Good bye, January! I'll look forward to next year!

Wow, one month already gone. January always feels like a breeze... more like a tornado! Gone fast and furious, and now it's time to pick up and rebuild.

Financially, it went well. As planned, which is always a plus. I paid all of my scheduled snowballs. One thing I thought would be painful would be to invest my 3-check month's extra pay into debt. Normally, I push that money away to savings and use it for stuff like my travel fund or portion of it as fun money, but not this time. I had a note dated 2/19/13 next to my Jan 2014 budget that reads "no more slack being cut, $ for vacations will NOT be from 3-check months!". I guess it helped a lot I had come to terms with that way in advance, so when the time came, it was just to go along with the plan, and not have to mull over this. Easy peasy.

Only $235 left on CC2, which is also my only credit report black eye (being 90 days late on payment due to not knowing of this card yet in 2010). I am so excited for Feb when I can pay it off! Lovely too that it will be on Feb 14th. Not a romantic date (haha, yeah, right!), but it'll be a good day regardless. I'm also on my last 3k of debt! Woot woot, go me!

Baby shower gifts

What happens when you're the only single person (of age) in the office? You get all sorts of fun tasks. I personally love making diaper cakes! And of course, I always go as cheap as possible when making these, without appearing cheap.

What ~160 rolled diapers look like

This diaper cake (I hope to have ready for a photo some time this weekend) will be a football stadium cake. It will be my first of that kind, so I am really looking forward to assembling it.

I know some of my readers build diaper cakes every so often. I normally dont roll mine, and just layer them instead. But since this design called for rolled diapers, I remembered those latex-free rubber bands my co-worker mentioned. The 'rainbow loom' fad which is going on now, with tiny rubber bands to make colorful bracelets. The bands are the perfect size to hold the diapers! And for less than $6 for 600 bands, you've got yourself a deal.

Diapers came from Amazon Prime, 234 size 1 Huggies for $33 and the bands were $6 (paid for with a giftcard from Christmas), then 2 sets of Ribbons, some misc items, and done. I'll be honest and say this cake will be much more expensive than others, even though I always use the same amount of diapers. That's because this will be a football themed diaper cake, so getting football themed ribbons and gifts did add to the cost, but not by a lot. A set of bib, bottle and paccy was $14 (NFL originals), and the team ribbon came to about $15 for 9 yards. It should still be very pretty to see once it's done. I hope!

This is what happens when you deal with some companies...

My dad asked me to help them figure something out by calling a customer service rep. It was insurance related. I was put on hold for-e-ver. Don't believe me? I have proof!

Phone minutes usage since August 2013

Regardless, I managed to use up about 350 minutes in just 3-4 calls that got me nowhere. Then I got a friendly reminder that I was within 75% of my allotted minutes (450/mo). So I decided to leave it off until today when I get new minutes, and was placed on hold for an additional 178 minutes. Issue seems resolved, but will take "7-10 business days" to be sure. Riiiight... I have no faith this is the end of it.

However, I also noticed something. My discount with Verizon has expired. Boo hoo... now my bill will be $89 vs $76.  Yes, that's ouchy. Ouchy enough I've been looking at Straight Talk. I want to keep my Blackberry Bold very much. And I honestly have had it with Verizon anyway... I am not getting what I am paying off, so why am I paying?! I'll research my choices... cutting that bill to $45/mo would be very nice, and I can re-distribute the remaining funds to maybe my 401k or something fancy like that. Oh well. Another thing to work on this year!

Let's recap this year thus far... in 10 minutes or less.

Yes, I've been quiet in my blog. I lack content big time. My life really is that boring.

So here's a 10min video of me rambling aimlessly in front of a camera about more topics than I should go into. Yes, I said a lot of contradictory things, and I spaced out plenty, but cut me some slack.

The camera is shaky because I had the brilliant idea of setting the camera and laptop in bed. The glare is from the laptop. I apologize for that. Wish I had tested things before I went out and recorded. I'll do better in the future, if I do any more of these!

Happy Monday-night!

Of cars, meals and budgets

I realized that since I should be buying a car here shortly (well, 1-6 months), I really need to start looking at what's out there.

