9-7-10

7:00AM

Things are rolling so smoothly
this morning because I planned
ahead. And it's a good thing too
because I did not get a good night's
sleep. I got to bed around midnight.
Then I hear a sound and got back up
around 12:30am.
We had gated off the kitchen and
put the dog in there before bed.
She had knocked over one of the
gates and got out.
She is gated off when she goes pee
in the house. She was in the backyard
yesterday for most of the afternoon
but the moment we went to the store
to get a pop she peed in the house!
GRRRRR! Then ate a pack of Jonathan's
bubblegum. So anyway I get the gate
set back up. 1:00am I am up again
hearing noises. The dog tried once
again to knock over the gate.
She didn't knock it over.
Didn't hear a peep since then.
Then at 3:30am I must have had a
bad dream and woke up.
So yeah I feel like I only
had a couple hours sleep. That
alarm went off too early at 6:30am.
I felt like I could have slept til
noon. But I got too much running to
do today. I got to call the mortgage
company to see what to do with the
escrow thing, then go to my car insurance
place, post office to drop off bills,
maybe Meijers, then Dewaine is supposed
to come back over and put up the remaining
fence panel and maybe add another
latch on our gate. I still have laundry
to take off the line and put away.
Then figure out what we're having for
supper.

I keep thinking about my grocery list
for Meijer. I may tweak it back some
and remove uneccessary items from my list.
My new list should look something like
this.
$44.09 before
$17.59 after
$26.50 savings

So my weekly grocery spendings
added along with Kroger's list should
be $28.63.
That's $16.37 under my regular
budget of $45.
If I can do this for the next
month or so I can save $65.48
in one months time.
Or $131.00 in 2 months time.

When there is a will there is a
way. Even though I have high
bills at the moment I still
am finding ways to cut back
and save money. This is one
way of getting the bank account
back up where it should be.
I mean I have a cushion and
all to fall back upon but just
because I have used part
of that cushion doesn't mean
I shouldn't try to find ways
to build it back up.

8:00AM

Well I have to get the kiddos
dressed and ready to take them
to the bus stop. Then all the
fun starts.

________________________________

Well this morning I called the
mortgage company. Boy was that
a joke and I'll tell ya why.
My name is not on our home
loan and me being the wife
cannot ask questions about paying
the bill!! This is the stupidest
thing if you ask me. All I wanted
to know was how to go about paying
the freaking escrow shortage bill
and what to pay for our monthly
home loan! I think if you are married
you should be able to access all your
bills no matter if they are in
the husbands or wife's name!
Because if you think about it, should
the loan or other bills become delinquent,
I'm sure
they would not hesitate to come
after me for money owed on the loan
being the wife.
I think they should authorize your
spouse to be able access your monthly
bills, especially if the wife is the
one making the payments.
So I just did my better judgement
of how to pay the bills this month
for the house.

------------------------

I got the rest of my errands run
and bills paid. Then me and mom
went to Meijers to do some shopping.
Which by the way I had to go over
what I said I was spending earlier because
I realized we were out of dog food
this morning. GRRRR. But that dog
food is not a weekly expense so
it won't hurt too bad. That should
last about 3 weeks or so.
Still got her brand of dog food
and it had a $1.00 coupon
on it so it was all good.

Some things people do in the grocery
store bothers me. And here is one
example that pisses me off.
A person will leave their cart
or basket in line and run around
the store to shop thinking
their basket is holding their
place in line. Me and mom get in
line and wonder why this basket
of groceries was left on the
floor of the checkout lane.
We pushed it out of the way so
mom could go around it and put
her groceries on the conveyor
belt. I'm about to put my
groceries up when this lady
mysteriously appears out of nowhere,
after I don't know how many people
have walked around her basket,
and just pops back into line
like it was nothing, separating
me and mom at the checkout.
I just bit my lip! I really
wanted to tell her off!!

----------------------

When I returned home from the store
I found that Kendra had stopped
by and left me some Depends on
my back step.
Check out all these she got
for me FREE off Freecycle!

I can only imagine what
the neighbors are thinking
seeing all these on my doorstep,
LMAO!

She also gave me 3 Mums
(which will come back yearly)
and a houseplant she made
for me!




