E-fund update and the sin I committed

Look to the side bar and notice the e-fund is at $327.00. I used the excess money to pay down a cc. I know it goes against conventional wisdom (forgive me for I have sinned) but here is my argument. The e-fund had gone past my original goal of $1,000. The cc that I paid down now has a balance of less that $1,000.

The e-fund will get a deposit of $100 tomorrow and one next Wednesday. I will update it then to show the balance of $527.

* The e-fund does not include my CD of $400.* The CD is not included in my calculation of the e-fund because the money is tied up and is not readily accessible.

My 403b.....

stands at a whopping $5,900.00.

I am so proud of this amount am grinning from ear to ear. This is quite an accomplishment at 26, granted a lot of young people my age do not contribute to one. I will do a happy dance when I get to $10,000 which am hoping will be done by the end of 2007.

Turbo Tax troubles

OK OK OK.... I know I should not have waited till the last minute but WTF? I log in today to check the status of my returns that I e-filed yesterday and these bastards tell me that I did not e-file. Huh???? It is the 18th..... I had until midnight the 17th and I transmitted before 5pm, WTF you mean I did not e-file? Come again?

Somebody is gonna have to answer a lot of questions if I get in anymore trouble with the tax 'authorities'. It is bad enough that I owe and had the nerve to send the return in without the money? LOL now this. I do not need anymore problems Turbo Tax. I got enough problems of my own as it is.

The damage is done.......

I owe uncle Sam 600+ and his bastard state child 1,000+. Why punish me because I have no crumb snatchers and cannot afford to buy property. Somethings got to give. I need to get it together so I can buy a shack with a shingle before the year is over, cuz having a crumb snatcher is not an option.

I am working on my taxes tonight. I will update on the 'damage' when am done.

Am less stressed

The part-time gig and the regular job allows me to have a weekly paycheck (well more like every 6 days). This has lowered my stress level. I am managing my money better, and my credit cards now have two payments per billing cycle. Yippppppeeeeeee

Blogger Problem????

For the past few weeks I have not been able to read quite a few blogs that I used to read. Blogger gives me a message that the blog is to invited readers only, not sure if this is a blogger problem or a new feature?

If this is a new feature then how does one get 'invited'?

Random, random, random.....

1. When you come shopping with $50 do not pick up $100 worth of clothes and come to the cash register. I do not have time to wait while you decide which top you really want, and please do not ask me if I think it is cute. Damn woman you are 40 something of a different persuasion what makes you think we like the same things. Arrrrrgggggghhhhhhh.

2. What is taking these people so long to send me my damn pay off letter. I want it and I want it now, and now.

3. Money really can't buy class.

4. Screaming kids give me a headache. Pay some attention to the damn rug rat in the stroller. He has been screaming at the top of his lungs for 5 minutes woman. I came here to work not to listen to your damn child scream and scream. You have the nerve to be on the phone totally oblivious to the screaming. WTH!!!!!!!

5. Why are you at the mall at 10 am waiting for the doors to open?

6. I asked for an oil change. Why the hell you asking me if I want some other damn package? Oil change you arseeee, and only and oil change. Do one additional thing to my car and we will have a problem.

7. Are you retarded? An almost two year old car only has 300.8 miles. You fuggin arse, it says trip B. Duhhhhhhh! Damn and you said the numbers wrong, doesn't the decimal point mean anything to you. Damn and am paying you to work on my car. There is something wrong with this picture.

Slow and steady wins the race.

I went shopping today and it felt gooooooood. The cash was set aside before so I did not use credit cards.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Just some random stuff

1. The hours at the part-time job has increased, so the posting will be spotty at best.

2. My car needs maintenance so I need to assess the cash flow.

3. A pay-off letter should be in the mail from my student loan company. Even though I consolidated I have small unsubsidized loans that I allocate money to. One of those loans was paid off a few days ago, I am waiting on the pay off letter.

4. My renter's insurance bill came in the mail right after my car insurance. I need to assess what my cash flow will look like in the next few days.

5. Anyone else notice how the price of gas has been creeping up slowly? I noticed.

6. I am still waiting on my passport. They need to hurry up. I won't start getting nervous until the end of April.

Every little bit helps

My insurance bill came in the mail and surprisingly it went down. I am surprised because with the accident even though it was not my fault I thought the insurance company would find a reason to hike the rates. I am still in a high bracket until December of this year when the novice driver surcharge comes off my bill.

The rate went down by around $200 for a six months period. Savings! savings! savings!

The part-time gig means that I am not home a lot to watch tv. On the days that I am home there is nothing showing on tv, so I called the cable company and asked to be downgraded to basic cable. The representative, downgraded me to basic and also gave me the introductory offer on my broadband internet access for six months. This reduced my bill by approximately $30 per month. Savings! savings! savings!

I have decided to lower funding to the ING account for a few pay periods so that I can cover my insurance bill and upcoming trip. I am not using credit cards for any portion of my trip.

Forgive me for I have sinned.......

I TBB do not have a budget. I tried, and tried and tried I just can't seem to keep a budget like most people. So what do I do you ask? I get a paycheck weekly and pay myself first through direct deposit of a small amount into my ING direct account. The balance of my paycheck goes into my checking account and I pay bills from here. I pay the rent, student loans, car, insurance, credit cards, cell phone and other utilities and other things such as groceries, gas etc. Normally, once I am done doing these things each week the paycheck is done and there is another one coming in. So there you have it TBB has no formal budget per se.

If there is something I want such as an article of clothing or a book, I will wait until next pay day in order to get it. Because I am in debt, I do not shop for clothing or shoes very often.

