My Financial Goal

3 years later...

2011-06-04T13:59:00.002-04:00

... and I've recently (past two months) started couponing again.

Let's start on the left. Pepsi was on sale for 5.99 36/ct and Moments to Save had $2/2 Q. Diet coke is 4/$10. The chips were also a Moment to Save deal. $2 off each of those bags. Bags were around $6... so 22 chips out of the vending machine at work are $22 dollars. Now, they're only $4! On the top of the gray shelf is misc. clearance and gifts like candles. Cake mixes, Frosting, Kraft Mac and cheese were at bottom low prices at Sunfresh for an Anniversary sale. Kens Dressings were less than a dollar. Were free this week, but missed that sale. Sweet baby rays was free. Mustard was 30 cents. Then there's my fabulous Roka Blue. Kraft decided this is only to be made around the holidays and almost $3 a jar!! Holy crap! But I love it, so now I have some to make it through those emotional crazy days. Below that was awesome Gatorade deals. Some free, most under $.70. Then there's Smuckers. Hyvee had a deal buy $20 get $5 back then had $1/2 toppings and $1/3 jams. So $23 for all that. Toilet paper and paper towels. PT were free by accident. I thought it it was $1 off, but it was $1 off detergent... TP was 3.99 with Q. Amazing deal on my favorite trash bags. buy $10 worth (3 boxes) get $3 back plus 3 $.75q. Less than $2 each!!! All that Purex on the bottom retails for $8+ but I got all for .99!

Lacking updates - sorry

2008-06-02T00:43:00.003-04:00

I wanted to post saying that I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I'm working full time (40+ hours), going to school full time (30+ hours) and managed to get a boyfriend (unlimited hours). I'm still trying to keep up with the deals. I was able to do the $5 dollar ink refill at Walgreens and at CVS I was able to get some monthly deals (jaw drops) that were in stock. I'm also going to do the Bounty deal because I love Charmin. I'm so sick of using the crappy Cottonelle that dissolves on contact. Ew. There aren't too many good grocery deals at any of my stores this week. I hope there's a turnaround come Wednesday.

Super Savings Saturday 5/3/08

2008-05-03T18:12:00.001-04:00

My first stop was Walgreens. I really needed qtips and they were on sale for 2.99 BOGO. So I decided to print out the 5 dollar Zantac coupon, buy that for 4.99 to get the three dollar register reward to use on the qtips. The cashier was giving me a hastle and wouldn't reduce the RR to 2.99, which I don't know if she can, but I'm used to CVS doing it. Anyway, the sweet lady behind me decided to add my qtips to her order so I could get out of Walgreens scott free!

Since Kmart was near and they were having a General Mills sale, I wanted to pick up some Lucky Charms. Alas, they didn't have any. But I did get four boxes of cereal for a buck each. This is the first time I've ever bought Trix cereal. I remember having it around the age of seven and thinking it'd be better with chocolate milk. Boy, was I wrong! Haven't eaten it since!

Ran up to Walmart after that. I really spent most of my money here because I needed to get my monthly cat litter and food. Everything besides the cat stuff was cheap or free. The gum was a buck each with coupon, and I go through so much of it, I couldn't resist! I also played coupon fairy and left two of the 10 dollar off coupons next to the automatic shower cleaner.

Hit up CVS after that. Wanted to take it easy, so I just bought the Just for Men to gain two extra bucks and send in for the rebate!

Hen House was after that. I wanted to pick up my free Malt-o-meal and some chicken for dinner.

Total of all items: $108 dollars
Total spent: 30 bucks!!

A 70ish % savings!

Show and Tell - Small CVS/Hen House Trip

2008-04-27T17:01:00.006-04:00

First off, I'm sorry that I haven't written in so long! I was hit with a nasty virus that resembled bronchitis. As I was recovering from that, I was hit with erythema nodosum in my ankle which disabled me. This is the first shopping trip I've done in weeks! I was needing a fix, and while I don't think this trip was that great, it was something!! Seriously, try going to CVS three times in one week for prescriptions only! That was SO hard! Anyway, on to the goods!

BeCentsable is doing another Show and Tell Giveaway and I can't resist joining!

The Breakdown:

CVS

Transaction 1
6 zone bars 7.14 -1mfq x3 and -1.50mfq
2.90 used 2 ecb spent .90 oop earned 4ecb

Transaction 2
alavert-d 6.99 -4
speedstick 3.99
used two 3.49 ecb spent .32 oop earned 7.99ecb

Transaction 3
revlon eyecolor 4.49 -3crt -1mfq
revlon emery 1.79 -1mfq
revlon emery .89 -1mfq (bogo50%)
garnier eye 14.99 -1mfq
garnier life FREE -1mfq (bogo)
4/20 cvs beauty coupon
used 10 ecb spent .57 oop earned 5ecb

Summary
spent 18.98 ecb and 1.79 oop
earned: 16.99 ecb and $56.17 worth of stuff!

Hen House

After CVS I shambled over to Hen House to get some fruit to snack on. After taking a slice from the sample tray, I couldn't resist the extreme sweetness these fine oranges had to offer. I bought 8lbs of Orange for $4.19. That's 53 cents a pound for fruit! The thing I really love about oranges is if I don't finish them before they become inedible, they make my garbage disposal smell oh so nice!

Monday's Trip

2008-04-15T04:28:00.005-04:00

Today I used the VS email to pick up some mints and a $9 body scrub for $3. Since Walmart was close and I needed a curtain rod, I grabbed another two boxes of Free Scotch-Brite Scrubber Kits. Not far from that, Hyvee was giving away Free Purex laundry detergent. After getting closer to home, I went to the thrift shop and picked up two large panels of curtains for $4, after asking if she'd be willing to drop the price from $8.

Store	Retail Price	Price Paid
VS	$12.69	$3
Walmart	$15.89	$4.89
Hyvee	$3ish w/o sale	$0
Thrift	Reg $20 at retailer	$4

I could have paid $51.58 for all of this, but instead, I paid $11.89! Sweet!

P.S. I can't seem to get rid of that huge gap. :-(

Super Savings Saturday 4/12/08

2008-04-11T21:58:00.004-04:00

Total Spent: $17.01!

The Happy Housewife is hosting a Becentsable Show and Tell! I have so much fun looking over what everyone has got this week! Thanks girls!

Today I did a Walgreens, Walmart, and Target run! Target had the greatest clearance deals I have ever came across! I also finally was able to join in on the FREE Honey Bunches of Oats. I had the cashier price adjust to Walgreens, because mine doesn't allow printable coupons. I'm not sure what the exact "before" total is, but my best guess is around $140! That's around an 88% savings!

My worst moment was staring at the toothpaste, knowing I could get the 2.99 Colgate for .50 cents, and deciding not to, because I already have a wall full. I haven't gone CVSing yet this week, but that sure would add more to this stash!

Breakdown:

Walmart

3 ScotchBrite Toilet Scrubbers - Free
Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Scrubber - Free After Rebate
2 Glade Air Fresheners - Free (1.06 in overage)
Dole Juice - 1.54
Bread - 2.17
2 Apples - 1.35
Bananas - .56
7 HBO - Free
3 Cat Treats - Free
Glade Auto - Free After Rebate

Total - 4.56

Walgreens

Tums - 4.49
Aqualfresh - 2.00
Soyjoy - 1.39
Wal-zyr - 3.99
Jane - 4.99
Colgate 360 - 3.99
Printer Ink - Free
-5/20

Put on giftcard/get reimbursed
= made 3.86

Target

2 bags Healthful Life - Free
3 Bags Lays Crisps - 3.75
2 Flat Earth Chips - 3.00
Ice Breakers Mints - .48
2 Degree Deoderant - Free
Pert Plus - Free After Rebate (1 overage)
2 Soap Pads - .76
6 Ocelo Sponges - .60
Scotch Brite Refil - Free
Fruit Snacks - 4.74
Slimfast - Free
2 Bottles KY - 3.98

Total 16.31

Hen House and Becentsable Show and Tell!

2008-04-06T00:16:00.004-04:00

Becentsable is having another show and tell give-away, hosted by Homeschooling Four. I'm entering in my weekly Henhouse trip. I grabbed three more items on a different trip that aren't pictured.

If you take reusable bags, Hen House will give you a .05 credit per bag!

