I was hoping I had enough point from MyPoints to get a $10 gift card to Wal-Mart to put towards the AC, but I didn't have enough. Intead I went through MyPoints (I earned 2 points per dollar!) to purchase it. There was no shipping fee, since it is getting sent to our local store and we will pick it up there. tax was $4.80. Overall total: $100.80 Yay!

I used money from the EF, but when I get my stiumulus payment (anyday now, people!) I will replace it.

Old EF Balance: $981.83
New AC: -$100.80
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $881.03

Did some online grocery shopping tonight. By paying via my checking account, I save $1 off my order. Had a $5 coupon off the order, and then saved $2.50 for selecting a non-prime delivery time. $8.50 going to the challenge.

Old EF Balance: $973.33
Peapod discounts: $8.50
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $981.83

So, the 4 Lizzie Borden books I put on Crigslist the other day have sold. All 4 went for just over $28, which works out to $7 each. That's great as far as I am concerned! It is about what they would have sold for in a used bookstore, and about what I paid for some of them.

Adding that to the challenge/my EF. THISCLOSE to $1,000!

Old EF Balance: $944.95
Lizzie Borden books: $28.38
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $973.33

Received two mini checks in the mail yesterday. One is for some payout of a lawsuit filed again immigration for over taxing people who traveled outside the country in the early 2000's. I got a whole $9.19! Whoo-hoo!

I also got my first Pinecone check yesterday. I can't believe how fast it came! I did the survey only a week or so ago. Very impressive. So, that's another $3 to add to my $20 Challenge/EF.

Now that I have made the decision to save the EF to $1,000 and throw the rest at debt, I am getting excited to get rid of the debt. Time to start listing some things on craigslist and ebay again!


Old EF Balance: $932.76
Pinecone check: $3.00
Immigration check: $9.19
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $944.95

I've done some thinking this weekend over that debt vs savings argument my mind was having. I think that the point of not really being secure financially with credit card debt is a very key one. But, I also like the security of having a savings, so if something come up that I need (car repairs, fort instance) I don't have to put it on the CC, thereby giving myself more debt.

So, I have decided to take some of the FAB advice I got here. When my EF hits $1,000 I will stop saving and start putting all extra money towards paying off my CC debt. Now, I know it seems like that will take forever, since my EF is currently only $176.17 But here is the hidden part of this plan. I am going to take the $756.59 I have in my personal savings and transfer that to my EF. Thereby giving myself almost the $1,000 in my EF I want. Personal savings can be rebuilt up when this debt is gone.

Lookit, I'm being responsible.

Yay me.



Old EF Balance: $176.17
Personal savings turned EF: $756.59
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $932.76

I was reading yet another book on personal finances, and one of the chapters was on using Peapod for groceries. We use Stop and Shop as our grocery store to begin with, so that wasn't a change for us. The main idea behind it is that you save money becasue you remove yourself from the temptation of everything in the store.

When we go grocery shopping, we have a list, but we always deviate from it. We aim for $50 in gorceries and we spend $80. But with peapod, you just go online and order what you want.

The delivery fees are $9.95 for an order under $100 and $6.95 for an order over $100. Much better than the $30 or so we spend in extra food we want, bt don't have on our list of need. There is also a small fuel charge, but it is usually less than $1 total (not per mile).

I'm going to keep tabs on our gorcery spendings with Peapod and see if it really does help save us money in the end. It does save on time. Once you put something on your list, you can just go to that next time to select it instead of searching for it all over again. And honestly? We hate grocery shopping more than anything else.

So, today I put in an order. This was my second one. By looking st the sale items and comparing proce and size, I saved about $13. That will help stretch our grocery budget a little further this month.

I also got some special additional svings. After signing up with them on the last order, I got a $5 coupon off our total order for this second order. I also signed up to pay with online checking instead of a credit card (or debutcard) and saved another $5. Plus, I picked a non-rush delivery time (Between 4 and 10 pm monday night) to save $1, and finally, saved another $1 for choosing online checking instead of my debit card to pay for the order. Total saved on these features alone? $12. I am adding that $12 to my $20 challenge.


$20 Old Balance: $744.59
Peapod account savings: $12.00
--------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $756.59

Got another train refund today! This was the last one I was waiting on. I have to say, it does make the train a little better. But, since I am no longer a train-rider, I wont be getting any more late compensation checks. Oh well; they were good while they lasted.

$20 Old Balance: $729.03
Train refund: $15.50
---------------------------
$20 New Balance: $744.59

Whoo-hoo! Free money! Ok, not a lot, but every tiny bit of interest helps!


$20 Old Balance: $727.88
April Interest: $1.15
---------------------------
$20 New Balance: $729.03


Old EF Balance: $175.83
April Interest: $0.34
---------------------------
New EF balance: $176.17

Today is payday (yay!) so my automatic savings went into my $20 savings and my EF.

