Amber's Personal Finance Blog

Wondering why is it when I am making some sort of headway Murphy always step in? As you all know, I am trying to sock away enough cash in my EF before I start paying down my CC debt and I am so close to reaching my goal before the end of the year and now I need a car battery

I have a car fund which will cover about $40 of the cost of the battery but the difference will come out of my EF. I really do not want to touch any of that money unless I lose my job or become sick, but I understand that a car battery is a must.

Still feeling sad though

Whew, I figured out what to get my BF for Christmas. He mentioned he wants a radio for his car, $60 at Best Buy, also a wet/dry vac $20 at Wal*Mart so all in all his gifts will be under $100.

Also I am racking up points with ShopKicks hopefully I'll have enough points for a $25 GC for Christmas

Woke up feeling very thankful for the following:
-another day
-family/friend
-a job
-health
-back on track to financial freedom
-a roof over my head
-food on the table
-clothing
-happiness
-many more things

Just wanted to say yes I am thankful and hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving

Thanks to Trying Hard, I ordered my free photo collage from Walgreens.com using the coupon code RGIFT2U. It is a great Christmas gift for my BF so I saved $3.99 which will be added to my challenge/EF

So that's one of his gifts and a few more to go, he wants the Sean 8 NCIS and a dry/wet vac and that's it.

I know over the last few years I'll post "I'm trying this blogging thing again" and nothing. But as I sit here I realized that yes I am back on track. I have blogged every day now for a little over a week In addition, I am so stuck on saving this, not spending that, that I know I am definitely back at it this time.

With that said, I have socked away over a $100 to my challenge in a week, created a price list, and just finish clipping my coupons and creating a spread sheet to keep track of all my coupons

Tomorrow, I will get the newspaper from my BF mom, because she doesn't clip coupons and the only thing she reads in the paper is the obituaries. So once the paper is in my hand I will sock away $1.50 (cost of paper, had I bought it) to my challenge EF.

I'm not into extreme couponing, I don't find the need to stock up on items I do not use, but I do want to save money if I can.

Further more I am watching the news and all these people are lined up already for Black Friday, personally I do not want to be in that mess spending money I do not have. So, I will wait for my gift cards from MyPoints and get Christmas gifts then.

I refuse to go overboard this year, or use my CC.

You know sometimes my mom thinks my BF is her BF. She is retired, home all day and says to me when I got home that she forgot to buy stuffing. Being that I am on a budget and she gets food stamps, I say "I wish I had known prior to coming home but I am not going back out, because my mechanic is coming to check out my car which is acting up." Her response, "Call BF and tell him to go" First of all his money is not your money, secondly he is at work until late, third you get food stamps and fourth you have been home all day not doing a thing. Not to mention his account has just been wiped clean (she isn't aware but its not her business either).

So I respond saying, "Well BF will not be home until late." Her response, "Well I guess we won't have stuffing" Really? You're that lazy and cheap? The reason why I say cheap is because she always mention that my "BF must make enough money" I can't stand when others count someone else money.

Sorry I just had to vent

Okay as I left my doctor's appoinment I headed to Wal*Mart. I pick up some items and was shocked that the tv converter was $19.98, after standing in line which seemed like eternity I got a refund.

Headed to my car, loaded, drove off and realised my cell phone was left in the shopping cart. Thank goodness I wasn't too far away before I realized I left my phone, upon my return it was still there, whew!

Next, on the list, enter cost of items on my price list--check, all done.

Woke up this morning and was unable to have breakfast because I have a doctor's appointment at 11 which I had to fast for. I wish I knew ahead of times, I would have scheduled earlier because I am starving.

As I prepared myself to head out to my appointment, I was trying to figure out where I could grab a bite to eat, but then it dawned me...pack your lunch! So I packed a banana, juice and P&B sandwich, now I can add $2 to my challenge.

Next I was changing purses and found $8, yay! So this was added to my challenge as well. As you know I gave my BF everything I thought I had in my purse last night.

Today's total so far $10

It has been since forever since I have blogged, but I must say since this week and I have blogged consistently I have also saved consistently. Since November 14th I have socked away $137.34 and the week is not even over yet.

Yes I lost $20, gave my BF close to $50 but either way you cut it I saved more than I have in a week in a very long time.

I also created my price list. I created a spread sheet with the list of stores I frequent, which include the most common items I buy and the cost of each item at each store. Yes this will be time consuming but once completed, well worth it.

In addition, I will be clipping coupons and socking away what I save on coupons. Now I don't want to be a coupon fanatic but I do want to be able to get a good deal on items I need.

I have done it in the past (paid down debt while saving) so I know that it can be done.

Okay my BF came over and said that both his business and personal accounts are -$42,000. So we call the bank and the state's child support office has froze his accounts.
He is so upset that he almost came to tears. Last year he hired an attorney who I think he should have fired last year, but that's a different story. He hired the attorney to handle the monetary portion of his case and in my opinion she hasn't done a thing

He has custody of one daughter and is paying child support for two, when the mother calls for anything and I mean anything he breaks his neck to get it, which drives me crazy. I'm not saying he is a good dad because we date, I'm saying he is a great dad because I have witness all that he does. He is at every game, teacher parent conference, dance etc. In addition to providing any extra funds that the kid's mother may need. My ex is my ex because he was such a loser and a dead beat dad.

