http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/categories/budgeting-and-saving/feed.rss Fri, 24 May 13 04:56:40 -0400 Budgeting & Saving en-CA http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/313/tracking-pointsmiles Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:08:32 -0400 CaitVillage 313@/discussions/discussions
I'd like to be able to track my delta, united, spg, hilton and hyatt points and I'm having trouble finding one site that works with all of them. Any suggestions? ]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/312/need-used-car-debt-free-good-credit-bad-loan Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:48:21 -0400 holly golighty 312@/discussions/discussions The thing is I ONLY have credit through 3 credit card accounts, and the highest limit I have is $750 on a card. They would not let me raise my limit, even though I've had the card for 3+ years now (which is also how long I've had credit).
I tried applying for a car loan through a local credit union, but only got $8k with a cosigner. I am unable to have a cosigner, and my current vehicle is not in the best shape (over $1,000 in repairs needed)
What's the next move I should take???
]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/154/cell-phone-discounts Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:54:34 -0500 JessiS 154@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/280/additonal-savings-or-banking-account Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:11:06 -0500 mjspencer515 280@/discussions/discussions
I would like to open an additional savings or (banking) account to put in just $10 a month for birthday girfts and christmas next year. Do you have an recommadations for a no balance fee account. I'm somewhat open to an additional banking so that I can just buy the gifts directly from that account?

Any advice out there?]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/308/credit-cards-priority-goals Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:21:43 -0500 LBE 308@/discussions/discussions I just bought a new computer for $1000 on my visa. Then I immediately paid off the visa. Rather than showing that I used $1000 of my budget for the month, my LV account showed $1000 used to pay off my priority goals and $1000 on purchases. How do I fix this?

Thanks!!!]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/303/budget-center Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:12:43 -0500 aschacht 303@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/309/health-savings-accounts Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:24:31 -0500 Keira 309@/discussions/discussions
I am a single, healthy, self-employed female currently without health insurance of any kind. My CFP is wisely urging me to buy individual health insurance, and suggested that I look into opening a Health Savings Account (HSA).

I've found a few insurance plans that are HSA eligible. My concern right now is finding the right HSA account provider/servicer.

Does anyone have experience--positive or negative--with different HSA providers? There are so many fees to track, it's difficult to know which organization is "the right choice" for my account.

I'd really appreciate getting a sense of who is commonly used for these accounts, how they fare against other providers, and whether anyone has any recommendations.

Thanks!

Keira]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/88/how-do-you-fit-charity-and-tithing-into-your-budget Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:09:42 -0500 LV 88@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/296/comcast-vs.-roku Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:05:41 -0500 Lola.B 296@/discussions/discussions
I am in a constant battle with Comcast - I hate giving them money. Has anyone switched to a Roku box? How was that experience? What did you do for internet? Most of my Comcast bill is internet...

Thank you!]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/307/how-do-you-categorize Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:45:14 -0500 Kstotts125 307@/discussions/discussions I am a new and AVID Money Center user. I have been using it as my base station for project 'Take Financial Control 2013.'

I love the center as a whole, but I am still trying to figure out all it's little nuances and how I can best utilize the tools.

One thing that I have put a lot of thought into is: How should I categorize various expenses? Some expenses are pretty straightforward (like rent), but some (like a birthday dinner) could fall into a few folders.

When building your budget — do you get granular with your expenses, or lump like categories together?
For a birthday dinner, would you file it under 'restaurants' or 'gifts?'

