Why does everyone want my money, Part 2

So...it's Christmas (fa la la la and all that jazz) and I have to get many gifts. I've gotten a ton of bargains thus far, however, I have two major bills to pay. Actually THREE.
$799 remaining for my LSAT prep course, $500 deposit for my 2nd reception/party and $132 for my LSAT test.

Yay....

Why does everyone want my money, Part 1

I'm SO frustrated with this dumb wedding planning right now and I'm not even doing any of the work.
Here's the issue. We want to have a party to celebrate the wedding. Not a reception, we're already having a brunch reception AFTER the wedding. You know, catered menu, guest headcount, price per person, all of that crap.
Supposedly, there's no place in Richmond that will do what we want, except the Richmond Convention Center.
We thought we'd found a gem in the Crowne Plaza hotel - but these bamas think we're having a RECEPTION there, no matter how many times we tell them we're having a PARTY!!
I MET with the sales manager IN PERSON to relay the information. She was suppoed to communicate what I told her to the catering manager.
Here we are two days later and the freaking catering manager writes my wedding planner: "
The food you have listed here is for the Pre-Reception? Are they then going to have a sit down dinner or buffet?"
Are you FREAKING kidding me?!?! Didn't we tell you that we're having a PARTY, with appetizers and a bar??? The freaking party from 8pm to midnight - why are we having a plated dinner or buffet later?!?!

I hate these stupid people

and why do they all want my money?!?!

I'm Soo Good ;)

Since I've last spoken to you all, I've successfully paid down a nice chunk of debt. Instead of spending the $700+ on myself (or for gifts on other people)...it put it RIGHT towards the wedding credit card :) YAY!! So I'm excited that I put my nose to the ground (is that the right expression) and made it happen!

I made some minor tweaks to my Christmas budget and my parents gave me an unexpected birthday gift (yay) and confirmed that they would give us our normal "Christmas gift"/money - I can't believe it! I just knew since I was engaged they would officially CUT ME OFF...guess I'm blessed that they still care - yahooski!

In other news, my fiance and I are meeting with a financial counselor Dec. 20th, 2008. Hopefully, she'll help us to get our minds right. Its hard to figure out whens the best time to put your money together and when we should start being accountable towards each other for spending (and not spending)...

Oh tis so deep to be engaged and merging two lives as one.

In other news - our wedding budget is going SO great! We're meeting with the DJ Friday who assured us we wouldn't be charged the regular rate (YES SAVINGS!!!). Me and my pook completely over estimated how much our second party/reception was going to be (like we over estimated some thousands more)!

We've committed to read "Think and Grow Rich" together....in fact we read to each other last night...I love that I can grow with someone. The next book we're going to read is "Smart Couples Finish RICH!"

Things are heading in the right direction!

In other GREAT news...

I won $250 worth of awards at work...and I have a very slim Christmas budget. Mostly because the people in my life require one "decent" gift, a piece. So...with this award money, I plan to put it towards my gifts and then I'll to pay only a whopping $300 for the rest of my gifts!! YAY!!!

I think I'll put the rest of my unused/saved money toward the wedding budget/savings.

I was excited. I also found the main gift that my boo wanted for Christmas for $10 less than I anticipated :)

I'm about to find all types of deals and sales - who knows...perhaps I'll come SUBSTANTIALLY under my budget!

YAHOOSKI!

Back to budgeting!

How many times have I meant to write this blog???

Ooooooooooooh 16 hundred million times!!!

The SPBFF sent me a blog today, "The Hustle of Sistah Ant"...or something like that. Let's just say, it was like going to church, when the preacher is talking DIRECTLY to you and you're like, "hey? how did you KNOW that!" grrrr...and then you think, "sheesh, I gotta do better." Two major things I've realized, I got to start budgeting and STICKING to it. I mean really, I have entirely too many things going on in my life to just "watch"the my money go, on my on-line banking account and check the balance!

And #2 - I have to start making better groceries.

Random I know - only not really....

The main reason is because, we compared our budgets at my investment club meeting and I vastly outspent our group, by approx. 5%! So...what the heck am I eating? I think I just go to Harris Teeter and spend spend spend...never truly mindful of the sales items. I also like to cook - it's my joy and I share with my family and friends. Especially my fiance, who has a big appetite and sometimes likes to take food in his lunch the next day.

