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Archive for August, 2008

Weekend News Update

August 31st, 2008 at 06:03 pm

So far on Ebay I sold 9 out of 11 items. I relisted the items that didn't sell. I usually relist one time. If the items don't sell then, I donate them to Red Cross, Salvation Army, or Goodwill. I will have to figure out my profits here in a few days and add that total to my CC savings account. I'm still doing some decluttering around the house, so I hope to list some more items yet this weekend.

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Yesterday I worked at the job at which I have about a 70 mile commute one way. It was a hectic day. I didn't do too much once I got home in the afternoon. The commute is bit tiring to me, but I will get used to it. I only go to that job 2 Saturdays/month. I don't know if I could do that commute on a daily basis though.

I did do some surveys online last night. I also requested a $3 payout from Greenfield Online Surveys. I didn't even know I had a balance because most of the invites I get from that site only offer a sweepstakes entry as compensation. I rarely do those types of surveys...just too time consuming and not guaranteed any income from them.

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I was happy with the electric bill I received this week~~only $60.35. About $4.50 more than last month's which came in at $55.95. Here is a comparison of August 2007 and 2008:

8/07: $78.72
Average daily use: 29 kwH
Aver. daily temp: 75
Days in bill period:28

8/08: $60.35
Average daily use: 19 kwH
Aver. daily temp: 73
Days in bill period:32

So...a little less warm, but more days in the billing period.
I used 20.1% on peak and $79.9% off peak during this cycle. I know I have not been using the unit air conditioner in my bedroom hardly at all this year. DD has been running hers, but mostly during off peak times. The rest of the house doesn't have any air conditioners, just ceiling fans and a whole house fan. I have been turning my hot water heater off on a daily basis, when I have no use for hot water.

Well, I need to take some pictures for Ebay listings, do yardwork, and laundry.

Have a good Sunday!

Ebay Update & Shipping Woes

August 30th, 2008 at 01:30 am

Most of the items I have listed on Ebay have bids and/or watchers. I am very happy with the responses I have gotten thus far. Even if I don't make much money on the items, I will just be happy to free up some space in the house. This weekend I plan to attack the attic area above the garage to see else I may be able to list.

An international bidder won an auction a few days ago. Based on past experiences, I explicitly advertise that I will not ship to international addresses. I haven't had very good luck with it. The person paid via paypal and provided me with the shipping address. Well, I packaged the item up and went to the UPS store to ship it (his method of choice) and was told that the postal code was invalid. I then went to the USPS store and the woman there told me the same thing. Upon trying to enter the city name, still no luck. Now I know this can happen with domestic addresses also, but whenever I give in to shipping internationally (I've only done it twice)...there is always an issue. Has anyone else had bad experiences shipping items either domestic or international?

I've sent an email to the buyer explaining the problem and offered to refund his money. I haven't heard any response from him yet. What would you do?

Have a good evening!

More $$ to CC Savings

August 27th, 2008 at 01:16 am

I am adding extra income from the last week to my savings and updating the sidebar info. The total deposit is $447.21!! It really helps that I am using my Saturday job income to fund this account.

$ 39.00 Texas Roadhouse Mystery Shop
Reimbursement
230.88 Saturday job pay
60.00 Contact Lens Refund Check
117.33 Saturday job pay
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$447.21

I have some more bids on the Ebay items I listed. One of the auctions is over tomorrow night, so I'm hoping to be able to soon add more $ to the CC.

Ebay Status and $60 Check

August 26th, 2008 at 12:56 am

Of the Ebay items that I listed yesterday, 1 of them has bids, with 3 watchers. Another item has 1 watcher, so I'm hoping that I will get rid of some of this clutter around here.

I got a $60 rebate check for some contact lenses that I ordered online for DD. I will add that to my CC savings account.

Have a good night!

Ebay Listings and DD Birthday Lunch

August 25th, 2008 at 03:14 am

Today, I spent most of the day sorting through clothes and some computer/electronic items to list on Ebay. I listed 18 items today, and I'm still not finished. Maybe I will add the rest sometime this week. Hopefully, I will get some extra income from this venture to add to the CC savings accounts.

My sister and BIL came over this afternoon to go out to lunch for DD birthday. She will be 16 on Wednesday, and she chose to go to one of her favorite restaurants, Ruby Tuesday. I got the salad bar because they always have an excellent, fresh selection of items to choose from.

Have a good night!

