Miz Pat's Personal Finance Blog

I have changed my way of keeping track of money. I track it daily on 2 different spreadsheets. One is for the month,and one is for credit card purchases because I always pay off credit cards.

Doing this, I can see I didn't budget enough for Christmas but I now make notes for the next year's budget.

This Christmas my boss got me an adorable black woven poncho and matching gloves. Just right for early desert cold mornings, and a friend got me two nice tops that can be worn as a layered look. Work gave me a $35 Walmart card, my next-door neighbor and dearest friend got me a Barnes & Noble $25 card and my sister got me a $100 Amazon card.

I got myself an I-pod touch 4th gen. I went way over budget for it, but did enough overtime to pay for it. I get to work tomorrow at double time for two days and I am hoping that will pay for vet fees for Bella who had some fatty tumors to be checked and was due for shots. Since she had just eaten my library card, she was really scared going to the vets - must have figured she was going to be gotten rid of - all my dogs have fears of being abandoned. Poor little darling. Doctor called just before Christmas to tell me the tests came out good - no cancer for my baby dog.

The I pod works on my WiFi at home and means i can call my sister and talk to her for free and see her on WiFi. Its like the coolest thing in the world. I spent hours talking to my nephews and nieces and sister and it rocked big time. Also has free applications that can do all sorts of great things.

Sung to the tune for "Christmas is coming and the Geese are Getting Fat", a traditional British Song.

I am going through a mixture of feeling Christmasy and feeling sad. My neighbor's son passed yesterday at 59 of the effects of kidney disease, in particular an infection caught at the hospital. No Mom should have to watch her child die and she's a special and much loved friend.

In my Church, yesterday was the official beginning to the FAST before Christmas. Yes, we diet before the holidays. Actually, its kind of a solemn and joyous thing to do, and is kind of the equivalent in some ways to not pigging out at lunch before you go out for that big huge dinner. So I'm eating more simply and trying to steer clear of the things that really don't do my diabetes much good anyway.

I have not gone into debt this year, but I haven't met my savings goals and have done some impulse shopping. I made a Christmas Budget, and who knows, may stick with it. I have extra in my credit union account that I might put toward getting the garage insulated which would help with fuel bills.

I just want to wish everyone on the list the best and richest of God's blessings this holiday season. May you make memories that shine like stars, and not have to raid your cookie jars.

Take care

A small white dog died yesterday at age 21
She had a long and active life
Originally an orphan, she and her sister were adopted.
The Alpha of her pack until her health failed, she was a fair and caring leader
She loved children and learned to play Hide N Go Seek with them. Children we didn’t know would come to the house and ask to play.
Halloween was her favorite holiday because she was convinced the children were visiting to see her
Christmas was also special, especially when we decorated with candy canes, which all mysteriously disappeared, while she tended to have minty fresh breath
Her very favorite thing besides mealtimes, was to sit on her human’s lap and have her head stroked.
She hated baths and having her nails trimmed, and would often limp pathetically for hours and then change sides.
Loved by all except cats, she was my dearest friend for 19 years.
She died quietly surrounded by kind hands and love.

Ok - 1) it was Princess not Queenie - Queenie was sitting on my lap while I was typing and worrying and asking me with big doggie eyes where her baby was
2) vet bill - $1500 - Yipes - but glad very glad i have savings to cover it
3) the puppies have eaten 7 books, the mattress pad, my sheets, an old picture of my ex (good dog!) and all my comfortable shoes - I'm going shopping for shoes and i found really nice sheets at Ross for way less than Walmarts
4) My boss gave me a verbal warning for having too many sick days - I have worked here 25 years and never been given any kind of reprimand - I guess I've been depressed and that made my immune system get low and my allergies have been really horrible. I'm still freaked but he says if i call him the night before or tell him the day before that i think i'm getting sick, he'll work with me.

I was sick this weekend and didn't notice Queenie got in a cupboard and ate a whole box of whole wheat rotini.

