Dimples Divine DomainDimples Divine DomainWritten by a young single mother, this blog shares the different steps she takes to spend less than she makes, her journey to becoming debt-free, how she keeps her grocery budget under $100/month, and how she brings in an extra $200 a month.
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Articles
Sandisk Sansa 1GB MP3 Player with FM Tuner for $9.99
2008-02-11 12:09:00 Woot.com is currently selling a Sandisk Sansa M240 1GB MP3 Player with FM Tuner for $9.99 with $5 shipping. Please note that the mp3 player is a refurb.It would make a good emergency FM radio for a disaster kit.(image credit: woot.com)Single Ma did a post last week on emergency planning. She asked her readers if they were prepared for an emergency. I thought I was prepared. I mean I am of course a Floridian and I have been through many hurricanes. I have had my own hurricane/emergency kit since I came to Orlando for college. My kit consisted of batteries, a number of flashlights, cans of food, can opener, an first-aid kit I purchased from a store, lighters, scissors, $10 in cash (all ones) and a pen (with no paper...lol). But after reading her posts and checking out the resources she gave and what they suggested for an emergency kit, I realized that I was way off. So I took some time out yesterday to go through my kit again and check it against Red Cross' Emergency kit list...
I did my own taxes
2008-02-08 12:43:00 Yeah. I went and did that joker myself. This week has been a busy week and next week will be even busier. I wasn't going to be able to see the accountant I mentioned on this post for another 2 weeks. I already had my information inputted into TaxAct so I went ahead and finished it off. I wish I would have used the deluxe version. I had a refund of about $1442 right before it ran the alerts. After it was done and I answered the questions it popped, up my refund had sky-rocketed to $2629. I used itemized deductions this year instead of the standard (I should have done the same last year) and there were some deductions that I could take that I wasn't aware of (state sales tax, tithes, donations). Applying those deductions allowed me to qualify for the child tax credit, which it wasn't giving me before. I got the full $1000, hence the large jump.I started the return last night around 10 pm. I didn't wind up finishing it until 1 am (I kept nodding off....lol). Anyways, bas... More About: Taxes
Crockpot Recipe of the week - Dimples' Style Chili
2008-02-08 02:47:00 Ingredients: 2 packages frozen ground turkey (equals about one package unfrozen) = $2 ($1 a piece) 1 red pepper = $.75 2 cans kidney beans = $1.10 ($.55 a can) 1 onion = $.15 (1 bag of onions@ $1.50 a bag. About 10 onions a bag) 3 roma tomatoes = $.54 ($1.25 a pound. 7 good sized tomatoes make a pound. Can substitute a can of tomatoes for about the same price) Spices = $.10 (yeah......guesstimate. Sorry, don't have time to calculate that mess)1 package cornbread mix= $.25 optionalTOTAL COST: $4.89Prep Time = 15 min Cook Time = 8 - 9 hours on low or 5 - 6 hours on high (all depends on you) Directions: Turn on crockpot on low setting. Add kidney beans. Dice up tomatoes, onion, and red pepper. Add to crockpot. Season and brown turkey in skillet. Add turkey to crockpot. Add more spices. Cover. Keep yourself busy for 8 - 9 hours. (Some people go to work. Others run errands and handle their business. I mean you can look at the crockpot for as long as you want ... More About: Recipe , Style , Week , Chili , Crockpot
I did it!
2008-02-07 01:17:00 A speaker system I had on Amazon just sold this afternoon. Net earnings = $71.04.This takes care of the $52.07 I needed to reach my goal for my trip to Atlanta in 3 weeks. I am so amazed by the amount of money I have been bringing in on the side. The past couple of weeks have been really good. I still have a number of items listed on Amazon and eBay. I am contemplating on what I am going to do with that money once it comes in. For the time being I will let it sit in my Misc account.I am going to the A yall!!!!!!!Anyone have suggestions of some places I should hit up?
