Busy (and expensive) month.

I am sorry I have not been keeping this thing updated. However, my spring break from teaching is 1 1/2 days away so I hope to write a nice post over the weekend.

April has been an expensive month, but at least I'm paying cash.

Spring Shopping.

I just got back from my spring shopping trip. I did not buy much. I got two new dresses from American Eagle that will be very cute to wear out, and I could also wear them to work if I throw on a shrug or sweater with them. Total cost? $70.

I also got three new pairs of underwear from Victoria's Secret. They usually have 3 for $30 or 5 for $25 deals going on. I got a $10 off coupon in the mail from them, so I got three very cute new undies for $20.

Not all that much stuff, but I rarely have shopped since last August. So, I felt like splurging a little and and it was all budgeted and paid for in cash.

Finally, while at the mall I saw that New York & Company is hiring part time sales associates. I have three years of experience at a high end department store, so I applied for a position and noted that I can only work weekends until soccer season ends, at which point I can do evenings and weekends. I also wrote down that from June 12-August 14 I am available any hours since it'll be summer vacation from school. Hopefully they will call. I'd rather work in retail than at a restaurant.

Tomorrow is payday!

Budget Travel!

I apologize for being MIA lately. I haven't had much to update about in the personal finance arena. I only get paid once a month, so payday is Tuesday. I did pretty well with sticking to my cash envelopes in the month of March. I only went over a little bit, and now I know where I can trim back in April so that I don't go over. =)

This weekend, me and C decided to go on a small trip down to Myrtle Beach, SC. It came about at the last minute, because I knew I'd have tomorrow (Monday) off work. We got lucky, and Chris was told that he didn't have to report in again til Tuesday. I asked a friend of mine who lives in Myrtle about good places to stay and she recommended Hotel Breakers. So we looked into it and they had an Ultimate Romance package where we got a rooftop ocean view room, chocolate covered strawberries, a small bottle of champagne, and free breakfast. The total cost for two nights? $230.

It took us 5 hours to make the 2 1/2 hour drive, however, because Friday evening there were tornadoes in the area we were coming from. One of the tornadoes crossed over I-95, which we were driving on, and stopped traffic for two hours! It was annoying, but today when we came back the drive was very easy. We are looking forward to going back in the near future.

Here are some pics:


This is the view from the balcony/patio attached to our room. It was huge, since it was a penthouse room.



This was also taken from the rooftop. Here you can see the water, the sand, the beautiful landscaping, and one of the hotel's swimming pools with two hot tubs. =)

C is a great boyfriend for spoiling me and taking me on trips. Also, I'm thinking we got a great deal because of the economy--the hotels are trying to generate business by offering cheaper packages. I highly recommend Hotel Breakers because it was clean, had great amenities, and the staff was wonderful and accomodating!

I'm Around.

I have been really busy lately, so I apologize for the lack of updates!

I do have one quick thing to write about, though. I got my first cavity filled yesterday and also got my bite wing x-rays done at the dentist. The total cost was $190, which I paid in cash. For that, I am very proud. I am getting what I need done, but not going into debt. Yay!

I am getting my next cavity done next month, and this time it will be $140 because I don't need x-rays again.

It's strange how panicked I was at first over this, but all it took was some budget tweaking. If I didn't live on a budget, it wouldn't be possible.

Why do I keep the car?

Most of the people on the Total Money Makeover forums think I should sell my car and get a beater until I'm debt free. This is why I will not.

When I bought my car, I traded in a paid for car for it. The old car was having problems every month. For several months straight, very expensive repairs needed to be made. One month, the starter died, and that cost $500. Another month, the belt came off and I lost my power steering. That was $300...and etc. It was becoming a huge hassle, and when I got hired at my first job, I needed to have reliable transportation.

My dad helped me look at cars, and I bought a brand new 2007 Chevy Cobalt. It is very fuel efficient (at the time, gas was still very high). It gets around 30 MPG. Also, it's under warranty so if anything goes wrong it will be fixed for free.

I hate the monthly payment, but the peace of mind that comes with it is worth it. I know I will be paying it off early, so I can deal with it for now. I do know that all future cars I buy will be paid for in cash right away. But as someone who was just starting out in the real world, it was *impossible* for me to pay cash for the car. I had nothing in savings and only had the trade-in as my down payment.

