As of February 1, 2012

1. Pay off the remained of my debt.
   I have been working on this since July 2007 and it is finally time for this goal to be completed. I have come along way from $104,616 in debt to less than $30,000. With a minium payment of $15oo per month, I have $18.000 covered.
2. Bring in an addition $12,000 in income.
   Not 100% sure how this will happen. I will continue selling stuff on eBay, donating plasma & cutting the good ole budget.
3. Actively build my financial coaching business.
   Not 100% sure what this entails, but I do know that I will be drafting a strategy during my winter break.
4. Turn in my running shoes for a yoga mat and towels.I am no longer running because my body needs a rest, so I have decided to try Bikram Yoga. I will committed to it for at least 6 months.
    
   I am focusing on completing the Insanity video set during Jan and Feb. Yoga will start in March.
    
5. Complete my 2011 Year Book @ Picaboo.com by end of January.
   Every year I use picaboo.com to create my own personal yearbook. They are costly so I won’t be printing it until my debt is paid off. I like to do this because we don’t print pictures anymore and I like to share what I have done with others. Sometimes the new year will be half over before I finish creating the book.
6. Volunteer for 12 organizations
   I love volunteering and serving others, but I have found myself in the role of coordinating volunteers instead of an individual contributor. This year, I want to sign up and show up.
    
   This goal has been modified to volunteering once per month. I have contacted the Salvation Army and I serve at my church.
    
7. Say “No” to the things I am not interested in doing.
   So often I agree to do things that are alright and take a ton of time. I agree because I don’t want to let the other person down.
8. Develope a Pre-Marital Financial Coaching Workshop
   Money is a huge factor in relationships, but seldom can couple find a place to seek council that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I want to put together a workshop that will help couples understand emotion and mechanics of merging finances.
9. Decrease Travel
   Thats right…I said I want to travel less. I work for an airline so I am constantly presented with the opportunity to travel some place amazing and some places not so amazing. This year I will only travel for weddings (AZ & LV), Thanksgiving (TX) and Christmas (??)
10. Learn to eat healthy
    Clearlly I eat like a single person. I want to add variety by trying new recipies. I eat what I want when I want. I want to create my own COOKBinder of the recipies that I try.
11. Complete the Instanity Workout Program
    Pretty self explanitory.
12.  Be Intentional About Building Friendship
    My friends and I go out to eat from time to time, but that is it. We don’t interact any other time or around any other activity. I want to plan activities (i.e. ice skating, rock climbing, rollar skating, volunteering, having a picnic, etc) on a monthly basis that will get us out of our comfort zones.

Bonus

1. Only go to Wal-Mart once per week

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com

1. Started Insanity
2.  

“MIA”

Current Baby Step: #2 Debt Snowball

Current Balance: $28,215.83

Chutes:

Ladders:

• I was way under budget on Gas and Food, so I had a little bonus to rebuild my eFund. I still need about $500. I have another check for $300 coming from the Sweet Treat company, so it won’t take too long.
• Report Card (progress bars). Only 52% of student loan to go!
• 73% of my total debt has been paid ~  27% left. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ramblings:

• WORK
  I am going to be working in Texas for the next two weeks, so I most likely be MIA in the blogosphere.
• BANKRUPTCY
  Rumor has it that we are potentially facing a 10-20% pay cut, specifically 18%. Possibly losing 5 vacation days, 5 holidays and all accrued sick time.  Even if you are luckily enough to come out of the layoff with a job, the consolation prize isn’t great. I have dusted off the old resume and will begin circulating it.
• 21 DAY FINANCIAL FAST
  The Financial Fast has been interesting. Even though I have been managing my finances pretty well for the past 4 years, I am still learn more about myself & money. Today is Day 12 and things aren’t terrible. I realize that we go to the store alot because we can, not because we need too. One of my resolutions is to go to Wal-Mart only 52 times this year for my household. (Occasionally I have to make trips for the business) Since the beginning of the year, i have become alot better about making my list and taking it with me. At the end of the past two pay cycles I had grocery money left in my budget.

