I am lucky enough to have a pension as a teacher, which I pay into each month. I also have a 403(b) that I put about $220/month into right now. I am starting a Roth IRA, which I plan to max out each year, as long as I can. (Though the Roth may end up going toward a home down payment).
Here's my question: How much do I need to save for retirement? I know there are calculators, but since I will have a pension I have a hard time figuring out how much extra I should save. Anyone know a good calculator that can account for this? Or a formula? A rule of thumb? Your two cents?
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
My Quickie Trip to San Francisco
Last week, Freddie (I'm tired of typing BF) and I went to San Francisco to cheer for the Dodgers at AT&T Park. We drove up Monday and came home Wednesday, so it was quick.
Here's some of the frugal things we did to keep the trip cheap:
*Stayed with a friend on Monday night
*Brought some snacks for the car to save money on overpriced gas station snacks
*Took advantage of happy hour in Santa Cruz and San Jose to save money on meals. Thanks Yelp app!
*Hung out at Fisherman's Wharf, which was free. There was also an old WWII submarine and boat that we saw the outside of and read about for free.
*Stayed in a really crappy hotel. :/
*Walked to Fisherman's Wharf and to AT&T Park. 20+ blocks to each.
*Stopped at Walgreens to buy snacks and drinks for the baseball game
There were some not so frugal moments as well, but why focus on that? Here are some pictures of our quick trip!
Here's some of the frugal things we did to keep the trip cheap:
*Stayed with a friend on Monday night
*Brought some snacks for the car to save money on overpriced gas station snacks
*Took advantage of happy hour in Santa Cruz and San Jose to save money on meals. Thanks Yelp app!
*Hung out at Fisherman's Wharf, which was free. There was also an old WWII submarine and boat that we saw the outside of and read about for free.
*Stayed in a really crappy hotel. :/
*Walked to Fisherman's Wharf and to AT&T Park. 20+ blocks to each.
*Stopped at Walgreens to buy snacks and drinks for the baseball game
There were some not so frugal moments as well, but why focus on that? Here are some pictures of our quick trip!
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| We loved Santa Cruz! We both said we could see ourselves living there someday. |
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| We spent $6 to ride on the sky bucket. Totally worth it! |
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| Admiring Alcatraz from a distance. We've both already done the tour, so we passed on spending the money to do it again. |
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| Photo spot in Fisherman's Wharf |
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| This was outside the Wax Museum, so we got a free look. |
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| This is my tough face. |
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| This was a splurge, because I LOVE crab. |
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| Sold out crowd at AT&T Park. |
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| Enjoying the game with my cousins Greg, Anna, and Patrick. |
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| Cheering for the away team. Go Dodgers! |
Thursday, July 28, 2011
2011 Goals Check In
Now that I've made my goal of making $500 extra dollars on Amazon, I thought it would be a good time to check in with my other goals for 2011. I shortened them, because sometimes I am too damn wordy for my own good.
2011 Goals
1. Pay off my car! CHECK!
2. Increase amount I am contributing to my retirement accounts to 10% of my income. Pending. I am opening my Roth IRA in August, and with the $500/month I am putting there, plus my 403(b) contributions, I am over 10%.
3. Increase the amount I pay toward my student loans by $100 per month as soon as my car is paid off. Pending. August is officially the first month I do not have a car payment, so we'll see if this is the plan I go with.
4. Finish and PASS National Boards. Pending. I finished them, but won't know if I passed until November/December.
5. Get a raise via salary points by the end of this school year. CHECK! It went into effect on my April paycheck. :)
6. Start a travel fund-Changed! I decided to take advantage of the great interest rate on my Summer Saver account and do one big savings account. But some of that money could certainly be used for travel.
7. Car mileage goal that I forgot to keep track of. VOID.
2. Increase amount I am contributing to my retirement accounts to 10% of my income. Pending. I am opening my Roth IRA in August, and with the $500/month I am putting there, plus my 403(b) contributions, I am over 10%.
3. Increase the amount I pay toward my student loans by $100 per month as soon as my car is paid off. Pending. August is officially the first month I do not have a car payment, so we'll see if this is the plan I go with.
4. Finish and PASS National Boards. Pending. I finished them, but won't know if I passed until November/December.
5. Get a raise via salary points by the end of this school year. CHECK! It went into effect on my April paycheck. :)
6. Start a travel fund-Changed! I decided to take advantage of the great interest rate on my Summer Saver account and do one big savings account. But some of that money could certainly be used for travel.
