$25 Gift Certificates for $2 at Restaurant.com Today

Today Restaurant.com has a special where you can buy a $25 Gift Certificate to many restaurants for just $2.

Restaurant.com is a great site that normally offers you $25 gift certificates at participating restaurants for $10. Today, though, they have an 80% off special if you put in the code TREATS at checkout. Offer expires at 11:59pm October 31st.

I just snagged $100 worth of certificates for $8 for restaurants that my husband and I already go to. Certificates are valid for one year, but be sure to check the restaurant terms because most have a minimum purchase requirement.

Thanks to Get Rich Slowly for posting this initially!

October Round Up

It's been another quiet month here at Distilled Rose Personal Finance, but it's about to get a lot louder now that I am down to one job and have some dedicated blogging time!

This months most popular articles were:

Frugal Food: Three Ideas for Frugal Dinners

101 Top Personal Finance Tips - Part 5

Book Giveaway : Stop the 401(k) Rip Off

The winner of my book giveaway was Garnishments! Garnishments, please let me know your email address so I can get some information for you. 

Thanks to everyone who commented in October!

My top referrers this month were:

Aridni

Where Are You Now

Frugal Babe

And the most searched for terms were:

"atlanta gas crisis"

"ing direct high yield"

"passive forms of income"

So thanks to my 482 visitors and 49 subscribers!

So here is my question from last month again (since I got no replies).

What do you most enjoy reading about on Distilled Rose? Do you like reading about finance news, opinions, being frugal, my personal journey getting out of debt.... what do I post about that peaks your interest?

Here is how last month went:

September Round Up

A Very Pricey Chocolate Cake

Image by JessicaFM

Every Tuesday, my husband and I have date night. This Tuesday, we decided to do something a little different and bake something together. We flipped through my cookbook and settled on a really delicious and unhealthy Chocolate Cake. It was complex, and would take about two hours to make. We didn't have most of the ingredients, so we toddled off to the store and bought:

Organic Dark Chocolate (Used 10.5 of 12oz) - $3.99
Organic Milk Chocolate (Used 1.5 of 12oz) - $3.99
Organic Eggs (Used 8 of 12) - $3.99
Organic Vanilla Extract (Used 1 Tbsp of 15Tbsp) - $8.99
Organic Dark Brown Sugar (Used 4oz of 32oz) - $3.99
Organic Granulated Sugar (Used 4oz of 32oz) - $5.99
Unsalted Butter (Used 1.5 Sticks of 4 Sticks) - $2.69

Plus 8% Tax

Total Spent - $36.36

We picked up a few other things that we "needed", which brought our total to a whopping $69.31.

To me, thats a very expensive chocolate cake. I worked out that we ended up using $10.23 worth of ingredients, the rest will be used in other things. Thats not a bad price per serving for a high end cake, but it's the other items we bought while at the store that caused problems.

Where we went wrong

Impulse buying is what did it. I picked up some Vital Wheat Gluten which will get used at some point, I'm sure but certain wasn't necessary that day. We also bought a smoothie for my husband and two energy bars for me which we didn't need. Those came to more than $5. We also bought food for a small dinner we had last night, one of the items being a $6.50 block of cheese. If we had been at Publix instead of Whole Foods, we probably would have paid about $3 for the cheese.

Stick to your list

I went in with a list and we didn't stick to it, which usually happens when my husband and I go to a grocery store together. We are both easily distracted and tend to put a lot more than we should in the cart. Next week begins the start of a new budget for us, and hopefully having a strict budget will enable us to lower our impulse buying. I'm a bit concerned, though. I think we'll have to lay off the chocolate cake for a while.

By the way, it was quite delicious.

Back Down to One Job

Today I quit my other secondary job and now I work just one job. I'm very relieved! I'm glad that I did that extra work for a few months and made the extra money because it did enable me to pay off my car and medical bills early, but I'm also very glad that I'll be able to get some rest and work on writing and this blog more. 

I know that I could use the extra money to pay my debt down more quickly, but I would rather do that freelancing. My emotional well-being is worth it!

Pulling out of Prosper

Prosper is not currently accepting new loans while it goes through a new verification process. They are also canceling their referral program.
I'm a big big fan of Prosper, and my intent has been to keep re-investing the money that I get when loan payments come in. Since they are holding you from making new loans, though, I'm going to start pulling that money out of my Prosper account, keeping track of the totals, and putting it in my savings account.
When Prosper reopens new loans, I will put the money back in.
I'm hoping it will reopen soon because I love the person to person lending concept!

