Today was a NO SPEND DAY.

Wow.

That's about all the news I have to report, yet I'm trying to consistently blog this year.

Doubtful I'll make it if that's all the exciting financial news I can come up with.

We took TheGrrl with us to church this morning and resisted the urge to stop after church and eat out. We don't do that very often anyway and we've taken her out to eat with us after church before, I just don't want to give her the idea it's something we do every Sunday. It did however feel funny just to pick her up for church and then drop her afterwards. I felt somehow guilty for not feeding her! Weird.

When my little familia got home we had leftover creamy chicken & rice, black eyed peas, corn salad, bread, chocolate brownie covered w/pie cherries & whipped cream. Yummers.

I do however, still get a thrill out of having those NSDs. It can be so hard to rack those No Spend Days up sometimes.

I remember when I first read Joe Dominquez's book, "Your Money or Your Life" and started logging my spending, how hard it sometimes seemed to just have a day with out spending some money. Those days when I could manage it got a big smiley face in the log book.

I have gotten much better at racking these days up over time! So, those of you who are just starting on that particular journey keep the faith and keep trying. We are often such creatures of habit that we think we have to stop in here and there and just see what's new, what's on sale, etc.

No, we don't.

NO - the consuming world will rock on without us!!

For me, it was regular grocery stores, scratch and dent grocery stores and antique and thrift stores and yard sales.

No - I don't HAVE TO stop. The world will go on!!

There were days when I had to grasp the steering wheel & tell myself, "I'm going to have a No Spend Day if it harelips the Pope!" So, yeah, keep driving, eyes on the road, don't even consider stopping. Just make it home and get inside and I promise the shaking will stop!! Eventually!

Right after you post your little Victorious smiley face here!!

The Best Way To Sweeten Your Resume?

One Must ENTER the contests at SavingAdvice.com* and win! That WIN listed in your accomplishments could easily tip the scales positive for the next boost up the earnings scale!

You, beautiful Queen, YOU!!

*Need not be present to win!!!

The Best Way To Have A Financially Happy Retirement is...

...to Make A Plan and then IMPLEMENT The Plan, Tweaking as You Go.

Or as my high school Civics teacher used to say...



Retirement, It's the Next Frontier!!

Allrighty, here's another entry in the 'The Best Way To...' Contest. Did you know we could enter more than once?

I've been working PRIVATELY on my own personal goals today and I'm really wanting to use Joe's Goals again this year. I did use joesgoals.com SOME last year, but not enough. I need a BEST WAY to keep on top of this goal-keeping whatchadoodle.

I went in today and revamped some of my settings, one being the 'Preferences' selection. Last year I had it ding me by email if I failed to log on in 7 days time. Well for me it seems 7 days is too too long! I reset it to ding me if I haven't logged on and updated every 2 days. This should work MUCH better. You might want to try it.

I created some new daily line items there as well -

Checking Account Update
Investment Log
Weight

I already do those things on quite a regular schedule but there are some days when I'm playing catch up. Or on the weight, I do weigh each morning but wasn't logging it anywhere. I'd like to get these locked down as Real Deeply NEVER MISS A DAY Ingrained Habits.

Yes, I know, some will tell you not to look at your investments every day. Well, I'm not every body. I like looking at mine daily. Why? It keeps me cognizant of the fact that the balances DO run up and down fairly regularly.

So, for me, it keeps me out of emotional realm and on track to just keep logging the balance. It might not work that way for everybody, but it does for me. I think we had one sell off in our investments in 2007 and that was to rebalance, so I'm not day-trading or anything as a result of keeping an eye on it. It does however alert me as to when I've enough cash on hand to invest into another fund and further diversify. Of course, once I get to a certain point I will stop the diversification process as I'm not wanting to set up some giant maze of investments.

Also while I was there at joesgoals.com I was logging in some of the receipts here on the desk and had to stop and ask myself just who was that crazy lady that was at the fast food restaraunt about 5 times last week???? BARRFFFFF -- I surely don't want that to continue! So, those frownie faces do work.

It has hardened my resolve to see all those on there. BOO HISS!!!

The other thing you can fiddle with on Joe's Goals is to increase your points for certain activities. On those that I'd been slacking on I boosted the points. Doing this points boost, helps spike the charts as well. A nice upward spike on the chart does give me some incentive as well.

As competitive as I am I want gold stars people! No stars available, but smiley faces, points and checkmarks will do. He has a little gadget where you can import your goal chart to your blog.

Plus, for every day there is a frownie for eating out or pop there is also no smiley there for No Spend Days! WELLL, obviously that crazy lady Must Be Stopped!!! Before the fat lady must sing!

