Merry Christmas and happy holidays to one and all.

HSBC interest has been lowered again

It is now 4.2%.

People in the mortgage crises and credit card debt are not the only ones suffering. Savers are feeling the pain too.

A few words of wisdom to shoppers...Let me get this off my chest

I just finished an 8 hour shift at the part-time gig. There are a few (well alot) of things I need to get off my chest. Sorry in advance if I offend anyone.


You do not have to get it because it is on sale.

Control your kids. The store is not a playground. Also, teach your little monsters to speak with their inside voices.

I am just the cashier, the powers that be sets the prices. If you think the merchandise is expensive, then DO NOT BUY IT. I couldn't give a flying fvck if you cannot afford your Christmas gifts.

DECLINE MEANS YOUR AZZ IS BROKE. END OF STORY.

You really should not be getting another store credit card. I remember your face from last week when your visa declined. Irresponsible!!

Please take the fighting OUTSIDE. Preferably all the way outside the mall. Cuz if one of you fools miss and hit me, it's on.

COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU COUGH. SHIT!!

You finished with your purchases and walked away. I don't care if you ran back to get one other item (after 10 minutes, mind you). GET YO AZZ BACK ON THE DAMN LINE. All those other people are waiting. You already had your damn turn.

Is that the line? Hell you think those 30+ people are standing their because we are friends.

The light is off and my back is turned. Is this register open? What you think Einstein. On top of that you see me speaking to someone. How about saying excuse me before you start running your mouth.

You need that shirt off the display? Ask for help, you damn near broke it, then have the nerve to complain.

Word to the couples 'in love', wait until your outside to argue. Obviously two broke people in a relationship is bad chemistry.

DO NOT TOUCH THE COMPUTER SCREEN. You need to know the price ask me.

COMMON COURTESY PEOPLE, COMMON COURTESY!!

2008

I have narrowed down my goal for 2008.

1. Do not incur any new credit card debt.

2. Pay off at least $10,000 of my current debt.

That's it.

I will also start to contribute to my pension as of 2008.

My ultimate long-term financial goal ...

is to retire at age 50.

Christmas Shopping

My holiday shopping budget is $300. This year I am only purchasing gifts for the children in my life. I already know which gifts am purchasing.

Holiday shopping made easy!

Gyms.....

are not in business to help people loose weight and or make them healthier. Gyms are in business to make a profit whether or not you loose weight. I recently decided I wanted to go back to the gym. I could go to my old gym or the new fancy one that opened up close to home. Low and behold last night I called the new snazzy gym to ask a simple question. Instead of getting a simple answer, I got a rather car-salesman-snake-pitch to come in and sign up. For now, I will stick to my dvds that I have at home. No gyms for me, since I am not looking to sign a contract with anyone.

Conversations at the register

TBB: Your total is xyz dollars.

Broke Customer: Can I put x on this card (insert store credit card here)?

TBB: Sure no problem.

Broke Customer: The rest is on this card (insert debit card here)?

TBB: Miss the card declined.

Broke Customer: Really?? (with the surprised look)

TBB: Yes really? (with the WTF look)
Broke Customer: Ok let me take some things off. Am probably over my limit anyway.

TBB: Whispers under my breath (you think).

I am so tempted to give some of these customers the URL to my favorit financial blogs. It is hard being a pf blogger and working retail. I am not perfect but at least am trying.

Stretching my paychecks to the limit

The price of everything is rising. It almost seems as if there is a conspiracy out there to eat up my paycheck. Each week I try to stretch my paycheck as much as I can. Here are some of the things I do:

Coupons: I religiously use coupons now more than before.

Electricity: The lights are off and all the unused appliances are unplugged.

Sales: Every store I go into I try to buy items that are on sale. Even at the supermarket I try to buy the items I need when they are on sale.

My new job came at the right time. Taking public transportation is not so bad anymore now that the price of gas has gone up more than 15 cents in two weeks.

These are all things I have been doing in the past. However, in the past couple weeks I have paid much more attention to how much money I spend.

Toy shopping this christmas season

WTH?? is with all the lead in kids toys. I guess all the cheap sh.it from China has come back to bite us in the hiney.

For the past few weeks with all the recall I pretty much did not say anything on my blog about. However, a report this morning blew my mind. There is this dot thingamagig toy that is the number one toy in Australia. There are little dots that when you spray them with water they are 'supposed' to stick together. Anywho, the lining on the dots has a chemical that mimics the 'date rape drug'. Yes you got that right, date rape drug. Are you kidding me? I hope corporate America wakes up because they are putting our kids lives in danger. Even though I am not a parent I have kids in my family to buy for.

