Creditcardfree's Personal Finance Blog

tomorrow! We are actually looking for a van. My DH has the day off for the Memorial weekend. I have one vehicle picked out that is used that has everything I want. It's an older body style Honda Odyssey. That's the part that my husband doesn't like.

I've been so tempted to buy a new...like a 2008 Toyota Sienna, that I'm actually pleased to find an older vehicle with low miles and options I'm interested in.

I've been amazed at how much I'm swinging from one type of vehicle to the next. That includes being willing to borrow over $7,000 more! Crazy.

We'll see what we end up with...if anything. I really don't want to jump too quickly...especially if we start leaning towards new. In fact, we've never bought a brand new vehicle. Well, we leased one...but I wouldn't do that again.

Oh, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the home equity payoff. It's still in the plans. Once I know what we are doing on this vehicle...it will be attacked swiftly!!

My daughter will be in 6th grade at a middle school next year. I'm already paying!! We have registration in April. They collect many fees at that time.

I paid fees for books & materials, a planner, gym uniform, and a yearbook. A total of $101! On top of that, I bought her a one-piece Speedo swimsuit. They have a wonderful pool there that they will use multiple times next year. The one piece part is required for girls.

Today the 5th graders are going for a visit. They also get to try out the pool. It's a wonderful school and I'm very excited for her. I just hope that the costs don't get too out of hand.

It sure would be nice if schools could give you a list of expected expenses, such as for field trips, pictures, fund raisers, dances, ect. Who knows what else there might be!!

I know all schools are different, but can anyone think of expenses that are different in high school/middle school compared to elementary?

Our bank, provides rewards on our debit card transactions. I just cashed points for cash...$50 cash!! Just for spending like we usually do.

New $20 Challenge Balance: $868.31

We've been contributing monthly to our retirement accounts. We plan to max out our Roth's this year at $5K each. My husband is contributing 4% to his TSP...the government's version of a 401K.

I track the balances on a irregular basis...especially since the market hasn't been so great. Today I checked and things are beginning to move up...we've hit a new high of over $88K invested! Such a nice feeling to be approaching the $100K mark. It would be nice to have that number by the end of the year. I think it is possible if the market starts to rebound, if just a little.

We just came back from my DD's 5th grade band concert. This was her first year playing the flute. All those kids did just wonderful. My DD was part of a flute trio, because she was doing so well. Nice to just hear flutes, since they can be hard to hear at times!

We had a dessert potluck after, with parents donating dessert or drinks. It was a fun way to celebrate a successful year of band.

My daughter will continue to play band into 6th grade. She's even crying tonight that she will miss band!! She's worried she will forget to practice over the summer. It will be a good excuse to get her some new music and have some band friends over to play together.

I've been renting to own the flute, which is a great deal when you don't know if your child will continue in band for more than a year. If she didn't like it after two months, then we could have returned the flute and owed nothing more than the months we had already paid for.

Now that she's made it through one year, I should see if I can pay it off early for less. I feel pretty confident that she will continue.

...is just around the corner. He seems like the hardest person to shop for. Is it because I don't know him well enough? Or maybe he just doesn't seem to have a lot of wants and needs. It seems like I feel this way every year.

We will be traveling to his town for a couple days next weekend. I think he is looking forward to having my family visit. It has been awhile since we've been in their next of the woods.

It seems harder, too, that his birthday is followed so closely by Father's Day! Yikes...two gifts to buy in a row.

Last year we bought him golf shirts, the wicking kind. He really liked those. He had bought himself new golf clubs, so it seem to fit with what he was doing at the time.

I hope I can think of something soon...

on craigslist. I have quite a few nice things left over from the garage sale last week. I had success with the desk, so I am going to list as much as possible today.

The advantage of craigslist over ebay, is that it takes much less time to list the items. I don't have to calculate shipping or find a box. And, I set the final price instead of waiting for the highest bidder.