  Since I am not doing anything for entertainment or eating out. I have made some new recipes to entertain myself and treat myself to something different. This weekend it is CrockPot Lasagna.

• EBAY

  This is going well, rules have change and money is being made. As of this very moment, I have:

  — $167.64 in my PayPal account

  — $  20.36 pending on eBay from closed auctions

  — $229.68 in my eBay checking account

  GRAND TOTAL =  $417.68 (and a good size inventory)

  New Rules:
  -Post after work or on Saturday Mornings, because auction end times are important.
  -List clothes above breakeven point, just in case it only gets one bidder
  -Transfer money from paypal to bank account on Mondays
  -order padded USPS envelopes every Monday
  -Relist everything that doesn’t sell on the days that they let you list a million things for free. This can be done easily from my phone if necessary. (I had to do it in the DFW airport last Thursday)
  -Get everything post once before I buy more clothes.

What is new and good with you? 

“Goodbye Quicken” 

Current Baby Step: #2 Debt Snowball

Current Balance: $29,374.01

Chutes:

• Paid $2432 for car repairs. $1013.45 was my total out of pocket cost. I need $801.32 to refill my eFund.

Ladders:

• Refund check for $12.99 and reimbursment check from FSA for $45 arrived this week and went straight to the eFund.  Except $6.01 to cover the extra amount for my car repairs.
• Getting reimbursed by the Sweet Treat company for my initia investment of $575.25.
• Report Card (progress bars). Only 55% of student loan to go!
• 71% of my total debt has been paid ~  29% left. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ramblings:

• QUICKEN:
   
  At the beginning of 2011 I decided I was going to use quicken to track all my expenses. This has been an interesting and challenging experience all at the same time. I like what I can do in terms of tracking the money, but I recognize that it takes a good amount of time to reconcile all the accounts. This is a tedious task because of the way that the information is downloaded from the banks. At this time I feel that it would be easier and less time consuming to keep a track manually
   
  I have many personal (4 checking and 3 savings) accounts with is sometimes silly, but it works for what I have going on. My primary checking and savings have the most transactions to manage and they normally happen near the payday.  Managing them manually won’t be any more difficult than keeping a checkbook
   
  I will keep using Quicken auto updates  in 2012 for my business and eBay accounts. There is not doubt that I will miss it for personal accounts but for now I think going back to the basics will be quicker for me.
   
• 21 DAY FINANCIAL FAST
  Yesturday I started the 21 Day Financial Fast outlined in Michelle Singletery’s book “Power to Prosper”. I don’t know it entails, but there is a daily assignment. I hope to do this with my money group during Financial Literacy Month in April.

What is new and good with you? What are your thoughts on Quicken or any other money management tool?

“Happy New Year”

Current Baby Step: #2 Debt Snowball

Current Balance: $29,374.01

Chutes:

• The car battery cost $74
• I am renting a car because my car was not finished while I was on vaction, another $70.
• I will have to take money out of my eFund to pay the repairs on my car. Estimated $700.
• Now, I will have to refill the eFund. Estimated $700

Ladders:

• While on vacation my mom and friend (this was a surprise) took care of all expenses.
• Report Card (progress bars). Only 55% of student loan to go!
• 71% of my total debt has been paid ~  29% left. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ramblings:

• I hope this is the first of the last 52 post I will do about my debt. Then I will move onto the big eFund.
• My mom gave me a money journal for christmas so I committed to journal for one minute each night about my finances. (I forget where/when I found out about 1 minute journaling).
• eBay stuff is going well but I have a surplus of clothes at my house. I will be taking time off from shopping for ebay untill this surplus is posted and depleted. However, I will be buying baby & kids clothes to participate in Just Between Friends (JBF) events that are taking place this spring.

What is new and good with you?

