Cents Not Much Make

Bought more "me" stuff

(PegL) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:42:53 PST

Sigh. As if this month I hadn't already spent so much stocking up on favorite lotions, cosmetics, etc thanks to all those Friends and Family sales.

Today I was surfing the web during my lunch break (yes, I know, bad me) and ended up buying a new MP3 player. My old one has been...

Update on personal finances

(PegL) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:49:45 PST

Boy, housebuying experience last year really jump-started me into being serious about finances. Before house I was really on cruise control, just saving nearly half my paycheck and blithely paying the bills.

Now, there really is a place for every dollar, and for every dollar it's...

Yikes, it has been awhile

(PegL) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:55:07 PST

...not that I imagine anyone lost any sleep over my hiatus from blogging (myself included).

Seeing the year 2007 from my last entries sort of takes my breath away. The biggest change is that I became a homeowner! Though that experience was horrific and I never want to go through...

Taking "Free" too Far

(PegL) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:04:47 PST

Yesterday, I saw an embarassing sight. While shopping for groceries, I witnessed an entire family gathered around the bakery counter, where they have the free samples. The family was literally stuffing their faces with these samples. Not just that, they were blithely having conversation...

First financial goal- almost there!

(PegL) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 17:34:27 PST

July is the best month for me because my birthday is in July, hehehe. But what might make it even sweeter is if I end up hitting my net worth goal of $50,000. Back in October, I'd estimated that I'd reach this magical number in October of 2007. Now wouldn't it be great if I could...

Spending spree is over

(PegL) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:01:53 PST

Long time no see! I guess I took a break from keeping up with finances because my money habits took a quite different turn these past few months. But now that things have calmed I can explain myself.

First, the good news: I got a raise! I passed my 6-month "anniversary" at my...

Spring Cleaning my Closet (even though it feels like Winter)

(PegL) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:24:49 PST

It's April, but this past weekend (and this week) it feels like mid-January. ***Interlude: mindless ranting sessionI wish it were warmer! I miss North Carolina weather!***

Anyway, as the wind blew like crazy outside, and as my annoying loud heater cycled on and off, I decided...

The Most Overlooked Job-Hunting Strategy

(PegL) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 06:42:03 PST

You've spent hours preparing for the interview, you even had your answer to that trick question "What are your weaknesses?" memorized, and now you've made it through the grueling interview day where you sat through 6 face to face interviews with a bunch of execs and managers asking...

ING Bonus Referrals

(PegL) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:19:14 PST

Want to earn a 10% return IMMEDIATELY? Open an ING Savings Account (see the handy links in the right-hand sidebar) with $250 and receive a $25 bonus! How's that for some cool savings?

Whew! Time flies!

(PegL) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:12:02 PST

It feels like a century since I last visited this forum, but luckily it hasn't changed a bit =)

Same could be said about my job. Today I got called in by my boss and next thing I knew, she was saying, "Congratulations!" It turned out to be my 6-month performance review! Luckily,...

Am I the only person...

(PegL) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:00:10 PST

...who owes taxes this year?

Obviously, the majority of people I know are still graduate/professional students of some sort, who will be getting hefty refunds. My working friends all seem to have student loans and/or mortgages to write off. Aside from the tuition credit or deduction,...

New month, new budget

(PegL) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 06:02:16 PST

After discovering my electricity bill was 4-times what I'd been expecting, I finally picked myself up off the floor and resigned myself to paying the bill in full (of course). There is definitely enough in my checking account to cover the electricity bill, but I did find I had to...

Another easy recipe

(PegL) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 05:37:47 PST

I saw a recipe the other day for a popular Chinese dish, spicy stir fry tofu (mapo dofu). The nice thing about this dish is that you could easily make this vegetarian by substituting mushrooms instead of ground pork. Also, this is as a vegetarian dish this one packs a lot of protein!...

The good, the bad, and....

(PegL) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:09:46 PST

The Good: Got two rebates this past weekend, and not just for a couple of bucks; one was the long awaited Comcast rebate for $89.95, the other was $26 for a flash drive. Nothing like more money in the bank.

The Bad: Was this close to making a purchase online at smartbargains.com....

Hey Readers!

(PegL) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:47:55 PST

Hi, my name is Peg and I am a reader. I will read any book that's lying around. Even if there are no boks handy, I will read anything as long as it has words- cereal boxes, junk mail, the ingredients in my toothpaste. Hehe.

Because of work, I cannot get to the library during...

Another Happy New Year

(PegL) — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:46:56 PST

Sunday, February 18th, was Chinese New Year. Since my parents have decided I'm now an adult (agh!) then I did not receive the traditional "red envelope" lucky money, which is fine with me, honestly. I have more bad memories of me as a kid, gawping at how my older sister would receive...

Bank of America is Crazy

(PegL) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:43:12 PST

I wrote this entry about Bank of America, not as a rant but more as an FYI that banks are not out to be your best friends.

Bank of America must have read it and decided they wanted to win me over. Because they've been giving me not one, not two....but FOUR bonus checks for opening...

Gas Station Tried to Rip Me Off

(PegL) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:11:30 PST

There are three gas stations that I pass on the way back home; since all are along the same street, they tend to have the same prices. However, the Mobil's in my area (and it seems throughout New Jersey) have been converted into a brand called Valero. To attract more business, they've...

Some Recipes

(PegL) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 07:06:19 PST

My parents came to visit for a few days. My tiny apartment was bursting at the seams trying to accomodate three people, but we're all family so it was ok stepping on each others' toes for a couple of days.

As I like to joke, whenever they come visit, my dad requests I cook for...

Still saving

(PegL) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 05:58:00 PST

Bitterly cold temperatures and gusting winds have significantly hindered my running schedule. Ok, so I'd much rather be in bed than outside running at 6AM. I've switched to doing some pilates DVDs at night instead....but I miss the running.

Anyway, that means no contributions...