Dressing for Success

Somehow this post from mid last week never made it out of draft form with a few updates...

The downside of the new job is new clothes. My last job could easily be put into three distinct areas- site visits, working from my couch, and occasional office meetings. I was in childcare centers, so even though the office dress was technically business casual, we interpreted this as a much more liberal 'just not jeans'.

My post undergrad attire pattern goes something like this- 2 yrs at upscale business casual, grad school, 8 months at just barely business casual. I still have some of my clothes from the 2 yr period, but since starting grad school I've gained enough weight that they don't really count. They're not nice enough to sell, so they hang out in the back of my closet, waiting for the day when I get around to loosing the weight.

After approximately 2.5 3 weeks I feel like I have a good handle on what I should be wearing and how to best supplement my somewhat meager wardrobe. Day to day the office is pretty (business) casual, but for meetings and events I need to take it up a notch. This is especially true for the times where I'm the youngest person in the room by at least 10 years. I can hold my own, but I look young* so 'grown up' clothes help.

I need a couple more pair of slacks, tights so some of my skirts can transition into fall/winter, and a few more nice tops. While I've had great success at thrift stores for tshirts and craft projects supplies I haven't been able to find work clothes. I don't want to spend a ton, so instead I'm going to try a few consignment shops and see what I can find.

This weekend I also hit a local outlet (and did a $30 survey!) and got 2 tops and 2 pairs of pants. I was exchanging pants from this spring** so I spent less than $20. I'll be taking a mini vaca to see my mom in a few weeks so I think I'm going to put off any more shopping until then.

*The last 3 times I've told strangers/new acquaintances I'm married they've started the 'you're too young' lecture. Then I say I'm 26 and they stammer all over themselves.
**thank you Eddie Bauer outlet for the loose return policy!

September Wrap-up, October Goals

I hope that September was the last in a series of crazy and expensive months. We seem to be settling into the financials associated with the house (though unpacking is still going strong), adjusting to being a 3 person household, I’m getting used to the new job, and the wedding stuff is all taken care of.

My net worth continues to increase, though at a much slower rate. I’m hoping that by my next birthday (February) the hard work of 2008 will result in a positive net worth. All of the sidebars are also slowly making their way across- except for my student loan which is on auto-pilot. The last goal I wrote about was staying sane, which I like to think I’ve accomplished. :)

For the past few days I’ve been thinking about where I’d like to go financially during October. In no particular order:

• Get my Roth funds above 60%. I’d hoped to have this funded by the end of the year and without some crazy action I’m not sure if it will happen.
• Decide where I want to invest my 2008 Roth money. My last Roth is with Vanguard, who I like, but am not necessarily married to. I’m also trying to decide on what type of fund, specifically if I should go with a socially responsible fund.
• Only eat lunch out 3 times (not including lunch meetings).
• Keep grocery spending under $300.
• Be mindful about house purchases- waiting until we can afford to buy outside of regular maintenance.
• Go 400 miles on one tank of gas.

You know you're a dork when...

you track who gets to take the polling calls.

This is my first time living and voting* in a swing state. This means a barrage of political ads. The only thing that makes up for this is the polling calls.

Though I'm not making things political here, I have very strong views. Gameboy and I are also affiliated with different political parties. So I think we should alternate who responds to the calls, informing the polls.

Before today he'd gotten 3 and I'd gotten 1.** When he got what was obviously a poll call I intervened. I let him know it was my turn, and after some thought he handed over the phone. T

*My college town was in a swing state, but I didn't get registered in time.
**Is it crazy that my household has gotten 5 polling calls?

VP Debate & Voter Registration

It's almost time for what has got to be one of the most anticipated VP debates. This will be my 3rd time voting in a major election, but I've been a geek about elections for the last 4. My recollection is that the VP debate happens, but usually doesn't get that much attention. Though I'm sad that Grey's Anatomy will not be on this week, I'll be tuning in to see how the VP candidates match up. It will be on Thursday, 9 EST.

In other election topics registration deadlines are near. If you live in AL, RI, or SC registrations are due this weekend. On Monday registrations in AZ, AK, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, OH, PA, TN, TX, and VA are due. If your state isn't listed check the link in the sidebar.

Fresh Air

Since we bought the house my mom gives me a call every two weeks or so and asks/reminds me of the little things I need to stay on top of. Occasionally it's irksome, but for the most part I appreciate her looking out for us/our house.

Last week's question was about the air filters for the furnace. It was a busy day so I said no, added air filters to the list* of things to do. Driving home I got upset at myself for forgetting but then I remembered. We haven't run the AC since the first two weeks after we moved in!

