Three weeks ago, I was so excited to have reached RM7,100 for my E-Fund Account.

At that time, I was certain that I would reach my goal of RM10,000 within 3 months, that’s by the end of May.

But now, it won’t be reaching RM10,000 within 3 months or by the end of May as anticipated by me!

It will take longer as I just dug out RM1,210 for a new cpu and a regulator after my almost-5-year-old cpu finally stopped working three weeks ago.

My initial plan was to buy a laptop/notebook so that i) hubby could carry it to school to use, or ii) I could do my online work when traveling to KL or other places.

But then with a budget of RM1,500, the closest I could get was model like Acer Aspire 4253-E352G32L with 1.60GHz, Acer Aspire 4738Z-622G32L with 2.13GHz or Asus A42F-VX203 with 2.13GHz.

According to a colleague, I should get a laptop since I have already had another desktop computer in the house. My sister’s opinion is that I can do my online work in Kuala Lumpur if I have a portable notebook.

After weighing different opinions given by family members, friends and colleagues, hubby and I thought getting a new cpu would be the most practical option in terms of price and GHz.

Hubby’s buddy helped pick an Intel Dual Core E5700 3.0GHz cpu for us at RM1,100 and a regulator at RM110.

Maybe when my earnings of Amazon Associates Program brings me a steady income of USD $1,000 every month, I will reward myself with a notebook powered by Intel Core i7 Processor. ^.^

I am still very grateful to be placed in AKPK’s debt management program. Had (hubby and I) not been in the program, it wouldn’t have been possible for us to i) pay big expenses in cash or ii) bump up our emergency funds.

I did make a few 2010 New Year Resolutions. They were not 100% achieved, but I did do my best to reach at least 50% for most of the goals.

In year 2010, I vowed to beep up my big emergency fund to RM6,000, that was 3 months’ living expenses. Did it go down in a blaze of glory? Of course not. I hit 50% of the RM6,000 goal.

In year 2011, my resolution is to fully fund my big emergency fund with five months of expenses or RM10,000 in my family’s case. It’s quite an achievable amount because of the existing amount saved in bank plus 12 months’ rental equivalent to RM4,800 plus a small portion of hubby’s monthly salary.

To be frank, had hubby and I not been in AKPK debt management program, it wouldn’t have been possible to stash away extra money as big and small emergency fund savings!

Of course, changing to a smaller cc car that required no car loan did help save up more money. From paying RM820 a month to zero, how do I feel? Great! ^.^

Speaking of emergency fund accounts, I have 2. One is for big emergencies and another is for small emergencies. There were quite a few small emergencies like two car repairs and a heater that sucked out about RM1,500 from the small emergency account.

Due to the above unavoidable expenses, the balance in the small emergency account shrank to about RM3,000 as of 31.12.2010. My resolution for the small emergency fund account is to beep it up to RM10,000 in year 2011. It can be achieved provided there aren’t many unexpected expenses.

2011 New Year’s Resolution – Fully Funded Big and Small Emergency Funds (RM10,000 Each)

Did you make any financial New Year’s Resolutions this year? What are they?

It was written in February 2008, a few months before I joined AKPK free debt management program. I blogged about why there was a need to set up an emergency fund and how I saved up for the fund.

I did start saving up for emergency fund at that time, but it didn’t last long. I dug out the money after having not enough money to pay the bills and daily expenses.

Fast forward to today, I am glad that I have some savings in my personal saving account that I can fall back on should there be an unexpected home repair like leaking toilets and clogged water pipes that cost me more than RM1,000 last month and a sharp drop of online income in June.

I have God to thank for putting me in AKPK’s debt management program in October 2008. Since joining the program, there has always been extra money left to be saved in my saving account.

Implementing the ‘Pay Yourself First’ method is also easier when hubby has a steady monthly income together with my online income. Each month on his payday, I will online transfer RM100 into my secret savings account from his account. Similarly, I will transfer RM50 or RM100 from my biweekly pay into the secret account.

I expect more savings on the second half of year 2010 provided (1) I am employed as an account clerk in hubby’s school. I am still waiting for a job interview. Hopefully the principal sees that I am cut out for the job; (2) My online income bounces back to between RM1,500 and RM2,000.

In brief, I would not have been able to save some money as emergency fund if I hadn’t been in AKPK debt management plan that helps restructures my multiple credit card and personal loan payments (more than RM1,500) to ONE small monthly repayment (RM320).

