A few weeks ago, I cashed a $15 check to enroll in Citibank's credit protector 30-day free trial. They must have thought I was a good find, because they just sent me a $10 check to sign up for their identity theft 30-day free trial. I'm disciplined enough to cancel before the 30 days, so I'm thinking of doing it.

(By the way, re: the credit protector, they normally charge $.89/$100 balance. In the promo materials, they say they waive it for people that pay their balance in full, but when I received the materials, it wasn't anywhere in there. I'm going to call and cancel tomorrow, and see what exactly the deal is).

Other than that, a pretty uneventful day. Hubby's friend is visiting for the night, so we ordered takeout Greek food ($30). We have a pretty quiet weekend planned. Sister and nephew are coming for a sleepover tomorrow, and hubby's friend from HS will be here with his family Saturday. I'll need to check the freezer to see what I can cook. We may go raspberry, blackberry and peach picking on Sunday.

Hope everyone is well...

First, a few musings about our vacation in the Outerbanks: 1) I've never seen thunderstorms like I did there. Every late afternoon, the skies would open up and absolutely POUR! Torrential! Luckily it didn't affect the day too much, as we were good about getting out to the beach mid-morning, pool in the afternoon, so the kids were ready for a break when the storms came. 2) What should have been an 8.5-9 hour trip took 12.5 hours on the way home. Every road we took had traffic or an accident, and we ran into major thunderstorms between Washington and Baltimore, then again in NJ. Got home at 10:15 on Sunday and we were all exhausted. But we did have a great time!

I updated my net worth when I got back and was up just under 2% for the month. I need to finalize the June numbers and see what July looks like.

A few good pieces of news when I got back: First, the $14000 transfer from the HELOC to the 0% card went through, leaving me with a HELOC balance of about $1700. I'll try to pay that off as quickly as possible, then tackle the 2 0% cards. Second, Citibank deposited the $200 bonus I was supposed to get for opening that account. I also got a few rebates in the mail that I was waiting for.

As for the challenge, I'm thinking about wrapping it up for the year, too. The Citi bonus was the last big thing outstanding, and I was planning on using the money for my trip to California at the end of this month, so I'll be draining all the money from the account.

Of course, I'll still take advantage of rebates, book sales, etc., but that money will be going toward the HELOC, instead of into a separate account. I need to take a break from the bank offers and free trials, which were a big part of the money I've made so far this year. I loved the challenge, though, and will be back in 2007!

My next step is to recap the first half of the year and see what's good, what's bad and what's ugly.

...every time you call you get a different price! Last time we brought the car in for an oil change, the guy said that we would need breaks. They didn't need to be fixed immediately, but should be fixed during the next oil change. So here comes this oil change, and a different guy mentions nothing about the breaks, but by the way, we really should get the 45,000 mile service (for $450). Uh, next time. I'll need to work that one into the budget. So the cost of the oil change and the a/c fix (which ended up being a switch problem) came to about $120. The windshield was successfully repaired the next day for $275. Both expensive, but less than I thought, and I haven't had many "maintenance" charges this year, so I'm still within budget for the category.

Aside from the car stuff, I haven't had much spending for the past few days. Went to dad's today, he treated for dinner, and have been spending much of the night preparing for our vacation in NC. We're leaving tomorrow morning. Should be a cheap week, as the house is paid for, we eat in (and split the cost of the groceries with DB), and don't really go out too much. Grandma gave the kids money for souvenirs, so they're set.

I'll be back next Sunday. Hope everyone has a great week!

Here's my saga with the 0% credit cards: I had a heloc for about $22,000 from a capital improvement we made to the house. I was able to transfer about $7000 to a 0% cc from Citibank, leaving me with a balance of about 15k. When I opened the heloc, the rate was about 3.5%, now it's 7.25% and rising. So a few months ago, I applied for a Chase 0% cc. Thinking it didn't go through (they sometimes take a while), I inadvertently applied for a second one from Chase. Realized it and cancelled the first one. Then, the balance transfer didn't go through on the second one because I gave the wrong payment address. (Argh!). The deal was that you can only transfer at 0% on the day you open up the account, so even though it was an innocent mistake, they wouldn't redo the transfer. So I closed that account too. By this point, I was a bit discouraged so I let it go. But after 2 months of paying $100/month interest, I revisited my decision.

