All Entries

My goal is to pay an extra $100 a month for my new car’s principal. This was a challenge, long story short to pay the principal I had to call the bank directly. This will be a regular occurrence because this is the only way to do so. The good thing is I will only do this once a month. 
 
As the tariffs go into effect and retailers announce they’ll be increasing their prices, I picked up a few items in preparation for hurricane season (e.g. paper towels,...
[ Read More ]

Debts
Mortgage -$109,506.22 (-$494.13)Land Loan -$5,796.95 (-$406.96)
Savings
Roth IRAs +$41,273 (+$3,967)401K +$79,116 (+$3,096)Emergency Fund +$25,224 (+$12)Animal Fund +$2,517 (+$614)HSA +$3,883 (+$639)
Overall: +$9,229.09 (This is for January - February)
We got a large tax refund in February. We used this to add $3k to retirement, $1k to the HSA, fund some buffer funds for future spending, and save for vacation.
I am currently in cardiac rehab, which I think is helping...
[ Read More ]

Remember how I just said I received a $1 an hour raise?  It has only been a few weeks. Well, I have just received an additional $2 an hour raise.  It was completely unexpected and I am delighted.  It isn't just the money; it is nice to be appreciated.
[ Read More ]

Thank you MonkeyMama, who I'm sure is very busy during tax season right now, for diverting some of that precious little time she has just to link a recipe for me.
I've only attempted corned beef one other time in my life, and for some reason, I completely bombed it.  But then, perhaps some of you SA residents might recall, you're also talking to a guy who neglected to take the absorbent pad out of meat packets. So... yeah.
That was many years ago though.  This time...
[ Read More ]

I saw a meme that said something like, "I've tried the 10 day trial and I'd like to cancel my subscription" re: the year 2025.  That pretty much sums it up.  
January was a whirlwind of out of town trips.  One big last minute emergency trip, a weekend caring for my parents (my Dad had a medical procedure) and then we did 4 trips to San Francisco (annual Sketchfest).  I was more assertive about number of shows and picky about venues this year, but of course...
[ Read More ]

I was very much planning not to spend anything yesterday, to throw my support into the blackout, because I feel strongly that our voices must be heard!
However....
I opened my oven door, and it fell apart! Literally. And the panel which held the outer glass window separated and crashed onto my tile floor, shattering and spreading glass shards everywhere. It was not pretty.
So I called an appliance repairman from a local company, and he was able to come right away -- so of course...
[ Read More ]

Well, despite Musk and Trump's best efforts to capsize the economy, we only lost $2700 of net worth. It would've been closer to $4K but our regular mortage principal payments and NT's small contribution to his 401(k) offset it a bit.
Tomorrow I turn 51, so my next CoastFIRE calculation will be at that age, but for now, we're on track with Coasting with an $82K surplus of where we need to be.
No other financial news, really. NT still waiting to see if his high-paying dream job...
[ Read More ]

Recipe for Tabs...
https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/crockpot-corned-beef-and-cabbage/
We personally don't cook cabbage in the crockpot, with the corned beef.   We roast the cabbage seperately.  
Beer is the secret ingredient.  I saw apple juice or non alcoholic beer mentioned as a beer substitute in the reviews.
 
 
[ Read More ]

Tomorrow is Blackout Friday, and I’m going to do my best to participate. Will some people shop the day before or after? Of course—but this is about the message. What’s happening in this country right now is beyond frustrating. Government spending is out of control in some areas, while other critical needs are ignored. And firing people recklessly, without proper review, is not the answer.
 
On a personal note, I’m proud that I’ve been able to...
[ Read More ]

This is the message today when I check my credit score on one of my credit card sites.  It actually shows the esteemed 850/850 score.
This validates that my aggressive debt payoff plan is working.
I'll have to figure which of the three credit agencies this is from. 850 is obviously the high score; the other two are currently 840 and 821.
In other news, I went for my annual thyroid ultrasound yesterday.  I think this is my 7th year of doing this.  Anyways,...
[ Read More ]

A friend shared this with me. Since many of you are commenting about how you are not happy with the current administration. As we know, money talks.
 
