Stretching My Dollars

Wow I haven't been on here in quite a while. I have just been so busy... much has been going on. I realized the last time I posted, I was still living in 'hell' - we moved almost a month ago and are much happier. Nick isn't working yet, I asked him to take a breather and rest his knee, figure out what he wants to do long-term. I am now paying rent, so it's not as easy to just throw all this money at bills and savings. I was getting a little worried about meeting my year end goal of eliminating all my cc debt (Discover is the last one), because there is only so much time and ability to do so. Well, yesterday helped to solve that problem:

I was in Atlantic City (NJ) on Thursday & Friday for work, they were having a meeting at the Borgata. So Nick came along to keep me company, although we didn't have money to gamble with. I had to work a 1/2 day Thursday and then we drove down. So Friday he unfortunately had to be out of the room by 11 (apparently they don't do late checkouts there, not w.o charging anyway) and my meeting ran until 4. I tried getting in touch w.him for lunch, because my coworker had invited her husband to eat w.us. After awhile, got a phone call, he is playing on a Wheel of Fortune machine and is up to $900 something dollars... off of $20 he took out of the atm. He promised he wouldn't go below $700 and to call him on my next break. I did, and he came and met me upstairs. He handed me a voucher for $156 and change... I was thinking, you better not have lost all that money, even though technically $156 was up from $20... so he grins at me and pulls open his wallet... there is all this cash. He says, I won $3,000. The $156 was 'leftover play money' from another game. I couldn't believe it, I was so happy. I was like, I can pay off my Discover, right, right right? happy happy joy joy. thank god my meeting was almost over because now it was really hard to pay attention. So when the meeting breaks around 3:30 I call him again.. and he says he can't meet me, to come meet him.. is again on a lucky poker machine... so about 1/2 hour later we walk away with another $503. So we are reeling and can't stop smiling and I still can't believe it... I ask him over and over, you HAD to spend more than $20... and he says nope.. shows me the ATM receipt. So we leave, get home... fast forward. Unfortunately this part of the story isn't good.

I guess God has issues with me being too happy or something? Because my car felt his wrath. There are tons of deer around where we live now, really nice farmlandish area. And one chose to run in front of my car last week... missed it. Yesterday? caught the corner of it when Nick went out for cigarettes... he was gone for a long time and I called him... he said we had to talk when he got home.. and when he came home he was crying... told me what happened. I hugged him because I know it's not his fault, knew he felt really bad.. stupid deer are all over the place... but then I walked outside and I just cried. And I know it could be a lot worse, it actually isn't that bad considering, like I said he just caught the corner.. but it's still my car Only plus is if we find the right mechanic to work with us, we might be able to get a different bumper, etc. Aftermarket is often cheaper than the stock, true Ford parts (my hood for example is cheaper than a regular hood like I had originally). So he called his insurance and got the claim started... we'll see what happens. But I am still very happy I will be meeting my cc goal

Each week goes by pretty quickly. I guess because my schedule is pretty tight? I've had a stressful week though, not related to work, but again with Nick and his knee. It blew out again and he's having trouble with work. Despite the fact he shouldn't be working, he is, and they are being as difficult as they can be. His lawyer is re-opening his worker's comp case from when this all happened originally, but that takes a month at least, and now his job is saying that they can't pay him if he isn't 100% and doing all required duties (even though he was, just with the help of his maintenaince technicians, which is what they are there for, he is a supervisor). So I think they probably plan to fire him in the long run He/we just can't win. I am not allowing him to get another job like this, he can't do it. His knee can't handle it.

Want to hear something funny? The day after I called Netflix and complained about not receiving the $10 Target gc, and after he told me that's only if I joined, which I didn't believe, I received it in the mail. LOL - if I knew I'd get in touch with the same rep, I'd love to call and see why I somehow got it? Hehe. I am glad it's the weekend - it's been kinda blah outside and I just want to lay around this weekend. I am going to watch the free movies I am getting from my Blockbuster trial

Another Monday, done and gone. Luckily they always go fast. My good mood continued on into today, but I am pretty sure it'll be gone by tomorrow, hehe.

Yesterday I wrote my letter to ChexSystems/WaMu Bank about the item on my report. I am not holding out too much hope, but still keeping my fingers crossed that they'll give me the time of day and honor my request. Also drafted a letter to some insurance company, based online, that Nick had purchased for literally a day back in February. He decided to cancel within 2 days, they said ok, cancellation is processed, you won't be charged. No worries since it wasn't... until 9/30! What a scam. Complained and was told we need to write a letter stating he never had this insurance, etc. used it. Did that and copied the BBB. I don't play. What is it with all these companies thinking they have a right to my money? Ugh!

Not much else going on. If you have a PF blog and want to participate, I'm hosting something called the Carnival of Debt Reduction on my blog (http://ksfinancialprogressreport.blogspot.com) next Monday. What it is, different bloggers submit their posts on debt reduction and one blogger hosts per week. Lucky me Anyone interested in submitting, please email me at kar3881 at yahoo.com. If you're interested in what the Carnival is like, check out the current one up at Free Money Finance: http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2005/10/carnival_of_deb.html

I thoroughly enjoyed my day today - I SO needed it. It was a really rough week, not tough work-wise by any means, but just the whole getting up and DOING it at all. I was just exhausted. Days were stretching longer than they ever have, and I was so on edge. Last night I could have done a happy dance, I was so happy when I got home, just to relax.

I woke up this morning, fairly early for me on a weekend, at 10:30 (Nick unfortunately had to do a little work, so he was already up). I checked my email, since I hadn't had time yesterday, cleaned the house, read my free issues of Budget Living and Sept & Oct's Kiplinger's PF mag, and watched one of the movies I have from Blockbuster's free trial. I played with my cats, who I believe miss me since they are all over me, and just could smile from ear to ear. All financial tasks and planning has been completed for the week/weekend, and I can just RELAX. The only 'stress' I had today was that I finally decided to call up Netflix (I had a free trial with them back in August) and ask where my promotional $10 gc from Target was. Apparently the terms somehow changed from my recollection (a big reason why I even signed up for the trial at all) and you had to become a paying member to get the gc. I told the rep that I thought as much, thanked him, and hung up. The gc would've been nice but I wasn't going to fight over it. I also have no intentions of being a Netflix customer anyway, and wouldn't now if I had. I just don't trust companies when I think they are being shady.

