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So we are down $300k for the year so far.  Easy come easy go.  $150k retirement and $150k taxable.  Okay then.  That is life.
That being said we had a pretty good spending money.  $1335 on our return expenses from hawaii.  $274 on eating out, $520 on groceries.  I find that no matter what I do, I've really been trying to use our pantry up, I can't get our grocery bill lower. I also found that we are eating less meat but the veggies and fruits...
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When we decided to move 5 years ago, we took out a $15,000, 5-year loan from The Husband's 401k. We were living in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house with a 12 year old boy and an 11 year old girl... we had to do something!
I am so happy to say that the loan will be paid off very soon! One month from today (2 paychecks) and we will be 401k loan free! I'm super excited about it being paid off! Because it is a 401K loan, that is obviously through no extra effort of our own, but it will...
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In 2020 we spent $115 on car gas, for the hybrid car.   It looks like we did 4 Bay Area trips before we bought the all-electric vehicle in late Summer 2020.
After buying the electric car, I spent a whole whopping $6 on gas.  This was for a couple of gallons just to keep the hybrid in good condition.  I consider that more of a maintenance expense than a fuel expense.
I expect that 2021 would have been a $6 gas year.  We are to the point we are...
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In my quest to make February a month of no eating out, I will be meal planning again.  I started by picking out my main dish or main meat and built my meal plans around that.  I wanted one fish meal, 2 beef, 2 chicken, 1 pasta, and 1 pizza, so from there I filled in the rest based on what I have in my fridge, freezer, or jars and cans of food.
Day One--Pizza with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, prosciutto, onions, and bell pepper (if we have one, I have to check still, but...
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Not very likely.  DH decided to check up on the freezer we ordered that was supposed to arrive this month, and surprise, surprise, it has been delayed until May now.  I am losing all hope of ever actually seeing this thing.  DH asked if the employee thought it would really come in March and he said nobody really knows.  Supposedly they are supposed to be getting in some brand I never heard of "soon," whatever soon means.  It's called Midea.  From what...
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Social media marketing has become a significant tool in business marketing, thanks to increased social media use across all demographics. However, as customer tastes shift, keeping up with the best platforms for your industry—and managing diverse tactics for each—can be tough. 
It can therefore seem overwhelming to keep tabs on all key details of social media marketing especially on Instagram which is one of the most powerful social media marketing platforms....
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First off travelling has not been a thing in australia for a long time....now that people can travel overseas thought it would be good...my daughter had such a hard time getting out of australia...she booked her tickets online and everything was good but then on her way home (in a month) they delayed her flight in hawaii by 24 hours today...which means the 2 connecting flights in australia would have to be changed...because they just let her know like 3 hours before she left they...
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This morning I ordered a lid organizer from Amazon - $15. I will have to clear out a cabinet to use it, so will have re-home some small appliances - blender, jar opener, hand mixer, hot pot. I can store those under my kitchen benches, but it is open space, so I'll need to get some containers. I'll deal with that after the lid organizer comes on the 11th. I might just use cardboard boxes, as they won't be highly visible.  I just need to keep the appliances covered to keep them...
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Received $27 bank interest for the month of January.
 
Snowflakes to Investments:
--Redeemed $32 credit card rewards (cash back) from our grocery card 
--Redeemed $97 cash back on Citi card
--Redeemed $15 on dining out card (also used for groceries)
 
Other Snowflakes to Investments:
+ $15 Savings from Target Red Card (grocery purchases)
 
