Bloom Where You Are Planted

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

One day towards the end of last week, MrsM180 announced she and hubby had found a new living arrangement. This was something of a surprise, as I did not know that they had been looking. They are excited and optimistic. I am glad for them, but gosh, I am going to miss them. So will J and our canine companions.

The very next day, BF announced his last night at his house is this coming Wednesday. Beginning Thursday, he will be living full-time with me.

This is a lot of change in a short amount of time for an old girl like me. Wish me luck!

Update: His plans have changed already! The contractor wants BF to stay through the weekend to assist with a few things.

I just couldn't stand it, I had to make a mortgage chip! I decided to pay an extra $35.28, just to make the balance a nice round number. Yes, I need to be saving cash. But, it made me happy, so I did it!

Things have been going very well with BF and I. I enjoy his company so very much. I know getting his mom's house ready to sell has been so hard for him, but he is powering through. Of course, when you gut the kitchen all the way down to the studs in the walls, it often takes longer than expected to get everything done. But, the house is almost there. I will take pics this weekend and post them.

My mother is considering booking a cruise for 4. This particular trip sails from LA and visits Cabo, Puerta Vallarta, and Mazatlan. It is a 7 day trip. My mother wants to do this trip with J, yours truly, nephew, and herself. The price is quite reasonable at $499 + port tax of $95, per person. I know I said no more vacations until after my next car is paid for, but I'm not going to turn down a trip someone else is offering to me. I will have some costs of course. I told her I would pay for the gratuity and to park my car for a week. I will also probably pay for our gas down and back. I may pay for J to do a fun excursion or two, depending on what is offered.

I just paid all of my bills for August, and had $91.76 "extra" in checking. Off to CurveBall it went. I just love it when I get to sweep "extra" money to savings or debt.

HauserNet paid me for February, $2.25.

My part-time job paid me $160 for July's work.

My budgeted automatic transfer of $170 happened.

And we are up to $739.87 in Car Fund.

I have been thinking about my car needs. I was thinking small SUV for several reasons. I am not used to driving in snow and I might like to tow a small travel trailer one day. Upon further investigation, I have learned that towing a travel trailer with a small SUV is not recommended. On another forum I visit, there was a thread recently discussing driving in the snow and many people there reported driving in sedans with front wheel drive and snow tires and doing just fine. And many of them live in places which get much more snow than Reno, NV. That started me thinking that perhaps I don't really have a compelling reason to spend more to buy a small SUV and more to keep gas in its tank.

So, now I am thinking car. But, I would like a hatchback for easier in/out with bicycles. I have been browsing online, pricing cars which come with a hatchback option. Of those, I really like the looks of the Ford Focus hatchback. They are super cute! I'm not crazy about the Ford brand, though. I still have plenty of time to think about it.

HauserNet coughed up $4.25 for decoy mail in January.

I redeemed $23.90 in credit card rewards from Capital One Quicksilver.

Barclay's paid a whole 12 cents in interest.

And we are up to $407.62 in Car Fund.

Also, redeemed credit card rewards for the year is up to $919.41.

J has one more driving school session, and it culminates with a trip to the DMV for his behind the wheel test. Yay! And then my car insurance will skyrocket. Boo!

BF has been at my house all week, and we are driving to his house this afternoon. J will be going too, as he will spend the night at his friend's house (the friend lives in the same town as BF). I think I will just let J drive. Wish me luck!

I took J shopping for school clothes a few days ago. He got 3 pairs of jeans, 4 t-shirts, 1 real shirt with buttons, collar, and sleeves, and a package of socks. It came to $211. School starts Monday.

Even though I am not actively chipping at the present time, the interest savings continues to compound, and I want to continue to track it.

During July, I automatically chipped $25.00 from Wells Fargo Home Visa credit card rewards.

Chips to date: $1,424.64

Interest savings this month: $4.99

Interest savings to date: $31.03

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $3,137.52, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full.

My oven has been behaving badly for several months now. On Friday, I had MrsM180 pick up some take and bake pizza. Well, I had a heck of a time getting that dough to cook. BF was here, and he said I should look for a new stove on Craig's List. I pooh-pooh'd that idea. I mean, I don't want to deal with Craig's List people and looking at used stoves, not knowing what questions to ask, etc.

