Struggling to be debt free

I was so shocked that I got an interview  because I have no experience in the areas of law that the firm practices in.  I just figured I would apply for the sake of applying and take any lack of interest as either a mistake on my resume or my lack of experience in the area.  I just needed to test out my new updated resume.  Well the new resume worked, my interview was yesterday afternoon and I think it went ok.  My interviewer was late and we did the interview in a big open conference room.  (Very nice office-by the way).  He did not have any materials with him because he was late-but I had prepared a packet for him to review and gave it to him upon his arrival.  He was nice, funny, friendly, but seemed a bit distracted. The interview was fairly short-not more than 25 minutes.  I think I did most of the talking and asking questions, honestly.  I really felt like I was interviewing him.  I like the model of the firm- everyone get...

Thank you everyone for all of your positive thoughts.  My interview is this afternoon so I will try to fill you all in on how it goes when I get home this evening!  Wish me luck!

My boss and I spoke briefly on Monday and I reiterated that I was still unhappy.  I told him since our last conversation nothing had changed.  He didn't do anything to implement my idea for a new division after stating that he would, he continued to be absent from the office, he continued to drop assignments on me on the due date, he continued to argue with me about projects (rather than working with me or having a productive conversation), etc.  He has a very bad habit of attacking people in a conversation, rather than simply asking questions.  This behavior is applied equally office-wide to every employee.  He acknowledged the behavior, but nothing more.  Indicative of his lack of change is an argument we had on Tuesday wherein he accused me of doing something wrong, he was very condescending in his comments.  I told him it was right and that it was a basic element of Florida law that he should know (I've only been practicing 9.5 years and all)....

Utilities $220 Groceries $100 Christmas $1,700 Spending $204 Savings $90 Gas $100 I'm trying to buy a few nice gifts for the family this year because I haven't been able to buy much this year due to all the dental work I had to pay for.  Looking at my debt, my small student loan is at around $3,700.  I know it's a bit early to discuss goals for 2015 but I am really going to focus on getting that loan paid off by the end of April 2015. 

I just submitted my resume and cover letter for the recent job that posted.  I am excited, because even if I don't get an interview (and believe me the job market here is tight) I feel like I am doing something to achieve my goal. Also, I like submitting resumes because, if I don't get interviews, that serves as a flag to me that maybe I need to change something on my resume or that maybe there is a typo that I missed. We are not getting Christmas bonuses this year (surprise, surprise) and that's a little disappointing, but it was never expected. After, I spoke with my boss a few months ago ( I think in October) he mentioned the possibility of a raise.  Nothing has materialized. The lack of a raise and now confirmation that we are not getting Christmas bonuses is telling.  My last raise was 2 years ago, the only raise that I have received at this firm (I have been here 3.5 years).  As I have stated previously my boss' secretary has received numerous raises in her ...

A rare December job opening posted in my area!  I decided on Sunday, that I would only look for jobs on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays-just to limit the amount of time that I spent looking for jobs. However, just out of the blue this morning I got up to exercise and I picked up my phone to set the stopwatch and I had an email from one of those job sites- you know, the ones where you can set your preferences and it sends emails of jobs that meet your preferences.  Again, this is not a job that I am super qualified for, but I am going to apply anyways. One- I hope they take a chance on me and give me an interview, Two-I need to send out my revised resume and see how it is received by potential employers, Three- I just feel the need to try! Wish me luck!

Okay, I couldn't wait!  Here are the figures for my student loan debt for 2014. Amount paid to student loan: $5,524.74 Amount Paid to principal: $4,753.79 Amount Paid to Interest: $770.95 Note: I will likely make one more payment on these loans on December 31, 2014. That amount should be included in these totals, but I'm a nerd and I wanted to see the final figures. Frankly, these numbers are disappointing. However, when compared to the figures that would have resulted had I only made the minimums the numbers are great.  See below for the totals if I had only paid the minimums. Amount that would have been paid toward student loans: $2,428.44 Amount that would have been paid toward principal: $1,500.00 Amount that would have been paid toward interest: $928.44 Note: these figures are loose approximations.  I did not actually go through and do the necessary calculations to figure out the exact numbers. 

This month I only was able to put $250 on my student loans.  That sucks, as I really wanted to pay down my student loans down significantly this year so that next year I could pay them off easily.  Well, that did not happen. However, I did get my big student loan down under $20,000!! Just barely, but that's okay.  I'll take what I can get.  I will have one more payment to make on December 31, 2014 so I will do my final totals then with regard to how much I paid off on my students loans this year.  I have updated my resume to reflect some articles that I wrote for an internet publication.  I also am trying to figure to how to include my new "so-called" position as the managing attorney of the division of the law firm that I suggested opening.   My boss says it's not new- we have always done the work-we will just promote it more.  Again, thus far, nothing has happened.  So, I am getting my resume together so I can start looking for new jobs i...

