mjrube94's Blog

First of all, thanks StressLess and HouseHopeful for the Amazon tips. I was able to cancel just the video game. Everything else should be here next week, and my account has been credited. Painless. I like painless...

I'm having a great day! Already received my November RiteAid rebate ($36.94), and my $2 Drug Fair Nov. Rebate. I entered them Thanksgiving weekend and the check was in the mail today. Not too bad.

I also got my gas bill today. Unlike the struggles I had last week with the electric company, my gas bill for the next 6 months has been lowered by $11/month. I don't want to get too crazy here...they were billing me a whopping $319/month, every month, for my gas bill, now it's $308/month, which is still ridiculous. But I ended the year with a $377 credit, so I don't have to pay December's bill (awesome, what with the holidays and all), and I still have a $58 credit to apply toward my January bill.

I went to CVS today to pick up some of their promotional items, including a Gillette Fusion power razor, free after the Extra Care Bucks and a $4 coupon, and Sunsilk shampoo for $.50/bottle. $.50 Kraft MacNCheese also. Of course I had to pick up a small thing for each kid (I usually try to shop alone, but hubby's away). Fortunately, I had a $4/$20 coupon, so I applied the $4 toward that.

My goal tonight is to start writing out the Christmas cards and take care of a few Christmas packages. I need to make a trip to the post office tomorrow.

OK OK, it's my own fault. Thinking I was on top of things, I ordered a bunch of Christmas stuff from them on 11/19. I still haven't received it, so I logged on to see what was up. Turns out, one of the video games I bought for my nephew (which, by the way, I would need to return anyway because he's not getting the hardware for Christmas), won't be released until 12/22. Because I chose free shipping, they wait until all products are available, meaning I won't get my order until at least 12/30!

So I wrote customer service an email (no phone # available), asking if I can either remove the video game from my order and have them send the rest, or pay shipping to have the rest of the items sent to me. Otherwise, I told them that I'd have to buy everything locally and return the whole order when I receive it.

UGH!!!

On to other things, we're going to dinner at a friend's house tonight. We exchange gifts with this couple, so I need to run out to B&N later today to pick up a cookbook for them. I have a gift card, so there should be minimum out of pocket expenses.

Hubby's leaving on a business trip tomorrow afternoon, so I'm going to take advantage of the few days alone to finish up the November budget, and start to review where I'll end up for the year. I'll also get my Christmas cards written up and sent out...

Finally, I need to look into how my coupon trains are running. They're doing ok, but I think some improvements could be made to make them more useful to the members, so that's a goal for the month as well.

UGH!

I received my electric bill, the last in my 6 month cycle (I'm on budget billing). I pay $147/month for electric. My actual usage before now was $6.07 over what I had been billed, and my current month actual usage was for $140.xx. So I'm right at $147/month.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that starting next month, my new monthly total would be raised to $158.xx! That's an extra $121/yr!

So I called customer service and got the most unhelpful, I-can-only-read-the-script-they-give-me rep!

Me: Hi. I just received my latest bill and noticed that my monthly amount was increasing from $147 to $158. I'm not really sure why, considering that my actual usage was right around $147.

Her: Well, usage isn't the only determining factor. Gas prices normally increase in the winter.

Me: I'm not talking about gas, I only get my electric from you.

Her: Oh, yeah, electric prices usually go down in the winter and up in the summer.

Me: Well, have you announced new rate increases yet? Because an increase of $121/year seems like a lot to me.

Her: It's not for a whole year. We reset budget billing every 6 months, so this new rate is only for the next 6 months.

Me: Well, if it's only for the next 6 months, then I'd definitely expect it to go down now, while electric rates are decreasing, then maybe go up in 6 months, right before summer, when you expect them to increase.

Her: The 3 factors that go into budget billing are usage, rate increases, and expected temperature.

Me: (Smoke coming out of my ears about now) Right. So if my usage is stable, and electric rates are expected to decrease, then the only thing causing this increase is a change in expected temperature? Again, I can see this affecting gas bills alot more than electric.

Maybe I can speak to a supervisor to find out exactly what's driving this change?

Her: I'll have somebody take a look at it.

Me: Great. Can I have her name?

Her: Well, it's not really a person. The rates are figured out automatically by the computer. Somebody will have to review the account and see if it can be reset back to the $147.

Me: So who can I expect to hear back from.

Her: Me. My name is Christy.

Me: Well thanks, Christy. Looking forward to hearing from you.

(Hang up the phone...curse to myself for about 5 minutes, then decide to vent my frustration on this blog)

ETA: The rep called me back to say that she spoke with someone in Accounting, and they're going to keep it at $147. Makes me wonder how many people don't call and complain...

