The Odd, Tangled and Organized Life

 I have a paid off 2012 Subaru Impreza. I love my car. Sheila (my car) has gotten me out of snowbanks and through blizzards, sometimes swimming through snow up to the bottom of the door. Love Subarus. Well, with this new approach to my spending, and not borrowing anything, I'm not going to get a loan for a new car. Instead, I will save for a newer car. Not brand new (unless I can buy it outright), but I still want all the bells and whistles. And it will be a Subaru. You kinda need all-wheel drive in Minnesnowta.  So, I made this decision and I'm looking at the oil change that I need to do in September. The dealership also listed that a transmission fluid flush is recommended and a water pump and timing belt replacement. Called the dealership and got a price quote for everything. $1600! That's more than the emergency fund will have. Currently I have $592 in the emergency fund. I took out $300 from the SmartyPig fund where I was putting half my DoorDash income.  Add in $713...

I have been wanting to buy new living room furniture for awhile. My current couch and recliner are over 10 years old. My recliner is no longer safe for someone of my girth to sit in. Probably isn’t safe for my skinny son to sit in either, but he does. It is permanently in the recline position. It has lost so many screws and I think the springs are all shot. So, it’s time to replace it, at the very least.  My couch is too big for the space I have it in, and it doesn’t recline, meaning if I want my feet up, I have to put them on the ottoman or sit sideways. Neither way is very comfortable. I made the decision this past year that when I get my stocks from my employer, I’m going to sell them right away. I don’t have any business being in the stock market – I don’t understand it and knowing me, I’ll forget about the stocks. So I’m going to sell them and use the money to buy a new love seat that will fit in my living room and recliner. Now, before you buy something...

Yesterday’s dentist visit proved to be an expensive visit. It was for a routine cleaning, but the dentist recommended a crown and 3 fillings. The total damage – about $1300. That’s about twice what I’ve paid down already. Oh, that sucks! Unfortunately for me, I am susceptible to cavities. I brush every day . Okay, I don’t floss unless I feel something between my teeth. Nevertheless, I have cavities that need to be fixed. I haven’t paid the total amount yet – only 60%. I pay the rest when I go in for the appointments. So, what am I going to do? Nothing different. I might try to hurry up and get more things listed, but for now, I’m going to stick with the path I have chosen. The plan I have will work. Got another credit card bill in the mail, so I also added the interest from that account.  I made some money this weekend. A friend of mine wanted me to design her a planner, create a custom bill spreadsheet and make some stickers for her new planner. I have her on...

Good morning from snowy Minnesota! We had a snowstorm yesterday and now we have blowing wind and snow. Things have been up and down this week. My total debt is up a little because I got some credit card statements in and had to add interest charges. So I am up to $17,796.73 for total debt owed. Not bad. I have paid off $674.22 so far since Christmas. Which I am ecstatic about! My savings total is $75.65. I did sell an item yesterday (a stencil for Stampin' Up from my mom's collection). I also sold a pattern, but I'm not going to see that money until Tuesday at the earliest. And who knows, I may be able to list more items on my Etsy shop which will decrease the amount I got for the sale. Oh well. All a part of business. Got my student loan interest statement, so I was able to plug that number into my taxes. Still waiting for a couple of documents, but I should be able to file the first week of February. I have a lovely 3 day weekend this week. Means more time I can s...

Happy Tuesday! I'm still blogging! Woohoo! Nothing has changed on the financial route - same savings and debt. My life insurance payment came out of my checking account today, so that's everything that was scheduled for this paycheck. My online banking total matches what I have on my spreadsheet. Let's talk about the M word - Money. For some people, it is a bad word. It has so many bad connotations. I read a book last year - a Jen Sincero book that pretty much says what all the wealth management, money making books say - change your mindset about money and let it all flow in. I currently make $17.99 an hour and work 40 hours a week. After taxes, medical insurance and 401k, I take home about $1035 every 2 weeks. My bosses have always said “Don’t talk about your pay with your coworkers.” Well, if any of my co-workers find this blog and read it – this is what I make and I’m talking about it. Now, they say this not only because the subject of money is taboo, but because ...

Finally got my bill from my therapist's office - I'm adding $173.04 to my total. The new total is $18,223.51. I also added $.82 to my savings with Stash Your Cash. I had to go to the grocery store last night because we needed milk, pumpkin and Pringles were on sale and Mom needs more empty Pringles cans. Sold a Longaberger piece today and sent $20.35 to savings. New savings total is $22.15. I don't let the rises in my total debt to get me down. I know this amount is going to go up and go down. My goal is to have it go down each month. But on a daily basis, if it goes up because of interest owing on a credit card, or my therapist bills adding to my debt, so be it. I can't get discouraged, no matter what. I mean, look at it this way - my total is still less than when I started. And that's encouraging. Even with my recent draining of my savings - I know that number is going to go up. I am constantly learning how to be better with my money. How to improve my bil...

Today is payday! It is a day I love (because I get money), but also hate (because I have to pay bills). So, let's break it down. Good news - yesterday I finished an order for some planner stickers for a friend and she paid me. So, I have $27.89 going directly into my savings account. Yay! And I had $17.70  left in my bank account prior to today. So that's going into the savings account, too. My paycheck this week was $1035.33. $250 goes into the grocery account and $25 goes into my savings account. My phone bill was automatically debited - $71.45. I paid the monthly minimum on my Christopher and Banks Credit Card - $37.00 Paid off an overdue medical bill - $81.48 And other than my mortgage, that's all I have to pay off this paycheck. I'll make my mortgage payment on the 1st, after I get my VA benefit check. So, right now I have about $356.68 left. I'm going to get my nails done on Monday, so that will take out $35.00. So $321.68 to start paying next pa...

Have you ever wished for New Year’s to be the day after Christmas? This year, I wish it were true. I do not want to wait a week to get my life back in order. Which is why I published my first post before the first of the year. I simply did not want to wait. Plus, today is payday and I want to start putting my new plan into action. It's hard to be at work today. There’s a lot of stuff I want to do at home to get ready for the new year. Clean, organize, start posting stuff to sell. I have a lot of knit and crochet things I want to list on Etsy. I like starting off the new year with a clean house. I took New Year’s Eve off work so I could clean my house from top to bottom. I plan on re-organizing things and make better use of the space I have. I will probably also be cleaning this weekend. Not because my house is so big I can’t clean it in one day, but because I want to start going through cupboards and getting rid of things I don’t need or use. But this is a blog about ...

All the money saving gurus say that you need to have an emergency savings account. How much is in there depends on who you listen to. I'm going to start with $5000. So I've added a little tally of how much I have saved so far - $0. That's right! Like most Americans, I have no savings. Every time I get some money put away, it ends up getting spent on bills or the car, or sometimes just plain shopping. I even have it set up where I put away $25 every 2 weeks (on the day I get paid as a recurring transfer) and every time I use my debit card, the amount I spend gets rounded up to the next dollar and the difference gets put into savings. Have I mentioned that I'm not that great with money? It's all going to change, though. I have a set dollar amount set. Once I have that money saved, I'm going to start paying down these bills. Because what's the point in paying down the bills, if you have nothing squirreled away to handle emergencies? You then use the credit ...