Well, my picture above doesn't have anything to do with my blog, but I love it. It is not a picture of one of my furballs, though.

Well, here I am again. Another payday. More debt paid off and more money saved. Investments for retirement have gone up. Progress is being made, a little more slowly than I would like.

My other bit of success is that my hubby and I found another house to rent that is much nicer than where we are living and only a 5 minute walk away from work. Yes, I did say (or rather write) walk to work! It is very close and solves multiple problems, such as:

1) less money spent on gas

2) easier to get to work on extreme cold weather days when I can't get my car or truck to thaw out

3) I also think I will be less tempted to spend money on snacks and other things at convenience stores. The route I will have to walk to get to work does not go near a convenience store, so I will have to "rough it" with pre-packed snacks from home and whatever I can get from a vending machine.

Also, I will be getting a 3.5% raise in my salary beginning in July. I will not be spending my new-found loot on televisions and Coca-Cola. I will be paying twice as much as I am currently paying on hospital bill #2. I will also put twice as much into my savings as I am currently.

Wow. I feel very accomplished.

I thought I would give everyone an update on a weekly basis how I am doing with the 3x5 Account. See my earlier blog at http://crazyliblady.savingadvice.com/2008/06/01/the-3x5-savi... for the details. It's really weird how having to write down every single purchase makes you really think about it and say to yourself "Do I need this?" and "What am I going to use it for?" Believe it or not, I think I have actually decreased my spending as a result of having to be conscious of it. I highly recommend doing this.

6/1 3 gallons of gas $10.11 on debit card
6/1 24 oz. iced tea and candy $1.09 cash
6/1 payment to credit card with lottery ticket winnings
6/2 20 oz soda and nuts $1.91 cash
6/2 snickers bars and 12 oz soda $1.10 cash
6/3 bottled iced tea $1.81 cash
6/3 32 oz soda and cookies $2.02 cash
6/4 20 oz coke and crackers $2.02 cash
6/4 cookies $.50 cash
6/4 took $60 out of checking to give my dh to buy a new shower head (we have separate checking accounts), but it turned out landlord had old, working shower head which was way better than what we had. And I got my $60 back!
6/5 32 oz iced tea $1.06 cash
6/5 12 oz soda and candy bar $1.10 cash
6/5 trip to Home Depot for weed killer $21.95 Debit
6/6 24 oz iced tea $1.17 cash
6/6 shipping supplies for bookmooch books $2.98 cash
6/6 shipping bookmooch books $5.16 cash

Since much of my expenditures are for iced tea or other drinks, I think I would like to get a big thermos to make iced tea and take that to work. That should cut down a lot on my trips to convenience stores on work days just for iced tea. I think I will also buy some bulk packages of crackers to take to work for munching. Much cheaper. Hmmm... Starting to think about things logically... Scary...

Well, last Friday was another payday. I have more debt paid off, more savings accumulated, and more retirement money invested.

We bought a lottery ticket about 2 weeks ago. My dh finally got around to checking it and it is a $3 winner. He gave it to me to do something with it. I cashed it in and promptly deposited it for sending to the cc. I guess $3 is not much, but it is something.

Another payday and I am more prosperous!

I got paid on Friday and paid off more debt. More money has been added to savings and retirement. Yippee! Slowly but surely as the tortoise said...

Hi, everyone. I have updated some of my numbers. I update the cc balance to reflect what it actually is right now. It has been yo-yoing up and down. I think that is soon to change. One of the reasons that I was charging so much to the card is that when the hubby and I would go on a road trip, we would have to rent a car, because we were not confident about taking our cars on long trips. Anyway, read my previous blog about getting rid of a 1968 Mustang for more info. We now have a road-worthy vehicle when can get us where we need to go. The hubby is not going to like me paying so much on the cc, but I want it paid off NOW! I am tired of feeling like I have no money and can't buy things I want and need because of it. Savings account #1 is at a local bank and the other one is an online account. I just opened it.

Hello. I thought I would write a post about my most recent win. My husband and I have made a deal to trade our 1968 Mustang for a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am. The guy with whom we are trading is a professional mechanic and wants a Mustang to make a present for his mother who had a Mustang many years ago but sold it. We really need a reliable family type vehicle because we are trying to get custody of my husband's granddaughter and need something better to get around than our 1990 Chevy Blazer. The heat and AC in our truck don't work very well and the front seats don't fold down to get into the back the way they should. The mileage is lousy. The Grand Am has smooth acceleration and braking, good gas mileage, brand new brakes, and good suspension. In short, everything works. We are so jazzed and blessed. The other guy is waiting for the title to come back from the state which should take a couple of weeks. Then, we will make the swap. In a weird sort of way, this will help us to accomplish a couple of things: reduce unnecessary spending and pay off debt in full. Whenever my husband and I have needed to go on any trip farther than a couple of hours away, we have usually rented a car. Yes, expensive I know, but we do not really trust either one of our old vehicles to make such a trip. I am so happy and content I can hardly speak!