Thanks!
Kristen]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/300/college-savings Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:49:26 -0500 hotmama 300@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/258/503020 Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:15:40 -0400 mjspencer515 258@/discussions/discussions
Does this make sense? And why is it so high?]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/269/how-can-i-quickly-and-politely-fundraise-for-a-mission-trip Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:26:07 -0500 mgobluegrl93 269@/discussions/discussions
Also: I have heard about people writing letters and sending them to family and friends. I would be fine with this, but since the amount I would have to pay for my mission trip isn't all that incredibly large, what would I say in the letter? Because I don't want to earn more than I need for the trip and not put it towards my trip (if that makes sense). In summary: I don't know what to say in the letter! Thanks!]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/276/bonus-allocation Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:56:14 -0500 elayton 276@/discussions/discussions
I'm trying to figure out the most responsible way to allocate my bonus this year. I've been contributing around 8% to my 401(k) over each pay period and my employer contributes a discretionary profit share amount at year end which is calculated as a percentage of total pay for the year. I have around $2500 in credit card debt, but am paying down every month. I've started my emergency savings fund, but don't have it built up to a comfortable point (6 months worth of essential expenses.)

My real question is which one of the above should be my financial priority for the end of the year. Should I max out my 401(k), or contribute a little towards retirement and put more towards my emergency fund and debt?

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks,
E]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/273/trying-to-connect-savings Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:28:36 -0500 ebaiden 273@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/267/adding-cash-transactions Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:27:27 -0500 DanG1580 267@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/271/mission-trip Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:59:47 -0500 mgobluegrl93 271@/discussions/discussions
Also: I have heard about people writing letters and sending them to family and friends. I would be fine with this, but since the amount I would have to pay for my mission trip isn't all that incredibly large, what would I say in the letter? Because I don't want to earn more than I need for the trip and not put it towards my trip (if that makes sense). In summary: I don't know what to say in the letter! Thanks!
]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/226/refinance Sat, 21 Jul 2012 07:44:01 -0400 pamilton 226@/discussions/discussions I am recently (2yrs ago) divorced and received the house in the settlement. The mortgage rate is 5.75%, I started the refinance process and got a 3.75% rate locked in on 5/22/12. I have submitted all the paperwork, and have been told by the loan officer at BOA that everything looks good, but I am still waiting to close. I contact him by phone and email every 10 days or so and he keeps saying there's lots of applications, holidays, the beginning and end of the month is busiest time....in other words, excuses. Does anyone know how long this is supposed to take? And where do I turn if the person I am dealing with is a 'senior loan officer'? Thanks for any input. ]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/153/what039s-a-good-budget-for-groceries Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:50:21 -0500 JessiS 153@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/265/bank-accounts-delay-to-update-in-real-time Thu, 01 Nov 2012 09:42:06 -0400 DanG1580 265@/discussions/discussions
Do I need to change a setting or is Learnvest in essence not actually updating the (bank) account balances in real time?]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/261/expected-large-expense Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:15:48 -0400 ebaiden 261@/discussions/discussions How can I set this up on the money center or budget center. ]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/248/money-club-dc Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:38:30 -0400 lkc251 248@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/206/car-free-to-save-money Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:23:52 -0400 making_it_work 206@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/247/money-club-bay-area Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:19:23 -0400 kkp318 247@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/232/so-now-what-to-do Thu, 09 Aug 2012 13:19:28 -0400 mjspencer515 232@/discussions/discussions
I endlessly budget...groceries, clothing, nights out, restaurants, etc. yet between rent, student loans, and the one credit card I have to pay off I'm still coming up short.

I've cancelled cable, haven't bought clothing in months, bring lunch everyday...the frustration of not seeing any savings and still unable to enjoy the city I live in (of course by choice) is bringing me to a breaking point!
]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/234/moving-twice-in-less-then-12-months...-how-to-save-for Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:05:20 -0400 MamboPoet 234@/discussions/discussions
So I have to move twice in less then 12 months. When my roommate decided she no longer wanted to renew our lease I was not in a position to keep the apartment on my own (NYC). I also have bad credit and am working on fixing that with bill collectors, debt repayment, etc, so I also didn't qualify to rent a studio on my own. I'm in the middle of figuring out settlements with them so I don't even have a number set that I'll be paying them in the near future. I have also been helping my family for the past 5 months because my father just had a massive stroke but I'm done helping them in Sept. I've moved in with my partner and will be living with her for the next 10 months. After that she's not sure if she will be staying in NYC or leaving the state to start her own practice so I might have to move on my own or find a roommate situation.