So I recently applied for another 0%cc (turned out this one, too, was with chase, but a different one than before). I see online that the credit card was approved, with a $16k credit limit. I requested a $14k transfer, so I'm crossing my fingers that it goes through no problem. Man, I'll be happy to pay this bear off!

Other than that, a quiet day. I went to work, hubby came back from his trip. Had an annual doctor visit (no charge - preventative visits are covered). All good.

We did need to put the car we're bringing to NC in for an oil change, and they need to boost the A/C because it's only working intermittently. Not sure how much that will run us, but we can't go on an 9-hour trip without it. Also, a truck kicked up a rock onto the windshield, so that's being fixed on Friday, for $275. A lot of money, but less than I thought it would be. Can't believe vacation is only 4 days away...

Freebie of the day (actually from last week but I think I forgot to mention it): A new, state-of-the-art Exxon opened up in my town. Nicest gas station you've ever seen, with the car wash and the store. They're having a grand opening promotion where you can stop in and get a free travel coffee mug (with coffee), so I did. I always bring coffee in the car when I'm driving to work, and so the mug will work out great.

On to today, I stayed at home all day, except to drop off and pick up DD from school. I called Citibank re: the $100 bonus. The rep saw that I should have received it, and she's putting through an investigation. I should hear back in 5-7 days.

Ever since Jeffrey wrote the article about embracing junk mail, I've been taking a good look at mine. I mentioned yesterday that I cashed the $15 check to try out the Citibank credit protector program. Well today, I received an offer for a free auto insurance quote from another company (it would take a lot to get me to switch from Liberty Mutual, but I always like to check out the quotes anyway).

I also received an offer for Accidental Death Insurance from PNC Bank. Their rates are astronomical, relative to what we can get through work for the same coverage, but here's the question: They will "give" you $1,000 in coverage for free. No obligation, no cost. So I'm debating whether or not to do that. I get offers like these ALL THE TIME, some for trial periods, some low dollar gimmes like this one. I imagine it will add to my organizational burden by requiring a new folder, but other than that, I'm not sure of the downside. It's amazing how much "stuff" (money, product, etc.) people are willing to give you if you have your eyes open.

I'm off now to update my June numbers and see how things shake out for the rest of the month, then off to bed early...

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...

OK, so the title is a bit disingenuous. I only decided to save the food because I was so disgusted at what I had to throw out as I cleaned out my fridge. So I salvaged what I could.

We had company last weekend, and I bought fresh basil, parsley, cilantro and sage. I used a few tablespoons (max) of each, and left the rest in the fridge. Fortunately, I was able to save it. I chopped it all up and froze it, so I will have "fresh" herbs next time I need them, until my herb garden fills out. Ditto with some celery that was starting to go, but would be perfectly good in soup. I also froze a cup of chicken broth and about 1/2 of a 28 oz can of tomatoes. I throw out WAY too much food and need to get a grip on it...

I also started going through my pantry and checking expiration dates. I usually do a pretty good job of rotating stock. However, there are a few things that don't have dates stamped on them (they use factory codes instead - I don't get why they can't put the date on). Anyway, some of these don't have contact numbers, or their websites don't have info on shelf life, so I need to be creative and figure out how to get that info so I don't waste the stuff.

I'm also doing the same in the bathroom. I've acquired quite a few tubes of toothpaste, deoderants, mouthwash, etc. through freebies and rebates and I need to check the dates to see when they expire, and prioritize their use.

A bit off topic, but I have a question for Flash. Do you have any idea why coupons don't all expire on the last day of the month? I have no problem with the 6-weeks or so they give me before they expire, but it's SO annoying to find a coupon that expired on 6/17. Why not 6/30? Don't get it.

