Two months into my new second job & I feel more squeezed than ever. Maybe having a second job gives a false sense of wealth. I have somewhat over-extended myself with my increased savings.

I am contributing 50% to the 401(k) & $500 to my Roth IRA every paycheck. I had not contributed anything to my Roth IRA since last year. If I contribute $500 for the last 11 pay periods of this year & the first 11 pay periods of next year, I'll have met my maximum contributions for this year & next year. Then I'll have $500 more every pay check.

I'm excited that I'll be able to max out 3 retirement plans next year: my Roth IRA, my TSP, & my 401(k). I am making a lot of hours, but I don't want to complain as I have been searching for another job for some time. This job is a blessing & I see how my retirement savings have grown these past 2 months. Now to decrease the debt.

I can't believe that it is almost September & this is my first blog of the year. My last blog was over a year ago about an interview for a job that I didn't ultimately get. But today, I'm writing to say that a month ago & finally started a second job. This job means so many opportunities for me. The opportunity to max out another retirement plan, to pay off debt, and maybe down the road, to buy some income properties. Unfortunately, a natural disaster curtailed my work hours as the hospital closed due to flooding. But more importantly, I was spared any flooding. I'm feeling so blessed lately!

This week I had only my second interview this year. I'm optimistic as I used to work with the manager, but she's interviewing several more people - who also probably used to work with her. Pay is not great, but I'm motivated & the work is largely on the weekend: 5a-1:30p. I would still have most of my weekend to do as I please or need.

In other news, I had an employee leave to pursue educational opportunities so I'm short-handed & will be hiring - hopefully soon! I'm excited to be able to interview & hire someone who fits in with my vision of what we need. My other employees I "inherited". I realize what a huge game changer adding a new employee into the mix can be, so I hope to choose wisely.

I continue to apply & have promising leads, but nothing comes to fruition. I had a promising interview several weeks back, even worked with some of the employees, and I never heard back. It's hard not to be discouraged, but I press on. I am determined to find another income stream & I'm open to any credible possibility. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to share.

I have had some ups & downs since my promotion, but I'm grateful for the chance to grow professionally.

Yes, finally. Finally, my promotion is on record. My last paycheck was supposed to my first for my increased pay, but that wasn't done in time. So this week's paycheck will have a double increase. I've stepped up my credit card payments & have applied for PRN jobs to provide additional income to get my debt paid off for good.

The things that I usually shop for I've been abstaining from. It feels good. I've made a few clothing purchases (caught an 80% off end of season sale) to supplement my work wardrobe. I plan on advancing my career every chance that I get. I'm taking all the classes I can & networking every chance I get. I've never been more motivated. This promotion has been a very good thing & I'm so grateful.

I thought that I had posted this last month, but apparently not. I got offered a promotion at work after applying & interviewing for the position. Now, that was 3 weeks ago but I still haven't started in my new duties or increased pay. I don't know what my increased pay will be, but it will just be used to pay current debt. Still, I'm so excited, and this is the answer to many prayers. I've been working towards this position since I joined my agency & finished graduate school years ago. I can't wait until I can officially put that new position on paper.

Because I don't have any blog entries for 2014 & it's been bugging me.

The 2nd job has not materialized due to the administration moving very slow. I've remained in contact with my interviewer & she's very interesting in hiring me so I remain optimistic. One thing I know, is that I will not fritter away that second income like I did with my previous second job. I am on a mission like I never have been before.

I am also very hopeful to have good news to share about my current job in the coming months. Fingers crossed & prayers lifted up. 2014 has already been a very blessed year for me.

My trip to China is done & in the books as the best adventure I've ever embarked upon. We had a great time. I never thought I would go to Beijing, but now I can say that I did that and so much more - like walk on the Great Wall! We were leaving Beijing the day after MH370 disappeared, but I am thankful for a safe journey.

Next trip is to visit my sister's family in May to celebrate my nephew's first birthday & her husband's retirement from the Navy. I'm really looking forward to that.

Spring is here & the weather is beautiful. I'm going to enjoy it for as much as I can before the weather & humidity gets stifling hot!

I am enjoying reading about everyone's goals for 2014. It inspires & excites me for what is ahead in the coming year.

