Budget Living In Orange County

Amazon drops California associates to avoid sales tax: a Passive Income Source eliminated

2011-06-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

When faced with online sales tax in California, Amazon plans to drop the Amazon Associates Program for the State of California.

This doesn't mean too much for me since I do not make any money from them anyway despite my participation in their affiliate program.

However, this is bad news for the thousands of people who do get passive income stream from amazon.com product affiliations and purchases. This is precisely why it is wise to have diversity in everything you do, including the diversity in the types of income streams.

Here is the link from where I had obtained the information;
http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/29/technology/california_amazon_associates/

May 2011 Net Worth Update

2011-05-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Net Worth Update: May 2011

It was looking pretty good for a while there with market gains, then there've been a few days of straight losses, so the update is not a great as it looked at the beginning of the month. Although my property value is in the dumps (~ 49% drop), I have finally been able to reach into the positive territory in terms of Net Worth.

Notes:

The $2,000.00 in the Bank of America Cash Maximizer Savings Account is not accurate since the actual amount is couple hundred dollar and some change more than that the stated amount but I wanted to keep an even figure. This account is my mom's account and she's keeping that money safe for me in the mean time until I have need of it.

Although there is a tiny bit of credit card debt, this is paid off before the monthly due date to avoid finance charges. I maintain some direct bills on the credit card in order to make sure I have some cash available before the next paycheck comes around as well as to earn some cash back credits on the credit card. I'm still credit card debt free!

Current Considerations:

I'm currently considering opening a brokerage account with Trade King htttp://www.tradeking.com for fun. I am currently interested in buying a few shares of either Sodastream (SODA) or PANL (a manufacturer of OLEDs). This will not be used to retirement but just as an experiment.

Here is the Net Worth as of May 24, 2011:

$285,131.14    Total Assets
$9,381.80        Total Cash
$6,183.62        ING DIRECT Emergency Savings Account #1
$775.13           ING DIRECT Emergency Savings Account #2
$2,000.00        Bank of America Cash Maximizer Savings Account
$294.48           Bank of America Keep The Change Savings Account
$109.30           Bank of America Checking Account
$15.30             Chase Bank Checking Account
$3.93               Chase Bank Savings Account
$114,249.34    Total Investments
$74,276.60      Nationwide Retirement 401K Plan
$6,392.71        American Funds Roth IRA (Old)
$800.30           Vanguard Group Traditional IRA (Old)
$32,779.73      CAL PERS Retirement Account
----------------------------------------------------------------------

-$267,425.96    Total Debts
–$76.36           Total Credit Card Debt
–$64.36           Citibank Thank You Preferred Credit Card
–$12.00           Bank of America Platinum Plus Credit Card
$0.00               Chase Slate Card
$0.00               Citibank Diamond Credit Card
–$105,849.60  Property Value
$161,500.00    Primary Residence (Zillow.com estimate)
–$267,349.60  Home Loan
___________________________________________________________$285,131.14 Total Assets
-$267,425.96 Total Debts

+$17,705.44 Net Worth

DEBT FREE!!

2011-04-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Debt Eliminated!

As of today (April 20, 2011), I have paid off approximately $7,000.00+ in credit card debt that have accumulated since the beginning of 2010. Finally!

I still have about $8,000 of savings left in a 1% ING Orange Savings account and a Bank of America Maximizer Account (0.15% apr). I will close out the Bank of America's Maximizer account and put the $2,000 and change from that account to be combined with the ING account. This will be my emergency fund.

Not too bad considering the 15% paycut that has been in place since the beginning of 2010 at my job. This paycut will continue until the end of 2012, but the management has been negotiating on extending it to 2014!

My main method of Debt Elimination:

It's simple. Most people cut back on the area that they spend the most on. For me, this is the "Dining Out" area. It's just me and my partner so we waste alot of money by going out to eat all the time. I knew letting go of the "dining out" concept would be hard so I, instead, focused on cutting down entertainment budget and utilities.

1) We did not go to clubs or concerts during 2010. We went to the movies mainly.

2) We hardly turned on the heater/air-conditioner during 2010.

