i want to pay off all my debt, i want to be able to do something i love, i want to be able to live overseas and i wanna do it all now!
Friday, August 31, 2007
FHA secure - too little too late?
I think this might be too little to late because if people that have good credit cannot afford their mortgage payment there is probably a pretty decent chance that their credit is no longer classified as good. Of course, I am certain that their will be a number of people that benefit from this. Unfortunately though I think a lot of people will be locked out of getting this help just because they may have bad credit now.
On the other hand, a lot of the people that are struggling are probably people that bit off more than they can chew. So, will they really learn their lesson if they get help like this? Maybe, maybe not.
ebay shipping made easy
To post pointed to RedRoller.com as a great place to get shipping quotes. I tested it out and it looks like an awesome service. And best I can tell it is a free service. I put in zip codes, package size, weight and that it was going to a residence and got quotes for USPS and DHL. Oddly I didn't get anything for UPS or FedEx. I didn't create an account though, so that may be why.
Regardless this looks like a cool site to get some shipping quotes from. Unfortunately though it only appears to offer quotes for shipping within the US and not international.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Campus Tech
Campus Tech is a good place to get some of these great deals. Some of best savings are are digital design products like QuarkXPress which sells for $945 new but only $184.85 for students/faculty at Campus Tech. Campus Tech has a low price guarantee which means that you can get expensive software at insanely low prices.
Ah, what a good reason to be a student.
Speaking of America's Cheapest Family...
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Get paid to move, that would be nice
I have applied to a few jobs out of state but I haven't heard anything yet. I noticed an article on CNNMoney from Fortune mag about how more and more employers are paying for relocation expenses due to talent shortages. I got all excited when I saw the article headline but was disappointed to see that the article did not give any occupations or states that this is more likely to be the case in. It would be nice to be able to focus my search on an area where I know that there is a definite need for my skills.
I just really want to find a job that (1) I like more and (2) pays more so I can attack debt super hardcore. Ah, dreams :)
What is up with Ohio?
While Ohio is not the poorest state (Mississippi is) it has several cities pointed out as poorest. Cleveland is listed as the city with the lowest median income of any city in the nation with more than 250,000 residents - households there earned only $26,535!! AND Cincinnati rounds out the top 10 with households earning only $31,103. And that is not the last mention of Ohio. Check out this:
"The lowest income town of any with more than 65,000 population was Youngstown, Ohio at $21,850, which finished last by a large margin."
Whoa. That is really horrible! Ohio doesn't seem like it would be quite so bad off. And where in the state are people making enough to keep Ohio from claiming the poorest state title from Mississippi?
Thoughts on America's Cheapest Family book
They also have a website that I have not had a chance to check out yet. Just from glancing at the page I see that they are gonna be on 20/20 on August 31st, which is Friday.
There were a lot of useful things in the book, but as someone that has a travel weakness I was particularly interested in how the whole family went on a vacation to Washington, D.C. for not a whole lot of money. In fact, this section of the book was where I found of the most unique tips.
They bought a crock pot at a thrift store once they arrived so that they could cook meals in their hotel room, and thus save on food costs. That is an awesome idea! I have used those little mini coffee pots to make soup and oatmeal before but this will be way better.
If you haven't read it yet you may want to give it a try.
more on creating my own windfall
Of course, I do have some things that I can list for $9.99 or less so it will definitely be worth it for those items. Unfortunately thought I have some tickets to a show that I need to sell and was really hoping I would be able to get the free listing fee with them for this promotion but there is no way I will list the starting bid at $9.99. So sadly that means that I will probably lose some money to the listing fee fairy. I don't know how people do it that sell stuff on eBay full time.
no ebay listing fees for a month!
I know it is a bit hard to read but the fine print says that to get the free listing fee you have to pay for the gallery option. Which is cheaper than the regular listing fee option. Then you also have to list it for $9.99 or less.
And if your starting bid is more than $9.99? Well, if you do that and choose the gallery option you save 25% on your listing fee. I am not sure if this is worthwhile or not.
Looks like a good time to work on creating that windfall!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I love financial "news"
Hrm, ya think?
I am thinking maybe I should venture into being a news writer. I mean, I consider myself to be fairly efficient in stating the obvious, much like the above headline.
Ah, I just love news.
7 money-related things I regret doing
- Taking out more in student loans than I needed for classes. I spent the extra on traveling. D'oh.
- Spending my first 2 years of college at an expensive private school instead of at a community college. Most of my classes didn't transfer to the public school I got my degree from.
