Owner: In Debt Because I Like Nice Things URL:http://nicethingsbaddebt.blogspot.com Join Date: Sun, 04 May 2008 18:22:13 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This blog is devoted to following my journey out of credit card debt and struggle with still wanting the finer things in life. Site statistics:Click here
Nervous....Important Phone Call Today 2008-05-27 10:00:46 Last week I told you about the two offers I got during my conference. I have since received confirmation from one of the schools, and today I am going to be talking to the other school. The emails seem very promising. I am basically asking that they confirm they have funding for me. They originally said they could confirm in November, but that they didn't think it would be a problem. Well, since I Read more:Nervous
, Today
Budgeting for Beauty 2008-05-26 12:48:04 As a woman there is all this little stuff that I have to do every single day to look presentable. Sometimes I really wish I were a guy! All these little things that I have to do add up! Today, in the shower, I got to thinking about what I used to do 7-8 years ago when my hubby and I were broke as compared to the things I use today. I realized that I am really wasting a bit of money, and if I was a Read more:Budgeting
, Beauty
May Grocery Challenge: Week 4 2008-05-26 09:48:57 I thought this week was going to be a really high week because I had not been grocery shopping last week. However, when I was making my list I realized I still had a lot of stuff in the cupboard. In addition, I planned out my week for 6 meals and then remembered that I am not going to be home Thursday-Saturday because I am working reunion weekend. Anyhow, this week's groceries came in at $127.68! Read more:Grocery
, Challenge
High Gas Prices = Changing Habits? 2008-05-26 08:56:03 As the price of gas continues to climb, in some areas already topping $4.00/gallon, I wonder if people in America are consciously changing their driving habits. In the past I pretty much took gas for granted. I was constantly driving back and forth to Chicago on the weekends to go shopping, and not really thinking twice about the cost. Now I would absolutely cringe at the thought of driving 180 mi Read more:Prices
, Changing
A Little Half.Com Trick 2008-05-28 10:59:48 I have been selling my DVDs and CDs for the past month. When I sat down to list them all a month ago there was a handful that the system did not recognize. Today I finally got off my tooshie and did some investigating. Turns out, if I go into Ebay and pretend that I am going to sell them on ebay, they will give me a valid UPC number that I can in turn enter on half.com. The UPCs might not match, b Read more:Trick
My Weekend Job: Opportunity for Some Extra Cash 2008-05-28 09:06:50 I'm not sure if you remember, but a couple months ago I signed up to work the Alumni Reunion Weekend
at my university. I did this last year and made pretty good money. My job is a shuttle driver. Basically I am driving a little minivan and transporting the alumni wherever they want to go. Many of the alumni are from the class of 1953, so walking a mile across campus isn't something they can do! My Read more:Opportunity
, Extra
Staying Home Today: Will I Get Stuff Done? 2008-05-28 08:58:16 The rest of my week is going to be busy working the alumni reunion weekend, and today I have a paid orientation from 3-5 PM. Therefore, I decided to stay home today instead of working at school. I know that I am not going to get anything accomplished over the 4 days I am working in terms of de-cluttering, cleaning, organizing, or listing things on ebay, and so staying home today might help me do t Read more:Today
Monthly Debt Update: 5 Months and $30,000 Later 2008-05-27 18:25:08 I know that May isn't quite over, but I am going to be very busy from Thursday-Sunday working 16 hour shifts at the reunion weekend! Therefore, I thought I would give you all the lowdown on how we did in May. Here are the the debt totals (check out that BofA balance):Wells Fargo: 5838.18Wells Fargo: 5746.99Kawisaki: 5310.80BofA: 4951.25Amex: 5688.81Cap Read more:Monthly
, Update
, Months
Results of Phone Call 2008-05-27 14:56:55 The phone call went really well today! He definitely wants me to come on as a postdoc next year; however the funding issue (i.e. how he is going to pay me) is still up in the air. I was pretty up front by saying that I did not want to devote all of my time and energy writing a grant and then finding out in January/February that it was not funded, and then scrambling to find a job. He said he compl Read more:Phone Call
I'm Ready To Make Some Cash 2008-05-29 05:19:52 It is 6 AM and I am up way too early! However, I am a bit excited to start working reunion weekend. Orientation went well yesterday, although it did last an hour longer than it was supposed to. Oh well, that's more extra money! At the orientation they did confirm that we will be working 16 hour shifts Thursday-Saturday (8 AM - midnight) and Sunday is from 6 AM - 2 PM. Let the madness begin! I reme
