When I disappear like this you know that it's for work. I can't miss my check-in though so here goes.

August 1, 2010
Student Loan #1 $843.89 @2.47%
Credit Card #1 $1,193.20 @13.99%
Credit Card #2 $2,633.44 @14.24%
HELOC $42,332.66 @3.125%
Student Loan #2 $37,747.21 @3.3-7.5%
The bed $849.00 @0%
Personal Loan $0
Car Note $0
Total: $85,599.40

Emergency Savings: $1,152.02
Emergency Savings Goal: $3,000


September 1, 2010
Student Loan #1 $695.31 @2.47%
Credit Card #1 $938.73 @13.99%
Credit Card #2 $0 @14.24%
Credit Card #3 $3,221.59 @0%
HELOC $41,974.38 @3.125%
Student Loan #2 $37,678.40 @3.3-7.5%
The bed $699.00 @0%
Personal Loan $0
Car Note $0
Total: $85,207.41

Emergency Savings: $963.20
Emergency Savings Goal: $1,500

Let's review my internet income.

Internet Income in August
Google Adsense $2.23
Sponsored Tweets $0.52
Commission Junction $0
Cash Crate $0.25
eHow $0.53
Total: $3.53

Whopping difference in income from last month. I had no time to work at it so all of the income earned was truly passive. I did nothing. A couple of things are different this month. The first thing that you will notice is that I added another credit card. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have 0% interest for the next few months, so I transferred my balance over. I also added some money to the balance because I had to purchase 4, count 'em, 4 new dang tires. All I can say is that construction is bad for rubbers, and winter is coming anyway. Between the cost of tires and installation I paid $500. You're thinking that I should have used my emergency funds, but I also had to pay taxes for the investment property that I purchased so I used some money from that. That's the reason for the drop in my savings.

I am tempted to use the balance of my emergency savings to pay off credit card #1, but I won't do it. I need to maintain at least $1,000 in the emergency account. I'd really feel better at $1,500 but what can I do?

I need to step up my online earnings. I should have more time in September to refocus and get things done. I want to end the year with a decent number. I really need to eliminate one of those credit balances to keep my motivation going. Wish me well.

Very quick update. I've been very busy at work with no time to post, so please forgive me. I have great news...my wallet was turned in to the Lost & Found and I recovered everything last night. I mean every single thing including the change in my wallet. Who knew that nice people still exist afterall? Thanks for all of the well wishes and notes of kindness. Maybe our collective good thoughts led to some good karma.

Chase still gets the finger but I happily get my wallet.

WOOT!

For the first time in my life, I lost my purse. I know exactly how it happened too since I'm actually someone that has always been paranoid about losing it. It fell out of my unzipped bag as I commuted home. I remember hearing the "thud" and looked around to see if I saw what fell, but alas, I didn't look well enough, because my entire life is in a purse in someone else's hand. Worse yet, it was a cute Coach one that I had gotten for a gift from my old boss during one of her moments of guilt and lucidity.

Have you ever looked at what you would be responsible for if your debit card ended up in someone else's hands? According to the Federal government, your liability for the unauthorized use of your ATM or debit card depends on how quickly you report the loss. Typically, if you report that the card is lost before it has been used, your bank can not hold you liable for any charges that follow your report. If you report your card lost or stolen within two business days after you realize that your card is missing, you will not be responsible for more than $50 for unauthorized use. If you don't report the loss within two business days after you discover the loss, you could lose up to $500. I lost my card on Friday night on the way home and within 2 hours of being home, I noticed that it was gone and popped online and the phone to cancel all of my cards.

My first call was to Chase which promptly informed me that one of my cards had already been canceled about an hour before. Great, I thought! Someone is already out there spending my meager cash. Nope. It turns out that someone called Chase to report that they had found my purse. Nice! I just knew that I was going to get my stuff back. Know what Chase had done? Promptly thanked the caller, canceled my card and didn't take any contact information from the person. Now, I've found a purse or two and I distinctly remember calling Chase once when someone walked out of the bank ATM area and left their card and purse sitting there. I remember Chase not caring about the purse or anything and canceling the card while I was on the phone. They were finished with the call as soon as they canceled the card. I would have thought that they would take my information since I told them that I had someone's purse and perhaps contacted the person to let them know that I wanted to return their property. Nope! I had to insist that they take my number and make a note on the account in case the person called in. In the end I just wound up dropping the bag of at the person's house since I found their information in the bag.

What To Do If You Lose Your Purse or Wallet
1. File a police report. Not necessary in all cases, but just in case.

