I took the financial literacy quiz that can be found in the Tools Tab of this website. A link can be found

here.

I scored $27 out of $30! That's a 90%. I honestly didn't know two out of the three and the third one I missed was just a misunderstanding of the question. The average score is just above 50%.

Take the quiz and at least learn what you don't know!

P.S. If you are still working on filing your taxes that are due tomorrow...get back to it. The quiz can wait.

My friend called last night with good news. They sold their camper for $6500. This was $3500 more than what she was hoping. I don't think she knew what it was worth. That money will pay for the bats, the recent car repair and various other debts.

Her husband also traded in his two year old truck (don't need it anymore without the camper). They are now leasing a Honda Civic. I'm not a fan of leases, but this lowers their monthly payment and reduces the amount that will be spent on fuel. They now have an extra $200 in their pocket each month.

Overall, good news. Not perfect news, but good news. She had told her husband to sell the camper or get a part time job. So, I said, I guess he didn't want to get another job. Yep, he didn't want to work any extra, so he sold the items off. I think it is a good decision.

I did mention she should keep $1000 of the camper proceeds for an emergency fund. She says: 'Nope, it will just get spent. It needs to pay off debt.' While I'm not against paying off debt, I do think there is value in knowing how to maintain an emergency fun. One doesn't know this is true until they try. I just want her to try!!

Wow! I was quite surprised to see the blog changes this morning when I logged on. What does everyone else think about them? I already miss the long list of all the recent blog entries.

The truth is change is good. It can be uncomfortable at first, but we adapt. We come to a new normal. As a family, we are going through change right now as we get used my husband/the girls dad not being at home as much. We miss him greatly, but we learn to look forward to his phone calls by skype and cell phone. (He's still in the states, but is out training)And skype is pretty fun!

Change applies to finances, too. Sometimes we have big goals we desire to attain, that require change and sacrifice. I remember a time when we didn't have cell phones, caller id, or newspaper delivery because we need that money to pay bills and debt. It was a minor change for us, but it was worth it! Other times, the financial change is a loss of a job. That can feel devastating and overwhelming, but after you grieve you move on, looking for work, and/or adapting your lifestyle to fit into the income available.

Change actually is a constant. If you look back on your life, you can point to numerous thngs that have changed. For example, I no longer live with my parents! I've married and had two children. Those are big changes. And more will continue to come as my children grow and move on with their lives. It makes for an interesting journey at the very least!

How do you respond to change?

Today, I turned in our cans and bottles to get our deposits refunded. That cleared some space in my garage and put $5.30 back in my wallet.

I also returned a pair of snowpants I bought on clearance. I wanted an extra pair on hand in case one was lost or outgrown. The winter was so long! I believe spring is finally here. I could have saved them for next winter, but they were an odd design and won't match next years coat...so back they go! That returned $12.59 to us.

Several months ago, my friend and her husband took out a loan from his 401K. She called to ask my opinion on how to make ends meet. It was getting difficult to manage the minimum payments on several debts.

The 401K loan was their idea. Mine was to look at expenses they could cut back on or sell something. Both would give them some wiggle room. They already have a home equity loan. I highly advised against the 401K loan, obviously.

They are living beyond their means and have for quite some time. It is catching up with them. I never heard how the 401k loan was working out for them financially. Until a few days ago.

They have bats in their attic! Not the first time either. This time there seems to be more bats. The minimum to have someone remove them is $150. Which may or may not work since they are attacted to bat droppings. Most likely they will be back. Just find a new crevice and their back in. To really get rid of them, they need to remove the attic isulation, have the attic cleaned and all the crevices sealed and add additional insulation. Only $2000!

They are going to check with their homeowner's insurance. I hope that works. She said she can't afford either amount. She can't afford $150. So, I guess the 401k loan didn't bring the financial peace she was looking for. I wonder where the deductible will come from if the insurance pays.

I really hate to say I told you so. And I won't because she is a good friend. But it is getting frustrating to watch a friend make so many mistakes with money. One of the first being a lack of an emergency fund. It would be easy to find $150 or $2000 if they had an emergency fund.