While I had the day off today to handle some family business, I got a phone call from my doctor's office. It seems the remaining $149.19 on my bill is being written off. While I tried to tell the woman that I have every intention of paying for the bill in full, she told me to stop sending payments. The only thing that rubs me the wrong way is being seen as some kind of charity case. I hope it doesn't show up on my credit report with a black mark next to it. Oh well, instead of looking at it that way though, I will look at it as someone having done something nice for me and I will "pay it forward" to someone else when I have the chance. I may have the chance to do that sooner than I originally thought. My stepdaughter has lost custody of her two month old daughter to the social services people in my state. This was due to my stepdaughter's complete inability to learn how to be a good mom to a special needs child despite weeks of "tutoring" by nurses and other specialists who truly wanted to help her learn to be a good mom. Well, my husband and I went to a hearing today to make our wishes known that we would like be the baby's foster parents, but all the judge did was assign a lawyer to the parents and order a continuance. I see this as a true blessing for the child and for my stepdaughter.

As far as the debt goes, I feel like celebrating. One more down and three more to go!

Well, as I wrote in my previous blog earlier today, I have already spent the tax return. My hubby and I have been throwing around ideas on what to do with our $1200. We were discussing what are the problems that result in major holes in the checkbook. Well, our debt makes a big impact, of course, but I could pay that off without a big deal if we had less basic monthly expenses. We have been talking about finding a different house to rent closer to my work. If it was within 1/2 a mile of my work, I could walk to work without a problem. This would accomplish a number of things: less money spent on gas, not having to buy a parking pass, and an easy way to get to work if the weather is bad. As it is, I live 3 miles from work, which doesn't sound like a lot, but I have asthma. While I can ride a bike or walk, I come to work exhausted and sweat - not a good idea because I work in a library where I am supposed to look professional. So, when we get our $1200, we plan to start looking for a different house to rent. If we can't find something right away, we will just keep that money in a separate savings account and basically forget it exists.

Well, the tax refund thing didn't turn out exactly the way I hoped. Our tv (imagine 27" tube tv that is so heavy it requires at least two people to carry it) was about to croak. It has increasingly had lines on the screen as well as color problems for awhile now. Our tv is virtually our only source of entertainment. We rent dvds from Netflix, but we do not have cable or satellite. We had both done some research online and had a good idea of what we could afford and what we wanted. We went to Best Buy and wound up buying a floor model, which netted us about $150.00 off of the sale price. The original, before-sale price was around about $200 more. After we brought the tv home, I quickly determined we had around $41.00 leftover. I added that $41.00 to $5.00 cash I deposited to the checking account. Before I could spend it on anything, I wrote a check and sent it to my doctor's office to pay off a good hunk of my doctor's bill. Around March 7th or so, I should get a GlobalTestmarket check for $50.00, which I will use to pay off more of that debt.

I guess you all have probably heard about the impending "economic stimulus package." Well, I know that The Shrub is hoping that we all go out and spend it all on high-priced stereos and bottles of Coca-Cola. I don't know about you all, but I have a fairly specific plan on what to do with the combination of my tax return and tax rebate. Based on what my hubby has told me, we can expect at least $800 for a tax return, so here is my plan.

Assuming my tax return arrives around May, I will still owe about $135 on one doctor bill. First, I will call the doctor's office up and confirm that amount and send them a check right away.

Secondly, I want to pay off a large hunk of credit card debt, about $600.

Assuming we actually get an $800 tax return, that will leave about $65.00.

When the tax rebate check arrives ($1200 for me and the hubby and no kids), we need to replace our tv. I also consider this to be kind of a treat for paying off debt last year. It was old when we bought it at a thrift store more than 6 years ago and could not afford to buy anything else. The color is way off on the monitor and the whole thing needs to be replaced. My hubby wants an lcd tv. I saw a 26" lcd tv on bestbuy.com for $600.00. That sounds like a pretty good deal, because we don't need a real big one. In fact, I could easily go a lot smaller and have no problems at all. Anyone have any recommendations or advice on ones to not buy?