I'm giving the original price then the price after sale and coupons.

Yoplait Kids ($3.19) = Free!
Lean Pockets ($2.69) = $1.55 each
Cereal Bars ($3.23) = $1.00 [one box not shown]
Texas Toast ($4.23) = $1.17
Pepper Jack ($2.99) = $2.29
Strawberries (4.99) = $2.00
Flat Earth (2.99) = $1.99
NY Dip'n Sticks ($2.97) = $0.97 [not shown]
Pint Ice Cream ($1.87) = $1.00 [not shown]

Original Price is $45.83. I paid $20.72!! A 54% savings!

CVS Trip Show and Tell

2008-04-03T23:29:00.003-04:00

Over 6 CVS trips over 3 stores, I got around $105 worth of stuff for free! Actually, I earned some more Extra Care Bucks, so I gained a bit of money from this trip! :-D

Easter Show and Tell

2008-03-23T16:15:00.003-04:00

I mentioned going to Office Depot to use the 5 dollar of a 5+ purchase. Well, I also decided to hit up 5 stores! Check out all the loot I got for less than 2 bucks! ($11 if you include gas).

There's 2 packs of 500 ct paper, a bike lock, trash can, wall hooks, paper punch, 2 book covers, popup tape and 2 refills, pens, pencil holder, and a mini white board!

I have to explain the $9 in gas and 3.5 hours it took me to get this stuff! You see, the closest home depot was about 9 miles away. There happened to be around 4 down south and one sort of on the way home. I ended up driving 63 miles round trip. Though, for 3.5 hours of entertainment, I can't complain. It was like a giant easter egg hunt. And really, it's nice to have something to do on a holiday. It may not exactly be frugal, but it allowed me to explore more of my city. All in all, it was a fun trip!

Office Depot has a 5/1 coupon on Easter!!

2008-03-23T05:39:00.003-04:00

Looks like the Easter Bunny is going to come after all. I have plan to hit 5 Office Depots tomorrow between 11-4 to use the 5 dollar of any item over 5 dollars! :) It says to use the original coupon, so I'm very much hoping that they have the insert at the store. Since there are no coupons this weekend, I'm definitely not buying a paper. Wish me luck!

Money vents.

2008-03-21T03:56:00.005-04:00

Dave Ramsey's idea of spending every dollar you have before the month begins didn't work for me this month. I've been laid off all week. For me, that means no income. I'm currently working with all three states to try and get unemployment. Apparently my fax on Monday still hasn't made its way to Michigan to cancel my claim from Missouri so I can gain from Kansas. Evil. Lucky for me, the good ole tax return came in this week. Not much, but enough.

I've also had many computer troubles. I've replaced my video, networking, and sound card. Currently the sound card doesn't really work. I had a BB employee buy it for me, so I'm leery about trying to exchange it. I don't want to get questioned on the employee discount. See, ethics!

I also went to a spa today to get a 90 minute massage with a gift card I received. Oh. My. Goodness. Seriously, it was the WORST massage I've EVER received. I think my cat walking on my back does a better job! And I was supposed to get a 15% discount for being between Wed-Friday, but they didn't apply it. I'm thinking about calling and asking for the $15 dollars back. I just really wanted to get out of there because I was so frustrated. She talked half the time, and would stop to talk. Then, she'd find a knot and then stay away from it! It was a DEEP TISSUE massage! Arugh!! Oh, and talk about lack of privacy. Normally when you get a massage the therapist keeps you well covered. Not her. I'm glad I always keep my undies on, because she certainly would have had a free show. Same thing. When I was turning over. It was like she didn't think I'd care. Dudette, I'm almost naked, LOOK AWAY! Anyway, that's my bad service rant. Certainly not even worth a free $100 gift certificate.

Two for One! Hen House and Target Grocery Deals!

2008-03-19T20:43:00.005-04:00

Target:
Total: $2.07!! The trial stuff all had coupons. I got 50 cents overage on both the Alls. The Superstay was marked down to $1.98 because the clear part was ripped open. No damage to the makeup though! :-D

Hen House:

This is probably my best shopping trip so far! Total should have came to $54.24, but after I finished, it was $9.93! That's an 82% savings!! The mustards, Lucky Charms, and Frostings were all free. Veggies were .07 cents each! I love double coupons! :-D

Trip for 3/15

2008-03-16T03:28:00.003-04:00

Total spent = less than 50 cents!

I can't find my CVS receipt, but it's along the lines of paying a total of $17.xx, using 8 ECBs, spending approx 30 cents and getting 4 ECBs back. The Walgreens trip was spend $10 on Con Agra food and get $5 dollars back. Well, with the coupons/sales, I only had to spend five dollars. All the canned items are completely free!

Computer go boom.

2008-03-04T18:48:00.001-05:00

My computer got hit with some malicious malware. I'll be out of commission until I can reformat. *sad* I feel like I'm going to miss out on a lot of great deals in the next couple of weeks.

One Year Annivsary!

2008-02-28T00:25:00.002-05:00

I just want to say that today is my one year anniversary at work! That means I get a raise! Woo Woo!! I'm now making $15.80 an hour, plus whatever shift premium. Depending on what gets negotiated on the contract for March, I might be making more or less. But a high-five to me, for sticking it out!

*note* When making my budget for the month, I thought my income would be $15.20, not $15.80. Woops!

Target Deals 2/23

2008-02-23T20:01:00.002-05:00

Morningstar 2.99
x4 = 11.96
Coupons -2 TQ & -.75 MFQ x4=11.00
After Coupon Price = .96 or 24 cents each.

Poptarts 1.52
x4 = 6.08
Coupons -.50TQ & -.85/2 MFQ x4 = 3.70
ACP = 2.38 or 60 cents each

Granolar Bar 2/4
Coupons -1
ACP = 3.00 or 1.50 each

Flat Earth 1.99
x3 = 5.97
Coupons -1 x3 = 3.00
ACP = 2.97 or 99 cents each

Lipton Tea 3.14
Coupons -4 MFQ
= .86 overage

Before coupons and sales = $33.01
After coupons and sales with tax = $8.83

Saved $24!! That's 73%!

Budget for March

2008-02-23T04:03:00.003-05:00

I followed Dave Ramsey's idea on spending every dollar coming in on paper before the month gets here. For March I will get my raise, which brings me to making $15.20 an hour. The break down is pretty simple. However, it's made me realize that I'm not really making that much money! After I wrote down all my regular monthly expenses, I was shocked at how little was left to distribute to groceries, personal care, copays, etc. Essentially I cannot live on what I make! I don't get another raise until September! I have been working overtime on the weekends, which hopefully will continue. Here's my breakdown for March:

Start with 2635

10% 401k 263.5
Taxes at 28% 664.02
Union Dues 37.00

That leaves 1370.48

Rent 399
Renter's Insurance 9
Car Payment 300
Car Insurance 90
Gasoline 100
Electric 40
Gas 80
Internet 40
Cell 50

That leaves 262

Pets 25
Grocery 150
Blow/Misc 87

Quick update.

2008-02-19T00:29:00.002-05:00

Ever since I returned to work three or so weeks ago, I've been working over 60 hours a week. 80 the first week. Not to mention having appointments EVERY single morning for all that time. That's been a reason to shy away from the blog-o-sphere. I've mostly fully recovered from my knee injury! Yay!! ...not looking forward to that bill. Yesterday was my first day off work and I slept for 15 hours straight! Yes, pure exhaustion took over. Today I was able to do the Covergirl and Kimberly-Clark deals at CVS. I also did some great shopping at Hen House! Though, two of my boxes of cereal rang up 4.49 instead of 1.86 for two boxes. I went to return it, but I totally forgot about asking to get it free for the inconvenience. *le sigh* I'll file that in the memory for later. I'm now in the process of writing a short paper on why my company should reimburse my college expenses so I can go to school on the cheap. Speaking of which, anyone know a good place to get inexpensive books?

Great Walgreens Deals!

2008-01-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

This week at Walgreens there are five Free After Rebate items.

- $5.99 Maybelline Volume XL Seduction
- $3.99 Garnier Fructins Shampoo or Conditoner
- $ 3.99 Mennen Speed Stick
- $4.49 Softsoap Spa Radiant Body Wash
-$4.49 5 Hour Energy

And don't forget to use your $5/$20 coupon!!

