Stop tempting me Groupon

I get the Groupon Getaways email every week. A lot of the time, you will see the same vacations over and over until they sell out or the sell by date arrives. Infrequently they will have something that will totally sell out which usually means it was a great bargain.

Lately I have been seeing short vacations for little to no money. The vacations do not include airfare but I have frequent flyer miles that I could burn for that. It's so tempting to just buy one and plan a mini vacation or even a vacation into next year. Most are 3 or 4 day vacations which is usually just enough to get away and recharge the batteries. The vacations are often all-inclusive which means tip money and go.

Ugh I need to get my finances together and quick.

My vacation was great

I didn't go anywhere and it felt great. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to have gone on a "real" vacation again this year. But that's what happens when you don't plan and execute. I knew I wanted to go on vacation and I knew it was coming up. However, I didn't save anything for it and once it got here I knew it was not economically feasible for me to go.

I did have plans to do a quick baseball trip but my car decided it wasn't going to cooperate. Also there used to be bus service to the city I wanted to go to. They have subsequently discontinued that route from my city. The only way to go besides flying, which was way too expensive, was to take 2 buses. That would have turned a 8 or so hour trip into over 15 hours. Hmmmm no thanks.

I probably won't start saving for next years vacation until after January and I close on my house. At least if I start putting something away I may be able to do a really quick getaway. Sometimes that's all we need.

So I'm not going anywhere

And I wrote things that suck but it certainly does. I'm not going anywhere this year. Ughh. I have another mini-vacation coming up but that's in late Fall. It will also be crunch time to buying my house so I doubt if I'll have a large outlay of cash coming out of my account.

When I worked a job that made a lot less money I seemed to have much more money for travel. Now I make a decent amount more and I don't have anything extra. This bites!

I missed out on the trip!

I have a few extra bucks for vacation and I was so going to pull the trigger. I hesitated a few days for no reason. It was kind of like "oh what the heck, I'll just wait until Tuesday" or "well the sale is over Thursday so I still have time", except I didn't have time.

Unfortunately the trip ended up selling out. The price that I saw wasn't just a good price, it was a fabulous price. I didn't even realize how much so until I tried to price it out and decided to book. I got to the booking website and there was a giant red X with the words "sold out". I was more annoyed with myself than with the travel site.

That just proves the point that if you see a great deal, grab it before it's too late. As for me, there probably won't be a vacation in my summer plans this year. Bummer.

I just may pull the trigger on this vacation

I love to go on vacation. For the past 5 years I've been really cranky because I haven't had a chance to go. Then last year I decided to go at the last minute. Unfortunately I charged that vacation, and I'm still paying for it. The other day I won a few bucks at the casino and it put me over the amount that I needed to take a quick trip. It's about $450 including expenses like transfers to the hotel and tips, etc. That does not include airfare but I have enough frequent flier miles that I can use to basically fly free. There will be taxes on that free ticket but less than $50 for a $500 or so ticket is darn near free in my book.

I should just save a portion of the money and plan a nice vacation for next year instead of jetting off this year. On the other hand, next year could bring it's own problems and I might not be able to go then either. Oh well, I always book at least 2 weeks in advance so that gives me about 3-4 weeks to decide whether or not I really want to go.

Decisions decisions.

My last post sounds like sour grapes

And in a way it is. I gave someone a heads up on a job and they aced the interview and got the job. It was a job that I really wanted so I was bummed out to not get it. The kicker is that the person is now looking for a new job because she doesn't like it anymore. To be honest, she never liked it but she recently completed her 1 year job requirement and she graduated from school.

There is someone else that I know that is looking for a job and if I can help her I will. But if it's a job that we're both competing for, I won't give her any heads-up about anything. If that sounds like sour grapes then so be it. I won't give away another job like that again.

I won't give anyone a heads up on a job again

Basically a friend got a job over me. I was more qualified than she is but she gave a better interview. The reason? Because I told her every interview question ahead of time. While I had to think on my feet and not have a good experience, she was able to coast through and seem like a dream to the manager.

She caught on to the job and is progressing nicely. She's also leaving in a month so they still need someone to fill the spot. I will not apply and interview for the job again. Although she's doing a good job now, I already knew how to do the job. Now instead of having someone that would have stayed for several years, they got one and done.

It worked out for her and not for me. But if someone else is in competition with me for a job again, I will not hand them the job over me. Not again.

Why I stayed so long at my last job Part II

I just realized that I wrote this post months ago and never posted it. Better late than never I guess.

After staying at my job for 1 year and waiting for the perfect opportunity for another year I decided enough was enough.

Nothing was happening for me so I started to apply for any and everything. If I met the qualifications I applied. But now I was dealing with a post-merger company. The company was bought didn't have a lot of turn-over in their positions but they adapted to our culture really fast. Since most of them had been in their positions for years, they were considered better candidates. There was also the "we already know who we're hiring, but we have to post the job anyway" syndrome. It was bad.

I had to fight for another 2 years before I got the job that I have now. Out of all of the jobs that I applied for, I only had about 5 interviews. One job I lost to a friend, on a side note I'll never tell anyone else about the interview to give them a leg up on me again. Another job they wanted someone who would stay long term and they could tell that I would move on. The other jobs just went with better candidates. It was an extremely frustrating process.

Now I'm in a good place with a job that I think has a lot of potential for growth and that makes me very happy.

I'm bummed about no vacation this year

I thought I was getting my hands on some money from let's just say an unusual source. Anyway, it turns out that I am not getting that money. That was going to accelerate my debt payments as well as pay for a vacation. It wasn't a huge amount but it would have been a little chunk of change.

Unfortunately the money isn't coming. On the plus side, I didn't incorporate that money into my budget so it's not like I can really miss something that I never had. Still it would have been nice to go back on vacation.

There's always next year!

I finally switched my cell phone plan

I called one day last week and talked to a really great rep on the phone. He explained the features of the plan that I have now and the ones compared to the plan that I signed up for. It's basically the same except I don't get a free phone. I can pay a down payment and be billed the price of a phone monthly. The phone would be at or very near full cost, no discount. Or I can do what I had planned and just get a phone from eBay.

The best part is that I got my new bill today and it included my corporate discount. I also save almost $55 dollars in the process. I can save that money, buy myself a new phone every two years and buy my niece a new phone once per year. Even buying 3 phones every 2 years, I'll still save a few hundred bucks over the course of a 2 year contract. Yeah I did have to get another contract, but I'll have the phone for that long anyway so it works out.

Now I just need to get my niece off of my plan and I'll really start saving.

I'm still crunching the cell phone plan numbers

I still haven't made the switch to a new cell phone plan. The main reason is that I don't have the money right now for a new phone. Not a brand new phone but a used or refurbished phone off of Ebay. Of course my niece needs a phone too so I'm looking at over $500. I plan on postponing this for at least another month.

It looks like my corporate discount and my AAA discount are both a no-go. I was told that because the plan is so heavily discounted, they don't take additional discounts off. This is really hit or miss and probably just depends on who you talk to once you make the switch.

