HouseHappy's Personal Finance Blog

Typing is hard with the wrist in the cast But I try! Financially, I am losing 3 days pay from the wrist, had to use 1 vacation day and 1 sick day and have already shelled out $168.59 between xrays, a 2nd cast & some meds. Luckily, I have a Medical Reimurbsement account with $400 supplied by the company...because my deductable is $1500.

As for my 2012 Christmas Challenge is going well so far!

- I started with $40 between a Mastercard promo & Serve

- I recieved and deposited a $10 check from Magazines.com

-I have redeemed $25 in Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks. I have 302 points currently & am hoping to get 1350 by end of month so I can redeem a few more $5 AGC's at the beginnging of February.

- I have 11,100 in MyPoints to be cashed out later this year

- I have acccumulated $59.09 in Cashcrat money - to be cashed out in February

- My Inbox Dollars are at $11.27 (need 30 to cash out)

-Bing - Cashed in $5 Amazon gift card - currently have 246 accumulated again.

- Recyclebank - 430 points

- MyCokeRewards - 159 points

- I just joined Superpoints (by invitation only & am my way to earning a $10 gift card. 1/2 the fun is you get to just spin a wheel for a chance to earn points. Let me know if anyone is interested in an invite

In other news - today was a no spender. I will have some grocery shopping tomorrow, a happy hour Tuesday, date night Wed or Thurs & then a party Friday and a Free concert Saturday. Its going to be a busy week!!

free pasta bar samples
gnocci
cake pieces
bruscetta


I went to a wedding show today with my sister, mom & my sister's bridesmaid's. We ate lots of food and I took home a bunch of stuff:

1 cookie
2 pieces of cake to go
1 large cupcake to go
1 twizzler
5 mints
6 lifesavers
10 hershey kisses
1 reeses cup (full size)
6 pieces mini candy bars
2 pens
1 glasses cleaner cloth
1 photo keychain of my sister, mom & me
1 box mints
2 large bottles of water
2 reusable grocery bags
tons of coupons
3 hair care samples

Afterwards, my mom, sister and I went to finalize the bridesmaid's dress order. $152.00. So today would have been a no-spender if it weren't for the dress

Lots of updates. I ran a bunch of errands today - so bunches of spending. Vet (27.99), gas (36.91), Acme,(41.52) Farmer's market(9.14) and Walmart groceries(23.86) and Walmart cat litter (5.36).

I saved $2 at the vet by pointing out a price discrepancy.

I broke out my new crockpot and made BBQ Shredded chicken for dinner tomorrow. Then headed out to my HOA meeting.

I cancelled my plans to hang out at home. I plan on doing some online points earning, laundry and cleaning. All meals were had at home

I have gotten several freebies in 2012:
-2012 pocket calendar
-craft paper from 2 gift wrap rolls
-3 Kindle books (recent ones)
-$10 credit Groupon for shopping locally
-Publix wine bag
-Personalized Valentines Day card
-2 snack bags of chips
-Shoprunner 2 year membership ($79 value)
-1KB memory card

I also have really hadd a good start on my Free Christmas 2012 Challenge: $70 total

-$20 Serve.com checks
-$20 Mastercard promo
-$15 Amazon giftcards from Swagbucks
-$5 amazon giftcard from Bing Rewards
-$5 check from Synovate
-$5 Toys r us rewards

I also have pending:
-$58.15 from Cashcrate
-8,973 points with MyPoints (another 2,000 pending)
-$11.27 Inbox Dollars (need $30 to cash out)

Still out of work for the wrist until Thursday. I go to the doctor's tomorrow and will probably work from home for a week.

My work switched insurances on January 1st, so I had to call yesterday to confirm there would be no problems with my 2012 appointments with the ortho guy.

In the new year, I have a few goal - specifics are drawn up, but here is the overview.

2012 - Goals

1. Pay for Christmas from cc rewards an rewards sites
2. Limit lunches bought to 4 times a month
3. Pay down debt (more specifics to come)
4. Downsize cluttter in home (more specifics to come)
5. Upgrade Health *several areas included
6. Track 100% income and spending
7. Track freebies (like that someone else on this site tracks them)

2012 Freebies to date:
free kindle book - Secret Holocaust Diaries
free kindle book - Dead-ish
free 2012 calander from mom
$5 Amazon gift card from Swagbucks
$5 Amazon gift card from Bing Rewards
2 wrapping paper inner rolls made of heavy craft paper (for crafts later)

CC rewards to Christmas: $140
$20 mastercard bonus
$20 Serve.com (depositing today)
$100 from Citi Thank You (in WM gift cards which will be used for groceries & the grocery cash will go into the Christmas ING acct)

Typing is hard right now, so posts will probably be short from now on

I had to cancel my NYE Beach Trip due to the broken wrist. I was able to get a refund for the tickets and some friends offered to cook dinner and celebrate New Year's with us. I supplied $20 for wine and some of the food.

Today, we all went out to breakfast ($12) and was driven home. My mom picked me up at her place to get some of my gifts and to pick up the car.

I made some pasta salad and am now resting with my arm up. Tv time wth some light cleaning later! LOL

I have $40 of the expected $60 towards Christmas 2012 to deposit, along with the rent check.

I have been working on my rewards sites:

MyPoints - 8708 points with another 2500 pending. This will be close to $100 in gift cards.

Swagbucks - 467 points ($5 Amazon gc is 450 points)

Bing Points - 504 - (525 gets a $5 Groupon)

Inbox dollars - $8.98 (need $30 cash out)

Cashrate - $15.97 ($20 needed to cash out) with about $40 pending

Recyclebank - 350 points

MyCoke rewards - 62 points

I am reworking my 2012 budget and more specifically, my Jan 15th budget, which will include 3 unpaid days due to the wrist. Oh joy.