The only thing I haven't accomplished yet is to write my response to ChexSystems - the thought of doing so exhausts me, I know I need to do it, but wish I didn't have to deal with it at all.

I received a response from ChexSystems. They aren't going to be as easy as my credit report (in a sense I am glad it's off my credit report instead, if I have to choose). They stated that the item IS shown as paid on their record, but the institution that reported it is under no obligation to remove a legit report. So, what do I do now? I was going to write another letter to ChexSystems again (I have to anyway, they also said they couldn't include my correspondence in my file because it was over 100 words and also named the institution... ugh give me a break!) but I don't think I can ask them to reinvestigate the report, because it's not false (I don't think the process was conducted the right way, but I was also a little more naive in the finance department a year ago than where I am today). So what is my next step? Does anyone have any clues? If so, please let me know because this is not right. I feel like the guy in jail that maintains he is innocent with everyone rolling their eyes, thinking "Sure you are." I am wondering if I can write a letter to my old bank, asking them nicely if they would consider removing it - I was with the same bank from 15 years old - 23 (although a few merges occurred before settling on WaMu). I am just thinking if I nicely explain my situation, maybe that person reading it will be in the giving mood and help me out? I did pay the debt afterall. I don't even know if I CAN contact the bank about it. Please help!

Nick has some kind of lucky streak going on... he won $400 on a scratch-off. We might take some of that and take the Jeep to the mechanic (someone wants it for $1500, but it is wishy-washy and doesn't start sometimes. Nick thinks it's something with the electrical system, or whatever. The guy that wants it is someone Nick knows). I scheduled some payments for next week, and my savings account will be happy: $600 in all is being deposited. I was going to send $375 of that to Discover, but I trimmed it down to $150 instead so I can build up my EF to $1k (this will do it, plus $100). Then the rest of the money will again be directed towards debt.

Today I was thinking about all the money I earn/save now in various ways: just this past week we got $25 & $50 from the ShareBuilder promotions, $10 from Pinecone Research (we were holding on to the first check since I knew another was on the way), a total of $4 from SurveyDirect, and I am being sent free items that I would normally use to try out from BzzAgent (I don't think I ever mentioned that I joined this - I am waiting on my items, but it seems to be an excellent group) as well as cat food from another group I signed up with, and I'll just have to give them my opinions later on. Between the small cash incentives and sample items (sometimes full size!) I have really been saving A LOT. I just completed a survey today in which I'll receive a $10 Amex gift card. And I signed up for a trial month with Blockbuster so I'll get some free movie watching in. So adding this on to my budgeted plan for debt repayment really makes a difference, because it helps my wallet out in a different way.

I scheduled my Sears payment for today, so it's back to $0 (from when I used it to buy clothes for work 2 weeks ago). I have certain payments scheduled in Quicken, quite a few, that we haven't even received the bill for yet, so since I am getting paid on Thursday I knew it was no biggie.

I mentioned previously that I found a link of top survey/market research sites. I have seen these links before and they are usually not too helpful, but this one actually was: http://www.freepaidsurveys.net/usaDir.php. I sorted by user rating and signed up for the ones I hadn't already (also, I only signed up for the sites that had 'C' in the Rewards column - I am not interested in being entered into probably non-existent sweepstakes!). Of course, Pinecone was #1. As with all the other things I have done to 'see what happens', I signed up not expecting anything. I actually received FIVE offers to participate in surveys today, all ranging from $3-$5 per survey. Unfortunately, almost all were filled by time I got to them (hey, I work! lol I can't sit online waiting for the surveys). Oh well - it gave me some hope though. Brand Institute was one of the firms that contacted me (multiple times actually). The research firm I mentioned previously was also listed on this page. I am thinking Nick didn't qualify because we haven't heard anything Oh well, worth a shot, right? I am guessing there will be more chances in the future, it actually says on the website above that most of the studies DoNowResearch does are based in NY/NJ area.

Sorry to be a little off-topic, finances wise...but...

Did you ever hear the song (which I believe is relatively new) by Sum 41, called 'Untitled'? It's a really good song, and probably fits exactly how my sister feels right now. She is having alot of problems with her husband, she recently enrolled in a nursing program, great opportunity, and he is a jerk, always has been, doesn't want her to better herself. His male ego can't handle it. I received a call from her last night, she had gone to my parents' house for the night. They even had to pick her up - her wonderful husband apparently told her to clean out her minivan because he sold it, and proceeded to take her keys and leave. (A little background on this is when they went to buy the van, she couldn't find her license - therefore the van was put in his name. In a later fight he told her he did this on purpose so if she left him she wouldn't have a vehicle. Nice, right?) This is a perfect example of how he is trying to stop her from bettering herself - this behavior starts whenever she does try. Selling her car? Perfect way to stop her from going to school, since she can't get there! Apparently he really did not sell it, but still an idiotic gesture (not that I expect more of him).

She stayed at my parents' house last night to cool down, and will be contacting a lawyer to see what her options are (she wants a divorce obviously). This guy is as smart as a fox - everything that is paid is in his name, any debt is in hers. I can't even talk to my sister, because Mr. Paranoid tapes conversations... monitors her email... the list goes on. She told me last night she gave my father money, and he is going to set up an account for her. She went back home today, because her kids were understandably upset that she was gone, and said she will try to remain civil for the time being, until she knows what she can do. She has quite a rough road ahead of her: finding a job, securing daycare, getting a vehicle if idiot plays games with the van again, which he will, finding somewhere to live, all while dealing with the hell we know he'll put her through. I know my parents will help her as much as possible, but they live on a fixed income now since my father retired. I told her I set up an account for her as well, and I think at least half, if not more, of my second income will be going to her. It's so worth it though, if she will be happy. I really hope anyone out there with doubts about their relationship will see this post and think twice about kids and marriage with that person. Love isn't enough sometimes, and even that wears away when you have to deal with things like this.