---------------------

My Meijer trip

Before price $112.11

Price I paid $26.11

And these are the Catalina
coupons I got today:

FREE box of Idahoan potoatoes

$4.00 off purchase of $40

$1.00 off $5.00 salty snack

$5.00 off next shopping trip

$1.00 off Raisin Bran

plus about 3-4 other ones

And here's everything I got
for $26.11, it even includes
the dog food and 2 brand new pairs
of shorts. I NEVER buy new clothes!
They are having a clothing clearance.
Take an additional 25% off the marked
down items. PLUS I have a Meijer
discount card since Damien works at
Meijer for an additional 10% off
non food items!!

pink pair shorts
regular $13
marked down to $3.00
additional 25% off $2.25
additional 10% off $2.03

black pair of shorts
regular $11.00
marked down to $2.00
additional 25% off $1.50
additional 10% off $1.35
These I found in the maternity
section of the store.
They do not look maternity at all!
I saw other maternity clothes
with the elastic band pants
and shirts marked down to
$2-$3 so take an additional
25% off that for those needing
maternity clothes!

So $3.38 for 2 new pairs of shorts
that would have cost me $24!!!
A savings of $20.62!!

I was just looking over my receipt
and found a mistake. The dole
salad mix was supposed to be
buy 1 get 1 free and they charged
me for both. Will take my receipt
back tomorrow to get reimbursed.
So my new total spendings for
today at Meijer is
$24.11











______________________________

I have yet to turn the air conditioner
back on. The Weather Channel says it's
92 degrees out. Thermostat says it
is 83 degrees in here. I've got
fans blowing full speed and some
windows open.
While everyone is at work and school
I am comfortable with these temps
and are saving money by not turning
the AC on!
We are supposed to get storms
or rain this evening. Then once those
roll through the temps in the 10 day
forecast are in the 70's.

_____________________________

2:30PM

As much as I would have liked,
it doesn't look like I am getting
a nap in today. Eyes are about
to fall outta my head!

The boys get home in a little
over an hour. So in the meantime
I started working on a food pantry
inventory. Once I get that done
along with freezer inventories
then the fun begins of trying
to put together meals with those
items.

Not sure what we are having tonight.
Maybe something simple since I am
so tired and we have a backyard
to still tidy up from yesterday.
Got some hot dogs today so might
do those with some mac n cheese.

I think for tomorrow, since I don't
have plans of going anywhere I'm gonna
do this for supper:

Mix some dry onion soup mix with
some cream cheese. Stuff that into
some boneless chicken breasts.
Pour a can of Campbells Select
caramelized onion soup into a crock
and then add the chicken.
Let those babies cook 4-6 hours.
Make up some mashed potatoes
and some carrots. Thicken the
remaining soup in crock and make
into a gravy.

______________________________

You know when it's really windy
out when a pair of shorts on
your clothes line flies of the
line, clears the top of the shed
and makes it into the front part
of the driveway on the other side
of the fence!

_______________________________

Here's a tip of how to enhance your
yard with flowers at little or no
cost. Look around your neighborhood
or at your neighbor and friends yards.
Sometimes their perennials need thinning
out and they might be willing
to give you some extras they may have.
Perennials are flowers or plants
that come back every year.
My across the driveway neighbor lady
was talking about these flowers
she planted last year and how they
took off so fast in her small flower
bed and spread. She said I could
dig up some of her flowers
to start my own collection.
I don't know what kind they are
but I think they are pretty.
So for only the labor to dig
those flowers I can have flowers
for free!
Your yard won't be a gardener's dream
overnight but at least you'll
have a little curb appeal for
very cheap!



_______________________________

3:20PM

Got a few more minutes before walking
to the bus stop so I thought I would
share a couple of the deals I got
today.

I had $1.00 off $4.00 of produce coupon
For $3.00 in produce I got
1 pound grapes
3 pounds carrots
and a buy 1 get 1 free Dole salads

Ballpark Franks
regular $2.50
I paid .17 cents each

Danimals yogurt smoothies,
coolisions and crush cups
regular price $2.29
I paid .79 cents each

Uncle Bens Whole Grain Rice
regular $1.98
I paid .17 cents

Campbell's Select Harvest Soups
regular $1.96
I paid .65 cents each

Spaghettios
regular .99 cents each
I paid .50 cents each

Lysol Pourables
regular $2.78
I got them FREE

Dad's Dog Food
regular $7.99
I paid $6.99

Kraft cheese slices

sale price $1.88 x's 10 is $18.80
I had 2 coupons
save $5.00 off 5 pkgs cheese
It made 10 pkgs $8.80
or .88 cents each.

PLUS when you bought $15 worth
of cheese you got a $5.00 catalina
coupon to use on your next shipping
trip to Meijer.