The other bad thing about fast food for me is that means I'm usually getting a pop at the same time and my bottom line (ba-dum-bum) doesn't require any extra padding in that department either. So again, the frownie faces may help come to the rescue as I gave SodaPop a frownie line of it's own! Saving on future dental bills as well.

Besides which it does me No Good to complain about my children's spending habits when I'm letting my own run wild!

Time to Get It T.O.GETHER!!

Therefore, the best way to track goals is to have a centralized place TO track them and CHECK IT OFTEN! Automating the reminders to check it often just might be the best way to stay on track.

------
In Other Financial News:

Today's $20 Challenge money came from a change slot in the wallet cleanout.

$20 CHALLENGE
$009.49 balance
+000.38 clean out change slot
_______
$009.87 Jan MTD

2008 Challenge Total $9.87
Cumulative Challenge Total $538.48

We have a new contest huh? Okay, I'm going to enter this into the 'The Best Way To...' Contest.

The best way to cut electricity costs is to keep a somewhat eternal vigil on usage, wouldn't you say? I know there are big things you can do like buying Energy Star products, etc., but in the meantime or afterwards, is there a way for the ECONOMIZER in us to keep the electrical costs under control?

I've been thinking about this for a few days and I've come up w/a small idea. Alrighty guys and girls, every now and again I am going to alert us to a challenge such as the Flylady HotSpot Alerts.

I'm going to call this thing The Whack A Mole Electrical Challenge. Do you remember those games? Pop one mole on the head and another pops up?

That's what my electricity usage is like.

I think I have things under control but one sweep thru the house reveals a number of items that I can turn off, unplug so there is no phantom usage, etc.

Here I go - it's early morning here with showers and breakfast over...

Okay, I'm back -- I turned off:

1)desk lamp off
2)calculator off
3)computer speaker off
4)printer/copy machine off
5)bedside fan off
6)nightstand lamp off
7)living room TV off
8)living room overhead light off
9)kitchen TV unplugged
10)coffee pot unplugged
11)hair dryer unplugged
12)kitchen night light off
13)utility room night light off
14)bathroom night light off
15)microwave unplugged

YIKES!!!

See why we need to keep whacking that electricity mole????

Okay, your turn. Come back and tell me what all you were able to turn off or unplug!

Then stay ready, because you never know when I'll pop a Whack A Mole Electrical Challenge on you! ummmm...you might want to let your family in on this game, because there might be minor disgust from the spousal unit when one finds the microwave unplugged REPEATEDLY. Don't ask me how I know!

What's in your electrical outlets?

Go, Go, GO!!!! Whack Those Moles!!

We keep getting all these emails and newsletters from Countrywide wanting us to borrow more money, etc. but funny thing is they are all addressed to the Hubster**.

Now my name is on the note and I'm the one who monitors the account, sends in the payments, opens, reads and filters the mail he actually sees, am the chief cook and bottle washer and basically the financial manager of the home, etc., and I am feeling a bit left out.

"Dear Hubster,

Your time is reserved for a phone consultation to borrow on a HELOC, blah blah blah..."

NO, we aren't planning to call or refinance or any of that stuff, but...

I don't know about you but if I was marketing my company's products to current and prospective customers in this day and age I would hope I'd be smart enough to include the lady of the house or all those included on the account.

Harummpppffhhh! Makes a girl just want to shut her reticule!!

Had I not been the saver in the home we'd not of had the money for closing the loan in the first place!

I'm aware this is a subjective, piddly thing, but it gripes me, ya know? So, I'm thinking I may have to put pen to paper or hands to keyboard and write their CEO AND their marketing department.

What thinkest thou?

**side rant - nowadays they do not even address you by Mr. &/or Mrs. It's by your first name. How annoying. I'd prefer old school style "Dear Mr. & Mrs. Frugalis"!! You people don't even know us, so please get out your manners!!

The following little factoid came across my screen this morning from the Money Fun Fact Feed at SavingAdvice.com, and I just wanted to make sure the folks here noted it.

---

"The richest person ever was John D. Rockefeller whose wealth was estimated at $900 million in 1913, the equivalent of $189.6 Billion today. His first job in 1850 paid him $3.57 a week." Source: guinnessworldrecords.com

---

The interesting thing is that if you read Titan a biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., you will note that Mr. Rockefeller from a very young age 1)TRACKED every penny and dime AND was 2) EXTREME in his cost cutting efforts AND was 3)QUICK to develop new business ideas and opportunities.

