I was so proud of my $3 savings from a few days ago that I set up a category on the side called "What I Would Do for $3". Today's entry: I had a $1 Extra Care coupon from CVS that expired on 12/15. CVS will reset their quarterly ecb coupons if they expire, so I called customer service, and a new $1 coupon will print out next time I'm at the store.

Speaking of CVS ECBs, I received an email from them today. They are doing a survey of CVS and Walgreens marketing. I qualified for the survey, which I need to do on Sunday. Assuming I complete it, I'll get $10 ECBs sometime after January 30th. How cool is that!

I put in a receipt for $11.79 to my 2008 FSA. I have about $35 left, but I only had one receipt with me.

Had coffee and oatmeal at home this morning, and brought food for lunch. Turns out I got a free lunch (who says there's no such thing?). Coworkers catered a meal for outside guests that ended up not staying for lunch. Roast beef sandwhiches, mac salad and water. Not bad.

Ended up taking the kids to Wendys today. I had $4 in gift certificates, so it cost me $3.25 out of pocket. I take this out of my weekly allowance, so I'm still on target with my spending.

We're having leftovers for dinner, so a pretty frugal day all around...

My big accomplishment for the day: I had my coffee at home and brought lunch into the office from home, so I got through the day without spending any money. Wahoo! We'll see if I can match that tomorrow.

I also (finally) mailed my gym reimbursement to my health care company. When I was under DH's benefits (in 2008), Oxford would give the member $150 and/or their spouse $100 every 6 months if they went to the gym at least 50 times in the 6 month period. I completed the 50 dates last August and submitted the reimbursement but it was never received (right). I finally (4 months later!) got around to resubmitting it, so with any luck, I should be getting the $100 within a few weeks.

I also called EZ Pass today. Hubby had a commuter plan for $38/month to go over the local bridge. Now that he's working from home, I called to switch to a basic plan. The lady told me that since he already used 1 trip this month (on Jan 2nd), she wasn't sure if she could credit me for the rest of the month but she'd try. This will be a difference of about $32, so I'm going to check back in a few days and see if she was successful.

I've been slowly taking care of alot of these housekeeping type items. On tomorrow's list: submit the remaining $30 or so in FSA claims for 2008, and submit a reimbursement to my credit card company for $150+ cash reward that I have from my points. Later in the week: I need to return a Christmas gift to Target and return a keg/tap from a recent party we had to get the deposit back. I'll be thrilled when all of these piddling little things are done!

Tartar sauce! I lost my entry.

Had a fairly quiet day today, with a little bit of spending. Spent $20 to fill up my propane tank, and another $23+ in gas to fill up my car (keeping me within my goal of $50/week). Spent $25 at the A&P (groceries) - very reasonable. Finally, went to CVS to take advantage of their ECB deals.

Bought Mylanta ($6), Pepcid ($15), Fructis conditioner ($2.99) and CVS Vitamins ($5.99x2). One of the vitamins were free (-$5.99), and I used $5 in coupons. Also had a coupon for $5/$25. End result: $19.98 spent, and I'll get $12 back in ECBs. Not bad, for stuff we'll definitely use.

Tomorrow I need to submit my remaining FSA claims (~$30), gym reimbursement ($100) and claims for my Citi credit card (~$130).

Tell me if you think I'm nuts. Apparently my family does! Yesterday I went to Walgreens and bought saline solution and visine, among other things. I had no coupons, so I paid full price (about $17 total). This morning, I was flipping through the coupons in the paper and I saw a $2 coupon for the saline and a $1 coupon for visine. So I told hubby that I was going to return it and repurchase it using the coupons. (It wasn't out of the way, as I was shopping for my dad today anyway, and going right past the store). Hubby said, "Is it worth all that just for $3?". Now, if I knew I would buy this stuff again before the coupons expired, I wouldn't have bothered but I never buy this stuff (only once or twice a year). So I did. The employees in the store didn't seem to think it was a big deal. Later tonight, I was having dinner with my dad and I told him the story. My dad is 83 years old and grew up in the Depression, so I figured he'd appreciate my frugality. His response: "You did that for $3?" (What do they say about girls marrying guys just like dear old dad?). I was so proud of myself!

Here's another example of what I did for $3 (or so). While grocery shopping for Dad, I was in the cereal aisle and saw a box of Kelloggs Smart Start cereal with a big "Try Me Free" banner across the top. So I bought it. And I'll send in the form with my receipt and get my money back. Again, the response: "Why'd you buy that? You don't eat that cereal." What the heck? I'll eat anything for breakfast, and if they want me to try it so badly, I'll oblige.

