We went fruit picking again today, this time for peaches (again) and blackberries. Man, am I envious of JodiM for having bushes in her backyard! I was online earlier and found recipes for a blackberry cobbler, blackberry ice cream, and roaster peaches with blackberry sauce, all of which will be made on Sunday. YUMMY! These pick-your-own farms are great. The kids had so much fun, plus they had a hay pyramid and petting zoo.

Tomorrow we're off to an Oktoberfest. It's an outdoor thing, free to go. We'll need to pay for food and beer. We went last year and it was entirely reasonable. Then Sunday is a stay at home day. I'm going to cook, bake, and relax - not necessarily in that order.

I need to printout my paystub for 8/31 and see how I ended up the month. (I already know it was tough, I just need to see what the damage is)...

I'm thinking about auto insurance again. Once the kids are back in school, I'll be able to change my commute to work (again!) and take the train, instead of driving. That should save me something, because hubby and I are both listed as commuting >30 miles each way. I won't be, and it turns out he's not now - that's a mistake. So we should see a cut for that. Also, I got the dates for the insurance reduction program. There are dates in October and November we could go to, and hopefully see the savings when our policy re-ups in December. Anything to get that number down...

Let me preface this by acknowledging that bottled water in general is a ripoff. That said, hubby likes Poland Spring bottled water, in the clear plastic gallon. (I can push hubby only so far with the whole frugal thing before he balks).

The regular Poland Spring gallon (in the milk-type container) is $1.39/gallon. When they came out with the clear plastic gallon, the price was raised to $1.59/gallon. Last week in the store, I saw they discontinued the clear gallon jugs in favor of 3-liter (~53 oz) clear plastic jugs that are easier to handle, but they're CHARGING THE SAME PRICE! They're giving you 17% less water!

So inspired by everyone on this site, I called Poland Spring and told them that I preferred the old design, and can't believe they're charging the same price. They thanked me profusely for my comments and said they'd pass it along to the marketing department. They did take my name and address, so maybe I'll get a coupon or two in the future, but I'm not holding my breath.

I did make some progress with Hubby, though, because when I showed him the bottle and told him it was the same price, he agreed to switch to Dannon water...

As an aside, does anyone use Brita filters? My SIL likes them, but the refills seem pretty expensive, too, and I'm not sure it would be any less than bottled water...

I had a pretty good weekend, spending-wise. I ended up not going grocery shopping last week. I was planning on going yesterday, but didn't have the time, and wasn't in desperate need of anything. So I missed out on a few good sales, but nothing I can't live without. I'll do this week's shopping today instead.

We did go back to school shopping yesterday. Kohls had its usual Saturday sales, plus a 15% coupon and some gift cards. I did spend above the amount of the gift cards, but it was budgeted because they both needed clothes. So all in all, not too bad.

I need to go to the bank tomorrow to drop off some rebate checks. I'm hoping for a quiet week...I'm planning on working from home on Tuesday, and we're going to my brother's house for dinner Thursday. Other than that, a quiet week...

OK, I'm back from the Jersey shore. Weather was great, kids had a ton of fun. Now it's time to get serious. First piece of good news: I got the $200 pool rebate. Quickest turnaround I've ever seen! This will need to go into the checking account to offset the cost of the thing. I also received the $3.xx Lysol rebate and a $16.47 half.com payment, both of which I'm putting into my savings account. (I'm officially done with the $20 challenge through the end of the year, but I'm still going to save stuff like this separately).

I'm also starting to get organized (tall order). I renewed the registration for my car, due by the end of the month. (Learned THAT lesson!) $76.50 to the state of NJ...don't know why it's so much, but they have you over a barrel. I also have two $10 rebates from all those free trials from a few months back. Not sure if they'll pay out, but it's definitely worth the $.37 stamp. Finally, need to mail in the $10 Kelloggs Eggo rebate.

Speaking of Kelloggs, I'm not sure if I blogged about two great deals from my last shopping trip. I bought 10 boxes of Eggo Waffles for $20. I got a $10 coupon for my next order at checkout, and will get a $10 check through the mail in rebate making them effectively free. I also bought 4 boxes of Barber Chicken (2-ct). They were $2/box, and I had $5 in coupons, making them $.75/box, or $.38/chicken. Can't beat that for dinner! I like them because they're fast and easy when I forget to defrost something else...

I need to look over this week's circular and do my shopping tomorrow. I also need to order some discount gift cards for back-to-school shopping. (I've been putting this off because it requires me to go through my daughter's closet, which is a huge chore!). That's about it for today!

Vacation was great. We were in San Francisco, Napa and Sonoma. The weather was great, and I can't think of anything more relaxing than sitting at a winery overlooking the vines with a glass of wine in hand. Doesn't get much better than that!

