I've been following the $1/day challenge on grocerycouponguide.com. Wow, it's amazing that he's been able to get through an entire month eating on $1/day. And not just getting by, but really eating (though I think I'd be sick of salsa by day 6)! It's really interesting, if anyone hasn't already seen it.

Financially, this was a challenging month, but we're getting by. We had the second payment for our summer vacation house, along with a few annual big ticket items. (I intended to do the envelope system this year, where I'd be setting aside money each month for the annual bills but it didn't fly). One piece of good news: The kids went to their dentist, which is out of network. However, our insurance still pays 100% reasonable & customary for preventative work, so even though we had to shell it out ($450 total!), we just got the checks back on Friday.

After many months of going through the motions without being terribly careful with our finances, it's time to start cracking down. Nothing extreme, just some simple things that quickly go by the wayside if I'm not paying attention. First is the eating out. We enjoy eating out, and I don't mind paying for it if it's a special treat. But if I take out pork for dinner and the family "doesn't feel like pork tonight" (or chicken, or veal, or...), then we shouldn't be rushing to get pizza, fast food or Chinese. This hit home when I checked the credit card bill and saw a $52 charge for a local sushi place. I totally forgot about it until I saw the bill, and hubby didn't even remember it then! That's $52 down the drain. And there were a number of others just like it. So...we'll crack down and see if we can make some progress over the next few months.

I spent the better part of the day working on a few money-related tasks. First thing was to fill out the claim forms for the kids' dentist bill. He's out of network, but my plan still covers preventative 100%, subject to reasonable & customary prices. The total bill for the two of them was $450, so I need to get reimbursement from the insurance company, and put the rest through my flexible spending account. The claim forms will go out tomorrow.

Then I spent some time working on my grocery list for the week. I love reading the $1/day grocery challenge. I don't think I could ever do that, especially with hubby and the kids, but it inspired me to take another look at the old grocery bill (which is, of course, through the roof). A friend of mine mentioned the grocery game. I logged on for the 4-week free trial (I WILL remember to cancel before they charge me!). It was great to see all the deals in one place, but I'm not sure that it's any better than looking through the sale ad and my coupon envelope myself. My problem isn't finding the deals, it's avoiding all of the other stuff that I see along the way that's not on my list! So anyway, I checked the sale ads for the two stores I go to, and matched them up with coupons, and hopefully can make it out of both for under $100. That sounds good to me, and I'd be happy with that, except that it doesn't include veggies/fruit (which we get elsewhere) and it doesn't include meat, beyond some ground beef (we have everything else in the freezer). I'm going to stick with the grocery game through the free trial and see if I like it better but otherwise, not sure it's worth it.

Then I took some time going through all of my books, checking what would sell on Powells and Cash4Books, and updating my Paperbackswap list. This was one of those chores that really needed to be done, because I haven't updated the PBS list in months and I've been getting requests for books that I've given away through other channels. Plus, I found a bunch of books that were never listed in the first place! The net result is that I found about 10 books that I can sell to Powells for $9.00 (all cheapies - children's scholastic type books), but I'll take it. I also got 8 requests for new books I listed on Paperbackswap.

So all in all a pretty decent day, financially. Tomorrow I'm off to the grocery store and see if I can stick to the list!

Wow! I've been absent from posting for a month and a half or so (maybe longer?). Haven't even had time to lurk so this is the first time I'm back and WOW! The site looks great! I LOVE the new layout. Also love that some of my old favorites are back (I'm talking to you Lux and Retire@50), along with the old standards who never seem to get sidetracked from posting on this site (FrugalinTexas and Ima). I envy your dedication!

Our big news from the past 2 months: We got a dog!! He's awesome! Part golden retriever and part lab. Cute as a button, friendly as can be. MAN, I love this pup! He's putting quite a dent into our finances, as we have had to bring him to the vet 3 times since we got him to get him up to date on all of his shots, and we'll have to get him neutered in 2 months (cha-ching). Add the trips to Petsmart for the food (and all the cool toys to get him - it's like shopping for a baby!), but it's worth every penny...

Aside from that, it's just life as normal. Hubby is still working from his home at his own consulting business. It's going well, but slow and erratic as far as the income goes. I'm more convinced than ever that you spend what you make, because our income was cut pretty substantially when he went out on his own and we've adjusted pretty well, cutting back without totally depriving ourselves, so that's been great.

