The regular payment on our truck loan posted yesterday. The principal portion reduced our loan balance to: $12,997.39!

We are under $13,000. Yipee!

In other news, I made a cover for my sewing machine. Now it doesn't have to sit in the original box from 1997! I found the idea and instructions

on this blog.

Once every four months I check our credit reports for free with one of the three major credit bureau. My online calendar reminded me today that it was time to check in with Equifax.

I went to the

annualcreditreport.com website to obtain our free reports.

Turns out everything checks out okay. It is amazing to me how long some of those credit cards stay on a report long after you have closed them. Some of those cards I closed in 2003 or before!

I will check our reports again at the end of January. And I won't forget because my calendar will send me a reminder email. So nice!

Netflix is changing their plan options as many of you know. I decided to change my plan to unlimited steaming only. Right now, we seem to watch the most from those selections.

Dropping the 2 discs out at a time saves us $7.42 over what we have been paying and keeps us from spending an additional five dollars per month that would have resulted with the new plan fees.

At some point, I might switch back to getting some disc. Right now, I think we will just grab a Red Box movie when needed.

Did you make a change to your Netflix account this month because of the new fees?

It seems there is always someone who is suffering more than us. Right now, my thoughts go out to those in Africa, who are without food, water and even shelter.

I decided that we have cash to spare even though at times it feels that money is tight. I made a donation today to the

American Red Cross to help those who are in much greater need.

The Red Cross also accepts donations of hotel and airline miles, rewards from some credit card companies and matching donations from your employer. I know that you can donate your MyPoints, too. This would require nothing out of your pocket, but help those who are greatly suffering.

Do you know of other creative ways to help those in need? Please share so that we all may help others in their greatest hour of need.

Wow! I checked my Swagbucks account a couple days ago and realized that I had more than enough points to redeem a $5 Amazon.com gift card. I had not been on my account for quite a few months. I'm pretty sure I only had 100 points or so at that time.

It appears some of you may have signed up for swagbucks from the link on my side bar. As a result, when you earn points, so do I. Thank you very much for linking from my blog. It is very much appreciated.

I'm already more than halfway towards another $5 gift card on Amazon. I'm thinking I need to keep up with Swagbuck points until the end of December. I really need to rack up some additional gift cards before Christmas. Shopping online is so much smoother than going out in the cold store to store. And, it seems, it might be a little bit tighter this year for gifts. I will be racking up as many Amazon gift cards I can get.

If you are not already a Swagbucks member, you might check it out. (My affiliate link is on my sidebar.) It is a free site to join and you can participate in as many or as little of the offers you choose. I generally do searches, the daily poll, go to the survey page for available surveys, and the no obligation special offers (which you don't even need to sign up for) to receive my points.

Do you use Swagbucks? How do you earn your points?

You know that you can get a free copy of your credit report once each year from each of the three credit reporting agencies, right? If not, there is a central site called

annualcreditreport.com that provides access to all three credit reporting companies.

Today I was reminded by my online calendar to check our credit reports at Experian. I will get the same reminder in four months to check another one of the credit reporting companies. In one years time, I will have checked our credit reports at all three agencies. You can look at your report at each company all in one day if you prefer. However, you will have to wait another year to get free access.

Please be aware that the site is secure and that it is perfectly okay to enter your social security number at this site only.

It appears all the information on our reports is fine, as expected. However, I was reminded of two revolving credit accounts with two retailers we rarely do business with. I think it is time to close those.

Do you check your credit reports regularly? If not, why?

Just thinking ahead to next year when we have to sell our home. DH will already be living in our new location (still yet to be determined).

I'm pondering the idea of selling our house without a real estate agent. We had really good success in selling our home in 2006 with an agent that was awesome to work with. Of course, we sold the house in 5 days too. But those agents cost money. In our case, we would pay over $10K to sell this house. I would love to be able to bank that money.

Has anyone personally sold their house without an agent? What tips would you give? What would you say the negative aspects were? The positive?

My husband sent in his travel voucher for his time on deployment the day after he returned, which was over three weeks ago. Just today we found out that it is being kicked back because it has the incorrect line of accounting. It is being sail mailed back for revision.

So...we wait.

This travel payment is worth over $1200 to us. So, I'd like to see it sooner rather than later. It seems every little drop off cash is more important lately. Which means I should probably start looking for things we can sell around here. At least it will keep me busy while we wait.

Really? Come on. Just get it done. That's what the Army does. They get it done. Families and business live on the money they bring in. These congressmen should have had a budget ready in September of 2010 for this current fiscal year. Over six months ago.

I completely support necessary spending cuts. And yes, some people are going to get upset because of the cuts. But our government is spending more than it brings in. It is time to cut. And cut deep. Stop crying and get it done.

I'm just tired of it already.

I've been blogging on Saving Advice for exactly three years. It's been great. I think it has helped me stick to our goals. And make goals for that matter.

I have two girl friends with birthdays in March. Today I used fabric I already own to make them each a zippered lined pouch. I had the zippers too. Free gifts!!

