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Long story short I have $1,100 left on the 0% interest medical loan before I am debt free. (besides mortgage)
My stretch goal was to pay it off this year but it looks like I am going to be about $800 short. I have over $8,000 in savings to regrade our yard and install our new water heater. Cost estimate for that is $6,000ish, and I won't need to pull it for at least two more months, but I also know projects always seem to cost more than expected. I'm itching to borrow the $800...
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After many years of not putting up a full size-tree (partly due to it being just me, plus my cat may get overly curious), I decided to spring for a 5-foot artificial tree. I joined a Facebook group made up of people who collect vintage Christmas ornaments/decor a few weeks ago, and it's easy to get seduced by all the glam this time of year. 
But I didn't want a plastic tree, and that's 90% of what's available if you're looking for artificial. I settled on a wrought iron tree...
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I've procrastinated on making a couple of financial moves for way too long but I'm finally making some progress.
DW and I called her 403(b) company yesterday to find out what we needed to do to rollover her account. She already has an existing rollover IRA from a prior job so the 403(b) funds can go into there.
We downloaded the form needed and filled it out. Today we got her old employer to sign it, as required, and I'll mail it tomorrow (assuming we're not snowed in).
Next...
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I thought I would do a garden post since I have been in a flurry of garden planning for next year. This is one of my favorite activities, and also is a very frugal thing that helps me save thousands of dollars in grocery bills each year. My veggie garden is one of the great joys of my life. The first thing I did when I purchased the house last year, even before I unpacked my boxes, was to construct raised beds and start a garden. After nearly 15 years of living in apartments, I...
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I did my pay day bills, with one extra -- I donated $225 to each grandchild's college fund, for a total of $900.
Iggy continues to seem better.  I will give him fluids on my own today for the first time -- I hope he will comply.  He can be pretty uncooperative!
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A good day for the markets meant I reached my investment goal of $1 million! It was so close only a week or two ago, but then the markets pulled back.
Investments: $1,004,409
I received another Clever Fox planner, this time the financial planner. It was a special gift bundle that came with the cash envelopes. I weighed the pros & cons of both and have decided to keep the financial planner and gift the budget planner. I gifted the cash envelopes & extra stickers as...
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Long time lurker/blog reader here.  I briefly had one of my own, but was bad about updating.  Plus I used my usual social media handle, and I'd like to fly a little more under the radar.
So I've decided to start fresh with a slightly more anonymous handle
My story?  Almost 42.  Single.  Bought my first home at the end of 2019, right outside NYC.  Have found myself in debt again.  Getting my sh*t together over the next few years (again).
"Bad"...
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So true to 2020, the hub is now unemployed as of midnight tonight. The company he worked for sold, and the new company is not keeping the employees.  He will be shipping all of his tools home (thankfully the company is paying to ship - otherwise this would have been about $5k for us) and will fly home tomorrow.  He will likely work local for the forseeable future.  Easy come, easy go.
Thankfully, he will be able to draw $370 a week unemployment, and with my earnings...
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I was paid by my third job today. I worked a little over 47 hours even with the Thanksgiving holiday. Because I don't get deductions with this job my pay is comparable to my full-time job. The 15th is also the date for my automatic drafts for my auto & home insurance and utilities. Tomorrow my biweekly mortgage goes through.
It's nice to have increased cash flow. I'm not having to juggle payments, but I just pay bills as they come.My final two checks for the year will be paid...
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I'm looking forward to pay day this month, just to get things squared away.  Most of all, I want to take care of my annual donation to college funds for the grandchildren.  Last year I couldn't do it before Christmas, and that was kind of a bummer.
After Christmas, I have a semi-annual payment for auto insurance in January, and semi-annual property tax in February.  So I don't get a breather for a while.  I am frustrated that I can't work on any home projects,...
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I have aready done my mothers budget for next year, it barely changes as her bills are usually the same each month.
