I already know where and why these feelings are creeping in. But there are here....so now I have to deal with them. It is a combination of my meds being a little off, plus having a night out and spending money, and.....I am leaving for a few days to visit a friend.
I never claimed to be Gazelle intense. And while I love to read about others who are....it does frustrate me that we can't/won't do that. I just hate to adjust our current totals and have to adjust them UP.
I am frustrated that no matter what I do, the "master" plan doesn't work. There is ALWAYS a repair that ends up being way higher than what we have set aside. The cars...I question if we should have gotten rid of them awhile ago. The order of doing things seems to be in a constant state of change.
This year has been rough. But honestly...every year is rough. 2007 was the death of our twins, along with a huge oil leak. 2008 was my miscarriage and having to replace the roof. 2009 was the death of my father-in-law, car issues, and a myriad of other things. 2010...who knows. And now....2011....marriage issues, the pool, car issues.....now having to fix Bossy's room.....
Apparently....I just suck at this getting out of debt thing. G-man made a comment the other night that really upset me....."debt is just a way of life." That spoke VOLUMES to me. While he wants to be out of debt, and is participating more in the discussions....he isn't getting it yet that this noose around our neck is just weighing down our LIFE.
Now that our medical waiver is gone...my student loan is going up....we are unable to lower our interest rates without either opening another credit card, or maybe a new Lending Club loan....it is time to revisit the budget AGAIN...and figure this out.
I know I am not getting a raise at work (state budget cuts). I know that G-man is willing to work more overtime, when it is available....but if it isn't available....there isn't much we can do. I know that we are saving for Christmas, car stuff, irregular expenses.....and we are doing the best we can.
I am just frustrated that others are pulling way ahead, and we are treading water.
So my two small things for the day to make me financially feel better are 1) continue to pack up yard sale leftovers to sell at consignment (we did a trial run on Friday, and we will probably get about what we were asking at the yard sale), and 2) I bought some bulk coupons for shampoo, which with sales...will come out to about $1 a bottle.
Pity party over.
Showing posts with label coupons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coupons. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
A final look at Financial Goals 2010
Of course as the year is ending....we can't help but think about the future. What changes do we need to make...where have we veered from the path. But we have to look back to know where to go. So how did we do.
1) Become a better team member of Team Mysti/G-man Financial Debt Relief by actually INCLUDING G-man in my plans! I would give myself a B- on this one. While I think I tried to include him in the final decision, most things were driven by my thoughts.
A) TOGETHER, find a minimum of $150 of expenses to cut per month. - Big fat F on this one
B) TOGETHER, pay the bills, so he can have a better sense of where our month goes, and what it FEELS like to do it.- Another big fat F. I still do it all. And he has no interest in it.
C) Remember we both deserve to have a small amount of money that we don't have to account for to each other; therefore, TOGETHER decide what is appropriate and budget that in. - I would say D on this one. We agreed this needs to happen. We agreed how it would happen (auto debit into ING account). We just haven't figured out the appropriate amount. And I am having a hard time with letting part of the budget go towards this.
2) Pay off G-man's retirement loan. I outlined the plan for this here. - Well, this totally got busted here.
3) Pay off $5,000 worth of debt, outside of the retirement loan. - A+ on this. I erred and didn't quite note what our January 1 balance was. However, I found a post in January where we had paid off $1000. At this point we are at just over $8000 paid off.....or about $7000 more than we were in January. It would have been more, but we also incurred some debt and then had to pay THAT back. Anyway, we are over the $5000 goal.
4) Track expenses as they happen...not after! - Eh.....C+ for this. I am better about tracking, but it still tends to be afterward.
A) Work toward a Zero Balance Budget - I have one.....but we still aren't actually consistent with it.
B) Finalize usable spreadsheets (Excel and I are intimate friends ;) ) - sadly, my spreadsheet was lost in the Computer Crash February 2010. I have new sheets, but they aren't really usable. I am constantly messing with it. Right now I am playing with one on Gail Vaz-Oxlade's site.
C) Keep track of our coupon usage, to help spur us on! - *sigh* I think all my coupons are expired. We stopped getting the newspaper, so my coupon usage slowed. Then I ran out of printer ink. I am hoping to get back to this.
5) Open ING accounts for A) Christmas and B) Long term saving goals. Continue to fund as we go. - WOO HOO. Did good on this!! Even though we didn't start the Christmas one, we do have funds for camp, the car maintenance, home repair, Lending Club, and savings for particular items.
