A Better Jen in 2010

Like my new mantra?  I thinks it’s corny, quirky, and cute!

It’s time to start thinking about those New Year’s Resolutions.  Instead of listing the same things I want to change (but don’t) year after year, I’ve decided to tackle my finances.  But I’m going to try a different approach.

I read a post on Frugal Dad that really got me thinking. It’s a guest post from Neal at Wealth Pilgrim titled Are We Ever Done?

In his post, he talks about setting goals, achieving them, and moving on to the next goal. It made me realize that I am all over the map with my efforts. I want to incorporate everything I have learned about personal finance all at once.  

For example, I have been trying to reduce my expenses, stop spending more than I earn, save for a house, put away an emergency fund, save for Shaunna’s college, save for furniture, take the kids on vacation, save for retirement, etc, etc, etc. all at the same time.  And guess what?  It’s not working.

I started off 2009 with $20,000 in a CD.  I know that I will piss my money away if I have access to it.  But in using the knowledge I had gained through personal finance blogs and books, I decided to pull all but $2,000 of that money out and place it in an ING savings account because the interest was better.  Today, I have the original $2,000 CD that I left at my bank, and only $5,307 in the ING account.  I have an additional $1,000 that I used to open a Roth IRA, and I made loans to family that total $3,372.  If those loans are repaid, I will have $10,679, out of the original $20,000?  Where did it go? Most went to Disney.  A lot went to pay bills.  A little went to this year’s Christmas shopping.  And some was just pissed away.

So, a year of learning some tough lessons. But I have learned from it and I’m going to make some changes for 2010.

1. Transfer $1,000 into my credit union savings account for an emergency fund.
2. Pay off my credit union Visa ($934.37) with savings in my ING account.
3. Pay off my Master Card ($196.49) as soon as the statement comes in. Pay using my paycheck.
4. Pay off Walmart card in 90 days ($382.09)  I signed up during a promotional period for 90 days interest-free.  Pay using my paycheck.
5. Pay off Firestone card in 90 days ($252.24)  This is also 90 days interest-free.  Pay using my paycheck.
6. Transfer approximately $3307 back to my Credit Union and put back into a CD.
7. Loan #1 is being paid back at $100 a month.  Leave this money in savings and every time it reaches $1,000, open a new CD.  (Credit Union has a minimum deposit of $1,000 to open a CD.)
8. If $400 loan payment comes in from loan #2, add that to savings until I can put into a CD.

This is my financial plan as of today.  There are a few other things that I want to do, including:

1. Really trim the fat from my budget, and learn to live within my means.
2. Put $20 per week away for birthdays and next Christmas.
3. Find $96.15 per week to max out a Roth IRA since I don’t currently have a 401(k).
4. Add to savings any and all money I can squeeze out of my budget.
5. Read 2 personal finance books and one self-improvement/motivational book per month from the library.

I have a plan for 2010.  I feel good about where I’m heading.  Here’s to a better Jen in 2010!

I love days like today

I had the most productive day.  I haven’t felt like doing much lately, but today, I had a plan.  I picked the kids up at their dad’s this morning at 9:00, and when we got home, we went straight to work.

Bekah pulled all of the annuals out of the flower beds.  JJ and I took turns raking the leaves.  My stepdad came over and fixed my lawnmower.  (Woohoo!!!  Free repairs!)  While he fixed the mower, I replaced the windshield wipers.  Shaunna was inside cleaning the kitchen, then Bekah went inside to clean her room.  She emptied all of the little trash cans from the bedrooms and bathroom.  While I finished raking the backyard, JJ went in to help Bekah clean their room.  JJ mowed the lawn and I put the storm windows in the screen doors and washed the glass.  I washed out the air filter for the mower, and tomorrow I will run it out of gas before covering it with my new tarp for the winter. 

The little ones went to Auntie Charlottes, and I started the laundry and took Shaunna and her boyfriend to Home Depot.  They needed stuff for a physics project, and I picked up shrink wrap for the bathroom window, foam insulating stuff for the outlets and light switches, and a tarp for the mower.  (I really wish I had a shed!)  I installed the foam thingies and washed the bathroom window before I shrank-wrapped it.

I stripped my bed, and put the blanket and the winter quilt on it.  The dishwasher has run, and the laundry is still going.

