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This past couple of weeks has been a whirlwind of doors opening and closing.  I mentioned in a previous post that my retirement was going to be pushed back while I continued to work part time in order to keep my health insurance.  However, my job was not able to offer me a part time position. (door closed)  So, I looked into maintaining COBRA insurance and while it was expensive, it was full coverage that I was willing to pay for. (door open) However, the same...
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I am finding it difficult to believe that April is almost over. I'm not really sure what has happened with this month or even the "new" year so far, but boy, time is just flying by. Perhaps it is my age that makes it seem like this.
I've been staying busy doing things around here. I thought I was so clever today -- I planned to vacuum, dry mop, then wet mop the hardwood and vinyl and vaccum the two rooms with carpeting, and why not kill two birds with one stone and put one of...
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The locksmith just left.  Final charge was $131 for adjusting the front lock, replacing a cylinder in back and a new key.  Most of the cost was actually for the service call, but whaddaya do -- you can't exactly take a lock in to the store.
This pushed variables up to 113%, which is unfortunate, but it had to be done.  I could have waited a few days, but didn't want to do anything too close to my vacation departure date.  The average of my variables this year...
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We have finally got everything moved to the new rental...we couldn't get movers as they were all booked out (yes we called 8 companies) so we did it ourselves so it took longer...so now we just need to finish putting things away...very lucky that we have had good weather this week...will rain this weekend but we have time to get everything under cover.
Mind you I don't think any of us have been this exhausted in forever...but it is starting to look like a home and is nice to be...
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I just purchased two bags of fluids and 12 needles to make sure I have enough for Iggy while I am gone.  Total was $28.  Pet supply spending is high this month.  Variables are now at 87%.  There are only a few days to go, but the locksmith, who is coming tomorrow, will be expensive.
When I came home, there was a postcard in my mailbox about a class settlement for Blue Cross Blue Shield, which was my insurer while I was employed by the college.  I got online...
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Can't remember if I mentioned this a few weeks ago or not, but I requested registration for some classes for this summer's term.  Since I am not yet officially enrolled, I had to wait for current students to register, then they processed non-enrolled requests on a first come first serve basis.  I made my request on the first day it opened so I would be as close to the front of the line as possible.  
I requested 4 classes, for a total of 16 credits (go big...
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As the world is innovating and each field is becoming advanced, certain risks are becoming more prominent. Just consider the example of smartphones, how they have been revolutionized into new and faster versions. These smartphones have brought along many health risks. For instance, cancer used to be rare, and now 4 in 10 people are diagnosed with it. 
In 2021, the diseases are more exposed, and we are unfortunately experiencing the corona pandemic. Every scientist and a...
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As the world is innovating and each field is becoming advanced, certain risks are becoming more prominent. Just consider the example of smartphones, how they have been revolutionized into new and faster versions. These smartphones have brought along many health risks. For instance, cancer used to be rare, and now 4 in 10 people are diagnosed with it. 
In 2021, the diseases are more exposed, and we are unfortunately experiencing the corona pandemic. Every scientist and a...
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I tested out my Uber account this morning.  Since it's now attached to a debit card that is provided by the city, I wanted to make sure it was working okay before I need it for the ride to the airport.   The ride went fine; everything worked as it needed to.  I asked to be taken to the locksmith, where I had some keys made.  From there I walked to the train station and rode home.
And there it gets kinky.  I was normally friendly to a fellow rider...
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It’s been a couple of months since my last entry and I feel like a lot has gone on! This is probably going to be a long post!
A big part of the reason that I fell off the face of the blogosphere is because we started back hybrid in my district. First of all, as a teacher, it is EXHAUSTING! It’s been a lot but I finally feel like I am starting to get into a rhythm. My kids went back to school two days a week and sports resumed as well. The Boy plays both football and...
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When I wrote last, I was waiting to see if I would get a call from the market research team conducting the in-home study or if I was not going to get called and get paid either way.  Well, they did end up calling me around 1pm, and said they would arrive around 2:30.  That worked out ok with the list of errands I had set up for the afternoon.  They were on time, I let them in, we went over everything, and I skedaddled.  They kept me updated on their progress...
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I worked another late, stormy night with bad weather. There were tornado warnings & my mom texted to see where I was. I told her I was at work & she told me that I should stay there for a while. I told her that I had my co-worker there (I always work alone except for last night) and we were going to be there a few more hours. I ended up leaving after 2 a.m. and he was hoping to be gone within the hour. The rain was pretty heavy, but not nearly as bad as the storm a couple...
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Last night was GS1's first baseball game of the season.  It was COLD, and even though I thought I had bundled up enough, I was miserable.  The game was called after six innings -- not because of the cold but because we were losing the light and storm clouds were gathering.  It didn't rain though.  Unhappily, our team was behind, so GS1 was bummed that they didn't get the chance to pull ahead.
The game was at a park 45 minutes away.  I forgot to eat beforehand,...
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We are almost one month post sale of our previous home.  I achieved the monthly goals of
1) $1,000 to 401K
2) $1,500 to Vanguard
3) $1,650 to Chase Savings
I also earned a $200 bonus from opening a checking account at Chase - I transferred that to my vacation fund over at PNC - so that's now $1,200 (waiting on a $650 refund from Disney).  Our May fixed bills (utilities/insurance/HOA) will be paid in full from the 4/30 paycheck.  Our living expenses have remained...
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Many on this site will remember the blogger Imasaver - real name Julie.  Sadly, Julie passed away on April 5, 2021 after a long illness.  She blogged here almost daily for a decade, wisely sharing her many tips and practices for making the most of her finances.  She was an inspiration to many readers who were just beginning on this path of setting goals and achieving them.  As one small example - she was proud to color her own hair so that she could splurge...
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Can you be financially independent retire early (FIRE) with kids?  Yes I believe you can. I think the easy part is FIRE when they are young.  You can budget for health insurance, budget for living, travel, fun, etc.  But the unexpected/unpredictable part?  College.  I mean you can easily homeschool your children. You can say no to private schools.  But college or even trade school?  How do you budget for that?  
I guess if you are super...
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I tried to renew my license plates online this morning, but when I clicked on the "senior benefit" box, it said I wasn't eligible.  Now I remember getting a letter saying that I didn't have to re-apply last year, because of the pandemic -- no one was in the office to handle that stuff -- so benefits were renewed automatically.  I guess time has run out.  I filled out a new application, and I have to wait 48 hours to be accepted.  Then I'm not sure how long it...
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Do I want to budget?  No. Do I have to budget?  Maybe.  Should I budget?  Yes.  But can I budget? Yes.  How does it work?  Well you are right now on this blog seeing an evolution of a non-budgeter. You will see if it happens or not.
Why?  Because there are a couple of things at play.  First off I have never budgeted. I hate budgeting. I keep a rough budget by "pay yourself first" and then spend the rest.  I never actually tracked...
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We are finally moving...yes we finally got a rental..so excited..only 2 sleeps to go...problem is I can't find someone to move us...everyone here is flat out so we may have to move ourselves which will take days...so hopefully we can find someone tomorrow...fingers crossed...it is an 18 month lease so once we move don't have to think about it for a long while...
I have to say I can't wait to be able to menu plan, cook the way we do....budget properrly, shop like we normally do...
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I was just reading another blog post about homes being money pits. I completely agree.
On Saturday, I was cleaning the drain in our bathroom sink, something I've done dozens of times. This time, when I was done and stepped away, I saw a stream of water coming from the drain pipe. A closer look revealed a small hole in the pipe. I grabbed a bucket and sopped up the water with a towel and put a call into our handyman. He said he could come on Monday.
He did come and fixed it, but...
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