• Mortgage: $960.00 (about $6 extra to principal)
• Home Depot $28.67 (paint for hallway)
• Kroger $3.89 (Diet Coke for my boss)
• Verizon $72.66 (cell phone bill for us)
• Student Loan $99.57
• Library $15
• Costco $2.81
• Costco $63.74 (dog food, fish, sorbet)
• Meijer $46.15 (groceries)
• Rainbow Blossom $2.89 (health food store-flour to make bread)
• Water Company $28.00
• Car $13,500
• County Clerk $827 (taxes for new car)
• Credit card $140 (bill for gas)

I will have to say I am really impressed with my ability to control my spending.  I haven’t bought anything frivolous or unnecessary.  Of course, I think we bought more groceries than we needed, but at least I didn’t spend the money on stuff.  I’ve been doing a lot of reading and cooking, and the cooking occupies my time and saves us money.  I hope I can do this well for the rest of the month!

I emailed my cable company, explained that we were without power and I was unable to use my phone, cable television, or high speed internet.  I asked them if they would be so kind as to give me a credit for the time I was unable to use their services, or at least give me a partial refund.  They refunded over $20.  I was pretty excited!  I guess it shows that asking for something works.  I am pretty pleased that my next bill will be a little lower, and I can use that extra budgeted money towards something else.  Maybe that will help me pay off debt faster, or fund our IRAs.

Being frugal requires you to think outside the box.  Make odd requests, stand out, and be confident.  The worst someone can tell you is no!

Many banks nowadays are making it hard to get a credit card. Credit card companies are changing terms, interest rates, and fees. If you’ve got a credit card balance, you’re at their mercy. A few good credit cards I’ve come across are juniper credit card and www.credit-land.com, which some people find to be the best credit card offers.  Check them out and see how they work for you!

I checked my 410k today and it has lost 40% so far. There isn’t a thing I can do about it. I hate that.  I guess I’m just not a good investor.  I realize I’ve got at least 30 years to make it up, but I hate logging in and seeing that I’ve lost that much.  I don’t think I’m going to look at it until November 15th, when I’ll sell the company stock that is matched by my employer.

I think that I’m going to set up an automatic transfer into an ING account set up specifically for retirement.  I’ll earn a guaranteed 3% and have the peace of mind, which I think is priceless. When things turn around, or when I get the guts to do so, I’ll make a decision to contribute that to our ROTH IRA or do something else with it.  I know that I’m probably worrying too much, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Are you worried about your retirement?

I wanted to go out to eat so badly that I almost caved in.  I resisted, and made my own meals at home.  Although they weren’t as tasty as eating out, they did the job; I wasn’t hungry, and I didn’t spend any extra money.  I thought about some things I could do that don’t cost any money, and decided I would come up with a list.  I think I can use some new suggestions too. 

• Rent a movie using a free Redbox code.
• Cook a nice homemade meal from scratch.  Not only will it taste great (hopefully) but you can cook with your family and make it a nice activity.
• Knit or crochet.  I’ve got a ton of yarn sitting around that can be used and I can put that to good use.  Plus, if I ever need a gift for someone, I can just give them a hand knit dish cloth.
• Go for a walk or to the park.  Going to the park uses gas, but it doesn’t cost anything otherwise.  If you go for a walk around your neighborhood that’s free, but do whichever makes you happy.
• Play a board game or card game with friends.
• Blog

Those are some of the things I do when I’m bored and trying not to spend money.  What are some things you do?

I feel so much better after dropping all that stuff off. I have adapted this mantra that “less is more”. I’ve been going through things at home decluttering and cleaning and making myself feel better about the things we do have. I am tired of having items take up space that we rarely use or don’t need. I feel that time is money and space is money too, so by decluttering I’m saving money! I won’t spend as much time cleaning and I’ll have more space in my house to live!

I think that next time we have a yard sale I’ll plan ahead, have it early in the year or at least in the summer, and invite a few friends to participate.  I think that the more people involved and the larger the sale looks, the more people will stop.  Also, next time I will advertise in the paper instead of just on craigslist.

Sometimes you win, and sometimes you don’t.  I’m happy that I am rid of the “things”!

