I'm definitely rolling into the new year with some major life changes.
Met my husband over the summer at a mutual friend's wedding. We got engaged six weeks later and married last month. It was the easiest decision I've ever made in my entire life.
2009 has brought both joys and challenges to Tim and I. The day after we got married, we moved into a rented condo in St. Petersburg just a few blocks from my previous apartment.
A few weeks after we moved, Tim was hired at La Fogata, a Brazilian steak house in Gulfport, FL. He likes his job so far and we feel lucky that he found employment in this tough as nails economy. Tim is in charge of cooking all the meat that the restaurant serves. If you're not familiar with this type of food, it's churrasco style. It's an all-you-can-eat meat smorgasboard, where diners are served slices of delicious meat right at their table.
Neither of us want to have to work our entire lives. Ideally, we'd like to retire earlier rather than later. Our primary goals are saving as much money as possible. We'd like to purchase a foreclosed home at the end of the year, fix it up, then sell it. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Prices are still rock bottom, so getting a great deal shouldn't be too hard. Tim does remodeling work so we can save quite a bit of money doing this and build equity and value in the house.
We've also tossed around other ideas like catering on the side, and even making our own furniture. Over the New Year holiday, Tim acquired a nice table saw and a router. He's been tinkering with the new toys this week and I think furniture crafting is something he'll enjoy.
I've drawn up a preliminary budget, and with our current incomes, we should be able to save a very substantial amount of money (about $1,000 per month). That's not even including my 10% kicked into my 401k. That's a huge relief to me!
So all in all, 2009 may be okay for the Moore family despite the crumbling economic infrastructure around us.
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Stupidity At Its Finest
I'm a huge Suze Orman watcher and personal finance book enthusiast. Every Sunday morning I watch the previous evening's show that I've DVR'd . This most recent episode definitely takes the case for shock value.
The first guest Dawn was from California. She and her husband make a combined $9,000 a month, but have living expenses totalling $19,000. They have more than $230,000 in CREDIT CARD DEBT. That's more than doctors have in student loans from medical school! When Tim and I heard that number, our jaws both dropped. Tim was so disturbed by that, he had to excuse himself to have a cigarette. I was incredulous. More information on Dawn: her family bought a home for more than $300,000 and now have a mortgage and home equity loans for $900,000.
Dawn loves vacations and openly admitted a jewelry addiction. She'd sent in a home video of her remodeled lavish home that she and her husband have no right in owning. She has a 7 year old daughter who has no idea mommy and daddy are lying about their lifestyle.
Suze's advice to Dawn was to 1) sell the home immediately with everything in it 2) move into a small 2 bedroom apartment 3) she and her husband should both get second jobs 4) paying off creditors as quickly as possible 5) saving up more money and eventually buying another home they can afford.
Dawn's reaction "I don't think that's gonna happen. I'm not ready to give this up."
This woman also seemed to think that having an upside-down home she can't afford is better than paying off the credit card debt.
What a moron. That's really all I have to say.
Although I have to add that we've all made financial mistakes, but that we need to own our decisions and the consequences.
My student loans are particularly a sore spot for me. I should not have student loans anymore. From 2000-2004 I attended a small private college which cost about $10,000 per year including tuition, room and board. My parents are divorced and my father helped me out every year.
Here's where I went wrong. Because I received financial aid, I only needed to borrow $6,000 to $8,000 per year in loans. However, my father would write me a check for 4-5,000 as a gift. Really, I should have taken out a loan for $2-3,000 per year. Instead, I maxed out my student loan allotment and used the money from Dad to live on. Was I careful with it? Yes and no.
Since age 16, I worked as an office clerk at an engineering company. My first wage was $5.25 an hour. During summers through college I had temp jobs at a bank headquarters, as a waitress, and interning at a TV station in West Virginia while working at a dry cleaners. My checking account had a healthy balance at all times from then until now.
Thinking back, I could have lived quite a bit more frugally. I made quite a few trips to the mall to pick up nice clothes, bought electronics like fancy cameras, and ate out more than I should have. Had I saved that money and taken out less in student loans I would be debt free today. My college buddies all thought I was comfortable, as I always had cash for Eat 'N Park and going out to Ben's on Thursday nights. At one point, my ex-boyfriend saw that I had $11,000 in my checking account and saw me as a gift horse. I have no idea where all that money went. That scares me.
If I could give myself a grade on money management in my teens and early 20s it would be a B- . My student loans are pretty manageable, even though out of college I paid $300 a month which is difficult for someone making $1600 a month. I really should have taken about $15,000 in loans instead of $30,000. Last year I was able to net $15,000 with the condo sale so that leaves me now with $8,000 left to go. Imagine if I had only taken out $15,000 in loans. I'd be out of debt. Hindsight really is 20/20.
Lucky for me, my debt is manageable and the payments are well within my budget. Dawn's is much more serious. Dawn, you need a reality check. You need to listen to Suze.
Suze, just to let you know, my favorite food is also hot dogs.
