Amber's Personal Finance Blog

Added another $2.92 to my challenge/home account brining my new total to $411.31. I want to be at atleast $700 by the end of the month with this account. I also added .78 to my car account (rounding up the change) new total $20.78

I am glad I have my small but handy EF. I had to put my car in the shop; rotated tires and balance, oil change and had a transmission leak fixed all cost me $180. Good thing my uncle knows the mechanic because the leak alone would have been atleast $400 so I came out on top. I am happoy because I did not have to use a cc or borrow the money. I also took funds to pay half of my tuition which was $357.70 I as going to use a cc and wait until next month to pay it off but I thought if you have the cash now just pay it, so I did. Now I have until March to pay the other half on my tuition

Ok last week I notice one of my hubcaps were missing, when and why I have no clue. Then last night I get home and another one is missing. I am so annoyed because now I have to replace them at a cost to me. Who would steal one or two hubcaps, why not just take them all. Is this person going to take one at a time until they're all gone. I am so upset

Added my weekly $25 to my challenge/home account, giving me a new total of $408.39. So I am happy. I am hoping to have a $1000 by mid February

I really like getting these tips in my inboxand sharing them

Install the new type of fluorescent bulbs in lights you leave on for long periods. They provide four times as much light and last ten times longer than incandescent bulbs. Potential Money Savings: $10-$50/yr.

I ate out for lunch on Friday at $5.32 so I have to add $5 to my challenge/debt account
New total $830.03

ING has a new checking account offering:

5.30% APY on every dollar for balances of $100,000 or more
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A MasterCard� Debit Card for purchases
Free ATM access at more than 32,000 locations nationwide
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So far I have stuck to the plan/resolution regarding eating out, haven't done it this month. However, I have been shopping...this is what got me into debt in the first place, at least I have not used the cc. But tomorrow I will return some pants I bought from Penney's that will be about $15.00. But today I bought a silver ring and a pair of pants about $28 total

Cashed my refund check today so I added it to the EF ($30) new total is $1230.82

Got my rebate check for $30 from Norton today so I am happy. Unfortunately I spent $28 on pj's today so I am adding the same amount to my challenge/debt to match this amount.

New total
$833.03

I was on another site and there was a lis of 10 nasty money habits to kick which included:
Spending without a budget.

***Carrying a balance on credit cards.
Ignoring interest rates.

Not investigating disability insurance.

Failing to see how little purchases add up.

Not matching employer's contribution to retirement.

Waiting until the last minute to fund IRA.

Paying everyone else, saving "what's left."

Not managing your investments.

Getting emotional about your investments.
I can't believe I was guilty of most of these, thank God I have made some serious changes

Wow I am so happy I sold both my text books today on half.com this is the first time I ever done anything like this. One book was $36.89 and the other $37.56 at total of $74.45 the only problem is half.com makes two payments a month so I have to wait until the 15th but once I receive the payment it's going into my education/tuition account

Ok today was payday and I paid every bill I think of as well as socked away some. It is amazing that when you don't have cc debt you cn see the bulk of your money so here is what i did:

$200 EF
$25 IRA
$10 Misc Account
$20 New car account
$20 Tuition account
$20 Fun Money
$100 $20 challenge/new home
$20 Offerings
$21 $20 Challenge/Debt
$28.08 Gas
$60.52 Verizon
$15.00 Prescription
$8.50 personal care
with over $200 left I am so happy I feel like I am living now (not living check to check)

I found a couple of things that I can part with on Ebay, so I will take the pics and post them on Thursday. I still need to go through some things but I am ready to start selling things. I did list my books on half.com but no luck if they do not sell by next week I may post elsewhere like Amazon but we will see

Load my pictures even though I use the save and add imagine, my imagines aren't posted

Thanks to rduell I decided to do the following for the challenge at some point last year I stopped but here is the plan
- 39 cents added every time I save postage
- any gift of money that I get throughout the year
- use more coupons and transfer the money I save
- $1 for every no-spend day
- $2 for every "A" I get
- $1 for every "B"
- .50 for every "C"

Ok I picked up a movie for my nephwe "Cat in the Hat" and now I can not find it I have cleaned my room from top to bottom and no signs of it. Now I am going to have to pay for it which I am sure is over priced compaired to some where else. I ask my nephew if he had it and he said he left in FL in the tv (he's 3) I do believe him because we fell asleep watching it and I turned off the TV. And where the DVD is he can not reach i just do not remeber taking it out, I wonder if it is some how stuck in the player nah it would not work oh well

I know it is early but I know today will not be a spend day so I am adding $1 to the challenge home and debt. My first contribution this year a total of $2.00

$20 challenge/hm (YTD)$1.00 bal $282.69
$20 Challenge/Debt (YTD)$1.00 bal $884.03

It is here, I am so happy I made it with some sanity. I was able to watch the ball drop and then that was it for me. I had to work yesterday but the seniors were nice and quiet, they had a new year's bash until 12:30 and I left at 11 so I got lucky but i'm sure my reliever didn't...lol

This was in my inbox so I'll like to share:
When it comes to money management mistakes, debt counselors have seen it all. And if you knew what they already know, you could save a lot of money and more than a little grief.

