See Jane Get Rich

Today, I logged into my bank account to find that my account balance jumped by $4,000.   “Whoa!  What happened?!” I asked myself.  As I quickly scanned my bank account transactions I saw a refund from my law school in the amount of $4,000.  I then quickly logged into my student account to review account charges for Spring 2010 and under credits there is a credit under “outside scholarship $4,000.”   

 I had an outside scholarship that paid for $4k of my tuition for Spring 2009 and I used another $4k for my Fall 2009 tuition.  I found the terms of the scholarship and it states:

 The $4,000.00 scholarship is renewable for the third year of law school (except in the event of unusual circumstances, determined in the discretion of the firm, that may involve the Scholar’s academic performance or conduct subsequent to the award….)

 It seems I was wrong in my interpretation in thinking $4k was just for the third year as a whole.  The scholarship must have renewed again for the Spring semester since I still meet the requirements.  I paid my tuition somewhat early before the scholarship was applied to my tuition and I believe this triggered the refund.  

This brings down my total all time out-of-pocket law school tuition expenses from $29,377.50 to $25,377.50 and my Spring 2010 tuition from $8,777.50 to $4,777.50.   

 An unexpected $4,000 is the best way to start off the week!

Over budget by $63.63

February expenses were much better when compared with last month.   My gas use was very low because I was stuck inside for a whole week due to the snow storm. 

My food expenses have gone up because (1) I am eating out a whole lot more with friends and (2) I am feeling down about my legal career prospects and haven’t really had the energy nor the desire to cook.

 I used GoDaddy for the domain registration even though I absolutely hate their commercials with the same old tired “sex sells” formula.   I already had an account with GoDaddy and I liked their prices. Be careful when dealing with GoDaddy for backordering domaings.  They have some really really shady practices.  For backordering domains, GoDaddy = Super Shady.  Whenever I make a GoDaddy purchase I always Google “GoDaddy Coupon Code” or something to that effect to find coupon codes that work.  The “Extra Discount” shows how much I saved because of a coupon code I found online right before checkout. 

I use Word Press hosting because in my PF blog reader days I found Blogger to be too cumbersome when you wanted to comment on someone’s post.  I still find Blogger incredibly annoying and difficult to use when commenting, but I love that commenting on other Word Press sites is easy as pie. 

Here is what my blog is costing me a year:

 So, how much did your blog cost?  If you are using a free service, do you think you will upgrade in the future?  

It was a tough decision to make but I decided to cut my internet.  First and foremost, it is sucking up a lot of my time.  One of my personal goals this year was to watch less youtube and not play around on the internet.  One month in, I realized that I am not doing a very good job.  You see, I have a huge addiction  appreciation for foreign movies.  I watch movies in at least 10 different langugaes.  So, its time for the stick.  Second, it is really not a necessity for me.  I am at school at least three to four days so I can check my email and blog.    

But, it will hurt.  A lot.  In late September, I got my internet connection for the first time  in all three years of law school and I told myself that I would cut it if it got to be too much of a distraction.  It has. 

Do you consider the internet to be a necessity or a luxury?  How do you control your internet use?

Okay, let’s break down why January 2010 was the most expensive month of my life. 

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Financial Goals for Spring 2010

1. Make my 2010 Roth IRA Contribution
2. Roll over 401(k) from my holiday job to a Roth or transfer it to my brokerage
3. Find more affordable car insurance before February 11
4. Obtain a credit report from one of the three agencies
5. Budget/Keep track of my expenses
6. Diversify my investments

 Come February, I will be covered by Geico.  The gecco offered me an unbeatable rate for liability insurance for my 1997 Honda Civic with 150k miles on it.  I never had full insurance coverage on a car.  This was a terrible decision for my first car since I wrecked it within 3 months of getting it but since I am a more experienced driver the libility-only mode of coverage has worked well for me.  Also, since I live in DC, I have alternative options for transportation.  I live near two bus stops and while the metro is not very close it is a doable 15-20 minute walk. 

Before 

Nationwide Insurance

• 6 Month Premium = $241.36
• Per month: $40.22

After

Geico  

• 6 Month Premium = $138.80
• Per month: $23.13

Total Savings:

• Per month: $17.09
• Per year: $205.12

I have been with Nationwide ever since I started driving.  We’ve been together for a long time but its now time to move onto greener pastures.  So, why the big savings?  It wasn’t all about Geico’s “15 minites or more could save you 15% on your auto insurance,” rather “Not having your paret paying for your car insurance can substantially lower your insurance premiums.”  The payment I made with Geico recently is the first time that I paid for car insurance because my parent has been paying my insurance all these years.  When someone else is paying for it you take it for granted and don’t compare shop as you would with your own money.  I didn’t notice the amount since I had no reason to.  I didn’t even find out what my actual insurance was until I called Nationwide to find out my monthly rate so I could do some comparison shopping.  I am glad that I took the time to compare my rate and make the switch.  I only wish I had done it sooner.   

