Purple Flower's Finance Blog

I did a Pinecone survey Wednesday and on Thursday the $3 was deposited into my Paypal....very swift!!

Tonight after work, I have 2 mystery shops to do. One is at Staples and the other is at Orange Julius. So a little extra income from those assignments.

Other than that not much new!

Have a great Friday!

So far this week I haven't spent any money yesterday or today.

I completed some surveys last night and signed up to get some free samples.

Nothing else much new here...have a good evening.

The divorce process...that is! I started this lengthy, stressful undertaking in October 2002. This is when I hired an attorney, who initiated the proper paperwork (or so I thought). After dragging me along for several years, and not accomplishing anything (but taking lots of my money)...he passed away from a heart attack December 2006. In early 2007, I hired a "new" attorney to continue the case. He,of course, was expensive as well, but things moved along much quicker than with the former attorney. Since he requested to the judge that the case be bifurcated...meaning separating the actual divorce decree from the marital property (finances), I received the divorce from my former husband in July 2007.

Since my ex-husband did not cooperate and wanted to drag this whole mess out, it has taken over a year for everything to be finalized. For many reasons, everything was awarded to me.

I was so happy to get the "revised" deed in the mail recently as the sole owner of the property.

Since the interest rate on the mortgage is 8.5%, I plan to now finally refinance this thing. It just aggravates me that this could have been done many years ago and saved me lots of money in interest with a bit more cooperation from the ex.

But all in all, even though it was a trying process, I am pleased with the end result. I have heard such horror stories about how finances, properties, etc. get divided in many different ways based on various factors and it was really very stressful!

Yesterday, I stopped at a convenience store to use the ATM and I found a penny.

Today when I was at the mall with DD, I found a dime by the gumball machines. So that is $0.11 to the CC savings.

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We stopped at CVS to use some Extra Bucks I earned last week. I got a 12 pack of CVS brand toilet paper on sale for $5.49, Excedrin 20 ct box for $3.99, and 2 candy bars for 0.99. My total was $10.47 and I had $9.99 in Extra Bucks so my grand total was $0.48 plus I earned another $3.99 EB for purchasing the Excedrin!!

Today I received a check for $5 from American Consumer Opinion surveys, which I will add to my savings account for CC #3.

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I discovered that I can now do Walgreen's monthly rebates online finally. It is very similar to Rite Aid's (which I am very familiar with!) I entered my receipt this morning and requested the check for this month. I should get that in a couple of weeks.

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After work today, I stopped at the grocery store for some fresh veggies:

3 pints grape tomatoes 0.99/each
2-1 lb. bags of baby carrots 0.99/each
apples 0.77/lb.
2 stalks of celery 0.99/each

I thought those were some great deals, at least for my area.

Have a good evening!

I've had 2 NSDs this week on Monday and Tuesday. Other than that I don't have too much to report. Today was payday so I am off to take care of my online accounts and budgeting.

I want to go to CVS tomorrow to take advantage of some of their sale items and extra buck rewards. I also have coupons to use on many of the items. I hope they still have the items, as it is fairly late in the week.

Since 2005, I've had two vehicles that I drive interchangeably. Since I am a single parent, I figured it made sense to keep a backup vehicle just in case the one breaks down. I don't have family to rely on, nor do I want to be so dependent on others.

So the vehicle in question is a 1998 Ford Escort station wagon, which has 205,000 miles on it. I purchased it new when I was married. I replaced the engine when it had about 185,000 miles. The air conditioner hasn't worked for years and I didn't want to put $ into it to fix it. A couple of months ago I noticed a "slipping" when the gears shift. Now I've never replaced the transmission and don't intend to. After all, IMO it is actually amazing that a Ford Escort has managed to
have over 200K miles on the original transmission. Last week, there was a rattling noise near the passenger's front tire when the car was idling at signal lights. So this morning I get in it to go to work and noticed a scraping noise when braking (maybe the brake pads/rotors?), so I went back home and got the Honda Civic to drive to work. Just so convenient to have that extra vehicle! So I think this car has many issues that could cost lots of money. I have kept up on the maintenance since I've purchased the vehicle.

Last night I checked the Kelley Blue Book value of the car and it is between $1300-1500. So my question is.. would you even spend the money to get a diagnosis, or just try to sell it privately for a few hundred dollars?

Like I said earlier, I do prefer to have a second car for emergencies and such. Car insurance is much less expensive when more than one car is on a policy due to the multi-car discount (at least with my insurance company), so that isn't an issue.

Since I am still paying on the Honda, I don't want another car payment at this time. I really would like to have an SUV or something that is good in snow like my Escort. The Honda doesn't seem to perform as well in winter weather conditions, perhaps because it is lighter than the station wagon and it sits somewhat lower to the road.

I definitely would prefer a used vehicle...maybe a certified used vehicle from a dealer.

I just don't know what to do...put more $ into the Escort or sell it. I'm looking for some feedback please...smile!