Savings from these cutbacks combined with any leftover money, initially purposed for saving, went into paying off the credit cards.

This is pretty much following Dave Ramsey's debt snowball concept; throwing every extra penny into the smallest debt, then working your way up to the biggest debt.

What's next?

Reduce The Biggest Expense:

I realize that I should eliminate the biggest leak and stop eating out. I have come to a solution that's unique to my situation. I will detail this solution in another post forthcoming. I do not want to post about this until I can be sure that this solution indeed works.

Start Saving More:

I plan to save $700.00 per month to add to the emergency fund. I should max out my 401K but currently, my main objectve is to have the emergency fund around $25,000 by April, 2012.

I view Dave Ramsey, the personal finance guru, as more of a motivational speaker than a precise financial expert. Either way, he can be heard on AM 980 radio station from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm if you live in the southern california area and his books can be found from any book retailers or amazon.com.

Here is one of his books that can help motivate you like it did for me:

Hopefully, 2011 will prove to be the year of saving for me.

July 2010 Net Worth - Negative!

2010-07-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

My July 2010 net worth is depressing but this is where I will start over again. Mainly, it is due to the loss in the house value that is putting me in the negative territory.

The Chase credit card balance (nearly $6,000) is currently at a 0% interest rate for new charges and balance transfers. I am currently paying the minimum monthly payments in the $100+ range.

However, the $600+ balance carried by my long time Credit Card company of choice, Citicards, is now at a 20% interest rate. I had never been late on any payments since I've held the card. Once I payoff the remaining amount of this Citicard, I will not use this anymore. If I do use it for emergencies (car, medical, etc.), I aim to pay it off before the billing cycle is completed.

With the extra paycheck I'll be receiving this month, I am to pay off the remaining Citicard balance and save the rest of the paycheck. August 2010 will have a little boost and edge it closer to the black territory.

Getting Back On Track

2010-05-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

I Messed Up

I created this blog back in 2005 because I wanted a way to keep my honest in my spending behavior as well as to act as a focus for my financial life. A goal tracker. I was very diligent in my saving as well as in my spending leading up to the purchase of my condo.

After that goal was reached, I did what I hope many people do not do after reaching their goal; For the past 5 years, I have derailed myself from the original goals of saving and living frugally. I went on a mindnumbing phase of spending frivolously in an extreme sense. Not only did I not save $1,000 per month as planned during these five years, I used up all of my emergency fund.

Yes, all $15,000 of it. Including missed opportunities as well as the extra income from freelancing jobs, I ate up and spent more than $85,000 during these past five years.

Now, I don’t even want to try to calculate and include all the interest income I could have had, had I kept it in the savings account, because the sheer amount of it will just distract me from what I need to do from this point on.

Where did it all go?

The honest truth:

1) I ate it.

2) I bought a lot high-end makeup. I have enough to act as a makeup counter.

3) I bought unnecessary clothing. Some pieces are the type that I would never wear anymore.

4) I bought a lot of "wants", including electronics, furniture, and accessories.

5) The final reason is a big thing for me to confess...an addiction that I never thought I would be caught dead doing in this lifetime. But I must be honest with myself.

I got addicted to gambling; Blackjack, in particular.

Every extra paycheck went into my visits to the Casinos. At one point, I was rotating three or four different casinos in order for the dealers to stop recognizing me.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm all better and this alter-ego gambling me has been miraculously kicked to the curb.

I am taking one urge at a time.

The last trip was two weeks ago when I spent two thousand dollars... the same two thousand dollars I needed to save in order to reduce the debt that I have accumulated.

Debt

This brings me around to talking about the debt amount that I have accumulated since the "fall". I have approximately $ 6,300 in a brand new Chase Visa card and approximately $900 in a Citibank Credit Card.

Savings Goal (May 2010 - March 2011)

$20,000 by March 2011
This amount does not include the $7,200 debt that I must also pay off by then.
Thus, the total to be saved = $27,200

Current Status

$ 4,000 in an INGdirect online savings account
$ 4,000 in a Bank of America savings account
$ 1,000 in a chase checking account

Total: $ 9,000 cash savings

All these accounts are not under my name or within my access for a good reason.