I have a few things coming up such as my trip overseas. This will all be funded from the weekly checks. It just means I have to re-arrange my bill payments.

Do I plan on changing this? NOOOOOO If it is not broke am not fixing it. This method allows me to pay all my bills on time, my credit card balances are going down, and my savings is slowly on the rise.

Random Rant.....

1. Family, family, family.................arggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

2. So what if I am the first to graduate college, does that mean I owe you something? Until you write that check to Sallie, do not stress me.

3. Mind your own damn business. Why do you need to know how much sh.it cost, you are not paying.

4. Friends come and go.

5. Yeah so what my car looks generic, I do not need rims, tints, or retarded decorations.

6. How much I have in the bank is only for me and the people in blog land to know.

7. I no longer call you, shouldn't that be a hint in and of itself. Dummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8. Why does health insurance cost so damn much when I only see the doctor twice per year?

Personally I have been going through it. My emotions are all over the place, this does nothing but wreck havoc on my finances. I hope things will settle down soon in my head. I have not been able to blog a few times per week as I would like. There is not much going on in the finance department. The emergency fund is still in tact. I am still working at the part-time gig, and paying down my debt.

One bit of good news..... a small unsubsidized student loan now has a zero balance. There is another unsubsidized student loan that has a balance of $987. I hope to pay this off before I go on vacation in June. The interest is lower compared to my credit cards, but at this point I need the pay off letter for the emotional boost.

Store Credit Cards

Store cards for me are a discount tool. They get a bad rap because the APR tends to hover around 22%. Honestly, I think the APRs on my store credit cards are around the average but I have no clue what the exact number is, why? I use my store credit cards as discount tools.

JC Penny - extra 15% when I shop certain days. I am going into the store to buy a specific item which I already have the cash to pay for. However, since it is 15% cheaper to use the JC Penny card I will make the purchase using the card, then pay the card off before the bill arrives in the mail.

PC Richards - This card I got back in college since I wanted a TV but had no money to pay for it. They normally offer no interest for 12 months. Why not? I always end up paying for any item bought within two to three months. I do not use this card often since I am not buying that much in terms of electronic gadgets.

Old Navy - This card I have had for a few years. Each time you spend $200 you get ten bucks back to use off your next purchase. It normally takes a while for me to accumulate $200 in purchases since I do not buy a lot of clothes. When I do shop for clothes they have to be on clearance 50% off or more. The ten bucks back I normally use to purchase something that is ten dollars only. Again I pay no interest on this card.

Victoria Secrets - I use this card probably a few times a year. Mostly I only make it to purchase stuff during the semi-annual sales. I load up on a few items during the sale then the card gathers dust for a few months. There are times when I do not catch the sales, therefore the card is unused for almost a year.

Update....

The savings account at ING now stands at $1256.50 this does not include the original $400 that was stashed away in a CD.

My upcoming flight home was booked and cost me a little over $400 so that did not hurt as much as I thought it would.

I am back to my 20+ hours at the part-time gig so the weekly paycheck should go back to looking pretty healthy for March and onwards. This will be needed with the upcoming trip and my $1000 credit card pay off per month.

I am trying to stay focused on my goals. My main priority right now is paying off the credit cards and staying on top of Sallie Mae weekly payments since it is a private student loan. The mini-efund is well above my original goal of $1,000 so I can leave that on auto-pilot and not worry about it for a while.

$$$$$$$

I will be seeing only $$$$$ signs for the next few months. There is a family event that I have to attend.

One international round trip flight $$$$$
Gifts for family members $$$$$$$$$$
Stuff for me$$$$$$$$$$
Spending money when I get there $$$$$$$$
Seeing family after all these years priceless *maybe*

WTF!!

The tax thing is bothering me so I went back and loked at it again. I have no clue WTF I did but now I owe everybody and they damn mother. Fvck is going on. I owe uncle sam, greedy azz NY and stinky azz NJ. The taxes are definitely not getting done till April something.

I wonder if I should pay someone to look at it, but then again I cannot pay the money I owe how am I gonna pay a tax person. Am fvcked.

The last five payments to Sallie Mae are:
12/14/06 – 30
12/28/06 – 40
01/16/07 – 100
01/31/07 – 40
02/08/07 – 40

My weekly payment schedule is a bit off as I concentrate on paying down the credit card debt to the tune of $1,000 per month.

Credit Card Pay Off Part II

It will take approximately $1,000 per month in order for me to be credit card debt free by December 31, 2007. I feel a lot better now knowing exactly where I stand, and what needs to be done. The month of February is slow at the part-time gig because I am taking some time off for personal reasons. Once March 1, gets here I know the income from the part-time gig will be enough to get to my goal.

The Tax Man Bites

My w-2s, 1099's and everything under the sun have been plugged into Turbo Tax. I love this software because it is very user friendly. However, I absolutely do not like the running tally in the side bar of what your refund or non-refund is. WTH!! My number is red. When it comes to money we all know red is not a good color.

I will wait a few weeks before re-visiting my taxes again. I refuse to believe it is red, and the amount is not a small number. After my little tax hiatus I will go over the numbers with a fine tooth comb.

Wish me luck, because Uncle Sam and his bastard state child are about to jack me up if I let them.

Credit card pay off

The total payments on one credit card with the highest balance for January was $700. Wow!! This more motivation for me to become debt free. This $700 is money that I could put to work for me in retirement, down payment on a home or saving for a fully funded emergency fund. This aggressive payment schedule is definitely an eye opener. Debt has the potential to really cripple a person and rob them of their future.

