The Swagbucks and Pinecone snowflakes arrived in our checking account. Is it me or is Paypal getting quicker at sending money? I have already scheduled this $28 to go to the mortgage principal. Less debt!!

So that washing machine part arrived today. I did a load yesterday and no leaking occurred after. Well maybe a slight drip or two. I'm doing another load now. I wonder if all that dripping the other day was a fluke? I don't want to spend time and money replacing the part if it isn't necessary. We won't get to the part replacement until this weekend, so I have some time to contemplate it.

We are making plans to visit a college in another state over spring break. My daughter has some interest in it. Since she is a Junior this year, it is time to start looking. I attended this institution for two year but transferred to another city, same state and university system to complete. A little looking shows that my graduation, her ACT score (29) and GPA (4.0) might make her eligible for a large scholarship that would easily reduce tuition to the in state amount. My husband also has Post 911 GI bill benefits that could be used for her as well.

I think it would be best to use the GI bill benefits for our older daughter, as you never know when the benefit could be pulled or changed. I think it could virtually make her college cost zero. We then could transfer what we have saved in her ESA to her sister. Right now we have over $30K saved between the two of them. Our youngest daughter won't go to college until Fall 2018, so we have over 4 years to continue to save and for that money to grow.

My best friends son, who is a senior, just decided to attend a private school. His grades are high, but ACT was 24. The school did offer some grants and reductions in tuition. In fact, because they waiting awhile to decide the school actually offered MORE money. My friend and her husband will take out a parent PLUS loan and their son will take out the maximum student loan allowed of $5500. I think that makes their portion around $20K for ONE year. My friend said he will work all summer and have to apply all his earnings to reduce the amount of their portion. They are putting their son on notice that this is a one year trial basis. If he isn't accountable, they won't pay for this private college. Considering they are still paying on her husband's college at the tune of over $600 per month, I'm amazed they are taking on more debt. Although I shouldn't be. They finance EVERYTHING! But they do both work full time and also have part time work as well, so they do seem to make it work.

We expect my husband to get promoted this year. I expect that extra income will help us with the college costs when the time comes. I hope this allows us to at least cash flow the room and board portion of college.

It feels good to be on track to handle college. Are you saving for your child's college? Did you help them with college tuition? If so, did you take out loans or cash flow the cost?

The exciting news here today is my husband is home from annual training! He was gone nearly three weeks. It was nice to just hang out at home together.

The second most exciting news is that the payment I made to the American Express card posted. That account is now paid in full and shows a zero balance. While we didn't need to pay this debt in installments, and luckily didn't pay any interest, it is nice to know that $150 of our monthly cash is available for other things!



As I often say, I like less debt!

I have an opportunity to earn cash for a couple of sewing projects. Those are going to keep me busy in the next week or so. I will have to purchase fabric for one, but I consider it a business expense! And that purchase may not come up until next week. Side gigs such as this will likely to to the snowflakes for equity.

I did send in another snowflake payment to the mortgage today. It was $90.39, consisting primarily of Chase rewards, but including ATM rebates, interest and other miscellaneous reward dollars.

Today was a no spend day. There were opportunities to spend however. One daughter was home sick, but we had supplies on hand to accommodate her needs. She is fine now. The other daughter didn't like the yogurt I bought, but she has not asked me to buy something else. They didn't have her regular preferred flavor, and I suggested something else and she approved. It just didn't work. I'll eat it, so it will not go to waste.

I'm also tempted to buy two DVDs on Ebay of two seasons of a sitcom we like and own four season of already. I will try the library first. So really it has been just fine on the first day of the low spend week.

Did you have a no spend day? If not, what did you buy? Was it a want or a need?

Now I know what is like in the Arctic! I did go out mid afternoon to put the trash and recycling out for tomorrow morning. I also ventured to get the mail one house down and across the street. Luckily it was a quick trip!

I received money in the mail. A $10 Visa gift card as a rebate for something I purchased at Kohl's in November. I wish it was a check, so I could just deposit it. I have to buy something to make it count now. I will match my savings on a purchase with a principal payment on the mortgage.

You would think not leaving the house would make a no spend day, but no. My daughter's are finally reaching the end of the usable life on their Nook Color chargers. One doesn't work at all, and the other is hit and miss, on whether it will charge or not. I found one on Ebay for about $18. The seller has already notified me that it has been mailed at the post office! This purchase will give some more life to their Nooks.

My frugal happening today was eating leftover turkey soup that I made yesterday. The soup was made from Thanksgiving turkey I had put in the freezer. Tasty and toasty warm! I found two dimes in my husband's work pants, as well as a receipt for a $2 item that we need to return.

