Dimples' Divine Domain
My journey to financial empowerment.

I am trying to figure out where to open up an account to use as my laptop fund. I am trying to find an ongoing bank bonus that I can take advantage of. Only thing is that I would also like to have access to my funds via a debit card. Only bank that does this is Citibank but I am not sure if I will qualify for their bank bonus since I already have an account with them. Anyways I ran across this Citibank promo and I thought I would share it with you guys: Fine print: This offer is not available at Citibank Financial Centers. † You must apply online at citibank.com or by phone to open a Citibank® Ultimate Money Account and link it to a checking account you have or open in one of the following qualifying relationship packages: Citibank® EZ Checking, Citibank Account, Citibank Everything Counts® or Citigold® Account. Your Citibank Ultimate Money Account must also appear on the same statement as your checking account. *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 06/2...

I received my bonus today. And it is $400 more than I estimated. They didn't take out as much taxes as they did last year. Last year my bonuses were bulldozed by a 52% tax. Well this time it's only 32%. Interesting. I don't understand why my bonuses and my salary have such a different tax bracket. There is only a 16% tax on my salary. Oh well. Thats the government for you. N-T-WAYS............my mind is racing of what I should do with the extra $400. I have already done my budget and have my plan laid out. So do I revamp the budget and factor in the extra moola? Decisions, decisions, decisions! I think I will take a $100 of that $400 and put it in my laptop fund. I'll take the rest and deposit into my spending fund. I like the whole idea of having a fund for a big purchase you would like to make. Gives you time to think about the purchase and be more rational in what you buy. There are certain things I want for my house that are not exactly on the "need...

Well I received some great ideas regarding my need, I mean WANT of a laptop. LOL. And Krystal at Give Me Back My Five Bucks gave me the awesome idea of starting a laptop fund. And that is what I have done. I have set a goal of $500 for my laptop fund. Like I said in my previous post I don't need no top-of-the-line model with trimmings galore. I just need a decent notebook that will allow me to take care of personal and work business when I am on the road. So $500 should get me that. D.C. at Debt Challenger reminded me of the tax-free days that the Government does right before school begins and she says that computers are included. So that is something to look into. I plan to put $50 a month into my laptop fund. If I stick to that plan I will reach my goal by ............... April 2008. Hmmmmm...........your right D.C., patience is a virtue. OMG! I don't think I can wait that long. I didn't realize it would be 10 dang on months. LMAO. Ok rewind. I will do t...

I want a laptop. Not need but WANT a laptop. Real bad I have a suped-up desktop. It has all the trimmings and takes care of business when it comes to work and personal use. But a laptop would be so convenient on those trips to my parents place. Or at work when I am on the road and no access to a computer. I can get a decent laptop for around $700 bucks after mail-in rebates but that sure is a lot of money to spend on a convenience. All my co-workers have one. Even the dang on interns. I am an engineer for goodness sake. Engineers are supposed to have all the neat gadgets like laptops, desktops, digital cams, etc. Sounds bad doesn't it? I know I shouldn't try to fit the standard but damn it its hard not to. Its like "Keeping up with the Joneses" engineering style. LOL. It's not like I'm the typical engineer anyways. One more difference won't hurt to much. Maybe I should search Craig's List for an inexpensive one. Like under $300. Or may...

Well June wasn't too bad. I originally set myself to reach a 700 credit score by July but that is definitely not going so happen to I pushed in back two months. Hopefully I reach my goal by then. Still searching for ways to bring in additional income. Since my daughter will not be with me for the summer and I have free time I think I will attempt the whole NSA (Notary Signing Agent) thing. I need to do more research and get my license in the next two to three weeks. Cash Duck is still going well. I am doing good the Pinecone Research but thats only about $15 a month. I found some more GPT (Get Paid To) sites but I need to make sure they are legit first. Once I find out the good ones I will do a post and list them. I want to take advantage of the free time I will have for the next two months and bank in as much extra money as I can. Once my Sweet Pea comes back it will once again be her world. She will be back in school and I want to get her into to some extracurricular ...

Credit Score as of 5/17/07 (average of all three credit scores): 678 Credit Score as of 6/20/07 (average of all three credit scores): 664 Down 14 dang on points! Ugh! I think those two new accounts I opened up in the last 3 months caught up with me (Discover and Chase). And most likely the extra $1000 I added to my credit card debt in April might have done a bit of damage also. This is why I hate moving. I got stuck paying two rents and all those moving expenses and deposits. I know it will pay off in the log run since I did save myself $300+ a month and now stay in a larger and nicer apartment. Well I need to get back on the ball with that. I have to have the following items in check before I can start home shopping: Get debt-to-income ratio down to under 40%. (currently at 42% ). Get credit limit-to-credit balance ratio under 50% (currently at 39% ) Have a credit score of 750 or higher by August 2007 (currently at 664 ) Have $3000 saved in my Emergency Cash Fund (currently $67...

Nuf said! Hope you all are having an awesome day. I know I am. :-D Dimps Out

Yes indeedy! Today was an awesome day. The president of the company came in today and wanted to speak to me. My heart started pounding. What in the world was going on? Was I bout to get the pink slip? Nope! Mz Dimps got herself an 8% raise and a nice chunky bonus . A very chunky bonus! OMG!! My cheeks hurt so much from smiling so hard. God is good! I prayed and prayed about this and then out of the blue the blessings came. You ever notice that when you get good news like a bonus or a raise at work that you can't get any work done the rest of the day? I spent about an hour or more calculating my new salary and trying to figure out what I would be taking home every paycheck. If my calculations are correct I will be taking home an extra $125 EACH paycheck. YEAHH BOYYYY!!! And if you thought the good news ended there you were dead wrong buddy. LOL. I just realized that because my daughter is staying with her grandparents this summer I do not have to pay for her scho...

Not bad huh? Well there is a method to my madness. Hair: $17 for extensions. $35 for the style. I go to a local college student who has been doing my braids and sew-ins for the last year or so. I would have paid $100 at the hair salon. Nails: $17 + $3 tip = $20 for a full set. The regular cost is $22 but college students receive $5 off on Sundays. Yes I used my college ID card. And yes I graduated in 2005. Oh well they don't know that........LOL. Facial: Free. Did it myself at home. Unless I can find a spa that can give a facial formulated for my type of skin, I will always do it myself. Last time I attempted a facial at a spa I broke out even before I left the seat. Ugh! New Fit: $25 total. I went to one of my favorites, Burlington Coat Factory. I luvs that store. Bought myself a cute top and some slacks. And where did I find the money to pay for all this? Cash Duck silly. LOL. I received my second payment via paypal on Thursday. $160 for my spendin...

Hey all! Sorry I have been MIA these past couple of weeks. Work and life has been hectic. I just got back in from out-of-town. I went down to South Florida to see my parents and siblings. My mom just had surgery for her fibroids and my daughter has been bugging me to go to see her fam for the longest. My mom is doing well and will be taking the whole 6-8 week recovery time to rest and heal. Per my mom's request, my daughter will now be spending the rest of the summer with them. YESSS!!!!!!!!!! So I am child-less for the next 2 months or so. I am so giddy I can't stay still. This will be like a vacation for me. LOL. It sounds bad but you gotta understand; For the last 5 years it has been nothing but my daughter's world. Everything I did had to do with her in some way. This will be the first time in a LONG time where I can actually plan a weekend just for myself. Or go out with my friends and not have to worry about a babysitter. I can actually get ready fo...