A couple of months ago, I signed up for Swagbucks after reading online about it for awhile. (By the way, this isn't a sponsored/paid post.)
I have to say, that I'm quite impressed. I've already earned enough points to redeem for a $5 Barnes and Nobles gift card, and $10 through PayPal through every day searches that I would do anyway. Right now for 70 Swagbucks, you can get $5 CASH through PayPal. Nice!
It doesn't take long at all to rack up those points.
Check out Swagbucks, if you haven't already!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Recyling attempt: FAIL
In April, I blogged about getting back into recycling again. Well, to clarify, not actually taking the time to put recyclables into recycling bins, instead of trash, but the act of hauling 4 or 5 bins of recyclables one Saturday of the month between the hours of 8am-12pm- 20 minutes from my house- to a drop off station.
I know, in the grand scheme of things, it's a small price to pay. I guess I'm just too darn lazy. And I'm not a morning person, especially on Saturdays.
Before moving to where we live now, I was the Recycle Queen.
I got my mom and sister to start recycling.
It didn't faze me one bit to have bin after bin, box after box of recycling stacked in our tiny studio apartment, because on Recycle Drop Off day, it was only a couple of minutes drive.
Is there good news on the horizon?
Last week, my Mom told me that she heard on the radio that our area might get a recycling program!
Oh, please do so! Cuz I want to be able to recycle from where we live now!
I know, in the grand scheme of things, it's a small price to pay. I guess I'm just too darn lazy. And I'm not a morning person, especially on Saturdays.
Before moving to where we live now, I was the Recycle Queen.
I got my mom and sister to start recycling.
It didn't faze me one bit to have bin after bin, box after box of recycling stacked in our tiny studio apartment, because on Recycle Drop Off day, it was only a couple of minutes drive.
Is there good news on the horizon?
Last week, my Mom told me that she heard on the radio that our area might get a recycling program!
Oh, please do so! Cuz I want to be able to recycle from where we live now!
Half year update- better late than never
Hello! Long time, no blog. Over the last several months, I've taken up several hobbies (quilting, knitting, and photography) that have gotten me sidetracked from this blog. And honestly, ever since we've paid off our consumer debt, the momentum has been lost to post frequently. My main goal of this blog is for me to take time to pause and reflect on our current and future financial goals.
Here's where we are since we last checked in from the quarter year review (in blue are the updates):
Front burner goals:
These are goals that we would like to see happen first, and preferably in this order.
1. Pay off consumer debt ($1694.71). This was originally scheduled to be paid off by May 2009, but I'm anticipating sooner than that. (In the middle of that save about $1,000 for a trip to San Antonio in March for brother's graduation.) Yes. Paid off consumer debt in February. Paid for trip to San Antonio with cash. Same.
2. Get E-fund back up to $1,000. Yes. Got e-fund back up to $1,000 base. Same.
3. Save for and buy a DSLR camera. Yes, hubby bought his camera that he'd been waiting/saving for in cash in March. Same.
4. Get e-fund to $3,000. Not yet, but slowly. I've decided to put all extra monies here (cash back rewards, Pinecone, etc.)
5. Save for a trip to visit my good friend in California. This trip is in the works for September. Although we'd like to take this big grand adventure visiting different areas of the state, maybe a jaunt to Vegas- reality sets in- and we realize that that would be at the expense of our other savings goals, and it's just not in the cards at this point.
The plan is to see and explore around the LA area where my friend lives. This way we'll only have to pay for airfare, chipping in for gas, some food, any entrance fees, and souvenirs.
There are loads to see and do (many of them free) in that area. Overall, it'll be nice to visit with my friend, and get to see where she's been living the last several years.
Back burner goals:
These goals are listed as "back burner" but may later take precedence over any of those listed as "front burner".
1. Get e-fund to 6 months worth of expenses. Not yet. Same
2. Pay more than minimum payments to husband's student loan (current balance of 13,000). No. Same
3. Figure out what to do about husband's Roth contributions, which are currently on hold. I went ahead and resumed minimal contributions for his Roth. It'll probably be several years before we pay off the student loans/save for other things, so we felt that we should be contributing something in the meantime. Same.
4. Figure out what to do about our Automatic Savings Plans in ING. They're all on hold for right now, except HOA fees, which I scheduled to restart this month at $30. (So we'll be ready for the end of the year). I've started more ASPs in ING. Dog fund, Car fund, Travel fund, Household maintenance fund, and clothes fund. I know that I go back and forth with ASPs, but I think I'll stick to the plan with these. In the last couple of days I've had to go into the dog, car, and clothes funds. It was nice to have that set aside, and not worry about whether it would affect the budget.
**New goal** New to us car fund. This is really our next major goal, as we see this as prepaying a debt. Ideally, we'd like to pay for the car in cash, but that depends largely on how the two that we already have hold up. (10 and 18 year old cars). We're taking it day by day. After our trip, we'll funnel the money that we were putting towards travel fund each month to the car fund.
Hope you're having a great summer so far!