It boiled down to the not-very-strict list below. First, they all share these specs: 4dr, AT, A/C, cruise control and automatic doors and windows, 2008 or newer, $8~$10k in price with less than 60k mi.

- Hyundai Elantra
- Honda Civic / Fit
- Nissan Versa

I've seen some thus far, and some that really make me want to jump at the deal. But for now, I'm taking a screenshot and saving it. The right one will come.

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People seem very amused or curious when I tell them that I only cook once-twice a week and have that for dinner every day until it runs out 3-4 days later. That's probably a leading force to such a small food budget --coupled with my lack of appetite. I've only spent about $45 since last paycheck and I still have plenty of food to go through. I may have to buy more lettuce for lunches, but that'd be all until Feb. I really don't think I could pull this off if I had a partner or a dependent to take care of. It's "boring", but it doesn't bother me.

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I was also very interested a few months (or years) back as to what would happen when I have enough money saved up to pay off all debt in one single swing. Proud to report that I am sticking to my payment schedule instead of "borrowing" money from other goals/savings accounts. Even though such borrowing would not really make a difference or slow my plans. I will confess it's hard to fight back the thought of paying it all off..

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I had a great resting weekend, and I am not looking forward to Monday. But who does?

SPHR Recert begins

The huge mountain that was applying and passing the SPHR exam is behind me. It's official! Now comes another mountain, and this one may be just as big: recertifying.

Wait, didn't I just get that certification? What am I talking about recertification?

See, this certification lasts for 3 years, at which point it will expire unless you recertify. There are 2 ways to recertify: taking the $525 exam again (bahahaha--no!), or obtaining 60 "credits hours" for continuous education/training/leadership. I opt for the latter option. But here are some things I didn't know about...

- You have to pay to recertify. That used to be $100 up til 2012 (or up to 2013?), but it is $150 for 2014. By the time I need to recertify in 2016, it may be higher. Boo hoo!
- The credits can be webcasts, which are a bit scarce, but free. However, only 20 of the total credits can be obtained from webcasts per recertification process
- The other 40 credits will cost ya. And depending where you go, they may cost you a lot. I have seen a lot of programs where they charge $45 for 1-2 "e-learning" credit hours, or programs that include all credits for about $200-$350. They even offer some e-learning courses for free, but you wont get credits unless you pay and take their 3-6 question quiz (so it isn't like you're getting any new material by paying vs not paying!).

I am yet to see a free "e-learning" credit. I will continue to search, but I may have to change my goals from 30 credit hours to 20hrs, or go for all 60 at once by paying the fee to access unlimited material.

I think I will opt to wait, and soak up all free opportunities I see this year. I am slightly upset they pull this sort of fast one on us. Guess I should've expected it. Companies will try to nickel and dime you every way they can, and this is a pretty good way to do so!

I can't stand cheap people

We had a wine tasting event at my part time job this past weekend for 29 people (including the wine maker and salesperson, the hotel's head honcho and his "date"--the hotel's salesperson), and I had the pleasure of having the first person I've served that walked off without paying for their bill. Now, there are a lot of points that bother me about this; the event was a pre-register/RSVP event with the price of $150pp, plus tax/tip. We issued the checks after dinner, before dessert. One of the couples at my table must've walked off while we were all on the back being briefed on dessert.

Who does that?!

Not only did they leave without paying for dinner, which they knew how much it was, but this was also a for-tip type service, so they shorted all 6 of us servers on that. I couldn't believe it. They were all locals and pre-registered. Why would you do that?

Luckily, I had caught their names while doing small talk and we found that they were staying in the hotel for the night, so the dinner was tacked on their room bill. It's just incredibly rude. If you're going out to dine, at least pay. And if our service had been that awful (it wasn't, trust me), then fine, don't leave a tip. But I cannot understand why you'd walk out without paying... I would've liked to check them out from the hotel the next day and see if they make any comments about the $300 dinner charge. Some people just make me mad. That's being cheap, not frugal!

Different ways to redo/readjust budgets

It's only been 3 weeks since I took my SPHR exam, but I haven't received the official results or the certificate. The website hasn't updated yet either. Yes, I am quite impatient and I know it may be another 2-3 weeks before I get anything, but still. Why the torture?