Since our windchill temperatures are going to drop near 40 below zero, the schools have cancelled school again tomorrow. This is the longest winter break we have ever had. It has been very relaxing to just hang at home, get organized, and get things cleaned, but I'm not looking forward to that electric bill next month. The only plus is that a bigger bill will help meet our spending goal for the credit card bonus.

Did you stay inside today? Did you do anything frugal? Was there any money in your mailbox? Did you buy something online?

I have enough Swagbucks to cash out for $25 in PayPal cash. I hope I receive it before year end so I can count it for 2013 snowflakes.

I received a Pinecone survey payment of $3 yesterday. I also completed TWO more surveys yesterday, so I should be receiving another $6 soon.

I found out our housing allowance is going up beginning in January by $102 tax free dollars!! I think I'll make sure to save this money to the mortgage each month since it is a housing benefit.

My Christmas shopping is pretty much complete. I may find one more thing for my brother in law's stocking, but it won't amount to more than $3-4. I need to make one final payment to my Target Red Card from the Christmas fund to cover one last gift and stocking stuffers purchased. I have wrapped everything and didn't need to buy one bow, bag, roll of paper, gift tag or tape! I did use about four small gift bags I bought on clearance at Target last year. I might look for a few of those when they start to clearance things. I think I paid $0.10 each!

I am going grocery shopping today for odds and ends and the ingredients for taco dip that my husband will take to work for their Christmas party. They are having a white elephant exchange. I think we have a DVD of something that we can give up for that. I will still have one final trip to make before the holiday for food and drinks we are taking to our gatherings.

I'm also picking up 1/2 yard of fabric to make a little bag for my daughter's friend. She wants to give a gift and suggested the idea, but specifying a zebra print! I don't have that, but the cost is small compared to what I might buy if we went shopping! I WILL get that done today.

I purchased a photo book for my parent's anniversary, which is December 27. It is a compilation of photos we took of all of our family members on their land the last time we were there before they moved. There are some house and land pictures as well. I'm expecting tears. The awesome thing is I got the book free and only had to pay sales tax shipping and, which I did upgrade to 2 day for an $1 more. Total out of pocket was $9.56! It was a deal that came with the school photos I bought of my girls. They will be thrilled with it.

Okay...lots of little updates. I've been wanting to write more about goal setting and tax planning, but I'm just busy! I will get those posts together when things settle down.

I've begun buying gifts. I'm not too far along, but at least I've started. Our budget is $750. We are buying stocking stuffers for four adults (approx $20 each) on my side of the family. On my husband's side we are buying for his mother ($30), two nieces and a nephew ($20 each). My husband and I will exchange gifts (maybe $50 each). We also bought a small gift for the flute teacher, a locally made soap for $3.50.

Oh, and of course, our two daughters!! We usually spend about $150 each. My oldest wants Photoshop CS6, which is over $600. She doesn't NEED it right now because she has it on her school issued computer. She will have it again next school year, too. She knows we aren't likely to buy it right now. She doesn't want much else, so I only have one gift bought so far. She may just get cash and stocking stuffers if she doesn't come up with any other ideas. It is nice that she doesn't want for lots of things.

My youngest daughter has a great list. I've bought quite a few things for her and have only spent $75. I will buy a few more things and likely give her some cash as well. We could actually come in under budget.

Those gifts, if I stay in budget, equal $570, leaving us about $180 left. I think I will hold this money for travel expenses back home and extra expenses that come with that, like wine and food. Anything left goes to the mortgage at the end of the month!!

Our list is actually a bit smaller this year. We aren't buying for as many nieces and nephews or adults on my husband's side, for multiple reasons. I told a friend that we were slimming down and not buying gifts for them. We never see them! I really don't know her kids anymore. We talk on the phone and that is the gift I appreciate the most. Don't worry I told her nicely and she was fine with it. It does take some stress out of gift buying to have fewer people on the list.

I guess that is still 13 people, including me that gifts are being purchased for. Not bad. How many people do you buy gifts for?

I know many of the regular bloggers already have Capital One 360 accounts, but if you are lurking AND want to earn $200, check out the Black Friday Sale at

Capital One.

You can earn $125 by opening a Checking account. You must use the debit card five times within the first 45 days. On day 50 the bonus is credited. There is no minimum and you do earn interest on Capital One 360 accounts.

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These are taxable bonuses, as they will be reported to the IRS as interest. The links is my personal referral codes. If I refer two people, I can earn $100. I expect to refer my husband, so just one of you can help me get a bonus! Thanks for your consideration.

After having family here for Thanksgiving we were left with an abundance of leftovers. I think we will be covered for most of the weekend!! Yummy.

Part of me wants to complain about the work I have to do to get ready for guests. I think this is because I feel I'm doing all the work alone. My husband came for lunch and asked if it was okay if he worked out after work today...well it is if you can also help me when you are done! I need a twin bed set up in another room, wine and beer purchased, a shower cleaned and couches rearranged. It seems he was on board with that. I know he is busy with work, but if it would be nice if he could see how much work I'm doing to prepare.