So how, when I only spent $8.80
on that cheese, did I still
qualify for the coupon for $5.00
off when I had to purchase $15
worth?

The price before my coupons for
the cheese was $18.80
which qualified for me to get the
$5.00 coupon. It didn't matter
if I used coupons to get this deal
or not. Always look at the before
price!

Here's another situation.
If you have a coupon like I did
for $4.00 off your $40 or more
purchase remember to ALWAYS make
sure that is the first coupon
you hand the cashier when checking
out.
You don't want your total to
be $40 some dollars then hand over
your other coupons dropping that
total under $40 and then trying to
use that coupon. It won't work
because now your grocery bill is
no longer $40!

_______________________________

Well I hate to burst anyone's bubble
about this gate but the bottom
latches aren't working at all.
Actually the top one also finally
broke loose this afternoon
with all the wind. The gates
were swinging in the breeze.
You can lock them in place and
with the wind blowing the gate
around they just come undone.
Tonight we might go to Lowes
and price one of those gate
poles to help hold it in place.

---------------------------

It's 4:30Pm and I finally broke
down and turned the air on.
Probably just for this evening
and tonight since the temps
are supposed to drop in the 70's.
Hey I saved on electric by not
using it all day today til now!
Then figure I will only run it
for about the next 14 hours and
turn it off again for the remainder
of the week.

Looks like rain is moving into
the area. Time to run out
and remove clothes from the line.

_______________________________



Kendra & Dewaine

Remember yesterday when I asked
you if you knew about predicting
the upcoming Winter by the band
stripes on the black and reddish
orange caterpillar and you both
said you never heard of that before.

Here's an article I found about
the Wooly Worms...

http://www.ehow.com/how_2143194_predict-winter-wooly-worms.html

the Wooly Worm we saw had longer
reddish brown bands and narrower
black bands on the ends.
Like the middle one below.



Did you know that when the leaves on
trees turn over to show their
backside that means rain is coming?

Cows lay down when rain is near.

Other folklore about weather:

It Will Be a Bad Winter:

If squirrels accumulate huge stores of nuts and have thick bushy tails.

If there are lots of berries on trees.

If the black stripe is wider than the brown stripes on the back of a Woolly Bear caterpillar, the winter will be long and harsh.

If ant hills are high in July, winter will be snowy.

According to farmers in Ohio, the higher a hornet's nest is from the ground, then the more snowfall is to be expected in the coming winter.

If the first week in August is unusually warm, the coming winter will be snowy and long.

For every fog in August, there will be a snowfall in winter.

A warm October means a cold February.

A warm November is the sign of a bad winter.

If the first snow falls on unfrozen ground, expect a mild winter.

The nearer the New Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the winter.

The first frost in autumn will be exactly six months after the first thunderstorm of the spring.

Worms plug the entrances to their holes when it gets cold.

______________________________

And the story goes on...

TRUCK DRIVER NEIGHBOR

Today truck driver neighbor comes
over to gab with me and Tony.
I see his littlest kid following
behind him and he is wearing a
Winter coat that looked to have
one of those sheep like fuzzy
linings. It was 93 degrees out!!

______________________________

Well y'all it's 9:30pm and it's
been a long and tiring day.
It will feel good to be home
tomorrow with no errands to run!
Nighty night!

9-6-10

Got about 4 loads of laundry
washed and hung up to dry.
Still need to put away and
get everyone's clothes
out and ready for tomorrow.

I'm seriously thinking about
finding a couple bars to
hang up in the basement
for clothes. The last place
we had, had a huge bar in the
laundry room to hang clothes
and I thought that was a wonderful
idea. I could take clothes
out of the dryer and hang right
up.

Dewaine & Kendra came over today.
Dewaine got the gate up and another
partial fence panel up. Still have
one more fence panel to put up
by the house. We went with a 4 foot
gate but still left the fence on the
sides of the gate 6 foot.

Tony changed again yet another
shifter cable in our red Trans Am.
This one seems to be working.
We finally, after about 3 months,
were able to get that sucker off
the trailer.

We took down a fence panel and
pushed the Charger out of the
driveway and into the backyard
where I've been wanting to store
it. Plus eventually I'm hoping
to have all the cars behind the
fence for added security.

Oh yeah Kendra, you asked what the
truck driver neighbor has done lately
so here's one for today.
I could write a soap opera about
that man, lol!

