Firefly's Personal Finance Blog

That’s the number I got today for my latest Experian report. Only 2 points from perfect!

My dad is doing better. He got a shot in his shoulder & prescription Naproxen (Aleve, but stronger). I picked up his medication & a few grocery items for my mom after his appt. He said he was feeling a little better by the time I left that evening. The next morning when I called he was out in the yard using his blower. He seemed to be doing fine when I dropped off some food for them today.

Today is a federal holiday so I have the day off. I worked a 12 hour shift at the hospital. When I got home last night my mom called to tell me that my dad had been in bed all day because he couldn’t move his right arm. That caused alarm bells to go off immediately in my head. I then spoke to my dad & he explained that it was bursitis that he’s experienced before. That calmed me down a little. He has an appointment this afternoon with his doctor. He tried to tell me that he could drive himself. Really?! I don’t think so. My mom hasn’t driven in months & she gets nervous easily. So of course I’m driving him to the doctor.

They called about 3 times this morning trying to tell me that didn’t have to take him since it was my day off, but if I did, I didn’t need to stay there & wait for him. Like I could ever consider helping my parents as a burden! I’m so grateful for all that my parents have done for me. I consider it a joy whenever I can make their lives a little easier or less worrisome.

I’m so grateful that I can make a good living here since my sisters live on the east coast. And if they decide to move maybe I will, too. I can be happy anywhere & in any situation because that’s what I choose to be. Having said that, I do believe that some places & situations will bring me more joy than others. I’m working on improving my life everyday: financially, personally, spiritually, and professionally.

I spent some time this weekend & today organizing my jewelry. Coincidentally, as I was doing this my friend offered her rolling jewelry case for free. I already have a nice Pottery Barn jewelry case that I picked up from Tuesday Morning, but I’m excited to see what hers is like. The one from Pottery Barn has a lock that doesn’t work, which is why it was such a steal.

Net Worth $1,009,805

Also, Happy Indigenous People’s Day & Happy Thanksgiving to the Canadians! 🦃🥧🌻🍁🍂🇨🇦

Hurricane Delta has passed & I am relatively unscathed. I lost power for 9 hours & still have no internet, but other than that and the now dry closet leak, all is well. The weather is sunny & dry this morning.

Yesterday was my sister’s birthday & I called to send her my best wishes. I got to speak to my niece & nephew as well. They’re growing up so fast! I can’t wait to spend time with them during the holidays. I still hope that they will be able to travel home for Christmas.🎄

I missed Lyra class this morning. The power was out & I was just not physically feeling up to going, so I canceled my reservation for today’s class. I’ll be back on Tuesday. The studio is doing a Broadway showcase for the various classes. I’m thinking of doing a routine to Masquerade from Phantom. 🎭 We’re also having a Halloween photo shoot which will be fun. 🎃👻

Have a good weekend! Since the clinic was closed yesterday we now have a 4 day weekend due to Columbia Day, though I work tomorrow at the hospital. 🏥

I did a search & there have been no announcements yet from the IRA regarding retirement plan contribution limits for next year. I’ve only seen one person say that the 401k limit will increase to $20k, but I would be very surprised by that happening.

Net Worth $1,007,225

Hi all! NPR is working on a project on American families living paycheck-to-paycheck. Does that describe your household, before and after the pandemic? NPR correspondent Alina Selyukh would love to hear from you!

In an email to Alina, please describe a little bit about yourself and your situation. Her inbox: [aselyukh@npr.org](mailto:aselyukh@npr.org).

Feel free to copy and paste to repost.

It’s 1 a.m. in the morning & I’m up listening to the rain. I have a leak in my closet that I’ll have them look at after the storm passes. The repairs will be covered by the association. Our clinic decided to close tomorrow so we won’t have to brave the weather. I’m grateful for that. Hurricane season can’t be over soon enough!

I ordered another Clever Fox budget planner for next year & I love the updates! It makes me excited to start tracking my 2021 goals.

My mortgage is showing up on Mint again so I can update my net worth again. I’m sure the markets will shake up after the election, but things are still trucking along nicely for now.

Net Worth $1,001,636

I started this off as a reply to another blog, then realized that I was writing a blog entry! 😹

My weekend was good. I started it off by taking a 4.23 mile walk around the university lakes after work. I know the exact distance because I logged it with my Fitbit Versa. I walked a brisk 4 mph. The weather was beautiful!

Saturday morning I had Lyra class. I stopped by my parents’ afterwards & visited for a while. I brought them muffins & cereal from Sprouts. Then I came home & did a little house organizing. My dad gave me some old shelving that I had bought my last year of college & had been stored in his shed all this time. I put it in my little storage shed. He also gave me a huge shredder which I lugged upstairs to my home office. My little shredder was not cutting it so I’m glad for this one. He bought it at a sale where they get rid of old state government office property. That’s also where he got the filing cabinets he gave me for my office.