My new motto: Do whatever needs to be done to become debt free.

HSBC is now at 6%

HSBC has increased the interest rate on their online account to 6% for new deposits until April 30, 2007.

I want a bean bag chair

I have always wanted a bean bag chair, and I have decided to buy one. If anyone has any recommendations they would be appreciated. My budget is $100. This is a Christmas gift to myself as well as a reward for all the hours I have been working, and all the dedication I have put in.

Freedom! Freedom!

This is what it feels like to have money from paycheck to paycheck, and not feel stressed. I just finished paying bills online and writing checks. Next Wednesday I will have another paycheck again. The part-time gig is really paying off. The credit card balances are starting to go down.

I strongly recommend anyone who is serious about getting rid of debt to try and increase their income if possible.

Tax time

The W-2s have started to come in so it is time to do my taxes. I will be using the Turbo Tax software because the online version is free through my insurance company. So far Uncle Sam and I are at break even. However, there are some additional information that am waiting on.

My state taxes will be completed right before the deadline since NY state and I seem to have some issues. I fear a repeat of last year.

Savings update

As of this coming Thursday I will have a total of $1,006.18 in my ING savings account. This amount does not include the CD with $400.00. I decided to have the baby e-fund outside of the CD. If anything were to happen I would have access to my e-fund without any penalty on the interest earned on the CD.

Saving is now addictive. I can't wait each week to see my account grow.

Going on vacation does not mean my money issues will go to rest. Quite the opposite.

Here are some money things that happened, along with other random shit:

1. Last year with the accident and everything I forgot one critical thing for my car; the state inspection. So am driving and got pulled over (random my ass, no way you could have seen my sticker from that far away). Now I have to wait to get the fine back from the court in some white azz town in upstate NY to see what my fine is.

My interaction with the good ole boys of NY State Police Patrol reconfirms why I hate police officers. You hear people complain about it on the news, but until it happens to you it is not completely real.
FYI....Officer Till there is no reason for your teeth and your face to be the same color. Yellow teeth bastard. Let me clue you into something, if you are pulling over every black driver for every 10 or so drivers, it is not random. Let me stop here before I keep going, since am still pissed. Am stil wondering if you arrested and beat the crap out of the other black driver you pulled over half mile ahead of me

2. The price of gas went down by atleast 5 cents.

3. I received my first paycheck from the part-time gig with the raise. It's lookin good.

4. After my various issues with Bank of America, I now have my lone active checking account with Wachovia Bank.

Am back

I am back from vacation, now I need a vacation from my vacation. This was the most rest I had in a long time. I'll update later on my finances including an error on my part that might cost me a few hundred.

I'm on vacation

I will be away visiting family until next Saturday, with no access to a computer.

Have a safe holiday weekend all!

Brush your shoulders off

I have to send much love out to my haters. You guys motivate me even more.

Look heffer it is not my fault I have only been at the part-time gig a few months and have a different position (with a nice raise to boot! ha). Talk to management.

Not my fault this is your job, while it is my supplemental income. Sorry chica, it is not that serious, trust me. You put yourself in this position where you have to take the bullsh.it. I don't.

Step your game up, put your game face on, bring your A game, ya da ya da ya da. Until then, am just gonna brush ma shoulders off.

There were four credit cards that I had to pay off. This week I transferred the balance from one of the cards at 2.99%. This will save on interest and reduces the number of cards I have to pay each month to three. My birthday is less than six months away. It is my goal to pay off one of the cards, leaving only two. Going forward paying bills each week will get a lot simpler.

A Sallie Mae update is long past due. One will be coming soon.

Random Rant

Here goes:

1. Yeah I walk around with a permanent screw face! and so what? I am not on candid camera.

2. Cell phone in one hand, drink in the other. Are you working? Yeah fool cuz you see everyone else eating, talking on a cell and working at the same time. Duhhh!!!

3. Let me see, name tag, check! little walkie thingy, check! Ms. Do you work here? No am just hanging out out. I smile and point to the name tag, you think am rude. WTH??

5. Why didn't you answer your phone? Cuz I pay the high @ss bill and I do not have to answer if I do not want to.

6. You either like me or you don't. If after 20 odd years you do not realize am not warm and fuzzy, you are clueless.

7. How much I make or spend is none of your damn business unless of course you read my blog.

Retirement

My 403B now has almost $4,500.00. Yeahhhhhhh

I read an article recently that mentioned a high percentage of my age group do not participate in an employer sponsored plan. Why??? I ask why???? This is one of the easiest things I have done. I just like to log in and look at the balance. Makes me smile. I am contributing the minimum so I can get the employer match. Once my all credit card debt is gone I will increase my contribution to 15%.

Come on slackers make this your new year's resolution. Sign up for your company's 401K, 403B, ABC, 123 whatever it is. Like Nike says, Just do it.

Getting on the debt payoff track

Now that most of my regular bills (cable, phone, electric, etc) are current I can now focus and get on the road to aggressive debt pay off.

One strategy that I have in mind is to pay all the bills using the main paycheck. The pay check from the part-time gig will go towards one credit card until that card is paid off. I am not using the highest interest strategy at first, but the smallest balance. The reason for this is psychological. Once the credit card with the smallest balance is paid off (and I get an emotional boost) I will then focus on the card with the highest balance and or interest (which ever is more costly).

The part-time gig:
As many of you may have guessed the part-time gig is retail. This is my first time in retail and it is not as bad as I anticipated.

