Reduced my internet and cable bill by $50. 

I initially cancelled my cable years ago; however, when I switched internet provider there was a special for limited cable. Well that special ended and my monthly bill went to $180 ridiculous. 

 Yesterday while calling for my mom, I decided to reduce my bill and had the rep to remove the limited cable service. My new internet bill is $129. My company reimburses me. 

I don’t know why but I feel as though things are going to get a little more expensive. 2025 is the year that I really want my student loans gone and any other debt I owe. I want to bump my savings as well. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

I have so much to be thankful for, thank you gif, for all you have done.

 I pray that your holiday was full of joy, laughter and love. 

It's been a positive week on the financial front. I treated myself to a rare indulgence today, enjoying a delicious pizza for $6.15.

Additionally, I successfully made my last mortgage payment for this year, which is the December payment, providing some peace of mind until January rolls around.

A recent visit to the dentist resulted in a credit applied to my account, which was a pleasant surprise.

In a gesture of goodwill, I found a lost wallet, managed to locate its owner, and returned it. It was a small act, but it brought a sense of happiness/joy my way..

Tomorrow, I have a funeral to attend for a beloved relative of my ex, someone I held in high regard. After the service, I'll be diving into the numbers for October and sharing. Fingers crossed that it's not as bad as I think  

That's all for now, and I look forward to what the future holds.

I've been diligently tracking my student loan, and while the way interest accumulates can be frustrating, I'm making progress.

With an upcoming bonus, I've decided to prioritize paying off my Home Depot debt since the 0% interest period is set to conclude in January 2024. I'll continue allocating any extra funds towards reducing my student loan balance.

On the business front, I've identified two potential new clients. I've already sent a questionnaire to one and an introductory email to the other. I'm hopeful that these opportunities will be new business ventures. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome!

I just came across a post where a mom shared that her mortgage is three months overdue, and she's seeking a remote job. She lost her previous job in January 2022. When someone suggested looking for an office job, she explained that her daughter uses the car for school, cheer practice, and basketball.

I've made my share of financial missteps, but if I were in her shoes with a three-month overdue mortgage, I'd consider finding a way for my kid to get to school for example the school bus if possible, carpool with a friend or I'd drop her off while I search for a job.

I  remember 2008 during the Great Recession when I took a job that paid just a little over $10 an hour to cover my rent, after being laid off, even though it was much less than what I used to earn.

I genuinely hope this woman finds a solution. I'm not judging her choices; we all do what we believe is right. 🙏

The weekend always seems to slip away so quickly; I blinked, and it was already Sunday night.

This weekend was rather packed. I had to travel an hour away for a funeral on Saturday, so I ended up spending most of my day away from home. 

On Sunday, I enjoyed a  half-day of sleep, I guess I was exhausted from the day before. I dedicated some time to inputting receipts into my financial tracking software, prepared a few meals to last the coming days, and finally got my fall decorations in place. I love fall.

 I also looked at a few budgeting items that I want to incorporate for 2024. 

While I'm not particularly eager to head back to work, I am certainly grateful for the opportunity.

Here's to a new week, everyone!

I don’t know where I got mixed up but my software didn’t match the balances of my account and what appeared online. In many cases I had less. It all started when my account was hacked and I had to create a new account using my software and I wasn’t balancing but checking my accounts online. Either way I’m back on track. 

I also started declutterring all the paper I have accumulated over the last couple of years. I’ve scanned and shredded so many items, that I can’t believe I allowed this to get do bad. I decided to do a little at a time so that I’m not overwhelmed.  

I’m just glad to be back on track with things 

Today marked a day of a lesson learned on finances,  I had to call the plumber to fix my garbage disposal, which resulted in a $40 bill for simply pressing the reset button. It turns out, my initial suspicion might have been right, but with an electrical issue and a disposal problem, I felt it was best to call for help. I am still counting today as a no spend day  Lesson learned!

Shifting gears, I managed to squeeze in a workout session, successfully checked off all the tasks on my to-do list, and I'm gradually growing more confident in my role. It's all about balance and progress. 💪🏾💼 

October 1st is here, and I'm absolutely pumped to kickstart this month! Today marks day one of my financial reboot, and guess what? I didn't spend a single cent, not even on that tempting bacon!