Ugh!

In our household, I handle all the finances. Yes. My DH does get a debit card to buy things, but I pay all the bills, make investments and so forth.

He asked to see where our finances stand. No problem. I pulled out spreadsheets with balances and cashflow charts. We spent about 15 minutes looking it all over. He didn't remember how large our van payment was. $496. Yes, a big number. He is on board to start paying this off.

Prior to this discussion, he has been talking about buying a new to him truck when he returns from deployment. But now? He thinks we should keep his car a little longer so we can invest more for college.

Whoa! I so did not see that coming. It's a good thing. We'll see what happens next year when we have to make a final decision.

We have had over 50 inches of snow this year in my city. Normal year is 19 inches! As you can imagine the snow piles up. It especially piles up on the section between the street and the sidewalk. We also happen to live the second house from a corner. As a result, my neighbor and I get a lot of snow dumped at the bottom of our driveways when they plow the streets. So we get our our shovels and snowblowers and add it to the pile by the sidewalks!

The snow pile by the sidewalk was starting to affect my ability to get mail because so much snow was wrapped around the mail box and piling up into the street. It was even getting difficult to lift the snow onto the pile that is over my shoulders! I contacted my city Wednesday afternoon about removing some snow near our driveway and mailbox. I included my neighbor in my request.

The city was out first thing yesterday morning with a plow and dump truck hauling away our snow. There is still some snow, but it looks so much better and will be easier to deal with when the next snow round comes. Turns out that is tomorrow!

I love quick service.

Just had a discussion with my husband about whether to pay down the van loan or just make regular payments and save the extra funds towards his new truck. He said focus on the debt we have!

His reason was simply that he has not decided which vehicle to get when he returns from deployment. I will have about $10K to put toward this purchase even with a paid off van.

Obviously, I'm still first and foremost focused on the home equity loan. Following that will be the van loan.

We made our donation to the

American Red Cross today. This is an organization that we feel good about donating to because they help all people regardless of race or religion. They provide a critical role to US military families as well.

There are many ways to donate without laying out the cash in your pocket. You can donate airline miles and hotel rewards. You can give blood. You can even send instant messages to your friends and Microsoft will donate funds on your behalf (sign up here).

If you have some spare change you can turn it in at a Coinstar machine and request it be donated to the Red Cross, one of several organizations. Find a location here. I also noticed yesterday when I sold my used cd's that a portion of my proceeds could have been sent to the red cross. It appeared to be a regular offering at preplayeddiscs.com. You could sell a used game, cd or dvd to help out those in need.

After 9/11, we donated on a monthly basis to the Red Cross for at least a year. I had it set up to send automatically through bill pay I believe. I'm not sure why we stopped. I need to get that started again!

I did declutter the other day! I have one small box to drop off at Goodwill early tomorrow morning before it gets too busy!! I meant to do it today.

Payday today. I paid all the bills and went grocery shopping. I bought too much food to celebrate the new year. Oops! I guess we'll have to turn some of those snacks into meals! I will have to shop again for a few things on Sunday before the new school and work week start.

I have a chuck of cash sitting in our account. I'm deciding whether to send it to the home equity loan or buy our new computer in the next two weeks. I'm torn!

I hope to post a wrap up of 2009 tomorrow. Stay tuned!

My neighbor called today to see if we wanted any gingerbread dough and icing. Um, yes!!

After I made the pumpkin pie, the girls and I rolled out the dough and cut trees and bells out. We made 26 cookies...many more than if I used our large gingerbread man and girl cutters. I think we will ice as we eat them. I have offered half our pumpkin pie to their family, but haven't heard back yet. Because of the weather, many of my neighbors are home for Christmas. It all makes for new experiences.

I would like to offer each of you a gift. A recipe for Beer Bread. It is VERY good!

3 c flour
1/3 c sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz beer or soda
3 TBS butter

Combine dry ingredients. Add beer, mix well. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Pour melted butter on top of batter. Bake 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool after baking.

Enjoy! Let me know if you try it and how you liked it.

