Moving on up!

Skinny August Budget

2011-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

$289.86 for all of August. That includes gas, food, and entertainment. Let me remind you I'm moving into a new place and I need a shower curtain and I'm sure some other random things. This is going to suck!

That's $72.64 a week. Wish me luck!

2011-08-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hello

Strict Budget

2011-08-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

This strict budget in August is going to kill me. I have $70 a week to spend.

Bikini top on clearance to go with bikini bottom I already have $5.53.

Prescription $10.49

Wine $8.48

TP and cat litter $7.50

$32 spent

$38 left for the week

Five years gone.........

2011-07-31T10:44:00.001-07:00

My boyfriend and I broke up in May. We had been together for five years and I thought he was the one. I thought that he would change. He told that he didn't want to get married yet when we first started dating. He was recently divorced so I could totally understand why he wouldn't want to make a commitment.
Five years later I realized he probably just didn't think I was "the one" which is terribly painful. So we ended things on my birthday in May.
I am just trying to pick up the pieces. I'm finally able to sleep through the night a few days a week. I found an apartment that I'm moving in to next weekend. I still am very hurt. Five years is a long time.

2011-07-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

5 more days until I move into my own apartment. I'm trying to finish eating all the junk in my fridge and in my freezer. How can I use three kinds of mustards in five days???? Hmmmmm. I'm making some pretty creative salads. I made a quinoa, black bean, parsley and salsa salad. It actually wasn't have bad, but I did put way too much onion in it. Luckily I'm staying how and cleaning my sister's house today.

Spend Free day

2011-07-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

I spent the day at a family reunion. It was a no spend day for me! I used food in my fridge, a zucchini someone gave me and some pasta I had in the cupboard to make a chicken bowtie pasta salad. We relaxed all hot afternoon in my parent's backyard. There was plenty to eat and much conversation. Now I'm relaxing at home, checking all my favorite blogs drinking a beer.
I have 12 more days until I move in to my new apartment. I hope to work on my "Casual Feast" food blog too. I've been very busy lately.
What did you do this weekend?

I neeeeeed my blog back!

2010-09-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

I lost my job about 9 months ago and I've lost my way! Sometimes I think this blog gave me so focus, some goals, and confidence in the direction I wanted to go. I may still blog here. I know there are things I think of constantly that I want to write so Movin' on up may continue. TBD.

Moving on out!

2010-07-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Moving on up (A.K.A Pam Lambert) is moving to a new web site. I don't feel eager to write about money problems every day like i used to. I will continue my blogging quest on www.casualfeast.blogspot.com! Thanks for hanging out with me!

2010-06-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend with a friend from high school. It's hard to believe we met over 20 years ago. We were so little! Kelly came to visit me from Santa Cruz, California. She has only been to Colorado once so I gave her a tour of the neighborhood. It was fun, but all great visits must come to an end.

After an expensive weekend of going out to sushi, Thai food, etc, it is time to tighten the belt. I have put money on my credit card. I have $24 cash for the rest of the week.

I have $30 in my bank to buy a dress. I have a "gala" to go to for my boyfriends' company. They are receiving an award for up and coming new businesses. What is a gala anyway? I'm not sure exactly except I think I'm supposed to wear a cocktail dress. I'm going to go to Macy's and see if there is anything on clearance.

Friday is always heaven even when your underemployed

2010-06-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning my house because a) it needed to be done and b) my best friend from high school is coming to visit. We actually became close during and after college because we lived within 90 miles of each other and made regular trips to see each other on the weekends. I'm talking about 1 to 2 a month. I moved to Colorado in 2006 and haven't seen her since I left! It's been 4 years! So I'm very excited to see my friend.

The library called me this morning to work so I was able to work 4-1/2 hours today which is better than nothing so I jumped at the chance.

I spent $100 at the store on my way home. I bought

yogurt
a big block of Tillamook cheese (gotta have a midnight grilled cheese sandwich!)
TP
laundry soap
raspberries
cherries
strawberries
milk
2 frozen veggie pizzas by Amy's
bean burrito
kale (for extra veggies in my smoothies)
banana
yogurt
2 kinds of ravioli's (yum)
frozen whole wheat waffles
Breyer's chocolate ice cream
italian icees (lemon and strawberry.. it was hot today)
breakfast sausage
broccoli
lettuce
eye liner

I haven't been to the store in over a week and I was due a trip. I got an awful cold about a week ago and haven't eaten much but fruit and chicken soup.

Going through the magazine collection

2010-05-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'm going to spend the afternoon today gardening and going through all my June cooking magazines. I also checked out "The Kiterunner" from the library. Great book so far - I can't wait to pick it up again! Work first, then leisure! First - the pulling the weeds!

I got a job!

2010-05-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

I got a job at the library! It's only part time, but they liked me enough to pay me and train me to do more. Wooohoo! I was so excited to fill out the forms like my I-9 and w-4. It made it so real. I work a few days a week, but hey it's better than nothing, right? I am currently living off of money I make from working at my boyfriend's company (only about 8 hours a week) and my savings which is dwindling too fast!

The only bad thing is that I only get paid once a month (government job) so I won't see a paycheck until the end of June. :(

I will be living off my savings and any extra income I can make for the next month.

My birthday!

2010-05-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

I had my 36th birthday yesterday! I woke up after ten hours of sleep and read my book on the porch in the sunshine. I went to a new Thai restaurant in town with my boyfriend. We both had curries. I had red curry chicken and T had the panang curry. Oddly enough they tasted and looked much the same. Then we went to the nursery where I bought some flowers for the pots on the back porch. I also bought a cherry tomato plant for my Topsy Turvy tomato grower. We saw Iron Man 2 which a good movie, but I liked the first one much better - better story line. Then we went out to dinner and I ordered tortellini and had a HUGE salad! Yummy! We still had some energy so we went and played mini golf. Great day and got to spend it with my honey!

Tornado Warning!

2010-05-19T09:31:00.001-07:00

We had some weather excitement yesterday! It was a series of thunderstorms that went through and one produced some funnel clouds (which I didn't get to see. Very bummed!) However, there were some cool clouds outside. I don't know if any of you get excited about weather, but I do. Maybe I should have been a storm chaser or a weatherman? Anyway here's two pics.