I must be rubbing off on hubby. He went to pick up the car from the offsite parking lot we use. The person in front of him showed her AAA card, so hubby did the same and saved 10% off the total. Way to go!

I received a $20 Eckerd rebate and a $5 gas rebate from June. I managed to get the pool rebate out on time (long story). I'm hoping the company honors it without the warranty card (I included a note). I need to go through my to-do list and see what's on it.

The weather is unbearable...can't wait until it breaks. Unlike Kashi, I hate August! Way too hot and humid. Great if you're at the beach, not so great if you're commuting to work in pantyhose! Blech. September is my favorite time of year...

Fantastic sales at the ShopRite this year. My favorite one: Buy 10 Kelloggs products get a $10 checkout coupon for your next visit. This is a no-brainer. Eggo waffles are on sale for $1.67 each, and I have a bunch of coupons for them, thanks to the train, and my kids eat them all the time. Wahoo. I'll look through the rest of the flyer and go shopping on Thursday.

So that's it for now...

We went to a wedding yesterday. It was 2 1/2 hours away, so we stayed over at the hotel, which made for a pretty expensive night, between the hotel, the gas, and the gift. And the wedding wasn't even that great. They had the ceremony outdoors, but had no tents set up. (Hello...it's the middle of July, thunderstorms happen all the time. I'm all for containing costs, but splurge for the tents!). Needless to say, it started raining about 5 minutes before the ceremony, and stopped 5 minutes after the ceremony. (A sign from above? I'm not sure). Luckily most people had umbrellas, and there was some cover. The reception was just ok, food and music wise. I'm glad it's over!

As an aside, can anyone comment as to how they decide on a wedding gift? We almost always give money, because that's what most young people need and want, but how to you determine the amount? Do you always give the same? Do you base it on the cost of the place? I left this up to hubby because it was his friend, but I'm curious how other people decide...

Went grocery shopping today and did pretty well. I spent more than my weekly goal, but got some pretty good buys thanks to loss leaders, and should be well set for a while.

I'm hoping for a quiet week this week. I have a haircut and color on Tuesday. I had to cancel my appointment from 2 weeks ago because of work and my grays are REALLY showing. I'm reading Flash's and Diva Jen's experiences with the home hair color closely, but I'm a big chicken when it comes to this. I always worry that my hair will end up green! It would be great to save the $105 bill every 7 weeks, though, so I may need to get over myself!

Wow, did I make out like a bandit at Walgreens, taking advantage of their monthly rebates and in-store specials. Here's what I got:

1) Kotex maxi pads - Spent $10.47-$2 coupons-$10 mir. So I "made" $1.53, in addition to getting the 3 packages.
2) CuraHeat 2 pack. $3.99 far.
3) Herbal Essence hair spray $3.99 far.
4) Sunsilk conditioner - $4.49 far.
5) Glade 2-in-1 candle - on clearance for $1.79-$2 coupon = free.
6) Maybelline lipstick - on clearance $1.59-$2 coupon = free. This last one reminds me of someone's post where they were questioning how long the makeup sits on the shelf. I'll contact Maybelline on Monday to see how I can tell; otherwise, I'll use it right away.
On top of all that, if I get the rebates in the form of a Walgreens gift card (as opposed to cash) I get a 10% bonus, for another $1.25. They were also missing a few things I was looking for, so I'll try to track them down over the next week.

Then I went to Eckerds and fared pretty well:
1) Schick quattro blade 4 pack: $10.99-$1 coupon-$6 mir = $3.99
2) Tom's toothpaste $4.29 (*2)-$2 coupon and $1 mir = $2.80 each.
3) Aquafresh - $1.99-$1 coupon-$1 mir = free.
4) Butler oral care products - $1.19-$1 coupon-$1 mir: I "made" $.81.
5) Revlon nailpolish: $2.99 far
6) Birthday cards B1G1 $1.29.

So a great shopping day for me...Used $6 worth of coupons from the trains, bringing my coupon train savings up to $39.24.

Aside from getting this rebate thing down, I actually noticed two tearpads with coupons. Yesterday at the supermarket I saw $1 off meat with purchase of 2 participating Kraft products, and today I saw $1 off Tom's toothpaste. I ripped off a few of each to include in the trains, but was just happy I even noticed them. Usually I'd pass them right by.

Hubby took the kids to his mom's for the day, so I was able to shop in peace (which is probally why I did so well!). I need to make a few phone calls and finish up with the coupon train before they get home.

We had a great weekend. My sister came Friday night and brought a ton of food with her. I'm enjoying the leftovers tonight. We had other friends over on Saturday, and I'll enjoy the leftovers from that tomorrow!

