Lux Living Frugalis

Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother


PhotoCredit: EnglessCrillSmoke

As the month of January winds down I find myself up against the wall on my unspoken goal for my $20 Challenge.

Lucky for me CashHappy is generous with his change. Yes, I am indeed a redneck mother who takes money from my children!!

$20 CHALLENGE
$52.27 balance
+00.63 Redneck Ma donation
______
$52.90 Jan MTD

2007 Total $52.90
Cumulative Total $179.01

NO SPENDERS: Friday, Saturday and Sunday were no spend days for me!

Look At Your Payroll Stub & GET Good & MAD



Wow - don't you look HOT this morning!??!

No?

Well, just wait.

I want you to get capital M.A.D. mad this morning. That's right - P.O.d!!

I want you so mad that you're steaming!

Steaming hot that is.

I want you to go and get your payroll stub out of the filing cabinet. (You do have this stuff filed, right?? RIGHT!)



}}}}}frantic rifling of piles{{{{{{



oKAY... I heard that mad shuffling of papers!!



Go ahead. I'll wait on you.






Good, you're back!!


Now I want to tell you about a little conversation the Hubster and I had this past week when I was being headhunted for a nice little J.O.B. in the financial sector.

Afterwards Hubster was asking me how I decided to turn our finances around - the answer "Your payroll stub."

"Huh?"

"As a matter of fact it was your health insurance that did it for me."

"auhhhhuuuugguuu (quizzical Tim Taylorish grunt???????)"

"I saw that we were paying more out every pay period for health insurance than we were saving for ourselves. --Way MORE! Like 85% more and it hacked me off royal that the insurance company CEO's
were living in mighty fine houses and driving super nice cars and have maids and lawnkeepers and such and we were barely scraping by.

It was then at that very moment that I decided to get serious about our finances - I determined that we were going to put back more for retirement savings than the health insurance company was taking out.

That is what began our financial turn-around."


After thinking about it, it made me wonder if it will help any of you to GET MAD enough to want to do something for your own future??

My message, dear friends, is for you to look down at your payroll stub and if you aren't saving at least the same as, if not more than, the health insurance company is getting then I want you to ask yourself, "Why do I think more of their future than I do my own?"

Then get angry enough to do the financial footwork - Take The Actions - necessary to get your future on track!

Stepping off soapbox now!

Okay, you can go back to your paperwork filing now. You are going to file that stub back in it's slot aren't you??

BTW, did I mention how hot you look this morning??

Totally H.O.T.!!

(note: cross posted in forums)

Hair Slicum & Leather Sofn'r



Well I broke the no-spend roll I was on yesterday and bought some stuff. It was out of the Personal Care category and I went to the bank and got cash beforehand so I could limit myself at the store. I keep hearing this is a way of shopping smart but tis difficult when you don't really know the prices on 'stuff'.

Hubster was out of his beloved VO5 haircream and I needed something for this leather hide that's covering my neck and face. He goes thru one of those tubes of gunk about every three years so I had no idea of the cost and I usually just use whatever face moisturizer that my Mom passes along (she tries every new thing that comes along). But, anymore I'm getting more and more sensitive to the perfumes in that stuff.

Anyway, I guesstimated what it would cost and got myself a 10 spot out of the bank.

hair slicum $3.25
leather sofn'r 5.00
tax .74
___________________
spent $8.99

So, I'm taking the $1.01 change to the Challenge.

I don't particularly think I'll do it this way again as I feel pretty secure about my ability to hold back from just running amuck in the stores and it's too much trouble to keep track of the money to put it back into it's category.

But, whatever, now we are beau-tis-i-mous once again and Piggy is fattening nicely!!

$20 CHALLENGE
$51.26 balance
+01.01 glam leavings
______
$52.27 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge $52.27
Cumulative Total $178.38

Accounts Receivable



CashHappySon paid me back the $15.00 he owed me. Taking it to the Challenge! {that's my new favorite mantra.

$20 CHALLENGE
$36.26 balance
+15.00 pd in full
______
$51.26 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge Total $51.26
Cumulative Total $177.37

QUICKIES ala Broken Arrow Style



*Adding to the Challenge money from CashHappySon donation.