Taco night!

2010-05-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

I had a leisure morning, reading, looking through cooking magazines and walking on the tread. It's about time to head out to the library. I made chicken tacos with a mango tomato salsa last night and had leftovers for lunch this afternoon. I made Spanish rice for the first time, but I made it with brown rice because I couldn't find any white rice in the house.

Possible job prospects

2010-05-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

I am currently underemployed. I lost my full time job back in December. I had a contract job that lasted until the beginning of April, but I've been underemployed since. My boyfriend needed some help at his company mainly doing production and helping them move their warehouse contents to another warehouse. This has been a huge help because I haven't had to dig into my savings much and I got to learn how to do soldering! Melting things is FUN!

Over the last few years I have reconsidered my career in accounting and decided I needed out! Being laid off was a good thing for me, because I was able to give something else a chance that I have a passion for. Libraries! I have been volunteering at the local library and will some day be a substitute librarian. I already have the degree in English, but I had no experience. Seemingly bad things happen for a reason!

Lunchtime fun

2010-05-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

After my bike ride, I was so hungry so I ate some carrots and hummus and a slice of leftover lasagna and a giant glass of iced tea. Yummy! I snacked on pistachios this afternoon. Then going to the grocery store where I spent about $70 on a variety of veggies, cheese, black bean burgers, cat food, and q-tips.

Day 1

2010-05-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

I went on a nice bike ride today. I had planned on going to a preserve near the house and bike 4 miles. I'm happy to say I biked over 8 miles down some beautiful paths.

Crooked house on the prairie!

Moving on up is changing!

2010-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have had moving on up, the blog, for awhile. However, I have changed my priorities a bit. I would like to make this more of a lifestyle, food blog because I love cooking and eating, but I also want to live a healthier lifestyle. I will still discuss money and movin' on up financially, after all that is also part of the balanced happy life that I am striving for, but my focus will change a bit.

For those of you that have read my blog for a period of time, you will know that I lost my job in December. I had a contract job in the accounting department of a brewery here in town for 3 months. This has since expired and I have been work for my boyfriends company about 2 days a week for the past few weeks. It pays the bills! I am so happy to be out of debt. I could not have done this a few years ago.

I feel alive again!

2010-03-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

We had our first spring like day here in Colorado. It was almost 60 degrees so what did I do? Play in the dirt! It was awesome! Loved it! I pulled some dead plants and weeds. I moved mulch around in the yard to needed bare spots, plants and bushes.

I even kind of clean the garage. Well as much as I could get done because there's a huge tractor in there and I don't plan on moving it. It's scary to drive. The brakes don't work well! My kitty enjoyed some of the afternoon sun.

She sat in the sun on my back porch swing.

I'm loving my job at the brewery, but alas, all things come to an end. I have 4 weeks left. I was hoping to get a job there, but they don't seem to have an opening. I've been looking and applying for jobs. I don't want to be unemployed and build up credit card debt again! Eeek! That's all for now.

I'm still here!

2010-03-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm still here, just busy!

Moving on up? Nope! It's down.

2010-01-29T18:57:00.001-08:00

This has been the first time in several months that my net worth is down. I'm trying not to panic, but I love that my net worth is stable. I'm only losing money because my retirement accounts have tanked this week.

Hitting the grocery store!

2010-01-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

Ok. So I went a little crazy..... The first thing I did with money from my work is grocery shopping. While I was unemployed for 4 weeks, I spent very little on food. I used my cupboard as a source of inspiration. Tomato sauce, canned beans, rice, curries. These were my staples and I made some very creative meals with them. Well after 4 weeks I was low on my staples so

I went on several shopping sprees. I stocked on more dried beans, pasta, spices, baking supplies, frozen vegetables, meats for the freezer, and a variety of broths. I recommend if you put yourself on a spending freeze and you just have to shop. Go to the grocery store and stock on staples (assuming you have the space)!

I am also saving $200 a paycheck. Remember this job is only supposed to last until April 7th. I should have a $1000 by then. Hopefully that will hold me over until I find another position.

What staples do you have to have?

I paid off all of my credit card debt and I got a contract job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-08T15:06:00.001-08:00

I got a three month contract for the local brewery. I paid off my credit card debt. This is the best day ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't been out of credit card debt since 1999!

Interview review

2010-01-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I went to the job interview. It wasn't exactly what I wanted. But, hey, at least it's a possibility. They are even hiring until February. The Good News??? Well, I have another interview as an contract accountant at a major brewery here in Northern Colorado. Awesome! I'm very excited to have the opportunity to work again! I loved having a few weeks off, but, let's face it! I'm broke! I don't have quite enough money to actually relax when unemployed. The job is contract because the accounting clerk is on maternity leave.

I have spent very little money since being unemployed for 3 weeks. If I get the job tomorrow, I will be able to pay off my credit card!!! A dream come true. I will save at least 25% of any new money coming in so I can be prepared for another lay off. That's my plan. I will blog again tomorrow and let you know what happens.

- Moving on up!

Christmas Recap.

2009-12-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

I had a great Christmas. I am truly lucky to have such great friends and family. I was no able to give Christmas presents to anyone, but everyone understood. My boyfriend and I had agreed that we would not buy Christmas presents for each other this year, but somehow how he talked Santa into buying me a few really nice presents. Thanks T! It was a surprise! I asked if he would get me some milk from the grocery store and he came home with wrapped presents too.

Woohoo!

2009-12-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

I got an interview for a part time accounting job. That in itself it not exciting, but it's for a landscaping company. Anyone who's a long time reader will know that I love to garden. I've had a vegetable garden for several years and have always loved to play in the dirt.
The interview is not for two weeks, but I like to have something to look forward to.

Christmas Eve has been fun so far. Ghost Hunters Marathon. Opening of Christmas presents. (yes, I realize it's early. I rarely make it until Christmas day.) My boyfriend and I watched "Hangover", "District 9", and some Disney movie with rodents. We have been lazy for the past few days. We had a snow storm that dumped about 8 inches of snow. I need to shovel my way out tomorrow. It's on 15 degrees right now though. I think I will wait.

