So Broke It Hurts!

Mortgage Refi

2012-08-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

So, i don't know if i mentioned before that I have been trying to refi my house. I bought my first house at age 23 with some money that my wonderful grandfather, "Pa", left me. My mother died when I was 12, so her inheritance was divided between my sister and I.

I did well on the sale of that house during the "boom" and put that money down on this one. I didn't "over buy". This is a "modest" home (by San Diego standards). She's the size of a "postage stamp", but her layout is really nice so she doesn't feel like she's tiny.

BUT, she is.

And her value has declined and declined.... {humpf}

THANK GOODNESS that I put as much down when I bought her b/c that is the only thing that has allowed me to refinance!!!

And, DON'T MAKE ME GO BACK ON MY RANT ABOUT REFINANCING b/c all of the people who didn't pay their mortgages and got a break? Yeah - YOU PISS ME OFF!! I'm struggling like heck to pay mine and all of you got to refi WAY before *I* did!!!

But, Obama FINALLY changed the "rules" in January to allow people like me: I bought a house, the value went down, I still paid the mortgage, the value went down some more, but I still had equity, but had NO income b/c this economy sucks!!!!!

I "accidentally" called GMAC about what I could do.... They had already told me "no" so many times that I don't know what made me call again!!! But, "OH! There was a new program starting back in January" - well, I was already pissed. I mean, I had already been in contact with them last year and they had declined me for a refi b/c "I wasn't in default" - really??? I was the GOOD one! I *PAID* my mortgage and b/c of that, *I* was being declined!!! But now, suddenly, there was a new program, and *I* qualified!! And they didn't bother to call and let me know???? UGH!!!

Fine. New program. I qualify. I applied. The average closing time was 60 days.

First of all, because my credit score has declined I will pay a higher rate (while it makes sense that they feel that I will be less likely to repay it, I have no money so I need the lower payment!). Then, the 60 days average time, that was right around my payment so I hoped I would get to skip that one. You get to skip at least one payment when you close a refinanced loan. Nope. It was going to be longer. Then the next payment was to be due. STILL NOTHING!!! I had to pay that one too!

Also, they screwed up the loan package FOUR TIMES!!! Really??? How many times should you have to correct a mortgage company before they get THE ADDRESS OF THE HOME THAT THEY ARE FINANCING correct??? These are probably some of the issues that lead this country into this MESS to begin with!!!

From the start until the guy came to my office to sign the documents, it was 104 days. And don't you know it but he FORGOT ONE! They Fed Ex'd it to my home (I was away at a friend's wedding so it sat at my house several days) and said that it could delay my closing!

This refi was important - Not only was it the fact that I would have the reduced payment by lowering the monthly payment , but I could skip a full mortgage payment! That's huge!!! To any of us struggling out there, $1900 per month is a CRAP LOAD of money!!!

It's done.

I checked online tonight (b/c of course, I haven't received anything from THEM saying it's done). And apparently, the screwed things up so badly that I get an immediate principal paydown of about $900. Yeah - that screams "error!"

I am simply irate about the whole thing.

No one ever replied to my questions.

The process took WAY longer than it should have and I had NO issues.

I don't use the word often, but I DO have hatred towards GMAC and Ally Bank.

They both can..... {explitive deleted}

Sorry I've Been Gone So Long...

2012-08-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

I think of my poor blog very often!!!

But, sadly, I work 5 jobs and I just don't have any spare time. There are a LOT of things I should be doing right now. Not the least of which is CLEAN THIS HOUSE!!!

There are no cleaning people coming by (like, back in the 'hay day'). The funny thing is that, back then, things were so busy at the store that I felt that I didn't have the time to clean the house myself. Now, ironically, things are SO SLOW at the store, that I have too many jobs to try to cover the basics that *I* don't have time to clean the house....

It's a terrible irony.

Still broke.

Still sad.

Still fighting filing bankruptcy...

My wonderful Jeep Grand Cherokee!!!

2012-06-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Oh!!!! She was so wonderful! The POWER! And she was the limited edition so she had ALL of the amenities!!!

Well, I tried to get a loan off of her value. Declined.

Tried again. Declined.

My fiance said he would co-sign (he has IMPECABLE credit). Declined. (well, we could have gotten a teeny tiny loan on her but that wasn't worth the hassle!)

ARG!!!!

So, we went a different route. And I'm going to let you in on some "secrets" too, while I'm at it!!

-------

One of my newer jobs (started in March) is a 50+ mile round trip, stuck in traffic, drive three times a week.

My Jeep got HORRIBLE gas mileage - between 12-15 mpg in that situation, so we searched for cars with great gas mileage. Of course, the hybrids come up on top, but we don't have "room to spare" in our financial life and the whole issue with the battery dying and whether it happens in or out of warranty - that kept us away from hybrids at this point.

Then, there was not only MPG but price and value. Plus, the GIANT 90 pound dog which needs to fit in the car.

So, we decided on the Honda Fit. 28 city, 35 highway. Pretty good! And Honda's have a great reputation.

My fiance is a BIG fan of used vehicles, so we looked at 'slightly used' Fits (they haven't been out too long so they can only be "slightly" used.). We were SHOCKED to find them at virtually the same price as new ones!!! (So, they really hold their values!)

