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Archive for August, 2009

End of summer!

August 30th, 2009 at 08:32 pm

I guess August is considered the end of summer. This was a very nice summer, we did not really get very hot weather at all. That helps out with the electric bills. Also, we got a lot of rain. That does not help out with my husband's work (outside construction)but it really helped out with the drought we had all of last year.
Labor day will soon be here and so will the car show in Pigeon Forge. For the first time in 25 years, I won't be going to the show. Dh is going to just drive up for the day. It is just difficult with a new puppy and I hate to board my dogs.
I got a nice check in the mail yesterday (rebate) for $242 and also saved $4 using a coupon for prilosec, so that will be added to the challenge.
Prev. total $12,793.00
today 246.00
today $13,039.00

spaying cost less than I thought.

August 29th, 2009 at 07:34 pm

I had my puppy spayed this week. I was upset all day about it cause I worry about her, but she came thru fine. We picked her up yesterday and have to keep her confined, which is very boring to a 5 month old puppy.
My older dog is getting her teeth cleaned in week and the vet game me an estimate of $360 if she had no teeth extracted; more if teeth had to come out.
So, I was expected a much bigger bill for spaying.
Even with me telling them to do blood work first, the bill was only $202. I was very happy with that.
They don't even do stitches any more; they use surgical glue.
She is such a cutie, I am so happy to have her back home with me!!

Another Chase rewards check!

August 27th, 2009 at 10:31 pm

I got another Chase credit card rewards check in the mail today for $50. I have gotten one every month for the past year and a half. A really easy way to earn money for the challenge.
My puppy got spayed today. I had an upset stomach all day until I called to find out that she came thru the surgery just fine. I can pick her up at 10 am tomorrow and I can't wait!
Prev. total $12,743.00
today 50.00
new total $12,793.00

Ralph is a girl!

August 26th, 2009 at 02:43 pm

We have a deer feeder in our back yard and get a lot of deer coming to feed every night.
We have 3 deer that always come early before it gets dark. We named them Ralph, Alice and Trixie (the Honeymooners)
For the past week, a little spotted deer has come with them, so we assumed that one of the deer was the mother of the new baby. Last night, the baby tried to nurse on it's mother and it was Ralph. (We can always tell Ralph cause Ralph has a big scar on one side)
So now we know that Ralph is a female; guess we have to call her Ralphette!
On the financial side, our electric bill was $40 under budget, so I can add that to my challenge money. I also got my usual $581 check that comes the 4th Friday in the month.
Prev. total $12,122.00
today 621.00
new total $12.743.00

I need help with pictures!

August 24th, 2009 at 03:30 pm

To Fern, or anyone else who posts pictures on this site, could you explain to me how to do it.
My friend took a picture of my two dogs, Holly and Molly, and she will put it up for me if someone can explain how to do it.
thanks in advance!

Oh the braves won, so I will add $1 to the challenge.
Prev. total $12.121.00
today 1.00
new total $12,122.00

Back to work!

August 23rd, 2009 at 11:29 pm

Dh is finally going back to work tomorrow. He only worked one day last week. They were suppose to pour concrete on Thursday, but had to pospone because they were calling for rain.
Now the concrete should be poured tomorrow.
He got a lot done around the house and spent most of his time retiling our large back porch. He just finished up an hour ago and is now out cutting grass. He still has the front porch to do, but that can wait a while. Not only did he retile the porch, but he rocked all around the edges too. It looks great!

My house is looking good!

August 22nd, 2009 at 04:50 pm

Boy, my house is looking so good! All of my cabinets have been repainted and now dh is working on laying tile on the front and back porches. The back one is huge and he is working on that right now. Maybe I should put the house up for sale??
My neighbor did, a few months ago and already got a contract! We live in a very nice neighborhood!
Somebody got a very good deal on the really big house that my husband finished in May. Asking price was $799,000 and the bank accepted an offer of $320,000.(house was forecosed on; it was a spec house, not ours)
I was tempted to buy it myself, but we don't need two houses in these unsettling times!
The braves did not win last night, but they did win the 2 games before that and the stock market was up the past 2 days. That is $4 more to add to my challenge.
Prev. total $12,117.00
today 4.00
new total $12,121.00

An expensive summer!