6) Find one thing each day to be proud of that I did or didn't do, related to finances. - nope
7) Keep coupons organized in new binder, allowing maximum usage, and minimal waste! - nope
8) Send in rebate offers within 1 week of purchase of said product, before I can lose the receipt, forget, or some other lame excuse.-Of the rebates I could send in, I did. But I didn't actively seek anything out.
9) Start teaching Sassy and Bossy about money!!!! This will include starting a weekly allowance for each, and teaching them how to save for later, give to charity, and how to responsibly spend!!! - This will start for January 1. So F for 2010. But we do have the process down, the amount, and the concepts.
10) Respond to 75% of MyPoints and Paid Email entries..- I think I did pretty well on this one. I added in Swagbucks, and so far so good. I am saving points, money, GC for a new dining room set....funded completely from these type vehicles.
I would say we certainly could have done better this year. But at least we gained insight. We aren't superstars.....but we are more aware than we were, and we are making some progress...minus the Christmas backslide. ;)
Stay tune for our 2011 goals!
Financial Goals 2010
1) Become a better team member of Team Mysti/G-man Financial Debt Relief by actually INCLUDING G-man in my plans! I would give myself a B- on this one. While I think I tried to include him in the final decision, most things were driven by my thoughts.
A) TOGETHER, find a minimum of $150 of expenses to cut per month. - Big fat F on this one
B) TOGETHER, pay the bills, so he can have a better sense of where our month goes, and what it FEELS like to do it.- Another big fat F. I still do it all. And he has no interest in it.
C) Remember we both deserve to have a small amount of money that we don't have to account for to each other; therefore, TOGETHER decide what is appropriate and budget that in. - I would say D on this one. We agreed this needs to happen. We agreed how it would happen (auto debit into ING account). We just haven't figured out the appropriate amount. And I am having a hard time with letting part of the budget go towards this.
2) Pay off G-man's retirement loan. I outlined the plan for this here. - Well, this totally got busted here.
3) Pay off $5,000 worth of debt, outside of the retirement loan. - A+ on this. I erred and didn't quite note what our January 1 balance was. However, I found a post in January where we had paid off $1000. At this point we are at just over $8000 paid off.....or about $7000 more than we were in January. It would have been more, but we also incurred some debt and then had to pay THAT back. Anyway, we are over the $5000 goal.
4) Track expenses as they happen...not after! - Eh.....C+ for this. I am better about tracking, but it still tends to be afterward.
A) Work toward a Zero Balance Budget - I have one.....but we still aren't actually consistent with it.
B) Finalize usable spreadsheets (Excel and I are intimate friends ;) ) - sadly, my spreadsheet was lost in the Computer Crash February 2010. I have new sheets, but they aren't really usable. I am constantly messing with it. Right now I am playing with one on Gail Vaz-Oxlade's site.
C) Keep track of our coupon usage, to help spur us on! - *sigh* I think all my coupons are expired. We stopped getting the newspaper, so my coupon usage slowed. Then I ran out of printer ink. I am hoping to get back to this.
5) Open ING accounts for A) Christmas and B) Long term saving goals. Continue to fund as we go. - WOO HOO. Did good on this!! Even though we didn't start the Christmas one, we do have funds for camp, the car maintenance, home repair, Lending Club, and savings for particular items.
6) Find one thing each day to be proud of that I did or didn't do, related to finances. - nope
7) Keep coupons organized in new binder, allowing maximum usage, and minimal waste! - nope
8) Send in rebate offers within 1 week of purchase of said product, before I can lose the receipt, forget, or some other lame excuse.-Of the rebates I could send in, I did. But I didn't actively seek anything out.
9) Start teaching Sassy and Bossy about money!!!! This will include starting a weekly allowance for each, and teaching them how to save for later, give to charity, and how to responsibly spend!!! - This will start for January 1. So F for 2010. But we do have the process down, the amount, and the concepts.
10) Respond to 75% of MyPoints and Paid Email entries..- I think I did pretty well on this one. I added in Swagbucks, and so far so good. I am saving points, money, GC for a new dining room set....funded completely from these type vehicles.