Merry Christmas!

What day is it?

2009-12-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I'm unemployed for less than a week and time is all distorted. There aren't many jobs posted today. I'm not surprised. I don't think there's going to be much posted until after the new year.
I spent $37 yesterday at the grocery store. I purchased fruits, vegetables, milk, coffee and a cheap flank steak. My boyfriend and I will be spending the holidays at my parents' house so I won't need to much food this week.
I received $3 from Pinecone Research. I love them Pinecone checks!!!!!!! I should be getting my last paycheck today as well as a payout of my vacation.
Called the doctor today and asked if he could increase my antidepressants a little until I feel better. I'm on a very low dose and he said that I could increase it they don't work after a while or something bad happens.
I am trying to be positive about finding a job soon. Have a great Monday!

So I crunch the snow...

2009-12-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

I quit my job last week. My employers won. I was too exhausted, miserable and depressed to fight on. I know I will find another job that will be much more positive. I will get my self-esteem back now that I have left. I couldn't stand seeing their ugly faces every day. I have plenty of friends there that supported me in my decision. By the way, I'm in accounting and I quit right before year end and before I could train anyone (Haha!) Good luck suckers!

So the last few days I've been running and doing yoga. I love running in the winter when the sun is shining and it's above freezing. I crunch the snow along the side of the road. It's very therapeutic. I feel like I'm getting all the bad negative energy out of me.

My goal is to not get back into debt.

What's been going on with Moving on up????

2009-12-10T21:09:00.001-08:00

So I haven't been blogging. I have too much anxiety. I've worked at my company for 2 1/2 years. My last review said I exceeded expectations. Then my company fired most of the managers, fired a 1/3 of the company and are still firing at least one person every week or two. Then, out of the blue, I had a review that said I suck at my job. I almost quit on the spot, but i remained at the job thinking someone was just having a bad day. I was hired for one job then they changed my job description. A lot else has happened at my company, but it will take me several hours to describe. Let's just say I was written up for things I haven't even learned how to do yet.

So yesterday I was "suspended" for my job and sent home for two days unpaid. I have been so depressed lately and have thought about upping my dose of antidepressants. I am suspended until Monday.

$212 left of credit card debt.

2009-12-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

I wish I had some more money in my savings. I would just pay that last bit off. I haven't been very frugal lately. I've spent money on some clothes and shoes. My shoes had holes in them and we really cold and wet in the snow. :) I need a few long sleeve t-shirts. I'm glad I purchased some warmer clothes. It was 3 degrees this morning. My wet hair froze when I went outside. I hate that feeling!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

$483 Left

2009-11-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

I have had a very slow month getting rid of debt. My dad had his 70th birthday party and I hosted the party. I always think it's cheap when the family contributes, but I spent about $150 anyway. It was soooooooooo worth it. Lots of fun! My dad really appreciated it. I also purchased him a gift and a few Christmas presents so I spent my "extra" debt repayment money.
I'm hoping December will be a bit better. Next week I hope to pay down $200 so that will be huge. I'm so anxious to be done!

$570 left!

2009-11-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

I paid about $95 this week to my credit card debt. I even paid the minimum on car insurance so I could pay more to the credit card. There's not much more I can do, but try to stay out of financial trouble and put every bit of money toward this demon.

I have changed my life from frivolous to frugal. I used to have nicer clothes, new furniture, and lots and lots of stuff. I wasn't any happier with the stuff. This stuff just complicated my life. You know how easy it is to clean out a cupboard, drawers, or vacuum the floor when there are things cluttering up my life???

Getting to know me...

2009-11-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater? Benjamin Button
What Book Are You Reading? Need to go to the library
Favorite Board Game? Trivia Pursuit.
Favorite Magazine? Cooking Light
Favorite Smells? Gardenias
Favorite Sounds? Birds in the morning in the spring time
Worst Feeling In The World? Anxiety attacks
First Thing You Think of When You Wake? Is is Saturday?
Favorite Fast Food Place? Rubios
Future Child’s Name? Ava, if I have a girl
Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,” I’d quit my job.
Do You Drive Fast? Nope.
Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal? No
Storms—cool or scary? Love em!
What Was Your First Car? Honda Accord
Favorite Drink? Milk
Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…” Take a knitting class
Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli? YUM!
If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be? I would try to dye it darker.
Favorite Sport to Watch? Baseball
What’s Under Your Bed? Nothing.
Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again? Sure
Morning Person or Night Owl? hmmmm. Definitely not morning.
Over Easy or Sunny Side Up? Over easy
Favorite Place to Relax? Home
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor? Berry gelato

$664 left.

2009-10-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

I scheduled another $140 payment to my credit card company. I have $664 left. I think I paid off about $700 this month which is extraordinary. I don't have any money in savings which makes me nervous. I haven't contributed much to retirement this month.

I made $28.50 at my second job and $6.00 from Pinecone Research. If you have extra time and want to make a few dollars here and there, I would recommend Pinecone. You get $3 for each survey and they don't send you a bunch of junk e-mail. I'm not going to make a living off of it, but I truly believe saving small amounts and being frugal on a regular basis is a necessity.

I went shopping this weekend and purchased a few Christmas plates and two salad plates for myself from Crate and Barrel. My plan is to collect the dishes I want a few at a time since they cost $5 each. I spent $10 on myself and $50 on presents.

Assets down, but so it debt.

2009-10-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

I cleared out my itty bitty savings account - all, but $100 and paid toward my credit card. I just can't wait to pay the damn thing off! I'm down to $804.00 by tomorrow's online payment. I'm dreaming of being able to really save for a car, increase retirement, paying off a personal debt, and save for a couch! I'm going to put a little drop into each of these buckets so I can have more freedom! It'll be insane not to have to pay a credit card payment; I don't remember what that's like. I started accumulating credit card debt when I was 24. I'm 35 now. IT SOUNDS LIKE HEAVEN! Now if I can just find some more money....
I have a $28 check coming from my second job, $3 pinecone research check, and I should make another $30 from second job if I work my second job over the weekend. Every penny counts.
I think I'm going to try to cook more "beans and rice" sort of dishes so my food budget will go down too. Hmmmm.............. Where else can I save?

