Trying to keep life from falling apart, trying to become a person to be proud of.
About Me
29 yr old female trying to keep it together. I call my financial life a work in progress because though I have always had frugal inclinations I only recently started on an informal financial education with an end goal to make my money work for me! Of course I can be weak. Thai food, traveling, self-justification and laziness eat away at my savings. But I am getting there. I think. I used to be very jealous of the Jones' but now realize that they are broke and stressed so I prefer my own progress and accomplishments. My life may not be flashy but I have seen the consequences of a high-end lifestyle. I count myself lucky to be alive and aware in these economic times because I have learned so much and believe that in the long run I will come out farther ahead from a little suffering now. As long as I am not regressing, then I am pleased.
Fun fact to help navigate my posts: BB = Baseball Boy. My husband.
*****************************
2008 Short Term Goals
[x]Eliminate Credit Card debt
[X]Get married and pay off the wedding IN FULL
[X]Travel for 3 weddings and pay for each visit IN FULL
[x]Rescue a dog and pay all costs for him/her IN FULL
______________DONE!!_____________
2009 Short Term Goals
[ ]Save ALL eBay income in 2009
[X]Get a full time job
[X]Begin saving rental income for eventual rental renovation
[X]Buy a house with 20% down
[ ]Build a $4k Emergency Fund
[ ]Save 10k towards a back deck, backyard landscaping, and kitchen redo
[ ]Save $2k toward new car for hubby
[X] Pay $50 month extra on the mortgage
Long term goals *start by 2010*
[ ]Live on one income/bank the other income
[ ]Start an IRA for Baseball boy
[ ] have 1 NSD a week
******************************
*****************************
******************************
My November 2008 Wedding:
Total $23,630...Paid in Full! And had a BLAST!
2009 eBay Challenge $100/month:
$55
2009 Mortgage Challenge $50 extra/month!
So far I have added:
$375.00 extra principle payment!
*******************************
Quotes to keep me on track:
"Save FIRST and then spend the leftover, not spend first and save what's left."
"How you spend your money today effects the life you will live tomorrow."
It might help you to know that while I am running air conditioning, I am also doing my best to keep the a/c running correctly, putting new filters in the a/c, keeping window shades closed. Also, whenever possible, I use a swamp cooler, which is by my reckoning 80% cheaper than an a/c. However, it only works in dry climates, and right now we have a high wet bulb temperature, so it won't work, and I must use the a/c instead.
No AC for us, we're in Denver. We do have a whole house fan though, that's way more economical and cools it down a lot in the evenings. We live in a desert climate, so it's aften 30 degrees cooler at night.
Brrrr.... WAY too cold here to even put the A/Cs in the window! We got them out of storage a couple months ago, but forget it! I know DH would still turn it on even when we don't need it. A fan will suffice, even on the third floor.
July 13th, 2009 at 04:59 pm
I live in the desert.
July 13th, 2009 at 05:16 pm
July 13th, 2009 at 05:20 pm
July 13th, 2009 at 08:13 pm
July 13th, 2009 at 09:19 pm
July 14th, 2009 at 08:08 am
July 14th, 2009 at 09:09 am
July 14th, 2009 at 09:53 am
July 14th, 2009 at 10:43 am
July 15th, 2009 at 09:08 pm
I'm just waiting for the no heat challenge.