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Monthly Archives: December 2008
Happiness
Ed. note – I’ve been cleaning out some of the draft posts in my blog and I found this one that I wrote back in November. This is one of those that just happened when my hands hit the keyboard so instead of trying to pass it off as something that’s a “fresh” entry, I’ll leave it for what it is: I paid off another credit card balance in November and I was extraordinarily relieved and grateful that day. I … Continue reading
Power shopping in the midst of a recession
Sorry for my absence yesterday, I was with my mom, my future maid of honor and my insurance agent. OK, Denise is an old family friend, my insurance person AND a stalwart member of the shopping club that meets every December at the Mall of America for two purposes: Much needed girl time and to get a huge chunk of Christmas shopping done. It’s funny to sit here and reflect after a couple days with these women who are so … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Where My Money Goes
Tagged Christmas, credit card debt, family, girls weekend, Mall of America, shopping
2 Comments
Finding coupons on eBay? Eeenteresting …
When I logged into my email this morning at the cab company, I had a couple of new kinds of messages to attract my attention. A fellow frugalist and blogger tipped me off to a veritable gold mine for my beloved coupons – bidding on them at rock bottom prices on eBay. When I heard about this, I admit that I was intrigued, but I was also a little intimidated. How easy would it be to find these coupons? How … Continue reading
My latte factor costs a lot of money
I’ve dutifully tracked my spending for the past week and man alive – from day-to-day, the money that I spend doesn’t seem like a lot (unless I’m dropping $60 bucks on postage – that hurts!) but when I sat down this morning to tally up my dastardly ways … my grand total latte factor for a week was (drumroll, weakly masking the sounds of my pocketbook weeping) $690.09. Wow. I see why financial analysts encourage people to perform this sort … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Where My Money Goes
Tagged credit card payment, gas, grocery, latte factor, retail, snacking, wasteful spending, Where My Money Goes
6 Comments
My ode to energy efficient appliances
I told you about the Great Floor Debate of 2008. No, it was not some bipartisan effort to secure some sort of government funding – it was whether or not my Future Husband and I should invest $1,500 in new laminate flooring for our unfortunately carpeted kitchen. FH makes the big ticket decisions in our house – mostly because the money that pays for these items come directly from his checking account. Although I am consulted in all things big … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living
Tagged appliances, energy efficient, house repairs, water heater
4 Comments
The perils of online shopping
Even though I served some time working retail and my credit card balances would say differently, I’m not a big fan of shopping malls. Or actually, my time in retail probably cured me of liking shopping malls, but unfortunately for my financial situation, that hatred didn’t occur until I had plunked myself in debt. But you can ask my mom or my dad, I’ve never been a big fan of crowds. In fact, going to events like the State Fair … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Where My Money Goes
Tagged eating out, gasoline, groceries, hidden fees, latte factor, online shopping
2 Comments
Are you a candidate for a layoff?
In December 1982, I would have been four years old, probably obsessed with “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show.” I hadn’t been fitted with glasses yet, but that was soon to happen since I was running into tables because I couldn’t see anything. My mom stayed at home with my older brother and I, my father operated our family farm and while we were probably far from rich I remember having everything I could ever want or need, but most … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Where My Money Goes
Tagged CSI, emergency fund, Food Network, latte factor, layoff
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Tuesday’s Latte Factor
Tuesday was a strange day for the “latte factor” because of a few purchases – both expected and unexpected. First – Future Husband and I are getting married in April. And according to the to-do list I made a few months ago, the Save The Date postcards I had made should have been sent out on Oct. 15. “Final” guest lists have been sent to our moms, labels are on approximately half of the postcards, but they are still in … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Where My Money Goes
Tagged donations, latte factor, spending, Where My Money Goes
2 Comments
Living Frugal – Duggar-Style
I’ve been battling some crudge lately – a likely byproduct of a sick boss, some pre-wedding stress, travels to see my family (little boys are germ mongers) and frankly – it’s just that time of year. So last night after dinner, Future Husband retreated to the basement to play some video games (and escape his sick Future Wife) and the Evil Cat and I curled up in our favorite chair and turned on that time-sucking pleasure known as television. I … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Where My Money Goes
Tagged credit card, Duggar family, latte factor, thrift store
9 Comments
A crash diet worth considering
I found this article on a fellow blogger’s site and it talks about how her family went on a crash diet of no spending for the month of November. They made it through the month on a $400 budget. I’d like to think that I could do this. In fact, I might be curious to try in January. Of course, there’s only Future Husband and I … could we make it by on only $200? Some thoughts to ponder …