Debt Reduction Calculator

I found this nifty (and FREE!) little doo-hicky online the other day and thought I'd pass it along:

http://www.vertex42.com/Calculators/debt-reduction-calculator.html

Actual Screenshot:

It's a debt reduction calculator (spreadsheet available in Excel and Open Office friendly formats) based on the "Debt-Snowball" strategy. So I'm a bit new to the strategy, but basically it involves calculating how much of your income you can put toward bills a month, paying minimums on all revolving debt EXCEPT for the lowest amount, which you devote the "snowball" or minimum plus excess budgeted debt repayment amount every month until it's gone. Then you move to the next lowest debt, and so on.

(I know, I just made that sound hella complex. For a more thorough definition, try here.)

Apparently, lots of financial planners recommend this strategy for a couple of reasons**:

1. Paying off debt a lot more quickly and/or paying less interest overall* depending on how you structure the snowball effect.

2. Psychologically, this strategy is more rewarding than others. Because the payment effort is concentrated on paying off one bill at a time (aside from meeting the other minimums), it's possible to see results sooner (i.e. fewer bills overall). Since success encourages repetition - a sort of Pavlovian response I suppose: the reduction in number of bills becomes the strategies own reinforcing reward.

In any case, I've been informally doing this kind of debt payoff for the last year. Although, I confess it hasn't been really well organized. I tended to throw my snowball at whatever bill just FELT most pressing that paycheck. As a result, my efforts haven't been as efficient as they could have been, although I have substantially reduced my overall debt this year by about 40%. After putting the spreadsheet through it's paces (somebody smarter than me is going to have to check the math on this one) I'm really pleased to have a single place to store, track and set some goal payoff dates, as it gives me some focus.

Also, the spreadsheet gives LOTS of options for how to set up the snowball strategy: highest interest, lowest interest, greatest balance, lowest balance, etc. and a cool dropdown that calculates how much interest and how long it would take to elimiate the debt using each stratgey. I peeped out a few other spreadsheets and this one just worked best for me.

Anyone else using a similar spreadsheet? What do you recommend? Built your own?

What's been your experience with the Debt Snowball Strategy? Success stories? Caveats?









*Infact, if you have good financial discipline (which I am developing), an alternate strategy is to structure the snowball payoff by highest interest rate - thereby reducing



**(Disclaimer: Please be aware I am neither a psychologist or a financial adviser, so anything I say here is purely my own speculation based on research and trial and error. Don't fuck up your finances and blame it on me. Consider yourself warned.)

Savings Setback or Success...you decide:

The beast started clunking during braking a couple of weeks ago. The queen of ignoring potentially expensive car repairs - aka, moi - thought better of her usual tack because this time it involves BRAKES and one NEEDS THOSE TO WORK and took it to her favorite Car Guys in Ballard.

Good news: the thumping was actually just a loose bolt in the Control Arm.
Cost to fix: $0

Bad News: the bolt was probably rattled loose by the warped rotors. Oh and by the way, when was the last time you had a complete brake job?
Cost of complete brake job: $600.00

I could have bought a bicycle for that. A NICE bicycle. Unfortunately then I'd still have a car with bad brakes. Instead, I tapped into the "Uh-oh Fund" which is now depleted but has officially served its purpose. I didn't have to tap into my travel fund or engage any credit.

Now I have even less of an "uh-oh" cushion so the heat will be on to pinch pennies and do my best to avoid any further uh-ohs. In any case, there is no point in worrying - In theory, it doesn't really matter I guess as long as I'm doing the saving. And I am, and it's WORKING!

My verdict: I'm considering it a success because I had an unexpected expense covered without engaging ANY credit - or having to put myself on a Pho diet for the next month.

What cha think?

