Making Do With What You Have!

Over the past month to 6 weeks, we have been eating whatever we have in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. I have also given a whole lot of food away to people less fortunate than us. Because of this I have had to come up with some very creative meals. This morning as I was rummaging through the freezer looking for something to thaw for dinner, I found a package of 4 premade hamburgers. I took them out to thaw but thought I don't want a hamburger.

So I thawed them and threw them in a bowl to make meatballs. They are in the yellow bowl in the top picture. I had a jar of spaghetti sauce, lots of spices , bread crumbs that I got from Vocalpoint and mozzarella cheese. DH was mincing onions as I took this picture and then I added those and a couple of medium eggs.

I simmered the meatballs for a while, heated up the sauce and then made the hot meatball subs to put under the broiler. The cheese got nice and brown and DH loved them. There is even one left for his lunch tomorrow.

I am trying my best to come up with meals that are a little appealing with the items we have left. Some days meals are this good. But I have to admit, we have had some weird meals.

Tomorrow, we will grill our last two filet mignons! YUM!

The Alarm System Story and a Little Blip in My Life!

Well, Amiyrah and some of you have commented and written that you are enjoying these move posts. So I will try to keep you updated more often.

A few posts ago I told you that we had received an estimate from the alarm company for the new house for $4,000. I told you this was a ridiculous price. This was for prewiring, alarm panels and keypads, double magnets on all windows, glass breakage monitors, motion detectors, etc. My son worked for an alarm company when he was in college so we know what things cost. My son and my DH installed our alarm system in this house. The parts for us to buy for the new house would be $1000. retail. That means the alarm installation company(who will remain nameless but think of one of the largest alarm companies nationwide) could get the parts wholesale even cheaper. So $3000. is a ridiculous price to pay for about 8-12 hours work for probably two men. The problem is that this is the only alarm company the builder will let in to prewire. My DH let them know the price was ridiculous. He advised them that he would pay no more than $2500. for parts and installation. They said they would get back to him. They didn't. He called them again today and the company tried to say they were competitive in this economy. My DH held his ground and said not in this economy you aren't and your prices are a rip off. He told them to either come up with a better price or we would install it ourselves and we would take it up with the builder about their ridiculous prices that they are charging the builders customers. The company decided to install everything for the $2500. we suggested and have sent us the new written quote. This goes to show you that the squeaky wheel gets the oil and that everything is negotiable in this economy.

With all that we have to do and have been doing, I had a little scare yesterday. I woke up about 4AM in the middle of a full blown asthma attack. I have had asthma for years and I have never woken up with one. Plus my chest felt like was someone was sitting on it- no pain but a squeezing. I took my meds but nothing helped, so DH took me to the hospital ER. After they got my asthma attack under control, they decided to admit me because it could possibly be heart. So I was admitted to the telemetry unit where I was put on a heart monitor. They did an EKG, took blood samples every few hours to watch the changes in my blood and did an ultrasound of my heart. I asked for a specific cardiologist that I knew and they sent the on call Dr. to see me within 20 minutes. The Dr. happened to show just as they were finishing the ultrasound. He looked at it and told me that my heart muscle is in great shape. There were no signs that I had had a heart attack or ever had one and there was no signs of any damage to my heart whatsoever. He said my EKG was fine and the blood work showed no problems. But just to be sure that my heart is getting the blood flow that it should, I have a stress test in a few days and a follow up appointment a few days later so they can determine that I am fit to travel cross country. I don't want to have a problem driving cross country and not know where the Dr.'s or hospitals are. The Dr. signed me out of the hospital last night and I was home right around dinnertime. I don't expect they will find any kind of problem and that I will be good to go. Today I am right back to normal and feeling wonderful! :-)

I have always had a very positive attitude about life and I am very strong willed. So I will be just fine. I plan on dancing at my grandchildren's weddings! :-) However, you have to listen to your body's signs and not ignore them. Moral of this story: If something doesn't seem right, get care and make sure everything is okay. Your health is the most important thing in life!

