Last week I spent an afternoon every other day on the phone with the Centralized Servicing Center in St. Louis MO, for USDA Rural Development, my mortgage holder....trying to find out the NEW payment amount, since I'd faxed in my new tax bill, lowering my property taxes from $2962.00 to $1495.00 (Homestead Declaration Credit)

I ended up paying the old amount $683.64, and wondered what would happen to the difference once they finally made the adjustment. In one year and 8 months I have NEVER been late on a mort. payment, and I don't intend to start now, so rather than wait for the updated amt, i just paid it.

Anywho, last night, I arrived home, sweltering hot, foggy from the chiropractor...and in NO way ready to cook dinner. I opened the mail, sat down on my nice comfy couch in my nice cool living room, and proceeded to open 3 envelopes from RD. One was a confirmatio nof my phone payment. Cool. One was a redone escrow statement....and the last one was a check for $191.36. This is the amt my mortgage has gone DOWN!!! I was so excited, I started to cry...and immediately called my mom to share the good news, my stepfather was cheering in the background for me, (He tells ppl I'm fantastic, and I've done more than he ever thought possible on very little..both literally and figuratively...*L*) THEN....I hustled the kids in the car and took them to Friendly's. Yeah, I know. I don't care. We go so often with little to nothing "extra or fun" I thought for sure I could spare $30.00 out of 191.36.

Last night I tried to go to bed after an hour or more of knitting and listening to a book on cd...(The 5 hour baby sweater, and The Tenth Circle by Jodie Piccoult) but all i could think about was my big budget notebook, so I got up and spent some time with that instead.

If I get AGGRESSIVE....I could potentially have $700. saved by the end of November? POTENTIALLY< this bears some more fine tuning...but I gave my boss a check today for the rest of the firewood....my water bill will be paid in full by the middle of October, as well as that pesky medical bill, and then I can move forward with my normal budget again without all of that extra crap that stresses me so!!!

I'm so relieved....but I did pass this message along to the little ones this morning. This does NOT mean that we are no longer living frugally....we still will be...just so you know. *L* There just will be a little less worry.

Having said all of that, this beign a horrendous year for fleas, both of my dogs need meds for that, i have to buy paint, and my pride took over last night when I told my ex i would be back to buying my own groceries, and I've budgeted 100 every two weeks....which should MORE than hold us.

MarieVermont

Well....
This has been an unusual week money wise....
Here's what has happened.

#1. My net pay is considerably less than normal because I have started to pay back my employer for my oil prebuy...to the tune of $1k. That's only for 200 gallons folks. I pay $.40 per gallon price protection, so if the price goes below the $4.42/gal that i paid initially, I'll get that lower price, and it will NEVER go higher than 4.42.

#2. My car battery died. Back in March I got slammed in a parking lot. (Ins. company concluded that it was MY fault...but whatever...she had no damage, I had $1k worth. MY deductible is $500.00. The following Monday, my brakes went. There went my bodywork money. I still have the insurance check....it's useless to me now. Anyway...my battery was split right down the front...leaking acid everywhere. I'm lucky I think....but I did have to buy a new battery, and I bought the CHEAPEST one at $43.00.

#3. I'm getting serious about systematically fixing up the interior of my home, because I intend to sell it in 3 years time. We're talking paint mostly, but damn...paint is expensive! So when I went into Wal-Mart to buy the battery, I also bought a can of paint for $11.83...knowing that it would be some time before I returned to Wal-Mart.

So here it is, 7 days from payday. I have $91.03 left in my checkbook, (my bank says I have $70.00 something, gotta look into that) will need at LEAST $30.00 more in gas before next Friday morning....and have not paid my electric bill, which just came yesterday. It could be much worse....but damn...*L* It could be better.

SO, Liss, if you're reading, or anyone else for that matter...In October, I have a 3rd paycheck....all of my bills are covered in the first and last check of October....and I've already budgeted my usual $100.00 for gas, from the 3rd one. What is the BEST way for me to use this money???

I have a medical bill, balance of $122.00
I have no money set aside for xmas.
I am going to need rear brakes, but parts only, my bf and i will do the labor ourselves.
Thought about paying the rest of the cars ins. for the year...
Also thought about putting it in savings...to go towards my $1000.00 emergency fund...(I do not trust myself to put it in savings connected to my checkbook, it's TOO easy to use) I was considering giving it to my grandmother to put in her safe, or my parents etc...

I'd better get to work, and start earning that paycheck.*L*
Happy Friday.

MarieVermont

Well...blogs are really taking over aren't they? I keep a knitting blog too...but this might be fun.

Currently, this is what's happening in my financial world.
I'm a divorced mother of 2, supporting this family of 3 (and 3 pets) on one income. I keep my expenses to a bare minimum, to scrape by.

Recently, my ex husband has started to buy the food for both houses, and I reciprocate, by teaching him how to shop intellegently, how to stock up, and I share my cooking with his house...if i make a large batch of something, I share.

This is what my budget looks like:
I bring home $1000.00 every two weeks. ($100 of this is net wages for 3 hrs of OT each week, in which I clean the offices where I work)

**INCOME** $2000.00

$44.00 repayment to employer for oil prebuy..(onyl 200 gallons, this will occur for the next 23 paychecks)
$684.00 mortgage/taxes/insurance
$35.00 electricity
$25.00 water ($150 +/- every 6 mths)
$50.00 firewood (two more payments)
$25.00 old medical bill (two or three more payments)
$200.00 gas for car
$35.00 (roughly, every 2 mths for propane, hot water)
$18.00 trash removal
$152.00 car payment
$61.00 car insurance
$415.00 debt repayment (3 yrs 3 months left)

In 3 years and 3 months I will be debt free, with the exception of my mortgage. Even my car will be paid off.

If you do the math, you'll see that I end up with just $256.00 a month "leftover" I'm currently working on NOT spending that on lunches out (the deli next door to work, mediocre food, high prices....just a very bad habit)

The following are some of the things I"m able to do to "get by"

1. I've recently lost a large amount of weight, and ALL of my clothes are too big for me, I have not purchased new ones.
2. I do not have cable tv.
3. I do not have internet
4. I do not have a cell phone, or house phone. My ex husband provides a cell ph for me in exchange for picking the kids up at his house a few nights on "his" weeks, as he drives a gas guzzling truck. Penny for penny, this benefits me more than him...I was paying him $35.00 a month for that phone.

5. I do not take my children out to dinner. Once in a GREAT while, we order a pizza.
6. I've tempered myself to cool showers, to cut down on how much hot water I use.
7. I wash in cold, except for a once per month SMALL Load of bleached hot water whites
8. I cook from scratch a lot, and keep my cupboard pretty well stocked with basic staples.
9. I use coupons when I find them...i'm not a fanatic about it.
10. I AM a fanatic about electricity. I will sit on my porch and knit at night, or inside too, until it's too dark to see before I will turn on a light...

I've read the Tightwad Gazette (all 3 books) a zillion times, I review them at least once a year, my 10 year old son likes to read them too!

MarieVermont