We shopped around for the best trade in value on the Jeep. We DEFINITELY could have done better if we sold her ourselves, but I'm not confident in her status and didn't want to have someone coming back to me saying she needed work done (She is great, runs great, but I haven't had her on regular maintenance because I can't afford to, so I'm just not sure if there is something looming that I'm unaware of...), plus, I never actually got the title when the loan was paid in full (NOTE TO YOU!!! If you have a car that is paid in full, GO THROUGH THE HASSLE to get the lien holder off of the title!! It is SUCH a pain in the ass and they NEVER have your same sense of urgency when you need it! They say it could take up to 6 weeks!!!!).

Moral of the story, we bought a brand new, downgraded in luxury but WAYYYYY upgraded in gas mileage, Honda Fit.

The other TIP I'm going to give is that they are giving me the cash outright on the Jeep. We financed the full value of the new car at new car rates (we were able to get 1.99%!!). When we get the new title, we will take the money from the sale of the Jeep and pay off a credit card that is at 26.99% and another that is at 19.99% and then put some aside. We will be WAY ahead of ourselves! Plus, have some spare cash and a little breathing room on our credit cards.

We aren't going to be out of debt by any stretch of the imagination - we'll actually be MORE in debt - but the debt is at SUCH a low interest rate that in the long run, we will be better off. And, again, it's that "breathing room". Yes, we'll probably fill up those cc's again with trips we need to make this summer, but at least we'll be able to make them!

It's been a while....

2012-06-10T00:23:00.001-07:00

OH! I have so much to share with you!!! (no, I didn't win the lottery! Everything is not really 'good' news by anyone's measure, but it's news, none-the-less).

So, I quit one of my jobs. If you recall, I had 5. Along with running my own retail business, I worked part time at 4 other endeavors. Yeah.... That couldn't keep going! I'm 42! SHEESH!!

BUT, the "one to go" BEGGED me to stay on periodically. So, while I say that "I quit", I didn't really. I'll help him out with his work next Tuesday afternoon and continue to do that once or twice a month.

But it was nice to have a break for even just those two afternoons a week!!!

Ok. More to come. I have a TON to tell you but I have SUCH limited time! {sigh}

What Kind of Car are you Driving???

2012-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Is your car paid off?

Or, if it's a newer vehicle, is the remaining loan lower than the value?

Or is the remaining value the same, but the current rates are way better??

These are just three scenarios where your car could help you out. Depending on the value, mileage, and age of your vehicle, even if you have it paid in full, you might be able to refinance or get a loan off of your car/suv/truck/van/RV/Boat....

My bank doesn't do them, so you might want to start directly with your local credit union. Even if you don't have an account with them, find one close/convenient to you and approach them about it.

Credit Unions WANT customers! I don't "get" the difference but credit unions seem WAY more eager for customers. And their rates are WAY better.

So, I have a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I think it was initally $27k. Now, she is paid in full.

I am close to the end of being able to refinance this car. So, I can't remember the exact details but both the age of the vehicle and the mileage were a factor -after a certain point, they can't do them at all.
So, I'm working on this now. *I* don't qualify but my sweetie said he would co-sign (is he a keeper, or what?!).

But hey, if I/he can get this loan, then that will be about $5000 that I can use to pay bills!

Now, out of that $5k, I will give him 3-6 months of payments on the loan that he can hold so that he knows that they are covered.

Don't be stupid and get that cash out and not plan for at least a few months! (of course, you should be planning for ALL months and how to pay off this loan! especially if you are involving a co-signer!)

So, the "advice" here is:

if you have an asset that you can refinance, check with your local credit union
shop around for the lowest rates, but beware of having your credit report pulled too many times (it lowers your overall credit rating)
if your CU says "no", ask a relative to co-sign
if you get the loan, immediately pull aside at least 3-6 months payments. Put them in ingdirect.com. you can't get at the money immediately (so, no impulse buying) and you get good interest and have a safety net.

Today I'm Sad....

2012-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I came to the realization that I seriously needed to try to find new homes for my kitties. (I have 5 cats; all rescues).

They aren't all getting along anymore: mommy's never home because she works so much and Baby Bob died so Robert is angry and agressive; and Charlie found another home; then we took in a cat who was being abused, but Robert doesn't like her; and blah blah blah.

So, between everyone not getting along and the blood and fur everywhere, not to mention the lashing out in behaviors (pee in inappropriate places; hissing fits; SCREAMING bloody murder fights) it's NOT COOL.

So, I did something I ***NEVER*** thought I would do: I posted on Facebook for friends to try to find homes for a few of the cats.

It was hard to do. So hard!!!!

What was worse? A guilt trip from someone about giving them up. And how much harder HER life has been than mine, but she kept her pets. At first, I just replied, responded to her statements - how hard it was. And that I would never abandon any of them, but one of them lives under the bed and that is no life and on and on. Total "defensive mode".

Then as the evening went by - I was at Choir rehearsal (for a non-profit charitable choir I sing with) I started thinking more about it. And I started getting angry. And I had to excuse myself twice because I started to cry. When I got home, I wrote her again and told her my feelings. She replied immediately with "I don't mean to make you feel that way, but...." but then again how her life is so much harder and "I wouldn't have offered to help if..."

