Caulk Me Baby One More Time!!



YEAH - the guy came early this morning and started doing the caulking pre-paint style. So far it isn't too bad, only one window trim board is rotted out and needs to be replaced that we didn't know about. There is one other one we already knew about. Not too bad for a 1942 house, heh?

We may experience rain at the beginning of next week so I'm tickled to at least have this portion started. I had to pay the paint contractor $940.00 last week - 1/2 of the estimated price.

It makes me nervous to pay someone money when they don't exactly start work that day...so to see the power-washing and caulking done I'm feeling some better after handing over the dollars!

We made the decision to have them do all of the work. We are just exhausted with what painting I've done on the house and what The Hubster has had to do at his Dad's house this year!

Also of note is that the Federalist style corner cabinet that came from F-I-L's house back in July and has been laying in my living room floor has finally found a place in the basement this morning. It's too tall to fit in the upstairs! BooHiss! That's how it is when you live in a house that isn't built to current standard building codes! Well, it isn't too tall - my ceilings are just too low!!

It required a corner of the basement to be cleaned out which required the hideyhole (storm) room to be cleared out first...we did that last weekend. Then it required enough strongmen (The Hubster, FrugalSon and CashHappySon) here to lift, tote and carry. DONE! I can walk thru my living room again! YEAH TEAM FRUGALIS!!

I see progress! While digging out the corner I was able to pull enough boxes of stuff out to start pricing for a basement/estate sale!

Dentist Picked Himself Some Dollars

The Hubster lost a crown the other day and his teeth needed cleaning...all to the tune of $626 that went on a %^!$@ Credit Card. Now to decide where to come up with the dollars to pay for it!

OUCH that hurts - in more ways than one! More of our hard-earned assets kissed gooooo-bye!

There is a Dental/Vision Category in our budget, unfortunately not near enough funds in there to pay them in full.

Hurrrrummmmpppppphhhhhh!!! And triple dog spit! Spit! SPIT!!!

Taco Bell Leftovers



Leftovers. Don't you just love them? I do when they're this kind of leftovers.

No. Not the kind you're thinking...

To the $20 Challenge I'm adding $2.30 that I had left from the $4.00 from FrugalSon's short-term loan payoff. I spent the other at Taco Bell yesterday!

$20 CHALLENGE
$2.25 balance
+2.30 leftovers
_____
$4.55 October MTD

Cummulative Total $54.69

Of Course It Would Happen Now



Just yesterday I decided for some strange reason ?? foreboding maybe ?? that we needed a Furnace/Plumbing Category in our Anticipatory Budget/Spending Plan. Don't know why I hadn't thought of it before. We had 3.69 left in our zero based (I just can't make myself believe I can go all the way to zero w/o freaking myself out) budget for the month of October. So I set up a little sub-account and moved $1.69 on over.

Late last night the handle on the toilet decided it would break! The Hubster (My HERO) fixed it today w/a $6.40 part. So I'm already down $4.71. Or should I say I'm ahead by $1.69?? At any rate there is money in the Rathole Money to pay for it, but of course it would happen now just as I decided I needed to start funding this new account!

Oh well.

Here's another friendly little reminder - something I had forgotten to account for...our driver's license renewals. Just happened to be thumbing thru an old check register when I spotted that one.

So, am off to fund another little subaccount (told you I can't get all the way to zero!) with 2.00. Mine isn't due until late 2007 and The Hubster's is next year too...so we've got time to fully fund the Driver's License Renewal Category.

NOW I am zeroed out for this month. If something else comes up - well it's off to the Rathole to find some MORE cheese!

And The Cable Snaps!! Stop The Insanity



Okay, the cable bill came and really it was me who snapped! Right to attention. They upped my bill by $2.00 w/never a by-your-leave, kiss-my-patootie or nothing. No notice whatsover of anykind last month, and nothing here in the bill this month explaining the increase.

This would make my cable bill for cable tv and internet dsl or whatsit called for the computer to be 54.41 and I was already griping about the 52.41.

I have gotten The Hubster on board and we will be shopping for new service from someone else. This is ridiculous. I don't want to build their infastructure for them...I just want a little 'juice' to keep me up and running!