Car Insurance Reimbursement and Direct Deposit

August 22nd, 2008 at 03:13 pm

I got a credit of $11.58 on my car insurance premium for the remainder of this policy period for belonging to a professional organization that Geico recognizes as a discount.

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Also, the direct deposit for my one Saturday job has been initiated. That was deposited today. I am still missing one week's worth of pay. I will have to call them and perhaps they can cut me a check for the week that hasn't been accounted for.

Have a great Friday!!

Extra Income to CC Savings Account

August 20th, 2008 at 01:55 am

As I noted in a previous post, I am using $ from surveys, refund checks, Saturday job earnings, etc. to fund my accounts for the CCs that are coming due in which the 0% offers end in the near future.

The following is income from the last 1-2 weeks that I am adding to my account:

$ 12.00-Survey checks
20.72-Refund checks
.10-Found at store
141.16-Saturday job
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$ 173.98

I'm am updating the side bar to reflect this deposit.

Have a great evening!

Not much new...

August 19th, 2008 at 12:27 am

I just completed an American Consumer Opinion survey worth $5. I should be getting that check in a few weeks. The survey only took about 15 minutes.

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I took my lunch to work again, most of my co-workers went out to a Chinese Buffet. I took my DD out to Isaac's over the weekend and spent $24, so I didn't want to go out again today.

Have a good evening!

Saturday Ramblings

August 17th, 2008 at 04:51 am

Yesterday, I got an email confirmation from Pinecone stating that I will now be getting compensation via Paypal. I signed up for that several weeks ago. I can't imagine getting paid quicker from Pinecone, as they are very efficient at sending out checks in such a timely manner...usually with in a week.

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The direct deposit at my Saturday job hasn't kicked in yet. I should have received my pay in my account on Friday. I guess that takes a few weeks to activate it in the computer system. It is a small business, so I wouldn't think that it would take nearly as long as for a big company but who knows. The first week I was given an office check for my pay. I don't know what happened this week no paper check and no direct deposit.

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Tomorrow I want to get some items ready to list on ebay or craigslist. I need to get rid of some of the clutter around here.


Have a great weekend!

Rita's Mystery Shops and Work Lunches

August 15th, 2008 at 06:56 pm

I signed up for a few Rita's Italian Ice mystery shops to do this weekend and early next week.

Also, I haven't eaten out for lunch at work any day this week. Yeah!! Usually, I end up going out about once a week. I'm trying not to let my co-workers influence me. Some people go out daily for lunch. I would rather buy food and bring it for lunch. It is generally less expensive that way!

Have a great Friday!

Food for Lunch, Payday, & Library

August 15th, 2008 at 01:53 am

On my way to work I decided to go to Walmart Supercenter for some food for lunches for a few days. I spent $10.89 and got some plums, raspberries, bananas, lemon pepper deli chicken, a loaf of bakery bread (on the reduced rack for 40% off), 2 containers of yogurt, and some crackers. I usually always drink filtered water from work, so I didn't need to buy any beverages.

After work, I picked up DS and went to the library. He got some DVDs and a book. I also got a book. Our library is very small. Maybe I should go to the one close to my work sometime. I haven't been there in probably 10 years. It is larger and they would have a greater variety.


Today was payday so I am going to spend a bit of time doing my online banking and work on my budget now.

Have a great evening!

10 cents

August 13th, 2008 at 11:14 pm

I found a dime on the ground today when I stopped at a convenience store to use the ATM. I will add that to my deposit for the week into my savings account for CC #1!

Have a great evening!

Professional Organization=Auto Insurance Discount

August 13th, 2008 at 01:14 am

A few weeks ago I filled out the membership application online for a professional health care providers organization. In the 11 years I have been in this field, I have never been able to justify paying over $200/yr to belong to it. (I am still wondering if I should have done it or not.) I should be able to use this as part of my itemized deductions for my income taxes. I'm trying to help myself rationalize this expense here! Oh well!

Part of the reason I enrolled is because of the need for continuing education credits. It seems like there is a lack of courses to participate in unless you belong to an organization. If you don't then, you pay more to go to the session. So it is advantageous to be a member due to discounted course rates and increased selection of classes. It is a requirement between the two states in which I have a professional licensed to complete 50 credits every 2 years upon license renewal. I am able to do some online courses and submit a test online to earn some credits, but I still must physically participate in actual courses for the remainder of the requirements.

