Updates

At the end of June I was just shy of $30,000 in my retirement accounts.  Just a few weeks ago, I finally hit $31,000 in my retirement account. Now, at the end of August, I have over $33,000 in my account.  Again, huge surprise, I was contemplating buying some additional shares of VTI and I logged into my account to see how much I paid last time and boom! My balance was over $33,000!

There has been no update on the new work my boss was looking to get.  Still keeping my fingers crossed that he gets it, only because then I can negotiate for a raise.  I would love to get my salary into the $90,000s.  I would really love to negotiate a raise between $5,000- $10,000.  Most lawyers are not as highly paid as people think.  I am hoping to transition into an in house counsel positions, eventually.   I think after all this time, I am tired of litigation. 

I did manage to settle that case that was worrying me.  However, I have a trial scheduled for the end of the year that is worrying me.   I have a few pending motions and I am hopeful that at least one win will take the wind out of the Plaintiff's sails.  Otherwise it is trial preparation over the upcoming holidays.

Payday, for me, is Friday!! I will put a payment in for the mortgage payment today.   Maybe we will get Labor Day bonuses, we have gotten them a few times in the past.   They are usually $100 or so.  If we did get them, I'm uncertain as to where I would put the money??? I definitely need to think about that.  More likely than not, we won't get a bonus.   

I also have some outstanding travel reimbursements about $900 total, but I think about $300 should be paid out to me this week (hopefully).  Some of that money will go towards car repair ($50), some towards my travel (work) fund and maybe a little towards retirement ($50). 

I have not made a charitable donation this month, I will have to see if I have the money to spare to do that.  Maybe I can use some of that travel reimbursement money for giving this month???


Labor day is almost here and I am looking towards my 3 day weekend!  I plan to work on the blog, read some books, exercise, hang out with family and relax.  Do you have any big Labor day plans? 

Epiphany

I had an epiphany the other day about work (i actually had 2, but will only write about one for today's post).  My boss likes to incite controversy.  He deliberately takes jabs at his assistant and uses me as the stick.  Over the years that I have worked at this firm, he and his assistant have developed a very close relationship.  Uncomfortably, close.  Apparently, that is normal for him as he had the same relationship with his previous assistant.  His current assistant has stated that she feels like his girlfriend and his mother. 

For some reason, however, he likes to try to incite jealousy in his assistant.  For example,  a few weeks ago, My boss told me that we needed to talk about a comprehensive listing of defenses for each type of case that we defend.  I went ahead and prepared a memo listing everything I could think of so as to not to waste time.  I left a copy on my boss's desk for him to review.  Well, the next day he comes to talk to me about it and asks a few questions and then leave.  He then tells his assistant how wonderful I am because I, unprompted, wrote a detailed memorandum of all available defenses.  She comes in a few days later, mocking him and telling me what he said.  I told her he was lying and that he specifically wanted the information and I decided to leave a memo on his desk to avoid a several hour meeting about something so simple. 

It made me consider his motivation for lying.  Why lie about something so simple and work related? Why make me out to be something greater than I am?  That's when the lightening bolt hit me.  He did it intentionally to make her jealous.  He knows that she is jealous of me.  (She has said to me that she is jealous of me because I am younger and make more money, etc. The fact that I am a lawyer and she is an assistant apparently does not factor into the analysis?????).  He likes the drama and likes to add fuel to the fire. 

This explains a lot of his actions and comments over the years.  Who knew?  Have you ever had a epiphany like this?  Does your boss like to cause craziness in the office? 

Unplanned Expenses

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It's always something, isn't it? A few weeks ago I was driving to a mediation a couple of hours away and my tire pressure light came on and began rapidly blinking.  This happened to me once before and so I knew that it meant that the batteries in the tire pressure sensors were dead. However, last time the blinking went away on its own and I did not have to replace the sensors.

Well, I wasn't so lucky this time.  All 5 of the sensors died (yes including the one in the spare tire).  I contemplated not replacing the them because my car is 12 years old and previously, I had driven a car for years without sensors in the tires. 

