Vanquishing My Debt

Where to find free financial planning

2007-03-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

I just found this short article on Bankrate.com about how and where to find free financial planning - definitely give it a look if this is something you're interested in. Personally, I'm filing it away to use later.

There's also another article that's useful, Free financial planning with no strings attached, also on Bankrate.com.

I'm sure you can find more information if you do a web search, but this is a good beginning step for most of us.

Has Anyone Ever Been to See a Career Counselor?

2007-03-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

I was watching a rerun of "Big Spender" on Saturday afternoon, in which the host sent a young woman (about $50,000 in debt at the age of 23!) to see a career counselor. The young woman was a college graduate (which was about half of the debt) and was working a job that paid slightly over minimum wage. The career counselor apparently advised her in such issues as changing jobs and utilizing her degree to her advantage.

I had heard of career counselors before this, but I didn't really know what they did. R and I are both in agreement that I should look into finding one for myself, since I seem to be at a crossroads right now - I am very good at what I do, which is a very small field, and I'm finding that I don't have a lot of transferrable skills... so I'm at a loss of what to do with myself. There is always the option of going into business for myself (doing what I do now from home), but that's a risk that I don't know if I should be taking right now.

I did some webbing this morning and found an informative site about how to research and choose a career counselor, but I'm still curious since I don't know anyone who's actually visited a counselor like this.

Has anyone done this before? What did you expect versus what the experience was like? And did it help you on your path?

Sent my tax refund straight to my credit card

2007-03-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

R and I are snowballing like mad to pay off several credit cards we have - and it's finally starting to feel like it's working! I feel like Rocky when he ran up those steps and raised his arms in victory!

Last month we paid off the smallest balance card, which was about $1,200 from my dental work as well as an expensive visit from a professional plumber to conceal the fact that we have a cat in our apartment when we're not supposed to. Our next smallest balance card is about $2,500 - and I just sent an electronic payment of $1,500 which I got in the form of a tax refund. So we owe about $1,000 on this card, which we'll be paying off by the end of the month. Woohoo! After this we have another credit card with a balance of about $4,400 as well as a chiropractor bill to deal with (more about that later). Then we'll conquer paying off the car and R's student loans.

I am so grateful that R is supportive of all this, even though he is not very good with money on his own. But we're both learning, and it's even more exciting because it's something we're doing together.

How sickeningly sweet was that? :-P

"Be a bargain-shopping champ" article

2007-03-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to read an article on MSN that summed up a lot of the tricks that I've used ever since I found www.slickdeals.net - read ads carefully to look for discounts and money back offers, take advantage of rebates, combine coupons and sales, and look for gifts year-round, especially seasonal items marked down after the holiday is over.

Reading deal websites like www.slickdeals.net and www.fatwallet.com make a lot of these actions much easier, let me tell you! You find out about deals you didn't know about as well as reading other people's tips and strategies. Definitely give it a try if you're interested in saving money.

What I want for for Valentine's Day...

2007-02-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

...is our emergency fund back in place. It now has the whopping amount of $0 in it, which is what I've been used to for most of my adult life - but I had gotten very comfortable and satisfied that we had that money just in case. Not having it anymore feels like a giant step backwards.

We took $1,000 from our profits at the convention back in November and named that as our emergency fund, which neither one of us has ever had before. We congratulated ourselves on our entrance into the world of financial planning and fiscal responsibility. Last month, R decided to take out an advertisement in a comic book that was closely related to his business. But of course, the problem of living paycheck to paycheck arose and he wouldn't be getting another paycheck before the advertisement fee was due... so we decided to debit our emergency fund for the amount of about $400 for the advertisement.

Okay, so it now had about $600 in it. Not a problem. Not as much as I'd like, but still a decent cushion for us. And hey, anything is better than nothing.

I asked him about it the other day when I noticed that he had been receiving a lot of mail from the bank where his checking account is. He reluctantly told me that he had forgotten to deposit enough money to cover the automatic payments for the business (like website hosting, etc.) and that the account was in the red. I mentioned that it couldn't be because we still had the remainder of the emergency fund in that account. Well, the emergency fund has been dribbled away... on some business things and some personal things, under the idea that he'd replenish it when he could. So it stands at $0, after he deposited enough money to get the account back into the black.

I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me when he told me about this. I've worked hard at organizing and paying back our debts, coming up with a payment plan, and taking on some freelance work for extra money (which I'll blog about in another post). We've both been on the same page and have been excited to track our progress. So it feels like we're back at square one, even though I know that's not the case. I tried to think of an accurate word for how I'm feeling and the best I can come up with is "deflated."

Recreating the emergency fund will take money away from our debt repayment plan and slow us down. This isn't the end of the world, but it's very disheartening.

I love R dearly and I knew his terrible history with money management when we got together, so I am getting over this as quickly as I can. I trust him completely... however, the new emergency fund will certainly not be in his checking account. Is that still trust?

I rented the film "Millions" this weekend

2007-02-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

I love this movie and couldn't recommend it more to families who want to start some discussions about money with their kids! Hey, I'm 29 and I thought it rocked, but I can see the potential for lots of family talking points inspired by this film.

In a nutshell, a young European boy finds a bag of money that seemingly fell from the sky. He and his brother count it, revealing an astronomical amount of cash. They decide to keep it and not tell their father. The youngest brother wants to donate it to the poor, while the oldest brother wants to invest in real estate (difficult to do when you're still in grade school) and buy expensive toys. Drama ensues when they find out that it's actually money that was stolen while en route to be incinerated since the country will be switching to Euros in a matter of days. Should they tell their dad? Should they keep it or return it to the government, who will burn it? Can stolen money be redeemed if it's donated to a charitable cause? What happens when one of the thieves who stole it realizes who has the money?

Several subplots also stress the idea of telling your parents when you're in trouble, which is always a good lesson to hammer home, and the importance of donating something, even if it's just a little, to charity.

I thought this was a fabulous film... thought-provoking and interesting for adults, but especially so for children. Plus it's made by Danny Boyle (of Trainspotting fame), so it's visually interesting and attention-grabbing. I couldn't suggest renting this movie enough.

Who knew? Thought-provoking money issues in a family film. :)

Being broke = simple taxes

2007-02-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

I almost have to laugh when I read other blog posts about the minutae of doing taxes. For me, it's very simple since I don't have kids, a husband, property, retirement funds (yet) or anything else that makes taxes complicated. It took me about a half hour this year to do my federal and state taxes sitting on my couch with my high school calculator... very basic by-the-book calculations. No itemizing, no providing paperwork, no frantic calls to my financial planner to double check facts and figures. No tearing apart the filing cabinet to find statements.

I think this is a very overlooked benefit of being asset-less. Why save and make investments when it means more headaches at tax time? Plus, I'm actually saving money because I can do my taxes myself, instead of hiring an accountant. So I'm really saving time, money and stress by staying broke. :)

Boy, do I wish I had some of those tax time headaches. This time next year I'll be all stocked up on Excederin and ready to go... I plan on having some assets.

Starting a new saving plan this year

2007-01-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

I decided yesterday to actually start saving the money I save by buying groceries on sale and with coupons. Every supermarket I go to has a line at the bottom of the receipt that says "You saved: $$$," so this is a really easy task.

Yesterday I went to two supermarkets and saved a total of $12.45. I went home and transferred this amount into my ING savings account. I plan to keep doing this, and see what my yearly total comes to.

Grand total for 2007: $12.45

Another generation of minimum payment makers?

2006-12-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

I was sent a link to this list of "50 Things We Know Now (That We Didn't Know This Time Last Year)," which is a brief summary of dozens of news stories from 2006. This is an interesting list, especially if you have some time on your hands.

Check out the financially-related #27:

27. Of the 10 percent of U.S. teens who uses credit cards, 15.7 percent are making the minimum payment each month.

So does this mean that the other almost 85% pays in full every month? That's wonderful if it's true.

Or does it mean that the other 85% are paying less than the minimum payment or skipping payments altogether? This is ghastly if it's true.

I hate incomplete summaries.

Bring on 2007... I think

2006-12-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

As great as this holiday season was, I'm relieved that it's over and it's time to move on. I can stop thinking about gifts and holiday plans for one thing, lol. I also seem to have had one minor illness after another over the past month or so (first a cold/flu thing, then food poisoning, then a throat infection, and now a desperate toothache when my dentist is on vacation), so I'm looking forward to a year that will bring more wisdom, more joy, and more health.

I've been reading a lot of other blogs discussing their financial goals for 2007. They're inspiring and chock full of great ideas, but I'm still up in the air about mine. Last month I wrote about some of my goals before I turn 30, which will happen next November... so there will be some overlap.

I think that part of my reluctance to set goals is that I seem to be moving backward right now financially. I had some large necessary expenses last month, which added about $1,100 to my debt. Plus I'm planning on jumping careers next year, so I just enrolled in an online training program which added about $1,600 to my credit card balance. So my head is spinning and I feel like my thought-out plan has suddenly become null and void. Plus my fiance R and I have talked about joining our finances next year to make our debt pay-off easier and faster, so there are some kinks to work out on that front, too. I feel like I'm back at square one.

But on the bright side, I have done some things right that will be a help in the new year:
1) I've set our grocery budget at $40 a week for 2 adults... this amount includes breakfast, lunches and dinner for both of us, as well as household staples like bathroom tissue and cleanser. It might be adjusted in the new year due to our goals to get healthier and fitter, but I'm confident that I have our food bills under control.
2) I've started making arrangements to get us cheaper cable TV and internet connection. This will save us bigtime next year - somewhere between $400-600 annually.
3) We have an emergency fund of $1,000... thanks to better than expected sales at a consumer convention that R and I took his home-based business to in November. The terrible thing is I'm afraid to dip into that emergency money now that we have it.
4) I changed car insurance companies and raised my deductible. This move will save me over $500 annually from what I was paying before.

I need to spend a chunk of time in front of my computer at home, going through my paperwork and talking to R about our plans. I'm very frustrated right now, which is why I haven't been posting hardly at all lately. The alarming thing is that in moods like this, all I want to do is eat crappy food and go shopping, lol... neither one will help me get back on track.

So bear with me, fellow financial geeks, I am a constant work in progress. But who isn't, right?

Give the gift of financial freedom - Dave Ramsey products $10 each plus shipping

2006-12-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

Just saw these deals posted over at Slickdeals - they'd be great for those people on your Christmas list that either need some help when it comes to their finances or people that want some help.

Get any of Dave Ramsey's books, cds or dvds for only $10 plus shipping until December 18th.

Dave's Store

AND

If you go to buy.com, you can save $10 off your purchase of $30 or more by using Google Checkout - one poster at Slickdeals got 3 Dave Ramsey books for a total of $20.92 plus free shipping.

