Same-Sex Households
Two*True
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Thrifty Thursday
I realized that I didn't post this last month, but it's the first Thursday of December so let's have at it. This time of year tends to bring out money stresses so vent it here. Share your worries but also your successes! :-)
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Re: Thrifty Thursday
We survived two months of me being semi-unemployed!
I was making about $600 less a month and yet we managed to hold on. I paid only the minimum on credit cards and got really good at cutting coupons. We also cut back on our dinners out. I'm now back to a full time income but I think it will take another month or two before I see the extra money getting put into savings.
We probably shouldn't go home for the holidays but if we get our tickets Buy One Get One and we have a friend stay at the house (no kennel costs) to watch the dogs then we won't be doing so bad. My feeling is that the much needed emotional venture home will be healthier than stressing about an extra few hundred dollars. Staying at home and being homesick during the holidays is not worth it. If we can make it happen for a reasonable amount, and instead of doing Christmas gifts, than I'm okay with it.
All in all I'm feeling much better about $ than I have in awhile. My new job is paying me $8K more than my last. I get over $700 a year employer paid co-pays and all of our medical insurance fees will get reimbursed (~$4,500).
If we can just really budget our day to day lives than I feel that TTC in spring of 09 is reasonable.
Janet - glad to hear things are looking so good! And so glad that the job change worked out
As for us, we are almost through our cc debt. We had originally forecasted to be paid off by right about now, but what's that saying about life happening while you make other plans?? We're still in a good place though and should be all paid off by February.
For the holidays, we've set a fairly modest budget, which we probably should have made even smaller, but with 6 parents and 4 siblings between us, it adds up. And we really enjoy the gift-giving.
sahm ~ toddler breastfeeder ~ cloth diaperer ~ baby wearer
Janet, that's terrific!
C just got a new job that is a 2+ hr commute (she will stay w/ my parents a few days/week, I can't relocate right now b/c of school). Its a modest raise, enough to cover (i think) either lasik for her or a new car (payments I mean) next year. And a good career move. She's currently at a start-upthat has laid off 60% in three months, been through 6 CFOs in 18 mo, and is basically imploding...so commute is better than being laid off!
We're doing pretty well with holiday budgeting...taking her family to a cooking class...not sure about mine...$50 limit for us each (though I will likely hit $75, b/c she knows what I got her and I wnat to get something else), and just a couple of kiddos to buy for (though the plane tickets to STL at $, but under $500 total at least).
i meant to reply to this last week, but i was so busy i forgot to come back to it.
i'm a little stressed with things a bit up in the air with c's industry, but so far they haven't been hit too badly. they've cut a lot of the overtime that up until now had been required, which means less extra money but for now we're fine.
we have two mortgages on our house (to avoid pmi). she pays the big one, and the one that i pay is a 15-year balloon (both lower fixed interest rates). it's a longer term than most balloons, and i have an amortization spreadsheet on my computer so i can figure out exactly what will be left when we get to that point. i've been paying extra toward the principal every month (like a lot extra), and as long as i just keep doing what i have been i'll actually have it completely paid off just before the loan reaches the end ot its term, which will be awesome. it hasn't been a problem for me paying what i am, although i do have some small increases built in along the way that should come around the time i get my step increases at work.
i have money in my regular savings account for emergencies and such and i'm trying to get that one built up a little higher, but i've also opened a higher-yeild savings account with ing. i got a $25 sign-on bonus, and i've set it up to transfer money automatically every pay day which makes it so easy and i don't even have to think about it. i started with one big deposit and then $25 per pay, but upped it to $50 per pay recently. it was super easy to set it up, and i was able to add c as a secondary account holder really easily, too. if anyone is thinking about opening an ing account let me know, i can send you a referral and if you open it with at least $250 starting balance we'll both get money--$25 for you $10 for me.
oh, and i don't know if anyone remembers me asking a while ago about who claims the interest on joint accounts when it comes time to pay taxes (since we can't file jointly), but it's the primary account holder.
wow. can i talk or what?