Booked the house in Outerbanks for the annual summer trip with my brother. And I just got a letter from Liberty Mutual that my homeowners insurance will be reduced by about $10/month. I'll take it. Haven't been doing anything agressive to save money / reduce costs. Just a matter of not having the time to focus on it like I should. I'll try to get back to it...

So glad to be back here again. Time to catch up on everyone's blogs...

I finished up the February books and everything went well. Moving into March...I just bought new sneakers for the kids. Tempted to buy myself a new pair, which I really need, but they didn't have my size in clearance, and no good sales, so I'll wait.

I also took them for haircuts. I was pretty shocked that DD's was $28! It was a place like Supercuts (walk in, no appointment, take any chair). She did get a wash, cut and blow dry, but I still thought it'd be a little less. Wow.

We went to Wendy's for late lunch/early dinner while we were running our errands. I had $3+ on a gift card, and $10 out of pocket. That's the big splurge of the day...

I found $.02 yesterday, one on the Subway and one on the street. $.31 so far this year.

I need to find my tax stuff for the accountant. No idea where last year's return is! That's the goal for the evening...

We are blanketed in snow in Northern NJ. Woowee. We had about 14" two weeks ago. That was just about gone when we got hit with another foot or so yesterday/today. The upside: Kids got out of school early yesterday and are off today, for a 3 1/2 day weekend. I'm working from home today, I already went grocery shopping, so we're hunkered down for the duration. It's actually quite beautiful, as long as my power doesn't go out.

I finalized my February numbers and ended the month $40 under where I thought I'd be. I'm pretty pleased with that. My goal for this weekend is to firm up the March numbers and make sure we're still on the right track. I also have to dig up all my tax information because it's that time of the year again. I'm much less stressed about it this year, because since hubby started his own business we have his accountant do both. That's a relief!

I have a few rebates that I've been procrastinating on. I need to get the receipts together and get them out in the mail. It won't be big bucks, but definitely better than nothing.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

I'm still around, working hard and trying to watch myself. I'm just about 2 months through the year and am happy to report that I am sticking to the budget! Woohoo! Some categories are up, but they've been offset by others that are down, so overall, it's good.

I didn't forget about my $20 challenge, though I haven't been able to do much for it. I did open a new checking account at Chase, and it came with a $125 bonus! Not too shabby. That'll go right to the old challenge. This is going to serve as my Freedom Account. I wanted to open it at the beginning of the year, but there were no good bonuses, so I held off. Boy, am I glad I did...

I need to tackle the book sales again...

The snow is falling! Started overnight, we easily have 10" on the ground, and it's not expected to end until 9:00 or so tonight. So we are SNOWED IN! The schools are closed today (and I'm hoping tomorrow), and I'm working from home, but it's a really light day because so many people didn't make it into the office.

I'm taking advantage and getting caught up. I finalized my January financial books, and got caught up for February. I'm updating my blog here and I'm on my 3rd load of laundry, with more to go.

So here's what's been happening in finance-land:

I need to get 2 rebates out today, one for shampoo and one for Caregivers Marketplace. I don't think I've paid for shampoo in ages! There are always rebates out there.

I found $.26 last week, bringing my total to $.29 for the year.

Haven't hit any book sales because I've been absolutely swamped! Hoping to get back to those so I can keep my $20 challenge going.

I'm looking forward to getting caught up on everyone's blogs. Hope all is going well!

Well that's frustrating. I timed out after writing tonight's entry and it didn't take. Ugh.

Not much to report. Things are slow and steady, just plugging along, trying to stay on track. I did call the auto insurance company about my rate increase and was told it was across the board. I need to get my checkbook balanced and up to date. I've been swamped at work so I haven't been paying as much attention as I should. That's the goal for the next few days.

I also need to concentrate on the $20 challenge, by submitting a few rebates and checking out some book sales. I did find $.03 on the street over the past few days, so that's a start...

Ok, I know it's 2 days and not 2 months, but I'll take it.

We spent some money today, all budgeted:
1) Cleaning lady - $100
2) Coaches gifts - $20
3) Misc food & stuff at soccer tournament - $20
4) Allowance for next week - $80 ($60 hubby, $20 me).

The cleaning lady is going away after next week. We usually have her every 2 weeks, and she needs to go back to her home country for an unknown amount of time (a few months?) to take care of a sick relative. This woman has been with us for almost 9 years. I told her that if/when she was able to come back to give us a call and we'd be happy to hire her again.