Can't see the forest for the trees sometimes

2006-12-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article yesterday that talked about how to negotiate lower rates for cable television and how to get cheaper cell phones. Right off the bat, I read this statement:

"And according to the Yankee Group, the average household enjoying home-phone, cellphone, cable and Internet service paid more than $2,400 last year, up from $2,070 in 2001. "

So I'm sitting there thinking, "What idiot spends $2,400 a year on that stuff? That's insane! I only pay...." and I start to do the math, feeling very superior and very budget-conscious.

$96 a month to Time Warner for cable TV and high speed internet access = about $1,200 a year. Holy crap, that's halfway there!

About $95 a month to Verizon for our cell phone service = almost $1,200 a year! Jeez, I am the idiot! I am paying $2,400 a year for this junk!

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it occured to me that I hadn't yet added in our landline telephone. $25 a month to AT&T adds $300 a year to my total... which is now $2,700 a year!

I'm spending $2,700 a year... and mocking people who spend $2,400 a year! Oh, sweet humility.

Rule #1 of budgeting is usually to look at the big picture. Add up all those small expenses and suddenly, they're not so darn small anymore. How'd I miss this one? I've been so focused on cutting our grocery budget, yadda yadda yadda, that I didn't even think that much about expenses like these.

So yesterday I looked into some other options for our services. I'm dumping Time Warner as our cable and internet provider, which we were talking about doing anyways. I found out that AT&T offers a high speed internet service for $15 a month in our area. We're also switching to the Dish Network for our basic cable - even though we'll have to pay for the dish/antennae, it's still cheaper in the long run. By making these changes, we should be saving about $40 a month on cable and internet - which adds up to $480 a year.

Next I have to figure out our cell phone issue, which I dread doing... the plans are confusing and the customer service reps certainly don't try to help you sort it out. But it's next on my list.

$2,700 a year - whew! Ridiculous.

Just received my cheap eyeglasses

2006-12-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

The other day I received the cheap eyeglasses I ordered. I love them! They are purple (more maroon, really) plastic frames, and are very similar to my existing pair in size and shape.

Total for the glasses was $9.99 with $4.85 for shipping. They shipped in a free hard case, which really protected them in the mail. I placed the order on November 22, they shipped on November 24, and I received them a week later on November 29.

You can't beat $15 for a pair of prescription glasses these days. Granted they're certainly not designer frames, but they're fun and flattering. I am very happy with my purchase, and am already thinking of ordering another pair after the holidays... the red ones or maybe even a retro pair, if I'm brave enough to pull that off.

Definitely check out GlobalEyeglasses.com if you're thinking of getting another pair. I'm really happy with my purchase.

Do personal politics affect where you contribute and link to other blogs?

2006-11-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite blogs is one that features a weekly list of household tips, tricks, recipes, etc. contributed through links by other bloggers. This compilation of links is actually something I look forward to reading each week - it entertains me and is sometimes informative or even inspiring. The blog owner is a religious conservative, but since I'm there only for this weekly feature, as opposed to their regular blog posts (which I don't even read), it doesn't matter. I've thought about contributing my own ideas, which would mean linking my blog to theirs... but I'm very sloth-like when it comes to getting things like this done, so it hasn't happened yet.

Today I'm looking over the other blog and there have been some new pics and links added to the sidebar, affirming the blogger's personal stance on religious/political issues that I am not in support of. One or two of these issues are my most passionate causes, but from the other perspective.

Now I'm rethinking contributing and putting a link on my blog to this. Is this silly? Am I overreacting and making a mountain out of a molehill? Would I be supporting this other blogger's beliefs and opinions by linking to them? I have no problem with the other blog owner's personal opinions, truly, I don't. But by contributing, am I silently endorsing these sentiments by sending the small (okay, miniscule) traffic I have her way?

How does stuff like this affect where you post and contribute? Do you think twice about sending readers to sites that advertise views you don't agree with?

So today I turn 29... now what?

2006-11-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

I'm shocked to think that I'm only a year away from turning 30 today... where did the time go? I guess the fact that my 10-year high school reunion is this weekend should have been a glaring clue. Due to the fact that there is no work in my department right now, I've spent some time this morning trying to plan some goals to accomplish by this time next year... by the time I turn the dreaded 3-0.

1) R and I will be out of debt by this time next year, except for his student loans and possibly my car (although we're going to try as hard as possible to knock that monthly car payment out of our budget!). We are down to about $6,500 in credit card debt, which due to some unexpected expenses recently is actually higher than we started. We have a chiropractor's bill totaling about $2,200 for R's back problems at the beginning of this year, and I'll be having some dental work done next month, which may get expensive... I don't have an estimate yet.

2) I will be out of this job, and possibly, out of this entire industry (which is pretty small). I've blogged before about hating, no, intensely disliking the company where I work and the people that I work with. I am sick and tired of finding pornographic links and photos on the computers, being called "babe" by the guys in the back, and being disrespected and unappreciated by my boss (who is related to most of the guys in the back). I'm also sick of having no work to do more days than not.
My self-esteem has taken quite a hit being here... I didn't even realize how much until I went on an interview for some freelance work. The owner of that company was delighted with what she called "my skills." I had forgotten that I had any such thing. Just hearing someone call what I can do "skill" has bolstered my ego enough that I know I should leave this place and soon. I'm very lucky that R supports me wholeheartedly, even if I end up taking a drastic cut in salary.
I'm making arrangements to transfer into another industry, which I'll blog about soon. My goal is to be out of here by Memorial Day, which is the 2-year anniversary of my friend and co-worker's death. I know she would hate to see that I'm still here.

3) I will have started a Roth IRA. I've been tackling our debt lately, and before that, I wasn't financially savvy enough to know about IRAs and why I should have one. Even if I'm not able to contribute much to it in 2007, I want to have one open.

4) R and I will be getting married either late next year or fall of 2008. I want to pay for our wedding and honeymoon with cash, which shouldn't be too hard since we don't want anything large and extravagant - just a small ceremony among the redwoods with maybe 20 guests. Which brings to me to my next goal...

5) Losing weight and getting fit. I don't mention it much since this is a finance-oriented blog, but we are both overweight. R turns 35 next month and both of his parents died from heart attacks. I'm turning 29 and while I don't have a family history of heart disease, I need to lose weight for my health, for a future pregnancy, and (yes, I'm vain) for my appearance. I haven't been happy with the way I look in a long time, and I need to do something about it for once and all.

I'm a bit nervous about creating goals for myself because if I take another job, I'll probably be paid less, which affects the possibility of meeting these other goals. But I'll figure something out. I want to be in a more stable situation at this time next year, and I truly feel like it's possible. Having faith is half the battle, right?

FREE Pearl Earrings for putting a link on your blog

2006-11-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

I found this on the Slickdeals message board. I can't vouch for the quality of these, since I just found out about the offer myself. But why not? Sounds like it's worth a try.

Intense Jewelry from PearlsOnly.com

It's easy.
1. Place a link to our site ---> 2. Fill in the request form --> 3. Enjoy your Pearl Earrings
Simply link to us and we’ll send you a free pair of freshwater cultured pearl earrings! We’ll also include a silky storage pouch AND shipping is on us!

Yes, we really are giving away free pearl earrings in exchange for a link to our site. There is no catch. One link to us - absolutely free pair of earring off to you - we pay for everything.
The rules are as follow:
1. Only one offer is available per web site, URL link, physical address and household. Offer void where prohibited and subject to final approval by Pearls Only Outlet.
2. Offer valid only in the US and US territories. If you live outside of the US - find a friend in the US - maybe they forward the package to you.
3. Approved registrations will receive one pair of white 6mm freshwater pearls earrings with sterling silver posts and backings. Also included will be a free fabric storage pouch.
4. After 30 days of continuous link we will ship your earrings to you via the US Postal Service, please allow 10 -14 business days for delivery. Pearls Only Outlet will not be held responsible for lost or misdirected packages. Any interruption within this 30 day period will void this offer. Offer begins September 15, 2006 and is available for a limited time.
5. The information gathered from this offering will be kept private and confidential. We will not sell, lease,spam your or do anything otherwise mischievous with this information.
6. Links must appear as per specification above. Links using a nofollow tags, scripted links or other search engine hostile links will be disqualified from this offer.
7. Your link to us must be accessible to anyone and everyone. Private blogs and blogs by invitation only do not qualify.

Eating Out is Cheaper than Cooking at Home?

2006-11-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

I just read this article on MSN, titled "Is eating out cheaper than cooking?", which proposes that after buying ingredients and soending time to prepare a meal for your family, it is easier and more cost effective to go out. Is this possible?

I think it is possible if you're not a careful shopper. If you get off work at 5 and immediately stop at the grocery store to pick something up because there's nothing thawed or planned at home, yeah, okay, I can see how this adds up. Especially if you're not budget consciously choosing cheaper items. But still, this is just baffling to me.

Usually when I cook, a dinner for both of us costs about $5, including salad or veggies, meat or main entree and some kind of side dish. But this is because I buy things on sale and stock up, so I've accumulated a freezer full of 97 cents/lb chicken breast and $1 boxes of pasta. I buy veggies according to what's on sale and in season, and I have ingredients to make numerous side dishes like flavored rice, couscous or potatoes.

But when we go out (a hard habit to break, I have to admit), we usually end up spending between $15 and $25 for a meal for two. It's starting to get hard to stomach spending $25 plus tip at the Olive Garden when I know I can make fettucine alfredo and breadsticks at home for a few dollars. I think the only meal we eat out that rivals our cooking costs is the $5 large pizza from Little Caesar's.

This article also quotes people that have factored in the cost of the time they would have spent cooking the meal (something that I don't do) which also makes the cost of going out to eat much sweeter.

Is it different for a large family? Do you factor in the "cost" of your cooking time when calculating your meal costs? What do you guys think of this article?

Egads, I spent $1100 on Monday!

2006-11-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like large unexpected expenses to send someone trying to become debt-free into a headspin, is there? I was very much about to be checked into a mental ward at the time, but am feeling much better and more positive about it now.

The first large expense started on Saturday. My car (the very same car I'm thrilled that I'm finally not "upside-down" on) had an episode where the brakes basically stopped working reliably. Not only did the brake pedal suddenly start sinking all the way down to the floor, but the car was incredibly slow to stop... to the point where I'm shocked that I didn't hit someone. By the time I got home, which fortunately was only 10 minutes away, the car had taken to shuddering and jerking to a complete stop when I stood on the brake pedal. I picked up R and we drove to Firestone, the closest auto repair place near us... a total of about 6 blocks away.