God has to be kidding with me. Just as I was so blessed with my personal savings, rental income and increasing online income (AKPK DMP Blogger is Back to Financial Track Slowly and Steadily) , boom, my Google AdSense and paid review earnings dropped tremendously.

Yes, a sharp decline in my online income! From making around $1,000 a month to less than $300 now! Boo hoo hoo. This is totally unacceptable as it came out of no where and caught me off guard.

All of a sudden, the online assignments given by an advertising network dropped by 70% starting 3 weeks ago. And then my Google AdSense earnings began to see a decline from more than $10/day to $5 a day to, oh my God, less than $1 today!

If there still aren’t many online assignments this week, it’s for sure that I must look for a full time job to supplement my online income that falls to less than $300 or RM1,000 a month.

This RM1,000, plus hubby’s RM2,000 ++ income, is simply not enough to pay our AKPK debt repayments (RM680), auto loan (RM820), home loan installment and bank overdraft charge (RM525), flat rental (RM270), internet connection fee (RM110), utility and cell phone bills. Besides, there are still meal expenses and groceries.

A cut of 70% on my online income! Is it temporary because of the 2010 FIFA World Cup fever? I don’t know.

If the advertising network I am working for still gives out very few online assignments this week, I think I will have to start making appointments for job interviews.

God, are you showing me your new plan? If so, it has got to be a better plan than the one I am having now, okay? Have faith in You.

Initially hubby and I thought the leaking toilets would cost RM300 the most. Little did we know the leaking problem was so extensive that there was a must to have the 2nd floor’s toilet bowl torn apart and the waste pipe leading to the basement toilet replaced with a new one.

The plumber showed us some cracks on the old waste pipe that had caused the leaking problem. It’s an iron waste toilet pipe that had rotten away.

Well, what to do? They had to be fixed so that the tenants could move in this week.

Just as I thought everything would be fine after the plumber replaced the toilet bowl and waste pipe with new ones, the plumber said we had another problem.

Oh, no! Another problem? So far, we had forked out a total of RM1,390 for the fixes and repairs.

What’s the problem? The waste pipe of the basement toilet leading to the manhole was clogged. The plumber lifted the manhole cover and then asked me to turn on the sink faucet and flush a few times. True enough, there was no water flowing out!

The plumber said we needed an expert to have the toilet and drain pipe unblocked. Another expert? Okay, okay, so how much? RM250!

According to my tenants who were there cleaning the house, it took the guy more than 4 hours to unblock the toilet and pipe. Apparently, it’s the rusty, broken pieces of the waste pipe that brought about the blockage.

So, a total of RM1,640 had been spent on the repairs for the vacant house in Ipoh. Thank God that I have some savings to help pay the fixes and repairs.

Day 27 of 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar & Cent:

Breakfast – RM2.50
Lunch – RM8.40
Dinner – RM7.80
Total Spent: RM18.70

Day 28 of 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar & Cent:

Breakfast – RM3.20
Lunch – RM7.90
Dinner – RM7.50
Total Spent: RM18.60

Day 29 of 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar & Cent:

Breakfast – RM2.50
Lunch – RM11.50
Weight Loss Powder – RM39.90
Chicken Essence – RM64.90
Dinner – RM9
Total Spent: RM127.80

Day 30 of 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar & Cent:

Breakfast – RM7
Lunch – RM5.90
Fruits – RM4
Dinner – RM8.20
Fluorescent Lights – RM119 (for house in Ipoh)
Total Spent: RM144.10

* AKPK debt repayments of RM680, car loan installment of RM400 and Streamyx broadband access service bill of RM112 are fixed payments.

Day 25 of 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar & Cent:

Breakfast – RM7.90
Lunch – RM4
Dinner – RM4.50
Total Spent: RM16.40

This evening, hubby and I went to pack the tableware at the house in Ipoh. After wrapping for an hour, I told hubby he must have been sick to have bought/collected so many cups and glasses of different sizes, shapes and patterns throughout the years in Kuala Lumpur.

I think there must have been hundreds of pieces of cups, glasses, sauces, bowls and plates made of glass, ceramic and porcelain. New and antique ones.

Sigh, I asked hubby what I should do with all his dishes if he was no longer here one day! How much was I supposed to sell for some of his antique china collections?

Day 26 of 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar & Cent:

Breakfast – RM9.80
Kuih-Muih – RM4.40
Petrol – RM50
Hair Cut – RM7
Dinner – RM6.50
Bread – RM4
Total Spent: RM81.70

Almost fainted when hubby mentioned he would like to have the parqueted-bedroom floors to be replaced with tiles! Crazy, where do we have so much money?