She's at the veterinary hospital now. It (the pasta) swelled up inside of her and she's having a very bad time and in pain.

Its going to cost over $1200, which is freaky, but I'm glad I have the savings there.

Please think a kind thought about a little dog.

Here they are

I have decided that I want an Ipad, but I have to save for it, and it can’t come out of my emergency savings, which is supposed to continue to grow. So I’m cooking more and trying really hard to not go out for lunch or dinner. I’m buying my groceries every two weeks, instead of every week, so I have time to plan recipes and cook some ahead. (salad stuff will be purchased as needed).

Doing this in this fashion will do many things:
1) I will have time to look for deals and decide exactly what I want
2) I will have time to decide I really want it, and that its not a foolish whim, because, hey – I don’t need it to survive, to do my job, so it’s a luxury, not needed.

Queenie and Princess are now no longer afraid and are confident that this is their house and that they are in control – I know this because Princess barked at the bull mastiff that made her freak out when she first came to live with me on Thursday. Queenie wouldn’t let Princess out of her sight, but now lets her run wild all over the house because she knows she’s loved.

Today I took Queenie and Princess to the Pet Rescue Center and gave them $300 and had them added as rescue dogs. They are mine, all mine!! and now they will get all their shots, an exam, a toothpull of a wolf tooth, get spayed/neutered and have chips installed in theirs necks. Considering vet rates in the area, this is an excellent deal, and also gave me the opportunity to have an expert look at them.

And boy have they perked up! they are still shy gentle little souls, but they are excited about food and clean water and gentle hands. The puppy also has shredded a book jacket and a phone book, learned to jump on the bed and was scared to death of molly the labrador until she realized she was a dog and not a monster giant. they have figured out the doggie door.

Because the lady at the rescue center thinks that they are in good health now that they have rehydrated and been fed decently, i'm letting them be with the other dogs because 1) i want them to get used to each other before I have to go to work again 2) I know there is a risk of worms, but if they get them I'll haul the whole group in for care. Its more important that they feel safe and free.

I'm pretty sure from Queenie's reactions, that she was tossed from a car and possibly beaten, but now that she knows she is safe and loved she is blossoming. They have explored the yard and made friends with everyone and are starting to show confidence, and they really like blueberry pancakes.

I feel like a Mom wolf with a little sweet pack of varied sizes and ages. Its great!

We found 2 little lost dogs, a mama and her pup running around starving and terrified in our factory area at work. They are dehydrated too. I'm going to adopt them. I know I have 3 dogs, but Itty is 21 years old and every day is a gift, and I can't stand the thought of them being separated.

Last night I got my bill for September's mortgage payment and Bank of America was offering a credit card account that would take points and use them to reduce mortgage indebtedness. No annual fee - huge interest of course.

Since I'm already paying ahead on the mortgage and I pay off my credit cards monthly, this sounds like a plan. I get $50 from time to time from Citibank, so I will try this with Bank of America and see if it works out well. If not, I'll delete it. I'm kind of nervous of Bank of America, but still I think I can do this.

My birthday is Friday and I'll be 56. Eeeeeek. I haven't been to a movie in 3 years, so I'm taking a day off work and will hit the dollar theatre (God willing) and maybe see Cowboys and Aliens as a first run (bargain matinee).

Next week, my old Dog Itty will be 21. She's slowly getting old before my eyes, but she's still my dear little true friend.

I started putting an extra $287 every month on my mortgage with the plan of retiring around age 68. I thought this would mean I would have no extra savings for anything else, but to my suprise this month, even with wildly going out to eat with girlfriends, and wantonly buying books at Barnes and Noble, I was able to put $161 in my emergency fund, bringing it up to $7,500. This is besides the money I always put in savings every month to pay yearly bills (auto deposit).

It was 155 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend and its muggy here in the desert. I’m going nuts, which has lead to increased spending.