I will spend the rest of today cleaning, moving sheets and blankets to another room, vacuuming the carpets, doing at least one load of laundry, maybe two, and numerous other odds in ends. Like finding my gravy boat and getting it cleaned. I'm pretty sure I know where it is!

Tomorrow is baking day. We will be making scones, pumpkin pie, a focaccia bread, and a stuffed bread. I'm also putting together a pumpkin lentil soup for us to eat for dinner which is around the time our guests are arriving. And there is some cleaning on the list, too! The girls are helping with the baking, but it will be a long day.

I'm thankful really that I have family to spend Thanksgiving with, and family that wants to drive here to spend it with us. If something doesn't get done, or something doesn't work out right in the cooking they are all very forgiving and understanding. It won't matter to them one bit. I'm thankful my husband is home to be with us on Thanksgiving, as there have been a few years where he was not. I'm also thankful for our good health.

It's all good, isn't it? What are you most thankful for?

Yesterday, I went down to our basement storage room and found enough stuff to get rid of to fill three large storage bags. The good news is, I got it to Goodwill this morning.

I listed five items on Ebay this evening. I made them three day auctions to end on Sunday. If they sell, I hope I can get them mailed out before the holiday. If they don't, I will relist on Monday as seven day auctions. This means they will end on Cyber Monday. Not sure if all of this is great planning or not. It's worth a try. If they don't sell by that time, I will give the items to Goodwill. Actually, I have a book series listed that would probably go to the used book store for a little cash.

I'm hosting Thanksgiving for my side of the family. We are unable to travel due to my husband's work commitments, so my family is traveling here. Such good family. So now, I'm planning dinner and other meals for their visit. It feels like a lot of work!

After MonkeyMama's post about the new Chase Sapphire Preferred Bonus offer, I'm considering applying. My husband and I have both done this offer in the past. I'm pretty sure it has been more than a year since I applied. We can meet the minimum. I just wasn't planning to apply for two cards in such a short time. My husband applied for the Chase Freedom offer just yesterday. I know I sure would like an extra $550!

Do you serve and plan your Thanksgiving dinner? Or do you take a dish or dessert?

The budget billing amount for our natural gas has been lowered from $43 to $28. A nice surprise! We do have quite a bit of money on credit going into the high gas use season, so I'm sure it will work great.

I have a Pinecone $3 payment in my PayPal account this morning. Another snowflake for November!

The glasses we ordered online for my youngest daughter arrived this weekend. She is thrilled with her pick. Last night we went to Target to have them adjusted and soft nose pads added. So far so good. I believe she wore them to school today. I told her to let me know if she gets any headaches, as that could indicate a problem. I don't anticipate any however. We did pay $135 for the glasses, so not ultra cheap, but I know there is a savings there over other places we have purchased from in the past.

We thought a new timing belt was in our future for our Honda Odyssey. We remembered the dealership mentioning it last year, saying it should be replaced every five years. They also mentioned a mileage amount for replacement. We were at the year mark, but under the mileage. We decided to wait a year. Last night we pulled out the owner's manual, which states every 60,000 miles under extreme weather conditions (very hot and very cold). This does not apply to us. We are nearing 80,000 miles and don't drive in these extreme conditions mentioned. Turns out our Honda has a maintenance minder code that will tell us when to replace the timing belt. We will wait for our van to tell us when it is ready for a new belt. Glad to not have to spend that money now.

Do you participate in budget billing for utilities? Have you ordered glasses online? Does your vehicle tell you when to do maintenance?

I skipped blogging yesterday! I was here, reading other posts. I post on Sunday, and I am trying to reduce my posts to weekdays only, just to cut down on the time I am on the computer.

I went to Kohl's yesterday and used my $15 in coupons with 15% off on a purse. I paid $4.53 out of pocket. Only there is a problem. I wanted a smaller purse, and that is what I bought. It's too small for even the basics I need with me!! Ack. Now, I have to do a return and hope I can get my coupon values back. Not a big deal if I don't, but it would be nice.

I'm browsing online today for photo holiday cards. I don't always send out cards, or even cards with photos. However, several weeks ago we took lots of family pictures on my parents land prior to their recent move. There is a really nice one of our family that I think many people would be pleased to receive. I only need about 20. I did see a deal on

Hip2Save for Snapfish collage prints, 5x7 size, 20 prints plus shipping. In the example they showed the shipping was less than $2! That link is for all the photo deals that site has listed, so some might be of benefit to you.

