Can't wait!!!

I just can't wait to look at my numbers for the month. Well, at least the debt numbers.

My alternative income is not going to be pretty. It went down this month. I already know that. It was mostly due to me having too much going on. And having someone from out of town visit for almost a week.

But it will still be good. Ooh, so excited.

But not about looking at my investments....dreading that part...

no free cable

So, I recently changed cable providers. I went from Insight to Time Warner.

For years I have done the thing where you pay for high speed cable internet and get the free cable feed without paying for the cable.

So, I thought I would do the same this time. Time Warner had other plans. Apparently they put a filter on the line.

So I had to call to get cable. I only watch TNT and CNN yet I have to pay $45 and that's annoying. I sure wish I could buy cable channels a la carte.

Fed cuts rate again!

I just got back from lunch and saw the news on the tv in the lobby.


CNN is reporting the the Fed cut the rates again! This time it is a 0.50 cut! Um, didn't they *just* do that super size cut like last week or something?

What gives? How am I supposed to get a decent rate on my high yield savings if they keep this up?!

John Edwards quits presidential race

Whoa! I was surprised to see the headline that John Edwards has dropped of the the presidential race.

I suspected that the Election 2008 pool would be one lighter today. But I thought it would be Giuliani that would be announcing the end of his run.

I must say that I am shocked that Edwards dropped out already.

I wonder who he will back out of Clinton and Obama?

still focused on paying it down!

Ah, I can't wait. I just can't wait to get to the end of the month and see where I am at.

Paying off things is fun! And seeing that number go down at the end of the month will be even better.

I just wish I could find more ways to increase income. Regardless though, I am still pretty excited about my debt paydown.

weird AdSense stuff

I've noticed on a couple of my sites that the AdSense is not showing ads but showing those public service announcement things.

It's not all of the sites, just a few. Namely the top performners.

So, I was poking around for info on the AdSense site and group. Apparently you get those ads when the "Google algorithm" deducts that you have "adult" or "mature" content on the site.

The problem? I don't have that on the sites!

I find it suspect that the top earners are the only ones affected.

oh yeah

I worked some OT on Saturday. I am working OT today and tomorrow. That means that the Chase card will be toast by the end of the month!

Only $1300 is left to pay on it. I am aiming to pay it off on Friday.

Then, time for a victory dance before moving right along to attack the next card.

Debt paydown update: Take that Chase card with 27.24% APR!

Ooh, being in super debt reduction mode is very exciting! It's hard work, but still very exciting.

The credit card that we are targeting first to pay off is a Chase Visa card with an interest rate of 27.24% and a balance of around $2400 and a monthly payment of around $80.

On Tuesday my auto payment of $79 was applied and just now I paid $1088 on the card!!

The best part is that it will be paid off in full by the end of the month! Woo hoo!

Hooray! 6-month insurance premium paid!

Focusing hardcore on debt is kind of exciting.

Not only do I actually have money in the bank - which is exciting, no wait a minute...

WE ARE NO LONGER LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK!!!

Okay, so, money in the bank AND I just paid the car insurance in full for 6 months! No monthly payment with the $4.00 charge for having to pay it in increments. Booyah!

And the best part?

I just paid that and there is STILL a cushion in the bank account.

My boss hates the environment too

So, my boss thinking that I have too much of a personal life is not the end of the story.

And if you thought that was absurd you won't believe this next bit.

My staffing agency rep told me that my boss at the office doesn't like that I carpool with someone!

So, not only does she not like for her employees to have other responsibilities outside of work, but she also does not like the environment.

What absurdity!

And I have to work work with this person on a daily basis!

Dreamhost issues

I use Dreamhost for hosting for a few websites that I have.

I have a love/hate relationship with Dreamhost.

Today when I checked my email this morning I had a surprise. Dreamhost had decided to bill me for 2 years of service at close to $500.

I later found out from my friend Pam that it was a glitch in their system and they are refunding the money to everyone affected.

She is a little upset because if the charge goes through it will make her credit card go over the limit and she'll get fees.

I was annoyed but not upset. You see, I actually have money in my account. For the first time ever there is a cushion in my account. (my billing is my debit card)

So I'm cool if the charge goes through before the credit.

Ah, being on the right track for once sure is refreshing!

My boss thinks I have too much of a personal life

I have a pretty decent job - I don't love it but it pays well.

The problem is that it is through a staffing agency so it could be gone at any minute. However it is supposed to be going perm.

I was talking to my staffing agency today about why the perm thing is taking so long.

Apparently my boss here at the office is "concerned" because she thinks I have "too much of a personal life."

This translates to "she won't work extra long hours for no reason like the rest of us."

I knew that my boss didn't want me to have a life outside of work. Now I have confirmation of that.

bonus for me!

So, I just brought up my blog at work. And I was met with a pleasant surprise. The new colors are softer. That means that people are less likely to notice it on my screen! Hooray for that!

Now, if I could just mute the colors on the Blogger dashboard. Then I'd be all set!

More updates and new links

I've also made some updates to my link link down on the sidebar.