So the car will be staying...and when I pay it off, it will stay until I have enough in cash to buy a hybrid vehicle. I'm leaning toward a Ford Escape Hybrid when the time comes. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, many years from now. :)

How exactly did I rack up my CC debt?

This is the tale of how Ninja racked up her credit card debt.

After graduating college, I lived at home for a few months and during that time I had paid down my credit card debt to just $800. Then, I moved out of my parents house. There were some boundary issues present and I was sick of fighting with my mom, mostly about money. She wanted me to be debt free, but I was sick of hearing her moan and groan every time I spent *any* money because she knew I still needed to pay off the credit card.

When I moved, I wiped out my emergency fund to pay the deposit on my new apartment. I didn't use my credit card for anything, though. A couple months later, though, it was my birthday, so I bought myself a shiny new laptop. On credit, of course!!! Then, a few months later, I used my credit card to partially pay to go on a cruise with my two best friends from college. That added on even more debt.

Finally, when I got my job where I currently live, I used my credit card to buy furniture for my new apartment and for all my travel expenses. When I got here in August 2008, I owed a little over $5,000.

Luckily, I had a signing bonus, which I used to pay off about $2,000 of what I owed. I've been throwing as much extra as possible at the balance since then, and I have learned my lesson for real this time. I do not use plastic unless it's my debit card, and I never will ever again.

Meals - Week of 3/8

Sunday: Spaghetti with marinara sauce

Monday: Black beans and rice with green beans

Tuesday: Soccer parents feed me at the game. C is on his own.

Wednesday: M cooks? But if not--mac and cheese.

Thursday: Hamburger helper.

Friday: Vegetable soup and toast.

Saturday: Date night with C, so out to eat!

All I need to buy at Wal-Mart today is milk, bread, fresh fruit, and a bottle of aloe lotion because we got horribly sunburned watching softball outside. The gorgeous weather was awesome, but sadly we forgot to put on sunscreen before being outside from 10 AM until 4 PM! Oops!

Below $13,000

As of Friday, my total debt amount is below $13,000. I updated my numbers in the sidebar. I am very excited about this!

I can't wait for it to be below $10,000! That's my next major goal. Hopefully by the end of August 2009.

Using Cash for Big Purchases

It pays to pay cash. I wanted to share this story from a few months back.

When my signing bonus was disbursed to me, I had allocated a portion of it to purchasing a washer and dryer for my apartment. I had hookups, but the machines weren't included. To rent them it was $25/month with a three month minimum. Heck no! There were plenty of used ones on Craigslist, but it was going to be a hassle to find help to move them into my second floor apartment and then install them. Not to mention, they could wind up not working and then I'd be back at step one and be out the money for them. I was sick of hauling my laundry over to the apartment's laundry room, so I was looking forward to this.

Anyways, back to my story: I decided that my budget for both the washer and dryer together would be $650. Me and C went to Best Buy one Saturday afternoon, and when the appliance specialist came up to me, I flashed the cash and said "I have $650 and I want to leave today having purchased a washer and dryer with delivery, installation, and sales tax included in that price." She went and got her manager, and they conferred together for about 10 minutes. At that point, they came back to get us.

The manager brought me over to the register, where on the screen, he was changing prices on things line by line. He changed the washer and dryer prices, comped us the hoses for them (so they cost nothing) and also included the plugs. He also scheduled my delivery date--the following Saturday. When all was said and done, the price for everything was $648.

Dave Ramsey is absolutely right: for big ticket items, paying cash is absolutely the way to go. I got a huge discount (they were on clearance for $700 anyway, plus normally you have to pay for the plugs, hoses, installation, etc). All said and done, I saved about $100. I said what I wanted and stated the price, and they matched it. There was no haggling needed and no high pressure tactics to "buy now and finance on a Best Buy account!"

When I'm debt free, I look forward to doing this to buy an HDTV. That will be a wonderful day. :D

Ways to Save as a Single 20-Something

I consider myself "single" even though I have a boyfriend, because I'm not married nor have I ever been. These are some ways that I cut expenses so that I have more to save and put toward debt. Amazingly, none of them are huge changes to make, but the savings really add up!