$20 Old Balance: $607.78
Payday deposit: $25.00
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $727.88



Old EF Balance: $135.83
Payday deposit: $25.00
-------------------------------------
New EF balance: $175.83

Got my state tax refund yesterday. Going right into the challenge. I am getting excited about how fast this savings account is growing! I can't wait til I hit $1,000.

And I especially can't wait til I get that $600 refund check. I am trying to decide if I want to throw it all at the CC debt (it would pay off a 1/3 of one of my CCs), add it to my paltry EF, or stick it in this savings. I don't feel too bad about my EF being only $100 or so; I figure if I have an emergency, I can tap into this savings account. Once this on gets big enough, a certain amount will be moved over into my Ef and not touched for anything else, and the rest of this one will be for something special (new laptop, vacation, investing, down payment on a house, who knows?).

I love tbis feeling od saving, but I also know I need to get my butt in gear and pay off the CC debt. When I do, whatever I sent to the CCs can be put in savings each month (at least $300, if not more). And while I know that, and I know keeping a balance on my CCs means I am paying extra money for interest, I think I am scared to pay off the CCs. I know myself, and as long as I have room on the CCs I will use them. It's a bad habit I need to break. But maybe I will just save for a bit, then when I have enough pay off the CCs in one or two big payments, meanwhile continuing to pay on them what I pay now....I knwo it is throwing money away, but...

I think I am afraid of having not enough income to live again and having to rely on help. I don't want to hit that point again - ever. I think having that savings makes me feel more secure, so I am hesitant to use it to pay off the CC debt.

OK, enough introspection for now...

$20 Old Balance: $607.78
State tax refund: $95.10
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $702.88

Another DD from half.com I have to admit, while I LOVE the mini payments, I hat having to package up the books and go to the post office. I seriously drag my feet about it. But anyways, I'm now over $600 in my $20 challenge! And I'll have another $100 when my state refund check gets here....I feel good having it back up over $500. I think I ma going to keep saving until I hit $1,000. Maybe then anything over $1,000 I'll put towards something special, but for now, I want to hit that savings goal.

$20 Old Balance: $598.42
half.com dd: $9.36
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $607.78

Today I rolled up my spare change and took it to the bank. $25.50 I also had a refund check from our cable company to deposit. When we moved, they never cancelled the old account, and without looking at it, I paid the bill for a month we weren't even there. Luckily, they checked their records, saw that it was supposed to be cancleed, and gave me a refund. Decided to add that to the $20 challenge as well. $56.20. I figure if I hadn't spent it last month, it would have been in our leftovers at the end of the month and gone in here anyways.

$20 Old Balance: $516.72
Deposit 4/21: $81.70
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $598.42

Three times in the past 2 weeks I had had to take a taxi home from the bus station after work. The first time was because I had an hour wait until the next bus and I could not wait that long to pee (no public restrooms at the station). The 2nd and 3rd times were because I left work late and missed my bus.

I hate paying for cab fare, especially when I have unlimited rides on the bus for the month with one small payment. Grrrr.....

At any rate, the amount I spent on taxi fare is going into my savings.

$20 Old Balance: $495.72
Taxi Fare: $21.00
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $516.72

Feeling pretty sad about the state of my savings accounts lately. Added $15 to the EF. Gotta get that built up.

Old EF Balance: $135.83
Random contribution: $15.00
-------------------------------------
New EF balance: $150.83

twice so I a got $31 refund for my fare! I hate those late trains, but I love the on-time guarantee! Too bad now that I have moved I won't be taking it anymore... OK, not really too bad since my commute was 2.5 hrs each way and now it is only 1 hr each way. But I will miss those refunds!

$20 Old Balance: $463.90
Late train refund: $31.82
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $495.72

So close to $500!

I am trying to keep my savings above $500 right now. Anything over that I can spend on something I've been saving for (new laptop battery, for example). I am thinking I might discipline myself even longer and make it a goal to keep the balance minimum at $1,000...I guess we'll see how quickly it is saved up.

Got one of my tax returns today! Not a huge amount, but it was a return, so I am happy. Adding it to the $20 Challenge.

$20 Old Balance: $362.90
Tax return: $101.00
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $463.90

Yay! Got a half.com direct deposit today! Love that.

$20 Old Balance: $333.54
Half.com DD: $29.36
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $362.90

Looking forward to bumping this up to at least $500 again! Still not sure what I am going to do with the money. My laptop needs a new battery. I want to save for a vacation. My car will need to be replaced in a few years. Would like to have a down payment for a house in a few years. So much to save for, so little to save.

Have a whole bunch of contributions to the Challenge today!!

Regular monthly deposit, what we had left in our checking from March's budget, what i had leftover from my B-day money that my parents gave me, interest, and what I got for selling some of my used CDs. All in all, pretty impressive!

