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 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.

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****

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.

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 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).

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!

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.

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.

Today, in between work, I was able to accomplish a lot today!

-Called about a medical bill. Did all the legwork to prove THEIR error and still got the runaround. In the end, they confirmed I was right Worth the 20 minutes on the phone

-Mailed 2 entries into an Acme sweepstakes. I had free envelopes & postage, so what can it hurt?

-Mailed a check for the water bill instead of paying a $1.50 online fee (don't you hate that?)

-Mailed a complaint letter to the CEO of Walmart. I tried contacting the store through email & a call to the store's manager, with no response in over a week. At this point, its absolutely ridiculous. So I wrote a letter regarding an incident where I was in line behind a woman who was berating the cashier (totally sympathize with the cashier at this point!). However when the customer left, it was my turn in line and instead of helping me, the cashier and the manager who had stepped in to help started a conversation where the cashier said "All customers are liars" and the manager agreed. What the heck? Ignore your next customer to degrade all the people who shop at your store? Hopefully the letter will turn into a teachable moment for those employees

-I listed a TON of stuff on Craigslist. I have only sold 1 DVD to a woman for $4.00, but it was so worth it to see her 7 year old daughter jumping up and down and screaming because she was getting The Dark Crystal Totally made my & her day!

-I deposited $255 in cash towards my Germany trip as well as a $9.10 Ebates check. I had to laugh, when I picked up the mail coming back into the neighborhood, there was a $50.00 rewards check from Chase

It's only 4:30 pm & I have accomplished a lot (while at work!)

-Called about medical bill. Paid the copay back in March, but they keep billing me. I contacted the HSA to get info & insisted the doctor's office do their due dilligent. By being a little forceful, I was able to get them to fix the problem

-Listed a bunch of items on Craistlist: Movies, blankets, baskets, small tables. I have 2 meetings within 10 minutes of each other in the same place today to sell 2 of the dvds. $4.00 in hand. 1 person paid, 1 person no showed.

-Yesterday was a No SPENDER! The first in quite a while. The boyfriend made dinner & I got to relax. I even made sure to prep food for work & remembered to store it in his fridge, so I had breakfast, lunch & drinks and didn't have to shell out any money.

-I went to the library - had to pay a $1.00 fine - but picked up 2 movies: Winning Season & Rest Stop

-I mailed 2 entries to an Acme sweepstakes. Free envelopes & stamps, so it ever hurts

-I mailed a complaint to Walmart's CEO. I had a terrible incident where a customer was harrassing an employee (which I sympathize with). However, when the customer left, the cashier & the manager who had been called over had a conversation, stating "all customers are liars". Cashier said it, Manager agreed. Right in front of me. I emailed customer service AND left a message for the store manager. With no response, I sent the letter. I just hope its a teachable moment for those employees.

-I stopped by the bank & deposited cash saved towards the Germany trip ($255) plus $9.10 Ebates check. When I got back home, I found a $50 rewards check from Chase. Oh well, will deposit later on!

-Tonight, I am staying in. There will be some cleaning, some lounging and some making of dinner

The weekend is upon us! I have been running around a LOT lately. Little social butterfly I have purposefuly cancelled plans tonight just to be able to get stuff down at home.

I have (fun) obligations this weekend. Date night with the boyfriend Saturday. I am planning on cooking & we are going to watch the original Fright Night & then Fright Night 2. We loved the movie as kids & are looking forward to seeing the remake. I own the movie on dvd, so this will be a frugal night in!

Sunday night will be our True Blood Dinner with friends. I will have to bring something for it, but I have no idea what it will be yet!

So tonight, I have a few goals.

1. Eat dinner at home
2. Enjoy some netflix/dvr/library movies
3. Give self a pedi
4. Start cleaning bedroom
5. Finish laundry
6. Groom Cats
7. Go to bed early!

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't been around. The health issues are finally getting under control & my personal life has just been crazy. I plan on getting back to the boards soon to start posting again as well as continuing to work on my personal finances Thanks for thinking of me!

HH

I'm watching the 'Single Mom Shake-up' episode from last night and they keep saying over & over that this is the first time that Gail has ever suggested bankruptcy. However, I remember an episode where she suggested to a couple that they look into it and they determined that it wasn't an option for them because family had cosigned loans with them. Does anyone else remember that? Although the couple didn't file bankruptcy, Gail still suggested it as an option.

Random, I know, but I hate when there are inconsistencies in a show I'm watching.

25 Years ago today, the tragedy of the Challenger occurred. I remember sitting in the school gym, watching the event on televisions sitting on carts and all the kids and I becoming upset as the explosion occurred.

I may not have fully understood what was happening at the time, but I learned more about the event later on & it is an event where I will always remember where I was when it happened.

I just wanted to share my memory and acknowledge the event as important to our history.

I woke up this morning with some energy, so I am planning on getting a lot of stuff done.

I already went to the store for light yogurt, fat free cottage cheese & low fat sour cream. I've had breakfast, ran the dishwasher & made my today's To Do list!

I plan on being lazy about it, but I want to get things done My reward will be to watch a library movie after everything is accomplished.

Today, I plan to:

1. Prep food for the week
2. Make all food for Monday
3. Clean kitchen & floor
4. Water plants
5. Clean living room
6. Dust & vacuum living room
7. Unload dishwasher
8. Light clean downstairs bath
9. Light clean upstairs bath
10. Change kitty litter
11. Change sheets on bed
12. Clean bedroom
13. Plan work outfits for week
14. Make mealplan for week

The meeting with the potential roommate went really well. Seems like a very nice guy and I have references from his work. The only downside is that he only wants to rent through mid-September. Thats ok with me though. I also need to get with the current roommate to confirm a day that she is moving out. The new guy would love to move in around the 17th, but technically the old roommate has to the end of the month. She comes back from her cruise Monday & we will sit down & talk then.