So...I'm committing to shop the sales for an entire month and see if my groceries improve. If it's not on sale - then I'm NOT buying it. PERIOD. And I'm not eating out anymore. I refuse. Unless someone else is paying, then forget it. I'm bringing lunch every day to work and I'm putting my "savings" on my credit cards...which are getting slightly outrageous now.

I'm just going to put all of my business out there.

My wedding is taking over my life and every time an unexpected expense comes up, we put it on our 'wedding credit card' and vow to pay it off, in Never never land. NO MORE!!

I'm committed to paying at least the MMP, PLUS $400 each month on my credit card until its lower than 30% of my credit limit. It's now, dangerously over 50% and I will have no parts of it anymore.

I'm angry with myself...but this is good. I do good when I'm angry. I set goals, I'm passionate...I'm just like I was when I first began.

So - I'm taking control over my finaces - among other areas of my life.

I make entirely too much money to be this careless and not have more to show for myself.

So...I'm making a 'new' networth page - which I may provide the link (I don't know if I want yall ALL up in my business).

But I'm a pretty public person. I'm a blogger, for crying out loud....

And I like to put myself on the altar...so that I can be forgiven, accepted for my honesty and appreciated :) then I can repent and move on for the better.

So, I'm naked - judge if you will - but i'm making a change back to the old me!

BUDGET ON PENNY PINCHIN' SISTA :)

tee hee...

update....

Updates -
Well...In good news, I got a raise at my job. And I've definitely noticed the difference in my checks - so that makes for happy times.
In other news...I SO need to get back to budgeting. I haven't been actively WRITING out what I have to do.
A good thing is that I'm over 50% to my January wedding goal. YESS! I cannot WAIT to pay that credit card OFF :) Not much longer to go.
In bad news - I acquired two additional expenses, LSAT prep course and the February LSAT.
I guess I'll be happy in 4 years, after I pass the bar, graduate law school and I'm RICH...LOL.
This adult thing - not so cool. It's takes an UBERLY LARGE AMOUNT OF DISCIPLINE to manage your money. I'm glad I realized this at an early age though. I'm listening to some adults around me and I realize no one has really taken the proper steps to make sure they don't end up in the welfare line after they retire....craziness, I tell ya. Perhaps ignorance earlier on in life...but what a horrible way to learn a lesson.
I think I still have friends who don't invest in their 401(k).....what do you think will save you? Pension?
Well...that's enough of my rant. I'm going to go look at my bank account now...

lol

Spendin', not Pinchin'.....ERRR!

I've been pretty bad with finances lately. I'll be honest. I got this unexpected bill and needless to say, I had to pay it off quickly and I wasn't counting on it. So I've been charging more than I normally do - even my fiance noticed it and was like, "hmmm - credit??"
I wanted to punch him in the face...then I figured it wasn't his fault that the bill had piss poor planning in it's arrival, lol.
I blog all of that to say, you never know exactly when bills are going to come out of nowhere, so it's always better to be prepared and have "extra" money just in case....which leads me to another point.
I've been an advocate of budgeting down to zero for quite some time....ever since I was introduced to Dave Ramsey - but now my budget has been SHOT for the past month b/c of an unexpected bill!
I guess I could now factor this new bill into my budget for the next two months.
Either way, I'm still annoyed.
Perhaps I will go back to not accounting for approx. $100 - or I'll put it to the "blow" category. I don't want to get caught in this situation again. Grrr.....

And I seriusly need some new clothes - like yesterday. I think I'm going to hit up the mall - I haven't been shopping since the summer. It's time for a fall wardrobe!

That's all....

I laugh in the face of a challenge!!

The power of positive thinking is something that means a lot to me. And the older I get, the more I realize that I can do ANYTHING that I put my mind too. I can attract worthwhile people and opportunities. I can make the BEST of anything, just simply by being in the right frame of mind. I try to tell people this, but lots of times, I think I'm preaching to deaf ears. So many times I keep it to myself.

I also laugh in the face of a so called "challenge." I can do ALL THINGS to Christ who strenghtens me...so I'm laughing, because I already know, that I can do it...

Which brings me to my present situation. I've looked on the Century 21, Long and Foster and Coldwell Real Estate Listing sites over the past week and I cannot believe my eyes. I'm talking single family homes, in the DC METRO AREA for less than $250,000!!!

I talked to my groom and he was like - are we going to regret waiting a year after we get married (two years), especially if we miss out on these INSANE prices??

Me -Agreed babe, we will be quite pissy.

