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For some who live in towns and even states that already do this, it won't be a shock, but I guess Illinois is going to have a new tax of 5 cents for plastic shopping bags.

I get why. As a state we need money. And hopefully it will help with the fact there are all these stupid plastic bags littering so many places. Although I imagine people will still litter.

I already have a stash of cloths bags we use when we grocery shop in my car. DH said he needed some for his car so...
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$22,000 Balance Forward
-__,500 Payment Amount
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$21,500 New Balance
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Hi all!

Today, I paid $608.65 on CC9, it feels greaaaaaaatttttttt! New balance is $3900.

I really thought I was going to struggle with this CC but God has allowed me to push through.

In different news my crazy brother started up again. I told my attorney that I’m not paying any other legal fees so what ever he wanted to do he can. Prior to my dad dying, I spoke with my siblings about putting a AC unit in the house, to bring dad home on hospice, and dad expressed...
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When you are a saver you cheer when your interest rate goes up! Some of our savings was earning 2.10% and is now going up to 2.25%. It seems like a small difference, but I have enjoyed seeing the rates rise a little at a time after years of very low interest.

I was also notified of a CD maturing in March. This money will go to savings initially, but I think we will end up adding it to another certificate currently earning 3.25% until June of 2020.

Have you noticed the market...
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I treated myself to two movies yesterday -- Bohemian Rhapsody and Vice. $17. Very different from each other and both good. I also spent $18 on lunch and snacks. Yikes! But it was a fun day.

I also made it to the gym and to the library.

Today I'm seeing "Roma" and "BlacKkKlansman." I will try to avoid buying food today. I should be able to do that because there is a bigger break between the two movie showings.

Variables are at 78% with 3 days to go.

I'll probably...
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I spent some time tonight updating our portfolio spreadsheet and adding a few lines to make it easier to track things. I used to have some accounts like my wife's 401k listed as a single item even though that account holds 2 different funds. Now every fund is listed separately which makes updating easier and also makes tracking asset allocation easier.

Anyway, once I was finished doing all of that, the bottom line was that the total as of today is up by just under $110,000 since...
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Now that the cruise is paid for and my house is sold, I needed to change my paycheck withholdings. I filled out a new W-4, choosing Single-0. I upped my 457 plan contribution from 3% to 10%. At the beginning of the year, I upped my HCRA deposit to $900 per year, which is $37.50 per paycheck (no withholding from the two "extra" paychecks per year).

Yesterday was the first payday with my new lower take home pay. Here is how my bi-weekly paycheck currently breaks down:

Gross:...
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I know several of you fly to Europe fairly regularly. My generous aunt and uncle want to fly me to see my son in Germany this year. I am looking to go in September. I found a flight for $780 round trip including taxes and checked bags (From DTW). Is this a decent price?

I am only going for a week, so if I only can get to one other country, what would your recommend other than France (son and I have no interest)?

Thanks in advance!
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DS & DIL woke me up last night around 1 am. I was done! My last day was a little rough. My hip was hurting bad and I was very tired. I had to lie down a lot, but I got through it. The boys are allowed to play videogames on weekends, starting on Friday, so they were very happily entertaining themselves. When suppertime came, I told them I didn't feel good enough to cross the street and make supper at my house, so we worked together and made a kid-pleasing dinner of fish sticks...
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We have the US Bank Cash + card and use it regularly for 5% cash back on our cell phone bill. We had been using it for 5% cash back on utilities prior to our move to base (no utility bill here).

The good news is they have a new category that we can benefit from! 5% cash back on TV, Internet, and Streaming services. We use AT&T for internet, Netflix and Hulu streaming services that should all qualify. I was just explaining to my husband how much we pay on these things. And honestly...
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I don't even remember where I saw it, but I saw a recipe for brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar. I thought that sounded really good, but poked around for a more positively reviewed recipe. I found a winner:

Text is https://keviniscooking.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts-balsamic-vinegar-honey/ and Link is https://keviniscooking.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts-balsamic...

