I found some great items on clearance earlier this fall that I thought I could give as gifts. Most of these were from Kohl's. I have one makeup kit, a spa gift set, a pair of slippers, a wallet, four small rugs, and two bottles of nail polish. I think I probably got all of that for around $30. I may actually return most of it!

Why might I return? Does anyone really want a rug for Christmas? Just an odd gift that doesn't make sense now. The make up kit was going to be for a niece, but now I need to mail something, so want something lighter and less bulky. the slippers were going to be for my mom (sister mentioned she already bought some), the spa kit was going to be for one of the adult females on my husband's side (now no longer exchanging). I may give the wallet to my husband. The nail polish will still get included in the original planned gift. I may have $20-$25 worth of items to return!

Today, I went to use a $10 JC Penney Reward and one of their $10 off $25 coupons. Unfortunately my purchases didn't come up high enough to allow me to use both. I spent $20 with tax for four items, but three of them were kind of last minute gifts that would need to be mailed. So thinking I could buy all of these items and spend $15, really will mean spending nearly $30 once I factor in shipping. Now I need to decide whether to keep the gifts and be okay with the money spent, or return the last minute gifts and only spend about $5.50 for the one item I really wanted to get.

Do you ever find yourself returning gifts before you give them? What prompts you to return before giving?

I received one of the two outstanding rebate checks in the mail today. It was for $8. I deposited it on my mobile phone while I was waiting for my daughter. I also ripped up more than half the mail and piled it into one envelope for recycling. Easier to have the mail head straight there than make a pile!

There is another $18 rebate I sent in, but I would guess I won't see that one until January. It would be nice to see it before year end, so I could apply it to the mortgage.

I had to make a mini store run this evening because I was out of yeast to make pizza dough. I had enough for one crust, or two thin crusts which the girls don't really like because they are to crunchy. While I was getting the yeast, I picked up three microwave meals for my husbands lunch this week. I figured this would keep him from eating out or driving 30 minutes round trip to come home for lunch (although I do like to see him).

I thought about wandering around the store to find stocking stuffers, but decided that would take too long and likely end up in more spending. I need to have a plan for what to buy for stocking stuffers first!

Have you received any rebates this year? Does anyone know of a source for yeast in larger quantities than the basic little jar? Do you plan stocking stuffers or just wing those?

I'm not really a fan of group gifts. My husband has six siblings and they have often gone in together for a large gift for their mom. It is nearly always something she wants, or someone says she wants. I've seen her reaction and she does always seem pleased.

Part of the problem is that some of the siblings can't afford to pay their share of the gift, or even participate. So the group gift becomes a smaller group and a larger burden financially. That has resulted in us opting out of this plan for many years, it seemed to put an end to it for awhile.

This year the group gift has come up again. I think we are actually going to participate. My mother in law wants, according to my husband, a glorified space heater. It's actually a media console for under her flat screen tv that looks like a fireplace mantel and will actually electrically heat up. It's about $250 at Walmart. Our share is likely to be at least $50, maybe more depending on how many people are going in on it.

I think I'm willing this year to participate since we do have the cash, she does want it, and we may not actually be at Christmas this year. (Does that make it a guilt gift?!) It's easier to mail a check then purchase gifts and mail them. So it will be more than the $30 I usually spend, it will be easier and make her happy.

Do you participate in group gifts? Do you avoid them?

Today was a no spend day for me! No store shopping, no online shopping. It was nearly a no spend say for my husband, since he bought two sodas on his way home. I'm glad I can report that at least one day in the month of December I didn't spend any money.

My daughter reminded me of her Secret Santa party in about 10 days. The girls are exchanging gifts with each other. They each drew a name. When my daughter asked the dollar limit for gifts, she was told by one girl it was $25!!!! No, we will not be spending that much. We may get a gift worth that, but I sure hope not to spend more than $15.

I expect we will shop for the gift this weekend, while we are out grocery shopping. I just today made my list for groceries based on the meal plan I made last week for the first 15 days of December. I usually make a meal list one week at a time. I'm enjoying making meal plans for longer periods of time. Maybe eventually, I will just make a plan for the month rather than just week by week!

