Personal Finance Blogs

Hubby is freaking out a little today. He says he feels poor now that he knows we give our friend and baby whisperer $80 a week yo watch Bean. I say money well spent. We get a decent chunk of time for that, Bean is with someone who genuinely cares about him, he gets to play with another baby his age while he's there, and they do lots of fun, creative things together that I wouldn't necessarily think to do with him.

Today hubby said I'd better get back to work, sighing "kids are...
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I just haven't been much in a blogging mood lately. DH and I went to counseling and it didn't seem to do much good. We are seperated, but he wants to act like we aren't. He wants to come home and I don't want him to.

Anyway, financially, I have gotten one of my credit cards down to half of the original balance. I have made $100 payments the last two months. Hopefully I will be able to make quick work of that after the first of the year. Then snowball the rest of them.

All...
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My aunt sent me an email forward today and out of the dozen or so photos, I got a pretty good chuckle - but this one made me wonder ... could this actually work? And if so, why didn't I do that this summer?



The title of the email was "There, I Fixed It."

*~*~*~*~*~*~

I have a list of blog ideas and some free time coming up - in case I don't get logged on before Thanksgiving - I hope that you all have a very blessed holiday!
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Not only does it dip below 60 at night, it isn't too high in the daytime.

Husband put his flannel jacket on, I asked where he was going, he said "nowhere, just cold"...truth is he doesn't have any sweaters, or sweatshirts!

Ah well, the kids manage fine, unless you are asking them to change clothes, or do something early in the morning/late at night they don't seem to care about the temperature.

so still no heat on, wonder if I can make it to Christmas? (once I passed...
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I've been told that am I one of two who will be interviewed a second time for an amazing job that I will love. Still waiting to hear what date it will be. I was also advised that my unemployment benefits have been extended due to the recession and this makes me very happy and relieved!
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I opened a new certificate of deposit yesterday. The best rate I could get was 2.1% interest.
When I was much younger, we use to say we could easily live on the interest if we had a million dollars in the bank.
Back then, I was a bookkeeper for a small savings and loan. (No computers then, we did everything by hand including figuring the interest.)

We were paying 6% interest on savings accounts and 8% on C.D.'s. That means you could have earned $80,000 in interest if you...
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I am thinking I may not only stop baby step 3 but I may actually spend some of it.

The Emergency is my Mental Health; I think I need to sell my house for my mental health. In order to sell our house, we have repairs that MUST be done.

The siding needs to be replaced in two areas where it melted.

The kitchen cabinent still needs pieces of wood for filler around the range and the countertop needs to be replaced.

The basement need, the ceiling sheetrocked and a few plumbing...
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I had a freedom account established a few years ago, and though it didn't lost long, I liked having it. We're expecting a large reimbursement check within the month that will take care of Christmas plus a good amount to start up a FA. I've been brainstorming categories I need it for today and estimated $1000 for misc. for the year. I wonder, should clothes and home improvement monies be accounted for in a FA or in some other way? We've scrimped for so long, we've never had...
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I'm back from my trip to the east coast -- three days in Charleston, SC (conference) and three days in Hendersonville, NC (vacation). I brought my sister back with me, and we will go up to Michigan for Thanksgiving on Wednesday night.

I know that I will get a reimbursement of $425 for the conference leg of the trip. Whether that will cover my expenses I'm not sure. The hotel & registration were already paid for, so this is for gas, food and one night at a hotel on the way....
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I'm having a serious struggle with time. It feels that now I've started working I dont really have time to do all the things I need to do... bah. It's got me worried about how the semester is going to go... But I guess I'm just going to have to work something out. I've definitely worked 25 hours a week and went to school full time simultaneously. I may just have to knock down my class load to 12 credits and go closer to full time with work for a semester.

I really just need...
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Due to circumstances, I have been a stay-at-home working mom for the past 15 years.

My youngest child, who turns 15 the day after Christmas, said to me "Mom, I'm sorry you had to stay home and take care of us instead of going out to work". I said, are you serious, what makes you think that way. He feels they have gotten in the way of my goals and dreams. I had to explain to him that staying home raising my children has been the best job I could ever have and that they are...
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I am SO over 2009. My foundation has been rocked!

Dh went in for a MRI Friday and we knew it wasn't good. He was in there an hour (as opposed to 20 minutes). I asked if he had moved, etc. Wondered if he was just too fidgety or something. He said, no, that they had injected him with die mid-way through to look at something closer.

This put us in a tense mood. We still went away for the weekend and figured if they didn't call him to emergency before we left on Saturday,...
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DH and I are going to try something new.

I notice that because we both don't have a set amount each week to spend, we end up just spending what is in our checking account (obviously not all of it, at the end of the day we still remain within budget).

But DH has been wanting some money for just him that he doesn't want to feel like he has to account for. Money for Christmas presents, lunches, etc. He suggested $50/mo so when things come up, if he wants to buy it - he...
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In the process of making out my Christmas card list for the year, I was struck by how many of our close friends are also debt free. I've never given it much thought, but there it was. We didn't plan it this way, it just sort of evolved over the years. Like any sort of friendship, we share a common bond with these people. We understand each other's goals and the things we have to do to make those goals happen. It's much harder to bond with someone who shops a lot and lives well...
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DH modified a pumpkin pie recipe about 5 years ago and we have not looked back. We don't even consider using pumpkin anymore and with the pumpkin shortage I keep hearing about, I thought I would share this alternative... for us it is the new normal tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Grandmother Pumpkin Pie
(Otherwise known as Grandpa sweet potato pie)

1 and 1/2 cups evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 and 1/2 cups...
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I'll never forget these words from my Political Science professor when I was in college. He was a passionate teacher and kept us debating his often radical points-of-view about the American government and politics in general. Of course, this was back in the 70s and it was a radical time.

My poli-sci professor argued that we could never really own property in the USA, and in fact, home ownership was a myth. "You don't own your house... the bank and the government own your...
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So this is going to be Tuesday's to-do, considering it's 11:00 now and nothing is getting done tonight! Not sure that I'll get it all done tomorrow either, but I'm going to put it all down and see what happens.

1) Book DS's birthday party
2) Return CD to library
3) Deposit check at Dad's bank
4) Deposit checks at my bank
5) Mail paperback swap books at post office
6) Fill out and mail rebate form
7) Fill out voucher for Nets tickets (one them at the fundraiser Friday...
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Our grocery expenditure is sky high, and I have no idea why or how. While we are not eating out once a week like we used to, it still doesn't explain why we are spending so much!

I have one more week to go this month and we have already overspent our 'budgetted' amount per week!

And the funny thing is, we are not really eating adventurous or exciting new dishes that cost a lot in ingredients (it's impossible, we still don't have a stove or oven - I mean lets face it, how...
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Well, folks, Murphy struck last week. Something went wrong with my car. My husband said it was gaskets on the manifold. He might as speak Chinese to me, because I don't understand it. But what I do understand is that took $520.00 from my savings and $100.00 from my checking to pay for it. I am not happy, but at least it is not $620.00 in credit card debt. We must look on the bright side. Anyway, I am on a quest this week to replenish my savings as quickly as possible. However,...
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4 words that were music to my ears today. I have lost 14 lbs so far and I have had 3 people ask me if I am losing weight...

Best of all, I am doing it by being really healthy...instead of really starving or food obsessed. I am just learning good habits, thanks to Weight Watchers. ANd to think I was one of the biggest doubters of programs like this.

I came home from work early today...cough and headache won. I am ready to feel good and get ready for Thanksgiving....
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