THANK YOU LORD - We closed yesterday on FIL's house. Next is to wrap up a sale of some stocks and divide the remaining photographs and some coins with the siblings and do the final accounting and then disburse checks and that should just about wrap things up.

The older gentleman who bought the house would be someone my FIL would have approved of and he reminded me of him very much. They were of the same generation, both veterans, snappy dressers - he came to the closing w/a walking stick, pinky ring and a nice suit and hat on. He served in the same branch of the military as FIL and everything.

My one gripe? I had to insist about 10 minutes into the closing that they stop and introduce us (buyer/seller) to each other. The closer went on ahead as if I hadn't spoken. I pinched Hubster under the table and he finally stood up and introduced himself and me to the gentleman. Then the dumb girls doing the closing finally apologized. They all knew each other and I don't know I guess forgot??

I would certainly do things differently if I were the closer. I didn't like it one little bit and if I ever have my druthers again, we'll be using a different closing company.

I am decidely not a timid mouse type and I'm certainly not used to speaking to a group of people (I used to run corporate meetings & large seminars) and having people act as if you haven't even spoken at all. Like everyone else, I suppose I do not like being ignored. Anyway that part was WEIRD!!

Nicely done was our realtor's projected net to seller estimate. She was within $300 which isn't horrible estimating in my opinion. We weren't all that excited by the lack of some requested actions during the course of the listing contract, but she did get the house sold.

Funny thing is that I'm the one who got all emotional on the way home at having the last real physical marker of his family childhood home & parents gone. Hubster is/was his usual 'ROCK'. Accurate in his "Mom and Dad have a better home now and I'll go visit them one day, and it hasn't been home w/o them there for a long time."

But still I teared up. Sad.

But glad that the financial/physical drain of maintaining the home is gone. After getting the check to the bank yesterday I came home and collapsed like a limp-rag. I think I've been holding my breath for the last month since the initial offer!! The boys cooked supper and cleaned up. Good thing because by that time I was worthless.


TO-DO today:

Call the closer w/FIL's Social Security number so that the official tax reporting on the sale of estate property can be recorded correctly. If there is a chance I'll be asking for an exit interview w/the owner of the closing company and explaining the etiquette snafu and grim picture it left of his/her company.

Call his realtor and make sure when he's going to get utilities in his name, as I am planning to call today to have them taken out of our name. I don't want to leave him in the dark if he went ahead and moved in.

This is a strange dealywho as I am always proactive about this for us whenever we've moved and had a firm time set up with the old sellers so that I knew when I could get the utilities switched to our name. I'm not sure if this isn't the very first house this gentleman has ever owned. It seemed that way.

At any rate, I'd like to coordinate it w/his realtor as she even picked him up and drove him to the closing and promised to take him to the courthouse for some other paperwork later on, so I'm not sure if he even owns a car. If she's helping him, maybe she knows of his plans on the utilities. I got the impression that they went to church together and that's how they got acquainted.


$20 CHALLENGE

$006.29 balance
+ 1.00 quarters from CashHappySon
_______
$007.29 Mar MTD

2008 Challenge Total $61.73
Cumulative Challenge Total $590.34

Of other probably costly note my little doxie (which are notorious for their bad little backs) has had her hind legs go out on her and so I'll be taking her to the vet ASAP this morning. Maybe cortisone shots will do the trick but she may need surgery. Her little self is a sad sight. I don't want her to have to be one of those little wheelie doggies. Usually when her back gets wobble-sloshed I can do a deep tissue massage on her and get her back into alignment. Not so this a.m.

Moved money from online bank House Tax Fund to checking this afternoon to cover last 1/2 of the 2007 house taxes for our house. We have until the end of March to pay them. I don't personally like doing it this way, but I did earn a teeny-tiny bit more interest by not paying it w/the other half that was due 12/31. Will be mailing check out in today's mail.

House taxes for 2007 were $662.00. Not bad at all considering what many of you pay! I've estimated 2008 taxes to go up a bit and run at $675, so we're putting back $56.25 a month towards them.

Yesterday had to get new brake rotors or pads or something or other stuff done to Hubster's car to the tune of $190.16. Took that money from Auto Repair Fund that is also kept in the online bank.

On CashHappySon's car earlier in the week we had to have a new axle put on for $196.32. GEEE - these cars are costing out the wazoooloooo! This amount goes on his tab. He has the money in checking to cover it, however, we are trying to get him back on track w/being a month AHEAD of his bills using YNAB software, and he's almost there. I'd rather see him get a lifelong lesson money truth than a short-term gratification for me to get the money back in our account at the moment. He WILL be paying it back. He did make his first payment to us on the Toyota Tercel on the first.

***Of major importance is the fact that our realtor called and we are attempting to have closing on FIL's house on Monday! HALLELU!! HALLELU!! Looking forward to the return of a BUNCH O' DOLLARS that we've laid out to keep things moving forward.

I am praying that everything goes smoothly at the closing. We don't have a time scheduled yet though.***

There is only one tiny repair left for Hubster to get finished (putting in an elect. recept. that is one of those ones that can be by water). That's planned for early tomorrow when he's off for the Easter holiday. He's already put in three of them, fixed a small plumbing leak we didn't know we had and put in a new window that had been broken in the ice storm that we had made a stopgap fix on earlier. We also had to do a fix on the stove ignitor. Hopefully they'll be able to schedule their final walk-thru late tomorrow afternoon or early on Monday.

I freaked out a few minutes ago and had to call Hubster to ask if he'd already paid (I do balance the estate's checkbook, but I refused to take on paying the bills as well! I mean, isn't it enough that I never said NOT ONE single word to his four siblings that they weren't helping financially and we were tapping our own money to the point of making me gasp & butte-pucker monthly for two years??? ) the last half of the '07 taxes on his Dad's house as if not, then he needed to call realtor and/or title company and find out if they needed a Paid In Full receipt (meaning a run to the county courthouse for me) or if they would just include them in the final accounting. Not to worry, he'd paid them about two weeks ago. They will pro-rate the little bit of 2008 taxes.

I have to dig out the papers that give him the right as executor to sell the house to take with us to closing. I'm sure the title company has done all of it's work, but he's not going to the sale table w/o the one thing that could throw a ringer! I'm invited even though I don't need to be there. He calls me his financial expert as I make him read stuff thoroughly and am one of those annoying read thru stuff people before we sign. And durned if I don't ask a lot of questions!!

Late last year the local power company sent a guy out to mark some trees that need to be removed to keep from knocking out the power line to the houses across the road IF perchance they were to happen to fall. Okay. Not my wildest fantasy to have them cut down because they do provide a lot of shade for my house, but I don't think we really had much choice. Those guys are here right now cutting down one oak tree that was dead that we did need removed and one nice cedar.