Do you participate in gift giving at work or with friends? Do you have a dollar limit? How often do plan your meals?

I personally didn't spend a dime today. No online shopping either! However, my husband came home with two sodas after his workout. I just wanted to make note there was at least one day in December that I didn't spend money!

I completed a gift I needed to sew today. The project was a doll blanket and pillow for my foster niece. I did spend money on fabric, bias tape and matching thread. I had some of the fabric, so that helped a little.

I have my meal plan ready through December 15. Today I made a grocery list for the remaining items that I will purchase on Saturday. I will check for sales, and coupons before heading out.

My daughter reminded me of her Secret Santa party in about 10 days. She will need a gift. When she asked about a dollar limit, someone responded with $25!!!! Um, no we will not be spending that much. Maybe $15 or something worth that, but less out of pocket for sure. I hope we can gift the gift this weekend while we pick up other things. I sure don't want to be out shopping at the last minute.

Do you participate in a Secret Santa or work gifts? Is there a limit? What is it? Did you expect to have any no spend days this month?

I happen to be a fan of Lands' End T shirts, the ones that are a little fitted, but keep their shape because they have some stretch to them. I have a black one I've had for several years that has become VERY stretched out. I can't bring myself to pay full price at $25.50 a t shirt. But today they had 40% off and free shipping. I bought three and paid $15.30 each. I really do wear these for years on end, so a very good deal.

I remembered to use

My shopping this weekend was primarily online. I got up early on Friday to order $300 worth of Target gift cards at 10% off, using my Discover card for hopefully 5% cash back. Just now I ordered some items for my daughter's online, for around $60. I'm actually getting close to being done with them!

We went to a botanical garden out of state on Saturday and used our American Express cards since they were considered a small business. Our other Small Business Saturday purchases were at a local liquor store to stock up on a couple of bottles of liquor we usually buy. We didn't end up doing a third transaction. We ran out of time and ideas before stores were closing. We did all of this after returning from a 4+ hour road trip. All a good deal though.

I paid bills this morning and seem to have quite a bit extra that I likely can apply to paying ourselves back for those tires and flute purchase. I will start figuring that out soon!

Did you do any holiday shopping or visit a small business on Saturday? Are you current on your bills?

I have a link in the previous post about the Capital One 360 offers if you are interested.

I had to go back to the grocery store because when we purchased wine on Sunday, they only rang up 11 of the bottles. I needed that 12 one to show on a receipt so I could redeem a rebate worth $18. Luckily they were cool about it, and rang up another bottle, and gave me the additional discount for another 6 bottles. I paid another $1.93 after that so that I can get the $18 back! Well worth it.

We have been notified by Wells Fargo that we are short in our escrow account. This is because our property taxes increased by $306. The shortage is just $244.67. We have the option to pay in full before Jan 1, or have the amount spread across the next year. Normally, I would be inclined to pay the shortage up front. However, I really expect we will be moving, thus sending in more money a larger refund check later just doesn't appeal to me. I will have the amount spread across the next 12 months this time. Because of increased taxes and the shortage, our new payment will increase by $43.78. I think we can handle that change.

We may be changing our upcoming travel plans do to weather. I'm not a fan of anyone driving when roads are snow and ice packed. It is just not safe and not worth the risk of an accident.

It looks like we will make a little money from my husband's last travel trip. A whopping $25.81. Seems like a snowflake to me! I will add that amount with the $6 I have from a refund and a Pinecone survey and send to the mortgage to meet that goal by year end.

Have a super Thanksgiving! Stay safe and enjoy those you love and care about.

I sent $27.32 to the mortgage today to pay down some more principal. I do all my extra mortgage payments online by the way. So easy!The money was profit from that latest eBay sale and a Pinecone survey check. I love extra funds!!

I also sent $40 to savings that would normally be spent on flute lessons, since they are not having a lesson next week. I'm paying us back for the new purchases of tires and a flute.

