tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25726302173712055582024-03-14T00:42:17.979-07:00Taking Control of Our MoneyIt's time to take control. Debt? Good-bye.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-87228621357368431092008-11-03T13:10:00.003-08:002008-11-03T13:10:57.271-08:00October Utility BillsAre down again!<p>This is so fabulous. I realize that the weather has something to do with <br>it, but it amazes me how small efforts are paying off.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-34494373609121061192008-11-03T13:10:00.001-08:002008-11-03T13:10:50.649-08:00DiapersThis weekend I put the last diaper in the house on the baby, gave her to <br>hubby, and ran out to Target to pick up a new package. I realized that <br>we could get 20 more in a box if I went for the regular Huggies instead <br>of the special ones. Okay, I'll give it a try...<p>Turns out they're better than the uber-spiffy ones!<p>They are shaped slightly differently so the legs don't leak as much. <br>They fit better in general.<p>And for $0.05-$0.10 less a diaper!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-37104170222026176492008-09-10T13:31:00.001-07:002008-09-10T13:31:23.228-07:00Sunk-Cost<a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/09/08/the-sunk-cost-fallacy-good-money-after-bad/">http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/09/08/the-sunk-cost-fallacy-good-money-after-bad/</a> <br>Has a sunk-cost article that makes me think about our recent attempts to <br>sell excess stuff.<p>It's really hard to put prices on some things. I know what it cost new. <br>I know what we paid for it. And it's HARD for me to accept less than I <br>think we "should" get. So I lower it /a little bit/. And then I get <br>really pissed at all the low-ball offers I get. $15 for that baby swing? <br>Are you kidding me? $75 for my exercise equipment?<p>The thing that really made me think about this article is the point that <br>it's important to only base decisions on what something is worth now. It <br>doesn't matter what you paid for it. If it's not worth anything to you <br>right now, then it doesn't matter what you get for it. If it's taking up <br>space that you NEED, then it's more important to get rid of it than make <br>all the money you can.<p>Something to think about, anyway.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-7235954016713261432008-09-03T13:06:00.001-07:002008-09-03T13:06:35.651-07:00UpdateI haven't forgotten about this blog!<p>We're still determined to control our finances rather than the other way <br>around. We're making progress. We've had some bad months and some good <br>ones, but overall we're doing very well.<p>- We have not charged anything on our credit cards.<br>- We have paid every bill on time.<br>- We have money left over at the end of the month to put in our <br>emergency fund or pay off debt.<br>- We paid for SIX FULL MONTHS of car insurance, which we've never been <br>able to do before. This saved us bunches.<br>- I've rented out my office a few hours a week to the tune of an extra <br>$50 a month (and still have the option of using the room at that time)<br>- I've completed my first round as a teacher and am now officially able <br>to sub and already have two more dates at the school set in my calendar.<br>- I've joined Stampin' Up and already have workshops and classes <br>scheduled. I'm on my way to earning back my initial investment.<p>That's a brief update.<p>It was my original intention to blog here everyday. To be honest I don't <br>feel like I'm qualified to write articles about basic <br>credit/debt/investment stuff. That seems to be what every successful <br>blog does and you know what? I think there are many qualified writers <br>out there. I don't need to add the stress of being one on my shoulders.<p>This is what I have going on in my life right now:<br>- Full-time mommy of a baby<br>- Food/house/etc.<br>- Faculty member at local school (part time as needed for 10 to 20-week <br>intervals or substitute work)<br>- Member of local chorus, rehearsals every Tuesday night<br>- Member of networking group<br>- Member of stamp club<br>- Stampin' Up! demonstrator<br>- Business owner<br>- Massage therapist<p>(I separate the last two because I'm also the person who does the <br>website, email marketing, networking, and so forth as well as the actual <br>massages.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-27149933625515627302008-08-27T19:07:00.001-07:002008-08-27T19:07:37.517-07:00Sept. UtlitiesIt seems like I just wrote about our August utilities, but I guess time <br>has been a flyin'!<p>Our water/sewage bill went up $4 and our electricity went down $1. Not bad!<p>I can't believe how much less we used compared to last year. The hottest <br>months almost always had our electric bill around $270 and we're barely <br>breaking $200!<p>I'm so glad we got the Kill-A-Watt meter. I guess we could have just <br>figured out what to turn off/unplug on our own, but seeing the numbers <br>and doing the math was the extra incentive that we needed to really make <br>a habit of it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-57079167885475829712008-08-23T15:24:00.000-07:002008-08-23T15:25:05.190-07:00Not much new!I've been busy lately.<p>I auditioned and subsequently joined a choral group. It's something I've <br>wanted to do for a long long time. These are the benefits that I foresee:<p>- FUN! I love singing and have always wanted to be part of a group. I <br>also miss performing.