I always thought the cleaning lady would be the last bit of disposable income I would give up. Between working, the kids, my dad, it's just such a help to me to have someone come in every 2 weeks and do a thorough cleaning. When she first told me she was leaving, we figured we'd hire an agency to come in and do it until she comes back, but now, I think we're going to give it a go ourselves and see if we can save the $200/month. Hubby is committed to helping, and I'd certainly like to save the dough, so we'll give it the old college try.

I submitted a $5 rebate for Rite Aid today, planned out our menu for the week, and the grocery list. I'll be going out tomorrow morning to get that out of the way, then spend the rest of the day watching football.

It is FREEZING cold and REALLY windy. We have more than a few trees that we're really concerned about, and hope that none of them come down in this weather.

We had a totally low-key day today. A "hang out in your pajamas and do nothing" type of day. I was able to get done a lot of bookkeeping type stuff, and had a good financial day:

1) It was a no-spend day, which I almost never have.
2) I filled out a $25 rebate for Showtime (we ordered it to get Dexter. The rebate was a bonus).
3) Filled out another rebate for Dove Conditioner.
4) Balanced my checkbook and paid off all Christmas bills so I'm starting the year fresh.
5) Tallied up all of our investments and debt to see where we stood. I was actually pleasantly surprised that a lot of our mutual funds seem to be rebounding a bit. My 401(k) in particular is looking pretty good.
6) I'm seeing the benefit of my Freedom Account already. My daughter's soccer team signed up for a last-minute soccer tournament tomorrow ($15) and one of the parents is collecting for the coach/team mom gift from the fall season ($20). Normally this would catch me off guard but not now! I have $275/month for the kids' "extracurriculars". (Sounds insane, but it really is that much for all of the sports and activities). So I'm all set to pay this tomorrow.

So 1 day down. Let's see what tomorrow brings...

I meant to post them yesterday, but didn't get to it. I'm keeping the list short and sweet this year in an effort to make sure I keep to it. Here we go:

1) Implement and maintain a "Freedom Account". This is an account where I put money aside each month for irregularly occurring expenses (e.g., car maintenance), so that when the bill comes in I have money to pay it. This kills me every time, so I'll feel better having it.

2) Pay $100/month toward our HELOC. We haven't paid anything other than interest on this in years and it really bothers me. I plan on putting all of my challenge money toward this, but at least $100/month if my challenge can't cover it.

3) Plan the menu and improve the grocery shopping. This has been on my list for years, and I've yet to be successful. Time to give it another go.

That's it. I'll report on my progress...

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy 2010.

I get my year-end bonus in my 12/31 check, so I looked online to see how much my take home pay was. I was pleasantly surprised...I usually assume I'll get 50% of bonus money, because they absolutely kill you with taxes, but this year I got about 63%! Doesn't sound like much, but I'll take it!

Tomorrow will be my day / night to balance the checkbook and get all of my month end bills paid. Then I'll calculate the ending balances in all my accounts after the 31st and I'll be ready to start 2010!

I found $.02, bringing my total to $.63. Wonder what I should set my goal at next year? (It's hard to set a goal because I can't control how much money people drop, but I'm thinking $.50/month).

I got my electric bill. I'll have to go back and check last month's. They must have settled up my account, with a credit in my favor, because my bill this month is only $62.95 (normally $250). Unfortunately, they didn't decrease the monthly amount going forward, so I'm not sure why if I had a credit. I hate calling their customer service, but I think I may have to...

Other than that I have a quiet week planned. Looking forward to resting up.

We had a great Christmas. Everyone loved their gifts, got a few unexpected gift cards, dinner was tasty and clean up was pretty easy. Ahhh, I can breathe a sigh of relief now...

My sister and her family came yesterday and will leave on Monday morning. They're totally low maintenance so it's not even like having guests. I love having her here!

Today I have rest, relaxation, football and laundry on the menu. I need to do some year-end financial stuff also to make sure I'm starting off 2010 on the right foot. I'm working in the office all week, which is a bit of a bummer, but it will be really quiet, so I may get quite a bit of stuff done.

...through a crazy week! We had DS's birthday party, DD had two friends sleepover for her birthday, basketball and soccer practice, and a really busy week at work. Seems like everyone is trying to tie up loose ends before the holidays.