The verdict - I was told that I needed new brake pads, shoes, rotors and calipers. And a few other small tweaks to the brake system.

The price - $756. And that's after I saved 10% because I opened a Firestone credit account.

The second large expense could have been avoided if I was a more responsible tenant... which I am, except for one small meowing thing. I've mentioned it on this blog before, but when R moved in with me, he brought his old wretched cat. The worst thing about this rotten creature is that I have a lease stating that there are no pets allowed. But given that my apartment is very cheap (cheap to the point where we won't be moving out unless we buy a home... or if the landlord finds out that we have a cat) and the landlord lives off-site, I figured I'd take the risk of smuggling in a cat. I have been lived there almost 7 years and have been an exemplary tenant in all other respects, and if the landlord did find out about the cat, we'd be told to either get rid of it or move out. Since it is an old cat and getting sicklier as it goes, we would choose to put the animal to sleep, which is inevitable soon anyways.

So you can understand why I'm loathe to call the landlord for repairs and maintenance. We've had to call once since R moved in, when the kitchen sink was completely blocked. We tried to repair it ourselves, and then when that failed, we had to call the landlord and get the cat out of the house for the day. I played hooky from work and took the cat to my mom's house, where it proceeded to freak out and almost have a seizure in its panic. The sink was repaired and I brought the cat back home. And hoped not to have another repair until after its demise... she is deathly afraid of her cardboard carrier and new places. We are afraid that she will literally have a heart attack or a debilitating seizure if we try moving her out of her home again.

Monday morning R got out of the shower and turned the faucets off. Funny thing, the cold water kept pouring out. We checked the things that we could, but quickly determined that we didn't want to mess with this one. Since I was housebound anyways due to my car being in the shop, we decided to try to call a plumber that day instead of the landlord. Now I know why homeowners are so reluctant to call specialists.

The verdict - worn away doodads on both faucets that needed to be replaced, plus 2 hours of labor. I also found out that the water pressure at our building is higher than it should be, which contributes to small leaks being sprung as well as pipes and fittings being worn down.

The price - about $350 due to my own lease-breaking and deceit. But as hard as it was to spend it, it was a heck of a lot cheaper than if I had moved into a more expensive apartment with R and the cat.

The payoff - the cat is still alive and undetected in our apartment... for now. Knock on wood.

Cheap prescription eyeglasses

2006-10-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

I found this website through Slickdeals, and I'm planning on ordering a pair for myself to test the quality. I wear contacts most days, but I was looking for some fun new glasses to wear on the days when my eyes need a rest - I'm thinking of buying either the purple or red plastic frames. For a total of about $15 including shipping, I'm willing to try them. They have a decent selection of metal frames as well as plastics, and each frame can be ordered with darkened sunglass-type lenses, as well as to other specifications. You also get a free hard case with each pair of glasses you order.

This seems like it would be really great if you have kids that constantly lose their glasses - why keep buying expensive eyeglasses if you don't have to? My cousin lost something of his almost everyday when we were kids, so if you have a kid like him, definitely give this site a look.

And no, this isn't a referral link. :)

$7.99 Cheapest Prescription Eyeglasses available online at GlobalEyeglasses.com

Secure Online Ordering, 30 Days Money Back Guarantee, High Quality Prescription Eye frame and Branded Prescription Lenses.

Ships within 24 hrs of ordering.

Complete Prescription Eyeglasses for $7.99:

Quality Eyeframe Starting from Just $1

Hard Coated Plastic Lens for $6.99

Free Hard Case

Ships within 24 Hrs, 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Please Note: The lenses with sphere greater than (-) (+) 8.00 or cylinder more than (-) (+) 4.25 Are not stock lenses and hence cost more to be custom produced in lab. So, we have to charge extra $14.99 for these lenses.

How many of you buy coupons online?

2006-10-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

I'm an avid couponer, but I usually don't buy brand-name products unless there's a spectacular coupon or sale, or preferably both. But sometimes I'll see a great coupon in the Sunday paper and think, "Wow, I wish I had lots more of these." Ebay is my answer.

I just bought 20 coupons for Tidy Cat litter off of Ebay for about $3, including shipping. Each coupon is good for $1 off 1 bag, any size, any variety. If I shop at Ralphs, where they double coupons, I'll save $2 per bag... bringing my total to about 60 cents for a 10-pound bag. So spending $3 on Ebay has saved me $40 in future purchases on something I have to buy as long as this wretched creature is alive. (Yes, it's R's cat - how'd you guess?) They expire in about two months, but since it's non-perishable, I'll just stock up before they go expire... so we'll just have mounds of carefully hidden cat litter in our garage.

How many of you do the same? If you don't buy coupons online, why not? What kinds of items do you buy coupons for?

And if you actually sell coupons - where do you get so dang many of them?!

Kashi Granola Bars $0.69 After Coupon at Target

2006-10-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is one I found on www.slickdeals.net.

Boxes of Kashi brand granola bars are now on sale at Target for $2.69. Go here and print out a $2 off coupon, bringing your total to 69 cents a box. It looks like the site only permits you to print out 2 coupons per computer, but if you want to get industrious with a copy machine, do your thang.
It's also possible that these products may be marked at different prices according to region, so this isn't a guarantee.
These would make a great contribution to a food pantry or shelter, so please keep that in mind. :)
Enjoy!

How I'm spending our grocery money

2006-10-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

An online friend had asked me how I spend $40 a week on groceries for 2 adults, 3 meals a day, so I figured I'd start posting what I'm spending my money on.

- First of all, almost everything I buy is either on sale or I have a coupon for it... or the best option of all, both.
- I'm also a big believer in stockpiling items when they're on sale, which means I have a brimming freezer full of chicken breasts and a makeshift pantry of staples such as rice, flour, pasta, pasta sauce.
- I also shop at several different stores on the way home, although Ralphs is my favourite because they double coupons - which I keep in mind while reading the grocery store advertisements each week.
- I am also a huge supporter or www.couponmom.com, which lists the best deals to be had at area supermarkets by combining sale items and coupons.

Store #1 - Trader Joe's $8.76 total
1 loaf of bread
1 box of cereal
2 boxes of snack crackers

Store #2 - Vons $10.87
1 bottle of apple juice - on sale
1 jar of chili - I had a register coupon for a free jar
2 green bell peppers - on sale for $1 a pound
1 package of mushrooms - on sale for $1
one bag of mini carrots - on sale for $1
3 heads of garlic
3 avocados - on sale for $1 per avocado
Total saved - $8.65

Store #3 - Ralphs - $18.70
1 bag of salad - on sale with coupon
4 packages of sliced cheese - on sale
1 package of lunch meat - on sale
1 package of butter - on sale
1 container of eggs - on sale
1 package of Chips Ahoy cookies - on sale
Total saved - $9.56

I'll probably go a few dollars over my limit today, by buying several sale items with coupons at Ralphs on my way home - cat litter, more apple juice, and more chili (I have more register coupons for 2 free jars). R is responsible for buying cat food and litter, so that's something I don't deal with - unless I can get a great deal, like today.

For breakfast this week we're eating oatmeal (purchased last week at Ralphs for $1 a canister, on sale), which we make with apple juice instead of water for added flavor. So breakfast for 2 people is costing us basically $3 this week. On the weekends, I usually make pancakes from scratch, which is very cheap.

R likes to have the same lunch week in and week out - a cheese and lunchmeat sandwich, baby carrots, crackers, and sometimes soy yogurt (not this week, babe - sorry!). Sometimes we'll steam veggies in the morning to pack, too - this week it's brocolli, which was on sale last week for $1 a pound.

This week I'm taking burritos with black beans, chicken, rice and cheese - all of which we had in the pantry and freezer. We have some apples left over from last week, too.

Dinner will have a salad for several nights, and I'll be leaning on previously purchased foods for the main portion. Frozen chicken, veggies, pasta, and I sometimes make bread from scratch. Italian food, Mexican food and Chinese food can be made with these ingredients.

The hardest thing about this venture was stockpiling pantry foods and freezer foods for the times when money is tight. And I've learned how to cook from scratch, which saves a lot of money! I think the turning point for me was when I reading "The Tightwad Gazette" and the author talks about how buying bulk potatoes is the cheapest option instead of buying instant mashed potatoes, frozen french fries, tater tots, hash browns, etc. I realized that I can make this stuff - and a lot of it turns out a heck of a lot better tasting than the store-bought versions!

It takes me time each week to read the advertisements for the different supermarkets, visit www.couponmom.com, and clip the appropriate coupons - maybe an hour at the most - but it's completely worth it.

MSN article - "Weird stuff that hurts your credit"

2006-09-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

This article at MSN.com is definitely worth a read - it discusses several oddities in the credit scoring system that can lower your FICO score. For instance, Capitol One refuses to disclose your credit limit to the credit bureaus, forcing the bureaus to use the highest balance you've ever had as a replacement amount. So if the highest amount you've ever had on your Capitol One card is $150, but your limit is $10,000, guess which number will pop up on your credit report? Something to think about if you have Capitol One cards (which I do).

Interesting stuff... I highly recommend the article, especially for newbies to personal finance like myself.

Target donates to charity through me

2006-09-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, in a sense. Let me explain.

I am a devotee of www.slickdeals.net. The people who post in the forums are genius at figuring out ways to combine sales, coupons and unadvertised promotions to get merchanise for barely nothing. And everything is completely legal, as far as I know. Stores just need to close a few loopholes here and there, or use common sense.

A few days ago, someone had posted an unadvertised promotional deal that if you buy any 2 Almay cosmetics or skin products, Target would give you a $5 gift card. The geniuses on Slickdeals figured out that the cheapest items were the Almay facial soap bars for $3.09 each. Many Almay products had peelie coupons on them for $1 off. So you could buy 2 facial soaps with coupons for a total of $4.38 with tax and get a $5 gift card. (As far as I know, the deal is still going on if you'd like to check it out. There is a similar deal right now with 12-packs of Pepsi, too.)

But I don't use that product, nor does anyone I know. So I should have ignored it, right? Nah.

R and I went and spent $8 out of pocket on 4 bars of facial soap with coupons. We received $10 in gift cards. We then used those gift cards to purchase more soap with coupons...and get more gift cards. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

As of today, we have 16 bars of free brand-name facial soap that will be donated to a teen runaway shelter here in Hollywood... it's free because through the last set of gift cards, we've recouped our inital investment of $8 and even made a profit of about $4. Since our local store is now out of Almay soap, I'll use the gift cards to purchase regular stuff for our own household like toilet paper and Kleenex.

And that's how Target makes charitable donations through its customers.

