Ima Saver's Personal Finance Blog

We finally picked up the new van this afternoon!! Now I don't have to worry about dh breaking down on his way back and forth to North Carolina!!
But now we have 6 vehicles! They would only give dh $3000 for the old van, so dh is keeping it for right now.
He plans to keep some of his larger tools (big table saws) locked in the old van and leave it at the job.
That way he won't have to load and unload the van every time he wants to pick up a load of wood.
I also got a real good interest rate on the van financing, 2.9%. I will keep my money in the bank earning 4.8% and pay the 2.9%!!
Then maybe I will open a used car lot!!

I have not been on here much the past two days. Dh brought home a sample of hardiboard that he is having painted on the house he is building. The shingles are brown, but the paint color was gray. I just realized that he must be a bit colorblind. So I have been driving back and forth the past two days trying to pick out colors for the paint, the soffits, the rock, and the porch tiles.
Thanks goodness, the painters had not gone too far with the house. They have the new paint on the house now and it looks great!! Dh says I will pick out the colors from now on!!

Dh ordered a new work van today. He did what I told him to do. Yesterday, he called the sales manager at the Ford place and told him he was not happy with the salesman that waited on him. The manager apologized to him and gave him a new salesman. The new guy located the vehicle he wanted and called him right back. Dh went over to sign the paperwork this morning and we should be able to get the van by tomorrow!!
BTW, he drove the new yellow corvette over to sign the papers, but still had on his old work clothes. (This is in another state, we have no ford place here)

Wow, I switched the channel to QVC and five minutes later I had spent $60 on something for the yard. It is spring fever for sure. Now, I remember why I never turn it on that channel!! I won 3 games of mahjong yesterday, so that is $3 to add to the challenge.
Prev. total $6815.00
today 3.00
new total $6818.00

I went on a picnic today with some of the gals on the other forum!! We had a lot of fun, but it was a little on the cool side! I should have been frugal and brought a sandwich like the others, but I had no fresh bread. (we don't use much bread) So, I spent $4 to get a blimpie sandwich. I only ate half, so I have lunch for tomorrow!! You can't always be frugal all the time, but I do try usually.

We sat outside last night, on the deck (porch) and listened to the creek. We also had a fire in the fire pit. It was so nice!! I had a no spend day yesterday and the braves won, so $2 gets added to the challenge.
Prev. total $6813.00
today 2.00
new total $6815.00

I have a little 5 pound, black poodle, named Holly. She is the boss of this house! We are thinking of getting a new puppy, but Holly has never been around dogs. When she sees one out the window (we have really low windows,) she screams and barks at them.
My new neighbors have 2 small white dogs, brother and sister.
So, I just took Holly over to meet them (her on a leash, of course, in case she tried to bit them)
She was pretty good, real excited, but not one growl. On the other hand, they both growled at her. Hopefully, she will be ok with a new puppy!

Yesterday, I won 7 games of mahjong and the braves won. (even got a grand slam)
Prev. total $6805.00
today 8.00
new total $6813.00

Dh just came home to get his hot rod to take to the car show on the square. (which is round BTW)
This is the first car show of the year. Unfortunately, it is raining, so I doubt they will get a very good turn out. I usually go, but, I MIGHT melt!!

Braves didn't win, stock market went down, but I did win 5 games of mahjong. I will add $5 to my challenge money today!!
Prev. total $6800.00
today 5.00
new total $6805.00

I just heard on today's news that the AVERAGE cost of a wedding today is $27,000. What are these people thinking??

I have only ever been to one big wedding!!It was huge with a sit down dinner and open bar. The father of the bride even paid for the hotel rooms for the guests. It must have cost $50,000 for that wedding. One year later, the couple divorced.

My wedding was at home. We provided appetizers and liquor. Someone gave us a small wedding cake. Everyone took pictures with their cameras and gave them to us later. Our entire wedding cost $100. It was a party and we all had fun!! I would not change a thing about it if I could go back! That was 31 years ago. We sure got our money's worth!!

That is what I am paying for gas! It is cheaper to eat out than buy gas!!
Yesterday, I had a no spend day and the stock market went up a little. Today, I picked up a couple of steaks on sale and saved $3 there. So, $5 more to add to the challenge.
Prev. total $6795.00
today 5.00
new total $6800.00

I am making up a deposit to take to the bank and put in my savings account this morning. I have $100 in Ridge money to add to the $20 challenge.
Prev. total $6695.00
today 100.00
new total $6795.00

Wow, we have had 3 days without the heat running. However, that has just about come to an end since it is colder today. But it was nice while it lasted. I figured out that on a really cold day, it was taking between $5 and $6 a day to heat the house. It will be much cheaper to run the air conditioning!

I noticed that someone added their interest to their $20 challenge. I had wondered about doing that, but decided that I would not. Our interest totaled $2112 for the month, which was about $430 less than I earned last month on less money. I hope rates don't go much lower. This rate cutting is not good for us savers!

My net worth went up for the month of March even tho every mutual fund and stock that I owned went down. But, I was able to add some cash to my savings. I had my monthly insurance premium (which I cancelled) to add to my challenge money today.
Prev. total $6655.00
today 40.00
new total $6695.00

The braves finally won their first game. (they lost the first three) The stock market went up on Tuesday and I had a no spend day yesterday. That is $3 to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $6652.00
today 3.00
new total $6655.00

Earlier I wrote a post about being called a millionaire lady! Now let me tell you what happened to my husband because of the way he dresses!
Neither of us dress up and dh wear work clothes. He is a carpenter. all of his work clothes have caulking or paint or something on them. I can buy him new, by tomorrow, those clothes look like work clothes with stains on them.

