tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141262082011-11-28T11:44:48.741-08:00mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.comBlogger941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1150242781631335152006-06-13T16:41:00.000-07:002006-06-13T16:57:34.536-07:00

The delights of unemployment are myriad not the least of which being the curious absence of the copious free time that you would expect to have during it. Where does the free time go? Seriously. I think I have been more busy without a job than I was with. The good news - I have actually had 2 successful consultations as a personal shopper of Seattle's would-be fashionables along with a few

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1141029045543902022006-02-26T23:59:00.000-08:002006-02-27T00:34:16.556-08:00

Wow, I haven't posted in 3 weeks. Unemployment is hard work! Jokes apart, the last few weeks flew by in a flurry of last minute transition lists, replacement training, sign offs and so on and so forth. And now I have joined the glamorous ranks of the jobless. Since I am no longer slave to the 7 am alarm call and J had some vacation time (we patched things up if anyone is keeping track. He is

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1139171004420347702006-02-05T11:50:00.000-08:002006-02-05T12:35:09.530-08:00

Net Worth as of 1/4/2006* Other Assets = condo deposit* Baseline for 2006 is 2005 year end net worthPrevious report: click here. I was a little nervous about this month's report because of the food expenses. I went well over $1k and that's on top of my $16-700/month basic expenses like rent, car and utilities. But thanks to a stellar month in investments and to increased 401k deduction which

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1138572520077951402006-01-29T13:40:00.000-08:002006-01-29T14:08:40.330-08:00

I have been off blogging for a week so I don't know if this has been posted already but if not, this is a pretty cool deal. Blockbuster has a new rewards program that you can sign up for at $9.95/year. It offers you several ways to get free rentals. Now it doesn't completely beat Netflix as I will explain in a second but it does come close depending on your rental habits. Here are the highlights

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1138075735518603902006-01-23T20:00:00.000-08:002006-01-23T20:08:55.546-08:00

Well, I finally got my funds to show up in Roth and made the distributions (FCNTX, DOD and SBUX). Which is good because I probably wouldn't have had time in the next few weeks to do anything if they hadn't shown up now.I will be taking a break from blogging till the end of the month because of work related activities. I am busy interviewing, hiring and training replacements (they decided they

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1137616401424382222006-01-18T00:33:00.000-08:002006-01-18T12:33:30.436-08:00

The funds are still conspicuously missing from my Roth account. After 4 phone calls and 4 assurances that the transaction is there, it just hasn't "settled" yet, I am beginning to bristle. I came this close to yelling, "Just give me my fucking money!" to the Fidelity rep on the phone. Thankfully, years of breeding kicked in just in time and I bit down on my tongue before the words could

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1137545550720550702006-01-17T16:51:00.000-08:002006-01-18T11:31:35.503-08:00

At the cost of alienating a lot of frugal minded people everwhere, I'd totally buy this. The $20 per bottle pricetag doesn't faze me at all. You can't put a price on something this adorable. It's like a piece of art all ready to be displayed in some pop culture museum! It even has its own necktie! Besides, isn't it time we rescued water, that precious life-giving fluid, from its ignominious

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1137539635792437952006-01-17T15:13:00.000-08:002006-01-17T23:26:46.263-08:00

Around lunch time I made a quick jaunt to the nearest Starbucks to pick up a bracing cup of coffee. As I seem to have graduated from erratic sleep patterns to not sleeping at all at nights a strong cup of mid-day coffee to bolster me is a must to get me through the day. While I was waiting my turn at the counter I suddenly noticed something. Could it be? Yes, there they were. Lovely glowy pale

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1137434466443323442006-01-16T09:25:00.000-08:002006-01-16T14:46:34.030-08:00

Ok, so I set up the funds transfer yesterday. I know it takes a while but I am transferring from my cash core account to my Roth account so it's not like it's coming from another bank. Checked this morning and the money still isn't there. Given that I have recently developed the sleeping patterns of a nocturnal animal and am still required to stay up all day, compounded with general professional

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1137370174632854022006-01-15T18:34:00.000-08:002006-01-17T20:20:43.616-08:00

Summer is around the corner and a reader offered to submit my resume with her very well known company (thanks N!) If that isn't reason enough to celebrate this has to be: I finally signed up for magazine subscriptions.Vogue - 2 year - $12.95Money - 1 year - $19.95Kiplinger's - 1 year - $12Budget Living - 2 year - $8.99Acc. to MS Money I have spent $94.62 since mid-Aug on magazines. Extrapolating

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1137215821072621232006-01-13T23:59:00.000-08:002006-01-17T18:04:01.800-08:00

J & I had our first money talk today. He wants us to go to Lake Tahoe in February. Possible sticky Valentine’s Day expectations and subsequent ramifications aside, I am girlishly excited about this. Sure I am an emancipated woman and I don’t need a man to take care of me but that doesn’t mean I don’t want one who likes me, a lot. What can be better than a romantic gateaway with someone who fits

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1137119929887694572006-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:002006-01-13T20:16:25.503-08:00