Yum!

In other randomness, we made it through African Queen and Duck Soup. Our weekend is busy, so I am guessing that is all we will get to. But we are getting caught up on "Top 100" movies.

Tonight we are going to the Symphony. I expected to drop expenses like this with my pay cut. Not a huge adjustment, as we were just getting to a point where we could add these kinds of expenses to our budget. But I've had so much side work, we splurged. Tonight is Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue. I am so excited!!

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I’m so excited I can scream. I haven’t crunched the numbers but I suspect I’m under budget this month, and I know I’ve paid the CC down quite a bit.

Tomorrow is my day for planning so I’ll be playing around, adding things up to see just how it went.

I’ll also wrap up my taxes tomorrow as well.
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I’m so excited I can scream. I haven’t crunched the numbers but I suspect I’m under budget this month, and I know I’ve paid the CC down quite a bit.

Tomorrow is my day for planning so I’ll be playing around, adding things up to see just how it went.

I’ll also wrap up my taxes tomorrow as well.
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We finally received a bill from the government. Not many people say that! We were aware of and notified of VA overpayment of tuition benefits in early December because our daughter added then dropped a one hour class last semester. The school was overpaid, and they refunded us some money in October or November. So now the government is asking us for the cash to the tune of $487.

We are going to pay it at the beginning of March. I do have a little problem with the amount. My...
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Today is my due date. This week coming up to today has been so awful. Today I am doing my best to stay busy and not dwell on it. I just can't handle it overwhelming my whole day. It's too hard.

Some small good news, we took in our change bucket and had $305.00 so I put that into savings.

Our tax return was finally accepted so hopefully we will have our return before our vaca in mid March.

Also our mortgage payment went down $40 per month, so since we are used to paying...
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I am adding my debt to the sidebar. Its ugly. But hopefully I can only go up from here.

Some details about my expenses that I posted the other day.

I live in an area that is considered "rural." We are about 15-20 minutes from a big town. There are no options for electric and water. The electricity is for a 2400 sq foot house, a barn, and a shop.
I am trying to be better about leaving any lights on that aren't necessary. In the spring and fall, it will be a lot less....
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DS & DIL will be home tonight. I am wrapping up my week with the boys. On tap for today: we will have a spaghetti dinner at my house with games afterward. I have DS' house clean and picked up right now, and I don't want to mess it up again.

I am planning to do three loads of laundry today, combining my own with the boys'.

No spending yesterday!

GS1's performance last night was great! When he and his duet partner were warming up, they ran through their piece in full,...
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So I've got a nice long to do list of things to complete while I'm off. (#1 is to enjoy the baby, but while he sleeps I can be productive too!) One of my primary tasks is decluttering this house we have lived in for four years now. I feel like I'm constantly tossing stuff only to barely make a dent in the clutter--and we are NOT hoarders by any means! It's like using a bucket to toss water from a sinking life boat. Five weeks from now, I hope to report that our life boat is...
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My brother and my FIL each picked up a few items for resell.



Joint with my FIL
Walmart
Yankee Candles (Bought 2)
Regular Price $20.00 each
Clearance to .75 each
Final Price after tax = .80 each
(Marked $9.00 each for rummage sale)

Joint with my Bro
Walmart
Flashlight 10pks (Bought 2)
Regular Price $11.00 each
Clearance to $5.00 each
Final Price after tax = $5.33 each
(Marked $10.00 each for rummage sale)
*ETA - Sold 1 for $10.00 on FB on 2/17/19
*ETA...
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Last night we had music lessons. I was planning on making chicken sliders for a quick dinner, but decided instead on hot dogs, which were even faster. We also had fruit.

While I was off duty I stopped at Aldi's and spent $3 on buns and bottled water.

Tonight GS1 is performing at his school -- it is a public performance prior to the solo & ensemble competition which will take place this Saturday. So it will be another night for a quick dinner. I think I'll make tuna melts.

And...
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