So what's new in my little world of finance...

I sold a book at half.com. The topic was how to be an executor for an estate. I bought it a few years back for $.10 from our library, and I made $2.50 on the sale. I'll be the executor for my father's estate, so I thought it might come in handy, until my dad proceeded to tape record step-by-step instructions on how to take care of everything. (He's a bit eccentric, or a control freak, maybe a bit of both)! So the book was expendable.

I mailed out a bunch of rebates today, and have one more to go that I need to get out before this weekend. Then the cycle starts all over again. I never really got into rebates before a few months ago but, man, it's unbelievable the deals that are out there. In some cases I'm getting a few bucks back on things I definitely would have bought anyway, so that's cool. In other cases, there are Free After Rebate (or close to it with coupons) that have allowed me to try new things and/or build up my stockpile of stuff.

I can't remember the last time I paid for toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, deoderant, most shampoo (hubby's brand loyal), hair spray, deoderant, feminine products. Amazing, and I'm not even that good at it, relative to some of the people out there. One of my goals between now and the end of the year is to figure out the best way to track it all...I've been struggling with that one for a while.

Watched the Grinch last night - another classic. It's on Broadway through January, but I haven't heard any reviews yet. (B'way shows have gotten SO unbelievably expensive, with tickets regularly topping $100 each. Even with the two-fers, it's still a lot of money).

I had a pretty productive day! I mailed invitations for a Christmas open house. It's 3 weeks away, and I'll plan the menu once I figure out how many are coming. I also wrote out thank you cards from DS's birthday party, and will mail them out tomorrow when I get more stamps.

Got the first of many Christmas gifts delivered to the house. (I LOVE internet shopping!). Now I have to find a place to hide them, as the kids pretty much have full run of the place and have already discovered my first two places. The trunk of the car is looking pretty appealing...

Received a $10 rebate and a $3 check to apply toward my cell phone bill. Also, I got information in the mail about a class action suit against Verizon Wireless. If I sign up for a 2-year extension (which I would do anyway), I get a $30 credit on my bill. So that's cool.

One of our Christmas traditions is to watch a Christmas show/cartoon each night. Tonight it was A Charlie Brown Christmas. It's such a classic...I get so moved when Linus does his speech...best holiday show by far!

I went out yesterday morning. Learned my lesson from last year, when I got to Kohls at 5:50am (they opened at 5:30) and there were already 40 people on line! So this year, I stayed local.

1st stop: CVS. Bought a Schick Women's Power razor 8.99-$2 coupon, with $8 in Extra Care Bucks (their reward program) coming back to me. Also got DS a portable CD player for Christmas for $8.88.

2nd stop: Staples. They were MOBBED, and sold out of everything in their sale ad (at 8:45 am!). Luckily, I only needed to get a desk calendar for dad, and a 6-outlet surge protector, far. Spent about $9, and will have $3.50 coming back to me.

3rd stop: Eckerd. Bought hubby a Gillette Fusion power razor for his stocking ($2.99 after mir). Also bought us a new cordless telephone, as ours is on the outs.

4th stop: Walgreens. Love this store...what didn't I get? Tide 50oz detergent 2/$4-$1 coupon. Leggs pantyhose 2/$4. Bought 6-$4 coupon = 6 pair for $8. Schick Quattro power razor $8.99-$7 coupons, $8.99 coming back to me after rebate. Revlon mascara $5.99-$2 coupons, $5 coming back to me. 8 votive candles for $.10 each, and wrapping paper, b2g1 free.

Final stop: Drug Fair. They were having triple coupons up to $.99, no limit. I got 2 tubes Aquafresh toothpaste, 3 colgate toothbrushes, and a package of CremeSavers candy, all free. Also bought a package of Snuggle fabric softener $4.99-$1.50 coupons, with a try me free offer to boot. Finally, bought 2 big clear storage bins for DD's doll stuff.

I was back home by 11:00. Not too shabby.

It's beautiful this weekend - sunny and in the mid-50s, so we're getting all of our outdoor decorating done. We're putting up our (fake) tree tonight, and I'm going to sit by the fire and fill out my rebate forms... Wahoo!

It's so easy to lose sight of all we have to be thankful for, when we're mired in the day-to-day. Thanks everyone, for reading my blog and commenting, and have a great holiday!

I'm working from home today and off on Friday. I'm going into school for DD's Thanksgiving party, then to the library, and to get the kids haircuts. Thursday will be at hubby's cousin's house, then my dad's on Friday.