He has been having trouble with his work van since last summer. He has had it fixed, but the transmission is not working right, the heat and air don't work and it needs new tires. It has 150,000 miles on it.

He just took on a new house to build in the next state over. His old van is not going to make it, so it is time for new.
He stopped at the car place to talk about buying a brand new work van, and no one will even talk to him.
He is not dressed well enough. They don't think he can afford a new vehicle.

I remember when he tried to buy me a new vette for our 25th anniversary and no one would even bother with him.
This has happened at banks too, when we go into open an account that is paying a high rate. The lady will tell us, sorry but you can't open that account. You have to have $50,000 to open it! So I give her a check for $100,000.

I told him to go back to the dealership and talk to the manager! He would have bought one yesterday, if someone would quit treating him like he is just wasting their time.

So what if clothes are not our passion!!

Maybe he should tell the next car salesman that he is married to the millionaire lady!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think that will work???

Dh called yesterday. He had to meet with the truss guy down at the local building supply place and he needed a set of plans that he had left on his drawing table. So, I took the plans down to him.
After I met him there, I went to talk to the new bookkeeper in the office.
After I left the building supply place, one of the younger salesladies came up to dh and asked, "Do you know the millionaire lady?"
Dh said, "who is the millionaire lady"
She said, well she is that blond lady that you spoke to. She always drives a red corvette and she pays a really big bill here every month. That is why we call her the millionaire lady!
Dh said, "yes I know her, that is my wife"

Hey, if you have to be called a name, millionaire lady is a pretty nice name to be called!!

Today was a good day for the stock market. I hope it continues. I checked all my stocks and mutual funds and everyone of them are down for the month. I guess this means my net worth will go down for the month of March. I will update my net worth tomorrow! Ican not believe how far C.D. rates have fallen. I have one coming due in a month and now the banks are offering 2.5% !! Good gosh!!

I have been kidding around today, but I need to get back to the challenge. I did my grocery shopping yesterday and using coupons and my advantage card, I saved $10 to add to the challenge.
Plus the market went up.
Prev. total $6641.00
today 11.00
new total $6652.00

Well, next I was going to tell you all that I was going to get rid of my 3 vettes and get an old car to ride around in.
By now, you know that I am having fun on April Fool's day!!

(I won't even tell you about the best trick I ever pulled on a friend, but he thought he was being arrested. I posed as April Fuller from the sheriff's dept.) (get it, April Fooler??)

Ok, this is my new resolution!! I am cooking dinner at home from now on. Every night!! No more eating out!! I am resolved to love making menus, cooking a meal and cleaning it all up, every night!!























April's Fool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This internet stuff is great sometimes. I have made a lot of new friends using this computer. I am on a local forum and last night, we met with a new couple from Florida. There were 8 of us and all 4 women had met over the computer.
We went out and had a very nice dinner together last night.
Yesterday, I had a no gas day and I won 4 games of mah jong. That is $5 more to add to the challenge.
Prev. total $6636.00
today 5.00
new total $6641.00

I paid the electric bill today. It was only $80, which is $80 under budget, so I will add that to the challenge money. I also had a no spend, no gas day yesterday, plus won 3 games of mahjong, so that is another $5.
Prev. total $6551.00
today 85.00
new total $6636.00

I just checked yesterday's mail and I got two $50 checks from my Chase rewards card. This makes $300 That I have received so far this year, just for charging and paying off my balance every month!! Got to love that!!!!!!!!
$20 challenge

Prev. total $6451.00
today 100.00
new total $6551.00

I almost missed a day posting on savingadvice.com. I have been so busy today, but I have a minute before we go out to dinner. I signed up to learn how to play "hearts" There was no newbies, just me and we just played. Needless to say, they were all pretty good. And all men!!
I splurged and had lunch out with my husband today. We only spent $7.
I did have $200 ridge money to add to my challenge.
Prev. total $6251.00
today 200.00
new total $6451.00

I got another check in the mail for $551 to add to my challenge money. I am catching up on reading Money magazine. It is depressing to see how far down the rates have come since the February issue. I have an account that was earning about $18 a day and now it is earning $7. My goal was to earn $20,000 in interest this year. I don't know if I can or not??
Prev. total $5700.00
today 551.00
new total $6251.00

Of course, I gave it to him!! I have always given him an allowance. He uses it for gas and his $80 a week isn't making it. For the last few weeks, I have had to give him more money out of my allowance, so I revised the budget and am now giving him $120 a week. He always has two jobs going but they are never next door to each other, so he does a lot of driving. Plus he is constantly pick up materials.
The past two days I won 7 mahjong games and the stock market went up yesterday, so that is $8 to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $5692.00
today 8.00
new total $5700.00

I did my grocery shopping this morning and it was sure quiet at the grocery store. I saved $6 using my store card and coupons, plus I won 4 games of mahjong yesterday. That is $10 more for the challenge, so I am caught up to date.
Prev. total $5682.00
today 10.00
new total $5692.00

I hope all of you have a nice easter sunday. My dh has gone to work today; I told you he is a workaholic. Actually, he took on two remodel jobs because he was afraid he would not get another house to build. Of course, he DID get another house, so now he is pushed to get these two big jobs finished.
Friday, I won two Mahjong games and walked a mile. That is $3 to add to the challenge. I also got 2 checks in the mail yesterday; One from state farm for $95 and one from Tim Hortons for $15. So I have a total of $113 to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $5569.00
today 113.00
new total $5682.00