My Finances: The Holiday Season Is Here

I love Christmas time. I like the cold weather and Christmas songs. I love being off of work (I am off of work this year from 12/24/08--1/05/09), spending time with my family, and going to church. As much as I love this time of year, there are some things that I definately do not like. For one, it puts a damper on my wallet. I love giving gifts to other people, but it takes some of the joy out of it when I don't really have the money to do it. I have some money set aside this year for gifts, but it totally gets me off my savings goals. Since I have not really thought of a list of people I have to get gifts for this year, I am going to take this blogging time to do so now. Yes, I know I only have like 16 more days to buy gifts, decorate my house, etc. but keep in mind, I have a set of 1 year old twins, a busy 10 year old, and a very stressful job. So, here is my list of people I must get gifts for:

1. My husband
2. My children (3)
3. Nieces and Nephew (3)
4. God children (2)
5. Sister in laws (2)
6. Siblings (2)
7. Parents (2)--generally get them a household gift together--this year, my siblings and I are buying one BIG gift and splitting the cost of it
8. In laws
9. My son's teachers (3)
10. Adopted family (3)

I am sure I have left someone off the list. After reviewing the list, I think I am going to do some homemade gifts for some people. I don't know. How are you cutting the cost of Christmas?

My Finance: Retirement Planning

I have mentioned before that I work for a nonprofit organization. Our retirement account was through a 401(K) plan with Wachovia. Last month, my co-workers voted to change our retirement plan from a 401(K) to a 403B Thrift account with Mutual of America. 403B Thrift plans are specifically for nonprofit organizations. I am very excited about the change for several reasons. First of all, when my employer was with Wachovia, we had a $40.00 a year account maintenance fee that we were billed for. We did not have Internet access to our account, therefore, we did not know day to day what was going on with our account and we could not make changes to our investments easily. With Mutual of America, we don't have an account maintenance fee and we have Internet access! I was originally only contributing $150.00 a month to the 401(K) plan, now I am contributing $200.00 a month to the 403(B) account. With my employer match program, there will be $400.00 a month going into my retirement account. It's not a whole lot, but it is a start for me. Plus, I am only 28, so I have a loooooong time until retirment. I will increase my contribution again in February when I get my cost of living raise. I was aggressively investing my money with the 401(K) account, but the way the economy is, I changed to just saving my money for right now and I"ll venture back into investing when the economy picks back up. If anyone here knows of a better strategy, please let me know! I am also rolling over the money from my 401(K) account to the 403(B) account. Well, I guess that is all on the financial front for today.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love Ya,

Ms. HM

My Finance: My Credit Score Is........

712 according to Experian. It has come up several points since I purchased my vehicle six months ago and I have made ontime payments, but I still have work to do. I also ordered my credit report from TransUnion BUT I forgot to order my credit score from them. Since I forgot to get the score, I will be ordering it over the holiday weekend. I am also see a few things on my TransUnion report that aren't on my Experian report. I am going to dispute those things and I will wait about 3 or 4 months and then I will get my Equifax report to see what is going on there. I am going to spend the Thanksgiving holiday reviewing my credit reports and disputing inaccuracies and applying for jobs....Oh, and of course eating. I am still working at my current employer, but I can't get to my financial goals while making what I do, so I am going to start looking for something new. I'll try to keep you posted on how that is going.

Image Credit: www.homeloan-mortgage.biz.com

Got A Pay Raise.........BUT.........

So, as of August 7, 2008, I have been with my current employer for 2 years. After my evaluation, I got the standard pay raise. The pay raise did not go into effect until the first of this month. As I told you, I work for a non-profit organization and our salaries are set. It does not matter how good, mediocre, or bad an employee is, you will get the same raise regardless. When I got paid, I hardly even noticed that I got a raise. I got my second paystub today with the pay raise rate, and guess what.........my health insurance went up 25%! Now, my check is less than it was before I got the raise! This sucks! I think I need to get my resume out and update it. Maybe it is time to start looking for something else, but in this economy, I don't even know what to expect. I am already struggling to meet or even keep up with my financial goals. At this rate, I can't even save much. Due to the decrease in my check, I am going to have to cut cost somewhere else. Anyway, I need to get back to my job, so I'll blog with you later.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. HM

My Life: Finally at Peace

I'm sure you have noticed my lack of posting over the last few months. I have also slacked off on reading my favorite blogs (sorry, you guys) and commenting on them. That is because I have been taking time to get back my mind back together. The last time I posted, I told you all that one of my co-workers transferred and I inherited the bulk of his work load. The work I do is stressful because of the type of clients I have and the situations they have (some days it is like watching a bad episode of Jerry Springer or Maury Povich). I do non-profit work (I could make twice as much money if I got out of the non-profit sector) for a legal entity. Prior to getting more of someone elses work, my workload had increased greatly. I thought I would be able to handle it without being stresed, but that has not been the case at all.

