Back to posting....bonus money

There has been a lot going on with my family this year. Hopefully things have settled down for a while now.

I need to review all of my bills this month. I have had several unexpected expenses in the past month from travel and a family member that needed to borrow some money. Even though I am really trying to reduce my own expenses, I would not have felt good about not helping this person...even if I never get the money back.

I did get a bonus at the end of January and was able to pay one of my credit cards and a personal line of credit in full. Now I only have four credit cards to work on. I will get a tax refund this year so that will go to pay most of one of the cards.

I am going to make adjustments to my tax withholding after I figure out my taxes for this year. I did not make any changes last year because I sold a rental house and was afraid that I would owe. More on that after I finish TurboTax this weekend!

Family illness

Sorry that I haven't been able to post lately. My mom has been ill and I had to travel home to Iowa. My brothers came home too.

My mom has decided not to have treatment for kidney failure. She should be on dialysis. I needed to take the twins up to see her while she still feels well enough to enjoy them.

It is hard to see someone and know that it may be the last time that you see them alive. I wish that she would change her mind about getting treatment...but then...when I am older I hope that everyone respects the decisions that I make about my own health.

Pantry meals

I am going to try to avoid the grocery store this week. I will have to stop and get a gallon of milk for the twins but that is really all that I need. I have plenty of food in my freezer and pantry to make meals for a couple of weeks.

Even though I have been trying to watch how much I spend on groceries that past few months, I still throw away too much food. One thing that will help is freezing leftovers right away. I usually keep them in the refrigerator with the intention of taking lunch to work...but then I never eat the leftovers.

This will help me get acquainted with the food that I have in the pantry too. Sometimes I buy things at the grocery store because I think that I need them...then find out that I have 3 of the item already!

Starting on 2007 goals

I am just starting to put my 2007 goals together. Here are some of them...I will have a follow up post with the rest.....

1. Do goals quarterly...that is easier for me to manage than a whole 12 months of goals

2. Make enough money each month working my second job to cover one week of daycare and groceries. (By the end of March I would like to be able to list another bill under my second job's income...maybe gas and repairs for my car.)

3. Increase my income from my second job every month.

4. Begin studying for professional certification (PMP exam).

5. Do my budget once I find out how much my take home pay will be from my primary job. I made a lot of changes (insurance, FSA and a raise) so I am not entirely sure how much will be in my check.

6. Take a week of vacation and visit my Mom before the end of March.

7. Start an emergency fund.

8. Repaint the guest bathroom in the house.

Christmas traditions

I am so glad that Christmas is over! The twins got so much great stuff that I put some of it away for later. They opened some presents though.

I really need to decide the Christmas traditions that I would like to observe with them as they are growing up. I don't want Christmas to be about the things that they get. I want it to be about the time that we spend together.

Great friends and family

I have great friends and family. Lots of people have really helped me out over this holiday season. The babies are going to get great gifts including some savings bonds (thanks Brad and Carrie). My neighbor is having us over for Christmas dinner. She is a great cook (she brings us dinner occasionally).

Thanks everyone! I love and appreciate all of you.

Promotion and raise

It is that time of year at my job...annual reviews, raises, promotions, bonuses...

I got a promotion and a raise which will really help after the beginning of the year. As I said in my previous post, one of my goals in 2007 is to get to the point that I don't rely on any money from Mike to support the babies or pay the bills, including daycare. I am so close...

Here is what I am doing in 2007 to make that feasible.

Changing my dividend election so that I get checks instead of reinvesting in my 401k. I will change that back as soon as possible because reinvesting is better for long term.

Obtain professional certification so that I can potentially qualify for another raise / promotion in 6-12 months. I am a project manager so I need PMP certification.

Work my second job so that I make up any shortfalls during the month.

Maximize my daycare flexible spending account. This has already been set up so that I contribute the maximum ($5000) on a pre-tax basis.

Post at least 4 links to my website per week and start advertising. It should be ready to go by Jan 2nd. My target is to make $1000 in pre-tax income per month by the end of the year from my website. I will post the link here so that you can all take a look and give me feedback a couple of days before it is up and running.

Pay my bills so that I get the most out of my paycheck. For instance, I have a 401k loan that is almost paid off. I would prefer to pay off a credit card with my bonus but I will pay my 401k loan instead because my minimum payment is $50 vs. the $250 that will be freed up by paying off the 401k loan.

Review my budgeted vs. actual expenses on a monthly basis. Adjust my budget accordingly...

Happy Holidays from the ex

Wow, happy holidays..my ex is being a jerk.

I took the babies to see his Mom and Dad at the beginning of the month. His Mom has cancer and I wanted to take them while she is still feeling well enough to enjoy the visit. My ex did not want me to take them to see his parents so he has stopped paying child support. I really hate being jerked around about money. I knew that he would do something crappy but stealing from the babies is really crappy!

One of my financial goals next year is to get to the point that I don't need child support (financially) and all of the money is going to the babies future. I am so close but right now it is financially painful when he does this.

Guess I shouldn't be surprised. He didn't see them or get them anything for their first birthday...I assume Christmas will be the same. Happy Holidays from him! Thank God the babies are too young to realize that he is acting this way. I really hope that it gets better with time.