Friday Update

Everything is moving along with the closing, so far I've dealt with everything I need.
I got utilities scheduled to be in my name the day after closing (as is required).
Finally have all the insurance stuff dealt with, which is a relief.
Other than that, there's not a whole lot to update on. I'm excited and nervous about closing.
There will be a lot of stuff I have to do after closing, I still need to contact an exterminator which I think I'll do today.

Friday Update

The closing date has been moved to the 30th, which gives me more time to move, so it's a good thing
The appraisal is in and all is good there.
I'm not going to focus so much on my credit scores now, just gonna post if they change.
All the overtime I worked for this paycheck has put me well over the amount estimated for closing, so I might actually have a little cash to buy some of the needed stuff when we move.
I still didn't do a monthly overview of my spending, but I think I'm going to just not do that for the next month or two as I've been focusing on not spending money, so I think I don't have to worry too much.

Oopsie! Update time.

So it's Monday, and I didn't get a chance to give you guys an update on Friday. Here comes one!

It looks like my lender is trying to move the closing date up to April 30th, according to her, it'll save me money, although I think it's more about their quotas and such.
I was asked for more documentation from the underwriter on the mortgage, and I was able to supply that yesterday.
My Credit Sesame has gone up to 771!
But my Credit Karma score is still at 766.
Not exactly sure how I came up with all those numbers last week, but I'm still looking good for the money for closing and down payment.
It appears I totally dropped the ball on my monthly overview of spending, I'll try to get that done tomorrow. Work has been very busy (and I've been working a ton of overtime to get more money) so I haven't had as much time to write as normal.

Late Update

So, it's Saturday, but the week isn't over so let's see where I stand!
Got a copy of the fully signed contract, so we're officially set to close on May 4th.
Mortgage is in process and I've gotten everything I need submitted.
Home inspection went swimmingly (is that the phrase?). Everything is good to go on that front.
My Credit Sesame still hasn't updated from 762.
Same goes with my Credit Karma score at 766.
Final estimated money to be paid by me at closing is $3,483.04 and I have $2,127.60 in savings for that, plus an extra $850 I can pull from other, less important things. Add on top of that the $400 for the loan application fee, and that leaves me with just over $100 I need to gather from here till then, which I think I might already have sitting in my checking account.

Weekly Standing

Another Friday means another weekly look back at what's transpired
Contract has been submitted to the seller, and I'm fairly certain it has been signed.
Mortgage documentation has been submitted to the lender.
Quote for homeowners has been received (but not in writing yet)
Appointment for a home inspection is setup for Tuesday
My Credit Sesame score is still 762.
My Credit Karma score is also still 766.

Weekly update

Sorry this is a little late, things were busy and hectic at work.
Spent my FSA money, just in time too! Got new glasses for my son.
I am now in the offer/counter-offer stage of the home buying process! Should know in a day or two if we're moving ahead on this.
My Credit Sesame score is still 762.
My Credit Karma score is also still 766.
I got a piece of mail from my mortgage lender and it said my Transunion score was 744

Friday again!

Here we go!
Long weekend again, so hopefully I'll finally get that FSA money spent.
I now have $3,856.51 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score is now up to 762!
My Credit Karma score is still 766.
Looked at a couple of houses and neighborhoods, going to look at them tomorrow.

A month in review

Here we are again, looking over spending in the month of February. I've gone through everything and it all appeared to be categorized correctly.
Comparing my spending this month and last there isn't a huge difference. There does not appear to be any one area I can easily cut my spending. There was a shift in the number of times I bought food out, reduced that by about 25%.
I spent less on my car, but last month was higher because of my birthday. I did spend more on utilities, but I think that is because it has been colder and I had to use my heater more. After all the work I put into looking at my spending last month, I don't really feel I need to dig deep into it this month. I think my spending is pretty well under control, but there's a lot of bills I can't control right now.

Long weekend ahead

We got news!
Oh my god, I really MUST spend the money in my FSA, I'm running out of time.
I totally forgot to do another monthly review! Look forward to February's review next week.
I now have $3,829.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score has not updated yet and is still at 754.
Also my Credit Karma score hasn't changed from 766.
I finally submitted my mortgage application and was approved for up to $130,000 but requested the letter state $100,000.
I spoke to a real estate agent, and have an appointment tomorrow to meet her.

Friday Roundup

Here we go again, not a whole lot is different though.
I have been procrastinating with the FSA but really need to get around to spending that money.
I now have $3,804.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score has not fluctuated from 754.
Also my Credit Karma score hasn't changed from 766.
I've also been putting off applying for a mortgage, but I WILL do that next week! You betcha!

Another weekly roundup

So, where we at this week?
I have been way lazy with my FSA. I really need to spend that money before it's too late.
I now have $3,779.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score is still sitting pretty at 754.
My Credit Karma score is still listed at 766.
I have spoken to my friend and looked over the form I got, now I just need to get it filled out and talk to the other bank I was considering going with.

One more Friday

So here we are again, time to look at where I stand in relation to where I'm going.
I've still not touched that FSA and really need to get something done with the $358 in there.
I now have $3,754.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score has gone down, it is now at 754. I don't know exactly why, but it might have to do with the recent credit card I started a couple months ago. I'm not sure exactly how quickly things like that affect the score, but of the things they list that may affect it. I'm still over 740, which is good. I also had a decent amount of debt on one credit card, which may have also decreased my score, but that has been paid down decently by now.
I just signed up for a new service Credit Karma, and my score listed there is 766 which is great! This score seems similar to the Credit Sesame score, and I think it is pretty close to an official credit score.
I spoke to my first lender yesterday! I haven't filled out any paperwork yet, because I'm waiting to hear back from my friend about how I should do this, but I'm at least on my way!

