walked with mom for 35 min.

My sister was in World Market and got a lb of smoked salmon for me for $14.99 I give my brother smoked salmon for xmas every year. She dropped it off for me on her way home. That was nice, there's no World Market around here so I wouldn't have gotten it otherwise.

There's a Mountain Man store near here so I might stop there this weekend for nuts or something else to add to my brother's package and then he'll be done.

Finished reading the library book Undead and Unreturnable by Mary Janice Davidson. Vampire. OK. popcorn book.

It's 9 degrees right now, very, very cold all day. The roads were very icy this morning so even though we only got a couple inches of snow I didn't go in to the office today. They plowed and it melted a bit before lunch.

Sold two more half.com books for $2 and $3.50. Mailed them on my lunch hour, spent $3.26

Went to Taco Bell after and spent $6.47

Wrote a $50 check to the Boone Fire Department in memory of my grandpa. This comes out of my gift fund.

Total spent so far this month = $293.51

I got my first survey from Pinecone today. I'd forgotten I signed up for that.

I have 3 more xmas presents to get. One is for my youngest niece. I try to get all my gifts purchased before Dec because I hate shopping in Dec. But I need to take my niece shopping so she can point out things she wants. The funeral is this weekend and Thanksgiving is next weekend so don't think I'm going to make it before Dec. Not sure when I'll get to take her. The other two gifts are phone cards, grocery cards and gourment foods. They can be bought at the grocery store, so it's not like going into a retail store or heaven forbid a MALL! In my early twenties I was shopping in a mall in December and had to leave because I started hyper-ventilating. Can't stand crowds and haven't been to a mall in December since.

Tons of movies coming out between now and the end of the year that I'd like to see. I'll probably only get time for one though. I'll probably wait to see the Harry Potter movie after xmas when it won't be quite so crowded.

walked with mom for 30 min.

Went to the post office to mail the half.com book and pick up some discounted gift cards that they wouldn't deliver to my house. Spent $1.42

My Low Fuel light was blinking on the way home from walking with mom. I try to get gas in town when I go because it's cheaper. I was supposed to go in town yesterday and would have filled up then, but everything is messed up with my grandpa's death, so I didn't make it into town. I got $5 of gas here thinking I would get some when I go into work tomorrow, but now it's snowing and extremely icy so I probably won't go in. Maybe later in the week but I'll probably have to get some more gas first. Paid 2.35/gal for gas.

Total spent so far this month = $281.54

I sold another book on half.com this evening for $2.00

I finished reading the library book The Protector's War by S.M. Stirling. Adventure. Very Good. It's the sequel to the Dies the Fire book I read on Saturday. The book just sucks you in and takes you to another world.

Thanks everyone for the condolences, I really appreciate them.

Walked with mom for 55 min. It was freezing! 33 degrees with a strong wind blowing. My new coat and hat worked well, but I need a scarf for around my neck. Even though it was cold it was a beautiful day. My mom spent most of the walk talking about my grandparents. I think she needs the stress relief.

This is the first person who was close to me who has died. I've been very lucky that way. Anyways i don't know what the customary thing to do for the survirvor is. I don't want to send flowers because I think they are a waste. My mom told me they are asking for donations to their church and to their local fire department since the fire department had to come help resusitate grandpa a couple times towards the end. So I think I will send money to the fire department in his name.

I went to the grocery store and spent $46.25. $11 of which was for a phone card for the Silver Key person.

Total spent so far this month = $275.12

I got a call from my parents that my grandpa died this afternoon. All of my aunts, my mom and sister were all there when it happened. He was a good man and a good grandfather but I'm glad for his sake that his pain is over.

I went to the bank this morning and cashed in $5000 worth of series EE savings bonds. I plan to buy I-bonds with the money next week. I also got another $100 to put in my cash reserve fund.

Went to Media Play and sold 17 CDs for $39.16 then turned around and spent $36.03 on books. It was a triple point day. $21 of that was for a xmas gift for my friend. I like to share my books. I loan books to my friends and to my brother. I always enjoy finding out that someone likes the same books and authors that I like.

Went to Wendy's for lunch and spent $6.61

Total spent so far this month = $239.87

I sold another book at half.com today for $2.5

I read my book Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling. Adventure. Excellent book. This isn't a new author for me, but it is a new series. I like the other books by this guy too. I love finding new books that are totally absorbing and that make you wonder what if, and what would I do in this situation. This book is about starting a new civilization if all of our electrical power and guns were suddenly destroyed. It's a post apocalypse type story. The characters are great and the things people do to rebuild society when it's dropped back a thousand years is very interesting. I always like these type of stories. Lucifer's Hammer is one of my favorite books and this book is very similar to that. It makes me question, without technology what kinds of skills do I have that are valuable when brain-power is not the most important commodity but practical skills such as sewing, gardening, etc are much more valuable?

woke up with a lot of energy this morning. I have the day off as a vacation day, it's not a company holiday, I'm just gradually using up my vacation before the end of the year.