Some of the material we had to learn was about budgets. Just a tiny piece. I was curious how this would apply to my own way of budgeting, and what seems to be more popular for personal budgets. Here are 3 kinds of budgeting that I remember the most: (Note: I am not a finance major, so I leave room for errors or misinterpretations!)

- Incremental budgeting:
You have your budget, and it worked pretty well last year, so you will just carry the same budget towards next year. You only have to explain or account for any requested increases, and you don't have to justify already-established categories and expenses. I think this one is most popular.

- Zero budgeting:
This is where you start the budget from zero every time. You have to justify every single projected expenditure, regardless whether it was ok last year. Would probably be best, as it forces you to reconsider all categories and explain why you must have $50/mo for coffee or lunches, but it is time consuming.

- Performance/formula-based:
Similar to zero budgeting, you come up with a formula and base the whole budget on the performance of said items. For example, if you have a gym membership but actually gained several pounds last year, you may want to consider cancelling that as it really not helping your bottom line. There may be some other items that you had not considered before that really showed a return. For example, if a date-in with your significant 3 times a month greatly reduced stress and improved communication, investing on movies (or Netflix) or even a better TV may be worthwhile.

They all have good things and bad things about them, and there's not a one-size-fits all. I personally use the incremental budget, or more likely, just a static one, as my budget hasn't really changed that much in 3 years, besides snowball shifting and commute adjustments. I think I will switch to zero-based once the summer rolls around and my situation changes yet again.

Car Brand/Model recommendations

Back in Feb 2012, I wrote about wanting or planning to purchase a vehicle. Back then, all I had eyes for was the Hyundai Accent, ~2008 in light blue. I still have mostly eyes for that car, but I've "upgraded" it to a Hyundai Elantra. Now that I really need to start considering brands and models more seriously, I think I want to have at least a top 3 of cars I'd like to buy this year, and go for one.

My req's aren't too extravagant. What I want is:
- 4-door sedan
- Cruise control
- automatic windows/locks
- less than 60k miles
- something small, short and close to the ground (not a fan of large SUVs and tall trucks)
- not a fan of hatchbacks, but not against it
- safe and reliable
- good great on gas
- A/C would be a first, and much appreciated.

Bear with me on this one... but after having a 197" long car, I much prefer shorter car. Yes, trust me, this bugs me a lot.

Price will vary a lot, but I have $4k to put down, and I'm not looking at anything used above $10k (or a $6k loan). I may look at new cars, but I shouldn't. I really, really want to. But that could intervene with my overall bigger plans, so I will set it aside. For now...

So let's hear it! What are your recommendations? What are some things I must be looking at, besides mileage, year and price?

One more day... one more day...

I've been SO itching to do this since Sunday:

Final payment for Student Loan 1!!

I get paid this Friday... I will have the full amount to pay this off on Friday. Friday? Ha! More like Wednesday. This particular vendor takes 2+ business days to actually withdraw the money. But I should be patient... one more down. I didn't come this far to get all excited and mess up. Friday, I am ready for you!... for once. Even though I have to work at my PT job, this should put a little extra sprint in my step.

Have a lovely Tuesday!

Looking at the numbers

Let me improvise for a bit, since I lost my original calculation sheet. But adding up my first 5 goals, it looks like I have to come up with an estimated $5,200. It's broken down into: $1700 moving-budget, $1200 travel budget, $500+ dentist expenses, $800 Christmas, and $1000 EF increase, in order of priority. This looks pretty difficult, if not impossible, on my current guaranteed income, but I know those numbers don't tell the whole story. For example:

- The third largest chunk, the $1k EF is more of a whim than a must. I don't feel uncomfortable with my $1k EF, and having $2k would make me feel good, but won't make me feel panicked if I don't reach it.
- I do have $400 already saved for vacations, so that means I only need another $800
- The dentist total is an unknown. It could be lower than the $500 I am expecting to pay. I'll know more about this after my initial visit on Feb 18.
- I made about 4k last year on my PT job. If I can work as much and save every single penny, the whole goal would be a non issue. But that's a long-term unknown, so I never count on it
- I have not reassigned about $830 I got since Christmas from work or other sources
- There is about $200 in cashback "cash" from my credit cards. I didn't cash them out for Christmas because I wanted to research better ways to use it
- As of today, there is about $130 of misc income here and there. Not counting my PT's check for the past two weeks, which is another $180'ish.