7. Car mileage goal that I forgot to keep track of. VOID.
Overall, I think I'm in a good place. Making progress and I think I'll be able to have most of this done come December. :)
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Mission Accomplished!
I made a goal this year to make $500 by selling items on Amazon/Ebay/Craigslist, etc. I am happy to say that I have already surpassed that goal!
The big jump was when I sold my TV, DVD player, and hutch when BF moved in. I also sold my beer pong table for $40 to a friend who hosts lots of parties. Other than that it's been books, DVDs, and CDs on Amazon, as well as some smaller Ebay items.
As of now, my total is $544.89, but I still plan to keep selling things when I can, including an old Guess purse I currently have listed on Ebay.
It feels good to have a goal checked off and to know that I am simplifying my life by getting rid of clutter, as well as making extra money.
The big jump was when I sold my TV, DVD player, and hutch when BF moved in. I also sold my beer pong table for $40 to a friend who hosts lots of parties. Other than that it's been books, DVDs, and CDs on Amazon, as well as some smaller Ebay items.
As of now, my total is $544.89, but I still plan to keep selling things when I can, including an old Guess purse I currently have listed on Ebay.
It feels good to have a goal checked off and to know that I am simplifying my life by getting rid of clutter, as well as making extra money.
See you when I get back from Alaska!
I leave for Alaska tonight, but I have some scheduled posts while I'm gone. Look forward to a post on how I frugalized my trip to an expensive state! :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Shopping Rampage
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| Nautical, soft t-shirt. Perfect for summer, Dodger games, and for when I go out on my yacht. $7.99 from Ross. |
This weekend I got bit by the shopping bug. It has been months since I've gone shopping, and I let myself go for it this weekend. But, the budget is still balanced since I brought in some extra money this month and was under in my gas budget. Since I rarely shop, I am going to extend the thrill by posting some pictures of my purchases. AKA clothes porn for those of you on shopping bans. Not pictured is a plain white t-shirt that I think will be really cute with a pair of jeans and my Toms, but makes for a boring picture. And speaking of pictures, the formatting is all jacked up. Whatever.  |
| Cute shirt for work. $12.99 from Marshalls. |
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| I finally got a pair of Toms! I was tempted to get the super cute pink ones, but I went for the more versatile gray. Price: $44, but if you're familiar with Toms you know that also bought a pair of shoes for a kid in a 3rd World country. |
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| New Kennth Cole Reaction sunglasses. $12.99 at Marshalls. My apartment is very bright, which is why I wear them in my living room. |
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| Hello, Lover. This is my new black purse. I heart it. It was originally an $80 purse, but I got it for $33 at Ross. |
Sunday, July 24, 2011
My New Savings Account
No, it's not a Roth IRA, but that is coming in September. It's not an ING account. It's this:
Isn't it lovely. BF brought it when he moved in. Now, it looks like just a jar. But, it has the funnest component. (Yes, I said funnest. It's summer, leave me alone.) When you put the change in the top, it shows you how much you have in the jar.
Yes, I am a dork. But I think it's so cool! It wasn't set correctly when he moved in because BF had unscrewed the top and taken out change. But I reset it, put all the change back in, and told him that I wanted to fill it all up and then we can do "something cool" with it. (That cool thing is TBD.)
This is also a nice addition because after work BF comes home, empties his pockets, and I literally find change all over the house. EVERYWHERE. Which would annoy me, but now it's fun because I get to go put it in the jar and see the total rise. I contribute as well, but it's mostly his change. As you can see, we're already at over thirteen bucks after only a few weeks. It's fun to see the total as we go.
Do you have a change jar? What do you save it for?
Isn't it lovely. BF brought it when he moved in. Now, it looks like just a jar. But, it has the funnest component. (Yes, I said funnest. It's summer, leave me alone.) When you put the change in the top, it shows you how much you have in the jar.
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| Why can't I remember how to rotate a picture? |
Yes, I am a dork. But I think it's so cool! It wasn't set correctly when he moved in because BF had unscrewed the top and taken out change. But I reset it, put all the change back in, and told him that I wanted to fill it all up and then we can do "something cool" with it. (That cool thing is TBD.)
This is also a nice addition because after work BF comes home, empties his pockets, and I literally find change all over the house. EVERYWHERE. Which would annoy me, but now it's fun because I get to go put it in the jar and see the total rise. I contribute as well, but it's mostly his change. As you can see, we're already at over thirteen bucks after only a few weeks. It's fun to see the total as we go.
Do you have a change jar? What do you save it for?
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