Feeling Poor For No Good Reason

I've been feeling really poor. I know I'm not poor. I know I'm well off, but I've had to cut back since I've started paying for school and i was really looking forward to getting a raise once i passed the exam. but i flunked the exam, so no raise. Now I'm beginning to wish that I'd stayed at the stressful consulting job where my raises were not contingent on the test. Sigh. I work for the government and we did have a small market adjustment raise a few months ago, but I put the entire raise in my retirement fund ($120/month). I could stop the retirement withdrawals until I'm finished paying for school, but I'm only missing out on eating out and buying more clothes and eating out. So I'll hold out for a few more months. I'll pass the test next time. The third time is the charm, right? In the mean time, I'll work on making multiple income streams. ::rolls eyes::

Results

I found out I didn’t pass my PE exam yesterday.  I got the same score as last time.  Go figure.  I worked so hard for this test.  I don’t understand how I couldn’t have passed.  Talk about a blow to the ego.   I just went home yesterday and moped instead of cleaning.  What a great way to start Christmas

Clean Desk!

Plans for the rest of the day.  Pick up the Ant, feed the kids cereal, and  clean desk!

Christmas Redux

I am finished Christmas shopping.  I have everything except a laptop per Maya’s request.  I’ll probably get the laptop in March around her birthday.   After cashing in $195 worth of rewards, I only spent $85.99 on presents.  How awesome is that!  Save up those rewards it’s worth it.

 

	Price	rewards	Total
MP3 player	15	0	15
Amazon: Sims games	20	20	0
Amazon: mini pot with spatula	20	20	0
Am Ex: Mari Kart	48	30	18
Amazon: Wii Wheel	18	0	18
Anthony-Nightmare Before Christmas	20	20	0
Am Ex: Cars	15	15	0
Various Toys	75	80	-5
Books	10	10	0
Mom: digital photograph	39.99	0	39.99
	280.99	195	85.99

 

So I I stick iwht my plan I’ll be spening almost no money on Christmas presents this year. 

Do Something!

I am slack, slack, slacking.  I’m doing everything but what I’m supposed to do, which is nothing.  In ten seconds I will start doing something!  1, 2, 3….

Sunday Wrap Up_2008_12_07

It wasn't a bad weekend. I slept a lot to make up for the lack of it during the week. No regrets.

Home: I changed the air filters! And my house is still pretty clean. Nice.
Editing: Good. I'm on page 55, on schedule.
Writing: I am about 750 words behind my word count. tsk, tsk. i don't think i'll be able to make it up tonight. but tomorrow looks good.
Spirituality: I didn't go to church today. I haven't been in a while. Tsk, tsk.
Finances: I spent way too much money. $20 at Pizza hut on Friday, $30 at the movies, $23 at a new fancy Chinese restaurant. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Family: Good time with the fam this weekend, i.e. all of the money we spent.

Nightly Update: 2008_12_05

It's 4 in the morning and i've been up since 2. I've been doing this for the past three nights. My sleep pattern is off and that is a very bad thing. I tend to get weepy during the day if I don't get enough sleep.

Home: I was supposed to change the air filters today, but instead I took the kids to pizza hut and come home and went to sleep. I'll do it tomorrow.

Writing: I didn't do any writing yesterday, so I've spent the last two restless hours writing and making up for it. So I'm caught up.

Editing: After I post this, I'll start working on that. I'm slightly behind.

Nightly Update: 2008_12_03

Summary:

Today was a fun and productive day. Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a bitch because i have a forty edited pages due, but I'm up for it. I haven't done anything all semester. So now i gotta make up for it.

Home- Replace air filters in Home and rental home due Friday

Home (Clean)- Good… I need to work on my room this weekend.

Writing- 50 words/day, 250 wds/week, 1000 wds/month-- I have finished the first draft of Coal. I need to set up an editing plan. Done!

Editing-10 pages per day-- Done!

Spiritual- 1) Pray at night with the kids, 2) Read one Christian Themed book per month, 3) volunteer at church twice a month. I still need to down load a book.

Health- Exercise 4 days per week (Monday, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Sunday). 2) One Salad night per week. Exercise has gone out the window, i have a paper due tomorrow. so i've been working on that.

Family- Do 2 planned activities per month with my kids

-shop for Christmas stockings (Saturday).

Work-720 pts/year, 60 pts/month, or 5 or 6 permits per month

I'm at 385 RDI for the year. I am ahead of schedule.

Social- Talk to Two strangers per week

Nightly Update: 2008_12_02

Pretty good night. The house is clean, I've edited about seven pages and wrote about hundred words. Cooked dinner, made Ant do some HW, and made dauther wash dishes.

December 2008 Net Worth

Credit Score	673	655
Assets	November	December	Difference
Cash Accts.	$6,530.00	$6,665.00	$135.00
Home	$133,000.00	$132,500.00	-$500.00
Rental	$72,348.00	$72,348.00	$0.00
401k	$3,170.00	$3,098.61	-$71.39
529	$262.00	$303.00	$41.00
Roth	$1,056.00	$1,058.00	$2.00
Misc (Car, etc)	$7,000.00	$7,000.00	$0.00
Total Assets	$223,366.00	$222,972.61	-$393.39
Liabilities	November	December	Difference
CC	$1,202.00	$500.00	-$702.00
Home	$97,400.00	$97,200.00	-$200.00
Rental	$66,434.00	$66,379.00	-$55.00
HELOC	$9,024.00	$8,978.00	-$46.00
Student Loans	$53,984.81	$53,875.54	-$109.27
Total Liabilities	$228,044.81	$226,932.54	-$1,112.27
Net Worth	-$4,678.81	-$3,959.93	$718.88

 

My net worth increased by $718 dollars, putting my total net worth to -$3,959.  So I’ll probably still be in the negative by the end of the year.  But I think a $22,000 increase is pretty impressive. 

Cash Accounts:  No big change from the previous month.

Credit Cards: I paid them before the end of the month, but I did some serious shopping last weekend. 

Home: the value dropped by $500.  

Roth:  I’ve cut back on my Roth to focus on the more liquid part of my Emergency Fund.

Efund: Is at $3,000. I’m awaiting a $460 automatic savings deposit and I have to come up with another $140 to meet my savings goal for the year.

401k: I only lost $71 for the month.  Not as bad as the previous months, but not as good as I would like it.

Summary:  not a terribly great month, but not too bad either.

 

 

Productivity Report_2008_12_2

Summary:

I’m Switching things up.  I’m tired of not living up to my potential.  Sometimes I just forget what I plan to do until the next day, but if I remind myself on a daily basis then maybe it’ll be easier to do it.

Home- Replace air filters in Home and rental home due Friday

Home (Clean)- Good… still making the kids clean up after themselves.  It sucks to constantly be telling someone what to do, but I’m getting used to it.  I threaten Anthony with throwing away his toys if I found them on the floor and I threaten Maya (my ten year old) with taking money away from her allowance.

Writing- 50 words/day, 250 wds/week, 1000 wds/month-- I have finished the first draft of Coal.  I need to set up an editing plan. Due Tomorrow

Editing-?

Spiritual- 1) Pray at night with the kids, 2) Read one Christian Themed book per month, 3) volunteer at church twice a month.  

Health- Exercise 4 days per week (Monday, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Sunday).  2) One Salad night per week

Family- Do 2 planned activities per month with my kids

 -shop for stockings (Saturday).

 Work-720 pts/year, 60 pts/month, or 5 or 6 permits per month

I'm at 385 RDI for the year.  I am ahead of schedule.

Social- Talk to Two strangers per week

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“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.”  --Oprah Winfrey