I would say we certainly could have done better this year. But at least we gained insight. We aren't superstars.....but we are more aware than we were, and we are making some progress...minus the Christmas backslide. ;)
Stay tune for our 2011 goals!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Look before you leap
I had to stop myself from spending almost $200 on a great deal. Main reason...I didn't know enough about the deal to insure that the deal was all it was cracked up to be. (Let's just gloss over the spending of $200.....)
Groupon had a deal this weekend for $89 for $1125 worth of laser hair removal (3 sessions). You were allowed to buy up to 2 deals, which would have been $178 for 6 sessions, values at $2250. It was 92% off!!
C'mon....92% off is a GREAT, INCREDIBLE deal!!!! And I talked about my need for hair removal already (albeit, it is fantasy land and something that I want to do when we have goo gobs of discretionary income).
I didn't go for it though. In the end, I didn't know enough about the process that I was secure that 6 sessions would have an impact on my life. What if I got there and they said I needed 50 sessions? In that case, 6 wouldn't do squat. A medical consult was $100 (and half would be credited toward the sessions...which confused me). So I just added another $50-$100 off the bat.
As much as I would LOVE to do this...until I do all my homework, no money will be spent. I am considering having a consult somewhere (preferably a FREE consult), just to get an idea what I am getting into. If they said 6 sessions will be enough to do XYZ, and I am happy with that...then if the deal comes back around, I will revisit the idea.
But for now....a-plucking I will go.
Groupon had a deal this weekend for $89 for $1125 worth of laser hair removal (3 sessions). You were allowed to buy up to 2 deals, which would have been $178 for 6 sessions, values at $2250. It was 92% off!!
C'mon....92% off is a GREAT, INCREDIBLE deal!!!! And I talked about my need for hair removal already (albeit, it is fantasy land and something that I want to do when we have goo gobs of discretionary income).
I didn't go for it though. In the end, I didn't know enough about the process that I was secure that 6 sessions would have an impact on my life. What if I got there and they said I needed 50 sessions? In that case, 6 wouldn't do squat. A medical consult was $100 (and half would be credited toward the sessions...which confused me). So I just added another $50-$100 off the bat.
As much as I would LOVE to do this...until I do all my homework, no money will be spent. I am considering having a consult somewhere (preferably a FREE consult), just to get an idea what I am getting into. If they said 6 sessions will be enough to do XYZ, and I am happy with that...then if the deal comes back around, I will revisit the idea.
But for now....a-plucking I will go.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Do you try to use a competitor's coupon?
This is where G-man's total passive approach to life gets in the way.
He was at Home Depot yesterday picking up paint. I gave him a Sherwin William's coupon for 25% and told him to ask if they accept competitor coupons. I have used these coupons successfully at Lowe's, so I thought we would give Home Depot a shot.
So he gave the coupon to the cashier, who said no, can't use it. *sigh*
If I was there, I would have asked for a manager. If the manager said No, then that is that. I tried. But usually the manager has the authority to give the green light. On $75 worth of paint, that coupon would have saved us $18.75!
But G-man took 19 year old-has worked at Home Depot for less than a year at her word. Because I am soooooo sure she knows the store policies like the back of her hand. GRRR. So when she said no, he accepted it, paid, and went on his way.
(and then proceeded to spend 2 hours on tinting the ceiling paint, vs the maybe 30 minutes it should have taken....but I digress).
What would you have done in this situation? Not used the coupon? Gone to Sherwin Williams? Asked for a manager? Something else???
He was at Home Depot yesterday picking up paint. I gave him a Sherwin William's coupon for 25% and told him to ask if they accept competitor coupons. I have used these coupons successfully at Lowe's, so I thought we would give Home Depot a shot.
So he gave the coupon to the cashier, who said no, can't use it. *sigh*
If I was there, I would have asked for a manager. If the manager said No, then that is that. I tried. But usually the manager has the authority to give the green light. On $75 worth of paint, that coupon would have saved us $18.75!
But G-man took 19 year old-has worked at Home Depot for less than a year at her word. Because I am soooooo sure she knows the store policies like the back of her hand. GRRR. So when she said no, he accepted it, paid, and went on his way.
(and then proceeded to spend 2 hours on tinting the ceiling paint, vs the maybe 30 minutes it should have taken....but I digress).
What would you have done in this situation? Not used the coupon? Gone to Sherwin Williams? Asked for a manager? Something else???
