The Hustle of Sistah Ant

Remember my escrow threat? 

The leak and the ceiling have been fixed for a week now.  Isn’t that something?  Threaten to take away somebody’s income, and all of a sudden you have their undivided attention…

He’s still a slumlord.

I did okay over the weekend, but not as good as I could have. 

I spent $20 on pizza.  This is coming out of my groceries budget, so that’s $20 less that I have to spend on real food.

I went $6 over my $50 holiday spending budget.  However, there were some good things too.  I went holiday shopping at Forman Mills, where you truly do get more for your money, so I bought twice as much stuff as I thought I would be able to.  I don’t know if Forman Mills exists outside of my area, but anyone within earshot of a Philly radio station knows all about it.  Think Marshall’s or ValueCity, but in a warehouse.  My mom used to take me there when I was a kid, and I remember that was the place to go back in the early nineties for gear when you didn’t have a lot of money… I’d been meaning to go there for a while, but you guys know I don’t shop.  It took present-hunting to get me out there.  Man, I love that place.  Another good thing is that I sent out my Christmas cards, and I already had a book of stamps and leftover cards from last year.  I cut my list down to the number of cards I already had, so what could have cost me maybe $20-$30 dollars ran me about a dollar and some change this Saturday.  I’m almost done shopping - my other recipients will get cold hard cash, and I want to get one more present for Mister Ant.  This time last year, I was done.  Sheesh.

I spent $20 more dollars on a credit card over the weekend on a business expense.  One of my goals for 2008 was to look into generating a side income, and I know there’s only a few weeks left in the year, but better now than never.  I started laying the foundation for a possible side income yesterday.

There’s a lot on my mind right now.  Missing time from work for important meetings and a doctor appointment this week will make my next check smaller.  I’m not finished Christmas shopping.  I still haven’t taken my car to the shop for its inspection.  I still have Christmas to travel for.  And I’ve got to pay this month’s bills and clear the balance off of my credit card.  I’ve been really distracted lately and I haven’t dealt with any of this by budgeting.  To my credit, I know better than to go spending money all willy nilly without a plan, either, so I think I may have spent about six dollars since I got paid last Thursday.  But it’s cool.  Today, I’m going to get down with a calendar, my online bill pay, and a calculator, so I can plan this stuff out.

I initially planned to take my car in to the shop after my next paycheck.  Instead, I set up an appointment for this morning.  Of course, because I saved and invested the remainder of my last check, I don’t have the cash to pay.  So, I’m going to put the expense on one of my credit cards and then pay the card back from this week’s paycheck.  I hate having credit card balances, so I’m tempted to send the payment in as soon as I have the money.  However, because I’ll be in the market for a mortgage, I still want to keep a good record of payment with my credit cards.  Instead of sending the payment directly in, I will use my online bill pay to schedule the payment so that my credit card lender receives it AFTER I’m billed for the balance.  That way, my record shows that I actually was billed that amount and that the amount was paid in full.  I’ve done this once before with good results.  It’s my new credit card payment policy.  The key here is to treat the scheduled payment just like a check - count the money gone as soon as you schedule the payment, so that you don’t accidentally spend the money you’ve promised to your credit card company before the scheduled payment goes through.  If not, chances are you’ll overcharge your checking account.

I was trying to be proactive and take advantage of as many things as I can over the weekend.  I finally got my purse and wallet straightened out.  Then I checked on my bills, which was good, because although I took care of all existing charges last week, there was an automatic charge for my EZPass on my AMEX that I had to pay, which I did.  I reconciled my check register balance with my receipts.  Then the easy part was over.

My priorities started fighting with each other.  I have to get the engine light fixed on my car before I get it inspected next month, and I want to make sure that I have the money to pay for it without using a credit card.  My car insurance premium is also due next month, and I am considering paying the entire balance instead of splitting it up over the next six months.  Since I know there’s a chance I won’t be working, this is a way to get my future monthly expenses lowered.  In addition, I have to chip in on the household expenses for the month and next month’s rent.  But the goals that meant the most to me emotionally were contributing to my IRA and to my My Own Home fund.  Oh yeah, and getting holiday gifts and affording holiday road trips.