August 19th, 2009 at 07:20 pm

This has been an expensive summer. First of all, dh finished both houses and really has not had much work this summer. He is starting on a house, but didn't have much to do while the grading and poured basement was done.
So, he has been doing projects around the house and some have been very costly.

Our yard has never looked better. He has bought dozens of bags of mulch. He has planted bushes and flowers. He pressure washed the house. He has washed all the windows since then. Right now, he is repainting all of the white cabinets in the master bedroom and all the bathrooms.
He has ordered some fancy tile and stone to redo the front and back porch decks. That alone came to over $2000!
So, very little money coming in, and lots of money going out!
Well, I did use some coupons at Ingles today and managed to save $10 for the $20 challenge.
Prev. total $21,107.00
today 10.00
new total $21,117.00

25 years ago today!

August 18th, 2009 at 07:19 pm

On aug. 18, 1984 we moved from hot, sunny florida to the North Georgia mountains. Quite a change since both dh and I had lived in Fla. since our childhood. I don't think I would be that brave today!
We moved up here with no friends, no family and most important, NO JOBS!
Dh had never build a house in his life ( he drew house plans) and he built our Lincoln Log house completely by himself. (Including the plumbing, electrical, tile, cabinets, etc.) He could not hire anyone to even help him lift one log.

We lived in a 16 foot travel trailer with a teenager, a poodle and a doberman for almost a year. It got as cold as 23 degress below zero, and our blankets would freeze to the walls.
Lucky for us, we had always been frugal and managed to live on our saving until I got a job as a waitress making $2.01 an hour.
We were really out in the boondocks with the nearest town over 15 miles away. But we loved being out in the country and on the river!
I am so happy that we made the move!

A tribute to Elvis!

August 16th, 2009 at 07:01 pm

Today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, Aug. 16th, 1977. He died at the young age of 42. What a talented singer he was. In honor of elvis (and the braves winning) I will add $5 to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $12,102.00
today 5.00
new total $12,107.00

Thanks Ingles!

August 13th, 2009 at 10:00 pm

I did my grocery shopping at Ingles today and saved $4 using my advantage card. In the mail, I got coupons from Ingles, offering 5% off of my groceries for the next 4 weeks. That is nice! Thanks Ingles.
Prev. total $12,098.00
today 4.00
new total $12,102.00

small amounts add up!

August 12th, 2009 at 09:19 pm

Not many people are taking the $20 challenge anymore. I enjoy it, cause small sums really do add up after a while.
I bought steaks on sale yesterday and saved $6 plus the braves won last night. That is $7 more to add to my $20 challenge money.
Prev. total $12,091.00
today 7.00
new total $12,098.00

Happy over heating bill!

August 11th, 2009 at 08:26 pm

I got my propane bill in the mail yesterday. Last year my bill was $1832 and this year it is only $965. So, it is only half of last year's. I have a large 1000 gallon tank and it lasted the entire winter. We run the heat from mid Oct. to mid april.
Propane prices are much cheaper than they were last summer, so I decided to fill up even tho it is so hot. I do keep my house pretty cool (63 degrees) but we have a large house (3200) sq. ft., plus we heat a double garage with a bathroom and eff. apt. upstairs.
I budget $40 a week for heat and I will continue to do so. No telling what propane will cost next time I fill the tank.

DH took the weekend off!