I'm looking forward to a pretty busy, but quiet week. Hubby has a dinner meeting tomorrow, and an overnight trip on Wednesday. I've got some organizational/housekeeping type things to do (as always!).

Recapping the last few days: Saturday, we did indeed go to the town fair. What a fun day! The fireworks were GREAT and the kids loved the games and rides. The weather, which has been close to 90 for days, was great. Glad to see my property tax dollars hard at work . We spent $31 for dinner, which bought burgers, dogs, and soda for 5 kids and 3 adults. Not too bad, and the proceeds support the firehouse. Sister bought Italian Ices afterwards. Well worth it.

Father's Day was quiet. I was able to use gift cards I had on hand to buy his gifts, so that worked out well. He slept late, I made breakfast, then we went to MIL's for a BBQ. Another fun day, but felt like 100 degrees! Man it was hot!

DD finishes school tomorrow. She had 1/2 days today and tomorrow, so I'm working from home. My great buy of the day: I got a 30-pack of Klondike bars for $2.99. Normally $9.99, BJs had a $1.00 off coupon, and I had a free coupon up to $6. We don't normally buy them, but I like to have them around for those times that I run out of ice cream. (Another deal - I went there to get a case of Ensure Plus for Dad. Normally $36/case in ShopRite, $32.99 in BJs. Again, they had a $4 coupon, and I had a $1 mfr coupon, so I got the case for $27.99 or $7/6-pack.)

On to the challenge front, I still need to call Citibank about the $100 bonus, but did get an email that they'll give me $25 if I pay 5 bills by the end of the month. Seems easy enough. I also received in the mail a $15 check from my Citi credit card if I enrolled in credit protector. I've thrown so many of these out over the years, but I deposited this one. I have a 30-day free trial (and already made a note in my calendar to cancel), and they don't charge you the (really high) fee if you don't carry a balance (which I don't). So it seemed like a good risk...Also found 2 quarters in the grass, but I gave one each to my kids for their piggy banks. A pretty good day...

Hubby is away through Wednesday, and we're driving to NC on Sunday morning, so my goal is to use up the perishables we have on hand so nothing spoils. I also need to start thinking about what I'm going to pack so I can make sure I have the right laundry done...

I went to ShopRite last night to do my BIG shopping trip. I had a 30% off certificate, and a mound of coupons. I spent the whole week before planning this trip to get the best deals. End result: $342 of groceries for $190...a savings of $150! There were definitely some treats thrown in there that I only bought because of the discount/coupon but most of it was stocking up on non-perishables. $28 of the savings is due to the coupon train, so thanks again, Flash, for setting them up.

I'm going to try to limit June groceries to milk, bread, fruit and veggies, since I've stocked up on everything else!

Today will be busy...I need to go to the post office to mail half.com books and the coupon train. (I made another half sale yesterday, for $1.00). I also need to pick up clothes from the dry cleaner and go to the bank. I got a nice surprise yesterday...my brother paid back the balance of what he owed me. It was one of those situations where I never expected to see the money again, so it's like a treat to have it back!

So that's it for today...looking forward to a great rest of the weekend!

New coupon train savings total: 38.08

So I'm going to qualify for the 30% off certificate at ShopRite after all. I'm on $60 away from the total needed. I'm going to Dad's tomorrow to do his shopping, but the promotion ends today so I'm going to run over there and get some food that I know Dad needs to put me over the top. (He uses Ensure. At $8/6pk, it adds up quickly).

I'm so excited (and tend to obsess about stuff like this), so here's my plan. I have 2 weeks to redeem the certificates. Sales at the Shoprite run Sunday to Saturday. Our Sunday ads come in Saturday's newspaper. So I'm going to look through this week's paper and see what's on sale. Then, next Saturday, I'll do the same for the following week. If this week's ad is better, I can go next Saturday and buy everything. If the following week's is better, I'll wait.

In the meantime, the Caboose for our coupon train is on its way to me, so I'll have those coupons to consider as well. I'm really looking for a big score here, as I stock up on things we use that never go on sale, and get some things that are usually too expensive but with 30% off and double coupons will be worth it. Yahoo!

I sent in a rebate for Listerine. The bottle had a rebate tag around its neck. I glanced quickly at it, and didn't see that the expiration date was 6/30/05 (I thought it was 6/30/06!). So I sent it in and it was returned to me. Ugh. I'm going to check the rebate forum to see if there's a different Listerine rebate I can use the receipt for, otherwise I'm out a few bucks...

Day 2 of the commute went well. I transferred another $10 to my challenge account, and $20 to the HELOC. Wahoo!