So...the plan now is how can we still finance our wedding and take advantage of the market (especially since, it's trying to take advantage of most Americans!!) Pushing the wedding back, isn't an option, since the deposit has been paid, BTW. We're going to think, pray and meditate on it for 30 days. Go over our finances and see if we can afford it, along with the wedding stuff....

Of course there are some things that may have to be shuffled around...but that's all a work in progress. The 30 days will answer many questions, affirmatively. And once those questions have been answered - we can see what our options are...

So bloggers and blog readers alike, if you understand the power of prayer, keep us lifted up. We have a ton of decisions to make (I'm only alluding to some on here, you'll find out all, once everything goes smoothly). I know we can do it.

And I'm chuckling...

There's no mountain that God can't move :)

Wedding Vision/Budget

Oh Ms. Blog - how I have missed thee! I've noticed since I haven't been writing as much, I don't feel as FREE as I normally do.

So off I go, to vent the frustrations of being a bride to be aka fiancee'.

The main thing my boo and I are trying to accomplish is financing our wedding for less than $30,000. I know, I know - an amazing feat, lofty goal, blah blah blah - but I think we can do it. My fiance - not so much faith - he's already budgeted to spend $35,000. I think he's seriously over projecting, but he's one of those guys that would rather over estimate than under estimate.

I personally, think we can do for....drum rooooooooll - a whopping $25,000. So we're talking a substantial difference in pricing here. The main reason is Location, location, location. We're having our wedding in Richmond Virginia and if you don't know, the Cost of Living is MUY cheapo, compared to DC - where we both live. An attorney who sits behind me is planning a wedding up here and she LAUGHED when I told her she could have a decent wedding in Richmond for under $50/plate. She said she would CRY to see those numbers.

My main goal is to have something classy, elegant, yet FUN...all in one, for cheap! But I will not cut corners on things that need to be done correctly. For example, food - black folks like good food - and there will be good food at our wedding. LOL. I know that's a stereotype, generalization, blah blah blah - but it's true, at least the folks I know. They're going to talk about you like a dog, if you're food isn't right.

So - we're in the process of booking our venue. I don't want to give it away just yet, b/c things aren't final yet. Plus I don't want any copycats, LOL. The food at this place is well known, so I know our visitors will be happy. We were about to do an adult only reception, but we found out kids 6 and under were free and youth 6-12 are 1/2 price.

We're also doing a brunch :) I've ALWAYS wanted to have a brunch reception - I love the food, the diversity of the menu and the PRICE :) I hated how everyone would say, "if you want a cheap wedding - have chicken" So its like every time you see chicken, you think hmmm - they're cheap. When in all actuality, the couple may have just liked poultry!

And it seemed like you just had to cut SOO many corners to achieve an elegant affair, on a Saturday evening and everyone could tell you were trying to save money. I say, to HECK with that - have a lavish Saturday brunch affair - with a great menu that caters to breakfast and lunch appetites!! Recently, a friend got married in the mid morning/early afternoon - and all I kept saying to myself is, "I hope they have a brunch menu!" and they did! It was such a smooth execution and restored confidence in my original idea to do it.

I want a beautiful venue - this is two fold because you can cut decoration costs, by having your event at a place that needs nothing to make it bling :) Yet, you still have to pay for location. So it's a balancing act. The place we're booking is on a lake. It's professionally landscaped, so there's no need to spend vast amounts of money on decorating budget. It's elegant, it's natural, it's GREAT :)

2nd reception...there's so many things that my baby and I are known for and one of them is HAVING A GOOD TIME. There's no way we can have the type of reception we want and give the guests what they want unless we have a second reception. We will save cost b/c it will be a cash bar, for those who drink. Our morning affair will have a champagne OR sparkling apple cider toast (SAVINGS $6000!!!) We will have light appetizers, but nothing major. We've already paid for you that morning :) LOL

The main things (vendor wise) we need to work out is getting a wedding coordinator, decor for the reception (mostly centerpieces), florist, the photographer (I have a strong lead), and the wedding cake.

Such work to do - but we can breath now. When I first started writing this - we didn't have our venue, but now it's official :) The Gardens at Sunday Park - here we come!!! We officially have a date and a venue - YAHOO!! I'm going to relax for about a month!

EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED?!?!

Hello blog world - its' been a long time and a LOT has changed.

