Creditcardfree's Personal Finance Blog

I finally sold the item I had on craigslist for $15. I shouldn't complain. It only took 3 days. That is actually pretty quick. My ebay listing is taking longer!

2010 Ebay Challenge Total
January: $201.89
February: $46.40
March: $55.50

Monthly average: $101.26

I am exceeding the $100/mo average goal I set for myself again. Yipee!!

I guess it's time. Time to track the van loan. It is one of our 2010 goals, to pay it off. Or at least get much closer to zero!

The current balance is $18,137.47. I'm going to start the ticker there, even though the original loan was larger. We bought the van in May 2008. If we pay it off this year, that makes the borrowing time only 2.5 years. Not bad!

I expect we will pick up the payoff pace in June or July. For now, just expect regular payment updates each month beginning in April!

Update on survey cash out mentioned yesterday: it was deposited yesterday in my paypal account. Only one day after the request. Yipee!

It's a party day at our house. Actually, the party is at an pizza arcade. We are celebrating my daughter's 13th birthday which is next week. I'm taking the girls and a couple friends for the lunch buffet for $5.99 per person. I will need to buy game cards, too. I have a $10 gift certificate to apply to transaction. It should be a fun time!

I'm still waiting to sell my one item on craigslist. My buyer didn't show last night, but said I could sell to someone else. I have emailed the next person on the list. I hope to sell it soon!! I had plenty of interest.

I requested a $16 cash out from a survey site yesterday. I was pleased to find out that they will be able to deposit the money into my paypal account! For some reason, it still takes two weeks before it hits my account. It took me over a year to meet the minimum of $10, so I think I'm done with them. American Consumer Opinion Poll, if you want to know.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I did a little cleaning up in our basement yesterday. I found two things to give away for free. One to sell. I posted them on craiglist. And the responses? Geez, I've never had so many emails arrive in my inbox at once!!

The free items were a non working printer and garage door opener. One has been picked up, the other is sitting outside now waiting pickup. I have four other people to email if it doesn't go soon. People love free non working things apparently.

The one item I have up for sale should be sold tonight. I had the most responses for this item, which makes me think I may have underpriced it. I will make $15.

I also listed another collection of toys my girls have decided to part with on ebay. I started it last night as a five day listing, so it would still end on Sunday. I like Sunday endings, so I can get the item in the mail on Monday. That is if they pay promptly!

In my basement cleaning, I put all my garage sale items in boxes. I have about 10!! They are on a table and ready to be marked with prices. I need to go get labels before I can start. It's still two months away and I expect to find some more things to sell!

I'm adding $41 to the emergency fund goal. This is from ebay sales primarily.

Old Balance: $779
Add Funds: $41
New Balance: $820

Right now this money is sitting in a checking account. I intend to move the money to our money market account each time we have $1000 saved.

Only $6,180 to go to the goal!

I definitely found some things to sell at the garage sale in the spring when going through the girls closets yesterday. We still need to go through their dresser drawers. Maybe today? I have a cold virus that is wearing me out.

I had two auctions end last night on Ebay. The sales were $40.50! I'm pretty happy with that. One item is a collection of toys from my girls younger days. Now I have a whole empty bin to use elsewhere in the house!

2010 Ebay Challenge Total
January: $201.89
February: $46.40
March: $40.50

I need at least $11.21 in sales before the end of the month to meet my challenge goal. The challenge goal is to average $100 a month in sales. I'd say three months into the year, I'm doing pretty well.

The girls are on spring break this week, so today's task is to clean their rooms. I'm sure we'll find some things they have outgrown. Many of which can be sold.

When they go back to school, I'm going to dive in with some deeper cleaning. I think the dirt and sand in the garage will be the first to go!

In our household, I handle all the finances. Yes. My DH does get a debit card to buy things, but I pay all the bills, make investments and so forth.

He asked to see where our finances stand. No problem. I pulled out spreadsheets with balances and cashflow charts. We spent about 15 minutes looking it all over. He didn't remember how large our van payment was. $496. Yes, a big number. He is on board to start paying this off.

Prior to this discussion, he has been talking about buying a new to him truck when he returns from deployment. But now? He thinks we should keep his car a little longer so we can invest more for college.

Whoa! I so did not see that coming. It's a good thing. We'll see what happens next year when we have to make a final decision.

