My DH should be wrapped in bubble wrap. He is constantly hurting himself. This morning, he cut the cornea of his eye with a newspaper! Yes, with a newspaper! This was at 6:45 this morning. So we were going to go to the Hospital because he was in extreme pain. I called my best friend who also talks sense into me and makes me calm down and realize better plans. She got ahold of the eye doctor(who has a cell phone number on their recorder...gotta love country doctors!) and she met us at the office. They washed his eye out, found 2 big scrathes right in the middle of his eye, put some antibiotic drops in and patched his eye. All of this for only $65! Deal! And that covers if he has to go back!

So today will be a quiet day, working from home, taking care of the injured!

My son passed his driver course last night so he is scheduled to take the driving test on Friday. I was okay because it never really seemed to happen. But it has happened. He will be driving. YIKES! I don't know how I will handle this. I know he will be fine but I am just scared to death!

Because he will get his license, his insurance will be due on Friday as well. He has most of it left from the car payment loan, but he is a little short so I will have to make up the difference.

But there is no soccer games that I have to drive to this week so I will be saving that gas. And next week the only potentional games are at home. I think most of the traveling is done! HIP HIP HOORAY!

I also discovered that my daughter has a talent show on the 27th. My DH and I have tickets to a comedy show that night, non refundable. I am in a quandry. She is performing it for the school during the day so maybe I can go to that performance and still be able to go to the show. UGGHHH! Couldn't they have let us know further ahead of time the date for the talent show? Some of us have lives you know!

Well, done ranting. Very grouchy today for some reason. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

I looked online today and the power bill is there. It is $146. I budgeted $200. So that leaves about $54 that I will transfer into the household account.

My DH called me today. He stopped at a local supply store for a new deadbolt and came out with a set of french doors. He got them for $50!! They were in the "scratch and dent" section. But that will lead to getting that project done sooner! I might have a small back porch before summer! And quite cheaply too.

My boss came in with a new computer this morning, so I am trying to get everything moved over. Quite time consuming! But worth it in the long run!

Got home from Athens cheer competition today. We had a great time! And the Gym Dawgs were awesome!

I had budgeted $300 for the weekend. Below is the breakdown:

Hotel $138
Gas $25
Admission $40
Food $164.01(WOW!!!!)
Shirt $20

Total $380(WOW!!)

I had budgeted $300 for the weekend. I grossly underestimated the cost of eating out! We had breakfast at the hotel this morning...could have gotten it cheaper if we had gone out to McDonalds or something, but it was convenient(that is how they get you!). Fortunately, this is the only competition that requires an overnight stay this year.

I do have a thumbs up for the weekend. The competition had all the usual things for sale. But in addition, they had a HUGE table of purses. They were oh so cute! Had matching wallets too! But I resisted! I kept going back and looking at the one I wanted. But in the end, I remembered about our vacation and didn't purchase the purse! That was a huge thing for me!!! Another "I'm so proud of me" moment!

I transferred $10 more into my vacation fund. I had budgeted $30 for haircuts and it was only $25. I also got my first check for completing surveys. Every little bit helps!

It is right! that is the amount of money in my various savings accounts! I am just in awe. Of course, $300 of that is in the vacation fund, so it will be coming back out. And eventually, I will have to transfer most of it into my checking account(have one large bill to pay). But WOW! I can't beleive that I have managed to save that much! I have never in my life had that much money saved. And none of it came from my tax refund! This is all money that I truly saved...little by little!

I am so proud of me!

Today is payday! Not much to do since I set everything up in bill pay ahead of time. I had some OT so that went into the vacation fund. I had $58 left of my gas budget, so that went into the new car account. Need to really focus on that after the vacation. My car wouldn't start at the soccer game last night! 2 hours away from home and my car wouldn't start! It was able to be jumped, but I fear that it might be nearing retirement. It is a great car! (200000+ miles and never had any major problems!) Don't need anything from the grocery store so I should be able to keep expenses the next couple of weeks to a minimum.

My DH has really gotten on board with the saving thing. He has been giving me one of his checks each week. Some has gone into the vacation fund, and some has gone toward keeping the other items current.

Heading to Athens tomorrow for a cheer competition. It is an all day thing. Then we have tickets to watch the gym-dawgs compete. I have budgeted $300 for the entire trip, including hotel. We should be able to easily do that. Thought about cancelling the hotel, but it is supposed tobe raining and I am very uncomfortable driving in the rain after dark, especially for 2 1/2 hours! So I don't mind spending that.

