Financial Hack

The Exact Numbers…

I’ve been asked to reveal the sources of our debt. I’m working to update the sidebar but in the mean time here are the numbers: Credit Card: $4,437.12 Student Loan: $9,935.46 Auto Loan: $12,738.30 Total Original Debt: $38,495.86 Total Paid: $11,384.98 Total Remaining: $27,100.88

Gardening… a good investment?

As I said in an earlier post, my husband and I planted our first garden this year. Correction… my husband planted a garden this year. For the sake of the plants, I keep my distance. He started early in the season and used a mix of seeds and small plants rather than buying large overpriced ones. He carefully chose the healthiest plants and worked hard to care for them. He used a thick mu

Men, Women, and Money…

When my husband and I were first married, we kept our money separate. We argued about who should pay for groceries, who should pay for dinner, and who should pay for everything in between. I hated asking him for his half of the rent each month. He was my husband – not my roommate. It finally came to the breaking point when he couldn’t afford rent and we had to clean out our savings and

Sick in June?!?!

Leave it to me. I’ve been in perfect health for more than 6 months – not even a sore throat to annoy me. Now that the cold and flu season is over… I’ve come down with a nasty bug. Heaven forbid I get sick when everyone else does. Now I’m the freak show who’s sick in JUNE. I got sick yesterday afternoon. I felt awful at work and before leaving, I told my boss, ‘Hey, I’m no

Debt Update

I’ll try to do a debt update around the first of each month. Here is my debt update for June: Starting Debt: $38, 495.86 New Debt Number: $27,814.62 Total Paid Since October 2008: $10,681.24 Woo Hoo! We’re over $10K We were hoping to get ahead of schedule and have our credit card debt paid by July but it's looking like August or September (still ahead, just not as much as we wan

Work Mistakes…

As I’ve said before, having a job is a vital part to paying off debt. I try my best to work hard, to get along with others, and to be enthusiastic about serving the public. Friday, I wasn’t ‘feeling it’. Late nights paired with high stress had me pooped by Friday and I hit the snooze button far more than I should have. I rolled out of bed, threw my nappy unwashed hair into a pony

My Free Weekend…

I spent this Sunday like I spend most Sunday’s – at my parents’ house. We barbeque and play games with my nieces and nephews. These Sunday’s have always been a joy… until the invention of the Wii. What happened to the good ol’ days of Nintendo and Sega glassy eyed kids? Now they are dancing, singing, and playing instruments. It’s as if the Wii transformed our family into a mod

Life After Credit Card Debt - May Was a Very Interesting Month

Hi Everyone! Tricia here. It's time for a monthly update to see how we are doing. I will do these at least once a month on the last Friday of the month. First things first - are we still credit card debt free? Yes! In the back of my mind, I kept wondering if something would happen out of the blue and set us back again. I was anxiously waiting for the end of the month to see if anything ha

Debt is like the last 10 pounds

This may come as a surprise but… I’ve been debt free before. There was a moment, for about 3 days, in college when I had no debt. My car was paid off, my credit card had no balance, and I didn’t have a mortgage. Then, I came close again after we closed on our house. We had been saving for a year and the money returned to us from escrow was used to pay off my husband’s credit lin

Where’s the financial shock collar?

Since I don’t rent movies anymore, and at times my library rental list is a bit sluggish, I watch more TV. I’ve jumped into Grey’s Anatomy with careless abandon… and now I’m paying for it. Whenever someone on the show says something clever, an elevator in the background dings. Not a big deal… unless you work in a building with elevators. Now every time the elevator dings, I act l

Over Budget…

Confession time… We went over budget by $90 this weekend. I wish I could say it was on something important like an investment, a donation to the cancer society, or giving to help a military family but… The $90 was spent on 5 flats of chicken thighs, 3 bags of charcoal, 4 fruit pies, green salad… and a round of golf. My husband threw two hefty BBQ’s this weekend and went golfing

It’s more than just a day off…

While you’re out attending those Memorial Day BBQ’s, take a moment to remember those who can’t be here with us. Memorial Day Order I. The 30th day of May, 1868,is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and ha

The Cost of Free Furniture…

I’ve been lamenting to my husband about our need for new couches. I tell him we need new, bigger, couches for seating space but really it’s because… I hate our couches and I think they are ugly. This week, my husband did what good husbands do - he attempted to solve my dilemma of ‘seating space’. He came home with a behemoth of a recliner and said, ‘Look honey! More seats!! C

Fighting taxes…

I’ve been stewing over the latest property and sales tax hikes. I don’t understand why Arnold Schwarzenegger thought raising taxes substantially – in this economy – was a good idea. But then again… This is the same guy whose ‘sound judgment’ created the likes of Junior and Jingle All the Way. And now, he wants to prolong it for several years through a special statewide ball

How to spend $150 accidentally…

In our continuing effort to save water and money, we installed a drip system in our garden. We are able to water our plants far less often than in the past. My husband loves this system. He turns on the hose for a few minutes while he eats breakfast and turns it off before he leaves for work. Or should I say… he lovED this system. I came home from work on Thursday and heard water ru

Normal by the Numbers?

I’ve been asked to reveal my actual monthly budget numbers. I was reluctant at first and then realized it may be a learning experience and I should see if I am normal in my expectations of my money. No, I am not going to reveal my housing costs. Asking a San Diegan to reveal her mortgage payment is like asking a New York housewife to reveal her age. The only thing likely to happen is a gia

Some things should be left to the professionals…

Encouraged by the free landscape designer (and the sage advice from my awesome readers), I decided to save some money and grow several plants from seeds. The $1.25 seed packets vs. the costly $6.99 plants looked to save me nearly $100. Realizing my planting skills barely rivaled a 4th grader, I sought planter packs designed for small children. I spent $10 on supplies, read the directions (tw

The $6 mulch pile…

In an earlier blog, I eagerly recommended purchasing mulch from your local landfill greenery. This is when I made Mistake #1 – Recommending this before actually trying it. And followed it with Mistake #2 – Not understanding the actual size of ‘1 cubic yard’ of mulch. $6.00 at your local garden supply will purchase a bag, maybe two at most, of mulch. I didn’t think it was unreas

Big Spending Problems…

I was reading an article in the Sunday paper that talked about spending habits and how to save money. The article stated that most money is wasted on big ticket items and NOT the $4 Starbucks you buy every morning before work. Um. I hate to disagree with a professional financial advisor but… He’s dead wrong (and is obviously invested in Starbucks). At least when it comes to me an

A Case for Roommates…

When my husband and I first moved in to our home, my brother moved in with us. He needed a place to stay and we aren’t the type to turn family – or their money – down. Soon, our house became a haven for ‘orphans’ and bachelors as roommates. For the first few years, we didn’t need the money to clear our bills and we certainly enjoyed using it on dinners out and hotel stays. When I