So Tired But Good Tips 2008-05-30 05:53:50 Yesterday was an OK day at the reunion weekend. We started at 8 AM, but people really didn't start coming in and registering until about noon. Things really started picking up in the evening when the refreshment tent opened! I ended up with $82 in tips, plus my regular base pay of $8.50 (for 16.5 hours). That is actually $12 better than I did last year :-) Today and tomorrow are really busy days,
Phew, The Weekend Is Finally Over 2008-06-01 18:54:47 WOW. What a crazy weekend! Great money, but so tiring. I felt this exact same way last year, and remember questioning whether the extra money was really worth it. However, I had a lot of fun and the money is worth it because it is all going toward credit cards! I learned some wonderful things about my campus, the history of my university, and about myself and finances. I made some very interesting Read more:Weekend
, Finally
How Hard Would You Work For a Dollar? 2008-06-03 07:12:04 As you know, I worked this weekend at my school's alumni reunion. This is a major event that lasts four days. This year it was members of classes ending in 3 and 8. The big reunion year was 1958, and about 600 members of that class showed up. Overall, there was a total of 3400 alumni coming back, plus their friends and family. It is a huge event! Now, the majority of people coming back are very su Read more:Dollar
Decrease in Monthly Income 2008-06-02 20:57:07 I am a little bummed out. I got paid on Friday and noticed that my bi-monthly check was $180 lower than normal. I was expecting this to happen, but not until August. Here is the deal: this year I decided to teach a class for both semesters. This resulted in an additional $2000/semester increase to my stipend. It went into effect on 8/15, and since the academic year is August-August I had assumed t Read more:Monthly
, Income
June Goals 2008-06-02 20:54:00 I think that June is going to be a great month! There are some great extra income sources that will be paying out this month. In addition, I am almost done all of my crazy summer traveling (all finished on 6/14) and it is finally going to be summer! Below are my goals for the month of June! 1. Get the BofA credit card under $2500. As of 6/2 I have paid $251 on the card, and have almost $3000 in t Read more:Goals
May Monthly Challenge Recap 2008-06-02 19:22:22 In May I joined the monthly grocery challenge offered by Krystal at Give Me Back My Five Bucks. Prior to joining the challenge I was budgeting $150/week for groceries, and did not really have a budget for household items (cleaning supplies, etc.). I decided to be ambitious and budget $140/week for groceries and household items. Since May had 5 weekends, and I do all my grocery shopping on the week Read more:Monthly
, Challenge
, Recap
Another Truck Payment Bites The Dust 2008-06-04 12:17:43 And the countdown continues. Another truck payment made. According to the statement there are only 18 more to go. Yippee LOL But seriously, I am so glad that this is a lease now. I hate this thing. It guzzles gas and is really a hunk of crap. It is making a clunking noise when I turn the steering wheel and it only has 24000 miles. Fortunately I have 6 months of warranty left. In addition, trucks a Read more:Truck
, Payment
In The News: Pets Affected By The Economy Too 2008-06-04 12:00:08 I am a huge pet lover! I have one dog, a Miniature Schnauzer, and three cats, two purebred Persians and a Maine Coone. My dog gets the best of the best. He has as many toys as the average 3 year old kid. He eats the most expensive food and treats (Solid Gold and Wellness) and gets regular grooming visits and veterinary care. My cats are also the same, although the dog steals their toys! I would do
In The News: Little Purchases Today = Big Debt Tomorrow 2008-06-04 06:26:14 I stumbled on a very interesting article, which I think helps put things into perspective. The article is titled 'Spend $10 Today
Be Out $100K Tomorrow' This article is basically a wonderful cautionary tale of how mindless spending can add up. Just 2 Starbucks a day on a credit card can turn into tens of thousands of dollars very quickly. In addition, the author also dispels the myth that $10 in y
London Reimbursement Arrived Today 2008-06-05 06:59:44 My reimbursement for expenses incurred during my trip to London arrived in the bank today. I was sweating a little bit because the credit card payment was due on the 15th and I didn't want to incur any interest charges. I was able to pay the credit card this morning ($1079) and the remaining $230 went in the savings account to pay the BofA card this month. That $230 is technically money I had save Read more:Today
