I am so excited that Friday is almost here. Wednesday has gotten it's own page. I am trying to track all of my spending on the Money in the bank page. This will make it easier for me to own up to my spending.
I am so excited that my cousin is moving in next door to me today. She signs the lease at 2:00pm
I have recently received my schedule for next quarter here at school. I am not looking forward to my fall classes. Accounting and Records Management&Security.
My computer class will be a breeze, but I don't know who the instructor will be.
I should be typing my Psychology research paper right now, but I am just so hyped about Friday and my lump sum of money.
Yahoo!

I thought I sold my land already. The closing is apparently not until September 5th. That date is not set in stone. I was told that the check would be written and sent out that very same day.
I could be swimming soon.
I will not blow this money!!!!!!!!
I will save most of it, as it is over $10,000.
I will have the will power to stop myself from spending it on things that I don't NEED!
My car has been needing some repair for some time. Of course I bought an obsolute car that no one carries parts for, that's its defining characteristic!
I will be pre-paying for my youngest's tuition at Kindergarden, but that is about it. I am sacking away a large portion in some form of savings, probably my Smarty Pig plan.
You can deposit up to $10,000 at one time. How convinent for me, HUH?
CAN I COUNT SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR THE $20 CHALLENGE?????

Too Much Debt Thursday has come. I have faced up to the fact that I made some stupid purchases on my credit cards and was dumb to max them out so soon.
I have learned from my mistake and am now crawling out of the hole that I dug myself.
I no longer go to the salon and get my nails done.
I haven't dyed my hair in a few months, so that saved me $10.
I don't buy junk at the store, but real food that has to be cooked.
I don't go to the dollar store and browse.
I have tried real hard to control my spending habits and listen to advice given to me.
Dave Ramsey said it best when he said:You can read all the books and learn all about how to do it, but until you do, you're gonna get no where.
That isn't an exact quote but you get the jist of it.
I was reading every book the library had on credit repair, debt management, and how to save money when you have none, but nothing was happening. I was learning how but not following through.
Saving with Smarty Pig has made me feel that I can do it. I have gotten 55% of my goal on there now and it feels great. Watching my interest go up and up is a good feeling instead of focusing on bad interest that I wasn't paying back.
People say, it costs you more to save and not pay on your credit cards, but it makes me feel good to have something to fall back on, even if it is $250.
I will focus on paying $5 to every credit card I have today. Seven total bills of $5 is only $35 total. I can handle that. I will also pay off my water bill that is OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!!
Majorly overdue is taking back the equipment that the cable company wants back. I need to take it to the other side of town.
We are thinking about having just regular cable coming out of the wall.
Right now, we don't need anything, but come February, we will need digital.
Off to make my payments!
P.S. Add three cents to my $20 challenge for money found on the ground. One at work, one outside my Mom's house, and one at the gas station as I was walking in to pay. Woo Hoo!

TODAY IS MONEY MONDAY!
I have already paid $15 to one credit card, $30 to another card, and tried to set up paying off my cable bill, but the lady was uncoopertive so I will call back later today and see who I get on the other line.
Also, I will be focusing on my budget on Mondays. I have called the bank and checked out what checks have cleared and what has not.
I wrote a check for my son's tuition that is due every week. Lunch $ has been sent in. Drinks have been bought for the week.
I hadn't planned for a lot of money this month, so when I get my check in three or four weeks that has all these hours on it, I will be really happy.
I am working 7 days this week, going to school for four of those and getting the little ones off to school and being there for them when they get home for five. I guess money is needed and I can survive.
If I don't post for more than two weeks, then it did kill me.

I am trying not to think about it.
It has slipped my mind for more than a minute, but I can't think of anything else somedays.
I sold some land that I own. I didn't sell it all. After all, you never know what is down the road. There may be a time that I have no where else to go and I will have to buy a trailer and live on my land in the south.
I would prefer to build a house and be financially stable enough to move there and not be forced.
I just want my nest egg to come in.
In school, I have been learning that compound interest works better the longer it is in place.
Therefore, if I place $10,000 in an account now, by the time I am fifty, 24 years from now, I should have a pretty big hunk of change.
Now, I need the money now more than I ever have, but I want to save a large sum for later in life and for my children, should they need it.
How do I get this off my mind? The worse part is not knowing when or how I will receive the money. Does it all come in one check that me and my aunts have to divide? Will they divide it for me, bringing the question of if they stiff me, how do I get my money?
I don't want to think about it. I have been working and that money is helping. But I want to have NO credit card debt and buy a house within the next 5 years.
Is that too much to ask?