A week in review

Here's another Friday, and it's time to look at where I stand. This week, I didn't post as much as I would have hoped for a few different reasons that I won't go into here.
I really need to get with the FSA thing and spend that money. I still have that $358 in my FSA from last year.
My refund came through! Because of that I now have a whopping $3,723.54 saved in the house fund.
Credit Sesame still hasn't updated for February yet, so I'm still sitting at 772, but it should give me a new score in a day or two.
I still haven't talked to any lenders yet, but now that I have my refund I'm ready to start. I think in the next week I'll call the guy who sent me that hand-addressed envelope.

Monthly review

So, it's a new month, which means it is time for me to look at where all my money is going and adjust my spending, and expectations, accordingly. I figure I'll go down the list from biggest to smallest expenditures, and as always I'll not be giving you exact figures, but I will give you percents to give you an idea of what I'm doing. Mind you, all of these numbers are just on money spent, nothing about my savings.
So first, I went through all my transactions for the last month in Mint and verified that they were all correct and accurately categorized. Then I clicked on my trending tab and Viola! All the information I need.
At the top of the list, as expected, is housing. Rent. Hasn't changed, can't be changed, nothing big there, except it's my largest overall expenditure almost every month, totaling almost 29% of my money spent in January! This is one big reason I'm really looking forward to buying a house, spending that much money to get nothing in return is just crazy. I will admit, that since I'm renting from my parents and basically paying the mortgage on their second house is on positive thing in there.
Second on the list is Auto! This one is a bit higher than normal because my birthday is coming up and I had to pay my tag fees and such. But as it stands this past month this category took up 27% of my spending. I expect that without the added fee, this category will be 75% of what it is now.
My third highest category of spending is Bills and Utilities. This category was 18.1% of my total spending. That might seem high, and really it is. There are 4 things in total in this category, each taking about 25%. They are Gas, Power, Cell phones, and Television (actually, this is both internet and tv). Now, at this point in time, I can't do much of anything about these bills. I do everything I can to conserve energy at home and even keep the place cooler than my son likes, but it's winter and the heat will have to run. I'm in a contract with my current phone carrier, which will be ending really soon, and when it does I will be switching plans at the very least, or even carriers if I find a really good deal. As for television and internet, I absolutely refuse to consider changing my internet, but I may see what I can do to reduce the cost of my tv service.
A close 4th is Food and Dining at 18%! Now, I feel I did really good this past month on that one. I have been saving a ton of money shopping sales and using coupons. I'll admit, I have probably missed out on a few coupons, and I'm sure I can work harder to find more of them, but when I go to the grocery store and only pay 75% of what I would have without coupons, I feel good! Now, I did say food and dining, the food was over 80% which means I spent less than 20% (or around 3% of overall spending) on eating out at restaurants. I have had issues in the past where I would spend a lot more money than I wanted in this category, and seeing these numbers makes me feel good.
And, last but not least is entertainment. 5% of my spending in January was on video games and Netflix. I'm sure I could change my spending in this category, but it was actually larger than normal this past month as well because I paid for a full year of one service up-front, saving money in the long run. But, even if I did spend 5% of my money in this category, I wouldn't be too upset.
Of course, there's also another few percent left over of my spending which is just random stuff, like office supplies and interest charges. Overall, I think I had a successful month, and looking over these numbers makes me realize that I've already done a lot of work streamlining my spending. Even though I don't actively employ the process outlined in the You Need A Budget (The Book), I still follow the basic tenets behind it.

Friday already?

So, it's Friday again, and it's time to give you guys an update on where I am.
I still have that $358 in my FSA from last year, and I have been lazy about spending it, but I have until March, so I've got time.
I've now have $703.54 saved for the house fund.
Turns out that my tax refund is now expected this upcoming Wednesday.
My credit sesame score is holding steady at 772, but that's partly because it only updates once a month.
I have not contacted any lenders about a mortgage, or any realtors about finding a house yet. I did talk to a friend about the upcoming process and gained a little insight.
I have also been able to use the sharing option on Credit Sesame, you can see my badge at the bottom of the column on the right.

My weekly update

So, it's Friday, and I figure it's a great time to give you guys an update on where I am.
I still have that $358 in my FSA from last year, and I plan on trying to use that up by the end of the weekend. My HR reps have confirmed that there is a grace period until the end of march to use that.
I've now got $678.54 saved for the house fund, just got paid today.
I have filed my 2011 taxes, and am expecting an estimated $3,000 refund next week.
My credit sesame score is holding steady at 772
I have not contacted any lenders about a mortgage, or any realtors about finding a house yet.
I suspended my exterminator today to save a little more money for a service I won't need.

Where I am now

I'd like to give you guys an idea of where I am now, and I hope to possibly give you one of these posts every week.
Right now I have $358 in my FSA left from last year. I sent an e-mail off to my HR rep today to see what the cut-off date is for expenses that can be submitted for the 2011 period, but have not heard back.
I have $628.54 (two accounts, both savings, one with HSBC and the other a local credit union) set aside for the down payment on whatever house I buy.
I have not contacted any lenders yet (nor will I until after I file my taxes) about a mortgage.
I am still waiting for my company to release our electronic W-2s so I can file my taxes for 2011.
I have a 772 score with Credit Sesame.