My Tangly Tree....Family Tree That Is

The more I dig into my ancestry the more my family tree branches start getting gnarly and twisted up into themselves.
Meaning, at some point in the past all the little branches start tangling up with the larger limbs they forked off of.
Like what I just discovered this past week when I broke through one of my brick walls.

One of my maternal grandmother's father, or my great grandfather was named John Little Vassar.
Now I have the Vassar branch of the family going back to the 1st Immigrant of that line to Virginia in 1635, 12 generations counting John the Immigrant to me.

Plus I have an additional 20 generations going back from John's wife, Elizabeth Dowe/Dew to William the Conqueror.
But who cares about him, right? 8-)

What I am focusing on is on that Vassar line.
My 5th great grandparents are Nathaniel Vasser(1756-1823),and his wife, Sarah Hudson(1756-1846). 
Sarah's parents were Peter Hudson and Mourning Griffith(or Griffin) of Virginia.  At this point back into this Vassar/Vasser line I only had the pedigree, or the direct ancestor once you get back into the Hudson side of the line, no siblings for anyone. 
And I only have as far back in Hudsons as Peter and 1 further generation back for his wife Mourning Griffith(her parents are John Griffith and Sarah Parrish).

The Vassers/Vassars continue down with Vassars until you get to my grandmother, who married a Harper, my mother who married a Bowman, to me....Sluggy.

That line is well established however there are other offshoots from my maternal grandmother's side that I didn't have much documentation/family tradition coming into this whole genealogy hunt.

One of those offshoots is John Little Vassar's grandmother's family.

John Little's parents were John Alfred Vassar and Rosa Belle Snead(the ancestral line that I am related to Sonya Ann through).

John's mother, Rosa Belle Snead's parents were Lewellen Snead and Rebecca Womack.  It is this Womack line that I have been trying to make headway on.

Rebecca's parents were Abraham Womack(1785/90-1863)and Willie(though some call her Millie)Wade(no dates).

I busted through the Womack brick wall this week with the aid of another researcher to discover that Abraham's parents were Abraham Womack and Tabitha Hudson.

This Tabitha Hudson was born abt. 1760.

Hmmmm.
My Sarah Hudson, in my great grandfather's line, was born 1756.

Hmmmm again.
Tabitha and Sarah both lived in the same geographic area of Virginia.

Well when I discovered that Tabitha's parents were Peter Hudson and Mourning Griffith, I knew I had found Sarah, who married Nathaniel Vassar, Tabitha's sister.

So my 2 x GreatGrandmother, Rosa Belle Snead's 2 x Great Grandparents are the same 2 x Great Grandparents as her husband, John Alfred's 2 x Great Grandparents.
And Rosa Bell's husband is my 2 x Great Grandfather.

This means my 2 x Great Grandparents were 3rd cousins.
My family tree seems to be branching out and then cleaving back together along this journey of mine. lol

I also found this same type of situation in my mother's father's sister's family.

My grandfather Harper had an older sister named Ollie Harper.
She married Joseph Warren Sublett.
I doubt she knew at that time that they were related.

Joseph Warren's 3 x Great Grandfather was a man named Pierre Louis Soblet, who immigrated to Virginia from France(first, by way of Germany, Holland and England)in 1700. Warren traces back through his direct Sublett surname line, from Joseph Warren to William Joseph, to Benjamin Branch, to Matthew Thomas, to Benjamin Sr., to Pierre Louis Soblet.

Ollie's 5 x Great Grandfather was this same Pierre Louis Soblet through her mother's side of the family.....Jennie Vie Tucker back to his mother Mary Jane Mason, back to her mother Elizabeth Weatherford, back to her mother Martha Sublett, back to her father William Abraham Sublett, back to his father Pierre Louis Soblet.

This means my great Aunt Ollie and Uncle Warren were 4th Cousins 1x removed.

