Yesterday we decided to go to the Zoo, which normally could be a fairly expensive ordeal. We, however, managed to go with no cost aside from a couple small things we got the girls in the gift shop. How did we accomplish this great and wondrous feat? Let me explain :).
Now, it does help that we had free tickets to get in, but a lot of money can be spent on drinks and food. Instead of buying that $5.00 burger and $3.00 beverage for everyone, we decided to have a family picnic. The Zoo here doesn't allow you to bring in your own food, but they do give pass outs so you can go back out to your car. There, we opened up the back of the van, sat down, and ate our packed lunch. It was actually a really cool experience. We were the only ones out there, so it was quiet and we were able to sit in peace and enjoy our food and our company without distractions. I tell you what, that sure beats fighting lines and crowds of people to get overpriced food. Not dealing with other people's bratty kids is a plus to :).
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Ode to Being Busy
I apologize if I haven't been keeping up with this as much as I should, but I've actually been busy with a lot of side work to pay for the mess I'm about to describe.
A few posts back, I mentioned getting an 18 month loan at 0% for some medical expenses we've racked up at a local hospital. Well, as of right now, I've paid off just about $1000 of that bill, and have about another $1000 in forthcoming expenses. I've actually been trying to pay the loan and the extra bills in tandem, but I just can't afford to do that anymore. I'm going to try to see if I can increase the credit line a bit and tack the new ones onto my previous loan. It shouldn't raise the monthly bill TOO much, but it will still be very close on the budget. Here's to hoping nothing catastrophic happens (yes, my emergency fund is depleted now too...).
My Father-in-Law wants us to go to Texas for Christmas and is hounding us to figure out if we're coming or not, but the way things look, I don't think we can go -- and all for the sake of money. I'd basically have to start saving what I'm paying in medical bills now to have the cash to go, but since we have the bills and the budget is too tight with them, I'm not sure how that is going to happen. To anyone out there reading this who don't have debt, DON'T GET ANY. Or if you have to, keep it under 25% of your gross. When you lose one person working, it really taxes things. I went from having a few hundred extra a month to put toward debt to going in the red every month. Not a fun place to be.
Looks like I've got a lot more side work ahead of me...
A few posts back, I mentioned getting an 18 month loan at 0% for some medical expenses we've racked up at a local hospital. Well, as of right now, I've paid off just about $1000 of that bill, and have about another $1000 in forthcoming expenses. I've actually been trying to pay the loan and the extra bills in tandem, but I just can't afford to do that anymore. I'm going to try to see if I can increase the credit line a bit and tack the new ones onto my previous loan. It shouldn't raise the monthly bill TOO much, but it will still be very close on the budget. Here's to hoping nothing catastrophic happens (yes, my emergency fund is depleted now too...).
My Father-in-Law wants us to go to Texas for Christmas and is hounding us to figure out if we're coming or not, but the way things look, I don't think we can go -- and all for the sake of money. I'd basically have to start saving what I'm paying in medical bills now to have the cash to go, but since we have the bills and the budget is too tight with them, I'm not sure how that is going to happen. To anyone out there reading this who don't have debt, DON'T GET ANY. Or if you have to, keep it under 25% of your gross. When you lose one person working, it really taxes things. I went from having a few hundred extra a month to put toward debt to going in the red every month. Not a fun place to be.
Looks like I've got a lot more side work ahead of me...
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Fun With Stimulus
I just got my first paycheck containing our tax cuts. Yes ladies and gets, I'm now the proud recipient of a whopping $33 more dollars a paycheck. Seriously? That's almost not worth the effort of updating Quicken and re-doing budgets. But hey, I'll take what I can get considering how we are going to be screwed later with other hidden taxes.
Things have been a bit rough around the house lately. We still have medical bills trickling in, so my monthly budget is still getting beat down. That, coupled with Terra not working anymore has made things tough. The extra $33 helps, but still doesn't mitigate the problem, just makes it a bit less of a problem.
