My family started taking probiotics this summer. I first bought them at the local health food store. A package of 30 capsules was about $18. That is $0.60 per capsule. We all shared a couple packs with in a matter of weeks.

I decided if we wanted to continue to take them they needed to be less expensive. I found the brand we liked at Amazon.com! The packages were 90 capsules for $18.60! That is $0.21 per capsule. A savings of $0.39 per capsule.

I signed up for Amazon's Subscribe and Save plan which locks in the price for all future orders AND provides free shipping. I now get three packages of 90 capsules every 90 days. Originally, I signed up for four, but my husband keeps forgetting to take his...so I adjusted the order amount. I can change it later if needed.

To reduce the amount I pay every 90 days I use my swagbuck earnings towards Amazon gift cards. I earn them in $5 increments. Since the last order I earned $20 in gift cards!! I also had $2.60 left from another order.

Here's the breakdown of our current probiotic shipment:

3 90 capsule probiotic packages = $51.36
(price dropped to $17.12 per pkg)
Amazon gift certificates applied = $22.60
Total out of pocket = $28.76
Price per capsule = $0.11

The savings over local store for the three of us is $0.49 per capsule. Or $132.30 every 3 months. Or $529.20 per year!! Geez.

I'm going to keep earning swagbucks just to help keep the cost savings down. Works for me!

My youngest daughter has been home since Friday with a cold virus. The fever is mild, but just won't go away. There is coughing, too. No aching, so I don't think its the flu. She's been up and around everyday, but feels low on energy. So...tomorrow we are going to the doctor.

I'm hoping for an antibiotic. I don't usually like them, but this thing is holding on too long. I guess I'm impatient! What me?

The good news: I have one bid on an ebay items and some watchers on a couple others. I priced low and with exact shipping, so my items are attactive for bids!!

I'm also glad the stock market had an UP day. Here's to more of those to come.

A woman picked up a couple Barbie cars this morning for $5. That was a craigslist posting from last week. Nice to start the weekend with a sale.

My youngest daughter has decided to use a costume we already have or her dance costume from last year for Halloween. That means I don't need to buy anything!! Love it. (The older daughter is done with the trick or treating.)

I think I'm going to get some items up on ebay this weekend. Craigslist works, but it is slower.

My sister and her husband have debt. There is a loan for windows, a couple credit cards and student loans. My sister is a teacher and will get her Master's Degree this semester. Yipee!

There was a time where they felt out of control. They made less money. They didn't have an emergency fund. That time is no more!

They now have $2K in their emergency fund and have a plan to pay off all the debt. In about 2 years. I'm so proud of them.

My sister mentioned that she liked an online snowball calculator I sent her awhile back. I don't exactly use it myself, but it looked like a good one. It's called PowerPay. Here is the

DH is off work for the next four days due to the Columbus Day holiday. The kids still have school, so I get extra time with my honey.

These longer weekends often result in extra spending. I think we may skip a sit down lunch and hit fast food instead. We want to window shop a bit.

We also need to do a little winter weatherizing. Caulk and a little insulation shouldn't set us back too much.

I think the local orchard needs a visit from us for their yummy cider and a couple pumpkins.

Happy Fall!

I've noticed that I really need to exercise daily to help my stress levels. It makes a HUGE difference.

I usually try to get to the gym on the days the girls are in school. I'm hit and miss on the weekends. I didn't do anything yesterday because my husband was working. He is working again today and i really needed a workout. So what to do?

We made our own workout here at home. We had six stations which we hit for a minute each. Every minute we changed stations for 30 minutes. Our stations included: sit ups, push ups, trampoline, jumping jacks, stairs and a hand weight station. We worked up a sweat and I feel much better! Some stations needed revision as we went along...because I can't do push ups for a minute!! I did try, but as a result I can barely type this.

I'm thrilled to have exercised and involved the kids. Even better it was free!