Tomorrow, our town is having a fair and fireworks. Free, though we'll probably get dinner there. (The fire department sells hot dogs, burgers, beer, and soda as a fundraiser). Other than that, we'll be pool side. I need to get a few gifts for Father's Day, but I have gift cards, so there shouldn't be too much cash out of pocket.

On the challenge front, I need to call Citibank about that first bonus, and mail out another gas voucher. But nothing came in so the total is the same. I also mailed out the coupon train earlier in the week for $4.05.

New Total: $1079.75/$2000

Outstanding items: $100 (Citi bonus 1), $100 (Citi bonus 2), $2 (Chandon rebate), IDT Phone card(s)(?), $5 (PNC gas voucher), $5 (PNC Gas Voucher 2), $10 Shoppers Essential Voucher, $20 Passport to Fun Voucher, $30 Sprint phone card.

Coupon Train Total: $33.24

Some progress on my todo list: I applied for a 0% credit card that I had been preapproved for. Hopefully, the transfer from the HELOC will go through this time and I can stop paying 7.25% interest. I should hear about it in 2 weeks or so.

I also checked out the dates AAA is offering the defensive driving course: July 8 at one location, August 5 at another. I'll check our calendars and sign up for one of those.

I signed up for a California 529 because of a promotion they were doing a while back. I've been meaning to close that account and merge the funds with my NY529. Thought it was a bigger deal to do this. Turns out, I need to download a form from NY's site, fill it out and mail it in. They take care of the rest. Can't get much easier than that!

I also went on to Marriott's site to get details about the points mixup from our trip to Baltimore. Before I actually spoke with someone, I realize that we have enough points to pay for 2 of the nights we'll be in California in July, so rather than go through the hassle of having them credit us for the Baltimore trip, I may have them apply the points against the California trip instead. It all comes out in the wash...

So as always, I still have a lot to do but at least I feel like I'm making a dent. I need to think about what else needs to get done and make a new list (I'm a list person...). We're leaving for vacation in NC on 6/25, so I'd like to have things organized (relatively) before then...

On the challenge front, I'll update the totals next time, but I got the free coupon for a free iced tea 1/2 gallon from Turkey Hill. (BTW, this is a great company. If you call or sign up with them, they send you a calendar each year, filled with coupons).

It's been 4 days since my last post. Not ideal, but typical. Looking over my to-do list, I'm making progress on 2 of the 4 things: I'm targeting July 3 or 5 to get the kids' passports done, because both hubby and I are off. Also, I received an offer for a 0% credit card in the mail so I'll be signing up for that tomorrow. I still need to look into the defensive driving and accident insurance costs.

This was a good weekend. I received the coupon train on Friday (it'll be going out tomorrow. Sorry for the delay, ladies). I also received a $10 check for one of the gas vouchers I sent in.

Just found out today that the hotel we stayed in in Baltimore charged us, instead of using our points, so I need to call them today or tomorrow to get that credited back.

DD is having a pool party today for her friends from school, so I've been a bit preoccupied planning for that. The rest of the week looks blissfully quiet...

Even though I'm on this site every day (and usually several times a day), I feel like I haven't been focusing on my finances as well as I should be. I find that instead of posting daily, I've only been posting two or three times a week, and I've lost track of some things I wanted to do.

So I went back and reread my entries from the first of the year, and wrote down the following things that I meant to do, but never got around to. I'll try to tackle these over the next week:

1) Schedule a date/time to get the kids passports. They sure don't make it easy, as both parents need to appear, or one must send a notarized letter to let the other get them.

2) Check out defensive driving courses. We held off b/c hubby's company usually offers them for less than AAA, but they haven't yet and the year is half over. So I'll check out dates and times and sign us up. Cost will be $120 for the 2 of us, but we'll get a $120 break on our (sky high) auto insurance for 3 years, so it's worth it.