As I dive into crunching the numbers, I can see that some spending categories were over the top, while others fell short. It's crystal clear—I need to step up my game.

One thing that's been bothering me is the delay in my student loan payment posting. It's infuriating because that higher balance keeps racking up interest, and the provider seems oblivious to adjusting it. SMH indeed!

Despite lounging in bed for most of the day, I managed to squeeze in a productive 20 minutes on the treadmill.

My goals for October are crystal clear: hydrate more, spend wisely, tackle that student loan balance, save diligently, and, most importantly, find joy in every moment! 🌟💪🏾💧💰

I put my night guard after washing on my nightstand as a reminder to put it in before bed. If I don't do this I won't get up to go to the bathroom to obtain it. Well I thought I had lost it, SMH.

I searched high and low for that thing. Was upset because I thought I would have to buy another, which would be a couple of hundred bucks. 

Well guess what I found it, on the floor. My carpet is white, and the guard is clear. It fell between the bed and nightstand. I found it after week when I was looking for something else  SMH 

lol, unbelievable 

Just spent hours on a spreadsheet that I'm not even sure I did correctly. SMH. 
My mentor/trainer is of no help and it's been a struggle. His/her instructions are never clear and when I try to get clarification it's like pulling teeth.

I am trying not to complain, I am so thankful for this opportunity; however, it's tough and it's a lot to take in. 

Keep me in your prayers. 

I started a new job and role earlier this year and I've struggled. I've been praying that God provide me the knowledge, skills and abilities to do my job. 

My mentor knows his/her stuff; however, this person isn't a trainer. Today my mentor provided me a task, and at  first I thought Lord how am I going to do this? But by the Grace of God, I was able to figure it out. I said a prayer, took a deep breath and relaxed  

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to practice a few tasks over the last week, which contributed to me being able to complete the task assigned. While working on it, I stumbled a bit and called a friend, who helped me to solve the problem. 

Honestly I don't feel comfortable asking my trainer. Though this person appears to be nice, I just don't get that. It's something about this person that makes me skeptical. Or maybe I'm just nervous. 

Either way, I'm very thankful to God and will continue to pray that He provides me the skills, knowledge and abilities to do my job. 

I decided to give social media a break, and it's been really hard. I never really paid too much attention to how much time I had spent on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook until this week. 

I will admit, I do miss surfing both platforms; however, the break has done some good. 

While taking a break, I've focused more on work, got my workout in, decluttered, did my Bible study, practiced my Spanish and completed some other miscellaneous items. It's been a pretty good week. 

I am thankful that I did this. I think I'm going to schedule a social media free week every month. 

OMG, in the span of 5 minutes I received about six calls to buy my home, during dinner time. 

This is so annoying. I really wish there was some legislation regarding selling contact information. This is insane. 

My number is listed on the Do Not Call Registry, but the calls don’t stop. 

Just needed to vent 

I have a mentor (new job) who knows his/her stuff; however, when it comes to training it like s/he has zero patience. 

I asked for a quick call to clarify an action item and s/he sent me the exact same action item. Now I’m twiddling my thumbs to try and figure it out. So I sent a very nice response that I know what the task is; however, where is the client seeing the error. 

S/he did respond and I was able to make the update. 

Long stride short not everyone is meant to be a trainer/mentor. 

Other news, I was so worried that my client was going to do away with my role (side hustle) they actually reached out to me about potentially coming on full time. It goes to show not every action is a negative one. Though I won’t leave the job that I’m on currently, I am hoping to work something out and increase my monthly rate, which will be great to add to the student loan. 

Lastly I submitted my student loan payment for reimbursement, I’ve paid just over a $1,000 for this quarter and my new job provides $350 towards my payments. I’m so thankful for this 

Anyone else here line dry their clothes? I was doing this and stopped, but decided to get back at it. I'm not sure how much I  would be saving on my electric bill by doing this though. 

I hung my clothes out to dry and they dried in about a hour. It probably was shorter than that, I was on a work call and forgot about them. 

For those of you who line dry your clothes, is it worth it? And how do you get the outdoor smell out of your clothes ? 