On our top property they will be cutting down a nasty scrub thorn tree that I will be happy to see go as it has a giant amount of poision ivy, oak, and sumac that we spent a lot of money on Round-Up to keep knocked back. Seemed to come back yearly anyway! So, lumberjack types strolling around in my yard making the dogs go nutso. No charge to us personally, but I do believe we'll eventually see it in increased bills, don't we always?

On my desk for the challenge:

$20 CHALLENGE
$006.28 balance
+000.01 mystery penny on the desk
_______
$006.29 Mar MTD

2008 Challenge Total $60.73
Cumulative Challenge Total $589.34

Spent on groceries this a.m. $66.23, up a bit from my normal $35-40 a week range as we are preparing for the Easter luncheon w/TheGrrl in attendance, and I'm signed up to take dessert to SS class Sunday morning, that and I went long on a 24 count case of green beans at 4/$.88=$5.28.

Okay, so I forgot to update the mortgage balance over on the left until today! Out of the blue it hit me that I hadn't changed it after the 3/1 payment.

New Mortgage Balance sits at $19,075.65!

We're getting there.

Also of note I recently upped THE Hubster's term life insurance and so that premium will be going up by about $20 a month.

Of major note on the financial awareness level here said Hubster was talking to me last night based on the bank bailout on whether we should allocate some portion of our assets into gold. At least he is FINALLY becoming aware of the financial world at large. We discussed our current asset allocation based on risk tolerance and our short/long term perspectives and our satisfaction w/our current diversification.

I also tried to talk to him about market timing and tried to get his feel on IF he sold some stocks or mutual funds to buy gold when he'd feel comfortable returning to the marketplace and how would he know that the time was ripe? No good answers there. I told him he shouldn't feel bad. No one knows those answers for sure.

For now we'll continue this discussion likely this evening. But it wouldn't hurt my feelings right now to be invited to a gold party as we do have some jewelry in the safe-deposit box we could sell!! And I wish I was more informed about the currency markets.

After posting yesterday I went on over to Ameritrade and checked my balance there and in my Irish luck calculations I had forgotten to account for the interest I have received over this past year. In the next few days the Suze Orman/TDAmeritrade $100 bonus should post and I should easily make my last 2007 Roth IRA contribution w/$$'s left over. YEAH ME!!

Today is/was a No Spend Day! Yesterday would have been too, but the three guys here go thru bread like water, so I wrote a $2.05 check at the bread store!

TheGrrl came over yesterday afternoon and they had a stay-at-home date. They made & decorated sugar cookies and we had how-to-make-hamburger-patties that don't fall apart lessons (it's all in the thumb action). After supper we all went for a walk, worked in the yard removing some of the last of the 'hangers' limbs from the ice-storm, brushed and played fetch with the dogs and then came in and watched The Bachelor. At the end of the evening an inexpensive Frosty junior topped off their date. A little more than $2 for a nice day. FrugalSon is trying to make all of his 2008 Roth IRA contributions this year as well and that leaves him w/little other $$s to date with or spend recklessly. He's on a strict budget. She'll have to understand him or be gone.

One of the things I do with cash in my wallet is donate to my church's building fund each week. Here's where I scrape the bottom of the purse out, check the coin purse and see if there is any folding money in the folding money spot.

On Sunday this week all I found in my wallet (aside from the cash for everyone's monthly allowances which are deposited into the First National Bank of Mom in the back hideyholes) was 51 cents. That's it.

Into the little special envelope it went.

For informational purposes - yes this extra money I donate to the bldg fund is just that. EXTRA. We do tithe from the household budget and I do tithe from my personal budget as well. Extra this Sunday out of household budget was $25.00 that went towards a SS class mission project we are doing in Mexico this year.

So, now I'm PERSONALLY busted AHHHEMMMMM (I mean Cash Flow Inhibited) until this coming Friday when I'll give myself another fiver from one of those dark recessed places in the wallet. That five will do me for the next week.

Tight rations for moi this month!

Who cares and why am I telling you about this?

I was just working on posting some financial doings in the YNAB software and decided that just for kicks and giggles I'd run over to Jesse's YNAB blog and see what was happening over there since I hadn't been in a coon's age. Well -- the latest article there talks about being financially aware of where every penny goes. Why? Because it's important. That's why!

Okay. So 51 cents went out this week to the church's building fund.

Meanwhile I've updated my links over to the left to show you the way to the YNAB blog. WELL WORTH VISITING.

Of other financial note this week. I sold a dresser from when the kiddos were little for $40.00. I deposited it locally this morning and promptly came home and deposited it over into my IRA along with $211 EXTRA from this month's budget to try to get that darn 2007 limit fully funded.

So for March here's what I've been able to come up with for MY latest portion of the 2007 contributions to MY IRA. The house budget puts in $100 a month towards current contributions which is not included here.

$101.00 my normal monthly do.
+ 23.00 from Feb's $20 Challenge(round-up)
+ 40.00 from dresser sale
+211.00 scraped from the March budget
_______
$375.00

So, if I've counted my chickens correctly and IF the Ameritrade Suze Orman $100.00 bonus gets posted before April 15 and it should based on my join date then I'll have 600.00 that I've contributed this past year to earn the bonus + 100.00 bonus which will equal $700 that I can put towards my 2007 contributions and IF I can scrape another $37.00 up before April 15th I will make it to complete my 2007 contributions.

Meanwhile back at the ranch as I said, house budget is feeding $100 a month into 2008 contributions and my 101.00 (the $1.00 extra to differentiate it from household contribution and not confuse folks at the brokerage) will then go towards 2008 as well. I may well then stop the $50 to Ameritrade and put it towards the IRA.

In the old L.L.Frugalis PERSONAL checkbook I am close to the bottom scrapings. I've got about $33.00 in there to last until the end of the month for whatever weird unaccounted thing comes up. If I am extra special careful (which I rarely am) I could conceivably have that much left over that I could use towards the $37 I need - probably won't happen. BUT, I'll find it somewhere in April's budget if it harelips the Easter bunny who as a matter of fact is coming way too early this year for my tastes.

Keep your fingers crossed kiddos that the luck of the Irish holds for me! Yes, I'm a bit of an Irish lass as I had a full-blooded Irish Grampy!





Here's so you don't have to scroll way down to visit the YNAB blog.


http://www.youneedabudget.com/category/blog//

I've got a big old honking pile of papers on my desk!

More Importantly - I'm TIRED TIRED TIRED of having a big old honking pile of papers on my desk!!

To-Do
1)Spend 15 minutes morning on deskwork.
2)Spend 15 minutes afternoon on deskwork.
3)Spend 15 minutes evening on deskwork.
4)Bank February's $20 Challenge money.
5)Figure out what CashHappySon's new auto insurance premiums are going to be.
6)Move money to Emigrant.
7)Move money to Roth IRA for 2007.
8)Go to the Dollar Store & get things on list.
9)Find another copy of my truck insurance paper to go in glovebox. Took the other one out when I went to get tag renewed yesterday.
10)Either Call or Take CashHappySon to employer to get new schedule straightened out. Make sure #9 is done before driving off!!
11)Spend 15 minutes before bedtime on deskwork.
12)Get some filing done!
13)Get some files cleaned out!!