After some consideration, I decided to take care of household and car expenses on my next paycheck because of the limited amount of money I had to work with this week.  I’m still undecided about my car insurance premium.  I will have the opportunity to pay it in full for at least the next several weeks either way, so I didn’t put a high priority on making my decision right now.  That left two priorities, my IRA and my savings.  I made the minimum allowable contribution to the IRA and then after leaving myself $100.00 for random day-to-day expenses in my checking account, I deposited the remainder in the My Own Home fund.  But I know I left some plans undone, so I’ll have to make some difficult decisions with my next check, even though my bills are paid through the middle of next month.

Oh yeah.  This is a recession.  It’s getting ugly out there, folks. Governments are feeling crunches.  I read one article that said a few states only have enough in their unemployment funds to last for a finite amount of time.   This is what I’m telling myself in order to be proactive about any hard times to come:

Keep Investing
And the stock market averages are constantly in the red.  I already know what I want to do with my next paycheck - buy more mutual fund shares for my IRA!  The price per share is as low now as it’s ever been, so I can get more for my money.  

Keep Saving
I also want to shovel as much as I can into the My Own Home fund. You don’t know this yet, but I’ve been in touch with a realtor, and Mister Ant and I have gone to look at a house.  I know, I know - I’ve been grousing about how I shouldn’t buy with my unstable income.  But I couldn’t resist.  The picture pulled me in.  And don’t worry, we didn’t put in an offer.  I just wanted to experience viewing a home as a prospective buyer.  It was fun!  When the time comes, we are going to be so ready.  In any case, the more money there is in the My Own Home fund, the better, both as a backup emergency fund and as a nest egg should the need not arise to use it in place of lost income.

Keep Controlling the Spending
I’m being extra conscientious about energy use, since our gas bill goes up in the winter, and the nights are cold again now.  I’ve read suggestions to have the heat on during the day and turn it way down at night.  I find that stupid and I do it the other way around.  We turn the heat way down and let the sunlight in when we leave for work, and then turn the heat back up to about 68-70 when we get home.  We both like it hot, so that’s a real sacrifice.  We keep plenty of blankets around.  I’m also buying lunch, and ordering delivery and take-out much less often.  It’s a two-for-one deal to cook at home, because you save money on food, and you warm up the place while you’re cooking.  I’d gotten lax when I started making more money, but I’m using more discipline lately.  I want a new waist-length peacoat, but I’m not in a rush to get one - the 3/4 length wool coat I have is good enough for now.  By saving in these ways, I don’t feel so guilty about the things I do spend money for, like the new Toni Morrison book I ordered online the other day.

Keep out of Debt.  Period.

I don’t have credit card balances, and I aim to keep it that way.  I don’t put anything on my cards that I can’t pay off in one billing period.  If I don’t have the money, I can’t buy it - cash or credit.  Not having balances means less monthly bills.  I can definitely get with that.

That’s about it.  Keep investing.  Keep saving.  Keep controlling the spending.  And, keep out of debt.  Period.

When I was in college, I joined a sorority.  I really am proud of my choice, and I had some very fun, enriching, heartwarming, character building experiences in my sorority.  But I have not been active with my sorority for the past few years.  One of the main reasons is because when I made the decision to take control of my debt and my finances, I cut all unnecessary expenses out of my budget, and that included sorority dues, sorority functions, outfits for sorority events, expenses for sorority trips - everything.  The last time I paid annual sorority dues, I used a credit card because I didn’t have the money to write a check.  I decided that I would not do so again.  With my income up in the air, I haven’t yet found my way back into the fold.

The only other organizational membership fees I pay are for professional associations that are related directly to my career.  I find that dues paid to these organizations which help me with networking and staying current on trends in my field are an investment in my future income.  I pay these dues without hesitation and without using credit.

