Owner: Spilling Buckets URL:http://www.spillingbuckets.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:59:49 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: We are 23/24, recently graduated, engaged, beginning careers, and a life together. One snowy day in Rochester we sat down and put together some financial goals, called them buckets, and tried to stack them in an order we felt fit us best. The purpose of t Site statistics:Click here
April Budget Challenge Update 2008-04-14 09:54:00 It's the start third week of April
and the Budget Challenge
. It's also the fourth week of my personal challenge.My goals were to spend less than $250 for April's groceries, with the added challenge of spending less than $300 on groceries from March 27th 'til the end of April, the 24th.So how am I doing? There are 16 days left in April. This means for April I have $8.95/day or $62.70/week. For my own challenge I have 10 days left (before the 24th), and $10.20/day or 71.40/week. Both of these are do-able, but the April Challenge will be harder. I haven't posted a recipe post in a while, so one of those will be coming. I don't have access to my photos at work now, but I will tonight.
Read more:Update
Six Word Memoir 2008-04-13 07:10:00 I was tagged by BeachGirl for this meme. It's kind of exciting... my first tag! (I will admit it, I enjoy these things)So here we go. These are the rules:Write your own six word memoir. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want. Link to the person who tagged you in your post. Tag at least 5 more blogs. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.Our memoir would be:Adventures together bring happiness and successThis was a lot harder than I thought it would be, six words isn't enough to sum up an entire philosophy or life. I chose this because R and I are a team, trying to figure out life and finances together. Each day is an adventure with unexpected twists, as cliché as that sounds.Ok, now I tag:PowderPuff from The Adventures of Dizzy DooSense Read more:Memoir
A cure for cancer, one step closer 2008-04-13 06:26:00 Interesting special on 60 minutes tonight (7pm est). John Kanzius from Erie Pennsylvania has invented a machine to possibly treat cancer without any of the harmful side affects of chemotherapy. It's in the mid-stages of development but has already progressed through many phases of testing.Just thought I would post this heads up as I continue to learn more about his machine's progress. Sorry if this vid has commercials, its directly from the 60 minutes website.
Read more:closer
Net Worth Update: Mid April 2008-04-12 18:18:00 It's mid April
and here is where we stand. This is the first official net worth post and will create a starting point where future posts can compare and contrast progress in the contained asset and liability areas.That student loan number sure is a hairy monster but fortunately more than half of the total is contained with semi-friendly interest rates. Bucket #2 involves the gazelle intense elimination of the rest. Due to some fortunate transitions in the employment world we have been able to build our emergency fund to $3,343. Here are the specifics, next time we can do some analysis and track our progress... Click here for the actual spreadsheet which contains a few more details. [note: this link will always show the most current up-to-date net worth. Refer to these static images for hi Read more:Update
, Worth
, Net Worth
Friday! 2008-04-11 13:23:00 It's Friday
!And...This weekend a friend from college is coming to visit! We still live in the town where we went to school, and have several friends still in school, but this is a friend who moved away. I am very excited to see her!I am sure that this weekend won't be good for frugality, but I am not worried about that, we have fun money. And next weekend another friend is coming up. :-DThere are a lot of things I want to do this weekend, including: going to dinner with my friends, playing games with the same friends, attempting to sketch again (I used to sketch pretty well in high school, and loved it, but stopped in college), going to the local antiques show, stocking up on fresh food from the Public Market, and completing a special mystery shop for extra money.Lot's to do this weekend.
YOU are invited to the Day of ZERO! 2008-04-10 21:20:00 You are invited to a Day of Zero Celebration on or before April 10th 2009. One year from today it is our goal to have $0 in net worth!We ran some quick calculations (shown below) and it is a close one but definitely doable with discipline, creativity, and a little luck. We surely will encounter a few hiccups along the way but we are also sure we will be able to use a little fun and smart thinking to keep on truck'n.Lets see how much sooner we can reach this goal....Is Zero Your Hero?
