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Archive for March, 2018

A very expensive March

March 25th, 2018 at 06:48 pm

March has been very expensive. I owed more then expected on my taxes, I bought a new cellphone (mine finally died) and needed to purchase a waterpik (on the advice of my dental hygienist). I get very regular cleanings but still get a tartar build up in between.

My cousin and his wife were in a serious car accident. They will be ok, but he has a badly broken arm and neck and back strain, and his wife suffered 2 broken ribs and neck and back strain. They are back at home after a few days in the hospital, and I took off a few days work last week to help them. They live about 45 minutes away, so I just stayed over at their house instead of driving back and forth. I made sure they had groceries, prepared a lot of meals to freeze so they could easily just heat and eat, and got the house clean and laundry done. They are feeling a little better every day, and thankfully have some good friends and neighbors who are also assisting them.

I only work Monday and Tuesday next week, then I have 2 vacation days off and then spring break! So, 12 days off total! I'm looking forward to relaxing and also tackling my ever growing to do list.

I spent more money then usual this month on eating out and gas money when I was at my cousin's but I'm not worrying about it. Sometimes life happens and we get off track a little!

I did open the Chase (AARP) credit card to earn the $200 cash back after spending $500 in 3 months. This will help offset the cost of the new phone. I also cashed out of swagbucks for a $50 CVS gift card.

I'll post the final (ugly) numbers for March when the month closes out. I'll get back on track in April!

Have a great week everyone!

Savings Update/New Phone/Bathroom Remodel

March 11th, 2018 at 05:48 pm

Every payday I sweep money into my savings accounts. I have what I call an escrow account (just a regular savings account) from which I pay my yearly property taxes, car insurance and condo insurance when they come due. I currently have just over 16k in this account, which covers about 3.5 years of those expenses. I also have my emergency savings account, which stands at $27,500. I'll update my retirement accounts in a future post.

My $1000 a month spending budget was established mainly to see what I could live on each month to pay my bills and have some fun. It's a somewhat tight limit, but I wanted to see if it was reasonable. So far so good, although I will go over this month.

My 6 year old, Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone is on its last legs. This was my first ever smart phone. It has served me well, but it's time for a new one. I decided on the Samsung Galaxy S7. Not the newest model, but it meets my needs. I had to order it so as soon as it comes in to the Verizon store I'll update on the final cost with taxes and fees.

Since my savings accounts are pretty flush, I have decided to start pushing my savings into an account to remodel my master bath. I want to have the tub removed and convert it to a walk-in shower, replace the tile flooring which is cracking in several places, and probably replace the vanity and sink. I have a second full bath with a tub so there will still be one if needed. I'm not a big bath person anyway, preferring showers. I think summer of 2019 gives me plenty of time to save for this so that will be my goal. I do intend to age in place in this condo, and the walk-in shower will be easier to maneuver in and out of in the future. And I want to have it done while I'm still working and have the income.

I did some CVS shopping this morning. I stocked up on tissues, fabric softener, TP, Paper towels, toothpaste, and a 12 pack of diet sprite. The total before coupons and extra bucks was $34.30. I had $17.50 worth of coupons and extra bucks to apply, so my total came to $16.80. I used a swagbucks CVS gift card to pay the balance so this purchase was free. And I earned another $9 of extra bucks to use on a future purchase.

I'm spending the rest of my Sunday relaxing, and just getting some things ready for the upcoming week.

Have a good week everyone!

March $$$

March 5th, 2018 at 12:29 am

This month is already starting off spendy. I renewed my yearly AAA membership, $74, a pair of shoes I had on backorder finally came in, $63.59, and another medical bill for $35.14. It's very doubtful I'll stay under my 1000.00 spending goal for the month, but this will happen from time to time.

I went to CVS to stock up on a few more things I was running low on. 4 bottles of laundry soap, 4 boxes of tissues and a case of water. I spent $22.75, but paid with a swagbucks, CVS gift card so this purchase was free.

I had some yearly lab work done recently and my Vitamin D level came back extremely low. This may explain a few things. My doctor gave me a script for a very high dose Vitamin D that I take once a week for 6 weeks and then we will recheck it.

Things at work continue to be challenging, so I'm really planning on retiring from full time work as soon as I can. I'm 57, and the earliest I can retire and receive the health care subsidy from the college is age 59.5. So I'm saving as much as I can so I can cut back to part time work. I had planned to work full time until 62, but I'll have to see how things go.

We had a fierce windstorm on the east coast over the weekend and many lost power. There are trees and power lines down everywhere. I am very fortunate that I did not lose power and sustained no real damage at my condo complex.

I'm finished getting ready for the week's start. My lunch is packed for tomorrow, my clothes are ironed for the week, and the kitchen is cleaned up after dinner. Have a great week all!