Hopefully by next month I will be all switched over and saving money.

I want to switch my cell phone plan

My plan is over $150 per month. I have 2 phones because I pay for my niece to have a phone. We both have unlimited everything although our data gets throttled because we go over 2G of data per month. I barely go over 2G but my niece uses over 5G per month.

Now I want to switch to a value plan where you pay for the service but there is no subside for phones. Either you can pay full price for a phone from the company or bring your own phone. The problem is that they don't want to let me get the cheapest plan because of the data. I'm also getting the runaround on whether or not I get to keep my corporate discount.

I'll have to crunch the numbers before I commit and change anything.

My 2013 Resolutions

First let me say that this is posted across all of my blogs so if you're following my blogs (especially my blogger blogs), you'll see the same exact posting.
My goals are :

• Increase my liquid savings by $2,500-3,000.
• Add 1 $250 CD bringing me to 6 CD's. After I get my liquid account to $3,000 all additional savings will go into the cd's.
• Add $300 to my stock account.
• Save up at least half of the amount for my bedroom suite. With 24 months same as cash I'll be able to pay it over time.
• Close on my house no later than July. It should be sooner but I could push it back a few months.
• Lose 1 pants size. Sure why not! It never happens but whatever. 
• Save $1,000 for moving expenses and trips home. I have to go home at least 3 times this year including getting my stuff out of storage.

Nice and short. Hopefully I'll meet most of them.

This year is coming to a close

I didn't get all of my resolutions fulfilled this year and since we're at the end of the year I know I won't. However there are some things that I'm going to get done.

I will save money in my investment account. I sent a lump sum of money earlier in the year however I didn't send my monthly amounts. I've just been spending that money on dumb stuff instead of investing it. I want to do a better job of that next year.

I also want to save a lot more cash next year. Whenever something happens, I like having a few extra bucks in my checking or savings account that I can spend without any repercussions. Most of my cash is tied up in cd's which works for me. That way I can't fritter it away on odds and ends. I'll add to my cd's next year and also add to my liquid cash accounts.

I'll probably write up one set of resolutions and post them across all of my blogs.

Dealing with effects of today's economy

I recently read an article about a company that was laying off a significant number of workers. As part of their settlement package, they would be offered almost a 12 months of pay.

That seems like a lot but in this economy they would still be on the edge. Especially since jobs are so hard to come by. Sometimes that means making drastic changes to ones lifestyle. That's where a company that specializes in debt relief comes in. And you have a variety of options including debt consolidation, debt settlement, a consumer proposal and finally, as a last option, bankruptcy.

Before you chose do anything and possibly make things worse, you should contact a Certified Debt Specialist like Shelia Cockburn Esq. With a law degree from Fordham University, Ms. Cochburn has over 8 years dealing with litigation and prosecution matters in the areas of debt collections, business transactions and intellectual property. She is licensed to practice law in both the U.S. and Canada.

While Cockburn & Associate, LLP is Debt Settlement for Canadians company, they use principals that anyone could use. Check out their blog and read the articles and help yourself get out of debt.

Why I stayed so long at my last job Part I

A lot of my friends ask why I stayed so long at my last job if I didn't like it. It wasn't for lack of trying to leave either.

When I first started my last job the requirement was 6 months before you could leave for a new job. In my 3rd or 4th month they changed it to 1 year. Instead of fighting to get out, which I should have done, I decided to tough it out for the full year.

After the year was up, I only posted for jobs that I really wanted. I wasn't competing against a lot of people but some of them had much more experience than I did. So it was a tough road but I wasn't discouraged. After 6 months or so I had only applied for 4 or 5 jobs.

To be continued.....

I'm settling in nicely at my new job

Whenever you go to a new job there is a learning curve. My curve seemed steep because what I'm doing is new but it wasn't that steep at all now that I think about it.

I don't want to make it seem like I'm totally okay just yet but I have to say that I'm settling in quite nicely. The new area is pretty quiet but it's also pretty loose. There are some people that stay to themselves and some that love to talk to anyone that will listen which is right up my alley.

All in all I like it and I can see my staying for a while. That is in stark contrast to my last job where I didn't like it from the first week.

Going through growing pains at work

It's always a challenge learning something new. Especially when it's totally outside the realm of what you already know. Right now I'm just trying to hang on and keep my head above water with everything that I'm learning. If I fall behind, I don't see any way to catch up.

On the positive side, it's a positve learning experience and there is plenty of room to grow. Or I could just wait until my year is over and move on. Either way, it's up up up I go.

Making new savings goals

I have a savings plan that I posted on my other blog. It's a pretty easy plan that should be easily attainable, especially since I've received an increase in pay! Now I need to come up with a long term savings plan.

The majority of the extra money that I'll be making will go directly into savings. Some of the money will go towards upcoming expenses (like health insurance) and some will get incorporated into my monthly budget. This way, I don't have to cut anything, I can increase some categories and still save at the same time.

I still need to come up with a long term plan though. I need way more money in savings to have a healthy emergency fund. The money from my new salary earmarked for savings will go into the long-term fund. The money that I'm currently saving will go into my short-term fund. My eventual goal is to have 6-8 months worth of expenses between the two accounts. Needless to say, that's a 3-5 year long goal because I'm not going to save that much money overnight.

I'll just plan on getting my short-term goal in check and go from there.

I'm still job hunting

I have 2 jobs in the pipeline that I'm currently working. I don't really think I have a shot a either job but for various reasons.

Job 1 - there is another equally qualified candidate that I know the manager is looking at. She's a networker/brown noser which helps her. Don't get me wrong, she is qualified. I just think her people will help her.

Job 2 - is only 1 grade higher than where I am. My salary is currently at a level 2 grades above where I am. I don't think this new job will want to pay my salary when they can get someone for a few thousand dollars less than I'm already making. I've already decided that if this job offers me even a minimal raise, I'll take the job to learn new skills as well as raise my profile.

Hopefully I'll hear something within the next week. The waiting really is the worse thing.

Boo hoo Overtime is over

It happened so unexpectedly too. I knew it was coming to an end because my coworker told me that our manager had been hinting around to it. Then one day we came to work and were told that as of Friday, there was no more overtime. This happened on a Tuesday. Luckily I was hadn't planned on any more overtime so I was good. At one point I was living to make the overtime but I think I got burned out.

We may have more overtime at the end of the year but I wouldn't count on it. To be perfectly honest, I hope I've found another job and won't be in this area to worry about overtime. I'm just glad it lasted as long as it did.

My project is finally over

I never thought it would end. I've been working on a several month long project that was a killer. Towards the end, my manager decided that they wanted it done sooner rather than later. So they threw 2 extra people to help me out with a 3rd doing minor work. Instead of taking another 3-4 weeks, we finished up yesterday.

Now I'm working on a normal work project that will take 2-3 weeks. No rushing and no one breathing down my neck. Just working at my own pace and getting my work done which is just the way I like it.

