Well, I have several good pieces of news. Last Saturday afternoon, I looked at my calendar and went into a panic when I realized that I did not have enough money in my checking to cover both my car insurance and Netflix. (Yes, I know Netflix is a ridiculous service to subscribe to if you are in debt, but I cannot convince my dh to drop it.) I took care of that. Anyway, I also had a dental visit coming up on Monday. After taking a couple of deep breaths, I came up with a solution. I would use my cc to pay for the visit and as soon as I could get to a computer after the appointment, schedule a payment for the exact amount to the cc to occur after my payday. (I fully realize this is not an optimal solution, but I had put off this dental visit for over two months, rescheduling several times.)

Yes, I did get paid today. I normally get paid every other week on Friday, but I guess they let us have out pay early because of the holidays. This morning, after reconciling my checking account, I paid the cell phone bill and Hospital Bill #1 for this month.

After reading through my email, I answered surveys. (Aren't holidays great? You can get so much done in so little time.) One of my survey places allowed me to cash in points for $7.20. I will get that check in about a month. It will be added to my $20 challenge (Conference Challenge).

1. 1 Medical Bill Paid Off in March.

2. Hospital Bill #1 Paid Down $200 in 2008

3. Hospital Bill #2 Paid Down $750 in 2008

4. My goal of eliminating cc debt has not succeeded. It's been going up and down like a yo-yo.

5. My goals of establishing savings to buy a car and house have not succeeded. I think I may have to pay off all debt before attempting this again.

6. In my quest to not get further into cc debt, I have managed to accumulate money to go to a conference next summer.

7. I have continued to contribute to my 403b account. I haven't checked it in several months, though.

Well, I got paid yesterday, so I took $80 from the atm. $60 goes towards the Conference Challenge and $20 is for snacks when I am at work. I usually take enough trail mix and fruit with me to work that it is not a big deal to have only $20 cash for that for one week.

My dh had to use the cc to upgrade antivirus software on his computer, so he gave me a $30.00 check to pay to the cc. I deposited the check yesterday and promptly paid $50.00 to the cc.

I also paid $75.00 on Hospital Bill #2, bringing the balance to $2002.60. Yahoo!

I have also been putting any change I get back into a separate little change purse which I then empty out into a little can when I get home.

Well, I got paid again on Friday. My hospital debt #1 is down to $918.58 and #2 is down to $2077.60. I have not yet paid the cc, but will sometime tonight. I also got a check for grant money to attend a conference next June. That along with a little bit from this paycheck and a small survey check brings my Conference Challenge total to (drum roll here) $1890.00 with $1015.00 of that being locally available. I need to plan for a contingency of not having a hotel roommate at the conference and so I need to gather about another $650.00. Once my conference presentation has been approved, I can ask my work to buy my plane ticket. Yea! A couple of more steps closer to freedom.

Well, I got a reimbursement from my employer for a conference I went to. This brings my Conference Challenge amount to $516.00.

I have already decided that when I get my reimbursement for the conference I am going to, I will use however much it takes to wipe out the rest of hospital debt #1. Woo-hoo! The rest of the reimbursement I want to hang onto in a special account for the conference I go to in 2010.

Officially, I have $1521.00 for the Conference Challenge. I have $396.00 in cash. I also found out on Friday that I have been awarded a grant for $250.00 and professional development funds for $875.00. The professional development funds I don't get up front. I get reimbursed after I return from the trip I am going on. I have not received the check for the grant yet, but should soon. I am expecting some survey checks soon and I will also receive a reimbursement check for about $120.00 for another conference I went to.

I logged in to one of my survey places and found that I have enough points to cash in. I will get a paypal deposit for $5.00. When I get the money, I will set it aside for the Conference Challenge.

I got paid again yesterday. Today, I put $60 towards the Conference Challenging, bringing the balance to $176.00.

Well, I got paid again today. I already wrote out my checks to pay bills last night. I have paid $20 to hospital bill #1, bringing the balance to $958.58. I will also pay $30 on the cc. I will get $60 tomorrow for the Conference Challenge. My retirement has also gone up to $13,017.35.

The last time I actually counted my Conference Challenge money it was $109.00. It mysteriously ballooned to $116.00. I don't know how, but I am not going to question it.