So am I nuts? Would you do either of these things (or more?) for $3?

I added today's purchases to my grocery spreadsheet. It's basically just an Excel spreadsheet. I list the item, size, date, store, cost, deducations for store coupons, mfr coupons and rebates, net cost and unit cost. That way I can compare prices for different sizes easily. I can also see how frequently I buy different things. We'll see how tedious it gets when I have a big grocery order.

A few other notes from today. I bought a belated Christmas gift from Chef Central today. I had a coupon for 25% off one item that expired 12/31. I went in on New Years Eve and they were out of stock on the item. So I talked to the manager, and he said they would honor the coupon when I came back. He wrote that on the coupon, dated and initialed it. I used it today with no problem. The item I bought was $149.99, so with the coupon, I saved $37.50. Lesson learned: It never hurts to ask. In the past, I would have chalked it up to my bad luck and paid full price.

Along those lines, I think it was HouseHopeful who called her bank to get a charge reversed when she accidentally paid her mortgage twice. Again, doesn't hurt to ask. I've done that with credit card companies when I've accidentally paid late and as long as you're a good customer, they usually waive it.

Only other spending today was gas for the car: $28+. My goal is $50/week ($25/car) for a total of $200/month. The $28 is high because dad lives about an hour away. It should go down from here.

I also managed to list about 2 dozen books on half dot com. I let my inventory expire because I never logged on (and went a while without a sale), so now I need to reenter everything. Not the end of the world, because it gives me a chance to see exactly what I have.

Have a great day!

Went to Walgreens and Rite Aid for various toiletries that we needed. It was a triple hit - razor blades, saline solution and visine. Yipes they're expensive. Even with a store coupon and mfr coupon, the razor blades were $2/pop.
I did set up a grocery log so I could keep track of what I'm buying, including the unit price to make it easier to compare prices to see if I'm truly getting a good deal. Walgreens had 6 packs of Kleenex tissues for $4.99. I bought 2, with a $.50 coupon, making the per box price only $.71, which is pretty good nowadays.

Other than that, no other money spent. I did manage to make it to the gym today, for the first time in months! Felt good to get back in the swing of things. I'll try to keep that up 3-4x/week.

Caught up on documenting my utility spending. Figured out that we use about 206 gallons of water/day. I have no idea if that's alot or not, relatively speaking. We've been pretty consistent over the past 2 years, except this summer when our pool liner had a leak.

Need to make a trip down to dad's this weekend. Otherwise should be fairly quiet.

Started 2009 with a no spend day! Woke up around 9:00 (no hangover - I was designated driver last night. Nothing worse than starting a new year feeling like dirt!).

Anyway, we made a great breakfast and just hung around, then went to Grandmas for dinner. On the way, we stopped at Walmart because the kids had some gift cards burning a hole in their pockets. One of my goals for the new year is to figure out how to get them to understand money better. I told them that it was there money and they could spend it if they wanted, but they're going to be sorry in July if they have none left and are itching for a new toy. I don't want them to waste their money, but that will be a lesson well learned if it comes to pass.

So we spent nothing, and I put $2.66 to the piggy.

Hubby is working tomorrow (last day!) and we have a quiet weekend with absolutely no plans. We both have a lot of chores and errands to do, so we're going to try to keep our schedule free (and cheap!).

Happy New Year everyone!

I updated the list of debts on my sidebar so they're all current. The mortgage is a 15-year fixed @4 5/8% that we still have about 9.5 years left to pay. The car payment is a 3.99% with 1.5 years left to pay. The HELOC is prime minus 1/2%. This is the killer for me. We used the money for a capital improvement on the house, but the balance has just been sitting out there for a while and I'd really like to get it paid off.

I also updated the Piggy Bank line. I always put my loose change into the bank. I'm going to keep doing that each day. Also, any additional, unexpected money I make (1/2.com and the like) will go in there too. We're going on vacation in July and I'd like to put the money toward that.

There are quite a few articles on MSN Money about different legitimate ways to earn $100/month. I'm not sure I can take advantage of any of them, but I would like to more seriously think about how to raise a few extra bucks. I need to relist my books on 1/2.com because my inventory expired, post some things on ebay, etc. I'll check out some more ideas and try to get creative.

Surprisingly, I haven't gone nuts with the New Years Resolutions (I usually do). I'd like to commit to getting to the gym 3-4 days/week and get back to following Weight Watchers. Financially, I'd like to be able to survive hubby's career change with as little sacrifice as possible. I think if I keep it to just those 3 things I should be able to focus.