I shoveled out about $600 for my move with her and am paying less rent then I was with my roommate. I allocate 15% of my budget towards emergency savings and have about $1800. I have a smaller goal set to pay for my own flight back home to L.A. for the holidays and am putting aside $38.50 a paycheck. I have one credit card with a ridiculous interest rate but it's paid off and I just use it to pay my gym membership of $10 to keep it active and I pay it off each month. I have school loans that will leave the graduated stage to be about $150 a month soon (currently $64) and I own $800 to a school in fee's that charges only 1.5% interest a month.

I'm wondering if I should keep the money I'll need for the move in a separate account (I'm thinking about 1700 to start and then add $20 a paycheck to get to 2100 by the time I have to move) and start my emergency savings over again at 15% a paycheck, or leave the money all in one fund and up my contributions by a percentage until I have to start paying back some more debt once the collectors and I settle on certain amounts.

I'm a little confused at the moment. I've actually paid off a few accounts that have led to my bad credit so I know I'm on the right path but I'm very concerned about being left without any savings again (as I have in the past). Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. I feel like 50/30/20 is great but for me I'm thinking more 50/20/30 would be more appropriate? ]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/151/how-do-you-save-on-travel Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:52:25 -0500 CherylL 151@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/231/save-while-in-college Thu, 09 Aug 2012 01:37:01 -0400 skhutliwala 231@/discussions/discussions http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/221/getting-through-college-debt-free Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:42:23 -0400 alvarezr21 221@/discussions/discussions
I'm going to live on campus instead of spending lots of money on gas commuting back and forth.

My biggest method for paying for college is to get financial aid and scholarships. I'll also be working a part-time to pay for anything else.

Transportation:
Bike any where possible on the daily. I'm going to get those bikes with baskets to be able to carry some stuff in them. I'll also have a truck( or used hybrid) for the bigger grocery purchases and driving to the distant places.

Food: I live in the CA state and food is really cheap (fresh produce, not the frozen) with the weekly specials. I could seriously benefit from buying fresh fruits and vegatables. I have projected my monthly food spending to be $40. I have bought food to last my whole family a week with $25. My family is of 8. I'm only one person. You just need to know where to shop and when. (and no, its not the rotten food in the bottom that no one wants, its great quality produce)

Extra Green: Recyle and repurpose everything possible. You get a couple extra dollars when you recycle those cans and that stack of no longer useful paper from last semester.

Black Friday: Shop for all the expensive stuff on this day to save tons. Phone, Ipod, Laptop, Printer etc.

Goodwill: If you are like me, you borrow clothes from your friends and siblings alll the time. Just a couple cycles in the washing machine and its like new ;) I would not buying anything that doesn't look like new or aren't comfortable wearing. We all need to set limits of what we're willing to wear that you haven't bought firsthand.

Freecycle: You can find some sweet free stuff on some curbsides. One man's trash is another's treasure

Paperbook swap: trade books for free! get more people to use it and you get more options. Its really a great website, www.paperbackswap.com enjoy

Amazon : for books

Motto .........Never pay retail price.



]]> http://www.learnvest.com/discussions/discussion/212/question-re-emergency-funds Tue, 26 Jun 2012 08:57:33 -0400 waynefritsche 212@/discussions/discussions
I've read LV's recommendation for 6-9 months' expenses in an emergency fund. Is this for all existing monthly expenses or only those that LV classifies as necessary expenses in its budgeting tool? On the one hand, groceries are not classified as a necessary expense in this tool (which is odd), but funding all expenses seems like overkill because many could be cut or eliminated in an emergency.

Cheers,

Wayne]]>