The weekend has been great as far as keeping spending to a minimum. We have $32 left in the checking account and payday is Tuesday. I completely expect tomorrow to be a no spend day!! I must say it feels good to be in control of the money.

Yesterday, we picked up $17 worth of items at Walmart. Only $8 of that was an unnessary eyeglass case for our youngest daughter. It is a hard case with a magnetic closure and she'll have it for a long time. The free one given with the eyeglasses is soft and has a open side. Not the best kind for a child!

Today, I ran to SuperTarget and bought minimum groceries to get us through the next two days. Much of it will cover lunches for the remainder of the week, too! I spent $18.

On Tuesday...I will make a much bigger grocery run. I think I will aim for buying for about 10 days. I guess I need to start writing a meal plan and grocery list!

Right now, I'm off to make mini loaves of banana bread and jello in case the kids need a snack! After that, I'm thinking about finding some items to list on ebay. I'm dreading that though.

It's been a spendy few days. On Friday, we switched cell phone providers. It is somewhat of a forced move, since our previous provider was ending their service. My phone was free. My husband wanted a slight upgrade. His cell phone was $92 with tax, but we will receive a $50 rebate in a few weeks.

We went out of town for one night to visit family. We bought gas, food, snacks, beer, and wine! Too bad these visits just can't be free. Oh, but I did get some KFC for free....since I waited over 30 minutes to get our food. I don't think I will ever go there again. Ever.

Today, instead of buying a kitchen sink and faucet, we went to the zoo for just under $20. That was a good move. We stopped by a state park with a lunch packed from home for a picnic. Also another good move. We had a great conversation with the kids...love those!

My husband took the van to be washed...and lost our rear windshield wiper blade!! The part is only made by Honda since our van is less than 2 years old. That will be an expense for later this week.

I've bought the groceries for the week and wrote a check for my youngest daughter's school pictures. Here's crossing my fingers that there are a few no spend days ahead!

Officially, I'm not going to participate in my daughter's school fund raisers. It's not the money. I'm just tired of the same stuff! And I don't even need the stuff.

I'm actually helping both PTO's with teacher appreciation meals throughout the year. That is something I feel good about giving.

If I feel guilty later for skipping the fundraisers, I can always cut a check straight to the PTO. I did that at least once last year.

It feels good to know where I stand...before the order forms come home. I will let the girls know the plan, too!

Tomorrow's the big day: braces for my oldest daughter. Most of the money is coming from our emergency fund. We hope to have the money paid back by the end of October or sooner.

And we get to hit the emergency fund for more than planned because we have to pay my husbands government credit card for an airline ticket he didn't use! It is going to get credited back, according to the travel agency...but not for another two months! Ugh. The government is slow!! So, we have to pay the card by the due date of September 5th. I am going to wait until the last day to pay it in case the credit comes in sooner!! Please. I hope it does. Eventually, we will get the money back, but I really have no idea when or how long that process will take.

There's something about the kids going back to school on Monday that makes me want to go shopping! I know. Crazy.

So, instead of thinking of the things I want to shop for I need to refocus. I'm going to focus on free tasks that I can do around the house.

Honestly, I have a fair amount of cleaning and tidying up around the house I could do. Here's a few things that come to mind:

clean kitchen cupboards (inside & out)
clean refrigerator
dust all blinds in house
pull out bush on side of house
make tote bags out of fabric remnants
clean bathroom drawers
put pool away for winter
sweep out garage & organize
scrounge for items to sell or donate
weed out file cabinent
wash windows (inside & out)
clean clothes washer
good cleaning of dryer vent
caulk windows, if I have extra caulk

Okay, that's enough...I'm tired just thinking about it. I really plan to get myself back to the gym and work on free projects around the house. They need to be done at some point, might as well do them while it's nice. Since, I won't be in the stores, I should save some money!!

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I did get that rodent bedding returned today. Only spent $11 to get my youngest daughter's hair cut...she needed it!

