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Archive for October, 2015

I met my goal!

October 31st, 2015 at 02:51 pm

Happy Halloween. Today, I met my goal for the $20 challenge. I wanted to have $20,000 in my $20 challenge by year end.
With the help of my social security check on Wednesday and the interest from my savings direct ($91) which they paid a day early, I met my yearly goal.
$20 challenge $20,001.00
interest 91.00
new total $20,092.00

Time to go trick or treating!!

Barclay credit card

October 25th, 2015 at 04:13 pm

I got an offer in the mail for a barclay credit card, so I opened on line yesterday.
My rule with credit cards is to charge only things I need (like car insurance) and pay it off as soon as the bill comes in.
I do not like credit cards that offer gift cards or a credit to your account. I like cards that offer cash back.
That is why I have a Chase master card that pays back 3% of home improvement purchases. (but only to a limit of $2000 charged each month.) We use that at home depot almost every day. (Hubby is a builder)
I have a citi mastercard that pays back 2% on all purchases and a quicksilver cards that pays back 1 1/2% on purchases. This month I got back $143 from chase and $38 from citi.
Barclays is offering $200 cash back if you spend $500 in 90 days. They do not offer a check (which I like) but they will deposit it in your savings acct.
Since I already have a barclay account, that sounds like a winner to me. I love cash back, don't you?
I have just started keeping track of all the money I received without having to work. I am calling it my MAWW account. Money acquired without working. I will let you know the October total, in a week or so.

Popcorn for lunch!

October 22nd, 2015 at 09:56 pm

That is what I had. I have to admit that I have never had popcorn for lunch. It was pretty good.
My $20 challenge is getting real close to my goal amount of $20,000 for the year:

$20 challenge $19,405.00

A hand delivered check

October 18th, 2015 at 09:48 pm

I waited until the mail came yesterday and then I called the young couple for whom, we are holding the mortgage. She ran into my husband on Oct. 9th and told him that she had just put the mortgage check in the mail that day. It is not due until the 25th of Oct.
The check has never arrived and yesterday was the 17th. That means that after 8 days, the check never arrived. (She mailed if from just 6 miles away.)
Obviously, it got lost in the mail.
She showed up this afternoon with a new check. I guess she will have to put a stop payment on the other check. I just wonder where it went?

citi check

October 17th, 2015 at 07:21 pm

I received a cit rewards check for $38 today. That will be added to my $20 challenge.
I have decided to start keeping track of a new "account" just for fun.
I will call this my MAWW account. Money aquired without working!!!
So far this month, I have received:
builder's rebate $717
citi card reward 38

$20 challenge $19,329.00
citi reward ck 38.00
new total $19,367.00

Missing check!

October 16th, 2015 at 05:47 pm

DH ran into the couple who bought our last house. WE are holding the mortgage on the house.
She mentioned to him that she had just put the house payment in the mail that day to us.
It was mailed on October 9th. Today is October 16th and we still have not received it. It only had to travel about 6 miles. I am afraid that it is lost in the mail.

$20 challenge total $19,329.00

moving viet nam wall

October 13th, 2015 at 07:41 pm

We got to see the moving viet nam wall. It came to our small town for about 4 days. Because we thought there would be long lines in the daytime (I can no longer stanad for long periods of time, old age)we went to see it about 10 pm at night. It was very moving and I am so glad we got to see it.
$20 challenge update:
new total $19,315.00

A handshake, that's how we do it!

October 10th, 2015 at 05:35 pm

As I mentioned earlier, I got a call from a couple from Fla. on Wednesday. They had been looking to buy a lot in our gated subdivision that we are building in. They saw that our cabin was for sale and called and asked to see it. I told them where the key was hidden.
They called back and asked if we could meet them there that evening to discuss how the cabin would be finished. After going over everything for about 2 hours, they said they wanted to buy it and would give us a deposit as a down payment.
Then they said, "draw up a contract and we will all sign it"
A contract?? We have never drawn up a contract in our lives and we have been building houses here for 31 years.

They asked, "then how to you do it"? A handshake, is what I answered. That is how we have always done business and we have never had a problem. I then told them that they could draw up a contract and we would sign it.
I can understand where they are coming from, with so many people trying to "rip" other people off.
But we are honest people and would certainly give them their money back if they should change their mind.That is just the way it works in our little backward town of Blairsville, Ga.

In the end, we shook hands. (But, I told them to go ahead and make up a contract to give them peace of mind.)

Builder's rebate

October 9th, 2015 at 04:34 pm

We get a builder's rebate from the building supply store that we do business with. About 20 years ago, they approached us and told us they were giving a 5% rebate to their 20 best customers! We are the last customer still here and still receiving the rebate. I have always saved the rebate; it is like found money. This month, it is a good amount, $717.00 which I am adding to my $20 challenge:

Prev. total $18,547.00
today 717.00
new total $19,264.00

WE sold our cabin!

