Happy New Year!

Well, it's 2014.  A New Year and a new opportunity to start a project I don't show enough discipline to complete.

Dammit!  One of my resolutions for this year was to be less hard on myself.  Man, I'm such a failure.  Dammit!

I'm looking forward to what 2014 might bring as 2013 ended like the denouement a few hours after a large meal.  The weather turned bitterly cold to start December with a couple days of snowfall.  The weather put a damper on any plans, such as getting a Christmas tree or getting ahead of gift shopping, because, really, who wants to go shopping in that crap?  So, although the holidays occur the same time every year, they sneaked up on us yet again.  

Fortunately, I had some vacation days saved, so I was anticipating Friday, December 20 to be my last day of work for 2013.  Alas, it was not meant to be as my last snow shoveling efforts exposed me to the flu virus.  During my peak gift-getting season (the week before Christmas), I spent two days in bed.  I could have stayed home an extra day, but I didn't want to come to work on the 30th AND the 31st, so I dragged myself into the office to finish the week.

We also had a family trip planned for the weekend prior to Christmas to visit with my wife's grandparents as my father-in-law and his wife would also be in town.  The problem was the trip wasn't as simple as over the river and through the woods; it required a 5 hour jaunt through America's Dairyland, Wisconsin.  The night before we left, the slapdash efforts I made months ago to squeeze a little more useful life from our bed frame finally gave way, so we spent the night in our living room on a thin air mattress (I actually slept on the couch).  By the time the whirlwind holidays were done, we were glad just to relax; although I did have, like so many parents on Christmas day, "some assembly required" activities, namely rebuilding the bed frame.  We should be good for a longer time, as I used longer screws, mounted a curtain rod bracket to the head board and cross beam, and wrapped the whole deal with box tape.

That should be enough of the holiday blues.  There were moments of joy among all the angst.  We had a nice round of bowling with my in-laws when we were in Marinette.  The Wifey and I may have started a new tradition of going to Costco together before Christmas and picking out things each of us would like.  G-Bug and I had a "wrap-up Christmas" excursion to the Mall of America (perhaps another new tradition) to fill in any gaps in the list of things she wanted.  Also, I got an unexpected bonus from work, which helped me fulfill my end of the new family traditions.  All things considered, I'm glad to be in 2014 now.

One of the things that really bothered me as we got to the end of the year was my inability to keep updated on this blog.  I had great intentions and a lot of good ideas and experiences to blog about, but procrastination got the better of me.  I was pretty good with taking daily pictures, but I didn't want the 365 in 365 posts to be the only things for my followers.  To wrap up 2013, here are a select group of pictures taken during the year.

I'm About A Year Away From Yelling At Kids To Get Off My Lawn

During the week, my body had already said "screw this shit" by forming a stress knot in between my shoulder blades on Tuesday night and suffering from a debilitating migraine on Wednesday. Thursday was the culmination of a series of frustrations that finally reached a boiling point.

After a Happy Hour with some co-workers, I took a scenic route home through Minneapolis.  I found myself at my usual haunt, following the west river road past the Mill City ruins.  I got behind a car with North Dakota plates and had to grit my teeth as he took a deliberate pace along the road, as in deliberately trying to piss me off.  As he slowed to watch people taking Senior or engagement photos, I finally let him have it with my horn. He was unmoved.  He continued his snail's progress, not gaining any ground on another slow mover ahead of him.  Seeing as sound didn't reach him, I decided to see how close I could get to his back bumper before he was encouraged to speed up.  He would accept no encouragement.

For those who don't know, the roads on either side of the river are basically two lane residential streets with walking/biking path on one side and a sidewalk on the other. There are sections with hills and switchbacks and the speed limit is 25mph.  There are areas for passing, but most of the time there is a double yellow line in the middle of the road.

Having had enough, I gunned my engine, hit my turn signal, raced past both the North Dakota yahoo and the slug ahead of him, making sure my one finger salute was at full staff as I quickly ducked back into the lane in front of an oncoming car.  As I looked in my rearview, I could see a line of cars forming behind my nemesis.  I remained unsatisfied.