This weekend, we'll start decorating for Christmas! (As an aside, one of the local radio stations started playing 24 hour Christmas music 2 weeks ago! I like the music as much as anyone, but on November 15? Come on...)

I've done a great job making progress on my Christmas shopping. Ordered a bunch of stuff from American Girl (free shipping), and from Amazon (using discounted gift cards). I still have more things to get, but at least I know what I'm getting, so I'm ahead of the game and not at all stressed. I need to dig out my Christmas cards and get started on them, and send out Thank You cards from DS's birthday party.

I updated my October budget, and need to get caught up with November so I can see what kind of progress I've made in 2006. No doubt it will be some good, some bad. I did just receive my auto insurance renewal, and it was around $3,075. I have to look up last year's policy, because I could have sworn it was closer to $3,200. That would make my day!

So that's it for now. Have a great holiday everyone!

It's funny to read the lists and see how close my impressions of everyone were...Here's mine:

1. I'm a follower, not a leader. Hence my decision to wait until all of you posted your list before I posted mine.
2. I use ... alot.
3. Jane Eyre is my favorite book. The first time I read it (in high school), I stayed up until 4am to finish it.
4. Ferris Bueller is my favorite movie ever. I know the entire thing by heart!
5. I'm the youngest of ten, hubby's an only child. (Opposites attract).
6. I'm 100% Irish and hubby's 100% Italian. (Opposites attract).
7. My brother (5 years older than I am) hated me growing up. We fought like cats and dogs. Now we vacation together every year.
8. I used to run varsity track and cross country in high school (before I discovered beer!)
9. I have a really varied taste in music. My favorites are Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffett, and Bob Seger.
10. Both of my kids have the same name as my previous bosses at work, though I didn't really plan it that way.
11. When I'm not dressed up for work, I'm home in sweatpants, a T-shirt, and my hair in a ponytail.
12. The only makeup I own is lipstick, and I never wear it.
13. My middle name is Rita. I have no idea why.
14. I curse more than I should.
15. My big talent in 4th grade was gargling songs with water.
16. My nickname in college was Chuckie, because I looked like the character from the horror movie, with red hair and freckles!
17. My parents were 44 and 46 when I was born.
18. I'm totally organized at work and totally disorganized at home.
19. My oldest sister had twin boys on my 1st birthday.
20. I hate greeting cards and wrapping paper. Two of the biggest wastes of money ever (imho).
21. I never saw the Godfather, or Star Wars.
22. I love all puzzles. Sudoko, Kakuro, and crosswords are my favorite.
23. I'm great at math and english, horrible at science, history, and languages.
24. Hubby's a chemist. I have absolutely no idea what he does.
25. I have no artistic talent whatsoever.
26. We're big Dallas Cowboy fans. Went to Dallas on our honeymoon on the way to Hawaii to see the Cowboys play the Giants on Monday Night Football.
27. Went back on our 1st anniversary, and were next to another couple who were there on their honeymoon.
28. I think New Years Eve is the most overrated holiday ever. I've only had one stellar one in 36 years!
29. I love sports and hate shopping. I tell hubby that's why I'm such a catch!
30. I'm pretty cynical.
31. Love Connection with Chuck Wollery was my favorite show in college.
32. I love to cook gourmet meals and eat them with a glass of wine (or two)!
33. I love watching David Letterman and I met Jay Leno 20 years ago (before he was big).
33. I think I'm pretty fun.

I've really gotten a kick out of reading everyone's lists!

2 updates on my last post...Went to the site where I get my discounted gift cards. Amazon, CC, and a whole bunch of others were out of stock, and they no longer sell Target, Home Depot, and Lowes. Yikes...Went to fatwallet.com, and it seems like the contract with those 3 companies may have expired. Went back on the site later in the day and Amazon and CC were available, so I jumped at it while I had the chance. Hopefully it will go smoothly...

It made me a bit more cautious about checking into the site mentioned by StressLess. They sell discounted gas cards, which are also being discontinued on the site I go to. So I need to do some research to make sure that everything is ok there.

I've been lazy about tracking my expenses lately. I usually get this way at the end of the year...I figure I'll start with a clean slate in January, and that will excuse my total disregard for numbers in November and December. I'll try for my own sake to overcome this.

(Have you ever noticed that I go ... alot? I don't know why, but it's really annoying!)

My goal through the end of the year is to use up various calling cards I've acquired. I just received $30 calling cards from IDT as a result of a class action settlement, and probably have another 30 minutes or so on other cards. My plan is to use them as needed during the day, so I don't eat up my cell phone minutes. There's definitely an opportunity for savings here...I never think when I call someone - I just pick up the phone.

