Clubneary's Personal Finance Blog

This Saturday my DD is making her 1st Communion. We have already purchased the dress, shoes, stockings, and head piece. She is going to wear a halo made out of babys breath. I wore one to my 1st Communion and thought it would be a nice tradition in place of a veil.

Anyways, on to the party we will have afterwards. My DH wants to make it easy and just do a deli tray. We are expecting about 25 people for the party. Guessing the party will start around 11:30 am. I am going to price some premade deli trays tonight and try to figure out if I could buy the meat and cheese myself any cheaper. Of course I still have to buy the condiments, bread/rolls, drinks, chips, and stuff for the 3-4 salads I am making. Even when I try to make things easy for myself I can't!

My MIL is getting the cake which is a big help. I am going to put DH is charge of the drinks. I think I can handle the rest. I figure if I start tonight I should be ready by Saturday.

I am going to budget $100 for the food and about $40 for the paper products and decorations. I already purchased a present for her so I don't have to worry about that.

What do you think $150 for a 25 people 1st Communion Party? Sounds a little high but it will give me some room if I think of something else I need.

I just ran the numbers to see how I did in April. I am still a work in progress. Some areas I have improved which is encouraging and some I haven't but I haven't given up hope yet!

Let's see....

Groceries-$467.42 this month compared to $261.30 in March. I am thinking the increase was due to the fact that we had company for a few days and also had a family party for DD's birthday. Will continue working on getting this down.

Eating out-$52.21 compared to March's total of $220.14. Good job me! I would still like to see this number a little lower but that is a definate improvement!

Entertainment-$2.16-only hit the Redbox once this month!

Gas-$248.22 compared to $192.63 in March. This is due to the increase cost of gas. I am going to have to be creative with this one. We don't live near the bus line and are pretty much out of the way of any stores so I can't ride my bike. Hmmmmm....

Debt repayment-$471.97 Hey, it's better than nothing. I would like this to be higher and will start scrounging for loose change to apply to my debt.

Utilities-$354.74. This includes gas and electricity, phone, cable, and internet.

DD's birthday-$210.96. This includes her present and the cookie cake we brought into school for her class.

Shopping-My biggest challenge category. $418.56 which is slightly less than the $597.23 I spent in March. I am happy that the amount decreased and I am happy that I paid cash for my shopping instead of putting it on a credit card. But I do know that some of that could have been applied to debt which aggravates me about myself.

Miscellaneous-
$300 car payment
$92.48 car and life insurance
$64.95 gym membership
$64.00 transfer to savings
$13.50 yearbook for DD
$40.00 church
$121.25 cash

That about wraps it up. I can see where I have to make improvements and will try to be more aware of my spending in May.

I am finally getting some unexpected cash! Pretty exciting. At work we are going to an "on call" schedule for nights and weekends. We will rotate the weeks and carry a pager. If we get called we will get the on call pay and our regular pay for the time it takes us to resolve the issue. If we don't get called on our week than we get paid $18 for each night between M-F and $24 for each Saturday and Sunday night. That's an extra $138 for nothing if I don't get called I spoke with my boss since I am a lead for my area and have been basically on call the last year and haven't been compensated for it. I think they were trying to say it was just part of my job. Now that everyone in my group has to do it I think they are seeing that they had been unfair to me. So, my boss checked my on call time for the past year and I am getting an additional $160. I only got called 8 times in the past year but as we always say, everything little bit helps!

I have $21.00 in my checking account to last me until Friday. That makes me a little nervous but it is also nice to know that all the bills have been paid and I even transferred some money to my savings account. I guess it's good there is only $21 left otherwise I would be tempted to spend it on something stupid!

Can't help the Scooby Doo reference, it's all my kids want to watch these days

I made it home last night without spending a dime. I ate dinner and played with the kids all evening. So, with the exception of the donuts it could have been a no spender.

This morning I had to be at work at 6am. I set the coffee maker to start at 5am and made some toast prior to leaving the house. Made myself a salad last night for lunch today. I got a free coffee at the coffee cart here at the hospital where I work. They have the punch cards and after 10 you get a free one. I took advantage today since it is hard to be functional at 6am.

