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Well did the budget over the weekend...and we decided that we would cover the rent and our daughter will pay 1/3 of the gas/water/elec and we pay the rest...but we pay a lot of rent each month so we also did the figures if we moved back to the area we use to live in or at least closer as everyone we use is still in that area. So in july we are thinking of moving back there depending on what is available and if we can find something to suit us...it would save us alone over $5000...
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A few days ago I went to make a cash deposit in person at a PNC branch. The teller behind the counter made the deposit as typical but then began asking me about credit cards. Do I use rewards credit cards for everyday purchases? Was I aware that PNC had a rewards card? Etc. “We want to make sure we’re meeting your needs.” Yeah right.

I don’t know if I’m just a grouch, but I don’t like being treated like a sales prospect while I’m conducting business. Sam’s Club...
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So you are tired of having more bills at the end of the month then money and it just seems like you are in over your head every single month. Having more month then money is leaving you feeling financially frozen but defrosting the bitter coldness of being tight financially takes skill and know how. The skill is very easy to learn and once you know how, you can vow to live with financial maturity. Some find a personal budget to be restrictive but on the flip side it can be a...
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When it comes to money management everyone seems to have an idea of what works best. While all of those ideas are great in theory none of them seem to matter to most people when it’s payday and a really hot pair of shoes are staring at them from a shops window. The three things that have seemed to finally work for me and allowed me to go on lavish trips, shopping sprees and finally move out west was having a savings account not linked to my checking, creating a budget and setting...
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1. Setting your goal

It is important to set a realistic and achievable goal. What do you want to get from your savings? How much can you save? When do you need the money back? You might want to save a set amount by a target date or save up for a specific thing like a special day out or a new car. Your savings goal will help determine which account is best for you. If you have more than one goal you could use different accounts for each one.

2. Comparing savings rate

Banks...
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DH and I decided to take a day off work the week of Valentine's Day. I prepped our taxes on TurboTax, but since he was deployed overseas for a big part of the year and it's our first year with our son, I want to make sure that we did it correctly. We're going to base in the morning to have their tax center check over everything, and then in the afternoon, we're just going to catch up on sleep and our shows. We're both super exhausted, so it'll be a nice break and a chance for us...
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Woo-hoo! A text message came in yesterday and I checked it to see who was reaching out. It was Allstate! My $500 had just been deposited into my bank account. Thank goodness! Now I wait for the $800 from EasyCare (auto warranty) and the $911 from the IRS. I may go to the auto dealer where I got the warranty today to ask if they would check up on it for me. They said it would be 60 days, and now it has been 80+ days. I just want to make sure it hasn't slipped through the...
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My DK1 turned 10 this weekend. I posted a photo on FB and called it my lost decade. I can't remember what happened. LOL. But truthfully I don't know what happened. I swear I was just carrying the baby carrier and walking the dog and suddenly my 10 year old was running away to her party and I was standing on the sidelines hoping to be invited to play. It's breathlessly stunning. I'm sure some of the other bloggers reading are blinking back tears like I am going what happened?...
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I had a terrible sleepless night last night. I am on the fence about what to do about Iggy and not seeing any clear answers. I don't want to let go of him too soon, but I don't want him to suffer. I am deferring a decision at least one more day, unless something negative happens today.

Yesterday I spent $12 at the grocery. The cost of groceries has been creeping up steadily and I just can't keep it at the low levels I am used to.

I brought home some ham from the dinner...
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$4275.11 Balance Forward
+__26.00 Amount Added
------------
$4301.11 New Total

I had $26.00 left of the grocery budget from the previous pay period so transferred that to the EF. I am only adding little bits here and there until the debt is gone. My first goal is to get it to one payday's worth of income. Not sure when that will happen as I'm not allocating funds to it until the debt is gone in May.
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A couple of days ago NBC reporter had a story on whether we would be a cashless society. He really didn't answer the question, but talked about his experiment where he kept all his receipts after using his charge card for a week, and then all the receipts for using cash. It wasn't really a fair experiment in my book because he admitted he had to keep getting cash and that he had to replace a hard drive so that really drove his spending up. I think he should redo it and just see...
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Well, I hate to admit it, but I am in love--with my Instant Pot. I resisted it a long time, and we're still getting to know one another. I said, "I don't need anything new cluttering up my life and my kitchen." But we've now formed a deep and delicious bond.

Yes, I thought my life was complete. But our recent bean soup interaction has proven to me that while I thought my life was full, it has so vastly improved.

Yes, I am in love.
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My glasses and contacts were $340, I had $230 in my HSA account. The difference for me to pay is $110. I’ve got to bump the dollar amount of my contributions.

Well I actually had selected enough but the payroll team keeps screwing up. I’ll reach out to the controller tomorrow. For some reason the amount is always less.

Last night I attended a dinner event, hosted by one of the fraternities. I’m so proud of myself because I shopped my closet vs going out and buying...
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Hi, everyone. With all of the problems with this site, is it time to use our alternate site? I think having communication with all of you is key to my success in paying off debt and saving money, so I would be sad if it were to end.
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Last month, I won a $600 gift card to a local restaurant in a drawing at a liquor store we frequent. They said it was for a "whiskey dinner" for 6-8 people. It turned out to simply be a gift card to the restaurant to be used however we'd like. DW and I talked about it and decided we'd go out to dinner with another couple two different times (with different couples) and cover the bills with the gift card as much as possible. We also happened to have an old $50 gift card to the same...
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So I did end up cancelling the appointment to do the prep work for the implants. They re-scheduled for the crowns, but I have decided I am going to cancel that too. I am just not happy about the abrupt change in treatment plans. The former dentist, whom I really liked, said that I needed more fillings and a deep cleaning (below the gum lines). The new dentist says I don't need any of that, but do need crowns. The former dentist said nothing about needing crowns.

Maybe I...
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I think I’m ready to hang up the towel on this site.
Can’t post, comments, or pictures. It like every other month there is a problem
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My taxes are so easy now. I only have to report income from TIAA (interest payment from my retirement account) and Social Security. And I had a small amount of interest from my savings account, certainly not much. So as soon as my statement from TIAA became available, I was able to e-file quickly. (And there was no fee for state filing this year. I don't owe them anything, anyway.) I'm going to get back $911, which is the amount TIAA withheld.

I was able to do this a week...
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Yesterday DS3 bought a truck and a 4-wheeler! I was surprised since he hadn’t discussed it with me, but he’s 18 now and he used his own money.

When our DS1 was very young I read several articles about teaching kids money management skills. I was interested because I felt like WE were just learning money management skills at that time and I didn’t want to repeat the cycle of learning about money ‘the hard way’. [I ought to blog sometime about our ignorance and some...
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I can’t post comments on blogs. When I try it tells me to check the recaptcha, but there is none.
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