Another 190 Days

Looking back over the summer, I really didn't do much of anything. Let's see I was unable to get financial aid due to not meeting the rate of completion. I did go horseback riding and I went to Surfside Water Park. Other then that, I have been in the house.

I have been thinking about my life and all it has to offer. Time is not slowing down, as a matter of fact, it seems to keep on moving forward. Another 190 days is around the corner. How will I manage my time? Work on my homework is much as possible. Right now this is a priority for me. Also, I need to maximus my profits by doing extra things at work if I can.

During August, there are many things that I will accomplish:

Walden University
Pass the three courses that I am taking. I have to pay for school too. The end of August I will pay $2,000. The term doesn't end until November, I have time to get this taken care of.

I have been in school since August 2005. I took a leave of absence and now I am in it to win it. My hold ups are writing these papers. They are called KAMs. I should have had them complete a long time ago. I have to write three of theme. At this moment, I only have 3 classes, 3 KAMs, 2 residencies, and 1 dissertation to complete my Phd. The courses and the residencies are the easy part. The KAMs and the dissertation is what is getting the best of me. I know it can be done. At the end of the month, I have to purchase the two books for the Breadth Component of KAM I. I will have it done by November. I can see what lies ahead, it is just a matter of focusing and doing what is needed to become Dr. Willetta Jackson.

August Bill's
Tag $70.00
Passport $90.00
T-Mobile $300.00
Braces $109.00
Wachovia $100.00
First Premier $100.00
US Dept of Edu $25.00
Tax Lien (Explorer) $956.35
Savings $1000.00

This is everything that I must pay for the month of August. Things are slowly getting taken care of. I am so proud of myself and my accomplishments. I have wasted time and money and now is the time to get it together. I am not getting any younger and I must use my resources to the fullest.

In the mean time, throughout the following school term, where there are ways to make extra money I will be there. The extra cash will help me pay off Wachovia, First Premier, and Walden. All things are possible, I must just believe.

Right now, I am about to complete my assignment for my Principles of Distance Education course. I am proud of myself and who I have become. I am capable of doing all things. All I have to do is believe.

My Finances are Better than They once Were

Looking over finances takes time, dedication, honesty, focus, and a bunch of other things. You must be willing to bear all and open up about the money you make. While writing on My Financial Success I have realized that yes, I have wasted money over the years. Now, I am willing to make a difference with the money I bring home. Once upon a time, I couldn't tell you where my money went. All I knew is that it was all gone. No more and there where still 15 days left in the month. Truly, I got tired of living that way. The material items and that instantaneous thrill will only last for a moment. The financial value will have depleted over time, no longer being worth the amount that you spent.

No longer will I finance anything. All of my purchases will be with cash, check, money order or cashier's check. The interest rate and fees are ridiculous that are charged when you finance or take out a loan. What is the point? The extra cash you spend payin on that could be going to something else.

As for my cable, I got rid of Showtime. I am slowly cutting the extra channels. The phone and Internet can not be cut. I am sure there is something that could be done about my fews. To total I believe my monthly pay out is about $400.00 a month. That really isn't that bad. Working toward cutting more costs.

The tax lien has to be paid separately, so I am going to pay $450.00 for July and August. Those two payments will pay for the Ford Explorer. In September, I will pay $1,000 a month to get the Escalade paid for. Never let anyone use your SSN for anything. I can admit my ignorance. Also, if you purchase a vehicle out of state the sales tax is not included in that purchase. The SSN thing I knew that and I thought the person would handle responsibilities, I was wrong. Purchasing a vehicle out of state and tagging it in another county was new on me. You live and you learn.

These are my serious debts
Wachovia $3600
Tax Lien $6,000
US Dept of Education $13,000

In order to pay off my debts, I will put all of my extra cash toward the above listed challenges. Figuring out other avenues where I cut corners on spending. $24,000 will be paid off by August 2o1o. I will say it over and over, the money I make is not mine if I owe a collector. I will pay off these debts and have them behind me. In the mean time, I will save cash too. No longer will I waste the money that I make. I have a goal to retire by 40. Doing the things that I have been doing in the past have not been successful. Changing my money habits will benefit me and my family in the long run. Building generational wealth is my goal.

Haven't heard anything from my appeal letter for reinstatement of my financial aid. Will call tomorrow to find out what is going on. They said it would be 2 weeks, it has been 15 days.

The other day, I went to Barnes and Noble and looked over some personal finance books. They really motivated me to get back on track. Really tired of wasting money.

It takes a person to finally get tired of things to really make a difference, well I am tired.