I have found an awesome website that can help you budget and get your credit card payments, car payments, morgage payments, and the like laid out in front of you.
You have to find all the paperwork first, but only once.
After you have the information entered, it tells you everything you want to know except where to get the money from.

POWERPAY.ORG

It's free and ran by a school, Utah State I think.

I am currently using it and it has taken place of the pearbudget that I was thinking about paying $3.00 a month for.
Unnecessary!

I have received mail from several credit card companies saying that I am about to go under.
I have set up payment plans for them, with one, I can even get my card active again once paying down my balance.
One plan is $30 a month for 6 months.
The other plan is pay $20 now so that they don't charge the account off and when I get my money from selling my land, pay off a settlement of $450.
That works for me. Why would the credit card company tell me that if I pay $20 every three months that they could never do anything against me.
What about all that interest and late fees that you tack on??!!
Also, I would like to add $.92 to my challenge money before the month is up. I found more change on the ground at work.

I found at least $5.00 worth of change at work this weekend. Thursday was Rush, Friday and Saturday was Dave Matthews, and they were droping money left and right.
My supervisor stayed overnight and combed the lawn where people sit. In one night, or just an hour or two really, she found $8.00 in change and two one dollar bills.
I am envy her. But, I didn't have to stay up all night and she did it so she wouldn't fall asleep.
High five for working three days in a row! I haven't worked more than one day a week in quite a while.
This week is looking good too. Jimmy Buffett is tomorrow and I should be busy all weekend too!
I added the $5.00 to my balance page and will be adding the money to my savings account today.

I can't rave about my interest I am earning in my little piggy!
I will earn 35 cents for this month and by the end of September, they will post over 90 cents into my account.
My piggy at home is getting fat too!
I have put all the change I find at work in there, along with the washer findings and sweeping the floor came up with some things.

Thanks for the support, with over 25,000 people checking out this page, I feel that someone can learn from my mistakes and some can offer great advice on how to get unstuck!

These were the words that my mom said to me last night when I said that we were going to the fair.
I have let some of my bills go that I shouldn't have. Number one being my cell phone and credit cards. Number two being that we can survive without cable, but not without rent and the extra $55.00 that the elementary school charges for full day kindergarden.
I would like to tell all of those frugal-er than I that, NO, I did not go to the fair. The only money spent yesterday was $12.00 for a birthday present for my DH's little brother. He loved it and spending time with him was good enough for us.
I also never mentioned the fair to my two young boys, knowing that they would cry when told that we wern't going, so they don't even know what they missed.
I do.
I won't cry. I've been plenty of times. You can tell that I am a grown up now. I only wanted to go for the food!!!!

After three months of slow work, things are finally starting to pick up. I will be working Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Last week I was to work Friday and Sunday, but after half an hour on Sunday, they asked me if I wanted to go home. I said no, then they told me to clock out and go see the show.
I understand that they were trying to be nice, knowing I wanted to see the show, but I would have rather been paid to see it, than to sit down and see it. I got bored and left early, but only after I stayed for an extra two hours off the clock. I should have watched Brooks and Dunn for free, but I figured that my children need me more and I am not making anything sitting in the grass.

The county fair is going on and tonight is the only night I can go. Should I?
The food is the real reason I want to go, but I am willing to buy tickets for the boys to enjoy some rides. I just have to keep DH away from the carny games that are rip offs. The food will be super expensive too. But, since we will not be going to the State fair, unless my Mom takes them, this will be their only chance this year.

I hope DH is in a good mood when he gets home. I have to get a couch out of the living room for my Momma's yard sale this weekend. I can't forget that on Friday she wants me to stop by in case she has to use the bathroom. I hope she doesn't drink a lot of water.

As you can see, there is a little pig on the side of my blog's page.
This pig is a lot fuller than my little pig at home.
I broke down yesterday and took $2.50 out of him so that I could get more than $10.00 worth of gas.
I thought I got good gas mileage since I drive a stick shift. I was wrong. Maybe it's because everytime I get $15.00 worth, I only get 3.34 gallons. Add it up, that's $4.499 a gallon!
At least the pig on here is getting fat, and I do plan to eat him later, for those of you that thought I was getting Thanksgiving dinner early and fattening it up. I will eat this one at a store where they sell chest freezers for a good price. I was pricing them, and all of the sudden, as soon as the summer heat hit, the prices went through the roof.