<p>- New people. This will give me the chance to know people as friends and <br>possibly clients. This will expand both my social and business contacts.<p>- Community. It's hard not having a group. Hubby has work. Some people <br>have church. Others have a very large family. I'm looking forward to <br>being a part of something.<p>I've also officially joined Stampin' Up! I'm excited about this. If <br>nothing else I hope that my scrapbooking/cardmaking addiction will start <br>paying for itself!<p>I've scheduled two workshops in September and a number of classes in <br>Sept., Oct., and Nov. I've updated my demonstrator website. I've sent a <br>number of email invites out.<p>*Crosses Fingers*Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-19760807973515324762008-08-16T21:16:00.001-07:002008-08-16T21:16:33.978-07:00I love Open OfficeOn my laptop I was debating whether to get Office, which I am very used <br>to using, or whether to do something else. Since my hubby is getting my <br>old computer I can't transfer the license like I would if I was getting <br>rid of it entirely. (We would format the hard drive in that case so that <br>none of my programs or files would remain or be easily useable.)<p>I downloaded a copy of Open Office, which is very close to Microsoft <br>Office and is completely free. It's a very nice package and extremely <br>easy to use. I highly recommend it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-36409358466690208132008-08-15T10:33:00.001-07:002008-08-15T10:33:54.849-07:00*crosses fingers*Hubby had his six-month review this week. His boss is extremely happy <br>with him and told him he's getting a raise! He wasn't given any details <br>since they've been slammed, but this is a really good thing. This <br>paycheck doesn't have it so we'll see on the thirtieth how good the news <br>really is.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-79603307210233758652008-08-15T10:30:00.000-07:002008-08-15T10:31:04.107-07:00Walmart ClearanceJust wanted to say that I found quite a few nice tops on clearance at <br>Walmart yesterday for $5 and $10.<p>Also bought some notebooks for five cents each.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-24125322833482251192008-08-13T07:04:00.001-07:002008-08-13T07:04:30.237-07:00Car InsuranceI finally made the choice of who to use for car insurance once ours expires at the end of the month.<br> <br> The winner is Progressive at $623.53.<br> <br> Not only did we get better coverage than Geico, plus "gap" insurance (even though they don't call it that) which Geico does not offer, we were able to do so for far less.<br> <br> Geico wanted over $850 to renew. I changed our two deductibles from $500 to $1000 for collision and comprehensive and got rid of car rental reimbursement. New total? $770. I called and spoke with the lady over the phone to try and figure out why I could get better coverage elsewhere for more than a hundred dollars difference. She couldn't find any other discounts but did give me a huge schpiel about how in 2010 we'll automatically get accident forgiveness and how wonderful this is. <br> <br> Blah blah blah. I get it. I am not a person who believes that "that kind of stuff never happens to people like me," or that I am such a great driver I would never cause an accident. Nope. I know that it takes the blink of an eye for something to happen. Where we live we have lots of older folk we call "Sunday Drivers", intermittent rainstorms throughout the year, and many other things that could easily turn into a fender bender or worse, no matter how good of a driver you are. <br> <br> I personally think that saving $300 a year is a much better deal. If we do get into an accident we will simply deal with the increase or find a company that won't hold it against us. I could purchase that from Allstate straight off, for example, without a five-year wait. Geico lady couldn't tell me how much an increase might be. She said it didn't really matter how bad the accident was, it was more a matter of circumstance and how many and yadda yadda. In other words she was very vague. I'd lose my $50 good driver discount for sure and I may see a rate increase of $100-$200. Well geeze, it seems to me that I would end up paying about what they're asking me to pay now, don't you think?<br> <br> *sighs*<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-75827803416052187982008-08-11T13:15:00.000-07:002008-08-11T13:15:00.470-07:00Hobby into money?I've made a decision to join the Stampin Up demonstrator team. <br /><br />I've always hated Avon, Mary Kay, Candlelight, and all those other "party" type businesses. Especially the vitamin and wellness ones. Because I'm a health care professional they always try to recruit me. On my networking webpages I even put "Please do not contact me regarding vitamins or other wellness items, thanks!"<br /><br />Even with the more girly organizations, however, I have a bad taste in my mouth. When I was younger I had some friends who would have parties and invite me. Being a good friend, I went. They were always boring and the one time I ordered anything not only did I not get part of my order, and the rep never returned any of my calls, but the products I did get were not nearly the quality promised.<br /><br />So it surprised me when I discovered how excited I am by the possibility of joining Stampin Up. It's been something we've talked about for a long long time.