OneAZwoman's Personal Finance Blog

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I'm not sure how to post the link, so you'll have to copy and paste it to your browse. Yes, this is my referral link.

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Boy o boy, it sure would be nice to be able to use the amount I put towards debt each month for today and the future instead of the past. The good news is I was able to reduce the principal amount of our debt by over $2,600 last month. I also sent some to my IRA.

I haven't updated my savings yet but hopefully will do it this weekend.

For the first time in seven years, I will actually receive a federal income tax refund. In the past, any refund has been taken to pay off my husband's past due child support which has finally been paid off. I did file as Injured Spouse one year, but decided it better, and much easier, just to put any refund towards the debt.

I wasn't able to pay off Student Loan #1 in full in January because our tenant didn't pay her rent in full for the month. Ugh, being a landlord stinks. The loan will be paid off in February. Yea, one less thing to worry about.

Only big expense for February should be a camera and party for my son who is turning 18. Other than that, minimalism is the key for now.

January represents a new beginning in so many ways. Not only is it the start of a new year but a renewal of goals for the future. I start every year with a plan to be healthier and less in debt by the end. The debt part is going OK, the healthier part, not so much.

I made a 5 year debt plan 2.5 years ago and am still on track to be rid of my credit card debt and line of credit by May 2013. Paying off those debts will free up close to $1,300 a month. I can't wait to start investing in more than just my IRA. Our monthly budget should also be reduced in July once our son moves out after graduation. I'm hoping to use that money to pay off some debt even faster.

I've decided to use the bonus money I received in December to pay off one of my student loans instead of putting in to my IRA for 2010 like I had originally planned. I will add the normal monthly payment amount of the student loan to my monthly IRA contribution instead for 2011.

Happy New Year to all. My intention is to keep up with this blog at least weekly. I hope that is one goal I can keep this year.

I just had one of those "Aha" monents while reading another member's blog about receiving a rebate check from their credit card company. I use my Discover Card for everything and pay it in full promptly every month. Discover Card offers rebates based on purchases which are available in $20 increments and can be used for gift cards, usually with a $25 value, applied to your credit card balance, donated, received via check, or transfered to any bank account. In the past, I've allowed the rebates to build up until I decide what I want to do with them. I could never decide which restaurant to use the money at so I would end up requesting a check, cash it and spend it without any thought since it was "free" money.
I've just realized that if as soon as the rebate is available, and I request the funds to be transferred into my Emergency Fund account, I don't have to spend andtime thinking about what to do with it and it won't get spent on something I don't need. With less than one minute of data entry, I added $40 to my EF. Going forward, each time another rebate becomes available, I'll send it to the same account with a few clicks of the keyboard. What an easy way to build the fund!!

My daughter and her two children have been coming over every Sunday since we moved to Tucson two months ago. We usually play games or go to the pool and then I make dinner. I bought some chicken on Saturday but didn't think any further about what to make for dinner. So....when they came over yesterday, I didn't have a plan for dinner. When I mentioned I had chicken, the consensus was, not again! So what did we do? We went out to dinner and spent $125!!!!
Had I taken a few minutes and planned dinner, we could have had a fine meal at home. Because I didn't take the time to prepare, I spent way too much money on a meal that I ended up not enjoying because of the cost of it.
Lesson learned - Plan ahead, and stick to the plan!!

I mean that literally.

A couple of years ago, well, I guess it's been around three since I remarried Sept 2003, I went to the Dr. because my new husband was bothered by my snoring. My regular Dr. sent me to a pulminary Dr. who sent for a sleep test. They discovered I have Sleep Apnea. After waiting a couple of months for the results of my test, the only suggestion I got was to go to an ENT. (Ear, nose and throat Dr.) The ENT suggested a procedure where they go in and remove a bunch of stuff in your throat. They used the term Roto-Rooter. Very Invasive. I didn't like that idea so I didn't do anything about it hoping my husband would get used to it.

He hasn't gotten used to it! I did some research and found out about a mask you can wear that helps with the air flow and reduces your snoring. I called my regular Dr again about getting the CPAP. He referred me to the same Pulminary Dr who once again sent me for another sleep test. The lady that assisted me with the sleep test told me that if they found I still had sleep apnea, I would be scheduled for another sleep test wearing the mask. After the test, my Dr. office called and had me make an appointment with the Dr to discuss my results. Come to find out, I still have Sleep Apnea, but my oxygen levels are fine so I don't qualify for the CPAP. His suggestion, lose about 50 lbs.

Yikes!!

So here I start on a journey that I don't really want to take. I like being fat, most of the time, anyway. I like food and I don't like exercise. I spend a lot of time looking over the grocery store ads to get the most food for my money. Do I have to change my ways?? I don't wanna!!

OK, let's get real. I've been overweight for a long time. I mean really overweight. I'd say 95% of the time it doesn't bother me. My weight does not bother my husband. I'm trying to wrap my mind around thinking about losing weight like going on a budget. I'm an accountant by day, so I think in numbers. If I don't go over budget with calories and increase my savings, I mean losing, account by storing up some exercise I should be on the right track.

I need motivation. I'm not bothered by my snoring, so losing weight to reduce snoring isn't an incentive for me. My husband will sometimes sleep on the sofa if I get too loud, but I'm asleep anyway so I don't notice that he's gone. He's retired and a night owl, so I think even if I stop snoring he'll still be up at night.

I'm always doing stuff, it's just not physical stuff. I hate change. I don't like having to rearrange the things I do to fit in exercise.

