I got one of those "Where's George" one dollar bills yesterday. Ever get one? I went to the website and discovered that my george had not traveled very far. It has been in Blairsville, Ga. for over 15 months!
Later, while doing a deposit I discovered another one, but this was on a $20 bill. This bill was last reported in alabama a year ago.

I am adding my where'sgeorge $1 bill to my usual check that comes the 4th Wednesday of ever month, for a total of $487 to the challenge.

Prev. total $667.00
today 486.00
new total $1154.00

We had snow yesterday morning. Lucky for us, it warmed up and it melted. Today it is raining, but they are calling for more snow tonight. The snow melted in time for us to play bridge yesterday and today I stocked up on groceries.
I have some cash to add to my $20 challenge. $1 for the stock market going up yesterday, $7 for using my Ingles advantage card and $38 for turning in all my change to the bank. A nice $46 to add to the challenge.

Prev. total $621.00
today 46.00
new total $667.00

I am certainly getting sick of winter. I have never seen in snow so many times in Georgia. Fortunately, it is warming up, so the roads are clearing and it looks like we will be able to play bridge today, here at my house.
Today will be a no use gas day, so I will add $2 to the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $619.00
today 2.00
new total $621.00

My dh is a stickler for clean cars. I figured that out right after I met him. He asked if he could wash his car at my house before we went out on a date.
He used a pound of clean towels. They have to be washed after every use. He wants to make sure that they have no dirt or sand in them that might "scratch" the car.
WE have had snow on and off for the past 20 days, and my car was filthy from all the salt on the road.
He is out there washing both corvettes right now. Looks like I won't be able to go out for a while. We still have a lot of snow here and I will get the car dirty again. Maybe, if he goes to work, I will sneak out and use his clean car! It is a thought!
I saved $4 at the grocery store today using coupons, so that is added to the challenge.

Prev. total $615.00
today 4.00
new total $619.00

I finally got out of the house today for the first time since Sunday. We stocked up again at the grocery store and I bought my first bottle of wine from Ingles! I am so glad that they don't ID you like they do at WalMart. If you look over 40, you should NOT have to show your ID.
I saved $6 using my advantage card and I am adding that to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $609.00
today 6.00
new total $615.00

I heard this on the news today. The only state that does not have snow somewhere is Florida.
We certainly still have it and are snowed in for day 3. Tomorrow does not look good either since it is not going to get above 30 tomorrow.
Of course this led to another no use gas day ($2) and the stock market went up yesterday. That's $3 more to the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $606.00
today 3.00
new total $609.00

Day two of still snowed in! I have discovered that I need some boots. Tennis shoes are not good to walk in 8 inches of snow! Maybe if I buy some boots, it will never snow this much again.
I think I will order more propane this week. I have no idea how much it now costs per gallon. I filled my 1000 gallon tank in August and I now have about 40% left. It has been a really cold winter.

Ona good note, the mail lady made it thru today. She did not come yesterday. The first time the mail has not been delivered in the 15 years we have lived in this house.

Of course, I had a no use gas day yesterday, so I will add that to my challenge money.

Prev. total $604.00
today 2.00
new total $606.00

This has been a bad winter. We have been snowed in about 4 times already. Hey, I don't live in Maine, I live in Gerogia. It is supposed to snow again tomorrow and Wednesday, so I don't think we can get out until this Friday.
Poor dh. He has been trying to get a spec house started since middle of October. He hired a framing crew but they only got in a day and a half of work last week.
He is inside today, repainting some walls. He even had to go outside and shovel snow to make an area for the dogs to go pottie. The snow is 8 inches deep and my little poodle is only 9 inches tall.
Well, I had a no use gas day on Saturday and I have 3 one dollar bills to add to the challenge, for a total of $5.

Prev. total $599,00
today 5.00
new total $604.00

I heard someone say on the radio yesterday that America has had 44 presidents but only one king. Today is Elvis' birthday, the King of rock and roll.
I have the xm radio on my new car and it has an Elvis only station.
People always know my car. It is a red corvette with and Elvis throw in the hatch and an elvis statue standing on the throw blanket. When you turn on the radio, you hear Elvis singing.
I also have an Elvis bedroom. I saw him in concert on Feb. 15th, 1977. I still have my ticket stub!