I will have to mail one. Not a necessity, but a small amount that I'm willing to pay to get it to her by her birthday next week. I plan use notecards I already own to write a birthday message to each of them. And as any other frugal person, I have plenty of gift bags and wrapping paper if needed.

It was a no spend day. A good way to start off the no spend month challenge. Yep. I've committed. It may not go perfect, but its a goal to work towards.

Well...it seems there might be a problem with transmission fluid leaking from my van. My paid for van. I'm hoping it is a manufacturer issue that will be covered or a simple and inexpensive (in car terms) repair.

We have the emergency fund if it is a big issue. The bigger problem is handling the logistics of picking up children from school and not having a vehicle. I'm working on it. Family and friends likely to the rescue.

I bought an Amazon.com gift card under Monkey Mama's link, but thought I'd post my

link, if anyone wants to buy one! If you buy from the link, post a comment. Once three people buy I will have received a free $20 Amazon card.

It's a great deal either way! Funny thing is I just bought some items yesterday from Amazon.com.

David Bach's new book, Debt Free For Life, is available today only as a free download. He has pretty good advice and information. It might put you in a better spot by this time next year!

Download it

here and take a peek.

Thanks Dido for putting it on your blog, too. That's how I found out about it myself!

I applied for the Target RedCard today. I was procrastinating quite a bit. It is really hard for me want to use revolving credit. I decided that it was worth saving 5% everytime we shop there because we shop there ALL THE TIME. The store is less than three minutes from my house!

Yes, I was approved with a $2500 credit limit at 13.25%. That interest rate is scary. But I'm the type to pay off a credit card in full every month. And this one can only be used at Target.

Please don't make me change my SA screen name.

Just thinking...if we did not save extra in our emergency fund we probably would have paid off the van by now. Nice to think of. I do like having the extra emergency fund cash though.

My purchase I mentioned in the last post is getting delayed one day. Boo!

Potatoes and Chicken Italian Style
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c nonfat italian salad dressing
2 tsp dried italian seasoning
1 c. nonfat parmesan cheese
4 baking potatoes, cut into wedges

Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray(this tip has saved me so much time.) Place chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle half the salad dressing, italian seasoning and cheese on top of chicken; top with potatoes and repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.

I've actually made it with out potatoes and loved it too! Enjoy.

Well, I made a spontaneous purchase last night from a craigslist ad. I bought a rug for $20. It is 7.5 feet by about 9 feet. I picked it up less than 5 minutes away from my home!

I have put it in my unfinished basement. I was keeping my eye out for one, so it was a bit on my radar to be looking for.

One of my cats really likes it!

Yipee!! A no spend day here. I walked with a neighbor, fertilized the lawn, talked with a friend on the phone, watched a movie, unloaded the dishwasher, surfed the net for way too long! It all made for a day free of spending. It's all okay with me.

Today was not my most productive one as of late, but I think I needed a break from all the projects I've been working on. Now to see what tomorrow brings!

I'm going room by room and pulling out the clutter. I'm organizing a bit as I go. I have pulled quite a few things. This is all in preparation for a garage sale later in September. Well, it is for my sanity, too!!Why keep outgrown shoes and a swimsuit that wasn't worn since last summer?

This keeps me out of the stores, also! I think my allowance from this past payday is gone. We still have food and gas for the van.

I do see purchases in our future. Leotards for dance and tumbling along with a new pair of jazz shoes. Hmm...maybe someone will be selling an old pair? I also know the fundraisers will start coming home soon. I noticed older daughter will need a jacket soon, too. With all the new we have to buy, it just means more old to get rid of, preferably by selling.

Yesterday, I asked if you knew what the Dow is. Ready to hear the answer?

In a nutshell: an economic indicator

The Dow, also referred to as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), is an index or collection of 30 blue chip US stocks. It is an indicator that is over 100 years old. At one time it was a true average. The final price of each stock on a trading day tallied up and divided by 30. However, stock splits have occured making the divisor slightly different in order to provide continuity.

On the next trading day the same thing occurs and it is compared to the average from the day before. The average price is either up or down from the day before. This is often reported on the news.

Just think, though, only 30 stocks are represented! That is a very narrow view of the stock market. Sure, it includes some big companies (blue chips) that are considered leaders in their industry. However, it is not the whole picture.

There other indexes that are more broad that included stock performance of many more companies. There is the S&P 500 (500 companies are represented), the Wilshire 5000, the Russell 2000, and many more.

Many people buy index mutual funds that simply mirror or hold the same stocks that are included in one of the many indexes. It's a no brainer, on some level. If the index goes up, your index fund will go up also. There is not a fund manager to make decisions on what stocks to hold in the fund, because they have already been picked by the index.

Last I checked, Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world suggested index funds for the average investor. I actually own a fair amount of an S&P 500 fund.

There is more I could tell about the Dow, but I'll leave it at that for now. If you have any questions or want to add additional details in the comments feel free.

So, did you have any idea that is what the Dow is? Care to tell me what you thought it was?

I ask the question because I explained it to my sister recently and she was quite surprised at my answer. And surprised because she never really knew what it was. It makes me wonder how many people know.

So, tell me do you know? Can you explain it?

I will post the answer and clarify any misunderstandings that come up.

