Apologies for the lack of posts the last couple of days. I've felt like I don't really have anything to say, although that's not completely true. I guess I just don't have anything topical to say, i.e. I've been lacking specific topics or overarching ideas for posts. This blog, however, was never meant to contain great philosophical or financial material, so that's really not an excuse. This blog was meant to chronicle my journey toward debt freedom and beyond, and certainly I can find something to say about that.
On that note, I'd like to share some exciting news. As of Friday, I completed one of my goal progress bars! After receiving a lot of the money I've made from my December Alternative Income goal (which is also nearly complete - see next paragraph), I sent a final payment of $488.67 to AES and they are now out of my life forever! That company has been particularly irritating to work with; they have terrible customer service, and they were very unaccommodating when I tried to get a forbearance or deferment during a financial hardship a couple years ago, so it's nice to be rid of them. Best of all, I have $190 to add to my debt snowball!
On the December Alternative Income side of things, the progress bar only reflects what has actually been deposited into my bank account thus far, but the real total is closer to $1200! My parents sold some of my furniture that was still at their place from when I moved, which was $150. I sold a couple things on eBay for over $300, and that money should be arriving in my account from PayPal today or tomorrow. Last but not least, I have over $600 in payments from Amazon that will be deposited next Monday! I'll keep updating the progress bar as things come in, but it should reach 100% in the next 24 hours.
That's all the updates I have for now. Keep the encouragement coming! I love reading your comments!
Showing posts with label income. Show all posts
Showing posts with label income. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
December Alternative Income Update
My $600 December alternative income goal is going EXTREMELY well. As you can see from the side bar, I've made about $240 so far, but that doesn't include a couple things I'm expecting soon. Here's the breakdown:
And it could still climb higher. I've got another eBay auction with no bids yet, but similar auctions have sold for around $100 and there's still four days left. I've also got a few more things waiting for the right buyer on Amazon.com, as well as my skis that are up for sale on Craig's List. The total could potentially get above $1000!
Where's all that money going? The first chunk is going to AES. That company has been particularly irritating to work with, so when I send the final payment in the next few days I'll feel a huge sense of satisfaction. The rest of the money will be used to beef up my emergency fund. It's not at full capacity yet, and after fixing my computer I'll really want to get it back up to a comfortable level.
Onward with the money-making!
- Half Price Books - $58
- DVDs sold on Amazon.com - $182 (after fees and shipping)
- Christmas bonus from work - $200
- eBay auction - currently at $264 with four days left (before fees and shipping)
And it could still climb higher. I've got another eBay auction with no bids yet, but similar auctions have sold for around $100 and there's still four days left. I've also got a few more things waiting for the right buyer on Amazon.com, as well as my skis that are up for sale on Craig's List. The total could potentially get above $1000!
Where's all that money going? The first chunk is going to AES. That company has been particularly irritating to work with, so when I send the final payment in the next few days I'll feel a huge sense of satisfaction. The rest of the money will be used to beef up my emergency fund. It's not at full capacity yet, and after fixing my computer I'll really want to get it back up to a comfortable level.
Onward with the money-making!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Spread Thin? Spend Less and Earn More (and Get a Bonus)
I’m feeling a little spread thin this month, and it’s making it hard to have patience. I really want to be throwing all of my money at my debt snowball, but unfortunately that’s just not possible right now.
A big reason for this is that I bought two plane tickets for much more than I budgeted for in the past two months. I had budgeted to spend about $300 on each, but I ended up spending about $400, and my plane ticket fund is now in the hole. I have enough in savings for other categories to float the difference so I haven’t overdrawn my bank account, but I do need to remedy the situation.
I know the smartest thing to do is to not only replenish my plane ticket fund, but also rebuild it enough to buy the next plane ticket very soon. Part of the reason I spent more than I budgeted for the previous two was that I waited too long to buy. If I throw a lot of money at that fund right now, I can buy my ticket for spring for about $250. That would save me money overall, so that’s what I’m going to do.
Still, it’s hard to have less to throw at the debt snowball than I’ve had in past months. I really want to keep making significant progress, so I need to find more money somewhere. As anyone who’s been around the PF blogosphere for long knows, there’s only two ways to get more money: spend less and earn more.
My lessened spending has come mostly from my Christmas budget. Not buying anything for myself on Black Friday gave me $40, and spending under budget on a few gifts for other people brings the total up to about $60 so far.
In the earn more category, I went through some boxes of stuff I’d left at my parents’ place when I moved last July and found some things to sell. I took eight boxes of books and CDs to Half Price Books and made $57, and I brought a few of the nicer books and CDs home and listed them on Amazon, but the big find was a piece of unopened graphics software that will probably net me about $200 on eBay. I’m also contemplating selling a few of my TV on DVD sets that I really like, but don’t rewatch often (or at all).