Sunday morning when I woke up and trotted out to the living room, BF was sitting on the couch with my laptop. He said "look at this", and I saw he had found a stove and microwave just listed that morning. They looked clean, and very similar to the models I have now. They were asking $100. (The microwave is the built-in kind that matches the stove).

I talked with the owner yesterday. He stated they both work perfectly, but that he and his wife had upgraded their appliances to stainless steel. He was working yesterday, but said we could come this morning (Monday) to see the appliances. BF said he would deal with it, and I handed him $100.

BF texted a bit after nine that he was on his way to my house with my new appliances. I hope the installation went well. I can hardly wait to get home and see!

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




Car Fund Update:

I received $4.25 from HauserNet and added that to car fund. With that deposit plus yesterday's interest, it is up to $383.72

Credit Card Rewards Update:

My Wells Fargo Home Rewards Visa still gets some use. It automatically redeems in increments of $25. When the billing cycle closed last week, sufficient rewards were available and so $25 was applied to my mortgage balance. So, I made another mortgage chip despite myself.

I have a co-worker/friend who has been having cash flow problems. I have been lending her various sums of money between paydays to tide her over. She always repays me, and promptly.

Today was payday. When she repaid her latest loan, she gave me an extra $20. When I opened my mouth to protest, she said "Listen, you have helped me out a lot. I'm happy to give you $20, just take it". So, I did!

I have sent that $20 off to Car Fund, and we are now at $379.35.

My budgeted automatic transfer of $170 has happened.

I received $160 from my part-time job and sent that off as well.

Car Fund is up to $359.35. Just think, I could buy two tires and a big stick to connect them, and away I would go!

I did get a raise as of July 1 (yay! ). After some tweaking, here is my new ZBB.



I have been able to bump up both CurveBall and Car savings account. I have reduced my mortgage payment to just the amount required.

I have redeemed $16.46 in credit card rewards from Capital One Quicksilver. A transfer to Car Fund has already been scheduled, bringing the balance to $29.35.

My mortgage payment has posted, bringing the balance down to $172,641.29.

Chips this month:
part-time job $160.00
budgeted extra $54.36
WF Visa $25.00
Bill Me Later refund $8.67
CC rewards $6.82
found on sidewalk $1.00

Total chips this month: $255.85

Chips to date: $1,399.64

Interest savings this month: $4.70

Interest savings to date: $26.04

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $3,084.56, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full.

So, not a bad collection of chips in approximately 1 year of chipping. I have eliminated 5 payments from the end, and reduced a 6th.

As I said yesterday, I am going to stop chipping in favor of accumulating cash. I will still track my credit card rewards as they are received. But now, they will go into my car fund instead of towards my mortgage.

There are some changes brewing on my horizon, and as a result I am changing some of my short-term goals.

What are the changes? I want to move, and I will be giving my son my car as a graduation present. So, I'm going to need some cash.

I spent more on vacation than planned (of course!), including a very unplanned repair bill for a rented ATV. My son was not seriously injured, so that was good. I have drained my vacation fund and tapped my curveball fund, but I continue to have no credit card debt.

I have renamed "vacation fund", its new name is "car fund". This will be to purchase my next car. I will not be taking another vacation until after my next car is bought and paid for.

I will no longer be chipping at my mortgage, but instead will be piling up all of the cash that I can.

Yesterday I received a rebate check for $6.67, as well as a payment from HauserNet for $4.25. I have added both to car fund. Combined with the $1.97 which was already there, I am up to $12.89. Not much of a car there yet.

I will be changing up my budget a bit. I will post that when I know if I got a raise on 7/1 or not. I won't know until next payday (7/15).

My plan once I have moved and gotten settled is to purchase a condo. Not sure yet if I will go for a 1 or 2 bedroom. Either way, I expect my total housing cost to be much, much lower than it is now.

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

In chippy news, I have recently received:

1. $160 from my part-time job.
2. $8.67 from Bill Me Later*
3. $1.00 found on the sidewalk.