Christmas Is Coming: A Plan for Painless Shopping

Image by Sister72

I confess, I'm not a fan of Christmas. I love the idea that you get together with your family and have a day of gifts and happiness, but most of my family lives 4,000 miles away from me and I usually can't get home more than once a year. 

The one thing about Christmas that wears me down is how expensive it can get. If you play your cards right and get ahead of the game, though, it can make everything easier and less stressful. 

Make a Shopping Plan

Now is the time to figure out what you want to get everyone. Make a list of what you would like to get for everyone. Include a dollar amount that you will be spending. Total that dollar amount up and add ten per cent to cover tax and the fact that you are likely to have forgotten something. There are 9 weeks until Christmas, but you want everything to be in your hot little hands a week before to minimize stress and allow yourself some wiggle room. Divide what the amount you need by 8 and that shows you how much money a week you'll be spending on Christmas up until Christmas. 

Now every week take your money and see what on your list you could buy with it. If you have items you can pick up, go and grab a few of them in your lunch hour or on your way to run another errand. If you don't have enough that week for an item, roll it over to the next week and keep going until you do. If you have a week where you aren't picking an item up, take the time you would spend doing that wrapping presents that you have previously bought.

If you follow this, you have the week before Christmas to do any additional preparation like cleaning the house up or cooking in advance, or picking up things you might have forgotten. 

Make Presents if You Can

I'm a huge fan of handmade presents. I knit a lot of gifts at Christmas time and I hope that they are well received. Knitted items are great, but another good inexpensive idea is to make up things like bread or cake mix, or pancake mix and gift that to people that you tend to give smaller gifts to. Pancake mix is a really good one because home made mix is cost effective and simple, and most people have the pans and added ingredients in their homes to make the mix up without having to buy anything new (like a bread pan). Some nice cellophane bags and ribbons along with hand written instructions on a small card can make this simple gift look sweet and special. 

If you aren't into making presents but still love the handmade feel, check out Etsy for handmade items. They have just about everything you can think of.

If you send Christmas cards, now is also a good time to start preparing them. You can purchase them and write up a few a week, then send them all in the first week of December. 

What other ways to you prepare for Christmas?

 

3 Months Ago on Distilled Rose Personal Finance

Weekly Financial Round Up 06/22

Debt Snowball Progress #3

It's so exciting that I can post more Debt Snowball Progress. My last post on this was five weeks ago when I paid off my medical bills. Now I get to report that I've paid off the third of seven debts.... my car! 

My car was technically Debt 4 but I chose to pay it off earlier than my AmEx card because it was to a real live person and it was my highest minimum payment. Paying this one off allows me to finally make more than I spend in bills, so I don't have to worry about scrambling to find extra cash in order to break even. 

So here is how my Snowball looks today:

1. Banana Republic Card - PAID ($20 Minimum to Medical)

2. Medical Bills - PAID (106.40 Minimum to Car)

3. Car - PAID (306.40 Minimum to AmEx)

4. American Express - Balance $570.15 - Minimum $321.40

5. Prosper - Balance $2435.46 - Minimum $101.01

6. Bank of America - Balance $4693.28 - Minimum $101

7. Student Loan - Balance $23821 - No Minimum

Total Remaining - $31519.89

I am, again, making really fantastic progress on all of this debt. I'm down to two jobs now, and I feel so much stronger financially than I did a few months ago. I'm so much less stressed about money. My plan is obviously working, and I'm confident that I'll have my AmEx paid off by the end of November. It's scary to think about hitting the Prosper Loan and the Bank of America Credit Card because those debts are both really big, but I think that if I keep my eye on the target I will make it. 

I've still got several more payments from the sale of my company coming in, and I'm hoping to get some more freelance writing work soon. 

I have met my October goal 11 days early!

Here are how my 2008 goals are shaping up:

Get My Networth to below -$28000 - Currently at -$28,567 - So close!