Clothing: I invest in high-quality, classic looks that don't go out of style. One might argue that when you're living on a budget, clothes from Wal-Mart are the way to go. This is absolutely not true. I used to work at a luxury retailer with high merchandise price points, and I can promise you that the cost is well worth the quality. I have three pairs of jeans from higher end vendors--Silver, Big Star, and Seven for All Mankind--and all were worth the price. None have visible signs of wear after daily wear and tear, and I've owned these jeans for months (or years, in the case of the Sevens). A cheaper pair from Wal-Mart or Target would almost certainly disentegrate in that time frame (and have, in my experience), causing me to spend on a new pair. The pricier ones last. They can even be found more reasonably on a clearance rack. I paid cash for all of my pairs, too. So--to sum up, Ninja says it's OK to treat yourself if you pay cash and if it's an item that can be worn fashionably for many years with much wear. ;)

Nights Out: If you're female, frequent the night spots in your town that have Ladies Night. Many of these places offer no cover before a certain time, or a reasonable cover with free well drinks all night. Only bring a fixed amount of cash with you--enough for a few cocktails, and a cab ride home (Ninja does not condone drinking and driving!). Of course, if you're good at flirting, you shouldn't need to spend your own money on drinks. In my case, I spend $0 each month on entertainment because C pays for us when we go out on dates, but when I was single I was good at never spending a dime at the bars.

Friends: Many times, friends will want to meet for dinner after work. Instead of doing that, me and my neighbor trade off making dinner for each other. I cook for us on Sundays, and she cooks on Wednesdays. We can catch up with each other and hang out, but neither of us spends money other than the ingredients for whatever we've made. No gas money to get there either! See if you have a friend or two who would be interested in this idea--it's a lot of fun for me because I have a guinea pig to test recipes on.

Living: I turn down the heat in my apartment while I'm at work, and also when I go to bed at night. It's really only on for a few hours in the afternoon. I leave the lights off in rooms I'm not in, and I keep all appliances unplugged most of the time unless I'm using them. In the summer, I'm going to get a drying rack so that I can let my clothes air dry on my balcony instead of using the dryer. That should cut even more off the electric bill. I get a 20% discount on my cell phone bill through my employer too. I do not have a roommate--my apartment is one bedroom--but I prefer not to live with other people. If your personality can handle it though, it could cut your rent in half. Where can you cut back?

Food: I do not eat fast food or get coffee from Starbucks. I don't even like coffee, but I know many people do. It's a waste to spend $4/day on it, when you could brew your own for almost free! Fast food is also pricey--3 meals a day at $6 means $18/day or $126/week. Ouch! I eat oatmeal for breakfast, brown bag a lunch, and plan ahead for dinner to keep my grocery bill in check. I only spent $33 this week and that was only because I had to buy toilet paper and some soap. It would have been $25 without those items. Avoiding processed, pre-packaged food also cuts costs, and it's better for you anyway. =)

These are just a few tricks I have for keeping costs down. I have plenty more, which I'll dish out in future posts!

Balance Transfer

My balance transfer has gone through, so Discover Card is done with. Now I will be paying the balance over the next 6 months with 0% interest through my bank. It's a much sweeter deal! =)

I just wanted to update about this small step forward. I'm really relieved.

Meals - Week of 3/1

Every Sunday from now on, I will be posting what's for dinner each weeknight. Today at Wal-Mart, I only spent $23 on food because I'm working around what I have in my pantry and freezer already. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue this trend. C always eats dinner with me, unless otherwise noted. =)

Today (Sunday): Hamburger Helper with steamed broccoli and carrots. My neighbor, M, and her boyfrend, A, are eating dinner with me and C tonight.

Monday: Eggs and pancakes with fruit cocktail (I like making breakfast for dinner sometimes).

Tuesday: I'm coaching a soccer game, so the parents will be providing dinner for the team. C will have to fend for himself if he wants to eat. :P

Wednesday: M cooks for A, C, and me.

Thursday: Soccer fundraiser at CiCi's pizza, so me and C are eating out (C will pay for both of us).

Friday: Mac and cheese with green beans.

Saturday: Probably eating out and watching the UFC fight, because a friend is visiting from out of town. C will pay, however.

For lunch during the week, I'll be packing PB&J with an apple and some carrot sticks. I always eat oatmeal for breakfast.

