Another NSD ... that is 3 for this week alone.

I skipped the weekly proposed trip to Sam's Club and spent $65 at the two grocery stores I usually frequent. I took advantage of Superbowl Sales and we are still using up the stash of the last Sam's Club runs. There is a reception at school on Sunday for one of our teacher's who has taught for 40 years. It is so nice to have cake mix on hand (albeit lemon) and frosting, plus brownie mix so I can contribute to the dessert spread. I am also going to make up meatloaf muffins and chili. It will be a productive day, despite being housebound.

It is a busy weekend ahead, with DH and I having to divide and conquer the offspring tomorrow to get the kids where they need to go: a dance competition and basketball game and school fun fair. My 4 year old has his heart set on getting a goldfish. We are also planning to eat out at Steak and Shake where kids eat free on Saturdays. I have some coupons as well and built it into the budget. By sticking to the budgeted amounts, I will actually have about $7.00 left in the checking account after this 2 week spending period.

Still waiting on rent from the tenant. What irks me is DH has left several messages and she is hiding. Hard as it may be, lawyer-brother may have to deliver a 5-Day. I have moved away from the emotional end of it and it's now all business or nothing.

I did receive a $8.50 rebate check yesterday in the mail, and I have a $26 balance in an old checking account that I have to get closed. Wa-hoo! Its like "found money". And I redeemed some points from the debit/credit card so I have $35 Target gift cards as well. See how long I can make it last and not spend!

This bitter cold January day was not a complete waste. I was alone for two-1/2 blissful hours when the small one was away at the "Y".

What did I accomplish?

Well, I watched BBC's version of "The Other Boleyn Girl" which was fairly entertaining, but not completely engrossing.

With that said, I finished the taxes up, e-filed, and am expecting $4,191 back. Not bad - fairly consistent with the returns over the past few years.

The state return yielded an $841.50 refund as well.

Wa-hoo! Done. Anxiously awaiting the refunds (will they really be here in an estimated 8 to 13 days?)

Not a completely useless frozen day.

even my dog doesn't want to go out to do her business.

UGH! I put the heat up to 71 and it is still freezing! My next house will not have vaulted ceilings or big wide hallways!

UGH! UGH! UGH!

All I can say is: stay warm.

More frigid single-digit temps in the Midwest. More snow supposed to coming our way, albeit "little".

January is always the longest month for me, as is probably for a lot of people. But this time it seems to be dragging particularly slowly.

We've turned into TV junkies. Not exactly TV, but DVDs from the library. In the past two weeks we've watched "Freaky Friday" (original), "A Bug's Life", "Chicken Run", etc. etc. etc.

Yesterday we turned off the tube and had the kids take turns reading outloud.

At least in this cold, I am not going on frittering away monetary funds.

The economy and employment is gettng so depressed. Plus our governor going on the TV circuit is a joke. The mayor of Chicago is a real idiot saying that our governor is "cuckoo", yes that's right high pitched falsetto "Cuckoo".

Not only am I cold, worried about money, wondering about the future of DH's employment, AND I live in the state of Illinois which is now the BUTT OF THE COUNTRY.

That's what DH said to me on Friday night when we were at the Opening Night of an art exhibit where our photographer friend submitted a picture of DD11. It was a candid shot taken at school during a science experiment. My girl's expression is priceless as she sees an object hovering over a magnetic surface. Anyhow, the friend submitted two pictures, this one was accepted and it was then judged along with 120 other pictures. There were eight ribbons given - 1st thru 4th, then 4 Honorable Mentions.

DD's photo got an Honorable Mention (there were only five pictures out of the 120 that had people in them). The judge of the picture recognized my daughter and told her that her expression alone merited the award. In his discussion with the exhibit visitors when he explained why he selected his winning choices he said, "There are two types of photos: scenery and table top art. This is a snapshot. Looking past the lighting issues, one cannot not feel the emotion of the subject that was captured in this shot. That is why it was selectd." He then brought my daughter up in front of the crowd and introduced her as the model. She is usually a very shy girl (despited being able to dance on stage in front of hundreds of people) but was gracious and smiled.