I did spend money today, but only on groceries. About $48 at Super Target. I made sure to buy $50 worth so I could use the coupon to receive a $10 gift card. My total was less because I used their Cartwheel app, and my Red Card. I bought items for dinners through next week and a few things I need to take for Thanksgiving. I still have a few more things to purchase, so I will go back again tomorrow and see if I can reach $50 again and use coupon I had sent to my phone. That will mean another $10 gift card! I will likely use the gift cards for other holiday expenses, either a gift or food.

I also sent a $300 check with my daughter to make a payment towards her spring band trip. I took the money from the 52 Week Savings Challenge funds I have accumulated. It seems I will have an extra $300 saved. I expect to use that to pay ourselves back for those tires and flute as well. I will get that squared up before the end of the year.

I can't say much about it since it isn't a done deal, but a job possibility for my husband is in the works. It does require a move and he would likely move ahead of us relatively soon if he is chosen. As always is the case with these military moves, I have mixed feelings.

That's the news from here. Getting so close to meeting that mortgage goal for the year!! Did you spend money today, or pay off debt?

I'm a sucker. I was reading Hip2Save this morning and saw a possible clearance deal on Carter's clothes at Babies R US. Items were ringing up for $0.03. Yes 3 cents. It was 20 minutes before the store opened here which is just 5 minutes up the road. I quickly showered and went looking. And found...nothing at Babies R US that was marked anywhere near 3 cents. Probably good. I only personally know one baby right now.

Babies R US was next to Staples. I went in to see if they had a certain candy (chocolate covered sunflower seeds) for my daughter's stocking. No they did not, but I continued to wander around looking at clearance deals. Things were not marked, thus I was not interested. I ended up in the folder aisle and purchased a set of five poly folders for $4.99 plus tax. I will use and have wanted some, but was it a need? No.

My next stop was just up the parking lot to drop off movies rented from the library. Free!

I then proceeded to Walgreen's because I remembered they had this popcorn snack my daughter liked. A bit pricey at 2 bags for $5, I thought. Instead it was 2 bags for $6. I think that other price was the week before. I also picked up two packs of gum (buy 1 at $0.99, get one free, and five paper gift bags for $0.29 each.

I spent over $13 while I was out all because I thought I'd hit a MEGA deal at Babies R US for clothing I don't need! What is wrong with me?!! I'm actually laughing at myself, but really...?!

The only thing maybe worth returning is the poly folders, but I have one and use it and really think I will use the others. I will chew the gum, give one bag of popcorn to my daughter in her stocking, and I'm sure get use out of the paper gift bags. The other bag of popcorn has been consumed by the family already.

Does this stuff happen to you, too? Please tell me yes. Please!

I sold an item on eBay and made a profit of $24.32! Once I have the money in hand I will send it in (to the mortgage of course) with the recent Pinecone Survey payment I received.

I ordered Senior Pictures today for my daughter. I was happy I didn't need to put down another deposit. I simply need to pay when they are ready for pick up, which is in about eight weeks. That will give me a little time to stash some cash away!

I bought another gift for Christmas. A pair of socks! It is a bit of a tradition among some of us to give socks to one another. And we really look forward to it. These were $7.99 at Kohl's. I used my $5 coupon and 30% off coupon. I only spent $2.24!

Did you score a deal recently, or find any snowflake money for your goal?

We have stayed home today, since snow is falling and causing accidents on roads. I made sure to purchase groceries for the week yesterday with the intention of staying home this weekend.

Of course, just because I'm home doesn't mean no spending. Thanks to the internet I was able to purchase one of the bigger gifts for my daughter on eBay. It currently sells new for about $177 on Amazon. I was able to get one in nearly new for $130, which included shipping. I'm definitely pleased about that.

I put the charge on my new Southwest Rapids Rewards Plus card that arrived in the mail yesterday. All new purchases will be applied to this card to meet the $2K spending requirement. I have already put gas ($40) and one of my grocery runs ($25) on the card, too.

I'm discussing my Christmas planning and tasks completed on

I just wrote last night about the possibility of closing our American Express cards soon. But not quite yet, since I'm going to want to take advantage of their Small Business Saturday promotion.

