not such a bad thing...



just as long as they are deposting and not debiting!

No idea where this came from - but hey, I am putting that into my Savings account!!
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I brought some books with me on the trip to Vancouver: that's right, I spent the Fourth of July applying for a Canadian passport. One book was Doris Janzen Longacre's Living More with Less. I read through it, and saw how relevant these simple living and "living lightly" strategies still are: don't eat so much meat, material possessions aren't everything (they certainly don't make us happier in the long run), share with the less fortunate.
Also am reading Brent Kessel's It's Not About the Money....
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he said there's no indication of anything neurological wrong with me (yay!)...but, he said my blood pressure is high...he prescribed some blood tests to check for the usual (cholesterol, tryglicerids, etc)...gave me some gynko biloba (sp?) and some b-6 vitamins and told me to come see him again in 1 month...
he said I could be suffering from chronic fatigue...Yep, I'd say that's a possibility! LOL!..

I had a migraine again today, and slept most of the afternoon...

I'm going...
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I don't know why, but i dragged out my financial paperwork today. It's a murky, damp and humid day, so it's just the kind of thing I like to play around with.

You see, I've been tracking my net worth for 20 years now, and tracking my expenses, down to the penny, for 12 years now. (That is truly amazing, and have never considered stopping because i can cull so much valuable information from these records.)

I started out at age 28 with a net worth in 1987 of $11,314. I was...
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Two years ago, during the summer I had no income coming in, I signed up for a couple of market research panels (e.g., Pinecone), after researching which ones seemed reliable and didn't ask you to buy products upfront (which lots of the survey sites do--they promise money back, but you have to give some upfront). I've been making about a couple of hundred dollars a year from this side venture.

One of the panels I ended up on (by invitation actually, this one I don't think...
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Hello. I did pretty well at my sale. It rained literally the entire time I was open for business. It was not so fun.
I did make around $200.00 which was pretty good I thought for lots of rain and lots of little stuff. I sold my neighbors patio set for him.....so that went but not as fast as I thought it would. I was able to clean up quickly and pack up stuff for the vets to pick up next week. Some stuff is for the trash on Sunday night. All in all....and I say this all the time...no...
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-SPENDING-
Gas for BF's Car: $20 ($85.06/$600.02)
Gas for My Truck: $20.03 ($105.09/$600.02)
2.77 Lbs of Pork Ribs: $4.13 ($12.17/$100)
2 Ears of Sweet Corn: $1.00 ($13.17/$100)

Since our checking account was on the blitz yesterday, BF & I decided that we'd better not go all-out on the dinner for celebrating the 4th. I suggested spaghetti with chunked chicken in the sauce, which he agreed to. Actually, he isn't much on pasta, and spaghetti is about the only kind he will...
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I'm picking up momentum in this debt thing and have surpassed $10,000.00 in debt paid off this year. My next bench mark is $20k and hope to have that in another few months.

My Chase Freedom is on a Use/Pay system. I am using to purchase groceries as i receive 3% back in form of rebates + 25% bonus when reaches $200.00

I have knocked about $2400 from AMEX alone, hopefully this month I CAN FINISH IT!!!!

I am GAZELLE INTENSE and the more I pay, the more i want to pay to be done....
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As I was saying, seeing all those numbers made my head swim, and it was actually kind of scary... so I went into Excel and tried to "map" it...here's what I came up with:

YEAR 1

This helped me realize, for example, that I cannot stop saving for taxes after the 2008 taxes are covered...because it's not like I won't have to pay taxes in the followin years! (if anything, I'd have to pay MORE!)

