Archive results for “September 2009f 2009”

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Check that Credit Report!

I can’t believe it’s been four months already! It’s time to check that credit report again.

My score is up, but only slightly. The credit card payoff has not yet hit the reporting agencies (of course, if I had missed a payment, it would have likely been reported the same day). I hope to see a bigger jump in four more months.

If you decided to check your credit report with me and follow my once yearly free report check, this time I used:

Equifax

Posted by Beks on September 8, 2009 at 5:00 AM in Credit Cards, Credit Reports/FICO | 4 Comments »
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Happy Labor Day!

If you are like me, finances are an everyday (and sometimes every HOUR) consuming concern. Are we saving enough? Are we spending too much? Do I have enough cash in my checking account or is that check going to bounce? And on… and on… and on.

Do me a favor…

take Labor Day off.

Have a glass of wine. Go for a run. Ride your bike. Use a kitchen appliance you haven’t used since you received it as a wedding gift 5 years ago. Spend time with the ones you love.

Don’t worry about that checking/savings account today… the banks aren’t open to bounce those checks until tomorrow anyway.

I’m off to the beach (free) to spend time with the man I love (free). Have a good day – I know I will.

Posted by Beks on September 7, 2009 at 5:00 AM in :) | 5 Comments »
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Pictures…

Reader, Mysti, asked me to post photos of the completed bathroom. Here they are…

Bath 3

Bath 4

Bath 5

Bath 6

Posted by Beks on September 6, 2009 at 5:00 AM in Home Ownership | 8 Comments »
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Making wise home improvements…

About a year and a half ago, my husband said, ‘The shower pan is cracked and water is leaking. If we leave it, we will destroy our bathroom and mold will grow. I’m going to take out the bottom row of tiles, replace the shower pan, and replace the bottom row of tiles.’

I left to housesit for a co-worker and came home to …

Bathroom 2

My husband explained that he had discovered mold under the floor and in the walls and decided to replace everything to be safe.

So why… why… why… did I assume that when we intended to insulate the separation closet wall in a 50 year old house, that we would simply be able to insulate the closet wall?

This is our spare bedroom as of today…

P8311412

A few days ago, my husband asked if he could insulate all four walls. We both agreed that as long as we had one wall down, we should take down the remaining three walls, fix the electrical, and fix the phone line. Total tab so far? $142. I am so very thankful to be married to a talented construction man.

When making decisions like these, it’s hard not to want to put it off until later or take the easy way out. What we constantly have to consider is: Is this going to cost more later if avoided?

My nearly $200 electric bill tells me… I should have done this two years ago.

The good news? Energy improvements, including insulation, are tax deductable. Yes!

Want more info? Go to: energystar.gov/taxcredits

Posted by Beks on September 4, 2009 at 6:59 PM in General Debt, General Personal Finance, Good Info, Home Ownership, Living Frugal, Spending Money | 9 Comments »
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Our next step…

Now that our credit card debt is gone, a reader asked what our next step is going to be.

Dave Ramsey suggests paying the extra amount on your lowest debt (which would be the student loan) but the minimum payment on our truck is more 4 times higher than the student loan. Plus, the interest rate on the truck is twice as much.

Another good reason to pay more on the truck is to quickly rid ourselves of the hefty payment. In the event of job loss, a student loan can be deferred due to financial hardship – auto loans are not nearly as forgiving.

We’re hoping to have the truck paid off in 10 months or less.

Here we go!

Posted by Beks on September 3, 2009 at 5:00 AM in Credit Cards, Debt Updates, General Debt, General Personal Finance, Loans, Reducing Debt | 21 Comments »
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Generosity…

The San Diego County Chula Vista Little League team won the Little League World Series…

But that’s not the big part of the story.

I was listening to the radio last week and the announcer spoke of the success of the fundraiser to not only pay the travel expenses of the team… but for their families as well. In this economy, where everyone is scraping nickels and pennies, residents were able to pool together well over $100,000 to be a part of a life changing event for those young boys.

The city actually STOPPED accepting money because they had MORE than they needed.

Congratulations to the Chula Vista Little League team but more importantly…

Congratulations to those who made the dreams of those boys and their families come true.

Posted by Beks on September 1, 2009 at 5:00 AM in General Personal Finance, Keeping Motivated, Kids & Money | 7 Comments »
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