Even though we lack an IKEA, this city is great b/c it gets so cool overnight. Daytime high's of 90 usually mean overnight lows in the 60's. The combination of good insulation (thank you builders!), open windows at night, and the occasional fan has keep the inside temp pretty moderate. So based on my doctors recommendation to change filters monthly, we've saved $20-30 using fresh air to cool the house.

*which has grown exponentially since we bought the house. Not complaining, just saying.

For the love of IKEA

I have a bit of a thing for IKEA. We go way back...I vividly remember helping my mom put together my first desk and bookshelf, purchased at IKEA when I was around 7. In college their kitchen wares dotted our kitchen. A few pieces of their furniture rounded out that of our furnished university apartment in our first years, and supplemented the furniture my parents donated when we moved out on our own. Post college my house was a mix of IKEA and yard sale finds. The point- IKEA and I have a history.

So imagine my disappointment when I learned our current city doesn't have one. The closest is a 6 hour drive, over mountains. Though I love it, I'm not that hard core. Most of the time it's not a big deal. But right now we NEED bookcases. We've put off buying them, but have more than 8 boxes of books that need a new home.

The bookshelves don't need to be anything fancy, just a place for us to put our somewhat ridiculous library. In fact these would do us just fine. I'm especially in love with the $20 price tag. Why not just order them you ask?

Subtotal: $59.97

Shipping and Handling: $215.16

Order Total: $275.13

The shipping is 3.5 times more expensive than the actual product. For that kind of money we can get nice bookshelves. So I'll be going back to the drawing board.

Money + Marriage

Recently I've been reading a lot of posts/articles about the importance of being financial agreement is to a marriage, largely inspired by this NYT article. Overall Gameboy and I are on the same page. We want to pay off our debts, save for retirement, and not have to worry about being able to pay the bills. For us though, the devil is in the details. We each have a different idea on the best way to achieve those goals.

I would like to get the efund to 5K, and then send extra payments to the car payment. He would like to make a double payment on the house and then do those things. In a perfect world, we'd have the money to do all three.

In the money order these things all fall after our auto debits/deposits for his 401k and my Roth and paying the bills (mortgage, house credit card (in full), comcast, power, etc). Since we bought the house this hasn't really been an issue because we didn't have much left at the end of the month. Our household credit card has been double to triple what is usually is since June due to moving, car repair, getting married, Gamedad moving in.

Now that we have extra money choosing the priority has gotten tough. In the end we'll probably find some sort of compromise, but I really wish I could just get him to see the light- ie that I'm right :)

a potentially expensive mistake

I’m in the middle of drafting a post, where I talk about finally having some extra money. The new house bills are leveling out and life is getting back on track. And then I ran into the wall in my parking garage.

Ran into may be overstating it a bit. But my car and the wall of the parking garage were intimately acquainted for a few brief seconds. The result is a scratch on my front bumper that is bigger than my hand.

For the most part my car is nice and shiny. I got it used and it’s a 2006. I don’t need it to look like something from Pimp My Ride, but I want to maintain the cars value. I also hope to drive it for at least 5 more years and want it to be in good shape.

The car is overdue for a checkup (oil change, etc) so we'll see what the dealership says when I drop it off.

Presidential Debates

It's Tuesday, six weeks from the biggest election of my lifetime. I'm a big believer in getting as much information about candidates as possible, so this week's election note is about the debates.

This year there will be 3 90 minute debates between Obama and McCain. The first is this Friday, hosted at the University of Mississippi by Jim Lehrer. The previously announced topics are foreign policy and national security issues. It will be interesting to see if that changes in light of the financial turmoil of the past few weeks. The format, for the geeks like me that care, is 2 minute response to a question followed by 5 minutes of discussion. It starts at 9 EST and in my area at least, is playing on all of the major networks.

The next debate will be October 7 at Belmont University. Tom Brokaw will moderate the town-hall style meeting, with questions from the audience and via the internet. The final presidential debate, which has domestic and economic issues planned, will be 10/15 at Hofstra University with Bob Schieffer moderating.

For those of you who aren't in love with the political info I'll be writing about the finances of adjusting to the new job and planning for the holidays later this week.

Election Season

It's election season. To me this means lots of bad (and often deceptive) commercials, a lot of research, and even more debates*. Election season also means making sure you're registered or updating your registration to vote. In my area voting on election day is at a set location on election day, so I want to be registered with the new address.

I've added a voting section to the side bar. Right now it has a list of registration deadlines and a registration page from Rock the Vote. As time goes on I hope to go add some non-partisan information on the national candidates and other voting resources.

*Gameboy and I belong to different political parties.