Tomorrow I have set aside the day to sew. My main goal is to make a fabric case for my daughter's piccolo case. The hard cases for piccolos don't have handles. They are small enough to put in a backpack or bag, but she wants a specific case. She is picked out fabric from my stash and I picked up a zipper today at the store. If I can get that project done, my other daughter wants me to turn her recent latch hook rug into a pillow. Also a new project, but I think one I can work with!

My side of the family, which is just my parents, sister and brother in law have decided to just give each other stocking stuffers for Christmas. We didn't define the amount to be spent, but my sister did say it will keep us from getting stuff we don't need. In my opinion, it means that we buy something that will be used up. I have been brain storming ideas. Here is what I have, but doesn't mean I will be giving them all:

Lotion, gum, mints, homemade vegan chocolate, homemade biscotti, an orange, beef jerky, tea, socks, perfume/cologne, nail polish, lip balm, candles, coffee, duct tape, honey, homemade vanilla, handmade napkins, coasters, nuts and seeds, popcorn, jellies, sausage, cheese, gift cards, cash, dish soap, scented hand soap, a nice pen, hot cocoa, flower bulbs or seeds, a calendar, note paper.

I can think of some that I don't know if even I would want to get: toothpaste, floss, shaving cream, razors, shampoo, batteries, saran wrap or foil.

If I was going to put a treat in your stocking that costs less than $20 and isn't going to be junk or take up space later, what would you want? Do you give stocking stuffers to anyone on your list?

Again, sorry about the Christmas topic prior to Thanksgiving. I seem to be starting to focus on making my lists and getting some tasks done!

I called and cancelled our home land line today. The cancellation is effective today. We will get a prorated credit for remainder of the month that we have been billed for. I was disappointed to find out that we will still be charged the Universal Service Fee for the broadband internet portion now. This means our savings will only be $19 per month rather than $30. However, we can get free long distance on the Ooma, so I still think this works out very well considering all of our family and some of our friend are long distance.

My daughter did pick out a pair of glasses online. I ordered them this evening. These weren't cheap, but cheaper than I paid last year. The final total with scratch free, UV and anti glare lenses shipped was $134.94. I know I paid over $225 last year at Target for her glasses. If they don't fit, or seem right visually we can return them for a refund. The company will pay the shipping from what I read online, if a return is requested.

My husband was able to get a free haircut at Great Clips today in honor of Veteran's Day. A nice benefit as he does get his haircut with more frequency than the girls and I who have long hair. I'm sure he still tipped generously!

I'm considering a Red Cross donation for those in affected by the typhoon. Those images of destruction are so sad. I just remembered we may have some airline miles we could donate. Not sure if that is the right help or not though. I will check our options.

Do you donate to disaster relief? Have you donated airline miles? Have you purchases glasses or contacts online? Was it a good experience?

I sold a book on Ebay today for a profit of just over $4. I already sent it off in the mail. I will pull the profits from PayPal later this month when I am done selling!

I think we have decided to sell our old couch and loveseat. They really do take up too much room in our basement storage area. The plan is to list them on Friday afternoon and hope someone is willing to purchase this weekend. I think we will ask $100 for the set.

Our Ooma Telo arrived today. I hope to get it set up tonight or tomorrow. It should only take 15 minutes according to the directions. We will be getting a new phone number as our current one is not available for porting. After I determine it working as planned I will cancel the regular phone service and contact everyone with the new number.

After I voted for mayor, city council and a proposed tax, I spent money on new bathroom rugs. Our old set was coming apart in the dryer since they had those rubber backings. I bought two new cotton ones without a backing and spent just $16 out of pocket after using my Kohls cash.

About a week ago, I redeemed some airline miles for a three month daily newspaper subscription. The first issue arrived this morning. My oldest daughter dove right in to read the news! We took advantage of this last year and it said one per household, so I wasn't sure if we would actually get the paper this time.

It is rainy and dark here today again. This is not helping my transition to less light in the evening! Any great ideas for handling the dark days of winter? Is there anyone else with a VoiP phone system? Did you vote today in your local elections?

I've been in a few conversations recently about the need to get some Halloween decorations. This is surprising to me in some ways. Is Halloween decorating a needed expense? Is any holiday spending necessary? Or do you think of them as wants.

I took some pictures of my front entry cabinet (its officially a dry sink). This is where I store non Christmas decorations.

And you will notice that the Halloween decorations do dominate over Easter and Valentines Day. We accumulated a few extra Halloween decorations a few years ago when we hosted a Halloween party for my daughters and their friends. It was fun, but definitely not necessary. I did a good job keeping the costs down and having leftover decorations for future years.



This years Halloween spending should be less than $5 for two small bags of candy. Our neighborhood is small and the number of kids coming down this way was about 10 last year. I expect it to be similar this year. We have not decorated yet, and will likely just put something out on the porch or the door, so it seems like Halloween to the kids coming to the door. I doubt much of the items in storage will even come out this year. My girls are too old to trick or treat, so this holiday is becoming more and more of a non event.

