From the category archives:

Motivation

What’s an Emergency Fund NOT For?

by mapgirl on April 10, 2010

Gentle reminders to myself. Add yours in the comments.
Emergency fund is NOT for:
1. Vacations with my family even if it’s a wedding.
2. New work clothes
3. Hockey playoff tickets

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Note: I’m quite busy at work with some transitions, so I’m dragging something out of draft mode. I penned this about 14 months ago. My friend has had her baby and he’s beautiful.
I was talking a few nights ago with one of my girlfriends from San Francisco. She’s doing the big trifecta in 1 year. [...]

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Strategizing the Future

by mapgirl on February 12, 2010

I’m having some professional difficulty right now and I feel like quitting and finding a new job. Unfortunately, I don’t have an emergency fund to float me during a period of unemployment. I have the windfall from the sale of my car and my tax refund which won’t be coming for a while since I [...]

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No Gazelle-Like Intensity Here

by mapgirl on February 10, 2010

I’m not a fan of Dave Ramsey, but he’s spot-on about having ‘gazelle-like intensity’ when it comes to debt repayment.
This year, despite whatever financial crisis my parents are having or whatever they want (like a new-ish car for their 40th wedding anniversary), I need to pay down my debt. I have flat out told my [...]

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Glad To Be Of Assistance

by mapgirl on June 29, 2009

Many years ago when I was underemployed and living hand to mouth, a fairy godmother dropped $2K into my lap. I had missed a car insurance payment and been dropped by the insurer like a stone. I had to buy into Maryland’s state auto insurance for bad brownies, but it would cost me more than [...]

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Quick Question: Snowflake or Car Downpayment?

by mapgirl on June 17, 2009

I got a happy call today from my boss. I was nominated for an award at work for being a stellar brownie. It was approved by upper management and I’ll be receiving $1500.00 on my next paycheck. After taxes and 401k deductions, I should end up with about $800-900.
The question for you is:
Should I snowflake [...]

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Realizing I Can’t Do This Alone: Part I

by mapgirl on April 8, 2009

My company has some rockin’ benefits. They make personal finance coaches available to employees to cover a range of topics, including debt reduction, budgeting, saving, retirement planning, insurance, and portfolio management.
I’ve been with my company for just over a year and a participant in the 401k plan for about 12 months. I have been buying [...]

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Moved My Meters

by mapgirl on March 13, 2009

I have moved my meters. My Save-O-Meter is down to 4% right now. I started liquidating it to pay down my credit cards and cover my travel expenses to CA this month for my father’s 70th birthday.
The flipside is that I got to move my Debt-O-Meter to 24%! I’m very excited about this since I’m [...]

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Presidents’ Day Cleanup!

by mapgirl on February 17, 2009

On my 2009 action plan, I actually cleaned some stuff up at my apartment. I didn’t realize how much my shredder was getting filled. I dumped one bag of trash, one bag of shredded papers and one bag of recycling. heh heh. I even overheated my crazy huge shredder so I have to go back [...]

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