Anything that is leftover, which should be around $600 (and I plan to closely monitor this) will be sent at lightening speed to the credit card company.

Howdy, folks. I just updated my numbers on my medical debt. The numbers went up, but not because the actual debt increased. I found out I had either miscalculated or just entered it wrong. I decided that to avoid confusion, I would start keeping track of the medical debts separately rather than as a group.

Anyway, there it is.

I recently submitted a tip to Daytipper.com and it was published. Yippee! Whenever you submit a tip to Daytipper and it is publisher, they pay you $3.00. I should get my payment soon.

I also recently cashed in my points at Global Test Market, a survey company. Now, please understand that I do a lot of survey for different companies, which do occasionally pay with a $5.00 check here and there. I am supposed to get $50.00. Wow. I don't think I have ever gotten that much from a survey company before.

Not to worry, my savingadvice buddies. My loot will not be spent on shinies or bottles of Coca Cola. Both will go directly to the checking account and as soon as the deposit clears, they will be sent lightening fast to the credit card company.

Jeffrey emailed me several days ago and told me I had won second place in the "Things I Wish I Had Known" contest. I just wanted to say a big, heartfelt "Thank You" to everyone who voted for me. I was really surprise. You can be sure this money is going straight to the credit card.

Hi. Has anyone out there cashed in points at Global Testmarket. I just cashed mine in and am confused about the amount of check I will get. It's supposed to be 5 cents for point. So, if I'm doing my math right, I multiply .05 by 1000 and get $50.00. Can that be right?

I have never gotten $50.00 from a survey company before. This one is going right to the credit card.

Well, it's almost the end of the year and it seems to be a good time to take a broad perspective look at things.

1. My b-day is tomorrow. Yes, that number on the left side of the screen will change to 37 tomorrow. I will be an old woman. ;P

2. My credit card debt has not decreased a lot, but it has gone down to $1658. I don't know what my balance was last year, though. I did get the APR on my card lowered by 3%, so this should help a lot. See my blog from yesterday about that.

3. My medical debt has gone down quite a bit to a total of $4041.18.

4. My retirement has increased to $9376.80. I am really impressed. I haven't really been checking on it or doing a lot with it and I have only been contributing since July 2006.

Cool. I am happy with what I have done with my finances this year.

My goals for the coming year include:

1. Find a way to increase the amount in my short term savings (i.e., emergency savings). I don't really like to call it emergency savings, because that puts it out there that there might be an emergency.

For some reason, I can't seem to accumulate the recommended $1000 that Dave Ramsey talks about. Something always seem to come up that snatches that money away. The most I seem to be able to get to is around $300.

2. Continue to pay off the medical debt. In July, I should get a raise, after which I will double the amount I am paying on one of the medical bills.

3. Continue paying off the credit card debt. I am making one big payment for the paycheck of the month, then a smaller one for the second. In between, I am also sending small payments when I get a survey check or something.

I got a check from a survey company in the mail. I took it right to the bank and put it in my money market account. It's only $5.00, but it's $5.00 more than what I had before.

Yippee!!

Howdy, friends and neighbors.

I just got back from the grocery store and I have to tell you about some really weird stuff about my shopping trip. I wasn't really looking for any special bargains. I did take a long some coupons that I got from Kashi, but I just put it out the universe that whatever I needed would be provided to me. For once, I didn't really concern myself so much with the cost, but whether I got everything I needed. I didn't bring a calculator and didn't stand around debating the per unit cost of anything. Everything I needed was on sale. I just got what I needed and would up spending under my allotted amount for the week.

I had a coupon for $1.00 of 2 packages of Farmland sausage. Farmland sausage was on sale Buy One Get One Free, so I got 2 packages of sausage for $1.29 total, when they normally are $2.29 each. I also had a $.40 cents off coupon for 2 cans of Manwich. Manwich, which is usually $1.31, was on sale for $1.00 per can, so I basically got 1 can free. I had 2 $1.00 coupons for Hungry Man or Swanson dinners. Swanson dinners were on Closeout for $1.79 each, so I got two dinners for $0.79 each.

The other weird stuff is that I am one week from payday and I have approximately $300 in my checking account. I just got a hospital bill in the mail. I think I will go ahead and make a payment. This is so weird, but I am not knocking it.

