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I over scheduled my life again! To survive until Christmas, I need to make a plan to minimize stress and stay sane. Here are some things that I need to do.
1. Tell my mom that I can’t be in charge of finding them a rental for when they come for my wedding, and they need to do it themselves. (If they have a specific question on a neighborhood, I can check it out. But they’ve lived around here before, they should have some idea.) My most recent effort fell through and it’s just one more thing that I have been stressed out about. So they can do it themselves (or with my sister’s help), unless they are willing to wait until January.
2. Make a list of stuff we need to do for the wedding and put off as much as possible (which should be nearly everything) until after this quarter. And force T to help with the small number of things we need to get done in the next couple months.
3. Use my planner and write in my schedule for classes this quarter. I’m doing an independent project and I need to stay focused.
4. Try really hard to avoid being hungover this Sunday. (We’re having a joint birthday party on Saturday night.) Drink water, eat food, etc. Lots to do!
5. Get into bed at 9:30 when possible and be asleep by 10 or 10:30.
6. Leave for work by 7 on non-bootcamp days.
7. Buy all Christmas presents Thanksgiving weekend or sooner.
Hmmm…. I think the big one is the wedding stuff. I don’t need to worry about a lot of it now, but I do. I like things to be done and settled. But I really need to prioritize!
I’m not writing October goals. In my September Wrap-Up, I noted that I really wasn’t paying much attention to my goals in general, and ended with this thought:
“If I don’t really mean them, why do I write them? If I do really mean them, why don’t I meet them?”
Paranoid Asteroid chimed in with some thoughts, and I think she had it. Since I moved in with T, I’m saving a lot more money automatically. Also, as Revanche pointed out: if I miss my goals, you know what happens? I save a little less. I don’t go into debt and I don’t even borrow from savings. I just save less, which still isn’t an insignificant amount.
This doesn’t mean saving less isn’t something to ever worry about. I just can’t push myself on it right now. I can only put so much pressure on myself, and if spending an extra $100/month happens, it happens. I like challenges, I like pushing myself, and I like goals and lists. But right now I’m focused on a few really really big goals, and I can’t seem to motivate myself for small ones.
So. In October I will (these aren’t goals, rather plans I already made and must do):
- Have a birthday and a birthday party! Our first party (of <2 guests) in our apartment
- Complete all homeworks and a midterm for my class
- Start my M.S. project (need ~15 page report done ASAP)*
- Fitness bootcamp 3 mornings a week (I’m glad I did this because it automates a routine for me)
- Be a superstar at work
- Remain sane (at least at the standard SP level of saneness)
*Rather suddenly, I’ve decided to add on my M.S. project this quarter rather than next. This means I’m going to be extremely busy, but it also means I’ll be DONE with school in December!
(photo by Evil Erin)
T sold my old bike for me this weekend! That will make reconciling August’s budget much easier — I now have to find $100 for bike stuff (and I had $42 in my “fitness” fund) instead of $300 something.
Old bike MSRP: $350
Price paid (new) at bike store: $259, 10% off coupon, 9.25% CA tax
Total Price Paid: $255
Our Craigslist starting price: $300 OBO
CL selling price: $220
We bought my new (used) bike a week ago for $250, then put about $60 into it (tires, tape). We took it out on the bike path today (which was naturally full of pedestrians even though it says “bikes only”) for a quick ride and I like it much much better. It’s much easier to go farther and faster.
I might even bike to work every now and then! There are even showers available at work! It is about 11 miles, and a lot of it would be right along the ocean — what a way to start the day!
I’m surrounded by index cards, used up glue sticks, and little slivers of cut up paper. My grandmother passed away a few years ago, and my mom stumbled upon several index cards of recipes in a cookbook. She’s been meaning to share them with the family, and she decided this year for Christmas, she would get them together and give them out.
Her plan was to photocopy the 4×6 cards, cut them into 4×6 again, glue them to index cards, laminate them, and then punch a hole and tie a ribbon. It is a really good gift, and I’m sure they will be a hit. I’m excited to have my grandma’s recipe, and even if I have a hard time reading it, it is really special to see her writing again. It was a really good idea.
Except for the implementation kind of fell flat. First, she is making 20 of them. My dad comes from a family of 9 children (my grandma was one of 18!), and then there are 8 grandchildren that are old enough for them. Plus 3 extras… Just in case. Second, when I say “she is making” it turns out that “I am making”, at least, so far. I’m doing it out of the goodness of my heart (and when was the last time you used a glue stick? Kind of fun!) and because she’ll never get them done on her own. Last, have you ever worked with laminating paper? It’s freakin’ hard to deal with, and my dad nixed the idea after two attemps. The new (better) plan is to simply put the index cards into a cute 4×6 photo album, and if the recipient chooses to laminate, it is their own headache!