Last week, I had to take 2 days off for what I call "mental health" days. Taking a few days off was the best thing that I could have done for myself. I spent time resting, reading God's word, and meditating. I realized that I had no peace or clamness in my life and I was neglecting my spiritual and physical well being. I am a rather small person, and I really cannot afford to loose weight at all----since I was stressed out and mentally high strung, I have lost 10 pounds. I am now working to get my weight back up and waking up earlier each morning to spend quiet time with God. A few minutes of prayer before work makes a world of difference.

I plan to be back to my regular posting soon. I am still getting my mind back together and focusing on God, my family, and my health. I am back to reading your blogs and I am excited about the things that are happening with you guys.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. HM

My Life: I'm Back!

I just realized that I have not posted in over 2 weeks! I have been extremely busy with my job. I went to a week long training program on last week. It was wonderful! I am sure it was the most beneficial training program my job has allowed me to attend. The best part was that I was advanced the money for the trip before I went, so I did not have to be reimbursed later. My job normally pays for airfare and hotel up front, but any expenses for food and mileage to and from the airport, are reimbursed when I return from my trip. This time, I was allowed to get the money before hand. One of my co-workers is transferring to another office, so I have inherited half of his workload. I already have an extremely heavy workload but I'm up for the challenge.

Since I've been busy with work, I have not been reading or commenting on blogs lately. I aplogize to those of you who I read and comment on regularly. I will get back with it this week. I will also return to my normal financial posting early next week.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love Ya,
Ms. HM

Out of Nothing, I have Been Sustained

On yesterday, my pastor preached a sermon that was so on time for me and my current situation. It applied to several areas of my life---my finances, my job, my marriage, etc. The overall message was that what God has commanded to sustain us, will sustain us. Whether God has blessed us with a handful, or a truckload, we need to learn how to be content and thankful for what we have. We are not to despise the jobs, the money, the income, and the things that we have been given. If we have been given what we consider small blessings and are not able to accept those and be thankful, then how can we expect God to bless us with more? The things that we (I) have been complaining about are the very things that we have been given to sustain our lives.

This is only a portion of my notes from the sermon, but it really spoke to me. I have a bad habit of complaining about the job that I have, the amount of money I make, and the things I don't have. Truth be told, I am extremely blessed. I live in a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom home that I do not own, but that I do not have to pay rent to live in because it is owned by my father in law. That is a HUGE blessing. I have a job that I actually don't mind going to everyday that pays me decent money. I have my own office and I can pretty much do what I want when I want, so long as my job gets done. I get to travel on my jobs dime and not my own. I have a wonderful husband and wonderful children. I don't have many friends I see on a regular basis, but I am thankful for my best friend and the friendships I have in the blogosphere. I have wonderful parents and siblings who keep me laughing. I have more clothes in my closet than I can actually find time to wear. I don't say any of this to brag, but to brag on Him who made all of this possible. This is just a sampling of the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. I would be typing all day if I tried to list everything.

With this in mind, I am challenging myself to be more thankful, grateful, and to praise Him for even the smallest of things. On my financial journey, I have been focusing too much on where I want to be instead of where I am right now. I must learn to be content in whatever state I am in. Contentment doesn't mean that I have to stay in the same shape, but just to appreciate the state I am in now. Besides, how can I expect to be moved to another level in my spiritual life, in my finances, or in my career when I can't see the beauty in the right now?

My Finance: The Non-Book Review

I am in the process of reading Women and Money by Suze Orman. I have been dying to read "Girl, Get Your Money Straight" by Glinda Bridgforth. There are no book stores like Books-A-Million or Barnes and Noble near me. Within the last 2 months, I have gone out of town several times. Each time I go, my first stop is a book store to see if I can find "Girl, Get Your Money Straight." I have been to a total of 6 book stores in 3 different states, and alas, I have not found the book yet! Uurggggghhh! I am getting frustrated. When I finally get an opportunity to go to the book store, all the customer service reps tell me, "We can order that book for you!" Well, I'm going to take their advice and order it myself---on Amazon. Before I spend the money, I am also going to check my local library. Their hours aren't conducive to my work hours, but I guess I'll have to make the time. I got the Suze Orman book for FREE back in February or so when it was available on Oprah's website for free download for a limited time. I guess I'll do my "real" book review when I either finish Women and Money or get "Girl, Get Your Money Straight".

My Financial Confessions: Part II

You may remember that I posted my first financial confession here last month. I figure it is time for another dose of reality. Okay, here goes.....................my current student loan balance is $95,357.06! This is the balance AFTER I have been making payments on time every month for almost 2 years. The original balance was about $100,000.00. I have 2 degrees, a bachelors degree and one I won't discuss here. This is an astronomical amount of DEBT!

As an incentive to take a job with the company I work for, my student loans were to be paid by the company for approximately 2 years. Guess what? On August 7, 2008, it will be my second anniversary with this company. That now means I have to find an extra $500.00 a month to pay student loans. The good thing is that I have been making payments in addition to the payments that my job makes, so I am several months ahead on payments. That should buy me some time to figure this out.