I’m feeling lonely – My married friends don’t invite me out because I’m divorced now. I don’t know that many people. My few friends have lives. Any suggestions on ways to meet nice people who want to hang out and have fun?

Because I divorced my husband, I had to give him all the equity from the house as part of the divorce settlement.

I'm 55 and I hope to retire at 68. I don't think I can pay off the house in 13 years (I have 91K left on the loan).

However, my total monthly mortgage is $760, which around here is less than rent. So any suggestions? I would like to live to 85 and have it paid off.

I have no children, but I'd love to give the house to my nephews or nieces who might need it. Any suggestions.

My estimated retirement income is $2,000 a month.

And does anyone have any thoughts on the ethics in selling me a mortgage I might not live to pay off?

I have never done this before, but somehow I missed a mortgage payment.

ARRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

Maybe I was having a senior moment? Brain damage?

I have a confession to make. Even though I am good at saving, I haven't been able to reconcile my checking account since the divorce. I'm always showing I have way less money than the bank (which I guess is good from the Bank's point of view).

I think it has to do with the emotions of him closing out all our bank accounts and leaving with all the money.

Anyway I paid the payment and the late fee but I feel like I either am losing my mind or 5 years old with no right to run around managing my finances.

Aiiiiiii.

Have a great day guys.

My bank now charges $30 a year for IRA's - I'm disgusted and I'm planning on moving it to another bank.

Is anyone else getting new fees?

I earned $1000 on my savings account and the bank sent me a gift card for $50 and if I keep the account at that level for a year, I will get another $50 gift card. Way better than interest. Since the account is my emergency unemployment acount, God Willing, I won't need it and get the $1000.

I cleaned out my closet and laundry baskets. I had planned on going shopping for socks, and found a whole drawer full of various colors of sock. I also found a bunch of good clothing I can use, toss rags, and gave about 8 bags to Goodwill and got a tax receipt. I feel sort of powerful and also rather serene having cleaned up junk and made my house more organized. I have socks in one drawer, under wear in another, shorts in another, night time wear in another and i have work clothing in one part of the closet and slacks and fun top and church clothing all in clumps so its easy to find things.

I'm going to toss the rest of the junk in the room and then paint it and clean the carpeting. I may make the room into a foot reflexology room and do that at my house for people from work. Its a thought for doing a second job that doesn't interfere with work.

I got my income tax refund and put enough money in my START account at my bank to have saved $1000. This means I will be getting a $50 gift certificate, and if I keep the money in the bank (which I hope to - its my emergency account), then at the end of the year I get another $50 gift card. With interest rates being so awful, this is great for me.

I also got insulation blown into my attic. My neighbor across the street took me to Home Depot. If you buy 10 bags of insulation, you get to rent the blower for free (a savings of $85). He and another guy spent Friday morning blowing a ton of stuff into my attic. He charged me $200 for this and I gave him $300 and another $20 for moving a bed. Since my neighbor did the same thing with a contractor for $1200, I know I got a wonderful deal.

My house is 50 or 60 years old and has little insulation. Since I live in the desert, I don't worry as much about heating bills, but cooling bills can be $400 a month. The new insulation should save me about 20 to 25%, and make the house more comfortable.

They recognized people for service at work and I got a check for $350 for 25 years of service. Woohoo.

Since I have gotten over being sick as a dog for 3 weeks, using up almost all of my pt time at work, and wondering if I was going to die and the dogs would fight over my body, it came to me that I need to start stocking up easy foods and meds for when I'm sick.

Flu and cold meds.
gingerale
possibly popsicles (best things in the world for unhappy tummies)
canned soups with pop tops
stuff for allergies.
aloe saturated tissues for da node

When I was sick, I ended up taking children benedryl, which i have on hand when people do fireworks and scare the dogs into a frenzy. Actually, I'm starting to like children's benedryl as a result.