None of it made me feel better. I feel worse actually.

Interestingly, I've never actually met this person. She is a friend of a DEAR friend of mine. I had always heard about her and we "connected" over facebook. And we have ALWAYS seen eye-to-eye! So this is weird. Unchartered territory. I'm essentially "in a fight" with a stranger.

Alternate train of thought here: I heard an article on NPR on Monday about language. This guy was studying words. (pardon me for not remembering his name, university, study, etc - i'm driving so I'm actually paying attention to the road and the rest is "comfort" information in my mind). Anyway, in this guy's study, the word "I" is important. If you use the word "I" in your sentence a lot, then, essentially, you are deferring seniority to the other person in the conversation. So, *I* guess that *I* shouldn't feel so bad because she used the word "I" a bunch in the conversation. So, maybe she WAS trying to make me feel better. But I only felt worse.

Animals are the unseen victim of this economy.

Incidentally, while I have been writing this, I had break up two cat fights - one where Robert had an almost absurd amount of Bella's fur hanging from his mouth (it would have been funny if i wasn't so pissed!).

Miss Piper is currently taking a bath behind me getting ready to settle in for a nap.

And KC has positioned herself on the desk in front of me with her purr on full-tilt!

They are crazy but I love them!

Epic Fail!

2012-05-01T22:34:00.001-07:00

I clearly SUCK at writing a blog!!! First, you need time, which i don't have. Second, you need dedication, but I am an AMAZING procrastinator so I kept telling myself, "I'll do it tomorrow!" like somehow MAGICALLY I'd have more time tomorrow! UGH!

Today alone I found that I missed two SERIOUS deadlines - one for Scripps Health to not send me to collections (that was due a week ago) and one for a class at my business (she asked on 4/19 about whether we could get a product in or not).

I just hate that type of stuff!!

And my "easiest" job - looking after my friends' condo (they are military and got moved to DC) - they have their THIRD water leak/issue in less than 18 months. Yes, THREE! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! They NEVER had a problem before and now a toilet was slowly leaking into the unit below, then we had a scare that we had anotehr leak in the kitchen but it was a drain outside, and today I got the call that there is a leak in the OTHER bathroom leading into the downstairs condo. I don't even have time to meet the plumber over there so all of that will have to go site-unseen (by me) and just cross my little fingers.

Are you going out of town?

2012-04-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Save electricity while you are gone!!!

Turn off the computer. Unplug the toaster.

Are you leaving for a long time? Unplug practically everything! DVR, VCR, etc. Turn the heat or air off or way down.

And TURN DOWN THE HOT WATER HEATER! If you have even a decent HWH, you can turn it WAY down and still have a comfortable shower. Of course, remember, if you do that, to run the water to get it hot enough before running your Dishwasher or you might not end up with clean dishes. But if you don't run it often, you should consider it.

My Sad Little Blog....

2012-04-16T18:49:00.003-07:00

Not that anyone was reading it anyway, but I feel terribly guilty that I have neglected her so over the last month+.

I have 5 jobs so, obviously, I've got minimal time. I actually quit one of my jobs today. I gave two weeks notice, but I just couldn't do it anymore. It was just two afternoons a week for 3 hours each, but it was quite a drive and was crammed in between two other things on each side and the money wasn't that great. I had an opportunity to work tomorrow for twice as much and had to decline it. And my "most-money" job has an opportunity for more hours, so I just had to do it.

I'm moving the blog up higher on the list.

Let's all cross our fingers! :)

{YAWN!!!}

2012-03-23T20:15:00.001-07:00

Sorry to be MIA....

(not that anyone is reading this, but still...I vowed to keep it going)

But I was SICK! SICK! SICK! Laid out flat on the couch for 4 days! Ugh! It was awful! I could barely walk the dog to the corner of the street to 'take care of business'.

BUT I'm better. AND, I started my new job this week! So, I've been BUSY! And SO TIRED! Between the cold and working 5 jobs, ugh.... I need a nap!So, since I'm exhausted, I'm not going to go "deep" on this one. But I wanted to check-in and make sure to post something... So, I'm going to talk about "savings".

You are thinking, "SAVING??? I HAVE NO MONEY?! HOW CAN I SAVE?" But re-read it... I'm talking about "Savings"... as in a savings account.

There are a couple of really good ones out there, but my favorite account is ING Direct.

They post interest monthly, so you can actually see your interest being earned - regardless of how small it is, the constant "reminder" is good!

Their interest is WAY more than a brick & mortar bank (they are primarily online) so, while it is still practically nothing right now, it's still MUCH more than you would get at your traditional bank.

And, yes, I checked them out - fully FDIC insured. They offer IRAs also (just basic ones), and a few mortgages (short term).

So, you still say that you have no money, but what about for a few weeks out of the month? Do you have money that you could move in there for two weeks and then move back to pay your bills? Now, with ING, be careful b/c it takes 3 days to transfer and a week to be available to get it back, BUT, you can always open an ING checking account and then, you can pay your bills from there too.

Again, be careful with their "availability" timeline, but even if you are just tucking away your money that you will use to pay your property taxes, you may as well earn a couple of bucks on it...

Good luck!

Keeping current is one thing...