The photographer friend didn't consider her work a "snapshot" and was a little taken aback. She then said to me, "I consider it a photographic essay."

Anyhow, whatever it is considered, it won. And its for sale with a $200 price tag. I had to tell DH that it isn't really in our price range right now (as I am watching every dollar). I will ask our friend to print out an 8 x 10 in black and white, sign it, and then I'll frame it with stock items (frame/mat) from Michaels.

I told my father about the event; he actually called to see how it went (unlike his usual self-absorbed self). He has some computer work for DH to do and I wouldn't be surprised if he pays him $200.

Last week I posted on the difficult situation ("no win") that I have found myself in regarding my reltionship with my best friend (term used loosely). I didn't have to avoid her because she didn't call me. This is fine, since I wasn't in the mood to deal with her.

She called yesterday to moan about things. I spent under two minutes outlining that I had to get dinner done, homework checked, etc.

She: Well, call me later. I gottt talk to you.

Me: Gosh, it's a busy night. And tomorrow we've been invited to an Opening at an art gallery where *DD11*'s picture is. [The photographer friend] submitted it to a juried panel and it was accepted. I'll talk you on Saturday.

She: I really need to talk to you, so I'll call you tomorrow.

First off, can't she take no for an answer? Secondly, could she not be so-self-absorded to at least comment on DD11's picture in a gallery? (That's exciting news here at my house) Two weeks ago she wanted lawyer-brother's work number because she was subpoena-ed by her HOA for something.

I am not answering the phone today. I don't have the emotional oomph to deal with her today. And boundaries ... what good are they if they don't keep the weeds out of the garden of my life?

Sorry to vent - I guess this is monetarily related in that her issue is most likely stemming from lack of money or lack of funds to a retain a lawyer. And the one thing I know is you cannot ignore a sudpeona!

This is what I am wondering. DH's contribution is 5% of his annual salary into the Vanguard Target 2030 fund.

Last week his employer announced that as of March 15, 2009 they will suspend matching contributions. He has $1,000 in their portion and won't be vested for another year and a half.

Not sure what to do. What would you do?

After taking a big hit, our retirement funds stand at about $60K. DH is 40. This is all we have allotted for retirement but plan on having a paid off home in a few years (selling our rental property when things in our area's real estate property values are on an upswing).

DH survived the RIF (reduction in force) of 46 people from finance/accounting in his company. This happened yesterday, and he joked that he hid under his desk for the HR people/escorts couldn't find him. He thinks he is safe until end of second quarter.

I have posted regularly about my anxiety at such an event. My anxiety is not unique - obviously. It has just been worse because I stupidly watched CNN and heard about more layoffs and market downturns, etc. And my mother said to me this AM, "What would *DH* do if he lost his job? Does he have a plan?" (I need to keep it to PBS and talking to my mother about the weather.)

Anyhow, one big budget line I have factored for is insurance - the last COBRA insurance premium was $1,086 for our large family. I figured that would go up. I did call our State Farm Insurance guy to get a quote for health insurance.

A $2 million maximum policy with a $2,500 deductible (per family, not person) and 100% coverage after that maximum is met is $335.15 per month. It would cover all of us. I am much more relieved at this prospect of insurance, and they can provide full coverage within a day.

My unemployment budget plan is feeling better.

In my case, I ended up with an Excel spreadsheet (color-coded, might I add) to track my experiment with weekly shopping at Sam's Club and weaning out runs to the grocery store for solitary, but necessary items). [I should add that I don't have data from previous to implementing this system for comparison purposes.]

I have one school-aged home sick today (though she's well enough to fight with me about not staying in bed being "bored" reading and wanting to play her keyboard). I also have one under the bed protesting his weekly stint at the "Y"s version of one-day preschool. My clothes are hanging (no dryer) and the dishwasher is running. I'll be cooking when things thaw. Oh, how can I be bored? My house is fairly clean and organized. [Afterthought: Maybe I am just tired from lack of sleep and worn down by whiny kids ... and I am rebelling against parenting/housewifing]

So I hoped to try my hand at micro-managing my grocery system. I must admit I had fun color-coding my categories. I do have a list of what to buy at this upcoming Friday's trip, and I even have an inkling what it will cost.

