Apr 21 Money Monday

We replaced the lawn tractor this past weekend.  She had been iffy for a few years, so we've actually been kind of looking around for a while.  After the old one retired, looking casually changed to 'must find something'.  My husband found what he wanted (specifics on size, motor, 'extras') for $850 delivered.  A comparable mower new would be $2500.  He was thrilled.  Called the seller at 10a on Sat morning and it was in our garage at 11a.  Another large, but necessary, expense that came out of savings makes me again grateful that we save where we can so we can spend when we need to.

Mar 31 Money Monday

We sold a vehicle.  We always buy used.  My husband takes such good care of our vehicles that we sold this 27yo truck for almost what we paid for it 14y ago.  In our state when you sell a vehicle you can deduct that value from a vehicle you purchase to reduce the sales tax on the new vehicle.  We already purchased a vehicle, but a quick call to DMV confirmed we could claim a refund retroactively with the right paperwork.  That paperwork is complete and being mailed today.  I'll take that $200 back, thanks!

I also emailed our insurance agent to drop insurance on this truck.  As we pay yearly, we will receive a refund on the balance.

Nov 11 Money Monday

Last month we paid our car insurance for the year.  This is a big financial hit, but one we plan for.  We receive a 10% discount for paying yearly, so we make it happen.

In the past month, we have purchased two used vehicles, both with cash.  Not having a car loan is a large savings over time.  When we sell the vehicles these 'new' ones are replacing, we will put that money back into our savings account.  

August 9 First and Finals

Firsts

*ailovi liquid foundation  It's okay.  Did emphasize dry area.

*bPure Lip Jelly  A Tower 28 dupe from the DT.  Great color payoff and super hydrating, not sticky.  

*Dallas & James Watermelon Dream All-in-one Eye Cream  Flat disappeared in one swipe.  This cream just dissolves into skin.

*Eves St Claire bubble bath in Jasmine Dragon Fruit  YES!! I found it.  Yes, it is a Rouge 540 dupe.  It's not as softening as other ESC scents, but it smells amazing!

Finals

*

Faves
*bPure jelly, ESC bubbles

Flops
*

Oct 25 Money Monday

We just paid our car insurance for the year.  This is a big hit financially, but one we plan for.  We pay yearly and receive a 10% discount, so we plan ahead and make it happen.  

April 19 Money Monday

After looking and comparing for over two years, we bought a Blackstone Griddle a few weeks ago.  It wasn't cheap, but we feel we got the best deal that we could.  Already 90% of recent dinners have come off of it.  If you have the cash and the space (we got the 36", so it takes a bit of the patio), it's a worthy investment, imo.  Saving most of the time means we can make a bigger purchase when we want.

There are three in the house who shave their faces periodically.  I'm always happy to find products cheaper and stock up.  Last week I scored three Nivea Men shave gels and three Nivea Men shave balms for cheaper than free.  I was paid $1andsomechange to bring all six products home.  That will do them for a bit!

8/20 Money Monday

*Cashed out Checkout51, added $20.75 to savings

*Received a $32.15 ebates check, added it to savings

8/6 Money Monday

*I sold two books and fed the $5 tin both times.
*I went through husband's change, adding dimes to the Dime Bottle.

7/30 Money Monday

*My Checkout 51 balance went over $20, so I cashed out and requested a check.  You can only request a check when your balance is $20+ and, unlike Ibotta, you can't specify the amount you want cashed out.  So I always cash out immediately once I cross the $20 mark.  That way my next receipt starts a new $20, which gets me my cash back sooner.

*I avoided the National Lipstick Day sales.  So hard, but I did, saving myself I don't know how much cash.

7/23 Money Monday

*Used cheapesttextbooks.com to find the best deals for Son2's books.
*Cashed $20 out of Ibotta, sending it to Paypal.

7/9 Money Monday

*Received two $5 rebates that went into savings.
*Sold 4 of Son1's textbooks.  We have received an Amazon GC and two Paypal payments, the fourth book will pay out via check.  All told, we will get back $259 for his books.  Just in time to purchase Son2's books. lol

5/21 Money Monday

Last week was a definite Splurge week around here.  Son1 received his AS degree, Son2 and two nieces all graduated high school, so I wrote a few graduation checks and we threw a celebration steak dinner for 10.  A great milestone week for some of my very favorite people, but not at all a cheap week.  We did the dinner at home vs a restaurant to keep some of the cost down, but still. lol

I did manage to send in a rebate, feed the $5 Tin two bills, and feed the Dime Bottle a few dimes.  That was all the 'saving' that happened last week.  We have great memories and I'm not mad about it.  That's why we save most of the time, to splurge some of the time.  I will, however, buckle down a bit more over the next few weeks as Son1's rent and Son2's tuition payment are looming large.

5/14 Money Monday

*Received a rebate of $1.78 from coupons.com, cashed out $16.93 from Topcashback, and cashed $20 out of Ibotta, making almost $40 in rebates that all went to savings.

*Spent several hours on the phone with ATT grrr, but did finally receive a credit we were owed.

4/16 Money Monday

*Received a total of $5.84 in rebates, which went into savings.

*Cashed $20 out of Ibotta, which is sitting at Paypal as a surprise for Husband.

*Finished off another of those annoying prepaid GCs by adding its weird amount to my Paperbackswap account.

4/9 Money Monday

*Received a $25.92 check from Shopathome, which went into savings.

*Bought vitamins and supplements for the family at 90% off thanks to a Walgreens clearance.

*Bought Son1 a blender for his new apartment and immediately sent the rebate off.

*Bought two half-gallons of milk that were just $0.75.  The date was two days after I purchased and my kids will blow through that before it goes bad.

4/2 Money Monday

*My son had one of those annoying prepaid cards and had used all but $.81 of it.  I requested the card be cancelled and the remaining balance be sent.  After a few weeks, we received a check and I deposited that tiny check.  I'm sure many people wouldn't bother, but I did. I did not make a special trip, but stopped at the ATM the next time I went by one.  Every little bit!

*This year is now three months gone.  I have kept up with Penny challenge, the Dime challenge, and the $20 challenge.  It's fun to watch these small amounts start to add up.

*March also was a 3 paycheck month, which means I have officially made half of an extra mortgage payment for the year. Yay!

3/26 Money Monday

*I sold one of Diva's old dresses and added to the $5 Tin.

*I sent my husband to Lowe's for a now gone deal on propane for the BBQ grill.  After sale, coupon, and rebate, we got two refills for the cost of one.  We grill a lot, so this was a big win.

*I received a $0.20 check from Old Navy from a portion of a return that was payable by check only.  Weird rule of theirs and hardly worth the cost of printing and mailing it to me, but I DID deposit that tiny check into our account.  I'm sure many people wouldn't bother, but I did. I did not make a special trip, but stopped at the ATM the next time I went by one.  Every little bit!

3/12 Money Monday

*Received $17.20 in rebates, which was added to the savings acct.

*I gave up fun shopping for Lent, which is making a big difference in our money situation. lol  I'm still buying food and necessities, but not makeup and craft toys.  Diva just got braces, so some belt tightening was necessary.

*Taxes have been filed and refunds went straight to savings.

2/12 Money Monday

* I cashed in $16.36 in coins, which went to savings.  I also took my sons' coins, which they added to their accounts.  Those little bits really add up!

2/5 Money Monday

*I cashed out my ebates, but chose a GC for a bump up.

*I cashed out my Ibotta to Paypal and used it to pay my yearly Paperback Swap fee.