Ima Saver's Personal Finance Blog

Today is black friday but I am not doing any shopping today.
Today is also my birthday. If there is anything good about being my age, it is that I have never had any desire to have all the fancy electronic do dads that everyone else has. I don't even know what they are or what they do??
so, the only store I will hit today will be the grocery store to stock up on soups for my dh's lunches.
We had a very good thanksgiving dinner last night at a friend's house. The only bad problem was that their grandsons were there and they cried almost constantly. So, I had a bit of a headache all night, which is very rare for me.
But the meal was great!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. My dh has gone onto work today, but he will come home early and we will be going over to a friend's house for dinner tonight. I met this friend over the internet, so I am grateful for that.

Don't eat too much and have a great day!!

I got the electric bill yesterday and was very pleased. I have budgeted $160 a month for the bill, but this month it was only $75. So, that is $85 to add into the challenge.
Prev. total $24,654.00
today 85.00
new total $24,739.00

My new refrigerator is going back to the store. I bought it mainly for the ice maker which drops about 24 cubes of ice in a 24 hour period. that just does not cut it!
Also, the freezer is definately not cold enough. My dh talked to the owner of the store and I should get a new refrigerator on the 28th of November. so far, both refrigerators have been charged to my credit card and we are supposed to get a credit when this one is picked up.
I went to Walmart's today for the first time this year and spent about $80. However, some of that was for a few gifts for my dh and we desperatly need a new blanket.
My dog also got groomed today, so it was a spendy day. But she looks pretty with the pink bow on her head!!

I told my dh that we were going to go to Waffle house on Thanksgiving night for dinner and I was sincere!! What is wrong with that? It is about the only place that is open Thanksgiving evening.
However, we got, not one,but two invitations for Thanksgiving dinner. So, we are going to the first one. It is a couple that I met the lady on line. They are from florida, but have a vacation home here and we are going to spend that night with them.
I picked up dinner at Bi Lo's today and saved $5 using my card, so I will add that to the challenge money.
Prev. total $24,649.00
today 5.00
new total $24,654.00

I do not like these shortened days. It is not even 5:30 and we need to turn on the lights already.
Yesterday, the stock market ended up for a change and I had a $1 off coupon for hiar color, so I have $2 more to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $24,647.00
today 2.00
new total $24,649.00

I had a fetish! It is for ice. I constantly fill up my glass with ice! All day, all night!!
We just got a new refrigerator with ice maker. we got a real good deal on it too. We paid about $370 for it before tax.
It is making ice! So even tho my husband empties the other ice maker every day for his cooler, I still have ice. Doesn't take much to make me happy!!

Now, I remember why i usually do not shop on a Friday. It was so busy in the grocery store. Even so, I managed to find a few good deals, so I saved $9 using a coupon and my advantage card. That will be added to the challenge money.
Prev. total $24,638.00
today 9.00
new total $24,647.00

Well my dh went to the eyedoctor for two days in a row. His father and grandparents all had glacoma, so he has to have a special test once a year on one day, than a regular exam the next day. The total bill came to $247. Next he will have to get a new pair of glasses. The last pair we got was at Lenscrafter, but that is almost 100 miles away. I think we are going to try Walmarts this time.
I put away $100 a week in a medical account and so far that has always been sufficient. I do not have to dip into the emergency account.

I just saw my first snow flake today. I had to get some bills in the mail and go and buy a birthday card for my granddaughter. I got a really pretty card at the Dollar store for only 50 cents. I also picked up some canned goods to donate to the food pantry.
Now,I am going to go with my dh to the eye doctor in about an hour. He went yesterday for a test, so I am expecting a pretty good size bill.

My husband's builder's license came in the mail today. Funny, in the 20 years he has been licensed, no one has ever asked to see the license. I still keep it sitting out on the desk in his office. To my knowledge, he is the only licensed builder in our county! But of course, that is because it is a North Carolina building license. No license in Georgia yet but it is coming!

I had a no spend day yesterday and finally, the stock market went up for a change. So, I will add $2 to my challenge money.
Prev. total $24,636.00
today 2.00
new total $24,638.00

I was adding my ridge money to my $20 challenge each month.
Now, instead, I am making the new car payment with some of the money, but I still have some left over to add.
So, today, I am adding my ridge money to the tune of $205.
Prev. total $24,431.00
today 205.00
new total $24,636.00

We went to Sears and bought a new refrigerator last night. We don't "need" a refrigerator, but we do "need" a new ice maker.

I bought a GE ice maker when we moved into the house about 11 years ago. i was constantly getting it fixed. So much so, that GE gave me a new one. (This is a stand alone ice maker that cost $900 and was installed in the bar area of our home.)

This new ice maker has given me a lot of problems only making ice when it felt like it. I had it repaired 2 months ago to the tune of $240. It made ice for one day.

We finally gave up and decided to buy the smallest refrigerator we could buy, that had an ice maker in it.

We found a pretty good deal last night on sale at sears, so by Thursday, I should have enough ice. (My husband takes his lunch and fills a large cooler with ice every day. Plus I am an ice fanatic and use a lot)
It certainly seems like the past two months have been spendy months. I hope things slow down.

