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