I've actually been trying a lot harder these days to pick up side work, and finally landed a decent one last night. It involved making a co-op website for 2-4 companies so I think it will probably be a pretty stable gig worth a decent amount of billable hours. I'm going to be billing it out in chunks to hopefully help with the cash flow nightmare I keep getting caught in.
I did realize last night that I probably need to look into quarterly taxes now as well. Before, my side stuff really didn't amount to much and when I turned it in, I was never penalized. This job though, could be worth enough that I might get fined if I don't turn in some sort of taxes on it. I haven't ever had to do something like this before, so I'm not quite sure where to turn. Looks like it may be time to consult one of Dave's ELPs to figure out what to do :).
Anyhow, that's what we've been doing lately -- treading water. My main problem now is time. Working full time, and doing this side stuff is very taxing. I still have some other projects I want to do, but they won't necessarily be bringing in a lot of cash right away. Gotta concentrate my efforts on what will pay the most, even though they aren't on the top of my "this would be cool/fun" list.
Things have been a bit rough around the house lately. We still have medical bills trickling in, so my monthly budget is still getting beat down. That, coupled with Terra not working anymore has made things tough. The extra $33 helps, but still doesn't mitigate the problem, just makes it a bit less of a problem.
I've actually been trying a lot harder these days to pick up side work, and finally landed a decent one last night. It involved making a co-op website for 2-4 companies so I think it will probably be a pretty stable gig worth a decent amount of billable hours. I'm going to be billing it out in chunks to hopefully help with the cash flow nightmare I keep getting caught in.
I did realize last night that I probably need to look into quarterly taxes now as well. Before, my side stuff really didn't amount to much and when I turned it in, I was never penalized. This job though, could be worth enough that I might get fined if I don't turn in some sort of taxes on it. I haven't ever had to do something like this before, so I'm not quite sure where to turn. Looks like it may be time to consult one of Dave's ELPs to figure out what to do :).
Anyhow, that's what we've been doing lately -- treading water. My main problem now is time. Working full time, and doing this side stuff is very taxing. I still have some other projects I want to do, but they won't necessarily be bringing in a lot of cash right away. Gotta concentrate my efforts on what will pay the most, even though they aren't on the top of my "this would be cool/fun" list.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Lazy....Economy, and Other Musings
After my glorious rant before, you'd think I'd run right out and try to switch banks. The truth is my work hours keep me away while the banks are open. I have, however, found out there is a branch of a particular bank I want to check on close to my house, so maybe over a weekend or a day off I can run up there and get this business straightened out.
On a positive note, despite what the government is trying to do to the economy, it seems to be starting to recover on its own. With the DOW approaching 8000 again, things are starting to look up in various markets. Let's just hope it continues. My only problem is not having any cash to invest now, because man, I would make a killing :).
The other day I was listening to a local talk radio show, and the host brought up coupons. Specifically, he was wondering if people who thought coupons were too much of a hassle were starting to use them if they had them, or were actively hunting them. I suppose I'd fall into the category of using them if I have them, but I'm definitely not actively seeking them out. Perhaps I should. Let me pose this question: how many of you are using coupons more when you didn't before? Also, if you are, where is a good and easy place of finding them? :). Like I said before, I'm too lazy to put too much effort into anything for too long :).
Until next time..
On a positive note, despite what the government is trying to do to the economy, it seems to be starting to recover on its own. With the DOW approaching 8000 again, things are starting to look up in various markets. Let's just hope it continues. My only problem is not having any cash to invest now, because man, I would make a killing :).
The other day I was listening to a local talk radio show, and the host brought up coupons. Specifically, he was wondering if people who thought coupons were too much of a hassle were starting to use them if they had them, or were actively hunting them. I suppose I'd fall into the category of using them if I have them, but I'm definitely not actively seeking them out. Perhaps I should. Let me pose this question: how many of you are using coupons more when you didn't before? Also, if you are, where is a good and easy place of finding them? :). Like I said before, I'm too lazy to put too much effort into anything for too long :).
Until next time..