During the last few years, I met my current live-in boyfriend and since he realized that I have a serious gambling problem that he couldn't control no matter how much he tried, he has been putting away his money that he was supposed to pay me in terms of rent into these accounts.

Immediate Plan of Attack

The $ 6,300 debt in Chase Credit Card is the newly transferred debt from the original Citibank Credit Card due to their 0% balance transfer offer for six months.

I plan to pay off the remaining balance on the Citibank card ($ 900) ASAP and then, pay the minimum payment on the new Chase credit card until the six months run out.

A New Promise

I promise to myself that I will be saving every dime until I build up enough money ready to pay off the $6,300 as well as the remaining $11,000 saving gap by the end of March, 2011.

That's it. For now.

Can I Live without Television To Save Money?

2008-04-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

The other night, as I was watching my boyfriend watch television, I was reminded again of how television can induce a mind-numb state. He was supposed to be reading up on financial matters or anything to prepare for his up and coming interview at a financial/investments company.

Then, I had an idea that by cutting out television, I would save about 60 dollars each month AND save valuable time for both me and him, forcing us to perform more beneficial tasks, such as reading, working out, etc.

We would still have the DVD player and could get Netflix subscription again (the one DVD turnaround), so we would still have easy entertainment when we choose to.

I turned towards him and proposed my plan...and he looked at me as if I had pulled the rug out from under him. So, the television subscription will continue but I will try again in a couple months, hehe.

Earn Money While You Get Healthy!!!

2008-04-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Healthy Lifestyle Rewards Program - Blue Shield Vs. Kaiser Permanente

There are a couple of incentive programs occurring currently with Kaiser Permanente (HMO) and Blue Shield of California (HMO and PPO) medical insurance companies.

Blue Shield

Has an online, interactive program that has "tools" to help one get fit, lower stress, and/or quit that pesky smoking habit (me..yes, guilty still.)

Basically, the program requires you to sign on to their website (www.blueshieldca.com/hlr) and fill out a "Wellness Assessment". By filling out the assessment, you get $50!!! Sign onto the program and keep checking in and using their resources/tools on the website every week to update your profile with the fitness progress that you're making, you can earn up to $200 in one year. It's still a great incentive for a few minutes of your time and what disadvantages could there be?? You're working towards a healthier you, and we all know that keeping track of your efforts can definitely keep you on the right and LONG-lasting path to a healthier you.

I wish I had Blueshield medical insurance, darn.

Kaiser Permanente

They're cheaper. In terms of their rewards (potential rewards, in this case) and in terms of their service costs and quality of service. I've always been a Kaiser member ever since I got medical insurance because they're cheaper but lately, I've been wondering if I should move to Blue Shield PPO due to me getting older as well as the growing medical problems I seem to be blessed with lately.

Their "incentive" program is that they give you CHANCES to win rewards if you fill out an online "Total Health Assessment". Go to their website and sign up for a kaiser online account with your medical account number (www.my.kp.org/ca/calpers). Click on "Be rewarded for living well". Fill out the form and open the health guide designed to whatever you filled out in the assessment, which will enter you into the drawings.

There are five seperate drawings, so you have five seperate chances to winning multiple rewards.

The rewards are as follows:

* $500 spafinder.com certificate
* $500 (REI, Sportsmart, or Big 5) sports store certificate (This is the only thing i want to win, since I really really want a mountain bike)
* An 80GB color screen iPod

I definitely prefer the Blue Shield's rewards program, because it fits the definition of an incentive program more than Kaiser's, which is just a lottery-type drawing. You're pretty much garanteed to earn $50 by completing the assessment. In addition, Blue Shield's program encourages long-term behavior by giving you continued incentives to keep track of your health progress through out the year and rewarding you monetarily throughout the program's length.

December 27, 2006 Net Worth Update

2006-12-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, a very late and not so promising Net Worth for me.

New Car, Used Car, or Leased Car?

2006-12-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Now that my car has been creaking quite abit (bad suspension), I'm tempted to look into buying another. Thus, three scenarios have presented themselves to me..

