Brooklyn Girl's Personal Finance Blog

RENT $952.00
STUDENT LOAN $141.00
ELECTRIC $72.00
GAS (as in cooking) $10.00
TRIPLE PLAY $109.00
GIFTS/CHARITY $296.53
(Aunt bday, china earthquake, work parties contr.)
FOOD (incl. lunches at work) $423.12
MEDICAL $72.00
KITTENS (litter, food) $94.31
ROTH $458.00
PHARMACY stff $85.00
CLOTHING $231.08
HOUSE STUFF $703.00
(Roomba, AC, plant, kitchenware, shredder, hampers, shower curtains)
DRY CLEAN, LAUNDRY $31.50
MISCELANEOUS $264.00
(IRS bill, phone chargers, consumer report, ethernet wires, entry visa, passport photos)
GROOMING - haircuts for both $43.00
CAR INSURANCE $240
GASOLINE $335.27
TOLLS ez pass $200.00
OTHER TRANSPORTATION (TAXI, PARKING) $14.50
CAR MAINTn/EXPENCES $155.00
(parking ticket, car registration)
FUN STUFF $98.20
(Magazine, lotto, 3 month game subscription, itune)
EATING OUT $799.17
PERSONAL EXPENSES ON TDY $136.73
tips, rounds of drinks, food, metro pass
reimbursed by per diem -$136.73
GENERAL SAVINGS $300.00
VACATION SAVINGS GOAL $87.00 (Train tickets Amsterdam to Paris)
Total $6,213.50

I bought things for the house I wanted for months - I don't spend as much on house stuff normally.... but eating out category is horrible. I had no idea we were spending this much! I need to at least half it. I am not anywhere near my savings goals.

I WILL try much harder in July!

I am still doing it - and it is not pretty!
June seems to be a more expensive month than average(maybe because I am tracking?), and seeing it expressed in numbers is hard. And I am only 2/3 of the month in.
I gave myself what I though was a very reasonable budget with a lot of allowances and space. Turns out it was more of a "wishful thinking" budget.

I track cash daily, credit card purchases downloaded weekly and sort everything according to budget categories.
I'll have to adjust it next month to reflect reality, and I have to try much harder. I will keep doing this until my projected budget and my actual one actually match!!!!
And I will post it at the end of the month no matter how badly I did.

Got woken up by the insistent non-english speaking neighbor. Evidently my toilet bowl leaked and flooded his ceiling. Took a day off, waited for the plumber all day, got it fixed. Got a headache - from not being able to get out all day and stressing out over the possible dishwasher discovery.

Anyway, I wasted a personal day and did not really enjoy it.
the only thing I bought all day was milk - and it was not even organic (that store we'd have to drive to).

I am keeping with my goal not to eat dinner out until weekend (to make up for the eating out spree last week). Day 3 and holding.

We spend the weekend at a friends house in the Catskills. Trees, greenery, porch... Like another world to me. It was very relaxing, and as always after visiting, I get the itch to buy a house there.

We spend a lot of money eating out (about $200) but thats how it is. I will try not to have dinner out until Saturday to average things out.

Just saw the circular about it.

We are under the "flat tax" system where we get taxed to the organization at 22%. But we don't get to claim ANY deductions or tax breaks at all.

This was done to "equalize" all international employees in amount of taxes deducted.

So because of stimulus they will apply $600 less towards our 2008 tax advance payments. Even though it is not an advance for the rest of the US.

This sucks! I've been looking forward to my check so much! ((((

Yesterday, I was looking through new mail and saw what looked like a check in the IRS envelope. Thinking it may be the stimulus come early, I was excited.

When I opened it, it was indeed a check from the IRS, but for $3,200! With the letter explaining that it is a refund for overpayment to the state.

We were floored. Of course, we were pretty sure that we calculated our taxes correctly. So immediately came the sinking feeling that it was a mistake.

From looking over our taxes quickly, it seems that DH added “taxes withheld” and “tax advance payments" together (with the logic that it is all taxes already paid).
The amount was correct; he just did not separate them.
The state must have found tax advance payments in the system and applied them again.

