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I have a bit of time today (ok, so I'm procrastinating on doing other stuff I should be doing ….)

So in addition to the yardwork drama of this past week, we had some additional drama. I'm not sure exactly how this is going to play out.

It may turn out to be nothing more than increased premiums, or it could be really, really bad.

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My DH...
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So ... I registered at our local community college this past week. It does appear that it will take me about 4 years to do an AAS degree one course at a time. That is unless of course I decide to amp it up a bit and spend some of my own money (beyond the reimbursable amounts) to get it done a bit faster.

My first class will be ... drumroll please ... Advanced Keyboarding! To get an A in this class you need to type 45 WPM. Um ... I tested out of Intermediate, but couldn't test...
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Labor Day weekend! We are getting together with friends tonight at our house, and tomorrow night at our neighbor's house.

Tonight - I have a huge crockpot of chili bubbling away. My friend is bringing a salad and cupcakes. I'll have tortilla chips and sour cream and cheese. I figure I spent $30 on all of the ingredients, and the sour cream and cheese will be used for other things as well. We should also have at least one more meal for the freezer out of this depending on...
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We are downsizing our belongings in preparation for the move. We have sold two twin beds, the frames and headboards for $30 each and an entertainment center for $40. We have two desks and chairs listed, as well as a cedar chest and a metal storage cabinet.

It feels good to have let go some of it. We aren't super hung up on the money aspect, as much as getting rid of it. At some point we will see if we can get a donation truck to come by and pick up what doesn't sell.


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I'd really like to get back to building up my savings again. My savings accounts were depleted in an effort to pay down debt, but I'd like to have that assurance of having something set aside again. Also, after more than 12 years of owning my own home it has belatedly dawned on me that I really need to have an account for those unexpected, yet expected, home repairs & maintenance costs.
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The day got away from me yesterday. I ended up watching most of the McCain memorial service. Then I went to the gym, did some household things, including laundry, watched an episode of "Ozark" and finished reading my book. I did not get around to the eBay stuff at all.

Today I am supposed to go to my ex's house for breakfast with my son and grandsons. After that, I hope I can get down to tacks, and start getting my eBay offerings online.

It was a no-spend day, except...
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Left in my envelopes at the end of this week:
food $2
misc $83
medical $208
change dish $2
mta vouchers $70
bus card $7.35

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I made tomato soup from scratch for the first time today. I had a big glut of tomatoes from the garden and what was left over from what Mom brought home from eastern Washington. I made it in the 8 quart Instant Pot and it was really good. I don't even like tomato soup and I liked this soup. I thought I'd pass along what I did.

Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, diced small
2 stalks of celery, diced small
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced small
2...
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Well, we've made it through the glut of August birthdays and now I don't have to worry about any until mine in February. Now the money that will be funneled into the Holidays/Birthdays Envelope will go towards Christmas, at least through to December. Right now it has $100 in it. My budget for Christmas is $500, so I just need to save $100 a month to meet that.

I don't think we are going to go to the ranch for our turkey this year. I think I am going to go to the young man...
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Yesterday's mail had a surprise. It was a prepaid card that said that I had overpaid at a local hospital to the tune of $200. I checked it out and it seems legitimate. I remember I had a procedure two years ago and remember thinking that I was overpaying since a friend has the same insurance and he said that he never paid more than $100 for these things and I was billed $300.

Of course it took over two years for them to realize this, but hey, it is found money in my book. On...
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I paid $145 to the IRS in August. I will pay it off later this week when I get my final check for caring for grandma. I am plugging along with the personal loan.


Last month, I also cashed out for a $3 Dunkin Donuts card and a $25 Amazon gift card through Swagbucks.

On the health front, now that I am going to be home on a regular basis, I hope to get in the pool at least five days a week for at least a half hour.