I told myself that I was content with working one job, but as I look at my goals, I decided to apply to work a part-time job again. I may not get it, but it would be incredibly convenient as the hospital is located just down the street. It would also help me meet my savings goals & re-build my emergency fund. And the more I work the less time I have to spend money.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I am very thankful to be so abundantly blessed. Too many blessings to list them all, but a few stand out at the moment.

I have had a great year at work. I recently was awarded a peer award by my colleagues. I also have the highest rating level possible. Bonuses are tied to ratings. I don't know what my bonus will be this year, but I am grateful for whatever I get in these difficult economic times. Also at work this week I won our Biggest Loser competition. It was nice to have some extra cash in my pockets, not to mention the benefits of getting healthier.

My birthday is Thursday & I'm looking forward to the coming holidays. I just know that this coming year will be an exceptional year for me!

It's pretty cool when you meet & surpass a goal without knowing it. It was a pleasant surprise when I logged into Mint this morning & was able to mark a goal completed & set a new goal. Two major goals met in one year. Pretty stoked about that.

As we head into fall, I was thinking about reaching this year's goals & looking ahead to next year's goals. This year my main goals are retirement & debt repayment, as they are every year. I always meet my retirement goal, as I will this year. In January I funded my Roth IRA with the maximum $5,500. I don't know if I'll be able to do that this January. I may have to fund it throughout the year, since my savings have been somewhat depleted to pay down debt. I will continue to fund my retirement account at work with my maximum contribution. I have not read if they're anticipating another increase in limits next year, though. A $500 increase would only mean an extra $20 biweekly though.

Last year I transferred the majority of my credit card debt to a card with 0% interest for 18 months. I started out paying $200 weekly, but now pay $100 weekly since I have one job. I still plan to have that paid off before the 18 months of no interest.

On a lighter note, I am going to enjoy this 3 day weekend by taking some time to cook, relax, and visit with family & friends.

I was watching the news the other day, on the 50th anniversary of MLK's March on Washington & his famous "I Have A Dream Speech". They pointed out that while he is celebrated today, when MLK was assassinated he was seen as a very divisive figure. He was hated by many who saw him as a race baiter, rabble rouser, & just a generally bad American. And I was thinking, don't they do the same thing today? Hate you for your politics, hate you for your skin color, hate you for your religion, accuse you of doing what they are guilty of themselves? Then I thought, people can say whatever they want about you. The test of time will judge your actions in the correct light, not the view tainted by people's political agendas or bigotry. If you just keep on doing the right thing. What a legacy MLK left by not letting the naysayers deter him from speaking the truth boldly. Your critics of today are temporary & will be soon forgotten. Just keep pushing on.

The stock market has had some record setting highs this year. More than any other year I believe I read. I'm always happy to see my investments increase.

I'm managing on one job just fine & enjoying all the free time. I've started working out 5 days a week & started back training by jogging. I can't wait to see my progress. One thing about running, you can really see the improvements early on & they keep on coming.

My employer is officially no longer paying on my student loan. I believe the money was misappropriated/lost. I've always made the payments & will continue to do so. This repayment plan was just extra. I'm sorry to no longer have it, but prepared to pay it myself regardless.

Two weeks since my second job was eliminated & I'm more tired than ever. I feel like I need to get a second job again just to get some rest!

Some changes I made thus far this year:

1. Started off the year with a spiritual Daniel Fast & it made all the difference. Also, it forced me to stop eating out & enjoy cooking healthy, whole foods at home.

I went into 2013 with a renewed sense of hope & the fast just really opened my heart to what God has in store for me in every area of my life.

2. Transferred my credit card debt at Capital One to Pentagon Federal @ 0% interest for 18 months.

3. Attended the inauguration & visited with family. I had a wonderful time.

4. My second job that I have held for 4 years will end in April due to the hospital closing. I have worked at this hospital in some capacity since 2000. I'm just waiting & praying to see what I should do on that.

I've been wanting to start a small business for some time now. I am excited to see what the future holds on that.

I'm anticipating that I will get some extra income in the next month from working during the hurricane. This will help fund my vacation & the hours I will miss working at my second job while on my vacation. I will save the rest in my savings. I plan to fully fund my Roth IRA in January with cash in savings.

