Oh Saturdays...I love Saturdays.
I especially love Saturdays when I don't have homework assignments to complete hanging over my head, which is currently the case. Instead of bursting out with exuberant, Superpower energy to clean the messy house, weed the messy garden, get some good long runs in, and read a big stack of library books, however...
I feel gentle, slow, sleepy, and vague. It is nice to really have down time. I've been reading a little here and there, walking the dogs, making waffles, and sitting around with p'tit minou un, talking about our pets. It's a rare pleasure to spend some time with him alone. I am feeling very antisocial, which Minou assured me is normal when one works full-time and interacts with a lot of people on a daily basis (is this true?)
What else to report? Two garden beds weeded and snap peas, chard, kale, and lettuce planted.
I'm starting basil (for pesto) and Principe Borghese tomato seeds (for drying) in the indoor greenhouse.
Three successful blood draws last week on generous coworkers. If you know anyone trying to master venipuncture skills and you don't pass out at the sight of a needle, it is an incredibly appreciated gesture to allow them to practice on you.
The boys began their spring break, and the pressure of time feels temporarily lifted from our household. Even though I am not technically on vacation with them, since I will still be going to work, I don't have to do any evening coursework (for another week). I can't describe the pleasure I have been getting from going to bed early this last week. Reading to p'tit minou deux and then turning out the lights at 9 p.m.
We still have about 1/4 of the original tank of gas from the beginning of this month. Whoo-hoo! My goal is to leave the car in the driveway and walk or bike until April 1st when the kids go back to school.
And on the financial front...A fantastic error in calculations meant that instead of being $500 short of tuition this month, I was actually 2K in the black! How do I create so much stress for myself?! (answer: by not checking the number of credits I will be registering for in advance). I directed it all to the mortgage. I have been going back in forth in my mind about whether it's better to keep paying down the mortgage principal more quickly or find some other investment opportunity (index funds?). I've decided to stay the course and stick with the safer path for now.
How about you? What have your last weeks been like?
Showing posts with label mortgage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mortgage. Show all posts
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
frugal february report
The numbers aren't in yet on utilities, but I'm feeling good about frugal february...
I'm posting early since I.will.not. purchase any more food or gas until 3/1.
Let's crunch some numbers, shall we?
January Food: $525
February Food: $300 (wait, what?)
January Gasoline: $ 80
February Gasoline: $41
Wow! I call that progress.
If a little suspicious.
And you know where it's all going.
Straight to the mortgage.
Take that, evil interest!
Tell me about any frugal challenges you've set for yourself.
I'm posting early since I.will.not. purchase any more food or gas until 3/1.
Let's crunch some numbers, shall we?
January Food: $525
February Food: $300 (wait, what?)
January Gasoline: $ 80
February Gasoline: $41
Wow! I call that progress.
If a little suspicious.
And you know where it's all going.
Straight to the mortgage.
Take that, evil interest!
Tell me about any frugal challenges you've set for yourself.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
mortgage madness
Oh, I am going all kinds of crazy with my mortgage.
This type of situation is when I'm not sure if my somewhat obsessive nature is a blessing or a curse.
Yes, it's important to let go of things, take them slowly, step by step.
But it's also so exciting to see progress!
I sent off my monthly payment with some extra principal this month, and the bank mistakenly applied the whole thing to principal. I could have called to fix it, but since I'm already paid a month ahead, I don't really need to. And it's so wonderful to see the drop in principal! In just one payment, I wiped out what would have been almost a year's worth of principal making regular payments (because so much goes to interest).
Now it makes me want to put more, more, more toward principal. My ostensible and reasonably ambitious goal is to be mortgage-free by age 50. What I really want is to be mortgage-free much sooner.
However, I don't have more money to put toward the mortgage right now.
Do I get a second job? (after completing this BS degree of course).
Or maybe ditch the car?
This type of situation is when I'm not sure if my somewhat obsessive nature is a blessing or a curse.
Yes, it's important to let go of things, take them slowly, step by step.
But it's also so exciting to see progress!
I sent off my monthly payment with some extra principal this month, and the bank mistakenly applied the whole thing to principal. I could have called to fix it, but since I'm already paid a month ahead, I don't really need to. And it's so wonderful to see the drop in principal! In just one payment, I wiped out what would have been almost a year's worth of principal making regular payments (because so much goes to interest).
Now it makes me want to put more, more, more toward principal. My ostensible and reasonably ambitious goal is to be mortgage-free by age 50. What I really want is to be mortgage-free much sooner.
However, I don't have more money to put toward the mortgage right now.
Do I get a second job? (after completing this BS degree of course).