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday Night at Mysti's house
Now....brace yourself. The level of excitement might just get your adrenaline pumping, and I am not going to be held responsible for any medical intervention that may be needed to calm you. Remember, G-man is at work, so it is just me once the kids go to bed.
Earlier in the day on Saturday......
Clear out expired coupons. Such a shame.....I would send them to a military base overseas if I knew how. Someone enlighten me. Look at all that waste.
7:00pm - dishes
Clean sink. Not as shiny as FlyLady would want, but I will take what I can get. The dishes are done (and we don't have a dishwasher!!)
7:15 - start the couponing process
See...I have a TON of unsorted coupons (including a big pack that Mom sent me). If I am going to go grocery shopping, I need to sort them.
Lay out my rudimentary system (I am in the process of changing this over to a binder system, but I am not there yet).
Start sorting.
Look, the pile is getting a little smaller.
8:00pm - Ok, now we are up to the coupons that still need to be clipped.
Wee people are in bed, and I am trying to rewatch season 5 of Lost before the season premier on Tuesday. So I sit at my computer and watch it on Hulu.com and clip clip clip. I jump up during the "commercial" of 30 seconds and continue to sort.
9:30pm. I am bored with this.
Got most of it sorted. Pack it up and call it a day.
I am happy to report that my savings at the grocery store was about 37% (about $90) with coupons and store card. We had nothing, so it was one of those "have to buy everything" shopping trips. Oh well. I tried. You hard core coupon people are my heroes.
Earlier in the day on Saturday......
Clear out expired coupons. Such a shame.....I would send them to a military base overseas if I knew how. Someone enlighten me. Look at all that waste.
7:00pm - dishes
Clean sink. Not as shiny as FlyLady would want, but I will take what I can get. The dishes are done (and we don't have a dishwasher!!)
7:15 - start the couponing process
See...I have a TON of unsorted coupons (including a big pack that Mom sent me). If I am going to go grocery shopping, I need to sort them.
Lay out my rudimentary system (I am in the process of changing this over to a binder system, but I am not there yet).
Start sorting.
Look, the pile is getting a little smaller.
8:00pm - Ok, now we are up to the coupons that still need to be clipped.
Wee people are in bed, and I am trying to rewatch season 5 of Lost before the season premier on Tuesday. So I sit at my computer and watch it on Hulu.com and clip clip clip. I jump up during the "commercial" of 30 seconds and continue to sort.
9:30pm. I am bored with this.
Got most of it sorted. Pack it up and call it a day.
I am happy to report that my savings at the grocery store was about 37% (about $90) with coupons and store card. We had nothing, so it was one of those "have to buy everything" shopping trips. Oh well. I tried. You hard core coupon people are my heroes.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
A Call for HELP!
The bike we got Sassy Girl for Christmas is on sale this week at Target. Can anyone find a coupon to stack with the sale to make it an even better deal?
We bought it before Thanksgiving with a $10 coupon....so even if we can't find a new coupon, the base sale price is still $10 cheaper than we paid with the coupon. Just looking to squeeze blood from a turnip!!!
Thanks in advance.
We bought it before Thanksgiving with a $10 coupon....so even if we can't find a new coupon, the base sale price is still $10 cheaper than we paid with the coupon. Just looking to squeeze blood from a turnip!!!
Thanks in advance.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Bummer on competitor coupons
Toys R Us has a coupon good in-store only today for an additional 25% off bikes.
The bike we want to get for Sassy Girl for the holidays is at Target.
So we called 2 different Target stores to see if they will honor a competitor coupon......nope. They will price match for an exact item...but of course the bike is only at Target.
This bike is about $30-$35 more than we wanted to spend. We do have a $10 off coupon which brings us down to $20-$25 more. If they had honored the coupon, we would have been within $5 of our max price.
Too bad.
The bike we want to get for Sassy Girl for the holidays is at Target.
So we called 2 different Target stores to see if they will honor a competitor coupon......nope. They will price match for an exact item...but of course the bike is only at Target.
This bike is about $30-$35 more than we wanted to spend. We do have a $10 off coupon which brings us down to $20-$25 more. If they had honored the coupon, we would have been within $5 of our max price.
Too bad.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Walgreen's trip today
My couponing is getting better, but is far from the caliber that I hope to achieve.
Today's Walgreen's Adventure:
2 Jellies
2 Candle tins
1 Large candle
1 Razor
2 boxes of tissues (alas....cold and flu season is upon us!)