My best friend received her tax refund and
another really large unexpected payment. She wants to take a me on a girls weekend. We looked at different places online last night. Thought about Grove Park Inn, but man...that place is EXPENSIVE! So I looked around some more last night. However, it was bothering me that she would be paying for me to go. Not that she would ever hold that against me in the future or anything. But it bothers me. The old me would have jumped at the opportunity, because that was how I lived. But the new me doesn't feel comfortable with this. So this morning I told her that I really wanted to do a girls weekend, but if she wanted me to go, we would have to wait until I could pay my share, which will probably be in the fall. She tried to convince me to go anyway,, but I stood firm. Am I crazy? Turning down a free weekend?

A little history: She has MS and hasn't been able to work for almost 2 years now. They struggle to do the "extra" things. Their cell phones have been cut off because they couldn't pay the bill. This is probably going to be a turning point for them but I still don't feel comfortable letting her do this.

Also,, the old me would have jumped on it! I would mention to my sister what I wanted and it would show up within a week! I am trying very hard to get the things I want on my own now. I think that would just throw me back into that life again.

I feel good about the decision I made. I think it shows that I am making progess on the new me.

I bought an AC unit today. I think I got a good deal. It was 119 and I got them down to 199. Very pleased with myself. I think in the long run this is going to keep the main unit from working so hard. Currently we are not able to turn the stove on in the summer without it getting in the 80's in the house and the main unit running continuously! So this should help with that.

Well,not really. But I have resorted to "stealing" the change out of my husband's pockets each night. He uses cash for everything, so he ends up with a pocket full of change each night. I just scoop it up and put it in the bucket. I contribute to the bucket as well, just not as frequently. However, I conribute more when I contribute. I hardly ever use cash...but when I have to get cash from the bank for something, I usually have dollar bills left. I put those in the bucket each time I have them. So it probably evens out.

It was 79 degrees yesterday. My air conditioner isn't working. The pipes under the house have a tendency to fall, but not sure that is the problem. I am going to go to sears today to look for a window unit. I hate them because they are so noisy! But it beats spending on a new AC unit right now!

Well, I just checked my power bill online and I have a 0 balance. I wish they would post the new balance so I can go ahead and put the actual amount in my budget! Isn't that crazy? Now that I have everything paid on time, I want to know sooner how much I owe!

Rebooked the hotel for Jekyll Island. When I went online today, they are running a special for 4 nights...30 less/night! So I rebooked it for the 4 nights and it only cost us $25 extra! That way we can have 3 full days at the beach! Sounds like a plan to me! I am so excited about this! I hope that we will be able to save the money. I think we will, but it will be tight.

My son woke up this morning feeling really bad. His throat is killing him. So I took him to doctor and got him some more antibiotics. I say more because this is probably the third time he has been for his throat. Problem is that he never finishes the antibiotic and so it keeps recurring. But he has other things this time as well. Just hope I don't catch it!

I put a roast in the crock pot this morning. Should be good for dinner.

TV is still in the middle of the living room. I had a brilliant idea while at the doctor. I am going to call one of those places that pick up stuff. Don't know why I hadn't thought of it sooner!

Right now finances look ok. Rain is forecast for the rest of week, so my DH might end up not working. That would be bad for our vacation! Starting to get excited about it. Trying to figure out things to do.

I got the dining area cleaned up, the living room cleaned up and the Kitchen cleaned up! YEA! I feel better about being here now! I did list the TV on Freecycle and have not heard anything. I will take it to good will as soon as my husband can load it in the car!(he damaged his hand today.)

Speaking of DH, he is driving me crazy! He did a search on mapquest for the hotel we are staying in at Jekyll Island and it didn't show that it was on the beach. However, I pulled up pictures of the hotel website and you can see the beach! But he kept calling me over to show me where the directions were taking him! I tried to tell him that those mapquests are not always accurate, but it was driving me crazy!!!

I listed some items on ebay today. Hopefully they will sell and add to my ebay fund.

I told my parents about the vacation.It went something like this"

Dad:"Why Jekyll Island, do you know someone there to stay with?"

Me: No...I have never been there.

Mom: Are you camping?

Me: No, I found a good deal on a hotel on the beach.

Mom: Oh.

Silence.

Mom: Well, you will have fun.

And that was the end of it!

Today was a NSD. helps when you don't leave the house.