Extra Income: Mystery Shopping and Online Surveys 2008-04-09 13:01:00 We have always tried to have extra income streams coming in as often as possible. One of the more recent things we have tried is mystery shopping and online surveys. We had worked with ICCDS for a while, and just this summer branched out to other companies as well as online surveys. This is a review of those companies and how well they have worked for us.ICCDSWe have done a lot of shops for them. Both R and I can sign up, and complete shops. They usually pay between $5 and $10 a time, with a small reimbursement for items bought. You get paid through PayPal a few days after submitting paperwork. You do need to mail them hard copies of your receipt with an invoice, but it isn't much. I like that you get paid with PayPal, it's fast, easy, and secure. These are easy to do, and quick, so I norm Read more:Extra
, Income
, Mystery
, Shopping
Looking at the small picture 2008-04-08 21:28:00 I was looking at our transaction history for one of our investment accounts and started thinking of ways to organize and view our portfolio. I wanted to make sure that the performance tracker for the big picture did not lose sight of the fact that it is made up of a series of small ones.DCA or Dollar Cost Averaging according to Investopedia is "The technique of buying a fixed dollar amount of a particular investment on a regular schedule, regardless of the share price. More shares are purchased when prices are low, and fewer shares are bought when prices are high."If you have a 401k and/or IRA this is most likely how you invest, saving a percentage of your paycheck each month, or an amount to be electronically deposited out of each months budget. Each monthly or biweekly purchase is in it
Double Digits! 2008-04-07 21:27:00 Hello everyone! We just want to thank you for checking us out and welcoming us to the PF blog community. Today is a momentous day as we now show 11 subscribers via feedburner! Thank you for subscribing and thank you to those who have posted fun and interesting comments.We have a few neat things in the works and would like to give you a sneak peak.Ideas currently in development:Spilling Bucket's Investment PortfolioNet worth Update PostsFrugal RecipesFuel/Utilities/Energy Consumption TrackerWork From Home Ideas (That have worked for us)Thanks again, and here is a little something special from us to you : )
Gas Prices 2008-04-07 06:17:00 A friend of mine, DingoDonkey, recently posted about gas prices and taxes. He had a great image of state by state taxes on gas.When gas prices were really low no-one cared that the government taxed them to the max. The government capitalized on the fact that people didn't complain, and took as much tax as they could from gas prices. Now that prices are high, and the oil companies are getting the blame, it only seems fair to show both sides. Yes, the oil companies make a lot of money, but the government is responsible for a lot of the price as well:Sorry if it's a little hard to read, this was the biggest I could upload. (Dingo's got a better full sized image on his blog)So, as you can see, the lowest is Alaska, with "only" a 26.4 cents/gallon tax. Michigan is the highest I see with 64.4 c Read more:Prices
, Gas Prices
Another trip to the public market 2008-04-06 06:17:00 I really love this place.R and I have been in Rochester for about 6 years now, but we haven't really ventured out for things to do. Until this year we were really busy with school and mostly did things around our campuses. But there are a lot of really neat things! There's the public market, LOTS of parks, theaters, and festivals... Since we are actually living here I can't wait to explore all there is to offer, especially as the weather warms up.So, A, and I decided to go back to the Public Market today, and R came along too. Last time we went in the late morning and it was absolutely JAMMED, so we decided to go earlier. It was still packed, but not as bad.This time I took some photos.