We will, of course, double check this very carefully on the weekend before calling IRS on Monday. I wonder if the IRS will be as stubborn in agreeing that it is a mistake and they do not owe us money, as they would be in a reverse situation.

Anyway, my fear is that a mistake in our favor is likely to end up being as much trouble for us as the reverse.

Oh, how I wish I could keep this beautiful check – I felt so much richer for a moment. But, alas…

Just came back from lunch with DH (he had a doctor appointment in Manhattan, so we decided to meet on my lunch hour).

The meal came to $70 and sucked. (it was not worth the calories eaten either)
That is upsetting. I should have gone to a place I knew.
Or get a recommendation (which is still no guarantees it won't suck).

So lately we discovered one new excellent restaurant (cheap too) and had disappointing meals at two others ($92 and $70 - and the first one was highly recommended by hundreds of people who apparently don't know what they are talking about)

So these 2 bad meals are almost the cost of the air conditioning unit! I don't mind paying for a good meal, but this... leaves a bad taste.

But you can't discover new restaurants without trying. And you can't live in NY and only go to 10-15 restaurants over and over. And it is a joy to discover one you like.

So I am trying to get over this waste of money.

Well, at least the company was excellent.

A receipt from buying few groceries today. It is a lot, especially if you look how small the quantities are.

I've been counting days this month. Now after 36 months of on-time payments, I got my "consolidation reward" 1% interest rate reduction. It may not sound like much - but it is 1/3 off my interest!

Now my student loans are locked at 2.1%!
Less than official inflation, let along the real one. So now, out of my $140 monthly payment about $100 will be going to principal.

It is a little celebration
2.1% sounds so nice!

3 nice toothbrushes and 3 antibacterial toothbrush holders given free from dental insurance representative at annual enrollment campaign.
worth at least $12
adding it to the challenge money

New total: $24.80

One is access to a comprehensive online Chinese language learning programme offered by the developer for free to a small group of people in the language programme at work.

Second one is a free magazine subscription for a year (one of the interesting specialized ones that you can't get cheaply) And it is being offered to a selected group through my employer, not through one of those "mouse trap deals".

I am quite happy and signed up right away (I don't sign up for cr@p just because it is free.)

$12.80 today

I went out to CVS on the first day of the new sale and managed to get some of the items on good promotions that would usually be gone by day 2.

Oral B toothbrushes for $1.77, toothpaste, bounty and few non-sale items. Saved: 12.80. Real savings, because I would have to buy these things anyway. They only had like 9 toothbrushes and I bought 5. I somehow felt it would be wrong to take all of them. Like I would be doing something not so nice and somebody may need the savings more than me, and it sucks to come and not find any... I know it may be silly, but is like grabbing all the shrimp from the buffet - allowed, but kind of wrong. Anybody else thinks it is crazy to feel this way?

On a very busy highway section where there is some curving, lanes merge and one needs to really pay attention, a car with a young guy - late teens, maybe early 20s just crosses the solid line(his lane did not merge) without even bothering to look in the blind spot or signal. DH swerved to the left, it was just great luck there was no car there at the moment - he had no time to look and the road was congested.

What got to me is that the young driver continued on blissfully unaware of any of it! Parents should DRILL it into their children's heads not to do that. It is just the matter of time before he causes somebody to get hurt. Maybe parents should let their teens drive when going somewhere with them and observe and continue to teach. I understand that some people feel that on an empty highway in the middle of nowhere it is no big deal if you do not turn and look in the blind spot every single time. It has to be an INGRAINED HABIT, second nature to the driver or these things will happen. So it is always a big deal!

I am trying to find a hotel with a decent rate for Oktoberfest.... but rates double and nicer ones are already sold out.

Marriott is only available with expensive "stay anytime points". Otherwise it is 400 euros per night.
That is way too much!

I looked at VRBO, hostels and B&Bs. Anyone knows some other options?

This weekend it was bad:

We went out for brunch and after, since the weather was so wonderful, went for a walk around Brooklyn Heights. It was lovely - the light wind, the smell of trees and plants. We were walking on tree-lined blocks with old brownstones and I was thinking that trees and birds are such a luxury. It is amazing to have a flat in a quiet area and see trees out of your window. So I looked again in the windows of real estate agencies, and lovely (yet not large) 1-2 bedroom co-ops or condos in the area are in the 1.3 million range. Looking at the listings one gets the impression that if all you can afford is 500K or less you are "bottom of the barrel" and should not even be looking at real estate. It is so frustrating.