Hey, there are over 24,000 hits to my site! Thanks for the support!

I bought a pig.
It looks so cute.
I tell myself that he needs to be fed everyday or he will die.
I put all the change I can find in him, and he still smiles at me.
I was feeding him some green stuff, but that got expensive.
I am also trying to quit smoking, and by putting the money I would have used to buy cigarettes into my pig, I have saved a little dough.
I still smoke, and don't get to feed the pig a lot everyday. I still feed him and try to smoke less and less.
Every little bit helps.
My smarty pig account is helping too.
You can check it out on the side bar.
Start your own, ITS FREE!!!!!

For the last two weeks I have done nothing but school. Today, Friday the 13th, I get to work tonight. And it is an early call so I should get an extra hour or so. This starts a few weeks of working that I have not had for a while. You don't know how depressing it is to pick up your bi-weekly check and see five hours on it. Last Monday's check was okay, for 28 hours, but that is for two weeks. This is my lucky day and many more work hours are to come. After finals, I can work all day, except for the weekends, where my children have little league baseball. That still leaves my Saturday nights open to work, and that is when most events are anyway.
DH has been asked to start working overtime soon, and I will be pushing towards it. Now, I know that I will be doing extra around the house to make him happy when he gets home, when I am tired from working, but he makes twice what I do and works twice as hard. I can make that sacrifice.

I have saved and scrimped for rent this month. I only bought gas, paid for daycare for the week, and only bought lunch one time, spending $6.52 total.
I think that we can make it. As long as my DH check is as large as it should be, we will be okay.
My Grandma told me to come and get her credit card to buy my Grandpa his Father's Day gift. I would be happy to go and get him something that he wants.
He never asks for anything anyway.
He deserves it!
He asked for a weed eater, gas powered with a metal blade and a strap to keep some of the weight off his arms.
That will be nice.
She will be happy that I won't ask her for help with rent, even though I will ask her to write the check.
Thanks to that woman, and my Mother a time or two, I have never been late with my rent in over 4 years.
Thanks!

I have been lax on reporting my "found" money, off the ground, in the laundry, and saved monies from not using gas and savings on purchases.

I have not been making any purchases other than necessities, so there is not much to report there, as well as the change that I find on the ground, but the money saved from not using gas in my vehicle will be posted more often.

Monday was one of those days and I will enter $5.00 for that day. I believe that Saturday will be another no driving day.

$0.25 found in the bottom of the washer. At my boy's little league game, a little girl found a dime in the dirt.
What a beautiful day to find money!

Finals are next week and I couldn't be more thrilled. I am doing great in my classes and I am looking forward to a week out of school.
I do wish I were working more often. Right now, I can barely pay the rent, with DH making $15.00 per hour.
That is sad. For 4 years, I made everything happen for $6.50-$8.00 per hour, and that includes all food and extras that were purchased in that time. I am a little resentful that DH has money in his pocket now, while that whole time and now I have nothing but change.
He does know that it is rough and I am not working as much now, but he doesn't think that he should have to give all his money to the family. I know you need gas money, I know you want to buy lunch with the guys at Dick's Bodacious Bar-B-Que, but that isn't fair to me or the children. I didn't have "spending money" forever. I still don't and that is why my credit cards look the way they do. I have put my foot down and refuse to borrow any money from my mother or grandmother. I think that he will have to exhaust his parents and family the way I have mine.
With him working so much and making twice what I did, why are things so hard? What is happening that I didn't see before?
I'll make it, I just don't want to stress anymore.

When the money is taken right out of your account every month, you really can save. I am earning interest on the cash that was in my checking account earning nothing. I am truly working hard on spending only on needed things.
A rebutal to a previous comment on a post of mine: We needed a new bed! The Wii is just another piece of plastic from China but a bed was an absolute necessity due to back problems of my DH who works hard as a construction worker. If he hurts when he works, that hurts us. We can't afford to have him off work either.
The Wii was also a birthday present for me from my dear Momma, so there will be no extra controlers, games that are $50 a pop, or any other extravagance coming from me into this house.
The water bill is bad, my phone is shut off, and Rent is due in 10 days. I have no plans to even rent a game in the next 6 months.