I was browsing craigslist wanted ads in my area today. Plenty of people wanted, their lot and/or driveway plowed or shoveled. Oh, we are in the middle of a blizzard!!

If you are in the midwest, have a blade on your truck (or a shovel and a good back and heart)there is work for you! Just browse craigslist for those looking for help in your area.

What other winter services could be offered for cash?

Heads up to all full time military: 2010 BAH rates will be released in two weeks, on December 17th.

The new rates will be effective with January's mid month paycheck. From what I've read the average housing allowance will increase by 6% over 2009 rates.

Go the department of defense

website to find your specific rate.

Yes, Petunia. I am sorry I asked for questions! But I will answer all of your questions even though most of them are NOT related to finances.

Monetarist or Keynesian? Yes, I had to look this one up. I would guess I lean to the monetarist theory. Less government intervention.

TP: Over or under? Over. Otherwise I can't find the end. Oh, and I probably tend to scrunch rather than fold. TMI!!

Toothpaste: Squeeze or Roll? Squeeze and then roll when needed! Doesn't everyone here roll to get the last remenants of paste out?

Chicken or Egg? Does anyone know the answer to this one? I don't. It's a question that haunts me. Lux, you are killing me here!!

If a tree falls in the forest....
Well, as a frugalist, you should chop the tree into logs and use it to heat your home for a couple days!

Nature or nuture? Nuture. I'm not going to explain. I tried to write several sentences to do so, but this topic is too deep for my blog. Or is it my brain?

The question forum is now closed and will NEVER reopen. Ever. If you have questions, post them on your own d** blog! Those are my final answers.

Thanks for participating!!

I feel my finances are kind of boring right now. We are just waiting to get paid so that we can pay more towards the home equity loan. This leaves me with little to write about.

So...

Do YOU have any financial questions for me? It's okay, if you don't. Ask away if you do. I reserve the right not to answer, if necessary.

On a side note: I did get a $20 gift card in the mail to Barnes & Noble. I have no idea what I might find to buy...yet!

We received a card from Qwest our internet and phone provider. They want to rewards us for being long term customers with a $50 Restaurant.com gift certificate! Nice. Too bad we have to call to claim it. Not nice.

Our water bill was in the mail, too. The amount was as expected, but I noticed that our bills have been estimated 3 out of the last 4. So I inquired. Turns out they need to replace some equipment that sends them our water reading. I have an appointment on Thursday for this.

The rest of the mail...various coupons. Bed Bath & Beyond, Petsmart and Target. I can't believe how many store coupons I have sitting on my desk right now. I generally make a pile, but I don't have a way to keep them organized like I do manufacturer coupons. Yesterday, DH and I used coupons to get our hair cut. His was $6.99 at Great Clips and mine was $9.99 at Cost Cutters. I like coupons for things we will use/buy anyway. I just have to be careful not to buy something just because I have a coupon, which I usually do pretty good about.

A month ago we bought a couch and an ottoman. They were special order. Today they arrived!!

It's been a long month without a couch in our living room. I found myself just laying on the floor in there!!

It looks so much better and fills in the space nicely. Now...I just need some pictures for above the couch. It's always something.

Yes...I will post a picture soon.

I received a $3 Pinecone Research check today! I always love cash in the mail.

I bought groceries to the tune of $146! Yikes. Yes, a little high, but it does include wine, kleenex, toilet paper, soap and hair products. I expect the food to last through payday on the 15th!

I had two no spend days on Monday and Tuesday. I didn't realize it until I was entering transactions in the checkbook today. It is good to have those!

Our weather is getting very cold. We are expecting our first hard freeze Saturday night. I actually turned the heat on last Saturday. It was 63 degress in here! Luckily it isn't running all the time yet!!

I have more items to list on craigslist. I just need to get my act together and take pictures!

I've been getting exercise in everyday since Sunday. I feel pretty good. I just wish I didn't buy those M & M's at the grocery store today! Ugh.

That's the news from here!

The good news is our monthly billing for our electric and gas is going down by $5/month. They dropped it by $17 a month ago and now another $5! Of course, they are overbilling us...right now we have nearly a $300 credit.