I went over and asked him if he was thinking about selling it, he told me he’d like to buy his wife a new car, and that he was considering it.  I told him I was definitely interested and would like to know more.  I knew that he had taken excellent care of it and most likely it had low miles on it.  I was right: 17,000!! I was ecstatic.

 We ended up getting the vehicle on Thursday.  I think we made the right decision.  We had talked about buying an older, cheap car, but with the bad luck we’ve been having with them we decided to spend a little more and get a more reliable car, and something we can use for when we have a family.   We weren’t able to pay cash, but I’m anticipating paying that loan off as soon as possible.  We sold one of our old cars yesterday, and when we get the money for that we’ll put it right onto this new auto loan.  I’m completely happy with what we did and I love my new car!

Do you think I made the right decision?

Here’s how it will work: 

1. You are allowed to buy groceries, medicine, and necessities that are essential to every day life.
2. You may pay all your bills (hopefully on time).  We don’t want anyone homeless or without water or electricity!
3. You may not eat out.
4. You may not buy new clothing or “extras” from the store.  Only essential items! No splurges.

Anything else I should add?
Since I’ve been on a spending spree lately, this is what I’ve come up with to curb that.  I am finally having a yard sale this Friday and Saturday, and the stuff that doesn’t sell is going to be donated to Goodwill.  I am tired of clutter in my house!  I think the less ‘things’, the better!  Simplifying is wonderful!

I will post every Wednesday what I’ve spent for the month, starting tomorrow.  You can also track how much I’ve spent on the sidebar.

Alright, readers: here’s your challenge!  Who’s in it with me?

This is my opinion on what you should do currently: 

• Make sure you are FDIC covered.  If you have more than $100,000 in one bank, add someone as Payable on Death (POD).  That will increase your coverage to $200,000 ($100,000 per depositor).
• DON’T go run and close out your bank accounts.  If everyone closes out their bank accounts, of course the banks are going to fail!  Relax, maybe have a little cash on hand, and ride it out.
• Just because the FDIC has up to 99 years to pay you back, that doesn’t mean it will take that long.  The most it’s taken them to pay people back is two weeks.
• If your bank goes under, chances are they are going to reopen their doors the next day.  It will probably be under a different name, but you’ll be able to conduct business as usual.

If I had a dollar for everyone I’ve talked to about FDIC coverage and the current state of the economy and about banks failing, I would be rich.  I think the media has caused so much hype and they need to calm it down a little bit.  The more people get worried, the worse off we’re all going to be.  Make sure you are insured, have a little cash on hand, and make sure you are living below your means.  You can’t do much more than that.

Are you withdrawing or closing any of your bank accounts?

I am ready for a break!

Monday I decided I was going to take my car in to the mechanic because it was running funny.  It sounded like something was going to fall through the floor, and when I turned, I heard this “wubba wubba wubba” noise.  Of course that’s not good.  When the mechanic called me on Monday to tell me that the Motor Mounds were bad and that it was a miracle the motor hadn’t fallen out, I asked him how much it would cost to fix. Around $500.  Then, he proceeded to tell me that because of the motor mounds being out it ruined an axle, which will cost me another $500 at the most.  At this point I’m wondering if it’s worth putting the money into a 1994 Oldsmobile Achieva, but I think, hey, I can’t buy a car for $1000.  So I tell him to go ahead and fix it.

He calls me back a few hours later with more bad news.  The steering rod needs replaced and the bottom of the car is rusted out.  At this point it makes no sense to fix the car, because it’s going to cost more than it’s worth!  Plus, if we did fix it, who knows how long it would last before something else happened to it.

There goes my “no car payment” plan.  I am so bummed.

I have a few options, as I see it, and I really need your advice.   This is what I’ve come up with:

• Buy a car that’s a few years old, obviously used but in good condition.  Take out a car loan and try to pay it back as soon as possible.  Take some money out of savings to pay for the car.
• Buy a car that is only $6,000-$8,000 and pay cash.  I’ve been saving up for a car (thankfully!!).  The only problem is that if I do this then I’m not going to get a newer car and I don’t want to get something that I’m going to have to sink more money into.
• Buy a Vespa scooter for $1,000 and drive that.  Just kidding.

That’s pretty much the only options I can think of now.  I am dreading having a car payment/spending money.  I hate this! I feel so unfrugal lately.

What would you do if you were in my shoes?