I had such good response by listing all my garage sale items that I think there is a large amount of traffic on craigslist.

So, I think I'll make a goal. To sell at least $50 worth of items on craigslist. The listings are 45 days, so I will give them that much time. If they don't sell there, I'll set them up on ebay.

I sold a desk today. It had been on my garage sale and had only one looker. I had it priced for $10. Since it didn't sell at the garage sale, I listed on craigslist for $15!

A college student came and picked it up today and paid the $15. Such a slick easy way to sell things, without fees, too!

Now if my couch would just sell!

New $20 Challenge Balance: $818.31

take piano lessons. Unfortunately, we don't have a piano. I could get one from my sister...she lives three hours away. But my sister was looking forward to having it.

I'll have to look into renting or finding a give away piano. I don't even know what the least expensive type costs.

She took dance lessons this year and has decided she doesn't want to continue. I had no idea she had an interest in piano! I could have been saving for this.

Interesting how children's interests change! How does one plan for that. Of course, if it turns out we can't afford it then it won't be an option and she'll have to find something else.

I'm off to look at craigslist!

to my gas fireplace has now been turned to OFF! I hope to see a little savings next month on the gas portion of my bill.

I have a gas stove, so I think I may look at microwaving more items. I think I use the stove too often for simple items that could be microwaved. Need to get out and grill, too!

I've also noticed that I stay home more because of gas prices. It's nice that the bus picks my girls up for school, too.

So, awhile back I declared that we would use all extra funds to pay down our home equity loan. I have yet to send in any extra funds. I have over $3k that I could send in. Why the hesitation?

I'm not sure. I do know that we have spent the better part of a year waiting for my husband's raise and promotion, which he did get. The plan had been to get a new to us, Honda or Toyota van. We have spent a year looking at ads, watching prices, wishing and wanting and waiting.

Now the cash is there for a down payment. The cash flow is there for a monthly payment. There is even $800-900 extra per month...even with a car payment.

Is the decision really either or? Can we buy a newer van and work on the home equity? Would we feel too squeezed to do both at the same time. Would it be better to focus on one rather than the other? I'm really indecisive.

Haven't really let my husband know that I'm hesitating. He's pretty busy and stressed with work. So for now, the plan hasn't changed. We don't even have time to go new car shopping...not even for at least another 6 weeks!

The van and car we have just feel like they are both on their last legs. If we trade in the one with the best value, we would still need to put in money on the other one. The lowest value one gets the better gas mileage and my husband drives it to work.

We could probably pay off the home equity in about 6 or 7 months...just in time for tax time next year and cold weather van shopping.

I'm feeling impatient, hesitant and stuck all at the same time. I want it all and I want it now. I don't want to wait, I don't want to have MORE debt added to the home equity debt.

I just had to blog about this...I don't know if there is an easy answer.

Additional Note: We have an EF, the $3K is extra.

I had a garage sale with two neighbors on Thursday and Friday. We had great weather and lots of buyers!! Our total take for all was $798.50. My portion was $270.50!! That is my best garage sale return EVER.

I had so much fun! It is a lot of work, but I enjoy seeing and talking to the people. I love to see what people buy. I like the negotiation. I love it all.

I even joked with my girlfriends that I would love to be paid to set up other people's garage sales. Do you think anyone would pay for that service?

We saved our signs and will consider having another sale in the fall. One neighbor still has a house full of things to sell off. I plan to use ebay and craigslist over the summer to sell a few remaining items.

I will add this to my $20 Challenge.

New Balance: $803.31

Oh, and a before sale picture! I wish I took an after...it is amazing how much we cleared out.

I figured out a way to save a little cash while making dinner!!

I need to cook out on the grill as often as possible. We have a propane tank that is at least half full. We probably bought the fuel about 2 years ago. I wonder how much we paid?

I use a gas stove...crazy I know...so if I cook outside on the grill I will reduce my gas bill temporarily.