GM Saving Advice! Hope you all had a great holiday! I broke my wrist Christmas Day, but still had an awesome holiday!

Scored some great gifts - a Kindle, crockpot, books, a Lolita glass, touch screen gloves, fuzzy socks, candy, toiletries, vodka, joke notepads, and a $10 wawa gift card.

As for the wrist, I broke it playing with the Wave (a skateboard-like thingy) that I gave the nephew for Christmas. Ended up at Urgent Care $30 copay, $2.50 for meds. I still finished out Christmas after at my boyfriend's family dinner

Will be out of work 1 week, then work from home for 2. Work is being great, but since I am out of sick time, 2 days will be unpaid in 2011. so today, I am redoing January's budget.

I have been running around the last few weeks and am exhausted. At the same time, my house is a wreck and I want to get stuff done.

I am working today, but am hoping to be let out due to the holiday. My only goal for tonight is to deal with my to-do list. Getting a bulk of it done will make me more relaxed for the holiday craziness that will start tomorrow

So - behold, my to-do list! (amazingly - all CHristmas stuff is pretty much done!)

BEDROOM:
Pick up room
Change sheets
Clear nightstand
Clear Dresser
Gather Laundry
dust room
dust ceiling fan
vacuum
*Extras that can be done later:
Clean under bed storage
Organize closet
Organize dresser
Organize Jewelry
Organize wardrobe
Purge 50 items

UPSTAIRS BATH
Clear tub drain
Clear sink drain
ORganize toiletry stockpil
Put Stockpile Shamp/cond in shower for use
Put toiletries together to keep at boyfriend's house
Clean out makeup drawer
Scrub tub
Wipe down counter
Clean toilet
Wipe Baseboards
Scrub floor

UPSTAIRS HALL:
org hall closet
clean baseboards
wipe down doors
WD40 Hinges on doors
wipe stairs baseboards
Vacuum hall & stairs

LIVINGROOM:
Clean room
Organize all baskets
Dust all DVDS
CLean sofas
Vacuum sofas (De-cat hair)
organize bookcase
water/tend plants
dust room
dust ceiling fan
vacuum room
*Extras that can be done later:
clean out sliding door track
wash sliding door window

DOWNSTAIRS BATH:
Clear sink drain
organize under counter
clean toilet
clean counter
wipebaseboards
wash floor
*Extras that can be done later:
fix tp holder
touch up paint
redo baseboards

KITCHEN:
clean off table - DONE
remove watermark on table - DONE
organize pantry - DONE
organize tupperware - DONE
wipe counters/cabinets - DONE
wipe fridge - DONE
water/tend plants - DONE
wipe blinds - DONE
wipe window sill - DONE
wash cat food/waterbowls - DONE
run dishwasher - DONE
wipe baseboards
vacuum floor - DONE
scrub floors
*Extras that can be done later:
Fix chair leg
deep clean fridge/freezer

DOWNSTAIRS HALL:
organize hall closet
organize wine rack - DONE
wipe baseboards
vacuum hall carpet
vacuum entry floor
mop entry floor
wipe down doors

BASEMENT:
Wipe washer/dryer
empty trash (lint, ect)
clean catbox
vacuum basement floor
*Extras that can be done later:
Purge HOA folders sitting down there
Serious decluttering needs to happen

MISC TO DO:
mypoints
cashcrate
mysurvey
swagbucks
clear email
call dell about battery issue
12/30 finalized budget
2012 monthly budget
2012 debt payoff plan
plan for 2012 'free Christmas'
2012 Goals (Personal/financial/ect)
clean out purse
mani/pedi
laundry
*Extras that can be done later:
look into socket issues in upstairs bath
brush cats
trim claws

I got a letter from my trash company referring this Green website called Recyclebank. It lets you earn points for recylcling, pledging to do 'green' activities and actually is an interesting read.

If you're interested, I can give you a referral link - or just head to the site

Well - I didn't get much of my to-do list completed this week due to an off again/on again migraine. So I am trying to get a bunch of things done in between being lazy today

WD40 Front Door [DONE]
Clean Kitchen
Unload dishwasher [DONE]
Meet with HOA partner to sign checks [DONE]
Water Plants
Wipe Counters
Clean out fridge
Wash kitchen floor
Clean out plastic snack baggies [DONE]
Pre-portion snacks for week [DONE]
cook 2 lbs 85/15 meat & portion
clean living room
put out Christmas stuff
pick up basement
change cat litter
laundry
hand towels back in bathroom
wipe down downstairs bath
oil living room table/chairs
Change sheets
Clean bedroom
Clean upstairs bath
Wash upstairs bath floor
Change bulb in upstairs hallway
MyPoints [DONE]
Swagbucks
CashCrate
SavingAdvice Post [DONE]
Pay Bills
Work on Dad’s Resume
Work on My Resume
Clear out Purse
Itemize Groupons/Living Social/Gift Cards/Coupons

I have another $20 to add to Christmas 2012 Money.

-$10 Rebate expected
-$10 from Magazines.com for a promo
-$20 from signing up with Serve.com
-$20 from Mastercard for using their card for $200 in Christmas shopping (No extra purchases made to get that deal)

All the funds are 'in the mail' and I am goign to update a sidebar with these funds.

I am also expecting $200 from one new Citi card and $100 from another new Citi Card.

