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I received my property tax bill in the mail, and it does include the Homeowners Property Tax Credit of $991.00 that I was approved for. Total bill comes to $2,245.44 for the year. This also includes a discount of $9.89 for paying the full amount in the month of July. Last year, without the Homeowners Property Tax Credit I paid a total of $3235.36.  
 


Of the $2245.44 I paid this year, $1064.73 of it was “other charges” that includes things like,...
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As we transition from my university insurance to my DH's, I'm again grateful for how good the state insurance was/is.  The pay was certainly awful, but great coverage.  I spent half yesterday filing for my accumulated sick leave to be escrowed towards future insurance in what can only be described as a blizzard of paperwork.  But I've filed for it, and I'll have to wait 7-10 days to see whether they've accepted it.
In other news, I've spent all my remaining FSA...
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I was just sitting here this evening, thinking how content I am. In the last 13 months, I took a new position, moved to a new city, and sold my condo. My life is so much better for it. Yes, I miss & worry about my parents, but all things considered, I'm in a much better place financially & professionally. My new position is constantly changing, we're always busy, I'm never "done", but I absolutely love it. It's so nice to work with hard-working people that just do their...
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I'm on my last day of a 5-day "weekend."  The two major accomplishments are making some progress towards my continuing professional education requirements for the year (I need to average 40 hours a year, and had only completed 4 as of 6/30; 4 more added and another 6 in progress), and taking a concrete step on my health and fitness journey by deciding to join Planet Fitness.
I had been looking at two more expensive options (and I haven't ruled either out yet for a short period...
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So my daughter went to bed last night and her waist down was in pain...she took some panadol and went to bed...I woke up at 4.30am with a feeling today wasn't going to be great...next thing I know my daughter is in my room in pain, uncontrollable shaking etc....we call the healthline and after a bit they suggested we take her to the hospital ...we organise for our youngest DD to pick me up as I can't be left alone due to my dizziness and falling...and my hubby takes my daughter...
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I assume this made the news -- I don't know because our local news was covering it all day and I couldn't see the national news -- but there was a mass shooting today only fourteen miles away -- in fact, in the same town where I went to a baseball game a couple of weeks ago and got stopped by a train.
Six people died and more than twenty were injured. Some of them are being treated here in my town.
Somehow it is more horrifying when it is close by.
It happened at a July 4 parade,...
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I was planning to hit up both Aldi and Walmart today; however, the oldest kiddo asked if I could watch the baby for about 90 minutes while they hit the gym this morning. I can never say no to that sweet girl. So we hung out, ate pizza, and watched Lilo and Stitch until they came and picked her up.
I then made my way to Aldi, and they had everything I needed. Of course, NONE of it was the brands I am used to, but that's okay. I am treating this like a challenge. 
I decided...
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Apparently I'm into books about struggle. I blogged about a Depression Era book the last time. My next book was on the Dust Bowl which was Depression Times as well. The book was "The Worst Hard Time" and it was based on interviews of people who lived during the Depression and a bit of their lives before and then during and a little after the Dust Bowl. I have a lot of respect for these people for not giving up although they sufferered considerable losses and I look at our drought...
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My daughters 3rd iui didn't work...she is a bit upset but okay....I keep telling her what every baby is suppose to be hers will be...and she believes that...she is pretty positive...her specialist is going away so she won't be able to see him till mid sept and then will probably try again in oct.
I have my ice acct back to where I want it, have some money in savings..will add more this week, and going to focus on paying off the CC again....thats my plan putting our money on the...
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Well, our DD is home from her whirlwind European tour--14 countries, one by accident as they missed the Copenhagen stop and spent 20 minutes in Malmo, Sweden.   She has some serious replenishingof her bank account to tend to.  And predictably our grocery spending has gone up.
What have we done--some minor decluttering and book selling, some travel planning for the first week of September when she returns to Scotland, making some dr appts to use up my flex spending...
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So I calculated my Q2 & monthly losses.
Last month I was down $84,439.
Last quarter I down $188,231.
This included biweekly contributions of $800 to my TSP and monthly contributions of $1,000 to my savings. Last quarter I contributed $8,600. I maxed out my IRA in January, which in hindsight was not a good idea, but fortunately is a very small portion of my holdings.
If the 401k limit goes up to $22,000 next year I'll increase my contributions to $850 biweekly.
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I can't recall if I blogged about this, but an office from my former condo association contacted me several weeks back. It seems that our management company was paying bills for other associations out of our account. They fired them of course, but also wanted an audit done.
That's where I came in as I was one of two owners that was on the old accounts who could request the archived statements. The other person being elderly & maybe at the onset of dementia. I still do...
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I will admit it here, and maybe only here... I am a brand SNOB. I VERY rarely purchase store brand, off brand or regional branded items. So dumb, and such a waste. Part of this finance overhaul for us is to get our grocery budget under control. 
Right now, it's me, my husband and our 15 year old son living at home that we feed. My 23 year old daughter lives in our attached casita - that has a small, functional kitchen (thank gosh for the invention of air fryers and rice cookers!)....
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So my mom has decided to move back to the city, she left because of the rising costs and they haven't really changed but she needs to be clearer to better healthcare...so we are looking for apartments for her...something else I get the pleasure of doing....plus we are still thinking of moving ourselves (depending on our daughter) so more added stress, she is 84 this year so we would like her to be closer if she needs medical help, where she lives just isn't that great. 
On...
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We're over the hump and on the downswing for the year!  Always a good time to stop and re-assess.
Financially, of course, my retirement plan balances have seen a decrease, counterbalanced somewhat by increases in the "comp" value of my home.  We did get a bonus, which I used to pay down debt.  As of 6/30, my assets are down 4.9% for the year (all due to retirement plan assets being down), my debts were down 10.6%, and overall, my net worth was down 6%.  
But...
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I’m back from vacation, the islands were beautiful. 
 
