Archive results for “May 2011f 2011”

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Raise #2?

I’ve been a bit nervous about our missing rent safety net. On our own, we’d be fine. Add a kid, daycare, and extra health insurance and suddenly ‘fine’ isn’t the word I’d use to describe our upcoming budget. I expressed my concern to my husband who replied, ‘Everything will turn out.’

Yes, he’s the financial Bob Marley in our relationship. He never gets worried.

I clicked through our spreadsheets trying to make 1 + 1 = 47 but even with today’s modern math, it wasn’t happening. As I was about to lose my sanity, my husband strolled home from work. ‘Guess who’s up for a raise?’ he asked with a grin.

I stared at him.

He paused then said, ‘ME!’

I continued to stare in silence.

‘Hon?’ he asked.

More silence and a confused stare.

He snapped in front of my face. ‘Anyone home?’ he laughed.

‘Didn’t you JUST get one?!?’ I asked.

‘Well, yeah. But it’s time for another according to my boss’ he said proudly.

Have I worked for the government so long that I forgot what it’s like to get a raise? Man, I miss my private sector job.

Raises are supposed to be handed out in the next 30 – 60 days at his office.

Did you hear that? That, my friends, was a sigh of relief.

Posted by Beks on May 31, 2011 at 5:00 AM in work | 6 Comments »
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Happy Memorial Day!

OK, so I know we all have plans for barbeques and parades this weekend and it will be hard to focus on anything else other than hot dogs, hamburgers, and ice cream sundaes but….

Please take a moment to honor those we have lost AND…

Give a hug to your nearest serviceman/woman.

A hearty thanks to our military.

Posted by Beks on May 29, 2011 at 11:55 AM in Misc | 2 Comments »
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Old Financial Habits Die Hard…

I was driving home from work last night when I noticed a new billboard. The local credit union was advertising car loan rates starting at 2.9% and suggested all motorists finance or refinance vehicles into their ‘great low rate’.

‘Hmm. Maybe I should consider refinancing this baby’ I thought as I tapped the steering wheel of my Mazda. ‘What am I paying now? 5.9%?’ I wondered.

I kept repeating the name of the credit union in my head over the next few miles until I remembered one fairly important fact…

We paid off my car two years ago when we decided to change our lives to become debt free.

I am so used to paying payments for everything in my life that not having a payment is still a foreign concept. I still smile when I remember… that payment is GONE!!! It was a nice ride home.

Posted by Beks on May 27, 2011 at 5:00 AM in General Personal Finance | 3 Comments »
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Accidental Extreme Couponing…

I always flip through the coupons in my weekly stack of junk mail. This week, the mailman accidentally delivered 5 stacks of the same coupon pile. I was about to toss them when I discovered a killer coupon for Degree deodorant. Our grocery store was running a sale on the same item so my final purchase price was a whopping 25 cents each. Taking it as a ‘sign from God’ and not as a ‘sign the mailman was tired or lazy’, I clipped all 5 copies and purchased 5 sticks of deodorant. While there, I grabbed two tubes of toothpaste ($3 off coupon) and two bottles of store brand mouthwash ($1.50 off coupon). I went home with $30 worth of goods for just over $3.

Proud of my savings, I opened my linen closet doors to store my stash and…

discovered there were already 4 sticks of deodorant, 5 tubes of toothpaste, and 2 bottles of store brand mouthwash.

That’s what I get for chastising the TLC Extreme Couponing show. Stupid Karma.

My husband gets slightly annoyed when he discovers that I have 8 bottles of shampoo but can’t seem to stock a decent bottle of aspirin – it’s not my fault they don’t offer aspirin at 90% off and I have no motivation to pay full price for anything. I know some women who hide their shopping discretions from their husbands… sadly, I include myself in that group. But it’s no Coach bag or Hermes sweater stuffed in the back of my closet, it’s 4 bottles of discounted body wash. I cringed when I caught my hoarding, *cough*, ‘savings’ mistake and quickly shoved the deodorant behind some sheets. Regardless of the savings, I’d have to have one heck of a sweaty summer to burn through 9 sticks of deodorant.

I learned my lesson. All coupons are going straight to the trash until I run out of deodorant… which should be sometime in 2015.

Posted by Beks on May 25, 2011 at 8:41 PM in Saving Money, Ways I Save Money | 10 Comments »
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I sold my body to science for $250.

I always laugh when I hear about folks who participate in tests for pharmaceutical companies. It seems like a horrible idea to take drugs that haven’t been tested. I mean really, who does that?!?

*Meekly raise my hand*

Apparently there is a black market for pregnant lady blood and I decided to cash in.

My co-worker participated in a study on pregnant women dedicated to preventing the need for dangerous amniocentesis testing. No drugs are required, only blood donations from pregnant women.

The value of a tiny tube of my blood? $250.

I was reluctant to donate blood at first, regardless of how little was required, but gave in as soon as I visited the medical facility. It was cleaner than my doctor’s office!

Test subjects can donate up to 6 times over the course of 20 weeks, but I’m too far in my pregnancy and could only donate once.

I’m a bit jealous of my co-worker who is on her third donation and has fully furnished her baby’s room on pharmaceutical company checks but hey, I’m extremely grateful for my $250.

Yes, my doctor approved the donation. Yes, it was safe and sanitary. Yes, the check cleared.

And one day, I hope amniocentesis testing will be a thing of the past.

Posted by Beks on May 24, 2011 at 5:00 AM in Making Money | 16 Comments »
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He Did It!!

After all the time, the dedication, and… the MONEY, he did it. My husband finished his degree.

Well, OK, so he still has two summer school classes to take but since he will finish this summer, they let him walk at the ceremony this weekend.

I’ve been so busy with work and obsessive house cleaning (aka fanatical nesting), I haven’t had time to enjoy the moment. On the morning of the graduation, I woke up at 5am, made a batch of cinnamon rolls, cleaned the bathroom… again, got ready, and left for the ceremony. I chatted with my parents before the ceremony and promptly at 8am, the lights went off and Pomp and Circumstance filled the air.

Suddenly, the waterworks started. I couldn’t control my darn crying.

Fortunately, being just over 7 months pregnant, I can get away with almost anything… including crying at graduation ceremonies. The reality is, I’m so proud of my husband, I would have cried anyway – baby or no baby.

My saving grace was my mother. She’d randomly start clapping for graduates we didn’t know. Thinking she was being supportive of students whose parents weren’t there, I was warmed by her sweet thoughts… until she let me know her REAL reason for applause. “I’m clapping for all the girls with cute shoes” she said in a very serious tone.

Hmmm… and people think I’M the weird one.

We celebrated with one heck of a graduation party at our home with friends and family.

It was a really, really great weekend.

There he is!

Posted by Beks on May 23, 2011 at 5:00 AM in Life Experiences | 7 Comments »
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Graduation!!

My husband is graduating from college this weekend and I’m SOOOO proud. I’m still not sure how he pulled off working full-time, going to school full-time, and working side jobs on the weekends, but he did.

He took his last final yesterday and we’re going out to dinner to celebrate. Sure, it’s not very ‘Dave Ramsey’ of me to head out to our local steakhouse when we still have debt but…

I’m laying off the ‘gazelle intensity’ tonight. Sorry Dave. ; )

Posted by Beks on May 20, 2011 at 5:00 AM in :) | 11 Comments »
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