Dentist Update.

On Tuesday, I finally had the dreaded dentist appointment. While I'm glad I went (no more bad breath or icky plaque on my teeth), I also now have a whole bunch of dental expenses I will need to foot the bill for. I outlined my lack of dental insurance in this post in case anyone needs a refresher.

I found out that I have eight cavities, and she also recommended I have my wisdom teeth out. Now--I was really disheartened because 1) I have never had ANY cavities in my entire life until now, and 2) well...all this is going to be mega bucks! I am sure that had I gone to the dentist at all during the 2 year lapse, I could have prevented some of this.

Anyways...I feel good because I paid for the exam and cleaning in cash. It was $139. They let me decline the x-rays for now--I just had to sign a waiver that I couldn't sue for malpractice if they missed anything in my mouth not visible without them. Next month, I am having one of the cavities filled, and getting one type of x-rays done. The total cost for both procedures will be $190. I will be able to pay cash, again, if I am very frugal.

So basically--the game plan is to cash flow one cavity filling each month until they're all filled. My dentist said that it would take 6 months or more to them to get to the point of needing root canals (which would be close to $1,000 instead of $140 for a filling) so in the meantime I'm going to be super meticulous about my oral hygiene. Plus, in the summer when I'm working I could probably cash flow 2 per month. After talking to several people about my wisdom teeth, I have decided to wait until they are bothering me. Right now, they aren't. They aren't impacting other teeth and I have room in my mouth for them. They're just a nuisance for decay and stuff. Hopefully, I can put it off until after January 2010 when I'll have dental (next year I'm definitely making sure all the paperwork is done correctly!).

A definite bonus to my working toward debt freedom is that I will have the money to deal with this a little at a time. If I still owed other bills it wouldn't be possible. I'm glad I can save my teeth and not be in debt forever to my dentist! I was panicked at first, but I'm over it now. It's going to be fine. =)

Buying vs. Renting

Lately, I have been really wishing I could buy a house. The prices are so low where I live it would be an ideal time to buy. However, I don't have a down payment saved, so my hands are tied.

I played with mortgage calculators online, and if I bought a $52,000 3 bed 2 bath starter home with 20% down ($10,400) at 5.5% my mortgage would be $236/month. It sounds great considering my current rent on a one bedroom apartment is $600/month plus utilities.

However, then I got to thinking--in my apartment, if there's a maintenance issue, the landlord takes care of it. I also don't pay property taxes here. I don't have to cut the grass--which I don't know how to do, so I'd have to hire a lawn company to come out and do that for me. And, I'd want to fix up the inside of a house I bought too and that would require the help of contractors. After adding in all those expenses, I'd probably be up to $600/month again, if not more.

The moral of the story? I'll keep renting for the time being. I do want to own a house in the future, but I want to be debt free and have 20% to put down on whatever I buy when it finally happens.

Balance Transfer

After much runaround, I will be able to transfer my Discover Card balance over to another card offered by my bank. I will get 0% for 6 months on it, after which my rate will be 9.99%. I really would like to pay off the card in the next 6 months--it's going to be hard, but I will feel so free when it's all done!

Basically, my personal banker suggested this, but we couldn't do it right away because I didn't know the account number. I had cut up the card forever ago, and they wouldn't give it out over the phone. They promised to overnight me a new card, which I never got, so I called back to complain. Finally they admitted they could close the account and then give me the account number so they did that for me. I called my banker and left her a voicemail with all the information. Last night she finally called back and said that the transfer should go through soon.

At the least, all my payments will go straight to principle for the next six months. This will help immensely.

I can't wait to lose all this credit card debt so I can attack the car payment!!!

C gets back from his Army course tomorrow. The past 2 weeks really flew considering he wasn't around. We're going to make up for missing Valentine's Day this weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am going to try to update a couple times a week from now on. Soccer tryouts started this past week, so I've had some long days at my school. ;)

My federal tax refund went into my checking account last night, so I moved it right over to savings. I am so close to having $1,000 saved for summer! My next payday is in two weeks, so I'm going to move another $250 over at that time.