After I wrote this, I realized that I am rambling...sorry. Just had alot to say!!!

I had a postage due notice left in my PO box last week. I thought it might hav been from the ebay stuff. I went to the PO today and it wasn't for me! YEA!

I also went to the grocery store today. I only "NEEDED" a couple of things, but I found more to buy. Walked out $190 poorer. But I don't feel too bad because I haven't done a big shopping trip in a long time.

I made another sale on half.com. Will mail that on Monday.

My boss got me a new laptop yesterday. The old one is on its last legs. So I have been spending the last couple of hours trying to transfer stuff over. Should make for a fun afternoon.

I also have so much to do around here. I am feeling very overwhelmed. Don't even know where to start. I have to get rid of this tv...no one has contacted me about it so i guess it is going to goodwill monday. Trying to get it loaded in my car will probably prove to be a challenge. I have another tv that I have been trying to get loaded for about 5 months now!!! But this one is sitting in the middle of the floor and it is annoying!

My goal for the day is to get the laundry that is on the chair folded and get the dining room back in order. I will then get the kitchen cleaned up after dinner. I don't even want to look at the bedroom and my bathroom!

Got a letter from one of my credit cards. The one that I made so many extra payments to last month. They said that since I have been making the payments, that have removed the past due classification from my account. It is still over the limit, but at least it isn't considered past due any longer. That is a relief.

Well, done rambling. will try to keep it brief next time!

I always feel like when I do something financially that I should feel guilty about it where my parents are concerned. They aren't struggling by any means, but live like they are. And they have helped me out more times than I care to mention...never expecting it back. But I have finally grown up. I have a savings account. I have the beginnings of an emergency fund. It's about time!!

So I have booked this vacation to jekyll island for April. I am oh-so-excited! it is the first vacation that we have taken as a family. I am just thrilled that I can now do this for them! But i dread telling my parents about it. My dad will be like "how can you afford that?" my mom will just get all quiet...and be like "oh..do you really think that is smart?". Maybe it isn't, but I am more financially secure than I have ever been in my life. None of the other monthly expenses are going to be "put off" for us to go on this trip, or we won't be going.

Shouldn't I feel excited to share this kind of thing with my parents? i still feel like the kid who can't really talk to her parents.

I received a deposit of 38.19 from half.com today. transferred it to the vacation fund.

I almost made it! At 6:00 I was having a NSD. But then....

My DH elected to pick son up from soccer and do dinner instead of taking daughter to cheerleading. Ok...that usually works pretty good. However, he also had some work to do on his car. Now I know my DH pretty well...and one thing always leads to another. Usually when he says that, we come home at 8:45 from cheerleading and dinner hasn't even been started or has another 30 minutes to cook(always feels he has to do elaborate things!) So in order to save aggrevation and mad feelings, I picked up dinner on the way home. If I had pushed the issue, he would have had his feelings hurt because he is honestly trying.. Sometimes it is just worth it. I know my DH and love him dearly, his ADD is just something I have learned to deal with.

Good news? I transferred the same amount that was spent on food to the vacation fund! And I think he is starting to come around witht he budgeting thing. He actually knew that we shouldn't be spending the money to eat out, as we have been spending alot lately. that is a start! He also asked about the state of our(my) finances. Wanted to make sure we had enough to cover the propane and what he needed to do to make sure we had enough for vacation! Unfortunately, I wasn't in front of my account so I couldn't speak intelligently about it. Will bring that up again later!

Okay...so I have been struggling with eating out. I dont usually eat lunch, but lately I have found a reason to. Today I was going to go to Arbys and get a wrap. they were out of wraps!!! I am a picky individual in that if they don't have what I want, I just don't get anything at all. So I drove away empty handed. I guess the decision was taken out of my hands! Isn't that funny how that happens!

I resisted the urge to stop to get something to eat this morning..even to go to Ingles to update my breakfast collection. I grabbed the cream cheese from home this morning so there was no need to stop.

However, I realized that I didn't have a lighter this morning. I usually smoke 1 cigarette on the way to work in the morning. I could have used this as an excuse to stop by the gas station and since I don't have any cash, I would have had to come up with $5 worth of purchase(most gas sstations have started that minimum for debit/credit cards). But I didn't do it! So I am at work, with no lighter(healthier anyway!) eating my bagel.