Get my Prosper Loan down to less than $2000 - Currently at $2435.36

Pay off my Banana Republic Card - DONE

Pay off my American Express - Currently at $570.15

Get Emergency Fund to $1000 - Currently at $244.71 (This took a hit when I had to buy tires)

I'm getting really close to hitting some of these. I still think that I might not make my Emergency Fund goal, but with my raise I'm putting more money in it a month than I used to, and I'll be saving more of the money from my second job to give it a boost. I really want it at that $1000 mark, and I might bite the bullet and put some extra in there if I manage to meet the other goals. 

If I keep going this way I really will have everything but my student loans paid off within a year. That will be such a sweet and fantastic feeling!

A Happy Day at the Pump

Image by Bitzcelt

Since I bought my car, I have had the hardest time dealing with the price of gas. Going from using a gallon every two weeks to ten gallons every week has made it hard to deal with tighter finances. Today, though, I was pleasantly surprised. Today I filled up my car for $26. 

Gas is now about $1.20 a gallon cheaper than it was three weeks ago. This means that everyone is probably breathing a little sigh of relief. We're also coming to the end of hurricane season (November 1st), which means that technically, things will ease up. However, it's started getting cold, which means the demand for heating oil will start to go up. 

So what does this mean? Well, it means that although we are seeing a bit of slack on gas prices, it's unlikely to hold. 

Now, if I had more money, and if I were better at keeping track of things, I would take that $10.80 that I didn't spend on gas and put it in a savings account or earmark it somehow for the future. That way, I'm still acting like I'm spending $4 a gallon on gas, but I'm putting that extra money away for when it either goes higher, or to use it when I really can't afford to fill up. 

I hope this price holds for a little longer, though, because I know that everyone could really use a break.

Patience is a Virtue

I'm being patient right now. very patient because I have two checks that are "on the way" to me. Once I have received them, I can write and mail the final car payment, and I'll have $200 a month off my minimum payment list.. reducing it by about 47%. I want those checks so badly. I can't wait. I'm so antsy.
It's hard being patient when you are so close that you can practically smell it. It's also difficult because I have absolutely zero control about when these checks will arrive. One is a week overdue and one is two days overdue. I know they will probably both come at the same time and there will be much rejoicing.
I'm also excited because yesterday my husband and I agreed to work on some joint savings, something which we have not done yet. We're putting away money for future travel, and eventually for a house. It's a big step for him since he has never been much of a saver. I'm really proud of him for deciding to do this. I know that this will make me feel very good when I see us working towards a financial goal together.
And so I will remain patient, and I will continue to check my mail obsessively until those checks come!

Blog Action Day 2008 : Poverty

This post is part of Blog Action Day 2008. The idea is to have many voices talking about one issue at the same time to build awareness. I wrote this post as a stream of consciousness on what I think about poverty and I wholeheartedly welcome discussion in the comments about what I have to say.

When I think abut poverty, the first thing I think about is starving children in Africa. I think about countries that are so poor that their children are born already in debt. I think about people unable to feed or clothe their families, or people that have no access to clean water.

Then when I think more, I start to think about the United States, and then I think of desperation. I think of people who are really very rich by world standards, but who consider themselves to be so poor that they become desperate. They are not starving. They still have cars, jobs, or food. Maybe they have to forgo a vacation, or they need to downsize their house, but they aren't fighting for survival.

Poverty, to me, is a global issue, and it is unbalanced. I think that many people are richer than they think they are. But then, there are those who have no homes and are living on the street. Those who are denied basic necessities due to their lack of wealth are poor.

But in that respect, in the US, does that mean that everyone without health insurance or access to proper healthcare is poor?

A right to medicine, isn't that a basic need? Or does it really get limited to food and shelter.

Some people who are homeless do not consider themselves poverty stricken. They have food, and sometimes shelter. To you or me, they might seem poor... but not to them.

So lets get back to poverty as an issue. I think we're talking about developing nations where there is no clean water, little food and shelter, no clothes or shoes, and where children die every day of preventable illnesses. Places where people are starving to death every day. Places where children have no education, where schools are as rare as hospitals. Those are the places where I think we should turn our eye today. Those are the people that really need help, and I think that many of us are in a position to help them. I think that if everyone denied themselves one small thing and gave that to a person in a developing nation, it could really make a difference in a persons life. 

You can even give a little of your time instead of something tangible.

Discuss.

