Bloom Where You Are Planted

This evening, I have an email that Swagbucks has deposited $5.00 into my Dwolla account. I logged in, requested a transfer to my bank account, and was advised the transfer will take 2-3 business days.

Since October is waning, I logged in to WF and transferred $5.08 to my mortgage. (Dwolla gave me eight whole cents during the verification process. So generous!)

Swagbucks just got a whole lot more fun for me. Currently, I have enough to redeem for another $5 Dwolla gift card. That will make a fine little mortgage chip in a week or so.

Tomorrow morning my mom and I are driving north to Redding to visit my niece. She lives in Tacoma, WA but is in Redding for a week or so. We will spend the night and drive home Sunday. Should be a fun weekend.

...I will have a lower home insurance bill. Yay!

I received my renewal a week or so ago. As always, the new premium crept up a bit from last time. The bill is $912.

This morning, after reading Monkey Mama's latest blog post, I pulled out my renewal, went to State Farm's website, and submitted a request for a rate quote. I can get the exact same coverage for $695, saving me $217.00

Since I have an impound account for property taxes and homeowner's insurance, I will not see any monthly savings now. But, when my account is analyzed and adjusted next year, I will enjoy some combination of lower monthly payments and/or a refund.

Today, my health insurance provider gave me a call to see if I would like to sign up to receive my prescriptions in the mail.

OK, this was low-hanging fruit. I should have done this YEARS ago. And I think I meant to, but just never did get around to making those phone calls.

I take 4 prescriptions. I make a trip to the pharmacy once per month to pick them up. My co-pay is $10 each, or $40 per month.

With the mail order service, I will receive 90 day supplies for $30 every three months. Yes, that's right, $30. One Rx is completely free of charge if I order it 90 days at a time. They even pay shipping.

Obviously, this must be saving my health insurance money too, or they wouldn't be calling me to ask if I want to switch.

In mortgage chip news, I received a $3 payment from Hausernet for April, which I have turned into a mortgage chip.

I received my check for $41.53 from Inbox Dollars, and it has been applied to my mortgage principal.

October bills are all paid, except for the bug man who has not shown up yet. I left $562 in checking, and swept the rest to CurveBall. The sweep amounted to $102.86, so that is helpful.

I've been doing Swagbucks for a few months now. (CreditCardFree's tutorial from last May is very helpful). So far, I have purchased 1 $5 Amazon gift card for 450 Swagbucks. What I would really like though, is to redeem for cash.

Today I noticed there is a gift card for a vendor called Dwolla. Dwolla seems to be very similar to Paypal. Dwolla does charge a $.25 fee for transactions over $10.

Currently, $5 Dwolla gift cards are on sale for 400 Swagbucks. I bought one. It will take a few days for Dwolla to verify my bank account info, and a few days for my gift card to be available.

Hopefully, one day soon I will have $5 cash in my checking account, courtesy of Swagbucks and Dwolla. It will make a lovely mortgage chip.

Last night, I met a girlfriend I hadn't seen in about 6 months for drinks, dinner, and giggles. I offered to pay. I spent $30 including a generous tip. (The place we like to go has awesome margaritas for $2. Also, the best chips and salsa I have ever had). We had a great time.

Today I am planning to drive up to Davis to see BF. I will spend the night and come home tomorrow afternoon.

Looking at my YTD on my paystub from yesterday, and looking ahead on the calendar, I see I am on track to gross $51,102.25 this year. This includes my seasonal OT and tax season bonus. It does not include my Christmas bonus, child support, or my PT job income.

If I want to continue socking away 15% of my gross pay towards retirement, I need to save $7,665.34. By the time the year ends, I will have contributed $2,550 into my Simple IRA and $3,000 into my Roth. I will receive $1,533.07 in matching funds from my employer. That leaves an additional $582.27 still to be coughed up, we can just call it $600.

(I made a 1k contribution to my traditional IRA in February, but that was for 2012).

I believe I can easily contribute $600 from my Christmas bonus, and I believe I will. I will also need to pay for gifts for my kiddos, and hope to make a mortgage chip and stash a bit into savings. We will just have to wait and see how good I have been this year. Perhaps I was more naughty than nice and can only look forward to coal.

This morning I received $3 from PineCone, which I have made into a mortgage chip.

That's it. Life is pretty exciting around here, isn't it?

Today was payday, so it was time for a wallet sweep. I had $8 to apply to my mortgage, bringing the balance down to only $176,247.01. (Yup, that was tongue-in-cheek).