I’ve also heard from a very reliable source that my company is giving out a $200 bonus at the Christmas party in a couple of weeks. I’m not sure I really qualify that as “earning” more, but money is money and I’ll take it any (legal/moral) way I can get it.
My goal is to have an extra $600 from a combination of spending less and earning more (and getting a bonus) to add to my plane ticket fund and debt snowball by the end of December. That’s bigger than my usual snowball amount, so that will make me feel really good about my progress. I’ll update you at the end of the month on how I did, but if I forget to post about it, poke me and ask.
A big reason for this is that I bought two plane tickets for much more than I budgeted for in the past two months. I had budgeted to spend about $300 on each, but I ended up spending about $400, and my plane ticket fund is now in the hole. I have enough in savings for other categories to float the difference so I haven’t overdrawn my bank account, but I do need to remedy the situation.
I know the smartest thing to do is to not only replenish my plane ticket fund, but also rebuild it enough to buy the next plane ticket very soon. Part of the reason I spent more than I budgeted for the previous two was that I waited too long to buy. If I throw a lot of money at that fund right now, I can buy my ticket for spring for about $250. That would save me money overall, so that’s what I’m going to do.
Still, it’s hard to have less to throw at the debt snowball than I’ve had in past months. I really want to keep making significant progress, so I need to find more money somewhere. As anyone who’s been around the PF blogosphere for long knows, there’s only two ways to get more money: spend less and earn more.
My lessened spending has come mostly from my Christmas budget. Not buying anything for myself on Black Friday gave me $40, and spending under budget on a few gifts for other people brings the total up to about $60 so far.
In the earn more category, I went through some boxes of stuff I’d left at my parents’ place when I moved last July and found some things to sell. I took eight boxes of books and CDs to Half Price Books and made $57, and I brought a few of the nicer books and CDs home and listed them on Amazon, but the big find was a piece of unopened graphics software that will probably net me about $200 on eBay. I’m also contemplating selling a few of my TV on DVD sets that I really like, but don’t rewatch often (or at all).
I’ve also heard from a very reliable source that my company is giving out a $200 bonus at the Christmas party in a couple of weeks. I’m not sure I really qualify that as “earning” more, but money is money and I’ll take it any (legal/moral) way I can get it.
My goal is to have an extra $600 from a combination of spending less and earning more (and getting a bonus) to add to my plane ticket fund and debt snowball by the end of December. That’s bigger than my usual snowball amount, so that will make me feel really good about my progress. I’ll update you at the end of the month on how I did, but if I forget to post about it, poke me and ask.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Where Am I Now? – Part I: Increasing My Income
Now that I’d decreased my outflow, I’ve started looking at ways to increase my income.
When I moved from WA to CA in July, I took only what fit in my car, so there was a lot of stuff left at my parents’ place. They’d been planning to have a garage sale anyway, and my part of the proceeds was about $500.
I also found a few things I’d brought with me that I didn’t really need or want, so I listed that stuff on eBay, Amazon, and Half. I sold a few DVDs, the seventh Harry Potter, my old camera, and a few other odds and ends, all of which has net me about $200 so far.
I’ve also got a bunch of books and CDs still at my parents’ place, which I plan on bringing back in my checked luggage at Thanksgiving so that I can sell them.
My next objective was to find a second job. I needed something where the hours wouldn’t affect my current 8-5 job, and since I’m not desperate, I also needed something that I wouldn’t completely hate, which ruled out many high turnover positions like fast food.
What I came up with was newspaper delivery. The hours are about 3-6 am, six days a week, which would give me plenty of time to get home and get ready before I had to be at my regular job at 8. It’s also done mostly alone, which is a big plus for an introvert like me, especially at the crack of dawn. I’d have to adjust my sleeping schedule to do it, as well as give up watching as much TV (or at least save it for the weekend - although with the writer's strike, there may not be much to watch anyway), but it pays $16-18 an hour so I’m sure I could do it temporarily to get a good chunk of my debt eliminated.
I’ve done some research and found a couple companies that handle delivery in my area, but since I’ll be flying home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I don’t want to deal with finding someone to take my route on those days, I’ll apply for a route when I get back after Christmas. I plan on sticking it out for at least six months (more if I like it and I’m not too tired), which will net me around $7000 dollars.
Total increased income so far: $700
Increased income goal for the next year: $8000
I’ll be sure to keep you updated as I work toward that goal.
This post is part of my Financial Revolution Series, which is my personal financial story. Each post gives a piece of the story, detailing how I got into debt and how I turned things around.
Next Time on TVG&M: Nuts and Bolts
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