I also received a letter in the mail about a class action suit against Verizon Wireles. I need to read the details, but at first glance it looks like a $15 credit on my cell phone bill when it settles. Every little bit helps.

I took a quick glance at the Leisure Plus program that StressLess mentioned. I agree with her that I'm not sure that it's worth it...You can save a max of $180 on gas cards, but there's a $90 yearly fee, so you really only save $90, and I don't think there are many other aspects of the program I'd take advantage of. Still...$90 is $90. I'll have to consider this further.

Not much further along on the Christmas front. I do need to order some discounted gift cards to use at Amazon and Circuit City, so I'll be doing that this week.

The contractor came today to fix my kitchen sink, which broke last Tuesday night. I've never been so happy to do dishes! Having to cart them from the kitchen to the bathroom and back has NOT been fun!

The kids are off tomorrow and Friday. I'm working tomorrow, so the kids are going to grandma's. On Friday we're taking the day off to go to lunch and the planetarium with my sister and nephew. The kids LOVE the planetarium, so it should be a great day...

I overestimated my dependent care for the year, so I'm going to lose some $ in my flexible spending account. The amount was already set when I switched departments (and hours) at work. Because I was going from one p/t job to another, I couldn't switch the amounts mid-year. Depending on how much I use the aftercare at school through the end of the year, it could be as much as $500. I'm trying not to stress too much, because $250 of my contributions are paid by hubby's company, and the tax break I'm getting on what I have used more than makes up for it, but still...

On the flip side, I'm excited about my health care FSA for next year. I increased the amount based on this year's usage. Now that otc medicines are eligible for reimbursements, I can double dip by submitting them to my FSA (and thus paying for them pre-tax). Pretty cool...

So that's about it here...we're in a lull, thank goodness!

My anniversary is tomorrow - 12 years! To celebrate, kids are sleeping over at grandmas and we're going to a PTO fundraising dinner. Tomorrow, we're bringing the kids home and hanging around the house all day.

It's been COLD here - high in the mid-40s today, same tomorrow. I'm hoping hubby will light a fire tomorrow. First one of the fall. The chimney guy cleaned it out on Tuesday so it's ready to go!

DS's birthday is Monday (6!). We'll go to Grandma's for dinner so we can celebrate together. I still need to go shopping for his gifts. I know what to get, just need to get to the store.

Speaking of gifts, it's time I turn my attention to Christmas. I had the kids' pictures taken on Thursday and got them back today. (Talk about fast service - what a pleasant experience this was)! I think I have Christmas cards that I bought after Christmas last year, so I can begin writing them out at my leisure so they're ready to go Dec. 1.

I'm getting to be a Scrooge about Christmas cards. Aside from a few people that I'd really like to touch base with, why bother sending a card to someone just because I've done it every other year? There are so many people on the list that I only communicate with through Christmas cards (and vice versa), and I don't know that I'm really brightening their day by sending a message of good cheer. I'll have to ponder that one (more likely, see how many cards I have leftover lol!).

I also need to take a look at my gift list. DD's is easy, because she wants everything under the sun. DS is harder, because he's a pretty content kid, and I usually use up all of my ideas for him for his birthday. I'll need to think about hubby, too. I'm pretty good about writing ideas down during the year, just need to check back and see what I have.

As for the others, again, I'm going to cut down where I can. It just gets crazy. On the flip side, I always "adopt" a few kids through a program at work, and I feel awesome about that, because these kids would have nothing if not for the volunteers who take them. The kids are old enough to get involved with that, too this year.

Sorry for the long, rambling message. Haven't had a chance to post frequently, so I figured I'd have a brain dump and get it all out now...

I posted a few weeks back about the flood in my bathroom thanks to a broken pipe under the sink.

For the last week, the kitchen sink faucet has been acting up. We'd jiggle the handle and it would shut off, although there was usually an annoying drip. Well, tonight it didn't shut off. At all. Coming out full blast.

Hubby is away on a business trip through Tursday afternoon. I tried shutting off the knobs under the sink, but they are so old and stripped (?) they weren't budging. So I went downstairs and shut off water to the house.

After I settled down, I looked around the basement for a valve that would shut off only the kitchen water. Couldn't find one. I traced the pipes back to the main shut off valve. That's the only way to keep it off.

So then, I got a pair of pliers from hubby's toolbox, figuring the under-sink valves might budge. But that didn't work either.

Called dear sister, whose boyfriend has done some plumbing work and lives about 20 minutes away. He gave me the name of a plumber friend in my town. So I called him, but he "doesn't go out at night" and was booked tomorrow. So DS's boyfriend is going to take care of it sometime tomorrow.