New Recipes 2008-04-04 10:48:00 As mentioned last week, I want to try two new recipes a week while sticking to my food budget. The new things for that week were French Onion Soup, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, and Cherry/Cranberry Scones. All were really good and really easy. (Yep, I made 3 things not 2)Here are the recipes, and some photos (I only took them for the soup)Frugal French Onion Soup (R said it was better than most restaurants)1 - 2 large sweet onions2 minced garlic clove2 cans beef broth1 can beef consume1 T Worcestershire sauceshredded cheesetoasted fresh crusty breadYou sautee the onions in a tablespoon of butter until they are tender, and add the garlic at the end for 1-2 minutes. Then you combine the liquid ingredients: broth, consume, Worcestershire, and bring it to a boil for 1 minute. Mix in the onio Read more:Recipes
Shift Happens 2008-04-02 05:20:00 I stumbled upon this great video and thought I would share. It was originally a video presentation for a group of k-12 educators and was designed to spur thought and conversation about the changing nature of education and today's demand for a global perspective. I think the presentation does a great job at highlighting the fact that the change to a global marketplace should not be looked at as a threat but as an opportunity to spur more ideas and ever faster advancement.Whats your view on the issue?More information can be found here:
Read more:Shift
Grocery Budget Update 2008-03-31 07:51:00 As mentioned earlier, I have started the challenge of spending $300 or less on groceries for March 27th - April 24th, 4 weeks/1 month. So how am I doing so far?Total spent on food: $91.30Time Elapsed: about 1 weekFriday I went to Wegman's and did a full restocking trip, buying enough food for the entire week, minus veggies. Total spent there was about $59. I was really happy that I was able to spend so little and get enough for a week of food, assuming I stick to my written plan.Saturday a friend, A, and I went to the Rochester Public Market. It's only open a few days a week, but is awesome. We both only cook for two, and most of the food came in large amounts, so we split it. I got a basket of potatoes for $1 (split 8 each, from $2), a box of strawberries for $2.50, three heads of g Read more:Update
, Grocery
The same wind blows on us all 2008-03-30 07:34:00 I have been in sort of a personal development phase ever since I started commuting to work and listening to audio books. I just finished reading and listening to Jim Rohn's Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle and I've got two images that keep popping into my head. Most of his ideas are common sense but for some reason they really hit home…Here is the first image, most of which I am quoting directly from his talk: The first is a sail: Often times when things aren't going well, the tendency is to look outside for the circumstances that explain why our lives are the way the are, why we are doing the things we do, etc... Blame would shift to taxes, prices, traffic, the company, other people, the weather, the government, the economy. "Taxes are too high", "Things cost too much", "If this is
April Challenge Starting Early 2008-03-26 10:55:00 I have to start the April
Budget Challenge
a week early.We went grocery shopping Sunday night when we got home, to stock up on necessities like bread and milk, and already we are out of both. There is enough bread to make it through tomorrow's lunch but not Friday's, and milk is down to 1/4 container. I knew we went through stuff quickly, but I never realized just how bad it really was. I guess this is what happens when you make 2.5 sandwiches a day and have milk and cereal for breakfast almost every morning.Since it is really close to April, and I am running out of other key food items (it's time for a full grocery run, not just a mini-replenisher trip) I have decided to start the challenge now. For the next four weeks, from March 27th to April 24th, I am not going to spend more than Read more:Early
Back to Work 2008-03-24 10:39:00 Easter weekend is over, and it was full of crazy family fun. I don't think I stopped eating the entire weekend. I love seeing family, but I am glad to be back at work, too.At one point, while R and I were at dinner with his family, the conversation turned to finances. Several members of his family invest in single stocks based on hunches and mutual funds they don't seem to know too much about. I know we don't always make the best decisions, but we always try to educate ourselves and make a well informed decision that at the time seems best. I was shocked that they would invest without trying to understand and learn as much as possible about the companies and mutual funds they chose to put money into. I don't want my family to get ripped off or make poor choices when it comes to the