Knowing that his accounts are cleaned out I gave him what I had in my purse which was close to $50. It was tough and maybe selfish on my part but I couldn't help but think to myself "shoot" this was to last me until next week but all in all if the shoe was on the other foot I know with no doubt he would do the same.

Ran errands with my dad who gave me $15 so I added the $15 to my challenge/EF. Also in the mail I got a $10 gift card if I use my Victoria Secret card, so I'll buy a $10 Christmas gift for my self like a clearance night gown/t-shirt. Macy's also sent me a bunch of coupons which I'll use for holiday gifts.

So far this has been a great day. Oops I almost forgot $4 was added to the challenge/EF for having breakfast/lunch at home

I am currently looking for a Pinecone banner to sign up, I was a member but when I lost my job I became depressed and stop taking the surveys and now I would like to sign back up. So if anyone see a link please email me at veronak@hotmail.com

Ona different note I did a little bit of studying so I added a buck to my challenge/EF. Total today $7, I'm thinking I may reach my $1000 goal after all

Thank goodness, I am off the rest of the week plus Monday. I am so happy, and to top it off my dentist office called to cancel my appointment. Yay! I really didn't have the funds anyway.

Today I had homemade breakfast, I skipped lunch because I was so busy, but I did have my lunch for dinner. Therefore $6 was added to my challenge/EF.

In addition, I received my mileage check from November, finally, so I added this to my checking account. This is a plus because being home for the rest of the week means I won't spend a thing and will have a nice amount to add to my challenge/ EF by the end of the pay period.

Since I won't be working I also calculated my mileage for November which totaled about $366 , I'll use this for the BF Christmas gift, not all of it of course. I really need a job where I am not doing too much traveling

I am so happy this is a short week as well as next week. I know I am going to pay for it when I return but, I'm exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I love my job but I am extremely tired. When conducting site visits I must drive an hour each way ( 2 hours on the road not fun) and those two hours really cost me a lot of missed work. But I am not complaining, thank you God for my job, there are many who do not have one

On a more positive note, I may have about $90 extra to add to my challenge/EF by the end of this pay period. In addition, as of this past week ending on Saturday, I have deposited over 100 dollars to my challenge/EF, imagine if I had started earlier. I am really happy about this, my goal is to save $1000 for the challenge by December 31st, and given that I started mid November and I am more than likely will be a little over half way to my goal by the end of December, I am really proud of myself.

For me, blogging keeps me accountable, and I am glad to be back

Well after I forgot about my $20 which was lost I decided to enroll in the reward program with BCBS. I scheduled my wellness checkup which is free, once the results are in I will complete an online survey which will give me a $50 visa gift card, in addition to the $50 for having the exam. Next I tried registering for the other surveys and for some reason my member number is not being recognized so tomorrow I will call BCBS and get this straighten out, if not I will miss out on $100 gift card.

I'm hoping to have the $200 in gift cards by my birthday, we're planning a trip to Alabama and I would like to use these fund for the trip.

I almost got upset but I decided I will not let this get me down, its a minor set back that will be fixed tomorrow and I can take the last two surveys for my $50 gift card.

First I misplaced/lost $20. This money was to last me until the weekend. I original started out with a little over $80, I went to get my hair done and the cost was $25, I went to Publix and spent $10 after that I have no idea what happened all I know is I was $20 short.

Next, I washed my clothes, hung them on the line and it started to rain so I had to rewash them and go to the laundry mat to dry them, costing me $1.50. I'm not adding this to the challenge because it was out of my control.

Well I think I'll mope over my $20 for another 10 or so minutes and then move on.

On a good note I did collect 25 points using the ShopKick app, I'm hoping to get enough point by my birthday to pay for my hotel room for our trip.

In the end, I am still blogging which is a good thing

Yep, dinner came to $42. Thank goodness there were left overs. The BF and went to dinner last night, it was my turn to treat, the money came out of my fun account so I don't feel too bad but yet and still I feel like this was a waste, so $42 added to my challenge/emergency fund.

Even though, the money spent was monies set aside for things like this, I feel like I wasted $42. I think since I have started back blogging about my finances, well matter fact I know, I hate wasting money. Period!

Yesterday I handed out turkeys and canned goods and at first I thought, this is great. But unfortunately as time went on by, I found myself getting annoyed and disgusted. There were people coming back in line who had already received their food items, no thank you, clearly folks high on drugs who maybe selling the items for drugs, people complaining about why don't we have this or that, and what was most heartbreaking was seeing the food thrown on the side of the road as I walked to my car. I thought this was suppose to be a humbling experience and yet I left feeling angry.