Sometimes You Just Have to Do Things Right!

We have finally contracted for our possessions to be moved. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do what is easiest. Remember I posted how expensive the moving and storage plus the Van Lines dropping some furniture and boxes at the apartment would be. The highest quote was $14,691, the lowest about $12,800. Well after 4 different quotes and since we know these people, we know that it wasn't bait and switch, we have contracted at $14032.

This gets us everything we need plus full value replacement premium insurance on it all in case anything is lost, damaged or stolen. Most of all it gives us peace of mind!

We could have paid the Van Lines to move us to the Buffalo area and drop it at a storage unit that we contracted for. But we would have had to stand out in the cold while they unloaded it all, check for damages as they unloaded it, possibly unpack and repack any damaged boxes to put in any claims right away. Then we would have had to hire local movers to move us into the house after we close on it. It would have been a little cheaper but a lot more aggravation. So we decided that Atlas Van Lines was the way to go for the entire move. We have used them before and had no damage and were very pleased.

So today I am on to the next things on our list!

This Feels SO GOOD!

They finally put up the SOLD SIGN today and took the lockbox away! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Magic Jack

I know someone over the past year mentioned that they used Magic Jack for telephone service. We are seriously considering this in our new home. My understanding is that all you need is a telephone and a computer USB port and that it is relatively easy to install. They usually give you a 30 day free trial when you order online.

Ordering Magic Jack online is $39.95 plus shipping and handling which includes one year of local and long distance calling. You may purchase additional years at $19.95 when you order it and they offer various promotional pricing throughout the year for discounts. There are no additonal Federal, State and Local taxes or related fees.

The one real concern that I had about using this service was, will it work with our home alarm with the monitoring company? My son ordered it on the free trial and tested it with his alarm company and it works just fine.

So instead of paying Verizon about $40. a month plus another $14. in fees and taxes for a total of $54. a month or a whopping $648. a year, I can get the same service for $39.95. for the first year and $ 19.95 for each year after. I think the savings of $ 608.05 the first year and $ 628.05 each successive year is a "no brainer". This is one of the reasons that landline service is on it's way out.

Another bonus is that my telephone number won't be printed in any telephone directory that gives out my address. I like keeping that info private especially to marketers. The only people who need that info are family and friends who I give it to.

DH and I will be keeping our 2 cellphones that only cost us $42.00 total for a month so I see no need for landline service except for the alarm system.

Would anyone who is using Magic Jack now for telephone service, please leave a comment and let me know how happy or unhappy you are with the service?

A Day Off!

Sometimes you just have to take a day off! I plan on doing as little work around here today as Big Bird is doing in this picture.

I told my son a few days ago that I am very tired. He said we have been doing so much for the move and are in great shape timewise, so why don't I just take a day off and pamper myself. The more I thought about it, the more I realized he is right. I need some down time to recharge my batteries. So today, I will be pampering myself with a haircut, a manicure and pedicure, a bubble bath in my soaking tub and reading a book out on the chaise lounge in these gorgeous temperatures.

Moving is usually very stressful, especially a large move like this one. However I have done what I can over the past couple of months to keep that stress away. Sure we have had a couple of glitches, like the 4 moving estimates from the moving company and an estimate of $4,000. for our alarm system to be put in at the new house. BTW, $4,000. for our alarm system is just a rip off price. So DH is working on that! But for the most part everything has gone very smoothly! I have not found most of it stressful at all! What I have found is that it is a lot of work that is very tiring. I think it has something to do with having to switch gears all the time. I can be in the middle of packing and will get a couple of telephone calls a day relating to the new purchase, the sale of this house, the move or the apartment. We are continually having to deal with paperwork and telephone calls.

I have done a number of things to keep the stress at bay! First, I am making sure that we are eating healthy - lots of protein and vegetables. Secondly, we are making sure that we are getting some exercise each day...even if it is only a short walk. Every few days we are keeping in touch with our children and talking to our grandaughter on the webcam. This makes us realize how much happier we will all be when we are together again and not separated by 3000 miles.

