The coat I listed last week on Ebay did not sell. I lowered the auction price and I'm hoping for some bites this week. I also listed 7 other items. Some of these have been listed before. This past summer I think. I will relist and lower prices all of November. If they don't sell after the end of November they are going to Goodwill.

I might get two or three more items listed on Tuesday with five day listings, so they end at the same time as tonight's listings.

I'm just looking forward to moving these items on out of our home. Why keep stuff we no longer need and want, right? I have a very small bag of items to get to Goodwill by the end of the week. I hope to add to it and take it all in on Friday.

Have you made a donation of clothing or household items this month? Do you usually get a receipt and deduct on your tax return?

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:

Again, in the mail today, I received a $10 off a $10 purchase at Kohl's. This is the second one this month. I used the last one last week when we shopped there. Clearly, they want me to come back!

I am DONE cleaning our windows. I even cleaned the outsides of some of them. The others I couldn't reach without a ladder and they actually aren't too bad. The windows seems to get dirtier here in this more rural town. And the spider webs are really bad!! Ick.

I'm craving a soda, which is really odd, since I have pretty much stopped drinking pop almost two years ago. I must need more water! If I can avoid the temptation to pick up a soda on my next outing, I will declare today a no spend day. Again!

There isn't much financial going on. I'm looking forward to payday just so I can do something financial! My husband is taking a couple days off work, so we might use one of those restaurant gift cards. That means I can send the same amount of money to the mortgage. That would be good.

Did you get a Kohl's $10 coupon this month? Did you use it? What did you get?

I posted earlier today about making another principal payment on our mortgage...check it out if you want the details!

I had an automatic email reminder from myself earlier this month that I needed to check our credit reports. Specifically Equifax. I finally did that today. Everything looks just fine. All those new credit cards are showing up!!

I used the free service,

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!!

The painting did get done yesterday and it looks so much better. The girls wanted the same color that their bathroom was painted in our last house. A light blue, specifically Pale Flowers by Valspar available at Lowe's. I did not buy their primer based paint becdause it so expensive and not necessary for this paint job. Saved myself $10-$15 by making this choice.


The towels and shower curtain are the same too. The decorative mirror in the picture was purchased at an art fair for $25. I thought the message was worth the price for two teen girls. I hope to find a few cube shelves for above the toilet. I see they are available on Amazon for about $15, but I'll look for locally first and even consider a used set.

Sorry I don't have any before pictures. Although I probably do somewhere; from last year when we moved in. Just imagine builder white. Although most of our walls and ceiling are a buff cream color.

I sold another item on Ebay, likely netting about $8. I will put that in the mail today. I also was able to redeem Swagbucks for another $25 deposit in my PayPal account. I will add that to the Snowflakes for Equity once I have it in my account.

Do you know how to paint? Do you paint often or infrequently? Any one not know how to paint a room?

I sold two of the CDs I listed on Ebay yeterday afternoon. They are already at the post office. Not sure the net, the gross sales of the two together was $13.62. This money goes to the Snowflakes for Equity, of course!

I got some motivation with this cooler weather to paint my daughter's bathroom. They have been asking and mentioning it for months! With paint and cool weather means open windows and no air conditioning. Might see how long we can keep them open, but allergies could become an issue.

A little spending because of the paint and trip an hour away, but it is all good! Trying to keep up with the Swagbucks codes today, but so far have two...oh well, I'll get goal done after the painting is done!

Today, I'm going to run some errands since they are all on one side of town. I will return two items to Kohl's that we don't need. I will used a $2 off three cards at Hallmark...I hope to buy the $0.99 cards to make my out of pocket expense around a $1. I will pick up a pair of capri pants for youngest daughter at Old Navy. I seemed to have received another $15 reward from them. They just keep sending them to me...and I only buy stuff when I use their coupon! They should cost me just over $5. I may stop at Barnes & Noble to pick up an item or two. I have gift cards we were given for Christmas that we still have not spent, and I think my July birthday daughter has a few things on her list I could get with those. I also plan to drop books off at the library...it seems I'm always there either getting books or dropping them off. Libraries rock.

We are going to a Show Choir event at school tonight. Tickets were $10 a piece, which all goes back into the music program. It should be entertaining! We want to get good seats, so I plan to prep taco fixings for dinner so we can get out the door fast. The meat was seasoned and cooked yesterday and just needs to be reheated.