It's also time to turn off the pilot light on the family room fireplace. If it does get cold again...I'll just use a blanket!

Only bad part about my bbq could be the cost of meat! I guess one can grill veggies. Can you make pizza on a grill? How about pasta? Would I need to buy a special pot?

I checked irs.gov and it looks like we are on schedule to receive our stimulus money of $1800 on Friday. Most it will go back in to savings to reimburse us for the major car repair we had a couple weeks ago.

By Friday, I should have some cash from the garage sale and Ebay to start sending in extra payments to the home equity loan. Can't wait to see how much damage I can do to it in the next week.

My husband has been traveling so much we are spending a bit less on the home front. He spent less than his allotted travel money, so that means a little extra in our pocket, too.

I may not be blogging for a few days because of the garage sale...just hope that I'm bringing in lots of cash!

I've started running! Usually, when I'm at the gym I lift weights and use the elliptical machine. For some reason, I've had the desire to run. So, I started with a mile at the indoor track.

Today, I ran two miles straight outside in about 20 minutes. There were even hills to run! Those were challenging. I just kept looking up the hill to the horizon. I knew at the top would be relief...either downhill or flat land.

I never quit. It was tempting at times, but I feel better knowing I didn't have to stop. I want to run a 5K in about a month. That's 3.1 miles. So, obviously, I will have to keep running to work up to the 3.1 miles.

It's interesting how investing, debt payoff or other money goals have similarities to running. Some goals are short term...getting to the top of the hill. Some are long term...running a longer distance.

Who knows where this new hobby will take me. Maybe someday I'll be a marathon runner! I do know that our savings and investing goals will bring us great dividends and most likely millionaire status.

Reach for your goal and keep looking to the horizon!!

I put a couch up for sale on craigslist on a few days ago. I have only received one inquiry as to the brand. It is a custom made couch, built in the early 90's.

How much do you think I should sell it for? It is actually a love seat measuring 79" across...so almost the size of a couch! I will be including a moss green Land's End slip cover. Both items are free of rips and stains.

Here's the picture:

I'm holding a garage sale late next week. I shopped today for poster board and price stickers. I spent $8.36 on these supplies. Now it may turn out that I will be able to return a piece of poster board or a package of price stickers.

I also put a 3 day advertisement in our local paper for $28.00!! That is for 6 lines of print. It seems a little pricey, too. Maybe I should own a newspaper...

Now, I will be splitting these costs with my neighbor with whom I am having the garage sale. I'm sure I could have done it much more frugal, by making a sign out of cardboard or using masking tape for prices.

I hope that my advertisement, neon yellow signs and clearly marked prices bring us large profits. We both have many nice things to sell.

tulips! I went on a mini day vacation with my neighbor today while our kids were in school. A nearby town is having their annual tulip festival. I'm a big flower lover, so it was wonderful to get outside and take in the fantastic sites.

I spent $20 on a tour, admission to a historical windmill/dutch town and food. It was a little more than I really wanted to spend, but we did have a great time!

Here's a picture:




Have a great weekend everyone!

to drive in my new home state. I moved a year and half ago. Ssshh! Don't tell anyone.

I paid $23 for a 5 year license. I think they have two year licenses, but I'm pretty sure I'll be here for a little longer than that. It is quite a drive to the location, so I figure by getting the 5 year license I save myself time by not having to renew my license again and gas by not having to drive such a distance.

My neighbor went with me to get the license. It was nice of her to support me and stay on my case about getting it. I bought her a juice drink later. My coffee was free, because of a frequent buyer card I have. My mom usually buys when she's in town.

I also picked up a little candy for May Day baskets. We used cups we already had. Popped one bag of popcorn to divide among the cups. Added the candy...with some leftover for us.

Oh, I need to add our April interest to the challenge. It was down this month, of course, despite my balance being slightly higher. We received $11.95.

