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Archive for December, 2006

New Year's Eve

December 31st, 2006 at 10:39 pm

Not a whole lot going on around here today. We went to church this morning and on the way home we got a call from the rest home that they were sending my mentally retarded aunt to the ER. So, that's where Mom and I have been most of the day. We found out she had a severe bladder infection, which is good I guess? At least there wasn't anything worse wrong with her.

Tonight we're just going over to Mom's for a small get-together. Since we spent all afternoon in the hospital we don't even have any goodies madeFrown We'll probably just end up ordering pizza or something.

Money spent so far today:
Tithing(budgeted for)
Lunch in hospital cafeteria $5.00

If we order pizza I'll pay for part of that too. I won't let Mom pay for it all herself.

Best news of the day:
KC CHIEFS WON!!! WOO HOO!!
I got to watch the game in the hospital watching room...Yee ha!

If there's one thing you've got know about me its that I'm a die hard football fan!LOL

WOO HOO! 5 payday's in January!

December 30th, 2006 at 07:15 pm

I was just getting everything sorted and ready to go for next month's budget when I realized we get 5 paychecks in January! We happen to get paid on Wednesday and there are 5 of them in January. Gotta love that! Of course, the extra money will go into the EF. Something always seems to come up that wasn't budgeted for....(rolling my eyes).

It's been a no spender here today(and yesterday too). Although, that could change. DH may want to go into town this evening and do our grocery shopping. He can't stand sitting around the house doing nothing. It depends on the weather, though. Right now it is rainy and yucky. I have no desire to get out and shop in this mess.

Frugal things I've done today...

#1 Even though I said yesterday that we had used all of the Christmas leftovers, I was still able to glean one more ham sandwichSmile for my lunch.

#2 I almost bit the bullet and bought the mvelopes computer program for my budget. However, I decided that with just a bit more effort on my part, I could save the money and do my budget on paper. Personally, I like the old fashioned method anywayWink

#3 I had several bananas that were starting to head south. So, I checked my cupboards and sure enough! I had the ingrediants to make Banana Pudding...DH's favorite! Not only were my bananas getting a little ripe, but the vanilla waffers were a bit stale.
Perfect makin's for naner puddin'.

Here it is! 2007 goals

December 29th, 2006 at 10:38 pm

Gosh! Everybody has been posting their 2007 goals so I thought I should post mine too. I'm happy to say that one of mine has already been accomplished! Yeah me!

#1 Make a 2007 budget down to the penny.
ACCOMPLISHED!! I made out my new budget this morning and I'm very happy with the results. It's completely "do-able"Wink

#2 Mostly pay off two remaining credit cards. I won't be able to pay off both this year, but I can pay off the majority.

#3 Lose 1/2 pound a week. I've already started my new eating plan. I'm not really "dieting"...just reducing the amount of food that I eat and making better(healthier) food choices.

#4 Making and sticking to a menu every week. This helps reduce my grocery costs.

#5 Keeping my home cleanier and more organized. I've already got a good start over Christmas break. I just need to stick with it!

#6 Actually, this is the last on my list, but most important. Being a better and more understanding wife and mom. I get so tired and tied down with responsibility that I'm not always the most pleasant person for my family to be around. I need to delegate more chores to my family instead of trying to "do it all" then being a witch to be around!

There you have it! Every single goal listed is something I can accomplish if I put mind to it! Wish me luck.....

12/29/06 Frugal things I've done today...

December 29th, 2006 at 10:19 pm

Hmmmm. Not a whole lot really.

#1 I haven't left the house so I haven't burned any gas.

#2 Been drinking water all day after my morning coffee.

#3 Pulled more leftovers out of the frig for lunch(used them all up today)Smile

#4 Made my budget for 2007. This is a great tool to keep me right in line where I should be with our finances.

#5 Turned my sister down on an offer to take the kids to the movies. By the time I paid for myself and my 3 kids it would've been well over $25...and that's without buying snacks.

$42.63

December 29th, 2006 at 03:33 pm

This is why we don't eat out often. A total waste of money!

I had planned on cooking chicken on the grill last night, but my sister, my niece, and nephew stopped by yesterday afternoon and stayed until dinner time. I was planning on cooking chicken leg/thigh quarters that take a long time to cook on the grill. By the time they left it was too late to make these since it takes a good 45 minutes or more to ensure they are cooked through. So, I suggested "more Christmas leftovers"(with a big forced smile on my face)?? I got a whole round of disgusted "no's" from my lovely family. Hubby suggested going out to eat. It'd be a treat since we hadn't gone out for a long time. Mexican food DID sound good, so I caved.

This morning, though, I'm having a spending hangover!LOL That really was too much money to spend on one meal. Do you know how many groceries I could've bought with that money?? I could've put it towards my cc debt!

Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. I guess I'd just have to be extra thrifty(if that's possible!) for the next few weeks to help make up for it...

Has anyone else noticed this?

December 28th, 2006 at 08:40 pm

Wal-Mart ripping people off???!!!