5 Things...

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Deciding on a college.
2. Driving the "coolest car ever" (at least at the time) : A 1985 Ford Thunderbird, with the Turbo Charger.
3. Dating my first boyfriend EVER.
4. Exercising hunter/jumpers and dreaming of the day I'd ride on the US Equestrian Team.
5. Picking out my dress for senior ball.
   

5 things on my to do list today:

1. Go to yoga
2. Finish my laundry
3. Pay that annoying traffic ticket
4. Watch the rest of the Weeds Season 2, Disc 3 so it can return to the 'Flix, enabling a new disc will magically appear!
   
5. Clean the bathroom
   

5 snacks I love:

1. I'm with you Mitch, Peanut Butter rocks my world.
   
2. Reese Peanut Butter Cups (Mitch, that's a two for two. Were we separated at birth?)
   
3. Chicharrones. Nasty, I know, but sooo good.
4. Apple slices. (Really, they're like crack to me)
5. Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Truffle
   

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. Buy my mom a house
2. Pay for my dad's medical bills
3. Travel around the world for a year
4. Take cello lessons every day
5. Quit "working for a living"
   

5 places I’ve lived:

1. Virginia
2. Portland, OR
   
3. Florida
4. Idaho
5. California
   

5 jobs I’ve had:

1. Shit shoveler (work in barns, shovel some shit)
2. Summer Camp Counselor
3. Riding Instructor
4. Newspaper delivery
5. Telemarketer (for about 10 minutes)
   

5 people I tag:

1. All that you can't leave behind
2. English Major's Money
3. Kill the Goat

And two random people who visit this blog and don't ever make a peep! You know who you are!

Electric Mini Pilot Program Announced

Be still my beating heart, for true love hath arrived:

Pilot Project with 500 All-Electric Minis in Three US States :

2008-10-20 - BMW plans to test a fleet oft some 500 all-electric Mini models
that will be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of
a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey. The
Mini E will give its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19
and 20, 2008. It will be powered by a 150 kW electric motor fed by a
high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the
front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox. More...

For you, dear sweet my love, I have but one tender question:

When can I get one? When can I get one?When can I get one? When can I get one?When can I get one? When can I get one?When can I get one? When can I get one?When can I get one? When can I get one?When can I get one? When can I get one?When can I get one? When can I get one?

"Joe the Plumber" is a real guy...

And Jon Stewart - as per usual - makes the funny out of it:






(Strange Bird: I think we're still right on about there being something wrong with a guy like this getting picked as the American 'norm'), IMHO)

Will the real Joe Six Pack please stand up?

No doubt you've been hearing all about the quintessential American "Joe Six-Pack."

Frankly, I'm wondering just who the hell is this guy and why the hell is he suddenly the prime character in this election. While watching the last debate tonight, with both candidates addressing "Joe," it took me a minute to realize exactly whom they were referring to.

Furthermore, the average - everyday "Joe Six Pack" is the same dude candidates have been pandering to for the last, oh say 200 years. The single issue, god-fearin' hard working male that has been making the decision for EVERYBODY else for HUWAY too long.

And, what the heck do REAL hard working American men think about being reduced to the guy in the photo above?



Cause frankly I'm exhausted by the labels and oversimplifications.

What a long strange trip it has been...

About a month ago, someone very close to me died.

I'm not going to euphemism it or get maudlin: He died and his dying changed my life. For the last seven years he was a confidant and partner in crime. And now he's gone. He's not someone you would know about because I never posted about him here: Although he liked reading my zany two cents on everything wasn't a wasn't a big fan of being part of it, and out of respect I never mentioned him.

I think he would forgive me today, because all of this is just by way of explaining - why I've been gone and where I've been. For the last month or so I've just been - getting by. He wouldn't have been pleased. He would have wanted the road trips and beach adventures, and park days to go on. I know all this, but without him, just wasn't doable.

The last time we spoke, there were three promised I made to my friend:

1. Quit being so hard on myself.
2. Travel, Travel, Travel - see EVERYTHING... and
3. Keep writing. Finish the book, write about the travels, keep blogging, whatever...just don't stop telling stories.