- Paying for my master's degree myself instead of finding a job that did tuition reimbursement.
- Selling my previous paid off car just because I wanted a new car.
- Not saving my money as a teen.
- Cashing out a 401K after leaving a job when I didn't know any better. D'oh.
- Signing up for all of the credit cards! Big d'oh and a swift kick in the arse.
Thankfully I feel a bit smarter about things now. So, I suppose this list could look a bit worse.
keeping your kids safe is inexpensive , so what are you waiting for?
Defywire is a company that offers up 100 safety tips for kids on their site. Some knock out tips include having an out of town emergency contact in the event of a crisis, a code word that a kid can text message to you that means 'danger' and making sure your kids school has current contact info for you.
With the exception of the $0.15 for the text message, safety is looking pretty much like a freebie.
Dear economy - please fix your self
I really shouldn't have. Boy is that depressing.
I update an account balance spreadsheet at the first of each month, so I'm really hoping that something amazing happens between now and the end of the week.
It would be swell if the economy could right itself so that I'd stop losing money in my IRA every time the market takes a dip.
Mail from Chase Bank about lowering credit card APR
Today I get in the mail something from them on how to lower my rate. Here is what it says:
- Sign up for auto bill pay by 8/31/07 and get your APR lowered to 28.24%
- Pay on time, stay within your credit limit, and have no returned checks for 12 months
- Then watch your APR drop to an even lower 16.24%
Hopefully I will have it paid off completely before that year of auto bill pays are up.
The fine print - once you sign up for auto bill pay by 8/31/07 your APR will be reduced to 28.24% no later than 10/31/07. To get the 16.24% all of the conditions in #2 above must be met each month after June 30, 2007. That rate will be effective no later than 8/31/08.
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VH-1/ McDonald's Fabulously Frugal Life
So, I stopped on it to see what it was. It listed the following frugal tips.
- Go to a thrift store to update your wardrobe cheaply
- Collect hotel room toiletries instead of buying new
- Eat off the dollar menu at McDonald's
Monday, August 27, 2007
Associated Content frustrations
The first time it happened I chalked it up to a glitch in their system and me not really being above $15.
The second time it happened I thought maybe they just overlooked me and would get me next time around.
This time I'm just mad because my bonus is almost $29, which is one dollar shy of being two Capital One minimum payments!
So, I emailed them and got no response. After poking around the message board I see that I'm not the only one in this boat. I decided that if come Saturday morning if I have not gotten an email back or gotten the payment that I will begin sending them an email a day until I hear/get something.
My offers have also gotten disappointingly low. So low in fact that it's better for me to do a 100-word paid review most times.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
More jobs in the west
I am not familiar with the cost of living in these states that were mentioned (Wyoming, Montana, Utah) but I cannot believe that it would be too bad.
Unfortunately the article did not say where most of the job openings were. McDonald's was the only place I recall being mentioned by name.
I'm starting to think maybe I should start looking for a better paying job out West!
Friday, August 24, 2007
making my own windfall update
I'd like to be able to make another $250 before the month is up. That would be a nice bit of extra cash to throw at some debt.
If anyone else was trying to create their own windfall I hope you had some good luck too!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Wow - $4 million for a nagging website?
I saw a story on AOL's front page today 'FlyLady Nags Her Way to Millions' and I was like what?!?
I read the story. Her site is such a simple idea, yet she's making millions off of it! That is insanity! I really wish I could come up with a simple idea that makes some mad cash like that. Who knew that people would pay to get nagged?
I must say though - $4 million is rather impressive for something that seems so simple.
Monday, August 20, 2007
sometimes I really hate selling on eBay
Measuring inseams, measuring sleeve length, measuring shoe height and so on.
It's most frustrating when the items are still in stores and they can go in store and find out for themselves.
Friday, August 17, 2007
creating your own windfall is hard work
It seems like every time I try sell something on Craigslist the people show up and want to pay by personal check. Then they get mad when I won't take it even though I had told them cash only. A few months ago I sold a treadmill for $400 and the person wanted to write me a check. Um, no.
Hopefully by the end of next week I'll have everything up and selling on ebay!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
making my own windfall
I decided to create my own windfall.
See, ebay is having a listing special today only where any auction that you list has a free listing fee as long as you choose the gallery option, regardless of minimum bid amount. The cost for the gallery is option is $0.35 and the lowest regular cost for a listing fee is $0.40 if it's at least a buck.
So, when I get home I'm gonna go through the apartment and look for things that I can sell and make my own windfall. Hopefully. Provided that people want to buy my stuff.