I do not regret taking out this amount in student loans whatsoever. I was a single parent when I was going through school, and student loans helped Skater Boy and I to survive, so I am grateful. Mr. HM has student loans too, but they are not nearly as much as my loans. I feel better to have gotten this confession out in the open. I do have a potential plan of action to tackle the debt. I will discuss it another time. I have to research that option a little more.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. High Maintenance

My Finance: Going in Different Directions

Mr. HM and I had what we call "The State of Our Union" address last night. This is when we discuss our relationship, our goals, our future, etc. It is kind of like when Mr. President interrupts every non-cable channel on television a couple of times a year to address the citizens of America and tell us what his new plans allegedly/supposedly are. Well, we do that in our marriage every so often.

Our main discussion last night was to talk about our goals in our careers and in our finances. You should know that for the most part, Mr. HM and I are in the same career field and we used to work for the same firm. I had all these grand plans about increasing my contributions to my retirement account, saving for our kids 529 College savings accounts, saving 6-9 months of salary in case of a job loss, increasing the amount in our emergency savings account, and taking steps to advance my career. All of that is a bit too ambitous right now considering the amount of student loan debt we both have and the daycare expenses for the twins. However, I feel that my career goals are doable (is that a word?). Mr. HM left the company that we were both working for in January to pursue his own business. That alone cut our income by half making a lot of my (maybe our) financial goals impossible. In order for me to advance in my career, we would have to move (which I really want to do) possibly to another state.

Half way through our "State of the Union" discussion, I realized that we are going in two vey different directions. Then I thought, how can you have a functional marriage when you do not have similar goals? Mr. HM doesn't seem to have the same financial aspirations as I do or the same career goals. Each of these issues may not seem important or connected to you, but trust me, in our relationship they are interconnected and I have left out some details. Does that mean we love each other any less? NO! What it does mean is that we have a serious problem that we need to figure out how to solve immediately. When we got married, we had similar career goals and financial goals. How do we get back to that? Is it necessary for us to get back to that point? I don't know. Stay tuned. I'm sure we'll have a "State of the Union" talk almost every week now.

My Finance: I Received Unexpected Money! God is GOOD!

The secretary at work gave me my mail today as she normally does everyday. I did not read through my mail until after lunch. When I opened the very last envelope, there was a check from my employer in the amount of $80.96. I looked for a letter in the envelope to see if there was an explaination as to why I was receiving the money. No explaination. I called the Human Resources department and they told me that they owed me the money for past mileage that they previously had not approved. God is awesome! This is money I can pay put in my savings account! I am headed straight to the bank as soon as I leave work.......well, as soon as I pick up the twins.

Cost of Gas Goes Up......Mileage Rate Goes Up

I do a lot of traveling in my own vehicle for my job. As you know, I have a big SUV. Sometimes I drive my husband's sedan, but most of the time, I'm in my vehicle. Mind you, my travel for work seemed to have doubled as soon as I got a new vehicle. Today I received an e-mail from the "powers that be" at my job saying that the state in which we live has gone up on the mileage rate for state employees travel, therefore, we will follow suit and increase our mileage rate. Our old rate was .43 cents a mile. The brand new rate is an astounding increase to .45 cents a mile! Ummm.......am I supposed to jump for joy over a .2 cents increase? I don't know, maybe I'm ungrateful? Maybe my gas tank is ungrateful? Maybe no one else has noticed that gas is $4.00 a gallon?

My Finance: Staying on top of Medical Bills and Insurance Companies

My twin girls were born late last year. I have been having the biggest ordeal with my insurance companies over

the medical bills for the girls and myself. I had a very problematic pregnancy and was in the hospital several times. The medical bills for the 3 of us were no joke! Princess was in the hospital for a little more than 3 weeks after she was born. Diva remained in the hospital only a week or so. The hospital bill, not including the doctor's bill, radiology lab, or anything else was over $20,000.00 before my insurance paid. The bill for Princess was about $65,000.00 before insurance.

I have been disputing my health insurance company and the hospital for over 7 months about the medical bills--mainly billing errors on the part of the hospital. I have gotten frustrated and fed up with talking to so many different representatives from the hospital and insurance company that I just wanted to give up and scream! But when I thought about all the money I pay in insurance premiums, it was enough to fight on! On this past Monday, I saw VICTORY!

All the bills that were supposed to be paid by my insurance company that didn't get paid, finally were paid by my insurance company!

If you have a dispute with your insurance company or medical provider, fight it to the end! I even had to wrestle with collection agencies who my accounts had been sent to because my insurance company had not paid! Make sure you keep a record of who you talk to and the time of day it is and that date. Ask for a reference number for the telephone call. If the insurance company turns down your claim, don't just end it there. Appeal their decision. Black Enterprise

magazine had an article in their May 2008 Edition entitled "How to Fight Your Insurance Company-and win" I couldn't find the article on their website, but you may want to try to google it and chekc it out.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. HM