I attended a Barbara Stanny seminar yesterday called Overcoming Underearning (which incidentally happens to also be the title of her new book--smart). The event mostly centered around her own experiences with anecdotal references to her climb up from the bottomless pit that is creditors-knocking-on-the-door kind of money worries to the kind of financially secure future that many people dream

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1136945737748514752006-01-10T17:11:00.000-08:002006-02-05T12:44:21.196-08:00

Microsoft's annual women's conference started today. It's a 3 day event where women from all over the company come to share experiences and ideas, network and generally marvel at the fact that for a company this big there are so very few women in high places. Of course, when I said I resigned I didn't mean effective today. After I made my decision the first thing I did was to talk to my boss,

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1136871562269398432006-01-09T22:19:00.000-08:002006-01-17T02:00:10.420-08:00

It's like that guy everyone says you should be with. Your mom & dad think he's great, your brother looks up to him. All your friends say, "What are you doing? You should be with him." And you start thinking, maybe they're right. How can so many people be wrong? So you give it a try and then another and then another. And then one day you realize it's not going to work out.Microsoft isn't the worst

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1136781673275696212006-01-08T21:33:00.000-08:002006-01-16T12:41:06.973-08:00

Net Worth from 12/31/2005October report: click here.Highlights: Since I was away on my vacation at the end of November and never got around to posting a review this is a consolidated report for the last 2 months.The changes in savings and brokerage are mainly due to a CD maturing which I transferred to my brokerage account. Right now it's lying in the core account not earning a lot of interest

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1136492319244148652006-01-05T01:46:00.000-08:002006-01-17T23:52:30.220-08:00

I am a little behind on my net worth update. I have all the information in my spreadsheet but due to a number of reasons haven't been able to sit down to do a full analysis yet. So, in the meantime, I thought I would tie up all the loose ends from last year. Over the last six months, since the inception of this blog, I have started and sometimes abandoned, sometimes finished, several new projects

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1136325593591321102006-01-02T13:42:00.000-08:002006-01-03T13:59:53.700-08:00

1. Average a 10% annualized return on investments. My 401k personal rate of return last year was 10.5% which isn't bad but my brokerage account returned only 5.5% pulling the average down. I would like to do better.2. Increase net worth to 250k by end of year. My current net worth is just around 192k. This would mean a savings goal of almost 58K which is ambitious given my current standard of

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1136093715969845552005-12-31T19:49:00.000-08:002006-01-16T02:08:48.676-08:00

There's a Billy Joel song by the same title. "And so it goes." It's sort of a bittersweet song, one I identify with, corny as that may be, and a fitting way to ring out the year that has been bittersweet to say the least.At the beginning of the year I was a little cash poor and generally without a care, in June I hit a bus, a breakup and a turning point, in that order, in July I started this blog

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1135287458767205402005-12-22T13:36:00.000-08:002005-12-22T13:40:45.873-08:00

I tend to go a little crazy around holiday season. I am the person that you hear people talking about. Some people go crazy around holiday season, they say. Cut up your credit cards, they say. Cut cut cut. They are really all just talking about me.Went out to buy a gift for J late last night. Came home with stuff for myself. That's what good girlfriends are for. Not that he minds. I think he gets

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1135230372421645382005-12-21T21:50:00.000-08:002005-12-22T11:49:34.226-08:00

One thing I will say about my current job. I actually have time for a life. It's an interesting change from before. For the greater part of my career I have worked in small startups or rapidly growing companies where 120 hr work weeks were not unheard of. Now, I actually get to go home by 6 or 7 pm. I don't quite know how to deal with that. So while I am figuring out how to enjoy my free time

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1134783416674286112005-12-16T17:36:00.000-08:002005-12-16T17:47:17.643-08:00

A few months ago when I turned down two other job offers to accept the Microsoft one I asked myself if I was making the right decision. It was a decision based more on some kind of fascination with the software giant rather than any concrete reason to work there. The last thing I said was "Decisions based on impulse tend to be short love affairs. Foreshadowing perhaps? I hope not." Well, I guess

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1134434696832829422005-12-12T16:16:00.000-08:002005-12-21T22:15:48.923-08:00

Oh how time flies when you are having fun. Or in my case, when you are jetlagged and can't remember your password. Seriously, isn't it high time we moved on to retinal scans or neurological pattern matching or some other such hi fi method of user identification? All this having to remember passwords when you are trying to battle a haywire body clock is very annoying, particularly when you have an

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1132194403783480472005-11-16T19:51:00.000-08:002005-12-21T23:23:00.123-08:00

Well, I am done with most of my shopping and thanks to a mix of practiced frugality, creative cajoling and natural inertia I am actually under budget. I traded in the white iPod nano I received from my fairwell for a black one my coworker just bought for himself and gave him a $50 iTunes gift certificate as a thank you for being my knight in shining armor. Guess this is what they call win-win. He

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1131648951750186372005-11-10T10:21:00.000-08:002005-12-21T23:25:39.913-08:00

