tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225519062011-12-14T22:02:41.680-05:00Getting out of debt, saving money and renovating a 1930s home. Can these goals coexist?QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-60166613574007580982007-05-25T14:30:00.000-04:002007-05-25T14:38:51.598-04:00

I've just received the prize that I won in FiveCentNickel's anniversary contest: Frances Leonard's Book Time Is Money: A Million-Dollar Investment Plan for Today's Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings. Heehee, that Nickel's a kidder—I'm guessing that "Time is Money" was perfect for me because I was the lame a$$ (with dollar signs) who took so long to reply to his "you won" email. Or maybe FCN read my "

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-12854794866521142402007-05-22T22:37:00.000-04:002007-05-22T22:56:32.394-04:00

Soooooooo... I haven't written anything here in six months. (Apologies but really, I didn't think anyone was paying attention. Anyone got a problem with that? Didn't think so.) That's not to say that there hasn't been plenty to write about (the giant, monstrous credit card is a month from being paid off, for example); I just haven't gotten off my arse to do any writing. My thanks to this guy for

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1166013582079109572006-12-13T07:31:00.000-05:002006-12-13T07:41:33.656-05:00

There are always a few people on my gift-buying list that prove just impossible to buy for (*cough* Dad), and I wonder if people think the same about me. When people ask me what I want, the answer is simple: Gift cards. But aren't gift cards a copout, given by people who can't be bothered to pick a thoughtful gift out?Maybe. But it beats someone else trying to buy me furniture or clothes.So I

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1164977382305669152006-12-11T07:18:00.000-05:002006-12-13T07:43:52.836-05:00

You have your eye on a pricey item at an overpriced shop like Pottery Barn. You wait and wait for it to go on sale...it doesn't. What can you do not to pay full price?Now that we have had a home for about a year and a half, a big challenge has been actually furnishing it. This house has four (small) bedrooms, a front family room, and a large "real" family room, all of which needed to be furnished

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1161691954631854552006-10-24T08:02:00.000-04:002006-10-25T23:31:11.850-04:00

I've been thinking about our friends and their money a fair bit lately, and about how people behave with it, what they spend it on and what they scrimp on. Of course I wouldn't want to be judgmental about any of it, lest they be judgmental about our silly money games and expenditures, haha. And though they're rather disjointed thoughts, here's what I'm thinking about particularly today:How do you

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1157544351775208902006-09-06T07:54:00.000-04:002006-09-06T08:05:51.813-04:00

Though I haven't chronicled it here (I would have scared away the one or two readers that I actually have), I've been searching for a job for what seems like forever. The search is over--I accepted a position last week and I start in a couple of weeks. Hooray!Naturally, my mind moved quickly to the financial concerns related to this new job, namely:1. I am getting about a 18-20% more here than I

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1155437609326974282006-08-12T22:52:00.000-04:002006-08-12T22:53:29.336-04:00

As I wrote a few months back, many windows in our home need to be replaced. About the same time, I had a handyman come in to give me estimates on a few projects that needed to be done around the house—among them, of course, replacing a few windows (and not just the glass, I mean the whole shebang, to the studs). He came upstairs to examine a few windows and said, “Did you want these repaired or

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1154314931474605282006-07-30T22:57:00.000-04:002006-07-30T23:06:15.643-04:00

After my parents got wind that my evil private student loan lender (S&M, in no uncertain terms) had jacked rates up to 8.75%, they offered to pay off the 16k (there's still another 80k apart from this, but it's at a much better interest rate) and have me pay them back interest free. I really feel uncomfortable with the parents-doing-nice-things-for-me thing, I think we're all trying to be

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1154314512166394352006-07-30T22:42:00.000-04:002006-07-30T22:55:12.176-04:00

Thanks to Family CEO, My Money Forest (was that you?) and others for the tips on making money while I'm here cutting my fingernails, ha! From the various recommendations that I've read this week, I've made about $90-100 for doing nothing, and saved a couple bucks with very lucrative coupons. Here's the quick lowdown:$5+ 20+ 50= $75 for that "entertain50" Sharebuilder and Ebates scheme. Did that,

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1154313725250407472006-07-30T22:38:00.000-04:002006-07-30T22:42:05.276-04:00

I have been blogging not very regularly since Februrary. I have left comments with other bloggers but have only received ONE comment--ever--on this blog. I don't know what I'm doing wrong,or what I should change. It's kind of disheartening, writing for nobody. I do want to keep writing (and I meant to write something much longer this weekend, but for who?), but I feel like I'm doing the "tree

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1153222430448328952006-07-18T07:30:00.000-04:002006-07-18T07:33:50.450-04:00