2012-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

I like to keep current on news and events. But I do NOT have time to read the paper. And I see so many people in the same position - they NEVER read it. It sits piling up in front of their house for 4-5 days until they finally bring them all in and put them immediately, unopened, unread - straight into the recycle bin.

Now, if you are a big coupon user (which I am) and you ALWAYS go through the Sunday paper and get the coupons and you USE them also, then maybe keep your weekend subscription, but better yet, stop and JUST pick up the Sunday paper!

My neighbor has been out of work for almost 2 years, but still has the paper delivered. And they sit for DAYS in front of her house. I look at it every morning as I'm walking the dog and think, "What a waste of money!"

Cancel the paper if you don't have time! You can read the news online, on your phone, or watch it on tv. You can set up news alerts to come via emial if something important is going on.

Of course, if you LOVE sitting and reading the paper - then keep it. We need to have that ONE "splurg" thing that makes us happy - even if we are "as broke as a joke!"

And then there were five...

2012-03-18T19:20:00.002-07:00

I GOT THE JOB!!!

Well, I got TWO jobs this week!

I have to look back to see if I told you about the first - a 2 afternoon/week Personal Assistant Job... it doesn't pay much, but it's something. And the guy THINKS he's super organized but he makes everything so incredibly complicated that he gets so bogged down and then forgets to do stuff... like pay his rent or send his daughter a birthday card. The guy could use a simple "Perpetual Calendar" to organize his whole life, but instead has books and books with tabs and indexes and procedures that are just not necessary for one guy running a small business out of his apartment.... But hey, if he wants 6 hours a week of bogged-downness at his expense, that's his choice. Hopefully one day, he will allow me to change it.

And then today, I received an email that I got a 2-3 day per week (16-24 hr) "REAL" job! For a real company, with an office, and an IT guy, and set days and hours... And decent money! Not like I used to make, but I've been out of the corporate world for almost 10 years. And, it's part-time. I'm not naiive enough to think that a part-time position would pay NEARLY what a full time position would.

So, now

I own and work at my store
I manage a condo for a friend
I'm a personal assistant to a scientist 1-2 half days/wk
I'm a personal assistant to a stock trader 2-3 half days/wk
I'm the office manager/accountant for that company 2-3 full days/wk

OH! And I'm on the cusp of getting engaged (ring has been ordered) and I sing and dance with a Choral group 1 night per week.

I made a chart to keep it all straight, but it should work. PRAY that my car doesn't break down or I'm SCREWED!

And one last thing, I caught a NASTY cold and have been flat on my back for 2 days, so I need to hurry up and get rid of this thing ASAP! Going to the Minute Clinic at CVS tomorrow for an antibiotic, becuase Zicam, Vitamin C, and Decongestant alone aren't doing enough! BAD TIMING!

Taking it easy today...

2012-03-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

Ok, I've been sharing a lot of "heavy" advice. I was trying to get out some of the biggest earning/savings items first, but I'm going to take this was easy.

It's not going to save you a million dollars, but it will save you some money, be healthy for you, and is good for the environment.

How much water do you drink every day? You are supposed to drink 1.0 liter for every 50lbs of weight (according to my chiropractor).

But, are you grabbing those 16.9oz single serving water bottles every morning on your way out the door?

I totally stopped doing that. As of the day that I'm writing this, Ralph's has an ad for their water $3.77 for a 32 case of 16.9oz water bottles. Plus CRV (there's no tax on water bottles). CRV in California is 5¢ on bottles less than 24oz. So, that is $5.37 per case of no-name-brand water. Maybe you grab two per day? Or three? And are they half drank and then thrown away? It is so much waste!

First of all, you should be recycling. BUT, we don't get the full value of the CRV back. And if you are grabbing sodas instead of waters, the soda IS taxed and therefore the CRV is taxed! Yup - they tax you on that - did you know that? You don't get the tax back on the redemption.

So, I started buying one 1.5 liter water bottles and then at night, I empty what's left over, clean it, and refill it with fresh, filtered water from my refrigerator. You can fill it at night and put it in the fridge to be nice and chilled the next morning.

After maybe a month or two, I retire that bottle to the recycle bin and get a new one.

I always have fresh water. I am WAY up on my water intake. And I'm saving a little money - I never need to stop an buy a water because I ran out.

Having trouble filling the water bottle from the refrigerator spout? Use a funnel. I keep it in the drawer closest to the fridge. It's just fresh clean water so it doesn't need to be washed - it can just be tossed back in the drawer.

Girls Just Want To Have FUN!!!

2012-03-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ok. So, we are broke. NO money. So, no fun, right?

WRONG!!!

You will go crazy! You will be mean or sad or horrible and boring and just not good.

You can NOT just go home every day and watch TV. You can't have cold cereal for breakfast, PB&J for lunch and Ramon noodles for dinner for your ENTIRE LIFE! You would simply die of boredom, if the salt from the Ramon noodles didn't get you first!

But, we have to be smart. So, here's a couple of thoughts.