I am adding my extra ones to my challenge money, $2.

Prev. total $$597.00
today 2.00
new total $599.00

I was never taught anything about investing when I was younger. When we moved up here to the mountains from Florida, we lived in travel trailer for almost a year. My husband spent the year building our house completely by himself.
I looked for a job, but I was not a local, so no one would hire me in this small town.
The only job I could get was as a waitress, making $2.01 an hour. Tips were few and far between because the locals did not tip. On a good day, you might make $20 a day.
For a year, we lived on our savings. By then, I was interested in learning how to invest our money in something other than a bank.
I went to the library to look for books on investing. Back then, the library had NO books on the subject.

So, I started buying and reading money magazine. The magazine had lots of articles on mutual funds. After about 6 months of reading, I decided on my first mutual fund. It was a Twentieth Century fund called Heritage. I chose it because it was a no low fund and it had no minimum investment. (The name was changed to American Century Heritage)

Every night, I would come home from work and put at least 10% of all my tips in a small wooden box on my desk. When I accumulated some cash, I would send it off to my Heritage mutual funds. I eventually opened other mutual funds and then took the plunge to actually buy stocks.

Many of my other funds are at Vanguard cause I like there low expenses, but I still have my original Heritage fund. It has grown from $6800 (amount I put in it) to $48,667. The average annual return is 10.73%

I saved $5 using my bi lo card yesterday, so I am adding that to the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $592.00
today 5.00
new total $597.00 p.s. I meant no load fund.

Last year I made 3 personal loans to some friends of ours. One was made in May, one in June and the last, biggest one was made last month, in December.
I receive monthly checks for these loans and I am counting all the interest that I make on them in my $20 challenge.

Yesterday, I received payment on the 3 loans. I made $481 in interest for just one month. I am charging them 4%, but that is better than they could get at the bank. (plus, no closing costs)

So my $20 challenge looks like this:

Prev. total $111.00
today 481.00
new total $592.00

I got two checks in the mail today. One was a rewards check for using our Chase master card and it was for $50. the other one was for $4 and had something to do with an antitrust litigation. I have no idea what they are talking about, but hey, it is free money and I will take it.
I stayed home all day playing bridge, so I will add another $2 to my account for a no use gas day.

Prev. total $ 52.00
today 56.00
new total $108.00

Well, just like most of you on here, I keep track of my net worth on a monthly basis.
I was expecting my net worth to go down last month. My dh finished up building a house in mid October. Since then, he has not had a steady paycheck so I have been taking money out of our savings every month.

I was very pleased to find out that although our emergency fund has gone down, our mutual funds have gone up, so our net worth has increased. I don't know how long this will last, but I am happy so far.

I thought I would be real nervous about going so long without a paycheck, but it makes me feel much better to have a large savings account. We are also building a spec house with our savings. Work has been real slow because of all this freezing weather we have had in December! We hope to start framing on the house this week.

I had a no use gas day yesterday, so I will add $2 to my new 2011 challenge.

Prev. total $50.00
today 2.00
new total $52.00

Happ New year everyone. I got off to a good start. I paid my electric bill this morning and I was $50 under budget.
They (the electric company) raised the rates last summer, so I have been over budget a few times. However, since we have gas heat, my bill is lower in the winter time.
So, I am ready to start off my new 2011 $20 challenge with this $50.

Prev. total $ 0.00
today 50.00
new total $ 50.00

I heard on the news this morning that, starting tomorrow and every day after that for 15 years, 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 and go on medicare! Wow, that is a lot of people!!

This is the last day of the year, and the first day that dh was able to to to work! We have no plans for tonight, so we will just stay home and celebrate by outselves! (if I can stay awake that long)
I did have a no use gas day yesterday, so I will add my final $2 to the challenge. Gas is now up to $3.35 per gallon here, so staying home does save money now!

Happy New Year!

