December 10, 2006
Wanda posted a link to this nifty calculator that just panders to my love of online calculators that crunch my retirement goals and the likelihood of reaching them.
Answering the questions based on the real amount of money I’m taking home as opposed to base salary, I find that I’m not on track AT ALL:
Age: 24
Savings thus far: $5000
Contributions/month: $400
Investing Style: Aggressive Growth Goal: 2,943,000
On Track for – Poor Performance: 745.00
On Track for – Average Performance: 1,737,000
Boy, and I was all proud that I had racked up 4k in my 403(b) in that last nine months!
My insistence on funding the e-fund more has a lot to do with that, maybe I need to reduce the amount I expect to save in my cash savings monthly now that I’m so close to my goal and increase the retirement funding. Or I should reach my goal first? Hmmm ….. It looks like I have to double my contributions to make a significant change, otherwise the most I could expect from even average market performance is possibly making my goal. I suppose there’s only so much I can save every month, now it’s just a matter of making adjustments like putting more into a Roth, the 403(b) and less into cash savings.
December 5, 2006
My friend’s wife’s the kind of person who HAS to finish what she commits to and just started a major project in her current job that will keep her busy until March. A few months ago, she was recruited by another department in her university for an executive position, and didn’t even feel very comfortable accepting the interview appointments because of the timing, but felt she should at least give it a chance. Obviously her boss doesn’t want to lose someone like her, but decided after a lot of thought that she couldn’t hold her employee back from such a huge promotion and raise and has encouraged her to do what’s best.
So the new department head wants her. He wants her enough to push back the start date until January if she’ll accept the offer which includes a 22% raise. They don’t NEED the money and she loves her job. She’s also concerned that she’ll be less busy. [Yes, my friend thinks she’s weird for worrying about making more money for less work. I think it’s the best of both worlds, more money and more time to do stuff?? Dude.] Because she still won’t be through with that project until March, she feels like she just can’t accept the offer.
What would you do?
December 3, 2006
Amazon has a sale going on right now ranging from 25% to 70% off television show DVDs. This makes something like Fawlty Towers much more affordable at 29.97, instead of 59.98!
And, you can cash in on this deal as well:
Buy a DVD, get a free TV show download ($1.99 instant rebate)
What does this DVD + download deal mean for you? It means that you can buy DVDs of shows including Prison Break, CSI, Numb3rs and CSI: Miami. And, you can download current episodes just after they’re broadcast — and before they come out on DVD!
Remember, if you’re going Christmas shopping, make your lists FIRST, THEN shop lest you be lured in by the Siren song of deals deals deals! And if you’re ordering from a website such as the lovely Amazon.com, be sure to order early enough so that you can take advantage of the slower Super Saver Free Shipping, and not have to pay extra shipping charges. Those can absolutely kill any deal you might get!
December 1, 2006
In response to my letter regarding several problems I had at a recent Sheraton, I was offered a refund of the incidentals (about $200) or 10,000 Starpoints which is said to be the equivalent of a single night’s stay. I’ve never actually redeemed Starpoints before, so I don’t know how easy it is. Does anyone know if it’s better to take the cash or the points?
November 30, 2006
He got 2 tickets to the Bocelli concert for $320!!! Only 20 bucks over budget!!
AND he’ll be home for the weekend, so we can give them to my parents together! YESSS!!!
November 26, 2006
I have a bloggery, budgetary dilemma.
It all started when I resolved not to buy Christmas presents this year because I hadn’t any good ideas and I refuse to buy obligatory, unimaginative/thoughtless gifts. Funds aren’t any too abundant, either, so it made sense.
But then I overheard my parents raving about Andrea Bocelli and that mixed it up with my guilt over not being the best daughter around, so I decided just to check if he’s touring. Yes, I’m trying to buy their love. Wait, no, I already have their love. I’m trying to buy their approval. Ah heck with it, I’m just trying to buy myself an indulgence or seven. Let’s be honest, a couple of concert tickets should get me off easy for anything I screw up for a few months, right? Er, I mean, wouldn’t that be an awesome *early* Christmas gift? =) Uh, anyway, he just happens to be booked at the Honda Center in a couple weeks, and the tickets have been on sale for about two months now.
I’ve never bought concert tickets before. And, since I rarely go out, other than visiting BoyDucky, my monthly recreation budget hovers around … <$100. It's really kind of a sick cycle: I don't go out so I don't budget for it, so I don't go out. But mostly, all that means is that I have NO IDEA what normal concert tickets might cost. When I saw that the lowest prices started at $75, and even a first time ticket-buyer like me knows that the cheapest tickets are probably gone now, I realized that I'd have to resort to finding discount or alternative ticket sellers. Little did I know what a strange anti-budget world I'd be stepping into.
I unsuccessfully googled for a little bit, then realized – duh! eBay! So I checked eBay and oh. my. LORD. They have tickets selling for over a thousand dollars!! And for the low-end buyers like me, they have listings starting at $450 and up. $300 per pair actually started looking reasonable.
That got me thinking: I know that eBay basically reflects what I suppose “average” consumers are willing to pay. But, eBay’s listings have a way of really making prices, that I’d normally never consider rational, look like a pretty good deal. And I wonder what that does to a budget? I mean, the temptation to just BUY something without seeing the price in the bigger picture, for me, was overwhelming. Suddenly I forgot that $200 or $300 is actually a LOT of money. I mean, it’s no $750, right?
My problem is that I have no qualms setting a limit for myself. Miniducky, I say, you may spend X amount on yourself this month. No more than that. But when looking at an unbudgeted gift, especially a gift I’ve never shopped for before, how exactly should I set a limit for what’s reasonable and what’s not?
Case in point: is Signor Bocelli worth $150/pair? $200? $300? It’s a Christmas gift, and not one I’m likely to have the opportunity to give again. There’s no doubt that I will get them tickets, but which ones? Do I target the REALLY nice seats? After all, this is a one time shot. And, as TBH has said before, why work so hard to save if I can’t splurge for my loved ones?
Conversely, isn’t that kind of the same argument I could pose for every instance of gift buying? And doesn’t that add up REALLY fast?
I’ll post my solution when I hear your thoughts. Um, and after I HAVE a solution.