Ta-Da
Already done this a.m.

1)Bed Made
2)Dressed to shoes, hair & makeup done.
3)Brushed, Flossed, Mouthwashed
4)Load of Laundry Done
5)Ate Breakfast (Strawberry Yogurt, OJ)
6)Midmorning Snack (10 Almonds & Green Tea)
7)Walked for 10 minutes.
8)Updated 4 checkbooks (don't ask) via computer.
9)On my third bottle of water.
10)Made a shopping list for Dollar Store.


Yesterday's Ta-Da's:
FrugalSon went with me yesterday on his day off and we got some running done:

1)Truck Tag Renewed til 2009.
2)Hubster & mine allowance money from ATM.
3)Went by my bank to get new register & make a deposit.
4)Took CashHappySon's uniform pants by to exchange them for a different size.
5)Made a clothing & junk donation to the local women's shelter.
6)Went to booth #1 & picked up February's sales check and put this weeks items into the booth. February - Booth 1 Sales after overhead $283.49 - Booth 2 Sales after overhead $60.49.
7)Had a NO SPEND DAY!

$20 CHALLENGE
$000.00 March beginning balance
+001.25 from Hubster
_______
$001.25 March MTD

2008 Challenge Total $055.69
Cumulative Challenge Total $584.30

Need a good laugh about the stimulus package?? Check it out...


http://www.salon.com/comics/opus/2008/03/02/opus/


FUNNY!!

On 2/21 night we got an offer on FIL's house. As mentioned here previously Hubster is the Personal Representative for the estate (what used to be called an Executor).

The offer on the 21st was a little too low for what we needed to get out of the house, by about four thousand dollars.

Thus, we made a counter-offer on the morning of the 22nd that was in line w/the pre-approved loan amount the people got and with some concessions to them, but will let us walk away w/what we need to get our money back out of the house that we've put in for repairs and updates and hopefully let Hubster's siblings get a four or five thousand apiece inheritance (before the charge-off of the prices on the estate furniture they bid on and won) and PLUS, one brother bought a car from the estate against his future inheritance so that will come off of his portion and another brother bought OUR car w/his portion so we'll get paid back for that car.

Even with all that it will still let the house-buyer have a few wins on what they asked for.

The house sits in a horrid neighborhood, so we've only had a few lookie-loos.

Hubster's Dad passed in November 2005 and we've been carrying all the expenses for the funeral, lawyers, repairing, updating the house and keeping it insured, taxes paid, and utilities on since then out of our personal budget.

While his Dad had some insurance that we did receive, with just one of us working full time it's still been taxing us!

We called for prayer from family and friends that they'd accept our counter-offer. We were trying for a win/win here. It is a well maintained home that was a one-owner since it was built in the early 1950's.

And Hubster deserves not to have to worry about it anymore!!! Or to have to mow the lawn, etc., this summer.

This morning 2/26 we got a call from our realtor that we have a deal and then later this morning we got emailed a copy of the signed contract so I feel a little more comfortable telling you about it.

The closing is set for late March of course. Also good news is that the buyer is already pre-approved for the purchase price and so we are hopefully soon set. The Hubster has a couple of minor repairs still to make since a window & fence was damaged in the ice storm but they are relatively easy fixes.

So, thank you Jesus for a sale and thank you friends, family, blogites, for all your support through this trying time. Keep your fingers crossed and prayers up that the inspection process and closing goes smoothly!

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! YEEEE-HAWWWW - for us this means that the approximately $22,500 +/- a few dollars that we've laid out will soon be winging it's way back into our accounts, plus the Hubster's inherited portion of the proceeds, plus the portion for our old car, and then we can get the sibs their monies and wrap the estate up.

Hubster refuses to ding the estate for the interest we've lost on that money, but as I told you before, he's one of the good guys. I personally would get our interest back, but that's me, I'm more about business transactions being conducted fairly for EVERYONE.

The kids (5 of them) have had time to grieve their parents passing and are ready to relinquish the old home place.
Hopefully it's just what the buyers want and will make them a good home.


We are thrilled about the house selling.

Thank You Jesus, Thank You Jesus!!!

I'm absolutely thrilled I tell ya!!

Life's been busy. Went to see my Mom this week about 2 hours away. Collected money from my booth that is in her town and took a couple of boxes full of holiday items out of it and restocked w/one big box full of goodies taken from my other booth nearby me. This gives me a place to rotate items. I also pulled a couple of dolls out of the southern most booth #2 to put in #1 that had never been in booth #1.

Usually I go from booth #1 to booth #2 and then if after a while things don't move I then go ahead and donate them to our local women's shelter. They have a couple of garage sales a year to raise money.

This way I feel as if I've made an honest effort to get $$s for the items, but if they don't sell after a reasonable amount of time I become more comfortable with donating them.

I also won a few items from a local auction house this week, 3 chairs that I plan to resell. Also we went to a local auction the other night. Took FrugalSon and TheGrrl and a single lady from my SS class. We had a nice evening and I won most of the things I bid on which I will resell.

I'm going to include pic in this entry of the very nicely framed Indian painting that I bought at a garage sale late last year. The glass was broken on the picture so I paid $5.00 for it. My husband got the glass replaced for me for FREE. You may not be able to tell from the picture but it is quite large - sofa wall size. We took it over to the booth #1 on Saturday - listed for $250.00. If it doesn't sell at that price w/i a year, then I'll mark it down considerably and see what happens. Wish me luck!

I had to also go back this week to the clinic for a third time this month - now I have a cold and still the virus/stomach flu bug hangs on. GRRR! I'm ready to be well!!

Was told this time that there is no co-pay on my insurance for office visits. Not sure that is true, but it appears to be true for that clinic at least! Okay, I can live with that.

Frustrating the process is that this is the first year Hubster and I have signed up for the HSA at his work, which is supposed to have some kind of card with it, but there have been repeated mixups on the mailouts of the cards. I don't have a card YET, but supposedly there is some method for getting $$'s out refunded. This round of 4 scrips was in the $70 range. OUCH!! But that was a considerable savings off what it would have been w/o the insurance!


CashHappySon gave me 60 cents in dimes to add to the $20 Challenge.

$008.35 balance
+000.60 in dimes
________
$008.95 Feb MTD

2008 Challenge Total $040.85
Cumulative Challenge Total $569.46

Still trying to backtrack and capture what all happened in the last couple of weeks w/CashHappySon's Car Saga - these are captured notes from an email to a friend...

a/k/a
Lux's Semi Fast Car Sales -

"Youngest child sold the 89 Mercury that the backend's about to go out on last night (2/12) - $900 cash in - paid us back for the 94 Toyota with remaining new balance due $74.72 on that one that he no longer has.

