Quite a few of you are doing so great on getting credit card rewards - Good Job!
I haven't gotten any super juicy offers. One $250 offer with a $99/year fee, so I totally wrote it off. But when I read Monkey Mama's post about the cc company refunding the fee I thought "Shoot! Maybe I should've gone for it."
I will "earn" a $250 cash reward from my current card by next month. My points total is this [----] close.
Of course I will use the money to pay on the card.
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I had a moment of weakness and actually let myself spend money on clothes for myself. I know that sounds funny, but most of you can relate. It's really hard to 'justify' spending money on a frivolous thing like clothes for yourself unless you need it for work or to land a job.

I had set out for Old Navy because they were having a sale on their active wear. I need a new sports bra and I wanted a new top because I'm always wearing DH's t-shirts to the gym.
Instead I found this cute, simple dress. Very comfortable. Can be dressed up or down. You know one of those types of things that you never find when you're looking for it, but is right in front of your face when you don't have any money?
I was ready to put it back when I asked the checker to scan the price and see if it was on sale at all. It was 30% off making it $23.
A classic type piece for $23. I went for it.

I also bought a SF 49er t-shirt and two racer back tank tops.



I wanted to get a shirt for DS. It had the Superman logo on the front (DS's name starts with an "S") it would've been very cute, but it was $15!!! For a toddler shirt - I don't think so!

I thought the tank tops were on sale, but when I got home I looked at my receipt and they weren't; it must have been the other style.
These were $10.50 each. I really like the style, but I am going to take them back and I will buy them when they go on sale. Old Navy puts their tank tops on sale all the time.

Struck out on the sports bra and no work out tops since I'm returning what I had intended to be gym wear. So I will be shopping for those items still.

Transferred $6 to savings for three Giants wins.
Current balance in EF is $2770.

I paid $300 toward CC#3 bringing that balance to $13,093.

Yeah, excellent proof why CC debt sucks..Blah!

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Today DH is working and will clear $1k to add the EF. He paid off his motorcycle purchase, so now this extra money is being directed back to where it belongs! . Will be a really nice boost and he's got a few more projects on the horizon to boot.

This evening we will be trekking up to the inlaw's house. An unplanned trip, but their A/C has some problem so DH will fix it for them. It will be nice because we'll be seeing both his dad and mine for Father's Day and eating for free for the rest of the weekend. Downside is the cost of fuel, but thankfully it's come down a bit in price. I haven't gotten DH anything yet...Hmm??
For our dads I picked up really cute bottle openers from Yosemite. $7 each. They are shaped like a bear with the mouth wide open for the bottle top to fit in. And they're magnets too. Cute and usable.

Have a great Father's Day weekend everyone!

When I first started getting reward points on my credit card 100 points redeemed as $1. As time has gone on I noticed they had changed the redemption value for some of the lower $5-$10 rewards; you needed 650 points for $5 cash or giftcard. That didn't really bother me, I figured that was good motivation to save up your points.

Then they started doing that to the $50 cash reward. You need 6,500 points.
And now I see it takes 12,000 points to get $100.

Arg..

But I did learn something new while cruising thru the webpages. If I shop online thru the links on the rewards home page I can earn 3 to 8 times the points. Hmmm.. I'll try to keep that in mind since now I need to earn 25,000 points to redeem for $250. And not just redeeming at the $100 mark like I have been doing.

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I bought DS his new carseat from Diapers.com. I also bought some Happy Tot squeezy pouches of food, shampoo, lotion, baby wipes, DH's body wash and deoderant. Some of the items were buy one get one half off and I had a $10 account credit. The grand total was $290.

I had my co-worker sign up at diapers.com so she (I) could take advantage of their new customer promotion where she (I) get 30% back on all diaper purchases for three months. So far she (I) received $58 in account credit with a bit over one month left to earn more cash back. Her (my) plan is to have earned enough credit to pay for two cases of diapers or max out their credit "limit", which I think is $100. Hehe.

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Some more Yosemite...

One of the fireplaces inside the Ahwahnee Hotel.


The Ahwahnee dining room where we had lunch. Huge windows.


Outside the dining room. The smaller window on the left is the one in the pic above.

Lazy Saturday here. Baby is down for his afternoon nap, DD is outside playing and DH is running errands on his 'new' motorcycle that came today. Inlaws brought down early this AM. They have just left to head home. The weather is beautiful, blue skies, sun and 65F.

I should go out, but I am comfy in the recliner switching between football playoffs and the movie Pirates of the Caribbean all while online. Enjoying being alone right now.

Paid some bills. PG&E $210. Cell phone $200 (two bills - I didn't pay last month) Cable/Internet/Home Phone bundle $165, I didn't technically pay because it's on auto bill, but I did transfer the money from checking to the Visa to "pay" for it. Water $74, again on auto bill. Our water rates went up on January 1st. Small increases ($0.20 - $0.60) to the base rate for water and sewer and small increases ($0.15) to the per hcf for both water and sewer(hcf= hundred cubic feet; 1 hcf= 748 gallons). We used 6 hcf in December for $69 and in January 6 hcf for $74. So their small increases will add up. The city is paying for a new sewer treatment plant.

