I really stocked up when coke products were on sale before 4th of July. We still have plenty of diet sprite to last us. No having to spend $8 a week for 2 -12 packs has been great.
Well, they are back on sale again, 4-12 pack for $10, a savings of $6.00 I guess it is because this weekend is a holiday. so I will stock up again, keeping my old stash seperate from my new stash.
I got some really good savings today using my advantage card and buying almost everything on sale. I saved $13 to add to my challenge money!

Prev. total $13,712.00
today 13.00
new total $13,725.00

I got a catalog in the mail yesterday, from Hammacher Schlemmer. On the cover is 120mph electric car. You can drive it 40-80 miles on one charge. (Is it 40 or is it 80, big difference??)
It is pretty ugly and only 39 inches wide, the passenger sits behind you.
Are you ready to order this? Think of all the gas you can save!!
The price tag?? $108,000!! Seriously!!

At $20-30 a week for my gas consumption, it is going to take me a while to justify the cost of this car. Think I will keep the vette!

I got a lot of bills in the mail today, all business related. One was for over $1800. I had already paid that one.
The next was was for the concrete finisher. He charged me $928 for concrete. My dh had already paid the concrete bill which was for $815. I guess the extra $113 was his handling fee. You really have to watch other people and their bookkeeping!
Well I stayed home yesterday and used no gas, walked 30 minutes, did 20 flights of stairs and saved $2 using coupons today. More money for the challenge.
prev. total $13,707.00
today 5.00
new total $13,712.00

Well, we stayed home for dinner last night. The nice thing was, it was left overs from Sunday night, so all I had to fix was some rice a roni
prev. total $13,687.00
today 20.00
new total $13,707.00

I saved about $20 not going out to eat, so that is added to my challenge money!

I have a little bit to add to my challenge money. They had large bags of charcoal on sale yesterday, so I bought one. We use a half bag of charcoal every time we cook out. That cost is about $2.25 per cook out. You really could run the oven a lot cheaper than that, but food tastes better over the grill.
I get tired to buying a bag for $4.50 every week, so I got a really big bag for a few dollars more. I figured I saved about $2 there and $1 for walking 30 minutes.
Prev. total $13,684.00
today 3.00
new total $13,687.00

Sunday night, we had drinks and watched the sunset at the house we are building. We also watched a bear in the back yard eating berries from a bush. The next morning my husband went to work at the same job, He was laying rock when 2 big bucks just walked up to him. Country living is nice!

This was my 2nd trip to wal mart all this year. Whenever i go, I always find stuff I need and blow money!
I really needed some office supplies and we do not have an office supply place in this town. I needed columnar paper, for a while I thought they had quit making it. I also needed invoice books and my husband need the car washing stuff he loves.
Of course, they had charcoal on sale, deodrant and hair conditioner are always cheaper.
I wanted some pyrex dishes with lids for dh lunch. I really needed some comfy slippers as my moccasins are totally worn out. A few little groceries and I walked out of the store $54.04 poorer. I am going to take the slippers back (not comfy at home) and one of the pyrex dishes is probably too big, so I will get that total under $40.
Good thing I don't shop much. Everyone wants wal mart to come to our town, I don't know, I think I would be there eveyday!!

Last night I had a dream that I was getting some money back from an airline ticket agent. (strange since i don't fly) Bad thing is, I woke up before i got the money.
Ok, well, I saved a little today. I need some ham for sandwiches and it was on sale, so I saved a dollar. Then I went to Bi lo and bought the kind of hot dogs we like, it was buy one, get one free, so I saved $4 there. (We only like the expensive ones) I walked 30 minutes yesterday, so that was a total of $6 to add to my challenge money.
prev. total $13,678.00
today 6.00
new total $13,684.00

I got all the bills paid today. I only had $5 left over in my electricy envelope this month, but at least I stayed under budget.
I also saved $3 using coupons at the grocery store today, so that is $8 more going into my challenge money.
prev. total $13,670.00
today 8.00
new total $13,678.00

