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 kept [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Planning'
2009: What Worked, What Failed?
January 13th, 2010 No Comments
Budget 2010: Progress on the Debt Front
December 1st, 2009 No Comments
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 demolition [...]
Tags:
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 neighborhood, and [...]
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
$275 [...]
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. But I [...]
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 last night, [...]
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, Barton and [...]
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, insisting [...]
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 cam seals. [...]
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 [...]
