Ima Saver's Personal Finance Blog

We have a chase business master card. They pay us points back for every $1 spent. We get 3% back for home improvement purchases and my dh is a builder! They just offered me an extra 1000 points back for every $500 purchase. The points are redeemed for cash money!! So, I signed up for it.
I think I will pay the hosptial bills with myChase card to earn the bonus points. Of course, I will pay off the balance in full every month so I do NOT pay any interest.

I had a very good day yesterday. Not only did I play bridge, one of my favorite things to do, but I also received 3 checks in the mail.
Two of the checks were payment on the two personal loans I made to a couple. I count the interest on this every month towards my $20 challenge. The amount of interest this month was $174.
I also received a rebate of $540 from a building supply company.
The total of $714 will be added to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $13,834.00
today 714.00
new total $14,548.00

I do surveys for two places, pinecone, which most of you know about and NFOmysurvey.
I am happy with Pinecone but not with NFO my survey anymore.
Normally, NFO will send me a short survey (under 5 minutes) and I will receive 10 points for it. To get a check for $10, you have to accumulate 1000 points. You can get 150 points for referring someone who becomes a member. Sometimes you will get much longer surveys that will pay hundreds of points.
Lately, the surveys I have been getting, are only paying 5 points each. You know how many surveys you have to do to get to 1000 points? Way too many!

I have also been receiving surveys for NO points. Instead they enter your name in a contest. I don't do those surveys at all.

I have decided to stop doing these surveys as soon as I accumulated my next 1000 points. I had 765 points as of yesterday. I got another survey for 5 points and after I took it, they offered me a survey about financial products that paid 400 points. I jumped on it.

The survey took about 40 minutes and as soon as I finished, I redeemed my points.

Has anyone else stopped doing the surveys because of the low points awarded??

Today, we are going to a wine tasting party hosted by our local Humane Society. It is a bit expensive at $60 a couple, but I feel like our Humane Society is a very worthy cause. It is a no kill shelter and I support them as often as I can.

I had to put an extra blanket on the bed last night. I don't know how cold it was, but it was in the 40's outside when I got up They are calling for it to get down to 36 by Tuesday.
So far, the heat is still off. I spent almost $1100 filling the propane tank up. Last year was a cold winter and the full tank did not last the entire winter. I hope it is warmer this year. We have a 1000 gallon tank.This year the propane was $1.59 a gallon, a good bit cheaper than last year and the year before.
I have $5 to put into my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $13,829.00
today 5.00
new total $13,834.00

I always look forward to the being of fall and of spring. (especially spring) For a few weeks, we don't have to run the heat or the air conditioning. I did have to put a sweater on in the house today.

I had planned a no use gas day yesterday until I got a phone call. It seem's like the wife of our "plumber" had lost the paycheck I had given him. I had to run down to the bank and put a stop payment on it.
She found the check last night, but that was too late. I have already been charged a $32 stop payment charge. I will have to take that off of the new check.
DH has worked a few days this week painting at a house he built several years ago. This week, will be our first paycheck that will have to come out of our savings. We are still discussing building a new spec house.

We went out looking for land last weekend. Even tho nothing is selling here, my dh can not stand to be out of work and wants to build a spec house. There are a few vacation cabins, under $150,000 that are selling here.
So, we went looking for cabin lots. We went to a subdivision where we almost bought a lot about 2-3 years ago. It had some nice view lots and was resticted to cabins.
There are a few houses out in the subdivision but two of them are vacant and in foreclosure. No one is mowing the grass, so the subdivison looks terrible.

We do own a beautiful 1.5 acre that we could build on.
It has 180 degrees mountain views from the front and side of the house. The view is of Brasstown Bald, which is the highest mountain in the state of Georgia!
Of course, we paid a fortune for the lot, thinking we might want to live there someday.
However, with my husband's love for cars (and his need for many garages) , we need to live on more level land like we do now. (2 flat acres on a creek)

So, we could build a small spec house on this property, but it would have to price more than $150,000 cause we paid $80,000 for the land!!

What to do?????????

Well, I grocery shopped yesterday and saved $4 using my Ingles card, and I have 3 one's left over for a total of $7 to add to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $13,822.00
today 7.00
new total $13,829.00

Well, it is day 2 of the unemployment of dh! I played bridge today, so it was not too bad. DH went over to talk to a lady that he built a house for about 14 years ago. She wants a new deck put on the house. He has several small jobs lined up.
On the mail front, I got a $50 rewards check from the Chase visa card in the mail. I will add that to my challenge money.