1 hand soap
2 mouthwash
and.....1 cauldron
OK, the cauldron wasn't exactly on the shopping list today. But I had been looking for one to add to my ghost Halloween display.
Total with the cauldron: $22.98
If we take the cauldron out, we are down to $16.63 OOP in purchases I went in there for. And I earned $10 in Register Rewards!
I had coupons, rainchecks, Register Rewards, and sale items. Per my receipt, I had $35.37 in savings, so I saved about 68%. Yeah...my $6 cauldron brings that savings level down to 60%. But I am pleased. And I have $10 towards next purchase!
And the funny comment of the trip.....Bossy Boy waved goodbye to the store as we were pulling out....and said "Bye store, see you next week!"
Today's Walgreen's Adventure:
2 Jellies
2 Candle tins
1 Large candle
1 Razor
2 boxes of tissues (alas....cold and flu season is upon us!)
1 hand soap
2 mouthwash
and.....1 cauldron
OK, the cauldron wasn't exactly on the shopping list today. But I had been looking for one to add to my ghost Halloween display.
Total with the cauldron: $22.98If we take the cauldron out, we are down to $16.63 OOP in purchases I went in there for. And I earned $10 in Register Rewards!
I had coupons, rainchecks, Register Rewards, and sale items. Per my receipt, I had $35.37 in savings, so I saved about 68%. Yeah...my $6 cauldron brings that savings level down to 60%. But I am pleased. And I have $10 towards next purchase!
And the funny comment of the trip.....Bossy Boy waved goodbye to the store as we were pulling out....and said "Bye store, see you next week!"
Monday, September 21, 2009
My first adventure in serious couponing
I have a long way to go, but we all have to start somewhere. Went to CVS and bought:
4 boxes of poptarts
3 boxes of crackers
2 boxes pizza rolls
3 boxes of tissues
1 tube kids' toothpaste
3 candles
Total before coupons: $37.67
spent $14.71 or about 60% savings.
Plus, I got a coupon for $3 off a $15 purchase. I am such a newbie at this, but I am told it gets easier. I had planned on buying a few things that I had coupons to get them "free" but they didn't have them. Oh well. I am satisfied for the moment.
4 boxes of poptarts
3 boxes of crackers
2 boxes pizza rolls
3 boxes of tissues
1 tube kids' toothpaste
3 candles
Total before coupons: $37.67
spent $14.71 or about 60% savings.
Plus, I got a coupon for $3 off a $15 purchase. I am such a newbie at this, but I am told it gets easier. I had planned on buying a few things that I had coupons to get them "free" but they didn't have them. Oh well. I am satisfied for the moment.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I want to be one of those people...
Who can get $200 worth of groceries...and pay 25 cents! I am amazed that people have figured out a system to do this. While I consider myself a bright individual (albeit one who has made some stupid decisions!), I am not bright enought to crack the code.
But....I am smart enough to figure out how to access the info from others who have done it!!!
I do not want this blog to be one that hocks all sorts of wares and such, but I will pass this link along because I am finding it useful:
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/
These are hard core coupon gurus! I read the CVS for Rookies thread and I am in awe. They are Obi Wan....I am Luke Skywalker. They are Mr. Miagi and I am Daniel (ok, if I have to explain this....then I will just be sad that I am getting old. :) ). Oh masters.....I am the grasshopper....teach me!
We have a budget of $400 for groceries per month....the financial advisor (here after, referred to as FA) wants us to cut that by 15% (yeah right.....$400 is probably not realistic either, let alone less). But I am going to make a go of it and see if I can master the coupons!
But....I am smart enough to figure out how to access the info from others who have done it!!!
I do not want this blog to be one that hocks all sorts of wares and such, but I will pass this link along because I am finding it useful:
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/
These are hard core coupon gurus! I read the CVS for Rookies thread and I am in awe. They are Obi Wan....I am Luke Skywalker. They are Mr. Miagi and I am Daniel (ok, if I have to explain this....then I will just be sad that I am getting old. :) ). Oh masters.....I am the grasshopper....teach me!
We have a budget of $400 for groceries per month....the financial advisor (here after, referred to as FA) wants us to cut that by 15% (yeah right.....$400 is probably not realistic either, let alone less). But I am going to make a go of it and see if I can master the coupons!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)