3) Revisit 0% credit cards. I had one with a limit of $7500 that I transferred part of the HELOC to. I tried to transfer the rest of the HELOC to a Chase 0% card, but the transfer didn't go through (my fault, wrong address), and the 0% offer w/ no balance transfer fee was only good the day you opened the card. So I cancelled the Chase card. Despite getting 0% offers regularly, I haven't taken advantage of any others. I still have about $15k on the HELOC, and am paying about $110/month interest (at 7.25%, deductible), so I really need to get going with this.

4) Double check accident insurance rates. Hubby and I both have it through work. I need to check out other companies to see if our rates are competitive. I'll do the same for life insurance, although I checked that not so long ago...

I vow to get back on the wagon...

Two other thoughts as I look back and look ahead...For all of you who did the trial memberships, I've sent vouchers in after I've cancelled and have still received the $10 checks. However, for the last one I tried, I got a letter back from the company saying thanks, but because I cancelled they can't send the $10. Change in policy? Really alert customer service rep? I don't know, but for the $.37 stamps, I'll try once or twice more to see if it happens again.

Second thought: I started MyPoints on 4/15 and I already have 2800 points, primarily for filling out the surveys and clicking on all the emails they send. I need to look to see how much I need to redeem for a gift card, but that added up pretty quickly.

I'm still feeling the effects from my car being towed! Got a certified letter in the mail on Saturday with the TICKET that went along with the towing of my unregistered vehicle. $56. Again, I thought it would be worse, but that brings the total for this little event up to $176! Hopefully this is the end.

I've talked in the past about Main Street Savings, where I can get certain gift cards for 20% off. Well yesterday I ordered the plane tickets for our trip to California through Travelocity, and after I was done with my order, they had a "Get $20 back now" offer. I figured it was for one of the free-trial deals that I've been signing up for, but instead, it was a free trial to Passport to Fun (free $20), and another for Shopping Essentials (free $10). They're just like MSS, and run by the same company, but with different gift cards (and some overlap). I think I'll cancel SE after the month's up, because I didn't really need the stores they had, but I think it would be worth it to keep PTF. These invites are hard to get, in that if you go looking for them, you can't find them. So if anyone is interested in joining, keep your eyes open on your credit card websites (where I found MSS) and when ordering online to see if any offers like these come up.

Not much on the challenge front, though I did go to Eckerds to take advantage of some sales/rebates, and used a $2 coupon from one of the trains, bringing my train totals to $37.29.

As usual, I'm feeling a bit disorganized. I need to take some time tonight to file some papers and get my act together!

That's what it took to get my car back. First thing Thursday morning, hubby went to DMV to renew the registration ($48.50). After we dropped the kids at school, we went to the police station in Newark to show them the new registration and get our car released. Then, we had to drive to the towing company in Jersey city to actually pick up the car. I don't know how many of you are familiar with North Jersey, but what is literally a 5-10 mile trip took about 45 minutes! The towing company charged us $120.

Here are my thoughts after this ordeal:
1) Thanks, everyone who posted comments of support...I was happy to read them all!
2) Hubby and I took this a lot better than I thought we would. We were patient, and not too stressed. We were resigned to the fact that it was our fault and there was nothing we could do but make lemonade out of lemons. At least we got a few hours of quality time together...
3) I'm fortunate to have a job where I don't "punch a clock" and a boss who's flexible. Hubby's job is the same. I think that's why we were able to keep a cool head.
4) Finally, I have now put reminders in my calendar to register the cars when they come due. Hopefully I can learn from this...

Other than that, I cancelled the last of my trial memberships today. I have offers through mypoints for two more, but I think I'm going to pass for now. I'm trial-membershipped out. I am pleased with the way they worked, though. Definitely worth it.

I'm having a good day...I received my NYS tax refund of $1673. It will immediately go back into our savings account, from which the hefty Federal Tax bill was paid. It will feel good to start building that back up.

I also got an offer from my Citibank Drivers' Edge card. For 3 months, they'll give us a 5% credit on all purchases, instead of the usual 2%. We charge everything and pay the bill each month, so for 5% it will be worth it to use that card more over the next few months...

