I'm back!

WELL.

I'm back from my brother's graduation, and still not caught up, but I figured I'd take a moment to blog anyway. I'm falling out of the habit!

My mini-vacation was successful, at least from a financial point of view--I got birthday money from a couple relatives, and my grandmother gave my sister and I enough cash "just because" to get us all the way from Michigan to southern Tennessee (gas, meals, snacks, and drinks). I'm really glad my sister's car gets such great gas mileage, however--I'm not used to the price of gas at all anymore (it's been about a year since I did any serious driving).

I did some shopping while I was at my mother's house and spent about $150 on some fun new undies, a few tops, a ring, two pashminas, and a great pair of shoes. I had to stop myself at times, however--I automatically assume that things in the south are cheaper than things in NYC, even though that's really not always the case. Also, NYC has no sales tax on clothing, so even if the initial price is cheaper, it could wind up being about the same. Mostly, though, I was hitting stores I just don't have access to here in the city (like The Limited, Kohls, Ross and World Market).

I usually don't have a difficult time catching up at work after being gone, but I have been struggling this week. Part of it is just that this trip fell at a very inopportune time (had there not been an event, I would definitely not have taken time off right now, and in fact probably would have been working late recently). It's also compounded by this new relationship, which has definitely turned into an actual relationship, rather than that weird what-do-you-call-it type thing that happens early on when you start dating someone. I mean, I'm a girlfriend again and we've talked about it, but we're also still in that "I want to spend every single minute with you" phase so I'm just really not getting much accomplished and I'm not staying late at work. I had 45 minutes to myself yesterday which I used to frantically clean my apartment.

Luckily, he's a money nerd too so at least my finances aren't spiralling out of control!

I have lots more to write about but I'm going to have to do it in patches, I think.

How I'm Dealing With the Recession

What she said.

How TurboTax kept my business

A comment on Friday's Weird Things post reminded me that I needed to give an update on the TurboTax situation and let you know how they kept me as a customer...probably for life.


I filed a complaint with them online and received a semi-auto-response that said my problem would best be dealt with over the phone. So I called and waited on hold for almost 40 minutes before a very nice representative came on the line to help me figure out my problem. He went through my return line by line with me until we discovered the problem--I moved from Manhattan to Queens in 2007, which is all within New York City. However, the wording of their software asked if I had lived in Astoria (my neighborhood in Queens) during all of 2007. When I answered honestly (that I had not) it automatically kicked me out of the system as a New York City resident, despite the fact that I have in fact been a resident since 2004. And there was no way for me to double-check this information. Their software should have asked whether I'd been a New York City resident for all of 2007, which would have reported New York City resident tax.


Clearly, their software was totally to blame for the problem, and the rep apologized. However, also clearly, their accuracy guarantee policy only covers penalties and interest, neither of which I was assessed with. I sat silently on the phone for about 15 seconds, waiting to see what the rep would offer me before I asked for what I wanted (a full refund of my state filing fees, which I figured was only fair). After that slightly awkward silence, the rep said, "Well, really all I can do is apologize and refund all of your filing fees with us in order to keep you as a customer." I thanked him sincerely and gave him the information he needed to put the refund in motion. I also asked him to make sure to forward the software problem on to whoever can fix it and he said he would.

I've since received email confirmation that Intuit will be refunding all my filing fees--for federal AND state. It amounts to almost exactly what I'm having to pay in state taxes, which is nice. This is the power of complaining in a nice, professional way and then shutting up--to see what they'll give you, which sometimes is more than what you would have asked for yourself.

Intuit also sent me a customer satisfaction survey via email, which I filled out as "very satisfied". They messed up, they admitted it, they apologized, they did something to make it right. They also just made a customer for life, and someone who's willing to spread word of mouth publicity for them.

Going local

I've been thinking a lot lately about my impact on my community and how to keep my money in my local area instead of spending it at corporately-owned stores where the money really only flows in one direction. I've also been thinking a lot about my health and what I eat, because despite being a vegetarian and slim, I don't really eat that well.

The two are somewhat related. I would like to make my actions match my philosophies a little bit more. I WANT to support local agriculture...but it's EASIER to buy whatever produce from the chain grocery store. I WANT to cook from scratch and make healthier meals...but it's EASIER to stop by a chain fast food place for a quick pick-me-up. I WANT to buy things from mom and pop stores, but it's EASIER to go to the big box, all-in-one-stop store and get everything at once.