I am doing well so far today hence the title I am itching to go shopping after work though. I have about 2 hours of free time and want to go to the mall and look around. This could be a bad thing. Perhaps I should think of something else to do?!

So close and yet not exactly a no spender.

I made some coffee at home this morning and drank it prior to leaving the house. Small step for me

We had my niece spend the night last night and I had to drop her and my 2 kids off at Nana and Papa's house this morning so we stopped at Dunkin Donuts to get them some donuts to take over. I got a coffee. Medium step in the wrong direction

I then came to work after having 2 days off and was very busy. Ate the yogurt and granola bar that I packed for snack instead of a donut or other fattening baked good like I normally do. Huge step for me

Ate lunch of left over baked ziti, a banana, and 100 calorie pack of oreos with water that I brought from home. Another big step for me

I have to work until 6pm today and plan on going right home. I will grab something quick to eat and then hopefully take a walk with the family as it is in the mid 60's here and I haven't been to the gym in over a week.

I am very happy with myself and my attempt at a No Spender and can rationalize my spending by thinking I was doing something nice for my family. There I go-queen of rationalizing every cent I spend.

Anyways my goal is to not spend any money between now and Saturday. Might seem like a small goal to some but I am going out Saturday night and it will be an expensive outing so I am trying to reign in the spending prior. At least I know it is going to be expensive and this time I have planned for the expense so I consider myself one step ahead.

Well, this was a fairly expensive weekend. My sister and her son came into town on Friday and just left this morning. Her son is 8 which is the same age as my daughter so it is awesome when they get the chance to play together. They live 5.5 hours away by car which isn't too bad to travel however we rarely do it in the winter b/c she lives in the tippy top of NY state near the Canandian border and you never know when you might get snowed in. So, it was great to spend time with them.

I haven't added up what I spent but will try to summarize it here.

Friday I stopped at the grocery store to get some snacks and stuff for our company and spent about $50.00.

Saturday we went shopping at Kohls and I got a few things I needed and 2 shirts for DS that were on clearance. I spent $80.29. Stopped and got a movie for the kids to watch-$1.00.

Sunday we had a birthday party for DD so I had to go to the grocery store and buy the stuff I needed for dinner. We had baked ziti, meatballs, salad, and bread. Drinks and paper products included $50.42 for 15 people.

Monday we took the kids rollerskating. My sister bought admission for DD as it was part of her birthday present and DS and I didn't skate b/c he is only 3. We played some video games which I spent about $3.00 on. Sister and I went to Friendlys with a mutual friend to chat and remember "old times" and of course to eat icecream I had a coupon for buy one sundae get one free so I only spent $5.00 including tip.

DD and I are home today. She is on Spring Break and I took yesterday and today off from work. I think we are going to lay low and try not to spend any money We have to go to my inlaws for yet another party tonight at 5:00pm. I am toying with the idea of doing some online shopping for DS today. He needs some spring clothes. I am also going to clean some more with the hopes of finding more stuff for the garage sale in May.

I should take a trip out to the consignment shop to drop off more stuff but am not very motivated to do that today. Maybe I will list some things on ebay, haven't done that in a while.

Off to check the checking account balance and see if I have any bills that need to be paid.....

Food budget, take 2! I have done horribly with not buying snacks and coffee so far this month but I am going to try to do better. It's like as soon as I tell myself NOT to do something, I want to do it even more, ARGH! So, here's to a new day

I need to update my sidebar soon. I haven't really made too many updates to it but I know I few account balances went down and a few went up so I should probably reflect that and see if that makes me feel more hopeful about my situation.

My cable bill just went up. I know a lot of you don't have cable and I am thinking about getting rid of it. I just have to get the rest of the family on board with my plan. I pay cable and internet combined as a package and am afraid if I cancel cable the internet price will go up. With summer coming and being outside I am thinking that is the perfect time to ditch it. If need be I can get it turned back on in the fall/winter. Anyone have any ideas on how to approach the family about this one? For digital cable and internet I am now paying $103 a month. How does this relate to any of you who have cable and internet?

