Odd way to save cash…

Posted by Beks on March 19, 2010 at 5:00 AM
in About Me, Ways I Save Money, work | 11 Comments » |

I wear 6” heels every day to work. Before you jump on me for the future damage to my feet, ankles, and legs, hear me out.

I’m short and my leg to torso proportion closely resembles a crossbred Welsh corgi and a dachshund. I buy petite short pants… and have them hemmed.

Sure, I could ‘accept my God given shape’, ‘celebrate my uniqueness’, and believe all the other feel good sayings my mother told me OR… I could wear really, really, really tall shoes and live in denial.

Denial is the name of my game.

I never thought tall shoes would save me money until my co-workers started to ask me to accompany them to lunch. With the fantastic food offerings of downtown San Diego, it’s impossible to pass up… unless you can’t walk. It’s easy to say no when walking more than three steps causes me to beg God to take me from this earth and save me from pain.

So, I kick off my shoes, put on my slippers, and toast a sandwich.

Before you insult that lady at work with the ridiculous shoes, remember… she may be saving money… or maybe she’s self-conscious about her tiny legs… or maybe it’s both.

Wedding Bills…

Posted by Beks on March 18, 2010 at 5:00 AM
in Spending Money | 25 Comments » |

A friend of mine got married this weekend. He and his beautiful new bride, despite desires to keep up with the lavish weddings of friends, held a small wedding with a cheese and cracker reception. Instead of spending money on a one day celebration, they invested their money into a home.

When my husband and I married, money was no option. Meaning, my parents and I had no money – so spending it wasn’t an option. Somehow, my parents and my husband’s parents made our wedding feel like a grand affair. Maybe it was because they chose to emphasize the celebration aspect and skip the uber competitive stuffed chicken dinner with seafood appetizers and an open bar.

I loved our wedding. It was beautiful – without a huge price tag.

I’ve been to a LOT of weddings over the last few years. All were high priced sit down dinners with open bars – no doubt, they were fun. My friend who married on Sunday was the first to say no to keeping up with the Joneses.

How much did you spend on your wedding? Was it the right amount? Too much? Too little?

Carpooling Dilemma …

Posted by Beks on March 16, 2010 at 5:00 AM
in Saving Money, Spending Money | 40 Comments » |

I use public transportation every day. Aside from being good for the environment, it’s good for my pocketbook. It’s not that I can’t afford to drive to work; I simply would rather use my money to pay debt than pay Chevron and Jiffy Lube – plus, the $175 a month parking fee is more than steep. Unfortunately, I’m having a problem and I need some advice.

A co-worker in my department lives 2 blocks from the transit stop I wait at each morning. About 4 months ago, he started pulling over and picking me up on his way to work. I felt guilty about the free rides and my lack of desire to share the expense, so I changed my hours to use public transit again.

A week later, he changed his hours to match mine.

Over the last few weeks, he has started to complain about gas prices. I asked him why he doesn’t use the free public transportation and he responded, ‘Eww. No. I wouldn’t be caught dead on public transit.’ I used this opportunity to tell him that I use the money I save in gas to pay debt. He rolled his eyes.

Yesterday, I told him I was driving to work because I had to meet my sister and needed my car. He snapped, ‘Well, it would be nice if you offered to drive me once in a while.’ I was unsure of what to say so I dumbly said, ‘I’m sorry’ rather than explain myself…again.

I already know changing my hours won’t work. I’ve tried to sneak out of the building and hide at the bus stop but he always finds me and gets offended if I turn down a ride home. He makes my turning down his offer for a ride home to be a personal insult – and then talks about it at work. It appears as though I have to talk to him about it (more clearly than the first time) but I’m not sure what to say or how to bring it up.

Any advice?

Finishing Making Home Affordable…

Posted by Beks on March 15, 2010 at 5:00 AM
in Making Home Affordable Program | 4 Comments » |

After six months, nearly 30 phone calls, and countless hours on the phone…

We were rejected for the Making Home Affordable Program through Bank of America.

Our application was ‘lost’ and we were asked to reapply. We applied with the exact same numbers we used 6 months ago but this time, we were denied. The program requires homeowners to spend 37% or more of their gross income on their mortgage to qualify and does not include the second mortgage in calculating the percentage. The monthly payment for our first mortgage is 36% of our gross income. I was disappointed with how close we were until the Bank of America representative (a supervisor) told me that even if we were at 37%, we would have been turned down anyway. She said that Bank of America isn’t likely to approve homeowners for the Making Home Affordable Program unless they are closer to 40-45%.