The first guest Dawn was from California. She and her husband make a combined $9,000 a month, but have living expenses totalling $19,000. They have more than $230,000 in CREDIT CARD DEBT. That's more than doctors have in student loans from medical school! When Tim and I heard that number, our jaws both dropped. Tim was so disturbed by that, he had to excuse himself to have a cigarette. I was incredulous. More information on Dawn: her family bought a home for more than $300,000 and now have a mortgage and home equity loans for $900,000.
Dawn loves vacations and openly admitted a jewelry addiction. She'd sent in a home video of her remodeled lavish home that she and her husband have no right in owning. She has a 7 year old daughter who has no idea mommy and daddy are lying about their lifestyle.
Suze's advice to Dawn was to 1) sell the home immediately with everything in it 2) move into a small 2 bedroom apartment 3) she and her husband should both get second jobs 4) paying off creditors as quickly as possible 5) saving up more money and eventually buying another home they can afford.
Dawn's reaction "I don't think that's gonna happen. I'm not ready to give this up."
This woman also seemed to think that having an upside-down home she can't afford is better than paying off the credit card debt.
What a moron. That's really all I have to say.
Although I have to add that we've all made financial mistakes, but that we need to own our decisions and the consequences.
My student loans are particularly a sore spot for me. I should not have student loans anymore. From 2000-2004 I attended a small private college which cost about $10,000 per year including tuition, room and board. My parents are divorced and my father helped me out every year.
Here's where I went wrong. Because I received financial aid, I only needed to borrow $6,000 to $8,000 per year in loans. However, my father would write me a check for 4-5,000 as a gift. Really, I should have taken out a loan for $2-3,000 per year. Instead, I maxed out my student loan allotment and used the money from Dad to live on. Was I careful with it? Yes and no.
Since age 16, I worked as an office clerk at an engineering company. My first wage was $5.25 an hour. During summers through college I had temp jobs at a bank headquarters, as a waitress, and interning at a TV station in West Virginia while working at a dry cleaners. My checking account had a healthy balance at all times from then until now.
Thinking back, I could have lived quite a bit more frugally. I made quite a few trips to the mall to pick up nice clothes, bought electronics like fancy cameras, and ate out more than I should have. Had I saved that money and taken out less in student loans I would be debt free today. My college buddies all thought I was comfortable, as I always had cash for Eat 'N Park and going out to Ben's on Thursday nights. At one point, my ex-boyfriend saw that I had $11,000 in my checking account and saw me as a gift horse. I have no idea where all that money went. That scares me.
If I could give myself a grade on money management in my teens and early 20s it would be a B- . My student loans are pretty manageable, even though out of college I paid $300 a month which is difficult for someone making $1600 a month. I really should have taken about $15,000 in loans instead of $30,000. Last year I was able to net $15,000 with the condo sale so that leaves me now with $8,000 left to go. Imagine if I had only taken out $15,000 in loans. I'd be out of debt. Hindsight really is 20/20.
Lucky for me, my debt is manageable and the payments are well within my budget. Dawn's is much more serious. Dawn, you need a reality check. You need to listen to Suze.
Suze, just to let you know, my favorite food is also hot dogs.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Those Sneaky Drug Makers!
For most of my life, I've felt very self conscious about my face. The rest of my body has this great, soft, perfect skin... But my face is another story. Since college, acne has wreaked havoc on my appearance.
In the past few years I've seen two dermatologists. The first one was a total crook. He tried to sell me obscenely expensive skincare products in his office. The first time I fell for it. I bought a "specially medicated facial soap" for $26 from him. A month later I found the exact same soap for $8.95 on a dermatology products web site. When I slyly asked him whether I could purchase "his" soap online, he told me I could not because it was manufactured special for his office. Liar... (Note: I ordered one of the other bottles online and the ingredients were the same)
The same guy tried to prescribe me Tazorac cream, but my old employers' insurance was not great and it would have cost $150. No thanks.
A year later, I moved to a different state and saw a new dermatologist. He's fantastic. He also prescribed Tazorac cream (You apply it at bedtime. I'm not sure what's in it, it does cause some flakiness, but it sure did clear up my skin) On my new insurance plan, Tazorac was $20.
One year after that, which was a month ago, I noticed the return of the zits. So I called up the same doctor and he called in another prescription for me. The price was the same. The tubes look identical -- except for one thing. Tazorac tubes went from 60 grams to 30 grams. Nice!
It's interesting how I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't still had the old tube. Apparently even pharmaceutical companies are trying to squeeze every penny out of us. Gee, I never would have considered that before.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Not Keanu Reeves' Matrix
Lately, I've read quite a few articles and lists of Best Cars for Fuel Efficiency. Usually the Toyota Prius makes the rankings... But my car is never on these lists. I have no idea why.
Several months ago, my Ford ZX2 was totaled. Panicked with only two days to find and purchase a new car I went to the Toyota dealership. I negotiated a 2008 Toyota Matrix with power locks, windows, and cruise control for about $15,600 plus tax and title fees. (Note: I saw a 2007 model with 28k miles on it going for $17,986 on Craigslist, another 2006 model with 26k went for $16,999)
Originally I'd wanted a used vehicle, but with so little time to research and shop around I couldn't risk buying a lemon. Plus, my insurance company gave me much more for my car than what I would get for it in a private sale. Along with a generous gift from my father, and using part of my savings, I managed to put down about $10,000 on a brand new car.