Lastly and I think the most important thing that has contributed to my lack of stress is the fact that I have removed a really toxic person from my life. I have spent all of my life being as kind to people as I possibly can, spending a lot of time and money to help others, and being the moral person that my mother and grandparents raised me to be. But there comes a time that you realize how much easier your life would be if someone else wasn't in it. It's not that you have any kind of hatred for this person, it's just that their incessant whining about everything - whining about their friends and what they do that doesn't please them, continual whining about their own children and spouses, their lies about almost everything, their constant complaining about money and trying to cheat the government to line their pockets, etc., just gets to be something you no longer need in your life. One day, you wake up and you realize how extremely self-centered and immoral they are! When someone else's behavior affects your life in a very negative way, it is time to cut the strings. It is something that I should have done years ago. So that is what I did and I am so much healthier and happier because of it! I am pretty much stress free and it is a GREAT feeling!

So today is a day for me and I am off to take full advantage of it! :-)

Traveling for Days With The Cat!

This morning we made plans for the cat's trip across country. We found a large dog training crate at Petsmart that is just perfect for what she needs and will fit nicely in our car. It has a shelf that divides 1/2 of the cage. The cat will be able to ride in her bed on the top shelf and there is plenty of room for her disposable litter box on the bottom. We purchased 2 bowls that clip onto the cage for her food and water. Total cost: $119. Then we just have to bring her pet carrier to get her in and out of hotel rooms. We will have plenty of cat litter and plastic disposable bags, a bag of food for her and a case of water that we will all share.

I think she will do just fine once she stops howling when she realizes it is a lost cause. At least I hope she realizes! YIKES! She hates riding in the car!

Lucky, I did this post for you. At least, I think you were the one who asked me about traveling with the cat across country. Now I am off to continue filling boxes!

It Is Not Frugal Moving Cross Country! UPDATED!!!

UPDATE:

Ignore the $12,000. figure. The moving company just called and they could not get the storage for the figure they quoted. The move is now up to $14,691. We are thinking about our options. Will let you know what we do!

I am just taking a little break from boxing our things and thought I would blog about our cross country move. I am convinced that there is no really frugal way at our age to move 3000 miles.

Yes, we are packing our own things with the exception of some very expensive pieces that the moving company is making crates for and will box up. Since DH and I are now in our early 60's, we needed to start early so that we can get it all done. Doing this job takes a lot out of you at our age. I will box for about 6 hours straight and then I need a nap! :-) I am getting much more tired than 8 years ago when we did this. My mind has had a hard time convincing me that I am not 30 anymore! This has made me realize that we have made a good decision to move closer to family now rather than later. I can't even imagine trying to do this in even 5 years.

I was not able to find free boxes on Craigslist or Freecycle that were in decent shape. I quickly determined that Home Depot has the best price on boxes. We also have one very close to us and have made many runs for more boxes. We have also needed to buy about 10 rolls of heavy duty packing tape for our dispenser. Plus we have gone through about 2 large boxes of bubble wrap, lots of scotch tape and Fragile stickers. DH also went to U-Haul and purchased a lot of special picture boxes for our artwork,some special boxes for our 3 heavy mirrors, and special boxing and cushioning for our dishes. He also picked up some heavy duty quilted blankets. So far we have spent about $450. on these items.

Atlas Van Lines will be moving us. They will load our possessions here, drive them cross country, drop some furniture and boxes at our apartment and then store the rest for 3 months. We decided to go with their storage because it is indoor climate controlled. Then when our home is ready, they will deliver everything to us. We also have taken their best insurance policy for the drive. We will be taking insurance on the storage of our things on our renters policy. Yesterday, they gave us the estimate which is just under $12,000. We were happy with this because it is about what we had estimated it would cost. We were only going by what it cost us to move cross country eight years ago and inflation. This company moved us last time and we were so pleased. We had no loss or damage. So as soon as we sign the contract, that will be one more thing taken care of.