Advantages:
Extra cash
Gets me out the house
Weight Loss (I have lost 10 pounds without much effort)

Disadvantages:
Less time to do other things (sleep, surf the net, sleep, sleep)
More time on the road

Overall, the advantages of the part-time gig out weighs the disadvantages. For this reason, I will continue as long as I can. Oh, the icing on the cake is a 10% raise that goes into effect today, because of a new position.

2007 will be my year

A happy and blessed new year to all.

In October I outlined my goals for 2007. I must admit these goals are very lofty. However, I have all confidence that I can work hard, make some sacrifices to fulfill those goals.

Accident / Insurance update

There was a letter in the mail today from the insurance company about the accident. After reading through all the big words and legal jargon they are basically saying that after fixing my car and paying over $5,000 they want their money back. They (my insurance) is going after the other party, her insurance and anybody else they can, to get repaid. I was instructed that I can do the same if I want, however, am not to sign any kind of release that will jeopardize them getting paid. Since, they are including my deductible ($1,000) I have nothing to do but sit back and relax. To this day I have not said a word to the other driver and or her representatives. I have no intentions of starting now. The letter did say it could take up to a year and they may sue the pants off her if they have to.

Don't you just love insurance companies! LOL

Timely Quote

My Chinese fortune cookie recently had this quote: 'Inch by inch life's a cinch. Yard by yard life is hard.

This is so true where personal finance is concerned. I would love nothing than to have all my debt erased in 2007 and have my emergency fund fully funded, all the while being able to purchase my condo. However, I realize that baby steps are best. This is something I have to keep reminding myself.

Weekly Rant

1. Am single with no kids. That means ain't got shit in the fridge but liquor, water, and cheese. Dude, you show up without notice and expect a five course meal. Talk to the stove, she is lonely as hell. Your azz should call next time.

2. Your card is 'declined'. Huh??? Fvck you looking at me like am speaking gibrish. You know your azz got bad azz credit. Stop asking me to try again. What? you think your credit will improve in 2.2 seconds. Hell Noooo.

3. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. There was no acknowledgement for my birthday or anything, but you expect a Christmas gift. Well guess what?? Am Mrs. mother freaking scrooge.

4. Rosie O'Donnell and that fvcked up hair dude Donald need to let it go already. Both of you are idiots.

5. Am not working two jobs leaving home at 8am only to return at 1am, so that you can enjoy the fruits of my labor. Did you not read no. 3. Since you do not understand plain English here goes. I ain't no bank, to be lending you money.

Blogging is good for the soul

My blog is keeping me sane. I am less stressed now about my financial situation because I have an outlet. I can come here and vent about my finances without feeling judged. There is no one in my personal circle that I discuss finances with. I did not learn from my parents, so discussing money with them is a no no. The other members of my family all think am rich. Then there are those who have no concept of their own financial situation so talking to them is like talking to a brick wall.

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who stops by and makes a comment. Any comment is appreciated. The support makes me know am not in this alone.

Savings change

Now that the mini-efund is at 100% I will reduce the amount of direct deposit. It will now be $100 one week, and $25 the other week. Once I get to $2,000 it will be reduced again, until all debt is paid off.

Year To Date

For the first time I took a really good look at the 'Year To Date' column on my paycheck. I had a light bulb moment. This column is scary as hell. When I look at the different categories I am almost in shock. I have to make my money work better for me in 2007. The only category that was reassuring was the contributions to my retirement fund. It is a definite sense of accomplishment to know that I have over $4,000 saved for retirement.

Anyone else find the 'Year To Date' column interesting? scary?

Blogger Problems

It appears as if I cannot comment on the upgraded 'beta' blogs. If you have one of these blogs and I no longer comment, it is due to technical difficulties.

It's official......

with today's deposit the e-fund stands at $1,017.44.
I am so happy there's not much I have to say, except automation pays off.

Am still here

It has been so busy the past few days, that I can barely put a decent post together.
This thing of working two jobs really kicks ass. However, now that am single and childless, it is the best time to get my hustle on.

Financially, it seems as if things are at a standstill. I am holding my breath until Thursday when the mini-efund becomes 100% funded. Yeahhhhhhh!!!!!! I am less than $100 away.
*See side bar*

The time now is 12:45 I am off to bed before I start writing gibrish.

Updating my blog

My emergency fund number has been updated. I am almost at the $1,000 mark. Can't wait to have a drink when I get there, by the end of next week if my numbers are ok.

I need help it making my update easier to read. Does anyone know how I can make my e-fund into a little chart. Nothing fancy that requires lot of coding. Something simple.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

BOA Technology is crap part II

None of my transactions have been posted to my account in the past 24 hours. What does that mean? I can't get cash at the ATM because the deposit it sitting there as pending. I was told that they are having system problems no no debits or credits are being posted. They hope to have the issue fixed in the next few hours.

Once I get out of work at 5pm and the problem still persists the account is being closed.

I realize the problem is not limited to my account only, but two issues is one week is a bunch of shit.

Little things that bothered me this week

I am back to my weekly rant. There are a few things I need to get off my chest.

1. WTH does the price of gas keep moving up. HELLLOOOOOO oil company, can you just chill for a minute.

2. WTH my insurance company has not gotten back to me after my accident. Granted my car is fixed I would like to know what the final outcome is. OH well, fvck them, if they raise my rates in April, then I will move on.

3. Why did my netflix dvd arrive cracked. New flash! am tired and would just like to relax and watch my husband on tv, a.k.a Denzel finer-as-he-gets-older Washington. But noooooooo, the damn dvd is no good. So now I have to wait. Sheesshh.