Got some good news on the propane issue...it is only $278. I usually only order the minimum and in december it was $451. When I asked why she said that the minimum amount increases during winter. It was 165 gallons then and only 100 gallons now. That will get us through probably until next winter! Really need to look into buying a tank so we can have whoever is cheapest deliver. but that is really a hassle. They want alot of money to remove the old tank!

MY DH gave me some money toward the propane, but since I was already expecting money from him, I will still have to transfer some out of savings.

Got a hospital bill last night for a surgery I had 2 years ago!!! I knew that they had never billed me and that eventually they would catch it. $950. will have to set it up on monthly payments. So glad I had insurance because w/o insurance, it was over $4000! but since they have a negotiated rate with the insurance company, it is only $950. WOW! Tell me there isn't a huge mark up on medical care!

Yep...I hit a wall. I hadn't thought about our propane tank. I knew it was coming up because it is usually November and March when we have to get a fill up. But since we have been using the fireplace, i didn't think we had used that much propane. Apparentley we have! It is at 15%!!!! Glad I looked tonight! Will have to call tomorrow and schedule a fill up asap! But the brick wall part is because I hadn't saved enough in the household maintennce account to cover it! I had to transfer all out of my EF, new car fund and household maintenance account! And I am still runnning short! Brick wall. Poor planning! I failed to plan for this LARGE expense! UGGGHHHHH!!!

Yes that is right...but let me explain. I have been unable to fight the temptation to eat out lately. So I have decided that when I do eat out, if it is completely avoidable, I am going to transfer the same amount into my savings. I transferred 7.78 for my lunch and 3.43 for my breakfast. I haven't decided if I will put this in the EF or the vacation fund. Probably the vacation fund since that is what I am supposed to be saving the most for right now!

yup...they finally came and picked it up last night. $50 added to my ebay total(actually is it was craigslist, but they all go toward the total!) I put the $50 into the household maintenance account. I wanted to put it into the vacation fund, but until we get the washer straightened out, I thought it should go there. I can always move it later if this part we ordered fixes the washer.

My child support payment was $9 more than I estimated so I transferred that to the vacation fund. New total is various savings accounts...$743!!! I am in awe!

We got the order forms for the class rings for my son. Have to order then on Friday with a $65 deposit. I will take that money out of his savings account. I hate to do that(seems now that there is money in ssavings, I hate to take it out, even for its intended use!) I then have to make payments on it, but thanks to my new financial mindset, I am not stressing or calling my sisters to help! I've got it covered! What a feeling!

On another note, I can't seem to shake the eating out bug. I left my cream cheese at home this morning, so i stopped for breakfast. It was late when we got home from thhe soccer game the other night, so i stopped at subway. I have just got to get myself back into the proper mindset to not do that! Yesterday I was wanting Subway for lunch. I don't usually eat lunch but yesterday, I could almost taste it! But fortunately, I had left my wallet at home and had no easy access to money...it wasn't worth going to the local bank(that we rarely use but still have an account with) and going into the bank(since I dont have any checks) and cashing a check. So i went home and we had grilled cheese and tomato soup. More cans off the shelf! Any ideas? My willpower just sucks right now!

Another sale on half.com!! I am just in awe! I listed a bunch of books on Sunday and I can't believe how fast they are going. I know I am not making much, but slow money spends the same as fast money!

Looks like I am going to have to drive 2 hours for the soccer game tonight...left my wallet at home so hopefully my DH will bring me some cash. Trying to talk my sons best friend into going with me...at least it gives me someone to talk to! DH said that he would go but that was before the person buying the fridge wanted to come tonight instead of last night! UGHHH!! The only upside is that there is a Chik-Fil-A there! Seem to be addicted lately...good thing there isn't one near me!

I changed my car insurance. I still had full coverage even though my car was paid off. I adjusted it to liability and comp only...a savings of $60/month. I have already set up a transfer for that $60 to go into the new car fund. Can't wait to see that start growing!

Another half.com sale! Yea! This month has started off great! Still waiting on my money from the end of last month. It says it is pending....anyone know what I should expect? This is the first payment from them.

I don't think that I have anything listed on ebay, so I must get that done in the next couple of days. The ebay table is overflowing! There was a minor avalanche yesterday when the cat jumped from the top of the old refrigerator(that the person didn't come pick up UGGG!) to the ebay table....all is well though.

Picked up my laundry from my mom yesterday...all washed and folded. I know she doesn't mind, but I really want my washer back! Something about being 36 years old and having my mom wash my undies bothers me! We ordered a part last night and hopefully DH can fix it since we are not having any luck finding a used one and I hate to spend the money on a new one! I think that it is really shocking my mom that I haven't asked her for the money to buy one yet...That is the old me.

