2008: A Year in Review

With the year winding down, it’s always fun to look back and see all the things you have done during the year. It’s also a good way to make plans for the new year.

Here’s a look back at 2008 for My Dollar Plan:

January

• I caught an episode of a popular TV show and couldn’t resist running the numbers on Deal or No Deal. I also Canceled my Sprint Service for a cheaper plan.
• As my maternity leave winded down, I asked Should I Stay Home or Go Back to Work?

February

• I decided to Go Back to Work and assessed my Life Mix Pie Chart.
• I made plans to Sell My Car and told my Husband: What to do if I die!

March

• I revealed Our Dumbest Purchase Ever and started to Consider a Refinance.
• I also had a surprise in my taxes and had to Recharacterize an IRA.

April

• I found out I was Missing Some Money and worked on Diversification of our Income.
• My company announced an early retirement package and gave us Two Weeks to Decide. I decided I needed a couple more months and Passed on the Opportunity.
• Readers highlighted their 30 Money Saving Tips.

May

• Even though it is fun to save money, I detailed Frugal Tips I Can’t (or Won’t) Do.
• I also covered Tips to Keep the Wedding Costs Down for the newly engaged readers.

June

• I finally Refinanced our Mortgage and Created CD Ladders.
• In addition, We Sold My Car and I started the Kids & Money Site at About.com.
• I also covered How to Handle Irregular Paychecks and What is Credit Card Arbitrage?

July

• I Quit! and made plans to Make Early Roth IRA Withdrawals.

August

• We Dug Up The Water Pipes at Our House, which was quite an event!
• I also came up with an Unconventional Roth IRA Strategy to Lower our Tax Bill.

September

• The election race heated up, and I chimed in with My Advice for Sarah Palin in addition to detailing the myth about the $7,500 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit.
• To celebrate my last day of work, I detailed 29 Steps I Took to Leave the Workforce at Age 29.

October

• Markets took an interesting turn during The Great Bailout of 2008.
• I Reshuffled My Whole Cash Back Credit Card Plan to compensate for some cards cutting back their rewards.
• I asked: Do You Report All Your Income? and was in awe by the amazing debate in the comments!

November

• We celebrated our First Anniversary at My Dollar Plan and I Opened a New Solo 401k.
• My Frugal Dream Came True when CVS opened in my area, and I made a master plan for readers to score Free Stuff on Black Friday.

December

• Our Adventures in Digging came to an end.
• With the market drop, I also contemplated Taking a Loss on an IRA among other End of Year Tax Planning Ideas.

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