Brakes, Tires, and Batteries

My car needs several maintenance requests taken car of as soon as possible. The month of January was tough and there was something wrong with my battery. Every time the temperature hit below freezing I would always have to start my car with the automatic car starter. I had some money in the car fund last month and I used it to buy a new car battery.

Now I hear my brakes grinding. Right now I have about $150 in my car account and I am going to use that to shop around for brakes. I hope I can buy them and have someone put them in for roughly that amount.

Finally, I need new tires! I have never replaced the tires and my truck I have had it for a year come May. I have no idea how much tires cost and where to go to replace them. I know that sometimes places like Sears have buy three get one free deals but I don't enough know how much one costs.

Time to research!!! Once I figure out how much it should all cost I will up my savings to the car account so that I can get them done sometime in March.

In closing, one thing I have learned about saving for purchases is when I save and pay for something rather than put it on my credit card or have my husband buy it, I appreciate it more. With my car getting close to 90,000 miles its important that I keep some money in my car account for maintenance and other expenses that will occur with my car.

YBP has a new car!

The car is outside my house, a black 2006 Hyundai Tucson v6 with 67,000 miles on it. I bought it in New Jersey for $1650 down and a balance of $12,565. My monthly payments are going to be $234 a month. However, I will hopefully have this paid off in a year and a half at the most which means I will be paying close to $1000 a month on a car.

Why a new car?

I had a funny feeling that my 2000 VW Passat was going to die. It kept shutting off out of nowhere. When we took it to the dealer on Monday they said it was a wiring problem and they would check the wires. However, there is over a mile of wiring in the car. They searched for 6 hours but only charged us for 2 and still could not find the faulty wire. The car is sitting at the VW dealership until we decide what to do with it.

However, before I knew all that I had begun my search. Like I told you, I wanted something inexpensive, reliable and safe ( I also wanted an SUV). This led me to both the Hyundai Sante Fe and the Tucson. Monday evening I went look at a Sante Fe at a dealership near me which I did not like at all and on a whim went to Jersey to look at a car I saw on autotrader.com that had no picture.

Once I saw it and drove it I knew it had to mine, luckily the dealership was willing work with me. Perhaps it was because my credit score was in the 700 range??? I don't have to make my first payment until 45 days from Monday, I have a warranty ( 2 year comprehensive) and the process was very simple and easy.

What's funny is that I kind of felt like I was calling the shots. I got to work out a payment that I liked, I picked the day I wanted the loan due on, and they didn't ask me for paystubs and such. It made me feel good that they felt I could be trusted with money.

The whole not needing pay stubs thing kind of surprised me because I thought they would need proof of income. I guess they really trusted that I was a teacher ( which I really am)! They do make copies of pay stubs for most people. Today when I picked up the car to take it home I watched the salesman make photocopies of this young Hispanic man's pay stubs who was buying a car.

Interesting... huh?

Now I need to know ... what I should do with my old car?

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

My credit Score rose!

My credit score from Transunion is a frigging 714!!!!

Go Me, Go Me, Its my birthday!!!!

That is only 86 points away from my goal of 800 by the end of the year. Who knows if I will make it but just being so close is making me happy!!!

How do I know that's my credit score?

Well I went out today and bought myself a new ( new to me) car!

Before leave I just want to say, car dealers really treat you special when you have a good credit score.

More on the purchase later

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

The Car is dead

My car is sitting in front in front of my house not working. It has not worked in the saturday morning. Thursday evening it died on my fiance, and we towed it to the Volkswagen dealership. Friday they gave us a loaner car and fixed what they could but told us that the wiring corroded underneath the car and it may give us more problems in the future. It was fine the rest of friday but Saturday morning it wouldn't start. We tried everything we could but nothing. I didn't go to work on Saturday night and the car is still not working today. We are going to tow it to the dealers on Monday.

I have been looking on Craigslist for a nice beater that is reliable but haven't found anything. Now I am thinking about financing another car something used, reliable, and under $10,000.

Any suggestions of what $10000 can buy?

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

My car is dying

My car is slowly dying. I have taken to the shop a couple times within the past few months for the same problem, something with the alarm system. When we took her in today to get some wires changed the Serviceman said "you might want to think about looking into getting another car".