I read all the details on My Money Blog. You can read about it

Target and Target.com will be offering Target gift cards at 10% off on Black Friday. Just in the morning from 6AM to NOON. This will probably be the only offer I take advantage of. I plan to buy the maximum of $300 worth, since we easily spend that much there on groceries each month. We usually use our Red Card, so this will simply save us an extra 5%. Definitely read the fine print on this offer, since you cannot use the gift cards purchased that morning until Saturday (although I don't know how they can track that). I'm going to buy mine online.

It will be a little tempting to go shop on Friday morning. We will be visiting my parents apartment and they live right next door to an outdoor mall. They can see the back side of JC Penney from their apartment! Right now, I don't even know what I would need to buy, which is a good thing. I'd rather just stay in bed anyway!

Will you buy Target cards at at discount on Black Friday? Will you do any shopping that day? If so, what are you looking to buy?

We did end up eating at Chili's for lunch today. The burger we ordered was free since my husband is a veteran. It was nice to have a meal out together since that is rare.

My husband also got his haircut free at Great Clips. We skipped the yogurt and coffee that was also free, as we didn't need the caffeine nor the calories of yogurt.

We stopped in at Joann's Fabric where I spent $2.56 on a gift after an additional 20% off our purchase with the military discount offered.

It was tempting to do some more shopping, but in the end we both really were not up for it. I guess that saved us some money.

There was snow blowing around this morning, but it really didn't amount to much here. With the windchill it was only 8 degrees this morning. Quite an abrupt change after nearly 60 degrees yesterday. This means the furnace is running longer.

Our neighbors across the street have put their house up for sale. I haven't been in their home, but found out from the listing they only have a finished bathroom in their basement. We have nearly 800 more square feet of finished space, including an extra bedroom. I think the house is priced competitively. I will be interested to see how fast it sells, as there are several homes in the area for sale right now. Winter tends to be slow, but not completely stagnant.

I ordered my husband's Christmas gift today. I bid on an eBay item and was outbid already. I found another one to bid on. I may not end up with the item, but figure I have a few weeks to bid before I have to purchase at full price.

Did your temperatures drop today?

I'm hanging in there with this cold. It sure feels like a virus. I was cold earlier today. I feel run down when I do too much. I've been sleeping pretty well and drinking lots of fluids. I expect tomorrow I will feel quite a bit better. I hope at least!

I did my extra store run today. I spent $21 for flour, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, 3 lbs of ground chuck, 1/2 gallon of milk, two small jars of peanut butter, and 3 lbs of clementine oranges. Pretty good in my opinion.

That right there took a lot out of me. I get to spend the day with my husband tomorrow for Veteran's Day. We are going to lunch with another one of his coworkers to take advantage of some free meals. We have yet to decide which restaurant. We also hope to get some free coffee at Starbucks and a free yogurt at Orange Leaf. Yummy!

I used the self serve postal kiosk at the post office today. I ended up getting 10 Spiderman stamps that I didn't pay for. I just grabbed the items I thought were receipts...one of them wasn't! Luckily me I guess. Sorry for someone who left their postage behind.

Have you ended up with a freebie that you didn't expect? Anyone else taking advantage of veteran deals tomorrow?

I did a little more online shopping for Christmas. Both daughter's want some specialty t shirts. Not sure that is exactly the right description. But let's say if your are a fan of Spiderman, you might want a Spiderman t shirt. Basically, they are fan girls of certain books and so forth.

I bought two t shirts tonight. I also found a couple more I'm considering. I also bought a pair of Smartwool socks from L.L. Bean. I had a $10 coupon in the catalog that arrived yesterday. Free shipping. The socks ended up being $9.95 after the coupon. Very good deal on Smartwool socks. I will give these to my mom in her Christmas stocking!

I'm progressing on other Christmas planning tasks this week, too. I wrote about them on

I just discussed gifts for my youngest nieces and nephews with my sister in law. She said they just aren't that into stuff! Not a bad thing, huh? The plan is to buy their family a state park permit for the 2015 year. That will cost me $26. That is inexpensive for four young kids and their parents! I can order online or pick up when I back for Thanksgiving.