Here's something that should help: Just got a notice from work that if you get your cholesterol/sugar/blood pressure/weight tested and complete a health form about it, they'll knock $120 off our April medical premiums. This works out perfectly because I was due for a physical anyway, so I'm going to schedule my appt for late January to give me a few weeks to drop a couple of pounds and watch my cholesterol. Easy way to save $120!

All in all I'm pretty much at peace going into 2009. Life is good...

I hate to say that I'm glad it's over, but I'm glad it's over! It was a fun time, but it's so hectic and crazy, and I wasn't nearly as organized this year as usual. I bought my last gift at 4:00 on Christmas Eve and was still wrapping at midnight!

We did watch A Christmas Carol as we do each Christmas Eve. The kids watched it with us for the first time, which was kind of cool (though they didn't understand the British accents!).

I'd say overall it was a scaled down Christmas. I haven't done the final tally, but I'm guessing we spent about 25% less than last year. Funny thing is that the kids still got everything they want and it still seemed like there were a ton of gifts even at that. Best thing is that we paid mostly cash for everything, and the few things we charged will be paid before month's end.

My sister and her family are in town until tomorrow night. I plan to spend the next few days wrapping up finance stuff from this year (still have a few rebates to fill out, etc.) and will do some planning for next year as well.

I was talking to a good friend of mine last night. Her husband travels Sun night/Mon morning through Thursday every week. She works part-time in the city, 3 days/week, (1.5hr commute each way), and she's been finding it difficult with him away so much to manage everything at home (2 kids in school, their activities, etc.). She thought her hubby would be done travelling this year, but he'll continue through March. She's decided to quit her job and start a dog-walking business in town.

They can make it on just his salary, but things will be tighter. So I told her that we're going through the same thing and would be definitely watching our $$. Another friend's husband just started his own company (she's a SAHM) and another friend's husband has a job that's not totally secure in this economy. (So far no problem with it, but you never know, and she's a SAHM too).

These are all the people we get together with every week. The girls will go out for drinks after the PTO meeting, the guys will go out to watch a football game, and we usually end up at one house or another during the weekend. It ends up costing quite a bit of money. Even if we're going to someone else's house we usually bring a 12-pack of beer or wine and some sort of food - a good $20/week at least, more if we're going out or hosting people at our house.

So I told my friend that I'm planning on being more frugal in the new year. I'm going to make sure that I have food on hand or in the freezer (meatballs and sauce, brownie mixes, cookie mixes) so I don't have to buy expensive food to cook for them or bring to their houses. We can make it a point to get together at our houses more than we go out. We can (hopefully) stop with the Tupperware and Candle parties, where I always end up spending $100. (Even if they're not game for this, I'm not going to any of these parties in 2009!).

I'm hoping that it will be easier to watch our money now that all of our friends are in similar positions. It's more like "keeping down with the Joneses"...

I've been on the site sporadically this year, but looking over my posts I feel like I need to tie up some loose ends. Also, a few random musings.

I'm on the equal payment plan for my utilities. After keeping the house at a chilly 63 degrees during the day (66 from 5-10pm), and using the thermostat timer religiously, I ended the year with a $67 credit. So I thought that my new monthly rate would drop $5 or so, from $250/month to $245. It went UP to $267/month!!! Apparently they factor in other things, including expected rate increases, avg. temperature, etc. So I guess it would have been even worse if I didn't cut back, but yipes.

I fared a bit better with my electric bill. That was also $250/month. I ended with a $95 credit, and my new monthly rate dropped to $242. Still ridiculous, but at least headed in the right direction. I have a second refrigerator and freezer in the basement. I use the freezer quite a bit, but am thinking of disconnecting the fridge after the holidays.

Some good news...we're using my company's health benefits in 2009. Our monthly premiums are dropping $65/month versus hubby's plan, with similar if not better benefits. My Rx plan is also much better. I take one medecine that I get mail order for $74 under hubby's plan. Because it's a generic, a 90-day supply will only cost me $10. DS takes a medecine sporadically, which I also order through the mail. $100 under hubby, about $32 under mine. So I'll be saving a few hundred bucks from all of that.

I'm saving a bunch of money on Christmas pictures this year. I like to get professional pictures of the kids done each year, plus I usually send out the picture of the two of them in my Christmas cards. This year has been so nuts that I haven't even done cards yet, and never got their pictures done either. I usually go to Sears or JCPenney and get screwed, because their portrait packages are only good for 1 pose. Because I get each child individually, plus 1 together, that counts as 3 poses, so I don't get any of the deals.