I know it's early, but I am starting to feel a bit of stress about the upcoming Christmas Holiday.  I did not do any preparation, as far as saving in advance,  although I did write Christmas gifts into my December budget (You will see it in my December 16-31 budget).  I plan to do most of my Christmas shopping online so I need to start ordering things now in order to avoid delays and other timing mishaps.  I would prefer to wait until my December 15th pay day to start ordering things, but I think I'm going to have to start now.  That bothers me only because the law firm I work for (as I have discussed numerous times) does not have its sh*t together, so I never know what kind of craziness to expect come pay day.  I have also started thinking about getting my taxes together for next year.  I'm so stressed out.  I have all of these medical expenses to track down and add up.  I have most of them in a folder, but I also need to find out the cost...

$1,447 mortgage $250 student loan $60 pet plan $80 groceries $227 spending $100 gas $250 dental fund This is going to be a tight month because of Christmas.  I will be setting aside a significant portion of my December 15 paycheck to cover Christmas expenses.  Last year I saved over $600 specifically for Christmas, but I was not able to do that this year due to all of the medical expenses I have incurred.  I'm still feeling a little down, but I have adopted a new attitude which prohibits me from focusing on the bad things at work.  So far it has worked, in that I have been able to redirect my thoughts whenever I start thinking of things that make me upset.  I will write a post on it later and let you know how it goes. 

I'm feeling a bit depressed.  I'm extremely unhappy at work and now, after a long weekend, I have to return to this job.  I also feel a bit nauseous this evening-maybe too much turkey?  A guy that I have known for years and years and had somewhat of an on and off relationship hasn't contacted for me almost 2months.  I thought for sure that I would get a "Happy Thanksgiving" text, but I got nothing.  I didn't send him one either.  He lives out of town and travels quite a bit for work.  I have only seen him once this year.  I think the relationship may be permanently off this time.  If not at his insistence, then at mine.  Anyways, so all of that makes for  a cocktail of mild depression.  I realize I need to stop complaining and do something about the negativity. I have been at this job for 3.5 and I have only gotten 1 raise.  I do the majority of the attorney level work in the office.  My boss has not been in the off...

I had my dental implant surgery on Monday and everything went very well.  It's weird, I don't have any pain.  Just a very little bit of tenderness, you would think having someone drill into your jawbone would cause some major discomfort. Still trying to figure out how to pay for the remaining balance of the surgery that is currently sitting on my credit card.  I will likely just pull it out of my emergency fund and then work feverishly on replacing my emergency fund money.  I hate to do that, but I can't stand the thought of being in additional debt or paying interest to the credit card company. I'm still very unhappy at work.  I want to find a new job, but I hate the idea of moving to another soul crushing job for a higher salary.  I have been considering opening my own law firm.  I definitely don't have any money to do anything anytime soon, but the gears are turning.  It makes the idea of taking a higher paying salary at yet another soul crus...

So it's Monday morning and I am dreading going to work.  I hate this feeling and I don't know how to shake it.  All of the negative thoughts I have about my employer creep into my head and it just makes Monday morning so much more cruel.  Anyways, I guess I will go get dressed, head into work and face the day. 

Budget November 15-30 $190 utilities $100 groceries $650 NovemberVacation $860 dental fund $300 Thanksgiving $214 spending $100 gas I went out of town over the Veteran's day weekend and had a great time.  I spent just about my entire $650 budget. Dental work is so expensive! I just paid for the dental implant surgery for 2 teeth which totaled over $5,500 for both implants and the anesthesia.  I will have the surgery later this month.  I will do a post detailing all of the dental/medical costs I have paid for this year.  My poor memory can recall the following, just off the top of my head: $5,500 (approximately) dental implant surgery $1100 root canal $2000 2 crowns over $2000 for 6 extractions (4 wisdom teeth and 2 others) plus the cost of cleanings and miscellaneous.  I have to try and pull all of my resources to find enough cash to cover the cost of the dental implants.  I only had about $2500 in my dental fund.  I will not pay any ...

I have officially paid my student loan debt down to under $24,000! I owe approximately $23,870.39 on my student loans (this number is good through November 15, 2014).  I owe $20,080.42 on my large student loan and $3789.97 on my small student loan.  I wonder if I will be able to get the loans down under $23,000 by the end of the year?  I guess that will be my next goal, it seems $1000 increments are my targets for paying down these last student loans.  I really want the small student loan completely paid off by early next year.  Budget for November 1-15 $1,447 mortgage $400 student loan $60 pet plan (3 cats) $80 groceries $227 spending $100 gas $100 savings I'm very fortunate to be able to split the regular household expenses with my sister.  So that's why there is no cell phone, cable, internet or car insurance payments listed on my budgets.  Anyways, that's how the money fell out for my October 31 paycheck!

I had a very long talk with my boss last Friday evening about my unhappiness working for the firm.  This was a hard conversation for me to have with him.  I, essentially, asked him what could the firm offer me in terms of a long term future.  Also, asked him what could I do to assist the firm in becoming a major player and expanding our market.  He did not have any answers for me, but he did say that he would look into it. Whatever that means.  He lied quite a bit during the conversation.  I only called him on one of the lies.  I assume that he does not realize that the employees talk with each other and, of course, share information.  I felt a bit dissatisfied after the very long and exhausting talk.  It appears that he has no plan for the future of the firm or the future of the employees.  I asked him specifically what he saw my role as in the future and he could not articulate anything to me.  A few good things came out of this...

