I took my coin jar to the bank yesterday. I count and add all of my coins before I put them in the jar. The machine said I had $106. My count was $108. I guess I need to take the jar in everytime I get to $20 to see if the machine is correct. Not much I can do about it. I did find a quarter to start my change jar again. I also walked for 40 minutes on my treadmill for another dollar. So I can add $107 to my challenge money today.
prev. total $6407.00
today 107.00
new total $6514.00

Buying things only when they are on sale!! I try and keep 2 of everything, so we do not run out. 3 weeks ago , my husband used the last of the Miracle Whip so I got out the spare jar, and then put miracle whip on my grocery list. Hey, that stuff is about $3.30 and my dh won't use anything else.
So, I left it on my list, with the note to buy it when it is on sale. (I did the same with olive oil) I found olive oil on sale last week and today miracle whip was down to $1.98.
What didn't I do this before. I got sliced ham (for sandwiches) for $1 off, so today I saved $2.30. I am going to add that $2 to my challenge money.
Prev. total $6405.00
today 2.00
new total $6407.00

Plus, I looked at one of the soft drink vending machines and found a quarter. wow, I never find any money!!

I got in my exercise yesterday, over 30 minutes of walking pluss 22 flights of stairs, so I can add $2 to my challenge money.
Prev. total $6403.00
today 2.00
new total $6405.00

Since it is the end of the month and the end of the quarter, does anyone add interest into their challenge money.? I earned over $8 in my checking account last month.

I ended up buying more hair color today. I just got some the other day, but both drug store were running it for $2 off, so now i won't have to buy any for a while. I also got conditioner for $1, so i saved $3 today. I will add that to my challenge.
prev. total $6400.00
today 3.00
new total $6403.00

My husband came home at 5:30 last night, and started cutting our 2 acres of grass. Then he did the weed eating. He scrubbed off the back porch and then washed my car. Of course, we stayed home and had supper in, so we saved at least $20. Plus I did my stair challenge, so I have $21 to add to my challenge money.
prev. total $6379.00
today 21.00
new total $6400.00

I receive "computer" calls all day long. Yesterday, they seem to come about every 20 minutes. I know I had 25 of them. I have already received 4 this past hour. I always go downstairs, cause it may be my husband (no one else calls me)It dawned on me that if I put $1 in my challenge money each time I got one of those calls, I would be rich!!

No, I really can't afford that on my allowance! Guess I will just have to enjoy the benefits I get from climbing that same flight of stairs over and over!!

Looks like we eat at home tonight. My Dh came home tonight, didn't even come in the house. He got right on the mower and starting cutting grass. It is 7 pm, the time we usually leave for dinner, so looks like we will be dining at home. The good news is, we will be saving money. The bad news is, all we have to eat is chicken.
He cooked chicken on the grill Sunday, legs and boneless breasts. He had chicken (leftover) for lunch yesterday and today. He may rather eat eggs and sausage, I can handle chicken again.

I drove to Murphy N.C, on a liquor run and they are repaving the road in North Carolina. As a result, I was in the car about 1/2 hour longer than I expected. I usually drive there every monday or tuesday. I guess I need to start going on Saturdays when the road crew is off. I got stamps at the post office and filled my car up for about $22, so I should be set for the week.
The rain has finally stopped and that means that dh may come home early to cut grass. If so, I will cook supper. Too bad is has to be chicken again. When i bought the chicken this weekend, it was BOGO. My husband will not eat meat if it has been frozen, so I will have to cook it whether we go out or not. I did get in my 30 minutes of walking and 20 flights of stairs yesterday, so I can add $2 to my challenge money.
prev. total $6377.00
today 2.00
new total $6379.00

These cool rainy days are certainly good for the power bill. I only used 21 and 25 kwh's the past two days, compared with almost 50kph's the previous days!! too bad the rain has ended, but it is still not quite as hot as it was.

Well I got a check for $1 for a survey I took, plus I walked 30 minutes yesterday, so I will add $2 to my challenge money. It rained so hard today I did not go anywhere but the bank to cash the paycheck.
Prev. total $6375.00
today 2.00
new total $6377.00

Boy, the creek is full!!

I just got all my bills from my colonoscopy; $919 for the hospital, $350 for the doctor and $500 for the guy that looks at the tissues. That is almost $1800. I don't have insurance, so i will pay it all. My husband is supposed to have one in two weeks, maybe we should cancel his for a while!!

Lots of you talk about Tightwad Gazette but no one ever mentions Cheapskate monthly. I have been getting the 12 page newsletter for about 10 years and really enjoy it. Mary Hunt is the author and she has written several books and does speaking tours.
By the way, the name has been changed to Debt proof living and it is an inspiring newsletter. You can get it online too.

We have some crystal glasses my husband loves to use to have his cocktails in the evenings. Over the past 20 years, many have gotten broken, and he only has 2 left to us.
I managed to track down (by computer) the exact glasses and I even figured out how to order them.
I got the total, over $93 for 8 glasses including s&h. I decided to think on it and I am glad I did. DH did not want to spend that much, we will look around and find something much cheaper. Heck, I like the plastic stemware from the dollar store. I saved money.

