What will be your Space Jam?

I saw this today at church and I loved it.  I hope it inspires you.

What I've....

.....been playing lately:

Fanatsica:

Fantasica is an social mobile game with RPG as well as Tower Defense elements. Collect, trade, and train your Hero cards to attack other players and complete quests while doing the same to Monster cards, used to defend your Luna (Currency) from other players. The game also uses a unique ally system, where you can call other players to assist you in battle, earning you and them ally points (spent on boosting certain attributes). Taken from the Fanatisca Wikia site: Click Here.

It drew my interests because it looked like Final Fantasy Tactics.  As it turns out, a lot of its artwork comes from a Final Fantasy artist.  It is free to play but it allows you to spend money to get better quickly (which I don't do).

I'm a big fan of Tower Defense games and this game is a great Tower Defense game with the RPG twist. Tower Defense games are really good on mobile devices.  The game is easy to play and can be played on any iPhone, iPad, or android device.  Every week or two there is a different event that players can participate in. 

I found that it is a perfect game to play with an active child around as it does not suck up a lot of your time.  Although, my wife would not agree with me on that as I have been playing it a lot lately.  But hey, I'm trying to be competitive for the next arena event.

If you want to add me as an Ally or use my player code to get you a better card starting off.  Use my ID 60225261.

Saving money on commuting

At the end of the month I will be transferred to a new work location.  At first my wife and I looked at moving closer to my work but with the upcoming birth of our next child, we decided to stay in our current house.  However, we started looking for another vehicle which would work for commuting and be decent for our growing family.  We want to get a new vehicle without a loan.  With me commuting, a van and/or SUV would be out of the question.  But I wanted something with more room.

A few years ago, before the debt busting, I bought a new Scion TC and loved it.  I've really loved the Scion brand.  The TC was a two door sedan but they have a four door vehicle that looks like a toaster on wheels, the Scion XB.  To me, it is like a smaller suv without the 4x4 and a powerful engine.

After talking to the wife (I had to do a lot of convincing), she agreed that we could get a Scion XB .  I hope to be able to get one in the next few months.

My wife and I reviewed how much we could save in fuel costs by getting the Scion XB.  Currently I drive this type of car:

  It is a 2001 VW Jetta 1.9t Wolfsburg. It gets roughly 29 mpg and requires premium fuel.  It has a turbo engine and I love the power.

This is what we are looking to get:

It gets roughly 35 mpg and requires regular fuel.

I would be commuting 126 miles a day.

We estimated that I would save $3.83 per day which would save us roughly $1000 a year.

Wow!  That is great savings.

Welcome back!

A lot has changed over the last year.  A lot of it was for the better.  I turned 30 and had a pretty big celebration that included getting a box to a baseball game and a family trip to Disneyland.  I was also able to find another job (in a completely different industry).  We also found out that we are going to be expecting another child which was great news.  With that we also had a few health scares that seem to be all fine now.


2012 Goals (Mostly Financial):

1. Pay off my undergrad loan.
2. Pay off my master loan.
3. Setup a safety net.
4. Find a job to support the family.
5. Pay off any other debt.
6. Have a great 30th party.

We completed all the goals!

2013 Goals (Not just financial):

1. Welcome another child into the family.
2. Finally get back into some type of shape.
3. Buy a new car.
4. Save enough for a down payment on another house.
1. This is to prepare that we will need to move due to my job.
5. Start my business/non-profit.
6. Visit the east coast and see the grandparents.
7. Potty train our oldest child.
8. Successfully transfer to a one income family.
9. Join a life group.

Toll Booth Workers

I've had to drive through the toll booths on my way home from my new job.  I've done it about three times this week and I noticed that the workers never really look at you and they barely acknowledge you.  Are they never happy?

This is the toll booth I drive through to work.

Maybe one of these days I'll pay toll to a worker who looks happy.  I'll let you know when I do.

Future changes?

In my previous post, I wrote about getting a new job and since then I finally cleared all my background checks, reference checks, and medical/physical checks (yes I had to have a physical for this job).  I've never been through such an intensive background check and, even though I knew I was going to pass, it was still a little nerve-racking.

Now that I'm for sure done and going to start a new job, it looks like our future plans might be changing.  The basics will be the same.  I still have plans for my 30th birthday party, next year we are going to Hawaii for the first time for our 10 year anniversary, and I still want to finish paying off the last of our debts (mortgage not included).  However, now we're looking at moving to cut down my commute.

This addition of moving is very excited.  Now we have to decide if we will be renting or selling our current house.  It might not happen and there are a lot of things that need to be done first.  I have to finish paying off the student loans, I need to have the money saved for the Hawaii trip, I need to have made it through my 90 days at work, I need to like my work (no worries here), I need to have all the little things repaired at our current house, I need to have a down payment saved, and I need stay in the current house till November.

This is going to be both exciting and nerve-racking.  The target date to start looking at houses will be October.

I got a new job!

I haven't had much time to post but I do have good news.  I got a new job in the Healthcare industry.  I can't post many details for now but this is a complete industry change for myself.  I'm looking forward to it.  It kinda just happened and moved very quickly.  Wish me luck!

If you are keeping track, the is my second job change within a year.  I don't like how I did this but the new company offered me something I couldn't pass up.