Probably not New Jersey bound

My nieces' birthday is tomorrow. I thought her party was planned for this Saturday. Unfortunately I got my days screwed up and her party was actually last Saturday so I missed it. That was the main reason for me to drive to New Jersey. Yes she's only turning 2 but I still wanted to be there.

Right now I'm totally exhausted. I have a lot on my mind and it seems like nothing is going right. One of my coworkers even remarked that I looked stressed, which I am. So I think I'm just going to use the next couple of days to rest and get myself together.

I still have some vacation time left later on this summer so I might drive down then. But tomorrow is definitely a no go.

I didn't book my trip

I was talking with a friend of mine and he suggested that I go to my destination next year. The reason is simple, it would cost less points. Or to look at it another way, I would get to stay longer for the same amount of points.

My hotel is 20K points right now. I usually go on vacation in May and during that time of the year you only need 8K points. So instead of 40K for 2 nights, I can spend 32K for 4 nights and have points left over. I also wouldn't have to take any money out of my pocket. As it stands right now, I would have to pay for at least 1 night, but by waiting I would have enough points to not pay anything.

Hopefully I can still find something for this year so I can still take a vacation. I surely don't want to wait until next year!

I want to book my vacation

I'm sitting here at my desk pouting right now. I have some free hotel loyalty points but you can only book 60 days out. I still have 11 days before I can book my 2 free days. I can cut that to 10 days if I use the 2 free days first and the paid day last. Either way I have too long to wait.

The worse part is that I can't even get my airline ticket yet. If I book the ticket and then can't get the hotel room, I'm stuck like Chuck. Most of the hotels are easily $150 per night. So instead of airfare and about $150 for a hotel, it would cost almost $450 for a hotel. Yuck.

Next year I plan on going on vacation in May like I did in the past and just using my August vacation as a staycation. That will make things so much simpler.

I haven't decided if I'm going to New Jersey or not

I just don't feel like taking that long drive. But since almost no one in my immediate family in New Jersey has a car, I would be at a distinct disadvantage if I rolled down there without a vehicle. Did I mention that they like in the sho nuff ghetto?!?!? Umm yeah, I'm surely not trying to take a bus down there.

I also don't feel comfortable staying at anyone's home. It just feels weird if it's not my house or my mom's house. That means I have to shell out money for a hotel. I did find a hotel for 2 nights that will cost around $115 but I would have to leave Saturday. I was thinking about leaving Saturday anyway but I want the flexibility of being able to leave on Sunday.

Luckily the party isn't until the middle of July so I still have a while to think about it.

Doctors have a new tool to add to their arsenal

I know most people think that doctors are perfect and everything is right at the tip of their fingers, but they need help too. Now they can use a service called Doximity to make their day a lot easier. It's a physician only network so there's no bogging down of the system. And to make it easier to use, it's available on the web, and by phone for both android and the I-phone. Personally, I like the android system better but that's just me.

Anyway, say a physician is looking for a Spanish speaking doctor in California who treats abdominal aortic aneurysms. They can type those keywords in the search bar and Doximity will find a match for their patient. For instance Jonathan Wade DO is an example of a doctor that meets those search criteria. Once his profile comes up, the referring physician can see his profile including languages spoken and specialty and areas of interest. Doctors save so much time by having this resource at their fingertips.

This is an exciting new tool for doctors to start using.

A big bank rules in my favor

Now imagine that! I went to an atm to take money out of my checking out. But I looked at the balance first, and the machine ended the transaction. Then I started over and took the money out. But I was charged several fees for this transaction including a foreign atm fee and a fee for looking at my balance.

Normally I don't fight fees because I figure it's my fault and I just pay them. In this case I didn't realize I had to pay to look at my balance as my main bank and my smaller banks don't charge these fees. Well I called the bank and politely asked to have the fees waived. I had also made a deposit that morning so my account was back in the black. To my surprise the csr said that they would waive the fee as a courtesy and credited the small amount back to my account. I also didn't incur any overdraft fees.

From now on I'll just use the account for my small purchases and no more atm withdrawals. I'm pretty sure that I won't be as lucky the next time and I certainly don't want to press my luck.

My savings are adding up

It can be a task saving money. It's hard to do and easy to get discouraged. One thing that I do is make my money inaccessible. I put it in the most obscure, out of the way bank that I can find. Then I'm not too tempted to go and get it out. I have one credit union where I don't even have a debit card. Now admittedly, I only have $250 in that account but it's a start right? Especially since that's my Ebay money. No sales means no savings for that particular account.

The hardest thing for me is to just keep it going. To get to that magical, mythical 3-6 months emergency fund is going to take a while. I do know that slow and steady wins the race but it gets really hard to deprive yourself of things and have the fortitude to slip that money into your savings account.

I know in the end I'll be glad that I stuck to my plan, but I can't wait to get there!

A fancy little birdhouse for our garden

Guest post written by Roberta Tiemann

When I like to do something, I like to make sure that the result of it is perfect. You can call me a perfectionist, for sure. So I'm that way with craft and household projects. I felt like taking on a new project myself and decided that it would be a great idea to try and make a fancy little birdhouse that I would be proud of for years. Not a standard little cheap one.

Like with any project I take on, I like to do a fair share of research on the best way to approach it, so that's what I did with this one too. When I was researching how to make a high-quality birdhouse, I saw the site www.debtsettlementfamily.com/ and after I looked through it a little bit I decided to use it to help settle our family's debt. We've had it for a while and don't want to be haunted by it for any longer than necessary at this point.

I found this really awesome fancy birdhouse example and I can't wait to try and make it for our home. I can't wait to make it and put my own little twist on it.

Still waiting

Ughhh I haven't heard anything from any of the jobs that I applied for. I've applied for several jobs both internally and externally. There is one job that I really want. It's in my field but again someone with the right degree can trump me. I've also noticed that managers tend to look at my current job and not my previous jobs which is where most of my experience lies.

The job that I really want is at a great company with a wonderful culture. I've heard nothing but great things about the company in general. It's only been 2 weeks so I'll wait another week or two before I throw in the towel.

Fingers crossed that something good happens soon.

Applying for a new job

I just applied for a new job. That's nothing new because I've been applying for several months now (actually a lot longer but I won't go into that). This job is different because it's a semi-good fit but it's external.

It's only a semi-good fit because I have the knowledge that they want but I don't have the degree that they want. I do have a degree just not in their preferred field. This is such a tough job market that people with Master's degrees are taking what are normally entry level jobs so I'm not holding my breath to get a call.

The external part does worry me a tad bit. I'm used to the corporate culture where I work and the thought of going to another company does scare me a tiny bit. But at the same time, I refuse to just sit back and stay at a job that isn't offering me anything. I may not get another job any time soon but it sure won't be for lack of trying.

