Net Worth, Money & Life News: August 2015
September 2, 2015
Total change from Jan 2015: 15% increase (2% decrease from last month)
On Money
I use Swagbucks to earn money for the household. My referral link if you like!
My brokerage is giving a $100 referral bonus right now, it’s usually $50. Let me know if you’d like a referral!
***
As predicted, our summer fun was costly and our credit card bill came home to roost. Ā I’m a little annoyed that we’ll have to pull out of savings but it’s a residual kind of annoyance, the kind that comes with knowing you were going to have to do a distasteful thing, then actually doing it.
***
Credit cards: I need about 40k more airline miles and I’ll be able to book domestic flights for the three of us for a nominal fee next spring. I was only going to book two adult tickets and have LB fly as a lap infant but it’s looking a lot like ze won’t be able to sit still for a 5-hour flight.
It’s a balance of taking the time to earn the miles and potentially not booking the ticket in time to get the award seats. Actually, thinking on it, we are both United cardholders so we should be able to book at least Standard awards as long as there are seats on the flights but I want the Super Saver award flights.
We’ve been kicking around several possible destinations for next year, we just have to narrow it down to the most likely.
***
The stock market took a major hit and somehow I didn’t hear about it until 3/4 of the way through the bloodbath. Turns out our retirement accounts were hit harder than our stock portfolio, I guess I picked some pretty steady companies. Unlike most, I wasn’t looking to unload anything, instead I looked for some deals. Not much to be had, though, which was just as well since I’d been dragging my heels about transferring a matured CD over to the brokerage, so my cash wasn’t ready on hand. That ought to teach me a lesson.
This isn’t a recommendation for timing the market, btw, I’m just opportunistic. I’m not ready to commit large sums of cash to this portfolio since we’re working on maxing out our tax advantaged accounts first so I just make sure to buy something I’ve been wanting, once a year, when it’s at an acceptable price.
On Life
I was about to say that there’s nothing too exciting happening right now but that’s only 98% accurate.
***
We’ve had some great visits with family and friends. We’ll have a couple more.
***
Great pain has morphed into great fatigue. So that’s something.
***
I’m really tired of the Monterey Bay Aquarium persisting in writing to me as Mrs. His Last. They send mailers several times a year and it annoys me every time I see it.
I occasionally get mail address to Mrs. MyFirst MyLast, which amuses me greatly. I would not be so amused if it was Mrs. HisFirst HisLast… A neighbor got such a letter, a wedding invitation addressed to Mrs. and Mrs. HisFirst HisLast and I about wanted to barf. I just… I can understand (sort of) the desire to be Mrs. HisLast, but not to lose your own first name too!
That kind of amuses me too, because I don’t think I’m a ‘Mrs’ if I kept my name. Am I? I go by Ms for preference because Mrs just weirds me out when put in front of my regular name. And the Mrs HisFirst HisLast is STILL being used regularly! Stupid etiquette books, I bet. I would probably send it back with a huge scowl.
I’ve said that if I get a wedding invitation addressed to Mrs. HisFirst HisLast, I would simply ignore it as they didn’t invite me! š
And nope, you aren’t a Mrs. if you kept your name. You’re a Ms. š
You are not a “Mrs.” Are the mailers just getting sent to you or is it one of those “Mr. & Mrs. X” things? If the former, then there’s the added fun fact that the aquarium is specifically targeting the as-yet-only-assumed wives of the men who’ve signed up previously for mailers.
It’s to Mr & Mrs His Name. We’re members. I should email them and tell them to knock it off.
I never changed when I got married, either, but I didn’t seem to have any issues with getting mail sent to me incorrectly. How frustrating!
I just peeked at my 401(k) and annuity holdings a few minutes ago and am glad to see they are showing as gaining a bit of value yesterday. I did throw more money into the annuity, though, since I had been holding off for just such an opportunity. My only stock market holdings are in the retirement accounts.
Changed my name, I mean! Ugh! I need to proof read before I hit post comment!
It’s ok, I understood what you meant š That’s interesting – I wonder why I seem to be Mrs His Last way more frequently than expected.
I get mail to Mrs. Me HisLast a lot more than I’d like, too. The sad thing is that we BOTH took both last names as our surname, so he is Him MyLast HisLast and I am Me MyLast HisLast. I have never been Me HisLast, so it frustrates me that we both get mail with our last name only HisLast.
It probably bothers me more than it should, but I think names are important. I hate doing business with a company that can’t get my name right. Particularly if you want my money, you should be able to get my name right!
Beyond my own frustrations ;), I wonder why we can’t get rid of everything except Ms. Men only have Mr. these days, so do we really need to persist with the Mrs. and Miss stuff? Who really cares what my marital status is? It doesn’t change the way you should react to me.