Here's a cute one! My husband called this afternoon, but hung up before I could get to the phone. I waited for him to call back. So, I called him. He was calling to see if he could spend money on a snack! He knows I'm trying to save as many pennies as possible with the braces looming up ahead. He hung up because he decided he wasn't really hungry. Of course, if he is really hungry he should get some food, right? I don't want my man starving!!

My daughter had an appointment at the orthodontist today. (Braces are a week from Friday.) Since, I plan to pay in full, I wanted to know what the procedure is if we move. Moving is always a possibility as a military family!

They will figure where she is at in treatment and refund accordingly. Of course, most of the cost is upfront! This makes sense. The woman stated it is usually not very much that is returned...whatever that means. I'm just glad to know there is a possibility of a refund if we move. I'm sure we would need some of those funds at any new orthodontist, right?

The other question I'm asking today concerns my husbands government credit card. The statement arrived today for $644, for an airline ticket for a trip he did not take in July. The money is due September 5th. So, the important question is "Honey, what are you going to do about this?".

Yep, life keeps getting in the way. My husband called from work at 8:45pm last night, with a dead car battery. He works 30 minutes away, but we bailed him out anyway!

The battery was only 1.5 years old, so we get a credit on that. While he's getting the new battery, he decides the car does need an oil change and the transmission fluid flushed (this alone is $150!). I haven't heard the total yet.

As Boo commented on my last post, sometimes it is best just to focus on getting rid of the debt rather than within a set period of time. So, here is the new plan.

I will pay for my daughter's braces on August 28th in full. This saves us $189.05. The total is $3,591.95! I currently have $953. Of course, this is going to be less after the above mentioned car maintenence. Ugh!! The remaining money will come from our emergency fund. I know...it's not a true emergency, but I don't want to add more debt. Luckily the US Army provides my husband a stable job, so no worries there.

Since, the money is coming from the emergency fund, our first priority is paying this money back to ourselves. I hope to have this completed by the end of October. But if it happens later...so be it, right Boo?

Once we have paid ourselves back, we will turn our focus back to the home equity loan. I can't wait! Even though I've estimated when I think we can pay it off, I'm going to let the chips fall where they may.

While on this journey, I'm going to increase my focus on things I can sell on ebay or consignment stores. I'm going to do as many surveys as possible. I'm going to reign the spending in as well. We do pretty good with the spending...but I'm going to make an extra effort!!

That's the plan. I guess it's time for another ticker!

I made our regular payment to our home equity loan. With $79.21 going towards principal, our new balance is $6,342.05!!

A little history:

The loan balance was $13,999 at the beginning of January. My original goal was to pay off half. That we did!! At some point, much earlier this year, we changed the goal to pay it all off.

But then, we decided to go to Disney World for vacation at the last minute with cash. It's not something I regret, as we expect my husband to be deployed early in 2010.

Although not unexpected, we are facing costs for our oldest daughters braces to the tune of $3781 if we pay over time. But we could also pay in full, on August 28th, and save $189.

Can you see a lack of focus here?

I tell all of this to explain how and why our goals and priorities are changing. It may have been a bit too ambitious to pay the full loan in 12 months time, particularly knowing the braces were on the horizon. However, it's really the trip that could, maybe should, have been skipped. But again, I do not regret it. It just will take us a few months longer to pay off the home equity loan.

Honestly, I think we have done an amazing job. Our debt load in total is less than the beginning of the year. We increased the amount we invest in our retirement. We paid for a big vacation in cash. We will also pay for my daughter's braces in cash. So, I'm giving us a pat on the back for accomplishing what we have.

Tomorrow, I will post about the plan for the braces, as well as give a few more details on my goals for the HEL. So, check back in!!

I'm back from the grocery store.

I made it out of there paying $101.37. This is our food for the week. I will shop again next Sunday. My total includes a 24 pack of diet coke, plus the deposit, and kitty litter. So I would estimate that $85 is actual food products!