My dream of 700-800sf apartment with trees outside, permission to have a washer, a kitchen that would fit a 40" table, and not more than 1 hour commute is out of reach. Not to mention a place with some charm/character...

I was in Ikea yesterday, looking at some furniture and room setups. And I saw things like walk-in closet, double sinks, room for shower AND a bathtub... it would be absolute luxury to have space for that. Most of the furniture I would consider would not even fit in my apartment. Not to mention things that I can't consider - such as kitchen islands... I cannot get any of this because it all hinges one one premium and super-expensive item - SPACE. at $1,000 or more per square foot it is not the cost of the furniture thats the issue.

We make relatively good money, but whenever I think about these things I feel so poor. During this walk all I could think of were people who lived in these condos, and how I have little chance of ever being one of them. It made me miserable. I have to work on myself, it is just hard sometimes...

As always, our vacation grows much bigger than initially planned due to that argument. I don’t know how to fight it – it seems valid to say “if we are already here at this glacier, I may as well pay extra $300 to hike across it. It is a unique experience and when is the next time I am coming here?”

So, planning upcoming vacation in September, I started out with 7 days in Paris and 6 in Amsterdam. Than Eastern Europe (cheaper, and I speak/understand some languages).
Now I realize that we’ll be there during Oktoberfest, and Munich is not far from Paris by train. It seems a shame to waste an opportunity to experience this festival in Bavaria, even if for 3-4 days.

But this will be expensive – hotels are either already sold out or charge a much higher price for these dates. Besides, to really experience the festival we will drink a lot of beer and eat special dishes made there (again with Euro it is pricey).

And than… Munich is close to Vienna and more flights leave from Vienna… after that Eastern Europe (visiting some friends who now live there) min 8 days.

I need to make an estimated budget, but it is really hard to project how much we’ll spend – considering that a lot of spending is of the “I am already here, half way across the world variety”. I want to experience French cuisine, explore beautiful places… That is the point of going.

But each time I promise myself that the vacation after that his going to be modest and simple. Yet, each time we spend more and more.

I am afraid to make an estimate – I have a feeling that sum would furnish our entire apartment beautifully.

1. I hate green fruits/vegetables that are engineered to look ripe. Fruits/vegetables are supposed to be fragrant and be tasty (many people don't know that). Even those labeled "organic" in most cases lack these qualities.
2. I do not like that bakeries will try to sell you a day old croissant and other pastries without blinking an eye. They are not edible, I have had to return them.
3. I wish that sushi/perishable items that are supposed to be made daily would be deeply discounted by the afternoon (like in Japan).
4. I wish there were bread shops, like in Europe, where they do both morning and the afternoon deliveries -- so you could get warm bread in the afternoon as well (and could buy 1/4 loaf too).

This is a rich country and we can afford good food, yet we don't demand it and therefore don't get it.

07-May-08 Wednesday
$25 11 yogurts, milk, chocolate milk - farmers market (week supply of dairy)
$4 breakfast pastries, farmers market
$4.50 tiny apple cake
$3.25 greens for 1 salad (for dinner)
5.98 cup of raw sliced almonds (nice to roast before tossing them on Haagendaz)
$1 tiny onion bread (to go with salad)
$1 two cucumbers
$2.99 16 oz strawberries
$3.83 1.3 lb stem tomatoes
$14.49 2 toothbrushes and a razor pharmacy

$66

08-May-08 Thursday
$1.75 bagel w cream cheese (made coffee at work) food
$2.71 pineapple 0.7 oz food
$1.94 watermelon 0.6 oz food
$4.57 prosciutto 0.25 lb food
$0.75 tiny bread food
$15.17 4 packs of swiffer wet on sale Pharmacy
$26.89

09-May-08 Friday
$5.25 toasted bagel with cream cheese, toasted almonds food
$5.37 big cup of watermelon (lunch) food
$57 dinner at the Mexican place (includes half a pitcher of frozen Margarita)
$67.62