All three ideas which we here at Saving Advice can use to fatten our bottom lines as well. If it was good enough for John D., well, it ought to be good for us as well.

And, JUST because I like you, (said in my best car salesman voice) I'm going to throw you a little bonus thing you can do so your bottom line can begin to fatten like John D.'s - 4)he tithed. Many people are unaware of all the churches and schools he was charitable towards.


http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr/dp/1400...

To recap, he did the following:
1)Tracked Income & Expenses
2)Extreme Cost Cutting
3)Quickly Develop Business Ideas
4)Tithe


If you get a chance, read Titan with your pen & notebook in hand (I'd say highlighter, but I'm a librarian I can't go around telling you to mark up books!!)

While he was no angel, he is not the total devil some might make him out to be. An interesting, informative read.

~~LuxLivingFrugalis

P.S. You'll find out which bank is still around today that was started w/Rockefeller dollars.

Warning, Warning, Warning, Photo Intensive, so those with slower computers might wish to back away now!

I always enjoy seeing pictures of Fern's house so, since the house is halfway clean this morning as we had company last night, I thought it was the appropriate time to snap a few pictures. Welcome to a partial tour of the Frugalis Homestead.





Do not adjust your screen folks. Remember, my house was originally built in 1942 and everything is slightly off kilter from one view to the next! I promise I did not hit the nog last night!! House has been added on to and added on to, so it is a bit of a maze!



Yeah, when you come to visit, I'll let you sleep in the foyer! Ha! That's probably my favorite piece of the furniture in the house. That table w/the stained glass has a full size fold-out bed in it. I got it as a gift a million years ago from my Mom & Stepdad when I bought my first home - a little efficiency condo. It's moved with me a bunch of times. That sucker is heavy!!! No, really, we'll just throw the egg-crate foam on there and you won't feel that foldy-up-the-bed-bar in your back hardly at all!




The little gossip bench was another early gift from my Mom & StepDad! Thank God for my parents thru the years or we would have no furniture!!! That little seat has moved w/me many, many times!! Okay, who forgot to put the phone book back?

Need to repaint the floor trim & next on the HoneyToDoList is to put up crown molding all thru the house. I think I'll have to spend a small fortune on caulk though, because as you can see there isn't a straight line at the ceiling anywhere in the house! All those variations at ceiling line? Not painter's errors, but wavy ceilings!

Okay, let's back track and go to...


Next, a small hint of the Sun Room, well, it's got a cool old wavy glass door and the floor is the pits right now w/stacks of books, so ummmm...yeah, we won't go any farther in here today.

But, yes, that the big club chair I bought from Mom last year w/some money I had saved for that purpose. And the curtain is sooooo cool. I bought it to resell, but haven't been able to turn loose of it yet. It's rather on the coolish side. I paid a dollar for it last year on vacation at a thrift store in AZ, & will probably resell in about the 18 dollar range! How's THAT for a return on my investment?




The 500 lb. monster TV we want to replace! The LAUGH sign was a Christmas gift from my ex-SIL, that's not it's permanent home, will have to find it another spot, but, you'd laugh too if you had all that crappy filing to do!! EGADS it's about to topple!! The old green desk is a cool architect's drafting table that I begged for until I got it from my Step-Dad. Came out of his shop! I LOVE IT!!

It's old & chippy and the top of the table tilts up and has a coolio little brass doo-hickey-ma-bob that holds it the designated angle. Really cool. Would like to put an aluminum top on it someday. With my extra cash, doncha' know???? One of my pipedreams I suppose. Have yet to price it out though, it might be much more reasonable than I'm imagining.



And here we come to...



Here's where I'm a'sitting and typing to you my dear friends & faithful readers.

Yeah, I get the big chair. It belongs to Hubster as it was a Father's Day gift about five years ago, but I abscounded with it awhile back. I log more hours at the desk. Hubster gets the little chair in the evening times to play Halo2 or whatever it is he is cuzzing & discussing at over there.

This is a neat, neat old desk we share that I got at a barn sale. It is over 150 years old and I love it!! Chippy, crackly, creaky, unevenness and all. The white spot on the end there is from some kind of laminated paper that is clearly from the 40's or 50's.

I'd eventually like to cover it with some patterned leather, but yeah, it is cool just like it is. Operations central. New curtains from Mom, need to iron!!! It's always something!! That's the door to the sunroom...

My nice wooden end tables are missing as they are over at FIL's house 'dressing' it for sale.