I guess the part I hate the most is the 'no notice' deal!

Phhhppffft on them! This craziness of raising my rates has got to stop!!

Better Coupon Savings



Just a quick note to log some better coupon savings than my last go which was an 11.50 savings.

Yesterday I bought $68.48 worth of groceries before coupons.

Final cost was 33.98 plus tax 4.55, total of $38.53.

Manufacturer's Coupons was 16.50
Bonus Coupons of 10.95
and Store Card Savings 7.15

Meaning a savings of 34.60.

I can live with that! It took me about an hour in the store and I already had the coupons out I wanted to use.

Part of the length of time was because this is not the store I usually shop at and I have to acquaint myself with where things are located at in the store so I can line the coupons up in the order they fall throughout the store.

I used to do a bit better with coupons, but it's been a number of years since I used them regularly and I don't have a very good supply yet. BUT, I'm working on it!

Also if I'm going to pursue couponing again then I need to buy myself another rubbermaid type check box w/ a handle or a nice binder w/a handle.

Estimate for Painting - Done!


We have been having a really hard time finding someone in our small town to come and paint the second story of our house.

We have a walkout basement in the back and thus have ground slopes on two sides. Seems not many want to tackle the highwire act it would be to get to the second story roofline at the same time transgessing a ladder that sits atop those slopes!

Finally got a guy out yesterday who has given me a decent estimate and we are going with him. Never fear - I didn't tell him how hard it was to find anyone! Next stop was going to have to go to the Metro area to find someone who would be willing to do not only the job, but also to drive out here to the burbs!

The boys and I have painted all the house that we can reach on a regular ladder and I'm not about to try and tackle the extension ladder and I don't want The Hubster to do it.

He just turned 60, we don't have disability insurance and I need him to keep working for at least the next six years! I myself fell off the ladder onto the fence (ouch it, that made a big hole in my side!!), so really, this is the last house I will ever paint. That little fall was early in the springtime but it did slow me down a bit.

The ole gray mare just ain't what she used to be!! No longer invincible. BUT, if you tell anyone THAT I will hunt you down and kick you right in the keester. I can't climb worth spit, but I'm still a pretty high stepper!

Really, I'm not a total clutz, we just have really sandy soil, and all of a sudden as I was leaning in to paint barn #3 (The Clubhouse) there was just a definite lean to the left out of the clear blue and splash went the paint and poke went the hole in my side. Need a sign - Beware Sinking Sand!

To paint the three sides will be $1280.00. If we have painter also give the front side a second coat it will cost us $1880.00 for the total job. The extra 600.00 seems cheap to me as our house is pretty good sized. Anyway, I've booked him to do at least the 3 sides and his crew will be here in 1 1/2 weeks. YES!! YES!! Y.E.S.!!! I am so excited at finding someone and that this will get done before the snow flies this year.

WEEEE-DEEEE-WOOOOOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Will I go whole hog and give them another 600.00?? I'm not sure, but I sure am tired of painting. There is this big house and five barns here. FIVE, I tell ya!!! The barns I've gotten all done. Let me just back up and say the boys have helped me - but only a little. They've been busy working and usually I paint a bit each day that I feel like it. Seems like I've been painting forever!!

Anyway, excited about the prospect of having it all done may make me turn loose of the extra money. Sure I could do it myself next spring, but really I'm absolutely sick of painting! We'll see. I may get good and rested up and take on finishing it up myself!

But, no more ladders, No - definitely no more ladder jobs for me! I had a dickens of a time getting myself down off the sunroom roof when I climbed atop it to do the ridge line on the front of the house! Twas comical, but still my equilibrium just isn't the same anymore. Mind is willing, but the bod is weak!

Next house I buy will either be 1)a condo where someone else does these kind of maintenance jobs; 2)a brick house; or 3)one with siding! Never again will I paint one of these jobbies!

!!!EXCITEMENT!!!New Amortization Feature



Well, that certainly isn't a very exciting title, but I can tell you what is exciting...IF you are a Countrywide mortgagee like myself and The Hubster.