Saturday after work I stopped at the grocery store and got some food for lunches this week. I got red and green peppers, apples, strawberries, grapes, cabbage, and cantaloupe. All of which was on sale. I also bought 2 Perdue Oven Stuffers at $0.79/lb. I made some chicken corn soup yesterday.

For lunch today, I made a large fruit cup with some frozen blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and cantaloupe. I had a Lean Cuisine meal which I bought several of those last week for $2/each. The mixed fresh fruit was especially tasty.

Have a great evening!

Yeah!! I have $692.77 to add to my CC savings to the left:

$592.72 Saturday job pay for 2 weeks
plus 1 week back pay
80.00 Reimbursement for CE course
20.00 Discover Cashback Bonus
.05 Found $ at work
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$692.77 Total

So now I have accounts #1 and 2 fully funded and just waiting to send the CC payments. I have an additional $123.25 leftover for CC #3. I'm hoping I can achieve this final goal before 1/1/09!

I received some Fiber One samples for cereal and a cereal bar in the mail. I signed up for them a few weeks ago, as it is always nice to get something free!

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A few days ago I signed up for Quicken online to track expenses and utilize a budget upon other blog members recommending it in the past, and more recently Monkey Mama had mentioned that she uses it. It is very convenient to have bank , credit card, investment accounts, etc. all at one place to view everything together. I'm a bit confused about the section titled, "Am I Living Within My Means?". I know that I am, living within my means because I have $ leftover at the end of the month, but the figures seem to get jumbled up when I transfer money out into a savings account. In addition, for example, when I go to Walmart and buy groceries, pet supplies, and household items the total amount spent is registered...and I can't figure out how to allocate each subtotal into their respective categories. I don't know if that is possible or not. Up to this point I have been tracking my income and expenses on 3x5 index cards with a week on each card, that I carry with me in my purse. I have found that even though I've gotten accustomed to doing it that way now that I've been actively tracking my expenses for 2 months, it is very tedious. I may still try to do the pen & paper method as a backup system. I just don't know if ways exist in Quicken online to better "fine tune" the certain areas mentioned previously in this entry or not. Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated. I will try this for free for 2 months and see how it goes. It's only $2.99/month after that...so we will see. Despite those few issues that I've encountered, I really do like the site with the pie charts, accounts overview, and budgeting sections, but somehow it seems likes the numbers aren't as precise as far as category expenditures as I would like them to be. Oh well!!

Today at work I managed to get a free lunch from a co-worker. She overslept and was about an hour late for work. Since I had to do some of her work, she offered to buy me lunch at the restaurant of my choice. We went to a pizzeria and I got a cheese steak with mushrooms and sauce. It was a nice gesture on her part, which she wouldn't have had to do for me.

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I received my paycheck in the mail today that I had been waiting on from my one Saturday job. It was "lost" in the process of switching to direct deposit. It's been over a month, so I'm glad to have finally received that.

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Other than that, not too much new...have a great evening!!

I've earned enough $ to request the minimum of $20 from my Discover CC. I'm going to add that "extra" money to my CC savings.

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I was doing a survey on Your2Cents tonight, thinking that I had earned enough to request payment...only to find out that they increased the minimum payout amount to $10. Previously it was $5 not all that long ago. So anyway I earned $1 doing the survey this evening, but still need to earn $5 more to get a check.

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Most of my items are selling on Ebay. I have about 10 more items listed for this round until I gather more items from my decluttering ventures!!

A few days ago I filled out an application online to become a ChaCha guide. I just checked my email and am invited to complete registration and take a simulator test to determine if I qualify to be a text guide.
Hopefully, I will soon be able to make some additional money to continue paying down my CC debt on my 0% offers!!

Today I received a reimbursement check from my employer for a continuing education course that I attended in July for $81. I will use that to help decrease my CC debt since I have already put it on a CC that I pay in full each month; therefore, I shouldn't miss the money from my checking account.

I also got an email notification that the $3 from Greenfield Online Surveys was deposited into my paypal account today.

So I will add $84 to my CC Savings account when I update the sidebar this week.

Yesterday, I went to Walgreens to get some FAR items. I got the following items:

Chemistry Leave-in Conditioner $7.99
Nivea for Men Body Wash 4.99
Crest Pro Health TP 2.99
Revlon Nail Enamel 4.49
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20.46

I had 2 $1 coupons (one for the body wash and another for the TP). My total with tax was $19.51. I will get a rebate for $20.46, so I will be making money on this trip.

That location was out of the L'oreal RevitaLift Anti-Wrinkle lotion and the LypSyl Lip Moisturizer that I was also interested in purchasing which were FAR as well. I think I will stop Saturday on my way to work to check another location to see if they have those items. It is on my route to work, so I wouldn't be wasting gas to just go and check.

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I found a nickel at work on Saturday, so I will add that to my CC Savings when I make the deposit for this week.

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Other than that, I spent yesterday packaging some Ebay items that I sold. I still have items listed with bidders and watchers...yeah!!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!