I'm waiting on news ab0ut my 0% balance transfer through my bank. It was a big hassle to find out what my Discover Card account number was, because I got rid of the card a long time ago and they refuse to give out account numbers over the phone. They sent a new one "overnight" which I never got, so I called back and they wound up closing my account so they could tell me what it was. I then called my banker and left her a voice mail with the information, but she has yet to call me back. Too bad Monday is a bank holiday too (for President's Day). I'll have to call on Tuesday and follow up with all this. I'm sick of paying $30/month in finance charges.

At the rate I'm going, I should have plenty in the bank for summer--especially at the end of the season, when I get paid for coaching and also in May when my supplemental bonus comes. Then anything from working over the summer can go straight onto debt.

Like they say, slow but steady wins the race. =)

February Update.

Sorry for my lack of posts lately! My week has been somewhat chaotic, which I am about to explain.

First of all, C left for some Army training on Wednesday. He'll be back on February 19th, so I've been catching up on things like cleaning my apartment that are somewhat neglected while he's here. Haha. I do miss him though. =)

Secondly, during the week, I accepted the position as the girls soccer head coach at my school. It happened really fast, but this is going to be really good for me. I'm halting my martial arts lessons for a few months so that I can save more money, so now I have time for coaching. An added bonus is that at the end of the season, I get paid $500! So between no martial arts lessons and the $500 I'll make from this, I should have another $800 in savings by June. At the minimum! So, the coaching position has solved my second job dilemma for the time being. When the season ends, I can look for something to fill in the summer months with.

In addition to all that, I will be transferring my Discover Card balance to a 0% for six months card from my bank. That should allow me to put a huge dent in paying it off since all payments will go on the principal.

I wish my budget wasn't so out of whack this month. I probably won't be able to save much, if anything. But I'm still thankful that I won't need to add any *new* debt (except for maybe that pesky dentist appointment that's at the end of the month...sigh).

How is everyone doing for the month of February?

P.S. I also updated my sidebar at the left with the total amounts I owe. ;)

Weekend Update

My budget is already out of whack for the month of February.

First of all, my hair dryer died so I needed to buy a new one. That was the least of my worries, though. I did my taxes Friday night, and I owe the state $901. I am not pleased! However, my parents are graciously giving me a gift of $901 to send in to cover it. Bullet dodged. I didn't ask them for the money--they offered of their own accord. I am only getting $89 back from the feds, but it beats having to pay them.

Second, those pesky overdraft fees did hit--to the tune of $105. I called my bank, only to speak with the most unhelpful customer service person ever. However, when I went to visit my branch in the afternoon, and talked to my personal banker, she did everything she could to listen to me and e-mailed her supervisor to see about getting some of those fees refunded. Hopefully, that will happen--if not, it's a stupid tax on my part. I really like my bank, so I'll be disappointed if this can't be fixed (even partially).

I explained to my personal banker about wanting to pay off my credit card, and she said that the bank has a credit card with 0% interest for 6 months and then 9.99% after that. It's a way better rate then what I have now, so I applied for the card and will be moving that balance over. Then at least all monies I pay go to the principal.

Finally...she told me that my credit score is 717!!! This is absolutely wonderful, even though I no longer believe in using credit. It will still help me in a few years when I'm ready to get a house. Now...remember, I'm 24 years old so that is an extremely high score for my age. =)

Today I'm on a mission to find a part time job. I'm hoping to either be a server in a restaurant, or to cocktail waitress at a bar or lounge. My good friend Y is coming with me because she's looking for a side gig as well. It would be nice to work somewhere with a friend!

Possible Overdraft Fees

I was really excited for today. I had budgeted so well since my last payday, and I was sure I'd have about $100 to move into savings.

Not only was I wrong, I might be hit with some overdraft fees tonight!

I thought all my bills for January had been paid, but I was wrong. The fees for my ninjutsu dojo hadn't been taken out yet. I have them set up on auto-draft and I completely forgot that they are paid on the 28th each month. So that came out last night, and then this morning I had grabbed an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's (paid for with my debt card). I checked my account balance a little bit earlier, and saw that I was -14.23. Yikes!!!

So immediately I transferred funds from savings to make my checking account positive, and then I called my bank because I didn't see any overdraft fees yet. They said that:

1. Since I moved the funds over before 2 p.m., they will officially "post" at midnight.
2. Whether or not I am hit with fees depends on if the merchants submitted paperwork for the pending transactions to be posted at midnight tonight. Both my ninjutsu fees and McDonald's are pending, as are a couple other things. But the customer service lady said that I moved enough for everything to clear--and the most important thing was that I had done it before 2 p.m. so it could be processed with today's business.

