I used to have an account at ING that I called my "challenge" account. I've renamed it my "Vacation" account because that sounds a whole lot more fun! I added up a few miscellaneous sources of income from this month (surveys, gift cards, etc.). I rounded the total off to $30 and moved that money over to the vacation account. If by some miracle my food categories ever come in under budget in any given month, I'll move the difference there over as well. Same goes for other expenses that are somewhat under my control - gas, utilities and so forth.

I'm not feeling real gung ho about the challenge this year, but I can move little bits of savings and extra income here and there once a month.

I literally lost sleep last night, worrying about retirement savings. (Did I ever mention that I have a somewhat obsessive analytical personality?) Dh and I need to put our heads together, look at our current situation and figure out once and for all what our exact retirement goals are, both in terms of time and money.

In mundane news there's been no spending on my part today. I thought about going out to lunch with DD after school but instead we came home and I made us grilled cheese sandwiches. It was the better choice, when all was said and done.

Our oranges survived all the cold weather and we have more than we can eat. Our church works with a community of homeless people that have a tent community set up. I'm going to take in a couple of bags of oranges to church to take over to them. Seems a small thing, but at least the oranges will be put to good use.

Still plugging away over here, doing pretty well with the budget and basically having days and days where I don't spend any money outside of paying for planned expenses/bills. Our credit card cycle closes today, and even with the $700 or so on there for tile, the overall bill is still lower than usual. This is one of those months where none of us goes to the doctor or dentist, and none of the pets go to the vet.

I was reading through the last chapter of Your Money or Your Life last night, learning about their stance on bonds. It also clued me into a way to add investment income to my spreadsheet, so I'm going to fiddle around with that again this week. (Basically, I'm going to look at how much we have put away for retirement and figure out what the interest income would be today if it were in a liquid account. This isn't exactly right on, but it's close enough to give me some numbers to play with.)

Not much else to add, really

In the entry below this one, in the comments, I ask a question about how to include investment income from IRAs, 401ks, etc on a graph that shows income, expenses and investment income. I'd love to get some input on this. Otherwise, my investment income graph is ridiculous, as the bulk of our saving efforts go towards longterm goals (retirement, college). But the whole point of the retirement investments is so that we *can* be financially independent someday. I just don't know how to work that into a graph.

Thanks in advance.

We ordered our tile this morning for the bathroom. It came in just under $700, and that includes a nice inset of 1"x1" glass tiles to give it a little extra something. We need to get grout, but other than that I think we're set. It wasn't as much as I thought it would be, which is nice.

DH is picking up some groceries right now, with a short list from me. We actually had more at home than I thought, but needed a few things to round out some meals. I spent about $17.50 yesterday on snacks. I'm tired of not bringing something to work and then being hungry, so I stocked up on things that can stay in the bottom drawer of my desk. It'll be handy for the days DD goes straight to ballet from school, too. I need to have food available. Not having it sets me up for weird scarcity/binging thoughts.

DH set up a couple of ING savings accounts for the money from his raise. One is a vacation account and one is a gifts account. So part of his raise is going towards those things, and part of it is going towards paying extra on the car loan. Seems like a good balance, to me.

DD and I browsed in the dancewear shop this morning while we're out, but left empty-handed. Sometimes it's juts fun to look. I still want to add a second class a week for myself but haven't taken any concrete steps towards finding out times, locations, etc. and then making a plan to make it happen. I enjoy my one class so much. I'm very glad I started taking it.

I got a tube of Aquafresh toothpaste today that will cost me 30 cents after I get the rebate. If only I'd had a coupon...then I would have MADE money on the deal. Oh well... I could have waited, I suppose. But 30 cents for toothpaste is still pretty good.

I also sent in a form for a ten dolalar rebate on gas, from one of those trial memberships. I'm no longer a member, so it's a 39 cent experiment to see if I get a check or not.

I spent $6.12 at Rite Aid today, with $3.69 coming back in rebates, for a total spent of $2.43. Picked up some degree deodorant, some softsoap shower gel and some colgate total toothpaste. That comes out to an average of 81 cents per item, which isn't too bad. I have a rebate for the Colgate and used a coupon as well, so I'll come out $1 ahead on that.