This reminds me of that scene in SATC where Miranda and Carrie go shopping for pregnancy tests and Miranda grabs one and says, “Here, get this one. This is half off.” As Carrie puts it back on the shelf she says, “Sweetie, I just spent $365 on a new pair of shoes last week. This is not the time to be frugal.”When is the time to be frugal? I know some people’s answer to that is never just as some

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1131587478435397742005-11-09T18:59:00.000-08:002005-11-14T10:21:46.366-08:00

I am weak, don't blame me. I just ordered a grande caramel frappuccino, light, with whipped cream and extra caramel topping. Not sure what the point of the "light" was since the extra caramel canceled out any calorie savings but it was so, oh so, good. I was at a traffic light in my car sipping my drink and thinking "Please, please don't turn green!"This was one of those moments that get frozen

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1131571613096935042005-11-09T14:32:00.000-08:002005-12-21T23:30:37.416-08:00

After the dancing visions of caviar and champagne on the deck of a Caribbean cruise ship faded slowly into pragmatism I started asking myself questions. How did these people know to make me an offer on the condo? In this day and age of identity thefts any possibility of unauthorized access to what one considers confidential information makes one feel a little paranoid. Should I start locking up

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1131503123538952982005-11-08T18:02:00.000-08:002005-11-09T14:04:00.060-08:00

I got a call from my mortgage broker this morning. Someone wants to buy my condo. That was fast! I am not even sure it's mine yet. What's more, apparently they are willing to pay $420k for the same unit I bought at $399 in September and may even go up to $435. That's crazy. So I told my mortgage broker I needed to think about it. For one, I will have to look at the papers to see if I am allowed

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1131407002572691172005-11-07T17:13:00.000-08:002005-11-16T21:16:40.843-08:00

Holidays are a time to celebrate the people in your life, the ones who make the good times better and the bad times bearable. And what better way to show your appreciation than with thoughtful and carefully handpicked gifts? Only, how expensive do gifts have to be in order to be meaningful and appreciative? I am sure everyone knows the answer to that is "not much" but there's a difference between

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1130955572015080352005-11-02T20:19:00.000-08:002006-01-10T22:47:36.356-08:00

Net Worth as of 11/1/2005 * Other Assets = condo depositPrevious month's report: click here.Highlights:The negative change in my ESPP is due to last quarter's funds being converted to stock and moving to my brokerage account, which accounts for the positive change in the latter despite investments being down. Interest income for the month was $141.23. Investments, both personal and retirement,

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1130291041289649832005-10-26T10:59:00.000-07:002006-01-17T22:25:49.343-08:00

Three years ago I had closet full of shoes and nothing to wear. Since then I have simplified. Simplified, streamlined, downsized. At first it was a way to raise some quick cash after I got laid off but after a while it became a mission to reduce possessions. It was oddly therapeutic, this getting rid of things in my closet that had not seen the light of day in a long time. It was as much a

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1130285762654796252005-10-25T17:36:00.000-07:002005-11-08T18:49:25.683-08:00

In a show with such snappy dialogues as "Squirrels are just rats with cuter outfits" and "Manolo Blahnik!" uttered with the same reverence that Archimedes must have felt for his discovery when he ran naked through the streets of ancient Greece yelling "Eureka!" it is cruel to expect substance of any kind or information of any use. I mean seriously, they didn't even list the names of all the sex

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1129758431716912132005-10-19T14:47:00.000-07:002005-10-19T18:33:41.543-07:00

One of my favorite blogs is Overheard in New York. It's everything Sex And The City was not. That is it's real, fresh and both depressing and humorous at the same time. (Let's just say I am not the biggest SATC fan, particularly after the whole contrived "happily ever after" ending with the subtle subliminal message that a woman's life is fulfilled only in motherhood or through a relationship and

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1129663878971566982005-10-18T14:11:00.000-07:002005-12-22T11:46:58.566-08:00

I seem to have come down with a severe case of writer's block in the last week. (Either that or I ran out of things to say. It was bound to happen sooner or later) Thankfully, my writer's block did not extend to other areas of my life and as far as financial decisions go this was a particularly good week:Reviewed, signed and delivered - final condo papers. There's no turning back now. I feel a

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1129166975782756322005-10-12T17:41:00.000-07:002006-01-17T22:32:41.060-08:00

I am the queen of brownbagging this week. I have been making do with what was in my refrigerator, freezer and pantry since Sunday. In fact, I haven't spent a penny on food since Saturday's dinner. 4 day total = $0.Wonder what that says about me? I have a pretty balanced life but not because I have a balanced approach so much as because my dysfunctions are often of two extremes that cancel each

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1128991667165526752005-10-10T17:15:00.000-07:002005-10-10T18:00:34.753-07:00

For the greater part this week I have been marvelling at the fact that I spent zero dollars out of pocket over 5 days. Can you imagine how much more I would save each year if I went back to consulting full time? And then, this weekend, I had my answer. I would save nothing more.Lunch Friday - $12.50Dinner Friday - $60Breakfast Saturday - $17Shopping Saturday - $192Lunch Saturday - $33.60Dinner