Measurable Progress Over Time 2008-03-21 19:07:00 Net worth Update: -$36,727.17 Scary huh? So as I calculate and post this hairy number for everyone to see, is there a lesson here? Yep. Education is vital and probably one of the largest and most important investments a person could ever make, but there are many paths that lead to a similar destination. I was young and optimistic, large loans were simply part of the process because you know what, college is expensive, especially a really good named one, and those loans you pay back way later...slowly...That's enough of the beating up. "The past should be used as a school not a weapon" -J.R. So this is where we are now. We found each other, we have good jobs, we are living in a great apartment, and we have a smart and fun cat named Charles, no complaints here, only the following naggin
"It's easy to, and it's easy NOT to" 2008-03-20 09:46:00 March was supposed to be the beginning of everything.It is when R finished school and began his job. I had finished school in May and begun working full time in June, but it didn't feel as though "real life" began until we both were out working. In March we both had strong motivations and a desire to get things on track. We had a written budget before, but weren't really adamant about sticking to it. We also would often let the apartment slip into messiness longer than it should have. This was all okay, because "in March everything would change."Well now here it is, March 20th, and things haven't really changed. We started off on the right note, but it was too easy not to do simple things like hang up a jacket or keep track of how much you spent going out to eat.Krystal at Give me back my
The Richest Man in Babylon 2008-03-18 09:45:00 An individual goal of mine is to read at least one personal finance or personal development book a month and then write a review of it on the blog.Yesterday I finished reading The Richest Man in Babylon
: Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century by George Clason.I found the book through Jim Rohn who strongly recommended it in his motivational speech on achieving wealth. It's a short book, and has many good points that are relevant no matter which century you live, so I would definitely recommend reading it. There are so many good points that one post would not be able to cover them all with any justice, and I am not even going to try here.The book claims to be a translation of Babylonian clay tablets, updated for the 21st Century. (replacing old gods with God seems to be the biggest "up
First Post! 2008-03-16 08:31:00 It's hard to start off a first post, so I am just going to cut to the chase. It is the middle of March 2008, and we are out of college both working full time for the first month. We have a set of goals we would like to acheive: have an emergency fund, pay off loans, save for an early retirement, save for a down payment on a home. To reach these goals we have decided to "tax" ourselves monthly, paying towards the goals the same way you would pay off a car loan or any other regular monthly expense. This blog is a way for us to keep track of how well we are doing with our budget, make sure we are on track paying off goals, and to learn as much as we can from other PF bloggers and their experiences.Here are our main goals for 2008:Set up an emergency fund of six months expenses: ~$10,000We ha Read more:First
Gardening in an Apartment, Phase 1 2008-04-15 07:21:00 I have always loved gardening, which was weird for my family. My parents both hate being outside, and yet I love all things out doors... gardening, camping, hiking, swimming, etc. At home I took over the garden and tried several different things, but it was really too much in the shade, with used up soil, and the results weren't good. This year I was bummed, I didn't think a garden would work since we are living in an apartment, and on the second floor with no ground. But then it occurred to me... Pots! Duh, why didn't we think of this before?This is the first normal summer in the apartment, and our first attempt at an indoor/outdoor vegetable garden.This weekend R and I went to Wal-Mart's Garden Center and got some seeds for tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, and green leaf lettuce. W
Today is a good day 2008-04-17 13:50:00 Today has been a great day. It started off pretty good, then for a second it was almost bad, but then it turned around again and has been awesome. Let me explain.This morning I had a meeting with my boss at 9:00 to sign and approve paperwork from my annual review. I left the apartment at 8:30, with plenty of time to spare even with having to park far away. Then I got stopped by freight trains - twice! I pass two train tracks on my way to work and there was a train at both of them this morning! The second time I was the first car in line, so it was an extra long delay. I could have pushed through and risked crossing when the lights were flashing but the posts hadn't come down, but I thought it better not to push my luck like that. And I am glad I didn't. The second train had cars f Read more:Today
