Then donate it to charity...!

i received this email today, an obvious scam. Who do I report this to?

From: Madam Joan Taylor.

4 Old Church Street,

Chelsea, SW3,

England.


Good Day,

Here writes Madam Joan Taylor, suffering from Cancerous ailment.

I am married to Engineer Silas Hines an Englishman who is dead. My husband was into private practice all his life before his death. Our life together as man and wife lasted for three decades without child. My husband died after a protracted illness. My husband and I made a vow to uplift the down-trodden and the less-privileged individuals as he had passion for persons who can not help themselves due to physical disability or financial predicament. I can adduce this to the fact that he needed a Child from this relationship, which never came.

When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of 10 Million

Pounds (Ten Million Great Britain Pounds Sterling) which were derived from his vast estates and investment in capital market with his bank here in UK. Presently, this money is still with the Bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that I have limited days to live due to the (LUCAMEA) cancerous problems I am suffering from. Though what bothers me most is the stroke that I have in addition to the cancer. With this hard reality that has befallen my family and me, I have decided to donate this fund to you and want you to use this gift which comes from my husbands effort to fund the upkeep of widows, widowers, orphans, destitute, the down-trodden, physically challenged children, barren-women and persons who prove to be genuinely handicapped financially.

It is often said that blessed is the hand that giveth.

I took this decision because I do not have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are bourgeois and very wealthy persons and I do not want my husband’s hard earned money to be misused or invested into ill perceived ventures. I do not want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner, hence the reason for taking this bold decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be with the Almighty when I eventually pass on. The Almighty will fight my case and I shall hold my peace. I do not need any telephone communication in this regard due to my deteriorating health and because of the presence of my husband’s relatives around me, because I do not want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible.


As soon as I receive your reply through this my confidential email Address: I shall give you the contact of the bank in UK. I will also issue you a Letter of Authority that will empower you as the original beneficiary of this fund. My happiness is that I lived a life worthy of emulation. Please always be prayerful all through your life. Please assure me that you will act just as I have stated herein. Hope to hear from you very soon and God bless you and members of your family.



Yours sincerely

Mrs. Joan Taylor.

$25, Anyone?

I allow myself to buy magazines only when I'm flying. I get really bored with reading after too long--at least on planes--and magazines are as scatter-brained as I usually am while 10,000+ feet in the sky.

So anyway, I had to go back to Las Vegas for work again today. I picked up Kiplinger's to read (also the new issue of Marie Claire with the black and white cover, very cool, a good second place for my preferred JANE). There was an ING form in it, with a reference code (see below). Apparently you don't have to deposit $250 to get the free $25 bonus, like you do with referrals from existing customers of ING (is this still going on, or have they gotten rid of the $250 rule for referrals, now, too?). So, if you want an ING account, currently at a 4.40% interest rate, go here and enter this Reference Code:

KP338/EH2H4RDM

I can't use it because I already have an account, but maybe someone else can. Please let me know if you use it so I can update this entry saying that the code has already been used.

Also, if you want to open a high-interest savings account and want a referral, email me at sensetodollars@yahoo.com. You can get the free $25 this way, but you have to deposit $250 initially. I have 9 referrals left. In the interest of full disclosure, I get $10 from ING if you use one of my referrals and you choose to deposit enough to get the $25 (but I get nothing if you use the above code).

Peace.

The more things change....*

My best friend in this city is leaving. Mind you, i've actually only met like 15 people here, and half of them have left this year already. Three more are scheduled to leave in the next two weeks or so, including the two people I'm closest to here.

What's with the mass exodus? Setting aside the problems with the company we work for, it seems that housing prices are so high, and the people are so fake (their words, not mine, although I agree somewhat), that everyone I like that is getting to house-buying age (average is about 30) is leaving for greener, and more authentic, pastures.

This, my friends, is terrible. Not only have I wasted my time here by focusing on my finances and keeping a job that sends me out of town (and out of friend-making situations), I've wasted time that could have been spent with these people who are leaving.

Yes, I regret paying off my cc bills now. I regret not spending more time with the people that I probably will not see more than once or twice ever again in my life. I regret staying in a job that I'm not happy (but not UNhappy) in just to have a steady, secure paycheck. I regret placing my financial needs ahead of my emotional ones.

I'm tired of losing people, I'm tired of feeling like I'm wasting my life, and I'm tired of not having the financial security in order to make good-for-me emotional decisions.

But it's a paradox. I NEED, emotionally, to feel financially secure. I guess, that need is stronger than my need to always make real connections. It's times like these when that selfish part of me is brought into focus and I see how I continually deny myself gratification because I think the reward will be greater later on. But people don't work like money does. You can't put off hanging out with someone because you'll have a better time if you wait until later. Waiting, while great for compounding interest, is a terrible strategy for enjoying life. You have to appreciate what you have WHEN you have it; life and people go away so quickly. I can't seem to remember that.

I also can't seem to do everything I need to do financially while also making sure I'm happy in the other aspects of my life. It's not balanced. I need to re-assess my life and start making changes unrelated to finance. I realize this, but as we all know, action is different from realization. I don't know if I will actually DO anything about what's contained in this post, but I consider it a good first baby step. I will continue on with my finance goals, but I sincerely hope I can start working on my other goals as well.

*This post is brought to you by the lethal combination of watching 'Click' and the series finale of 'Six Feet Under' the same week that I find out my two best friends are moving away--as well as a good dose of female hormones. Please bear with me...

P.S. 'Six Feet Under' is a really, really good show. I'd say it has THE BEST series finale of any show I've ever watched. Ever. Rent it. Watch it. Love it. It's worth the money.

Let's GO!

More progress:

1) Doc appt. challenge completed for another year! Fabulous.
2) Credit card account closings: Mailed.
3) Received Fidelity Roth IRA package in the mail to review.

Loves it!

I went on some site today and it was discussing how people get free groceries and stuff. how can i get in on this deal without spending EVEN MORE time on my finances? ...Will be exploring this in the future.

So, more to do:

1) open Roth IRA...still figuring this one out. it's a biggie, but my budget hasn't calmed down since I changed my 401K contribution, so I'm not sure what I have coming in and out quite yet...

2) close my TransUnion 30 day credit score watch service.

3) Check other two credit reports

4) much much more.

I'm back in Vegas next week, so posts will probably go down to a trickle.

I am Sysiphus

So I'm trying to get back on track after my meltdown yesterday (sorry!). Inaction makes me feel impotent. So I got active today!

I typed up a letter to all the credit card companies, closing my extraneous credit card accounts. I typed up a letter to TransUnion and Citbank to try to clean up my credit report.

I made copies of the letters and got them ready to be mailed Certified Mail.

Also, I have been trying to make a female doctor's appt. for FOREVER...i finally got ahold of them today and got an appt. for TOMORROW! yessss.

I emailed the Business Office lady, basically issuing a stern warning that I was going to go to the CFO (her boss) if I didn't see the benefits package soon. "I haven't seen anything from you yet, should I ask A____ M_____ for the info package?" Still, my bet is I have to ask 5 more times before I see one piece of paper from her. Annoying. Maybe I should just go to the CFO...she is super important, though, and well, we're all a little scared to talk to her.

I bought a return flight from home to here for after Christmas. I had a flight on hold on Tuesday, and last night was the deadline. Unfortunately, the price went up in those 2 days (by $150!!!) and the deadline was for 12 midnight EST, not PST. By the time I went to go buy the ticket, it was 1 AM EST. Oops. However, I called American Airlines and a very nice lady reset the time so I could get my old price! Yay, nice lady!

