SnoopyCool's Blog

Everything is ready to go. I can't wait to get this stuff out of here. I hope the Florida rains wait until at least 2pm.

Clark Howard talked about this yesterday, so I thought I'd add the link:

www.ChoiceTrust.com

A CLUE report is how the insurance company keeps tabs on you, similar to a credit report for insurance. It has info about claims, etc on your Homeowner's Insurance and on your Auto Insurance. Clark suggested that you ask for one from the seller before you buy a house, and check it free once a year to see if there are any mistakes on your report. You can dispute/correct information on it.

I am decluttering and purging, and hoping to make a little moo-la this weekend. Wish me luck.

Oh, and if you have any tips on holding a sale, please let me know. I'm thinking advertising with signs at all major intersections in a mile radius, Craigslist, online paper ad (that's free).

I hit a grocery cart with the van, and since the cart was pinned against a curb and my van, it busted the glass out of the sliding door! Thank goodness for $0 glass deductible. And thank goodness that DD, who sat near that window, wasn't hurt.

Unfortunately, this cuts vacation a week short, but that's okay. It's still vacation and we're still going to have fun!

Something is shorting the battery out, and I am no mechanic. I do have a Haynes book, and I also have a volt/ohm meter, so I guess I'll get to work looking for it. We are supposed to go on vacation at the end of the month and I can't drive 600 miles with the worry of breaking down! And I am determined to go on vacation, as it will be our first and the kids are excited (plus, food and board are free).

We took the kids to a couple of family grave sites, visited DH's grandmother, then went to the mall. I figured it would be packed, but it was like a ghost town. I was surprised! I figured lots of folks would be out and about, but the highways were pretty dead, too.

DS has a Kindergarten party next week. Instead of asking the parents for donations of food, etc., they've asked for a $3 donation. DS paid for it out of his allowance, on his own accord. His teacher was just shocked!

DD #1 WILL NOT spend her money (4 y.o.). She pays her tithing, and is saving the rest for some flavor of Littlest Pet Shop toy. Good for her. She has a goal and that makes me happy.

I feel like it is really important to teach them about money now so that they will be better off than we are. I want the best for them, as most parents want for their children. And, for me, the best for them is a working knowledge of this world, and how to deal with life.

I thought I'd join my fellow bloggers and write that we, too, received our payment. It was also less than hoped for but I'll just be happy that we got it. After tithing, it will round out our EF, vacation fund and will buy a new mattress. Hooray!

I canned about a million cans of food last night with my ward (church congregation) and now have a 3-month supply. That is a huge relief to me.

Growing up, my grandparents used to harvest and "put-up" their own food, and I remember what a good feeling that was. I enjoy doing the same thing, but we don't have a lot of land to do it on. So I go to Church and do it, and I also go to the local farmer's market for some things to can. I also also go to a local blueberry farm and pick blueberries to freeze and make jam with. I just love this life!

I just love my credit union! They have a wonderful team and really treat us right.

I also love Publix. I wish my grocery budget were a lot more than it is, because I would ditch stinky Wal-Mart right away and shop exclusively at Publix. Well, I guess I'd still go to the 'Mart because I'd feel guilty knowing I could save money there as opposed to Publix.

Our friend is an arborist and owns his own tree service. He has agreed to lend us his climber all day tomorrow for only $200! We are going to get better than $1000 worth of work done for 1/5 the price. Imagine my glee

We put it in a closet. We still have a small one in our room, but feel like the one in the living room didn't help us progress towards our family goals. It was easy to use as a crutch with the kids during the day if I needed to get something done. Glad that is gone! Even in just two days, I feel like the spirit of our home has improved a lot.

Goodbye, tv...

I posted about how much I don't like making dinner. That was in response to my approach: about an hour before dinner should be served, I would walk into the kitchen and just stand there, not knowing what I should make (that, and I'm tired at the end of the day).

Well, we recently made improvements in our eating habits, and I decided to put together a recipe menu box on index cards, which lets me know what to make this week and exactly what to buy at the grocery store. And lo and behold, this has helped save me from daily heartache AND it has helped me save $ at the grocery store.

Anyway, now that I am prepared, there's no anxiety. And I think that's what being financially savvy is about. Doing the best you can with what you have to prepare for the future. That seems like a good perspective to me.

PS - I know I'm slow about these things, but I'm a work in progress.