Remember that happy interruption that I thought would occur, Oh, I don't know, NEXT YEAR??!??! Well, my sweetheart POPPED the question in front of all of my closest friends and family (and his closest friends and family) this past Saturday, August, 23, 2008!! Can you believe it?!?!

I'm so overwhelmed with happiness and love. He's literally made me the happiest woman in all of the earth.

And also the craziest woman b/c now I'm planning a wedding for 13 months from now (tentative date of Sept 26, 2009)

So EVERYTHING has changed - including my financial goals.

My fiance (how cool is that to write) and I are paying for majority of the wedding ourselves, so we're pushing the house to 2010 and focusing on the wedding for 2009. Our parents are helping, but approx. 65% of the cost is going to mostly fall on our shoulders.

We're planning a wedding of 250 people, outdoors on a lake, elegant brunch reception and a second reception for the "younger folks" ha ha ha ha.

So this blog will now focus on the new financial goals of my life. Planning this wedding for under $30,000 (I think we can do it for $25,000 or less!); a vigorous new budget for savings, sticking to the budget, and stripping on the weekends to make ends meet. My fiance also said he doesn't mind selling his body on 14th and K Street, Northwest DC, so I can have that chocolate fountain at the reception!!!!

I kid, I kid :)

So - the new goals are....

1. save approx. $800/month (collectively)


2. revive our home based business and collect MAJOR upfront money (which we will invest into our wedding)


3. keep great records to reap our WONDERFUL tax benefits from our home based business.


4. scout opportunities for extra windfall income


5. set savings goals through smartypig and have them deducted from our checks.


6. cut down on excessive spending


7. maintain great credit


8. if we do charge items, set aggressive goals to pay down within 1-3 months

I think we can do it and have something really great to be proud of in the end! I know God will bless our finances to do more than we ever could imagine. We're both smart, successful, young professionals and we're capable of living on a budget for 13 months to have a great wedding with little to no debt!

we can do it!!!!

I'm a SMARTY PIG :)

How Cool is this!?!? - I encourage everyone to check it out - its an online program that allows you to set savings goals and it automatically ACH's it out of your acct. I definitely need something like this to get a jump start on my future planning. Hmm - perhaps I should tell the boo and friends they should get one too :)

Housing Update...

(above pictured) me and boo - except my baby is lighter and 6 inches taller. But I look JUST like this skinny, great haired chick, LOL.

So the boo and I go to look the "Model" house I was swooning over in the earlier posts - he was NOT feeling it. At all.

First of all, he kept talking about his precious deck and how he wanted to be able to grill and invite people over (he's such a man's man). Then he started in the price - how could we put down $350,000 on a house with no deck?!?

I was feeling him (which is why I wanted to look out in areas that were further out). So I said, well, didn't you only want to look in Alexandria, sweetie?

He responded with "NO! Let's try Woodbridge, Fairfax, Southern Maryland, etc." - I was EXCITED - now we can get some bang for our buck and give the traffic our best commuter faces!

It was a great "discussion" because we ironed a lot of things out. Mainly, that this is a huge investment for me and him and we're committing to it for 10 years. This means, kids will be born there (are we SERIOUSLY having this talk?!? WOW SCARY!!!) We mentioned public school systems and how we may have to send our kids to private schools, depending on how strong we felt the education was in the area. BEYOND deep - but so informative. Now we really have a clear view of what this is. It's not me finding a cute condo for myself - it's our first home...for our family. WHOA...forget I just typed all of that, it sounded entirely too grown up for me to write.

So now - plans have changed - we're looking more toward the end of 2009, single family home (instead of townhouse or townhouse styled condos), deck, yard, room to grow a family....WOW.

It's all so deep.

Knowing that I'm the nerd, I found these amazing places. In fact, one of the new communities is being built LITERALLY across the street from the Boo's basement apartment!

All in all, this is overwhelming, yet so interesting, informative, and we're learning so much about each other.

I couldn't think of a better person to learn all of the housing in and outs with :)

Weekend 3:25am Credit Check, lol

Pic - is GREAT, lol....This girl is probably going to be me in like 10 minutes, falling asleep, with my laptop on my chest, lol....

I'm trying to decide if making reservations for restaurant week was budget savvy or retarded....

Okay, so of course you know the price point is fixed, because it's DC's restaurant week. And for all of those who don't know, this is cool because you can take advantage of restaurants you couldn't/wouldn't otherwise afford because the meals are prices below approx. $35.08 ($20.08 for lunch). So, I booked T and I for a Fondue place, thinking this is a budget's dream. An affordable meal at a place where I probably wouldn't go on the regular.