Well, I cashed my $6.00 check from the Dollar General CFL Rebate today. I have put it aside for the Conference Challenge.

I got $20.00 from the atm yesterday and added it to the Conference Challenge.

I also received a $6.00 check in the mail from the Dollar General CFL Bulb Rebate. I will cash it on Monday and put it into the Conference Challenge.

My goal on my next payday (September 5th) is to put $80.00 into the Conference Challenge.

Woo-Hoo!

Last Friday while on vacation, I had to transfer $50.00 out of savings in order to pay for gas to take my dh to the vet hospital 3 hours away. Well, at least I had the $50.00. :|

Well, I got paid again on Friday. I also received a $20.00 survey check in the mail. The survey check and an extra $40.00 from my paycheck have been set aside for the Conference Challenge, bringing the total to $63.00. I set aside $30.00 into my savings.

My retirement account is bigger and is currently at $12,682.81. Wow.

My hospital bill is down to $978.58. I just keep chopping away at it and pretty soon it will disappear.

Also, I went to the grocery store today. The store was having massive sales on everything, including Butterball turkey strips. There is approximately 2 servings in a box. I usually buy two boxes and it is enough for me to make something like chicken soup. Yum. Well, today turkey strips were on sale for 5 for $10.00. Yes, I know this does not sound very frugal and that if I just buy fresh chicken or turkey, I could make my soup even more cheaply, but I absolutely hate pulling meat off the bone, so this is worth it to me. This price is very cheap considering the boxes are usually $3.99, I think, and I only buy them on sale and with a coupon. I had a coupon for $1.00 off of 2 boxes, so I bought 4 boxes, bringing the per box total to $1.50 and total amount to $6.00. With that I have enough chicken to make 2 weeks worth of lunches. Cool beans. I also realized when making my shopping list that I have turkey sausage links in my freezer that I need to eat. I set out to find something to pair them with. I love sauerkraut and almost bought some, but I settled on a cheaper and healthier alternative. Red beans and rice. That should make about 2-3 more lunches for me.

This morning I went to a co-worker's house in a nearby town. She has been doing a lot of work on renovating her house and getting rid of old stuff she no longer needs or wants. Good for me. She was getting rid of one of those particle board type cabinets with the doors on the front. She also wanted to get rid of a small bookcase. I was willing to pay $40.00 for both together, but she would not accept more than $20.00.

I work at a university and received an email yesterday that a church was doing a "giveaway sale" of all kinds of things like clothing, household items, etc. You can bet I was there almost when the doors opened. I took away a small cardboard box full of clothing. I seem to have an eternal need for those Dockers type pants, as mine seem to quickly fade from black to gray and I look unprofessional. I gave the church a little bit of money which they were confused about, but I told them I can afford to pay and did not feel right walking away with so much stuff. They were all smiles and gratitude.

Wow. I feel so lucky. I have some stuff that I need and other people are is rid of stuff they do not need. The universe works in mysterious ways.

I just got a survey check in the mail, so that means $6.00 more for the Conference Challenge.

I went to Dollar General yesterday to buy some stuff, including CFL lightbulbs. Their CFLs are way cheaper than anywhere else in town and they are the same brand! Anyway, the price of the bulbs at my store is $4.00, but you can pick up a form to get $3.00 back for each bulb you buy. There is a maximum rebate of $6.00. Cool. I get to get CFLs which generate less heat and use less electricity. Very important these days. When I get my rebate, I will put it into the Conference Challenge!

This probably sounds like a funny name for a Challenge. I have to go to a conference for my work next June. Actually, I have a choice of two different conferences, one that would cost about $1500 and the other about $1000. I would like to do a presentation at one of them. If my proposal for a presentation is accepted, I can get extra money from my employer to go, but I will not get reimbursed after I return. My boss did tell me I could put my airfire on the organization's credit card but that there is some drawback. I also emailed a colleague in Hawaii about sharing a hotel room. Great, so I'm going!

Anyway, to avoid last minute panic or putting anything on my credit card, I am setting aside any survey loot, rebates, and other "found money" aside for going to this conference.

Currently, this fund has $23.00 in it. I am expecting a paypal deposit of $20.00 from a survey site soon and also $6.00 for a CFL lightbulb rebate.