Purple Flower's Finance Blog

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

Last night, DD and I went to Texas Roadhouse for a mystery shop. Once I enter the shop details online I will be reimbursed $35 for the meal. On this particular assignment, there is a bonus rate paid of $4. Both of our meals totaled $35.58 including the tip, so I will make $3.42 on this mystery shop.

It was a tasty meal and best of all it was a free outing!!

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!

Yesterday, I had another NSD. Actually, I haven't had many of those this month.

I got the yard mowed and did some weeding along my fence. It was extremely hot/humid, but it needed to be done. DS helps me with the yard work frequently, but he was spending the day with a friend.

Today I started my new Saturday job. The hours are 8-2 so the worst part was getting up at 5:30 AM when the alarm went off. The commute is 65 miles one way, but it pays very well since it is located in a large city in a nearby state.

The other staff members were really nice and the day went very well. The time went by quickly also, which was a plus.

At my current Saturday job which I will alternate for now with this job, my boss is very arrogant and frankly I am getting tired of his demeanor. Since we are professionals, I would think that even though he has a higher degree than myself, he would treat me as a colleague and respect my opinions more than he does. Anyway, this and the fact that I always need to initiate the topic of pay increases may make it easier for me to make a decision between the two Saturday jobs. I am extremely reliable and feel I am good at what I practice. Sometimes I feel like I'm taken for granted since I am so readily available for my boss with picking up extra Saturdays. In this profession I should be making more money on Saturdays than I do at my M-F full-time job; however, I do not.

Anyway, sorry about rambling. I guess I should be satisfied and thankful that I have a great profession that so far hasn't been greatly affected by the economy.

I found a penny yesterday at Wal-mart at the checkout area.

I also got a Rite Aid rebate check in the mail for $30.93.

Both of these I will add to my savings account.

I haven't participated recently in the Walgreen's rebate program, but almost always get FAR items with Rite Aid's program.

Have a great day!

Yesterday and today were NSDs for me.

I finally got the temp pay from working in an office a couple of weeks ago. I will add that $503 to my savings account. Normally I get it that same day, but the office manager who writes the checks was on vacation when I worked those days.

Starting Saturday, I will work an additional 2 Saturdays a month. So for a month or two I'm thinking about working every Saturday alternating with the job which I've had for a year now. Since I think that will be too tiresome to do for a long period of time, I will save up some extra money and decide which job to keep and cut back to only 2 Saturdays a month. I don't know, I just don't want to get burnt out. Maybe I can use the extra money to save towards my Home Depot CC that has 0% interest until Jan 2009. I put replacement windows on that CC last year and definitely want to pay it in full before the offer expires.

I've been noticing that for about the last month or so, the coupon inserts in the Sunday newspaper are very thin. The main reason I have home delivery is for the coupons. I had originally thought that the savings in coupons would outweigh the cost of the newspaper. Even though I am not brand loyal, there are barely any coupons in the inserts. Instead it is loaded with advertisements/catalog order items.

I may have to rethink my Sunday newspaper subscription.

Has anyone else noticed the lack of "good" manufacturer coupons?

DD and I really enjoy McDonald's Vanilla Iced Coffee, but it is just getting to be too much of a habit and more importantly too expensive. With the smallest size cup costing $1.99, I've decided I need to come up with a made-from-scratch alternative. I found a recipe for vanilla syrup in a cookbook.

Vanilla Syrup

1 1/2 c water
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp vanilla extract

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, sugar, and salt to a boil. Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved. Boil until mixture is thick and syrupy, approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and cool.

I make fairly strong coffee, then add some half & half or light cream plus some of the vanilla syrup over ice. The problem is I don't know the proportions that McD's uses, but I just estimate and it turns out very yummy!! I know it will save me money in the long run!

I received a $50 check from Global Test Market from doing surveys. It took less than 4 weeks to receive the check once I requested it. I will add that to my savings account. I already accumulated another 240 points towards the next $50 once I reach 1000 points. I think I like this company better than Pinecone. I get at least 10 survey invites each week. I rarely get any from Pinecone.

Have a great evening everyone!!

On Saturday night, my daughter and I were watching Suze Orman at the usual time--9:00 PM ET. According to the announcement during the show, Suze will now air 6 nights/wk to include M-F at 8 PM ET.

We probably will not watch it every night, but my daughter (age 15) and I always look forward to watching it together. Since she has a part-time job now, I've been trying to give her some basic personal finance tips. The Suze Orman show either reiterates some things that I have already discussed with her, or brings up new ideas which prompt her to ask me some questions. I think that this show is a good supplement as a teaching tool to help her to understand finances, budgeting, importance of saving, etc. a bit better.

While I don't agree with everything that Suze suggests, I am happy that it will be airing more than once a week. Our favorite part is the "Can I Afford It?" segment.

Does anyone else watch this show as a family or with your children?

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!!

I was initially concerned with spending hundreds of dollars to get another professional license in a nearby state. By working 2 temp jobs within the past week in that state, I have regained all the money plus some additional money.

I guess it was well worth it, but at the time I was hesitant in making that move within my career.

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!!

Last week I had an interview at an office for Saturday work only. Yesterday, I received a call from the office manager stating that I received the job. I will initially work every other Sat. there because I am already working the opposite Sat. in an office where I've been for over a year now. I just need to decide if I want to switch to working every Sat. at this new position because the pay is so much better. I will test it out for a few months, then make a decision.

Anyway, I start in two weeks. I have to decide what I will do with the extra money.

Well, only one more day of temping tomorrow then we leave for vacation for a few days.

Have a great holiday!!

I didn't spend any money today. I also didn't cook any "new" meals. I'm trying to clear the refrigerator of leftovers.
The children and I are leaving Wednesday night to go to my sister and BIL's cabin until the weekend and I don't want to waste the food that was already prepared.

Since I am off this week at my full-time job because the office is closed, I am working M-W doing temp jobs in two different offices. I will be getting a week paid vacation from my regular job plus extra from the 3 temp jobs. I plan to just put the extra money in my savings account. It makes it easier for me to relax knowing I added a bit more to my "cushion". It seems I always have and always will have difficulty justifying taking long vacations!! I feel like I should work a lot since I don't get any financial support from my children's father. I'm trying to compensate for the portion that I was receiving per month due to his disability.

This should be a fairly low cost trip since lodging will be free. I just need to allow gas and grocery money for vacation.

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!!

Yesterday, I had another NSD. I also requested a $10 check from doing surveys with Global Test Market since I earned 1000 points.

Have a great day everyone!

Today I went to a family reunion. I made this salad to take along:

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad


2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 c. corn kernels
1 1/2 c. avocado, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 c. red onion, finely diced

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Add the corn, avocado, tomatoes, and onion and toss to mix. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4-6. This can also be served with tortilla chips.

This recipe was a hit at the picnic. I have never made it before, but I will make it soon again. It was tasty!!

They also had an auction where you can take wrapped, used or new items. The money then gets donated to the fund so that we can continue to have a family reunion to purchase ice cream, paper plates, napkins, cups, etc., as well as games for the children. I was able to get rid of a few items and reduce the clutter in my house.

It was a fun day!

Last night, I went to Texas Roadhouse to do a mystery shop. I will get $35 reimbursement for the meal, which was $41.50. So $6.50 cost for a meal for 2 people.

Today, I had another NSD.

Have a great evening!