Slowly but surely I'm learning how to do this coupon/rebate thing.

One of the things that has been on my to-do list is take some money that we've had set aside for DD and find a better way to invest it. I have some funds bookmarked, so this month I'm going to go back and look at them and try to take some action.

August...four weeks left of summer for me. Time has gone by way too fast this summer. I still have a lot to do and figure out so that I am comfortable the first day of school.

I'm almost ready to put DD's new loft together. I'll check to see if anything needs a little more paint, and I'll see about getting some 3/4" plywood to support the mattress, and then it will be ready to assemble! DD is looking forward to trying out her new bed.

Lunch tomorrow with friends fell through, so I don't need to worry about getting things together for that. Hopefully DD and I can get to the pool at least once this week. Things have cooled off considerably around here, and we are back to having thick fog in the mornings. If it burns off before lunch the afternoon will be nice. I'd like to go to the pool, given we have passes tha are already paid for and so it makes for what fels like a free activity.

Have I mentioned the kittens lately? They are doing great. They are on to kitten food now, though I still give them some milk in a bottle once or twice a day too, just to be sure. I had to move them into our bathroom, as they were climbing up and over the enclosure that I had them in. I have some recent pictures; I'll attach one. They are so fun.


Climbing my leg...

DH and I went shopping today for a new sink and fixtures for our bathroom. We saw one we liked, but they couldn't order it anymore - only the floor model was available. I asked if they could offer a discount, and he said he'd ask the manager. Long story short, we got a $298 sink and a set of $138 fixtures ($436 total) for $250. All because we weren't shy about asking! I'm pleased.

I took some old gift cards with me when I went to Lowe's tonight, figuring they must have had something left on them if we were saving them. I wasn't expecting more than a few cents or dollars, but it turns out the one of them had over $22 on it! So I was able to pay for everything and still have money left over, plus three more cards worth $20+.

Inspired by flash and her seemingly infinite supply of coupons and know-how, I have been emailing companies I like and inquiring about coupons. The latest set of coupons to arrive in the mail came from Nature Made. I signed up for their 'club' and saw that they have printable coupons. I emailed them and let them know that the store I typically buy from does not accept printed coupons. In turn, they mailed me three $1 off coupons. Nice.

As my mom often says, it doesn't hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no.

I haven't bought a paper yet - how were the inserts today?

Never mind - I went out and got one.

Through

mypoints.com, I got an offer to sign up for a $1 trial membership that will send out $20 in Barnes and Noble gift cards. The points from this also put me high enough to get my first gift card from mypoints, if I want to. Very nice. I also ordered printer ink through a mypoints offer, so hopefully the ink will work out with my Epson printer and that will have turned out to be a good deal.

I'll put this entry in the savings category, as $20 at B&N means money we would have spent anyway...we love going there.

MyPoints does have a referral program, so if you're interested in signing up and feel like helping me at the same time, leave a comment.

I got gas today at the cheapest place by far that I know of. It was at least 8 cents cheaper per gallon than the place I used to go, and good 12 cents cheaper than some other places I passed on my way home today. The only problem is that this other place isn't convenient on the weekends (it's about 15 miles from our house), so I have to make sure that I get gas on my way to or from DD's school. If I buy about 30-40 gallons of gas per month, I'll be saving about $2.40 - $3.20 per month. Not bad.

I took the car in to get its oil changed this morning and then found a coupon for $7 off this afternoon! Frustrating, but the other car needs to go in too, so I'll be sure to take it in before the coupon expires.

Other finanical happenings -
*two tutoring appointments today
*all three meals have been/will be at home
*DH tutored last night
*found Balance gold bars at the 99 cent store last night. They were 2 for 99 cents, whereas normally they're a dollar each when I can find them on sale.

I got my $20 in Lowe's cards and $20 in Circuit City cards today. The Circuit City cards don't have any sticker or anything on them stating their value, but there is a toll-free number on the back that you can all to find out the balance. I called, just to make sure that both cards did indeed have ten dollars on them, and they do.