How is this money related? Well ... I think that since I have a spending plan/budget/money pots in place for the month, I have the need for tidying up other money spending areas.

out of the mouth of my three year old.

"Yay Barama" was what he said during the Inaugural coverage.

I think Mr. Obama's heart is in the right place. I think his world views and experiences will bring a new pulse to our country's veins.

I wasn't that passionate about the election, figuring that either candidate would be better than W.

Now that Mr. Obama is in, my family says "Yay, Barama!"

It was that damn 30% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket at a $0 balance on the credit card that led me there.

(PRE DISCOUNT)

New wool coat for DH $75.99
New wool coat for me $80
New NIKE winter coat for DS3 $36
New NIKE winter coat for DS4 $36
Bissell ProDry floor carpet cleaner $175
Cuisinart waffle maker $68

Then 30% off of those, plus 8% tax

YIKES! It does add up quickly, but we were in need of new winter coats. Our present carpet cleaner is on its last wheels/roll/brushes whatever and with light beige carpets and kids/dogs it was needed. And the waffle maker was a total WANT - but I did need one that makes four waffles at a time, versus the one Belgian waffle I previously had.

As soon as my tenant pays her rent (which was due on the 15th, but we didn't really expect her to pay it on time because she just paid last month's rent two weeks ago), I will have to get rid of that sucker.

I have come to the conclusion that I will need to spend money for our upkeep -I was delusional that I didn't need to spend money - it was nice to go to one store and get what we needed, rather than going from one kids' consignment store to another. And it was kind of cute to see the boys pick out their own preferences. My outlook is really getting a dose of reality. And I have found without extraneous shopping, the funds are there to be spent when desired (wanted) or necessitated (needed).

At least I can say that my outlook is re-aligning with reality. That is a good thing.

monetarily speaking, that is. DD11 is going to a slumber party tonight for twins. We needed two gifts, and yesterday headed to Michael's with 2 40% off coupons. Lo and behold, they no longer honor the coupons on books (these were a Harry Potter craft book and an American Girl craft book). The coupons probably would have saved me $8 total. I didn't have the time or energy to go someplace else and had all five out, so I paid the $40.

My cupboards were sufficiently bare enough to warrant a trip to Sam's Club. My mom stayed with the kids and I went with my stepdad (my parents are members). I spent $233 on 33 items: nothing fun like wii games or clothing clearance items or books. Just basic groceries. I really feel that in that 1-1/2 hours from start to finish (travel time, putting all items away) was well worth it. I made the more expensive better food choices for snacks: low fat animal crackers, big bag of veggie chips, blueberries, apples, string cheese, etc. The cereal choices are boring: multigrain cheerios or raisin bran. I found their vitamins to be SO reasonable (250 for $8.77), and Jergens lotion (2 large, one medium, one small) for $9.88. I got a month's worth of dog food and treats for $24. I had to stock up on canned veggies (the only kind the little kids will eat) and bought 4# of both chicken tenders and stew meat.

I think that I am swearing off coupons and sale ads and flyers. It makes me tired to realize how many trips I make in the name of "economizing". I might be a candidate for the weekly shopping trips to Sam's Club, getting on a rotation for meal planning. This might be the ideal solution for me. The only problem is I don't have a Sam's Club membership, so I'll have to shop with one parent or the other. But that is fine. They don't mind putting my purchase on their credit card and then I make the check out to their credit card company.

I didn't post about it, but on 12/27 a car drove through our fence in the back of our house. I had three estimates for repairs, which were $450, $550, and $800. That insurance company sent out their appraiser/adjuster who filed their report. Yesterday in the mail I got a replacement check for $627.84 which I am very happy with. DH propped up the fence panel which was driven thru for privacy (there is an apartment building on the other side). In the spring we'll go with the $450 people who were just as knowledgeable as the expensive ones. I might count the overage toward a new computer or vacation. Not sure yet, but pleased with the outcome of the accident.

