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Archive for March, 2008

Off to the Domestic Relations Office

March 31st, 2008 at 07:50 pm

This morning in the mail, I received a notice that my children will no longer be receiving benefits from social security under their father....effective immediately. Since he was collecting supplemental income through the government due to a disability, my children were eligible to receive a portion of that amount. He was working as well as receiving this income. He doesn't have a stable work history or high earning potential (due to his lack of education).

I received over $500/month over the last 3 years through SS for the children. I thought that was more than he would be ordered to pay in child support for the same time period.

I went to the domestic relations office today to do the intake paperwork for a conference with their father. So I will have to wait and see what happens in a few weeks.

March Freebates!!

March 30th, 2008 at 03:32 pm

I enjoy doing the monthly freebate deals at the local pharmacy stores in my area: Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS.

Below is a listing of the March freebies I received at each store, as well as the amount of coupons that I used for the purchases:

Rite Aid

Hershey Bliss Meltaways 2.99
Scotch Sealing Tape 1.75
Skin Appetit Moist. Cream 9.99
Bic Soleil Razor 4.00
Salon Selectives Mousse 3.49
Rite Aid Pantiliners .99
Diabetic Tussin Mucous Relief 6.99
Total Rebate 30.20
-Coupons used 2.00

Walgreens

Garnier Fructis Stylers 3.99
Garnier Nutrition Skin Renew 12.99
Colgate Total Advanced TPaste 2.99
Listerine Smart Rinse 3.79
Yes To Carrots Body Butter 9.99
Total Rebate 30.75
-Coupons used 4.00

CVS

2 Hersheys Pot of Gold Candy 9.98
Oral B Toothbrush 4.99
Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor 8.99
Bag of Jelly Beans .99
Total ExtraBuck Offer 24.95
-Coupons used 2.00

Also received a free coupon at CVS for CVS Brand 24ct. Aleve and a free $25 giftcard with a new/transferred prescription.

So, all in all I think I earned a few dollars on the rebate items (even considering I paid sales tax on some items), thanks to using coupons!!

Since I am an avid rebater and participate monthly in these programs, I accumulate quite a stockpile of items each month. I share my surplus with family and/or donate some of the items to local homeless shelters/charities.

Well, I have to see what great rebates are available for April. I need to go look at the Sunday sales flyers/coupon inserts!!

Professional License Investment

March 29th, 2008 at 01:03 pm

Currently, I work full-time in one office Monday-Friday. For about 4 yrs, I have also worked at least 2 Saturdays/month in a separate office. Well, the Saturday job may be ending in a few months. I am not aware of other offices in the surrounding areas that have Saturday hours. Even if there are, I'm not sure if they would have job openings.

For a few months, I have been thinking about whether it might be beneficial for me to get licensed in a nearby state. I live about 40 miles from a major metro area there. It will cost a bit of money upfront (for fees and such), so I wanted to be sure it would be a good decision financially. So a couple of weeks ago, I called a professional health care temp agency there to see what demand there is in my profession. He assured me that a high demand exists and there is a shortage of professionals in my field in that area.

Some of the fees included are: non-refundable application fee $375, jurisprudence exam fee $50, National Board Written exam score report $25, Regional Board clinical exam report $25, letter of good standing from current licensing state $15, official transcript for proof of field-related education $3, plus notary fees to get the documents notarized. The fee for licensure every 2 yrs is $185.

I thoroughly researched salaries in the nearby state for both permanent and temporary positions by using the internet and by speaking to individuals in the field. There is a potential for me to make $10/15 more per hour than I currently make at my Saturday job. Maybe eventually I could get a full-time job in that area as well.

I think if I have a dual license it would make me more marketable in the field. Plus I should be able to deduct the fees on my income taxes next year.

One of my projects for this weekend will be to complete all the paperwork so that I can take it next week to get the documents notarized and mailed out.


Chicken and a Check

March 26th, 2008 at 02:08 am

I received a $20 refund check from Stopzilla which I purchased recently online.

Also, I found Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters for $0.79/lb. I bought two of them and froze one. I roasted the other and made a pot of chicken corn soup.

More Checks in the Mail!!

March 21st, 2008 at 01:55 am

I received February's Single Check Rebate check in the mail from Rite Aid today for $36.93. Also I got a survey check from Your2Cents for $6.

I got a $25 Paypal deposit for a mystery shop I did in January for a restaurant. I just got reimbursed for the meal, no additional shoppers' fees for doing that mystery shop. Still it was well worth it!

Survey Check and Mystery Shopping

March 18th, 2008 at 11:38 am

I got a $3 check from ithink surveys in the mail today.

Also, I had a mystery shopping assignment to do at a local, casual restaurant last night. I have been a mystery shopper for years. I really enjoy doing it because it helps businesses by giving feedback on their employees, service, and quality of products. Of course the plus is that I receive either free products/services, and in some cases a shopper's fee for doing the assignment. A few years ago, I was an avid mystery shopper. I would schedule many different assignments within a certain few miles radius of one another because I wanted to be frugal with gas consumption. In the past, I would do as many as 8 assignments a day, but not every day. Since gas prices have risen and shoppers' fees have decreased a bit over the years, I do only mystery shops that are worth my time. It seems I don't have the time it takes either to actually do the physical shop, plus enter the details on the on-line reports.

New to Blogging!

March 16th, 2008 at 08:32 pm

Hello!

I have been a member of this site for almost a year, but have never set up a blog. I have posted on the forums for several months. I enjoy all the advice given at this site and am always open to suggestions regarding personal finance and frugality.

I currently have some credit card debt, a car loan, and student loans. Initially it was difficult for me to adjust my finances since being separated for years from my husband, and more recently being now divorced from him. He didn't contribute much to the household income due to health problems and other issues that prevented him from holding down a job consistently.

Since this life change I've now worked my way up to saving at least 25% of my income in various mutual funds, a Roth IRA, and savings accounts, on a regular basis each month.

So long for now, I will make another entry within a few days.