The kitty litter was good deal. It was on sale for $9.99. I had a store coupon for $2 off and a manufacturer coupon for $1 off. Final price for me $6.99!! The stuff retails for just under $12. I already have kitty litter on hand, but this deal was too good to pass up.

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Tomorrow, I'm making Apricot Orange Pork Chops in the crock pot. I haven't made this particular recipe before, but it sounds good. It's from this

We did shopped for eyeglasses today. We ended up purchasing frames and lenses from JC Penney Optical.

They are having a great deal on glasses for kids. Just $49 for a complete pair! This includes polycarbonate lenses and free warranty that covers breakage and scratches. This offer is good for kids 16 and under. My coupon, which I didn't need states the deal is good through September 12th.

It seems in our state there is no sales tax on glasses, so we escaped with two pairs for $98!! That I can handle.

Pearle Vision stated their glases were $159 for kids frames and lenses. I think they were having a Buy 1, Get 1 Family sale. Turns out my kids didn't like their frames. Good for my pocket book.

The girls had eye exams today. My oldest daughter already has eye glasses. I was expecting her to need a new prescription. However, it turns out my youngest needs them now, too.

Lucky girls. They inherited my near sightedness!

The eye exams were covered by our insurance, but the glasses will be out of our own pocket. We didn't pick them out today, because we had to get back home to prepare for a slumber party!

I'm going to see if any of the stores are having some good deals.

My daughter is having a slumber party on Friday with three friends. This is her birthday party. Her birthday was actually last month. We celebrated at Epcot in Disney World!

So, this week we are getting ready for the party. I made fabric drawstring bags out of fabric I already had. These will be used for party favors. They are going to hunt for their favors in the back yard, after dark, with flashlights. I still need to purchase the favors. This is what I'm thinking about getting: jolly ranchers, glow bracelets, microwave popcorn, chips, gum or toothpaste, and lotion.

I don't want to spend a lot or send them home with too much candy or junk. My daughter used her own money to purchase the three girls a Mickey Mouse pin, so they will get that, too!

We are buying them pizza for dinner. I will put out simple vegetables. They can eat their popcorn and chips. In the morning, we'll put out donuts and fruit. I think I'll skip the pop, but offer milk, koolaid and water for drinks. Oh, and cupcakes!! Ugh...it sounds like too much junk.

I'll total up the costs after the party and see how we did!

I called the orthodontist today to inquire about a discount for paying in full. They have one. It's 5% on the balance after the insurance makes their payment.

In our case, we would get 5% off $3,781. That's $189.05.

I can't decide what to do. I really wanted to focus on the home equity loan. It has an interest rate of 7.25%. My goal of finishing this by the end of the year is stressing me out. My plan puts us on a very tight budget, especially when I put payments to the orthodontist in the mix.

I can afford to pay the regular payments to the home equity loan and orthodontist with no problem. For that I am extremely grateful. It's when I start making a plan for paying them off early, even by the end of the year that I start getting very anxious.

I need to come up with a plan that will make me less anxious, but still bring progress to our goals.

I took my daughter to her orthodontist appointment today. She's going to have braces put on in 2.5 weeks. We're both very excited!!

Okay, I was less excited after they handed me the bill. But, while we waited for the total, I told my daughter we were getting braces regardless of the cost. It is simply that important. In the long term, it is actually a good investment in her health. She was pleased.

I know you want the details, so here they are:

Total $4800.00
Insurance $1020.00
Our Total $3780.00

I have to pay $780 at the end of this month when we have the braces put on. The remaining $3000, will be paid in monthly installments of $125 for 24 months!

Our insurance has a lifetime maximum of $1500 for orthodontic treatment and we used the $380 towards the headgear. I'm just realizing if she needs a retainer after the braces, that cost will be all ours.

I know I can manage the $125/month, so that is good. Of course, knowing me I will pay it off early!!

I didn't think to ask about a discount for payment in full. I don't really want to pay in full, but it would be nice to know if that were an option and how much it might save me!

Normally I would take all the extra funds and throw them on the home equity loan. I love doing that.