Does your head hurt from the math yet?
Mine does. ;-)

Ok, back to seeing dead people for me......

Have you made any interesting family history discoveries lately?

Sluggy

Habits of the Debt-Free

I saw an article on Yahoo earlier this week HERE.

It is a list of 10 traits that Debt-Free people have.
The author states that in order to be debt-free you need to think and act as those who are debt-free.

There are many lists of ways to improve your life out there, but I thought this one was pretty spot on.
At least, these are habits that I have made my own and I have been totally debt-free since March 15 2007.

Here's a brief synopsis of the list in my own words......

1. They pay attention to the details.
If you want to be Debt-free, pay close attention to the details of your money.  Things like always checking your account statements, reconciling your statements each month, always recording withdrawal/deposits/debits.  If you have auto withdrawals coming out of your accounts, keep an eye that they are accurate.  Keeping an eye, as well, on your credit card statements that all purchases are correct.  Stay on top of payment due dates and avoid overdraft fees.  Pay off your credit cards each month to avoid interest charges.  Debt-free folks avoid late fees, overdrafts and interest charges whenever possible.

2.  They understand their finances.
Not everyone has a finance or accounting degree or knows tax law inside and out.  But even if you can't do all the legal/tax/investing work concerning your money, you make a point of learning as much as you can, so you can understand what your financial planner, tax expert/preparer, stock broker, insurance agent is telling you.  Debt-free folks never just hand over their financial information to another to manage blindly.  They have some level of knowledge about all things financial and ask questions if they don't understand something.  They never make financial decisions without knowing something about that decision first.

3.  They live on less than they make.
Debt-free people know exactly how much they bring in each month or year and make a point to live below their means.  They know where their money goes each month because they put it on paper and tell their money where it is to be spent(or saved).  They know they need money for unexpected emergencies and they know they need to think about their future(retirement), so they plan to live on a percentage of their income each year instead of squandering their whole paycheck every month.

4.  They plan for the long term.
Debt-free people don't just live for today, they think about their tomorrows.  Because they live below their means, they can accomplish saving for their financial future.  This takes a lot of discipline and avoiding instant gratification in a society that only values the "here and now".  Some times debt-free people feel at odds with our society and are often labeled freaks.  Wave that freak flag proudly! 8-)

5.  They aren't afraid to be bold.
Debt-free people aren't shy about asking others how they achieved a goal that is worthwhile to them.
If you want to be debt-free and you know someone who accomplished some financial goal, ask them about it, and then apply that advice to your situation.  That's probably how a debt-free person got there.....they saw or asked how others who were debt-free did it and applied those same principles to their own lives.
Be curious how people you know, who have won with their money, did it and don't be shy about getting some tips from them.

6.  No amount of money is too small to save it.
Debt-free people know that any little bit you put away for tomorrow will help you reach your financial goal.  $10, whether from your regular paycheck or some unexpected windfall, may not seem like much and not worth putting toward retirement savings so you may be tempted to spend it on some frivolous want now.  But getting into a habit of putting into savings regular small amounts can add up over the long haul(yah for compounding interest!).

7.  They set goals and can see the "Big Picture".
Debt-free people set goals, both short term and long term.  They have more focus because of their goals.  Like the snowballing debt principle(paying off debts helps you build momentum toward paying off More debt), setting financial savings goals helps you to keep moving forward with your money.  You reach one goal and that helps you stay focused on reaching the next goal.  All these interim goals eventually add up to your complete financial plan for your life.  Debt-free people don't like surprises, especially where their money is concerned.

8.  They can say No to their wants or find ways to satisfy them cheaper.
Debt-free people are good at telling themselves no yet not feeling like they are sacrificing all the joys in life.  They can deny themselves many of the "lifestyle inflation" wants in our culture that end up sucking up all that extra money people make as their salary increases.  It is very frequently that as people make more money they spend more money.  Debt-free folks are able to avoid letting their lifestyles expand at the same rate(or even a higher rate)as their salaries do.
Yet they are still able to satisfy their wants and have a balanced life by finding ways to enjoy the fruits of their labors in less expensive ways.  Find the priorities in your life and make trade-offs to achieve what is important to you.