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1128667893271621252005-10-06T23:28:00.000-07:002005-11-08T18:51:16.766-08:00

I spent the last 4 days on the road in 4 locations, 1 day per city. Hardly the most relaxing road trip ever but while it was tiring it was also a lot of fun at the same time. That is if you share my somewhat warped definition of fun.We flew out to meet several tap customers (tap customers = customers who have agreed to use-test an early version of the product prior to its release) and presented

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1128302858687237932005-10-02T18:27:00.000-07:002006-01-10T22:49:03.216-08:00

Net Worth as of 10/1/2005 * Other Assets = condo depositPrevious month's report: click here. This was my best month since starting this blog. My net worth went up $8303.75 thanks to several factors. I received my sign-on bonus with last week's paycheck. In addition, I also received an unused vacation reimbursement check from my previous employer for the amount of $1147. That's a total of $4747

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1127859781202486812005-09-27T15:22:00.000-07:002005-10-19T18:34:23.746-07:00

Well, I did it. I got prequalified and I put down the 10% on my condo. My savings account looks horribly deflated. You can just see it trying to cover itself up with the less than 10k remaining in an effort to still look marginally respectable. The poor thing.On the other hand I am now the proud owner of something called a Purchase Agreement. I have 15 days to make trouble if I want to back out

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1127699825424771002005-09-26T11:10:00.000-07:002005-09-26T11:26:53.433-07:00

For the greater part of Thursday and Friday I was vacillitating between letting the eBay guy keep my furniture AND the money or taking up Madame X's suggestion and showing up at his doorstep with a baseball bat. But I didn't know how effective the last would have been so for the most part I was leaning towards letting it go. And then, all of a sudden, I got really annoyed with myself. I don't

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1127422563381704742005-09-22T17:47:00.000-07:002005-09-22T18:05:28.076-07:00

is $300. At least in my case. I posted in Raised: $340.65 and then some that I made $300 through an impromptu furniture sale. I did make the sale i.e. we agreed on a price and the guy removed the furniture from my place. But I was a little hasty in counting my chickens ... I never saw the payment.In retrospect it probably wasn't the smartest thing letting a strange man walk out of my home with

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1127158918090156632005-09-19T12:41:00.000-07:002006-01-10T22:50:23.806-08:00

So last Friday was my last day at my old job. The details aren't that important but suffice it to say it wasn't the best work environment in the world and I am glad that's behind me.Initially I had planned on going to California for a week to celebrate before joining my new job but for a number of reasons (mainly the 3 weeks I am planning to take off at the end of Nov for my trip) I decided to

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126835428618306632005-09-15T18:49:00.000-07:002005-09-15T18:50:28.623-07:00

I had a moment of utter, blinding panic this morning. I woke up and thought, "Crap, I bought a 400k house!" Yikes!The demand in downtown Seattle has far outpaced supply and the trend seems set to continue. Plus, I bought below current cost and I can always sell it and live in a smaller house if that's what I want. This was a strategic decision, not an emotional one. If I had gone on pure emotion

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126757109720783702005-09-14T22:19:00.000-07:002005-09-15T11:53:49.360-07:00

My dream home is a Frank Lloyd Wright house in the middle of a lush green forest. I can just see it in my mind. Everything from the clean sharp lines to the spiral staircases to the leaded glass windows and the dark shellacked floors and the forest outside... But until I find a suitable location to do justice to Wright's genius, and the ghost of my favorite dead architect to come build it for me,

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126595872426930022005-09-13T10:30:00.000-07:002005-09-13T20:24:11.150-07:00

Seattle is getting sexy. Or, at least, naked. (which if you ask any of a number of people, is as good as sexy any given day) Here're the gory details:Seattle's 17-year long moratorium on new strip clubs ended this Monday under a federal court ruling. Now before all you strip club enthusiasts start shuddering in shock and dismay let me assure you that we have strip clubs. We just haven't had any

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126580675080622402005-09-12T19:52:00.000-07:002005-09-12T22:20:23.740-07:00

It took a lot of soul-searching and enough math to have pleased all my dead math teachers but I think it was worth it. I believe I made the right decision and more importantly learned a few things in the process. But before I explain what my decision was, what factored into it and what I learned from this exercise I want to see what other people would have done in my shoes. So, here's a little

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126574080751139132005-09-12T18:03:00.000-07:002005-09-12T19:14:34.780-07:00

3 days after the due date. So proud of myself right now.