I have been walking on my treadmill this morning and watching the Daniel Boone marathon. Does anyone remember Fess Parker? He played Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. I loved both!
I had a Davy Crockett clubhouse, which was actually an old tool shed made out of tin!
This morning I needed to make a deposit to the bank, so I took my change in to be counted. I have $32 to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $13,638.00
today 32.00
new total $13,670.00

We had dinner home last night. My husband says he is starting to really miss eating out. You see, he has always done most of the cooking because he likes to cook on the grill. Now, with this heat and as hard as he works, he says he just doesn't even feel like cooking outside anymore. I guess it is back to going out to eat at night unless I can figure out to make other stuff he likes! I will add $20 to my challenge money from staying home.
Prev. total $13,618.00
today 20.00
new total $13,638.00

My husband came home with a check yesterday. It was from the guy he is building for. The guy is so happy with the work that he gave my husband a bonus. Now, this has happened before, but not in a while. The check was for $3000.00 that I will add to my challenge money.
prev. total $10,618.00
today 3,000.00
new total $13,618.00


YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been trying to get a good rate on my husband's favorite magagine. I ordered it in March for $36. It never came. I finally got the company to send me back my money. Then I tried magsforless and paid them $6.55 but later I heard some complaints about them. So I was ready to protest on my credit card, but the magazines arrived today. My dh will be so happy.
I walked for an hour yesterday, so i have $2 to add to my challenge.
prev. total $10,616.00
today 2.00
new total $10,618.00

I closed a savings account yesterday (almost) and took out the 107K I had in there to take to a bank a block away offering 5.25%.
I thought it was so funny when the teller asked me how I wanted it??
Of course, I said cash!! I would have loved to have a shopping bag full of hundreds!!
But all I got was a check!
I wonder if you can get large amounts of cash ??

I have felt badly the past several months because all my cash has been sitting in 2 different accounts, each earning about 4%.
I keep watch the topic that lists the different on line banks and the good rates they are paying.
I wanted to open an account, so i could get at least 5% on my savings, but I hesitated because I need this cash to build this spec house and it is handy to be able to transfer the money locally.
Yesterday, a new ad in the paper, our local bank is offering a new money market account that pays 5.25%
I was there at 9 am this morning when the bank opened to close one account, (well I left $600 in here so I won't lose the interest) and went an opened a new account!!
I am tickled about this!!

I decided that I need some office supplies. I want a notebook with dividers so that I can put my different savings and money market checking accounts statements inside and keep them all together in one big book.
I also wanted some of that green column paper and a invoice book for my husband hours.
No green column paper to be found, no dividers and the ivoice book was $4.

I came home and found a notebook I could use. I took out the dividers in it, turned them around and will reuse them.
Now I need to find something else that will do for an invoice book.
As for the green column paper, I will have to wait on one of my very few (one so far this year) trips to walmart.
I know I saved at least 6 dollars today by making do with what I have.

We ate supper at home last night, 3rd night in a row. I bought some ribs to cook on the grill, so that was $10, but dh will get 2 lunches out of it also. So I figured i saved about $10 not eating out.
I went to the drug store today and got 4 notebooks for a dollar on sale.
I use a different notebook for every job that Gary does, so that is something I will definately use, saved at least 50 cents.
I needed shoe laces, mine broke in fla. and I haven't worn those tennis shoes since. I found some and with my $1.50 off coupon, I got them for 20 cents.
So that is a total of $12 to add to my challenge.
Prev. total $10,604.00
today 12.00
new total $10,616.00

Just saw an ad in the paper and it looks like I will be changing banks tomorrow. I like to keep my cash locally because we need it for building houses.
The bank is advertising a new 5.25% rate. I have 107K sitting at another bank earning 4.14%. It is a savings account.
I can't close the account because I would lose the $634 in interest I have coming, but I feel sure I can draw out 106K and open a new account.
It pays about $3.20 a day more. That does not sound like much but over a year that is $1168.00
I use to make about $20 a day in tips. That is the same as not working 58 days!!