TOTAL: $159 Snowflakes to Investments
 
401k Contributions/Match:
+$515
 
Snowball to Savings:
+$375...
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Can't believe it is february already...looks like this year is going to fly by as well.
Our daughter flew out today she is on her way to spend a month in nebraska...she is excited to be spending time with her friends...so hopefully it goes well...so many of her flights keep changing so a bit frustrating but she is a good traveller...hopefully will have smooth flights...People can't believe she took 2 small backpacks as she doesn't like to book in luggage so just takes it on the...
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Interest hit today and it was $4.59 at the online bank, and .07 at CU#2.  CU#1 only pays out quarterly.  So a total of $4.66 in interest, so that goes to the Emergency Fund, bringing the new total there to $20,212.21.  That leaves $310.49 to go to hit 6 month's expenses.
Retirement is starting to creep up again to where it was, but is still $342.72 short of that, putting it at $70,634.30.
That means the NW has gone up by $4.66, but down by $342.72, so the new net...
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Hello my SA friends!  Hope everyone is surviving January lol.  I will say that for the past few years, January has been soooo incredibly stressful and felt about 20 years long....and this year was far less stressful (although I could have done without the blizzard the Northeast got last weekend...).  I'm not the biggest fan of February either, but at least it's a short month!
Let's get the painful stuff out of the way - January was a spennnndy month, and I only...
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Here's how we handle budgeting in 2022.  I have ours broken down into groups and then individual buckets.  I have fixed expenses at the top (I call it Bills).  I then have "Savings Goals" with individual target goals we create.  My third group is "Variable Expenses" which is everything that isn't fixed (everything we can move and shake around).  Here's what makes up each group.
Bills:  Home Cleaning, Electric, Propane Gas, Garbage, Water, Sewer, Car...
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Ok let's start the new month off right.  If you're a first of the month budgeter you've got your new month to go after it.  One thing we've adjusted to over the years is the YNAB idea of not budgeting the income until it's sitting in the checking account.  I think from a practical standpoint it helps with not spending the money before we actually have it.  I do like to think of "where would I put that money" and obviously if you're a Dave Ramsey nerd it's hard...
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First of all, my January recap:
Gifts/Charity: $1200 (college funds for grandchildren)
Housing: $808
Insurance: $727 (Auto; semi-annual)
Utilities: $199
Medical/Health:  $185 (mostly for glasses)
Groceries: $64
Personal: $43
Household Supplies: $35
Phone: $31
Eating Out/Takeout: $23
Vet/Pet Supplies: $20
Entertainment: $16
Clothing/Accessories: $12
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor: $8
Car Repair/Maintenance: $3
Grand Total: $3390
Variables: 51%
 
A very...
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There's been a few folks who have been gone for a while....or maybe just not posting. Folks who haven't posted in a long time, one more than a decade. It's fun to read about them catching back up here. Congrats on your retirement Priceplus!  And just like Commute I-78, I like looking back too. 
Nothing here happening too much. My household is tracking our spending this month, next month we'll get a little more granular about the spending. It's been good for my spouse...
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I can't believe it's been TEN YEARS since my last blog post.  That is an incredibly long amount of time!  I was reading through some of my blog posts in 2012 and the transition from where we were then to where we are now is exciting and hopefully motivating for some.  I'll try to update everything over the next few posts to get up to speed.  The summary though is quite fun to work through.
1) We're completely 100 percent debt free house and all.
2) Our net...
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Income Total: $1450.00


     * $1200 Recurring monthly retirement account distribution  


     * $250 Swagbucks and My Points earnings (cash out to PayPal) 


      


Total Spending: $1169.23


Total Savings: $280.77 (difference between monthly income and monthly spending)  Fixed Expenses: Verizon bundle (internet,...
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The seed catalogs are pouring in spilling over my desk and into my floor. I have searched a dozen, three or four times already, highlighting that which I love most. My goodness how gorgeous are the photos of the Baker Creek catalog, how lovely the descriptions in Pinetree Seeds catalog, how practical the plants for my area in Southern Exposures Catalog, and how very inexpensive the seeds in Morgan County seeds. It makes it all so hard to decide!
To be fair, deciding on seeds,...
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Handwritten notes, button sewing, and leftovers -- what do they all have in common?
I believe they are old fashioned skills.
A week or so ago, a friend and I were talking about writing thank you notes and how we still like to send and receive those thank you notes in the mail. Recently I read an opinion column where a man said writing thank you letters as well as letters to companies have resulted in some grand things for him. He complained to a CEO of a company that he had had...
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