Showing posts with label networth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label networth. Show all posts

Sep 3, 2010

September Networth: $77,434

Will I or won't I hit my goal this year of a $100k networth? It's possible. I'm at around $77.4k right now.

I need to be extremely frugal over the next four months to hit my goal.

As far as income goes, I'm expecting:

Potential September Income

Project A: $10000 pre-tax this month
Project B: owed $1600 + potential income of $3200 (pre-tax)
Project C: owed $300 (pre-tax)

Total: $14000 pre-tax... ~$9000 after tax.

I'll prob spend $2000 this month on rent, food, insurance, gas, health, etc.

So if I can do +$7000 this month I'll be at $84k.

That leaves $16k that I need to make in 3 months between Oct & Dec, or $5.3k per month after tax.

It's possible for Project #C I will start a $5k-$10k per month contract for 1 month. That would help a lot! Project B will likely pay around $3200 pre-tax for part-time, though it's not guaranteed. Project A is likely ending this month.

I plan to donate 10% of any income above $100k that I earn and 15% of all income above $120k, if I happen to earn that much, 25% of all income over $150k. It's not much, but I like the idea of donating a portion of income I earn over $100k.

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Apr 27, 2010

Follow Up to: Tips for Making More Money Long-Term for 20 Somethings

A few days ago, I wrote a post about how to make more money over your entire life. The trick? Believe you "need" more money than you do now and approach your life's choices based on that need... then save the difference in what you get vs. what you actually need. Always live below your means. Ok, this isn't revolutionary advice, but I got some interesting comments from my readers, and I wanted to respond.

Anonymous #1, from Kentucky, said "I like the idea behind this advice. I also agree to an extent. On the other hand, it's not just career choice that will determine the amount that you make, but geographic location as well. A $120,000 per year job to you is more like $60,000 per year here."

Meanwhile...

Anonymous #2 said "that was the most ridiculous thing I've ever read! ...No offense, but you are still a kid and have a lot to learn. Don’t get me wrong, you are way ahead of most other 20-somethings (not hard to do in this day & age, though!), but be careful about advice you are giving (or taking). Also – you could reach your $100K goal MUCH easier if you moved to a place with a lower cost of living."

While one commenter loved my advice and the other hated it, both had a similar comment on how my choice to live in California makes it more difficult for me to reach my financial goals. I disagree.

I've lived in many different parts of the country through my life, though perhaps never the places where the lifestyle is extremely cheap. But I'm not sure how much a move would save me, unless I moved back home and lived with my parents.

My rent right now is $630. With utilities that adds up to maybe $700 a month. Granted, in Detroit, according to Craigslist ads, I could get similar room in a 3br shared apartment for around $350 a month. I don't know Detroit so can't compare my nice neighborhood to the offerings on CL, but let's just say the rents for a room are half what I'm paying now.

Everyone seems to think living in California is impossibly expensive. It's not. It IS expensive if you want to buy a house here. Gas is a little higher than in the rest of the country. State tax is higher than some other states. Ok, it's not the cheapest place to live. But there are also a lot of opportunities for work here, especially in the areas where it costs more to live. So salaries do, to an extent, compensate for the difference. As my first commenter said, $60k in Tennessee is maybe equal to $120k in California. I'm not sure I agree with that math, but there's obviously some truth in it. I COULD move to a cheaper place, make less money, spend less on rent, and save the same amount. But I would have a very hard time finding a job in my industry outside of this area. If you're in an industry you can work in anywhere, then by all means, live somewhere more affordable. That doesn't change my argument that you should always think you need more money than you do, and that this thinking will help you earn more in the long run.

Now, commenter #2, who has worked as a hiring manager, made a good point. He/she said that once a candidate for a job refused to take the job unless given $5k more than the offer. Eventually, the company hired someone else. OK, I never said "be stupid." If you really want a job, are unemployed, and have no other options (if you "walk" will you be unemployed for another six months? Or are there other opportunities on the table) then take the job. My logic still works, though. If you think you need $x more per year, then you might get a side job, or seek out freelance income to meet your goals. You don't NEED to make the extra money through your day job. It doesn't hurt to push a little in negotiating but always be realistic. I took a big risk during my negotiations for my current job and it paid off. I was really nervous that it wouldn't, and I got lucky. I also knew that I was by far the top candidate for the role and my company really wanted to hire me. I also did not get what I asked for, but I quickly accepted a realistic offer that was still much higher than I was making at my previous job.

In comparison, I look at friends of mine in their 20s who are living at home or living in cheap apartments and thinking that they only need to make enough to cover life month to month. The fact is that your future salary is largely determined by what you make before it (not always, but having a strong salary history helps.) If you spend your 20s making a smaller income because you do not see a reason to strive for more earnings, then you will be at a disadvantage in your 30s. Again, I'm not saying this works for every field... some fields have set salaries. You can still make extra money. If you're fortunate enough to not be in debt in your 20s, take advantage of this and save as much as you can. The best way to save more is to make more. That's the math I believe in.

Commenter #2 also asked "Do you have a net worth goal you are aiming for by the time you are 30? Don't you think NET WORTH is a better goal than just "savings?" I keep track of mine yearly. I just looked back to what it was when I was 30. I did NOT have $100K in the bank then, but the net worth was $170K."