While checking to make sure that our payment had posted correctly (yes, anal - so what!! You guys are too! That's why I love you so much!!) I noticed something I hadn't earlier.

Countrywide has recently (when??) added a new feature. Calculators that let you play around with the actual numbers to see what your results would be if you made additional payments on a one time basis, or on a monthly basis, etc. and it projects out your earlier payoff dates.

I LOVE THAT!!

Especially as The Hubster and I would love to enter our 'golden years' mortgage free and smiling!

I have routinely added extra to our mortgage from day one. Yes, literally day one. Immediately upon closing I made out a check and gave it to the closer to be applied! They hated me on sight!

Well, actually they respected me, but still...the envy / confused / hate looks were there. Why not just add extra to the down payment? Read John Avanzini (sp?) book on debt reduction.

Anyway...back to today, we've always added a bit extra on each payment which wasn't always easy, but we've done it.

Usually it's only been in the $12-25 range as that was truly all we could afford (back then there was too much car & CC debt) but it has helped.

If we continue w/my minimum current extra principal buydown rate we'll have the mortgage paid off by May 2013.

If I double that (may be relatively easy with my still-new $20 Challenge money) it will payoff in December of 2012.

BUT IF I can continue paying the same amount of interest money thrown off by the Money Market account, plus my challenge money, plus the extra we've always done it should fall away in Sept of 2011. Eleven months before our projected retirement date of August 2012. YEAH TEAM FRUGALIS!!!

But I think all of you, like us, who've paid off our credit card debt will agree that as you see that light broadening at the end of the tunnel, that things ramp up and somehow money comes from out of the blue and it just MIGHT go quicker than that! Here's hoping!!

Crossing my fingers! Because the more months ahead of retirement we pay it off -- the more we'll have to stick back for those early transition days from paycheck income to retirement income.

Anywho...if you're a Countrywide customer run on over online and check out their new calculators right there w/your own account information. I think you might get happy if you can find some extra dollars to throw at the mortgage!

Polka Everybody!!



Updating the mortage balance over on the right as October's payment has now posted.

On the 29th of September I was able to apply $253.04 extra to my principal in addition to my regular payment of 353.96. Part of this extra - $22.04 came from the August $20 Challenge Money and part from some of August & September's interest on the Money Market account.

August balance 24,882.58
September balance 24,630.49
October balance now 24,162.04! OH YEAH!!

Belly up to the bar folks, as it's time to roll back that balance!! Root beer for everyone!!

I'm High Stepping Now!!



Just now got on the phone with my mortgage company and got a little booboo on their part straightened out (it only took 3 of them to figure out their loverly accounting and be able to explain it to my satisfaction -- and they wonder why I'm confused!! HA!!!) and while there I finally made the extra principal payment from our money market interest that The Hubster finally agreed to release all to the tune of 253.04 extra to principal. YEAH TEAM FRUGALIS!!

This includes August's 22.05 - 22.04 = .01 left in piggy as seed money from the $20 Challenge. It won't post until the 29th when I'll get back online and update the totals over at the side.

The sound of wonderful.

"WOOPEEDEE!!!"


And before you ask -- the answer is...

Nope. Definitely not. Although that does kind of look like the reform school (I mean jr. high) I busted out of!

Check, Check and Double-check!

The personal checkbook balanced this a.m. Check, check and Double-check! I just love it when it balances! When it matches what my budgeting software says I'm supposed to have? - a THRILL! I'm such a geek as I get way too much excitement out of this simple process!

Why Am I Dragging My Feet?


Photo Credit: Little Taylor

I have a victory to report!! It's a major concession by The Hubster. He's finally given me permission to take the monthly interest money from our Money Market 4.57% and use it to pay extra on our mortgage 6.75% principal! YEAH Hubster.

Now I've got to figure out why I'm the one dragging my feet. I've been 'cussin & discussin' with him about this for months now and suddenly he said yes about 2 weeks ago and I have yet to move on the deal.

Why is that?

Perhaps it's the idea of those dollars not compounding with the rest of them although I KNOW it is costing us 2.18% difference in the amount we have going out vs. what's coming in. I'm being silly and first thing tomorrow I'm getting online and making the extra principal payment.