So tonight i'm vegging with some mac'n'cheese and The Office. Oooh, fatty comfort food and Jim Halpert is the perfect antidote to a crappy day...

Muchos Problemas! Ay!

I'm having a hard time finding budget-friendly healthy alternatives to my normal meals. I mean, beans and rice, sure, but the rest of it? Expensive-o. I just bought one of those Naked juices, and it was TEN dollars for like a quarter gallon! I feel really really good after drinking it, though--it's much better than the Dr Pepper I normally drink to get me going in the morning (I hate coffee).

I'm really trying to get on track with health stuff while also tying up loose ends with finances, but it's rough going. I had a large spurt of progress in the $$ department after I finished paying off my debt earlier this month (was it really only 3 weeks ago?!), but now I'm getting blocked at every corner. I checked my credit report, and there are many many things that are incorrect on there. For example, it lists that i have two open accounts at Citibank. I don't have any citi cards or any record of having citi cards, so I called Citibank up last night and they had "no record" of any accounts with them for my SSN. Wierd, right?

So now I have to go through all the hoopla of getting that corrected. And figure out the old account no's for all the open accounts that I haven't used in years. ugh. and that's just ONE of the 3 credit reports I need to check!! NOOOO!

Also, the (completely incompetent) business office lady is being very lax on my requests for info on our benefits. She said that she was going to put an info packet about our accidental death and dismemberment (fun!) plan in my mailbox last week, but so far? nothing. I dropped by her office yesterday and (surprise, surprise) she wasn't there. I even asked her specific questions about our disability benefits plan in an email last week, and...nothing. argh!!! As far as I can tell, she does payroll and gossips with her co-workers and that's about it. It's not that hard, I did that job for my dad's business when I was 16. And he had more employees! payroll took me a good 6 hours the night before payday. that's it. that's her job!! you'd think she could handle something like getting benefits packages out to those whom the benefits...benefits!

I just HATE having to bother people for something that should have been done ages ago. We should get those benefits packages after we are hired! Or at least when we pass the initial employment period! Really. I'm so annoyed. Also, when I ask other employees if they have their packages, they look at me like I'm planning on becoming disabled or dying. "Is something wrong?" they ask. Hello? No, but don't you think someone else besides the company business office employee should KNOW what our benefits are?

In addition, there's no link from my Chase rewards card account page to the rewards site! NONE! After searching for a half hour (i MUST just be dumb and missing it!), I called and it's at:

http://www.choosemyrewards.com

Good LORD.

In conclusion, people are stupid.

Charitable Giving

Giving to charities doesn't always mean giving money. I don't have alot to give right now, being in the midst of my debt removal/survival plan, but I feel much better about life after I have helped out a little bit in other ways. Here are some things that I have done (besides giving money) that I consider charitable giving--Not all are tax write-offs, but if you are doing it for that, I think you are missing the spirit of giving anyway:

1) I go here and click everyday. It's super-easy, time efficient, and beneficial to any cause you could possibly support. A very good way to start your day by thinking of others.

2) This one's a gimme, but: Give to Goodwill/Salvation Army/other thrift stores. I go through my closet/drawers every couple of months and get rid of all the stuff I don't need. It is also cleansing to the soul to get rid of clutter. Double whammy for the good feelings!

3) I travel alot, and I make sure to grab all the soap/shampoo/accoutrements the hotels provide. I bring them home, save a couple for guests and my own travel kit, and give the rest to women's shelters and Goodwill. I love doing this especially when i stay at fancy hotels and they have good shampoo/conditioner like Aveda--I always imagine some woman in need of some pampering using it and feeling just a tiny bit better about her life. I hope so, anyway...

4) I acknowledge the homeless/needy. I know it's scary, but when they speak to me, I say something back. Always. I can't imagine doing what they are doing--it takes immense swallowing of pride and a horrible situation to ask a stranger for money, food, whatever. This is a biggie for me. When I'm driving in my car and I see a homeless person on the street corner holding up their sign, it just...gets to me. I tear up EVERY time. That's alot of tearing up down here in SoCal. I will ignore a guy trying to booty-dance with me in a club, but if that same guy asked me for food to feed his children? I'd give him my full attention, at least for a moment.

Besides, just how far away are we from being in their position? Don't be an asshole, they've been through enough. I'm not saying to give money to everyone that asks, but a simple, "Sorry, I don't have change right now, but good luck to you." suffices. Look them in the eye, see the person behind the scary life situation. They are real people!

I also find other ways to give, by volunteering at the soup kitchen and homeless shelters.

5) This one's more about being a good citizen--especially when I'm in a bad mood, I take out my neighbor's trash bin, let someone in in bad traffic, do my roommate's dishes, and am patient with the new guy at the grocery store. You know. Karma is real, and the more tolerant you are, the better your life will be. Even if it's small, find something good in every bad. At risk of sounding like a hippie, the more good you put out there, the more good you will see in the world.

6) Be Kind, rewind your DVD's. (just kidding, i used to get my little sister with this one every. time.)

7) A corollary to #5--I try to be happy for others' fortune, even if it affects me negatively. It's hard to see other people succeed sometimes, esp. when we feel that they didn't deserve it or it came too easily. But like I said, the more good feelings out there, the better. It has a rippling effect, and bad feelings will only compound. Crap--I sound like a total hippie, but this mentality has kept me going through some hard times. and it's true! Rely on your faith, rely on yourself, whatever, just keep the blind faith. Hope can do amazing things.

8) I count my blessings. Feel how good your life is. Whether it is comparing your situation to others', looking at all your 'stuff', or just listing off some people who love you, don't take it for granted. If you feel that your life is good, you will naturally want to share that feeling.

So in the end, 'giving to charities' is much more than the obvious giving of money to me. It is a lifestyle. It is something intangible you do every day, it is an attitude. They say that if you give it will come back to you ten-fold. I completely agree.

I'm Back!

After a long weekend (yummy!), I'm back. it's been so nice/interesting. I have today off but work keeps calling me. I'm not worrying about them until later, they should know better.

My friend arrived last Thursday afternoon. Earlier that day, i had my annual physical, which was a funny experience. I went through the paces, had a wonderful doctor, and ended up failing the urine test. Well, not actually any kind of test they do, just I had to drink what seemed like a GALLON of water in order to give them the amount of liquid they needed. I know, ew. Don't worry, it's ending soon. I was just sitting in the waiting room with a big cup of water for about a half hour. why is it that you always have to go when you don't want to (like when you are working on an important, time-sensitive project in the office, or are in the middle of Grey's Anatomy), and you can't go when it is necessary?? I had even drunk a couple glasses of water when i woke up because I knew that i'd have to do this. ah, all's well that ends well. My only gripe about that experience is that i spent probably about $5 in quarters feeding the parking meter (who made up this "25c = 12 minutes" rule? they are crazy, 25c = at LEAST 25 minutes!!), and in the lobby was a BIG sign saying that parking is free in a lot across the street. WTF? why don't they tell you that BEFORE you've maxed out the meter and wasted 10 minutes circling for parking? the only lot i saw near the hospital was marked "for doctors only." oh well.

My stats (for future reference):

--BP 91/59
--ht 5'4.5"
--wt 116
--EXCELLENT hearing, the doctor commented that the results were what they usually saw in a child's hearing.
--terrible lung capacity (i always fail those breathing tests, they overlook it b/c some people suck at it (e.g., me)and my baseline breathing test is similar to what i produce now)
--blood/urine results to come

So it looks like i'm in pretty good health. That is a good first step in my Wealth-to-Health project (TM)! Like i've outlined, after my short-term financial goals are met, i'm going to really start focusing on increasing my net health. This is a good 'before' picture.

