Today, I went went shopping at our local Kroger. My favorite deodorant, Speed Stick 24/7, was on clearance for $1.58 a can. Right next to the cans of deodorant was one of those “blinkie” coupon dispensers with $1.00 coupons for Speed Stick 24/7. So, combining the clearance price with the coupon, I was able to get a can of deodorant for $.58! Yes! NCN smells good… for cheap! There were only 2 cans of deodorant left and I purchased both of them. Check your local Kroger for this great deal. (One day I’m featured in the N.Y. Times, and the next I’m talking about my deodorant. I rock!)
Archive for February, 2007
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Saving 60% Gross Income February Updated
February 25th, 2007 
NCN As noted here, I’m trying to save (in retirement and non-retirement accounts) 60% of my gross income in 2007. I’ve been tracking my progress towards my first goal (of saving $4000 in my daughter’s ESA) over at the NCN Network site. 20% of my gross income is about $16,000. This amount will be automatically withheld from our paychecks and deposited into our retirement accounts. Basically, the other 40% (or $32,000) will be money that I have to “manage” throughout the year. If you divide $32,000 by 12 months, you get $2,666.66. I was able to deposit $4,000 into an ESA for my daughter, which means that I’m nearly $1,350 dollars “behind” for 2007. $4,000 represents 5% of my annual gross income. If you add $4,000 to $16,000, the MINIMUM amount of money that I will have “saved” in 2007 will be 25% of my gross income. YES! So, while I’m bummed by the fact that I’m not saving at (quite) the rate that I wanted to be saving, I’m super-excited by the fact that I’ve already saved a SIGNIFICANT portion of my income. I’m trying to determine what my next “specific” goal will be. (I THINK that I’m going to open an ESA for my son, but I MIGHT open a Roth IRA for myself. I’ll let you know.)
The Bathroom Remodel Update 2 (Pic!)
February 24th, 2007 NCN As I noted before, I’m remodelling our bathroom. Since the last post, I’ve focused on cleaning the grout thoroughly, sanding down the walls, repainting the vanity doors, and replacing an old window. Below is a picture of the new window. Getting the old window out and the new window in was surprisingly easy. I’ve tacked the window into place with some old molding. I’ll purchase, cut, paint, and nail the new molding next week. Plus, I need to purchase some insulation to go around the window. I took the photo with my cellphone camera. Sorry about the quality of the picture, but I wanted to give you a visual to go along with the post. I’ll take some better pictures with my digital camera and post them tomorrow.
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As you can see, the bathroom is a bland khaki. My wife is at her mom’s house, and the two of them are going to Lowe’s tonight to pick out a paint color.
NCN… Guest Author To The Stars
February 23rd, 2007 NCN I recently wrote “Guest Posts” for three of my fellow personal finance bloggers.
I wrote an article about Building A Support Nettwork over at Adult ADD and Money.
I wrote an article about Learning As I Go over at My Two Dollars.
I wrote an article about Super Simple Method For Debt Reduction over at Blogging Away Debt.
I enjoyed being a “Guest Author”. My personal finance blogging friends rock!
The Bathroom Remodel Update 1
February 23rd, 2007 NCN As I mentioned previously, I’m remodeling our bathroom. So far, I’ve removed the old door, taken the doors off of the vanity cabinet, thrown away the old shower rod, scrubbed the grout, mopped the floor, puttied over the holes in the walls, and cleaned the shower. We have decided to keep the old shower, the old toilet, and the old sink, and simply paint the walls, replace a window, and hang a new door. I’ve already purchased new nobs for the shower and the sink and I’m going to get the new window, the new door, and a new shower-head tomorrow. My wife and the kids are out of town for the weekend visiting her parents, so I’ll be working on the bathroom Friday night and Saturday morning. The only part of the project that I’m a little worried about is replacing the window. I talked to my dad, and I’m pretty sure that I can do it. I guess we’ll all know by tomorrow night!