I worked from home today, because it was DS's Kindergarten Orientation. Other than taking the kids back & forth to school, I didn't leave the house. So I saved $34 by not going into work ($20 parking, $2.05 tolls, and ~$12 gas).

I also have dinner in the CrockPot. One thing about crockpots: you're totally screwed if there's a blackout! Our power went out for 1 1/2 hours this morning. Luckily I was home so when it came back on, I reset the Crockpot and am good to go. Had I been at work, we'd be ordering out tonight!

While on the subject of Crockpots, I'm going to start a "Worth It/Not Worth It" list in my blog. Today, for the first time, I used Crock Pot liners by Reynolds Wrap. Absolutely no mess! No baked on gook. I received a sample package of 4 in the mail (which makes them even MORE worth it), and I don't know what they cost at the store. But I'm thinking if they're at all reasonable, with a coupon, then they're WORTH IT! I'd love to see others list items in their blogs that they think are worth it or not...

Wow, that last entry was a downer...I'm now officially over myself!

It's going to be a dreary rainy weekend, which is ok by me. We've got a birthday party and communion party tomorrow (still need to get the communion gift). Sunday we're going to MIL's for the afternoon. We usually pick up hanging baskets for her, and flowers for hubby's aunts. I'll be hoping (lucky) to keep it under $50.

I'm excited about an email I received today. I have a number of Magic School Bus books listed on half.com. Someone emailed to check the shape of the books, because they wanted them for gifts. I wrote back that they were practically new, and to let me know which ones she wanted. I'm hoping that she'll buy a few of them, which will add $2 each to my challenge.

My goal this weekend (in addition to relaxing) is to start the review of my budget. I took out a new finance book from the library...mostly the same stuff, but I'll use it as reference as I go through my list.

Wow, it's been almost a week since I've posted. I'm on this site every day, but just haven't had the time to update the blog.

Had a busy week. Went to a Communion on Saturday, and had a Cinco de Mayo party yesterday. The party caused the grocery bill to be much higher than normal, but I should still be able to stay within budget this month.

I need to update my budget and see how things are looking for May. I did pay the last preschool bill last month, so that should be a big help getting things back to normal.

Like alot of people here, it seems like May is pretty crazy with the gifts. We have one more Communion next weekend, MIL's mother's day present, plus whatever hubby gets for me, a birthday and a bridal shower present (already have gift cards for both) and 2 kids' birthday parties (already have presents for both). So I'm hoping the bank won't be broken...

Updates to the challenge: Not much. Got the $4.10 deposit from half.com. Need to call Citibank about the first $100 bonus.

New Total: $834.74/$2000

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

ShopRite is running a promotion where you can get up to 30% off based on how much you spend in a set 5-week period. ($300=10%, $600=20%, $900=30%). Dad's bill on Saturday was about $325, so I got a 10% coupon already. I'll definitely spend enough over the month to get the second certificate, for a total of 20% off. Combine that with the coupons I hope to get from the coupon train next time it stops by me and I'll be ready to stock up!

The Communion on Sunday was fun; great weather. Back to work yesterday and things have been busy! Ran a few errands today, including paying my property taxes, so that's behind me. On to the next thing!

These trial memberships have been great. A friend of ours is getting married in July and is registered at BBB. We want to get her this appliance on her registry for $60, minus 20% coupon = $48 minus $40 in BBB gift cards from these memberships = $8 out of my pocket! Can't beat that!

Have a few more updates to add to the challenge: I'll add in the BBB gift cards, so that brings me to $850.64. I'm also submitting a $5 gas rebate from PNC and a $10 gas rebate from Everyday Values. Not sure if I'll ever receive them, but it's worth the stamp to find out.

New Total: $830.64/$2000

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

My 4/28 paystub will be online tomorrow, so I should be able to close out the books for April. Dread is not the word! I know we'll be over budget due to the tax bill (along with some discretionary spending that went overboard), the question is how much I'll need to take from savings to get the checking account back to the minimum we keep it at.