More Money More Problems

It's a rainy morning here in Columbus, GA. That doesn't stop the fact of bills having to be paid and life moving on. Regardless, things are constantly moving forward. It is how you handle situations. Stress doesn't make anything change, maybe your emotions and some physical aspects of yourself. The stress will not make the bills or problems go away. Maybe this seems to be somewhat gloomy because I may be tired, but really there is nothing wrong.

Like I stated in my previous post, I did receive my tax return. I paid off several bills, this put me a month or so ahead. School is another thing. There are so many things to do and all of the time in the world. 24 hours just doesn't seem like enough time to do anything especially when you work from 7:40 am-4 pm daily excluding Saturday and Sunday.

Bills
US Dept of Education $13,709 + (putting $25 a month)
Wachovia $2,795.34 ($168.00 a month until paid off, depends on other obligations)
Walden University $2,810 ($2,000 I have to withdraw $ from other account)
Tax Lien $8,000 (this is some bull, don't have anything to say, but I may have to take care of this on my own)

No Grocery Shopping for Me
Due to all of my financial issues, my other half went grocery shopping for me so that saved about $200 for the month. That is a blessing in disguise, thanks for all of the support!

Spring Break
Friday will be the last day before spring break. Really thinking about going somewhere that I will not have to spend much money. Medieval Times in Atlanta. If we go there we can stay with one of my friends and just pay for gas and the tickets. It all depends. Will sort out plans today! As a matter of fact, right now, my main thing is paying off school. I must register for my classes. Can not be left behind.

Thankful for Progress
I am thankful for all of the progress that I have made. Reading PF blogs has really been a support for me. If they can do it I can too. Multiple streams of income is what I am striving to achieve.

Flood Insurance
I did get the flood insurance on my property which I may never use. The city did some rezoning. Last year was the first year of needing the insurance. I didn't get it on my own, so SunTrust got it for me. The policy with them is $700 for the year. State Farm offers it too, that policy costs $580 a year. I faxed the policy to SunTrust last night. I will get an updated mortgage payment. Having a cheaper policy will drop my monthly mortgage payment some. That is a good thing.

Taking One Day at a Time
There are so many things that I want and need to do for this blog. I will take my time and get things together. Maybe I will help someone with their finances. It is hard, but overall it is worth it, seeing financial and personal growth. I am glad that I decided to start my blogs.

The World Keeps Turning

Good morning,

Everything is everything! Been working on getting finances organized as usual and paying off bills. Many things have been going on, but for the most part, I have been doing homework and staying focused on main goals.

Started tutoring a kindergartner for $15 an hour once a week. I also started working the after school and Saturday program getting my hourly rate. Overall, this will be 5 extra hours a week of my hourly pay! That is great! Even though I have the lien still, my taxes were not taken so I have that money too. I went ahead and paid some of my bills early. I paid $90 on the water bill, I will not have to pay that until June. My goal is to get ahead.

Still have to pay for school. All of that is figured out. Overall, I have my best foot forward and I am looking forward to doing the right thing with the money that I have been given.

Large Debt

US Dept of Edu $13,734 + ( send $25 a month until other bill paid)

Tax Lien $8,000 + (rewrite letter to credit bureaus if doesn't work will get a lawyer)

Wachovia $2,953.34 (paying $168 a month)

Walden University $4310 (pay $3260 end of March)

There are other debts too, but these are the ones that I am focusing on.

Cut Backs

I did get rid of HBO and Cinemax as I stated, that will save about $300 a year. Via Facebook, there was this application that started charging me $10.00 a month to receive messages on my cell phone, got rid of that.

I also went to Sam's to do my grocery shopping for the month. That made me feel grown. I have food for the next few weeks still. The only things that I need to buy are some vegetables.

Things are looking good and I can see the forest for the trees. This money thing is really not that bad. Its just a matter of staying focused on putting your money in the right places.

With my tax return, I now have an emergency fund that I will keep in case of emergencies. I don't and will not waste this tax return. It is crazy how you get that money and it goes through your fingers like the sands of an hour glass. I refuse to waste that money. A part of my tax return is going to pay for school ($1500 to be specific). School will not be paid for until the end of March. At the end of the month, I will pay $2500 to Walden and owe I $1810 that has to be paid by the end of May in order for me to register for the next term. I also paid Knology, Mediacom, the water bill, my braces, and Wachovia ($531.94).

School

I will have it paid for by the end of May so that I can register for the next term. I went ahead and applied for financial aid too. The reason I have to pay for school on my own is due to being on academic probation. Once I get off of that I should be able to get financial aid.

