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Net Worth Update: December + the Year in Review!

Merry Christmas everybody....whats that?  I missed Christmas already...well then...HAPPY NEW YEAR...wait, we aren't there quite yet. Ummm....Happy time in between Christmas and New Year when everyone and their pet roosters go shopping.  I kid you not about the rooster.  I saw it sitting on some guys shoulder when we were out shopping. Lets look at that net worth from December! - $106,650.04 That is a difference from November of... + $3972.28 It is always fun to end the year on a positive note and we managed to do just that.  We celebrated our anniversary in December and my wife's birthday by going to a Bulls game in Chicago.  The whole experience was about $400.00 including tickets, gas, food, a hotel, and a very nice breakfast.  We were going to spend some more time, but lost interest when the weather turned sour and my wife became slightly sick. Oh well.  Not the most frugal experience, but we did get to see a great game which went into FOUR overtimes!  Too bad

Net Worth Update: November

This post is going to be short and sweet, and late.  Very, very late.  Needless to say I was pretty busy during November.  I was writing finals, taking finals, and planning out my 5th year anniversary trip among a host of many other tasks. In October we saw a net worth of...  - $111,361.71 My net worth for November was... - $110,622.32 That is a difference of... + $ 739.39 This is normally the part of the post where we take a look at the amount of money in each account.  I will not be doing that this month due to being so late in the posting that the data I get from Mint would not provide a very accurate picture of where we were in November.  We will take a look at the goals though. GOALS: 1. Read ten books by the end of this year:  4 /10.  This past month I read a Tom Clancy novel.  I really enjoy Clancy novels and anytime I get my hands on one usually read it within two weeks, no matter how busy I am. 2. Savings:  Got the savings up to 8k.  Still got about 7k to go

Net Worth Update: October

I must admit, dear readers, that I almost didn't write this update.  In fact, I almost didn't write anything.  I kind of felt like walking away.  School, work, and the daily stresses almost had me hanging up the keyboard.  Instead I decided to keep going.  I mean, I've only been at this for a little over a year and I figure I have at least forty left in me (that is a joke, there is no way I actually have forty years left in me). SO without further procrastination... Mint says my current net worth is... - $111,361.71 That is a difference of... + $ 1735.25 After posting a huge negative jump last month we improve almost 2k this month.  Not too shabby.  Lets take a look at those accounts to see what's crackin. 1. Emergency Fund                 $7,467.31                                                                                                 2. Checking                             $1471.16 3. Car Account                        $1370.70 4. Chase Sapphi

Back to School...

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...back to school, to prove to dada that I'm no fool.  If you don't recognize that movie line then crank it up on IMDB.  That's right suckas, it is from the one and only Billy Madison.  What gives? Am I headed back to grade school.  No, even though my maturity level warrants that I probably should be.  What can I say?  I just love a good fart joke. I am headed back to college! Photo courtesy Yahoo Images If you have been reading this blog then that isn't news.  In fact, right now I sit here on campus, waiting for the next class to start because my other class got canceled baby!  My class getting canceled turned out to be a good thing because I was really craving a red bull and cram session (see, I feel collegiate already!). I digress.  The real reason for this post is to point out how much better of a college student I am the second time around.   The first time I decided to not go to class.  OFTEN. I played video games.  OFTEN. I stayed up

What if you LOST your two best ASSETS?

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Well, another November rolls around and another sad display for the Cowboys.  That is right dear readers, I remain a hopeless fan of the Dallas Cowboys (btw this article is more about football than finance, so you may not enjoy it if you don't like the pigskin antics of the NFL!) If you don't know, the Cowboys have lost to injury what many consider their two best offensive players in Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. Photo provide by Yahoo Images So here I sit in my living room, lamenting the fact that we now have to start Brandon Weeden.  Weeden is about as useful as a poopy flavored ice tea...which they make by the way .  As disturbing as that is, I find it much more so that $JMoney can now celebrate since Dallas is out of the divisional picture.  You see, $JMoney is a redskins fan, so he stands to benefit from a Dallas downfall. Anyway, I got to thinking (which is a dangerous thing).  What would happen if your favorite NFL team lost two of their "star" play

Net Worth Update: September

What is up faithful readers of the coinage?  I bring you the earliest net worth update in ages!!!  Why?  How?  Is this real life?  Yes.  The reason this new post is coming at you early is that I have a day off...yay for being a teacher!  Now on to the good stuff... Mint says that my net worth is  - $113,096.96 That is a difference from last month of - $7,516.10 There goes the neighborhood!  Apparently my positive months could not continue as we came to a screeching halt in September.  Why did my net worth go down so much?  Let's take a look at the accounts... 1. Emergency Fund                  $6,966.11                                                                                                 2. Checking                              $359.54 3. Car Account                         $1195.54 4. Chase Sapphire Preferred  - $0.00 5. Wife's Card                        - $0.00 6. Mortgage                           - $156,692.06 7. Wife's 401k            

My content has been sucking...

