Struggling to be debt free

I apologize for the unexpected blogging break!  Please know that I have been reading along with your blogs (but unable to comment from my phone) for the past 2ish months.  I have had some family medical issues and an overload at work.  Things appear to be evening out for now and I am greatly appreciative.  I will do an update on my 2019 goals soon as it is almost the end of the 2nd quarter. However, I am down about 8lbs and my retirement account balance has hit a milestone of $40,000!! I was hoping that this would be the year that my retirement accounts hit $50,000, but I don't think that is going to happen.  There is too much turbulence in the markets. I still have over $6,000 to contribute for the year.  I have had so many medical expenses this year, I'm not sure that I am going to meet my retirement contribution goal.  I am getting new eyeglasses, contacts, I see the dentist quarterly now, I have to have a deep cleaning on my upper right teet...

Here's where the numbers stand. Savings- $12,916 Emergency Fund  $12,552 Online Savings Account/$7,552 of that amount is for my Car Replacement Fund/$5k is for my EF $3,160 Online Savings Account #2- all car replacement  $29,255 Retirement- Roth IRA  $7,617Taxable Brokerage (Retirement) $803 Travel Fund (Work) $850 pet fund  $5 medical fund $1,274 furniture fund $0 Slush fund Home- $304,669-per zillow               Total (not including home): $68,432               Total (including home): $373,101 Liabilities- Mortgage $195,623 Furniture (0% financing) $850                                  Total (not including mortgage): -$850                     Total (including mortgage): -$196,473    ...

Hey Everyone, it has been awhile!  I have been having some internet problems and computer problems and by the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to fool around with computers.   Everything is back up and working now! Does anyone have any interesting weekend plans?  I plan to work in the yard.  I need to clear out the flower beds, etc. There are lots of weeds and bugs to deal with here in Florida.  I may even cut the grass this weekend.  The temperatures are supposed to reach the 80s this weekend.  I also need to clean the garage and the shed and the back porch and and and..... On to the finances. I contributed $500 to my Roth IRA this month.  This was only half of what I contributed last month.  However, I only have $4,500 left to contribute for the year.  Don't forget the contribution limit increased to $6,000 this year!  Once I max out my Roth I will move on to my taxable account.  I paid $1,000 toward...

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 s...

and I am tired.  I had a week long trip leaving last Sunday (3/4) and returning this past Saturday(3/10). (It was over a 6 hour drive each way)  I still have not caught up on all my sleep yet.  I was so busy that I couldn't really do my work while on the trip, so now I am behind at work.  The good news is that I received my tax return yesterday morning!  It only took about 10 or 11 days from the date I filed until the date it was deposited in my account!  I now have $1,184 to put towards replacing my 15 year old mattress and bedroom furniture.  I think that brings the total I have saved up to about $1,700 dollars.  (I need to update my assets and liabilities page).  I'll have to write more later, as I need to rush to get ready for work.  Happy Thursday Everyone!

I have a multitude of ideas for posts, but I lack the motivation and the inspiration to write about anything complicated.  So instead I will write about how my January has gone towards meeting my 2018 goals. I managed to finish one book this month, Camino Island, by John Grisham.  It was a quick and easy read that slightly held my interest.  I got through it based upon my goal of reading at least 20 pages a day.  I have started a new book by James Patterson, Cross Justice.  It's a rather lengthy book and I don't know if I can read throughout it.  I may switch to a shorter Agatha Christie book. As far as retirement, I contributed $1,390  this month.  Next month's contribution won't be so robust as it's my mother's birthday, HOA fees are due and my escrow shortage (again!) will be due. My charitable giving was kicked off with a $50 contribution to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. I managed to get some exercise in everyday this week, but my ea...

 Let's see how I did on my 2017 goals.  (I know this is super late as it is almost the end of January.) 1. Increase emergency fund from $15,000 to $17,500.-FAIL I only got my EF to $16,845 by the end of the year.  Close, but no cigar.  I gotta do better with this for 2018.  2. Add $9,500 to my retirement with an overall goal of having $20,000 in retirement savings by the end of the year.--PASS! I contributed $9,500 to retirement for the year. I believe between my roth and taxable I ended the year with approximately $22,000 for retirement.   3. Pay an extra $100 a month on the mortgage, with an end goal of having the balance under $210,000 by the end of the year.- PASS I paid at least $100 extra on each mortgage payment for the year.  After my raise, later in the year, I  put $290 extra on my mortgage each month.  4. Save an additional $2,500 into car replacement fund with the end goal of having $5,000 in the car replacement fun...

