A bunch of random things today...

1) Raises were confirmed. Mine was over 5% which I fully understand is pretty incredible in today's world, but still leaves me several 10s of 1000s below what I would probably get by leaving. Adding in the month plus of PTO and amazing flexibility helps too, but it's still something I constantly struggle with.

2) Had a rough afternoon yesterday. I had to go to the hospital to get a copy of the records I need for Aflac. It hit me really hard...
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At PaknSave I bought
can tomatoes 69 cents
can green beans 99 cents
macaroni 75 cents
600 gram cut pumpkin 50 cents. All the other pieces were 99 cents, maybe this one was a mistake but I grabbed it
saved $1.20

For breakfast I had applesauce cake with peanut butter; for lunch potato pancakes and for dinner the rest of the rice and soy meal. This time I put in a chili and it tasted quite spicy.

I'm trying to sprout some adzuki beans but they're reluctant to poke...
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Well, it has been relaxing--especially since my department's part of the grant fell through. I thought it might; we just weren't the best fit. I just wish they'd have figured that out before 10 hours worth of meetings. So DD and I have been hanging out, and I've really enjoyed it. We even enjoyed cleaning the closets today. She found an old state quarters map, and was thrilled to pop out the quarters and add them to her cash stash. No luck on jobs yet. Having a summer...
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The weather broke today and I am very happy. It was a cool 66 degrees F, which is so much better than 88 and 90. It was lightly overcast as well, so I didn't have to wear sunglasses while driving. I really don't like to because I have to wear the kind that go over my glasses, but there are certain times when I absolutely must. I've tried having prescription sunglasses in the past, but it doesn't block the peripheral vision from strong sun and I need that since the retinal tear...
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$1038.78 paid off in the last 2 weeks!!!

All of the repairs/updates for Rental #2 are done, just a small amount of clean-up and some yard work to do and then all set for our new renters to move in on 7/1.

I got my ENTIRE backlog of resell items logged/blogged and marked for FB sales and rummage sales. I am still selling like crazy and making about $140 a week right now!

Savings took a big hit with the rental and medical bills. Down to about $15K, but now that we have...
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It rained all day long, and my grandsons' games were cancelled (thank goodness!) I can't imagine what their uniforms would look like after they played on a soaking wet field.

My DIL asked if I would take the boys to see Incredibles 2 today, since they couldn't play outside. I did, and it was $32 for all three of us. It was a DX theater, which I didn't realize when buying the tickets. I also took them out for lunch, since it was Eat Out Day. That was $23 for the three of...
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Ouchie!!! Lots of bills came due and also some fun money spent too. Taking a big hit. Hoping we can put most of the $1700 that is on hold in checking right now back into savings soon.

We also have about $2000 in medical bills that will be coming in soon. So thankful for having squirreled all this away to pay these bills! Also the new renter for Rental #2 is moving in July 1st, so that will be a HUGE help to the cash flow and hopefully we will be back to normal with savings...
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We purchased five rash guards before our trip (on sale, clearance and with a military discount). My husband bought two at the time?! Short and long sleeve. He wore his short sleeve one almost the whole time. I probably had mine on for a couple hours, and the girls didn't wear theirs at all. It was a nice idea that wasn't entirely needed for this beach trip. My youngest niece did wear hers the whole time, looked super cute and considering she was practically rolling in the sand...
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New blog as our financial life begins today. (It's me, Laura, aka Deacon's Wife).

Land-lording update:

The tenant signed the lease on rental property yesterday and paid in cash. 15-month lease though expected to stay 18 months minimum. We own this property outright; and current rental is $200 more than previously rented at, and is $150 less than current mortgage payment on primary residence.

Employment outlook:

DH was again extended in his current job (this is...
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After guests our fridge and freezer are nearly bare. I did buy a few things on Tuesday night to have for dinner. Last night we simply ate grilled cheese, sweet potato fries from the freezer and apples for dinner.

I would go to the store for groceries buy we leave again here shortly for five nights. So I don't want to do a big stock up.

