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Archive for October, 2007

To celebrate!!

October 7th, 2007 at 04:36 pm

Because I learned that my American Century fund returned over 53% over the past 12 months, I am adding $5 to my $20 challenge fund.
Plus I have not added the ridge money for two weeks, so that is another $330 to add.
Prev. total $21,330.00
today 335.00
new total $21,665.00

Wow, I am shocked!!

October 6th, 2007 at 10:23 pm

I know how to keep up with my savings, checking and cd's using the computer to look them up everyday.
What I had not bothered with (much) was using the computer to see how my mutual funds are doing.
Just for the heck of it (cause my dh is at a local car show), I decided to look up my mutual funds with American Century.
My Heritage fund has had a 53.24% gain in the past 12 months!!
Wow, I am shocked!!
That was the very first fund I ever opened back on 7-11-88. I opened it with $2000 but back then, they would accept any amount.
I put a grand total of $6500 in it, with $50 or $100 dollars going in as often as i could save it out of my tips. The fund is now worth over $48,000 now.

Start young and save what you can. It will pay off down the road.

Even bird seed is going up.

October 6th, 2007 at 07:54 pm

Gosh, it seems like the cost of food keeps rising and rising. I noticed that even the price of bird seed has gone up.
I keep 4 full time feeders going all the time and those birds (and squirrels) really go thru the feed.
It use to be a 50 pound bag of sunflower seeds ran about $15. This week, dh came home with a bag and it was $22!
It is getting expensive but the birds are worth it!!

It's warming up!

October 6th, 2007 at 06:00 pm

Right now it has been warming up in the mountains of N. Georgia. I haven't turned the heat on yet, but I did get 400 gallons of propane delivered. (Almost $800)
The air is still set on 76 degrees. Yesterday afternoon, late, it hit 77 degrees in the house, so the a/c turned itself on.
The hottest part of the day here seems to be just about the time we are getting dressed and ready to go for the evening.

Actually, the weather is perfect, cool at night and mid 70's in the daytime. I guess we had better enjoy it while we can.

embarassing

October 5th, 2007 at 09:02 pm

MY dh said I embarassed him last night. You see when I go to the store, I stop and look at the newspaper stands and read the headlines in the paper.
I also check out the change slot and yesterday I found 2 quarters.
Last night at the restaurant, i read the headlines and found another quarter. He thinks that is embarassing. I think it is free money.
I kept the air off all day (and heat)plus the stock market went up, so that is $3 I can add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,327.00
today 3.00
new total $21,330.00

Net worth

October 5th, 2007 at 02:38 pm

I finally got around to doing my net worth upgrade for the month of September. It went up more than $12,000 for the month, most of that due to the stock market, which can be pretty fickle.
I keep track of my net worth, both on paper and on networthiq.com.
Do any of you post on networthiq.com?

No spend day

October 4th, 2007 at 07:43 pm

Yesterday I had a no spend day. I stayed home and used no gasoline also. I also earned $2 for keeping the heat and air off, $1 for walking and $1 for using no gas.
today, i saved $5 using my Ingles card, so I have a total of $9 to add to my challenge money.
I also found 50 cents in the newspaper display box which i will add to my change jar.
Prev. total $21,318.00
today 9.00
new total $21,327.00

Grrr, class cancelled

October 3rd, 2007 at 09:15 pm

Well I just got a phone call and my financial class has been cancelled for tomorrow and the rest of the term.
It seems the teacher left the Edward Jones firm and they won't let him use their materials to teach the class.
Too bad, cause I really enjoyed the class!

A new idea

October 3rd, 2007 at 06:53 pm

Well, the braves won't be playing any more ball games until april and I have quit doing flights of stairs because my knees hurt, so I needed a new idea to add money to my challenge.
I have decided to pay myself $2 a day every day that I do not run the heat or the airconditioner. I know it will only work this month for a while because it will freeze sometime before halloween, but heck every little bit helps.
So I am adding $2 to my challenge for a no heat, no a.c. day yesterday
Prev. total $21,316.00
today 2.00
new total $21,318.00

Expensive september

October 3rd, 2007 at 03:08 pm

I spent quite a bit in September. The dishwasher and ice maker both went out. The repair bill was $400, but the dishwasher still did not work, so we bought a new one for $600.
Then I had to pay out $2000 for general liability that the state of Georgia requires for licensed contractors.
The problem is, we paid that last year and no one has a license yet.
To me it is like I have wasted $4000 on unnessary insurance.
I did charge the new dishwasher and hope I can save up and pay it off this month. So far this year, I have not had to take one penny out of my savings, but that is what it is for, right! So, If i have to, I will make a withdrawal, but I will keep trying to find a way to save that $600!

Interest for the month

October 2nd, 2007 at 08:43 pm

I just totaled up the interest that I earned for the month of September. It was a very decent amount, $2346.59. I know it will go down next month because the interest rate on some of my accounts have been lowered, but I am still happy with that! Very happy!

class reunion

October 2nd, 2007 at 02:46 pm

I am going to my class reunion next week. We can go and stay at my FIL's duplex for free, but it is about 25 miles away from the town that i graduated from. So, I booked a room at the Holiday Inn in my old home town.
My dh wants to stay with his father and I want to stay at the Holiday Inn.
Which would you do?
My FIL is like a typical floridian and keeps the house set on about 90!
I cannot stand hot weather at all. Last January we were there and the temp. was 75. They were wearing coats and we had on shorts.

quit claim

October 2nd, 2007 at 02:35 pm

Last week I wrote a letter to my FIL. If you remember, he asked us for $12,000 to put a new roof on his house.
The house was deeded equally to his 3 sons when his wife died 15 years ago.
Since his other sons live in the same town and we live 600 miles away, I suggested in my letter than my dh quit claim his share of the house to the middle brother.
Middle brother lives on the lake, drives big fancy cars, has 5 horses and I just found out also has developed 7 more acres on the lake to sell.
So dh called his father last night, hoping he would not be mad. He wasn't, he liked the idea of middle son inheriting the entire house. He has already given him a bunch of antiques including several old packards.
I am not sure how my dh really feels about this, but I am glad to not have to worrry about keeping a house maintained that is 600 miles away.
We had rentals once (3) and we learned our lesson the hard way. We wound up losing money on all of them.

All time high

October 2nd, 2007 at 02:28 pm

Well, the dow hit an all time high yesterday, so I am adding $5 to my challenge money to celebrate!
Prev. total $21,311.00
today 5.00
new total $21,316.00

Bridge

October 1st, 2007 at 11:06 pm

I have been playing bridge all day, but I did notice that the dow hit an all time high today. For most of us, that is very good news. Most of my money is in mutual funds and they should have done real well today!!
I am waiting for my new money market that I opened at Vanguard to show up on the computer! I need to transfer some money there to earn the 5% they are paying now.

Ridge money

October 1st, 2007 at 04:08 pm

I forgot to add the ridge money last week, so I have two weeks worth to add today. That is $165 for each week for a total of $230.
Prev. total $21,081.00
today 230.00
new total $21,311.00

wow the dow!!

October 1st, 2007 at 04:01 pm

Well, the dow is closing in on 14000 today. That is a good way to start the last quarter!

Happy October

October 1st, 2007 at 01:52 pm

Welcome to October. This is one of my favorite months. I just love Halloween, it is my favorite holiday. I love getting dressed up and going to parties.
One of our friends is famous for her halloween parties and I won first prize last year.
This year she has had surgery and will not be giving the party. However, we are still dressing up and going to the Halloween for kids down on our town square. Then we will go out for dinner, still dressed like the goofy people that we are.


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