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Credit Scores on the Rise!
2007-11-28 01:26:00
After paying off the remainder of my credit card debt two weeks ago, I have been watching my credit scores to see the affect of reducing my debt by over $10,000. I use TrueCredit to monitor my credit reports and usually pull a new report every 2-3 days to check on any changes. Here is a summary of how my scores have changed since 11/14/07. Transunion (11-14-07) = 707 Transunion (11-27-07) = 701 Not real sure why the score dropped by 6 points since my total debt load did not increase and there were no new inquiries. Equifax (11-14-07) = 694 Equifax (11-27-07) = 709 My score with Equifax went up 15 points and there are have been no major changes besides 2 old inquires dropped off my report. They are still reporting the balances on my credit cards that have been paid off. The balances should update on the first week in December and I expect a huge jump in my score. ...
More About: Rise , Scores

Cyber Monday and Visiting the Carnivals
2007-11-26 13:15:00
I have to admit I do not know anything about Cyber Monday until this year. I kept hearing about it on the news so I wanted to do a little checking into it. For those unfamiliar with Cyber Monday , Wikipedia describes it as the Monday immediately following Black Friday where the online retailers offer the best deals like the brick and mortar stores offered on the previous Friday. Planning to do a little online shopping today? Make sure you sign up for Ebates.com. If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I am a big fan of Ebates. Not only do they offer signup bonuses and cash back on your purchases, they have all the major stores. TODAY ONLY (Monday), you get DOUBLE CASH BACK! SIGN UP HERE. Not interested in shopping? Be sure to check out the 115th Edition of the Carnival of Debt Reduction hosted by fellow M-Network member, beingfrugal.net. My article was included: Paying off debt makes you feel.... so be sure to head over and read all the great stories.
More About: Carnivals , The Car

Sunday Roundup - Lazy Sunday Edition
2007-11-25 15:07:00
It's the perfect day to be stay at home and be lazy. It's windy, cold and rainy outside and I will be staying home all day to do a few things I've needed to do around the house. I need to put a couple of items on Ebay, balance my checkbook, do laundry and catch up on a few shows I've recorded but haven't had a chance to watch yet. It was nice to have my family in town for a few days but they are all gone back home now. Here are some great posts I've read around the blogosphere. From the M-Network:How Blogging Changed Me from beingfrugal.net. I totally agree with Lynae and I feel most people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. I too will be having a frugal Christmas.Why do I always find a better deal AFTER I buy it? from Gather Little by Little. I hate when that happens. Thanks for Everything from Paid Twice. Paid Twice gives a hearty thanks to the readers for keeping her accountable to improving her family's financial situation. I too am very thankful to my readers ...
More About: Roundup , Sunday , Edition , Sunday Edition , Lazy

Thanksgiving Leftovers Post
2007-11-24 14:40:00
Thanksgiving has come and gone and now I am munching on the delicious leftovers. I made sure I packed enough food to last me for at least a couple of days. First, I would like to give THANKS to my readers. I just realized I hit over 10,000 readers on yesterday. I know this is a small number compared to some of the personal finance blogs out there, but this is huge for me. Thank you so much for reading and following my blog. I hope by following my personal finance journey, it will help you with your own personal finances. I also thank you for all the comments and emails with words of encouragement. If you have not signed up for the RSS feed, you can do so here. It's totally free and you will be notified of the newest posts here at SingleGuyMoney.I am also starting a new regular feature for the blog. Every Friday, I will have a "Free Money Friday" post highlighting a few of the best bank or credit card bonuses. Even though it's Saturday, here's a sample of what you will find. Chase...
More About: Thanksgiving , Post , Leftovers , Hank

Being Thankful...
2007-11-22 00:54:00
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I have alot of things to be thankful for. I will be spending all day tomorrow with my family and eating alot of food. I wish all of you a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving and I should be back to blogging by the weekend. Skip the crowds on Friday, shop online and save money using Ebates.com. Sign up for an account, shop at your favorite stores and get money back on your purchases. Right now, they are offering a $10 signup bonus just for opening an account and making at least 1 purchase. You can signup HERE. If you've enjoyed this post or reading about my personal finance journey, please subscribe to SingleGuyMoney here. Be sure to visit SingleGuyMoney for more great articles.
More About: Hank