Here's where the money went: $260 utilities $100 groceries $1000 dental fund $640 student loan $100 savings $214 spending $100 gas That's it, my paycheck very quickly and precisely spent in a short list. As noted above, I paid $640 to my student loan.  So now, the grand total owed on my student loans is $24,242.53.  I owe $20,207.53 (which includes the interest which will accrue through the end of the month) on my larger student loan.  I now owe approximately $4,035 on the smaller student loan.  If everything goes according to plan I should be able to get these two student loans under $24,000 by the end of the year! My dental fund has about $3,484.27 left in it, this will go down by about $1,000 when I have the next crown placed at the end of the month. My online savings account is up to $2,123.73.  Last month I earned $1.08 in interest.  Hello- passive income! I have earned $3.73 so far this year. 

I am finally owe less than $25,000 on my student loan debt!! The outstanding balance on the larger loan is $20, 180.56.  The outstanding balance on the smaller loan is $4,669.13.  The grand total is...$24,849.69!!! I am sooo excited. Picture me spinning in circles until I am so dizzy I can't stand up straight!!  Everyone celebrate with me! When I started this blog (earlier this year) I owed over $28,000 on these loans. Of course, this makes the next goal to get the loans under $20,000. I would really like to meet that goal by the end of the year, but I don't think that is possible.  I am trying to cash flow all of the dental work that still has to be done so that is taking a large portion of my disposable income.  I just paid over $1,300 for a crown and some other cosmetic things (smoothing down a chip in my front teeth), but hopefully the dental work will be done by early next year so I can focus on paying down the student loan debt with a vengeance.

I've been a bit busy lately so I haven't had much time to post. I have found 2 jobs that I need to apply for, but I have not had time to apply for them.  I will try to get those applications done tonight.  My small student loan is now paid up through March of 2019! I'm so excited because I am finally seeing progress. The balance has fallen into the $4000's, every time it drops into the next $1000 range I get ecstatic.   (This loan was originally over $9,000 and spread over a 25 year payment plan).  I love the fact that the extra payments are applied to principal and the payment date is advanced.  My sister and I are planning to take a little road trip in November, just a couple of hours away, so it will be nice to get away for awhile. 

There are no new jobs that have been advertised in my area.  It's frustrating, but it is not the hiring season for senior associates in this area.  Most attorneys will hold on through the Christmas break and the new year to get paid their of end of the year bonuses.  If we get end of the year bonuses this year, mine will be about $2,500, so it's probably in my best interest to wait and see. On a good note, I had an incidental conversation with my boss where I told him directly, that I was unhappy working there.  I, unfortunately, did not have time to have a full conversation with him about why, but suffice it to say that he is aware that I am dissatisfied. I hope that we can continue the conversation and it is my intention to get a list together of my concerns sometime this weekend and discuss with him possible solutions sometime next week.  (Number one on my list will be a raise, by the way!) I hate having to do this, quite frankly, I feel it will be an awkwa...

I have not heard anything back about the corporate position I applied for a few days ago.  Again, I doubt that I will.  No new jobs have been posted. I think I will be writing a blog post about my feelings about leaving and my compulsive need to try and save failing things (relationships included).  Otherwise,there is nothing else to report on the new job search front. On to the student loan update!  As of today, between the 2 outstanding loans, I owe $25,966.01.   The big loan, as of today, totals $20,399.30.  The small loan totals, $5,566.71.  The small loan is paid up until December 16, 2016.  I put all of my extra payments on this small loan.  The loans originally totaled $43,101, they are on a 25 YEAR repayment plan and I have been paying on these loans for almost 9 years (the interest rate is 2.875%).  My goal is to have the loans paid off by the end of NEXT year and finally be DEBT FREE!! I have a feeling I might not make t...

I did it.  I applied for a new job, it's a corporate position. It would be mostly contract review and regulatory compliance issues...boring, however, I would like to gain some corporate experience.  I don't really qualify for the job, but I thought I would give it a shot. There aren't many attorney positions being advertised right now as this is kind of a small town.  Typically, most senior attorney/associate positions are advertised in the early part of the year in this area.  I am hopeful that I will have a new job by next spring, but I don't have any high expectations.  I feel good about taking a step towards getting out of this firm, I really feel like I am being taken advantage at this point.  I am of the opinion that most jobs are generally the same anywhere you go and there will always be something that is unsatisfying about any position.  Nevertheless, I feel like I should be unsatisfied and taken advantage of at a different place for more mone...

I just wanted to announce that I found the $20 bill that I thought that I lost a few weeks ago!  I did put the bill in my purse, in my wallet even.  However, I did not put the bill in the usual place where I keep my money, I somehow managed to put the bill securely in the pages of my checkbook!  So, of course, in my haste to look for the bill I did not see it tucked so deeply in the pages of my checkbook.  The other day driving home from a deposition my wallet was open on the seat next to me and the $20 was peeking out at me. Score!