I got a somewhat unexpected raise this paycheck. I knew it was coming, I just didn't expect it quite this early. I was very happy to see it. I've been very blessed financially. Also, I'm hoping that my student loan payments by my employer gets sorted out soon. It's been 9 months of back & forth trying to get the paperwork fixed. It is ridiculous that it's taken this long, but I'm grateful for the payments still being made in the meantime.

The stock market has been doing really well lately. I can't believe it's almost time - again - to reassess my finance goals for the year. Where has this year gone?

I've been a busy bee traveling here & there. I have a few more trips planned, but will settle down next year. Traveling isn't free unfortunately. I want to get back to blogging, but not much is happening with me. I'm in a steady state of paying off debt & saving. Same strategy as always.

I will probably lose my second job soon so I'm looking for a replacement. Last month I paid off my car so that's $327 less in monthly loan payments for me. Yay!!!

New limit of $17,000 to TSP ($16,500 to TSP in 2011)

$5,000 to Roth (EFT completed today for market open on Tuesday, have always maxed out my IRA)

Pay off credit card debt completely (this is the big one, and I'm determined to see this one completed by the end of the year)

Pay off car (on track to have my car paid off long before the end of the year, can use the money to help pay off other debt)

Continue to pay off grad school loans with the help of my employer's student loan repayment plan.

I'm not too worried about paying additional on mortgage until I complete the previous goals.

I am so excited to see this new year. I have a lot of hope and wishes for this new year and I believe some prayers will be answered in a big way. God has been faithful to me and my family.

I have spent most of the day going over my financial status and making plans for this new year. My net worth for 2011 increased by $38,000, mainly due to retirement contributions. Pretty good. I think my net worth will increase significantly again this year.

My one financial resolution was to stop shopping. I think this will have a big impact on my financial standing as it will allow me to pay down debt rather than just maintain my credit card debt level as I did this past year.

Increase savings + decrease debt = a recipe for success in 2012!

My mom and I went to the Parade of Homes yesterday and today. We saw some absolutely beautiful homes that made me appreciative to even be a home owner, but also made me dream of the possibilities. These homes that we saw, particularly yesterday, were spectacular, custom built homes with all sorts of amenities. I could only wonder at the cost and time to keep those homes looking so show ready. I can barely keep my home up and have a growing to do list. But then again, if I had one of those homes I could afford the help to keep it up. My mom and I had a lot of fun. It was good to enjoy ourselves after burying my uncle this past week. We needed a weekend like this, it was an escape.

It's May, already! Time flies the older you get. I understand that all too well now. Well, I'm on my same course with my finance with some minor changes. I decreased the amount going to savings to increase credit card payments. I think it's a good move.

I am also back to working my regular schedule at my second job. The hours were never cut short fully as people have been needing time off for maternity leave and what not. So I have all the hours I'm used to having plus some more as things pop up. I am grateful to have not just one, but two jobs in this economy.

The federal government wants to be sure we pay our taxes on time! Already got my W-2 online this week. I got my retention pay that was shorted on the last paycheck of 2010. I also got my first student loan payment. They put it on my check for tax purposes, but it gets sent directly to Sallie Mae. So now I'm just waiting on my other W-2 from the state. I also need interest forms for my student loan and mortgage, as well as year end contributions from my charities.

CFC (the Combined Federal Campaign for federal employees) is easy as the same amount gets taken out each week on my paycheck and I pledge a certain amount for the year.

ChildFund (aka Christian Children's Fund) takes out a different amount every month depending on whether it's a month that I pledge an additional gift to be given directly to my sponsored child. Usually it's just the $24 sponsorship, but some months they deduct additional as I give gifts for Easter, her birthday, and Christmas, and they then add a gift handling fee on top of that.

I've considered ending my sponsorship with Child's Fund and just giving to CFC. It's hard to do that when you have a child to connect with your giving. You know that child's name, you see her face, you know all about her family.

I'm adding up the gifts that I remembered to track for the year and I'm up to $1,500 so far. I don't mind giving to family and friends and charity. It's a pleasure.

LSU won last night. I fell asleep watching the game. I guess I knew they were going to win at that point. Really proud of Jordan Jefferson's performance last night. I hate all the criticism he gets.