Debt
Credit Card 1:$309.11 Premier
Credit Card 2:$383.56 Premier
Credit Card 3:$716.28 Orchard
Credit Card 4:$361.47 Macys
Credit Card 5:$227.89 Fingerhut
Credit Card 6:$451.12 Credit One
Credit Card 7:$541.49 Key/Citi
Total Debt owed:$2990.92 Credit Cards Only

I am coming up with a plan that I can actually live with to pay off these suckers once and for all.
I will start with the low ones first.
#1 will be Fingerhut. That will be the last thing I order over the phone!
#2 will be 1st Premier 1 card.
#3 is the Macys card and an end to store cards. That was a huge mistake.
#4 will be my 1st Premier card 2. There are two cards from the same company. How stupid is that?
#5 is probably going to be the Orchard account, as it is the furthest behind.
#'s 5 &6 will be Key with Credit One. They have different amounts but mean more to me to be paid off together and get it done and over with finally.
I am looking forward to typing my final payment to them in ONE YEAR OR LESS.
Don't make a liar out of me, me.

After receiving my 3.94 GPA, the school asked for their share.
I started school with the impression that I would be receiving a check from them when my student loans paid more than what it cost.
Boy was I wrong. I have had a balance ever since last quarter. I really don't know what to do about next quarter. If there isn't any money left over, or they want even more money from me, I will be strapped for cash even more than I am now.
I am doing great in school though. It is worth the cost, as I will have a great job that I love and this $10,000 a year joke will go away.
Maybe since DH is working more this summer things will be good. I am crossing my fingers.

I can not seem to keep my payments up on my credit cards. I want to scrap the whole thing and wait 10 years from the time they last thought of me. Really, what's a girl to do? I haven't been working as much since I am going to school, and all of DH's money goes to current bills that are necessities.

Advice anyone?

I went to work last night at the Tim McGraw concert. I enjoyed finally getting a full nights work in. Today is another full days work also. May Day is always crazy and they need plenty of help!
I am going to the Indy 500 tomorrow! It will be the first time going inside on race day. I have been to the night before several times, hanging out outside and eating the wonderful food. I can remember so well when my dad went to the race and telling me that it was no place for a little girl. I am no longer little and think that I can handle it. The heat is the worst thing I can think that would make tomorrow hard.
I plan on spending no more than $30 total. That will include food, drinks, and anything that I deem is a useful memoribilia item for me to remember that wonderful day. I will try to post more often. My school is taking a lot out of me, studying and such.

I spent $617 for a new bed. Thank you Stimilus Package!
I also have purchased $300 worth of car parts for my vehicle.

Right now, I am trying to save money for three different reasons.
I continue to save for my Wii, and should have enough for lots of accessories by Christmas.
I want to visit my cousin in Flordia this summer; she aggreed to help me pay for my round-trip flight.
I have also started a Smarty Pig Account for a great party in November of 2011. I have put a date on having a wedding, if there is to be one. This savings will go to having a great time for whatever happens at that time.

School is going great. The boys are doing good in school, and will be starting a new school in July. All and all, with some money put away, Mommy isn't as stressed. That is good.
I think that I am changing my ways for the better, although not all of my bills are up to date. I am making some progress anyway.

I looked up prices in a city guide for the race tickets.
For the cheap seats, it's $70-$95 per ticket.
I received two.
For parking, it is anywhere from $5-$25, so that is awesome too. Since I pick up my tickets at the parking lot, it works out. I am sure they planned it that way.

I haven't bought my freezer, but I am buying a bed with my rebate check. I can't see buying a freezer if we will just keep junk in it. Of course, I will stock up on some meat, but I am not a bake a months worth of food in one night.
I have two cassaroles in the freezer now, but they didn't want to eat the first one, so I am saving it for Dad when I am working at night and he wants to have food in a hurry.

Next Thursday is my birthday. Yeah. My mom is planning something awesome for me and my best friend and I are going out for lunch and then to mani-pedis. She knows how much I love them, but that I am saving money and not pampering myself in ways that cost. I do things at home, for less, and she is treating me for my b-day.
I also know my mom is going to blow me away with her gift.
She told me she wanted to take me to the gambling boat, but said that I would rather have the money than blow it. I said that was true.
Then she said that she was going to lay down about $1000 for a bed for me. WOW!!!