New Total: $864.74/$2000

Outstanding items: $100 (Citi bonus 1), $100 (Citi bonus 2), $2 (Chandon rebate), $10 gas voucher (Jan-Mar), IDT Phone card(s)(?), $8 Tostitos rebate, 4.00 (Apr Walgreens), $.25 (Apr Eckerd), $5 (PNC gas voucher)

On Saturday I received the second round of the coupon train. I decided to keep track of what I'm saving versus shipping costs. I marked all of the coupons I took out with a red dot, so I would recognize them in the envelope with the rest of my coupons. Periodically I'll add the amount I've saved to my challenge total.

I mailed out the package today, so my total is -$4.05. Can't wait till next week's shopping trip!

Saturday was errand day...I went to the dry cleaner and the bank, then to BJs. Huge hit there, as I didn't go last month and we were short on a number of things. Groceries ran about $175 there, plus another $60 at the regular supermarket, but I should be set for awhile. (Let's hope so anyway). I need to do the math to see what I have left for the rest of the month. We also took the kids to the park and stopped at ColdStone Creamery afterwards (expensive, hubby paid, but ohhh so good!).

I received 2 freebies in the mail: dove shampoo and conditioner and electrasol dishwasher samples. I agree with some of the others on the board...this stuff really adds up!

We're having a quiet day today...going to grandma's for dinner, and I have some work I need to take care of before tomorrow. That's about it for today...

Not much on the financial front. I went to the grocery store yesterday. Spent about $62, but $42 of it was for dinner I'm making for friends this Saturday, so I'm counting it as "entertainment" instead of "groceries". The other $20 counts, though. I also got gas today to the tune of $41.00. I didn't list the books on half.com last night (too busy watching American Idol). I'll try to get to them today.

It's snowing here. I wisely anticipated that DD would have a half-day, so I kept her out of school and brought her to my MIL's with my son while I went to work. (Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get her early). Because I didn't need to rush back to get her from school, I took a different way into work that saved me $20. I need to deposit it in my challenge account today before I end up using it on something unnecessary!

New total: $303.92

Outstanding items: $10 (Del Monte Rebate), $10 (Colgate Rebate), $5 (Amazon Rebate - not sure if I'm getting this because I didn't submit the packing slip), $10 (Kimberly Clark Rebate), $10 (2nd Kimberly Clark Rebate), $10 (Pepsi rebate), $100 (Citi bonus 1), $100 (Citi bonus 2), $2 (Chandon rebate), $100 (Chase), $1.00 (Feb Walgreens), $2.38 (Feb Eckerd), $20 Exxon Card (Great Fun), $20 BBB card (Everyday Values), $5 (GG Rebate), $10 (Barber coupons)

My husband thinks I'm nuts, but my favorite thing to do on Saturday morning is to get the Sunday ads (we get them on Sats.) and a hot cup of coffee and plan my shopping and meals for the week. This looks like a banner week for rebates/coupons: Rebate for $10 in coupons for Barber foods (Dad uses these), $5 rebate for Green Giant (he uses these two), Hot Pocket Subs free (thanks to deal in freebie section), Walgreens has a boatload of stuff for this month's rebate, and it seems like Eckerd has a few things in their rebate catalog that I could stock up on (plus I have coupons for a lot of it, too, making it even better). I'll do the shopping tomorrow and see how I make out.

I spent a bit of money yesterday. I took the day off, and DS and I went to lunch ($27). I paid $1.80 in library fines and hit some clearance sales at Kohls (about $60 spent, including pjs and shirts for DS for next winter). We also ordered Chinese takeout ($21) because we needed a fast meal and I didn't plan ahead...

Today, I need to go to the fruit/veggie store. I think we'll rent Madagascar, too. I'm going to check to see if the library has it first...

Tomorrow will be grocery shopping for dad and running my own errands. Here's to a quiet weekend...

I went grocery shopping yesterday. Ended up spending $92.xx, which was great considering that I spontaneously bought a 8.5 lb pork loin on sale for $.99/lb! Can't beat that price. I'm going to cut it into 1 lb pieces and freeze. I have a couple of crock pot recipes I want to try, and can always cut them into pork chops. Great deal. So that brings my grocery total to $458/$500 for the month. Next week will be a bit tricky. I usually go shopping on Sunday, which is Jan. 29. I've been averaging about $90/week, but will need to stay way below it in order to make my goal for the month. I think if I stick to the basics (milk, bread, eggs, etc.), I'll be in good shape. Also, that will give me a good head start on February's bill!

I had the massage yesterday, which was lovely...I wish I could get one per week! Usually I get gift certificates for Mother's Day, birthday, anniversary, etc., so they're few and far between...Today I need to put in all of the CVS receipts and a doctor bill to be reimbursed from my FSA.