Ooops, I forgot a couple of ornaments in the put-away the other day! Love my oak plate rack! I paid way, way too much for it, but yeah, it's a keeper. Aren't the cute little feety egg cups I got from my niece adorable?! Love Them!!!






I paid 50 cents for the oak beveled mirror over the stove! A certified STEAL...women, do not let your men price or man the garage sale alone, okay? I'm just saying. They could've easily gotten $50-65 for it. That's the utility room you can just glimpse in the mirror. Remember last year me getting Hubster to finally put trim sticks around the kitchen cabinets. They were HORRID w/o them!!





Okay, this is the possum belly table that holds way too much stuff!! I paid a God-awful amount of money for this puppy, but I really love it. Ya think it's going to sink my houseboat someday??? But, I only paid $8.00 for the beautiful brass lamp at the thrift store!! The matching one sits in the living room. Hey, who crammed those styro cups up there??



Okay, the rest of the dining room and stuff is kinda piled up, so maybe later, huh? Honestly, now just where did you think the rest of the crap from off my desk was hiding???

The Hubster and the rest of the crew are still sacked out in the other rooms and I'll have to go click some pics of the newly repainted bathroom, utility room, bedrooms, etc. later! So, folks, that concludes this portion of the tour.

Thanks for stopping by! Ya'll come back now, ya hear!!!! Any time!!!

Keep scrolling down...









Of financial note: Speaking of OLD & NEW...maybe it's just me but is everything blurry & quiet in here?? The Hubster and I signed up for his HSA this year. Hope he gets his official paperwork soon as I see an eye exam and a hearing test in my future.

At church last Sunday I couldn't see one of my favorite little girls' face while she was in the baptistry waters! Granted, I sit in the balcony, way at the back but still....

Ughhhh!! I think it is a bigger issue than just being at a distance...like maybe I'm turning into an old fossil??

AND,

I couldn't hear the people at the other end of the table in my Sunday School class. Granted, it's a big class, but, still, I like to participate. Need to be able to hear to do that!! Maybe I'm just full of funky earwax?? Hear's hoping that's all that is!

Hopefully the little bit we put towards the HSA will cover both those expenses. We are newbies at this HSA thingy, so we didn't plop a lot of money towards it. 2008 is our test launch year and I think he either put $400 or $500 on it, either of which should be easily hit.

-----
Cleaned the desk off yesterday while preparing for FrugalSon's date. My desk is in the living room, so um, yeah, it had to have a clean sweep! Found a dime and someone had left 35 cents on the lazy susan in the dining room. The waitress (dear Ol' Mom) claimed it.

FrugalSon's 'The Girl' came over bearing a chocolate cake last night and we had Domino's pizza (yes, w/a coupon) and watched Godzilla -the relatively?? new one.

Wooohoooo Party!!

Huuuu!! I fell asleep during the first part but was enough of a party animal to be awake from about 11 on til about 1 a.m. Big time fun. Well, for us anyway.


2008 $20 CHALLENGE

$000.00 balance
+000.45 desk cleanup & waitress tip
_______
$000.45 Jan MTD

2008 Challenge Total $000.45
Cumulative Challenge Total $402.95

Anyway, I pray that everyone of us here at SavingAdvice.com will prosper during the coming new year!! Let the clock start ticking!! I'm off to make my mortgage payment.

OhJoyyyyyyyAndHappiness!

At least I think I caught them all. There are a few I need to check on because I think I went through a few more as a very young child. So far as I can verify I've visited 58% of the U.S. of A. Will have to get with the folks to check some others that are iffy in my mind.

Hmmmmm...
I'd surely like to clear up that pesky southern sweep from being complete and then I could move on the the next tier north!

Just trying to figure out a location for travel in 2008 and in which state to make my timeshare exchange.

Thanks to Kashi for inspiring me.

Create your own personalized map of the USA
http://www.world66.com/myworld66

Behind the veil...

Okay, Broken Arrow, listen up my friend, surely there is a face amongst these winsome beauties for a frugalite such as yourself to love??

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/popup?id=4062863

...and I've got to say Miss Ivanka is such a striking beauty!!

Some vows might be worth taking!!



-----
FINAL UPDATE 2007 $20 CHALLENGE

and the total for 2007 is $402.50. I had wanted to make it to $500.00 this year, but uh, not quite. I'm shooting for much more in 2008. Shhhhh...the amount is my little secret!

Adding in the .27 I had told ya'll earlier that CashHappySon slipped into Piggy one day. I saw him putting it in there but he didn't know how much he'd slipped in...