<br /><br />I was going to join before hubby got laid off from job number one. Then I was going to join and he got laid off from the next job. Then I couldn't because I delivered my baby and then he didn't get hired again for ten weeks. Then my business ended up dropping off due to summer and economic issues and it didn't happen a third time. Now, however, hubby is doing very well in a non-construction-based company that is very stable, my business is steady, and we have the money put aside.<br /><br />So why am I doing this?<br /><br />- I am very impressed with their products. I've been using them for almost a year and find that they are far superior to other companies. It doesn't matter if we're comparing paper to paper or punches to punches or stamps to stamps. Every item is a better quality.<br /><br />- The starter kit is a great value, especially when signing up during a promotion. I already get over 350 worth of items for under 200, right now I'm going to get an additional 47 worth. Lots of people sign up for the kit, which you fully customize each time, let themselves drop of the active list, and sign up again to get the awesome value.<br /><br />- I've been asked by people for awhile to teach technique classes. This is something I could do and make more money by having product for them to order.<br /><br />- Home parties intimidate me but I can make money if I do them. Yes, it will take effort and all that. I am not naive. I've researched a lot of companies and I know what the reality is versus the promises. <br /><br />- I'll get a discount on everything I order plus hostess benefits which make it even better. Face it, I'm going to spend my monthly allowance on craft stuff. I can get better quality items that coordinate with each other by doing it this way and not feel guilty for not opting for cheaper items just because I could have gotten them with a coupon.<br /><br />- I can sell card fronts on ebay for additional money. This is a popular thing right now and they go for fifty cents to a dollar each most of the time. <br /><br />I'm excited and I'm sure I'll be posting more about this later on. Wish me luck!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-68384267873653945952008-08-09T17:00:00.000-07:002008-08-09T17:15:15.944-07:00Our Anniversary SupperSix years ago we enjoyed a frugal wedding. Elopement, more accurately, though we had our parents in attendance at the courthouse. Afterward they treated us to lunch at a little place called Freds. That evening the two of us had a very special dinner at The Melting Pot. Our server was the best I've ever had in my life and they did everything they could to make our night special. My favorite memory is when we walked out to the car and found the staff had tied balloons all over it with congratulatory phrases.<br /><br />We decided that we were going to go back there to celebrate or sixth wedding anniversary. Hubby made reservations, the money was set aside in the budget (we decided that rather than spend our anniversary allowance on buying each other gifts we would have a nice dinner out), and we both looked forward to it for weeks.<br /><br />I was disappointed. The food was okay. And it is fun to use the pokey sticks to cook your own food. The cheese course is always my favorite. But when it comes down to it, I really didn't feel like the meal or the experience was worth near what we paid for it.<br /><br />I'm a great cook. There's very little that would intimidate me even for the briefest moment when it comes to kitchen mastery. I think a souffle might make my knees shake a little but really, when am I going to make one? <br /><br />There are also other restaurants that are our special celebration places. I adore JoTos, for example, which is almost thirty dollars less. You get a great show and the food is fantastic. <br /><br />So all in all I felt like we should have gotten more for our money.<br /><br />Ultimately we skipped the dessert course, another fourteen dollars, because we were stuffed and I would much rather go out another night and get some amazing cheesecake and maybe bananas foster at Stonewood for roughly the same price. <br /><br />The evening ended on a very poor note and I feel very badly for ruining it. It wasn't my fault. <br /><br />I went into the ladies' room to use the facilities and as I was reaching up to lock the door (I had closed it but was multitasking and unbuttoning my pants so as to sit at the same time) and some woman flung it open. The door hit me in the head and the movement was so swift and surprising that my hand flew back and my thumbnail scratched my eye.<br /><br />I have a huge eye thing. Nothing scares me more than the thought of losing my eyesight. I was legally blind for a large part of my life and LASIK completely changed my world. Any eye injuries scare the crap out of me.<br /><br />I didn't tell her what had happened. I figured she thought she just invaded my privacy and was likely embarrassed. There was nothing she could have done and I didn't think we both needed to have our evenings ruined by the event.<br /><br />So I'm sitting here typing this in bed--I took some generic Tylenol and then came in to lay down as soon as we got home--while hubby is off on a quest for ice cream.<br /><br />I'm bummed. The scratch isn't that bad. It hurts, burns, and itches at the same time, but now that I have finally stopped crying it's a lot better.