Prev. total $13.772.00
today 50.00
new total $13,822.00

For the first time in 26 years, my husband does not have a house to build.
He had never built a house in his life when we moved to the mountains 26 years ago. He built our Lincoln Log house on the river, completely by himself. That included lifting every log, doing all the plumbing, electric, tile, cabinets, etc., completely alone.
Other people were so impressed they asked him to build their log home.
For the first few years, he only build log homes, but then he branched out cause actually log homes were getting too expensive to build. He has built every type of house now. From 800 square feet to 7500 square feet.

He finished up his last house on Friday and spent yesterday bringing home all his tools. Today, he had nothing to do.

We have the money set aside to build a spec house, but nothing is selling here except real bargains and foreclosures. There are hundreds and hundreds of homes on the market as this area got so overbuilt the past 2 years. (Every body thought they were a builder!!)

He is bored already, so today we went looking at lots. The new cabin subdivisions have not been taken care of and look overgrown. Cabins are the only thing selling here; homes under $150,000. Our last spec house sold for $400,000 and the first couple that looked at it, bought it.

We may have to build a small spec house just so he will have something to do. Otherwise, he will drive me crazy!!!

Anyone want to build a house in the mountains??

Yes folks, today is just three months away from the big Holiday. I only buy for my dh, all others I give money. We have really cut down on Christmas the past few years, because we really have everything we want and/or need. Hope you are getting ready!!

I wonder if anyone has ever heard of it. It is located in Briarwood, N.Y. and has some of the higher savins rates in the nation. Plus, anyone can join!!
They have a 5 year C.D. paying 3% right now. I have 5 c.d.'s coming due in the next 5 months 3 f them on the same day. I think I am going to try and ladder them, so I will have one coming due the first part of the month, each and every month.

Our mail comes late (after 4pm) but it was a good mail day. I got a check for $113 from Edward Jones, a $3 check from Pinecone and I am adding $2 for a no use gas day for a total of $118 for the challenge.

Prev. total $13,654.00
today 118.00
new total $13,772.00

That is the day that my social security check gets deposited to my checking account. They recently changed my checking account number, so I had hoped there was no problem and there wasn't. As a matter of fact, the check was deposited a day early, which has never happened before.

Years ago, social security checks ALL came in about the 3rd of the month. I guess that must have cause an awful lot of work for the banks, so the practice was changed.
Now all of the checks come in on a Wednesday, but they come in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wednesdays. The date chosen has to do with the date of your birth. I was born on the 23rd, so I get mine on the 4th Wednesday.

As always, I add this check to my $20 challenge cause I have never spent a penny of this check.


Prev. total $13,168.00
today 486.00
new total $13,654.00

I have gone thru a couple of bank take overs this year. A few weeks ago, one of the banks had to close our checking account and open up a new one for us. They sent me a letter offering me $50 (plus free new checks) if I brought in all of my old checks and deposit slips. Last week, I took them all into the bank and turned them in.

When I next checked my account, I had a free deposit of $50! That was very nice and will be added to the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $13,118.00
today 50.00
new total $13,168.00

I have some stocks and I do believe in drip plans. (That is dividend reinvestement plans. I do reinvest all my dividends in all but two stocks.


when Wendy's bought out Tim Horton, somehow I got dropped out of the drip plan when it formed a new company. Now Tim Horton has split and Wendy's has hooked up with Arby's.

Every few months, I get small checks from both Tim Horton and Wendy's.
Yesterday I got a check for $8 from Wendy's.

The braves won their last two games and I had a no use gas yesterday, so I will take the $12 and add it to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $13,106.00
today 12.00
new total $13,118.00

I signed up this summer for the new Bi Lo card. I do not do a lot of my shopping there cause Ingles is cheaper. However, they do have steak on sale a lot, so I buy steak at Bi Lo.
The cashier pointed out on my register receipt that I was eligble to get 25 cents off on every gallon of gas using my Bi Lo card. I filled up today and saved about $4 which I will add to my challenge money.

Prev. total $13,102.00
today 4.00
new total $13,106.00

When I was growning up, everyone including all the movie stars, smoked. It made them look glamorous!

My parents both smoked all the time. Heck, they even collected coupons off of the cigarette packages to get some great free gifts.

My mother told me I could smoke when I wanted to, as long as I did not sneak around to do it. At age 12, I started smoking in front of her. I had a job, so I could buy my own cigarettes. I soon became addicted and smoked 1-2 packs a day. Back then, you could buy a carton of cigarettes for $2 (10 packs)
I wish I could tell you that I quit at a young age. But I did NOT! Husband #1 smoked and so did Husband #2. (current hubby)

Finally, sometime in my mid 40's, I decided that I was wasting an awful lot of money and I quit cold turkey. I talked dh into joining me a few months later.

My mother died of lung cancer from smoking, so did husband #1. My best friend's husband got such bad breathing problems from smoking that he couldn't even take a shower or fix something to eat. The last few years of his life he was forced to sit in a chair and stare at the tv, cause he couldn't do anything else.