Now I will admit that I found myself pinning Christmas and winter porch decorating ideas. Last year, we had a wreath out with a red bow on a tree shaped chair. I think I may have put a container of dried branches, too. I think I have some things here at home that will work...so I hope to not get sucked in to all the cool ideas on Pinterest.

How much will you spend on Halloween decorations? Candy? How do you look at holiday spending...want or need? Do you feel pressured by our culture or society's expectations to decorate?

In decluttering news, I pulled out my file of papers that need to be filed...I'm in the process of getting like papers together and tossing and shredding what I don't need. Here's a picture of that mess:

Our trip back to my parents house was fantastic...and fast as always. They have such a beautiful home and land that we have enjoyed for 17 years!! We took the opportunity to take family photos. I hope to use my immediate family picture for our Christmas card, if I decide to send those out this year.

The rental for the Uhaul trailer was about $83 with tax and insurance. They threw in six rental blankets for no charge. We were able to help my parents move some very heavy items to their temporary storage unit, so that was one trip. We came home with the couch and loveseat, a shop vac, a leaf blower, two bags of fertilizer, weed killer, a hoe, bug spray, a fern plant, four wall hangings, a plant stand, a hedge trimmer (that needs a battery), and a fire extinguisher!

Unfortunately, driving a four wheel drive truck nearly 500 miles while towing a trailer does use up quite a bit of fuel. My husband said we spent $160 in fuel! Yikes. Therefore, the not free couch and loveseat, plus all the other items cost us nearly $250. It seems like a lot, but we sure could not have found all those things used for that price.

We did move our old furniture set to the basement storage and it is taking up more space then I prefer. I will live with it for a little while and see if I can fit it in better down there. Otherwise, I think we need to sell it, rather than save for our daughter's future needs.

I made a snowflake payment on Friday to the mortgage company in the amount of $32.35. I love less debt!!

MYTH: I don't need to save because Social Security will take care of me when I'm retired.

TRUTH: Social Security was never intended to be a person's sole income in retirement. The average monthly benefit for a retired worker in 2013 is $1,262.

I found that tidbit of information in our newspaper last weekend. I was reminded that the SSA no longer sends out benefit statements, which listed your employment record and expected benefits at different ages. This information is still available, but is now available at

SocialSecurity.gov. You can set up an account to view your personal information. It is good to check this site once a year to make sure your earnings are being reported correctly.

My husband and I are not planning on social security in our retirement, but I was reminded that without 10 years of work experience, I'm not even eligible for my own social security. If I remember right, there is a spousal/widow's benefit that would give me some benefits. Not that I'm expecting or planning on it.

We are getting free furniture this weekend. Specifically, a sofa and loveseat. My parents are downsizing from a 4000 sq ft home with five bedrooms to 1400 sq ft apartment with just two bedrooms. They are trying to sell/give away much of their furniture. Since our living room set is about 17 years old, we figured it was a deal to take a set they have owned for five years. They are giving it to us, but we are needing to rent a trailer to hook to our truck. The rental for two days is about $60, plus an extra $10 for damage insurance. We know from past experience and inquiry that our insurance does not cover rental trailers, therefore worth the cost should a major accident occur. I won't count the cost of fuel in this purchase because we would have spent that visiting them anyway. A new to us couch and loveseat for $70 is a very good deal.

We could sell our old couch and loveseat. Right now I think we have the storage space to set it aside for awhile. It could be a really good set for an apartment. And since our oldest daughter is a Junior in high school, it isn't that far off to think she might want it in a few years. She doesn't care whether we keep it or not. She said it is up to us. So we'll see how storing it goes. If it gets in the way or takes up more space then I'm expecting then we will sell it.

So are you planning on Social Security? Do you know anyone who believes in the myth above? Was your couch purchased new or used? Do you think I should save our old set or sell it?

I buy most of our vitamins from

iHerb.com. Currently, they are offering $5 or $10 off your first time order depending on the amount you spend. The link above is a referral link that I benefit from.

Not much money news here. I did earn $3 from Pinecone. I expect to send that into the mortgage along with other cash that is a match for spending on Amazon.com. I'll likely do that tomorrow.

Last night, my husband was looking through the Target advertisement. He noticed wiper blades where on sale and the store was offering a $10 gift card when you purchase two. It was raining yesterday, and he noticed he really did need new wiper blades. Great timing! We did pick those up last night. We also purchased weed killer that was on clearance for half off. We did the same thing last year and it worked out well to have stocked up for less. I'm going back to Target this morning to pick up a few items we forgot and use that $10 gift card towards a gift card for a birthday gift.

