Save or Spend

Are you saving or spending?

{2013} :: {2014}

Well, I spend money on bills, and occasionally on a random item of clothing every now and then, however, we are doing well at saving, just too bad it's not enough. It's never enough!

Photo: This kid has ball control like no other. Seriously. Weaving in and out of people. I was quite impressed! #5 #heismybrother #cokevillepanthers #wyomingstatebasketball

Money in My Bank

What is your current bank balance?
{2013}

Somewhere between $1,000 and $100,000. It's really not close to the latter, however I feel we are doing okay for now. We are able to put more and more in our savings each month, which is really nice. Now if we didn't have a $4000 deductible on our insurance. I opened a separate account for health purposes, since we can only contribute so much to our HSA. Bummer deal really. Just want to have everything paid off so we can work on getting new debts! ;) (KIDDING. If I've learned one thing from doing loans, it's that you should NEVER buy a $50,000 vehicle, when you're making significantly less than that.) Of course, I'd never buy a $50K vehicle anyway, but you get my  point!

Photo: The sound of windows being scrapped of frost.....

Saving

Are you saving or spending?

{2013}

 

I think we're doing a better job at saving. Of course it helps to have a second income that is twice what mine is. We do spend a lot of money that we shouldn't, but we are at least building up a savings.

Photo: Totally got to sleep in today. It's 9:15 and I'm just now eating breakfast and not yet dressed for work.

Rich

List ten things you’d do if you were rich.

{2013} 

 

1. Buy a new house
2. Make me a fancy craft room
3. Buy all the scrapbook supplies I want
4. Donate to charity
5. Buy a second reliable car
6. Go on a fun road trip with Greg
7. Buy front row tickets to a One Direction concert
8. Get a new wardrobe
9. Hire a professional chef
10. Greg can decide on the rest :)

Photo: It was busy. I was on my feet all morning. Too tired to eat lunch.  When I did decide I needed to eat my fork broke and then I got a bloody nose that lasted about 40 minutes, resulting in a massive headache. I'm tired. 

Most Expensive

The most expensive bill I paid last month was…

Our gas bill. It always goes up in the winter, like a lot. We can't help it. We just like being warm. Last month it was $160 which actually ties with the two student loans that we pay $160 for each. (I just pay half for each pay check so I almost didn't count them.)

Photo: Love the split screen on my computer. Makes this planning a little bit easier...

Groceries

How much did you spend at the grocery store the last time you went? 

We are so bad at just buying whatever we feel like. I try to keep it below a certain amount, (and by try I mean pay it doesn't go over that amount), but it doesn't usually work.  But last amount we spent at Smith's was... $38.80

So that was a good one... 

Photo: Lunch by myself in the break room, listening to the drip drip drip of the faucet, can be a tad bit depressing.

Money

How much money is in your wallet?

{2012}

 

I don't think I have any money in my wallet. Maybe a few cents? Why people carry cash now days, I really don't know. Cards are so much easier.

 

Photo: Love. My Christmas present came today. I kind of love it.

 

Expensive Bills

What is the most expensive bill you've paid recently?

 

It was the $530 medical bill I paid...the first of many! Generally though, the most expensive bill we have is either or cell phones ($130) or the city bill ($120-$170)... depending on the month. Dang bills. Take all our money.

 

Photo: Open. This is pretty much what I get when I open our mailbox.

 

Major Purchase

What was your last major purchase?

 

I hate spending money on clothes, but when I found an awesome deal on some maxi dresses, I splurged a bit. I spent about $90 on 6 dresses. Of course since I don't ever spend that much in clothes, the one time I do, only one of them fit. Hopefully the return process is quick.

 

Photo: This is what I've been doing for the past two days. Listening to Greg pick on Annie, and sit around watching tv. So relaxing!

 

Bank Balance

What is your current bank balance?

 

Well, it's better than it was last month for sure, but still not quite where I'd like it to be. But it's no where I would need to be too concerned about. Being a teller had taught me a few things about how I want my account to look.

 

Photo: Best way to eat oatmeal for sure.

 

Gimme My Money

Does anyone owe you money?

 

I wish! But, no. Uncle Don finally paid up so I think we're good. I wouldn't mind if someone owed me a few thousand (with the intention of actually paying me back, of course!)

 

Photo: On the wall. This painting is in the wall at work and I just find it so strange. I don't really understand why it is there. Not that it's bad or anything. Just odd. (For my memory: when it was super slow at work and Caleb used Paint to recreate this particular piece of art)

 

Next Major Purchase

What is the next major purchase you need to make?

In reality? Or in my mind? I think in reality it would be a second car, or a house would be nice. In my mind I think a new mac with photoshop, and also a new camera. Feel free to donate to my "Bre needs a new mac" fund. I'll gladly take it!

Saving vs Spending

Are you saving or spending?

Well...I sure try to save. We actually were doing really well there for a while (back when Greg was working and we didn't have to pay back student loans). Unfortunately, we have to start paying back one of the loans, which we weren't expecting to have to do until June, so that's a bit of a bummer. Pretty much my entire paycheck goes towards bills, but I do try to put a little aside..only to end up pulling it back out. But the fact that I'm putting it into savings should get me points! We don't spend near as much as we used to, and don't have a lot of expenses...other than your basic bills. No expensive car loans that cost more than our trailer, no major credit card bills, and really, we don't eat out THAT much. So, we're doing good. I fully intend to start building our savings again when Greg gets a real job.

Morals

What has challenged your morals.

Well, I don't know that it was necessarily a challenge, but I suppose it could have been. We got paid yesterday, and while I was quite happy to see the amount that was deposited into my account, I knew it wasn't right. It's not that hard to figure out what I'm going to get paid before I actually get paid (# hours worked x pay rate + incentives for january) So I had a good idea of what it should be before taxes, so imagine my surprise when it was about $250-$300 more than what I expected (after taxes even!) I had a lot of thoughts, like maybe I got a bonus, or a massive raise (I definitely deserve it...in the most humble way). But I just knew it wasn't right.

Now, I don't know if they would have ever noticed, but even if it was a bonus or something, I decided to let my boss know that I thought there had been an error. If it were a bonus, awesome, then I could confirm my worth to them, and if not, then while the money would have been nice to have, it wasn't mine and I would have felt guilty for not saying anything (plus if they had come back later an asked about it, I doubt, "I thought it was the bonus I felt I deserved" would fly! ;) Come to find out, I was paid someone else's $350 incentives for about 3 months, and so I wasn't able to keep it. My co-worker joked that I "just had to complain about the extra money", but in reality, I wouldn't have felt right about keeping it, and to be honest, it wasn't even a real 'challenge'. Sure it was frustrating seeing what my account would have had with that, but again, it wasn't mine...and I feel proud of myself for saying something and getting that taken care of ASAP. Who knows...maybe I'll be blessed for being honest about it someday.