This whole week has been pretty frugal. No trips to the ATM. No last minute trips to the store. I have spent much of my downtime cleaning floors, dusting blinds, doing laundry and cleaning bathrooms. I have a big list and I just keep finding something on it I can get done! It feels pretty good.

Next Friday is payday. It seems early, but I think I'll be ready for it anyway. I know there will be some money to save from it and that is always nice.

Did you have a frugal week? Do you see some debt payoff or savings in your future?

I'm really trying not to spend extra money for the month of January. It's been a bit hit or miss, but I decided to start using up some shampoo/conditioner samples that came in the mail. I also have several bottles that simply have a little left in them that need to be used up. These bottles are ones my kids think they can't get any out of, but I can use for another 3 to 5 days! This will delay our need to purchase these items this month.

The bonus of using up these items is that I'm decluttering at the same time! I guess the point is, that it is a good idea to use up your stash once in awhile. What items do you have stashed away that you could use up that might save you money this month?

Wow! So very very grateful, my husband's paycheck is actually increasing despite the increase to the payroll tax. It helps that he effectively received at 3.7% raise this year before taxes. After taxes and an increase to his TSP, we still have a net increase to his paycheck of $61.21 per paycheck twice per month.

I have one week to figure out how to divide up the net paycheck towards our goals. I debating between one goal at at time versus several goals throughout the year. It really comes down to my/our preference and how we would feel about waiting on the truck payoff for example. Don't worry though it will be paid off by year end!! I'll write all about it once I have the plan.

I intended to get some ebay items up this week, but it probably won't happen until Sunday. I decided my priority project is going through our paper and computer files. There is plenty to shred. Plenty of files to delete. I have new paper files to create...something about moving necessitates a few more! Paper sorting is one thing I do deeply nearly every year. Do you have a yearly date with your files? Any tricks or tips you want to share?

I'm not going to be frugal with water today. I know a complete opposite post for a savings blog!!

I have to wash sheets for guests this weekend. I bought new towels that need to be washed. Also, a few of the guests are allergic to cats, so I'm washing all the bedding in that room to get it extra cat hair free! I will also do a deep vacuum cleaning in there too. And then close the door until their arrival. It's the least I can do, right?

I should also water the plants so they survive this mini heat wave we are having again. And while I'm at it, I might reach for about 8 glasses of water to drink.

Not exactly frugal, but sometimes it is just what you have to do!

Our movers arrive tomorrow to start packing our things. It is one of the nice perks of the Army. We have had to separate out some things, such as our clothes we want to wear, a few kitchen items, valuable things including pictures and files.

Our house is a mess, but we are in very good shape.

We decided to go with a VA loan this time. Our first VA loan actually. We also went with an adjustable rate of 2.75%. It will remain fixed for five years and then can adjust up 1% each year after...up to a max of 5%. Considering we have been in our home for 5.5 years and have been paying a fixed 6%...this feels like the best deal given our situation. We don't expect to be in this next location for more than 6 years.

I would have liked to rented, but the area we are moving to just didn't seem to have what we were looking for. We do like owing our home, so that we can really make it our own while we are there.

Off to cancel some utilities and fill out school paperwork!

Apparently the buyers agent has an inability to write well. The wording on the inspection addendum did state ALL nails, but that was not the intention. They only want the nails that are currently protruding from the siding fixed. And only those nails caulked and painted.

We have not signed the addendum yet, but hope to by the end of the day.

I sent an email over the weekend to a handyman inquiring about the repairs we need done. Unfortunately, it's a no go. They are booked in the time frame we need the repairs done.

I also sent an email to another contractor we have worked with before. Fingers crossed he calls and is available to complete the work!

I researched one other company that looks promising with good reviews. I will attempt to call this afternoon, if I don't hear from the previously mentioned man.

I'm getting to the point where these repairs are stressing me out. They are simple, but yet with one rejection from a reliable and busy company I'm a little concerned. We may need to just acknowledge the deficiencies to the buyer and provide a credit to compensate.

I hope this is cleared up by the end of the day!!

In other news...I did receive another pinecone survey payment of $3. And if I didn't already mention it, and I may have, I redeemed swagbucks for a $25 Amazon gift card. I also put three items up for sale on ebay last night. Two pairs of nearly new sandals and a pair of capris. A little extra cash would be nice!!