So anyway, yesterday I got my membership card in the mail. Listed on the card are a few businesses which offer discounts to members, one of which was Geico. Since I am already a policyholder for my auto insurance, I called to see what discount they would offer to me. The Geico representative stated that I would save an additional $30+ every 6 months on my insurance, so $5 a month. While it isn't great, every little bit helps.

Now I'm patiently waiting for the organization to send me some information on courses being held in my area.

More Checks in the Mail...

August 12th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

Yesterday I got 2 checks in the mail:

$15.72-Rite Aid Single Check Rebate
4.00-American Consumer Opinion
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$19.72

I will add this to my CC #1 savings account.


CC Debt Savings Plan

August 11th, 2008 at 01:46 am

I have some CC debt to tackle here in the near future. I've added the accounts to my sidebar. I have 2 of them due within 2 months and then about 3 months from then to come up with the funds to pay the third account. Actually, the first 2 have kind of crept up on me.

I don't have that much earmarked for this debt yet. I plan to use extra money like refund and survey checks, Ebay/Craigslist sales, etc. to fund these savings accounts. I'm thinking I will also use money from my Saturday job so that it will increase a bit quicker since I am working every Saturday for right now.

If I don't have enough saved from these sources by the expiration date of the 0% offers, I will get the remaining amount from my regular savings account. I sure do like these offers, but I occasionally forget about the due dates. Then, I get stressed until I come up with the funds. I prefer not to resort to my EF for something like this, when I should have been allocating money in separate savings accounts since I purchased the items.

Well, I will see how it goes.

Have a great evening!

Decluttering the Shed

August 10th, 2008 at 02:11 am

After I got off work today, I decided to finish the yard work. Then, I got side-tracked and tried to organize the shed in the back yard. It is a small shed with a lot of junk in it that I have saved over the years that is useless to me and to other people. There are some items that may be yard sale material, a few kids toys, some decorations, and baby furniture. But I don't think I have enough to hold a yard sale.

I also have a larger window air conditioner that is in excellent condition, that we only used 1-2 seasons at the most. It has been in the shed for over 5 years. It will no longer fit the windows in the sun room since I got replacement slider windows installed last year. I have a small cash register and some computer equipment to get rid of also. Previously, I have sold some items on Ebay. I have no experience with selling on Craigslist and would appreciate any feedback, both positive and negative in regards to that.

Have a great evening!

CC Payment Posted

August 8th, 2008 at 06:47 pm

Thankfully, the CC payment that I was fretting about in yesterday's post has been posted to my account with the current payment date. I am sooo relieved!

Got a $5 survey check in the mail from My 2 Cents. I will add that to my savings account.

Have a great Friday!

CC issues and payment

August 8th, 2008 at 01:17 am

A few weeks ago I misplaced my Citicard CC. Actually I thought I lost it. I have a *bad* habit of just throwing it into my purse after using it instead of putting it in my wallet. Well, in my frantic state I dumped the contents of my purse on the table and swore that I went through everything very carefully. To my dismay, I could not find the CC. I called Citicard to report the card missing so that they could close the account and issue me a new card/number. I was told it would arrive in 7-10 business days. Guess what...later that day in the afternoon I found the CC in between a folded piece of paper. I called back the CC company, but couldn't stop the process as that card was already canceled. I was so aggravated at myself!!

In the meantime, I could no longer access my account online. I always pay any bill possible electronically online. I would have to wait until the *new* card was activated so that I could once again access my account. As soon as the card arrived, after activation I scheduled an online payment to occur today, 8/7. Just now I went to look and there is no record of it on the pending payment/view scheduled payments page. NOTHING!! Luckily, I have the authorization # that I received when I entered the banking information online. I just hope this is an isolated incident and that the payment will post today because it is due today! In the past I have always been able to view any pending payments prior to the date it actually posted on the recent activity page.

Maybe this is happening because of the switching of the CC account #s. I don't know but I just wish I knew what was going on with this payment. I always pay in full and don't want any late charges incurred for something that isn't my fault.

Hopefully everything will work out. I have got to be more responsible though about keeping my CC in my wallet instead of just throwing it into my purse.


NSD and free vegetables

August 8th, 2008 at 12:00 am

A co-worker brought me 2 yellow squash, 3 cucumbers, and some tomatoes from her garden. I would enjoy having my own vegetable garden, but I don't think I would have the time to work in it. It's difficult enough for me to keep up with the yard work.