YEAR 2


YEAR 3


YEAR 4

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I have to start being very frugal again starting this month until I get the credit cards paid off.
DH and I purchased a home in Florida and the start up cost is quite expensive. It should start to flatten out by December. It is taking a real rearrangement of the budget but it is doable. First we have stopped buying isolated stocks. I will continue with my sharebuilder account but I cut the amount in half, as to what I was contributing. Adding to savings will not happen until...
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I had purchased an HP computer from Bestbuy and about 27 days after my purchase I was unable to connect to the Internet (via express card or wi-fi). So I had taken my computer in and was told that if the work would take more than 30 minutes I would have to pay $50. The technician of course worked on it for more than 30 minutes. Prior to me taking in my laptop I spoke with Verizon trying to trouble shoot the issue and was told that the express card was fine (and it worked on other...
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It looks like the Fox Business Network is celebrating Financial Freedom today. They're playing back to back Debt-Free Friday episodes of The Dave Ramsey Show. Thats a pretty good way to celebrate, I think!
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Happy Fourth of July to everyone! So I'm hoping today will be a big NSD. Basketball Boy and I are going to meet up with his little brother and friends and hang out on the lake for the day. They have gorgeous fireworks out in Snohomish!

Last night was a big spender. Basketball Boy and I went on a double date with the x and his new lady. We both had sushi for the first time! Very good. Unfortunately BB doesn't have much moolah left so I ended up paying for the sushi and the movie...
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I am loving the new business checking account that I opened last week. Actually, it is the same account I have had for 12 years, but they changed the terms. I must keep a minimum of $1000 in the account, but for that, I get paid 3.1% interest. I was use to getting .005%, just 1/2 a percent or if my balance got low, I got zero percent.
Just in the past 8 or 9 days the account has been open, I have earned about $47 in interest.
I think I will withdraw the interest every month...
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Ugh!

I guess I am lucky I have had credit cards for 15 years or so and only lately have I had any fraudulent experiences.

But it's catching up with me!

Last year my identity was stolen - someone had my name/maiden name, address, DOB, SS#, etc.

They opened up quite a few cards and maxed out about $30k in two days.

It was rather simple to resolve (so obviously fraudulent), but not exactly fun all the same.

Anyway, I was at a loss since I do everything "right."...
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Today I have the day off, but I will work FAR harder than usual.

I am listing a few things on ebay. I pulled them out a year ago. Maybe longer. So I am getting around to that FINALLY. Have some baby clothes (MIL bought way too too-small sizes and I had been waiting for warmer months to post the spring/summer outfits). I also have a pair of shoes I never returned and some other baby stuff.

Dh listed a few more games.

I had one more item for Craigslist.

HEck,...
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Once or twice during the summer our older kids enjoy a float trip down the local river. Instead of purchasing expensive life jackets to only be used a few times a year, we use our cities free life jacket rental system. Each of our local fire departments loans out life jackets in all sizes to community members for floating/boating trips. They are easy to pick up and there are drop off boxes all over town for them to dropped off after you finish using them. If there is something...
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My car is 8 years old, it is starting to have some problems, one of them being rust around the wheel well. I took the car to a auto body shop and asked how much to fix the wheel wells. The guy tells me he can't just fix the wheel wells he will have to paint the entire side of the car on both sides so the paint matches. I told him it didn't need to match perfect, I just don't want surface rust to turn into holes in my car; I have to drive this car another year or two. He tells...
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Yesterday was errand day, and I spent a little.

First stop was Pet Source. I bought kitty litter, cat food, and three doses of Frontline Plus for $73.

Next stop was Lowe's. I didn't spend anything, but my cousin bought some fencing and some kind of hose attachment for fertilizing.

Then Wal-Mart. My cousin bought groceries, and I bought a broom, laundry basket and personal items for $19.

On the income side, I received an $8 check from my retirement fund because of...
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The visits to the vet for Older Dog continue. We went back for post-op, and she is still not well. So, more meds and another checkup and tests next week. This is getting pretty expensive. I'm glad that she is doing better overall, though. And, she is being really patient with all the tests and medications. Hopefully, this will be the last for her. And for my bank account.

Hubby got his expense check for a couple of trips to Big City for work. The gas mileage was a...
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