I store stuff that I don't want in an extra closet all year and then when it gets full I go through it and decide what to do with it. So that's what I tackled today. I pulled out things that I think people in my family could use. I put aside 26 CDs to take to Media Play tomorrow to sell. I put some videos and more books on half.com and then I made a list of the rest for my taxes and took a whole trunk full of boxes and bags to the Goodwill. Nice to get it all cleaned out.

Then I did two loads of laundry. By that time my energy level was dying down and I took a nap. Then I read for the rest of the day.

Finished reading the library book Gabriel's Angel by Nora Roberts. Romance. Good. Her books are always good.

walked with mom for 55 min

We went to a new restaurant and split a pizza. Spent $6

Total spent so far this month = $218.23

I got my Social Security statement today. The one that tells you how much you made up to now and how much you've paid into the system. Each year when I get this I add up the total of what I've made. It's extremely mind-blowing. This is based on the book Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominquez.

According to the statement I started paying Social Security in 1979. I had a few jobs before then but they were for cash so I guess Social Security wasn't taken out. I've earned more than $789,000. WOW! Where did all that money go? I then compare that to my savings/investments and I realize I have about 30% of that money in assets. That's pretty good. I recommend you try this experiment when you get your Social Security Statement. It really makes you think.

I finished reading the library book Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich. Romance. Ok, popcorn book, not as good as her Stephanie Plum series.

walked for 30 min at lunch with mom

Got up early so I could go to the post office before work to send off the McGuffey reader books. I asked for Media Mail but the clerk told me that for heavy books using something she called Bound Printed Material rate was cheaper. It saved me almost .60 cents over the Media Mail rate so I used that instead. My package weighed 5 1b 2.20 oz.

Spent $2.86; then when I got home I logged onto my computer and saw I had sold another book. DOH! Glad I sold another book, but it's difficult to get to the post office between 8 and 5. Forunately I have a flexible work situation so I stopped at the post office again after I walked with mom and spent another $1.42 on postage.

My dad came over this afternoon to replace the pipes under my two bathroom sinks which are leaking. He bought the stuff at Home Depot and I paid him back the $20. He replaced all of them since they are the metal pipes which always corrode and leak. He replaced them with flexible plastic pipes which last a lot longer.

Total spent so far this month = $212.23

I forgot to post yesterday about my work hosting a Silver Key tree for xmas this year. Silver Key is an organization that helps older people. At work you can pick an ornament and on the back of the ornament is a gift that a senior wants. I picked out two yesterday when I walked in without looking at them. When I got to my desk I saw that one was for a DVD player. I haven't even bought myself a DVD player yet, I thought that was a bit expensive to buy so I put it back and got another ornament before I left for the day. One gift was a baseball cap and one was for a pre-paid long distance phone card. My dad had a brand new baseball cap that he's never used and he gave me that, so if there are any ornaments left I'll pick up another one next week when I'm in the office. I'll get a prepaid phone card somewhere before the first of December.

I'll have to find a new place that's sponsering Toys for Tots this year. I usually take my nieces shopping and we pick out two gifts for Toys for Tots. My work used to sponser that, but I'm sure someone else will sponser it. I like to give tangible gifts instead of money.

I spent some time moving my money around today. So now my allocations are pretty close to where I want them. You can never make it exact. I know intellectually that this forces me to sell high and buy low, but I still have to force myself to do it. It's hard to sell things that have made you money and put that money in things that have either not made you money or maybe even lost money.

I finished reading my book A Fine Passion by Stephanie Laurens. Romance. Very Good.

hurried home from work today so I could sneak in a 30 min walk before dark.

Went to Taco Bell for supper and spent $6.17

Total spent so far this month = $187.95

I sold a brand new set of McGuffey readers on half.com for $25 today. I'm not even sure why I own these books except for the fact that I expressed some curiosity about them one time and the next thing I knew my mom bought me the set for xmas one year.

