check out the scene before I got to Turkey, but after hearing horror stories from other ppl in the hostel and meeting a few Turkish people who regularily went....I decided to pass. (thoughts on this? anyone been to one of those fancy clubs on the water?)
I will post more travel stuff soon.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Tax Time
I am extremely relieved I found an ex-IRS tax auditor who now as a side job during tax season prepares tax returns. We have a meeting set-up this weekend and I am really interested in asking her a bunch of questions. I know she's not going to be there in the capacity of a financial planner, but she was really receptive of the dumb questions I was asking on the phone. I prepared my first tax return ever last year by hand. I am not sure if I did any of it right, mainly because I was mailed an interest tax form and tuition tax form that I never used when inputting numbers into a free filing form that Liberty Tax Service offered.
(Short rant: why the hell does the IRS not offer a free form themselves? Why in the heck does the government funnel taxpayers to H&R Block, Liberty Tax Services websites to be force-fed ads and to be proposition for paid services? Welcome to the United Corporations of America.)
Anyways - I remember getting $800 back for my federal return and $200 back for my district return.
I can't imagine I will be getting back much money this year considering I only worked 8 months last year. I don't remember what I put down on my W-4 either.
Hmm...well, at least I know on Sunday most of this will be over.
(Short rant: why the hell does the IRS not offer a free form themselves? Why in the heck does the government funnel taxpayers to H&R Block, Liberty Tax Services websites to be force-fed ads and to be proposition for paid services? Welcome to the United Corporations of America.)
Anyways - I remember getting $800 back for my federal return and $200 back for my district return.
I can't imagine I will be getting back much money this year considering I only worked 8 months last year. I don't remember what I put down on my W-4 either.
Hmm...well, at least I know on Sunday most of this will be over.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Boyfriend thoughts?
When it comes to my boyfriend and financial issues I generally feel very lucky.
Paying for Dates
I truly believe we do a good job switching between who pays for dinner, movies, etc. There's no system, we don't remember who's turn it is to pay for things and it hasn't become an issue (for me at least, but I haven't heard anything from him).
Dating did increase my expenditures quite a bit though. I think singles activities (clubbing, bar hopping, etc.) are cheaper and often I would get things paid for. Anyways, I think it took us a long time to communicate to each other that saving cash was a priority and that we should spend less. Now I will put words into his mouth, but I think we're both shy people and bringing up the topic of 'lack of money' was difficult. Maybe we're not shy, maybe ----- oh, who am i kidding? I'm just projecting my egotism onto both of us.
Moving In
I asked my bf to move in when his lease was ending at his place. We sorta had a false start at moving in together a year earlier. Anyways, it worked out this time and we've been "cohabiting" for 8 months now. I would say something generic like - "While the experience has had it's bumps here and there, it has made our relationship stronger". But in all reality, there really wasn't any drama.
What do you charge your bf for rent? I pay a mortgage and knew it wasn't fair to split it down the middle. Anyways, I pretty much arbitrarily came up with a number (it's 36% of my mortgage and condo fee) while he was on the phone w/ me and it's worked out ever since.
Future
People in general are bad at gauging what will make them happy in the future, so I try and live in the 'now'. I won't even say anything about -------- or -------- because that's really not what we are about as a couple. I definitely am feeling good that after a few months where both of us were unemployed, we both have full-time jobs w/ benefits now.
Paying for Dates
I truly believe we do a good job switching between who pays for dinner, movies, etc. There's no system, we don't remember who's turn it is to pay for things and it hasn't become an issue (for me at least, but I haven't heard anything from him).
Dating did increase my expenditures quite a bit though. I think singles activities (clubbing, bar hopping, etc.) are cheaper and often I would get things paid for. Anyways, I think it took us a long time to communicate to each other that saving cash was a priority and that we should spend less. Now I will put words into his mouth, but I think we're both shy people and bringing up the topic of 'lack of money' was difficult. Maybe we're not shy, maybe ----- oh, who am i kidding? I'm just projecting my egotism onto both of us.
Moving In
I asked my bf to move in when his lease was ending at his place. We sorta had a false start at moving in together a year earlier. Anyways, it worked out this time and we've been "cohabiting" for 8 months now. I would say something generic like - "While the experience has had it's bumps here and there, it has made our relationship stronger". But in all reality, there really wasn't any drama.
What do you charge your bf for rent? I pay a mortgage and knew it wasn't fair to split it down the middle. Anyways, I pretty much arbitrarily came up with a number (it's 36% of my mortgage and condo fee) while he was on the phone w/ me and it's worked out ever since.
Future
People in general are bad at gauging what will make them happy in the future, so I try and live in the 'now'. I won't even say anything about -------- or -------- because that's really not what we are about as a couple. I definitely am feeling good that after a few months where both of us were unemployed, we both have full-time jobs w/ benefits now.
Credit Scores
Sometime I wonder how much I should disclose on a public blog. I always come to the conclusion that I want to be as specific as I can about my financial situation but shouldn't give too much of my identity away. So in that vein....let me post about my credit score.
Feb. 2007 = 620
Feb. 2008 = 692
I think that's a positive sign. I know the scores go up to 800. So I feel like a 72 point jump in one year is great. Regular on-time payments to my mortgage probably really helped. I didn't have a balance on my credit card for the 8 months out of the year. I'm not sure if getting rid of a car loan that wasn't mine helped or not. But regardless for the time being, I am happy with this for now. These good vibes will motivate me in the future when it's the end of the month a.k.a. bill-paying-time.
Feb. 2007 = 620
Feb. 2008 = 692
I think that's a positive sign. I know the scores go up to 800. So I feel like a 72 point jump in one year is great. Regular on-time payments to my mortgage probably really helped. I didn't have a balance on my credit card for the 8 months out of the year. I'm not sure if getting rid of a car loan that wasn't mine helped or not. But regardless for the time being, I am happy with this for now. These good vibes will motivate me in the future when it's the end of the month a.k.a. bill-paying-time.
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