4. Why the cheaper cordless phone is out of stock at Target. A cordless phone for over $50. I guess I did not get the expensive-as-hell cordless phone memo. I will wait.

5. Why do the guys at the car wash think am gonna tip them. Dude I was my car but once every few months, get a clue.

Flexible Savings Account is the next best thing since....

slice bread.

The paper work was submitted just a few days ago, and I received my check today. A nice whopping check for $500.

Here is the plan. I will be depositing $250 into ING, and use the balance on making extra payments on the student loans for this month.

This will bring me closer to my goal for the mini emergency fund which is $1,000. Once I achieve this goal I will reduce the amount I am direct depositing into savings, so that I can focus more on bringing down my credit card debt.

Marketing tactics

Companies employ marketing personnel to draft and execute marketing plans. The basic aim of these marketing plans is to increase consumer interest, and hopefully purchase of the company's products and or services.

One such marketing tactic, plan, idea whatever you want to call it, is to give away products for free. I am guessing (since I am not a marketing 'expert') that the marketers believe that once a person comes to get the 'free product' they will 'buy' an additional product.

Marketers! guess what? If that person is 'tiredofbeingbroke', that tactic WILL NOT work. The past few weeks I have gotten a few coupons from one of my favorite under wear store Ms. Vickie. The coupons all say one free panty 'no purchase' necessary. However, there are other offers on the coupon $10 off some kinda fancy, smancy bra.

I love 'free', and am not about to pass up a 'free' anything as long as I can use it. So, I head into Vickies, coupon in hand, head straight for the table with the 'freebies'. It is to the point where I know off hand which undie qualifies for the free purchase, and where the table with them is located.

Am not interested in the nice displays, or any other offer you might have that is not free. News Flash I am not buying anything. I will get my free undie and stand in line like all the other customers and then keep it moving.

Keep the 'free' coupons coming my marketing friends.

Bank of America technology is crap

Last night the online system would not work. Then I tried the phone system and that would not work either. I was not able to access my account at all. That to me is unacceptable.

I am done dealing with Bank of America...period. Am on the phone now with them to close my accounts.

**Edit**
Looks like I will be staying with BOA 'for now' afterall. They have one more chance to fvck up. See my comments on the comment page.

Flexible Savings Account

I submitted my paper work for the Flexible Savings Account (FSA) to the benefits company. For 2006 $500 was set aside pre-tax for my medical expenses. This is my first time using a FSA, so I hope all goes well.

From the beginning of the year I kept a folder labeled FSA. All receipts and any other paper work related to doctor's visits, prescription and supplies were placed in this folder. Last week I finally ran the numbers and realized I was past $500 so I decided to go ahead and submit everything.

Next year I will set aside $300. The reason for the decrease is that I got my reading glasses and sunglasses this year so they should be good for at least two years.

As soon as I get the check I will let everyone know.

Does anyone have any experience with FSA good or bad?

Updates..sallie..efund..etc

The last five payments sent to Ms. Sallie a.k.a that evil b**ch are listed below:

11/2 = $40
11/9 = $30
11/16 = $40
11/17 = $30
11/22 = $40

The principal is going downnnnnnnnn, going downnnnnnn.

The E-fund is now at $665.08. It feels great am almost a thousandaire.

* rapping* I got money in the bank, shorty something, something, something. *rapping*

OK, so my rapping skills are not that good. But my saving skills are the bomb. I got money in the bank.

It does feel real good to have almost $1,000 in the bank. This is the mini e-fund that will eventually become a giant of an e-fund.

The Debt Generation

Here is a link to a series Young & In Debt, in USA Today.

Unfortunately, I am a member of this group.

Posting will be sporadic until I can catch up on my sleep. Between the regular job and the part-time gig am pooped. Just got in at almost midnight after leaving the house before 8am.

Am off to bed since I have to be out at 7am again tomorrow.

Be back in a few days to update on my financial world.

P.S I have to work Monday night so am going to miss Heroes. Arrrgghhhh.

Hi my name is tiredofbeingbroke and am addicted to 'Heroes' on NBC.

Wow there you have it, I've admitted my addiction. Now if only NBC can cure me by showing new episodes all year round.

It's a quiet Sunday....

and I have no idea what to do with myself. I will be staying inside all day getting some sleep, food, sleep, and more sleep.

Yesterday I returned the car vacuum to Target and got my money back. As much as I do not like doing returns it made no sense to keep what I was not going to use.

My E-fund....

is officially over $500 (see side bar).

Random Mess

1. I had to go and loose my cell phone. So what? Have to spend $69 on a damn phone. WTH Does not even come with some Popeyes chicken or nothing. Am still gonna search all over for the old phone so I can return this expensive ass mess.

2. My hours at the part-time gig are a bit erratic. After tomorrow am not working again till Wednesday night...talk about an unpredictable paycheck.

3. Why am I so hard headed?? When will I learn that family and finances don't mix. Especially my family, who are under the misconception that because I am the one with the college education I got money. B**ches those two degrees cost money.

4. Why was the gas price drop fast before the election, now it is stuck in park? Conspiracy theory anyone?

5. Why the fvck do people give me the screw face when I say am too young to have children. News flash!! Am 26 and still don't know what I wanna be when I grow up.

6. WTH does the cigarette lighter thimagig in my car does not seem to be working? Oh well! since I do not smoke it has to stay that way. I just need to return the car vacuum I bought and get one that is battery operated.

Vote Vote Vote

Make sure to exercise your right to vote today. I just voted about half hour ago.