Ok, I think I have blown my whole $50 eating out budget already and it is only the 8th day of the month. I am pathetic. I contibute my spending to
a)being lazy
b)having a school girl crush on the donut boy at Dunkin Donuts
c)not being well organized
and
d)preferring any meal or drink I can buy over one that I can make myself.

I tell you, I am my own worst enemy! I was keeping track of my spending on eating out but gave up at the end of last week when I figured it was basically pointless. I will face facts tonight and look at the numbers and see if I can salvage any part of the budget.

My sister and her son are coming in for a visit this coming weekend so I am going to have to tweek the budget to include some extra groceries and fun money.

And yes, shame on me for noticing the Donut Boy.

I practically have no voice left. I do however have a nice barky cough. My throat hurts, my glands feel swollen and I am wondering if I have strep. That would not be good.

I have a full weekend ahead of me so the chances of resting are zilch. It all starts tonight when I get out of work. My in-laws are returning home from a 3 month stay in Florida. My kids are so excited to see them. We will meet there around 6 for pizza and to visit. I have to admit I am excited too! I love my in-laws. They are wonderful people and have such a great relationship with all their grandkids. They have stepped up to the plate since my parents died and have filled the void that was left behind to some degree. I am very thankful to them.

Tomorrow I will go to yoga class to help get me in the zone. Then I have to take DD to her retreat at church. Since I am the snack coordinator I will be there to make sure we have everything, to set up, and to clean up. Then we will stay for mass. All in all it will be about 6 hours at church. Then we will take the kids to Friendly's for dinner as that is the restaurant DD chose for her birthday celebration. Then I have to make cupcakes for DD birthday celebration at religious education.

Sunday is DD actually birthday so we will celebrate at home in the morning and at her religious education class. Then it is off to the niece's birthday party at noon. Then I should be able to squeeze in some laundry and housework. Then maybe I can rest.

The good news is I will be so busy I won't be spending much money Also, it is supposed to be nice here all weekend-in the 60's which is awesome for us! I can't wait to be able to go outside without a jacket.

Today was payday and I don't have any bills that need to be paid! Plus I have money in my checking account left over from last pay period. Blogging has really helped me be mindful of my spending. I have to make it a point to try to check in more often.

I am incredibly challenged by lack of will power. I have the uncanny ability to rationalize everything in my head so the most outrageous seems normal. Guess I have to work on that.

In my challenge to spend only $50 on eating out this month I am doing HORRIBLY! Today I got a fancy coffee and muffin to the tune of $4.35. That leaves me with $38.68 for the 27 days! How am I going to manage that? That comes out to $1.43 a day. That will cover a regular coffee here at work each day but nothing else. No taking the family out to eat, no special treats, nothing I better start stocking up on treats for my desk at work. Well, I am calling this a challenge and it is proving to be just that!

Good news is I went to the mall yesterday looking for some red shoes and didn't find any that I liked. I went to about 10 stores and couldn't find anything. I want them to wear with a black and white dress to a wedding but it won't be the end of the world if I can't find them.

Still searching for a gift idea for my 13 yr old niece. She does want money which I can do but like to purchase something. I want to get that out of the way so I can knock another thing off my to-do list.

DD had Disco Day at school and looked adorable! She wasn't really disco-y but she did look like a hippie! Denim jeans and matching jacket with big embrodered flowers, tie dye shirt, head band. I flat ironed her hair. She looked like the lead singer of the DOORS! Maybe I will post a picture for a short time as I don't like to leave pictures of my kids hanging out over the internet but again I was pleased with my costume!!

I am tackling my enormous to-do list that I posted about previously one thing at a time. Took DD to the Salvation Army store tonight hoping to find something for her costume. We found 3 items that I think will be perfect. Now I just have to figure out how to hem them and take in the waist as they are adult sizes. $6 is not bad for a costume I am pretty pleased with myself. Once I have it together perhaps I will post a picture since I am proud of my finds.

Another thing I accomplished was purchasing DD birthday present. I got her the Nintendo DS Lite she has been dying for, one game, and a carrying case so she has some place to keep everything together and protected from her evil brother I wish I got as lucky as I did at the Salvation Army with my finds. This total came out to $182.00. Yikes! I do believe that is roughly equivilant to what I may have spent on a friend party for her so I guess I broke even.