I get paid at midnight tonight (direct deposit) but that doesn't offically "post" until midnight tomorrow--so while it'll be "available," it can't help me avoid possible fees. Ugh.

I won't be able to see if fees were assessed until tomorrow morning. If they are, I'm going to call and ask for a refund. I know it's my own fault, but since this never happens they may be able to do it as a courtesy. If they can't be refunded, I'll probably be paying an overdraft fee stupid tax.

Next month, I'll be using cash envelopes and therefore hopefully avoid this whole scenario from happening again. =)

At least it's going to be payday. I will update tomorrow with what happens with this.

A Moment of Thanks

After hearing about yesterday's 71,400 job cuts, I just want to take a minute to post how thankful I am that I have a great job that I absolutely love, that is very secure. Although I'm not on a continuing contract (also known as tenure), I will get that after I teach in my building for 3 more years. So I know it's coming.

I have not heard any rumors about positions being cut where I work currently--in fact, they're always hiring new teachers each year. They are also building a new middle school right now.

So, I feel pretty safe. And I am incredibly thankful and blessed that I was able to find my job. I hope that all those people who were laid off will be able to make it through these tough times and be able to support themselves and their families.

February Budget

Payday is coming up on Friday, so with that in mind, I'm going to post my February budget. Please comment and tweak where you see fit!

Income: ~$2,200

I'm not sure on the exact amount yet because I just changed my tax withholdings, and I'm finally on the correct salary scale at work beginning this month, so I'll find out when it's direct-deposited Friday.

Rent: $600
Utilities: $75 (electric and water are on one bill; I don't have any gas appliances)
Internet: $50
Cell Phone: $83
Car Payment: $264
Car Insurance: $90 (this will go down in March--a separate post on that will be written soon!)
Discover Card: $81
Ninjutsu/Kickboxing Class: $110
Ninjutsu Weapons: $36 (these are required, and Sensei will kill me if I procrastinate on this any longer)
Summer Savings: $150
Prescription: $30
Doctor Co-Pay: $20 (I have another doctor's appointment besides the dentist in February)
Food: $150
Gas: $150

After all those expenses, that leaves me with $401. However, next month is when I am going to the dentist, so I know I'll be spending $59 for the exam and at least $80 for the cleaning. If they require me to have the x-rays in order to take me as a patient, I'll have just enough to cover that--but I'm really hoping that if I'm polite but firm and promise to come back in a few months for them after I can save up for it, they'll let it go for now.

Some other notes:

• I didn't budget for entertainment, because whenever C and I go out, he always pays. He has to go to some Army training stuff for a couple weeks in February, so he won't be around, but I usually just hang out at home and entertain myself online or get stuff done around the house. I spend time with my neighbor a lot, and it doesn't cost any money to have a board game or video game or movie night at home. We also cook dinner for each other during the week and eat so we can catch up (as opposed to spending $ to go out to dinner!).
• Valentine's Day is next month--C will be gone on the actual day, so we'll be celebrating it late. That means that I can get chocolates and and a card for him on sale the day after when they're all marked down a whole bunch! =)
• Since I'm trying to make sure I have enough money for summer, I don't have much of a debt snowball going currently. I've just been moving all extra into my savings account. I'd rather have too much than not enough, and I can use all the extra cash later on as a huge snowball all at once.
• I'm doing without buying any new clothes, or "stuff." Definitely not needed, nor do I have the space in my one bedroom apartment anyway! =)
• Items like shampoo, soap, toothpaste, laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc. are included in the Food category.
  

That's about all for now--I'll check in this week!

Second Job.

I really wish I could pick up a second job to speed this whole process along. Dave Ramsey calls for "gazelle intensity" which means doing anything and everything within your power to increase income to get out of debt faster.

However, I can't see myself getting a second job right now. Any part-time employer would have to be willing to work around the schedule for my full-time job. Many times, we have faculty meetings that we don't find out about until the day of, or at most, the day before, so a second job would have to be willing to let me be late if that happens since my career comes first. On top of that, I refuse to give up my ninjutsu classes. They keep me sane and balanced and they are a lot of fun. So, that's another thing an employer would have to be willing to work around. I can't see myself being hired *anywhere* with such limited availability right now.