Skype

Author: Jonathan Suarez

My husband is in the military, and he’s currently stationed overseas. For obvious reasons, this is very hard on all of us. I know he misses me and our two children, and it’s hard for us not knowing what’s going on over there. We do our best to email back and forth as often as possible, and we have become dependent on Skype as well! It’s so wonderful to be able to see each other while we’re chatting, even though we’re thousands of miles away! We don’t always know when he’ll have the opportunity to use a laptop, so I’ve started taking mine with me everywhere, just to make sure I’m ready to talk when he’s available. We’re so lucky that with our new wireless internet I’m able to connect to Skype no matter where I am. That has been such a huge relief. I no longer have to worry about racing home from the grocery store to make sure I don’t miss his call—I just pop my laptop open while I’m sitting in the parking lot! It’s such a wonderful way for us to stay in touch, and there is nothing the kids love more than to see their Daddy’s face!

Should I reapply or not?

I really don't know. I applied for a job that I didn't get. I interviewed for it and everything but the hiring manager went with another candidate.

Now I found out that the department has more openings and they're hiring several more people. The only problem is that the job is several grades higher than the last job. There is always the possibility that the manager can offer me the job at the lower level but I don't know if I should apply or not.

I didn't get the job the last time but that doesn't mean that I won't get it this time. There is also the possibility that my application won't get forwarded because it's such a high jump. I'll probably go ahead and apply and let the chips fall where they may.

Small time investing

And I do mean small. I have a stock account but not a lot of money to put in it. I have a few hundred dollars right now but not enough to really invest in a big company. I want my money to really work for me though so I've been looking into Penny stocks as a small piece of my portfolio pie. I know they can be risky but they can also be very rewarding.

I did my homework on a penny stock before and I would have made a tidy sum had I invested when I wanted to. Instead I waited and the stock shot up beyond my purchase limit. And that's what most people don't realize. A penny stock should be researched before you sink your money into it.

Me personally, I always research as much as I can before I lay my money out. But I see another good buy, I'll be ready to pounce.

I hate when I have to compete with friends for something

Especially a job like I'm doing right now. There are 3 people from my area and 1 person from down the hall that all had interviews for 1 job. The question though is how do they decide between the 4 of us? We all have similar skills and similar backgrounds. Although I know that I have a skill set that 2 of them don't have and I know the other candidate is really strong in a area where the 3 of us lack.

I haven't even considered that they still have more people to interview. The next few weeks should be very interesting to say the least.

Grandma

Thanks for the guest post by Donn Schroeder

I have finally talked my grandmother into entering the world of technology! She is the lady that still pays her bill by writing a check and mailing them in through snail mail! The idea of using email is truly foreign to her. But, she said she would try it if I helped her get everything all hooked up. Thankfully, I found some great Wildblue packages to get internet hooked up in her house. Next was setting up an email account for her. I was bummed when groovygrandma@yahoo was taken as a username! We settled for GroovyGma. Now that I got her account set up and she is emailing, she is loving it! She is so sweet. Her emails are always like a novel and basically just consist of her typing out all of her thoughts. I also think it is hilarious how quickly she responds to my emails that I send her. I mean, how many times a day is she checking her email? It is nice though because I can easily email her and make sure that she is okay. Now, it is time to get her on Facebook!

Debating between investing or buying an ipod

I know it sounds like a slam dunk right? Of course I should invest the money and not worry about the ipod. But I'm really torn. I want to diversify into precious metals. I'm thinking of small graded coins instead of bullion or jewelry. Not a lot, just one or two pieces.

On the other hand, I've been coveting the ipod for almost a year and I'm ready to pull the trigger. As of today, I have $175 in gift certificates with another $25 to be added within the next couple of weeks. Maybe I'll wait until I have enough to totally cover the ipod purchase and make my decision from there.

That gives me at least until April or May to make a definitive decision.

I'm not getting my ipod this year

I have the money but I'm just not ready to spend it. I have over half of the money in gift certificates and the rest in cash. I've been eyeing some other purchases though so I haven't pulled the trigger. Besides that I'm just really cheap and I don't want to spend the money right now so I haven't.

I know I can do a lot of other stuff on the ipod but I'm just not ready to get it. I'm sure by the time I actually buy it, a new model will get released because that's just my luck.

Doing Work

Guest post from: Kent Lara

When I found out the price of electricity per kilowatt hour in my area I just about had a stroke – how could I be paying that much for energy? I did some shopping and found the cheapest provider and that sent me off on a tangent – I had to find a way to save where I could. Anyway, I’ve gotten my water bill down as well as my cable and I think I’m on my way to really streamlining my household bills. I think it’s important to know what you’re paying when and at the end of the day I want to be financially responsible, not beholden to anyone (or any bank) because I can’t afford what I’m buying each and every month. I’m even thinking of cancelling my credit card to avoid charging things I don’t need to – there’s no sense in living outside your means and I’m working hard to become the most frugal person on my block. That’s a title you can be proud of!

I almost have enough for my Ipod

I've been coveting a Ipod Touch for a while now. They come in 3 sizes, an 8gig, 32 gig and 64 gig models. I want the one right in the middle. It's 32 gigs and $280 with the accessories that I want, I'll end up spending $295 which includes free shipping.

I've been saving my money and slowing adding it to my fund. Right now I have $180 saved with another $15 to go in the account leaving me $100 short. I'm so close but so far. I wanted to get the ipod for myself for Christmas but I won't have the money until the middle of January. I'll be like a kid in a candy store when I finally get it. Once I have the ipod paid off, then I'll start saving in my itunes account.

I can't wait!

Cleaning out my teenage daughter's closet

Guest post written by Shirley Cobb

My daughter is just as bad as I am about hoarding clothes that she's never going to wear again. Each time that I try to convince her to let me clean out her closet, she doesn't let me take away any fo her clothes. Even any of the stuff that she hasn't worn in years. But then again, I'm the same way. However, I can at least try to convince her differently and maybe I'll do the same with my closet.

I went online to see if I could find some cool way to organize her closet that would appeal to her. When I was doing that, I ran across the website http://www.cleartvbundle.com and after I looked through ti a little bit I decided to change over our home internet service to one of the packages that I saw on there.

It was a little hard convincing her to go through with the closet cleaning, but I was able to make it happen. It also motivated me to do the same with my own lcoset. I think that I may need some bet organizational stuff for my closet though.

I won at the casino

I know I shouldn't gamble because it's a long shot and believe me, I'm not one of those people that has a "system" but I did win at the casino last week. I won over $300 which is pretty cool. I have a few things that I want to buy so I have to whittle down my list to see what's the most important.

I don't know whether to make the list from most expensive to least expensive or from the item I want or need the most to the least. Either way, I'm going to knock at least one or two cool things off of my list just in time for the holidays.

I can't wait for my cell phone contract to expire

Ugh I feel like they're gouging me. They have a new plan that I can't switch to because you don't get the equipment discount that I get now. Since I got a new phone last year and added my niece to my plan this year, also getting her a phone, I have to wait until next year before my contract is up. Technically it won't be up but if you're within 5 months of your contract ending, they don't hit you with a early termination fee.