All for now. Hope you're all enjoying warmer weather.

Ah, yes ... we weren't called this AM that there school was cancelled. Got the three up and fed and out the door. Then my mom calls and says, "Isn't it great that there is no school?"

I, thinking its a joke, said, "Yep, got them out to the door to head to the school that is closed!"

My mother, "It is on the news that there is no school for the whole district."

I double check with the school and I didn't get the call, or any call (mind you, I've got them in 1st, 4th, and 5th grade). I had a little chat with the principal who apologized profusely and then had to go stand outside to watch for my DH who was going to drop the kids off and then head to work.

So, here they all are, ready for school - dressed with nowhere to go. The phone is already ringing for alterate plans for the day. We've got one going to see "Bedtime Stories" and I need to get to the store so I can feed them something other than: (1) 18 fish sticks, (2) one box potatoes au gratin, (3) six clementines, (4) one can French Onion soup. The cupboards are somewhat bare!

My stepdad is home today too, so I am contemplating heading to Sam's Club for milk/produce/dog food/etc.

Though it is -19 below. This is without the windchill. I think that we will be staying in today and eating the mashed potatoes and clementines.

Stay warm, folks!

I found my backbone prior to the holidays. I set some boundaries (set times for people to come - closed the "open door" visiting policy; said "no" to liquor of any sort) with the family/inlaws and am enjoying a more peaceful existence for my family.

I am, however, having a difficult time with my best friend who is in a passive-aggressive phase right now. She's harping on money (her lack thereof). I can't seem to win no matter what strategy I employ.

If I use the "Well, this is what I would do if I were you ..." approach - I get the "You have a husband, you have a family that won't let you go homeless, etc."

If I use the "Well, what do you think you should do?" approach, I get the, "I don't know, I am asking you what YOU would do."

If I use the "Are you sure you should be spending your money on that?" approach, I get the "I plan on renting out my spare room, and having more income coming in in the next few months."

Our conversation today (money-related) ended on not a good note. She was woefully lamenting (we all do that now and then, but this was more or less a continual whine). I didn't have the patience for the conversation, so I said, "You know what ..."

And she jumped in with, "Would you just be quiet and listen to what I have to say?"

I think that I need to address the issue with her that I can't/won't discuss her personal finances. Not sure how to tactfully do that. She was also looking for some free legal advice, so I referred her on the the Internet rather than my lawyer brother.

She has rubbed me that wrong way in the past about balking that I wouldn't rent my house to her at discounted rent. And then she has apprently shared that with her other friends who said I wasn't really a "friend" (whether or not that actually happened, I don't know.) I don't put it past her to sneak things in to get her frustration across.

I am trying to find peace in my personal relationships with everyone. Boundaries have been an issue, and it is funny that the people that I expected to have difficulties with have been surprisingly pleasant and courteous and have spared me some drama that I am mildly aware of.

Just looking for a fresh perspective on this situation. I should add that my friend and I are immensely different - she is a few years older than I am, has never been married, has no children, and is a general live-in the moment kind of person. I have been with DH for twenty two years, have been married 19 of them, I have lots of kids, and I am a planner/worrier (not that has prevented me from fun in my life, just I am aware of aging parents, retirement, college, etc).

I already feel better since I got all this off my chest. Hmm ... do you let it go and wait for it to come up again? Do you address it? What do you do?

It is around -30 right now. Apparently it wasn't cold enough to cancel school, so I had to get up out of my warm bed for the morning round-up. DH skipped the "Y" - not that I can blame him! BRR is all I have to say. Confession: Thermostat is set at 70! Makes it not quite as chilly in here.