My low blood pressure emphasizes my need to collect a large amount in my retirement fund (see this).

Basically, the article indicates that people with low blood pressures live longer, on average, than people with 'normal' or high blood pressure. That is lucky on the one hand (who doesn't want to live a good long life?), but bad in terms of my retirement funds. I guess I'll have to take the estimated retirement $$ need and add a bit more to make sure I'm covered.

That is my gripe about retirement estimations--a) they are all different; b) they all seem to base their calculations on inflation, return, and tax rates that are COMPLETELY unknown. it's just insane to have a goal that is so based in a fictional scenario. and c) it doesn't take into account factors like low blood pressure or other medical conditions. Therefore, my goal is to just save what i can when i can (i'll try max my roth/401K out though), without giving up too much fun stuff. If i can balance those two for the next 20 years, I can tweak my retirement plan when we know better what tax, inflation, and return rate conditions will be like. it's maybe not as rigid as some people like, but i am a fan of this strategy. it's flexible while also demands some sort of compromise between the two lifestyles (absolute friviolity vs. super frugal saver). Maybe that's why i have low blood pressure--sometimes i just let things flow how they are supposed to and don't worry so much...it'll all work itself out.

Ah, good stuff. I'm pretty relaxed today. I love vacations!
details of my weekend to follow in future posts.

Hi, My name is ______, and I'm an addict

This article really caught my attention. Addictions take many forms, and while I'm lucky enough to not be addicted to the top 5 on the list, I definitely have my weaknesses (Subway sandwiches and white cheddar popcorn come to mind...).

So just what is the cost of being addicted to your finances?

Oh the irony! That's a question that only a pf addict could love. I spend a LOT of time on the internet, reading pf blogs and researching and checking out articles on MSN Money and Yahoo Finance and various other places. It's my hobby, i find it endlessly interesting, and ...let's face it...I'm addicted.

I go over my budget with a fine-tooth comb at every opportunity. I LOVE seeing the numbers add up and seeing where I could cut back. I LOVE brainstorming new ideas to save a little bit here and there. I LOVE waking up and seeing new posts, I LOVE checking my balances, I even LOVE paying my credit cards and bills. Basically, I LOVE money, esp. in relation to ME. If I couldn't do all that, well, wow. What would I do with all my spare time?!

Probably go shopping.

So, if it's one or the other, dangit, I prefer to be addicted to controlling my finances.

Psychologically speaking, even though what I'm addicted to isn't that harmful to society financially--on the contrary, it should provide me the tools to live an organized, fulfilled life--I do catch myself doing crazy things with a high emotional/physical personal cost sometimes. Such as staying up too late reading stuff on the internet (which causes me to wake up late for work once in a while), checking blogs instead of getting outside or doing work (oops), and getting OCD and calculating my budget over and over again. This stuff isn't good. It isn't healthy. I am thinking of placing a time limit on my internet use, esp. in the evenings after I get home. Lately I've stayed up waaay too late trying to get all the goals on my finance list done. It hasn't drastically affected my work-life yet, but I'd bet it would if i kept up this habit.

Focusing on finances a maximum of a couple hours per day should be fine. My next project, after I run out of the little finance goals (open a Roth, organize my credit cards, talk to parents, check on benefits at work, create a budget for emergency savings), is to work on time management and start eating healthier and working out more. That will be interesting and add a whole new level to the finance game--how do I manage my money while making sure I have time for healthiness and a balanced life? I've been denying myself for so long that it's difficult to see what is worth investing in. My health is one of those things, but how far (i.e., how much money do I spend) do i go to do that? I have to completely re-learn how to spend my money. At this point, I either deny myself completely or splurge in a binge. It's basically financial anorexia/bulemia!

Oh, crap. How much is rehab for financial addicts?

Away...

I'm going to be away til probably Thursday or so. That said, I think I've decided that i'm over-thinking the Roth IRA investment thing. Vanguard is the easy answer, yes, but as it's an index fund and has a low fee, I think that is good enough for me for now. The important thing is to get my foot in the door at this point, and more serious analysis can occur later.

In addition, I found a better cashback/rewards credit card than the one I just applied for (Chase Freedom Rewards--3% cashback on gas/groceries/fast food; 1% cashback for all other purchases), the HSBC Direct Rewards Platinum MasterCard.

It offers 5% cashback on groceries, gas, and drug stores, 0.5% on all net purchases up to $3K, then 1% on the net amount after $3K. Hmmm, better deal.

Also, I need to cancel all of my extraneous cards that I've never used. Ugh. I want just 2-3 cards only. I'm going to keep my MBNA card open, just because I've had it the longest, but it's going to sit at home, I think. #2 will be my cashback credit card, and #3 will be the current Chase card I have. I need approximately 3400 more points in order to get a $25 gift card on that one, and ...wait, i'm confused. It looks like I ALREADY HAVE a 5% cashback credit card, the one i transferred my balances to in order to get a 0% interest rate. OK. What? I have some more thinkin' to do...and lots of cancelling credit cards...oy.

Ack. I need to go to bed, i have my annual physical tomorrow morning at 8 AM.

Not as bad as I thought...

Well, I received my first paycheck since my uber-spontaneous decision to up my 401K to 12%. All in all--much less of a hit than I anticipated!

My paycheck is only $260 less per month than before. Sweet! I can totally live off of that. and have some room to save up more than I did before I was debt-free. I'm tellin ya, this is the way to go!

Now I can cross that off of my list--there's no way I'm going to increase that percentage anytime soon, unless I win the lotto and can fund my emergency fund and Roth for the next several years with the winnings. Yessss.

OK, so life is going to start getting even busier than before, so I won't be posting much. I've gotten the ball rolling on the Roth IRA research, but have SO much more to go into.

I read an interesting idea that I don't know too much about on the Motley Fool discussion board--one guy was all in favor of buying only bonds in your Roth IRA, and putting stocks in a non-retirement account. His rationale is that bonds are taxable at a higher rate than capital gains from stocks (15%?), so you should take advantage of the tax sheltering that a Roth offers and just buy bonds with the entire allowable amount.

I didn't realize bonds were taxable at a higher rate...huh.

If true, i think it's a great idea, but ultimately not really practical for my situation--someone just starting out. Maybe once I don't have to scrimp and save to come up with the max for the Roth every year, I'll think about that some more, but in the mean time, I think I'm going for either an index fund or a targeted retirement fund. The Vanguard total market index fund seems to be highly regarded. Also the Fidelity Freedom Targeted Retirement Funds (or whatever they're called). But I don't want to jump on a bandwagon when no one else knows the destination or the driver either, you know what i mean? I need to kick the tires a bit, look at the other transportation options...

Anyway, I came back with the motherload at the library today--all sorts of books on mutual funds and investing and ...stuff. yay! i love money books. i can always skip the first few chapters about debt removal now. i've graduated! Sweet.

S.O.S.

i'm lost in a sea of funds. I'm researching which company I should invest in a Roth IRA with, and I'm in that enviable position of too many choices:

Vanguard, TD Ameritrade, Fidelity, T Rowe Price?

and what mutual fund I should choose on top of that. Vanguard Total Stock Market Fund? Fidelity Freedom? a million billion others?

what about minimum purchase? is there a monthly contribution program? Expense ratios? Performance history? annual fees? no-load?

