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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

I just got July's electric bill and was pleasantly surprised. It was less than $56!! For June as posted previously in my blog, my bill was $53.96. I pay 6.3 cents/kilowatt hour. In addition, I have time of day usage pricing (off-peak 9 pm to 9 am + weekends, and on peak from 9 am to 9 pm)

Anyway, comparing June and July...here are the numbers:

June: 29 days in billing cycle, 81.5% off
peak and 18.5% on peak usage

July: 30 days in billing cycle, 77.8% off
peak and 22.2% on peak usage

I don't think that is too bad. I try to do laundry in the evenings or on the weekends. In addition, I periodically turn off the hot water heater upon ImaSaver's recommendation which definitely helps conserve energy. I still could improve on that, but it isn't always the easiest with children in the house. But anyway I feel that every little bit helps. I will attempt to decrease how much the hot water heater is running throughout the day. Also, I rarely run the A/C during on peak times of the day, so that saves too.

I hope everyone has a great day!

Today while I was running some errands I found 2 cents!!

I went to Sears to get a bathtub mat. I had a $5 gift card to use there from doing a survey. The cost was $9.99-$5 GC, so I got it for $4.99 + tax.

I hope everyone has a great day!!

We got back last night from our trip to my sister and BIL's cabin. We had a nice time together. It was good to get away for a few days.

I filled the gas tank before we left, then again when we returned. That cost $30 and I spent about $50 on food to take along. So we ended up spending less than $100, which I think was really good.

On the way home, we stopped at a discount grocery outlet store. This store has both brand and store name merchandise for very low prices. Some of the items are a few months outdated, but for the most part the food is good quality and in-date. Some of the items I got were: (2) 1 lb. baby carrots $0.99 ea., cucumbers 3/$1, yams $0.49/lb., bananas $0.44/lb, several boxes of cereal $1.29-$1.69 each, several bottles of salad dressing (Kraft and Ken's)3/$1, seedless, whole watermelon $3.99. I got quite a bit of food and only spent $53. I just wish there was a store like this closer to home. The prices were much better even than Aldi in this area.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!!

I received my electric bill this week and was pleasantly surprised that it was only $53.96!!! My average monthly bill for the last two years has been $105. Generally my usage in the summer is much less than in the winter. I have electric baseboard heat and in the winter the bill is often over $200 a month.

I am on the time of day plan with my electric company. I have on-peak hours from 9 am to 9 pm and off-peak hours from 9 pm to 9 am. In addition, weekends are off-peak hours as well. The cost for the off-peak usage is considerably less than for on-peak. For June we used 81% off-peak and 19% on-peak. I have always been careful to run the dishwasher and washer/dryer during off-peak times. I try to encourage the children to conserve energy too (by turning off lights/TV/appliances when not in use). In most cases, I don't allow the air conditioners to be on until after 9 pm. We just run the whole house fan with the windows open for a nice breeze.

I've taken ImaSaver's suggestion and have turned the hot water heater off occasionally when it is not needed. I also set the temperature for hot water at 90 degrees instead of 120 degrees. Also, I have turned the computer completely off much more than I have in the past.

I'm able to see that my efforts have been paying off in a big way and I like the decreased numbers I'm seeing on the electric bill!!!

Anyone have any other suggestions for helping me to lower my electric bill even further?

In last Sunday's newspaper I saw a help wanted ad that I responded to by faxing my resume on Wednesday. It is a position for Saturdays only, which is what I'm currently interested in. I received a phone call that same day asking if I could come in for an interview. So I set it up for this morning. Right now I'm working 2 Saturdays/month in an office separate from my full-time position. I either want to supplement that by working 1 more Saturday/month or quit the other job since the pay would be much better in the nearby state where I recently got licensed. Anyway, the commute is 70 miles as opposed to 20, but the pay range is $10-15/hr. more there. I'm thinking even with the rise in gas prices, it may be worthwhile to pursue working in the metro area since I have an economical vehicle (Honda Civic). So the interview went well, and she said it is difficult to find people in the field to work Saturdays. She gave me a tour of the office and introduced me to the staff. She said she would call me back in the beginning of next week to see if my current Saturday schedule would work with when they have an availability. So we will see what happens.

Yesterday, I received a Citibank Reward Check for $63.54. Today I got a TMF Refund from Organix Shampoo for $6.99. I will add both of those to my savings account.

It has been difficult tracking my expenses/income this month (since I've never accounted for every cent), but it's almost the end of the month and it wasn't too bad once I got into the habit of it. Hopefully I can formulate a doable budget since I have a better idea of where all of my money has gone!!

Well, have a great weekend everyone!!

Even though it is very hot/humid here--93 degrees--I do not want to turn on the A/C. I have a whole house fan which is on and I have the windows open with the mini-blinds closed.

I got a refund check in the mail for $3.69 for Land O Lakes Butter and I had another NSD. I will add the check to my savings.

I did some yard work earlier and now I'm going to see how much money I spent this week, since this is the first week I have actually tracked all of my expenses.

Even though I am aware of my largest expenses each month, I need to be better at finding out where ALL of my money is going on a monthly basis. So starting with June, I'm going to record each time I spend money and what category (groceries, medical, entertainment, etc.) it goes into so that I can actually have a written budget instead of mentally trying to control my finances. This way I will be able to see where I could save even more money each month.

I've decided I need to change my spending habits for several reasons:

~rising gasoline/food prices
~non-reimbursed divorce attorney fees
ex-husband has not paid
~currently not getting child support
effective April 2008 (loss of over
$500/month)

Since I am now licensed in a state nearby (since the hourly rate is significantly higher than in the state where I reside), I am on the list at a medical temp agency should they have any Saturday openings. So I'm trying to increase my income to compensate for being 100% financially responsible for my children.

I'm really excited about tracking my income/expenses as it should be an eye-opener!!