My mindset and spirits are up and running again. Not quite sure about the anxiety crash earlier in the week. Focusing on what we have (which is abundant) and what really matters. My DD11 read outloud last night "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliet. My DD10 has returned to loving dance - she had a bit of withdrawal after the huge barage of lessons for the Oierachtas. She is excited to be learning a new dance step. My DS6 had a great time at a Boy Scout tour of the local police station. He stated that they couldn't visit the jail because there was a "visitor" and his pinewood derby is Saturday and he's so excited to race his car. The little ones are just as cute as can be. This is what matters.

Weekly spending recap:

Groceries $176.60
(Food/Pet/Personal care/cleaning supplies)
Gas $52.24
Misc $5.00
Dining Out $87.05

From Checking/Debit $185.00
Gift Cards/Store Coupons ~$125

NSD's for week 3 (Monthly total 5)

Comments:

Still trying to reign in the household/groceries category. Still falling for coupons and stocking up on things for substantial coupons (spend $30, get $15 off).

Gas is high because DH wanted both tanks filled in the cold weather. Should be back down to $20 range for next week's posting.

Dining: Really high for people who usually don't eat out. DH spent $4.80 on a lunch out with his work friends. Had to spend $20 for the kids Friday pizza lunches at school. Our lunch out last Saturday cost $62.25, but was covered with a gift card.

One added advantage of this cold weather is no one wants to go out unless they need to. We might be having an odd assortment for breakfast tomorrow (no bread, cereal, or muffin mix left at my house). There is no milk (but we have apple and orange juice and a 2L of Iced Tea). My DD11 has a sleep over on Saturday for her twin friends (so I will need to get two gifts). That is it for the mundane.

Stay warm during this deep freeze!

Welcome to the rollercoaster of my anxiety versus security over my financial well-being. The roots of the fear are deeply-rooted and in all frankness will be something I will never completely overcome.

I am back to rational today. Don't know where my sanity returned from, but I am "normal" again today.

DH and I did discuss the additional prepayments on the mortgage. After going over things we concluded that if I continue on the present plan I can apply the 13th annual mortgage payment to only principle. It is an interesting compromise to things.

Back to prioritizing things as (1) debt rapayment, and (2) growth of the EF.

DH did ask why all the sudden the urge to pay down the mortgage. I had to confess that it was simply because of the mortgage year end statement which showed that we paid $15K to interest and onnly $4.5 to principle. DH's logic to not prepaying is we could sell the rental property which would cover the outstanding mortgage balance.

Thanks.

Why is it that when you come to a place where you think everything is fine (and it is), one small comment can change it all?

I finally have a work-able budget. I was able to have the January expenses paid by the 9th of the month and am now working on paying February bills. I put $500 additional on principle, $500 on credit card debt, $300 to retirement/education savings. I paid cash for the non-essential kid expenses of $300. I am tracking the living expenditures closely and making better decisions. I put several utilities on the budget plan. I am working smarter, not harder. I got the EF fund up to $10,250 (tho some of that is earmarked vacation). I was feeling good about the new horizon stretching before.

Then DH said the dreaded words, "I should be safe this cut. If I make it this time, I should have another at least another six months before more budget cuts." He is in Finance and knows that the company-wide dept. has 250 Finance people to be reduced by 46. He has a friend who will see the "RIF" (reduction in force) list before him and will give him a heads up if he is indeed on it.

I know in these times that no one is safe who is gainfully employed. I know that my DH is a number (salary) that is probably not as substantial as some, but at this point he certainly isn't indispensible. I know there are people who are living through unemployment and serious financial trauma.

I thought I have worked through this anxiety. I lamented and was concerned a few months ago. Here is the thing: I have a plan, I know what I will do in what order if DH is unemployed. I have an EF fund. I know severance is 2 months. I am knowledgeable on the prices of COBRA insurance.

It brings me to the point of anxiety.

I want to go back to my old ways of hoarding money and not taking care of what I know I should (debt reduction/mortgage principle reduction/etc). I really don't want to run to that place that wants to prepare for the "what if" because I logically know that I have a plan, but it is what I have always done. It is very scary to keep with the new scheme and work on February's goals of:
(1) $950 to credit card debt
(2) $500 to mortgage principle

At this point, I think I need to only worry about the achieveable goals for one month in advance.