I'm working on it. Maybe that will be my May challenge to myself--stop and think about what I'm spending and what I'm eating, and make sure they align with my values.

What really drove it home for me this past weekend was sending my mother flowers for Mother's Day. I went to one of the "big box" online florists and picked out something I liked (using a coupon code, of course) and went through all the steps of ordering it until I came to the final page, which gives the total price. The delivery charges were $30. That really seems excessive--my mom doesn't live in a major city, but she's only about a 20 minute drive from one, and I'm pretty sure there are florists in her smaller town as well (though I don't know if they work with FTD and 1-800 Flowers for sure).

I decided to do some digging around before I hit 'submit', and sure enough, I found a website that allows customers to find local florists and even order online without all the bogus delivery charges. I managed to pick out a much bigger and nicer arrangement with an $8 delivery fee for less than I would have paid through the major online florist--plus I was directly supporting a local business (I'm not sure they would have received even $8 of the $30 fee I'd have paid to the major online florist). PLUS, when I spoke with my mom yesterday, I found out that the flowers are incredibly fresh and beautiful--much nicer than what she normally gets when I use the major online florist. Better product, cheaper price, directly supporting local business--I'm pleased all around.

Weird things round up

Taxes--paying
Lucky me, I am not quite getting audited. New York state found some HUGE errors in my return, however, and I was billed $88 instead of receiving a refund of almost $400. Luckily, they did not assess interest or penalties, and I paid it yesterday online.

I've filed a complaint with Intuit/TurboTax, because these are very basic errors--they didn't report New York City resident tax, which my address would CLEARLY require be reported. Unfortunately, Intuit only guarantees accuracy as far as reimbursing penalties or interest, not extra tax assessed, so really all I can do is complain since they won't give me any money back.

I'm seriously debating whether I will use them again. This seems like a very basic problem.

Taxes--tax stimulus rebate
According to the stimulus payment schedule, my direct deposit should have posted today. It's not even pending, however. While it's not technically late, I'm wondering if the mixup with New York state will affect that. I don't need the money (it's earmarked for a cruise) so I won't be in trouble if I don't get it, but...well, you know. I'd like to be stimulated.

Electric bills
I just mentioned that I was a little concerned that it seemed like more than a month had gone by since I'd received my last electric bill. Well, it showed up the same day and was delightfully cheap. Then yesterday, I got another bill, for $75. Something is definitely not right, as I was billed for exactly the same time period. I can't figure out what the problem is, but I'm going to call them before I pay anything more. Someone needs to get things together, and I don't think it's me for once.

Credit card
My credit card payment is due while I'm on vacation, so I will pay it before I go. When I logged in today, it shows a balance due of $125.o5. However, the statement only shows one charge for $83.03 (cell phone bill) since I last paid the entire balance off, so something else is not right. Another thing to fix.

School bills
I think I'm all set as far as loans and everything for the summer, but I need to double check that. I also need to file for approval for tuition reimbursement for the summer and then as soon as I get my grades, submit the final paperwork for the spring. Yay, money!

And, as a total non-sequitor, I like dating someone who's as much of a money nerd as I am. It's fun. :)

Inspired

Well Heeled With a Mission has a lovely post today about unexpected compliments and what a difference they can make.

I especially liked dogatemyfinances's comment--and I'm also going to compliment someone at work today.

Anyone else want to join in this challenge?

Musing

Quarterlifegirl investigates whose dream she's chasing and it really struck a chord with me.

We mature and become independent in stages, and I feel like I've finally started the final stage--realizing that I am not responsible for the dreams my parents had for me. My mother would like me to be married with children, and I'm not--and more than that, I'm not sure I want to be. I think I might like to get married someday, but I don't want a big wedding or really even much of a wedding at all. Right now, I'm pretty sure I don't want children. I like kids all right, but I don't have much interest in raising any of my own. Sometimes I feel bad that for years she's pictured me walking down an aisle in a white dress or handing her my first-born child for the first time, and those things haven't happened and might never. But it's MY life, not hers.

A few days late

I did all my financial transfers and tracker updaters and what not, and posted my new net worth in my side bar. How'd I do?

I went from $14,306 in March to $15,114 in April for a total increase of $808, most of which was in my 401k. Yay! It's a little misleading, though, because I just accepted $5,000 worth of student loans for the summer semesters--but I didn't count that money because it hasn't actually been dispersed yet.

I also just realized that I haven't seen another electric bill, and while I'm fine with that...it seems like it's been more than a month. I'll have to look into that.