I have a mountain of student loan debt. Most of it is locked up at about 3%, consolidated at the perfect alignment of the stars and planets a few years ago. But about 16k is through an evil private lender whose rates keep increasing along with the Fed. They're now at about 8.75%.I receive many great credit card offers, most of which only offer a low rate for a year or so. But I also have one from

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1153222239326260632006-07-18T07:16:00.000-04:002006-07-18T07:30:39.340-04:00

I'm sure the similie has been made before: Debt reduction is a lot like dieting. You know you need to cut calories to reach your desired goal and day after day, you kind of chip away at it. Then the weekend comes, and you gorge yourself and end up weighing more than you did before. That's sorta what happened this weekend. We took some money out of a MMA that was earning low interest and paid off

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1151408704887927482006-06-27T07:39:00.000-04:002006-06-27T07:45:04.896-04:00

It's been ages since I've shown my lowly self here. I'm hanging my head in shame because the Amex has shot up, and for no emergency-type reason. Though we have been funneling extra cash, expecting the home improvements that we've been making to drive that balance upward, it's still about $1,000 more than it was a month ago. We've redone a room--transformed it from tacky little girl's bedroom to

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1147893039921783942006-05-17T15:04:00.000-04:002006-05-17T15:10:39.950-04:00

Do you have a fixed amount you spend on wedding gifts for everyone? X amount for friends, and Y amount for family? Do you feel that your gift amount has to "pay" for the meal / party you get?I've heard so many different methods about what people do and for whom. The subject is weighing heavily on my mind right now because I'm going to a wedding this weekend at a *vehry* chichi Manhattan location,

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1147790111544726242006-05-16T10:18:00.000-04:002006-05-16T10:35:11.580-04:00

...that I read about in the local paper sounded great. Two local ladies who had gotten fed up by handymen who never show up, or overpriced and underestimated jobs, etc. started a service that assigns handymen and other home-repair workers to your home for an hourly fee, and promises that you have a good experience. You just call them with a list of the random projects that you have ("I need

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1146622370953734422006-05-02T22:02:00.000-04:002006-05-02T22:12:50.966-04:00

Well, I've just paid down $400 on the Amex, bringing the total down to $13,508.60. A month ago it was $15,675.17. Most of the difference has to do with the $1500 or so that I put down courtsey of the tax refund. But I am thrilled that with just $510 or so, I can see that second digit crawl down to 2. It's still a big number but honestly, I'm proud of the progress that only 30 days has meant.

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1145926377077274182006-04-24T20:44:00.000-04:002006-04-24T21:22:50.110-04:00

Channeling my inner Jerry Seinfeld: So, what's the deal with Deal or No Deal?Question #1: Is there any show or job, even, that requires less skill? Does anyone know people who have tried out for the game? What the heck skill/qualities (other than stupidity and testosterone) are these producers looking for in contestants? I tried out for Jeopardy once. They hit me with some very impossible to

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1145902675203169362006-04-24T14:17:00.000-04:002006-04-24T14:17:56.223-04:00

**And quite possibly the worst customer service I've had all year.Avoid this place like the plague!**Our 70-year-old house seriously needs some windows. I'd say about 12of the however-many-we-have need to be replaced. This is a prettypricey undertaking, and surely one of the ways that we were able toget a bargain (okay, if a half-million dollar house is really abargain) on our beloved abode. We

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1145498966666543552006-04-19T21:44:00.000-04:002006-04-19T22:09:26.706-04:00

I realize that we haven't done the net worth spreadsheet yet, nor have we given an accurate picture of where we stand and what's in the bank. I have some of those figures handy, but not all. Truth is, as much as I read these blogs I have no idea how to determine how much our house is worth--more than what we paid for it, considering the changes that we've made. But I don't feel comfortable doing

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1145412151713191822006-04-18T22:01:00.000-04:002006-04-24T21:28:20.413-04:00

The Spouse and I took care of some business this weekend, finally ordering our much-needed second car, which will be delivered on or about the end of May. Yes, we bought a new one against almost all of the professionals’ financial advice (“the value drops the minute you drive it off the lot,” etc—we know!), but we need maximum reliability, and lots of cargo space for all of those trips to Home

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1144264972895384002006-04-05T15:22:00.000-04:002006-04-24T21:11:22.413-04:00

Bathroom happiness did continue! Light fixtures arrived and wereinstalled ($99 for overhead light, $149 for triple sconce overmedicine cabinet). Spouse was not electrocuted by installing them.Medicine cabinet ($89) also in, though service at absolutehome.com ispretty sucky. Two of the cabinet's glass shelves were chipped, andthey said it would take 5 to 7 business days to hear back from

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1144263472934471232006-04-05T14:57:00.000-04:002006-04-05T14:57:58.066-04:00