I'm a fan of experience gifts. I don't get to give them very often, but have received them and they are always appreciated!

What experience gifts have you given or received? Or do you have one you would like to receive?

I've posted everyday this week, but I have kept myself pretty busy so I'm surprised that I even did. I've accomplished quite a few tasks, and none of them too spendy.

Monday was full of cleaning and various tasks around the house. I did go to the store for some cleaning supplies and bought my foster niece a birthday gift. The gift is now wrapped even, and I won't be seeing her until Thanksgiving!

Tuesday was a quick errand to Kohl's to spend $20 worth of Kohl's cash/Yes Rewards. I purchased a new fleece jacket and a needed pair of black tights for my daughter. I spent less than $5 out of pocket. I also began doing some Christmas planning. I know it's early but the intention is to get a few things out of the way in November to make the season relaxing and enjoyable.

Today, I went to meet a friend and her daughter for a little shopping and lunch before they had an appointment. They live out of town so it was a treat to visit. I paid $8.50 for my lunch, and paid $10 for another fleece (which my husband will add to my birthday gift). I turned in our bottles and had $2.50 back, so I used the money towards 10 stamps and only paid another $2.40 out of pocket. I had figured out how many stamps I needed yesterday, so buying those takes another item off my list.

I also stopped at Hobby Lobby and spent $5.60 for some artificial berries for the tomato cage tree I made last year. I believe this will be my only decor purchase this year. I don't need more. While I was there I noticed that all Christmas items were 50% off. This included stockings. I was going to make one for my foster niece but realized at those prices one could be bought! Since it was for my Mom's house I called her with my change of plan, she bought one for $5 that sounds really nice compared to what I would have spent time making, and I would have likely spent far more out of pocket. I guess it's good to know when to fold an idea! I also saved myself some money.

How has your week been? Are you doing any Christmas planning? Did you get any deals or find a way not to spend money?

I called both providers of services today. Target Optical simply had an error on their end. They did get paid. Why it showed up this late, I have no idea! But at least there is no bill to pay there.

The dentist was aware the claim was denied. They have been paid in the past from our insurance company, so we expect they will pay. They are in the process of calling and getting more information. I simply let them know if they needed anything from me to let me know. I expect to owe nothing or very little.

It was an interesting day of phone calls, which I rarely have to do. We ordered a service cap for my husband but apparently they don't have his size. The offered a size up, but I wasn't sure. Turns out he borrowed the larger size today and it was too loose, so that will be a no go. The company indicated it could be two to three months before one is available! I guess we will wait, as we can't seem to find another reliable option online. We also are not near any clothing sales store.

Overall good news, just some waiting on the dental insurance to pay and to get the item we ordered!

The $250 Citi Thank You reward check was applied to our mortgage late last week! Today, I also sent in another $18 in extra funds (snowflakes) to reduce the balance even further. That money was from one Pinecone Survey check and three $5 Target gift cards.

The mortgage balance is now $X16,512.76. This means just $1,512.76 left to pay down before the end of the year to meet our goal. We are right on track or even ahead of schedule.

Once we meet the actual goal amount, I will stop sending snowflakes to the mortgage. I will need to use these to offset some big purchases of late, primarily car maintenance. And there's that flute we still need to purchase. We have also been buying some new uniform items for my husband due to his promotion. Just last night I ordered a new service cap to go with his ASU (dress uniform) to the tune of $105! This stuff adds up, so I need to get some of this cash back into the bank.

I have a bid on one item on eBay, so another small snowflake will arrive before the end of the month, although I may count it towards November. I also redeemed MyPoints for a Panera Bread gift card. If I use that for an outing with friends, I will match it with mortgage funds.

If you have the Discover card, remember that online purchases for the quarter earn 5% cash back. I luckily remembered this when I ordered the service cap and some vitamins online yesterday?