$20 CHALLENGE
$35.43 balance
+00.83 generous manchild
_____
$36.26 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge $36.26
Cumulative Total $162.37

*FrugalSon worked yesterday, Hubster dug out ice in driveway and CashHappySon and I went to the movies to see Night At The Museum which was pretty cute. Somewhat better than I expected. Of financial note is that our matinee movies have now gone up to $2.25 from $2.00. Have to readjust my yearly entertainment budget now from $24.00 to 27.00! OWWWWWW!!
Not painful, but still I'd rather that they hadn't hiked it! Even a quarter makes my Frugalicious Gene (TM) pucker!!

*FrugalSon got a dime raise on his check yesterday.

*I got headhunted for a very nice job - went for the interview - turns out it would be commissioned based sales and I'm just not interested in sales. Was nice to be sought out though and the commissions would be quite substantial but still I'm just not into sales - I've done it before and it's not quite my cup of tea.

*Hubster and I went and spent about 3 and half hours picking out the doors and hardware for our interior/exterior doors and they are now coming up w/a quote as much of it will be custom cut to fit our odd sized doorways. Hoping to get loads of the doors done for little cash, but that might be asking a bit much!

*Quote for CashHappySon's car insurance is ridiculous. Both boys are going to go together and each pay their own amount based on their respective vehicles, but they'll get a multi-car discount. Still, too much though!! OUCH!!! Hubster and I do not want them on our insurance - as we would hate to be financially liable if they were to seriously hurt someone in a car accident.

*Estimate from the country treasurer says that our house taxes are going up by a mere $5.00 next year - which isn't too bad you know!

*Think I'll go drink a cup of serenity!

ChopChopShop-Mom's Shopping Service

CashHappySon had yesterday off so we got a couple of things done.

1)Got all his extra ING orange accounts shut down! Kiss Off Orange!!

2)Sat on hold for 45 minutes trying to get his Tracfone up and running again after his sim card went kaput. Near non-English speaking CSR later he was unable to help us get it back up and running nor unable to tell us what to do.

3)Trip to Walmart to exchange his phone for another one. Thankfully due to Hubster's good influence we all save our boxes, receipts and baggies, etc. so we had everything needed to exchange it - even after one lady at the register said it couldn't be done.

Lesson: NEVER MESS w/A MAD MOM who has just set on HOLD for 45 minutes and then driven thru an ice-storm and trekked thru a Walmart store full of RUDE people about a phone that he's only had for like two months being fried!

I was ready to Kick Pa-Tut*-y and take names.




He got a new phone AND the price had since gone down so he got a small $4.55 refund. YEAH TEAM FRUGALIS!!

4)Do Not Forget Dear Reader - that he has a burning hole in his pocket which cash likes to run through. He's been knife collecting and so he took his spending money for the week of $5 and added the refund and bought himself a four knife lot off of ebay. He doesn't have an ebay account so Mom does the bidding and paying. Price w/shipping $10.44.

Money Burning Hole in Pocket 10.55
CashHappy Collector's Fever -10.44
__________________________________
Wouldn't you just know that
Mom's Shopping Service Fee just
happens to be = .11 cents!!

5)Taking it to the challenge!

$20 CHALLENGE
$35.32 balance
+00.11 chopchopshop
______
$35.43 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge $35.43
Cumulative Total $161.54

Our Experience With This Firm



For informational purposes to you guys and also to keep track for myself I'm posting this entry...

On 1/11/07 I sent in the paperwork to get our Roth IRA's transferred from ING over to Fidelity. In this a.m.'s e-mail bag was this notice:

"Your transfer was initiated by Fidelity on 01/19/2007. Based on our experience with this firm (ING), your estimated completion date is 02/06/2007."

Here's hoping!

edited later to add: About three years ago I printed this little graph above out and stuck it in three places - my wallet where the cash goes, in my makeup case where I see it daily and on the dresser mirror. It does help give me pause before I spend will-nilly!

Under The Keyboard



In the whooo-haaa fest of remodeling the day after Christmas I suppose I stuck change that was in my hand under the keyboard to deal with later, however, where it's from I don't really know, but there were a couple of checks that were under there and $7.00 in cash.

Taking the $7.00 to the challenge.

$20 CHALLENGE
28.32 balance
+7.00 keyboard
_____
35.32 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge Totals $35.32
Cumulative Total $161.43

Heads Up Library Ladies



Quiet Please

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

Check it out!

Playaway

Tidying Up Loose Ends

Spent last evening tidying up the loose ends on the office front. Money to Hubster and my Roth IRAs. We had cancelled the automatic drafts at ING but still want to put our monthly amounts in and went ahead and did that because I'm not sure just how long it will take for them to rollover to Fidelity. Moved & done!