9.  They know what everything costs them, not just in money.
Debt-free people know the value of a dollar.  They understand how hard it is to earn those dollars and how much of their life everything they have to pay for costs them.  When you think about that $500 designer purse you lust after as not just $500 of your money, but you having to work for 30 hours for to afford to buy it, does it still feel so appealing versus 30 hours of your life?  If you stop buying $500 purses, how many less hours over the course of your lifetime could you work and be able to do some activity you enjoy more than working?  Could you have retired years earlier if you didn't spend money on "things" you don't really need and spent your time how YOU wanted to instead of slaving for a boss?
Debt-free people know that things cost you in time out of your life, not just in money.  Money is merely a tool to get you somewhere you want to be in life.  The hours of you life are FINITE so spend those judiciously.

10.  Their values are different from most of society's values.
The majority of debt-free people value people more than things.  I'm not talking about the 2nd generation wealthy who have always had wealth, though some of them also value people more than things.  Most Debt-free folks have different priorities in life than our society.  Money is not the "end all" and "be all" in life.  Sure money is important, but it is just a tool.  A too that when used effectively can help give you a happier life.  It can take care of some problems in your life and keep stress away when you have enough money to avoid financial problems in life.  It's a tool to give you time with the people you love and help you to keep them healthy and happy and use it to make their lives better. 

So what do you think of  this list?
Doable?
Or a Load of bullshit?

I didn't always have these habits.
They have evolved over the years.
Some where naturally easier for me to take up and some have been difficult......very difficult in some instances.  Like the money only being a tool to happiness and not the end goal in life, to just have money.

These aren't hard things to do if you just keep trying them.
They say an action only becomes a habit once you've stuck to it for 30 days or so.
That's all it takes to get it to become routine in your life.

Anybody can form a habit at any time in their life by just sticking to it for 4-6 weeks.
But it's all about WHAT we want to become our habits.
Try picking one of these 10 characteristics above and focus on making it a habit in your life for the next 30 days.
If you need support don't be afraid to ask someone for help too to keep you on track either.

If you want to be debt-free DO what the debt-free do.
A better life is in your hands!
So why not start now toward the life you want.

Sluggy

Uh oh.....Anybody Know The Answer to This?

Calling any tax geeks out there reading this!
I'm talking the Educational American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit things specifically.

Last year I got 2 1098-Ts from Daughter's colleges(she attended 2 different colleges in 2012)...so I have 3 semesters paid for in 2012--1 Spring Semester for Clarion and 1 Fall and 1 Spring Semester for the local community college.  The CC billed her for the Spring 2013 Semester in November of 2012 and I paid it in 2012, not 2013, so that is why we have 3 college bills paid for her in 2012.

Then she dropped a class in that 2013 Spring semester before it began and we got a $960 refund on a piece of the tuition we paid.
So when I paid the taxes in 2012, went ahead and reduced the amount the Com.College said we paid for 2 semesters in 2012 by that tuition refund.

Last week I got a 1098-T from the Com. College for 2013 with Box 4 checked, displaying that $960 refund, and it said I had to do a recapture(repayment)of the AO credit I received in 2012 on our 2013 taxes concerning that amount.  Except I had already reduced our credit by this refund.
So I am good to go and don't have to do this.

But when I went looking at the figures for 2012, to make sure I had accounted for this reduction in what we paid for tuition,  I found that I had under reported the amount of the AO Credit we were due in 2012!
Yes, math nerd me, claimed $1,800+ inside of the $2,800+ for that school's Tuition payments in 2012.
So basically my credit should have been higher and my taxes lowered n 2012.

