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About Me:

Monkey Mama

Just a 47-year-old mom of 2 in Northern California. My kids are Monkey Monkey(MM) and Drama Llama (DL). I am married to Monkey Hubby (MH).

We were a one-income family for 13 years. In late 2015 my spouse returned to work (minimum wage/part-time/seasonal). Something recent on his resume just buys us more options for the long run. The main benefit of this job is that he just works while the kids are in school. As always, we are saving 100% of his income.

We saved a lot while we were very young and also moved to a lower cost-of-living area, to make life much simpler. We still live in California though (in one of the most expensive regions of the U.S.). *Simple* and *inexpensive* is relative.

Likewise, we have never had debt aside from our mortgage.** My blog is a testament to how much simpler life is without debt; how we have that much more money to both save and enjoy!

**Caveat: I have no problem whatsoever with credit cards paid off monthly, or low-risk credit arbitrage (for example, 0%-interest debt while earning 5% on FDIC-insured cash). These are the kinds of debt we have had. Just not interested in high-interest debt, using debt to buy beyond means, and not interested in the hassle that comes with loans and payments. With age and means, the latter (hassle) is our biggest debt avoidance motivation.

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2024 Goals

[ ]Small monthly Charitable Contribution
...($156 @ 6/30/24)
...Trying to be more mindful about how the little amounts add up and are helpful.
...This is not an all inclusive list of charitable giving but it is a new habit I want to add in addition to other donations of time, goods and money

[ ]Pay cash for college
...This is so much a given, to me. But I realize not everyone can read my mind, and so will memorialize in my goal list.
...#1 We don't do Debt
...#2 The student loan system is a scammy and corrupt mess.
...Seriously, wouldn't touch these student loan servicers with a ten foot pole.
MM YEAR 1 ✔
MM YEAR 2 ✔
MM YEAR 3 ✔
MM YEAR 4
MM YEAR 5

DL YEAR 1 ✔
DL YEAR 2
DL YEAR 3

[ ]$10,000 to savings
...($7,121 @ 8/31/24)
...$1,000/month, plus interest
...Topping off with snowballs

[ ]$7,500 to investments
...($3,691 @ 8/31/24)
...~~$350~~ $400/month, plus snowflakes
(Snowflakes: credit card rewards and dividends)
...Topping off with snowballs
...Note: Bumped up to $400 9/1, re: reduced food expenses

[ ]$2,025 to mortgage
...($0 @ 8/31/24)
...Topping off with snowballs and/or excess cash
...Keeps us on track with $10K principal paydown per year

[/]9% of household income to work retirement plans
...(9% @ 8/31/24)
...This is the minimum for the match; I'd otherwise rather fund IRAs.
...Note: Total retirement savings rate is 20% (with IRAs)

Goal savings rate = 25% of gross salary, plus funding IRAs from other sources.

[ ]$14,000 to IRAs 2024 (MAX)
...($0 @ 8/31/24)
...Will fund with MH's income
...Will not fund until the year is over. This is for tax and planning reasons. I won't know what mix of Traditional/ROTH IRA we literally can contribute until we do our 2024 taxes. In addition to that, can make a more informed decision based on our financial and tax situation for the entire year.

-------------------------------

**Long-Term Goals**

[X]$500,000 in retirement accounts by age 45.

Current big picture goal:

[ ]$1 Mil in retirement accounts by age 52.

Stretch Goal: Achieve by age 50

Have decided to pretty much stay the course. Keep saving 20%+ to retirement. This means taking 401K match & maxing out IRAs.

NOTE: WE HAVE NEVER CONTRIBUTED LESS THAN 10% TO RETIREMENT. NO EXCEPTIONS.

If we can't achieve at least 10%, then something else has to give. I share because it's infinitely easier to save for retirement if you start early. Let the investments do the hard work for you.

-------------------------------

Debt: $85,000 mortgage
{Home Purchase Price $290,000}

Ongoing goal is to *never borrow money again.*

Took on a $230k mortgage in 2001 and have not added to that.

-------------------------

Net Worth: Increase net worth by $600,000 in the next 10 years. This is my "financial independence" goal.

2017: +$ 70,000 (partial year)
2018: +$ 51,000
2019: +$105,000
2020: +$104,000
2021: +$215,000
2022: <$ 65,000>
2023: +$ 90,000
TOTAL: +$570,000

This is in line with prior goal, saving 100% of our expenses every year.

{Our expenses are far more consistent than our income. Also, helps to prevent "living up to income."}

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My Pages

HELP!! Cell Phone Wizards?

August 1st, 2013 at 07:55 pm

Gah, What a Week!!!

Dh's cell phone just DIED. We actually tend to keep our phones for 4+ years, and anyway, have aboslutely *never* had a phone die in contract. The phone is 14 months old; warranty is 12 months.

Dh went over to the Sprint store and they are totally insane over there. They think we want to pay $800 up front to keep our cell phone service. The workaround they offered was we could buy a tablet for $450, and pay an additional $5/month for it. But you know, that is what you get when you talk to sales people.

