I am so glad this election is over. I hated the fact that about 6 million dollars a day was wasted on advertising for this election. We should have used the money to pay off some of the national debt. Well, I saved $3 at the grocery store yesterday buying ground beef on sale, so I will add that to my challenge money.
prev. total $22,750.00
today 3.00
new total $22,753.00

I did my grocery shopping yesterday. Acording to my advantage card, I saved $5 which I will add to my challenge money.

Prev. total $22,745.00
today 5.00
new total $22,750.00

I have paid my electric bill today. I budget $160 a month and have for many years. That was the highest bill I have ever received since living here. Even tho the cost of electricity has gone up, I have kept my bill under that amount every month. This month, I saved $50 under my budget, so I will add that to the challenge.
Prev. total $22,695.00
today 50.00
new total $22,745.00

I got a rebate check in the mail yesterday from the builder's supply place yesterday. That is $204 more I can add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $22,491.00
today 204.00
new total $22,695.00

No one told my dog about daylight savings time. Sometimes, my little black poodle, Holly sleeps with us. If it is cold, she sleeps under the covers.She is used to dh (her daddy) taking her out at 7:30 every morning. So, at 6:30 this morning, she came out from under the covers and woke her daddy up to take her outside to go potty! She is so cute!! (toy poodle, 6 pounds)
I got a check from Pinecone yesterday for $3. I like the fact that the surveys are much shorter than they use to be and not so boring.
Prev. total $22,488.00
today 3.00
new total $22,491.00

My end of the month check came. (it is social security) I have saved every one that I have gotten so far, and added it to my challenge. I will add this $551 to my challenge again.
Prev. total $21,937.00
today 551.oo
new total $22,488.00

What do you all do for Halloween. When we moved to the mountains of N. Georgia, we found that the locals did not celebrate Halloween at all. Lucky for us, lots of outsiders have moved in, so we go to a Halloweeen party almost every year. Plus, the town has started a thing on the town square. The merchants pass out candy and the kids (and some adults, like us) all wear their costumes. After that, we go out to dinner. Have a great night!!

The stock market went up yesterday and I had another no use gas day, so another $3 is being added to the challenge money.
Prev. total $21,934.00
today 3.00
new total $21,937.00

I got a new refrigerator yesterday. My ice maker was leaking and as handy as my husband is, he could not fix it. I was so lucky to have another smaller refrigerator in the garage, so moving all the stuff out was a little bit of work, but no problem. I let it run all night and today I started moving the food back into the new refrigerator today.
This new one is supposed to be more energy efficient, so that is nice.
We put the old one out in the garage (I know, 3 refrigerators) and dh will attempt to fix it again. Then I guess we will sell it or give it away. It is a nice one, a GE profile.
It will be so good not to be low on ice again. I am an ice fanatic and dh takes his lunch and a cooler full of ice every day.
I did have a no use gasoline day, so that is another $2 for the $20 challenge.
Prev. total $21,932.00
today 2.00
new total $21,934.00

Yesterday morning, it snowed. I have lived in the mountains of North Georgia a long time, but I have never seen snow in October? We usually don't get anything til around christmas. It is been below freezing every morning this week. It is 31 degrees right now. I am trying so hard to hold out til Halloween to turn on my heat.
The stock market had a good day yesterday and I had a no use gas day, so I will add $3 to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,929.00
today 3.00
new total $21,932.00

I had a very frugal weekend. Friday, it was rainy and windy, so we did not go out to eat as usual. We stayed home and just ate grilled cheese sandwiches.
Saturday was a busy day. we went to a big cook out and got a free lunch. Then we went to a Halloween party that night which again served free food and liquor.
So, I did not spend a dime this past weekend. I know I saved at least $20 by not eating out, so I am going to add that to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,909.00
today 20.00
new total $21,929.00

I had a no use gas day yesterday and I saved $3 using my advantage card while grocery shopping today. So there is $5 more for the challenge.
Prev. total $21,904.00
today 5.00
new total $21,909.00

We are going to a BIG Halloween party on Saturday night. We are helping out with it and went to a rehersal last night. We had planned to stop and get some hamburgers or chicken afterwards and bring the food home. Instead, the hostess had pizza delivered and we ate there. DH even got some to bring home for lunch. I figured that saved us at least $10, so I am adding that to the challenge money.

Prev. total $21,894.00
today 10.00
new total $21,904.00

Well, I played bridge all afternoon and had a really nice day. This weekend, I stayed home both days because of the sorghum festival here in town, so I am adding $4 in saved gas money to the challenge.
Prev. total $21,890.00
today 4.00
new total $21,894.00

I had a no use gas day yesterday, the stock market went up and I saved $2 using my advantage card at the grocery store today, so that is a total of $5 to add.
Prev. total $21,885.00
today 5.00
new total $21,890.00

I see that oil prices are down to about $70 a barrel. It was over $140 not that long ago. so, i wonder when gas will go on "sale" and we will be paying half price??
This gas crisis has really made me rethink my driving habits. I use to go to town every day just for fun! Now, I stay home and add my gas saving money to the challenge.
I stayed home yesterday, so that is $2 to add to the challenge plus I won 3 games of mah jong, so that makes a total of $5.
prev. total $21,880.00
today 5.00
new total $21,885.00

