My mom is giving me a great wedding present: a bachelorette party in Las Vegas! I am going with my best friend, my mom, and my closest aunt. We leave next Monday and will be home on Wednesday. I am looking forward to enjoying the buffets, the sights, and enjoying some girl time. I am taking $100 to gamble, as I think of myself as a lucky person, but most of my money will be spent on food and a couple of chips from casinos that I will bring home as souvenirs.
I am also looking forward to lounging by the pool with the ladies, as I never get to do this in Indy.
It will be in the 80's there then, and here today in town. Gonna be a good week!!!

It's coming fast. I am getting married that day.
We did it all backwards.
We got the car, the kids, the house, the dog, now it is time to get hitched.
I am on the countdown, not looking forward to mixing my debt with his clear history. I am looking forward to fixing my old ways to make sure this doesn't happen to the two of us together.
I am sure that we can work as a pair on our expenses. I will be plastering the bills where he can see them, I will give my bank savings to our savings, and we will grow and learn together.
Looks good on paper anyway.
Wish me luck!

No vacations, working every weekend, and naughty kids have kept us from overspending this summer.
I am looking forward to splurging in Vegas for my bachelorette party! We booked months in advance for savings, get vouchers for food, free tix to shows, and have a limo driver at our disposal for the three day excursion as a gift from my aunt's mom.
I am only going to buy one or two shirts for my kids, as there is a Harley store they don't have a shirt from; and only gamble $50. Once I lose that, or win and gamble $50 of that, then I am done.
I will take any winnings above and over $50 and give it to my mom, who is going and paying for most of it, as payment on my mortgage, as she is my landlord.
Looking good, little adult me!

Over drawn? What!! I am almost thirty years old and can not fathom what happened to my bank account.
I can not understand why after three years of steady work they are trying to pull me under with the current and sweep me away.
And a monthly fee? ARE YOU INSANE!!! ITS FREE CHECKING!!!

I will post my personal profile link here: http://www.listia.com/profile/122450
Its this awesome site where you get things for free!
Not for money, but for credits, that the site generously gives for listing other free items, bidding on auctions, and even just for commenting and posting to facebook or twitter.
I have gotten a lot of great stuff for free from here and wanted to share with you here!

If you hadn't noticed on my side bar, I have added a weight loss ticker. I figured if the facing up to other people about my finances worked in keeping me under control, maybe that would too. I also only weigh myself four times a year, when I get my birth control shot. I added the ticker before I went so that I could see what I had lost since three months ago. Good news is that I gained 0lbs. Bad news for me is that I loss nothing.
I will continue to lessen my portions and drink less pop.
I will try to watch what I am eating and the boys too. I don't want them dealing with weight issues when they are growing up. Neither is in risk, but I know that the older you get, the pressure you feel from peers looking at you and what they think about you is strong.
I look forward to updating my ticker in December, and I will not weigh myself before then.

No one bothered to read my blog yesterday and no one noticed that I put that it was Debt Thursday.
Today is Thursday.
Boo Hoo

I am starting a new Money Challenge!
I challenge you to say, out loud, everytime you find money: IT MUST BE MY LUCKY DAY!
If you say that to yourself, whether people are around or not, you will begin to feel lucky.
I want you to say it when you find change in the washer or dryer.
I want you to say it when you see a penny laying on the ground(heads up or not).
I want you to say it when you balance your interest in your savings accounts monthly.
I want you to say it when you are digging at the bottom of your purse or pocket and find money that you have in your possession, but do know know you had it.
You will feel lucky and have money. It's a Win-Win.

I can't wait to see what my Mom has found for a dress and cake for the wedding. I told her that I want to wear red, blue, or green. Those will be our colors. We have some great birthstones and I love dark blue, red, emerald green, and maybe even some purple. Flowers will be dark and maybe roses. I think black would be a little much. This is just a little time away! I hope DS2BH loves all my choices, knowing that I had influence from my Momma.
It will be beautiful and romantic. I wonder where it will be!

21,500 Visits to my page!
Thank you for all your support and help you have given me in the last six months.
I have been spending more time reading posts than posting posts, but I am learning more and more everyday.
Thank you to the people who started and spend their days making this site what it is.

I am torn. Should I keep the small amount of chips in the bag to save money, or throw it away to make the kitchen clean?
I tossed three bags today that had crumbs in them.
I don't feel bad about it, but I also don't want to buy a bag for $2 and throw part of that away.

I would like to announce my wonderful prize of free tickets to the Indy 500 this month.
If anyone would happen to know the price of tickets there, free parking, and radios for the race to listen to the crew and drivers, officials, and radio and TV coverage, I would love to know. I can put that amount into my $20 challenge money.
Since last month wasn't very good in that department, I could use it.
I did find some change on the ground and in the laundry, but no amount I wanted to jump up and down about, so it never got posted. I am sure the total wasn't even $.50.
I would like to start paying off some of my credit cards this month. I have gotten rid of all extra charges and haven't used them in almost a year!