See? It doesn't sound that scary anymore. I haven't figured out how to divvy up the money I have, but I'll take care of that soon enough. It's not like the money is going anywhere...

Yet another weather post

Hey, if we all post at the same time about holidays, events and what not, why not about weather? And yes, it is cold in Maryland. Colder it's been since like the 90's, or so said the radio. (I wasn't in the US at the time, so I don't know... I was busy with our 82 degree weather back in the Caribbean, in case anyone is curious!)

But you know what? I am loving it. I love cold weather. I love snow. I seem to also be a very big fan of rain, t-storms, hurricanes and other natural disasters. My friends can tell you that I am the strangest person they've met when it comes to that regard. Who "likes" hurricanes? They're destructive and painful to people. They can be devastating, especially when the eye is bigger than your whole island, and you get them on their raw force. But we got so many hurricanes a year back home, that one just gets used to them. Bad stuff happens regardless, so you may as well enjoy the good when it happens. And there's nothing more fun in my opinion than bathing in the rain in the eye of a hurricane. It's eerie, but really cool. Confuses the birds big time too!

Ahem. Anyway, yeah. It's 7 degrees here in Maryland, with the wind chill making it closer to -22 degrees. And yes, I am enjoying it thus far. I am at work, and no, I wouldn't be outside longer than necessary without a coat and gloves. But I think it's quite lovely. I feel for those that have to work outside in such a weather and wish they didn't have to. Stay at home if you can, if only for safety's sake (yours and others). But regardless, don't look at it as a negative. It only comes a few times a year, so you may as well enjoy it as you would the perfectly cool summer day.

No debt-related goals for 2014

Looking at my 2014 goals, you may notice I made no mention of debt-related goals. Even though as of today I have $4,5k still to go, and the payments for all of them combined are a little over $120/mo, I will be paying as much as $900/mo over the course of the next 5 months to get rid of it all and be debt free by May (unless I get restless and pay it off my combined savings). I don't have to pay off all my debt. It's extremely manageable at $120/mo. Heck, is as little as my food fund!

Could I spend the $780 elsewhere, somehow? Sure. Could I save it? Absolutely. But I started a journey and I want to finish it, even if the crunch is not as harsh as it was at the beginning. Also, I've planned for this for 3 years, and there's no sense on "taking a break" when the goal is right in front of me. Who knows, Murphy may come about and crash things, leaving me stranded. I wont even give him the chance if I can help it.

And what a better way to begin the year than with a 3 paycheck month! Yup, those bi-weekly employees who get paid tomorrow will have their 3-paycheck months in January and July. Normally, I've used these funds for vacation funds, but no more. If I want a vacation, I need to work it. Right now, my move-out fund is priority.

Happy 2014!

I really wish I had photos to remember this by, but yesterday I had one of the BEST New Year's I've had in a while. I was surrounded by people I like, a lot of strangers, a lot of alcohol (and apple cider too), as well as big screens, loud music and balloons. Yup, I was at WORK! I hope you got that one right.

After leaving work#1 to go to work#2, it was chaos. So. Many. People. So much to do, so little time. It was fun once the rush ended, and then we just got to people watching. We were there til about 1:30 in the morning or so, and it was so much fun; pouring champagne or apple cider (and keeping those underagers away from the alcohol), chit chatting or dancing in the back halls, and of course, watching the ball drop and balloons be popped by kids who didn't get the memo you are supposed to toss the ballons in the air and not pop them once they fall. It sounded like popcorn in a microwave for a straight minute. Of course, then the clean up began, and even that wasn't very demanding. We were exhausted. But it helped we also were just in a jolly good mood. I had a really good time and I am glad I went. What a nice way to start 2014, I must say!

So, I hope everyone had a great New Year's, and had the chance to hug someone they like, or at least call up and harass someone they like. If you haven't, it's not too late!

Happy 2014! May it bring a lot of good things for all of us!