Last night, my husband stopped to do a free job for an old customer. What he thought would take a few minutes wound up taking an hour and a half. No, he is not going to charge for it. He never does. That is why he has so many friends.
As a result, he got home too late for us to go out to eat, so we had breakfast for dinner. I am glad we wound up staying home.
They were celebrating the 35th anniversary of "The Sting", the movie with Rober Redford and Paul Newman.
Gosh, I remember that movie like it was yesterday. I remember going to my girlfriend's son's piano recital and he was playing the sting.
Gosh, has it been 35 years? Time goes by so fast when you are happy!!
Well, I had a no use gas day yesterday, so that is $2 more to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,878.00
today 2.00
new total $21,880.00

We had a fire in the fire pit outside last night. It felt so good. we just sat outside with the dog and watched the moon come up. Then we cooked burgers on the grill. I stayed home yesterday, used no gas and walked a mill on my treadmill. I will add $3 to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,875.00
today 3.00
new total $21,878.00

Happy columbus day today everyone!! I did something last night, I have not done in years. I went grocery shopping. We have something going on in our town, called the sorgum festival. The town is mobbed and I could not even get to town yesterday to buy groceries. The festival was over (for the day) at 5 pm, so dh and I went grocery shopping before we went out to dinner. Of course, I spend more since dh was with me. I did however save $3 using my advantage card plus I have $2 to add for a no use gas day yesterday. That will go to our challenge account!
Prev. total $21,870.00
today 5.00
new total $21,875.00

Ok, let's forget the doom and gloom of the past few weeks and get back to saving whatever we can. Yesterday, I managed to stay home all day and used no gasoline, so that is $2 to add to the challenge money. I also won 3 games of mah jong, so that makes a total of $5 to add.
We also had a free pizza dinner at friends house last night, but since dh had to lose an hour and a half from work to make it there by six pm., it really wasn't any savings to us.
Oh, I forgot, I got a $5 check from Wendy's in the mail. They converted my shares over and sent me a check for a fraction of a share. That makes $10 i can add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,860.00
today 10.00
new total $21,870.00

For the first time in years, I am NOT going to tally up my net worth for the month. It is just too depressing. All of my mutual funds and individual stocks have gone down. I have been keeping track of them monthly for almost 20 years and this month, I just don't want to know. Also, for the first time in a year and 9 months, I have had to withdraw money from my savings for some unexpected expenses. Now, I need to work on building the savings back up.
Dh did a small plumbing job for one of the neighbors on sunday, so I do have a $60 check to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,800.00
today 60.00
new total $21,860.00

I got another check in the mail yesterday. It was from NFOmysurvey. I have made over $100 from them the past year or so. If anyone wants to become a member and do surveys, let me know. They pay out in points and when you accumulate 1000 points, you can redeem the points for a check for $10. If you are interested, send me your first name and your e mail address. My e mail address is juliedenski @ Yahoo.com and leave out the spaces.
Prev. total $21,790.00
today 10.00
new total $21,800.00

$20 challenge!

I love to go grocery shopping on sunday mornings when it is nice and slow at the store. Today, a very young man checked me out. He looked all of 12 years old, but I am sure he was older. When he went to weigh the two onions I had picked up, he asked me what they were? He had no idea.
I thought that was funny. It reminded me of the first time I bought a head of lettuce. (I don't eat lettuce) I bought a head of cabbage instead.
Anyway, using my Ingles advantage card, I saved $5 today, which I will add to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $21,785.00
today 5.00
new total $21,790.00

I got another $50 check in the mail yesterday. It was a chase reward check for using my credit card. That makes a total of $600 I have recieved so far this year. I always pay my credit card off in full every month.
Of course, I will add this to the challenge money.
Prev. total $21,735.00
today 50.00
new total $21,785.00

My husband did a plumbing job a few weeks ago for a neighbor and there was a $60 check in our mailbox yesterday, so I will add that to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,675.00
today 60.00
new total $21,735.00

I took my change jar into the bank and got back $38 to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $21,637.00
today 38.00
new total $21,675.00

I paid my electric bill today. It was $35 under budget, so I get to add that money to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $21,602.00
today 35.00
new total $21,637.00

About two months ago, my local bank started advertising checking accounts that pay 3.19% interest. So, I switched all of my checking accounts over to this plan. I have a business checking which just covers the bills I pay for our business (construction) Since that has been paying interest now, I am going to take the interest I earn each month and add it to my challenge money in my savings account. So, I have $54 from last month to add to the challenge.
Prev. total $21,548.00
today 54.00
new total $21,602.00

My usual end of the month check came in and as always, I will add that to my challenge money. I have never spent one penny of it yet. It is my social security check of $551. How does anyone live on $551 a month??
Prev. total $20,997.00
today 551.00
new total $21,548.00

I had a no spend day yesterday. I stayed home and used no gasoline at all. dh took the day off and got lots of chores around the house done, including washing all of the cars. He is a perfectionist and loves to wash and detail his cars.
I will add $2 to my challenge fund for the no use gasoline day.
Prev. total $20,995.00
today 2.00
new total $20,997.00

My dh is taking a very rare day off today. Of course, he went to the neighbors first and did some plumbing.
He really wanted to ride around somewhere today, but had no clue as to what he wanted to do. At $4.35 a gallon and gas being rare to come by around here, I would just as soon stay home.

I did win 5 games of mah jong yesterday, so I can add that to my total.
Prev. total $20,990.00
today 5.00
new total $20,995.00