I have sent all of that off to my mortgage, bringing the balance down to $173,000.43.

*I opened a "Bill Me Later" account through PayPal at some point. A couple of months ago, I bought a dress via Bill Me Later. I paid the bill in full, but never received the dress. Eventually, the store cancelled my order as the dress was out of stock. They promptly refunded me in full to my PayPal account. PayPal immediately sent my money off to Bill Me Later, resulting in a credit balance. I decided I didn't want to have the account if that is how it automatically works. So, I bought a few CDs on Second Spin, then asked Bill Me Later to close my account and send me a refund of my remaining credit balance.

I am off on a road trip on Saturday. Yay! I love a good road trip. The itinerary includes Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, Little Bighorn, Arches, Great Basin, and Bryce Canyon. If we run out of time, we will skip one or both of the Utah parks.

My mortgage payment has posted, bringing my balance down to $173,176.92.

Chips this month:
budgeted extra $54.36
CC rewards $19.12
HauserNet $4.75

Total chips this month: $78.23

Chips to date: $1,143.79

Interest savings this month: $3.80

Interest savings to date: $21.34

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $2,553.55, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full.

I have some nice chips on the horizon. I am working on that $400 WF AmEx reward. Also, I intend to begin chipping my part-time job earnings. I am feeling more confident about the balance in E Fund, now that BF is finally on the ball about selling his house.

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

My little nest egg broke 200k! Whoo-hoo!

Redeemed another $19.12 in credit card rewards this morning from Capital One Quicksilver, and sent that off to my mortgage.

I did apply for that Wells Fargo Amex, but my application status is "pending". If I am approved, that will be a sweet mortgage chip.

Since my PITI payment changes as of June 1, I changed my automatic payment. I increased it from $1130 to $1135, so with the TI decrease, there will be an additional $54.36 going to principal each month.

I received $160 from my part-time job yesterday, and have sent that off to E Fund. E Fund is pushing 7k now, and will go over when my automatic deposit of $100 hits later this month.

Last weekend, a pool repair guy fixed the heat pump on BF's hot tub. On Saturday night, I got to enjoy a nice soak. It was the first time I had ever been in that hot tub, after nearly 5 years of dating! It was so lovely. I did not want to get out!

Three weeks ago, the plumber got the bathtub in the master bath all connected. That bathtub is a big L, built for two. So, I have enjoyed a few nice long soaks in the bathtub as well. There is a floor to ceiling window next to the bathtub, and outside is a nice walled garden. It is a bathtub fit for a Calgon commercial! I have been salivating over that bathtub since I first saw it, lol.

The kitchen was completely gutted the week before last, so the new stuff should have been going in this week. I guess I will see in a few days.

I am about to lend BF a little more money. His HOA dues are very delinquent, to the point foreclosure is a possibility. Hopefully, it will only be a few months until the house sale closes. He will be out from under that expensive house which he cannot afford, and I will get all of my money back.

Here is a pic I took last weekend of the pool room. The sliding glass doors on the right separate the pool room from the master bedroom. The sliding glass doors on the end lead to the back yard. The living room and kitchen also have large sliding glass doors to the pool room, so that the pool room can be viewed throughout the house. In the left foreground, you can see the top of the wall separating the pool from the hot tub. Further left out of view, are more sliding glass doors leading out to the patio. In the right foreground, you can see the bar. It is a horseshoe shape, with one side extending into the pool, complete with underwater barstools. The other side extends into a small pit, you walk down stairs into the pit and sit at the counter. The bartender then has access to both sides, so s/he can serve swimmers and non-swimmers alike. You cannot see the guest suite, complete with balcony, which is upstairs so overhead where I stood when I snapped this picture. What a house! So soothing and relaxing, and great for throwing parties.

Edit: And those rocks in the rear left there are a waterfall. The water was not on when I snapped this pic.

I made some good progress in April, between credit card rewards and my impount account refund.

My mortgage payment has posted, bringing the balance down to $173,533.09.