CUrrently, my focus is on earning money/gift cards from credit card rewards, MyPoints, CashCrate, Recyclebank and similar sites.

I have completed my Christmas shopping - now the chores are decorating, wrapping & making food at Christmas. Should only be spending a few dollars for postage to send a card to my uncle in Europe.

So I am already looking toward Christmas 2012. I plan on spinning the $20 challenge you guys do & putting any 'free money' into my Christmas acct (In addition to the budgeted amount that I already have set in my 2012 monthly budget).

By January, I will have about $40 to start:
-$10 rebate check I am waiting for
-$20 from serve.com (both checks confirmed in the mail)
-$10 from magazines.com (Promo for having already been signed up with them. It had a cash value, so they are sending a check) - this has also been confirmed as on its way.

I have a day off this Friday. My first full day off in weeks and my last one until the New Year. So I really want to take advantage of it. I plan to have a do-nothing day. But to do that without feeling guilty, I have to get a lot of things checked off my To-Do List!

Between now & Thursday night, I would like to accomplish the following.

1. Clear Personal emails [DONE]
2. Complete HOA tasks (emails, ect)
3. Daily - do MyPoints, Swagbucks, Cashcrate, ect [Mon DONE]
4. DEEP Clean upstairs bathroom [DONE]
5. Clean bedroom
6. Dust bedroom & vacuum
7. Change sheets [DONE]
8. Do laundry [DONE]
8. Put away laundry
10. Clean bedroom closet
11. Dust/Vacuum upstairs hallway
12. Finish updating Dad's resume
13. Start polishing up my resume
14. Return library books/dvds and pick up new ones
15. Organize downstairs hall closet
16. Pack food for work each day [Mon DONE]
17. Deep Clean kitchen [DONE]
18. Keep kitchen clean the rest of the week
19. Polish kitchen table & chairs
20. Clean out wardrobe (piece of furniture)
21. Organize toiletries
22. Organize jewelry
23. Clean out car
24. Budget for 12/15 and 12/30
25. Follow up on credit card incentives
26. Decorate for Christmas
27. Start wrapping Christmas gifts
28. 2012 debt payoff plan
29. 2012 monthly budget
30. Make Masterlist of financials to put in safety deposit box
31. Pick up basement
32. CLean up kitty area
33. Vacuum basement floor
34. Try on dress to be used for New Years Eve and plan jewelry.

I am very aware that not all of these will likely be completed, but if MOST Are - I will be happy to relax all day Friday

There's a site called Serve out there that is basically an online acct. A reputatable site that I read every day recommended it because you get $10 for signing up and another $10 for playing a quiz game - basically answering 1 trivia question. If you get it wrong, keep answering until you get it right. From there, you should get another $10 to go to the acct.

The email for that 2nd $10 takes a day or so. But I signed up this morning, the sign up bonus was immediately credited & I already requested the $10 in check form to be mailed to me.

There is a fees disclosure with the account, but none for establishing/maintaining the account or for having the funds in your account mailed to you. SO - if anyone wants the referral & link to the quiz, feel free to leave me your email and I can get that to you. *I do want to say that for any referrals, I get $5, so its totally up to you

I just plan on closing out the account after I get the money

****EDited to add - this is much like a PayPal acct & is backed by AMEX****

Went grocery shopping this morning. I hit up Acme, the farmer's market & Walmart and got some good deals.

Acme:
1 pound pasta - $0.25 (after coupon)
Red Wine Vinegar - $2.19
Ranch Mix - $0.69
4 Pack Acme dressing mix - 1.89
2 bags Lettuce - $5.00
TOTAL OOP: $10.02

Farmer's Market:
3 cucumbers - $1.00
4 tomatoes - $1.76
Celery - $1.29
5 pound potatoes - $2.49
TOTAL OOP: $6.54

Walmart::
25fl oz - $6.48
Ketchup - $2.68
3 cans tuna - $2.46
1 Pound bag mini pretzels - $1.48
10 mini bags microwave popcorn - $2.98
FF Cottage cheese - $2.68
Light Sour Cream - $1.58
Dozen Eggs - $1.88

Today's lunch was a quick pasta salad. Tonight will be Sunday Dinner at the boyfriend's. Its not my week to cook, so dinner is free AND I get to have tacos for dinner

Meals/Work snacks for this week:
Hard boiled eggs
Oatmeal
Cottage Cheese
Apple
Celery & low fat ranch dip
Pretzels
Salad with tuna
Pasta salad
Meatloaf muffins
Sloppy joe
Spaghetti
Chicken
Taco salad

My December Lunch Challenge Goal is to pack breakfast, lunch & snacks for all but 3 days between 12/5 and 12/31

I have been running around non-stop between my boyfriends house and work and dinners out & have had little to no time at my own house.

Tonight, the boyfriend's family birthday dinner was postponed, so I was able to have a night in. MUCH needed. As soon as I realized it, though, my mind started going crazy with all the things that I HAVE to do. Right this minute. LOL

So I came home, vegged on the couch for a while, texted with a friend and then made dinner, cleaned out the fridge, did a load of laundry, deep cleaned the kitchen (including vacuuming the floor of cat food). I packed lunch for work and cleaned up again.

Then I got on the computer, did some things to earn MyPoints, and some activities to earn Swagbucks. I am now watching a Midsomer Murder episode on Netflix & am going to bed in a few. Much needed relaxation!

In Rewards news - the $25 Small Business credit posted (making my purchase of 2 bottles of wine only $1 out of pockcet. I also got an email that the $25 credit I am expecting for using the card at target will post in 3-5 business days.