*SIGH*

The rest of the weekend was okay, just went by so fast. Sorry to say with everything going on, we missed the carnival from work. Nick's knee also was bothering him, so he wasn't exactly in the mood to go anywhere, let alone walk around. I felt the same. We went shopping to that clothing store, Dots, yesterday and I got 5 shirts and a pair of pants for $81! What a difference, and they are really nice clothes. We also stopped by the AJ Wright next door, and Nick got a pair of jeans (which just happen to be Guess, and really nice) for $20, as well as sneakers, which he needed since he currently had none. Those were $35. Afterwards we stopped by Wendy's (my request, since we hadn't had it in quite awhile) and I got the chicken strips salad, so yes I stayed healthy (by Wendy's standards anyhow!) I also worked out last night. Not going to work out tonight since I am really sore, but I am encouraged because it looks like I dropped another pound. I just scheduled payment for the Sears card to be paid in full on Thursday (that I had used to buy work clothes last week), and transferred $7 to my Money Earned account in ING ($5 from Pinecone Research and $2 from SurveyDirect). So far I have about $130 in there. I haven't transferred all the money though, I still 'owe' my account. I keep a spreadsheet to track what I earn and if I deposited it into savings yet.

I think I mentioned previously that I am loosening up as far as the weekly spending - we try not to spend money as it is, and as much as I analyze it, it's not going to prevent necessary spending. If we were going out and buying big-screen TV's every week, okay then, I'd have a reason to cut back and criticize, but I think we're doing okay, on the right track. We're still good on the groceries we bought 2 weeks ago, although we're going to have to get a few items soon. Anyway, time for me to get off my butt and do some cleaning, and make my lunch/dinner for tomorrow. Already Monday again (groan).

...that cigarettes might bring in money? Remember I said that Nick quit awhile back? He did - and did well. Then he stupidly picked up one (not in my presence, lol) and it started all over again. I wasn't happy and he said he still really wanted to quit. He's been slowing down on how many he smokes per day, so it's better. Anyway, today I received a notice for a research study - two, actually - one being for smokers in NJ and the other for young women. I'd do the second study, but it's in Manhattan (hour plus away from me now, my mom and friends are close, so I sent it to them) and it would be at night, causing me to miss the 2nd job - the pay is $200 and I figure I'd still make money on it, but it's probably not worth the gas, mileage, request for time off, etc. Hopefully Nick will qualify for the smoker study. If you are from NJ and interested, leave me a comment and I'll forward it on. The rest of you might be interested in signing up with the company as well - it operates across the US.

www.donowresearch.com

We were pleasantly surprised to receive another check from Nick's disability - we had thought he was short a check, and he was - they sent it to the old address, so we have $400 more than expected in the bank. And yes, Best Buy is finito. :O) Nick also got some moisturizing lotion from L'Oreal for Men in the mail - he's probably not as thrilled as I am when I get samples though, hehe.

I felt more comfortable today at work - getting used to everything again. Oh, and everything worked, what a surprise! I actually was able to do something today. I had a good conversation with one of the temps at my job (hopefully she'll be going permanent if everything works out, and I really like her) and we seem so alike. She will be 25 next week and described to me her plan to eliminate debt, save up money, and get her act together financially. All I really could do is agree with everything she said - she literally was approaching everything just as I am - and her life seems to parallel mine in many ways. Weird, huh? I also noticed our web services guy (also 25) had "The Millionaire Next Door" on his desk. Besides the blogs I have seen, this is definitely proof to me that people my age are very interested in their finances. Always a good thing.

I am really glad tomorrow is Friday, I am craving the sleep. I went to bed earlier last night, but still felt really tired this morning. I am tired right now too, but since I am done with the work I had and just relaxing, shoes kicked off, blogging, with my Yahoo! Launch radio playing, I can't complain. Only a half hour (and another day) to get through before the weekend!

*I got home and Nick told me he won $75 on a scratch off. And someone wants to buy the Jeep truck we have for $1500. Not a bad day! Oh, and I got a sample from Mary Kay

I'm at my second job right now, and I have about 45 minutes to kill, so I thought, why not blog? Tonight there was more stuff to do, but still a light night. As easy as this job is, it can get pretty busy. Good news is, the company is having a picnic this Sunday, and it's basically the equivalent of a town fair/mini carnival. My supervisor generously gave me 2 tickets to go, because it's free - EVERYTHING is free. They all are excited about it here. Unlimited food, drinks, ice cream (they said it's every kid's dream - a Haagan Daz ice cream truck is there and you can get whatever you want - as much as you want - FREE). There's rock climbing, paintball, face painting, family portrait pictures, I could go on and on. Lots of stuff, and of course I am drawn because it's not costing me anything. Can't beat free entertainment!

Today started out rough - guess I was really tired, because I slept right through my alarm, and I never sleep through that. So Nick wakes me up at 7:30 (luckily he did wake up at all, or I'd STILL be sleeping) and tells me what time it is, which is coincidentally the exact time I should be at work. Ugh. I really hate being late - and it's my second day back. Waking up and rushing always sours my day. I managed to get there at 8:05, and it was okay ~ but can't let that happen again. It was another slow day, because I don't have tons to do, most of my contacts don't know I am back, and also have been contacting my coworker Sarah in my absence. It's going to take some time. Most of my day was spent trying to find my Outlook subfolders - with the computer switch they're all gone. I had really important info in there for all of my committees, accounts, etc., etc. They are full of 2 years of work, neatly organized so everything is easy to find. I was upset, but then I realized I saved these off the server, so we found them on my old computer - but they are password protected, and for some reason, none of the passwords I know I'd use are working. So - the IT guy is going to try to hack into it. LOL. Ugh. I just feel lost without that information. Plus I have tons of articles I had in a subfolder for inclusion in the newsletter I publish, so all these were 'lost' and so are the contacts I made! Grrr. I still didn't get much done today and I really need to step it up a bit - I didn't get to work until 10 (catching up with boss who wasn't in yesterday), lunch from 12-12:45, then I leave at 4. Time always flew at that place and nothing has changed.

Ooh, I almost forgot. I got an invite to the exclusive Pinecone Research, and did my first survey today! Woohoo It said to expect a welcome packet and my first compensation voucher soon! I have heard only good things about them, and the fact that you can't join without an invite says it's for real. Other than that, my day has been uneventful. I am definitely looking forward to going home and relaxing.