The bad news is about a friend. A friend I've known for over 20 years. She and her husband are taking out a 401k loan. No! Say it isn't so. But it is.

She asked me very briefly on Monday what I thought about it. I don't know any numbers...except they have a lot of credit card debts and they are getting hard to manage. I guess I have one number: they are pulling from their line of credit every month to the tune of $500-$700 per month. I guess they pay this back each month.

About 3-4 years ago they took out a home equity loan to pay off all their bills. She was thrilled at the time since they would all be paid off in 5 years. She feels the same way about the 401K loan. It will all be paid off in 5 years. True, but at what cost. At what risk? And what lesson is learned when you move debt around?

I did a little reading after talking to her. Loans from a 401K loan are paid back with after tax dollars...and then when you pull the money out in retirement you are taxed again! Yep, double taxation. Ugh.

I was honest in my conversation that it would be important to get spending under control...so they don't end up at this same spot 3 years from now. She completely agreed and mentioned a credit card cutting party. She might even put them in a jar as a reminder. I hope so. I so very hope so!

I'm always a little antsy the last day of the month. For one, it is the day before payday. I can actually see the pay pending in our checking account on this day! I occasionaly see that large sum of cash for its possibilities. Yet it has responsibilites, too.

On this day I look forward to seeing the interest we've earned in our savings account. Although in the last year or more, that isn't much to talk about! It does add up and it is exciting to see our balance rise to new heights.

Sometimes, I'm antsy because the spending money is gone and I can't wait to get my hands on more cash! I don't feel prosperous with nickels in my checking account. It's like being told 'no' by a very harsh voice.

My feelings are mixed. I don't know whether I'm rich or poor. Sure, we all have feelings concerning money when we find an unexpected gift. A penny on the ground or a rebate in the mail. We are devasted when the car repair bill wasn't in the budget this month or our health insurance premiums rise.

My feelings about money seem to also cycle with paydays and calendars. Have you noticed the same thing? Is it just us financial types? Does everyone feel this way? I wonder if they felt the same in the days of bartering?

Just something to munch on over lunch...

My husband has cash in a rollover IRA, that we are systematically moving back into the market.

Yesterday, with the market down, would have been a better day. But, I'm doing it today anyway. I'm no market timing expert, so I'm not going to pretend I am. The fund we are buying is still lower than it was several years ago. So, I think we are okay to move in and still find growth ahead of us.

Trade specifics:
$3,000 of Fidelity Contrafund (FCNTX)

My husband has been traveling. This often works out as a financial benefit to us. While he travel the Army pays his all of his expenses, including food and lodging. Meanwhile, I don't have to buy groceries here at home for him. He also isn't buying fuel to travel locally to and from work.

I asked for this trip if he knew what the per diem was for meals. No, he did not. I looked it up. For this location it was $46 per day. The trip was for 11 days. Because two of those are travel days he will get reimbursed 75% of the per diem. My trusty calculator says he can spend up to $575 on meals for 11 days. Wow! I realize when travel meals can add up, but this is for one person!

I told him before he left it would be nice if we could make a little money on the trip. Honestly, I'd be fine with $10 a day or $100.

He says he's buying meals at the nearby Air Force base, where a soda is $0.30 and a large salad bar salad is $0.60. He's also buying a meat, vegetable and starch for all under $5! It's like he's gone back to the 1950's. Really, where in the United States can one get so much food for $5?

Turns out he's only spending about $10/day on food! Um...that's a lot left over from a $46 per diem. We may end up with over $300 extra in our pocket! It's been awhile since this has happened to us. Usually, he doesn't travel for that many days in a row. Usually, he just spends carefree without knowledge of the per diem.

Oh...I just got a great idea how to use some of the money. My husband has a birthday in October. I'm going to get him something really good. Really good! And no... I won't use all the money!

As a side note to this positive income news, I do feel guilty that we make money this way off the government. I'm sure this is not exactly wise use of government tax dollars. Right now, those are rules and sometimes we use them to our advantage.

