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On Thursday night my car was broken into. Someone smashed the rear side window, got inside and somehow dismantled my steering wheel lock, and went through all the nooks and crannies and threw everything around. Nothing was taken; I had nothing of value in the car. But I had to replace the window. It was $367, which I paid out of pocket so I could get it done right away. Tomorrow I will call my insurance agent. I think he told me they would pay whatever was above my $250 deductible,...
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As many of you know, I'm pretty involved in my church. And like all things in our personal lives, prices have gone up for things at church too. The power bill has increased. Insurance increased for the few employees, the cost of materials like paper has gone up. 
A couple of weeks ago we passed a deficit budget. And that is scary since it is often a crapshoot on giving to begin with.
I'm friends with the treasurer and he and I have been brainstorming ideas on ways to "fundraise"...
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Here is yesterday's paycheck and budget:

With yesterday's payment, my car loan is down to $24,739.24.   Still such a huge number, but moving in the right direction.
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Needless to say, I'm thrilled to have finished my taxes, state and federal, today. I overpaid both by quite a bit, but the truth is, it can be very difficult to estimate income when you're self-employed, you get laid off from one job mid-year and the next job you get fizzles out after about 4 months. My "total expected income" was indeed a moving target.
So I am expecting a federal tax refund of $1,306 and a state refund of $1,282, for a total of $2,588 deposited to my checking....sweet.
I'm...
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Just plugging along.  Glad retirement balance went up this month.  Net worth increased by over 10,000.00 in the month of January.  Working on paying down debt and saving for retirement.  
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Well after finishing my last blog I checked Capital One & saw that they had a 5.00% 11 month CD rate until 3/14/23. I moved $10,000 in and will hold the rest on my 360 savings until I get my sign-up bonus.
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Happy Black History Month! The January market was good to us. I'm not at my highest number, but I'm not terribly far off either. I gained $86,805 last month including contributions which were $3,750.
Net Worth $1,221,125
I am reading that we can expect the feds to continue raising interest rates into the late spring/early summer. If Capital One has paid my bonus for opening my 360 savings account by that time, I can move some money into CDs which will hopefully be at their peak...
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Happy Groundhog Day! What is your prediction? A short or long winter? Winter is a relative term in the Deep South, but I'm definitely okay with longer.
My H&R tax professional (my dad) finished my taxes. I owe $455 federal taxes and $309 state taxes. Not bad at all. I don't foresee my income going down significantly anytime soon and this paycheck I got a very unexpected cash award. I am very blessed indeed.
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Income Total: $1400.00


      $1200 Recurring monthly retirement account distribution  


      $200 Swagbucks and My Points earnings (cash out to PayPal)


       


Total Spending: $1378.63
Total Saving: $21.37


 Fixed Expenses: Verizon bundle (internet, cable): $167.43
Verizon Mobile: $60.26 (includes a refund from last month)


HVAC...
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Finally a more positive net worth outlook than we've had for a while! Our retirement accounts went up in value about $40K, we paid off a bit of our tax bill, and our COAST Fire timeline got 4 years shaved off: It now says we could reach it in 8 years vs. 12!



Assets
 
 
 


NT's UK pensions:
 
 
 


AV1: 22,397 pounds
$27,996
 
 


SW: 30,864 pounds
$38,580
 
 


AV2: 7,567 pounds
$9,459
 
 


NT's...
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Well, we've only just begun 2023 and already I feel lots of big changes happening in my life.
For one, I will earn a living as a writer again after a roughly five-year hiatus during which time I was copy editing p/t. I've been hired as a W2 writer for a university not in the Northeast, and I'm expecting my first assignment this Friday.
I'm excited because it's really just the kind of job I was hoping to find: one with pretty p/t hours so as not to interfere with my semi-retirement...
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It's the last day of January, and I'm not going to spend anything, so I did my recap.



