HelpMeFriend's Personal Finance Blog

I went to the drugstore to pick up my son's meds. While there, I paroused the other items for sale. I found a really nice dry erase board for $7. I need to get one to have a central area for everyone's plans for the day. I also want to put my chores for the day on there to erase after they are done.
When I found out that another drugstore had my son's meds, I put the board down. Where did I put it? Right next to the $1 area. What did I find there? DRY ERASE BOARDS!!! I bought four, one for each of us, and saved $3.
That will go into my $20 challenge money.

I was trying to wait until August to get my $1000. I really was.
I can't wait anymore. I thought the penalty was going to be a lot more also. They stated that one month of intrest is all they took off. Really? With rates this low, I only stood to gain $32 for the six months anyway. I ended up making $2.03 off it, and I can pay the bills that are behind. I was trying to be a responsible parent and save money from our tax return. And I succeeded for two months.
I need car repairs, they are turning my cable off every two weeks, and the water bill is OUTRAGEOUS! With the money, I can get back to paid in full and go on with our lives.
I will continue to save money for our goals, such as a chest freezer, Wii, and new clothes for next fall.
I don't think that me taking the money out of the bank for needs was a bad choice. Should I have gone into debt or collections when I have the money there? NO. I also won't blow the money on dining out, new clothes now, or the awe inspiring Wii that we don't NEED.
I am also taking a business math class this quarter, so that will help me to keep up with my recording of all my spending. I have all these receipts and no were to put them. I will be entering them into an excel program, as well as PearBudget.com.
Thanks for your support in my decision, that I made on a whim yesterday, but it paid off in the end. At least I hope it does.

I don't want to get gas. It's crazy how high it is and I don't want to pay that price. I buy premium so the burden is even higher. At least I don't use disel.

Baseball practice was great yesterday. We get our uniforms Thursday or Saturday. I can't wait. Both of my DS were giving it their all. They are improving on their catching and hitting skills.

I must work tonight. I don't think that it will be that bad. Six hours isn't that long anyway. I will be eating before I go and taking a snack with me. There will be no reason to buy out of a vending machine or McD's on the way home.
I have been implimenting the no dining out unless it is Sunday, with no complaints (so far).

Posting again makes me feel good too!

Yesterday was a good first day of school. I already have homework in my math class, and I am ready to get into it. I have been wanting to spill my beans about the dining out situation. We will only be eating outside of home on Sundays. I think it will be Family Sunday. Breakfast and dinner should be enough.
Baseball practice is tonight, as well as Thursday. It will be hard to not grab a bite to or from there, but we can do it. I will pack snacks for the trips. It is about one mile from home, so that should not pose a problem.
I also have been awaiting August for my CD to mature, as I need the money now. I think that my savings plan needed some tweeking before I just put all I had into the bank that I cannot touch.
For my savings goals, I already have $35 saved up. $5 per check per savings account (2). I will be updating my balance sheet when I get the chance. I do not currently have internet at home, but will after rent is paid.

I have been keeping track of my spending and where it is going on PearBudget.com. It was cheap and easy to do. I can now see where all my money goes. I purchased Quicken, and even with their pie graphs it didn't spell it out for me.
I think that this will be great and that I can incorporate it into my everyday life.

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 have put my $20 challenge money into my account. I have $15 saved now. If this keeps up, I will have so much money this summer. I can't even begin to think about how much debt I can delete with the cash gained.
I also want to call and see what the penalty will be for withdrawing money early out of my CD. I sort of can't wait till August.

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.

I never went to a store, but I did pay my rent today. I also bought $15 worth of gas and got 4.20 gallons. It was aprox. $3.69 a gallon.
I am taking my no spend day today. We didn't go to a store, I didn't buy Sunday liquor, since we can't buy any here on Sunday. We never went to a store so I didn't spend any unnessassary money.
So, can I count my two dollars for myself?
I will anyway. I also saved money by going to my neighbors today for some fun. We didn't need to go out and spend money to have fun. I want to have a campfire tonight. I hope I can find some wood.