$20 CHALLENGE

$23.31 balance
+00.27 slipped in
______
$23.58 Dec MTD

2006 Challenge $126.11
+2007 Challenge 402.50
__________________________________
Cumulative Challenge Total $528.61

Taking Dec's piggy totals to the bank today, and will be rounding it off and sending $24 off to the IRA this afternoon.

We interrupt your daily blog roll for this important PSA:

I replied to Paulette Goddard's blog posting on Money and Personality and I wanted to save the response here for posterity. Here goes. A few of the especially helpful book tips will be listed after this comment:

I replied:

"INFJ here.

I was just thinking around this topic last night. In my lifetime I have bought about three gajillion books on money and finance. Why did other people have it and what was my problem???

And I was trying to figure when it finally sunk in, what was the trigger? We started tracking $$'s w/Quicken which I soon found out that I hated, BUT, when seeing a piechart w/the TEE-TINY little red line that was our 'oochie' room in the budget AFTER credit card & car payments and being SHOCKED INTO REALITY, I decided something had to be done! Really it was an article on the web about making the savings literal when you get a discount. So what if you save 30 cents off your toilet tissue!! If you never save it LITERALLY, then it don't mean beans or retirement billions later! You have to LITERALLY DO SOMETHING!!

Many moons and lots of different budgeting / spending plans later, we now use youneedabudget.com and track like crazy. It works for us and that's important too, what works for you. Keep after it until you find the combination of tips and tricks that will help you get YOUR finances in order.

And figuring out that 10 cents HERE and $2.00 THERE really DO add up over time!! Also, finding SavingAdvice.com and all the great bloggers here, became an excellent resource and motivator to keep going.

Thanks for being here everyone! You never know which thing you share will be the eye-opener for the next guy."

LuxLiving's Pared Down Financial Reading List:

1)Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason. (Big Picture)
2)Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominquez. (Focus)
3)Debt Proof Living by Mary Hunt. (How-To)
4)The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton (More Practical Help)
5)Automatic Millionaire by David Bach (for the understanding it gave me about how the 401-K means I have MORE money, not less!)

Many of these authors either have their own websites set up OR ones that are set up by their fans, well worth checking out!

My financial life turned around when I stopped worrying how to get rich and started focusing on how to save money and MAKE IT WORK FOR ME. A website that helped in those regards was the Invest in Your Debt one.

Here's hoping this reading list will help others get there quicker!

Thus ending today's PSA! Now, back to your regularly scheduled blogcast...

Just wanted to make a plug for my new friend




Elsa P. over at ElsaElsa.com. See her link over on the left in the links section, okay? Scroll DOWN, yes, I've got a lot of links. It's under the music. Look for the star!



Her site is not monetary related but astrological. She's quite a pistol! ...and I really enjoy reading her stuff.

Go check her out at ElsaElsa.com!


http://www.ElsaElsa.com

Sorry, I'm not all that great on links inside the blog yet. GO TOWARD THE LIGHT (star) over on the left!!

I think her Grandpa Henry was the frugal type! I really enjoyed her memories of meeting Peace Pilgrim.

Question: Does any one know the name of that star to the left of the moon????? I saw the same configuration in the sky this morning at about 5:00 a.m. and was wondering then what star that was.

My FREE Deezer.com 'Good Lovin*' feelings can be found in playlist number two over on the left! DISCLAIMER: I'm not responsible for any love children that might result!


*What a way to spend a rainy wet cold October morning!

**Give them a bit to load.

Flylady has been encouraging us to get ready for all the holidays, especially Christmas, so this a.m. I was watching her Flying Holiday Videos and noticed on the website that is hosting them a link to Deezer.com, check it out over on the left in the About Me column, you can see my Christmas Playlist PLUS you can go there and get yourself all kinds of good music to listen to for FREE.

Here's their stuff:


THEY SAY: "You can enjoy thousands of songs and albums with NO LIMITATION and it's totally FREE. Deezer revolutionizes the music world by offering you a 5 in 1 service:

1-LISTEN for FREE to your favorite tracks with no Limitations

2-CREATE your own Playlists

3-DISCOVER new artists with their exclusive SmartPlaylist

4-UPLOAD all your songs in your unlimited personnal storage space and participate in their growing song data base

5-BLOG & SHARE your favorite tracks with your friends..."

ENJOY!!


~LLFrugalis, Gearing Up for the Holidays!
(nope, not affiliated in any way w/Deezer)

So I took their goofy test at:

http://www.testriffic.com/financial/financial

Seems I am a...