The Matrix has been my mode of transportation for more than six months and I have to say: I LOVE IT. The gas mileage comes close to 40 mpg highway. The wagon/SUV crossover is built on a Corolla chassis. The Corolla constantly makes most reliable and best car lists. Unlike the Corolla, the Matrix has a lot more room inside! The backseat folds down and you can transport smaller pieces of furniture. The back is also plastic instead of cloth, making for easy clean-up.
The drivers seat is a bit higher up, giving me that SUV type feel. Since purchasing the car, I've noticed quite a few Matrix's on the road, which makes me smile.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Two Thumbs Up For $2.99 Wine
About a month ago, several Aldi stores opened in the Tampa Bay area. The last time I was at an Aldi's was in college. The chain prides itself on very low prices, with streamline operations with cashiers, but no baggers because customers must bring their own bags or boxes. Getting a cart at the store requires a quarter deposit to encourage shoppers to return them to corrals.
Tim and I stopped by after looking at some very interesting foreclosed homes. This includes one in a rather shady neighborhood. Hoodlums had kicked in the door several times and left spray paint messages. We spotted a few crack pipes inside and someone had actually left their weave on the front steps. Seriously?
Anyways, on the way back home we stopped at Aldi. Along with lunch meat, bread, chocolate eclairs, and flour we spotted Winking Owl brand wine. I'd never heard of it before but it cost $2.99 a bottle. I picked up merlot and shiraz. The merlot is good. It doesn't taste like typical cheap vino. Winking Owl honestly tasted as good as $25-$35 bottles I've had in the past few months. Tim thought it was better than the $5.99 wine we also bought at Aldi.
I'm excited to try the shiraz, and the cabernet sauvignon, which the store did not have while we were there. In other good news, another new Aldi store opened up even closer to my apartment!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Craigslist
Most of you have probably perused Craigslist at one time or another. I've used it numerous times to get an apartment or a roommate. Two of those experiences have been decent for me in the roommate department.
What is Craigslist, if you don't already know?
The service was founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark for the San Francisco Bay Area[update]. After incorporation as a private for-profit company in 1999, Craigslist expanded into nine more U.S. cities in 2000, four each in 2001 and 2002, and 14 in 2003. As of September 2007, Craigslist has established itself in approximately 450 cities in 50 countries.
Basically the site offers free or cheap classified ads, for real estate, furniture, stuff, jobs, and personals.
I remember back in the day when Craigslist was only in "big" cities like D.C. Eventually CL even expanded to the city I used to live in, El Paso.
For used items, Craigslist rules. I've bought my couch on the site. Most recently... a Select Comfort Sleep Number bed.
This mattress retails in a queen size anywhere from $1600 - $2200. For what's really a very fancy air bed. So when I searched CL, and discovered a 5000 model that claimed to be in "excellent condition" and six months old for $500 I jumped at it. I called Heidi and asked if she'd take $450. She accepted. This woman told me she worked at a tattoo shop and would have her brother take apart the bed, then pick her up to deliver it to me. Interesting. She lived in Palm Harbor, which is north of where I live in St. Petersburg. This was at 5 p.m.
In the meantime, I went in search of Lysol to disinfect the mattress, a good mattress cover (since it was a used mattress after all) and some queen sized sheets. First, I stopped at a Sears Essentials store. For a year now, I'd thought it was some kind of Sears furniture outlet. It is not. Apparently it used to be a Kmart and has kept the same type of store items. But... the store is closing in January so it will be liquidating inventory soon. The sheets were rather expensive for the cheap quality, and the mattress covers were $30. I passed on those. There was some Lysol priced at $2.79 but when I checked out at the register - discovered it was on sale mysteriously for $1.81. Not bad.
Next stop: TJ Maxx, where I procured hotel style striped 350 thread count chocolate brown sateen sheets for $29.99. This store did not have any mattress covers.
Since Target was in the same shopping plaza, I ended up there and bought a Rival 6-cup rice cooker for $12.99 and a mattress cover for $29.99. Just can't win on the mattress cover.
Rushing home, I didn't want to miss Heidi's arrival. It was now 6:15 p.m. My fiance Tim was at home breaking apart and storing whole chickens and an entire pork loin we'd found at Sams Club.
I decided to call Heidi. Somehow she'd ended up near Eckerd College, which is 15 minutes south of where I live... Hmm...
So Tim and I waited as he cooked grouper, pasta, and a balsamic tomato sauce. When supper was ready, I gave her another call. She was almost here!
Five minutes later: she had accidentally gotten onto the Howard Frankland Bridge ie: I-275 to Tampa. Uh oh.. She had to turn around.
Tim and I ate dinner.
