My Financial Recovery

Carnival Of Twenty Something Finances

Posted on: July 27, 2009 by Matt 8 Comments

Well – technically I turned 30 a bit over a week ago but I offered to host this week’s carnival about a month ago, before life got insanely busy.  Anyway – given the crazy schedule lately I am going to jump right in.  There are some great articles here and I encourage everyone to browse through them and have a look and remember to keep an eye out for the editor’s picks!

Ray presents Lenders for Problem Credit – Just What the Doctor Ordered! posted at free credit tips.

Kelsey Grace presents GoPhone Versus Contract Phone posted at AT&T Go Phone, saying, “This article will help readers understand the difference between a pay as you go phone and a contract phone.”

The Dough Roller presents The College Student’s Guide to Credit Cards posted at The Dough Roller, saying, “A comprehensive guide to help college students understand the risks and rewards of credit cards.”

forex trading system presents There is life after a bankruptcy or an IVA | Talk Money blog posted at Money Saving Tips, Consumer Finance, Expert, Advice and Help | Talk Money Blog, saying, “It is reported today that 29,444 people in England and Wales declared themselves insolvent in the last quarter of 2008; this is an 18.5% increase for the same period in 2007.”

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Netflix Review: Why Sign Up For An Online Movie Rental Service? posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Is it worth the money to sign up with an online movie rental service? What kind of dent does Netflix have on your pocket? For some people, it may be a reasonable option for entertainment!”

Editor’s Pick: Matt Jabs presents Pay off Credit Cards VS Build Emergency Fund Savings – Me VS Suze Orman posted at Debt Free Adventure!, saying, “Recently I had a bit of a “tweet off” with Suze Orman because of a slight breakdown in communication between Suze, my wife, and myself… It centered on the topic of whether we should focus on paying off our credit card debt or building up our emergency fund savings.”

The Smarter Wallet presents Credit Monitoring Services To Check Your Credit Report posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Thanks!”

Pinyo presents How To Get Free Credit Reports posted at Moolanomy, saying, “Learn how to get your credit report for free from AnnualCreditReport.com and don’t be fooled by sites that sign you up for paid services.”

Super Saver presents Possible Scenario – A Long Bear Market posted at My Wealth Builder.

Banker Saver presents Is The Inflation Protected Certificate of Deposit Still Around? posted at Banker Saver, saying, “Cool carnival! ”

Investing Toolkit presents The Successful Stock Investor: Do You Have These Attributes? posted at Investing Toolkit.

apply4-credit presents Balance Transfers and Your Credit Score posted at Apply4-Credit.

Mr Credit Card presents Another Reason To Shop Around For The Best Card posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Britannica Blog presents About Fixing the Economy: Obama, Weak; GOP, Clueless; the Masses: Distracted (by Michael Jackson, et. al) | Britannica Blog posted at Britannica Blog, saying, “Vice President Joe Biden says the administration “misread” the severity of the recession, an assertion borne out by forecasts supporting the stimulus package that came nowhere near seeing June’s unemployment rate of 9.5 percent. Yet the statement still seems odd: Even during the campaign economists and politicians alike were talking about the worse economic calamity since the Great Depression. Misread, indeed.”

kathryn presents Spend a Little, Save a Lot posted at Out of Debt Christian, saying, “Sometimes, you’ve got to spend some money to save some money. Here are three great programs that will cost you a few dollars today but could save you hundreds of dollars over the months ahead…”

Handy Saputra presents No Closing Cost Mortgage Refinance – How can you Qualify posted at Home Loan | Mortgage Resources, saying, “You go account that No Closing Cost Refinance can save you much money compared to obtaining a plan of refinancing which includes a closing-cost? Many people are confused approximately if they should obtain no closing cost refinance or refinancing with a closing-cost. The true truth of the matter is that it depends completely on your financial position and the options of refinancing which were offered to you. You would have never let no matter whom indicate to you that a cost of no-closing cost mortgage refinance will be always better than one which includes a closing-cost; it is simply not true.”

presents Best Auto Insurance Companies in the United States Top 10 posted at Home Life Weekly, saying, “s we all know auto insurance is something that we really all need, however the cheapest quote is not always the best auto insurance quote in the long term. Especially when you have to make a claim. Only when you have paid you insurance do these problems come to light. So here is a top 10 auto insurance companies which perform best overall”

Madison presents Bank of Dad – Will Your Kids Be A Client? posted at My Dollar Plan.

