Layout:
Home > Archive: August, 2008

Archive for August, 2008

More Luck Yesterday

August 26th, 2008 at 01:37 pm

I received a $3.00 Pinecone check in the mail. I'd forgotten all about it!

I also realized that I didn't record the principal payment on our home equity loan. So, our new balance is now $15,261.17...about $26 lower! I do hope to send more cash in towards principal at the end of the month...should be about $200 or so.

Just can't wait to see what kind of luck awaits me today! Have a good one.

It Must Be My Lucky Day

August 25th, 2008 at 05:06 pm

Really! Thanks to HelpMeFriend for the great tie in to add to this post. Okay, where to start.

Well, yesterday after spending the day at a local amusement park I came home to find that I sold three items on ebay for a gross total of $62.75!! I am thrilled with the results since one item sold for $49, when I was expecting about $30. Must have been my lucky day!

Today, I hopped on my bike to deliver those ebay packages to the post office. That is my first time ever doing an errand like that on my bike. Cool...gas savings and exercise. I also went to the gym after dropping packages off. Must be my lucky day!

I'm home now, recording some debit transactions and checking my bank account online. I noticed that I have been charged less for Netflix and the local paper. Netflix is lower because they had some shipping problems over a week ago and reduced our bill by 15% to make up for it. The local paper is less, because of credits for papers not delivered. Four days of no newspaper. Total savings $4.20. It must be my lucky day!!

Weather is perfect again, so no air conditioning here! It must be my lucky day.

The rest of my day will involve stripping a dresser. Again...a first for me. I've had this dresser for 6 years...just waiting to be redone. It was my father in law's and it is such a nice size to put in a corner or near a door. It must be my lucky day.

I wish you a lucky day, too!!

More Savings

August 24th, 2008 at 05:54 pm

The A/C is off again today. This will make 10.5 days during the month of August!! I expect it to stay off for a couple more, too, unless DD2's allergies start to act up.

We rode our bikes to buy sweet corn from a vendor and french bread from the nearby grocery store last night. Exercise, fresh air, fresh food and $0 in gas!! Perfect.

I am saving money for Christmas gifts. I will save our debit rewards money and survey money towards gifts for extended family members. Some of the nieces and nephews would like cash. I have $25 in bank rewards and $20 in mysurvey rewards. I expect to get at least another $50 in bank rewards and maybe $10-20 from mysurvey. That should be enough for those kids!

Christmas Cash Total $45

A/C Challenge Over

August 21st, 2008 at 06:35 pm

Today is much cooler, but the windows will have to stay closed because it is raining. I'm pretty sure the air will not kick on today, so it is close to being off.

I see several warm days in our future, so for now the a/c challenge is over. We managed to make it 8.5 days without air conditioning during the month of August. I guess we could say 9.5 since it won't run today...that's almost a third of the month!

My kids are back at school today with my oldest starting 6th grade at the middle school. The youngest is still in elementary. They will be riding different buses and leaving and arriving at different times. It seems strange already. Cost of the first day of school...$5.28 to go to breakfast with the neighborhood mom's.

12 Hours of A/C

August 19th, 2008 at 07:32 pm

I broke down yesterday and turned on the air conditioning for 12 hours. We were gone most of the day and when we returned it was 85 degrees in the house!! That is just too hot.

I turned it off this morning at 6am...probably could have turned it off sooner, but I wasn't awake!! It is still off, but I have shut all the windows, blinds and curtains. It is 81 degrees as of 1:30pm. We have all of our ceiling fans running as usual, but I may try turning on the whole house fan to see if I can at least get it to maintain the same temperature.

It will be warmer here for the next fews days. If I can't make it work for the rest of the day, the a/c will be back on for a few days until it cools down again.

For those of you counting...it has been 8.5 days without a/c! Almost a third of a month.

$24.04 is now mine!!

August 18th, 2008 at 02:17 am

Thanks to this week's ebay sales, I have $24.04 more in my pocket!!

I have listed another 5 more items tonight. One already has a bid!! That is within a couple of minutes of listing the item.

I will have several more items to list after Labor day. These will be primarily military items my husband no longer needs.

I would encourage anyone who hasn't tried ebay to check it out and consider selling something. I had more items sell than not. There is a learning curve, but it is well worth it! Best of luck if you do try it...and let us know of your successes.

Almost 7 Days in a Row!!

August 16th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

We've had the a/c turned off almost 7 full days. We did turn it on one night when it was rainy and humid.

I can't wait to see the electric bill next month to see how much difference we can see.

The weather is going to heat up a bit more over the next five days...so by tomorrow afternoon the a/c may be back on.

About to spend a few hours in my basement, organizing the shelves! It will be even cooler down there. Maybe I'll have to find another project for next week and spend my afternoons in the basement. Then maybe the a/c could stay off!!

Back at it Again!!

August 15th, 2008 at 12:49 am

Organizing and decluttering, that is. It just kind of goes with this time of year for me. With school starting, it is important to go through all the clothes and shoes from last year.

I need to file some papers that are piling up in my "to file" pile. I'm sure half of these don't even need to be kept.

I'm also trying to come up with a new way to keep school papers organized for myself and the kids. Last year, I used a large magnetic clip for each child on the fridge for current papers that needed to be acted on. Then on a cabinet that sat next to the fridge I used file folders on a stand up rack. I just didn't like having that much paper out...so I'm still thinking what will work without losing track of everything. Any good ideas?