We have been contacted by the moving company that will move our belongings from this house to the next. They will likely store our things for 2-4 weeks before we move into our next home.

On Monday, an estimator is coming to our home to see how much stuff we have. And really, it is not that much stuff. Right now they think it is a day and half job. I think the last time only took one day and I expect the same this time.

We already have estimated dates for packing and picking up. Boy this feels VERY real. I have dates that I can use to start telling services to stop service.

I think I need to start making a list!! Yikes.

The major road behind our house has recently closed in order to widen the street to four lanes. As a result my detour is very inconvenient and starting today requires waiting for oncoming traffic to pass before being allowed to pass on a one lane road.

As a result, I didn't feel like making a separate trip to the grocery store tonight. I decided instead to make soup and breadsticks with items I already had on hand. I'm going to do the same tomorrow too. I turns out I do have some things I should start using up in preparation for the move. Tomorrow is grilled cheese for the girls and salmon that I found in the freezer for me! Yum.

I'm also going through all cupoards and closets looking for things that need to be tossed or donated before the move. I'm pretty pared down, but I'm checking expiration dates and outgrown shoes. There is always something that one no longer needs it seems.

Do you have any unusual ways to keep from spending? Do you have a lot of construction in your area?

I went to Home Depot and purchased two sets of 8 pack annuals. Pansies in burgandy and violas in purple(these smell sooo good!). I was able to fill four pots with last years potting soil. One pot on the front porch, one on the back deck, and the two smaller pots on the side of the house that can be seen from the street. Nice pop of spring color!

I also bought fertilizer. This is way earlier than I normally would do this, but with recent rains weeds are already showing up. And of course, a green yard sells better than a brown one!

I spent about $20 for a spring spruce up. I expect we will actually get out and mow tomorrow evening, so that that yard looks trimmed up in our marketing photos. It all seems to be going according to plan!!

DH is soooo ready to come home. He has already given his 60 days notice to his apartment complex with a move out date. Funny thing is the accountant said they would be able to prorate the May rent since he is moving out before the end of the month, and the apartment manager said that they don't prorate. Who knows. I'm really just glad he'll be out of there!!

He also stopped in Uhaul a couple days ago and made arrangements to rent a trailer for his move back. He called me to see if we needed to get insurance...yes, because our insurance doesn't cover it and I don't want to be out $3000+ if it gets damaged.

Today, I'm doing regular cleaing of bathrooms, vaccuuming and dusting. We also need to tidy up and put away back packs, library books, games and things that are out and visible. Fun times here! Is anyone else spring cleaning? I need to know I'm not alone!!

We have a date with our realtor for Saturday! I really had to motivate myself to make that call. I guess a big part of me still doesn't want to move.

However, I'm glad that things are moving forward. It also means more cleaning and organizing before Saturday. Right now it seems to be just regular cleaning. I've done most of the deep stuff recently.

And I need to keep junk from just piling up here and there. I'll be doing stuff just about everyday until it sells. Fingers crossed it is fast. Otherwise, I don't know if I can keep up!

Thanks for the Blogoversary wishes!! So glad you are all here, too.

I cancelled the Goodyear credit card that DH opened in November when we purchased tires and wanted to get the rebates. I didn't have it all paid off until early last month, but it is finally cancelled! It was a Citi connected card, so I just emailed the desire to cancelled and received a response with in a hour or two. Easy!!

Orders from the Army to move should likely come any day. Tomorrow? I'm still working on things around the house to make it in saleable condition.

Today, I'm using paint I have on hand to touch up our kitchen cabinets. If I have time I will also clean up the dead leaves from last years daylillies. They are beginning to poke through on the south side of the house! Spring is here it seems.

Yesterday, we had several pieces of our driveway pumped up with concrete. It does have patched holes that are still drying, but it looks so much better and is not nearly as much of a safety hazard! That will set us back about $400. I am waiting for an invoice.

It has been a bit spendy lately, thus not as much savings to speak of. DH had about $500 worth of maintenence work done on the truck this past weekend. Always frustrating to me when he does this and it suppose to just be an oil change. Ugh!

So, what's new with you? Is it spring where you are?

I redeemed my final $5 AGC from Swagbucks for the month of March. The other $20 worth I counted towards February, since that is when they were earned. I'd love to get enough by the end of the month to earn a $25 or $50 AGC. To meet that goal, I'm running Swagbucks TV while I'm spring cleaning.

