Today I did it. Sucked it up and went back to WW. *sigh*

I hate paying someone to monitor my eating/weight, but it is the only way for me to stick to it.

Financially I got a good deal, though. No registration fee, and the monthly pass means I pay $40 each month. It works out to $10 a week, which is better than the $13 a week if you pay meeting by meeting. And BONUS: they are having a promotion right now. Sign up for the monthly pass, and you get your 2nd month free. So I basically paid $40 for the first 2 months, which works out to $5 a week.

Total savings: 64 over 2 months.

Plus I rolled change from CITB yesterday and came up with $43.50 so I used that to pay for the WW cost. Yay!

Stopped by the bank today to deposit some rolled coinage from CITB. Had a full roll of quarters. Adding it to the EF.

$20 Challenge/EF Old Balance: $140.04
CITB deposit: $10.00
------------------------------------------
$20 Challenge/EF New Balance: $150.04

Whoo-hoo! Halfway through my Feb goal of adding $100 to the EF. If I can keep this up, I'll hit $1K before 2010.

In other money news, I picked up some groceries today. Spent $40. I got:

*lg package of mozzarella cheese (8 cups)
*lg package of Mexican mix cheese (8 cups)
*package pepperoni
*loaf of bread
*pk of 8 large tortillas
*mushrooms
*buffalo chicken lunch meat
*sliced cheese
*2 lbs of pizza dough
*box of pasta

For dinner this week we'll have chicken enchiladas (already have the chicken and sauce), pasta with shrimp, mushrooms, cheese and tomatoes (already have shrimp, and tommys), homemade calzones (which will actually give us 2 meals each, they are so big), and chicken and veggies with rice (have all of it already). I think that $40 for all that is a great deal, considering it is dinner and lunch for 2 all week.

I did great this week with finding money. I found another dime and 3 pennies. Whoo-hoo! New Pennies on the Sidewalk total: $.98

Counted up the change in my CITB, and was able to roll $12 worth. Adding it to my EF.

$20 Challenge/EF Old Balance: $97.09
CITB Deposit: $12.00
------------------------------------------
$20 Challenge/EF New Balance: $109.09

And I managed to hit $100 this month. I would love to hit another hundred in February. But honestly, this first hundred may not even stay in here. Depends on how much I make at work this weekend. I need $48 to pay my LBCC bill, and about another $30 for a second bill. And then there is the matter of having money to survive on for the next week or so.

Let's hope I have a busy night tonight!

I had a good amount of money to deposit today at the bank. There was a check from BF, a check from a survey I did, rolled coins from CITB, and cash from work Sunday night. It came to $105.35

After depositing that, I moved some of it around into my savings accounts.

Old Personal Savings: $94.94
Tally-Up Transfer: $5.06
-------------------------------
New Personal Savings: $100.00 (Goal met!)

Old House Fund Balance: $5.38
Random transfer: $1.10
--------------------------------
New House Fund Balance: $6.48

So, this means that my savings goal of $100 is DONE! YAY!

And I have the first deposit into my $20 Challenge of 2009. All my $20 Challenge Money goes into the EF, so here is the new total:

$20 Challenge/EF Old Balance: $40.09
Survey check (1st deposit of 2009!): $10
------------------------------------------
$20 Challenge/EF New Balance: $50.09
(halfway to 1st EF goal)

While my 2009 EF goal is $1,000 I am aiming for $100 right now (small goals work better for me) so I am halfway through that first mini-goal. Wa-hoo!

A few random little things that didn't really warrant a whole post for themselves...

Found a penny today at Walgreens. New (2009) Pennies on the Sidewalk Total: $.01 I also found a quarter when I was cleaning yesterday and a dime in a bag I pulled out to use for the first time in months. Not going to count it in Pennies since it was my own money I found, but I did throw it into Cash Into the Bag.

Speaking of CITB, I rolled up quarters, pennies, and dimes (not enough nickels to roll), and came up with $18. I'll deposit that Monday into my $20 Challenge account.

Also going into my $20 Challenge account Monday will be a check for $10 that I got from doing surveys. Yay!

I also have a check from BF for about $9 to deposit. Not sure which account that is going into yet.