FDIC

With the tumbles in the market many are worrying about their savings. Personally, I've decided not to look at my retirement account that's invested. I think in this instance burying my head in the sand is the best policy. That's the only account I'm worried about because I haven't invested much and I know that the rest of my accounts are FDIC insured.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures deposits in approved banks across the US. On their website you can search for your bank to see if it is covered or put in your account info to see how much of your money would be protected in the event that your bank was to fail. Generally checking, savings, trust, CDs, money market deposit accounts, and IRA retirement accounts held with insured institutions are protected. Funds with higher returns, including mutual funds, annuities, life insurance policies, stocks and bonds, are not insured. Essentially, with the chance of increased reward there is increased risk.

As I said, I'm not worried about my FDIC insured funds, especially since I am nowhere near the $100,000 insurance limits.

Dance Time

With the new job comes the benefits dance. This is how I refer to making decisions on the level of Medical/Dental/Vision/Life insurance, retirement accounts, and flexible spending. It's a game of balance, deciding how much risk you are wiling to take, how many dollars you want to have in the paycheck, and how much you want to be responsible for at the end of the year.

For the first time I have another major factor to take into account-Gameboy's income. During my professional life I've always been a salaried worker I know that at the end of the I will have earned X, and plan from that. I have a certain amount of contract or other extra income, but even that is something I can account for pretty well. Gameboy is in sales. He has a base that is piddly and makes most of his money based on commission. If he had been with his company for a couple of years, or even most of this year, we'd know what his average salary is. But he started 5 months ago, has been on a training base, will have a draw to settle up the training base, and then switch to his regular base. The final layer of fun is a varied commission structure for old vs new accounts and the different products a consumer can buy. This means estimating how much money he will make by the end of the year is near impossible.

This year our filing status will be married filing jointly. We haven't been married the entire year, which I'm sure will make things even better. And then there's the house.

At the moment we're decided on a set percentage for retirement for me, but can't agree on how much of that should be 403(b) (pre-tax) or Roth IRA (post tax). I want to finish funding my Roth. There are three parts to this thought- I want to have enough to buy where I want to buy, I think in the long term Roth's are a good idea, and I want to follow through on at least one of the financial goals I set for myself. He want's more to go into my 403(b), to reduce our tax burden this year. Usually I would do the math (I've done a rough tax return in the past) to figure out the numbers, but the easy breezy days of running the numbers on a 1040 EZ seem to be behind me.

I'm sure in the end our decisions will work out, but woah is this more complicated.

Water Bottle Alternative

This is a really basic tip, so basic that I almost didn't post it.

When the latest warnings about BPA and Nalgene bottles came out I decided to retire the bottles I currently have. I plan on buying a Sigg bottle, but they're not cheap and I haven't gotten around to it yet.

In the mean time, I've gone old school. I brought a couple of cups to the office and bring a travel mug with water into the car. At work I keep the cups in my cabinet and use them as needed for water and tea. I store them in one of my cabinets and wash them out at the end of the day. I use them as needed, wash them out at the end of the day, and keep them in a cabinet.

Since I spend the majority of my time in my car, at work, or at home this works well for me. It keeps me from spending a lot of money on bottled water and saves the resources that go into making plastic bottles.

For more frugal and green ideas check out Thrifty Green Thursday.

Need an airline ticket?

Head on over to Ebay. Jetblue recently decided to put some of their plane tickets on Ebay. Set flights between set destinations (ie Boston to DC, 9/29 8pm flight) are up for auction and it seems to be going well. The bidding started at $0.05 yesterday, but majority of the flights are already over $100. The bidding goes on for another 5 days, so it will be interesting to see how high the bidding goes.

Would you buy tickets this way?

The First Day

This weekend I felt like I was in school again, trying to think of the perfect outfit for the first day. Something that would be appropriate, but fun, and show a bit of my style. In this first day of school/work haze I seriously considered going on a mini shopping spree to update the wardrobe. W

Then I came back to reality. In truth, I will need to buy some new clothes. With my old job there was a decent chance that finger paint or bodily fluids could end up on my clothes, so I stuck to bottoms just a step above jeans with nice shirts. The result is 2 years since I've had to look professional. Between gaining some weight and other things wearing out my 'nice' wardrobe has gotten pretty thin. I decided that until I figure out the level of dress necessary for the office and position the mini spree will have to wait.

Life update

In typical me style I managed to plan what turned out to be a crazy week. We got home near midnight on Tuesday. The wedding was perfect and the trip was otherwise amazing. Friday was my last day at the old job. Monday is my first day at the new job. Everything was on track to be a little rushed, but go well, until my boss made a mistake and deleted around 12 hours of work.

