Teacher Finance

Helping you live big dreams on a small salary

Archives for 2009

Ok, Here it Goes…

Update: I'm still recovering from this very nasty cold. I'm functional, but still lacking in energy and very congested. I put a huge bottle of hand sanitizer on my desk and told the kids to start using it - or else!So, I'm posting my budget. Again. I've been avoiding this because ... Read more...

All Plans Come Crashing Down…

...when you get sick. I had all these great goals to reorganize my apartment this weekend, and then I went and got sick. (It's not swine flu, just a run-of-the-mill cold!) I woke up with a sore throat on Saturday and it's been downhill since then. I think I'll finally be okay to ... Read more...

There is Always a Cheaper Option

I'm so ready for payday tomorrow! I'm down to just a few dollars in my checking account, and I needed to stop to pick up some stuff at the grocery store for dinner this afternoon. I've been eating really terribly lately (Labor Day, then my parents were in town...and they're ... Read more...

Updating My Apartment

One of my favorite bloggers is SS4BC over at Small Steps for Big Change. Her blog is not exclusively focused on PF, and I like that. I find her to be very honest and down-to-earth about all of the different topics she writes about. Anyway, she has been working through a book ... Read more...

Not Knowing

In my last post, I discussed the fact that my budget is torturing me. Specifically, the amount I should be saving per month is torturing me. When I was paying down my personal loan, it was very easy to stay focused because I basically had tunnel vision: must pay off loan, must ... Read more...

September Goals/My Budget is Torturing Me

Yah! September! That means the worst season of the year is just about over :) I realized that I totally forgot to set August goals...oops. So here's to a strong September: 1. Re-work my budget. Again. See below. 2. Run 2X per week and swim 2X per week. 3. Finish my new book. ... Read more...

Job Security

Last Tuesday, I became a tenured teacher. My new friend Carrie from Carrie on the Cheap congratulated me, but confessed she doesn't exactly know what "tenure" means. And actually, it means different things in different school districts. In general, tenure is "awarded" to teachers ... Read more...

My Re-Worked Budget

As I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to add monthly contributions to my emergency fund and a travel fund into my budget. I also forgot to add my monthly payment on my TV into my budget, so that needs to be worked in, also. Here's what I'm thinking:Net Monthly Take-Home: ... Read more...

Back to the Grind

My summer vacation is officially over :( I had a really relaxing couple of weeks, and now I'm actually pretty happy to be back in the swing of the school routine. I went back to school on Tuesday, and, in between sitting through some really boring meetings, I was busy setting up ... Read more...