Gotta move off of dead center here!!

Unless you guys can offer me good reasons why leaving it growing in the Money Market is a better plan. We are planning to retire in about 6 years so of course I would like to go into retirement with no house payment, but we might move before then.

What say ye, O Wise Ones???

Bank Run Week 38



This is week 38 of this years bank runs. On Saturdays I take my change leftover from the week's allowance and put it into my bank to be moved to Emigrant Direct in my own separate little retirement fund. From there it, upon occasion, goes out into the larger investment world to bring my dreams of a sunny beach retirement closer to reality.

This bank run money is over and above my automatic monthly contribution to my Spousal IRA.

BANK RUN CHALLENGE
$7.37 Sept MTD
+2.65 9/23/06
_____
10.02 balance forward

Teller Is A Magician?



This is no Penn and Teller story, but in clearing up the straggling entries on the September budget I saw that I'd forgotten to write myself a check out of Household/PaperGoods category for 10.00 and that I'd short-changed my allowance by 2.50. So, I wrote a check from our joint account for $12.50 and ran it to my bank while I was out.

Got the deposit slip back and the girl had made the deposit for $1250.00!

Darn my ornery hide, but I asked her if she meant to do that?

I wonder how long it would have taken them to figure it out? I told her, "You would have been working into the wee hours trying to figure out why your till was off" and she said, "No, we only have to account for our cash drawer!"

Ratfinkus - Could of gone shopping had my 'raising' not kicked in!!

You've got to watch them because they are only human and many times the tellers at my bank seem to make errors and more often than not in my case it has been to the bank's favor and not mine!

Another case in point...On the FIL's Estate Checking Account we have deposited a small amount to open it and will deposit proceeds of house sale into it for dispersment to siblings. We just put $100 in it to start several months back and then suddenly last month they decided to take a $15.00 fee from it! OUCH!

The Hubster called and supposedly got it corrected. Then yesterday we got another statement and they had fixed the one fee for last month and charged us another $15.00 for this month.

HELLO!!

The Hubster got back on the horn and asked if we needed to remove our checking and very large MM account to another bank...oh no Mr. HubsterFrugalis, we will get this straightened out for you right away. Un-huh yeah, that's what you said last month!!

Moral of the story? Keep watching your deposit slips and bank statements folks!!

SCRATCH & DENT

Went on a scratch and dent grocery shop today. Paid 16.63.

Purchased:

6 pkgs. Lil' Debbie snack cakes - regular size packages at 50 cents apiece (now in the freezer)

2 LARGE pkgs. Lil' Debbie snack cakes at .99 each (now in the freezer)

4 pkgs. of granola bars at 50 cents each w/discount 1.78

4 pkgs. of spaghetti seasoning mix
4/$1.00 w/ discount .26

2 extra long rolls Owens sausage @ 2.50 each

4 bottles of shampoo/conditioner combo @ .50 each

2 large bottles of mouthwash @.89 each

tax .83
--------
16.63 LOVE MY SCRATCH & DENT stores! This is one of two close enough to my house to visit rather regularly!

This was budgeted grocery money, so I do consider this an unofficial no-spend day as I spent no other money besides my budgeted funds.

I never know what the discounted items will be. Sometimes when I get to the car I'll send the boys back in for more, but today I didn't have time.

The boys were supposed to go to a company party/seminar/pep rally type deally-who this afternoon and I took them and no sooner got home than they called for me to pick them back up as it had been postponed. Uaghhhh!!!

I hung up and headed towards the door and then decided why not give a shot at getting a freebie out of this deal? I hit redial and told CashHappySon to get me an ice-cream out of the deal since they had failed to call and let them know not to show up today on their normal day off.

When I got there...free ice-cream!! Ta-da!! I made a vow when I started blogging here not to BUY any ice-cream until 2007, but I never said I wouldn't eat any of the free stuff!

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE



Catching myself up to date here...Friday was a NO SPEND DAY!!! Terrific!