Jason presents American Express Blue Cash Review posted at American Express Tips.

Sun presents Alternatives to MS Money posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

nickel presents Do You Need Disability Insurance? posted at fivecentnickel.com.

KCLau presents Why the worse classmates are wealthier than you? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Discusses if there is a correlation between academic success and financial well-being”

Woman Tribune presents 5 Tricks to Get a Handle on Unnecessary Spending posted at Woman Tribune.

Ray presents Blog Carnival – Submit an Article to a Carnival posted at free credit tips, saying, “Bank of America wanted to know all about my financial situation. It sounded like they had different plans depending on a person’s situation. Bank of America is currently the largest issuer of credit cards in the United States. They offer…..”

Chris presents Exchanging currency when buying property posted at Home I Own, saying, “Exchanging a big amount of money presents a good chance to save – or lose!”

Handy Saputra presents Tips To Get Mortgage Refinance With Bad Credit posted at Home Loan | Mortgage Resources, saying, “Today, you can discover many lenders who are dedicate to mortgage refinance for people with bad or poor credit. Lender has to visage approximately expose to provide a mortgage refinance credit, and this is ordinarily reflected in privileged rate and appeal rate existing. Due to online competition, these rate be inflicted with been repeatedly decreasing and apt more favorable for people with bad credit.”

Kate Hopkins presents 100 Money-Saving Lessons from Poor College Kids posted at Online College Degree.org.

Martha Jackson presents 10 Excellent YouTube Videos to Learn About Long-Term Investing posted at ETFdb.

Jack Schmidt presents Albert Einstein and Your Personal Economy posted at SectorMatic Money Journal, saying, “SectorMatic Money Site – Personal Finance | Everything for the Big Spender on a Budget. Now you can live like a fat cat, even if you’re on a money diet. Laugh all the way to the bank with Jack Schmidt and SectorMatic. It’s for you!”

Tyler Tervooren presents Dump Your Dryer and Rack Up the Savings posted at Frugally Green, saying, “Did you know an extra 15 minutes of work every time you do your laundry could net you more than $500 in savings in a year by air drying your clothes? Me either, until I did the math. Getting really great laundry results from the sun and the wind can be a little tricky though. This mini journal provides the tips and tricks to get it right.”

Michael presents How to Rust-Proof Your Car posted at Vital Motion, saying, “Rust-proofing your car can have some serious benefits for your car, but it isn’t cheap or easy.”

Barry presents Managing Surplus Money In The Short Term posted at Associate Money.

Handy Saputra presents Top Reasons to Refinance Your Mortgage Online posted at Home Loan | Mortgage Resources, saying, “Mortgage refinance is taking out a new loan to pay off your old mortgage. The new loan will have more favorable conditions such as a lower interest rate or longer term, and you might even be able to take out more money than the value of the previous loan, leaving extra cash (cash out refinancing) for paying bills and doing home improvements etc. This new mortgage is secured against your home, in the same way your old one would have been.”

Heather presents Special Report: 401(k) Plans, ETFs and You | ETF Trends posted at ETF Trends, saying, “Your 401(k) is killing you. What’s the solution?”

Chris McClelland presents Credit card perks that you might be missing out on posted at Lucrative Investing.

Chris McClelland presents How social networking sites can also help you save some money posted at Lucrative Investing.

Jeff Rose presents Should You Buy Long Term Care Insurance posted at Jeff Rose.

Robert Alan presents Designing Websites to Convert Visitors into Sales: Beginners Guide posted at Bill Hazelton, saying, “Tips on how to design and build a better blog or website that will convert more visitors into sales.”

jim presents Best CD (Certificate of Deposit) Rates posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Editor’s Pick, this one is fun: J. Savings presents Financial Mad Libs! Are You Down? posted at Budgets are Sexy., saying, “Get ready for some crazy awesome mad-libbing! It may sound a little silly at first (because it is), but you just might learn something today.”

