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Archive for December, 2014

Reflection on 2014 Progress and 52 Week Challenge for 2015

December 24th, 2014 at 01:13 am

Hi, everyone. As the year 2014 draws to a close, I feel the desire to reflect on my amazing progress for 2014 and make goals for 2015.

Progress:
1) Made steady progress on paying off cc #2 and have kept it paid off since early November. Woo-hoo!
2) Have funneled that same energy towards paying off cc #1. Have not made it there yet, though.
3) Retirement account has increased significant, but I don't remember how much.
4) All of my savings accounts have increased significantly as a result of regular deposits and also deposits of found money. Several of the savings accounts are "sinking funds" that are for a specific goal. They have served me well this year and resulted in helping to meet those goals without going into debt to do it. I get really weird looks from one of my friends when I tell her I have 7 savings accounts, though, but I don't care. When I told that it is helping me to get out of debt, she seemed to think that was good. Woo-Hoo!
5) Refinanced our mortgage in July from 5.23% to 4.75%, lowering our regular payment about $27.00. We have continued to make the same payment, though.

Goals for 2015:
1) Continue to make steady progress on cc #1 and pay it off by 12/31/2016. I plan to pay a regular payment of $100 per month and also make extra payments when possible.
2) My boss has told me that I may be getting a bump in regular pay level next July. I don't know how much, but I plan to make use of it by bumping up my retirement contribution by 1%. I also plan to increase savings deposits and debt payoff with these funds.
3) We have already paid a deposit on another new window for our house and it will be installed in January, I think. We will continue to set aside funds for more work on the house, including more tuckpointing and some basic maintenance.

More Found Money

December 18th, 2014 at 02:54 am

Hi, everyone. I just finished a pinecone survey and will be getting $3.00 from that in a few days. That money will go directly to cc #1. Woo-Hoo! I also finished a survey at epoll.com, which gave me enough points to be able to cash out for $5.00. That will also be going to cc #1, but it will probably take a few weeks at least to get here. That ought to put cc #1's balance at somewhere around $3424.82. The $5.85 payment to cc #1 has not yet gone through, but will on Friday. I am loving this. Even though I still have a ways to go yet in adding to the regular savings (emergency) and paying off cc #1, I no longer feel like the guy in the picture below.



Found Money!!

December 14th, 2014 at 03:14 am

I was under budget for my shopping today and so the leftover $20.00 is going to my slush fund. Also, an extra $20.00 is going to cc #1. Also, when we refied our house in July, it seems the mortgage company figured some fee incorrectly and today we got a check for a grand total of $5.85. As soon as that check clears, I will send it to cc #1.

Credit Card #2 Balance is Down!

December 12th, 2014 at 11:04 pm

I am reporting the actual balance of cc #1 and it is lower now than it has been in over a year. I am ashamed to say that I have not reported the accurate balance in at least than long. With several big and small payments lately, I now have the balance much lower. Woo-Hoo1

Another Payday, More Debt Paid and Other Stuff

December 7th, 2014 at 11:45 pm

Hi, everyone. More debt has been paid and more money has been saved. It is becoming more second nature to me now. That feels good that I don't have to struggle so much. So far, I have allocated for 1/2 of the mortgage, paid the gas bill, internet/phone bill, bought gas for the car, and bought groceries. I also deposited to savings, but lost my note as to how I allocated it, so this is my best recollection.

$40 regular savings deposit
$40 car savings deposit
$40 house savings deposit
$70 professional savings deposit
$20 AAA/car tax savings deposit
$5 escrow savings deposit
$1 self improvement savings deposit

On December 1st, I got a rebate deposit from mrrebates. I sent it directly to cc #1.
I also paid $50 to cc #1. cc #2 is still at $0.00!!!