At long last, here are my goals for 2018: 1. Add $10,500 to retirement savings with the goal of having $35,000 saved for retirement by the end of the year.  $5,500 will go into my roth ira and $5,000 will go into a taxable account. Come on stock market growth and no recession! Last year I contributed $9,500 so this will be an  increase of $1,000.  2.Increase EF to $18,500. 3. Pay an extra $290/month toward principal on the mortgage.  My easily reachable goal is to have the mortgage paid down to $200,000 by the end of the year.  The ultimate goal is to have the balance paid down to $197,500 by the end of the year so that the PMI will drop off the mortgage. 4. Save an additional $5,000 for my car replacement fund with the goal of having $10,000 in my car replacement fund by the end of the year.  I will be aiming to purchase a new car in 2019.  I hope with a trade in and any money saved in 2019 to have $20,000 to put down for a new car. 5....

I have had a lot of travel expenses for work these last few months.  I have already submitted over $700 in travel expenses for August, September and October.  Yesterday evening I came back from a trip up North and I have already documented over $1,200 in travel expenses (airfare, hotel, etc.).  I think there are few more expenses I am missing (i.e. checked bag costs and meals). I am worn out from all the travel and cannot wait until Friday (Veteran's Day Observed), a day off.  However, I will be taking my car in for an oil change on that day. That's more $$$ that I will be spending.  (I wonder how people can travel so much and not be tired).  I am also hoping to get some trees trimmed in the back yard to the tune of $950. A mini "The Struggle this Week" 1. I need my travel expenses reimbursed prior to the Holidays. I don't think that will happen. It usually takes about 3 months.  That will be next year. 2. I have at least 2 more work trips befo...

Welcome to Tuesday! Monday actually went by so quickly and that actually was nice.  I know I often complain about time flying, but a Monday going by quickly was pleasant.  On to the important things! As I have previously blogged I have been making extra principal payments on the mortgage this year.  Finally, as of the end of September/beginning of October, I have paid more in principal payments than in interest payments! The numbers are as follows:     Principal $5,549.78 Interest $5,425.01 Yay!! It sucks that so much has gone towards interest, but I keep thinking of all of the interest I am saving by paying extra on the principal. I have to keep this post short as a I have to get on the road (the travel never ends!).  Have a wonderful day!

I don't know how time keeps slipping by me.  It's October already.  I only put up one post in September. This has been one heck of a year and it seems to be going by so fast.  Maybe even faster than years past.  Maybe it's because I am older? Anyways on to updates.  I'm sure everyone has heard about the mass shooting in Las Vegas, again I am late to the discussion.  How disheartening to hear these stories.  The only light in these repeated stories is the kindness of strangers helping strangers. Financially things are going okay.  I have been overspending a lot lately and I can't seem to stop that.  It's definitely been a theme this year.  I have not been able to figure out why I am overspending so much this year.  However, I have been making progress on my goals so I will take that over nothing at all.  I had some goals for September- those did not go well! 1. Finish out my retirement contributions for the year- just $1...

1. Increase emergency fund from $15,000 to $17,500.-IN PROGRESS I have $15,905 in my EF currently.  6 months to get this where it should be. 2. Add $9,500 to my retirement with an overall goal of having $20,000 in retirement savings by the end of the year.--IN PROGRESS I have contributed $5,004 to retirement this year. I believe my ROTH is at approximately $15,300.  3. Pay an extra $100 a month on the mortgage, with an end goal of having the balance under $210,000 by the end of the year.- SO FAR SO GOOD. I have paid at least $100 extra on each mortgage payment so far this year. This goal may change- more on this later. 4. Save an additional $2,500 into car replacement fund with the end goal of having $5,000 in the car replacement fund by the end of the year. IN PROGRESS I have over $3,747 saved towards a new car. 5. Pay off furniture I bought before expiration of 0% financing period. --DONE I paid this off in approximately 2 months- no interest paid!!! 6. Rea...

Happy Fourth of July!! Here's where the numbers stand. Savings-  $10,905 Emergency Fund  $8,831 Online Savings Account/$3,747 of that amount is for my Car Replacement Fund   $15,358 Retirement- Roth IRA $735 Travel Fund (Work) $360 pet fund  $25 medical fund $25 furniture fund $81 Slush fund  Home- $284,551-per zillow                   Total (not including home): $36,320                   Total (including home): $320,871 Liabilities- Mortgage $213,165 credit card $324 (remainder of balance from car repair)                                  Total (not including mortgage): -324                     Total (including mortgage): -$213,489        ...

Welcome to June everyone!  I know I'm a bit late, but at least we are only 4 days in.  I ended up earning over $6 on my savings account this month.  Slowly, but surely I am creeping up.  I can't wait until I am earning over $100 a year in interest. I contemplated opening a CD with some of my EF, but the rates are so low right, I don't think I will bother.  I would get to tie up my money for 91 days to earn approximately $1.  The 1 year and 2 year rates are not much better.  I may reconsider later, as earning something (even just $1) is better than nothing.  I keep hoping that the savings interest rated will rise and make it worth putting money into CDs.  I ended the month with over $14,300 in my Roth.  That is exciting as I am creeping up on $15,000 in retirement savings.  I should make that in June....well depending on the market.  I should get one of those fancy progress bars for my blog. I am expecting some big expense...