So here I am, keeping my promise.

Last weekend I hiked Mt. Si for the first time. It was the hike we always meant to do together when I moved to Seattle but never seemed to be meet up up early enough to avoid the "uphill version of Greenlake" sensation lots of people attribute to the popular trail.

The trail was 4 miles one way, almost entirely uphill. I couldn't help laughing to myself as I rounded the corner of yet another steep switchback headed what felt vertical. THIS is the real reason we never "did the Si." Too damn steep. But when I got to the base of Haystack (aka the novice hiker's summit) the view was breathtaking. From the Olympics, to Rainer and the faintest hint of what may have been Mt. Adams I had that top of the world feeling that reminded me our best moments in being together.

Adios, mi amigo - via con "huevos."*






* Correct phrase is actually "via con dios" - go with god. The "huevos" is a long story that became a bit of an inside joke. Please expect to be looked at like a retard if you actually use the expression "via con huevos" with any spanish speaking individual.

That is all.

Goodbye, car loan!

It gripes me to no end sometimes that I actually had to take out a loan on the car when I bought it - I decided I'd rather have the cash than just buy the car outright. Mistake #1. What I wasn't factoring in was the cost of all the extra insurance (comprehensive) added to the interest which cost me more in the long run than just doing without that cash on hand in the short term.

Duh.

The sweetest part was realizing once I did the math last night that after downsizing my insurance coverage and paying off the car - even with the price of gas in my guzzler - it's still cheaper for me to keep the rig at the moment than to make a down payment on a gas sipper and start the whole cycle again.

Plus I'm still seriously considering selling the beast before I leave for traveling and transitioning to a car-less existence on my return, which would be ultimately better for my budget and the environment than even a Geo Teetotaler (or whatever they're calling the Metro these days)

I live in a big enough city, with reasonable enough public transportation that getting where I need to go shouldn't be a huge issue without my own set of four wheels. Better then that when I come back I'm planning on actually moving INTO the city, rather than staying out in the 'Burbs.

The California girl giving up her car still sounds a bit sacrilegious to me, but times they are a changing and I'm learning to appreciate the new opportunities change brings. Still hanging onto my keys though, at least for the near future.

This I believe...Mentors, trailblazers and inspiration...

That when you're setting out on a new path, it's a good idea to look ahead of you to see if there's anyone on a similar road from which you might draw inspiration, guidance or wisdom from. (Even the "how not to do it" examples are worth watching out for)

So here's a little shoutout of thanks to Wanderlusting, Escape from New York, and Strange Bird who defintely fall into the former category. For being on your own paths in life and leading the way in various respects for others via your blogged adventures. You are totally inspirational!

The Travel Fund, step 3, item 12, numeral IIV, continuation of part 6B...

aka. The Debt Paydown

As of today I have officially paid off one of the major debts that's been hounding me for over two years. When I called today to verify I was at a zero balance the customer service rep actually said "Congratulations."

I have to say I'm getting addicted to this feeling: every time I've successfully zeroed out a debt in the last six mouths (three and counting!) it's like having a rock removed from the invisible backpack between my shoulder blades. I have to stop myself from literally doing a freedom dance around the office. There is something so liberating about realizing I owe one less company any bit of my hard earned money.

Better yet, each payoff has had this snowball "prosperity effect" on the rest of my perceptions of my financial life. As my bottom line improves I find myself feeling less behind, less embroiled in struggle to stay afloat. Rather, my savings has increased, and I no longer feel so paycheck bound. Plus, having a savings goal, its much easier to look at something in the store and fight that initial "I want it" reaction. I can look at a pair of shoes and see two full days of travel expenses and the decision is made for me. I just feel better about my money. Even with the gas prices going up and the economy in the shitthole, I've managed to keep my expenses growth to a minimum and stay entirely on target financially. I'm not counting pennies so much anymore, but I have a way more cogent picture of where my money is going and an easier time keeping it headed the right directions.