That's it on a rainy, Monday morning...

I think I'm doing much better with my groceries. My budget is for $500/month (which still seems really high to me, but it's a start). That means I can spend $100/week at the grocery store and $100/month at BJS. My BJs bill yesterday was $94.13 and my grocery store trip last week was $90.xx. So far so good. I've planned my menu for the week, and wrote out my grocery list for this week, and I should be able to stay under $100 again (although that needs to include the grocery store and the fruit/veggie store). I also started updating my price book again and it's already paid off, as there were a few deals in this week's sale paper that I normally would have thought were good deals and now see they're not.

I went to Toys R Us yesterday, and brought gifts for 4 birthdays this month. I had some gift cards, so the total out of pocket was about $35.xx. No other expenses, as expected. Today I'm going to dad's, he'll spring for dinner...

I had a pretty good Memorial Day weekend, but I spent a lot. We didn't do anything Friday night (which was great!). On Saturday I got a haircut/color ($95) to hide all my gray hairs (probably from spending $95)! If I wasn't such a chicken, I would color my own hair with L'Oreal. I'm just afraid it would turn out green! But it would be a lot cheaper...After DD's T-ball game at 1:00 we were home for the rest of the day.

More money spent and a narrow escape on Sunday. I had to go to Toys R Us for a birthday present. No cash out of hand, but I did use a gift card. After the party, DD and I went to the fruit/veggie store and to the supermarket. Grand total: $190. This is where hubby and I differ when doing the budget. I chalk all of that up to "groceries", but he thinks that part of it should go under "entertainment", because some of the food was for a barbeque with friends on Monday. I don't care where I put it on the budget, it's still out of pocket! While I was doing the shopping, hubby and DS went to his mother's. On the way, the nice friendly police officer pulled him over to tell him that his car was supposed to be inspected by the end of April! Neither of us had any clue!!! The cost for driving around in an uninsured vehicle? $150 ticket which he thankfully didn't get. Just a stern warning.

The barbeque Monday was great. The couple was fun, weather was great, food was super. Just a really good time. (A lot of wine/sangria didn't hurt either!). But then it was back to work...

I'm normally home on Tuesdays, but I needed to go into the office for a few hours today. So I was already in a bad mood when I walked out the door. Spent $20 on parking and $18 for after-school care for my daughter . I left work at 2:00 to get the car inspected before picking up the kids. Went to Motor Vehicles, but the estimated wait time was over 90 minutes!!! I got on the line figuring it couldn't really be that bad, and it was worse. I didn't move for 25 minutes! Then I realized that it was the last day of the month and everyone and their mother were trying to get their cars inspected. Desperate as I was, I couldn't stay in the line another minute, so I went to pick up my son at MIL's house. I parked in front of the house, ran in to get him, hopped back in the car and it wouldn't start. Dead, so I had to call AAA. Now, there's a small part of my brain that's happy to be getting my $65 yearly membership's worth, because I needed the car towed about 30 miles. On the other hand, it was about the most inconvenient thing I've ever experienced. The driver came in 20 minutes (which was great). But he couldn't accommodate my son's car seat so I had to leave him with Grandma. I took the ONE HOUR ride with this guy (in total silence), and dropped the car off at the dealer. As soon as the tow truck left, I tried to start it just for the heck of it and it started right away. Go figure. I left it with the dealer anyway so he can take a look at it tomorrow, because I can't risk breaking down with the kids. My husband, who left work early to go pick up my daughter (because I didn't know how long I'd be) came and picked me up at the dealer. We went to Wendy's for dinner ($14), then picked up DS and came home. So now I have a car that's still not inspected, I risk a $150 ticket as long as I drive it that way, and it's at the dealer, with who knows what wrong with it, and who knows how much it will cost. Bummer!

Tomorrow's another day...

Even though it's not the end of the month, it's close enough for me to figure out where I stand. I was able to put $904.67 toward the home equity line. Not the $1680 I was hoping for (which would have gotten the balance below $30k), but better than nothing. The big area of disappointments this month were groceries ($562) and eating out ($205). We can do a lot better than that! The grocery total is a bit high because I usually charge my groceries to get my credit card points, then pay it off the next month. But when I lost my credit cards earlier this month, I had to write checks for groceries, which means that the $562 actually reflects all of my April groceries that I charged, as well as about $130 of May groceries that I wrote a check for. So I expect that June's total will by WAY lower. The eating out total is a whole other thing. I usually only budget for hubby and dd's weekly trip to TGIFridays. But in addition to that, we've gone out a few times, and we've ordered out a bunch. Luckily, school ends in 4 weeks, so the weekly trips will end. I also need to get better about meal planning and grocery shopping to rein this in...