First of all, let me just say that I'm not a big Wal-Mart fan. Personally, I'd like to never shop there again. But, that is very unrealistic where I live. There is no other place to shop for some things. We don't have a Target or K-mart. We do have a Dollar General that I shop at as much as possible, but they don't carry everything I need. Anyway, I had to go to Wal-Mart today. I had gifts that I needed to return and I needed a couple other things. The first item on my list was a new kitchen garbage can. Ours has started ripping down the sides. Considering the fact that I bought this trash can right before we got married 17 1/2 years ago and have been using it ever since, I think it's served it's purpose and it's time to get a new one. Okay, I stood there for probably 10 minutes looking at all of the trash cans and comparing prices. I finally decided on a "no frills" model that the price on the shelf was marked at $5.00, which I thought was a good price(my old trash can still has the green Wal-Mart sticker inside from before Wal-Mart went computerized...it was $4.97 17 1/2 years ago). I got all of my items then went up to the register to check out. I've started watching VERY carefully because it seems that every time I buy something there anymore I'm always overcharged. Of course, I usually don't realized it until later since I'm too busy SACKING MY OWN ITEMS! Well, I've decided that now I'm going to take my own sweet time sacking and putting my items into my grocery cart so I can watch everything that is scanned. Sure enough, today as I watching my items being scanned through the trash can scanned at $10.97! I told the guy to take if off. I wasn't paying that when the shelf had clearly marked the trash can at $5.00. What I'm wondering is, how many people just "assume" the price being scanned in is the acurate price? How many people are so busy sacking their own groceries that they don't even have time to notice the price being scanned in? How many people might notice later on after they've left the store but think it's too much of a bother to contact the store about the mistake?? IMO, I think Wal-Mart is "making"(stealing really) a bunch of money by making customers sack their own stuff!

Sorry about the rant. This is one of those things that really ticks me off! It's happened to me so much in the past year that I can't think it's just a mistake or accidental.

Getting off of my soapbox now....

Frugal things I've done today 12/27/06

December 27th, 2006 at 09:37 pm

#1 I haven't gone anywhere, so I haven't spent any money on gas.
#2 Pulled out more leftovers for lunch.
#3 Making chili for supper. Instead of opening a couple cans of chili beans I cooked a large batch of beans in my crockpot. Part of them will be used in the chili tonight and the rest will go into the freezer to be used in futer meals. Probably in the form of refried beans.
#4 After my morning coffee, I've drank only water even though I have a case of Diet Pepsi just calling my name!LOL

Paying the bills today

December 27th, 2006 at 04:04 pm

I don't actually plan on even leaving the house today, but I'll be spending plenty of money! Today I'll get all of the end of the year bills paid for our business. Not fun, but must be done! At least we have money in our account TO pay the bills. A lot of people don't after Christmas.

I've started a new catagory "Frugal things I've done today". I do countless numbers of thrifty and frugal thing almost daily without even giving it much thought. I've decided to focus on my habits more closely so I can really see how much money I save my family on a daily basis by doing small little gestures that don't really take up much, if any, extra time. I think lots of people think that being frugal means a lot of extra time and work that they just don't think they have. It's really not any extra time, IMO. It's changing small habits.

How about some of you blogger's? What little frugal habits do you do daily to save money?

No spend day...almost

December 26th, 2006 at 09:45 pm

Today has mostly been a no spend day for me. I stared off the morning by doing just a little straightening up around the house. I tried to keep the clutter down yesterday, though, so clean up wasn't any big deal. For lunch we pulled out the leftovers from our Christmas dinners, and for supper we'll be doing the same. I'll have to make something different tomorrow, but nobody has complained about the leftovers so far.

The kids each got a small gift card to Wal-Mart as a gift yesterday and they already had it spent(in their minds), so we headed into town to Wal-Mart. I went into the Christmas section where they had all their stuff marked down 50%. I couldn't find anything that I needed or wanted, so I walked out without buying anything. DD#1 is an avid reader so we headed to the library next. This is where my small unexpected "spend" came into play. When we went to checkout, I found out I had a fine of $0.40. So, my big and only spend today equaled less than half a dollar. Hopefully tomorrow will be another no spender. Actually, tomorrow is paydaySmile

Nothing planned around here for the rest of the day except watching some TV and reading one of the books I picked up at the library. Gotta love Christmas break!

Merry Christmas!

December 25th, 2006 at 09:27 pm

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas. We've already had two celebrations and we'll be starting celebration #3 in about an hour. Gosh, I really love Christmas, but I'm ready for it to be over with for another year!LOL I'm ready for things to settle back down AND get back on track with my budget. Actually, I have a Christmas budget that I didn't go over on, but I'm ready to stop spending sooooo much money! Starting tomorrow I'm getting back to keep spending as low as possible and starting back on my menus. I think our menu has been the thing that has suffered the most over this holiday season. It's been a bit costly and I'm ready to get that spending brought back down to a more normal level. Plus, I HAVE to try to lose some weight! I'm going to keep meals simple and institute more whole grains and fruits and veggies. DD#1 needs to lose some weight also. I think the best thing I can do for her is try to be a good example. She's decided not to eat meat anymore(rolling my eyes), so she'll be more open to whole grains and veggies. Mainly, I need to keep as many sweets out of the house as possible. I'm not tempted by them but she is.

