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My trip to Walgreens yesterday cost $12 -- $7 for groceries and $5 for Halloween cards for the grands. It was a beautiful early autumn day, and made for a very nice walk.

Today I'm going to walk to the same plaza to pick up my new reading glasses.

I got a notification that my payment for the cancelled Amazon order is being refunded. I haven't checked the credit card account yet to see if it's still there. I realize it may take several days for it to disappear. It's a...
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Feeling a little like a pin cushion this morning after getting blood work and a seasonal flu shot. But CHECK MARK, those are now out of the way!

My job contracts with a dedicated clinic that serves the staff of 3 local businesses. It's really nice in that normal and routine things (non-narcotic drugs, shots, blood work, routine visits, etc) are completely free for staff. Things like controlled drugs, xrays, MRIs, etc must go through normal insurance/ co-pays.

Unfortunately,...
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Housing - $1074
Insurance - $213
Medical/Health - $212
Groceries - $161
Utilities - $159
Home Repair/Maintenance - $109
Gifts/Charity - $95
Clothing - $52
Phone - $51
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor - $34
Eating Out/Takeout - $33
Personal - $23
Household Supplies - $20
Laundry - $18
Entertainment - $16
Gas - $12

Grand Total - $2282
Variables - 91%

Well, it was a better month than last, and I ticked off a few items. First of all, I paid $300 extra on my mortgage...
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Year to date, assets are up nearly 40k; debt is down about 13.5k. That includes a downpayment on the roof replacement, which is happening tomorrow, so the balance of $2,600 will come due. Also, Buffy is due for an ultrasound and tests tomorrow so there will be a vet bill of $800 or so, and I have a contract to have my trees trimmed this month for nearly $700. So after all of that, I'll only be ahead about 9k. Still, progress.

Something else to report this quarter: I decided...
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Not my best month. September is always stressful at work. This year was right on target. The new HR director and I are just not getting along. Since I process payroll this is not good. Well new month tomorrow hope to find a new attitude.

Debt is going down slowly but it is going down. Well not much else to say.
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When my brother and I was going through it, I wasn’t happy with my original attorney, so I sought another one. I thought I had given her a deposit, to hold. $4,000. But I had no record.

Long story short, I’d asked about the money but the attorney said she didn’t have one. Today out of the blue, she called and mentioned she was cleaning her office and found an envelope with my name on it and a note marked to hold. Low and behold it is the check. She said she thought...
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When my brother and I was going through it, I wasn’t happy with my original attorney, so I sought another one. I thought I had given her a deposit, to hold. $4,000. But I had no record.

Long story short, I’d asked about the money but the attorney said she didn’t have one. Today out of the blue, she called and mentioned she was cleaning her office and found an envelope with my name on it and a note marked to hold. Low and behold it is the check. She said she thought...
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Income Total: $1700.00

* $1500 Recurring monthly retirement account distribution
* $150 Swagbucks(cash out to PayPal)
* $50 My Points (cash out to PayPal)

Total Spending: $1513.85

Total Savings: $186.15 (difference between monthly income and monthly spending)

Fixed Expenses:
Verizon bundle (internet, cable, home phone): $160.25
Cell phone: $59.90
HVAC and water heater contract: $27.95
Condo Fee (includes water) $190.00
Health Care:...
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Well, the delivery from Subscribe & Save has been cancelled. However, the charge for it is still on my credit card. I looked on Amazon's site, which said it may take 3-5 days for a credit to come through, so I'll keep an eye on it.

Another book I had on hold at the library has become available, so that means I have an outing today! Yay! I have dressed in real clothes (otherwise I wear pajamas). Usually I try to add on another errand, since I am making the effort go out,...
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We roll into our new budget cycle today. I transferred the full amount for October's bills from savings to our checking. All of October bills will just auto pay from this account- no additional effort is needed for the month. Easy Peasy.

I also transferred half of our household budget (food, gas, etc) into the household checking. It helps to do half now and half mid month to show the hub how it works. While he is home, he does the majority of our grocery shopping and prefers...
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It's been a busy last couple of weeks. In that time we have installed a 16 foot handicapped ramp, gotten a new mattress for my son, visited an orchard, and I have been super busy canning. I now have 95 quarts of regular cut green beans on my shelves. My goal is 104, so I am just 9 shy. That gives us two quarts of green beans to eat per week for the entire year. I am thrilled to meet that goal.