Having a budget, goals and sticking to them has had the exact opposite affect of what I feared for so long. Instead of making me feel hemmed in and like I was punishing myself, I actually feel more liberated: Less like I've got rules to follow and more like I'm on track. I actually feel really independent and much more confident about my ability to take care of myself. Even with all these "rules" I still have way more freedom than I ever had when I was making it up as I went along and dreaming about "someday."

Ferking Suze Orman was right.

The nitty gritty: I'm 3/4 of the way to having met my "Uh-oh Fund" goals (I had to dip into it for a minor "uh-oh" last month, but I just took a breath, withdrew the money and reminded myself that's what it's there for). I'm also about a 1/5th into the Travel Fund, which is about where I expected at this point. It seems a bit low, but that's not counting interest. Additionally, the next six months are going to be bigger because having less debt to pay off means having more income to tuck away into savings with every check.

Ever have those moments where you feel like a grownup, and suddenly that's not such an awful thing?

When? What brought it on? How did it make you feel?

(And does anyone know where I can get one of those clever little bar graph/pie charts widgets so I can track all this progress on my sidebar?)

He called her a WHAT?!

Okay I have been trying to keep my blog out of the political fray, but this was just too funny to pass up. Especially the reporter's slip up during his "stand-up" live brodcast.

Warning..."Coarse" Language is involved.



And frankly, even if it is bullsh*t, I don't feel bad in the slightest for passing it along...

Should I stay or should I go now...

I looked at an apartment this weekend. A Belltown studio not far from EVERYTHING that is the best of downtown Seattle.

Truth is I've been surfing Craigslist in my spare time for the last few weeks, ostensibly as a way to kill time while waiting for the go-ahead on a project. See I like my living arrangement, and my roommate, but two things have come become abundantly clear:

1. The commute is killing me. Spending 45 minutes to an 1 hour and 15 minutes in traffic each way blows.
2. More importantly, I like my house plenty, but it started out temporary and has never quite fit. I miss having a space that feels like I belong in it. It's not about the length of time I'll be there, just the FEELING of being in it. The feeling of it being RIGHT.
   

Since I'm not in a hurry or wanting to get into a year long lease I've been cruising the sublets and lease takeovers. There's a certain luxury to this particular kind of hunt. For the first time I'm not desperately in need of housing: I have a roof over my head, I'm just trying to figure out if its the best place for me right now and if there might be something that fits me better out there.

The studio was cute (aka small but charming) in an old building with lots of windows and a fantastic view of the SPACE NEEDLE from the rooftop garden. The Monorail would be crusing by, but because the unit was in the back of the building, the sound was negligible. Not far from Westlake, a movie theater, a grocery store and my favorite donut shop ever, Top Pot. Its a block walk to the bus that runs direct to my job - shortening my commute to a perfectly acceptable 25minutes.

In the end I didn't take it. For a myriad of smaller reasons, and few I could actually verbalize. It just wasn't a good fit. I could have done without parking, and would have been fine with the creepy basement laundry room - but at the end of the tour I just didn't feel it. Something else is out there for me, and if it's meant to be, I'll know it. The luxury of my situation is not having to take the first thing that comes along.

It's kinda like how I feel about being single at the moment.

Case in point, SpiderMan turned out to be awesome. There was the constant humorous banter, the good manners, the charming adventure stories, the follow up questions ("so tell me more about how you got into that job?") and the charming old school gentleman behavior. Aside from the fact that SpiderMan is newly separated from his Mary Jane, he is pretty damn near everything I asked for. Including even the fact that he was perfectly honest and upfront with his situation BEFORE we took a trip down Intimacy Lane.