I am toying with the idea of purchasing a house in 2019....
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I was busy yesterday. I carried out a mystery shop in a nearby suburb. When I got back into town, it was about an hour and half before the time I needed to pick up my grandson. Rather than drive home, I parked at the school and then went for a walk in a nearby park. It was hotter and more uncomfortable than I thought, and I got a blister on the sole of my foot! When I got back to the car, I listened to a book on tape until school was out.

When I took my grandson to his...
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Total Spending $1048.35

Here is a breakdown of August spending. My goal was to stay under $1000 for the month.

Fixed Expenses
Verizon Bundle: 153.91 (Internet, home phone, cable)
Monthly Condo Fee: 185.00
Cell Phone: 59.29
HVAC and water heater maintenance contract: 27.95
Pocket money: 20

Variables:
Utilities: 97.36
Gasoline: 37.30
Groceries: 251.35
Health: 77.19 (scripts and co-pays)
Dining Out: 75.41
Other: 63.59

I attended 2 birthday parties this month...
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I paid my quarterly rates (council property tax) $492.32. Almost 6 months of food budget. Costs me more to keep a roof over my head than it does to eat.
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Below are our original goals for the remainder of 2018 along with how we're tracking to meet them. It's a bit misleading as we received a big influx of money from DH's work payment. In September, we'll only receive one and half paychecks for DH, so things will be tougher.

1) Pay off 2 more credit cards (Ashley Furniture balance: $827, Marriott balance: $2500): On track - Paid $544.01 extra to Marriott in addition to current charges and interest payments. Paid $280 to Ashley...
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I've concluded I'm a grocery market snob.

I'm not saying that I only shop fancy stores. Hardly. Aldi is my number one store and Kroger is number 2 with Dollar General and an Amish bulk food store filling in for different things. Plus DH raises tomatoes, lettuce, onions, bell peppers, and herbs.

Actually, I think I'm just a food snob.

A couple of years ago DH and I went to Dollar General to buy some cleaning supplies and we are standing in line with my fistful of coupons...
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Goal: $512,564 by March 2019

As a reminder, this is just an incremental goal along the way to 8x income by retirement. This mini-goal aims to get us to a milestone by the time I turn 45 and AS turns 40.

The milestone (which changes whenever our salaries change) is to get me to 3x my current salary, which is now $75,120, so $225,360; NT to 3x his, which is now $62,100, so $186,300; and AS to 2x hers, which in 2017 was $50,452, so $100,904).

Current balance: $431,075

July...
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Assets:
NT's UK pensions:
AV: 17,967 pounds ($22,459)
SW: 26,544 pounds ($33,180)
FL: 6,462 pounds ($8,078)
NT's 401(k): $68,397
NT's Roth IRA: $29,585
AS's trad. IRA: $19,887
AS's Roth IRA: $51,051
AS's SEP IRA: $26,374
CJ's 401(k): $136,923
CJ's Roth IRA: $35,141
NT's flat: $212,500 (200,000 pounds value x1.25 -15%)
CJ/NT/AS house: $427,281 ($454,554 value -6%)
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TOTAL ASSETS: $1,070,856

Debts:
US Mortgage $386,099
Loan from friends (duplex) $9,000
UK Mortgage...
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I learned yesterday I was accepted into a study to determine if mindful meditation helps with insomnia among MS patients. Well, I knew I was in the study but didn't know if I'd be in the control group, which attended no classes, or in the study group itself. So I'm in the latter, which means 13 weeks of classes each Friday afternoon, plus 3 "assessments."

The benefits for me include learning a lot more about mindful meditation, a subject that interests me, getting paid $200,...
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I polished all the silver items I had to offer, but decided to put almost all of them in the garage sale rather than offer them on eBay. They were very tarnished and they just didn't come back all the way. I'll let someone else work with them a little more, if they want to. At least they look better. One item is actually good enough to sell on eBay. It's a 50's era cigarette lighter. It looks like a lamp, and it is heavily embossed. A pretty piece, for someone who collects...
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