That means it will be a no spend day. We will spend the afternoon playing bridge at my house. I bought the refreshments a while back. I was going to run out to the bank and cash my husband's paycheck., (which is made out to me) but the banks are closed for the holiday.
So, it will be a no spend and a no gas day today.
I bought groceries yesterday and saved $5 using a coupon and my advantage card. so I will add that to my challenge money.
prev. total $24,426.00
today 5.00
new total $24,431.00

I love being able to check my banking accounts online now that I have a computer.
Yesterday, I checked and the check I wrote to the North Carolina Board of Licensing contractors has cleared.
That means that my renewal form for my husband's business license has been renewed.
They are so picky with those forms. If you make one mistake, they send the form, check and all, right back to you.
One year I wrote the month and year, but did not put the day's date on the form and I got it right back.

At least I know my husband's building license has been renewed for another year. Now, if we would only get the building license that he was granted, from the state of Georgia.

Well, the stock market did not do well this week, so no money for the challenge. I also have not been doing much walking.
I did stop by the store last night and saved $3 using my advantage card.
Prev. total $24,423.00
today 3.00
new total $24,426.00

I guess this is one holiday that I really don't enjoy. First of all, I was born on Thanksgiving day, so it means I am another year older.
Secondly, I no longer have any family, so it is just the two of us together on thanksgiving day and I don't like to cook. There are restaurants open here for lunch, but that is all.
so, most of the time, my dh goes to work.

I made my first car payment today. The nice thing is that I did not have to fit this into my budget. I am now using my Ridge money to make my car payment. Plus, I will still have some of the ridge money left over to put into the challenge.
Actually, I have enough money in my car fund to pay the car off, but I think most of us understand about my car crazy husband. He won't buy another car until this one is paid off, so that is why I make the payments for a while.

I went out the get the mail and noticed the new neighbor cleaning up his car outside. He is dressed in a short sleeve shirt and shorts.
I am sitting inside in long pants, socks, a shirt and two sweaters on.
He has obviously lived someone much colder than this.
On the good side, I only spent $1 today to buy some oyster crackers!!

We got our first hard freeze last night. It sure feels like winter already. I really don't like the fact that it gets dark so early in the evening, but there is nothing I can do about it.
I picked up a few things at bi lo yesterday and saved $2 using my store card, so i will add that to the challenge money.
Prev. total $24,421.00
today 2.00
new total $24,423.00

Even when I don't have a car loan, I pay into a car account. I started this back in the 80's when I bought a bronco. When I got it paid off, I just kept making that car payment every month.After several years of this, I had enough money to get a new car and I never miss the money.
So, I have been doing this for over 20 years!!

I took my new car to the dealership today, because it would not lock when I pushed the button.
The service guy explained to me, that the car would only lock when I walked 100 feet away and then it would unlock by itself when I got close to it. It can sense me coming!!
How weird is this??????????

My dh hates to do small piddly jobs for past customers but he sometimes does. I always take any checks he gets from these jobs and save them.
He did a plumbing job for a guy plus hung some screen doors. I just received a check for $138 to add to my challenge money.
Prev. total $24,283.00
today 138.00
new total $24,421.00

I just got back from the food bank or food pantry as they call it. There was an article in the paper that said the shelves are empty.
so, I went thru my pantry and cleaned it out. Then, everytime, I would go shopping, I would pick up rice, beans, mac and cheese, etc.
I had a big bag full to take in today and I think I will start doing that every week!

Bad credit is the most immediate threat to the economy, according to a survey of 248 member of the National Assoc. of Business Economics.
32 percent said loan defaults and excessive debt were their greatest concern.
Only 20 percent cited defense and terriorism as their greatest economic cern, and bad credit problems were also more worrisome than gas prices, inflation and government spending.
(from MSNBC.com)

I just got back from grocery shopping. I did not buy the regular type roast I usually buy, instead I bought a roast on sale. I am cooking it in my crock pot, so I hope it will be tender!
I managed to save $9 with the roast on sale, coupons and my advantage card, so I am adding that to my challenge.
However, I did pick up some groceries for the local food pantry. There was an article about it in this weeks paper and it said the food pantry was very low on food.
I picked up soup, mac and cheese, baked beans, spagetti,stove top stuffing, canned vegetables, etc.
I think I will start making this a regular thing I do.
Prev. total $24,274.00
today 9.00
new total $24,283.00

It was chilly when I got up this morning. A cool 28 degrees with frost on the ground. Even tho it is only fall, it feels like winter is here. My husband is working on railings on one house. The other house is just having the concrete floor poured tomorrow, so looks like he will be outside on that house for the entire winter.
It seems to always work out that way, I am sorry to say.

I hope everyone remembers to change their clocks back an hour today. I have all of ours changed except the one in the new car. I haven't tried that yet. I read the directions but still have not figured it out. I wish it was simple like in the red corvette.
Maybe I will just let dh worry about it.

I opened a money market checking with Vanguard. I noticed that they are still paying 4.9% so I am happy about that. Yesterday, the stock market went up, I climbed 20 flights of stairs and I saved $3 using my advantage card. That is $5 more to add to the challenge.
Prev. total $24,269.00
today 5.00
new total $24,274.00