I am not sure what factors into Net Worth to be honest. Right now I'd say my "Net Worth" is my bank account... that is, the combination of my savings, Roth IRA, stocks, CDs, and other investment accounts. I don't own a home (again, that's one of the things that is too expensive for me, living in California) but I own a used car (it's worth maybe $2k, but I don't bother including that in my networth because I'll use it until it stops working) and a few other gadgets and things that I don't count.

So, commenter #2, what was that extra $70k including for your net worth at 30? Did that include a house? That makes complete sense, especially since you have a family. Since I'm single and could move to a job in another city at any moment, it doesn't make sense for me to own. So my whole Net Worth IS my bank accounts.

Thanks for all your thoughtful comments!

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Apr 17, 2009

My Net Worth Post 2008 Taxes

My networth definitely improved in the past year, despite the massive losses in the stock market. Now that my taxes are paid, my networth stands at $29,082.11 not counting my piece-o-crap car.

I started recording my networth on June 21, 2007. At that time, I had $25.7k. That was also the year I was very unwise with my finances, before I got myself in check. By 10/8/2008 my networth was just $13.9k. Granted, I was over estimating on my taxes for 2008, but my spending habits had yet to improve in order to have my networth return to the state it was at before I spent too much money on travel and other things.

This year, my income should increase (as long as I can keep my job all year) which means I have no excuse to let my networth drop. In fact, I'm setting some pretty high goals for myself this year (which are largely dependent on if and how quickly the stock market recovers, but I can still save smartly and do well.)

I'd really like to save $20k this year, so that my networth by April 15, 2010 is $49k. Is that do-able? I probably would need to cut out all my extra expenses such as voice lessons. I was thinking of calling it quits on those in July since they cost $160 a month. But I also wanted to start taking some other courses that were more in line with my future grad school plans, and those cost even more. So I go back and forth on whether I should really focus on increasing my networth (so I can pay for most of grad school up front) or if I should just spend it on classes now so I can get into a good grad school. Hmm. And the question remains, do I even really want to go to grad school? I'm still not clear on this.

I did some quick calculations and to meet my goal I need to take in approx $300 extra post-tax per month through freelance projects (do-able with current blogging gig, where I can make $600 a month pre-tax, as long as that lasts) and I can spend, at most, $1600 per month. That should be do-able, right? I've been spending quite a bit more than that per month, but I'm going to see if I can cut costs and get down to that $1600 per month target. Will track my progress on here. Wish me luck! (oh, and I am not going to count April because I'm already way over due to some spring shopping and my boyfriend's birthday gift. This is starting today, the new, really frugal me.)

**my average monthly spending for from March 2008 to March 2009 was $2279.30
So I'll need to whack off another $679 per month to meet my goals.

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Feb 4, 2009

Mint.com and My Year-Over-Year Progress

I'm the first to admit that I fail when it comes to acing the test on smart shopper and saver. Over the past two years I've grown wiser and more careful with my purchases, but I'll splurge more often than not.

That's why it's especially rewarding to use the Mint.com trends tool to compare my spending habits month and, even more importantly, year to year.

Using the tends tool, I can easily see how much I spent in any 12 month period.

From June 2007 to June 2008, I spent $37,455. That was when I was making about $35k for the whole year, mind you.

In the past 12 months, from Jan of 2008 to the end of Jan of 2009, I've spent $30,523. My income has gone up and my spending has dropped over $7k. I am very proud of this and hope I can continue on my not-so-frugal living within my means path.

Looking at 2008, I spent $29,916 total. The biggest expense over this year was "home," with $10,553 going to rent and moving expenses.

2008 Spending Chart


Home: $10,553
($879 a month)

Shopping: $4,633
($386 a month)

Food: $2,734
($228 a mont)

Auto/Gas: $2,211
($184 a month)

Entertainment: $1,969
($164 a month)

Bills: $1,737
($144.75 a month)

Gifts: $331
($27 a month)

Business Services(?): $399
($33 a month)

Education: $560
($46 a month)

Travel: $1269
($106 a month)

Health & Fitness: $1,660
($138 a month)

Fees: $238
($20 a month)

Uncategorized: $1,048

Read More...

Jan 1, 2009

Hello 2009

I just opened up my Google Doc spreadsheet tracking my various accounts and realized that my 2007-2008 sheet is officially complete. Even though my spending habits weren't perfect last year, it was the first year of my life where I tracked my finances, and can learn from my mistakes.

There were moments when I spent foolishly in 2008, which is why my overall networth has gone down (not to mention all my stocks taking a nosedive with the market) - but I resolve to be smart about my spending in 2009.

If I can keep a steady job, there is no reason that I can't save $10 - $20k in one year (including $5k for my Roth IRA). My rent costs are low (finally), I'm working a job where I can wear jeans and a t-shirt, so I don't need to spend on fancy clothes, and really my only major expenses should be to visit my family back east about twice a year (or more, since my dad has cancer and won't be around much longer.) But even with a few trips back east, I should really be able to save.

2009 is largely depending on whether my current position will turn full time or not. If not, there's a chance that not means I'm out of a job. I should be finding out about that this month. I'm slightly worried, though at the moment the whole situation is looking promising.