Last CVS Trip of January 2008

2008-01-30T12:06:00.000-05:00

Wow, does that look like a lame trip, or what!!

Before Total: $67.28, throw in the sales and the coupons and I spent $5.63 out of pocket, and used 20 ECBs. I received $24.29 back.

I'm fairly disappointed because I thought I was getting 7 ECBs, not 5, back on the Garnier. The really sad thing is that I'll probably only use the girly products and the Purex. :-/ The others I dunno, I just had to use a 10/50, so I added more.

Sleep needs to be a scheduled event.

2008-01-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

This has been quite the busy week! I started physical therapy on Monday and worked two double shifts. I've been trying to make up for taking so much out of my emergency fund and not making much money since being off of work. This week I worked 39 regular hours and 16 at time and a half, so that should gross about $833 this week. That should net around $500 if I take 30% for taxes and 10% for the 401k. That'll help with my credit card payment. Seriously, I can't wait for my raise in a month!!

I need to find some good grocery deals too, as the cupboards are getting bare. Any luck out there?

Mega Monday

2008-01-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

Hyvee had a Mega Monday sale with the Peter Pan peanut butter for .88 cents. The limit was 2 so I went in twice, using four of the $1.00 off coupons. I had a coupon for a free Sobe, and used 1/2 lb of hamburger and a box of saltines for fillers. Total OOP was $2.08.

Picked up on the CVS free M&Ms sale. The M&Ms are BOGO and print out 3 ECBs per 2 bags. Limit is 5 (10 bags total). $3.49 x 5 = 17.45 used 3/10 CRT then added some Dawn dishsoap (with 50 cent coupon) and a pencil for fillers. Used 15 ECBs and got 15 ECBs back. Total OOP was a whopping 23 cents!

I get to go back to work today, so I'm heading off to bed. Hope everyone has a great week!

Check this site out!

2008-01-20T21:18:00.001-05:00

I recently came across the site My Grocery Deals. The site allows you to enter your zip code and choose the stores in your area to see their deals. This way you don't need to sift through each insert.

You got so sad that I, I bought a car.

2008-01-19T19:43:00.000-05:00

2004 '91 Chevy Lumina $1500
2006 '06 Scooter $1100
2006 '95 Nissan Altima $1400

On average I buy a new vehicle every year. All but my scooter was a piece of crap. It was stolen 4 months after I bought it. Well, my last car, I've put through all kinds of hell. It's been begging to be released by slowly dying. Yesterday the blower motor finally went out. No defrost in winter... that doesn't work for me. So this guy, with gorgeous brown eyes, sold me a wonderful 2005 Nissan Altima 2.5 S. Sweet, huh?

Honestly, I DIDN'T get the best deal for it. I could have done a lot better, but it's in the past. All the paperwork is signed and I now have a HUGE car payment and my biggest DEBT ever. Ugh. :( I'm hoping this car will last me at least 10 years. It's under warranty for any mechanical issues for 72 months, so that's a plus. It's a 5 year loan, but I'd like to get it paid off in 2.5 years. However, I now need to rebuild my emergency fund, since it's down to $2000 dollars after down payment/taxes/registration.

I guess I should be happy, because I know putting any more money into a broken vehicle wasn't going to help my situation any. To be honest, I think the payments will just about be even with what I was paying for major repairs. Someone, please bless this vehicle and have it keep running for years and years and years.

Feeling a little Cheezy?

2008-01-15T09:37:00.000-05:00

Kraft is doing a $9 MIR for two (2) packages of Live Active Cheese.

You can print two $2 off coupons at bricks. Note: I couldn't get it to work in Firefox, but it seems to print fine with IE.

The mail in rebate form can be found on Kraft's Website.

Lost on Lost.

2008-01-13T20:52:00.000-05:00

Don't forget many hours of free entertainment found on abc.com! I just got done watching the first Season of Lost over the period of two days. That's right, 18 hours of couch-sitting, nail-bitting, fist- clenching entertainment. Enjoy!

The Best White Bread

2008-01-13T06:54:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if any of my readers are still here from my first post, where I made my very first loaf of bread. I thought it had turned out well, as I was proud that it was at least edible. Well, it's two years later and I decided to try it again, with much better results!

Two clips of advice:

I found out that if the water is above 115 degrees Fahrenheit, that the yeast will die. This time, I used my candy thermometer to make sure the water was 100 degrees. I warmed up my bowl by filling it with water and emptying it, then started with the ingredients.

I started out with two bowls, using the large one for the sifted flour and the small one for the proofing. I found that the dough stuck to the bowl and I ended up putting it in the bowl that I had reserved for the flour just so I didn't need to wash or grab another bowl.

1 large loaf 9x5 pan or 2 8x4 loaves

Ingredients:

1 Package yeast
1 3/4 Cups warm water
2 Teaspoons sugar
1/2 Tablespoon salt
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups of sifted flour
1-2 Tablespoons of softened butter.

In a small to medium sized bowl, add the water and the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the packet of yeast and stir until there are very few to no lumps left. Let sit for 10 minutes in a warm location with a towel over top.

If it has proofed, it will look a bit like spoiled milk with this thickened foam and be bigger in size. Add half the flour with a wooden spoon, but only a 1/2 to 1 Cup at a time. Make sure there are no lumps. Cover and place in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Add the salt and add another cup of flour with your hands. It should hold together. *note: this is what I didn't do, I just put it on the work surface and it was WAY too sticky. Place the dough on your floured-covered counter.

Sprinkle flour over the dough and flour your hands. Begin to kneed with the palm of your hand. This will take 10-15 minutes. Push the dough into the counter, flip half of it over, like an omelet, push, turn 1/4 turn, push, repeat. Add flour a little bit at a time until it's no longer sticky. Beat it up!! Make the gluten respond! You will know when you're close to being done when you can push your finger into the dough and then it will respond by pushing itself right back.

Slather on a coat of butter and place in a bowl. Cover and put in a warm spot. I had good luck placing the bowl in the oven with just the light on.

Allow the dough to double in size, usually 1 to 2 hours. If you don't
understand the concept of doubling, pour 4 cups of water in the bowl first,
then add another 4 cups and note the difference. Dump the water out, dry
and butter the bowl, then let the dough rise till doubled in size. It will
be ready when you push your fingertips in and the dough DOES NOT spring
back.

Take the dough and put it back on the floured counter one last time. You need to kneed it for a few more minutes and then shape it into a cylinder. Make sure it's about as long as your bread pan! Carefully place it into your pan. Cover and let double again. This rising shouldn't take a long, so keep an eye on it. Took mine between 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Then again, I let mine more than double.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the top of your bread. Now, slash the bread down the middle with a 1/2 inch gash. Place in the middle of the middle rack. Bake for 35 minutes. I don't like an extremely crispy/dark crust so 35 was just fine for me. You may have to do it longer. You'll know when it's done when you can tap the bread and it will sound hollow.

When it's finished, allow it to rest until it's cool enough to take out of the pan. I placed mine on a cooling rack to allow the moisture to evaporate. You don't want moldy bread after all that work! :) Allow the loaf to cool before slicing; it will crumble less. Enjoy!

The stash of goodies CVS gave me today.

2008-01-11T15:53:00.001-05:00

I went on four different CVS trips today. The first store didn't want to stack my $/$$ coupons, so I just gave her a 4/20 for the Soyjoys and returned the Slimfast I was going to get. I headed over to the store about two miles from there, and the cashier just kept ringing me up. Total retail cost, on sale without coupons, comes to $105.53. I walked away making money off this with a $5 mail in rebate and extra ECBs. I went to Walmart right after and it made me sick to my stomach to spend $3 on ONE item. My OOP total on ALL of these transactions combined was less than $3!! My hat is tipped to CVS!

Buy several Victoria's Secret items for less than a Double Cheeseburger at McDonald's!

2008-01-10T15:10:00.001-05:00

Add these three items to your cart:

3H 179268 Classic bikini $3.99 clearance

3H 189720 Ultrasmooth seamless bikini $12.99 or 3 for $30

Make sure to order this in buff!

