My Weekly Money Check-Up 9/6/11

Hi all! Happy Tuesday. What a nice treat it was to have a long weekend! Ahhh... and it came at the right time too, when I really needed it. If you were lucky enough to have one, I hope that you took the time to really enjoy your extra day off :) As usual, here's my Weekly Money Check-Up, courtesy of My Pretty Pennies.

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on more clothes for my hubby's new job. We wanted to make sure he has enough dress pants and shirts to last him a full week. We're kind of bad when it comes to doing laundry, so we bought him some extra just in case we fall behind.

2. Today I am thankful for consistent paychecks. Wow, both my hubby and I starting jobs with new companies this past week threw our normal paycheck schedule out the window! He'll now be paid a week behind, instead of current and I will now be paid current on the 15th and last day of the month. It will take some getting used to but it should all work out okay. Initially we were told that our first check wouldn't be until the end of September and I started to get nervous because we don't have a lot to fall back on and disappointed because I had such hopes of paying things off sooner than first planned. Today I found out all is well and I'll receive a normal check on the 15th.... phew!

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was rented free movies from Blockbuster. Over at Together We Save, she often gives out codes for free movies. You should check it out!

4. I will consider this week a success if I get caught up at work! Since the last few weeks have been so crazy busy, I've let some filing fall to the side. Now is a good time to catch up on all that and put it behind me.

5. I am willing to splurge on experiences. I am a big believer of having fun and making memories. I'm willing to splurge to make an experience memorable.

Tomorrow is my blogger-versary! It's hard to believe that it's been one full year since I started Head Over Heels in Debt. I'm so grateful for those who have joined in on this journey with me. I truly appreciate your comments and support.

The News!

Well, after a very long couple of weeks, which left me regularly day dreaming about laying on that beach above... I have some great news to share. My job has changed slightly and I am now part of a new company. We went through an asset purchase and my job is now with the other company. This new job came with a 6% bump in salary and I'm now eligible for a 10% annual bonus. Not sure if anyone actually ever gets paid out on that yet, but still, I'm excited to even be eligible.

Needless to say this bump up will help us meet our financial goals quicker than planned. I still need to find some time to rework the budget and maybe even consider joining their 401K. This new company actually has a match! As Suzie Orman always says, you should contribute at least up to the match. Who am I to turn away free money?

So, things are looking up in our neck of the woods. Sorry I haven't been posting much or commenting on other blogs. It's been crazy busy, to say the least. Hopefully things will calm down over the next week or so and I can get back to my routine.

Here's hoping you all have a wonderful long, relaxing weekend. I know I will :)

My Weekly Money Check-Up 8/30/11

Happy Tuesday! I'm a bit late with this post because yesterday was a crazy day. I'll update more on that tomorrow. Here's my Weekly Money Check-Up, courtesy of My Pretty Pennies.

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on some new work pants for the hubby. They were a little more expensive than we hoped for, but they are good quality and should last a while.

2. Today I am thankful for my job! I'll post more on why tomorrow :)

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was found out that my husband got the job he applied for! I was so thrilled for him. I believe the new job will be great for him.

4. I will consider this week a success if I fight off this migraine that keeps trying to surface. My world has been a bit nuts and the stress is showing itself in the form of big pimples and my face and a pounding headache. Aghhhh, calgone take me away!

5. The thing I will miss most when summer is over is the long, sunny days. I love the sunshine and enjoy that is lasts so long in the summer. I get a little sad as winter rolls in and the days get shorter.

TGIF!

Here's hoping I can make it through today without wanting to do this to anyone! It's been a long week on my end and next week is certainly going to be even longer. There's lots going on in my work world which is making things a little crazy but hopefully by this time next week, I'll be past most of it and able to relax a bit, thinking of the upcoming long weekend that will be ahead of me.

Hope you all have a nice weekend, stay on budget and safe from hurricane Irene!

Good News!

My hubby got the job!

Yippeeee :) Sweet goodness! I am so happy for him. Since we've moved to California, he's had difficulty a) getting full time hours, b) getting a job with benefits and c) getting a fair wage. Finally, he's been offered a position at a company that offers all of these wonderful things!

