Bloom Where You Are Planted

Don't see it listed in my sidebar? I don't either! What a great way to begin the new year.

I am waiting for the last of the money I am owed to transfer in. When it does, it will go into savings.

I redeemed my first bit of credit card rewards in 2016, a whole $169.51. I have already applied it to my car loan. I ended up redeeming $611.84 in 2015, and I didn't even try very hard. I am sure I can beat that this year.

Today I filled out a new W-4 and increased my Simple IRA per paycheck contribution. I cancelled my monthly automatic Roth contribution. Everything on track with those plans.

I will be having my surgical procedure next Wednesday the 13th, saying good-bye to the lump under my arm at last.

Proceeds from the house sale hit the estate's account yesterday. I will have my funds in hand very soon.

I had the most wonderful Christmas this year. The resort in Napa was beautiful. We had a lovely 4 days relaxing and enjoying the resort.

For Christmas dinner, my Italian sister-in-law wanted to have stuffed shells with sausages, a tradition in her family. Part of the tradition is that once the shells are cooked and the cheese stuffing is prepared, everyone gathers together and stuffs them. What a fun tradition! And the meal was delicious.

We are leaving the house shortly to deliver a cashier's check to SB's brother in Elk Grove. We will spend the rest of the day at my mom's house, and might take in the new Star Wars movie today.

Have a Happy New Year, Savings Advice peeps.

So yesterday, a mere 7 days after the buyers signed, money was wired into the estate's account. SB says it feels so good to have that behind him.

So now money can be distributed out. I will have my funds in hand soon. Yay! I will be so pleased to set up those bill pays and have that credit card debt gone.

I had the most wonderful Christmas. The resort in Napa was beautiful, and we were able to relax and just enjoy our time together.

For Christmas dinner, my Italian sister-in-law wanted to make her family's traditional stuffed shells and cheese with sausages for dinner. Part of the tradition is that once the shells are cooked and the cheese stuffing is ready, everyone gathers round to stuff them. It was fun, what a great tradition. And the meal was delicious.

The holiday fun was tempered with my coughing fits. I started coughing about 3 weeks ago, and no doubt have many more weeks to go. It is exhausting. I can't hardly wait to give high elevation and dry air a try.

SB and I are leaving shortly to deliver a cashier's check to his brother in Elk Grove. I think we might try to see Star Wars today too.

Happy New Year.

This month is a bit different, since I paid January's mortgage payment early in December. This morning I went ahead and paid an additional $25.71 to principal. I received another $25 credit from WF Home Rewards Visa which they applied on 12/30. My new balance is $166,950.00.

Chips to date: $1,867.88

Interest savings this month: $6.68

Interest savings to date: $132.78

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $4,031.22, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full. Which I won't.

Cash is up.
Debt is down.
Investments are down.
Home value estimate is exactly the same.

DONE!!

Whoo-hoo! Eveyone has now signed; it is a done deal.

There is just the little matter of funding and recording, which will happen next week.

Merry Christmas!

Today I received a package from my aunt who lives on Vashon Island. She sent me two quilts which my great-grandmother made in the 1950s. The quilts were used by my birth mother, her two sisters and one brother during their childhoods.

She wrote a nice letter providing some family history of this ancestor and the early life of her son, who grew up to be the father of my birth mother and her siblings. She told MrsM180 and I this history when we visited last June, but how awesome to have it written down.



I hope I get better at using my phone for pictures.

My thirteenth scheduled car payment has posted. I have updated my "My Car Note" page, if you care to take a peak. And you can, because pictures are fixed.

This month extra principal payments included $180 from my part-time job and $52.37 in credit card rewards. My part-time job is still one month behind in paying me; they owe me for November and December work right now.

Eighteen payments have now been eliminated from the end, leaving 41 payments to go.

I haven't been mentioning it, but dealing with Chase Mortgage continues to be a frustrating ordeal. They make promises and fail to follow through. Currently the promise is funding this Thursday, which you may note is Christmas Eve. I don't believe it will happen.

Here is a picture of SnugglyBumps and Kissylips:



Ting update:

A customer service person at Ting e-mailed to say they are willing to replace my phone. She asked for the IMEI number which I have given her. Waiting for further instructions.

I went to my company Christmas dinner party and did receive a nice bonus. I have decided to pay my January mortgage payment in December with part of it. The advantage to me is I will have another $600 of mortgage interest to deduct, saving me $200 in income taxes. Of course next year I will have to do the same or have only 11 months to deduct. Even so, I will take the tax break now.