Looking forward to June, I'm going to pick up the budget again and look through it to see where I can save some more. This weekend, I'm going to program the thermostat for the AC to make sure it only goes on when it's 76 and hubby is expected to be home! Other than that, we have a quiet Memorial Day weekend. I have a much needed haircut tomorrow, and DD's Tball game at 1. Then a birthday party Sunday afternoon, and a couple coming for a barbeque on Monday. That's it!! Should be a quiet weekend...

This weather is ridiculous! The high today is going to be 53 degrees. 53!!! June 1st is in 6 days! Unbelievable. Things my way are going fine. Yesterday was my at home day, and a pretty productive one at that. DS had a friend over for about 1 1/2 hours, so I was able to straighten up, do some laundry, and read the paper! After the friend left, we pretty much just bummed around the house and played. We picked up dd from school and went to a park with some friends, but it was sooo cold and sooo windy, that we only stayed for about 30 minutes. She was supposed to have T-Ball at 6:00 last night, and I was hoping all day that it would be rained out, but no such luck. So we stayed home anyway. I'm not usually into doing that - the whole team commitment thing - but then again, she's 6, it was cold and damp, and the last thing I need is sick kids! So a spend-free day for me!

I need to go back to ShopRite, because they made a $7+ error on my bill from Monday. I was going to go yesterday but just didn't feel like leaving the house, so I'll get there tomorrow or Friday. How inconvenient. When updating my price book last night, I found another error from a receipt from last month, this time in my favor, when they rang up the same item for .89 and 1.79. (Both should have been 1.79). The point is that I need to get better about 1) watching stuff as they ring it up and 2) checking my receipt as soon as I get home. My problem is that I really need to find a way to avoid shopping with my kids, because 1) it's impossible to watch the register when I'm also watching them (act up) and 2) they add money to my bill each week!

I also called Oxford yesterday to see if her trip to the eye doctor would be covered. No such luck. The bill was $95 and I already paid the $15 copay, which means a bill for $80 should be heading my way soon. It will be reimbursed by our FSA, so I guess that's a little (not much) consolation. I also needed to order ink for our printer. What a racket Dell has. Apparently, you can't buy their ink from anyone but them. A black ink and a color ink cartridge cost me over $60! I need to start cracking down on the kids printing so much stuff out. They go through ink like water!

The rest of the day should be fun. DS has a birthday party after school and hubby is due back around dinner time. I'll check out the American Idol final tonight (this is the first season I've watched, and now I follow it pretty closely). No spider solitaire for me tonight...

I had great hopes of being super-productive during hubby's business trip, and it's just not happening! Instead, I get the kids to bed, grab a glass of wine, and hop on the computer to alternate between this site and spider solitaire! Yikes!

Today was a good day, although I spent some unbudgeted money. First, I needed to take dd to the eye doctor for a checkup. The nurse at her pediatrician's office said her eyesight was 20/30 at her 5-year checkup and 20/40 at her 6 year checkup, so they recommended that we get it checked out by a specialist. I took her today, and she's fine - 20/20 - which makes more sense to us because we've never seen an indication that she's struggling with her vision. So while we're thrilled with the results, it was a $15 copay, and they don't think it will be covered by insurance. I need to call Oxford tomorrow and see if the fact that it was a referral from her pediatrician makes a difference. Otherwise, I have no idea what the bill will be.

On the way home, we stopped at ShopRite. I only needed a few things, but taking the kids with me always adds to the bill. Ice cream was on sale, and they suckered me into getting all the fixins for ice cream sundaes (sprinkles, chocolate sauce, etc.) that I never would have bought if I were on my own. Oh well...The total still came in under $50 ($49.71!), so that's still ok.

Tomorrow is my stay-at-home day. I may bring the car in for an oil change if I can, but that should be the only expense. DD has Tball tomorrow night, but we sure won't be going out for ice cream afterwards - they can have it at home!!! I'm curious to see as the month winds down where we stand. We got the escrow refund check, and our NYS tax refund, but owe money to the landscapers. I'm hoping that I'll have about $1700 leftover, because that will bring the HELOC below $30k, and psychologically, that would be cool.

We'll see how it goes...

always costs a fortune! We both work in lower Manhattan, where everything is expensive! She usually works at home on Thursdays, when I'm in the office late and can take lunch, so we wind up missing each other. But for some reason, she's been in a lot on Thursdays lately. I can't pass up lunch with her, because she's a lot of fun, and I don't see her nearly as much as I'd like to, but at the same time, it costs me $30-40 each time! She's worth it, though.