I haven't been posting, due to the fact that I have been working lately, keeping my awesome GPA at school, and taking care of my two little ones who are in little league.

Fun as all that sounds, money is not as tight as it was.

I have recently started saving with Smarty Pig, where my goal is on my side bar, and have plans for my Stimulus Package Rebate.
I will be purchasing a new bed.
We are in desperate need of one, where the dip in ours hurts our backs, and I figured what the heck. The money is supposed to be spent. We are getting it to spend it to "STIMULATE" the economy.
I think it is my duty as an American to spend that money, and I will enjoy doing so.
My back will thank me too!

Dinner was wonderful tonight.
My mom asked if I wanted her to take me and the two boys out to dinner.
Tonight is not Sunday. I didn't want to spend my gas for her to spend $ on the dinner.
She said that she will treat me to lunch some day this week.
I may let her.
Yesterday, we only got one meal that wasn't at home.
I took the youngest out to breakfast, where he ate a whole waffle.
I spent $14 total with tip.
I also will be giving to others without spending any money.
My cousin is low on funds, has a daughter of her own, and her husband works full time for the whole household. She will be coming over tomorrow to use my washer and dryer. I will only be supplying the hot water and electricity. How cool is that?
I am helping her, saving her quarters, and spending time with her.
She will come here while I am at school, and then when I get home, help her, then go to the grocery store with her.
I am helping her help herself.
I am not giving her money to do her laundry, but giving her a chance to save money she doesn't have.
Makes me feel good!!!

Between my management and business math classes, I have an hour break. I am thankful, as during finals, I can study for the hardest subject.
I, for now, have no problem getting my homework done at night, or the day it is assigned in class. I spent my hour today at the park, with a packed lunch of a lunchable, crackers and cheese, and Mt. Dew with water.
I listened to my Harry Potter Book by CD from my car. I placed a blanket on the grass, opened my lunch, and enjoyed my time greatly.

I look forward to doing this again, at least once more by Thursday. As I still have house work that I need to finish when I get out of school, I have been letting work slide more than I should.

My last check was for four hours. I get paid every two weeks. You figure it out.

I am anticipating a problem with my work/school schedules this summer. I work a lot at night durring the summer. I don't get home till 3 am sometimes.
What makes me think that after going to bed early, still having to get up early for my children, will I want to go to school after a late night.
I also cannot take a break in classes this summer as I had hoped.
My children will begin their school a month after I do, and I was wanting to be home with them.

I will speak with my advisor, or a new one, since I never talk to my own, and figure up a plan that works out.

$30 saved for my chest freezer and $30 saved for the family Wii.
By Christmas, I will own one of these two things.
I also will have to start my emergancy fund back up. My CD was doing that, but I cashed it in to get out of a hole I was in.

Going over bank recocillation in business math is teaching me to check my work twice when working with my money.
I think it is helping!

My rent is paid in full, four days early.
My cable bill, mag. subscription, and library fines are up to date.
I need to pay the gas, phone, and daycare as well. No extra money out of the CD, but it does feel good to have a little extra room to breathe.
I also paid a large sum on a store credit card. I admit that I only put money on to purchase more items from them, but hesitated and have a low ballance to say the least.

My schooling is going great, although I am not working as much as I could be due to school. I am not wanting to change though.

Parts were purchased for fixing my vehicle, but apparently the labor of putting it right will be long and hard. How many days can I go without my car. It must be done this weekend, as I cannot wait any longer, and I already spent the money on the part.

If DH has the time or patience to complete the task is another thing. He knows that I need my car on Monday morning, for us to go to school, while he takes the only other running vehicle to work. Cross your fingers for me.

Yesterday I went straight to my bank's website and deposited $3 into my savings account. Today I put in my weekly $10 into two savings accounts earning intrest for my children.

We have a freezer fund and Wii fund set up. The freezer is considerably cheaper than the Game System, but we can dream can't we?

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.

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - It took Vicki Armstrong almost 19 years to save $550, which isn't much of an accomplishment - except that she did it one penny at a time.

Armstrong was planning to take her 55,000 pennies to the bank this week. She said saving them helped her reinforce frugal spending habits.

"It helped me be a little bit more conservative in my lifestyle," said Armstrong, who is planning to retire at the end of the year from Christus Schumpert Highland Hospital, where she works as a maternity technician.

Armstrong has been storing pennies in vases, bowls and the occasional shoebox. In 1993, The (Shreveport, La.) Times reported she had squirreled away 14,000 pennies. Armstrong resisted the temptation to cash them in and kept saving.

Her co-workers and friends have chipped in over the years. "They all hand over pennies generously," she said.

Her husband, Melvin, said he never interfered with her healthy obsession, even when their bicycle rides were interrupted by tiny treasure hunts.

"She would see a penny in the road and just stop," he said. "I would to have to do circles just to let her catch up."