Once my contract ends, I'm going with a plan that is a little cheaper than I pay now. I'll save about $35 per month if not more. As far as phones go, I can always grab a cheap phone from somewhere. I do love my phone but I can get by with anything similar, I don't need the newest model.

Hopefully these next few months will fly by and I'll have a newer, less expensive plan before I know it.

Living Together

Thanks to Roman May

I love living together more than I ever thought possible but to be honest, it’s a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I can’t imagine why people act like this is the easiest thing in the world but to be honest, it’s nearly broken us up a few times! I love my boyfriend to death but he’s got some really annoying habits I just can’t seem to break him of and geez if I can’t get past them all. We get into little arguments about the stupidest things like the Alarm System and the dog’s walking schedule and all kinds of things like that. I know it’s dumb but sometimes it’s just really tough getting rid of all the things you pick up living alone for so long and we’re just having a hard time getting adjusted to each other. There’s nothing like being able to adapt to living with another person successfully and we’re going to get to that point one of these days, I just know it!

I'm almost halfway there

With my house savings account that is. I need $2k and I have $890 in the account. I should have more than $110 go in by the end of this month so I will definitely have 1/2 of my goal.

Just for clarity, I will have more than the total of $4k when I'm ready to buy my house. It's just for this particular program, they require that you save $2k. I chose to save over a one year period. The program allows you to save up to 3 years and then you have another 2 years to use the money. I wanted to get my savings out of the way instead of dragging it out.

It feels good knowing that I'm almost there.

Lawsuits don't always make it better

There is a school of thought that thinks that getting money is always a good thing. They don't care or even stop to consider where the money may come from. It could be a car accident, a slip and fall or a Actos lawsuit. While an Actos lawsuit may seem harmless it's really not.

Actos is a medication used to treat diabetes. The problem is that it can lead to serious complications such as heart attacks, heart failure and even an increase in bladder cancer. Of course all of these things can lead to an Actos Lawsuit. If you see the medication, Pioglitazone, just know that it is the chemical name for Actos and was sold under the trade names Actos, ActoplusMet, Competact and Duetact.

Knowledge is power.

I'm almost there with the extra money

I haven't had a lot of overtime lately because I had vacation and then there was the holiday thrown in there. All of the hours that I worked that week are being paid at regular time. It's ok though because I'm almost at my goal.

I did miscalculate how much I would owe by over $700 but I'm still able to make the payments and it's scheduled to be paid off early. I was just trying to get it paid off even earlier so that I could squirrel the money away on something else.

I guess I'll have to find another way to bring in a few bucks to pad my savings and knock this debt off.

I need 1 more large paycheck

We've had overtime available for the past few months. I didn't jump on the bandwagon until late because I didn't want to start depending on the money. Instead I've been paying extra on a bill to get it paid off sooner and adding money to my savings account for my house purchase. I've also started saving 10% of my overtime money in a separate account just to add to my savings.

If we work at least 2 more weeks of overtime, I'll be in a very good position to pay my loan off earlier than expected. If not, I'll still be on track to pay it off but paying extra is the goal. Of course, anything over 2 additional weeks of overtime will just be gravy.

I'm making progress with my savings account

I just realized that I'm a fourth of the way there to my goal and I'm literally a fourth in terms of my actual savings please. I didn't realize that I had saved that much until I looked at my bank balance. I still have a few extra weeks to get totally ahead to make sure that I make my goal.

I will be so happy next summer when I'm ready to move into my own house and out of this apartment.

Sending my daughter to an out-of-state school

Guest post written by Tom Thurman

There have been a lot of things that I've worried about for my daughter's sake over the years. It's simply worrying about her growing up and getting all that she hopes for and dreams about. Right now I'm worried about her starting her freshman year of college. She starts classes in just a few weeks and I'm dropping her off for freshman orientation right before her classes begin.

I've been working a lot on getting all of her stuff together before I take her to school. While we were looking up some last minute things like her class schedule and general college tips a few weeks ago, I ran across the website WIRELESSINTERNET.net. After I looked through it some, I decided to change over our home internet service to one of the packages that I found on there.

I think that we have her as prepared as possible for her life as a college freshman. I'm just not sure that I'm prepared for it. But I don't think that I can do anything to prepare myself for it. I'll just have to deal and look forward to parent weekend.

I don't want to walk to the bank in the rain

Ughh and it's raining pretty hard outside too. I generally deposit money every two weeks into my house account. I just realized that I have a few extra dollars laying around so I wanted to run it to the bank but it's pouring down raining and the bank is not as close as I would like it to be.

Because of the way the account is set up, you don't have a debit card for atm transactions but I can get direct deposit set up. I'm pretty much on the fence as to handle this account right now.

I'll figure something out because I'm not sloshing around in the rain.

I't's time to start saving like a madman!

My account is finally open. I don't know what the hold-up was and at this point I don't really care. All I know is that I need to start stashing some cash in the account and fast. This is the money that I'm going to use for a down payment on my first house. I have 1 year to save but I also want to pay down some debt. The program will only match what you put in (up to a certain dollar amount), so I want to max out the account.

I'll set up automatic drafts to make saving that much easier.

My house account is still not opened

A little over a month ago I talked about opening up a house account. I'm at the point in my life where I'm seriously either ready to move or ready to buy a house. If I stay where I am, I'll buy the house within a year.

I sent in my paperwork a little over 3 weeks ago to have my house account opened up. As of today that account has not been opened and the initial deposit check has still not been cashed. I'm pretty antsy about the account being opened because I want to start saving while I have the money. I figure even if I add relatively small amounts in addition the savings schedule that I've started, I should be able to meet and exceed my goal.

Now if I could only find out who was holding up the paperwork and get the account opened already.

My hair needs help

I generally only get my hair done once or twice a year. By the time I get around to getting it done, my hair is extremely damaged. I've thought about going to a beauty school to get my hair done. Columbia beauty school would be an excellent place to go. Their students study and learn how to style hair. While there are campuses in South Carolina, Arizona and Colorado, there are none here in Pennsylvania. I could go to Ohio since a few of there campuses are only an hour away.

The reason I would consider a beauty school is because as part of their training, each student provides discounted salon services to the general public. These services are high quality and are provided under expert faculty supervision. So I wouldn't have to worry about a hatchet job since my hair is fairly long and really easy to cut.

I may just have to take a ride this weekend and get my hair done right.

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 260T Harbison Boulevard – Columbia, SC 29212

I want to open a house account

The only problem is that I don't have any extra money right now. I've been looking for a new higher paying job forever with no luck. Until I make more, I can't save more. At least not for the next year or two until I pay some debt down. Having a higher salary would just make saving that much easier.

Hopefully everything will work out and soon.

I need a vacation in the worse way

I am so tired. Just run down and tired. I haven't had more than 3 days off from work in over 4 months. And that doesn't really count because I missed most of that time attending a funeral and cleaning out my Mom's house, etc. That was definitely not a restful or relaxing time for me.