Kendra and Dewaine had just left
so we were still outside picking
up the carport area and getting
things cleaned up. Our neighbor lady
right behind our driveway came home
so we chatted for a few in the roadway.
It was killing truck driver neighbor
to see us talking so he walked over
to gab and bitch about life like
usual. Neighbor lady goes in so
truck driver neighbor decides
to gab and hang out at our place
with his kids for a few outside.
We were still tidying up and moving
the truck and trailer around.
We were saying something about
finding our kids (they were out
playing in the neighborhood) because
it was almost supper time. So he
finally leaves and we finished tidying
up the carport and I was taking down
the rest of my laundry on the line
before coming in for supper.
It couldn't have been 10 minutes
later when
I turned around and saw all three of
truck driver's kids in our house!!
I'm thinking what the hell.
That's when his one little girl
yells out our back door and says
her dad said it was ok to come
back over!! So here's his three
kids inside our home and without
our knowledge at first while we are getting
stuff finished in our backyard.
And to think we just told truck driver
neighbor we was going to be getting
ready for supper. Takes a lot of
balls!! I told them they had to go home!

Ya know what really drives us nuts
with truck driver neighbor is he has
a 2 year old boy that will go out
into the street. He does not
know how to look for cars.
Lost track of how many times, when
they were here today, he went out in the street
and cars had to stop because of him!
And the dad will just stand there
and yell for him to get out of the street
instead of going after him.
Me, I would have him on a leash!!

6:50Pm

Just had supper. We had a bag
of Tyson BBQ honey chicken.
Now need to bring the rest
of my laundry in then start
working on lunches for everyone
for tomorrow.
Then will be everyone's bath time.
Notice I said bath instead of shower.
My kids went from white to black
in one afternoon.

Tomorrow I have to run to the insurance
place to make a payment.
Then call the mortgage lender
about my bill, then get the rest
of my bills sent out.
(then be depressed for the next month)
And I don't know if me and mom
will be going to the store or
not. If I get anything it better
be a damn good sale or something
matched with coupons to make it
cheap! For the next month
I would like to eat from the pantry
and freezers and only get items
needed or things that are really
cheap that I can't pass up in the
grocery store.








Look aunt Janet, your hinges are
being put to good use and just
in time! YEAH, couldn't have
timed that any better huh.





8:50PM

Still running around like a chicken
with it's head cut off.
Got all the laundry took down
and brought into the house.
Got it all sorted out into piles
according to who it belongs to.
Got the last load hung up to
dry overnight on the line.
I think I did about 4-5 loads
today total.

Mom and Don stopped by to check out
our fence and gate. They liked it.

Then Kendra calls. She says she saw
an ad of Freecycle for 29 packages
of Depends type undergarments. She
was telling me she was on her way
to pick them all up for me.
WOWZER these are about $9 and up a
package! I know everyone is probably
wondering what I need all these for?
I use them as bedtime pants for kids in
case they have any accidents at night.
I will also give some to my step-dad.
He had prostate cancer and has problems
every now and then.




9:00PM

Well got 2 kids clean as a whistle.
Got everyone's clothes/outfit laid out
for the rest of this work/school
week. This makes my mornings
go by much smoother. I also
got 3 lunches packed and
ready to go for tomorrow.
So I am finally getting
a little sit down time. WHEW!
But I feel as though we got
a lot accomplished today.
I kept forgetting it was Monday,
I thought it was Sunday.

Here's 4 outfits for each
kid for the rest of the week
laid out and ready to go.
No running around trying
to find things first thing
in the morning. Breakfasts
are in the freezer ready
to be microwaved and lunches
are packed ready to go.
I like to plan ahead when I
can!


10:00PM

You'd think I'd be getting ready
for bed right about now. HA!
I'm up making out a grocery list
for Meijer. Brain is hurting
at moment trying to match coupons,
sales and all these Catalina
coupons!

So far I have figured out
$70.09 worth of groceries
for $29.59.
Wish it was lower!
But it's a savings of $40.05
which is more than 50% off.
BUT I should get a $5.00 off
my next shopping trip with
this grocery list I have.
So maybe I should see it as
everything for $24.59.

This is what I have on my list.