There is a total of $465 in my ING account. I moved $400 of that into a 6-month CD that matures in May 07. This will cover part of the insurance payment on my car that comes due around that time.

the regular e-fund is now back to $65 with $50 being deposited this Wednesday and $100 next Thursday etc...etc...etc...

I decided to move into a CD because:

1. The interest is higher on ING CD's than the regular savings account.

2. I will not be tempted to transfer it into checking.

3. Part of it is psychological. I am so happy to get my savings going again, that a CD is a real accomplishment.

Sallie Mae payment update

Here are the last 5 payments to Sallie Mae:
09/28/06 - $50
10/06/06 - $25
10/12/06 - $30
10/20/06 - $40
10/26/06 - $30

My weekly payment is working out to be 4 payments per month. Starting this month I will make one additional payment at the end of the month. They will both be on the same day, with the second payment 'apply to principal only'. So far the weekly payment routine is getting better and saving me hundreds if not thousands in interest.

The current interest rate on this loan is 10.25%.

I am back to the real world of bills and work and all that. It was a wise decision to fill my tank before heading to MA. The further north you go the more expensive gas becomes, in most places. I filled my tank in NJ after work at $1.98 per gallon. The price where I live in NY is still $2.30+ per gallon. On my way back to NY today I had a half tank and contemplated whether or not I should fill up. The price was $2.35 per gallon. Oh hellzzz no. My car is very good on gas. I got back to NY, went to NJ to run an errand where I got my car filled at $198 per gallon.

Am off for the weekend

I will be visiting family this weekend a few hours away.

A wonderful weekend to all.

Thank you to 3 Things About Money...

For the idea to pay Ms. Sallie on a weekly basis with small payments versus the one big payment each month. The interest is no longer accumulating, and for each payment a larger bulk goes to principal. I am now seeing the principal balance go down versus up.

Once again, thank you 3 things about money.

E-fund

The E-fund is back up and running. It currently stands at $300. It is funded $100 every two weeks from the main gig, and $50 from the part-time gig. I decided against using the HSBC mainly because the direct deposit is easy to set up with ING. Automatic, automatic, automatic.

Now I do not have to think about it.

Random sh*t

With the week I have had, let me just get some ish off my chest.

I know the job does not require a degree, but I have one so stop talking to me like am stupid. Do not insult my intelligence. Can't wait to get a real job that has growth potential where I can actually learn something.

Why is it so hard for people in New Jersey to drive in the rain. B*tch slow down, cuz trust me anybody hit my car again, they gonna get it.

No I do not speak damn spanish, ENGLISH ONLY. Speak english damnit, stop signaling with your hands. No comprendo.

How the hell do you complain about not having money, but yet you buy lunch everyday. Dumb broad.

Gas is now $2.09 per gallon. Yippeeee. I need my dollars sto stretch, so prices keep going down.

Bad timing

My 5 year old dell laptop has a few things wrong with it:

The speakers do not work so I have to use headphones.

The touch pad mouse does not work. I am using a gateway regular mouse a friend gave me.

With all the problems it still did the job.

However, last night the keyboard suddenly stopped working. Am here typing by using the on screen keyboard, arghhhhhh!!!!!

This is slow and annoying. However, I do not have any money for a new laptop at least till Christmas.

Does anyone have any recommendations for cheap reliable laptop? I am starting to save for a new one.

Sallie Mae and the saga continues

This time around am happy to say she has been acting right. I keep my eye on her like a hawk. The payments have set up to go out weekly, so I check in online to make sure she is doing what I asked. So far so good. (knock on wood)
I have to keep check her cuz this b***ch is liable to start acting bipolar and do crazy shit with my money.

Career decisions...what do I wanna be when I grow up

In February I received a Master of Public Administration (MPA). The job ( you know the thing you do just for a paycheck) I have now is completely unrelated and as a matter of fact does not require a degree if you ask me. Here is the dilemna, I have only been there for a year. I am leary to move because I do not want my resume to look to hoppy / crazy.

The problem is that I have started looking and can't find anything in my field. Also, am not 100% sure of what I really want to do.
I have a few friends who have moved to the Virginia/DC area where positions are more readily available than here in NY.

I need advice from anyone who have been in there career a few years.

Should I start looking now? Would leaving this job after a year have an adverse impact on my career prospects?

Time to buckle down and...

Save as much money as I can and pay off debt. After the week I have had at work it began to make me think what would happen if I was unemployed from the main gig right now? So what would I do? Ha I would cry first....and then figure some things out later.

In the mean time here is the plan for now, in the event I loose the main gig in the next few weeks.

I would increase the amount of hours at the part-time gig. However, this would put me back to the days before I finished undgrad. It would keep a roof over my head and food on the table.

Retirement!

My 403B is performing decently. I now have a little over $3,000 in less than a year. In 2007 I will try and increase the amount am contributing, after I pay off my debt.

goals for 2007

I renewed the lease on my apartment for one more year. This will give me a year to get things together financially. I now have new goals to be accomplished by the end of 2007:

1. Be debt free of all credit cards.

2. Pay off sallie mae student loan.

3. Establish an emergency fund of $10,000.

4. Get more educated on the home-buying process.

In order to fulfill all these goals I will continue at the part-time gig, as long as am physically able to.

$11 worth of fun

Tonight I went bowling with some friends. $11.00 dollars and a few hours later, it was well worth it. I had a fabulous time. For those few hours I did not have to worry about all my bad luck and near financial meltdowns of recent weeks.

At the end of the night... it was $11.00 well spent.

Update........

I took the rental back today so that expense is no more. My car is done so I will be picking it up tomorrow morning, that is an additional bill. Life will be back to a somewhat sense of normalcy.

