All Entries

Debts
Mortgage -$113,658.50 (-$152.50)
0% CC -$5,868 (-$975)

Savings
Roth IRAs +$15,185 (+$308)
401K +$23,379 (+$2,424)
Emergency Fund +$3,876 (+$301)
Animal Fund +$583 (-$40)
Truck Fund +$1,400 (-$215)
HSA +$631 (-$149)

Overall: +$3,756.50

Steady progress on CC, EF, and retirement. A large chunk was from an unexpected/late contribution from husband's old employer. HSA was contributed to, but was overthrown by baby medical expenses.
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Debts
Mortgage -$113,811 (-$151.09)
0% CC -$6,843 (-$580)

Savings
Roth IRAs +$14,877 (+$653)
401K +$20,955 (+$1,129)
Emergency Fund +$3,575 (+$481)
Animal Fund +$623 (-$819)
Truck Fund +$1,615 (+$105)
HSA +$780 (+$240)

Overall: +$2,520.09

Markets recovered this month and everything moved up slowly but surely except for the animal fund which was wiped pretty low after the purchase of hay and a new goat.

Credit card progress is slowing down as expected since...
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Mortgage -$113,962.90 (-$151.30)
0% CC -$7,423 (-$1,061)


Roth IRAs +$14,224 (-$641)
401K +$19,826 (-$665)
Emergency Fund +$3,094 (+$446)
Animal Fund +$1,442 (+$1,242)
Truck Fund +$1,510 (+$250)
HSA +$540 (+$301)

Overall: +$2,145.30

Made bigger progress this month but it was offset in the market drop of our retirement funds.

I thought it would take until August for our net worth to hit zero but I am at $-600 right now and will be positive as soon as I get my...
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Here are the April Numbers:

Mortgage -$114,114.20 (-$150.70)
0% CC -$8,484 (-$414)


Roth IRAs +$14,865 (+$485)
401K +$20,491 (+1,013)
Emergency Fund +$2,648 (+$530)
Animal Fund +$200 (-$300)
Truck Fund +$1,260 (-$160)
HSA +$239 (+$239)

Overall: +$2,371.70
Not huge progress from last month but still in the right direction. May is already looking like it will be a much better month.
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I sat down and ordered a couple of things from Amazon this morning. A four-pack of panties for $25, and a new Fire Stick remote for $30. My son pointed out that a new fire stick, with remote, was not much more, but it is $10 more, and that still matters to me. Just hope it will pair successfully with the fire stick I have.

The panties are rather expensive, but they are a brand and color that I want, and I paid the price.

Variables are now 11%.

I'm doing laundry now,...
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Originally Published 09/21/19

I have been meaning to share this. I did this project for my little great-niece, born earlier this year. At one time, I did a lot of cross-stitch. It had been years, but I wanted to make something for the long-awaited sweet baby girl of my grand-niece and her husband. I enjoyed doing it, and have already begun another project.


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Originally Published 9/20/19

I signed the docs for my re-fi today. The new terms are as follows:

Principal 45k
Rate 4.58%
Term 12 years
Payment $407.58, to be automatically withdrawn from my checking account monthly beginning 11/03/19.

They waived the $399 fee, charging me only $15 to add their name as lienholder. My current lender gave a payoff number before I made my most recent payment, so they had the payoff as $44,985.00. I should receive a refund from my current...
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Originally Published 09/10/19

Yesterday's trip to the DMV was a success. So, with registration in hand, I submitted an application with Essex Credit to refinance my 5th wheel loan.

I expect that I may need to pay down the principal some. I bought the 5th wheel new and we all know what happens to the value as soon as it is used instead of new. I don't know the current value and I am not certain if they do 100% LTV or if it is less. Will just have to wait and see. What I do...
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Originally Published 8/28/19

The next thing I want to focus on in my quest to pay off the 5th wheel is to get the loan refinanced to a lower rate. My current rate of 6.74% is not horrible for an RV loan, but I feel I can do better. Reducing the interest just gets me there that much faster.

I found a lender (Essex credit, a division of Bank of the West) who will refinance at 4.69%, but I need to submit my DMV paperwork along with my loan application. Uh-oh, obstacle.

The...
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Originally Published 8/24/19

Everything is paid for August, so it was time to make an extra principal payment. It is my habit to keep 1k in checking, then "sweep" all else towards whatever goal I am working towards. This month I was able to sweep $566.96, of which $147 was from a refund for DMV fees, and the remaining $419.96 was from regular income.