This year for Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law have rented a 3 bedroom condo at a resort in Napa using their timeshare points. I am heading to Napa on Christmas Eve and will stay until Sunday the 27th. My mother and nephew are going. J will drive himself and stay just two days. MrsM180 and hubby are a maybe. SB is a go.

Looking at my income tax situation for 2015, I estimate that I will owe $446 to the federal govt and receive a refund of $88 from the state. So, not a bad job estimating withholding.

It is very possible that 2015 is the last year I will be able to file head of household and claim J as a dependent.

In 2015, I had a small amount of income taxed at 25% federal and 8% state. In 2016, it is very possible I will have much more of my income taxed at those rates.

Therefore, in 2016 I will be contributing solely to my tax-deferred accounts and skipping Roth contributions.

After I relocate to Reno, I will no longer be paying state income tax. If I am earning less (which is a distinct possibility), I may not be in the 25% bracket any longer. It will make more sense to continue Roth contributions then; at the very least I will revisit the issue.

My 2015 gross wages should come in at $55,168.95. I aim to contribute 15% of that to retirement accounts, and I do include matching. That means my target is $8,275.35.

By year end, I will have contributed 3.6k to my Simple, 2k to my Roth, and 1k to my traditional. My employer contributed another $1,623.00 to my Simple. Those contributions total $8,223.00, which is $52.35 short. I will contribute another $100 to my traditional by the end of the year and consider this goal met.

Including 2015, I have now contributed a grand total of 19.5k to my Roth. I like to keep track of this number, as Roth IRA contributions can be withdrawn at any time for any reason, no tax or penalty. The rest is earnings and must be left alone until I reach age 59.5. It's shocking how close that time is drawing!

I'm really hoping to break 200k in tax-deferred in 2016. Let's see if Mr. Market cooperates.

I am disgruntled with Ting at the moment.

My phone is older and has gotten to the point it has a fair number of quirks. For example, when I am texting someone it will stop, tell me it has "saved as draft" my text message, then it will begin calling the person I am texting. That's an annoying quirk.

So I have been wanting to get a newer phone, but I don't need all the bells and whistles and I don't want to pay for them. I have been considering my options.

On black Friday, I bought a refurbished Samsung Galaxy S3 from Ting for $147. When it arrived, I noticed the screen was a bit cloudy and it had a scratch. But over the next several days, I realized that the scratch is a crack. I will be honest, I am less than thrilled about them selling me a phone, refurbished or not, with a crack in the screen.

I charged the phone overnight, and the next morning it went dead less than an hour after I took it off the charger. It hadn't even been activated yet, so no phone calls or texts or data usage. I tried charging a second time to make sure it wasn't some sort of fluke, with the same results. So it came without a functional battery, and I will need to buy one. I'm liking the phone even less.

But here is the real kicker: it won't activate. I spent several hours total between two sessions with support trying to get it activated. I tried this and that and did everything they told me to do and...nothing.

I e-mailed customer support asking if I can return it and they have not answered. It has been several days so I assume they are not going to answer.

I had been without phone service as my old phone stopped working once I transferred my number to the new phone. Yesterday morning I transferred my number back to the old phone.

This morning I emailed the support guy and just said no to his latest request. I stated that I am unhappy with the condition of the phone, that I'm done trying to activate it, and that if they won't take it back I am just going to e-cycle it. He politely thanked me for letting him know.

So, I'm not certain what I am going to do next.

I guess the moral of this story is do not buy a refurbished phone from Ting. If it is not in acceptable condition, tough cookies.

The docs were not drawn yesterday.

Two months ago, the buyers were asked to submit photocopies of some bonds they own. They submitted a list instead. They did not follow directions, so that is on them. However, apparently no one at Chase mortgage (their lender) bothered to review the documentation. Until yesterday. So now the buyers must submit photocopies and the bonds must all be verified.

The extent of the incompetence we have experienced during this transaction is unbelievable.

So now we are told it will be next Friday for docs, at the very earliest.

We are still waiting for the house sale to close. The most frustrating part for me is I must wait for information to trickle to me and I don't get to ask direct questions of people who can answer them.

But the latest word today is...BF's realtor spoke with a management level employee at Chase (the buyer's lender) and was assured that the docs will be done tomorrow a.m.

So, we will see.