Wednesday night, my daughter was dressed up for the school chorus concert, so I dressed up my son and took a picture of them in front of our Christmas tree. Sent the picture to Walgreens.com and got 40 wallets for the Christmas cards for $10. Then today, my daughter was off from school for her doctor appointment. Afterwards we went to Sears and I got a package of her pictures (1 pose) for $9.99. I'll do the same with DS next week, then bring them both, spending $10 each time. Grand total: $40. In years past, it's been $200-$400! What a waste...

The next week will be nuts. I need to get my cards out, finish shopping, and wrap the gifts. Tomorrow is DD's birthday, so I need to wrap her gifts too. We're having a party on Sunday for some friends (requires menu, shopping, cooking and cleaning), and I'm hosting Christmas for 12 (requires menu, shopping, cooking and cleaning). No complaints - it's all fun, great stuff. Just busy. Snow's coming too...

That's enough rambling for now. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Shoutout to David Bowie, who I really like.

I've been off the site for a while now, preparing for a major life change that will likely require my presence here more than ever.

Hubby has decided to quit his job and start up his own consulting company. I know on the surface it sounds crazy to give up a stable, good paying job in this economy for something totally unstable. But when we thought about it more, it actually makes some sense.

First, he's 40 and has been miserable at his job for a while. I'm a strong believer that if you're going to be spending so much time doing something, you may as well be happy about it. That's priceles...

Second, his job is actually not that stable. His company recently announced that they're being bought out, and there's no guarantee of future employment with the new company. We could wait around for a severance, but who knows when/if that would happen.

Third, I have a very stable, well-paying job with great benefits. I recently took over a new position that came with a promotion and my company is actually in pretty decent shape. I'm also only part-time (80%) and have the option to go back full time if I want, which will get me an extra 20% salary.

So we'll be losing a little over half of our total income (ouch). My goal is to be able to pay all of our regular monthly bills with my salary, and rely on whatever he brings in to pay for special things like vacations and to amplify our savings. He'll have enough pressure in the beginning trying to get up and running without added financial burdens.

So I've run the numbers and am thinking it will be doable but REALLY REALLY tight. I'm not sure exactly what my net pay will be, because I need to change withholding and all of that, but I think it will be close.

We're moving to a cash/envelope system. I always charge everything and pay off the credit card each month, but would prefer the discipline of cash. So in December, I'm paying the credit card bill from November plus everything this month cash (using my year-end bonus). That way everything including Christmas will be paid by the 31st and we'll start the year fresh.

Next time I post, I'll put up my January expenses and talk about what's getting cut. I'm really excited to get going with it!

I'm taking on a new job soon. Same company, same department, but instead of working by myself, for my boss, I'll have a handful of direct reports and business line responsibility.

I've got mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it's a great opportunity, professionally. Should come with some sort of raise or promotion. On the other hand, I love my current job, and get along great with my boss. Also, I'm part-time now, and the hours really work for me personally. I'm going to stay part-time in this new position (at my request) with the understanding that I can be a bit more flexible with the hours if I need to be.

I'm not sure how realistic that is, given that I'll have a pretty big learning curve, and people reporting to me, but I'll try it out. I've talked it over with hubby and I'm prepared to go back full-time if I feel I need to, but I want to give it a shot this way first. At least if I go back full-time, it'll be like getting a 20% raise (I only work 80% now).

So that's been consuming me a bit lately. Other than that, we've just been moseying along. Just got through the class pictures/fall sports pictures and tried to keep my buying down to a minimum. I think for Christmas, I'll take a few shots of the kids myself and hope one of them pans out, so I don't need to get expensive pictures taken. Seems like an easy place to cut costs.

I had the kids start their birthday and Christmas lists. I'm usually on top of this already and get my shopping done early, but this year, I'm not, which is ok. I"m curious to see how the sales unfold with the economy being what it is. I have to check out a few websites that preview deals to get a feel for black friday and other sales. I definitely want to keep the cost for the holidays DOWN!!!

Still need to sign up for open enrollment. Deadline is Friday. I'll take care of it first thing Monday at work. I'll be able to report on the cost savings then.

October is shaping up to be a surprisingly good month, checking account-wise. This is a good thing. My plan is to take the leftover and put it toward Christmas spending (and kids' birthdays). I haven't given the first thought about what I'm getting for people. I'm usually much farther along by this stage of the game. Hubby and I have agreed to keep it a little more low key than usual. I'm sure we're not alone!

I got a $50 rebate from Verizon Wireless for hubby's phone (it fell in the pool in August!). I'm going to put that toward Christmas as well.