Automatic savings transfers happen tomorrow, so I just went ahead and updated my sidebar totals. It is nice to have a little something in CurveBall again. If I finish October bill paying with more than $500 in checking, I will sweep any excess into CurveBall too. It needs all the help it can get.

It took about a year this time, I think.

But I have $41.53 on the way, which will make a nice mortgage chip.

I overspent $1617 for the month. My security cameras were $1590, so I am not displeased with my spending for the month. I also paid $330 to have all of the embroidering done on J's letterman jacket. If not for that, I would have come in under budget. But, it is always something, right?

Just after the 1st, my daughter paid $300 towards household expenses, which is what we have agreed. Yesterday, I received a check in the mail for $200 from my part-time job. With this recent infusion of $500, I was able to pay Visa for my security cameras without dipping into Vacation Fund. CurveBall is impoverished once again. But, everything is paid in full.

Oh, and utilities are so low because last month I ended up paying my water, sewer, garbage bill twice. So this month, I only owed $3.89.

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




According to Trulia today, my home value is 179k right now! I hope that is true, but I am skeptical. If it were true, I wouldn't be upside down very much (factoring in selling costs, still a bit upside down). But Redfin and Zillow are both up, too. So, the trend is exciting. Once again, I am using the average of the three values in my NW statement.

Today being payday, I did a wallet sweep when I went to do my banking, and deposited $4. It has already been transferred to the mortgage.

That makes 4 little chips for September, for a grand total of $15.12.

In the next week or two, I will have to wipe out CurveBall and dip into Vacation to pay for my security cameras.

My next check from my part-time job will be going to CurveBall, as I begin re-building it yet again. I have billed $200 for the work I did in September.

Beginning in October, my automatic transfer into CurveBall will be $400 (from $375). This was made possible by the cut to my cash allowance (also bumping up Simple IRA contributions a bit with the same cut).

I did much better this past pay period with my cash. I started with $20, paid $15 for a haircut including tip, and had $4 left for the mortgage.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/09/28/reader-case-study-...

I've been daydreaming lately, looking at nice little condos in various locations online. I've been calculating the size of my nest egg under different scenarios. The more I contemplate my situation, the more I think that the biggest obstacle to my dreams is my negative home equity.

I've decided to increase my Simple IRA contributions to $250 per month, which is 3k per year. My employer's contribution will be another 1.5k. Together, that is approximately 9% of my annual gross (my gross including overtime and bonus).

I will continue my automatic monthly Roth contribution of $150 per month (1.8k per year), which is a bit more than 3% of my annual gross.

If I were to continue along at that rate until age 65, and assuming I enjoy 5% annual growth, I would end up with enough to live comfortably (though frugally) in my little condo, even with a small mortgage. If I enjoy a return greater than 5%, the picture only gets brighter.

So for now, that is all I will contribute. When I receive my annual overtime, tax season bonus, and Christmas bonus, none of it will go to retirement savings. Instead, I will focus on cash savings and my mortgage. I want to be in a position where I can sell my house whenever I decide the time seems right (without touching retirement savings). I have a long, long way to go to be in that position. So, wish me luck.

I have also recently decided to trim my cash allowance from $60 per pay period to $20. Too much of that money was being spent grabbing a sandwich or a latte. It wasn't good for my bottom line or my waistline. So, I have gotten back in the habit of keeping lunch foods at work.

I received $1.50 from Hausernet yesterday, and have already turned it into a mortgage chip.

My daughter and son-in-law are going to be featured on Mr. Money Mustache!

My daughter started reading Mr. Money Mustache a few months ago, and she and SIL decided to make some big changes. She e-mailed MMM just to let him know, he responded and asked if she would be interested in being "interviewed" for a new feature on his blog, "Mustachian 180s". They have exchanged a few emails since.

No word yet on when exactly it will appear.

Isn't that cool? I know there are some MMM fans here on Saving Advice.

Tonight while I was clicking through my Inbox Dollars emails, I came across an offer for an NFL rewards Visa. The Visa card is offering a $100 bonus if you spend $500 in the first 3 months, plus 1% cash back on purchases (so $105). There is no annual fee. The card is issued by Barclays.

In addition, if you apply through the Inbox Dollars link, Inbox Dollars will pay you $15.

I plan to collect my $120, then cancel the card.

I received $6 from PineCone and have already applied it to my mortgage. I find it so handy to have my mortgage and checking account at the same bank.

Also, I have decided to bump my mortgage payment up by $10 each month. I have already changed my automatic transfer.

Not as exciting as the snowflakes some of you have been accumulating lately, but I am happy to collect whatever flakes the wind blows my way.