I ♥LOVE♥ wine! But wine is EX-PEN-SIVE!!! But "Two Buck Chuck" (Charles Shaw at Trader Joe's) is, as the name implies, $2 a bottle! And it's decent! Some of the varieties have won awards! So, don't buy a $10 bottle of wine, buy a $2 bottle of wine. And that goes for kind of everything. Do you REALLY need that name brand?
I like dining out! So, look for Groupons, Living Social Deals, etc for restaurants that you KNOW you like! Those website only run deals that are AT LEAST 50% off. Now, don't take a chance on some random or terribly expensive place, but the pizza/pasta place up the street did an online deal and I got $30 worth of food & drink for $15 (read the fine print before purchasing). And, in the state of California (not true everywhere) the amount you pay (the $15 in this case) NEVER EXPIRES! It's illegal for it to expire! So, you don't lose anything.
Gift Card Promotions. More and more restaurants are doing promotional gift cards at the holidays where you buy a $100 gift card and you get a promotional one for $25 or whatever. If you are going to eat there anyway and it's not uber expensive, why not? You CANNOT sit at home every night - you'll go crazy! Now, again, in California, since the early 90's, a gift card cannot expire. **BUT** a "promotional gift card" CAN expire! So, use that promo one first and before the expiration date!
Do you have a smart phone? Look for Facebook and Yelp "Check in Deals". Our favorite Sushi place, Poway Sushi Lounge, where we get our annual holiday Promo gift certificates, ALSO has a check-in deal on Facebook for free garlic edamame! YUM!

AND REMEMBER! If you are tipping on a "deal' or coupon, you tip the waitstaff on the FULL VALUE of the meal before the coupon, NOT on what you paid! Be cool about it.

SIDEBAR: I have reminders set in my phone to go off 30 days before one expires so that I get the full value out of it. And space these out so that you don't use them all up at once and then have nothing. Pace yourself!

BIG NOTE: Before buying from an online company that you have never heard of, try looking it up on SiteJabber.com first! We bought a deal from a company and it turned out to be no good and when we looked on SiteJabber there were TONS of reviews about that website and how it screwed it's customers. So, check there before using some new website that you've never heard of before.

SIDEBAR: Interview update

2012-03-14T22:30:00.001-07:00

So, today was interesting.

I started my day off by having a gal come by the store to look at some fixtures. she ended up buy more than she initially stated she was interested in. YAY!

Then, we had this CUTE, older guy come in. He came in to tell us about a project he had had the staff work on before and he was returning to tell us HOW PLEASED he was. Well, he continued to tell me the he is a Dr and that he helps "at risk youth" and he went on about what he did and this idea he had... he wanted to be able to hand out, essentially, a business card with a special message from him, and i had the products and i pulled them and told him how to do it and his look went blank... "I suppose someone at Kinko's could do this for me..." and i was thinking about ALL that they would charge him and we had NO customers in the store (did i mention that the economy has made our business SLOW!???!) and he was so sweet, and..........

I volunteered to do it all for him. he broke out his credit card. if the first print had worked, i was going to charge him for the paper: $0.92.

But it didn't work. So, i told him i was going to take it home and print it and that I'd have it back tomorrow. (still quoted the $0.92). he pulled out a $10 bill and said, "have a glass of wine on me". i jokingly replied, "ahhh! you've got my number there!". We finalized everything and he asked, "what kind of wine do you drink?" I said, "I'm a Pinot Grigio girl, all of the way!" He said, "I think I have a couple of bottles of that".

He was adorable. I was SO happy to help him! I LOST money on the transaction b/c our printers at the store demolished the paper I was trying to print on. (same exact style is here at home but it works FINE! WHATEVER!). But he is helping kids, and I put forth good Karma into the world.

Then, I had switched shifts with someone so that I could go to my interview this morning... Well, after the fixture people and the guy, I WAS RUNNING LATE! I couldn't believe it! I built in 2 hours to get home (6 miles/15 minutes-ish) change my clothes (10 minutes max!), bleach teeth while doing other stuff, add warpaint aka makeup (5 minutes? 10?), print my references on "good" paper (5 minutes MAX), grab a bit to eat (10 minutes?), brush teeth (5 minutes) and head out the door. It was 30 minutes away, so:
15+10+10+5+10+5= 55 minutes prep and then it's only 30 minutes away so, I'd be there 35 minutes early.

NOPE!

had to stop at the bank. +5
drive home was hampered by stop lights +5
neighbor unexpectedly cornered me to say she is moving to OREGON! +10
had to run back by the store b/c an item for my PA client arrived +10

now, I'm only 5 minutes early and i don't know where to park!

thankfully, i was able to "go faster than was projected by gps" (i don't want to say that i was speeding and have some authority give me a ticket) and somehow i made up some ground, but wow.... it was a harrowing day!

AND,
my interview went for nearly 4 hours so after a while, i started to fret about being parked in a "2 hour zone". Thankfully, no ticket.

of course, after 4 hours, it would be nice to confidentially state that i have the job, but i cannot. it's still up in the air.

I did call the new personal assistant guy and I'm going to start with him on Friday.

I made a chart to keep current on when I am where - no joke. That's how complicated my life/work schedule has gotten.....

{sigh}

I need a raise!

2012-03-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, don't we all?!!!

But there was something that I read online the other day, I found QUITE interesting! And I'm not certain how it would work, but I thought I would share it just in case...

