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Continued efforts to reduce power use have been paying off. Our house isn't especially efficient in any real way, other than the fact that we had recessed LED lighting put in everywhere. We just tried to turn our lights off, shut down our computers at night, lowered the temperature on the water heater, and used sweaters and blankets instead of turning on the heat. Still progress to make, but we're pretty happy with the results so far.
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Apr 3, 2015 22:51
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| # ? May 10, 2024 03:55 |
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6% raise, glowing performance review, and new title.  Not world-changing, but double the typical/average ~3% annual bump at my company. My salary is now 113% higher than it was 5 years ago after graduation 
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Apr 6, 2015 21:54
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Guinness posted:6% raise, glowing performance review, and new title. Feels good man. Congrats.
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Apr 6, 2015 21:55
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Guinness posted:6% raise, glowing performance review, and new title. Did it come with a funny picture or is it just red text 
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Apr 7, 2015 00:23
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Just paid off the remaining balance on one of my student loans. Feels great. Time to start chipping away at the others.
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Apr 8, 2015 12:54
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Inverse Icarus posted:Continued efforts to reduce power use have been paying off. This saves you so much money in the long term. The Texas heat is right around the corner and I was able to lower my electric rates from 8.56 cents kw/hr to 6.1 by threatening to go to another company. Mixed with actually turning stuff off and just being active and outside instead of cooped up inside with the AC on and I may have some extra money at the end of the summer
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Apr 8, 2015 18:17
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I'm in a pretty good mood atm. So, we sat down, my husband and I, and had a serious finance talk about cutting where we could and where we needed. Overall, it was a good thing and we are on the same page. We talked to our credit union that we have our VISA thru, and they lowered our APR from 8.9 to 6.9%, so it was a good rate to start with, but now its even better  They also upped our credit limit too.We also talked to the electric company, and got them to check our payment plan to see if it could be recalibrated, and it was. We had that huge leak in the wall and flooring last year or so and it totally screwed our even-payment electric bills for the year with the dehumidifiers going like they were. That got lowered from $191 a month to $140. Sweet! We went and had a chat with State Farm about our car and house insurance and looked it over and found we didn't really need a lot of what was on there. We got it all adjusted, and lowered our payments for the month by 30$ total for all three cars. The house insurance payment got lowered as well, so that will make our house payment drop slightly too. To go along with that, we checked the escrow etc on our mortgage and found it will be adjusted next month and our payments will be lowered by about $50 starting in June since the escrow didn't need to be so high. Finally got Mint working correctly, and we are in a positive net worth We are able to max out his 401k totally, and get back to funding the IRAs as well. I don't think we will be able to fully fund those quite yet, but anything that can get put in is good!We are able to add to the e-fund, and its such a pleasure to see it going up finally instead of having to get into it for emergencies  And best off all, debts are heading downward!! All in all, its an awesome feeling seeing things going right... I have been reading this forum like a crazy person, and I have picked up so much info. This is such a great feeling!!
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Apr 11, 2015 23:10
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Way to go! All those little things add up.
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Apr 12, 2015 17:47
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My wife and I are gradually improving. At the start of the month I had paid my taxes (I forgot to withhold enough from my business profits to pay them, mea culpa, first year doing this!) and I paid my last term of law school plus books, and for some of my father's bills. The result was about 4000 on my Amex and 9000 on my Low interest Visa that I had balance transferred from now-cancelled cards and lines of credit I had as a student. I transferred this 4k to my visa and now I have 6 months interest free ( the balance transfers were also free). This was a promotional offer I took advantage of. I eliminated that amex, and my cash back of 400 dollars will come in the mail in November next. Likewise I completely paid off my Visa I had as a student and will cancel it in November after the 50 dollars of cash back I am owed on it comes in (it has no fee and we won't be using it, just don't wanna forfeit money I am owed back). We have a visa now that gives 4 percent of all purchases as free travel. I am going to apply for an Aeroplan visa later this month because while it sucks, it is the best deal I could find on a rewards plan. For now we do all purchases through the travel rewards visa then pay it off in cash before any interest accrues. Current credit situation in order of payoff priority $1,717 interest free for the next 21 days, 21.99% thereafter on the travel visa. 1 dollar of free travel per 25 dollars of purchases, about 400 dollars on it at this time. Student loan: 10,443 at 5.53% yearly interest. Pay this until paid off or August 31st whichever comes first. Low Interest Visa: 11,410 at 0% interest until August 31st, 11.99% thereafter. Aim to have this gone before August. Empty Visa they owe me 50 bucks on. Will cancel it once it pays out. Has no fee or balance insurance. Empty amex they owe me 400 bucks on. Will cancel it once it pays out. Has no fee or balance insurance. Savings: $3000 + 10,000 in a locked in pension account. Monthly income of about $3500. Fixed bills (cell internet tv home phone power insurance gas) + food of $1000 total each month. Sometimes varies to 1200 if we're out of certain bulk sundries. Discretionary spending: 100 for each of us + 100 for eating out/going to the movies/etc. total of 300. Remainder: 10 percent into savings, rest on debts. This means for example the 1717 will vanish before charging interest and I'll begin denting the student loan and then the low interest visa. My income will likely increase in here somewhere, if current trends continue. I figure I'll update here as things go on. Goal? Get some investments going, eliminate all debt and only take on debt in furtherance of profit in future, not out of necessity (or ideally, don't take out debt, but sometimes it makes sense from an opportunity cost point of view.)