October 8th, 2015 at 03:37 pm

We have not yet advertised the cabin for sale, because it is not finished yet. My husband has been letting it sit, because he started a big custom house. He only works on the cabin on weekends.
We have had no lookers at the cabin because it is in a gated community and you need the code to get into the gate.
Yesterday morning, I got a call from a coouple who had gone into the subdivision to look at a lot for sale. They saw the cabin and wanted to look, so I told them where the key was hidden. They called back in the afternoon and wanted to meet with us.
They loved the cabin and hubby explained how he would be finishing it. (He does all the inside finishing work completely by himself; that includes building all the cabinets, putting down the hardwood floor, laying the stone on the fireplace, tile for the bathroom, paint, trim, etc.

I was shocked when they offered us a check as a down payment and wanted to buy the house. It was the first house they had looked at and they loved it!

Now, he will have to get on the ball and get it finished, but they said there is no hurry. They are from Fla. and this will be a vacation home for now until they can retire.

I am glad to have it sold. It is a really cute 2 bedroom, 2 bath cabin with a wonderful view of Brasstown Bald, the highest peak (mountain) in Georgia.
They also have lake access, with boat docks and swimming area, nice pavillion with picnic area, grills, etc. A really nice new subdivision on the lake. I am happy!

Last ball game

October 6th, 2015 at 04:27 pm

I watched the braves last two ball games on Sunday. They did not do very well this year. It is a rebuilding year with almost all new players.
Since the all star game I have been putting $5 into my $20 challenge every time they won a game (which was not very many) plus $5 for each home run. (Again, not very many. Sunday was a good day with 2 wins (double header) and 3 home runs.
My $20 challenge looks like this : $18,522.00.
Let's hope for a better year next year!

Edward Jones dividend

October 4th, 2015 at 05:45 pm

I have earned some dividends on stock for the month of Sept. and they are just sitting in my Edward Jones account, so I had them transferred to my checking acoount. I will add them to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $18,342.00
today 111.00
new total $18,453.00

I am getting close to my $20,000 goal for the year.

The creek is rising!

October 3rd, 2015 at 08:36 pm

We live on a creek. With all the rain the past two days, the creek is very nosy and full. I love listening to it. Because we live on a fairly flat lot (in the mountains), we cannot see the creek unless it is super full like it is today.
We have a nice deck built out over the creek where we can sit and watch it. No need for that today. WE can see it from almost every room in the house.

(p.s. I know that the creek is NOISY, not nosy)

I can't believe it has been almost 5 years

October 2nd, 2015 at 03:44 pm

Almost 5 years ago, I had some c.d.'s coming due. I had been getting 5% interest. I searched and searched but the best I could find was Melrose credit union paying 2.9% for firve years.
I wondered if I was doing the right thing; tieing up a large sum of money for 5 years at such a low rate.
Now, the 5 years will be up in February and I cannot find anything paying as high as 2.9% interest.
I cannot believe these low rates have lasted for 5 years.
Back in 1977, i was working for a savings and loan place that paid 5 1/4 on savings (daily interest) and 6% on regular savings accounts. Our c.d.'s were paying 8% interest. (One time we even went up to 18% interest.)
My intention always was to save enough money to live off the interest, like all the retired people that could afford it, did back then.
My husband and I have never worked anywhere where we would get a pension, so I knew it was up to us to save as much as possible.

Soon, the 5 year c.d. will be up and I cannot find anything paying as much as 2.9% interest. Ofcourse, it is not nearly enough to live off of, but I am grateful for what we get. Luckily, my husband is still working, but because his job is so arduous and he has hurt both his arm and his foot this year, I don't know how much longer he can continue to work.

However, I will add the interest from my two Melrose c.d.'s to my $20 challenge and just keep on saving!!

$20 challenge balance $16,292.00
Melrose c.d. 2.9% 1657.00
Melrose c.d. 2.8% 393.00
new total $18,342.00

(This interest is for 3 months, the 3rd quarter of this year.)

Monthly interest

October 1st, 2015 at 09:28 pm

I received my monthly interest from my 4 internet savings accounts, which I add to the $20 challenge.
I received $13 from GE bank, $89 from Mysavings direct, $4 from Barclay and $6 from my new savings account at Mysavings direct, the "Wright) account. (An account for the mortgage money and other rebates that I am receiving. That comes to a total of $113 which I will add to my $20 challenge:

Prev. total $16,169.00
today 113.00
new total $16,282.00