Less than a mile from where I passed the slowpokes, there is a parking lot for riverboat cruises.  Feeling unfulfilled with the finger flicking, I needed to see what these idiots looked like.  I parked my car and, knowing I had time, ambled up the embankment to the walking/biking path.  I only took a couple of steps before seeing another car whip around the lead moron like I did.  I was glad to see I wasn't the only one.  Sure enough, this was an old couple driving a Mercedes station wagon with the windows down.  I shouted something about being a nuisance and then saw the same North Dakota driver following behind.  His window was also open.  "That fucking goes for you, too!"  The look on his face told me he must have thought I was released from a halfway house and now I was shouting at random passersby.  There are a few people like that, but another couple miles down the road.

New Year's Resolutions: Quarterly Update

If Paula Abdul sang a song about my second quarter results to my New Year's resolutions, one lyric would be "he took one step forward, and two steps back." However, I remain resolute in my resolutions.  It's a new quarter and a new start to get back on the right path.  Here are the numbers.

• Post at least 315 pictures for the "365 in 365" project for 2013.  
• Update:  I'm still behind in posting weekly pictures, but I've done my best to take pictures most days.  Of the 181 pictures needed through June 30, I will have posted about 35 "place holder" pictures, a little better than an 80% average.  If I post 315 "originals" (taken on the date), that's an 85% average. I'm a little behind the pace.
• Make at least 6 posts per month to my "Novel Ideas" blog
• Update: After a strong start, I've really fallen down here.  It didn't help I took the month of May off, unintentionally.  I've made 35 posts through June, an average of just under 6 per month.  I guess I'm still on plan, but I really loaded up in the first quarter (7+ per month).  I have plenty to write about now, I just need to find the drive and time to make the posts.
• Lose 11% of my body weight, roughly 2 pounds per month
• Update:  In June the scale did read 217 pounds and some change at the lowest level for the quarter.  I did get as high as 222.  On June 30, I weighed 218.5, so I lost half a pound in the quarter.  The target was 213.  Now that the weather was warmed, I should become more active.  There are plenty of projects around the house to keep me moving and burning calories.  Plus, if I want to look good in a bathing suit while on vacation, I need to bare down for a couple weeks.
• Have +$360 in savings account by year end
• Update: This is probably the most frustrating of the 2013 goals.  We had a number of unexpected expenses arise and I had to borrow against my savings to pay bills.  To date, I'm $120 off the pace of where I expect to be.  The good news is I earned a quarterly bonus at the end of June, and when that is paid in August, I will be able to get back to plan.

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 03-31-13 "The Replacements"

The stock market has been performing surprisingly well since the Sequester first kicked in a few weeks ago.  I have had a cynical view of this success.  I’m sure there are numerous Wall Street types who are left-leaning Democrats, but I imagine most are staunch Republicans.  Now that government funding for public works and support programs are starting to dry up, I envision these One Percenters are exacting their revenge, as if to say, “since my tax dollars aren’t going to help others, I can finally put my money back to work for me.”  Fortunately, this solidly middle-class, part-time blogger has a decent cache of cash in the stock market to also reap the benefits.  I can’t say all my profits will be used to support Democratic causes, but I will donate to them as resources allow; a personal “screw you” to the Koch brothers.

I made one change to my portfolio since the last SitRep.  Out of 267 trading days of owning TECO Energy (TE), I was in the black for nine of them; and the highest profit I saw was $26.64.  I received almost $90 in dividend income from the stock, and if I don’t consider these funds as an out-of-pocket investment, I did make some money when I sold the stock.  As a replacement, I purchased shares of NutriSystem (NTRI).  The price was about half of TE, but offered a Dividend Yield three percentage points better.  I purchased enough shares to receive over 16 more shares over the course of a year in dividend reinvestment and increase my dividend income by $15 every quarter.