But I'm now in good shape. I still haven't finished my Christmas shopping. I intended to finish it up yesterday, but we were hit with a snowstorm (that actually didn't materialize until last night, but the news reports were enough to keep me away from the stores during the day. In retrospect, I could have made it). Anyway, I may be able to get some done today, and will finish up Monday and Tuesday night. I'm not stressed though, because I know where I need to go and what I need to get. That helps! I'm also cooking Christmas dinner, so I need to plan for that. I'll need to develop the menu tonight and get shopping Tuesday or Wednesday.

I got my year end bonus / raise. The raise was good considering the environment, but definitely lower than in years past. On the flipside the bonus was better than I thought. That's good news because it will allow me to get all of the Christmas bills paid in December and start the year fresh. I'm really going to try to move to an envelope-type system, so I don't get hit unprepared with something like a $1000 car repair bill in April, which always happens.

I'm starting to wind down the year as well, think about goals for 2010. Hmmm...

The party on Sunday was a huge success and we have plenty of food (and beer!) left over. I used the last two days to get caught up a bit. My checkbook is now current, bills are paid, and my dryer was fixed this morning. So I have a load in the wash and a load in the dryer.

I filled out a CVS Advisor survey and will get a $5 ecb for it. I love it when I get those...nothing beats free money. I should actually count that toward my challenge.

I found $.07 over the last two days, including a nickel from a guy who dropped it, knew that he dropped it, and kept walking. Go figure! So I'm up to $.61 since I started looking in October.

I'm getting excited about planning my 2010 goals. I love the new year!

Last night I was all set to get a jump on my 7 loads of laundry. I got the first one in the dryer and the second one in the washer, with the other 5 lined up ready to go. Unfortunately the dryer broke (no hot air).

I haven't been to a laundromat in 15 years. The good news is that all 7 loads were washed, dried, and folded in 2 hours. (If I had to do it at my house it would take 2 weeks and they still wouldn't be done!). The bad news is that it cost me about $33! I was surprised to see $4.50/wash and $1.50/dry. Ouch! I did learn that I can do my comforter in the giant machine for $6/wash and probably $4/dry instead of the $35-$40 that the dry cleaner charges!

I went grocery shopping as well, in preparation for our annual Christmas party. Also took advantage of a few deals at CVS. And I did some more online Christmas shopping. I should have one trip to Target left to just about wrap things up. I also have to give hubby some ideas about what he can get me. The problem is that I sound like my mother ("all I want is a house full of good children"). There's really nothing else that I need, which is a pretty cool realization.

Tomorrow will be busy prepping for the party on Sunday. Both kids have basketball, and we're having dinner with friends tomorrow night. It's all good...

I'm waiting for the 15th to pay my bills, and the 18th or so to find out about my raise / bonus . Until then, I'm pretty much on hold with everything else.

I received my Rite Aid rebate ($7), which will go to the challenge. I was bummed though, because I walked past a penny today and couldn't pick it up. I was coming out of the Path (subway) train and I was in the middle of a throng of people when I saw it lying on the ground. I actually thought about bending down for it, but I would have been crushed. It still hurt to pass it by.

I have a little more Christmas shopping to do. Other than that, I'm pretty much on cruise control for the next few weeks...

I found $.11 yesterday and $.05 today, both on the playground. That brings my total to $.54. Not too shabby.

My brother and his family are here until tomorrow morning. We've had a great time, and brother was a HUGE help cleaning the gutters and getting our outside Christmas lights up. Good thing, too, because it's supposed to rain during the week and be cold next weekend.

I didn't do any in-store shopping, but managed to get a few things taken care of on-line. I have some more things to get, either tonight or tomorrow night.

I also need to finish all of my month-end finances tomorrow. I think I'll leave my list there and make it doable...

I made out great at CVS today. I think this was one of my best shopping trips ever! Here's what I spent:

Snickers King Size: $1.59
Hersheys Resses Cup: $.89
Vaseline Sheer Infusion: $7.99
Degree for Women: $4.00
Shick Quattro Titanium 4-pk: $9.99
Bic Soleil Razor: $6.99
Herbal Essence (3): $8.97
St. Ives Body Wash: $3.99
Colgate Total Toothpaste: $2.88
Mylanta (2): $13.58
Crest: $3.89
CVS Vitamins: $6.99
Saline Solution(2): $17.98

Total spent: $89.73
ECB: $71.48
Coupons: $10.00

Net spent: $8.25

Wow, that's good. I came home and showed SIL right away I was so excited. Then tonight, I was telling my brother and he couldn't believe it! More deals to come tomorrow if I get to Rite Aid and Walgreens.