1.5# grapes
3# bag of carrots
1 head of lettuce
2 pkgs Ballpark Franks Hot Dogs
3- 6 pks of Danimals yogurt
1 Uncle Ben's Instant Rice
9 Select Harvest Instant Soups
4 cans Campbells Pasta
2 Lysol Pourable cleaners
10 pkgs Kraft cheese slices
4- 12 packs mini Oreos
2 gallons milk

KROGER

8 two liter bottles Pepsi
$4.04

7 packages shredded Kroger cheese
$7.00

------------------

Total for this weeks groceries

Meijer $29.59
Kroger $11.04

TOTAL $40.63

_____________________________

11:00PM

Just sat down to figure out
the rest of my bills.
Should have had them out around
the first of the month but am
running behind. Nothing should be
behind except for a few doctor bills
by paying them now instead.
I always watch the due dates
and any grace periods.
I DO NOT set up automatic
withdrawals out of our checking
to pay utilities and such
every month.
And another thing I DO NOT do
is go on the budget for electric
or gas. To me they even out
throughout the year with their
highs and lows.
I can still run my insurance pymt
up to their office tomorrow instead
of sending it and make it by the
hair of my chinny chin chin on that
bill!

This month's bills will be a bitch
but I will bite my tongue like usual
and pay them all and have a clean
slate next month without nothing
lingering over our heads!

BILLS COME FIRST! That is my saying!
You don't run out to yard sales
and do extra shopping, buy car parts
for hobby cars, etc, before knowing
where you stand with your bills.

I DO NOT try to make partial
payments on things! That only
gets you into debt deeper.

For example. If you pay $50 on
a $100 bill due this month then
next month that $100 bill now
rises to $150. See where I am
going with this.

My regular monthly bills can
run $1200 to $1500 depending
if I get an extra bill that month
for let's say water or the newspaper
which I pay every 2 or 3 months.

So this month's average in bills
should have been around $1300.
BUT with extra doctor bills
and an escrow shortage and a larger
than normal (and don't know why)
electric bill, it is now, drum roll...
over $2600 for this month alone!!!

So if friends and family don't see
me smiling and being a happy camper
at the moment that is the reason.
We will make it and get through this.

I have been going 5-6 years or more
without having to run to mom to
borrow money from mom!! I am finally
proud of ourselves to have figured
out how to do it on our own.

You do have to make sacrifices in your
life. You CANNOT keep up with the
Jones, you can only keep up with
the money YOU make.
Who doesn't want
to live the lifestyle of the rich
and famous and drive nice cars
and have brand name clothes?
If you cannot afford it don't buy
it and bury yourself deeper in debt.
It's not the place I want to be!!
I have enough stress and worries
to worry about that!

I have lived that lifestyle and
it wasn't by choice! I had an ex
husband who thought his paycheck
was his and his alone to buy
whatever he wanted with it.
That was when he had a paycheck.
He wasn't the type that like
to keep a job.
Money flew out the door like it was
nothing. I, alone couldn't afford
to pay the bills by myself.
I was making partial payments
on things to get by from one
month to the next. I didn't have
a bank card/atm card. There was
no debit cards back then. And my
ex would literally sleep with the
checkbook in his pocket so I couldn't
see it!! I have had electric, gas
and water shut off thanks to him.
I remember having the gas shut off
and boiling water to give the kids
baths with. I remember plugging
in electric heaters because of
no heat. I didn't know how
to do the coupon thing back then
but I could still stretch
$50 to $100 to buy groceries
for a month! Didn't eat the
greatest but our bellies were full.
One day I took out the trash
and found where he threw out
any and all the bills like they
were nothing. He'd sign up
for credit cards and buy things
then never pay the bill. If we
moved he didn't want to put in
a forwarding address and wanted
a new phone number so the bill
collectors couldn't find him.
He was also good at writing
bad checks! To the point he was
banned from having an account
with over 200 banks. How do I know
this? When I left him I set up
my own bank account and that warning
came across the computer screen
at the bank. But I had a very
nice and understanding bank
and they listened to my story
and allowed me to get my own
account. I still don't know
how I did it to this day!
And that's probably one of the
reasons I am still with them.
I could go on and on about this
but I won't. I'm sure you've heard
enough.

THIS IS NOT THE LIFESTYLE
I WANT TO LIVE!
I left him
after 10 years and don't even
know how I survived that long!!
I saw the light at the end of
the tunnel and that changed my
life to what it is now.
It's not easy and it does not
happen over night!