{Maybe the timing isn't half bad with our huge home repair bill. I think dh was in an extra "Are you Insane?!?" kind of mood. Though I think he is peeved enough anyway, regardless of other factors}.

Plan B is to call the retention department. If they rather us walk away and cancel our contract, then whatever. We were quoted $200-ish for that, which is so far by a mile the best option they offered. I find it hard to believe they rather us walk away than find a more sane solution. BUT... I have been surprised before.

Anyway, so I throw this out just to see if anyone has been in this situation and what they did. ?????????? Or any ideas to just get cheaper service??

I am sending him all sorts of Ting links and yadda yadda, but this is still a tough sell for him. He did tell me a new phone was $600 from Ting. I sent him the link for their used phones and told him the rest of us could switch over without buying any phones. I am still not convinced he is being 100% logical. But this is maybe the best bet I have since he is really backed into a corner.

He is so PEEVED that he is seriously talking about going phoneless. This is probably the cheapest option, but not the most helpful from a *boycott* standpoint since we'd have to keep paying his line.

Posted in Just Thinking | 11 Comments »

11 Responses to “HELP!! Cell Phone Wizards?”

MonkeyMama Says:
August 1st, 2013 at 08:13 pm 1375388023
1375388023

Okay. Sprint offered a refurbished smart phone for $100. At least we have entered the realm of sanity.

We realized no decisions today - will have to do some research of options. So we might think about it for a few days.
ceejay74 Says:
August 1st, 2013 at 08:19 pm 1375388346
1375388346

How weird. I was on contracts with providers for years before we went prepaid, and they ALWAYS had a free replacement phone for me as long as I agreed to a renewal of the contract.
FrugalTexan75 Says:
August 1st, 2013 at 09:33 pm 1375392837
1375392837

Wow, that is pretty bizarre the phone dying like that. I was going to suggest checking Ebay or Craigslist for used phones (being sure to check that they work with your network) although it sounds like you found a good solution.
MonkeyMama Says:
August 1st, 2013 at 11:25 pm 1375399507
1375399507

@ceejay - Well, that's interesting!

@FT - we perused Craigslist a bit, but seems really iffy. I wonder if they sell on ebay (Where you can least get a feel for seller reputation).

Oh, and my dad insists on looking at the phone. Who knows - maybe he can fix it. *fingers crossed* I am not holding my breath, but who knows...
creditcardfree Says:
August 2nd, 2013 at 02:28 am 1375410524
1375410524

I know my brother in law bought a used phone from either Ebay or Amazon while still on contract for about $100. It worked great for him. I would definitely choose a credible seller.
Caoineag Says:
August 2nd, 2013 at 01:00 pm 1375448435
1375448435

Yeah they should have refurbished phones for you to buy. Big fan of switching to Ting as that is what I did but if he is planning on refusing to buy anything other than the $600 phone, I am not sure that is such a great deal either ($400 is common for a fancy new phone but the refurbished models are great and well under $300 for the nice phones).
Joe Says:
August 2nd, 2013 at 01:58 pm 1375451918
1375451918

My wife thought her phone died last week. I took a look at it and couldn't get it to work. Our 13 year old asked to see it. She took the battery out, waited 10 seconds and replaced it. The phone worked! I asked her how she knew to do that and she said she saw a guy at the Verizon store do it for a customer.
Just Me Says:
August 2nd, 2013 at 09:20 pm 1375478421
1375478421

Like Mr. Money Mustache, I switched to Republic Wireless a few months ago. For me, it's awesome. I love it. Unlimited data, talk, text (No SMS) for $19.00 per month. Phone isn't too expensive. I know the service isn't for everyone, but for MMM and my family, it's perfect.
crazyliblady Says:
August 3rd, 2013 at 12:30 am 1375489827
1375489827

Try checking ebay for a used phone like the one he already has. Just transfer the sim card and it should work.
crazyliblady Says:
August 3rd, 2013 at 12:34 am 1375490097
1375490097

If he needs just a basic phone, check out tracfone. You can buy them at Big Lots, Dollar General, Walgreens, and probably other places. The cost of the phones depends on which one you get, but as low as $5.00 and up. My most recent one was $5.00 and I can call and text. It is a Samsung and I have had it 3 years. Phone cards vary from $19.99 for 60 minutes and up. If all you need is a phone and don't want a contract, prepaid is the way to go.
MonkeyMama Says:
August 4th, 2013 at 03:30 pm 1375630258
1375630258

Thanks for any and all tips. My dad, an electronics engineer, officially proclaimed the thing is dead beyond repair. (We gave it to him as a last ditch effort, and so he would stop telling us that it was "probably just the battery.").

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Monkey Mama*s Monkey Money Blog

Over Prepare, Then Go With The Flow

HELP!! Cell Phone Wizards?

11 Responses to “HELP!! Cell Phone Wizards?”

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