Our new house is actually new. We are the first owners. Therefore, there are zero window coverings. We currently have sheets taped up to the windows for privacy in the bedrooms.

We purchased faux wood blinds for a few of our windows at our previous home. We really liked them. While we were waiting to get into the house, we ordered samples, so we could decide on a color right away.

We ordered blinds for 11 windows from JustBlinds.com in a chestnut color that matches the woodwork in our house. One window is very large and required an additional charge to ship. It is actually three blinds on one headrail, too.

Our total order was $908. It seems like a lot, but seems pretty reasonable for 11 blinds, with many of them being large. No regrets on that purchase. I think any bigger purchases will wait several weeks while we get settled and used to the space we are in.

Everything is out of moving boxes. I'm thinking of attempting to sell them on craigslist. We are not centrally located in town, so it may be a long shot. I will inventory those and put up an ad this week. If they don't get bought, I will have the moving company pick them up to free up the space.

When you move do you use a moving company or pack yourself? Where do you get your moving boxes? Do you pay for them or find them for free?

Geez! I'm beyond annoyed. The buyers want ALL the nails in the siding to be pounded in flush or replaced, caulked and painted to match the siding. ALL.

There are 25 for sure that need to be replaced. I could even venture there are 100 that could be looked at. ALL would be over 3000 nails. That is a lot of labor. Labor they want done by an exterior contractor.

I've decided no. This is basically cosmetic and can be done by the buyer. We will resecure the deck to the siding as that could be a safety issue. That's it.

As a result of the application for a new home mortgage we received a copy of our credit scores from all three credit bureaus.

All were in the excellent range from what I could tell. If you know otherwise, let me know.

Experian Range 150-950
DH: 826
Me: 798

Equifax Range 300-850
DH: 782
Me: 801

TransUnion Range 336-843
DH: 799
Me: 791

There were comments on both of our reports from all three companies indicating we have too many accounts with balances, time with recent account opening too short and too many inquiries in the last 12 months.

The truth is we have opened a three credit cards in the last twelve months to obtain rewards. We purchased a truck in the last year. So I guess all those comments are correct, but I think our scores are pretty good. No complaints here.

Have you seen your credit score recently? I believe you can get an approximate one if you sign up for free at

If we need to rent our home, I found out that USAA offers Rental Home Insurance. This is different than if you are renting a home from somebody. This insurance is also referred to as fire insurance. It covers the dwelling, personal liability for legal and medical costs AND coverage for lost income.

I haven't yet inquired into the cost, but I would guess it would be less than our current homeowner's policy that covers our personal belongings as well.

One learns something new everyday it seems. What did you learn today?

We have had one showing this morning, with a possible return this evening. We also now have another showing this afternoon! Excited that there is interest in our home!!

While I was away this morning for the showing I was going to return an item and shop for something. Darn. I forgot the receipt I needed to return the item and the coupon I was going to use to buy the other item!

I ended up at Target and spend about $12 on some needed items. And then I picked up two books at the library. I hope I don't spend money everytime there is a showing. That could add up fast.

I will bring water and a snack in the car for later when I pick the girls up from school to avoid buying them a treat. Maybe we'll make those other errands I didn't get done this morning.

Fingers still crossed!!

The listing went live this morning and our realtor had a call after 10am to schedule a showing for tomorrow morning at 10am! Yipee!!

It sounds like the buyers are motivated. They don't have a home to sell and they already put an offer in on another home, but they missed out on it because of multiple offers. They are preapproved, too.

The agent even indicated that if they like the home they may come back later in the evening for a second walk through.

My fingers are still crossed!!

The house is going on the market today! Professional photos were taken this morning. I can't wait to see them. The agents and the photographer are thrilled with how the house looks. They said it looks professionally staged. I guess I have a career I could turn to!

I really have my fingers crossed for a quick sale. It will help everything else go smoother for our move. We sold our last home in five days for $500 more than list to a cash buyer. If you have sold a home how long did it take to sell?