Today was pay day, had to pay the rent, car note, student loans, credit loans. I still need to put figures to paper.

Arrggghhhhh

Got up this morning and the rental I have was missing. I absolutely hate living here now. After three hours and countless phone calls I was told that the car was not towed so I need to call 911 to report the car stolen. Did I mention this is the rental, because my car is being repaired. Arrrgghhh.

I wait an hour for the police to come where my car was missing from. After they do there little investigation, it turns out the car was towed, not stolen. It only took them over three hours of my time to figure that nonsense out.

So what is the verdict.
$185 to get the car out the lot.
$115 parkin ticket. What the fvck.....am loosing it right now.

Why the heck is all this happening to me, all at once.

The under 30 honor roll is growing

The under 30 honor roll is 50 strong. Great community am proud to be apart of. Let's show them that young people are concerned about there finances and are doing something about it.

Education is key. Knowledge is power.

Cleaning House

I have decided to close the checking and savings account at the credit union.
There are a few reasons for this:
I no longer deposit money there, so both accounts are empty.

There are no branches in NYC where I am located. The one branch is in Pleasantville, NY.

I am getting my financial house in order and simplifying things. This is the first step.

A few financial things that are happening:

I sent sallie mae $25 online from my bank. Then I sent her a money order for $50 'apply to principal only'. It is still left to be seen if she will listen. The $25 did satisfy the interest and $9 went to principal. Wooptieee dooooo.

The check from the part-time gig is now direct deposit starting yesterday. So, am getting paid every week, one week Wednesday and one week Thursday.

The emergency fund at ING was depleted recently. However, I restarted with the same $100. What am happy to say is my HSBC account will be funded every two weeks with $40 from the part-time gig. I will be funding two emergency fund at once. The HSBC fund will be to pay towards a debt at the end of the year.

Since am getting two paychecks I should be saving something from both. Pay yourself first it is.

Tidbits here and there

All the bills for this month are paid, and I have 60 bucks in the checking account, yippeeee weekly paycheck.

I got more hours at the part-time gig....am loving the money.

I am going through my financial files so I can simplify things. I may close my checking and savings account at the credit union since they are not being used. I will have to think about it some more.

This is how Sallie Mae keeps students in debt

Am no mathematician but damnit the math here does not make any sense.

Next payment due: 12.67 Payment due date: 10/06/06

Outstanding Principal balance: 7,987.76

Accrued interest: 75.90

Total Amount Outstanding: 8,063.66

HUH!!!

Current interest rate is 10+ percent. That translates into almost 3 dollars per day in interest. WTF, that is more than the damn interest on my loan. No wonder the freakin principal balance seems to go up all the damn time.

Mind you this is with a very aggressive repayment strategy I just set up.

Last three payments:
8/28/06 $75
07/14/06 $100
07/10/06 $200

The next payment is set to go out on 09/22/06 in the amount of $100.

Arghhhhhh!!!!!

According to the guy in India or Pakistan where ever the hell he is, the monthly interest is $65.69. Yet still they are telling me I should pay $87.74. WTF I am never going finish this then. That means at 26 I will be 40odd years and still paying this.

Sallie Mae you can kiss my a.s.s.

I will continue paying twice per month and see where that leads me. (August was the only month where I slacked off).

What I need is a magic number that will actually bring down the ‘Outstanding Principal Balance’.

p.s if this post makes absolutely no sense to you, welcome to the club. I am just as clueless.

Update

My car is at the repair shop being fixed. I should have it back by next week. It is critical that I get my car back soon, because I have two jobs to get to.
I got a rental the morning after the accident, so I was able to go to work last Saturday and Sunday.

The mini emergency fund is going to come in handy. I am starting over the efund from scratch. Tomorrow is pay day, so my e-fund starts over with $100.

What I learnt from this accident is:
Money is just that, money. It does not buy happiness, or health. Thank goodness I have my health. I will no longer stress where money is concerned.

When it rains it pours

So it is raining here in the tri-state area this morning and what happens? I get into a freakin car accident!
Am ok physically, mentally am gonna loose my marbles. I freakin hate women drivers (disclaimer I am a woman). Look where the hell you are going you idiot.

The car needs work ($$), my deductible is 1,000 ($$), I need a rental to get to work ($$), my insurance premiums might go up ($$), I cannot get to my second job tonight, so there goes my shift ($$) am leaving work early so I can bum a ride back to NY ($$).

Since my direct deposit has not come through yet I need to pick up my pay check ($$), without a ride I cannot do that ($$). Arghhhhhhhh!!

See the pattern here, am gonna be bleeding money for the next few weeks.

Am revamping my resume

I just received an MPA degree in February 2006. Therefore, I have decided to redo my resume since I've had the same formal since sophomore year. It looks a bit juvenile to me.

Does anyone know of a free resume writing service?
I have read all the articles and tried doing it myself but it does not seem to be working.

One of my new goals is to increase my income by at least 10,000 by the end of 2007.

Ask and you shall receive

August was a chaotic month with lots of friends and family visiting. Things got out of hand financially with me not opening bills on time. My September statement came with a whopping $29 late fee attached. I called up the company and nicely asked them to waive the late fee since the payment was only a few days late, and I've been a loyal customer.

'Ok ma'am I am happy to do that for you. Check your next billing statement or check online within 48 hours'.

'Thank you for being calling. '

$29 dollars saved, great. The next payment is set up to go out two weeks before the due date.