I had a wonderful holiday weekend. My brother and SIL came down and stayed for 3 days, bringing a 13 year old granddaughter with them. My brother has 4 living children (two more were lost in infancy to SIDS). One of his daughters also came down for 2 days, with her husband, their 6 year old son and 3 year old daughter.

And of course my mother and nephew live nearby, and I have my motley crew.

Over Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we ate turkey, played cards, visited, went for walks, went to the movies, and met a grand-niece and her brand new husband (of two weeks!) for breakfast.

It was just a wonderful time, and even though there are many gaps in our family where loved ones used to be, I really felt very thankful.

I enjoy teasing small children to enjoy their reactions. My little 3 year old grandniece made a remark, and I said "I don't know. I'm just a little girl, like you." She immediately replied "Nuh-uh! You're someone's grandma!" in an accusing tone. So I guess I can't pass for 3 anymore.

I have made my scheduled mortgage payment, along with an extra $1.75. My new balance is $167,300.00.

Chips to date: $1,817.17

Interest savings this month: $6.65

Interest savings to date: $126.10

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $3,934.03, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full. Which I won't.

Cash is up.
Debt is up.
Investments are slightly up.
Home value estimate is down.

Those are the names BF and I call each other. Disgustingly cutesy, I know. We adopted them early on and they are somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Somewhat.

In the future, I will refer to him as SB. I always feel silly calling him my "boyfriend". He is 54 and I am 48. We're a bit past adolescence.

The signing on BF's house was held up again. This time it was due to the fact that the buyers had deposited money into their bank account. Yes, you read that right.

To comply with the Patriot Act, the buyers went through a process wherein they documented the source of all funds in the account which will be the source of their down payment. They had already completed this process. When it came time to sign documents, it was discovered that they had deposited more funds after completing the process. Well, that means they had to do it again. They submitted the documents Friday, but it takes time for them to be reviewed.

The wife of the buyer couple in particular was very upset as she had wanted to have Thanksgiving dinner in the house.

Word is that it will close this short week anyway, but I will believe that when I have funds in my hot little hand.

Meanwhile, BF has decided to invest 85k of his proceeds into his contractor's next project. He will earn 7.5% on his principal and if the contractor defaults, he will be able to foreclose on the property. Myself, I would just stuff it all into index funds and calculate when I could retire.

My twelfth scheduled car payment has posted.

This month extra principal payments included...diddly squat! I have not been paid from my part-time job (they owe me $360 right now), I did not cash in any credit card rewards, I did not receive anything at all from HauserNet.

And look, I did not break 10k. I am 37 cents short.

Still just seventeen payments eliminated from the end, leaving 43 payments to go.

Next month should be much better.

I've had a very frustrating day today.

I've had a small hard lump just under my left armpit for maybe a year, maybe longer. I had Googled and it looked to me like it was a cyst from either a clogged sweat gland or hair follicle. It did not hurt and was just my normal skin color.

Last summer it changed color to red, started growing and began to hurt. I called my primary doctor in July and described the symptoms, they scheduled me an appointment in August.

When I went to that appointment, I was hoping she would just cut it off for me right then. She said it was too large to do in her office, she was referring me to a surgeon. She thought it was a sweat gland or hair follicle problem.

I had to wait through the referral process, but then a surgeon's office did call and said I had an appointment on October 1st. So, I had to wait some more.

On Sept 30th, the surgeon's office called to say the doctor would be out of the office on the 1st and my appointment had been re-scheduled for Oct 29th. So, I waited until October 29th.

When I finally had my appointment, there was another patient in the waiting room who was very upset. He had shown up for his appointment but was told his appointment had been moved to a different date and time. He claimed no one had told him. My impression at this point was that the office was not well run. I did see the doctor and I really took a liking to him. He was very no-nonsense, professional and personable. He told me frankly that he could not say for certain what my lump is. He said it was too large for an office procedure and I would have to have a same-day procedure in the hospital. Because of my history, he wanted to see the medical records from when I had my breast lump removed and my thyroidectomy.

Well, that has been a circus. I had Kaiser insurance when I had those two surgeries and have Anthem Blue Cross now. The surgeon's office called to say Kaiser told them I had been their patient but there was no record of my ever having surgery at a Kaiser facility (!). So, I was asked to obtain my records myself. The first batch I obtained did not include the information the surgeon wanted. So, I had to request again. My second request was simply ignored, even though it was submitted in an email. A Kaiser medical records employee stated they probably assumed it was a duplicate request, even though I clearly indicated the first set did not include the pathology and "h and p" records which my surgeon specifically requested. But today, after 2 weeks of my requests, I did finally receive the records.