I worked a 12 hour shift at the hospital Sunday. Today I took a day off. I’m anxiously awaiting my package from Amazon. I bought my Clever Fox Budget planner & more budgeting stickers for next year. I’ve so enjoyed using the one this year that I had to already purchase next year’s planner! This year my planner was rose gold, I bought a gold one for next year. They have more than 20 colors so I can keep buying a different color every year.

This month is a 3 paycheck month, which happens twice a year. Nothing really changes for me as so many of my bills are paid biweekly: mortgage, car loan, credit cards. I alternate paying my two credit cards every other paycheck. My auto loan is still on track to be paid off the last paycheck of December, which is coincidentally, on Christmas. Merry Christmas to me!

My investments were up exactly $69,500 from the end of the second quarter. The power of time in investing really becomes apparent after a couple of decades. You're making much more than you're contributing.

It was my mom's 70th birthday Wednesday. I took the day off to spend with her & my dad. We had a nice day. I worked out in the morning. I took them out for lunch (her first time in a restaurant in over 6 months). She wanted a lemon cake so I ordered a lemon cream cheese cake from a local bakery. My older sister sent a meal delivery & my younger sister sent her a gift card to their favorite restaurant. I also picked up some flowers in her favorite color, yellow. My dad bought balloons. I gave her a few gifts of things I thought she would enjoy: pumpkin spice cappuccino k-cups, floral scented soaps, pumpkin spice almonds, a journal with colored pens, and few health items that I thought she'd like to try. The weather was absolutely perfect. The only thing I forgot was a glass of wine or champagne to toast her 7 decades.

The end of September means my mom's birthday (tomorrow) and also the end of the 3rd quarter. We're not at market highs, but neither are we at market lows. I'll definitely see an increase over 2nd quarter earnings.

This is also the time of year that we usually hear about whether contribution limits for next year's retirement plans will increase. From everything I've read we shouldn't expect an increase. So my contributions will stay at $750 biweekly and $500 monthly.

My cell phone bill was $38.13 lower than last month. When I logged into my account to see what the difference was I found that I paid my last installment on my cell phone last month. 30 months of payments! I won't be trying to upgrade this cell phone anytime soon. I just pray that I don't start having problems with it. I upgraded to the iPhone X between my trips to England & Scotland and Greece because my phone was overheating & burning through the battery. I didn't want to go to Greece with an unreliable phone. And the iPhone X was such an upgrade as far as the camera. I have great pictures from Greece.

Although I get my credit report regularly I'm not sure if my phone was on it as a recurring payment. If so, it will probably drop my credit score by a few next update then eventually go back up.

I also received my $40 Costco gift card in the mail. It was part of the Groupon special when I purchased my membership. When I have room in my freezer I'll make another trip.

It’s a rainy day here & I have turkey chili in the crockpot. 🦃🌶 The weather seems to match the sadness of the day with the loss of RBG. I admired her greatly. May she rest in peace & power. 🖤

Yesterday I received my final 2 paychecks of the month so I did some budget planner journaling. I still have expenses for the rest of the month, but my income is largely accounted for. My check was of course larger due to the OASDI deferral. Next month is a 3 paycheck month, which means another credit card & car loan payment and another TSP contribution. Yay!!!

I learned a new move in Lyra class this morning & I’m definitely feeling it. It’s called Star on the Bar and it looks absolutely beautiful. I can tell it’s going to be one of my favorite moves. ⭐️

In professional news, I have a lot to be excited about & I hope to be sharing good news in the coming months.

Though I’m disappointed that my loan info no longer updates on Mint (because they migrated mortgage info from the mobile app to a website) the new website has a lot more information. It has neighborhood comps, home value, and most importantly, I now know that I only have 10 years left on my mortgage! I had estimated the payoff date, but it’s nice to have a definite date: December 2020.

We worked half a day today & the clinic will be closer tomorrow due the weather. Hurricane Sally is expected to make landfall near the Louisiana-Mississippi border tomorrow. My default hurricane snacks are usually a bunch of junk food & I instinctively crave junk whenever they start talking about a hurricane. I have been strong & avoided the temptation through Laura & now Sally. I’m doing so well & don’t want to stall my progress.

Today is 9-11 & we remember all the lives lost that day. I pray that our country returns to the unity we had in the days following that tragic event.

This week has been busy. My employee is out on maternity leave & another employee has also been out this week. I had to cover the lab as well as my everyday supervisory duties, plus cover for my lab manager in some duties as she took a short vacation.

Today I stepped on the scale & I saw a number that I haven't seen in well over a decade. Pretty exciting. I just hope to continue on this path.