Then moving more dollars that came out of ING savings on over to Emigrant for myself, CashHappySon, FrugalSon and The Hubster. Moved & done!!

Tidying up the little loose ends makes me feel much better. The mind noise - the nagging sound of interest being lost - can now SHUT UP!!

Yeah!

Done & DONE!!

Now reading CubeChic:



I don't have a cubicle, but if I did, I like the one on the front cover - only slightly less on the nick-nackery.

Increasing Income by Decreasing The Stacks



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

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

Ratholing - Hiding Money From Myself

I was boogying my wallet (boogy = Flylady term for cleaning out a spot) when I ran across 3 five dollar bills stuck way in a deep dark crevice. I have a huge wallet that is full of everybody's 'important papers stuff' so it's easy for rathole money to get lost.



Taking it to the $20 CHALLENGE.

$20 CHALLENGE
$13.32 balance
+15.00 ratholed
______
$28.32 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge $28.32
Cumulative total $154.43

Yesterday was another No Spend Day!

Forty-one Scrounged!



Adding .41 cents to the $20 Challenge. CashHappySon gave me .36 of it and I found the nickle on the floor this morning when I was changing the sheets on the bed. Sadly, me diving for the nickle was the only clutching going on in my bedroom this a.m. Unlike the threebeansalad's CashCat I'm unable to just walk away.


$20 CHALLENGE

12.91 balance
+0.41 scrounged
_____
13.32 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge Total $13.32
Cummulative Total $139.43

The Difference a Couple of Sticks Can Make!

The Hubster spent yesterday evening and will spend part of today putting up trim sticks around the top of our kitchen cabinets. Now mind you a decent stick can cost about 6-10 dollars, but you only need a few.

Our cabinets were all just tacked to the wall when we got here w/a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space at the top (no nothing was level) and it looked cheap and crappy for as long as we've been here and this year we'll start on year 7.

I've been after him nicely to put these up since day 1. At anyrate he's on it now and they look SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER! A tiny bit of trim and few nails and V.O.I.L.A. (that people is how you actually spell waaa-laaa) it looks freaking fantastic! Luxes it up nicely!

The fact that our house used to be a rent house is quickly fading into the sunset.

A few little details are what have helped majorly. Little things such as replacing all the old silver tone INSTITUTIONAL LOOK el-cheapest you could buy light fixtures w/brass and goldtone lighting fixtures.

Really they only cost a few dollars more and they make it look So Much NICER.

Little things like replacing all the light switch and outlet plugs w/brass plates. Simple and inexpensive lil' upgrades like these few trim sticks and things are beginning to make a turn around.

Shewwww, I'll be so glad to have this stuff done and off my honeyman-do-list!!

Nothing looks sweeter to a woman than the sight of a man getting her 'PLEASE' list crossed off! YEAH HUBSTER!!! He says he's gotta keep the cook happy!



Guess I'll whack him on the shoulder more often!

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

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

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

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

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

"Uh, no - a cure???"

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

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

It's reality time brother!

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

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

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


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

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

New Slider



The workmen guys showed up yesterday to put in my new sliding glass door. All that hoopla over needing to rent a concrete saw or buying a grinder (that's what they did) and all they had to do was knock one little piece of concrete out of the way with a hammer! At any rate FINALLY got my door in!

Shheewwwwww...glad we got that done before the ice and snow came blowing in! The house is already discernably warmer!

On the down side, I had to pay for the last half of the windows too, but did get a discount for some of the work that the saleman priced out for us, but the workmen refused to do that carpentry work, so I took that off the final tally - funny how they forgot to do that themselves!

Balance due was 2490.00 - 50.00 = $2440.00 in cash! Here's to saving up for work before hand! Hard to be patient sometimes though!!

Glad to have that portion done. Just waiting now on the exterior and interior doors and new storms to be totally weather tight. Now we still have a bit of a whooosh when the wind blows!

They also picked up the window awnings they had just left in my yard for a week and a half! We did freecycle all the old mini blinds, so that's all gone now. Progress is being made!

Washed That Orange Right Out of My Hair!




I sent in the paperwork yesterday to change all four (mine, Hubster's, FrugalSon's and CashHappy's) of our Roth IRA's to Fidelity from that orange place! Ahhhh, now that feels better! I know it may take a bit for it to all settle out, but am glad to get that taken care of!