We car shopped the bottom price point on Monday (2/11) and ended up pushing two of them off the street. Uhhhm, no thanks!! On the 12th we loaned him an additional $2250 to buy a 1993 Toyota Tercel w/83K miles on it.

The Lord blessed him with two willing buyers quickly - totalled Toyota and the Merc gone!! YEAH LORD!!! We had found a salvage that will sell the buyer a rear-end for the Mercury car for $100 bucks, so if that guy can get someone to put it in for him cheap, & fix an oil leak, he'll have a good car w/low low miles (less than 28K original).

So we started the week with 2 other cars and are ending it with just one that is drivable - FOR NOW. Hope the kid is learning something because Mom is tired of car shopping & car selling!

I have officially made my last car loan to my children, unless they get married and need something to drive a baby to the doctor in they can just forgedaboudit!! But, I'm not telling them that! And even then? Probably not. I'll just send a taxi or go myself.

The Lord blessed me yesterday (2/12) as well. I have a relative, an older female who when she was in her early 60's married a 96 year old multi-millionaire. He has since passed away, and she's remarried, but evidently she spends a great deal of time clothes shopping.

We took my Dad a load of wood yesterday and I came home with the entire back end of my truck filled with those giant 31 gallon plastic storage containers full of clothes from her, about 20 of those big BIG boxes full of NEW high-end clothes. I am spending my time this morning trying on clothes. Thankfully I carry rope behind my seat! Yeah for a girl truck!!

Miraculously they are almost all fitting. With curves you usually get clothes that fit one spot but not the others. I can normally try on 50 pairs of pants and find only one that fits w/o being alterted. This morning I've already tried on about 20 pairs and all but two pairs have fit and they are too short.

There are probably 90-100 pairs of dress pants here, 20 or so pair of jeans, 4 or 5 dresses, 4 skirts, 4 coats, about 25 blazers, 20-30 sweaters, 30 or 40 blouses, 3 pant suits, plus a few casual outfits as well. What doesn't fit is going to _______ Women's Shelter. That and most of the sweaters as I'm too hot natured to wear them very often. But, I think the Lord is fixing to send me back to work somewhere full time in an office. Otherwise there is no need for me to have this much stuff!

I'm going to have to find a couple of clothes racks to buy to fit all this stuff on as my closet will not hold any of it. I do not particularly like to go clothes shopping - so it's very VERY nice. I personally think she dials QVC & Home Shopping Network a bit too often!! But I'm very grateful for all the FREE FREE FREE beautiful nice things. Seems she has good taste. Not everything is 'me' but I can put it to good use.

Thank you Jesus!! The cup - It truly does runneth over!"

------------
But WAIT there's still more on the car saga!!!! Just so you guys know - Mom tried to be the voice of reason and kept saying why don't we just fix the 89 Mercury but of course being a teen he wanted something sportier and Dad thought since he'd run the oil low on it a couple of times that he'd probably done some damage that would result in serious consequences later. I'm no car expert but I'd of fixed what we had and kept it. It did take a bit of a while for the Mercury to sell w/it's problems advertised.

Adding the quarter from earlier in the week that I drove around in the movie parking lot to stop and pickup. Money is money folks and it does add up.

$20 CHALLENGE

$008.10 balance
+000.25 quada from the lot
________
$008.35 Feb MTD

2008 Challenge Total $40.25
Cumulative Challenge Total $568.86


Last night was Valentine's dinner at the BBQ/steakhouse with our SS class - $23.98 which included the gratuity for Hubster and I to both have a very nice juicy GOOD steak and taters and pop.

A nice time visiting w/class members - I've had to miss SS class for the last three weeks because of being sick, so it was nice to get to go out, sit and visit. Hubster and kids have been attending w/o me.

I was seated at the end of the table across from two single guys - one who is going thru a divorce w/2 kids and another who is long divorced w/2 kids. I did my best to keep up the ol' conversational ball and ask them about their lives. I remember those days when I was single and going to events w/couples - it can be sucky! Hopefully they weren't too bored talking about themselves!!

After coming home and commenting here on the blogs I went to bed early to read and let dinner digest - it was just enough - not overstuffed like you sometimes get - but just right. On the reading bedside table is: "Your Money or Your Life" by Dominquez. I'm re-reading it again for about the fourth time trying to get into doing ALL THE STEPS to see what I've missed that could be helpful in the ol' monetary quest.

And, "Daring To Be Yourself" by Alexandra Stoddard which points you towards living a life of graciousness and niceities and joy and such. Noting the small things and taking pleasure in them. Nice to be reminded to take time to smell those roses and to enjoy your home and to pick a lifestyle and creating a refuge and peaceful home that is pleasing, warm and loving to you and your family & inviting and welcoming to your friends and guests!

While I was sick I re-read a bunch of my Paul E. Erdman books. If you like money and reading then I think you'd enjoy most any of his fiction books.

I'm up early by myself this morning, having coffee w/the pupster dogs and reading some and blogging here. Off to get ready for church. Still soggy and rainy here. Spent $5 this week having Miss Sweet Black Toffee's toenails clipped. CashHappySon paid $5 for Miss Carmelita Corn to get hers done. It was one of the smoother easy-going times we've had together this month!

Lunch will be Yummy Steak -a chicken fry steak meat w/brown gravy and onion soup mix cooked in the crocko'pot, baked potatoes (foil slipped tightly over the top of the crock & small tates forked and slipped on it, domed lid on tight), green salad, iced tea and cherry cake for dessert.

Hope everyone has a blessed and relaxed Sunday. Enjoy yourself and love on your peoples!!

How about you - do you re-read books?

When it asks you to do literal steps do you sometimes do like me and just skip them thinking they don't apply?

The "Your Money or Your Life" book is a good one to re-read as there is much I missed and/or forgot/forget!! Good to be reminded!

I am going to try to actually do ALL the steps they suggest.

Have you read this book and done the steps?

Taking the $4 I got yesterday for selling books and adding it to the challenge. Also there are 3 cents here from the laundry fairy.

No. Not the ass in the picture. Isn't that from Shakespeare or some other midnight Summer's dream? Yes, it's been tooooooo many years since English Lit.

$20 CHALLENGE

$027.87 balance
+004.03 books/laundry fairy
________
$031.90 Jan MTD

2008 Challenge Total $31.90
Cumulative Challenge Total $560.51

Nobody claimed the pennies as theirs so, yeah, Anywhooooo...

Yesterday was a No Spend Day. Today looking like it will shape up similarly. Got to love those Back To Backs!! It's cold, Cold, COLD here today and I'm trying to stay inside. Have to run FrugalSon to work in a bit, but other than that I'm going to stay inside and toasty!

Posted a collectible book on Amazon yesterday for sale - I paid 50 cents for it at a garage sale last summer, just never got around to getting it posted for sale. Going list price for this rare badboy is in the $33ish range.

Also took pictures of my $5 to AT LEAST $125 if not more project and I'm still trying to decide where to sell it.