I hope I sleep tonight. I meant to wake up earlier today, and overslept. Nick and I went to Sears today, and I got some pants, shoes, and a top for work. I figured I didn't buy any clothes for work for the summer (cuz I was home) so my work wardrobe needed something. The clothes are nice, needed, but boy are they expensive. Funny I have that opinion since I used to frequent the mall, but in my opinion, most of the stuff there was ugly and nothing special - a button up shirt was $40. I just couldn't justify it. The other items I bought were all on sale, including the shoes (which I really like), but I still spent $90 for 2 pairs of pants, a top, and shoes. HELLO. I only went to Sears because I have specific amounts budgeted for everything, and the money left in the bank is gas money - so I used my cc, and will pay it off when I get my paycheck from the 2nd job next week. I still need to do some more shopping, but it will be at this little store I like, called Dots. They tend to have some nice, cheap stuff.

We also stopped by ShopRite and used the $5 rebate check to pick up apples, bananas, some chocolate stuff for Nick and grapes. Also picked up the free 2 liter of Coca Cola Zero. Total came to $12.04, we paid $6.04. Wish I always had rebate checks. Also got gas on the way home. I noticed prices have dropped somewhat, at some stations (others seem to keep the higher prices, seeing if you're a dummy to pay it) because we paid $3.39. I wish it would drop down to the $2.59 I remember. Isn't that horrible? Ugh.

I have to clean, generally get ready for tomorrow (got my outfit all picked out, feels like back to school lol), and there is a special on tonight about 9/11, the families of Flight 93 that we want to watch. I can't believe it's been 4years. God Bless.

Only 2 days until I go back to work. I think it'll be easy, at least at first, because I have to ease back into it, but I am definitely nervous. More nervous to see how tired I am going to feel, because I am going back to the second job as well. Sooo my day will begin when I wake up around 6, and won't end until 9 p.m. (really 9:30ish, by time I get home). Since I no longer live around the corner from my job () I'll have to make lunch (and dinner, for the other job) when I get home. Did I mention I want to lose weight too? So yeah, any exercise I want to do has to be done when I get home. Trust me - better chance it will happen at night then when I wake up in the morning!

Today I received my $5 rebate check from Coca Cola - awhile back, ShopRite had fridge packs on sale, 4 for $8. This was a savings of $6, then I sent in for the rebate, so that's another $5, plus a coupon for a free 2 liter of Coca Cola Zero. Oh, and did I mention that I also got credit from Upromise - for the full priced amount?! So the whole thing cost me less than $3. Woohoo, I love me some rebates.

I contacted my financial advisor for my Simple IRA the other day (by email). I requested that he raise my employee contribution to 7%. I currently am only at 3% (the same amount my employer matches). Since I am close to paying off debt, I figured now's a good time to raise it... put it at 10% total. I still haven't heard back though and I'm wondering what the deal is.

OH. Grrrr (time to vent). A week and a half ago, Nick went to the bank and made a cash deposit of $30. Sometimes our bank (Commerce) takes a day or so to show deposits or whatever. I didnt see it, so I gave it an extra day. Nothing. So he stopped by the bank, they said it was their mistake, they'd correct the problem. Fine. Still nothing a few days later. So I email customer service, they look into it, say that the local branch is looking into it, and I'll hear back from them within 3-5 business days on what the outcome is. Still nothing. I am really pissed. Furthermore, I don't know what rights I have, what can I do, if they come back and don't put MY $30 in my account. Thank God it's not more is what I am thinking, that point being both a pro and con at the same time. I mean, what IF it was more - but yet, why did this happen? I mean, $30 would buy me some gas, $30 could be used for alot, it's not chump change. Grrrr I plan on going to the branch tomorrow to fight with them if I have to - and if they don't credit my account, I am going to threaten to write the BBB. I don't know what else I can do. It sucks.

Well, yesterday was my last doctor's appointment, and I will be returning to work on Monday. I am excited to be getting back to a routine, but nervous. Tomorrow marks 3 months that I have been out of work. I will also be returning to the 2nd job on Monday, so it's going to be quite a week of adjustment. Once I start getting weekly paychecks again, it will be nice. My debt repayment plan is sure going to speed up. Best Buy is being paid off on the 15th (that was actually planned without the second income, so there will be cash leftover), and then it's on to Discover. I converted it so that I get the full 5% back on gas purchases, and it's registered with Upromise, so 6% back in all. Once that has been eliminated, I think I am going to simultaneously work at increasing the amount of my EF and paying off the Grand Am. Nick's (my SO) brother is still trying to find a way to pay the car off so he can take it over, but until then, I will pay it down, reap the profit from his payment, and if we're still in the same position down the road, cancel the insurance and save $1100 a year (not that I am paying for it, but again, more profit in my pocket).

My blog, as well as this journal, has really helped me to focus on my goals, and it feels really good to be in the homestretch of this first goal. My financial goals will continue on, but this is the biggest step I needed to take. I really enjoy reading the other PF blogs and journals here that document their struggles, what keeps them motivated, and what their best advice is.

Today I received a $14.97 credit from Gem Avenue, a shop on Amazon.com where we had purchased a wallet for Nick. It was a cheap wallet in price, but looked nice. Well, one of the inside pockets where credit cards are kept started to rip 3 days after we received it, and Nick's wallet is not at all overloaded. We never did anything about it unfortunately, with moving and everything else going on, it just slipped our minds. Well, I received a survey from Amazon about a week or so ago, asking how the service was, etc. and to rate the seller. I explained my problem, and didn't expect anything in return honestly. I was contacted directly by the seller, and they said they wanted to make me happy with their service, so they refunded the full price! I am happy ~ we essentially got a free wallet!

Still waiting on ChexSystems about whether or not they will remove the negative item from my record - here's hoping. I would imagine if it's being removed from my credit report it would be the same for CS. Also, I believe I read somewhere that if the item has been paid, they are obligated to do so, but I may have some incorrect information, not sure. I am factoring charity donations into my budget from here on out, not only to the Red Cross for Hurricane Relief, but also for animal friendly charities. I use MyCheckFree.com to pay some of my bills online, and they have a search engine for any type of charity, any location. I plan on doing so when I get paid on the 15th. I had donated $25, and had used my Discover since I was short on cash (I use it all to pay the bills and put in savings! lol), but plan to continue giving.

