Escrow shortage: $277.52
Goal: make further cuts and changes to absorb that $277.52. For 2008, this'll mean a $137.00 savings over six months. I hope my husband gets a raise/cost of living adjustment in excess of $277.52.
My friend asked me for debt-repayment advice. I gave it to him. A half-hour later he called up my husband asking for help researching airline tickets. I do know how it is to have budget setbacks, and believe me I know how it is to want to reward oneself, and not to want to live a completely austere and penurious lifestyle devoid of any treats. But weekend getaways via air: I'm prudent enough to save those for when I have a healthy emergency fund or when I have a car loan paid off. I guess I must have given good advice, because my friend's not taking it. Why then does he ask me?
HELOC request now in the mail. I'm rationalizing this: the kitchen is 60 years old with no remodeling done whatsoever, and my available is about 66% of what I plan to ask for a credit line, and is 75% of what I plan to pay for the kitchen itself.
Oh yeah, stimulus check came. Whee. Valid for one year only. 10% will go to local hunger initiatives.
Monday blabs, from the virtual red tent
June 16th, 2008 at 04:56 pm
June 16th, 2008 at 05:54 pm
EG: my friend asks me on advice for buying a car. she has VERY limited funds. (under $2000). she has a bicycle to ride to work and has given her mother money to use her mothers car, so should be fine for atleast a couple of weeks, right? i tell her to bide her time, research, research, research (she ahs gone through two cars in two months, both broke down and are unusable) and wait until a good deal comes up on a car of a brand that is reliable, and make sure to ask questions about it. so what does she do? she looks on the internet, finds a HOT PINK 1997 kia mentor for $1500 and tell me in a text message : it's pink, a kia, 1997, lowered with power steering and a cd player. i asked for more info which she couldnt give me. i looked it up online and it had done 240 000km and the current owner had only had it for one year. ummm... something wrong there?!?! i have tried to drill into her that if she is looking for a cheap car, a cd player, lowered suspension and the colour is not important, however she kept going on about how 'beautiful' it was. never mind it was an 11 year old KIA, of all cars...
:O
anyway.
so yes i understand your pain.
June 16th, 2008 at 07:48 pm
June 16th, 2008 at 08:50 pm