I have developed this very annoying cough over the past few days. I can't say a word without having to cough up a lung first.

So, I guess I can go to bed feeling good that I got 2 things accomplished on my list! Tomorrow is another day and I think I will tackle my niece's birthday gift then. She wants money which is easy but I am trying to think of a creative way to give it to her. I'll try to get my family's opinion tomorrow on that one.

I am off to make my lunch for tomorrow. Out of my $50 eating out budget challenge of the month I am down to $43.03 and it's only the 2nd. Yikes, better reign that in fast.

March was a pretty good month for me. I managed to put a big dent into my debt with the help of a portion of our federal tax refund. For the month of March I paid $1554.53 towards debt That includes paying off all my store cards. Now I can concentrate exclusively on Mr Visa and Mrs Care Credit (dental card). I am up for the challenge!

Going through the numbers for March I can see that I am still challenged in a number of areas...

Groceries-$261.30 How do I get a family of 4 to eat on less than that? I am hoping the cooking I did for the freezer this week will help as we have several meals in there. I will cut down on the quick stops to the grocery store and try to stick to my once/twice a week shopping.

Eating Out (including coffee and lunch at work, dinner with girlfriends, dinner with family) $220.14 Ugh! I am embarassed to admit I spent that much this month. Thinking back I know I spent about $50 taking my best friend to dinner for her birthday. I also had my niece spend the night and we had gone to dinner and then lunch the next day. Have to stop that! My $50 eating out challenge for the month will be just that-a challenge!

Entertainment-$29.24 Not bad. Took the family to see Horton and also rented a few movies from Red Box

Gas-$192.63 I am trying to cut down on the errands or run them all at once.

Car-$300 car payment;$16.17 for oil change;$587.86 for desperately needed new tires which I was able to pay cash for!!!

Savings account-$187.50 Yeah me!

Other shopping-$597.23 what a waste!!! I am not even sure what I bought. I do know that I am paying cash for a lot more and not charging so that is why this category is so high. Still I think it is unacceptable that I can't remember what I bought.

Note to self-STOP SHOPPING!

So, that's that. Looking forward to making April a better month despite the fact that it is DD's birthday month and her 1st Communion is in the beginning of May so I'll have to shell out some cash to get ready for that.

Ugh! Why does everything seem to happen at once? I currently have a very daunting to-do list posted in my day planner that seems to be never ending. Add to it the fact that I feel like crapola and DH has the flu I am just about ready to fall apart! Luckily I have money in my checking account (which is kind of odd for me), all the bills have been paid, and I get paid this week At least financially I am in good shape.

Most of the things on my list revolve around DD. Second grade seems to be a killer for parents! Anyways, here is a brief summary of what I have to do:

*Buy and wrap DD bday present. She wants a Nintendo DS which I will get since she chose this over having a friend party. She is turning 8 on Sunday which makes me kind of sad.

*Wrap bday present for DD's friend and take her to the bday party (friday night)

*Create a Civil War era costume for DD by 4/9. She is in a class play and has the part of a 8 yr old girl. I have to devise a costume that is basically a long skirt and apron. Doesn't seem like a big deal but is for us non-creative people. I plan on taking her to the Salvation Army/Goodwill store to see if we can find something.

*Find and purchase shoes, stockings, and a head piece for DD's 1st Communion.

*Plan the party taking place after DD's 1st Communion

*Think of and purchasing a gift for my niece who is turning 13 this year and we are celebrating Sunday.

*Coordinate with DD's teacher to bring in special bday treat for DD. 3 kids in the class have peanut allergies so I have to bring in something in addition to the cookie cake she wants.

*Attend and set up snack at DD's all day 1st Communion retreat day.

*Make cupcakes for Sunday.

*Find and purchase/rent a costume for the Ugly Disco.

That is all I have written down but as I think I can come up with a few more things I don't want to forget. Sometimes it just seems like too much. Luckily I have the early shift at work tomorrow (6am-2:30pm)so I am hoping to get a lot of my running around done.