Chips this month:
CC rewards $190.23
impound refund $146.72
budgeted extra $18.62
wallet sweep $4.00

Total chips this month: $359.57

Chips to date: $1,065.56

Interest savings this month: $3.64

Interest savings to date: $17.54

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $2,371.66, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full.

Oh, a milestone reached! If I cashed in my traditional IRAs allowing 20% to be withheld, cashed in my Roth, and used my available cash....I could pay off my mortgage and have $5,242.02 left! Of course, I'd have to save as much as I could to pay the big tax bill that was looming on the horizon, but I'd be debt free, baby!

I have no intention of doing this, it's just a cool milestone.

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

My Discover statement closed today, and I had used the card enough to redeem my $150 bonus. So, I applied an extra $150 to my mortgage principal, and should receive a direct deposit from Discover within 72 hours. They will only redeem in increments of $50, but I had $158.04 in rewards. They will just have to sit there waiting for a good 5% bonus category. Otherwise, I won't be using Discover.

Now I am on the lookout for my next bonus offer.

So far in 2014, I have redeemed $328.11 in credit card rewards and applied every last cent to mortgage principal. I wonder if I can make it to 1k this year? I would need some more sweet bonus offers to make that happen, so we will just have to see.

My lender has conducted their annual analysis, and the news is good. I have in my hand a check for $146.72, which I will apply to my mortgage balance tomorrow. And beginning June 1, my PITI payment is decreasing from $1111.38 to $1080.64. I will continue to pay $1130 and enjoy a bit more going towards principal.

This is due primarily to my new homeowner's insurance policy being cheaper than my last one. Shopping your insurance provider pays.

I haven't been blogging much these past several months, but now that April 15th is behind us, my life is getting back to normal.

My income taxes are all paid. I sent off $1,200 to my Roth yesterday, and $1,533 to my Simple (employer matching). So, I am looking forward to those contributions hitting my accounts. I am getting close to hitting 200k in retirement savings, which is pretty exciting.

I have decided I want to sell my house and leave this area. I am heading to a climate with high elevation and dry air, which is what my allergy doctor says I need. J will graduate from high school in May 2015, and if the housing market is good, I will list my house at that time. Therefore, I intend to spend the next year sprucing up my house as much as possible.

BF has spent the past two months emptying out his house. It is nearly completely empty now, with just a few pieces of furniture, paintings, etc. for staging purposes. With his realtor's help, he has made a list of things which should be updated/replaced, and has signed an agreement with a contractor. The work has already begun. The house will be listed as soon as the contractor is finished. The appraiser has already been out, and his report estimates the value of the home at 816k. The market is very hot in the area, and BF is hoping there will be enough interest that buyers will try to outbid each other.

Do you recall that I lent BF 6k a few years ago? He had a small mortgage and was on the verge of foreclosure. He sold a car, some jewelry, emptied out his last investment account, and was still a bit short to pay the mortgage in full. I lent him the last 6k. When his house sells, I will be getting my money back.

We have talked off and on about living together. At one point, I was all for it. But now, I am uncertain if it is really what I want to do. He says when the house sells, he intends to quit his job and move down here with me. I have warned him that the job market in my city is very different than the job market in the greater Sacramento area. He laughed and said oh yes, he realizes that.

Mr and Mrs M180 plan to move back to Colorado late this summer. So, it will be back to just J and I in my little house, and possibly BF.

My mortgage payment has posted, bringing my balance down to $174,169.50.

Chips this month:
WF Visa $25.00
budgeted extra $18.62
CC rewards $16.05
HauserNet $5.25

Total chips this month: $64.92

Chips to date: $705.99

Interest savings this month: $2.40

Interest savings to date: $13.90

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $1,649.42, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full.

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

My mortgage payment posted yesterday, bringing the balance down to $174,509.08.

Chips this month:
budgeted extra $18.62
CC rewards $13.19
wallet sweeps $6.00
HauserNet $3.25

Total chips this month: $41.06

Chips to date: $641.07

Interest savings this month: $2.17

Interest savings to date: $11.50

Eventually, the interest savings on the chips I have already made will compound to $1,449.49, provided I own this house until the mortgage is paid in full.

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