But, since I said that I was buying one with my rebate check, she said there went that.
Ouch!
So my gift is going to blow my socks off, I am sure.

I haven't been posting for a week or less, and my money is slipping away. Ever so slowly, I am not accountable for my money actions, so, I don't think about it.
I don't have to tally up anything on My Balances Page, so there's nothing to worry about right?
I wish I had maybe been writing it down, saving more receipts or something. But no, I didn't want to stick to budget or stop spending.
I will slap my wrist and get back into it.
I hope that I do not have to go the library to post next week. I let my bill go and they canceled by cable, and my cable modem. That'll teach me to slack off, won't it?

I spent the day with my family on a road trip yesterday. We went to southern Indiana to visit our grandparents and my father at the cemetary. We bought some cheap flowers and built arrangements for everyone. We also visited the last family members who still live down south, and we talked for about four hours about how much we miss our dearly departed. They took me and my two cousins out to dinner and it was a great time. I will make an effort to go down there more often. This was only the second time in ten years that I have been there. This summer, we will have a family reunion of sorts and have even more fun. It will be great, and I will take my two children and BF and show them a piece of my history along with family.
We did buy some snacks to eat on the way there, and only spent about $10 total. I feel like we can take the trip for less than $50 everytime we go. Gas is the only big purchase needed for the two hour trip down there. I can't wait to go back.
I will also make it a point to post more often than I have in the last week.

I haven't posted for a day or two as I am busy finishing up school work. Finals are next week so all of my big projects are due this week.
I am looking forward to spring break now.
I don't have any money to speak of, as I got my paycheck on Monday, and it is down to $15 today, Wednesday.
I must put money away for a trip this summer, but I don't know where it will come from.
I also am taking a road trip Friday with family, and I have no money but gas money right now.
If I spend it all in gas, what will I eat? Will I have the money to buy necessities?
I hope that I can make my money stretch.

At my job, I mostly stand. I stand in front of doors that someone is not allowed to enter, I stand at the elevator making sure that no one with out a ticket can use it. I stand all the time. My feet hurt. I was told a long time ago to take care of my feet, as they will last me my whole life. If I don't want them to hurt, I need to take care of them.

Well, my $30 shoes are wearing out, causing my feet pain. If I were to buy new shoes, they would hurt again, as they would be new and have to be broken in.

What's a girl to do. I could not work as much, but that isn't an option.
I could ask my mom to buy me some shoes, but she is already helping me pay for my children to join little league for the first time this year. I guess I could just deal with it, but this summer, I will be doing some more hard core working, causing me to walk a mile or more a night, and standing, standing, standing.

I can't wait till then. I will definately have new shoes by then.

I haven't posted since Friday. I hate going more than a day without consulting my friends here. You help me more than you know. If you were here, you would be so proud of me. I have gone from a dollar store queen, to the girl that passes up Wal-Mart for a special treat down the line. I am saving money everyday, and it is thanks to you all. If I wouldn't have found this site, who knows what I would be drownding in now.
I just want to thank you, tell you that I love you, and that I appreciate your help with my everyday life.

For the next five months I will be saving my income for the $20 challenge. I have not been working since August, and I consider all that I earn to be "extra".
I think that toning down my cable and phone bill, I can come up with some spare change.
I also don't think that we will be eating out but three times a month. That is way better than three times a week.
I also am not going to buy any liquor or anything of the like. I will see how much better I feel with a month without the devil's water. If it is worth the sacrifice, I will continue and probably not even miss it. Since I haven't been going out with friends to drink, it will be super easy to give up for a while.
I spent $9.75 on $3.00 worth of gas this morning. I also couldn't bring myself to pay $3.69 for premium. I got regular for $3.45.
I have been taking the stairs at school for three days now. I want to count those steps and challenge myself to take five more steps daily. I don't know how well I will remember these numbers, but I will figure something out.

I made dinner tonight, including dessert.
It only took about twenty minutes, start to finish, and it smelled wonderful. That is worth it to me to continue to cook at home. I do have to work Friday and Sunday night, but I can cook at lunch time.
Save $30.00 on Chinese food that DH wanted for dinner towards the challenge and off I go to a high balance. I will deposit the money tomorrow.
Off to a great start.