All Entries

I got my windshield replaced today.  The plan was for them to come to me, but it rained all day, so the technician and I agreed to meet at the company site.  It was a bit of a drive, but I took the opportunity to stop at Panera and get my free bagel.  I am entitled to a free one every day this month, but since our nearest Panera closed, it's not easy to just pop in.  I'll get a bagel when I am somewhere near a Panera.
I also did a load of laundry.  
BFF...
[ Read More ]

Popping in to say hello and share a few updates.
I received word from my debt consolidation company that they were able to negotiate settlements on two more of my accounts in the past few days.  This takes me down to 3 that are left to be settled, and a total unsettled balance of just over $14k.  Already way past where I thought the year would end up, and it's only April.  I guess later in the year I'm going to have to switch my tracking mechanism to how much is...
[ Read More ]

I was just reading this article:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/07/biden-tax-plan-may-spur-boost-in-roth-retirement-accounts.html?fbclid=IwAR3ktxa8YcXrwoDfM9XMdZ-z-bEmV97gHHwJvnFbSoR5dlbUel-ldHLqqZE
Some of these changes would negatively affect me. The change in tax deductions  on the retirement accounts as well as the estate tax.
I could easily see myself leaving having more than $3.5 million in my estate. Maybe that will just inspire me to spend it down in my old age! Hopefully...
[ Read More ]

Feeling much better this morning, I headed out to do some grocery shopping.  But when I got in my car, I saw that the windshield was cracked!  I got out and checked all around the car to see if there was any other damage, and there was not.  I don't know what could have happened!  I called my insurance company and someone will come out tomorrow to replace it, but since I have a deductible I will have to pay $250.
I went ahead and drove to Aldi, where I spent...
[ Read More ]

So we went away this weekend and I haven't quite sorted out everything on that.  However I did manage to compile some.  So here is our spending for the month so far.
$252.40 for Groceries$20.50 Eating out $70.92 Alcohol$66.09 Dog$45.57 Gas$427.31 Utilities (water, internet, xm subscription)$14.90 Home Depot$35.27 Haircuts$6.60 Auto (windshield blades)$77.13 Home Goods$75.57 Gifts (Bought some stuff)$9.61 Misc$173.49 Kids ($135 piano lessons)$71.56 Gas for road Trip$494.79...
[ Read More ]

Yesterday was a very spendy day for me. A couple of years ago when I renewed my driver's license, it was just the same way as always. A couple of months later, the state decided to institute the "real id" and it was to be done by October 2020 if you wanted to fly and didn't have a passport. Well, Covid struck, DMVs were shuttered, and so we waited for things to open up. Last fall, the DMVs opened up, and DH had to renew his license, and so we got the documents together and he got...
[ Read More ]

Retirement has gone up to $49,614.34 after the contributions hit the account today.  That is a rise of $1582.39 since the last update.  Getting closer and closer to that $50K milestone, just $385.66 to go.  I'm also getting pretty close to the $100K net worth milestone, too.  Just $2882.97 to go to hit that.
[ Read More ]

I have pre-populated my budget worksheet for the month & I believe that I will be able to send an income surplus of $3,000 to my savings. At this rate I will exceed what I had planned to save in 2021. This has me thinking about what I can do with that money once I fully fund my emergency savings. I will have other expenses: purchasing my next car hopefully later rather than sooner, and other home projects.
I am really thinking about paying off my home early. I get so inspired...
[ Read More ]

Just an update since the market has been hot:
Net Worth $1,240,980
Investments $1,115,243
[ Read More ]

I got my second shingles shot yesterday.  It was a $47 copay.  My reaction to the first shot was pretty bad -- spiking fever, terrible discomfort.  This time it was better, but I was still uncomfortable.  Today I seem to be over the worst of it, but I am tired from lack of sleep.
While I was at Walgreens, I spent $7 on groceries -- vital things like bread, popcorn and creamer!  Variables are at 17%.
I did not buy a new laundry hamper.  I pulled one...
[ Read More ]