How are things going for you guys financially?  Things are slow going here,which is driving me so absolutely crazy.  As things stand today I owe: $220 on my capital one card.  This is for continued dental payments ($188 consultation fee with yet another oral surgeon) and the monthly fee for my home security system.  This card is essentially paid off monthly.  It is a 0% card until December of 2014.  Approximately $26,090 worth of student loans (this is broken down into 2 separate student loans (1)$20,387 and (2)$5,703- I hope that math is right??) This includes the interest that will accrue for the next 2 weeks until I make another payment.  My monetary assets include: $10,006 in emergency savings $1,421 in an interest bearing savings account $1,650 in a dental fund (this is just money saved up in my checking account, which is specifically set aside for dental work). I put $1,500 a month aside for dental work.  This is killing me becau...

Over the last few weeks my boss has had a poor attitude directed towards me.  Through email and during telephone calls my boss has spoken to me sharply, was curt and utilized a negative tone.   As with any employee, I had become increasingly frustrated, upset and worried about my employment.  I waited and waited for him to come into the office so that I could speak to him in person about the problem.  As noted in my previous post, he did not come into the office for 3 weeks.  I finally got to the point where I could no longer deal with the frustration.  I was lashing out at him as harshly as he was lashing out at me and, of course, it left me feeling even more miserable.  Finally, I sent him an email and I told him that I needed to talk to him and to call me when he had some free time.  The next day he did.  I asked him if he was having a problem with me and he denied it.  I expressed to him that he had been very negative towards me...

Today I cashed out my cash back rewards on my Capital One Quicksilver, well only $100 worth.  I decided to do this so I could get the emergency fund in my checking account up to an even $10,000.  The remainder of the cash will fund the initial amount needed to start a travel fund.  The travel fund will be used to cash flow my travel for work without cutting into my monthly budget.  For example, I have to travel at the beginning of August to a town about 2.5 hours away by car I will use the cash from travel fund for the cost of gas back and forth.  It will cost me about $70 out of pocket for the travel.  Once I get the travel voucher reimbursed, probably not until October or November, I will deposit it into the travel account for the next trip.  I think I will try to keep the travel fund around $500, any reimbursed money over that amount I will add to savings or pay down on my student loan.  By way of an aside, I have to rant about the travel vou...

I lost $20 yesterday.  I am such an idiot and I am so irritated, I can't stand myself.  Yesterday morning my sister asked me to stop by the store and pick up a few things and she handed me a $20 bill.  I have no real recollection of the $20 bill after that.  I think I put it in my purse, but I'm not really sure.  At any rate, I can't find it now.  I don't typically carry cash on me and I guess this is good reason not to.  I have looked in my car and in my purse, but can't find it anywhere.  It probably fell out somewhere at the store.  I just wanted to share my frustration with the world.  Oh, as an aside, does anyone else read blogging away debt?  Today it was announced on the website that blogger, Jim, would no longer be writing for the site.  I never liked Jim as a blogger, but this week I was really happy to see his post on eating from the pantry.  I thought the post was was pretty well written for Jim and was excite...

Hooray!  On Friday we received a little over $100 a piece for our Obamacare health insurance rebate.  The firm waived it's portion as did the partners so all employees who participate in the firm insurance plan received a small check.  I'm really feeling the money crunch right now (I need to blog about the dental fiasco I have been experiencing) so I was so excited to receive this unexpected windfall.  It will go straight into my emergency fund.  I really want to get the emergency fund up to $10,000 and leave it there.  Right now it's around $9600 dollars.  I can't recall the exact amount as I sit here and type, it may be on my debt page.  Anyways, just wanted to share the good news!

I'm still quite confused about what to do about my employment situation. Things at work are pretty much the same. My boss continues to not come into work and his assistant does the same.  It has created a morale problem for me. I'm miserable and apathetic and I hate it.  It appears that my boss' assistant takes off at least 1 day every two weeks.  She also has taken off several weeks of sick time this year alone.  Additionally, she has already taken her 2 weeks of vacation time.  She will be taking more vacation time this year, I have no doubt.  I can't say anything to my boss. Believe me anything I say to him will get repeated back to his assistant!  She also monitors his email so there's no relief there. The other problem is his assistant is continually failing at her job.  I guess because she's not in the office often enough to ensure that things are being done properly. My boss complains about her (sometimes), but quite honestly, he complain...

Here are the numbers: $1,447 mortgage $300 student loan $70 cat insurance $70 groceries $227 spending $100 gas $200 savings

So in my journey to be debt free I have looked around me to try and learn lessons from others.  One person that I have learned a financial lesson from is a coworker of mine.  She is about three years older than me and has worked at the firm about 6 months longer than I.  She is the one that I have complained about in previous posts about not coming to work.  This is her story.  Prior to coming to work at this law firm she worked as a legal secretary for another law firm.  She worked there for around 5 years and made around $50,000 a year.  She also received huge bonuses, one at least $15,000 due to a huge settlement in a case.  She squandered all of her money and bonuses. She spent the entire $15,000 on wedding preparations.  She bought a new SUV (with payments) while her husband still owed money on his truck.   She bought just about every  $50 wii game that you can think of and then never played them.  She ran up huge ...