Gardening in an Apartment: Phase II 2008-04-17 13:41:00 We have Sprouts!!!The lettuce was growing last night, and this morning some broccoli was also growing. I'm so happy! Check out out little plants:
Friends and Recipes 2008-04-18 10:19:00 So I wanted to post with new recipes from last week that I tried, including garlic chicken bites and my first from scratch apple pie. I had planned on writing up a nice description with photos and the whole deal, and I was going to do this from work. (Bad me blogging at work...I know) Well, I got here this morning, reached in my pocket for the thumb drive of pictures, and it wasn't there. I left it on my desk at home. I have been really remiss in posting and trying new recipes, but I will get back into it. The point here is... the recipe post will come later tonight when I am home and can do it properly. And I wanted to post this to remind myself to get it done without putting it off another day.Tonight we have friends coming to visit again. This is the second weekend in a row with Read more:Friends
, Recipes
Two "New" Recipes 2008-04-18 18:49:00 Ok, so I still have a goal of trying 2 new recipes a week. I did this two weeks in a row, and then got side tracked. But next week it will continue again. So the second week of this I made two things, Garlic Chicken Bites and the first thing I have improvised on 100%, an Apple Pie.First let me talk about the chicken. I got this from recipezaar, and it was pretty good. It was certainly easy to make.2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces1/2 cup olive oil4 cloves garlic, minced1/4 teaspoon pepper1/2 cup breadcrumbs1/4 teaspoon McCormicks's SeasoningsYou cut the chicken and marinate it in the garlic and oil and pepper. Then you coat in breadcrumbs and seasoning and bake at 475 until crispy/done, about 10-15 minutes.I decided to put this in a salad:The original recipe cal Read more:Recipes
Know your Insects, $2,100 Saved! 2008-04-20 16:44:00 A small commute to work is usually a necessary evil and the costs can be chalked up to the simple fact that oftentimes work requires us to be away from home and energy must be spent to get there. Think of it in terms of recycling or efficiency; The goal here is to create as much wealth as you can with as little waste as humanly possible. BUT, if you aren't as fortunate to live near your daily place of employment, that waste begins to look like just about as recyclable as this.As you know, we live in Rochester and I was fortunate to have accepted an analyst position in Buffalo about 107 miles round trip or 1 hours drive each way. We recently purchased a 2000 Toyota Corolla which according to my real world tracking achieves approx. 30 Miles Per Gallon. At around $3.50 a gallon I was spendin Read more:Insects
Income Stream Review 2008-04-23 11:38:00 I have created a blog with the evaluation of all the extra income streams I use. I am currently updating this page, so things will be changing. The new blog is Spilling Buckets IncomeStream
s.Here is a link to it: Income Streams.Let me know what you think. I am always open to reviews.This is organized into three categories, Active Streams (where you work for the money), Passive Streams (where your money works for you) and Free Opportunities.
Extra Income Streams 2008-04-22 10:04:00 I am trying to earn as much extra income as I can without taking on a time consuming part time job. I am also looking for a flexible part time job, but these small extra income streams are always helpful.I participate in online surveys, and got my first two checks from Opinion Outpost this week, two days apart. I requested checks on 3/26 and 3/28 and they arrived in the mail on 4/19 and 4/21, just about 3 weeks later and right in the middle of the 2-4 week estimate. Getting these checks was very exciting! I participate in several online survey sites and this was the first company where I earned enough money to cash out.In the spirit of this excitement I have decided to create an extra income stream information and ratings sheet. It isn't finished yet, but it should be by tonight. Fo Read more:Income
, Extra
, Streams
Net Worth Update with FREE Coffee! 2008-04-25 08:24:00 Federal Tax freedom day has come and gone, many of us have now begun to pay off our beloved state governments, stimulus checks are in the mail, and the Sun is shining. Everyday above ground is a good day but today is tough to beat.This is the first full month of the Spilling Buckets System and things seem to have worked out quite well. 15% of all normal wage income is automatically piped away and invested in our retirement portfolio [details to come soon], 5% is allocated to fun/misc things and activities, and the rest fills our buckets in order. I think the no strings attached 5% worked very well, enabling us to stick to a tight regime and spend little, but at the same time not making our heads ignite with rules or guilt when we "needed" something or wanted some Dino BBQ.This week I was Read more:Worth
, Update
, Coffee
, Net Worth
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