The background is this: About four years ago I bought a slipcover on clearance from the former Land's End Home for a 1980's couch I inherited from my parents. I paid about $60 with shipping.

The problem: It never really fit right, but it worked okay in our basement. We moved two years ago and the couch moved to our front living room. I decided the slipcover made the couch look worse, because it did not fit right...it just looked down right sloppy.

Initial solution: I decided to sell the slipcover. I tried ebay, craigslist, and two garage sales. Keep in mind this is a high quality slipcover, made of durable fabric and was free of rips and stains. It was a moss green color, so still fashionable. I couldn't sell it!!

The guilty solution: Instead of donating the slipcover, I decided to take advantage of Land's End Lifetime Return policy. They will take any item back for any reason at any time. I inquired about this in July. I just had to mail the package. I was so in conflict with this I waited until two weeks ago to mail it back. I finally did...hoping to get a few dollars for it to apply to my holiday fund. It cost me about $11 to send.

The result: Two days ago, I received a Land's End gift card in the amount of $119.25. Wow!! I didn't expected to be compensated for the full retail value. I didn't even send in my receipt...I didn't even have it. I thought maybe I'd get $20-$30.

Now, I feel guilty! I sure could use this for holiday shopping, but should I?

I spent most of my birthday with two friends at Panera Bread. We spent the whole morning there, eating breakfast and lunch! We really have a hard time stopping the conversation when the three of us are together. It was great.

I received $100 from my parents, a candle from a friend, and lotions and soaps from my sister. I will spend some of the money on a few things for myself. This may be too much information, but I could use a new bra!!

I bought this item on Saturday at the antique store. It just makes me happy.

Tomorrow, I will update you on my ebay sales...stay tuned!

Three days ago, I noticed gas prices had risen by 12 cents. But today, on the way to the gym, I noticed that prices had dropped back down 10 cents.

Our local news also stated that gas could go as low as $1.50/gallon. We are at $1.79 right now.

Could it go below a $1?

I took a large box of items to the Goodwill today. I feel lighter already! One item I gave away was a doll I've had since I was 2 or 3. I stored her in a box with no plans for her. I did try to sell her on ebay...but no buyers. Many of the other things I took were also ebay and garage sale rejects.

I bought my daughter a winter coat on sale for $20.94...including tax. She has two coats that she has outgrown. Those will be up on ebay soon! I may make enough to cover the cost of the coat!

On my last errand today, I took two 10K gold rings to a jewelry store to see how much I could sell the gold for. I was offered $25. For now, I decided that I would decline. I was hoping for a little more. One was my high school class ring...which I will never wear again. I don't even know why I bought it. I may still sell since $25 seems like a better deal than holding on two rings in a drawer!

Today I realized I had a $10 coupon for Famous Footwear that was expiring. It was good for any purchase amount. I didn't have time to get to the store, so I looked for socks online at their website. I have needed some new workout socks, so this worked out perfect. I scored 8 pairs of socks for $2.10...shipping was free!!

The other good deal can be had by all of us who vote tomorrow. Check out this

Yep, tonight while driving the DD to dance class, we saw gasoline stations advertising gas for $1.99. It was $2.05 this afternoon.

I wonder what it will do tomorrow?

Oh, you want to know where I am?

Iowa. Fields of Opportunities.

We got a little treat today in the form of a reimbursement for some of my DH's travels. A nice $83 and change to help with that car repair bill I mentioned in the last post.

On November 1st, we are attending a military ball. It will really be a treat for us to dress up and get out with out the kids. I think I'm going to wear a dress that I wore two years ago. Think anyone will remember? I so rarely see these people...I really don't care if they remember or not!! The trick of this treat is to find the bra that goes with this crazy halter dress I'm reusing.

I hope your day is filled more with treats than tricks!

The prices of gas fall everyday. Sometimes, more than once per day!!

Today, it was $2.37/gal this morning on our way to the gym. In the afternoon, we noticed it had dropped to $2.35/gal. Then this evening, it was $2.33/gal!!