I signed up for a level 1 hammock class at the aerial fitness gym. It will be my first time trying hammock. They also have pole, flexibility, and chair choreo classes. I have never worn heels as high as the heels they wear for the pole classes! I think I'll pass on those classes, at least for now.

Now that we are moving into phase 3, they are starting back at the salsa studio. They are having a limited sign-up social Tuesday. I'll need to do some practicing before I make an appearance!

My sister put an offer on a condo & it was accepted! I'm very excited for her becoming a homeowner. She's never had her own place, even just renting an apartment. I'm going to send her some tea towels as a housewarming present as well as a gift card, maybe to Target.

My finances are as usual. I continue to make progress on paying down debt & will soon be able to say that the credit card debt is below $10k. Still on track to pay it off by spring.

I hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day. This Labor Day I’m especially grateful to all the essential workers.

Today I did a little laboring in the gym & kitchen. I’m working out 45 min 3x a week plus strength training. I also took advantage of a Labor Day special that the aerial fitness gym was offering: 8 classes for $50. I signed up for all of the level 1 Lyra classes which is 5 classes. All are being taught by my friend so that will be fun. I’ll keep an eye on the schedule for my remaining 3 classes.

Several years ago I thought I would try spaghetti squash as a healthier alternative to pasta. I took one look at the spaghetti squash after cooking it, decided I wouldn’t like it after all, and ended up tossing it. Today I decided to try it again. I roasted 2 small spaghetti squash with olive oil & salt. I had some excess sauce from the crockpot chicken creole I made a couple of weeks ago. The red pepper really gave it a nice kick. I browned some 93% lean ground turkey, and viola! It was absolutely delicious. I am now sold on spaghetti squash.🍝

Health update: 24 lbs down

I’m probably the only person in the world who looks forward to sitting down with my budget planner! 😄

I was just thinking about the payroll deferral. Though it doesn’t apply to those making over $104k, I can’t opt out at my full-time job, though I will surely make over $104k this year with my added income. I hope there is not a penalty for the deferral, since I couldn’t opt out. I did remember though, that I’m on track to pay off my car in December so I can use that extra $200 every two weeks to cushion the deferral payback beginning in January. Things always seem to work out! I’m counting my blessings once again this morning.

My mortgage is not being counted against my net worth as of today on Mint. I’ll update again if they get it fixed.

At least for today.

I logged into my Mint account & for the first time I saw a net worth in the 7 digits. Very exciting, yet nothing changes for me. I just keep plugging away. I can't even celebrate with a glass of wine or champagne because I'm not drinking alcohol right now. Just seeing the number is celebration enough!

Net Worth $1,006,252

It’s September & my favorite season is in sight. 🍁🍂🎃

Ka-ching! That’s the sound of another sale! I sold 4 more tea towels today. I get more excited about selling something that the money I make! I’m going to ship the package on the way to the gym.

Today is the start of the payroll tax deferral. I’m a federal employee & of course, they will opt in to the holiday. I’m going to be really annoyed when I have to pay back these taxes in the new year, but unfortunately I don’t get to opt out of this political stunt.

My third job called me in yesterday. I got in 4 hours, most which will go to taxes due to my extra withholding, but I don’t want to come up with extra money when I file my taxes.

You may remember a few years back I received a settlement won by the union. Well I got another notice that I would be getting yet another settlement. Talk about an unexpected windfall! It won’t be as much as last time, but I’m certainly not complaining about free money in any amount. It will be make a nice dent in my credit card debt. I’ll definitely have it paid off by the time my 0% interest period ends.

I’m still not getting any hours at my third job, but I am in high demand at my second job. They always struggle to retain personnel there. My employee is now on maternity leave at my full-time job so I’ll be busier picking up her rotation as well as my usual supervisor duties. My second job wanted me to pick up some hours during the week, but I just couldn’t commit to it at this time even with my third job on hold.

Net Worth: $992, 900

All is well on the home front. We had some wind & rain our way, but nothing terrible. I made it to work bright & early. Hurricane Laura is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana in 164 years! It is a miracle that there isn’t more loss of life than is being reported.

I called my parents today as I do everyday. I asked what they were having for dinner. They said probably cold cuts sandwiches. I decided to surprise them with dinner from La Madeleine’s: chicken La Madeleine, quiche Lorraine, cranberry pecan salad, their freshly baked bread with butter & jam, and an assortment of dessert tarts. 🍗🥔🥦🥧🥗🍞🧈🍮 They were happily surprised & enjoyed everything. I figure making it through the storm unscathed was as good a reason to celebrate as any!

