I have followers.

Candie and PJ. I want to welcome you to my blog and thanks for coming along for the ride.

So, how did you do?

This time last year I'm sure a lot of people made New Years Resolutions. I accomplished some of my goals (I got caught up the bills that I was behind on, I wore everything in my closet at least once), and failed at others (I didn't lose any weight, I didn't start my own business). The Resolutions I made for this year (see goals in side bar) have to be met or I will have a very dismal future. I am feeling very optimistic about my Resolutions for this year and I am glad I started this blog so that I could have a record of my progress.

So, Happy New Year every one. What are some of your New Years Resolutions? How did you do last year?

My name is Inigo Montoya

If you have seen the movie "The Princess Bride" you should recognize that line. If not, borrow the movie from the library (free). I mention it because Inigo spends 20 years of his life seeking revenge for his fathers murder. Once he does, he realizes that he does not know what to do with the rest of his life. So the question is.........

Once you are out of debt, what will you do?

I would

1. Buy a new car (my current car is almost 10 years old and is starting to become to expensive to keep)

2. Fully fund my retirement

3. Move out of my mom's house and buy a townhouse

I think that's it. With the student loan I'm carrying I don't think I'll ever be out of debt.

My First Comment !!!!!

It's nice to know that I'm not writing to myself anymore. Thank you for the comment and addition to your blog roll Momthing1.

With the new year I plan on adding new things to my blog, such as book reviews. I am in the process of re-reading The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by Suze Orman. She has some great tips on how to prioritize your financial life.

I also plan to start a feature called "From the Mouths of Babes" You would be suprised how much financial wisdom can be found in cartoons (I learned this over the holidays while hanging out with my friend and her daughter).

To start off here is a clip from the show "Recess" (if you are between the ages of 25 - 30 you may remember this show)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFZZxOHHZlo

(I don't know how to make this a working link)

It shows that with determination and intelligence you can go from nothing to something. It also shows that money can change people.

Let me know what you think of this? Is it a dumb idea?

I'm Making Progress

Congratulate me, I have made two steps toward my goals. I opened an ingDirect savings account AND deposited $50. I have decided to try to deposit $50 every pay period. I also wrote a check to my Ex for $50 and plan to mail him $50 a month for the next 6 pay periods (3 months). It may not be much but it is a step in the right direction. I got a lot of pleasure out of updating my progress bars.

Happy Holidays

I wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays.

Where Does The Money Go

Pay Check 2 $1094

Expenses

Student Loan 2 $181
Amex $211
Visa 1 $70
Visa 2 $75
Internet/Phone/Cable $200
Cell $70
Electric $120
Stupid $34
Ex Boyfriend $50

Total $1011

Me Money $83

The student loan speaks for itself. I am snowballing my credit card payments, that is why the Amex gets $211 while the rest get a little over the minimum payment. As I stated before I live with my mother, I don't have to pay rent but I do have to pay Internet/Phone/Cable and electric. Not a bad deal. The $200 Internet/Phone/Cable bill can only be altered so much. It is a bundle and I think it is a pretty good deal. We keep a land line because cell phones don't always work (as I found out on September 11th.), I don't have a life outside of work so cable is a necessity, and I use the Internet for research and communication purposes. This bill can be lowered if I stop ordering movies. I plan on looking into getting a cheaper cell phone plan, I don't talk on my phone much, but I do send a lot of text messages. I am researching ways to lower the electric bill, but with a retired mother who is home all day I don't know how much lower it can go. Stupid is something I signed up for that I don't use anymore but I have to finish paying for it. I think I have 2 more payments to go. Finally the $50 to the ex is something I cant wait to be done with. It's a long story but the moral of it is NEVER BORROW MONEY FROM A BOYFRIEND.

The above figures are not my budget as the holidays have messed with my money and I spent more than I should have. I am in the process of working out a new budget that will allow me to have more money to pay off the Amex.