I'm pretty sure that we have decided not to go For Sale By Owner on the sale of our current house. We haven't listed yet, as we are still waiting for order from the US Army. Could they be any slower? Apparently.

I'd love to go FSBO to save the money. The truth is we might not actually save that money on FSBO route. We might not negotiate well. We might list too low. We might not get any buyers to visit. We might spend too much time with open houses. Of course, I could say the opposite of all of these.

There is something to be said for a good realtor that knows the market and how to negotiate with a buyer and their realtor. The money to pay an agent, might net us a higher offer, a better list price, advice based on years of experience. The agent has contact with multiple agents around the city and elsewhere.

I've decided that it is worth the money to pay an agent to make this sale go as smoothly and as stress free as possible. I am after all one person and can't do it all. I'm already doing enough to handle the finances for two households, prep the house for sale, keep it cleaned daily, feed my kids and cats, grocery shop, sew costumes and return library books on top of researching our next place to live (and schools), deciding whether to buy or rent, and....well you get the idea.

Thanks for all the feedback on my FSBO post earlier this month. I appreciate your insights. It was interesting that not too many had actually sold their home by owner. Only one person commented that they had. I'm sure some day, I'll try it, but for now I've decided it is worth the money.

That's the latest. How are home sales in your area?

It's my blogoversary today!! I've been here for four years and have accomplished so many goals. Thanks for cheering me on.

Do you think I have the skills to sell our home by myself based on these pictures? I don't have a wide angle lens camera, but the FSBO package I would buy would include someone taking wide angle lens photos and a walk through video.










The biggest pro for us with FSBO is simply saving the money that it would cost us to sell with a realtor which is 6% of the sales price. This would allow us to save around $10K. I would definitely have to do some work to save that money, specifically doing the showings.

We would likely put the house on the market FSBO as soon as we get orders. Once we move, likely the beginning of June, we would list with a realtor or rent the home. It would be harder to show the house when living two hours away.

Outside picture is old, we don't own that car anymore!

It's freezing here! I can't wait for the wind to stop blowing. The furnace is definitely getting it's winter workout.

We received our first quote for new vinyl flooring. My original estimate was based on the wrong price per square foot and I didn't know what the extras would be. Total quote $2,367.43. Whoa. A bit more than my original $800 estimate. I was really hoping for less than $1,500.

We will get another quote or two. This one includes our kitchen which may not really need to be done, but we were hoping to get all the vinyl to match. Right now we have three patterns.

The extra costs included $150 per toilet. We have three. Moving 4 appliances was $120. Removing and replacing quarter round is another $139. It all adds up. I could likely move appliances and handle the quarter round, but not the toilets. Wish DH could be here to do those, but he won't be.

Again, we'll get another quote and consider dropping the kitchen vinyl. I think we'll head out to another store or two today...but I don't really want to when it is so cold!!

Did it get colder where you are?

I'm still thinking through 2012 goals and will post once I'm done. Part of me wants to skip them for the time being, but it is a fact that a goal gets results.

I'm sure the goals will include college, retirement, savings, and debt. I think I might include a goal for a free 2012 Christmas as well as a side income goal.

I might even go as far as to say one of our goals will be to be mortgage free. I'm sure that got your attention!

I know some of you have posted your goals. Are some of you struggling to come up with goals? What problems are you running into?

We had our power steering pump replaced on our Honda Odyssey this spring. It was covered under our Honda Care Plan...well the pump was, but not the replacement fluid and labor. We were just glad to have it fixed.

About a month ago or more we were notified by Honda that power steering pumps would be covered under warranty longer on certain Odyssey's, including ours. I decided to fill out the claim form and send in documentation of our repair. I asked them to reimburse the labor and fluid. I believe I asked for about $98.

Yesterday, a check for $116.92 arrived from Honda. Just the check. No explanation letter. Fine by me. I deposit the check.