I was delighted. I faxed the records to the surgeon's office and called to let them know they were coming. (Yes, their preferred method to receive the records was via fax).

Well, a little while ago, the office called to say it's great that I finally got them the records, but the doctor will now be mostly off until after the first of the year. He will have two office days in December, and I have been scheduled an appointment for December 15th. But, that's just for another consultation after he reviews my records.

I want this darn thing OFF. It is growing and it hurts, especially if I accidentally bump it.

I called my insurance to see about getting in to another surgeon sooner. They were sympathetic and explained if I could get in someplace else, I could then call my primary doctor for a referral, and that would be just fine. So I have been calling other surgeons. What I have found is there is no short-cut. I can get an appointment in December, and will likely be scheduled for surgery in January. That's what I have now so is no help at all.

In happier news, the buyers of BF's house have their signing appointment at the title company tomorrow. If that goes smoothly, funds should be disbursed Monday. In that case, I will have the credit card charge for those property taxes paid before I do my month end net worth statement. It will be like it never happened, except for the sweet reward points.

I have made my scheduled mortgage payment, along with an extra $2.86. I received another $25 credit from WF Home Rewards Visa. My new balance is $167,625.00.

Chips to date: $1,815.42

Interest savings this month: $6.54

Interest savings to date: $119.45

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $3,882.41, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full. Which I won't.

Well, BF's house is still in escrow. The final inspections have been done, resulting in a very short list of requests from the buyers. They wanted another pest inspection to determine if mice are present (old droppings found in the attic), they wanted the antenna removed from the roof, and they wanted "debris" (mostly pine needles) removed from the roof and rain gutters. Those were all reasonable requests and they have all been done. Just waiting now for it to close. Maybe this week; maybe not.

I let BF use my credit cards to charge property taxes for his timber property. Three parcels, 100+ acres in total with several houses and other buildings. The county would have auctioned them off for back taxes next week. Oh, that man. He had been counting on the house selling well before now, but it just did not work out that way. I was pretty stressed about becoming financially responsible to repay those taxes. BF took out a term life insurance policy on himself to benefit me, just in case something should happen to him before the house sale is final, because I would be really screwed. With "convenience fees", the property taxes came to right at 18k. The three parcels are worth 800k-ish.

Cash is down.
Debt is down.
Investments are up.
Home value estimate is up.

Just for giggles, I took a moment to read a junk e-mail I received today. What a sales pitch! The title of the e-mail is "How to SKIP a mortgage payment for no cost!" and begins by lamenting that the holidays will soon be upon us, along with all the stress of how to pay for them. Thankfully, these self-titled "longtime mortgage advisers and consumer advocates" have a "strategic option that could PAY FOR YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON - without increasing your credit card debt!"

Isn't that wonderful? Here is their solution, direct cut and paste:

Example:

Current Mortgage:
Two years ago you financed $250,000 at 4.25%
Principal & Interest (PI) = $1230
Taxes & Insurance = $400
Monthly Payment = $1630
Current Escrow Balance ~ $1600
Estimated remaining balance $241,388

You could net approximately $1230 + $1600 = $2830 during the holidays with no closing costs !

Refinance at 4.25% (choose a rate to allow lender to pay all your closing costs)
New Loan is $241,388 plus new escrow account plus one months interest to allow you to skip a month. $241,388 + $1600 (escrows) + $853 (30 days interest) = $243,850 new loan amount

Yeah, I believe I will NOT be taking advantage of their helpful strategy, even though they are "consumer advocates".

My eleventh scheduled car payment has posted. Still no point in updating the spreadsheet.

This month extra principal payments included $180 from my part-time job and $62.81 from credit card rewards. I am realizing I have not had a payment from HauserNet in several months. I will have to check on that. They aren't large sums, but I am of the opinion that ANY chip is a good chip.

Next month the balance will break 10k, so I am looking forward to that.

Seventeen payments have now been eliminated from the end, leaving 44 payments to go.

We decided to join a CSA and get a box of organic fruits and veggies each week.

I was torn between a small very local one and a slightly more expensive larger one. I decided to give the larger one a try first as you do have the ability to customize your box and exclude things you just don't want.

The CSA we are trying is called "Farm Fresh To You".

They will not deliver to my home (no deliveries in the area) but will deliver to my office. My office is close to the freeway, so I assume that is why.