ChristianPF presents 5 easy and cheap home repairs that will save you money posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “If you have an hour and about $10 you can save hundreds over the course of the year with these tips…”

Wojciech Kulicki presents Deciding What to Spend on a Wedding posted at Fiscal Fizzle.

Tom Tessin presents Using a Credit Card Wisely posted at FSC Blog, saying, “Credit cards aren’t the root of all evil. Instead, you’ll want to know how to use one.”

Editor’s Pick: Len Penzo presents 18 Astounding Things You Didn’t Know About Money posted at Len Penzo . Com.

Browsing For A New Job

Posted on: July 24, 2009 by Matt 1 Comment

Over the past couple of weeks I have been pondering and finally decided to act upon throwing my hat back into the job hunting ring. I am currently gainfully employed but have been suffering a bit from the stress of the job as well as the isolation that I live in while at work. Since I work remotely for a company nearly 2,000 miles away I sit in an office and work via email and phone all day. Some days it is nice and I enjoy the quiet but others I kind of miss having an actual office environment.

Overall I have enjoyed working for my company for the past three years or so but some events as of late have transpired that prompted me to start browsing around again.   I suppose that if I was to sum up the reasons I have for wanting to move on I would say:

• The stress is getting to me: My job is pretty stressful and the effects of having to deal with the stress are rubbing off on my family.  I come home tired and grumpy at the end of the day.  I want to enjoy the time with my family.
• I am a bit burnt out: I suppose this goes along with the stress but I just feel burnt out with this job.  I have not got much left to offer and need a rest or a change.
• I do not have a clear job description:  I am at a loss to know exactly what is expected from me or how my performance is being monitored.  I have raised this issue with my boss and was told that a job description did exist – which he could not produce.
• Extra responsibilities, less money:  Need I say more?  I am being assigned more tasks on a regular basis and being told that I am now “in charge of X” and actually end up making less money!  I also get frustrated as “X” changes on a weekly basis at least.
• Broken commitments:  It seems my boss blows me off a lot.  My requests are not responded to and when he does respond the result is normally problematic.  The requests that I do make are generally fairly simple requests for the benefits I was told I am entitled to.  Examples include: Health insurance – it took me a long time to get this started up, my HSA account still is not working properly despite having set it up two months ago, requests for information on the company simple IRA plan have gone unanswered, business cards were never printed despite asking several times (clients had requested I provide a card).
• A lack of proactive HR: As I just noted – getting benefits is like pulling teeth.  I am not sure if everyone else had this much trouble or had to ask 52 times to get health insurance working but it is tiring.  Other companies I have worked for actually had a procedure and would provide you all the forms on the day you were eligible for a benefit.

I think the real awakening came on my last full day in Denver during my last business trip out.  I was having lunch with another manager I work with and he said something to the tune of “What we really should do is hire a few junior guys, pay them between $XX,XXX and $YY,YYY a year and just run them all around to handle the reactive work.  You know – like make them our run around guys“.  It really sounded like a great idea when he said it but then I realized that I make $YY,YYY per year! Not to sound petty but if we are talking about bringing “junior technicians” in and paying them basically what I make then something sounds off to me.  I have a proven track record with the company and am frequently turned to when other (some more senior) people either need relief, to hand something off or are unable to resolve an issue on their own.  So the casual conversation with a coworker lead me to believe that not only am I stressed and burnt out but I am probably under paid for it as well.

So I have decied to move forward with seeing what else is out there.  What I am hoping to find is a position that will provide a good compnay culture, some structure, to know my job definition, recieve the promised benefits without a fight  and to make at least as much as I currently make now (and have my salary tied to my level of responsibility level somehow).  I suppose it may sound like a lot but at this point in time I am really wanting to simplify my life, reduce stress and spend better quality time with my family.  I suppose we will see where it goes from here.