Wow, a 4 cent drop in less than 12 hours! Now, I wait to fill up because I expect the price to go lower in a day or so. In the past, I would wait to fill up until the tank was near empty and I really needed the fuel...regardless of price. I would just try to make it last as long as possible.

Think the low fuel prices will help us get the economy out of this slump?

I'm out of the heat challenge. I turned the heat on this morning. It was 65 degrees in here and my oldest daughter was complaining for the third day in a row.

I'm pretty sure I could have held out until it got to 60 degrees at least this time of year.

Today it is cold and rainy; turning on the heat did take the chill out of the air. I don't expect it to come on too often though. I may even turn it off for the rest of the day.

Gasoline that is! Haven't seen it with my own eyes yet...but just heard on tv and saw the pictures. Gas is $2.99/gallon here.

It would be nice if it keeps going lower for everyone. I'll be topping off the tank tomorrow!

I recently noticed that I could redeem our Coke Rewards towards a donation to the USO. Because we are a military family, this just seemed fitting for us. So far, I have redeemed our points towards an $11 donation.

I also put in a suggestion to Coke that they also offer redemption of rewards towards the American Red Cross. Because of all the recent flooding and hurricanes, they are in desperate need of funds. I hope that this comes to fruition. The Red Cross helps anyone in need regardless of race, income, religion and so forth. The Red Cross is also important to our service members and their families. They provide a point of contact in emergency situations.

For now, I will continue to use my points for the USO and send a nice check to the Red Cross this next payday.

Sorry...it's been a few days since I stopped by to post. I've been helping my sister get ready and hold a garage sale.

I traveled a few hours away to help her price and set up. I even made the signs. I hauled my kids and the treasures they decided to sell, too. I brought my garage sale kit with stickers, markers, packing tape, index cards, markers, calculator, safety pins and fanny pack.

The sale was held on Friday and Saturday in the high heat of the midwest! Turn out was average for both days. We advertised in the local paper, side streets and online. We really wanted and needed more traffic.

The talk of the garage sale was that they (my sis and her husband) sold a 1987 Toyota MR2 for $1300 in cash. We didn't even advertise the car except in the lawn. Turns out the man who bought it used to work with my brother in law's dad 15 years ago!! What a small world.

Total take of sale, not including the car, was $410. Plenty of things left to sell next time and gobs of things to donate to charity.

So, I've been tired out. It was a busy and long four days. I think my sister was pleased and I was happy to be there to support her.

I'm back. I have more to say, so keep checking back for more news from this end.

We planted an 8 x 8 foot garden this year with onions, lettuce, tomatoes (regular & cherry), green beans, and peppers. The garden is doing pretty good. We've had quite a bit of rain, so it's been pretty easy to keep up.

We have pulled some of the green onions for tacos and salsa. The cherry tomatoes keep ripening with black spots...so we aren't eating those.

The lettuce went to our neighbors indoor rabbit. It was a bit bitter. I guess you are suppose to cut the leaves down once before you start to harvest. We'll see if anything grows back this late in the season.

We pulled about 25-30 green beans off the plants as we pulled weeds last night. I'm sure we will try them tonight.

Oh, I forgot...I have mint and cilantro in containers on the deck. Those are doing pretty well too. We've used a fair amount of both.

I'm sure I've saved a little bit of money, but I haven't exactly calculated it out. I did have to invest in topsoil, poultry fencing and the seeds & plants at the beginning of the season. But it is well worth it for the fresh taste.

The girls love to go out and harvest anything I ask. No hesitations. They even like pulling the weeds. I'm liking it so much, I almost wish I planted more!!

There is always next year!

We have taken advantage of the Lowe's rebate on Valspar paint this weekend. $5 a gallon adds up when one is buying three gallons! We also qualified for the 10% military discount as well.

Today, we are marathon painting. Our kitchen, living room and a hallway are all getting a new coat of paint. I'm on a break from the first coat and it is only 2:15, so I think we'll be on track to get it all done today!

