All Entries

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and spent a total of $34.17 here is what I bought:
$1.00     1 can of baked beans
$4.39     2 cans of premium canned chicken breast (for chicken salad for lunches)
$1.50     1 package of peeled organic carrots
$.58       1 crown of broccoli (I still have some left from last week)
$3.46     2.05 lbs of red delicious apples
$8.99     prepared...
[ Read More ]

Yesterday my ancestry.com subscription hit my Discover card.  Every year I forget about this!  It's not cheap.  $189.  But I have a huge family tree on the site and I don't know how to disengage without losing that information.
This morning I went to Panera and got the baker's dozen bagel special, along with three containers of cream cheese.  $11 for quite a few breakfasts in the future.
Those two expenditures took variables to 47% quite early in the...
[ Read More ]

I feel like every time I look at the news, there's more money raining down on us.
{I am so glad I haven't contributed to 2020 IRAs yet, or filed our tax return.  We would have had to change/amend everything.}
It seems likely this is the first year (ever) that we will go on extension.  Our taxes are very simple.  But...  As much as I had come to abhor the ridiculousness and tradition of 12/31 retroactive tax changes (which made my life mostly impossible when...
[ Read More ]

How do I get myself into these things? I agreed to do a juice cleanse from pressed juicery from Costco.  My neighbors whom I'm doing the whole 60 with and am now a little more than halfway through wanted to do this to bust through their plateau.  Couple of them started it.  But now they are doing two days of juicing.  So the costco pressed juicery I bought was $54.99.  I started today. I am 4 bottles in and it's terrible.  All parts of the two...
[ Read More ]

I’ve probably mentioned before that we received stimulus payments during 2020 because they were based on 2019 income. We lucked out because 2019 is the last year the twins qualified for the child tax credit and that positively impacted the payment we received. Our adjusted gross income is within the phase-out range but even the reduced amount was a pleasant surprise.
 I’ve held off on filing our 2020 tax forms because we’re going to owe money this year as...
[ Read More ]

Yesterday was frustrating. I read many of the blogs, but the site would not allow me to comment, told me try later, only after going through what seemed like a zillion of those recaptcha images. Egad.
The weekend wasn't an adventurous one by any means. Basically stayed around home. DH is a clothes horse. I noticed he has been wearing the same few pairs of slacks over and over and I know he has quite a stack. Well, he said he didn't want to disturb the pile by getting them down...
[ Read More ]

I walked to the post office on this beautiful, springlike day to buy stamps.  It's now $11 for a book of forever stamps.  I didn't realize that.  It's been a while since I've bought them.  I use stamps rarely now.
I also did another $2 load of laundry.  Variables are now at 20%.
[ Read More ]

As expected, I did a touch more grocery shopping yesterday, this time at the market by my mother's house.  I should be good now until the end of the week, when I'll need to grab a few things quickly.
2.39 (x2) - whipped butter
4.99 - crackers
3.69 (x2) - butter cooking spray
17.15, 73.55 MTD on groceries alone (overall category is at 118.09 including household and toiletries).
[ Read More ]

I'm feeling much better today -- back to normal, in fact.  I did a load of laundry ($2), and I made spaghetti sauce with meatballs, and a pot of chili.  I haven't eaten either one yet; I'm letting them sit in the fridge.  They are so much better after sitting a while.  Another kitchen task I need to do, which I haven't done yet, it to cut up two onions and flash freeze them.  They are getting a bit old, and I don't want to waste them.
I decided to wait...
[ Read More ]

A funny thing happened. Somehow my dad received an issue of Cosmopolitan in the mail. We joked about it but I did read it before it went to the trash. And guess what? I learned a financial fact. According to the article inside, the last coronavirus relief legislation (CARES Act) increased the list of allowable expenses for HSAs and FSAs. Now in addition to medical co-pays and medications, items like menstrual products, over-the-counter meds, and sunscreen are now qualified expenses...
[ Read More ]