* Buying a new car
* Buying a used car
* Leasing a car

New Car Purchase:

This is the ideal choice, of course. Ok, not really the ideal choice financially but emotionally, it might be. Having a nice new car would mean that I would no longer be the target of the following comments; "THIS is what you're driving?", "Were you born before or after your car?", and "You need a NEW car.".

Nowadays, car financing term has become longer than the old two or three year periods. Since our salaries aren't necessarily growing to match the rising car costs, car loans have been dragged out to 60 or 72 months loans to get those "affordable" monthly payments. Generally, the longer the loan period, it is more likely to be attached with a higher interest rate.

Of course, I could put a downpayment down but that would mean that my emergency savings fund would diminish. Also, with a new car, there'll be the higher DMV and insurance fees. My little money pouch will definitely be hurting for the first couple of years.

Leasing a Car

Lower Monthly Payments! This could lead me to believe that I can buy a more expensive car than I can honestly afford. Temptation.. Temptation. In fact, my brother-in-law was infected with that Temptation virus and has just leased a BMW for my sister yesterday.

Also, the only sales tax for a leased car is on the allotted car value over the lease term. This definitely means, there's less money going out of my pockets.

But, I would have to either renew the leasing terms or exchange it out for another car in three years. Also, I'd need to keep to (on average) the allotted 10,000 or 15,000 driven miles per year or I'd have to pay per mile past the allotted miles. Granted, it's only a few cents per mile (ex. $0.16/mile etc.) if I pre-pay but living in Southern California means alot of driving. Even driving to my work each day to and fro means I'm driving a little under 50 miles each day at a minimum. Running errands during lunch time or after work would definitely put me over 50 driven miles/day. Either I don't go out or it'd be impossible to keep to the allotted miles without paying extra.

If I buy a car, I am definitely looking to keep the car alive for at least ten years and not change it out after five years, so after the loan term is paid off, with a new car, my only expenses will be for DMV fees, insurance, gas, and maintenance fees. Leaning toward a new car purchase at this point...

Used Car Purchase

They're usually cheaper since they'll be a couple of years old already. Loan interest rates are usually higher for used car purchases, so it might be more prudent to pay fully with cash for a used car. Maintenance and repair costs might be higher since it'd be an older car. These costs may rise more rapidly with each year.

Thus, it might be the biggest dent in terms of money exiting my savings initially. With no interest/loan to pay for each year, in the long run, this is the cheapest option. It would also mean the death and yet another very eventual re-birth of my emergency savings.

Bright side: I can drive it until it dies on me.

Decision: I'm going to keep driving until my current car putters out and re-read this post again in a year.

I know....
I am cheap.

15% Discount on Verizon Wireless Monthly Plan

2006-07-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

After many months of "encouraging" my employer to allow me to be the 25% discount agreement that the employer has with Verizon Wireless, I've finally given up on that idea. Instead, I obtained a general employee discount form and faxed in the 15% employee discount application to Verizon. Two days after I had faxed the two pager, consisting of a front fax cover page that Verizon provides, another page with my employer contact information, and a copy of my employee identification card, I received an email notification that I've been approved and thus, will bee seeing the 15% discount applied to next month's bill.

Of course, the easier route would be to verify your eligibility through Verizon Wireless website and apply on the website your work email address, however, my employer's got an annoying firewall protection, and I wasn't able to get any emails from Verizon to my work email. Faxing wasn't much of a hassle, and the response turn around time was great!

That'll be a total savings of ....get ready.......six bucks a month!!!!
I wish that there's some sarcasm involved in that last statement but I'll be honest, I'm appreciating those six bucks.

So if you have Verizon as your wireless carrier, check out if you're qualified for an employee discount at Verizon and register your cell line.

Cooking on a Budget

2006-07-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

I've read alot of other blogs, such as Boston Gal's Openwallet, My Open Wallet, and Dawn's Frugal For Life, where recipes on a budget are often posted.

I have a chicken recipe that I often make to stay within my budget. It's probably already quite commonly known and made around the cooking circle. I find that it is quite stretchable in terms of the number of days it could last while still tasting yummy as well as it being cheap and easy to make.