I ordered a few Christmas gifts online today. Scoped out some good deals, and hope to take care of a few more tomorrow. I hate shopping in stores, so the more I can do online the better.

Also managed to get to the dry cleaner and bank today as well. DD and I took SIL to see New Moon (again!) and had a great time. I'm really enjoying their visit!

Finally, I have to scope out today's ING deal in the next few hours. Hadn't really been thinking of that, but it sounds like a great deal!

So this is going to be Tuesday's to-do, considering it's 11:00 now and nothing is getting done tonight! Not sure that I'll get it all done tomorrow either, but I'm going to put it all down and see what happens.

1) Book DS's birthday party
2) Return CD to library
3) Deposit check at Dad's bank
4) Deposit checks at my bank
5) Mail paperback swap books at post office
6) Fill out and mail rebate form
7) Fill out voucher for Nets tickets (one them at the fundraiser Friday night)
8) Update checkbook
9) Mail documentation for cc rewards

In addition to all of that, I need to change the sheets, clean the house, and go grocery shopping in advance of my brother's visit (they'll arrive around midnight tomorrow). Hmmmm.

I hit Rite Aid yesterday to get some things for Dad. Got a $3/$15 coupon and combined it with some of their monthly rebates. Spent $29, and saved $13 in rebates and coupons that will go to my challenge when it comes in. In addition, Rite Aid is doing their holiday savings program, (spend $100/get $20 back) between now and the end of December, so the $29 spent will count toward that. One of my to-dos is to fill out the Caregiver Marketplace rebate (should be $10.75) so that will go to the challenge too.

I haven't even thought about Christmas yet. I need to check out the black friday deals. Because my brother will be here, I probably won't be out shopping, but I'll check anyway in case anybody has good online deals.

I had a crazy busy weekend but it was great! We saw New Moon on Friday, then went out to a Casino Night fundraiser for the school. DD had a soccer game on Saturday, then I went to see Jimmy Buffet with sister. (Always a good time. You can't be sad when listening to Jimmy Buffet!). Then this morning DD had her LAST soccer game of the season (so ready for that), and I went down to Dad's for dinner. So PHEW I'm beat, but I had a great time. It's sad when you need to go back to work to recover from your weekend! LOL!

Not much on the financial front this weekend, other than a bit of loose spending at some of these events. I need to get a rebate form out tomorrow and get to the bank. I'll make a to-do list tomorrow. I've got a feeling it's going to be a big one!

I made a HUGE mistake paying one of my credit cards last month. The balance was about $3000 (we charge everything and pay off each month). I tried to make an on-line payment, but I have a new computer from work, and they won't let me install the ActiveX thing (I'm no techie), so the Citibank page doesn't show up correctly. I tried to make the payment for $3k anyway.

When I went back to take a look at the account (on the day it was due) it didn't look like that payment hit. I assumed it was because of the whole ActiveX thing, so I called customer service in a panic and did a phone order (they waived the $15 fee). However, they told me I could only do a phone order for $1000, because it was the first time I was ever doing it. The rep told me I could pay the remainder of the bill the next day at a branch, and she'd put a note in my file not to charge me a late fee. So the next day I paid the other $2,000.

Well, turns out the original online payment for $3k did hit, then the $1000 phone order hit. The bank denied the $2000 payment because that would have left me overdrawn. So now I have a $1000 credit on my credit card (which will be used up by next month). Even though it will all balance out by next month, I'm short this month by $1000.

What really makes me mad is that my ineptness at handling my finances is so out of character. I'm a professional, well-educated business woman (a finance major, to boot!), I raise two children who seem relatively well-adjusted. How come I can't get my financial act together? It's really frustrating!

I did all of the things on my to-do list except return the books to the library. They were due on Sunday, so I'm going to have a fine when I return them tomorrow. No excuse. Ugh.

I'm getting ready for an incredible weekend. Friday, we have tix to see New Moon, followed by a school fundraiser (both sets of tickets already paid). Saturday, I'm going to see Jimmy Buffett with my sister (always a great time), and Sunday is DD's last soccer game. Then it's down to Dad's, and back home to clean up the house in prep for my brother and his family coming Tuesday. They're staying for a week. Can't wait!