3H 204363 Foldover crop pant $6.99

Use these clearance codes: FA77645, SP89253, and PASS0108

The total should come to $1.05

Finding Sunday's Paper

2008-01-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

I was hoping to find some copies of last Sunday's paper using the Kansas City Star's helpful web guide to find them. After many attempts I called their headquarters and while I could go there and pick up a paper for the regular price, it wouldn't have any coupons. For future reference for all you procrastinating coupon cutters, check with your local paper to see if you can still pick up a paper... just do it in a relatively timely manner.

Target Deals!!

2008-01-09T11:18:00.000-05:00

I seriously should have bought 20 newspapers last week. Excellent coupons!

They salvaged the Choxie this morning, so it rang up as $0.00. I was able to get them to sell it to me for 49¢ a box! A tip on the Choxie: You can tell the Christmas and V-day Choxie apart by the X in the name. The Christmas Choxie has a green x while the V-day Choxie has a pink x! The Electrasol was $2.66 - a $2.25 coupon x 4 = $1.64 a box! Original cost is $77.40 and I was able to get all of this stuff for under $5! But, really, who in their right mind pays 15 bucks for a box of truffles?!??!

Irate at bad company policies.

2008-01-08T03:48:00.000-05:00

I work for a major corporation as a laborer. I injured my knee and now I'm not allowed to work. I am also being penalized for every day I'm gone. This means I will be written up when I return on Friday. HR says I am not eligible for short term disability or FMLA for some reason. I just got off the phone with a union steward who says I need to be off 7 days and call the other HR lady to try and get short term disability. *crosses fingers* I just need to make sure my doctor doesn't let me go back to work on Friday and she'll let me wait until Wednesday. I mean, I would be VERY happy to be healed by Friday, but if it needs to take longer, I'm for it. The lack of income is a bit of a bother, too. I think I'll try to post some stuff on CL, or at least not make any big purchases until I get money again. Whew, man, when I was on the phone with the first HR girl earlier, I just about quit. I mean, the conversation got very heated when she told me I couldn't come to work, especially after they let me work injured on Friday. Then the phone dropped the call and she called me back all snotty with the "Did you hang up on ME?!?!?", like she's some HR god. I told her no, but it would have been a good time to. *bites tongue* Opps. :-/ I did look around for jobs and there's quite a few home health aide positions, but they only pay 8-10 dollars. I get a raise to 15 something at the end of February, so that's hard to cut back on. I guess, though, if I irritate enough of management I'll end up leaving. Trying to hold out until at least August though.

BBC No. 1 Our Budgeting Experiences

2008-01-07T02:54:00.000-05:00

Kacie over at Sense to Save is planning a Better Budgeting Challenge. The first one is called Our Budgeting Experiences.

1. How have you used a budget in the past? Be specific. How did you set it up? Did you use a spreadsheet? Pen and paper? A software program? What are the nuts and bolts of how your budgeting system(s) worked?

I've used a budget where I had a limit of $1000 dollars per month, with the exception of medical expenses. It didn't work out because I bought a moped, a car, and a vacation to Seattle. I've tried setting up Quicken, but I had a rough time linking it to my bank accounts.

2. If you’ve never had a budget, how have you made decisions on how to manage your household finances?

When I'm not using a budget, I just check and make sure I'm spending less than I make and contributing to my savings account.

3. How did you put your budget to work? Did you use a cash envelope system every month? Track your expenses and purchases in a database of some kind? How did you do it? How many people (i.e., you and your spouse) participated in that budget?

My budget was pretty free range. All of the standard stuff in life such as rent and bills got paid and I was free to do what I wanted with the rest. From time to time I do track my expenses. At that time I was tracking everything to make sure I didn't exceed $1000. I am single, therfore I've been the only person participating.

4. In what ways did your budget (or lack of) work for you?

A limit worked as it was self-imposed discipline. If I went over I felt guilty. Much like dieting. If I have a cookie today, I probably wont be able to have it tomorrow, too.

5. In what ways did it fail?

Life wasn't built around $1000/month. Four months after I had worked buying my moped into my budget, it was stolen. This brought on the purchase of a vehicle. And I also wanted to take that vacation. As of right now, if I were try that budget again, I would more than likely exceed that amount every month.

6. Think about your past experiences with budgets and your home finances. How do you want to use a budget in your personal finances? Do you want a system that you update every time you make a purchase? Every month? Do you want to have spending guidelines?

As of right now, I'm just keeping a general eye on my spending. If I see a great deal I'm going to buy something. I've got my basics covered. Besides groceries and mandatory bills, I think I have enough "stuff" to live on for at least a year! I just updated my wardrobe, have hobby supplies, many forms of entertainment, and just about anything you'd receive at a bridal shower!! My concerns are that I may be moving with in the next year or two and that would be a decrease in pay along with the expenses of moving. I also am considering starting a family and buying a new car. All of which cost buco bucks!

7. What is your overall purpose in establishing a household budget? What do you hope to gain from it? Do you want to get out of debt? Have money to save or invest? Reduce your expenses? Have a better idea of where your money is going?

I'm actually not intending to setup a new budget.

8. Anything else you want to mention about your past or future budgets?

I think as long as you spend less than you make, live frugally, and contribute to savings/investments, your financial life should be okay!

Midnight CVS Run

2008-01-07T02:00:00.000-05:00

Starbucks x2 = 12.00
Doritos x3 = 9.00 ECB 10
Kraft x2 = 6 ECB 2
Aquafresh x2 3.98 - 4.00 = -.02
Robitussin B1G1 6.69 - 6.00 = .69
Keri Bonus Lotion 8.29 - 5 = 3.29 ECB didn't print
Baby Orajel 7.29 - 1.00 = 6.29

Used 2/10, 4/20, 5/15, and 10/50 = 26

Total 53.25 - Qs = 16.25 + tax = 17.81

Used 17.50 ECBs for .31 OOP!!
Earned 12 ECBS.

I messed up on the orajel. I was supposed to get a 7 dollar MIR, however I purchased the wrong item. I'm going to try and return/exchange it tomorrow. If they don't let me, I'm sure I'll use this within the next 5-10 years. ;) Also, the keri lotion, I'm not sure why I didn't get the ECBs, but the word on the street is that it's not working well.

First CVS Score of January!!!

2008-01-06T12:02:00.000-05:00

Playtex Sport 7.99 - 2.50 = 5.49 ECB 2
Garnier Conditioner 2.99 - 1.00 = 1.99 ECB 2
Palmolive Dishsoap 1.49 - .25 = 1.24 ECB 1
Exedrin 24 ct 1.99 - 2.00 = 0.00 ECB 1
Soy Joy x 4 4.00 - 4.00 = 0.00 ECB 4
Colgate Total x 2 4.98 - 3.00 = 1.98 ECB 4
Slimfast 8ct 5.99 - 1.25 = 4.74 ECB 1
Candy Canes = .09

Also used a 5/15 and a 4/20 = 9

Totals 29.49 - Qs = 6.52 + tax = 7.85
ECBs earned = 15

I earned 7.15!! :-D I think I'm getting a hang of this! Now if I hadn't lost my 2 ECBs from my prescription yesterday... Off to plan my next deal!!

Busted knee. :(

2008-01-06T04:24:00.001-05:00

Ugh, there's an issue. A fairly large one. It's just the beginning of the 6th day of the new year and I have already spent over $900 dollars. Much of this to rent ($399) and medical expenses ($288). I sort of busted my knee two days ago. It went out of place when I was sitting and I didn't realize. When I got up in a rush, it was locked and then I fell on it. :-/ Oh, did I mention it was 15 minutes before work, so I walked on it for the next 9 hours.

Today is Sunday though! A great day for coupons! Six inserts today, so I bought 4 papers. I spent an hour so far in clipping, but I got bored. I'm now just going through the forms and making my shopping list for the morning. Hope everyone has a fun shopping year!