???


Agggh. going insane.


Will have to post more about what I find. I'm sure others don't know where to start, either. Please help, i'm reflecting my mirror and waving my flags...

Why I love President Bush

Ha! Thought that would get your attention.

Back on track: I played around on the internet a bit, lazed in bed for a while, and finally decided to get myself out of the house. I banished my to-do list and gave myself the day off. instead of running around like a crazy woman, I walked around my neighborhood. The stuff I found will vastly improve my life. For example, across the street from me is a huge shopping complex, and they have an Enterprise! we use Enterprise for work. Since I'm not driving my car to sites anymore, I usually have to drive to work, get someone at Enterprise to pick me up (which takes them an average of 2 hours and several phone calls to do for some reason), rent the car, drop off the car when i'm done, and have them drive me back to work. ugh. painful. Now, I can just run across the street from home! I don't have to drive to work in my car at all! fabulous. saves me SO much time. :)

Also I discovered Free-Sample Sunday. Von's was giving out free samples of their deli food. I didn't even need to buy breakfast. Yay!

Then I went into one of those impromptu fly-by-night Halloween costume shops that had opened up across the road from the shopping complex. They have flapper stuff, but a simple dress is $32! plus accessories like the headband($5), boa ($10), fishnet tights ($5), shoes ($20? from payless?), and cigarette holder($5), and we're pushing $75 if i'm lucky on the shoes. Grah. that is TOO much for one night. I'm willing to pay probably $35 total. which is STILL too much.

i think i could make the headband on my own. little elastic sequin band, a feather, and a needle and thread, and I'm set.

then i decided i wanted to go to the beach. not really beach weather today--it's overcast and was threatening to rain, and i had to wear a light jacket to stay warm, but it's exactly the kind of weather i wanted. it reminds me of home, the east coast, and I miss it when fall comes around. the weather reminded me of cozying up with a good book in front of the fire on a chilly winter day. aah. i think the sun would have ruined my day....

i live 10 blocks from the beach, so i try to go as much as possible, to try and enjoy the standard of living i'm paying so much for. i wanted to go shell-hunting, so i researched the best beaches for such a venture, and lo and behold, it was the beach 10 blocks away from me! MY beach, the best shell-hunting locale in all of the city! lovely.

i ended up exploring a section of the beach that i'd never been to. I encountered a couple taking pictures of rocks, and realized how much i missed my field trip days. And how much i've missed the beach. it's been forever (ok, one month) since i've really spent any time there. Going there today filled a hole that i didn't know had opened up. I watched the surfers, a wind-surfer, and kite-flyers. The beach was pretty deserted, though. especially compared to a month or two ago, when tourist season was at its peak. it was quite serene and beautiful. a guy practiced the bagpipe at the far end of the beach, and i walked down, hunting for shells and avoiding the cold waves washing in on the way there. the sand gives way to cobble-y tidepool area with cliffs towering above, and i had an adventure exploring some hand-hewn little village made by somebody collecting scraps that had washed onshore. it was very "Castaway." Trying to get out of there before high tide came in was almost a bad scene. I had alot of fun.

ooh, and i found the BEST shell! it's humongous, and perfect and pearly and swirls around like this shell:

ok, randomness over. I SAID i'm not focusing only on money on here. Money only buys so much happiness...

One Crazy Life, comin' right up!

Life is going to be really busy for the next...oh, 2 years. This crazy-makin' feeling just fuels my need to make lists. pardon me, i'm about to launch into boring. In the next week, I need to:

1) keep on track with finances/research Roth IRA's/find a cashback credit card/link cc to company card

2) check other 2 credit scores/reports for accuracy (TransUnion has not been updated recently; my score is 754). Experian and Equifax to go!

3) make sure the business office is working on getting me info packets on our benefits (they need to be reminded every week for 2 months to get anything done sometimes)

4) confirm finances appt. with mom (she sent me an email back, responding to my request for her to answer a few things about their wills and junk. she says we will talk about this over christmas). this would also be a good time to talk about DNR requests (do not rescusitate), organ donation, cremation, E. T. C.

5) get card/present for b-day girl J (by thursday)

6) engagement present for H (thursday)

7) care packages for millions of people

8) get flowers for living room

9) install hooks, clean up room for P's visit (by thursday)

10) pack for P's visit

11) i really want camo pants. i don't know why.

12) return plants to wal-mart. buy bigger (and cheaper) plants at Lowe's to fix up balcony for P's visit.

13) close several of my 13 open line of credit cards. i have nearly 30,000 dollars of credit! i def. don't need that much.

and more...

my friend P is coming to visit me next weekend. we're partying down here on thursday night, which is also when a dear past co-worker is visiting. should be AWESOME. i took friday and next monday off to accomodate the fun. Friday, we see a college friend and her new baby, and drive up to a nearby city (2 hours away) to see more friends and party heavily. Saturday, we drive another hour north to another city, where I will be his date to a wedding on Sunday. my cousin is in school at the wedding city, so i'm excited to get to see her and possibly crash a college party, the likes of which i have not seen in a good 5 years. i expect to feel really, really old and also to meet lots of young easily-manipulated 18 yr. old boys (one can hope).

then i am out of town for work on tuesday and wednesday, in town for 4 days, and fly back out to Vegas for Halloween week. i'll see my college roommate again and probably just do whatever she's doing on Halloween. Ho'ween in Vegas really puts the TRICK back into trick o' treat. :)

So, tomorrow will need to consist of: putting together a package for J. i am thinking about cd's and some fun random stuff from the dollar store. some fonzi memorabilia since she recently met him when she was an extra on one of his movies, maybe a cute picture of us for her wall. i'll have to look through the pics i took when i was back in my grad school town, visiting her last july...

engagement package for H. no. freaking. idea.

put together a halloween costume for vegas. i really haven't been working out, so ho'in it up does NOT sound fun...i want to be a flapper girl but where in the world am i going to find a flapper dress? and shoes? what ARE flapper girl shoes? Edit: flappercostumes.com, of course! so now i just need: fishnet stockings, shoes, long beaded necklace, sequined headband, cigarette holder. don't know if i'm going to get the black wig or not. i'm pretty pale so i don't think it'd be cute at all.

how fun! i love love love dressing up, and putting together this outfit is going to be great. provided i have the time. hmmm...

Current State of the Moolah

Time to do it again! Debt removal has caused me to restructure my entire budget. Here we go (cross your fingers, but keep them inside the vehicle, please):

Currently--

Cash in Checking: $480 (paycheck coming in on Tuesday)
Cash in Savings: $80 (need to transfer to HSBC)
ING Savings: $63 (need to transfer to HSBC)
HSBC Savings: $1490
Money-market Acct: $950

__________________________
Debts: $0(!)


Total: $3063
Total Savings (Emergency Fund): $2583

That was too easy.

Now, Budget.
After an 9% increase in my 401K contribution, and no debt, I'm starting from scratch here.

From now until Dec. 31, I calculate that I'll take home: ~$2600

Going out per month.
Rent: $830
Electric: ~$30/mo (I have 2 roommates)
Cable/Internet: ~$35/mo (ditto)
Cell: ~$50/mo
Total: ~$945 (we'll round up to $950 for simplicity's sake)

This leaves me with around $1650/mo. that is flexible (i.e., I get to decide how much I keep/spend).

So here's how I think I want to break it down:

$825 to misc./food/fun/entertainment/small irregular expenses
$825 to Emergency Fund/Roth IRA Fund.

Right down the middle.

