So I got my annual salary increase letter today. This is the first time I’ve gotten one at my current place of employment and I stared at the envelope with a mix of nervousness, fear, and excitement for a few minutes before opening it (yes, okay, I’ll admit I indulged about 10 seconds’ worth of wild fantasies about what if it’s something huge like a 10% raise?!?). The verdict? A three percent increase. Okay, cool, that’s nice. I’ll take whatever increases I can get! And then I started wondering what the usual annual percentage increase is for cost-of-living adjustment. Is it 3%? Usually a bit less? I believe my increase at my previous place of employment was 2.5% (maybe less? Whatever, I was making $17.25 so whatever it was bumped me all the way up to something like $17.80), but that was there. What was I supposed to make of the 3% raise here? Continue reading “It’s annual salary increase time so let’s talk money”
How I got a credit card sign-up bonus without bankrupting myself
I realized last year that my first credit card (and my only one aside from the Old Navy credit card I’d close if it didn’t have a ridiculously large line of credit for something like $7,000 which would greatly negatively affect my overall ratio of available credit if I got rid of it) was one I’d gotten in college and really wasn’t doing much for me anymore, so I got a cash back card. Who doesn’t like cash back, right? However, this year I’ve been reading about travel hacking and have always idly been considering a credit card that would get me travel rewards. Continue reading “How I got a credit card sign-up bonus without bankrupting myself”
May 2017: the Azores and a wedding
This month in Erin’s finances saw a trip to the Azores and a weekend trip up to New Jersey for one of my best friends’ wedding, so it was certainly an atypical month. I’m just going to jump right in with all the gory numbers from May: Continue reading “May 2017: the Azores and a wedding”