So, for the time being, I will budget well, and focus on teaching (which is my career job). I'm off in the summer, so for those couple months I'll find a part time position and attempt to work close to full-time hours to make up for not working two jobs now!

No Las Vegas

Me and C's Las Vegas trip is a no-go. His leave request was denied, because his unit is going to Louisiana to train for a month in May, and the tentative dates for our trip fell too close to when they'll be leaving (we would have gone in late April). In case it's not obvious, he is a military guy. ;)

We are both disappointed, but the silver lining to this is that I can put the $500 cash that I was going to spend on this trip to paying down the Discover Card instead! I think that the universe is trying to tell me something about that. Now I am even more anxious for all my W2's to get here.

We'll go to Las Vegas someday...when I am debt free, and can *truly* enjoy it!

Dental Expenses

At the end of February, I have a dental appointment scheduled. I have not seen a dentist in over two years, because I was not insured. I was supposed to become insured as of January 1 through my employer, but due to a paperwork snafu, it didn't happen.

As a result, I have to pay for this dentist visit out of pocket (and all subsequent visits this year). I got the name of my new dentist from a co-worker. When I called, to schedule my first appointment, the receptionist said that the exam is $59, x-rays are $199, and cleanings start at $80 but it could be more based on the type of cleaning I need. I'm sure I'll need far more than the low-end one given the amount of time it's been since I last had a professional cleaning.

Ouch!

I already know I can't afford the x-rays--there's just no way I'm touching my summer money to do it. Going on a payment plan is out of the question, too. I'm going to firmly, but politely, explain to the dentist when I go that I do not believe in payment plans, and therefore will not allow x-rays to be done at this time. Hopefully, that will work. I have been warned that some dentists refuse to take you as a new patient unless you have the x-rays done, so I'm hoping that's not the case. What I can do though is promise that I will have the x-rays done over the summer, when I'll be working at a second job. I'd like to get my teeth cleaned 3 times a year from now on, anyway.

Provided he'll still do an exam, with no x-rays, and clean my teeth, I can pay for those out of pocket without touching savings--but it will make February a really tight month.

I wish I could just wait to go until I'm insured, but at this point that's not an option anymore. It's been too long, my mouth feels really yucky, and I don't want my teeth to rot and fall out (ha!). I'm lucky that in my 24 years, I have never had a cavity! =)

Any readers have tips on how to deal with explaining to a doctor that I cannot go into debt over dental or even just normal medical procedures, and therefore need to refuse a routine thing until I save more money?

Taxes and Travel

Right now I'm playing the W2 waiting game. I'm a little bit nervous, because three of my four W2's are coming from former employers in another state. I had to contact each with my new address, and I'm not sure if I gave them sufficient enough warning for them to be mailed to the right place. For one of them, I can retrieve it online so it's a non-issue, but I'm still nervous about the other two. I want them as soon as possible so I can go over to H&R Block and do everything ASAP. The fourth one, from my current employer, won't be a problem obviously!

In 2008, I had a full-time job, a part time job on top of it due to sub-standard pay at the full-time gig, and then in the summer I went back to a former job that I had enjoyed. So that is why I have so many W2's that will be coming! I'm looking forward to doing my taxes because in 2008, I made the most money I have ever made in a year so I should be getting a really awesome refund.

I also pulled my Discover Card statements from July and August up today, and added up my deductions for traveling to interview and moving. The total amount I'll be able to write off will be $1,165.04! That will be really nice, and should boost my total refund amount a little.

In other news, C and I are planning a trip for April when I have spring break. We will probably be going to Las Vegas. I have never been there, and after comparing prices we found that it's cheaper to go to Vegas than it would be to go on a cruise (even if we drove down to the port!). I will be able to pay cash for my plane ticket and my part of our hotel, and then C said that he would pick up the tab for everything else when we're there. So even though food, shows, cover charges to clubs and all that are extra, I won't have to budget that in--though I will probably set aside a small amount of money for shopping and gambling! I am so lucky to have a debt free boyfriend who spoils me rotten. ;)

I wish we could book now, but I'm waiting for the above mentioned tax refund to come because otherwise I'd have less than I'm comfortable with in savings. I know that some readers would argue that I shouldn't go on a trip when I'm in debt still, but the way I see it is--I'm paying cash so I will be able to truly enjoy it. I won't have to dread incoming bills from it whatsoever. And it's not a super extravagant expensive trip. It'll basically be a long weekend! I am very excited.