Prev. total $16,642.00
today 2.00
new total $16,644.00

After 5 days of being snowed in, we finally got out today. It was supposed to be in the 40's today and I had hoped the snow would melt, but the sun did not shine and the snow did not melt. When the garbage truck came (they were due on Monday), I figured the roads outside the subdivision must be ok even tho our roads were still icy.
We had a slight debate over which car to drive, mine or my husbands. In the end, we took my husband's since it is older.
We went into town to stock up at the grocery store. I spent $106, the most I have ever spent in my life!!
Thank goodness, we never lost our power. I can live without almost anything, but heat for my little puppies!
The paper said we got 6-10 inches. It is funny how well they can handle 2 feet of snow up north, but Georgia is just not equipped to handle much snow.

I got a check in the mail from Tim Horton's, so I can add that to my $20 challenge!

I am excited to start the new challenge this coming Saturday!

Prev. total $16,624.00
today 18.00
new total $16,642.00

Well, it has been 3 days and we are still snowed in. The snow is very pretty but it has been a very boring day and too cold to stay outside much. My little poodle, Holly, hates the snow and the cold.
Molly, my still puppy sort of, loves to go out in the snow and tries to catch the flakes.
I so hope it warms up tomorrow and melts the snow.
I have had 2 more no use gas days, so that is $4 more to add to my challenge.

Prev. total $16,620.00
today 4.00
new total $16,624.00

It is a white christmas for sure. It started snowing about 7 am. and has not stopped yet. We are definately snowed in for the weekend. I won't be using any gasoline today, so I will add $2 to the challenge today.
Prev. total $16,618.00
today 2.00
new total $16,620.00

Merry Christmas to everyone here at SA!

I have lived in this area for 26 years. For the first time in 26 years I bought a bottle of wine in the county that I live in! We are no longer a dry county!!! (I still have to drive to North Carolina to buy liquor)
The cashier carded me, which I thought was so funny. I guess everyone is going to be carded!
Well, I have a bottle of wine for christmas eve, I got a pinecone check and 4 one dollar bills to add to my challenge money.
Merry christmas eve!
Prev. total $16,611.00
today 7.00
new total $16,618.00

Hubby received a gift certificate from the building supply store. It was a gift certificate for a little market. We got one last year and it was the very first time we had been in the market. Now we go there every week for some of their specialities; stuffed baking potatoes, chicken cordon blu and meatloaf. They are closing for two weeks for vacation, so I stocked up today and only spent $1.50! Gotta love gift certificates! I am adding my $1 bills to the challenge today.
Prev. total $16,607.00
today 4.00
new total $16,611.00

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year. That means the days are now going to get longer.
Dh could not work yesterday because of the weather, so we went christmas shopping. we found several things to get each other, came home and put them into gift bags. We get very few surprises for christmas because we always shop together, but that's ok!
I got my usual monthly check direct deposited in my checking account, so I will add that to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $16,121,00
today 486.00
new total $16,607.00

Today is the first day of winter. It has seemed like winter for at least a month. We have had snow several times and we usually don't get any snow until January. I hope this does not mean it is going to be a really bad winter. Dh is trying to get a spec house started.
He managed to get the concrete slab poured yesterday, and don't you know it, it has been raining all day. (That is not good)
We did our grocery shopping on Sunday night. Dh has been trying to change his diet because of the gall bladder problems he has been having. He is eating a lot of salad and giving up on meat, fats, snacks, etc.
He does NOT need to lose weight, but has already lost 8 pounds.
We did not get a receipt when we went grocery shopping because the register was out of paper. I always save my receipt and add what I saved that day to the $20 challenge. I know I bought pie and ice cream on sale, each about $2 off. I am going to add $5 to the challenge cause I am sure I saved at least that much.