Earlier I wrote about talking
to our neighbor lady. And I shit
you not she also made a comment
about all this money she thought
we had. I get this comment from
sooooo many neighbors and just shake
my head. I told her I was the thriftiest
person in the neighborhood and I was
so tight with money I squeaked.
I don't think she believed me by her
reaction I got. So I pointed out
my garden saying it was much cheaper
to grow your own foods. Then I showed
her my clothes line with clothes
hanging out to dry. I said you don't
see anyone else hanging out their clothes.
Then I showed her my water barrels where
we conserved water by using the rain
off the roof. Lastly I showed her
the yard. I said see those trees I planted,
those cost me $1.50 each. See that mulch
I just laid, that cost me $1.00 a bag.
See all those cars? We don't owe a dime
on any of them. I told her I deal with all of
Tony's tinker toys of cars because
it gives him something to do, a hobby.
It's a heck of a lot better than
him sitting in a bar somewhere.
I said now that basketball thing
was a splurge. But ya know, all the
kids in the neighborhood love to come
here and play in our yard. Even
though they get on my nerves at times
I prefer they play here where I can
watch over them, then them getting
into trouble elsewhere.
And then the truck driver neighbor
showed up and killed my moment
of bragging about how much people
can save and what they can
do to have a better neighborhood
with little money.

It's now 11:15pm and yes I am tired.
When I am tired my mind races
and I can become a jabber jaw
and think too much. Oh well
that's what the blog is for.
To put down my thoughts and ideas
no matter how tired or what time
of day.

I'm going to bed.
And that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

9-5-10

Got up around 8-9am.
Not moving too fast this morning.
Just want a day where we take
it slow and easy at home.
Kendra and Dewaine are coming
over today. Supposed to go
to Lowes to get a couple fence
panels, posts and cement.
Gonna have Dewaine start working
on the gate area of the driveway
and start digging the post holes
and possibly get them set in.
Then I think the only thing left
to get is a latch and wheels.
Tony says he can get the latch
from work and I thought about
checking Habitat for a couple
wheels.

___________________________

It's 6:00pm

I feel like we got some things
accomplished today. For starters
we pulled up half the garden and
took out the boards and fence.
I raked it out smooth.

Then I mulched the flower
beds. I got the front of the house,
corner bed, around a large rock and
some in the front flower bed done.
I still have about 1/2 to 3/4 bag
left out of 15 bags.

Not too shabby for only $15.
regular price would have been
$50 ($3.33 a bag)

Dewaine & Kendra came over about
2o til 1pm til 20 til 5. We went to Lowes
and got supplies needed for
the fence & gates across the driveway.
Dewaine got 3 post
holes dug, 2 posts set in cement
and another hole dug.

And lastly we got a little fish tank
set up for the kids new goldfish.

9-4-10

Left around 11:30AM
to go to Millersport
Sweet Corn Fest. Got
home around 5:00PM.
The kids had fun.
Christopher only rode
one ride while
Jonathan got on many.
He's the daredevil of
the family.
Me and Tony got some sausages with all
the fixins. Told the guy we
wanted mild but I'm telling
you I think I was cryin' eating
that sucker it was so hot! I
was determined to eat it considering
it was $4.00 a piece. The kids
had pulled chicken sandwiches.
Jonathan played a game where
you toss ping pong balls at
fish bowls and got a ball in
one and won a fish. Christopher
didn't and was upset about that.

After the festival we drove by
Buckeye Lake. Came home the long
way, through Pataskala and Gahanna.
We did stop in the Hebron area by the
truck stops at the Marathon gas station.
We found they had bags of mulch
(1.5 cubic foot)
marked down to $1.00!! This is
just like the mulch they sell
around here for about $3.33.
We loaded 20 bags in the back
end of the truck and hauled them
home. We gave 5 bags to mom.
The rest will go around the front
of the house and maybe the driveway
flower bed.
Oh yeah, while in this gas station
I noticed a crap load of Pepsi
coupons hanging off 2 liter
bottles. I snatched up a bunch
because of them going on sale
next week at Kroger for .88
cents each.

Once home I don't think we stayed
here very long. We left about
6pm to go to Kroger. I got 3
more packages of those cheese
slices while still a buck. Also
found some wheat bread for
.49 cents each.

We then headed over to Petland
and bought Christopher a
.20 cent goldfish and some
food all for less than $2.00.
This way he didn't feel left
out because Jonathan got
a fish earlier at the festival.

And that's how our day went.
Here's pictures and videos
I took.







Jonathan peeking over side
of the Hurricane ride.
















________________________________

My gripe for today...

My head has been spinning today
trying to learn about owning
a home.

I was doing bills today and
about flipped out when I saw
our house payment went up $60.

In 2 years time it has gone
up $90!! Our interest rate is
fixed. What if it continues
to go up $90 every 2 years?
We won't be able to afford our
home at that rate!!