Any Shakespearean's here want to straighten me out?

Am I dreaming or was there a Prospero somewhere in Shakespeare land???

Nothing too exciting today. Just balancing accounts and doing filing and shredding! Boring but necessary.

Got the CC bill for the unexpected chainsaw purchase. Gaaa!! One expense I could have lived without. But Hubster sure looks fine in his flannel.

Received a $4 check for some books sold.

Thar's Gold On That There Asphalt!!

Well, maybe not gold, not in this instance anyway.

Yesterday afternoon both sons were off work and we tried to get ahold of their girlfriends last minute to go to the movies with us. Alas, the poor girlies missed out on a last minute date! We went to see Will Smith's "I Am Legend".

It was really good, but I had no idea it was a scary movie or I wouldn't have gone. I CUSSED out loud four different times in the movie when something jumped at me. I thought the old ticker was going to go at any minute.

I think I actually strained my shoulder by grabbing onto each boys shoulders as I sat in the middle.

Ohhh, and yeah, I did pick my feet up off the floor. You never know what scary thing is down there!! Wooooo.

After the movie we had to hurry home - IT WAS GETTING DARK!!! I saw a bit of shiny-shiny on the ground by the truck. So, looking carefully around to be sure no boogies were going to get me I grabbed that puppy up - it was a dime.

So, as you all know I've been collecting money WHERE-EVER I can find it since my Grampa H. taught me when I was knee-high to the proverbial grasshopper - We now can ascertain that I'm willing to risk being bit by the Boogie-Men to pick up a dime!

Man, was I glad to get home safe!

**I don't DO scary movies people and this here just proved my point. Of course both word police sons' first words out of their mouths when we got home was to tell Hubster "Dad, Mom cussed during the movie - FOUR TIMES!!!"

hahahhahaaaaaaaaa!

Hilarious.

I said it loud too where everyone could hear me*!! "OHHHHHHHH Shoot!" Or something like that!

*I'm kind of public safety minded that way - I was giving warning to the other citizens of the theatre to let's get the heck out'a here!!!

Anyway, I'm taking my dime**to the challenge.

$20 CHALLENGE
$015.32 balance
+000.10 The Risk Queen Salvaged
_______
$015.42 Jan MTD

2008 Challenge Total $15.42
Cumulative Challenge Total $544.03


**Effectively bringing down the cost of going to the movie by 10 cents. Matinee costs yesterday were $5.00 - I bought for myself and CashHappySon, so only $4.90 for me this time. FrugalSon paid his own way. We also got the DREADED fast food yesterday - but with FrugalSon's employee discount it was only $3.27 for all three of us to each have a burger & fries, w/water to drink from home!


Soooo, check that asphalt people. There's gold and silver and folding money to be found out there! But, do watch for the night boogies. And light up the dark!!

You can read the book it is based on here:

http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Legend-Richard-Matheson/dp/076531...

Or light up your dark-night here:
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Bob-Marley/dp/079359412X/ref=sr_1...

How about you - do you nightmare from scary movies? I don't, but I don't like them.

Do you pick up money when you find it on the ground?

He did it again.

$20 CHALLENGE

$014.58 balance
+000.74 CashHappy contributes
_______
$015.32 Jan MTD

2008 Challenge Total $15.32
Cumulative Challenge Total $543.93

Okay here are some actual numbers from Booth 1 sales for December 2007.

Total Sales $130.00
less 10% -13.00 (store owner)
___________________
117.00
less rent -50.00 lg. upstairs booth
___________________
67.00
less adver. -5.00
___________________
Check $62.00
inv. cost -11.71
___________________
Profit* $50.29

*Does not include taxes that must be paid, gasoline or my time to run it over there - I grocery shop at the same time, nor my time to price, or tithe - but it is nice to know that w/just $11.71 I can net sales of $130!

Sold 33 separate items which would average out at about $3.94 an item. I do have some large items in my booth, and nothing big sold this month, the most expensive one item went for $14.50.

I do try to keep a lot of 'smalls' in my booth as sometimes that is the only thing that sells. I remember my early days of 'junking' and I was happy to shop all day, but did want to bring some little something home for all my 'efforts' - HA! Thusly, I do try to have items in all kinds of price ranges available for my shoppers. I think my sales would about triple if I could get a downstairs space.

So, $31 to the Roth IRA today after I hit the bank w/the check I picked up yesterday. Booth 2 results are too sad to mention for December.

CashHappySon handed me $1.16 in change to go to the challenge. He is so cavalier about money it is scary.

$20 CHALLENGE
$007.83 balance
+001.16 parted with all too easily
_______
$008.99 Jan MTD

2008 Challenge Total $8.99
Cumulative Challenge Total $537.60

Yesterday was a spender as HouseBudget spent a boatload on gas to fill up my truck. I took a load of firewood to my Dad about an hour away and then drove on to my Mom's to restock my junque' booth #2 and pick up December sales at #1 & 2 booths. Phhppfftt...those #2 sales not worth driving for (did meet my rent, got rid of some junk with a little left over*), but it does make me MORE regular in getting down to see her - she lives approximately 2 hours away.

Since both boys were off I took them with me to unload the wood and to see the grandparents, so it was $9.90 at the Golden Arches for lunch for the three of us (just the way the schedule turned out that we were between their houses at lunchtime or we'd of normally eaten with one or the other of them) AND $1.75 in toll charges.

*My other booth did meet it's December expenses plus $62.00 in income. Good thing I'm not trying to LIVE off of this money as it is very irregular! Now to figure out the profit...

Half of the income will go directly to my Roth IRA and the rest plowed back into more inventory.

Perfect!!! FrugalSon just gave me $6.25 left from his December Entertainment budget - "to help you with that pizza from the other night Mom", you know the one we invited his girlfriend over for? What a trooper!

Wooooot!!!

Now normally the Frugalis family makes pizza at home which I can make a couple of nice pizzas for about $5 or less, so even w/the coupon the other night it pained ol' Mom's Frugalicious Gene (TM) to pay for pizza (no, I didn't say a word as it was my idea to do it this way), so this is a nice surprise.

Unexpected, so, I'm taking it to the challenge!

Plus, the dryer fairy left me a penny. Thank you muchly!!


$20 CHALLENGE
$001.46 balance
+006.26 pizza rebate & dryer fairy
_______
$007.72 Jan MTD

2008 Challenge Total $7.72
Cumulative Challenge Total $536.33

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!

Is that my Sciatic Nerve Acting Up? NO!! It's a genuine pain in the posterior!

Okay, the Hubster's 40 Year Service Award is going to be paid out in the form of being added to supposedly his next paycheck, which means it will be frigging taxed & won't be issued until after the first of the year, so it will be an entire year before any of that tax bite can be recaptured.

Can you tell I'm slightly ticked off????

Arrrghhhhhh!!!


In an attempt to soften and at least slightly counteract the blow I went in and upped the 401-K deductions only to be told that it won't go into affect until AFTER that check is cut!!