Here's where we are since we last checked in from the quarter year review (in blue are the updates):
Front burner goals:
These are goals that we would like to see happen first, and preferably in this order.
1. Pay off consumer debt ($1694.71). This was originally scheduled to be paid off by May 2009, but I'm anticipating sooner than that. (In the middle of that save about $1,000 for a trip to San Antonio in March for brother's graduation.) Yes. Paid off consumer debt in February. Paid for trip to San Antonio with cash. Same.
2. Get E-fund back up to $1,000. Yes. Got e-fund back up to $1,000 base. Same.
3. Save for and buy a DSLR camera. Yes, hubby bought his camera that he'd been waiting/saving for in cash in March. Same.
4. Get e-fund to $3,000. Not yet, but slowly. I've decided to put all extra monies here (cash back rewards, Pinecone, etc.)
5. Save for a trip to visit my good friend in California. This trip is in the works for September. Although we'd like to take this big grand adventure visiting different areas of the state, maybe a jaunt to Vegas- reality sets in- and we realize that that would be at the expense of our other savings goals, and it's just not in the cards at this point.
The plan is to see and explore around the LA area where my friend lives. This way we'll only have to pay for airfare, chipping in for gas, some food, any entrance fees, and souvenirs.
There are loads to see and do (many of them free) in that area. Overall, it'll be nice to visit with my friend, and get to see where she's been living the last several years.
Back burner goals:
These goals are listed as "back burner" but may later take precedence over any of those listed as "front burner".
1. Get e-fund to 6 months worth of expenses. Not yet. Same
2. Pay more than minimum payments to husband's student loan (current balance of 13,000). No. Same
3. Figure out what to do about husband's Roth contributions, which are currently on hold. I went ahead and resumed minimal contributions for his Roth. It'll probably be several years before we pay off the student loans/save for other things, so we felt that we should be contributing something in the meantime. Same.
4. Figure out what to do about our Automatic Savings Plans in ING. They're all on hold for right now, except HOA fees, which I scheduled to restart this month at $30. (So we'll be ready for the end of the year). I've started more ASPs in ING. Dog fund, Car fund, Travel fund, Household maintenance fund, and clothes fund. I know that I go back and forth with ASPs, but I think I'll stick to the plan with these. In the last couple of days I've had to go into the dog, car, and clothes funds. It was nice to have that set aside, and not worry about whether it would affect the budget.
**New goal** New to us car fund. This is really our next major goal, as we see this as prepaying a debt. Ideally, we'd like to pay for the car in cash, but that depends largely on how the two that we already have hold up. (10 and 18 year old cars). We're taking it day by day. After our trip, we'll funnel the money that we were putting towards travel fund each month to the car fund.
Hope you're having a great summer so far!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Somehow, I've managed to get another dog
The Universe really wanted me to get another dog. I mean, really. On a walk with our dog last week, a neighbor stops us to ask if we knew of anyone who might be interested in a little Chihuahua mix that she had rescued from roaming the streets. I did know someone- me! So, after meeting the little guy, we brought him home, and today we took him to the vet. They scan him... and he's got a microchip.
Oh nos! I've already gotten attached to the dog!
LONG story short, the dog ends up staying with us. The owner was working long hours; wasn't home a lot, and the dog kept escaping. So, we just asked if we could keep him, and they said yes!
Someone really wanted me to have him.
It was meant to be.
But, that, of course, means double the vet bills (eek!). Oh well, it's worth it.
Because of that, I really need to have my Vet funds account going again. I started putting away $50/month for their vet care. Just gotta do it- pay me now, or pay me later.
Oh nos! I've already gotten attached to the dog!
LONG story short, the dog ends up staying with us. The owner was working long hours; wasn't home a lot, and the dog kept escaping. So, we just asked if we could keep him, and they said yes!
Someone really wanted me to have him.
It was meant to be.
But, that, of course, means double the vet bills (eek!). Oh well, it's worth it.
Because of that, I really need to have my Vet funds account going again. I started putting away $50/month for their vet care. Just gotta do it- pay me now, or pay me later.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Earth Day Aftermath
Did anyone else see Oprah's Earth Day show yesterday? Heard about that garbage swirl in the Pacific Ocean the size of Texas? Whoa.
I've definitely fallen off of the wagon as far as recycling. Before we moved to our house, we were so good about recycling everything we could. It wasn't a big deal to do so because we lived closer to the recycling drop off site. (Living in an apartment, we didn't have cubside pickup like the houses do.) Now that we've moved away from there, it's a little bit of a trek to drop off our recyclables (because our new city doesn't have curbside pickup), and we usually miss the 8am-12pm window of time to get over there to drop it off (that ONE Saturday out of the month.)
Those are all excuses, I need to get with the program here. (And so does the city where we live!)
So, I want to make a better, concerted effort to start back recycling. The planet will thank me.