New debt payoff plan!

2009-10-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

I liked several readers suggestion of reducing the amount saved so I can finish this long journey of hell called credit card debt. I reduced retirement for the next three months down to 15% from 19%. I also reduced my short term savings from $50 to $25.00 a week. I'm hoping this will speed up the process a bit.

I've also paid off my magazine subscription I owed, purchased one of my prescriptions, and I think I'm going to get my hair cut this weekend. I might go to Cost Cutters. I'm a little nervous, but they are cheap! I won't have much money left for the week so I will see if I can make do with the groceries I have.

$1106 left on my credit card!

2009-10-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have been in credit card debt for 10 years. The highest was $17,000 and it's taken me two years to get down to $1106.00. Hurry. Hurry. I'm getting soooooooooooo impatient for it to be over. I have my "new" credit card free budget ready. I just can't seem to pay it off soon enough. I'm still contributing 23% of my money to short term savings and retirement so there's not a lot of "extra" money around.
I don't have anything to sell. (I haven't purchased much in the last two years!) Trust me I looked. No one owes me any money. I have a small project that I can do tonight at my second job. That will bring in $25.00.
Oh and my doctor called and told me I need to call him back and make an appointment. Another $25? Can't it wait?

Money needed!!!!

2009-10-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have lots of little expenses coming up and they add up to a lot. I'm not sure if I want to pay them off all at once or week by week.
$25 Haircut - I can put this off a few weeks if necessary, but I'm getting annoyed by split ends.
$4 Prescription - Will pick up this week.
$25 Prescription - needed for next month.
$16 - Shape Magazine subscription
$25 Medical copay for an appointment I had a few months ago.
$30 Oil change. This should be done this month too.
$75 extra for car insurance due Oct 30. I dropped my collision insurance because my car is 10 years old, but I still $125.00 for six months.
These "minor" expenses add up to $200.00 that I can't give to my credit cards this month. Bummer.

Menu planning for the rest of the week!

2009-10-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Wednesday - Pecan crusted trout with acorn squash

Thursday - Linguine with Clam Sauce

Friday - Chicken Mole

Saturday - Brown curry Tofu and vegetables

Sunday - Some kind of chicken again.

It's soooooooo close to Friday it hurts!

2009-10-01T08:42:00.001-07:00

I had a great night last night. My friend came over for knitting night. We watched a Jane Austen movie, talked and did some knitting in there somewhere. Love girl's nights! I found a video of a Halloween party I had years ago. We reflected on the good old days and tried to remember names of friends from the past.
I don't have any plans this weekend. I'm looking forward to doing some more baking and lounging around the house. What are you plans for the weekend? Anything fun?

IS IT JUST ME???

2009-09-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

I went to volleyball last night. I play co-ed with some friends after work. We play two games last night and my body is tired, a little sore.... but I like it! Is it just me? I don't feel like I've worked out until I have a little soreness.
After VB, My boyfriend and I went out for some dinner. I had an eggplant and bell pepper panini at my sister's a few hours earlier, but I was still hungry. (My hunger never stopped yesterday!??) We went to a restaurant and ordered chicken chili. It is so good. I have to figure out how this restaurant makes it and try to duplicate it at home. Yum. I also had a side salad with mine. I purchased a pint of chili for lunch today. The meal, including lunch for today, and a glass of Pinot Noir was $28.00. Not too bad.

No goals = no failure!!!

2009-09-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Am I right? Well, not really. I didn't post any goals for September so there's nothing to report for the end of the month. One informal goal I had to was to have more no spend days. That didn't go so well. I think I made it 7 days without spending money this month.
I also joined the earn more challenge for 5 months. I made twice as much as my goal for the month of September.

I would also like to shout out to my boyfriend, "T". Hi "T"! I told him a while ago that I had a blog, but I never told him where the site was. (muhaha...) I told him where it over the weekend.

We have volleyball tonight. That's all for now!

2009-09-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

I get the blues during the winter. Most years get pretty bad by Christmas and then I have several months until it warms up. I love the fall. There is no doubt about that, but I always have the underlying knowledge that I will be getting depressed soon and that the cold will leave me stranded indoors for a few months. My defense? It has always been to try a new hobby, a new adventure. I travel or learn a new craft. One winter I worked on making some amazing Chinese foods and even had friends over for Chinese New Year. I vowed one year to learn how to play and watch football. (I didn't make it past the first game. As I said, I would try new things!) I did yoga one year and have been doing it since. I knitted a lot in 2006. This year, I want to learn how to bake bread. Not banana bread or biscuits - I have been baking since college. I wanted to learn a new craft. The artisan bread - a la sourdough and rustic breads!
I have attempted two loaves - two loaves of challah bread. The Jewish holiday egg bread. I made a loaf of regular challah bread and today I made a honey apple sweetened challah bread. It's yummy. Here's a pic of the honey challah.

Fricking hilarious!

2009-09-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a cat do this? Her tongue's stick out! What the heck? Bad picture, but I'm glad I have proof.

Moving on up is moving on up!

2009-09-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

I made an extra $68.50 this weekend by working for my boyfriends company. I assemble parts and do a little accounting for him after work so I make a bit of extra money. My goal was to make $45 extra a month and I made $105 total! I will put the $68.50 in my car maintenance account when I get a check this week. I also filled out a Pinecone Research survey for $3 last week, but it usually takes a few weeks to get my check. It will be in October.

I took my cat to the vet this week because he was spraying in the house. The visit cost $80. $30 for the exam and $50 for a urine analysis to make sure he didn't have an infection. Ouch! I took the money out of my e-fund so my savings is looking a little sad. The good news is that he hasn't sprayed in the house for 5 days! Woo hoo! Apparently cats don't like having the little roof on their cat boxes. I would never have thought of that. My vet is a saint!

Besides the expensive trip to the vet (is there ever a cheap trip to the vet?), I haven't spent much money. I haven't purchased groceries in about 2 weeks. I've relied on the veggies I have had in the garden and some apples and lettuce I bought a while ago. I think I'm going to have to get some staples in the next few days.