My Finance: Spending On the Weekend

Last weekend, I went on a business trip for work. I live in a rural area where the closest mall or legitimate shopping center is about an hour away. With gas prices the way they are, I only go to the nearest metropolitan area once every couple of months. Since I was in a metropolitan area, I did some much needed shopping. YES, I am still trying to save money, but it is semi-annual sale time at Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret. This is the ONLY time of year I shop for lotion, bath gel, and spray mist from these stores! I stock up and buy enough to tide me over until the next semi-annual sale which is in late December of this year and early January of next year. Yes, I know these sales like clockwork! I also needed a new suit for work for a conference I have to go to later this month. Actually, I need 3 new suits, but I am buying them one at a time as my money allows. I only buy suits at Ross Dress for Less and at TJ Maxx because they are much cheaper there than say, at The Limited or somewhere. Here is a list of my spending (not including gas and food because my job reimburses me for that)

Store Purchased Item Regular Price Sale Price
Bath and Body Works 1 Plumeria Shower Gel $10.50 $3.33
Bath and Body Works 1 Plumeria Body Splash $10.50 $3.3.3
Bath and Body Works 4 Plumeria Body Lotion $42.00 $13.32
Bath and Body Works 1 Sheer Fresia Shower Gel $10.50 $3.33
Bath and Body Works 2 Sheer Fresia Body Splash $21.00 $6.66
Bath and Body Works 3 Sheer Fresia Body Lotion $31.50 $9.99
Victoria Secret 5 Personal Items $25.00 $20.00
Victoria Secret 2 My Desire Body Mist $21.00 $8.00
Victoria Secret 3 My Desire Body Lotion $31.50 $8.00
TJ Maxx 1 Pant Suit $280.00 $49.99

Side Note: My husband went with me and Skater Boy, Diva, and Princess are on another vacation visiting my parents. So I will count alone time with Mr. HM as being: PRICELESS!!!!!I ended up saving a LOT of money off of things that I find essential to my life. Mr. HM doesn't understnad why I can't just use the regular lotion he uses, but he doesn't complain either when I smell like my plumeria or freesia lotion! Plus, those are the things I consider to be High Maintenance for me! I would go through and total up the savings amount for you, but I'm at work, and I need to get back to serving the needs of my clients! HA HA

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. HM

Disclaimer: I do not receive any money or other benefits for mentioning any of the stores named in my post on today. They are merely stores in which I enjoy shopping. I am not affiliated with them in any other way.

Black and Married with Kids: Debt and Dating

One of my favorite Blogs is Black and Married with Kids written by The Dad and The Mom (Ronnie and Lamar). The couple are just what the title of the blog suggest; black, married, and have kids. The blog covers so much more than the title suggests. Today, they did a Q&A on debt and dating. Check it out here . Leave a comment, let the Dad and the Mom know you are reading. It is a great blog with great insight for anyone whether you are married, single, have kids, or not.

My Finance: These are MY Confessions

Remember a few years ago when Usher had that song out called "My Confessions"? Well today is my confession day. Okay, here goes. I'm embarrassed and ashamed to admit this BUT,..........I HAVEN'T BALANCED MY CHECK BOOK IN 2 MONTHS! Okay, I'm exhaling. I feel better to have gotten that off of my chest. Now, I'm going off to balance my check book while I'm here at work. (no, I haven't overdrafted my account, I do look at my account everyday online, and it is my personal account, not my joint account that my husband and I pay bills from--he would have killed me by now if that was the case!) I am going to make sure I NEVER do this again!

Photo Courtesy of: www.freewebs.com/usherfansite

My Life and Love: Do you still Date your Spouse?

View my page on Still Dating My Spouse

I' mentioned in my introduction to this blog that I have been married for 2 years. One of my favorite marriage websites is Still Dating My Spouse created by Tracey Brooks. Check it out. I think it is important for married couples to remember why they got married and what attracts them to each other. I think Still Dating My Spouse is a wonderful website/social network. It is a wonderful place to chat and talk about the joys of marriage.

My Finance: Saving Up

I got paid today! Yay! (I act like I don't get paid every two weeks LOL!) I'm super excited because I just put away $50.00 in my savings account. You may not think $50.00 is not much, but is is a start for me. I am going to try---I mean I am going to save $50.00 per pay period and contribute it to my savings account. My goal is to save $3,000.00 by the end of the year. Of course, in order to do that, I will have to gradually increase the amount I am contributing to my savings account. Maybe by August I will be saving $200.00 per pay period. I'll see how it goes.

Oh, I'm still searching for another bank. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I am also looking for an Internet bank for my savings account. Holla at ya girl and give me your suggestions.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,
Ms. HM

My Finance: Changing Banks

One of my favorite blogs is Fabulous Financials written by Single Ma. A few weeks ago, she wrote an article about her bank increasing the interest rates after she had already found another bank. If you recall, one of my short term goals was to find another bank as soon as possible. Well, the time has come for me to make a BIG move. My bank is trippin'!



Mr. HM and I have about 6 or so accounts with the same bank. Yes, I know, you should not keep all of your accounts with the same bank. However, when you live in a small town and there are only 2 "hometown" banks, you don't really have much of a choice. But now, the time has come for me to move on.

ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE FEES
One of the worst things for me to do is to keep paying those stupid monthly account maintenance fees. My bank does not have "totally free" checking. GASP! That's right folks! My bank has not come out of the stone ages. The only accounts that do not have maintenance fees are the savings accounts for minors and there are free checking accounts for college students. I am paying $10.00 per month for 6 accounts, which is a total of $60.00. I've been with the bank for almost 24 months. So 24 multiplied by $60.00 is $1,440.00! Yes folks, I am ashamed to admit that over $1,000.00 of my hard earned money has gone to stupid fees.

BANK HOURS OF OPERATION
If the account maintenance fees aren't already enough, the hours of operation totally suck! Get this, the bank is open Monday thru Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM! One branch of the bank keeps their drive thru open until 6:00 PM. Like that is any better! I work from 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM Monday--Friday. I usually have to spend my prescious lunch break in the bank, or I have to leave work to go to the bank. One branch of the bank is open on Saturday from 8:00 AM until 12:00 AM. There is also a branch of the bank in one of the local grocery stores, but the hours still aren't much better.

CRAPPY CUSTOMER SERVICE
The customer service at the bank is also crappy. Customer service in this town is crappy overall at most establishments. I hate to go in the bank and hear loud tellers discussing other people's business and the party they went to last weekend. That is just tackless to me. I've been a bank teller before, and I know you want to talk to your co-workers about non-work related stuff, but geesh, wait until the customers are gone!

THE FEW BENEFITS OF MY BANK
One of the only benefits to banking with my bank is that I can easily transfer money between my accounts and my husband's accounts (we have one joint checking and savings and individual checking and savings accounts). Now that I have mentioned that one benefit, I really can not think of any other benefits. So, as you can see, the negative far out weighs the positives in this situation.

I'm looking for a new bank, any suggestions? Where do you bank? What do you like about your bank?


My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,
Ms. HM

My Love: Why Don't Father's Get the Same Love as Mothers on Father's Day?

Father's Day is this weekend, and many blogs and radio shows are focusing on it. I'm currently listening to the Michael Baisden Show and he asked a question that got me thinking. The question was, "Why don't people get as excited about their father as they do their mother?" My first thought was that a lot of people don't have a father or a father figure to look up to, so their father and mother are one in the same.

Then I thought about all the great TV Dads. There was James from Good Times, Bill Cosby from the Cosby Show, Danny Tanner from Full House, George Jefferson from the Jefferson Show, Carl Winslow from Family Matters, and many more. To me, James was the ultimate TV dad. No matter what the situation was, he kept the family together and kept his wife and kids clothed, fed, and educated. I wish we had more dads like that today. Danny Tanner was the example of the Single TV dad raising 3 daughers with the help of his family. I could go on and on about the rest of the dads I mentioned, but I'll spare you.

My dad is and always has been wonderful to me and my siblings. I am eternally grateful to him. I believe that I am the woman I am today in large part because of him. I do not know what it is like not to have a father. I think my family makes a big deal out of Father's Day just like we do Mother's Day. My question to you is, do you think society makes a bigger deal out of Mother's Day than they do Father's Day?

My Love: The Kids are Away........

My 3 kids are all gone to visit my parents for a week--yes the twins took a vacation. My week long vacation is up tomorrow and I must go pick them up. Well, that is with the exception of Skaterboy. He spends the whole summer with the grandparents. The twins aren't old enough to spend the whole summer yet. I was just in awe that my parents offered to keep 7 month old twins for a week. Anyway, I made all these wonderful plans for what I was going to do for a whole week kid free. Here were my plans:

1. Clean up the nursery-- pack up baby clothes that are now too little
2. Get rid of some of Skaterboy's toys that he no longer plays with.
3. Clean our bedroom.
4. Stay at work late and play catch up.
5. Go shopping.
6. Relax
7. Spend time with the Mr. HM
8. Sleep
9. Return calls to the few friends that I have who called me over a month ago and I never called back

The only thing I got to on my list was #8, SLEEP! Oh well, maybe next time I'll get more done. That's the life of a mom, wife, employee, friend, etc. Oh, and Mr. HM did get a little cuddle and talk time in.

CREDIT CARD DEBT----Is It Ruining Your Life?

I was watching Good Morning America (GMA) while getting ready for work, and a news story about Americans and debt caught my attention. Particularly a story about a 21 year old college senior who is over $22,000.00 in credit card debt left me appalled. However, credit card debt seems to be the norm in our society. I own 1 credit card that I have had for 9 years. The balance on it is about $350.00 right now. You may think that is a good thing----BUT it isn't! The card limit is $500.00, so right now, I'm close to my limit. I plan to pay the card off by September. I am going to ask for an increase in the spending limit once I pay the balance off since it is the only credit card I have and I only use it for emergencies or work related purposes that I get reimbursed for later. Anyway, check out the link below and tell me what you think. How do you think people get so far in credit card debt? Is it from emergencies, loss of job, or just like to shop? (I'm learning to post the actual video, for some reason I couldn't get it to upload today).

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=5045343&page=1

My Life: My Job--When to Leave?