My life has felt a little out of control this past week. I've recently started dating someone I like quite a lot, which is wonderful. Everything seems sunnier and there's a bounce in my step I haven't had in a while. I like the little shivery feelings when I think of him during the day.

However. My steady, predictable routine has been completely shattered. I'm eating out more, and will have to throw away stuff I have in the fridge (not to mention spending money eating out). My apartment is a wreck and I can't find anything, I haven't synched my phone and computer in more than a week--I didn't even remember to bring my phone with me to work today! I won't see him tonight because of dance class and hopefully it will give me a chance to pull some of this back together again. It's fun but it's fairly stressful too.

The biggest upside is that he's only slightly less of a money nerd than I am. On our second date, he told me about the spreadsheet he has on a thumb drive to keep track of what he spends, and I've basically been smitten ever since. I'm really glad our respective money nerdiness came out early on, because it's been easier to do cheap/free stuff, cooking together instead of eating out, and otherwise not feel as much pressure as we might otherwise.

April recap/May goals

I am having a really hard time believing it is already April 30. Seriously?! How did that happen?

Review of April goals
1. Really work on sticking to the budget. I did a little better on this than in March. The problem is I have this extra debit card that I do all my mystery shopping out of and all my direct deposits/dance income goes into it...and sometimes it turns into fun money and I blow through it without paying attention to what I'm doing.

2. Try to lower my electricity bill. I have not received my next electricity bill yet (hmmm) so I don't know if this worked. I did end up leaving my laptop in my backpack for several days a few times, so I bet it went down a little.

3. Clothing challenge. I went shopping a few times but overall did not find much in the way of sales. I now have a list of clothing "needs" that I carry with me, though, so as I find things to purchase, I can do so.

4. Plan and book my trip home. Done. Plane ticket purchased, plans made for one day road trip with my sister, free places to stay lined up (grandmother's, parents', friend), graduation gift for younger brother planned. I'm really excited for this trip

5. Find a new $5 bill. Done! It's purple and has stars on it. Very pretty.

May goals
1. Budget for trip home. I still need to work out a budget for estimated gas and food costs, and figure out what I can spend on "fun" stuff like shopping (some of my favorite stores are down there and not here, so I might as well work on the clothing challenge while I can!).

2. File paperwork for tuition reimbursement for my first semester of graduate school. Wow, that feels weird to say. I guess I'll get my grades in a week or two (finals start tomorrow) and I'll get my entire out of pocket cost of this semester reimbursed. I plan to stash that money in the highest percentage interest bearing account I can find (possibly even a CD) to sit until I graduate. Then when my grace period on the loans are up, I'll dump all that reimbursement money plus the interest it's earned to drop the principle by more than half before I start making payments.

3. Automate my finances a little bit more. I already pay everything that I can online, but I don't have automatic transfers set up for my sinking funds. I don't know why I still do this manually, but I do. And every once in a while, I'll transfer money and forget to note it in my sinking fund logs, or I'll forget to transfer the money entirely, and while it's not a big deal, it can sometimes be a pain to unravel when I realize what happened later. I'm just going to set up automatic transfers to ING and my Chase savings account the day after each payday and have that email remind me to update the logs. I also want to get things into one place--I have some files on my computer at home, some on my thumb drive, some on my cell phone, and some that I email to myself. Maybe I need to put these things in Google docs or something, because it's getting harder to tell which is the most up to date version.

4. Quit smoking. I have a whole post about half written on this. I haven't mentioned it before because I've been deluding myself that I'm "only" a social smoker and it's not a big deal, but the truth is I'm addicted and I spend too much money on it, not to mention the health hazards. I'll finish the other post soon and address this in more depth there. But my set quit date is May 9.

5. Take it a little easy. In addition to quitting smoking, which is stressful in and of itself, I've been overdoing it a little bit lately as I mentioned, and in May I'm going to give myself permission to relax a little more, not worry about cleaning my apartment to perfection or accepting every single invitation when I'd rather sit home and read. May is for me.

What are your May goals?

Ok. Really trying to get back in the groove here.

I filed my taxes on March 13. I have not yet received my NY state refund, which is starting to irritate me a little bit. I don't even know where I can find more information about it, as the NY department of taxation website says it was accepted, and is being processed, and no more information is available about it and please don't check back here for another week. It also says that refunds are sent within 4-6 weeks and faster if direct deposit is used. It is now going on 7 weeks, despite requesting direct deposit.