I started thinking to myself  ”Why do you think it is so negative?”. What I came up with is…As PF bloggers our focus is on overcoming challenges and hurdles, so we talk about sacrifices that we make and look for support and advice from others. It isn’t that we are negative as much as we are focused on something that is considered to be negative in our society, when really it is just a part of our lives.

In 2012, I want to do my part to shine a postive light in the PF world. While thinking about what I could do I thought about my grandfather. He is in his 70′s and for as long as I can remember he has gone to Hardee’s everyday to meet his friends. No matter what I do big or small, he tells me “You know we are going to have to do some boasting.” This means he is going to go to Hardee’s and brag on his grandaughter. So, I am going to take a note out of his book and make a space on my blog for all things good and postive.

• I paid my debt down to under $30K.
• My dad brought my nieces for a surprise visit.
• Had a good time with my step-niece & -nephew at Thanksgiving
• Enjoyed a ton of Yamellows for thanksgiving
• Made a great new friend
• Learn that I can not be responsible for other peoples responsibilities
• Visited with my mom and converter 35MM negatives to digital pictures
• Started a successfull ebay hustle
• The sweet treats business is a success and we made money this year.
• Was featured in a local news article.
• Completed 3 half marathons, a 10 miler and a quarter marathon.
• Met up with friends for the half marathon and 10 miler.
• Ran with the local running group
• Found a church that I love attending
• I completed a budget every payday

I know that I could fill several pages of great things from 2011, but it is hard to recall them right at this moment. In 2012, I will keep track as the year passes.

2011 has quickly passed and 2012 is finally here. I had an awesome 2011 filled with many memorable experiences. Now to get started on making 2012 AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Pay off the remained of my debt.
   I have been working on this since July 2007 and it is finally time for this goal to be completed. I have come along way from $104,616 in debt to less than $30,000. With a minium payment of $15oo per month, I have $18.000 covered.
2. Bring in an addition $12,000 in income.
   Not 100% sure how this will happen. I will continue selling stuff on eBay, donating plasma & cutting the good ole budget.
3. Actively build my financial coaching business.
   Not 100% sure what this entails, but I do know that I will be drafting a strategy during my winter break.
4. Turn in my running shoes for a yoga mat and towels.I am no longer running because my body needs a rest, so I have decided to try Bikram Yoga. I will committed to it for at least 6 months.
5. Complete my 2011 Year Book @ Picaboo.com by end of January.
   Every year I use picaboo.com to create my own personal yearbook. They are costly so I won’t be printing it until my debt is paid off. I like to do this because we don’t print pictures anymore and I like to share what I have done with others. Sometimes the new year will be half over before I finish creating the book.
6. Volunteer for 12 organizations
   I love volunteering and serving others, but I have found myself in the role of coordinating volunteers instead of an individual contributor. This year, I want to sign up and show up.
7. Say “No” to the things I am not interested in doing.
   So often I agree to do things that are alright and take a ton of time. I agree because I don’t want to let the other person down.
8. Develope a Pre-Marital Financial Coaching Workshop
   Money is a huge factor in relationships, but seldom can couple find a place to seek council that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I want to put together a workshop that will help couples understand emotion and mechanics of merging finances.
9. Decrease Travel
   Thats right…I said I want to travel less. I work for an airline so I am constantly presented with the opportunity to travel some place amazing and some places not so amazing. This year I will only travel for weddings (AZ & LV), Thanksgiving (TX) and Christmas (??)
10. Learn to eat healthy
    Clearlly I eat like a single person. I want to add variety by trying new recipies. I eat what I want when I want. I want to create my own COOKBinder of the recipies that I try.
11. Complete the Instanity Workout Program
    Pretty self explanitory.
12.  Be Intentional About Building Friendship
    My friends and I go out to eat from time to time, but that is it. We don’t interact any other time or around any other activity. I want to plan activities (i.e. ice skating, rock climbing, rollar skating, volunteering, having a picnic, etc) on a monthly basis that will get us out of our comfort zones.