Ever since I started with the Secret Challenge, money seems to be multiplying in my checking account. I am not doing any really extraordinary, just thinking about it differently. I don't allow myself to worry about credit card debt. I just pay it like I would any other bill and get on with life. I am not allowing myself to worry about money anymore, like whether we will get a house or not. Does everyone need a house? Not really. I am just turning all of those stuff over to the larger powers in the universe and allowing them to decide how it is all going to come out.

At my work the other day, I saw an email where a group is collecting canned goods for the poor. I have decided to share in my bounty and buy some extra canned goods and take them to the group.

Howdy, everybody. I have a Secret.

My DH just sent me an email about a free online course about The Secret. You will receive six, easy to complete lessons by email and learn how to create anything you want to in your life.

All you have to do to sign is click on the link below and complete the simple form. Be sure to sign up quickly, as it is available for free for only a limited time!

The Secret Online Course

Up until recently, I had been keeping all of my appointments, reminders, etc. on a palm pilot. Well, one day I went to check for the time and day of something and it seems all my data on the palm is toast. I have no idea how it happened, but it did. I had not backed it up to my computer in months, as I never could get it to back up correctly. Anyway, I have chosen this opportunity to simplify my life. The frequent beeping of my pilot to remind me of something or another was always a little annoying.

As I am trying to be frugal, I did not go out a buy a new calendar or planner. I have located a number of free sources where you download what you need, print it, and put it into an existing or new notebook or something of the sort. I had one of those professional portfolio things that I used when I went to interview for my current job. It has a 3-ring binder inside, so that is what I am using. I was so grateful to have found these wonderful options, that I knew I had to share it will all of you.

DIY Planner
http://www.diyplanner.com/

Calendars - Print Free
http://www.printfree.com/Calendar_files/2008calendars/Calend...

Oh, and on other stuff, my debt amount is down to $6,938.83, becuase I paid some on all of my debts yesterday. I also rolled $5.50 to deposit to Short Term Savings today. This feels great and I feel really properous. I have enough money for everything I need right now and I feel terrific.

Happy February, Everybody!

Hey, I was just doing the laundry and found $1.30 in change in pockets of clothes. This brings my Challenge total for the month to $18.30.

This is fun!

Howdy, folks. Well, the sad story is that I had to use my $38.20 in Challenge Money for a trip to a nearby city to take my husband to a doctor. However, I did find $17.00 cash after searching through my purse, pockets, etc. which I am going to deposit to checking on Monday and swiftly send it to the credit card before it can be spent. This brings my January challenge amount back down to $17.00 and my credit card balance to $1961.83. I also made payments on our medical bills, bringing our total debt to $7080.20. Yeah!! I don't think I can go to the bank until Monday, though, because there is a winter storm warning in effect and our car is not starting reliably. The storm is supposed to pass around Monday, I heard. The roads are also icy and makes even walking somewhat treacherous.

I also reinstituted a rule I had been using for awhile. At the end of a pay period (day of payday), whatever money is leftover in my checking from last payday I will divide up equally among my Dream and Short Term Savings accounts. For awhile, I had not had any leftovers or at least not much and so had not done this. I had $62.76 leftover in my account Friday before payday, so I divided it and put it into the two accounts. I like this game.

Hi, everyone. I just got my copy of my AAA magazine, Journeys, for this month. There is an article on saving money that I thought other people might find valuable.

Make Money Matters a New Year's Resolution
http://www.aaajourneys.com/readweb.asp?articleid=145&activeblock=1

See you later everybody.

I have another $4.05 to add to the Challenge. That makes $31.77 for a monthly total so far.

I like this rollercoaster ride!

Howdy, all.

Well, the end result with my $20 Challenge is a surprising $18.50. Not bad, I say, seeing as I started it on Dec. 26th, I think. I had budgeted $100 to the cc, so I sent that plus this $18.50 to the cc. I'm feeling really jazzed.

Add on top of that the fact that the college I work for has health insurance, which we only have to pay for twice a month. Since I got 3 paychecks in the long month of December, I have about $27.00 extra in my account. I am putting that on my $20 Challenge for January. Wow. That's cool. I've already met my $20 Challenge for January. I'm not stopping there, though.

I went grocery shopping this morning and saved $14.55 with store specials, my store card, and using my own bags.

I also made regular deposits to my Dream Account and Short Term Savings Accounts.

My husband will get his first paycheck, probably about $250, from his new job on Tuesday. It is the first step to getting our truck fixed so we can drive it. In the meantime, our car is also not very reliable, as we think it may have something wrong with the transmission. I have been riding my bike to work for the last 2 weeks (yes, it has been very cold, and some days, very warm here in the midwest) which has not only save me a lot of gas money, but has given more strength and stamina. (I have asthma, so this is important.)