But, you see, there are clouds on the horizon. It just might rain. In the form of braces and eyeglasses. Technically, I should have been saving for these all along.

But...that's not how we roll around here. Generally, we bring in enough 'extra' each month to handle larger expenses when they come in.

Usually, this is a good time of year to get glasses. Last year, I paid about $50 for my oldest daughter. Our insurance covers the eye exam and then I look for a good deal on frames. She's going to want contacts soon, too. We'll see.

The braces. We have an appointment on Wednesday. I have about $1100 left of insurance coverage on those. I'm sure it will cost more than that, don't you? Most likely, I'll pay those off over time. Orthodontists are nice people...they don't charge interest!! My younger daughter might luck out and not need braces at all. Wouldn't that be nice?

So...for now the nearly $700 in extra funds I have will sit in the checking account. Waiting for instructions.

We made it to payday with $9.12 left to spare. Yipee!!

I'm so proud of us. DH and I worked as a team, not to spend more than was available. We even traded cars for a day to make it happen. I love it!

My husband's paycheck is now sitting in our checking account. However, the funds are already dwindling. He filled his car up with fuel this morning. And he took $50 in cash out. The fuel didn't surprise me, but the cash did. I think he took out an allowance. We had a discussion last month about all his small expenditures that I have to enter and keep track of. It gets tedious. So, I think maybe it's his allowance. Funny...we never did come up with an amount or a true agreement on what the plan was. I'll have to talk to him about that.

And, the account will dwindle more after I go grocery shopping. I have planned the meals for one week and made a list. I even found a few coupons for items I need to buy.

Yesterday, was a no spend day for us. We went for a family bike ride. We visited a furniture store that has been recently remodeled. Luckily, we were able to get out of there with zero plans for buying anything a few free cookies!

Today, is set to be a no spend day as well. I have filled our backyard pool for the kids to splash around in later. I'm doing laundry. I'm going to attempt to do some organizing, too. The basement is getting out of hand!

We are stocked up on groceries and gas. We should not need to spend a dime for the next 4 days. That's a good thing, too. We are down to $20 left of the money we allocated for spending this month.

I made sure to tell DH the status of our checkbook. The plan is to tell each other if we plan to spend anything before payday. If it is less than $20, we use the money in our first checking account. If a purchase arises that is more than $20, well, we need to use our second checking account. There is several hundred dollars in there. I'm, of course, trying to save that money for upcoming expenses or payments to the home equity loan.

Once pay day hits...I'm spending again. I need to purchase a backpack, tennis shoes, a swimsuit, a calculator, crayons, pencils, file folders and a binder. These are of course, items my kids need for school, which is still 4 weeks away. There is also a possibility of new glasses and the upcoming braces. She lost her final baby tooth on Friday!! Yipee!

I also have to plan a birthday party for my daughter. She turned 9 while we were on vacation. She is inviting three friends to our house for a sleepover. I need to set aside money for food and other necessities.

So for now...I wait to spend.

Still no air conditioning for the last 8 days! In case anyone doesn't realize, that in the midwest in July that NEVER happens. Ever.

It has been so cool, that swimming outside is not pleasant either. Today, I took them to an indoor pool, with a buy 1 admission, get 1 free. I didn't want to swim, so it cost me $4 to get them in. Good thing it was cheap, they wanted to leave after an hour!! What? Kids not wanting to swim? I have never heard of such a thing!

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We are signing up for dance and tumbling lessons this afternoon. For 9 months of entertainment, education and exercise, I will pay $742. I may have to buy jazz shoes for one daughter, but I think the old ones still fit for now! Same goes for the leotards.

It's payday. I feels like forever (just April) since I paid extra principal on our home equity loan. Our Disney World vacation was worth it, but I sure missed attacking this particular debt!

Today, I made a payment of $347.10 to bring the balance to an even $6,500.

Tomorrow, I will make our regular payment of $118.01. That should bring the balance to $6,421!