What are you buying?
2007-11-20 13:34:00
If you are like me, you've probably been keeping an eye out for all the "deals" to be had on Black Friday. The two things on my list, a brand new flat screen tv and possibly a new laptop. After paying off the last of my credit card debt, I decided to put the money to better use. The 50" TV I have now works just fine and my laptop, although some of the keys have to be pressed really hard in order for them to work, is ok for now. With that in mind, I will not be shopping on Friday. I do plan to make one small purchase though. I want a ShopVac. They have them for sale at Wal-Mart for $20. They usually run about $40-60. Be sure to check out CleverDude's post - Black Friday and Buying out of Budget. CleverDude gives some excellent reasons for putting off those unneeded purchases. What are you buying? How much are you planning to spend?If you've enjoyed this post or reading about my personal finance journey, please subscribe to SingleGuyMoney here. Be sure to visit SingleGuyMoney for m...

Monday Carnivals
2007-11-20 00:46:00
The 127th Carnival of Personal Finance-Wonders of the World was hosted my fellow M-Network member, Moolanomy. Be sure to visit the carnival for some great reads. Thanks to Moolanomy for hosting!Some of my favorite articles: A Penny Saved is Worth More than a Penny Earned from Cash Money Life. Prepare Your Mindset to Achieve Financial Freedom from Journey to Financial Freedom. Why I Use Credit Cards from Broke Grad Student.3 Reasons Why Personal Finance Should Not Be Personal from The Financial BloggerI posted my article, Slipping back into bad habits - ALMOST.
More About: Carnivals , Monday

Link Exchange
2007-11-19 03:41:00
If you are looking to do a link exchange, please feel free to contact me. I would prefer that it be a blog related to personal finance and be at least 3 months old. Please check out my blog, SingleGuyMoney, and let me know if you are interested.
More About: Link Exchange , Exchange , Link

Paying off debt makes you feel.....
2007-11-18 21:03:00
GREAT! Every since I paid off the remainder of my credit card debt, I feel alot better about my finances. It seems as if a huge burden has been lifted. I advise anyone that if you pay off your debt, you will feel much better about your finances and life in general. If you need more reasons to pay off debt, consider this:Better Cash Flow. Working on my budget for December, I had to figure out what to do with the extra $400 I am not sending to the credit card company. This is great problem to have.Better Financial Flexibility. It's nice not having to try and figure out how to stretch your paycheck to cover all of your monthly obligations.Higher Interest Rates. Your lenders will charge you higher rates because they will see you as a greater credit risk. Interest Savings. Don't let the credit card companies get rich off you. Save the interest you would be paying to a credit card company! Invest and make it work for you. Better Credit Score. One of the major components of your credit s...
More About: Debt , Feel

It's Raining Money....
2007-11-16 00:38:00
Well, it's not really raining money, it is more like a slight drizzle. When I opened my email inbox and my postal mailbox, it wasn't filled with the usual junkmail. Today, they were filled with money. How much money you ask? Well just keep reading.Ebates: I received my "Big Fat Check" of $43.90 via email from Ebates. As I posted before, this website allows you to shop at all your favorite stores online AND you get a rebate for purchasing thru the Ebates website. The rebate percentage is clearly listed on the website. I hate going to the mall so all my holiday shopping will be done thru Ebates. They are offering a $10 signup bonus thru the end of today (11/15/07) and then it goes back to the normal $5 signup bonus. You must make at least one purchase to get the bonus. With the holiday season approaching, that shouldn't be a problem. Signup HERE. PineCone Research: I completed a survey yesterday and received my $5 payment today. The surveys are pretty easy and take about 5-10 minu...
More About: Money , Raining

I DID IT!!!!
2007-11-13 21:03:00
If you have been following my blog, you know that I was trying to purchase an additional investment property. I found a property, put in an offer and had the home inspection completed only to find out that there are huge problems with the homeowners association. I did not want to buy someone else's problems so I rescinded my offer. I was really bummed last night and today so to make myself feel better, I PAID OFF ALL MY CREDIT CARD DEBT. That's right guys. I finally pulled the trigger and paid off the debt. It was all at a low interest rate but I was still paying interest that I could be saving and investing. One card had a balance of $3,150.00 and the other had a balance of $7,566.48 for a total payoff of $10,716.48.Here is how paying off this debt will affect my future finances:Cash on hand - $31,498.28. Still alot of cash but as I have posted before, I have a mental need to have alot of cash on hand because I am scared of a major financial emergency.Extra cash - I will have rou...