Labels:
money saving,
rant,
tips
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
How Chase is Screwing Its Customers
I know times are a bit lean, especially if you are a financial institution. However, this doesn't give you the right to take it out on your customers in a somewhat captive market.
This story I have heard from multiple sources who come from every walk of life. Until it became my own, I wasn't aware of it. After things affected me and I started looking into the problem more, I became increasingly annoyed with those responsible.
Here's the deal. I've been a customer for chase for quite a few years. I've got a decent credit rating, always paid my bills on time, and brought quite a bit of business to Chase. I was a "responsible customer" as you might want to call it.
The financial crisis hit, and can be boiled down to irresponsible banks giving loans to irresponsible or ill-informed people who couldn't afford said loans. These handful of people completely crippled the financial system because so much was riding on the product they were failing to support.
Fast forward a couple months, and I get a notice in the mail from Chase stating they are changing the terms on my Credit Card. These types of things aren't really that big of a deal, but I actually decided to read this one a bit more closely. Even though I've been a good customer, a "responsible" customer, my interest rate was being changed from 6.5% fixed to 10.99% variable -- which in today's market puts it around 13%. So, for being responsible, I get "rewarded" with a 116% increase in my interest rate wheras those who have been irresponsible with their funds are getting handouts (bailed out) from the government. The interest rate I was moved to is higher than my first credit card I got when I was in HIGH SCHOOL working part time -- and had no credit history.
More stories I've heard range from adding monthly service fees to boosting interest rates even higher -- upwards of 22%. After some heated messages I finally got a reason -- "we needed to adjust our terms to make these products more profitable". So, due to their bad business decisions, those of us who did nothing wrong are being shouldered with carrying the company out of this mess.
As I noted in a previous post, I'm working on moving my business elsewhere. To reference the "captive market" comment above, in today's climate it is getting increasingly hard to find someone willing to take on a large chunk of unsecured debt i.e credit card balances. As soon as I can find somewhere I can move to, I am jumping ship and I hope that most of Chase's customers are in a position to do so.
I know you're hurting, but alienating your good customers is not the way to make it through unscathed. This is the same backward mentality that keeps certain parties from cutting taxes to stimulate the economy because they think it will cut into their tax revenue too much. Here's a news flash -- you put more money back into people's pockets they will spend it. The tax revenue collected from this spending would far outweigh the cost of giving people money back.
As the saying goes - "I'll promise to be nicer when you promise to be smarter". Here's to you Chase.
This story I have heard from multiple sources who come from every walk of life. Until it became my own, I wasn't aware of it. After things affected me and I started looking into the problem more, I became increasingly annoyed with those responsible.
Here's the deal. I've been a customer for chase for quite a few years. I've got a decent credit rating, always paid my bills on time, and brought quite a bit of business to Chase. I was a "responsible customer" as you might want to call it.
The financial crisis hit, and can be boiled down to irresponsible banks giving loans to irresponsible or ill-informed people who couldn't afford said loans. These handful of people completely crippled the financial system because so much was riding on the product they were failing to support.
Fast forward a couple months, and I get a notice in the mail from Chase stating they are changing the terms on my Credit Card. These types of things aren't really that big of a deal, but I actually decided to read this one a bit more closely. Even though I've been a good customer, a "responsible" customer, my interest rate was being changed from 6.5% fixed to 10.99% variable -- which in today's market puts it around 13%. So, for being responsible, I get "rewarded" with a 116% increase in my interest rate wheras those who have been irresponsible with their funds are getting handouts (bailed out) from the government. The interest rate I was moved to is higher than my first credit card I got when I was in HIGH SCHOOL working part time -- and had no credit history.
More stories I've heard range from adding monthly service fees to boosting interest rates even higher -- upwards of 22%. After some heated messages I finally got a reason -- "we needed to adjust our terms to make these products more profitable". So, due to their bad business decisions, those of us who did nothing wrong are being shouldered with carrying the company out of this mess.
As I noted in a previous post, I'm working on moving my business elsewhere. To reference the "captive market" comment above, in today's climate it is getting increasingly hard to find someone willing to take on a large chunk of unsecured debt i.e credit card balances. As soon as I can find somewhere I can move to, I am jumping ship and I hope that most of Chase's customers are in a position to do so.