We stayed home last night so dh could get the grass cut. I fixed supper but before we ate, we sat outside listening to the creek and the crickets.
dh mentioned that there were no nosy katydids last night, also no lightening bugs. I guess that means summer is coming to an end.
However we still have summer's heat!
We stayed home, ate in, so I can add $20 to my challenge money.
Prev. total $10,584.00
today 20.00
new total $10,604.00

My husband put in 77 hours on his job last week. He is the hardest working man I have ever seen. We had a good paycheck today, so I can put extra into our savings this week!

I took my doggie to be groomed this morning and I feel so lost without her. I can see why older people are much happier when they can have pets.
I have been so attached to the last two, that I have never been on a trip without them. I have a gift certicate for $500 to the Grove Park Inn in Ashville and we won't go because of their no pets policy!

This has been another quiet weekend since my husband works 7 days straight. The last day he had off was about June 3rd. I stayed home all day yesterday, so i saved $1 in gas money and another $1 for walking 30 minutes. I put it in my challenge money.
prev. total $10,582.00
today 2.00
new total $10,584.00

When I wrote to the pathologist, I also asked for my test results. I did not want to pay for an office visit just to find out. The tests were benign!! Yeah, it is a good day!!!!!!!

Ihad a colonoscopy done a while back and it was much more expensive than the first one. This one was over $2000 and I have no insurance.
I got the pathologist's bill for $500, so i wrote and asked if they accepted master charge.
I just got a letter back saying no, they don't, but I can make whatever payment is comfortable for me, every month.
Plus, the lowered the bill from $500 to $350, so i saved $150. I will add that to my challenge account cause I have a medical envelope with money in it. ( I was going to charge it to get the 1% back in cash)
prev. total $10,432.00
today 150.00
new total $10,582.00

It is day 6 of no spending. I had some milk, unopened, expiring today, so I made a cheese cake. I only buy the smallest container, but we seem to waste so much of it. My hd does not drink milk and I like the Hood low carb choc. milk. So milk, usually gets tossed. I have two dogs, but I read somewhere that milk is not good for dogs. Anyone heard that? Well I have been doing some walking on my treadmill, so I will add $3 to my challenge money.
Pre. total $10,429.00
today 3.00
new total $10,432.00

I just heard on tv, that dolphins shed their skin as often as every two hours. so, they never get wrinkles. I wish that would happen to me. I have never spent much money on make up, but one thing I have used all my life is ponds cold cream.
I think it has helped, I have very few wrinkles.
I did order some wrinkle cream from QVC after hearing about how great it worked. I tried it, nothing happened.
I sent it back and got my $20 refund. I did the same for some pills I ordered. I am tired of paying for products that really don't work!
From now on, I am getting my money back.

On aug. 18, 1984 I moved to this area. I left a town that I had lived in for over 30 years. Boy, things were sure different when we moved to the mountains from the "flatland" Florida.
We moved onto land that no one had ever lived on. The first settler to that county came in 1832 in conestoga wagon. His relatives still have the wagon. They lived right across the river from us.

Is it my imagination, or are we getting a lot more blogs these days? I always spent the first part of my morning reading them, but now every time I come back to the computer, there are a dozen more! I appreciate all the tips, I just wish some of them could be combined! I hate to skip any of the blogs!

My dh gets an allowance every week, most of which he spends on gas.The past two days, he has taken garbage from the two job sites to the dump and he pays cash. so, out of pocket, $12 for garbage that is not even ours.
I asked him this morning if he had any money and he said he had a few dollars. That has to do him until Monday night.
So I took $20 from the misc. envelope and gave it to him.
I put $20 in the envelope every week. After checking it, I found there was $200 in there, that is way too much. Obviously, I have not needed the money in a while.
I will add that $100 to my challenge money:
Prev. total $$10,329.00
today 100.00
new total $10,429.00