It's almost like my 2000 Volkswagen Passat is on life support. Any day now it will be time to release her from life. Which means I need to find another car soon! I really don't want another car payment but I need safe, reliable transportation. I am hoping Old Gracie can last until after the wedding or even until the new year.

By then we will have (Lord Willing)

• a fully funded emergency fund roughly $20,000
• roughly $20000 in student loan debt paid off
• a good estimate of what my loan repayment amount will be when my loans come out of deferment
• hopefully a higher income doing something in educational administration
  
• a fully funded Roth IRA

Im giving this to God because that is all I can do. I would love a used Volvo XC90 but we will see. I have faith he will work it out, but I am also going to do my part by staying on track with my goals and savings.


until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Are you truly using ING Direct?

I know I am.

I have started 3 sub savings accounts with ING Direct. They have three different purposes. One is for Christmas 2010, one is for Car expenses and repairs ( which includes my six month insurance renewal, registration, inspections, and oil changes) and an account to fund my summer in NYC. I eventually will add more money to Christmas Account and make it a Birthday/ Christmas Account.

As it stands I am contributing $50.00 every two weeks into each account for a total of $300 a month.

I am so not trying to use credit cards this year for anything (okay, I am putting wedding expenses on credit card, only because I'm paying international vendors).

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Car Insurance update

Yesterday I was wondering if I should pay my car insurance premium off every six months when I renew or if I should continue my monthly payments with the $4.00 surcharge.

Well I decided that the monthly payment thing just does not work for me. I told the lovely lady at Geico that I would like them to charge my full premium amount to my credit card ( remember it's only $348.50) on the date that it is due (April 2o, 2010). I will then pay it off when the bill comes.

Some I readers gave me the idea of putting a little bit more money in my Car Fund so that in October when its time for me to renew I will have the money in the account and pay for it in full instead of putting it on a credit card.

So this is what I did...

I changed the biweekly automatic savings to my car fund in my ING Direct savings account to $50.00. $100.00 a month will go into the car fund. When it is time for me to pay the full premium on October 20 I will have enough to simply transfer the money to my ING Direct checking and either mail them a check or use my check card to pay the balance in full.

Also, whenever my car needs an oil change or new breaks or some other minor repair I will have money in the car fund to pay for it.

Thanks for all the comments!!! I owe this to you!

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Should I or Shouldn't I

I wondering if I should go ahead an pay my car insurance in full for the next 6 months. It just doesn't make sense for me to pay a monthly installment as well as a $4.00 Premium Installment Charge.

Especially when the total cost of to renew my policy for the next six months is only $348.50!

Note.. I only have liability insurance on my car now that it is paid off.

I am thinking that I am just going to put the $348 on a credit card and pay it off before the bill gets here.

A question to those who own cars. Do you make a lump payment to your car insurance companies or do you make a monthly payment?

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

I OWN IT!!

I got my car title in the mail a few days ago.

I own it, its mine!!!

I saved money on car insurance by switching to Geico!!!

Yes, I really did. When I paid off my car this month one of the first things that I knew I wanted to do was switch to liability car insurance. I had full coverage through Save Auto and it was costing me about $215.00 month. Well now my liability car insurance is less then $69.00 a month (68.39 to be exact) and I am happy with that. I had budgeted $75.00 in my new budget starting in January for car insurance, and I am quite happy with 69.00. I am thankful for little blessings!

Until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Celebrate Good Times Come on!!!!

... I think that's how the song goes... even if it doesn't go like that I am still celebrating because I paid off my car loan.!!! 2 years and 2 months early. Wow! No more car note. Capital One is off my back! In fact, I overpaid and they owe me six cents. I feel so blessed!

Don't have much else to say but I have gratefulness flowing from my heart. This weekend has been about being in the moment. Usually once I have a goal completed I move on to the next one without taking the time to live and celebrate what I accomplished. Not this time, partying tonight at the inlaws, Nuvo and Hynotiq anyone?

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

New Plan

I am paying my car off next week. Next Friday to be exact. I am taking $1000 from my paycheck next week and a couple hundred that I have left in my account from this week plus $2000 from my emergency fund and just paying it off. I will still have a couple thousand in my account and with new real expenses during the month, (remember by home expenses come up to a little over $500), and it being a three paycheck month I should have no problem getting it back up to $5000.