What is it they say in horse racing... "Passing the quarter pole"?  (Actually I checked and that is when you are a quarter mile from the finish, so I have this backwards.  Oh well...) In any case, here we are one quarter of the way through the current year, spring is coming, and finances are doing well.  And its about all I can talk about as the downside to working from home every day is there is nothing much to talk about.
My investments started the year at 1,305k,...
[ Read More ]

My son came home from Florida and I finally got my new phone working.  There are some hurdles -- passwords to remember or reset -- but I'm getting there.
We got takeout yesterday and played a card game together.  It was so much fun.  My son and DIL are scheduled for vaccines next week, and my Oregon son and DIL are going to work on getting appointments today.  This is all so encouraging.
Starting today, I can get my second shingles shot.  (I had to wait...
[ Read More ]

Todays weather is just perfect..not hold not cold just a perfect temperature...almost like spring weather (even though its autumn here) , we had a house open today..they changed it as it was suppose to be tomorrow..so only us and a mother with her teen daughter they wouldn't shut up so we didn't get to talk to the people who were there about the house waited 20 mins and gave up as our daughter was tired and not feeling great...so we will dee what happens...right now we will just...
[ Read More ]

I wish you & yours a wonderful Easter! Spending my day with my parents. We're having much of what we had for Thanksgiving & Christmas. I also ordered a strawberry pie from a local bakery. It's a light whipped dessert made with cream cheese & perfect for spring. The bakery was so busy yesterday! 🥧🍓
I attended an evening service at church yesterday. It was my first time in church in months, my first time since I've been fully vaccinated. It was a nice service &...
[ Read More ]

My middle sister has been badly ill for the last two weeks and I had been trying to get her to go the hospital for the last week, because I suspected Covid based on her symptoms and based on what we had been through in March of last year with it.  Well, her husband came down with it as well and while it looks like she is going to come out of it, she is now under quarantine.  BIL on the other hand had to be flown to Portland.  He's got severe sleep apnea and the little...
[ Read More ]

(1) I cut my own hair. This is the second time I have cut my hair during the pandemic, and I love it. I have very curly hair, and it is a bit hit or miss with hairdressers since curly hair does not behave the same way when it's wet as straight hair does. This is especially true if I try to get a layered cut. Anyway, I found this youtube video that provides a quick tutorial. I have used it twice now, and I have to say that it's the best haircut I have ever had. And what's more -...
[ Read More ]

Hi guys
I don't know your tax system well at all and just wondering how do you figure out how much tax you need to pay as a couple or single person based on your income? Just need to find out where to find the correct information and since you are all so graet at advice thought I would check here first...Thanks
[ Read More ]

looking through our april expenses and one that that we won't have to pay is the water/elec & gas bills as we currently don't have a home to pay these, I will still put the payments into our POM account as we will have connection fees when we rent again, but for now it is savings, although our oldest daughter is paying rent at our youngest daughters house it isn't much more than what she was paying before and we are only paying storage fees so saving some money on rent, I do...
[ Read More ]

I have a lot of stuff I want to get done today, but I also really wanted to check in since I realized it's been a couple months! Time both flies and crawls in the pandemic. It's the strangest thing.
Well first off the household except the kids is partially vaccinated! Our downstairs neighbors both got theirs, and when MN opened eligibility on 3/30 I started hunting. It took several hours but I decided to target my search at counties that had vaccinated at least 50% of their population,...
[ Read More ]

Well, my April Fool's was fun because I hit $1.1 million in investments! On to the next milestone.
Investments Quarter 1 2021 Review:
Balance December 31, 2020: $1,023,303
Balance March 31, 2021: $1,087,545
Growth/Loss: +$64,242
Contributions: $6,000
Gain/Loss: +$58,242
Savings:
December 31, 2020: $2,814.15
March 31, 2021: $6,319.03
Contributions: $3,5000
Interest: $4.88
Net Worth: $1,227,452
 
[ Read More ]