I may also box or bag my emergency supplies, so i'm no tempted to eat them at other times.

I also want to have more frozen easy foods in the freezer. When I get that sick, cooking is almost impossible.

When I'm really sick, I don't think about frugality, I think about survival and whether I'm going to make it throw up. So preparing for sickness will be the essence of frugality.

Since I met my $17k goal for payback for "He who shall not be named", I have met the following goals for the house:
1) Mailbox (MAILMAN LOVES ME NOW)
2) $500 Roth Ira
3) Lemon tree in back yard with proper irrigation
4) New Security Screen Door (Labrador Proof)
5) Extra Money for Church Fund
6) started new account at bank that will give me a $50 gift card when I hit $1000

My next goal is to Get the attic insulated and to save more for car repair - car is getting old but damn it - I wuv my honda.

Flu is rotton and evil

He who shall not be named apparently married the bimbo he ran off with. Blah!

This week I hit my save $17,000 to payoff He Who Shall Not Be Named (Ex-Spouse). Now I only owe him $15,000 which I can pay off with a loan from my credit union if he demands the money. I presume he is spending my 401K and living large but he'll eventually demand the rest so now I feel ready.

On the sad side, my room mate has told me she can't stand living with me because of the way I keep the kitchen and that I slight her and make her feel invisible. I was shocked. I thought she was just being grumpy and distant because she's like that alot. She seems to have a power thing going her - after telling me she's leaving she demanded I fix a hinge on her bedroom door.

Then she paid me half the rest of the month's rent - and told me she would be paying $300 a month now because she had car problems.

After discussing this with my priest, I wrote her a note which I'll put on the counter tomorrow morning before i go to church. I'm telling her - no- you don't tell me what the rent is and you owe me $100 bucks and #2 I want a date when you will be out of the house because this arrangement isn't working out. If you don't give me a date, then I'll give you one. (Local law stipulates 1 to 2 months unless they don't pay rent).

I don't think I am having any more roomates after this. I thought everything was relatively fine, while she was apparently miserable and expecting me to understand all this through ESP.

I'm thankful that her paying rent helped me reach the goal of $17,000 to pay the Ex, but I don't need to put up with this kind of stuff to survive.

I'm kind of proud that I am not blaming myself for all of this. In the past I would have been sure I'm a bad person, but right now, I realize I did this as a favor. I did a lot of very kind things for her - including forgiving one month's rent. Since she didn't actually communicate in English about what was bugging her, and instead just stewed about it (again -my ESP is really poor) and since I in no way was trying to be mean or thoughtless, I think she's just taking advantage of me and in some kind of power thing of dictating to me.

Now that I've reached this financial goal, my next goals are improvements to the house:
new mail box
security screen door
flowers
lemon tree
fix sprinkler to area where lemon tree will be
insulated windows
insulation in attic
and maybe an HP netbook to use at work and write my stories on.
Roth IRA

Today I now have $15,181.55 in the account I'm saving to pay my ex-husband. This is in lieu of alimony. I owe him 32K, but this is almost half and $15K seemed like a true bear to reach, so I'm happy.

Only $2K to go before I will be down to owing him $15K. At that point, if he demands payment, I'll be able to take out a personal loan at my credit union (they fund $15K personal loans). While I'm not wild about getting a new loan, I do want to feel I have a chance to get him paid off without borrowing against my 401K.

I also have $906 in my short term account, $3000 in my yearly bill payment fund and $5778.00 in my emergency fund. Unfortunately I only have $2K in an ira, but I'm working on it.

We went to Catalina. Its so beautiful I feel like it was a dream of blue clean water, tropical fish, friendly people and beauty.

We went on a glass bottom boat. I got tickets for both of us, so I spent $37 (senior discount) on that, and $5.00 on fish food. If my photos turn out I'll try to post them, because it was totally wonderful. We fed fish in the water and they stared at us and followed the boat. The fish were utterly beautiful. I felt like the ocean there is full of rich life and thought sadly of the people near the oil spill and the devastation on animals and fish and the economy.