I am now waiting for $200 credit when the statement closes on 1 card and a $100 credit when the statement closes on another and a $50 credit when the statement closes on a third. I am also waiting for confirmation from Mastercard for a $20 gift card earned after making $200 online purchases with that card.

*NOTE: All purchases are paid off with cashflow this same month

I have some vitamin deficencies that may or may not be related to my Thyroid surgery from two years ago. It is very important that I take Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 every day.

I am running low on the vitamins and had it in my head to buy some in my next grocery trip (at either Walmart or Walgreens - whoever had a deal). However, yesterday, I found a Groupon $15 for $30 at Vitacost.com. I had a $10 GRoupon credit, so I bought the Groupon for $5.00 out of pocket.

Then went onto Vitacost & got 3 bottles of Vitamin D 2000 IU (120 capsules each) for $17.58 total and 2 bottles of B12 2000 mcg 100 Sublinqual tablets for $14.06. I also got a free sample of Omega 3 Soft Chews.

'Cost' per unit of Vit D = $0.048/pill. 'Cost' per unit of B12 = $0.0703/pill.

There was free shipping and my total was $31.64. Minus the $30 Groupon, I paid $1.64. TOTAL out of pocket was $6.64. Great deal!!

I also received a $10 Vitacost credit for signing up, but they wouldn't let me use both at once. And shipping is no longer free today (without the groupon). So I am holding onto it. I would love to get some discounted contact lens solution, but I will see if I can find some coupon codes or have a need to get my bill up to the $25 minimum for free shipping at a later date. The $10 off doesn't expire until the end of January.

I have been working to earn credit card bonuses, rewards points & points through rewards sites. Any funds earned will go straight to my fund for my sister's upcoming wedding. If any of the rewards (MyPOints) come in gift card form, I will get cards that I can use for necessary items such as groceries and gas and those funds (from the budget) would go to the wedding fund (And debt payoff once that wedding goal is met).

So to help me with this goal, I opened a Bank of America Amex.
-Earned a $50 statement credit for $100 in spending (used for cell phone bill & normal gas spending. [Net $50]
-Earned a $25 credit for spending $26 at a local wine store for Small Business Saturday. Wine will be for Christmas gifts. [$1.00 out of pocket for 2 bottles!]
-Earned a $25 credit for a Target Purchase. I am not heading to Target (at the mall) at this time of year, but I was able to purchase a (needed) mascara online for $5.73 (including shipping) [19.27 Net]
- ALl usage is budgeted & will be paid off within the next 2 weeks

I opened a Citi Dividends card. $200 in rewards for $500 usage.
- I put the remainder of my car insurance on this (and will pay it off from savings) $480
- $29.07 gas (normal budgeted spending)
- *there is another offer I signed up for where if you spend $200 after signing up a Mastercard, by 12/31/11, you can get a $20 Mastercard gift card, but I am not making this a priority to meet

I opened a Citi Preferred card for $100 for $500 spent.
-$206.23 normal spending on card (budgeted & will be paid for in 2 weeks)
-Still need $293.77 but this will be completed by planned spending
-Also signed this one up for the Mastercard deal. I just need to meet that $200 goal by 12/31 (Which I will do since I need to get another $293.77
- At the end, I will get $100 rewards AND a $20 Mastercard gift card

I have been working my MyPoints. Reading every email sent for 5 points per viewing. I also utilized some of their deals.
- Started with 896 balance on 11/25
- Did a survey for 10 points
- Completed 76 searches using the MyPoints toolbar in Nov (earned 90 points)
- Signed up for OpenSky.com through MyPoints (earned 50 points PLUS a $15 credit on the acct for signing up)
- Used $15 credit & free shipping to purchase a soup/salad container for work lunches. $7.00 out of pocket (paid out of entertainment spending). Earned 3,500 in MyPoints for first purchase. (3700 mypoints approx = $25 gift card)
- Opened an ING Sharebuilder acct (Something I wanted to do anyway) By using the MyPoints link, I earned 200 points for opening the acct & will earn 2,000 points with the first transfer. I will be doign that tonight.
- I purchased a magazine subscription for my dad for CHristmas (Planned purchase). I bought 2 years because if the purchase was over $15, I would earn 1,000 My points.
- After all of these earnings hit, I will have 7,746 in points - approx $50 in gift cards!!

I also am working to utilize Swagbucks more. I am a new member, but have about 123 in points between searches, toolbards, daily polls and more searches. I will be keeping this up!

In other news, all my CHristmas shopping is done - except 1 gift for my boyfriend and the Christmas tree itself. So woot!

The BF's bday is this week and we are going out in town tomorrow night with friends for his bday. I will be driving about 45 mins each way for the group (Designated Driver) and using up gas (Budgeted for) plus paying for parking $20 and part of his meal (approx $40 out altogether). Wednesday, we are going out with his sister & different friends (hoping to keep the bill around $30). Thursday is dinner with his family - he chose Olive Garden. Which is great, since I have that free $50 gift card. I can cover both our meals PLUS some of the family's.

As for the Lunch Challenge, I packed all of my food for today. Breakfast, lunch & snacks. Lunch is actually pasta salad leftover from the boyfriend's THanksgiving. He even packed it up for me! LOL

Additionally - I should add that I UNFRUGALLY lost my cell phone in October. I frugally borrowed my friends old one for 2 months until my contract is up for renewal 12/28. And on Friday, there was a groupon for $25 (I had a $10 credit, so it was $15 out of pocket). For that Groupon, PLUS $35 activation, I can get a Droid X or X2 once my contract is up in December. Compared to what my friend just paid for upping her contract & getting a Droid, I am definitely making out on the deal!