$20 Tax Old Balance: $243.13
Monthly contribution: $25.00
Leftovers from March: $22.88
Leftovers from B-day money: $35.00
CD Sales: $6.50
March interest: $1.03
-------------------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $333.54

FINALLY got my taxes done today...I know, I'm a slacker. All in all it worked out good: I am getting a return of $196! Yay! My fee to HR Block was really high, but it is OK since I had so many forms and so much paperwork that I know I never could have done on my own. So, the HR Block fee comes out of my Saving for Taxes account, and I don't have to take any out to pay taxes (which is what I had originally started it for). When I get my refunds, I will pop those back into the Taxes savings account. Now that my taxes are done, I will have to think about what I want that savings to go to; and what i will be saving for next!!

$20 Tax Old Balance: $513.13
- HR Block Payment: - 270.00
-------------------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $243.13

I have a little to add to my $20 Challenge today. $10 from doing surveys, and $30 refunded for train issues. When I was taking the train, if it was 30 mins late, we would get refunded. Happened twice! Yay! Still have to cash in the tickets for the cash, but I figure that putting the amount into the $20 challenge now guarantees I won't spend it.

$20 Tax Old Balance: $473.13
Survey check: $10.00
Train refund: $30.00
-------------------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $513.13

Have a little extra cash right now, so I put $10 into the EF and $10 into the Taxes/$20 fund. Also, interest from Feb.


Old EF Total: $100.30
Addition: $10.00
February interest: $.25
---------------------------
New EF Total: $110.55


$20 Tax Old Balance: $462.20
Addition: $10.00
February interest: $.93
-------------------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $473.13

I was starting to think I would NEVER have another addition to the challenge!

Well, today was payday, so I added $50 to the challenge, plus $4.77 from half.com.



$20 Tax Old Balance: $407.43
Half.com DD: $54.77
-------------------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $462.20

So, it looks like we will be getting an extra $1,100 in March! Yay!!!! Great timing, too, with the move! I have already budgeted it all out:

$200 for the move (truck rental and treating friends and family to dinner afterwards)
$100 extra to LBCC
$100 extra to ATTCC
$100 extra to grocery budget (after the move, we will need to restock basics)
$100 into the $20/Taxes account to replace the $100 I had to steal out of it for groceries this week
$100 for new apartment things (dinning room rug, computer desk)
and the big one...$400 to the EF!!

I am actually excited to get the $1,100 so I can start transferring it around! Who knew paying bills and saving could be so much fun?

Small DD from half.com to send into the Challenge.

$20 Tax Old Balance: $401.47
Half.com DD: $5.96
-------------------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $407.43

Just a few small bucks here and there. Interest for Jan, $ saved at CVS last night, and some bills in my CITB.

$20 Tax Old Balance: $396.62
Jan Interst: $.45
CVS savings: $2.40
CITB bucks: $2.00
-------------------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $401.47

First I would like to say that I do not expect anyone here to donate to this cause, and I totally understand if nobody does. I was never going to post this, but a few people have asked where and how they donate to my team in the MS Walk.

Second, again, please don't feel like I am hitting you guys up for money (we are, after all, ALL trying to save and be more frugal!). The words and support you all have given me re: my MS has been the biggest gift of all, and I can never thank you all enough. THAT is what means the most to me.

But, like I mentioned, a few people asked for this info, so I am posting it. To those people, thank you from the bottom of my heart (and wallet!). You (and everyone else here) are all so special and totally rock!!

*hugs to everyone*

The MS Walk will be April 13th, in Bristol, RI. It's a six mile walk (no, I probably won't walk the whole 6 miles, but my team members all will). My team is called the Errington Clan, and right now we have 6 members.

To donate to the National MS Society 2008 MS Walk on behalf of my team, please click here: Errington Clan MS Walk.

Search for us by our team name (Errington Clan) or by a particpant (Becki Errington). All donations are tax deductible, and you can donate by check or CC (I suggest check...avoid CC debt!!! LOL). You can donate on behalf of the whole team, or in sponsor of one person, and your donations can be made anonymously if you like.

Agan, thanks to everyone for ALL the support!!!

WOW! A whopping 30 cents!!! LOL

Old EF Total: $100.00
January interest: $0.30
---------------------------
New EF Total: $100.30

Finally got one of my medical refunds! This was the big one ($213.19) from my prescriptions the beginning of November. Still waiting on the one from the Dr. visit, but I am so happy to finally have this one! I got an unexpected bill (from the town of I live in) so $40 of this reimbursement went to pay that. The rest ($173.19) is going to the challenge!

$20 Tax Old Balance: $223.43
Medical reimbursement: $173.19
-------------------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $396.62

Relisted that Red Sox Fabric I had on ebay. Trying to sell it (again) and not get scammed this time. Happily, it sold today, so I have another $45 to go into the challenge.

$20 Tax Old Balance: $168.43
Ebay Sale: $45.00
----------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $223.43

Yay!

Well, it is now February, so time to pay myself for the No Spenders I had in January. And I had 10 of them!

$10 to the challenge.

$20 Tax Old Balance: $168.43
No Spenders Payout: $10.00
----------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $178.43