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Apr 17, 2015 23:25
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Recent market gains and consistent roth maxing and 401k contributions means that we've hit $100k in our retirement accounts at age 30/31. It's nice to hit these milestones, since when we started retirement savings almost exactly 5 years ago, $100k seemed like such a long way off. I'd like to increase our retirement savings rate in the nearish future, but we've been trying to balance retirement with paying off student loans, car loans, credit card debt, personal loans, and saving for a house, so we're good with where we're at. Everything's pretty much on autopilot nowadays, but I like to see the progress over time and compare it to where we were before to see the fruits of our labor.
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Apr 27, 2015 03:02
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ObsidianBeast posted:Recent market gains and consistent roth maxing and 401k contributions means that we've hit $100k in our retirement accounts at age 30/31. It's nice to hit these milestones, since when we started retirement savings almost exactly 5 years ago, $100k seemed like such a long way off. I'd like to increase our retirement savings rate in the nearish future, but we've been trying to balance retirement with paying off student loans, car loans, credit card debt, personal loans, and saving for a house, so we're good with where we're at. Everything's pretty much on autopilot nowadays, but I like to see the progress over time and compare it to where we were before to see the fruits of our labor. Congratulations! We should be hitting that near the end of next year, unless we get a big downturn at some point between now and then. I'm really looking forward to it. Good for you
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Apr 27, 2015 03:41
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I just got a promotion at work and am now supervising a small crew. I'll be discussing my payrate with the owner of the company later this week so I'm looking forward to that. Aside from my student loans, which are down to about 10k, I only have $503 worth of consumer debt to pay off. I love reading this thread during the hard times to remind myself that tjere is a light at the end of the tunnel and congratulations to everyone
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Apr 29, 2015 13:13
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When I get paid tonight/tomorrow, my net worth will hit 50k! 
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Apr 29, 2015 14:48
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At almost 33, my retirement savings (403b, Roth IRA) are about 130% of my current annual salary. Including my wife's retirement savings, we're right around 104% of our annual salary. I think I read a really general rule of thumb somewhere to have 1 years salary in retirement by age 30 or something, so I think we're not too far behind the ideal. The only thing that I have going for me is that I've been in the workforce for 13 years. We should honestly be saving much more towards retirement but with two kids in daycare, a 15 year mortgage, we're front-loading a lot of expenses it seems.
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Apr 29, 2015 19:08
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In an unprecedented double-post I got the paperwork filled out today to move my Roth IRA to Vanguard to one of their target funds because I'm lazy and clueless. I was going to do this a year or two ago and then  "Getting the paperwork filled out" involved opening an account at a local bank since I needed a medallion signature guarantee and they won't do it for non-members. Oh well, will be good to have a local bank that I can bug for stupid poo poo, use their change machine, etc.I plan to move my wife's Roth IRA as well, using mine as the test case.
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May 1, 2015 21:11
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18 months ago my total debt including student loans was sitting at a staggeringly high figure of around $66,000. This included two cars (don't buy a second car intending to sell the first when the first is underwater, guys), two credit cards, and three sets of student loans. 12 months ago I sold the first car and turned the remaining balance into an unsecured loan with my bank and continued to make payments on that. This chopped about $13,000 off the total debt. Today, May 1, I paid off the smallest of my three student loans and my total amount owed stands at $31,171.79. Still not great but I have a $1000 emergency fund which I didn't have before and have rid myself of nearly $35,000 of debt in the last year and a half. Yesterday I found out I'll be losing my job at the end of May, which 18 months ago would have meant almost-certain bankruptcy and at the very least would have meant taking the first job I could find. Today, while still not pleasant, it means that even if I have to take unemployment for a while, I'll still be able to pay my bills and it will give me time to find something I really enjoy doing. Thanks, BFC.