Or maybe ditch the car?
Saturday, January 26, 2013
mortgage meltdown
I do not like the feeling of being in debt.
I feel so lucky to have exited my (many) years of college without student loan debt, thanks to a combination of family assistance, working while studying, and frugal living/planning. I have my final term's nursing school tuition waiting in the bank, unfortunately in a low-yield savings account.
We also thankfully do not have auto loan debt, another common type in the U.S., this time due to Minou's foresight. At the time, my understanding of how much more you pay over the life of a loan due to interest was limited, and it made me nervous to nearly empty our savings to pay off that debt. But I am grateful now, both for the money saved and the introduction to the concept. That was back in 2005, when I first checked out from the library and read "Personal Finance for Dummies".
Eye-opening! And initially, anxiety-inspiring. For a number of reasons, I grew up without much practical knowledge of personal finance, and even into my late 20s preferred to let Minou take the lead in that arena. I have since seen the light, and we are now equal partners in our family budget and planning (I think I enjoy playing around with the numbers more than he does).
Our house and urban farmette are not yet our own, and this is driving me crazy.
I know I need to let it go, since it won't be entirely our own for quite a while.
I also know that there's a lot of debate out there about whether it makes good financial sense to pay down your mortgage early. In this case, if only for the strong emotional reason of being so debt-averse, I think it does. So, I have decided to prioritize it. I'm calling my campaign "The Mortgage Meltdown".
I made a very basic, low-tech tool for our refrigerator door. I took a piece of graph paper and blocked out the number of squares we still owe on the mortgage, with each square representing $100. Each time we pay off another $100 from the total owed, I color it in.
Initially it was somewhat discouraging. There are a lot of squares. Since only a third of the monthly payment goes toward the principal, they are not getting colored in very quickly. However, by adding more toward the principal each month, it speeds the process. I am updating my system now. P'tit minou deux suggested making an even bigger graph, where each square represents $10. I think this was a good idea, even though it initially seemed like so much farther to go. It's easy to spend $10, thinking "Oh, it's just $10,".... a bakery trip, a cheap movie jaunt, library fines (oops).
But each $10 put toward the mortgage principal helps melt it away, even if slowly. It's a visual representation of progress. And it helps cultivate the habit of planning, saving, and strategizing, one little square at a time.
How about you? Do you have a mortgage or other debts, and if so, are you trying to pay them down?
I feel so lucky to have exited my (many) years of college without student loan debt, thanks to a combination of family assistance, working while studying, and frugal living/planning. I have my final term's nursing school tuition waiting in the bank, unfortunately in a low-yield savings account.
We also thankfully do not have auto loan debt, another common type in the U.S., this time due to Minou's foresight. At the time, my understanding of how much more you pay over the life of a loan due to interest was limited, and it made me nervous to nearly empty our savings to pay off that debt. But I am grateful now, both for the money saved and the introduction to the concept. That was back in 2005, when I first checked out from the library and read "Personal Finance for Dummies".
Eye-opening! And initially, anxiety-inspiring. For a number of reasons, I grew up without much practical knowledge of personal finance, and even into my late 20s preferred to let Minou take the lead in that arena. I have since seen the light, and we are now equal partners in our family budget and planning (I think I enjoy playing around with the numbers more than he does).
Our house and urban farmette are not yet our own, and this is driving me crazy.
I know I need to let it go, since it won't be entirely our own for quite a while.
I also know that there's a lot of debate out there about whether it makes good financial sense to pay down your mortgage early. In this case, if only for the strong emotional reason of being so debt-averse, I think it does. So, I have decided to prioritize it. I'm calling my campaign "The Mortgage Meltdown".
I made a very basic, low-tech tool for our refrigerator door. I took a piece of graph paper and blocked out the number of squares we still owe on the mortgage, with each square representing $100. Each time we pay off another $100 from the total owed, I color it in.
Initially it was somewhat discouraging. There are a lot of squares. Since only a third of the monthly payment goes toward the principal, they are not getting colored in very quickly. However, by adding more toward the principal each month, it speeds the process. I am updating my system now. P'tit minou deux suggested making an even bigger graph, where each square represents $10. I think this was a good idea, even though it initially seemed like so much farther to go. It's easy to spend $10, thinking "Oh, it's just $10,".... a bakery trip, a cheap movie jaunt, library fines (oops).
But each $10 put toward the mortgage principal helps melt it away, even if slowly. It's a visual representation of progress. And it helps cultivate the habit of planning, saving, and strategizing, one little square at a time.
How about you? Do you have a mortgage or other debts, and if so, are you trying to pay them down?
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