I am thinking about joining a gym again.  My dance lessons experiment hasn’t quite worked out, but I still need exercise.  Even though I’m cheap, it’s still not enough motivation for me to do free things, like jog around my block in the wee hours of the morning or at twilight, or take a bike and ride the local trails on Saturday mornings.  It’s cold out there.  I don’t do running, and I don’t do cold. 

Of course, with my income unstable, I hesitate to add any other commitment expenses to my budget. But one of these days, I hope to start contributing financially to my sorority involvement and to working out regularly. 

I am seriously considering doing all of my holiday shopping online.  I haven’t ever really bought too many things online, but I like the idea of saving on gas, taking advantage of free shipping arrangements, and finding things cheaper than they are in the stores.  I could wait until Cyber Monday… or I could get it out of the way now.  Mama Ant took advantage of a department store liquidation a few months ago, so she’s pretty much finished shopping.  I’m so jealous.  It’s cool though, cause I hope to be done by Cyber Monday at the latest.

I got word from my employer that my project is going to require my assistance for at least the next few months.  I’m telling you, this is the temporary gig with nine blessed lives.

So I feel pretty comfortable setting a budget, picking presents, and letting UPS do all the running.  Now I just have to figure out what to get.  Sigh. I gotta admit though, I love getting my Santa on!

I didn’t spend any money this weekend.  I could have - there was an art expo/poetry performance thing that I wanted to go to… but I really just didn’t feel like leaving the comfortable cocoon of my house to look for parking and drop $15.00.  So… I stayed at home.  I cooked a whatever-you’ve-got-goes-in-the-pot chicken dinner on Friday, and hunkered down.  Mister Ant and I spent some quality time together, watched a movie or two, and I had a happy weekend at home.  I also made some progress on my latest knitting project.  I’m working on a hat, and it’s my first time using a knitting pattern instead of crocheting and improvising, so I’m eager to see how my hat turns out.

I’ll be honest, I have not been feeling well mentally.  You might be able to tell that from last Friday’s post.  This past week, I saw three doors to three separate job opportunities close on me.  That was hard, because if you think about not being able to get a job too much, bad things can happen.  I started re-thinking decisions of mine that are long over and done with.  I thought about how embarrassed I am to not have a job yet, after all this time searching.  Unemployment can be rough on your self-esteem and your hopes for certain dreams you may have.  However, I dealt with it over the weekend.  As I’ve mentioned before, I am a person of faith.  I took some time to count my many blessings over the weekend - that always helps.  For the moment at least, I am still earning income, and I’ve got a great savings.

Sometimes, when people aren’t feeling well, they spend-spend-spend in order to feel better.  But I know myself.  If I had gone shopping, I would just feel guilty on Monday morning.  So I watched the Eagles game.  I called friends and family.  I caught up on some blog reading.  I ate some cookies and cream ice cream.  I feel good about being able to get through the weekend without spending a cent.  Bring on the week.  I can handle it, and stay solvent at the same time.

All the birthdays, holiday travel, and holiday gift giving are hovering over my wallet.  I just paid all of this month’s bills.  I also bought a belated birthday present for one loved one, and set aside $50 to give as a cash gift to another.  I bought two birthday cards for two others yesterday afternoon.  I’m thinking about Christmas presents for Mister Ant, my Grandma, my parents, my friends…  I’m also thinking about how I don’t have a new job lined up yet.  You know what I want for Christmas?  A steady income.  A signed contract for a home.  To be honest, and I know how selfish this sounds, I ain’t thinking about actually buying Christmas presents right now, even though I love to give them.  I just get frustrated with this wait sometimes.  It’s discouraging.  And the last thing I need, on top of everything, is to feel torn between saving money and spending it on gifts.  Funny thing is, I know myself.  I won’t be able to resist giving for the holidays.  I am so rolling my eyes at myself right now.