But as I said, my finances appear to be in order so I must be doing something right! I went grocery shopping yesterday and spent the day cooking for the freezer in an attempt to have ready made healthy suppers. I made a big batch of pasta sauce, 4 chicken quesadillas, 24 individual pepperoni or sausage bagel pizzas for lunches, and 7 dijon porkchops. My hope is to be able to just pull these items out of the freezer and cook them quickly allowing me more time with my family.

I am going to review my spending for the month of March tomorrow and summerize it for myself. I hoping I did better than February! I am challenging myself to only spend $50 on food outside of home. This includes taking the family out to eat and what I spend on coffee/lunch while at work. I am hopeful I can make that $50 stretch!

Just thought I would check in since it's been a while since I posted. Working on a computer 8 hours a day generally leaves me not wanting to get on when I get home. But here I am, taking care of some things for church and thought I would post.

Lots of stuff coming up soon. DD turns 8 in the beginning of April. She has her heart set on a Nintendo DS. I gave her a choice...a party with her friends from school and a small present or the Nintendo and an afternoon with 1 or 2 of her closest friends. She is choosing the Nintendo which makes me happy-no party to plan! My sister and 8 year old nephew will be coming to visit over April break and I told DD I would take the roller skating.

DD is also making her 1st Communion in early May. I just bought her dress ($39 at Burlington Coat Factory). I wish I still had the dress I wore even though it would be very outdated. We will have a get together after the ceremony for friends and family so I have to start planning that. Maybe a brunch.
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I did manage to put a dent in my debt. I received $1200 from our tax refund and another $800 from medical reimbursement. All of this I put towards debt. I had to get 4 new tires for my car which ended up around $500. That was an unexpected expense. I was surprised to see I had the cash to pay for them! That was an excellent feeling

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I have been buying the Sunday paper for the ads and coupons. I am not sure how much I have saved but it is adding up! I have also been going to CVS and saving some serious cash. This weekend I am going to attempt some freezer cooking. With the weather getting nicer I seem to have less time to spend getting dinner ready. My plan is to have at least 2 weeks worth of meals stock piled. I'll let you know how it goes.

How do I go about changing my password for this site? I have requested to have it reset because I had forgotten it and I receive an email with a link to follow but there isn't a spot for me to put in a new password. I don't know that I will be able to remember the long number password I was given.
Anyone have any ideas?

Well, I finally went ahead and got a CVS card. I wanted to see what all the hype was about and I am pleasantly surprised. The CVS I went to had everything I was looking for. I matched the Sunday flyer to some coupons and took DD shopping with me. I bought 14 items, 11 of which were on sale, used 6 coupons and got $2.00 back in Extra Bucks. My total for all 14 items was just 16.19 (that includes tax). Not too shabby for a 1st timer!!

We then headed to the grocery store armed with a list, the recipes for the week, and all my coupons. I had the coupons I knew I would use picked out already but brought all of them with us in case I had forgotten something. We bought a total of 49 items. Saved $18.25 using my Bonus Card and saved $10.20 in coupons. I also received 2 coupons for .50 off my next purchase and a coupon for some of the yogurt we bought. My total for the 49 items was $98.99. I was happy I kept it under $100.00.

So with all this food here is what I plan on making this week:

Breakfast pizza-kids helped me with this tonight. It was yummmy, easy, quick, and allowed me to get out of the house and to the gym.

Pot Roast in the slow cooker with mashed potatoes and a veggie

Hungarian Pork Chops with egg noodles and a veggie.


I usually only make 3-4 meals a week due to busy schedules (then the kids eat Spaghetti-Os), leftovers, and I hate to admit it but eating out. DH usually takes the family o dinner once a week since I do all the cooking. It's his contribution

Anyways, I am all set with lunches for the week and not forsee any unnecessary spending as of yet. I am giving DD $5 to buy a book at the school book fair tomorrow and I have budgeted myself $2/day for coffee, something I haven't been able to give up yet!

I had to stay home today with DS due to daycare issues. We had a nice day staying cozy. We had a bit of an ice storm last night so I was glad to not have to deal with the traffic and bad road conditions. For having the day off I am now working in the evening. I have about 1 hour to go!