Pain in the right and left buttocks**!!

Like I said before it would certainly be nice if the employees had a little notice that the company was going to do these bonuses and awards in the fashion that they do, so we can counter-attack the tax burden.

Guess why? They don't do matching or take any 401-K contributions out of bonuses or awards. Isn't that just fine?


NO, not in my book.

Does anyone have a solution, methodology or a way around this?? Maybe I'm thinking about this all wrong, but it chaps my hide and yes, I do think it a royal pain in the posterior.


I hope I'm wrong and it comes in a complete untaxed form.

Yes, we could go ahead and take some of our own money and go buy the television NOW that he's wanting but it's doubtful that we will. I didn't particularly want a new TV, but he does, and it gripes me that they COULD HAVE done better by him than they have.

Okay, so I'll let you know how much actually shows up later, should be in his hot little hands when he returns to work from vacation time off on Wednesday.

----

Of other financial interest, I managed to scrape up an additional $999 to go into my Roth from various savings. I'm going to add my own little $1 from the current budget to get it to that magical $1000 mark. That still leaves me slightly short some on the 2007 done by midnight on the 31st, however, perhaps I will be able to make the deadline by April. GEEEEEE, WHINE, WHINE, WHINE, I so wanted to be done by the end of the literal year.

POUT!!

---
Yesterday was a NO SPEND DAY!!! YEAH!!

---
Today was a spender. Everyone here but the Hubster has the croup and the boys have been hitting the cough syrup supply quite heavily. So, after church we stopped for cold supplies. Tried to buy day time cold meds, night time cold meds, tissues and regular cough syrup.

Because some people in my state like to cook up funkydunkydrugs from the stuff I had to give the cashier my date of birth and was only allowed to buy two of the cold meds on one ticket. The third one I had to buy on a separate ticket.

How, may I ask you Dear Reader, did that keep in bounds with the law? Yeah, it did with the letter of the law?? but still. It's a law with good intentions, but silly if the cashier is just going to let you buy the stuff on two tickets. WEIRD.

Not sure how I'd of liked it handled, because with three croupy people I needed the goods, but come on!!! Either stick with the law or don't bother.

Geeee, it is a strange world anymore where you almost need an act of Congress to buy cough medication!


**For more classy information on buttocks check out Wikipedia for Venus of the Beautiful Buttocks!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Kallipygos

Oh the things we can learn these days. I had seen the statue, but never heard the story about the farmer with two daughters possibly originating with Venus????

I live, I learn, I educate my faithful readers.

We all are now further classically educated, yes?? Additional small talk fodder for the New Year's Eve parties to come!

"If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have, that you don't want." ~~unknown



I received a $50 gift card for J.C. Penney's for Christmas again this year. Thank You, Momma!!!!

I was wanting to use it to buy new towels for my redecorated bathroom (it's all Chinese Plum Blossom Red w/Black accents now (very exotic looking and I love it - see I was busy while I was off the blog). We are not going to talk about how much I spent for the black leather shower curtain!!! However, I had just recently within the past year and a half bought new yellow towels. They look 'okay' in the bathroom, but black towels would be mucho mucho better.

So, Penney's was running a sale on their towels yesterday and I went but alas the only black ones they had in stock were of inferior quality and so I passed. Will find dollars later to buy the kind I want. Does Cannon still make towels? I dunno, but theirs are the only ones I know of that last, and last, and LAST!!

Hubster asked that I buy myself new nighties for Christmas. I believe I know the one he BADLY wanted replaced - it's from one of our trips to Florida about 10 years ago, I paid $7 for it at a roadside stand, and is on it's very last leg, but OOOOOOHHHHHHH so comfy. I'm saving it for a pattern.

I've been shopping around all Christmas time to find myself new nighties but alas all the stores seemed to have are flannel and fleece and I'm a hot sleeper and I need SEXY, sleeveless and thin, not GRANNY GRUNT nighties!! I have not been married 25 years by accident you know!!

Anyway, I was cruising around Penney's and there was nothing that I wanted!!!

Isn't that FANTASTIC??????????????

I think so.

Oh how your tastes change as you age. I don't really NEED anything! It's a good place to be mentally friends.

So, I did finally remember about the nightie request & found Penney's had a few that fit my (Hubster's) NEEDS for me to have new nighties. Got three of them, black, red, blue. They were all 60% off and came in just under $50 by 11 cents. So, Penney's it is doubtful I'll be back until next year & then only if Mom gets me another gift card, so I've just increased your bottom line by 11 cents.

And now Hubster is EVEN HAPPIER coming to bed!! (as if that's even possible???)

Goodbye old nightie, OH how I loved you!!! We made some FAN-TASTIC-MOR-GASMIC memories together - but I love Hubster & gift cards more.

----
$20 CHALLENGE

$23.28 balance
+00.03 from FrugalSon
______
$23.31 Dec MTD

2007 Challenge $402.23
Cumulative Challenge Total $528.34

----
Yesterday was another NO SPEND DAY!!! ...if you don't count the $50 gift card, which I don't as it didn't come out of my pocket.

Why Sharebuilder??

They reached out and wrapped their loving arms around me with a $50 bonus!!

Kinda gives you that grabby warm fuzzy feeling, doesn't it?

So, I reached out and grabbed them back!

I was waiting to say why I chose to open a Sharebuilder account now. There is a $50 promotion right now for opening an account there and making a trade.

I'm not sure how long the promotion lasts but here's the letter I just got via email from Sharebuilder. You might want to open one yourself. This offer is not affiliated with me, but another blogger from another website.


"Thank you for opening your ShareBuilder account. To receive your $50 Web Channel Offer, all you need to do is purchase a stock or ETF in either your Automatic Investment Plan or through a real-time trade by 02/05/2011. If you have not set up your investment plan or real-time trade yet, schedule your first trade today.

For your reference, the Promotion Code is FILIFE50.

Thank you for selecting ShareBuilder.

Sincerely,

etc., etc."

Great! I wrote them a note because it did not immediately show up in the account, so I started wondering. This letter just came after about 2 hours from the starting time. Doubtful it is in response to my note, but just on a normal time delay.

I did set my account to be automatically drafted after the first of the year, so I am assuming that the bonus will be credited at that time.

One way of looking at it is "I can use that free $50 to execute 12.5 trades at $4 fee a pop." OR "I can use $46 of it to buy into my new Goldman Sachs position w/the house paying the $4.00 fee." Either way works for me.

Okay I keep forgetting to post about this, as it happened before I got back to posting regularly. The Hubster got a rather smallish bonus this year, and about 1/3 of it got eaten up in taxes which I think is a real rip! Slightly bigger than last years but still rather small for the work he does. Twould've been nice if the company would have allowed us notice and we could of upped our 401-K contribution w/it on that check and kept most all of it! PHHHPPPFFFT!

