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Haven't posted for awhile. I guess it is because I didn't think I had much to write about. It isn't that I haven't kept busy; I have. Maybe this post isn't exciting either.

Our neighbor is a dichotomy. A couple of weeks ago she posted on Facebook she wanted a part time job...anything...cleaning, secretarial, etc. Then she leaves for a cruise. Just she and her friends. Her family stays home. When she got home, she posted about all the things she was doing out and about which...
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I got home from my Thanksgiving weekend this morning. I left very early, trying to avoid a predicted storm that will drop 12 inches of snow on us. So far, no snow. I won't be sad if the prediction is wrong.

I spent $73 on my little vacation. $20 for gas, $19 for bread & butter gifts, $8 for road food, and $26 for groceries. Variables are at 84% and only three days to go.

It was a really good time, great food and family fellowship. Lots of games and good times.

My...
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Halfway through my $20 Challenge. Donig pretty well so far I think. In my envelopes I have:
food nzd16.00
medical/dental 360.00
necessities 9.40
education 16.80
financial freedom 17.40
play 2.40
gifts 1.40
Trans Siberian 128.50
change dish 9.60
mta vouchers 20.00
bus card 6.59

I also have nzd40.00 on my New World Christmas Club card. I dithered over whether I should use this money extra to my 20.00 a week food budget, but I will have to save up for next...
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I can’t wait to close. My landlord is a pain in my 🤬

She’s cheap and is always complaining geesh. She’s upset because she has to pay to get documents notarized to sell the place and go to a UPS store to ship over night. The title company was closed Friday. So she’s pissed, cut me a break. I just want her gone. Well we have to close before the end of the month and they need the information early enough to review and knowing her she probably signed in the wrong spot...
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DH has made a couple of household purchases this week. He spent $20 on a cast iron heating duct cover for the bathroom floor. The heating duct in the bathroom is really close to the toilet and sometimes gets stepped on. It is really poorly placed and it should have been moved when the remodel was done a few years ago, but they didn't do it.

We have broken the last two plastic covers in a relatively short amount of time. This one is solid. You can literally stand on top...
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2018 has been a very challenging year. Thanksgiving this year reflected that I'm afraid. My brother and SIL always host Thanksgiving and we all usually have a wonderful time. This year I think everyone was just tired and stressed. We had a very nice meal, but it just seemed that people were a little edgy and snappy with each other. My nephew is still recovering from the stroke and he was tired and got a little frustrated with having trouble navigating the passing of food etc. When...
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Last week when I was shopping at Aldi's, I saw that they had launched their partnership with Instacart. That made me quite happy. Aldi's is about a 10 minute drive past my house. That isn't too bad if I'm starting from home, but if I'm going there after work, it then becomes a 30 minute one way drive.

I signed up for the two week free trial of Express where you don't pay any extra fees (other than a tip for the delivery person of course.) I've already used it twice. I had been...
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Thursday we drove down to spend Thanksgiving with our families. Usually we host (potluck ~ we don't do the cooking), but in recent years it's been dwindling down to "every other year". Lord knows I bowed out a long time ago, for this year.

We were most thankful for fresh air. We had a big storm and it cleared out all the smoke. Which I know just created more problems overall, but it was so nice to breathe fresh air.

Yesterday I Was just zonked. I wasn't thinking...
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Here is my Christmas post from 2014:

Text is http://monkeymama.savingadvice.com/2014/11/30/christmas-simplicity_174781/#comments and Link is http://monkeymama.savingadvice.com/2014/11/30/christmas-simp...

My job is crazy insane busy during the Christmas season, and so this has been a very big factor in our attitude about Christmas. I don't have the time and the energy and so mostly sit out the season.

Our attitude is also compounded by the in-laws' Christmas gift extravaganza....
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My cellphone has no money on it so I made a call from a payphone, 1.50. I had 50 cents left over so thought I'd see what I could find in the supermarket. There was nothing below .69, even the instant noodles are done up in packs of 10. Oats were on sale at 1.69 but I have plenty at home so only bought one bag. I also bought a can of spaghetti in tomato sauce, .69.

The water I'm drinking is not ideal when it comes straight from the tap, but if I leave it to sit for a while...
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Well, I've successfully made it 2/3 of the way through the food holiday gamut. I did not indulge in Halloween at all and I had a very balanced plate of food on Thanksgiving (no desserts, my carbs went to stuffing and potatoes, which I'd always rather eat).

However my day to day choices have sucked this year, I'm eating poorly and I'm back on Pepsi (sugar kind, not corn syrup kind), and all my clothes are tight. The store where I usually clothes shop is going out of business...
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Bought:
bread roll .69
bread 1.00
strawberries 2.99
tangelos 1.17
mushrooms 1.94
baked beans .70
nutritional yeast 4.99

Not really hungry today. I had a bread roll in town which tasted pretty bland. The rest of the day I ate fruit. I find I am eating my food more slowly and mindfully.It took me 30 minutes to eat an apple savoring every bite. The strawberries were a disappoinment. They had been speed ripened rather than naturally by the sun and were quite tart....
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Well none of my goals were met this year and won't be met by the end of this year due to life getting in the way...so have written the rest of this year off...we will start over next year and hope life is a bit kinder to us.

