My brother, FIL and FSIL have all been grabbing deals for me so they make a little extra cash and so do I!



Shared with my SIL
Black and Decker Blenders (Bought 4)
Price + Tax = $9.59 each

Shared with my brother
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Bikes (Bought 5)
Price + Tax = $18.11 each

Shared with my FIL
Better Homes and Gardens 23pc Kitchen Set(Bought 3)
Price + Tax = $10.68 each

Magic Bullet 7pc Set(Bought 7)
Price + Tax = $21.36 each

Pioneer Woman...
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Still here, still bad at posting regularly! Life is busy but good. Financial updates:

Been putting a big chunk of each paycheck toward my only private loan, and I mailed a check for the final payoff balance on Saturday! It usually takes at least a week for payments to show up. Looking forward to getting down to one loan servicer to deal with! Very grateful for the private loan though- they offered much lower interest during the years while I was still in school.


Payment...
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$656.08 paid off in the last 2 weeks!!!

Celebrations for this update:
-$656.08 paid off in the last 2 weeks!!
-Mom Loan went under the next $1000 mark!!
-Total debt went under the next $1000 mark!!

Student Loan $0
Payback Savings $0
David's Bridal $0
Scheel's Card $0
Total Rewards $0
LOC - US Bank $0
Ring Iddeal $0
Best Buy $0
HELOC $0
Store Loan $4,196.08
Mom Loan #2/#3 $36,541.06
MO Mortgage $81,620.71
My Mortgage $145,900.00
Our Mortgage $242,266.19
Total...
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My grandson's chamber orchestra (about 15-20 kids) assembled in a bookstore yesterday to perform some Christmas carols. It was a pretty cramped space, especially when all the parents and grandparents crowded in to watch! From my vantage point, I could see my grandson, but not his head, which was hidden by his music stand. I was amused by watching a cellist whose bow kept catching the dress of a violinist standing near her. Neither girl seemed to be aware, and nothing embarrassing...
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So,there's good and bad news. Bad news first: we missed a payment on hubby's credit card, and despite using my credit card for some expenses to try to catch up, we still haven't caught up. And we now have more debt. Sigh. First time in 5 years that I've used a credit card. Ugh. I don't know the exact amount due; hubby knows the login details. Not really how I wanted to end the year.

Baby is due really soon. I found out yesterday afternoon that there's some new payment offered...
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I finally manged to negotiate the High Commission of India's website and complete my visa application. Cost nzd225. Now I am having cold sweats in case it is rejected and I can't go on the trip. To thumb my nose at the bogeyman I had lunch at the Indian Spice restaurant. Bombay aloo mmmmm
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Today was a pretty productive day. I'm preparing for a very busy and somewhat stressful week ahead.

My friend R.'s funeral is Tuesday. I hope I didn't make a mistake by telling my boss I'd be into work right afterwards, but this is their busy time and he just asked me to work full time for the rest of December and early January. I couldn't really say no since I just got a raise.

I'm sure the funeral is going to be very upsetting. I knew all of R.'s close friends and family,...
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I blogged earlier about crocheting some clothes for a friend's granddaughter's Barbie. Well, they were a big hit, and it seems the dress that has some glitter to it was a favorite. Seems the Elf on the Shelf even wore it one morning to greet the little girl.

Friday I found two skeins of yarn that had a silver cord running through each of them. One was Christmas red and the other was white. I found them at one of the thrift stores we frequent and the cashier asked me what I was...
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So Friday morning the garage door remote wasn't working. I had to get out of my car to close the door. I wasn't thinking about where I was stepping, or how.

Both feet slipped right out from under me and I landed flat on my back. I don't think I hit my head. (I was wearing a banana clip, so unless I hit the side of my head …)

I was able to get right up with no issues and continued to work. A few hours later I started really feeling it.

My supervisor let me leave 30 minutes...
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It is an overcast, gloomy day today. Some of these came out a bit dark.

The front door as you approach.



The front door from inside. (I don't know why it is showing up sideways).



The living room from different angles.




My little kitchen.





Bedroom #1 at the front of the house.