Last night I had a discussion with my children (5, 4, 2) about prayer. To see what they thought, I asked them a few questions.

"If we ask Heavenly Father for a bunch of candy, will it magically appear?"

"NO!!!" was their answer.

"If we need help with something, can He help us?"

"Yes!"

Then I asked "If we ask for a million dollars, will He give it to us?"

My 5 y.o. son replies "Um, no, Mom. You have to work for your allowance."

You have no idea how happy I was to hear that.

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*crickets chirping*

I'm so happy that we've been able to accumulate some food storage. I'm also glad that my local Wal-Mart (you know, the one I usually loathe), sometimes clearances food and I stock up on it if I use it (for instance, I got cans of 100% pure pumpkin for $0.25 each!). We also got some free Nutrisystem products from a friend. I don't know exactly how long it will last us. I should run a food storage calculator and see. Anyway, I just wanted to take a pic.

I've always assumed that if something rings up the wrong price when you're checking out, then you either 1. get $3 off of your total order, or 2. get the item free (which ever is less). Not so, my friend. If you decide to tell the cashier that the price is wrong and s/he corrects it, the RPG is not put into play. Apparently, You have to have paid for the item at the wrong price and then go to the Customer Service desk to get the $ back. Technically, the print on the checkstand about the Right Price Guarantee says if Wal-Mart charges you the wrong price, then the guarantee comes into play. Do you know how much of a hassle this is with anywhere from 2 to 4 kids in tow? They must bank on the fact that it is too much of a hassle for most people to deal with.

Why, oh why does dinner have to come at the end of the day when I'm ready to go to bed? We're having sandwiches tonight because I haven't planned well and so I'm not prepared for anything else.

~~~~ to you, Dinner!

... apparently not everyone just throws their discards away. In fact, the big box home improvement stores return it somewhere for a credit (long story, but it ended in my husband high-tailing it out of there because an associate was writing his license plate # down). So, I would advise doing a thorough investigation before you become a landscape freegan.

My van is an 11 year old rebuild (my dad rebuilds salvaged cars - in fact, I've only owned a non-junkyard vehicle once, and it was the worst vehicle I ever had).

Anyhoo, it has had routine maintenance on it, plus some minor other things. Now, I know that well-built makes like Toyotas will last eons if they are kept well, but I'm wondering how long a Plymouth will last? Here's hoping another 5-6 years, at least.

From time to time, my kindergartener asks me when we will get a van with an automatic sliding door. He sees these things in the carpool line at school. Of course I tell him not for a very long time. I'm tryint to teach my kids to think along these lines: why spend money when you 1. Don't have it and 2. Don't have to ?

...from the children I know.

10. Time out is for babies, not sophisticated 2 year-old girls

9. No matter how hard you rub chicken nuggets together, they WILL NOT make a fire

8. A DVD will not play in a VHS slot

7. Refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom are a dumb idea

6. A 1-year old can fit more than one banana in his mouth at a time

5. The cops WILL be called if you don't let your 3 year old wear a cereal box on his head

4. Those b.b. guns at the county fair (you know, shoot out the red star and win a prize) are modeled after corn kernels and a spoon (the latter being more effective on targets, especially a sibling's head)

3. Kids will clean any room in two minutes if you set a timer

2. Spit-up on a black shirt doesn't look so bad, after all

1. There's nothing better than being the apple of a child's eye

Finally! Now on to the student loan debt. ARGH! However, to stay excited, I made a check-off chart with each payment on it. Then, when we make a payment, I mark-off that payment on the chart. Cheesy, I know, but it keeps me excited about it.

I have to think more positively on this financial journey! I have caught myself becoming too discouraged when our EF has dwindled because of unforseen problems with the van and with the house AC. That's what the EF is for, and if this had happened pre- financial cogniscience (sp), we would have put it on the credit card.

So, instead of whining, I'll be thankful and keep working toward our goals.

Ah, DH! He's really into landscaping our home and so he frequents big box home improvement stores and other stores with garden centers. Well, he frequents their racks out by the trash and I cannot tell you how many $'s worth of plants he's salvaged (they throw away things that may be on their last leg, but not dead!) Our home looks better than ever thanks to his efforts.

I always seem to blow the budgeted amount for food! I carefully reviewed the ads, and I know the individual amounts on the things I spend at Wal-Mart, but when I see something on sale that we use, I just want to buy too much of it (as if it will never go on sale again)! I have to reel myself in on this.