Our first box will be delivered this Wednesday and will contain:

3 Bartlett pears
1 butternut squash
2 Fuji apples
1 lb green beans
1 lettuce (either green or red leaf)
1 bunch Nantes carrots
1 bunch red kale
1 lb. white potatoes

The base price is $26 but this box is $28.19. When you substitute, they charge by the lb. Our box was supposed to contain red radishes and kiwi. We took them out and put in green beans, pears, and potatoes.

This is the smallest box, they also have 3 larger sizes. We will see how we like the service and quality, then decide if we want a bigger box.

The more local CSA is a bit lower priced, but charge a fee if you have your box delivered to your door, which would make it slightly more. Alternatively, you can pick up your box at a drop off point. There is one just a few blocks from my office, so that would be convenient.

With the more local CSA, you choose either a full share of veggies for $22 or a half share for $17. The full share is supposed to feed 4-5 people for a week, the half share 1-3 people for a week. Then they have a fruit box which is $16 for a full share and $8 for a half share. I have a friend who gets a half share veggie box each week and she says the produce is excellent.

We have agreed that we will do our best to not let any of the expensive organic produce to go to waste.

This has been Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. But for the second time, the house is in escrow. The agreed upon price is 950k.

I have been very surprised by some of the people who have been interested. One man submitted an offer with no financial information. BF told him, via his realtor, that he would not consider any offer at any price without documentation showing the buyer is able to purchase. The gentleman said oh, of course, he would send that right over. After 3 weeks, without ever having submitted any documentation, he withdrew his offer.

Another woman made a "cash" offer. She claimed she had had over 2m in cash in various bank accounts. But alas, she had been the victim of identity theft. Someone had been doing business under her SSN and when she failed to report the revenue, her bank accounts were seized by the IRS. But this horrible fraud was all straightened out now, and happily she has a letter stating her money will be returned to her on a specific date in October. When asked to show that letter, she did produce one. However, it states she has a hearing on that date. You notice how a hearing is not the same as cash? Yeah, I noticed that too. The matter is not resolved at all.

There was another written offer which was too low, so BF declined it. There was no negotiating as the couple had offered the absolute pinnacle of what their lender said they could afford. They are fortunate BF said no. As we all know, spending every last cent the lender will allow is a recipe for disaster.

Hopefully, this time the sale will close without a hiccup. Oh please, oh please, oh please.

I have made my scheduled mortgage payment, along with an extra $3.98. I received another $25 credit from WF Home Rewards Visa. My new balance is $167,950.00.

Chips to date: $1,787.56

Interest savings this month: $6.41

Interest savings to date: $112.91

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $3,828.01, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full. Which I won't.

I did not update my "My Mortgage Amortization" page, since the pics won't upload anyway.

Next month should see another $25 chip from credit card rewards.

Cash is up.
Debt is down.
Investments are down.
Home value estimate is down.

My tenth scheduled car payment has posted. I have not updated my spreadsheet as there is no point.

This month extra principal payments included $180 from my part-time job and $.58 from credit card rewards. Not much of a haul on those reward redemptions this month, but next month should be more fruitful.

Sixteen payments have now been eliminated from the end, leaving 46 payments to go.

I just returned home from Reno a few hours ago. BF and I went for a few days just to get away and to scope out various neighborhoods. We stayed at Harrah's as I was able to book a room for $36.84 per night through hotels.com. It was fun and relaxing, but I am glad to be home. I won't be going back to work until Monday, so I'm just going to get some things done around the house.

BF received an offer yesterday, but has not entered into a contract. The offer did not include a pre-qualification letter, and that is a MUST before going any further.

The offer was for 945k and the buyer wants ALL of the furnishings in the house. Not all of the furnishings belong to BF, so he is checking to see how much the true owners would accept to sell. The dining room set is from an actual consignment store, but the other pieces and several decorative items belong to BF's realtor, who had no intention of selling them, she placed them strictly for staging. BF asked if I was against selling his furniture; in truth, I don't care. If it makes the buyer happy, whatever.

This offer is lower than the previous two offers, but BF has gotten himself into quite a pickle and is in no position to pass up any reasonable offer.

So, fingers crossed that this deal will go through. This entire process has been so unbelievably stressful for me, I just want it to be over.

I have made my scheduled mortgage payment, along with an extra $5.01. My new balance is $168,250.00.

Chips to date: $1,758.58

Interest savings this month: $6.37

Interest savings to date: $106.50

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $3,820.28, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full. Which I won't.

I did not update my "My Mortgage Amortization" page, since the pics won't upload anyway.