Grow Your Own Basil and Save $40 and the Environment

Image by Darny

In our house, we use basil in just about everything. We put it in salads, in pasta, on pizza, in omelets, on bruschetta, in sauces, and we make our own pesto. I would buy a pack of basil from the grocery store about every other week for about $5 each time, and I would throw half of it away. 

A while ago I bought a planter, and I started growing my own basil. It was such a good decision. I never have enough to make pesto, but my basil plants always yield enough for my other recipes. I also grow my own rosemary and I used to grow parsley as well.

I like keeping plants in my house because I firmly believe that they improve the air quality in my home. I like the idea that they are taking care of some of the carbon dioxide that my husband and I are exhaling, and enriching the environment with the oxygen that they give off. 

I would say that my basil plant has saved me about $40 in basil purchases, helped me feel like I am doing my part for the environment by oxygenating the air and by avoiding purchasing basil that would come in a plastic packages, and it definitely makes my house look a little prettier. 

So are you growing your own kitchen plants inside? If you are, let me know what you successfully grow! I'm also on the lookout for natural fertilizer ideas, so feel free to share.

News and Progress

Today we sold my husbands car. It was a tough decision for him because he really loves his sound system, but since he got his scooter he has been driving the car maybe once or twice a month. Since I have a great car, we decided it would be better to just be a one car one scooter family again. 

It also went to a friend in need. Someone I know had had a car accident and her car was totaled. She desperately needed a car, so I believe that it was a great decision for all involved. She seemed very happy with it as she drove off today. 

The other news is that I have gone on hiatus at one of my jobs. I no longer work my regular saturday job. I will still be called in if it gets busy and they need something, or if someone gets sick or takes a day off. Since it's really a seasonal job anyway, this is probably best for all involved. I wasn't making much money there so it won't feel like too big a hit and I could really use having the weekends free again. 

I'm still working on paying my car off this month, and I'm hoping to get on a more consistent blogging schedule. I'm also in need of questions for the next Monday Reader Mailbag. I still don't have enough, so feel free to ask them in the comments. 

Have you entered the drawing for my book giveaway yet?

101 Top Personal Finance Tips - Part 5

Image by Kiki99

Welcome to Part 5 in my series of Top Personal Finance Tips! 

Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed to get all of the rest!

21. Work Out at Home

There are so many ways to work out at home and cancel your gym membership. One of my favorites is the deck of cards method. I shuffle a deck of cards and draw as many as I have time for, which is usually 10 or 15 cards. For me, red cards are squats and black cards are sit ups. You can pick any, and do suits instead of just colors if you want to add more in. Then I draw a card and whatever number value that card is, thats how many of that exercise I do. I was so happy to hear that other people use the same method as me!

I play Wii Fit as well when I can, but I have attention span issues with it. 

22. Take Advantage of 0% Balance Transfer Offers

Many credit card companies offer limited time 0% balance transfers. If you are carrying credit card debt of more than $1000, these are fantastic opportunities to save money on interest. 

When you use one of these offers, be sure to make a note of when it expires and make sure you make your payments on time or you can invalidate the offer. There is a great list of cards with these transfers available here. The reason I advise moving $1000 of debt or more is that there are usually transfer fees associated with moving the money and often if you move a really small amount it isn't as worth it. 

23. Start an Emergency Fund

I can't stress the importance of creating an emergency fund enough. I put 5-6% of my income into a high yield savings account. I am saving for three months worth of living expenses. The benefit of this is that if something happens, I can pay for it in cash and don't have to charge money to my credit cards. Also, if something happens and I couldn't work, I would not only have breathing room for a couple of months, but I would also be able to make payments on my credit cards and I wouldn't have late payments on penalties. 

24. Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

A little change can go a long way. Switching all of your lights to CFL's can save 4-10% on your energy bill. My husband claims that he doesn't like the way the light looks, and I can understand that but I can't honestly tell much of a difference and I think it is worth it. The price of CFL's is going down, and they last longer than regular lights. I highly recommend the change if you can!

25. Get Rid of Your Paper Towel Habit

I'm working on a project here. I knit, and I'm trying to make enough cotton dishcloths to stop using paper towels altogether. I hate buying them, they aren't good for the environment in that they contribute to the cutting down of trees and the encouragement of landfills. Dishcloths are incredibly inexpensive to purchase and tend to last a long time. I would recommend hand knit absorbent cotton ones if you can get them. 