I also will probably start doing my after school tutoring which I get paid for next week and that will be an additional $1100 a month. Yaaayyy for extra income.

Remember one of my goals for the year was to max out my Roth IRA. I am still planning on doing that but I probably won't file my taxes until April so I can max it during early 2010

When murphy comes he really comes!!!

I just got the quote on my car repairs. The immediate work that needs to be done is over $1200.oo with about $1720 more of work that needs to be done. The total for the work that needs to be done is very close to the amount that I have left on my car loan. The reason why the car wouldn't start is because of a defect in the alarm system which costs $475.00 to fix. I also need a new remote sensor for my key, and two latches fixed in my car. On top of that I need 3 more fan belts. That is all I am getting fixed this week.

Within the month I will be getting a new air pump ( $750), new CV Bots ($667), Colon leak ($278). Finally, I need 4 new hubcaps and my corning lights fixed.

We have all heard of Murphy's Law right, anything that can go wrong does go wrong, sooner or later. Just when I am paying of my car loan, I have all these repairs to make. It doesn't bother me though, yet. If I had over $5000 of repairs to make then it would be a problem!

This emergency makes me wonder about Dave Ramsey's baby steps. Step #1 is to save $1000 in an EF. What if your emergency is more than $1000, then what is one to do. Put the rest of the emergency on credit cards, or payday loans.

Perhaps Dave should think about raising the amount of money in the EF for baby step one to $2000, just a thought.

Until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

3 Car Loan Payments Left

I paid another $775 today to Capital One. This leaves my balance at a little over $3000.00 left. With my next two paychecks I plan to send a little over $1000.00 to the account which will leave me with roughly $1000.00 to put towards it during my third paycheck in the month of October ( Thank God for 3 paycheck months!!!)

I feel like I'm playing CASHFLOW!!

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Mortgage expenses are only a sliver of my budget

My part of the mortgage is only $300.00. Every two weeks when I get paid I automatically have $160.00 transferred to our mortgage joint account, my love puts his 300 in and we put part of the tenants rent money in, its simple, and I don't have to worry about the mortgage being paid. On the 16th of the month the mortgage company takes the whole mortgage payment out. Simple and Easy!!! The other household bills that I am responsible for are the Gas Bill ( set up a monthly budget plan of $160.00) and the water and sewer bill which averages $55.00 a month.

My frigging car note and insurance plus gas is just about the same amount per month as my mortgage and other home expenses. Once I pay this joker off I probably will never take out another car loan unless I'm making $100,000 a year, which hopefully will be in the next five years. If my car dies, I will go to an auction and buy myself another one for cash!

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

Operation Car Loan Payoff is in Full Effect

So.. I put my netflix account on hold, put all my credit cards back in the freezer, and set up automatic payments of $750.00 every two weeks to Capital One. My car will be paid off by the end of November.

Wedding planning is coming along quite well too. Booked the photographer, booked the resort, paid for the save the dates, and had our engagement pictures taken. I am glad I started planning a year + before my wedding.

The end of the year will be here before you know it. What are you doing to make sure you meet your 2009 goals?

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP

I was a victim of PPA (Philadelphia Parking Authority)

Yesterday turned out to be a not so good day... I am glad that it is over. I wanted to take my car to work but the guy wanted to use it as well, so I made a big deal over it and but finally relinquished my car to him. Once I got to work the kids were cool, very excited about their weekends and the heat, however, we go got a lot of learning done. All of a sudden I get a text message, my car had been booted and towed due to tickets that he had on the car that were never paid off. I was livid, upset, hysterical, etc. What makes matters worse is that I had to leave work early to go pay ticket balance off along with the tow fee and go all the way down to South Philadelphia in order to get my car from the lot where they towed it too.

So I left work at 12:30, took Septa to Center City, paid $547.00 which was the balance of the tickets, then had to pay for a cab to go to South Philadelphia to get my car. I put the $547.00 on credit cards,which i am going to pay off on Friday.

Thank God its over! Its going to be another beautiful day in Philly, and I am going to enjoy it. My lawn is starting to look good, I have NO tickets on my car, and this weekend I have my orientation for Columbia.

All is well that ends well!!

until next time, think prosperous thoughts

YBP