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Archive for August, 2018

Surprise Pay Increase :-)

August 18th, 2018 at 02:36 pm

I took a new job at the end of the school year, knowing that I was going to take a pay cut. It cuts my daily commute from 2 hours to 1/2 hour, saving me tons in gas, tolls, and oil changes for my 200k+mile car. My share of the health/dental insurance is a fraction of what it was at my former job, so I figured I would come out about even anyway.

When I got my contract, they had me at the Master's level instead of the CAS/Doctorate level. I asked about it, and they said since I don't officially have either, I will have to stay at the Master's level. Like I tell my students, persuasive writing is one of the most important things they can learn to do, as it will help them for the rest of their lives. So . . . I wrote a persuasive email to the superintendent back in July. I explained that I could have my CAS right now, but if I did that, I can't get my doctorate; it's one or the other, and I am working on my dissertation because I want my doctorate. I also explained that I know everyone is trying to save money, but think how much they will save because I already have my M.Ed (so they don't have to pay for classes), and I have my National Board Certification (another $2500).

I got home the other night to an email from my supervisor, out of the blue, saying they decided to raise me to the CAS level. :-) I had already signed my contract at the lower pay, so I was thrilled. It's only $2k, but it's $2k more than I was making a month ago :-), and it's the point that they are acknowledging my credentials. So, with this, I will probably end up with more money in my pocket than I was making in my previous district, plus will gain so much more personal time back in commuting.

It's a nice start to the school year.

Debt Snowball Increase

August 12th, 2018 at 02:55 pm

(Numbers updated for those who asked about it.) At the end of June, our debt snowball was at $204. Since then, along with debts paid off, I added subscriptions that I canceled. This month I added $37 from paying off my iPhone, and we got our first combined cell phone bill, which saved us $63/mo. As bizarre as it seems, the combined bill is .26 less than my husband's individual bill was. It pays to take some time to really go over what you need for a plan.

Anyway, with those two amounts added, we are now at $439 for a debt snowball. The next debt is only $343, and I paid the extra $63 from the phone bill to it, as well as $25 from the pawn shop. It's now at $255.

**edited to add: just realized I had $32 left in my tolls category, but with my new job, I won't be paying tolls. Put that on current debt, which is now at $223.

The next debt is only $320, so between the leftover debt snowball, and a giant yard sale I am having with my family in a couple weeks, I'm hoping to see that debt gone this month too. I'll have some unusual bills to cover though, so I don't know if we can do it; I'm going to try.

Next Debt Paid Off

August 9th, 2018 at 09:34 pm

Paid of my iPhone. When I called, they sort of tried to talk me out of it by telling me I would not be eligible for an upgrade if I paid off my loan. The representative actually said, "Are you sure you want to do this?" OMG!!! Crazy.

Anyway, with this payment gone, our debt snowball is now bigger than our next debt, so some will go on the following debt as well. With that in mind, I'm looking for all the extra money I can find to see if we can pay of two debts in August.

Have been doing some Field Agent stuff, and have $24.40 that I will try to cash out, and found some more jewelry for the pawn shop. Would love to find enough money to take out the next *two* debts in August!
Accounts left to pay off

Truck $27k

***Under $1500***
CitiBank CC $1485
Capital One CC $1380
Discover CC $1250
Target CC $1270
PayPal #1 $1120

***Under $1k***
Dell $900
Walmart $780
BN CC $775
Home Depot $670
Amazon $730
Ulta $650
PayPal #2 $660
Old QS CC $320
BuyPower CC $340

***Paid Off***
iPhone 8/'18 $336
Venus CC 7/'18 $325
Lenscrafters CC 7/'18 $250
Lowes CC 7/'18 $230
JCP CC 5'18
QS CC ??/'18
CareCredit CC ??/'18



July 2018 Recap

August 6th, 2018 at 07:58 pm

***Extra money in***
We sold jewelry at the pawn shop, broken gold and silver online, sold my motorcycle, and changed our cell phone plan.


***Debt Progress***
We ended up paying off three small cards (Lowe's, Venus, Lenscrafters), putting us about two months ahead in our debt payoff plan.


***August Extra Money Plans***
-found a few more pieces of jewelry for the pawn shop
-gathering tons of items for a big yard sale with several other family members
-old mechanic interested in my spare car