Today's 5 Things: are actually more than 5
-Complete Sharebuilder trade
-update budget for 11/30
-MyPoints & Swagbucks sites
-WD40 Front Door
-Make dinner at home, lunch for Tues/Wed
-CLean kitchen, wipe counters & vacuum floor
-Pickup Living Room
-Gather library movies to return
-Finish laundry & put away
-Clean bedroom
-Unclog bathtub drain
-Unclog upstairs bath sink drain
-Wipe bathroom counters, tub & toilet, vacuum floor
-Play on the internet
-Pack night clothes for BF's bday, work clothes for Wednesday
-Portion medicines to keep at work & at boyfriends (Have to take thyroid meds & vitamins &Missing them REALLY screws me up)

I have noticed lately that there are a LOT of reasons to read/keep a receipt.

-The most obvious is returns. Makes returning an item easy and quick.

-Keeping them helps with tracking spending

-They are good to keep for warrenties (Bigger items)

-Reading them thouroghly ensures that the prices were correct and that any coupons/discounts are applied properly

-Many companies these days do surveys for chances to win, coupons, or free items. And this is something I seem to see more & more of. For example:
- I got 10% off my next purchase at Old Navy for going online and filling out the survey
- I got a code for a free sandwich from Burger King for a survey on the breakfast I bought him
- I was able to enter to win a year's worth of free haircuts from Haircuttery
- I entered a weekly drawing for an Acme gift card
- Entered a sweepstakes for $3,000 for Walgreens for completing a survey.

I realize that the sweepstakes are not that likely, but the coupons & freebies make it worth it. AND you never know, maybe I WILL win that Acme gift card

Had a rough day at work and with someone in particular, but the day turned itself around. I had a margarita after work with my friend (her treat) and then came home to clean.

Deep cleaned the upstairs bathroom and my bedroom. Did two loads of laundry. Prepped for tomorrow & made pasta salad and cut up cheese for tomorrow.

I have a quick grocery list to get to in the morning, then its home to make jello shots, buffalo chicken dip, clean the kitchen & downstairs bath, then deep clean, dust & vaccum the living room.

I hope to have time to get a haircut in the morning, but if not, its all good. The new hair color makes it look like a new style anyway

Hoping to have a great time tomorrow at the party. Sunday will be budgeting and bill paying, then dinner with friends.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

I have to confess, I have been financially irresponsible lately. I have to get back on track. So part of that is being on this site more & being accountable to myself

So in random form, here are some thoughts/lists.

-I am having a game night tomorrow night. Total out of pocket approx $50 as I am stocking up my liquor cabinet and making lots of food. Utilizing my freezer/pantry for the food as much as possible. Games already owned and a good time will be had by all

- Sunday, for the friends dinner that I have, I am in charge of the sides. I will be supplying a salad, so out of pocket approx $8 (including bringing over some dressings)

-I just received a free gift from Clinque for a purchase I made. I have been having terrible breakouts, so I am going back to buying Clinique face wash. Worth it if my skin calms down The free gift included a makeup bag (Very cute), a mini makeup bag, a 1oz cleanser (perfect for travel & can be refilled), .5 oz moisterizer with SPF20, regular size lipstick (In a color I like), regular size eye liner (on my to-buy list anyway), a travel mascara (in the color I wear), a full size eye shadow kit in colors I can wear, and 4 perfume samples (again perfect for travel). Over $50 value & I just restocked most of the needs I had for makeup

- I received a call that Olive Garden is sending me a gift card (Amount unknown) for the trouble with a pre-authorization of $99 going onto my account. The charge never went through, but it was inconvenient.

- I am reinstituting my Lunch Challenge for myself, although I did terrible this week. My goal is NO out of pocket spending for food/drink at work for the rest of the month

-I plan on finishing Christmas shopping in the next two weeks. All in cash!

-I scored some deals from Acme. They have a little Holiday Book by their ads in the store. In it are coupons for things like $1.00 off 1 Acme brand (Everyday Essentials) pasta and 1 EE pasta sauce. I was able to snag both for $1.89 after coupon. I will be going back today for another set. Its never bad to have pasta stuff in the house! I also got 3 cans of Acme fruit for $2.00 total (After $1 off coupon). They have also had a lot of register rebates lately & I will be using them as I have about $3-4 left of those.

-I have a few returns to make - a non-working alarm clock to Target & a pair of shorts to Walmart

-The roommate situation is working out great. She actually contributes to things like paper towels & tp and CLEANS. None of the previous roommates did any of that

-I got a $15 parking ticket for not feeding the meter enough when I got stuck inside the pharmacy earlier this week. I will have to pay it

-Dyed my hair at home instead of paying for color in a store. I have gotten SO many compliments, I am definitely going to keep this up. $4.99 for the box after coupon.

-Used a Deals Voucher for $10 to Fulton Paper. I make jello shots on a regular basis for parties, ect and use a particular type of plastic cup. I was able to use the voucher for 4 sleeves of the cups, 2 gift bags and 4 boxes to be used for gifts of fudge. I still have another $10 voucher to be used by next year. OOP for the 2 vouchers was $10 (and bought months ago)

-Itemized all of my stockpile in the bathroom cabinet. I have a ton of freebie samples of bath gel, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body washes and lotions. I am trying to use up most of them as well as some of the travel sized stuff I have recently scored for free. I do plan on leaving enough to carry me through a few weekends of travel though!

-I itemized any freebies/rewards that have to be used. Did the same with coupons

-Plan on looking into cheaper cat food. The cats have crystals and one is overweight, so I have them both on Hill's Prescription Weight Diet. But its expensive. Will be looking into non-prescription alternatives.

