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I have really not been the same since getting so sick at the start of September. So I went back to the doctor today (had to see the on call NP) and I still have a pretty ferocious sinus infection. So she prescribed a double z-pack, plus prednisone. It's been over a year since I've been on steroids. I start them in the morning and I hope I'll get some energy back. It usually takes 24 hours. I wish I could start them tonight. Anyway, it was $13.64 for the meds and it'll be...
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We had a quiet weekend, apart from grocery shopping we went out for an afternoon drinks at a café/bar in a nearby golf course.

Grocery = we didn’t get much, spent $24.15 in total.

Outing = Spent $33


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I was playing SwagIQ tonight and not really listening to the guy rambling about the winners, when all of the sudden I heard "creditcardfree!"

Was that you CCF?!

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I stayed home and vegged all weekend. Finished Season 2 of Handmaid's Tale. Got myself a week and a half ahead in my online class. (You're allowed to work ahead.) Not much else really.

DH and I went out to eat Sunday night at Hacienda Rael. I got the veggie fajitas. I ate 1/3 Sunday night, and then had some...
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Well, if you want to know the most important tips I've practiced, here they are:

1. Living beneath my means, including the home I live in and the car I drive

2. Savings: a) Diligence in saving, b) making it automatic, eg, automatic payroll deductions and c) always maxing out both IRA and 401k contributions whenever possible.

3. Prepaying my mortgage right from the start, which cut my total payoff time nearly in half.

4 Tracking all my expenses every month, every year,...
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I worked from home today due to weather, but there wasn't a whole lot of work to do, so I:

1. Decluttered in the kitchen: I realized I was now ready to part with an old set of dishes that was put aside over a year ago; in truth, I've been using the dishes under houseplants. The set of 4 big plates, dessert plates and 4 tea cups I will pack up for Goodwill as soon as I can get a box.

I can also easily part with a ceramic casserole dish which I think I earned through some kind...
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Well, things were bopping along boringly with only stupid things breaking: like replacing DH's iphone the first week of the month ($250) and then a necessary computer repair and update ($250 the second week of the month).

This, the third week of the month, brought a broken hand. That hand belongs to my third child. Collectively the children that I have birthed have occupied space on this planet for almost 71 years and this is the first broken bone that any one of them has...
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Wow our giftcard balance is crazy! We used several since last year and still the total went up $600 since last January. I really want to get some of these used up, I hate to think of losing any from getting lost, stolen or destroyed. I do have them all together for safe keeping.

I have a day off next week to have a bunch of apts, including a massage so that will use a $60 massage giftcard. I also plan on going shopping that day in between my apts and possibly using up the...
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I picked up my car from the city garage today, and it was indeed free to park there from Friday till this morning.

I took the train to the garage, which was a bit of a challenge on several levels. First, it was a four-block walk in single-digit temperatures. Second, I missed the first train by mere seconds! Third, the train I caught had mechanical issues and we sat in the cold with open doors for a while. But I finally made it there.

After getting my car, I made my gym...
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Everyone has contributed so many good ones. I'll try to stick to tips that have been personally successful for me.

1. Don't throw food away, unless it is too old to be safe. If you don't know what to do with it, put it in your freezer, well-wrapped. And don't let it get old in the first place! Take action before the bacteria sets in!

2. Periodically go through your freezer and pantry and form a plan to use up everything that's there. Then execute that plan. Don't throw...
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I had to transfer $300 from savings to checking from going out (we have had some awesome friends that are trying to get us out of the house more and trying to get back some normalcy) and to cover the Discover bill. Should be able to make that back up next payday.

Normally we have taxes filed by now, but we haven't received a Social Security Card or birth certificate for Ember yet, or death certificates for either of the twins yet. We were supposed to receive them within a...
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I still have a lot of items that need to be picked up, the weather here has been terribly cold and lots of snow so people aren't out and about as much as usual. Hopefully people can get in here soon.

Sale #1121 (AN) $6.00
NDSU Binder (Joint with my FIL) - We paid $1.07
Sold for $4.00
Profit = $2.93

NDSU Pencils (Joint with my FIL) - We paid $.80
Sold for $2.00
Profit = $1.20

Sale #1122 (KL) $30.00
Magic Bullet (Joint with my FIL) - We paid $21.36
Sold...
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So glad the blogs are back up!