I have so many goals that I want to accomplish in every aspect of my life. I am trying to grow spiritually, career wise, and financially. Right now, I feel that my job is hindering me from growing financially but may be helping me spiritually. I'll be talking in greater detail about my job later, but today, I'm just going to give you a little bit of my dilema.

I love my job MOST of the time. I try to be more thankful and grateful that I even have a job in my field right now. We are in a recession and people are losing jobs with every merger of a company. My job right now is in the nonprofit sector, so you automatically know that means---NO MONEY! In order to achieve my financial goals, it seems to me that I need another job that pays more. In my field, I could get a job making three times what I make now if I move to another area (more about that later) or leave the nonprofit sector. I have only been in my field about two years, I'm trying to figure out if I just chalk up the less money issue to the fact that I'm just starting out and I'm getting invaluable experience (which I question sometimes)?

I'm Working It Out Ya'll!

Just wanted to ask that you be patient while I figure out the layout for my blog, etc. I'm new to blogging and I'm trying to make my page more reader friendly. I'll get there soon!

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Thanks,
Ms. High Maintenance

Finally........As Promised....My Long Term Goals--Part I

Okay, I know that I promised to discuss my long term goals with you a month or so ago. I got side tracked by the need to purchase a vehicle. Now that is done, I'm back on track. I have so many long term goals, so I am going to just talk about them one at a time. For me right now, long term is within the next 5-10 years. I will be discussing my financial, profesional, spiritual, and maybe even my personal goals. My first goal is HOMEOWNERSHIP! Right now, I sort of rent my home. Actually, I'm blessed that my father in law owns my house and we really don't have to pay much in rent right now. Thank God for family and favor! Anyway, I am a HGTV fanatic and any show that comes on that has to do with owning a home or being a first time buyer, my eyes are glued to it. This goal is a long term goal for me because I am not sure if I actually want to buy a house in the area that I live right now. Homes in my area are older and need a lot of repairs. Also, I don't live in the best school district, so that is one of the things that I will be looking at when deciding where to buy.

Secondly, it takes a LOT of money to buy a house. Yeah, I know you can do the 100% financing programs, but I want to try to save up the 20% down payment before I purchase. For me and Mr. HM, that is a big task at this time, BUT, I'm committed. I also want to know as much as possible about the home buying process before I actually buy a home. Some things I know I won't understand until I actually go through the process myself, but there are other things that I can be researching and understanding now. I'll talk more in depth about my plans to achieve homeownership and how important this is for me and my family. I feel that I probably over simplified this goal a bit, but as I said before, we'll revisit this issue often. For right now, I'm just fulfilling my promise to my very small audience of readers and discussing my Long Term Goals.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. High Maintenance

Taking Baby Steps.........

Lately I have been frustrated by the fact that I am taking "baby steps" towards my financial goals and I've had a few set backs along the way. Right now, I'm most frustrated by my income level. Could I make more money? Heck yeah. Other people in my same situation in my profession generally make 2 times the amount I make. By my situation, I mean, recent graduates with the same degree(s), job experience, etc. I chose to take a job making less money in a nonprofit/government type position in order to help those who generally can't get assistance. Do I regret this decision some days? Yeah, I do. On the days that I want to go buy clothes or buy unnecessary things for Skater Boy and the twins. Then, some days when I can't put more than $10.00 in my savings account, I wonder why did I choose this. BUT, there are days that I feel as if I have touched somebody and helped somebody, and that small $10.00 savings is well worth it. Note to self: My value is not determined by my bank account but by my ability to make a difference in this life. I'll continue taking baby steps and knowing that I have to start somewhere. In 10 years, when I make more money and can afford to save and invest more, I'll appreciate it more.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. High Maintenance

I'M REAL GROWN NOW! I'VE GOT THE CAR INSURANCE TO PROVE IT!

A few days ago I blogged about having to buy a new vehicle. At the time, it was still an idea I was toying with, now it is full blown reality and yes, I now have the car note and car insurance to prove it. Well, it's a used vehicle, or as the salesman told me, the new "politicaly correct" term is "pre--owned." I mean, does it really matter? Used or pre-owned, it is still new to me.

I won't tell you exactly what type of vehicle (it's not the one pictured above) I bought, but with the number of kids and other family members I have, I ended up having to get a BIG SUV. Yes, I am fully aware of the fact that gas is fast approaching $4.00 a gallon, and no, my SUV is not the most gas efficient but I did get a pretty good deal on it considering the low mileage and all of the extras that it has. Now reality is seriously setting in since for the first time in my adult life, I have to pay for my own car insurance. Yeah, I know, I'm approaching the 30 years of age mark, and I have never had to pay for my own insurance. I am blessed to have good parents who have paid my car insurance since I started driving. As a matter of fact, they bought my last few vehicles. I gave them back the one that I had. I really wanted to keep it since the gas mileage is better than my new SUV, but the least I could do was to give it back to them since they graciously gave it to me.