So this one is a little late.  What can I say, I've been busy, recovering from my teeth extraction and quite a bit lazy.  Anyways, here is where the money went: $190 utilities $100 groceries $1500 dental work $180 student loan $100 savings $244 spending $100 gas Geez, it all goes so quickly.  I think I need to step down my free spending money, it's almost $500 a month I let myself fritter away. Oh, I called a new dentist office to get an appointment to have a crown placed.  They are already getting on my nerves.  I had to speak to 2 people just to get an appointment.  Seriously? Just schedule the appointment.  I don't understand people. Why is life so annoying and complicated sometimes?  

I need to set some goals for the end of the year so I have something to aim for.  Here's the list: 1. Continue to cash flow all of the dental work 2. Pay down at least $2000 more on my student loans by the end of the year. 3. Get my emergency fund up to $10,000 by the end of the year. 4. Get my online savings account up to $2,500 by the end of the year. 5. Get all of the dental work done this year so hopefully I can take a deduction on my taxes. 6. Talk to my boss about my future at the firm and a raise. 

It's already the middle of 2014.  Where has this year gone? I am so amazed how quickly it has passed. The older you are the quicker Christmas comes and each year passes. I figured it was about time that I gave you guys an update on the finances so far this year.  Here goes. Student loan- In January I owed approximately $28,853.00 on the loan.  Currently I owe $26.718, which amounts to a $2134.50 payoff so far this year. This loan is actually 2 loans through the same provider.  The little loan, around $6,000, is actually paid up through December of 2015.  The payment date has been advanced, but the entire payment has been applied to the principal.  Geez, I was hoping for so much better. Savings account- I have approximately $9,700 in my emergency fund.  I have $920 in my online savings account. This month I have earned $0.35  in interest, so far.  I have approximately $106 in rewards for my credit card (Capital one Quicksilver). (I also ...

$1,447 mortgage $300 student loan $70 groceries $70 pet plan $100 gas $227 spending $200 savings That brings the total in my high yield savings account to $820.15.  So far this month I have earned $0.31 in interest in my high yield savings account!  I love to see that free money rolling in.  I do realize that it's only $0.31, but that's $0.31 that I did not have work for.  I hope to keep adding to this account and get a really nice nest egg going. I would love to get to the point where I am earning $1.00 or more a month, but that will take a few thousand dollars.  However, things at the job are not looking too great right now.  I will fill you in later on that.

$165 utilities $100 groceries $1500 dental work $185 student loan $120 savings $244spending $100 gas There it all goes again. I keep hoping for the day when the majority of that money stays in my pocket.  On a positive note I have earned $0.19 this month so far on my online savings account!

My work situation has not improved.  It's probably gotten worse.  I am so confused about what to do at this point.  I applied for a couple of jobs and was even selected for an interview for one.  However, when the time came, I could not go through with it.  I turned down the interview.  I must be crazy, I could have negotiated a $10,000 a year pay raise.  I don't know why, but I feel I am not yet done with this place.  I have to speak with my boss and try to make this a better working environment.  The problem is I don't know how to start the conversation.  I also need the opportunity to speak with him with his secretary is not present because she hovers and doesn't like to leave anyone alone with him. I think she feels that the other staff will begin complaining about her. She leaves early a lot and doesn't come in a lot, but I really think that problem will fix itself if he comes into the office more frequently.  I'm frustrated an...

$1,447 mortgage $300 student loan (minimum payment $202.37) $70 pet insurance $227 spending money $100 gas $200 savings I have officially earned $0.15 on my online high yield savings account! Whoo hoo! That amount should double this month because, hopefully if everything stays on track, the principal in the savings account will double.

No room on this paycheck for extra payments on my student loans unfortunately.  Here's how everything fell out: $200 utilities $100 groceries $1,500 dental work $95 Continuing Legal Education $50 Mom $100 savings $269 spendings $100 gas I upped my spending because I am taking the whole last week of April off in order to use up some vacation time.  I also need to buy some flea medication for the cats so that will take up an extra bit of the available spending money.

I have a serious case of the frustrations! I haven't written because I am so frustrated with life and work in general.  I want to be debt free.  I want all of my dental work done...now.  I want to lose weight...now.  I want a wonderful good sturdy bedroom set...now.  I want my house painted professionally...now.  I want to invest tons of money...now. I want lots of things, but I can't afford anything! I have officially applied for a new job because I feel like I just cannot take my current job anymore.  It's frustrating.  My boss is a lazy, lazy piece of crap.  His secretary, although I like her personally, is just as bad.  She's not keeping up with the work...which is sad because there's not much to do.  It seems as though if I ask her to do something, she simply does not do it.  I don't know why she has taken on this attitude.  Pretty much the only time that she works is at the end of the month when she is getting our ...

So this year I started seeing a dentist that I liked very much.  He seemed nice and knowledgeable about his subject area.  I have had bad dentists in the past so I really appreciated someone who knew what he was doing.  So here comes the bad part, I went to have a crown placed a few weeks ago, but it turns out that he needs my other two teeth extracted first due to all the swelling in the gum, etc.  So he removes the temporary crown and does a buildup in preparation for the crown.  I pay, a total of $99, for the work and get my receipt which shows a $0 balance.  One week later I get a bill in the mail from the dentist for $87, it shows a charge of $170 for a buildup and $21 for an xray.  I check my receipt given the day of the service and it showed a $21 charge for an xray and $83 for the buildup.  I received an approximate 5% full payment discount. Obviously, the statement in the mail is a mistake on their behalf I call the office and explain the...