<br /><br />I did get a chance to wear my jeans. Most everything in my closet is maternity issue and at seven months I'm sure it's quite time to stop looking sloppy. Most of my jeans shorts were commandeered by my husband--we buy size 36 men's shorts because they fit us both and are inexpensive--so all that's left are maternity clothes or my scrubs for work. <br /><br />Dillard's had a big sale and I got two pairs of really nice jeans for under thirty-five dollars. One of them I wore tonight. They are really form fitting and I feel sexy in them. It's the first time I've felt sexy in an outfit since way before I got pregnant. They're dark denim. The other pair is also flattering but is a lighter denim and more casual for every-day wear. <br /><br />I'm going to be hitting Goodwill soon once a week or so until I can rebuild enough clothes that when I go to networking meetings or to mom's groups I can at least look somewhat put together. It really does impact my business.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-1528602248303278582008-08-04T11:41:00.001-07:002008-08-04T11:47:21.456-07:00BirthdaysWhat is the difference between:<br />- Spouse giving birthday gift of check, cash, or gift card to be used as recipient desires;<br />- Spouse taking specific list of items, shopping, and then wrapping them as presents for the big day;<br />- Birthday person spending money in budget for what they want<br /><br />We recently decided that this year we're simply going to distribute the budgeted cash for our birthdays and allow the person whose birthday it is to go buy what they want.<br /><br />It's great to open up a fabulous gift from your spouse and say, "wow! That was really thoughtful!"<br /><br />But in our family, at this moment, it's not really the best option. Why? Because our wants and needs are pretty specific. The last thing we need is more stuff in the house that needs to have a home or that we're going to end up selling in a garage sale. If we want something, then we want that particular thing. Also, time is awful. In order for my husband to go shopping he'd have to take what little time we have together to do it. I'd much rather spend time with him and spend the money however I want it.<br /><br />This year I spent my money on two things. One was a keyboard that goes to the PDA I use for my business. This will allow me to focus on writing inbetween clients, keep better client notes, and so forth. It was $20.00.<br /><br />The rest was put towards a laptop. <br /><br />The only thing I don't like is that I don't feel like, "my husband bought these things for me." It's not like a piece of jewelry that I can glow about and say, "Oh thank you for the compliment! My husband picked this out himself." Yes, he contributed most of the money towards the budget that was put towards these things. Yes, he helped me pick out what I wanted and was a great sounding board. But when it comes down to it, I'm the one that actually bought them.<br /><br />I don't know if any of that makes sense. We'll see how things go shortly.<br /><br />For our anniversary (five days before my birthday--what was I thinking?) we decided that instead of getting each other gifts--we didn't budget very much at all--we're going to have one nice dinner and have a great evening together.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-27897918488780165302008-08-04T11:23:00.000-07:002008-08-04T11:48:52.250-07:00Final Decision and PurchaseWe have been seriously discussing a laptop since last spring. There are a number of reasons why we decided to purchase one. <br /><br />One reason has to do with space. We simply do not have room for both computer desks anymore. Therefore one computer has to go. My mother wants it and gave us $250 towards a laptop in exchange. A laptop takes up much less room.<br /><br />A second reason is that as an instructor I can use one of the school's two laptops, however having my own will make things much easier. I don't have to worry about transferring files or trying to get my windows stuff to work on a mac. <br /><br />As a writer having a laptop will allow me to work on projects far more often. Prior to yesterday the only way I could write was if the kiddo was napping (in which case she doesn't nap well because she's in the same room as the computer) or if I took time away from my husband on the few evenings we have together. The laptop now allows me to write while I supervise her playtime. (No worries - I'll still spend hours playing with her on the floor. At this age, however, she mostly plays by herself. There's interaction but her play isn't exactly interactive.) This also allows me to take on some freelance website stuff if I have the opportunity.<br /><br />So the decision was made after hours of discussion. <br /><br />I've been looking at ads from the three major office stores and two major big box stores every weekend for the past three months. I feel I can spot a pretty good deal when I see one.<br /><br />We picked out the laptop we wanted. It's normally $899 but was on sale for $749. We received an additional $150 off because we signed up for Verizon's Air Card. It's a brand new promotion and anyone who signs up gets the discount and 30 days to try it out. I returned it and canceled the contract within 24 hours so we won't even have an activation fee and the $150 off is still ours. <br /><br />The laptop cost $600 plus tax so slightly under $642. My mother gave us $250 towards it which brought our cost down to under $400. I put about $75 of my birthday money towards that. That left us $318 to cover. Not bad for a thousand dollar laptop, eh?