Yes, I made a mistake in our check register. Luckily it is in our favor!! I recorded that my husband took a $100 withdrawal twice, when it was really only once. For three weeks, I've had more money in the account than I realized.

It works out well because I need to get new sneakers for my daughters before school starts. I think we can get two pairs for about $100.

I still have the $9 I started the beginning of the week with!! If I buy anything today, it will be those shoes.

a vinyl swimming inner tube with a hole in it. I do have a patch, so it could be fixed. My experience is the patches don't last too long. So what can I use it for instead of throwing it in the landfill?

I did some google searching and didn't come up with anything. I guess bicycle inner tubes are more commonly reused! However, while searching I realized the vinyl (half of the tube is clear, the other blue) could be used to make a makeup bag with a vinyl lining. I've actually wanted to make one, but wasn't thrilled with the idea of buying more plastic.

I will put this on my list of things to try. Anyone else have ideas on what could be done with this vinyl?

We had some free excitement and entertainment here at our house. Last night while down in our unfinished basement my cat seemed quite interested in something out the window. The window with a window well.

Turns out a young bunny and a toad, both alive were in the window well. This is at least four feet below ground level. Aww...so cute! But how to get that bunny out before it dies.

I first put a board into the window well thinking it could crawl up and out. Once it was in, I realized that it was pretty steep. My youngest daughter suggested I open the window, when I said it would be nice to try and trap it, but couldn't figure out how I would do that four feet above ground.

I figured out how to get the window open. In this case, I had to pull the entire window out since the screen doesn't open! It's a fire escape window. Pretty easy actually. Now I'm prepared.

No luck trying to trap the bunny in a box. It was fast! I even tried a rake from inside thinking I could scoop it up and out the window well. Again...too fast! This all took place about 9:30pm last night. I was tired. I left the board in and hoped for the best.

This morning. Bunny still there. Hiding under the board. Toad still there, too. Toad seemed to be the least of my worries.

Brillant idea comes to me! Use the cat carrier and lure it into there with cilantro. Once again I open the fire escape window. Clear the basement of cats, who were so very interested. I set the carrier in, propped the door open, placed cilantro around the area along with a big bunch inside the carrier. Leave and wait. I actually left the fire escape window open. The bunny could have come in my basement if wanted to.

I waited only 10 minutes. Sure enough...in the cat carrier eating cilantro. Poor thing was probably pretty hungry. Luckily, I was able to get the carrier shut without it bolting out. I actually walked through the house with it! I put it outside and propped the door open. Next time I checked...bunny was gone. Leaving plenty of cilantro behind.

Now to sanitize the cat carrier!!

Oh...I almost forgot. I scooped the toad up with a used plastic blueberry container and then dumped him back up to ground level. Toads really aren't that fast!

Prior to deployment, I knew to the penny how much our paychecks were going to be. This works great for budgeting!! And I'm the type of person who likes to know these things.

Now...as deployment has begun, I find that the paychecks are a bit of a mystery. DH was paid on the 15th and I was able to see the amount a week prior, but not the details. The amount was about $850 more than normal. So what exactly is that $850 for? I won't get to see the details until later this week. And it's bugging me!!

We are expecting more funds during the deployment, but I don't yet know the particulars. I expect in another month the paycheck amounts will become stable again. This will help tremendously with my planning. And we know how I love to do that!

Right now, I'll just keep operating under the assumption that the paychecks will be at least what we are used to getting. All the extras will be a bonus!

I did some sewing yesterday and today. I primarily made a couple of new things. However, the other one was a used item that I repurposed into something else. I made a tote bag or reusable shopping bag out of a t shirt!

The t shirt was a Life is Good shirt that unfortunately met it's match by my cat's claws. Yep, the one in the picture. She looks so innocent, too. She just doesn't like to be picked up. The claw holes just made it unwearable.

I turned the shirt outside in and stitched up the bottom of the shirt. Turned it right side out again. I cut the sleeves and the collar off. I also trimmed the back of the shirt down to match the front collar. I now have a new tote bag...for free!!

I also used an old gift card as a scrapper earlier today. What kinds of things have you repurposed?

I didn't spend any money today. Yipee!!

I spent my day at the gym and baking chocolate chip bars. Seems contradictory, huh? The bars are my contribution for the teacher appreciation lunch at school. I did eat a couple extra ones.

I am going to lunch with a friend tomorrow and helping at school, so my spending will be minimal. I think I can make it through Friday without any big expenses.

The water bill arrived and it was less than normal. I think this is a result of last month's being higher. I think it was a billing date change, so it just evens out really.

My husband's travel expenditures from his last trip were finally paid today. If I didn't harp on him about someone approving it about 10 days ago, we would still be waiting.

Half the money went to pay the balance on his government credit card and the rest into our checking account. It doesn't feel like a windfall, considering how much over the reimbursed travel expenses he spent.

It is what it is!

In an effort to keep our spending down this week, I have stayed home today except for my trip to the gym.

I have spent my time cutting out pieces to make four placemats and four coasters. The coasters are a gift for Mother's Day! The fabric is pressed and pinned together. I will actually sew tomorrow afternoon.