New Balance = $532.81

This has been a fabulous month for me with Pinecone surveys. I have completed 5 surveys for them. I received a check yesterday for $5.00 that I will add to the challenge.

New Balance = $168.42

Our regular home equity payment of $118 was posted yesterday. Only $23.22 went to principal. There will definitely be more money hitting that account in May. We are just waiting to pay for a few large dollar items before we start kicking in down.

I just realized that I did not add in the April ebay funds to the challenge. So that creates a new total of....

$520.86

My youngest daughter has allergies. She was diagnosed at about 9 months...her first spring! Looking back, she had allergies immediately. We have a picture where she is two weeks old and my husband has put a warm washcloth over her eyes and top of her nose to help her stuffy nose.

She was given a prescription and eventually switched to Zyrtec several years ago. We've paid various copays over the years. The highest I remember was $18/mo. The lowest on our current plan was $9. Actually, the lowest has been $0, when Pfizer used to give rebates up to $10 back! Boy, I miss those days.

Now, Zyrtec is over the counter and not available for prescription. My DD was taking the chewable version. Do you know how much it costs to buy chewable Zyrtec for a child who takes one pill everyday 10 months out of the year? You do the math...$12.99 for a package of 12 tablets.

Because of the cost, I made her switch to pills she will swallow. Target sells 30 of these tablets for $19.99. My price just more than doubled...much better than the chewables. DD has done great in getting them down. They are small, but she bites it in half and swallows each half. Seems to work!

Now, here's the exciting part! Walgreen's sells a generic version of Zyrtec. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to get 30 tablets for $7.99 with their in store coupon!! Yeah, now the price is lower than what I used to pay.

I may just grab some more to stock up. This week they have 90 tablets for $22.99!

Bad news, turned into good news! Funny thing is my daughter is brand loyal. She gets mad at the Claritin commercials that put down the drug she takes. I did tell her about the generic, but she's still a fan of the Zyrtec.

Remember my ebay goal of netting $100 in the month of April. Well, I far exceeded it!! With four more sales last week, we netted out for the month at $352.44 after all the shipping, ebay and paypal fees.

I have never done so well on ebay. I think I only had one thing that didn't sell. I have to give credit to the type of items. Surplus army gear from my husband's stash of stuff. Do you have any idea how much gear we store at home? He has been in the Army for almost 17 years...so it adds up over time, especially when the Army changes uniforms!

For now, I'm taking an ebay break. It's time to gear up for the garage sale. My pile has been building. I'm so good at getting rid of things that I don't usually net much more than $100 at a garage sale, but I'm hoping to get close to double this year.

Oh, I finally branched out and sold internationally this time, too! I sent items to Argentina and France. Now I'm an international seller!! I think it helped sales, too.

I cashed in my points for surveys a few weeks back. The check arrived yesterday for $30! Mysurveys are a little slow getting their checks out, but they always arrive.

This will count towards the $20 Challenge.

New Balance = $163.42

Our focus has been to save money for a down payment on a new to us Toyota or Honda van. Now, we are changing plans.

The new plan is to pay off our home equity loan as soon as possible. I estimate it will take us at least the rest of the year to do this.

We really need to hold on to some equity as we move around the country with the Army. It looks like we will have at least two more years here. When the time comes, I would like to have that loan paid off so the money can be used as a down payment on the next home.

After the loan is paid off, we'll save some more for the van down payment and then finance the rest. The van we are replacing is a 1997 Dodge Caravan with over 120k miles. Right now it needs new tires and power steering pump replaced. We will take care of those things in the next two months with cash.

We were really looking forward to getting a newer van. In some ways, we are disappointed, but we know it is the right thing to do. Finally, we have our heads on straight!!

If anyone, has any thoughts or inputs I'd be happy to hear them.

Wow, I don't know if I'm the first to have caught on to this! Hereis the article.