The problem, for me, became the incessant blinking of the light on the dashboard.  It drove me crazy and I could not stand to look at it for hours at a time while driving around to different cities.  It's a dumb issue, I realize, but I just couldn't take it. So I coughed up $322 at the local discounted tire shop for new sensors.  Who knew they cost that much money????!!!! I did get a free used spare tire in the deal though.  My spare tire was the original that came with the car and although I had asked for the spare to be changed when I got new tires (maybe a couple of years ago), they did not change it.  The guy felt bad and said if they had a used one on the shop that fit my car, they would just give it to me for free and they did.  (I didn't care that it was used because in the 12 years I have had my car I have never used my spare.  I figure my time with this car is short and I likely will be getting a new car within 12-24 months).

Anyways, no more blinking light on the dashboard and a free used spare tire to boot!

The downside is that the expense was not planned for and I had to use money that I had hoped to put in my taxable account (for retirement) to pay for the cost.  That was definitely disappointing, but at least I was able to pay for the cost without resorting to debt.  That, in my eyes, is always an awesome outcome!!

Another Retirement Update

Wednesday was payday and I was able to put $1,418 towards my retirement contribution goals for the year!  My goal for the year was to contribute $10,500 towards retirement this year.  I only have $1,382 left to contribute in 2018.  I should be able to finish this off in September (fingers crossed that Murphy does not pay me a visit).




In case you were wondering (and I would because I am a nerd ), I have been tracking my retirement contributions for the year.  They are as follows:

1/15/18    $1,390
2/15/18    $610
3/15/18    $1,270
4/16/18    $765
4/27/18    $55
5/11/18    $55
5/15/18    $1,355
6/15/18    $1,000
7/1/18      $100
7/12/18    $25
7/16/18    $1,000
7/25/18    $25
7/30/18    $50
8/15/18  $1,418

I have already been thinking about how much I should contribute to retirement for next year.  I can't decide if I want to do $11,000 or $11,500.  I'm leaning towards $11,500 because well... more is better.  $10,500 is a little over 15% of my take home pay, but I really want to get to 15% of my gross pay which is around $13,000.

What percentage of your take home pay or gross pay do you contribute to retirement?

Retirement!

Just another quick post this morning.  I just happened to login and check my retirement account to make sure that a transfer that I initiated at the end of July fully processed.  I was so surprised to find that the total balance was over $31,000.  Just last month (on 7/20) I was celebrating the fact that I finally reached $30,000.  I know these numbers will continue to ebb and fall, but I love surprises like this. 

Also, just in case you did not know, Dave Ramsey is hosting a contest on his website for two people to win $5,500.  Just the amount needed to max out your Roth (if under 50 years old). I entered because I love free money!!

Ally Raised Its Rates Again!

Ally just raised its rates to 1.8%!! I opened my online savings account in June of 2018 and the rate was 1.65% A day or 2 later Ally raised the rate to 1.75%.  Now less than 2 months later Ally has raised rates again to 1.8%.  I am totally a fan at this point!

This is not a sponsored post.

This and That

I realized, in June, that I have been averaging a $1,100 a month contribution to my retirement accounts. Towards the end of July, I was $50 short of making that goal for the month. I was really disappointed that I was not going to meet or exceed my new informal goal.  However, on the last day of the month, I received a travel reimbursement and I put $50 of that into my retirement fund.  Goal met!!! I love the little good things like that.

Over the last few months I had been noticing an occasional squealing sound in my car.  I was worried about what else could be going wrong in my now 12 year old car.  Last weekend I washed out my car and cleaned the inside.  I also went for a drive with my mother, opening the vents on the passenger side of the car.  Low and behold, the sound stopped!! #moneysaved

I've made some progress on a case I have been working on at work.  Very bad facts for my client.  The case is difficult and stressful, but I think we are edging closer to a settlement. Hopefully soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me and think good thoughts.   

I think I've made a decision to throw leftover money (budgeted money that I don't spend) into my emergency fund.  It never hurts to have extra money on hand.  Also, there has been talk of an impending recession from the talking heads.  I don't want to get caught off guard. 

I have been thinking about how I can increase my income and what I can do to help myself in case of job loss.  I have started saving up for a rental property.  Just little bits of found money here and there.  I have not fully committed to the idea, but being single means I need diversified income streams.  I think it's a good option for me to consider.  I'm thinking I'll save for about 5 years and see where I am. 

Make some money and meet those goals today. 

That's all for today, friends.