DH is mapping out the route we will drive cross country with the help of AAA. If the weather is good, it will take us 4 days. If we hit snow, it will take longer. We will be making reservations at 4-5 star hotels that take pets. We had another option and that was for me to fly on Southwest Airlines with the cat. Our son in Albany offered to come out and drive DH and our car for us. We told him we can do it and that way he does not have to use up vacation days from his job. It was so nice that he offered though. :-)

None of this move is going to be cheap! However, getting to move near our children and grandchildren to us is PRICELESS and we will pay whatever it takes and fortunately we budgeted our money really well. :-)

I Love Good News!

The best date that we had for our new home to be ready was March 1. However in the past few days, our preconstruction meeting date has been set. This is a meeting that the builder has with us to go over every last minute detail before they start our home. When I say every last detail I mean it, even down to the placement of every light switch. Since we will not be in the area for the meeting, my son will be there to represent us. However they will have us on speakerphone.

We are very excited because this means they will give us a start date and a completion date. They have already hinted that the completion date will be mid February. Barring really bad weather, they are usually pretty accurate with their dates. Once they get the basement dug and poured, the outside of the house will go up pretty quickly. This is the fourth home that we have had built and I think with each one, DH and I get more and more excited. DH is so thrilled that we will be there to watch most of our home be built.

Since we have leased the apartment through the end of February and will be paying for storage until then also, I think we may opt to paint before we move in. The walls will all be builder white and we love color. So if DH and I can come to an agreement on what rooms will be what color, we can paint them while the house is still empty of our furniture and things. That will be so much easier and should not take very long!

I must go pack some more boxes but I just had to share our good news!

Yikes! We Will Be Starting from Scratch!

As I have been so busy around here packing boxes, doing paperwork for the sale, new purchase meeting scheduling, and dealing with getting the lease for the apartment etc., all of a sudden it dawned on me yesterday that in the apartment, we will be starting from scratch on food.


As an avid stockpiler, this will be a new way of thinking. I haven't started from scratch in over eight years. I have given away just about all of my HBA and canned food to neighbors and the food bank. Most of our frozen food will be eaten or given away by the time we leave. About the only things that I will be able to take with us are spices, a very few dry mixes, a couple of rolls of paper towels and a roll or two of toilet paper and my stockpile of dishwasher detergent. Everything else would not fare well being in storage in freezing temperatures for 3 months. But at the apartment, I will have nothing!

Starting from scratch is a very expensive way to do things but it can't be helped. My stockpile of coupons has dwindled. Hopefully, there will be some new useful ones when I get to the Buffalo area. I am counting on being able to get some that I need from a few traders.

So I have started researching the stores in my area. Wegmans is less than a 1/4 mile away. I have noticed their sale prices on meat, poultry, fish and seafood, deli meats and dairy products are much lower than here in AZ. So that is a definite bonus! Their club packs of meat look like the best deal and I can divide them up into portions for DH and I. They also double coupons up to $.99 which is what I am used to here in AZ. The one thing I remember about Wegmans, from the years that my son shopped there, is their meat and fish were of such top quality. That is going to be a real bonus for DH and I! Also depending on what time of day, DH and I arrive and get the keys to the apartment, we may need to pick up dinner. Wegmans has such wonderful prepared meals. Being close to us and not having to drive or go to a restaurant will be what we are looking for after hours of driving that day.


There is also Tops which is open 24 hours. Their prices on produce and meat are fantastic. I saw bananas at $.39 a lb, GG frozen vegetables at 2 for $1.00 this week and boneless, skinless chicken at $ 1.69 a lb. this week. If they have deals like this every week. I will be doing a lot of shopping there. I also see that they double $1.00 coupons to $2.00! WooHoo!

Dashs Supermarket actually has a better price on boneless chicken - $ 1.48 a lb. I have just written them to find out their coupon policy.