Today I had enough points on my visa to redeem for $100 account credit. So I did that right off. Yay!

Watched the movie Julie and Julia last night. It was very cute! DH liked it. He's a romantic so he liked how both the hubbys loved their wives.

Now I am wanting to try a few of those recipes.

Burritos for dinner tonight. And I'm thinking about French food. haha. Back to relaxing, only two hours until dinner and Suze Orman.

I paid the Sears card off. Don't get too excited for me though because I tacked it on to another card.
I had to pay Sears before the 20th to avoid the intrest from the past year being applied. It was 0% for the year if paid in full by January 20th. I had fully intended to do this and was on track to until I was was out on maternity leave. Doh!

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Did major grocery and Costco shopping this past week. Used some nice coupons at Costco. $4 off boneless porkchops, $2.50 off laundry soap, $3.50 off dishwasher tabs. They have Quicken there for $65 and I have a coupon for $20 off. (I am very tempted to pick it up. Sounds like a good deal, but I haven't checked around at all.) We also buy our razors there (DH and I use the same kind) it's a 52 ct. for $23. I also bought 12 fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $20, 6lbs of hamburger, papertowels, a six-pack of Lean Cuisine $7.59 (great for lunch) and several other items. Total $210.

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I have my W-2 already, now waiting for DH's. I also need to get the year statement from DD's school's childcare and the mortgage companies. I guess there isn't any hurry with all the news I hear of the IRS delay. But I am going to start plugging in numbers today to my online tax program. I have used FreeTaxUSA the past several (5) years. $20 for state and federal. With our new tax deduction (DS ) and my decreased income I am curious to see how things will calculate.
Here's to getting some money back!

Ugh..I forgot to pay Capital One last month.. I thought about it, but I didn't think a payment was due. And in all the busyness at the end of the month I never logged on to check. We don't carry a balance on the card; we have ONE automatic bill payed by the card. $25 per month. The charge is usually made about the 22nd or so each month and almost every month I pay it on/about the 25th. So it's not even on the card for more than a week. I guess in June I missed it so July it was due and I thought "no big deal I've got 30 days." Wrong. Now I'll have to call and ask if they will please remove the $15 late fee. Yesh, it's a whole eight days late on $25!
Really need to change the billing to another card. I would right now, but DH will need to do it; account is in his name only.
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In other news, my DH met with an independent cell phone dealer last week. He found her through a local business group that his work is a member of. She works with all the carriers and has discounts on the phones. So the phone that I wanted that was $80 online thru our carrier was $50 with her. The $29 car charger was $10 thru her. He also changed our plan to the lower shared minutes plan for $70 per month, plus the taxes etc. so I'm thinking it'll be like $76/mo. Yay! Saving money feels so good!
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A note about my last post where I wrote about going over budget. My DH had an "extra" paycheck last month (with the five Fridays)that's what covered the overage. I was really trying to forget about that "extra" check, but in the end I kept thinking I can pay this/that with the "extra" check. Boy do I WISH I had an "extra" check this month too! Big time childcare costs with both DD and DS going for the first two weeks this month. It won't be as bad once DD is back in school. She will have just a few hours each afternoon once school starts.

We have a friend who works at Sears. I saw her yesterday and showed her baby DS. She showed me a new refrigerator. It is one of the models I had admired on past visits. It's 'last years' model, the floor display. It is on clearance. More than 50% off, like $1100 less. 0% Sears card financing for a year.

We are going to need a new fridge - at some point. Our current fridge is a 1991 model that came with the house. I suppose it will die sooner rather than later. Should we replace it now while we can get a great deal on the fancy fridge I really like? Or wait until it dies and buy at (likely) full price?

Yesterday I went to our credit union and applied for their Visa card to take advantage of the lower interest rate. I couldn't open the card only in my name because I don't make enough money on my own..*Ggrr* So I had DH meet me there (aka The Money Man. lol.) I told him I figured it'd be about 20 minutes, so he just took a break from the office. Well guess what - I was wrong. It took a hour. When did it take so long just to get a credit card? Didn't they USE TO pass them out like candy?

I asked the loan officer about that. Told him I figured that things had tightened up for unsecured loans. He said that was exactly what's been going on. And the high credit limit we were requesting. Is $15,000 really that high??

He said that we might have to close the cards we paid off. I told him I wasn't willing to close cc#2 because it is linked to our checking for overdraft and it is one of my longest history credit lines. I would be fine with lowering the limit in order to get the new loan. In the end it all turned out fine. We will be closing cc#1, but no changes to cc#2. Our new APR is 9.4%, with no fees.

After I feed baby lunch I have to take some paperwork over to the c.u. so they can transfer the balances. Can't wait to see the balance shrink!

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We went to Olive Garden last night for our anniversary dinner. It was an enjoyable meal. Baby DS slept all through and DD was sweet and polite (as usual! ) I had a drink, boy did it make me relaxed! Haven't had but a sip of champagne in almost a year. Total spent $65. My DH gave me a $100 bill "to spend on myself and buy something nice". I want to use it for bills, hehe. Maybe I'll see if I can find a nice summer outfit for cheap and put the rest to the cc or ef.