Struggling A Bit To Not Smoke

Posted on: July 16, 2009 by Matt 1 Comment

For the past year and a half or so I have been smoke free and my personal life has been relatively free of smoking.  However – lately a number of factors have been edging me a bit more toward the edge of starting to smoke again.  It has been quite a while since I have had any major cravings but the past 4 to 6 weeks has been relatively difficult.  Rather than go into details about all the personal stuff going on I think I will just try to remember some of the reasons I have not to smoke:

• Smoking is expensive: At nearly $7 a pack I really do not want to start again.  A $7 – $14 a day habit adds up really quickly.
• Smoking is bad for your health: When I quit before I felt like I had charcoal inside my lungs.  I now feel like my lungs are a bit cleaner and I can actually handle physical activity without getting winded.  These were just the effects that I could notice easily – I am sure that there were plenty of effects that I was not aware of as well.
• Smoking would effect my going to the gym: I have been working hard the past 6 months or so at getting into better shape.  I need to remember that smoking will inhibit or possibly halt my progress.
• The kids have never seen me smoke: Or drinking, or drunk for that matter and that means a lot to me.
• Quitting is hard: Ask anyone who has tried or is currently trying to quit.  It is not fun and I have no desire to go through that again.  I would also like to thank President Obama and Single Guy Money for making me think about just how hard it is to quit again.

I suppose that over time the cravings will pass again and I will be better off for not smoking.  I also find it very helpful to write about the issue rather than just sit with it.  Something about saying / writing it out helps to curb the cravings a bit too!

A Few Ways I Get Free Stuff

Posted on: July 13, 2009 by Matt No Comments

Over the past year or so I have been finding new and different ways to get free stuff.  Some items I earn through various programs online and others are just through enrolling in certain services.  Today I figured I would take a few minutes and share some of the ways that I get the occasional little item or gift card for free or with very little effort anyway:

• Swagbucks:  All you do is search and earn points over time.  They use a Google based engine so the results are pretty good.  Over time the Swagbucks add up and you can redeem them for prizes and gift cards.  So far I have managed to get $15 in iTunes for free (my girlfriend was happy about that) and now there is even a $5 PayPal option.  There are also relatively inexpensive $5 gift cards for Amazon and plenty of raffle like contests going on.  A pretty good deal considering I have not changed my routine all that much.
  
• CashCrate: When I have a bit more time to kill I sometimes complete random offers over at CashCrate.  I have received payment from them in the past and know that they do pay out.  The trick is that you have to get to the minimum payout ($20), know what to do with the offers and be willing to put up with some tedium.
• Live It With Charter: I just found out about this service but if you are a Charter customer then you can get signed up to earn free reward points based on how much your bill comes to.  Then they hold redemption days where you can cash in your points for merchandise.  A pretty cool deal for not having to do anything.
• UPromise: I have a UPromise account that I let collect money that I will hopefully apply to my Sallie Mae student loan.  I have gained some cash from just going about my normal life as well as a bit from shopping online through my Upromise account.
• Credit Card Rewards:  My credit card has a rewards system and I generally let the balance build up until we can get something fun.  Right now I am about at the point that I could cash in and get a $50 gift certificate.  When the time comes to actually cash in my points I will  go through it with my girlfriend and see what she wants.

Emergency Fund Challenge 2009 Update

Posted on: July 9, 2009 by Matt No Comments

Last month I decided to give myself the gift of a rebuilt emergency fund by setting up a public challenge to get it back to the base of $1,000 by the end of the year.  My reasoning for the amount was that $1,000 is the recommended starter fund from Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover, an attainable goal as well as an amount that makes me feel somewhat safe should something unexpected come up.   When I kicked the challenge off I had $108 in my savings account, currently my progress has been a little slower than  I had hoped for but is progressing just the same.

So for my current status I have $259 in my emergency fund account – an increase of $151.  In addition I have also increased my health savings account from $0 to $99. So my total savings for the past month is about $250 but some of that went into savings for health care as I am planning to get a doctor’s visit in by the end of the year (it has been about 12 years since I have had a physical).

I am also hoping to jump start a couple of extra income steams by the end of the year in order to add to my savings and debt repayment plan.  Currently I am working on:

• Blog income via ads and adsense.
• Writing EHow articles: 8 published so far and about $5 in earnings after one month.  I have not devoted much time yet but am encouraged.
• Selling stuff on EBay: I have a handful of things that I could sell without really even noticing.  Why not get rid of some clutter and make a few dollars?

In addition – my final car payment will be next month and that will free up an additional $400 per month for me to work into the budget.  I am really excited about having another debt repaid and crossed off my list!