Peel THAT oh orange place! Of course, I'm filing this one under Kiss My Assets! (Nope that's not our lil' happy fambly! We're all WAY prettier than that!)



Kiss Off Orange

Even Happier Holidays



Sometimes a failing memory can be delightful. I don't remember The Hubster getting a bigger check last January, but I suppose he did.

I just opened his payroll envelope (yep, we do direct deposit) and find an extra 96.08 in there for holiday pay. YES!!! We'll take it!

Just when I was getting ready to suck wind again after upping the 401-K contributions, this will give a tiny breather - and possibly buy Hubster a new pair of cuuuub-boy boots he needs.

Yeee-Haw!

Updating Mortgage Balance

Updating the mortgage balance as my last $33.12 extra payment posted.

New balance is $23,360.41!


(Not my house - just like the visual of a hairy house - that's what a mortgage feels like!)

The Satisfaction Factor

What is the satisfaction factor? For me it's having the money put back for when a bill comes in.

Today it's the car tag registration for The Hubster's car - due is $93.50. In the Car Tag Registration Fund was over $100.00 so we're good and have a bit of a head start on next years! YEAH TEAM FRUGALIS!!

This means our budget is working just as we've fashioned it to do.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! That my friends is SWEET!



Photocredit: FroznCarrrots

Is She Typhoid Mary? LuckyRobin's Avoidance Fever

I seem to have caught LuckyRobin's Avoidance fever! FrugalSon is off today and I used that as an excuse not to work on the budgets but to rearrange furniture!

We have completely moved my room back to it's normal bed position after the window & blind installation got completed this weekend.

Moved The Hubster's dresser out of CashHappy's room and into our bedroom and taken the ugly bookshelf of Hubster's audio & media stuff out of our bedroom and put it in the place the dresser was in CashHappy's room.

Too much stuff - too little house.

Actually I have a big house it's just that folks want everything on the main floor when some of it could concievably be better accomodated in the basement.



This moving of furniture will allow the door-hanger guys to get to The Hubster's closet to put in a closet door. There hasn't been a door on his closet since we moved here! Only a curtain over it. I'll be so glad when this gets done!! They sent a second guy out to measure the other day as the first guy just wanted to be sure he got it all straight. Nothing here is standard measurements!!

The Hubster called the window people today - they are the ones putting in the sliding door and asked when they were coming back! They took off the awnings and threw them in the yard...they were supposed to haul them off. They've left broken glass in the yard, also supposed to be gone and hadn't bothered to notify us of when they intended to come back and put in the sliding glass door.

Okay - they haven't got paid the second half of the balance as the sliding door isn't installed yet - they have to rent a concrete saw, but hey, get the trash out of my yard if you're just gonna drive off into the sunset peeps!!

Oy vey!!

He says they are planning to show up Thursday - now wouldn't it have been nice of them to check and see if Thursday works for us???? Oh well, I will make it work!

TNT - Dynamite Ten Dollar Addition



I'm taking an explosive step and taking all ten dollars I have in my wallet and putting it in Piggy for the $20 Challenge. I will just have to suck it up for the next two weeks. I'm trying to meet a personal unspoken goal here.

$20 CHALLENGE
$02.91 balance
+10.00 TNT blowup
______
$12.91 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge $12.91
Cummulative Total $139.02

A Stay At Home Sunday

Today has been a stay at home Sunday for us - working on getting all the new plantation shutters up and adjusted, painting out one of the windowsills that had to be replaced and working on getting all four (CashHappySon, FrugalSon, mine, and Household) of our 2007 January budgets in place while upgrading to the new YNAB 3.1 version.

I'm a slow learner on new upgrades, besides it being the change from one year to the next and on top of that we each have boo-coo entries in our checkbooks for December as we closed out all our orange savings and CD accounts. Much to keep straight as to where it goes!!

I've got FrugalSon's done and caught up to the moment - only three more to go!

DEEP SIGH!!



Budgeting and book-keeping is something I usually enjoy - when I'm somewhat current. With so many transactions it does get confusing!

Staying at home makes it a no-spender for me!

Home James!



CashHappySon got his driver's license today! YEAH! Four down and one to go!

After he chauferred me home he gave me .83 for the $20 Challenge. See, it does pay to hang out down at the DMV!

$20 CHALLENGE
$2.91 balance
+0.83 DMV tip
_____
$3.74 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge $3.74
Cummulative Total $129.85

Free Penny

Adding to the $20 Challenge is .26 cents, the free penny came in one of those goofy mail advertisements and the quarter came from my change purse.