I don't think I've had many "no spend" days. I haven't kept track, although I think I'm at about 5.
Hope you all have a good week!

End of Summer!!!

2009-09-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

This is the last of my vegetable garden! It's supposed to get down into the upper 30's tomorrow so I picked the summer squash, the rest of the basil and few more green beans. It's sad!

Yeah for Thursday!

2009-09-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have had a crazy busy week. It's flown by which I like! It's almost TGIF.

I have done very poorly with my no spend days. I think I've had two in the past 9 days. I had a goal of 12, I think. I better get to work! There's only 20 days left. I had quite a few low spend days. One day I purchased mushroom soup and corn tortillas for enchiladas. It was only $2.18.
I spent money on a bottle of wine last night. Mirassou Merlot. Yummy. My neighbor and friend came over for a knitting night. I think we talked more than knitted. It's all about having a girl's night anyway!

Other spending this week? $25 on gas. $40 for a season of recreation volleyball.

I've cleared out most of my garden and made marinara sauce with the remainder of the tomatoes. I have 5 containers of marinara, 5 small plastic jars of pesto, and frozen jalapenos in the freezer. I haven't purchased many vegetables in the past 2 months. It's been great!

It's almost Friday! Woohoo!

Rocky Mountain Camping Photo

2009-09-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's not letting me download more than this. So here is the river we camped next to!

Grocery shopping and cooking garden veggies!

2009-09-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

I spent close to $100 at the grocery store. I purchased :
olive oil
cat food
chicken
canned foods like beans and tomatoes (great for soups and sauces in the winter
a few vegetables (my garden is still producing a lot)
raisins (I've been craving raisin oatmeal cookies!)
Pastas
Mole sauce for chicken
Worcester Sauce
Yogurt and milk
Olives
Paper towels
Tortillas
canned tuna for lunch

I need to do a large shopping trip once a month and I always buy canned goods and pasta when they are on a great sale. I also bought a bottle of zinfandel on my home. I served the zinfandel with ratatouille. I sauteed garlic, beefsteak tomatoes, eggplant, and yellow squash for 1/2 hour. It was delicious with Parmesan cheese on top. Yum. Leftover today!

Cha-Ching!

2009-09-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

I made my first money for the 5 month earn more challenge. I received $33.50 from my second job and $3.00 for a Pinecone survey. My goal is to make $45 each month. I added the $36.50 to the my car maintenance fund. I have another $11.50 to make for September. I have to work at my second job tonight and I will make $20. Maybe I should have challenged myself to come up with more the $45?

I had a great weekend. I went camping in the beautiful Rockies with my boyfriend. We played cards and sat by river watching some men fly fishing. Very relaxing. I will put up some pictures tonight.

I spent very little money this week. However, I did take some out of my savings. I have a very bad habit of taking money out of there. I can't save more if I keep taking it out! Sounds like it might be a September goal. Hmmmmmm.............

Love the late summer evenings!

2009-08-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last night my boyfriend took me and a friend out to dinner. It was beautiful out last night and we sat on the patio. I order a glass of Mirassou pinot noir. I ordered the pasta primavera with smoked salmon in hopes of having leftovers for lunch today. I had leftovers. Lots of leftovers. Smoked salmon and tomato sauce do not go together. I love to experiment with food and try new flavors. Sometimes I find something great a restaurant and can recreate it at home.
Anyway it was a beautiful night and I had some great company.

I brought my leftover pasta today. I still won't be able to finish it. The portions were huge!

I spent about $25 at the grocery store last night. I purchased milk, plums, gummy worms, dark chocolate, avocados, grapes, yogurt and kiwi.

5 Month earn more challenge!

2009-08-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Money Funk is having a 5 month earn more challenge. That means in the months from September through January I will try to earn more money each month. The question is "how much can I make realistically?" I have a second job doing a little accounting on the side so I make $40 a month for that. I occasionally make money doing some assembly work for my boyfriends' company. I think my goal will be to make $45 a month.
The other part of the challenge is that I want to put all "extra" money put into my car maintenance fund. I want to have $225 in my car maintenance fund by the end of January. Great challenge Money Funk!
Looks like a lot of people are going to try this one.

Trent is my hero!

2009-08-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

I just the love the blog "The Simple Dollar". It was one of the first blogs, let alone financial blogs, that I ever read. I read from the very first one. I was intrigued by the idea of living frugally and getting out of debt. His blog is always an inspiration. I read this article over the weekend about cooking what you have on hand. It was a great read. I am going to cook some rice and beans to be used throughout the week. I have dried pinto beans which I can put in salads, burritos, or with eggs. I also have brown rice which I can put in burritos or make a quick vegetable stir fry with. These two items can give me meals for the rest of week. Thanks again Trent for another great article.

No spend Wednesday

2009-08-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

I had another day of not spending money. My mom and dad invited me over for dinner last night. I had a delicious meal and they sent me home with leftovers for lunch today. My mom also gave me vegetables from her neighbor's garden. Fennel anyone? I have never eaten it. It has a strong licorice flavor. I'll see if I can find any recipes for it.
I am going on a much needed grocery trip tonight (payday is tomorrow) so I will spending a bit of money tonight.

Why I love my garden!

2009-08-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

No Spend Tuesday.

2009-08-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't spent money this week. This is good because I ran out of money on Sunday. I'm eating all the food I've made in the fridge and eating the vegetables from the garden. I have plenty of squash and tomatoes to eat. It would be great to get a bit more variety. Payday is not far away. My boyfriends parents and uncle are driving down for a visit. We are going out to an early dinner.
I sent in a payment to my credit card company. Only $1742 left of $17,000!

Retirement savings increase.

2009-08-17T11:09:00.001-07:00

I also increased my retirement savings from 17% of my salary to 19%. I don't want to work the rest of my life and I've got to make up for lost time!

Weekend update!

