Layout:
Home > Archive: November, 2011

Archive for November, 2011

It's snowing!

November 29th, 2011 at 08:28 pm

It is snowing today. I think this is the earliest I have ever seen in snow in North Georgia.
We had to take the dog to get groomed early this morning and in some of the high areas around the 4 lane, it looked like winter wonderland. Where we live (down flat on a creek), the snow was NOT sticking nor is it sticking to the roads. I am thankful of that.
I paid my EOM bills today and was happy to see that my electric bill was $60 under budget so I will add that to my challenge money. My propane bill is almost $1000 and that was for less than 400 gallons. ( I have a 1000 gallon tank) I wish it would be a warm winter, but I feel sure it won't.
I also wish my husband could get the spec house under roof and enclosed. The framers are having a hard time working with all this bad weather. We only seem to have good weather on the weekends and they "can't" work on weekends.

Prev. total $19,332.00
today 60.00
new total $19,392.00

Just one more month til"

November 25th, 2011 at 08:13 pm

Well, you know!!! Christmas!!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving day dinner at a friend's house.
I met this friend online on a local chat board. After we got to know each other, we found out that we were both from the same county in Florida. It turns out, we graduated from the same High School, just 2 years apart. She is in my year book! Small world!
Anyway, she invited us and 8 others for a great dinner. I bought some dessert, a cake and a chocolate pie. Turns out, we had about 8 desserts for the 12 of us. I had to bring my cake home. Since it was my birthday Wednesday and my friend gave me a cake, I am really getting my fill of cake!
Tonight, just soup for supper!

I saved $2 on bacon on sale today and I got a dollar bill in the mail. (survey place)

Prev. money $19,329.00
today 3.00
new total $19,332.00

I was born on Thanksgiving day!

November 23rd, 2011 at 03:23 pm

Today is my birthday, but I was born on Thanksgiving Day. My mother said she spent the night before preparing all the food for Thanksgiving day, but I was born the next morning. She said they didn't give her any food at all, just hot tea!
I don't have the bill from the hospital, but I do have the bill when my mother was in the hospital earlier.
The charge was $1.25 for subsistence, for 7 days. Total cost for 7 days in the hospital was $8.75. The Hospital was Walter Reed. My father was in the army for 30 years.
Uncle Sam deposited my regular check in my checking account, so I will add that to my challenge money!

Prev. total $18,843.00
today 486.00
new total $19,329.00

First Christmas card!

November 23rd, 2011 at 12:12 am

I received my first Christmas card today. I like to get thanksgiving over with before I think about Christmas. I picked up dessert to take to the Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and it was marked on sale for $2 off. So, of course I am adding that to the challenge money.

Prev. total $18,841.00
today 2.00
new total $18,843.00

Going out to dinner tonight!

November 21st, 2011 at 08:36 pm

We are going out to dinner tonight. Friends have invited us over to eat in celebration of my birthday this week. My birthday is the day before Thanksgiving which is a very busy night for her, as she is cooking for 14 people the next day.
Our friends are people that we built a house for about 10 years ago. I think that it is so nice that we make friends with almost everyone that we build for. You don't hear that about too many builder's that we know. But my dh builds every house as if he is building it for himself and it has to be perfect.

I took my change into the bank today and had it converted to dollars, plus I saved $5 with my Ingles card today. $37 more for the challenge.

Prev. total $18,804.00
today 37.00
new total $18,841.00

Working on Saturday!

November 19th, 2011 at 10:21 pm

My husband's framing crew is working today. They are putting up roof trusses.
That is so amazing to me cause in the 27 years he has been building, no one else would ever work on a saturday. Dh has always worked saturdays, sundays and most holidays. Of course, he gets no paid time off, so he works. You would have to know the locals to know how rare it is for them to work on Saturday. Most people here are out of work and need money, badly, but not bad enough to work on Saturdays!

I can't get over it.

Well, dh just got home. It seems that only 2 of the workers showed up (2 didn't), so dh had to help them put the trusses. It is a windy day, so it was not an easy job.

I got a check from Pinecone. plus had a no use gas day yesterday, so $5 to add to the challenge.

Prev. total $18,799.00
today 5.00
new total $18,804.00

Plus, I found a quarter!!!!

Thanksgiving pies!

November 17th, 2011 at 08:04 pm

We got invited over for Thanksgiving day, for a mid day dinner. Since we had no family, we are usually alone on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. (dh has a father and brother and sister in law. We have never once been inside the brother's house and FIL is getting too old for his 88 year old girlfriend to have anyone over for dinner.)

We so appreciate having friends to spend time with. I am bringing dessert. They had us over for dinner once and had a delicious Edwards Hershey chocolet pie. I found them on sale at the grocery store and bought two of them. I saved $6 on the two pies. (frozen) I will also pick up a cake at the bakery next Wednesday to take with me.
I am adding the $6 to my challenge money.

Prev. total $18,793.00
today 6.00
new total $18,799.00

I remember this date

November 15th, 2011 at 02:36 pm

I always remember this date. It is the day that my father died, right before my 10th birthday.
My father had retired from the service after serving almost 30 years.