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126556500317385082005-09-12T13:31:00.000-07:002005-09-12T18:02:48.293-07:00

Money Turtle and Anonymous commented in To Buy or Not to Buy that the condo price wasn't too bad for Seattle. It's true. Similar condos in Seattle are going for 500k. Some of the preconstruction units are even priced as high as 750. And condos in the same building go up to a million or two. But how does it compare to what I have now:My current apartment is a 654 sq ft loft/studio with a 3 by 8

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126495294420854062005-09-11T20:21:00.000-07:002005-09-12T14:04:43.386-07:00

The condo decision has been a big distraction and I had almost forgotten about my resolve to raise the $340.65 extra I spent in honor of my first Coldplay concert. Almost that is, but not quite. Here's part 1 and part 2 of the series in case anyone's new to this epic saga or needs a refresher. This constitutes the concluding portion of what has undoubtedly been a monumental enough challenge and

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126296544668684262005-09-09T12:58:00.000-07:002005-09-12T18:03:31.553-07:00

My last post focused on the financial aspect (mostly) of the decision to buy the Seattle condo. This post focuses on the other pros and cons. But before I go there I should explain how I picked this condo in particular.Since my decision to buy a home I have viewed 2 houses and 4 condos, 3 of which were in the downtown area. I have looked at listings of over 60 houses/townhomes/condos all told.

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126215428132387772005-09-08T22:43:00.000-07:002005-09-12T18:24:55.070-07:00

Every year Seattle has this architectural tour called the Seattle Street of Dreams. The planning starts with the site selection following which a select list of builders and architects are invited to participate. Once finished, the "Street of Dreams" showcases 4 to 6 new homes built specifically for the event that exemplify the latest trends in building, interior design, landscaping, technology

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126201559859841222005-09-08T10:34:00.000-07:002005-09-08T10:45:59.870-07:00

1. Booking tickets to Bangalore, India (my coworker is taking care of the package tour to the A&N islands from Bangalore. He sent out several package links and we picked one that we all liked. He's going to get everything negotiated, ordered, booked, printed out, filed and we just pay the travel agent. For the tickets to Bangalore we are each on our own because we are all travelling on different

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126113512934056862005-09-07T10:09:00.000-07:002005-09-10T00:22:12.693-07:00

Music for Relief, a charity organization initiated to help disaster relief, has teamed up with American Red Cross and is hosting a number of live concerts to raise money to support the victims of Hurricane Katrina. All donations go directly to aid the victims and their families.On Saturday, September 10th, multiple live concerts will air on MTV, VH1, and CMT to raise donations and awareness for

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1126069488301045232005-09-06T21:55:00.000-07:002005-09-10T00:22:54.616-07:00

I found these pictures online as I was searching for some information. This is where I am going in Nov. Well, actually, I am going to Bangalore first for a coworker's wedding but after that a couple of other coworkers and I are going here: The Andaman & Nicobar Islands Somewhat random tidbit that is somewhat relevant: Last year's Tsunami killed over 70,000 people across coastal India, Sri Lanka

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125987426472512752005-09-05T23:16:00.000-07:002005-09-06T22:40:01.813-07:00

Whew! That's taken care of. The $91.52 gifts was actually miscategorized under Books, CDs... That was easy to fix.The missing concert tickets were a little harder to find. I made some changes to the way my budget was set up originally and added some custom categories last month which is where the problem arose. Turns out Money doesn't always recognize custom categories properly. Or maybe I am

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125952237406044842005-09-05T13:18:00.000-07:002005-09-05T13:30:37.416-07:00

I just noticed a couple of discrepancies. The $157 I spent on the concert tickets should show up under entertainment but they are not there. The $91.52 I spent on gifts last month is also prominently absent from the gifts category.Strangely enough, the total is correct. $4087.11 (July total) + $2740.17 (August total) + $1500 (pending Aug transactions) + $608 (insurance -- I prepaid in June so

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125907499112303432005-09-05T00:19:00.000-07:002005-09-06T11:48:02.356-07:00

Saturday was a lot of fun. I know it probably wasn't the sanest thing to do but sanity is overrated anyway. That said, if I thought for a moment that my taking off like that would hurt anyone, or that I would have to cancel plans or stand up someone or renege on a commitment, I wouldn't have done it. As it happened I didn't have any firm plans for Friday night or Saturday, no one to call in

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125784260895274882005-09-03T14:46:00.000-07:002005-09-10T00:23:57.610-07:00

I am in Victoria, BC. I was driving home from work yesterday, tired, exhilarated, sleepy, listening to a song on the radio and thinking of gas prices. The weekend stretched ahead of me filled with pleasant thoughts of old friends and new romances, of berbecues and sales. And then I was turning back towards my office, printing out the directions to Port Angeles and 4 hrs later I was here. I am not

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125627682037973362005-09-01T20:36:00.000-07:002006-01-10T22:54:50.836-08:00

Net Worth as of 9/1/2005This month's baseline is from 8/1/2005 (for the month of july). I have mixed feelings about this month's performance. First off I saved more than last month which is good but I am still not gaining fast enough to reach my 45k net worth increase goal (start:165k, target:210k) by next June. I am on target as far as my savings goal goes. I had calculated my ability to save to

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125551008568138542005-08-31T21:22:00.000-07:002005-09-01T15:09:02.566-07:00

INXS opened Rock Star today by extending their prayers and support to the people in the flood afflicted areas down South and mentioned that they'd donated to Red Cross. So if you needed another reason to donate now you are in the company of aging rockstars. Of course, if you think of rock & roll as spoilt self-indulgent punk music of multi-millionaire druggies and sex addicts then this isn't a