I’ve never been able to post pictures so I make do with emojis. 😁

In financial news, my biweekly mortgage payment posted yesterday & my balance is now under $56k. I bought my condo for $122k with 20% down. I’m always excited to see that balance go down slowly, but surely.

Net Worth $988,470

We are awaiting Hurricane Laura. She is supposed to make landfall near the Texas/Louisiana border as a category 4. She is picking up strength as they initially thought she would be a category 1 or 2 at landfall. Some of the low lying parishes are evacuating. A mandatory evacuation of Calcasieu Parish was ordered. We are on the east side of the storm, but about 2 hours away from where the eye should hit. We will get a significant amount of rain & wind, but not the very worst of it. Please pray for all those in the area impact by the storm. Thankfully, Marco did not cause much of an impact.

I am getting an increased amount of interest in my EBay sales. There must be an algorithm that the more you sell the more you traffic you get.

I caught a good sale on those Jelly Belly recipe mix bags. Thery were 75% off at the Fresh Market. The best by date isn't until December 2021, so I'm holding on to them as stocking stuffers. I grabbed all 19 bags! My younger sister is a big fan of jelly beans.

I am now down 20 lbs in 8 weeks. I lost a lot of weight with WW in my 20's, but I am losing just as quickly as I did then. This program really works for me. People are noticing, which is nice. I tend to not like to draw attention, but if I'm going to get attention, at least this attention is positive.

Net Worth: $981,568

I worked today, but as soon I got off work I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things. Then I went home & latest EBay sale ready to ship. While I was at the post office I got a notification that I sold another tea towel. So I turned around & went home to get the other tea towel ready to ship. Both are at the post office even though there was a notice that the post office will be closed tomorrow due to the weather. I still wanted them marked as shipped, even though the packages probably won’t be going anywhere tomorrow. I’m excited that my EBay sales have picked up & I hope this continues. The money isn’t much, but it’s better to have the money than the excess material things.

We have 2 storms brewing & both look to be headed for the Gulf Coast, unfortunately. I think I am pretty well stocked up for supplies. I have plenty of non-perishable food in my home thanks to my eating plan.

I sold another tea towel on EBay. So exciting! I’ll have to get it in the mail today, before the storms delay the mail even further.

I took a Lyra class taught by my friend yesterday. It was fun. I usually find strength training a chore so it’s nice to find something that is fun.

The TSP website is down for 2 whole days for maintenance. That’s a long time for a website to be down. I know that stocks are up & my Vanguard account is up, as well. I’ll wait until Monday to do a net worth update.

My employee is going out on maternity leave next week. We’re having a low-key, socially distanced baby shower for her. This is her second baby so I don’t think she’ll be too disappointed with not having a huge celebration. I got her my usual shower gift which is lot of bath supplies. Johnson & Johnson has a new newborn line so I got her that as well as the bedtime & soothing products.

I stopped in a few stores because I’m still on the hunt for bedding. I still didn’t find anything, but I remain surprised by how early the shops are closing & the low inventory/turnover of inventory I see. One store even had the lights half off, I guess to save money. And the clothing stores seem to still have a lot of summer clothing in stock, with little clothing for colder temperatures. September is less than 2 weeks away. I guess we’re all being more frugal now, but it’s honestly a little unsettling to see the mall so empty when it was once bustling. And yet my investments continue to climb. Honestly, I just keep expecting the bottom to fall out, but I’m just curious to see if I can hit double commas before that happens.

Net Worth: $971,396

I purchased a Costco membership through Groupon. The $60 membership includes a $40 gift card & $40 off online. I went to the store to take my picture for my card & ended up deciding to upgrade to the “black card”. I picked up 4 items: orange roughy fish, riced cauliflower, Laughing Cow cheese (really good deal at $4.99 for 4 wheels), and roasted peanuts. I would have bought more frozen veggies, but have no more space in my freezer. We used to eat orange roughy all the time when we lived in the upper Midwest, but here on the Gulf Coast you can pretty much only get catfish, tilapia, or salmon. On the rare occasion you may find trout or mahi mahi. 🐡🐠🐟

I also bought my parents & I thermometers. They had the forehead thermometers for $23. All of these things that were so hard to find or were so expensive are finally becoming reasonable again. 🤒

Home again today & I plan on doing some book keeping, laundry, & house cleaning, as well as hit the gym.

Net Worth: $967,382

I got paid yesterday for my third job. I only worked 4.37 hours due to the kit shortages. I paid 75% of my pay in taxes because I have it set up to take an additional $100 out each paycheck. So I netted approximately one hour’s pay. Oh well. Even though I’ve only worked there 3 months I’ve already made over $10,000 for the year.

TSP says my personal investment performance for the last 12 months is only 6.26% but it sure seems like a lot more with the recent gains.

Net Worth: $969,408