2009-08-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend. Game night wasn't too bad. The people who I don't know didn't end up showing up. I spent $10 to top of the old gas tank, but that was it. My boyfriend bought pizzas, beer and wine for game so I didn't have to buy anything on Friday.
I was really lazy on Saturday and read my Julia Child biography most of the day.
Sunday, I cooked food for the week. I was trying to use up vegetables, some chicken broth and other items on the freezer. I made a pumpkin pie, grilled squash and eggplant from my garden for panini sandwiches, marinated chicken thighs for dinner tonight, and made turkey meatballs in a marinara sauce. This should cover several of our lunches and dinners for the week. I also cleaned up my garden a bit. I lost about half my tomatoes, some squash and cucumbers to hail last week so I pulled out the old torn up plants and salvaged what vegetables I had left.
Good summer weekend.
How was your weekend?

Friday Update

2009-08-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

We're having game night with some friends tonight. It's not really my cup of tea, but I usually have fun at these kind of things. I'm an introverted type of person who is with an extroverted man. Most of the time I would rather read or spend time with one or two friends. I'll tell you how it goes.
I did spend money last night. We went to Sprouts Market last night and I bought some fruit, yogurt, butter, hummus, gnocchi, granola, and squash. It came out to $32.86. I also bought collard greens. I've been trying new vegetables and I have no idea how to cook it. Any ideas?

Dinner plans on Thursday.

2009-08-14T07:35:00.001-07:00

My boyfriend and I went out to dinner with an old friend to fantastic bistro type restaurant. I had the oven roasted margherita pizza with a Caesar salad. They make fantastic crispy thin crusts. I had enough for leftovers today.

Free lunch!

2009-08-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

I went out to lunch with my department at work. I had a delicious pasta with chicken picatta. It had a lemon, butter and caper sauce. There was a house salad on the side. Free! Love free meals.

Small Paycheck this week. I was sick with a stomach virus for most of last week so I took a lot of time off unpaid. Free things are especially good!

Another no spend day!

2009-08-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

After work, I went out for drinks with the girls and I just had water. (I had to drive anyway.) Then I went to a movie with my mom and sis, "Julie and Julia". My mom bought the tickets for all of us. So I had a great girls night out for free! It was a great movie by the way.

No Spend Tuesday.

2009-08-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

I went home from work and did some work from home and made an extra $20 last. I also made raviolis with a mushroom soup so dinner was prepaid. My boyfriend and I sat around and watched episodes of "Get Smart". It's a very silly, silly show.

2 years since my PF life changed!!!!!!

2009-08-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

It was Sept 2007 when my check engine light came on in my car, my brother was getting married in California, and I didn't have anything in my wallet, but a credit card. I was very disappointed in myself for being 33 years old and having nothing to show for it. I decided to get rid of my debt, increase my savings, and contribute more to retirement.

My net worth at the time was negative $7000. Two years later it's a positive $7228. I can't wait to see where I will be in a year.

August 2009 Goals

2009-08-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

I'm 11 days late, but I decided to make a few mini goals to get me inspired to save more money.
I've spent a bit too much money on groceries and have gone over my budget repeatedly for the past two months. Hence, I have not paid down my credit card at all since June! I need to reign in the spending.

1) Stick to my budget of $150.00 a week for food, gas and entertainment. This used to be enough, but I've been spending closer to $200 or $225.
2) Increase my savings account to $375 by the end of the month.
3) Keep my checking account balanced every week.

Changing Banks

2009-07-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

After receiving an Atm Card usage fee I have decided to change banks. I am moving my checking account to ING Direct. I already have my savings there, but I'm getting sick of all the lame charges that banks get me on. Does anyone have experience with ING checking? The only problem I am having is that I don't like sending checks through the mail when I need to deposit money. I have direct deposit through my work, but I usually receive one check a month which I will need to deposit. Is this safe? Are there any other alternatives?

I'm back!!!!!

2009-07-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

I had to take a hiatus because I needed a break from blogging. I've been a little blue about not getting out of debt yet. (I had planned on being out of debt by August.) I still have $1884. Ugh. I am trying to get motivated! I want to have financial freedom. I will do it someday! I want to be able to take a lower paying job doing something I love. I want to be able to pay for a car with cash. I want to be able to take my cat to the vet if she gets sick without putting it on the credit card. I want freedom!

Springtime cooking

2009-06-16T19:30:00.001-07:00

I made some crepes with spinach and ricotta and then some cream of asparagus soup. I had to use up some leftover vegetables.

It's Friday!

2009-06-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and I'm ready for a weekend to sleep in and get projects done. I spent plenty of money last week so I'm going to have a frugal weekend. I have $75 to spend this week. My goal is to keep this budget. I'm going to weed my vegetable garden, plant a plum and an apple tree, and paint my laundry room. I have everything I need so it should be free.

On Sunday, I'm going to a food festival downtown. It costs $5 and lasts most of the day.

Have a great weekend!

My life feels out of control!!!!!

2009-06-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

I have had a rough few weeks which started with the major expense of surgery for my cat. I spent $100 on two appointments and $820 on the actually surgery and medication. My credit card bill has skyrocketed. I am so used to consistently "Moving On Up" that the downhill slide made me a little depressed. So what did I do to cheer myself up? That's right. I went shopping. I bought plants, flowers, and paint for a new project. I didn't have the money for these expenses so I bought stuff on my credit card. I haven't put anything on my credit card for almost 2 years. I had a panic attack in the middle of Saturday night. It was horrible. So I got up in the middle of the night with a plan.

1) Leave all but one credit card at home.

2) Build up my emergency fund so I can pay for smaller expenses.

3) Face the music and accept my mistakes.

4) Tell my blogging community that I screwed up!

5) Get back into the game of Moving up!

Personal Finance Blahs

2009-06-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't been in the PF mode. I found out my cat needs to have surgery and it will cost over $800. I don't have very much in savings so it will have to go back on the credit card. I am down to $1157 owed. It will be back up to $2000 by the end of the week. The delay has made me a bit cranky and I haven't wanted to blog. I want what's best for my cat.

May goals revisited

2009-05-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

May is coming to a close as Memorial Day moves in on Monday. I love 3 day weekends. Since next week is a short week, I thought I could review my goals for the whole month.