Heidi, her brother, and her brother's girlfriend arrived around 9 p.m. They quickly brought up all of the parts for the mattress. Some of the foam pieces to be inserted were ripped but still usable. The air pump had some nicks on it. Six months old my ass, Tim and I thought. The pillowtop mattress cover was dirty. I Lysol'ed the heck out of it and after we put the mattress together, I immediately zippered up the waterproof cover from Target. That was a good purchase!
Still, I couldn't believe that someone from this area would have this much trouble getting to my address, which is in a fairly central location. AND they had a GPS. Seriously?
In order to defray the cost of this pricey mattress, which is, I might add, comfortable to the tune of $450 but certainly not $1600, I decided to sell some items on Craigslist.
The day I placed these ads, I sold the TV. The guy was a new dad/family man type who wanted a junk television for their patio. He had little trouble getting to my apartment.
One day later, another man was all set to come to look at the Nintendo Wii items. I was at work, so I asked Tim to meet up with him. That seemed to go alright, except for the fact that the guy had questions about the system and I wasn't answering the phone so Tim had to stall... He set up the Wii for this potential buyer, and he ended up staying at our house for an hour and a half. He did buy everything though.
That evening a guy named Ray was going to come check out the mattress. He had told me it was for a female friend who had just moved to Clearwater. Ray had a Sarasota area code on his phone, and he was incredibly hard to understand. He made little to no sense, and was honestly pretty weird. We made arrangements for him and his "friend"? to come to our house around 7 p.m.
At approximately 8:45, Ray called to say that they were on their way. At 9:15 he called again to say that he, too, had accidentally gotten onto the bridge to Tampa. If a driver passes my complex they have no choice but to get on I-275 to Tampa. However, this is very obvious and there are signs everywhere. Ray also sounded strung out on... Something. Drugs? Beer? I'm not quite sure but at this point, I felt uncomfortable with the idea of this weird person coming to my house at 9:30 at night. I told him this and he still kept trying to keep me on the phone to give him directions. I'm selling a mattress, not offering the services of Mapquest.
Now, I've gotten lost before like anyone else. But if I'm going somewhere, typically before I leave I make sure to look up where I'm going and familiarize myself with the area via Google Maps. I don't understand how these people can get so utterly lost. I mean, they were intelligent enough to be able to find an item they were looking for on Craigslist and know how to generally work a computer. Why does it take them four times as long as it should to get to a nearby location???
Since the mattress was still unsold, a man named Joe made it to the apartment the night after the Ray debacle, and he needed absolutely no help with directions. When I got home from work I found him standing outside my building. He needed the mattress because he was in the process of getting a divorce and gave his soon to be ex-wife the one they shared. He seemed nice enough and at least was not a moron. He paid cash and before leaving, wished Tim and I the best in our marriage as his case should not discourage us.
At least he got a great deal on the memory foam mattress that he'll be sleeping alone on.
What is Craigslist, if you don't already know?
The service was founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark for the San Francisco Bay Area[update]. After incorporation as a private for-profit company in 1999, Craigslist expanded into nine more U.S. cities in 2000, four each in 2001 and 2002, and 14 in 2003. As of September 2007, Craigslist has established itself in approximately 450 cities in 50 countries.
Basically the site offers free or cheap classified ads, for real estate, furniture, stuff, jobs, and personals.
I remember back in the day when Craigslist was only in "big" cities like D.C. Eventually CL even expanded to the city I used to live in, El Paso.
For used items, Craigslist rules. I've bought my couch on the site. Most recently... a Select Comfort Sleep Number bed.
This mattress retails in a queen size anywhere from $1600 - $2200. For what's really a very fancy air bed. So when I searched CL, and discovered a 5000 model that claimed to be in "excellent condition" and six months old for $500 I jumped at it. I called Heidi and asked if she'd take $450. She accepted. This woman told me she worked at a tattoo shop and would have her brother take apart the bed, then pick her up to deliver it to me. Interesting. She lived in Palm Harbor, which is north of where I live in St. Petersburg. This was at 5 p.m.
In the meantime, I went in search of Lysol to disinfect the mattress, a good mattress cover (since it was a used mattress after all) and some queen sized sheets. First, I stopped at a Sears Essentials store. For a year now, I'd thought it was some kind of Sears furniture outlet. It is not. Apparently it used to be a Kmart and has kept the same type of store items. But... the store is closing in January so it will be liquidating inventory soon. The sheets were rather expensive for the cheap quality, and the mattress covers were $30. I passed on those. There was some Lysol priced at $2.79 but when I checked out at the register - discovered it was on sale mysteriously for $1.81. Not bad.
Next stop: TJ Maxx, where I procured hotel style striped 350 thread count chocolate brown sateen sheets for $29.99. This store did not have any mattress covers.
Since Target was in the same shopping plaza, I ended up there and bought a Rival 6-cup rice cooker for $12.99 and a mattress cover for $29.99. Just can't win on the mattress cover.
Rushing home, I didn't want to miss Heidi's arrival. It was now 6:15 p.m. My fiance Tim was at home breaking apart and storing whole chickens and an entire pork loin we'd found at Sams Club.