I will be making one more replacement after the market opens again on April 1.  My stake in H&R Block (HRB) has been steadily increasing over the last few months, to the point where my investment will not pay me a full reinvested share every quarter.  This is my goal with every stock purchase I make.  On Monday, HRB will pay a dividend, which will be reinvested in the stock.  My plan is to sell HRB and invest in Pitney Bowes (PBI).  The stock is much cheaper and has a 10% dividend yield.  I will be able to purchase enough shares to get 2 reinvested shares from the dividend and increase my dividend revenue another $11 every quarter.  Plus, I will have enough money to invest in another stock.  I could go back to TECO, but I will do some research to find a good paying stock that pays in the first month of the quarter.

Here is an update to how my current portfolio is performing:

First Month of Quarter

B&G Foods (BGS) – Small staple foods manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$9.03

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.25

H&R Block (HRB) – Chain store tax preparers

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$13.29

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  3.5

• Reached new 52-week high

Xcel Energy (XEL) – Local power company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$5.47

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

• Achieved highest profit level on investment 

Crown Crafts, Inc. (CRWS) – Baby cribs and accessories manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$0.14

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  13.25

Second Month of Quarter

Paychex (PAYX) – Small paycheck processing company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$8.28

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

NutriSystem (NTRI) – Weight loss company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    -$0.10

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  17.25

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) – Large pharmaceutical manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$12.30

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  3.50

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

Third Month of Quarter

Hershey Company (HSY) – Large chocolate manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$37.54

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  2.25

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

Mattel (MAT) – Large toy manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$18.10

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

• Achieved highest profit on investment

Waste Management (WM) – Large recycling and waste removal company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$6.65

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

New Year's Resolutions: Quarterly Update

Today is March 31st and Easter Sunday.  It also marks the end of a quarter year and I thought this would be a good time to see how I'm tracking to my 2013 New Year's resolutions.

• Post at least 315 pictures for the "365 in 365" project for 2013.  
• Update:  Although I am behind in posting regular weekly updates for my picture project, I do have pictures covering through Saturday.  Of the total 89 pictures, I have used 6 "place holders," so 93% of the pictures were taken on the day they represent.  I was hoping to post over 315 pictures by year end, so I'm on a good pace to meet this goal.
• Make at least 6 posts per month to my "Novel Ideas" blog
• Update:  I have made 22 posts to my blog prior to this one, or an average of more than 7 posts a month.  Doing good so far.
• Lose 11% of my body weight, roughly 2 pounds per month
• Update:  This morning I weighed 219 pounds, which is 6 pounds lighter than at the beginning of the year.  That is an average of 2 pounds per month.  Thumbs up!
• Have +$360 in savings account by year end
• Update:  I've been very good at saving a little bit every paycheck, but the belt has begun to tighten.  I should have +$90 now, but I'm +$50.  The Wifey and I will be getting a decent tax refund this year, so I can get myself back on plan.

A Financial Ventry

I’ve got 99 problems and money is involved in all of them.  I suppose I should look at all the good things I have and consider myself lucky, but then how do I feel the enjoyment of bitching?  After a pretty tough 2012 and looking at a looming financial horizon, what with G-Bug three years away from graduating high school, I wanted to get on a more disciplined path.  I’ve taken much of the doom & gloom reporting about retirement and the saving habits of the average American to heart and wanted to avoid being another statistic.

For New Year’s, I gave myself a moderate resolution of having an additional $360 in savings by the end of 2013.  For someone who lives from check to check, socking away $15 from 24 out of 26 paychecks in a year seemed a decent place to start.  I also wanted to bump up my 401K contribution rate to 5%, the top level where my company would match (100% match for the first 3%, then 50% match for the next 2%).  There are also a few debts I wanted to pay down in 2013, so I felt I had a good plan in place to save some, pay some, and be on my way to build up a good nest egg by the time G-Bug goes to college.

I took time to put together a rudimentary family cash flow plan to track and time all expenses I was responsible for paying as well as my pay days.  I would have to borrow repeatedly against my overdraft protection with ING throughout the year, but I did the same for all of 2012, so I was prepared for it.  When money got really tight, I was able to plan when I would late pay a bill or two until after a pay day, so I wouldn’t be playing so close to the hilt.  If I could budget accordingly, we would start seeing some marked improvement after the summer.

How does that expression go about ‘best laid plans?’