August 9th, 2009 at 05:54 pm

I don't think he has taken an entire weekend off in the 25 years we have lived here, except on vacations!
Of course, he is NOT laying around, watching tv.
Yesterday, he cut grass (2 acres) weed eated, and spread mulch. Today he is trimming bushes. He has washed and waxed all 3 corvettes, even the old one.
I can hear him vaccumming out in the garage right now. Of course, he fixed dinner last night and will do so again tonight. I wish I had his energy.
He took me grocery shopping yesterday and I saved $6 using my advantage card. The braves won 2 games in a row, so that is $2 more, for a total of $8 to add to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $12,083.00
today 8.00
new total $12,091.00

A spendy day today!

August 8th, 2009 at 08:28 pm

Today, we had a spendy day. Since dh is not working as much, he has decided to completely retile the back and front porch. Of course, he can do all the work by himself, but he had to order the tile. It cost us almost $1600 but will really look good.
We also went to Wal Mart for the first time in a year and spent $56! However, some of that was for beer and you can't buy that where we live!
We did have some Ace reward cards, so we redeemed them for some light bulbs, a new leash, puppy food and 5 pair of working gloves. It is fun to get things for free!

I hope I did not make anyone mad!

August 7th, 2009 at 07:09 pm

I hope I did not make anyone mad about my post about cell phones yesterday. I realize that they are wonderful in an emergency, but some people I know just can't afford them.
I know a couple in their mid forties. They have a teenage daughter. They have no checking account and no saving account, but they all have cell phones. To me, a cell phone is a luxury item.
I guess the neat thing about everybody having one, is that in an emergency, I can borrow someone else's phone!!

Does everyone have a cell phone??

August 6th, 2009 at 06:41 pm

My dh is just starting a house. Then land has been cleared and a crew is putting up forms for the poured basement walls, so there are about 10 men working there right now. Every single one of them has a cell phone, and they talk on them all the time.
Personally, if I was paying them, I would not allow a cell phone on my job. I don't want to pay someone for talking on the phone all the time.
Plus, how can they all afford it? They do not have good paying jobs. One guy told my dh, that his wife had run up over a $1000 phone bill last month. I don't understand this cell phone craze at all. I also heard on tv, that text messaging while driving is now considered more dangerous than drunk driving.

No, I don't have a cell phone, nor do I want one!

Net worth went up!

August 4th, 2009 at 09:19 pm

Our net worth went up last month, mostly because of the stock market doing better.This slow down in building is really hurting the area that we live in. We know of so many people who are out of work and are losing their homes. It is so very sad.
Our neighborhood is mostly older people and they are all doing ok cause they are retired. There are 3 young couples here and I think one of them may be moving out. I don't know if they were foreclosed on or not? I sure hope things start to get better soon.
I had a no use gas yesterday and the stock market went up two days in a row.
Prev. total $12,079.00
today 4.00
new total $12,083.00

Pinecone check

August 2nd, 2009 at 07:46 pm

I got a pinecone check in the mail yesterday. The checks are only for $3 now, but the surveys are much shorter and you get them more often too. I have not even deposited the check I got about a week or so ago.
The stock market went up on Friday and the braves won yesterday, so that is a total of $5 to add to my $20 challenge.
Prev. total $12,074.00
today 5.00
new total $12,079.00

Found money!

August 1st, 2009 at 09:49 pm

I rarely if ever find any money, not even a penny! I look all the time, but never do I see any change on the ground. Today, I got lucky, I found a quarter in the newspaper stand. When I was self scanning my groceries, I put 5 pennies in the pay slot. When they did not register, I hit the button to get my pennies back. I got them, but I also got another quarter and a dime too! So I found 60 cents today, the most ever!

50 years ago today!

August 1st, 2009 at 06:30 pm

Do you remember what you did 50 years ago! I was in my first and only weddding. Oh, I have been married twice, but I just had a small at home service. This was the first wedding (in a church with reception) that I was ever in. It was my sister's wedding. No, the marriage did not last, but she was married for 19 years to the same man.
I remember going to a baseball game with my uncle, getting sun burned and almost being late to the wedding!