So, after Christmas goals:
#1 Keep spending as low as possible.
#2 Make weekly menus and CARRY THROUGH!
#3 Less "junky" food...more "good" food.

All three goals are realistic. Mainly it's just organizational skills on my part that I need to incorperate.

Ho Ho Ho

December 24th, 2006 at 02:48 pm

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas Eve so far!

I managed to do both things last nightSmile I baked two fruit cakes(they are wonderful, I swear!), 4 dozen snickerdoodles(dipped in red and green sugar...they look so good!), and pan of strawberry bars. I have everything place on my large Christmas patter waiting for my guests to sample tonight.

After I made all the goodies and cleaned my kitchen, I settled down and read one of the Christmas books I brought home. It was fairly small book, so it didn't take me long. While I read, I also watched my K.C. Chiefs(heart) beat the stuffing out of the the Raiders!WooHoo!
Anyway, I had a great and productive Christmas Eve Eve.

This morning I'm off to church. Unfortunetly, it will be a spend dayFrown I'll pay my tithing(budgeted so I don't actually consider it a "spend"), but my big expense will come when I pick up my large meat and cheese deli, bread, and chips this afternoon. Oh well, it's gotta be done! This is "my" holiday. In my family we all take turns hosting each holiday. That way the work and expense are spread out evenly. Christmas Eve is my holiday. Christmas day at my Mom's. Christmas evening at FIL's. Easter at my sister's. 4th of July at my aunt's. And, Thanksgiving is kinda always up in the air because my sister and I usually, but not always, spend Thanksgiving at our in-laws.
So, even though I have the mess and expense tonight. I don't have to mess with it again for another year!LOL

Well, I guess I ought go get dressed for church. Hope everyone has a great day!

I am DONE!

December 23rd, 2006 at 08:18 pm

Ahhhhh. Time to relax for a while. I have the house completely cleaned...well, as clean as I ever get it. I have all of the presents wrapped. Some are under the tree and some are hiding out in the camper until tomorrow nightWink I have all of the food purchased and sitting in the frid/cupboards. Now, I can just sit back and ENJOY! It doesn't seem like Mom's get to enjoy Christmas that much because we're always working to make it great for everyone else. What should I do the rest of the afternoon/evening? Should I bake a couple batches of cookies? Or, should I sit down and read one of the 5 Christmas books I brought home from the library? Hmmmmmm...

Christmas Eve Eve LOL!

December 23rd, 2006 at 04:41 pm

Hey! It was great to see all of the comments posted on my first entry! Thanks for making me feel so welcomeSmile

Today should be a "no-spender" for me. I need to stay home all day and get my house in tip top order. We have church tomorrow morning, and then all of my family will be at my house tomorrow night, so I won't have much time to do much housework tomorrow. I also still need to wrap a few gifts this afternoon. I'll have to sneak because they are Santa gifts. My DD is 8 years old and in the 2nd grade so I have a feeling this is about the last year she will truly believe in SantaFrown Kinda, sad...

Oh! We got an unexpected gift yesterday! I gentleman that my DH does work for gave us a $40 gift card to Appleby's! This will be a HUGE treat for us! We rarely go out to eat, and when we do, it's some place Pizza Hut where the kids can eat free on Family Night.

Well, guess I'd better go get started. Those floors won't mop themselves!

Starting a blog 3 days before Christmas????

December 22nd, 2006 at 08:41 pm

I can't believe I'm starting a blog three days before Christmas! Oh well, I've never had great timing(rolling my eyes).

Anyway, I'm excited about starting my blogSmile A little background about me. I'm a 36 year old wife and mom. I have three kiddo's, a 15yo DS, 13yo DD, and 8yo DD. As you can see, I have two teenagers and life sure if fun at our house!LOL Really, they can be great kids...when they want to beWink I had been a stay at home mom for the past 15 years, until August when I went back to work full time at my youngest daughter's elementary school. I work in the library as an assistant. I love my job! I love that I have the same hours that my kids have and I work with great people. The money isn't that great, thoughFrown
DH has a metal fabrication business based out of our home. It's just a small business and money is really tight at our house. Money has always been tight since we chose for me to stay at home until the kids were in school. I don't feel bummed out by our small income. I feel challenged by it! I'm always looking for ways to keep our expenses down and live within our means. We have a small amount of cc debt(mostly from some costly dental bills...we don't have dental insurance). We owe very little on our home(only $850!), and about $3000 on our van. The house and van will be paid off this summer. Then, I will work towards paying off the cc and building up a larger saving account.

I guess I'd better get back to work in my kitchen. I have some goodies in the ovenSmile