I love autumn.

I’m back to work

My unemployment stint lasted exactly two days.  The temp agency I’ve been working for for the last 18 months was able to immediately place me in a new position.

Phew.

Unemployed (AGAIN!)

Well, here I go again, on my own.  (Sorry White Snake.)  I am officially UNEMPLOYED!  Damn economy.  I’m not going to get into all of the gritty details, but suffice it to say, my long-term temporary position (that lasted over 17 months) is over!

Since this is not the first time this has happened (or the second, or even the third!) I know I need a game plan.  A list of things to do, tasks to accomplish.  Because wasting hours playing Zuma’s Revenge is not going to put food on the table.  

I have filed for unemployment, which will be about 2/3 my take home pay.  I’m sure that I will be able to pay my bills without having to dip into my savings.  I’ve also cleaned my room, and done two three loads of laundry.  Oh, and sent out a resume.

Yesterday, I had a telephone interview, which seemed to go well, so let’s all keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

On the agenda for today -

• Balance checkbook and schedule payments for the bills that have been piling up on my desk and in my email
• Get pink slip from temp agency
• Clean the house

On the agenda for this week and next

• Go through my lists of goals for cost cutting that I haven’t done and get them done.
• Find a professional resume writer and beef up my resume.  I’m just not getting the hits from it that I should be.
• Go to the Housing Authority and get rent reduced (I live in moderate-income housing, and my rent is based upon my income.)
• Notify day care center and Care4Kids (day care subsidy) that I am unemployed.
• And of course, blog about the experience of being unemployed in a recession.  This should be fun!

What to do?

It’s 6:30 on a beautiful autumn evening.  The air is crisp breezing through the screen door.  Shaunna is at her father’s, and JJ and Bekah are outside playing until dinner is done.  The athletic field is full of teens playing football; Black Sabbath is wafting in through the background, mixed with the sounds of fans cheering.  Nothing like a little Crazy Train to get you in the mood to blog.  I am enjoying a glass of Merlot, contemplating my life.

I haven’t blogged much lately.  I wish I could say it’s because I got a new job, or a new man, or both.  But it’s not.  I just haven’t been in the mood.  For awhile, I was keeping up with my favorite bloggers, but now, I’m not even doing that.

I’ve become complacant.  I’m bored with my life.  Not to say there haven’t been some exciting things going on.

1. My co-worker went on furlough and never returned.
2. I’m training a woman who was hired as temp-to-perm, for the very position that I have been doing for almost 17 months.  The very position that has opened because my co-worker quit.  And the very position I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting.
3. I’ll be doing the month-end close process for the first time tomorrow.  Wish me luck.
4. I had such a bout of stress last week, I had to have a physical therapy student work on my shoulder.  It was so bad, I was in tears.  (The pain, not the session.)
5. JJ’s in therapy (which I totally forgot to take him to tonight.)  He had aggression issues at day care this summer (which I did not blog about.)
6. I caught Nancy driving around our neighborhood.  It’s the second time I’ve caught her, and Shaunna caught Jim once.  I wish they would just leave us alone.
7. I think I’m suffering from depression.  My friend told me I’m in a rut.  Which made me more depressed.
8. I feel like I’m being pulled in a million directions.  There’s always something that needs my attention.  A form that needs to be filled out and returned to school or day care, school fundraisers, grocery shopping, bath time, shower time, homework time.  I need to do something for me.

So what is a single woman with the next two weekends free of children to do with herself?  I’ll let you know when I decide.

Free emergency fund

Dave Ramsey is giving away $999 a day until 9/18/09!  Here is the entry form.

Go. Now. Register to win once a day. Hurry!!!

Random Things I Should Write a Post About

I’m looking at an online university to finish my bachelor’s degree.

I had two dates last month.

My kids started school.

I bought Bento lunch boxes and have been sending them with the little kids for their snacks.

I should take pictures of their snacks.

I’m looking for a new job.

I paid off the dentist bill.

I dyed my hair back to its natural color.

I had no idea my hair was so dark.

I haven’t seen my natural color in a decade.

I should take a picture of my hair.

I went clothes shopping with a friend and I didn’t buy anything.

I haven’t been knitting as much as I would like to.

I have a Twitter account and don’t know how to use it.

I have overdrawn my checking account 2 months in a row – incurring almost $100 in fees twice.