I decided not to file the restraining order. This decision upset my mother, and I think she may rescind her offer to pay for the security cameras. If so, that is how it goes. I love her just the same.

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



This month my home value is an average of the values given by Redfin, Trulia, and Zillow.

I was not able to get an estimate of my car value from kbb.com. The site has changed a bit and it seems now you must register first. I didn't want to register, so I just wrote the value down $100 and called it good.

Remember my new Capital One Quicksilver card? My first statement closed quickly, I redeemed my first rewards ($1.95) and requested a check. I did receive the check, deposited it, and sent it off to CurveBall.

Last night I logged on to Capital One's site to eyeball my charges. I had another $109.62 in rewards available. My statement has not closed, but the rewards are available?! That is a new one on me.

The card offered a $100 bonus for spending $500 the first 3 months. The additional $9.62 is from spending (groceries, utilities, the dentist).

I redeemed the rewards and asked for a statement credit. I had an e-mail this morning that I will see my credit in 5 - 7 days.

In other reward card news, my Home Rewards Visa statement closed and I have $21.92 in rewards. I will have to spend an additional $308 on that card so that I can redeem. Then I will take it out of my wallet.

I received my third and final estimate for the surveillance cameras, to the tune of $1,590.00. It is the best estimate of the three. The Better Business Bureau has no complaints on file for this company, they are local and seem to do a lot of work. So, I have scheduled the installation for next Friday.

My mom has generously informed me that she will be paying for the cameras. I will use my Visa, and she will reimburse me before the bill is due. This windfall is such a huge relief to me. My mom is so awesome!

I have learned that while the circumstantial evidence against the neighbor regarding my dog being poisoned was insufficient to press criminal charges, it may be sufficient (along with the other harassment) for a civil restraining order. I am going to proceed with that too, but want the cameras in place first.

Last weekend, I went to BF's for about 24 hours. I went to his house (not his office apartment) for the first time in months. I could really see that he has been tackling some of the deferred maintenance issues and made progress on clearing out the personal items. There is a work crew coming next week to finish up the master bath remodel. BF says when they are finished, the house is going on the market. Fingers crossed that he follows through.

So far, I have received 2 estimates for outdoor security camera systems and installation.

The first quote was completely over the phone. The quote is $1,418.00 not including a monitor (which I was told I could buy cheaper at Best Buy or Office Depot, about $89), sales tax, or shipping (they ship to the installer). That also includes the minimum installation charge, but since they haven't come to my house, cannot say for certain the installation won't be more.

The second quote was done at my house and is completely inclusive. The quote is $2,090.00.

I am still gathering quotes.

I received a $320 check in the mail from my part-time job for both my July and August hours. Although I had planned to use this money for E Fund, I am sending it off to CurveBall instead. CurveBall has a big expense looming.

I am home from mom's. I hadn't been home 30 minutes when I heard rocks hitting the side of my house. I go out in the backyard and my crazy neighbor is out there. I asked what he was doing and he began screaming obscenities at me, and saying that my dog is ruining the fence by jumping on it (yes, the fence I paid 100% of the cost). Then he said he is going to put nails in it (unsure if he meant in a manner in which to harm the dog or not) and began hammering very loudly. I admit, I saw red. I said he is crazy, and that maybe a good psychiatrist could really help him. I went back in the house and more rocks hit the side of my house. I put my head out a window and said if he wanted to put nails in the fence, that was just fine with me, but he needs to stop throwing things at my house. He suggested I call the police.

Instead, I got out the laptop and emailed a local video camera surveillance place. I don't care what it costs, I am going to have a security camera installed to record all activity along our shared fence line. If it doesn't prevent further craziness, at least I will have hard evidence.

Update: I just had a visit from the police. Neighbor called them and claims I threatened to have someone beat him up. Also, I sick my dogs on him to attack. (He also claimed this when we were in small claims court). I said both claims are ridiculous. Then I said he was throwing rocks at my house tonight and I think he is crazy. They seemed to believe me. They said he claims my dogs bark at 1 and 2 am. I said no, my dogs sleep indoors, pet door is kept closed between 10pm and 6am, at the neighbor's request. (They asked me this long before the fence incident. It is a reasonable request, I said I would do so and I have). The officers said a security camera is a good idea.

I have been staying at my mom's since Thursday evening. She is feeling quite a bit better today.

Two months had gone by since I last fiddled with my portfolio. That means I was allowed to exchange back into the fund I want to be in. So that is done and settled.