I decided to call Heidi. Somehow she'd ended up near Eckerd College, which is 15 minutes south of where I live... Hmm...
So Tim and I waited as he cooked grouper, pasta, and a balsamic tomato sauce. When supper was ready, I gave her another call. She was almost here!
Five minutes later: she had accidentally gotten onto the Howard Frankland Bridge ie: I-275 to Tampa. Uh oh.. She had to turn around.
Tim and I ate dinner.
Heidi, her brother, and her brother's girlfriend arrived around 9 p.m. They quickly brought up all of the parts for the mattress. Some of the foam pieces to be inserted were ripped but still usable. The air pump had some nicks on it. Six months old my ass, Tim and I thought. The pillowtop mattress cover was dirty. I Lysol'ed the heck out of it and after we put the mattress together, I immediately zippered up the waterproof cover from Target. That was a good purchase!
Still, I couldn't believe that someone from this area would have this much trouble getting to my address, which is in a fairly central location. AND they had a GPS. Seriously?
In order to defray the cost of this pricey mattress, which is, I might add, comfortable to the tune of $450 but certainly not $1600, I decided to sell some items on Craigslist.
- Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit, & Guitar Hero III with wireless controller - $375
- My old 8" memory foam mattress - $50
- A Panasonic 19" TV/VCR combo - $20
The day I placed these ads, I sold the TV. The guy was a new dad/family man type who wanted a junk television for their patio. He had little trouble getting to my apartment.
One day later, another man was all set to come to look at the Nintendo Wii items. I was at work, so I asked Tim to meet up with him. That seemed to go alright, except for the fact that the guy had questions about the system and I wasn't answering the phone so Tim had to stall... He set up the Wii for this potential buyer, and he ended up staying at our house for an hour and a half. He did buy everything though.
That evening a guy named Ray was going to come check out the mattress. He had told me it was for a female friend who had just moved to Clearwater. Ray had a Sarasota area code on his phone, and he was incredibly hard to understand. He made little to no sense, and was honestly pretty weird. We made arrangements for him and his "friend"? to come to our house around 7 p.m.
At approximately 8:45, Ray called to say that they were on their way. At 9:15 he called again to say that he, too, had accidentally gotten onto the bridge to Tampa. If a driver passes my complex they have no choice but to get on I-275 to Tampa. However, this is very obvious and there are signs everywhere. Ray also sounded strung out on... Something. Drugs? Beer? I'm not quite sure but at this point, I felt uncomfortable with the idea of this weird person coming to my house at 9:30 at night. I told him this and he still kept trying to keep me on the phone to give him directions. I'm selling a mattress, not offering the services of Mapquest.
Now, I've gotten lost before like anyone else. But if I'm going somewhere, typically before I leave I make sure to look up where I'm going and familiarize myself with the area via Google Maps. I don't understand how these people can get so utterly lost. I mean, they were intelligent enough to be able to find an item they were looking for on Craigslist and know how to generally work a computer. Why does it take them four times as long as it should to get to a nearby location???
Since the mattress was still unsold, a man named Joe made it to the apartment the night after the Ray debacle, and he needed absolutely no help with directions. When I got home from work I found him standing outside my building. He needed the mattress because he was in the process of getting a divorce and gave his soon to be ex-wife the one they shared. He seemed nice enough and at least was not a moron. He paid cash and before leaving, wished Tim and I the best in our marriage as his case should not discourage us.
At least he got a great deal on the memory foam mattress that he'll be sleeping alone on.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Hot Apartment Deal
I found a new apartment for an amazing price. It's half condominium half apartment. Right now there is a special that lands the rent at LESS than what I am paying now in a two bedroom two bath with a roommate.
The 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment is 515 square feet, with a washer and dryer in the unit and a cool kitchen island. The price is $675. There was an option of a renovated model with granite countertops, new stainless steel appliances, and a nicer bathroom. I toured both the standard and renovated models, and the newer one was beautiful. However, when it all comes down to it -- I don't need it. I can use the extra hundred dollars I would have spent on it to pay down my car or student loan instead.
Just so you know, I will not pay $675. The complex is having a special where the third month is completely free, and the next six months after that slash one hundred dollars off each month. With my calculations, rent will come out around $600. That is what I am paying now. It is next to impossible to find an apartment that cheap in a good complex with a washer and dryer in the unit. Plus I will have privacy and freedom that I don't have now living with a rather interesting roommate. I have not lived alone in some time, and I miss it.
The one I have locked in will be getting new carpeting and is on the ground floor. I'm not particularly fond of stairs. AND residents are allowed to paint! As long as it's a neutral color, they don't have to paint it back. I'm excited about that! Perhaps I'll do that if the walls are white.
The 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment is 515 square feet, with a washer and dryer in the unit and a cool kitchen island. The price is $675. There was an option of a renovated model with granite countertops, new stainless steel appliances, and a nicer bathroom. I toured both the standard and renovated models, and the newer one was beautiful. However, when it all comes down to it -- I don't need it. I can use the extra hundred dollars I would have spent on it to pay down my car or student loan instead.