Earlier in the week, we had our van in for an oil change and replaced our battery as well. Our charge for the day was around $123. It feel nice knowing that the reimbursement on the power steering pump just about covered our most recent expense.

I was at Target. Again. Picking up a few grocery items. I spent about $20. I received a $5 Catalina coupon off my next purchase of $50 or more.

You can bet I can make use of that coupon!!

I wonder if Target will do another Facebook deal this week for the $10 gift cards? Any guesses?

I've started wrapping gifts. Most things are going in gift bags. Gift bags I never bought. I've just accumulated quite a few over the years from other people.

It looks like I can get everything wrapped with gift bags and wrapping paper on hand. It seems I even have two rolls of NEW wrapping paper!

This actually might be the second year in a row that I have not bought gift wrap. I think this has to do with stocking up a little too much on paper one year!

How do you handle gift wrap?

One dollar and 66 cents spent at Old Navy on my new Chase Freedom Card. That's it. I made my one purchase and now it is time to reap the rewards!!

I feel a bit evil about this. Earning $300 from one measly purchase. But not too evil!

In the mail yesterday. A check for $255. Somewhat unexpected. My older daughter officially decided to stop tumbling. She loves it, but doesn't love the recital part. And it is a big part for this studio.

The check was for prepaid tuition (which is stated as non refundable in their policies). I thought maybe we would get the costume deposit back since we cancelled early enough. Nope...we received 5 months of tuition plus the costume deposit.

Can't complain. It seems cash it just flowing in!!

My Chase Freedom card arrived in the mail today. I have activated it. I also enrolled in the bonus categories to get 5% cash back.

The woman on the phone confirmed that I will receive 30,000 bonus points after one purchase. A purchase of any amount. The points then can be redeemed for $300!

Exciting! Now to decide what my purchase will be. I might just do our annual charity donation since it is one of the bonus categories.

On Friday I finally gathered up all those items I found during the recent purge and made a run to Goodwill to drop them off. The store is only five blocks away so I'm not sure why it took me so long to make it there.

I always make a note of everything I donate and even go so far as to take a picture. I attach the receipt given by the charity to my list and file it in with our tax documents for the year.

Yesterday, we gathered up our pennies and other coins and dropped them off at a local Salvation Army kettle. We went to a specific location since our neighbors were ringing the bells. They were bringing in quite a bit of money even in the brief time we were there.

You have just a few weeks left to make your final charitable donations for the year. Anyone want to share a unique way you give to others? Time or money?

If you shop online and use a Mastercard, you can receive a $20 Mastercard gift card after spending $200.

The details and enrollment information can be found

I did some online shopping yesterday at Amazon and Shutterfly.

At Amazon, I bought a book for my daughter and a gift each for a niece and nephew. I also picked up cat food! Same price I would pay here, but I don't have to drive to go get it! I signed up for a trial Prime subscription to get free two day shipping. My items will arrive tomorrow.

I had a Shutterfly coupon for $20 which I earned for buying school pictures. I bought a personalized notepad for my daughter with the unusal spelled name, and two 8x10 collage pictures to give as gifts. Spent about $7 out of pocket...primarily for shipping. I now have three collage prints to give as gifts, with the free one I picked up from Walgreens on Saturday.

I have quite a few coupons and free items to take advantage of. I hope these will all help keep my holiday costs to a minimum. It seems it all adds up pretty fast!

Did you cyber shop yesterday? How is your holiday shopping coming along? Any great deals?

I applied for two different Chase credit card offers about a week ago. The Freedom card was just approved after I returned a call to their fraud department and verified my identity.

Unfortunately, I was denied for the Chase Sapphire card first by mail and then on the phone. It seems I was denied due to lack of income. Yes, I'm a homemaker. I don't have my own income.

I can't say I blame them for turning me down, but yet they also approved me for nearly $10K in credit on another card. Where do they think I'll get the money for that if I'm denied based on my income alone?