Now I must admit to you that I am SCARED out of my mind to have all of this financial responsibility. Yes, I can afford it BUT the whole car note and car insurance is new to me. I must admit that it has caused me to save money big time in other areas of my life. I discussed on last week the amount of money I was spending a month on coffee. I have started making my own coffee at home! I no longer spend $1.43 everyday to go to the convenient store and buy it. Okay, I did backslide on Monday and I bought some because I forgot my cup of coffee at home. But otherwise, I'm doing just fine. I'm cutting out the number of trips I make out of town and I've started staying at the office for lunch instead of leaving and driving all the way home. I just put a sign on my office door that says "At Lunch, Be Out in an Hour", LOL! Anyway, I'll talk more with you later on this.

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. High Maintenance

Life Change + Family Change = I Have to get a New Car!

Yeah, I know I was supposed to be discussing my long term goals today, however, situations have changed and are presently making it impossible for me to continue driving my car. I have a 1999 Ford Taurus that has about 126,000 miles on it. I got it back in 2002 when it had about 18,000 miles on it. A lot of people talk about Ford cars and say they are crappy or FORD = Found On Road Dead---but I will tell you, I love my car! Aside from having to get my transmission rebuilt in 2005, I have had no problems with the car. True, when I got it, I didn't want it, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. I was in my senior year of college and my parents helped me get it since the car I had at the time was going into a "car coma". My parents paid most of the notes on my Ford, but I did pay some of them as well. My car has been paid off for several years now, and unfortunately, our relationship is nearing the end of the road. (Tear, tear).

If you read my Introduction, you know that my family structure has changed significantly over the last 2 years. I now have a set of twins, a son, and a 5 year old cousin who I keep a lot of the time. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about Mr. High Maintenance--I do have a husband now as well. If you count it all up, there are 6 of us (give or take 1 when the 5 year old isn't with us) and a Taurus only seats 5 people---4 comfortably. I have delayed buying a new vehicle for several months now, but the safety of my family is now dependent upon it--or at least that is what I keep telling myself. My son is having to ride in the front seat of my car sometimes, and I don't advocate for kids under 12 sitting up front with the air bag. So, to remedy that situation and just the regular problems of having an older vehicle, I am forced (yeah I said I am forced) to get a new ride.

When I first started searching for a car, I was sure I wanted a mini van. I thought, a mini van would fit my whole family comfortable and they actually make a few cute ones now. Mind you, until I went to the car lot this past Saturday, I was dead set on getting a mini van. One of the car salesmen talked me into test driving an SUV with the 3rd row bench, and I was sold. I now no longer want a mini van which is probably (not probably, I know) more gas efficient by far and in some ways cheaper. BUT, the SUV I drove would last us at least the next 10 years and it has plenty of room and even a DVD player for the kids. For the type of vehicle it is, it is very well priced. YES, I did my homework. I compared the price of this vehicle at this particular lot to the same type of vehicle at other lots. I had my best friend (BFF) call the dealership the SUV is at and ask about the price to make sure that the price I was given (after negotiations) was a fair deal. My BFF was quoted a price almost $1,000.00 more than I was quoted, so I feel pretty good about that.

Ooopps......I have got to go, I am being called on to do some real work at work. Hmph, the nerve of these people who pay me actually want me to work! (LOL) Just kidding. I'll get back with you later and continue my "Car Buying Saga"

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,
Ms. High Maintenance

My Financial Goals

I shared with you on yesterday that I am not where I would like to be financially. Most of that is because I'm working my first "real" job so of course I now have to pay back those things called student loans and then the dynamic of my family has drastically changed (for the better) . Anyway, here are a few of my short term goals. I haven't listed all of them, and I will periodically update you on my progress. I'll get with you on tomorrow with my long term goals. I was about to do short and long term goals today, but my twins say otherwise.

SHORT TERM GOALS -- To Be Completed Within One Year

1. Invest in a 529 College Savings Plan for Skateboard Boy (SB)-- SB is 9 years old and will be 10 this year. I plan to open an account for him by the end of the year with at least $$1,000.00. I have looked into my state's 529 College Plan and it seems pretty straight forward. I've also looked at the plans from other states near me, but if I invest in those, I wouldn't get the tax benefits offered through my state. Unfortunately, my employer does not do a payroll deduction for 529 Plans. My how I wish they did!

2. Find a New Bank!-- You might wonder why this is a goal, but it is. I live in a small town where there are only 2 banks, so you can imagine that they try to milk the customers out of every penny they have. Of course, Mr. High Maintenance insist on us banking at the same bank, but I refuse to pay a maintenance fee of $10.00 a month on each checking account I have at the bank! I have a total of 3 checking accounts which means I pay $30.00 a month in fees! What the heck! If you figure that out for a whole year, I am paying my bank $360.00 . Are you serious!? At first, I was banking at this wretched bank because it was convenient and I live in my husband's home town and he has always banked there. Code for "I have always given away my hard earned money to them." Yeah, I'm not feeling it. I have got to do better. I will be ending this banking relationship really really soon!

3. Educate myself on investing and start investing-- As I told you on yesterday, I don't know crap about investing. Yes, I should know. Yes, I'm embarrassed that I don't. What do I plan on doing about it? Educate myself. I am working on a list of books, blogs, and websites that I will be reading throughout this year to get myself up to speed on investing. Stay tuned for how my progress is going.