I had a friend that died this Monday. She and her husband were heavy smokers all their lives. She developed breathing problems about 5 years ago and quit smoking. She begged her husband to quit but he did not. She begged her children. They still smoke.
Her husband developed lung cancer and died within a month; that was 2 years ago. My friend still struggled to breath and was on oxygen all the time.

This Monday, she could not breathe and by the time they got her to the hospital, her heart had stopped.

She was 54.

If you smoke, please stop. If you don't, don't ever start. It is not nearly as cool as all those old movie stars made it out to be! Believe me.

We play bridge on Mondays every week. Today, we were short handed so could not play. I love bridge; I could play it every day.

Instead I did my grocery shopping. I saved $5 using my Ingles advantage card. I also got a $18 check in the mail from the Tim Horton co. I will add this $23 to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $13,079.00
today 23.00
new total $13,102.00

Dh has gone to "Shades of the Past" car show every year for over 20 years. It is held in Pigeon Forge the weekend after labor day, every year. (near Gatlingburg, Tn.)
He left yesterday morning about 5:30 a.m. Poor guy, he got about half way there and it started to rain. It rained the entire day and he got soaked. He even had to pour the water out of his shoes before he got into the car.
So, he wasted a day's pay and really did not get to see many cars cause they were covered up. He finally left early to come home.
I know the braves won twice and I had a no use gas day, so I am adding $5 to my challenge money.

Prev. total $13,074.00
today 5.00
new total $13,079.00

Just thinking of all those who died on 9-11-01. Our prayers are with their families and we will never forget.

My old bank failed in March. A new bank took it over and things have been fine. This past, long weekend, their website was down while they converted every account over to the new bank.
I received a letter on aug. 30th, that they were having to convert one of my accounts to a different number. I was to stop using those checks and start using the new (free) checks by Sept. 6th!

Unfortunately, I did not get the checks by Spt. 6th. I have 4 checking accounts but this is my business account. I use this one the most!! Thank goodness, the UPS guy delivered the checks last night about 6 pm.
I am back in business!!

This checking account is also the account I use to transfer money to my ING account also. Since ING is paying 1.1% interest, I will probably start transferring some of the funds over.

I have several C.D.'s coming due in the next few months and the rates are terribly low!

I have $7 in one's to add to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $13,067.00
today 7.00
new total $13,074.00

My main bank was closed in March and taken over by another bank. The rates went down a lot. I am getting 1/2 of 1 per cent on my business and personal checking accounts and 1% of the account that I use for my savings account.

This weekend the new bank shut down their website to set up a new web site.
When I checked my accounts this morning, the website no longer told you what interest rate they were now paying on your accounts.

So, I went into the bank to ask. I can still get 1% at the ING site, so I might transfer some money over there.I found out from customer service that the rates are still the same, but they will be going lower.

I can remember when you could live on the interest on a million dollars. Those were the good old days. No body is paying much higher than 1% these days, so living on the interest on a million would be tough. I couldn't live on $10,000 a year!

I did do my grocery shopping today and saved $7 using my Ingles advantage card, so I will add that to my $20 challenge.

Prev. total $13,060.00
today 7.00
new total $13,067.00

That is certainly what it means to my dh. He has never taken a labor day off from work. He rarely takes off any holiday except Christmas. He use to take off Thanksgiving when we lived in Florida and his mom was alive, but now he just take off Christmas.

It has turned much cooler here and I am hoping that the a/c won't have to be run as much. I would love to get my electric bill back under budget.

I had a no use gas day yesterday, the braves won and the stock market went up on Friday, so that is $4 to add to the challenge. I also received a $3 pinecone check for a total of $7.

Prev. total $13,053.00
today 7.00
new total $13,060.00

I made 2 loans to some friends a few months ago at 4% (It was cheaper than they could get at the bank, plus no closing costs.)
I am adding the interest to my $20 challenge every month, so I have $176 to add this month.
Prev. total $12,877.00
today 176.00
new total $13,053.00

Well, I hope it is better than the first day of the month. We spent most of that day at the hospital trying to find out what was wrong with dh. Finally, after midnight, we found out he had gallstones.
He had surgery to take out his gall bladder two days later.

Now the bills are coming in. The bill for the surgery was only $3000 which we did not think was too bad. However, the emergency room bill came today and it was for $7500. That does not count for the hospital bill for the day he was there 7 hours for the surgery.

We have a $10,000 deductible policy so it looks like we will have to pay for the whole thing ourselves. I am just glad we have the money to do so.

I did my grocery shopping today and score some pretty good bargains. According to the receipt, I saved $18 using my advantage card. The braves won their last two games, so I have $20 to add to the challenge today.