$20 CHALLENGE
$2.65 balance
+0.26 free penny & a quarter
_____
$2.91 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge $2.91
Cummulative Total $129.02

Deep Discount Shopping - Jingle Bells




Went awhile ago to the dollar type store...where I get almost all of our papergoods and laundry supplies in one giant first of the month spree. (If you haven't tried their Charmin Basic try it - those rolls of TP last a good looooonnnng while!!)

Anyway, while there I ran across their clearance section wherein I did a little early birthday and Christmas shopping for the women in my life. They had boxes of body butters w/four in them for $2.25 a box...making them .56 each. SCORE!! I bought all they had!

Got my little great-niece a bunch of girlie-stuff for .75 each. 2 for her birthday and 2 for her Christmas.

Next were the foam bath gels for .75 cents each which I bought for all the women on my list. Nice to shop now while 'the list' is in my noggin!!

These will make good starts on birthday or Christmas gifts for these ladies. They are stashed away in the Christmas box!

I want to get a big spot cleared out in my basement wherein I can put one Christmas bag for each person on my list and cover it w/a protective sheet for dustproofing and then just fill them up during the year. I have just the perfect spot for this.

Once their bag is full I'll know who remains that needs to be shopped for in a literal concrete way that might work for me better than the just buying and tossing in a box method that I've been using. This way I usually overbuy for some and forget others till the last hoo-raw.

With the aforementioned sheet method the wrapping would also already be done except for adding a bit of tissue paper. Might just give this a try!

In For Life with No Parole It Looks Like



Yesterday was The Hubster's 40th Anniversary at his employment!!! Do many people do this anymore? I don't think so!! I am so proud of him for sticking it out thru the tough times and marking a milestone!

I sneaked (sshhhhhhhhhhhh!!) and called his boss yesterday (short-timer) and let him know of the anniversary and he sent someone out for a cake and a card. Very nice. Hubster will get to pick a nice reward (one year was a big screen tv) at the end of the year when they make a presentation at the company Christmas Awards Ceremony, but that's a long ways away and he often feels shorted when he started on the 2nd of the year to have to wait a whole 'nother year to get recognized. He was however, one of the five people at his work of over 500 people to get a bonus this year!

Last night he and I took one of the restaraunt gift cards we received for Christmas and took ourselves out just us two and did a little celebrating of our own.

Here's to only 6 more years until retirement!!! Or maybe shorter if the great motherload of investment returns shows up!!!

Congratulations Hubster - Job Well Done!!

Wow - 40 years. Imagine that!! I am awed by your fortitude!!

Only 363 days until 2008 and we have football fever here. No, not your everyday boob tube football fever, no tail-gate parties, no crisp air, hot cheerleader's kinda' fever.

Boring football fever.

Boring that is unless you have the dna of a fruggie. Gifted with the Frugalicious Gene (tm), that is.

Yesterday FrugalSon and I were cleaning out his room when we came upon some of the leftover boxes from when my FIL lived with us.

In there was one of those little plastic football shaped coin purses from the 60's and 70's like the one pictured above. This one was even decorated like a football and in it was .94 cents.

The Hubster says I can have it for the $20 Challenge. Thanks Pops!! I miss you!

~~~~~~~~HOLLABACK~~~~~~~

!!TOUCHDOWN!! She scores!

$20 CHALLENGE
$1.71 balance
+0.94 Pops was a team player
_____
$2.65 Jan MTD

2007 Challenge YTD Total $2.65

Cummulative Total $128.76

No Spend Beginnings





Photocredit: M. Carlson

Yesterday 01/01/2007 was a no spend day for me. Lift a glass to a year full of No Spenders for those of us who practice at it!

Day 364: Updating 2006 $20 Challenge Final Tally a/k/a Stuffing Piggy




I just now got Piggy down off his shelf and counted his contents in order to get ready for bank deposit.

Somehow in the mad rush up to Christmas
?somebody? tended the sign and stuffed more money in there than I knew about.

$20 CHALLENGE
30.01 balance
+3.11 extra stuffing
_____
33.12 Dec 06 MTD


Which makes the 2006 grand total $126.11 instead of just $123.00.

Adding then the 1.71 that we started off with yesterday brings the Cummulative Total to $127.82!

YEAH PIGGY STUFFERS!!