Wow, this was a great week in spending. I didn't even think we did this well. At the same time, I am not looking forward to upcoming weeks, as I will return to work. Since I no longer live right around the corner from work, not only am I going to have to drag my butt out of bed earlier, but I will also be spending more on gas. The 2nd job isn't far so it's definitely worth it, it can help me afford to go to work. ;O) Just kidding. Kind of. I can afford it technically, but do I want to spend it? No, of course not. Neither does anyone else, it's life I guess. Anyway, here is the breakdown (yes, it's very short):

Item/Description:

$21.33 ~ Rite-Aid Pharmacy on 8/30 (prescription and misc. items)
$7.62 ~ CVS on 8/31 (misc. items)
$16.72 ~ Amazon.com on 9/2 (stamps for SO's job, will be reimbursed!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
$45.67 Total Weekly Spending

+105.61 Grocery Spending
-----------------------------------------------
$151.28 - All spending for the week

Now I'd say that's pretty good. The amount is low, and we managed to have a few no spend days thrown in there. This week SO's job gave him the gas card to fill up his tank, so no gas expenses were incurred. That will not be the story for other weeks unfortunately. I still am keeping the grocery and weekly spending separate, so I have $144.39 left to spend on groceries for the remainder of the month ($250 monthly grocery budget).

I mentioned previously that I needed to sit down and write a letter of dispute to ChexSystems, about the same account that had plagued me on my credit report. Today I got the fire lit under me, because my account was denied for the VirtualBank application I had completed, because of this fact. I am angry that it had an effect on this, but also cannot comprehend why a savings account would deem this information important, as it doesn't operate in the ways that a checking account would. Anyhow ~ the letter is off and sent. I am hoping it will be resolved quickly so I can contact VB and have them reassess my application. We'll see. If you have a similar situation, here is the link on how to contact ChexSystems and file a dispute:

https://www.consumerdebit.com/consumerinfo/us/en/chexsystems/disputes.htm

Other than that, had a pretty good day. Cleaned, cooked (which is a milestone, I never cook, SO does that) and generally got myself situated/organized with everything. Just waiting for Thursday, payday, so I can send some more money off to the CC companies :O)

Much has changed since my last post - SO and I moved to a new apartment (his new job), and I had my surgery for carpal tunnel on my right wrist. I am still healing but feel much better now. I honestly didn't expect it to kick me in the butt as much as it did, I am good with pain and it's an easy surgery. It just left me tired for a few days, as well as frustrated that there were many things I couldn't do by myself without help. I expected to be up and about but I laid around for about 2 weeks. Timing was not good - we had to move the weekend after my surgery, only 5 days after. I couldn't do much, thank God we had help, but still. It was a rough day. I didn't have internet service until yesterday (boy was I suffering from withdrawal! lol) so I had to climb through a thousand plus emails. Fun stuff. Anyhow ~

I haven't been tracking our spending as closely as before. I plan to start doing so again, I think I'll start next week since we're already into this week. We still have been attempting not to waste money, but expenses always pop up with moving, and I am definitely over budget. Moving truck, groceries for the new apartment, various odds and ends, oh and a new battery for SO's car. Life happens sometimes. We're also waiting for a full check from SO's job. He got paid yesterday, but it fell so that it was only for one week. Oh, and they paid him less than he is supposed to make an hour, about $2 less. So that is supposed to be adjusted. The money he did get paid is going to go towards his tooth - he has to go to the dentist, has a bad infection in his jaw from an impacted wisdom tooth. Not fun.

Some good news is that I paid off my Dell computer (not sure if I already reported that), and sent off $250 to Best Buy the other day, so only $533.53 is left on that debt. If all works out, I will have this paid off by latest October. I am basing that off of just my main job, but once I restart the 2nd job it should be much sooner. I can't wait!

Friday I received an email from my supervisor at my old second job, the one I gave up voluntarily when I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel and realized I'd be unable to work for awhile. She was offering me the position again if I wanted it, as they had just gotten a college student to cover for the summer. She said if I am interested I can have it I am very happy, I really thought they were changing the staffing plan all around and my position wouldn't even exist anymore ~ woohoo! This job is so easy, the people are nice, and the hours are 4:30-9. It brings home an extra $250 for a 22.5 hour work week, after taxes. She said she realizes I may not have an estimated date of return, but just to keep her updated. I am thrilled, I can't even express it, because this will help me so much more in my overall plan.

This whole experience with SO and his job has left a sour taste in my mouth. His job is of great benefit due to the fact that we do not pay rent or utilities. The (obvious) downside is that we are out of a home should he lose his job. This is not something he wants to do long-term, but he feels kind of stuck right now - the easy quick fix is for him to get another superintendent job (like he has done), so we continue to live rent-free. He is also still trying to figure out what he does want to do, because his interests tend to lean toward things he physically cannot do due to his knee: police officer, firefighter, etc. His dream? To own an autobody/customization shop. It is difficult to make certain things reality, but we'll see what can be done about that one day.

Anyhow, my whole point is that I have my after-debt goal: I am buying a townhouse/condo. Not a house, they are really expensive in NJ, and the above fits our needs and budget. Also, I think it would be smart to start out that way, as we can build equity and have something to our names when we do go for a real house one day. My goal is to have a down payment by this time next year. I planned on doing this without the second job, so I am delighted because this is an easy extra grand a month right into my account. I will get rid of all the debt first and then all that money will be directly deposited. Another benefit is that I will be receiving a settlement because of my surgery, between $6-10k I was told by my lawyer. SO also has a larger settlement due to him for his knee surgeries. Now, we may not go right out and buy a house by this time next year, but I want to know that if we need/want to, we can.

Tomorrow is my surgery, so I will be away from the computer for awhile...whatever will I do I hope it heals fast.

As much as I'd love to tell you I spent $85 this week, or even exactly the $105 I budget for, it isn't so. Probably part of what makes it worse is that I knowingly didn't stick to my budget. You have to listen to my excu...reasons first.

* We are moving shortly, so we didn't feel it would make sense to go food shopping really (not that eating out makes more sense, but...oh well.)
*We went in search of some items that would be good to sell at the local flea market/eBay, and SO purchased a set of items online that cost $75, but according to him, will be worth it. We'll see. I'll let you know how that goes. He did provide some online proof of how well the item has done... so we'll see.

These are really the only reasons I have. Basically eating out so much did us in. It doesn't even matter that we had 2 no spend days, because we more than made up for it!