Glad this government shutdown is over, but I have to say I'm annoyed that Congress can't get a budget deal to last even a full year. This has now been a problem for years where they do these short term agreements. I find it very immature and childish they can't get their job done. They know when the fiscal year ends. It's the same day every year. Just like planning for Christmas!

Do you consume vitamins? Are you relieved about the government deal? Any great deals at Target I should look for?

I traveled to meet two good friends today. A little gas, and about $12 for a latte, sandwich, drink and brownie. Well worth the money and time spent to be with friends.

We also stopped in a Hallmark store, where I realized that I do have three birthday's to recognize next week. I bought three cards for about $5. Not too bad. I will use some of our recently earned gift cards to purchase gifts, although one may need to be cash.

We have an upcoming trip as a family where we hope to take a picture with extended family. We need to start looking in the closets to see if we have coordinating clothes in decent condition for the picture. I'm hoping only one or two of us need something. And I hope we can find those fast and inexpensive!

Do you take a family picture with any frequency? What kind of clothing do you opt for? Casual, or dressy?

Since Monday, we have been eating from the pantry, fridge and freezer. No run to the store for extras or preferred meals. I spent so much money last weekend getting ready for guests, I thought we needed to rein it in. There have been a few complaints but for the most part everyone has had their preferred food for breakfast and lunch. At dinner, we have been eating different things since we don't have the quantity to feed all of us, or we want to use something up.

Today for lunch, I'm going to finish some soup and have some refried beans with sour cream and lettuce on the side. My husband is coming home for lunch and will have eggs and toast, which is what I ate for dinner last night. It feels good to stretch the grocery budget and actually use up what we have already purchased!

I am going to the store today since we really are out of options for dinner. I will also be buying another round of groceries for visiting guests! This should be the last weekend for that for awhile at least. My mother is bringing the ingredients for the meal on Friday, so that helps with the planning and spending.

What is the oddest thing you have eaten for a meal when using up your food on hand?

We are having guests this weekend. This is the second of three in a row. All guests are coming to visit and see my daughter perform with her marching band. It is a good show!

Having guests is just about as expensive as it is to drive somewhere. This set of guests suggested we go out to eat. Even if we split the bill, I would guess our portion would be equal to the amount I will spend on groceries for the whole weekend. Okay, maybe not. It will be cheaper to eat at home.

I'm making a double batch of chili for tonight. Leftovers will be frozen, and used another time for dinner or lunches. Tomorrow morning, we can have toast or banana bread and fruit. I also have eggs as an option. My sister likes cream in her coffee, so I picked up half and half and some more coffee....my brother in law drinks a LOT of coffee.

Tomorrow afternoon for lunch before we go to the performance, we will have sandwiches. I bought three types of lunch meat, probably not necessary, but I knew we would eat the remainder for lunches in the coming week. I also picked up cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Darn. I forgot more mustard. Mayo it is.

Saturday night we will have tacos. I have all the fixings. I picked up extra ground beef, so I will make this up and freeze the taco meat for another time. Sunday morning will be a repeat of Saturday morning. More basic eating.

I seem to have followed in my mother's pattern with guests where I want to have plenty of options. I have nuts, chips and crackers for snacks. I also bought beer and wine. I bought twice the amount that I would normally buy on a weekend with two extra people. Geez, I must think they are super hungry people. They aren't.

I shopped at SuperTarget with coupons and my cartwheel and saved $18! But my bill still came to $102. Boo. I hope we can extend our leftovers for many days after the visit.

How do you plan for guests? Wing it? Plan out each meal? Do you eat at home or go out to eat? Do you have a go to meal that you think works great for guests? I love to know!

This government shut down is looming and it is affecting us. First affect, my husband's battle assembly scheduled for this coming weekend has been postponed to the end of October. This is good since my daughter has a band performance that he would have missed. Now he can see it.

He is also scheduled to travel this week. He will find out tomorrow whether they are to continue or postpone that one as well. I'd prefer it be cancelled. We are already waiting on two travel reimbursements from earlier in September that have still not been paid. The amount owed to us is $236.31, which we sure would like to have as soon as possible.

My husband was paid for all work done in September. I can see the paycheck pending in our checking account for tomorrow. However, all pay will stop, while work continues until the new budget is signed. He will get an IOU from the government. The next expected check is October 15, which will be on time if the budget is signed in the next week or so.

The good thing is we have cash to cover a paycheck or two. My plan is to postpone our investments in October if the pay is delayed. We might as well hang on to that money while we are waiting on a paycheck. Some of the bills later in the month are put on credit cards anyway, so those can be delayed slightly as well. It's the food and gas we will need to fork over out of savings until we are paid back.

We are some of the lucky ones. Civilians that work for the government will not go into work, and will not be paid for any days they are off work. I hope they have a plan!

Do you know anyone that is affected by the government shutdown that likely to happen? Any other good ideas for planning for a delayed paycheck?