Unfortunately between trying to just pay regular bills and attempt to save a few pennies to buy a house, it doesn't look like I'll be going anywhere again this year. I need to get my little duckies in a row because I need to go lay on somebody's beach and chillax!

Lawsuits are not always about money

Right now there is a Topamax lawsuit going on. Most people assume that people sue for the money. Often times it's not about the money but to compel people to do the right thing when they other wise wouldn't do so.

Topamax is used as both an anti-convulsant for children and adults to battle the effects of epileptic seizures while also being prescribed as a migraine relief. But there's a bad side effect to using the product. It causes a cleft lip or a cleft palate. It can take the form of a small notched lip or be so severe that it runs from the roof of your mouth all the way up to your nose.

The attorney's below can help you and your child with your product liability claim. Contact them today.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

Identity fraud can happen to anyone

I was talking to my cousin last week and we were discussing the fact that we're both in the market to buy a new home. I have to wait until I have a larger down payment but my cousin has to clear up her credit before she's eligible for a mortgage.

She had excellent credit until she became the victim of identity fraud. The person was vicious too. They ran up medical bills, bought all kinds of electronics and was even trying to buy a car when they were finally caught. Now she had to fight with credit bureaus, credit companies and who knows else until everything is cleared up.

It just goes to show that you can never be too vigilant in maintaining your credit.

I'm having tax issues

It's mainly because there's something funny going on with my 1099's. I don't have one and when I called the company that I was supposed to get it from, they don't show any records of them having mailed it out. Good thing right? No not exactly because it should have been mailed out by the end of January. Now I have to wait for this one form to file my taxes.

I want to get this out of the way and see what my damages are. I don't want to be surprised come April 15th. I always owe the state so that's never a surprise but this year I will owe the fed too. I just hope it's not a lot.

I bet lawsuits will be flying because of the snow in Dallas

I'm sure by now everyone has heard about the ice and snow that fell in Dallas during the week leading up to the Super Bowl. 6 people got injured and required hospitalization from the snow that fell off of the new Cowboy's stadium. There is a Austin Personal Injury Attorney firm that specializes in injuries and they represent clients all over the State of Texas. So even though that incident happened in Dallas, the attorney's will aggressively fight for their clients. Since they're experts in personal injury cases, there should be settlements reached fairly quickly.

Anyone who may need an attorney to preserve their rights should contact them at:
O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

I spent too much on sports this year

I didn't use that money to buy sports paraphernalia or tickets either. I used it to play football pools. I really don't mind because it's only a few bucks but my 2 Super Bowl pools ended up costing me $25.00 total. That's not a bad amount but I forgot that I had played until both people sent out mass emails letting everyone know that the money was due today. I wound up paying both people on Wednesday but I had forgotten to put that money in my budget. Luckily I had extra money this paycheck so it didn't mess up my savings or anything else.

But I certainly won't complain if I win.

2011 is here and it's time for new goals

I did not make any of my goals for last year. I almost made my savings goals but then I had a death in the family and I had to totally wipe out my savings and add to my credit card debt. I do have some money coming in that I can use to pay myself back for the money that I spent last year. Unfortunately this year's expenses have already started to come in and I'm going to have trouble meeting my savings goals.

If I don't find a new job soon, I'll have to take on a 2nd job to bring in some extra cash.

I'm sitting here pretending to work

I've been away from work for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, it was because of a death in the family and not for anything fun. Today is my first day back at work and I haven't done any work all day. For the next day and a half, I'll just be here getting used to being back at work, answering coworkers questions about why I was off, and taking care of personal stuff that needs to get done.

Maybe by Wednesday I'll be ready to start actually working and stop wasting time. If not, then I'm totally fine with waiting until Thursday. With deadlines looming early next week, I can't afford to wait much longer than that.

Gold just keeps rising

The value and price of gold just keeps rising. Even though the pundits keep saying that gold is a bubble and that you can't rely on it to increase, the value is up a hundred fold in the past couple of years. It's a crazy good time to buy gold coins for investment purposes. US Gold Bureau will send the coins to you or they can arrange to have your coins held in a private storage facility. If you're going to just buy a coin or two, you can probably keep them at home. But if you're buying a lot of coins, it's probably best to have someone else keep them safe for you.

Since it's Christmas, you can even ask for gold for your present. Or you can ask for cash or gift cards to buy gold for yourself. Either way, it's a great item to invest in.

I am not going to meet my savings goals

I set savings goals for the next 2 years that I probably won't make. I'm almost on schedule to meet my goals but my salary is not increasing as fast as my expenses. It's ridiculous too. My car insurance has increased again, my bus pass for work is going up next year, and my rent will increase. When you add everything together, it's almost the amount of what my raise will be.

I need to find a new job and fast.

I want to upgrade my cell phone

I love having my cell phone and I want to upgrade both my phones and my plans. I don't mind paying for the phone because with a contract, my phone will be pretty cheap. The plan is another matter though. I don't want to add $25 to what I pay now which is what it would cost me to upgrade.

I'm going to try to cut my expenses starting in late October to see if I can eek the money out of my regular budget. If so upgrade here I come.

Have you ever had a hip replacement?

Having a hip replacement is a painful proposition, but DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc announced the recall of over 93,000 hip replacement systems. The systems were recalled because a higher than expected number of patients were experiencing pain and swelling so severe that a second surgery became necessary.

That's why there is now a DePuy Hip Replacement lawsuit that you can take a part in. The attorney's at O’Hanlon, McCollum & Demerath realize that your hip injuries may not be your fault and their highly trained staff is uniquely qualified to handle even the most complex products liability claims.

Give them a call and put their expertise and experience to work for you.

I miss getting tuition reimbursement

I never realized how much money I was getting from tuition reimbursement until I'm not getting it anymore. I have 3 coworkers who are in school right now and I get jealous every payday that one of them gets their reimbursement and have these huge checks. I know the money is for school so you don't actually get to spend it but I still miss it.

I know it's just psychological and I have to put money out to get money back but it stinks.

Where did all of my money go?

I don't know what I've done with my money this year. My savings account is in shambles but I can't figure out what I did with all of my money. I was supposed to have been on a savings plan but I don't have what I'm supposed to have in my account. I have no idea where this money is going either.

I really need to plug up the leaks in my account and fast.

I can not wait to get paid

I get paid every two weeks but it seems like I haven't been paid in forever. This is a 3 paycheck month so the weeks seem extra long even though I know it's the same amount of time between pay days.

I have a lot of plans for my next couple of pays which is one of the reasons I'm so anxious to get my hands on the money. I want to pre-pay one of my bills because I like to have a little bit of breathing room. I'm also looking into adding some bullion or a coin or two to my investment portfolio. I feel like gold is a great investment right now. Especially since it's on a recent tear. The best part is I don't have to buy any kind of fund to invest. I can get a real piece of gold in my hands.

When you consider that diversification is the key to any well rounded portfolio, I'll never doubt my decision to add gold to my personal holdings.