In the meantime, the water to the house is shut off. Fortunately, the kids have already had their baths. I had them brush their teeth with bottled water. Later, I'll turn the water on and take a quick shower before turning it off again for the night. I'll catch what I can in the sink and water the plants.

Hopefully it'll be fixed by tomorrow afternoon, and all it will cost me is dinner for my sister and her boyfriend.

Thank goodness our water is so ridiculously cheap. Between the bathroom and the kitchen, we're going through water like it was, well, water!

Sorry for the long disjointed rant...

We had SO much fun today! I was in school for DD's Halloween party, and the parade. We got home, and ventured out at 3:30 to go trick-or-treating. We were back at 5:10, which was absolutely perfect timing. The kids (5 & 7) were BEAT. The weather was perfect, too. Near 70, which is something else for the end of October...I put them right into the bath (after having a piece of candy, of course). We're about ready to eat, then an early bed, if they're not too sugared up!

That will leave me time tonight to finish the October numbers and see where things stand. Looking forward to a quiet night.

I'm in a good place with October ending. I'm off today and tomorrow, so I'm able to get some things done. (Nothing great, just the typical stuff I normally have no time for).

I'm looking forward to Halloween tomorrow. The kids are so excited. They have a parade at school, followed by some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

I need to tally up all of my October spending and check the budget. I'm anxious to see how much my gas bill went down now that I'm taking the train to work. Also, the gas company is coming tomorrow morning to install a special meter that they can read from the street. That'll allow me to actually get an actual reading each month...hoping this will go down too.

It's going to be an expensive week coming up. Our anniversary is Saturday, and DS's birthday is next Monday. I also scheduled the kids' Christmas pictures for Thursday afternoon. It's getting to be that time of the year again...

Wow, it's been a week since I last posted. Where does the time go? I'm on this site everyday catching up on the blogs, but I haven't had the time to sit down and write one myself!

Things are hectic but fine. October was a good month financially. I got a small bonus at work (unexpected) and MIL gives us some money each September, so we have that in the account as well. It came in handy. We paid off the small remaining balance on our HELOC ($1700+), so now we have about $20k on 0% ccs from the addition we put on the house. The 0% on one card expires in March, and the other next September, so we'll be working to pay those off in time.

We also took some of the extra money and boosted up our emergency fund. We near-depleted it last April when we paid our huge tax bill, so although it still isn't as high as I'd like, I'm at least comfortable with it.

The remaining money is going to sit in the checking account through the end of the year. In addition to the bathroom remodel, we have both kids' birthdays (and parties, presents, etc.), and Christmas. So rather than feel pinched, we'll leave the buffer in there and get through the end of the year...

The bathroom remodel is going slowly. Our contractor took a look at it and said he would do it. We haven't had time to pick out fixtures/tile, and he hasn't sent us the estimate yet. On the one hand, I'm ok with the pace (the slower it goes, the longer before we begin paying!). On the other hand, he said it would take at least a month to do it all, and I'd prefer not to be under construction through the holidays. We'll make due, though.

So that's about it...hubby's been travelling, the kids are busy with school and activities, and I'm busy at work.

(Forgot to mention, I had a RAOK done to me today. I left my monthly train ticket on the train today. Luckily I had my name and # on the back of the ticket, so the woman who found it called me. She gave it to the conductor, and he was going to put it in the lost & found at the station for me. So I'm hoping to get it back tomorrow. I have a single ticket to get me in tomorrow, but if I have to replace it through the end of the month it'll cost me about $60!)

So I signed up for Bank of America's "Keep the Change" program last year. Every time I use my debit card, they round the amount up to the nearest dollar and transfer the change to my savings account. Transfers are made daily. In addition, they match what they transfer. For the first 3 months, they were matching $ for $, thereafter, they match at 5%. Once a year they transfer the matching amounts to the savings account. I just received $27+ in matching funds!

OK, so it's not going to pay off my mortgage or anything, but considering it cost me absolutely nothing, I think it's a good deal. Also, I used the debit card aggressively the first 3 months, but only sporadically thereafter. I kind of like it, though, and think I'll use it more. (Which is the whole point of the program).

No big financial news. I sent out a $3 Musselman's applesauce rebate, but that's been about it. Status quo is the way to go...

I made some serious headway into the mounds of paperwork in my house. I signed up for some health benefits under hubby's open enrollment. I need to do the ones we get from my company tomorrow. Also wrote out checks for picture days and a scholastic book order. Gathered up my Box Tops for Education and Campbell's Labels for Education.