I've been feeling rather silent lately and it shows here on the blog. We introverted introspectives get like this from time to time. It's nothing personal against the forumites or bloggers, I just get quiet. Anyway, I'm coming up on my 1 year anniversary here at Savings Advice on the 23rd. I may not make it back before then as this is a busy birthday month for those at my abode.

Adding .37 cents to my challenge piggy. Got more change & ones in my wallet that will have to be posted later.

$05.22 balance
+00.37 change
_______
$05.59 MTD

2007 Challenge Total $224.12
Cumulative Total $350.23

Inquirying minds want to know...will you be a transumer??


http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/transumers.htm

I think I'm not going to go there myself!

Think our American society can be cured of it's issues with an Oreo?

Leave it to Ben and Jerry.

Watch this...

http://www.truemajorityaction.org/oreos/


Ohhhhh.R.E.Ohhhhhhh!!!

Seems the talk this morning is all about the garden, reminding me of an e-mail letter I wrote to a friend about a year ago! Here's an excerpt:


The Iris are in bloom, they look so stately with their sturdy stems and haughty heads! Back in the creek are the buttery-yellow daffodils, not to be confused w/the bright yellows. These are a churny butter color w/ruffled edges and look like they are fairy butter sculptures.

This week we have put out the banana trees; and the Margarita vines, which are the real show stoppers in the garden. They are that cool lime green color that stands out from the rest.



This week I planted two in a new 'old' junk treasure that the boys dug up for me from the 'junque' pile' we are dismantling in the back! It is an old enameled electric wash tub on a stand, you know the kind that had the handwringer on the top just like grandma used to have.

Tis cool and rusty and I gotta get it painted before the rust that's holding it together disintegrates! The other thing on the list is to get the BINKITY PINKITY bath-tub sealed up to hold water and get a fountain in there to keep it 'fresh and natural' like, and get some aquatic plants going in it.

We have laid down a new path in the garden this week, lots of weeding, weeding and more weeding, put out deisel, planted the geraniums, and hauled off junk, junk and more junk to the dump!!!

This morning I have seen the four'oclocks starting out of the ground, they are kinda my favorite as they are very clever flowers indeed. They have all sorts of neat BRIGHT colors which kinda sing all on the same plant! The nicotinia are volunteering themselves this year, they are the smell good of the flower bed. Some Per-fuuuff! You'll be walking along and shazam u is transported by the wafting breeze! I like it.

The indoor plants have gone out for their yearly sunbaths, found a volunteer poppy and volunteer wood violet this morning, and got out the cosmos seed, the road daisies seed, the sweet peas are 'soakin' getting ready to hit dirt, and planted up the glory vine, the hyacinth vine, moved some phlox around, etc., etc., etc. The garden stuff is lots of work, but tis so pretty!

Oh and the johnny-jump-ups are volunteering themselves this year as well! Isn't that nice of them to sign up for duty w/o any work on my part? YES INDEED!

The azaleas are also popppppping out at me this week, as are the snowdrops, the wood violets are in bloom, the geraniums and the grape hyacinths w/their little nappy burple heads are up. Everything is starting to sing, dance and look so good.




The morning glories are taking off like mad, and I am still working on getting last years old vines down...I may make it before this years crop overruns us...they are kinda like kudzu once they get going. I think the neighbors must worry about the poor soul who wanders the garden at night, pulling on the 2 1/2 acres worth of fence rows. I've got a real billowy white nightie that really shows all ghostly bright in the night...I think I must scare the hebeebajeebies out of 'em!!! ...well, mostly they do keep their distance in the daylight hours! I have ways of keeping my privacy!

And YEAH TEAM, ~~finally~~ both my Clematis vines are ~~Finally~~ established and ~~FINALLY~~ going like gangbusters up over the fences and trellises - finally Finally FINALLY! Have had to buy & replant three times trying to get them started!! Thank You God!!! Never Give UP!!!

Today, this afternoon am going to put out my sunflower seeds - they make me happy, and some coreopsis (looks kinda like a yellow daisyish thingawhichie) that Mrs. Stinnett gave me seed for last year. I certainly hope they come up so I can give a Good Report! Ha! Cuz I know she'll be asking me!!! Oh yeah, got the red, yellow & white onions in the ground yesterday, still to go are the squash and okra! Also planted this week another GIFT (do you get as many as me??????) of a great big purple rose bush! HA!!! Thank you God!

It's so funny. I think, I need a 'whatchie' to go here God, and viola...here it comes in gift form! Is HE GREAT or WHAT???????????????????? Same thing happened this week and got a potful of some other good thing that was going to be a big expense...ta-da! He PROVIDES!!! You Gotta Gotta GOTTA love HIM!!! Even when I don't receive as a gift, I receive at a bargain price. The rose needed a trellis...when what to my wondering eyes should appear at a garage sale but one for a quarter! A QUARTER!! HA!!!