4. Save $1,500.00 in MY Personal Savings Account -- This account is separate than the account me and Mr. High Maintenance have together. To some of you, this might not be that much money, but as I told you before, I am working my first "real" job and starting my career, raising a new set of twins and a 9 year old, and Mr. HM has 2 new businesses.

5. Curb My Spending Habits -- I spend about $1.43 everyday on a cup of coffee . Well, actually it is coffee and cappuccino mixed. I know that is relatively cheap compared to what you spend at Starbucks, but as I said, I live in a small town. The nearest Starbucks is an hour away which is a good thing . If it were one closer, I would truly be broke. Anyway, if I didn't buy coffee every work day, I could save $7.15 week which is a little over $28.00 a month. I'm addicted to coffee, but I' m optimistic.

I spend roughly $24.00--$50.00 a month on my nails. I'm still up in the air about cutting this expense. People look at my hands all the time. I like them to look good---but at the same time, I want to go on a "spending diet". We'll see how this goes as well.

Since I just had twins, I haven't gotten back to my original size. Frankly, I don't want to either. I was a stick. Now, I have a little "meat on my bones" and I like it. The only problem is that I can't fit anything I wore before I was pregnant. For that reason, I have to constantly buy new clothes, especially for work. I will have to figure out a way to cut down on clothing cost. Maybe buy a few key pieces and mix and match? I don't know. I'll figure it out.

Like a lot of other people, I like to eat out. I have already started working on cutting this out. I feel much better when I cook my own food anyway.

Now that I've published my goals here, I feel compelled to really stick to them. I'll give you an update in a month or so on how it's going. Blog with you tomorrow!

My Life, My Love, My Finance

Love ya,

Ms. High Maintenance

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hello! I am Ms. High Maintenance. I have been thinking about starting a blog for several months now, but I never got around to doing so. Now that I have a million thoughts in my mind about my life, my love, and my finance, I figure now is the best time to get all of those thoughts out and on paper---well, out in the blogoshere. My main purpose in starting my blog is to hold myself accountable. I mainly wish to hold myself financially accountable, but I also want to hold myself accountable in other areas too. You may ask, what does starting a blog have to do with accountablity. Well, it is simple! Once I publish my goals, my aspirations, etc. on this blog, I can actually "see" what I want to do, and I can plan and act accordingly. It is one thing to say in my mind, "I want to be a millionaire" but to actually write it down (or type it out) and figure out a way to get there, is priceless. So, in essence, this is my way of holding myself accountable.

MY LIFE
Within the last two years, I have had some pretty amazing things happen to me. I went from being a graduate student single parent of one child to a graduate with her first "real" job, a new marriage, and a set of newborn twin girls. I'll talk about my kids from time to time here. My son is referred to as Skateboard Boy (SB) and my twin girls are "the twins" or Diva and Princess. My husband is Mr. High Maintenance which is funny because he is pretty frugal and can go a week without spending a dime for anything. Yeah, I can't do that.

My first real job is proving to be very challenging. I had a bad day today with a client, so I'm chilling and not doing anything productive for the next hmmmm.......well, the rest of the day. You'll hear a lot about the new lessons I'm learning, the experience I'm gaining, and of course the occassional complaint about this job........but I really do like it, most days.

My best friend and I are talking about starting a small business together. We plan to get something off the ground by years end. The more I write about it here, and actually hold myself accountable, the more likely it is going to come to fruition.

MY LOVE
I love my family! I'm sure you'll hear a lot about my immediate family, our goals, etc., but you'll also hear about my brother ans sister. They are characters in and of themsleves. My sister is a college student, so the stories I get from her keep me laughing. When she gives me some good ones, I'll be sure to pass them on to you.

MY FINANCE
The main point of me having this blog is to set financial goals for myself and my family and to actually work towards achieving them. Since this is my first job and my husband owns two new businesses, I don't have a lot of money. Well how can I call myself Ms. High Maintenance you may ask? Easy, I have champagne taste on a beer budget! But I make it work for me! I don't buy name brand purses, etc. However, I'm not broke either.

I feel that I should be allocating my money better and learning to save more and spend less. I have a 401K plan that I don't quite understand. I want to invest in the stock market, but I don't know crap about it. Yes, I have a long way to go. I have a large student loan debt that I keep hearing is good debt, but let's be honest--What is good about owing someone money? Well, I guess I can say that no one can ever come and repo my degrees. I have not ever really had to pay a car note, but with the changes in my family life, I now need a new car to accomodate them.

I would like to buy a house within the next few years but all this talk about the "alleged" recession and the hard and soft real estate market has me confused. I say all of that to say that it is time that I stop making excuses and educate myself. If you knew my profession, you would be ashamed of me for not knowning more than what I do. To that end, keep reading! Grow with me as I grow in financial knowledge and freedom. If you're already "free", watch me become free and grow! Watch me live, learn, and love better!

My Life, My Love, My Finance!

Love ya,
Ms. High Maintenance