But, alas...Saturday was a day of spending. We mowed FIL's yard and were in such a rush out the door to beat the realtor's open house that we didn't take our water bottles along, so that was 2.15 for colas (bad health choice), but some kind of liquid beverage was necessary.

Then about $6.00 for fastfood because I was zapped and there was no bread in the house and we were in no 'attire' shape to go into my small town grocery store. Ughhhh...you hate to go in looking like a bum AND smelling like a goat combined. Pride is a terrible thing! Look it just cost me $6.00 bucks!! This just gripes me!

Somedays there is just not enough time AND energy combined to get everything done. I had put off grocery shopping because of low energy on Friday thinking I would get to it on Saturday.

Well, ahhh...no. I didn't.

So today after church will be a forced quick stop for some bread, meaning that I'll have to go on Monday for a detailed shop. Putting off is really not ever all that great of an idea, is it?

Then The Hubster got on a wild tear yesterday afternoon to clean out one of the sheds (yeah!!!!) and re-caulk the windows in it. So, off he sent me to the hardware store for more window glazing caulky stuff which was $2.50ish and then I remembered that I needed to buy fertilizer stakes for the huge trees in back that have issues.

If I don't get them some MORE new growth around some rot there will be bigger 'tree surgeon' expenses later...so that cost me an additional $3.50 or so.

Don't ask me how but this fertilizer stuff is rounding off the deteriorating part with new growth and the gap is narrowing! It's working!!!

If it didn't there are two barns in peril and possibly even the house roof. These are old 100 year plus giantish trees and they provide good shade for my house in the summer time and it would be horrible to lose them!!

Dinner last night was homemade fish sandwiches on burger buns that were in the house. Yummy! Why didn't I move this meal up to be lunch? I dunno, except that it would have been another 45 minute wait to eat it and mowing makes a girl ravenous!

Hiddy Ho There Neighbor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This was definitely a spending day...

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

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

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

I'm such a killjoy!


(photo credit: F. Pancake)

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

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

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

Got My Telephone Wheel Greased



I am not the greatest when it comes to insurance and telephone rates, so The Hubster (my hero) does all the rate comparing, shopping, etc. on those two items.

So, about two months ago I get a phone call from the phone company and the guy wants me to switch to something or the other and I try to dissuade him telling him that T.H. does this stuff.

Now, I am a hard nut to crack but he was not to be put off and proceeded to try to talk me into changing to some stupid service or another to which there would be no increase in rates - the bill would stay the same. Un-huh. Sure buddy!

To which I repeatedly answered "NO Thank you - Not Interested. Don't call me, I'll call you. Please take me off your calling list", etc., etc. Sheesh, some people just can't take a hint. I finally said, goodbye and hung up.

Fastforward to phone bill time and what do you know but there is a new service on there!! With a fee no less! Who would have thought it??

I was polite to the guy so it can't have been retalitory, but just plain ol'shoddy business practice! This kind of thing just infuriates me not necessarily for me because I know I'll complain long and loud...but for little old people who just get ripped off! GRRRRRRRRR!!!

Anyway, got The Hubster right on it...

Old Phone Bill = 35.33
Adjusted Bill -26.09
_______________________
Savings $9.24

Squeaky wheel greased again!! He's my man!!! Yeah Hubster!!

I hate that you have to watch these things like a hawk. Oughta be a law!! ..another law...yeah, that might be just what the world needs. Oh, and more Ninjas.

There probably is a law already. And I'll just go Ninja on the next phone rep who unsolicited dials MY phone!

For fun try this:
http://www.phonegod.net/morpheus/morpheus.htm

But until the phonegod delivers us, call 1-800-TalkToTheNinja!! I dare ya!

Estate Expenses



Today we put in a new thermostat at F-I-L's house at a cost of $217.00.

We then went and bought new carpet for his house at 969.28, to be installed tomorrow.

Last week we paid the painter 3245.00 for painting the inside and outside of the house.

Next week the roofer is to come and make a roof repair for about $200.00.

Tomorrow a realtor is coming by to see about getting the house listed for sale.

This has been a long long ride getting to this point! My dear father in law passed away in November of last year and we are just this past month getting thru dispursing everything he and my mother-in-law had accumulated in a life time. He was a big time packrat and the little house was stuffed!!