NAKED LADIES
You must continue to Be Kind to me or LLFrugalis will plant you 40 zuchinni plants!! One plant for each year in the wilderness. Did you know I was 40 years old when I met you???? Ha!!! Twill be a LITTLE gift!!! heheheee Coming On Strong in the NEXT wave of color are the bright orange day-lily's we dug those out of a ditch on a country road!!!

They are just like the one's Momma used to have in her garden when I was a kid.

Number next tis the hostas are coming on from under their leaf beds, and the bleeding hearts are starting to lean over which means they'll be dripping their little pretty pink hearts soon, and how could I forget to tell ya about the NAKED LADIES???? ha!!! They are about ready to pop.

Do you know what they are? They are kinda like an oniony lookin bulb, but they lay dormant all year when right when you least expect it they pop up out of the ground, grow really fast, put out one bright pink or red bloom, then poof, they are gone, died back and gone. They are always a surprise cuz you forget that they are gonna give ya a 'Sneak Peak', and badabing bada boom...TA - DA!! There they are in all of their NEKKID RADIANT GLORYNESS!!! Think they are called nekkid, cuz there are no leaves on the flower portion maybe??? Who knows...but that's their common name.


You oughta see this one plant I got, it's called 'Million Bells', and tis true. The sucker puts out a ba-gillion flowers, and they are so pretty, with hot pink and pale yellow and peach colored blooms. Very Smart looking! The other thing that is really looking neat is a hot pink phlox plant that is tumbling over the side of the cement block wall. Makes it look ever so much more pretty than that ugly, unpainted thing we had when we arrived.



Things are coming along. Methinks it all looking very pretty all about me!! This place was the absolute pits outside when we got here!!! THE PITS!!! Tis been a lot of work, but it has been good for the little chillens and is part of the reason we were looking to buy a place w/some land...they needed a physical outlet and to learn how to labor. Boy, have they labored!!! Only thing is I wasn't thinking about who was gonna hafta be out there teaching them how it was done every step of the way!!! HA!! But it is good for body and soul and I am glad to have it to do! I love my house!! And my yard!!!

And guess what, I have a shoe-box full of seeds that still need to go in the ground!! What was I thinking this year when I bought so many??? And saved so many from last year???? BONKERS!!

Say you're feeling blue? ...a bit down about your living situation, bouncing from place to place? Want to upgrade from Tina's CrackShack? Follow the bouncing ball and try here!

http://www.freespiritspheres.com/eryn.htm

Funny!


http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/principles-of-econ...

We are off to church this a.m. - The Hubster, FrugalSon and I. CashHappySon has just started his first shift as a volunteer fire fighter! So exciting for him, so worrisome for Mom. His muffler drooped on him last night so I had to drive him over just now...cried all the way home praying the Lord will keep the little bugger safe!

I should say we are off to Sunday School this morning as they are having an Easter cantata and we all have low tolerance for that and will be leaving after class and heading home.

No ham this year - we're having tacos for lunch! Ha! My calendar had a misprint and showed the 15th as Easter so I did my grocery shopping last week thinking I had another week to catch ham on sale and I'm just flat refusing to step back in the grocery store and temptalate (is that a word???) myself to buy something else along with and blow the budget, so we're making do with what we have! Hanging tuff!

Anyway, Happy Easter everyone. Here's a link to a Christian website - telling the Good News.


http://www.swordofthelord.com/areyousure.htm

According To Ben, You Follow THE RULES

There! I said it!!

I love to read Ben Stein. He appears to be a very wise man who is also pretty money savvy!

Here's an article of his for all of those you like Broken Arrow and I who are STILL wondering what we want to be when we grow up...

According to Ben, all we have to do is follow the rules and...

Avoid Ruining Our Life!

Who knew!!

It's Mrs. Wilson's fault

If we pay an additional $64.50ish a month between now and August 2012 we will pay off our mortgage right at the same time The Hubster is slated for retirement.

The figures below do not include today's payment that I just made of $419.00, which was actually a nice rounded up figure of $65.04 + 353.96 to come out an even 419.00.



Countrywide's little accelerating payments calculator came up with this future forecast:


Scheduled Monthly Payment: $353.96
Total Additional Payments: $4,264.02
Total Interest Payments Without Pre-Payment: $5,721.46
Total Interest Payments With Pre-Payment: $4,601.53
Interest Saved: $1,119.93
Total Reduction in Term: 1 Year(s) 9 Month(s)

I'll be charting an updated mortgage balance tomorrow when today's payment posts - I'm expecting it to be in the 22,798.00 range.

