Money Check Up! 5.3.12

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Money, money-checkup, personal finance, pf

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was $75 for tickets to the Cal Roots Music Festival in Monterey.

2. Today I am thankful for The Everygirl, for giving me a chance to share my home with you.  I’ve also showed it to my real life friends who had absolutely no idea about my blog, or that I love to decorate.  Sharing it with them was honestly quite scary.  (Why is it easier with ‘strangers’?)  It still feels like a dream and I’m an in awe of the positive response.  I really never thought I (or my blog, for that matter) would get so much attention from anyone!

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival in Cupertino with Justin and Buddy.  There’s nothing like a free local event to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

4. I will consider this week a success if I finish my planting projects.  I just bought a new fern and a pot of succulents that I need to transplant into prettier containers.

5. If I could redecorate one room, I would choose my kitchen.  Well… I wish I could remodel my kitchen.  Actually I’m in the market for a new fridge.  But due to some poor cabinet planning on the previous owner’s part.. I may have to look into some new cabinets.  Yay?  That’s going to be expensive.

{inspired by My Pretty Pennies’ Weekly Money Checkup Series}

♥ E&I

Money Check Up! 3.8.12

Tags

Money, personal finance, pf, weekly money checkup

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was $115 on a dental visit.  How boring!  Other than that, I bought a second pack of sparkly eneloop rechargable batteries from Amazon for $25.  (I hate figuring out which non-chargeable batteries are dead and the recycling process annoys me.)  Now I’m fully stocked with pretty batteries for the house!

Oh wait just kidding.  I also spent $31.58 at US Nail Supply while shopping with Serena… I bought Zoya nail polish remover, some nail strengtheners, 2 OPI polishes (Bubble Bath, Funny Bunny), and China Glaze For Audrey.

2. Today I am thankful for Justin coming home from Maui today!  FINALLY! I’m picking him up in an hour or so on my work dinner break.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was bringing Buddy to the dog park.  He’s not very sociable with other dogs but I’m hoping he enjoyed the change of scenery.

4. I will consider this week a success if I cook a main dish this weekend.  Since Justin left I haven’t gone to the grocery store ONCE and I’ve been eating out of my pantry.  Now that he’s coming home, its time to cook!

5. The last thing I ate was farfalle and peperoncino sauce (garlic, olive oil and chili pepper sauce bought from Marukai)

{inspired by My Pretty Pennies‘ Weekly Money Checkup Series}

♥ E&I

Money Check Up! 2.21.12

Tags

Money, personal finance, pf, weekly money checkup

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on my mortgage.  But other than that, I’ve spent $220 towards Roth IRA contribution.

2. Today I am thankful for Justin knowing how to cook.  He’s making pizza for dinner tonight.  He likes to cook at home so we don’t eat out very often.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was watching “How It’s Made” on the Sci Fi network with Justin.  (I guess I’m counting this as free since I don’t have cable and Justin does.) The premise of the show sounds so boring but its actually super interesting!

4. I will consider this week a success if I find a new general doctor.  My old doctor of 4 years doesn’t take my insurance anymore

5. The last thing I ate was crab & garlic fried rice, and shrimp with asparagus and cauliflower made by my wonderful mother.

{inspired by My Pretty Pennies‘ Weekly Money Checkup Series}

♥ E&I

Money, Rewards Credit Card Q&A

Tags

credit cards, Money, personal finance

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Q: Do you have any tips on how to select a [rewards] credit card that suits you best?

I’m still very new to this, so I’m no expert whatsoever! When I first started out I referenced this beginners guide from The Points Guy.. there are some recommended/top cards there. Then, once you find a card you’re interested in, try to google lots of credit card for the pros & cons.

There are so many cards out there that give out rewards! Cash, airline, hotel, etc. See what rewards are the most important to you. For me, I wanted hotel points for future vacation stays. After doing some research, I chose the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest card. (I may do a review on it once I use it to book a hotel stay in the future. Email me here if you’d like a Starwood card referral.)

Also, you’ll really have to make sure you can make the minimum spend for each card’s point bonus. Really evaluate your spending habits to see if you can make it. Do not get into debt for mere rewards points!

Q: How do u keep track off your expenses?

I use Mint.com to track my expenses (they link my accounts online), or you can use Learnvest’s budgeting tool.

Try this Excel spreadsheet if you prefer not to link your financial accounts to a third online party:

Q:  How can I save money?

Is there anything you can cut down? I know its hard to think about. Either you will have to cut down on your fixed expenses (rent, cell), and/or shopping, or you will have to find a way to make more money. If you keep spending more than you earn you’ll end up in debt. High interest rates and only making monthly payments is a very deep hole that is difficult to get out of. That takes a lot of time.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to try to hit the BIG things. A) Income and B) Fixed expenses like rent. Changing those two things will benefit you the most, but they are the toughest things to do. Get a second income stream, find a better job, babysit, etc., or find a cheaper rental apartment, or get some roommates to split up the housing cost.

Cooking will definitely help stretch your money, even if you don’t cook from scratch. Boxed meals, canned food, etc. will always be cheaper than takeout because you’ll have food leftover for the next meal. Not very healthy, but then again, eating out isn’t always healthy either.

Cell phone bill: if you have a data plan, can you reduce it?

Shopping. This is tough. I know its hard to refrain from shopping (yup I would know) but when thinking about buying something you have to keep your priorities first and foremost in your mind. Really think about what you want in life, and in your wardrobe or makeup collection. Many times I covet a clothing item/makeup, I buy it, and a week later I’m already over it. All of that money could have gone somewhere else instead of sitting in my closet/on my vanity, if not to savings, it could have gone to a much better, higher quality piece instead. This is what helps me personally, but of course it could be different for you and your own personal way of shopping.

I hope this helped! Earning and saving money is hard. It takes a lot of discipline and delayed gratification, but it’ll be worth it for you in the end.

♥ E&I

Current Personal Finance Stats 11.29.11

Tags

Money, personal finance

Wow. This is my first PF update in an entire year! Whoops!

(The last update was 10.27.10)

401K contribution: 15% to a Roth 401K (100% employer match up to 5%), up 5% from this time last year.

Ever since I took my first job out of college in 2008, I’ve contributed to a regular 401K. This year, I decided to put everything into the Roth.

Roth IRA contributions for this year: Maxed out! Roughly $400 per month starting in January 2011 (max is ~$5000 per year); unchanged from last year’s contributions.

High interest savings account deposits: $250/month, was $500 last year.

Investments (non-retirement): $1000, was $0 this time last year.

529 Fund: (new!) $100 initially, then $25/month contributions

Major financial changes?: Bought a condo, got a raise. Started a 529 fund.

Thoughts?: Thinking of upping my Roth 401K retirement contributions even more and reducing the emergency fund/high interest savings deposits. I think my emergency fund is big enough to warrant it.

♥ E&I