History & Background: My Living Situation 2008-06-06 18:55:47 I posted earlier today about my mortgage issues and one reader asked a great question:Why Do You Only Pay 1/2 a Mortgage?That is a great question and something that I thought I should further clarify and give some background. The reason I pay only half of the mortgage, utilities, property taxes, home repairs, and household items (i.e. cleaners, laundry soap, etc.) is because my brother-in-law live Read more:History
, Living
The Mortgage Officially Readjusted 2008-06-06 06:31:45 I came home yesterday to find a letter from the mortgage company. I have been dreading this letter for months. It was the readjustment letter. If you'll remember, I have an ARM mortgage that was locked in for 2 years and then resets every 6 months. My interest rate was 7.375% and under the rules of the reset it can never be less than that or higher than 13%. Fortunately, with the economic crisis w Read more:Mortgage
Debt Payoff Strategy: Is It The Best Choice? 2008-06-06 06:25:49 Since starting to pay off debt in January I have been following the same routine. First, I decide which credit card I am going to tackle and pay off. Second, whenever I get any extra money I immediately transfer it from my checking to my savings account. They are at the same institution and it literally takes about 2 seconds to make the transfer online. I also transfer the monthly snowball. Third, Read more:Payoff
, Strategy
, Choice
How Did I End Up Being The Sensible One? 2008-06-08 05:51:53 Over the past week my husband has been driving me insane. He calls me at least twice a day to tell me all about this Harley Davidson that he wants. I could care less, I have absolutely no interest in motorcycles or going deeper in debt. He explains to me that he works hard and that he deserves it. He says he has it all figured out. It is a used bike that is selling for 12K and he'll use his curren Read more:Sensible
Payment on BofA Card: We're Getting Closer 2008-06-07 18:57:17 I decided to transfer the funds from savings to checkings today and make a payment on the BofA card. I was able to make a payment of $3060 in addition to the $251 I paid earlier this month. That means we only have about $1700 left on this card. I think I should be able to make another payment before the end of this week. I have some half.com money coming in (only $30) and it's payday, which means Read more:Payment
Preparing to Leave for Last Summer Workshop 2008-06-07 18:50:58 What a nice boring Saturday at home. I spent about 5 hours last night, and then another 4-5 hours today finishing up Season 4 of Beverly Hills 90210. Season 5 releases on 7/29, so I had to finish it up! In between episodes I started my packing for my upcoming trip to Virginia. I leave tomorrow morning and return next Saturday evening! Monday - Friday will be spent in a statistics workshop from 9 A Read more:Leave
, Summer
, Workshop
I Am Fiercely Frugal 2008-06-09 19:21:02 The first full day of my workshop has finished. My luggage arrived last night around 8:30 PM (thank goodness!)! Today I practiced being super frugal. I ate the yucky continental breakfast at the hotel, followed by free snacks at the workshop. We had to go out for lunch, but I only had water and ordered a $5 sandwich. In the afternoon they provided snacks and soda. I grabbed a can of soda to drink Read more:Frugal
Arrived Safely in Virginia 2008-06-08 16:40:20 Phew, I made it! I had to take 3 different flights to make it here. Flight #1 was delayed. Flight #2 was delayed by an hour sitting on the runway (boy, I love O'Hare). I only had an hour layover in Washington, so United rebooked me on a later flight. However, I didn't want to hang out at the airport, so I ran like the wind and made my original flight to Charlottesville; however, my luggage didn't Read more:Safely
, Virginia
Another Frugal Moment 2008-06-10 20:22:48 Today at my workshop I discovered another way to save money! It started last night when I got super thirsty and realized that I didn't have any water in my room, and I was forced to drink tap water (which doesn't taste very good out here) to save $1.25 on bottled water. This morning at breakfast I noticed that the hotel had filtered water available, so I filled up my water bottle today! Now it is Read more:Frugal
, Moment
Another Small Payment on BofA Card 2008-06-10 12:54:23 Just checked the bank and all of my bills are paid for the month of June and I have $1000 leftover until payday on Thursday. To be conservative, I just made a $200 payment on the BofA card. I'll probably make another couple of payments this week. So far I've paid $3511 on this card this month. Only $1440 left to go!!!!! Read more:Small
, Payment
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