My daughter is a Junior in high school this year. This means college is going to be upon us soon. I can tell by the mail we are beginning to receive too!

The school sent out information about a seminar for ACT test preparation. It's a 7 hour course on a scheduled day off of school and is $79.

My daughter is an all A student. She tests well on standardized tests. No test anxiety. She writes well, too. Does she NEED to take this seminar?

What alternatives are there for preparing for this test? There seem to be books available (library and Ebay), and a practice test for less on the ACT website. What is really necessary?

While I wait for those of you ahead of me to weigh in, I'll keep browsing the ACT website to see what I can find.

Here's what I've been doing:

Volunteering my sewing skills to hem marching band pants. The band only has 180 members, so it didn't take long with many hands. Turns out to have been fun and free entertainment with some nice ladies.

Confronting the neighbors (2 adults and four kids) playing basketball after 10:30pm on a week night. The hoop and driveway are really, really close to my daughter's bedroom. I hope I don't have to do it again. Ick!

Earning my daily Swagbucks. I'm honestly getting a little tired of it, but there's an addictive quality that I can't yet let go of. Waiting for my last request of $25 to be deposited in my PayPal account. Only 500+ Swagbucks away from the next redemption.

Completed a Pinecone survey. I cashed out my payment earlier today. I think it should be in my account tomorrow.

Today is payday. I need to pay bills and get that Southwest card paid off!! I keep seeing lots of money going out in our future. Band picture (only $7), Band jacket(?), pictures for youngest daughter, fundraisers(!?), driver's ed, at least one tree for the back yard...I hope that is it. Not sure. I really would like to buckle down and spend NOTHING!!

I will keep today a no spend day since I have cleaning and bills to take care off. No need to do anything else, but make a trip to pick up my daughter from the last day of band camp.

I think I will also gather some items to take to Goodwill tomorrow. I know I have things in the basement that have already been set aside for that, I just need to do it!!

Little bit of everything, huh? Have a frugal day!!

I have some random updates that are money related that I'll just throw out there for the enjoyment of those of you who like this kind of thing!

Last month a house just like ours, except for walkout basement vs daylight windows, sold for $5,500 more than what we purchased our home for last year. This is the amount ours was listed at but we negotiated down, but they didn't or couldn't. I'm thinking I can look at this as the current market value of our home, right? I like that kind of equity.

I found out the information above when I went looking for our property tax amount online. Turns out they have not certified property taxes yet, thus no statement. I know the taxes will go up since this is a new home and we did get a reprieve last year. I want to know how much, so I can plan.

I sold those Box Tops for Education on Ebay. My net profit is $10.11, which I will add to the Snowflakes for Equity.

We had garage door issues recently. The opener wouldn't close the door. It would open, but not close. We tried all the trouble shooting tips for the sensors, but it was a no go. We purchased a new set on Amazon which arrived quickly with our Prime 2 Day shipping. We swapped out the sensor that was the problem and it worked!! Cost about $25. Annoying, but no big deal.

My daughter, age 16, finally decided to get her permit and is driving a little. We will need to get her signed up for driver's ed by the end of the month at a cost of $375. Steep, but probably worth the education she will get. Of course, I will put the fee on a credit card when the time comes to earn rewards and possibly a bonus!

I was notified by USAA that our next six month premium for auto insurance will be due in October. No change in the premium...just $433 for six months. This will go on a credit card, too! I'm sure once our daughter has her license the premium will go up...but by how much is the question.

I will try to make today a no spend day. I have paint I purchased last week that needs to be applied. Might as well take advantage of the cooler weather to get it done.

I noticed that iTunes gift cards are 10% off at Target this week. I hope to stop in to get at least one as a Christmas gift. I will use some of the Target gift cards I have to make the purchase.

Was that enough random updates for you? What was your favorite piece of information?

I mentioned in my last post that my husband will be traveling for work. I guess one of the trips is cancelled...due to funding. So likely less savings if he is only gone one week.

I sold two items on Ebay last night. One person has paid. Waiting on the other. I also have one item with a bid that should end tomorrow. It's all moving along.

Today I need to get bills paid. I keep putting it off! Surprising, since I usually like to do it. I think it is just that I have other projects that are getting my attention. That bathroom painting has put my interest back on some improvements around the house and I would like to get a few things sewn and mailed to my sister. But I will pay the bills so I get work on the fun stuff!

We attended a free concert in a local park last night. Our daughter played with a flute choir ensemble prior to the city's municipal band concert. It was very good music and a cool beautiful evening free of bugs. Now I want to go to another one!!

Does your city have free music you can attend either indoor or outdoors?

It's my youngest daughter's birthday. She 13...so now I have two teenagers. Today is not really frugal. We have treated her to gifts, lunch out, and soon a movie at the theater. The most frugal part was homemade cupcakes and with frosting.