I couldn't sleep last night, my brain was going a 100 mph regarding work. Whenever I run into a problem it just loops in my head trying to think of solutions. I keep a pad of paper and pencil by my bed and write the ideas down for solving the problem down just so I can get them out of my head. I was so tired today. I got up an hour early and went into work early. There's no sense fighting it. I just wish I could find the off button when I have those kinds of night

My grandfather is very ill right now. He's 87 years old and has been ill all year. They called hospice in today so you know it's close to the end. He's in so much pain and he really doesn't know anyone right now, it would be a blessing for him to go. Everyone is reconciled to the fact that he will die soon and while it's not our wish it's what's best for him.

When people get terminally ill you always hear talk about their quality of life deteriorating, what people don't realize is that it's not just the quality of life of the ill person that deteriorates, it's the quality of life of their family members also. No one in the family regrets the amount of time or money it's taking to take care of him, but it is a fact that it's a strain on their families. There are 5 sisters and they take turns taking care of him, naturally the ones who live closest spend the largest amount of time looking after both of my grandparents. This causes guilt for the other sisters because they feel that they aren't doing their share. It's just bad for everyone and causes a lot of stress.

walked with mom for 30 min today

This time of year I reallocate my investments so they meet my asset allocation goals. The goal for this year was:

10% cash/bonds
90% stocks

Currently my cash/bonds assets are 10.11%
and the stocks are 89.89%

The stocks are divided into the following categories

Asset Goal Actual
Health fund 5% 13.4%
REIT fund 5% 5.4%
US small caps fund 25% 15.7%
Foreign fund 15% 20%
Emerging Markets fund 10% 10%
US Lg Cap - Value fund 20% 23%
US Lg Cap - Growth fund 20% 22%

I'll spend the next few weeks moving the stock assets around to get my percentages more in line with where I want them.

Next year I plan to change the allocation to 15% cash/bonds and 85% stocks.
And the following year I plan to change to 20% cash/bonds and 80% stocks.
Since I'm getting within a few years of retirement I need more money in safer investments.

Got the newspaper this morning and spent $1. Lots of good coupons this week. Was planning to get another paper, but got too tired and didn't go back.

I spent the day with my oldest niece. Our first stop was Ross, which is one of her favorite stores. She picked out 4 shirts for xmas. Spent $34.33

Next we met my parents at Red Lobster. Both of us love Red Lobster and we usually both order the same thing - popcorn shrimp. YUMMMMM. Spent $15.05 Had a $2 off coupon and discounted gift cards.

Next stop was Kohl's where she picked out a black pair of pants and a jean jacket for xmas. Spent $40.37 I don't mind her knowing what she's getting for xmas. I would rather get her something I know she likes than guessing. Plus with clothes, the things I think are cute she may or may not like. Teens are very picky about their clothes.

We met my friend at the theater and saw Corpse Bride. Spent $10.50 for the tickets and $3 for a drink for her.
The movie was ok, but it wasn't that special. But the time doing something with her was the point so it was fine.
Plus I got to spend some time catching up with my friend too.

After that we all went to Target and wandered around. My niece was buying xmas presents for her family and friends. I spent $36 on misc stuff.

Afterwards my niece and I ate at Wendy's and I spent $10.29

Then I took her home. I love spending time with her, but I'm very, very tired now.

Total spent so far this month = $181.78
Spent on xmas = $77.70

I finished reading the library book Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning. Romance. Very Good.

it snowed a little bit this morning, just enough to cover the ground.

I got groceries this afternoon at King Soopers. Spent $32.65 the receipt says I saved 40%

Total spent so far this month = $105.94

I got my Walgreens rebate in the mail for $11.52

Read the libary book School Days by Robert Parker. Mystery. Very Good. I love the Spencer books, funny, good dialog.

walked with mom for 35 min

Went to the post office before work this morning and spent $1.84 to ship the half.com book.

Total spent so far this month = $73.29

I saw I got the $20 bonus for the Virtual Bank account I opened. Added that money to my extra fund. Made $100 on bank bonuses so far this year.

I was reading about the new tax proposals. I guess one of the proposals would limit the amount you deduct for your mortgage payments. So far I haven't been prepaying my mortgage because I have a really low rate for 5 years. 4.5% I know I can do make more by investing in the stock market. But I'm rethinking that position for a variety of reasons.

1. if the deduction is not as good, there's less incentive to keep the debt and invest elsewhere.
2. Mortgage rates are going up as the fed keeps raising interest rates, who knows where it will be in 5 years where my mortgage converts to 1 year ARM.
3. The more pre-payments I make now in the early years of the loan while the interest cost is high the more money I save long term. Right now my mortgage is $704 a month and about $200 of that goes to principle. So if I make a $200 principle payment I save $500 in interest payments, plus all my future payments would pay more toward principle. And that's a tax free investment. If I invest $200 at 5% for 29 years I would have more than $800 before taxes and I could probably average more than 5% a year. So on paper it's still better to invest, but because I want my house paid off before I retire it might be better to put the money towards the house.

