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So our lease is up in a couple of days we have been looking for houses but prices are outrageous here to rent and buy! So we applied for a home...it was unsuccessful so I emailed and asked why, he said we didnt send all documents through, I said yes we did and extra notes because some of it is in US $, he also said that our real estate agent said that they wouldnt rent to us again and that I hate gardening so yard looks a mess. When she did our inspection about a month ago I told...
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I am nearing the end of dog duty this week but unfortunately came down with a cold (!) that forced me to curtail the twice daily walks totalling about 70 minutes to just a single, 25-minute walk. (She still gets out 4x daily to pee and poop.)
I've gotten a little attached to the dog and in some ways will be sorry to see her go. She is so exuberant when she's going for a walk and is very easy to care for. She follows me around the house wherever I go. I could see myself pet-sitting...
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So this one is not a seminar but a free training course. It’s called ‘The Changing World of Retirement Planning’ and it’s taught on a local college campus. The course is two sessions, each one 3 hours (!). I received the invitation in the mail and I assume that I was targeted because of my age. The course is provided by two organizations: The National Society of Financial Educators and The Society for Financial Awareness. Is anyone familiar with these? The...
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Happy first day of fall! After suffering through extremely hot and humid temperatures, we are finally receiving some rain, rain we haven't seen in almost a month and a half. It's deary out today and sort of cooler, so it feels like fall.
Since the end of July, I've been keeping a running tab on how much I've saved using coupons, digital and paper. I'm not counting mark downs, just coupons. I hit just a few cents over $74 this weekend. This is for stuff we normally buy, but I'm...
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As you may recall, I opened an IRA account with Fidelity and rolled my 401k into it a few months ago. I have to say, I’ve been impressed with Fidelity in the short time I’ve had the account. The website has been intuitive for investing and for making withdrawals.
This month I received an invitation from them to attend a free tax strategies webinar. It was informative and they didn’t push their advisory services hard, which was my only fear going in. [I’ve...
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I like to make my money work for me, especially when I don't really have to do anything to earn more/get more back, aside from being alert to various promotions.
Today, in a single trip to BJs, I was able to take advantage of 3 separate offers:
The 1st was spending at least $100 at BJs to earn $10 off. Done.
The 2nd was to purchase $30 in "baking goods" to get $10 off. Since I was already getting walnuts and Truvia, I threw an extra bag of walnuts into my cart to earn that....
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tabs said of course people like spending money.  Yes and no.  It's hard to explain but when you live frugally your entire life it's really hard to change.  What do I mean?  When you are raised and it naturally fits your personality to be frugal you live that without seeing it as a hardship.
By nature I'm a saver and so is DH.  Our first instinct with our first job was to save the maximum and live on the rest.  Then we got bonuses and stocks and never...
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Yesterday we went to Hobby Lobby so I could buy some yarn and some orange paint. Our craft store choices are limited here in Central Illinois, so I shop where I can. I was shocked at all the Christmas out at Hobby Lobby. I would bet almost half of the store. DH wondered if they ordered stuff ahead of the tariffs so they had plenty. 
Needless to say, we didn't buy any Christmas decorations; we have plenty already. But, I wanted some orange paint for my fall project.
One of...
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I haven't been able to get into the blogs -- I guess others have had problems, too? Anyway, it went on so long I stopped trying. Then Dido's post appeared in my email, so it looks like I'm back in business.
My August report was unspectacular. Housing and utilities were as usual. I spent only $105 on groceries. I did a little traveling but it was only $74. Gas was $60, personal spending was $36, I spent $33 on footwear from Goodwill, ate out a little to the tune of $25. Nothing...
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Kitchen done, laundry room to complete next week.
BEFORE

 
AFTER

 
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I haven't seen your August report yet.  You have been one of our most consistent bloggers, so I am hoping you are ok.  I know you are in the Chicago area, so I have been thinking of you as 47 makes his threats against the city.  I hope you are well!!
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Last weekend, I drafted my HELOC application.  I had a few questions, so I brought it with me to a bank branch to ask those yesterday, and ended up submitting the application.
I'm on target to have all current non-housing debt paid off in January.  That's when I typically take my Required Minimum Distribution from my inherited IRAs for the year and use them to pay down debt.  My RMD for next year will be about the amount of the remaining non-mortgage debt as of...
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MH is planning to go to the Arizona film festival again.  I was able to pay for the flight and the hotel with credit card rewards.  I was extra pleased because Capital One gave me an extra $250 travel credit re: booking through their travel site.  I've already looked up hotels at least 4 times already.  They never have the hotel or the room type that we want.  I guess the 5th time is the charm.  It's nice I was able to actually use that credit.
I...
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Crazy crazy week.  But thankfully, it was all good crazy.  I will break this out into three posts.
DL(20) was able to meet with an advisor in the college education deparment.  Because of his work experience, he will be able to do a 1-year track for his teaching credential.  The credential program is treated the same as Undergrad, with minimal fees added.  DL will have to pass two tests and add a few classes to his degree.  He might choose to take...
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Making slow progress on assembling things I have purchased, a chore I HATE doing. I've assembled everything from a full size outdoor composter to a desk and other stuff, but I've also returned something once (a simple bench!) that just wouldn't assemble.
Lawn mower
The Greenworks lawnmower arrived yesterday and I was relieved there was not much to do beyond charging up the battery and inserting the battery. I like to mulch my grass and leave in place, so I didn't even need to...
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I'm beyond pleased that I am able to see the blogs and actually blog again! Thanks admin!
John Denver in his song, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" starts out with "life on the farm is kind of laid back..." Well, I'm not exactly sure how accurate that is, unless he means it is less stress than corporate life. I know there is a never ending cycle of things to do, but I am not complaining.
Last week I did a bunch of work in the gardens. The Rosemary I planted just didn't do very well...
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I can finally access blogs and write entries, hooray! There was about a week when I couldn't, so I couldn't make my usual monthly net worth post.
It was pretty good news for August: about a $25K bump in net worth, mostly due to retirement fund values increasing. We're comfortably at CoastFIRE with a $140K surplus. I tried the calculator with different ages than my 65 goal, and it says I could theoretically retire at 62 and still be at CoastFIRE status. To retire at 61 (10 years...
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The big change this week: the countertop was installed! The space seems bigger to me with the countertop in, which doesn’t make sense. I think it’s because the room feels so open.
The countertop company spent a couple of hours here for the installation. They had equipment to get the heavy thing(s) off the truck and into the kitchen, then they placed it, and then there was a smelly process to joining the two countertop slabs. The cut line is visible only if you look...
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I asked the man who has been mowing my lawn for the past 5 years or so if he could please not leave divots on the lawn, and also that I've noticed my lawn size has shrunk over the years becus he skirts the edges, allowing weeds to fill in. I figured he would just raise the blade. Instead, he suggested I find someone else to do it because, he said, my ground is uneven, and as for the shrinking lawn, he said I needed to have it mowed every week instead of every other week.
I was...
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MM(22) July 2025 'College Rent Fund': $2,400
MM(22) August 2025 'College Rent Fund': $112  $0
Rent is paid through September 30th.
I reimbursed MM(22) for 6 months of utilities, so this account is pretty much exhausted.  I think I will call it.  There is still technically $15,112 in this account, earmarked for DL(20).  Er, was earmarking $15,000 in my mind.  But I have been giving interest on the entire combined account to MM(22).  Because...
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