2010 to date has been devoted to cleanup — we’ve dumped piles of physical junk. Baking supplies from 2007. A cocoa mix gift from several Christmases ago. Ten-year-old balsamic vinegar that was never meant to age. Digital detritus, too, has been painstakingly banished from my computers. Finally having the time to reorganize things that just [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Planning'
Budget 2010: Progress on the Debt Front
December 1st, 2009 1 Comment
When I last wrote about our two- or three-year plan to pay off all credit card debt, we were struggling up Mount Savings, frequently buffeted by the winds of unpredictable expenses. At that time, the goal was a cushion of $5,000 in savings — a base camp, if you will, from which to mount a [...]
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Cash For … Nevermind
August 3rd, 2009 2 Comments
Image by Getty Images via Daylife When word that the cash for clunkers rebate program had started, I emailed my husband: “What if we took the $4,500 rebate on the truck and sold the Passat?” We’d like to get a hybrid. This would take us down to one car, but with HourCar coming to our [...]
Tags: cash4clunkers · emissions · HourCar · hybrid · hybrids · rebate program
Budget, Meet Exceptions: Irregular Expenses Are Gonna Get Ya
June 17th, 2009 3 Comments
Cash Husband writes: There comes a point in any grand plan when circumstances conspire to deliver a seemingly karmic smackdown. June is that point for our budget. So far in June, we’ve racked up the following irregular expenses: $588 car repair (with a note about potential future repairs totaling $2,500) $300 window unit air conditioner [...]
Tags: Budgeting · irregular expenses
Budget Buzz: Getting Over ‘I Don’t Know’
May 5th, 2009 4 Comments
Budgeting gets a bad rap as a giant drag. If you’re not someone who’s inherently organized, as I’m not, first thinking about the process feels like trying to corral the very air. “Money? I don’t know, I just, you know, wing it.” But winging it always left me uneasy. I’d think, “I must be overspending. [...]
Tags: Budgeting · money psychology
Creating a Budget for Irregular Expenses
April 24th, 2009 No Comments
It looks like we’ve finally whittled our monthly expenses down to a level where we’ll have from *$1600-$1900 left over at the end of each month. (*Much of that money will pay for somewhat more irregular but predictable expenditures like hair cuts, clothes, and saving for vacation or gifts.) We just played around with numbers [...]
Tags: budgeting for · irregular expenses · non-monthly
Kindergarten Lottery: Choice Hits Home
April 3rd, 2009 5 Comments
When I opened our son’s Kindergarten notification letter yesterday, I got a wierd adrenaline rush, followed by a feeling that I was going to throw up. Not our first choice. Not our second choice. In the fall he’ll attend Armatage Elementary, our “safety” pick. At first I was disappointed. We’d ranked our first two choices, [...]
Big or Small? Sorting Out Your Financial Priorities
March 16th, 2009 5 Comments
If you’re looking to save money, do you sacrifice some big things in your budget, or do you look for ways to save $20 or so here and there? A few weeks back a friend asked me this. He opts for the big line items, while his wife haggles over the price of peanut butter, [...]
Tags: freedom
The Fix: Planning Ahead for Car Maintenance
February 12th, 2009 No Comments
Image via Wikipedia Timing Belt. Once in awhile I am smarter than I think, but only, of course, in hindsight. Last month, after finally paying off the Volkswagen, we took it into the dealer for the 60,000 mile service. And were surprised by a $2,190 bill to replace the timing belt, water pump, and leaking [...]
Tags: MoneyNing · timing belt
2009: Bad News or Good News First?
January 16th, 2009 No Comments
It’s been an inauspicious start to the New Year so far for many friends and colleagues. Lots of people I talk to are starting to feel the shock waves ripple through the economy. Coupled with a death in the family for one of my friends and a scary diagnosis in the family for another, at [...]