<br /><br />Some specs:<br />AMD Turion64x2 TL-60 2Ghz<br />Nvidia graphics card GeForce Go 7150M<br />4 gb ram<br />250 gb hardUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-60320158277817614892008-07-31T09:43:00.001-07:002008-07-31T09:43:57.659-07:00Black Hole HobbiesAt what point does someone who is involved with say, oh, I don't know... scrapbooking.... say, "I have enough stuff," and mean it? <br> <br> I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that's available. And oh, I long for it! I look forward to each new month and the little bit of money I get to spend on myself and I count the days.<br> <br> But at what point does this black hole hobby finally stop sucking on my finances? There are people with far less than I have who create beautiful layouts and cards and are quite happy. There are people with far more than I have who are equally happy. I'm sure there are those with the exact amount who are, also, very happy. <br> <br> So why am I not? <br> <br> I'm going to be seriously examining my motives over the next few weeks and try to figure out what it is about "new stuff" that is creating this craze. I've been working with what I have and making some really cool thing. I challenged myself to do so. And I'm finding I have plenty... but I still want more.<br> <br> Stay tuned for more about my black hole hobby and how I'm going to carve a cork large enough to plug it up.<br> <br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-28210228123613723112008-07-28T07:58:00.001-07:002008-07-28T07:58:37.812-07:00Budgeting ForwardYesterday we discovered how to do something new with our budget. It's almost August and we needed diapers, formula, and baby wipes (oh my!). We found some deals at Target and ended up spending just over $100.00. This is what we got:<br> <br> - Two extra-large boxes of Huggies size 3 on clearance. This will last us the month, if not longer.<br> - One large box of sensitive wipes. Again, this should last us through August.<br> - Two cans of "bonus size" formula that includes 20% more formula "free". Same price as we normally pay. This is two weeks worth for our seven-month old.<br> <br> Here is what we did:<br> - Took one can of formula out of this week's food budget.<br> - Took the other can of formula out of next week's food budget.<br> - Subtracted remaining amount from remaining July household budget.<br> - Carried remainder forward to August's household budget.<br> <br> I don't like to "borrow" from money that is in the budget but not funded yet, however we made an exception this one time. I was very proud of myself for figuring out what should come out of where and how to do it. <br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-44516103068560544092008-07-26T11:05:00.001-07:002008-07-26T11:05:19.179-07:00Due in August: Utility BillsOur efforts (assisted with the Kill-A-Watt device) to reduce our utility bills yielded the following:<br> <ul> <li>A $45 reduction in electricity.</li> <li>A $19 reduction in water/sewer.</li> </ul> We reduced our bills by over $60.00 for this past reading. I'd say that was well worth the time, effort, and $20 for the Kill-A-Watt device! <br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-84580458611045653482008-07-23T05:49:00.001-07:002008-07-23T05:49:25.887-07:00Garage Sales and I (heart) My CarI found several toys for the baby this weekend at garage sales. One is a shape-sorter. It's a simple tube with a cap that has three shapes and a number of colorful plastic shapes to go through the cap. I think everyone has seen a variation of this at some point or another. Fifty cents. Another is an interlocking floor puzzle--not one of the great big ones--with characters on it. Buck-fifty. <br> <br> I found a few other toys that I was interested in and luckily I spoke up, "do these work?" I did not bring batteries with me and so could not test them. They had an extra set and tested both. Unfortunately neither worked. They admitted that they tend to leave batteries in things for too long. <br> <br> My mother called while we were out. She said she things that we should get a dresser for the baby's clothes and that she'd like to buy it for us if we found one. The only catch was that it had to be real wood. I thanked her and we looked at each garage sale. Finally we came across one that had a dresser. It was perfectly sized for a little girl, was made out of real wood, and was only $20! I asked, "will you take $15?" and to my surprise they agreed. The dresser is worth far more but it was a warehouse filled with things five different households had donated to raise funds for a charity. Some of the things had prices that were hugely inflated and some were a little low. I got a fabulous deal! <br> <br> I didn't think it was possible to love my new car anymore than I already did. We managed to get the baby (in car seat), full-size stroller, diaper bag, garage sale loot, and the dresser in the back of my PT Cruiser. AND we were still able to fit in it ourselves! We knew the seats folded but I didn't know that they could also be moved out of the way. Very, very cool. (The only concession was that I had to drive; hubby was too squished with the car seat behind the driver's seat.)<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-5162510757104216982008-07-23T05:42:00.001-07:002008-07-23T05:42:56.990-07:00A correction/apologyI have since changed my mind about said friends decision to buy pants simply because she was soaked. I did not realize that she needed pants for work and that she found two very nice pairs of khakis on sale that fit her in a flattering manner.