The grocery challenge is tough. I'm doing fine at A&P/Shoprite, but the trips to BJs, Trader Joes, Fruit Store add another couple hundred on each month. We can still do better...

Not much else is new. We're pretty much on autopilot for now...

It's that time of year again...time to enroll in health care coverage for 2009. We've been on hubby's plan since we've been married. Last year, I tried to get him to switch to my plan because the coverage was just as good or better, and it was cheaper. But hubby is not really a "change" type of guy, so we stuck with his plan anyway.

Well this year, our circumstances are changing a bit, so we're going with my plan instead. I need to take one more look at it tomorrow, but it appears that, on the medical side, hubby's doctors and the kids' doctors are part of my plan, too. Both of my doctors (gp and obgyn) are NOT in either of my plans, but I'm healthy and don't mind switching. I'll get the exact rates for comparison tomorrow.

One huge savings: Prescriptions. My plan offers a 90-day mail order supply of a generic drug for $10!!! I pay $73.74 for a 90-day supply through hubby. That's a savings of over $240/year!! That will make up for my dental plan. Although the coverage is good, the kids' dentist (who I think is SO great) is not in my plan. I'm inclined to go to him as an out of network and pay the difference, rather than switch to an in-network provider. The $240 savings can help cover the difference.

The whole open enrollment thing is a tedious process, but we need to make the switch either way, and if it works out for the better, that's great!

60 degrees. That was the temperature in my house on Saturday morning when I woke up, so I had to turn on the heat for the first time this season. However, I only raised it to 63 and left it there for the rest of the day. Eventually, the house got up to about 67, so I think the heat was actually on only for a very short period.

Surprisingly, 63 was totally bearable. In the past, I always had the thermostat set between 67-72. We'll try to leave it at 63 and see what happens.

On the utility front, I received my most recent electric bill. With only a month or 2 to go, they've overcharged me about $42. Assuming I can add to that in October, my next year's monthly bills should be a bit lower. Not as big a drop as I'd like, but at the same time, I only really started focusing on this over the last couple of months.

I have to say that I'm really feeling squeezed with this economy. And it makes me wonder, if we're feeling squeezed, as a two-income family with good, stable jobs, healthcare, etc., what must everyone else be feeling? I'm not usually a dire, pessimistic person, but it's a scary, scary time, and I think it will get worse before it gets better. Yikes!

doesn't buy you much. Mostly because my son was with me. I did get chicken, ground beef, and short ribs, along with milk, 1/2 and 1/2, eggs, bread, and ice cream. Probably spent an extra $15 on impulse stuff. At least I came in under my $100 goal, so that's good.

Two big outlays for the kids this week. My daughter is starting to play the flute. $25 for a 5-month rental, which is great, but then $25/month thereafter. Ouch. And DS is taking an art class. Double ouch. But it's his absolute favorite thing to do, so it's the last thing I'd cut.

Back to school night is tonight. So far the school year is going well for both kids. I'm hoping it will be a great year.

Not much new on the savings/money front. I'm dreading the month-end accounting of all of the mutual fund balances, as the markets have been so crazy. Good thing I have 20 years or so to retire .

It's been a while since I posted on my progress. I'm still doing ok with it. I'm sticking to about $100/week at A&P or Shoprite. I did go to BJs to stock up on some things, and after backing out the price of stuff I bought for Dad and MIL, and alcohol (charged to "Entertainment") I spent about another $100.

My goal today is to pay some bills and update my checkbook (we got paid yesterday). I need to deposit a check in the bank also.

I'm intrigued by all of the turmoil in the markets and wondering how it will affect us personally. I'm sure the balance on our investments will be way lower because of the market, but we're in those for the long-term. My job is safe. Hubby's company was just taken over (bought out, whatever phrase they use). We're not sure what the impact of that will be, or when we'll see it. I guess the plan is just to continue to hunker down...

Got the gas bill today. Usage was slightly higher than same month last year, and about 25% higher than last month, due to the few times we ran the pool heater. Overall, on my budget billing, I still owe $102 more than they've billed me, but I should make that up next month (assuming comparable usage to this month). That will give me an additional month or two to get ahead and lower my bill the next time they reset the amount.

I am almost done reading an interesting book called "A year without Made In China". Took it out of the library. A woman tried to go 1 year without buying anything from China. Very difficult with a 1 year old and 4 year old, considering that clothes, shoes, toys, etc. are ALL made in China. It's an interesting read. I doubt (in fact I know) that I wouldn't make it past January 15th. Way too hard. And even in her case, it seems like she's just putting off purchasing stuff from China until after the year is up. Interesting read anyway.