I have found that even when I make little categories for everything (Gas, Entertainment, Travel, Auto Repair, Car Insurance, Etc.), I don't follow it and what's the point of doing all that work for nothing? So, I am going to split the difference in half, with one half going to stuff I need that month--gas, food, fun, irregular expenses, misc., in one category, and the other half going to my emergency fund, roth ira fund, and random extras like an extremely high auto repair/medical bill in another.

I will be using my new cashback credit card for gas/food/extras, and will be paying that at the end of the cycle, so I will be able to track how much I'm spending and plan accordingly. and believe me, after the debt ride i've had, I'll be checking that balance/due date every other day!

I plan on transferring $412.50 twice a month into my various savings accounts, so it gets saved and not spent. The money to be spent will stay in my checking account, and if by some miracle I don't spend as much as I think I will and gets too large, I'll transfer some of it to savings. Or, you know...travel. Money will only be taken out of savings for:

Auto repair (if not covered by normal monthly spending; to be paid back when possible)
Plane tickets (too large a sum to be covered by spending; to be paid back)
Other High Irregular Expenses (also to be paid back)
Roth IRA contribution
Lose Job
Become Ill

Irregular expenses to be covered by normal spending:
AAA membership fee
Car registration/fees
Auto and renter's insurance premiums
small auto repair bills (under $250)

Hopefully all those things happen in different months. :) if not, of course borrowing from Paul to pay Mary or whatever the saying is will be applied.

This whole thing will be moot in roughly four months, as:

a) taxes are going down January 2007 (thanks, JLP's All Financial Matters)
b) my insurance (car and renter's) are going down in January 2007, according to the dude at State Farm.
c) my annual review is in February 2007--I expect a raise in line with inflation (this year I received a 13% raise and a promotion; I highly doubt I will see anything close to that next year).
d) I expect a decent bonus in March 2007. This will all go to the Roth fund.
e) I will need to save to make sure I get $4000 into a Roth before April 2007/filing taxes.
f) Following that train of thought, I'll probably need to lower the 401K contribution in January 2007 in order to max out the Roth in 2006 and 2007. Once those are full, I'll increase the 401K again so I don't start increasing my living standards. The raise should help, too, however small it may be.

So, basically this is for my peace of mind until the dust settles, and I can revamp everything all over again. !

It never ends, does it? Thank goodness I have a blog now, or else I'd think I was just treading water. My progress has been slow but steady...I want one of those fancy meters so I can tell how close I'm getting to my goals.

Reduce, Reuse, Organ Donate!

Health issues and medical care seem to be a very popular topic recently. Over at Debt Hater there is a very good post concerning the cost vs. pain threshold. How bad do you let it get before you take action and spend money? Additionally, Kira (of Penny Foolish) has a post about the importance of organ donation.

In California, you get a little sticker to put on your license that indicates if you are an organ donor or not. My sticker fell off! It lasted 2 years, but i guess I've been carded so much that it came off one day. (Ah, another side effect of drinking...) You also get a little paper card to keep in your wallet to indicate your wishes, but are they really going to look through my wallet to see if i have it? i doubt anyone besides me keeps it in there.

Anyway, this is VERY important to me. I don't have a personal story to tell about how organ donation saved my best friend or anything, but i feel pretty strongly about having my organs donated upon my death (if eligible). I'm in my 20's, so maybe some of my liver won't be very usable, but for the rest of me, why not? I'm not going to need them anymore, and it warms my heart to think that someone else will be able to have a better life because of me. Plus, I want to be cremated (NO ROTTING FLESH or worms/bugs near my body, ever! ew), so why destroy something that is still usable?


To try to relate this back to finance--organ donation is the ultimate in being frugal. You are reusing something instead of throwing it out to waste. Reduce, reuse, organ donate!

Ok, this discussion has officially morbidded (word?) me out. My dreams are going to be tres funky tonight.

As a final thought, tell your family your wishes. They're the ones that will ultimately be making that decision. Make it easy on them and make it for them!

I know that I'm putting that on my finance to-do list.

Selling Piece of Mind for $3/mo.!

I have a couple of things that I would rather be beaten with than see destroyed: my journals, my photos and travel souvenirs, and my music collection. Oh, and my rocks, but that one is a toss-up with the beating thing. ...if that one went on for too long, I may be persuaded to see them destroyed (and so would the dozens of airline baggage people who've had to lift them onto those conveyor belts! I'm probably on some blacklist.).

The rest of my stuff? get rid of it. I honestly don't care. my bed is comfy, but whatever. i love my books, but really, no first editions there. I bought most of my furniture and junk second-hand and for less than $50 if possible. So why did I get renter's insurance? the stuff i care about is mostly worthless!

I got it because of security (see other post). if something happens, I want to know that I can buy another bed and it won't be out of my pocket. A tragedy befalling my 'stuff' doesn't have to become a tragedy befalling my finances.

A problem I've found in the finance books I've read--even the ones who say they are geared toward the young and broke (and fabulous, ha ha), don't address renter's with more than a "you need it" and maybe a line or two about getting 'replacement cost' coverage. But HOW MUCH insurance do you need? How do you go about getting it? What kinds of things do you need to know?

Here's my story:

I got a auto+renter's insurance quote from AAA, who I have a membership with. For $20,000 and a $500 deductible, I was quoted for a $115 policy, with replacement cost coverage. This amount of coverage seems to be the norm. The kinds of things I was asked were:

--what kind of roof does my abode have?
--how many rooms?
--what is infrastructure made out of (wood, steel, etc.)?
--attached or no?
--How many square feet?
--roommates?
--pets?
--earthquake safe?
--deadbolt lock on door?
--carbon monoxide/fire alarm?

crazy stuff, right? I know, the kind of ROOF on my house? i don't know that!

I had to call my landlord and ask her all these things.

After a whole month of phone calls, I never once had the privelege of having the agent at AAA answer my phone call. So, I decided to test my State Farm agent, who i use for auto insurance (I've never had to claim anything so far--knock on my wood-containing roof), and see if he offered any better service.

A smart girl I met in grad school once told me that an accessible and personal insurance agent is what you look for in insurance, and the policy comes second. Because a smart insurance agent will guide you to the best policy for you (but of course you have to do your homework), AND be there for you when something goes down. I have always remembered this advice, and love it. (She also mentioned that State Farm assigns you an agent, unlike Geico or some other bigger companies.) I'm smart enough to figure out what I need in a policy, but that won't do me any good if the agent is unreachable, or, worse yet, I'm using some agency that doesn't assign anyone to me, and just passes me around.

So, State Farm (I guess I'm pimping them out now; if only I were a celebrity) was fabulous. Just amazing. I told them what I needed, and got a quote over the phone in less than 10 minutes. I had the answers to most of the above questions, having answered them on-line with AAA. I also told them up-front about my quote from AAA, which was KEY.

I had to answer a bunch of additional questions, such as:

--how much is my TV worth? ($50)
--total other electronics? ($600)
--computer (with software)? ($1500)
--CD's? ($2500)
--furs? collectibles? (0)
--stereo, dvd, cd players? ($150)
--cameras? ($800)

probably more that I can't remember now. I am SO bad at guestimating. I should have OVER-estimated everything just to be on the safe side. If you do this, go over how much you think everything is worth, and add a couple hundred bucks--you have to have it delivered/use gas to get it to your new house, right?