<br> <br> I do, however, have issues with the two rings, earrings, and the watch she bought. (She bought the watch because it's a "$55 watch that was only $20! And then they gave me a scratch-off card because I used my store card and I thought 'what the heck'.") Granted, the jewelry was only about $5 a piece, but that's an extra $35 on top of the two pairs of pants.<br> <br> But, it's her life. I see some of the mistakes that we've made in the past few years and I see a few things she does and realize we're doing the exact same thing. She's such a good friend and sometimes a good mirror. I wouldn't want to be without her friendship.<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-15632572286560801672008-07-22T05:46:00.001-07:002008-07-22T05:46:29.104-07:00Swap BotI used to love a website called nervousness.org. Basically someone would create a project and people all over the US would sign up and take part. One of them was a wolf book. I sent a blank journal to the first person on the list. She added something wolfie to it and mailed it to the next person. Eventually I got the book back and it was all decked out. I worked on many projects and created many. There were also swaps where one person would trade something with another. It was great fun.<br> <br> I've now got quite a pile of scrapbooking and cardmaking loot. I want more, of course. That's the nature of the beast. I'm trying to make up for my indiscretions earlier in the month and found a website called Swap Bot. Basically it's a website where people sign up to swap things with each other. Some are artist trading card swaps, others are embellishment swaps, and some call for swapping handmade items. <br> <br> I've signed up for a few. For the cost of postage I can let go of some of the items I had purchased and either wasn't that impressed with, have scraps leftover that I can't think of a use for, or am simply bored with. In return I get an envelope full of things that are new to me! We'll see how it goes.<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-14155389031455629842008-07-22T05:42:00.001-07:002008-07-22T05:42:22.755-07:00An unwise pair of pants.It's so easy to judge the actions of a friend, and that's just what I'm going to do here. I've already told her what I thought of her decision, so she knows everything I'm going to say in this post.<br> <br> My friend went to Orlando, which is about a three hour drive in bad traffic. She got caught in the rain shortly before it was time to come home. Soaked, she ran to her car and took off her shirt/bra in favor of a sweater that she keeps in there. (I'm assuming nobody was flashed in the making of this story.) She was giving me an update, by phone, when she said, "Oh good! There's a Kohl's right next to the campus. I've got my Kohl's charge card. I'm going to stop and buy a pair of pants so I don't have to drive home in wet ones."<br> <br> She had also commented that there was another store, at chain at which she works in our town, right next door. "Why don't you just run in to your store, get your employee discount, and buy a really cheap pair of shorts or something." She basically said that she didn't have the money to buy a pair of pants from her place but she "could afford it" if she put it on her charge card. <br> <br> I've made the drive in soaked clothing before. I went to Orlando for college and drove home almost every weekend. (At the time gas was less than a dollar a gallon!) Being Florida, sometimes you get soaked, ya know? Also being Florida, however, I did not freeze to death nor even get hypothermia.<br> <br> Since I can't make choices for anyone else, all I can do is learn from the choices they make and hope to not repeat the same mistakes.<br> <br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-83423547178270124982008-07-17T06:14:00.001-07:002008-07-17T06:14:52.958-07:00This month...I fell off the wagon this month. Only a little bit. I think my hip might be a little bruised, but other than that I managed to crawl my way back on and am now strapped down and clinging for dear life.<br> <br> I read somewhere recently that when you buy stuff the result is that you want to buy more stuff. It's not something I've ever really thought about. This month, however, made me realize that this is completely and totally true for me. <br> <br> Most months I am content with my $50 spending money. I can throw it around however I'd like. I use coupons and sales and the like to extend this money and usually get about $60-$80 worth of items for it. What I can't buy I eagerly place on my "want" list and look forward to my next envelope of cash like a kid waiting for Christmas.<br> <br> This month, however...<br> <br> I had some cash laying around that was from things I had sold. I mentioned my success with ebay and craigslist last month some time, I believe. Additionally the amount was the same as what I owed myself for spending money. I figured it saved me a trip to the bank. My favorite scrapbook store was having a 40% off sale. This is a place that doesn't do coupons or have weekly specials or anything like that. Two or three times a year--usually New Year's Day and 4th of July--they open their doors and it's first-come first-buy-out-the-store. I mean, first-come, first-served. It's hard to resist. <br> <br> The mental process of having cash that was not specifically withdrawn for a purpose was interesting. I didn't really treat it like I treated my usual spending money. It didn't seem so important that it last throughout the month or that I had already earmarked a certain amount for something else. I spent the entire wad. All of it. In fact, I had to run out to the car for the $5 I had stashed from a few months ago. (I keep $5-$10 hidden in my car for "just in case".) <br> <br> I was gleeful as I came home. I got so much stuff! Stuff I had been wanting for ages. Stuff I had drooled over and fantasized about. Really cool stuff.