I finally started doing my homework about how to save money. There is a lot out there on the web about it. Everyone agrees the first step is to eliminate your credit card debt, so I'm going to take that to heart and make my first priority paying off my credit cards.
I stopped my paper statements a while ago in favor of using the internet, which is insanely convenient and I love ebanking or whatever it's called. But I ran into something interesting looking over my statements yesterday, which I admittedly rarely do. They never post the interest charge. It doesn't make it on to the current statement nor the previous statement, but the starting balance is about $50 more for the current statement than the previous statement. They charged me, they just never told me about it. Then, I started looking for it but I couldn't find my APR listed anywhere. I had to search for ten minutes for one, which is %10.49, and the other neither Tiff nor I could find anywhere in my online account. Very strange, and more than a little troubling.
Back to my debt, I should say that for a long time I tried very hard to not carry any credit card debt, but it doesn't take too many big, and not-so-big, purchases before your balance is more than your willing to match at the end of the month. For me, I had several months of semi-large purchases and my credit cards collected numbers far above what I had ever wanted them to be. When one hit the $6,000 mark I took it out of my wallet and started paying it off.
Today, between two cards, I have $4,685.45. Also today, I paid off the smaller of the two, the one I don't know the APR of, in full... all of $286.84 leaving me with a credit card total of $4,398.45.
Question: is it "First things first" or "First thing's first?" I guess it doesn't matter.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Penny Pick-Up
When I first started blogging, I felt superior to all and took the time to explain why my blog would surely be better than any blog that has ever existed. Then I ran into this guy's blog and I instantly liked it. In fact, it's been linked to my blog from very early on.
It's a blog all about finding and collecting loose change. At the time, him and this other guy were in a race to see who could collect $100 first, but he's long-since past the $100 mark and he's still going. As he says it's offered a new perspective on life. "Keep your head down and always look for silver." I don't read his blog very often, but I do check-in and it's always pretty cool, even if the coolness lies in the fact that he's still going after all this time, with a current total of $236.60.
With my savings challenge, I think it's time for me to start keeping an eye out for loose change, too. Like the other day, as I was getting a lottery ticket, I watched a penny fall to the ground and settle to a stop. I was next in line and planned on picking it up when a little old man went out of his way to go collect it. He beat me to it... you have to move fast with loose change, especially around old people.
Yesterday, I found a penny though that I can now call my own. I found it in the gym.
Oh yeah, with the lottery... the big billboard on my way home now announces a $122 million prize. I keep telling myself that I shouldn't keep playing, but we'll see.
It's a blog all about finding and collecting loose change. At the time, him and this other guy were in a race to see who could collect $100 first, but he's long-since past the $100 mark and he's still going. As he says it's offered a new perspective on life. "Keep your head down and always look for silver." I don't read his blog very often, but I do check-in and it's always pretty cool, even if the coolness lies in the fact that he's still going after all this time, with a current total of $236.60.
With my savings challenge, I think it's time for me to start keeping an eye out for loose change, too. Like the other day, as I was getting a lottery ticket, I watched a penny fall to the ground and settle to a stop. I was next in line and planned on picking it up when a little old man went out of his way to go collect it. He beat me to it... you have to move fast with loose change, especially around old people.
Yesterday, I found a penny though that I can now call my own. I found it in the gym.
Oh yeah, with the lottery... the big billboard on my way home now announces a $122 million prize. I keep telling myself that I shouldn't keep playing, but we'll see.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Lottery
The Mega-Millions Lottery now stands at $102 million. I drive past the big billboard announcing this big number on my way home from work. Going against the savings challenge, I bought a ticket. $1 and I could win $102 million dollars. I'm trying to save money with this challenge, not crush dreams.
So I have all day to dream about what I could do with 102 million dollars. Plus, an influx of cash like that sure would be a nice way to start the savings challenge.
So I have all day to dream about what I could do with 102 million dollars. Plus, an influx of cash like that sure would be a nice way to start the savings challenge.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Day 1b
I'm not quite sure how the posting for this sacrifice will evolve, but Tiff and I just made a CostCo run for fruits and dishwasher detergent. They also had a really nice exercise jacket that I almost got, but for $17 I decided it wasn't necessary.
