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Archive for February, 2009

Last day of the month.

February 28th, 2009 at 03:05 pm

I am so glad this is the last day of february. That means that spring starts next month. Yeah, spring! Also, daylight savings starts on March 8th. I am all for more daylight too.
I saved $5 using my advantage card at Ingles yesterday and also won 4 games of mah jong, so that is $8 going into the challenge money.
Prev. total $4596.00
today 8.00
new total $4604.00


opps, I meant to say 3 games!!

$2.41 for a can of soup?

February 26th, 2009 at 05:10 pm

I bought a can of progresso chicken noodle soup about a year ago. I am NOT a soup eater. This week, I came down with my first cold in years and I decided that chicken soup would help. I ate it and found it to be very good.
I went to the store to buy a few more cans yesterday to discover that the soup was $2.41 per can. I was shocked on the price!! Luckily, it was on sale at more than $1 off, so I bought three cans and saved over $3 dollars. I also won 2 games of mah jong yesterday, so that is $5 more to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $4591.00
today 5.00
new total $4596.00

The stock market actually went up yesterday!

February 25th, 2009 at 03:55 pm

Yes, for the first time in over a week, the start market went up. (It is down today) I am not adding much to my challenge money because of this down market. However, I can add $1 for yesterday's up day, $3 for winning three games of mah jong and $2 for having a no use gas day. Every little bit helps!

Prev. total $4585.00
today 6.00
new total $4591.00

4th Wednesday of the month.

February 25th, 2009 at 02:41 pm

I get a check the 4th Wednesday of each month for $582 so I will add that to my $20 challenge. I also paid my electric bill and still had $80 left in my envelope so I will also add that to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $3922.00
today 663.00
new total $4585.00

Even the queen is cutting back.

February 24th, 2009 at 03:30 pm

Queen elizabeth, who has a personal fortune of 475 million, is cutting back this year. She has breached etiquette by wearing the same outfit more than once in public in the past year. Can you imagine that??
This came from a short article in the debt proof living newsletter that I get once a month.
Can you imagine not wearing the same outfit twice? Heck, I have two pair of jeans that I wear every single day, all week long.
I did play mah jong a lot the past few days and won 8 games, so that is $8 I will add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $3914.00
today 8.00
new total $3922.00

Happy birthday George!!

February 22nd, 2009 at 05:01 pm

It is george washington's birthdy today. I have decided to celebrate by saving all the ones I have in my wallet and adding them to the challenge money.
I have 5 one dollar bills.
I saved $4 on steaks that I bought today.
I had a no use gas day = $2.
I won 2 mah jong games =$2.

I also got a $3 check from Pinecone in the mail. So that is a total of $16 to add to my challenge money.

Prev. total $3898.00
today 16.00
new total $3914.00

slowing down

February 21st, 2009 at 04:07 pm

I have not been blogging as much, so I know I am getting behind on the small sums of money that I try and save every few days for the challenge.
I did my grocery shopping yesterday and saved $9 using my advantage card.
I know I had a couple of no use gas days this week. I have also won several mah jong games this week. So, I am adding $20 to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $3878.00
today 20.00
new total $3898.00

Don't you love checks in the mail??

February 20th, 2009 at 02:15 pm

I just got another unexpected check in the mail. This one was from the car insurance company and was for almost $22 This it the 2nd check that I have received this week and it will be added to the $20 challenge.
However, this has been an expensive month. I spent $600 on vet bills in the past 10 days and my husband went to the chiropractor yesterday for a cost of $215. He has another appointment today and 3 more next week.
I know that I am so lucky to have hardly ever been sick in my life. (knock on wood) I have only ever been to a doctor two or three times since I was a kid.
Prev. total $3856.00
today 22.00
new total $3878.00

It's not your fault!!

February 19th, 2009 at 08:27 pm

I was working in the kitchen this morning and hear an ad on tv. I am not sure who the ad was for, but I heard someone say, "If you have credit card debt, it is probably NOT your fault".
Now, why would it NOT be your fault?? Who forced a gun to your head and made you put charges on your credit card??
If there was a real emergency in the family or a big hosptial bill, I can understand that. But most people charge because it is something that they want.
I use to charge when I wanted something, but I changed. I decided that I needed to save up for it instead. It has worked out well for me.
I received $59 in interest on my business checking account today. I love having checking accounts that pay interest. So, every month I transfer the money to my $20 challenge account. Opps, I typed $59, but it was really $69.
Prev. total $3787.00
today 69.00
new total $3856.00

February 18th!!

February 18th, 2009 at 09:56 pm

This is a special day for me. 32 years ago today, I met my dh.
It was a blind date in another town. It was set up by a girlfriend. I met him at her house and we went dancing. Then we came home (her home) and stayed up all night talking.
I asked him to take me to a wine and cheese tasting party the following night, but he already had a date. (He had been dating her for a while.)
I went home and slept all day.
When I put the phone back on the hook, it rang. It was my blind date, ready to take me to the party. (he cancelled his date)
It was love at first sight. we never spent another night apart again!

Wow, what at week that was. I got to see Elvis in person and 3 nights later I fell in love at first sight!!

It pays to ask!!

February 18th, 2009 at 04:44 pm

I ordered a heater that claimed it would heat 1000 square feet. My dh was finishing a new home and had no heat. As you all know, the heater's claims were not valid. It could not even heat one room, so we sent it back.
The company did credit back the money that they charge on our master card. But it cost over $27 to ship it back.