2007 Freebies

2007-12-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

I became a Freebie hunter about mid-November. Year to date, I've received:

1GB Flash Data Drive
32 Piece Screwdriver Set
500 Piece Multipurpose Printer Paper
Victoria's Secret Scarf/Hat/Gloves Set
Victoria's Secret Scarf
Victoria's Secret Lip Set
Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Kit
Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Gloss - Two
Victoria's Secret Atomizer Gift Set
Marine Corp Windbreaker
Bounce Laundry Detergent and Dryer Sheets
Coffee
Jane Powder Foundation
Fastprin
Fresh Cleanse Denture Cleaner
Glade Plugin Lightshow
Queen Sheet Set
Dietary Scale
Silicone Scraper
Turbo Fan
Roller Coaster Tycoon Deluxe

Not too shabby for 6 weeks worth of work! :)

Black Friday Deals

2007-11-23T11:32:00.000-05:00

This is the first time I've done Black Friday. I spent most of my night at a friends house, so I didn't get to a store until 530am. I chose walmart because I needed to get oil for my car and I saw they had this Sauder Sewing Table for sale for just $75 bucks! I also picked up a Bissel Easyvac for a mear $25 bucks! Okay, so the vacuum I needed. The sewing table has just been a strong desire. I guess the store only had 6 available and there was one left when I picked mine up at 6. I went to look at the TVs/electronics for two seconds, decided that was to remain uncharted waters and returned to the front of the store to notice the other table was picked up. Score! :) Also, some nice ladies helped me get it into my car. The thing weighs a ton!!

Walgreens for November 2007

2007-11-23T09:40:00.000-05:00

This is my first month doing Walgreens. To say the least, I don't think I did nearly as well as I could have, but at least I got my foot in the door. It was fun to plan the deals and I do think I'll try it again for December. I still prefer CVS and I think they have better deals. Not to mention, it's 10 minutes closer. Anyway, the major lesson learned this month is to check your receipts as soon as you get in the car!

These were my Deals this month.

11-15-07 Aprox cost per item

6 Tapered Candles = 1.00
2 Tubles of colgate 6.4 oz = 1.00
2 Glade 2 in 1 candles = 3.00
2 5.32 oz bags of Ghiradelli = 4.00
2 100 count Excedrin with 24 count bonus packs = 4.00
Taxes and Stamp = 2.14
Polident Denture Cleaner = Free
Fastprin = Free
One Touch Meter = Free

WAG Q Savings: 4.80
WAG Ad Sales: 46.07
MFG Q Savings: 39.99
MIR: 10.98
RR: 2.00

Final Total 14.18

11-21-07

4 pack Duracell Rechargeable Batteries = 3.99
8 votive candles = .80
2 taper rings = .69
Purell Hand Sanitizer 2.0 oz = .50
Cadberry Egg = .39

WAG Q Savings: 2.11
WAG Ad Sales: 5.00
MFG Q Savings: 5.50
MIR: 5.00

Final Total 5.87

CVS!!

2007-11-14T11:23:00.000-05:00

I found the joy that is CVS. :) Today I bought $91.99 worth of stuff for $2.79. Mind you, that is just because of the taxes :) I haven't quite figured out how 7.975% tax equals $2.79, but that not in my worries.

I'm needing to start this journaling again. It's a self motivator for me. I really need to curve the spending I've been doing. That dip in my net worth needs to be gone, like... NOW! So here's the tentative plan. SAVE, lots of saving. I'm going to start working a little bit of overtime. My emergency savings is down to 4,300 and I have 600 left on my zero interest credit card. I will think of something, but for now, I must sleep.

It's already March?! Scatter brain post.

2007-03-04T14:40:00.000-05:00

After updating to the "new" blogger, I found out I receved comments! Cool! Things have been crazy hectic here. My boyfriend and I broke up a week after I moved in. Three days later, his new girlfriend is basically living with us, but not paying any rent/utilities. Also, we both have different ideas of clean and I swear he purposly does things to annoy me. Is it really that hard to throw a dish in the dishwasher instead of the sink? Seriously.

I do have a decent paying job. It's starting out at 13/hour, which is all right for the city. I was extremely grateful when my car passed the state inspection. I mean, a post alone could be dedicated to everything wrong with my car. I've had some scary experiences. When I took my kitties to the vet for a worm shot, Pretty went into shock two hours later. She's getting better now. I've met some people, which is really neat. Though, I'm not sure how I like being in tornado alley. Already two sets of tornados less than 30 minutes from me. Eep!

I'm trying to become more simplistic. When I moved I had my car and a 5x8 trailer, so I had to throw away many larger items. Somethings I had just bought or had cost me 200 dollars. Remember when I sold my car and road my bike to work? Yeah, I had to get rid of both my bikes, my dresser, nightstand, a new shelfing unit, amoung many miscellanious stuff. Now I'm here and most of my stuff is still in boxes in the storage unit outside. I want to Craigslist the majority of it. I'm fairly certain I'll be moving out of this apartment in about 6 months anyway. I'm not sure where, but that's when the lease is up.

Oh yes, did I mention the best part of this apartment community? Free workout classes!! I gained 10 pounds in the six weeks I wasn't working. I've been chowing down chips & dip, pizza, ice cream! Now I'm starting to go to the classes. Not just to lose weight, but more for strength training. I would definately like better health.

Being a saver and living with a spender.

2007-01-30T05:07:00.000-05:00

I'm generally pretty frugal so I'm having a bit of a hard time accepting my boyfriend's spending ways. This week I will be moving in with him. The first thing I had to bite my tongue with is our new "coupled" expenses. Our rent alone is $930, which we split in half. I've been living on my own for three years and I have never once paid for cable TV. Now, my "share" is $30. Sure, to most, that's not a big deal, but in ways, I hate it. TV is a mindsuck and I'm afraid that I'll use it once it's available. Then there is sharing utilities. Though I don't like it cold in my home, 73 is a good temperature to me, he wants it between 75-80. I can forsee a great deal of compromise, which hopefully will help me with my negotiating skills. The other issue is when he asks for financial advice. He's an accountant, I expect him to know things, that to me are "the basics". I need to find a way to make this less frustrating for me. Any couples have advice?

Decluttering to cash!

2007-01-29T11:32:00.000-05:00

I started my packing last night and I am marking my boxes for my Bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchen, and Storage. Well, after my eighth storage box, I got to thinking how I haven't used these items and that I'm sure I could make 300 on eBay just by giving myself some storage! Not only that, but because I don't want any more clutter in my home, remebering all these boxes will mean less items being purchased.

Doing this all wrong.

2007-01-28T13:42:00.000-05:00

I realized that I'm focusing on what I'm spending each month. Penny pinching can help, but it limits what I can earn. This past month I've decided to quit my job in the low economic state of Michigan and move to a higher power town. Kansas City! Here I feel I'll actually be able to suceed in my goals. Not making excuses, I lived in Battle Creek, a very poor town. I've been working a temp job, earning $8.80 for over two years and it was time for a change. I have a few ideas in mind and I'll keep you posted.

Getting back into the swing of things.

2006-11-24T12:31:00.000-05:00

It's difficult for me to keep headstrong on my goals when I blew over $3000 in September. I bought a new car, paid the insurance for 6 months in full, and took an amzing trip to Seattle. That doesn't mean I'm not saving or looking for investments. Today I switched my money market account from capital one (4.80%) to eloan (5.50%). Everbank has an introductory rate of 6.01% for three months and 4.44% thereafter. I wasn't interested in an account that I'd have to switch within three months.

I haven't been keeping track of what I'm spending monthly. I'm not exceeding my income by any means, but I've changed. I'm going out to dinner with friends, I'm buying things I've wanted for a long time. I'm comfortable with my saving, but I'd like to expand. I want to start my ira and get involved with stocks. Lately my focus has been on entering college and writing up business plans. Wish me luck while I figure out what my new financial goals will be!

August Wrap Up

2006-08-30T10:32:00.000-04:00

Rent 370
Electric 73.39
Internet 48.43
Renters Insurance 12.60
Grocery 300.48
Household Goods 149.27
Meals Out 12.42
Gas 17
5HTP 12.50
Laundry 19.25
Sewing Machine 68
Clothes 35.95
Shoes 30.72
Nails 35
Massage 50

Total 1235.01
Income 1274.35
(275.56+360.39+285.27+353.13)
Difference 39.34
Remaining Discretionary Balance 196.97

Updates.

2006-08-19T13:09:00.000-04:00

I've been doing more research on vehicals. I found some mopeds on ebay for $834. I might lean that way, but they haven't emailed me back saying if there is a title or not. I'm also thinking about buying a junker and seeing how long it lasts me. I'm too indecisive.

I'm planning a trip to Seattle for my 21st birthday. $2,000 over goal, but heck, it's my birthday! Okay, that's not my real excuse, but I wanted to go for a long time and I certainly wont regret it.