1. Increase emergency fund from $15,000 to $17,500.-IN PROGRESS I have increased this by $500 (It was actually $1,000, but I had to borrow $500 for my work travel due to the extremely slow and awful reimbursement process). 2. Add $9,500 to my retirement with an overall goal of having $20,000 in retirement savings by the end of the year.--IN PROGRESS I have contributed $1,600 to retirement this year. I believe my ROTH is at approximately $11,400.  3. Pay an extra $100 a month on the mortgage, with an end goal of having the balance under $210,000 by the end of the year.- SO FAR SO GOOD. I have paid at least $100 extra on each mortgage payment so far this year. 4. Save $2,500 into car replacement fund with the end goal of having $5,000 in the car replacement fund by the end of the year. IN PROGRESS I have over $3,000 saved towards a new car. 5. Pay off furniture I bought before expiration of 0% financing period.  Will blog about this later in a separate post. --DONE ...

I have been traveling so much for work over the last 2 months.  I have 3 more trips before the end of March and I think I currently have over $1,200 in travel reimbursements pending.  I will definitely have over $2,500 by the end of the month (which is approximately 1/2 of a month's take home pay for me). I really hate having travel reimbursements as it has been an ongoing struggle to get them paid in a timely manner.  Additionally, when the reimbursements are paid, it is in a piecemeal fashion. (I may get 1 or 2 after about 60 to 90 days.  Then another 1 or 2, etc, etc.)  The whole process sucks.  I'm trying to get out of a trip on Monday, but I will see what I can do.  I think my assistant is irritated with me for failing to ask her to set up a telephonic appearance earlier, but I do what I can.  At least she had a week to coordinate it. Due to the slow reimbursement process I had to temporarily pull $500 out of my emergency fund to fund my ...

1. Complete taxes- DONE 2. Balance my checkbook 3. Finish staining that dang fence-DONE 4. Trim around the driveway 5. Treat the house for termites and other pests- DONE 6. Spray the weeds in the sidewalk cracks- DONE 7. Relax and read a book 8. Clean bathroom-DONE 9. Clean room-PARTIALLY DONE 10.Go into work-DONE I did most of the things on my list.  I will balance my checkbook today because payday is tomorrow and I need to make sure everything is where it should be.  I could not trim the driveway as my sister loaned our trimmer to a friend. Hopefully, I will get to that one day this week. I will be out of town a few days this week so I may have to wait until this weekend.  But when do I have free time to relax and read my book?!!! I am getting a refund this year on my taxes to the tune of $1,484.  All of that will go towards paying off that furniture I purchased and hopefully in April I can start focusing on funding my retirement accounts for the year ...

I made a few goals earlier this week, for this weekend.  Here is the current status: 1. Complete taxes- I have started, just never finished. 2. Balance my checkbook 3. Finish staining that dang fence 4. Trim around the driveway 5. Treat the house for termites and other pests- DONE 6. Spray the weeds in the sidewalk cracks- DONE 7. Relax and read a book It's only Sunday morning so, hopefully I will get a few more checked off the list before the end of the weekend.  I think I will add the following items: 8. Clean bathroom 9. Clean room 10.Go into work I spent most of Saturday helping my mom at her house.  Getting her mailbox painted, pulling weeds in her rock garden, pulling the rocks away from the foundation of the house, going to look at storage sheds for her backyard, fixing a few boards on her deck, running to the store to buy a new rug pad, cleaning the living room so that we could put down a new rug, etc.  Wish me luck guys!

I haven't posted a work update in quite some time.  This is, basically, because I try not to think about work when I am not at work.  It's just too stressful. Work is the same as it has been for years.  I continue to look for a good quality job to apply for, the problem is I can't find one that will pay the same amount of money that I am making now (or more) in my town.  Unfortunately, the largest employer in my city is the State. The State has wonderful benefits, but the pay is generally subpar. I am also very wary of private law firms only because the 3 I have worked for have been awful.  I hear horror stories from my cohorts regarding firms they have worked for in town.  That's why I am generally considering positions where my law degree would come in handy, but would be different from the day to day practice of law.   I just haven't figure out what that position is, but hopefully I will.  For those of you who don't know, my boss is be...

In February I made several goals and I don't think I accomplished many, if any of them. 1.Get taxes done- FAIL 2. read 1 book - FAIL 3. lose 2lbs- haven't weighed 4. figure out what needs to be organized=- FAIL 5.try to stick to budget- PASSISH 6. plan 2 social events - FAIL 7. feel less depressed about life. - PASSISH Although a short month, February was a rough month.  I'm so glad it is over.  I'm ready for Spring, yard work and less traveling for work.  However, I have to get through March, then the travel should slow down for awhile.  I won't go through all the detail, but most of you know about my plight with travel voucher reimbursements (having to wait 2-3 months for reimbursement).  One co-worker actually told me she had $5,000 outstanding at any one time. That is simply an amount of money that I cannot afford to have outstanding for months and month.  I am hopeful that March will be a better month for me goal-wise. So here are my Marc...