Anyway, it's sitting nice and snugly over in the Money Market account until I can convince him to let me put it in his IRA. I'm working on him! These seem to be no-brainers for me, but he has to ponder on these things for awhile.

Also in a similar vein in addition because he has been at his company 40 years (it will REALLY be 41 come Jan 2) he is supposed to be given his 40 year award today at work. Someone on the awards committee let it slip about two weeks ago that his award was to amount to a $1500 budget that he can spend on a few certain things.

Only problem is he doesn't want any of those things as they are rather on the chintzy side. There is a kayak, some golf clubs, some SMALL tvs, a watch, etc. Nothing that he wants. He doesn't golf or kayak, they gave us a 36 inch TV for his 35th year, he has an old timex that he's had longer than me (we just earlier this month celebrated our 25th anniversary). Oh yeah, he could get a lingerie chest. Un-huh, like that's gonna happen! NOT!! Lordeee, they gave him a thousand dollar diamond ring for his 25th award, you think a kayak is gonna do the trick for 40??? Nahhhh.

What he wants is a 47 inch flat panel TV and with the budget amount he could go out and buy what he wants and we could pay the taxes. Catch the right sale and we wouldn't have to add anything to it.

We shall see. He is 'negotiating' with them to either give him a Walmart gift card for that amount or let him use their work Dell account to get one. Either way works, but we could use our own money and buy one wherever he wants to buy it were we to be given the Walmart card then we could use it for groceries thru the year.

They are balking. Gee, just how many 40 year employees do you have? Oh, that's right only 2. The other guy got his airfare paid for on his vacation and now they don't want to accomodate Hubster?

Sucks eggs, folks.

Forty years, that's longer than some folks live!!

I don't want to seem ungrateful, but you've got the budget already laid out, let the guy do with it what he wants for pity sake!

More to follow as we find out what happens. He was miffed with them when he left for work this morning. Had his company shirt on, but the old colors jacket on from back in the early days. If they didn't say anything about his award before the ceremony he was going ol'school, if they came thru, he'd go w/the new logo and stuff.

Funny thing I dreamed his old boss was still there a few nights ago and that he gave him a formula type race car to drive people back and forth between the two plants (driving - he doesn't do that for his living - weird dream). I told him upon awakening, if ***** was still there he'd of given you a car to drive! Ha! That may've set him off!! Poor guy.

I just talked to him on the phone a second ago and so far nothing. He wore the old school jacket (a mild mannered man makes his small protest) throughout the big presentation. This is a super nice man I'm married to, and he's very grateful that they want to give him something, but let us not forget people he is a Virgo.

Very, very picky.

He flat out doesn't want any 'corporate awards nicey-nice gift' that supposedly retails at $xxxx but we could pick up here for a third of what they are saying it's worth. He doesn't want something that will do him no earthly good.

The man wants to choose.

They said you can pick anything you want from the catalog. Okay, where's the FREEEEKIN' catalog?? Oh, that's what you call the two pages you handed him?

Baaahhhhhhh!

He said he'd rather get nothing than to have to pick something from their two measley pages. And I quote, "They can keep their trash." No, I'm not talking a nice guy folks, I mean think of the VERY NICEST MAN you know and triple it. He is calm, cool, collected and very very mild mannered and SUPER-SWEET. (let us not forget tall, good-looking and sexy as all get out as well! )


What we have here is a...

SUPER-DUPER NICE man.



He was insulted.

Sorry, corporate, but it looks like an old Fingerhut ad. Anybody besides me remember these folks? The vacumn you can buy local for $79.00 is $379.99 and they'll finance it for you for ten years. Yeah, that's what their catalog looks like.

When I called, he said they were giving out gifts right now and that people who'd been there six months were getting some very nice prizes and he popped off to his boss, "They're giving HER that??? I guess I'll turn in my early retirement papers on Wednesday."

"She" being the receptionist that literally LAYS ON THE DESK got a DVD/VCR combo player/recorder doohicky. I know this laying on the desk thing to be true as I've witnessed it myself! When she's not laying on the desk she's texting on her phone. Receiving customers and visitors, although that is her job description, she does not do!

EGADS People!!! Fire her sorry bum!!

He said his boss just went buggy-eyed on him when he mentioned an Early Out and went into conference w/the CEO. There is no one there qualified or even capable of doing his job - it's a custom shop and he's got 40 years of experience of WHY they do things like they do. He's been telling them they need to get someone in there under him because it's going to take a good three to five years for all the odd custom practices to come up.

Like I've said in other posts, he catches his own yearly salary and sometimes triple and quadruple that almost EVERY SINGLE DAY in mistakes others make. In other words, he saves them boo-koooooo buckos every single day, millions (yes plural MILLIONS) in the course of a year. No wonder his plant boss freaked!

So, freak on people...

And give the 40 year man his own version of an Award.

He deserves it.

I've lived thru 25 years of their hell, on the outside, so I can assure you he deserves heavy-fire combat pay.

Hurumppffhhh!

I feel like one of those God billboards,

"Don't Make Me Come Down There!"

Because, if I did, I would be kicking some boohoodie and an early retirement it would surely be!! (Anybody seen that King of Queens show where Doug H.'s mom goes to the plant?) I wouldn't be near as nice.

Finished up May yesterday with a $5.00 check in from Pinecone. I was over .75 cents in my grocery budget for May so I applied that to the zero based budget for May ending the month totally in the black. And, as I said yesterday there wasn't a spare penny even laying around the house to put in the pot! Thank you Pinecone Surveys!!

We use YNAB software (youneedabudget.com) and I just hate seeing any red in my columns, so I'm one of those who adjusts my budget as the month goes along. Others are diehard, fix it once at the beginning of the month/year and roll with the occasional red.

I just can't do it.

Too TOO Anal!!

I love a zero based budget - all the money coming in is given a job and then sent on it's way to do it's work. Some to short term savings and some to investments and then some to spend for current expenses. At the end of the month it should all tally up to no more than what you brought in.

I will take the remaining $4.25 to start off the June $20 Challenge.

$20 Challenge
$00.00 balance
+04.25 survey says
______
$04.25 MTD

2007 Challenge Total $167.04
Challenge Cumulative Total $293.15

Yesterday was a no-spend day for me.

The house budget paid all of the June bills: The mortgage payment plus an extra $65.04 to principal, including a painful $763.00 for house insurance for the year and $505.06 for 1/2 years worth of auto insurance for mine & THE Hubster's vehicles.

It is amazing to me how much more difficult it is these days to turn loose of the monies for these things. It was all there in savings House Insurance Escrow and Car Insurance Escrow earning us interest, but I waited until the last possible moment to pull it out so as not to loose even one extra day's worth of interest.

I'm actually becoming very Scrooge-esque these days. I mean 'tight-fisted butt-puckery' over spending money! However, it is a LOVELY feeling to be able to pay all the bills w/o having to worry IF we have the money. AND, it's not so much the spending of monies or worry over interest as it is the loomingness of an underfunded retirement portfolio. Youngsters take note and start retirement savings earlier!!

