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I submitted our taxes today. We are getting back a little over $10k which is super high but most of it is from having a kid in 2021 and qualifying for the child tax credits and 3rd stimulus. 
 
We are putting $3k into my Roth IRA, $3k for vacation, and I'm saving $4k so I can continue to "pay myself" a monthly salary. I don't want to use it and then have a deficit later in the year without my income. So I will continue to pull and use only $500 a month from my saved...
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2021 was a good year for us despite the pandemic. 
2021 Goal Priorities1.) ($3,500 / $3,500) Medial OOP2.) Regrade Yard & Install Water Heater3.) ($3,000 / $3,000) Vacation
We managed to complete all our goals, plus some extra ones! We gutted and redid our kitchen which was $10k+, we got a much newer car as a gift from family, we had a new baby and didn't need to take out any medical loans for our crazy high out of pocket expenses $7k+ and we managed to...
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Just a couple of financial events. I ordered some sheepskin insoles for my boots because I'm tired of frozen feet. They were $12 and will arrive on Friday. And I received a $25 virtual Target gift card for participating in a local focus group. Whee! I'd like to go out and use it today, but it's too cold.
Variables are at 47%. I am so close to the end of the month -- with the help of the gift card I may get through to the end without spending any more.
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It seems like I've been spending in dribs and drabs all month.  Just when I think I'm done, something else pops us that I need.  I think I am not doing such a good job of monitoring my household inventory lately.
Anyway, I had to pop out yesterday and buy light bulbs at Home Depot ($8) and aquarium filter pads at PetSmart ($20 - value pack).  It was getting dark and there were snowplows all over -- plus towing trucks.  Even though everyone had been warned,...
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I got a notification from Costco's Citi card today saying that the amount I earned this year was $566.68 and that it will be available in February, so expect an email soon.  They also said that this year you can direct deposit the amount into your checking account instead of having to go to Costco in person to cash it out.  This is so much better.  I hate having to go to Costco to do this, mostly because they seem to change the rules everywhere of where you cash...
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We had a San Francisco weekend planned with 5 shows, this weekend.  This was canceled a while ago.  Seemed overkill at the time, but now I am not sure I would have gone.  COVID has been rampant in our zip code and circles.  
Instead I am working and tending to long put off chores.  What a slog.  This is the complete polar opposite of what I thought I would be doing this weekend!
We had made the decision to put more breathing room into our budget...
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Our schooling is completely different than the US...our kids have 9-10 weeks then 2 weeks off until summer when they have 6 weeks off...and even though our kids don't go to school it has been weird to see them start the kids off at different times...kids in years rec/1..7/8 & 12 all start 2 weeks earlier...than the rest...but my thought is why bother if kids at school are going to get covid they will...they still play sport, work etc so whats the difference if they start school...
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While I am out walking, I sometimes stop at Walgreens, which is only a few blocks away. Today I stopped and picked up some coffee creamer, as well as some facial serum -- altogether it was $26.  As I said in a comment, Aldi was clean out of creamer last week, and I substituted half & half -- but since I am lactose intolerant it's kind of a pain to have to take a dairy pill with each cup. And I don't really like the taste. So I popped into Walgreens to see if they had creamer...
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Grocery shopping has been different for me this month. I started out participating in the January eat from the pantry/freezer challenge but slightly modified because I was out of some staples so I knew I would have some minimal spending at the start of the month. My goal was to keep it as low as possible and really refocus on using up what I had on hand after the holidays.  
 


When I went to the store at the beginning of the month...
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I've heard that it's virtually impossible to get life insurance after a brain tumor.  It's not cancer and it's not life threatening (while being watched/treated).  But the underwriters just lump all brain tumors basically under the worst category.  
Anyway, the standard question is if you have had treatment for a tumor the past 5 years.  Since MH's tumor is *finally* shrinking and it's been 5+ years since he has any treatment.  We tried...
Just got...
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After looking at the mortgage 🏡 I realized I have not made any traction in the four years that I've had this loan. This was my ah-ha moment. 
 