<br> <br> Well, I somehow convinced myself--and I am shamed to admit this--that since it wasn't money I had pulled out for my spending money that it didn't really "count" as my spending money.<br> <br> I decided that since I had sold <i>my stuff</i> and we had enough to pay the bills last month that I should be able to spend the money on whatever I wanted. After all, I sold MY STUFF to get that money. I put the work and effort into it. I shipped the items or arranged times with buyers. Therefore that money, leftover from our needs, should be mine, right?<br> <br> I asked hubby about it and he said that it should absolutely be mine. After all, I did all the work, I sold things I had owned, and therefore as long as the bills were paid and our debt and savings goals were met for the month, have fun and good job and I'm proud of you and all the things that supportive hubbies say. <br> <br> Woohoo! That meant I still had fifty bucks to spend! <br> <br> Part of what I purchased at the scrapbooking store were Tim Holtz's alcohol inks. I had read about them and various techniques and had yearned to try them out. The day I bought them I came home and the first thing I did was a small project to test them out. Not only are they as cool as I had read about, they completely surpassed my expectations. I am in love with them. I would probably marry them if I could. Fabulous stuff.<br> <br> So, what did I do? The week following the fourth I drove back to the scrapbook store and bought all the colors they had in stock that I hadn't already grabbed on Saturday. At full price. (No big deal, actually, since their prices are lower than even what I could find online for this particular item, so I till saved about $0.60/each on them.) <br> <br> Then, since I had a particular project in mine, I headed to Michael's to get the other items I "needed" for this project. And a few of them were a little more expensive than I had anticipated.<br> <br> I ended up spending my $50 cash PLUS about ten dollars more. <br> <br> But that's okay because I "had" to have these items to finish a project I started and isn't it more important to finish something that you start--something which had a deadline of Wednesday--than to have yet another thing sitting around waiting and...<br> <br> Do you see where I'm going with this?<br> <br> My stamp club met the second Friday and I was more than a little upset with myself. I have a commitment to spend $15 (plus tax and shipping) each month and in exchange I get 2-3 techniques and projects a month plus food while I'm there for free. Stamp club is one of the reasons why my artwork has improved so dramatically and it's really a sanity saver to be able to get out of the house without the kid (most months, sometimes I do bring her with like I did this month) and have some adult conversation and a project to work on at someone else's house.<br> <br> But Yipes!!! I had to write a check.<br> <br> So total for the month I've spent $40 more than I was allotted and I'm <i>still</i> having to hold myself back from running out the door. After all there are several other items that I've wanted for a really long time and don't I deserve them? And on top of that I already blew my budget so why not just really go for it and spend more money... we can technically absorb most of it and so what if we're a little short...<br> <br> These are what the voices in my head are telling me. <br> <br> I've had days on diets that were like this. You know what I mean; you eat one piece of chocolate more than you meant to and suddenly the whole box is gone. Plus the chips. Plus a Starbucks on your way home from errands because you might as well. It's awful! <br> <br> So this post, while disjointed and a little psychotic, is my way of being accountable. It's my way of admitting what I've done and putting it out there. I don't know if this might serve as a warning post or a "you're not the only one" post, but I do hope it's somewhat helpful to someone else. Learn from my mistakes! <br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-19830420846592371492008-07-17T05:55:00.001-07:002008-07-17T05:55:42.830-07:00How not to spend a zillion dollars on craft suppliesOkay, the title of the article is misleading. Frankly scrapbooking and cardmaking and all those great hobbies are probably the worst ones to get into when you're trying to save money and build wealth. Why? Because something new and sparkly is always coming out and it's so hard to resist! There are many new techniques that are just screaming your name. Projects made by others make you say, "wow, I never thought of that--I have to try it!"<br> <br> So the title of this post should probably be more along the lines of, "Why organization will save you money on your craft stuff."<br> <br> Here is a short quiz. If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, chances are you need to reorganize your crafting space:<br> <br> 1) I sometimes forget what I actually have and am surprised when I go through my stash.<br> <br> 2) I've purchased more than one of an item because I could not find the first one or forgot I had one already.<br> <br> 3) I find it hard to see what supplies I have so I use the same small section over and over and get bored.