I know that the answer to "How should I pay off my credit cards?" is,"as quickly as possible," but here's something that I don't rememberanyone having asked yet. Say you have 1k now, or during any givenmonth, to put toward the sufferin' ol' Amex, right? Does it matter toAmex/credit bureaus/anyone else whether you put that all down at once,or pay $250/week, or any other combination? (let me add to

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1143128842691136442006-03-23T10:42:00.000-05:002006-04-24T21:11:57.413-04:00

I'm suffering a big loss right now because the List of All Lists, of all the things I wanted to accomplish by April 30, has gone missing. I have no idea if someone walked away with it, or if it blew out my car window one day when I was driving with the windows down. (I saw something fly, but I don't know what. And the list is long and therefore kinda heavy!) That I'll have to redo.But last

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1142435349390045572006-03-15T10:09:00.000-05:002006-03-15T10:09:09.890-05:00

Okay, so I already mentioned that we took down our shower curtain andreplaced it with a nice, new fluffy curtain that hangs on a tensionrod. I may also have mentioned that, for whatever reason, our entirebathroom (ceiling, check!) is tiled.The shower curtain is trying to eat me alive. Or, no, the rod istrying to brain me. Because the walls are all tile, the rod startsslipping after a few minutes

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1142394650453594612006-03-14T22:46:00.000-05:002006-03-14T22:50:50.453-05:00

Is totally empty. We haven't had any spare cash or change to spend, let alone to throw into the "save it and forget it" vessel. Hopefully that will change soon.Also, we've taken a good chunk ($6500?) of the emergency funds that were with Fidelity and put them in ING so that we can earn some interest. The thing is that Fidelity actually lets you at the money sooner than ING does, so we had to

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1142394283449396612006-03-14T22:41:00.000-05:002006-03-14T22:44:43.450-05:00

We Spouses have no rugrats, but we were turned on to Upromise a few years ago by people who do. So I signed up under my name, and started collecting, you know, nickel by nickel. Through a few bigger purchases, we now have about $160 in the Upromise account. Great, but also frustrating because it's sitting there, not making any money for us whatever, and can't be transferred to a 529 if there is

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1141922754596804652006-03-09T11:45:00.001-05:002006-03-14T22:41:47.526-05:00

What I haven't mentioned since last weekend and should have by now isthat we managed to check a few boxes off the to-do-in-bathroom listlast weekend. For not a hell of a lot of money, we changed the look ofthe room in a noticable way.**We took down the nasty old shower door that was affixed like youwouldn't believe to the tub and walls, siliconed like mad, I guess, incase of natural disaster. I

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1141829591915792452006-03-08T09:53:00.000-05:002006-03-09T10:14:27.316-05:00

It's been a lean couple of weeks, with some unexpected car repairs, adental bill I'm waiting to be reimbursed for, and other little thingsjust draining away our checking. A $65 reimbursement check from my jobwas really satisfying, for some reason.It's when I'm feeling this frustrated, I guess, that finding goodpreliminary news about a tax return is even sweeter, you know? Lastyear, spouse and I

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1141356943585936422006-03-02T22:26:00.000-05:002006-03-02T22:35:43.586-05:00

So I have kind of foisted upon my Spouse the idea that we should spend the next month or so really taking care of some of the house business that we want to fix up. Problem is, we are really short on money right now. Reallllllly short (see Checking Plus game below, but as I said before, it's so not a game!). So I made a very long and detailed list of things we should try to take care of,

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1141356237901926002006-03-02T22:18:00.000-05:002006-03-02T22:23:57.910-05:00

I don't want this to turn into some Andy Rooney-ish bitch page, but "d'ja ever notice...?" -- ya would, anyway, if you had pets -- that if you try to buy pet food online on certain pet store sites, they charge shipping by the case, right? So this week, I found a coupon code I thought worth its weight in gold (okay, in Science Diet). And it says, "free shipping over $55 purchase! No weight

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1140096970441209212006-02-16T08:31:00.001-05:002006-02-16T08:39:32.376-05:00

I think we all have silly ways in which to trick ourselves into saving money, or at least not spending more than we already do. Here are ours:1. Automatic deductions: This is the easy game. Spouse and I divert money from our paychecks so quickly and frequently that it’s amazing that we have anything left in the joint account. Excepting things like 401k contributions that are deducted when our

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22551906.post-1140096436077350292006-02-16T08:25:00.000-05:002006-02-16T08:27:16.093-05:00

A little about me (us?): We’re a barely 30s couple in the Northeast. We just purchased our first home six or seven months ago. It’s in far from perfect shape, but we love it anyway and are thrilled about every small improvement that we can manage. I mean, in this area, fixer-uppers (fixers-upper?) still aren’t cheap.Before buying the house, we had gotten our credit card debt down to a manageable

QuarterSaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08838812954626497603noreply@blogger.com0