1) Plant my vegetable garden. Done. I have several tomatoes, squash, herbs, cucumber, green beans and eggplant growing. Beside accidentally leaving the water on all night, the garden is doing well!

2) Pay down credit card to $1050. Nope. My credit card will be down to $1217.00. I paid off over $500 this month.

3) Finish reading 1984. Not yet, but I'm close and I have another 10 days to complete this.

4) Finish painting kitchen. I got a ladder to reach the corners above the cabinets so it will be done this weekend!

5) Exercise at least 4x a week. Done! I went from running 1.8 miles a day to over 3 miles on some days. I feel great!

(6) Don't go on any spending sprees. Done. I didn't go too crazy.

7) Get rid of 60 things before the end of May. I'm up to forty (??) things so with a good cleanup this weekend, I should achieve this.

#35 and #36 #37 of decluttering

2009-05-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

# 35 I'm going to get rid of some old Cd's. Can you recycle these? Is there anyone who will take them?
#36 I have a lot of plastic plant pots. I am taking them to my nursery who reuses the pots.
#37 Post it notes!!! I have them everywhere. I don't know what half of them are!

Low on Cash!

2009-05-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

I went a little crazy this week on plants and gardening projects. I won't need too much money this week. My boyfriend's taking me out to dinner for my birthday on Thursday. I'm going to be 35. Ugh. My parents are taking me out this weekend for dinner and we have a graduation party with lots of food on Sunday. I don't think I will have to buy much food! Sweet!

#30, 31, 32, 33, 34

2009-05-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

I cleaned out my junk drawer and looked around the house.

#30 I threw out all expired coupons. I put the coupons I do use in my car.
#31 I threw out address labels. You know how you get labels for donating to various charities? Well, I had 5 sheets of address labels and I never send letters and never mail bills. Why do I keep things like this?
#32 An old check register
#33 An ice scraper that's been broken for a year
#34 I'm giving a "Simpsons" VHS tape. I remember buying it at Target about 7 or 8 years ago. It was one of those shopping trips where I put everything I could find in my shopping cart and paid for it all with credit card. Honestly, I'm not sure if I've even watched the tape. Oh, how life has changed!

Weekend update!

2009-05-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

I got quite a few things done this weekend. I began with gardening. I weeded my vegetable garden and then started weeding the rocks around the house. It was 90 degrees over the weekend so I had to stop before I was finished.

I used my $10 gift card at JcPenney. I bought 2 new t-shirts that I can wear to work.

I cooked pinto beans for dinner and also to bring to lunch for the week. I made a lasagna to cook for tonight and spaghetti which I put in the freezer.

I also borrowed a ladder from my sister so I can finish painting the kitchen.

My boyfriend and I helped my sister move for a few hours Saturday morning.

All in all it was a good weekend. I did relax and enjoy some nice dinners with my boyfriend and my friends.

#28 and # 29 of decluttering

2009-05-14T17:16:00.001-07:00

# 28 of the 60 things I'm getting rid of is my makeup. I have to throw it all away because I got pink eye. I can't wear make up for several days. I wasn't particularly fond of my mascara anyway. Does anyone have mascara that they like? I'm willing to pay up to $20 if it's good stuff.

#29 - I'm getting rid of a pile of magazines that are gathering dust. My mom likes to read magazines and catalogs so I'm bring them to her house.

Weekend Goal update...

2009-05-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to get a jump start on my weekend goals on Wednesday, but I was lazy. I didn't even go running. I will try to get a few things done after work, but I came to work late today.

I went to the doctor. I have pink eye. All at once everyone, "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwww". Yuck. I don't' know where I got the nasty infection except I have a scratch on my eyeball and it's infected. I started on some antibiotics so I should be nasty free by the weekend.

Have a good Thursday.

Goals for this weekend!

2009-05-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

I have a few things I want to get done this weekend so I broke them down into mini-goals so they don't seem daunting.
- Use gift card at JcPenney (need new t-shirts)

- Use gift card at Victoria Secret

- get ladder from my sister

- Use ladder to paint the corners of my kitchen (it's taken me 3 weeks!)

- work at my second job for 2 hours

- Cancel my gym membership. The weather has been too nice to go to the gym. I've opted to run outside and prefer to whenever possible. I will look on Craigslist for a used treadmill for when it rains. Has anyone ever bought a used exercise machine??? Any luck?

- running 3x

- Go through old bills and office filing cabinet

- Get rid of 10 more things!

Perfect Monday???

2009-05-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend and I took a day off on Monday. It was a beautiful 75 degree day. We woke up late and made breakfast. Then we went for a walk around the neighborhood. (Why were there so many of our neighbors home on a Monday???) We played 9 holes of golf at a cheapo golf course. It cost $20.00. Then we were off to a matinee for $14.00. We saw "Star Trek". Good movie even though I'm not the biggest "Star Trek" fan. I'm sure some of the jokes were over my head. Then we went out for Chinese for dinner and sat on the restaurant patio soaking up the sun with a glass of zinfandel. Perfect day!

#21 - 27

2009-05-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still going through the house and my car for things to get rid of. It's amazing how much stuff I hang on to. I'm not a pack rat by any means.

So to continue my month of purging....

#21 - an old license plate (Why did I keep that????)
#22 - two more stained t-shirts For those of you that have read my blog, you know that I haven't bought many clothes for 2 years in order to pay off my credit card.
#23 - a sweatshirt
#24 - a plant that's seen better days. You can't save them all! Just let it rest in peace, Moving on up!
#25 - more socks with holes are going to sock heaven.
#26- a bathing suit I've had for more years than I would like to admit!
#27 - more towels are leaving me. Where the hell do they come from?

Slimmer Moving on up!

2009-05-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

I joined online Weight Watchers this morning. It's $46 for a month, but I'm hoping it will help me to lose a few pounds before summer. I've also put a weight loss ticker up. I really don't like feeling this chunky. I quit smoking and gained 25 lbs. I just figured the weight would come off, but in two year, I've only lost 5 lbs. So here goes!

Drum roll please......

2009-05-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life, my retirement accounts have gone into the 5 digit mark. I have over $10,000. Woooohooo!!! I'm so proud! My goal is to have $45,000+ by the time I'm 40. I have 5 years to go. Happy. Happy. Happy. Oh and tomorrow's Friday too!