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125539584264138702005-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:002005-09-01T15:05:04.300-07:00

If you are in the Seattle area and donate to the American Red Cross then KMTT The Mountain, Seattle's adult rock station, will play your song on Friday. I know this isn't as good as actually getting something you can take home but it's not that bad a deal. They have some pretty obscure songs that I haven't been able to get anywhere else but have been able to request through them.Here's how to

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125519728803943592005-08-31T13:21:00.000-07:002005-08-31T13:35:25.880-07:00

Accepted: 1 Microsoft job offerMoney and career prospects will have to wait a little longer. Greater creative freedom it is! Guess I should return the 2006 Quicken now. I have been trying out both MS Money and Quicken for the past month (Money was a 90-day free download and Quicken has a 60-day money back guarantee so it wasn't costing me anything) and I like different features of each but I feel

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125512070178946322005-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:002005-09-01T23:39:28.966-07:00

in New Orleans the flooding is getting worse by the minuteGov. Kathleen Blanco wants the city evacuated in two days as the water continues to rise Maj. Gen. Don Riley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the team that's working on stabilizing the two levees that broke, says it could take close to a month to get all the water out of the cityThe Red Cross reported it had about 40,000 people in 200

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125452619225313392005-08-30T17:58:00.000-07:002005-08-30T19:16:09.483-07:00

Continuing the saga of my bid to recover money spent on frivolous and needlessly worldly pursuits for which I am suitably contrite (or not quite but I still want my money back):My goal was to raise $340.65 and so far I have raised $269 (projected). Here's a breakdown:Sharebuilder - $50 Gas card from Great Fun online - $19 Sony card - $100eBay - $100 (estimated) I opted not to sign up for the Citi

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125340880511148542005-08-29T12:11:00.000-07:002005-08-29T14:22:01.476-07:00

Spent over the weekend: $91.27 New top $59.99 The world’s cutest baby dynosaur for the world’s cutest baby, my nephew $6.52 Dinner and Live Show at the Crocodile Cafe $0 (I offered to pay but my date said that would hurt his masculinity) Magazines (In Style, Money) $9.24KitKat (to go with the magazines) $0.49Sunday brunch with friends $15.03 Made over the weekend: $5-20kI posted earlier about my

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125079633461246972005-08-26T10:16:00.000-07:002005-08-27T20:27:25.483-07:00

I can't keep talking about this money stuff all the time. It's such a dry subject. So in the spirit of rebellion I have decided to branch out and talk about anything and everything I feel like. Not sure who I am rebelling against though. Conventional wisdom? Myself? My 2.5 readers? Or maybe it's just this lazy Friday afternoon that's got me antsy. I want to jump into a jeep with the hood down and

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1125040520533923472005-08-26T00:13:00.000-07:002005-08-31T11:35:26.510-07:00

I just realized with a surprise that I haven't posted in a week. Guess I have been so busy that I didn't know how much time had passed. Since my last post I had two more interviews, wrapped up one project at work and started another, finished decorating my apartment (and came in $200 under budget), made some changes to my investments, found a condo (yes!!!!! brand new, in downtown Seattle and

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1124389433913136162005-08-18T11:23:00.000-07:002005-08-30T18:52:18.950-07:00

I had a blast at the Coldplay concert and I am sure Chris Martin appreciated my new bag. Now that the euphoria has died down a bit I have to turn to more mundane things like how to recoup my losses from my recent shopping binge. I don't think I did that bad. $587 for a concert ticket, a bag and a pair of shoes just doesn't strike me as much. But then that's my problem. $587 for a concert ticket,

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1124245205858359102005-08-16T17:44:00.000-07:002005-08-17T10:28:33.730-07:00

As I went up the stairI met a man who wasn't thereHe wasn't there again todayI wish, I wish he'd go awayWho was that man? Or maybe there was no man, invisible or otherwise. Maybe the man who wasn't there is symbolism for whatever particular demon that drives you, making you do the things you do. In my case today or this week that'd be the temptation to spend.$157 - Coldplay concert tickets$172 -

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123887028408367742005-08-12T15:52:00.000-07:002005-08-15T13:56:09.940-07:00

There are three sections at the end of my annual performance review form: keep doing, stop doing, start doing. It's pretty neat. First I get to fill it in and then my boss reviews it and adds his comments. It's kind of an at-a-glance summary of the good and the bad. I have decided to use the same technique to break down my spending habits. Keep Basic cable (it's basically broadcast channels but I

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123882909745573592005-08-12T14:35:00.000-07:002005-09-10T22:59:38.346-07:00

I have an interview with a Microsoft product group on Monday. I have been somewhat unhappy at my current job. The work is great, it's the group that leaves something to be desired at times. So, a couple of weeks back I went on an informational and then last week I got a call back saying they would like to set up an interview loop for the 15th. They did warn me that I wouldn't get the confirmation