Hrmmm.

I wonder if this means I'm going to be audited. I've never been audited before, and that's a little nervewracking. But I filed both my Schedule C's in good faith (meaning no fraud, I did the best I could but I wouldn't be totally surprised if I made a mistake somewhere--but not one that would get me a refund when I should have had to pay). Well, I'd like the refund because it's more money to add to my clothing/apartment makeover pot (or put aside for my CRUISE), but if I have to pay then I'll pay. Whatevs.

I've also figured out a little more about how much this degree is ultimately going to cost me. I took out about $3,800 in loans for this first semester, plus just over $5,000 for the two summer sessions. If I keep attending at this rate, I will have $16,200 in loans--with an annual cap of $5,000 each year in tuition reimbursement from my company. So, my master's degree will cost me out of pocket about $6,200 plus books and incidentals. I can't say that's too shabby. I might even keep it up and take one or two more classes the following semester (which would totally be covered by the tuition reimbursement) because I want more electives than I need to have.

Although I didn't partcipate in Krystal's budget challenge, I did fairly well with my cash flowing this month--until Sunday. Sunday wound up being an expensive day for me! I went to a Mets game ($20 for a ticket). I bought drinks and a snack on the way since I hadn't had breakfast ($2.50). I was FREEZING at the game so I bought a cup of coffee ($4!!!! for plain black coffee!!!) and some french fries ($5). Then I went to dinner with my friends ($20, which wasn't too bad except I didn't much like my food, so it seemed expensive in that regard). Then I went to a pub quiz in my neighborhood, where I took care of the $10 entry fee (I forget why exactly, but I never did ask anyone else to contribute. Also, my friends bought my drinks, so it definitely worked out in my favor). Total damage for a Sunday: $61.50. Which was still cheaper than the $87.45 lunch I paid for on Thursday with my lunching lady friends.

This wiped me out of my cash for the rest of the month as well as an extra $20 I pulled out of the ATM. I'm not financially hurting because of it, but will be doing a little more pantry cooking the rest of this week.

And you know what? I'm THRILLED that because of my careful budgetting and cash management skills, I CAN throw money around like that without being worried about the electric bill. I can't spend money like that all the time, but I'd rather spend it on good times with good friends.

Update: rainy day/sniffly nose edition

It was an interesting weekend.

I'm really starting to hate not having reliable internet in my apartment, because I really don't have the time to blog during the week--but I don't have the capability to blog during the weekends.

A friend/coworker asked me point-blank (and then guess, right on the nose) how much money I make. She also revealed what she makes, which is basically the same. And she's been there three years. I've been there less than 18 months. This means less than it seems, since we do very different jobs but still. I imagine it got her goat a little bit. I on the other hand was both relieved and a little worried. Relieved because I realize that I am not that far behind in the game despite coming into publishing late. Worried because the company clearly doesn't reward longevity as I would have hoped.

Mostly though, I was glad that I've sort of reached the point with this coworker/friend that we can talk about things like that. I hate that there's such a stigma against discussing finances.

Happy friday!

Clearly, I've been busy.

Luckily, though, I've also been staying under budget, despite not cooking much. I need to work on that this weekend.

I told someone this week for the first time that I'm an anonymous personal finance blogger. This was a very strange revelation to make, for some reason.

I also decided that it might be fun to date someone more nerdy about money than I am. We'll see.

And lastly, I decided to be grown up and put $100 of the birthday money I brought in into my Lasik surgery fund. I know that 20/20 or Inside Edition or something is doing a scare tactic show about Lasik this weekend, but I really want to get it done, and I need to start saving for it in a serious way.

The World, It Is A-Changing

I have a friend who does some kind of scientific research. I don't know what it is exactly, but she spends time in Antarctica (!) studying the changes to the environment there and making predictions about what's causing them. So I'm inclined to believe her when she tells me that within my lifetime, human beings will have completely run out of oil, and there will be no gasoline.

It might be a doomsday scenario, but think about what it would mean. No more cars. No more airplanes. World travel would revert to ships sailing across the ocean, which means that fewer people would see the world. *I* might never see more of the world than I have now.

This future lack of air travel has been on my mind since I had this discussion with her, even more so with all the airline price wars and mergers lately. Especially because I had to buy a plane ticket for a trip next month, and prices are double what they used to be.