On the CC this month was a $55.00 emergency dental bill for Hubster (money was already put back in the Medical/Dental/Prescription Co-Pay Slush Fund) and a new Dell computer monitor $313.00. I've finally convinced him he HAS TO move the old stuff on BEFORE he buys new. Used to he'd buy first w/plans to sell the old, but somehow it wasn't ever getting done.

We did sell his old monitor for $150.00 on Craigslist and he recently got a nice little bonus check of $295.00 after taxes so he's paid for his new monitor and still has a running start on his next computer purchase in the bank in the Office Equipment Slush Fund. So, the CC again was used and is back to zero.

It's going on three or four years now and it is SOOOOO Nice not to ever carry a balance on those suckers! It has been tempting a few times especially for Hubster, but I've prevailed as that is a slippery slope I don't want to ever go back down if at all possible and I mean, I'm willing to go donate at the plasma bank if necessary to keep it from happening ever again!!

And I absolutely HATE needles! But, I hate debt even more!!

On the slate for tomorrow is a set of new tires for his car - he's making an educated-prices-already-compared estimate of a cost of about $425.00 including tax, mounting and balancing and there is **TA-DA** (NICELY DONE Mrs. LLFrugalis - pat back pat back!!) a total of a little over $475.00 sitting in his Car Tire Fund!! Again, the tires will be purchased on a cash back credit card while those tire dollars earn another month's worth of interest. You gotta love it when you're ahead of the game!! HOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAA!!

No, I'm not slow, but THE Hubster some times (often actually) runs on 'low slow' speed. Anyway the taxes were done for free today by the AARP folks and a small refund from both Fed and State will be soon winging it's way into our account. Intend to then swing it into one of our Roth accounts.

Over and Done! Glad to get that taste out of our mouth!

Great News!! THE Hubster got a 3% raise - the first in four long years!

Wooo-lee-woooooo-leee-wooooo-hoooooo!!!

Hot Diggity!!

Now maybe we can have some ham with our beans??

I'm grateful!!

However, I'm not unaware that it seems that perhaps the world sees a 3% increase as a normal thing?? Why would I say that? Because when I work with the financial planning calculators for retirement planning they most all have as a standard input 3% increases yearly until retirement! Is the rest of the world getting these once a year??

The man has got to learn to toot his own horn more often - He saves his company more than his whole yearly wages just about every single day by catching errors before they reach production (meaning tens and tens of thousands daily. - yes, he's ISTJ AND a Virgo!) You'd think they could be a tad bit more generous. I know - it's his job, but I'm thinking he does it so well and so consistently that no one realizes he's actually doing it!!

TOOT Baby TooT!!

Anyway, it's not enough to do anything major with but a blessing none-the-less!

Raise effective next paycheck. Nope, I'm not forgetting he did get a bonus at Christmas time, but it was under a thousand smackers.

Took my first big paycheck from PineCone to the bank! I.N.C.O.M.E. -- YEAH!

Taking it to the...

$20 CHALLENGE
$04.02 balance
+05.00 1st PineCone Check
______
$09.02 April MTD

2006 Challenge $ 126.11
2007 Challenge +$121.99
-------------------------------
Cumulative Total $248.10

My thanks to everyone here at SavingAdvice.com for turning me on to this lil' slice of nature!!

More Blurbies = Fool's Gold




To add more to today's Quickie-Blurbettes:

Blurb 5)When I went to put in the $1.02 that was waiting on the keyboard to go into the $20 Challenge Piggy I found that some mysterious fool of the April variety had stacked up $2.95 in front of Piggy! I'm thinking it must of been CashHappySon as he's the only one who knows I log it here before feeding it into the private stash. So we are up for the day!

$20 CHALLENGE
$01.02 balance
+$2.95 Fool's Gold
______
$3.97 April MTD

Blurb 6)Using Craigslist yesterday the Hubster sold one of the many EXTRA computers we have around here. $700 samoleans to go back (loaned) into the Emergency Fund! Tonight we take pictures of computer 2 that needs to be sold and posting it online! Expected proceeds of about $600 also to be paid back to the E-Fund.

PTR Survey Site




Wanted to tell you about the PTR site that AutumnxButterfly mentioned over on Ima's blog. They say that they'll pay us to read e-mail, visit web sites, etc..

It's free to join and easy to sign up! CLICK THIS REFERRAL LINK TO VISIT:

TinklyCash.com

Thanks AutumnxButterfly!! I'm looking forward to getting into these PTR & survey sites and adding the money to my $20 Challenge. I really appreciate the partnership atmosphere here at SavingAdvice.com!

Up .03 Cents



$20 CHALLENGE
$00.52 balance
+00.03 clean up keyboard
______
$00.55 Feb MTD

2006 Challenge 126.11
2007 Challenge 54.48
______________________
Cumulative Total $180.59

I think these 3 cents came from CashHappy, all I know is they are annoying me sitting on my keyboard and falling off when I get to typing too excitedly...we then have flying pennies!

~~!!Let's Get This Party Started!!~~



CashHappySon gave me .44 for helping him buy an MP3 player online last night. Mom as Shopper fees are indeed helping me w/my challenge - however, I do think I need to increase my rates!

Cleaning out the change purse netted me an additional .08 cents for the $20 Challenge.

$20 CHALLENGE
$00.00 February beginning balance
+00.44 shop fees
+00.08 tidy wallet
______
$00.52 Feb MTD

2007 Challenge $54.45
Cumulative Total $180.56

Also updating the mortgage balance over to the right to $23,023.85 as yesterday's payment posted.

Frugalis Family Rose To The Occasion



This morning was time to count Piggy to see if the Frugalis Family was able to rise to the occasion and meet my UNSPOKEN goal for the month of January and I'm happy to say that we did!

The mystery man also included a bit extra this month to the tune of $1.03 that nobody at the house will claim putting in there.

To reiterate, this challenge money is currently going towards extra principal paydown on our mortgage. Traditional payments are 353.96 and 60.11 is what the family budget has to pay extra a month in order to have it paid off by the time Hubster retires and then this month I was able to add an additional $53.93 to the payment as well from the challenge, making our mortgage payment $468.00 today.

353.96 mortgage payment
+60.11 extra principal payment
+53.93 Challenge money to xtra princ. payment
______
468.00 payment

I paid it online just a minute ago and will update the amounts over to the right later after it posts.

Updating the...

$20 CHALLENGE
$52.90 balance
+01.03 mystery donation
______
$53.93 January total

2007 Total $53.93
Cumulative Total $180.04

The unspoken goal challenge is still on for February!! Wish me luck!!

(I found it compelling that in just one month's time with just a bit of EXTRA concentrating that I was able to almost DOUBLE the amount I was able to save in five months last year!! ..but NO, that wasn't the unspoken challenge! More to be revealed later.)