There is also an Aldi's not too far away. I used to shop Aldi's when I lived in N.Y. before. They have a few canned goods that I would buy there and their deals on produce were good once in a while. So I will be scoping them out when I arrive.

We also checked out the Niagara Country Farmers Market on Transit Road while we were visiting. This place is huge and will be a wonderful source of fresh vegetables for canning next summer. They also carry wonderful meats and deli products at great prices. So I will most likely be going there once or twice a month.

My game plan for when we arrive will be to make out a week's menu of simple meals - meat, fish or poultry depending on what is on sale. I will serve sides of fresh vegetables that are in season. I will pick up the minimal amount of condiments needed, butter, eggs, milk, juice and some soaps for bath, dishes and laundry. Then over that week, I can start to get organized with coupons and looking for the best deals to get a small stockpile going. I don't want to load up on too much until we get into the new house.

DH and I are packing all of our dishes for the new house. We were planning on buying a cheap set of melamine when we arrive in New York; however while I was packing I found my picnic basket which is already loaded with a set of dishes, glassware and silverware. That will be going to the apartment and will be just perfect! I have also packed a crockpot, can opener, potato peeler, measuring cups and spoons, dish towels, and a couple of pots and pans for the apartment. The less I have to run out and buy till we get into the house, the better!

We are living amongst piles of boxes- most to go into storage. However we do have a corner of a room stacked with boxes with the necessities for the apartment. We now have 4 rooms just about packed. I want to get most of everything packed except what we are using, so that we can concentrate our time on telephone calls and address changes that need to be done.

I just thought I would check in with an update. I hope you are all getting some wonderful deals this week! In about 6 weeks I will be right out there with you getting the deals again!

We Contacted a Realtor to Sell Our Home......

Knowing how depressed the housing market is across the country, we contacted a realtor about 2 weeks ago to discuss selling our home here. Even though our home in New York won't be done being built until sometime in February, the realtor advised that it is taking 3-6 months or more to sell a home in this Phoenix market which has been one of the hardest hit markets in the country. So we signed with the realtor to sell our home.

Our home listing went up on the MLS at 2 PM on a Thursday even though no pictures were available yet. Immediately, we started getting calls on it. At 11 PM, the next day(Friday), we had an offer which we were thrilled with. However, the buyer wanted more than we were willing to pay on their closing costs. We countered the closing costs offering to pay less than 1/2 of what they originally wanted and the buyer accepted. Then escrow was opened.

The past couple of weeks, all the inspections and the bank appraisal for the buyer's lender was being done. If any of these things were problematic, the buyer could back out. If our home didn't appraise for what the selling price was and get accepted by the lender, we could back out. Well, everything went extremely well. We have a tiny list of minor repairs to make which DH is working on. But we are set for closing the beginning of December.

The buyer was very kind in offering to rent our home back to us after the closing until our home in New York was built. However, we decided that if we were going to rent, we might as well rent in New York close to our children and grandaughter. Plus we are expecting a new grandchild in January and we will be able to see that grandchild sooner rather than later. And we will be close to our children and grandaughter for Christmas. DH will be able to keep an eye on the building of our new home which he loves doing that kind of stuff. So soon we will be off to New York!

All of this has happened so quickly that we have been so very busy. We have been packing a few boxes every day. We, had one of our kids friend's arrange for the move with the company he works for. That same company arranged our move when we moved here from NY and we were so very pleased. So Atlas Van Lines came out the beginning of this week and took inventory so that the company can price it for us. They will move us, move a few rooms of furniture into the apartment we rented and store all the rest of the stuff until our house is ready. Then they will deliver our things after we close on the new house.