Used a $25 gift card at Michaels today. Bought a bunch of new charms and beads. Can't wait to make some new jewelry and sell it online!

Last night when BF got home from work, he went to change into his PJs and he "found" $1.02 in change in his jean pockets. He says he has no idea where it came from.

He put it on my dresser, and walked away. The rule in this house is unless you keep it hidden from me, all change goes into the Cash In the Bag (which is actually a jar...). Today I swept it up and added it to the jar. *smile*

On a non-financial note, yesterday morning I woke up and my face was swollen. My lips are swollen, my jawline, and my left eye. Really swollen and puffy. I figured maybe I was bit by something while I slept (we find 3 or 4 spiders a week in this place). Took an extra allergy pill and it looked like it started to go down over the day. Woke up this morning and it is just as bad as it was yesterday. Can't figure it out. I'm hesitant to go to the Dr. since I don't have one up here. I would have to go to the ER, and besides an all day wait, it is a $50 co-pay. My throat and tongue aren't swollen, and I feel fine otherwise, except for the itchies. I guess if it doesn't go away by Fri I'll have to see the Dr. I am working the tarot store tonight and I'm concerned nobody will want a reading with me: I look a little freaky-creepy!

Our yard sale yesterday was fun. I drove up to sis' house and slept over Friday night, then we did the yard sale Sat morning. Friday night we had some wine, hung out, and watched Motley Crue on Larry King LIVE. YUMMY Nikki Sixx!

Made around $35 at the yard sale. More would have been nice, but I am not really disappointed. Most everything I sold was 50 cents or $1. Got rid of 5 purses and countless books. Everything that didn't sell went to the nearby Salvation Army, so that will be a small tax deduction come April. Doanted goods worked out to be about $150.

It feels good to get all that stuff cleared our of the house. The spare bedroom is almost donel sould be finished this week with a few more hours of work.

A few things I brought home that I know I can sell on craisglist or ebay (painting, a few rare collectible books, strawberry shortcake stuff). I'll try to get those up this week as well.

As for the cash from the yard sale, I am debating what to do with it. I could pay a bill, put it towards the house fund (staying at my sis' house Friday has the urge for my own house raging again), or use it for the new Motley Crue CD. I think it will go to savings for now, as I have enough to pay bills now, and hopefully when July bills come in I will be working already. If not I can (grudgingly) take it back out of savings. And I can download the new Motley Crue CD from ITunes with a gift card I am due to get soon from MyPoints. Will update House Fund when I get the money in there on Monday.

Also rolled some change last night. $5.50 so far, but I am 3 nickels shy of a $2 roll and 3 quarters shy of a $10 roll. I am going to this movies with my friend today (only $4) so the change I get back from that will hopefull be enough to push me over to have another $12 to add to the rolls.

Have a happy Sunday all!

Since I have to go to the bank today to deposit that $28 from Mums and Dads, I figured I would see what was in CITB and take it with me. Lo and behold: $20! We had a full roll of quarters and $10 in $1 bills. Sweet!

Adding it to the challenge!

Old EF Balance: $654.10
CITB: $20.00
--------------------------------
New EF Balance: $674.10

I read an article that talks about how to materials used to make pennies are non-renewable and are in decline (like so many of our other natural resources). One solution proposed by the article is to stop hoarding all your pennies and cash them in at the bank so they can be put back into circulation.

We save all our change and deposite it when we hav enough, but I also have this big jar with nothing but pennies. I had them all saved separately mostly out of habit. As kids, we would out all our pennies in a big glass jar. Then, when the family played cards, we used pennies to place bets and play poker with. I think it jut becamse a subconscious savings with me.

However, I am all about getting money in our savings, and about being green when I can. So, I sat and rolled up my pennies. The few I had that didn't make a full roll went back into CITB and will be deposited when I have enough. I was able to roll $2.50. It went into the EF.

Also into the EF today was a $3 pincone check. Whoo-hoo!

Old EF Balance: $709.03
Pinecone check: $3.00
Recycled Pennies: $2.50
--------------------------------
New EF balance: $714.53

I've noticed since I started working (and now living) in a big city I find a lot more change on the ground. In fact, I pick up spare change almost every day. Even though it is halfway through the year, I have decided to keep track of how much I find each day.