My 1st Trip to Another State
2008-02-05 05:18:00 On February 29th I will be heading out on my first trip to another state. The furthest north I have gotten is Pensacola, Florida. I have been to two islands in the Caribbean. But this will be my first time in another state. And I am sooo psyched!! My girls and I are going to Atlanta to see Steve Harvey and Monique. Even though I am extra excited about taking this trip I really don't want to spend any of my budgeted money on this trip. And if you noticed, I haven't taken this trip into account on my February budget. So I put my hustle hat on and have been working on making some extra chedda to spend on this trip.Here is the estimated cost of the trip:Tickets: $48Gas: $45Hotel: $52Spending money: $80TOTAL: $225Here is what I have collected so far:Text-Link Ads: $11.28Ebates: $16.65 (paying out to my paypal on the 15th)Amazon sale: $72eBay sale: $40Revolutionary Money Exchange: $25American Consumer Opinions: $8TOTAL: 172.93Only $52.07 to go!!!! I listed a few things on Amazo... More About: State , Trip
My new budget
2008-02-05 00:13:00 Yeah I know......this is like my 20th budget revision but whatev. There probably will be 20 more. I posted my January budget results this weekend. Things got a lil shaky this past month. Some comments left by my loyal readers rang true and I decided to take another glance at my budget and see if I could beat shape my budget into submission. I was fortunate to have found this fascinating woman's blog via Single Ma and was reading through her Baby Steps to Financial Freedom posts and came upon her 13th step: Crafting A Budget That Fits Your Needs (I definitely suggest reading her post if you are looking into redefining your budget). I went back and analyzed my budget results for the past 3 months. I identified my weaknesses and my strengths. I created a list of my needs, wants, and values. I prioritized them and then created a budget that fit my family.Just so that you all can get a gist of the changes I made, here is my original budget that I intended to use for February:A...
Wanna earn some extra money?
2008-02-03 20:32:00 ING DirectBeing that it is tax time and some of you fortunate folks will be receiving a tax refund in the next month or two, I have included ING Direct referral links on the top left column of my blog. Currently there are two links for opening a savings account and another two links for opening a checking account. Just click on the link of your choice, follow the steps, and open an account with at least $250. You will receive a $25 opening bonus and I will get $10 for the referral. Each link can only be used once and the ones posted on my blog expire on February 20. If you wind up selecting a used link just email me at dimplesdivine at gmail dot com and I will update my blog with new referral links.EbatesEbates is offering a $10 sign-up bonus. With Ebates you can earn cash back on your purchase at your favorite online store just by shopping via Ebates portal. You must make a qualifying purchase between January 20 and February 14 in order to receive the bonus. This offer of... More About: Money , Earn , Extra
Credit Score Update
2008-02-03 18:21:00 Looks like paying more than the minimum on my credit cards is definitely paying itself off. My credit score shot up this month. January 08 Credit Score Transunion: 663 Experian: 660 Equifax: 617December 07 Credit Scores Transunion: 632 Experian: 627 Equifax: 601I also closed one of my credit cards in December. That posted to all three of my credit reports and it doesn't look like it had the negative effect to my credit scores as I once thought. My goal is to reach a credit score of 700 by June of this year. Though it seems that I can easily achieve that goal with the first two credit reporting agencies, Equifax is up in the air. Unfortunately, I have one collection from 2002 still showing with them while the same collection account has fallen off ... More About: Update
End of the Month Report - January 08
2008-02-03 04:51:00 BUDGET RESULTSJanuary turned out to be one crazy month. I went over my entire budget by $29.27. Luckily I have overdraft protection and the money was pulled out of my savings account. I forgot all about my insurance bill that is automatically debited from my account on the 28th of the month. My overage was also offset by the $262 in extra income I brought in. Makes me wonder: Did I overspend because I had the extra income or was I just lucky?Income: I brought in an extra $262.52 via a combination of income from my blog, Pinecone Research and sales off of Amazon and eBay. That extra money definitely saved my behind.Miscellaneous: This category has been labeled as DDD's baddest budget buster and I do believe that I broke the record this month. I was over budget by $312.62!!! There were a number of things, unforeseen and foreseen, that came up:- Car registration renewal: $36.10- Doctor appointment co-pay: $15- Prescription: $15- Cold medicine: $20- Souvenirs from birthday... More About: Report , Month
Steps to becoming my own boss
2008-01-30 03:54:00 I have always wanted to be my own boss. In college, anytime someone would ask me where I see myself in 5 or 10 years I would always say I would be owning my own business. And majority of the time the person would give me that look. That, "Yeah, sure you will" look. How I hated that look. I used to let it get to me but as I matured I started to use it as fuel. I relish the day when those same folks would be browsing the net or watching t.v. and see my name flash across the screen with the wonderful words President or Founder trailing right close behind. As much I have been talking about it the last 5 years, it is time for me to create a plan and put that plan into action. Lawd where do I start? What do I do? I am excited yet frightened at the same time. I have been searching the net for what steps I need to take. I know some of the basics but I am afraid that I may leave some crucial steps out. I want to make sure I take every step I need to to accomplish my goal of entr... More About: Boss , Steps
