A better update for April:
The Debt: $11,442.85
The Savings: $5,730.74
The debt balance is a difference of $583.09. It will be less soon; I bought some fabric and haven't paid the card for the amount yet. I will when I get paid next week.
The difference is savings is mostly due to my tax refund.
Hallelujah! Things are looking so much better than they did last month, and I am truly thankful. And my health seems to be a bit better. I'm not 100 percent where I should be, but compared with how I was last month? I'm definitely getting there.
I must confess, though, that I am suffering from a major case of the I-Wants. So far I've been able to keep it in check, but it's been hard. So very hard. My inner fashionista really misses how well we used to dress and is so tired of wearing the same old crap every day, season in and season out. Oh well. I have other priorities right now. Period.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Is That a Glimmer I See?
After what has been a difficult year as far as my financial planning is concerned, I do believe there's a twinkle of light at the end of the tunnel. With the recent direct deposit of my tax refund (yay!), I was able to pay off the various charges I've made over the last several weeks, most of which were for health-related items. The rest is scheduled to go into savings next week.
I also noticed something pretty darn great today: I'm still ahead in my debt repayment. Even after the finance charges are calculated this month, I'm ahead by a good 100 bucks. Sweet.
So, I'm keepin' the faith. I have another doctor's appointment next week, and therefore another copay, but I can handle it.
I'll check in later.
I also noticed something pretty darn great today: I'm still ahead in my debt repayment. Even after the finance charges are calculated this month, I'm ahead by a good 100 bucks. Sweet.
So, I'm keepin' the faith. I have another doctor's appointment next week, and therefore another copay, but I can handle it.
I'll check in later.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
And So It Goes
I mentioned a couple weeks ago the kaplunk of my computer and the expensive repair that would be required for my disk drive.
Well, when it rains, it pours.
The other night I went to hop online from the comfort of my couch only to discover that I could not. Alas, my Airport Express (aka the wireless router) had, like my disk drive, gone kaput. This has nothing to do with the kaplunk. Just an unfortunate coincidence.
I thought briefly about buying a new Airport Express, but then I remembered: I can't upload the software since my disk drive doesn't work!
I'm still not going to repair the drive. I mean, it's at least $329 to fix. A new Airport Express is another 100 bucks. My battery has been dying for a long time, and a new one is $129. And the software upgrade for the operating system is $129. So far, we're up to $687 to repair and upgrade my computer. That's half the cost of a new and better laptop.
So I'm doing nothing. I mean, this one works fine -- I just have no mobility ... or disk drive. Does this suck? Why, yes, it does. But not as much as spending $1,500 when I'd much rather be saving and paying down the debt. I lived 30+ years without a laptop computer. I can hold out for 18 months.
Well, when it rains, it pours.
The other night I went to hop online from the comfort of my couch only to discover that I could not. Alas, my Airport Express (aka the wireless router) had, like my disk drive, gone kaput. This has nothing to do with the kaplunk. Just an unfortunate coincidence.
I thought briefly about buying a new Airport Express, but then I remembered: I can't upload the software since my disk drive doesn't work!
I'm still not going to repair the drive. I mean, it's at least $329 to fix. A new Airport Express is another 100 bucks. My battery has been dying for a long time, and a new one is $129. And the software upgrade for the operating system is $129. So far, we're up to $687 to repair and upgrade my computer. That's half the cost of a new and better laptop.
So I'm doing nothing. I mean, this one works fine -- I just have no mobility ... or disk drive. Does this suck? Why, yes, it does. But not as much as spending $1,500 when I'd much rather be saving and paying down the debt. I lived 30+ years without a laptop computer. I can hold out for 18 months.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
March 2009 Update
I know I'm a day early, but I wasn't sure how much I'd feel like posting tomorrow. I'm still not 100 percent, and I may just chill tomorrow.
So without further ado, here's the March update. A word of caution -- it ain't pretty.
The Debt: $12,025.94
The Savings: $4,671.23
The debt balance has gone down $367.79. It should be down by more than that, but at least it's down, right?
The savings is down too, by $267.97. That sucks.
This month isn't looking that great, either. I have a few things to take care of. I'll probably do what I've done in the past -- pay with the card (for the points) and then pay it off with savings.
Hopefully, my tax refund will come this month and I'll be able to catch things up and get back on track sooner rather than later. Still, I've got a long way to go if I'm going to meet my October 2010 goals. I'm really going to have to step up my game.