Amount & Description

$18.05 ~ Circle K convenience store
$13.28 ~ Wine.com - bar item for bridal shower gift
$47.74 ~ Exxon gasoline
$13.80 ~ Wendy's
$32.06 ~ Pizza
$25.77 ~ Walmart
$42.00 ~ Money taken out of ATM
$10.00 ~ CVS Pharmacy
$24.21 ~ Denny's
$27.52 ~ Goodwill
$2.84 ~ Lowe's
$76.96 ~ HSN.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
$334.23 Total

= $229.23 over budget

I have to say it was nice to order out. We haven't really done that in a long time. It wasn't worth the extra money that was spent, but I am okay with it. Every once in awhile, I think it's okay to splurge. I think I have made some progress in converting SO, because when I showed him the weekly spending, he got angry at us for not being smarter about the eating out.
I think I have pointed out that even when mistakes are made, usually good things come of it. Plus, some of the money we spent is supposedly going to make us money too ~ but like I said, I'm not holding my breath. SO is excited so I don't want to take that away from him. I will watch and see what happens. This is his thing, his idea, and he's been talking more about making/saving money, so I think he's got my fever.

What with getting ready to move and all, we have spent more this week than we have in a while. To be honest, I am scared to do my weekly spending review. However, I will just chalk it up to the fact that we needed to get boxes, packing materials, etc. as well as we don't want to go food shopping for the short time we'll be here..so Wendy's has seen me twice this week. Oh well. I did pay off 2 cards and do some really good credit cleaning earlier this week, so I'll still keep optimistic.

Went to see the new apartment today, it is much smaller than where we are currently, but I was pleased because my SO really made it sound like a s#%*hole. Isn't so. It's smaller, so we're going to be challenged with some of our furniture, but the area isn't too bad, even street parking doesn't seem it will be too much of an issue, it's off the beaten path. I still hate to park on the street, particularly parallel parking (I am great at it, but other people make me nervous, especially pulling out, I have seen so many people misjudge and think they have enough space to get out and SCRAPE against the car in front of them...)

Also went to the lawyer's office yesterday regarding my SO's case as well as mine due to my upcoming surgery. Apparently when all is said and done, my settlement ranges from 6-10k. I am very happy about that, and looking forward to it. I think that by time I get it, my 2 remaining cc bills will be gone, so I'll put that in my EF Fund - automatic savings, love it. We are also trying to get SO's brother to take out a loan so the Grand Am will be paid off, and he can just pay on the loan, it will be out of my hands, off my report, and not my problem. Keeping fingers crossed...

Today has been a very productive day for me.

I woke up, cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes, threw in a load of laundry while checking my email, and made my doctor's appointment for pre-surgery bloodwork. I then called Discover, as my SO had mistakenly used the card a week or two ago, and we incurred a $35 overlimit fee (he got an earful for that one - luckily, Discover took the charge off this time). I did (and am doing) more laundry, and SO went off to get the paperwork issues taken care of for his new job. Before he left, I questioned him ~ he is sure that everything is fine and that he definitely has it, he has the offer of employment letter, etc. So I transferred money out of ING and paid off the Sears card that we used to purchase his sister's present, and also paid off Dell

Only 2 more to go! Best Buy & Discover, here I come...

I felt that familiar feeling of elation when I scheduled those payments. I haven't felt that in quite a few months. I then decided to do a little 'credit cleaning' - I closed out inactive credit card accounts, those being Macy's, Express, and Wal-mart. I think technically you aren't supposed to close accounts all at the same time, who knows, but I don't plan on making any inquiries and just wanted it done and over with. I had left a bunch of accounts open because I had heard you shouldn't close accounts, but I still think the high number of open accounts is hurting me, even if the balance is zero. Most of them also have low limits, which I believe is another negative factor. I can't keep track of all the credit report rules anymore

My big success of the day? Remember that I had complained about the collection agency situation that was affecting my credit? Today I decided to do something about it. I looked up ER Solutions (the collection agency) on the web, and sent them an email, describing the situation, and while I didn't complain in my email about the situation like I did in my post, I did mention the circumstances and how it had come to the point that my debt even came to them - it wasn't like I purposely went into debt on that situation. I asked them if this could be removed from my credit report, as I contacted them immediately and never had caused any problems in paying them. I must say, they have pretty good customer service, because not even 2 hours later, I received a call from Kathleen at ERS. She told me she had processed my request both electronically and that I would also receive a letter, and she had notified all three credit bureaus...I am happy, and impressed.

Again, I have learned that sometimes all I have to do is ask.

A sidenote - apparently NJ is trying to ban smokers from smoking in cars. I am happy with this, only because I think smoking is unhealthy and debilitating to your finances, but I imagine someone telling me I can't drink a Coke in my car...and that isn't cool. Not sure how I really feel about this, but thought it was interesting.

My SO had a job interview today in a neighboring town for another superintendent position. He got it - but has to provide a copy of his birth certificate and driver's license. He turned 25 this year, which is when you have to renew your license (in Jersey anyway) and you need 6 forms of ID to do so. To be honest, I have to imagine lots of legit people are driving w.expired licenses, because it's so hard to prove who you are! lol. He ordered his birth cert. but the state has taken it's time (didn't even cash the check yet, going to call on that) so he couldn't go for his license. Considering his surgery and that we stay home, it wasn't the top thing on our/his list. So the place he went to today, loved him, actually had him come back to meet the director of the place after he had come home, and they offered him the job But he has to show these forms of ID to get the ball rolling, so we're going on Monday to the state building to get it all done. We should be able to move in shortly. He said it's smaller than where we are now, but it's 2 bedrooms, and free. The neighborhood isnt as nice as Princeton, so I am trying to tame my inner princess. After all - free. But we'll have to park on the street too, and I am not so happy about that - don't want my car messed with or stolen. Oh well.. I'll be able to tackle my bills again like I wanted, not to mention I have a nice stash of cash built up now. But I have learned not to count my chickens before they hatch, so I am still waiting until he gets all his ID to this place. Slightly bad news is disability sent him some extra paperwork to fill out, which apparently takes an additional 14 days to review... so grrr... to be honest some of that cash put away might not be there, might be going to bills to cover us till then.

Other good news? EmigrantDirect raised their rates to 3.50% Yay!