I always make myself nuts over this decision. I keep going back and forth. My emotions say pay off the house and my head says invest instead. I make my next year financial goals in December and I think instead of diverting so much of my investment money to stocks I'll put it towards pre-paying the mortgage. Maybe I'll split it, 1/2 toward pre-pay and 1/2 towards investing. Definitely need to think about it some more.

Finished reading my book Private Demon by Lynn Viehl. Vampire. Ok, kind of hard to stay interested. New author, probably won't get any more of her books.

It was a very long day. I left for work at 7:15 and got home at 6:30. We had hurrican force winds today. 84 mph. I fought my car all the way in on the freeway, the wind was really pushing it. I saw signs on two 4 x 4 posts where the posts had broken off and the signs were down. I saw about 20 semi's parked on the side of the freeway. My car was getting pounded by flying stuff. Several trees fell down and several areas of town have no power. At least we didn't have the rain that comes with a real hurricane.

I got my 8.95 rebate for shipping and handling charges from Sears today. That came really fast.

Spent $4.79 for lunch at work, didn't feel like making anything last night.

I got a lot of really good bargains today. I went to Walgreens 3 times today. All on my route. I stopped at one before work and stopped at the same one on the way home and then stopped at another one closer to my home. I got 6 18 oz jars of extra crunchy Jif PB for $1.00 apiece. I got 18 9"x12" bubble mailers for $6, 33 cents each. I got 2 large boxes of Cheeries for $1.50 each and a rain check for 4 more boxes at $2 each. Plus I got 3 boxes of Puffs tissue for $1 each and a heating pad at 25% off and an 18 oz bottle of lotion that will be free after rebate. Total spent was $46.47 according to the reciepts I saved $56.88, plus I'll get $3.29 back in rebates.

I also went to Longs after work and got 24 cans of Chicken Broth at .25 cents each. I also got 8 AAA Duracell batteries for $1.50 and I bought two free after rebate items that I had $3 in coupons for so I will actually make money on those two items when I get the rebate. Total spent $16.63 $10.00 of which will be rebated.

Went to the bank and deposited 3 rebate checks and a roll of quarters, which adds $45.79 to my extra fund.

Then I went to Kmart and started going broke saving money. I only recently heard that expression and it certainly fits today. But I don't regret it at all. I bought two pair of pants that are the kind I always get. Normal price is $16 and they were on sale for $12 so that's 25% off. I bought one pair in my current size and one pair in a smaller size so that when I eventually walk another size off, they will be available. I also got a knit hat to wear walking when it's cold out for $5. But where I really splurged was on a black lambskin coat. Very nice and I liked it a lot. $129.99, which is a very good price, but I hadn't really planned to spend that much for a coat. Oh well, like I said I don't regret it. I got something I like and will wear alot. My last coat is 9 years old, so I tend to wear my coats out and get a lot of value on a per wear basis. Total spent $170.74. I did have almost $100 in discounted gift cards with me so I got a little bit more off the total price.

Total spent so far this month = 71.45
Total spent on clothes = 170.74 - was only supposed to be $100 - blew that
Total spent on stock up bargains = 15.00

walked with mom for 55 min today.

Colorado passed a tax increase bill yesterday, so my State taxes will go up between $300-400 a year for the next 5 years. Between tax increases, gas increases, grocery increases, utility increases and just general increases even if I do get a raise next March it will all already be spent by the increases. Fortunately I don't have credit card debt or that would be another increase.

I sold another book at half.com for 6.50

I was looking through the ads for this week since I will be going in town tomorrow. I have a ton of errands to do both before and after work. Every year around this time until the end of the year a lot of things that I use frequently go to their lowest prices. And every year I think I should stock up more in Nov and Dec, but I don't always have the money put aside. I've decided that next year I'm going to budget $5 a week to put aside to spend on bargains in Nov and Dec next year. For this year I think I'll take $200 out of my extra fund and use it for stocking up on items I will use during the rest of the year. I'll track what I spend here.

A lot of times I see really good gift card bargains around now, like buy a card for $20 to give to someone else and get a $5 one for yourself. I should stock up on some of those, especially at restaurants I eat at a lot. I see that Longs has 15 oz cans of chicken and beef stock at 4 for $1. I think I'll buy a case, you can't beat that price. Stock always goes on sale this time of year as well as spices and baking goods. I don't do much baking, but I plan to stock up on spices and stock.