(Shameless begging: for any blog readers who don't have young kids or whose kids' schools don't do box tops, I'd appreciate it if you could send them my way. You can find them on Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Ziploc, Kleenex, and a whole host of products. Each box top gets $.10 back for the school, to help fund things that are inevitably cut in the budget. So if you have them and don't need them, send them my way!)

Shameless plug over. October's been a good month. Bills are paid, and I got a small bonus thrown my way at work, which will help with some of the work on the bathroom. I realize (pleasantly) that I haven't really thought about Christmas yet. We're decorated for Halloween, and I've picked up / picked out a few things for Christmas, but not much more than that. Usually by this time of year, Christmas pix of the kids are done, shopping's done, etc. (Though I do need to get the pictures scheduled, just because those places get nuts once November hits!)

So that's about it here. Just plugging along through the end of the week...

Check out an interesting article from MSNBC on Trilegant, the company behind those 30-day free trials:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15104735/

Basically, it's about how your bank may be partnering with this company to provide credit card information, so that after the "30-day free trial" is over, they can continue to bill you. The Connecticut BBB has received over 300 complaints about this company in the last 3 years.

To be fair, I took advantage of every one of their programs (sometimes 2 or 3 times!) earlier this year, and never had a problem. But I was also very diligient about calling to cancel within the 30-day period and checking my credit card and bank statements to make sure nothing was amiss.

I guess it's like everything else - let the buyer beware!

I've been meaning to check out Hot Coupon World for a week or so, since Flash mentioned it in one of her blogs. Wow!

It's totally forum-based. I looked at the forum of drugstore and grocery store deals. Basically, they post about what's on sale, what coupons are available, how they stacked things to get the best deal, etc. For every store I shop at! So now, each Saturday when I check the ads, I can check my strategy against what these gals (primarily) are doing and see where I can tweak it a bit more. I am so excited!

It's been a pretty quiet few days. Just waiting for payday tomorrow. October is shaping up to be the first really good financial month I've had in a while. (Finally!)

I checked the RiteAid website and, as expected, the oatmeal went "on sale". Still $3/box (which ain't on sale in my book - I can usually get it for $1 or $2). But combined with my coupons and rebates I went for it.

I bought 5 boxes @ $3 = $15. I had $3 in coupons, bringing it down to $12. RiteAid will give me a $4 rebate, and I have a mail-in rebate from Quaker for $5. Net result: 5 boxes for $3 = $.60/box or $.06/packet. Ain't bad. I also picked up Electrasol dishwasher detergent for $.49 after rebate. Worth the trip.

I also hit CVS. They have a bunch of far items this month. You get the credit in the form of "ExtraBucks" that can be used in CVS. Not sure how I'll like this program, but I figured it'd be worth a try.

Hubby went fishing this morning, and the kids went to Grandma's, so I was able to go shopping by myself. I made out great!

First stop: Walgreens

Glade Candles 2@$2.50ea - $2 coup = $3
Glade PlugIns Refills 2@$2.50-$1 coup= $4
Glade PlugIn Fan $7.99free w/refills, -$1
Scrubbing Bubbles 2@$2.50 -$2 coup = $3
Activa Back Rub 2 oz - $9.99
Rayovac 9V - $3.00
Bubble Mailer - $.99
Tax - $1.89

Total cost: $24.87
Walgreens Rebates: $24.29
Total spent after rebates: $.58

Can't beat that...

Next stop: A&P

Yoplait yogurt 12/$4.22 after coupon
Dozen large eggs $.99
5lb sugar $1.99 (2) = $3.98
1lb butter $2.00 (2) = $4
Keebler Crusts $1 ea (3) = $3
Vive Shampoo + Vive Conditioner - Both free (B1G1 store deal + B1G1 coupon)

Total spent: $16.82

Final stop: ShopRite

Too many things to itemize. Highlights were Musselman's applesauce 6/$6.80, and I have a $3 mir. Also, used my $5/40 coupon from Amy.

So a great trip. Today, I'm going to make meatballs for the freezer, and a peach/blackberry cobbler from the frozen fruit I have on hand. I'm off from work tomorrow. Life is good...

Two posts in one day is pretty rare for me, but I have a great savings opportunity during this year's open enrollment for health benefits.

For as long as I've worked part-time (8 years), we always got our benefits through hubby's company because I was never sure I would stay employed for the whole year. (In retrospect, this was a mistake, because if I had quit/been fired, we would have been eligible to get the benefits through hubby mid-year).

Anyway, with open enrollment for both of us approaching, I decided to take a closer look at our benefits.