I really want 2009 to be a stable year financially and emotionally. I'd like to take all my urges to spend and instead use those to be healthy... to go for a bike ride, or to play tennis with my boyfriend. I always spend the most when I'm going through a depressive phase, and I'm hoping the depression is over and done with. I'm 25 now and I sort of have my life together. It's pretty crazy to say that, but it's true. Finally.

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May 9, 2008

May Spending Report, May 9

This month I am making a few purchases for my "free" trip to Israel, so my budget is a little off. I will make up for this by being really frugal with my budget and trying to underspend it once I get back from my trip.

Next month is going to be difficult because I am missing two to three weeks of work for my trip, and that's unpaid time off. Which is fine, I just need to be careful to be really frugal next month. Luckily, my parents will probably feed me while I'm home, and while in Israel the trip provides some meals. So if I can get away with just paying my fixed costs in June, I can afford to take the trip. Granted, the trip is free, so this is a frugal vacation by proxy. Can't complain about that!

-------------------------
FIXED COSTS: $1420
BEAUTY: $20
ENTERTAINMENT: $37
FOOD: $40
TRANSPORT: $82
SHOPPING: $201
INVESTMENT: $250
--------------------------
$2050 / [$2400 budget for month]

(($350 left for May))

Still need to...

*go food shopping (approx $80)
*get water shoes for trip ($60?)
*haircut ($70)
*get bathing suit? ($90)
------------------------------
Still to spend: $300 (put any extra in vacation fund!)


---------------------------
FIXED COSTS: $1420
Rent: $1050
Phone: $55
Cable: $72
Health Insurance: $129
Gym: $27
Car Insurance: $87
----------------------------

Beauty
$20 (eyebrow wax)

Entertainment /Hobbies
$15 (camera fix)
$22 (theater ticket)

Food [*still have to do food shopping for May]
$23.99 (dinner for two)
$10.24 (dinner)
$6 (dinner)

Transportation
$5 (Bart fare)
$66.21 (Gas)
$3 (bart Fare)
$5 (bart fare)
$2.25 (caltrain)

Shopping
$148 (dress for trip)
$53 (shirt)

Roth IRA [investments]
$200

Prosper [Investments]
$50

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Apr 15, 2008

Ides of April Spending Check-In

I'm trying to be frugal this month. I owe so much money for 2007 taxes and estimated taxes. My boyfriend is helping out a bit in that he's paying for a higher percentage of our "dining out" expenses. Without further ado... here's my expense breakdown from April 1 - April 15.


Total Spending: $1907.16

Fixed Expenses: $1218.33
$1050 Rent
$87.34 Car Insurance
$27 Gym
$53.99 Phone

To Be Reimbursed: $120
$120 Parking Permit

Taxes (not including federal): $311.90
$260 Estimated State Taxes
$2 State Taxes 2007
$49.90 tax cut online

Investing: $12
$12 last Sharebuilder fee for a while

Gas: $126.48
$64.29 Gas Filler up.
$62.19 Gas Filler up.

Food / Drugstore: $118.45
$5.33  Safeway
$9.28  Longs Drugs
$8.65 Walgreens
$26.84 Dining out for two
$21.54 Longs drugs
$12.07 Supermarket
$23.49 Eating Out for Two
$11.28 supermarket

Read More...

Apr 2, 2008

How to Afford My Quarterly Taxes

I assume that I'm going to owe $6132 in quarterly taxes (state and federal) in... 14 days.

(AHH!)

I just transfered an extra $1000 into my ING for Taxes account, which now adds up to $5125.56

So I'm short $1006.

That means budgeting this month needs to be extra, extra tight. And I might have to dip into my liquid CD to pay my estimated quarterly tax.

----

April "Spending" Money $2410


Fixed Costs = $1422.28
--------------
$71.33 -- Cable Bill
$129 -- Health Insurance
$87.33 -- Car Insurance
$57.62 -- Phone Bill
$1050 -- Rent
$27 -- Gym Bill

Credit Card Debt: $882
to pay this month $500
---------------------------------

$1922.28

----------

$487.72 left

Food? Taxes? Gas?

--------

The Good News...

Still Owed for this month: $1325

($400 for marketing copy
$525 for marketing article
$400 reimbursement)
[[+487.72]]

(TOTAL: $1752.72)

If I get paid all of this in time...

$1300 to taxes
$200 to food
$100 to Roth IRA
$152.72 Stays in Checking

--------------------------------------


Why am I so short? I shouldn't be this short, but it will take me until the end of April to earn all the money I need to pay for my Jan - April estimated taxes. I could just pay less than I'm supposed to and hope that it all works out in the end. This isn't entirely a stupid thing to do because I think based on last year's taxes I could undershoot what I'm going to have to pay this year and still be penalty free. But I'd rather keep on top of things.

Also, none of this takes into consideration the fact that I have to pay to deal with 2007 taxes.

What have I done, oh what have I done????

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Apr 1, 2008

Estimated Tax Worksheet - could it be any more complicated? (Don't Answer That)

Ok, going by the estimated tax worksheet, perhaps I owe a different amount for this quarter.