Well, today was payday. That is a good thing, but I of course already have all the money allocated for certain expenses, and most of what is left over is going straight into ING. I am happy their interest rate increased, but I do wish they had matched Emigrant. Today was the first installment of the $20 to each account on a biweekly basis. I also put an additional $260 into ING, paid $50 to Dell, Discover, and Best Buy, and the rest is for a car payment, car insurance, cell phone bill, a bridal shower present for my cousin's fiancee, and little left over to make it by. These days I am being as frugal as possible because I have to. I also noticed that I received an additional $14.21 in my check, since I met the withholding requirements for one of the state categories - it's either unemployment, worker's comp., etc. so while I still have to pay a portion out, it's not as much as before. I transferred that additional money into ING as well, but decided not to put it in the new 'Money Earned' category. I am putting it in the Christmas Club subcategory I have.

My SO sent out his resume last night, and got a call today for a place nearby. He is going for an interview tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that, because it's still close to my job and we actually lived in that town previous to being here. Also, if he can find another job as a super, it would be a huge help. Free apartments, or even discounted, make such a difference. Being as that I have never paid rent, I just hate to think about throwing away $1100 plus a month - ugh! All for nothing, you get nothing in return at the end. No equity, nothing. I would rather do it this way, and put the gas on my House Fund, save up more money. My ING account is currently at $1400, all of which I have accumulated in the last 2 pay periods. It will be $2100 after the next pay period, and that isn't even counting SO's disability check that should be coming soon (or so I pray, should be a month retroactive, $3k or so). I am praying for that check, because he has to pay his car payment, his registration, cancellation bill from Nextel, and the Comcast bill, which just decided they are going to start billing me in advance, so it's double. Also, SO mentioned he thinks they hired someone else here, he saw someone driving around in his old truck. It's laughable but not. NJ really should change their laws and recognize when obvious discrimination is going on - that is the only reason this is even happening.

I have said it before, and unfortunately I'll say it again. Today is one of 'those' days. We, or rather my SO, received notification that payment of rent is due as of August 1st, for the apartment we are currently residing in. We have lived rent and utility free due to the agreement in his superintendent's lease. They feel that since he cannot work, we need to pay rent. It's really just more a measure to evict him, very apparent. I am really not sure what will happen, so I am trying to remain as calm as possible. He has spoken to his lawyer regarding the situation, and they have not gone about things in the right way (the apartment is considered to be included as part of his compensation, yet they did not include this on the disability paperwork, they claimed they are charging since July 1st yet the letter was received today, 18 days in, etc.). The worst part? I can afford to pay them the rent they want, but the apartment won't be in my name, nor will they let me rent an apartment here (it's just known). So even if I paid the rent and we were even in the situation where we said to them, "Hey, regardless of what will happen, let us rent the apartment," it's not happening. SO plans on fighting this, especially since this is the 2nd job that this injury has ended up affecting. While they (his job) are upholding the front that he still is employed, you and I both know that is what it is: a front. As soon as he returns to work he'll be discharged. As NJ is an at-will state, employers can fire you for nearly any reason, whether right or not. It's unfortunate but true. So again, just needed to vent and get my frustration out there...

ING lets you add additional accounts within your main account, or more accurately, the same customer number. I decided to add an account for any money that I 'find' or earn. This includes the $5.46 Staples refunded us for the difference in price, the $33 fee I got back from Commerce, etc. I added up what money I have 'earned' so far this month, and here's what I came up with:

Amount & Description

$5.46 ~ Staples refund
$33.00 ~ Refunded overdraft fee from Commerce
$5.00 ~ Coca Cola refund
$3.49 ~ Noxzema refund
$4.00 ~ OldCellPhones.com - sent in old Nextel phones
$5.00 ~ ING Referral
$45.99 ~ Reimbursement for wrist brace & dr. visit from insurance co.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$101.94 total

Anyway, my idea is to put all the money I get in this way into this account, so that I can track what I save. I only opened it with the $5.46, since that is the only money I can put in right now. I haven't received anything except the ING referral and haven't even received the credit from Staples yet (it's supposed to be credited within a few days, I am watching like a hawk). I did receive the $33, but I of course don't want to withdraw that yet and incur another fee That would be counterproductive. I am also going to start tracking all the samples I receive. I should have tons coming within a few weeks

I track all of my information on different Excel spreadsheets within one file. My budget, Nick's, Weekly Spending, the payment schedule for the Grand Am (for when Barry pays me), etc. Excel is a really helpful tool to use for budget purposes. When I stayed at my parents' house (before we moved into this apartment), I set up a spreadsheet and called it 'Fake Quicken.' I needed a tool to track what I spent and they did not have Quicken on their computer (mine was in storage). It worked just as well ~ without the convenience of comparison reports and graphs, of course.

Yesterday we went to ShopRite to take advantage of the Can Can sale. Before doing so, I checked out the circular online (something I never would have done until now) to see what kind of deals they had going on. They did have some good items on sale, but we only had a little bit of money to play with (I am stuffing as much into savings as possible). Luckily, I believe almost all the items we bought were on sale. The 'winner' of that group is buying 4 twelve packs (fridgepacks) of Coke for $8 - the price is usually $14. So not only did we save $6, but there was an online rebate form for an additional $5 back plus a free 2 liter of new Coca Cola Zero. I just finished filling it out

Unfortunately, we still spent $58.74. Even though we needed food to eat (we were really down to the bare minimum), and we managed to get stuff that will hold us over, it still doesn't feel like we got a lot for that. Oh well...

Weekly Spending: $169.16

Not such a good week in spending. I have no excuses, because it's partly my fault. I got Wendy's one day (don't tell the diet journal) and we ordered Domino's the one night. What really put us over is yesterday's trip to ShopRite... I can take $5 off the total due to the Coke rebate But we were under the past 2 weeks, and we needed food to eat. If we can stay under the $400 per month, I would be thrilled. But if we come in right around there, I'll be happy as well.

Another plus of us doing our grocery shopping at ShopRite is they reward you with OnePass miles for each amount of money that you spend. The OnePass is the miles program from Continental Airlines, which is what I have through work. So I signed my card up for that as well. I am not sure if it will definitely benefit me, but I know they let one of my co-workers use his miles to go on vacation.