Insurance
968


Housing
769


Utilities
234


Clothing
97


Gifts/Charity
58


Medical/Health
55


Eating Out/Takeout
55


Groceries
50


Personal
41


Phone
32


Household Supplies
29


Gas
24


Entertainment
17


Laundry
14


Furn/Equip/Décor
5


Fares/Parking
5



Grand Total was $2453, and I kept variable spending...
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We finally completed the long-procrastinated task of updating our wills. I’m glad to have it done though I am still working on the step-by-step guidance document for the executor. (requested by DH) That document has been a bigger chore than I expected but I’m learning a lot. In addition to online research, I bought a book that is so worth the cost: The Executor’s Guide by Mary Randolph. I also created documents for inventory of assets, final wishes, and contact...
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I did my taxes yesterday. I owe nothing to federal, and I'm getting nothing back. I'm getting a $262 refund from the state, because they withheld that amount from my RMD's.
It was pretty easy. Retirement has certainly simplified tax time. For me, anyway.
I will have four grocery shopping days in February, starting on Wednesday. That means $25 a trip.
I have one birthday in February, and I'll be getting an oil change, which may generate some car repair costs. Also, according...
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Debts
Mortgage −$115,590.99 (-$241.61)Land Loan -$10,673.24 (-$187.63)Hospital Bill - $1,188.02 (-$75)
Savings
Roth IRAs +$22,938 (+$1,766)401K +$46,828 (+$3,968)Emergency Fund +$4,798 (-$2,527)Animal Fund +$1,686 (+$5)Car Fund +$20 (-$0)HSA +$1,383 (+$184)
Overall: +$3,900.24
A good month thanks to the markets bouncing up. I had to pull from our savings for our 6-month car insurance. This is a planned expense that I use that account for besides emergencies. But the...
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Received $79 bank interest for the month of December.
Received $220 I Bond interest for the month of December.
 
Snowflakes to Investments:
--Redeemed $2 credit card rewards (cash back) from our grocery card 
--Redeemed $113 cash back on Citi card
--Redeemed $25 on dining out/gas card (+ groceries during Q4)
 
Other Snowflakes to Investments:
+ $5 Savings from Target Red Card (grocery purchases)
+ $141 Dividends
+ $100 MH income (to meet 2022 goal)
 
TOTAL:...
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I've been struggling to get back down to my preferred weight. Not by a lot, but enough that I have to put in a real effort to lose it. It's a combo of my age (premenopause) and the fact that my job no longer requires me to be on my feet all day long, so my daily steps are very low. I'm addressing the exercise by trying to take more breaks during the day, attending at least 3 paddling sessions a week, and aiming for 2 additional workouts on my own at home. 
The easiest way...
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Today I shopped at Aldi for the second time this month. I spent $26 and bought butter, apples, frozen pie crusts, tuna, green peppers, flour tortillas, lastose-free milk, crackers, salt, half & half, baby carrots, and biscuits. For another $5 I bought a boot tray -- much needed today as it is wet and sloppy.
I made a side trip to Sam's for gas, which was $24 for a half-tank.
Variables for the month are at 50% and I have bought no big-ticket items.
Edit: I almost forgot!...
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BFF came and stayed with me over the weekend. We were pretty low-key and didn't spend much. I spent $18 on eating out and $15 on gifts. We ate at home most of the time and watched movies on Netflix. So far my variables spending is only 26% for this month.
I've received two tax documents. I'm going to take my time before I file. I always seem to jump the gun and then I have to make changes because I was lacking a document. This time I'm going to make sure I have everything. Not...
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When I went down to the central valley for my mom's surprise 90th birthday party,  that same old nasty hacking cough came back.  By the 3rd day there, I was coughing non-stop.  It continued on for 5 weeks, then mercifully tapered off and is now back to normal.  (I feel the urge to cough most of the time, but can mostly resist.  I use cough drops to help control the urge.) I missed a bunch of work because I just can't function like that.  
All...
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