The question......if you report too much credit, of course the IRS wants you to pay more in taxes(since you own them), but is there a device in place, if you under reported your AO credits in 2012, to give you credit for it in 2013 taxes OR would have I have to file a FULL amended tax return for 2012 to get my proper credit?

And if I have to do the latter(re-file the whole enchilada for 2012), is it worth the trouble?

I am so over doing taxes right now!
Come on American, just call your Senators and get them to endorse the HR 25 fair tax bill already!

Stop the Madness!
Abolish the IRS!

Sluggy

There's a New "Boy" in the House!

Before y'all get all excited, no we didn't get a new dog(Bite. Your. Tongue.)nor did we go adopt a child.

But there IS a new boy in the house.........

A Carboy to be exact!

This glass container, known as a carboy and used to brew spirits, has been sitting in my powder room under the sink for about 5 weeks now.
It is filled with fermenting Scottish Ale.
This means that my powder room smells like a brewery.

Hubs got an itch around Christmas time to try brewing his own hooch.  He asked for books on the subject and then, when he got an unexpected bonus at work, he decided to splurge a little and go out and buy a complete brewing set-up and a kit for making a batch of ale.  $300 and many hours in the kitchen turning it into a dirty dishes disaster zone, the picture above is what resulted.

Last weekend, the carboy got emptied, as the beer was ready for bottling.....

 

Just emptying the beer from the carboy into the pale with the spigot took quite awhile.....

The bottles were sterilized and awaited filling......

The bucket is all filled and just waiting on the attachment of the hose and the filling wand.....

Hubs decided to fill on the door to the dishwasher, as this can be a messy procedure.  That way, any overflows can be dumped into the dishwasher for easy clean up.......oh goody!, a dishwasher that smells like beer too!......

After the filling was done the capping process commenced.  Here are the bottle caps awaiting use, soaking in vodka.  And no, I didn't drink that leftover vodka after we were finished with it........vodka and I don't get along as my milkshake in Pittsburgh showed me......

Here is the beer all bottled and capped......

Hubs got 43 bottles out of that batch of ale.  He made 5 gallons but you do lose some along the way, due to not wanting to suck up the dead yeast in the bottom of your fermenting container, checking the specific gravity during fermentation, sampling, etc.

Now it is sequestered back in the powder room, wrapped in black trash bags, inside boxes(to keep the light out) until the final fermenting finishes.  The unveiling of Hub's first batch of home brew should be ready to imbibe in about 2 weeks.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "I'm 2 Days late & For Pete's Sake, Enough Already with the Winter Weather!" Edition

 

 

Here is what was planned last week---

 

Sunday--Breaded fish fillets(have), Roasted Cauliflower(have), Coleslaw(have)
Monday--Free Birthday Burger at Red Robin, #2 Son's burger out of Entertaining Budget, Hubs has leftovers
Tuesday--Chicken and Mushroom Parm(have), Pasta, Green Salad(have) with Feta Cheese(have)
Wednesday--Roasted Chicken(have), Assorted leftover side dishes(have)
Thursday--Leftovers
Friday--Quiche(in freezer), Asparagus(have)
Saturday--Leftovers

 

And here is what actually happened---

 

Sunday--Breaded fish fillets(have), Roasted Cauliflower(have), Coleslaw(have)
Monday--Free Birthday Burger at Red Robin, #2 Son's burger out of Entertaining Budget, Hubs had leftovers or burritos at home
Tuesday--Take-out Burgers & homemade Salad....you would think that I was full on burgers after the night before!
Wednesday--Pizza, Sugar Snap Peas w/Red Peppers
Thursday--Chicken Parm, "Sketti" for Hubs, Green Salad w/Tomatoes
Friday--Leftovers(Cauliflower, Coleslaw, Fish, Pizza, Sugar Snaps, Sketti)
Saturday--Leftovers-only 1 home to eat, Hubs/#2 ate on the road
 

The Mushroom Parm, Roast Chicken, Quiche didn't get served last week.