Investment Property: Deal or No Deal
2007-11-13 00:33:00
I had a home inspection completed this morning on the investment property I am considering purchasing. The inspector was very detailed and took time to explain any current and potential problems.There were 4 major items that needed to be addressed.TERMITES. The property shows evidence of termites. The inspector found several areas with rotten wood and termite mounds. His opinion is that the problem was not severe and could be addressed by a termite profession. The termite inspected was scheduled for the afternoon.Furnace is at the end of its useful life. The furnace appears the be the original one put in when the property was built. A/C is at the end of its useful life. Also appears to have been put in when property was built.Water heater at the end of its useful like. Again, appears to be original.I'd prepared for the mechanical issues and had money aside to handle these things. I was NOT prepared for the termite issue. Thankfully,the termite inspection revealed the problem was no...
More About: Property , Investment , Investment Property , Deal , Prop

Investment Property Update
2007-11-12 00:29:00
Finally, after a long wait, I was able to hear that the offer I put in on an investment property was accepted. I put the offer in on October 22 and finally heard that the offer was accepted on Nov 8th. I could have rescinded my offer since they did not respond in time but I really wanted this property. Tomorrow, I will have the home inspection and termite inspection completed. The home inspection will cost $240 and the termite inspection and termite bond will cost about $399. I will take my camera to document what repairs need to be done to the property and will try to post them here tomorrow. I am working on a budget for the repairs and will post it once it is completed.
More About: Property , Investment , Investment Property , Update , Prop

Business Trip Spending
2007-11-10 22:18:00
My business trip has been completed and I am back home. For me, I am always excited about leaving for a trip but I am even more excited about coming home. I posted the other day about "Temptation is ALL around me" and I had a temporary moment of weakness. I appreciate all the emails and words of encouragement helping me to remember what is important. I did do a little bit of shopping but the result wasn't too bad. The were a couple of stores that had really good clearance sales so I was able to pickup a few items I needed. Here is what I ended up spending:Old Navy Outlet - 1 pair of pants $21.59Haggar Outlet - 4 shirts $42.27 (they had most of the shirts marked down to $10 each)Eddie Bauer Outlet - Airplane travel bag $14.99 (has wheels and a handle). Total Spending : $78.85I was actually able to save a little money because the company paid for all my expenses. The hotel provided breakfast so I did not have to spend any money for that. Lunch and dinner were all paid for by my compa...
More About: Business , Trip , Sine

I have another property!
2007-11-08 14:51:00
My realtor called me last night to let me know my offer has been accepted! Now, I need to setup a property inspection and termite inspection. I am out of town on business until Monday and we are scheduled to close on next Friday so things will be moving pretty quickly. I'm off to my meeting, I'll post more details as they happen. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to SingleGuyMoney by clicking here.
More About: Property , Prop , Pert , Rope

Temptation is ALL around me!
2007-11-06 14:26:00
I made it to my destination for my business trip last night about 11pm ET. It was only a four hour flight but it seemed like 8 hours. It felt like they made my seat extra small and uncomfortable. When I finally made it to the hotel and checked into my room, I was pleasantly surprised. The room was not the usual crappy hotel layout and was more like a suite. I have nice fridge, a small bar, granite counter tops, and a 42" wall-mounted Plasma TV in my room. The hotel has been recently renovated and they did a really good job. I don't travel that often but my company usually does not spring for diggs like this. So what is the deal with all the temptation around me? I want a wall-mounted flat screen. I have been pricing them for about 6 months. I haven't decided when I will make the purchase but I can only purchase it once I payoff my credit card debt. The hotel is right next to a huge Outlet Mall. I can walk to it in about 1 minute. One of my co-workers is already planning to go shop...
More About: Temptation , Temp , All Around Me