Sorry for the vent/post. It is long and slightly therapeutic, but at least I can go back and reread and analyze.

for the spending plan and goals for the future are in full swing.

This is stemming from a small (but large) observation that my DH made while shopping with me. We were at the store picking up a few things after our lunch out on Saturday (free because of gift cards and grandparental babysitting).

I was particularly annoyed that the cereal (Fiber One) that I "needed" to buy toward a qualifying purchase of $30 was sold out. If I spent $30 from a list of items, I got $15 off my next shopping trip. Most of the items were sugar-laden cereal (Trix, Cocoa Puffs) or prepared dinners (Hamburger Helper) or processed fruit snacks. One of my goals has been to feed my family better and avoid item like this. However, I succumbed to the $15 Off coupons.

DH said to me, "Hmm ... seems like a lot of hoops to jump thru for only $15. Maybe you should try shopping at Sam's Club and avoid this..."

I said, "This?"

DH replied, "Worrying about what items count. What items don't count. Is it all worth it?"

I am still pondering that. I usually have at least three children while I am shopping. I wouldn't have been happy if one of my "helpers" was pushing the cart up and down the aisle yelling. If I have five children with me, the older one's invariably comment on what they would "like" at some future date.

In the end I stocked up on soup and got the $15 off. Maybe I should just ditch the couponing thing and stick to Sam's Club. I realize that I won't be exclusive to Sam's given the quantities of some items may be larger than I want.

Now I am not that thrilled about couponing and even though I did go through the coupons and sale ads from yesterday, I am thinking that I might not be cut out for this. Saving money on groceries via coupons.

Here is a new trick I decided to try to institute: DH gets paid every other Friday and I wanted to move away from paycheck to paycheck living and taking away some dependence on the not-exactly-predictable-rental property income. I took DH's paycheck from 12/26 and didn't spend a dime of it and I started 09 with that as his "1/1/09 paycheck". His first paycheck of the year was 1/9/09 which I entered as the 1/15/09 paycheck.

I paid an additional $500 principle to the mortgage (Wa-hoo!) (due on the 15th)and I also started up on the budget plan for gas($84) and electric ($123) and I sent a check in for $75 to the water bill (which is our average amount every other month billing). It is really interesting to see how making a conscience effort to see where every dollar goes really helps with the spending.

DD11 went skiing with her GS Troop last night. She was in need of snowpants and waterproof gloves. Not really wanting to drive around and hit all the kids consignment stores and thrift places, I made up my mind to hit the sales rack at Kohls. In one of my earlier posts accounting for the first weeks spending, I mentioned the wafflemaker purchased with $20 Kohls dollars. It was still in the box and I had the receipt. I exchanged it for snow pants ($22) and ski gloves ($8) - had to cough up an additional $3 toward purchase. I really wanted the wafflemaker, but since I didn't rush home and use it in the first week, back it went for the NEEDED item of ski clothing for DD. I like working smarter! And I have started a list of wants for the house (waffle maker is item #1).

DH and I are heading out to a late lunch/early dinner at a French restaurant at the upscale mall this afternoon. This was one of my goals for the new year. At least one monthly outing with DH. We have two Lettuce Enterain You gift cards with a total of $72.50. That should be enough to cover a lunch - we had dinner there in May and it cost only $65. Grandparents are babysitting so I consider it a FREE outing!

Here is to continued success with wise decision-making and watching those dollars work where they are supposed to.

SIDE NOTE: With the rent check due on the 15th (might not be paid on time) I will be able to pay the $400 to tuition and $1000 to debt as planned. And I was able to pay cash (comfortably) for $70 1 Day Preschool for DS4, $50 for DS Winter Basketball, $35 to ski trip for DD11, and a $155 dance registration fee for both daughters. I wonder where all this money is coming from - DUH, it was there all the time, just being frittered away on MISCELLANY.