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May 1, 2015 22:32
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Made my final student loan payment last month. Feels good. Refinanced our new apartment loan and current house into one loan with a great rate and low payment. Got my hours upped at work. (a good thing, I was only at 60% as the stay at home dad, but my schedule can allow for the extra hours)
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May 5, 2015 09:48
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Finally got hired on at the school I've been working at. Probably about a 17% raise overall, get to finally get my hands on some dirty dirty IT action to possibly move up later in life. Finally get insurance. Now to see if they offer HSA/FSA accounts and how much I can put in. Hoping for HSA, but we'll see.
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May 6, 2015 00:41
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Finally moved out of my parents house into a nice apartment. Almost 3 Weeks in now and I am so much more relaxed. Feels like I'm going out for snacks less as well, when not at work (I still go to the shop on my lunch break but it will still spend less than usual there :P) Also, the Rent is normally £410 per month but goes down to £390 due to £20 discount for paying early.
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May 6, 2015 18:20
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I've just had major outgoings for company and personal tax. Along with sales tax, credit card bill with office purchases and house insurance. My revolving credit for the house is now $10k less than december last year and I have an additional $3250 in investments. It's sometimes hard to know where I'm at during a given time given pending expenses but it feels good to be better off even after large outgoings. There is still one large insurance bill for the year that will come up in a month or so but I should have enough incoming revenue to counter that. Small but steady improvements.
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May 6, 2015 21:58
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I did it. It took me 15 months, but I finally saved up $10k. And I've paid off my credit card debt. Now I'm going to see a Financial Advisor, invest in some shares for long term growth, and do it again after I've got my CA.
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May 8, 2015 11:17
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ASIC v Danny Bro posted:I did it. Way to go! Awesome accomplishment.
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May 8, 2015 22:53
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ASIC v Danny Bro posted:I did it. Congratulations, that's great! Consider posting your financial questions in BFC before you go to an adviser; they often have a vested interest in investing your money in products that make money for them and your returns are of secondary importance. BFC is great with advice and lots of people (myself included) were talked out of seeing an adviser and are better for it.
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May 8, 2015 23:17
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pig slut lisa posted:Congratulations, that's great! Consider posting your financial questions in BFC before you go to an adviser; they often have a vested interest in investing your money in products that make money for them and your returns are of secondary importance. BFC is great with advice and lots of people (myself included) were talked out of seeing an adviser and are better for it. Cheers, will do. Are you talking about the Long-Term investing thread?
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May 10, 2015 05:54
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ASIC v Danny Bro posted:Cheers, will do. Are you talking about the Long-Term investing thread? I am and I see you've already posted there
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May 10, 2015 18:03
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Amended some old tax 2011-2013 returns due to some room rent I forgot to account for and a 25-year deferred interest coupon my parents bought that matured a few years ago. Paid about $1850 in back taxes there, and had only about $75 in additional fees. Best part is, that $75 was taken out of a refund given through an amendment to last year's taxes where I didn't properly account for an RSU and ended up overpaying. Since I essentially wrote it all off when I amended all those forms, it feels like I got a fat $260 check in the mail out of nowhere, even though my analytical brain knows otherwise. Gonna ponder what to do with it over the course of the month when this year's RSU also comes up as sellable.
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May 12, 2015 03:32
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After looking at my latest expenses on credit card I've definitely cut back on spending (it was a bit difficult to see last month with a new server for work and my bike on the credit card). Spending on food is down, now I just need to exercise more. I've also changed power companies and so far it looks like my power bill could be down $30 per month just for changing. The monthly changes are small but I'd rather have that money for other uses.
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May 18, 2015 22:27
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Well, I got married one year ago with a fairly large wedding and just got back from our delayed honeymoon. I set a personal goal to pay off both of them by our anniversary, but I ended up short about 4k (Hawaii is much more expensive than I realized). I was pretty bummed out because I wanted to start the summer with a clean slate. But imagine my surprise when I opened a random letter in the mail yesterday that contained a check written out to me for four thousand dollars. It turns out my company changed its 401k limit last year, and I ended up overfunding it. They've since upped the limit again, and my wedding and honeymoon is all paid off. Goal accomplished!
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May 19, 2015 13:18
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Hubby got a 23% raise, and I got a 50% raise (went from working 5 hours a day to 7, now that our son's sleep schedule is settled). We should be able to pay off our current mortgage in 27 months, at which point we will own our house, and two rental properties free and clear. One more and we can retire, but will go even faster this time around.
