September 2009 Net Worth

Emergency Fund: $400.65
Checking: $37.76
ING Funds (total): $176.35
Roth IRA: $5,730.07 (out of the $6,300 I've invested so far)
401k: $3,632.28 (from the $3,374.88 invested so far)
Sharebuilder: $35.19 (out of $50 initial investment)
Pending ebay sale: $30.00
____________
Total Positive: $10,042.30

Rent: PAID
Credit card: $58.75
Student Loan I: $8,977.50
Student Loan II: $0
____________
Total Negative: $9,036.25


______________________
Total Net Worth: +$1,006.05

No. Effing. Way.

Are you getting this? For the first time in the history of EVER, I have a positive net worth. All it took was 2 months of self-flagellation... and abstaining from my most damaging hobby.

I've also accrued $150 in ebay sales this month. That, along with the nearly $200 from last month's sales, and I'm practically rolling in it. Not really. I am, however, recouping some my expenditures over the past year, and because I never pay retail, I'm not selling at too much of a loss.

AND I have a $5 Amazon gift card that I got from using SwagBucks, which I can toward my boyfriend's (er, fiance's) birthday present!

Yay!!!!

Itchy trigger finger

My favorite jewelry designer, Temple St. Clair, has written a book. I bought said book, read it, and am now insane (keep reading).



If I could distill my dreams, desires, and principles into a single, wearable object, it would look something like this, but with either (i) a round, faceted, vibrant blue-violet sapphire or tourmaline with bezel-set diamonds in place of the gold granulation, (ii) an east-west set oval cabochon - peridot or citrine, or (iii) a scrumtrulescent sugarloaf emerald (see book for example):




And yes, such beasts do exist.

If ever a time comes where it is appropriate for me to spend money in this fashion, I will forego all other jewelry except for my engagement ring and wear this treasure until it becomes a part of me, and some of me is part of it. (See what I mean?)

Until that time comes, a girl can dream...



and dream...



(btw, all pictures taken from the book and the TSC website - they're not mine, and I so don't have permission to use them.)

Confessional

I've done so well this past month, and it feels great. I'm being tested, however, as today is Klondike Gold Rush day on QVC, and they have new designs in 14k gold on sale. Luckily, most of it looks cheap or doesn't speak to me, but the fact that I keep checking back is not good.

Yesterday I was wrestling with whether or not to buy a refill of my favorite AHAVA hand cream. Winter will start nipping at my knuckles before I know it, so I want to be prepared (seriously, my hands get WRECKED during these New England winters. One day without gloves, and you're red and chapped for a week). BUT I do have an abundance of other, less expensive body lotions that will work almost as well, but somehow fall short. I decided to go in for a tube of my favorite stuff, and while I was there, I picked up some Serious Skin Care olive oil moisturizer. I used to use this stuff in college, and I liked it, so with a 30% off coupon, I decided to try it again. I dropped about $35 on stuff I could probably do without, but will probably use. All in all, I could've done worse.

In other news, a stranger complimented my jewelry today. Stay strong, self!

New Budget

I did some budget tinkering, and this is what I'd like to shoot for:

Housing: $850
Medicine: $200 (cc)
Food: $200 (cc)
Internet: $25 (cc)
Misc: $150 (cc)
Loan: $200
Total Expenses: $1625

Clothing purchases: $40
Doctor/Dentist: $75
Future Fund: $100
Emergency Fund: $400
Checking Cushion: $100
Roth IRA: $200
Total Savings: $915

Total/mo: $2540

cc= Charged to credit card. The point being that I'm trying to keep my credit card bill under $600 a month, if at all possible, and these are the items I charge.

Any amount left in my checking cushion at the end of the month will be divided and saved as I see fit. Same with any ebay sales. Although I imagine that the majority will go into the Future Fund, as I now have a wedding to plan... ... ... because I got engaged this past weekend!!!

August 2009 Net Worth

Emergency Fund: $0.06
Checking: $361.00
ING Funds (total): $1,767.76
Roth IRA: $5,382.46 (out of the $6,200 I've invested so far)
401k: $3,327.65 (approx. $1350 employer match just hit!)
Sharebuilder: $33.85 (out of $50 initial investment)
____________
Total Positive: $10,872.78

Rent: PAID
Credit card: $2,295.94
Student Loan I: $9,197.55
Student Loan II: $0
____________
Total Negative: $11,493.49


______________________
Total Net Worth: -$620.71


Is that right? If it is, this is the closest I've been to a $0 net worth ever. It feels incredible.

Things that have contributed to the positive: Employer 401k match!; ebay sales (almost $200 worth); returns... and most importantly, only 1 QVC purchase in the past 3 weeks or so (!).

Things that have contributed to the negative: Last month's QVC purchases; overpriced dental appointment, expensive medications; airplane ticket.

I have a note in my planner for today, "START FROM SCRATCH". I'm at a turning point right now. After I pay my credit card bill for the month, I'll have only about $100 (liquid) to my name. From there, I have the option of falling into consumer debt, or doing what I set out to do and fighting tooth and nail to overcome this. There are no other options.

Credit Score

At the suggestion of another blogger (sorry, I forget which one), I signed up with CreditKarma, which is a free service that estimates your credit score. I check my credit report about quarterly, but I've never paid to see my actual score. Anyway, the results were apalling, or at least, mildly uncomfortable.

Don't get me wrong, my payment history is completely flawless. Among the negatives was the fact that I utilize too large a percentage of my available credit. 35% is too much? Fine, I'm working on that as I type. I've also applied for a new credit card (since I only have the one) to increase my total available credit and in case of emergencies. Check. Second, my credit history, though perfect, is relatively short. On average, a few years. Ok, that's another thing I am working on, but I can't age any faster. I think there were a few more issues, but those were the main things.

I'm bitter, basically. Three years of perfectly on-time, in-full (EARLY) payments on my credit cards and student loans, and my score is only "fair"? Not fair!

Spending update

Ok, we are half-way through the new credit card cycle, and so far so...fine.

I've made a couple purchases, including a closet organizer for about $40 (which I desperately needed), a plane ticket for $200, some groceries and miscellaneous items, a piece of jewelry from ebay for $18 (I had to use up the rest of my ebay bucks), and...here's the "fine" part....a ring from QVC for $99. And I was doing so well.

Under the guidance of To Shop or Not to Shop and Your Money or Your Life, I spent weeks (WEEKS!) convincing myself that all extraneous purchases were bad and would only lead to more extraneous purchases. This, sadly, is completely true. Even the process of cleaning out my jewelry box and closet of things I don't absolutely love led to less want. However, I made this purchase under a loophole. I had been pining for this ring for months, and while it has not been reduced in price at all, it is now available again in my size. It was grandfathered in, basically.

Now, the question is, will this be my undoing? Will this ring tip the balance I had so tediously maintained for the past 2 weeks? This is difficult for me, because an all-out moratorium on all "fun" spending doesn't seem sustainable, but is this ring WORTH it for me to break my streak? Until now, the answer had always been "no", but now, no matter how many times I reconsider this purchase, I just can't say no.

I should say that, despite this purchase, I'm still doing much, MUCH better than I've done in a long time, and that's cause for a little pat on the back.