10-May-08 Saturday
$27.50 Dry cleaning
$28 Dinner with friends at Saigon Grill - our share)
$55.50

11-May-08 Sunday
$30 Sunday brunch with friends - our share
$6 Grom ice cream cone
$0 ($78 of stuff from Crabtree and Evelyn - gift card, so does not count as spending)
$18 to go supper and Mon. dinner from a Korean-Russian home-cooking place
$54

12-May-08 Monday
1.5 Cheese danish (made coffee at work)
2.1 Edamame snack
9.78 6 pairs of dress socks (these things have to be replaced)
8.31 Lunch - box blackberries, box raspberries, cup watermelon
21.69

13-May-08 Tuesday
$5.50 Contribution to birthday breakfast at work (bagels with cream cheese and lox, coffee, fruit)
$2.99 cup of sliced mango (lunch)
$8.49

The summary:
Week 2 summary
$112 food
$39.44 pharmacy items
$27.50 dry cleaning
$121 eating out

$300 Total
(as opposed to Week 1 Summary:
Week 1 summary
141 student loan
105 roth
200 gift/help grandparents
171 for the house comfort
151 eating out
22 cats
15.75 dry cleaning
92 clothing
38 misc
80 food

1015.75)

I did quite well! Next week we are going to costco so it will be higher again (got to stock up on kitty litter/fancy feast) and I have had my eye on Roomba for quite a while.
But for now, I think I've been quite reasonable.

Especially considering that it is not my month to pay rent, and that DH pays all car/commuting expenses and bills (+ sometimes he buys groceries and dinners/fruit for the juicer...).
His spending is not listed here.

30-Apr-08 Wednesday
$2 Almond croissant (breakfast)
$8.66 Tuna salad wrap (lunch)
$19 10 yogurts and 1 small milk (week supply)
$4 1 bunch of asparagus
$5 ruffle tickets at work
$22 3 packs of dry cat food (wellness and evo)
$60 Wed total

01-May-08 Thursday
$4.78 Pancakes and coffee from deli (breakfast)
$11 lock for the gym
$12 hair bands from nice accessory store
$3.69 pack of tea to keep at work
$0 half of tuna salad wrap from yesterday (lunch)
$13.49 bar of ski wax off ebay
$44.79 Total Thursday

02-May-08 Friday
$1.50 coffee (breakfast) $12.91 0.6lb fresh pineapple, 0.6lb fresh watermelon, tiny chocolate bar (lunch) 1lb of good coffee to have at work
$151 Wolfgangs steakhouse
$141 student loan
$100 automatic transfer to ROTH
$406 Total Friday


03-May-08 Saturday
$15.75 Dry cleaning (1 jeans hemmed, suit jacket for DH cleaned)
$80 Marshalls (2 beautiful Tahari dress shirts $40 each - good value)
$36 bath mat and shower curtain liner
$132 Total Saturday

04-May-08 Sunday
No spend day!
Mainly due to 5 borough bike marathon that promised street closures/traffic
I made Belgian waffles with fresh juice and coffee for brunch at home)

05-May-08 Monday
$1.50 Apple turnover breakfast, made coffee at work
$7.58 lunch
$135 Pottery barn - set of towels, robe, matching fabric shower curtain
$144.08 Total Monday

06-May-08 Tuesday
$8 breakfast, milk to keep at work (for coffee)
$5.70 1 cup of edamame, 1 seafood summer roll (lunch)
$200 gift to grandparents, by Western Union gifts/charity
$8.40 book of stamps
$222 Tuesday Total


Recurring/planned
30-Apr-08 $2,613.71 Discover bill paid (10 day ski trip in march)

30-Apr-08 $561 Visa bill paid (where they don't take Discover)

Good things - we only went out once this week, so even with it being a steakhouse it was less than we usually spend on eating out (3-4 dinners a week at $50 average + 1 brunch).
And we did not go anywhere this weekend.

In defense of pottery barn - it was the first time I got to buy towels (we still towels I brought from my moms house years ago). This weekend I cleaned my bathroom to perfection - every tile, every nook of the cabinet, wiped every bottle and threw out everything I would not use. To complete the final stage I bought this extra stuff (this is not an every week occurrence).