So that was a good month, and I hope to manage paying a similar amount every month, until it is done.

Updated snips of the...
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Originally Published 8/12/19

Now that I have decided to make paying off my 5th wheel loan a priority, I have been thinking about different strategies to get the job done.

One strategy I intend to pursue is to get a 0% no balance transfer fee credit card loan if I can. I have Googled a bit, and have found a couple of offers for 0% for 15 months, no balance transfer fee. If I were to borrow $4,200, that's a repayment of $300 per month for 14 months (I always plan to pay in...
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Originally Published 8/11/19

So early this year, we lost our beloved Nala to laryngeal paralysis. This is a condition in which the nerve controlling the laryngeal flaps stops working, and so the flaps stop moving between the esophagus and the trachea. This was hard on everyone.

After grieving for a few months, SB and I adopted a female 2 year old English bulldog/pit mix. She was being fostered but was the property of the Bradshaw animial shelter in Sacramento. She has quite...
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Originally Published 05/21/19

I try to prepare for future expenses by saving a bit each payday in various sinking funds. With the recent purchase of a new 5th wheel, they needed some tweaking. I update the balances regularly, which you can view any time you please by clicking on the "Sinking Funds" page link in my sidebar. This is what I am currently doing:

Car Ins & Reg - This is now for both my CR-V and 5th wheel. I am budgeting $2,700 per year for insurance and registration...
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Originally Published 5/15/19

It would have been more practical to buy the 5th wheel our friends were selling, or some other used 5th wheel. But, I decided that I wanted the beautiful new 5th wheel with extended warranty.

So, I bought it. The same one in the pics I shared in my post "Tow Vehicle Purchased". We have not yet taken delivery. The dealer is installing a tankless hot water heater and slide out "toppers" (covers to protect the roof from leaves and dirt while the...
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Originally Published 05/04/19

I enjoy serendipity so much. Some friends of ours who are close to finishing their new build home have been living in a 5th wheel. They just offered it to us for 5k.

We went to see it. It is not as pretty as the one in the pics I recently shared, but it would be quite an increase in space for us. It is 27 ft with 1 slide and is very clean. It is a 2002 model with worn green carpet which would have to go. It does not have an on-demand hot water...
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Originally Published 5/1/19

I have continued to refine and update my "if I retire right now" spreadsheet.

I have extended the final line to the month I turn 100. I will tweak my monthly withdrawal to maintain steady income from date of retirement to the month I turn 100. The next month, I will be flat broke.

Extending the time out several more years reduced my beginning monthly withdrawal amount. Good portfolio growth the past two months has increased it.

In addition...
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Originally Published 04/30/19

I am so excited to share that this past Sunday, SB and I purchased our tow vehicle. It is a 2018 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with a Cummins Turbo Diesel engine. This baby is made for towing. Here she is:



She is a pricey girl. But after much discussion, we decided that we wanted a reliable workhorse. I admit I am a bit intimidated to drive her. I plan to take some RV driving lessons. You know, how to back up, hitch your trailer, make wide turns, etc.

SB...
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I took ceejay's advice and grabbed the posts from this year that I wanted to keep. (Thanks Ceejay!)

{Sorry for so many posts at once.}

I think the monthly savings posts are a good snapshot. & there was *so much* going on with MM(16) this year, with driving, first credit card, college, etc. I know I lost a couple, but I was able to find the first few that I thought of. Phew!

I can't find the grocery rewards card thing that I just posted with some notes to self. But...
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I was going to say something like, "Things have been going along pretty well," but then that seems silly because they are not well at all. I think I've just reached a point of relativism. Sadly, facing some of life's biggest challenges is a point of peace and calmness for me, right now. Because that's just how life has been. Everything else has settled down a wee bit and I have any mental space whatsoever to deal with anything.

So... everything else has settled down significantly...
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2019 TALLY:

$550 Gift Cards (Citi, Moi)
$150 Bank Bonus
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$700 TOTAL *ONE-TIME REWARDS*

Other Rewards:
$ 29 Citi Price rewinds (RIP)

**In addition, various monthly rewards that I will tally at 12/31.

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I posted earlier that I was reminded to do some price rewinds, when price matching a wedding gift. Citi had a "Price Rewind" where you could just enter a purchase and they would...
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