Add my money I found to the $20 challenge!
$3.62 found in change on the ground and
$7 found in the trash!
That's $10.62 closer to being financially stable.

I have counted change and added up what I spent this week and weekend, going over it with S2BH.
Let's go with what is fresh in my mind and go back from there.
Yesterday, since we worked all day long, we got to eat for free and our boss paid for the food. Save $5.00
I did buy a Mt. Dew for $1.00
After work I used a B1G1 cap and got two more Mt. Dews for $1.48
Saturday I did buy my dinner at Kid Rock/Lynard Skynard and spent $5.00
Friday night, on my way to work, there was an accident on the interstate and the police made us turn around. I got gas at the next exit spending $25.54
Thursday, I didn't spend much money on anything, but I did buy a pop at school out of the machine for $1.25
Also, to save a thousand dollars or so, I spent $30.00 to test out of a class so I won't take it next quarter.
I hope I did alright.
Finding money on the ground is helping me fund my children's piggy banks. I am also about to spend money on fundraiser items from their school. I hope I can find two cheap things that we can use and I am not just throwing my money away for the school.
I will prepare for tomorrow by preparing today!

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 I am meeting with my mom to look at wedding dresses and such she found on the internet.

Tonight I am meeting with my DS2BH about finances and how we are on saving, spending, and where our money is going.

I recently sold a junk car sitting in my yard next to the shed. It was nice to get some dough and get rid of that eyesore. $150 for a car that started right up and drove was an awesome deal for the guy.



I figured that by that time, we could already be shoveling our way out of debt, getting his credit built up, and buy a house or at least have a nice down payment. Also, I feel that our children could be a little bit bigger and it may mean more to them when they are older than now. Plus, 11-11-11, how cool is that?

Today is Thrifty Tuesday. It rhymes better with Thursday, but that is debt snowball day where I focus on getting debt down and record and update all of my payments and extra payments.
I will grocery shop at a store with great deals. I will buy bread and snacks at the local bread store. Wonderbread is a wonderful place. They have Twinkies!
I have few coupons but have the ads with me and will compare before I buy. Drinks are expensive and that is my main reason to go this store. A gallon of milk is expensive too. They are almost one buck cheaper than the local grocery.
I must get to that. Happy Tuesday.

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.

Monday I will pay all bills due that week.
Tuesday I will do the grocery shopping with coupons.
Wednesday I will get together with DH and compare our spending for the last week and where we can slow down or stop.
Thursday will be Debt Snowball day where I pay an extra $5.00 on all my credit card bills. That extra $5 will get me out faster than I think!
Friday will be a free day to either cook the next week's dinner meals or clean freak the house. I'm guessing the food will overcome.
Saturday I will scope out sales at the stores for items I actually need and will buy them on Tuesday on shopping day.
Sunday will be smooth sailing as all I have to do is go through coupons for the next week's shopping trip.

Listing all items needed from each store before the actual shopping day will help me to add things that I may forget.
I will look at the list that morning that I wrote two days before and add or subtract what we REALLY need. That will be the trickiest part. What do we REALLY need?

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 love saving money!

I have recently earned .65 cents in interest from my two accounts and have earned another .65 cents that is to be paid at the end of the quarter.
Since I am working more, I am saving more.
I didn't have the money in the last six months, so why should I get used to having it now?
I will keep pretending that I am so broke and I will trick myself into thinking I have no money.
I can't spend what I don't have!

Start filling up a little piggy yourself.

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!