I love me some Tarjay

I went to Tarjay today and spent $77. I love going there. It felt good today to spend a little bit of cash and not stress over it.
Bought some very much needed items:
a floor mat
2 storage bins
a bag for work
2 pairs of shoes for the kids (nieces)
2 blouses for the kids (nieces)

Money Habits

The Oxford Dictionary defines habit as:
1. a settled or regular tendency or practice.

2. a practice that is hard to give up.

My money habits are regular negative tendencies that are hard to give up.

Hi...My name is tiredofbeingbroke and I have bad money habits.

I am working diligently on changing those habits.

Bad habits:

Spending more than I earn.

Allowing family to use my 'good credit' (this is a whole nother post, don't get me started).

Not educating myself enough on investing and wealth creation.

Well all these things are about to change.

My emergency fund is half-way there. I am soo happy. $500 in the bank.
* Doing the happy dance, doing the happy dance.*

I got my first paycheck from the part-time gig. The payroll schedule falls opposite of my regular job's payroll. This mean I will have income each week for as long as I can continue both jobs. This is going great. Surprisingly, my social life has not suffered much.
Bye bye bills. Debt free here I come.

It has been over a week since I started the part-time job. So far things are going ok. I am able to manage both schedules so far. The manager is very flexible with the schedule I am able to maintain. I am taking a few days off from both jobs just to get it together since the summer is almost over. I cannot wait to get my first check so I can start paying down my cc debt.

I have decided not to move, and renew my current lease for one more year.
The main reason for this is financial. I cannot afford to pay and increase in rent, or pay to move my stuff. Plus, emotionally I am not prepared to deal with settling into a new environment. I have also been contemplating moving out of the tri-state area completely, but that is still up in the air.

Thanks to everyone who offered their advice.

No more debit card gas purchases

All gas purchases will be made using cash. I am a debit-card-no-cash-carrying kinda girl. It was very hard for me to make this new decision. However, it is a financially sound decision.
I normally purchase gas every two weeks. Recently, I have been doing a bit more driving because I have family and friends in town and a second job. I made two separate gas purchases about a week apart. The purchases did not post to my checking account until almost two weeks later, and on the same day. WTH!! This is annoying as hell. It left me scrambling to find the receipts to make sure the dollar amounts are correct. I knew there were two transactions out ‘there’ to be posted but after a week went by I forgot about. That was until I saw two gas purchases on the ‘same day’. Heck no. This can potentially give me an ulcer from all the stress of figuring this out. Thank goodness for online banking.

Bottom line is no more debit card gas purchases. I went this morning paid cash and was on my way.

Oh and the price has gone down to $2.85 per gallon. Yippeeeeee (sorry to all my New Yorkers, I just had to rub it in!! unless you are buying gas in Jersey)

Your balance is paid in full!!

These words are like music to my ears. I got a surprise in the mail yesterday. A little remembered student loan from sophomore year has been 'paid in full'. Granted the loan was only $1,000 I was making little payments over the years before I graduated. Why? Psychology I guess played a role back then. Anyways I completely forgot about the loan until the letter arrived in the mail. Now that I am completely done with school and the grace period is over all my student loan records are being updated.

Your balance is paid in full!! These words will be my motivator to tackle my other debts. This really shows me that a little at a time does add up.

Am gone back to do my happy dance, even if only temporary.

Update....

Sorry for the long delay. I was finally successful in getting a part-time evening gig. I will start tomorrow. The hourly pay takes me back to the days when I was in college. However, this extra income is solely for the purposes of paying down my Sallie Mae student loans and credit cards. This will be an extra payment in addition to the regular ones I normally make.

The second job would mean that I am giving up some parts of my social life or lack thereof. I am happy though that I am working hard to be free of my Sallie Mae and credit card debt by the end of 2007 if all goes as planned.

I LOVE FREE STUFF

Did I mention I LOVE FREE STUFF!!!

Sometime last year I received a letter in the mail from Washington Mutual Bank. The letter indicated that customers would receive a free Target gift card if they used their debit cards for a certain number of times. Or something to that effect. Anyways I did get a $25 Target card in the mail a few months ago.

This past week I went to Target and got me a blender.

Thank you Washington Mutual for my FREE blender.

To Move or Not to Move

Please read and help me decide.

I currently live in a one bedroom apartment in the Bronx. The lease ends on 11/30/06. I have been in this apartment two years. I absolutely love my apartment. All the appliances are brand new, hardwood floors, huge windows (well I do not like them in my bedroom).
My landlord is great. Before moving into this building I was a bit apprehensive because you hear so much horror stories about landlords. In the almost two years that I have been here, I have had ZERO problems with the landlord. Both father and son team are very responsive, I have never stayed more than a few hours to get a return phone call even on the weekends.

So why do I want to move you ask?

I absolutely hate my neighborhood. Parking around here is horrible. I have gotten two tickets since last November because I parked out on the main street and woke up late (after 7:30am)
The people who live around here have no respect for other people's space. I always have to hear the loud salsa or reggae music at three in the morning.

I work across the bridge in Bergen County, NJ. Therefore, I am contemplating a move there. It is a lot cleaner, and quieter than where I live currently. I would save on gas and tolls. The quality of life there is much higher than where I currently live.

Problem.
Not sure I would find rent that is cheaper than I am currently paying (873.38 per month). This is scheduled to go up 4%.

What do you guys think? Any advise is appreciated.

It is hot hot hot!!

My apartment feels like a little oven. I am still holding out and not buying an AC. I survived last summer so I believe I can survive this one. September is almost here.

Bankrate.com Interview: Ice Cube

I liked this piece from Bankrate.com with rapper, producer, actor, entrepreneur Ice cube. Thought it is worth sharing.