My hope was, initially, to make large (at least $1500/month) payments on my student loans throughout this year, but the dental work blew that out of the water. However, when I found out that I would be spending the majority of my disposal income this year on dental work I started making efforts to make extra payments on my last 2 (I consider it one) student loans. So despite the major blow to my debt payoff plan, I have still managed to make extra payments.  The minimum payment is $202.37/a month for both loans combined.  The larger loan (over $20,000) has a minimum payment of $150.82, the smaller loan has a minimum payment of $51.55.  I am paying $300 ($150.82 towards the big loan and $149.18 towards the small loan) at the end of each month.  Then mid-month I am making a $165 payment on the smaller loan.  The smaller loan is over $6,000 so I am using the extra payments to chip away at it so that at the end of the year only a few thousand dollars will be left....

I am ready to be done with all of the dental work. I can't seem to catch a break.  I got the root canal done at the total cost of $1,090.  I went to have the crown put on and the dentist thinks the tooth is too short.  He wants the oral surgeon to cut away some of the gum to make more room for the crown. So no crown for me yet.  My consultation with the oral surgeon is not until next month so I am in a holding pattern.  I hate waiting.  I can't seem to stop spending money.  Right know I am coveting a leaf blower so I don't have to sweep after I cut the grass. I found a cheap one for $38, trying not to spend the money though. I need to be strong. I got paid today. Here's the fall out: $1,447 mortgage $300 student loan $70 cat insurance $70 groceries $227 spending $100 gas $200 savings I am going to open a saving account with capital one 360.  Its APY is 0.75% with a $25 sign up bonus. It has no fees and no minimum balance.  It's a...

I'm feeling so frustrated. Why is life always so stressful?  I am really hating work right now. I have been coming in later than I normally do, still earlier than required, but later.  I am more apt to leave early as well.  I want a raise for putting up with all the bullshit and taking on all of the extra responsibility.  I am also frustrated because I'm paying for all of this dental work instead of paying off my student loan, so then I can buy some new furniture. Not important to buy new furniture, but I want it. I guess I just have a case of the "wants".  Also, my mom is having issues: she needs a new computer, her microwave is broken and something may be wrong with her septic tank.  I want to provide for her.  I want to pay for all of the dental work she needs, but I can barely take care of myself.  I feel like a failure and that depresses me more.  Sigh.  I need to do something to put myself in a better mood. 

I really do, but I feel like happiness evades me. My boss has been being a real pain in the ass again.  I can barely stand it.  I have searched and there are no jobs being advertised that will pay anything comparable to my current salary.  I'm so frustrated.  I told him I was frustrated with him and it has resulted in him walking on egg shells for the last week around me.  He's so childish, too bad he's in his 60s. Everything is running okay with regard to my finances, not great, but okay.  I need to pay more attention and stop spending so much on unnecessary things. Then I can put any leftover spending money on my student loans. Oh well, I will try to do better this 2 week period and hopefully something will be left. My root canal cost $990.  I have already paid that off.  I have an appointment to get the crown placed next week and it should be about $900.  I will pay off the cost of the crown on 4/15.   I am budgeting $1500 a month...

Here's the fall out: $210 utilities $100 groceries $1500 dental work $165 extra payment on student loan $100 savings $239 spending $100 gas I received a travel voucher  reimbursement of $135 which I added to my slush fund.  Of course, when I tried to start the lawn mower on Friday it wouldn't start so I had to take it into the shop.  It was approximately $110 to fix, $72 of which was labor.  I plan to purchase some materials on small engine repair and tinker on the old lawn mower that my mother gave me. Gosh darn it I am going to learn to fix this stuff on my own! Anyways, most of the travel voucher reimbursement was eaten up by the lawn mower repair. At least I'm basically breaking even.

Okay, I know this is about a week late, but here's the repayment/budget update.  I was paid last Friday here's the break down of the budget. $1,447 mortgage $300 student loan/minimum payment is $202.37 $70 pet insurance $70 groceries $227 spending $100 gas $200 savings That's all there is folks.  My salary for two weeks completely spread out for the world to see.  Most of my spending money will go towards a work trip next week (hotel, food and gas).  I may also have to take clients out to dinner or lunch as well so I may have to pull some money out of savings.  I will be reimbursed for the trip, but it usually takes three months. We are a small firm and three months is a completely ridiculous amount of time for reimbursement.  Oh well, I am very conflicted with regard to what to do about my employment, it's very stressful, super disorganized and frustrating, but I hate having to switch jobs.  Arghhh!! Oh well, no one said life is easy. My n...

I just wanted to say thank you to all of my readers out there.  I know there aren't many of you, but I appreciate every single one of you.  I'm happy to have someone along for the ride for the struggle to debt freedom.  Well, and my whines about work and life in general. Please feel free to post comments and interact with me through this blog.  I am more than happy to answer questions and explain my mindset to anyone who cares to ask.  I hope to get into a routine where I post more regularly.  One of my major pet peeves is enjoying a blog and then suddenly the blogger stops writing or takes frequent long breaks away from the blog. So interact with me and encourage me to look forward to blogging here and staying on track on my journey to freedom!