 
Hi,
 
The People's Union is calling for an Economic Blackout on February 28 to protest the Administration's attack on diversity in our country.
 
Here's a Newsweek article:
https://www.newsweek.com/will-nationwide-economic-blackout-work-2030187
 
Here's a summary of actions to NOT do on February...
[ Read More ]

A friend shared this with me. Since many of you are commenting about how you are not happy with the current administration. As we know, money talks.
 
 
Hi,
 
The People's Union is calling for an Economic Blackout on February 28 to protest the Administration's attack on diversity in our country.
 
Here's a Newsweek article:
https://www.newsweek.com/will-nationwide-economic-blackout-work-2030187
 
Here's a summary of actions to NOT do on February...
[ Read More ]

If you were to look at most aspects of my life, I think I can convince most people that I am rather frugal.  It's when you finally look into the skeleton closet that is my food budget, that is when you finally understand why women scream in terror while covering the eyes of their children.
The topic of my food budget has come up before, but frankly, I have been very reluctant to talk about it.  However, I suppose nothing will ever get better if I don't ever talk about...
[ Read More ]

 
After nearly 300,000 miles, my old car has been really reliable, but the repairs have become more frequent. 
 
Though I initially planned to hold off, I decided it was time to purchase a newer (but still used) vehicle. I met with my accountant—who happens to be very frugal—and after reviewing my finances,sharing with him my thoughts on a new car,  he gave his blessing. Lol. I was actually surprised, he hates debt, but told me it was time...
[ Read More ]

So have been working on my budget and my dreaded CCs should be paid off first in may and 2nd in june...I have decided to tackle them both together not just 1 and then the other but if all goes well having both paid off in 4 months would be a great achievement and thats what we are working on....I do have a student loan but I don't need to pay on that...so I don't include it....I think this year is going to be great financially
[ Read More ]

I attended a wonderful democracy rally last night with a few friends. I'm so proud of my little hometown. The old gymnasium was packed to standing room only, and there was a very inspiring array of speakers, including representatives of the ACLU, local politicians, the local Indivisible chapter, and multiple other organizations fighting the felon. I think my favorite speaker was the pastor of our Congregational church. I was just impressed at his impassioned speech. Impressed because...
[ Read More ]

In these tumultuous times, I have been trying to put more in savings. I have a small income, and it's mostly Social Security, so this has always been a challenge, but now I feel I have to do more. Frankly, I'm terrified of this abominable administration. My son is a government worker. He is not safe. I depend on Social Security, so I am not safe either. Don't try to tell me Trump says it won't be touched. He is the biggest liar and most depraved man I ever seen in public office...
[ Read More ]

I know sounds dramatic but for anyone that knows since covid we have had so many issues with taxes and it has been horrendous so last year we still had issues but we make sure when we send they have tracking and signature so we know they get them. We did that again this year and they received them, processed them and put our refund in the bank already and its only february...this is amazing...we finally have a refund since I had more tax taken out this last year....but it is nice...
[ Read More ]

I am thinking of posting this on one of the Facebook frugal sites, so I thought I'd run this by all of you to get your feedback:
Pinterest -- I have a love-hate relationship with it. It's a good source for a lot of things, but sometimes the stuff isn't what it claims to be.
I like to read articles and blogs on ways to save in case I'm missing something. But  if they are true sites, they say the same thing, and mostly general stuff. I belong to a couple frugal groups on Facebook...
[ Read More ]

I decided this afternoon to go get some soymilk at Target as I was running low and this is a staple in my house. I usually get 4 half-gallons at a time so I don't have to go there so often. Hopped in the car, drove out there, parked and grabbed a cart.
If you've been to Target before, you probably know they have those nifty little compartments in the top front of the cart,  perfectly sized for your cell phone.  That's where I put mine as I headed down the long aisle...
[ Read More ]