Update!

I know I’ve been absent for quite some time, but I’m happy to say my first semester teaching went great! So great, in fact, that they offered me a full time position starting in the fall. Yippee! For the first time in my life, I’ll make a salary with- get this- benefits! Whoo-hoo!

Obviously, my financial goals are in need of a sprucing. Here’s a synopsis of my progress since last December:

2008 Roth IRA 3K- Met goal (although I had to steal from my other coffers)
15K New Car Fund- was: 24.5% Now: 23.65% (but hey, I made my ROTH IRA contribution for 2008)
14K Emergency Fund- was: 19% Now: 22.33%
100K DP Home Fund- was: 11.8% now: 23.83%
New: 2009 Roth IRA 3K: 10.04%

My paycheck working part-time was more like a stipend, but I feel with my new and improved paycheck that will start in the fall, that I’ll be able to make my ROTH IRA contribution (while contributing to a 403b) and hopefully increase my emergency fund substantially!

I’ve decided not to resume writing on this blog; however, I do hope to continue to update my PF progress. I feel it helps my be accountable to my goals, and keeps me focused.

But that’s enough about me- I want to thank all the full-time PF blogger for keeping up with their own blogs. I continue to enjoy reading them everyday, and I give everyone mad props for juggling full time work and continuing to publish quality content on their blog each and every day. Good job!

Going Underground

With my new job 80% of the work is prepping for the class (with 10% grading work and 10% giving lectures).

Sooooo…

Sorry to say, but… I’ll probably not be updating my blog like I have been.

What have your utilities done for YOU lately?

Considering I live in an area where we have not yet had to turn off our A/C, we pay a good chunk of money to our power company. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that they were giving us $75 in free CFL light bulbs! Free!

While I’m always up for free things, I had put this offer off thinking that it would be complicated or time consuming. Then I got a reminder notice last week with a checklist for me to assess the type of lighting we have in our apartment. From that list, it recommended the appropriate type of light bulb. It had all sort of light bulbs- little ones that look like fake candles- to ones that look, well, like a regular light bulb. They even had flood lights and insect lights.

All I had to do to get my $75 worth of lights was to log on to my electricity account and denote how many of each blub I wanted. Shipping and handling was covered by my power company and they should arrive in six weeks!

How neat is that!?!

December update

In all my excitement of getting my new job last week; I didn’t assess how my financial situation changed over this last month!

As a whole, my net worth is back into the negative three digits- whoo hoo! I haven’t been here since before the September crash! As expected my retirement savings dwindled, but at least it shrank due to external force- rather than through some error on my part.

My key savings accounts I’ve been tracking have once again inched ahead.

2008 Roth IRA 3K- was: 60.3% now: 61%
15K New Car Fund- was: 24.3% now: 24.5%
14K Emergency Fund- was: 18.8% now: 19%
100K DP Home Fund- was: 11.7% now: 11.8%

It’s pretty apparent I will not reach my financial goals for 2008, but then again, being unemployed for a year has a way of hampering personal financial goals. If anything, these small financial advancements are a testament that we, as a married couple, can stay solvent on one salary and even save a little. This year could have been a financial disaster for us, but instead, it focused us on doing what we really want to do and to not spend extravagantly.

That- that is something to be thankful for!

Gainfully employed!

Yes, it’s true! I’ve got a part-time teaching instructor position!!!!

Whoo-hooo!!!!

e-Hope

After eleven months of unemployment, hundreds of emails to department heads and hr people, and lots of deep sighs an email appeared:

“I have a vitae on file for you as someone who is interested in part-time teaching. I'm looking for an instructor for Spring to teach … Are you interested in teaching this spring, or is your plate already full?”

Is my plate full? HA!
Am I interested in teaching in the Spring- you bettcha!

AND…. (drum roll please)… the interview is on Wednesday!

I’m going to spend the next couple days getting ready- I really want this job! I’ll post an update after the interview!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that you are blessed today to be spending time with loved ones!

Happy Thanksgiving!