This morning, I had a bunch of errands to run.  Six separate stops, and home by 11:45.  Two of my trips fell into the grocery category.
Stop & Shop:
8.99 - 24 pack of string cheese.  This seemed expensive to me, and I almost bought the 12 pack which was on sale for 4.89....but then I realized that this was ever so slightly cheaper and will last me a little longer
4.49 - milk
3.34 - salad kit, part of this week's dinner meal prep
16.82 total
CVS:
1.49 plus...
[ Read More ]

I got my second COVID vaccine yesterday (Moderna).  It was quite a pinch in my arm, and today my arm is still pretty sore.  I am also feeling just under the weather in general.  I trust that these reactions will go away soon.  I am very glad to be fully vaccinated, and not complaining at all.
Before it was time to go for my shot, I washed my hair, and when I was brushing it, the brush got tangled up in my longish locks.  I mean really tangled.  I...
[ Read More ]

I've tried to post comments on a few blogs & keep getting an error message to try again later.
[ Read More ]

I feel that my interview yesterday went very, very well.  There were 3 people interviewing me via Zoom; the same two people who interviewed me last time and a third person.  And I learned that they currently have 2 open positions.  It is a small office, so 2 open positions must be quite a hardship on the others.  They intend to make a decision next week.  So, we will see.  If they do not offer me a position now, then they just aren't interested in...
[ Read More ]

In 2009 when my Grandma died, she owned a piece of land that she’d inherited from a childless sibling. We didn’t realize that she had it because she’d never mentioned it or used it. The South Carolina land is bounded by train tracks on one side and has huge power lines running over it. My brothers and I inherited the land and decided to keep it. We paid the property taxes each year but we haven’t done anything with it either. After a brief conversation with...
[ Read More ]

Yesterday I took a walk to Walgreens and spent $85.  $60 went to OTC drugs, $18 for groceries, and $7 for razors.  While I was there I inquired about making an appointment for my second shingles shot.  I recently got a letter from them saying I should do that.  I was advised by the pharmacist on duty that I did NOT need to make an appointment (????) and that I should just come in 30 days after I get my second COVID shot -- which is tomorrow.  I hope that...
[ Read More ]

The pantry challenge did make me use up some stuff that has been hanging around the cabinets a while! It wasn’t all successful- I ended up throwing out ¼ bag of dal that was contaminated and one of the old muffin mixes I made had gone bad somehow and was inedible, but better to find that out and clear out the space.  I did stock up pretty well the other day when it ended- I realized I like having plenty of staples so it is never urgent to grocery shop if work...
[ Read More ]

I spent on Tuesday 3/2 $9.99 for 3 lbs of Candy grapes at costco.  They are nearly gone by today.  My kids and DH ate about 1/3 Tuesday night.  Last night they had dessert from McDonald's for shamrock shakes for $10.39.  I went to Costco to get a prescription that wasn't in for the dog so I just did little notes on my new price book. It was what I had thought.  Chicken I can probably snag for $1.99/lb at the grocery store.  Fruits and veggies...
[ Read More ]

Warning: I'm in a chatty mood, and this is a lengthy post. I've created sub-heads to help organize the content if you feel like skimming.
Credit card bonsues
So, I used to enjoy applying for credit cards with a nice upfront bonus of $100 or $200 after spending x amount of money in the first 3 months of owning the card. It was such an easy way to make some extra cash, and often I'd try to time my application for the card right before a big bill, like my car and homeowners insurance,...
[ Read More ]

I calculate our net worth each month on the 3rd after the house debt payments have cleared. It’s up $32k from last month. The increase is due mostly to the market rather than anything new or different – savings and investment contributions are automated. Our house value is up too according to Zillow.
The weather is getting warmer here so we've begun getting outside to exercise. I want to make sure I'm consistent with walking to support my bone density.
 

[ Read More ]