There were families who clearly lived in the same household who had 3-4 turkeys and boxes of canned goods and yet another family who came in wheel chairs who left with only a turkey. It really sadden me, and I know I shouldn't judge, but why do I feel this way?

I almost did not blog today but thought no I will continue with my goal. I broke down and bought dinner last night, about $6 but I haven't added it to the challenge as of yet, I was over charged. Later I will add the matched amount to my challenge. But as of today I did not eat out so $6 was added the challenge.

Tomorrow I will be volunteering handing out turkeys, this should be fun.

Today for the challenge I saved $2 for breakfast, $1 for snacks and $2 for lunch, bringing my total saving for the day to $5.

The night is still young, not sure what I am doing for dinner but I am positive it won't be eating out, hopefully bringing my total to $7

But for now I will leave it as it is, so $5 for sure will be added to the challenge

Once again, I am glad to be back blogging.

Okay this is day two and I have kept up with my challenge. Over the last few years (prior to having a BF) I blogged and saved all the time and I'm ready to get back at it, I lost myself. Yes I have a great boyfriend but we waste a lot of money.

I'm proud of my self, I did not buy dinner and chose to eat a P&B sandwich so $2 was added to the $20 Challenge/EF and I saved $1.02 by using my Target card, not to mention I paid the bill of $19.93 as soon as I got home

So if I calculate the totals from earlier along with this evenings savings, I socked away $7.02 for my challenge. Yay! and I must mention in two days I saved $64.34

I am so happy so happy to be back.

Further more, I will be cashing in my MyPoints, points for gift cards for Christmas; two for $25 and once I receive those cards a total of $50 will be added to the challenge.

Yay I am glad to be back!

I was so tempted to buy a snack today but opted out since I am back to blogging or what I call accountability.
Today I had breakfast at home so $2 was added to the $20 challenge and I packed my lunch so another $2 was added, bringing my total to $4. Yay! More than likely I will be adding another $2 for having dinner at home

Whew it feels good to be back!

Now that I have a BF I do not blog as much as I use to or should I say at all. I really want to stay on track, when ever I blog I feel accountable, plus I miss it.

Today was pay day and bills were paid, I managed to save $2 because I over budgeted a payment on the CC; in addition, I upgraded my internet service which saves me about $10.66 a month. So with that I added $12.66 to my challenge/ EF fund. Next I had breakfast, lunch and dinner at home so another $6 was added to the challenge EF and lastly, I transferred $39.66 to my challenge/EF to make things even.

Grand total to Challenge/EF a whopping $57.32
Whoo hoo I am so happy. The goal is to up my EF to $1000 and then start knocking down CC #1.

I have been coming back since April, and I know I have made a lot of mistakes since I have stop blogging but it is time for me to start back blogging and getting back on track. I have managed to pay off debt and rack it right back up. But the good thing is my credit score isn't bad which actually surprises me. But all in all I am ready, I hope to get back to blogging and having some accountability

Dad gave me $20 today so $10 went towards my CC balance and the remaining was split among EF, new home fund and personal saving. I am loving the fact that I'm back on track

Blogging for me is a way to save money. It's a competition, it's also accountability coupled with some form of embarrassment if I do not save or pay down debt. So just a little thank you to SavingAdvice.
Okay yesterday I bought dinner, cost $30 so I split what was spent on dinner was also spent on saving so as follows: $15 CC, $5 towards EF, $5 towards challenge/home fund and $5 towards my personal spending account. It's funny because I have close to $200 in my personal spending account to do what ever I want and I don't want to touch the money.
I also found $10 in my room so this was split 4 ways as well. $2.50 to EF,CC, challenge/home and personal account.
Tomorrow is payday and CC2 will be paid in full

Feeling great, I feel like I'm making progress. Yesterday I paid an extra $100 on CC number 2 and today an extra $14 on CC number 3. Friday is payday so CC 2 with a balance of $500 will be paid in full I'm so excited. Then school is out and I should be reimbursed for my tuition in which CC 3 will be paid off with those funds. I'm also almost at my goal of $1000 for the EF.

Today was a pretty good day. I received my tax return and so far I paid all the bills coming due in advance. Next Monday is pay day so I'll put the bulk of those funds in the EF.

I bought lunch yesterday for $11 so I went to pay the same amount on my Target Visa but unfortunately you're only allowed to make 2 online payments in a week, wow.
So I went ahead and paid $15 on the HSBC cc because I also bought breakfast this morning

On a good note I got my JC Penney CC finally under the credit limit

So my little method appears to be working

Busy busy busy, haven't blogged and of course I spent money. However, first I'd like to say dad was very I'll, we thought he may have had prostate cancer but with prayer it seems like we are cancer free he goes back to the doctor after a taking some meds and we will see.

On a different note the BF is really pushing to move, so I bought about $150 worth of household furnishings to get ready for the move, I must admit I'm a little nervous but won't know unless I try.

I have completed my taxes and the refund is about 1200 dollars, do I'm paying off one CC and the rest will go in the EF. Until tomorrow that's it.