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123619036277141442005-08-10T16:11:00.000-07:002005-08-11T20:41:56.326-07:00

I forgot about this. I got very excited this morning thinking my car had suddenly become more fuel efficient. I was sitting in the car fiddling with the radio when I happened to look up and that's when I saw it: Fuel 15.6 mpg. It took me a moment to get back to reality and the fact that I was still parked in my garage. Apparently the secret to getting a semi-decent mileage on a Saab is to not

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123608176520455272005-08-10T14:58:00.000-07:002005-08-12T16:50:50.553-07:00

After yesterday's post I started thinking about where I spend and where I don't.Cable - $13.20 for basic cable and that's it. Other than that I have Netflix (just switched from 3-at-a-time to 2-at-a-time because I wasn’t renting that much) which is all the extra TV I need.Cell phone - I have a 500 anytime minutes + unlimited mobile-to-mobile free plan for $39.99. I used to have 1000 minutes but I

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123618657485762072005-08-09T12:59:00.000-07:002005-08-11T20:43:26.623-07:00

Apparently not many people.I have been paying with cash all week and people have started giving me change. The first time it happened on Sunday night I thought it was an aberration, albeit a fortuitous one. I was at Rite Aid buying bulbs at the time. The total came to $4.58 and I was just counting out the change when the girl interrupted me and said, "Just give me $4.51" and to my utter amazement

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123523868542313622005-08-09T09:25:00.000-07:002005-08-11T20:46:20.126-07:00

Maintaining good credit is a fine balance. Your credit score can drop if you have too many credit cards, too few credit cards, if you close too many accounts, if you open too many accounts, if you have too much debt, if you have too little debt, the list goes on. The converse is also true. Just as a number of things can lower your credit score, there are a number of things that can raise them too

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123550001996102712005-08-08T17:49:00.000-07:002005-08-11T20:47:41.313-07:00

Particularly on days like today.Take my Ariel fund and DODFX for example. Ariel is down .11 and DODFX is up .11. It's like that Seinfeld episode where Jerry explains how he always breaks even. Of course, I don't exactly have the same amount in both funds down to the penny. I had started with the same but over the weeks as they went up & down that has changed. Right now my Ariel Fund is down $9

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123186868828394592005-08-04T12:43:00.000-07:002005-09-10T23:02:01.810-07:00

In my attempt to educate myself on the real estate market of Seattle I have been reading anything and everything I could lay my hands on for the last few days. Today I found a couple of articles that I thought were interesting:America's riskiest real estate: In this article the author talks about the coming real estate bubble burst. Boston tops the list as the city most at risk for decline in

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123129513744723102005-08-03T22:15:00.000-07:002006-01-18T12:57:01.593-08:00

Someone asked me in comments how I saved my money. Mostly I think it was luck, although not quite the way one might think. My parents didn't have any money set aside for my college. It taught me how to turn adversity into opportunity early in life. I started working when I was fifteen, got good grades and by the time I went to college I had $5,000 in savings from various part time jobs as well as

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123094343442318832005-08-03T10:32:00.000-07:002005-08-11T20:51:50.780-07:00

My Money Blog has this post about what kind of car PF/money bloggers drive. It's pretty interesting. The predominant trait seems to be to buy a car and drive it till you get your money's worth instead of upgrading to a newer model every few years. This makes a lot of sense because cars lose most of their value in the first year or two. I read somewhere that with luxury models the car can lose as

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123027770183577232005-08-02T16:28:00.000-07:002005-10-02T19:05:03.130-07:00

Net Worth as of 8/1/2005My net worth baseline is from 7/18/2005 so the change is for the last 13 days of the month. However, that doesn't mean I saved almost $5820 this month although that would have been nice. It just means that I pay all my bills at the beginning of each month so typically my net worth sees a sharp decline around the 6th or 7th and then climbs upwards after that.The biggest

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1123000799921378562005-08-02T09:27:00.000-07:002005-08-11T20:53:50.136-07:00

I have become a walking calculator. Gone are the days of blissful ignorance when I could justify paying for a $965 handbag as an investment in my wardrobe. Now I reach for a cup of coffee at Starbuck's and immediately start a monologue in my head.. "how much have I spent today? Do I need this cup of coffee right now? How much will $2.50 invested in the stock market become in 40 yrs?" hmm... Weird

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1122942035211459582005-08-01T17:20:00.000-07:002005-08-02T09:27:03.020-07:00

I am inconsistent.