I'm adding $779 to the emergency fund today. The advance from the Army sure helps!

Old Balance: $0
New Funds: $779
New Balance: $779

Only $6221 left to meet this goal! I hope to find myself adding little amounts from time to time as well. As I write that, I realize I can add the interest the emergency fund earns each month too. Cool.

Ebay update: both auctions have bids!

It does feel weird to not be so focused on the home equity loan. It's just gone. Ashes to ashes. Poof!

Now, it is time to refocus. At least I have other goals and know where to go. I'm not lost. Part of refocusing will be updating the blog sidebar with a new ticker, maybe two. It's like a reinvention on the Creditcardfree Personal Finance Blog!

The next stop on the journey is savings. Emergencies and college. And that college one is hard to look at. I'm not entirely sure what the goal is, but we are just going to save what we can. We only have about 5 years until our oldest daughter graduates high school. In savings terms, that really isn't long.

We do have an emergency fund, but we just feel the need to add to it. The job is stable, but the location changes. A larger EF helps cushion the move. Like bubble wrap!

The college savings will be automated. We will put $167 per month into each daughter's Educational Savings Account (ESA). These are already established and previously funded. I won't talk much about this goal, because like retirement they will be on autopilot starting this month. I like autopilot!!

I will keep you updated with the amounts that I add to our emergency fund over the remainder of the year. Our 2010 goal is to add $7000. Expect to see a ticker soon.

The home equity loan is PAID OFF!!

I have tried to log into our account with the mortgage company and it seems not to exist any longer...so I'm taking that as the official sign!!

The loan was taken out 3 years 5 months ago when we purchased our current home. We made a plan January 2009 to get it completely paid off. And now here we are!

Only debt now: the mortgage and our van loan...which we will start working on this year.

Thanks for cheering us(me) on along the way!!

Payday is just around the corner! My husband's paycheck is larger than usual by over $400. It is a mistake.

The Army didn't realize he left the combat zone and kept paying some special pays! They are aware of it now, so the following check at the beginning of April will be $400 less than usual. In the end, it really is an advance!!

I will just add some money to the emergency fund early. No complaints here!

The certified check that I ordered for our home equity loan payoff arrived in the mail yesterday. Today it is going back out in the mail to the mortgage company!! The processing center is less than two miles down the road from my house, so I expect they will receive it tomorrow. Maybe by Thursday I can log on and see a zero balance.

I'm back listing on ebay this week. Only two listings. My goal is an average of $100 per month. Since January was a good month, I was able to slack off a bit in February. I need at least $52 in sales this month to keep pace with the goal.

Wish me luck!!

2010 Ebay Challenge Totals
January: $201.89
February: $46.40

My husband traveled quite a bit this last month for the Army. He spent less than his per diem for both trips. We are now expecting about $235 next week.

The money will be saved since we are using the next few months to add to our emergency fund. Yipee!!

We are still waiting to receive the certified check we ordered earlier this week. Maybe today in the mail? Please.

The check is to pay off the final amount on our home equity loan. So, we are still in waiting mode. Wait. Wait. Wait.

Update: No check in the mail.

About 5 months ago, I inquired with our mortgage company about deleting our escrow account. We were eligible!

I have been saving money on a monthly basis towards our real estate tax bill ever since. They are due this month, and I just made the payment without the mortgage middleman for the first time. It feels great!!

Since it was the first time I made the payment with the county I was given the option to be notified by email when taxes are due. I signed up. I had marked the dates on my electronic calendar, but it doesn't hurt to have another reminder. I don't want to lose the house because of an unpaid tax bill!

If your eligible, I would highly recommend paying your own taxes! You pay your other bills on time, right? Why can't you pay this one?

Spring cleaning gets me into organizing! Although, I didn't plan this one.

Yesterday, I went looking for a specific photo of my daughters that I would like to get up on the wall. I found it! In the process, I realized I should get the photos from 2003-2006 a little better organized. Luckily for me, most of them were dated.

I have pulled the pictures from their processing envelopes, seperated the double prints, thrown out the negatives, and stacked them by year. Next step, was to organize the year from January through December. Once I have them by year, I keep them in archival photo boxes. I'm realizing I may eventually want to pull some pictures for some type of album. I've seen some VERY cute pictures of my kids in the last few hours!