1. Adjusted gross income you expect in 2008:

(Adjusted gross income. Use your 2007 tax return and instructions as a guide to figuring out the adjusted gross income you expect in 2008. see Expected AGI -- Line 1 in chapter 2 of Pub. 505 -- "Your expected AGI for 2008 (line 1) is your expected total income minus your expected adjustments to income")

Let's just say $66,000 and forget any adjustments I might take.

2. Estimated total of itemized deductions: no idea

3. Subtract Line 2 from Line 1: $66,000

4. Exceptions: Multiply $3,500 by the number of personal exceptions = $0?

5. Subtract line 4 from line 3 = $66,000

6. Tax =
Figure your tax on amount on line 5 by using the 2008 Tax Rate Schedules on page 5. *If you have qualified dividends or a net capital gain, or expect to claim the foreign earned income exclusion or housing exlucsion, see "pub 505" to figure the tax.

  • 10% on income between $0 and $8,025
  • 15% on the income between $8,025 and $32,550; plus $802.50
  • 25% on the income between $32,550 and $78,850; plus $4,481.25 = $12843.755
  • 28% on the income between $78,850 and $164,550; plus $16,056.25
  • 33% on the income between $164,550 and $357,700; plus $40,052.25
  • 35% on the income over $357,700; plus $103,791.75
7. Alternative minimum tax from Form 6251: (this AMT confuses me to no end so for now I'm going to pretend it doesn't exist and hope it doesn't effect me.

What is the AMT? The AMT came into being with the Tax Reform Act of 1969. Its purpose was to target a small number of high-income taxpayers who could claim so many deductions they owed little or no income tax. A growing number of middle-income taxpayers are discovering they are subject to the AMT.

8. Add lines 6 & 7. Add to this amount any other taxes you expect to include in the total on Form 1040, line 44, or Form 1040A, line 28 = $12843.755

9. Credits (not not include any income tax withholding on this line): huh?

10. Subtract line 9 from line 8. If zero or less, enter 0 = $12843.755.

11. Self employment tax. Estimate of 2008 net earnings from self employment. (if $102,00 or less, multiply the amount by 15.3% -- Caution: If you also have wages subject to
social security tax, see Pub. 505 to figure the amount to enter) = $10,098

12. Other taxes (see instructions below): let's just say none.

13a. Add lines 10 through 12: $10,098
b. earned income credit (forms 4136, 8801 (line 27) and 8885) - None (you have to earn less than $17k for this.)
c. total 2008 estimated tax. Subtract line 13b from line 13a. If zero or less, enter 0 = $22,941.755

14a. multiply line 13c by 90% (unless you're a farmer or a fisherman, then it's 66.5%) = $20,647.58
b. enter the tax shown on your 2007 tax return (110% of that amount if you are not a farmer or a fisherman, and the adjusted gross income shown on that return is $150k or more) = no idea yet
c. required annual payment ot avoid a penalty. Enter the smaller of line 14a or 14b = $20,647.58

15. Income tax withheld and estimated to be withheld during 2008: none.

16a. subtract line 15 from line 14c:
Is the result zero or less?
Yes -- stop here. you don't have to pay anything.
No - go to line 16b...

16b: subtract line 15 from line 13c
is the result less than $1000
yes - stop. no money needed.
no - go to line 17 to figure your required payment

17. if the first payment you are required to make is due april 15, enter 1/4 of line 16a:
$20,647.58 / 4 = $5161.89

(but this doesn't at all include state taxes. I wonder if there is a separate quarterly estimated tax payment for that.)

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State Income Taxes: Why California Sucks

When I headed west and moved to California a little over two years ago, I was fresh out of college and not at all worried about taxes. All I wanted was to move away from Chicago's bitter cold and into the Cali sun. At that point in my life I figured I'd be lucky to ever make $20k a year, and being in such a low income bracket, the income tax amount from state to state didn't make much difference.

Actually, at the time I didn't even realize that there was a difference per state in terms of income tax levels. I just thought that everyone in any state paid the same amount for state and federal taxes, just that the state taxes went to the state you lived in and federal went to Bush and his war.

Apparently - that's not correct at all. (Duh, me.) Each state has its own state income tax. Just my luck, California is the worst for income tax rates at my level of earnings.

Even New York and my home state of New Jersey would be cheaper when it comes to state taxes (although they're both ranked highly in the list of "expensive income taxes.")

For a yearly income of $50k - $60k (which is about what I expect to bring in over 2008)...

My state income tax rate & fee,
assuming an annual income of $55k:

California -- 9.3% or $5115
New York -- 6.85% or $3767.50
New Jersey -- 5.525% or $3038.75

I'm surprised at how expensive it is to live in Maine. 8.5% for anyone making $17k or more. Yikes. Who really wants to live in Maine anyway?

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Talking Taxes

My taxes for 2007 are going to be a total nightmare. I tried to figure them out on TurboTax a few months ago before getting my official W2s, but I'm afraid I'm missing major deductions that I should be taking (or taking deductions I shouldn't be taking).

That has led me to seek out a CPA. So far the one who has written back to me charges $155 an hour with a two hour minimum. Eeks. And I thought $80 for TurboTax was pricey.

While $310 for an accountant to do my taxes won't be the end of the world, it still sucks. I feel like I should be able to figure out taxes for myself given that my overall earnings for the year was less than $35k. Unfortunately that $35k came from a bunch of different places.