Some of you reading this are probably like, "Old School finally came to senses."  He finally realizes that this blog is the equivalent of a dried out turd, old and smelly!  Ok.  That may have been a bit harsh just now.  I don't think my entire blog has been a waste.  I've actually enjoyed writing and some of my posts are quite good (in this blogger's humble opinion:) I just haven't had time.  I have a million ideas, a ton of pokers in the fire if you will.  All of these ideas float around my mind and bang off the walls of my brain, never to be conceptualized.  I admit, I usually have an idea and then don't follow through. Worse is when I do follow through, stick with it for but a fortnight, and then discard it assuming it was a stupid idea.  The idea wasn't stupid though, I just don't stick with things long enough to make them work.  I guess that is why I'm writing this post.  Even though this blogs state is in a current pile of poop, I

Net Worth Update: August

Once again another month passes too quickly and once again here I am making excuses...I mean shoot!  I didn't even roll out this net worth update on the 15th like normal... I waited until the freaking 20th!  That is pretty bad lol...but as my father-in-law says "Oh well." So crank up the phantom of the opera (what I am indulging in right now) and lets navigate some numbers. Mint says that my net worth in August was... - $105,580.86 This is a difference of... + $4556.86 Hot dang...another positive month.  This surely isn't sustainable:0  I will take it though.  I have noticed a sever change in our spending patterns, and def. for the positive.  Using cash for our problem areas really does help! Lets get a closer look at our accounts... 1. Emergency Fund                  $8,629.86                                                                                                 2. Checking                              $369.39  3. Car Account                 

40 ways we save money!

Figured I would switch it up today and instead of writing about net worth I'm going to write about ways the Old School family saves money.  Why only 40 ways?  Well this is actually the 40th post here at Old School Coinage!  Although we haven't exactly been frugal lately, I have a few tips on how to save some cash and help you hit your goals faster.  Without further ado... 40 ways to save some coinage No gym membership (run outside and do exercise videos inside) Only do DIY when we actually can do DIY (no plumbing for us) Work together on the budget (united we stand) No Cable or Satellite Not upgrading our phones every year, or two years...or three years Cash flowing instead of financing Starting a garden Doing basic house maintenance Regularly maintaining our cars Keeping our "starter" furniture Not following HGTV trends in decorations (they will just be outdated soon anyway) Buying used when needed Buying new when needed Not being cheap Splitting

Net Worth Update: July

So here we are again faithful readers, or whoever out there stumbled onto this website.  Maybe it's just people practicing their english?  Well jokes on them,cause my site is filled with fragments, run-ons, terrible jokes, and poorly written content! But just in case you happen to still care what is going on in the Old School abode lets break out some numbers. Mint says my current net worth is... - $110,137.72 That is a difference of.... + $4,077.22 ! What up baby!  We blew July out of the water. I came in like a wrecking ball, um er, wait that doesn't mean what it used to mean.  Thanks a lot Cyrus. How did we do it?  Well we did get a little bit of money in inheritance.  We also got paid from my summer job finally although now it is over and I am preparing to head back for another school year. Here is a breakdown of our accounts... 1. Emergency Fund                  $6,809.67                                                                                  

Net Worth Update: Junky June

Ah, well if you haven't gotten used to my late postings yet then you never will.  I figure that if I postpone my pathetic post long enough then it will pretty perfectly line up with the period that I predicted since the beginning.  Tongue tied?  Confused?  So am I.  Lets get down to Junky June... Mint says that my net worth in June was.... - $ 114, 214.94 That is a difference of... - $ 729.77 Oh no.  Quick.  Someone telephone the president and tell him we have an emergency.  Our company has posted in the red the last two months.  What the H to the E to the C to the K is going one here?  I actually am the reason we failed hardcore in June.  I admit, I have a problem with gas stations.  I spent a crud ridonkulous amount of money at Casey's this past month.  Dang you two slices of pizza and a "free" thirty two ounce pop! The point is that I lost sight of my goal.  I forgot about what I'm really working towards here which is financial independence.  Financ

Net Worth Update: May

You might be thinking why are you still doing this Old School.  I mean, c'mon, you aren't really putting out any groundbreaking content.  You certainly are fresh, and you are not writing with very much passion or frequency. You would be correct.  I have been pretty lax.  I could lay out a bunch of excuses about how I have been working a full time summer job, and have a bunch of house work, and have a bunch of masters class work...but I won't...oh wait...I guess I just did:)  Oh well.  I'm not stopping because this little blog remains a motivating factor for me.  Whenever I want to spend money on stupid stuff I think of this blog.  Whenever I get tired working my job I think of this blog.  So without further excuses here goes nothing... Mint says my current net worth is... (admittedly I actually got disconnected due to storms so this a few days even later lol) -  $113,485.17 That is a change of!!! - $ 441.52. Well poop.  That's the wrong way Old School.  

Net Worth Update: April

Well I guess there are not two ways about this...it's already halfway through May and I have yet to post about April.  I could hem and haw about how busy I have been with tennis, teaching, or masters paperwork.  I may even mention that I recently became quite ill and was unable to do much of anything except drag my butt from bed to work and then promptly back to bed.  That all sounds like a stinky excuse though so without further ado lets  get rolling... Mint says my current net worth is... -$113,043.65 That is a difference of...   + $2284.28 Sweet.  An increase...wait how the heck did I increase.  Was it based solely on the market?  In a word yes.  Our investments had a pretty good month. Here is a look at our accounts... 1. Emergency Fund                  $8,761.91                                                                                                2. Checking                              $2,988.52  3. Car Account                         $460.06 4. Chas

Net Worth Update: March

Well that went pretty fast didn't it?  Another year in the books for me and as March flew by I became a year older.  28.  Twenty eight years old.  Hard to believe that I'm nearing thirty.  30!!!  I'm not for sure if I am exactly where I want to be, but I am having fun being where I am. Now on to the good stuff you number crunching peeping toms... Mint says my current net worth is... - 115,327.93 That is a difference of... +  152.74 Wow.  Someone light the world on fire because I'll pay for the repairs...errr maybe just a house... Check that.  Light nothing on fire except for maybe our butts for going on an out of control spending month. Lets take a look at the account breakdowns and figure out what happened. Account Breakdown  1. Emergency Fund                  $10,230.65                                                                                                2. Checking                              $201.01 3. Chase Sapphire Preferred  - $1,14