As an aside, it's amazing how fast the IRS cashes your check when you owe them (5 days), but how long it takes to get a refund (NYS). The kicker is that my company offers free electronic filing and I didn't take advantage of it. (Not sure why)...

Nothing new on the challenge front. I NEED to mail out the book for half.com (tomorrow's the due date). I'll take care of that on my way to work.

Boy are my kids wiped by the end of the week! DD has been such a crankpot since she came home from school and NOTHING is making her happy. I hate days like this...it makes me fear her preteen/teen years! My son is happy but exhausted (just like mom).

Made some more progress on the challenge front. I received the $20 Barnes & Noble gift cards from a trial membership, I got the $50 bonus from Valley National, and half.com deposited the $15.65, so I'll add another $85.65 to my total. I also sold another book on half.com (Feast or famine I tell you), for $2 plus shipping reimbursement minus actual shipping costs. I'll update the total when I mail out the book.

New Total: $781.49/$2000

Outstanding items: $100 (Citi bonus 1), $100 (Citi bonus 2), $2 (Chandon rebate), $5 (GG Rebate), Walgreens Mar (6.30), RiteAid Mar (6.50), half.com ($?), $20 Lowes gc, $20 CC gc, $10 gas voucher (Jan-Mar), IDT Phone card(s) (?)

I can't believe how much I got done today! Went to the bank, 2 grocery stores, BJs, CVS, and the new bank to open my account. I also did a load of laundry, ran the dishwasher, made Rice Krispy treats, and a ham soup with the leftover ham bone from Easter. (And it came out pretty well, if I say so myself)! This is in addition to spending an hour at the park, and DD's softball practice for 2 hours. I'm about to pass out!

The big news today was opening the new bank account. Anybody who's read through my posts knows how much I rave about Affinity Bank in California. Well, for those of us in Northern NJ/Manhattan, Valley National Bank is a close second. I opened savings accounts for the kids last fall. They'll match up to the first $10 the kids deposit, which I thought was cool. And even though their savings rate is paltry, I like the idea of having a brick and mortar place the kids can visit to deposit their money.

So they're running a promotion through the end of the month where they'll give you $50 for opening a free checking account. No minimum required to open the account, no minimum balance, no fees, no nothing. And the $50 will be credited to my account tomorrow. (I need to leave the account open for a minimum of 6 months). One of the bummers associated with these bank deals is that you need to wait for them to credit you the bonus, sometimes follow up, etc. Can't beat having it in hand the next day. LOVE this bank...

Off to bed...

I hope everyone had a great Easter. We were at MIL's...big spread, far more than I prefer. (I'm Irish and hubby's Italian. Even after 11 years of marriage I've never gotten used to all the food that's served, eaten and wasted on holidays!)

Anyway, after gorging ourselves all day, we came home with plenty of leftovers: lamb to have tonight for dinner, coldcuts and other pickings from the antipasto, and about 20 pieces of spiral ham, plus the bone. I'm thinking of making some sort of soup with this, but I need a recipe...So I'll be eating all week.

On the money front, I received the $35 Office Max rebate from the shredder. I was sweating this out because I think Office Max is going out of business so I didn't think I'd get it. I also got a $5 Eckerd card as part of their monthly rebates. Neither of these is going to my challenge, because I wouldn't have bought the stuff without the rebates, but it's still money in my account!

I mailed out the 2 half.com books this weekeng. Spent $4.08 on postage. I have to check my account to see how much is coming back.

Other than that, busy at work, busy at home...Have a great day everyone.

I finally got my act together and started making a dent on my list:

1) I photocopied and signed our taxes, and will drop them at the post office today.
2) I closed one checking account and will close the savings account on Monday.
3) Completed the form for hubby's mail order RX and will drop that in the mail with the taxes.
4) Called the heating/ac company about our service contract. It went up 33% from last year. Price hadn't changed for many years, so they went through all their contracts and reset the prices. Still worth it.
5) Signed me and dad up for the IDT class action lawsuit.

I still need to sign up for MyPoints Insider Club.