18-20

2009-05-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

This week I am tackling my car's trunk. I moved to Colorado in 2007 and I haven't cleaned out my trunk since. I know I have golf clubs in there, but I also noticed a fan. I used this in California, but I haven't taken it out for the last few years. So for #18 - 20

18) small fan goes to the goodwill
19) A few bad punk cd's. (Yes, there are a lot of good ones!)
20) More maps

Weekend update! and declutter # 13-17

2009-05-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

13) Paintbrushes
14) Old paint, spray paint, and crusty old wood filler. I cleaned out the cabinet with household supplies and chemicals.
15) Threw out an old hair brush
16) Recycle 2 old printers
17) Throwing out 2 more old t-shirts

I continued to work on painting my kitchen both Saturday and Sunday. I went shopping crazy. I bought $145 in groceries, $50 on vegetable plants and flowers, red vines and soda at the movie theater ("Wolverine" Good!), $45 on painting supplies, and $25 on gas. I spent quite a bit over my budget so I won't be able to send as much to the credit card this weekend. I'm a little bummed.

#9-12

2009-05-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

9) I'm giving away another dress.
10) Throwing away a few mismatched socks
11) THREW OUT SOME TUPPERWARE LIDS (DON'T EVEN REMEMBER BUYING THEM?!?)
12) Consolidated some bottles of window cleaner and recycled old bottles

May goals

2009-05-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

1) Plant my vegetable garden
2) Pay down credit card to $1050.
3) Finish reading 1984. I hate not completing something.
4) Finish painting kitchen (I hope to be done in less than a week.)
5) Exercise at least 4x a week. I get the blues when I don't exercise :(
6) Don't go on any spending sprees. I'm too close to paying off the credit card!!!
7) and of course I'm going to declutter and get rid of 60 things before the end of May. I put a garbage bag in my car so I can bring stuff to the good will when I'm done.

# 8

2009-05-01T09:32:00.001-07:00

I cleaned out my medicine cabinet (except it's in wicker basket.) I consolidated bandaids, aspirins, and then checked expiration dates. I threw out the empty containers. It looks a lot neater and organized. I also found a bottle of shampoo! Score!

#4 of 60 things to get rid of.....Surveys

2009-04-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

One thing that has seriously sucked my time from my life has been surveys. At one point I belonged to 6 or 7 surveys companies. While, they had their place and time, I don't enjoy doing them anymore. I cancelled three more, my survey, global opinion, and my points. I'm even going to close the e-mail account I use for junk mail and such.

I don't need this many things to check every day!

# 3 of 60 things to get rid of!

2009-04-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

3) I cleaned out my desk a bit at work. I threw old paperwork in the recycling. It looks much neater!

57 more things to go!

Cleaning out the fridge and pantries!!

2009-04-28T07:41:00.001-07:00

I'm going to try to avoid the grocery store for another week and find some food in the pantry and freezer.

Dinners/ Lunches for the next week or so
Macaroni and Fontina Cheese
Bean burritos
Salmon Cakes (I have a can of salmon from I don't know when)
Tuna sandwiches (I'm having one for lunch today)
Steak
Pasta with tomato sauce
Some kind of red curry (I need to use up my curry paste in the fridge!)
and potatoes, lots and lots of potatoes!

Sides that I have:
Pineapple (barbecued on skewers with the steak, perhaps???)
edamame (I have frozen edamame to use up)
Strawberries and yogurt

I'm in spring cleaning mode...

2009-04-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

I changed my goal to 60 things and I'm starting now! I looked around my car first.

1) I had an old pair of sunglasses that I haven't worn in a year. They are ugly, don't protect from the sun, and scratched. They are not worth even giving to the goodwill.

2) silly putty. Yes I had silly putty in my car since about 2003. It's kinda gross.

I think I'll hit the closet tomorrow. I can think of at least 2 t-shirts that I need to throw away. Stains and holes. Nasty!

Decluttering continued

2009-04-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

Inspired by a book review at The Simple Dollar. I am going to make a goal to get rid of 50 things in May. Some may be small, but I would also like to get rid a few larger items such as an appliance or tool. This is about 1-2 things a day. Anyone up for a challenge?

Look at those talons!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend found this bald eagle in my backyard having a snack. I thought it was soooooo cool!

April Goal.

2009-04-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

The only goal I made for April was to get my credit card down to $1800. I squeaked by at $1799.00. I wasn't in the mood to make a huge list of goals, but you should see May! I've already thought of 8 goals.

Wednesday

2009-04-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

I've had a pretty good week. I have only spent $17.00 this week (since Saturday). I purchased Kiwis, bananas and grapes for $7 and a $10.00 on a bottle of wine.

I went to play volleyball last night with my team. Afterward we went out for pizza and my boyfriend bought me a personal margheritta pizza. I didn't spend any money there.

I have really been focused on how to get my credit card debt paid off quicker. Waiting until August, doesn't really feel like an option anymore. I have $1799 left. I have had credit card debt since I was in my early twenties. That was over 10 years ago! I have worked so hard for the last two years and I am done. I am working as much as I can at my second job. I'm trying to curb my gardening impulse buys by not going to nurseries more than once a week. I'm going through my cupboards and eating what I have so I don't have to buy groceries (I have a lot of pasta and canned foods.) Anyway, it's all about patience.

That's all for Wednesday.

Gardening weekend.

2009-04-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

Muscari, Calibrachoa, Basil and Roma Tomato. Spring Time!

2009-04-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

I bought the October Glory Maple today to put in the back yard. I bought this shade tree to protect the back porch from the afternoon sun. It's only 8 feet tall, but it is supposed to grow up to two feet a year. Someday.... Someday....

Isn't it a beauty?

No spending challenge.

2009-04-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of people who blog about having "no spend days". I rarely have a no spend day. I go to the grocery store 3 days a week, get gas at least once a week, and then there's any other shopping I do. I am going to try to do a no spend day at least twice a week. Yesterday was a no spend day so I can check 1 off for the week. Anyone else want to give it a try?