There are leaking toilets that need between RM170 and RM300; a few malfunctioning fluorescent lights have to be replaced with new ones, roughly RM55; a new ceiling fan and an air-conditioner are to cost between RM1,400 and RM1,500 … oh my, …

During home cleaning in Ipoh on Thursday, I found some personal finance books which I bought many years ago! I think they were bought years before I was loaded with credit card debt or when my credit card debt was not that staggering.

Multiple Streams of Income by Robert G.Allen, The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley, Millionaire Women Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley, Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing by Robert T. Kiyosaki, The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason, …

You know how much the book of Millionaire Women Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley? Phew, RM108 in year 2004! Year 2004? Ya, my finance was okay at that time. Gosh, I must have been mad to have bought such an expensive book!

It’s apparent that I didn’t apply any of the financial tips from any of these bestsellers. If I had learned and applied the tips in the book, I wouldn’t have been in such a deep debt trouble and had to enroll in AKPK debt management program.

After struggling so much financially, I think re-reading these financial books now may bring me more insights and results than 5 years ago.

Compared to 5 years ago, I am now more responsible for my finances and willing to apply what I have learned to pay off credit card debt fast, cut down spending,  save more money and increase income.

Day 23 of 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar & Cent:

Breakfast – RM9.10
Soft Drinks – RM15.00
Lunch – RM5.60
Tea Break – RM5
Plastic Bags – RM5.30
Kitchen Faucet and Pipe – RM70 (for the house in Ipoh)
Dinner – RM10.10
Total Spent: RM120.10

Hubby and I spent the whole day cleaning the house in Ipoh. Luckily hubby took a day off, otherwise, it’s impossible to chop down a tree on the roof.

Ya, a 8-foot tree on the roof! Unbelievable, its root and stem had grown into a pipe leading to the underground! As a result, the rain water was not able to flow into the pipe and thus causing the roof area where the water tank was located flooded.

If we hadn’t taken any action, oh my, the water in the clogged area would have overflowed one day and our master bedroom would have been flooded as well. Thank God.

Million thanks to hubby’s friend whom hubby bumped into while he was out buying lunch. He came voluntarily to help hubby saw and chop down the deep-rooted tree. It took them more than three hours up there.

Also million thanks to my brother-in-law who came to change a kitchen faucet for us. He then cut off the pipe leading to the underground to see where the tree stem was heading. As it was impossible to pull out the deep-rooted stem from the old pipe, my brother-in-law had to install another pipe to let out the water on the roof top.

If we had asked a plumber to do it from chopping down the tree to cutting off the pipe to installing the new pipe, it would have cost us more than RM250. Phew, we only paid RM12 for the new plastic pipe!

However, the money saved has to go into repairing the leaking toilets. Urgh, 2 toilets are leaking! Hopefully the leaking pipes can be fixed by this Sunday so that the tenants can do the dusting, cleaning and washing.

Yes, the tenants do the home cleaning for the super dirty and messy vacant house in Ipoh in exchange for free rental for the first month!

Day 24 of 30-Day Challenge of Tracking Every Dollar & Cent:

Breakfast – RM6.60
Lunch – RM8.10
Bread – RM5.20
Kuih-Muih – RM3
Total Spent: RM22.90

So far, we have spent RM301.05 on the vacant house in Ipoh! RM187 on water meter re-installation, RM44.05 on fuse and electricity re-installation, RM48 on a kitchen faucet and RM22 on water pipes.

Guess what? There will be more spending on leaking pipes (RM200) and installing a unit of air-conditioner plus cleaning an old air-conditioner (RM1,400).

Since the air-cond technician is hubby’s kampung fellow, it’s possible that we can split the amount into 2 or 3 installment payments with 0% interest charge.

So it’s going to be about RM2,000 out of the pocket before we start seeing the RM400 monthly rental appear in our joint saving account in July.

June is a free-rental month for the tenants because they clean up the super dirty and messy vacant house for us.

As they are hubby’s party member fellows, hubby spares them the 2 months’ deposit. They just have to pay RM300 for water and electricity deposit.

Deducting the RM300 received as water and electricity deposit, the amount we have to fork out is roughly RM1,700. Phew, luckily we have some savings to help out a bit!

Thank God too because hubby and I are in AKPK debt management plans with low monthly debt repayments that make saving extra money possible.