Taxes

We took our taxes back to the same CPA this year. We really appreciated his advice last year and this year it went just as well.

We got the final numbers back today and it looks like we'll be receiving $2600. Much better than I had thought. We were eligible for an energy tax credit that I was not even aware of. Exactly why I hire a CPA, he knows more than I do!

We're not sure what to do with the money yet. We know for sure that we want to pay off my smallest student loan (~$800). After that we may put it towards vacation, a new tv, or a new vehicle.

I'm back

I apologize for my absence lately. Life has been... hectic? And crazy, stressful, worrisome, irritating and frustrating. I am moving forward and have had a boost of positive energy today. I really should post more to relieve stress.

Since I am so far behind, here is January's numbers. I am still waiting for all of our February transactions to clear.

January Budget	Budgeted	Spent	Left
Income	3608	3608
Fixed
Mortgage	301	301	0
Mortgage - Extra Principal	200	200	0
Property Taxes	117	117	0
House Insurance	36	36	0
Car Insurance	150	150	0
Health Insurance	52	52	0
Student Loans	90	90	0
Cell Phones	135	130	5
Trash	21	21	0
Cable/Internet/Netflix	81	81	0
Variable
Utilities	190	168	22
Auto (Fuel + Maint.)	525	411	114
Food	300	302	-2
Misc	250	216	34
Entertainment/Dining	225	280	-55
Dogs	75	45	30
Savings
Roth IRAs	200	200	0
Short Term	400	162	238
Long Term	260	260	0

We went over in some areas, but I don't think we did too bad. February looks much, much worse.

We have mostly automated our accounts, and I love this!

A No Good Very Bad Day

I have a coworker who has a terminal illness. Today at work, an ambulance had to be called for him.

My heart is absolutely breaking for my coworker and his family.

He is such a fantastic person. He is always willing to help and is so upbeat, generous and kind.

I am hoping we hear good news tomorrow.

2011 budget

The 2011 budget is finalized! Now to just stay on track

Income	3590
Fixed
Mortgage	301
Mortgage - Extra Principal	200
Property Taxes	117
House Insurance	36
Car Insurance	150
Health Insurance	52
Student Loans	90
Cell Phones	135
Trash	21
Cable/Internet/Netflix	81
Variable
Utilities	190
Auto (Fuel + Maint.)	525
Food	300
Misc	250
Entertainment/Dining	225
Dogs	75
Savings
Roth IRAs	200
Short Term	400
Long Term	242

2010 Year End

A little late, but I'd like to show how we did on our 2010 goals.

• Make $2,400 in extra income - We made an extra $2461.
  
• Start a Roth IRA (for me) - I opened a Roth for myself with a $500 initial deposit and automatic monthly deposits.
  
• Save 10% of our income for retirement - This is the one we failed at. It is also the goal at the top of the list for 2011. In 2010 we made $43,549 and only contributed $3034 to retirement (7%). We fell short of our goal by $1320 or 3% of our income. We are still young, so while we have time to make up our contributions, we lose out on the power of compounding interest. Luckily these numbers do not include our employer contributions, so we are a little better off than it sounds.
  
• Save for and install a fence - It's in and we love it!
• Stay CC debt free - We have paid our CC in full every month in 2010.

I do think we made good progress with our networth. We paid off a student loan and started making extra payments on our mortgage.

2010 Utility Review

Jessie did a post on her utilities that I found pretty interesting. I decided to look ours up for last year and share how they looked.

We have a 1500 square foot home. These bills include natural gas, electricity, garbage and recycling. We have a septic tank and well, so no water or sewer bill. This is our first full year in this house, so I can't compare year to year.




Our highest bill was February at $313.
Our lowest bill was September at $112.
The average for the year was $176.

When it comes to utilities, this is the cheapest house we've lived in. I'm pretty happy about that.

'Tis the Season

J and I haven't been married long, so we don't have many holiday traditions yet. The only real tradition we have was started long before we were married. Each year we pick a child to donate gifts to. We both think it is important to give back, especially around the holidays.

I was going to do a big write up of how much we spent, but I decided that wasn't important. The important thing is to remember those who are less fortunate than us, and to give back what we can, when we can.

We picked a 4 year old boy who needed clothes and likes cars, legos, and play dough. We had an absolute blast shopping for him! It was was so much fun picking out things that we thought he would like.

The Needs:


Spider-man shirt (Old Navy)
Levi's jeans (Sam's Club)
Hooded Zip Sweatshirt (Wal-Mart)
Socks (Meijer)
Hat (Meijer)
Gloves (Meijer)

The Wants:


Lego Set (Toys-R-Us)
Moon Sand Deconstruction Kit (Toys-R-Us)
Hot Wheels set (Toys-R-Us)