Woohoo! I'm finally not upside-down on my car loan!

2006-09-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

And yes, I know, I will only be berated and thought of distastefully for having bought a new car... something I will never do again (I'll discuss after I share my excitement). But I'll take the beating in exchange for sharing my relief.

I was reading an article online and my curiousity was piqued about how close I am to not being upside-down on my loan. After plugging my car (a 2004 Toyota Rav4) and its condition (Good) into www.kbb.com (the Kelly Bluebook website), the private party sale value is assessed at $18,975. If my car hadn't been attacked and scratched by a dog without a collar when I was stopped at a STOP sign (yup, scratch marks all over the driver's side door - man, was I pissed! But that's another story, eh?), the value might be a bit higher.

So I logged into my account with the finance company and found that my pay-off amount is $16,845.85. I know that this situation is atrocious, but I am still very happy that the value of my car is finally more than what I owe on it.

How did I end up with a new car while professing to be frugal? Well, it was before I discovered my interest in personal finance and becoming debt-free. Back in the days when I thought, "Everyone has credit card debt, it's no big deal." Ah, those carefree days of blissful ignorance.

Cue the flashback music...

Growing up, my mom and I always had crappy used cars and were always being taken advantage of by unscrupulous mechanics. About 6 or 7 years ago, she bought a brand new Kia Rio purely for the sense of security that a new car offers - the reasonable expectation that nothing major will go wrong with it anytime soon and the sense of "I'll take great care of it from the beginning, which saves me trouble and money in long-run." She also plans on keeping it for a long time until it's driven into the ground, as opposed to people that just like a new car every few years.

Two years ago I was driving a used Kia Sportage (bought from a dealership - again financed), and it completely died on me. I took good care of this car for the several years I had it, but suddenly there were a lot of major mechanical problems - several thousand dollars worth of repairs. I was prepared to fix it, especially since I still owed about $5,000 on the car. (And no, the 10 year Kia warranty didn't cover them because the car had changed ownership one too many times.)

My mom talked to me about the security of a new car and told me that these repairs were the first of many to come. How much money did I want to put into a dead horse? So I let myself be talked into buying a new car. It sounded even better after finding out I could use my old car as a trade-in instead of ponying up cash for a down payment.

I got a good interest rate on my loan since I have good credit, and the dealership accepted my old car, even though I didn't get much for it. But then I found out (duh!) that what I still owed would be rolled over into my new loan. What can I say, I didn't have any experience with loans and such - I guess I just thought that $5,000 would disappear in a puff of smoke, much like the car itself. Then sales taxes and fees were added into my loan total. All of a sudden I owed $26,000 on a brand new car I had to be talked in to. And that didn't even include the huge increase in car insurance I'd see for owning a brand new car!

Wow. I love my car, and it has been very good to me. I think I've been good to it, taking care of it and even babying it at times. But has it been $26,000 worth of good to me? At the time it was the easiest and smartest (ha!) thing to do. Now, not so much. And once again, following the old familiar story, the strongest of catalysts was that I had no savings to help me out of a crunch.

What can I say? I'm older and wiser and have seen the error of my ways. I'm plannng on driving this car into the ground, too, so it should last me a long time... barring any unforseeable circumstances.

On the bright side, this car loan has been added into our debt-free plan - so it should be completely paid off in early 2008, saving loads of interest charges.

Oy. Never again, I tell ya.

The story about the dog attacking my stopped car will have to be for another time... maybe Halloween. I am a cat person for a reason.

My latest adventure in combining couponing and sales

2006-09-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

This is one for the books, ladies and gentlemen. I am way too pleased with myself. Some might even say I need to be taken down a peg or two.

Maybe a month ago, I signed up online to receive coupons for a free bottle of L'Oreal HIP foundation make up. I got 2 in the mail and stuck them in my coupon organizer, where I figured they'd languish until I needed more make up.

Last week, Rite Aid was advertising the same brand of make up as buy one, get one free. So I went and got in line with 4 bottles, hoping the clerk would not get militant about their duty to protect the Rite Aid fortune.

Luckily, the clerk I got was a very amused middle-aged guy, who talked about how his wife would be jealous when she heard about this coup. My final total for $52 worth of make up (4 bottles at $13 a bottle) was only the sales tax... $2.15! I live for stuff like this! R was stunned and tickled as well.

I can't wait until our debt is paid off so that we can do what everyone recommends - saving what you save. It would have been even better to be able to put that extra $50 into our savings account.

I really love this idea of combining coupons with sales like this one. It turns saving money into a game, and I love games.

[Sponsered] Handy mortgage calculators

2006-09-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

I saw the coolest function on a mortage calculator at Personal Home Mortgages - a function that tells you your finance charges per $1,000. I don't have too much experience with mortgage calculators (since I'm nowhere close to buying a property yet!), but I thought this was a neat feature. They also have a calculator where you can figure how much you're saving if you start making extra payments - everyone should check this out! They have many different calculator features that are really interesting at Personal Home Mortgages.

Another great feature on Personal Home Mortgages is that they have a borrowers forum, where people can post about their different experiences they had and pitfalls they faced when searching for a mortgage company. Unfortunately, there's not many posts yet, but I can see this being a helpful tool in the future.

Busy at work = no blogging

2006-09-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, I've actually been busy at work (gasp!), so I haven't posted anything for awhile now. So here's what I've been up to, if you care to ask...

- On Tuesday I went on a job interview - my first in a long time. I was terribly nervous, but I think I did decently enough. The job would be a sideways move out of my field into a comparative position in another industry. The bad news is that they start you at $13 an hour... and I'm currently making $21. That's quite a hit I'd be taking, so I don't know if I'm going to pursue this one. The sad thing is that without a degree, $13 might be the best I can hope for if I leave this company... which is a scary thought since I live in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities to live in.

- I consolidated the balances of Credit Card #3 and Credit Card #4 and put them onto another car, which offers a 0% APR on balance transfers through September 2007. Paying off the balance, which is about $5,100, within a year is completely doable. I'm very happy about this, since I figured out that I was paying about $80 in interest fees alone on those two cards each month.

- I read a great tip somewhere online about keeping the fizz in 2-liter bottles of soda after it's been opened. Put the cap on very tightly and store the bottle upside-down in the refrigerator... the carbonation can't escape because the soda is blocking any open space between the bottle and cap. I tried it and it's not 100% percent perfect, like when you first open the bottle, but it's a heck of a lot better than when you store the bottle standing up. Try it!

- I bought a small notebook and a coupon file, which I can keep in my purse at all times (Ladies, don't you love that big purses are back in style?). In the notebook, I write down dinner menus for the week, shopping lists, to-do lists and lists of what products are on sale at what supermarket. I think the coupon file is self-explanatory. Just having all of my notes in one place is incredible, instead of fishing out little scraps of paper and post-it notes from the black hole known as my purse. I look so organized! :)

- I've been sticking to my budget, only spending cash on groceries and other household items. It really forces me to be disciplined about only buying what's on my list, and it also encourages me to try new following recipes. If broccoli and potatoes are on sale this week, what can I make? By the way, the answer is Cheesy Potato and Broccoli Soup - definitely try it, it's terrific.

- I found a link and signed up for Pinecone Research, an online survey company that pays $5 a survey. They do accept sign-ups on their website, since they are trying to target certain demographics with banner ads on various websites. You can visit Slickdeals.net and view their thread showing links where you can sign up. Just click on the last page of the thread for the most recent links. I signed up maybe 2 weeks ago and have already received 3 checks for $5 each. And no, I don't get a referral bonus or anything.

- I've received numerous freebies and samples in the mail for the last several weeks. There are several sites that I visit to sign up for these - the best ones are www.absurdlycool.com and the Freebies thread at Slickdeals.net. I have a drawer in our telephone table where I put freebies that I don't want, along with items gotten for free or almost-free with coupons at the grocery store. Once or twice a year, I take these items to a womens' shelter downtown.

- My fiance and I are looking into moving, which is something that only came up yesterday. A family friend is looking to rent out a loft-style apartment in a building that they own, where their business occupies the ground floor. The rent is less than we pay now (by about $150), and we'd both be closer to work. We're looking at the place tonight and if we like it, we'll have to hammer out a legal lease with our friend, who is known at times to be a bit flighty. Just the idea of moving - oy! One of the main issues is that in this new space, we can legally have our old cat, which is contraband in our apartment now and violates the lease in a very noisy way. I am always worried that a neighbor will mention our cat to the landlord, who lives off-site.

And that's it in a nutshell. I'll try to be more on the ball when it comes to blogging in a timely manner.

Second Credit Card Down, 2 to go!

2006-08-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Just made my last payment on Credit Card #2!

As Taylor Hicks would say, "Woo!"

Have you gotten weird about your money?

2006-08-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

I realized last night that since I've gotten involved in personal finance, and reading books about frugality, and setting a budget, I have gotten weirdly selective about money and the way I spend it.

On Saturday, I went to JC Penney with a coupon and bought a purse that was on sale. The total came to $44. This is okay with me, because I love the purse and it's exactly what I've been looking for for several months. Plus, purses are a weakness of mine, I'm embarassed to say.

Last night, R and I went to a movie screening and got home at about ten pm. This is about the time when we usually go to bed, since we get up between 5:30 and 6 each morning. Hayfever allergies were attacking us both, me especially. He takes a Benadryl and offers me one. I refuse, thinking, "I don't want to waste the money spent on that pill because I'm just going to bed in 30 minutes anyway. So I'll be paying XX dollars to be relieved for less than a half hour, since the pill won't kick in immediately anyways. "

So I can now spend $44 for a purse, but will suffer with allergies when it's the most cost effective option rather than spending 25 cents on a pill.

I'm also getting aggravated with the speed that we go through a roll of paper towels. This perturbs me so much that I'm starting a rag bag for our old clothes that I can up and use in the kitchen. How did I never notice how many paper towels we used before?

Has anyone else gone through this when starting your financial turnaround? I feel like I'm getting fixated on the smallest things, even though I can still spend money on some unecessary items.

Selling out or seizing opportunities?

2006-08-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

Luckily I've had a lot of time at work lately to websurf and look for more ways to bring in some cash. I believe that the best way to get ahead (for me, that's paying off debt and saving more), is using your income as wisely as possible. But I also believe that you should look for additional opportunities to make more if you can.

You may have read in my previous post that I signed up for Blogsvertise, a paid blogging site. When my blog turns 3 months old on Friday, I'll also sign up for Pay-Per-Post. I'll mark these entries by putting the name of the company in brackets before the title of the post - I understand you guys may not want to read that kind of entry. I apologize.