So without further ado, here's the March update. A word of caution -- it ain't pretty.
The Debt: $12,025.94
The Savings: $4,671.23
The debt balance has gone down $367.79. It should be down by more than that, but at least it's down, right?
The savings is down too, by $267.97. That sucks.
This month isn't looking that great, either. I have a few things to take care of. I'll probably do what I've done in the past -- pay with the card (for the points) and then pay it off with savings.
Hopefully, my tax refund will come this month and I'll be able to catch things up and get back on track sooner rather than later. Still, I've got a long way to go if I'm going to meet my October 2010 goals. I'm really going to have to step up my game.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Every Little Bit Helps, Part II
I almost ordered a rug a few minutes ago. I saw it online earlier and fell in love with it. In. Love.
I had already clicked to add it to my bag and was about to go through the rest of the online shopping process -- with my credit card! -- when I thought to myself, "Would you rather have the rug? Or would you rather be debt free?"
I chose the latter.
The rug is $70. And though it's small, it's worth every penny -- it's gorgeous and so my style. Still, it's worth every penny for someone who has those pennies to spend on a small rug. And right now? That's not me. I have other priorities, and if I ever want to be that person who has those extra pennies for a $70 rug, I need to say no to such things now.
I had already clicked to add it to my bag and was about to go through the rest of the online shopping process -- with my credit card! -- when I thought to myself, "Would you rather have the rug? Or would you rather be debt free?"
I chose the latter.
The rug is $70. And though it's small, it's worth every penny -- it's gorgeous and so my style. Still, it's worth every penny for someone who has those pennies to spend on a small rug. And right now? That's not me. I have other priorities, and if I ever want to be that person who has those extra pennies for a $70 rug, I need to say no to such things now.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Every Little Bit Helps
As I mentioned in my last post, I'm the owner of a sick Mac laptop. Before taking it in to inquire about a repair, I figured it would be wise to (finally) buy a backup drive to make sure all my docs, photos, and music is saved.
I really like MacMall. They've got good customer service, great prices, and they almost always have decent rebate offers. So it was a no-brainer for me to buy my backup drive from them. I needed something that I could just plug in (since my disk drive no longer works) and I found exactly what I was looking for. And much to my delight, they also had a rebate offer for the shipping.
Since the backup drive isn't that big, I knew shipping wouldn't be that high. But knowing that every little bit helps, I appreciated knowing that I could save on at least that cost. So I downloaded my form. And when my backup drive arrived, I followed the instructions to the letter and sent it in.
Imagine my surprise when I received a letter from MacMall yesterday saying they couldn't honor my rebate request because they had no record of any such rebate offer.
Now ... my rebate was only for about 15 bucks. Still, it's 15 bucks that they owe me. So I called customer service.
The first time I called, I was on hold for almost 8 minutes. The next time, almost 10. I chuckled to myself, "I bet I'm not the only one that got a letter."
And I was right. When I called again a few hours later, the customer service rep sounded harried. I told him all about my letter and the rebate offer and he apologized profusely before informing me that yes, I would definitely be getting a check for my rebate. "We've gotten a lot of complaints," he said. "It was a mistake in our system."
My check should arrive in 4-5 weeks.
I really like MacMall. They've got good customer service, great prices, and they almost always have decent rebate offers. So it was a no-brainer for me to buy my backup drive from them. I needed something that I could just plug in (since my disk drive no longer works) and I found exactly what I was looking for. And much to my delight, they also had a rebate offer for the shipping.
Since the backup drive isn't that big, I knew shipping wouldn't be that high. But knowing that every little bit helps, I appreciated knowing that I could save on at least that cost. So I downloaded my form. And when my backup drive arrived, I followed the instructions to the letter and sent it in.
Imagine my surprise when I received a letter from MacMall yesterday saying they couldn't honor my rebate request because they had no record of any such rebate offer.
Now ... my rebate was only for about 15 bucks. Still, it's 15 bucks that they owe me. So I called customer service.
The first time I called, I was on hold for almost 8 minutes. The next time, almost 10. I chuckled to myself, "I bet I'm not the only one that got a letter."
And I was right. When I called again a few hours later, the customer service rep sounded harried. I told him all about my letter and the rebate offer and he apologized profusely before informing me that yes, I would definitely be getting a check for my rebate. "We've gotten a lot of complaints," he said. "It was a mistake in our system."
My check should arrive in 4-5 weeks.
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