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Showing posts from March, 2012

Debt Totals...gardening

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So here are our debt totals for the month of March... Mortgage - $91,836 Auto Loan - $21,589 Loan - $ 6,197 CCA - $ 8,251 CCB - $ 4,738 CCC - $ 1,889 CCD - $ 1,801 CCE - $ 1,239 CCF - $ 1,774 CCG - $   986 CCH - $ 1,285 Medical - $ 468 Medical - $ 544 Misc - $ 125 ________________________ Total $142,722 I'm pleased to see progress. Some days it is harder than others and we feel as though we should go out and splurge on something huge.  Then we think about it and realize we don't need much. Its such a hard habit to break. To help keep us occupied we have planted a couple things in our garden box.  Last year, we went a little crazy and wanted to plant everything and while most of it did grow...the s

Quick update

April is fast approaching!  My days are quickly racing by and all the while I've got stacks of papers to file, bills to pay and appointments to keep.  At times, its very overwhelming but I'm determined to take on one thing at a time.  My desk is in total disarray so I will be working on that today. I also have a dentist appointment and I'm not happy about it.  First, its the dentist and it is just sensory overload for me.  Second, the out of pocket expense today is $298.  Its so much money to me but I need to take care of myself.  I always make sure everyone keeps their appointments and always put off mine because of the expense. On a brighter note, I've printed out a payment schedule to pay off CCE.  If all goes well, we should have it paid off by October.  Seeing my debt total drop little by little is so encouraging.  Although at times it is hard, I know we are on the right path to financial freedom!

Friday, Listia and figuring it out!

Yay for Fridays!  Its a bit bittersweet since kids will be going back to school on Monday.  I LOVE having them home and miss them when they are at school. Luckily, I have plenty to keep me busy.  My new obsession is Listia.  As a loyal Ebayer, I was hesitant to even take a look.  I would describe it as a cross between Freecycle and Ebay.  No fuss with money (if you do free shipping) and a laid back trading atmosphere.  So far I love it!  Of course, I'm still listing on Ebay to make extra moola. And I need to make lots of it to help Mr. Man pay down our debt. Soooo...I haven't really mentioned how its going with the money jars.  Its pretty much at a standstill. We have been withdrawing anything we don't need for the week out of the account and putting it in a second account Mr. Man has had for a while.  He really never used it and figured it was out of sight...out of mind.  I have to say its working.  We are cooking soooo much more and trying to find free things to do to e

Banana Crumb Muffins and Happy Surprises!

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I read some of my favorite blogs and was inspired to do some baking/cooking.  I took a quick look in the kitchen and decided to make Banana Crumb muffins and make a bean and frank stew for dinner. Moments after the muffins were done, my Dad called.  He said someone was there who needed to speak with me.  It was my nephew who came into town unexpectedly.  It was a very nice surprise. I packed up the kiddos as well as the muffins and raced over to my parent's house to see him.  I spent all afternoon there and came home a little while ago.  It was such a great visit. I really love days like this!

Monday Menu Plan, Spring Break and The Lorax

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Monday is here!  Mr. Man went in to work for a bit but took the rest of the day off!  He took us all to see The Lorax in 3D.  Kids were happy and I was glad to be doing anything besides cleaning! Yesterday, I went ahead and put a roast in the crockpot and chicken in the oven. So today will be an easy day of cooking.  Without further ado, the Monday Menu Plan! Monday - Stuffed Red Peppers Tuesday - Chicken Parmigiana Wednesday - Soup and Sandwiches Thursday - Every man for himself Friday - Fried Tilapia Saturday - Stirfry Sunday - Gluten Free Spaghetti Taking a short break at home and then headed out to the park and Grandma's!  I LOVE SPRING BREAK!

Is it Monday yet because Mr. Man is driving me crazy!

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I am counting the hours till Monday because Mr. Man is driving me absolutely batty.  He is being such a Debbie Downer.  Saturday morning I woke up with a renewed attitude...despite Kiddo2 being sick, I am determined to have a fun and relaxing Spring Break. Mr. Man on the other hand is going on about missing work for a few days (hence missing out on some commissions) as well as having limited funding for Spring Break.  I told him to take just a day off if that would help his workload as well as our budget.  Even then he has still been mopey and as I type this he is taking a nap.  I told him he needs to seriously get over it because two mopey parents on Spring Break is no fun! The kids are getting dressed and I am too and we will leave him to his own devices for a while and hopefully when we return he will be in a better mood or ELSE! lol! Being an awesome Mother, Wife and all around Great Person is Hard Work.  ;) **Update - Mr. Man did get over it for the most part and we enjoyed a

A not so great start to Spring Break...

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I was so excited this morning...it was Friday and after today our Spring Break would officially begin! My excitement was shortlived :(  Before noon the nurse called that Kiddo2 was running a fever.  I went over to the school and Kiddo2 looked terrible.  We went over to the pediatrician's office and after about an hour we were told Kiddo2 had the flu.  Doctor prescribed some Tamiflu and off I went with Kiddo2 in tow (who kept telling me over and over how much they wanted to go home).  Pharmacy1 did not have it in stock so off we go to Pharmacy2.  It would be ready in about 2 hours so I took Kiddo2 home and waited for Kiddo1 to get out of school.  Afterwards,I picked up meds and back home we went.  Five hours later, I am exhausted and a little bummed that meds alone were almost $160 after insurance but I'd gladly pay anything for my kiddos to feel better.  I figure the next couple days while Kiddo2 is in bed I will try to list as much as possible.  I'd much rather Kiddo2 be r

Finally a moment to breathe!

Well, this past weekend was the wedding and it went well.  We stayed at my brother's place to save money and it helped tremendously.  Yesterday was a very busy day! It was also profitable.  I did the focus group in the morning and earned my $85 grocery store gift card.  That was enough to cover food, cake and some decorations for Kiddo1's brithday :) My afternoon was spent cooking and cleaning before my family arrived.  Made manicotti as per Kiddo1's request and a great time was had by all :) We have managed to work with what we have to spend and I hope we keep the momentum going.  I'm finding my money habits changing more and more.  This week has been so hectic that I really haven't had a chance to list on Ebay and I know we will need the extra income in a few days. So, Friday I am concentrating on that. My house is a wreck and I need to get it in order as well. I figure the busier I stay at home and the Kiddo's schools the less time I have to spend money.  T

Debt Totals and Birthday Cake...

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So here is where I stand as of March 1, 2012 Mortgage    -         $92,032 Auto Loan  -          $22,015 Loan          -          $  6,352 CCA         -           $  8,312 CCB         -           $  4,789 CCC         -           $  1,908 CCD         -           $  1,816 CCE         -           $  1,275 CCF         -           $  1,796 CCG        -           $   1,120 CCH        -           $   1,200 Medical    -           $     468 Medical    -           $     544 Misc        -           $      125 ________________________ Total                    $143,752 I'm so glad to be making some progress.  I also heard back about the focus group survey!  I was accepted and will be doing it next week.  I'm getting paid $85 (grocery store gift card).  I will use it for Kiddo1's birthday dinner and cake! After this weekend, I'm sure it will be needed. I think Mr. Man and I will be cancelling our cable/phone/internet plan.  After some quick research, we figured we