2. Contact your credit card companies and have the accounts closed.

3. Check your local DMV. Report ID lost and order replacement.

4. Contact your health provider for new cards.

5. If necessary contact credit bureaus to have a fraud alert activated.

6. Buy new purse or wallet.

7. Pop 2 Tylenol for the massive headache that you'll have.

8. Book a massage. You'll need it.

The CARD Act that went into effect earlier this year was designed to level the playing field for consumers and banks. Credit card statements were supposed to be easier to read, and it should have been easier to determine how your payments are being allocated. It all sounds good but you know how I am: I like to read the fine print.

Check your latest credit card statement. Somewhere on the page it should list the interest rates that you are paying for your balances. Typically, purchases, balance transfers and cash advances have different rates, with cash advances usually being about double the interest of purchases. Next to each different interest rate should be the balance that you have that falls into each category.

Finally, somewhere up top it should tell you what your minimum payment is, and how long it will take to pay off your card if you just pay the minimum. It should also tell you how much you need to pay if you'd like to pay off your card within 3 years. They're great changes to get you to see up from just how much your credit is costing you, just there's one thing that it doesn't say.

Before the reforms went into effect, banks would apply any payments first to balances with the lowest rate. This ensured that the balance with the highest interest rate kept racking up charges for as long as possible. Now, any payments above the minimum must first be applied to the balance with the higher interest rate. Here's the kicker, though. If you only pay the minimum, that money will only be applied to the balance with the lowest interest rate.

You might be wondering why that's a negative. Well, if you have a promotional interest rate for balance transfers - let's say 0% - and also have additional balances like a cash advance at 29.99% on the same card, then by paying only the minimum, you're only reducing the balance on the debt that costs you nothing while racking up interest on the cash advance. This might actually end up costing you a ton of money in the long run. How do you avoid this? Simple. You must pay more than your minimum payment amount. Anything that you pay above and beyond the minimum must then be allocated to the balance with the highest interest rate.

Paying more than the minimum has always been a good practice, but now you have even more incentive to do so.


This post was included in the
Carnival of Personal Finance #269: THE DIVA$ EDITION hosted by Miss Thrify.

Hello! I took a little vacation from blogging for the past two weeks. It's my first time off since I began blogging at the beginning of last year. My brain was in need of a vacation, but I'm back into the swing of things and have lots of great topics to cover this month.

July was a tough month for me financially, but the debt did go down a little, which is always a good thing. Let's run the numbers then I'll explain what happened.

July 1, 2010
Student Loan #1 $991.87 @2.48%
Credit Card #1 $1,104.54 @13.99%
Credit Card #2 $2,738.82 @14.24%
HELOC $42,622.45 @3.125%
Student Loan #2 $37,828.33 @3.3-7.5%
The bed $999.00 @0%
Personal Loan $0
Car Note $0
Total: $86,285.01 $

Emergency Savings: $800.24
Emergency Savings Goal: $3,000

August 1, 2010
Student Loan #1 $843.89 @2.47%
Credit Card #1 $1,193.20 @13.99%
Credit Card #2 $2,633.44 @14.24%
HELOC $42,332.66 @3.125%
Student Loan #2 $37,747.21 @3.3-7.5%
The bed $849.00 @0%
Personal Loan $0
Car Note $0
Total: $85,599.40

Emergency Savings: $1,152.02
Emergency Savings Goal: $3,000

I didn't do as well as I would have liked because a few of those "emergency" type of things happened. I had lots of things go on with the car - to the tune of about $350. It had to be done, so there was no way to avoid it. On top of that I am having my transportation costs deducted from my paycheck on a pretax basis, but what I didn't realize was that the entire chunk would come from one paycheck instead of being spread into two as it was before. That was kind of painful, but I learned that lesson and will adjust appropriately for August.

Let's review my internet income.

Internet Income in July
Google Adsense $0.05
Sponsored Tweets $0.00
Commission Junction $15.70
Cash Crate $66.05
eHow $0.82
Total: $82.62

My income from Google ads pretty much sucked last month. Horrible really. I don't know why I keep it...I know, so that I can get to that $100 payout amount and then I'll kick that like a bad habit. On the other hand, Cash Crate really paid off for me last month. I only filled out 5 offers and the balance came from bonuses that I received from a few of you signing up so that was good. Might have to do a few more of those in August. Once I get that check it will go right to the smallest student loan.