Just so you know, I will not pay $675. The complex is having a special where the third month is completely free, and the next six months after that slash one hundred dollars off each month. With my calculations, rent will come out around $600. That is what I am paying now. It is next to impossible to find an apartment that cheap in a good complex with a washer and dryer in the unit. Plus I will have privacy and freedom that I don't have now living with a rather interesting roommate. I have not lived alone in some time, and I miss it.
The one I have locked in will be getting new carpeting and is on the ground floor. I'm not particularly fond of stairs. AND residents are allowed to paint! As long as it's a neutral color, they don't have to paint it back. I'm excited about that! Perhaps I'll do that if the walls are white.
My move in date is December 12th. I took off that Friday and Monday from work to make things easier for myself to get settled in the new place. I feel this is a very good move because the apartment will have my own touch in it rather than someone else's. No doing laundry at the laundry center either! There's even a small patio with storage, and I'd like to put a small grill out there.
Mmmm. Steak.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
$2.99 Gas Is A Dream Come True
On Friday, I loaded up my Toyota Matrix to spend the weekend with Tim. He lives in Miami and has come to spend every weekend with me since he's moved here. He seemed to appreciate not having to drive four hours each way, for once.
When I stopped for gas in Sarasota at my favorite Race Trac, I paid $3.49. Not at bad price at the time.
Then, as we drove around Miami and the surrounding areas I noticed that gas was around $3.39. What? Miami being cheaper than Sarasota? It seemed odd.
On the way home I realized why. Returning to the Race Trac, the prices had lowered to $3.25. Yes, $3.25. It was quite a shock. Not that I'd been keeping up with current events though...
Today, there are gas stations in the Tampa Bay area offering $2.99 prices.
I cannot believe it.
When I stopped for gas in Sarasota at my favorite Race Trac, I paid $3.49. Not at bad price at the time.
Then, as we drove around Miami and the surrounding areas I noticed that gas was around $3.39. What? Miami being cheaper than Sarasota? It seemed odd.
On the way home I realized why. Returning to the Race Trac, the prices had lowered to $3.25. Yes, $3.25. It was quite a shock. Not that I'd been keeping up with current events though...
Today, there are gas stations in the Tampa Bay area offering $2.99 prices.
I cannot believe it.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Cheap or Just Plain Clever?
I am pretty excited about this week.
On Thursday, I have an appointment for a very long overdue haircut. At the Aveda Institute in St. Petersburg, the prices are incredible. $12 for a haircut. $35 for a relaxing facial. $40 for an hour long massage. The services are performed by students, and in my experience, they are just as good as anybody else. Especially since they'll be working in a salon that charges triple those prices in six months.
I hate paying full price. For anything.
Growing up, my family didn't have extra money to eat out at nice restaurants, take vacations, or buy designer clothes.
Out of my entire family, I'm one of a handful who went to college.
This is the first time in my life that I have what you'd call "disposable income." Now that I'm in this position, with the economy the way it is, I want to save as much money as I can.
Right out of school, my first job paid (take home pay) the equivalent of about $9.00 an hour. Miraculously I was able to buy a condominium on that salary. Renting one of the bedrooms made this option cheaper than having an apartment. The only upgrade to the place I made was installing mirrors above the bathroom sinks and putting in toilet paper holders. In the two years I owned the condo, the value jumped close to 35% based on the price I sold it for in May of 2007.
I've also managed to conquer my student loans. They used to be close to $30,000. Now, I only have $8,127.54 to go. Much of that progress came thanks to the profit made from the condo sale.
I do have to set aside money every paycheck for my bi-annual car insurance premium and that kind of sucks.
In my current position, I'm making considerable more money and am finally trying to save up some money in an emergency fund. It's going slower than I anticipated though. Why is it that no matter how much money you make, it's always hard to save?
While many of my coworkers are living a comfortable life in the Tampa Bay area, I still sometimes feel like a college student.
I eat off of the dollar value menu at McDonald's a lot. I hate paying more than $30 for a pair of shoes. One pair of boots I own retailed for $200. I got them for $19.99.
My guy recently commented on the lack of furniture in my apartment. It's true. I have a hard time buying large ticket items sometimes. Although I do admit that I have a weakness for electronics, like a Nintendo Wii and an LCD TV.
On most days, I try to stick to a daily food budget of $5 give or take. This is not as difficult as it sounds. It does involve making sandwiches to bring to work, eating leftovers, drive-thru windows and the like. Lately I do find myself eating out more than I should, racking up the food bill quickly...
Priceline has become an ally of mine. For Thanksgiving I'm going to visit my parents in Buffalo. I got a great deal at $18 a day for the rental car. In a week and a half I'm going to Miami. Booked a three and a half star hotel with a bid for $40 a day. Woo hoo! On the hotel's web site, the cheapest room is $139 a night, and on discount sites rooms go for $120. Score another one for me!
So now my goal is to keep contributing to my emergency fund. I'd like to have at least 8-10 months of living expenses. When I get my tax refund, that's where that money is going.
