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jokeabee

Restarting tracking (and posting!)

November 4th, 2024 at 04:28 PM by jokeabee

It sure has been a minute! 
Our financial situation has not changed much since my last post a couple years ago. Two big things happened: I have a full time, semi remote job and we started a business! We have been in business 17 months and it looks like it will be profitable within the next 12 months but it is VERY stressful from a day to day standpoint.
Our (personal) monthly cashflow is in the negative and I am not sure how we've been able to hang on for so long. But every...
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MM(21) Tuition Update

November 4th, 2024 at 03:54 AM by Monkey Mama

I gave up on blogging October expenses, because life took a sharp turn into crazy town.  
Today I appreciated the extra hour, and got caught up on some things.  & Finally...  MM(21) received financial aid numbers and had some time to give those to me.  So I am no longer in limbo wondering if his middle class grant will be $0 this year (as originally expected).  
I've been waiting for this number, to update his 5-year tuition projection.
MM's...
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Amber

Student Loans - I See the Light

November 3rd, 2024 at 07:28 AM by Amber

When I started my debt repayment journey, again 🙄🤦🏾‍♀️, my biggest hurdle was my student loans.
I paid off student loans one and two during the pandemic, and consolidated three and four. Honestly, I couldn't see the light then,actually until now, I just couldn't imagine paying these loans off. 
After paying a $200 payment and seeing it finally hit my account three days later, yep three days it took while incurring $4.71 a day in interest, it finally hit...
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Another day, another data breach, dental refund, holiday gift-giving

November 2nd, 2024 at 07:26 PM by PatientSaver

 
Yet another data breach compromising my personal info, except that this time I don't even recognize the name of the company that apparently had my info: Change Healthcare.
I will call them Monday to find out who this is and what my relationship with them is. As is par for the course, all they can offer is free credit monitoring.
My new dentist came through with a $52 refund in the mail. I am now officially a senior, and they are the first dentist to offer a 10% discount...
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Experian spooked me

November 1st, 2024 at 11:49 PM by Tabs

So remember how I said my accounts were compromised by that data leak by National Public Data breach?  Since then, I've closed a bunch of my credit cards that I wasn't using, and also signed up with Experian to help monitor my credit score.
Long story short, I got an alert not long ago saying I've got some kind of weird credit charge or whatever, on one of those presumably closed accounts.  I'm thinking to myself, "Hmm, am I misreading this?  How is this possible?" ...
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CB in the City

October Recap

November 1st, 2024 at 02:35 PM by CB in the City




Housing
784


Utilities
215


Groceries
167


Gifts/Charity
97


Eating Out/Takeout
96


Medical/Health
74


Personal
71


Furn/Equip/Décor
68


Entertainment
58


Phone
49


Clothing
45


Household Supplies
27


Laundry
16



Grand Total                   1767
It was not a big spending month, though I did exceed my variables by a little. Food was the main event,...
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ceejay74

October 2024 net worth update

November 1st, 2024 at 03:24 AM by ceejay74

Not a great month for the markets, so our net worth fell by more than $16K (and our retirement account value by more than that; the total drop was offset by paying off a couple grand on our mortgages). But, the good news is we're still about $35K above our CoastFIRE number, so we're still on track!
Not much else to report financially since last month. I'm gearing up to do a big year-end review of our spending; I kept more detailed records of where we overspent (and a scant few...
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Dido

Debt down over $20k for the year

November 1st, 2024 at 12:58 AM by Dido

I've been focusing on decreasing my debts this year.  So far I've paid off $23,250, and I'm within a thousand of my (revised) year-end debt goal of a total under $50,000.  (The goal was 60k at the beginning of the year but a surprise bonus when the company I work for was acquired allowed me to pay down more debt than I had expected.)  Of that, the mortage will be $25,760 after the monthly payment hits tomorrow.  I should reach the $50k goal sometime during November...
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Single Guy

Triple Win

October 30th, 2024 at 05:22 PM by Single Guy

Some days you can stack benefits one on top of the other.  Yesterday was one of those days.  Real simple - I went to one of those "I can show you how to secure your money" type of seminars.  I have to say it wasn't the worst thing ever, but the woman did downplay some of the downsides of what she was promoting.  Realizing this is one of the upsides/downsides of being financially literate.
And the product was... "Fixed Index Annuities".  I won't go into...
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New Here

The Plan

October 30th, 2024 at 04:35 PM by New Here

Most of my planning has gone simply into surviving the next fourteen monthes while I'm in grad school.  I'm working two part time jobs which add up to one full time job.  My program is online, so its convenient.  My income is enough to cover my priorities which are 1) bare bones living (less face it, I don't have a lot of time for anything other than work and school) 2) my tuition and 3) health insurance premium.  (I am still currently insured but did some shopping...
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New Here