I don't really know how much I have found up until now, but if this second half of '08 is as good as the first half, I could have a few substancial finds. Besides a bunch of change (including quarters), we found $22 in bills already this year. The big find was a $20 in bush in a parking lot! All the spare change we find goes into our Cash in the Bag.

Here is this week, so far.

Mon: sick, didn't leave the house
Tues: sick, didn't leave the house
Wed: 2 pennies, 1 dime (12 cents)
Thurs: 1 penny, 1 dime (23 cents)
Fri: 1 penny (so far) (24 cents)

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

GOt a check in the mail for doing surveys, for $10. yay! I love that. Also have a roll of quarters to deposit at the bank from CITB, so that is another $20 for the Taxes!

$20 Tax Old Balance: $134.34
Survey check: $10.00
CITB:$10.00
----------------------------
$20 Tax New Balance: $154.34

I love having a full roll of quarters. Added to the $20/UF account.

$20/UF Old Balance: $10.22
Quarter Roll: $10
----------------------------
$20/UF Balance: $20.22

BF had a jar of change he brought home with him from Vegas last week. Whoo-hoo!

Quarters $8.50
Dimes $.60
Nickels $1.00
Pennies $.26

and I already rolled $9.50 which I am taking to the bank today.

Old Vegas Total: $628.86
Cash In The Bag Deposit: $21.50
------------------------------
New Vegas Total: $650.36

Bills: $1.00
Quarters: $5.25
Nickels: $1.55
Dimes: $4.00
Pennies: $1.39
-------------------
TOTAL: $13.19

Been slow going with the CITB lately. Mums donated a handfull of change the other day (Thanks Mums!) but other than that no much has been going in. we haven't been using cash so we aren't getting change back. We need to do that more (but not spend more...)

CITB Update:

Quarters: $2.25 (but I think we need those for laundry today)
Nickels: $1.05
Dimes: $2.80
Pennies: $1.25

Total: $7.35

CITB Totals:

Bills: $6.00
Dimes: $1.20
Nickels: $.50
Pennies: $.78
Quarters: $7.00

Total: $15.48

Still a bit aways from doing any major rolling and depositing...

Took $5.50 I had in there and deposited it into the Vegas account yesterday. But I have some spare change from my purse to put in, and when I was cleaning yesterday, I found a dollar bill. I'm really starting to like this cleaing and finding money thing! It's like I'm being paid to clean my own house!

CITB
Dollars $1.00
Quarters: $2.25
Dimes: $.50
Nickels: $.35
Pennies: $.42

Total: $4.52

Got my big freelance check in the mail yesterday: $350! YAY! That is going into the Vegas fund (which, is also my $20 Challenge fund), along wth $5.50 that I took out of Cash In The Bag. Whoo-hoo!

Vegas Prev. Balance: $130.50
Freelance check: $350.00
Cash In The Bag: $5.50
---------------------------
New Vegas Total: $486.00

Cashed in some of my CITB this past weekend ($8 in rolled change). On top of that, we had $10 in quarters, but we did laundry here this week. When we go visit Mums and Dad, we do it there, but we haven't been up there in a couple of weeks and the clean clothes were getting sparse.

I did find some spare change in my wallet and in my shorts from this past weekend. And, there was $5 in bills in the jeans, too! So it's all getting out into CITB for the next deposit.

CITB Totals:
Dollars $5.00
Quarters $.50
Dimes $.20
Nickels $.25
Pennies: $.32
Total: $6.27

Made a deposit today for the Vegas trip. Topped $100. Great start for me!

Vegas Prev. Balance: $65.00
Cash In The Bag: $8
Survey check: $10
Donation from the fam: $25
B/C I wanted to deposit an even amount: $7
(Total New Deposits $50)
---------------------------
New Vegas Total: $115.00

Been a while since I posted a CITB report. Just counted up all the change in the Bag. Here are the totals:

Pennies: $1.17 ($1 rolled!)
Dimes: $4.70 (only 3 more til I can roll it!)
Nickels: $2.00 (rolled!)
Quarters: $9.75 (ooooh, so close!)

Total CITB: $17.62

Today was a great money day. As I mentioned, I took today out o work to get some things done. And I got some things done, let me tell you!!