On Thursday, I have an appointment for a very long overdue haircut. At the Aveda Institute in St. Petersburg, the prices are incredible. $12 for a haircut. $35 for a relaxing facial. $40 for an hour long massage. The services are performed by students, and in my experience, they are just as good as anybody else. Especially since they'll be working in a salon that charges triple those prices in six months.
I hate paying full price. For anything.
Growing up, my family didn't have extra money to eat out at nice restaurants, take vacations, or buy designer clothes.
Out of my entire family, I'm one of a handful who went to college.
This is the first time in my life that I have what you'd call "disposable income." Now that I'm in this position, with the economy the way it is, I want to save as much money as I can.
Right out of school, my first job paid (take home pay) the equivalent of about $9.00 an hour. Miraculously I was able to buy a condominium on that salary. Renting one of the bedrooms made this option cheaper than having an apartment. The only upgrade to the place I made was installing mirrors above the bathroom sinks and putting in toilet paper holders. In the two years I owned the condo, the value jumped close to 35% based on the price I sold it for in May of 2007.
I've also managed to conquer my student loans. They used to be close to $30,000. Now, I only have $8,127.54 to go. Much of that progress came thanks to the profit made from the condo sale.
I do have to set aside money every paycheck for my bi-annual car insurance premium and that kind of sucks.
In my current position, I'm making considerable more money and am finally trying to save up some money in an emergency fund. It's going slower than I anticipated though. Why is it that no matter how much money you make, it's always hard to save?
While many of my coworkers are living a comfortable life in the Tampa Bay area, I still sometimes feel like a college student.
I eat off of the dollar value menu at McDonald's a lot. I hate paying more than $30 for a pair of shoes. One pair of boots I own retailed for $200. I got them for $19.99.
My guy recently commented on the lack of furniture in my apartment. It's true. I have a hard time buying large ticket items sometimes. Although I do admit that I have a weakness for electronics, like a Nintendo Wii and an LCD TV.
On most days, I try to stick to a daily food budget of $5 give or take. This is not as difficult as it sounds. It does involve making sandwiches to bring to work, eating leftovers, drive-thru windows and the like. Lately I do find myself eating out more than I should, racking up the food bill quickly...
Priceline has become an ally of mine. For Thanksgiving I'm going to visit my parents in Buffalo. I got a great deal at $18 a day for the rental car. In a week and a half I'm going to Miami. Booked a three and a half star hotel with a bid for $40 a day. Woo hoo! On the hotel's web site, the cheapest room is $139 a night, and on discount sites rooms go for $120. Score another one for me!
So now my goal is to keep contributing to my emergency fund. I'd like to have at least 8-10 months of living expenses. When I get my tax refund, that's where that money is going.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Rich or Middle-Class?
Newsweek has an article written by Daniel Gross titled "Sorry, Pal, You're Rich" addressing the question of whether a $250,000 per year salary makes the earner middle-class or wealthy.
Apparently only 35% of people rolled by CNBC believed that a 250 K income qualified a household for elite rich status.
Keep in mind, the median household income in this nation for 2007 was $50,223.
$250,000 is five times that number. Only 1.9% of U.S. households have an income greater than that amount.
Barack Obama has promised to scale back tax cuts for people making more than $250,000, and now the business class is griping that people who make that much aren't rich, especially around metropolitan areas such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
Now, let's break this all down...
For 2008, the federal tax brackets for a single person (keep in mind, there's a rather complicated gradual calculation) are roughly 30%. Let's say you live in New York City where there is a state income tax of 8.14% and a city income tax of 4%.
So overall, you pay 42.14% in income taxes total.
First, let's assume you automatically deduct 10% for your company 401K - $25,000 a year to get the 50% match (free money!)
$225,000
-42.14%
(94,815)
--------------
$130,185, or $10,848 per month.
Even after taxes and future retirement savings, that's definitely not bad. Heck, that's way more than I make!
On craigslist, there is an elegant 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom Upper East side brownstone steps to Bloomingdale's and subways including a washer and dryer in the apartment listed for $2,350.
We'll estimate that the cable, electric, phone, and water bills make housing and utilities cost about $3,000 per month. Since there's really no need for a vehicle in NYC, we'll factor in the $89 a month cost for a MetroCard and about $250 a month for Taxi cabs...
Since you're making a decent salary, we'll assume you have a Blackberry with $100 a month service... and ya gotta eat, right? So $750 a month for food and groceries. $1,000 a month for fun & entertainment. Another grand for shopping...
Many folks have student loans, so we'll factor in $900 (which comes out to about $100,000 in debt)
Monthly Budget
$10,848
$2,350 (Rent)
$ 650 (Utilities, phone, cable)
$ 100 (Blackberry service)
$ 89 (MetroCard)
$ 250 (Taxi cabs)
$ 750 (Food/groceries)
$1,000 (Entertainment)
$1,000 (Clothes)
$ 900 (Student Loans)
$7, 089 (Monthly expenses)
-------------------------
$3,759 is left at the end of the month as disposable income (more than $45,000 per year)
Wow. Even in America's most expensive city, living comfortably on a $250,000 a year salary would still leave you with $45,000 to play with after saving for retirement, paying taxes, living in a nice apartment, and not having to be too frugal. Imagine how much living in a suburban or rural area would make a difference.