My mother had never had a job in her life. Lots of women never worked; they stayed home and took care of the home and the children.

For almost two years, we had to live on my parents savings. The pension was cut off and there was no money coming in. Finally, my mother was able to get a job and the three of us had about $25 a week to live on. Fortunately, my parents had saved and had paid cash for their home when they retired to Florida.

That is how I learned to be so frugal. My mother didn't buy anything she did not need. I don't remember her ever buying anything for herself. I got a job at age 12 and was able to buy my own clothes and things for school. (I made $3 a day for a 9 hour day)

It was a valuable lesson.

Friday, the stock market went up and I had a no use gas day. Saturday, I had another no use gas day. $5 to add to the challenge.

Prev. total $18,788.00
today 5.00
new total $18,793.00

Veterans Day!

November 11th, 2011 at 04:15 pm

Happy Veterans day to all the veterans and all those who are serving our country. Thank you!

World War I ended on Nov. 11th, 1918. In 1921 an unknown soldier from World War I was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The day became known as Armistice Day.
In 1954 ,Congress passed a bill proclaiming Nov. 11th as Veterans Day.

Today, Veterans Day is celebrated in November, the 11th month, on the 11th day, at 11 a.m. and the year is 2011. Nov. 11, 2011, 11 am.



I received a pinecone check for $3 and I had a no use gas day yesterday. That is $5 for the challenge.

Prev. total $18,783.00
today 5.00
new total $18,788.00

Adding to the challenge!

November 10th, 2011 at 08:45 pm

I did my grocery shopping on Tuesday and using my Ingles card I saved $12. Then on Monday and Wednesday, i had two no use gas days, so that is $4 more. This $16 will be added to the challenge.

Prev. total $18,767.00
today 16.00
new total $18,783.00

I took the dog food back!

November 8th, 2011 at 11:27 pm

The vet put our little poodle on a strict diet, Hill's prescription food. Holly hated it and I have been force feeding it to her for 2 months.
Then we tried a purina food made for sensitive tummy. At first she ate it, now she won't. She has always been such a picky eater. I don't know what to do. Today, I let her have some of her old food. I can't stand to see her starve.

I took the Hill's diet food back to the vet and they gave me my money back. That is $32 I will add to the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $18,735.00
today 32.00
new total $18,767.00

B.Y.O.B.

November 6th, 2011 at 09:57 pm

I am going to friends house for dinner tonight, (so is dh) and I am bringing my own Burger!
We built their house about 10 years ago and they have us over for dinner all the time.
Unfortunately, I am a funny eater! So she tells me what they are having and if it is nothing something I eat, I byob, bring my own burger! (ccoked of course)

I have been a funny eater since I was born according to my mother. I never wanted any baby food, just milk. As I gor older, I refused food all the time. She tried making me sit there, serving it again, etc., etc., but I just would not eat most things.
The last time she forced me to eat something I did not like, I threw them up, all over the table. I can still remember what it was, stewed tomatoes.

I do not like fruit or vegetables. I have never had a salad in my life. I eat no seafood or tuna fish. I will only eat white meat chicken. I don't even like pizza unless my husband makes it with lots of hamburger. I know I am strange, but that is just the way I eat and I am too old to change now!

But, I do enjoy going over and eating with these people who put up with somene who brings their own burger!

I had a no use gas day, so $2 to add to the challenge.

Prev. total $18,733,00
today 2.00
new total $18,735.00

Bought more land

November 4th, 2011 at 09:24 pm

Yes, we broke down and bought so more land. That means 6 lots (1 acre or bigger) than we have bought so far this year.
This acre is right next to the one we bought and are putting a spec house on. The view is wonderful.
When we first looked at this subdivision 3 years ago, these lots were going for $125,000 each. I just bought this one for $40,000.

I have got to slow down and not even look at any more land for a long time. We paid cash for some of them and financed some for a pretty good rate, 2.99%
I have to really start being more careful with money and have lots of no spend days, starting with today!

I am adding my 1 dollar bills to the challenge.

Prev. total $18,733.00
today 4.00
new total $18,737.00

Pinochle

November 3rd, 2011 at 08:14 pm

Today was pinochle day. I have taken both pinochle and bridge classes this year. I love playing cards. I did this a lot when I was young and first married. It is a cheap way to have fun.
I like bridge the most. We play every Monday at my house and I have just signed up to play on Thursdays at a local church.

November is starting off expensively!

November 2nd, 2011 at 07:21 pm

Well, my dh had to have new tires put on his work van yesterday. He shopped around and compared prices, but the tires were over $800.
I did my grocery shopping today and saved $4 using my Ingles card. I had a no use gas day yesterday and a dollar bill came in the mail from a survey place. That is $7 to add to the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $18,726.00
today 7.00
new total $18,733.00

networthiq?

November 1st, 2011 at 05:55 pm

Has anyone heard anything about "networthiq"? I went to their website last month and again today and was advised not to go there. (by McAfee)
However, I did do my networth on paper and was happy to see that it finally went up after months of going down, down, down, due to the stock market.