Tax Rebate
2008-01-30 00:59:00 Everyone has been talking about Bush's plan to stimulate the economy in the form of tax rebates. I won't go into much detail about this plan. In a short, each individual will receive a tax rebate of at least $300 as long as they earned at least $3000 in 2007. The purpose of the rebate is to encourage consumer spending in order to avoid a recession. Some have reported that the checks will be mailed out by June while others report that they will start mailing out the checks at the end of June due to the tax season. I am not sure which it is. Hit me up with a comment if you know.Below is the Economic Stimulus Tax Rebate Calculator. You can use it to see if and how much of a tax rebate you will receive (thanks to Single Ma):I am calculated to receive $600. At first I planned on using the rebate check to pay down my credit card debt but I have two other options to add to the mix. I can use my tax rebate to do one of the following three:1. Pay down my credit card debt.2. Pay fo...
2008 Career Development Plan - revamped
2008-01-29 02:03:00 I had a good friend look over my career plan for this year and he offered some very good advice. I am very serious about the goals I have laid out for myself this year. Over the past few years I have allowed fear or failure and the comfortability of my present state to hinder my steps towards success. No longer will I create a plan of action only to procrastinate and push it off to do next year.So in order to make my plan more concrete I have given myself a deadline for each particular tasks. I incorporated these deadlines into my Windows Calendar (awesome program). I also incorporated each specific task into the my calendar and set alarms. Definitely procrastinating on this plan. Below you will find my updated career plan. I also updated my original post: Check that out here. CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR 2008 GOALS: * Become a Lead Engineer on one or more projects. – 11/1/08* Increase knowledge and skill level in following programs: + AutoCAD – 5/1/08 + Pro E... More About: Development , Career , Career Development , Plan
It is tax time!!!
2008-01-25 12:51:00 I did a preliminary run through of my taxes on TaxAct last night. I used their Deluxe version. Currently it has me at a refund of $1172. Definitely not the $5K I was hoping for. Last year I received a tax refund of $3000. But I made $13K more than I did last year. That put me way above the EIC income limit of $34K and I couldn't even get the child tax credit either. *sigh*I am still waiting on a couple of things, hence the "preliminary" run and not an actual one. I am not sure if the few dollars I made here and there from credit card bonuses and survey sites needs to be claimed. I believe the credit card companies "said" they will be sending me a 1099-Misc form for the money I earned from them. I am also going to look into hiring an accountant to do my taxes. Hopefully I can see what number they come up with before I actually give them the go ahead. I must admit that I did not understand some of the questions in regards to itemizing my deductions. I winded up with about... More About: Time
Deal or No Deal
2008-01-23 04:44:00 I finally called my car insurance company today to inquire about increasing my deductible. I was given two scenarios:1. Increasing the deductible on collision from $500 to $1000.or 2. Increasing the deductibles on both collision and comprehensive from $500 to $1000.Here are the results:Option 1: Total savings of $60 over 6 month premium. Comes out to $10 a month. Option 2: Total savings of $70 over 6 month premium. Comes out to $11.67 a month. Ugh! I am just not feeling those numbers.Increasing the deductible wouldn't pay itself off for 4+ years (when the savings equals the extra $500 in deductible I will be liable to pay out if I ever get into a fender bender). What do you guys think? Would you go for it? More About: Deal
Career Development - Resources
2008-01-22 00:14:00 After reading a number of blogs this past weekend, I noticed that one common theme this year is career development. As I focus in on my own 2008 Career Development Plan, I am finding more and more great resources that will definitely help me achieve my goals. So being the wonderfully divine being that I am, I decided to share those awesome sites with you all:*CLICK - Ten Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationships: I heard this gentleman, George C. Fraser, speak on a popular talk radio show that I listen to on my drive home from work. Topic of discussion: Networking. He has a book out called Click and in the book you will find 10 simple principles that will help you master the art of networking.-If you are interested in purchasing the book, click on the Amazon link below*Business and Professional Women Foundation-Career Advancement Scholarship : Grants specifically for women who are continuing their education in order to advance their careers, change careers, or reenter the... More About: Resources , Career Development
Where did she get that from?
