Subscribe Feed (RSS)Spring Cleaning: Budget, Chickens, Business, Etc.
April 10th, 2008 by Connie | Filed under Hearth and Home, real estate.We’re snowed under around here taking care of tookie-tail stuff. It’s that time of year for new beginnings and self reflection and spring cleaning, both real and metaphorical. Every year we do the following (in no particular order):
*Get the taxes together for our CPA. Reevaluate tax position and make changes for next year. We’re not getting as much back this year because we made so much lovely positive cashflow. Yes, I know… such a shame 
*Go over the household budget and stop up any leakages. This week, a call to the cell phone company reduced the bill by $20/month ($240/year!) This was no small accomplishment as the bill was written in hieroglyphics which also turned out to be the operator’s native tongue. Thirty+ minutes on hold plus an equally frustrating amount of time with a customer service rep finally revealed $5/month insurance on phones worth less than Zippo and a $10/month ‘Multi-media Bundle Package’ for a phone who’s owner doesn’t know how to use the camera, much less the multi-media’s. Sadly, the mister will no longer be able to randomly text his posse, but we all must sacrifice for the greater good.
*Look at the big picture for any major financial issues. We’re in the midst of a re-fi of our personal residence which should save us $200/month. (IF we can ever get this puppy to the closing table. For some odd reason, the mortgage companies are a tad bit skittish these days…) Also, the 401K got A Serious Lecture as well as A Firm Talking To. If Mr. K doesn’t straighten up and start behaving more like his big brother (the rent houses), he just may well find himself unfunded.
*Going over all business practices, reorganizing, re-evaluating, etc. This year, the mrs. resolves to finally learn to run those stupid Excel spreadsheets (sorta) and convert the finances from Stone Age to QuickBooks (snarky laugh inserted here.)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…
At which point, our attention turns to mundane thingies such as lawn care and chickens, neither of which are actually getting much. The chickens are not here, nor are they ordered because the mister has not fixed their coop. The mrs. is not overly sad because chickens stink. And she once calculated that those lovely yard eggs are costing about $8/dozen.
Nonetheless, the mister insists upon the smelly things because they (I kid you not) spread cow poop about in a decidedly poultry-like fashion that makes the mister happier than Friday Night fried chicken. (The mrs. has failed to mention the lack of chickens as she thinks the younger Brz’s can spread poop just fine with decidedly less reek-age. They also do not stand on the back porch beneath her bedroom window at 5 a.m. and crow like strangled cats in heat.)
JoJo does not crow like a strangled cat. He does, however, bang his food bowl against the siding and shove his sandy nose against the window screen to see if the mister has arisen.
More stuff on background checks very soon…
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Tags: 401K, budgeting, organization, spring cleaning
[…] Riverside Inland Empire Real Estate News and Information Blog â?? Westcoe Realtors Latest News wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt We’re snowed under around here taking care of tookie-tail stuff. It’s that time of year for new beginnings and self reflection and spring cleaning, both real and metaphorical. Every year we do the following (in no particular order): *Get the taxes together for our CPA. Reevaluate tax position and make changes for next year. We’re not getting as much back this year because we made so much lovely positive cashflow. Yes, I know… such a shame *Go over the household budget and stop up any leakag […]
If you can figure out how to make Quickbooks work for rental properties, I would love to hear how you did it…
Intuit bought or developed a rental property accounting program, but I haven’t heard much about it since its initial release. Until something that works and is reasonably priced is introduced, it’s pen, paper and Excel for me.
Well… I’m hopeful, but there’s no telling. It didn’t work out so well last time.
[…] conniebrz.com wrote an interesting post today on Spring Cleaning: Budget, Chickens, Business, Etc.Here’s a quick excerptEvery year we do the following (in no particular order): *Get the taxes together for our CPA….Reevaluate tax position and make changes for next year…. […]
I don’t personally know Mr. (401)k, but I was friends with Ms. 457(b) for a number of years. Whenever the market misbehaved, I would send all new contributions to Ms. 457(b) to the Money Market Woodshed until the market decided to come around. I did NOT skip funding Ms. 457(b), because Ms. 457(b) was tax-deferred and reduced my current taxes significantly.
Ms. 457(b) has another feature that might be of use to your County-employed daughter if her employer offers this type of plan. Unlike Mr. 401(k), she does not have to wait until age 59 1/2 to pull money out of Ms. 457(b) without penalty. Because it is treated as “deferred” compensation, once she leaves her job she can pull the money out and pay only the taxes. She can also roll the Ms. 457(b) over into an IRA if she leaves her employment.
Actually, that’s a very practical suggestion. Thanks
Are money markets immune to our current roller coaster?
Money market accounts are not immune. They are FDIC insured only if they are held at a bank that belongs to the FDIC system. Some of the more exotic money market funds run by those brilliant folks on Wall Street lost some large investors a lot of money.
A lot depends on your plan provider. You have to sort through all of the investment options to see what is available for your cash. A short term bond fund is NOT the same as a money market fund. There should be something offered that is mostly invested in treasuries or other relatively “safe” paper.
Don’t forget the IRA’s, if you are eligible. You have a lot more control over how they are invested.