I was curious. I looked back at our check register to see when we received our income tax refunds last year.

Federal Feb 8, 2008
State Feb 13, 2008

Obviously, we e-filed both returns with direct deposit. That's only about 4-5 weeks away!! I should be able to have our returns this early this year,too, since DH will get his W2 on January 23rd. I can have everything else by the end of January.

I'm just a little excited about this since the money will be going to our (drum roll, please) home equity loan payoff!!

My rough estimate is to expect $499 from the federal government and over $1300 from the state of Iowa. I can't seem to get them to withhold any less...crazy!

We have a 2002 Ford Taurus. We bought it used a few years back for $8,000...I think. It was a quick purchase, because of an unexpected car accident. It has been a very disappointing car. My gut knew better, too!

In 2008, we spent $2K on car repairs. Yesterday, we started a new total for 2009. We had to have the rear wheel bearings replaced on ONE side. Total cost $239.

This is going to eat into the cash I can send into the home equity loan. Darn American car!!

Oh this is so exciting! It's not very often I make a new investment.

I'm in investing in energy saving bulbs. Yes, the now famous CFL bulbs! I specifically asked for a Home Depot gift card from my parents for Christmas so I could purchase a few. I didn't specify an amount, but they were generous and gave me $50.

Did you know that CFL's come in soft white, bright white and daylight? We bought the bright light, but after trying them in our living room we decided they were a little too bright for our preferences. We moved these to the garage and the basement where brighter light is more desirable.

We are taking the other bright white bulbs back to exchange them for the soft white. These are actually a little cheaper, too. So, we'll get to pick up a few more!! We are replacing as many as we can with the $50, starting with the lights we use the most often.

It will be interesting to see what kind of return I get on this investment. Of course, my actual outlay is $0 thanks to my gift card. So, any result should be positive!!

I should probably start unplugging my microwave, too. I hear those are huge energy hogs, just because of that little light!

Happy New Year!

Today was payday! I paid the regular bills and made a large extra principal payment to the home equity loan. How much you ask?

$599!!

Okay, I could have rounded up, but this amount leaves a nice even balance of $13,300 left to pay. Boy, this payoff stuff is going to be fun!!

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We will spend today taking down our holiday decorations and watching a football game on TV. Hopefully a NSD!!