It was an article about avoiding paying income tax. Sounds intriguing right?

Well, it wasn't as juicy as I had hoped, but one thing that they did say, was about getting a raise from your company.

We all want more money, right? Maybe you are up for a promotion or pay increase, but the money isn't a lot or so much is coming out in taxes that it doesn't trickle down into your pocket....

How about: instead of asking your boss for a raise, ask for better health insurance coverage? Especially if you are going to the doctor a lot, have diabetes, have young children, are thinking about getting pregnant, have teens who need braces, etc.

Can your employer give you a better insurance plan that will decrease the amount that you spend monthly/annually at the doctor/dentist?

I don't know how feasible it is. It's a whole Human Resources thing, but the guy writing the article mentioned it and I found it very interesting! Maybe it's very tricky, but it's worth a shot!

Btw, the employer wins, too. By not paying you more payroll, they save on employer taxes and worker's compensation insurance (Paid by the employer based on how much income they pay at straight time) and you are a happier employee!

And maybe, by suggesting it to your boss that it's a win-win for both parties, that he will see you as being an "outside of the box" thinker, or as a "team player" and you'll get the promotion, the raise, AND the better benefits!!!! :)

SIDEBAR: Interview is tomorrow!

2012-03-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

I switched my schedule at my store so that I could go. I 'm SO thankful that my staff is so helpful and supportive!

The interview is at 2pm tomorrow. I'm excited and terribly nervous about it. I have a FULL PAGE of references to offer. I bought a new skirt to wear. And my car is getting new brakes today (had to scrape up for that one, but my neighbor's having it done at his work, so I'm getting a good price, and I know I won't get screwed).

If I get this job, I will:

work at my store 3 mornings a week
work as a personal assistant for one guy 2 afternoons a week
work as a personal assistant for a different guy 1 evening a week
work for this company 2-3 days a week (hopefully 3)
and have music/dance rehearsal one night a week
plus manage my friend's condo

I made a chart to be sure that I could fit it all in and keep it straight! AND still have time to be with my sweetie.

And, even with all of that, it will take quite a while to get caught up. Creditors are calling and they are starting to be MEAN! :(

Pray for me tomorrow at 2pm!

Don't cut off your nose to spite your face!

2012-03-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

I pay about $93 a month for my cell phone - I have an iPhone.

I ♥ my iPhone!!!

We are in a serious and committed relationship!!

So, I could never get rid of it.

And, I'm sure that you can't either. And that's totally fine! I don't want you to!

But you might be thinking that you can change your plan to save money.... That's an idea that I flirted with, but I'm getting close to running out of minutes these days (too many business phone calls), so I decided against it.

And I just heard on NPR an article about cell phone plans and data usage and I found out something VERY interesting which solidified my position:

If you have an unlimited Data Plan, they said that the cell phone companies are getting rid of those! Data usage is WAY higher than they ever expected and they are charging mega bucks for new plans and still limiting the data usage!

So, my unlimited data and unlimited texting, but only 450 cell phone minutes plan for $93 including taxes per month, I can't get that deal anymore.

It's early in the morning and I don't think I'm being as clear as I could be....

Don't go willy-nilly changing your cell phone plan to a lesser plan so that you can save a few pennies today if you are going to need that unlimited plan later!

If you save $10 a month now to spend $35 a month next year, you are behind. So, in this instance, I'm telling you to NOT save money. Stick it out. Pay the bill. And save in the long run.

Now, you can always check with your provider. Maybe they have other deals. And things could change. But my 18 month old plan is looking pretty good these days! I'm locked in at these pretty good prices.

Incidentally, same with my cable/internet/phone plan at home. I signed up for a bundle a couple of years ago. I saved money at the time because I switched my home phone (which was WAY too expensive!) and went to unlimited home calling, plus got two dvr's and a regular cable box, the highest speed internet, and the whole thing changed the bill maybe $50 more a month (for more services and then I canceled my home phone which was about $40/month).

Well, a while ago, I called to see what I could do and it was practically nothing because I was still within the contract period. But, I was able to cancel the 2nd phone line, and return the plain cable box, and lowered my internet speed, and I saved a bit.

But my phone and two DVRs and internet were still bundled and I was thinking that two DVR cable boxes was excessive and a luxury that I just didn't need. So I called Time Warner Cable again. They told me that because I did that bundle when I did, that I'm grandfathered into a program that is so low that if they remove BOTH DVR's, I'd actually pay MORE!

So, again, "don't cut off your nose to spite your face", meaning, choose WISELY which services you are going to cancel. Sometimes, you should just keep them.

Incidentally, if I didn't need internet at home for work maybe I would cancel it because I have my iPhone, but I have a website to maintain and business banking, etc that I need to do. So, I sadly pay the bill every month (but am thankful that it is WAY less than it used to be!!!). And I keep the home phone because it's a flat rate for unlimited minutes and remember that I'm close to running out of minutes on my cell phone.

Cash is King!

2012-03-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Or is it?
Cash can hurt you. Stay with me for a minute. This is some: "I don't want to get audited" advice...

So, I've already talked about several ways to get cash (aside from a job):

Recycling bottles & cans

Cashing in credit card rewards points

Asking family for help

Have a Garage Sale

and as of today, I have 5 more "get cash" topics scheduled for future posts.