I love it when the stock markets go up! It's so much more fun to track investments that way.

Today is a no spend day for me. It helps to have things to do that don't cost an additional outlay of cash! Here's what I have accomplished today:

1)Worked out at the gym
2)Mowed the lawn
3)Packaged and mailed our old cell phones for recycling. Shipping was free. They are so old, I didn't get any cash
4)Picked up 4 books at the library, while I returned one
5)Finished watching a Netflix movie
6)Wrote this blog post

This is all in addition to the tasks I do everyday! It doesn't look like much, but it was all free!

Tomorrow is payday and I have a long list of things we need! I'll be running errands all day. I better rest up!!

Okay...since this is a financial website you might think I'm referring to credit cards! I just wanted to share a video about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. You can make your own choices after viewing

this short video.

After I wrote and posted this, I headed off to our Honda Dealership to pick up the windshield wiper and arm for the rear window of our Odyssey. The parts which cost us $48.91, came wrapped in plastic!! Ugh. In a sarcastic tone, I said outloud "It's a good thing these windshield wipers are wrapped in plastic, we wouldn't want them to get wet!"

Don't you just love how much we spent on those? We could have bought them online for half the amount, which would have included shipping. I won't go into how that may have happened.

Let's finish up with some good news. I sent the video link to my aunt, among others I know, who lives in California. She called to state that my email convinced her to go to a beach cleanup next weekend! She's going to bring friends. Yipee!! I don't live near a beach, so this warms my heart.

In my previous post, I mentioned making a payment on my husband's government credit card for an airline ticket he didn't use or request.

I checked the account today. It now shows that the travel agency finally made the adjustment yesterday...so there is now a credit for the airline ticket. We owe zero. That's good news!!

The bad news is we made the payment, too!! Ugh. It will show up on Tuesday most likely. If only I had known.

The other good news. My husband has a two week trip this month where he will use the card for travel expenses. These are always reimbursed a few days after he returns. He can request the money come straight to us rather than the card. So...by the end of Septmember we should have our money back. That's good news!

At least I know how it all is going to play out...but I still wish I had known yesterday.

It's been cool enough lately, that we have kept the air conditioning off. That is always a nice treat.

I'm under the weather and out of energy with a cold. I way overdid it yesterday, with cleaning and helping at school. So, today I'm on the couch. The plus is that I won't spend any money! Yesterday was also a no spend day. Gotta love those.

My family and I just finished watching a movie: Mr. Holland's Opus. It's an older movie, but it is really good. In the end,the main character, Mr. Holland realizes the impact he has had on the students he has taught over a 30 year career.

After watching the movie, I log on and see that Cptacek has made use of information from this

website for crockpot recipes. I mentioned this site on my blog earlier this week. I've impacted someone's life, just by mentioning this. I can only guess that others have been impacted by my blog postings and yours, too!!

As a family, we talked a little about the point of the movie. My husband was reminded of a friend that we both worked with. That friend invited my husband to participate in his wedding only because he had an impact in his life. It was such a surprise to my husband. He only thought of the man as a coworker. To this day, it still moves my husband to tears to have been told that he made a difference in someone's life.

My point is that none of us will truly know the full impact that we have on the lives of others, postive or negative. But know this: You do have an impact. You do matter. You are important.

And hey, if you have something to say...join us here. Start a blog on savingadvice.com or participate in the forums. You DO have something to say that will impact someone you don't even know!!

I'm taking a couple days off of blogging. I've got some personal plans that will keep me from checking in with all of you.

I will be back...hopefully with something interesting to report!!

It is pretty cool out right now. I have the windows open, but I'm wrapped in a blanket. However, I will need to turn the air conditioner on later today, as the temperatures will be near 90 degrees.

I have been amazed at how little we have used the air conditioner this July. According to the news reports, the average temperature this July was lower than June. It is still summer, so I think there are some warm days still to be had.

I'm looking forward to see our electric bill this month. I've noticed our usage has been considerably less this year. I think the lower usage may be a combination of our switch to cfl bulbs and using our laptop. At least I think I read that desktops use more energy.