We had decidedly too much "convenience type food" last week.  The Parm & fish was pre-breaded, the pizza was frozen from a box, and burgers were out of a sack from BK. bleh.  I feel so bloated and this week it's back to more home cooking, but from scratch!

 

I spent a total of $103.87 on all food/toiletries spending last week, only since Feb. 1st and those trips to Rite-Aid the last few days of January where I used $ from February's budget.  The value of said goods was $336.32 regular retail, so I realized a 69% savings rate!

Go.

Me.

8-)))

 

Going into the new week here are the leftovers we had.......cauliflower(Hubs ate today for lunch), sketti(ditto), pizza.  Fresh produce to use....asparagus, rutabaga, sweet potato, collard greens.

 

Here is this week's meal plan---have of it's already been served---

Sunday--Leftovers or FFY(I was the only one home)
Monday--Tuna Noodle Casserole, Grilled Asparagus
Tuesday--Kielbasa and Onions on Rolls, Brussell Sprouts
Wednesday--Roast Chicken, Collards, Smashed Rutabaga
Thursday--Eating Out, #2 away at District Band
Friday--Chicken Fajitas(using leftover chicken from Wed.)
Saturday--Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Leftovers of FFY(Fend For Yourself)

That makes 4 new meals, 2 leftover or planned over meals and 1 meal out.

What I need to purchase for this menu?.......nothing since I went to the  $ store, the Bakery Outlet & Walmart (again!) on Sunday and am OOP $51+.

I need to look at the sales ads a bit closer to see if I want to pick up anything else this week, you know loss leaders....if the weather clears up long enough to shovel out and go somewhere before the next storm is due to hit.

Otherwise, I won't be shopping again this week and we'll make do with what is here, as ther eis plenty.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

 

Excuse me while I go try to finish thawing out my chicken.  I removed it from the freezer on Saturday and it's still hard enough to do damage if you hit someone in the head with it. lolz

Sluggy

He Has Already Checked Out of High School

It's been a good few days here at Chez Sluggy.
No, I am not talking about the snowy weather....Lord knows that is pretty but a bear if you have to go out in it....plus it's too danged cold for me this year.

I am talking about #2 Son here......he's had a good few days.
And you know what they say--If your teenager is happy, YOU are happy.
Or rather, YOU are relieved that you don't have to deal with as much drama, eye rolling, 'tudes, obstinance, defiance, and the like.

#2 Son had 2 college auditions this past weekend.

While many college-bound kids this time of year have already completed their applications and some even HAVE heard back on whether they are accepted or not, if you have an artistic type kid, they are still in the throes of the process.
Among the many hoops the college "dog and pony shows" make teens jump through, the art(fine, music, theatre, dance)student has an additional hoop to tackle--the Audition or Portfolio Submission.

#2 Son got 1 acceptance letter weeks ago(about 3 weeks?)from one of the four schools he has applied to.
One of our fine state schools, Mansfield, welcomed him into their fold, even before he had an audition.
Of course, this was just a general admission to the University, NOT an offer of a seat into their Music program, which is why he has to audition.
So even if he isn't accepted as a Music major, he can still go here as some other kind of major other than a Music one.  This was NOT welcomed news to #2 Son at the time.  He's an "all or nothing" type of fellow. 8-)

But I digress.....

This weekend began the month long audition process for #2 Son.  He has 4 auditions at 4 schools spread out over the first 3 weeks in February.

Saturday was the first, at Temple in Philly.
I was so anxious that it go well, being the 1st one AND the fact that Temple is his #1 choice at the moment.  It is also the school with stiff competition and not exactly a sure thing for him to get in.  He has the grades but his SAT's aren't the best and the music program is tough to get into.

His dad took him on Saturday and #2 Son thinks he did well and he came home with his spirits high.
Nothing more to say here as nobody gave him any indication on whether he gets the "thumb up or thumb down" on admission here.  We just have to watch and see what arrives in the mail.