Just updated my sidebar. Psyched that my debt is almost under $215k. And we're now adding $250/month to the Emergency Fund, so that's going in the right direction too. It's all good...

Wow, did I have a busy weekend! Friday night we had an impromptu get-together at a friend's house. I sprung for the pizza (~$25) and had a great time. Saturday we had a friend's son's confirmation, then a soccer game on Sunday. I was beat, but had a great time.

I now have to get focused again on the finances. I got paid on Friday, which means I have all of the mid-month bills to pay. I received 2 rebate checks that need to be deposited, as well as the check for $12.75 from Caregivers Marketplace that will be added to the challenge.

I also need to get back to my to-do list so I can get some stuff done. Here's Tuesday's list:
1) Return books to library
2) Deposit / cash checks
3) Drop off gift card
4) Pay mid-month bills
5) Get caught up on work

That's pretty aggressive, especially that last one. Hoping I can get it all done.

I caught DD's bronchitis this weekend and have been knocked out. Sunday and today I barely had energy to get out of bed. Thank goodness for the great deal on the box of tea last week, because I've been drinking about 5 cups/day!

We rented a dvd from a local library on Saturday. I thought they only had book sales once/month, but they had a few racks of books for sale in the lobby. I didn't have time to look through them on Saturday, but will make the time when I return the dvd (hopefully Wed if I'm up to it).

Not much else to report now.

Not a lost week financially, but health wise. I had both kids home Monday with what I thought was strep. Turns out only DS had strep. Doctor said DD's strep test came back negative, and it's just a cough. So DD went to school yesterday, and was home today after being up from 1-5am (with me, rubbing her back), because she felt so bad. Kept her home from school today, and she feels worse. Totally run down (maybe from being up all night?), low-grade fever, sore throat, etc. So now I'm thinking flu, because that's all over the school. I'm taking her back to the doctor tomorrow.

Fortunately the kids are off from school tomorrow and Friday, so we can have a pretty quiet weekend. I'm looking to lay low and recover, because we're all just knocked out. I could sleep for a day!

I did manage to read a great book - one of Mary Hunt's cheapskate books. It's the first one I've read and I really liked it. I've read a lot of these types of books and usually I'll find a nugget or two, but otherwise blow through it pretty quickly, but not this time. She suggests using an envelope-type system for irregular expenses, but instead of putting the money in envelopes you keep in the house (which I would raid every time I go to the bar with the ladies), you open a separate account and direct deposit the money in there. That I could definitely do.

So I prepared our 2010 spending plan using this method and I think it will work well. I explained it to hubby and he was on board too. At least I got something done this week!

DS's doctor called this morning. They gave him a quick strep test in the office on Friday and it came back negative. She called today to say the "real strep test" (when they send it out to the lab) came back positive, and she called in an antibiotic (only $5). The good news is that he has none of the typical symptoms of strep (no fever, sore throat). The bad news is that DD had a cough all day today, and has already had strep 3 times this year. She doesn't have a fever or anything yet, and I'm praying that it's just a sore throat and will pass. I'm just happy that it's not the flu (yet).

Hubby was very supportive of my book selling today. He saved a few boxes from the recycle bin that he thought would be perfect for boxing up the books. I told him my "frugal friends" would be proud. Then he asked me how much I made doing this. I told him that the library sale last week will net me $38 and he rolled his eyes. Hubby, frugal friends will NOT be proud of you scoffing at $38!

HUGE list of errands tomorrow. I'm going to do my best:
1) Go to Post Office
2) Go to Fed Ex office
3) Go to Bank to deposit check
4) Drop off gift cards
5) Go to library to pick up the rest of the books to sell
6) Balance checkbook
7) Pay pool closing bill
8) Pay Heating/AC company bill
9) Call Verizon Wireless - I dropped a service last month and it's still showing up on my bill
10) Send in a rebate
11) Go grocery shopping

Phew, I'm tired already!

Well, almost. DS came down with a terrible cough Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Anytime he gets sick this happens - a barking cough like a seal. We give him the nebulizer, but other than that, there's not much to do but wait for it to pass. No fever, no aches (thank goodness), but we took him to the doctor on Friday just to make sure it wasn't the flu. So he missed school Thurs and Friday, was able to get out for a bit of trick-or-treating today, and seems a little bit better. Keeping my fingers crossed that this passes by tomorrow night.