After my meeting with the new roommate, I went to a McDonalds a few minutes away and met a Craigslist contact to sell 2 dvds - $8.00 earned. I then turned around and went another 5 mins down the road to a 2nd McDonalds where I met a 2nd Craigslist contact & sold approximately 15 of my old dvds for $40.00. I might have made more on ebay or whatever, but I personally don't have the patience for all that

So, I made $48 AND I managed to escape McDonalds without buying anything, although the french fry smell was making my mouth water! The $48 is going to my January budget. I am still $199.30 short for the month, but I am pretty much guaranteed to see rental income later this month, so it's not too much of a problem. I will take the money out of savings to make sure my bills are paid on time. Then I will replace the savings with the rental income when I receive it.

I went to Walmart & picked up yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, salad dressing & hashbrowns ($9.61 from my grocery budget).

I have $8.58 left in the grocery budget and $33.35 left in my entertainment budget.

Tomorrow, I am taking the Christmas tree down (decided to skip this one of my 5 Things for today) & driving it over to be recycled. In the afternoon, my nephew is coming over. We have games to play, a library movie to watch (Sorcerer's Apprentice) and there is fun to be had!

Just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone! I have a big to do list for today, including making my 2011 goals, which I will update here soon

I am looking forward to a clean slate in the new year, but in the mean time, I'm trying to get back on track with spending & packing food.

Tonight, I had dinner at home, made food for tomorrow & am getting my house organized again. I've felt out of whack since I've been sick again. The house is a mess, I barely have energy to cook for myself and its a real downer.

I'm going to try to take things easy, but I really need to get on the ball with spending & saving. Especially since I do not know whats going on with the roommate situation. Right now, she's paid through the 9th. I've barely seen her as she spent a week out of town, came home Christmas night for about a 1/2 hour and then headed back to her parents an hour away. She's unemployed, so I have no idea when to expect her back. I don't know what her plans are after the 10th. She's paid through the 9th, rent due on the 10th & since we haven't talked, I don't know what she's planning on doing.

I also can't wait to see my paychecks for 2011 since I decreased my HSA amount and increased my 401k. I have an estimate, but I like to know my net pay to the cent. That won't happen until my Jan 15th paycheck.

I am looking to do my 2011 Financial Goals soon, but I want some of those figures first. I've been reading other people's goals for the new year & its been giving me inspiration!

We're supposed to have snow today. It just started with a few flakes. Of course the news is already making it into Snowpacalypse 2011. I ran out this morning for some veggies from the farmer's market - approx $8 spent.

Now I am home, on the couch, waiting for snow. I have a ton of laundry to do & that's my big plan for the day. I am watching movies on cable, have a few books from the library and plan on planting my butt on the couch until there's enough snow to have to clear out the driveway!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday! I have enjoyed a fun, relaxing day with my family and am excited to have the day off tomorrow

Yesterday, got up very early & went to Michael's where I bought one of the last presents I needed as well as some that I didn't I spent $35.00 and it included on of those light up Christmas houses that my friend collects.

I stopped by Barnes & Noble for some gifts and spent about $42. $7 was hardback version of Walden that I just couldn't resist!

I went to my parents house & cleaned their bathroom for them. I brought my nephew back home with me & we made chocolate chip cookies & played games.

Then my parents came over & we watched Elf, then met my sister for dinner at Texas Roadhouse for my nephew's birthday. My mom treated for dinner. I plan on offering more cleaning since she treated

We had the nephew open presents at my house after dinner and then I promptly went to bed. I was worn out!

Today, I had my annual review at work (we do them quarterly & finalize annually). Raises are decided in the 4th quarter, but aren't doled out until February. My review went really well, but who knows how it'll come out pay-wise.

After work, I hit up WalMart and came home. I made dinner, pre-made food for work tomorrow, cleaned the kitchen, mopped the floor and now I am chilling on the couch watching Downsized.

I put up a bunch of dvds & other items on Craigslist last night. A gentlemen came today & bought 6 for $25.00. Great score!

I just sold about 6 dvds for $25 cash. Not too shabby. I have been paring down my collection, so it wasn't a hardship & the cash is going straight to my efund!

My work announced today that we will be getting a $500 compensation into our 401k in January. We don't get bonuses, but some years, they give us this compensation. Hey, I will definitely take an additional $500 to my 401k!

I attended a friend's work Christmas party in Philadelphia on Saturday night. We went to a bar/bowling place. Very upscale & fun. There was open bar, free bowling & a buffet. All free to me. (Thanks to my friend who invited me!!!)

Well, he just text me even more good news. I guess they did some random drawings for bowlers or something, but we each received a $25.00 Amex gift card. Woot!

After work, I picked up my parents & nephew & we went to get a cheap, little tree for me. It was freezing outside with bitter winds. We went to Lowes, just to check theirs out and ended up coming home with the 2nd tree we looked at.

A nice Douglas Fir, the tag said 6-7 feet. It was on sale for $20! The nicer holiday places & tree stands cost twice as much! When we got it back to my house, we realized that the tree was much bigger than 7 feet. We measured & it was 9.5 feet!

We cut a little & the tree is now up in the living room. I treated my parents to CiCis pizza as a thanks for the help $20 total for the 3 of us. Not my favorite place, but my dad really likes it.

I took out the bins of Christmas decorations. I pulled out all the non-tree decorations & put them out. I'm letting the tree branches drop tonight & then I will put the lights & decorations on tomorrow night! I can't wait!!