As much as I love the honesty of the personal finance blogging community, I feel like I would be foolish not to take advantage of using this blog in all possible ways to meet my goal of becoming debt-free. Since some of these sites pay $10 a post, I think it's a practical approach to supplementing my income without taking a second job... just like joining survey sites and participating in focus groups. All these things can be done with a minimum of time and some even with a minimum of effort.

I know the blogging community tends to either be very positive or very negative about paid blogging sites, and I can completely understand that. But I hope that you all will be as supportive about this decision as you have been about others that I've written about.

[Blogsvertise] Paid blogging site

2006-08-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

I was reading a blog post yesterday (sorry, I can't remember which blog - I read a lot of them yesterday!), and the blogger was talking about Blogsvertise, a new company that pays you to blog about specific topics and products. And unlike other similar companies, your blog doesn't have to be a certain age or meet any requirements.

Blogsvertise is pretty simple and straightforward - register for free, give them your Paypal account so that you can be paid, and they'll email you topics to blog about. You don't have to falsely endorse the product, either, just write about it - you can even complain about it and you'll still get paid!

The current pay rate for a blog entry is $10 for new members - and if you show quality blogging, you can contact them after 5 assignments and request an increase. Sounds pretty good to me.

If you're interested in finding out more, go to Blogsvertise and read their FAQ- I'm not getting referral points or anything if you follow the link.

VoIP as a money-saver

2006-08-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a co-worker who's getting VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) at her home this weekend and she's looking forward to getting the first telephone company bill - minus the long-distance fees!

We live here in Southern California, and she has family and in-laws in Arizona, Chicago, and in several Southern states. So the long-distance bill was a good size every month... which is something I haven't thought about in years, since all my family is local. Her teenage son is looking forward to talking to his favourite uncle in Chicago a lot more often.

This is a really neat service, one that I've heard about a lot lately, but didn't really know too much about. I wish this had been a possibility when I was long-distance dating my ex-boyfriend 7-8 years ago!

My co-worker is estimating that her family can save at least $65 a month, just by not racking up long distance charges. That's almost $800 a year!

How many PF bloggers out there have switched to VoIP for the savings?

Pleasantly surprised (and relieved) by our electricity bill

2006-08-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

I have been dreading the most recent electricity bill for some time. I get billed every 2 months, and the last several months have been very hot in my part of the San Fernando valley. It seems that this year we've had a lot of days where the temperature was 100 degrees or higher... though luckily, we were not in the areas that were suffering from power outages during those days.

In our second-floor apartment, I have a ceiling fan in the dining area and a window air conditioner in the living room (might I add that I think the unit is too small for the space, since it doesn't seem to cool anything except the space immediately in front of it?). Shortly after I moved in, I put a ceiling fan into the bedroom and one in the spare room. During the summer, I keep all windows closed and blinds and curtains down. The darkness and fans are very adequate... until the temperature passes 90 degrees or so. Then there's just nothing that we can do. Except wet down our old cat every half hour or so, which doesn't usually go well.

So earlier this summer, we bought window fans for almost every window - 2 in the living room (along with the air conditioner), 2 in the bedroom and 2 in the spare room. We leave all the ceiling fans on all the tmie. During the day, we leave the air conditioner off and turn the fans to expel hot air from the apartment. As it gets dark and cooler, we switch the fans to pull in colder air from outside. So basically the window fans are running 24 hours a day.

Each fan cost us about $30, which was something I balked at when I realized the cost. But it was worth it! We got the electric bill the other day and it was only... (drumroll, please) ... $130! This may not sound great, but with the almost-useless air conditioner going all the time, last summer's bill was about $200. So this summer was cheaper and cooler... plus we have the window fans for several more summers, until they wear out.

Such a relief! I've been dreading this bill, thinking that it would derail my plans to pay off my credit card debt. Huzzah!

Spending money to stay healthy

2006-08-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

I read a great post called Your Money or Your Health over at Ms. Money's Blog. Ms. Money specifically talks about spending money to see alternative healers that aren't covered by insurance. This is a topic that I've been thinking about a lot (in a slightly different direction) since I've cut our grocery budget down in the last few months.

When planning your grocery budget, do you all go for cheap food, healthy food or a combination of the two? I understand that, especially when cooking from scratch, the food tends to be both healthier and cheaper than the pre-made version. But some food is so tempting just because it's dirt cheap... like everybody's friend, Ramen noodles.

Ramen Noodles - they cost like, $1 for 12. That's a very cheap lunch. There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there's always Ramen, and that's pretty darn close. But then you read the nutritional chart on the package and find out that it's full of sodium and pretty nutritionally devoid of anything. Do you keep buying it because it's cheap, or do you buck up and buy something better yet more expensive?

I'm especially curious because I'm trying to adopt better eating habits to lose weight and become healthier... while trying to stick to the budget. Maybe I just need to up my budget. Or expand my horizons a bit.

What food do you eat that's reasonably cheap and healthy?

Where, oh where, do I see myself in 5 years?

2006-08-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

I'm catching up today on some the blogs that I haven't reading as faithfully as I'd like to lately, and I found a post on LaMoneyGuy's blog called Where do you see yourself in 5 years? He wrote this about the classic interview question... but it got me thinking about myself and my personal life instead.

I've never thought of myself as an unambitious person, but I've never really had goals like this before. I think part of that was because I was just kinda drifting along with the status quo, instead of actively trying to start my "adult" life. I say "adult life" because even though I'm almost 29 and have been an adult for awhile now, I feel like I have started my grown-up life in earnest because I am now with the man I'll be marrying, having children with, having a home and life with. (Don't get me wrong, ladies - I'm not saying that my life has started because I found me a man! That's not at all what I mean, even though it may sound like that at first!) For the first time, I am planning (not just idly thinking about) children, a family, a future, a retirement. I'm also trying to look down the road to figure out how I can help my mom with her retirement (she is turning 60 in a few months and will not ever financially be able to retire without a lot of help). I'm trying to educate myself a bit about different investments and am reading about finances.

I've always felt like an old teenager with adult responsibilities. I'm now feeling like an adult woman.

In 5 years, when I'll be 34 and R will be 40...
...R and I will be completely debt-free, including my car loan and his student loans. (Obviously this is assuming that we won't have a mortgage.) Once we pay our off current debt, we will not rack it up again. Ever.
...we will be physically fit... or physically fit-ter.
...we will have a savings account with at least 6 months of emergency expenses, hopefully more.
...I will be in a different job, or even better, working for myself out of our home.
...R will have one of the city jobs we're hoping for, which come with benefits and a pension plan. He'll also invest the max in his 401k plan.
...we'll both have started saving in earnest and investing.
...we'll have our first child (or maybe both) by then, which we're planning on adopting.
...my mom will be working part-time at the most, but hopefully completely retired. Ideally, I'd love for her to watch our kids during the day instead of enrolling them in daycare. (And yes, we'd pay her)
...I'd like to own at least one rental property, but that may not happen within the next 5 years. It depends on kids and my mom's situation.

What are everyone else's personal plans or goals for the next five years?

Concert Ticket Conundrum - Follow-Up Post

2006-08-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I bit the bullet and sold the second pair of tickets also. I was feeling a bit mournful yesterday after receiving Ebay's "But It Now" confirmation, then getting into my car 30 minutes later and hearing my band's song on the radio, but I have bounced back. I have given these musical strangers enough money over the last decade. I am happy and feeling positive about the steps I've taken to get out of this debt cycle. Eye of the tiger, baby! I am feeling "gazelle intense."

I have issues with the phrase "gazelle intense," though. Sorry, Dave Ramsey. I understand the logic involved in this phrase - the gazelles darting and dodging as the predators attack - but it just doesn't work for me. Gazelles have always seemed very peaceful and complacent to me... not uber intense. Cheetahs are intense, gorillas are intense, snakes are intense. Gazelles are... friendly.. and gentle... and Bambi-like. Gazelles are like large fluffy bunnies. Sugar, spice and everything nice. Like they would love to nuzzle you if you'd let them.

I don't want to nuzzle my credit cards. I want to throw them down on the ground and rip them apart. I want to roam around the field with the debt carnage dripping from my chin. I want the credit companies to see me and retreat in awe and a bit of fear. I want to be a legend of prowess and power. I want to be the bad-ass Samuel L. Jackson character of debtors.

That's not very gazelle-like.

Is it?

Concert ticket conundrum - I'd love your advice

2006-08-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Every year for the last 10 years, I have gone to see my favourite band in concert. Some years, I've even gone more than once. It's the only expensive indulgence that I permit myself on a regular basis. I've seen them a total of probably about 14 times so far - they are the only concert I attend each year, with maybe 2 exceptions over the last decade.

So earlier this year, before I started reading pf blogs and books, I bought my presale tickets through the fan club as always. I bought 2 tickets to each of the 2 local shows, bringing my total to about $285. It was oh-so-conveniently charged to my lovely Discover card. (If only I was a talented hand model so that I could show you, with great flourishes and flair, my sparkling plastic card.)

Well, recently it's occured to me that I'm still paying for those tickets on my credit card, the same card that I'm aggressively paying right now. It really stuck in my craw that I've been paying on those tickets for several months and will probably continue to do so, even after the concerts (which are at the end of August).

So I listed a pair on Ebay and they sold today... for $225! That's another $225 that I can put toward my credit card immediately! At this rate, I may be able to pay off Credit Card #2 by the end of the month! Yowzaa!

I'm greedily torn now as to whether I should sell the tickets I have to the second concert. On one hand, they should fetch about the same amount... which means that not only will I have paid off the debt, but I'll actually make a very nice profit (which will also be put toward the credit card). If I sell these tickets also, Credit Card #2 will be paid off and I can start on Credit Card #3 right away.

But on the other hand, the sale of the first pair of tickets means that going to this concert will only cost me about $55. They have been my ultimate favourite band since I discovered them my senior year in high school. It feels like cheating on a boyfriend to even just say that maybe I can skip seeing them this year.

What do you seasoned savers think I should do? What would you do in this situation?

I think I know the answer already, but I need a little shove toward doing it.

Getting our emergency fund in place

2006-08-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

I feel somewhat guilty after a recent post about how my fiance, R, seems to be indulging me instead of actively participating in a financial makeover... we were talking about the Dave Ramsey books I've read recently (Total Money Makeover and More Than Enough) and how Dave suggests establishing your $1,000 emergency fund first.

I've been suspending my savings account investing for the last few weeks to jump into this credit card debt fight. I have about $200 saved, but I'd rather the money alloted in my budget for saving went right to my credit cards. It's such an amazing feeling of accomplishment and being in control that it gives me to pay down or pay off a debt... to me, the feeling is worth the risk of not having enough to fall back on. Plus (I know you're going to cringe because this sounds so lame), I know I can always ask my mom for a reasonable amount in case of an emergency.

