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Archive for December, 2020

New Year's Eve 2020

December 31st, 2020 at 05:33 pm

Happy last day of 2020! It's been a tough year for many & I'm happy that so many will be able to turn the page on what has been a difficult year.

My sister lost her mother-in-law on Tuesday. They had a very good relationship, which is not always the case with daughters-in-laws and mothers-in-laws, so she was very upset. Praying for my brother-in-law, sister, and my niece & nephew to ease their pain.

I got paid my final paycheck of 2020 today so I can start crunching my final numbers. I hope that the market ends on a high note!

I met with a real estate agent yesterday & signed the agreement for her to be the listing agent today. I also unexpectedly sold 2 candles on FB Marketplace yesterday. I sold for the same amount that I initially declined from another buyer, but I'm even more ready to pare down now. Contemplating contacting the interested party to see if her offer is still good. She was interested in buying 5 candles.

I will do my 2021 goals in another post tomorrow. Happy New Year!

ETA: I also just sent $1,500 to my Roth IRA today to complete my 2020 contributions. Now I can start out fresh in January, without playing catch-up.

 

2020 Year End Review

December 28th, 2020 at 03:50 pm

It's almost 2021 & time to reflect on the wins & losses of 2020. 202 was a very good year for me with few losses except for a couple of canceled trips, which actually ended up being to my advantage.

1. Paid off my TSP loan. I took out a loan of $30k in the autumn of 2015 to pay off credit card debt. I buckled down to pay it off early in May 2020.

2. Paid off my car loan. I had an accident (not my fault) in November 2015. The insurance company totalled out my 2008 Toyota Corolla. I put $10k down on my Honda CR-V and financed $20k at 2.19% for 73 months. I buckled down to pay it off a year early. I hope to keep this car for at least 5 more years.

3. Probably my biggest debt win this year was the $22k in credit card debt that I had earlier this year. It's now down to $2k and I will pay it off next month. That will mean a lot more money to rebuild savings and explore stock investing. I am recommitting to paying off my cards every month.

4. I worked a lot! I made approximately $30k at my side hustle jobs. Since so many of my plans were canceled: trips, dance classes, theatre season tickets, I was able to maximize my time to earn more.

5. I lost some weight. I've gained some of it back, but am recommitting to healthier eating in 2021.

6. I had $0 savings at the beginning of the year. I now have almost $3k in savings. It's not a lot, but it means I won't have to get a loan from my mom again if I have to replace my A/C or some other home repair pops up. I have recommitted to saving monthly. Again, this will be easier with less debt payments.

7. And finally, I passed $1 million in net worth in September. Earlier this month I achieved $1 million held in investments only, not including assests such as my home or car.

Here's to an even better 2021!

 

Merry Christmas

December 25th, 2020 at 06:40 am

I fell asleep, but fireworks woke me up.

I got my last two paychecks from first & second jobs. We got our performance awards on this paycheck and I maxed out my TSP with a final contribution of $700. Next year I will be back to contributing $750 per paycheck. This year I had decreased, then increased, contributions to accelerate debt payoff. With my debts largely paid off I can go back to my usual equal contributions.

I worked today, which was declared a holiday, so I'll see more pay on my next check. Then I get my step increase & whatever annual increase on the check after that. With the relief bill they are allowing federal employees to pay back the payroll deferral over the year, rather than by April. That sounded good at first, but I think I'd rather pay it back sooner personally.

My lab supervisor from my second job texted me this morning about all the gifts that had been left in my locker. I thought she was texting me to see what days I could work next month. It was very nice all the things she mentioned: gifts cards, earbuds, B&BW, ornament. No gifts from my third job, but I appreciate the flexibility & good pay they provide throughout the year. That's the best gift!

Merry Christmas to all! 🎄🌟

 

Second Stimulus

December 21st, 2020 at 03:58 pm

It looks like both parties have agreed to a second stimulus package. This second round will be half of the first round at $600 and based upon the same income limits as the first round. I haven't read how quickly it will be sent out, but I thought the idea was to have something in place before the end of the year. I suppose I can use it to either shore up savings or put towards my IRA. That's not really stimulating the economy, but that may be the wrong word for a relief package. What are your plans for the money if you qualify?

Got my COVID-19 vaccine today

December 20th, 2020 at 01:52 am

So far no side effects. It burned some going in which is normal with other vaccines. My co-worker experienced itching & warmth at the injection site, which I've experienced with other vaccines. After they administered the does they had you wait for 15 minutes then we got to leave. Still feeling fine, but it may hit me in a day or two. I understand the immune response will be greater after the second dose in 3 weeks.

I've read that they've already administered 1.1 millions doses in less than a week. That's an amazing distribution effort. 

850

December 17th, 2020 at 03:44 am

Today was a really good day all around. As well as reaching my $1 million investment goal, my Experian report updated & my FICO score is now 850! It may not last, but I am enjoying that achievement as well. 

Investment Goal Achieved

December 16th, 2020 at 12:00 pm

A good day for the markets meant I reached my investment goal of $1 million! It was so close only a week or two ago, but then the markets pulled back.