I have also put up 6 quarts of chicken thighs, 3 quarts of chuck roast, 1 pint...
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The end of September means my mom's birthday (tomorrow) and also the end of the 3rd quarter. We're not at market highs, but neither are we at market lows. I'll definitely see an increase over 2nd quarter earnings.

This is also the time of year that we usually hear about whether contribution limits for next year's retirement plans will increase. From everything I've read we shouldn't expect an increase. So my contributions will stay at $750 biweekly and $500 monthly.
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Now that the stone facade and stair railing have been done at my house, I can finally say that the exterior of the house is pretty much DONE.

I will never have to paint anything on the outside again except for one little area that's visible in that photo of the side of my garage, by the big window. The trim on that seems to peel every summer.

Now I'd love to turn my attention to indoor projects, which are admittedly more important but more difficult and disruptive to my personal...
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DD3 and her little family came over for dinner last night. As she was leaving, she noticed the bags of donation items sitting by my door and asked about them. She poked around and decided she wanted 3 of the 4 bags of stuff! Just like that those bags went home with her. She will take what she needs and donate the rest. She mentioned she also wants some sunflower dishes that I am getting rid of, so I will box those up and give to her once they move into their new home next...
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September was a very pricey month for me, mainly because I spent the max I've allocated for home improvements during any one year: $10,000.

I got my mason back here and he covered the ugly concrete garage wall (2 sides) with stone and it looks like an old country cottage now that's been like that forever, especially since my upper driveway is all done in pavers. (He did that too.)

What I especially like about the stones is that some of them still have lichens on them, so...
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I had an Amazon subscribe-and-save order for kitty litter pellets. I thought it would be convenient, but twice now I have received shipments WAY before I am ready for them, and I didn't see any warning that it was coming before it was coming. So I cancelled it. I tried to cancel the shipment that is on its way, but I will probably get stuck with that. It's going to cost me almost $50.

I decided I would rather pay the little bit extra that not having a subscription will cost...
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Debts
Mortgage -$122,540.51 (-$230.02)
Medical Loan #2 -$5,200 (-$300)

Savings
Roth IRAs +$16,112 932 (-$820)
401K +$29,582 (-$1,298)
Emergency Fund +$8,072 7,767 (+$305)
Animal Fund +$938 (-$179)
Truck Fund +$2,025 (+$20)
HSA +$2,274 (+$251)

Overall: +$1,190.98

Still waiting on insurance reimbursement for baby's surgery. Claim was processed wrong and had to be resubmitted. Lost net worth this month because of the bad market. Hoping next month is better as...
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I got a week behind on logging sales. Been selling a lot of Fall and Halloween items.

Sale #1818 (AZ) $48.00
Mainstays Candles 11oz (2) (Joint with my FIL) - We paid .80 each
Sold for $3.00 each
Profit = $4.40

Bath and Body Lotion and Shower Gels (7) - I paid $3.05 each
Sold for $6.00 each
Profit = $20.65

Sale #1819 (SM) $10.00
Better Homes and Gardens Wax Melts (6) (Joint with my FIL) - We paid .53 each
Sold for 3/$5
Profit = $6.82

Sale #1820 (LC) $5.00
Better...
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The window washers are here. This time, for the first time, they are using long, long brushes rather than climbing on ladders. I applaud the company for the commitment to safety for their employees. It looks like I'll have to live with a few water spots, though, since there appears to be no wiping/drying process.

My brother called yesterday to talk about Thanksgiving. His son in Florida wants to come up and bring his new girlfriend. Before he buys plane tickets, though,...
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One of the primary reasons I have accumulated so much 'stuff' is that I create a crazy attachment to things. I have many reasons, which, for example, is why I still, 13 years later, have a storage shed full of my dad's things that I've never used or even gone through.

Some of my key reasons for being a semi hoarder include:

* It was my mom's (dad's, etc) and she/he loved it
* It was a gift
* I may need it someday
* I haven't read it yet
* I may lose weight
* It's too...
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