Unfortunately, by the time consumers sign on for credit counseling, they already have an average of $30,000 in bills and seven or eight credit cards, says Susan Keating, president and CEO of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling
1. Freebies are lethal.
Those low introductory offers sound great, but they are designed to get you hooked on the service.
If you co-sign, that debt is yours.
If your son or daughter wants you to co-sign for a car, apartment or loan, just say no
Bouncing a couple of checks can cost you your bank account.
Not only can your own bank kick you to the curb, but it can put you in a financial database that acts as a kind of black list
You need a plan. If you just spend money until it's gone, you never get ahead.
Look at what you make, what you need to spend, what you want to save. Keep track of your spending for a month or two to see where the money is going.
Auto leases can be hazardous to your financial health.
Leasing (and some zero-down payment deals) can put you at risk financially because you may be driving a car that's actually worth less than you owe
Your old emergency fund might not cut it.
The old rule was to sock away three to six months' salary. But that's just not enough anymore, aim for having a year's wages in the bank
Don't always reach for that debit card.
Some gas stations and restaurants will put a hold on your card for more than you actually spend

Happy New Year and a safe one to everyone here. I hope all goals for 2007 are met

I use MS Moey to track my spending and I can not firgure out how not to include money that was lent out as not income earned according to MS Money I made over $40,000 last year which is not correct oh well...but for the monst part it is the spending I want to track and it's pretty much right on target. There can be some few minor errors but for the most part I am ok here it

Income Categories
Federal Tax Refund 1349
Income/Interest 65.18
Other Income 7423.27
Wages & Salary 29779.09
Income - Unassigned 1724.21
Total Income Categories 40340.75

Expense Categories
clothing/accessories 30.58
Automobile 1990.87
Bank Charges 1036.04
Bills 5972.55
Charitable Donations 310
Clothing 1624.35
Dining Out 1114.69
Education 1470.46
Food 43.6
Gifts 764.23
Groceries 1786.37
Healthcare 3829.84
Hobbies/Leisure 1.25
Household 98.09
Hurricane Supplies 55.46
Insurance 817.52
Job Expense 1081.53
Leisure 231.1
Loan 40
Miscellaneous 6550.12
Personal Care 785.47
Sales Tax 189.37
Snack 0.99
Software 63.89
Taxes 5279.33
Vacation 100
Expense - Unassigned 173.45
Total Expense Categories 35441.15

Grand Total 4899.6

I just went over my spending for December I was a little afraid but here it is...way too much on clothing,gifts and dining out, not to mention taxes. But at least the cc's are paid off and I can really start saving. Next I will look at my spending for the year also my misc. expenses are high because I had to lend my sister, friend and nephew some money
Category Total

Income Categories
Other Income $30.21
Refund $426.52
Reimbursement $200.00
Wages & Salary $4,222.50
Income - Unassigned $1.55
Total Income Categories $4,880.78

Expense Categories
clothing/accessories $30.58
Automobile $132.00
Bank Charges $10.48
Bills $488.78
Charitable Donations $50.00
Clothing $328.00
Dining Out $135.13
Gifts $350.98
Groceries $99.63
Healthcare $26.65
Insurance $207.44
Job Expense (non reimbursed) $3.73
Leisure $2.50
Miscellaneous $532.06
Personal Care $162.43
Sales Tax $51.27
Snack $0.99
Taxes $842.36
Vacation $100.00
Total Expense Categories $3,555.01

Grand Total $1,325.77

Ok I just finished up the dinner calendar for January and part of February, so when I hit the grocery store I will only buy what's for dinner. This should save me a ton on the grocery bill. I also decided to keep a price book of common items I buy at the grocery stores and do a price comparison with the sale items in Sunday's paper along with my coupon I should sve some money here. It's time consumming and when I lived on my own I use to do this I have no idea why I stopped my groery bill was 3x less than what I pay now
Anyhow I did the shopping for today's dinner which should last until Tuesday and total was $36.22 that includes snack for work and breakfast so I made out ok

Even though I have never been there it felt like I was today. As you all know I work part-time at a luxury senior living facility and the power went out...I got a call from every single resident in that place and it is well over 500. They drove me nuts tonight "my power is out" or "should I take the elevator" oh yeah "what time is it?" even "can someone come up and reset my clock" or "I think I left my stove on" I could not wait to get out of there, I thought just go to bed but no they just kept calling and calling and calling. Then the power came back on and now the calls were "what time is it?" and "what happened" or "will I have dinner" and "my power is on but can you send some one up just to check my place" Hope tomorrowis a better night

I have an HSBC account in which I do not deposit any funds because it is a headache, it is not as easy as ING. My long in ID is about 10+ digits long and I can't remember it this is eally the main reason any how they are offering 5.05% more than ING and now there is a local bank in my area on Thursday I am going to check it out to see if I can deposit there if so all the money for the house will go to this account since I will be earning more interest

When I first found this site early 2006 was actually participating in the 60% solution in which you limit your spending to 60% of your total income or less. Some where down the line I stopped, when or why I do not know. But for the New Year I have decided to start back at it again especially since I really want a house with out any debt..including a car payment. Thank God my card is paid for with very little problems. Here is what I plan on doing it's a little different than what's posted on MSN:

Total income
-10% savings
-10% irregular spending(tuition, insurance, etc)
-20% long term goals (new home)
-5% IRA
-5% fun money
50% other expenses
-----------------
100%

Here is a story I read on another site that I would like to share with others it is very interesting how some one can go from living comfortably to almost a check away from proverty

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/LearnToBudget/IMake650AnHourAmIPoor.aspx

I get email tips on a daily basis about saving and decided to start sharing these tips here so here is the first entry:

Shredder Lubrication

Don't buy the expensive lubrication oil for a shredder. It's a
vegetable-based oil. Instead, use a couple drops of regular
vegetable oil and put it on the blades. For more even
coverage, put about a tablespoon of oil on a plate and let an
8" by 11.5" piece of paper "soak" up the oil. Then shred that
piece of paper. By doing this, you're assured all the blades
get properly lubricated.
I shred a lot of stuff and this tip was handy

I am trying to add $25 a week to my challenge/home account as well as any additional funds I may have, anyhow I went ahead and added the last $10 that I have in my checking account for bills to my new home account. I am very serious about becoming a home owner by 2008 and I need to save as much as possible. My new total is $281.47