My two older children will be out this way for Christmas. My daughter will be bringing her son, my grandson, whom I haven't met yet (Benjamin was born last July) and my son is bringing his daughter, my granddaughter, Marie, that I haven't seen since she was born last November. I think I'll concentrate on looking good, well smaller anyway, for a family portrait.

Wish me luck.

Yesterday was a good shopping day at Rite Aid. Bought saome Leave in Hair Conditioner, Dishwasher Liquid, Lysol Wipes, Stop Pain Spray (For DH when his shoulder bothers him) and Hair Color. Spent $18.00 after coupons and will receive $18.48 in Rebates.

We bought a new Mobile Home last year and neglected to budget for Home Owners Insurance so I was suprised when I received the bill this month. Ouch!! With a little manuevering, we'll be able to cover it. I just won't be able to put extra on my debt payments this month. I've already adjusted next years' budget to include the expense so we won't have to worry about it next year.

I couldn't believe it!! While at work yesterday a coworker told me she was vacationing in Orlando next month. She was online looking at flights and car rentals. She told me how much her flight was....cheaper than mine, but not by much and too late to change now since I'm leaving tomorrow, but her car rental was a lot less than what I booked mine for 8 months ago. When I got home I checked it out for myself. I was able to cancel my original reservation and rebook with the same rental company for the same size car for $85.00 less ($68 less in rental rate - $17 less in taxes). Incredible! I would have never thought to recheck the rates. Woo Hoo!!

I received the free sample of Degree deodorant I ordered about a week ago and 2 coupons for $1.00 off any size silk soymilk. With the coupon I printed yesterday for the free SilkLive Smoothie with purcahse, I feel like it was a decent day. Oh yeah, I also received an unexpected child support check. They're very sporadic so I don't count on them.

I took all of the rebates I had received in the last week and wrote up a deposit slip. I was suprised that the total was $46.27. It included the June Walgreen's Rebate, July Rite Aid Rebate (Wow! it's my first one from them and I am surprised how quick it came), Staples rebate for some pens we got "free" for my son for school, and a rebate we got for some wine we purchased for a special ocassion.

I'm looking forward to the time that these rebates can go into savings, but for now they just go into the checking account to cover the original costsa of the products we purchased. The rebates help to lower my monthly grocery bill, allowing me to purchase more groceries for our budget, but our monthly food budget is so low that I need to use coupons and rebates to keep within budget. I budget $300 a month for the 3 of us. I coud probably lower it but not until I can get my husband to give up drinking so much juice and eating $5.99/lb Deli Meat. Oh well, by looking at us you could tell none of us are dying of starvation.

We've about trimmed all of the fat off of spending, now it's time to trim the fat off of ourselves.

I'm usually in this site a couple of times a day. Looking for more info, checking out what everyone else is up to, looking for new freebies. I've learned so many great tips here. Reading the blogs is comforting because it helps me see that I'm not alone in dealing with debt and trying to get more with less.

I've been able to pay extra on a loan which feels great. I track payments made each month so I can watch our balances go down over time.

My husband thinks I spend too much time worrying about our financial situation. I don't use my time to worry, but to learn and explore and put to use some of the knowledge I've gained. Cutting coupons, sending out rebates and ordering free samples all take time. I feel it is time well spent.

I really enjoy reading everyone's blogs so I thought I'd give it a try.

In no particular order and no guarantee it makes sense, here is my story:

I'v always thought of myself as frugal, you know, buying things on sale, using coupons, shopping outlet stores and such. I'v had credit card debt in the past, but when it got out of control, I'd stop buying and make a plan to pay if off in a certain amount of time and then follow thru with my plan. I've spent most of my adult life as a single parent raising 2 boys and a girl. My older children have left home and started families of their own. I was remarried a couple of years to a man on Social Security disability (he's legally blind). With him came a lot of debt, some of which I'm still finding out about, and very little income. Soon after we married, I sold the house I had recently purchased at a huge loss, made an expensive trip across the country to help out my daughter, moved into an overpriced apartment for two years and then put a downpayment on a new mobile home. All of these expenses were paid with credit. We have no savings except for $250 in an ING account and $5 in an HSBC account which I just opened. I have some money in an IRA I opened several years ago, but have made no contributions in at least 5 years. I participate in a 401k at work. I try to stress to my husband and son how important it is that we pay off our debt and start saving, but I am met with much resistance. They live in the "get it now, pay for it later" mindset.

Anyway.......I've never felt so out of control of my finances before. It's really an uncomfortable feeling. I started selling AVON recently to bring in some extra income. I have made some money with it, but I know I'll have to step out of my comfort zone to expand my business. I've sold some items on half.com and ebay, we also worked the Flea Market last year and plan on doing it again this year. Of course, I work it everytime and my husband and son take turns assisting me. It's tiring because during the summer I don't get a day off since my regular job is Monday thru Friday and the Flea Market is on Sat and Sun. We only did it June - early Sept last year, but will do it more this year.
I don't think I have the time to take on any more work, so I've been working on cutting expenses. We rarely eat out. Our monthly grocery budget is down to about $300/mo. I'd love to cut out cable but with my husband not working, he likes to watch TV during the day. Our phone service is with Vonage, which is very inexpensive and since we are in a newly manufactured home, our appliances are new so we assume they are energy efficient. We don't have to pay for water, so I plan on starting a garden soon.

Summary - We have a lot of debt and what seems like not enough income. If we can stick to buying only needs (and a few wants) for the next 5 years we will debt free, with the exception of our home which we can pay off in 10 if we take what we we've been paying out in loans and CC debt and applying it to our house payment when we are out of debt. I will continue to contribute to my 401k and plan to put at least 25% of the money made at the Flea Market in Savings.