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About Me:

terri77

I am 48, single, no kids. I am a health care professional. I feel that I'm generally a very good saver and a not so good budgeter - hence the credit card debt payoff I worked through in 2020.

My personal finance goals for 2026:

1. Contribute maximum to Thrift Savings Plan. This is a recurring goal that I’ve accomplished every year since 2008.

2. Contribute maximum to Roth IRA. This is a recurring goal that I’ve accomplished every year since 2001.

3. Pay off credit cards. Completed January 2021. Now the strategy is to pay off my credit cards monthly with no balance carryover.

4. Build up emergency & long-term savings. I completed my initial goal in April 2021, but am rebuilding again after an expensive first year after building my home.

5. Invest in brokerage account. I am rebuilding this account after having used it for my home downpayment.

6. Give to church monthly. I now contribute by autodraft.

7. Give to charity monthly. Food banks are my preferred charity to give to. I have automated my charitable donations at work to give with my biweekly paychecks.

8. Apply for promotions as they become available. Right now I’m very happy in my current position, so this isn’t much of a goal currently. I have received several raises, I enjoy the work I do, & the people I work with…I’m very happy to stay where I am.

9. New goal for 2024! Build new home with $100k down. This will be funded from my brokerage account & cash savings. Closed on my new build home in August 2024 with 40% down.🏡

Escrow Overpayment

June 20th, 2026 at 07:48 pm

Last year my mortgage payment refunded me a few thousand in overpayments. That was the year I purchased so escrow had been calculated for the full year instead of the few months that were left in 2024. This year they are refunding me $777. This year they are also readjusting my payments to reflect the lower escrow calculation. I'd like to continue to pay the same amount & just have more go to my principal, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to calculate it correctly until I see the new adjusted payment. I'll have to look around the website more to see if I can maintain the same payment amount. I like having a nice even amount.

Posted in Home sweet home | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “Escrow Overpayment”

Tabs Says:
June 21st, 2026 at 12:26 am 1782001599
1782001599

Ah, congrats for getting some of your money back. That's always pleasant surprise. So is having a fixed monthly bill to help with budgeting.
Dido Says:
June 21st, 2026 at 06:49 pm 1782067762
1782067762

I too like having a nice even amount, but I focus on the balance, not the payment. Every month I pay the amount they have calculated for me, including the escrow; then after that payment hits, the next morning, I log in, check out the mortgage balance, and send an additional "principal only" payment to round the balance down so I always know it. Last year I was rounding down to the nearest $10, but after I paid off all the consumer debt other than rotating credit cards, I started rounding to the nearest $500.
DK62565 Says:
June 24th, 2026 at 01:07 pm 1782306479
1782306479

That was a nice surprise getting a refund. Good plan on paying on principal only!

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Firefly's Personal Finance Blog

Working out my spending impulses.

Escrow Overpayment

3 Responses to “Escrow Overpayment”

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