By switching our health plan and getting it through my company, we will save over $1100/year, with better benefits! Hubby's doctor and the kids' doctor are in both plans, so that's a wash. Neither of my doctors (regular and obgyn) are in my plan, but for $1100 I'm willing to switch. My old obgyn is in my plan, so I'll go back to him. (Really liked him, but he's far away. For a once a year checkup, I'll suck it up). I usually see my regular doctor for a physical every 2 years, plus the (very) occasional cold, so I'll be satisfied with anyone.

If I make this switch, I'll save $687 in premiums per year. My prescription plan is also much better than hubby's, and will save us $454/year, assuming we continue to use the same meds. In addition, I have no in-network deductible (vs. his $500 indiv/$1000 family), My out-of-network deductible is $300/$600 instead of $500/$1000, and my copay is only $15 vs. his $20. Can you spell "no-brainer"?

My vision plan also has similar benefits to hubby's. The premiums listed on our benefits website are suspiciously low, so I need to confirm them next week at the benefits open house. If they are what they say they are, I'll be switching that too.

Finally, my dental plan has better coverage than hubby's, for about the same price. Only downside is that the kids' dentist (who I think is GREAT) isn't in my plan, and it's not worth switching dentists, or paying him full price.

So I'll bask in the savings from the health plan, and possibly the vision plan. It was definitely a little tedious to compare the plans, but well worth it in the end. Even if mine wasn't better, at least I'd know I checked it out.

So all of you two-career families out there in frugal-land...check both your benefits!!

I should be a paid spokesperson for this company for all the times I talk about how great they are! I called the 1-800 number at 3:15 today to tell them about my water damage. They had an agent call me back within 15 minutes. He said he'd have a company they use to assess the water damage get in touch with me. They called within 1/2 hour, then the co-owners of the company were at my house at 5:00. They looked at the damage, and said they would have a crew at my house tomorrow morning at 9:30 to begin drying everything up and seeing if the rug can be saved. (I'm sure it can't - it's at least 15 years old and pretty ratty!).

Then our contractor called us back. We told him what happened, and that we're thinking about remodeling part of the bathroom (not a wholesale overhaul, but putting down tile instead of carpet, and a new shower). He said if the insurance company asks for an estimate, call him and he'll give us one, and once we get the check and are ready to remodel, he'll be happy to do it. Music to our ears...we thought this would be too small a job for him. I guess the fact that he's done work for us in the past helps.

So although my bathroom is out of commission for at least the next 5 days while they dry it out (thankfully we have others to use), and the carpet is still soaked, things are looking up a bit.

On to other news...Thank you Amy for $15 of free Shoprite coupons!!! ($5/$40 for the next three weeks) Those savings will be going right into my challenge account, thank you very much.

More great news...I think my gas bill will actually go DOWN when they review it. I'm on budget billing, and their last estimated reading was higher than my actual usage. I'm hoping the bill will drop $10-15 per month.

My other great savings opportunity is health insurance through open enrollment, but that's such a great story, it deserves a separate post!

I had an entry planned for today, but this one takes the cake!

I came home from work/picking the kids up from school and walked into the house. Heard a noise that sounded like the bathtub running. Went into my bathroom to find that the pipe underneath the sink burst, and the carpet was SATURATED. It must have happened hours ago, judging by the amount of water on the floor.

So I tried to shut it off underneath the sink, but couldn't see because it was gushing so badly. Called hubby at work - no answer. Called our plumber - no answer. Finally called the water company and they told me how to figure out where the shut off valve was.

Fortunately, it only shut water off to half of the house, so we still have access to toilets, shower, and laundry. Downside is that we'll need the plumber to fix the pipe, and I have no idea what to do about the carpet. It would take forever to wet/dry vac the thing.

Hubby's on his way home from work now to bail us out (no pun intended). We'll assess the damage from there.

I have been REALLY into rebates lately, and have read with envy Flash's and Retire@50's Del Monte savings. I'm now biding my time to take advantage of the Quaker Oatmeal rebate:

RiteAid has a rebate this month, buy 4 participating PepsiCo products (including Quaker Oatmeal), get $4 back.

Quaker has a rebate, buy 5 products get $5 back.

I have 2 coupons for $1/2 Quaker Oatmeal.

So if I buy 5 boxes, I'll get $11 off/back ($4 from Riteaid, $5 from Quaker, and $2 from Coupons). (Note, that RiteAid rebate programs are online, so you can use the same register receipt for both).

I was at Riteaid yesterday, and was tempted to buy, except the oatmeal was $4/box(!). So I would have gotten the 5 boxes for $9. Not worth it. I've noticed though, when these stores do their rebate programs, they usually put the rebate items on sale throughout the month. So I'm going to keep my eyes open, and if the price drops to $3/box or less, I'll get them.

