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Home > Archive: January, 2013

Archive for January, 2013

Saving & Making Extra Cash

January 30th, 2013 at 05:36 am

Last night I met my DH at the shoe store and he picked out two pairs of shoes (work and gym) and the total came to $71. I had a $10 coupon from taking a survey on a previous visit and if I want I can earn another $10 coupon by taking the survey for last night's visit.

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Tomorrow I start taking care of two elderly kitties for two weeks. I will make just over $500. This will all go to a cc payment. I wish I could make this much extra money more often. I have thought of making up a flier or business cards for pet sitting, but I don't know how much I can realistically take on with family and work responsibilities. However, making a chunk of cash like this makes me think...

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I signed myself up with a data collection company who wants information about the flea and heartworm preventative products we use at work. (How many units we have in stock, order and sell each month.)
I will get a check for $20 each month I provide the data sheets. It should only take me about 15 minutes to put the info together each month. Big Grin

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Can't believe it is almost February! Wow, where did January go??


Before I Close the AmEx...

January 23rd, 2013 at 09:51 pm

Next month the AmEx card I opened for the $250 rewards last year will be up for it's annual renewal. The first year had the membership fee waived. If I chose to keep the card it would be $125/yr. Of course I will not be keeping it.
We had a good run, but now it's time to say goodbye. Wink

I was just on their site and redeemed points for a $50 card to the Cheesecake Factory (never been) and a $50 card for V. Secrets (bras for me!! Yay!). I still have a bit over 500 points and I am hoping that I can redeem the points I've "earned" this month right before I cancel the card. I should have enough for a $15 reward, I'm thinking Old Navy and use it as a gift for DD.

I am really looking forward to surprising DH with a dinner out to the restaurant either for V. Day or when we go for a SF Giants game in a few months.

Yay! Another Referral Credit!

January 20th, 2013 at 05:56 pm

Last night I checked my Ting account to look at my usage and *surprise* I had another $25 referral credit posted! Big Grin

So, to who ever out there used it - Thank You!

Two credits equal three months of paid cell service. I am thrilled!

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Today is a quiet day at home watching both playoff games.
(**GO NINERS!**)

Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel

January 17th, 2013 at 11:03 pm

We have $1.30 in our checking account right now.

I cannot remember the last time our checking was scraped away to nothing.
I did say it was a tight month.

Tomorrow night I will deposit paychecks and the rest of the month will be much smoother sailing. I only have a daycare payment and two cc payments due before February 1st.

Back Into The Swing of Things. CS Ain't What it Used To Be.

January 16th, 2013 at 06:07 am

Halfway through January and I finally feel as if we are getting back into the regular routine. One big thing that helps is getting DD off vacation and back to school. That, and getting new episodes of all our favorite TV shows. Smile

Last week all my family was sick with a stomach bug. Thank goodness I didn't come down with it because I had to take care of them. That set back our "getting back to normal" by about five days. DD and DH missed two days of school/work. Unfortunately that means that DH's paycheck this Friday will be short and it's already a tight month. *groan*

Not much otherwise. We've been having cold, frosty weather. Not nearly as cold as some of our other SA friends, but 27F temps mean running the heat more for sure.

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This morning I had a run in with the gal operating the Starbucks drive-thru window. She gave me the wrong drink, which meant she overcharged my gift card because it was the wrong order. She didn't apologize for the mistake, in fact it seemed like she wished I would've taken the wrong drink and kept going. When I asked if she could credit back the difference she lied and told me what she charged was less than the drink I ordered! (I checked the price later and it was $1.05 difference.) At the time I didn't have a price list in front of me so I didn't call her a liar, but I asked for a free drink coupon since I had to wait while my drink was made. That really seemed to aggravate her, but she gave me one.

I was super annoyed that I even had to ask!

It doesn't bother me that I got the wrong order, or I had to wait, or even that she was bitchy. BUT I cannot stand the lie - GRRRR!
At this point I am just really happy I asked for the free drink. Normally I would not have been pushy about getting one, but in this case getting it is the only thing that makes me feel better.

Cool Little Money Savings

January 6th, 2013 at 10:24 pm

A few cool, small, money saving events have happened recently that I wanted to share.

First, someone used my Ting referral code. I have no idea *who* it was, but a huge "Thanks!" to you.
By using my code I received a $25 account credit and didn't have to pay my phone bill. Next month I only need to pay $5. $25 almost pays for two months of service for me. Big Grin

Second, we had a very nice man who helped us when DD had her eye exam. He asked me if we had an AAA membership (we do) and it saved me $20!
I *never* think to ask about that discount unless I'm making travel arrangements. I thought it was really nice of him to ask.

Third, I have a Starbucks gift card that I registered. I will get a free drink for my birthday and a free drink every three to four months (every 12th drink is free).

Fourth, I had an expired $10 reward coupon for Safeway and the checker honored it anyway. Smile

I love those "little things". It makes me smile.

Bye, Bye EF

January 6th, 2013 at 02:36 am

So we ended 2012 with $4008 in our EF. Smile
By the middle of this month we will be down to $200. Frown

The breakdown:
- $2356 for DS's ER visit (ER, doctor, ambulance)
- $ 248 for DD's first pair of eye glasses
- $ 647 for annual auto insurance policy
- $ 250 for root canal
- $ 338 for equine vet and disposal truck

The silver lining is we have that money, so it's not going on a cc or being borrowed.
That takes a little bit of the sting of wiping out the EF. (Just a little..)

Happy New Year!

January 3rd, 2013 at 11:37 pm

Happy New Year! May 2013 be a lucky one for all of us! Big Grin

I was reflecting on 2012's goals. Some our family did achieve. (Yay!) A bunch of things that we didn't. Some we got close on. A few never got a start.

Isn't interesting that most of us feel like January 1st is a fresh start to everything? In reality you could make a fresh start on any date. Smile
But, here we are in January with our fresh list of what *will be* accomplished this year. Wink

My goals for 2013 are much the same as my 2012 goals. Pay down debt, build savings, lose weight, get trust set up, home improvement items... See sidebar for the details.

Recapping some of the financial goals of 2012.

$7k EF?
Unfortunately, no. On 12/31/12 the EF balance was $4008. Started at $2624 on 1/1/12.

$2k car savings?
No. $275.

CC debt to $13k?
No. (I was feeling a bit bummed about this until I looked up last January's number for comparison.)
Decreased from $20,434 to $15,300.

Replaced roof?
Not yet....

Increased ROTH contribution?
Yes.

Trust? Life insurance?
No, and halfway done with application.