I'm praying for those in Maui, this is so heartbreaking 

Well on my way to visit my friend I felt water dropping in my foot. I’m two hours away from home. I pray this is not something serious. I’ll call the mechanic on Monday. 

wendy to check in at the hotel and my reservations were not made. It looks like I never hit saved. Thankfully we got a room. 

When it rains it pours 

I’m still crunching the numbers but I can say dining out was my second largest expense for July, first was home repairs. 

I’ve committed to eating out less this month. With the exception of visiting a friend who was diagnosed with an illness, and a planned vacation the end of the month, I do not plan on eating out. I’ll post the numbers early next week. 

I’ve screwed up badly, I have no idea where my mind is. First I write a check for the fence on the wrong account which bounced, costing me $25. Next I use my CC to pay for the fence since the check was written on the wrong account, then paid the CC bill from the wrong account, causing an overdraft 🤦🏾‍♀️🙄. I’ll call Bank of America to make sure I’m signed up for overdraft protection. I never signed up because I never overdraft. First time for everything. 

I’ve got to slow down. I don’t know why I always feel rushed. This behavior has cost me.

Physical news. My blood pressure is slightly elevated, the company I work for reimbursed me for walking pad (treadmill), and I’ve been working to get this thing down. I’ve been exercising daily; however, I need to change my eating habits. 

I was out for a work conference all all the ladies carried, Gucci, YSL, Fendi or Louis Vuitton handbags. I'll admit I felt ashamed, out of place. I hate feeling like this. 

I said a little prayer and asked God to take the need/want of having what others have away from me. It's hard. 

Just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a Happy Easter!

I just got word that an employee with my old company was terminated today. The executive director and another director were not going to stop until they terminated this employee. I shared my concerns with my regional manager who did nothing. While there I pushed back on this because it was indeed retaliatory in nature. 

I wish I could tell the employee what I know. 

The primary reason I left was due to this mess.  

Working in HR is tough. There are some cut throat managers out there, and often as HR professionals we advocate for the employee however the final decision is the manager’s even when we don’t agree. 

Sadly, I’d love to see more legislation on bullying and harassment in the workplace, it sucks because this can be touchy; however, situation such as this makes me really want to push towards it. Sad just sad 

We 

Thank goodness the storm passed us by, we had a few tornadoes and a ton of rain with fierce winds; however, our west coast friends did not do much. 

There is massive damage on the west coast. I’m thankful it didn’t hit us but I’m also sad it made landfall in another area. 

Keep Florida in your prayers. 

I’ve been bummed about going back into the office but I’m also excited about the income I’ll receive. 

Tuesday I start the new job. In the middle of all that I finally got one of  the calls I wanted and landed a contract for $2500 a month. 

Had I got this call prior to being offered the job, I would not have taken the job that is paying the $105k a year. But God works in mysterious ways. 

I was hesitant about letting the new client know I’d taken another role but decided to do so. My conscious was nudging at me. Anyway it worked out, they still want my services and all I can think about it goodbye student loans. 

Leading up to my new job, I decluttered my house with the exception of the kitchen and living room. My kitchen cabinet (sink) finally collapsed, others are on its way. It’s been hell trying to get them replaced. I finally decided to just go with Home Depot. Yes it will be a bit more expensive but guess what? It will be done. I’m finding that Independent contractors either don’t call back, don’t show up, when they do show its radio silence afterwards, or its a combination of everything. Honestly I’m overwhelmed by it. Never thought that trying to replace cabinets would be so difficult. 

I have been living in my home for about 11 years, it’s only been the last three that I’ve actually owned it. 

Well nothing broke during the time I was here and renting but now it seems like everything is falling apart. 

I’ve mentioned my kitchen cabinets before and have been holding off. Well yesterday, underneath the sink, it collapsed completely. SMH. There was some minor water damaged but I think after the pipe debacle it got worst. So I just decided to go ahead and replace the cabinets. I’ve reached out to three organization’s for quotes. I’ll be buying the cabinets from Home Depot, vs having custom cabinets made and having them installed. 

Next I think my fence needs to be done, it’s leaning a bit, so I’m planning and preparing for that as well. The fence is a must, required by the HOA. 

When it rains it pours. 