My daughter is in 4th grade and wants to play the flute. This is the first year they offer band, and she seems into it. We can rent the equipment, but it seems like even with that option, it's pretty pricey (~$100 commitment to start). Does anyone have experience with this? I'd be interested to hear how the costs add up...

two steps back.

I sold a book on half.com for $10! That's a record for me. Unfortunately, the car battery and electronics died the same day (one month after paying it off, of course!) so that was a huge hit. And so it goes...

Other than that, we're hanging in there. Trying to keep tabs on our expenses and not buy unnecessary things. I'm hoping that "back-to-school" will mean fewer spontaneous opportunities to spend money. To that end, no plans this weekend, except for some soccer games, one of which I think will be rained out with all this crazy hurricane weather!

We have a group of friends that we get together with frequently. It's great because we all get along, the kids all get along, and it's always a really fun time.

The downside of all this fun is the hit on my entertainment budget. Every time we get together, even if we're not hosting, we bring something toward dinner (pasta salad, corn on the cob, watermelon, something like that). We also bring a bottle of wine or a 12-pack of beer. So we easily spend $20. Of course if we're hosting, it ends up being more, even if we're just doing burgers and dogs.

I guess because summer is coming to an end, we've been getting together more frequently, so my budget has taken a hit. (I refuse to call these "grocery" expenses, and put it toward my "entertainment" budget instead).

I told hubby we need to be creative about this going forward. Think about an inexpensive meal we can serve when we host, and plan better what to bring. Today, we're bringing a watermelon, on sale for $3.88, and maybe a bottle of wine we already have in the house. Always a challenge.

Speaking of challenge, I did the 3rd week of grocery shopping yesterday. I went to one store and spent $72. I wanted to go to a 2nd store to take advantage of the sales, but didn't get around to it. If I get there, I'm going to limit myself to $28 to keep within my $100 budget. This is a big change in mindset for me, because normally I'd take advantage of whatever sales I wanted to, and it cost what it cost. This time, $100 is the limit!

I also have to run August numbers and plan for September. That's on the agenda for this evening...

The good news: I got the electric bill and used an average of 44.66kwh/day, down from 53.12 in July and 55.59 last August. Definitely going in the right direction. We haven't used the air conditioning nearly as much as in the past and we haven't missed it at all.

The bad news: I'm on a budget billing plan that resets in November and as of this month, we have $47.02 in our favor, and actual usage was about $25 over our budget billing amount. I was hoping for a noticeable reduction when the bill resets, but even if I could get it up to $120, that would only work out to a savings of $10/month, not counting rate increases. (Don't get me wrong, I'll take it, and I'm glad to see the results of my efforts, and there's still more to do. It's just that I'm stuck with the reset rate for 6 months, so I was hoping to make a bigger dent in it).

One thing I did notice: the bill isn't due until the 22nd of the month, but they were doing the automatic debit from my checking account on the 8th. It would help me from a cash-flow perspective if they could take it on the 15th, when we get paid. I called and the rep said they couldn't switch it. So I cancelled auto pay and I'll pay it myself on the 15th. A little more inconvenient for me, but it's worth it.

Cell phone is a totally different story. Hubby dropped his in the pool by accident (don't ask). Unfortunately, he just got a new phone 2 WEEKS AGO! HE's not eligible for a reduced price upgrade and we don't have insurance for the phone, so he was looking at $225 to replace his phone. Uh no. Turns out, my MIL's line, which is on our plan, is eligible for an upgrade. Supposedly, we can get the upgrade through her, but activate it under hubby's number. I'll need to go to the Verizon store and have them do it, but hopefully it will work. We'll still need to pay for the phone, but not $225.

As a result of the frustration of the cell phone event, we ordered out from the pizza place for dinner. I was a little bummed because I had something available for dinner and we've done a great job planning our meals, but such is life. We'll have tonight's dinner tomorrow, and at least it reduced the stress level a bit...

I've felt great about spending the past few days. Yesterday, I spent about $40 for pool chemicals, but other than that, it was a no-spender. Despite the fact that I took the kids to the dentist for their 6 month checkup (no cavities, covered by insurance). Then, after the pool store, I took the kids to Wendys for dinner and used some of the paper gift certificates I had. (Store took them, no problem). Today, I'm home all day.

Made dinner in the crockpot yesterday and today. I'm really enjoying the idea of having dinner done by 1:00 pm. It also gave me the opportunity to clear out my pantry a bit (beans, tomatoes, etc.). So all in all, a pretty good day...

It's weird when two people mean the same thing but say it in two completely different ways. That's what's happening with me and DH. He's totally on board with the idea of controlling our spending, but we approach it from two completely different angles.