Back in November my brother's girlfriend went to a convention at Disneyworld in Orlando. We had been there in May and my kids all got T-shirts that they loved and wore more than I had anticipated. I asked the gf to pick up some more T-shirts as gifts from Santa. She picked up five new shirts, and gave them to me in a non-descript bag that went down to the basement where other gift were waiting to be wrapped.

These gifts happened to be near two items (1) Christmas decoration bins and (2) nine big garbarage bags of donations which were leaving the next day.

Fast forward to wrapping day and those items are gone - I searched high and low, the garbage, etc. And sadly concluded that the bag ended up with the donations that were gone (or the dumpster run that DH did at one of my father's apartments). I sadly wrote a check to gf for $75 to cover the purchase for the lost items. Took me a long time to accept the fact that my disorganization (during my quest to be organized) had frittered away a decent sum of money.

Yesterday I finally got around to packing away the ornaments from the stripped trees. And there inside one of the bins (lids attached) was the bag of t-shirts. I was as happy as a pig in --- ahem, mud! These items are going to be Easter gift from the bunny.

So I sort of found something to show for the money that I forked over for the lost items. You can bet that I will be more organized in the future.

I had to laugh because the gf really seems to think that I have my act together and am a super-ogranized person. (Watch me as I laugh my butt off - but it is nice to think that someone thinks I am like that!) One of my goals for 2009 was having no incongruence between my real self and my portrayed self: step one accomplished.

Well, I wasn't really gone that long after all. I had thought I'd check in monthly on my goals, but I think weekly will be more like it (I did miss you guys and did have to check in to see what CJ's family was eating for dinner).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I tackled the January budget with all items accounted for. If I stick to spending only according to plan, I will have $1,125 to put toward the debt. It is interesting that once you get that certain dollar amount in mind, you can really do without extraneous random expenses. In the past I have lacked the where-with-all and stick-to-it-iveness required for continued success. I can say that I have found it and really want to continue to ride the wave.

My new attack strategy is to have 2 consecutive months of big debt payments (there are two remaining debts - $4,300 and $7,000). My third month will go as an additional principle payment to the mortgage. The balance is $282,000 and I would love to see it drop more than the piddly $400 per month it is presently doing. If I can get an additional $3,000 in principle reduction per year, I'd be really happy. That is another goal I am tracking.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I have diligently tracked the expenses for the week (1st thru 7th) here is a recap:

1) Groceries $207.11
2) Gas $35.00
3) Entertainment $10.00
4) Misc $30.00
5) Household Item $26.50

COMMENTS ABOUT CATEGORIES:

1)(all food/pet items/cleaning products/OTC meds/vitamins/etc.) "All encompassing category for this reporting"
3)(My contribution to 2nd Run movie theater over vacation with kids and my mom to see Madagascar 2 - brought in own box of fruit snacks too)
4)(Cash for Cub Scout's Pinewood Derby car, church donation, Sunday paper)
5)(This was a new waffle iron to replace the one that died a few months ago - used $20 Kohls dollars towards purchase)

Manufacturer's Coupons Savings was $17.92, and Store Coupons (Bonus Bucks from CVS/walgreens/Kohls/Michael's) was $56. My checking account covered $166.50 of purchases, and cash covered $68. I also submitted receipts for rebates of $10.00. I had budgeted $100 from checking account and spent the $132.50 from DH's Second Job to come out roughly even

I have enough groceries to easily not go into a store for probably two weeks (with the exception of milk and fresh produce) so I am hoping to reign in the expenses for next week. I had fourteen separate transactions which is more than I would like (for tracking purposes) but there were several trips to the same store to take advantage of low prices/coupon savings.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After gorging myself on the 24th and 25th of December, I pretty much went back to small and sensible portions and watched the processed food items and snacks. I am down 5 pounds to 136. I really need to make a better effort to get the exercise component in. We got a wii for Christmas, so I might look into wii fitness one of these days.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

That is it on the money front. Hopefully next week I will be able to share estimates for tax refunds and better spending!