OK, here is my dilema:

I need to buy a plane ticket. It will only be about $150, tops. Originally, my $20 account was earmarked for something I really wanted, like a new tattoo. Lately, however, I've been thinking of it as my EF that I am trying to build up. Here's my question:

Do I take the $ for the plane ticket out of the EF and then replace it later, or do I just put the plane ticket on my CC and pay it off later?

I'm thinking with the interest on the CC, financially, it would be smarter to use the $ in my EF. I should be able to pay it off when I get paid tomorrow, so it shouldn't acrue any any interest. However, there is the chance I won't be able to pay it off right away, and it will acrue interest. But there is something about using that money for something other than an emergency that I really don't like.

Opinions please?




Also, a small addition to the EF via interest paid in October:

ING Account (aka $20 Challenge) Old Total: $365.17
Added: $1.04
New Total: $366.21

Have recently finished a fab book re: budgets. The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Living on a Budget by Jennifer Sander & Peter J. Sander

Normally books with budgets don't work for me. I just can't work with them, or they don't fit my needs, or they don't work for me. But the budget and examples in this book were wonderful! I had no problems following their plan, and have been working with that budget for almost 3 months now. And the ebst part, after you create the budget, there are all these tips for way to tweak it to fit your own personal saving/earning style.

I highly reccommend it for anyone who hates budget becasue they are scary: this one took all my fears away!

CC Savings update:
Old Savings (CC Debt) Total: $1,152.42
Added $0.24 interest
Minus $98.57 CC payment
New Savings (CC Debt) Total: $1,054.09

CC Automatic Monthly Payment:
$3,665.61 old total
- $98.57 (11/01 payment)
---------
$3,567.04 new total

Debt Tally
$9,054.08 to Mom
$3,567.04 to credit cards
$1,335.40 LB CC
$327.20 Medical CC

Total: $14,283.72

Variations on my Rice and Beans recipe...Enjoy!

This first note comes from yummy64:

Make the beans from dry to be even more frugal. Buying them canned is cheap but not frugal compared to dry. A pound of dry beans equals about 4 cans of beans and costs about a $1 to purchase.

Thanks yummy64!

And this second variation comes from tinapbeana:

Dirty Rice(ugly but good!)

- 2 cups rice uncooked
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 lb (maybe 1.5?) sausage
- 1 16 oz can drained black beans
- seasonings to taste ( I used chili , cayenne, garlic powders, salt & black pepper)

toast the uncooked rice on medium high heat in a frying pan (read this tip somewhere and it seems to make the rice cook faster). combine chicken stock & rice in pot and cook as normal (i add some of my spices now and the rest when the meal is cooked through). while rice is simmering, sautee onion in the pre-heated frying pan. add sausage and brown. when onion/sausage mix is done add it and the black beans to the rice. allow rice mix to cook completely as needed, season to taste.

I am loving this survey program! Last week I cashed in points for a $10 cash prize. I just cashed in more points fr another $10!! I've never been part of one of these surveys that actually let you earn enough $$ to get a check in the mail...and now I'm getting 2! And I've only been doing these for 2 months or so.