Today is my ex’s birthday.  (Ok, that doesn’t warrant a post.)

I love autumn!

September Goals

So now that August is behind me, what does September hold?  Here are my goals:

Short Term

• Quit smoking.  I know, I know, this is my goal every month.  But with Governor Rell proposing a $1.00 per pack tax increase I have more incentive than ever.
• Cancel newspaper subscription.  I don’t clip the coupons, and realistically, I’m not going to start.
• Deal with Nationwide, my OLD auto insurance company.  Even though I sent them a cancellation letter, they still took a premium last month, and I haven’t received a refund.  Kinda sucks paying for 2 policies when trying to save money.
• Reinstate Automatic Savings Plan at INGDirect.  I haven’t added to my savings since June.  In fact, I haven’t met my savings goal since April.  So $170 a week is scheduled to be deposited.
• Cancel digital cable and landline.  I’ve scheduled this toward the end of September in my planner, so I have a chance to update my resume, online accounts, doctors, etc.

Midterm

• Get emergency fund back to $1,000.  I’m depositing $20 per week (equivalent to my raise.)
• Snowflake towards balance on credit card that I have been carrying since June.  I have got to get this thing paid off.  It’s haunting me.

I feel optimistic about my goals this month.  I have scheduled some in my planner so that I will remember to get them done.  I’m going to put them on a sticky-note, and refer to them daily.  And I’m going to get back to the library and start reading about personal finance, time management and goal achieving again.  You know, to stay motivated.

August Review

I suck at this goal-setting thing.  I’m good at setting goals, just not good at achieving them.  I guess I really suck at goal-achieving.  Let’s look at August…

Short Term

• Compare auto insurance prices.  I switched to GEICO.
• Quit smoking.
• Cancel digital cable and landline.
• Start clipping coupons again.
• Become more vigilant about unplugging appliance that aren’t in use.
• Get Bekah to take shorter showers, since my water bill went up 43% this quarter!
• Organize financial/personal paperwork.
• Get phone number of financial planner.
• Snowflake towards balance on credit card that I have been carrying since June. (First time I’ve carried a balance since getting my finances in order.)

Mid-Term

• Get emergency fund back to $1,000.
• Snowflake towards car payment.

Okay, that’s a lot that didn’t get done.  But there are a few things that I did that weren’t on the list.  I cancelled both Free Credit Report and eHarmony.  That’s a savings of $65 per month.  I’ve continued to purchase my gas in Massachusetts, saving around $0.20 per gallon right now.  I brought my eating out expense down to it’s lowest point since I started tracking it separately in February.

Bad things this month…I’ve drained $1,400 out of savings.  School shopping and today’s last summer trip to the aquarium account for some of it.  Plus, preparing for a new car payment that’s due the same week as the rent meant moving my rent payment up a week, causing both August and September’s rent to be paid in August.  Plus Shaunna has senior portraits this month ($286…so far.) 

I am optimistic for September.  But you’ll have to wait for my next post.

Anonymity

I haven’t posted much lately.  I am experiencing trouble opening up knowing that there are people out there that know me and could be reading this.

I had a friend call me about my post on my custody arrangements with Jim.  He was concerned that because I post my blog entries on my Facebook page, my oldest daughter and her friends will read what I write.

Then there was the email I received when I posted about who’s responsibilty it should be to initiate a change in visitation.  I was told I should password-protect posts I make about Jim and Nancy.

Finally, there is the blog post at The Wisdom Journal about how to prepare for a background check.  When I Googled my name, not only did my Facebook page come up, but so did my blog.  Which freaked me out, because what if this is the reason I haven’t been offered a full-time position.

 

There are things I want to write about, things I need to get out there.  I enjoy blogging and getting feedback from different people, different perspectives.  I have some serious shit going on in my life that I haven’t felt comfortable posting, and I feel even less comfortable knowing that someone doing a background check on me could read.  The idea that I might not be offered a job because I have custody issues with my ex, or problems with my children scares me.

I haven’t decided entirely what I am going to do yet.  I don’t want to have a blog full of password-protected posts.  I am thinking about setting up a separate Facebook page just for my blog, and not publishing on my personal page.  So if you read through Networked Blogs, please bookmark me so when I do make some changes, you’ll be able to find me.