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Archive for March, 2021

5th Wheel Loan Paid In Full

March 24th, 2021 at 02:06 pm

It's been fun, 5th wheel loan.  Hasta lu bye-bye.

Water District Declines and Paying off My 5th Wheel Loan

March 23rd, 2021 at 02:47 am

I received a "no, thank you" letter from the local water district.  It was a let down, but I am a big believer that when things are right, they fall into place.   So, I accept that the local water district is just not the right fit for me.

I decided that I would rather pay my 5th wheel loan in full and then make payments (if necessary) on my medical bills, rather than the other way around.  So today, I paid 2k towards the loan, bringing the balance down to $1,752.57.  I transferred some money from sinking funds, and will pay the balance in full by the end of this week.

A Wrinkle in My Debt Payoff Plan

March 12th, 2021 at 07:46 pm

I thought I would be out of debt approximately 1 month from now.  However, I don't think it is going to work out quite that way.

I went to bed Monday evening and woke up about 1am Tuesday morning, having trouble getting a breath.  I got out of bed, used my inhaler, sat in a chair so I was upright, and waited.  Around 4am, I was still having trouble, so decided I would go to urgent care.  They ended up admitting me to the hospital; I was discharged yesterday.

It turns out that my blood pressure had gone really high, causing problems for my heart and my lungs had filled with fluid.  I am seeing a cardiologist and I am now on quite a mix of medications which are keeping my blood pressure where it should be.   I do have a good insurance plan, so while I am expecting some medical bills to pay, I am not expecting that they will be catastrophically large.  Still, I will make no more additional principal payments until the medical bills have all been received and paid.

I had a Dr. appointment this morning and am home taking it easy now.  I will go back to work Monday.

I have not yet heard a thing from the local water district.

Yesterday's Interview

March 6th, 2021 at 03:42 pm

I feel that my interview yesterday went very, very well.  There were 3 people interviewing me via Zoom; the same two people who interviewed me last time and a third person.  And I learned that they currently have 2 open positions.  It is a small office, so 2 open positions must be quite a hardship on the others.  They intend to make a decision next week.  So, we will see.  If they do not offer me a position now, then they just aren't interested in hiring me.  I do not know how many qualified candidates they interviewed.

Right now, I earn $25.79 per hour, and I am topped out.  I can't earn more unless I promote to a higher position.  The water district has 3 classifications of Administrative Aide (I, II, and III), and each has 7 pay steps.  There is some overlap between them (bottom step Administrative Aide II is less than top step Administrative Aide I), and they do have some discretion to start you or promote you as they see fit.  Still, the position is clearly for Administrative Aide I.  Bottom step is $17.50 per hour.  So you can see, that is a significant cut from $25.79 per hour.  I may not have to start at bottom step, but then again, I may have to do just that.  

Last summer when I interviewed, I still owed 27k on the 5th wheel.  Taking a pay cut to $17.50 would have been the end of accelerated payments, and I felt very hesitant to pursue such a plan.  I didn't want to spend years making only minimum payments, I wanted the debt gone.   At this point, however, it almost is gone, so isn't as much of a concern.

There are very few jobs up here period.  Most of the jobs which are here are very low paid.  It is pretty amazing to me that a CalPers covered clerical job is here at all, much less in an office 10 minutes from home.  I would be extremely grateful to land this job, $17.50 or not.

Have An Interview This Friday

March 4th, 2021 at 02:20 am

Remember last summer when I interviewed for a position at the local water district, with the office right in my tiny town?  I'm not sure if I ever mentioned it, but they did eventually send me a letter just saying that someone else had been a better fit but that they encouraged me to apply again in the future.  Well, last week they had another opening and I did just that.  I have a Zoom interview this Friday.  So, we will see.   

Last time, I wasn't positive that I wanted it.  This time, I am sure.  I hope that will come across in the interview.  It would be a pay cut, but with my debt nearly gone, it's not so much of an issue.  I would continue to earn service credits towards my pension, I would have health insurance, and I would be a 10 minute drive from home.  That is sounding really good to me.  Wish me luck. Smile

5th Wheel Loan Payment #22

March 3rd, 2021 at 02:18 pm

or number 17 since the refinance.

The regular monthly payment posts today, 3/3/21, bringing the principal balance down to $5,340.55. Since the previous regularly scheduled payment, I managed to pay an extra $1,120.03, all from regular monthly income. The last payment date has moved up to 5/3/22; that is 1 year and 2 months to go if going forward I pay only the regular monthly payments. 

At this point, I have enough in checking and savings to pay the loan in full, with about 1k to spare.  I'm not going to do it just yet, but this loan isn't going to be around much longer. Smile