It's been a weird autumn. Just a lot going on, and I've been pretty stressed out. Haven't done great with money. Haven't kept the house up very well. Haven't taken care of myself very well.
Now that Christmas is done, though, and I'm on vacation for the next week, I'm working on getting some stuff set up to get back in the groove. Because really...what are my options?
'Nuff said. I'll be back with more details.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Lost in Translation
Well, not really. I've just been busy.
We had a good end to ebay stuff. Made about $175 overall after fees, etc. Jen asked, "You are so good about ebay! I'm jealous. I am struggling with whether I should just get rid of all our junk (donate) or try to sell the stuff. What kinds of stuff are you selling to be making such good money?" Well, it's nothing grand. Altogether, it was probably about 35 auctions, which many won't do, because it's so many. Lots of sewing stuff that I need to get out of my house. Some old magazines. Umm...I really think it was mostly sewing stuff this time.
I still have a LOT I could post on there, but with me back at work & school, there's just no time. I didn't meet my $500 goal for selling stuff, mostly because I just ran out of time.
I have been able to make some extra payments to the cc's, and we put aside a LOT of money to get some stuff fixed around the house. With any luck, it won't cost that much and we'll be able to pay off the smaller cc, which is now under $1000.
We also got a raise this year, and will see a little back pay come in later when we settle our contract (contract year starts in Sept). I set up a new master budget, which will change month to month, of course, but if we actually follow the budget (ahem), we should have about $400 a month to send to debt and get this crap out of the way.
We pay $250 a month in interest on cc debt. That's just unacceptable. Really.
We had a good end to ebay stuff. Made about $175 overall after fees, etc. Jen asked, "You are so good about ebay! I'm jealous. I am struggling with whether I should just get rid of all our junk (donate) or try to sell the stuff. What kinds of stuff are you selling to be making such good money?" Well, it's nothing grand. Altogether, it was probably about 35 auctions, which many won't do, because it's so many. Lots of sewing stuff that I need to get out of my house. Some old magazines. Umm...I really think it was mostly sewing stuff this time.
I still have a LOT I could post on there, but with me back at work & school, there's just no time. I didn't meet my $500 goal for selling stuff, mostly because I just ran out of time.
I have been able to make some extra payments to the cc's, and we put aside a LOT of money to get some stuff fixed around the house. With any luck, it won't cost that much and we'll be able to pay off the smaller cc, which is now under $1000.
We also got a raise this year, and will see a little back pay come in later when we settle our contract (contract year starts in Sept). I set up a new master budget, which will change month to month, of course, but if we actually follow the budget (ahem), we should have about $400 a month to send to debt and get this crap out of the way.
We pay $250 a month in interest on cc debt. That's just unacceptable. Really.
Monday, August 17, 2009
What do you mean, a week??
Wow...I return to work next week. That seems to have come by so quickly! I'm in panic mode - I haven't finished the basement. Or the garage. Or the compute room. Or the bathroom. And I know that things will grind to a screeching halt once I return to work. Ugh.
So I have a list for today, and I will be happy if I finish those things. Then, I'll make one for tomorrow. And I'll just deal with it.
Ebay sales have been decent. We'll clear about $50 after fees & shipping with what ended on Friday, and right now we're looking at another $70 minimum with what's ending today. Woo hoo! I'm pushing to get one of the medical bills we've had hanging for awhile paid off, and hopefully a second, too. I'm not sure if I'll make my $500 goal by Labor Day, but I'm working on it. There's still a ton to put on ebay, and one of my goals for today is to get at least 3 things listed.
We've also been doing very, very well on eating out. Last month (June 20 - July 20), we ate out 9 times. This month (July 20 - Aug 20), we are looking at 7 times. I told dh and he was all "that's outrageous!". I said, instead, let's look at it as a game and see if we can get it down to 5 times next month, and then 4 the next month, etc. It sure would help the budget out.
I'm not going to update the ticker until we have the money in hand, so it stays...:
So I have a list for today, and I will be happy if I finish those things. Then, I'll make one for tomorrow. And I'll just deal with it.
Ebay sales have been decent. We'll clear about $50 after fees & shipping with what ended on Friday, and right now we're looking at another $70 minimum with what's ending today. Woo hoo! I'm pushing to get one of the medical bills we've had hanging for awhile paid off, and hopefully a second, too. I'm not sure if I'll make my $500 goal by Labor Day, but I'm working on it. There's still a ton to put on ebay, and one of my goals for today is to get at least 3 things listed.