In December I decided to make one extra mortgage payment 💰  a year. Today I decided that every month, I'm going to round down my mortgage, so today I paid $75 towards the principal and my new balance is $114,600. 
 
I'm 48 and I've set an aggressive goal to have this loan paid off by...
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I'm so excited, I thought budgeting monthly was going to be hard. When I started working for myself I completely stopped, didn't even try. I continued to knock out my student loans and save a nice chunk but I also spent a little more in a few areas. 
 
Well, I decided to get back at it, I started back using the cash envelopes and when I tell you I killed it, I killed it. I pay myself about the 20th of each month, monthly, this is also new. Anyway, I came in well under...
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DH had some overtime on this paycheck, so I still don't know what a normal paycheck is with the new rate.  And since he will get overtime on the next paycheck as well, I don't now when we'll know.  Hopefully the overtime will help us pull ahead and we will be very careful with our spending.
We also had a FSA reimbursement check for last year come through, so that is added in.  There will be some more of those coming, upwards of $500.  I went ahead and dumped...
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$19,679.09 Starting Balance
+__,528.46 Amount Added
---------------
$20,207.55 New Balance
That means I have $314.25 left to go to hit my goal of six month's of expenses or $20,522.70.  It is so close!  I am budgeted to hit that on next payday, so that is exciting.  Then I can start saving up for other things.  I will probably continue to put a little into the Emergency Fund after that, maybe $100 per month (or maybe per payday) until I eventually, over...
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I just dumped my $2k into each child's ESA and $6k into our Roth IRA.  So $16k gone to investments.  Anyway I'm thinking of buying more QQQ. I buy etfs mostly and VOO and QQQ are big ones for me.  I'm not sure if I should wait and see how much lower it can go or not. I don't monthly DCA I just dump usually Jan/Feb of every year the contributions that I spend the year accumulating.  This year I hope to accumulate it as well.DH got a raise supposedly but...
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According to my 2020 student loan statement I owed $72,431.53, for some reason I thought this number was much higher. So I took a look and according to my numbers, my balance was 83,248.27, strange, I can never figure this thing out. 
 
Anyway as of today the balance is $44,133.09. Just under two years, I’ve paid a total of $28,298.44, if I go with the $72k balance, just under half is paid.  
 
I’m going to go back and look at my...
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Cash/Liquid Savings:$1,214 Animal Fund ($209)$7,537 Escrow Fund ($5,814)$6,427 Checkings ($1,700)$20 Car Fund ($1,805)$1,491 HSA ($416)$16,689 Total Liquid Savings ($9,944)Retirement:$45,294 DH's 401K ($34,945)$5,463 DH's IRA ($4,892)$15,337 My IRA ($13,741)$66,094 Total Retirement ($53,578)Liabilities:-$119,044 Mortgage (-$121,847)
Assets:
$185,000 House$20,000 in Cars (not counted in figures)
2021 Total Net Worth: $148,739 ($126, 675)2021 Net Worth without Mortgage & House:...
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Put grocery order in today and pick up toorrow after my hairdresser appt...my daughter will go to the butchers while I'm at my appt and get gas while we are out then we should be good for whie she is away except bread/milk
The govt here as changed their boosters to 3 months now instead of 4 so next sat we have my hubby and mom getting them...hubby was booked in for feb but makes it easier to have while our daughter is still home...so happy about that.
CC is officially paid off...
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The cases of omicron covid have obviously been rapidly spreading.  There is no more contact tracing.  And so many people are over it. They don't care.  They may have it but they don't care if they test or spread it around. It's an interesting dichotomy now.
People who are vaccinated just think whatever.  Sure let's go out and transmit it.  I don't want to change my life.  But what happened to the common good?  When you were sick before were you...
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It’s official, I’ve paid off the interest on student loan number three and I can now start tackling the principal. I’m so excited I can scream! 
 
Principal balance is $15,421.43. Hopefully, when I get my check from my client next week, I can pay the $421.23 to make things an even number. 
 
I’ll have to see. I have an eye appointment next week so I’m sure I’ll need new glasses. So I may not be able to add anything. 
I’m...
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