There is a great Etsy store here that is selling them very cheaply and even offers free shipping through December 15th if you don't feel like making your own. 

Check out the other posts in this series:

101 Top Personal Finance Tips - Part 4

101 Top Personal Finance Tips - Part 3
101 Top Personal Finance Tips - Part 2
101 Top Personal Finance Tips - Part 1

Book Giveaway - Stop the 401(K) Rip-Off

With so much going on in the financial market and so many issues with the value of 401(k)'s dropping, I've decided that it's time to pass along my hardback copy of David Loeper's Stop the 401(K) Rip-Off. 

This book contains a lot of advice and solutions to improving your 401(k), getting rid of fees, and saving you a bunch of money. 

Here's How to Win

I will be drawing a name from a hat next Tuesday, October 15th. There are multiple ways to enter:

Make a comment on this post recommending a Personal Finance Book (1 Entry).

Subscribe to my RSS Feed and then notify me via me comment form in the sidebar (2 Entries).

Add my blog to your Blogroll or Link list and notify me via my comment form (3 Entries).

Write about this giveaway on your blog, link to this post and notify me via my comment form (4 Entries).

Have fun, play nice, and I'll contact the winner next week!

A Minor Splurge

Image by Mr T

Sometimes, when you've been working on getting out of debt for so long you get tired. 

I feel often like I never get a chance to spend money on myself. I never buy anything for myself, ever. I agonize over the smallest of purchases and stress over my bills constantly. 

So today, when I got a call from someone who was interested in becoming a client and set up a meeting with him for tomorrow for some work that will earn me a little extra money, I did what any stressed, irritated woman with a negative body image would do. 

I went shopping. 

I've just kicked off my brand new shoes, and I'm sitting here in a new top and jeans, with pretty new earrings. I bought three tops, one for work and two for either work or home, a pair of jeans because I ripped my second to last pair a couple of weeks ago, a pair of brown heels, and some earrings. 

I spent $98 on everything, and it all came from Target. 

I don't give myself many rewards. It's hard for me to accept that sometimes I should stop and celebrate a win, because I feel as though that would set me back for the next one. But the thing is, when I get depressed and frustrated, I don't do as well. I become less of a nice person to be around. So every so often I think it is good to take a step back and put a little unexpected money on to something for yourself. 

If you've earned it, celebrate it. 

Frugal Food - Three Ideas for Frugal Dinners

Image by ExperienceLA

More often than not, by the time the end of the month comes we are out of grocery money. 

Groceries are where I slack off in the planning department. Because my husband and I keep odd and busy schedules, I'm reluctant to buy fruit and veggies because they tend to go bad. I also don't keep the pantry stocked as well as I would like, and we rent so our freezer is tiny. 

Often I find that I need to head to the store to pick something up for dinner and I generally don't have much money to spend. I have a lot of cookbooks, but I've found that often the recipes I make myself based on what is in my fridge or what I'm craving serve me well. Isn't there a saying that necessity is the mother of invention?

Here are three of my easy dinner staples that are simple and cheap.

Potatoes and Peppers with Cheddar Cheese

Ingredients:

1 Red Pepper

4 Red Creamer Potatoes

1/4 C Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Grated)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Dice the potatoes and the peppers. Heat the oil in a wide pan and add the potatoes. Stir over medium heat for 8 minutes. Add the peppers, cover and cook for another 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the potatoes are browned and cooked through, divide into bowls and cover with the grated cheese. 

Serves 2 with lunch leftovers for one.

Egg and Cheese Burritos

2 Large Flour Tortillas

3 Eggs

1/4 C Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 Tbsp Oil

Heat the oil in a small frying pan or omelette pan. Break eggs into a bowl, add a tablespoon of water, and beat with a fork. Put half of the eggs mixture in the frying pan. Cook as you would an omelette. When done, place omelette in the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle half of the cheese down the middle, then roll it up. Repeat with the other half of the ingredients. 

Cheese and Tomato Pasta Bake

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

2-3 C Small Pasta Shells

1/2 C Cheddar Cheese

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta in boiling water according to directions. Drain the pasta and place in a small casserole dish or pan about 8" by 8". Mix in the can of tomatoes, cover with the cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. 

You can add garlic or other herbs as you choose to bump up the flavor. 