I am so bored

But I'm not ready to go back to work. I've been on vacation all week but because I don't have any money, I wasn't able to go anywhere. I started to go and visit my mom for a few days but I decided not to go at the last minute. That's why I'm already looking towards next years vacation.

I will not sit home for another week doing nothing.

I'm looking for a 2nd job

I have 3 credit cards with a balance. One is a little over $2K. The other 2 are less significantly less. One is about $250 and the other is about $450. I want both of those cards paid off by the end of next year. Taking interest into account, I need to pay an extra $15 on both cards. That's not considering the payments that I have to make on my largest card.

I'm not sure where I'm going to get the extra money so a second job may be in my future. I'm not looking forward to getting another job but it may be a necessity. I'll wait until October to make a final decision though.

I need to make more money

I have plans for it. Most of it will go into my different savings accounts. I have a emergency fund account, a new furniture fund and my house savings account. I'll definitely have enough in my house account in 2 years but it will slightly longer to get my other accounts where I want them to be without making more money.

I also want to make some investments. Of course, my own home is a great investment but it is a place to live and not a atm after all. I also want to buy some bullion to add to my portfolio. I already have a coin and I'm looking to add more. I also want a ingot or two to diversify my holdings. They'll also help increase my purchasing power and maintain wealth.

Besides, it never hurts to make more money.

At least I have opportunites

That's what my coworkers and friends keep telling me. One of my friends doesn't feel like there are any opportunities at the company that he works at. He's pretty much stuck in the job that he has. The only way he'll get another job is to go to another company in the same field but he won't get any more money. He can also go to a totally different field than the one he's in now but he'll likely take a pay cut at first.

That would totally drive me nuts. The last time I felt trapped, I bailed on the company and started the job that I have now. While I wish I would have done things differently, I do not regret leaving at all.

So where are all of these jobs?

Every time I hear someone from my company talk about the economy and/or recovery the first thing that they say is that our company is hiring. Meanwhile the job postings are pretty slim pickings unless you're looking for a upper management job or a very low entry level position. There is almost nothing in between available right now.

It's extremely frustrating to say the least. I'm really ready to move on but I can't find anywhere to move to. At least not yet.

I just bought my first piece of gold

Not gold set in jewelry but a real piece of gold. I bought a gold coin and I'm thrilled with both my decision to buy it and my actual purchase of the piece. After I did a ton of research into buying a gold bar I decided that a coin would be my best option. I could have gotten a ingot or a piece of bullion but coins are small and portable. I could have had United States Gold Bureau hold the gold or set me up with a intermediary bank that would have held the gold physically, but since I bought in such a small quantity, I'm holding it myself.

Actually I'm on my way to the bank to put it in my safe deposit box. Hopefully this will just be the first purchase of many more to come.

I haven't found a second job yet

I'm only looking for something extremely part-time so it's pretty hard to find anything. When I say part-time, I mean one day per week or so. I would prefer to only work on Saturday or maybe 2 days per week for about 4-5 hours each day. In total I would only work 8-10 hours per week which is enough.

Unfortunately there's nothing that limited out there right now. With so many people out of work they're gobbling up anything that's out there so I may or may not find something.

I may be getting a second job

But only for a few weeks though. I want to buy a house in a little over 2 years and I have my money pretty much planned out. I didn't take credit card payments into consideration though so I need those payed off before I make the big move. I would only need to make a few hundred dollars in order for me to stick to my budget.

Hopefully I'll find something soon that I like. I don't want to start until September but I don't want to work past the middle of December. That should be enough time. I sure hope so because I don't plan on doing this for very long.

I should be ok with a small gold investment

I was watching a tv program the other day and one of the callers wanted to make a huge investment in gold. I'm not really sure I would be comfortable with putting more than 10-15% of my money in gold. I've been looking at gold coins from the US Gold Bureau for my portfolio. I can buy a small denomination coin starting at less than $200 or I can go up to a full ounce of gold at over $1200.

Coins actually have a currency value or I can keep than as ingots. Since gold is one way of preserving my wealth and purchasing power, I don't feel like I can go wrong. Now I just need to look through my finances and decide how large of a investment I want to make.

What have I been doing with my money?

I have no idea. My savings are anemic and pathetic to tell the truth. The cupboards are literally bare and it makes no sense. I didn't have a lot of money this year but I did have enough that I should have something to show for it.

I'm not very comfortable having the amount of money in savings that I have. I'm used to having much more. I like having some "just in case" money. If I need it or just get fed up and want to go to Vegas like I did a few years ago, it helps knowing the money is there. Right now I don't think I have enough money to go across the street let alone across the country.

I have to really sit down, come up with a budget and stick to it.

My bank stinks!

Ughhhhh I hate them, hate them, hate them. They super suck. They're trying to stick me with 5 yes 5 overdraft fees. Now 1 is totally my fault and I won't even challenge that one. It's the first 4 that I have a problem with. They're trying to say that they cleared some payments on Friday (they don't even process Friday or Saturday night) and I deposited money on Saturday. I should have been ok but they're trying to pull a fast one.

The last fee is because of the first 4 which caused my account to go negative on Monday. I was so ticked off that I didn't go deposit any money until Tuesday and they hit me with another fee. Now that one I'll accept because I knew I should have gone to the bank on Monday but I wasn't thinking.

I can't wait until my new direct deposit goes through so I can totally close this account.

I'm moving my savings

I've been having big time problems with my main bank lately. They've not been properly crediting my deposits and then playing around with my withdrawals. Considering they pay a pittance for interest rates, I can easily move my money and get a better return elsewhere. That's why I'm going to buy gold coins to hold my savings. Gold has been on a tear lately and that value just seems to keep rising.

I can buy coins and hold them myself since I'll just be getting a small quantity. However, when I buy through the US Gold Bureau they can also arrange to have them safely and conveniently stored at a independent bank or depository. By keeping the coins in my possession, when gold increases by 10-20% or higher, I can cash them out and make a great profit.

Which will be much more than the anemic interest rates everyone is paying.

I did not get the job - again

Which is the bad news. The good news is that my coworker is being considered for a new position that they may have available. That's good news for 2 reasons. 1 - someone is finally getting out so I have hope. 2 - That's one less person that I have to compete with.

In all honesty, my coworker is very capable and qualified so this shouldn't be a surprise. I'll be thrilled if she gets another job. I will be glad when it's finally my turn though.

I'm switching banks again

You would think I have a ton of money the way I keep switching banks every year. But I haven't had a bank that was willing to value me as a customer no matter how much money I have (or don't have as in my case). I do belong to a credit union but they don't offer their own credit cards which is something I want to get in the future. So I'm looking at some of the big national banks and they all rub me the wrong way.

I would prefer to have most of my money at 1 or 2 institutions but it's not working out that way.