2008-01-19 13:51:00 I gave my daughter her allowance this morning. I increased her allowance amount to $3 and decided to change up my approach at teaching her about money. Previously, I required her to put all of her allowance in her ATM bank. I have decided to give her the option of putting her money in her ATM or use it to buy anything she wanted.Annnddddd.......................I am so proud to announce that my baby decided to put $2 in her ATM and spend $1 on something she wanted. But then she said something that about floored me. She asked me if I would give her a CREDIT CARD!!! WHY?? Because the $1 could only buy her limited things while the CREDIT CARD didn't have a limit and she could buy anything she wanted. I mean this 5 year old actually said that the credit card had NO LIMIT while her $1 did. WOW!!!!! WHERE DA HECK DID SHE GET THAT KIND OF THINKING FROM??The only logical reason that I could come up with is my choice to use my debit card versus cash. The only time I really carry...
Wish List Update
2008-01-18 18:54:00 Here is the updated and revised list: Flat panel monitorChair or chaise for bedroomChest for Dimples (mahogany)Sleigh or Platform Bed (Dont know which one I want yet)LCD TV – 20’+Cell phone - Palm pilot or iPhone typeMP3 player - 2G or more = $15.99Desktop computer (just the PC) = $60Wolfgang Puck cookware set = $73.94Microwave (black) = $0 (free)All Tyler Perry's Plays that are on DVD = $0Transformers DVD = $10Why Did I Get Married DVD = $0Rolling File Cart = $8.56Shredder = $14I only paid $60 to my sister. She owed me money and we decided to just deduct that amount from what I was going to give her.I also purchased a 2G Sansa MP3 player courtesy of Slickdeals.net. It is a reconditioned player and it was on sale at Buy.com for $25.99. I used google checkout and since I was a first time customer I received $10 off my order. And shipping was free (budget shipping).After doing my feng shui thing, my old furniture did... More About: List , Update
2008 Goals - Edited
2008-01-18 03:58:00 Added some more items to my 2008 Goals list.Here they are:*Search for grants or scholarship to assist with private tuition (I have decided to enroll my daughter into the private school she attends currently for kindergarten. Check here for more details.)-Search for grants or scholarships online-If I can't find a grant or scholarship then create a savings account for next school year's tuition ($4800)VolunteerMake an appointment with a Dermatologist (I have extremely sensitive skin and I am limited on what products I can use. They won't break me out but they don't really do anything for me either.) Find a good skin regimenDevelop a good hair regimenFind a permanent hustleAs I accomplish each of my goals, I will be updating the original post. I added a new section on the right sidebar, underneath my net worth chart, titled "Divine Updates". There you will find the current status of my 2008 Goals, wish list, credit card debt payoff and closing, and my 2008 Career Development Plan.
2008 Career Development Plan
More articles from this author:2008-01-15 00:31:00 I have been promising this for a while now. I finally sat down this weekend and wrote out an outline of my career development plan for this year. I finalized it today. I'll start with a summarization of where I am at in my career at this moment and what I do:I graduated from UCF with a BS in Industrial Engineering. My last semester, I interned with a local, small engineering consulting firm whose main contract is with NASA. I was hired on full-time after I graduated in 2005. My job title is Engineer and the projects I work on involve a variety of different engineering disciplines. I currently head up a number of small projects under the main NASA contract. I am also the training engineer for many of the programs and processes we use. My main expertise is in database generation and management, project management, and cost analysis. CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR 2008 GOALS: * Become a Lead Engineer on one or more projects. – 11/1/08* Increase knowledge and skill level in following ... More About: Development , Career , Career Development , Plan 1, 2 |
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