- I just got a 20% off ANYTHING at Kohl's. Might hit up their clearance for some gifts. (Will use Christmas cash - no additional unplanned spending)

- I need to be in a financial lockdown. So the budget is getting tightened. I want to pay down debt, control spending and just get back to my financial goals. I am a little ashamed I have gotten out of hand. But I can say for sure that I am turning a corner

I came back from Atlantic City this morning. Spent a bit more than planned, but I had a great time! It was really good weather, my friends and I were fairly frugal and we had a BLAST.

However, when we came back around 2pm today, I felt the need to get the house and my life organized. I have accomplished a LOT!

-Went to Dollar Deals store for a candle lighter, french fries & toothpaste. Also picked up a game for a Christmas gift ($5), 6 pack AAA batteries, 4 pack AA batteries and 2 window plastic kits for winter ($2 total)
-cleared emails
-clicked through mypoints
-Worked through Cashcrate
-Researched reviews on djs for sister for her wedding
-Called Olive Garden regarding inaccurate pre-auth on debit card for $99 - advised dropped off. (Will still be writing the main office as I had to transfer funds from savings to cover that pre-auth until it dropped off)
-Did a load of laundry
-Kept heat at 65 and wore sweater & burned a candle for warmth (and atmosphere)
-Balanced budget/Spending
-Made lunch at home
-Put away Halloween decorations
-Cleaned out car
-Clean kitchen, vacuum floor
-Watered plants
-Loaded dishwasher
-Made Pantry/Freezer list
-Made Party Menu for next Saturday- Buffalo Dip & bread, veggies & dip, pretzels, cheese & crackers, jello shots, pasta salad, deviled eggs
-Made Meal Plan for next week - can be switched around: sloppy joe, breaded chicken patties & pasta, turkey meatlaof muffins, Tuna sandwich, tilapia, chicken breast and potatoes, veggies and rice for sides.
-Made Grocery list
-Made dinner at home
-Organized front hall closet
-Organized baskets on sofa table shelf
-Organized entertainment center
-Organized baskets in living room
-Organized bookshelf in living room
-Organized china cabinet storage
-Vacuummed couches

Tomorrow, I have absolutely no obligations other than meeting a friend for kickboxing at 9am. I have lots of ambitions for tomorrow. The roommate is out of town & with my party coming up next week, I really want to get the place ship-shape

Tomorrow's To-Do:
Kickboxing class
Grocery Shop - Acme, Walmart & Farmers Market (all within 15 mins of the house)
Organize basement
Purge old HOA files that are no longer relevent - recycle all
Take pictures for Craisglist sales
Make Fudge for Sunday's dessert
Clean, dust & vac living room
Dust Living room fan
Clean upstairs bathroom
Clean bedroom
Change sheets
Put away laundry
Do research on frugal Save the Dates for sister's wedding
Make breakfast, lunch & dinner at home

I set some goals for November:

1. Keep under Grocery budget of $190
2. Host Party with $15 above grocery budget (easily doable!)
3. Pack breakfast & lunches for all but 2 times this month. (Already used up one today for a work lunch)
4. Keep to my Atlantic City budget of $68 - will be tight
5. Sell items on Craigslist for cash to both debt repayment & discounted kickboxing classes

Luckily, Sunday was a no spender. Mondays was grocery spending $10.54 and $29.33.

A friend gave me a free 1 year subscription to Kraft Food & Family magazine (free with her purchase)

Today was a little spendy - $15.49 for lunch out. Tonight was kickboxing (paid for through Groupon)

Tomorrow, I work a 1/2 day & then am heading down to Atlantic City with friends. 1 girl is driving & the other girl got us a free hotel room at Showboat. We are packing food and alcohol to enjoy some pre-entertainment beverages in the room. I already packed water & soda from my pantry & plan on grabbing some pretzels. I will probably spend about $10 at the liquor store.

We are not big gamblers, so maybe a dollar in the slots - but our big goals are to let loose a little, have some drinks, and possibly ride a bull

I get lots of emails from deals sites and came across a few good deals today. Most will be gifts for birthdays & Christmas - except the movie tickets

-$12 for 2 tickets on Fandango (50% savings since night tickets are roughly $12 each)
-$10 for a bath spa gift set with free shipping & a $9.99 mail-in rebate (includes lotion, a razor, bath poof, shower caddy & shaving cream)
-$10 for a FoodSaver MealSaver Compact Vacuum-Sealing system ($69.99 value & got free shpping)
-$15 paid for a $25 Boston Market gift card (for my mom who LOVES that place)

I also spent about $15 at the grocery store & $0.10 at the library. I came home with a bunch of food, 5 dvds and 1 book.

Tonight, a friend is coming over. I am making dinner, and we are watching shows/movies off Netflix.

Tomorrow will be a little spendy. I have kickboxing (already paid for), a corn maze at a winery ($12 plus $20 for food/wine), and then that night - fun with friends at Dave & Busters for a buddy's birthday (approx $30 for food/games).

Today was a no spender (yay). I packed food for work, went looking for a Halloween costume (no luck yet), went to kickboxing to find out that my training session was cancelled. The guy rescheduled the session and gave me 2 more classes for free. Great customer service!

I have several financial goals for this week:

-Budget out entertainment spending between now & the 31st.
-Stick to grocery budget
-Eat in as much as possible
-Finalize Medical Plan choices
-Make new monthly budget
-Put up more items on Craigslist
-Finish most of Christmas shopping
-Start figuring budget for sister's wedding & 2 other weddings I will be attending in 2012 plus another one I will be attending in 2013.