Ingredients

A Whole Chicken
- I am quite lazy so I buy the whole rotisserie chicken from a major supermarket chain store, like Ralph's or Albertson's. If you buy after 10:30 pm, they sell it at a reduced price.
Cost = $4.99

Mayonnaise
1 small jar
- Always buy the store brand since they tend to be the cheapest.
Cost = $1.99

Yellow Mustard
1 small jar
Cost = $1.99

Capers
1 jar
Cost = $3.99

Black Olives
1 can
Cost = ~$1.00 (I got a can for $0.98)

Green Olives
1 can
Cost = ~$1.00/$0.98
- Add green olives if you wish to add variety.

Total Cost = $14.96

Method

- Slightly warm up the cooked rotisserie chicken, if it is not warm already. Break rotisserie chicken into thin strands or chunks. This is very easy if you use the rotisserie chicken since it falls apart very easily in your hands. If not, boil a whole chicken and add two spoonfuls of chicken stock in the boiling water.

- Add approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 to 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard. Most people might find 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of mustard to be abit much.

- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of capers. Again, 2 tablespoons should be fine.

- Chop up approximately 1/4 cup of Black and Green Olives each.

- Mix everything together.

You can eat this mixture by itself, over some greens/spinach/corn/beans as a salad, as a spread for sandwiches, or with rice. The remaining unused portions of olies, mayonnaise, mustard and capers should last and make two or three more dishes, so I make sure that they are handled and stored as cleanly as possible.

I find that this lasts me about 4 days, eating it by itself or with a slice of bread or rice for both lunch and dinner.

Not bad for approximately $15.00 for 4 days, with some ingredients left over to make additional batches.

A Play on the Impossible

2006-07-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

Last night, at 7 p.m., I bought my first ever lotto ticket, er, actually, ticketS. With five lotto tickets in my hand, a dream in my mind, and a hungry look in my eyes, I sat down in front of sister's computer (I can't afford to replace my stolen computer yet) to check the winning number. Who can say no to a $110 Million possibility?

Someone in South Pasedena didn't and won, while I'm remain here with five pieces of scap paper in a corner.

HSBC Savings Account @ 5.05% Interest Rate

2006-07-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

Now that HSBC has raised its interest rate to 5.05% , I need to allocate any future liquid savings to HSBC instead of concentrating in Emigrant Direct. 5.05% is just too good to ignore. I would only be able to save $200/month, if that, for the next three months, due to the recent burglary and a purchase of a pair of new glasses (I'm legally blind), so I won't bee seeing a huge jump in terms of the accrued interest.

However, has anyone noticed how much of a pain accessing HSBC can be at times? Their passwords can be a pain to type in!! I still haven't been able to memorize the passwords. However, especially after the burglary, I appreciate the fact that HSBC creates long numerical passwords as well as an additional password for accessing the external link for transferrable funds (i.e. your checking account, etc.). I guess I can't have both easy accessibility AND safe security for an online savings account.

Burglarized!!

2006-07-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Burglarized!!! I had my laptop and personal information stolen a couple of weeks ago from my home. So, during the past week or so, it has been a flurry of closing accounts and creating new accounts. All three credit agencies have been alerted as well as Social Security Administration (the burglars took my social security statements as well as bank statements, paycheck stubs, escrow papers, etc??!!).

Yesterday, I finally received my new credit cards and checks, so I can live freely without worrying how much cash I need to have on my body. Usually, I would have no more than $20 in my wallet, in order to control this inner spending beast of mine. But for the past couple weeks, I've had to carry at least $200.00 in my wallet at any one time to be prepared for anything!

I never knew that life without a credit card can be unsettling. I'm probably the opposite of everyone....I can control and budget what I spend by using a credit card everywhere (which I pay off every month in full), than to have cash on hand to pay for everything. I tend to buy useless and unnecessary things when I have cash in my hands....bills just "slip" away from my hands easier than with a credit card. Whenever I flash out a credit card, I pay more attention to the "needs" and "wants" table in my mind.