So, that seems good, right? We get cash. We are happy. We pay our bills. Then our 'vendors' are happy. Win-Win. Right?

WRONG!

Or, should I say, "Not always".

My "wonderful" (<-- that is sarcasm) ex husband got me not only a full-bankruptcy, but a Federal Tax audit about 12 years ago.

One of the issues was money deposited into my bank account. I had to go through every single deposit that went into my personal bank account for two years. EVERY PENNY! I had to say exactly where the money came from, and if I didn't know exactly, they deemed it to be taxable income, made me pay taxes on it, plus a penalty for not filing it and for being late! It came up to about $27k. Nice, eh?! UGH! I hate that man!

And, my Godmother had the same type of issue happen to her. They owned two properties that were back-to-back. Her mother lived in one of them. When her mother died, her boss offered to rent the house and use it for business purposes. However, her boss had my Godmother pay for all expenses and then he reimbursed her. She had so much cash going through her bank account that the IRS stuck their nose in. She got a federal tax audit off of it too.

And, it doesn't matter how legitimate you are, they are going to find some reason to fine you.

So, a couple of pieces of "free advice":

If you get cash from something that you aren't going to report on your taxes, if you can, don't deposit it to your bank account. Use it for gas, car repairs, groceries, etc. Use it for something that is not entirely trackable.

Don't deposit cash that is not received from your W-2 or 1099 work.
If you do deposit cash that is legitimately received but isn't taxable income (such as recycling, or reselling merchandise through a garage sale) KEEP NOTES! Where did the money come from? Keep receipts from Recycling. Keep a copy of the advertisement for the garage sale - or a picture of your sale of stuff with customers in the mix.

One more thing, banks have started CHARGING for depositing too much cash - so there is one more reason to be cautious! The amount tends to be high, but still. Check out the "fine print" in your banking agreement before putting a bunch of cash in your account.

And remember: The IRS is watching!!!

CYA, my friends!

(CYA = Cover Your A$$!!)

SIDEBAR: INTERVIEW!!

2012-03-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, I had an interview, but first, I don't know why but my post didn't post at 6am... hummm... Not sure why it chose 4:31pm to finally post either! I had it ready for several days. Well, it's out there now.

But, back to the interview. It was this evening. I just got home a little bit ago. It's for a Personal Assistant position. He was nice, but I don't think he knows what he wants and I think he REALLY thinks it won't work. I suspect it is that he is cautious with his money and doesn't want to spend money that will be wasted. I also think he is worried about being misled. He seemed to keep challenging me to backup my statements.

So.... in the interest of being truly honest with him, I told him that I had another job interview scheduled. He seemed pissed at first: "Then why have you let me go on about this?" or something. I told him that I truly believed I could add both positions. He wants me to call him after my other interview.

Truly, I *DO* think I can add both, still work at my store, still keep my other client, be off nights (except Sunday nights during Football season - my one client). AND, I can still sing and dance with my music group on Tuesday nights. And still have Saturday afternoons and most of Sunday to be with the love of my life (he lives in LA so those are our usual times anyway).

Well, this might have been too much information, but I'm eager, excited, anxious, worried, confident, nervous, and all other emotions! I wonder if I'll be able to sleep tonight!

My neighbor used to be a hairdresser

2012-03-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

Can you barter for something?

Honestly, my neighbor told me that she used to be a hairdresser. Maybe she'd like a little extra cash and have some "girl time" and she would charge me less than the salon.

OR, does she need her lawn cut? Her car washed? Watch/walk her dog? SOMETHING! Or maybe she's always loved that spare Bistro table and chairs that I have in your garage. Maybe that's worth a cut and a color?

It's worth it to ask! You NEVER KNOW!!

Actually, I have been having my hair cut and colored by a friend in exchange for stuff for probably two years. It used to cost between $135-$190 each time to have my hair cut and colored at the salon I went to! I can't even believe that I paid that! And that was 3-4 times a YEAR!!! I am SHOCKED at how much I paid! I now pay $20 cash (the color and foils costs something so I give her a small amount of cash to cover that), plus whatever we exchange.

Now, keep in mind, the government does NOT like bartering. Why? Because they don't get a "piece of the action"! Where are the taxes on bartering? NO WHERE! (Another part of the beauty of it!). At least in CA, there isn't sales tax on services, but technically there should be some income tax in there somewhere. And if we are bartering for products, then there should be sales tax. And THE GOVERNMENT WANTS IT! So, just FYI, it's not entirely legal unless you go through a "bartering company" and they take care of taxes.

BUT, what the government doesn't know won't hurt you. (hopefully!)

So, just remember, I'm not telling you to break the law or violate anything. I'm just saying that it's something to think about.

How to kill a Saturday morning: Garage Sale!

2012-03-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, those dreaded two words. But you HAVE to do it! There are tons of household items that I used to donate to charity. That was back when I had the "luxury" to do it and take the tax write off. I have SO MUCH loss roll over that I'm not going to need those tax write offs for a very long time!

So, I apologize to those charities and to those who are worse off than me, but I've GOT to try to sell it!

We have been going through closets and drawers and cupboards and the garage and just finding all kinds of things that we aren't using and don't "need". So many kitchen items, and things that were given to me as gifts that, I'm sorry, I will never use!