He wants to focus only on the big-ticket items that seem to come out of our budget every month (some planned, some not). I want to look at every last dime, because I know that sometimes the big things (car repair, etc.) can't be avoided.

We did agree that one of our problems is that we were tracking our spend in a very reactive way ("Oh look, we spent $x on food last month), instead of proactively setting a budget for the upcoming month and sticking to it. So we're going to do that for Sept-Dec and see how it goes.

I am glad that he's into it though. Makes it a lot easier...

Even though the challenge won't "officially" start until September, week 2 resulted in $89.52 spent ($111.44 before bonus card and coupons). Again, I'm relying on a few things in the freezer, but so far so good. Here's my plan to keep this going: Each week, I'm going to use a $100 grocery store gift card. If there is anything left, I'll just hold on to it and use a fresh $100 card the following week. That way, if a week comes along where I need more than $100, I can use one of the cards that has a remaining balance. Otherwise, I can save those cards for the holidays when I know full well that $100 isn't going to cut it. We'll see how that goes.

The trip to Baltimore went well. Friend offered to pay for the tix, but the cost was offset by my share of the gas (they drove) so we broke even. Fun time, but I'm not sure it was worth the $250 or so that it cost us in the end. We're thinking about dropping the trip next year.

I can't wait for my electric bill this month. The weather has felt like September lately. Cool mornings. The house hasn't gotten above 74 degrees so the A/C has been for a while.

I'm looking forward to getting organized for the week, and heading back to the gym tomorrow morning (man have I been slacking!). At least all of my meals are planned!

For those of you who fondly remember the Love Boat, I'm done being Julie McCoy, Cruise Director.

A few weeks back, we went to the Police concert. I got 4 tickets ($110 each), for me, hubby and another couple. Shortly after buying the tix, the other hubby decided he didn't want to go, and the wife got a friend to go with her. On the night of the concert, other wife (one of my best friends) told me she forgot her checkbook and will give me the check next time she saw me. Wife's friend gave me a check that night for $110.

Earlier this week, I find out that wife's friend's check bounced. I know the girl, but not THAT well, so I feel a bit awkward calling her about it. (I'm figuring that she'll see her check bounced and call me to have it redeposited). On top of that, wife never gave me her check, either. I'm not entirely sure what her financial situation is, but I know things are tight, so I don't want to ask. Do they have an emoticon for a smiley face with a lollipop for its head (i.e., SUCKER!)

We're going to Baltimore tomorrow with another couple to see the Yankee game. Again, fronted the tix months ago. To her credit, friend (different friend from the wife above) asked me what she owes, but things are SUPER tight with them, so I'm not holding my breath.

It goes beyond tickets. It's class mom, team mom, anyting else that requires me to lay out money, and others to pay back their share. I'm done. Capital D. Let someone else do it. I'm happy to pay whatever they tell me I owe, but I'm not doing it anymore. JUST SAY NO!!!

Wow that felt good. I think I'm just sleep deprived because the Olympics are ending SO LATE, but they've been SO GREAT that I've had to stay up to watch. Going to bed at 12:30 and getting up at 6:15 for two weeks has definitely taken its toll on me. I need to go to sleep!

I sold a book on 1/2.com for $2.00 plus shipping. Not much, but better than nothing. Someone also requested a book from me at paperback swap . com, so I need to get that in the mail as well.

Cancelled my newspaper subscription. I love the paper, but I can read it online just as easily. The only thing I'll really miss are the coupons, but it turns out that it would be cheaper to buy the Sunday copy than have it delivered everyday, (if I can't bum coupons off my friends, that is!).

I also changed a service on my cell phone that I was receiving and used, but I didn't love it enough to keep the $15/month charge.

I'm really trying to weed through my expenses and shave them down wherever I can. Next call: insurance company to raise auto deductible to $1000. Slow and steady wins the race...

That's the grocery total for the week. Woohoo. Spent $23.56 at the A&P, and $76.52 at the ShopRite.

On the plus side, we stayed to $100, and were able to accommodate last minute guests for dinner, without blowing the food budget, which is huge for us. On the down side, we didn't stick to the list entirely. Things that were on the list were taken off last minute, and things that weren't on our list appeared in our carts!

I'm super curious to see how this continues. We had a number of meals in our freezer that we'll be using this week, so that helped keep costs down as well. On the flip side, looking closely at what we bought, there are definitely things (Rice Krispies treats!) that I could make SO much cheaper at home. So far so good.