The air has been off, windows open & although its cool in evenings - no heat is needed yet (WOOHOO)

The new roommate is working out well. She's home a lot more than my last roommates (who were from out of state). But she seems clean & quiet & likes tv and movies, so we have something in common.

So my work is changing medical plans. These are some significant changes and are very detailed. To help provide us with extra information, they held a Medical Fair today. I got some good information, and quite a few freebies, including a reusable grocery bag, 2 insulated lunch bags, a notepad, recipe book, journal, pin, pen, 2 sets of measuring spoons, and a spatula.

These freebies in no way cover the extra money I am going to be out with these changes, but hey- I got something out of it, I guess.

Tonight, I have book club with friends. Gonna get some fun in!

Oh, and did anyone watch American Horror Story? Its on the dvr to watch later. Looks interesting!

Happy Friday All! It's been a stressful week and I am looking forward to some relaxing this weekend.

Today was payday, so I budgeted out everything:

In cash, I have:
$40.00 towards Wine Tour
$77.49 towards Groceries
$90.00 Entertainment spending

I paid some bills:
Mortgage
Electric
Reimbursed mom for some Halloween Decorations

And I bought Groceries
-Acme $5.49
-Farmer's Market $10.30
-Walmart $29.46

My manager let us out early (WOOO) and I was able to get all my errands done & get home by 2:30. I had time to clean my room, prep food for the wine tour tomorrow, clean the bathroom and help the new roommate move a dresser upstairs. She has her stuff here, but will start actually living here tomorrow.

Once she left, my previous roommate came by & picked up the last of her stuff. She gave me the $75.00 she owed me and the keys. I did an inspection and found that she left a couple of things:

-1/2 bottle of Pino Grigio
-1 clean tupperware bowl & lid
-a bunch of salad dressings (1/2 used)
-1/2 jar of vodka sauce
-protein shake
-1 full large, unopened bottle of V8 Splash
-3 bags of frozen mixed veggies
-1 bag frozen steamer red potatoes
-1 bag frozen broccoli
-1 lb ground turkey burgers (frozen)
-1 bag broccoli & rice
-1 bag Tyson grilled chicken strips
-2 opened 1/2 full bags of veggies

Most of it usable - I will get rid of the opened veggies (freezer burn), vodka sauce & some of the dressings - but all the freezer food is good and healthy! So Yay Freebies. I then had to move all the food around in the freeze to free up 1/2 the space for the new roomie.

And since I did that, I took a freezer inventory: (boring, I know - but its really good for planning)

-1 1/2 bags turkey pepperoni
-2 - 4packs of breaded chicken patties
-6 servings chicken breast
-4 frozen turkey burgers
-1 container lime sherbert
-4 tilapia fillets
-2 1/2 bags Morningstar crumbles
-1/2 loaf bread
-4 veggie burgers
-4 servings turkey bacon
-1 bag no sugar added strawberries
-1 bag no sugar added blueberries
-1 bag broccoli
-1 pint blueberries
-8 bagel thins
-1 bag broccoli & rice
-3 bags mixed veggies
-1 bag grilled chicken strips
-4 pack water ice
-9 meatloaf muffins
-4 servings sloppy joe
-3 cinnimon raisin bagel thins

The rest of my night will be dinner, making the rest of food for the wine tour tomorrow, cleaning up the kitchen & dusting/vaccuming the empty room. Hope everyone has a good night!

Interesting and stressful week personally, professionally and health-wise. I will have more details later, but I am COUNTING the seconds until the weekend!

-My house thermostat went out yesterday. Replaced the battery & it still wouldn't turn on. I sucked it up last night & tried again this morning. It is just the thermostat as the A/C is working when I turn the fan on. I went online at work today & printed out the manual for the thermostat & I will be attempting to fix it tonight. (Yay free manuals!)

-I got some goodies in the mail - shampoo sample, lotion sampe, and free window cleaner & coupons

-I Printed coupon for free glasses cleaning cloth & cleaner from Walmart

-Groupon had ½ off a Wine Tasting Passport – for an event I was already scheduled to attend on Saturday. The price is normally $30 and is for tastings at 7 different wineries between now & Dec 31st. A good deal already. Groupon had it ½ off! I was able to buy for $15 instead of $30 WIN!

-A new favorite restaurant had a living social deal today. Pay $15, get $30. I bought two, one for me & one for my boyfriend. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that place! *(was even there last night!) And it was totally in my entertainment budget.

-My sister & my good friend are both getting married in May. They just set their dates. I need to start planning budgets for both!

-I have failed the lunch challenge today, but plan on getting on track tomorrow. No waiting until next week!

-I am going to my first kickboxing class tonight! Very excited and this groupon was a GREAT deal!

-The current roommate is set to move out on Friday. She still owes me $75.00 but has assured me she will have it. (hopefully)

-The new roommate is moving some stuff into the living room tomorrow night & fully moving in over the weekend. Rent is now $525 instead of $475/month. And she seems pretty low key!

-Saturday will be wine tour (ticket already purchased) and I will be bringing picnic food & I am limiting my wine purchases to ONE bottle. I have cash for it.

-Sunday night will be Dexter Dinner with friends. We used to do it for True Blood, but now its Dexter I will help supply food for that and help cook.

The trip to Oktoberfest in Munich & to Amsterdam was phenominal. Came in under 'budget', but unfortunately some of the trip still went on a card. This was a splurge that I financially shouldn't have done, but mentally/emotionally, I needed.