How fabulous is my car insurance makeover?  Do you always compare shop?  What about when you were younger and you were using your parent’s money? 

Financial Goals for Fall 2009 – Update

 I had several personal finance goals for this fall semester and here’s how I fared on them.

Goals:

• Goal #1: Correct my social security earnings statement
• Goal #2: Open a Health Savings Account
• Goal #3: Start a personal finance blog
• Goal #4: Get a holiday job for my winter break
• Goal #5: Set a budget

 Goal #1: Correct my social security earnings statement

 Issue: What I saw on my paystubs and income tax statements did not correlate with what I was seeing in my social security earnings statement.

 Status: Done but…   Read the rest of this entry »

Today, I’ve been the victim of Burger King’s “Would you like that to be a medium or large today?” second generation corporate strategy to nickel and dime its customers.

There is a Burger King on the way to school that I have been avoiding like the plague for months because fastfood is not good for me and I shouldn’t eat it often.  Second, the guy at the window always tries to flirt with me.  First, he would have this cheesy smile on his face.  I avoid looking at him.  Then when I reach for the receipt he withdraws my receipt.  I think he wants me to engage in some kind of cat and mouse game with him for the receipt and I refuse to do so.  I have on my “I am not amused” look and get away as quickly as possible. 

Since it is November and close to exam time I have been slacking on cooking.  So, I stopped by BK for a quick lunch.  I always order #4 the Jr Whopper Burger with no cheese that costs $3.99 which comes to $4.32 with taxes.   But, today the total came to be $5.04. 
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A lot of my friends have rent envy. 

When my friends and I compare our rents I come in on the lowest of the low spectrum with $750.  DC is one very expensive place to live if you want to live without a bunch of roommates/housemates.  AfterCollege.com put the average rent for a one bedroom apartment at $1,469 and Rent.com put that figure at an unheard of $1,100.  Most students and professionals who wants to live in a decent area that is close to the metro pays that much for a studio. 

 My Cali Friend’s rent is $1,250 for a studio while my New Mexico friend’s rent is $1,350 for a studio.  They both rent directly from condo owners which makes their rent lower than the typical apartment rates.  My Richmond study buddy pays $1,450 for a studio and she lives in an apartment.  They all live in a very nice area that is very close to the metro with a stone’s throw from a gym, grocery store, banks, restaurants and other convenience. 

 I pay $750 for a Junior 1 Bedroom.  I live in (ahem) a less-than desirable area of Washington, DC.  It’s the kind of place that I never would have lived in the first time I got to DC.  But, let’s just say my standards have changed and I have toughened up.  
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Food can be one of the biggest expenses after housing.  This is especially true if law school (job or family) takes up most of your time (check) and you are not very good at cooking (check).  My twin goal every month is to keep my food expenses low and try to spend the least amount of time in the kitchen.  I want things that are simple to cook, relatively healthy and filling.

 You know my penchant for free food usually in the form of free sandwiches, free chipotle burritos and free pizza from school.  But, a girl can’t keep living on just the free stuff.  To keep my food costs down and my tummy full, there are a few items that I routinely eat:

 Rice

Basmati rice is my favorite kind of rice due to its unique texture and because it isn’t sticky.  It is also super simple and easy to make.  I cook white basmati rice in a rice cooker.  This will usually take 15-20 minutes.  I will make more than I need so I will have rice to eat for a few days.  You can pair rice as a side to almost anything.  Also basmati rice packs a good nutritional punch because it is a good source of iron, selenium, thiamine, and niacin. 

Spaghetti/pasta

I have a lot of spaghetti, pasta and macaroni in my cupboards because it is cheap and filling.  I usually like to make spaghetti and meat balls with melted cheese on top or have it with just the sauce.  Pasta is an excellent complex carbohydrate with almost no fat. 

 Eggs

I love eggs.  They are such a great source of cheap protein, and if you throw away a few of the egg yolks then you can lower the fat content as well.  The only downside with eggs would be the sodium content.  I like to make French toast or scrambled eggs for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. 

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