Meanwhile, my uncle - who I do some small amounts of freelance work for - told me that while he's not sending me a 1099 form I have to report the earnings. Of course I have to report the income, but I thought that he also had to report the earnings. So I'm a bit confused about this - if he doesn't report the earnings will I get him in trouble if I report them?

Do you guys think it's worth $310+ to have someone prepare my tax returns? Or should I just do TurboTax and hope that I don't majorly mess anything up?

Read More...

Mar 26, 2008

Saving Confusion

I've been going on and on about how I don't know where to put my savings. I've been trying to save and invest, but right now I have a feeling my portfolio breakdown is not advisable. I still need to open an HSA and money needs to start going into that ASAP, but other than that I'm not sure where to invest.

Right now, my savings breakdown is:

$2167 -- liquid checking to pay off debts, rent, bills, etc (checking, liquid savings & paypal)
$19,599.34 -- pre tax non-retirement, non liquid savings (CD #1 & #2, Sharebuilder, Vanguard, Prosper)
$7067.75 -- Roth IRA (down from $7300 of initial investment. Have $1700 more to invest in 2008)

DEBT
-$1037.88 -- debt (to be paid from checking as soon as the deposit fully clears in my checking account)
-$450 -- to go to taxes

TOTAL NET WORTH: $27,346.21

---------

So that means right now 71.6% of my total portfolio is taxed once, then is put into a pre-tax account to be taxed again when it take it out one day down the road.

Savings wise, here are my priorities to save for...

1. My Health (As I have a high deductible health insurance, I need to make sure my HSA savings at least covers that deductible. Hopefully I'll never have to use it. Right now I don't have an HSA account set up. I need to do that pronto.) This also covers general dental care, yearly cleanings, etc, and vision expenses (I'm not sure if an HSA can go to vision costs or not, I'll have to find out. But I need new contacts!)

2. A House (I'm 24 now, I'd like to purchase a home by the time I'm 30)

3. Grad School (I'm pretty sure I want to go back to grad school one day, either for directing -- a huge expense --, an MBA, or a degree in computer interaction design. I want to do this by the time I'm 27.)

4. Cosmetic Dentistry (my teeth make me so sad. I'd love to be able to get them fixed at some point!)

5. Travel / Gifts / Fun / Gadgets (I'd like to save for enjoyment expenditures and gadgets, so I can buy things like a DSLR camera without feeling guilty.)

6. Laser Hair Removal (due to having polycystic ovary syndrome, I have excess hair that grows on my face and it drives me nuts. I also spend a small fortune buying tweezers and razors every other day. If laser hair removal really is permanent then this expense might be worth it. I'll probably have to save about $5000 to get it done, or maybe just $2000 or something for my face alone.

7. Marriage & Kids (I want to get married when I'm 33 or so and have three kids. Well, one to start with and I'll go from there. The cost of getting pregnant, thanks to having PCOS, will be huge. I'll have to get drugged up and do in vitro, probably, over and over again. This is going to be majorly expensive. If I don't start saving now, I might never be able to have children. Even adopting is expensive, so either way I'll need the money before I can have a family.)

---------


Read More...

Mar 23, 2008

March 1-20 Spending ($3176.93)

March Spending Breakdown Check In (March 1 - 20)

Fixed Costs = $1422.28
--------------
$71.33 -- Cable Bill
$129 -- Health Insurance
$87.33 -- Car Insurance
$57.62 -- Phone Bill
$1050 -- Rent
$27 -- Gym Bill
--------------

Gas Totals = $121.30

---------------

Color Code

$1543.58 -- Fixed Costs & Gas
$387.98 -- To Be Reimbursed
$371.16 -- Food / Drug Store
$0 -- Clothing / Beauty
$105.54 -- Furniture / Household
$512 -- Investment
$256.78 -- Other


---------

$2277.06 Spending
$512 Investment
$387.87 To Be Reimbursed
----------
$3176.93 Total March 1-20


-------------------------
breakdown by type:

Cable / Internet Bill
:
$71.33

Health Insurance:
$129

Sharebuilder Investment:
$500

Car Insurance:
$87.33

Play TBR - Tables:
$50

Cash Withdrawl

$50

Cell Phone Bill

$57.62

Gym Bill
$27.00

Rent
$1050

Sharebuilder Fees
$12

Sheet Music for Play (TBR)
$6.39

Drug store
$3.79

Dinner for Two
$28.03

Target – bookshelf and ottoman
$105.54

Quik Stop
$5.07

Drug Store
$13.62

Antiques for Play (TBR)
$15.16

Quik Stop
$7.40

Groceries
$6.04

JoAnn Fabrics (TBR)
$43.22

Home Depot (TBR)
$45.24

Burger King (TBR)
$15.34

Gas
$63.48

Dinner
$11.69

Book
$11.85

Groceries
$14.97

Dinner for Two

$42.40

ITunes – sound for play (TBR?)
$29.88

Taco Bell (food)
$3.38

Bagels for two

$7.10

Drug Store
$63.25

iTunes (TBR?)
$9.99

Ace Hardware ($30 TBR)
$52.34

Target

$32.46

Joann Fabric (TBR)
$20.25

Gift for Boyfriend’s Birthday
$150

Home Depot (TBR)
$89.76

Ace Hardware (TBR)
$62.75

Groceries
$6.99

Gas
$57.82

Groceries
$169.90


Read More...