Still $1,009 in one week is not where I want to be. If we bought a house it would be impossible.

I got to do better!

I had to have my first root canal - total of 3 visits and having a crown made. Just had a permanent crown put in today.
The good financial news is that apparently my insurance company covers total cost.

I was expecting a $500 co-pay, thats what the doctor estimated.

So this is nice. Finally something good coming from the insurance company. I knew this dental plan is much better than average, but I was still surprised by "free".

Yey!

Some oily crumbs from the apple turnover I was eating fell right on the front of it. Now there are oily stains.
It is a beautiful skirt, I just put it on and I love it. What do I do???
I really want to save it.

I have a friend with a "dream" of going to a particular foreign country. Since each year I spend a month in a new country, it seems to me that it is easy, and that she would just rather dream about it than do it.

All you have to do is save some money and
1. get a visa
2. book a plane ticket
3. book first night at a hostel
4. buy a guidebook

Unless going to Europe, it is not even that expensive.
I think for her it is just fear. She has been "dreaming" about it for years.

Any dream, broken down into steps is manageable.
If I wanted to open a western cafe in China I should.
1) Learn to cook well
2) Learn the language
3) Have starting capital
4) Hire a capable local to deal with bureaucracy and procurement
5) Find location near congregations of business-travelling foreigners
6) Have a backup re-entry plan/fund in case things do not work out
There are more steps and a tonn of details, but as long as you have these essential things and a passion, it is manageable.
So I do not call something "a dream" unless I am taking active steps to achieving it.

I am about to break down. I have been on the phone continuosly since 10:30 am calling my aunt's employer and her health insurance company.

All of it to get them to send a fax - that would take them 10 seconds! I need this desperately, as my aunt is supposed to start her second round of chemo therapy. (her first one got interrupted because they did not send the information).

So now, they are transferring insurance for everybody and they "lost" my aunt. So now she has no insurance. They say it will just take time until everyone is transferred to the new system. SHE DOES NOT HAVE TIME! She has to go to chemo tomorrow. She is in stage 4. She is in pain, her hair is coming out. And they have her information, and I got them the fax # of the insurance company and I alerted insurance company's supervisor... but are transferring it from one person to another and still nothing is done!

Supervisors do not pick up the phone, after holding for 30 minutes I get a voicemail, and calls never get returned. No ones direct extension is ever given out...

I was nice, diplomatic, calm, reasonable for the first 6 hours. I am about to loose it. I am so desperate and so outraged. A person is suffering fighting for their life, and I cannot get anyone to spend few seconds to send a fax (that was their responsibility in the first place) or to even pick up the phone! What kind of human beings are they? I can't comprehend that.

I am on the phone all day today, I have done nothing at work, and I can't stop crying now.

I love finer things. Living in New York and walking often through stores with finest imports, I feel the difference, and I want luxury in my life. The problem is, I also want to be financially responsible.

The key to achieving this is patience and choosing quality over quantity.
My relatives buy things they want right away. That includes financing furniture/tvs and huge amount of so-so clothing "because it was 50% off".

I am using the approach "one amazing thing at a time". When we moved into our apartment, we "inherited" old furniture nobody wanted, old plates, cutlery, bedding. We were just starting out, and our income has increased dramatically in the last 2 years.

Instead of quickly buying slightly better version of everything, we continue using it, and replace a few items a month with really nice staff that I will want to keep around for years. I hunt for each item for a long time, keep an eye on one, look for deals, coupons for the store if applicable. But in the end I will choose a luxury item I really love over a so-so item that is on sale.

Each thing is selected and enjoyed, not lost in a pile of same things. I know people who have like 20 to 30 of $40 sweaters in their closet that all look the same! I think you are better off having 3 great DIFFERENT style $200 quality cashmere sweaters that you love instead.

I absolutely love our new appliances, our slowly acquired down comforter and pillow, softest beautiful sheets, etc. Every time I come to bed I feel amazing. But... I still have one more down pillow to get. (too expensive to buy 2 this month). A superb Abyss bath sheet will also have to wait till next month. I will enjoy it when I get it though.

