So, I have a financial advisor that I inherited from my parents and my husband has one he obtained through a friend at work. Since we have been married (4yrs) we have yet to combine our finances let alone financial advisors. I did however meet with his last month to see if she would give me different advice than mine. She advised that I change the funds I contribute to for retirement. She told me to switch to a "target retirement fund" for the year closest to when I estimate I will retire. I took her advice and for the first time in my 401b history my balance is dwindling. I lose money every week and so want to pull it out and back into my steady bond fund. I know I just have to ignore the short term loss if I want long term gain, it's just hard to watch it go down.

I am currently 36 years old and have 35K in my work 401b plan. I also inherited money from my parents when they passed away and that is in an IRA (i think) that has about 70k in it. My husband is also saving for retirement and has about 30k in his account as well as being eligible for a pension since he works in a school. I am thinking we are on track with our retirement and was just wondering what everyone thought.

And yes, someday we will combine our finances but for now it is really working for us.

I recently joined a gym and was concerned about the money I was spending in membership fees and not knowing if I would go or not.

Well, last night I had my first appoitment with my trainer that my sister in law and I made together. We were to get weighed and measured and from that they develop a program for you to help you reach your weight loss goals. After the appt we had plans to attend a Cardio Pilates class.

Well, the sister in law got sick or so she said. Funny thing is the night before at a family birthday party she was complaining that she didn't want to get weighed at 6:30 at night and that she didn't like the idea of being measured. So, she left me a voice mail telling me that she wasn't going to make it.

So, I went to my appt alone and had a hard time convincing myself to stay for the class since I have never taken a class before and was extremely nervous about making a fool out of myself. I ran on the treadmill for about 30 minutes, until the class started and then I forced myself to go in. And you know what...it wasn't all that bad. It was difficult b/c I didn't know the routine but it made me sweat and use muscles I haven't used in years!

I am glad I pushed myself to go. That is a huge accomplishment for me as I would normally not go and wait until she was ready on another day. I am so proud that I didn't fall back into my usual way of doing things! This gives me hope that I can work my way out of the usual way I handle my money

Oh, and I opened a savings account online today!

I am always unsure of what to do with extra money at the end of a pay period. I can tell you what I usually do with it...spend it on crap we don't need. Since I am trying to change that mind set I was wondering if I should put that extra $100 towards my debt or save it. Up until now I haven't really saved too much b/c I figured it was worthless with the mountains of debt. On the other hand having spare money would prevent new debt. This is where I am at a loss. Credit cards are at about 13% interest and the best I can do on a savings account is about 5%. Is it worth saving at such a little amount when I could be using it to pay off the debt? Any opinions?

Goals for Thanksgiving and after:

Thanksgiving
-don't eat too much
-stick to list when shopping on Black Friday
-don't buy anything for me on Black Friday
-play a couple of board games with kids and nephew
-enjoy time with my family
-go for a walk each day no matter how chilly

After
-go to the gym at least 3 times a week
-open a higher interest savings account on line
-review budget
-work 5 hours of overtime

I think I actually created a good budget for the next 3 pay periods which is the next 6 weeks. I may have to tweak some things but it looks like I will have a good chunk of money left over every pay period for savings and Christmas shopping. There is something very reassuring about seeing it in writing

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.

So, I joined a gym last night. My sister in law took me as a guest and we did a yoga class. I then proceeded to sign up. They had 2 programs, one where the first year costs a little more but you are locked into a lower rate after the first year. The second was a lower payment the first year and no guarantee the price won't increase in subsequent years. I chose the first option. I am nervous because it is a lot of money I could be applying to my debt. I talked to my husband last night and he said any money you spend to improve your health is money well spent. I guess this is true. I just have to create a routine and stick to it so I get my moneys worth. My hope is that as my weight decreases so does my debt Wish me luck on this new endevour...by the way, yoga is a lot harder than it looks

I am home today with a very sick son. He has that croup like cough that sounds like a bark. He is currently sleeping on the couch with our 20 pound cat keeping him warm. I was nervous to put him in his crib upstairs in case he stated coughing or crying. It is the crying that seems to aggravate his cough. I had to pry myself off of the couch to get some things done. The thought of laying back down with him and taking a nap myself is very tempting but I really have a lot I should do.