I thought
I had it all planned out to have
this house paid off by the time
Tony retires. In other words
to pay it off in 17 years
instead of 30 by making
3 extra house payments a year.
At this rate of them increasing
our payments I am now worried
I won't be able to reach that goal.

And I am sometimes called gloomy
guss because I think about
the future, what could go wrong,
and try to plan ahead and think
about the what ifs.

Can we afford a house payment
when we retire? NO! That's
why I want it paid off before
then.

I don't understand and I am so confused.
I read in the paperwork it all
is due to an escrow shortage.

Now I have the option of paying
this shortage with one lump sum
to lower my house payments OR
I can choose to spread that
shortage out in the next 12
months raising the house payment
$60.

Why in the world we have a
shortage to begin with is beyond
me. I thought the loan company
was taking out the appropriate
amounts every month.
I have always paid the house
payment on time with an additional
principal.
Our taxes also took a jump.
They went from $900 to $1300
in 2 years time.

So yeah I am freaking out about
what is going on.

If owning a home is cheaper then
rent then why am I becoming worried.
My rent only increased a couple
dollars every year. This home
payment has increased $90 in 2 years.

I am considering paying the lump
sum of the escrow shortage
to eliminate paying that extra
$60 a month. Which sucks because
that'll almost be like an extra
house payment I could have made.

There is no way
I can make extra principal payments
without struggling if I don't.
If I don't then my monthly
payments with the extra I usually
pay would be somewhere around
$850 to $900!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hell that's half our income each
month, maybe more!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And what's to say this won't
happen again next year!

I have also been researching damn
neart every house on our street
exactly like ours through the
auditor's web site.

Tell me why it is that we have
the lowest valued home priced
$10-$20,000 lower compared to identical
homes on this street.
Some of which have never
been updated inside unlike ours,
and ours has a bigger lot than
others due to being a corner lot.
Our house value dropped $8,200
in the 2 years of living here BUT
everyone elses remained the same.

Now when we bought the house it
was actually valued at $90,000
and we got it for $10,100 under
appraised value.
Now it says on the auditors
web site it's value is $71,700.
That's a drop of $18,300
in 2 years.

Why is our home the only home on
this street that has a value
in the $70,000's while everyone
elses is around $80,000 to $93,000???

Everyone I ask doesn't seem to
have an answer. I'm no mortgage
lender, bank, realtor or anything
of the sort, hell I'm not too knowledgeable
with buying or selling homes, but
to me something doesn't sound right.

I'm sure this probably makes no
sense to no one but myself.
But it felt good to get off
my chest.

9-3-10

$100 off $200 purchase at
Catherines. Excludes clearance
items.
This is for online only.
Enter code 777011602
at checkout for the discount.
Ends September 6th.
It also says free shipping
on orders of $50 or more.
No code needed for free shipping!

______________________________



You can use cheap diaper wipes
as an easy makeup remover.
I used it to remove mascara
and it worked like a charm.
I was able to get Huggies
wipes this week at meijers
for a buck with the sale
and coupons.

And don't throw away those
plastic tubs. Buying refill
packages is usually cheaper
than buying more plastic
tubs with wipes.
Or you can reuse those tubs
to put crayons, markers,
pens & pencils in!

_______________________________

9:00-12:30PM

Mom and me went to Dollar General to
check out this Summer clothes clearance
they were having according to what
I saw online at their website.
THAT WAS A JOKE!
It might help to even have Summer
clothes to go on clearance for
starters.
We went to one store and none
after that!!

We found one yard sale.
I bought a crate on wheels with handle
and a couple can cozies for Tony
for Christmas. I got the crate
for Tony to be able to put his
maintenance supplies in at work
and be able to carry them into
apartments much easier. Plus it
will fold down flat for easy storage.
Tote $2.00 (goes for $15 to $30 new)
Cozies .25 cents each

Wish this yard sale had a couple
more rolling crates. I always thought
that would be a great teacher's gift.
I'm always about practicality.




For lunch mom took me to Smokey Bones.
She had a coupon for $10 off $20.
So we got a $24 lunch for $14.
We got only one glass of pop so
me and mom could share it
and save money.
I had only drank about a quarter
of my pop and they brought me out
another full one! I said here ya
go mom, now you can have your own
pop with my free refill one, lol.
2 lunches of theirs was enough
for 4 people! We each brought
home doggie bags.

______________________________



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_________________________________



Here's a thought.