If you're not familiar with CostCo, it's a great place where you can find a good deal (not everything is) but it's always fun to go because they give out free samples of stuff that you generally wouldn't buy. It makes sense from their perspective that way - trying to get you to buy stuff. Our first trip ever, we tried Bourbon-flavored Chicken and wound up eating the stuff once a week for 6 months.
Today, they free samples were just veiny chicken and fatty lamb. The lamb was good but I would never buy it. Point being though, we didn't eat hardly anything there and were starving leaving. A really good IHOP coupon has been floating around in the car and is talked about quite a bit. After much debate and wishful thinking, we came home and used leftovers to make pizzas on hamburger buns, which are just out of the oven.
CostCo bill: $58.00 even.
If you're not familiar with CostCo, it's a great place where you can find a good deal (not everything is) but it's always fun to go because they give out free samples of stuff that you generally wouldn't buy. It makes sense from their perspective that way - trying to get you to buy stuff. Our first trip ever, we tried Bourbon-flavored Chicken and wound up eating the stuff once a week for 6 months.
Today, they free samples were just veiny chicken and fatty lamb. The lamb was good but I would never buy it. Point being though, we didn't eat hardly anything there and were starving leaving. A really good IHOP coupon has been floating around in the car and is talked about quite a bit. After much debate and wishful thinking, we came home and used leftovers to make pizzas on hamburger buns, which are just out of the oven.
CostCo bill: $58.00 even.
Savings - 1 Month....
A new Sacrifice, and yes I think this one can be called a sacrifice.
With everything that's happening in my life right now, this one comes out of necessity. After a wedding/honeymoon trip, Christmas, birthdays, a few costly sacrifices, nine cavities filled, and other stuff, I need to start saving money.
In January alone, I spent more money on medical stuff than I think I ever have put together. Three trips to the regular doctor's, three trips to the physical therapist's (which no, I haven't mentioned), and a trip to the ER. All-in-all, that's two hundred bucks! On top of that, there have been at least three trips to the pharmacy, and one of my drugs, of course, is over-the-counter now for over thirty bucks! Thank God for medical insurance, I guess.
Now, I'm not saying that I regret those costs, nor would I take them back if I could, but the point is is that I need to start recoupping some of those costs, and right now that's not happening. So starting today - I should have started before this past weekend - I will keep a closer eye on all my spending, with your help Blogland. That's right, if I spend it, you'll know about it.
It may not sound exciting and it probably won't be, but like Jack LaLanne says, if it tastes good, don't eat it. In other words, this should be good for me. I'll get into more detail later. I originally had this pinned as my New Year's Resolution, but Tiff talked me into exercising, so as for time length on this one, we're going to go month-to-month, starting with February. It may just last one month, but ideally it will last until Tiff and I are homeowners.
So, let's get started, this morning, I bought gas: $30.19.
With everything that's happening in my life right now, this one comes out of necessity. After a wedding/honeymoon trip, Christmas, birthdays, a few costly sacrifices, nine cavities filled, and other stuff, I need to start saving money.
In January alone, I spent more money on medical stuff than I think I ever have put together. Three trips to the regular doctor's, three trips to the physical therapist's (which no, I haven't mentioned), and a trip to the ER. All-in-all, that's two hundred bucks! On top of that, there have been at least three trips to the pharmacy, and one of my drugs, of course, is over-the-counter now for over thirty bucks! Thank God for medical insurance, I guess.
Now, I'm not saying that I regret those costs, nor would I take them back if I could, but the point is is that I need to start recoupping some of those costs, and right now that's not happening. So starting today - I should have started before this past weekend - I will keep a closer eye on all my spending, with your help Blogland. That's right, if I spend it, you'll know about it.
It may not sound exciting and it probably won't be, but like Jack LaLanne says, if it tastes good, don't eat it. In other words, this should be good for me. I'll get into more detail later. I originally had this pinned as my New Year's Resolution, but Tiff talked me into exercising, so as for time length on this one, we're going to go month-to-month, starting with February. It may just last one month, but ideally it will last until Tiff and I are homeowners.
So, let's get started, this morning, I bought gas: $30.19.