Monday Roundup - Travelling Edition
2007-11-05 18:03:00
It's Monday and I am getting ready to head out of town on a business trip for a week. I will have my laptop and the hotel is supposed to have internet access so I will be able to continue posting. My fellow M-Network member, My Two Dollars, hosted the 125th Carnival of Personal Finance. There are a number of great articles so be sure to check it out. Here are a some of my favorites:Your Relationship with Money from Journey From Financial Freedom. Consolidating Our Finances from 2Million. Even though I am single, I can imagine the complications in consolidating finances.Old Habits Sure Do Die Hard from Gather Little by Little (M-Netwok member). I can definitely relate. It hit me like a ton of bricks from beingfrugal.net (M-Network member). This is so true. This is the feeling I had when I realized how bad my financial situation was. I submitted my post on My Cheaper Alternative to Starbucks. A friend told me about McDonald's iced coffee and I really liked it. I've also changed the...
More About: Travelling , Roundup , Edition

Slipping back into bad habits....ALMOST!
2007-11-03 20:25:00
As I posted a few months back, one of my weaknesses is electronics. I don't care about a shopping for clothes, shoes, sports equipment, etc. The one thing I like is electronics and cool electronic gadgets. This was the cause of a big portion of the credit card debt I accumulated through the years. I bought TVs, DVD players, cellphones, GPS, satellite radio, etc like they only cost a dollar. If I wanted it, I just whipped out the credit card and it was mine. One of my co-workers came into work yesterday and showed me his cool new Blackberry phone. This is one of the phones I have wanted for awhile. I played with the phone for a minute and those old feelings came back again. My plan was to go out at lunch and get me one too! Luckily, I came to my senses and realized what I was about to do was crazy and I don't want do that anymore. I also thought about the responses I would get once I posted about it here on my blog!! Why should I go out and drop $200-300 for a new phone when I...
More About: Habits , Back , Bad Habits , Habit

My Cheaper Alternative to Starbucks
2007-11-02 13:09:00
As I posted here, Starbucks is one of my bad habits that is costing me alot of money. This week, I think I may have found a much cheaper alternative to Starbucks. One of my friends, knowing how much I love iced coffee, brought me a vanilla iced coffee from McDonald's. I tasted it and really liked it. The cost for a medium iced coffee at McDonald's......$1.80; the cost for a venti (large) iced coffee at Starbucks....$4.24. The funny thing is that the large (venti) coffee at Starbucks is the same size as a Medium iced coffee at McDonald's. Here is a comparison of the savings:Starbucks - 5 times a week - $4.24 per cup = $21.20 a week or $84.80 a monthMcDonald's - 5 times a week - $1.80 per cup = $9.00 a week or $36.00 a monthSavings - $48.80 a month or $585.60 a year.Needless to say, I will be getting my coffee from McDonald's for now on. I will treat myself to Starbucks now and then though. McDonald's iced coffee is good but it's not Starbucks good!Do you have a Starbucks fetis...
More About: Alternative , Native , Alterna

October Net Worth Update
2007-11-01 22:56:00
I'm pretty happy with the gain in my Networth this month. In the middle of the month, it did not look so good due to dips in the market. Here is how things ended up:Assets:Rental Property - $137,000Primary Residence - $193,000Car - $29,500Retirement - $43,309.32Cash (checking & savings) - $42,031.54Brokerage - $3,514.14Household Items - $7,500Total Assets: $455,822.00Liabilities:Rental Property Mortgage - $150,439.07Primary Home Mortgage - $183,470.25 (1st and 2nd mortgage)Car Loan - $25,592.57Student Loan - $22,223.81Credit Cards - $10,694.62Total Liabilities: $392,420.32Net Wort h : $63,461.68; change from prior month = 5.49%Comments: My non-mortgage debt continues to decrease although not at a rate I would like. I was able to decrease my debt from $59,261.20 at the end of September to $58,511.00 at the end of October for a change of roughly 1.3%. My goal is to be less than $56,000 by the end of the year. My credit card debt is as follows: $7506.81 @ 2.99% until balance is paid...
More About: Update , Net worth