This was not at all a good week for me. We have taken some decision about our life that is costing us money like a rain. I will talk about it another day.
At work the blog took its first toll (at least to me it seems that way) when the 2011 appraisal came across finally. More about it later (this Friday).
SMB’s job hunt continues, some formality still remains before she can apply formally. If she could land up a job by March end, we would be thankful to our fate.
I keep track of my credit score every month, and this month there was a 13 point decrease, for no reason, I promptly ordered credit report (once in a year it’s free) and nothing was negative. I am still investigating about it, if I get more information, I would share it here.
Added late: There was an apparent calculation adjustment by Transunion. They thought I paid off my car loan, that was a mere part prepayment, hence, the backward adjustment. I got a 14 point increase last month for that wrong information.
On the blog side, February started great but there were traffic decrease since Thursday, I am not worried by this at least, blogging, like any other career, has its ups and downs. Previously, when I was still a newbie, it used to feel like a big blow.
So, not so good report card for the week. Should I feel bad?
No, I am not feeling bad, we have a lovely plan for our lives, we are spending money, still, it’s for us, it’s for our happiness. As a couple we are a happy duo and excited about days to come.
Valentines day coming up, SMB is pointing me towards her friend’s posting on Facebook on this topic. She’s trying to inspire me to celebrate the day. My plan is to give her a surprise gift. I do it every year. Last year I gave her a purse, which she loved. We would also go out for dinner on 14th.
The year before, I had to return the gift. She didn’t like it. As always, I am under pressure to buy her something she would like. I have a Sunday to shop for it. I will drop her to library and head to the mall.
Apart from that, there were other reasons to be happy, I still have readers checking out my posts. I still receive comments. My blog is still out there. There is no time to be sorry in our short life. Grab the happiness and ignore the sorrow from your surrounding.
Live a happy life. Feel richer emotionally.
Roundup of good reads
As always, the past week was full of informative, funny, copy cat, well spun, nasty, boring and ugly posts in the blogosphere. A few of the exceptional reads below.
As I know Suba, she’s a good researcher. Spends a lot of time on her posts and brings out very comprehensive pieces at the end. What to do after car insurance is the latest one from her, I would recommend this for its practicality. Not sure how many you could remember from the to-dos, but they are very practical.
Hunter is one of my closest blogging buddies and a good writer. His take on the free trial offers is another very practical post this week. Read the fine prints before ordering the trial packs. I do not order any free offer where they need my financial information.
Sam posed a very good question over at Yakezie. What makes your blog different? This should make many of the bloggers think.
Over here, my mission is to be rich in every aspect of life. I want to be richer along with you though this blog. This is not a journey towards million dollar.
This is also a journey towards million dollar. This is also a journey towards being rich spiritually, socially and emotionally. This why I blog. I am not rich, I am not preaching anyone, I am jotting down the lessons I am learning every day. Urging you to grow with me.
I have some money to invest. I am thinking about the route to take. lately researching on peer-to-peer lending option. This article caught my eyes. What do you think about this type of investment? There’s nothing great in this post, but that 15% return is too sexy to ignore in this market. Need your opinion about lending club. I am linking it to let you know about the return potential in P2P lending. Though there’s a huge risk.
I liked this psychological thriller from Change Your thoughts. We all create a wall around ourselves. A wall we seldom break. Break the wall and let the outside world be visible to us. Hope you get the meaning.
Another beautiful post from my recent favorite blog, Meant to be Happy, How to live fruitfully and purposefully. I got inspired by this post at least, what about you?
One of my friends told me recently that when you’re knee-deep in personal finance, you tend to look at your assets too often – and that can be overwhelming. So, that said, I’m glad you’re not getting down about your tough week. Compared to most people, you’re probably far ahead!
Thanks for the encouragement Liz! Appreciate it.
I don’t sweat some of the short-term small stuff like the drop in your score. It could easily go back up next month. I look forward to you sharing some of the items you mentioned up front.
Definitely Robert. Just to avoid jinxing it I am keeping it close to my chest for the time being.
Yeah, Valentine’s is tough. That’s why we don’t celebrate it anymore. There was a year Beaker made me cry because he did not read my mind and didn’t get me what I wanted. LOL Apparently, men cannot read minds. Who knew!
I find it particularly difficult to get in to a woman’s mind. Its something only a few men are blessed enough to know. I made her cry a few times already.
Our credit score went down once seemingly for no reason. The only thing we could think of was that our credit card had been compromised by a store clerk or restaurant server. So we had to change the number on that credit card account. Who knows?
I’m looking forward to your updates!
Thanks Maggie, updates would be sooner. Did you get the credit report checked lately? Apparently last month was some mistake on Transunion’s part. They increased my score by 14 points, so this month they compensated by decreasing 13 points.
Where do you check your credit score? I know you can check your credit report but where do you check your score?
Also, I used to check my blog stats like crazy. It was sickening. But now I hardly ever check them…maybe once a month, if that? And I’m always pleasantly surprised!
Checking stats less often is something I need to learn. So far, I am addicted. I check my credit score via Credit sesame. You can do it via credit karma as well. Open an account. Be careful, as you need provide your social there.
I will be getting my yearly credit score soon too and am interested to see what it says. We haven’t had much in the way of credit this year (everything cash) so I would expect it to be flat to higher, but who knows. Like you I try not to stress and worry too much, just stay on the brighter side of life.
Yeah its good for health as well to remain positive. You can check credit score anytime you want through credit sesame or credit karma. Report is free once a year. This is one important step in PF, to check credit report every year.
I hope this week turns out better for you. I know how it feels when costly decisions all seem to come at once.
I haven’t looked at my credit score in years. Wonder what it’s up or down to?
This week? My car broke down today. Battery and radiator needs replacement. Mechanic quoted $700 with some additional work and oil change.
Sorry to hear you had a bad week. Hopefully this one will be better. I know right now it seems bad but it will get better. Trust me. I have been there and know how you feel. It seems like the world is crashing down all at once. But you will get through it and you will be stronger and wiser as a result.
Thanks for the words. Very helpful. I know I’ll get over it soon.