Also, I enrolled in a credit monitoring program through Citibank for the next few months. It is $6.95 a month, although the website says $9.95/month. The locks have been changed but the door still remains ugly with signs of a break-in. A new door with a metal frame has been bought. I no longer think that a security door is an ugly addition. A new laptop needs to be bought as well, so that I can work at home. Things are going to be very tight for the next several months. Just when things are getting back to normal, life throws me something rotten. There's no such thing as a good neighborhood that's 100% safe from petty burglaries!!!

June - 2006 Net Worth Update

2006-06-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

This June update is abit depressing since all of my liquid savings went into the downpayment ($67,000), closing costs ($6,957), and renovation costs ($ 9,000) for the condo. In addition to this, I had to borrow a lot of money from my dad and mom to help me with the downpayment with the condition that whenever the place is sold, they will get their half of the profits on the sale. I know, I have great parents.

Still, when I stare at this balance sheet, it makes me very nervous at the amount of debt I have. My condo's value has gone up to $341,000 but I'm not going to include it into the net worth calculations since it's not a tangible value.

I have managed, however, in the last three months, to boost my liquid savings back up to around $5,000 something by saving every bit of penny I have.

Here goes... My June, 2006 Net Worth:

I'm back and nearly moved in!

2006-05-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

I've been away from the blogging world for a while now due to the moving in process and a few other things. Thanks, everyone for all the kind words!

I had a few things done with the condo that took nearly a month (three weeks) and then, moving in took longer than planned due to a close cousin's wedding and family gatherings, etc on weekends. Oh, and the rats..mice..critters with sharp teeth and alot of bowel movements have gone through my boxes of clothing, toiletries, and cookware that I had stored in the garage...so washing and cleaning the mess up took abit of time as well.

I am starting to really like this place... it's on a little hill....allright, it's a mound, but I still get a pretty good view of the hillside. There's always a nice breeze even on hot days. I'm no longer near a beach but I can live with it. One bad side: rats... mice...critters have gone through my......

Things That Have Been Done So Far:

The bathrooms of the place were pretty bad...the last owner took the fixtures (??) and the tubs were scratched up, so I decided to remodel the bathrooms. The contractor took two weeks to finish with one week lost in the middle due to missing supplies. I couldn't live in the place with holes in place of toilets, so I ended up staying with my sister longer than expected. The end total cost came out abit higher than I had initially budgeted since I ended up ripping off the carpet since the last owners' two bulldogs had a field day on those carpets and putting in laminate wood flooring.

For funding, I decided to take out my secret stash, in the form of a CD, that I had not included in my net worth calculations earlier (It was supposed to be the ultimate backup money...I basically lied to myself and made myself believe I never had it, so that I won't spend it...although it obviously didn't work). I hated to cash out the CD mid cycle, since I had to pay $89 as penalty but I knew that I'd never get around to redoing the place after I've fully moved and I have no savings left due to the downpayment. It's just abit easier to work on an empty place.

Here's the breakdown to help me remember what I did to this place when the time comes to sell in five years:

Laminate wood flooring: $ 2,200
Kitchen, hallway, & bathroom recessed lighting: $800
Two bathroom remodeling (floor, cultured slabs, sliding doors, tub, & toilet): $ 5,700 (original $5,000 estimate/overboard by $300 and $400 for putting in ceramic tiles for both bathroom floors.)
Interior Painting: $ 200
Miscellaneous (replacement of screen doors, dryer hookups, other labor costs, etc): $100

Regrets:

Not getting multiple estimates for the work. I got lazy and got only two estimates.
Being lax with the contractor. They really did take their own sweet time.

Slowly, I'm building my emergency fund again.. it's now at $4,567.56 and gradually building up. I have stopped contributing to the Roth IRA for now, while I build up the emergency fund up to $20,000. $20,000, because it's approximately 6 months worth of mortgage and cost of living.

Slowly but surely, I'll get there.....the hare may pass me... heck, even the turtle may pass me, but I'll get there.

Moving House!!

2006-03-04T00:55:00.000-08:00

New Home!!!