Eventually, he quoted me $175 for my renter's insurance policy. I know that is much higher than AAA, but I was also arguing my auto insurance policy down with the quote I received from AAA at the same time. Among the reasons to lower the auto:

1) I'd moved to a less-affluent area recently.
2) I was now housing my car in a secure garage.
3) I am now driving less than 7500 mi/yr, since I now use a rental car to drive to and from our long-distance work sites.
4) I don't need the Emergency Roadside service they offer for $3.75/6 months since I now have AAA.
5) I am not sure, they just started lowering it due to random things they talked about while I was on hold.

They definitely didn't want to lose my business, so they pulled 'discounts' out of nowhere and eventually my combined quote from State Farm (auto+renters) was within $3 of my combined quote from AAA. Is $3/yr worth getting a crappy agent? Hint: N.-O. Plus, he said, "Insurance rates are going down next year, and if you remain accident-free, your insurance will go down even more!" In addition, with all the 'discounts' on auto, my annual total for auto+renter's insurance is $2.50 more a month than just my annual auto insurance premium.

Let me say it for you:

SCORE.

Renter's Insurance

It seems that you need insurance for EVERYTHING these days. According to every single financial book out there, if you are a renter, you need your own insurance, because your landlord's homeowner's insurance DOES NOT cover your precious stuff.

So I guess it's true, then.

Getting renter's insurance was something that I've always sort of intended to get around to in the back of my head, but I was playing Russian roulette with it--the longer I didn't have it and nothing happened, the more money I had in my pocket.

This, of course, is also true.

However, my new thing (see first post ever) is security. Even though my MOST precious "stuff" is worthless and irreplaceable (journals, pictures, cards from relatives), I can still realize that I don't want to be emotionally crippled AND have to buy a TV and bed again from scratch if anything horrible happens. The emotional cost of worrying about this has become greater than the loss to my wallet.

So what's my point? If something happens, and I lose every inch of stuff in my house, I will not be starting over. I will be sad, but I WILL NOT BE BROKE. The piece of paper containing the picture of me and my Grandma before she died is worthless, but what it means to me cannot be measured. The same is true (not to the same degree, of course) of the paper detailing my new renter's insurance policy.

My Grandma would be so proud.

12% instead of 4%!!!!

WTF am I doing?

I'm freaking out a little bit because I'm not sure I made a good move just now.

Let's backstory, shall we?

So I'm reading David Bach's "Start Late, Finish Rich" last night because, well, I want to get ahead and why not do more now instead of later? And while I don't quite buy into some of what he says, he uses my exact salary, $50,000 as an example. This was my downfall. He did a calculation that involved contributing 12% to a 401K--his recommended amount. I happen to net more after taxes ($2950) than in his example ($2917), and that is after 3% of my salary is contributed to my 401K! (I think this actually means that a) taxes have gone down since he wrote the book--true w/ the Bush years--and b) i don't take out enough withholding--also true. but that is another post altogether).

Anyway, he makes a very good point that whatever you contribute immediately is worth 27 to 30% more due to not having to pay taxes on it right now, and it would lower my overall tax bracket percentage. AND he does a calculation that contributing that much doesn't affect your salary as much as you think it will. Soooo, long story short, I did some calculations and emailed the BO with an amendment to my first change to my 401K contribution (from 3 to 4%) and told her to increase it to 12%!!! I calculated that this decreases my monthly salary only by $275 more. I don't know how this is possible, exactly, but...my contributions will now be about $520! If this works this way--which it should, as I used the right numbers.

Still, something doesn't feel right, and I'm dreading the first paycheck that this affects. I hope it works out correctly!

ah! I wish I had thought about it more...

My cure for the after-debt hangover

A little hair of the dog? I should think not!

Once your cc's are paid off, you may find yourself wandering around with extra cash in your hand, but no focus or use for it (not really, but you know what I mean). Much like retirement, the loss of a monumental, life-consuming goal like paying off debt can leave you aimless and a bit without purpose. I honestly feel somewhat empty (but extremely proud!) now that I am debt-free. I don't know what to do first! My money goals are so BIG! that I find myself losing focus and wondering 'what's the point of it all, anyway?' every day since hitting the bottom of the Net Worth continuum. Paying off debt for me was easy--it just involved denying myself extras and identifying my base needs, and I became quite good at that. Now I have to build on that foundation and actively make decisions about where my expendable money should go...and I am HORRIBLE at making decisions.

I want to use it WISELY now. I want my money working for me. I know I won't fall into the same trap again, but I also know that i have a lot of book-learnin' to do about the money game.

Here's what I have done in the past few days, since getting back to zero:

1) increased my 401K contribution from 3% to 4%. the DAY after I was debt-free, I received the quarterly email asking us to notify the business office if we wanted to make a change in our 401K plans. My contribution is very measly, as is my increase, i know, but the company doesn't match, so Suze Orman says that I should focus on a Roth now. That, in fact, is one of my next goals...but I figured I don't miss the money coming out of my salary for the 401K, so I might as well keep contributing. It's better than nothing while i'm saving up for the Roth!

2) I finally got renter's insurance! look for a post soon.

3) I argued my auto insurance down from $253 to $183 every 6 months.

4) I looked into a cash-back credit card. Also the topic of another post. Soon. (Chase Freedom Rewards Card)

5) I looked into linking my corporate charge card to a personal card, to get the rewards. ($75, though!)

6) Requested info packets on the coverage (long term disability, something awful called "accidental death and dismemberment," and life insurance) we get at work.

7) Asked my mom and dad about their wills, plans for the future. I sent them MP Dunleavey's article (i think it's entitled "9 questions to ask mom and dad" or something like that), and asked my mom to address those questions. I don't want to be stranded in case of an emergency. My dad is really sick, too--so this needs to be dealt with before something really awful happens and we're caught unawares.

8) I am having frugal (mostly) fun! I treated myself to some wish-list items, such as patio furniture, some new noise-cancelling headphones for my airplane rides, and some stuff for my room. I went out drinking with a bunch of friends last Saturday and didn't flinch at the prices (ok, i did, but it didn't hurt as much as it used to). I find myself happier and with a lot better outlook on life, too! I've gotten deals on everything I've bought so far, and really have looked into low-cost options on everything, such as Goodwill and craigslist. It's nice to think about how I can save money while still spending it, too. I've fine-tuned my internal gauge to where I can FEEL when something is too much for me, and when something is too good of a deal to pass up. Although, it is still SO HARD for me to spend money now. I found a spectacular deal at Target this past Friday on two really comfy chairs that are perfect for my balcony area--$12 for each. Even those awful metal chairs are about $20, so this was a steal, and I knew it! Even so, I was having a hard time explaining to myself why I could buy the chairs now. I kept telling myself that I didn't really "need" them. I almost put them back...but they are sitting on my balcony now, and i've already used them.

What the hell do i do NOW?

Ok, i'm debt-free. and that feels good. oh, so good! but how do i keep myself on track now that i don't have that guilt of owing? how do i make myself behave when i accomplished that goal? how do i keep saving as much as i can when i've deprived myself for so long in anticipation for this day?

WHAT DO I DO NOW?!

Several things, is the answer. Issues i didn't realize existed are now cropping up. Such as:

1) i need long-term disability insurance. i don't think I have long-term disability coverage with my employer. they offer a 'leave of absence' in the event of a long-term illness, but they do not continue your salary. they are extremely vague in the employee handbook about what we have and what we don't. lots of the Company "may" elect to cover ____. no info on if we actually do! this sucks. I feel naked without this, given that my father became disabled and was suddenly without any way to provide for our family. I've SEEN how bad it can get. NO WAY am i falling into the same trap!

2) i need renter's insurance.