Feb 26, 2008

March Budget

I start making a good chunk of more money next month at my next payday, but for now I'm going to try to be careful to stay within my paychecks that I cashed today.

$3,700 Total to Spend/Save for March

$1050:
Rent / Utilities
$71.33: Cable/ Internet
$57.00: Verizon Phone
$128: Health Insurance
$138: Car Insurance (paid in advance)
$200: Gas
$27: Gym

SAVINGS

$1000 ING Direct for Taxes Account
$300 Roth IRA
$250 Sharebuilder
------------------------------
$3083


LEFT FOR SPENDING IN MARCH...

$617

$250 Gift for Boyfriend's Birthday
$300 Food
$67 Entertainment / Other


............

March is official "be fucking frugal" month. Next month my income goes up $1500, so there will be a lot more flexibility. Unfortunately my boyfriend's birthday falls BEFORE that. Well, I'll take him out to a nice dinner and get him a gift that won't be as extravagant as last year's Wii. Oh well. I could invest less in my Sharebuilder account this month if I want to spend more on the birthday, so that's always an option.

I also hypothetically have another $825 owed to me for one of my freelance jobs and another $300+ owed to me for that cell phone bill that my old company was supposed to pay. So if I actually get paid that money, then I'll be doing fine. But I don't know when those checks will come, if ever. If they do come, I'm going to put more towards my Roth, and spend a little more on the bf's birthday.

The good news is that I won't have much time for spending money in March. My show opens March 28, which means the major cost of the month will be GAS to get to and from rehearsal at the theater about 30 minutes away. That's why I put $200 in gas for the month. BUT I'm getting paid $500 to direct this production, after the fact, so my balance is going to look a lot healthier in April. It's March that will be tight, since I don't know when any of these other paychecks will be coming in.

Sadly, March is also the month when I wanted to seek out a tax consultant to discuss how to arrange my accounting as a freelancer. But I guess I'll have to take a stab at figuring out my estimated quarterly tax for Q1 08 by myself. Meanwhile, I also have to file my taxes, but I'll wait to April to do that, so I have some money to at least go through TurboTax or something.
Although my income last year was pretty low, prob about $34k or less, so maybe I can get away with filing for free. Hmm. That's for another entry, eh?

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Feb 22, 2008

The 60 Hour Freelance Work Week

While working 60 hours at a salaried job each week seems beyond boring, diversifying one's time and one's ongoing work portfolio can lead to professional fulfillment on many levels, including by not limited to one's bank account.

I recently found out that in order to be a full-time salaried employee at my current company, I need to sign on for 50-60 hours a week. While I love my job AND the company, that's still not enough to have me sign every possible work hour away to one job.

Besides boredom, the reason to keep my 'after 40' job hours open is because some of my other opportunities pay much better than what I'm spending most of my week on. At my 40 hour per week job I make about $27 an hour right now. But I'm also taking my late evenings to work as a freelance marketing writer, with projects I'm getting paid $50 per hour for.

I'm not sure what my value is as a full-time employee versus freelance, but for some reason I feel like my $50 per hour charge as a freelancer is justified, while I could never imagine asking my freelance full-time employer for such a raise.

When it comes down to it, I'd rather make slightly less at my "day job" and use the opportunity to pitch my writing skills for extra income that ultimately covers health insurance and other things I need.

That brings about the question... how much can I actually make in one month without not sleeping and going completely insane...

Monthly Potential Income
1. $4800 -- Gig 1. 40 hours per week (on contract)
2. $400 -- Gig 2. Approx 8 hours, or 4 projects per month at $50/hr
3. $250 -- Gig 3. 10 hours of administrative Work at $25/hr
4. $400 -- Gig 4. 8 hours of research & article writing at $50/hr
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
$5850 per month

Which is a lot of money. Sort of.

Minus $2340 ((40% taxes (25 % tax bracket + 15 % self-employment tax))) that comes out to a grande total of...

$3510 per month after taxes, or a net income of $42,120 per year.

That's still pretty good, I think.

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Feb 16, 2008

Budget Check Feb 1 - 15: $3608.12 (YIKES!)

I'm going to start checking in about my monthly budget half-way through the month in order to figure out what sort of money I have left to spend on things.

Smart, eh? Yea, I know.

Oh thanks for the recommendations about my bf's gift in my last entry. I'll be buying him something in a week or so (can't afford to now anyway) so keep those recommendations coming! ThinkGeek.com is good start. I never know what computer stuff to get him. He doesn't have Apple stuff yet, so I can't go that route (tho he'll buy a Macbook Pro as soon as they release an updated version). He has tons of computer stuff and I just have no idea about what he needs and what he'd want. Oh, food for thought to all of my fabulous gift recommender's - he loves, loves, loves anything that's blue.

Ok, without further ado... my poor budgeting for the 1/2 month leading up to today.

Total Spending feb 1 - 15: $3608.12 (YIKES!)

I thought I was over spending this month. I definitely did not realize how much!!!