So, I have a 7 year old daughter who is a bit of a slob. Her room is a disaster and she tends to make the rest of the house messy too. I was thinking of creating a chore chart for her and paying her an allowance. I have heard that you shouldn't pay kids for things that they should be doing anyways, like making their bed. I don't know if I agree with that as she doesn't make her bed now and it would be nice if she did. My thought is to give her a list of 3-5 things a day to do and pay her a quarter for each thing she does. She would have the potential to make 1.25/day which I don't think is too much. What do you guys think? Those of you with kids, do you pay them an allowance and if so how much?

We have a high end consignment store about 30 minutes from where I live. They accept brand name clothes for the family as well as some household stuff. They will price your items and if it sells you get 50% of the selling price. I have sold with them before and had a lot of success but haven't dropped stuff off recently. Since I am on vacation this week I am going to dig some stuff out and bring it in. You are allowed 20 items at a time and they will go through it and only select what they think they can sell. You take the rest home, wait until the end of the season, and then pick up your check for what did sell. Pretty easy way to make some extra cash and to get some deep discounted clothing for the family~especially the kids.

So, I have to ask myself why didn't I already bring our winter clothes in? They start accepting winter clothes in August and they run at price until January then everything gets marked down. I am kicking myself because I should have brought everything in in September at the latest to get the most exposure. Now my stuff will only be out for one month before it gets marked down. Why am I so lazy?!

Well, I am off to do some laundry and get my items ready. I am sure the majority of you have shopped at consignment stores in the past..what's your opinion of them?

Well, I am on vacation from work this week and am not going anywhere except for Christmas shopping! I am very nervous about the shopping because once I get in a store it is very hard for me to stick to my list and only get what I need. Yesterday I went to Toys R Us with my $10 off $100 purchase coupon and came out spending a little over $100. I got about 5 toys for that $100 and yes, I hate to admit it but the majority of them were made in China. I also went to the mall and surprised myself by leaving with only a new hat and mittens for my son which he needed.

I also got my hair cut and colored yesterday and spent a crazy amount at the salon. I was wondering how much on average people spend getting their hair done? I am not sure I want to admit how much I spent but I did get a much needed cut and I went from being a blonde to a rich chocolate brunette.

I am going to do some shopping from home today probably on Amazon. Yesterday I went to the toy store armed with a printout from Amazon with their prices and shipping for each item to see where I would get a better deal. I was proud of myself for being prepared and saving money.

I also have to stop and sign some paperwork for a new life insurance policy. Although it is necessary I do hate thinking about life insurance.

So, I was thinking I would have a no spend day today but then I looked in my fridge and saw that we are almost out of milk and really have nothing for dinner. At least I am spending my money on food and not on clothes.

Wish me luck, staying home for a week somehow costs me more than when I am working! Too much time on my hands, I guess.

Just got back from a trip to the Home Depot. Spent about $50 for a programmable thermostat (we still had the old round dial kind), batteries for the smoke detectors(very important since I am cooking more now) and some plastic for the windows. I am looking at this money spent as an investment with the hopes that it will lower our gas and electric bill. My husband is out today so I am going to try to install the thermostat myself. The box says it ony takes 4 easy steps so I am hopeful

I am also going to order some thermal backed curtains for the kids rooms. They have decorative curtains and mini blinds right now but I can feel a draft when I walk by the windows. The windows in our house are old and need to be replaced, we just don't have the funds right now. I figure I will do what I can to ensure the kids are warm and toasty and hubby and I will just have to layer on the clothes.

I am off to install a thermostat

I know this doesn't have anything to do with saving money or paying down debt but it is pretty upsetting.

CNN reports that a new toy (from China) called Aqua Dots is covered in a date rape drug and that kids are falling into comas after swallowing the little beads that are part of the craft kit.

This was one item on my daughter's Christmas List that I will not be purchasing. I am going home tonight and throwing out every stinking toy we have that was made in China. I think it is going to be a whole different kind of Christmas at our house this year. I refuse to buy any toy made in China and that is going to limit the selection somewhat.