Back in the Saddle
So I don't like it, but the truth is I'm failing. I've worked-out seven times. This is the fifth week of the year and I've only worked out seven times. I should be nearing twenty. And... I missed almost a week of juicing.
In my defense, I did get sick, and then I got sicker, and I wasn't sure what could have caused it. Juice seemed like a likely suspect to the case of the terrible hives, so I stopped juicing for day after scratching day. The doctor dismissed it quicker than I could explain what we were juicing. He also dismissed exercise, although it is a possibility. Then, he called himself an idiot and admitted that likely he'll never be able to tell me anything about my hives... other than they can be defined as chronic idiosatum something-or-other (Tiff help me out.).
So with the idiot doctor's okay, I plan to restart my challenges - er, um... sacrifices - in full starting today. Juicing and exercising. They almost go hand-in-hand! Wish me luck.
In my defense, I did get sick, and then I got sicker, and I wasn't sure what could have caused it. Juice seemed like a likely suspect to the case of the terrible hives, so I stopped juicing for day after scratching day. The doctor dismissed it quicker than I could explain what we were juicing. He also dismissed exercise, although it is a possibility. Then, he called himself an idiot and admitted that likely he'll never be able to tell me anything about my hives... other than they can be defined as chronic idiosatum something-or-other (Tiff help me out.).
So with the idiot doctor's okay, I plan to restart my challenges - er, um... sacrifices - in full starting today. Juicing and exercising. They almost go hand-in-hand! Wish me luck.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
More Juicing
Here's a video that I meant to post a while ago, but there's not much to say about it.
I'm posting it now because I put it up on youtube along with my previous juicing video on January 25th and it already has 14 views without me doing anything to it, which is a lot for me. I guess juicing is becoming pretty popular.
In fact, Tiff and I were at the doctor's recently and in conversation, Tiff mentioned the juicer. The receptionist got very excited. "Do you have the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer!?!" To which Tiff replied, "We have the Power Juicer Pro." As she told of her friend who has one and loves it, I kept waiting for her to say, "It will change your life!" but she never did. I didn't say anything as I was too focused on the pain in my butt from the giant needle.
Meanwhile, last night, we noticed that our enormous bag of carrots was begining to show signs of age - a few tips started turning brown. So we cranked up the juicer, juiced seven carrots, two apples, and an inch of ginger. Carrots are great because they give quite a bit of juice, as do apples. Ginger doesn't give hardly any juice, in fact, I didn't see any come out when it went in. I sure did smell it though. And the taste is a bit overwhelming. Ginger is powerful stuff.
I enjoyed the taste for a few sips, but an entire glass is asking quite a bit. Thinking of my victory over veggie dogs, I finished my glass. I tried to help Tiff with her last half, but in the end, the ginger got the best of us. I'm sure it has amazing nutritious value, but we will likely veer away from the ginger aisle of the grocery in the future... which is a shame because that inch cost all of 14 cents.
I'm posting it now because I put it up on youtube along with my previous juicing video on January 25th and it already has 14 views without me doing anything to it, which is a lot for me. I guess juicing is becoming pretty popular.
In fact, Tiff and I were at the doctor's recently and in conversation, Tiff mentioned the juicer. The receptionist got very excited. "Do you have the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer!?!" To which Tiff replied, "We have the Power Juicer Pro." As she told of her friend who has one and loves it, I kept waiting for her to say, "It will change your life!" but she never did. I didn't say anything as I was too focused on the pain in my butt from the giant needle.
Meanwhile, last night, we noticed that our enormous bag of carrots was begining to show signs of age - a few tips started turning brown. So we cranked up the juicer, juiced seven carrots, two apples, and an inch of ginger. Carrots are great because they give quite a bit of juice, as do apples. Ginger doesn't give hardly any juice, in fact, I didn't see any come out when it went in. I sure did smell it though. And the taste is a bit overwhelming. Ginger is powerful stuff.
I enjoyed the taste for a few sips, but an entire glass is asking quite a bit. Thinking of my victory over veggie dogs, I finished my glass. I tried to help Tiff with her last half, but in the end, the ginger got the best of us. I'm sure it has amazing nutritious value, but we will likely veer away from the ginger aisle of the grocery in the future... which is a shame because that inch cost all of 14 cents.
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