We have rented a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, First Floor Luxury Apartment about 10 miles from our son. We are taking a 3 month lease. We are thrilled with this apartment because it is large enough for us to be comfortable for 3 months and it includes basic cable, internet and water. We will pay the electric and gas heat separately ourselves. It includes a washer and dryer in the apartment. Also they will rent it to us and allow our cat for an extra $125. a month and a $300. non-refundable deposit for the cat. It also has a clubhouse with a 24 hour fitness center which will be very handy while we are there. We will have lots of time to work out. It is in one of the most desirable areas of Williamsville bordered by million dollar homes so it should be safe and secure. It isn't too far from lots of shopping which is a plus for us. We will have 3 months to shop for appliances, new furniture, blinds and window coverings and all of DH's toys for the garage like a riding lawnmower, snowblower, etc.

So we have lots more packing to do and a list of telephone calls a mile long. So much to do between the sale of this house, the building of the new house, the apartment(packing of a few boxes to go there instead of storage), etc. I will try to post and keep you updated when we can. It's only about 6-7 weeks until we move!

Make Sure You That You Get What You Pay for in a Rental Car!

I think everyone pretty much knows how to get a good rate on a rental car when you reserve online. What I want to do is make you aware that the rental market is not what it used to be.

Rental Companies usually order fleets of cars from the car manufacturers. With the mess of the GM bankruptcy and government and union takeover, many of the orders have not gotten filled even though those cars were paid for. This has left the rental car companies scrambling to trade cars back and forth among their different places.

It used to be that when a rental car had 25000 miles on it they would look to sell it and buy new. This is not happening now.

We rented an intermediate car from one of the largest rental companies in the U.S while we were in New York. Because people had not returned their cars when they were supposed to, the rental company had to ask another rental place(same company) down the road to bring them a few cars. One of those cars was our intermediate car. In the past, the rental companies would make sure that the car was in good condition before they would let you take it out- check oil, fill tires, etc. Just the regular maintenance that should be done.

We left on our cross state trip with a car that we thought should be in great condition. We first noticed that the mileage on the car was almost 40,000 miles. It didn't take long driving this car to hear a low pitched droning noise that was persistant the entire trip. DH says the car had some kind of engine or transmission problem. When we got off the thruway you could smell the brakes. A few days after we got to Albany, DH noticed the light was on showing low air in the tires. So DH and my son had to put air in the tires. We really didn't drive the car that much because we were ferried around by both sons and DIL's while we were visiting. We just prayed that we would get back to Buffalo and be able to get rid of the car. This car was the worst rental car we have ever rented and believe me we have rented a lot of them.

We knew that we should probably call the rental car company and make them bring us another one, but we were much too busy with family to want to be bothered. However when we returned it, DH had a long talk with the manager. He told him all that I told you above and informed him that there is no way this car could have been serviced before they rented it to us. The manager explained how it had come from another lot and obviously it hadn't been serviced. DH and he agreed on a $50.00 reduction in the $257. charge for the 8 days we rented it. The manager also gave us his card and told us that the next time we rented a car from him, he would take really good care of us. We plan on taking him up on that!

I am sharing this with all of you so that you can be aware of what these companies are doing since they are having trouble getting their fleet orders filled. Look the car over really well before you take it. If it gives you trouble, be sure to either call for a new car or negotiate a price break.

I Need Your Help!

We are packing the contents of our home! Since it looks like our things will be in storage for a few months, does anyone know if the following things can be frozen?

- Deodorant

- Toothpaste

- Eye Drops

- Body Lotion

- Body Wash

- Shampoo and Conditioner

-Liquid Makeup

- Lipstick

- Facial Creams and Washes

- Mouthwash

- Nail Polish

- Cleaning Liquids

-Furniture Polish

I will add more as I think of them! I am assuming that it will be okay to pack dry mixes. Canned goods are probably a no no. Jellies and jams are probably okay. Pastas should be fine. How about jarred spaghetti sauce, like Ragu? Will the jars break?

If anyone could give me any insight into this, please leave a message. I will be most grateful!

The Saving Answers in The Poll!

I applaud all of you who are saving 16-17% of your income in this terrible economy. I would bet that this is possible because you are very frugal and you have made savings a huge priority!