Prev. total $16,116.00
today 5.00
new total $16,121.00

I know what a DRIP plan is and I totally believe in them. However, I still get small dividend checks from Wendy's and Tim Horton about 4 times a year. I think it has something to do with when the Wendy's company split off from Tim Horton.
Anyway, I am adding that check ($11) and the 2 singles I have to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $16,103.00
today 13.00
new total $16,116.00

I ordered my husband some new business cards which I am going to give him for Christmas. He has never had cards that had both of his license numbers on it; one for his North Carolina license and now one for his Georgia license.
I got a good deal on the cards too. I only paid for 500 cards, but they printed me 1000!
I am still saving $1 bills and I have 6 to add to the challenge. That makes 29 for the month so far.
Prev. total $16,097.00
today 6.00
newe total $16,103.00

The snow is finally gone. It has been here since Saturday. We got rain today, so it melted all the snow. I was able to get to town today and run a few errands. My dh was sick last night.
He has been having the same symptoms that he had before the gall bladder surgery.
I am not very good on a computer, but I googled it and it says that about 40% of all people who have their gall bladders taken out, still have the same symptoms after surgery.
He has to completely change his diet and give up everything he loves.
Now, I am a meat and potatoes type of person, I could never do what he is going to have to try and do. Give up all red meat, pork, chicken, bacon, sausage, milk, ice cream, butter, chocolate, etc. Everything good is going to have to go! I feel so sorry for him.

I had a no use gas day yesterday plus I have 3 $1's to add to the challenge for a total of $5.

Prev. total $16,092.00
today 5.00
new total $16,097.00

It is interesting to watch the weather in Boston on tv. They say it is 51 there today. Here I am, in the deep south, in Georgia. It got to a high of 21 degrees today and we are snowed in!
We started getting snow yesterday and it continued all night. With the high winds we are having, it looks like a blizzard around here.
Of course, I have had 2 no use gas days, so I will add $4 to the challenge and with the $1 I will get in change, I will make it $5!!
I sure hope we can get out tomorrow. We bought a piece of propery and the closing is set for tomorrow. We got a pretty good deal on the property. It is 2 acres with a good mountain views. It is in a new subdivision with a clubhouse, tennis courts and a large swimming pool. The bank auctioned off the property. The original price was $119,000 and we got it for $42,900. We hope to build a spec house there some day if the market ever comes back.

In the meantime, we are both pretty bored today!!

Prev. total $16,087.00
today 5.00
new total $16,092.00

I have read, with grest interest, some of the goals that some of you have set for yourselves for the next year. I think this is very important.
I have done this for over 30 years. I make a written list of everything I hope to accomplish over the next year and if I do it, I write down the date accomplished next to the goal. (Some people call this new years resolutions, but I call them goals.)
Most of my goals are financial, like pay off the car or have 100 shares of xyz stock.
My goals this year are hard to come by. Because my dh is not working at this time, it is much more difficult to set financial goals. However, set some financial goals I will!
I did not meet my goal for the $20 challenge this year, but I am still pleased with my progress!

I have 6 $1 bills to add to the challenge, bringing my total to $20 for the month.

Prev. total 16,081.00
today 6.00
new total 16,087.00

That is what dh said to me last night, and he is serious! The weather this week has been about the worst I have ever seen and it is not even officially winter yet!

WE have had below freezing with high winds and snow for about a week. They even cancel the christmas parade on saturday. Dh is trying to get a new house started but the ground is too frozen for him ( or anyone else) to work.

We moved here from florida and we really do love it here, MOST of the time. But it really gets cold here. We need to find a place in south Georgia that we can run away to, once in a while. I was looking up St. Simon's Island, but that looks pretty expensive.

DH took me grocery shopping and I saved $4 using my Ingles advantage card, so I will add the to the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $16,077.00
today 4.00
new total $16,081.00

We had more snow again this morning. It is not even winter yet and it has been so cold and windy here. My dh is trying to work at getting the new house started but it is hard to put in many hours in this cold weather. He was home most of the weekend, not working. It drives him crazy to sit around the house.
Well, I had a no use gas day, so that is $2 to add to the challenge.

Prev. total $16,075.00
today 2,00
new total $16.077.00

I woke up to snow this morning. Luckily, it is not sticking to the ground. Yesterday, it was a miserable day. It was cold, windy and it rained all day. I did not think I would have any ones to add to my challenge money, but at the last minute, we ran to a little market to pick up a few things. So, I do have $3 in ones to add to the challenge.

Prev. total $16,072.00
today 3.00
new total $16,075.00