This was a free activity for me and as a result I had another no spend day. Third day in a row!

I typed an entry and lost it. Here's the condensed version:

1) Pinecone survey payment $3.00. Paid by Paypal. Love how quick it is.
2) Shopped for shoes. Bought nothing. Now two no spend days in a row.
3) As part of my spring cleaning: cleaned my washer with bleach and washed out garbage can.
4) Not motivated to do ebay right now. Have lots of items. Deciding on date with neighbors for garage sale. Need snow to melt and warmer temperatures.

Our regular payment did go through with the mortgage company yesterday and our new balance is $82.19. Yipee.

Um...not sure why the ticker on my sidebar is not cooperating. I even tried making a new one and it did the same thing. Ugh!!

I called for our payoff amount which is now $82.69. Wow! Interest of $0.50. I ordered our certified check for that amount and it will be sent out tomorrow. We bank online so I don't have a bank to walk into and request the funds. I'm hoping the mail is super fast!

Once the check arrives, I'll get it sent down the street to the processing center about a mile from my house. I'm looking forward to logging in to our account and seeing that big fat zero.

I did make our final regular payment on our home equity loan today in the amount of $118.01!! Never again will I have to make this payment.

I'm waiting for the mortgage company website to update our balance in order to update the sidebar here. I expect that $116.81 will go towards the principal balance. That will bring the balance under $100. Yipee!!

So stay tuned until tomorrow, when I will confirm and update the sidebar.

I received 10 bucks in the mail yesterday from NFO MySurvey. It arrived very quick considering I requested it on February 13th. Two weeks.

I haven't been attending to my SwagBucks account. I had an email about their anniversary with a code to obtain 10 swagbucks. When I redeemed it I noticed that I already had 30 points in my account. Last time I logged in I used all my points to donate to the Red Cross for Haiti relief. Turns out the 30 points came from people who signed up under me. So, if you at one time signed up under me...thank you! As a result, I decided to add the swagbucks banner back to my sidebar.

I'm going to try to use Swagbucks for my searches along with MyPoints. Maybe I will earn enough to buy Christmas presents off Amazon this year! If you want to try to do something similar, click on my sidebar for a link to the program. I'll let you know how it is progressing from time to time, too.

Our basic goals for 2010 break down like this:

1) Max out our Roth IRA's = $10,000
We make monthly contributions that are automated
2) Save 7% of basic pay in TSP
Automatically taken from paycheck
3) Pay off home equity loan
Only $199 plus interest to go!
4) Save money for college = $3,300
We are scheduled to start contributions in March. I hope to automate these as well
5) Add money to emergency fund = $7,000
I expect we can start adding money in April
6) Pay off van beginning balance = $19,444
Balance is now at $18,579.87 from regular contibutions only. We will begin adding extra in June
7) Convert IRA's to Roth IRA's
Approximately 65% of our IRA's were converted in February. May not convert the rest until later in the year.

I'd say we are on track so far in meeting all goals. Yipee!!

Our money market account is now only paying us 1.25% interest. Last month we earned $11.39.

The money market holds our emergency fund and savings for our real estate taxes and homeowner's insurance, so it really isn't money I'm expecting a large return on.

I'm just disappointed that the rates are still so low. I look forward to the day when they start to rise again!!

I read an article about saving today in our newspaper. The most important thing is to start, if you haven't already. Even a few dollars a month that you save for a goal can add up. Just don't dip into those funds until your goal is reached!! Trust me. It is much more satisfying to reach a goal than drink a mocha or eat a hamburger.

The interest on your savings is a bonus, even if it is a small one right now!

Yipee!! I made the $1,800 principal payment to our home equity loan bright and early this morning. Obviously, I'm very anxious to get this thing paid off.

New Balance $199.00

I like that we are getting closer to zero.

No spending for me today. I spent more than enough the last few days!

I started some spring cleaning today. I washed two bathroom shower curtains and bath mats. Tomorrow, I'm washing comforters.

It doesn't seem that much like spring when snow is everywhere. However, it is getting warm enough for a little melting. Primarily off the roof!! I'll take it.

I can't wait for tomorrow when I will make an $1,800 payment to the home equity loan!!

I wasn't really looking for them. I was at Target anyway! I bought only things we use and would normally buy, even though a few other items were tempting.