I am home now & back to living frugally. I did buy fast food dinner on the way home from the airport Friday night.

Saturday, I had lunch with my parents at Olive Garden ($10) and completed some grocery shopping (approx $27).

Today, I went to the Farmer's Market and spent about $17 on TONS of fresh produce. I went to an Arbonne party at my sister's house (free food) and may buy 1 item at 50% off ($9.00). I will make the purchase tomorrow. And for going to the party, I received a set of make up brushes (which is actually needed).

As for the trip, I did come home with some toiletries. I found the complimentary body wash & shampoos in the (CLEAN/EMPTY) trash can in the hotel room - so I took them. All brand new, no reason to toss!

I am eating at home today, catching up on DVR'd shows & enjoying getting the house in order.

My roommate is moving out today & the new roommate is moving in Thursday-ish. She already gave me the deposit money & will provide the rent on her move in date.

I have goals for this week: $20 in entertainment money & I plan on packing breakfast/lunch/snacks for each work day this week. NO uncessary spending!

I plan on getting pictures uploaded tonight - expect some fun ones!

I took stock ofmy coupons, gift cards & groupons today so that I can utilize them all before expirations. I actually have quite a bit.

-Exp 9/9 - 40% off 1 item at Old NAvy(will be using for a new pair of jeans)
-Exp 9/8 AMC Theater - 50% large drink & popcorn combo (probably will go unused?)
-Exp 9/10 - 40% off 1 item at Joanne Fabrics, another 40% off 1 item at Joanne, 40% off 1 item at Michaels, 40% off 1 item at AC Moore. Will be using for some Christmas projects
-Exp 9/12 - FRee hiphuggers from Victoria's Secret
-Exp 9/27 - Coupon $15 off $25 at JB Dawson's
-Exp 9/29 - Free appetizer or desert at TGI Fridays (No purch necessary)
-Exp 9/30 - Free panty from Victoria's Secret
-Exp 9/30 - $5 off $25, Buy 1 Get 2nd 1/2 off Dinner Entree or $4 off 2 Lunch Entrees at Timothy's Restaurant
-Exp 10/10 - 15% off total TGI Friday order (waiting to see if go there for anything)
-Exp 10/21 - $10.00 off at Victoria's secret
-Exp 10/31 - $1.25 off Jollytime Popcorn
-Exp 11/11 - Wine Tasting for 2 plus wine gift (appt made for 9/11th)
-Exp 11/27 - $20.00 to local restaurant (Groupon OOP- Out of Pocket- was $10)
-Exp 11/30 - 50 cents off Progresso soup
-Exp 9/12/2012 - 10 Kickboxing Classes plus 1 personal training session, plus boxing gloves(Groupon OOP was $40)
-NO Expiration - $25 off $35 to Pats Pizza (Restaurant.com OOP $2)
-NO Expiration - $25 off $35 to Pats PIzza (Restaurant.com OOP$2)
-NO Expiration - $25 off $50 to Mona Lisa Restaurant
(Restaurant.com OOP$2)
-NO Expiration - $25 off 2 Entrees to Public House Bar
(Restaurant.com OOP$2)
-Free Trial 1 week Gym membership
-NO Expiration - $100 in Fandango cash (purchased for $80)

Today, I have to grab cat food from the vet (They have prescription food), and hit the grocery store. I have a potential roommate stopping by tomorrow - so tonight will be dedicated to cleaning.

A lot of the stores are together either inside or outside the mall, so tomorrow night (Wed) after the potential roommate comes to look at the house, I plan on heading back out
-Joanne for Christmas item(s) - decorative boxes & cardstock
-Return shoes to DSW
-Victoria's Secret for free items & to spend the $10
-Michaels to use coupon for Christmas item(s)

Then Friday, when my coupon starts to Old Navy, I will make a return & use the 40% off coupon to buy jeans.

As for the groupons - The wine tasting will be used Sunday the 11th, kickboxing will be set up for after I come back from Germany. Free gym trial will be used at the same time. And the restaurant groupons will be used as wanted since there is no time crunch. ***I Also want to note that I only purchased at places I know I like or want to try - nothing was bought just cause it 'was a deal'. LOL

And I am working to get back to my To-Do List. Today's 5 things off that list are:

1. Pick up cat food & grocery shop
2. Make dinner/premake food for tomorrow
3. Finish laundry
4. HOA chores
5. Clean house - vac/dust living room, change cat litter, clean upstairs bathroom, clean bedroom

I have had trash service from the same company since I bought the house almost 4 years ago. About a year ago, the company I was with was bought out by a bigger company.

At the same time, our state mandated that all trash services need to supply us with recycling bins & pick up in addition to the trash service. So about 3 months ago, I received a recyling container and a calendar of pick up dates (every other week). No notification of any rate changes. THEN my quarterly bill came in & it had increased by around $35! They called it an 'environmental' charge. Nice, huh?

Well, I started looking around to switch and a coworker recommended a company with a flat rate, no fees. I signed up and am saving about $37/quarter AND they pick up recycling weekly, not biweekly.

I called the big company to cancel my service. They attempted to match my pricing, but I said no. If they had the ability to service me at that price and chose not to offer it, I can't imagine what they would do next. So I cancelled the service, effective Sept 8th.

3 hours later, I received a call on MY CELL PHONE. I chose not to answer & checked the voicemail later. A rep from the corporate office said she wanted to talk about the cancellation and would not process until she confirms I don't want their counteroffer and that she needs to confirm the effective date. REally, you just left me a message saying you are not accepting my closure of my account???

Their office opens at 8:30 and I will be calling. They will be getting an earful.