Financial Blithering
It'll be time for another re-evaluation of strategy in June... I'll be making the final payment on the 0% interest financing on the appliances then. Goodbye monthly payment...
In June I get to finally close my US Bank account... get my $9 & walk away.
I think what i'll do is start moving any funds over $500 (that aren't needed to pay an upcoming bill) into paying down the credit card.
Once that's paid off, start moving those excess funds up to the ING savings account - it earns more than the 0.5% interest that BECU pays on balances over $500, so as long as I keep track of upcoming expenses & make sure i've got the 3 days needed to pull money back down again as needed.
Also, I just opened an additional savings account with BECU that's going to be a holding account for "repairs" money from Freak - bike and car. Personally i'm hoping to keep using it for house repairs as well - possibly get some of the stuff we've been putting off done. (Leaky spigots, melted flooring, front door replacement & storm/screen door installation, etc...)
Another step will be to get over myself & pull the trigger on opening an IRA. Partially for the tax credit, partially for the dollar-cost averaging benefits... Oh, and review my charitable donations efforts. Make sure i'm on track to donate more than $2K this year. (If not barely under $5K...)
I also need to evaluate my efforts in "putting food by" from last year - what worked, what didn't, whats getting eaten, what i'm likely to get free this year, what I want to put by as it becomes available... Make sure i'm not spending more money than nessecary.
I've also begun drying the wash outside on the line I put up last year. Freak has already stated he doesn't want his laundry line-dried, but that doesn't mean I can't dry my stuff & the dishtowels, cutting our dryer use in half.... should be quite handy this summer when temperatures top 80 degrees. I want to possibly reduce power consumption a bit more - there's a light that would benefit from being on a timer. I just have to figure out how to do it...
In June I get to finally close my US Bank account... get my $9 & walk away.
I think what i'll do is start moving any funds over $500 (that aren't needed to pay an upcoming bill) into paying down the credit card.
Once that's paid off, start moving those excess funds up to the ING savings account - it earns more than the 0.5% interest that BECU pays on balances over $500, so as long as I keep track of upcoming expenses & make sure i've got the 3 days needed to pull money back down again as needed.
Also, I just opened an additional savings account with BECU that's going to be a holding account for "repairs" money from Freak - bike and car. Personally i'm hoping to keep using it for house repairs as well - possibly get some of the stuff we've been putting off done. (Leaky spigots, melted flooring, front door replacement & storm/screen door installation, etc...)
Another step will be to get over myself & pull the trigger on opening an IRA. Partially for the tax credit, partially for the dollar-cost averaging benefits... Oh, and review my charitable donations efforts. Make sure i'm on track to donate more than $2K this year. (If not barely under $5K...)
I also need to evaluate my efforts in "putting food by" from last year - what worked, what didn't, whats getting eaten, what i'm likely to get free this year, what I want to put by as it becomes available... Make sure i'm not spending more money than nessecary.
I've also begun drying the wash outside on the line I put up last year. Freak has already stated he doesn't want his laundry line-dried, but that doesn't mean I can't dry my stuff & the dishtowels, cutting our dryer use in half.... should be quite handy this summer when temperatures top 80 degrees. I want to possibly reduce power consumption a bit more - there's a light that would benefit from being on a timer. I just have to figure out how to do it...