How do you explain to a 2 and 7 year old that their toys might kill them?! What in the world is going on?!!!
Here is the link to the article if you are interested.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/toy.recall/index.html

I am pretty pumped for this week at work. It is National Health Information Management Week and seeing as how that is the department in which I work, we are celebrating! Many of our vendors are supplying us with free lunch or dessert everyday this week. I had made sandwiches for the week but I will freeze them and take advantage of all the free food at work!

I am going to try to work 8 hours of OT this week. It will be difficult since it is already Tuesday and my week is pretty full. I try to leave the weekends free for the kids and smush in my OT during the week. It will be tough this week. We are allowed 10 hours of OT a pay period or 5 hours a week. I have never managed to work the whole 10 hours in 2 weeks but will make that one of my new goals.

We are experiencing freezing rain here in Western NY. They are calling for snow tonight~ugh! I hate paying my gas and electric bill! We have yet to turn on the heat. I am trying to hold off as long as I can. I just bundle the kids up in sweatshirts. Luckily they are like their dad and are usually pretty warm (and sweaty~what's up with that?!). I, on the other hand, can be seen wearing at least 3 layers once the snow starts falling!

Keep warm everyone!

With no non-essential spending! This is a first for me as my normal weekend includes at least 1 trip to the mall whether I need something or not. My daughter and I like to go and look and always end up purchasing something. So, I am VERY proud of myself for not shopping
I did do my grocery shopping and brought the family with me which I don't usually do because they sneak things in the cart and make me blow my budget. This time I told them that I only took $100 out of the bank for 2 weeks worth of groceries and how embarassing would it be to have to tell the cashier we have to put something back because we don't have enough money?! It seemed to work...I had to work with my husband on a few things but managed to get out of the grocery store at $106.
Saturday and Sunday I spent the day cooking and getting ready for the week. I made chicken stock for soup, chicken and spinach tortellini soup, and used the left over chicken for chicken quesidillas. So, we are good for dinner this week. I also made sandwiches for my daughter and I for lunch all week and put them in baggies in the freezer so we are all set for lunch. I am still going to treat myself to 1 coffee each day at work but that is it. Oh, I also made blueberry muffins so I don't have to buy one each day at work at $2.50 a piece.
I am so proud of everything I accomplished this weekend and hope I can carry it over to next weekend. So, this is my little pat on the back to myself, it's nice to see it in writing sometimes

I have 2 questions and would appreciate any and all input

First, I have read many blogs where people have mentioned ING accounts. I went to their website and saw their options for both savings and checking accounts. Since I am slightly leary of banking with an establishment that doesn't have somewhere to go to if there is a problem I have been hesitant to open an account. What has been peoples experience with these totally online bank accounts, both good and bad?

Secondly, I am thinking of buying my sister a digital camera for Christmas. She is my only living relative (besides my family of marriage) and don't feel guilty buying her a big ticket item for Christmas. However I do want to get a good deal. I have seen some good prices on the Kodak Easyshare. Anyone have any suggestions for brand and where to buy? She doesn't need anything fancy, just something to take pictures of her son and print at home.

Thanks for any and all advice

Well, tomorrow is payday and I just completed paying my bills online. Surprisingly after I buy groceries and get some gas I will actually have some money left over Going against everything I have done in the past I am actually going to use that money to put towards my debt. It won't be a huge amount, a couple hundred, but I guess that is a start. I am going to send that additional money in before I lose my senses and head to the mall.

This weekend we have a nurse coming out to our house to do a life insurance physical on both my husband and I. I already have a 50k policy my parents had gotten for me and now I am purchasing a 200k policy in addition and my husband is getting a 400k policy. Does that seem like a lot of insurance to anyone? Not enough? I am never sure who to trust...

My goal for next week is going to be to be prepared. I find that if I make lunches the night before and cook something big on Sunday (to bring as leftovers during the week) I will not spend so much additional money on lunch at work. I work in a large health care facility that is filled with cafeterias, coffee carts, and even a mini-store. It makes it too easy to grab something here to eat because I didn't have time to make my lunch and it kills me to spend money at the grocery store and then here at work. My goal next week is to do lunch prep the night before and reserve my on hand cash only for that necessary morning cup of coffee

Why do I always feel the need to buy something new? Anyone else ever feel like that? It's not that I need the stuff, I just enjoy buying it. I wish I could feel the same way about paying off my debt.