So I was talking about Dave's steps with R, and he asked me if I had fully funded an emergency fund yet. I basically told him what you just read in the above paragraph. He volunteered to put $1,000 of our earnings at the upcoming convention into the emergency fund, allowing me to concentrate on the debt. Wow! I was floored, because he's not the best planner I know. But since he is paying all the convention costs up front out of his paycheck, any money we make there will be going to us, instead of to his business credit card.

I think he's realizing that this is so much more important to me than either of us thought at first. He's starting to understand that I'm not trying to temporary changes, but permanent ones.

Yesterday after work we went to a discount ethnic market near our apartment that we had never been to. We stocked up on cheap produce (peaches and pears were 2 pounds for 99 cents) and we spent all of $12.13 of our weekly grocery money. He was impressed and suprised. I think he's being won over in part because it's so easy to save money when you focus on it... or especially when your significant other is focused on it! :)

1 credit card down, 3 to go!

2006-08-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

Note: This should have published August 2, but I found it backdated to June 23rd, for some reason. Blogger, what's up with you?

Last night I paid off my credit card with the smallest total. Yippee! Like I mentioned in a previous post, I'm applying the snowball effect to my credit cards. So now I'm concentrating on the next smallest balance card. I'm going to forgo using neat little graphs and charts (mostly because I don't yet know how to create them) to show where my debt comes from. Like I've said before, it's nothing awful, unlike some other blogs that I've read. I guess dropping out of college pays off sometimes - no student loans. :)

So here goes, my financial soul laid bare (as of August 1).

Credit Card #1 - Paid off last night! Huzzah!
Credit Card #2 - $507
Credit Card #3 - $2,060
Credit Card #4 - $3,156

Credit Card #4 is actually the card we used to start up R's small business. It is actually his obligation to pay this off, and he will probably take over the payments by the time I conquer the other 2 cards. If he doesn't, I'm prepared to tackle it myself.

I have not added my car to this list, because frankly, it's too discouraging. I am going to attack this list, then figure out the car situation. After tackling my debt, we'll begin tackling his in earnest... which is mostly delinquent student loans.

In light of some of the other blogs I've read talking about immense debt from college and medical emergencies and unemployment, I feel somewhat silly about posting my numbers. I feel like my frustration might be dismissed by some of you because it isn't *enough.* But I think frustration and worry counts no matter what the number behind it is. I am already feeling like a load is off my shoulders just from paying off one card last night!

Time to go shopping!

Just kidding! :)

My almost best friend...the crockpot

2006-08-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

One of the keys to us eating dinner at home is having good food that we like... duh, right? This is one of my favourite crockpot recipes, for spicy chicken tacos. I don't remember where I found this recipe online, or I would surely give credit and many thanks!

4 boneless chicken breasts (I remove the skin, too, out of personal preference)
2 cans of tomatoes and green chilis
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tsp dried onion (I usually just chop half an onion and throw it in)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix tomatoes and green chilis in a bowl with onions and spices. Pour half of this mix into the bottom of the crockpot. Lay the chicken on top (bonus: the chicken can even be frozen), then cover with the rest of the mixture. Cook in crockpot for 5-7 hours on HIGH, or 10-12 hours on LOW, until the meat begins to fall apart. Stir every now and then to break up the chicken and keep crocking.

This is one of my favourite recipes because it's cheap, too. I buy and freeze chicken breasts when it goes on sale for less than $1 a pound, so I use maybe $2 of chicken in this. Another $1.50 or so for the tomatoes and green chilis (the best deal I've found is at Walmart - about $0.69 a can for the generic brand) brings the grand total to $3.50 for enough meat to make approx. 12-14 burritos or tacos. If you want to stretch the chicken even further, add a can of beans into the crockpot... I love black beans.

This is one of those easy, time-saving recipes that is great for a family meal, and also great if you're having guests - just set up a taco station where people can add their own toppings and condiments.

Definitely try it - I think it rivals the chicken at Chipotle, which is one of our favourite Mexican food restaurants. A chicken burrito there costs more than this recipe does.

Great freebie website

2006-08-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of those rare websites where the site lives up to its name...

www.absurdlycool.com

My two favourite freebies are the Colgate Total rebate and the free cat or dog food coupon from Purina.

Have fun!

Lane Bryant in-store coupon $15 off $15

2006-08-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

I got this link in a promotional email and wanted to pass it along to anyone who'd like it.

Make sure you read the fine print about qualifies for this purchase and what does not.

Lane Bryant $15 Gift Cheque

Yay! August is a 5-week month!

2006-07-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

Since I get paid weekly, this is the equivalent of an extra paycheck this month. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

I've read a lot of blogs that talk about budgeting (haven't we all?), and it seems that most people budget each month. Since I get paid weekly, I budget for each week. Every year I buy a small purse-size calendar and keep track of my budgeting in that. That calendar lives in the file box with my checkbook, calculator and old filed statements. It mostly stays the same each month, with some minor fluctuations.

Week 1
-Stash $40 in savings (lately I've been getting impatient and sending that $40 to the credit card that I'm concentrating on paying off)
-Withdraw $60 cash, which pays for weekly gas, some groceries and a little spending money
-Pay all utilities
-Pay minimum balance on all credit cards (I currently have 4 cards I am paying... soon to be 3)
-Any leftover money goes to more groceries and household items we need

Week 2
-Stash money in savings
-Withdraw $60 cash
-Pay car payment (yeah, I know, I'm never having another car financed again)
-Send leftover money to whichever credit card I am attacking the balance of (I'm practicing the snowball technique and I love it!)

Week 3
-Stash money in savings
-Withdraw $60 cash
-Set aside half of our rent to be paid next week
-Send leftover money to whichever credit card I am attacking

Week 4
-Stash money in savings
-Withdraw $60 cash
-Set aside the second half of our rent and pay it
-Send leftover money to whichever credit card I am attacking

This plan really works for me, especially since I write out the constant, foreseeable expenses in my calendar several months ahead of time. The only problems are 1) I have almost nothing left in my checking account between paydays and 2) I need to start budgeting regular expenses like car insurance on a monthly basis, instead of when it's due several times a year.

The rare fifth paycheck a month, that Holy Grail of us people paid weekly, usually goes into my savings account to stand ready for irregular expenses that I tend to forget about, like car registration and contact lenses, as well as unexpected situations like car repairs. It's very hard not to go out and do something fun with that check, though, like buying more kitchen stuff, more clothing I don't need, or home decorating things I like. Or right now, the new DVD of Pinky and the Brain. (Yeah, I know - when I said "something fun," you thought I was going to mention going to Las Vegas and playing high-stakes poker all night, didn't you? The sad fact is that, dear reader, while in my own mind I am diva fabulous, I'm actually quite boring and mostly a homebody. But I'll deny it to the death if I'm ever cornered.)

If you get paid weekly, what do you do with your fifth paycheck?

Changing your partner's habits

2006-07-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

Has anyone here tried to bring their significant other along on their journey to a debt-free existence and more frugal lifestyle? Did the significant other go kicking and screaming into this new way of living? Did they flatly refuse and go shopping? Or did they take your hand and skip happily into the sunset with you?

My fiance, R, is very supportive of me trying to change my habits. He's interested in the books I've been reading and we talk a lot about the most interesting ideas I come across. He's very encouraging... we've been talking about mixing store-bought holiday gifts with homemade ones and he was pretty dang excited when I found a recipe for cheap homemade drain de-clogger and it worked. And yet...

...he seems to see these changes as something *I* am doing, not so much something *we* are doing.

Let me explain our financial situation. I have a job I've had for 8 years next month, and I've been increasingly feeling that I may be on the verge of unemployment. My department does not have a lot of work right now, due to my boss taking on the job of salesman himself. And he doesn't like making sales calls. Enough said. R is working as a temp for a nearby city department of water and power, hoping to get a permanent job there soon. Recently he was between assignments and went for 4 weeks without a paycheck, which caused quite an upheaval (and panic) in our home. R also has a small home business (I can't go into a lot of details about it because I rather like being anonymous online) which is not making any money... it's losing money every month due to website expenses. So I've taken over paying all the bills and rent while he stashes his paychecks away to pay for an upcoming convention we'll be going to for his small business. This convention is pretty much the only way to make a profit this year, so we almost have to attend and purchase a booth. This means purchasing the booth itself, liability insurance, and more merchandise to sell. Since his job is always up in the air, he is supposed to be saving all of his income and spending it only on business expenses.

Our finances are separate, althought that will change once we're married. Even though our finances are kept separate, we both still see everything as our money... keeping things separate just makes bookkeeping easier.

So... this brings us back to the dining out issue. I am trying to cut back to maybe once a week. I'm trying new recipes, cooking more often, and it's wonderful seeing the money I would've spent still in my checking account or going to a credit card payment. So when he (it's almost always him) mentions the possibility of going out to eat, I always say that we should go home and have dinner there. Because he likes my cooking, I also usually mention what we're having, just to sweeten the deal. Sometimes he'll persist and tell me that he'll pay for it. Like that changes things!

In most cases, we'll end up going home to have dinner. But it bugs me that he hasn't yet fully grasped the idea of saving money, even though he thinks he has. It bothers me because he is the one that is recovering from bankruptcy and has terribly bad credit. He should be trying just as hard as I am to adjust to this lifestyle, if not harder!

But I guess it's a different process for all of us, right?

In all honesty, I don't even see this adjustment as difficult for me. I think the most difficult thing was changing my habits... not checking out Ebay for clothing I like, not going shopping after work "just to see what's on sale," and planning meals for the week. But I certainly don't feel deprived. I love seeing my credit card balances go down, and I feel in control.

What experiences have you guys had with getting your significant other to see the light?

Spending money to save money?

2006-07-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

I was reading recently (and I think it's mostly common sense, too) that spending money to save yourself money in the long run is a smart thing to do. I.e., buying a lawnmower so you don't pay someone else to do it, or buying craft supplies to make Christmas gifts. One of my favourite blogs, Make Love Not Debt, even talked about ponying up for a gym membership to save on medical and health costs in the future. A few weeks ago, I bought a used bread machine at the thrift store for $9.99... but it'll save me money once I start using it and making products we usually purchase. I think we all probably agree that this kind of spending makes sense.

I just realized last week that I've spending money to save money... and not in the smart way. In one of my previous posts, I talked about how we go to a lot of free movie screenings. One of the benefits of living in L.A. is that you have the opportunity to attend events and happenings that don't occur in smaller, less metropolitan cities across the country. We love free movies because we're both movie buffs and this is a great way to see 1) films we would otherwise pay to see and 2) films we'd never pay to see, but we'll go because, hey, it's free, so why not?