I will play the game on this one card, but after this...I'm done. Why did I think I wanted to play in the first place? Oh yeah, free money! At least I have $300 coming our way with the Freedom card.

I'm a member at World Market. I checked my account today and found I have a $10 coupon off a $10 purchase. It was a birthday gift. I'm glad I checked because it expires on December 1st!!

I'm not sure if this will be a gift for me or for someone else, but it will be useful either way. I think I'll be stopping in tomorrow to at least look around.

I saw my good friend this weekend. I've mentioned her before back when they took out a 401K loan. Of course, I encouraged her then not to do so.

I found out they are paying cash for Christmas. They aren't using any credit. It seems she is finding some great deals. She found a very pretty dress for a niece on clearance. Regular price was $50, marked down to $14.99. She had a $10 coupon, so she paid only $4.99 plus tax for a very nice gift. She's a good shopper...thus the amount of debt!

They have paid $400 for an appraisal on their home. They are hoping for a minimum appraisal of $119K, but are hoping for closer to $130K. Similar houses in the area have sold for $114K to $140K. The refinancing could save them anywhere from $300 per month to $800 per month. In her words, $800 a month would be a game changer for them.

They already both work full time and part time. I just wish them the best. I think this has definitely taught them a lesson in frugalness.

I just keeping finding more free money that I could use towards gifts! Here's the latest deal:

I bought the girls school pictures and received a $20 coupon to spend at Shutterfly.com!! I will have to pay shipping for the items, but I think I can make use of this deal.

I wonder what other money I have lurking around in my house. Do you have any great coupons you are using for your holiday shopping?

I've written a semi small post twice. It's been eaten. I will try again later if this test post works.

I'll try to keep this short since my previous attempts to post were unsuccessful.

I have the following to add to my Christmas money:

$10 coupon off $10 purchase - JC Penney
$10 Old Navy rewards certificate
$30 reuseit credit
$7.22 credit at iherb (plus $6.81 pending)

Now to see how I can use this to get gifts free or for less!!

I made Apricot Chicken in the crockpot today. Unfortunately, I didn't start it until 2pm. And the chicken was frozen. So to be safe, I decided it was dinner for tomorrow instead of tonight. And that turns out to be a good thing!

Tonight we had soup and grilled cheese. Easy!

I love the crockpot. I really should find more things to make in it. What is your favorite crockpot dish?

Over four months ago we had the power steering pump replaced in our Honda Odyssey. The part was covered under our Honda Care warranty. However, labor and new power steering fluid was at our cost. We paid about $98 for those items.

Last week I received a notice from Honda indicating that the power steering pump warranty has been extended and they will repair the pump up to 100,000 or 7 years. Good news. If it happens again.

Included with the letter is instructions for requesting reimbursement if you already replaced your power steering pump out of pocket. Our pump was paid for, but I'm wondering about the labor and the replaced fluid. Do you think I have any recourse for those to be reimbursed? Should I send in the information and try?

I went shopping with my daughter last night for a white concert shirt. Those white shirts can be tough to find. We ended up finding a shirt at Sears for $12.50.

I paid with my debit card, but not before the sales clerk tried to convince me to apply for one of two different Sears credit cards. The incentive? The shirt would be free. A savings of over $13 once sales tax was added on.

Sears. You'll have to do better than that to convince me to apply for one of your cards. I'm not much a fan of your stores, although I love that I can find Land's End merchandise there and can return the stuff I buy online. Otherwise, your store is my last resort in shopping.

I passed up the credit card offer and paid the $13.25 for the shirt. That is a good deal on a shirt my daughter will wear three times in the next 7 months.

Would Sears have convinced you to apply for their credit card with the offer of a free item? Why or why not?

Do you want something for free or nearly free?

You can get two free card sets for the holidays (or another purpose)from Kodak Gallery. You do need to pay for shipping. Thus the nearly free reference. Although you might be able to pick up at a local store. Not sure.

Here's the 2 cards free