Peach picking was a success, but we were too early for blackberries and raspberries. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! Today we're heading down to brother and SIL's house for dinner. They live about 90 minutes away (yikes on the gas), but should be an otherwise no spend day.

Also on the plus side, I found $50 in Walmart gift cards that we received as a Christmas gift last year (but we don't live that close to a Walmart, so I forgot about them!). There is one near MIL's house, so I'm going to save them for either Christmas shopping, or one month if the grocery bill needs some help. I also got 2 $5 gift cards for Target.

On the down side, I received a call from a Market Research firm hired by the auto company for the car we drive. They wanted me to spend 90 minutes taking a survey and would pay $120, but they were looking for people who go to Jiffy Lube and places like that for service, and we always go to the dealer, so I couldn't participate. Huge bummer...

Hope all is well with everyone. Have a great day!

Although DH's official grocery challenge was to begin September 1st, he's actually so into it that he suggested we start this week. (Who are you, and what did you do with my husband?!)

Phase 1 is done. We've read through the sale ads and planned our menu. Our goal is to shoot for $100, but be flexible to have it go to $125, which will keep us between $400-$500/month. Based on our list, we should be just around $100, though I had to guess for some things like meat, where I won't know the exact price until I see the piece I get.

I'll post after the shopping is done to give you an exact figure, but so far so good.

Later on today, we're going peach, blackberry and raspberry picking. We do this every year at a local farm and it's great fun.

...and my financial planner story.

I'm back. Vacation was great. Not necessarily relaxing with 2 young kids at the beach and boardwalk but really fun. (I'm like a kid myself - LOVE the rides at the boardwalk)! But now I'm back to reality.

Hubby and I have been having major conversations about our financial situation over the last few months. The prices of everything are through the roof, and it's too tight for comfort for me. I showed hubby the numbers and indicated that we really need to crack down on all areas of spending. His response: the problem is the grocery bill, which averages about $600/month (including detergent, personal and paper products).

While that's certainly not the only area we could attack, it's definitely a good place to start. We could plan meals better, waste less produce, etc. to get it down some. But I think he may have an unrealistic view of how low it can go. (He's thinking in the neighborhood of $400).

So I gave him a challenge. I'll give him $400 (or $450, or $500 - whatever he finally decides) on September 1st and he will be completely responsible for grocery shopping for the month. I'll help him however I can, as far as planning meals, cutting coupons, whatever, but he's going to the store and shopping. If he's successful, maybe I can learn some of his tricks. If he's unsuccessful, at least he'll have an appreciation for what things cost and agree to attack some of the other categories that he's avoiding now. Either way, it's a win-win for me.

On another note, we met with a financial planner yesterday. What an absolute crock! We did it as a favor to friends who used this guy and recommended him to us. He's a "wealth management" advisor. His advice: 1) stop overfunding your 401(k). (We currently max out). His suggestion was to only contribute to the company match and invest the rest in his investment vehicle. 2) Refinance our current mortgage. We currently have a 15-year fixed at 4 5/8%, with 9 years left to pay and a balance of about $187k. He wants us to take out a 30-year fixed, leaving only 20% equity in the house and invest the rest in this investment vehicle. His logic: The return on the investment plus the additional tax deductions more than make up for the additional interest you incur moving from a 15 to a 30-year.

Are you kidding me? I won't bore you with the details of his argument, but suffice it to say that we weren't biting. I'd much rather have the peace of mind of being debt free with no tax deductions, then having a $600k 30-year mortgage hanging over my head at the age of 38. I'm sure people who aren't as cynical as I am lap up what he says, and are probably responsible for all of the "for sale" signs going up in my neighborhood. Unreal.

Plan for today is to work on cutting some more expenses, filling out some FSA paperwork, and the like. I'm also going to open the windows and let some fresh air in!

Got an email from the 1/2.com person. Turns out they didn't need the book and asked if I would issue a refund, since I hadn't shipped it yet. Bummer...

The back to school papers are starting to come home. I got the kids' teacher assignments, milk and lunch order forms, etc. I'll take care of all that when I get paid on the 15th.

Not sure if any of you have Commerce Bank by you, but they're running a promotion over the summer where, if your child reads 10 books, Commerce will deposit $10 in their savings account. Valley Nat'l had a different $10 promotion which I took advantage of a few years back. I'll switch the kids' money before school starts to take advantage of the extra $$.

We're off for a long weekend at the beach. We go every year with MIL. I have to dig out a few gift cards form the boardwalk that had money on them last year (don't expire). MIL pays for hotel and food, so aside from the boardwalk and water park (which is actually really expensive, everything else is free to us.

I'll report back on Monday when I return. Have a good weekend!