Might have to drive 2 hours for a soccer game tonight...will know later. I am hoping not. Had to drive an hour last night at the last minute! i couldn't feel my feet by the time it was over! I was the one with the ugliest knit blanket thrown over my head!(fortunatly I found it in the car!)

Well...I booked our vacation. First one ever(except for the one my sister paid for) and then I realized that I only have a little over a month to save for it! YIKES!! I know I can do it, but I am already stretching this month. So every bit of extra will have to go into the vacation fund instead of anything else! I can do this...

But I am not panicked. I have checked craigslist and have found several for under $100. Might have to drive a little ways...but can't beat it. Will also look around to see if a new one might be reasonable. The best part? I HAVE THE MONEY TO TAKE CARE OF IT!!! I am so excited! No need to panic. A few months ago, I would have called my mom all in a panic because I didn't know what I would do! But not this time! YEA!!!!

I also booked a small vacation last night...well the hotel anyway. We have never taken a vacation as a family other than Disney that my sister paid for. So I booked a hotel for Jekyll Island for 4 days. Not very long, but doable. I can't wait! Already have some money saved toward the vacation, will continue to stash money into that account.

So my Sunday will be spent looking for a new washer...but that is okay.

I know it is horrible to be happy that a soccer game was cancelled, but I am happy that it was cancelled. We don't have to drive 2 1/2 hours! He does have a home game now, but that is okay!!! I get to save the money I had budgeted for the game! So now I won't have to transfer as much as out of savings next week. I woud love to transfer it into my savings, but I know that I will need it next week.

YEA!!!

That is how much I have in my various savings accounts! I have never ever had that much money "sitting around". I know I blogged about that yesterday, but some was added today and I am just tickled to death!

I added $9 to my vacation fund. I had alloted $30 for Girl Scout cookies,not remembering how much I had ordered. They are only $21 so I transferred the difference into the Vacation Fund. That has been the biggest thing for me...putting anything over what I allow into savings...it is already taken out of myy account, so why not?

I might need to take some out of savings if my DH doesn't give me any money today. But I can make it back up when he does.

It is storming today...hopefully they will canceel the soccer game tomorrow. Isn't that terrible? But I really don't want to drive the 2 1/2 hour drive to sit all day!

I also paid all of the utilities today as well as the credit card payments. Every utility is on time! I made a payment on every credit card, and extra on one! I am on a roll...look out!

I do have one UGHH! My DH picked my son up from practice yesterday and went to Burger King. I have nothing against them going to burger king, but that meant that I would have to feed my daughter then. I hate to wait until we get home at 9:00 from cheerleading before I even start something, so fast food it was again! If he hadn't gone to BK, he would have made dinner and it would have been ready when we got home. UGGGG!!!! Another eating out that I wasn't planning on!

I have never had $500 in savings! I do now! I have it spead out in various accounts, but it is over $500! I am so proud of myself! I used to get really mad at people who said they were broke, but they werent really. You know the ones who had money in savings or had access to other money. Because I really was broke! Like counting pennies to make the mortgage payment or calculating excatly when they would cut the power off. But now I get it! The choices I made were what was causing me to be so broke! granted there are some people who just don't make enough money, but I do. And now I am managing it better and I feel great about it!

Thanks to all of you guys for supporting me and being there with advice and wisdom. It has really made a difference to me!

Not much to report here. Yesterday, my DH asked me to stop and get him Cigarettes so I went ahead and filled up my car while I was there. I will not need gas again before Saturday so that left $18.65 in my gas allowance for the two weeks. I transferred that to my Emergency Fund. I was worried that I wasn't going to have enough in my gas allowance, but it all worked out.

My son has two soccer games Saturday...about 2 1/2 hours from home! It is a tournament of some sort. Fortunately the first game isn't until 1:00 so we don't have to leave too early! But I had to allow extra food allowance(since we will be gone all day) and gas allowance for the day.

Tomorrow is pay day and I have all of my utilities and payments set up in bill pay already. I am so excited! Everything will be paid on time!

I have two items endingon ebay today. Doubt they will sell..this is the second time I have listed them. Will probably donate them next week. Still have the TV listed. If it doesn't sell, it will be donated as well...sick of it in the middle of the floor! DH doesn't want to just "give it away" but we don't have room to store it!