Wish me luck. And go create your own windfall too!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Blingo is giving away an iMac today!
Comparison shopping for new tires
I'm thinking a few more days won't hurt and it will save me around $100, so I ordered the tires at my local Sam's Club. And as a bonus I can cash out some points on MyPoints for a Sam's gift card to take care of $25.00 of the cost of the tires.
The unfortunate part is that I can't get the other service items that I need done at the same time like I wanted since I'll be getting the tires at Sam's.
So, if you're looking for tires, make sure you check out your local Sam's club. And since they don't take credit cards (except for Discover and their own) you get to make sure you don't rack up any more debt.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Back-to-school is not that serious
- no. 2 pencils
- loose leaf paper or notebooks
- new backpack (if needed)
- extra erasers
- pencil case (if needed)
- lunch bag (if needed)
- 2 pair of jeans, a pair of shoes and a few shirts
- protractor, ruler or any other items on a list from school
When I was in 8th grade I got an "expensive" backpack - an Eastpack. I got it because it had a lifetime warranty and my mom didn't wanna be buying me any more backpacks. I'm 29 and I still use that backpack. I even went through a period in school when I wanted a new backpack real bad and tried to break that one - it didn't work.
Notice the lack of "technology'" items. Yes, technology wasn't a big deal when I was younger, but it was by the time I was in high school. But the shopping list pretty much never changed. And honestly, the list above is all kids really need.
When I have kids, they are so gonna hate me for not giving them a laptop for kindergarten.
Who knew?
Now I make the best ones! And for a whole lot less!
I got enough chicken over the weekend for 5 sandwiches for a cost of a little under $5.00! Talk about cost savings! Yowza.
All this time, I've been spending around $9 (probably more with tip) for something that I could make at home both cheaper and tastier.
I'm sure I'm not the first to discover something like this, but it's pretty exciting anyways.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Dining out - how long can you go?
So, over the past few months I've been working on eating at home more and going out less. The spending tracking spreadsheets have helped me to see the decline and it's awesome.
I was just looking at my tracking sheet for August and got really excited. It's the 10th and the only money we've spent at restaurants was $2.70 for two coffees at a drive-thru. And ... I have no desire to go out anywhere this weekend! Hooray! It's really exciting. And the thing is - the grocery spending is only up about $2.50 a week on average.
And if we can keep this up for the remainder of the month that will be just too awesome. I think maybe I'll cash in some MyPoints rewards points for a restaurant gift card so that when we get antsy for going out it will be free.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
sometimes, I really hate having a car
Unfortunately my car has decided that it wants to suck some of that extra money over its way instead. In all fairness, I have known for a few months that I would need to get new tires sometime soon. That sometime soon is looking like it needs to be in the next 30 days unfortunately. And I've noticed that when I hit the brakes there is that nice grinding of metal squeal that is not too pleasant on the ears. And I've also noticed that I'm not stopping as soon as I'd like to when I have to slam on my brakes in rush hour traffic. And I need an alignment.
I'm considering trying to find a local shop and seeing if they will give me bit of a discount if I get all of that work done by them. I don't know if that will work, but it might be worth a shot. Of course, sometimes tire prices are a lot more at local shops. And sometimes they don't have the parts that they need for you in stock and you have to wait.
Ah cars. I should really be thinking about moving to a place where I won't need one the next time I move.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
ouch
Ouch.
Yup, that's a beating all right. Sure wish I had some extra cash though since it's a great time to buy.
I didn't log into my ShareBuilder account. There's not much in it, but still. I suspect it looks pretty bad as well. I'm thinking I'll wait till the end of the month, which is when I usually check balances and hope that things have recovered a bit by then.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Debt roundup #6
I did make almost $1100 in alternative income. I started out the month strong but lost steam as time wore on. I have renewed my dedication to meeting the $2400 mark this month and think it will be a goal I can reach as there will be no distractions (harry potter) this month.
This month also offers up an extra paycheck, which is awesome. I'm hoping for next month's debt totals to show a big drop after I get to pay off a chunk!
Here's where the debt stands as of 7/31/07:
- car loan = $13,016.03
- credit cards = $30,383.49
- school loans = $153,969.50
And if you're wondering, no, the degrees were not worth all of that debt. :)
As for my job hunt, I just found out that local employer has closed an office in Illinois and will be moving about 50 positions in Finance/Accounting to the offices here. If you're in central Ohio and want info, drop me a comment. I do not know pay rate or exact positions as my contact just found out yesterday about the openings - but I can tell you where to send your resume!