I don't know about you, but that seems like a wealthy lifestyle to me. But perhaps it's all based on your perspective. True, a $250,000 income would be stretched much farther if it was earned in a family of two adults and four children. Yes, I get that. Whether someone is rich or not should not just be based on income, but on circumstances.
Regardless of whether a $250,000 income makes you rich or middle-class, this post does not have the purpose of proving that the rich should not get tax breaks. I've never understood why someone making $10,000 a year pays less in taxes as a percentage than someone who rakes in $10 million. If someone has the drive, determination, and work ethic to earn that much cash legally, they should get to keep most of it.
Some coworkers and I were discussing this article heatedly this afternoon. One of them pointed out how a flat tax would make the most sense. And I have to say that I whole-heartedly agree. Although if I had my way, the flat tax would be 5% and would only cover basic government expenses and infrastructure.
I don't want to pay for someone else's short sightedness, fleecing of the system, pork projects, and the like. If I make my own money, I believe that I deserve to keep that for myself. Whether or not I help those in need should be my choice and not a legal requirement. That takes away the liberty this country was founded upon and I feel it's wrong.
So, yes, a $250,000 income in most cases, does make a person rich. But taking away approximately $100,000 of that for the U.S. government makes me very queasy.
Apparently only 35% of people rolled by CNBC believed that a 250 K income qualified a household for elite rich status.
Keep in mind, the median household income in this nation for 2007 was $50,223.
$250,000 is five times that number. Only 1.9% of U.S. households have an income greater than that amount.
Barack Obama has promised to scale back tax cuts for people making more than $250,000, and now the business class is griping that people who make that much aren't rich, especially around metropolitan areas such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
Now, let's break this all down...
For 2008, the federal tax brackets for a single person (keep in mind, there's a rather complicated gradual calculation) are roughly 30%. Let's say you live in New York City where there is a state income tax of 8.14% and a city income tax of 4%.
So overall, you pay 42.14% in income taxes total.
First, let's assume you automatically deduct 10% for your company 401K - $25,000 a year to get the 50% match (free money!)
$225,000
-42.14%
(94,815)
--------------
$130,185, or $10,848 per month.
Even after taxes and future retirement savings, that's definitely not bad. Heck, that's way more than I make!
On craigslist, there is an elegant 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom Upper East side brownstone steps to Bloomingdale's and subways including a washer and dryer in the apartment listed for $2,350.
We'll estimate that the cable, electric, phone, and water bills make housing and utilities cost about $3,000 per month. Since there's really no need for a vehicle in NYC, we'll factor in the $89 a month cost for a MetroCard and about $250 a month for Taxi cabs...
Since you're making a decent salary, we'll assume you have a Blackberry with $100 a month service... and ya gotta eat, right? So $750 a month for food and groceries. $1,000 a month for fun & entertainment. Another grand for shopping...
Many folks have student loans, so we'll factor in $900 (which comes out to about $100,000 in debt)
Monthly Budget
$10,848
$2,350 (Rent)
$ 650 (Utilities, phone, cable)
$ 100 (Blackberry service)
$ 89 (MetroCard)
$ 250 (Taxi cabs)
$ 750 (Food/groceries)
$1,000 (Entertainment)
$1,000 (Clothes)
$ 900 (Student Loans)
$7, 089 (Monthly expenses)
-------------------------
$3,759 is left at the end of the month as disposable income (more than $45,000 per year)
Wow. Even in America's most expensive city, living comfortably on a $250,000 a year salary would still leave you with $45,000 to play with after saving for retirement, paying taxes, living in a nice apartment, and not having to be too frugal. Imagine how much living in a suburban or rural area would make a difference.
I don't know about you, but that seems like a wealthy lifestyle to me. But perhaps it's all based on your perspective. True, a $250,000 income would be stretched much farther if it was earned in a family of two adults and four children. Yes, I get that. Whether someone is rich or not should not just be based on income, but on circumstances.
Regardless of whether a $250,000 income makes you rich or middle-class, this post does not have the purpose of proving that the rich should not get tax breaks. I've never understood why someone making $10,000 a year pays less in taxes as a percentage than someone who rakes in $10 million. If someone has the drive, determination, and work ethic to earn that much cash legally, they should get to keep most of it.
Some coworkers and I were discussing this article heatedly this afternoon. One of them pointed out how a flat tax would make the most sense. And I have to say that I whole-heartedly agree. Although if I had my way, the flat tax would be 5% and would only cover basic government expenses and infrastructure.
I don't want to pay for someone else's short sightedness, fleecing of the system, pork projects, and the like. If I make my own money, I believe that I deserve to keep that for myself. Whether or not I help those in need should be my choice and not a legal requirement. That takes away the liberty this country was founded upon and I feel it's wrong.
So, yes, a $250,000 income in most cases, does make a person rich. But taking away approximately $100,000 of that for the U.S. government makes me very queasy.
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