$1069.91 paid off in the last 2 weeks!!!

Celebrations for this update:
-$1069.91 paid off in the last 2 weeks!!
-Total Debt went under the next $1000 mark for the 5th update in a row!!


Student Loan $0
Payback Savings $0
David's Bridal $0
Scheel's Card $0
Total Rewards $0
LOC - US Bank $0
Ring Iddeal $0
Best Buy $0
HELOC $0
Store Loan $3,841.89
Mom Loan #2/#3 $36,001.96
MO Mortgage $81,210.00
My Mortgage $145,200.00
Our...
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Here are just a few, trying to think of some that haven't already been listed:

1. Turn your heat down in the winter and put on a sweater! And try to use a fan in the summer and keep your AC usage down.

2. Line dry clothing if possible. The dryer is an energy suck. I live in a condo and still find ways to hang clothing to dry.

3. Pack your lunch for work. And buy decent containers so you aren't buying and using plastic baggies or wraps. Use a thermos to take soups and/or...
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These are what I do try and save money

1. Have a written yearly budget, use what you know your base income is, also allow you to know best times to plan holidays etc

2. put money away in seperate accounts for annual bills, car, bills etc

3. always revise insurances etc before they become due for better deals

4. set an amount for groceries and gas and use cash each week - use only that amount, whatever is left over put in an envelope so you can buy things on sale etc.

5....
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In no particular order:

1. Make saving automatic. If it comes out of your paycheck and automatically goes into a savings account each payday, you won't have time to miss it.

2. Don't eat out or save it only for special occasions. Special occasions are not Friday nights! They are birthdays and anniversaries and seeing old friends for the first time in two years (again, not every weekend). If you must eat out, have a restaurant budget and do not go over it. But seriously,...
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1. Establish a budget in whatever format is useful to you. It should be portable enough for you to access when out shopping. I put my budget on a 4x6 index card with amounts for each category. When I exhaust a category, I line through it and write the date.

2. Pay yourself (put money into savings and retirement) and pay all bills before buying anything else.

3. Limit most purchases to what is needed.

4. Before doing regular grocery shopping, do an inventory of all cabinets,...
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It's time for another collaboration fellow bloggers!

Let's list our money saving tips! YouTube currently has vloggers listing their top ten money saving tips. I won't hold you to ten, but let's see what we can come up with to share with our readers!

Please post before the end of January and title your post, My Top Money Saving Tips. Thanks for participating!


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1) Breakfasts - eggs, piece ham or chicken, raw veggies like cucumbers or peppers, banana, almond milk

2) Chili - 2 suppers

3) Scouse - leftover - 1 supper for 2

4) Meatloaf - leftover - 1 supper for 2

5) Burgers and roasted veggies - 1 supper for 2

6) Tuna Salad and side of veggies - 1 supper for 2

7) Salads with ham, chicken, or tuna - 4 lunches for me

8) Tuna and guacamole with carrots - 2 lunches for me

9) Lunch Out - 1 lunch for me

10) Stir with...
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The storm that started on the West Coast arrived here last night, and while it only left an inch or so of very heavy slush, a brisk wind has developed and temperatures are expected to reach -3 tonight, with a high of 11 tomorrow.

I shoveled the whole driveway, which wasn't easy, but I wanted to get as much off the driveway as possible so there's not a thick coating of ice. There will be ice for sure, but maybe more patchy, less like a skating rink.

I also shoveled my front...
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Just made this week's meal plan...

Breakfasts:
- still have cinnamon raisin bread on hand
- scrambled or fried egg
- hash browns
- granola and plain yogurt with fruit
- oatmeal

Lunches
- tuna wrap
- avocado/radish wrap
- burrito
- caprese on toast
- hardboiled eggs

Dinners
- lentil coconut soup
- salmon souvlaki bowls
- posole from the freezer with edamame
- jackfruit tacos
- artichoke pasta
- chinese chicken salad with toasted almonds and cabbage
- roasted...
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