What is your most recent snowflake? Are you using a cash back card for your online purchases? Are you nearing a goal you made at the beginning of the year

I've got a new post at

The flute we bought on eBay has been returned, received and payment refunded. However, it doesn't yet show on my credit card. On PayPal, it says it could take up to 30 day! Wow, that is a really long time. Luckily, there is no interest accruing on the card I used. It may show up in another day or two, at least that is what I hope!

I claimed my third $5 gift card at Target this week for purchasing $15 worth of personal care products. In all I bought six packages of feminine products (two types), two tubes of toothpaste, two deodorant sticks, and two cans of shaving cream. I think we are stocked up through the end of the year! Two gift cards have been used, the third will be used tomorrow when I get a few more items for our guests. All gift cards will be matched with a principal payment to the mortgage.

I've been doing some

I 'earned' a $5 gift card at Target Sunday for purchasing $15 worth of personal care items. I really should go back and get more, as it is a good price once the gift card is figured in.

Today I bought more groceries at Target, which should get us through the rest of the week. I made sure to use the $5 gift card. I will count this as a snowflake and send that amount in to the mortgage!

I have enough points with MyPoints to redeem for a $10 gift card, but I can't decide which one to get! It's free money! I just need to pick something. I will let you know what I decide!

I bought two cards at the store today. I made sure to find the $0.99 ones. One is for my friend grieving her mom. I already sent the sympathy card, but wanted to reach out again. We have been talking a lot, so I think that helps, but good mail is welcome, too. The other card is for Halloween for my foster niece. I will put a $5 bill in it, since we don't live close enough for her to come trick or treating.

Have you 'earned' or received any gift cards? Have you spent any? Do you give them as gifts?

The Thank You points check from my Citi card arrived today. The check is made out to our mortgage company for $250. I have put it in an envelope to be mailed in tomorrow! Soon to have less debt.

We are in the process of getting new tires for our truck. We were told they would need to be replaced a week ago when we where in. And now one of them is not holding air too well. They need to be ordered and hopefully we will have them this week. Not excited about paying for them, but we want to be safe and have working tires! We are also getting rear brakes replaced at the same time.

In the not too distant future, I expect I will also be getting new tires for our van and maybe brakes (can't remember if those were a need yet). So once I meet the mortgage goal, all extra money through the end of the year is going to help pay for these expenses. Specifically, replenishing the funds we will use to pay for them.

Once the Citi check arrives at our mortgage company I will let you know! I expect it to go off without a hitch.

I have a new post up at

I had $12.66 in rewards on the US Bank Cash+ Visa that I redeemed the other day. These are primarily the result of getting 5% cash back on our cell phone bill. I didn't remember to match those, so now will need to make another mortgage payment to pay down some more principal!

The bills are paid. I have paid all but one credit card in full. No interest is being charged, and now that we finally got the back pay for promotion we can starting doing good things with the extra funds. I won't have all that figured out likely until the next paycheck at the beginning of November. Something to look forward to.

I made a donation to a charity last night for a walk we are participating in. We will need gas to travel and some cash for lunch while we are there. I feel good about that cause.

I also need to pick up the senior pictures! I have $50 deposit down right now, but need to pay another $100 to pick up the proofs and take them home. I could just look in the studio, but that seems like too much pressure.

Any snowflakes (extra money) come your way recently?

The flute I mentioned in yesterday's post has been mailed back. I don't expect to have a problem with a refund at this point, since I have been in communication with the seller. Worse case scenario, I file a complaint with the credit card company. I don't expect it will come to that.

I met a friend halfway between where we both live. We started with latte's and muffins, browsed lots of stores and stocked up on cards through the end of the year (3 for me) and then had lunch together at a place that service local foods (yummy!!). In the end we didn't get separate checks for lunch, so she paid. I will pay her back at some point and in some way.

It's payday, but I haven't had time yet to get everything current. I expect I will do that tomorrow. So more from me then possibly.

I finally decided to redeem the $200 bonus from the Citi Thank You card. For awhile, I was thinking of redeeming the reward for a Lowe's gift card so we could put it towards the purchase of a fridge. That is on hold for now.