Here's what I got:

4 pack Edge shaving cream $4.24*3 = $12.72
30 ct Swiss Miss hot chocolate $1.88
2 pk Market Pantry apple juice $1.48*2 = $2.96
2 pk Soft scrub $2.48
Total spent = $20.04

Target had a section soon after the first of the year where you could buy in bulk, like Sam's Club and Costco. These deals were in those sections and were primarily marked down 50%.

Prior to my purchases I returned two items equal to $40.45!! Now to convince my husband to lug 12 containers of shaving cream overseas....

This post is primarily for my own needs, however I know people like to read this kind of thing.

Current Home Equity Loan Balance: $1,999

On Friday, February 26 pay $1,700 towards principal from paycheck.

On Monday, March 1 pay $118.01 regular payment (last one of which $116.20 will go to principal payoff!) and a extra principal payment of $100.

Edit: I'm going to make a $1,800 payment first, then the regular payment.

After the above payments the principal balance will be $82.80. I will call the mortgage company for a final payoff amount. I expect this to be $83.30. I will request a certified check from our bank. This check will cost me $5 to obtain. I will have the check mailed to us to send with the payoff letter. Once I mail the final check I expect payoff to occur within one to two days, since the payoff address is just blocks down the road from our house.

I wish I didn't need certified funds. Now, it is possible I could simply pay it off online and they would write off the little interest that is owed. However, the website and an email response confirmed that certified funds are required. They will even return personal checks if received.

That is the plan. I'm excited that we are so close.

I have eaten out in restaurants twice this month. Once with a friend and once with my husband. I ate out with hubby today. He arrived back home yesterday!! I only get him for another day. Then he has training in another state.

Today we went to TGI Friday's with a coupon. I will just say he picked a more expensive meal. However, with the coupon my meal was "free" and as was my water.

We then went shopping!! He needed a new backpack. The one he traveled with was starting to tear...and not at the seams. Ugh. And he needed a new toiletry bag, toiletries and shower shoes. I'm glad I set aside some cash for these things.

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I signed up for paypal payments for my Pincone surveys. Those are quick! I took a survey on Saturday and was just paid today. I'm glad I made the switch.

My parents paid for nearly my entire college education. There was a year where we did qualify for Pell grants because my Dad had been laid off from a job the prior year and he had two kids in college! We did take out student loans. I remember paying my loans off within the first year of graduating. I'm guessing the amount was less than $2,000. It's hard to remember now.

I did work part time for at least 2 of the 4 years I went to college, but I believe this was for things like food, entertainment, clothing, auto fuel and all other expenses. My parents paid my rent, and car insurance.

Honestly, at the time, I took the amount my parents paid to send me to college for granted. I probably still do. I do have the appreciation for the cost of college, as we did have to pay some of my huband's college expenses. Luckily, the Army and his full time job paid for a large portion. Those student loans were paid off several years ago.

My parents had saved some money for my sister and I for college in UGMA accounts, invested in mutual funds. I remember pretty distinctly, writing a letter every semester requesting a certain amount be withdrawn. When I received the check, I used it only for tuition. I never thought to pull more money for myself. I knew that it was for education expenses only.

I know of several people my age who took out the maximum student loan amounts every year. The used part of it for tuition and books, but the remainder was "fun" money. Guess what? They are still paying their student loans! Ugh. Of course, for all I know my parents are still paying on our student loans. I sure hope not!

I bring all this up, because I was talking to my sister about the fact that my oldest daughter will be starting college in 5.5 years. And it doesn't feel that far away. Yikes!! Yes, we have some money saved. Both girls get good grades, so may qualify for some scholarship money. I really need to start crunching some numbers to see how much more I might want to save, or be able to save.

I have thought all along that the girls should have their hand in paying for some of the expenses. I think they should also work some, part time at least. I also think we can cash flow part of it, as well.

Any insights? How was your college education paid for? Are you currently paying for a child's college education? How is that going? I'd love to hear!

I had an offer to join JC Penney rewards in my email inbox this week. I would get a $10 coupon good towards any purchase. I signed up and we went shopping today.

My oldest daughter needed a new dressy shirt for her band concert. Found one originally priced at $36, which was 40% off. After the coupon was deducted and tax was added, I paid $10.59.

It was a quick shopping trip. She looked, picked one out, tried it on, we paid and we were on our way back home. I love those types of trips!!