This was definitely a good book to start the year with. I’ve read my first two Charles Dickens’ books recently, and they both show why a classic is a classic. This book was great, threading together many things to make a great and moving story.
We got Christmas money. We got money from a car accident settlement. Now we suddenly have $646.58 in savings. Next, $1000!
I just received a check for about $56 for a class action lawsuit settlement, so I deposited it and paid $50 immediately on this credit card.
1. Christmas is over. It’s the hardest time of year for a Starbucks manager, and this was the hardest it’s been, with the economy forcing reductions. And it was my first year.
2. 2008 is over. Good things happened. More bad things happened. 2009 is primed for progress. I hope to end the year with only $9000 in debt, excluding my car. My annoying roommate is moving out, so it’ll only be me, my wife, and another couple who we’re very good friends with (even after living together for five months) living together.
3. The 49ers finished the season 7-9, which is quite an improvement. they even beat a few playoff contenders this year.
4. The Lakers are only a few wins behind Boston, with the same amount of losses. My teams are coming back!
5. I’m still alive.
I have to make sure not to get any stupid overdraft fees or late fees. I’ve never really had problems with late fees, so I just need to make sure I avoid using my credit cards unless it’s a matter of life or death, which means manaing my money instead of spending until it’s gone each paycheck. My finance charges were 195.09 the last time each was applied to my account. Each month, I’ll check to see my progress on lowering this amount. If you look at the amount of interest you pay each month as a bill of it’s own, it really puts into perspective what debt does to you. At this rate, I waste $2400 each year on interest alone.
That’s a goal of paying off almost $300 a month. If it wasn’t for interest, that would be quite easy to do at any time. Well, here’s to progress!
Chase-3480.05
CapOne#1-2922.51
BofA-2928.42
Best Buy-1384.05
GE-900.09
Zales-775.77
CapOne#2-477.39
Household-274.74
Capital One’s website is back up.
I read something like 77 books in 2007 and, unless I finish “A Tale of Two Cities” in two days, only 54 in 2008. I was going to make it a goal of 75 for this year, but I learned that late November through December are absolutely crushing in my current position in my job. In 2007, I hit 50 in July. If I do that again, I’ll up the goal. Otherwise, I’ll just be happy coasting along at 50.
Chase-3480.05
CapOne#1-
BofA-2928.42
Best Buy-1384.05
GE-900.09
Zales-775.77
CapOne#2-
Household-274.74
Stupid Capital One’s website is down. I’ll add in those two when I can, see where I’m at.
I should be paying $100 in January, $300 in February, and $300 in March. If I get a bonus for the last quarter at my job, I’ll have it paid off by the end of March.
I didn’t finish this book. I don’t think it’s worth finishing. I read 80 of its 200 pages and, although it makes wonderful use of language at times, I think it’s only considered so highly because it was banned. It seems mostly obscene without much of a purpose. Therefore, I’m finished with it.
We’ve been married for almost eight months now. We used our wedding money to pay for a new bed because our old one was so bad, so now we have to save back up for our honeymoon. We don’t want to let this slide and postpone it too long. Our tax return will be a good start to this.
I’m tired of getting screwed by banks and credit cards. This goal is pretty much the same as “pay off debt,” but with more anger. I’ve been screwed severely by Bank of America in the last couple of months. My first goal is to get my BofA credit card low enough under the limit that they stop giving me overdraft fees when the finance charges put me over the limit. This is the only credit card I have that does that. Second, I’m going to open an account at a credit union and only keep my BofA checking account to pay off my BofA card. I have a lot of financial goals right now that are quite pertinent, but I have to manage to make slow but steady progress on all of them, while focusing on one.
I was on the last level when I left off playing this. I finished it today, though, so one more game down!
That’s how much I have in my other savings account. I still have $114.35 in my Citibank savings.
One more down. This was a really good game. It made great use of the functions of the DS, without just forcing it. Hopefully, I’ll have time over the next two days to finish off Super Mario Sunshine.