Last year on her birthday we were actually accepting delivery of our household goods, thus moving day put a crimp in the birthday celebration. We were able to unpack quite a bit of kitchen items and did get a cake baked. It definitely wasn't the same.

We will also be traveling back to our old town to meet up with her old school buddies for a party. We did call it a birthday party, but did ask only for 'presence not presents.' Her idea and a good one considering some of them she hasn't seen for many months. Email and texts do seem to keep the connections going.

In other updates, I still can't refer a friend to Capital One 360 as my checking account I opened is still in verification mode. I am waiting on deposit of some Swagbucks money...seems to be taking longer than usual. I also decided to leave that extra mortgage payment as is. I didn't even call. They money is there and isn't causing any harm to pay it early. I will just replace the money in our checking account when August payday arrives.

Do you sometimes splurge on birthdays? Or always? Or do you keep them simple?

We are back from vacation. Yep, it was a quick three day road trip, but fun and entertaining! I've done the laundry and purchased $100 worth of groceries. DH has mowed the lawn. Now I will need to get the receipts tallied. We did eat out every meal except breakfast. And a couple of the meals were a little pricey, but we enjoyed our time together and the food.

I opened the mail to find that DH has been issued a fine for speeding. This is from one of those automated photo enforcement things. The intersections are well marked so you can avoid speeding or running a red light easily. He was going 48 mph in a 35 mph zone, and received a $75 fine to be paid in about two weeks. He was disappointed, but it clearly shows speeding, thus we will pay the fine to the city.

It is always nice to be home and the cats are glad to see us, too. I was unpacked within 30 minutes of being home. How quickly do you unpack after a trip?

Back in March, I applied for a fellowship with FINRA and the Military Spouse Association to be an Accredited Financial Counselor. I found out today that I was not selected. I was one of 500 applicants!! And if I remember right they only pick 50 each year to participate. So I'm not alone in being turned down and I can reapply next year. I'm disappointed, but not upset. It was a good experience just to apply.

In the meantime, I will look for ways to add to my skill set that might make me a better match in the future.

The good news today was that we know that DH will find out if he is promoted to Major on July 2nd. Fingers crossed he gets the promotion this year rather than needing to wait another year.

I purchased this chair yesterday for $99 plus tax. Yes, I did purchase it on the Citi Thank You Preferred Card. Yes, it is a want, and not a need. But I have to say I'm excited to have it. We all are...all four of us went together to pick it up!



It is shown here in my living room with our cat Riley trying it out. She approves. It doesn't match the living room, but I think I might get one that does. This is very close to our entry way and could use something there. This actual chair has been moved to our basement guest room where we have plum and gray bedding. It looks great down there, too!

Yesterday included buying a prescription for my older daughter for just $5 and a few fill in grocery items. Oh, actually we did buy her prescription sunglasses earlier in the day as well...just under $150. That went on the Target card to get the 5% off!

I hope to keep the rest of the week low on the spending side, but I did hear my youngest ask about pajama shorts and since she has none I think we'll keep our eyes peeled for those and I'd love a new top for summer vacation next week.

Have you given in to any wants recently?

It's a low key weekend here. It's hot and muggy, my husband had two wisdom teeth pulled Friday and we were busy with the art fair last weekend. It feels good to stay relaxed.

I have earned enough Swagbucks for ANOTHER $25 PayPal cash deposit. This will make $350 from Swagbucks since the beginning of the year. Not bad, huh?

I took a walk around the neighborhood, stopped at a garage sale and bought two hanging shoe holders for $1 each. I will use them in hall closets to keep gloves, hats, sunscreen, umbrella and such organized. They are a pretty teal and black floral too!

My husband's wisdom teeth were not impacted, but needed to come out due to cavities. Since they are far back in the mouth they could not be drilled, thus just a basic visit to have them pulled. He says it would taken an Act of Congress to get approval to have not impacted teeth pulled by an oral surgeon, which is what he wanted to do. Turns out he did fine. Now he's a little groggy on Vicodin and Aleve! As military member he will not have to pay out of pocket. Even the Vicodin was free. We did have to pay for the Aleve and some extra gauze pads, which was about $7.

I've been cleaning and doing laundry today. If the humidity drops, I hope to mow (might need gas) and get to the grocery store tomorrow. I hope to buy enough groceries to last through the end of the month. We do have a few vacation days before the end of the month so a few less meals needing to be cooked at home.

This evening we do have to go out to attend a chamber concert my oldest daughter is performing in. Last night we got to hear her play a duet on her flute with a harpist. So pretty!! The concert is free.

Are you doing anything outside of your home that is free entertainment today or tomorrow? What is your best free thing to do outside of your home?