Tenants

One of my tenants is moving out at the end of August beginning of September. I am losing money at this house. I want to maximize my profits. Been thinking of turning that house into a Personal Care Home. Got the application off line filling it out now. I know it will take dedication and hard work, but I am all about doing what I can with what I have. Having a personal care home will give me more money for the house. I will be able to employee people and be a manager. Anything worth having is worth putting time and effort into.

The Time is Now

There have been many things going on in my life. The main one is maturity. This has been an ongoing process for me. I don't know when it actually started to happen, but I know it is relevant in my life. I look at money in a totally different light. Gradual changes have taken place for instance: cutting up my check card, taking money out of my account monthly, bringing lunches to work. There are more, I just have to think about them.

I wasn't going to post, but I got the posting feeling. Overall, things are good. Am I overdrawn in my checking account, yes. Why, something did an automatic withdrawal that I wasn't ready for. I actually needed it so I didn't ask for a refund.

Big Steps
Today, I called to get my due dates changed for my cable and phone bills. Tomorrow, I am getting rid of HBO and Cinemax, these two channels will save me about $25.00 a month totalling $300 a year. The reason I changed my due dates is that with my cable bill I am not meeting the date so $5.00 is added to my bill. That's not much, but it could go to something else. I also need to call my insurance company because that is an automatic withdrawal when I don't have the funds in my account. This totals a $35.00 fee. Not good.

Finished bills
Liam $0.00 (received title)
ING $0.00
debt on credit report $0.00
This saves $380.00 a month to go toward any debt I choose.

New Bills
Walden University $4,310.00 for term
Wachovia $3,170 since 1993
US Dept of Education $13,784 (since 1993)

PhD Educational Techology
As for Walden, this will be paid off by the end of May. This is the only way I will be able to register for the next term. The way I figure, taking one class per term and completing one KAM per term, I will be finished with all courses and KAMs by August 2010. Being on academic probation is why I am paying for school. This will save money in the long run because it will be one less loan I have to pay back. I may have to pay for the next term too. It goes from June to September. If I do, that will be fine. In the meantime, I am going to apply for financial aid because my GPA will be up at the end of this term.

1993 Student Loans
Wachovia and US Dept of Education are loans I have had since 1993, that is ashamed. I am ok with that. Due to my job position I am eligible to have money taken off of my loans, but I can't have a loan prior to 1995. These must be paid off by the end of the school term 2010.

This is my plan:
Walden University : $1,437 a month until it is paid off
Wachovia: $25.00 a month until Walden taken care of after that all goes to Wachovia
US Dept of Education: $25.00 a month until Walden and Wachovia paid off

All of these are big ticket items. I know, but when life gives you lemons it is up to me to make lemonade. I sometimes wonder why these things keep happening to me. Is it because I thought it or am I being tested? Who knows, all I do know is that it is up to me to do the right thing and handle my finances.

Cutting back and maintaining are all apart of the plan. Going to the bookstore and reading personal finance books have made me think a little different. As long as I owe, the money I make is not mine. There are stories where people go on big vacations and have debt. The money spent on the vacation could have gone toward the debt. That made me think of myself. I want to take a cruise during Spring Break, but I can't do that. The money that I was going to pay for the cruise needs and will go toward paying my tuition to Walden. I will be Dr. Willetta Jackson.

We are half way through the month and I did a big thing. I went to Sam's and did my monthly grocery shopping. The items that I purchased will last for a while. The only things that will needed to be purchased are vegetables. I am proud of myself, shopping at Sam's made me feel grown. Honestly, there will be enough food left over for the next month.

Things are looking good and I am ready for the future to take place. I know what my finances are and where my money goes, now it's up to me to cut back and put the money where it is needed.

2010 is rapidly approaching and I have been teaching for 10 years. I have much to show, but there is so much more I could have done with the money I have made during this time. The time is now to make a difference in what I have been given. It's not about having the biggest house, the nicest car, or the most lavish parties. It's about making your money work for you. Knowing is half the battle. I know and now I am willing to make a change.

Something else, our vehicles take away from the cash that we have. Monthly payments, insurance, maintenance, upgrades, all of these things cost money and take away from other things you could be doing.

Liam is paid for. This is a list of all the things needed to be fixed on Liam, mind you Liam is a 99 Land Rover.
oil change and tune up
headliner
drain cleaned for sun and moon roof repaired
new tires
park light replaced
power steering
back speaker
new grill
back windshield wiper
back red light
power locks

These are not major items, but I will get the least expensive item fixed first and work my way up. When it rains it pours, but I love walking in the rain. Things will work themselves out and I will be successful in my endeavors.