So, I wrote a letter and asked for a refund of the UPS charge and I enclosed the bill. (They said ship it back at their expense) I figured I would never hear from them, but yesterday I received a check for the full amount. so, for a 42 cent stamp, I got $27 back.

I also cashed in the change in my change jar and received $31. I will add this $58 to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $3729.00
today 58.00
new total #3787.00

OMG, 1 Million!!

February 17th, 2009 at 09:06 pm

If I get two more visitors to my blog, I will have hit the one million mark. I am speechless!! (Ima, speechless??)

Special day!!

February 15th, 2009 at 05:20 pm

I got to go to my one and only elvis concert 32 years ago today. I still have my ticket stub and the poster that I bought that night. They are in my "Elvis" room.
We had front row seats and Elvis was wonderful. He never sang better!! No wonder he was named "Entertainer of the Century"
I have $50 from my aarp envelope to add to my challenge.
Prev. total $3679
today 50
new total $3729

A good luck day!

February 14th, 2009 at 08:51 pm

Friday the 13th was a good day for me. First of all, I saw an article that said people were really getting shocked about their high electric bills. My bill went down last month.
While I was reading the article, I found a quarter on the ground.
Then I got my rebate check from a building supply place that we use. It was for $515 and will be put immediately in my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $3164.00
today 515.00
new total $3679.00

Happy Friday the 13th!!

February 13th, 2009 at 03:13 pm

I love Friday the 13th. 13 is my lucky number. I got married to my wonderful husband on Friday the 13th. My P.O. box is 13. My phone number starts with 13. When we moved to the mountains, our zip code ended in 13. When I got my new vette, the tag number ended in 13. My dog's rabies tag starts with 13.
I bet you can't even guess what the last two numbers in my husbands social security number are? You got it!!
I have $590 built up in my "new car" envelope, so I am adding that to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $2574.00
today 590.00
new total $3164.00

BOGO today

February 10th, 2009 at 09:56 pm

I hate to buy make up. I have always thought that the cost of make up is way too high too. I don't wear a lot of make up, never have.
But I do have super dry lips, so I have to use lip gloss or lipstick all the time.I was almost out of lipstick and knew I had to buy a new tube at a cost of over $6. (what a rip off) So, I was happy to find that they had my shade on sale today, buy one, get one free. So, I saved over $6 which I will add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $2568.00
today 6.00
new total $2574.00

Where is the cookie jar??

February 10th, 2009 at 02:30 pm

Yesterday, I spent some time looking for the cookie jar. 32 years ago, my friend gave me a 4 piece tupperware canister set as a wedding present. I always used the largest canister as a cookie jar (canister). It was bright orange and really hard to miss. I have a large walk in pantry and always kept it in there.
Yesterday, we played bridge and I was looking for the cookie jar. It took me forever, but I finally found it in a cabinet below the telephone.
It seems that my cleaning ladies found it sitting on the counter and put it away. But, not in the pantry.
Well, we had our cookies (and other stuff) and enjoyed our bridge game. I won't leave it sitting out anymore on the countertop.
Sunday, I played a lot of mah jong and won 7 times. So, that is $7 to add to the $20 challenge.
Prev. total $2461.00
today 7.00
new total $2468.00

Expensive day

February 7th, 2009 at 04:30 pm

I had an expensive day yesterday. I took my sweet dog to the vets and they ran all kinds of tests. She does have an infection in both ears, plus a problem with her urinary tract. We have medicine for both problems and I have to take her back in 10 days, then in 30 days. total cost, almost $400, but of course, she is worth a million to me.

I did take her home to rest and then went back to town to grocery shop. Using my advantage card, I saved $6. The stock market went up yesterday, so that is another $1 to add to the challenge.
I did update my net worth last week, but we won't even talk about that.

Prev. total $2554.00
today 7.00
new total $2561.00

snowed in

February 5th, 2009 at 03:55 pm

I was snowed in yesterday, so I played mah jong all day. I won 5 games plus had a no use gas day, so that is $7 to add to the challenge money.
Prev. total $2547.00
today 7.00
new total $2554.00

$400 for the challenge.

February 3rd, 2009 at 06:04 pm

A few days after christmas, dh and I ordered a remarkable heater for him to take to work to keep him warmer this winter. well, it wasn't so remarkable and did not do a good job, so we sent it back.
However, we did put away $100 every paycheck so we could pay it off when the charge applied. So, I have an extra $400 in that "envelope" and I will add that to my challenge money.
Prev. total $2147.00
today 400.00
new total $2547.00

Happy groundhog day!

February 2nd, 2009 at 10:42 pm

Well the groundhog saw his shadow, so we will have 6 more weeks of winter. When does winter ever end on Feb. 2nd? Anyway, I won 5 games of mah jong yesterday, so I have $5 to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $2142.00
today 5.00
new total $2147.00

asked for a refund!

February 1st, 2009 at 03:11 pm

Yesterday, I wrote a letter asking for a refund. we had ordered one of those edenpure heaters that have been advertised so much. It was supposed to help my husband by heating the inside of the house he is building. It did not do much of anything, so we sent it back.
It took 2 weeks, but we finally got credited back the $397 we spent on it.
So, I decided to ask for my shipping costs back. It cost almost $28 to send it back UPS. The cover letter said we could sent it back at their cost! so, I sent a copy of their letter and the UPS bill to them.
I really doubt that I will ever get that money back, but it does not hurt to ask.