A lot of the $ has to do with finally getting around to paying late fees on a variety of bills. I also had a little shopping spree this month, which you'll notice below. It was all at a designer discount store! I even returned some of it!!!

-----------------

$1050: Rent
$404.86: Medical
$403.95: Car (three months insurance + gasoline)
$80.28: Phone
$737: Investment / Savings/ Taxes
$345.40: Food - dining out ($87 of this will be reimbursed)
$31.31: Food - groceries
$10.71: keep the change "savings"
$483.53: Clothing & Beauty (incl. hair/waxing/dry cleaning)
$32.46: Entertainment
$28.80: Taxes

-----------------

Breakdown...

RENT - $1050
$1050: rent

MEDICAL - $404.68
$146.68: doctor's bills / medical
$258: Check for AETNA medical insurance

CAR / AUTO - $403.95
$200.6 Car Insurance (dec/jan)
$34.02 gas/auto
$87.34 car insurance (feb)
$50 - gasoline / auto
$10: check for parking ticket #1
$21.99: Gasoline

PHONE - $80.28
$32.46: phone charger
$47.82: verizon bill

INVESTING/SAVING - $737
$100 Investment into Mutual Fund
$600 Transfer to ING Direct (savings) for Tax Season
$25: transfer to prosper account to lend
$12: investing fees

FOOD/DINING OUT - $345.40 ($257.88 after reimbursement?)
$52.72 dining for two - food
$3.50 food
$13.85 lunch for two - food
$2.34 food
$44.87 lunch for two - food
$3.65: food
$28.35: dinner for two - food
$87.52: Pizza for my cast (to be reimbursed?)
$42.68: dinner for two
$5.36: food
$8.39: food
$5.94: food
$30.47: dinner for two
$14.69: breakfast for two
$1.07: food

FOOD/ DINING IN - $31.31
$12.94 groceries - food
$8.25: groceries, food
$10.12: groceries - food

KEEP THE CHANGE SAVINGS -- $10.71
$.79 keep the change transfer
$.53 keep the change transfer
$.06 keep the change transfer
$2.35: keep the change transfer
$3.35: keep the change transfer
$2.19: keep the change transfer
$1.13: keep the change transfer
$.31: keep the change transfer

CLOTHING/BEAUTYBUYING -- $483.53
$362.58: clothing (returned much of this purchase)
-$255.43 clothing returns (I returned this much and bought the above shirt)
$124.47 clothing: one BCBG sweater (on sale) and earrings
$20: Eyebrow Wax / beauty
$78.20: dry cleaning
$81.19: two shirts - clothing
$96.34: one shirt - clothing
-$23.82: macys returns

ENTERTAINMENT - $32.46
$26.48: magazines / books
$5.98: check for magazine subscription

TAXES - $28.80
$28.80: check for 2002 taxes. Uh, a bit late on that.

Read More...

Feb 13, 2008

New Budget, Now That I'm Making $$$

New Budget

5200


$1300 ING Savings For Tax Account
$300 to ING for Emergency Account
$300 to ING for Grad School
$200 to ING for House
$300 to Sharebuilder / Investing
$200 to Roth
$100 HSA
------------------------------------------------
$2400

$1050: Rent / Utilities
$71.33: Cable/ Internet
$48.33: Verizon Phone
$128: Health Insurance
$138: Car Insurance
$100: Gas
$27: Gym
------------------------------------------
$1562.22

=

$1237.78 left for...

food/clothes/car/fun

$400 food / vitamins
$300 clothes / tech
$200 gas
$150 gifts
$100 dry cleaning
$50 laundry
$30 charity
-------------------
$1230

Now am I forgetting anything?

-------------------------------


At the end of the year, from my ING tax account I will pay my taxes. I should not spend all the money on taxes because I'm "taxing myself" at a 25 percent rate for all the money I make, but in the end all my money will not be taxed at that rate.

Any extra money is going towards a Digital SLR camera!!!

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Jan 30, 2008

Budget - Fixed Monthly Costs

Since I'm oh-so bad at not racking up random late fees on things, here are my fixed costs
and what they should cost me each month:

$1050: Rent / Utilities
$71.33: Cable/ Internet
$48.33: Verizon Phone
$128: Health Insurance
$138: Car Insurance
$100: Gas
$27: Gym
------------------------------------------
$1562.22

Total Set Monthly Income (actual, not dreamed)

$3700

Have to put 25% of that into taxes savings account...

$925 into savings account.

Leaving $2775 for monthly spending
MINUS
$1562.22 of fixed costs

--------------------------------------------

That hypothetically leaves
$1212.78 for food, fun, investing, medical spending, extra gas, etc

A reasonable budget would be:

$400: Food
$100: Invest (roth IRA)
$100: Invest: ETF/Stocks
$200: HSA Account for Medical (Need to Set Up!)
$200: Clothes / Makeup
$100: Extra Gas
$112.78: Entertainment

What am I missing?

Read More...