Then on Sunday, they left for an overnight to that state school I talked about earlier, Mansfield University, so they would be there Monday morning for his scheduled audition for that school's music program.

While it's a state school with rolling admissions(not exactly tough to get into academically), reading about this school's music department online got me nervous about his odds of making it.

From the college's music program website.....
"We target enrollment for every studio, with an average of four or five seats opening up in each studio annually. Our average freshmen class is approximately 70 students."

That means each year they take 4 or 5 freshman per instrument and the music department's freshman class is about 70 in total, from a pool of about 300 applications.  So #2 Son had a 30% shot at getting in but that could be made better or worse depending on how many of those 300 others prospective students want to study flute.
And flute tends to be a very popular instrument for study. 8-(

So I crossed my fingers for him and waited until Hubs called me when it was over and they were on the way home.

#2 Son feels very positive about how he performed at this audition as well.
It didn't hurt that I let him attend the Summer Music Performance Camp they held last year and he worked with the Chair of the flute program then.  Plus she remembered him from that.

#2 says that they had a conversation and things were said to lead him to believe that he should be expecting a FAT envelope about their decision by the end of March. ;-)
I so hope that's true for his sake.

Which now means, going into the last 2 auditions #2 Son possibly has one in the proverbial bag already.
Though it's not his first choice if he gets into all 4 schools.
That would be Temple....at least it is, this week.
Next week?....who knows?! 8-)

So in 2 weeks Hubs takes him down to Richmond to his audition at VCU.
Virginia Commonwealth U. has what is considered one of the finest arts programs in the country at the moment.
It is his stretch school so we are just hoping for the best there and I'm hoping no matter the outcome, he has a positive experience.

Then a few days later it's time for #4 on the Audition Hit List at a local private school, Marywood University up in Scranton PA.

That's his "safety school".....sort of.  But we have hit a complication snag of sorts there because #2 Son doesn't "test well" and they are quite arbitrary about their statistical "requirements".  He wants to be a music education major at that place, however the education department has decided that he is 20 points from an arbitrary SAT score and will not admit him as a freshman education major...even though he has a 3.75 in his high school academic work.  He would have to go in as a music performance major and after successfully completing his 1st semester with a 3.0(B) average, he could transfer into that program and change his major.  So basically he has to prove himself because he doesn't test well on standardized exams.

#2 is NOT thrilled by this and I just rolled my eyes.

Between this "wrinkle" and the fact that he would have to live at home(what 18 year old wants to hear that?!LOL)to be able to swing this college financially, Marywood is on the bottom of his Favorite's List.
Can you blame him? ;-)

At any rate that is were we are with the Audition process at the moment.

#2 Son is having a hard time staying focused on high school at this point.  He has already checked out of high school emotionally.  He's spent a lot of time dealing with working on his pieces for these auditions, in addition to 2 school bands(concert and jazz)rehearsals, his garage band in his free time, plus keeping up with private flute lesson work.  Plus he had District Band auditions and practicing for that thrown into the fray!

He's having a hard time concentrating on his academic high school work now too.  He just wants that be done already, even though we keep telling him he has to "run through the tape" and not just meander up to the finish line to his high school diploma.

He is SO ready to just get on with the rest of his life, no matter where he ends up going and what he ends up doing.

I am ready too for him to be in college I think(living AWAY from home), if I don't think too hard about all that money we'll have to pony up when he goes.
Yes, we will get to spend a lot of money so he gets a degree that guarantees that he will be unemployable.  ;-)

Now it's time for me to get that FAFSA done, though in our case, it IS rather pointless......lolz

Sluggy



 

$24K Savings Challenge.....January Update

Every year I keep a close eye on our monthly expenses and our monthly income.
Our income is mainly the salary my Hubs draws from his job.  We have money taken off each paycheck from the top to put into savings, before we even get our hands on it.  This money that's taken goes into various pots....life insurance, health insurance premiums, long term care insurance premiums, investments and retirement savings.  It's automatic so we are never tempted to NOT put it into savings.