I also earned $3 from Pinecone. I did notice that I actually earned $18 per month the last two months. Not bad. I hope March turns out to be similar.

It's a beautiful day here. I will walk outside with my neighbor and try to get some more cleaning in. So far I've done two sets of blinds and cleaned the upper kitchen cabinets. If I can get the lower cabinets done, I will try to touch up paint them later this week. It's the one dreaded task I have on my list. Cabinet painting. Yuck!

No word on orders yet, which is what is keeping me from doing much regarding selling the house. I will just keep plugging away on cleaning until then.

Anyone else getting the spring cleaning bug? What kinds of tasks are you working on?

I sent an email from the Citi website to customer service today requesting my account be closed. I indicated that I opened it only for the rewards and have received those. I also indicated I did not need the credit.

I received an email back within an hour indicating the account had been closed. So happy there was no hassle. Easy. Easy!

We earned a $12.42 in interest for the month. That money just gets added to our emergency fund right now. We actually just topped $20K for the first time in awhile. I'm not sure how much of that we can hold on to with the move coming up, but I'll do my best.

I'm doing things around the house to get ready for sale. Today, I oiled a few squeaky hinges on doors and cleaned the bathroom vents. I've also got a call in to arrange a furnace and air conditioning check.

I'm actually beginning to consider a For Sale By Owner. I found a site in our area that charges about $500 to list the house on MLS and other real estates sites like Google, Yahoo and Zillow. They will take wide angle photos and a virtual tour video. And there is a sign mailed to us for our yard, as well as a QR code attached to the listing. There is no minimum listing period.

It is very tempting to consider since I don't think our house will sell for above what we bought it for. It might even sell for $10K less. And it will cost us about $10K to list with a realtor. We will leave the transaction with cash. It would just be nice to leave with more than we started with!!

We have a very nice clean home. Some updates, nothing glaringly outdated for a 1998 home, in my opinion. There is room for improvement if someone wanted to put in laminate, or paint all the trim white. Basement is unfinished.

Hmmm...maybe I'll take some photos of the house how it is and see if you think it is FSBO material. I'll get back to you on that.

Oh, and I would pay a buyer's agent a commission if they were interested in our house. I think that would be worth it.

Let me know you first thoughts. I'm off to do more cleaning. Are you spring cleaning yet?

My $200 CitiDividend Reward check arrived today in the mail. Time to close that card! I'm going to attempt closing online. Those funds will just be saved for now. There is a move on the horizon!

I was paid another $3 for a Pinecone Survey. Those have been plentiful this month. I'm also trying to earn lots of Swagbucks today...it is the site's 4th Birthday.

I've kept up on the green smoothies. Only two more days to go until the end of the month. I might actually need to run to the store for more greens before Wednesday.

Oh, and I have a Goodwill run to make. I found a bag of things that don't need to move with us. Lots of cleaning and organizing will be happening here.

I found an article on the Miss Minimalist blog that is timely for Halloween. It is also a great wrap up to the Great Purge of 2011! Or inspiration for purges you still have left to complete before year end.

The

Today is the final day of the purge challenge. It's been fun and challenging. I'm glad I made the effort, but I'm ready to move on to other things. I'm sure you are ready to read other posts from me, too!

Here's the final purge list:
1 hand lotion
2 tubes expired ointment
1 clear bag
6 gift bags
1 pile of ribbon
1 set of gift tags
1 small gift box
2 rolls of gift wrap
1 pile of tissue paper and gift wrap scraps
21 pieces of paper

Again, I went above and beyond and found more than 27 items. Oops! I'm starting to wonder if that might be a point of the challenge to get you to find quite a few things, but find that you often exceed the goal. That can happen with any goal in my experience.

Thanks to all of you that have participated along with me. It was nice to have company! I'm glad I could help encourage you to purge. Will anyone continue to look for 27 items after today?

Last purge picture:

Tomorrow is the last day of this challenge. And to be honest, I'm glad. Locating 27 items per day is challenging and a bit time consuming. At least for someone like me that can be a bit obsessive compulsive!

Here's what I found for day 7:
1 map
1 brochure
1 necklace charm
1 set of ear bud covers
1 magazine
1 wooden handle extension
1 store member card
1 expired Entertainment book
1 pencil sharpener
1 rain poncho
1 can of lice spray
2 candles
1 sponge
14 pieces of paper

I believe that is 28 items. Geez. I am an overachiever. Forgive me.