So for now, we will keep our old couch and folding kitchen table and many other things until we can replace them not with something "a little better" but something we will enjoy for a long time to come.

So my apartment is an odd mixture of luxury and old and cheap. Far from a consistent "style". I know it does not project a "right" appearance, but I am doing it for our enjoyment and quality of life, not to "impress". So for now I am fine with living in a half "Bloomingdales showroom" and half "dollar-store worker apartment." I do sometimes wonder if guests ask themselves "wtf is going on here?"

Yet it would be very tough. We'll be getting $500,000 in debt. Vacation/entertainment fund would be slashed to the bone. Also, 401K contributions would have to be reduced to just enough to get company match.

I am trying to weight pros and cons... But I just cannot stop imagining living there.

So... Pros:

Location - Manhattan, near a park, shorter commute.
Park is very nice, people lay on picknick blankets with notebooks when the weather is nice.
There is a nice long promenade where people jog along the river. I would love to do that.
I can also bike to work - there is a safe enough route on the edge of the island and it is only 45 blocks.
Access to all the things Manhattan has to offer. That one would be hard to explain in one post.

Layout - nicely planned apartment. 3 closets, spacious living room, very sunny, 5 windows facing tree tops. Very charming.

Lovely kitchen with good storage space - it would be pleasant to cook there.

Cons:
it is a co-op, but this is a Manhattan reality. Condos are rare and out of reach.
Maintenance is $900 a month, on top of the mortgage.
Plus, the assessment for new elevators is coming.

The sublet policy is only 2 out of each 5 years allowed, with board approval. So can't just easily rent it out.

Size under 600ft - but again, Manhattan.

Parking -- while this area has an easier parking than most, it still would be harder than where we are now.

DH's commute may be a little longer. (but he won't work in NJ forever, 3 years max)

I know it would be tight for a while, but our mortgage will stay the same, while our salaries will increase (and our rent would too.) I would also dump all the stuff I don't really love and simplify our living. I think, after all considerations, that living there would increase our quality of life. But this is a huge commitment.
Anyone has an opinion regarding this?

I bought this new cute sheet set and am thinking on using it today, but I am to sick to go to the laundromat. How necessary do you think it is to wash bedding (sealed in a package) before using it first time?

From my landlord that is. Who goes ballistic at such things. And since he does not speak much English, it would be impossible to explain to him that it takes less water to use the machine than to wash everything by hand under the running water.

It is a small machine that will go on the counter top.
I just can't live like this anymore.


So I am getting it, and if the landlord is scheduled to come in, I'll move it to the bedroom for that day. I don't feel unethical about this deception -- I will be using less water! and I'll have one little comfort of civilization.
Is that too much to ask?

On one hand, buying stocks (in mutual funds) is best when the price is low, not after it has been booming.

On the other hand, it is not for the faint hearted.

Yet, the interest rate for safe CD savings is so small you can't keep up with the inflation and the loss of purchasing power.

So what should those who can only invest a little do? Considering that retirement is quite far away, just take the risk?

I'm looking at things like commercial real estate. It has also been significantly down, even though the forclosure crisis did not affect it as much. Is it just consumer confidence? Is this a good time to buy it cheap? Will it go back up long-term? Almost definitely yes.

The weather is so warm, and stores have colorful spring collections out. It is so tempting - warm air, new vibrant colors.

I want to start the season with something new - last years spring/summer stuff now feels so drab. (I was into ivory/brown/beige/white colors back than) Now I am into bold colors - deep vibrant reds, pastel greens, bright yellows, blue.

And I want a few new office pieces. One does gets tired wearing the same thing over and over.

You get an energy burst by wearing something totally different.

The trick is to buy few great things and not get carried away. I wish I could know if the shirt I am seeing will be the best one I'll see this month. Unfortunately, it does not work that way.

my new $300 Cell phone lost 2 year contract just began.

DH wisdom tooth removed - $308
He has to wait until June to be put on my dental plan.

Teeth are just one of those things you have to take care of no matter what.

I am quite upset about the cell phone.
I had it in one store when going to the register, by the time I was in the second store I no longer had it. We went back, of course, but their camera only covered the register so nothing could be done. ;(((

How many times do I have to make my own coffee to make up for that one? this is depressing.