I have not been posting much at all due to all the organizing and packing.... I'm moving to my new condo in a month and I have to leave the current house clean and bare for the next renter.

Since I just entered a 30-day escrow for the condo this week and I need to be out of the current place in three weeks, there is going to be a gap of two weeks where I won't have a place to store my belongings (I'll stay at my sister's house).

I will have one of the two rooms rented at the new condo to help pay the mortgage payment. There's going to be alot more budgeting from now on but I'm excited about the new challenges ahead of me.

I'm hoping that during this month, I can have a few things I own sold through craigslist. I just need to get rid of the clutter. Something I have been procrastinating on. Mainly, I am trying to sell my xbox system and games. I used to be a computer/video game freak and now, I just don't have much spare time to play games anymore. Also, I've listed a drafting table, other types of tables, and an old dvd player as well.

The Budget!!!!

By this time next month, I will have a more precise picture what my monthly expense budget (excluding mortgage payment, property tax, and HOA fee) would be. But, for now, I have allotted approximately $700 to $800 per month for utilities, cell phone, high speed internet, gasoline, food, entertainment, car insurance, etc. Hopefully, I'll have around $300 and a little extra left over per month for savings, until I get two small raises in July and September.....when, hopefully, I can save abit more then. I'm still going to keep saving 21% of my income through work's 457 retirement plan. I plan to partially fund my roth ira with the extra income I get from the side job......either that or save that money for minor interior improvements/purchases for my new place..................OR to restart my travel fund.

Mini Getaway In New Mexico & SW Colorado

2006-02-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

Costs

Air ticket = Free + $10 processing fee (Thank you, frequent flyer miles)
Four day car rental with AAA discount = $ 129.00
Three nights stay at various budget stays = $110.00
Food = $20
Gas= ~$30
Various buys (posters, prints, books, etc, mainly about Mesa Verde National Park) = $80

Getting severely sick on first day of vacation, being rushed to the emergency room, and then IV dripped for three of the four days of "getaway" in a lonely hospital room in a remote New Mexio town..................

Priceless

Apartment Hunting

2006-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

I have been going apartment hunting the last couple of weekends and am finding out that I'm spending way too much time stressing out about every little thing. But then, if I don't stress over every little thing, there is no way I can afford an apartment. The sad part is that even after I own an apartment, I'd still have to rent out the extra room to make the monthly payments. So far, I estimate that I can only save $50 to $100 per month. I'm still keeping the same contributions to 457k plan. Although, I plan to change the contribution amount from $300 to $200 per month to the roth ira (Or I might even have to hold off on the monthly roth ira contributions for the next few months until I can get more projects to do on the side). Of course, all of this will occurr only IF I end up purchasing an apartment.

Note: My definition of an apartment is the same as what other southern californians call a condo.

If anyone's reading this, here's a "fun" question: Which one would you rather have....a condo with an attached parking garage, or a detached parking garage, or just have a carport and a parking space? The latter would be the cheapest in price.

February 2006 Net Worth Update

2006-02-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

My net worth jumped up abit this time because a couple of outstanding invoices were finally paid to me. That leaves one more outstanding invoice remaining. I hope it comes in soon since February will be a spending month due to a short trip I'm making to New Mexico as well as a couple of events occurring, which would inevitably need some spending. Then, in March, I'm going to Vegas for a bachelorette party of a very close cousin of mine. In April, her wedding. With all the spending months ahead of me, I really hope I get more side projects during this month and next.

I heard about the crazy postal worker who shot and killed five people and seriously wounded one in Goleta, California. I don't know the whole story but it might have been associated with some major job stress and dissatisfaction!!!

Now, I'm going back to bed to nurse this cold that just won't quit..

The DVD Splurge of the Month

2006-01-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

For a few years now, I have kept a list of DVDs/movies I want to buy and own sometime in the future. This "To Own" list has become a rather long list. But whenever I give in to the urge to buy something (arrgh..I must control thee!), I tend to go over to Blockbuster's and search for any of movies I've put on my "want" list on their "get 3 DVDs for $25 dollar deal" shelves (available with previously viewed DVDs).