Why do people feel the need
to buy separate shampoos, body washes
and conditioners? Especially
men that have little or no hair
compared to women. Why can't you
use shampoo to wash your hair
and your body also? Why the need
to buy different products for
everything? This is what my husband
does, he uses just the shampoo.
Well sometimes body wash if I find
it cheap or free.
There are even moisturizing
shampoos and so many varieties of
scents for both men and women.
Doesn't it all do pretty much the
same thing, clean the dirt & sweat
off you.
So next time you look for ways
to cut back consider that bottle
of shampoo for a buck to
take the place of your body wash!
Much cheaper! Less clutter
in your shower and less steps
to take when washing!

There was times I even went to
the Dollar store and found the
biggest bottle of shampoo for a
buck. I used it as bubble bath
for the kids, shampoo, body
wash and even put some in
the soap dispensers to wash
hands with.
Soap is soap to me.
Beggars can't be choosers.

__________________________

The temperature in the truck
said it was 73 degrees out
earlier. When I came home
I turned off the air conditioner
and opened up most of the windows.
Now it's about 80 and windy.
Nothing from the hurricane
though as the wind is moving
west to east.
Perfect day if you ask me.

___________________________

Ok I have some people asking
about what I am doing with this
diaper cake that I have yet to make.

Here are my ideas:

I want most items on the cake
to be practical, something
that the mom can use for the baby.

Either use washcloths and/or
bibs to fold up and make look
like bows.

I would also like to make
a Boo Boo Bunny(s) out of
washcloths also. Maybe
put a bar of baby soap inside
that.

Use receiving blankets
around edges of "diaper cake".




_________________________________



$5.00 off any 5 Kraft cheese
6 ounces or larger.
Printable coupon.

I haven't had a working printer
in months which sucks.
It seems like if you don't use
it every couple of days the
ink dries out to the point
you cannot refill it.
Which means either find another
$30 printer or pay about $50
for ink cartridges. AHHHH!

______________________________

I was reading more about the
Sweet Corn Festival and
saw that Daryl Worley was gonna
be there. So I figured I'd share
a video of one of his songs
that seemed to fit my blog.



___________________________

My honey found me a partial box
of trash bags at his work.
I'll take 'em as I was about
out of bags. I was resuing
bags from the thrift store
that they put my stuff in.
So I saved about $3 by him
finding me a box.
Those one trash bags from
Walgreens that was on sale
for $2.99 was pretty good.
I feared that something cheap
like that would tear and
not hold up. So if I need more
trash bags in the future
I'll be looking for them to go
on sale.

------------------

I got my sale ads this evening.
I'm gonna try and go through
my coupons and sales sometime
this weekend for match ups.

Right now Kroger cheese slices
are $1.00 for 16 slices. You
need to stock up on those
before Monday. That deal saves
you about $1.20 each package.
I'm sure come Monday they
will be back up to $2.19 each.

This coming week Kroger will
have their shredded and block
cheese on sale for a $1.00!
Stock up on those also as they
can get as high as $3.00 at times,
sometimes $1.67 and average about
$2.50 which is the price for
this current week.

You CAN freeze cheese! I have
done it in the past with sales
like these and had no problems
with it.
The cheapest I ever got cheese
for was .50 cents a package!
I think I was running to Kroger
every day to stock up on that
deal, lol, but I had coupons also.

Also stock up on any Kroger
cottage cheese, dip or sour cream
for $1.00 because next week it's
going back up to $1.88.
I don't know what normal price
is.

Right now Pepsi 2 liter products
are $1.25 each but next week
they will be .88 cents each!
So hold off on buying any til
Monday.

This is why people sometimes
keep a price book. They keep
track of high's and low's
of different items so they
know when the time to buy
and stock up.
I, myself, don't keep a price
book. I pretty much know from
memory what is a good price
or bad and when to stock up.

I don't need much of anything
except the basics in groceries
at the moment like milk.
But I will stock up and buy
things that are a very good
deal and cheap if I know
they won't be this price
for awhile or if I have coupons
to make something really cheap.

That's why I'm telling everyone
to stock up on the cheese at the
moment. The next seasonal sale
coming up is for Halloween, Thanksgiving
and Christmas. So I see baking
items and candy going on sale
in about the next month.

Oh, be sure to check out Kroger's
seasonal isle for any clearance
items also. Some as much as
75% off or more! They are marking
down Summer items to probably
make way for Halloween things
in the near future.
Just my guess but I have been
doing this for awhile now.

_____________________________