We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I will be glad when the house is sold as The Hubster and I have born the entire expense of keeping the house utilities paid, the lawyer paid, the funeral bill paid, and now all the repairs, plus other expenses I'm forgetting to mention to the tune of about 15,000.00 we've had to come up with. I am ready for our money to be back in our accounts.

If you are in a position to have siblings alive when your parent pass, and you aren't the Executor, then please, do everyone a favor and at least make an offer to help with the expenses. Not a single one of the other four children has ever even made an offer to help cover the costs!

As their S-I-L who loves them all dearly I still say Shamey-shamey on them. That was just not right.

Sorry folks - but a girl has to vent somewhere! Thanks for listening.

I met my August $20.00 Challenge which was to attempt to save/find/earn at least an additional $20.00 or more each month to apply to my mortgage pay down efforts.

I was able to come up with $22.05 that I am adding to my mortgage payment.

353.96 normal payment
+16.04 extra principal budgeted 4 prepay
______
370.00
+22.05 August $20 Challenge
______
392.05 Payment to Mortgage Company scheduled for tomorrow

When payment is credited tomorrow I'll update the new mortgage balance.

Beginning Mtg. $24,882.58 8/23/06
Cur Mtg.Balance=$24,630.49 9/1/06

Renewing the $20.00 Challenge for myself for September!

Wish me luck!

Choose What You Want Most
Over What You Want Now

I told "Future" that I would post a copy of a slip of paper I carry in my wallet right where the dollarbills go. Here tis:



I made this up myself with a clipart of 'funnymunny'. Do not try to slip it past the clerk at Krogers. It won't work for that. But, it just might slow you down from an unplanned expenditure!

Feel free to copy it off and put it in your wallet. A gift from me, and...

Good luck!!

Let me know if it helps!!

Jumbo Jumbo aka The Bologna Wars

Okay who ate the last of the bologna and bread and didn't bother to tell me???? GRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Nor did you write it on the list???

Nothing like a hardworking husband trying to pack a lunch with no bread and no bologna at 6:30 a.m. saying sweetly, "Honey is there any bologna anywhere?".

Of course I was just at the grocery store yesterday picking up stuff for the last of the August birthday dinners and could have picked it up -- so back I trudge.

$.79 Loaf of bread
$.75 bologna on sale
____
1.54
.12 tax
____
1.66

Rounding up the total and writing a check for $2.00, leaving .34 to add to my $20 Challenge and try to catch up with Ima? PRICELESS!

I mean I MUST MUST MUST be compensated for feeling like a goof-ball writing a $2.00 check, can you imagine my chagrin if I'd of had to write one for 1.66. Couldn't be done!

$20 CHALLENGE
20.71 balance
+ .34 spoils of war
_____
21.05 balance forward

And yes, we managed to pack his lunch. Thank the Frugalista blood that runs thru my veins, you'll remember that poor hamsteak that I'd made into portions for 5 meals. Guess who got nice little ham steaks for lunch. Bread? We used the Hamburger Buns that were in the cabinet. Battle won. Now to the wars.

Can you people not see the grocery list on the refrigerator? Is it too much to ask that you PLEAAAAAAAAAAASE write down when you use the last of something?

!!!!!!!PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. ‘Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3:10, 11)

YEESSSSSSS - we happily do!

No, that's not us!

Sarah blogged on (which is nothing AT ALL like blabbing on) in my comment section under Bank Runs at 'Saturday Night & I Ain't Got No Money' saying that she also gave herself an allowance, but that it went for food, clothing, and gas. She wanted to know what mine covered.

My allowance used to work as hard as Sarah's, but not any more. I just have those items budgeted out elsewhere in either the family books or my own.



Nowdays, my allowance is just walking around money - gum, candy bar, pop, the weekly lunch splurge. This little drive thru lunch is my only vice at the moment but as a busy Mom it's the one thing I consistently do FOR ME and me alone. Even so, I've limited the amount for that to $2.50 and no more!