There is website for to help parents and non-parents research toys this christmas/holiday whatever you wanna call it. The site is The Daily Green. It has toys that were made in the United States that has no lead or any of that other stuff.

Financial Updates

The price of gas in my area increased tremendously in the past two weeks, from $2.53 per gallon to $2.72. As much as I do not like public transportation $4 per day does seems like a bargain.

This months unplanned spending for me totalled $52.86. Ann Taylor had an extra 25% off clearance. I used it as an opportunity to stock up on 3 tops for works. Money well spent, unplanned but well spent.

Taxes at the new job are eating me alive. I am in the process of figuring out the retirement options so I can sign up as soon as possible. In the mean time I am still contributing to the 401K at the part-time gig. It is only two cents here or there, but every little bit helps.

The holiday shopping frenzy has officially begun. Tis the season of overspending, declining credit cards and ompteen returns.

The stories from the part-time gig will only get interesting from now on. I will keep you guys posted.

Get an extra job this holiday season

The holiday season is upon us. Now is the time to get a seasonal job to help with debt reduction. Try hotjobs, career builder, or go to your store of choice and fill out an application in person.

It is totally worth it. I should know, I did it.

Updates

- My computer problems are making it difficult to blog, or even visit other other blogs and leave comments.

- I am slowly paying down my credit card debt and being careful not to incur new debt. Things on the financial side are quiet.

- My 401K contributions along with employer match have started at the part-time gig. Now that I think of it I am in a unique position to be contributing to two different 401K plans at once. The dollar is very small each month because I am not working many hours. However, every little bit counts.

- ING's orange savings account has an interest rate of around 3%. My money for bills is able to earn some little interest until it is time to pay bills. Love it.

The lesson I finally learned about when it comes to finances is that small mole hills can make mountains. Am chipping away slowly and making progress.

Did anyone watch The Oprah Show????

I am sitting here watching Oprah. Today's show profiled two couples that are heavily in debt. The first couple's situation is out of this world. *Faints*
The woman in the first piece is using credit card convenience checks to pay her bills each month. Huhhhh!!!! What????? Her husband has no idea how much debt they have, wow!!

The second couple has two cars and they live in New York City. You only need one damn car, and you do not need a Lexus to be parking on the street. Thankfully there situation is not as bad as the first one. The thing that bothers me is the $100,000+ in student loans. Are you a doctor or something?

Right now am speechless, got nothing else to say.

Random.....mess

Being organized saves money. No more late fees. Sometimes I am so organized a bill gets paid twice in one month.

Why do people think it is appropriate to bring babies to late night movies. If you cannot find a sitter stay your azzzz home. I paid $10 just like you. I would like to enjoy it. On that note, I loved 'Why did I get married?'....Tyler Perry did his thing.

I do not miss going to the gas station on a weekly basis to fill up. Public transportation is not so bad, when it actually works on time and I can get a seat.

I have only two financial goals for 2007 so far. I think they are both realistic and can be achieved in that time frame. I might stick to those two instead of adding more.

Computer Troubles

A year ago my computer started dying. I stretched that bad boy out for a whole year. Well, now the time has come. It is on its last leg. I turned it on a few weeks ago and all the icons and documents disappeared. I am now really in the market for a new computer. My limit is $600 max, not a penny more.

I am looking into getting an Acer it is cheap and comes highly recommended.

Two lessons from the world's richest man

This morning the world's richest man Carlos Slim gave an interview to Diane Sawyer of Good Morning America. The two lessons I took away from this interview were:

1. Keep a spending diary. I knew this before, but hearing it from the world's richest man puts it in a different perspective. He kept a little journal when he was a kid, about how he spent his allowance.

2. You don't have to flaunt it, because you have it. Guess I will not be buying that $400,000 Bentley I saw it my dreams.

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

NO. I am sitting here watching the show and I would not have made it past $25,000. Sad, sad, sad.

Random Stuff

The MTA wants to raise the fare from $2.00 to $2.25. Are you kidding me? I can barely get damn seat, or get a train on time and you want more money. I wish my employer would give me raises for mediocre work, absences and lateness. Shhiiittt!! I would be rich after working for only a year.

According to my calculations buying breakfast everyday at work would cost approximately $55 per month. This is the low end breakfast. Nothing with the fancy, smancy coffee and whole wheat blah blah. As long as I keep thinking of this as my electric and gas bill then am good. I will not be tempted to buy anything.

The $20 worth of gas in my car is estimated to last three weeks. Yeahhhhhhhhh!!!

On my new quest to conserve energy my electrical bill has dropped by over $20 per month in the past three months. I will continue with my conservation efforts, there is quite a bit more I can do.