I’ve been working on them for hours. Twenty copies of each index card (front and back), then my dad and I cut them while watching football. They aren’t even close to being done!
The total cost is pretty cheap: $22 for (discarded) laminate paper, $5 for index cards, undetermined costs for 200 sheets of paper and ink, and now, a few dollars each for the photo albums. But man, what a pain in the butt!
This doesn’t seem worth it (to me) from a financial perspective. I suppose I’m just whining, because it is pretty cheap for 20 presents. But more so than saving money, I know how happy everyone will be to get them. That is the real value of homemade gifts.
I spent a few minutes checking out my cousin’s wedding registry for her wedding next month. She is a little older than me, and ready a more settled life in Orange County. I almost fell out of my chair at a price tag of $88 for a salt and pepper shaker, but tried hard to swallow my judgment. After all, isn’t that normal in the alternate universe of weddings?
Since I last wrote about how I won’t want Kate Spade on my wedding registry, I came across the website Alternative Gift Registry, which allows you to “register” for your wedding gifts without actually registering (similar to an Amazon wish list). It caught my interest, so I checked it out.
The site and its message may be a little out there if you aren’t extremely into the green/organic/environmental stuff. I’m all for saving the environment, but primarily as it applies to simple living and frugality. For example, I’d never request a “fare-trade throw,” as they showed in their sample registry. But I guess I’d never request a $325 picture frame either. My views certainly aren’t Macy’s views either.
The benefits are obvious, but to point out a few:
- It allows your guests to price shop and get the best deal, if they want
- It limits the “I need to pick things at a variety of prices from these 2 stores, so everyone is happy” feeling, which may cause you to register for things you don’t really even want.
- You can request whatever you want – recipes, board games, guests’ favorite books (even used!), fine china, a new tent, tickets to the theater, someone to water your plants while you are on your honeymoon… Seriously, whatever.
- You can’t have stores pulling crap like “Coupon not valid on wedding registries”
There are a few drawbacks. First, it is 100% internet based, and you probably have a few straggling non-web relatives, as Paranoid Asteroid found when she tried to get away with an Amazon wish list. I have a few relatives that may have trouble with that, but not too many.
Second, the extreme green message of the site might rub some guests the wrong way. They may say to themselves, “What has happened to SP? She has become such an environmental hippie!” It simply isn’t normal to go this route, and it may make some people a little uncomfortable. However, if an $88 salt and pepper set is considered normal, do I want to be normal?
It also doesn’t seem very popular yet, and the website is not very slick. Would wedding guests really use it? I snooped, and very few registries indicated something was purchased for the couple, even from weddings in the past. The ones that had success seemed to have used it exclusively, and included lots of traditional items.
This could be a pro or con, but this requires you to get a little more creative. It isn’t wandering around a shopping center with a little gun, or starting from some sample registry. It requires more thought. (Well maybe not. I think a lot of thought goes into which china and bedding to chose.) Still, maybe it will result in more useful gifts, less pressure for your guests, and less stuff overall.
While it sounds like a great idea to me, I might end up being a hypocrite about it and going the traditional route. It is hard to break away from the norm, but possible.
Unless the markets do some crazy business next month, I shouldn’t have much trouble finally reaching 20k net worth in May!!
Let’s take a short trip down memory lane. This lovely blog started last May when I had -$4000 net worth (student loans, not consumer debt). Between June and July, I jumped into the black, and somehow networthiq.com calculated a 256% increase for making the transition. That was the most growth (based on percentage) I’ve had yet!
It seems like I’m averaging about a $2k increase each month. I’m not sure whether that trend will continue in 2008 because so much has changed this year (new job, new rent price, economy stinks), but if it does… I could end the year with a net worth of about $34k! Of course, there I go counting my chickens before they hatch, and even before then hen has laid any eggs…
Anyway, I’m excited about this. Also, I’m excited it is Friday, excited April is almost over, and excited to try out all my new recipes! By the way, I ran through the remainder of my grocery budget buying ingredients for these, and sort of forgot to set aside food for lunch and dinner next week. T and I probably will share those meals this weekend, and if I don’t ask him for a small $5+ donation for eating at the restaurant of Stacking Pennies, I’ll have to scrounge the cupboards.
While puzzling over my asset allocation, I had a realization that the dollars in my Roth IRA were “worth more” than the dollars in my 401k, since I’ve already paid taxes on them. Somehow my asset allocation should account for that, right? Which got me to thinking, if I ever do roll my old 401k over into my Roth, it’ll show up as a decrease in my net worth, even though truly, it isn’t. [I still haven't fully implemented my planned allocation... I'm a bad financial housekeeper!]