~~THE CHANGE IN PLANS~~
I have decided that we will pay the extra 65ish a month, but won't be paying any additional down on the mortgage, thus making a change in my $20 Challenge.

Our joint budget (house budget) will be making the additional payment 65ish (early payoff right at retirement) and I'll be taking my $20 Challenge money and putting it directly into my Roth IRA instead of on the mortgage.

Thanks to everyone here for finally convincing me that it is the better option for our financial bottom line.

This is a compromise of sorts, as we could just take the 65ish and put it into retirement as well, but gosheedagnabit, I LIKE the idea of entering retirement with our home paid for.

The Bank Run Challenge $$'s will still go into my Extra Retirement Savings which will be invested outside of the Roth.

Suit Up And Head For The Exit!!



Among other things my folks got me a gift card to JC Penney's for Christmas. FrugalSon and I took off this afternoon and made it into the big city and hit the store. I've been reading my Missus Smarty Pants stuff...

http://missussmartypants.com/

...and trying to follow along on some of her advice. I determined before I went what I NEEDED and went and got that.

And if I think I may re-enter the corporate world anytime soon what I needed was a plain solid black blazer. As luck would have it JCP's was having a nice sale and I was able to get the suit skirt to match. Ta-Da!! Done! I only had to add a few CASH dollars to the gift card to get both pieces so I'm tickled with the purchase.

Just got off the phone with the Mother Figure to let her know what I was able to get and to thank her! YEAH MOM!!

Of course I did take a small gander at a few other trendy things but was easily able to leave them behind. In, suited up and then we hit the exit - time in store 15 minutes tops!

Heads Up Library Ladies



Quiet Please

Now this is rather on the cool side. A bit pricey at the moment, but I can see with their rewards program and a busy lifestyle how this could really work out for some folks!

Check it out!

Playaway

Increasing Income by Decreasing The Stacks



I'm increasing my income by decreasing the book stacks around here. Many of the things I'm selling are books I had for the kids when they were homeschooling and we aren't going to need any longer. Purging the stacks!

You can too if you click on the logo below (in the interest of full disclosure this is an associates link):

Just Stop It Already & Spare Lung Anyone??!!

On today's financial forefront was a phone call to National City Credit Card to STOP sending me those dumb convenience checks. Only took a minute or two, and I did use their toll free number but wish these places did not send this crap out!

No bank run today as we are iced in AND I took all my wallet cash out earlier in the week and stuffed piggy with it for the $20 Challenge anyways. So, nothing there to run with.

Today finds us eating leftover white beans w/ham chunks for lunch. Yummers. That will be the end of that and I'll make us a big pot of potato soup for supper. I love me some tater' soup folks! The best next thing to being home at Momma's and eating HER potato soup! I did get a call from her this morning and they are without electricity but the worst to her was that she won't get to make her weekly trip to the hairdresser! Oh Vanity!!

Of family note is that my sister took my brother to the doctor yesterday and he hasn't been doing his breathing treatments like he should. Doctor gave him a good talking to. Sister asked him on the way home if he understood it all and if he knew what the cure was for the acute pulmonary hypertension that he has.

"Uh, no - a cure???"

Well she tells him..."It's a lung transplant bubba - do you know anyone who's going to give you one of their lungs???? No? Then better start doing those breathing treatments, heh? ...and keeping that oxygen on at ALL TIMES."

His breathing level is practically nil and his heart is already grossly enlarged. Can the boy not get a hint???? Sheeesh! You gotta love my sister, God love her she tells it like it is. No sugarcoating. Just blunt.

It's reality time brother!

Sometimes it feels like a swift kick to the backside is not doing any good and you'd like to go for a good whack up side the head if you thought it would penetrate, ya know????

I got off the phone w/Mom giving me the medical update and walked outside and there was Hubster with a lit cigarrette in hand. I just whacked him right on the shoulder - thru his parka coat and asked if he'd had the quit smoking prescription dealybob filled yet? I already knew the answer was no. He got it from the doc early last week!

I am tired of sitting by the bedside of folks who won't take care of their own health!!!! I gave him the evil eye, I'm watching you look and re-entered the house! Lord help us all!


K.I.L.L.E.R.

No spending - I haven't spent any money this week at all - none since last Saturday when I spent 3.24 on drinks for three harried remodeling folks after our sawing & hammering. Yeah me!!