We didn't do much more than the one tour, we sat on benches and listened to street players and enjoyed the clean cool air. We ate at a restaurant. I spent $9 on a photo and $3 on a refrigerator magnet (I have a collection of them for new places I visit). Socorro paid for the meal and later paid for the utterly illegal home-made chocolate creme pie and coconut cream pie we had.

We went there on a fast boat and dolphins raced by us once. All in all it was a glorious adventure and I stayed within budget.

I gave the bus driver a $1 tip, which is customary. He got us home safe.

I'm going to keep doing stuff like this, especially since I can save up for specific tours in our area, or plan trips to sites I'd like to see.

I feel rich in experience today, and it didn't cost that much.

Earlier this year when I got a lot of overtime, I purchased 4 day tours, one for each month, so I could take a day off and have fun. This Sunday I'm going to Catalina Island for the day. I'm taking Monday off to sleep, cause I know I'll be wiped when I return.

I've never been on Catalina Island and I want to travel and have fun. My roomie Socorro is coming with me. Since we are both older broads, we'll walk slow, sit down alot and enjoy ourselves.

The trip is $117 - they bus you there, take you over on a ferry and let you run loose until its time to catch the ferry back. Its pretty and cool. I plan on buying at least one expensive meal and taking lots of photos with my digital camera.

The whole trip is budgeted, although I assume I'll do something stupid and buy something I don't need.

I loaned my roomie money so she can go, and I am not worried about it. I'm excited at doing something for me that is fun and refreshing.

WOOHOO

I'm wondering how everyone tracks their daily expenses or weekly expenses.

I have been writing them down in my check register, as either credit card expenses (which actually come out of the balance in the checkbook), on line bill pay items or cash.

I worry about the cash, because I forget to write down when I buy gasoline, and some items, but I'm trying.

So my question is, how do you track expenses during the day? Do you have a note pad? How often do you put them into your Quicken or spreadsheet or whatever program you use to track budget?

I've been divorced over a year, and am still working to pay off the ex-spouse. This last month, I've completely screwed up on saving and have spent money on eating out and on just stuff that I wanted.

So this is a note to me to encourage me as to why I'm doing this.

I know I feel angry right now. I am just coming to grips with new emotions about the divorce because at first I was so terrified I would have done anything to get away. Now I'm angry because I'm the one paying him money. I suppose I should be wildly grateful he didn't get away with more, but I feel like I'm being punished. I still have to save another $17K and instead of being proud of myself for saving so much, I'm angry because I'm saving for him instead of me.

And this anger is working itself out in unplanned purchases and I am spending more than I wanted to. I'm also doing things like losing receipts and not marking down things quickly.

So while I know that I have to work and save to pay him off, I also want to be able to work and save for me. I want to be able to start paying down my shiny new mortgage (because of course he got all the equity I built up). Because if I don't, I'll never retire.

And I want to have fun. I want to have money to go out to eat with friends, and to go explore new places.

I went to the aquarium of the pacific yesterday. I spent more than I budgeted for and I'm aggravated about it. I had paid for the trip, so entry and gas were all budgeted, but I gave my self $25 to pay for food, and that wasn't enough, I purhased little gifts for people, I spent $2.00 for tea, $6.50 for a drink and snack, and $29 for a meal and then $16 on little items (how they do stack up), 9 dollars for feeding little cute birds, and $1 for a tip for the driver.

And through it all I was angry because no one else on the trip was alone, just me. Because I have been trained not to make friends, because my husband always made it a priority to cut me off from people.

So I'm both depressed and angry and that's impacting my focus.