I've definitely fallen off of the wagon as far as recycling. Before we moved to our house, we were so good about recycling everything we could. It wasn't a big deal to do so because we lived closer to the recycling drop off site. (Living in an apartment, we didn't have cubside pickup like the houses do.) Now that we've moved away from there, it's a little bit of a trek to drop off our recyclables (because our new city doesn't have curbside pickup), and we usually miss the 8am-12pm window of time to get over there to drop it off (that ONE Saturday out of the month.)
Those are all excuses, I need to get with the program here. (And so does the city where we live!)
So, I want to make a better, concerted effort to start back recycling. The planet will thank me.
Monday, April 13, 2009
No more mixer payments
Remember when I blogged about getting talked into buying that Kitchen Aid mixer complete with 6 easy payments back in November? I'm glad to say this month was the final month that I had to budget a payment for the darn thing! Really glad about that.
I read somewhere, on a blog or something, that the road to hell is paved with easy payments (something to that effect), and I would have to agree.
We have been getting our money's worth out of it, though, and use it on a weekly basis, sometimes several times a week. It has it's own little corner of the kitchen that it hangs out in, mainly because it's too heavy to be putting it away constantly.
I read somewhere, on a blog or something, that the road to hell is paved with easy payments (something to that effect), and I would have to agree.
We have been getting our money's worth out of it, though, and use it on a weekly basis, sometimes several times a week. It has it's own little corner of the kitchen that it hangs out in, mainly because it's too heavy to be putting it away constantly.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Goals: A quarterly update
Now that we've started the new month of April, I wanted to sit down and see where we are with the goals that I posted in January. I feel really good with the progress we've made so far.
Front burner goals:
These are goals that we would like to see happen first, and preferably in this order.
1. Pay off consumer debt ($1694.71). This was originally scheduled to be paid off by May 2009, but I'm anticipating sooner than that. (In the middle of that save about $1,000 for a trip to San Antonio in March for brother's graduation.) Yes. Paid off consumer debt in February. Paid for trip to San Antonio with cash.
2. Get E-fund back up to $1,000. Yes. Got e-fund back up to $1,000 base.
3. Save for and buy a DSLR camera. Yes, hubby bought his camera that he'd been waiting/saving for in cash in March.
4. Get e-fund to $3,000. Nope, not yet.
5. Save for a trip to visit my good friend in California. Haven't started saving for this yet. We would like to go sometime early fall of this year. The situation will determine if we visit any additional places while there, or if it'll be just a bare bones kind of trip.
Back burner goals:
These goals are listed as "back burner" but may later take precedence over any of those listed as "front burner".
1. Get e-fund to 6 months worth of expenses. Not yet.
2. Pay more than minimum payments to husband's student loan (current balance of 13,000). No
3. Figure out what to do about husband's Roth contributions, which are currently on hold. I went ahead and resumed minimal contributions for his Roth. It'll probably be several years before we pay off the student loans/save for other things, so we felt that we should be contributing something in the meantime.
4. Figure out what to do about our Automatic Savings Plans in ING. They're all on hold for right now, except HOA fees, which I scheduled to restart this month at $30. (So we'll be ready for the end of the year). The only ASP that I've restarted is the Car Fund by making the car payment that we're "paying ourselves" each month automatic. Also, I'm putting all extras/found monies to the HOA fees fund until we reach the $360 that we need. Everything else is on hold as far as ASP. I might manually put away some each month for other things if I can/feel it's necessary.
Front burner goals:
These are goals that we would like to see happen first, and preferably in this order.
1. Pay off consumer debt ($1694.71). This was originally scheduled to be paid off by May 2009, but I'm anticipating sooner than that. (In the middle of that save about $1,000 for a trip to San Antonio in March for brother's graduation.) Yes. Paid off consumer debt in February. Paid for trip to San Antonio with cash.
2. Get E-fund back up to $1,000. Yes. Got e-fund back up to $1,000 base.
3. Save for and buy a DSLR camera. Yes, hubby bought his camera that he'd been waiting/saving for in cash in March.
4. Get e-fund to $3,000. Nope, not yet.
5. Save for a trip to visit my good friend in California. Haven't started saving for this yet. We would like to go sometime early fall of this year. The situation will determine if we visit any additional places while there, or if it'll be just a bare bones kind of trip.
Back burner goals:
These goals are listed as "back burner" but may later take precedence over any of those listed as "front burner".
1. Get e-fund to 6 months worth of expenses. Not yet.
2. Pay more than minimum payments to husband's student loan (current balance of 13,000). No
3. Figure out what to do about husband's Roth contributions, which are currently on hold. I went ahead and resumed minimal contributions for his Roth. It'll probably be several years before we pay off the student loans/save for other things, so we felt that we should be contributing something in the meantime.
4. Figure out what to do about our Automatic Savings Plans in ING. They're all on hold for right now, except HOA fees, which I scheduled to restart this month at $30. (So we'll be ready for the end of the year). The only ASP that I've restarted is the Car Fund by making the car payment that we're "paying ourselves" each month automatic. Also, I'm putting all extras/found monies to the HOA fees fund until we reach the $360 that we need. Everything else is on hold as far as ASP. I might manually put away some each month for other things if I can/feel it's necessary.
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