My goals for this month? Again, work at that smaller student loan and now that I think about it, that card with the lingering 1K balance. I also have to pay property taxes soon for the house which will be a pain, but it has to be done. I'll let you know how it all goes at the end of the month. It would be nice to finish the year with the bed, student loan and the lower credit card debt gone. That was I can focus on the two largest monsters.

Everyone who is anyone these days, and even a few nobodies has some form of a social networking account. What qualifies? Everything from Facebook to LinkedIn, Myspace and Classmates.com. These days, everything seems to be about how many friends you have and who they might know, but have you ever thought about how social networking might negatively impact you life? Here are a few examples.

1. Not only does your prospective employer Google you, but they might also look you up on the sites that I've mentioned. You might have innocent photos on there that your prospective or even current employer can deem unsuitable and they can decline to hire you or even fire you because of it. Don't think so? Here is one example. And for all that is holy, assume everything that you write will be seen by your employer whether it is "private" or not.
   


2. Did you know that your creditors also use social networks to find out if you're a responsible customer, or even worse, if you owe a creditor money and have been dodging them, they can use these networks to find you? If you don't already know the story about the "cute girl" that was actually a profile illegally created by a debt collection agency to fool people, read about that one Consumerist.
   
   That one really is illegal because it probably is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) which requires debt collectors to be truthful and treat debtors with fairness, dignity and respect. That and the fact that the fake profile now allows other people to know that you have an account under collections. Also be aware that your current creditors can evaluate your credit worthiness based on your the friends that you have in your social network, so be sure to "friend" Donald Trump, Oprah, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to be safe.
   


3. Are you in the process of a divorce and you're battling it out with the spouse over money? Our good friend, the social network, can really wallop your pockets this time. Did you know that attorney's consider Facebook and other social media sites to be the best source of evidence in a divorce case? According to this article "66% of the lawyers surveyed cited Facebook foibles as the source of online evidence." So if you're telling your spouse that you don't have money for alimony or child support and you post photos of you with your new BMW on Facebook (it's happened), it can, and will be used against you.
   


4. Finally, I present the case - there are more - where you could be sued for libel based on what you've said on your social network posts. Yes, you have the freedom of speech, but hate speech and things considered libelous are not protected. Even if you do win a suit brought against you, just think of the expense of having to pay a lawyer to defend you. This bring us to T & J Towing vs. Justin Kurtz. Justin might have won his case, but others have lost theirs, so think hard about what you say.

I know that I might be slightly paranoid, but just remember that the internet isn't anonymous. Social networking can be great for landing you a job, connecting with friends all over the world, and sharing your life experiences with the people you love. Just be aware that every "friend" that you have does not always mean you well, and just because you deleted something, doesn't mean that someone hasn't screen captured your 2:00 a.m. rant.

This guest post is brought to you by Lisa Grossberg from the Buckingham Hotel in New York. I happen to walk by it almost every day on my way to work. Eating in hotels can cost you lots of money. Learn how you can reduce those costs from an industry professional.

With signs that the down economy is here to stay (a least for now!), travelers are finding more inventive ways to game the system and plan trips on a dime. One of the latest trends is widely being referred to as the BYOF boom – bringing your own food and drink and forgoing overpriced room service and lobby restaurants.

"For the average hotel guest, dining can make up anywhere from a third to a half of the total spend on an average trip," noted Lisa Grossberg, General Manager of the historic Buckingham Hotel in Manhattan which has eat-in kitchens in every apartment-style suite.


Pictured Above: Buckingham Hotel Suite’s Kitchen

Whether you’re headed to a tropical island or a major city, here are 5 simple ways you can save hundreds of dollars on your next trip:

1) Book a condo-style hotel room with an eat-in kitchen. If you’re headed to a major city, you’ll find that many of the early and mid-century hotel buildings, like the Buckingham, came installed with private kitchens. And if you’re jetting to an island destination, more and more hotels are renting out their dormant condo and timeshare units.

"The overdevelopment of timeshares in 2008 has left a lot of hoteliers with a wider inventory than they anticipated. As a result, travelers can find great deals on some very luxe condos, some with Viking kitchens and high-end appliances!" notes Grossberg.

2) Stock your fridge. Even if you have plans to dine out every night of the week, you can still skip paying $40 for a below-average continental breakfast by bringing your own eggs, bagels and coffee.

"We have the great fortune of being located in midtown Manhattan, so we’re blocks from some of the best bagels and lox in the country," said Grossberg. "But every city and town has its own food gems. It’s a great loss if you don’t take advantage. When in Rome!"