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Turns out my girls have decided to dance and tumble again this year. Two months ago, they were ready to be done. I think they were just tired out at the end of the school year. We missed early registration, but I can sign them up any time. I will pay all costs upfront and they will waive the $84 recital fee, which is basically a 10% discount. So, there goes another $750!!

We had a reunion with my DH's family yesterday. It was decendents of his grandparents. Only one daughter living, DH's Aunt. We lucked out and it was in our town and we didn't have to travel! We're the only ones who live here, others are nearby, but in smaller towns or much farther away. The aunt is from Arizona.

We spent time in the hotel lobby and bar before dinner. Dinner was good and filling. It cost our family of four $58 with tip.

My sister in law along with others took lots of pictures. Don't know if we'll see them again. It's been 7 years since we were together and that was at my father in law's funeral.

One of the cousins put together a couple of nice books explaining family history and plenty of photos! Each family received a copy. It will be treasured for a long time.

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DD2 will celebrate her bithday in a week while we are on vacation. I will be out shopping for her today. The plan is to take only one of the gifts in the suitcase with a gift bag and tissue. The rest she can open before we leave and then leave them here at home.

It turns out DD doesn't have a long list of birthday wants. I was able to get a few ideas from her by taking her to a few stores to look around. I'm thankful she does not have a lot of wants.

I had a productive day. Here is what I accomplished:

Hair cuts for the girls and I.
Confirmed pet sitter.
Typed a note for pet sitter.
Found key for pet sitter.
Picked up dance recital videos.
Bought gas for van.
DH scheduled oil change.

Wrote list of things we still need to buy before trip.
Wrote a list with dates for things that need to be done prior to our departure.
Printed hotel, car rental and airline confirmations.
Printed certificate for free admission to SeaWorld.

Found DD2's birth certificate (will used for Disney World on her birthday to obtain a gc for $63 in merchandise).
Printed directions to hotel, SeaWorld, and other destinations in Florida.
Completed laundry.

Did a trial packing...to determine number of suitcases and weight. Only 35 pounds!
I've also made breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family.

Whew! I'm tired, but feeling less stressed and much more together for this vacation. To make this a finance related post, I will say that it sure pays to be organized. Checking only one suitcase will save us $30!

I'm still stressed, but not quite as much as yesterday. Can you believe that it seemed to stem from finding sun hats of all things?

DD1 has a specific type of hat she wants and it has to be white and reversible. On Monday, I found a similar one...but a little big and not reversible. I also bought one I thought would work, but not really like what she wanted. It was a bucket hat, tan, not reversible and had a blue checked ribbon around it. Turns out she is okay with it. So, yesterday I returned two hats as well as a pattern to sew hats. I actually thought I'd feel comfortable sewing hats less than two weeks before our departure! Yikes. I've never made a hat before.

So, with items returned and hats that will work for both DD's, I feel less stressed. Today...haircuts. How stressful can that be?

I'm also in the process of making a list of things we need to buy at the store before we leave. We need more hair products, kitty litter, undergarments and gum. The list keeps growing and I only have about $120 in the checking account until next week. Some of these purchases will need to come from vacation money. I'm just taking it one day at a time, to see what I can accomplish.

It is to be rainy later today, so I think I'll start printing off confirmations and maps for the trip. That will feel good to get that in order.

Anyone have any birthday ideas for my soon to be 9 year old daughter? She doesn't have any ideas and neither do I. She will turn 9 while on vacation, so I need to take at least one gift along for her to open while we are there. I will shop this weekend for her.

Thanks for reading!

There's a history/museum farm right in our town. We're going today. We'll use our membership we bought last June. It is good through the end of this month. I don't think I will renew it. We've had fun there, but I'm ready to try new things!

My parents are going, too. I don't think I can get them in on our membership. I found a buy one admission get one free in our Entertainment book. That will save them around $10!

It's going to be a sunny and mild day for being outside. Enjoy your Saturday!