We painted these three rooms about 15 months ago...but turns out we didn't really like the color. It was an improvement over what we had before...but it just wasn't right. So, now we are repainting. This time I think we have it right. We've used this paint color before...in our family room. This will be the last time we have to paint these rooms before we move in 2.5 years.

At least, it was on sale. I've noticed Lowe's and Home Depot always seem to have paint rebates on Memorial Day, Forth of July, and Labor Day!

By the way, WALL-E was really good. Keep in mind that there is a side theme about the environment, but the relationship the two robots develop is beautiful! Oh, my 8 year old cried at a movie for the first time yesterday!! Too cute.

I have achieved a No Spend Day (NSD)!!

I'm sure I've had others but today I noticed we didn't go anywhere and we didn't spend any money. Love it!!

Working on packing for our Olympic trip by getting laundry done and making last minute lists. We are only going to be gone one night, so luckily it won't take to much to get it all together. We will be at home for lunch and then will pack a picnic at my Mom's for dinner prior to seeing the races!

All other food will also be provided by Mom and Dad on the 4th! We even get steak!! Other than gas and a couple on the road snacks we won't spend much until Saturday.

Saturday, is my daughter's birthday. She will be picking out her first pet...expected to be a hamster. Those are about $15. She will get to pick out the pet, the wheel and it's food dish...all the other items have been bought or we already have on hand.

It has become tradition to see a movie on our birthdays, too. We will go to an afternoon showing of WALL E. That will be about $25 for the tickets and then we'll tack on a soda for a several dollars more. We might also fit in a dinner out. What does she like that is cheap...I'll have to see! Then, I hope to be done spending for the weekend.

Around here, we look forward to the first of the month! It's payday.

We spent the weekend trying not to spend money. We did okay...but we did spend. It seems when DH is around I give in to his wants. This weekend it was Chinese food and long island ice tea mix. See why I say...wants? We did not need either of these. We had other food in the house and we didn't need to drink.

So, tomorrow is payday, we will stock up on groceries for the week and pay our regular bills. Life won't feel so tight again.

I need to pay the mortgage, flute rental, phone bill (includes cell phones & internet), send in college contributions, add money to our own escrow account and add money to our savings. The water bill will arrive soon and I'll need to pay that, too.

Also, need to pay off DH government travel card. Yuck...don't like when he overspends and doesn't get reimbursed!

The remainder of our day has involved some home repairs. The nice thing about it is that we had all the supplies we needed! We handled two paint projects and our patio screen door.

The first paint project was to repaint the wood window frame behind the kitchen sink. I only painted the lower portion, where the paint was peeling off. The glossy white paint came with the house!! I just mixed for about 10 minutes and it was ready to paint with. I even had a sponge brush to put it on with.

The second paint project was outside. The trim around our garage door began peeling this winter. Not so sure about the quality of the paint job the last owners did. I think the whole thing may need to be painted again before we move. DH pulled out paint I used on the front porch railing last year and touched up around the front door and garage door. Again...free for today!

The screen door project did involve an exchange. For some reason, the original one I bought a few weeks ago just didn't fit. We returned it and went to another hardware store. It was actually about $1 less! So, with new patio screen door we are letting in all the cool breezes tonight for no additional cost!!

Oh, just remembered that I also caulked outside in a few areas that were in need. This was done with caulk leftover from another project. Did you know you can insert a screw into an opened tube of caulk until the next use?

It's fun to see what projects can be done around home with items one already has on hand. We feel like we've been productive and frugal all at the same time! Unfortunately, not all home repairs can be done frugally.

I did read in our local paper about the Habitat Restore. I assume many areas may have these as they had one in my last state, too. The store accepts donations of used building materials and fixtures, including opened cans of paint. These are then resold to the public for their own frugal home repairs. Apparently, ours actually gets new items in, from contractors and building supply places. Great resource, if you are short on money for these projects.

Now...time for a glass of wine with my hubby!