I know you're hurting, but alienating your good customers is not the way to make it through unscathed. This is the same backward mentality that keeps certain parties from cutting taxes to stimulate the economy because they think it will cut into their tax revenue too much. Here's a news flash -- you put more money back into people's pockets they will spend it. The tax revenue collected from this spending would far outweigh the cost of giving people money back.
As the saying goes - "I'll promise to be nicer when you promise to be smarter". Here's to you Chase.
Labels:
chase,
credit card,
debt,
rant,
tips
Monday, February 23, 2009
Things Just Keep Getting Interesting
A lot of things have happened since I last posted. Basically, due to the girls' health concerns, my wife had to quit her job to keep the kids out of day care. Needless to say this has severely upset the budget. I think I've got things lined back out, but there isn't any room for extra payments on anything which is depressing. I've been taking up side work to get extra money to help pay on this stuff. So far, I've been able to make about $1300 since this all went down -- so lets hope I can keep this up this year.
During this we did have a couple bright spots though. Some friends of ours pooled together money to give us some cash and a bunch of gift cards to groceries and supermarkets. All in all, we got a few hundred dollars, so we're putting that to good use getting food and trying to make it stretch it as far as we can.
I ended up just banking all of my tax return (which was off by $1500...stupid turbo tax). I'm going to use that to pay off the new medical bills I talked about in my last post(which have started to come in btw), and use the rest to pay down our hospital loan after the dust settles.
Friendly reminder: if anyone wants to help out you can do so with the paypal link to the right :).
During this we did have a couple bright spots though. Some friends of ours pooled together money to give us some cash and a bunch of gift cards to groceries and supermarkets. All in all, we got a few hundred dollars, so we're putting that to good use getting food and trying to make it stretch it as far as we can.
I ended up just banking all of my tax return (which was off by $1500...stupid turbo tax). I'm going to use that to pay off the new medical bills I talked about in my last post(which have started to come in btw), and use the rest to pay down our hospital loan after the dust settles.
Friendly reminder: if anyone wants to help out you can do so with the paypal link to the right :).
Labels:
budget,
loan,
medical bills
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Silverish lining?
Things are starting to look up I think. All but one of the claims I talked about last time have been paid, and the last one is just probably stuck in the red tape. We did confirm that both girls do have the genetic disorder, but at least we know what the problem is now.
Piper had a tube put back in, and I've seen a bit of what that will cost -- roughly $1000. The good news is we're already in the 80/20 part of our insurance, so we'll have the rest of the year to basically coast through stuff.
I JUST did my taxes, and between all the medical expenses and other things, we're going to be getting about $4,000 back. Combine that with the couple side jobs I've picked up, and I'll have just about $5,000 to tackle the latest round of medical bills. I SHOULD be able to pay off the $2500 loan for our last hospital stay, the $1200 or so for the tubes, and get our emergency fund back to $1000. After that stuff is all out of the way, I'll be able to be hitting an extra $150 on the van bringing that payment up to $340. At that rate, I'll only have about a year left to pay to get rid of it. Hopefully, I'll get some more side work between now and then to get rid of it faster :)
Piper had a tube put back in, and I've seen a bit of what that will cost -- roughly $1000. The good news is we're already in the 80/20 part of our insurance, so we'll have the rest of the year to basically coast through stuff.
I JUST did my taxes, and between all the medical expenses and other things, we're going to be getting about $4,000 back. Combine that with the couple side jobs I've picked up, and I'll have just about $5,000 to tackle the latest round of medical bills. I SHOULD be able to pay off the $2500 loan for our last hospital stay, the $1200 or so for the tubes, and get our emergency fund back to $1000. After that stuff is all out of the way, I'll be able to be hitting an extra $150 on the van bringing that payment up to $340. At that rate, I'll only have about a year left to pay to get rid of it. Hopefully, I'll get some more side work between now and then to get rid of it faster :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)