Today is a day to celebrate. I just paid off not 1, not 2, but 3 credit cards!!!! I have cut the cards up into a million pieces and don't plan on using them again. One is my Sam's club card that I will just have to make sure I pay cash when I go.
Anyways they were all store cards which are a waste but here is the break down:
Ann Taylor 65.24
Old Navy 260.20
Sam's Club 474.91

For a whopping total of 800.35. All my store credit cards are paid off and a thing of the past!!!!!!!

I still have about $400.00 left to apply to debt. I am going to wait until Friday when I get paid to see what needs to be next in my list of priorities.

Thanks to everyone for offering their support and encouragement!!

Oh yeah, went to the doctor today and the old weight is down to 148!!!! Could today possibly get any better?!

Federal tax refund is in and I am going to start paying off some debt tonight. If you remember DH said I can use about half of the refund for this purpose. It should put a very big dent into it.

I am fighting the urge to go shopping today. We are having after school care issues this week and I have to get home to get DD off the bus. I really want to go to the store and get some things like a new necklace and earring when I wear brown. Not anything that I really need so I am trying to fight it.

Tomorrow I am going to my favorite consignment store to drop off some spring/summer clothes to sell and to pick up a check from the fall/winter season. I am excited to see how many of my items they will take.

Accountable that is! I just got done running the numbers for the month of February. There was an increase of medical/dental due to my tooth issues and the medications I was on for that. Groceries are a bit high due to the fact that my sister and her family spent 4 days with us.

Still have to work on the miscellaneous items as I know I can do better.

So here it goes....

Car payment 304.42
Car insurance 62.48
Gas for car 142.74 (ugh)

Household utilities 464.13 (large portion was Gas and Electric-living in the North during the month of Feb can be expensive!)

Med/Dental 229.41 (which I expect to be reimbursed for)

Groceries 232.60
Coffee and/or lunch at work 23.63
1 Family dinner out 45.95

Gym Membership 64.95
Life Insurance 30.00

Cash allowance 62.00
Transfer to savings 35.00

Debt repayment 334.17
School loan 77.55

Gifts for 4 bdays 40.44
Clothes 15.75
Book for DD 5.83
New coffee maker 21.00

Other unaccounted for expenses 124.46

Yikes! It's hard to see it out there like that. I know there are many areas that need improvement and that will be my goal for March. I am going to pay extra attention to:
Groceries
Coffee/lunch at work
and all the miscellaneous spending that needs to be reigned in.

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In other news I am having my 12 year old neice spend the night tonight. She is going to religious ed with us in the morning and then off to an event for DD First Communion prep. We are re-enacting the Last Supper and have to wear our bathrobes and sandals and eat grapes, pitas, and hummus. Should be interesting. DH is refusing to go so I roped the neice in. We should have a good time if only laughing at each other!

DS got sick in his crib last night. He is only 3 and that is the first time that happened. Poor little guy was scared to death. He is feeling better today so I am thinking it was something he ate. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep last night so I may go take a nap.

What, how can that be you ask?!

My dentist happens to be among other things an expert in Cosmetic Dentistry. He has fixed my top teeth to the point I think I belong in Hollywood! They are beautiful but the whole procedure was long, painful, and expensive.

Flash forward to yesterday when I went in to have a crown put on and a few cavities filled. I aksed about sedation which he readily agreed to (taking pity on me for all the dental work and pain I have endured in the past). I took a Valium the night before and some sort of sedative/hypnotic prior to the appointment. DH drove me, they gave me some more medication and I was OUT! 4 hour appointment seemed to last 10 minutes. I have no recollection of the appointment other than going and coming home. It was wonderful!!! I guess this type of sedative is offered to people afraid of the dentist or busy professional who want a lot done at once. I would like to believe I am the latter but I think we all know better...

Anywho, I am off from work today hanging out with DS and working off the last of the sedation. We got hit with a lot of snow last night so I am glad I didn't go to work.

It will be another No Spender today as DH had to take my car to work today due to his being in the shop. I don't expect him home until 8pm so I won't be going anywhere today.

I am thinking about making some homemade chocolate chip cookies for the kids. I am almost done with all the laundry and have picked up around the house. All in all, I am in good shape. I should call in sick more often!