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1122914855184271962005-08-01T16:13:00.000-07:002005-08-01T16:24:57.923-07:00

Credit reports & credit scores from the 3 bureaus - $17.90* (prep for home buying)Books/Magazines - $53.99 ($50* for a 2-yr of Fitness magazine from two kids selling magazine subscriptions to raise money for college + $3.99 Vogue)Gas - $37.72*Dining out - $67.93* (mostly breakfast & lunch during the week...yikes & this in addition to about $50 in groceries)Trip to the Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1122570849138658222005-07-28T09:28:00.000-07:002005-07-28T10:54:43.220-07:00

I am buying a house next year. I am using the word house loosely in that I am looking at houses, townhomes, condos, boathouses. My first preference would be a condo because I like urban living. I like being able to look out of my window and see cars and stores and to be able to walk down the street and get a newspaper and a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning. Houses on the other hand do better in

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1122490770074635682005-07-27T14:19:00.000-07:002006-01-05T13:03:13.823-08:00

Imagine congratulating yourself on your newly found sense of fiscal savvy only to turn around and find that you have spent over $200 on non-essentials in a week. That's kind of how I felt on Sunday after I posted this. Little things add up real fast and before you know it a magazine here and a book there can seriously deplete your resources. And if you are anything like me your first impulse on

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1122231197834999332005-07-24T10:53:00.000-07:002005-08-11T20:54:16.110-07:00

I am trying to be more vigilant about how much I spend on discretionary items. So here's what I spent my hard earned $$ on this week:ice cream - $3.79cute jelly roll makeup bags (small) - $9 (1 turquoise, 1 hot pink)the new Harry Potter book - $16.194 Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein - $26.95The Millionaire Next Door - $15Mutual Fund for Dummies - $17.99Coldplay CD X&Y - $14.39Lynyrd

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1121887693492390792005-07-20T11:44:00.000-07:002005-09-10T23:03:07.130-07:00

I feel great today. In less than 3 weeks I have set up a brokerage account, started a Roth IRA, maxed out my 401k, enrolled in my employer's stock purchase plan, balanced my portfolio, calculated my net worth and set up a budget. A small step for more financially savvy people I am sure but a giant leap for me. Hey, it's more than I have done in the last 7 years.Of course, with this financial

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1121842802776275312005-07-19T23:39:00.000-07:002005-07-23T16:54:10.603-07:00

Net Worth as of 7/18/2005FY06 Budget (Goal)A couple of notes:The Rent is adjusted down from my actual monthly rent of $1100. I got a 1-time $1200 off for early renewal which I am taking spread out over 8 months. After 8 months my rent goes back up to $1100 but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.Both my Phone & Insurance budget goals are lower than what I am paying right now but I am

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1121752883129298672005-07-18T22:26:00.000-07:002005-07-20T11:02:34.386-07:00

I had to post a picture of the spider clock. I mean, come on, you have to admit it's super cool. For anyone who doesn't know, the spider clock was originally created by George Nelson in 1947 and is considered one of the icons of design of this century. Mine's actually a knockoff that set me back $20. Considering the original costs around $280 I consider it a steal.What I didn't buy: Cool green

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1121750651635058842005-07-18T22:07:00.000-07:002005-07-20T10:30:40.653-07:00

So, I have blown some serious money this week. I ordered a pair of living room chairs, a pair of bar stools, bought a new milk shake maker (very retro, very cool), some silk cushions, a fabulous orange spider wall clock and a tall reading lamp. I also bought a full length mirror that I have been wanting for a long time. All this got me thinking. I tend to feel guilty about my purchases, no matter

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1121383445830594712005-07-14T16:20:00.000-07:002005-07-14T16:25:05.623-07:00

Does spending trigger more spending? I just gave in and bought the new John Hiatt cd, Master of Disaster. This day has turned out to be a bit of a disaster for me, spending-wise so it seems highly appropriate. In addition to the two Milano chairs I also ordered a couple of gorgeous bar stools for my new apartment. That was another $225.

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1121375648650471482005-07-14T14:01:00.000-07:002005-07-18T23:16:44.910-07:00

Just ordered 2 of these chairs from Target. In my defense, my old seating does need an upgrade so this falls under the "almost-essential shopping" category. :)Edited 7/18 - Just realized I had the wrong picture up.

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1121372310794073672005-07-14T13:14:00.000-07:002005-07-20T22:51:35.273-07:00

Spent $253 at Target last night. And I was doing so well! Went to Target at around 9 pm to pick up some file folders (so I can get all my financial documents in order) and came with $250+ worth of stuff. One thing I didn't buy? File folders! On the other hand, I have made amazing strides in the world of personal finance. By my own standards that is. I have maxed out my 401k, started putting money

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1120280302490373002005-06-30T12:31:00.000-07:002005-08-01T17:35:53.696-07:00

I started down my road to financial emancipation today by maxing out my 401k. You'd think I'd have done this already considering I have been working for a few years now but no I was working off some kind of a "bird in the hand is worth two in the bushes" theory. Sadly that doesn't really work with money. Yet, despite knowing that I was finding it really hard to part with yet another piece of my

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126208.post-1120277800708802872005-06-26T21:12:00.000-07:002005-09-11T12:05:32.596-07:00

In this world of increasing commercialism where everything you want is a click, a call and one credit card authorization away it's hard to step back sometimes and ask yourself what it is that you really want. A simpler life, a secure future or that peacock green Marc Jacobs handbag? For me the answer is typically c) the peacock green Marc Jacobs handbag. But not anymore.I don't know what changed.

mmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447904494753504699noreply@blogger.com1