YAY Saving?!?!

Or....is it?

I mean, would I really be making these reservations, if it wasn't restaurant week?

Has the "man" gotten me with his ploy of "reduced" prices....

I feel like a sucker.

Nevertheless....I'm going after T and I leave church and then later Six Flags (season's pass - one visit price = a summer's worth of FUN) and eventually to take part in the last day of restaurant week - yep, they got me :(

In other news...I saw this GPS Garmin at Wal-Mart today for $169. I didn't buy it. I still haven't made up my mind....yet.

I made my hair appt for the Senegalese Twist I decided to get with my lack of car payment/extra income for the month. The hairdresser informed me it was going to be $220, no hair included. But I could buy hair there, 3 packs for something cheap (I can't remember, her accent was thick and I was at work struggling to listen). I think this is a deal....I'm not sure yet.

But, I don't have to do my hair for like two months, so I'm thinking, YES, off the top of my head, this is a deal.

I'm also dying my hair back to its natural dark black, so my braids look fresh and last longer. I'm dying it myself, so I'm saving there (I do it all of the time, kitchen beautician, lol). I only had the cost of the dye.

In other news, my credit score has gone up 30 points with Experian since I started this blog - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? I feel like it's "the secret," the power of positive thinking, mixed with a tad bit faith and some ACTION.

My budget - she's coming along....I think I've blown the entertainment budget by about...hmmm...$200.

Ho Hum.

September is my month ;)

I'll get it right then - that's all for now!

This weekend's budget cruchin'

So this weekend passed and I didn't do anything too crazy to blow my budget.

Friday night, I asked the boo if he wanted to go out and he was like, this weekend's going to be crazy (Saturday night, Yacht Party for the SPBFF's boyfriend and Sunday Wedding for two College friends) so we stayed in, used our OnDemand and watched like 3 movies. We did order take-out, but that was MUCH cheaper than a night on the town in DC. Great job T for reigning us in for the evening :)

Saturday Morning we took the metro (cheaper than gas) into the city for the Stone Soul Picnic (FREE entertainment) with my baby sister, T's good friend from Boy Scouts and his Fiance (this is the couple for the the Jamaica trip I referenced in my earlier postings) . Instead of buying the marked up vendor food, we went to Chipotle for lunch/dinner.

I did by a pair of Franko Sarto wedges for the party but they were on sale for 59.95 at DSW. And I almost bought another pair of brownish shoes for this wedding I was going to, but opted not to when I remembered I had a pair of brown peep toe shoes with a gold buckle that would match my dress and purse that I was bringing. I was VERY proud of ME :) LOL.

I also saved by staying at my parents house (2/3rd of the way closer our venue) vs. getting a hotel in the the area. AND my two girlfriends, Ferg and Halle helped out with gas!

So - I was EXTRA on the budget grind and was MOST proud of myself.

That's about all for now ;)

I COMPLETED TWO GOALS!!!

So - I finished two of my goals for 2008!

That's quick - this girl is good :)

I completed my August Budget. I guess this isn't completing the WHOLE goal, because I have to be diligent throughout the year and make sure I CONTINUE it monthly. But I did my monthly duty! I have approx. $322 left with no where to go. No assignment. I could just BLOW it all and stick it in my "BLOW" category. Or I can up my gas and my food, since I know I have to travel a lot for the rest of the month. I also haven't added in my commission check from Noni (my home based business....EVERYONE should have one - but that's another blog) because I don't know how much it will be until August 20th. So..I will probably have approximately $600 with no home. I think I will put 1/2 of it to increase my emergency fund and the other half to future planning (house down payment and other stuff).

Or should I get that GPS that I want and then put the rest in savings (more into emergency fund or future planning)?

AHHHH decisions....

So my budget is going to be a work in progress this month, I guess.

The other goal, I got all of my credit cards balances under 10% of their available limits!! In fact, all of my cards are paid off except one - and it's right at 6%. YAHOO! The dilemma of course is should I pay it off COMPLETELY?

I think I'm going to lean with NO. Since I'm trying to buy my house next year, I'm trying to prove to the credit lenders that I can be responsible with debt over time. My interest rate is really good on this card. Therefore, I will pay $10-15 over my MMP each month and just slowly pay down the balance. So my score will BOOST sky high. Zero balances on a lot of cards sometimes makes you look bad because it says, I have so much credit available, I could put myself in a situation that I cannot get out of.