Let's see how I managed this weekend and the tail end of last week:

Friday after work I had to purchase 2 birthday presents. Managed to spend only $23.66 on both. One item doesn't work properly so I will have $3.99 coming back making it the first time I have purchased 2 gifts for under $20!

Saturday I went to the gym for about 2 hours which felt really good! I then treated my family to dinner out (try to only do this once a month) and spent $45 for the 4 of us. DS's meal was free since he is under 5. I gave the waitress a big tip because she was awesome!

Sunday I had a No Spend day. We had the 2 parties to go to and then spent the rest of the day getting ready for the week.

So, overall I think I did a good job.

Today I spent:
$3.13 on coffee and a muffin
$8.89 on prescription
$2.00 on lunch

If DH doesn't stop at the grocery store on his way home I will have to. I only have $50 in the budget so I am hoping he will stop.

Tomorrow I am having MORE dental work done so I am sure it will be an expensive day!

On the rare occassion that I post twice in one day I am finding that my first post is no longer on the front page of entries. It disappears from the list and only the 2nd one is there to read. I see some people have multiple posts for a day and they are all listed on that first page. How do I get mine to do that to?

After annoying myself by forgetting my lunch this morning I did OK.

Spent $1.25 on coffee
and $2.00 on a very unhealthy lunch of pop and cheese doodles. I was trying to be cheap!!

So, a total of $3.25 spent today.

My stomach is growling so loud right now but I am leaving work to go to the gym and workout for 1 hour before going home.

All in all, not a bad day.
I WILL remember my lunch tomorrow.

So, I had it all set up for a No Spender today. Made my lunch, made coffee, had breakfast before leaving the house.

Got to work and my husband called to tell me I left my lunch on the counter...ugh!!!! I am so annoyed at myself right now. That means I am going to have to fork over some cash because I can't go all day without eating.

In an effort to curb my spending I am going to try to keep track of what I spend each day here. I am going to tally it up for the day so I can see it in writing. Please feel free to tell me how foolishly I am spending my money if you want. Some harsh criticism might be what I need to get a handle on all this.

My attempts at budgeting are a lot like my attempts to eat better and get more exercise...neither are going very well.

I seem to lack motivation. I know what I should be doing in both cases but it is VERY difficult to retrain my brain. I have been eating whatever I want and spending whatever I want for so long that it is a major lifestyle change to rein in both of these. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing I would like better than have both these areas of my life under control but I am getting a little discouraged. I seem to do well for a week or 2 and then fall back into the old routine. I just don't know how to make it stick.

For example, as I write this I am sitting at my computer eating a HUGE glazed donut and drinking coffee from Dunkin Donuts. This is not in the plan for either my diet or finances yet here I sit. It's like I am on auto pilot to stop and get this treat whether I can afford it or not. Now, there goes $4.00 and I bet I just consumed 70% of the calories I need for the day. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yikes!!!!!!!
Went to the dentist today and needed a crown. Will have to go back in 2 weeks for the permanent one and to have some cavities filled. Total $1482.00
My crapola dental insurance through work is covering a whopping $57.00. I think that is just because it is a new year and I have to pay the deductible before the real benefits kick in?! I am not sure how that works but when I go back in 2 weeks I am going to ask. The good news, if there is any, is that I don't need a root canal

Yesterday I went for my eye exam and to get some new glasses. I have been a contact lens wearer for years but now that I am working at a computer 8 plus hours a day I am getting awful eye strain. I figure wearing glasses more often would help with that. Of course, before I could start wearing glasses more often I had to get a new pair. $230 for the frames, lens, and complete eye exam. The glasses won't be ready for 2 weeks because they have to order my lenses.

I guess when you turn 36 you really have to start taking care of yourself!

Birthday party went well over the weekend. We had 3 additional guests and I wasn't able to keep my grocery bill to $40.00. I came out to about $62.00. Oh well, I just won't shop for food this week

Off to the gym. Taking 2 classes tonight, going to get my moneys worth!

I could have added .77 to it. That is how much I made on my new online savings account. Granted I don't have much money in there yet but that is pretty sad Thankfully I have another savings account in which I was paid $9 in interest last month.

Oh well, every little bit helps!