I did not spend any money today. The first NSD of the month.

$2.22 Check

August 6th, 2008 at 11:29 pm

Today I received a check for the reimbursement of a Rita's Italian Ice mystery shop I did last month. It was for $2.22...hardly worth the bother, but nonetheless I got a *free* treat after I entered the report online. I don't go out of my way to do "reimbursement only" mystery shops. If the mystery shop assignment is on my way to another destination or errand, then I will consider doing it. Actually I prefer to do assignments that offer a shopper's fee and reimbursement for a service or item.

I will add this to my savings account.

PineCone Research Referral Link

August 6th, 2008 at 03:49 am

As a member of PineCone, I got an email yesterday stating that PineCone wants to increase its membership base. I know many people wanted to become members, but weren't able to because of the difficulty finding referral links. So here it is if anyone is interested.

http://www1.pineconeresearch.com/signup/RR523DS1.asp

Refund Check

August 6th, 2008 at 01:15 am

I got another check in the mail today. It was for $5 from a frying pan that I purchased a few weeks ago from Linens N Things. I will add that to my savings account.

Have a good evening.

Legal Ramblings...

August 3rd, 2008 at 06:38 pm

My ex-husband and I have been divorced for 1 year in July. My attorney said it was best to bifurcate the divorce decree portion from the financial aspect since it had been many years since we have been separated. So this July, after ex had drug out the financial part of it, and incurred much more fees and costs, he was found to be in contempt. He willfully did not sign the deed for the property over to me, nor did he pay me the $5600 of attorney's fees and court costs, which he was ordered by the court to do. So anyway in July '08, he never showed up in court for the contempt issue. Now, the prothonotary at the court house will convey the property to me by executing a new deed. Ex will still owe me the $5600, but I seriously doubt I will ever see a penny of that.

On another note, back in March/April '08, I applied for child support for my children. At the domestic relations conference, it was determined that my ex was unemployed (got fired in Sept '07 and hasn't worked since then) and also he hadn't filed his 2007 income taxes. Anyway, the court order required him to land a job, but in the meantime he was supposed to pay me about $325/month for his 2 children. Since that time, he hasn't paid me 1 cent for them either. So this past week, I went to court once again because he was in contempt for not complying with the child support order. And guess what??? He never showed up!! He currently owes me about $1300 and now has a bench warrant out for his arrest. I'm not holding my breath on this $ either.

I do not communicate at all with my ex even for the children's sake because he doesn't have visitation privileges. I am just so glad to be rid of him and am much better off financially without having to deal with another person who doesn't contribute anything to society or the personal finances of the household/children.



Lower Gas Prices

August 3rd, 2008 at 02:37 am

Gas prices in my area are 20 cents less per gallon than 2 weeks ago. At my one Saturday job, my commute is about 150 miles round trip. I used less gas today than I did two weeks ago. Since I start with a full tank each time it is easy to see that the mpg is in the 35-40+ range. Last week I got 4.56 gallons when I returned home to refill my tank and this week I got 3.31 gallons. So a savings in gas usage of 1.25 gallons. The highway I drive on has a speed limit of 65, but I try to keep it under 60 mph, if possible. Practically everyone is passing me. I don't really care, I'm seeing great savings by driving a little slower. Also, I use the air vent sometimes as opposed to the air conditioner (but I don't open the windows with the vent on).

I'm just wondering how long these gas prices will keep decreasing. Any ideas how long it will take for us to see the benefits of lower food prices??

Have a great night!

Pinecone Check

August 2nd, 2008 at 09:46 pm

I received a survey check from Pinecone today for $3. I will add that to my savings account. Several weeks ago I signed up for paypal with them to receive the compensation that way. I guess maybe it will take a little bit of time for that to go into effect. Nonetheless, I am pleased with the speedy payment as I just did the survey at the beginning of this week!

CVS Bargain Deals

August 1st, 2008 at 01:03 pm

Yesterday, I went to CVS to take advantage of some sale items that were in their weekly sales flyer.

I purchased $11.07 of candy/gum (which wasn't a necessity, but oh well!!), Revlon Limited Edition eye shadow $9.99, and Band-aids 30 ct. $2.99. I had a $1 coupon for the Band-aids. So the total for everything was $23.65 with tax. I received $17.49 back in Extra Buck Rewards, so the final cost was $6.16!!

Have a great day everyone!