So what I thought was a no-spend day actually cost me $43. (Glad I didn't stop for that Starbucks this morning!). It's still early in the month, so I can make it up somewhere. The rest of the day will definitely be no-spend. Tomorrow, I'm heading to the flower place that I didn't get around to on Tuesday, but I think most of the stuff I'll buy will be for my MIL, and she'll reimburse me. On Saturday, hubby is going to a communion with DS, while I take DD to her Tball game (unless it rains, then we'll all be going). I'm hoping that the communion only costs me $25, but it's hubby's family, so he decides. The good news is that we're not going to a wedding on Saturday (a few states away), also on hubby's side, and we only need to give $50 for that (I budgeted $100). So I think I'm making out here somewhere...

Other than that, things are quiet. I need to increase hubby's 401(k), using 1/2 of the raise he got in April. But first, I need to make sure that the money is going to the right category of investments. His company pays for a financial planning company to work with us in this area, so I just need to call them, then make the switch. The raise was effective in April, so I already went 1 month without increasing it, I really want to try to get the change in before the deadline for May. Also, with the whole thumb thing last weekend, I never got around to listing the books on half.com. I need to get to that this week. That's all for now...

This week seems to have gone by quickly. Not sure why, but I'm not complaining!

Even though it's not quite April 30, I finished up all of my bills for the month and I can put $2000 toward the home equity line, which will bring the balance down to $31,680! Woohoo! My other good news is that we're making progress on the electric bill. I'm on budget billing, where we're charged $131/month year-round. Each month they compare what the actual is versus what they've charged you, and after 6 months I have $168 in my favor! This is great because we tend to use more electricity in the summer months, so at least I have a buffer. Also, I'm not a big fan of air-conditioning (unlike hubby who needs it on all the time). So I'm hoping to keep it off until 5:00 each afternoon, then set it at 76 for the evening. With any luck I'll keep the credit balance going.

Although April was a good month, I'm not as optimistic about May. I need to buy some clothes and shoes for my kids (about $80 each), we have bday parties to go to, a communion, haircuts, etc. It all adds up! I'll have to see how everything shakes out.

Spent $93 at the grocery store yesterday, but that didn't include food for Saturday when we're having another couple over. (Mostly because I haven't figured out the menu yet...way to wait until the last minute). I'll go out Saturday morning to pick up whatever I need, and I should be ok through the end of next week. Although I have to do it on the sly, because my family would never agree to it, I'm going to do a "clean out the pantry/freezer challenge" over the next three weeks. (Need to stretch it out so it's less obvious). I have a ton of instant oatmeal (bought onsale for $.10/packet - can't beat it), soup, and pasta/cans of tomatoes. Also, there's leftover Easter candy that I can't bear to look at anymore (I'll have to find a good chocolate recipe...fondue maybe). I want to limit my next trip to the store (after Saturday) to milk, eggs, bread and fresh fruit/veggies. We'll see how it goes. This site has also inspired me to list a bunch of stuff on Half.com. My goal is to take an inventory this weekend and post it by Sunday night. I hope it works out. I could declutter my house and make a few bucks at the same time...

Have a great day!

Tuesday is my "at home" day, so I'm taking advantage! I went to the fruit/veggie store, grocery store, and brought the car in for an oil change. Now I'm in the middle of my 3rd load of laundry (and loving that drying rack). I spent a lot at the fruit store and grocery store this morning (~$180) but I'm hoping it will last me a solid 2 weeks. It feels so good to have a full fridge and pantry, and fresh veggies! I can't wait for dinner, because for the first time in a while I have a lot to choose from! I could have done better with the oil change. I went to one of those jiffy-lube places which tend to be more expensive (even w/ my $5 coupon) than my usual place, but I was desperate! Both of our cars really need an oil change, and Tuesday is my only day to do it, so I had to take care of one this week! It's a beautiful day. DD has T-ball practice at 6:00, and we're hoping to treat them to ice cream afterwards if we have a good day between now and then. The rest of the week should be pretty quiet...

Actually, I feel better, but I still have no voice. The good news - I dropped a few pounds because I've had absolutely no appetite for the last three days. Gotta love when something good comes out of something bad!Despite my poor voice, I'm going ahead with the house insurance switch today. I'm just waiting for the rep to call me back. It'll feel good to cross that off my list!

Made it to the grocery store yesterday and spent $74 and change. I haven't totalled everything up, but I should be under my goal of $300/month (which is great, because last month we were way, way over). I'd be satisfied if by the end of the year, it balances out to under $400/month. It's tough.