I will be sure to post as my W2's trickle in, and further updates about trip planning as well.

No More Mail

A few days ago, I sent a "secure message" to Discover Card online. They are constantly sending me those pesky cash advance checks and related service ads that they want me to enroll in. I'm sick of the extra paper mail and wasting time shredding it all and throwing it in the trash.

Today I got my response:

Thank you for your recent inquiry about the volume of solicitations you receive. I understand your concern and will be happy to assist you today!

Although your request will be processed immediately, we ask that you allow a reasonable amount of time for the check and solicitation mailings to stop. This is because marketing campaigns may have begun prior to your request.

Please be assured that Discover Financial Services, LLC., does not hold Cardmembers responsible for any unauthorized charges made with these checks.

I appreciate your business and the opportunity to be of service. Thank you for choosing to use Discover Card.

Sincerely,

Natalia

DISCOVER, CASHBACK BONUS and the other trademarks, logos and service marks used in this e-mail are the trademarks of Discover Financial Services or their respective third-party owners

I am really glad I took the time to do this. Hopefully, all that annoying snail mail will stop coming in from them now!

I also finally switched to online-only statements from my bank. I always view them online and I never open the paper ones they mail me. So that should reduce extra mail too!

Little things like these help me keep fighting the debt fight. =)

A Small Windfall

Today in the mail, I received a check for $50 from my grandmother. It was a belated birthday gift. I couldn't get to the bank before they closed, so I won't be able to deposit it to savings until Tuesday (thanks to MLK Day on Monday). However, when I do, my balance will be close to $900!

I get paid again January 30 (I only get paid once a month). On payday, I will be moving any leftover cash from checking into savings--which should be between $60 and $75. Additionally, I will be putting $150 from my paycheck in savings, too. So, come January 30, I will have around $1,100 in my savings account.

Dave Ramsey says to cap out your baby emergency fund at $1,000, but since I am on 10 month pay, I need to save enough to make it through the summer. I plan on continuing to save at least $150/month through the end of the school year, adding my end-of-year bonus to my summer account (which should be about $2,500), and also putting part of my tax refund in it. I'd rather have too much than not enough, and then the extra can go to debt once I make it through July and August. It goes without saying that I'm going to work somewhere too, for extra money!

The old me never would have planned for summer--I probably would have just lived off a credit card. So this is huge for me!

The Journey to Freedom

Being debt free has always been a dream of mine. I didn't know how I could singlehandedly go about doing it. After all, it seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. It was a very scary thing, to add up all my debts and realize that I owed a grand total of $28,883 to different people. Almost a full year's salary in my case!

However, I didn't let it get the best of me. First, I gave thanks. I got a new job in 2008, and although it required me to move 600 miles, it was for the best. I couldn't be happier in that respect. The negative part was that I added $3,000 in credit card debt between traveling to interview and moving itself because I just didn't have the cash in savings. I'm still working my way out of that hole. After I got situated in my new home, I sat down with all my bills and added up the grand total. I owed on my credit card, my auto loan, a Federal Stafford student loan, two medical bills, and I also had to pay off an apartment lease that I broke when I got my job offer.

Soon after I started at work, I got the first part of a signing bonus I was promised. That went toward my credit card and paying off the two medical bills. Later, I got the remainder of the bonus which allowed me to pay off my old leasing company and to put another $1,000 toward my credit card debt. Then, after some investigation, I found that my Stafford loan qualified for teacher loan forgiveness because of the school I started teaching in. I put in the paperwork for that, so that eliminated another $11,000 of my debt. It's still "technically" there because I have to work in my building for 5 years before the balance is cancelled, but I plan on staying. *knock on wood*

So...here I am. All I have left to get rid of is my lone credit card and my auto loan, and I will be free! The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my journey, as well as to offer advice and encouragement to anyone who is following the same road.

Like the ninja says, "Ha-ji-meh." (Let us begin!)