I received our Lowe's paint rebate for $5 yesterday. That was fast!! Because of the $5 coupon I used at purchase and this rebate, the paint cost me about $13 for the gallon. I think I used only half for the bathroom, too! Paint really is a cheap makeover.

Goodwill Industries is building a new facility about 2.5 blocks from my house! The other one that is close is being replaced by this one. The new ones are always much nicer. So, easy place for shopping and dropping off donations. Can't wait until it opens. I really do see myself going there more often...it's on the way to Target, too. So, I just might tend to make a pit stop at Goodwill before I go pay full price at Target. Such a deal!

My friend bought me lunch today since I helped her do some organizing at her office. We had brown rice and veggies with teryaki sauce. It was really good.

My girls school offered lemonade and cookies to volunteers today. I didn't go because I was with my friend.

It is nice to be recognized for the giving of my time, but that isn't why I do it. I enjoy spending time with my kids at school and knowing the people they spend their day with.

I really like getting out of the house to help others. Sometimes the mundane chores at home just aren't enough.

If you read my last post, you know that we were going van shopping on Friday. In the end we didn't make a purchase. The Honda dealership had zero used Odyssey's. The Toyota dealership had one, but was high on miles.

The three Sienna's we looked at were pretty good deals, but in the end, we just weren't able to committ.

At this point, we most likely won't be looking again for another month because of DH's travel schedule. This gives me more time to save up some more cash towards taxes, registration and a down payment! So there is some good news.

So, awhile back I declared that we would use all extra funds to pay down our home equity loan. I have yet to send in any extra funds. I have over $3k that I could send in. Why the hesitation?

I'm not sure. I do know that we have spent the better part of a year waiting for my husband's raise and promotion, which he did get. The plan had been to get a new to us, Honda or Toyota van. We have spent a year looking at ads, watching prices, wishing and wanting and waiting.

Now the cash is there for a down payment. The cash flow is there for a monthly payment. There is even $800-900 extra per month...even with a car payment.

Is the decision really either or? Can we buy a newer van and work on the home equity? Would we feel too squeezed to do both at the same time. Would it be better to focus on one rather than the other? I'm really indecisive.

Haven't really let my husband know that I'm hesitating. He's pretty busy and stressed with work. So for now, the plan hasn't changed. We don't even have time to go new car shopping...not even for at least another 6 weeks!

The van and car we have just feel like they are both on their last legs. If we trade in the one with the best value, we would still need to put in money on the other one. The lowest value one gets the better gas mileage and my husband drives it to work.

We could probably pay off the home equity in about 6 or 7 months...just in time for tax time next year and cold weather van shopping.

I'm feeling impatient, hesitant and stuck all at the same time. I want it all and I want it now. I don't want to wait, I don't want to have MORE debt added to the home equity debt.

I just had to blog about this...I don't know if there is an easy answer.

Additional Note: We have an EF, the $3K is extra.

I checked irs.gov and it looks like we are on schedule to receive our stimulus money of $1800 on Friday. Most it will go back in to savings to reimburse us for the major car repair we had a couple weeks ago.

By Friday, I should have some cash from the garage sale and Ebay to start sending in extra payments to the home equity loan. Can't wait to see how much damage I can do to it in the next week.

My husband has been traveling so much we are spending a bit less on the home front. He spent less than his allotted travel money, so that means a little extra in our pocket, too.

I may not be blogging for a few days because of the garage sale...just hope that I'm bringing in lots of cash!

I put a couch up for sale on craigslist on a few days ago. I have only received one inquiry as to the brand. It is a custom made couch, built in the early 90's.

How much do you think I should sell it for? It is actually a love seat measuring 79" across...so almost the size of a couch! I will be including a moss green Land's End slip cover. Both items are free of rips and stains.

Here's the picture:

Wow, I don't know if I'm the first to have caught on to this!

I'm beginning to question whether I should continue to buy fuel for my vehicle that contains ethanol. In the past, I have always purchased the cheapest fuel. And it has been for a long time, made with ethanol.