3) i need to switch to a cheaper auto insurance (to be bundled w/ renter's).

4) i need to get a cash-back credit card to help my $$ work for me, and link a cc to my employer's to get those benefits.

5) i need to get an FSA/HSA. Health/flex spending account. my employer does not offer this, either.

6) need to open a roth. my employer DOES NOT offer a match, either.

7) need to get a new job. my employer sucks.

8) need to increase my 401K contribution from 3%.

9) need a will, and whatever else I need upon event of my death.

10) need to find out what kind of coverage/benefits i DO have at work.

11) need to switch to better medical plan at work. HMO sucks.

12) need more goals. here they are:

a) Housing fund (60K)
b) new car fund (7K)
c) wedding/travel to europe fund (10K)
d) emergency fund--3-6 months (6 to 12K)
e) ??

13) check credit score/report

14) close cc accounts (i have WAAAY too many); keep one i have had the longest.

15) Make sure mom and dad have their affairs in order.

What did i do EXACTLY?

I covered how I was a hermit in my debt-paying days, but not the steps i took financially. So, without further ado, here they are:

1)paid off my smaller debts first. My two student loans were at an interest rate of only 5% or so, but I owed so much less on them than i did my big honker of a credit card that I wanted to get them out of the way first. I had money collecting in my bank account over Christmas break, so much of that money went to paying half of one of my student loans off first. That felt so good, I was hooked on paying debt. A good first move for me.

2) I continued to pay twice the minimum on the credit cards while paying off student loans.

3) I transferred almost half of my credit card debt to a 0% interest rate card.

4) I opened an ING account to start gaining 4% interest on my emergency (savings) fund. I allocated $25/mo to that account. before that, it was just sitting in my BoA savings account, gaining like 2 cents a year. phhhblt.

5) once my student loans were paid off (took me 3 months or so), i threw everything i could at the higher-interest rate (remaining) credit card debt. my interest rate there was like 15%!! i thought it was around 9%, but apparently they changed it to an adjustable rate sometime the year before, and i received the notice in the mail but promptly stuffed it in my file folder and forgot about it. I wish i could say i bargained the credit card co. to decrease the interest rate, but instead i tried to pay it off as quickly as possible. I was done with that a few months later.

6) I read everything i could get my hands on about debt and cutting back. I stopped going out to lunch and dinner, made do with the clothes i had, started paying attention to what i bought, and stayed at home or went to the library instead of the mall. or, i went on fake shopping sprees. i did this in grad school, too--i'd walk around a store, collecting things that i wanted and acted like i was fully intending to buy them. then, when it was time to leave, i left the cart or whatever where it was and left the store (sorry, retail workers). this fulfilled my need to shop--really, it was all about the experience of shopping and deciding what i wanted--without hurting my wallet. I know. i'm wierd. but i LOVE my fake shopping sprees, collecting shiny new things in my cart, imagining where I'm going to wear/use them, and then having the willpower to walk away from that when i realize (again) that i really don't need that stuff. I guess I'm testing my resolve or something. Whatever it is, i love it.

7) Made a debt removal spreadsheet. I calculated how much i had to pay in order to be debt free, then assigned each month a certain amount. I also paid bi-monthly. I LOVED sending those checks off, too. Sometimes, if i could afford it, i sent more than two off. seeing the debt shrink by huge amounts warmed my soul like no new wardrobe could.

8) kept at it. finally! paid off the credit card with the interest rate and started focusing on the 0% interest rate card, and none too soon, given what was about to happen...

9) kept at it.

10) had to take a break to move--suddenly i had a first months rent and security deposit to think about. ugh. there goes my june-july payment! my car needed a new...everything. i also had a vacation planned in july, and then my grandmother got sick, so I was blowing money left and right on plane tickets and moving supplies. grr. set-backs will ALWAYS happen, be prepared!

11) sept. 06--finally back on track.

12) kept at it.

13) debt-free!! today!

14) A future post...

More! Free Stuff

after the second to last post there, the very NEXT DAY, i was offered two free things by friends. One friend took me out to lunch (we had Indian, yummy!) for doing him a favor (no, not that kind, dirty). Another had an extra ticket to a musical this Saturday and was offering it up. Otherwise, she would have gone by herself. I can't let that happen! We're going to make a night of it, and cook a cheap dinner at her place beforehand, and meet some people out afterwards for drinks. yay!

I won't be in the habit of counting the free things i get from friends (i think that would start to get wierd), but it's funny how i posted that and then things happened the very next day. I suppose that's just money karma at work.

I'm a big, fat ZERO!

as of this moment, ladies and genteelmen, 10/3/06 at 10:42 pm, I OWE NOTHING TO NO ONE.

i just checked my credit card balance at my last credit card I had to pay off, and it says this: Outstanding balance: $0.00

o. my. gosh. this feels so incredible and was worth every penny of sacrifice. For those of you still chugging away--keep at it. you'll get there!

How to pay off $11K in just 10 Months--Or, How To Live Like a Happy Hermit

I realized that I've covered my money history, but haven't said much about how I recovered from $11K of debt. Believe me, it hasn't been easy! So, what were my first steps in getting serious about debt removal (specifics covered in a future post)?

First, I have to say that my method is not for everyone. I make more than I have going out, so simply cutting back and taking a good look at what I was spending on cut my debt cycle off completely. Since I wasn't amassing more debt, and the more I saw my debt decrease, the more motivated I was to keep paying it off, I was able to get rid of that $11K in 10 months--even through a move and a huge rent hike. Also, I've lived like a hermit this year. here's how:

Don't date. Date? Ha. I was on a natural hiatus after my last bf and I broke up when I left grad school, so that wasn't an issue. Also, i hate to say this, but the stereotypes for SoCal guys are truer than I would like them to be. I'll just say that I honestly haven't met anyone I've been totally impressed by. You save oodles of money and time by not caring what you look like when you go pick up milk at the grocery store, too. :) (hmmm, there may be a post there, actually--how much more money does someone spend when they are looking for dates than someone who is just not interested?). Crazily enough, now that I'm (nearly! 1 day away) debt-free, i'm starting to get more interested in looking again. (this also could be a future post!)

Keep going out to clubs/bars cheap and only occasional. of course, i went out occasionally, but as I really don't have any really good friends here, it wasn't a big issue. SoCal is not the most friendly place to break into as a newly graduated frugal chick who isn't into Beamers or Gucci purses. I do drink, but i get tipsy off of one or two, and am happy to stop there. I try to cover a round or two when i'm out, but the guys i'm with usually default to paying, as well. i don't frequent fancy clubs that charge hefty cover charges, either. at most, $20 a night.

Don't eat lunch/dinner out. I do hang out with people from work, since I'm around them so much they've become my closest friends here, but I stopped going out for lunch with them, save a once or twice a month "let's catch up" meal. Sometimes i pack a lunch and we go eat outside for those meals, too. Those are the people i go out with to clubs/bars when i go, so I see them then, as well. My cousin lives here, but is a poor grad student, so our outings are also pretty cheap fare. She has potluck BBQ's every once in a while, so I get to meet new people all the time. When I'm in the field dinner out is on my company, so I don't have to miss eating out. Also, when i'm in the field, i usually have dinner with my co-workers, who make up the majority of my friends, so I am essentially having a dinner out with my friends for free.