I ended up redeeming the bonus plus other points for a $250 check made out to our mortgage company. I would guess I will have it in a week. It came really fast last time. Once I have it, I will send it to Wells Fargo to reduce the principal on our mortgage balance! That was the whole point of getting the bonus anyway, so I'm pleased with making that happen.

I made an extra payment full of various snowflakes (extra money) today in the amount of $82.28. Less debt, we know I like that! It really is amazing how small amounts of money here and there add up.

In other news, the flute we purchased is being returned. It is actually in really great shape and easily worth the money we paid. Except, the embouchure isn't the right size for my daughter. She has a hard time blowing air through it. I thought since it was the same model my oldest daughter has it would work...but my younger daughter has different lips and it doesn't work for her! Our lesson teacher advised it be returned, so I'm in the works with that since I bought it on eBay. We will now buy local and give her lots of options to test out for the right fit. Luckily, she wasn't too disappointed by it all.

I am waiting for the seller to respond, and I'm slightly concerned they will deny a refund. The seller has a 100% feedback score, but seems to have something about 72 hours to request refund...and today is 72 hours. Of course, then there is another place on their site that say 14 days. My plan is to return it, insurance priority, maybe with signature and hope a refund would still be provided. At that point, I think I could contact the credit card company for a refund, showing I returned the item to them. Any thoughts? I know I could also get eBay involved if needed. I probably shouldn't jump to send back to quickly. Worse case, I could actually resell it.

Have you had to return anything you purchased lately? Do you have less debt than you had yesterday?

It has been a busy weekend, primarily with band and family visiting. I don't think we really overspent. I did buy about $100 in food on Thursday, which did cover all we need. There is still food to eat. No gas was purchased. Tickets were accounted for. We took out an extra $20 cash. I think we only bought three sodas, a hot dog, and one caramel corn popcorn at the two band events. I find that pretty reasonable.

I made two eBay sales. Sales total $30.98. I'm still waiting for payment, but no rush for tonight since tomorrow is Columbus Day and there will be no mail service. I relisted one item that had ended on Friday. I dropped the price, since the item seems to get a lot of people looking but no buyers.

I will spend tomorrow working out, talking with my friend who's mom died last week, hanging with my husband on his day off. I'd like to get more done, but taking care of myself and supporting others is nothing to be taken for granted.

Forever grateful for this life. How about you?

We purchased a used flute on eBay yesterday. It wasn't really that used though, might have been a demonstration model. It actually looks pretty new. We figured we saved over $400 by buying this one rather than new from our local music store.

This flute will be for our youngest daughter and it is the same model as her sister's, which we did buy new. It has been a great flute for her, thus why we wanted the same one and as close to new as we could get.

Our daughter will pay 10% of the cost. We don't really NEED the money from her, but we did make her sister pay the same amount when we upgraded the flute. I think it is gives them a little ownership and knowledge about the cost of things. And sure, I don't mind paying a little less on my end!

I completed two Pinecone surveys in the last 24 hours. I have two items with bids on eBay. I claimed some Bing rewards for Swagbucks, which will help me redeem for two Amazon gift cards on Swagbucks when the code arrives. Little snowflakes on their way!

I'm getting ready for guests AGAIN. More food will need to be purchased. My parents will take me for lunch tomorrow, so that is one less meal I need to purchase. I also have all that soup, chili and bread from our party a couple weeks ago that I will be using up.

I've been trying to do better with workouts and food. I skipped two days of working out, but I'm determined to go today (right after I post this). Did really great tracking food up until last Saturday when we were watching football and my husband kept getting out more snacks! At the days following have been better, but not under my goal. Keep trying, right?

I took my daughter for senior pictures today. She is relieved to have them done and have that item off her senior list of things to complete. Senior year is stressful!!

I paid $50 to secure the spot when I called. They waived the sitting fee when we arrived and stated the fee I paid would go towards the picture balance and 16 free wallets are included if we buy a package.

I think we will have lots of nice photos to choose from. Of course, we will try our best not to overspend. Anyone with recent graduates know how much you spent on senior photos?