I used to be able to fly directly from New York to my parents' semi-large town in the south for a little over $200. For between $150 and $200 I could fly into a major metropolitan airport an hour away and have someone pick me up. This was as recently as December. Now, the cost to fly to the major metropolitan airport is at least $380, and there are simply no direct flights to their semi-large town airport. I'd have to change flights at the major metropolitan airport, and there's no cost savings for me to do so.

I had little faith that prices would start dropping before my trip in mid-May, so I've been researching every day to see what works. And what works is for me to fly into a major Midwest city, meet my sister who's driving from her home, and take a nine-hour roadtrip instead of flying. Coming back, she'll drop me off at the major metropolitan airport and continue on her way alone. The cost for this trip is $174 for the plane ticket, plus whatever I kick in for gas to her--and since she has a new car with incredible gas mileage (not a hybrid, but the next closest efficiency), it will still be more than $100 cheaper than flying as close to my parents' home is possible.

PLUS I get a nine-hour roadtrip with my sister! (I know some people might think that would be the worst thing ever, but we're thrilled silly--we're best friends.)

Even just one year ago, I wouldn't have imagined this would be the cheaper option.

5 Things Meme

Tagged myself off Fabulously Broke In the City.

What was I doing 5 years ago?
I was in my second to last semester of college (*gasp* has it been that long?!). That means I was editor of my university's newspaper and living in a lovely little apartment.
Five things on my to-do list today ( or things I did today):
1. Stop freaking out.
2. Do a mystery shop
3. Watch the movie I have to return tomorrow.
4. Dance class
5. Wash my hair.
Five snacks I love:
1. Little Debbie (pretty much anything, but especially Swiss Cake Rolls)
2. baklava
3. Pistachio almond ice cream
4. Fruit that someone else has cut up (especially pineapple and honeydew melon)
5. popcorn
Five things I would do if I were a billionaire: (actually, I would do these things if I were a millionaire)
1. Buy an apartment in New York
2. Invest to ensure my and my progeny's futures
3. Give to charities that I support.
4. Help my immediate family with school or housing or whatever they need.
5. Go on a cruise!
Five bad habits I have:
1. Procrastinating
2. Sitting on my feet (not professional and bad for the veins!)
3. Overpacking
4. popping my knuckles
5. Chipping off my nail polish. I don't bit my nails or cuticles if my nails are polished but have an obsession with chipping off the polish.
Five places I have lived:
1. Michigan
2. Small Town, Tennessee
3. Georgia
4. Slightly Bigger Town, Tennessee
5. New York City
Five jobs I've had: (these are all true!)
1. Carpet factory worker
2. Drive thru cashier
3. Security guard at Atlanta's Georgia Dome
4. On-air radio personality
5. Belly dancer
Five people I don't know very well and want to know more about:
I tag anyone who reads this and wants to fill it out! Leave me a comment if you do it so I can find you.

Link roundup: Birthday edition

I actually forgot it was my birthday for several hours today, long enough for my boss to completely surprise and embarrass me for the second day in a row (I'm not sure if she got the days mixed up or intended to do something yesterday; she was supposed to be out of the office today). So far, it's been a pretty nice day, though, and the weather is gorgeous, which I feel is like a personal gift.

Some interesting things I've read today:

From The Simple Dollar: How Much Money is Walk-Away-From-It-All Money? Trent examines three scenarios in which you'd need a big slush fund (cold career change, extended drop out of the workforce, and never work again). All of these could be achieved with a large enough emergency fund, but that's definitely not what my emergency fund is intended for. I've changed careers once, and I think I've really found the one that fits me. I can't imagine wanting to quit working right now. The money I've set aside is in case my apartment burns down, or I get laid off, or I get very sick and can't work. I'm fully expecting to use it for more minor things, like last-minute travel home for a death in the family or a broken leg from getting hit by a crazy taxi driver. Maybe some day I'd expand it to actually be my income for a time, but I don't see that happening for a while.

From the April 15 Festival of Frugality, I stumbled on Broke? Bad Credit? Yes, It's Your Fault! at Amateur Asset Allocator and If You Don't Need It, It's Not a Great Deal at Know the Ledge. It hink the theme for both these posts is Personal Responsibility: Don't Sign Something You Can't Understand and Don't Spend Money Without Stopping to Think "Do I REALLY Need This?"

Also, I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in being overrun with toiletries. Meg at All About Appearances details her struggle to declutter lotions, shampoos, and all those other things you're never going to use but feel bad about throwing away. This reminds me: I have lots of free samples building up, so it's time to do some pampering!