New Here

October 29th, 2024 at 04:11 PM by New Here

Hello.  I'm "New Here".  
My personal/financial life is getting a reboot and I'm essentially starting over from Ground Zero, so the only way is up.  I've got a plan, am working two part-time jobs and going to grad school.  So these boots are made for walking.
Hence, the birth of the blog "Reboot"
 
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Singularity

October 28th, 2024 at 01:51 AM by Tabs

I was talking to a friend earlier today about our past relationships, and the topic came up as to why I broke it off with the last woman I dated.  In a word?  Money.  It may not be politically-correct to say that out loud, but when it's all said and done, that's basically what it came down to.
Around 2022 to 2023, I met this lovely woman who is also a single mother.  This isn't new to me, as my ex-wife was also a single mother when I first met her, and to this...
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Oct 24 - NSD

October 27th, 2024 at 11:38 PM by Monkey Mama

October 24
NSD
$0 Movies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not much to report today.  I worked a normal work schedule.  Ended up staying a little later than planned (left closer to 4:00).  Just last minute stuff coming up.  But I can't complain.  Planned to go to bed early because felt exhausted and everyone around me is sick.  But....  multiple last minute dramas came up that I will post about on the next post. ...
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Oct 23 - Food Spending

October 27th, 2024 at 11:33 PM by Monkey Mama

October 23
$5  Fast Food Lunch
$115 Groceries
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know how many days of groceries MH bought.  Probably just enough to get through the weekend.  I don't think he really wanted to do a big grocery run but he also didn't make it to the store last weekend. 
Note:  There's $75 left in our grocery/household budget for this month.  Sounds like there is a 0% chance we will stay below...
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Oct 22 - MH Spending

October 27th, 2024 at 11:04 PM by Monkey Mama

October 22
$22  Dinner out (MH)
$100 Crowdfunding (MH)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think today was the last 'crazy' day for MH.  Which I very much appreciate.  I left work early, solely because I told MH that I could make dinner.  I expect I will have to work late tomorrow, in turn.  It just felt like the work was piling up faster than I could get through it.   Ugh.  I thought last week would be...
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What's doing....

October 27th, 2024 at 10:44 PM by PatientSaver

Today I noticed a post on my local town FB feed from a woman looking for donations of toiletries and other items to me put into gift baskets, a fundraiser for our regional hospice. I reached out to her and offered her 7 small pieces of my mother's work, which she said they'd be happy to have.
I packaged them up carefully and put them out in my Buy Nothing bin for her to pick up. I thought perhaps I was "over" this happening, but as I cleaned and then packed each item, I felt a...
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Moving Company Woes

October 27th, 2024 at 09:16 PM by terri77

I continue to have issues with the moving company. I submitted all pictures & documents and they took weeks to offer me a whole $75. No, thank you! I contacted a furniture repair company and paid a $125 fee to get an estimate of $3,711 to repair their damaged. Not even including the scratches on the floors.
They counter offered $125. Which just covers the fee I paid. No, thank you, again! I disputed the claim for a second time & will continue to do so until I get a reasonable offer.
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DK62565

A splurge and some learning

October 27th, 2024 at 09:13 PM by DK62565

Near us is a John Boos showroom -- perhaps you have seen their cutting boards. I normally wouldn't be shopping there, but a local catering business combined with Boos and had a charcuterie board class. It was $60 and it included a small board, a very nice paring knife, and the food as well as instructions. I attended and it was a good class and it seemed like we got a lot for the money. My husband and I had two servings each of the food afterwards. I attended with my step daughter...
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Oct 21 - Surprise College Costs

October 27th, 2024 at 03:55 PM by Monkey Mama

October 21
$44 College Books
$17 Lunch Out
$11 Postage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I decided to just go to a deli for lunch.  It was over-priced and not any better than just bringing a sandwich from home.  I realized as I did the math of buying everything myself (most of which I already had) and having the teen boy at home to eat through everything.  I think this is a more useful splurge if you don't have kids at home. ...
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Oct 20 - NSD

October 25th, 2024 at 02:47 PM by Monkey Mama

October 20
NSD
$0 Movies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am trying to keep on top of things, I think just because it's been a crazy year.  & maybe also in Fall cleaning mode.  If August /September hadn't been so crazy, I would have been okay just chilling on the weekends during random super busy weeks.
Last weekend I didn't get through all my weekend chores but I think I pushed off a few things to the week and got them done. ...
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