Those of you who are saving as much as you can because you are concerned about whether you will have a job tomorrow are doing the right thing. So many people have lost their jobs and so many businesses are cutting costs that you never know whether your company will be next to lay off. If I was in your situation, I would be setting aside cash in a safe insured savings account or short term CD's. I would want to have enough to cover at least 1 year's worth of housing, food, transportation, medical expenses, and job hunting costs.


Those of you who are saving 10- 15% for retirement or some other goal are to be commended. Keep doing this and you will be able to retire stress free when you reach whatever age you believe you will stop working.


Since you have all been fortunate enough to still have jobs, keep putting that money away while you have the opportunity. Circumstances could change tomorrow and most of the time we don't have control over it.


I will continue to blog as time permits while I am working out details of our move and getting ready(packed) for it. I promise to do my best to continue to let you know what our household is doing to save!

Just Keeping Your Head Above Water!

I was also not surprised that 30% of the people who took my poll are just keeping their head above water. I suspect there are a number of reasons that they find themselves in this situation.

With this bad economy, a lot of people have been unfortunate enough to lose their jobs due to the fact that people aren't buying products nor are they using services. My heart goes out to all of you! Many of you have gone through your savings to stay on top of things and are finding it very hard to make ends meet. Jobs are not being created; matter of fact we are losing them at an alarming rate. I see a national average of 9+ % rate for unemployment and I ask why my government spins things to make it look better. If you figure in all of the people who have just stopped looking for work because there is none, the unemployment rate is over 17% nationwide. That is just staggering!

I also suspect that with such a bad economy, people are not getting raises and in some instances their incomes have been cut by their companies. With prices rising on a lot of goods and services, it makes it hard to swallow those increases.

There is another group of people who were transferred or moved because of employment and bought their homes at the peak in 2005. Then they had to move again for employment. They have not been able to sell those homes due to the horrible housing market. They are struggling along and paying their mortgages, taxes, maintenance, etc. and paying for their current housing elsewhere. They did everything right and now are suffering because of this economy!

Many seniors who are already retired lost part of their nestegg in the stock market. Then they cashed it out due to fear that it would go down even further. They are barely earning any interest on those funds so find it hard to live the way they have been used to. Even though the market is back up, you can't count on that continuing. You have to always remember that the stock market is gambling and if you need to spend any of that money within the next 10 years, DO NOT KEEP it there! It is too risky!

I am not in any of your shoes, but I do understand and hope the best for all of you. If I was in your shoes, I would be cutting back every place I could. Cable TV, paid entertainment, cellphones, just about everything would be cancelled. I would be only paying for food(bare bones food shopping - making everything from scratch), shelter, transportation and the internet which would be a necessity for job hunting. I would buy no new clothes or anything else until circumstances get better and you can build up your emergency fund.

I will do my best to continue to show you how I save everyday and hope that some of the information will help some of you.

Were The Poll Results Surprising?

As I sit here enjoying my morning coffee, I am pondering the poll results. 35% of you are paying down debt. I think that percentage is remarkable. I am certainly no expert! But I believe that if you have extra money after having established an emergency fund, paying down debt is the best thing you can do with that money.

We have no debt and we pay our credit card bill every month in full. Our credit cards are a convenience. I avoid using it like the plague. My friend, ML, who always pays her bill in full missed paying her $ 268. Discover bill by 2 days in August and the CC Company charged her $41.00. She was out of town and forgot about the bill coming in. She was SHOCKED! She called the company to complain and explain her situation and since she had always paid them in full, they credited her for the $41.00. Since I never pay interest or fees, I was shocked at the amount when she told me!

So paying off that debt as quickly as possible is the best thing you can do. I am sure the 35% of you who voted that you are paying off debt are not only paying off credit cards but other debt also. Some of you are probably paying off car loans, personal loans and your mortage debt. It is all debt and it will all cost you.....even as you sleep. That interest accumulates 24 hours a day!