My community has two big community garage sales every year and one of them is coming up, and we are going to be ready!!

We've got it all planned out:

We've already started pulling stuff out and putting them in boxes in the spare bedroom and the garage so that we aren't scrambling last minute.
As time gets closer, I'll contact my HOA to get parking passes so that we can park on the street for the week proceeding and make sure that the garage is READY so we can just open the door that morning and GO! (we aren't allowed to park on the street outside of our homes - long story!)
I'll advertise on my facebook account for everyone to tell their friends. It's free and why not? I'm not telling them how broke I am just by announcing a garage sale!
And I'll enlist my neighbors to share the facebook posts. They like me (at least, I believe they do! lol) and will want to help.
I'll do an ad on Craig's List. Not sure if it's free or not. But I know that posting for a job is only $25 so if it's even that much, I'd be fine with it.
I'll put a few flyers around - including one at the Starbucks up the street.

Now, here's something else I'm planning...

Buy water bottles at Costco and sell them for a small profit. It will help my bottom line; it will make my garage sale a little more "friendly"; and everything that I buy at Costco, because I have the executive membership, I get 2% back annually.
We're going to borrow a popcorn machine from a friend. It's one of those "old fashioned stand up ones" that Costco had a few years back. Popcorn is CHEAP and it's easy to make. We'll sell that for a quarter a bag. Or maybe give that for free, but sell the water (if you have one, you have to have the other!). Again, set our garage sale apart from the rest.
ALSO, I'm going to take an "interest" list for people who liked my garage sale. Remember, the community is having two of them. And I actually will be moving out of town in probably a year when I get married, so I'll "need" to have another one. It's easy to email a large group of people and say, "Hey, remember me? You liked the last one and I'm having another!" I'll put a disclaimer at the bottom of the sheet that the email address will not be sold and will be used for notifying of another future garage sale. But hey, it's worth a shot! I have a BUNCH of good stuff up for grabs!

Btw, if you are interested in coming to my garage sale, shoot me and email and I'll make sure to tell you when it is! :)

OMG! OMG! OMG!!!

2012-03-09T17:53:00.005-08:00

I posted my availability to be a Personal Assistant (to a 2nd client) on Craig's List last night and was contacted today! Well, actually, I received two replies - one from a creepy guy - DISCARD! And then one from a legitimate business man. We are tentatively going to meet Monday.

BUT, I also sent my "Corporate" resume to a new post on Craig's List. I sent it at 4pm and got a reply shortly afterward asking for salary history, salary requirements, and to expand on my knowledge of their industry. This would be a GOOD ONE! I'm nervous though! As I hit "send" to reply my heart was beating out of my chest!! I hope that I answered well and that they will contact me Monday.... I guess I better pick out a couple of good outfits for a "formal" interview...

There are two things in life you can't avoid: Death and Taxes

2012-03-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

And Property Taxes are included!

UGH!!! In So Cal they are HORRIBLE!!! They are SO high!

But, of course, my Dad lives in Upstate NY and theirs is even WORSE! I can't believe the percentage of Property Taxes they pay!

Anyway, we are going through a "Recession" (ummmm.... "Depression"?? "Quagmire"???? I don't know, but recession sounds just way too soft!)

Ok - I digress...

If your property taxes are based on a value of your home and it is WAY off base, you can ask the County of San Diego for a property tax reassessment!

At least here in SD: every time that a home sells, the property taxes are automatically reassessed at the sale price. So, if they used to be based on $125,000 but you paid $450,000, your property taxes will be based on the $450,000 value.

Well, that makes sense. Obviously, the "going rate" for your home is $450k so that's what the property taxes should be based on.

AND, every year, the county "assumes" that the value has increased. I can't remember the percentage but it's 1 or 2% I think. So every year, your property taxes increase slightly because the assumption is that your home has increased in value.

But wait a minute.

I own a home that I bought in 2003 (before the bubble) and my property taxes increased and increased and now, my home is worth LESS than I paid!!!

***SOOO*** I contacted the county and applied for a property tax reassessment. It's fairly routine (especially right now during this nightmare economy). I think there is a form that you fill out and return and they do "comps" in your area. Now, before going through all of this, check what price your taxes are based on and then check your neighborhood comps and BE SURE that your neighborhood market is lower than your tax base.

Check: Zillow.com (or the app) for current comps. Choose the "Find Homes" section. Enter your address and it will give your neighborhood and your home.

Check: your tax bill for the base value of your taxes. In San Diego County the website is: http://www.sdtreastax.com/.

Again: this is NOT tax advice!

OH! Another note! When I applied for my property tax reduction, there was some option for applying for a refund for a previous period. I goofed it up and didn't get it, but don't do what I did! Follow up and get that refund!

SIDEBAR: Continued Job Search

2012-03-08T20:08:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm getting a bit more "aggressive".

I posted my Personal Assistant availability on Craig's List in the "Resumes" section. I am a little nervous about meeting some random person to work in their home. There are several people out there who state that they are looking for PA jobs.

NONE OF THEM said anything about requiring references for THEM or anything. I took a chance and posted that a "Background Check or Personal References" would be required.

I don't know...