I fell victim to the "I'm lazies"!
We had two parent teachers conferences tonight, got out sorta late, and I ordered food in. I didn't want to, but I also didn't want to cook. My kitchen hates me. I know I need to get over this. It is killing my budjet.

As my quarter draws to an end, final projects are becoming due. I have two papers due, which I am doing fine on, but my group project is not so hot.
I didn't want to be in a group anyway, but not working well with others is not a good trait.
I just didn't want to do all the work, while they get credit for it. I can do it all myself, and get all the credit.
But a group was required, so of course I am in the group with girls who don't want to work. I am doing the largest part of the project, taking some pressure off them, but they still want me to "help them" with the rest. They want me to give them all the ideas so they don't have to work, do any research, or think.
I want my project to have a good grade. They know it, but I have an A in the class and they are hovering the C/D area. If you get lower than a C, like a C-, you fail the course and need to repeat it.
They know that I will get them a passing grade.
I just want to complain to someone. My teacher says that it will be okay.
He knows what I did and what they did.
Two weeks till Spring Break!!!

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.

I opened my $20 challenge account today. I was offered a chance to win a $50 gift card and when I sign up for direct depost, or use the online bill pay feature, I will receive a free $75 into my account.
That is awesome. I will not count the money in my challenge until I actually receive it. It shouldn't take that long though.
I also am starting a savings account for my children. They will keep any money gifts the receive, also, I can keep their college savings in there, rather than in my savings account, where I will be paying for my college with that.

"Cutting expenses is the first step in a two step process. In addition to cutting your expenses, you actually have to place the difference between what you were paying and the new price after cutting the expenses into a savings account (toward debt reduction). While this may seem obvious as you read, many people fail to do just that and wonder why cutting their expenses hasn't resulted in more savings (or debt reduction)."

I took this from the site and wanted to let you know how right you are.
I have added up a lot of money with my $20 challenge. I have only been here since late January, but I have accumulated over $350.00. Do I have $350.00 in the bank? NO. Should I have? YES!
I wish that I would have read this earlier. I knew that I should be socking away the money I claimed, but I really was just happy to be saving it, and didn't have the money in my hand to put into a source.
I will be opening a new savings account tomorrow, and tracking my $20 challenge money that way.
I am just so disappointed that I didn't do this two months ago.

I just want to add $2.00 to my $20 challenge money. I brought snacks to school and never even looked at the vending machines. They are usually broken anyway. I bought a milk one time, since I took cereal with me, and the machine jammed. My poor little milk was dangling there, taunting me.
I planned to take my snack and buy milk when I got there. It will never happen again.

Reading some money saving tips, I found some ways to cut corners in my budget. I can cut down on the "unnecessary trips" in my car to save gas. I will limit my alcohol consumption, even though I did save money staying home instead of going out. Cigarettes poses a bigger problem though.
I have signed my kids up for baseball this week, so in the coming months I will be spending time there rather than spending money somewhere else. I also live about 1/2 a block from the diamonds so we will pack lunch and drinks to drag there. Concession stand prices are crazy.
I know I have told myself this before, but we really HAVE TO QUIT EATING TAKEOUT!
Since I have a big grocery budget, I need to use it a little more wisely. I also can make all the foods we like to eat out at home. Us parents just need to quit being lazy. I am more guilty of it, as Daddy works early to late Monday through Friday. He should be tired. He gets up over an hour before we do.
I subscribed to recipe site that sends me weeks worth of food, the shopping list and all, but I have yet to implement it into our daily lives.
When I save up enough for my chest freezer, I know that I will use the cook and freeze a week method more. Right now my little freezer is full of crap.
I buy the healthy foods for us, and they go to waste. I think that is why I don't cook as much. Fast food tastes better. I love a homemade hamburger better, but my children are used to the flat, tasteless patty.
I also want to grill out at least twice a week this summer. That will be entertaining, and good for us. Outside in the sun, running and laughing; I can't wait.
If anyone has any suggestions on how I can make myself STOP the fast food route, PLEASE let me know. I tried doing it, complaining when Daddy brought it home, but I ate it and was glad he did. I would love to get out of that trap. Telling myself how much more money it costs isn't helping.
Also, I need to do the freeze it meals because I work nights and weekends, and DH works days. If I want both of us to quit buying, I need to have it ready for him to thaw or nuke and serve.