There has been 'talk' about getting hired where I work, meaning, getting a raise of 5 dollars an hour. That's going on within the next two months (I hope).

I found out that I'm inheiriting about $7,000. After taxes it'll be $6-6,500. Still, that's like winning the lotto.

My roommate is still living with me and not contributing to anything except raising my bills. I need to be more assertive and have him move out.

Travelling Ways

2006-08-05T01:06:00.000-04:00

My moped was stolen shortly after four months of owning it. That's right. 1,120 down the drain. I've attempted to purchase a car, but alas, difficulties. I was looking at a 2003 Cavalier for 7,500. That's not bad at all. Extra warranty for two years was 1,400. But the kicker... insurance! I get it, that I'm under 21 (but the price will drop 400 dollars afterwards), and I have no medical insurance and I haven't had car insurance in about a year. Then again, I don't have any tickets and I've never even been pulled over! But, my insurance would be between 1,100-2,200 dollars for 6 months. That's it! I gave up that idea pretty quick.

I went to look at mopeds again. The Vinos were 1,800. No customer service there though. And only that model to choose from. I wouldn't ever buy from Luwy's Rides again. Bad experiences with my last bike. There isn't anywhere else to go in town. So right now, I'm just riding my bike and bumming rides from friends.

July Wrap Up

2006-08-02T23:12:00.000-04:00

Rent 370
Electric 35.31
Internet 63.05
Grocery 138.25
Household Goods 78.68
Meals Out 77.59
Cedar Point 92.09
Gas 31.77
5HTP 7
Luggage 52.99
Laundry 3.25
Mixer 19.99
Sewing 30.36

Total 999.60
Income 1251.06
(299.80+272.33+369.40+309.50)
Difference 251.46
Remaining Discretionary Balance 431.98

Remembering When Promotial Prices End.

2006-07-22T02:45:00.000-04:00

I currently have ATT/SBC for my phone and internet services. Since I only have local calling and just regular DSL, it comes to 55 a month - 26 for internet. This past bill showed a balance of 67 dollars! The internet price jumped because my year contract ended. I called and I'll be getting a credit, along with a new lower rate of 19.99. Just think of this as a friendly reminder :)

Update on the Money Market Account

2006-07-11T12:24:00.000-04:00

My money market account is finally opened and I just threw 7,500 into it. Bankrate offers you this page to show you the difference in competing high interest accounts. I'm not satisfied with my 4.75% with Capital One, I'm thinking of switching to Emigrant Direct. I'm not sure what it is with HSBC, but when I read over their pages, I just didn't feel comfortable. I still think I'll let it sit in the Capital One for a bit. I just need to find out how to place beneficiaries on those accounts.

Save $40 with Amazon

2006-07-10T00:27:00.000-04:00

I went to purchase a Kitchenaid hand mixer on Amazon.com today and noticed if you sign up for the Amazon.com Visa card they'll take 40 dollars off your statement when you pay for it with your card. I figured getting a great mixer at 50% off, plus increasing my available credit, sure, why not. As long as you pay your bills in full and don't take out too many cards (This would be my second real card), I think it'll be a nice way to increase my available credit and help me become established.

Trip to Cedar Point

2006-07-04T17:02:00.000-04:00

For some odd reason, my place of employment decided we could have a four day weekend! I decided not to hold back, but more so to have as much fun as I could and -not- think about my finances. I would use my credit card for every payment and not look to see how much anything was. I wanted to know how much the unconscious spends. Turns out one day of excitement for me really turned out to be less than $100 bucks! I was kind of surprised at how little my trip was. None-the-less, it was the best time I've had in ages and certainly well worth it.

June Wrap Up

2006-07-01T14:08:00.000-04:00

Rent 370
Electric 38.42
Internet 54.91
Gas 4.60
New Tire 42.50
Grocery 153.05
Household 62.71
Meals Out 10.87
Laundry 6.75

Total 743.81
Income 2412.69
(454.93+444.54+469.48+533.06+510.68)
Difference 1668.88
Remaining Discretionary Balance 431.58

Major Savings

2006-06-23T13:35:00.000-04:00

After my last post, I just skimmed my blog and noticed I've managed to save 2-3000 since May! That's less than two months since I made my "passed the 5000 emergency fund" post! SWEET!

High APR Money Market Account

2006-06-23T13:29:00.000-04:00

I just signed up for a higher (4.55) APR account through Capital One. I looked at a few different accounts, but this didn't have any fees and I already have my credit card through them. It just seemed right. As of today, I have 8,000 deposited in my savings (which is a money market account too, just really low - and seemingly undisclosed apr), which was definately the point of wanting more. This, essentially, is my emergency fund, plus a couple thousand. The plus of working 70 hours a week is that my weekly paychecks are about $533 compared to $284 for 40 hours. Yeah, I don't get paid much, but for no education, it's okay for me, for right now.

May Wrap Up

2006-06-05T01:24:00.000-04:00

Rent 360
Electric 19.67
Internet 54.11
Grocery 356.77
Household Goods 101.68
Meals Out 22.59
Laundry 7
Haircut 12
Gift 18.50
Gas 5.31
ATM Fees 3.50
TJ Stuff 14.75
Gardening 23.92

Total 999.80
Income 1589.43
(362.82+474.32+360.39+391.90)
Difference 589.63
Remaining Discretionary Balance 175.39

Credit Report

2006-05-30T02:18:00.000-04:00

I finally sucked it up and went to annualcreditreport.com to check my report and my score. Yeah, I didn't want to pay to get my score, but 8 bucks is worth a bit of knowledge. I ended up with a 731, which I still feel is too low. The "key factors" that affected my score were

The length of time your accounts have been established is relatively short.
You have recently been seeking credit or other services, as reflected by the number of inquiries posted on your gredit file in the last 12 moths.
You have no recent revolving balance information being reported.
The length of time your revolving/charge accounts have been established is too short.

My inquiry was the credit card I received in October. My accounts are short, I give it that. Heck, I basically just got my cards after two years of receving letters stating "You have no credit history on file", meaning, they weren't going to give me any if I didn't have any. Morons. However, I don't understand what the revolving balance information is. Every month since I've had my card I've bought stuff and paid the balance in full. At least there isn't any fradulant information on my file :)

Declined A Higher Paying Job... Why?!?

2006-05-17T12:49:00.000-04:00

Not much relief comming from work, plus I had a friend move in with me (in a studio), so financing is a little different. I'm feeding two, buying necessities (socks, laundry stuff) for him, and finding new entertainment costs. The up side is when I was at work on Monday, he was able to tell me the ending to Grey's Anatomy Season Finale. Woo! Anyway, I've had new offers to get a job starting at 11 an hour, but that would require a move, so I declined. It would also effect my relationships in a negative way and I'm not prepared for that. Also, I'm going to sign up for school (in this town) to start in the fall. I want an online class, so I might just stick with accounting. We'll see. Plus, my friend wants to start a bakery/candy shoppe, so much research will need to be done on that. I don't know if I'm ready for the IRA or if I want a Money Market account. I still need to get downtown and listen to the investment banker guy.

Overworked & Still Underpaid

2006-05-04T13:07:00.000-04:00

The company I work for currently has me working seven days a week. About four of those days I'm working 12 hour shifts and the rest is usually spent grocery shopping, cleaning house, or hanging out with my friends. This is great for increasing my net worth, because now I'm throwing about 500-700 dollars into savings each month. I've passed my $5000 dollar emergency fund collection, so I might get into investing my extra savings. I also want to start an IRA in the near future. Then again, I want to go back to school this comming fall and I'd be paying that all out of pocket (no FASFA). I'll try to update soon with my pros/cons list of each situation I can do with all this "spare" change.

April Wrap Up

2006-05-01T13:06:00.000-04:00

Rent 360
Electric 13.47
Phone/Internet 54.91
Grocery 207.62
Household 162.66
Meals Out 32.40
Laundry 7.75
Cat Food 55.42
Clothes 12.22
Gas 4.48
Puzzle 6.48
Massage 50

Total 967.41
Income 1746.99
(387.06+479.17+399.18+481.58)
Difference 779.58
Remaining Discretionary Balance 175.19

Mini Updates

2006-04-18T01:31:00.000-04:00

My moped had an air bubble (possibly) in the brake line that caused me to almost get thrown from it when I went to park at work. The gushing brake fluid was a nice touch. Along with the not starting and the stalling, the shop owners say it's fine. I keep taking it to them, and they did what looked like bleeding the brake line (just a guess) and tightened the tesion of the back brake. On my way to the shop, someone decided to make a right hand turn into a parking lot, from the left lane, passing the right hand lane that I was conveinently going the speed limit in.