That makes three arrivals of the four offers I applied for.

Our cars and home are all insured through Allstate. I made a call this afternoon to discuss the coverage on one of our cars, and long story short, we're now saving about $210 a year! I increased our deductibles and took off the comprehensive and collision on the 12-year-old car. Our coverage is better now, and we're saving some money. It pays to call!

DD and I are heading to the mall later today to pick out a birthday gift for her friend. I mentioned the earring idea to her, and she liked it, so that's what we'll look for.

I'm kind of nervous to find out about our taxes. I hope what we owe is close to what we've estimated we'll owe.

I still haven't gotten my first check yet, but I've got one of my supervisors following up on it.

Money saved today -
Carpooled
Breakfast, lunch and coffee at home
Free coffee at work

Money earned today -
3.25 hours worked

Money saved today -
1. all three meals at home
2. coffee at home
3. carpooled
4. bought two toothbrushes on sale and with a rebate - ended up costing $1 apiece
5. found some shampoo and conditioner to try for $1.24 each

I'll spend some money tomorrow on coffee and/or lunch, but overall January has been a good month for the food budget.

1/1-1/30:
Groceries: $257.52 (goal = $300)
Dining: $136.02 (goal = $160)

Money saved today -
1. carpooled
2. got taken out to lunch
3. used gift card for coffee
4. breakfast and dinner at home

Money earned today -
1. worked 3+ hours

Not much to report. The gift card for Starbucks that I got as a Christmas present is almost all used up now. I have about a dollar left on it. It's been nice having it this past month. I started a list at www.thethingsiwant.com and added Starbucks gift cards to my list.

Our credit card cycle closed yesterday, and it was a good month. Even with the cost of getting my clarinet refurbished, it was still less than what's it been lately. I imported everything into quicken, and I'll look at the actual numbers versus our budget once the month comes to an end.

Money saved today -
1. carpooled
2. used gift card for coffee - it was the 7th one, so next one is free
3. breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert at home

Money earned -
1. 2 tutoring appts.

I mailed in the claim form for two prescriptions. I ought to get back about $190. I've also started my 2006 spreadhseet to track medical expenses. We're setting aside the full allowable amount this year in the medical reimbursement plan at DH's work. I was pretty organized with receipts and such last year, but I want to do even better this year. I also want to keep track of over the counter things like contact solution and ibuprofen. It can all be reimbursed through the plan.

Earlier this evening I was feeling lazy and wanted to order out for dinner, or go out, but instead I grabbed stuff out of the freezer and pantry. Another day closer to the end of the month and sticking to our budget.

Money saved today:
1. used gift card for coffee
2. breakfast and lunch at home
3. invited tonight for dinner at friends' - I'll put together a salad with what we already have here at home
4. used the library to pick up some new (to me) books
5. will go to employee sale at DH's work to look for good (great!) deals on gifts for family and friends. We've done this for two years now, and we get some amazing prices on high quality things.
6. carpooled

Money earned today:
None, but listed a few items for sale at etsy to try and build a little more seed money.

I put in about 4 hours today, and by and large the day went well. I still have some things to learn about their system, but I'm catching on pretty quickly. It is easy work, but the time passed rapidly. Got in a nice 35 minute walk as well at lunch.

Money savings today:
1. coffee and breakfast at home
2. carpooled
3. took lunch to work

Money earned today:
1. 4+ hours of work

Money saving today -
1. All three meals at home
2. Coffee at home
3. Carpooled

Money earned -
1. 2 tutoring appointments

I start my contract work tomorrow - wish me luck!

Quick spending check-in:

1/1-1/18:
Groceries: $101.43 (goal = $300)
Dining: $102.64 (goal = $160)

We didn't get popsicle sticks at the 99 Cent Store, but we did find them at Michaels. I did get some good deals on some other things while we were out - thank you cards for a dollar a pack, lots of stickers for a Valentines party I'm helping with, rubber stamps at a dollar apiece for said party, a set of four placemats and four coasters for my mom for 99 cents, and more.