Tonight I have potatoes, carrots, onion and milk, so I think I will make potato soup. I probably need to get cheese and maybe celery. That...
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We have gotten into the habit of making menus and "counting meals". We need 45 meals to last a pay period. Most mornings we have cereal with milk, and vary only the lunches and dinners. We were lazy last week and didn´t make our menu. As a consequence, I didn´t purchase enough food for the whole 2 weeks....But, I always have some staples on hand that may be used. One of our favorite meals now is "false chicken" crepes... (I use texturized soy meal for the filling!) We both love...
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Our raises go into effect tomorrow. Still no official word, but there's a different number in the check calculator tool and rumblings that that number is indeed reflective of our increases. By my new projections, we're only $50 short (not counting any money from my brother and underestimating my paycheck by about $20 since I'm not sure of the exact number). That includes some budgeting for fuel/groceries. I was able to submit past/present claims for Aflac totaling $175 for physician...
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I had trouble sleeping last night so got up at 1 am and baked an applesauce cake from this recipe https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2016/01/29/applesauce-bread-.... I like Jack Monroe as she was once a single mom struggling on a tiny budget and aims her recipes at poor people. Most of them are vegan too.


Gardens New World had a one day sale today. I had a good look for bargains but only wound up buying peanut butter at $1.99 (saved 30 cents) and strawberry jam at $2.29 (saved 20 cents).


I increased the weekly amount going into my bill paying a/c by $10 to cover winter power bills. The latest one I received is for $100.35. Pretty good, but the real frosts are still ahead of us.

And I transferred $300 from my checking account to my FFEF. I should be able to save over $200 a month.

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Well, we finally have a lead on what is causing so many problems with DD. Her cortisol levels are extremely low. We've got an ACTH Stim test scheduled for the 29th and tomorrow we get her fitted for Holter Monitor which she will have to wear for 24 hours to check for heartbeat irregularities. She also, for the first time, finally came up as having something wrong with her thyroid, hypothyroidism. It's never tested high or low before, not even on the more specialized tests....
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It was a quiet day at work today. The co-owner husband and wife left for Mississippi, where they are adopting a blond lab puppy, just a few weeks after losing their beloved Golden Retriever. The first dog was named Dylan, after Bob Dylan, and this puppy shall be called Bowie. They are bringing him back on the plane, and are nervous about doing that.

I will get to see him when I return to work on Monday. They always bring their dogs to the office so they're with about 8 or...
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I just got back from the eye doctor. My eyes are dilated and I'm kind of bumbling around in sunglasses. But the good news is, my eye looks healthy, and he didn't see any tears or weak spots. He did advise me to ask my primary physician to set me up with a reference to a retina specialist, just in case. And if I start to see a shadow, or a shade coming down, I am to go to the ER.

The cost was $35.

I bought gas this morning for $30. Variables have now topped out at 101%....
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Another amazing week for sales!!

Sales were $147.50!!

We are super busy this week so I won't be posting/selling but next week I will hit it hard again! I also got through all of my backlog items which feels great!!

Sale #886 (JC) $4.00
Bic Simply Soleil Razors (2) - We paid .49 each
Sold for $2.00 each
Profit = $3.02

Sale #887 (TL) $4.00
Bic Simply Soleil Razors (2) - We paid .49 each
Sold for $2.00 each
Profit = $3.02

Sale #888 (DA) $6.00...
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I've just been reading entries lately since I do not have much to update on. I'm still just surviving. Trying to find extra money where I can. My last Bad Loan payment is Friday. $244 will make its way back into my budget. Still waiting for September when I will be positive in my bank account and can work on debt repayment.

I am doing a frugal challenge for July. I feel like everyday is a frugal challenge, but I am still living beyond my means.

Just trying to be positive...
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Well, we've decided to go ahead and put the $5000 into the Emergency Fund until we know what is going to happen with DH's job.

$4117.15 Starting Balance
+5000.00 Amount Added
---------
$9117.15 New Balance

I am hoping to get this to $10,000 by the end of the year.
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Payday. Today I went to Veggie Boys and bought 10 kilos of brushed potatoes for $8. Getting it home was a bit troublesome. It kept overbalancing my wheelie basket as I trundled along but I managed it. Saved $6 over buying the washed potatoes in the closest supermarket.
Potatoes have a bad reputation among the low carbers but they're actually quite nutritious. This Aussie guy https://spudfit.com/ lived for a year on nothing but spuds and was quite healthy. Good to know if I'm really struggling. He lost weight too, despite potatoes rep as fattening.
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