The hall bath.




Bedroom #2, right-hand side of the hallway closest to the front of the house.




The laundry room, next to bedroom #2. (Laundry sold...
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I did my "life is still chaos" post, and am now hoping to just move forward.

I don't know if I will accomplish anything today, but honestly I'd just be happy to get a nap. I may just crash all day.

My birthday was last weekend. I spent about 5 hours doing my last class for this year. It is what it is. That was the day of the class, and it felt awesome to be DONE! I sent off my professional license renewal and got that huge time suck out of my hair.

Going forward,...
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We got to enjoy our new washer/dryer for about 5 seconds, before MH tried to start his car and move it back into the garage. At least he was able to move it out of the way for delivery. *sigh* I was pretty sure a nice/convenient Sunday delivery would NEVER happen (because this year has been non-stop insanity). So I am happy that at least we could accomplish that transaction smoothly. (Apparently, just barely).

Anyway, car wouldn't start. Was kind of "meh" about it. ...
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I went to the grocery store yesterday and spent $19. Half of that was for Lindt truffles to have in the candy dish when Christmas brunch arrives. The rest was cheese and tomato paste for the casserole that I have not managed to make yet. Must do it today!

I also went to UPS and mailed my Florida Christmas box -- it cost $29 to mail. While there, I picked up couple of stocking stuffers for $22.

I'm creeping closer and closer to being done with Christmas shopping.

My...
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This past week will (knock on wood) rank as one of the two most aggravating weeks of the year--the other was back in May and that was all work-related.

This week was a mix..

Personal: I met with the endocrinologist. The thyroid biopsy results indicated no cancer yet but showed cells with abnormalities and a genetic assay indicated a 50% possibility of developing cancer. I need to research more. What I know at this point is that there are four types of thyroid cancer and...
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Total miles driven last month on new electric/hybrid car: 1,769

A small improvement; was 2,000 miles last month.

Out of town trips:
--MH drove about 100 miles (on gas) to do some political canvassing before the election
--Bay Area for Thanksgiving (200 miles on gas)
--Bay Area for a book signing (100 miles on gas)

Probably a pretty average month for us.

I remembered to track miles on our gas vehicle this past month; we drove about 550 miles. That was pretty typical...
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Two more major and two minor gifts to purchase and then I am done! Some of the things are already wrapped and around the tree. I'm burning a Yankee Candle evergreen scented perpetually, so my house smells like Christmas most of the time. We've had Christmas music on in the background more, so it sounds like Christmas, too. Watching the Christmas shows on TV too. Loving that aspect of the holiday season.

Not loving the drama that can accompany trying to "plan" and "coordinate"...
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I have nzd5.00 burning a hole in my cash envelope. I want to buy myself a treat - chocolate, ice cream, cookies. I am resisting and hanging on in case I need to buy some more bread or potatoes or tomatoes, something healthy.
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I had to laugh at an encounter with a student group yesterday. I ran into them in our library coffeeshop, and they were surprised to see me, asking if I didn't have Fridays off. It's a week until the end of the semester--nobody has a day off, even on weekends.

But yesterday was filled with staff meetings, class scheduling issues, and then a wonderful few hours evaluating freshman research projects. We've been encouraging veteran instructors to help their students develop...
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Having lived in our house for 30+ years, it takes a minute to remember we have something. We have Christmas lights up (DH actually put them up on the first weekend in December), and yesterday afternoon DH found a timer thing and set up the lights on it. It worked! So they will come on at dusk automatically and turn off 6 hours later which will be approximately 5-11 pm each evening.

My Year of Ultimate Frugality was decided on suddenly so I didn't have time to make rules,...
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I like to report the amount of interest we earn each month. This is the quick breakdown for November.
Navy Federal CU $20.97
FNBO Direct $89.18
Total $110.15

I redeemed my 300 points with Pinecone Surveys over a week ago for cash and have yet to receive my Paypal deposit. Usually it is the next business day. Maybe the move and change of address are factors?

We usually get some cash back back from USAA for our insurance. They call it a distribution from our Subscriber's...
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