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May 28, 2015 20:26
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poopinmymouth posted:Hubby got a 23% raise, and I got a 50% raise (went from working 5 hours a day to 7, now that our son's sleep schedule is settled). That's pretty sweet. I'm so used to seeing people with heavy borrowing on investment properties. That last one will happen fast.
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May 29, 2015 00:27
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I finally got out of my awful office assistant job and now have a real big boy job at a company where I get benefits and everything! Downside is my first paychecks half what it should be cause I started mid-pay period and I'm only barely gonna make rent.
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May 29, 2015 02:21
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Devian666 posted:That's pretty sweet. I'm so used to seeing people with heavy borrowing on investment properties. That last one will happen fast. Yeah the particulars of this country means that trying to buy more than one at a time is normally only going to make a small profit for a very long time. Vs buying one and paying down aggressively over a few years can end up with a nice chunk of income.
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May 29, 2015 13:51
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Drakkel posted:I finally got out of my awful office assistant job and now have a real big boy job at a company where I get benefits and everything! Great job Drakkel! Barely making rent is better than missing rent.
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May 29, 2015 16:27
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poopinmymouth posted:Yeah the particulars of this country means that trying to buy more than one at a time is normally only going to make a small profit for a very long time. Vs buying one and paying down aggressively over a few years can end up with a nice chunk of income. There's a lot of hurf blurf in New Zealand about borrowing. A lot of investors love the leverage and panic if they end up on the downside of the leverage. Recently the Reserve Bank implemented 30% equity rules and there were articles moaning, and now article saying they lots of investors have the equity. They think the Reserve Bank is trying to harm investors in some way. When in reality it's about stability of the banking sector. Investors think they need to borrow a lot when they don't and they shouldn't. I like the idea that you'll pay the mortgage off and more investors where I live should do it, even if they were only 30 year mortgages they'd be more resilient to downturns.
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May 30, 2015 02:41
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Devian666 posted:There's a lot of hurf blurf in New Zealand about borrowing. A lot of investors love the leverage and panic if they end up on the downside of the leverage. Recently the Reserve Bank implemented 30% equity rules and there were articles moaning, and now article saying they lots of investors have the equity. They think the Reserve Bank is trying to harm investors in some way. When in reality it's about stability of the banking sector. Investors think they need to borrow a lot when they don't and they shouldn't. I like the idea that you'll pay the mortgage off and more investors where I live should do it, even if they were only 30 year mortgages they'd be more resilient to downturns. Agreed 100% This way we are exposed to very little risk. Our mortgage payment minimum now is 600 USD a month, but we routinely pay multiple thousands. If we ever *did* have a money crisis, we could easily pay that 600 dollar minimum on just unemployment or even welfare, vs some people we know with 6+ houses all still with mortgages that if anything happened to their high salaries they would be up a creek without a paddle and would deffo lose a few properties.
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May 30, 2015 13:58
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I've just been catching up on my accounts works to keep everything in order. What's noticable is that the changes I've made to my business are bringing in a lot more money this year. Combining this with my spending cuts I'm spending less than half of my net income including mortgage payments. This year should be pretty sweet for further net worth increases.
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Jun 2, 2015 08:43
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It's really nice to go from being constantly broke, in debt and scared to feeling more in control of my future. BFC's language is super approachable and everyone has really helped. Also, I think (without intending to) my focus on my financial improvement might have motivated my 34-year old friend to start a retirement account. He's saved $1000 so far. 
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Jun 5, 2015 19:19
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I started paying off about $25k in student loan debt (and $8.5k credit card debt) almost 4 years ago. I think I posted about the credit card debt when I paid it off, which was a couple of years ago, and since then I've really been hammering my student loan to destroy it. I am happy to report that I will be 100% debt-free by the end of August at the very latest.
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Jun 12, 2015 14:50
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The Berzerker posted:I started paying off about $25k in student loan debt (and $8.5k credit card debt) almost 4 years ago. I think I posted about the credit card debt when I paid it off, which was a couple of years ago, and since then I've really been hammering my student loan to destroy it. I am happy to report that I will be 100% debt-free by the end of August at the very latest. Congrats! That's a huge accomplishment!
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Jun 12, 2015 14:53
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| # ? May 10, 2024 03:55 |
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BossRighteous posted:[Crosspost from career path thread.] Werent you the person who went part time remote to work on an online business? I remember thinking it was really cool that you did that. How did everything turn out with the online business and what made you want to go back to a regular full time job?
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