The Good: None of these are Earth Shattering. I love having a huge, wonderful thing to report, but I guess sometimes you gotta take what you can get.
- Freecycle. I am trying to get rid of a ton of stuff (mostly I would like to sell it, but some of it just needs to be donated). I was able to get rid of a big box of stuff this morning. To the people who are taking the items...enjoy!
- Cash for Groceries. I really love this. We are conscience of what we are buying and we aren't going "over." If this continues to work, I will consider an "entertainment" jar as well.
- Taxes! We have our mortgage info, G-man's W2 from his main job, and my W2. We still need student loan stuff and G-man's part time job W2, but we have enough to get a rough idea how much of a return we are getting.
The Bad: .
- Mortgage Refi. The appraisal came in low, and even with some further magic, the number is still a little low. Our rate now is 5.125 (vs 4.75). The bright side is that our loan amount is going to be smaller, but we will not get to skip a month payment. Also, our current mortgage bank has not paid our taxes that were due on Jan 1, so there is a chance we will have to bring our taxes, plus our February mortgage payment to the closing table. We will get it all back from our escrow account, but we will have to drain our emergency fund for a period of time in order to do this. I am really peeved that the taxes haven't been paid. For Pete's Sake....do your freakin' jobs. We pay the money monthly for the escrow...we are doing our job....why can't they do theirs??
- No-Eating Out Challenge. My report this week is double-edged. No formal eating out, but I bought a coffee while out with a friend (but on the flip side, that was the only thing I bought while we were out!).
- Side Hustle. I just haven't had much time this week for the side hustle. This bums me out. I set a lofty goal, and that goal will only work if I WORK at this. I really hope that once other things settle down, I can really crush this one.
The Ugly: I have a case of the Wants again. This time it is our bedroom. Like many people, our bedroom becomes a dumping ground for things that don't have a home elsewhere in the house. I spent some time yesterday cleaning all that stuff out, and today will be perfunctory cleaning (dusting, vacuuming, etc). But I want our bedroom to be more cozy and romantic. I am sure our anniversary is spurring this on. But since this isn't in the budget, it will just have to be what it is. We did talk about some things that we would like to change.....making our existing headboard and footboard padded and covered in fabric. Found a nice piece of art. New rug. I hate the Wants!!!!
So let's hear it.......what were your GBUs for the week?
Hmmmm, the Good, The Bad and the Ugly??
ReplyDeleteThe Good. - The house is clean, there is food in the fridge and money in the checking account.
The Bad. Carpeting is expensive, and the insurance company didn't come close to the amount we really need to finish the basement.
The Ugly. I'm getting the "wants" too. I'm getting zealous about new carpeting and want to put some in our familyroom as well...I will have to quiet the wants for now...
As far as your bedroom, how about a new color on the wall? A can of paint is not that expensive and it may change the way you view your room. I would have initially suggested deep cleaning and decluttering...that does wonders for me, but it sounds like you already did that. Hang in there...
Carpeting IS expensive. We really need to replace the carpet in Bossy's room and it is just too expensive.
ReplyDeleteOur bedroom....we already plan to paint at some point. We have other projects ahead of that one. We are painting it gray. We have red curtains with a black undertone, and a gray, black, and white bed spread.
I think because our anniversary is tomorrow I am just looking for the quick fix right now!
So here is a question. Yesterday I bought a 24 sessions of Yoga on Groupon for $24. Two of the people I referred purchased it after me as a referral so I got $20 in Groupon Credit.(I do yoga for back issues to stay out of physical therapy) So is that like getting it for free or is it just deceptive math on my part. 5 years ago I would think it was like getting it for free but now I am beginning to think the latter.
ReplyDelete@CJ - I am guessing that the $20 in referral money is to be used on a future purchase, so it would be more accurate to think of the NEXT purchase as free (or reduced). But that is jsut my opinion.
ReplyDelete