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So far I have been using up the casserole I mentioned from my last post, a couple slices of leftover pizza from the fridge, a loose packet of instant oatmeal, and a fancy Asian ramen package from the back of the cabinet. Tonight I made a curry with potatoes, cauliflower, and rice. The potatoes are definitely approaching their use-by time so I see more potatoes in the future. The curry will make a meal for tomorrow too. I also found a box of chocolate popsicles crammed in the freezer...
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Today was the inspection at our house for sale; we signed a contract last Monday.  Our realtor updates us that the inspection went well and didn't appear to present any major issues that the potential buyers were concerned about.  We disclosed a chimney issue and provided estimates ($3.5K for the rebuild) (last contract that fell through might have been from the fact that our realtor provided an incomplete disclosure - I am not thrilled with her and won't recommend, but...
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Overall, I'm doing really well keeping up with most of my 2021 goals. I've missed very few days for: opening language app, sitting at piano, scooping one litter box, put one thing away, do one cleaning task, make bed, read / listen to one Bible verse, meet step goals for Stepbets, and make a blog/forum post daily. I've done okay on not eating oil/dairy/sugar ... still could use improvement. I completed 3 2021 projects in January, and posted two items on a giveaway site.
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In...
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Happy Valentine's Day everyone. ❤️💖
Here is my list of frugal things:
(1) Finished reading four books so far this year (and am halfway through two others). I had been on a very long run of reading only non-fiction, and got back into reading some fiction again. Three of the books I read were fiction, and I recommend them: "The Silent Patient" and "Memory Man" are both gripping page turners. The other was "Good Omens", and I haven't laughed as much while reading a book in...
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I think it's official that we hit $1 mil.  !!
It feels...  extremely anti-climactic and I don't feel at all like celebrating.  But... I think it's just that it took so long (a decade) to recover from the last recession and to get back to $500K after hitting it the first time.  It's not like we are in a sunshine and roses situation right now (the world as a whole).  So I think it's mostly hard for me to find much meaning in it.
I am sure just the overall...
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My hubby and I don't celebrate valentines day...I don't believe in it...we do things for each other all the time all year...so don't need a special day along with everyone else...but my hubby has always bought our girls a single rose for valentines day each year since they were born...they are now 27 & 29 and still look forward to them...they remind me each year to make sure he gets them..I think they would be greatly disappointed if he did...but it is something special he...
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We I am over packing, looking for houses etc...so having a day off and just chilling. We have been doing ok with trying to use up the freezer stuff but we have had takeaway more than usual...we just don't have the energy at the end of the day...but we will get there...my daughter and I had our usual friday night movie night at home..that was nice...so going to relax today and get back to it tomorrow...no house yet...but our landlord said we could have another 2 weeks to move with...
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Yesterday I got a direct deposit of $112 from Allstate for Drivewise credits.  Then I took $80 out of my checking account -- $40 for the grandkids' valentines, and $40 for laundry money.  I have plenty of laundry money on hand, but since I was at the bank I got the limit in quarters, since they can sometimes be hard to find.
This morning I took my car to the dealer for recall work -- second time in a year.  Everything was fine and there was no cost.  The biggest...
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Today was a day spent working toward eliminating various frustrations that have been confounding me in recent weeks.
I brought Luther to the vet yesterday and got a prescription for an inhaler medication for his feline asthma. The vet told me it would be cheaper to buy from a Canadian pharmacy, but wasn't much help in steering me toward one or another.  (Prior to this I tried putting Luther on a grain-free diet as I'd heard this could be causing his allergic reaction, but...
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Hi there. Quick update here. I did more research and asked more questons and that $10/hr increase job is definately what I want. I am NOT in charge, assisting on one large project for the entire time. not multiple... 40 hour cap... just sounds so much less stressful. The other job is handling multiple projects and part of a high performing team. Anyway.. it turns out they want a 2nd interview on the $10 hr job.  It will be set up Monday. The person I interviewed w was the...
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It's payday, which feels like I have tangible action on some of my goals, instead of just planning out actions and waiting for the calendar to tick over.
I now have a more accurate picture of what my new take home pay is at the lower withholding rate, and while for some pay periods it's not quite enough, it's close enough that I am just going to make it work.  Once some of the "snowflakes" I am expecting come in, and I am able to eliminate some monthly debt payments, this...
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Unexpected pay day! At one of my jobs I am paid semimonthly: on the 1st & 15th, but I guess because it's a bank holiday on Monday I got paid early. I think, the stock market, may still be trading - at least for part of the day. They usually only close all day on major federal holidays.
This long weekend is actually a triple holiday weekend: Valentine's Day on Sunday, President's Day on Monday, & Mardi Gras on Tuesday! Oh, and then it's Ash Wednesday, of course. I should...
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I have a deadline set for the start of my retirement and I have a list of prerequisites to determine whether I’m in a safe-enough-for-me position to retire sooner. Each quarter I evaluate my progress against those prerequisites, and my quarterly check-in for this is aligned with my birthday instead of the standard calendar quarter. That’s because a couple of my prerequisites are based on my 60th birthday so the calculation is simpler.
 
Result for this check-in:...
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I am not doing a tradtional eat-from-the-pantry challenge, but I would like to focus on using up things I already have to rotate stores and avoid waste. Today’s grocery shopping included less overall food but was not super cheap because I took the opportunity to stock up on some longer-term items instead, like sesame oil (on sale!) and some spices that will last a long time. I will try to post occasional updates on what I’m making/eating. I did forget cornstarch and...
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Each month I track the principal payments for our house debt. I started this to put us on an achievable schedule to pay off the house within 5 years. I’m on payment 30 of 58. It’s exciting for me to see the acceleration in principal reduction – both from larger payments and decreasing interest due.

 
 
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I've been forcing myself to walk, even though it is challenging in this weather.  Yesterday I decided to drive and park downtown, where I hoped the walks would be less treacherous.  They weren't exactly clear, but they were better than in my neighborhood.
I used my walk to stop in at the library and to go to a hardware store, where I bought a can of radiator paint, and brushes, for $13.  My little bathroom radiator is looking pretty chipped and sad.  A new...
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Hi all.
Job search update. I was set up for 3 interviews. One I did not like and subsequently did not get the job. The other two look very positive. I may get an offer today at $10 more an hour than what I made which is $20k more a year. the other one has a second interview next week and I am the top candidate... there are 2 spots and 3 people called back. That jobs pays $2 more than I was making per hour. The $10/hr job appears to be a project manager (vs program manager) where...
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Did I mention DH built his own office shed?  Did I ever post?  So he started it August 5th by cutting a tree down.  This is on top of working full time from home at a crazy job that is not in any sort of labor.  Yes he very handy compared to many.  He didn't think so until he did this.  I have to say I have no idea if this was going to work.  DH did this because when I told him the price like $30k of having it built he said "i can do it for less". ...
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Since my last entry, I am still doing a lot of sitting around waiting.  Harrumph
I did receive word from the debt consolidation company that another balance will be paid off.  That lowers the remaining balance there, and takes me to 5 paid, 7 to go.  Based on amounts, I think 2 more will be paid this year, and then the remaining 5 will be spread over the year and a half left in the program (runs through Aug 2023).  
Otherwise...
Taxes - still waiting...
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Thinking about everything I need to do to get my home ready to sell can be overwhelming so I'm just taking it in stages. I realize that since I filed my 2020 taxes I probably won't be getting the next stimulus due to increased income. But now that I've paid off my credit card debt, my cash flow has greatly improved. I don't plan on touching my growing savings for any of these projects.
Next step is the removal of wallpaper & painting my upstairs bathroom. I got a quote prior...
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