<br> <br> 4) My crafts have gotten things spilled on them, wrinkled, or otherwise damaged because of the way they are stored. <br> <br> I'm sure I could come up with more, but you get the idea.<br> <br> I went to the dollar store yesterday and purchased some clear shoeboxes with lids and other containers to help me reorganize my crafting area. Until yesterday I was mostly using little boxes that I got on clearance at Michaels for about ten cents each. They are very colorful and pretty and I can't see a darn thing. They're great for things that I don't need to see. For example, glue sticks. Glue sticks aren't exactly inspirational to look at. Therefore a quick label and a shove to the shelf and viola! The glue sticks are stored. But for ribbon and bling and stickers... <br> <br> One of the items I picked up are plastic baskets that are somewhat V-shaped. The bottom part, that sits on the shelf or desk, is slightly smaller than the upper part which flares out slightly. I bought three. One has all my stickers, one has my rub ons, and one has those "special" items that I hoard and love to look at. I may not use items from that basket frequently but they are the crafty items that inspire me and make me drool over the idea of making something. <br> <br> I discovered that these items are only good to me when I can see them. Otherwise I don't think about them. Having them out where I can leaf through them allows me to get ideas. Not only for how to use them but also for color combination, themes, and so forth. <br> <br> I replaced my boxes with the shoe boxes. I only bought five because I wasn't sure that my system will work well. If it does then I'll go back and get some more. Many of my more important items are now in the clear boxes. I can pick it up and see what I want rather than having to open every lid of every box and poke my fingers in. It sounds simple but this really will save me about an hour a month, if not more. <br> <br> The other benefit of having things more organized is that it's also easier to put things away. If my boxes are labeled and I can clearly see what is in them I have little excuse for not cleaning up after projects. More time saved, not to mention a happier household. <br> <br> I am going to challenge myself to the following: Make at least ten scrapbook pages, ten different cards, and finish at least two projects using nothing other than the items I already have. Care to join me?<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-40773354626988709002008-07-13T12:46:00.001-07:002008-07-13T12:46:22.518-07:00SecurityI've realized over the past few weeks that the $3000 sitting in our emergency account has made me feel more secure than I've felt in a long time. Even with everything that had happened, such as hubby getting laid off for 12 weeks when our daughter was born, taking a job for $6,000 less a year, having to pay 100% of our own health insurance, and having business dry up, we managed to put that much aside. And not touch it. So it sits there earning interest and it makes me feel really, really good.<br> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572630217371205558.post-4845037153344812732008-07-08T05:48:00.000-07:002008-07-08T05:49:06.257-07:00KillawattsOur electricity bill has been climbing. Yes, we live in FL. Yes, A/C is far from optional. No, we can't turn it off when we aren't home because someone is always home. No, we can't raise it by even 1 degree because it's already at the point where my mom, who gets overheated very easily, can barely stand it, spends most of her day undressed and under the fan. Something needs to be done.<br> <br> I looked online and found a meter that tracks the measurements of the electronics. It also tracks kwh based on how long you plug it in for. This would be useful, except I don't want to plug stuff in and walk away. I wanted to go through the house and figure it out.<br> <br> Based on a website "how to" guide, this is what I did in an excel spreadsheet:<br> <br> Column 1 Find out watts of the unit while in use.<br> Column 2 Divide that number by 1000.<br> Example: 200 / 1000 = .2<br> Column 3 Multiply .2 by our kwh rate (just over 9 cents)<br> Column 4 Multiply that number by 24 (this gives us how much per day)<br> Column 5 Multiply that number by 30 (this gives us how much per month)<br> <br> I also figured out how much the electronics use when they are off. Surprisingly, it wasn't a whole lot. The items that we can turn off cost us just over a dollar a month to leave off. Some items we have to leave on. One example is our portable phone that's connected to land service. It has to be charging on the base. Another would be our television/entertainment center. We have a DVR service and it must be plugged in for it to record shows. Unfortunately the most common ghost items such as cell phone chargers and so forth don't give a high enough reading to tell us how much they're costing us each month. <br> <br> We discovered that if we turn off our computers every evening before bed we'll end up saving about $11/month. If we go down to one computer between the two of us and giving mom the old one so she can get rid of her ancient one AND turning mine off at night, we'll save almost $16/month. That's over $180/year! <br> <br> I haven't had a chance to get around to every corded electronic device yet. Cross your fingers that this will help us reduce our electricity bill. It was over $240 last month! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0