Other news, I signed the offer letter. I want to pay off the remaining student loan and my mortgage. This new gig should get me there. With the potential to bonus $15k a year, I should be able to do it. 

Well I got the job, not the work from home position but hey. Salary, $105k a year with the potential to earn up to 15% bonus. 

I was confused about which job to take but this one, though in office, I was leaning towards since the role paid more. 

There’s still a chance that the other company may make an offer. If so, I can weigh my options. Though less, my earning potential is greater because I can pick up additional clients. 

Other news, I didn’t win the Megaball, lol. I see it’s now at a billion dollars. I did purchase advance tickets so I don’t have to stand in long lines. I normally don’t play lotto but since the pot was so large I said why not. 

I’m still trucking along with decluttering, the laundry room and guest bath are all now clutter free. Time to tackle the office. 

I spent quite a bit getting my house in order and you know what?  I don’t care. 

I couldn’t figure out why I was depressed. 

Why I wasn’t in any mood to do anything. Then I read a post/article, oh no it was a book about your space and how it could depress you. 

Things in my home looked cluttered, messy, I felt unorganized, drained, exhausted for no reason. 

Then I decided to hell with it, get this bedroom in order, then it was the linen closet, next my main walk-in closet then my bathroom and the guest bathroom. 

I’ll admit my walk-in closet have me anxiety, I was afraid to even start but it took me only two hours, that I broke up, to complete. These last few days I’ve had more energy that I’ve had in a while. I even slept better. 

The most rewarding feeling was being able to quickly find things that I need now in my bathroom and room. I feel liberated. 

By doing all this purging, decluttering and trashing of goods, I realize that I spent way too much money on junk, in the past, most of this stuff was old. 

I think I want to embrace the minimalist lifestyle. I no longer find the urge to have a 100 pair of jeans or a ton of shoes. It too much stuff. I have friends who turned spare bedrooms into closets, I can’t believe I even considered this. 

While in target, hmm I think it was  TJ Maxx, either way, I had the urge to buy this cute little dress. I immediately thought, if you buy this dress, which dress would you get rid of? I couldn’t think of any so I left it. I no longer what stuff. 

Anyone here a minimalist? 

After creating a clutter free clean space, I feel and slept great. The last few nights are the best nights I’ve slept in a long time. I finally got my bedroom cleaned and clutter free, Thursday I completed the walk-in closet. Today I’ll tackle my bathrooms and laundry room. I’m so ready to live a clutter free and clean lifestyle.   

The painter is scheduled to come today to complete the hallway and guest bath. I’m feeling great about this, nothing like a fresh cost of paint. 

Other news, I completed my third interview with one company, the executive director is eager to get me on board, meantime I have my fourth interview with the company I really want on Monday. The second company is moving really slow though . 

I finally heard back from a potential client, fingers crossed that I get this gig. If so, that puts me at about $3k a month extra. That’s contingent upon taking job offer one or two. You know where my mind is going, student loans. 😊

Hope you all have a great day 

I got the call for the fourth and final interview. I'm so excited. This job would be everything I need and want. Fingers crossed. 

The interview with the teaching gig went well. This would be a part time contract gig, I submitted my writing sample today. We will see how it goes. 

I also sent over my proposal on a contract so fingers crossed on that one as well. I'm pretty sure I have that one. 

In financial news I earned another $100 gift card,  tomorrow I'll wrap up another article and that will be an additional  $100 gift card  

Lastly I started on the closet,  it looks good,  I tackled the top shelf, and tomorrow I'll tackle one side of the closet.  Though I want this space decluttered like yesterday, I'm taking my time cleaning this mess, I get anxiety when working my way through this junk

Third interview went well. I’m super excited about the potential of joining a great company with great benefits and making a pivot in my career. Everyone I interviewed with was awesome! 

In addition to my third interview, I also landed another freelance HR gig, I’m looking forward to tackling this project. It’s a small organization that need to put some policies and practices in place. 

Tomorrow I have an interview with an organization to potentially teach a HR business course and Friday I have a third interview with another organization. Things are looking great. 

I also did a little decluttering again today, clearing out three sections in the bedroom. I’m so excited to have gotten these things done, the room is coming along nicely. The weekend I plan on tackling my closet. This space is so cluttered it gives me anxiety but it has to get done.