The spending money issue lies in the fact that we usually go to these screenings right after work... no time to go home and eat dinner. So we usually end up spending the money we'd have paid to see the film on dinner, which I can mostly stomach. Dinner and a movie for 2 people for $10-20 isn't bad, comparatively. But it adds up fast... especially weeks when we see several movies. Last week we saw two films, which means we spent about $30-40 on dining out. That's basically been my weekly grocery budget lately!

And it took me, like 2 years to realize this?!

All you money-savvy people are rubbing off on me! Thank goodness! :)

Making donations is even better than finding cheap underwear

2006-07-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we finally dropped off all of the food that we accumulated during the craziness of Vons' triple coupon days, along with some random toiletries and beverages we've bought recently. It came to more than a dozen grocery bags (!!!), including containers of milk and yogurt. It's funny, you wouldn't think it would be hard to find a charity to donate food to, but sometimes it is.

We usually donate a lot to the Downtown Womens' Center, located in downtown Los Angeles, but we don't have the time right now to drive over there. There is another shelter I like in Hollywood, run by the Los Angeles Youth Network, but we usually donate clothing and other non-edible items. I looked online and found several nearby food pantries, run by different organizations. They either didn't accept refrigerated foods or had such impossible drop-off hours that it was impossible for me to get there (I'm basically a 9 to 5er).

So we ended up donating to AIDS Project Los Angeles, that runs a program called Necessities of Life. They provide bags of groceries to low-income people and families living with HIV and AIDS. While I love this cause (I grew up in West Hollywood and watched one of the first large groups of AIDS victims pass), the primary reason we chose it was because they accepted donations until 6 pm during the week. That's all. It merely came down to their donation hours.

If you run a charity dependant on dropped off donations, please take note. If you have convenient hours, you will be guaranteed to receive more donations. People are more likely to do the right thing to help others if you make it was easy as possible for them.

That said, I love being able to make donations. I think going the extra mile in couponing is WELL worth it if it means having bags of groceries to donate to the needy.

Score!

2006-07-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

I love finding my favourite products at a drastically reduced price - don't you? That's the thrill of thrift stores and garage sales and Craig's List... and now, the 99 Cent Store.

I was there yesterday to buy a few things and I stumbled on a hanging rack of underwear... because of my size (large and lovely), I don't usually check stuff like this. But the fabric caught my eye and I realized it was the same underwear that I had run around like a mad woman buying at Big Lots when it was $1.99 a pair. The brand is Hanes Just My Size, and they make really pretty underwear in larger sizes - it's so nice to not have to stick to plain granny panties! I'm 28, for pete's sake, not 82.

So I load up my little basket, being grateful that I found them at 99 cents a pair. Then I proceed down the aisle... where I find a cardboard container of the same underwear, but these have fallen off of their hangers and are missing the cardstock hangtag... so they've been reduced to 2 for 99 cents! Oh, happy day! I believe I danced an original Irish jig right there in the aisle, claiming myself Lady of the Dance!

Amazing how cheap pretty underwear makes one feel, isn't it?

A longer absence than I thought

2006-07-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't mean to go missing for almost 2 weeks, but what's that quote about life getting in the way of your plans? I've been submerged in family lately... first with my 13 year old cousin staying with us for a few days, and then greeting R's new niece, who was born on July 3rd. She is a beauty! It was a difficult pregnancy for her mother, and we're all thankful that it has ended happily and healthfully.

I have been neglecting my finances bigtime with all of this upheavel in our routine lately. I've fallen victim to lots of fast food meals eaten on the run as well as spening a larger amount than I planned for on baby shower gifts, so I'm in the hole a bit right now. But I'm aware of my hole, which shows awareness and financial progress on my part, right? :)

Another big wrench thrown into our finances was that R was unemployed for about 3 weeks. He's been working as a temp for almost 9 months in the same company, just being switched from department to department. There was a 3 week gap between departments, which was very unexpected to say the least. Luckily, it coincided nicely with his sister needing childcare for her older daughter and the birth of her newest daughter... but still... 3 weeks without any income generated quite the frayed nerves and nail-biting checkbook reconciliation.

I have tried to be diligent about our purchases and I think I've only charged one or two small items on a credit card (great Christmas gifts that were at such a low price that I felt like I couldn't pass them up). We've made a pact to curb our eating out and get back onto our healthier routine, which includes cooking at home and evening walks. I've bought some small household items, but nothing superfluous like clothing or new make-up.

I strongly believe that some things keeping me on the right path have been the books I've been reading. I finished "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki and my mind was blown. I'm embarassed to say it, but the whole idea of making your money work for you instead of you working for your money really just hit me between the eyes. I've been plugging my $40 a week into my savings account, and it's a lot easier after reading that book. I plan to buy a used copy on Ebay to leaf through when I need reminding.

A book I'm reading now is the first book of 'The Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn. This is fascinating and keeps me on track, even though I feel that a lot of this book doesn't really apply to me and my lifestyle. Lots of great ideas for kids' Halloween costumes and parties and crafts... which will be great when we have children. A lot of the information is already known and utilized, like shopping thrift stores, trash-picking, and smart grocery shopping. But the main sentiment helps to keep me on track.

What should I read next? Leave me some suggestions if you'd like. I'm very new to this, so pretty much every book on personal finance and frugality will be new to me.

Why did I rack up this debt?

2006-06-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about the behaviors, habits, and beliefs that get people into debt... so of course, I thought about the factors that influenced me in my spending.

My mom always raised me to be frugal, not as a life choice, but as a budgeting necessity. She was a single mom with a mediocre job, so that's just how it was. Library books instead of new books, grocery shopping with coupons, and cheap/reasonably priced clothing instead of designer duds. She never taught me to save or invest, but she did teach me not to spend out of my means.

All of these things I have done in my adult life... I love the challenge of lowering my grocery bill and finding great clothing in thrift stores. Every piece of furniture I own has a story about where I got it and how much it was on sale/promotional special/bought at a thrift store or garage sale. I truly love the chase of something great and unique and cheap.

Awhile ago, one of my best friends died suddenly at the age of 32. For the last few years of her life, she was involved with a boyfriend that controlled every aspect of her life - her new extreme diet, her new several-hours-a-day exercise regimen, her money, her ridiculously long commute to work, her community college class schedule, and the parenting of her daughter. Basically she was told to deny herself everything... all in the name of paying off debt, losing weight, and contributing to his household. (I'm not even going to go into the psychological ramifications of this situation.)

She always went along with him, although she talked about how she'd love to order a pizza for lunch at work, or go into our favourite clothing store and buy something... not extravagant purchases by any means, just things that she could afford and would enjoy. But she never did. I keep feeling guilty that I didn't encourage her more in pursuing these small satisfactions. I did urge her to indulge herself once in awhile, but my urging wasn't strong enough to empower her to stand up for herself and say, "I'm taking back control of my finances, my health and my life."

So when she died unexpectedly, after about 2 years of longing toget a manicure or have a piece of birthday cake at the office, I found it hard to deny myself these things. I kept thinking, "If I end up dying tomorrow, I should be making sure I enjoy today." Unfortunately, a part of that became shopping and bad food choices... both of which it's taking my willpower to conquer now. I basically gave myself permission to do whatever made me happy, not thinking of the consequences. I'm very lucky that the damage isn't worse than it is.

On the plus side, I have a renewed devotion to my family and spend more time with them than ever before. It's made me prioritize my life. I had been thinking of going back to school to pursue a degree in anthropology (not the most practical of degrees), but I've decided that I don't want to spend my time in a classroom. I can pursue my academic interests on my own time, in the manner that I like. It's almost too bad, because I had a kick-ass thesis idea, too. :) But I'm happy with my decision.

Now I'm realizing how badly I need to get my financial house in order... if my time is more limited than I think, I don't want my last years spent at a job that I hate. I eventually want to do the same work that I do now, but working for myself. I need to have a savings cushion built up to take a chance like that.

What are the factors that influenced you to accrue debt? What are your motivations now to get out of debt?

1 credit card down, 3 to go!

2006-06-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I paid off my credit card with the smallest total. Yippee! Like I mentioned in a previous post, I'm applying the snowball effect to my credit cards. So now I'm concentrating on the next smallest balance card.

I'm going to forgo using neat little graphs and charts (mostly because I don't yet know how to creat them) to show where my debt comes from. Like I've said before, it's nothing awful, unlike some other blogs that I've read. I guess dropping out of college pays off sometimes - no student loans. :)

So here goes, my financial soul laid bare (as of August 1).

Credit Card #1 - Paid off last night! Huzzah!
Credit Card #2 - $507
Credit Card #3 - $2,060
Credit Card #4 - $3,156

Credit Card #4 is actually the card we used to start up R's small business. It is actually his obligation to pay this off, and he will probably take over the payments by the time I conquer the other 2 cards. If he doesn't, I'm prepared to tackle it myself.

I have not added my car to this list, because frankly, it's too discouraging. I am going to attack this list, then figure out the car situation. After tackling my debt, we'll begin tackling his in earnest... which is mostly delinquent student loans.

In light of some of the other blogs I've read talking about immense debt from college and medical emergencies and unemployment, I feel somewhat silly about posting my numbers. I feel like my frustration might be dismissed by some of you because it isn't *enough.* But I think frustration and worry counts no matter what the number behind it is. I am already feeling like a load is off my shoulders just from paying off one card last night!

Time to go shopping!

Just kidding! :)

Free movies

2006-06-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

I am a film lover, but am hard-pressed to swallow paying $10 a ticket lately. Boy, do I have to want to see a movie badly!

A lot of free advance screenings are held by the studios to gauge audience opinion about a film. Sometimes, the films aren't finalized and they change elements according to what the audience wanted to see. We went to see a screening of "The Break-Up," and we've been told by friends that the released ending was different than what we saw. We've even seen some films where the special effects haven't been completed yet.

Other times, the studios will hold advance screening to get the ball rolling on word of mouth recommendations by the time the film opens. This really backfired when they had screenings of "The Man," with Eugene Levy and Samuel L. Jackson. Eugene, Sam... I love you both, but what were you thinking?

Screenings usually work this way: You print out your pass, which tells you what time the film starts. If you want to be admitted, always get to the theatre at least 1 hour earlier - a line forms at the theatre and admission is not guaranteed. Where you are in line determines if you'll get into the theatre or not. I've told some people about the free screenings, and they say that waiting in line isn't worth the free admission - I couldn't disagree more. Hanging out with your friends, talking for an hour, having a quick dinner in line while you wait for a free movie... what's so bad about that?