Prev. total $12,857.00
today 20.00
new total $12,877.00

I use to get a rebate check almost every month from a building supply company.This past year or so, they keep almost nothing in inventory, so we usually get building supplies from somewhere else. That means no rebate check!

We did order some stuff from them in June and July and today, I got a rebate check from them to the tune of $424. Needless to say, it will get added to my $20 challenge money.

Prev. total $12,433.00
today 424.00
new total $12,857.00

I gor $51 in the mail today. $50 was from my Chase mastercard reward card and $1 was from nfomy survey. They paid very little for keeping a running total of what you spend each month, but I am such a nerd, I like doing it.

I also got a bill on dh's surgery. This is not a bill from the hospital, but rather a bill from the surgeon and the guy that administers the oxygen. The total was a little less than $3000. I have never had surgery, but I did not think that was bad. We have to pay all of dh's bills cause we have $10,000 deductible.
What do you think about the bill?

Prev. total $12,382.00
today 51.00
new total $12.433.00

A few years ago, my husband started a spec house for a professional couple. Before the house was finished, the couple declared bankrupcy and the house went into foreclosure.
The bank hired my husband to finish the house to the point that it would pass inspection and they could sell it as it. He never did the outside rock work or the final grading.

The couple that bought the house ( at a grest bargain, I might add; about $500,000 under market price) called us. They were having a water problem.
I assumed that they were hiring dh to come and fix it.
He went over there, only 5 days after surgery (a big no no) to work on the problem.

He hired a guy to work with a shovel for 3 days, then he had the backhoe come in for an entire day to grade out the yard. They put in 2 loads of fill dirt and 3 loads of mulch. He worked all day with a shovel and rake too. After 3 days, the problem was solved.
I sent them a bill. Today, I called because I had not received payment and it has been 2 weeks. I paided the worker out of my pocket, but I needed $520 to pay for the backhoe, fill dirt and mulch.
When I taked to the owner today, she said that they just did not have the money to pay me.

What are they doing buying a 5000 square foot house if they have no money to pay their bills?

Should we repo the fill dirt and mulch??

On a happier note, I saved $6 using my Ingles advantage card yesterday and received a $3 pineone check. My social security check came in ($486) so this will all be added to the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $11,887.00
today 495.00
new total $12,382.00

I went to Bi Lo this morning to get a couple of steaks on sale. I purchased 7 items and 6 of them were on sale.
I bought 3 steaks (on sale), two cans of dog food (on sale, I large bottle of cranberry juice (on sale) and one Hood low carb chocolate milk. (Never on sale)
I saved $8 which I will now add to my $20 challenge fund. I also found 45 cents in the dryer!
Prev. total $11,879.00
today 8.00
new total $11,887.00

I got another big electric bill again. For the first time ever, last month's electric bill went over my budget of $160 a month. It was $180.
Yesterday I got the bill for $190. The electric company did raise the rates last month and it has really been hot.
I have gotten so use to putting the left over money towards my challenge, but that didn't happen last month nor will it happen this month. I guess I need to revise my budget a bit.

I have filled my propane tank for winter. I got what I thought was a pretty good price for winter, $1.59 per gallon. We have a thousand gallon tank but last year, it was so cold that it did not last all winter.

I took my change into the bank today. I had $33. The braves did not win yesterday, but they won the 3 games before that, so I am adding $3 for a total of $36 to add to the challenge.

Prev. total $11,843.00
today 36.00
new total $11,870.00

Yesterday was the 33rd year of the death of Elvis Presley. I have a lot of collectible Elvis items that I keep in the "Elvis Bedroom"
I played bridge yesterday, so I decorated the area that we play, with a few Elvis items. I still have the original Memphis newspaper that was printed on August 17th, 1977; the day after his death.
Did you know that Elvis was chosen Entertainer of the Century in the year 2000?

I finally got the Rite aid rebate check for $4. I submitted it on June 11 online and received it yesterday. I had a no use gas day yesterday and the braves pulled off a 2 out, 1 run behind, 9th inning win , so I have a total of $7 for the $20 challenge.

Prev. total $11,835.00
today 7.00
new total $11,843.00

Yes, it is Friday the 13th. The only one this entire year. I consider 13 to be my lucky number and I got married on Friday the 13th!

I don't know if I should consider today to be lucky or not. The first thing that happened when I got up this morning is that the phone rang. It was the police department downtown.
That scared me, til the lady told me they had dh's cell phone. Someone had found it and turned it in at the station. I have no idea how they knew it belonged to my husband. (I know nothing about cell phones)

Anyway, to celebrate, I will add $13 to my challenge.

Prev. total $11,823.00
today 13.00
new total $11,836.00