Okay - I've talked myself into this scenario now...I think I can live with it, LOL.

Random tidbit:

I'm such a nerd...I got on my computer at 2am and checked my three credit scores through my monitoring service....UP 4 more points!! yesss....LOL. Yes - I'm a geek - I've already admitted it.

It's a GREAT day :)

I got my own money ;)

Okay, day..ummm 4, still no budget.

I know, I know, I suck. I'm going to do it today. Things aren't that hectic, so I should have time to squeeze it out between document review. I'll keep you posted ;)

I thought I'd jot down some of my KEYS TO SUCCESS...since I've been driving down the road to financial improvement (what a dork, I am...I know).

Its just a list of things that have helped me to majorly improve my personal finances. You ready? Here goes:

a)Establish an emergency fund, in a liquid account (something you can access freely) but not too liquid - like an ING account. You're emergency fund should be approximately $1000 to start off with. Then you can increase it to 3-6 months of your monthly expenses.

b) make a monthly CASH FLOW PLAN (or Monthly Grind as us cool folks like to call it) and plan out where EVERY penny goes - it should all be accounted for (ha ha...even though I haven't finished this for August)

c) pay all credit cards, loans, and any other thing reported to the Credit Bureau ON TIME...no ifs, ands or buts about it.

d) have a little money each month that you BLOW...but plan for it.

e) budget in the things you like into your budget, otherwise you'll go crazy...

f) credit cards (this is if you're trying to improve your credit score) - there are things you can do it change it. One is keep your credit cards below 35% of the available credit limit. This will significantly boost your score, if you do it (TRUST ME); Remember to pay your cards on time; never close your oldest card, this shows you have a long history of credit. Sometimes TIME is the only thing that can improve your score; and lastly, have a healthy mix of revolving loans and credit cards. Remember - many inquiries over a short period of time can reduce your score. However, when shopping for cars, credit inquiries within 14 days for the same type of loan are only considered "1 hit" on your report and won't lower it too much.

It sounds so boring, doesn't it? But it's true...and the only way to improve your scores is to be patient, diligent, consistent and timely. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to your credit score, it could possibly RUIN your chances and getting what you want out of life.

Personally, I've lived a life where my credit history was limited and life is NOT as good as it is when your history is longer and better :) I used to get that dreaded feeling when it came to credit. Life is much different on the other side...trust me :) There are perks to being part of this club and benefits that you want to take advantage of.

I've now come to the conclusion that I'd rather pay for things in CASH...credit's fine and dandy and I understand that's how the world works, but having little debt has made my soul soar! I know I differ with a lot of people when it comes to that, but when you finally get financial peace - you can dig what I'm saying.....Word..or whatever...

Goals for myself...

I was reading my home girl's blog and I had already started a draft of goals, but I figured I should just incorporate them into my "tips" blog.

I'll do them by year I guess....

By the end of 2008

1. pay off all credit cards to 10% or less (all of my cards are at 0%-20%)


2. save $5000


3. contribute 10% to my 401(k) (I'm currently at 7%)


4. pay $125/month for my Jamaica vacation


5. update my monthly budget as needed
   

2009

1. complete FM class for my $12,000 housing benefit


2. save $10,000 - total of $15,000


3. pay off Jamaica vacation by April 16, 2006 - save additional $500 for spending


4. BUY A HOUSE BY YEAR'S END :)

I guess that's all for now - of course I have to update this all...b/c I will probably be planning for the 'future,' whatever that entails (da dum da da...girls/guys lined up shortest to tallest, lol). But that's a WHOLE 'nother blog within itself. For now, I will focus on me and my immediate goals and you know my theory, if Mr. Prince Charming aka T decides to Happily Interrupt - I'll be ready....

In the meantime, I'm getting my house in order. What type of woman are you, if you don't have something to bring to the table? Just as I expect my boo to be financially equipped and savvy...I demand the very SAME for myself!

All the women, who independent - THROW YOUR HANDS UP AT ME!!! - Beyonce (and 'dem)

House update and Check Orders....

Its the DREADED Monday morning. UGH! I'm sitting at work, looking over this case log - which is semi-interesting...or NOT....