While I have added several to the list, I wanted to highlight a couple of interest:

Illusions of Soul - if you're into vampire fiction then this is your site. It kind of like a book told through the entries. And it updates regularly! Make sure you start with entry #1 and read them in order.

Holiday Hacks - like lifehacker, only it's all holiday related. There also things like general background info on holidays and such.

Million Peso Homepage - a quirky take on making money online.

Enjoy!

A new theme and new goals for 2008!

Well, I was going to update my goals today and once I got started I decided to just give the entire page a bit of a revamp.

I decided that I was tired of the old colors and such and it was time for something new.

The green seems a bit more cheery and optimistic than the orange. I think I like it a lot better.

I also finally updated my goals for 2008. I'm only, what, 13 days behind!

You might notice it looks a little different.

I wanted to really hone in on the debt payoff focus.

I think there were some pretty decent results last month after deciding to get serious about debt payoff.

And it is weird because for the first time in I don't know how long there is money in the checking accounts and no bills are due!

I have the money marked for paying off a credit card but I just can't pay it yet. I'm gonna wait another week or so just to make sure nothing crazy happens. I'd hate to pay off the card and then have to charge it back up!

And at some point I need to get the brakes looked at on my car, so that will be a unexpected expense for the month.

There's a Girl Scout At My Door

I hate living in apartments because everyone and there brother that is selling something knocks on your door. Usually it's the kids selling the magazines for some trip or whatever.

I used to answer the door without looking through the peep hole. I know better now.

I just heard the loud knock and went over to peep out and see who it was. There was a little girl out there screaming "it's just a girl scout!"

She must have heard my tv as I have it on CNN kind of loud so I can hear it in here. Drats.

For a half second I consider opening the door to tell her "no thanks" then I remember the cuteness factor of little kids like that and how last year I ended up leaving the grocery store with cookies that I didn't need nor want just just because I couldn't say 'no' to a group of cute 8 year olds.

Of course, since it's Girl Scout cookie season I guess that means I won't be safe anywhere. Ack!

Ugh, the Fed

I came across an article of interest yesterday. It said that the Fed is expected to drop the rate again when they meet. I think it said the meeting is set for Jan 28, 2008. It said the rate would drop by an expected 0.50.

Before you know it the mexican peso will be worth more than the dollar it seems like. And I don't like that. Man, what is going on with this economy!

apartment drama

For the second time in about a month I have no heat in my apartment. That means instead of fixing the furnace when they were here last time they just basically applied a band-aid to it. It's freaking cold here yo. And it's hard to type when my fingers are frozen.

And as if that is not bad enough the maintenance peeps are here now. And have decided that they need to look around the apartment and comment on everything on my walls before they can get to work. Apparently they do not notice how freaking cold it is in here. And how freaking annoying it is that they are all up in my business. Argh.

Google is at it again

Well, it looks like Google is at it again.

I don't know if they are doing a full page rank update. They may just be penalizing people again. Why do I say this? Well, another one of my sites lost a page rank. And that is so not cool. Google is so not cool right now.

Argh.

Debt roundup #11

As of 12/31/07, here is where I stand:

• Car loan = $12,498.62 (last month was $12,753.38 )
• Credit cards = $28,245.41 (last month was $30,049.38)
• School loans = $155,262.48 (last month was $155,060.72 )

Oh yeah, major breakthrough on the credit card balance!! Not only did it get under $30,000 but it went down by more than $1800! See what happens when you get serious about debt?

Sadly interest that had been accruing on those blasted student loans got posted to the balance. Argh for that.

Wonder if I can get down to $25,000 for the credit card balance this month?

$2213.51

That is the amount of income earned in December 2007 that was not from a day job.

Yes, you did read that correctly. The grand total was $2213.51.

No new methods were employed to earn the money. And the total does not include AdSense income, which was $29.52 for the month, or CafePress sales. Booyah for those.

Money comes from selling digital items on ebay and other places as well as doing reviews on this and other blogs.

But don't get me wrong - it felt like a second full-time job some of the time!

money update on the way

Not only is it time for an end of the month update. But there also needs to be an end of the year update for me. Granted, I have not been doing this site for a full year. But still, it is easier to keep years by calendar years instead of by the length of time of this blog.

So, there are some exiciting numbers for my end of December numbers. And the more exciting part is being on track for an even more exciting January. Hooray!

caucus time

Ah, I love following politics. I do not get into sports, so politics is my sports. And while I am a hardcore Democrat I try to follow both parties.

so, I am pretty stoked about today. I can't wait to watch stuff on CNN tonight about the Iowa caucus. I think I saw that it all starts on CNN at 8pm eastern time. So, that is where I will be. I'll be following it all and rooting for my fave candidate!

I'd rather make a snowman than go to work

I love being off work for the holidays.

But man is it hard coming back! I got my sleep schedule all off for New Year's and now it is killing me. I got up a little late. And I didn't really want to get up at all.

And then there was snow waiting outside. And my first thought was "I'd rather make a snowman than go to work." But here I sit at work. Ahhh.