My SO has a massive collection of diecast model cars. He LOVES them. That statement probably puts it mildly. One of the bedrooms in our 2 bedroom apartment is "The Car Room." He has over 100, close to 200 (maybe more? I don't know) cars displayed on shelving. He has old car posters and signs around the room as well, it's quite a sight to see. He loves going in there and fooling around with them, dusting them, rearranging them, etc. I used to get a little mad because awhile back I couldn't trust him to go out somewhere without coming back with at least one car (they can be pricey!) He has stopped that completely, for the time being anyway. Anyway I used to joke that it's too bad he likes his cars so much, because some of the cars he has are $300+ a pop. He has a set in particular, 12 Monte Carlos, all different colors, all collectibles, that he keeps in cases. They are very expensive.

He announced to me last night that he was putting the set up on eBay to make some money. I feel very unsettled by this because they are really nice cars, I know he loves them and will probably regret it. I didn't make him do this or ask him to. We don't even need to. Yes, the extra $$ would be nice, good to put away, but not if it's something he'll regret. I feel so unsettled about it. His problem is, he gets himself all excited at the prospect of making money, and doesn't think about the end result. We'll see what happens...

Today was a no spend day. Honestly didn't do anything today ~ was online and read up on the forums here, and then read the other journals (here and other journals online). I also visited all my paid to click sites, I had a full email box this morning. I would say that that whole experiment is going well so far, I am pleased.

I also received the book I ordered off Amazon.com today, "You Don't Have to Be Rich" by Jean Chatzky. I read a little bit of that but I don't feel very focused so I put it aside for now. The other thing on my agenda is to work out tonight. I am glad I started the other journal to keep tabs, because it puts the pressure on a little bit.

Hoping that SO's disability check for this past month comes this week. Luckily he has no bills other then his car payment and insurance, but I do need his help for the cell and cable bills. I could pay it, but that will take away from what I put in savings... we intermingle our money technically, but at the same time we don't, if that makes any sense. He was going to call up his financing company for his car and try to skip this month, sometimes they let you do that (mine sent me this as a 'gift'). Oh yeah ~ I am going to finish filling out the refinancing paperwork for my car today. I only have until the 27th and I keep forgetting to do it.


http://ksfinancialprogressreport.blogspot.com/

Today wasn't a bad day. I got my $5.46 back from Staples ~ the in store difference compared to online. That is a big difference so I complained and they said no problem. I used to really hate when my one friend complained about service, etc. at stores, I thought it was so embarrassing. Now I realize it is worth it to open your mouth, it's just up to you to make sure you do so politely I still don't appreciate when I see someone mistreating wait staff or clerks in a store...

Other than that, I went through my paid email programs. I was surprised because I got a ton of mail from GainMail, and I really didn't think that program would amount to much after I first signed up. I'm keeping tabs for a month then I'll give my 'report.'

I also started a separate blog about my diet (or lack thereof, lol) and am hoping it helps me buckle down like the other one did for my finances. Here's hoping! Oh! I got my free sample of Dove deodorant too. I love when I get my samples in the mail. I think I might start a sample bin and keep track of all the stuff I get for free. LOVE free stuff

I have been using ING for awhile now, I find it so much easier to have an online savings account than a regular one. It's really easy to set up the transfers, etc. It's like online billpay! I have a special offer on my blog, so wanted to extend it here - Anyone interested in opening an ING Direct Savings Account, let me know. You get $25 for opening an account and I get $10 for the referral ~ if you join through me, I will give you an additional $5.

If interested, leave me a comment or email me @ kar3881@yahoo.com. Remember to include your first and last name for purposes of the referral.

So, I've been checking out various ways to make a little extra cash. It'll be my little experiment. I got a few suggestions tonight and signed up with a few 'paid to click' type websites. I signed up with 4 main sites right now, and I'll see how it goes. Some have a good sign up bonus, and low pay out. Works for me. I also signed up with PayPal, so I can transfer any funds there...since I didn't use the service I wasn't aware that they have a MMA available for the funds in your account, earns 3.22%. Not bad ~ I'll take advantage of that.

Anyway, here are the sites I signed up with, and I've included my referral link (if you want to sign up, just click on the link next to each site if provided).

Bank in the Bucks: http://www.bankinthebucks.com/pages/index.php?refid=karnic3881
Has a low payout of just $5. You earn small amounts by the daily clicks they provide to you (you can choose to receive email or just log-in). Also earns point values as well, can use this for advertising and to get paid for each referral you bring in. It seems okay but would take awhile to get to that $5 mark. But, free money is free money.

InboxDollars: http://www.inboxdollars.com/?r=karnic3881
This is my favorite, based upon the look of the site and the availability to earn cash. I already have $8.55 (you receive a $5 signup bonus, and $5 for each referral). I just can't seem to find the payout amount required to request payment.

Email Pays U: http://e-mailpaysu.com/members/index.cgi?karnic3881
This site pays you $10 for signing up. So far my account has $10.03. It awards cash as well as points. It seems if you complete offers you'll get paid well, but my purpose here is strictly to make money, not spend it. You can click on a few sites per day and get paid, and again, the more people you refer, the better off you are. What I do like is that the points convert to cash at a certain level, so at least you get rewards in that instance. The first payout amount is $39.99 or more, and $15 afterwards.

GainMail: http://www.gainmail.com/pages/index.php?refid=karnic3881
Seems similar to Bank in the Bucks.

In addition to these paid to click sites, I also signed up for another survey site, where the referral is key.

Survey Savvy: http://www.surveysavvy.com/ss/ss_index.php?id=2094310&action=join
I get an average of $2 for every survey my referrals complete, and they get $1 for their referrals and so on... another pyramid idea.

So we shall see how this all turns out. I will keep track of it all and report back in a post in a month's time.

I am so tired today, and have SUCH a headache. Ugh. Anyways I have been trying to look for extra ways to bring in money, no matter how small the amounts may be, it's still extra money right? I am trying Avon, but truthfully not doing well at all, I am in my 2nd campaign and have had no sales. Doesn't help that I am out of work and am not socializing, yeah, but also everyone seems to already HAVE an Avon lady! Oh well.

The other thing I've done is I am now using the Google AdSense program on my journal and also American Consumer Opinion, a really great survey site (it's actually for real). Every so often they'll ask you to take part in a product testing, supply you with what you need, and pay you for your opinion. You'll also get free samples from time to time. The amounts will vary, like today I was asked to participate and will be paid $14. I still think it's great. So anyway I listed them on my site too, and anyone that joins through me, I will get paid for. I am hoping it does well.