From my understanding, farmers receive cash or subsidies to encourage and help support them in growing corn. These subsidies are our tax dollars. Without these subsidies we the cost to produce the corn that is turned into fuel would be higher...those costs would be passed on to the consumer at the gas pump. More than likely, this would make the ethanol fuel more expensive than regular unleaded fuel.

So, I just wonder if it would be worth my money to demand a different, more expensive grade of fuel at the pump. And if everyone did this, would the decrease in demand, cause the government to stop spending money to subsidize corn production for fuel? How else would it effect the economy...for better or worse?

Hmmm...I wonder.

Army items are hot on ebay!!

As you know I've been selling items on ebay this month with the goal to net over $100. My husband has old uniforms and other miscellaneous items that are outdated now that they changed the uniform. So, this week 5 items went up for sale. They just end a little while ago.

I netted $127.60 on those five items!!

Check out my page to the left to see where I am in my goal...obviously I exceeded it! But by how much?

Can you tell I'm just a bit excited. It is so nice to clear things out. I'm always doing it but never profited so nicely!

I have put 5 more items this week to round out the month of April. Then it is on to the garage sale.

My daughter received a $25 Visa Gift card in the mail from her aunt as a birthday gift. My daughter would rather have cash, so I'm giving her $25 and will use the gift card when I buy groceries.

While we appreciate the gift, I can't believe anyone would pay the $3.95 activation fee...especially for only $25.00. The fee is over 15% of the value of the card. That's quite a bit. In other words, her aunt could have saved 15%!!! This is one aunt who should be watching every penny she has...but, of course, doesn't.

I'm sure most of us, that are a bit frugal, would realize it would be better to write a check, send cash, get a gift card to a store without a fee. I might even just make a homemade card to send with the cash, especially for a child, to save myself a few extra dollars.

Thanks for reading my gripe!!

...Bed Bath and Beyond. I get mailers all the time from that store for 20% off one item. Sometimes there is the occasional $5 off a purchase of $15 or more. The secret is that you can use one coupon per item. They don't care that you are buying 10 items at once and have 10 coupons. They will accept all 10 during one transaction. They can even be expired!!

Effectively, everything in their store is 20% off...you just need to bring a coupon. Save them and carry them with you. I think I have 6 or 7 in my purse right now!

There will be wedding and graduation gifts, and dorm room supplies to buy...so stock up on the coupons now! If you don't get them in the mail, ask a friend or buy them on ebay.

Have fun saving while you spend!

Yes, I'm a little partial to Dave Ramsey. I don't listen to him on the radio as often as I once did. I think he has some valid points as far as getting out of debt and having an emergency fund.

We would be on Baby Step 6, which means we should be paying our house off early. We have our 3-6 months EF, we contribute 15% to retirement and are funding our kids college. So we should be using all our extra dollars to pay off our house. But we are not.

Right now our extra dollars are going to save for a down payment on a van that we will finance. Dave Ramsey wouldn't like that would he? Technically, we don't need a new van, but we will soon. I guess we are tired of driving older vehicles. DR would say I'm being a baby, right?

As far as paying off the house...since we are now full time Army we have the potential of moving every three to five years. How do you pay off a house that way? My goal is just to always have enough cash to put down 20% and pay the realtor if necessary. Even then...maybe we shouldn't be buying a house. Maybe we should rent. I don't like that idea either, but it may be worth a shot next time.

So, I'm on step 5.75!! Not quite to Baby Step 6 on the Dave Ramsey Makeover.

P.S. The van would be used...but new to us. Maybe a Honda or Toyota...2005 or later.

Has anyone else read the book by Eckhart Tolle called A New Earth? Oprah is doing weekly webcasts with the author. We just finished week six, a discussion of Chapter 6.

I've been enjoying it. Not everyone is ready for the info...so I won't get into it here. Feel free to check it out for yourself. It sure has put me in a place of acceptance for everything...financial, too!

Here's wishing everyone peace and acceptance of where you are now.