Rent's due tomorrow and I just realized I ran outta checks. I was at church, writing out my offering, when I realized, this is my blasted last check! I have my "check box" at home, so I thought SURELY, I have some there....but I was sorely disappointed when I went to the box and realized there was NOTHING there. So now I'm on my retarded credit union site, trying to order newer checks. I guess it's off to the bank today to get a cashier's check for my rent so I'm not late.

In other personal finance news - I went to the open house this Friday. The house was BEAUTIFUL...and they had these special rates - I almost bought the daggone house right then and there. Luckily my roommate was there to stop my impulse house buying, LOL. The neighborhood was SO cute and the house was so nice! And so affordable! I told the guy I would be SERIOUSLY looking in 8 months...and he seemed pleased with that. I also put my father down as my real estate agent to ensure Daddy-O would get his 3%.

I still have to do my budget. It needs a bit of tweaking....wish me luck!

BUDGET....AHH!!!!

Its the beginning of the month...and I guess I should sit down and budget.
FUN!
Well - the SPBFF, Lil' D (she's really small yall, like NO joke) made this wonderful Excel spreadsheet that I'm officially obsessed with called the Monthly Grind. I use her RELIGIOUSLY. Someone actually suggested me using another sheet just for comparison sake....I think gasped - then promptly asked them to leave my presence.
The FOLLY of it all!
Anywho...I did my "projected" budget for the next 6 months. But of course, each month is different and I gotta add the "new" things.
#1 It's Momma Bear's birthday and my parents anniversary. Which means gifts. Especially for my mom...who is off the chain and will pimp slap you, if you dare enter her house without bearing gifts during any major holiday. She mentioned she wanted a gold watch...whatever that means.
#2 It's time to put a airfare deposit down on our Jamaica vacation for May 2009. T's homie is getting married...he's the best man - I'm COMINGwith! lol.
#3 I got stranded in the airport for work related training and got a day of OT for my trouble - so I have to add that in
#4 My car got refinanced since my "I just graduated from college so give me a car" program ended and I had to use my regular credit score apr instead of my wonderfully cheap 3.2% APR. I get a month off my car payment, which means an extra $375!

Yeah...so I gotta rework some things - add a few buckaroos here and there and make subtractions in other areas.

I use the Dave Ramsey principles, only sorta halfway. I budget to zero - every month. I think now with my new housing goal, I need to make another savings account for my down payment. Grrr....this is requiring too much reworking.

PERHAPS I should scrap my previous budget and try try try again.

I'll save that for tomorrow. Its time for bed :)

HOUSE HUNTING!!!

I made a major decision, sometime last week (I think). My goal of 2009 is to have a house before the year ends. PERIOD. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I decided to stake my claim and write out my vision.

Of course, the first person I told about this was T. LOL. T's my boo, in case anyone didn't know.

He seemed fairly happy for me, proud of me and all of that jazz.

Afterwards, I told my SPBFF (spiritual best friend forever, lol) Lil' D and one of my roommates, Fergalicious (names have been changed to protect the innocent....or not, lol).

Then I told my favorite person to talk about all things financial - DADDY-O!

My dad's a realtor, so this was actually a great conversation to have with him. He spoke to me in his usual Church Hill slang (RICHMOND, STAND UP!) about how I need not try to furnish my whole house as soon as I get it; how I need to rent out rooms to people or as he called it "git me a coupla tenants." Ohh...I love my daddy. He got so randomly off topic - yet kinda sorta on topic, but eventually he turned the convo around and talked about me being a first time homeowner and all of the wonderful benefits I will get as a result. He ended the convo asking me, "yo gon' let me write yo house up, right?!"

OF COURSE Romey-Rome!

He was proud of me...and that made me happy.

I started watching, "So you think you can dance" with Fergalicious the other night and were busy chatting out how we're both buying our new homes next year, when our lease is up. She mentioned how her parents were going to invest with her. I thought that was coolio.

I was going to do it all myself. Or so I thought...

My boo had a different idea....I was emailing him all types of condos and floor models, when he just said, babe - are you looking for YOU or us?

I'm like...me, this is a goal I wanted for myself and I didn't know whether it fit into your timeline, or our timeline...or not??

A bit of background - T and I are soul mates...we're getting married and we both know this. We talked about this...parents have met. My mom calls him "son," everyone knows it's going to happen sooner rather than later. With that being said, even though we're uberly connected...I'm not trying to spoil the SURPRISE! I don't wanna know when, where or with what...I just know the "question's" going to get popped sometime probably within the next 12 months (LOL).