Despite the work craziness I managed to get my name changed with Social Security and on my drivers license. I still need to tackle my passport, credit cards, bills, and whatever else comes up. So far things haven't been that hard or time consuming, but the process still feels overwhelming. The good thing is I start the job with my new name and won't have to deal with double the paperwork on that end.

I think much of today will be devoted to laundry, getting ready for tomorrow, grocery shopping, and otherwise getting the house in order. It's not that sexy, but will keep the week running smoothly during my first week of work and keep me from eating out as much.

Going to the

chapel BEACH and we're gonna get married...



I'll be back by next Thursday, have a great weekend!

Resignation

After a lot of talking, thinking, and hand wringing I decided to resign from my current job and take the job I was offered. Though it was a tough decision, in the end we decided it would be the best move for my career and financially.

The new position is definitely a step up, with more responsibility and a wider range of work. It's more in line with the kind of positions I envisioned when I went back to school. The increased salary will allow more savings for retirement and possibly (depending on how much goes to retirement) accelerate paying down our debts. I'm excited about having something more than a Roth earning money for the future.

My boss didn't take it well, but has recovered gracefully. The COO and the President at my current company both offered congratulations and said that while they are sad to loose me, they are excited about the company insight I will bring to the new position.

For the next two weeks I'll be working on closing out all of my files so that the burden on my coworkers is minimal. Then I'll be headed to the new place.

Small Scale Rain Barrel

Water, especially when you live in an arid climate, is a precious resource. Before we started looking at houses I envisioned a rain barrel sitting along the back of the house, catching our intermittent rainwater. For those of you that aren't familiar, this is a barrel that collects water from your downspout systems. Your entire roof serves as a catchment surface and you get free (and non chlorinated) water to use in a garden, on a lawn, or whatever else you need.

The problem- commercial rain barrels are expensive. We're talking $100-200. There are plenty of instructions on how to create your own rain barrel, but they require tools and time that we just don't have at the moment.

My small scale, free, approach is to use 5 gallon plastic white buckets to catch rain. I get these for free at my local grocery store's bakery. They wash out the icing buckets for me and then I give them another wash at home. When I know it's going to rain (if we're getting rain the newscasters practically dance on their desks) I put the buckets in the yard open. When it's finished raining I close them up and the use to fill my watering vessels.


While 5 gallons isn't as great as say 55, it's working for now and every little bit helps.

Job Dilemma

When you're looking for a job it always seems complicated and crazy. When you're not looking sometimes things just fall into you lap.

Last summer I worked on my thesis at local nonprofit. While I was there another contractor was doing a project that overlapped with mine occasionally. We worked together well, and I looked up to her, but over the last year we lost touch.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago. I was going into the office to drop off some paperwork and she was headed into my building for a meeting. She said she knew of a great job for me and couldn't believe that we just ran into each other. I gave her a card, we did a bit of small talk, and went our separate ways.

I'll spare you the details here, but I after I got a little nervous looking at the job description she asked me to interview as a favor b/c another applicant backed out. I agreed because an interview practice never hurts. The interview was great, it was my first where I don't NEED the job and I relaxed and had fun with it.

The problem? I've only been with my current job since 1/2/08. In addition to the fact that a short stint doesn't look good on a resume I think about the resources my current employer has put into my training. I also think about the bridges I may be burning. The new job is in the same field of my industry, in fact approx 1/4 of my work involves working with individuals at my current company.

My current job is great in many ways. I have a lot of flexibility. I work largely on my own. Nice benefits for the field. I get to travel around the state (though not in a style I like). I also work with a great group of women.

The possible new job is more along the lines of a 9-5, 30 minutes (in good traffic) from the new house. It's in the same industry, but where I evaluate and tell folks how to improve at the current job, the new job is serving as a resource for those folks. The office is under a mayor's office committee, which makes the work political. I would have a wider range of responsibilities. I'd also be moving from a 30 person organization to a 3.5 person organization.

All of these things are appealing and worrying at the same time. A lot of the safety net that I feel I have at my current position would be gone. I also know I'm more likely to be working 40-50 hour weeks, instead of my usual 35-40 and current 15-20. The reward for these risks is a title bump (program specialist to manager) and a $9.5K salary bump. The new position is also more in line with the master's degree (and corresponding student loans on the side bar) that I got last year.

The new job would also likely mean delaying having kids by at least a year. Gameboy is ok with this, and I'm (we're) young enough that it shouldn't have negative effects on trying to get pregnant. Really, my current job is the perfect job for a mom with school age kids.

So I'm trying to find the balance between:

• loyalty and career goals
• job flexibility and compensation
• title/responsibility and working hours
• family plan and career goals

I got the official offer tonight and asked for 2 days to discuss with Gameboy and a synopsis of their benefits.

Thoughts o wise readers?