Someone said to me once " I have no debt, just my car loan and my mortgage." I looked at her and said " If you have a car loan and a mortgage, you are in debt." She told me I was wrong!

I asked her if she was paying interest on that car loan and mortgage every month and she said yes. I said to her " Then your car loan and mortgage are debt!" She says to me, "Okay, but they are good debt!" I gave up! She just didn't get it.

I will bet that the 35% of you who are paying off debt, DO GET IT! You realize that you can never get ahead unless you get that interest off your backs! I am your best cheerleader and I commend all of you who are doing that!

If you are paying off credit cards, don't stop when you get them paid. Put that money towards your other loans whether they be a car loan, personal loan or mortgage. Actually pay all car and personal loans first and then the mortgage. At least, for now, the mortgage interest is deductible. But you will save a whole lot more in mortgage interest by paying it off than the little tax deduction you get. I know there are experts that will tell you, don't pay off your mortgage. Put that money in investments! Well, I have never thought it was a good idea to have mortgage debt and now that the economy is in the toilet, those experts are changing their way of thinking! I will bet there are a lot of people defaulting on their mortgages today, who have lost their jobs, who wish that they had paid off that mortgage or paid it down. At least now they would have a place to live. If you own your home and can afford to pay your taxes, they can't take it away from you.

So CONGRATULATIONS to all of you who are paying down your debt! Someday, you will know the freedom of owing no one and being able to build a huge nest egg!

More on the poll results later!

Saving Money Challenge The Past Two Days!

This is how I have saved money the past couple of days:


1) Shopping today netted me $15.16!


2) I made Shake n Bake pork chops using homemade shake and bake.


3) DH mixed up a batch of homemade shower cleaner to refill our Scrubbing Bubbles Auto Shower Cleaner. It only cost pennies and a store bought refill would have been $ 4.99-5.99!


4) I took navy showers.


5) I washed 3 loads of laundry in cold water and dried them during off peak hours.


6) I filled the car up at the cheapest gasoline station at $2.399 a gallon.


7) We negotiated 1% off our realty commission to sell this house.


8) I received $ 25. in Amazon gift certificates between SwagBucks and a clothing company that I am doing surveys for. I also ordered another SwagBucks Amazon GC.


9) I ordered 5 Coke coupons from My Coke Rewards!


10) I have started researching grocery stores and bargains in the Buffalo area to familiarize myself with what kind of deals they run. I have researched all of the stores coupon policies.


11) I am researching our families ancestors so that has been my entertainment.


12) I have asked a trader for some coupons so that I can go get a CVS deal by the end of the week.


13) I took stock of what I have for Christmas gifts so that I can get that shopping done.


14) Our pool is now too cold to swim so we have cut back the number of hours that we run it daily so as to save on electricity.

15) Mail brought tons of coupons and $10.00 in rebate checks.


16) We are taking Purell everywhere so as to not get the flu. I have a bottle in the car and wipes in my purse.


Be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you did to save money today!

Shopping That I Just Couldn't Pass Up!!!!!

These deals were too good not to get. So out I went this morning to snag them. This is what I purchased:

Walgreens:

9 Theraflu - $ 4.00 each = $ 36.00 - Used 2 different Walgreens IP Coupons for $2.00 each(2 different UPC numbers)on each = $ . 00 and I received $ 24.00 in Register Rewards( I did 3 different trips of 3 each)

Total OOP was just $ 2.91 so this was a moneymaker of $ 21.09!!!!! Thanks to Arizona savings at http://arizonasavings.blogspot.com/

Safeway:

1 package of chicken breast(bone in) at $ .99 a lb= $ 5.43

Total OOP was $ 5.43

Fry's:

4 boxes of Green Giant Vegetables = 4 for $ 5.00 - Used $ .50/1 IP cpns dbled = $1.00 - Used $ .50/2 Shortcuts cpn = $ .50

Total OOP was $ .50!

So I netted $ 15.16 on this trip out! WooHoo!