So, this weekend we are finally celebrating DS 3rd birthday with family. We had to cancel last weekend since half the family had some viral illness...yuck! Now that everyone is germ free we are going to try again.

If we had the party last weekend we were just going to do pizza and wings. I have since changed my mind and will be making all the food for the party. My goal as indicated in the title is to keep to my $40.00 budget. I am not sure how realistic that is but I am going to try very hard.

I am feeding 8 adults and 6 children, the youngest my birthday boy. The menu will include:

Pulled pork sandwhiches
Homemade Mac and Cheese
Tomato Cucumber Salad
Baked Beans

I am also going to make the cake. I am going grocery shopping tomorrow night after work and unfortunately I have to bring the kids with me. DH is going out with friends from work so it's just me and the kids. I have to buy the stuff so I can start cooking when I get home. My plan is to make the salad and cake Friday night.

On top of buying the majority of the ingredients (I do have some in my pantry already) I have to buy beverages, ice cream, chips and dip, paper plates and a couple of balloons.

I really shouldn't complain since he isn't at the age where you have to have a friend party.

But I do also have to get some valentines for the kids to hand out at school. DS has to bring in cupcakes for his party at daycare. Store bought, of course.

We also need to purchase a new mailbox but I am leaving that up to DH. Our mailbox is all rusted out, thanks to the salt the put on the roads, and the door just fell off yesterday. Today I found some of our mail in a snow bank! That's not good. Anyways, that is DH's job for the weekend along with cleaning up 2 rooms in the house before the party. I, of course, will leave cleaning the kitchen and bathroom for myself. Not because I like to clean these 2 rooms but because I want them actually clean!

Well, wish me luck with sticking to my budget!

So, I just made an appointment with my dentist for next Monday. I have a tooth that has been aching, not too bad, but bad enough that it is annoying me. I am sure I will need a root canal. I hardly ever just need a filling, things progress quickly in my mouth. I am going to ask for sedation dentistry. I want to be unaware of everything! I few years ago I had all my top teeth replaced with veneers giving me a great smile. I now have to get the bottom teeth done but don't have the funds available yet. So, I will be fixing them as they start to bother me. Not a good way to go about it but I really hate the dentist.

Not too much going on financially. I returned something to the grocery store that I didn't need yesterday and got $3.99 back. I am going to return a book I bought over the weekend when I had a moment of weakness and thought I couldn't wait until I made it to the library. Turns out I can wait until I get there.

Someone a while ago mentioned they had to have root planing done...I am wondering how that worked out since I am sure the dentist will remind me that I need it when I see him next Monday.

In an attempt to get this body into pre-baby shape I attended 2 fitness classes at my gym last night. Buts and Guts followed by Arms and Abs. Let's leave it at the fact that I can barely walk down stairs because my thigh muscles are shaking constantly and my arms are so sore I can barely type this! It was a challenging hour but I am very proud of myself for making it through the whole 60 minutes without giving up (by the time we were on our 40th situp/crunch I was thinking of walking out). They offer the class tomorrow night as well and I am thinking of punishing myself some more and going again. Tonight I am going to a Total Body Conditioning class-hopefully that will help me stretch out some of my sore muscles!

I am a little bummed that I haven't had a no spender in almost a week. I am hoping tomorrow will be one if I can get my act together tonight and get prepared.

DS celebrated his 3rd birthday yesterday. We had a nice low key celebration at home. We sent him to daycare with donut holes for him and his friends and the family party will be Saturday. I am thinking of just ordering pizza and wings so I can socialize with family and not spend all my time in the kitchen. May cost more but sometimes spending time with family is the better deal.

Paid off my first credit card this week!!! The balance was only $131 but I paid it in full as the first debt in my snowball debt repayment plan. It felt so good to send that payment in

I have to return library books tonight before going to the gym and I want to return a few things I bought that I found I don't need. I purchased white pepper for a recipe last week not knowing I could subsitute black pepper. So that is going back-prior to last week I didn't even know they made white pepper! I also have an extra salad dressing to return and a set of stamps I purchased at Michaels for DD chore chart. We are just using simple check marks when she completes a chore. So, I think I am looking at about $10 to add to my debt.

Off to make some Bruschetta Chicken with rice and veggie for dinner.