Still had a funky stomach today. Too much fiber I think. That's what happens when you try to eat right, your system rebels

Goals for Nov are

1. Spend $100 on clothes. I need a new coat, and a hat to warm my ears and a smaller pair of jeans, but don't have to have the jeans right now, so unless I find a good deal on a coat and hat I probably won't get the jeans just yet.

2. Only spend $450 for monthly basics - groceries, gas, hbas etc

3. Walk for at least 30 min a day for at least 20 days. Since the days are shorter there's not going to be enough time for my normal 55 min walk.

4. Save $1000 over my 401K investment

5. Get my shower redone and paid for

6. Put $100 more in my cash reserve fund.

7. Only eat at fast foods 4 times and only eat at restaurants 5 times this month.

My networth decreased by 1.33% in Oct even though I added to my 401K. But there's still two months left in which to meet my yearly goal so there's still hope the stock market will tick up and help me out before the end of the year.

My mom went in town today and was exhausted when she got home, my dad was at a friends house so she called to see if I would go to dinner with her. Since I hadn't started dinner yet, I said yes. We went to Rosie's Diner and had a hamburger. Spent $7.00

Total spent so far this month = $7.00

Finished reading the library book The Return of Nightfall by Mickey Zucker Reichert. Sci Fi. Pretty Good.

I refunded half the purchase price to the woman who bought the book with the swear words inked out. Still don't understand why my mom would do that, but at least it ended ok.

Didn't walk today because I had a really bad stomach ache.

My goals for Oct were:

1. Only spend $400 for groceries, gas, entertainment, clothes, household basics and misc.
Way over on this. Total was $537.50

2. Walk at least 20 times this month for at least 45 minutes each time.
Done

3. I'm going on vacation for a week this month so I'm not setting any eating out goals. I know I'll be eating out a lot. My goal is to spend $300 or less on my vacation.
This was under which is good because I used the extra to cover my monthly spending goal overage. Total was $167.20

4. Save $880 above my 401K contribution
I saved the money, but didn't invest it. It's going toward my shower redo.

5. Try two new recipes
Didn't do this.

6. Put another $100 in my cash reserve.
Put $200 in the reserves.

So not too bad, but not great either. I definitly need to tighten up on the monthly spending. I think I'll increase it a little next month, between gas and groceries it's getting harder to keep it under $400 each month.

Total spending for the month was:

Groceries - 196.20
Fast Food - 11.08 - not very accurate since I used a lot of my vacation money eating out
Restaurant - 44.31
Nieces - 54.32
Clothes - 51.00
Books/Newspapers - 60.61
Gas - 53.29
HBAs - 143.49
Entertainment - 0 - vacation covered this
Other - 3.68

xmas - 160.90
gifts - 40.80

I'll have to do my networth for Oct later, the website for my 401K is down.

Turned my furnace on today when it started to snow outside. Didn't get a lot but it's cold. I was hoping to wait till Nov 1 to turn it on, but didn't quite make it.

I got gas at 2.59/gal spent $26.41
Went to the grocery store and stocked up on candy for halloween and a $10 bag of shrimp which will last for about 3 months. Spent more than usual $49.22 saved 18% according to the receipt.

Total spent so far this month = $537.50

I got yesterday's mail and I had a $6.50 rebate and also my flex care rebates. The dentist and other over-the-counter items got reimbursed really quick. I need to go through some of my old receipts and see if there's anything else I need to claim.

I finished reading the library book Undead and Unappreciated by Mary Janice Davidson. Vampire. Good book. Cute.

I also finished reading the library book You Don't Have to be Rich by Jean Chatzky. Finance. Pretty Good.
I definitely like the premise of the book, which is money can't make you happy, unless you're desperately poor.
Something that bugs me is how many finance articles or gurus there are telling you how to be rich. I have nothing against being rich, I just think it's a ridiculous goal, all by itself. If you want to be rich so you can have a certain lifestyle or to meet a certain goal that's one thing, but it seems to me that people want to be rich, just to be rich. Like somehow being rich will solve all their problems.

While I wouldn't turn being rich down, it's not my goal in life. My goal is to have enough money in savings and investments to finance a comfortable lifestyle so I don't have to work if I don't want to. This amount is well below the amount needed for what I would consider to be rich.

This book asks what makes a happy, successful life and how much money you really need to have one. The book details a survey regarding people's attitudes towards money and how they manage money successfully. It asks the same survey questions in the book and helps you define some of your thinking about money.