Zeppelin got sick at the beginning of this month. Thankfully he didn't need to get flushed or have surgery again. Either of those options would be stressful, not to mention costing a minimum of 200 dollars. The food for a month is only 13, not bad. So, yay to everyone who thought good thoughts for him :)

I sprained/pulled my back at work, but I haven't mentioned it to anyone. I've scheduled an apointment with Jill, my amazing massage therapist, on Friday. I really hope she doesn't move away when she finishes with school. She's doing her absolute final exams right now :-/

The apartment complex I stay at decided to raise the rent this year. Only 10 dollars, but I've never stayed anywhere long enough for them to raise rent.

If you haven't tried using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, I suggest you do so. It's removed excess magnet from my fridge and the icky grease from my stove switches. It took away a few stains from my countertop too, including blueberry! Though, when I washed my fridge, it looks like I drew clouds on it from where it's brighter than in other spots. It also disintegrated when I was cleaning my stove.... But it works!

That's all for now, folks!

Burnout, No Job=No Income.

2006-04-12T01:59:00.000-04:00

As of the 10th, I've been working at my current job for 17 months. That means, 17 months of low pay (a temp position where people who are "hired in" make six dollars more an hour), no vacation, no insurance, and very demanding hours of physical labor. Last week alone, was 60 hours. Although it's common place for employees to work 84 hours a week. That's right, 12 hour shifts, seven days a week. Thankfully I only get a few 12 hour shifts in a week. On top of being at work a little too much, I've been very "irritated" (to say the least) with certain coworkers, depressed, and have many times felt like walking off the job. I've been looking for new employment, but nothing matches my wages. I've just felt completely burnt out. Right now, I'm trying to remedy this with cognitive therapy "I like my job.", going outside for lunch, doing activities such as listening to the radio or making friendship bracelets in my spare minute of break (yes, minute, I'm eating the rest of the time). I scheduled a long over-due appointment with my massage therapist and vented to my boss. Hopefully I can "make it through" this, or at least, have it hold me over until something better comes along.

March Wrap Up

2006-04-01T01:18:00.000-05:00

Rent 360
Eletric 14.74
Phone/Internet 54.64
Grocery 119.81
Household Goods 62.85
Meals Out 17.55
Laundry 8
Computer 209
Sewing Machine 56
Clothes 47.69
Bobbin Case 8.49
Ebay Fees 3.30
Gas 1.75
Decal 15

Med Service 64.25*
Moped 1113^

Total 978.82
Income 1632.28
(297.37+370.08+307.07+292.52+365.24)
Difference 653.46
Remaining Discretionary Balance
142.60

*medical
^freebee

Guilt Free Purchase

2006-03-27T02:10:00.000-05:00

Well folks, I decided to buy a moped. It's way out of my bugeted 1000 a month, but I'm going to give myself this freebee. It gets me around town whenever I need to and I don't have to pay any insurance toward it. Completely paid off using my savings. Plus, I'm working a bit of overtime, this isn't extending myself, whatsoever.

Here she is:

Michigan's Moped Laws

Cost
Moped $1,113
Gasoline $1.75
Decal $15.00

Not bad folks, not bad!

Taxes

2006-03-15T02:35:00.000-05:00

Well folks, it's the ides of march and I finally completed my taxes! Just a month in time, too!

Federal Return: + $406.00
City Return: -$ 207.33
State Return: + $2.00

Grand total of taxes back: 200.67

Haha, pretty far off from the 2000 I thought I was going to get back. I didn't know I was going to have to pay city taxes. It doesn't come out of my check, so that's all the goodness that I'm giving to them in the end. I read in the booklet that I'm supposed to make a declaration of some sort and have an estimated tax withdrawled... I'm not to pressed about that.

Now all I have to do is go somewhere and get all my paperwork copied, buy envelopes, then send them on their way! Give me two more weeks before this is actually finished ;)

Electro-Assist Bike Kits

2006-03-06T02:19:00.000-05:00

Electro-Assist kits that I'm looking at are going for about 350USD. At this point I'm really looking for a way to get around. I mean, tonight I decided to recaulk my bathroom titles. Little did I know there was a big difference between caulk and grout. Now, I'm working 10 hours a day, and am too tired to get up with just a few hours of sleep to get out to the store - for anything. I looked outside as I was going to attempt to bike to the store, but there's a snowstorm decided to make it's way through the area. 1-3 inches are expected. With my motivation just lacking after breathing the icy air, I just kept thinking of more ways. When it comes down to it, I want the luxury of a car, but not the heavy pricetag. I'm racking my brain because I don't know what to do. 350 is a lot just to see if something works and not know if it works well. Wish me luck!

February Wrap Up

2006-03-01T00:50:00.000-05:00

Rent 360
Eletric 13.17
Phone/Internet 51.33
Grocery 201.48
Household Goods 67.85
Meals Out 20.79
Laundry 8
Pads 7.16
Food Processor 10
Shipping 21.64
Computer 209
Gift 18.96
UTI-Clear 29.98 *

Total 989.38
Income 1339.80
(285.27+287.68+408.87+357.98)
Difference 350.42
Remaining Discretionary Balance 121.42

*Medical

In Sickness and In Health.

2006-02-28T12:17:00.000-05:00

Mr. Sinus bug must have hit me hard. I've gone through a box of tissues and three bloody noses. My only frugal attempts to solve this would be to fix the dry air at home. That involved putting a pot of water on the stove to let it simmer. Since I don't pay gas for my apartment, that remedy was free. It worked until I had to go to sleep where I became just as congested as the past few nights. I've never had sinus problems this bad without it being a reaction to western medicine so I'm perplexed on how to fix it. I've heard to mix salt and water to form a saline solution and spray it into the nasal cavity. I'll try that when it starts running again/after work, because as long as it's clogged I'm saving tissues (mostly the skin tissue on the tip of my nose!) . After this clears up and I'm well rested, I'll reattempt that evil tax situation and tell you what I come up with.

A big thanks to Nicole over at The Budgeting Babe for adding a link to MFG.

Tax Differences

2006-02-26T01:37:00.000-05:00

I'm attempting to do my taxes on my own. Basically I have my W2 and nothing to claim or deduct. Should be simple, right? First I did the 1040 and thought I'd be getting 2000 back, redid it and came up with two different numbers between 500-750 back. Then I did 1040EZ, and it was, but it only gave me about 400 back. I have the 1040A around here, but I've had my fair share of numbers tonight.

I went to do my city taxes and ran into another problem. City taxes aren't taken out of my check. I guess this means I wont be doing them, since I haven't contributed, so I don't owe...right?

The library didn't seem to have state forms, so I'm going to attempt that online. I'm crossing all my fingers right now, just hoping everything works out. Give me three more days of attempting these and I'll get them right :)

An Alternative To My Alternative Transportation?

2006-02-25T17:38:00.000-05:00

On my way home from the grocery store today, I overheard the bus driver and a lady talking about the bus route that goes past my apartment is said to be cut off in June! When I decided to go carfree, I never once thought that this would happen. I live on the outside of town, about 10 miles away from nearly everything. Although I could still ride my bike to Meijer on a good day, I wouldn't be able to carry much. Plus that's an 8 mile round trip.

I was thinking about getting a moped, but I'm not sure where to find out if they're street legal here. I still wouldn't be able to carry much and winter would be really hard. Also, my apartment complex doesn't take nicely to motorcycles (or the like, I'd imagine) during winter. Ack! Frustration!

What's In Your Wallet

2006-02-15T02:29:00.000-05:00

Following the meme of the Capital One phrase "What's in YOUR wallet?".

Drivers License
Without driving, this still comes in handy for identification purposes.

Debit Card
I've been using one since I was 16. I don't like using cash, no paper trail.

Visa Credit Card
I've been esablishing my credit by purchasing one "would buy anyway" product (usually groceries) and paying the bill in full every month.

JBR Credit Card
My first credit card. I used it once just to make the purchase of the ring I'm wearing. Of course, I paid that in full too, I was just trying to get anyone to not tell me "You have no credit, you get no credit".

