“General Personal Finance” Archive

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Clothing Budget?

I’ve been unwilling to shop for new post-pregnancy pants for work. More than the money, I refuse to buy another size up. I’m afraid I’ll make those extra pounds permanent if given the opportunity. And heading into the holidays with my mother and sister’s cooking doesn’t help.

My husband keeps telling me to buy ‘just one pair’ as he sees me shivering in my knee length dresses heading to work. The other day, outside temps hit the 30′s and that night I came home and couldn’t seem to get warm. I could cave, buy a pair of pants from the little amount in the clothing budget and save myself from getting pneumonia OR I could hope the shivering would cause weight loss.

I looked at my pre-pregnancy pants hanging neatly in the closet, frustrated they’d been hanging there unused for WAY too long, and decided to try and squeeze myself into them. So, I pulled them up far more slowly than necessary (I’ve never been one of those folks who likes to rip off Band-Aids quickly), and waited for them to catch…

and they didn’t.

Guess who wore her wonderfully warm lined pre-pregnancy pants to work yesterday?

Sure, I look a little more J. Lo than J. Anniston, but the buttons close and that’s pretty much all I hoped for anyway. I think I heard my clothing budget cheering louder than me.

Posted by Beks on December 16, 2011 at 5:00 AM in General Personal Finance | 4 Comments »
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No Food, No Cash, and No Active Accounts…

Even though we promised not to, my husband occasionally surprises me with a gift on our anniversary. He’ll usually save a small amount of cash from his second job and buy something really thoughtful and sweet. This year, he purchased something but was unable to pay cash for it since it was out of state. He didn’t want me to see where the gift was coming from so he went to Western Union and put it on our debit card.

What he didn’t know? Transactions from Western Union automatically shut down our account for possible fraudulent activity – even though the charge was less than $100. No charges, no cash out, AND no online access. I didn’t know why the account was shut down and I couldn’t check the transactions online.

Being the naturally calm, level-headed person I am, I called my hubby to tell him our identities were stolen, we were destined for a life of poverty because of a thief, we wouldn’t be able to buy food for weeks, and we’ll die from slow starvation.

Accustomed to my overreacting downward spirals, he hung up on me, called the bank, and had the whole thing sorted out in less than 5 minutes. BUT, it would take them 24 hours to turn the cards back on and enable online access. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal but since this week is payday, our cash grocery fund has about 12 cents and the fridge is empty.

Dinner tonight? Pita bread and tomato soup. Breakfast tomorrow? Pita bread and tomato soup. Lunch tomorrow? Pita bread and tomato soup.

It’s going to be a long 24 hours.

Lesson learned? No more Western Union.

Posted by Beks on October 22, 2011 at 5:00 AM in General Personal Finance | 8 Comments »
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Goodbye Shocking Cell Phone Bills?

According to a USA Today article, within the next year and a half, you’ll be notified before you exceed the voice, text, or data limits on your cell phone. Apparently, enough folks had an ‘oops’ bill high enough to buy a small car and complained to the FCC.

I’ve never had a bill with over the limit usage (I always check my usage online) but it might be nice for the folks who don’t suffer from OCD like I do. *wink*

Is the over the limit problem that bad? Have any of you had a whammy of a cell phone bill?

Posted by Beks on October 20, 2011 at 5:00 AM in General Personal Finance | 13 Comments »
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B of A Strikes YOU this time…

It’s bad enough that B of A has a nasty reputation with mortgages, now they are earning an all new rotten reputation with non-mortgage customers by adding a $5 debit card charge. These charges were created to make up for the federal regulations placed on banks earlier in the year.

Bank of America’s stock dropped after this announcement.

Heck the 3 month overall shot of their stock looks pretty bad.

I’m not a B of A customer… but if I were, I wouldn’t be for long.

Read a good article about it here: http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/bac

Posted by Beks on October 6, 2011 at 12:00 PM in General Personal Finance | 9 Comments »
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Layaway Comes Back…

I was listening to talk radio the other day when the host shared Wal-Mart’s latest decision to offer layaway this holiday season. Wal-Mart had ended the program five years ago due to low usage but reopened the program this year because of requests from consumers trying to avoid using credit cards. I’m not a fan of layaway personally. I’d rather save the money myself and save the $10 fee for the program BUT, if it came down to credit cards or layaway – layaway would win every time.

A few stores offering layaway this holiday season:

Sears, Kmart, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Best Buy, Toys ‘R’ Us and ELayaway

Check out this article and decide for yourself if layaway is right for you:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/12/earlyshow/living/money/main20104801.shtml

I don’t have to worry about layaway this year since hubby and I won’t be purchasing gifts but have any of you done layaway? How’d you like it?

Posted by Beks on September 22, 2011 at 5:00 AM in General Personal Finance, Spending Money | 17 Comments »
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Boredom is Expensive…

For years, I’ve thought staying home with kids is easy. You can plan meals, cut coupons, and have time to shop for deals.

My reason for thinking this?

My sisters have made it look like a cake walk.

The problem?

I’m realizing, being married and childless while working a ton is WAY easier when it comes to finances. I didn’t have time to spend money. Don’t get me wrong. I am absolutely enjoying every single moment off work with my son but… I need to get out. And ‘getting out’, especially in the heat when I can’t go walk at a park, means walking in an enclosed shopping mall. Fortunately I’m still carrying 9 extra pounds (ugh) and I refuse to buy clothing at a size I don’t plan on staying, but I could see the whole ‘stay at home mom’ idea being very dangerous for my finances.

For those who have stay at home parenting down pat…

what on earth do you do when it’s too hot or too cold for free outdoor activities?

Posted by Beks on August 16, 2011 at 4:00 PM in General Debt, General Personal Finance | 10 Comments »
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Are the rich bad people?

According to an MSN article, rich folks aren’t good. They are ‘less empathetic, less altruistic, and generally more selfish.’

Really?

I was floored by the statement, ‘They think that economic success and political outcomes, and personal outcomes, have to do with individual behavior, a good work ethic.’

Call me crazy but… I agree. I don’t want to talk about politics or government but I do believe that individual behaviors (like frugality, a good moral compass, and a hard work ethic) have A LOT to do with personal and economic success.

But then again, I guess I’m an optimist.

Read the article. Agree? Or Not?

Posted by Beks on August 10, 2011 at 8:04 PM in General Personal Finance | 17 Comments »
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