Investments: $1,004,409

I received another Clever Fox planner, this time the financial planner. It was a special gift bundle that came with the cash envelopes. I weighed the pros & cons of both and have decided to keep the financial planner and gift the budget planner. I gifted the cash envelopes & extra stickers as well. With achieving so many goals this year I'm looking forward to achieving more in 2021.

I got confirmation of my performance award on my next paycheck. That will be a nice bonus at Christmas. I will also be working Christmas Eve since my employee that recently returned from maternity leave wanted the day off. I get holiday pay so that's nice. Usually I want off because my family is in town, but that's not happening this year.

Every once in a while I get a letter from a realtor saying they are looking to buy in my complex. This time I responded & she will call me today. I am ready to sell. I'm not sure what my next step is, but I'm open to the possibilities. I have $70k in equity if I sell for what I bought it for.

Net Worth: $1,109,739

Pfizer vaccine arrives

December 15th, 2020 at 05:05 pm

I was paid by my third job today. I worked a little over 47 hours even with the Thanksgiving holiday. Because I don't get deductions with this job my pay is comparable to my full-time job. The 15th is also the date for my automatic drafts for my auto & home insurance and utilities. Tomorrow my biweekly mortgage goes through.

It's nice to have increased cash flow. I'm not having to juggle payments, but I just pay bills as they come.

My final two checks for the year will be paid on Christmas Day. Maybe they will come through on Christmas Eve due to the holiday. Christmas Eve was declared a holiday for federal employees this year so I either will take that day off or get paid holiday pay. I'd rather have the day off since I'm already taking off Monday-Wednesday. If they decide to close the clinic we all get off, but they haven't made that decision yet.

Our facility got our first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday. Our chief told us that they received roughly the amount of doses that people registered for, so we should all be able to get vaccinated with this first round. My second job also received the Pfizer vaccine so whoever calls me first is where I'm going to get vaccinated. The end is in sight!

Paid off my car this morning!

December 12th, 2020 at 04:35 pm

I always say that I'll let the final payment go through as usual, but like with my TSP loan I couldn't wait. My automatic payment of $200 went through yesterday & I had $180.15 remaining. I scheduled the $180.16 payoff amount for today. She's all mine now! 🚙 

This is my second loan payoff this year & I've moved my anticipated credit card pay off from spring 2021 to January 2021. My balance will never be zero as I don't pay in cash, but it should just be my usual monthly purchases on my balance after next month, rather than recurring debt. I am now down to $3k from $22k earlier this year.

My next paycheck I will contribute $700 to my TSP to max out for the year. I still have $2k remaining to contribute on my 2020 IRA. $500 will be contributed on the 15th. 

I'm so excited for my progress this year. It's like I woke up out of a slumber. Next year I'll be able to focus on rebuilding my savings.

Still no news about whether federal employees will get a raise next year, but I'm still due for a step increase. Of course, we will have to begin paying back deferrred OASDI taxes in the new year. 

I enjoyed my day off yesterday. I ran some errands, did some house chores, & had a belated birthday lunch with a friend. Today will be more of the same. I slept in very late today. I guess my body needed it.

Have a great weekend & happy Hanukkah to those celebrating! 🕎 

Net Worth $1,102,723

Day Off

December 10th, 2020 at 11:54 pm

I calculated that I have been working nearly 80 hours every week between my three jobs. Tomorrow is payday (x2) and I decided to take the day off. I have 21.5 hours to use-or-lose before the end of the year. 

Tomorrow I will pay my credit card & car loan. I am down to my last 2 car payments. I owe less than $400. My credit card debt has gone from $22k earlier this year to $4k currently.

Since my family isn't coming home for the holidays I'm sending gifts their way. I calculated shipping rates to send via USPS & FedEx and surprisingly, FedEx was cheaper. I assumed that USPS would always be the cheapest option. I certainly was wrong.

Christmas is coming so fast! It will be a tough one without family, but we'll all hopefully be together in the somewhat near future.

 

 

Birthday Blessings

December 5th, 2020 at 06:49 am

Well, I am less than an hour into my birthday. I just got home from work. So much to be thankful about & to reflect on. When I think of where I was a year ago, I've made huge progress financially & in other ways. 

Today I am less than $2k away from having $1 million in investments. So very close. It would have been nice to make that goal on my birthday, but I know it's just around the corner.

I just wrote a check for my property taxes. I did finally get the bill in the mail. I like to pay my bills as they come in. I know some people do theirs monthly. 

Net Worth $1,101,715

Happy December!

December 1st, 2020 at 05:40 pm

It's the first of December & the last month of the year. So the first of the last. 😄

I'm turning 29 again on Saturday. 😉 I told my parents I just want to get take-out and order a cheesecake (instead of birthday cake). I'm always low-key on my birthday celebrations, even in a non-pandemic year.

Today was payday for my third job. I am adding the amount to my debt pay down. I love that I earn PTO at this job, even though I'm not full-time. Next day that they don't call me in I'll put in a PTO request to use my accumulated PTO hours.

This month I pay property taxes, but so far no bill has come in the mail. I'm hoping they delay payments due to the pandemic. I can definitely pay it this month, but if the deadline is delayed I will delay my payment as well.

I don't think my sisters will be traveling home for the holidays. Although I will miss them, it's probably for the best. We will of course FaceTime, Zoom, & Duo as often as we can.

Net Worth $1,085,809