Let social situations come to you. Amazingly, even though i've been a 'hermit' and don't know anyone that well here, I always have an invitation to do something on the weekends. It's usually with an entirely different group than I hung out with the weekend before, but it's there. I am astounded at this phenomenon, given how little effort i put into hanging out now. I definitely need to get back out there. I'm sure I'd find some great friends. This idea is kind of the Richard kiyosaki (sp?) method, applied to friends--i've put in my time earlier into nurturing friendships, and now that effort is gaining interest and working for me, instead of me working for it.

Work Hard. Work keeps me insanely busy, and I have a completely unpredictable schedule, so I can never make plans with people. This makes me not ever make plans for anything, down to taking a yoga class or scheduling a haircut. in the end, I spend alot less money because of this. It is annoying, but it's been beneficial to debt removal.

Have an outlet. My friends from previous lives come to visit, on average, once every 3 months. On these weekends, I blow off hermit steam in style. Luckily, most of the stuff we do is subsudized by other people. For example, my roommate works at a famous Zoo here, so we get free tix to it and the associated parks. Free! Also, we hang out at another friends' house and use her pool. Free! In addition, we are still in the habit of being poor students--we buy our own alcohol and mix it at home before going out to the bars. I live within walking distance to a bunch of bars, so we save on taxis. This is all without any effort on our part, so i feel free to splurge when they are in town on any incidentals that aren't subsudized--like dinner out or a baseball game or whatever (actually, i get free tix to baseball games through my company!). in addition, my best friends are now all lawyers and doctors, so they often pay for everything since they are rollin' in it now and are so happy to be hanging out with me. i try to pay, but it usually ends up that i don't.

Have Non-social outlets. Between the visits from friends, this is what keeps me going and fills my time. I am a big music freak, and love concerts and cd's. i also love movies and books. yay entertainment! however, these things are very expensive. especially if you do them wrong. i have a very tenacious personality--when I want to rent 'Stick It,' I will go to every blockbuster in the surrounding 10 miles until i find it (and have). this is dangerous, as if it is not available I find myself wanting to buy it from Target or whereever. i have luckily been able to convince myself it is not worth it when that happens, and find a replacement for that urge. now, i know this is bad, but i know someone *cough* who used to download music for free off of the internet. (really, 'used to') also, someone who buys books and takes really good care of them while she's reading it and if she doesn't like it, returns it to the store. *cough* yeah, i'm cheap. deal. you can return a camera or t-shirt to the store if you take it home and you hate it, so why not these things? Luckily, again, my other roommate is a DJ for a local radio station that plays my favorite kind of music, so getting access to new cd's now is as easy as asking her. and of course, free concerts! my other roommate also has netflix, so i'm able to watch movies that she has ordered (I, of course, offer to help pay but rarely get taken up on it). good stuff.

Hmmm...I'm sensing a theme here: Friendships and relationships are like money--you have to invest in them, nurture them, and pay attention to them. eventually they will work on their own without a huge effort on your part. that sounds horrible, like i'm advocating using your friends as sugar-mamas and daddies, but really, i wouldn't (and COULDN'T) take things from them if i didn't like them and feel that i returned the favors in my own free-perk kind of ways. it's odd to view relationships like that, and it makes me uncomfortable, so I'll stop here: I'm happy to be a good friend to them, and do what i can to make sure they are happy, and that would be the case even if they couldn't offer me anything. i've been really lucky and blessed with the people God has chosen for my 'chosen family,' as I call my best friends. :)

How To Squeeze the Most out of Your Employer

(Notice that that doesn't say, "How to Screw The Most out of Your Employer.") We all have to work to live. Starting our own businesses, for whatever reason, is not always the best option for some of us. So how do you make sure the time you put into your work pays off for you outside of the office? This is by no means a complete list, but here are some ways that I have managed to squeeze a little more out of my company--it benefits me way more than it hurts them (if at all):

1) I have to travel for work, so my hotel, airfare, rental car, and food is all on them when i'm in the field. I usually sign up for a specific airline, hotel chain, or rental car's rewards/points club, and I use that specific company at most of the Sites. This requires some organization--you have to make sure the company credits you for the item. Also, it's beneficial to peruse the websites for special deals--I garnered a $50 gas card this way. I'm earning and transferring points to get a free plane ride to visit my family this year, as well. Also, the longer you use that company, the more 'freebies' you get as you work your way up the tier system. Use points.com to consolidate/transfer points around.

2) Also when I'm in the field, there are certain things I do in order to help myself out when I'm NOT in the field. I stayed over the weekends in Vegas on the company--these were 'mini-vacations' if you will. It is cheaper to just pay for a hotel night than it is to fly back and forth from my home, so there's no way the company can keep me from doing this. I used that time to visit the surrounding areas and experience Nevada, Arizona, and Utah! It would have cost me alot to go by myself. In addition, during the week I'd get a doggy bag at restaurants and keep the food for the weekend, so i never had to pay for food, either! Rental cars are cheaper by the week, so I was covered in that sense. Total Cost for two vacation weekends in Las Vegas: gas and park entrance fees.

3) When I'm in the field, instead of going out to a restaurant one night for dinner, I go to the grocery store. Our food budget is not used up by a few prepared foods I pick up for dinner that night, so I pick up staples to carry home with me when I'm done in the field. For example, I always buy fruit, granola bars, cereal, bread, sandwich stuff and some kind of snack food when I'm in the field. I never finish a whole box of cereal in a week, so the rest of it is free to feed me the next week! As groceries are easily the main source of my money leaks, and I have not gotten in the habit of clipping coupons, I try to save where and when I can.

4) Checking out new restaurants. When I get BACK from the field, it's usually late evening, or a little past dinnertime. Instead of buying food near my Site, I drive home and get take-out from a nearby restaurant. As the neighborhood I live in has a high turnover and a high occupancy of good restaurants, I can check out the local fare with no cost to me whatsoever. score!

5) I don't always want to have dinner with my co-workers, after being with them for 14+ hours, 5 days a week, so on my 'days off' i order take-out. It saves on tip, i get to relax at home and watch tv while i'm eating, and i can order dessert and something a bit more expensive if i want to.

6) If you are sent places for conferences, most people know by now that you can easily skip some of the sessions to experience the city you are visiting. In grad school, I was sent to San Francisco, and went to the nearby art museum (and fell in love with Diane Arbus) instead of attending a session in which i had no interest in. This one is a judgment call--your company may not look highly upon ditching.

7) This idea I'm still investigating--Linking your credit card with your company card. You get the points/rewards/cashback without spending a dime. and boy, does my company spend. I just heard this idea last week, and it's a good one. I'm unsure, though, about the impact that would have on my credit score if the company was late on a payment or something. I need to research this further, and make sure this is something my co. would allow me to do. Awesome idea...

8) Company discounts. My small little company uses Verizon for our field phones, and I have Verizon as well, and use my cell phone for work all the time. I made sure it was ok with my company, and then called up Verizon and asked about a discount. They told me that I would receive 5% off my monthly bills! This will save me roughly $8 a month (this is more than 5%, but that's what I saved on my last bill, so...?), or $96 a year! I need to look into saving on auto insurance policies, etc. I don't know if it works that way, though. Any more ideas?

Other areas I need to look into/ask my company CFO about: getting a match for our 401K (we still don't), starting an FSA or HSA (is this something I can do on my own?), starting a Roth IRA with the same company as my 401K (is this wise? does Principal give discounts for having multiple accounts?), and figuring out the ideal amount to take out for taxes. Can I take some classes on the company's dime? Also, what can I itemize in taxes and what can't i? I have SO much to learn.

If anyone has more ideas, feel free to send them along. I know that all companies are different, but I'm sure they all have their perks.