I had planned on staying home and saving gas money today, but after the power was off for several hours, I decided to go shopping. I remembered how to open the garage door, so i got the car out.
I went to home depot and bought a chandlier to hang in the powder room of the house we are building. We have one for our powder room and I think it looks neat!
Then i went to Ingles and got several things with coupons, saved $4, so that can go into my challenge money.
prev. total $6371.00
today 4.00
new total $6375.00

I have had no power all afternoon. I guess I can't complain about my electric bill meter reading today. It just came back on, but still no tv. That is ok, I don't miss tv. I got a lot of book work done this afternoon. Thanks goodness for solar powered calculators.!

I am reading the meter several times a day. I have concluded it costs (me) about 55 cents to run the dishwasher and about 30 cents to run the dryer for 40 minutes. I do run the dishwasher using the no heat cycle. I use to run the dishwasher every other day, but now I will only run it every three days, unless it is completely full.
It is raining here today so that means it is cooler. It also means I have a scared wet dog locked up in the garage.
Oh by the way, my cost per kwh is about .091 cents.

My dh requested boneless chicken to cook on the grill tomorrow. I thought I remembered that bi lo had a buy one, get one free on boneless chicken.
Sure enough, I got a free pack of chicken which we can either freeze or cook up and have for another meal or lunches. That saved a minimum of $5 which I will add to my challenge money.
prev. total $6366.00
today 5.00
new total $6371.00

Well i walked for over 30 minutes on my treadmill and walked up and down 22 flights of stairs, so i have $2 to add to my challenge money.
prev. total $6364.00
today 2.00
new total $6366.00

Our worker just showed up with a big box of vegetables, pototoes, green onions and squash. He brought up some last weekend and those were the best potatoes, I have tasted.
My husband cut up the red potatoes, mixed them with chopped green onion, oil, butter, spices and cooked them in alum. foil on the grill. We ate on them for days!!
I know what we are having for supper tomorrow night, chicken and potatoes, cooked on the grill. (squash too)

Or is it grey? I have needed to color my hair for a few weeks, but determined I would wait for a sale. Both the local drug stores advertised it on sale this week, so with my coupon, I got $2 off. I also walked 30 minutes yesterday, so I have $3 to add to my challenge money.
prev total $6361.00
today 3.00
new total $6364.00

My credit card came and had a balance of $525 on it. I had put the cost of half my procedure from the hospital on it. But I have been saving $100 a week in my medical envelope, so I was able to pay it right off.

I have been reading the meter everyday and making notes. I have turned the air conditioning up to 76, but my husband complains at night that it is too hot to sleep. I turn the air upstairs off until it gets unbearable in the afternoon. I have really tryed this week, but I keep using about 47 kwh per day. The weather has been in the high 90's, so i guess that is why my usage is so big. As long as I have enough budgeted in my envelopes, I guess i should not complain, but it has been nice having that extra money from the electric bill to put into my challenge money.!!

I got my walking up to 60 minutes yesterday, and at $1 for each 30 minutes, that will add $2 to my total.
Prev. total $6359.00
today 2.00
new total $6361.00

We received our american express credit card bill today. Because my dh puts a lot of home depot charges for the houses he is building, on the card, we get a rebate once a year. It came today, so I am going to add $515.00 to our challenge money.
prev. total $5844.00
today 515.00
new total $6359.00

I am going out to lunch today with a new friend. Usually when I meet my girlfriend for lunch, we go to burgerking or wendy's where I can eat for about $2. (I drink water)
But this is a new person, i have ony met once, and she suggested we meet for lunch, so I picked some place nice. I know lunch will cost me about $7, so with tip, I will blow about $10.
I feel kind of bad about this, but there is nothing I can do, short of sit there and not eat. I won't do that! (I would if they had nothing I liked but that is not the case)

I stayed home all day and didn't spend a dime. I filled up the car with gas last night, total $21. I didn't think that was too bad, compared to some people.
I walked on my treadmill for 30 minutes yesterday, so I am adding $1 for that and $1 for a no gas day. A total of $2 for my challenge money.
Prev. total $5842.00
today 2.00
new total $5844.00

I have been reading the meter everyday around noon. We did not do too well yesterday. We used 47 kwh for one day, for a cost of about $4.28.
I did keep the a/c off up stairs almost the whole day and it got to over 80 degrees upstairs. I kept the downstairs air set at 76, but my husband complained it was too hot, so I turned it down to 74 last night.
I ran the dishwasher, one load of clothes and one load in the dryer. I ran the dryer at night, so i don't know how many kwh's it used, but, I think quite a few. Now I know why so many of you line dry your clothes!

Looks like we are going to get a wal mart in our area. I am not too sure if this makes me happy. Our closest wal mart is over 25 miles away, one way. I only go about 3 times a year, cause I spend too much when i go. I know things are cheaper.
But I am afraid I will be tempted to go there almost every day, it is only going to be built about 3 miles away!!

I made another land payment yesterday. So far, I have been able to come up with an extra $1000 a month to pay on the principal. It is nice to see that interest amount drop.
When i started the payments, i was paying about $400 a month in interest. Yesterday the interest was $165.
The amount I owe is dropping rapidly. I started out owing $64,000 and my balance is now below $29,000.

DH decided he would take sandwiches for lunch the rest of the week, so I went to Ingles to get him some ham. My favorite low carb ice cream was almost half off and I had a coupon for the only food my dog has ever like, beneful.
so I saved almost $4 at the store, plus $1 for walking at least 30 minutes yesterday. Another $5 for my challenge money.
prev total. $5837.00
today 5.00
new total $5842.00