Today the Saints play the Seahawks. I'm worried. They have a lot of players not listed. Seahawks aren't a strong team, but any team can beat any team on any given Sunday, or Saturday in this case.

Starting my fasting on January 10th. I hope that I'm ready for this! I will need a lot of prayer.

Happy New Year! Yesterday and today I reviewed much of my year end finances and made some changes for 2011. Yesterday I updated my spread sheets for my 2011 earnings and savings. Today I made my 2011 deposit to my Roth IRA. My deposit should be processed January 4th. I also changed my exemption from 1 to 0 at my full-time job. Last year I changed my exemption from 1 to 0 at my part-time job. Hopefully next year I will not owe taxes as I did last year and I project I will this year again.

Here's to a prosperous, healthy 2011! I can't wait to greet this new year. 2011 is going to be a great, great year!

Pleasant surprise this morning when my accounts were updated on Mint.com. Received $1456.16 in capital gains and dividends on my Roth IRA at Vanguard. Nice little boost to my end of year account balance. Think I'll send off $5,000 for my 2011 Roth contribution tomorrow. Love doing that! Goal # 1 accomplished on the first day of the year.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas! It has been such a merry one already for me and my family. I hope the same is true for you and yours this holiday season.

I'd love to have a personal goal besides my annual New Year's resolution to lose weight. I still need to lose weight, but I'd like to accomplish something else as well.

In January I'm starting my orientation to become a CASA volunteer. I'd like to give back more. I just hope that my work doesn't conflict with being able to make court dates and such.

A better relationship with God is always a desire. Maybe I can do some more Bible study. I'm always impressed with people that know the Bible well. I remember some stories from Sunday school, but I get embarrassed sometimes with how little I know.

I will have to think more on my personal goals.

I have had a great birthday and the Saints won!

I am updating my progress on my 2010 goals, which remain unchanged or 2011.

I completed goal #1 in January 2010.

I will complete goal #2 with my last two paychecks this month.

I am working on goal #3, but it's hard to pin down my monthly expenses. I am tracking on Mint.com, but my expenses seem to vary widely from month to month depending on what's going on. So I'm just averaging those expenses. I think $20,000 would be reasonable start to rebuild my emergency fund to, and I'm not far from that.

Goal #4 has not been completed at any time this year. Maybe next year.

I am working on goal #5 and with my employer's help, the graduate school loans will be paid off quicker.

Two hours until my 33rd birthday. Happy Birthday to me!

This week I got some bad news, later replaced by really good news. I guess many saw that there was a proposed spending freeze for federal employees. While not exactly excited about that, I understood it. Then the next day I found out that my expected annual performance appraisal bonus was doubled what I expected. So that extra money will exceed the 1.4% raise that was proposed for next year. What an awesome early birthday present! Our organization must have done really well in our performance indicators. I'm proud of us. Despite what the public perception may be of federal employees, we really do try to go above and beyond for our veterans.

I was feeling a little bored today and decided to do some Christmas shopping. I know, I'm so bad. I really need to get presents for men, but it's always so much easier to shop for women, so that's what I ended up buying. Oh my goodness, the mall traffic was crazy. I didn't even make it to the mall. I just shopped near the mall then I wimped out and left. Besides, my brake tag expired in October and I suddenly remembered that fact. My car was in the repair shop for most of last month due to repairs from my accident in September.

So the moral of that story is, don't go to the mall on the weekend in the month of December. That's just crazy. I need to not forget that lesson next year. I really do not ever remember it being like that before now. Maybe this is a sign of economic recovery. I sure hope so.

I don't mean to be flippant about the economic prosperity I enjoy, but I'm kind of tired of hearing about what's wrong with our country. I'd like to start hearing that we're doing great. Sometime soon please. That will be my wish when I blow out the candles on my cake.

I do plan on switching health insurance plans to a plan with an HSA. I'll contribute another $10 or $20 per pay period in addition to the $750 that the insurance plan will contribute for the year. I won't contribute to the FSA this year. I think the HSA has many advantages over the FSA including that it rolls over every year. So it's a source of income for medical expenses not just now, but also in retirement when I may need it even more.