So after checking into Prosper I decided to try it. I was excited and a little nervous, but I jumped in..

Too bad it's not working for me.
Too bad someone won't be making money from my loan.

Here's the story:
My very low interest rate on CC#2 has ended. I HAD planned on having it paid off by now. When I called the bank they didn't have any lower offers for my account at that time. They doubled my rewards points and told me to keep calling back to check on lowering my rate.
I wonder if they aren't lowering rates now so they can make more money before the new cc laws take effect ???
So I am thinking it would be a good idea for me to consolidate my cc debt to a lower interest rate. Save money and get the balance paid faster. In order for me to save money doing this the new rate would have to be lower then 16%.
This is when I think Prosper would be a great idea. I don't really want another cc to transfer the balances to. And the peer to peer lending seems like a win/win. I mean somebody would like to make 8%, 10%, 12% or even 14% on their money loaning to me, right?
When I sign up and fill out my "profile" Prosper suggests I start my asking interest rate at 24%! In order to attract more "bidders". The web site says your rate will probably be lower due to the "auction process" and you can decline the loan if the rate is too high. It didn't make sense for me to ask for a loan at that rate - That's higher than what I pay on my credit cards!
I ended up posting a request for a loan with a 16% rate. I was clear in my comments what the money was for and for any prospective lenders to PLEASE ask me any questions or comment on how I could make a better posting. I spent about 30 minutes setting things up and carefully posting my request.

And...Nothing...Not a bite or even a comment..Nada..

Meanwhile, I am looking at my credit union's rates. I could get a personal loan for 12% or less. I could get their credit card with balance transfer rates starting at 6%. I have a credit score of 750ish so I'm pretty sure I'd get a good rate from them or another bank if I look around.

Phooey on Prosper..
My dreams of p2p lending going down the toilet.
So Un - Prosper - Us!
lol.

I am enjoying the long weekend. It's very nice to have DH and DD home all day with me and baby. DH likes making breakfast on the weekends so I've been treated to breakfast in bed the past three days!

Getting ready for summer break. DD's last day of school is this Friday. It will be nice to not pay for full time childcare because I'll be home on maternity leave for almost all the summer. I still want to give DD some time away from home. She is going to a few week long day camps. One is a really awesome horse camp with a friend from school. They went together last summer and had a blast. On Thursday they get to camp out overnight in the barn too. Me and the other mom split the driving, so that works out nicely. This camp costs $325. But I prepay so it's $300. Grandma (my mom) paid for camp this year as a birthday gift for DD.
The second camp we bought in a silent auction at DD's school's fundraiser. It's a basketball camp. Cost $170 if you prepay or $190 if you don't. We paid $120 at the auction. I thought that was a good deal!

My mom is also taking DD on two grandma/grandaughter trips. (My dad's work is most busy during the summer. So it's just the girls!) One week in June to the coast and visit my sister. And in July to tour some of the California missions. (My DD will be learning about them in 4th grade.)
As I type this I am thinking how lucky DD is! She'll also likely spend a few days with my inlaws too.
I want to plan a camping trip for us four. I hope I can find the time...and the money...

Ah, the money...
*sigh* My CC#2 balance has crept up a little this month. Spendy month and decreased income. No fabulous purchases, just regular expenses.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

I am looking at getting a loan thru Prosper.
It's a peer to peer lending site, in case you are not familiar. I first heard of peer to peer lending maybe two years ago. I think it's a great idea!

How it works is individuals sign up to fund other people's personal loans. Little or large amounts and they (the investors) collect the interest, not a bank. So if you request a loan it might be funded by hundreds of people!

I would be using the money to payoff the two credit cards. I would get a lower interest rate and the interest money would go to people not the banks.

Has anyone used this service? What did you think?

Redeemed my credit card 'points' for a $200 payment. Received a $200 check as reimbursement for a work expense so that goes to the card also. This covers the $400 copay to the hospital when I delivered DS. So...two steps forward and two steps back...

It seems like this is a regular pattern with us. I'll have a few months where we just "break even", maybe even lose a little bit of ground. Then a few months where we gain ground, pay something off completely or make a big purchase in cash, add to savings, etc. I LOVE those months!!!

This will be a "break even" month, except for a small bump in the savings account. We are talking like $25-$40. But I feel like every little bit gets us to the goal..eventualy.

I want to go FASTER!!!

We could meet our saving/payoff goals faster if we were willing to really cut back. I'm not saying we spend a lot on a lot. Honestly, we could LIVE without the cell phones, DSL, cable, horses, breakfast out...you get the idea. But, I feel life should be comfortable. As comfortable as you can comfortably afford. And if our income suddenly dropped off/dried up we would make these cuts. I think there is a certain number of people out there that just couldn't give anything up. We could do it; we have lived without these before.

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Baby DS had his two week check up. He is now 8lbs. 8oz. and 1/2 inch longer. He's great at nursing so I knew he was growing well.