I asked her if we could refinance and she immediately said no. Not because we are upside-down on our home, but because refinancing requires homeowners to spend less than 33% of their gross income on BOTH mortgages combined.

I have a feeling there are a lot of homeowners stuck in this percentage window.

I’m disappointed to be stuck with a high interest mortgage, but we’re fortunate to be able to ‘afford’ our payment and we aren’t at risk of losing our home. We’re going to hold on, take responsibility for our poor decisions, and move forward.

The Legal Battle Erupts… Again

Posted by Beks on March 12, 2010 at 5:00 AM
in Monthly Spending | 13 Comments » |

As I stated in an earlier post, I endured a 2 year legal battle before the lawsuit was dropped in January. I was excited but wouldn’t feel truly free until the statute of limitations expired mid-way through this month.

On Sunday, I was served with legal papers. The plaintiff has re-opened the lawsuit, added my husband as a co-defendant (even though my husband has no legal ownership in our home), and is asking for more money than ever.

To me, it’s a fairly cut and dry frivolous lawsuit and I will gladly share the details once it’s over (if it ever ends) but I live in the lawsuit friendly state of California and I don’t have faith in our judicial system to protect me.

We’re going to bump up our emergency fund in preparation for legal fees. I’m not sure how far the plaintiff will go, but we’re preparing for the worst.

Staying Motivated…

Posted by Beks on March 11, 2010 at 5:00 AM
in Keeping Motivated | 18 Comments » |

I struggle a lot with motivation. Sometimes, I actually convince myself that $19,000 in debt isn’t that bad and start to wonder why I’m working to pay it off so quickly.

Working to become debt free would be an easy journey if it were only a few months, but when it stretches to years, that’s when you discover who you really are in terms of dedication.

It’s been just shy of 18 months since we began our journey and to be honest, I find myself growing weary – especially when my personal life gets slammed (more on that tomorrow). I find that when my personal life gets messy…so do my finances.

I was browsing iTunes for free podcasts and stumbled over the Dave Ramsey radio show. His podcasts are free (shorter versions of his radio program – there are some commercials) and you don’t need an iPod to listen to them. You can listen directly from your home computer. I was feeling down this morning and for some reason, listened to his podcast on my way to work. A family had paid off nearly $100K in debt and drove all the way to Dave’s studio just to shout, ‘We’re Debt Free!!!’

It made me smile. Today, it was what I needed.

Check out the show. It’s free and a good source of encouragement.

You are going to get tired. You are going to get weary. You are going to flounder in your decision to live below your means. But we can stick through it because one day, it’s going to be you and me screaming…

WE’RE DEBT FREE!!!

Bye Bye Gym Membership…

Posted by Beks on March 9, 2010 at 5:00 AM
in General Personal Finance, Saving Money | 6 Comments » |

My husband and I both have a gym membership. We pay a combined $50 a month to our local gym.

I’m a fan of daily fitness so I will be the first to tell you, if having a gym membership is the only way you will exercise, spend the money. The monthly gym fees will be far less expensive than poor health now and in the future.

We were able to temporarily cancel our monthly gym dues when my husband lost his job. Now that six months have passed without a trip to the gym, I’ve discovered something surprising…

I work out more now without a gym membership than I did with one.

I spend a quick 20 minutes running with the dogs or doing a workout video before making dinner each night. I do sit ups while watching TV or I jog in place. Before, if I didn’t have an hour to workout at the gym, I simply wouldn’t workout at all. Now, if I have 10 minutes, I use it!

I have always clung to my gym membership even in the leanest financial times. Looking at the impact of working out at home, I’m not sure why I held on so tight. We decided to make the temporary cancelation permanent. Rather than redirect all the money toward debt reduction, we’ve decided to keep part designated to fitness. The money can go toward new tennis shoes, marathon entrance fees, or exercise equipment. If we get desperate for a group class or a swim, we can sign up at the community center for $30 for a 3 month, two hour, twice weekly class.

Try working out at home this month. It may not work for you – but maybe you’ll be surprised at the results.

**If you do decide to cancel your membership, you may need to cancel several times. These companies (especially large gyms like 24Hour Fitness and LA Fitness ) can be very sneaky and ‘accidentally’ automatically deduct your dues for up to six months. You may need to consult with your bank to stop payments.**

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