Expecting a no-spend day for the next few days. I brought lunch to work, and am planning on getting the kids from school and heading to the park. Tomorrow is hubby's birthday, and MIL will take us all to dinner to celebrate! Then on Friday, I think we're getting together with some friends for drinks at their place. That will make up for the weekend! We're heading to Baltimore to see the Yankees vs. Orioles (hubby's a big Yankees fan). MIL is watching the kids overnight. Wahoo! I get to sleep late on Sunday! So we'll be dropping some bucks this weekend, but we planned for it a while ago, so it should be ok.

Have a great day, everyone!

It's in the 60's again today and sunny, sunny, sunny. I had to laugh yesterday. I worked late, so my husband left work early to pick the kids up from school. I called him at 5:00 and he told me he was at the park with all of the other town moms. We usually go to the park after school in the nice weather, and I could just picture him there chatting about what they were making for dinner, what stuff they signed the kids up for, etc. Ha!

I met my friends for dinner last night. We were supposed to go a while ago but bad weather forced us to cancel, so we went yesterday instead. You may remember that I spent the $25 I set aside to go out to lunch with my sister, so I had to buck up a new $30 for last night. It was a fun time, nonetheless, and next time we're going to one of the girl's houses.

I'm still going through the budget. The grocery store costs are a never-ending battle. It seems like everytime I have a few good weeks, a big whopping bill follows. It's just something I really need to devote some attention to. Now, eating out, which goes hand-in-hand with groceries on the budget, is another story. We've been averaging about $100-$150/month since September. On Thursdays, I work late, and hubby picks up dd from school. They go to TGIFridays for dinner each week. I don't want to ask them to stop it, because it's good bonding for them, so I've tried to cut the cost by getting TGIF gift cards on EBAY. (Saved 10% on the first try). Then, we usually go out once or twice a month as a family. I'll tackle this by going somewhere relatively cheaper (out for pizza?) or picking up some gift cards for other places (Chilis) that we might go to. I'm happy to say that we've really cut down fast food to once or twice a month (from once or twice a week!), although that money usually comes out of our allowance. Still, it adds up...

That's it for now. Have a great day!

Can't wait for later in the week - temps in the 60's!!!

Had a blah couple of days. The kids are still sick, and between a $30 copay at the doctor and $70+ in prescriptions, I was a bit bummed. But I already turned in the receipts to hubby's FSA and they turn around the cash pretty quickly.

I'm still riding high from my auto insurance score. But I have to focus on some other things. I did the paperwork to get rid of my mortgage escrow but I won't send it in til later in the month, because my property taxes are due May 1 and I don't want anything screwed up. I also need to take a really good look at our homeowners insurance, because I haven't reviewed it at all in 10 years, and our needs may have changed a bit.

Next line item on the budget is groceries/eating out. Man, there are a ton of places I could cut here! First off, I need to leave the kids home because they add a good $10 to my bill each week. Second, I need to plan around what's on sale, because I never do. There are so many more, I'll have to wait until the next entry to think of the rest.

But I am struggling with one thing: Is it better to be organized (big sticking point for me) and go shopping on the same day/time each week and just buy what you need? Or is it better to only go shopping when you need stuff. I really don't know! I'd love to get in the routine of leaving the kids with hubby, doing my shopping and being done with it, but I also know on the weeks I never made it to the store (because I really didn't need anything and was too lazy) I spent practically nothing. I need to watch that I don't run out last minute for stuff, because that's a budget-buster too. What to do? What to do?

Have a great day!

Today was a bad money day. We needed to get Easter flowers for hubby's mom, and two aunts (and me from the kids ) to the tune of about $50! I've been married for 10 years, and we've been doing the same thing for 10 years, yet it never ceases to amaze me how much we spend on these holidays (Easter, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, etc.). We also picked up about 6 pounds of ground lamb at the store, because it's not usually available, and hubby wanted steak tonight (cha-ching). Not expecting this big bill at all...

Luckily I'm getting off pretty easily for Easter. MIL is bringing a lot of the food, and we got a Butterball turkey breast on sale at the grocery store for $1/pound. Great deal on sweet potatoes, and a few other veggies and I'm set.

Back to my line item budget...the next set of items is insurance.

What we already do: We get our medical through hubby's work (really good plan, and our piece comes out pre-tax). We both have life insurance and accident/disability insurance.

What we need to do: I'm 3 years in to a 20-year term with John Hancock. Although I think it's a pretty good rate, I need to shop around. Although I'm a few years older, it's a pretty competitive industry, so maybe the rates have dropped. Second, Hubby gets his through work, and his hesitant to change. I need to shop around for his too, to see if there's a big enough difference to make it worth discussing. Finally, I need to check into LongTerm Care insurance. I'm 34 and hubby's 37. Not sure if it makes sense to get it yet, or wait a few years, because I think the industry (and the plans) are still evolving. Any thoughts?

Happy Easter!!!