Some screenings will pass out questionnaires after the film... questions about your favourite/least favourite characters, what you thought about the music/costumes/story, etc. Just be truthful - no need to lie.

The only no-no about this whole process is that people associated with the film or television industry cannot be admitted to the screenings. They want a random sampling of random people. They will ask you if you're involved in the industry and you can answer how you wish.

These are some of my favourite sites to free screenings in Los Angeles (some have national listings, too).

1) Campus Circle - a newspaper for college students that has a neat website featuring a section for free local film screenings. I have seen many movies from Campus Circle over the last 2 years or so. Some passes must be picked up at their office, while other screenings are only for college students (with ID cards).

2) Movie Filler - You have to register to use this site, which is free. You will get an occasional email from them. We got passes to the "Mission Impossible 3" Los Angeles premiere through this site... I know, I know, but I love Phillip Seymour Hoffman! We didn't get in because there were hundreds of people that showed up before we did.

3) The "Free Movies" thread at Slickdeals - Just jump to the last few pages of the thread for the most current listings. There are listings for screenings all over the country here. I love Slickdeals!

4) The "Free Movie Screenings" thread at Fatwallet - This works the same as the Slickdeals link above - just jump to the last pages for the most current listings. Also national listings.

5) Craig's List - you can find indie screenings sometimes, depending on where you live. If you're an indie film lover, this is a great resource. There's almost always listings for student films, festivals, etc.

6) The AMC Summer Movie Camp - obviously, this is a seasonal one. At select AMC theares around the country, they're showing free family films this summer. Check the website for a full listing and more details.

Hope this helps some of you film buffs out there!

Just bear with me

2006-06-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out how to display images and links to other sites on this thing... just please tolerate my boring-looking blog until I can make it cooler. :)

A reason not to donate cash

2006-06-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's funny - I had just posted a few days ago about how I prefer to donate goods instead of cash, just to make sure that the money isn't used in ways that I disagree with. And then I heard about this on the radio this morning - a great example of how a good cause can choose questionable methods of getting their message across... and use your money to do it.

Yep, I'm officially sticking with goods and services.

Old habits die heard

2006-06-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ain't that the truth?

I haven't been buying things for myself recently... other than a great purse that was on clearance that I had budgeted for. The other day I went into one of my favourite clothing stores, Lane Bryant (yep, I'm big and beautiful), with my mom. She wanted to buy some pants.

Let me just clarify that Lane Bryant could easily be a financial downfall if I let it. When I discovered the store with a friend of mine, maybe 4 years ago, I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Beautiful clothing, fit me perfectly, made me feel sexy and attractive and confident... and they also have wicked good sales sometimes. So I applied for a store credit card, just because. Even though I have only bought items on sale or clearance (truly, I think I bought 1 jacket at full price, but that's it), I was soon upgraded to a Platinum card. We all know that that means I was branded a sucker. And then they started mailing me coupons - the nerve! I was hooked. But as time went by I was weaning myself off... especially lately.

So my mom decides to go try some pants on... which left me to browse. 10 minutes later, I had bought a pair of sale pajama pants and a clearnace t-shirt... and charged the $29 to my store card. But a funny thing happened... before I even left the store... I felt badly that I had caved in to my impulse buys. New pajamas are always nice, but I didn't need them. And I kept thinking about having another $29 of debt to pay off. I didn't listen to my inner voice at the time, so I left the store with them. It seemed very odd to think of leaving my favourite store without a purchase.

And now they're sitting, still with tags and in the plastic bag with receipt, in my bedroom. I fully intend to return them.

I am rejoicing at this inner voice... while I've always been a practical shopper (i.e., sales and coupons), it's nice to know that I'm seeing shopping items in terms of adding to my debt... I think it signals a great change in the way I think... which signals peace of mind in the future.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

2006-06-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

I just began reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Shannon L. Lechter.... wow! Just reading the foreword by Lechter was like a punch in the gut - my mom always gave me the same advice about getting good grades, going to college, and finding a great job. My friends and I have often spoken about how this path didn't work for us... or anyone our age that we know, really. And whether it worked or not, we're saddled with debt from student loans from the get-go.

It's a feeling of vindication to read that, yes indeed, times have changed. Old advice is not necessarily good advice.

I am very excited to start reading this book!

My hero, my Chase credit card

2006-06-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've been putting off the most immediate action upon trying to organize my finances - figuring what I owe and creating a budget accordingly. So you can imagine my surprise when I log on to view my Chase card account, which I estimate to about $130, and see that I owe over $1,500!

A quick look at "Activity since last statement" reveals that someone has charged international airline tickets to my card... several times! I call the customer service number right away and I am transferred to the fraud department. While my account must be closed, they are not holding me liable for the charges - thank goodness! They're sending me new cards and a paper that I have to sign and return to them, stating that I know nothing about the disputed charges. And of course, I'll be ordering credit
reports to make sure that no new accounts have been opened in my name.

For your free annual copy of a credit report from each bureau, go to Annual Credit Report.

While I am in no way praising the credit card companies, I was thrilled at how easy this was to clear my name. I am so relieved... although this still isn't over.

The Great Vons Triple Coupons Savings Experiment

2006-06-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

One of my hobbies (yes, isn't that sad?) is saving money by combining coupons and sales - there's several websites devoted to helping people do this. A great paid subscription site is The Grocery Game, and the site I refer to (completely free) is The Coupon Mom.

One of the main thrusts of each site is that when you're able to get grocery items for pennies on the dollar, why not buy them and donate to a chairty, shelter, or food pantry? I seized on this idea the first time I read it and have made it a goal of mine to always buy something extra to donate.

I don't like donating money, because I believe that in spite of all the good intentioned people working in the organization, there is just too much uncertainty as to how the money will be spent. I also don't like the high percentages (in some organizations) of donations that pay for adminstration and expensive office space. I like donating tangible goods, like food, hygiene products, and clothing. This is the perfect way to donate quality items for cheap.

So when I heard that Vons was tripling coupons for 3 days this week, I went into overdrive. I think my fiance, R, was pretty stunned to see me in action!

These are the totals for what we spent, bought, and saved during the last 3 days when Vons was tripling coupons. We combined the Vons club card with sale items, and then found internet coupons that the stores tripled during this promotion. I didn't realize until I added up the receipts this morning, but Vons also had a promotion where you were given $10 off if you bought a certain number of General Mills products - which we did, in the form of Cheerios. So we automatically saved $20 this way (two different shopping trips at $10 each).

Total charged = $38.46
Total saved = $228.23
Total items = 112

Stuff we're keeping-
28 boxes of Stagg Chili (Dynamite Hot - my personal addiction!)
3 containers of Betty Crocker Frosting
18 boxes of Rice Dream rice milk (for R and his young niece)
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 bottle of water
4 bottles of Simple Green cleaner

These are items that we'll be taking to a food pantry this weekend-
4 boxes of Betty Crocker Warm Delights
14 boxes of Hamburger Helper
1 box of Betty Crocker Muffin Mix
18 boxes of Cheerios (full size boxes!)
20 cans of Kerns Juice

We bought so many boxes of rice milk because I had bought coupons on Ebay about a month ago... like $1 for 15 coupons. While the rice milk wasn't on sale, with the triple coupons, it was still way cheap.

The chili was on sale 10 for $10... plus coupons... plus it's my secret addiction. :)

So it was a very successful 3 days... it inspires me to take this donation thing even more seriously.

Great free service from Paypal

2006-06-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

Free Equifax Credit Alerts for Paypal users

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A Salon Tip for the Ladies

2006-06-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

I just read a great post about getting fabulous haircuts and color from students training at exclusive (i.e., expensive) salons around the country. You save money (lots in some cases), and the trade-off is spending extra time at the salon... I think the trade is well worth it. Sign me up for Federic Fekkai!

Salon training nights: look stylin’ while saving money

I really like the rest of the blog, too... definitely worth checking out.

Okay, the real introduction

2006-06-01T08:08:00.001-07:00

Like I said in my profile, I've seized upon reading other people's personal finance blogs in my free time lately. I'll list some of my favourites so that you can visit them, too. I love the information that you can glean from them, all the things you'll read that make you think, "Wow, I could do that." I've been reading and thinking and doing more reading... and more thinking about my own habits and the changes I need to be making NOW.

While my debt isn't horrendous, some of my habits are when you think about the long-term implications. My own spending habits have been my undoing in the past... I blame nice handbags, household items (including cookware) and the generous-if-not-silly practice of overgifting my loved ones. The funny thing is, I'm a very careful shopper... I comparison shop online, look for coupon codes and sales, and surf Ebay. But all those great deals add up. It's gotten to the point where I actually hear a death knell every time I recieve coupons to my favourite clothing store in the mail. Hey, I have a coupon - I can't do something wasetful like not use it, can I?

I'm also caught in the cycle, like so many others, of not having savings to fall back on when an unanticipated expense crops up. So I whip out the ol' plastic standby to take care of it. That's what they're for, right? So I charge an eye exam (has a year passed already?), an order of contact lenses (I forgot they were so expensive), a baby crib for my almost sister-in-law (I had to buy it now because it was on sale - with free shipping!), concert tickets (is the Dave Matthews Band back in town already?), a great shirt (it was on sale and I had a coupon - it was practically free!)... wow, I owe how much?! That can't be right!

I am fortunate that I have a decent job with healthcare... I know how prized that is these days. But I don't know how stable this gig is, even though I've been here almost 8 years. Company loyalty and job performance don't seem to count for much around here since our new boos took over. And I have no back-up plan if I get laid off. I don't even have 1 month of rent in my savings... yet. My fiance is in the same boat - which is why I don't have an engagement ring yet.

I need an immediate savings account as well as long-term savings. I keep reading articles about how important retirement planning is, and you should start with your first job. Well, what can I say? I never knew that much about it until recently. My mother never really talked to me about money, although she did promote a sense of frugality. One of my goals is to start a Roth IRA by the end of this year, since we're not offered a 401K plan here.

So this blog is about the changes I'm going to be making to my finances, my habits, my life. I hope it'll encourage you like other blogs have encouraged me.

Once upon a time...

2006-06-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

... there was a princess who lived in Los Angeles. She wanted to purchase her own castle more than anything, although real estate prices in her area were insanely high. She thought to herself, "Prices will have to drop in a few years, they can't stay this high. One day, house prices will be affordable. And I want to be ready when they are."

So she decided to face the fiery dragons guarding her financial future - the multi-headed credit card gargoyle, the devious twin dragons of car payments and car insurance, and the most evil of all dragons known to man - her own spending inclinations.

She grabbed the sword of financial planning and began swinging away.