I do cover personal care items from the allowance at times - others not. Let's say makeup or vitamins. Sometimes those go in under the food budget when it's fat and happy and other times when I just want somethinnnnngggggggg (whine) and the money's not elsewhere I'll take it from my allowance.

Lots of times these days the budget doesn't allow much of anything for me to have an allowance even (OUCH!!), but we are in transition right now from one stream of income that is drying up and another stream beginning.

It'll pass.

Our two main priorities at the moment are investing for 1)The Hubster's retirement and 2)paying mortgage off early.

We could cut back on those ret. investments if we wanted to allow more blow money, but we need to make up for the pension that disappeared and IN A HURRY, so tight it shall remain for now.

We have little room for error and a small window of opportunity. Those with a longer time line can afford a small amount of elasticity that we can't.

I think Sarah's system works if you work it right.

I used to do it similarly. With one pot for so many items I'd often overspend on items such as food and gas and then would come up short in gifts and clothing which is the Big Four that I used to cover under allowance.

My gasoline budget is 'iffy' right now. Sometimes my truck stays parked for long periods of time. I am going places it's just that I tag along with the boys in one of their vehichles and on their gas dollars to get my little errands done.

Some months there is more in the gas budget than others. Those gasoline prices really squeezed it for us recently.

The Hubster gets a larger allowance than me of $20 a week. This covers his blow money and ciggies. Working in an office he often needs the blow portion for the occasional office party, etc. His clothes, gasoline and lunches are covered elsewhere in the family budget.

This way smooths things out for me and it works for us. YMMV!

!!!Merry Christmas Everybody!!!

I feel so like Tiny Tim!!

Am over here laughing while 'listening' to Boomeyers and Baselle blog about the Christmas Creep and the Hype Factory.

What if we went ahead and did our frugal shopping ahead of time like I'm sure lots of us already do, but just don't shop in the 'Christmas' aisle???

Anyone care to mention a date to target our return to the official Christmas type items?

To that end I picked up at the dollar store a week or two ago these (see pic below) gingerbread-girl little cuties for the great-niece and granddaughter.

These were found in the lotions and potions aisle. This is a gingerbread bottle with a hanger that is filled with bubble bath and a washcloth.

For sale were the same thing only instead of hearts on them they had ones with Christmas holly.

I went with the hearts as I felt it would be more universal in use then.

The bottle has a little screw top w/a bail on it so that it can be hung on a ribbon or tree for an ornament. Hard to see in picture.

NiftyNeat!

1) Yes, the price stickers will come off.

2)No, my family doesn't know I blog here. So I'm not letting the cat out of the bag.

They're sweet little girls and will enjoy them! At two dollars a pop + tax I haven't broken my very small and meager Holiday budget allocation either!

The baby corn cans are for a Christmas gift for my nephew-in-law. He takes very good care of my niece and even my sister, his m-i-l.

He does lots of repair, maintenance and upkeep for her. He soooo deserves more than this for a gift, having come from frugal beginnings himself is so very appreciative of even the smallest you do for him and understands we are 'On The Tight' right now.

He loves to eat these and they are sometimes hard to locate at our general grocery stores. Price $1.00 each + tax.





For a little gingerbread levity try watching here with your sound turned up...

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=51ea67e00c484b4fbb6cb0...

To catch Boomeyers and Baselle's comments
check here:


http://boomeyers.savingadvice.com/2006/08/25/christmas-cre...

I bet you can relate...

We recently changed insurance agents after a bazillion years with the old guy.

Yesterday The Hubster got a postcard from our new agent for his birthday.

Now this may sound petty, but the old agent at least used to send a real birthday card.

We just paid both our house and car policies for the entire year this month. Well over a thousand dollars and closer to two thousand. OUCH!! I told The Hubster, "For the price you pay I want you to receive a gold plated birthday card w/one of those fancy gold foil inserts inside the envelope!!"

Oh well, I suppose this is one of those cost cutting things that made the new agent's policies less expensive to begin with - low overhead!!

Okay, no gold plating, but please a real card would of been nice. AND...it had the name printed out on a label. Come on, not even a hand addressed postcard? Nor was there any handwritten signature either.

Hummpphhhh.....WELL I do declare!