I guess for those first on the list by ss number will get their payments 4 days earlier. So instead of Friday, May 2, you will receive your rebate direct deposited this Monday, April 28th. The schedule is bumped up for everyone including those set to receive checks!

Here's to a happy robust economy to come! Cheers!!

I'm beginning to question whether I should continue to buy fuel for my vehicle that contains ethanol. In the past, I have always purchased the cheapest fuel. And it has been for a long time, made with ethanol.

From my understanding, farmers receive cash or subsidies to encourage and help support them in growing corn. These subsidies are our tax dollars. Without these subsidies we the cost to produce the corn that is turned into fuel would be higher...those costs would be passed on to the consumer at the gas pump. More than likely, this would make the ethanol fuel more expensive than regular unleaded fuel.

So, I just wonder if it would be worth my money to demand a different, more expensive grade of fuel at the pump. And if everyone did this, would the decrease in demand, cause the government to stop spending money to subsidize corn production for fuel? How else would it effect the economy...for better or worse?

Hmmm...I wonder.

My oldest daughter just turned 11 a month ago. When she was born in 1997, my grandfather, her great grandfather was still living. As a gift he purchased her a $50 Series EE Savings Bond.

For those of you who don't know. These bonds are purchased at half the face value. In this case he paid $25.00. The bond accumulates interest every 6 months for 30 years, when it will mature to a total value of $50.00.

The bond is payable to her in her correct name. It was intended to list me as the recipient in case of my daughters death. It has the correct last name, but the nickname of my sister when she was growing up!

I tried once soon after the gift was received to cash it in for the current face value...which would have been $25.00. I was going to then put the cash in her UTMA account. The person who handled these was out to lunch...and I never made it back.

So, today I find the bond when looking for other papers. I decide to check out the treasury departments website to determine how much it is worth. Can anyone guess? It's not $50, but $38.08.

Seems pretty good for only accumulating interest for 11 years! I know, I know, it would have earned so much more in that mutual fund.

So, do I help my daughter get it cashed? She has no id. My name technically isn't on the bond. I also don't have a local bank. All our banking is done online, so I don't have a bank that "knows" me.

It's probably worth emailing my bank. Any banking people that might have some insight?

In our town this week, it is spring clean up time. This is when people can put out trash that isn't picked up normally. Ususally, this means larger items you can't fit in your trash.

The fun part about this is that people also come looking for things they can take from your pile. I saw two different neighbors put out old lawn furniture. Someone with a van, came and hauled them way for their own use.I like it that some of the items are saved from the landfill and that someone gets something for free.

I actually found something to take from a neighbor's pile two doors down. They were getting rid of 8 foot landscape timbers. I took 3 from the pile. I'm going to use them with 3 that I already have to box in my new garden.

Happy spring cleaning!

I broke a spring on my Ford Taurus today! It tore a giant ring/hole in my tire. Completely blown out. Yikes!! You know what that means...a car repair bill.

Before I tell you how much, I want to say that it happened in my neighborhood only three houses from mine. Luckily, my husband was still home from work to help me figure out what happened. I also have the cash to pay the bill in full. For these, I am so very grateul.

Including a regular oil change and air filter, my total bill for struts, tire, and springs with labor and taxes is....

$1,404.93!!

Every month at this time, we have our Roth IRA investment money deducted automatically from our checking account. Right now we are each investing $432 per month.

Yes, I'm aware that that would put us over the $5,000 minimum investment for the year. For three months we were investing the amount to get us to $4K. We added a little extra to get us to $5K by the end of the year.

It feels good to have it happen automatically. It's just done and I don't have to think about it other than to record it in the checkbook. And because it is on auto, I don't think to spend that money elsewhere.

I received a $5.00 check from Pinecone today. They really make for the best kind of mail!!

I will add it to my challenge money. If anyone is wondering, I will be adding my ebay money to the challenge at the end of the month.

New Balance = $133.42