Despite the car and truck problems, I feel really fortunate and blessed to be a part of this group that shares ideas about how to save money, the struggles to pay off debt, and create a better life. I want to wish the best for all of you and your families for 2007.

I feel really happy with my life right now and grateful for all the many blessings that I have. I have a really great job with a lot of job security. I work with some really great people who like working with and for me. I have a wonderful husband who has really been there with me through the thick and the thin. I am grateful for the friends I have that have been there for me in the last year. I am grateful that both of my vehicles are paid for. I am grateful to have a computer at home so that I can read email, surf the internet, and pursue my education.

While I have everything that I really need, I also want:

both of my vehicles in good working order by the end of February

a different house to live in in my current town

have enough money that we don't have to borrow money from anyone by the end of next year

to start a second master's degree program in June next year

I don't know how I am going to make this happen, but I can definitely visualize these things. Since I don't know how it will happen, I will let the universe decide how to make it happen.

Hello. I am starting a New Year's Resolution.

I am beginning a resolution to save an extra $20 per month and pay it towards my credit card. This extra money will come from pocket change I will toss in my piggy each night when I come home from work, rebates, refunds, and unexpected money. We are also going to cancel my cell phone, since I don't use it very much.

I have been maintaining a payment of $50 per month without fail no matter what the balance is. From now on, I will continue to make that $50 regular payment, but also pay a separate $20 payment.

My current challenge balance with all the pocket change I have is $7.59. I know it's the 25th of December and I may not make $20 by the 31st, I am going to try to accumulate as much as possible. I will report my progress here on the 1st of each month.

I don't usually like shopping, especially right before a holiday. I hate crowds, waiting in line, and everything that goes along with it. But today was a great day.

To start the day off, I went and cashed in my lottery ticket and got $7 cash. Whoopee.

I took that $7 along with $5.50 in rolled coins to the bank. It's going straight to the credit card later today. Yes, I know that $12.50 doesn't sound like much, but it is something.

Then, I went to Walmart. I don't usually shop at Walmart because I hate walking through a huge store just to buy one thing I couldn't buy at some other store. I bought Vive Pro shampoo with a $1.00 off coupon, two boxes of Chore Boy scour pads with 2 $0.75 off coupons. I also bought a very small can of hairspray for those cold days when my hair is full of static when I get to work.


Next, I went to the grocery store and got everything I need for about $62.00. I saved over $15.00 between the coupons I used, my store card, and bringing my own bags.



I also went to three different thrift stores to look for a thermos with a glass liner. My doctor has told me to, if at all possible, avoid cooking in microwaves and avoid plastic food containers. Well, I wasn't able to find a thermos with a glass liner, but I did get a thermos. I will keep looking for another one and upgrade when I do. I also snagged a couple of coffee mugs for $0.19 each.

I am a happy camper. Now to update my spreadsheets and send my online payment to the credit card.

Hey, everybody. I just realized when looking at my Financial Freedom Plan spreadsheet today that the debt amount in my info at the right is wrong.

Somehow, I had not included credit card debt in that calculation. Anyway, it's updated now.

I just got paid on Friday. I sent off the final payment for one of my medical bills. Woo-hoo! I'm excited. So far, I have 4 out of 8 debts paid in full. On Monday, I will deposit some spare change in the amount of $5.50 to checking. When it clears, I will send an online payment to the credit card.

I saved $15.92 between coupons and using my store card for grocery shopping yesterday.



I also made regular deposits to my Dream Account and Short Term Savings.



My mother sent me $150 for Christmas. Whereas I really want to send it directly to the credit card, I have to use a small part of it on a trip to a nearby city to take my husband to a doctor. The rest is being allocated for repairs to my truck. It won't pay for the whole thing, but it will pay for part of it.

Someone asked about what my Dream Savings Account is and what I do with it. Well, I haven't done anything with it yet, because there is not much money in it. But it is for all those things that we dream about: house, different car, vacation, retirement, and whatever else you can think of to dream about. I decided to call my Dream Savings rather than Long Term Savings to make it sound more interesting.

I nicknamed my other account Short Term Savings instead of Emergency Savings because I don't want to be putting idea out there that I will have an "emergency".

Someone asked about the significance of the Wall Street mint silver bar and whether that is something I advise not to buy. On the contrary, I want to buy less of stuff I don't need so I can have a lot more money. I do own some silver coins, but nothing like this Wall street mint silver bar.