She lists a simple set of strategies to help you control your money, spend smartly, eliminate debts, and set and reach financial goals. Most of these strategies are well known, but still worth reading.

walked with mom for 55 min

I've been thinking about some changes I want to make to my kitchen. It involves changing the laundry area and adding new cabinets and replacing the coat closet with pull-out pantries, this would give me about 3 more feet so will need new upper and lower cabinets for that area and then I want new countertops in the whole kitchen. Estimated cost $10,000. I think I'll put it on my wish list and start saving for it after my Canada vacation next year and new carpet in about 3 years. I might get to the kitchen in 10 years or so

I have a revolving list of wants and each year I budget $100 a month for what I call short-term goals. I look at the list and rate it by what's most important to me right now, then I start saving for it. Currently I have the money saved for a new laptop or PC I'm just waiting for the right deal to come along. I also have about half of the money for my Canada vacation next year. I'm planning to use my Extra fund for the Canada vacation also. The Extra Fund is where I put all my rebates, CC rebates, loose change, bank bonuses, half com sales and other extra money that comes into my life in.

I read the library book Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts. Romance. Excellent book. She's such a great story teller.

walked with mom for 55 min. My pants have been feeling lose the last couple of weeks. I had a smaller size in my closet and when I tried them on today, they fit great. I've lost two pants sizes since I started walking last March. I don't think I've lost any weight though which is weird.

I took one of my vacation days today. It was nice an relaxing. I have several days that have to be used up by the end of the year, so I'll be taking a series of 3 day weekends. I like those kinds of days off. When I was a machinist I worked night shift most often because that was my preference. I also worked 4 day work weeks. I loved that. I'd like to go back to that schedule. Having 3 days off a week is great. I hate having to do most of my errands on a Saturday or Sunday. It seems like the stores are so crowded and I get kind of claustrophobic around a lot of people, so half the time I give up and go home without finishing all my errands and then have to make another trip. Working only 4 days a week allows you a week day to do errands.

Went to the library and read two financial magazines.

I opened a Virtual Bank account today. If you have a referral, and if you open an account before Nov 30, 2005 for $100 they give you a $20 bonus. I've recently started reading MyMoneyBlog.com and Jonathan is giving referrals to Virtual Bank. He also has $10 referrals to Emigrant Bank. I'll probably open an Emigrant Account next month.

Here's the link if anyone is interested.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2005/10/easy_bank_bonus.html

So far this year I've made $85 from opening bank accounts. Virtual Bank will make $105, Free money

Finished reading the library book Afterburn by S.L. Viehl. Sci Fi. Very Good

walked with mom for 55 min

I got the Great Fun/Buy.com rebate for $25 in the mail today. That program turned out to be pretty good except for the gas cards. I signed up for a trial membership at $1 month and they sent me $20 Exxon/Mobile gas cards. Unfortunately we have no Exxon/Mobil gas stations in the state so I ended up giving them away. I think I found a web site that lets you swap cards two days later They also had a deal for a $25 rebate from Buy.com. I spent 25.84 on books for xmas and got the $25 rebate today. I was about to write it off because it's been so long and I canceled the membership after a month so I was pretty happy to see it.

I didn't feel like cooking tonight so stopped at McDonalds for dinner. Spent $5.54 but I got a $3 Best Buy bucks coupon. Just have to remember to use. I think I have $7 total now almost enough for a CD.

Total spent so far this month = $461.87

It's interesting that Keeping it Frugal in Texas discussed her My Points points today. I just signed up for that program yesterday. Nice to know it worked for someone else.

I finished reading the library book One Shot by Lee Child. Mystery. Very Good.

walked with mom for 55 min

Made my second to last car payment today, only one more to go. So happy

I got my citi dividend platinum select card bill today. This card gives you 5% back on gas, grocery and drugstore purchases and 1% on everything else. I see they have a referral program now. You can refer up to 5 people and for each one that is approved you get $25. If you have this card and know of anyone who wants one, that's a pretty cool deal.

I read this very scary article in Time magazine today. It's called Broken Promises and it's about how so many companies are defaulting on their pension promises. It's also about how unlikely it is that people will be able to retire the way our parents retired. Most people may not be able to retire at all. It talks about how underfunded all the company and governement pensions are and how overburdened they will become in the next few years. Talk of rising taxes and less pensions and SS benefits. It was pretty scary. My retirement planning doesn't rely on my two very small pension promises, but it does account for them and I hope I get to collect them. As for Social Security I'm hoping to get it, but could make it without. I'd be very unhappy about it though and life would be more skimpy than I would like. I guess the best I can do is keep saving and investing and pay attention to what's happening in the world. I'll have to make my final decision about if I'm truly comfortable retiring at 50 in a little more than 5 years. Even if I decide to work a few years longer for security, it's still a lot earlier than most people can retire.

walked with mom for 35 min. After the time changes I'm going to have to move my walking to the middle of the day instead of going after work. I can't afford to take off and hour and a half in the middle of the work day so I plan to take 1 hour. We took a new route today to see what we can fit in that 1 hour time frame. That has to include driving to her house and driving back home, so this new route works pretty good. I normally don't take a lunch hour I just eat while I keep working and work a straight 8 hour day. It will probably be difficult for me about 4 the first few days when I realize I have to keep working till 5. At least I won't have to get on the freeway at 5 to come home.