And if you want to spice things up with a mimosa, pick up a bottle of Freixenet cava. It retails for just $10 at the liquor store and is what many restaurants use behind the scenes. Just pour out half a flute of Freixenet and top off with another half of OJ — and you’re set, brunch style…

3) Stock your bar. And if you’re tempted by that packet of peanut M&Ms or miniature Jack Daniels calling your name late-night, make your own mini-bar by hitting the liquor and convenience story for far less. Stores like Walgreens even sell theater style box candy or a 1 oz bag of mini-Oreos for $1 instead of $6+ mini-bar prices. And if you really insist on having the Thelma & Louise experience, a site called beerliquors.combeerliquors.com actually sells miniature bottles of your favorites in bulk, and on the cheap.

Also, with wines incurring a hefty mark-up dining out, pick up a great $20 wine that would cost you $50 from a restaurant’s cellar.

"It’s on the rise right now for even five-star restaurants to open up their Mondays for BYOB. So you can have a great meal and pick up a great bottle at cost,” added Grossberg.

To find local restaurant specials check out deal-of-the-day sites such as Groupon.com

4) Buy local. Also treat yourself to the best of whatever your particular city has to offer. If you’re in New York City, hit the H&H Bagels or at least a great deli. Seattle? Fish market! Bay Area? Replace your in-room Sanka pod with a small bag of the cult-favorite Blue Bottle coffee.

And if you’re somewhere tropical, hit the market for a couple of pineapples and coconuts and make yourself a far better piña colada than the swim-up bar is serving. Here’s a simple piña colada recipe with fresh ingredients:

Island Piña Colada Recipe

Ingredients
1 Pineapple
1 Coconut or Vita Coco
1 Can of Goya Coconut Cream
1 small bottle of dark rum


Instructions:
Combine ½ cup of chopped pineapple, ½ cup of rum, ¼ cup of fresh coconut juice or Vita Coco, ½ cup of coconut cream and ice cubes. Mix in a blender and serve with a sliced pineapple wedge as a garnish. Top off with a small pool of dark rum over the top.

5) Live off the land. Even if you’re planning to eat out most of your trip, sourcing a recipe with local ingredients can make for one special and inexpensive night in.

"If you’re somewhere where’s there’s fishing like Alaska or the Bahamas, nothing will compare to the satisfaction of catching and preparing your own meal," said Lisa. "And if you’re hiking, or strolling by a green market, spice things up by picking some herbs."


For more information on frugal travel tops, contact Lisa Grossberg, General Manager of The Buckingham Hotel. You can call toll-free at (888) 511-1900.

It's time again for another freebie post roundup! If you're not following my twitter then you can get what you missed here. Some of these offers go fast, so they may no longer be available.



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I've been filling out some free offers on CashCrate lately. One of those offers was to see my FICO score for free! My score turned out to be 787. I've been trying to get as high as possible - the holy grail being above 800 for me, but I figured that score wasn't bad. I have a 787 FICO. What do I do now? Make phone calls.

I immediately hopped on the phone to give my friends at Chase a call. I asked them if I was eligible for a promotion rate on purchases. Turns out I wasn't BUT they could offer 0.95% for 6 months on balance transfers. They would send out access checks with that rate and I could use them to make a purchase by writing a check. That way my purchase would qualify for the promotional rate. I figured that it was too much work for me.

Next, I called Bank of America to ask them for a promotional rate. No dice there, but they wanted to invite me to apply for their World Platinum card. That card has a promotional rate of 0% for 12 months then a fixed rate of 12.99% after. They would give me a $50 statement credit if I made $50 in purchases within the first 60 days. There were also some other benefits too. I asked for all the terms including balance transfer fee. There was no cap on the fee, and the transfer fee was 4%. Ouches. After doing the math I realized that if I transferred by Chase balance over the new card, I'd break even with the interest after 3.5 months. Sounds great. I told the rep to go ahead.

During the application process she asked if I owned a home and how much the mortgage was. It felt great to tell her yes, and that I had no mortgage. She went off script for a bit because she didn't believe it. Turns out that she's 5 years older than I am and have been trying to save enough for a down payment on a house. I told her that she needed to downgrade the house that she wanted and to live now as if she was in the house. If she couldn't pay her potential mortgage now, then she couldn't pay it later, but I digress. Not only did an advertiser pay me to see my FICO score, but after picking up the phone, I stand to save a couple hundred bucks in interest over the next year. All it took was two phone calls. Think about calling your creditors too! The worse they can say is no.