Veggies and Fruit are our least favorite. I want to add more of that into my children's diet. Grown ups too. So maybe I can buy a chocolate dip for them to have. Marshmallow sounds good too.

I am loving life today! I gave a great speech in class a little bit ago. I called and am working a whole four days this week. Yahoo. Also, I am anticipating that my check that was due one week ago today may have a bonus for the payroll person screwing up so badly.
My boss really likes me and doesn't want anything to make me mad so that I quit.
I was unemployeed from August to January. The person that was responsible for my termination never consulted with his boss, the owner of the company, and fired me. When I came in to get my last check, I was on my way to an interview. Obviously I didn't get a job, but W-2's were due and I went to pick mine up. I asked the boss if I could work this summer at a major venue they cover, and he wanted me to begin right away.
When the owner saw me again, he questioned me about why I quit.
I didn't quit, T*** fired me.
WHAT?!
He was unaware of my being let go and was very angry. If I would have complained in August, I would have had a job the whole time. I did enjoy the time off, even if we were broke, and I started college in January.
It was good for me to have a break, but I am ready for the busy season to come back to get more hours. Four days this week is good for me. I think that things are picking up and hopfully will continue to go smoothly.

I received a negative comment that I deleted from my post that I wrote while drinking. I want to let everyone know that I was not blind-stinking drunk while posting. My children were well taken care of, and no one was hurt.
I don't think that one should not drink because of the fears of what people think. Alcoholism does not run in my family, even though my mom likes her Cosmos every once and a while (she is a bartender and loves to serve others). But I don't think that I should be viewed as a drunk. I save my drinking for the weekends that I don't work. I spend all of my working days watching drunk people enjoying their day. Sometimes I want to be only half as drunk as them. But, I feel that drinking is a right of passage for those 21 and older. I am of age, drank in my own home, going no where afterwards. If you have a problem with liquor, or are a recovering alcoholic, please, don't drink. But don't criticize me for doing it. I was within my right, hurt no one but myself, and had a great night.
What does this have to do with finances? SIMPLE! The liquor cost me money. I made sure that I got my $19 out of the bottle I bought. I believe that if you drink responsibly, you can do so. If you can't control yourself when you do, then don't.
But I like it and will continue to. I look at it this way: I didn't buy cocaine from someone and drive into someones mother killing them. I had a drink at home, while with my children, and everyone was safe.
I do understand that drinking hurts your body, you can not reverse the effects of drinking, and I am not an addict. I like to let loose once in a while, like every other weekend.
I have been drinking today, pretty much finishing up the bottle I had, but in no way am I drunk. I just like to vent here, and this is one of the best places I can do it. I just want to ask forgivness from those that I offended.
I leave you with a picture that only a drunk person would appreciate. ME in the shower.

I have concluded that $5 will be sufficent for counting towards my total for the challenge for having a NO SPEND DAY!!! I like being at home with family, and it is getting easier to have more of these.
Library books are keeping me company, as well as the children cleaning their room, laundry going in that room, and the living room being clutter free for weeks now.
I am happy to be here, and that helps. I would have the boys go to the store with me to just get out of this house, full of clutter, stinking from dishes, and dirty clothes everywhere.
I have learned how to fight this urge, by cleaning my home. I no longer go ANYWHERE but here, just to escape. I still had to come home. I usually had two or three bags full of new crap. That wasn't helping.
I will count this towards my challenge, and every purchase that I pass up as well. If I were in my previous state of mind, it would have made me feel better to buy, buy, buy. I am better now, and working hard to teach my children the correct ways.