Once the automatic savings amounts, plus taxes and medical/dental/vision premiums are taken out, it leaves what we get to "live on".  From this amount we budget for bills, both monthly and irregular bills(semi-annual, etc.) and our variable bills(like food, eating out, etc.)  Anything left over once our monthly expenses are paid, I put aside into a Savings Challenge. 

For 2014 I am continuing my Yearly Savings Challenge.  I am raising the Goal amount slightly to $24,000 this year, $4K more than my goal for last year.

On to the January report.....

I have posted my January End of Month $24K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the Savings Challenge page tab at the top of the blog for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $2,000.

I have to report that we finished up January with very little spare money to put aside.
The extra cash amount we ended the month of January with?.......$205.32.

Income
We had $142.78 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
 

Other monies received in January totaled $62.54.  This brought us to our gain of $205.32 for January.
Since we have no debt anymore, this goes into savings.

Outgo

As for the expenses this January, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

 

*  Water and Phone were the same as December's totals.

*  I spent under $300 for food/toiletries in January.
*  The credit card bill was $300 less than December's bill.
*  The Cash withdrawals were $531.50 less than December.

 

HERE are the BAD THINGS

 

*  The cable bill went up $5 per mo. after having been reduced by $5 for the last 6 months of 2013.
I believe they need to be called up and talked to.

*  The electric bill was $67 MORE than December's bill.  Ok, it's a Polar Vortex thing.

*  The garbage bill(which I pay quarterly)was paid.
*  An unexpected car repair bill of $982.59 paid in January.
*  Some extra credit card charges(store card & Hub's Discover) of approx. $94.

 

The Food Budget costs for January are in another post, which is located HERE. 

The 2014 GRAND TOTAL.....
With 1 month accounted for, our Savings Grand Total for 2014 is $205.32. 
Not a very auspicious start to the new year and nowhere near the $2,000 I need to put back each month.
Usually we do better in January and have at least $1,000 extra income after the bills are all paid.

In other financial news--
I figured out how much of my Savings Challenge from 2012 is left now(since in 2014 it is no longer being used as an emergency fund, like it was in 2013)and can be put into "permanent savings" mode.
Of the $28,907.08 we saved in 2012, $23,611.66 was spent in 2013, leaving us $5,295.42 to throw into our permanent savings.  Not very much savings realized at the end of it all.

Our new emergency fund is the amount we saved in 2013, which totaled $24,033.60.
So we are off to 2014 with a nice sized fund for all those nasty surprises that might happen during this year.
 

 

Looking ahead for February......

*  I will continue to do this Savings Challenge and report in each month on how it is going.
 

*  Hubs and I still need to sit down and go over how we did with the bills/savings in 2013 and see if there are any areas we need to cut back.

*  The car insurance is due in February and the bill is here already.  It's over $1600 for 6 months.
bleh.  We have been paying our oldest son's car insurance bill for the last 6 months(as he transitioned into the workforce full time and being on his own).  He was suppose to start picking up the tab on his share in February.  This might not be happening as he is looking for a new job and he may be unemployed very soon or even more underemployed than he is now.
If anyone wants to tell me that the economy is improving, just go tell someone else because I don't want to hear it! 8-(

*  February, historically, has been a higher expense month for us.  Besides 6 month's of car insurance being due, we usually have a fairly large credit card bill(that gets paid off) and of course, paying out of pocket for all medical bills still, since the deductible hasn't been met for the year.  And our deductible went up $1K this year so I am not very hopeful that February will end with us still holding much cash.  But there is always March and a new month to do better if February bombs out.

 

So how was your January financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in January?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out your progress too and celebrate with you!

Sluggy