My Six Month Challenge

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MackerelCat
Posts: 7226
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: My Six Month Challenge

Post by MackerelCat »

Bev, having the heat of summer off sounds great. I am keeping fingers crossed for you that your challenge is a big success.
Mackie
Beverley
Posts: 552
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:33 am

Re: My Six Month Challenge

Post by Beverley »

Thank you Mackie! My early summer break was cut short because I got called back in to sub until the end of this school year. That eases the pressure a little on my finances. The preschools I have been working at have not been nerly as stressful as where I was for the past six months. So instead of coming home, crashing and burning I have actually gotten things done here after work. This is how it should be. A three hour a day job should not suck everything out of me for the rest of the day. I am glad to discover there are other preschools in our district that are not so stressful. I keep hearing that if retirees keep working part time it is healthier for them so that is why I keep going.

I did make the first payment on my HVAC loan. As long as I can continue to pay the same amount thrugh the summer I will not have to pay any interest and the loan will be paid off. Then I can refocus my efforts on paying off my house.

I have not gotten back to my envelope shuffling. I will do tthat probably next weekend when payday rolls around and I prepare to pay the bills.

Bev
Beverley
Posts: 552
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:33 am

Re: My Six Month Challenge

Post by Beverley »

Its been awhile since I have posted. Been working. Most likely I will be until the end of May when the traditional school year ends.

I had an oops moment the other day. I got called in tto work Monday afternoon at my old job in the PM because tthe other para was out on a family emergency. Since I had little time between jobs I packed a lunch. When I arrived at my first job I could not find my lunch. Thinking that I left it at home I texted DS and he said it was not there. I ended up buying a lunch. When I gott home I discovered when removing my things from the van itt had fallen towards the back seat. Main dish was spoiled so out in the trash it went.

I was able to make the first payment on my HVAC loan; five more to go. I am doing ok. As much as I did not really want to go back to work I have to say the extra income helps.

I have not had time to go through my envelope and move "currency" around so I will do that this weekend to see how I did. Then reset them for May.

My eating smaller portions seems to have helped. Even though I gave in to having a couple of servings of chips each day I have been able to maintain my small weight loss. After next week I will be able to figure out what tto do next.

Off to finish packing my lunch for the card game.

Bev
Beverley
Posts: 552
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:33 am

Re: My Six Month Challenge

Post by Beverley »

Hello!
It's been a while since I have posted here. Now that work is winding down for the year I will have a little more time.

I am still watching the spending very closely and getting ready to pay my second installment on the HVAC. After that I will have three more to go and hope to be done by the end of August. Then I will be back to paying off the mortgage.

I am looking intto doing some long term investing. I don't need income from it; it will be for my son and daughter. I am reading tthe Motley Fool, I have heard that is a good source.

Can any of you steer me towards information or sittes that a beginner can look at?

Bev
HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: My Six Month Challenge

Post by HappyDaze »

Beverley wrote: Sat May 14, 2022 4:42 pm Hello!
It's been a while since I have posted here. Now that work is winding down for the year I will have a little more time.

I am still watching the spending very closely and getting ready to pay my second installment on the HVAC. After that I will have three more to go and hope to be done by the end of August. Then I will be back to paying off the mortgage.

I am looking intto doing some long term investing. I don't need income from it; it will be for my son and daughter. I am reading tthe Motley Fool, I have heard that is a good source.

Can any of you steer me towards information or sittes that a beginner can look at?

Bev
The market is not doing so well these day but "they" say that investing is still good to do, especially if you have time to ride it out - because it will go back up and money will grow again. My credit union has a good web page and articles about investing...perhaps you could start with someone at your local bank.

I also hear that buying I-bonds through the US Treasury Department is good - and that they're returning 7% to 10% but I haven''t looked into it.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
Beverley
Posts: 552
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:33 am

Re: My Six Month Challenge

Post by Beverley »

A mindset I have been trying to develop and has been spurred on by Hope and Michael is looking at the numbers. For example if you see a package has undergone "shrinkflation" adjust the serving size(s) by that percentage. You may find you don't miss that little bit that has disappeared. On the same way of thinking adjust the serving size by whatever percent the price has gone up. If a product has gone up 5% in cost then eat 5% less as a serving size. You might stilll be able to squeeze out the fifth or sixth serving withour really noticing it.

This is what the shrinkflation manufacturers want. For you not to notice you are paying the same price but a serving haas disappeared. Lets beat them at their own game. Just about everyone, as a general rule, overeats. Use shrinkflation as a sustainable weight loss program. I wish I could say the pounds might disappear and with some people it might. But as for myself and others? We could eat at starvation levels and maybe experience a modest weight loss that will be a struggle to maintain.

So I am thinking a good inflation fighter is to simply eat slightly less.

Bev
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