I guess its safe to assume we're going to be engaged by this time, next year - but who wants to assume that? And look like a LOSER, if it doesn't go as expected. Not I, says the cat, so better to keep my original goals intact and if he so happens to happily interrupt me, cool beans - I'm on board :)

T was like, listen here crazy girl...your "house" dream fits in my timeline of being your husband. Which basically reads: let's look together, retard!

Again - I try not to ask anymore questions...but now I know, to stop looking for cheaper condos and start looking for a cute little townhouse with a garage. YIPPEE!

I try to keep all of this in mind and I start talking to Fergi and then BAM! this advertisement for these GREAT homes comes up on TV...YAAAHOOO!!! I exclaim and start looking. Perfect location, perfect price, perfect homes!! So Fergtastic and I are going to go look at these bad boys tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, I tell my Spbff about the website. She's super psyched, as I knew she would be...she's always happy for me lol, and she stakes her claim on one of the bedrooms of our "new house." Gotta love her...

I do hear Poppa Rome in the back of my mind though. Daddy-o says that we should start looking SERIOUSLY 2-3 months before our lease is up. SOOO - I figured I'm probably being extra right now. But I wanna know what I can and cannot afford, what I like, what I want, just EVERYTHING!

I want to get my feet wet :)

The major thing I'm going to do it prioritize - maintain credit balances of 10% and below. Save, save and SAVE! My job gives a benefit of $12,000 in closing costs. I'm trying to have at least 10% of my OWN money saved to put down as a down payment.

Since my rent is DIRT cheap (I have two roommates) this is something I can easily accomplish. Okay...maybe not easily. I can accomplish it with a bit of discipline.

A subject not foreign to me, so I think I can handle it.

Anywho - I'll keep you posted on how it went (the open house that is) since I'm going tomorrow.

OH - I cannot wait to see :)

GREEN...

I decided to make this background green b/c....it's all about money.

How clever?!

So - I'm extra into this blogging thing. I think I found something that's not as consuming and permanent as a "BOOK."

And I can write all of my random tidbits down in a way that can reach the masses...if they so choose to read.

If not - whatever, it makes me feel good :) So I'm going to keep on doing it.

Okay, personal finances....sheesh. I really got into the idea right after I graduated college. I considered myself to be pretty financially savvy b/c I worked at a bank in high school. A credit card bank, at that! Boy...was I wrong.

I fell for the okey-doke and got one of those stupid, "I'm in college and I don't have money, lemme get this credit card" credit cards. I charged this bad boy up to the limit and paid on it pretty good for a while. Except one summer...I didn't get a summer job. So I stopped paying the credit card monthly payment.

Then the calls came. I was like 19 years old....I chose to ignore them. I'm thinking - "when I get a job, I'll pay again...."

I was a genius...(I think I may have dripped some sarcasm on your keyboard)

Well...eventually, the card was UBER past due..but then I got a job and resumed paying.

Long story short, I didn't really think about this incident again until it was time to buy a car.

My father accidently totaled my car, right after I graduated from college (he was trying to save it from the ice storm...long story, another blog).

I had a great job in Richmond Virginia, at a law firm - as a glorified data entry lady (or what they like to call a Litigation Support Specialist). Luckily, I lived at home with my parents my first 8 months out of school b/c I was bringing home a bangin' salary of ......wait for it.........$24,000/year (LOL) at the time.

I had to get a new car.

My credit was SHOT b/c of this one measily credit card from college.

Well THANK GOD for college, I got my car through this whole "Recent College Graduate" program...which gave me a brand new Mazda6, with like a 3.2% apr. Crazy, right? God is Good....

But the moral of the story is that....if I had to rely on MY actual credit score at the time...it wouldn't have gotten jack.

I decided to turn that 19 year olds fear (the girl who wouldn't answer the phone when the creditors called) into KNOWLEDGE.

After I got my car, I diligently began to read ever piece of financial information I could FIND on personal finances, namely credit. Since then, I've raised my credit score by a whopping 120 points and I'm now a proud member of the "700 and above" club :) Holla if you got good credit, YEE HAW! (yep...I'm lame)

I've more than doubled my previous salary, learned how to budget effectively, I have less than $300 worth of credit card debt and I'm well on my way to purchasing a house next year.

Here...I will write you all of my joys, stumbling blocks and everything else in between.

Here, I will blog my way to COMPLETE financial freedom :) a lofty task...but I'm up for it!

Come along for the ride...I promise, you'll learn something!