Posted on: November 25, 2008 by Matt
It seems like forever since I have had a chance to sit down and post. Between trying to learn the ins and outs of my new position at work and moving I really have been behind. The move should be done by the end of the weekend (no choice really, have to be out by the 1st).
We are starting to settle into our new place and I have my internet up and running (10 Mbps cable connection makes me giddy). I hope that after clearing out the old apartment I will have time to write more next week. I have not gone away, just trying to keep up with the pace of life.
Posted on: November 21, 2008 by Matt
Well it certainly has been a busy week for me. We are in the midst of moving and I have taken on new responsibilities at work. I will try to update everyone about what my new job entails and how it may change my blogging down the line next week. For now, it’s Friday and time to try to relax a little bit. I am hoping for a slower pace at work today and thought I would take a minute to list out some of my favorite reads from the past week:
Posted on: November 20, 2008 by Matt
I have had a hard time doing anything blog related the past week due to some recent changes with my job. As of Monday I am now a manager of some sort for my company. Not sure exactly what my title is yet but I seem a lot busier this week than usual. I have been pretty worn out by the end of the day and the thought of getting a post together for the following day has seemed a little daunting.
I am hoping that I can be back to “normal” by early next week. This month has been off since it started with moving and now a job change – I guess it all keeps me on my toes.
Normally in a week like this I would be thinking “tomorrow’s Friday, the weekend is coming” but this week I am thinking: “Saturday I have to work and move… How am I going to swing both?” Looks like I could use a lesson in time management as well.
Sorry for the lack of posts but I really do hope that next week will be a bit smoother in my ability to keep up to date.
Posted on: November 18, 2008 by Matt
While I feel like I am making some substantial progress on my short term goals I am trying to also keep up with some long term progress. After all – eventually long term goals become short term goals right? Might as well work toward getting some small hurdles out of the way.
As it stands my current long term goal status looks like:
- Move into a house: Well, we are moving into a house, sort of… My girlfriend and I are moving into a new place that we will be renting. It is a duplex which will give us half a house, more space than we have now and only ONE RENT PAYMENT. Our current situation has us in two apartments and each paying rent. By having one physical address we can consolidate rent, utility bills, cable, phone, etc. We will have to start paying for heat in addition to our rent but we should still both save money. We will probably remain content to stay in our new location until we are able to purchase our own home.
- Become debt free: Working on it… Every month I get a little closer and someday may actually make it there!
- Build a fully funded emergency fund: While I repay my debt I am also adding to my EmigrantDirect online savings. I generally budget only my base salary in a month and save any extra commissions (once per month). This allows me to save anywhere from $100 – $300+ per month.
- Become financially independent: So this one may take a little longer but I am still working on it. I think by becoming debt free and having a fully funded emergency fund I will have the first steps down.
- Finally break down and get married: Well – if cost was not an issue I think I would have already proposed. Don’t tell my girlfriend but I am sneaking looks at rings online.
Looking at some of my long term goals with status updates makes me kind of surprised. While they may not be complete or exactly what I was hoping for I think I am actually making progress. I guess a lot has changed in just a month.
Posted on: November 17, 2008 by Matt
I was not able to post much last week due to a particularly busy week at work; hopefully this week will smooth out a little bit. It has been a little over a month since I posted my short term and long term goals so I thought I would take a little bit of time this morning and give everyone an update. It feels great to be working in the direction of accomplishing goals and I think I have made some decent progress.
Short Term Goal Progress:
- Start building a relationship with a local bank: I opened a checking account with a bank in town. My family has used this bank as long as I can remember and one of my sisters works at a branch. I even opted to make my local bank my primary bank due to the great checking account interest (3.98% APR for a checking account, sign me up!).
- Continue to pay down debt: I have worked out an arrangement with the collection agency that has my “bad” student loans and have continued to pay the minimums on other student loans. I also have a credit card balance of about $1,400 I have neglected to mention in the past. I currently have been paying 3 to 5 times the minimum payment on this. The balance is dropping quickly.
- Increase alternative and passive income streams: I have not done much here aside from my CashCrate earnings. In the past 3 months I have made a little over $100 with CashCrate by completing the free offers. I have not made any extra income by other methods yet.
- Increase blog traffic: Slowly but surely, traffic seems to be slowly increasing. Nothing major to note here.
- Start my new niche project: I have been slacking. I have done very little, perhaps after we move.
- Get more exercise: We are moving – going up and down the steep stairs where we currently live carrying heavy boxes and such qualifies as exercise in my mind.
So that is where I am currently at with my short term goals. I have yet to review my long term goals and figure out where I stand on those but may have an update later this week.
Tags: Collections, Debt, Debt Reduction, Goals, Student Loans Filed Under: Collections, Debt, Debt Reduction, Extra Income, Goals, Personal Finance Team, Student Loans
Older Entries