Good thing this forum is anonymous. I think most people I know (present company excluded) would think I'm nuts for getting so excited about ways to save a few bucks on oatmeal. Yeah...crazy like a fox!

My goal was to keep the heat off until October 1st, but the house was at 64 degrees all day yesterday. The low was projected to be 51 last night, and we were pretty cold, so we turned on the heat to 67. It was only 11:30p.m., so I missed my goal by 1/2 hour.

I had an unexpected break today. Hubby's friend came to visit with his 2 boys, so he and hubby took my kids and his kids to lunch and bowling! I was able to go grocery shopping in peace!

Deal of the day: ShopRite had an 18 pack of Rayovac AA batteries on sale for $2.99, and Rayovac is offering a $3 rebate on any purchase, so I'll get them for free !

I also hit Walgreens for some of their October rebates, including a family size Fructis shampoo free after rebate (+ $1 coupon, so I make out on the deal!).

I need to mail out the September Walgreens rebate and the Rayovac rebate tomorrow. The trains are also going out tomorrow, so hopefully they'll run a bit more smoothly now...

I love the last day of the month because my finances always look GREAT! (As opposed to the other 29/30 days). Net worth went up 5% for the month, and is up over 35% for the year, due primarily to a strong stock market and some incredible 401(k) performances. (Mine is up over 10% for the year, hubby's is up over 8%). The slow and steady payoff of debt (mortgage, car pmts, etc.) helps too.

Second observation of the day (keep in mind that I'm a technical dummy), wireless internet is great! I just got a new laptop for work, and it has wireless capability. So instead of sitting at a desk by the computer, I can sit on the couch while online. Pretty cool.

I'm really looking forward to the weekend. This cold is still knocking me out, despite 3 days of antibiotics, but I am feeling a bit better. Tomorrow after soccer, hubby is taking the kids to his mom's for dinner, while I go for a 1 1/2 hour massage (with gift certificate I've had since Mother's Day), so no money out-of-pocket. Sunday is supposed to be pretty rainy. I need to get back to my baking and cooking after taking 2 weeks off.

Here's a rant: Why are savings bonds so hard to redeem? I went to the bank where my kids have their passbook accounts, figuring it would be no big deal. The employee made it seem like SUCH a big deal, they needed a special stamp, yada, yada, yada. Never got done because I had to get going. I also found out that when SIL purchased 2 of the bonds, she made them out to herself and not the kids. So I was told that she'd have to cash them, which is a problem because I almost never talk to her! I'm going to go to my bank and see if it's easier there...

So that's it for now. I'm going to revel in my great net worth numbers before facing the day-to-day reality of my financial situation tomorrow!

Home from work again today. The doctor gave me some horse-sized antibiotic yesterday. I'm on Day 2 of 7...hopefully I'll kick this soon. In the meantime, I'm taking DS to the doctor today. He's still coughing, and I want it checked out in case he needs an antibiotic as well. I hope this isn't a foreshadowing of winter.

I did, however, have the chance to sit in bed and go through the huge packet of coupons Flash sent with the trains. I thought the complaints about expired coupons was overblown until I threw out at least 500 hundred of them! I was going to go back through the garbage can and count them, but it wasn't worth the effort. They're all fixed now and ready to go.

I got the $10 Pepsi Labor Day rebate yesterday, so anyone else waiting on it -hang in there, you should get it soon.

So I caught whatever DS had. (Do you think that it has anything to do with the fact that he hangs all over me breathing and coughing)? Wouldn't trade the snuggle time for anything in the world, but I'm paying for it now!

I have been sneezing, coughing, etc. for 24 hours now. I'm actually calling the doctor for an appointment today (which I NEVER do), that's how bad it is. Everytime I cough I can feel it in my chest, so I just want to make sure it's not bronchitis or anything.

So I stayed home from work today. I need to participate in a few meetings, and other than the doctor's, I don't think I'll have energy for much else.

It will be a great opportunity to get my trains organized. We're making a few changes to the Northeaster and the Bullet trains, and Flash mailed them to me a few days ago, so I may get them later on. We're rolling out some new rules/guidelines to make sure that the trains can be tracked a little better, and to make sure that everyone is doing their part. One thing that confuses me are the comments about how many expired coupons show up in the packets...it costs more to mail a heavier package, so why not take the expired coupons out before going to the post office? Don't get it...

I'm also going to request my RiteAid rebate check, and fill out the Walgreens Sep rebate and the second Ensure rebate. I think I'll be pretty caught up after that.

Off to call the doctor. Blech...