While I'm aware that $25 to spend on movies at any one time is expensive, I try to find three that are already on my list. Also, there are usually recent big releases in the pre-viewed section as well. Last night, I got Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sin City -Extended Edition (whoever traded it in....Thank you..Thank you!!!), and Empire Falls miniseries for $25.00.

Not bad if you're patient, don't mind browsing every single row, can adhere to buying only the ones you really want, and have time on your hands.

Dreaming of Condos In .......Chino?!!!!

2006-01-31T10:45:00.000-08:00

The Condo I wish I can buy soon is in Chino, located in Riverside County, where cows still add fragrance to the air. However, Chino seems to be where the cheaper two bedroom condos are still at (in the $220,000 to $350,000 range). Also, the cows are reported to be on the move by 2007.

I've thought about Long Beach as well, however, condos in Long Beach are more like converted apartments and the neighborhood's crime rate is higher than in Chino. Of course, I can't afford any of it now but I've been keeping watch over the price ranges in order to get a feel for the local trend.

Odd Money Opportunity 2 Update

2006-01-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I counter-proposed this to my dad. The answer was vague. In fact, I'm still confused now as to what the answer was. I believe it might have been a maybe...a possibility. I think it's along the lines of "I'll believe it when I see it". Ah, well, it's still worth the try!

I've been sick lately and been in a haze the last couple of days. I don't like taking cold medicine so I've just been loading up on water and vitamin C. Here's saying goodbye to nearly two years of illness-free living!

Another Odd Money Opportunity..Sort Of

2006-01-24T16:23:00.000-08:00

At the end of last year, my dad proposed that he will pay for liposuction as well as stomach stapling surgery if I will seriously choose to have them to shed excess weight this year. At first, I felt insulted since I feel that all he sees of me is a fat woman who is "running out of time"...his words. Although, I do see that this is one of his ways of showing me that he loves me and wants me to be healthy.

I'm big but I'm not grotesquely obese! I don't qualify for a stomach stapling surgery anyway. But I am thinking of couter-proposing on his offer. I would propose that if I can lose the excess weight this year via regular exercise and healthful eating habits, he can just give me the money he would have spent on my liposuctions, and allow me to save that money! I am not sure how he'll respond to it. Probably a "no...or a maybe". It won't hurt to ask. What he doesn't know is that I've already lost four pounds since the time of his proposal, and I am confident that I will lose more.

Gosh, I am so spoiled. *Note* The First Odd Money Opportunity was as post in November, 2005. Somehow, that post is not showing up as its own html page and I don't know how to link to it.

*EDIT*

Thanks to Jane Dough at Bostongal's Openwallet , here's the link to the other Odd Money Opportunity .

Mutual Fund Exchanges In Roth IRA

2006-01-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

After I recovered from the weekend trauma, involving a horrible "friend" who left me stranded on Friday night at her boyfriend's place until six a.m. on Saturday, I decided that I'm going to tinker with the funds I have in the Roth IRA account at American Funds. I know...I know...I need to figure out a better way to release anger :)!!

Since, I already buy the Bond Fund of America (ABNDX) through work's 457b Plan , I decided to exchange the bond shares with their New World fund (NEWFX), an emerging market fund. Originally, the bond shares were bought with a load charge of 3.75%. The New World shares require a 5.75% load charge on shares bought, normally. However, since I'm exchanging ABNDX shares with NEWFX shares, no additional load charges were applied to the shares that were transferred. Great...I got a 5.75% load fund while only having paid 3.75%. I'm not sure if I can keep doing this (buying the bond fund first and then exchanging out the shares) whenever I want to invest in 5.75% load funds. No redemption fees apply since I'm still keeping the money in American Funds. Since capital gains will have to be considered, I won't be able to keep the automatic investment plan if I were to go with this method. Instead, maybe a once a year transfer will do and with an accumulated lump sum.

Or maybe I should just abandon American Funds and their load charges altogether and open up a roth ira at Fidelity, instead. I have a rollover ira with a $2,500 amount with Fidelity in a Freedom Fund. So far, I'm happy with the results over there.

If only exchanging out bad friends with good ones are this easy... (sigh).