I was told that he was just going to do a simple oil change on my car. Now I am paying for two more parts for over $40 a piece. I wanted to pay rent. If my car breaks down and I can't work, I can't pay rent. I see his reasoning, but really, so close to the due date? I can't win.

August 14th can't come soon enough. I am waiting on my $1000.00 to come back to me. I was dumb and didn't pay off debt with my tax refund. I should have done this, now I know. But, I was scared to waste my money, spending it as soon as I received it. That is what happened the last two years. I didn't want that to happen this year. So, I saved it, am gaining about $32 for the agonizing 6 months I must wait, and will have money this summer, just in time for school to start. My oldest will be in 1st grade, and my youngest will be starting Kindergarden. They will have awesome backbacks, clothes, shoes, and supplies.
I will buy cheap school supplies for myself, and will not waste the money when I can use it.
I hope that I will have my Credit Card Debt paid down so low that I don't need to use my CD money for it.
I also must have some restraint in the spending department before I get the money out.
If I save like I should, I may not be so anxious about getting it.
With DH working now, but who knows how much longer, I want to save while he wants to spend. I understand that he sees it as his money, but he has to pay bills first. I just want him to see this as a priority, not just what I do for fun.
I will win him over yet.

I have put the money saving tip thingy on my side bar of this blog, and find myself just refreshing to see the next one. It is cool.

That is a great country song about everything he doesn't want to talk about. As I sit here drunk, thinking about what to say, I can't think of anything good to write about. My children are being very good and quiet, not fighting or crying, and my DH is out helping his sister with her DH. If I could say anything about right this minute, I would say that money isn't everything, you can live without it, and happiness is blessing you always.
Do you need to alter reality to see the good in life? I think that when I wake up in the morning, I will remember the stress of paying the rent after DH spent $162 on brake parts for his car. I don't want to think about it right now.
I will also remember that I shouldn't have bought such a big bottle of liquor today at the grocery. But, that is neither here nor there.
Also, thanks to all those who support me in my ways, good or bad, and are there for me through thick and thin. I am getting to the thin part. HA.
Good night to you all, and a happy no stress day tomorrow. I am feeling no pain right now, so all is good.

We get bored at work. We try so hard to make everything go so smoothly, when it does, it is borring. So to break the silence, one of my co-workers was tossing pennies down the hall at me. Now, I only made it home with one, but he really was going to keep throwing them at me. I picked them up and put them into my pocket, not being immature and throwing them back. But I did give him his change back, except for one. Since I did have to bend over and pick up all that money, I figured I should get something out of it.

Add a penny and $32.00 earned income that I wouldn't have gotten to the challenge.

Can I do it? I think the cold weather will keep me in for the next two days. I can always send the Man of the House out to get milk, bread, and any chocolate I may need. I don't mind spending money on such items, as they are needed. If I went to the corner store, I could come back with three or four bags of stuff and forget the milk I went after.
That is why I am about to cut up my debit card.

Well, add my four hours in at work tonight and I might be able to put gas into my car this weekend.
I haven't been doing any unnecessary driving since gas is so high, but I am getting tired of staying home. The kids are driving me batty.
I think that we need to play some old games or do some more of our puzzles.
That would be great if I could find something fun for at home that wouldn't cost any money.

So far today, I have found .51 in the laundry. I think of it as pay.
I wonder if I will ever find change in the bottom of the kitchen sink! HA
I let you know if that happens.
I also saved on parking for work tonight.
$2.00 will not be spent, as I am going elsewhere to work and then park.


OVER 10,000. Thanks for all the support, kind words, smacks back to reality, and the like. I appreciate the help, really I do.