I also think I need to install decorative hooks by the front door for backpacks. It could double as a place for guest coats when not used for backpacks...see I would probably toss backpacks in coat closet when company comes.

Our house is pretty paired down when it comes to clutter, but I'm just trying to make sure we are using our space most efficiently. Like with like and things available near where we use them...rather than all spread out. I'm also thinking cleaning supplies are needed upstairs for the two bathrooms there, rather than all in the laundry/bath that is on the first level.

I recently acquired a over the door shoe holder. I have put it on the door to our basement...right next to the family room and on the way to the garage. Right now, it has bug spray, sunscreen, and extra school supplies. I'm on the lookout for things that would go well here. I guess it is okay if it is not FULL!!

Here's to an organized school year!!

4 Days

August 13th, 2008 at 02:26 pm

We've had our air conditioning off for 4 days straight!! I love the fresh air. Thanks mother nature.

This mild weather with plenty of rain has been great for our pocket book. We have not had to water our yard and now can have the air conditioning off more days than I can ever remember.

Hot Hip Hop

August 13th, 2008 at 02:22 am

I'm selling my daughter's jazz/hip hop shoes on ebay this week. I already have bids with numerous people watching. On zappos.com these shoes retail for about $40 with shipping. A pair the same size and style sold for about $20 on ebay last week....so I'm hoping for gold here!!

Now is the time to list fall school clothes, scout items, dance gear and other items associated with back to school. What back to school items are you selling?

Eyeglasses & Shoes

August 11th, 2008 at 03:10 pm

We are still getting ready for the first day of school, just over a week away. Last week we made it to the orthodontist for head gear, eye exams for both girls and bought new sneakers.

At the orthodontist, I made the first of four payments on oldest daughters head gear. Each payment is $100. Dental insurance will pay 50%.

Eye exams for both daughters are covered in full by our insurance. Only one daughter has glasses. She did need a new prescription. We ended up getting frames at JCPenney's optical center for only $49!! This includes a warranty on the frames, too. I think I spent at least $150 last year on glasses, so I feel thrilled with this.

I'm sure I could have done better on shoes, by going to Payless shoes, but we ended up at Famous Footwear. I did get the 2nd pair at 1/2 price...but a total of $80 was spent on two pairs of sneakers. They should last most of the school year depending on growth. A side note here...my oldest daughter now has the same size feet as I do. We can share some shoes!! That will be a savings at times.

I also bought the girls each a new shirt. So far that is all the clothes that I have bought. I expect they have enough to wear for a few weeks before the weather gets cooler. I could be wrong about the weather though. It is already cool here. Only 80 degrees the last few days and expected for the next week, too. Yes, my a/c is OFF!!

Happy saving!

Learning Saved Me

August 6th, 2008 at 11:06 pm

...about $20! My neighbor taught me to cut hair today. We cut both of my daughter's hair in preparation for school.

Both girls have pretty simple cuts...straight and no bangs. She had several good tools that made things easier. She has also cut her daughters hair for a few years now, so she has learned some tricks.

I already own scissors for hair, but need some clips, another type of scissors. She had a plastic cape, which would be nice, but a towel works, too!

I do own clippers so I could do my husbands hair, but those Army guys are a little particular on hair at times!!

What could you learn to save you money?

Fuel For School

August 6th, 2008 at 02:37 am

Did you get this $10 rebate form in with your coupons this weekend? Buy 10 qualifying Kellogg's/Keebler products and receive $10 rebate. They even included coupons for the items that qualified.

I don't do these too often. I went to Walmart to return an item and had them price match what the other stores had on sale.

I bought 11 items (needed an extra box of cereal).
$19.67 after price matches
($5.00) coupons
$14.67 out of pocket cost
($10.00) rebate
$4.67 final cost
$0.42 average cost per item Smile

This is what I bought:
2 boxes Pop Tarts
3 boxes cereal
1 Keebler cookies
3 packages of fruit snacks
2 packages of gripz crackers

I feel pretty good about this purchase except that these are pretty unhealthy items. I will try to ration them with the kids!!

Why I've Been Absent

August 4th, 2008 at 10:55 pm

Sorry...it's been a few days since I stopped by to post. I've been helping my sister get ready and hold a garage sale.

I traveled a few hours away to help her price and set up. I even made the signs. I hauled my kids and the treasures they decided to sell, too. I brought my garage sale kit with stickers, markers, packing tape, index cards, markers, calculator, safety pins and fanny pack.

The sale was held on Friday and Saturday in the high heat of the midwest! Turn out was average for both days. We advertised in the local paper, side streets and online. We really wanted and needed more traffic.

The talk of the garage sale was that they (my sis and her husband) sold a 1987 Toyota MR2 for $1300 in cash. We didn't even advertise the car except in the lawn. Turns out the man who bought it used to work with my brother in law's dad 15 years ago!! What a small world.

Total take of sale, not including the car, was $410. Plenty of things left to sell next time and gobs of things to donate to charity.

So, I've been tired out. It was a busy and long four days. I think my sister was pleased and I was happy to be there to support her.

I'm back. I have more to say, so keep checking back for more news from this end.