Bonus

1. Only go to Wal-Mart once per week

• Jessica @ Budget Savvy Bride: She is The Budget Savvy Bride! In the process of planning her own budget-savvy wedding, she realized there weren’t alot of resources out there for brides like her. She decided to keep track of her wedding planning experiences in blog form, and little did she know how useful her experiences and tips would be to so many budget brides! Since getting married in May 0f 2009, she has continued sharing tips and tricks for how to save money on your big day. Her goal is to be a valuable resource for brides looking to have a fabulous wedding without breaking the bank!
• Laura Johnson @ Specializing in the Impossible: Laura’s husband quit his job, to pursue composing and freelancing as a color pencil artist. She was just starting a new job, not sure how things would play out she started a blog.
• LBC Teacher @ Homeowner by 30: She is a middle school teacher. She LOVEs living in Long Beach. Other interests include good podcasts, cooking, happy hour, feminist issues, and reading. I also like to talk about Personal Finance, but rather than make people uncomfortable by trying to bring it up in person, she started a blog. If you have a PF blog, let me know, I love to read new blogs.
• Serendipity @ Serendipity’s Guide to Saving: She is in her mid-twenties and currently live in Las Vegas, NV. She does not work in a casino nor live in a hotel, as so many people tend to perceive. She works for a non-profit,  she is insanely passionate and lives with her fiancee Rambo. She recently graduated with my AA in Criminal Justice and is currently working on my BA but it’s been a long and steady process. With whatever free time she has these days, she loves to blog, watch films, read books, spend time with those she cares about and watch bad tv. Also, she is insanely competitive with dancing on the Wii. She’s not afraid to say it.
• TeacHer @ TeacHer Finance: She 26-year-old high school teacher working to get my financial house in order and enjoy life…on a notoriously small teacher’s salary. I don’t make a big income and probably never will, but I believe that living a life of purpose – and fun!

“Sub $30K”

Current Baby Step: #2 Debt Snowball

Current Balance: $29,906.72

Oh how long the journey to pay this debt has been!

Chutes:

• My car battery is dying.
• I was going to be 4.22 short of reaching the goal of starting 2012 with less than $30K in debt.

Ladders:

• I didn’t use all my gas or food money from last pay period. Not really sure why, maybe some impact from being away for thanksgiving. I was able to funnel an addition $120 or so to my student loan which brought the balace down.
• Report Card (progress bars). Only 55% of student loan to go!
• 71% of my total debt has been paid ~  29% left. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ramblings:

• Happy Holidays!!!
• I can’t even begin to describe how I felt this morning when I checked my student loan balance to find that it fell below the $30,000 mark. Eventhough it is a lot of money I feel so close to the end of the tunnel and I can see the light. I wish other in my life (outside of PF bloggers) can understand how fantastic this is.  I guess I will relax for the next 17 days. I don’t have money to spend and I don’t expect to be getting any surprise income.
• For the holidays I will be traveling to the east coast. I sure hope they don’t get hit with a ton of snow.

How are you doing on reaching your goals?

“Season’s Greetings”

Source: goodcents.pocketsmith.com

Current Baby Step: #2 Debt Snowball

Current Balance: $31,838.45

Chutes:

• My chiropractor bill came for $315. It was for all my appointments for the past 4 months.
• Edfinancial website isn’t coming up so I can’t calculate any changes and update progress bars.

Ladders:

• My insurance company sent me a check from my FSA for $315. First time ever that the check came before the bill was due.
• Report Card (progress bars). Only 59% of student loan to go!
• 70% of my total debt has been paid ~  30% left. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ramblings:

• Happy Holidays!!!
• I am starting a money group at my church. Wish me luck!!!! Once I figure out how to set it up, I will report back.

How are you doing on reaching your goals? What are you thoughts on 2012