I have been spending quite a bit of money on gardening lately.  Pretty much the majority of my budgeted spending money and part of my slush fund.  While I "need" new furniture and tons of other material things I feel like spending money is the yard is the best bet for my money.  $100 in the yard goes a lot further than $100 in the house. I have purchased some beautiful flowers and hanging baskets.  I hope nothing dies, it appears we will have at least one more cold snap. Friday is payday so I will post an update in the near future on the breakdown of the paycheck.  This will be the first time that I pay extra on my large student loan, the only one left at this point.  That makes me happy to know that I will finally be making a little progress on it, even if it's not as much as I'd like.  Typically only about $1,600 goes to principal on the loan for the entire year.  The interest rate is 2.88%.  I hope to get close to $4,000 in principal pai...

Everything is status quo at work. My boss's assistant has been coming into work a bit more. (Quite a bit comparatively.) I have been keeping an eye on the job market and looking for a good paying job. So far I haven't seen anything interesting. Sigh. I'm sure when the time is right I will find a new job. God works in mysterious ways, right? Maybe this is a sign that I'm not supposed to leave. The problem is right now, I really feel like I want to leave. I hate the feeling that I am being taken advantage of. I hate feeling like there is someone manipulating things. My boss's assistant continually talks about needing a raise and states that our boss is "working on it". If she gets another raise, I will be leaving. If he doesn't realize that he's being manipulated by now. I don't know what to tell him. NO offense to anyone, but she is an assistant and an office manager, that does not qualify for a $100,000 income in north Florida. She has to be ma...

So I've continued to obsess about my upcoming dental work.  I have researched dental implants a bit more and it seems that implants cost about $2,000 a tooth.  It's approximately an additional $1,500 per tooth to have the crown fitted. The price can go up or down depending on whether bone graphs are needed or gum contouring is necessary. I have also found that where a bone graph is needed sometimes you will have to wait 4 to 6 months before the implant can be placed. Additionally, in some situations you will have to wait 4 to 6 months after the placement of the implant to get fitted for the crown in order to let the implant accept and merge with the existing bone in your jaw. So it seems this will be a very long process which will be a good thing because it gives me more time to save up for the procedures. Additionally, once I know the time frame and exact cost I can save up enough to pay for everything that can be done for the year, then I can direct the rest of my savings to...

I am so stressed about paying off my outstanding debt.  This dental work is driving me crazy. I hate not knowing exactly how much it will cost.  I want to know now, so I can plan and obsess! I'm a total mess, I know.  I hope to cash flow all of the dental work. However, I would much rather use that cash to pay down my student loans (or save it).  It's so frustrating.  I am very motivated by seeing progress.  Having to pay for all of this dental work will pretty much stop all of my progress for the year. Sigh.  I know that of course I don't know what the future holds for me. I could lose my job tomorrow and then I wouldn't be able to pay for the dental or my loans, but for now I have goals and plans and I want those to come true.  I want to be wealthy and prepared for just about anything.  I think it is downright shameful when someone makes good money, but has nothing to show for it when that income stream is cutoff.  I really don't want ...

Today was payday so once again it's time to pay bills. Here's the breakdown: $1,025 to the chase credit card to pay off my sister's credit card debt. This will bring the balance down to $0. Yay! $554 to my capital one card which represents mostly dental expenses, etc. This plus the $100 budgeted for gas will bring the balance down to $205. $100 to savings This will bring the balance up to approximately $10,100. $295 utilities $240 spending $100 groceries $100 gas By paying off that chase credit card I will now be able to direct all of my extra debt payments to the upcoming dental work.  I have an appointment for the end of February to begin the root canal work.  That portion should cost around $1,000.  Sigh.

I went to the dentist earlier this week and the results were not pretty, but it was totally expected. Okay here's the low down on my dental expenses.              1 Root canal and crown $2,000              4 wisdom teeth pulled $2,000              2 other teeth pulled (crown will no longer suffice) $1,000              Consultation for dental implants $200              Possibly gum contouring ?????              2 dental implants $8,000-$10,000              2 crown for the dental implants $2,000-$5,000 I'm seriously hoping that I am not a candidate for dental impla...

Okay, okay so I have been a lazy bum and I have not applied for any new jobs.  I think today, I will work on updating my resume. I'm so unhappy at work sometimes I really cannot stand it.  My boss never comes into the office, but constantly calls (at 5:15p.m.) with last minutes projects (that he has known about for weeks) that must be completed that moment.  So much time is spent preparing him for events and he never reviews any of the voluminous documents that are culled together for him.  Then he complains that something that was prepared for him, was not prepared for him, so you end up doing something for him that someone else has already done.  He is subject to emotional tantrums (he is in his mid 60s) he had a major one last week.  He was so angry he couldn't come into the office for 3 days.  This was all over the way that the document was transmitted to a client.  Believe me, that's not unusual for him, he was so pissy to ME once because his...