We've also been doing very, very well on eating out. Last month (June 20 - July 20), we ate out 9 times. This month (July 20 - Aug 20), we are looking at 7 times. I told dh and he was all "that's outrageous!". I said, instead, let's look at it as a game and see if we can get it down to 5 times next month, and then 4 the next month, etc. It sure would help the budget out.
I'm not going to update the ticker until we have the money in hand, so it stays...:
Friday, August 07, 2009
Three weeks
That's all I have left before I return to work. Crazy! It's a huge amount of time, of course, but when you look at where we are...well, there's still a lot I'm hoping to finish before I return.
Yesterday, dh and I went to the State Fair, which was a lot of fun. I enjoy that so much, and it was a pretty day for it. I usually go twice, and my sister and I are planning to go again on Monday. So yesterday, we could kind of stroll around and just see what dh wanted to see. Very nice.
This morning, there was a ton of rain heading our way, so I quickly loaded up the truck and got a HUGE load to Goodwill. If I hadn't today, it's very likely it woudln't have happened until next Wed - it's supposed to rain all weekend, Monday I'm probably going to state fair with my sister, and Tues, dh has an MRI scheduled, so I'm not sure how much we could get done. So it was awesome to get things out there.
Also had a huge load for the garbage dudes, including the ickiest of the bookshelves, which we tore apart pretty easily because of the moldy issues. Slowly but surely, the basement is coming together.
Money-wise, today's plan is this: (1) update Quicken, and (2) get some stuff listed on ebay. I've been putting both off, so that means...it's time.
Yesterday, dh and I went to the State Fair, which was a lot of fun. I enjoy that so much, and it was a pretty day for it. I usually go twice, and my sister and I are planning to go again on Monday. So yesterday, we could kind of stroll around and just see what dh wanted to see. Very nice.
This morning, there was a ton of rain heading our way, so I quickly loaded up the truck and got a HUGE load to Goodwill. If I hadn't today, it's very likely it woudln't have happened until next Wed - it's supposed to rain all weekend, Monday I'm probably going to state fair with my sister, and Tues, dh has an MRI scheduled, so I'm not sure how much we could get done. So it was awesome to get things out there.
Also had a huge load for the garbage dudes, including the ickiest of the bookshelves, which we tore apart pretty easily because of the moldy issues. Slowly but surely, the basement is coming together.
Money-wise, today's plan is this: (1) update Quicken, and (2) get some stuff listed on ebay. I've been putting both off, so that means...it's time.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
It's Saturday already?
Believe it or not, I'm happy with how the unfinished side of the basement is. I got rid of a LOT of stuff, and organized the ebay area so it will be easier to use. It feels really good.
Now, on to the harder stuff I've been putting off. The finished side.
Well, on a good note: got another load to Goodwill, and took four boxes of stuff to my mom's antique booth yesterday. Another plus, being able to spend some time with her. :) And all of that stuff fit in her booth! That was awesome! Brought one box home to take to Goodwill for Mom, and three empty boxes to refill and take to Goodwill. Good deal.
I also got to use my raincheck from Target for the Electrasol. I stopped at a Target up in Madison on my way home yesterday and they had enough to fill my raincheck. I purposely chose a teenage boy to checkout (yes, I profile checkers...), and it went relatively smoothly. He scanned them all, then scanned my first raincheck (I actually had two, each one had 6 on the raincheck) and the price came off of all 12 with the first raincheck! So I got the second one back - I could go back and get more if I really wanted to. We'll have Electrasol for years. Really.
dh and I went to the county fair last night, so my back is saying it needs some rest today. I might try to tackle some of the ebay stuff today. We'll see. :)
Now, on to the harder stuff I've been putting off. The finished side.
Well, on a good note: got another load to Goodwill, and took four boxes of stuff to my mom's antique booth yesterday. Another plus, being able to spend some time with her. :) And all of that stuff fit in her booth! That was awesome! Brought one box home to take to Goodwill for Mom, and three empty boxes to refill and take to Goodwill. Good deal.
I also got to use my raincheck from Target for the Electrasol. I stopped at a Target up in Madison on my way home yesterday and they had enough to fill my raincheck. I purposely chose a teenage boy to checkout (yes, I profile checkers...), and it went relatively smoothly. He scanned them all, then scanned my first raincheck (I actually had two, each one had 6 on the raincheck) and the price came off of all 12 with the first raincheck! So I got the second one back - I could go back and get more if I really wanted to. We'll have Electrasol for years. Really.
dh and I went to the county fair last night, so my back is saying it needs some rest today. I might try to tackle some of the ebay stuff today. We'll see. :)
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