I know just what to buy with my new job money

If I get the job that is. I still haven't heard and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. All I can do is sit and wait until they make a decision. But once I do get some extra money I'm going to buy gold bullion to round my portfolio out. There's a organization called the United States Gold Bureau that makes it really easy to buy gold in both coin and ingot form. That way I can keep gold myself at home or in my safe deposit box. However if I buy a large amount of gold, they can arrange for my gold to be held at a independent bank or depository.

Now I just have to wait until I get a new job and some extra money.

I need to set up some mock interviews

I've interviewed quite a few times but I haven't got the jobs. I'm waiting to hear about 1 exciting opportunity this time. It's a natural progression from some of the jobs that I've had in the past. I don't know how I did on the interview though. I thought it went well but I always think that.

Now one of my friends is on a quest to help me with my interview skills. I think that will really help.

I'm still waiting to hear about a job

This is getting ridiculous. It seems like every other week I'm interviewing for another job. My coworkers said that I'm lucky because at least that means that the hiring manager thinks I'm a viable candidate. It's starting to get really old though. Especially since I don't know why I'm not getting the job.

I just wish there was a way I could get some feedback.

I'm looking for a second job

I really need some extra cash right now. My utility bills are slowly creeping upward while my paycheck is staying the same. I'm almost to the point where I spending the money that supposed to go into savings which is not a good thing.

There are several jobs that I would like to do that I think I would be good at. I just got my hair cut and that made me think about going to Cosmetology school in Colorado or at least a school here locally. Regency has over 30 campuses in 9 states which is great considering they started with only 2 locations in Minnesota back in 1992. The people that graduate from their program are sought after and they have a placement program which would work for me.

I'm sure there are a ton of local salons that would be happy to have a person dedicated to working every Saturday. It's something for me to seriously consider.

Competing for jobs really stinks

Not when it's against strangers though. I'm talking about when you're competing against coworkers and/or friends like I'm doing right now. There are 3 people from my area and 1 person from down the hall that all had interviews for 1 job. The question though is how do they decide between the 4 of us? We all have similar skills and similar backgrounds. Although I know that I have a skill set that 2 of them don't have and I know the other candidate is really strong in a area where the 3 of us lack.

I haven't even considered that they still have more people to interview. The next few weeks should be very interesting to say the least.

I totally wasted my income tax refund

Ughhh I am so disgusted with myself too. I know I had things that I needed to do with that money and things that I could have done. I wanted to go on a short vacation this year but I don't have anyone to go with. My friend that I usually travel with wants to go back to a place that we've been at least 5 times. I am so not interested in going there again. Especially since there are so many other places to go.

Hopefully I'll get my hands on some money that I can eventually put to good use instead of having a handful of nothing to show for it.

I need to put my tax refund to good use

I got a much larger refund than I anticipated. I had some tuition tax credits that I forgot about so I got over $1100 when I thought I would only get around $300. Huge difference that I can really use. I really want to put the money to good use. The value of the dollar is decreasing and the interest rates on cds and money investments is lower than the cost of inflation. Right now I want to buy gold bullion to add to my portfolio. I think gold is really cheap right now and it will make a great investment.

Gold is at a two week high right now while the value of the dollar decreases. Most people ignore gold and precious metals for their portfolio and only think of it as jewelry. I'm going to buck the trend and add some of the shiny stuff to my portfolio and watch it grow.

My sweepstaking hasn't been paying off

I love to sweepstake but I hate when I don't win. I don't expect to win most of the sweepstakes that I enter but I do like to win some. The only problem is that I haven't won anything in over 2 months. I didn't win anything at all in January and I've only won 1 prize in February. That win hasn't been confirmed yet either.

I would like to say that I'm patiently waiting to win but I'm not a patient person. Still I try. Here's hoping I win something soon.

Sweepstaking can pay off

But boy do you have to keep at it. I haven't been sweepstaking for a while though. I took almost a 4 year break between entering. I would enter here and there if it was something that I really wanted but I wasn't too gung-ho about it. Well in the past 4 or 5 months I've become really enthusiastic about it again. Especially once I started winning little prizes here and there.

As long as I'm having fun I'll stick with it. But once it becomes a chore again, I'll stop for a while. A hobby is not supposed to feel like work. Once it does, it's time for a new hobby.

I'm saving my pennies for vacation

I wasn't sure whether I could afford a vacation this year or not. Then my friend told me that her and her fiance were having one of those destination weddings and I just knew I had to go. Since it's only adults going, we're looking at the El Dorado Royale Spa Resort. It has everything that we need.

The suites at the hotel has king-size Jacuzzis and veranda hammocks. As if that's not enough for relaxation, they also offer a artificial river and a swim up bar. For us non-romantics they have scuba lessons and beach side fitness classes. Everything you need to have a good time.

I think I'll start packing my lunch to save money. This is one trip I'm not gonna miss.

I'm playing the waiting game again

I applied for another job. It's almost the exact same job that I interviewed for a couple of months ago but it's with a different group and a different manager. I've already pre-screened for the job and now I'm waiting to have a formal interview. One of my coworkers already had her interview for the job and was told that they have a ton of people that want the job. It really is a good career move so it's a pretty popular job.

I just hope I have better luck this time than I did the last time.

I really need a new computer

My computer is really getting on my nerves. It took me almost 25 minutes to post 1 item on eBay. That doesn't count the fact that I had to shut the computer down twice before I got the item posted. And I had to start over each time. I don't have the money to buy another computer so it's hard to deal with this one.

I'm supposed to have some extra money in April but I hope I don't have to wait that long.

I want to do some Christmas shopping for myself

I don't need anything but there are a few things that I want. I saw these neat long socks that are cute, they fit almost any outfit and they'll keep my legs warm when I wear my crop pants and boots. They're about $6 for 2 pair which isn't bad. I also want a few pair of regular trouser socks for work. I can pick those up almost anywhere so that's not a big deal.

I'm still trying to figure out how to fit my new phone into my budget. It's not so much the phone that I have to find money for but the new data plan that I'll have to add on. I want way too many things considering my limited income.

I am definitely taking a vacation in 2010

I haven't had a real vacation in almost 3 years. I did go to Vegas in 2008 but that was just for a few days and it wasn't really relaxing. I wasn't able to take a vacation at all this year. Well I'm determined to remedy that next year. I've been looking into All inclusive family vacations because I want everything paid for up front. All I want to do is show up and not have to worry about paying for anything.

The Riviera Maya has several great all-inclusive hotels for me to choose from. I'm leaning towards the El Dorado Royale Resort. They have private suites with outdoor ceiling-free showers. They also have King-sized jacuzzis with window-front views and also junior sweets with air conditions and ceiling fans. This resort sounds so relaxing to me right now.

I'm going to get started saving for this right now. Hopefully I can go next year during the month of November. I am so excited already and I have almost a year to go.

I am so super stressed

My job is really working my last nerve. I haven't been happy for a while now. My company merged with another company and some employees are being displaced. Once those people are placed in new positions there will be more open jobs. While my rational side understands that, my impractical side just wants a new job asap.

Hopefully something will break by the beginning of the year because I don't know how much longer I can deal with this place.