I have a bunch of errands to do today, including grocery store, dry cleaner, bank, laundry, cleaning, etc. Luckily we didn't have much planned for today.

On the challenge front, I sold 2 more books at half.com, and I need to add the $10 gas voucher to my list of outstanding items...

Is it ever not a crazy week? I don't think I've ever started an entry with "Gee, I have absolutely nothing going on and it's great!" At least it's all good...

DD has been off from school this week, so that meant a bit more juggling of the schedules than normal, especially now that I'm working every day. Also, with hubby's birthday tomorrow, and Easter on Sunday (thankfully MIL is cooking), and of course taxes due - don't forget about taxes due - things are just nuts!

Next week hubby is travelling Tuesday through Friday. Sometimes that makes things more crazy because I have to juggle everything myself, but on the other hand, I'm hoping it will give me time to finally get organized (like I've been talking about for the last few weeks but haven't gotten around to).

So here are my goals for the week:
1) Sign taxes and get them in the mail by Monday.
2) Close one checking account and one savings account
3) Put in hubby's mail order RX, which will save us $100/year once I actually get around to doing it!
4) Sign up for IDT class action lawsuit
5) Sign up for MyPoints Insider Club
6) Call Heating/AC company to find out why our service contract doubled

The kicker is that none of these things takes more than a few minutes and I just haven't gotten to them. Now's the time!

Also, (totally unrelated), it seems like there are a lot of new people blogging, and I think it's great! I really look forward to reading everyone's entries...

I'm glad to see I was the victim of an April Fool's joke. (I need to wake up before I jump on this site...it didn't even occur to me that it wasn't real). Anyway, so glad to see that the site's not going anywhere!

I still need to finish up tracking March's spending. I did calculate our net worth, and it went up 5% last month, so that was good news. It helps me remember that even though I feel like a pauper sometimes, it's worth it to boost up our 401(k) and (slowly) pay down our debts.

April didn't start off real well financially. I went shopping to buy myself some clothes and shoes for work, and spent most of my budget for the year! (yikes). I don't really know what to expect for April, because hubby gets his raise and (small) bonus, and we have to change our withholding so they take out more tax, which will definitely impact take home pay. But it's a bullet we need to bite, in order to get our act straight.

So that's about it for now. Glad everyone is sticking around for a while...

I have really mixed feelings about the news that the site was sold. Of course I'm thrilled for Jeffrey and Nate, because they deserve to be rewarded for all of their hard work. At the same time, I'm curious to see what the changes will mean to us. I feel like I've really gotten to know a few of the posters well over the last year or so, and would hate to lose that support network if we're all forced to go our own way if the site changes too drastically. I don't know if I could support a site who's main focus is on payday loans...

Several people have mentioned that they visit more than just this site. Has anyone found one they could recommend in case this changes too much? I love the combination of the blogging and the forums, and haven't come across anything else like it. Wow...

I'm usually on this site 2 or 3 times throughout the day, so I've definitely missed not having it lately!

The last few days, as expected, have been expensive, and I've been so busy at work and home that I haven't even been able to look at the budget. I hope to get to it tonight or tomorrow (Friday at the latest) and it ain't gonna be pretty!

I'm adding 30.69 to my challenge account: Ebookdrop came through with the last of my money ($15.69) so now they don't owe me anything. I also got the $10 Kimberly Clark rebate sent to Dad's (amazing!) and I saved $4 at ColdStone Creamery by using a b1g1 coupon.

I also mailed out the March rebates for Eckerd, Walgreens and RiteAid. Most of the rebate total won't apply to the challenge because I'm just stocking up. But stuff I usually buy, or coupons I use count.

Just trying to get through the last few days of the month without completely breaking the bank...