I had another coupon for a free McDonalds breakfast so I got that this morning on the way into work. Normally I run errands after work, but I didn't have anything to do today, so I didn't spend any money. Very rare on days I go into town. It's pretty easy to not spend money when I'm basically home all day working

Someone posted a link to PineCone research under the Freebies section of this website. PineCone is having a recruitment week. I signed up for it, but haven't heard anything yet. From what I've read it seems they are one of the most legit survey groups.

Someone sent me an email today regarding Nesteggz saying they were planning to join and wondering if I had a referral code to give them. I thought that was really nice. Anyways I went out to Nesteggz to see if they had a referral program since I didn't know of one, I usually don't pay attention until someone tells me I found out that if I have an email address and a first and last name I can refer someone and they will get 5 Nesteggz bucks which translates to $5. After they build up $25 in the program I will get $5 for referring them. That's cool. I know I talked about Nesteggz in one of my previous posts. I think it's a pretty good rebate program, plus if you get their credit card you get 3% back on gas purchases and 1% on everything else. I've gotten several rebate checks from them so far.

I finished reading my book Born to be BAD by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Romance. Very good. A popcorn book.

walked with mom for 55 min

Mailed the half.com book I sold of my mom's today. Cost = $1.84

Total spent so far this month = $456.33

While I was walking with my mom today, she asked me if I had looked in the book she gave me that I sold on half.com. I said no, it was in really good shape so I listed it as like new. Anyways she told me she had inked out all the swear words in the book and she thought the book was filthy so there were probably a lot of inked out words. I was horrified. I had already mailed the book. It wasn't her fault because she didn't even know I had listed the book. She said she had almost called me last night but forgot. I sure wish she had, because at least I wouldn't have mailed it already.

I emailed the buyer and told her about the change to the books status. I told her if she wants to keep the book I'd refund half her price and if she didn't want to keep the book, she could return it and I'd refund all the money. I'm really embarrased about this and I feel bad for her. She wrote back asking if she can still read the words in which case she will keep the book. I told her I don't know since I hadn't seen it. I doubt it, since my mom is the type to totally erase them. Oh well, that will teach me to pay more attention to my mom's books. I've only sold my books before and I know what's in them. I never write in my books and I just ignore swear words in books and movies. My mom's very sensitive to them.

I made mashed potatoes tonight to eat with my salmon. I had a bunch of little potatoes I needed to use up, so I made a lot of mashed potatoes and made potato salad with the leftovers. I love my potato salad. I got hamburger at 99/lb this week so plan to make some mini-meatloaves tomorrow or Wednesday to go with the potato salad.

I changed the percent I'm contributing to my 401K from 19% to 12%. I did this so the contributions last thru the rest of this year. That means I get the total matching amount from my company. It also means I'll be getting more in my paycheck for the rest of the year too.

Some companies are sneaky with how they match your 401K funds. They portion their matches out as if you were contributing throughout the year, if you stop contributing early because you maxed out, they stop contributing too, so you may not get your total match. For exampe, if you make 60K and if the company matches 5% of your salary. They will match $3000 divides by the number of paychecks in a year which would = 3000/26 or $115.38 each paycheck. Suppose you max out your contributions this month. There are 5 paychecks left this year. The company stops their contributions the same time you do, even though you've maxed out. So you lose out on 5 paychecks of contributions or $576.92. This is a little known rule that a lot of companies use and I think it stinks. I lost out on several years of full matching before I found this out, usually only100-200 a year, but it still stinks.

walked with mom for 55 min

Went to the grocery store this morning and spent $47.60 I saved 37% I had over $19 in coupons. I have a $3.99 rebate to send for also. I ended up with 3 free items.

Met my parents for lunch at Red Lobster. I love Red Lobster it's my second favorite restaurant. First is Outback. Anyways they were having thier endless shrimp deal. I pigged out. It was so good but I ate way too much. Spent $18.43 using my discounted gift cards.