And here's the good money stuff:

1. Went to buy tp for the house. The kind we usually use is $3.49 for a 4 pack (I know, expensive, but I have a sensitive toosh). They have a new one out, better for septic tanks, same price. But, there was a $1 coupon for it! Yay! Saved $1.00 Adding that to the $20 Challenge/EF.

2. While I was at the grocery store, I turned in all our soda bottles and cans, plus cashed in 2 old soda can vouchers I had sitting around. $5.05! $5 goes into the $20 Challenge/EF and .05 into our Cash in the Bag bag.

3. Finally deposited my freelance check. Then came home and immediately transferred that same amount onto my CC as another payment.

4. Mailed out 2 of my last 3 ebay items. Still waiting for payment on one. As soon as I can get into my paypal account, I'll transfer that money straight onto the CC as well. (Having issues with the paypal account lately).

$20 CHALLENGE/EF
Old $20 Challenge Total: $60.49
ING Interest: $.09
Grocery Savngs: $1.00
Bottles and Cans: $5.00
Bills from Cash in the Bag: $14.00
--------------------------------
New $20 Challenge Total: $80.58


CASH IN THE BAG
Dollars: $0
Quarters: $8.50
Dimes: $3.30
Nickels: $1.30
Pennies: $1.05

TOTAL: $14.15


DEBT TALLY
CC Activity:
ATT Prev Balance: $3,406.83
Payment (today): $58.41
NEW BALANCE: $3,348.42


PERSONAL DEBT:
Car: $0
CS fee: $0
LB CC: $1,096.45
AT&T CC: $3,348.42
------------------
$4,444.87

STUDENT LOANS:
RWU: $26,475.41
UMD 1: $38,044.87
UMD 2: $2,435.76
-----------------
$66,956.04

Other: $15,000

TOTAL DEBT: $86,400.91

Threw $2 in the bag today because I used me AAA card at D'angelos for dinner and saved $2.

Threw in $12 (!) today because when I threw on my jeans this morning, there was $12 in the pocket! Haven't worn these in a week or so, and I forgot about the cash in them. I consider that free money! Cha-Ching!!

After the yard sale on Saturday, this will all go into our $20 Challenge / EF account.


June 6, 2006
Dollars: $14.00
Quarters: $8.50
Dimes: $3.30
Nickels: $1.30
Pennies: $1.05
Vouchers: $1.10

TOTAL: $29.25

Did some big time cleaning this past weekend, and found over $5 in spare change! Yay! Threw it all in the bag, but will do a count up later this week. Not rolling anything right now because I'll need change for the yard sale on Sat!

Well, The Boy is no longer at the job with the tips. Too bad, cuz it was some good change. Anyways, still tracking my regular change. Rolled a bunch and deposited almost $30 last weekend, so my totals are low again. But that just means more fun building them back up!

May 30, 2007
Dollars: $0.00
Quarters: $6.25
Dimes: $2.10
Nickels: $1.10
Pennies: $0.84
Vouchers: $1.10

TOTAL: $11.39

More big tips from the Boy! YAY! Was able to roll some more change. Can wait to deposit it and add it to the EF account!


May 23, 2007
Dollars: $6.00
Quarters: $11.25
Dimes: $11.20
Nickels: $2.80
Pennies: $2.04
Vouchers: $1.10

TOTAL: $34.39

The Boy came home from his first day of work with a cup FULL of change! He earned over $11 in tips (he works at a coffee shop) and over $7 of it was all change!

Plus, did more cleaning and found $2 on the floor under a pile of dirty clohtes.

Added it into the Bag!

May 23, 2007
Dollars: $6.00
Quarters: $10.00
Dimes: $8.50
Nickels: $2.15
Pennies: $1.50
Vouchers: $1.10

TOTAL: $29.25

Now that I have a bunch of coins rolled, I can take them to the bank on Friday. It will put approx. $24 into our EF.

Found $0.75 while I was cleaning. More cash in the bag!

May 21, 2007
Dollars: $4.00
Quarters: $6.50
Dimes: $5.60
Nickels: $1.45
Pennies: $1.05
Vouchers: $1.10

TOTAL: $19.70