I've noticed with this challenge that it is completely different that locating items for a garage sale. Most of the items I've decided to toss are insignificant, but yet excess stuff that really doesn't need to live with us in our home.

Those of you still participating are doing great! I know it is a tough challenge. Even one item a day is great in my book. Decluttering is really an ongoing process.

Everyday, I'm surprised at what I find to toss from our home. I actually recycle all the time, so I'm not including too many of those items. All the paper is from going through my file cabinet.

Here is today's list:
1 diet book
1 cd
1 door stop
16 pieces of paper
1 vacuum tool
2 hangers
1 package of freezer burned hot dog buns
1 package expired flax seed
2 bottles of dye
1 bottle expired vinegar
1 bolt

The total for today is 28 items! I made it. I hope I can make it for two more days. Are you finding this task challenging or is it a breeze for you? Let me know.

I found some more things to purge from our home. I'll admit this list has quite a bit of paper in it, but it all counts. It doesn't make for the best picture, but here it is:



2 used batteries
22 pieces of paper
1 used spiral notebook
1 non working flashlight
1 empty toothpaste tube
1 car air freshner (too strong)
21 recipe cards
1 used diet journal
1 pair of pantyhose
1 scarf
2 calculators

The scarf and pantyhose were in places that I had already looked, but I looked again and there they were...more items to get rid of!

The diet journal...completely filled out in 2007. It doesn't have much use other than to remind me that I did lose weight at one time and what I ate then. That will be pulled apart and recycled.

I entered about half of the recipe cards into my

I'm posting this early in the day because I actually found more things yesterday to total another 27 items. Now I'm like a day ahead. Sorry I'm really not trying to be an overachiever.

I hope my list might give you motivation today to find some things you can do without. We really need so little.

I posted a curb alert ad on craigslist yesterday and was able to dump a very worn patio set (table and 5 chairs) and a vanity light fixure I recently replaced in my bathroom. I tried to give away a car jack, but it was not of interest yesterday. If you are counting along that is 7 items!

The rest of the purge included:
3 pots worth of dead annuals
1 music cd
12 mini allen wrenches
1 plug adapter (that doesn't work)
1 miscellaneous tool
4 skewers
14 pieces of paper

That is a grand total of 43 items! Pictures below. Good luck today purging that which does not provide you with function and beauty.

I made it again...I found 27 items to purge from our home. Again, they are small things. Luckily for me, they add up!

1 gift bag
1 booklet
1 cat costume
1 bag of beads
1 jar expired yeast
1 ribbon
1 elastic casing
1 broken necklace
2 charms
1 bag of watch parts
1 spool of thread (near empty)
1 neck gaiter
1 cookbook
2 software discs
3 prs of tights
2 rebate cards
6 months of sales receipts (now shredded)

I'm still amazed that I have found this many items everyday. Glad to hear many of you are still challenging yourselves with tossing items, too. Every little bit helps keep the clutter in check.

The ironic thing is I'm about to head out shopping with the girls for some things they need. Shoes and pants. They keep growing. What can I do?!

Check in and let me know how it is going for you!

Here's the pictures:

This is going to be a hard challenge for me. I don't have big items to let go of. But I seems to have many small items!!

Today I purged:
1 costmetic bag
1 set of used razor blades
1 bag of hair ties
1 bottle of baby powder
1 set of eyeglasses
1 contact case
1 eyeglass case
1 pin
1 set of shower clips
1 screen door part (with instructions)
1 set of tire valve caps
1 otc expired medication
1 reusuable bag ( I don't like this one)
1 magnet
1 broken lipstick cap
1 key ring
1 halloween safety light
1 loose tea holder
4 liquid medicine cups
1 plastic knife/spoon
1 container of drink mix
1 box of cocoa...nearly empty
2 plastic bottles for recycling
1 old cut up debit card (received my new one yesterday)
1 pewter envelope opener

So 29 items or more if you count the hair ties and each razor blade, but I won't. I made the 27 item goal. I hope some of you have big stuff to get rid of. I find that more exciting! Here is the pictute, and yes, some items will be donated or recycled as necessary...otherwise they are trash.

Check in and let me know how you are doing on this challenge.