Been awhile

OK, I never said I would post regularly. At least I'm posting something.

Since my last post, I've finally gotten all the bank stuff straightened out, and my paycheck is now being deposited to the correct account. Property taxes are paid....not just last year's, but this year's as well. I've also increased the amount of money going into the savings account for the taxes so that it isn't so difficult to pay them. We have also gotten the savings account started at the new bank, with a nice little 'nest' started.

We have a vacation planned for May to go see my grandson (and his mother and father), and I'm almost sure that will eat up most of our savings. C'est la vie...we will replenish it later.

I've made some minor decisions...I no longer worry about money. I'm not saying that I don't think about it at all, I just don't lose sleep over it. I'm almost certain that if something comes up and we need cash, we will find a way. We always have in the past. I have not starved to death, nor gone more than a couple of days without "essentials" like electricity or natural gas. Life is about so much more than how much you have stashed away in the bank.

Direct Deposit

Yesterday at work, I discovered that my paycheck is still being deposited into my old bank account. Luckily, I haven't closed that account yet, due to just this issue. One phone call and three e-mails later, our payroll department says it is fixed. I now have to wait 2 more weeks to confirm this.

It's difficult to pay the bills (especially the ones I'd like to set up as auto-pay) without knowing which account to use. Also, we really need to get a savings account opened at the new bank. I really hate it that we have so little money put away. (Currently, we have the equivalent of ONE paycheck.) I'll be happier when it's at least one month of paychecks.

Oh, and the property taxes? They got sent back to me, because apparently, I hadn't paid them enough. So, instead of taking a partial payment and sending a bill for the balance, they sent everything back. They are now paid, but I can't wait to see what happens this time. I have to say that this has been a major pain. Love dealing with the government red-tape.

New Things

Today, my husband and I made a pretty big decision. We have changed banks. For most people, this is no big deal, but I've been with the same bank for almost all of my adult life. Unfortunately, that bank got "scared" when the stock market bottomed out, and started doing everything they could to bring in money. Part of that was charging what I consider to be outlandish fees.

I've been asking other people what bank they use and if they're happy with them for a few months, and I got mostly the same answer back. The name of the bank, and yes, they've been happy with them. Never had any problems. We went to that bank first. Stupid bank insists that you have a piece of mail with your PHYSICAL address on it, or they won't open the account. I happened to have with me a piece of mail with hubby's name and the physical address, but nothing with my name. It's a joint account. We have the same last name. We have the same P.O. Box address on our driver's license. Not good enough. I took the high road (almost literally) and told them I would take our business elsewhere.

The second bank was much friendlier. They were willing to answer all of my questions before they asked for identification. We got free t-shirts! (But no toaster.) They requested our physical address, and accepted our driver's license as ID. Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. New checks and bank cards should be here in about a week. And, oh yes, they are paying for the first order of checks.

Now comes the harder part...switching all of our direct deposits and automatic withdrawls to the new account. And closing the old accounts. (We had both savings and checking at the old bank.)

Wish me luck on this new endeavor.

OK, so today I paid last year's property taxes. I told you my finances were a mess due to reckless spending.

The horrible thing is that this year's property taxes are due in a couple of weeks, and I'm not exactly sure if I have enough money in the savings to pay them. At least, I think they're due in a couple of weeks. I haven't yet gotten the bill.

I feel a little guilty because I took some "found" money and bought myself a new cell phone. I probably should have paid a bill. Again, it's a rationalizing thing. I work hard, and I rarely get money that isn't budgeted to almost the last penny. I got a small inheritance from my grandmother, and I honestly used most of that money for the taxes. We do have a savings account that goes directly from my paycheck into the bank to pay taxes, but we made an emergency trip to North Carolina last June, and spent that money. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Someone please tell me I'm not as stupid as I think I am, just a little off track?

The New Year begins, as do my resolution to get my budget back under control. Currently, almost all of my bills are behind. This is mostly due to some unrestricted spending (read that as "I spent money how I felt like it, and never mind the bills."), and also some unexpected expenses.

It never really occurred to me that having two teenagers on our car insurance would triple the payments! I'm just saying...

So my husband and I have decided together to curb all unnecessary spending and get all of the bills at least caught up. I estimate that this will take approximately 6 months, barring any other unforseen circumstances.

I also am trying to plan a trip to see my grandson for his first birthday, and there is a chance that he and his mommy will be staying with us while daddy goes to fight for the freedoms of our country. (Please don't comment on what daddy is really fighting for, that's an issue for a different blog.)

I thought that becoming an "empty-nester" would make the budget easier, but I have found that not having children in the house has made me feel a little freer in my spending. I rationalize it as "I don't have to spend as much on food, etc." Not a good rationalization.

I still think that we should have an emergency fund, but that has been temporarily put on hold. I think that having a roof over our heads, and electricity are more important.

More thoughts later...