Now that I’m back it’s time to buckle down on my finances, I got a little side track but I’m ready to get back serious. 
 
All major bills are paid through September, this gives me time to look for a job or new contract. 
 
Prior to leaving I had two really great interviews but no response. I hate being ghosted by recruiters, especially if you contacted me. 
 
Upon...
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I was feeling much better this morning (and it's cooler) so I went to the gym. Afterwards I filled the gas tank at Sam's ($53) and bought groceries at Food 4 Less ($43). I expected to only pick up a few things at the grocery, but I ended up with four bags. At a little over $10 a bag, that's not too bad. But it's almost half of what I have budgeted for the month! I have yet to buy snacks for the train. I know I will take several apples, and I hope I can manage to make some oatmeal...
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Somehow I've forgotten to blog for a while so here's an update on my ebay progress this year.
The 2nd quarter is over. It's almost comical to look at my results vs what my goal was at the start of the year.
Goal: $200/month average profit Actual as of 6/30: $5,562 or $927/month average profitGross sales of $6,877If you frequent the boards, you may have seen this story, but if not, I hit the jackpot a few weeks ago. I bought a crate of vintage bottle caps at an estate sale for...
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Well, I am starting our new budget this month! It will still feel a little wonky as I get used to the new situation, and waiting for overpayments and paying off underpayments. Thankfully, there isn't much going to underpayments. I am getting 2K back from our mortgage that was paid off, that I didn't realize. And then there are a few other overpayments here and there.
Today, I "paid" the bills (they are automatic, but I took the time to check the budget, transfer monies, and document...
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I haven't done the final tally, but I'm down again for Q2. I don't know if there's an end in sight so I just keep plugging away. I'm still north of $1 million overall, and also in retirement.
This is a strange economy. There seems to be no limit on jobs available, yet no people to fill the vacancies. So many people are leaving the healthcare field. It makes me nervous for the future of healthcare in this country. And I'm happy that I'm not traveling this summer as flights continue...
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