People have a variety of ways of calculating net worth. Many people include their cars, houses and possessions. I currently don’t, but if I had a house or a nice car, I may. Given the recent swing in housing prices, perhaps I would hesitate to include appreciation of my home, as it won’t really be an investment anyway. I don’t include short term savings (gifts, insurance, etc), but do include my (measly) newer car fund . I once heard someone argue that they don’t include any retirement accounts, because that was money they couldn’t touch for 35 years. If I did that, my net worth would be in much sadder shape, as I’m really focusing on retirement savings for the next few years. Or more accurately, the next many many years!
I do think it is common to include your 401k dollars as regular dollars (right?). I don’t think it matters that much, as net worth calculations are generally to track your own progress, not for bragging rights. As long as a person is consistent in their net worth calculations, it shouldn’t matter all that much. For example, at the end of each month, I have almost $1500 sitting in my account for rent, and the check will go through about a week after I update my net worth charts. However, within another week, I”ll get another paycheck that will boost the net worth back up. It isn’t until the second paycheck of the month that I really see the gains. I’ve always counted my rent money in my net worth, so as long as I am consistent, it doesn’t really matter.
What do you think?
Many people talk a lot about giving to charity, especially this time of the year. I personally do not give a very large percentage of my income to charity. When friends or acquaintances are requesting donations for a cause, I always donate something. Other than that, I must admit to being a bit miserly, something I would like to change. (Or more honestly, something I say I’d like to change, but haven’t made any real progress on changing.)
I was reading a celebrity gossip magazine (and I’m not ashamed to admit it!) this evening, and came across an article about people or families who gave away over 50% of their income or net worth. The featured people were not anyone special: a woman who made just $16k last year, a man who earns $200k and gives away a whopping $162,000 of it, and another woman who inherited over half a million only to give it away. Check out Bolder Giving to read about more people who are extremely generous. Their mission “ is to inspire us to give at our full potential by providing remarkable role models and practical support.“
I am not giving to my full potential. It isn’t though I’m spending selfishly, I just have other goals that I’m putting ahead of charity. Building up my emergency fund. Paying off student loans. However, these goals aren’t mutually exclusive to giving to charity. In my defense, I volunteer about 1 hour a week at Big Brothers Big isters. Still, I feel that I could give more. So, what am I going to do about it? I will start small, and donate 1% (minimum) of my income next year. To those who tithe (or those who are simply more generous than I), a mere percent may seem laughable, but it is more than I contributed this year. It is a start, right?
This month was quite unimpressive–an increase of just $132! There are a few reasons I have to explain this. I was sure I’d hit the 10k mark, but I missed… by four dollars!
- Of course, the stock market uneasiness. Between me and my company, we contributed about $1000 this month, yet the overall balance increased by just $300.
- Also, there was a slight student loan mess. I was charged some back interest which was capitalized into the loan (not by my choice!), which increased the balance by about $350. I paid some, and ended up owing $51 more than I owed this time a month ago.
- Last, there was spending. I took two trips to visit my family, at about $100 in gas a pop. I bought my plane ticket for the holidays for another $400 or so. I also went through some personal issues and indulged in a teeny bit of retail therapy.
Next month should be great for my net worth. Even though there will be Christmas shopping, just as much driving, and a new years vacation, I get two paychecks along with a bonus equivalent to about another two paychecks.
I’m also apartment hunting and I’ll probably need to come up with a hefty security deposit…. The following month will be interesting with the cross country move, but it seems my future company is covering just about everything, so that is grand.
This month was quite unimpressive–an increase of just $132! There are a few reasons I have to explain this. I was sure I’d hit the 10k mark, but I missed… by four dollars!
- Of course, the stock market uneasiness. Between me and my company, we contributed about $1000 this month, yet the overall balance increased by just $300.
- Also, there was a slight student loan mess. I was charged some back interest which was capitalized into the loan (not by my choice!), which increased the balance by about $350. I paid some, and ended up owing $51 more than I owed this time a month ago.
- Last, there was spending. I took two trips to visit my family, at about $100 in gas a pop. I bought my plane ticket for the holidays for another $400 or so. I also went through some personal issues and indulged in a teeny bit of retail therapy.
Next month should be great for my net worth. Even though there will be Christmas shopping, just as much driving, and a new years vacation, I get two paychecks along with a bonus equivalent to about another two paychecks.
I’m also apartment hunting and I’ll probably need to come up with a hefty security deposit…. The following month will be interesting with the cross country move, but it seems my future company is covering just about everything, so that is grand.
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