Today after entering all the expenses from my recent Baltimore trip, I decided that for the remainder of February I will be under a spending freeze.
The only spending allowed will be submitting tithe/offering checks and possibly paying the registration fee for my NM license (if I have all the necessary paperwork together.)
Yikes! There were two just under $20 purchases that I could have easily done something different for much, much less. Being out of town should NOT have given me the excuse to make those purchases. What's done is done, and now I need to recoup and move on.
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Today we did have a snow day! YAY! I slept in and out most of the morning. It was wonderful. 
When I finally got moving, I made a phone call to Vanguard to do something I'd procrastinated about for nearly 8 years.
In 1999 I had $2k left of a bit of a windfall. I was afraid that it would slip through my fingers (because at that time I was rather ... unfrugal to put it mildly.) So I socked it away in a traditional IRA. Sounds good so far, right? Not really ... I didn't put much time or thought into it - just went to my local bank I had an account with and opened an IRA. An IRA in the form of a 2-year CD. A CD that rolls over every other April 15 unless I tell them I want to do something else with it.
Since April 1999, the balance has grown by a whopping $657. I don't want to even do the depressing math on what kind of "growth" that is.
One way or the other though, I now have an IRA account open at Vangaurd and just need to print the paperwork and mail it to them. Then when the current IRA CD matures, it will be invested into the STAR fund. I plan on adding an additional $400 to it in order to be able to invest in the next level of fund.
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I checked my bank account today (the former ING) and saw that I'd received my tax refund already from NM. I also had a weird deposit that just said "Wire Deposit" and nothing else. It was for an amount that looked similar to my bi-weekly paycheck, so I'm guessing that is what it is. (Especially since today is payday.)
I put $500 of the NM refund to my car loan payment category for March, and $25 of it into my Vacation category. (That's the category I raided to pay for my stupid fee of $75 after missing my flight.)
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I have another out of town trip coming up soon (and I think the payment for the registration on that seminar is part of what is making my heart panic at my cc balance ... it will be reimbursed, but not til the end of March probably.) All my meals for that will be reimbursed, so I don't have to worry too much on that front.
I am looking at another conference though in November for school librarians. It's in Hartford, CT. Between registration, least expensive hotel and airfare it'll cost around $900. I am Uber excited about this conference and REALLY want to go. (If you remember, I was part of the group of people who got to evaluate the possible workshops for this conference.) I *really* hope that I can get this approved to be covered by the school, or at least mostly covered.... I can get the best price by registering by August - which means that I'd have to pay for it out of pocket, and then be reimbursed later... Maybe I can use part of my summer school money to pay for it, and then when I'm reimbursed, put the money into the various places I planned for the summer school money?? I *really* want to go to this thing!
No Spending for Rest of February!!
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:44 am
February 22nd, 2013 at 03:14 am 1361502894
February 22nd, 2013 at 03:17 am 1361503038
February 22nd, 2013 at 03:19 am 1361503143
February 22nd, 2013 at 05:11 am 1361509897
February 22nd, 2013 at 05:21 am 1361510500
February 22nd, 2013 at 02:12 pm 1361542334
February 23rd, 2013 at 04:34 am 1361594097
Unfortunately when I checked airline prices, the cost of the flight alone will be at least $600. So, the conference will probably be closer to $1100+. I talked to my principal today though, and she told me that I should make sure to talk to her about after July when the current fiscal school year is over. She thinks I should easily have it approved.
February 24th, 2013 at 10:56 pm 1361746598
Jerry