I have done ours...as I am always tweaking it I have done it on the computer now...I have done the basics but I need to get my new doctors and medication into my budget...then it will be done...hopefully tomorrow as we don't have any appointments that we need to attend...hopefully we can get some decent savings up next year for our house deposit...we are looking...
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I had DH work up a spreadsheet for me of what his projected income next year will be with the higher medical taken out in 2021 alone, at 7% going into the 401K and at 10%, and at 15%.  We can put 10% in and still be able to save at least $1000 every 4 weeks towards the Emergency Fund, so that is what we will be doing.
The Emergency Fund goal for next year is to get it to $22,232.86 and that will be 6 month's expenses.  I am currently at $8739.84, so will need to save...
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That will be my slogan for the next four or five days: Still Grading.  I'm never quite sure whether I should take a day off now classes are over and just do house things and errands or push straight through the grading.  I certainly hit the wall on grading on Saturday, and I wasn't alone.  All my teaching pals were cooking, messaging, decorating--anything to step away from the dropboxes for a while.   
I have another meeting and a final student session...
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Not a real question just a observation in my world if someone asks me to do a task i get it done not spread it out and use the work from home as a reason it takes longer etc.
In my area there are many jobs out there offering better pay then they use to and no takers ?   People have said they are waiting to see if the "extra" in unemployment ends...... Makes no sense to me if there was a job that paid similarly i would not sit and ride unemployment until it runs out then...
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Hard to believe that this version of my blog rebooted on December 10th of last year.  
It's been a busy year, aside from Covid.
I was fortunate to travel to Southern California in February, March, and October.  It is the place where I feel I live my best and happiest life; not sure exactly why. Probably has something to do with relief from SADD, love of the Pacific Ocean, and the general lifestyle in the Laguna Beach area.
It was definitely a year of accomplishing...
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I ordered three Christmas ornaments yesterday, spending $19.   Last year, GS2 noticed that I had a violin and a trombone on my tree, but no piano.  I was also lacking a saxophone, which DS1 played.  So I remedied that.  For good measure, I also ordered a flute, which I played.  As for the violin and trombone, those are the instruments of GS1 and DS2.
Iggy did not have a good day yesterday.  He ate, but then he threw it up and then had diarrhea,...
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$318.58 Tithe
_500.00 Utilities
_400.00 Grocery Envelope
_300.00 Medical Fund
_280.00 Chriopractor Monthly Family Plan
_115.17 Internet
__36.00 Garbage
_150.00 Car Insurance
_100.00 Gas Money
_100.00 Spending Money Adults
_120.00 Allowances
_200.00 Gift Fund
_200.00 Clothing Fund
_450.00 Citi
-----------------------
3169.75 Total Money Out
 
 
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I always say that I'll let the final payment go through as usual, but like with my TSP loan I couldn't wait. My automatic payment of $200 went through yesterday & I had $180.15 remaining. I scheduled the $180.16 payoff amount for today. She's all mine now! 🚙 
This is my second loan payoff this year & I've moved my anticipated credit card pay off from spring 2021 to January 2021. My balance will never be zero as I don't pay in cash, but it should just be my usual...
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Hi All-
It's been a little over a month since my last update. We are on track to meeting our Mortgage Pay-off goal for the remainder of 2020. If everything goes according to our plan, we might be able to surpass our of goal $75K principal balance. This might be a bit overzealous, but I am hoping for a paid for house by this time next year. 
Christmas Day will be super low key this year for reasons beyond our control. We will have our morning Christmas Breakfast, gift exchange...
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Iggy has stopped eating.  I took him back to the vet yesterday and they gave him a geriatric workup and drew blood for tests.  I will call this morning to find out what the blood tests reveal.  They also gave me an appetite stimulant and gave him fluids again.  The total cost was $211.  Variables are at 67%.
I know he is probably coming to the end of days, but I want to know what is wrong, as does the vet.  Other than not eating, he seems to be comfortable.
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