By the way, thanks for visiting and reading Distilled Rose. Your presence is noticed and appreciated!

October Goals and a Poll

This has been a hard week for me. I have a lot going on in my personal life that is taking a lot of time, attention, energy and stress. Having said that, I can't exactly throw my finances out of the window so here is the plan for October.

October is another blissful 5 Week month, which means that I get an "extra" paycheck that doesn't factor into my budget. I always agonize over what to do about these. With my first two checks for Job #3 coming in too, though, I've realized that I could do one pretty huge thing this month.

I can pay off my car.

My car has my biggest monthly debt payment. It's $200 a month, and without that to pay I would make enough at Job #1 to cover all of my minimums. That would mean that every other penny can pay down my debt or be saved. This means that I can feasibly quit one of my other two jobs any time I want because I won't need them to pay my bills.

I'm very excited about this prospect. It's only be two months early, but I think it would be the absolute best thing to do this month.

My other goal for October is to come up with a better savings plan. I need to really go through and look and analyze everything to make sure I'm saving up the right amounts for the right things. I also need to give my savings a raise, as well as figure out my check from Job #2.

Maybe you can help. I'd like feedback here.

My base pay at Job #2 is very low. I make a small amount hourly and the rest is commission, which can be hit or miss. These checks are normally under $100. Nowhere in my budget do I have money allocated to gas or entertainment or clothes. I'm thinking that what I should do is save part of the money and spend part of it, and let the checks from Job #3 go exclusively towards debt.

So, here are my options:

A. Put half of the check in savings and spend half.
B. Put my base pay only in savings and spend commission.
C. Put my commission in savings and spend my base pay.
D. Some other option I haven't thought of yet.

Generally, my base pay is higher than my commission, but it's hit or miss as to whether that is always the case.

Please let me know what you think in the comments! I'd love to have my readers decide this one for me.

I Know I Know

I know I should be talking about the Bailout Bill. I know that I should be discussing that Citigroup and Wells Fargo are actually fighting over Wachovia. I know I should talk about the stock market issues, or the price of gas.
I know I should be writing about my financial progress or my jobs or how much I'm working.
I know that I should give you the next five 101 Top Personal Finance Tips. I know I should be linking to everything that I'm talking about, but my head is exploding and I need a mental health day.

Here is a good tip though:

Don't ever take anyone for granted in your life, because when you least expect it they might just up and leave because they don't know how you feel. Cherish the people around you, or risk losing them.

September Net Worth Update

For the second month in a row, my Net Worth has increased. I am still extremely happy and excited about it! I feel like I'm finally walking in the right direction.

Here is how it looks this month:

And the breakdown is as follows:

Assets

Car Value - $2,480

Prosper Investments - $239

Savings - $284

Debts

Students Loan - $23,821

Credit Cards - $5,228 ($434 AmEx, $4,794 BoA)

Vehicle Loans - $3,221 ($700 Car, $2,522 Scooter)

Net Worth 

-$29,267

That's an increase of 2.77%

This month my savings took a hit because I had to buy tires for my car, and I got all of my medical bills paid off. 

Savings

Emergency Fund - 7% (10.3%) Depleted for tires

Thailand Fund - 0.8% (0.8%)

Medical Fund - 5% (2.5%)

Auto Fund - 0.0% (0.5%) Emptied for tires

Down Payment Fund - 0.08% (0.08%)

Blog Income

Advertising - $50 (Yes I have ads for sale, just use my handy contact form if you would like one)

As I said before, my big Debt Snowball Progress this month was paying off my Medical Bills. I'm very happy that they are gone!

I'm skipping over my AmEx this month and focusing on my Car. I have $700 more to pay and I normally pay $200 a month. This is the biggest minimum payment that I have and knocking it out would mean that my salary from my first job would actually cover all of my bills. The amount of stress this would relieve from me is worth paying interest on my AmEx for just one more month. I also owe this money to a real live person, and would like her to be repaid quickly. Because of my three jobs, I am confident that I'll have $500 extra this month to put on the car so hopefully you'll see a post about that soon!

When my raise goes into effect, I'll also be boosting my Savings allocations so there should be some good progress on those next month. 

So to recap, the financial goal for October is to pay off my car. 

Here are links to my previous Net Worth posts:

August Net Worth Update

July Net Worth Update

June Net Worth Update