He will have to start as a temp employee through an agency initially but then he can convert onto the company payroll and after an initial probationary period, he'll be able to enjoy the full benefits package. Including tuition reimbursement!

I'm a huge fan of tuition reimbursement. If a company is offering to send me to school, for free, then I'm in! I got my Master's degree this way and highly recommend that anyone take advantage of it when offered. My husband has his Associates degree and I'm hoping he'll use their tuition reimbursement to go back to school and finish off his Bachelor's. It'll only continue to help him in his career.

As I mentioned before, change is in the air for us. This is the first part and I should be able to update you more on the second sometime next week. Enjoy the rest of the week!

Is it just me... or do guys have it easy?

When it comes to dressing anyway!

The hubby and I are very hopeful that the new job is going to pan out (we should find out today!) so we thought we should check out some new clothes for him. At his current job, he gets away with wearing jeans or cargo shorts and a polo shirt. His new position will require him to dress up a bit more.

Macy's was having a "One Day" sale on Saturday, so we decided to check it out. We saw commercials for it, showing that dress shirts were going to be on sale for $9.99. Marked down from $50ish - that's a really good deal. We went and picked up 5 shirts. Not bad! (If he doesn't get the job, we can return the shirts.)

The more I thought about it, I realized how easy guys have it when it comes to buying clothes for work. Most guys I see in the workplace get away with rotating the same 5-7 button down shirts with a pair of khaki pants. For all I know, it's the same one pair of khaki pants. Lucky guys!

The women on the other hand, aren't so lucky. With pants, skirts, dresses, shirts, sweaters, etc. it's no wonder it adds up much faster for us!

My Joy List!

Today I want to think happy thoughts and focus on being positive and appreciative. I've decided to make a "joy list". A list of 10 things that make me smile and feel alive :) Feel free to join in on the fun!

1) Flowers - I'm not picky about the kind either. I just love flowers! I'm blessed to live in a place where flowers bloom year round and I truly enjoy it and appreciate seeing them around. They just put a smile on my face.

2) Drive In Movies - First off, I love movies. But, I friggin LOVE going to the drive in! The idea of watching a movie... OUTSIDE, is just wonderful. I set up our car with blankets and pillows, like we are in the comfort of our own home, but we get to watch the movie on the big screen, enjoying the fresh air. It's great!

3) Sleeping Late - I'm so not a morning person. I try to put on a happy face and make the most of having to get up early but man on man, do I love sleeping in late. It makes me feel like I'm on vacation.

4) Putting my feet in the sand - I love the feel of sand on my feet. Especially warm, soft, white beach sand. Ahhhhhhh.

5) Arcades - I love games. I guess I'm just a kid at heart but I love going to the arcade and playing games. It's a fun way to pass the time and I enjoy winning silly tickets that I later cash in for way overpriced trinkets. I love the lights, the sounds and the energy.

6) Goosebumps - I know it may sound strange but I like getting goosebumps. Not when I'm cold, that just plain sucks, but when I'm watching a movie and the scene is just so intense that my body reacts with goosebumps. That's pretty cool. It sometimes happens when I'm reading a good book too. It just makes me feel so alive that my body actually reacted like that to the emotion I was feeling in the moment.

7) Beach Fires - There's something I love about sitting next to a fire on the beach. Not sure if it's worlds colliding or something but ocean and fire together amaze me.

8) Fireworks - I take such pleasure in watching a firework display. I remember one time, a while back, I went to watch fireworks on the 4th of July and we were so close that ash actually blew on us. It was kind of scary but so intense to be that close to such an amazing display.

9) A New Box of Chocolates - How great does it feel to open a new box of chocolates? When they all look so fresh and delicious and they haven't been picked over yet. Yummmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about them.

10) Jumping Waves - This brings back great memories. Fun summers at the beach as a child, jumping waves with my family. It makes me feel like a kid again. It's exhilarating to watch as the wave approaches and then psych myself up for it to hit and jumping right at the exact moment so it doesn't take me down with it. Oh, such fun!

What brings you joy?