I filed my taxes and I will receive a $565 refund.  This only because of the mortgage interest deduction, etc., that I was entitled to take due to the purchase of my home last year.  The extra $565 will be helpful as I will have some expensive dental work to pay for shortly.  (I will blog about that dental work in a separate post.)  However, now that I think about it I will probably just add the tax refund into my emergency/savings fund. I really want to get that up to $15,000 by the end of the year.  I just feel much more comfortable with that number.  It should get me through 6 months of hard times pretty easily.  Once, I payoff my last student loan (if that ever happens) I will probably try to get that account up to $25,000 to $30,000, which would cover me for about a year (with no frills of course).  Geez, why is money so hard to come by!

I got paid on Friday, January 31, 2014.  I paid $96 to my chase credit card which contains the remainder of the debt that I agreed to pay off for my sister (the minimum payment is $25.00).  The total left on that credit card is $1025.  I should be able to payoff that $1025 from my paycheck from February 14, 2014.  I paid $405 to my capital one card, which I used for my contacts, eye appointment, car registration, gas, dental work, etc.  The remaining balance is $490.  I had $205 left in my house fund ( I set aside approximately $300 a month to use towards the house-often it goes towards debt repayment.) which I put on the card.  I also budget $100 every 2 weeks for gas.  I use this card mainly for gas to get cash back, the card awards 1.5%  on any and all purchases. I used the $100 amount budgeted for gas this pay period and last pay period to bring the total payment up to $405.  On Monday I will renew my home warranty at a cost of $...

I plan to prepare and file my taxes on Monday.  I should receive my W-2 on Friday when I receive my paycheck.  I already have received the tax documents from my mortgage company and my student loan companies.  I believe I have everything I need in hand in order to prepare my taxes.  This will be an interesting year because this is the first time that I will file my taxes and be able to claim the mortgage interest deduction, etc.  I purchased my home last May and I made the first mortgage payment in July of 2013.  I have done a little research online to determine what deductions I will be able to take as a result of purchasing a home.  I also did a few of the free online tax return estimators.  It appears that at most I will receive about $100 back.  I ran the calculations out for future years and it appears that in 2015 I will receive approximately $1,200 back if nothing changes.

This is my second time drafting this post.  I accidentally deleted my first attempt, geez! Well hold on to your hats cause this is a long one! I have been a mess, financially, for quite some time.  I got my first job as an attorney in mid-2005, working as an attorney for the State of Florida.  I had a salary of approximately $46,000 a year.  Definitely, not my dream job or salary.  However, I was 23 years old and did not have a clue about money management and I decided since I was an attorney I needed to spend like one.  Let's just say it didn't go well, I made all of my minimum payments on my credit cards and student loans.  I also charged what I felt like charging on my credit card.  By 2010 I decided that I needed to get my finances in order.  I had been paying on my student loans for almost five years and there was no end in sight.  The first thing I did was take stock of my situation, I realized I had a lot of debt and too little ...

I get paid on Friday so I will do a rundown of the debt payments sometime this weekend or early next week and also give a status on where I stand financially.   I found a job that I am interested in applying for in the same city where I now live, unfortunately I don't have any experience in the area of practice.  I don't know that I am super ready to leave the firm I am with now, but I guess that's a decision that I will let a higher power decide.  I don't like the way that I feel when I go to or think about work.  I would really like to stick things out though and find a place to ground myself.  Good things have happened for me since I started worked there, but I just don't think I'm happy.  The thought of finding a new place to work excites me.  How much should I ask for salary wise?  Is there an opportunity to increase the speed of my debt payoff.  In all likelihood I won't ever get an interview, but sometimes it's nice to dream, ...

I've been practicing law for almost 9 years now.  It's a tough job, it's a lot of stress and you take a lot of abuse from other lawyers, judges, clients and, of course, your boss.    I've been at this particular law firm for 2 years and 9 months and at first I loved the firm.  The people were nice, the pay was great and the work was interesting.  However, as with all jobs, true colors have started to show through.  My boss is extremely lazy and barely shows up in the office. This does not particularly bother me, however, he retains all decision making power so it slows up (and sometimes makes it impossible) to get any work done.  However, this leaves me with no help in preparing all documents (motions, pleadings, discovery responses and correspondence).  I also, take on a significant portion of all hearings and depositions scheduled by the office.  He fosters a bad environment by barely coming into the office and failing to enforce any r...

Well hello out there world wide internet.  Welcome to my little corner of the web where I hope to blog a little bit about my struggle to be debt free. So, let me introduce myself.  I am a 31 year old female residing in northern Florida where I earn my living as an attorney.  I currently earn $77,000 a year at a small law firm in the area.   For the last three (3) years I have received a Christmas bonus equating to approximately two (2) weeks pay (last year 2013 it was $3208-gross and approximately $2414-net).  Also, last year, we received a Labor Day bonus netting $500.  I have the following debts: $28,350 student loan $1,121 credit debt (I decided to assist my sister with her debt-more on that later-this represents the remainder I have to pay off.  It should be paid off in February of 2014). $800 credit card (This is the balance from my eye appointment and contacts earlier this year as well as my car registration.  This is 0% credit card unt...