I received my new Capital One rewards card a few days ago. I activated it and provided the info to the those companies which use it for my automatic billing. Today I received an email that my first statement has closed already! The amount due is $130 (my electric bill) and I redeemed $1.95 worth of rewards (via a paper check). I just wanted to see if there was a charge (there wasn't) and how long it will take to arrive. In the future, I will probably choose to have a statement credit instead. The due date is 9/13, which is inconvenient for me (I get paid on the 15th). Since it is only $130 that is no big deal, but future statements will be quite a bit larger. I was able to change my statement closing date to a later date, so hopefully the payment in October will be due after payday, not before.

My mom is having surgery today. It is not a particularly risky surgery, but my mom is 80. Please think positive thoughts for her, pray for her, or release other positive energy in accordance with your belief system. Thank you.

I will go and visit her tonight in the hospital. If all goes well, she will be released tomorrow. I will spend the night with her Thursday, and will most likely take Friday off from work. She is so stubborn, insisting she will not need any help. However, I think she will be exhausted and not up to doing things for herself.

In chippy news, I received $3 from PineCone for my very first survey, and have already sent it off to E Fund. I have not yet been paid for my July hours from my part-time job. Meanwhile, I worked 9 hours in August. The bookkeeper said she will pay me for both July and August next month. How do you like that?

I get new posts from My Money Blog e-mailed to me. This morning, there is a post about a new rewards card. It is from Capital One, and it pays 1.5% on everything. You can cash out as often as you wish, there are no minimums. There is no annual fee. There is a $100 bonus if you spend $500 during the first 3 months.

I have already applied and been approved. I am thinking this is going to be my new main credit card.

You can read it for yourself here:

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/capital-one-quicksilver-cash-rewa...

"Everything Else" in July included 6 mo car insurance premium ($532), annual car registration ($130), smog certificate and oil change ($91) and J's letterman jacket ($182).



From the "Ad Choices" links along the top of the screen here on Saving Advice, I stumbled upon a free software download for "MoneyLine". I am going to give it a try for August and see how it goes.

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

Yesterday I stumbled upon a real estate site I had never seen before. It is

www.redfin.com.
It is quite different from both Zillow and Trulia, in that you choose 5 recently sold homes, and it calculates your home value based on those sales. Since I live in a large (four hundred or so homes) cookie-cutter subdivision, and since there are plenty of recent sales to choose from, I felt this should work great for me.

I chose 5 single family 4/2 1440 sq. ft. homes which have all closed this calendar year. This is the type of home I have; two were even the exact same floor plan! Of course, there is no way to know for sure how the condition of those homes would compare with mine. But still, I think those sales should be a fairly good indication of the value of my home.

Well, the results showed a value of 148k for my home. What great news! Still upside down, but much less so.

I am going to begin using Redfin each month for my home value when I do my net worth.

In budgeting news, yesterday I received my annual escrow analysis. Both my insurance and property taxes have increased, resulting in a shortage. My PITI is going from 1081.63 to 1111.38 beginning August 1. This means I will have to jiggle my budget around a small bit.

Well, I am the happy recipient of a raise. Starting today, I am bringing home an additional $119 per month. What to do with it?

Well, my life insurance policy is increasing from $14 to $28 per month this month. I guess the insurance company knew about this raise before I did.

Last week, post-cruise, I stood on the scale. This made me very sad. So, I joined a gym. This particular gym is new to me. The monthly fee is $20. In addition, they have an annual fee each June which is $29. For this price, I can bring a guest with me each time I go at no additional charge. It can be the same guest each time or a wide array of different guests.

I bumped up my monthly Emergency Fund contribution from $60 to $118. I bumped up my monthly Vacation Fund contribution from $60 to $75. And finally, I bumped up "Everything Else" from $363 to $375. And just like that, my raise is spent.

I considered then rejected the idea of increasing my retirement account contributions. Between my regular monthly contributions, the additional contributions I make at bonus time, and my employer contributions, I am saving 15% of my gross. I feel that is adequate, so I should focus instead on my cash savings, which I feel are inadequate.

I also considered bumping up my mortgage payment, but rejected that idea also in favor of more cash.

As today was payday, I did a wallet sweep and sent $10 off to E fund.

Hausernet sent me a $.50 payment for February, so I sent that off to E fund as well.

J went to camp last week, I picked him up this past Saturday. The director made a point of telling me what a great kid he is, and that if cares to apply, he can have a spot as a counselor next year. That would mean he would go to camp for free. So, I am all done shelling out for summer camp. Yay!

I worked last Thursday and Friday at my part-time job, and collected my $200 check for June. That has already gone off to E fund. I am done with them for July and will bill another 7 hours. So far, this is working out just fine.