So now I have new goals:
1) Pay off Ex-spouse (find some of his old underwear and set fire to it in the barbecue and dance around it when he's paid off).
2) Set a budget to do fun things that cost money (like going out to eat with a girl friend or exploring the coast line in California).
3) Start cleaning up my house with the goal of being able to entertain.
4) Also save and add to an emergency fund (I do have one but it doesn't have enough in it)
5) Also save and start a Roth IRA with whatever the minimum is(I'm guessing $1000).
6) Start doing more socially.
7) Take care of myself instead of treating myself like I'm not worth anything.

3 weeks ago, I met a financial goal and put 1000 dollars in my IRA. Its still not there. The bank in town where I do business is really working on this, and I told them I expect in all ways to receive interest for the full 3 weeks, but right now I'd just like to see the money in my account.

They tell me they are having a problem with my check, which is from old bank they purchased. I still am using old checks (why pay for new ones?). Well - apparently they took the money but just still haven't figured out how to put it in the IRA account.

I'm getting extremely distrustful of financial institutions. Man oh Man - keep all receipts and verify everything.

I went out and wildly spent money. I got all the groceries I wanted. I purchased 2 belts and a pair of shorts. I purchased a book that I couldn't find at the library. I went to lunch. And i purchased a printer. I really miss having a printer and I now I can print coupons, recipes and articles and maybe I can print out photos.

I also rode my bike and used it to go to get groceries.

I did not stay in budget, but I did not aquire new debt because I do have money for it. I just got tired of saving money to give my ex-husband money while I worked and scrimped.

Now I feel better.

And of course, the printer was on sale and I joined Office Max so now I have a card for them with $40 on it (I assume I can use it to get stuff later).

I know that its all a matter of mental perspective, but I changed my withholdings for my 401K by 1% because the dang thing is sadly depleted. They gave my ex-hubby $89K and I have $114K left and I'd like to actually have an opportunity to retire before I drop dead.

Well - the paycheck came and I don't have enough now for groceries and gasoline the second week of the 2 week period. I know I can put less in the fund to pay the ex hubby, and worse yet, I can get a loan from my poor beaten 401k and just pay him off, but right now I feel like a failure because I didn't forsee them taking an extra 1% out having such an impact.

And then to top it off, I checked my new IRA and they didn't credit the $1000 I laboriously saved to put in for this year.

And I understand from my HR department, that the Ex called to ask for the phone number for the 401K people because he hadn't gotten his check. That just burns - it should be sequestered in another account and he shouldn't get a check, he should at most only be able to roll it into an IRA. He's probably pulling what he did before and cashing it in, like he did with his retirement money, so he could buy things for his girl friend.

Sometimes it seems like I've spent my whole life making sacrifices for that man that just get wasted.

I just passed $13K on my saving fund to pay back ex-hubby, so now I owe him $18K+ (under $19K).

I'm really really trying to track expenses as they occur. I carry my check book and mark down all expenses, including cash in it (while not taking it away from the total).

My emergency fund has hit 5K, which is another goal.

I have a fund at the credit union that I put $400 a month in. This is to take care of extra large utility bills for air conditioning (when desert heat gets over 110 or in the 120 area), yearly memberships, insurance, Christmas, Tax preparation, virus protection/fire wall update, and everything I can think of that I do once a year. That account already has 3K in it, so I'm feeling ready for the summer.

I've started a compost can in the back yard (and can I say Yuck) and want to buy some kind of bin I can use to eventually start a garden (in a dog free area - 4 dogs doesn't make for a good gardening opportunity).

I got a small raise! I rejoice! Since I'm increasing my 401K withholding to 16% and increasing my tax withholding to single 0, this is a good thing.

And today I have reached the $13,000 savings to pay the ex-spouse goal. Only $19,500 more to save, but it feels like a good chunk is ready to pay him, so perhaps if he demands payment, I'll be able to give him the $13K and not borrow the rest. That would be nice, but not counting on it. But it will be way better than having to borrow $34,000.

And my blood count for chloresterol is now 187, which is a huge improvement over 306 so i'm doing good in that arena too.