Monthly Spending

Total Non-investment & Non-rent spending for Jan: $1778.34

Investment $: $4062

($3000 Roth 2008, $1050 Sharebuilder, $12 Sharebuilder fees)

Rent: $1050

Total Spending in January: $6890.34

Things I still owe money for that I should have paid this month:

1. Dermatologist Bill: $160
2. Driver's Insurance $200
3. Two fix it tickets for late registration: $20

Things I'm owed money for
1. AT&T bills for past 3.5 months, owed over $300 from previous company
2. $200 -- I need to send in paperwork to old health insurance for doctor's visits I paid for before my insurance card arrived (should offset dermatologists bill)
3. 10 hours of work (I need to file an invoice asap) at news company at $25 an hour, $250

----
What I spent Money on This Month...

$201.41: Verizon Wireless Bill (my minutes went way over last month, grr)

$67.85: Safeway (Groceries)

$62.76: Longs Drugs (drug store)

$129: Health Insurance

$.97: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$44.03: Safeway (Groceries)

$19.08: Safeway (Groceries)

$81.31: Haircut

$55: Brazilian Waxing (ouch it hurt)

$28.71: Brunch for two

$1050: Rent


$6.17: 24 Hour Fitness Dues (i'm not sure why I owed any more money this month, but I'm too lazy to complain about a $6.17 charge. They just better stop charging me now.)

$.75: Parking

$2.98: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$106.41: AT&T Phone Bill (that I didn't owe that my old company needs to still reimburse me for!)

$.59: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$31.77: Longs Drugs

$.23 Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$71.29: Whole Foods (groceries)

$15.47: Dry Cleaning (spend too much on this.. long story I'll explain later)

$1.24 Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$113: Hair Color

$23.71: Whole Foods (Groceries)

$7.40: Safeway (Groceries)

$.89: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$19.46: Lunch for Two

$.54: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$65.80: Lucky (Groceries)

$.20: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$500: Transfer to Sharebuilder Investment

$15.77: Whole Foods (Groceries)

$.23: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$71.33: Cable/Internet Bill

$33.19: Whole Foods (Groceries)

$6.50: Lunch

$1.31: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$500: Transfer to Sharebuilder Investment

$50: Transfer to Sharebuilder Investment

$12: Sharebuilder Monthly Fees

$6.99: lunch

$.01: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$75.60: Piazza's Fine Foods (Groceries)

$30: Gas

$.40: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$37.82: Bookstore

$.18: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$3000: Roth IRA Investment for 2008

$91.20: Smog Check & Oil Change

$20.09: Walgreens (drug store)

$14.06: Clothing

$2.74: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$26.07: Dinner for Two

$18.26: Whole Foods (groceries)

$1.67: Bank of America "Keep the Change Transfer" to savings

$161.34: New Cell Phone

-------------------------------------

Other than investments, my largest cost was obviously groceries...

TOTAL MONTHLY SPENDING ON GROCERIES


$441.98: Groceries

That's actually not as bad as I expected, considering how often I go food shopping. I did really good on NOT spending a lot of money on clothing this month. However, I do owe money for various bills I've yet to pay. That will come out of my February salary.

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Jan 26, 2008

Crap. I got pulled over.

I can't blame anyone else for this mishap. My registration expired... a while ago. However, I paid the $120 registration fee at the DMV (which, I think included a late fee) and was to get my smog checked by Jan. I had until Jan 1 to get my smog checked and get my stickers for my plates.

Of course, being the procrastinating idiot that I am, I waited a little too long to get this done. I received one ticket (for $35) for my expired registration while my car was parked in a public lot. So I finally got around to getting my smog checked THIS MORNING. I paid $90 for my smog check & an oil change that was overdue.

Ten minutes later, I was driving on the freeway and I got pulled over.

I showed the cop my smog receipt and the little registration card (that may or may not have been expired... I'm a bit confused about whether it expired on the 1st of the month, or at the end of the month.)

The worst thing was that somehow my insurance card had gone missing. I kept it in my glove compartment, but the robbers threw everything out of my glove compartment when they went through my car last month. I thought I had put everything back, but apparently my insurance information was missing.

So now I have this "notice to appear" paper that says that I have an infraction for an expired registration and it also notes that I did not have insurance on me, though neither the infraction or misnomer boxes are checked for that. I'm not sure what that means.

The cop said that I should get my sticker and then go to any police department with the paper. He didn't really explain whether I'm going to owe a zillion dollars or if I just need to prove that I'm actually registered to avoid paying.

This really sucks because today I decided I'm going to start being really tight on my budget and living with a minimal amount in my checking account. I figure I'll spend less if I pretend I have less to spend. Simple psychology ought to do the trick.

Except now I'm worried I'm going to get an overdraft fee because of all of these unexpected expenses. That'll teach me to stop procrastinating, eh?

I owe quite a bit of money for different things... $200 for health insurance... $150 for my cyst removal bill... $35 for my ticket... and now who knows how much more for this other ticket-type-thing.

Right now I have $600 in my checking account. I'm supposed to get paid Monday for my work... so that would bring me up to $3900. BUT I plan on putting $1000 of that in a special ING savings account for taxes. That leaves me with $2900, and I have to pay rent in a few days. So I'm at $1850. Not so bad, but after I pay all those bills, plus my phone bill, plus the cable/internet bill, plus the gym bill, plus buy a new phone in two days (my old one is lost and I am eligible for the discount on a new phone on Monday)... well, I won't have much money left for food.

At least this setup will keep me from spending money on clothes I don't need!
At least that will keep me from

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