GRUNT WORK


(Photo Credit: Mark Carson)

Today was a no-spender for me!! !!

I spent part of the day bringing both boys budgets up to date, moving their savings to their various escrow accounts. Marking it off the to-do list is always a relief. They are both so busy that they can't hardly find the time to get to it so Mom is the official bookkeeper. I approve/consult their budgets in a monthly meeting and I do the grunt work, although they do know how and they do balance their own checkbooks.

CashHappySon able to make his first contribution to his new IRA. And still able put back into a small CD.

FrugalSon made two truck payments (he owes Mom & Dad) this month from an extra paycheck last month and also able to contribute to his 403b and to his IRA as well, plus add another small CD.

Go Team Frugalis!!!

Hiddy Ho There Neighbor

A big Hiddy Ho There Neighbor to My Corporate Sponsors Proctor & Gamble because in today's mail came $37 worth of their coupons for such items as Swiffers, Febreeze, Cascade, Mr. Clean, Dawn, and etc.! Thank you. Thank You!!! This will get my couponing back up and running. Don't know who turned me on to it, but thanks!!

Here's a link to P&G:
http://www.homemadesimple.com/common/languagejump.jsp

Earlier today went to the clothes resale shop with the dudes. I bought them their pick of clothes for Christmas - to put away till then - 3 pairs of jeans each, 2 shirts apiece, and each a pair of dress shoes.

So for six jeans, four shirts and 2 pairs of shoes I paid 90.87 total or 7.57 per item average. Not bad.

They will be styling come the New Year and will have forgotten by Christmas what we bought! NICE to have that out of the way.

This was budgeted gift money we spent, so nothing to wank the budget out of alignment! YEAH!!

Only thing left to buy for them is to fill their stocking...which usually has candy, batteries, shaving cream, shaving lotion, music CD, paperback and cologne in it...most of which can be taken care of inexpensively w/clearance, coupons, sales, or BOGOs!

This was definitely a spending day...

Just home from the Walmart where Frugal Son added $3.00 to his $25.00 Employee of The Month gift card he got from work and was able to get himself a new pocket watch, a pair of jeans and some new black socks. He did okay! The socks were already budgeted for in his Clothes Escrow.

CashHappySon bought himself some new black socks as well (they need them for the job) and it was his turn to buy the dog-food and I had a $1.00 off coupon. He also had budgeted back for Clothes and Dog Food so all on an even keel here.

Of course this is the child (I mean young man) that saw 3400 gazillion other things that he now HAS TO HAVE Moooommmmmmmmm! Right kid. No problem but sorry Charlie...save up your money because it isn't in your budget today, but you can allow for it on your next paycheck if there's enough left over after you pay your bills.

I'm such a killjoy!


(photo credit: F. Pancake)

All this black sock talk reminds me of that childhood song we used to sing "Black socks they never get dirty, the longer you wear them the blacker they get!" Does anyone know if there are any additional verses? Those are the only ones I ever learned.

I bought file folders and paper for the printer which had gone up in price .62 cents since my last purchase. Uhhhh, price check on aisle 11, I think somebody forgot to roll back these prices!! These two items were already in the Office Supply Escrow budget so everybody got out under budget! YEAH US!!

CashHappySon went by work to see if the boy was there who was going to buy his guitar amplifier. No go on that deal, but both of them got offered some extra hours so home we ran to get their uniforms and now the house is all quiet again. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!! Silence - how I love ya, how I love ya silence!!

Oink! Oink! Oink!

Piggy just got fed a quarter by CashHappySon! He's such a good child!


$20 Challenge

11.35 Sept. balance to date
+0.25 found in CHS's pocket
_____
11.60 balance forward

Taking Out The Cash
a/k/a Sweeping Up

People People PEOPLEEEEEEEEEEE...

CashHappySon and FrugalSon both work at fast food central. They bring home money most every night.

From where?

In the TRASH!!!

CashHappySon found $5.76 last night. The five was from a five dollar bill. FrugalSon usually cleans the parking lot and it too is often full of coins.

I've talked to their manager about it - for one fact - neither work the registers so that's not an issue but I wanted to be sure where this moolah was coming from.

Yep, sure enough, people have their ticket and change in their hand when they go to put their trays up and sometimes cash money goes into the can right along with the receipt.

See - Listen to yo'Momma - don't put that money in your mouth, you never know where it's been!

How wasteful and mindless we peeps can be about our money at times!!

Here's hoping that all of you negligent people will shop our store and throw your money where my kiddos will find it!

Why?

Because CashHappySon put the .76 into Piggy for the $20 Challenge.

When you make a deposit please remember, No Checks, Cash Only!

$20 CHALLENGE

10.59 Sept. MTD
+0.76 wasteful burger nut
_____
11.35 balance forward


HiHo HiHo down the mortgage goes!!



Try this link to sweep up your own savings:

Baby Baby Baaaaaaaaaaby!!

My baby boy (CashHappySon=freespender) turned 18 this past month. My next oldest (there are 5 altogether) who is still at home turned 20!

WELL OF ALL THE NERVE!!

I rushed to the mirror to check for grey hairs and there is only one crazy wild one in the front. Wheewwwww...twas afraid there would be more!! Where did The Hubster hide those tweezers????

Of happy note is that FrugalSon had an extra payperiod in August and made an extra truck payment to repay the family bank. Sept & October are covered for him. Only 8 more to go and the little truck is his, all his!!

In honor of CashHappy's 18th birthday we moved his money from his ING Long Term Retirement Savings Account to a Roth IRA account. He had enough put back to buy into two funds the Real Estate and Financial sectors. We got him set up on the Automatic Pay and so the last of my babies have been launched into adulthood.

Now to see if they will keep it up after Mom no longer has major oversight!

Wondering if any of the training we've been doing will bear any fruit. Both boys still at home have heard Mom and Dad in some pretty serious discussions about the effects losing Dad's pension has made on the household finances.

Hopefully they've heard enough to continue a lifetime retirement investing program of their own! Here's hoping!!

And yaaaaaaas, of course, I'll be right there nipping at their heels as long as it takes to see that they keep those monthly contributions up!

Whadddd'doIlookthateasy?? Not on your life - I'm gonna nag like you ain't neva seen a'fore nor likely to see agin'!! The stress of seeing a lifetime of plans go up in smoke was nigh on to devastating to The Hubster so I'll be sure and remind all of the children to keep their retirement plans in front of them as they go along!



This goes for YOU TOO!!! Are you putting back like you should??? ...please Please PLEASE make retirement savings a priority in your life!!

What? You thought I wasn't talking to YOU? Yagottabekidding!! Get on it Bubs & Bubbettes!! Talk to HR Tuesday morning! Call your Broker! Talk to your Banker. DO SOMETHING ABOUT RETIREMENT TODAY!!!! Stepping down now off of Mom's Rant Soapbox!

But neva fear I'll be back!!!


Sadly, my baby is no baby any more.

Never too late to start planning on that empty nest:
http://www.pgdc.com/usa/item/?itemID=29305

Now where was I?.... oh yeah, Tweezers!

"Honey, WWWWWHERE ARE THE TWEEEEEEEZERS!!!???!!!"

26 Aug 2006 -- Ohhhh yeah - I'm adding that .19 from CashHappySon's car repair fiasco the other day to my $20 Challenge money.

.81
.19+
____
1.00 Balance Forward

Advocating for your children really pays - huh? Maybe not in cash, but in the long run he'll learn to stand up for himself. Wish I'd taken a picture of the giant hole that mysteriously appeared in his oil pan.