There was a time when I would have taken him no questions asked, substantial baggage and uncertain matrimonial status as he is. I would have fallen straight into love without a backward glance. Who knows, maybe it would have been fine. More than likely though it would have been a disaster. The divorce isn't even final - if it's even on the table. And since she was the one to pull the plug, he's going to be the one doing the "getting over it." I can see it in his eyes that he still has a lot invested in Them, and probably will for a while. Plus, nice as he is, I'm no man's rebound.

Instead I thanked him from the bottom of my heart for his honesty and wished that the best of all possible outcomes would be his regarding the matrimonial situation but declined the opportunity to continue to see him on a romantic basis. It actually worked. We've been hanging out - as friends - catching the odd after work smoothie or stroll downtown between buses - with no awkward chemistry involved.

But there's something else for me out there, both in a living space and a partner. I'm not foolish enough to think either one will be "perfect," but it will be the right for me. I don't have to be in a hurry, and it's okay to walk away from that apartment, or the dinner table with a moment of wondering "what if." That moment faded quickly because I followed my gut, and that means I made the right decision.

The quickest way to get over someone...is to get under somebody else.

Okay so I don't really subscribe to that one, but it did get your attention, didn't it?

So tonight I have a date. Which could definitely be considered getting back on that particular horse rather quickly - but this funny thing happens sometimes when you tell the universe what you think you need (in this case, some "Time Off") and it gives you what it thinks you need (ie. an abundance, very good looking men in a short amount of time who seem particularly interesting and particularly interested in, you.)

I'm of two minds about all this. One I really do need the me time, and the last four weeks have been nothing but that. Hanging out with friends, going home alone, playing the "what do I want to do today game," cleaning house, packaging up momentos, reconnecting with old friends. And to be honest, am I over HF? Who knows. I still get the occasional dull ache of missing that dude, and the tinge of regret for how things just didn't work out.

As Madeline Peyroux sings:

Once in a while I'll wake up
Wondering why we gave up
But once and a while
Comes and fades away*

The good news: I haven't called written or spoken to him in four weeks, not even under the influence of hooch. Which has historically been a problem and lead to some tearful, tentative and eventually disasterous ex-sex. I have also not, crusied by his house, visited "our spots" hoping to see him, called his friends (or hassled "our friends" for details) and have had only one big bitching session with girls about "what went wrong." Major accomplishment.

Still, I'm thinking time off is a good idea. Take some yoga classes, get back into dancing, drag the girls out to happy hour on a regular basis, interact with my male friends on a strictly friends basis. Sure I'm a little horny but that's not something that can't get fixed with a bit of "mouse clicking" (if ya know what I mean) But I put my face to the universe when I wake up in the morning and I say "thank you for one more day to figure this shit without worring about somebody else for a change."

Of course, there's a song for what happens next:

Maybe I got a lot to learn
Time can slip away
Sometimes you got to lose it all
Before you find your way
Take a chance, play your part
Make romance, it might break your heart.
But if you think that time will change your ways
Don't wait too long

Then I look up one day at work and notice the Audi (classy, well engineered and very German) strike up a totally random conversation and wind up having WAY too much in common although he's very much my senior and doesn't look a year of it. Platonics are the rule for work relationships, but you ever get that feeling that if that particular situation were different, a lot of other things would be differnt too. Yeah.

And then comes along Spiderman, the New Zealand transplant. Who is cute in that sort of sandy blond labrador retriever sort of way, athletic, oddly single, adventurous and who I could talk with for HOURS - and have. (More on this one in a minute)

And then yesterday, taking LegalGrrl's puppy to the park for some frisbee I met the most charming and (probably a few years younger) social programmer - Astro. His dog and LegalGrrl's hound took a liking to each other and did the rolling wrestling thing while we talked. He did the most attentive listening I've ever expereinced: when distracted by the dogs or other people he would return immediatly and reference the last few words out of my mouth beginning with the phrase "tell me about..."
Very, very sexy.

Confession time. I have never really "dated" I have spent much of my life getting into relationships with my friends, (always ending in disaster when it ends) or being a solo act. So when Spidey called last week wondering if I would like to go have a drink after work it took me a minute to realize he was asking me "out." This morning I checked messages and Astro is wondering when we could meet a the park with the dogs and maybe get some coffee.

WTF?! So I said yes.

To both.

Fact of the matter is, all of the above could come out to nothing much at all. TAKE IT SLOW has become my theme song when the phone rings and it's a boy. But seeing multiple people at the same time - is kind of a new thing for me. And in fact, I am kinda holding out a bit of hope that maybe the Audi and I's platonicism might evolve into something else entirely, but I am more happy to have a friendly face at work than another boy on the plate.

In the meantime, I am still in Time Off mode. I cleaned my apartment top to bottom last night as Seattle cooled off, turned the phone off and then sorted mail and watched America's Next Dance Crew while dining on steamed Asparagus, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella balls - coffee table for one, please. I slept like a baby.








* so the other part of this song goes something like:

I don't know what love is
I'm selfish and lazy
And when I get scared
I can act like I'm crazy.

..which may also apply, but that's another post.

And now, for a musical interlude...

Do you remember this song? For about two weeks I rocked this like it was going out of style.



The year was 1997. I was in high school.

The strangest part of getting older is how everything suddenly feels like "just yesterday" when in reality it was over a decade ago. And what on EARTH was I listening to back in the day?

Has it really been almost a month?

Okay, I know. I am breaking my New Year's blog-update resolution: breaking it with a ten ton hammer. Let me summarize in a quick update:

1. I still haven't won the lottery, yet. In fact, even if I had, and i was sailing around the world right now, I still should be updating this blog on a regular basis.
2. Still going to work. See #1
3. Happy Birthday Rosie! One year closer to no longer being a 20-something blogger.
4. After the initial, elation/euphoria over my new found singleness, I descended into a bit of a funk. Okay "bit" is mildy. The weather in Seattle didn't do much to help, either.

To be fair part of it is missing HF. The majority is feeling like ONCE AGAIN I have turned a relationship into a trainwreck. Wasn't that the reason this damned blog got started in the first place. Embarrassed and more than a little frustrated the last place I could show my face was HERE. With another man related sob story. AND SINGLE, with not a prospect in sight.

For petessakes, its felt like the end of the damned world for a while there. I wallowed. I felt sorry for myself. I bemoaned men, and my inability to pick the right one and BE WITH THEM. Which brings me to finally dragging my ass back out into the world. *

I think I finally remembered I was going to be okay when I was at a friend's house the other night. I was talking to one of those acquaintances that you only see once in a blue moon at the house of a mutual friend and in the midst of "catch up" conversation I mentioned that I "just finished dating a man from XXX." I paused, flummoxed by my choice of words. My companion laughed, "that is the most powerful way I've ever heard someone refer to a relationship being over."

So here I am, on one of the first real summer weekends Seattle has seen. Determined not to spend more time than necessary moping in the house I did my hair, hopped on the 125 and headed downtown to Elliot Bay Bookstore to burn up my birthday gift certificate. The M's game was just letting out, and judging by the fans we might not have won, but it was a fantastic afternoon to be at the ballpark, none the less.

I passed over the self help section (my new latest obsession) and went write to travel essays where I bought The Kindness of Strangers and Go Your Own Way. It wasn't easy - I lingered over Long Way Round (Ewan MacGregor motos around the world? Heaven!) and Go Girl! (travel tales from black women) but decisions have to be made. Time to get back on track.

I'm back.







*I am leaving out a LOT here. Suffice it to say there was no crying in the cookie aisle this go around, but I did learn something helpful from O Magazine about letting go of regret.

The last of the road trips....

I think I just took my last road trip this weekend.

Unfortunately I'm one of those people who really does like to drive - not the daily commute, of course. I love road trips, packing up the car with food and stuff and people (dogs are people too) picking a direction, plotting a course, loading up on music and hitting the road. The longer the better. It's one part therapy, one part recreation, one part cheap travel. Last Friday after a crappy week at work and breaking up with Handsome Fellah* I decided a road trip was in order. I packed up the car, grabbed some grub, hunted on Craigslist for a relatively sane rideshare companion and headed to PDX for some TLC from BBGB.

It was a great trip, the sun, wind, open windows, political discourse, music. And then came time for the fillup.

$65 dollars


Watching the numbers at the pump roll north I counted off meals, shoes, movies, books, all the things $65 bucks could have gone toward. All for a 6 hours and two days of driving and i would still have to put gas in the car for the return trip!

It occured to me that it's cheaper for me to get a therapist than hop in the car when the world's troubles are on my shoulders. Granted, hanging out with BBGB is like family - but I could have easily taken the train or a bus down for a helluva lot cheaper. Then it occurred to me how environmentally irresponsible my little hobby was - sure I've gotten better about doing Craigslist rideshares whenever i get a wild hair to hit the road to PDX, but its not always been like that. Time for a major lifestyle overhaul.

So, with a heavy heart I pulled up to the house Sunday night I said goodbye to my road-trippin days. My one regret is that I never drove cross country when it was remotely affordable because I've always wanted to see the country from behind the wheel. Still, I've had lots of awesome adventures, and great tales.

When I woke up this morning it occurred to me if I sold my car I could save about $300-$400 a month in insurance, car payments and gas. Sure I'd be taking the bus and Zip Cars more, but that's still a drop in the bucket comparatively. Holee crap, one step closer to my travel goals!

What shoes...you might ask?

These shoes: Frye's Belted Harness Boots

So I know these wouldn't USUALLY fit the definition of "spring shoes" but i have wanted a pair since before forever.

I bet they would look cute with a skirt, too.

Still on track...

I was seriously worried that the shenanigans with my car was going to put a dent in my savings/travel plan.

However, the opposite is true. I was able to cover my deductible and the excess rental car fees with my thus far measly albeit sufficient UhOh Fund without touching a piece of plastic. Okay not counting the check card the cash came out of. So my UhOh Fund has taken a hit, but hey, that's what it's for.

So although in some respects I'm almost back to square one with the Uh-Oh Fund, I learned two important things:
1. Up the overall Uh-Oh savings goal to $1500. Uh-Oh's can be more expensive than you'd think in lots of little ways.
2. Tapping the Uh-Oh fund is Hu-way better than calling the parents when you hit a rough spot. It's pretty empowering to know that whatever 'it' is, I can handle it without Mummy, Daddums, or the cards.

I'm keeping up my 10% plan, and the Travel Fund is steadily increasing. No, I am nowhere near $1k a month.

Yet.

Now I'm trying to decide how to handle this stimulus check business iffnwhen it arrives. I'll probably reward myself with at least one pair of spring shoes (I have been a GOOD GIRL) but the big decision is whether to put the rest in savings, or to throw it at some old debt. Have to run the numbers on that one - interest rates and all.

(and no, Prez Shrub, that does not mean blowing it all at Nordstroms, either. That measly check isn't gonna get me far there anyway. But thank you for your sound economic advice)

I hate it when...

I think of a great idea for a blog post on the bus, but by the time that I get unwedged enough from between my fellow riders to write it down I've forgotten what I wanted to say.

So that's my excuse. That is also reason # 999 that I need an iPhone.

That is all.

Could it be, spring? Oh, no nevermind...

Spring in Seattle is like winter in Seattle. Only warmer. And wetter.

And while in some situations those two qualities would definitely be considered a good thing, in this case, they're the qualities of a tease. A tricky little harlot that offers a glimpse of sun, a hint of warm and then sends you damp and sniffling back indoors.

I love this town.

Signed,

Lets just get right to summer then, already.