I started to buy some yarn to make a poncho for myself, but I put it back. I have plenty of yarn here to work through, and I really don't need a new poncho at this point in time.

DD and I are going to take a walk down to the 99 cent store and see if we can get popsicle sticks there. She wants to try and build a house out of them. I don't know if we'll find any, but it's worth a look. I need to go for a walk today anyway, so this takes care of two things at once.

I found a good source online for one of the yarns I like to use - free shipping and no sales tax!

Money savings today:
1. Walking instead of driving - good exercise too
2. Coffee, breakfast and lunch at home
3. DH took lunch to work

Dh and I have talked about going to rechargeable batteries, so I took advantage of Rite Aid's rebate this month and bought the charger and an extra set of 4 AA batteries. Picked up a 4-pack of lip balms in fruity scents for DD while I was there, as she has been having big problems with chapped lips lately.

I got a recipe for a lentil stew from a friend that I want to try soon. Maybe I'll make it tonight, if I have everything I need. I don't want to go to the store today.

The job is a done deal. I'll sign the contract later today and start Monday.

Money earned today:
45 minutes tutoring

Money saved:
2 rebate purchases
Coffee, breakfast and lunch at home

Money saving today:
1. coffee at home
2. carpooling
3. breakfast and lunch at home
4. I think DH took his lunch to work
5. line dried a load of laundry

Dh and I spent a good two hours, maybe more, working out back yesterday. Raking, trimming, pulling weeds - it was a lot of work. We aren't done, and now it's super windy here again today, which means for leaves, twigs and branches falling. Oh well.

I got a ride home from a meeting yesterday after church, so DH and I didn't need to take two cars to church, and he and DD didn't have to wait around for me for an hour+ afterwards.

Edited to add that we had dinner at home(another savings), but DH didn't take lunch to work. He'll take it tomorrow instead, I think.

1/1-1/8:
Groceries: $36.08
Dining: $47.84

1/1-1/6:
Groceries: $0
Dining out: $23.28

If groceries come in under $300 or dining out comes in under $160, I'll move the difference over to the ING account, so that we really are saving that money. We're due for a trip to the grocery store so that will go up today or tomorrow.

It's been nice having a Starbucks gift card. My parents gave me one for $25 for Christmas. I have been twice since receiving it, once with DD and once by myself. That in and of itself is something - two trips in 12 days. We've been drinking more of our coffee at home, and I made tea to bring with me to ballet one afternoon this week. Sometimes it's just having something warm to drink. I can remember when I was teaching, there would be days where I'd have a hot cup of coffee in the morning that I would sort of carry around and nurse a bit, but drink maybe half of. A security coffee cup, I guess.

I met with two other families yesterday from school to work out a more detailed carpooling plan. IIRC, I'm not making more than one round trip any days now. It was a bit of a logistical puzzle, trying to juggle booster seats, kids who start earlier/stay later, siblings in preschool, cars that don't hold all of the kids, who's going to be up there all day anyway, etc. But we worked out a plan for January that feels fair and gives everyone a break on driving to a certain extent. The three of us worked out afternoons, and then the woman I have been carpooling with stayed and worked out mornings with me.

1. all three meals at home
2. coffee paid for by a Starbucks gift card from Christmas
3. carpooled

Went to the yarn shop today and bought only what I went for, which is not always an easy task. The shop I go to gives a $25 store credit every time you spend $275. It's a nice perk, and her prices aren't inflated to compensate, either.

I've decided to check out rebates for Longs and Rite Aid in my area this month and decide if the prices just on things we need and would buy anyway do indeed save us some money. I may go out and check things out later today.

Money saving planned for today:
1. coffee at home
2. lunch at home
3. dinner at home (used up lots of leftovers last night, so I need to plan something for tonight)
4. paid two bills online (saved 74 cents in postage and the paper to write two checks)
5. will crochet during ballet today, rather than going out and inevitably buying something

Things I still need to take care of -
1. check insurance on Miata and find out if we can get it reduced
2. return a bottle of fish oil capsules - need to track down receipt first

Edited to add -
When all was said and done, I only bought one rebate item today. I registered my receipt as soon as I got home.