On the upside I have lost 12 pounds this year (without trying) hoping next year I can exercise again and lose some more weight

We will start out with some savings but not sure how much yet but will update next year...

also doing thanksgiving this...
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Breakfast this morning was oatmeal and sultanas soaked in soy milk. At lunch I wasn't very hungry so just had an orange and a few gluten free crackers. For dinner I cooked my favorite: pasta, red peppers, canned tomatoes and half the last can of chickpeas. I prepared the usual amount but it was too much. I couldn't finish it. After meditation I had a handful of cashews and dried cranberries. My tastebuds are incredibly sensitive now, I can really taste just a little bit of...
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Vegas was great. I got home and spent last Friday with a friend. My grandma got considerably worse and I have been at her house staying with several family members since this past Saturday. It has been very hard watching her die a slow death. She is 91 and has had a long life. The upsetting part is having to see her die this way. It doesn't make it any easier that my mom died less than 6 weeks ago.

Regardless, I am thankful for my family. If there is anything positive in all...
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Just picked up the cashiers check for the closing on Monday, super excited.

I’ve also been searching the internet for an amortization spreadsheet that I can enter my loan information with extra payments. Once I close I’ll also be able to make a nice payment to the BoA credit card knocking off a just above half of the balance.

I bought my budget extension for my happy planner. I’m so ready to kick butt staring in December. Once the closing take place I’ll open up...
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Sales are really picking up for the Christmas Season! My newly posted items are flying off the shelves!

Sales were $228.00!!

Sale #996 (JC) $14.00
Sterilite 3 Drawer (2) - I paid $3.20 for one and my bro and I split one for $3.20
Sold for $7.00 each
Profit = $7.60

Sale #997 (DA) $20.00
Bed Bugs Game - I paid $4.26 each
Sold for $8.00 each
Profit = $3.74

Play-Doh Shape and Learn Sets (2) - I paid $2.66 each
Sold for $6.00 each
Profit = $6.68

Sale #998 (JSM) $10.00
Tasty...
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Cash & Savings: $84,156 ==> $254,544 (202.47%)
Foreign Currency: $39,923 ==> $39,410 (-1.28%)
US Brokerage: $312,180 ==> $495,729 (58.8%)
Overseas Brokerage: $249,527 ==> $316,492 (26.84%)
Retirement Accounts: $301,681 ==> $368,594 (22.18%)
Business Investment: $70,000 ==> $100,000 (42.86%)
Charitable Account: $10,397 ==> $9,197
Total: $1,067,594 ==> $1,583,966 (48.37%)

Thanks to a recent comment from a fellow blogger I returned and found out it's been exactly three years since my last entry. Time flies faster than you know it!

This also gives me a good reflection to see how I did in the last three years. For anyone who is reading this, note that the numbers above are based on end of October 2018 numbers and do NOT account for the recent stock market bloodbath in November 2018.

Some major updates are:
1) I've been working with a financial adviser for close to two years by now, more about my experience on that in the future;
2) My personal opinion is that a recession is coming in 2019/2020, accompany by a bear market and housing market correction, not in that order but any order. That's why I cash position is very high because I'm building up my war chest for the upcoming downturn;
3) Last year my wife and I had set a goal to retire in 10 years so by now there is only 9 years left, which is another reason why my cash position is high because I need to protect some profits made during the last two years;

The bucket that turned south in the last 3 years is my foreign currency. The total amount grew but due to strong US currency when I exchanged their value into USD its value actually diminishes. This is a good lesson for anyone who wants to invest in foreign currency, don't just chase the yields but also beware of the exchange rate. For me I'm mainly using the foreign currency as an ATM when I travel overseas, not for savings purpose.

I think that's enough for October. November is coming to an end so I'll just provide more update in two week's time.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
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I've been scoring some super awesome Walmart clearance items and flipping for great profits! I don't have pics as I have been selling as quickly as I get them, but here are the breakdowns....I don't have the regular prices as Walmart doesn't have those on their receipts and I don't want to look them all up right now, but most items were about 75% off retail.

American Tourister 5pc Luggage Set (Bought 1)
Clearance to $25.00
Final Price + Tax = $26.63
(Marked $50.00 for rummage...
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Today is two weeks since I delivered our twins. It feels like minutes ago, and also an eternity ago.

Both MO and I are doing our best to stay busy and stay positive. It can be a struggle every second... and then I find a few hrs here and there of calm. I wish so hard I could find a way to keep being "ok". When I find those small breaks where I feel "ok" it feels so wonderful to not feel completely destroyed.

We had my postpartum visit a few days ago. No answers as to...
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