Bus Pass
No car? Biking distance too far? Use the bus! Save 20(?) bucks by purchasing a pass instead of paying each time!

Blood Donor Card
Yup, I give it whenever they want to take it.

Petco PALS Card
Used this to save on Science Diet until my vet made me switch to Eukanuba.

S.S. Card and Birth Certificate
Terrible things to have in your wallet. Since I never take my wallet anywhere, it's justified.

G.I. Doctors Card and Dentist Visit Reminder Card
Both kind of obvious.

I also noticed that I have no cash in my wallet. However, there's about 60 dollars of it floating around where my wallet is and on the floor. I seriously do not take cash at face value.

New Computer

2006-02-05T02:10:00.000-05:00

I've been searching for a computer to replace my current one. I wanted to make sure I ordered one before it choked, so I spent a few months checking sites and seeing if there were any price drops. I wanted a Dell and they did run a "free" shipping promo, but I'd end up spending about 200 dollars more to qualify. My only requirements were Case, Powersupply, 2.0+ GHz and 1Gig RAM. Yeah, I'm so picky. I intended to transfer everything from my old computer to my new one, so it didn't matter. Everything I looked at was upward near $600 (after shipping/taxes) and I didn't want to spend more than $500. So I settled, or, got a gread deal on this. Natalie is the newest addition to my home. She's already been rebuilt and cruel enough to warrent me wanting to throw her across the room, but I like her. Total cost $418. I'll be splitting the bill on this and next months month allowances because it's such a large payment.

January Wrap-Up

2006-02-01T01:21:00.000-05:00

Rent 360
Grocery 200
Household Goods 70.40
Internet 53.02
Electric 11.89
Ebay Fees .60
Coupons 1.10
Meals Out 17.28
Shipping 12
Movies 12
Drinks 10.00
Clothes 38.91
Backpack 30.50
Diva Cup 32.50
Laundry 9.00
Nails 30

Total 889.20
Income 914.26 (286.26+287.68+290.11+50.21)
Difference 25.06
Remaining Discretionary Balance 110.80

Being Car-Free

2006-01-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

Five months ago, I decided to sell my car for financial reasons. September was rolling around and I'd have to do the typical renewing of my registration/insurance. I had aleady been driving the past six months without insurance because it raised an incredible $300 dollars when I moved to this side of the state. That would be $800 for six months of PLPD insurance, that's right, not even full coverage. I was starting to spend mucho bucks on repairs, as it was a '91. Everything hit me and I just decided I didn't want it anymore.

My personality doesn't allow for rationalization, so of course I didn't think it out. I looked over the bus route for about five minutes and knew I could get to grocery stores, which made me figure I was set. The first step before selling it, was going out and buying a bike. Not to mention stocking up on heavy stuff like kitty litter. I took my bike on a test drive to work and back to check the timing. I felt very secure in my decision, so I quickly spread the word.

About two days and $500 dollars richer (I really just wanted to get rid of it!), I became carfree. Even with the bus passes, bikes, and gear I'm still working off the initial $500 I got for my car. $230 for my bikes, $40 for lights, $25 for rainsuits, $30 for a hiking bag, $12 for a basket, $45 for a buspass, and about $5 in lube. A whopping $377 for five months of transportation! So far this has been the best financial (and health, but I wont get into that, yet) decision I've ever made.

I also wanted to give props to the best "support" site that I read daily: Bike Fourms

How To Break The Bank - Become Health Conscious

2006-01-22T00:22:00.000-05:00

Recently I've been on a binge of breaking bad habits. I'm currently working on kicking refined sugar out of my diet. My alternate subsitution is Stevia. I decided to go to Apple Valley and pick up some powder, but my luck, they're closed on Saturdays. Instead I walked over to the mall so I could hit up GNC. They only had tablets, and two packages. One included maltodextrin, which I didn't want, and the other, which had fiber. Fiber isn't too bad for you. However, the packets aren't the same as the extract. They're only 30 times sweeter than sugar, not 300. In turn the 12 bucks I spent on SweetLeafPlus, was pretty much a waste. I mean, for a cup of sugar, I'd need about 20 packets (instead of 1 tsp. of extract) which costs $2.40. Meaning, my cookies will be way expensive. Maybe I'll be able to get the real extract stuff while I'm enjoying my lemonaid. Also, my thought was whenever I have a sugar craving to eat some of this packet stuff... bad choice, DO NOT attempt. Icky, icky, icky! However, I'm sure the benefits of not having sugar in my diet will greatly reduce future health care costs.

Free postage?

2006-01-18T00:47:00.000-05:00

I was just wondering if you could send someone a letter for free. I know postage is now 39 cents, which isn't anything, really, but hear me out. If you don't put the correct amount of postage they return it to sender, so if you put your friends address on the return part, wont it send to them? I just want to try it and see what happens.

Menstrual Cup

2006-01-15T06:29:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about the non-disposible menstrual cup found at http://www.divacup.com On average my monthly feminine goods cost about eight dollars. I found this (unopened) on ebay for 11, but on the site, it's about 35. It's supposed to last 10 years, so, more like 5. So a savings of $480-$960. This is nice, just because I hate using/storing disposible products and I already use a cup, so this switch wont be much different.

No Money Week

2006-01-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

In December, I had 10 days off work for Winter vacation, I'm trying to do non-costly things for fun this week. This is difficult, as I have company for the whole week as well. So far we've watched movies I've had laying around, baked and decorated a heart shaped cake, played cards, took turns doing our internet thing and slept a whole bunch. It's not really exciting at all, but the company is nice to have. It's not that I don't have money saved up to do anything, but when I don't work and I know it's not going to be replenished, I get a bit stingy. However, I'm going to give him money to go see Rent and my bus pass. Tomorrow, we're also going grocery shopping. Now what to do for three other days?

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

2006-01-05T12:49:00.000-05:00

A really tasty treat are these muffins. They were quick to make, but they dry out a bit if you don't make a frosting for them. For the rest of my batch I just whipped some cream cheese and sugar to make a frosting. Yeilds one dozen.

3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cocoa
10x sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. cooking oil

In small bowl beat cream cheese and 2 tablespoons sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside. In large bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Combine milk, egg and oil. Add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened. (Batter should be lumpy.) Spoon about 2 tablespoons of chocolate batter into greased muffin tin. Drop 1 teaspoons of cream cheese on top, then more chocolate batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Unemployment

2006-01-04T01:56:00.000-05:00

I've never been one to use state or tax money for my own benefit. Of course, when I was homeless I was set up with a certain amount of aid, but the only thing I knew how to use was the bridge card. Also, it let me visit the doctor for free once, but after that they kept wanting me to fill out new forms. I never did turn them in because I didn't need the assistance.

Currently I work for a temp agency and was laid off for ten days in 2005. I've been told to file for unemployment. I went to the state's web site to see what I had to do and I could file on my computer, although I couldn't find where, or by phone. They ask for things like a MARVIN number. Sorry, what's that? I'll try to phone tomorrow, just because I should get paid or at least that's what everyone wants me to think. Also, I was told my employer is the one who will front the money, and after all, they're getting a third of my check for me just to work for them. I don't feel so bad anymore. Has anyone else had experience in this?

Budget - Averages from Sept.-Dec. '05

2006-01-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

Over the past four months I've been keeping track of everything I've been spending. I wasn't so detailed in what I considered a "household good". Items such as gifts and bike stuff, which should be in different categories, was thrown in it without a second thought. As you can see, without medical I can average under 1000 per month. With my goal, I still hope to trim current expenses and put more towards saving for big ticket items.

Rent 360
Cats 30
Electric 25
Phone/Internet 55
Groceries 130
House/Misc 180
Laundry 15
Meals Out 45
Entertainment 40
Personal Maint. 50
Transportation 20
=============
950
+
Medical 284
=============
1234
_____________

Actual Averages
(monthly totals)

Spent: 1235
Income: 1427
Difference: 192

Bread

2006-01-01T01:52:00.000-05:00

For the start of the new year, I decided to make myself a loaf of bread. It's the first time I've made one from scratch and it turned out pretty well. If I've learned anything in the past year, it's that I spend much of my money on edibles. I'm going to continue to focus on cost reduction and as a visual reminder, I'll include this: