Dipping my toe in

Well, I did it. I called the mortgage broker my sister-in-law recommended. She was very nice. She did, however, sound mildly bummed when I told the high end of my monthly payment threshold but it is what it is. I gave her other details and she will be running a credit report and getting back to me next week. I'm mostly annoyed that it will reflect my credit card that still has my new tires, recent car repairs, new bed and Christmas purchases on it. The timing may not be great but again, it is what it is.

Because money was on my mind I called my credit union to confirm I had in fact paid off my consolidation loan (I couldn't remember if it was this month or next). It's paid off! I also wanted to confirm that they would not continue to withdraw funds like they did when I paid off my last car loan. (I showed up in person and asked "How many times do I have to pay for this car?" The told me it sometimes takes a few months for them to stop taking payments. That was their line until I said "You are no longer legally authorized to dip into my account." That freaked them out enough to call a Manager who stopped the payments and handed me cash for the mix up. Harumph!)

I then went online and notched down my 401k contribution. I was at 14%. Pretty good huh? Well, I dropped it down to 8% we'll see what kind of difference that makes.
Next I started shredding old statements and credit card solicitations. I noticed my current rate had inched up to 10% so I called my bank and simply said "I'd like to discuss my interest rate." The representative took some info and immediately said "I've got great news for you. I can lower it to 5%." I paused, because I'm getting offers of 0% for a year from other banks. She then said "It's the best I can do for existing balances." I took it. Take what you can get right? Due to her startlingly quick response to a question I hadn't even asked I said "Sooo, I guess that means I'm in pretty good standing with you guys?" She said "Uh, yeah." Well, that's good to hear considering what I'm diving into.

So it's been a day of financial Spring cleaning.

With that in mind I'd now like to take a moment now to apologize for even less interesting future blog entries. I know how it is to hear someone go on and on about stuff you're not interested in ( kids, home remodeling, refinancing, birthing stories... these are a few of my least favorite things) but I'm bound to become just such a blogger. Sorry! The good news is you few readers can enjoy my first time home owner panic from afar and thank you lucky stars it's me and not you going through the hell of it all.

My next step is dive into the world of selling junk on eBay. There must be somebody who's willing to give dollars for some old clothes and white elephant gifts. You know I'll keep you posted...