My mom gave me a bunch of old books a while back to take to the used book store. They didn't want them so the other day I dug them out and listed them on half.com, I didn't think they would sell because some of them are 30 years old and a lot of them are religious books. But one of them sold today Dream Lovers - the story about Bobby Darin and Sandra Lee. It sold for $15. That's amazing Anyways I called and told my mom about it, she hadn't known I listed the books. She thought it was pretty cool. Maybe it will inspire her to give me more to list. She has a bunch of old books she'll never read and my philosophy is get rid of it now instead of making me deal with it after they're gone

I finished reading the library book Without Fail by Lee Child. Mystery. Very good.

Slow, lazy, relaxing day; the kind I love best.

Finished reading the library book The Persuader by Lee Child. Mystery. Very good.

walked with mom for 55 min

I'm so glad it's Friday, because I work from home most of the time I generally get up 5 - 10 min before work starts and stumble up the stairs to start working. I'm not a morning person in fact I hate mornings, it doesn't matter how much sleep I get I don't like to wake up and it's 10 times worse on cloudy days like today. Anyways I woke up at 7:00 this morning and looked at the clock and thought only one more day I can sleep in tomorrow. I didn't actually get up at 7 instead I snoozed until 7:50 and then got up. I love to sleep, or even lie in bed day-dreaming, it's one of my most favorite things to do. And it's extremely cheap money wise, not so cheap timewise

I checked my HSBC savings account today and saw that the $35 bonus was credited. More money for my extra fund

I got a Tide with Febreeze and Bounce with Febreeze sample in the mail today to add to the other stuff for my brother's xmas. My sister sent me email and wanted to know what I wanted for xmas, still no clue on something I want. Both neices are getting MP3 players and I want to get them download cards. I don't know anything about MP3 players. Does anyone know of a good place to find deals on these kinds of cards?

Finished listening to the library book on tape Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich. Mystery. Very Good. Her books always crack me up they are so funny.

walked with mom for 55 min

The guy from the acrylic shower place came over today to give me a quote. To get new acrylic walls, a new shower base, new sliding glass doors and a shower caddy will cost $2579.22 After researching it I think this is the way I want to go. It has a lifetime guarantee, the walls and floor are non-porous so that means the hard water won't be staining them like normal tile or fiberglass. The other big plus is that the shower will be done in one day and can be used the next day, plus they cart all the bathroom debris away with them (the old doors and shower pan).

I really like the look too, I ordered Ivory marble for the walls in 12" simulated tile and a biscuit colored shower pan. I had to pay half today and will pay the second half when the shower is completed. I had a $100 off coupon and will get 1% back on my credit card so I saved a little bit there. This will take almost 3 months of my investment money though. I feel grateful that the money is there, even if it wasn't my prefered option for spending it, and I don't need to finance or charge it.

I finished reading the library book Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy. Supernatural. Very good. This is a new author that I haven't read before. I always like finding new authors whose books I like. I will have to watch for the next one.

walked with mom for 55 min. It was really foggy and damp kind of cold but we did it anyways.

I forgot to mention I stopped at Walgreens on the way home yesterday and picked up this months rebate and sale items. Spent $18.69. I also stopped at King Soopers. They had Cheerios at $2.00 each. I got 3 boxes for $5 because I had a coupon for a dollar off.

Total spent this month = $388.46

I filled out several rebate forms today and mailed them. 1 for Walgreens for 10+. 1 for Sears shipping rebate for 8+ and one for my flex account for my dental appt and misc over the counter items. 122+ It will be nice when all of those come in

I'm trying to accumulate all the freebies I can before xmas to give as part of my brother's gift. He hasn't had a job in 4 years and mostly lives off my parents. I'm trying to get food and household items to give him. I got a free sample of Wisk in the mail today that will join the pile. I'll buy my usual gourmet foods and grocery gift certificate for him also, but thought he could use the extras.

I finished listening to the library book on tape Summer in Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz. Romance. Very Good.

walked with mom for 55 min we barely had time to get our walk in. I didn't get home till 5:30 and we started at 5:45 it was almost dark by the time we were done. It's going to be very difficult to get walking time this winter. I hope I continue it though.

I had a coupon for a free breakfast at McDonalds so I stopped there on the way into work. I fixed my lunch so no spending there.

My eyes are really sore from looking at the computer all day the last two days. I guess my vacation got my eyes out of shape I need to build my tolerance level back up.

When I got home my dad's xmas present had been delivered and left on my front porch.

Finished reading the library book The Truth-Teller's Tale by Sharon Shinn. Sci Fi. Kind of like a fairy tale. It would be a good book for teen or pre-teen.