So needless to say, I've done nothing else over the last few days. I worked Thursday and Friday (hubby was home with him), so when I walked in the door from work, I needed to give hubby some time to get out of the house. I'm going to spend tomorrow doing house stuff (laundry, laundry, laundry) and will have a LONG to-do list Monday, to make up for the errands I didn't do over the past few days.

One thing on the financial front - I already received the reimbursement for the kids' dental visits. It only took a few weeks - I've never seen any health-related thing move so fast!

The other financial thing I need to do is to finish out the month and see where we ended up. I've been doing a good job of tracking as I go, so hopefully it shouldn't be too bad.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Well, Monday at least. Hubby is travelling for a few days, so I'm working from home tomorrow. I'm REALLY looking forward to not commuting!

I have a number of things to get done:
1) Go to dad's bank and deposit checks for him.
2) Go to my bank and cash check
3) Close citibank checking account
4) Fill out next Caregivers Marketplace rebate, and one other rebate for try me free shampoo.
5) Go to post office and mail paperback swap books (6 more gone - yay) and rebates.

3 challenge boosters for the week:
1) I went back to secondspin .com tonight and checked a bunch of CDs that I have. I can get rid of 13 for about $20. These wouldn't be missed - we have the songs that we want on Itunes anyway and I can't remember the last time we listened to any of them. I just need to listen to some, make sure they don't skip, etc., before I officially sell them and send them off.

2) I'm planning on hitting one or two of the ongoing book sales at the local libraries to see if I can hit any pay dirt there.

3) I have a piggy full of change. I'm going to see how much it is and put it toward the challenge. My goal is to boost my challenge amount high enough to take advantage of one of the local banks account opening bonuses.

Should be a good challenge week...

I managed to do everything on my list yesterday, except for 2 small things: 1) I deposited the checks at the bank but didn't schedule the xfer to the emergency fund. 2) I picked up the grocery gift cards, but didn't drop them off to the person who needs them. I'll take care of #1 today. I'll have to take care of #2 tomorrow.

Some interesting (or not) facts from yesterday's to-do list:

I submitted the receipts for the kids' dentist visits. Their dentist is out of network but we like him so much that we continue to go to him. No worries, as fortunately our plan still pays 100% for the regular checkups, even though he's not in the plan. Good deal. Bad news: They only cover flouride 1x/year and he gives it to them 2x, and for one of the services, he charges $15 more than their reasonable and customary. So the total bill was $450, and I'm going to have to pay $180 out of pocket.

I enrolled in my 2010 health plans at work. Same plans as I have this year, but my premiums are going up by $192 for the year. I'm still pretty happy with it, though. Medical, Dental, and Vision for a family of four will be $3,192/year (or $266/month), and the coverage is pretty generous. Can't complain. I'm just thankful that I have the insurance!

I also signed up for $1800 in my Flexible Spending Account. I only had $1500 this year, and I blew through that in January and February thanks to a root canal and crown. Next year, hubby and I will both need glasses, and we'll have the same dentist issue as this time, along with our prescriptions and regular costs, so I have no doubt that we'll use it all up.

Other happenings: Got an email from Cash4books that they received my package. I didn't credit my $20 challenge account yet because the money is not in Paypal, but hopefully I'll see that by the end of the week.

Today's to do
1) Transfer funds to Money Market
2) Call gym for appointment for DD
3) Sign up for event at DD's school
4) Plan menu for Saturday dinner (another couple is coming over, and I'm going to be super short on time).

I went grocery shopping today and scored a few good deals: Pert shampoo on sale for $1.99. I bought 3, and had $3.50 in coupons, so I got 3 for $2.50. I bought a 2-pack of Hot Pockets on sale for $1.99 with a $.75 coupon doubled = $.50. 12-pack of Rayovac AA batteries for $.99 after coupon. You get the picture.

Sat outside for a FREEZING cold, damp, windy soccer game. Sprung for Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate - totally worth it.

Didn't get around to making my butternut squash soup today, but I have all the fixins and will hopefully get it done tomorrow.

One more book gone on Paperback swap. I'll get that in the mail tomorrow.

I also got a bit of organizing done in DS's room on Saturday. I have a bag of clothes that no longer fit ready for goodwill, and another bag full of garbage. His room became the storage place for everything in the house that had no where else to go. It's not perfect, but it's a major step in the right direction.

Should be a quiet week financially.