New total: $655.75

Outstanding items: $100 (Citi bonus 1), $100 (Citi bonus 2), $2 (Chandon rebate), $1.00 (Feb Walgreens), $5 (GG Rebate), $10 (Barber coupons), $15 gas vouchers (PNC), $2.20 (Eckerd March), Walgreens Mar, RiteAid Mar

Always a struggle for me...I'm planning on taking the next few days to get my act together and regroup. We (still) haven't signed off on our taxes. I'm not in a rush because we owe money, but it would be nice to have them signed and ready to go for April 15th. I also need to cancel one bank account and set up direct deposit on another. I need to cancel a few trial memberships and get a few rebate forms in the mail. Stuff like that.

As a result, I ended up not opening my next bank account. I was also planning on doing a Ford test drive ($50 gas card), but haven't gotten around to that either. Both deals end on March 31, so if I can have a productive few days getting my act together, I may still be able to do them.

I'm spending more than I'd like this weekend. My roommate came to visit and we had dinner ($65). Today we're taking the kids to ColdStoneCreamery for ice cream to celebrate DD's report card, but luckily, they sent B1G1 coupons, as a result of my having signed up on their website. Then tomorrow, I need to go to dad's for a few hours, followed by dinner with friends to celebrate a birthday. Good thing I complained about needing to keep the eating out bill down a few weeks ago!

I'm really looking forward to the coupon train. I cut out just about everything from the Sunday papers, including coupons I don'e use, in case someone else can benefit. What a great idea.

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

I'm working from home tomorrow. In addition to a boatload of work that I need to get done, I have a few errands to take care of as well as clean the house and do some laundry. I hope I'll be productive.

I'm making some more progress on my challenge. I received the $10 Pepsi rebate today. I also received the $40 in gas vouchers, but I can't tell if you need to be an active member to use them. I'll send them in and see what happens. I'm also going to open my next bank account tomorrow. A local bank, Valley National, is giving a $50 bonus for opening a checking account. No direct deposit is required, and I'm not sure what the minimum deposit is. I'll give it a go...

New total: $593.11

Outstanding items: $10 (2nd Kimberly Clark Rebate), $100 (Citi bonus 1), $100 (Citi bonus 2), $2 (Chandon rebate), $1.00 (Feb Walgreens), $5 (GG Rebate), $10 (Barber coupons), $15 gas vouchers (PNC)

We had a great trip...the weather was much nicer in Cary, NC then home. We made great time driving (about 8 1/2 hours), and our only expenses were $165 for the basketball tickets and the gas (about $75 round-trip). We also got a pizza for dinner last night ($11). An excellent weekend.

I stopped my mail while we were gone, and am hoping that when I pick it up later I'll have some more gift cards/rebates, etc. I cancelled two more trial memberships...they are persistent in trying to keep you a customer, but I try to be patient knowing they are just reading from a script. I have a few more to go.

I also need to take stock of my challenge pretty soon. I have another bank offer to go for. It expires on 3/31, doesn't require direct deposit, and is local and convenient, but I just don't feel like I'm ready to take advantage of it yet. I need to get my act together over the next few days.

I also need to stop at Walgreens and RiteAid to get some items they're rebating. I'll try to do that today.

It's great being away, but also great being home...loads of laundry waiting...

My alma mater made it to the Big Dance (NCAA Basketball Tournament) and they were sent to Greensboro, NC for the Thursday/Saturday game. My brother lives in Raleigh (about an hour away) and is also an alumni. So we got tickets through the school for the three of us and my wonderful, dear SIL will stay home with my kids and her kids. This is very spontaneous (not something we're really known for) and we and the kids are thrilled to pieces.

The cost for the weekend will be a maximum of $330 for tickets (3 tickets for each of the two games, but that's assuming they win the first game), plus gas. We'll pick up the cost for Brother's ticket and when (if) he offers to reimburse us we'll tell him to take his dear wife out to dinner with the money (which he'll never do...). We pretty much hang out at the house, go to the park, etc., so there shouldn't be any other expenses. We're excited!

But now I'm scrambling to get everything taken care of before we leave tomorrow afternoon. I just got the tickets this morning, and I have to work tomorrow so it's all very short notice, but it will work.

Hopefully when I pick up my mail on Monday I'll have a bunch of rebates. Have a great weekend everyone...

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...