Post Your Wins

[disneysteve]

Thank you! That's so cool. I did not know you could buy an i bond for so little and that the interest is so high. I will definitely set up an account next January and have part of my tax refund put there. If you have your taxes done by a tax professional, do you have to take IRS Form 8888 with you to the meeting with the agent?

You certainly shouldn’t have to provide your own tax forms when you go to a professional. And filing is electronic anyway. You don’t need any physical forms except the e-file authorization that you sign.

[MonkeyMama]

Thank you! That's so cool. I did not know you could buy an i bond for so little and that the interest is so high. I will definitely set up an account next January and have part of my tax refund put there.

I think the minimum is $50 if you do paper I Bonds (buy with tax return). Minimum $25 for electronic I Bonds.

[amastewa93]

I've spent quite a lot of time reflecting recently and, while we still have some debt and are nowhere near rich, we've come SO far. Six years ago, my husband and I (boyfriend and girlfriend at the time) were homeless and living in a motel. Fast forward to today - we are in a nice three-bedroom home with a beautiful one-year-old daughter. We are able to pay our bills AND save money. We are able to put some presents under the tree, which was impossible six years ago. In fact, we ate Steak n' Shake on Christmas Day and that was it.

So, if things aren't looking exactly like you want them to this Christmas, they can get better.

[james.hendrickson]

I've spent quite a lot of time reflecting recently and, while we still have some debt and are nowhere near rich, we've come SO far. Six years ago, my husband and I (boyfriend and girlfriend at the time) were homeless and living in a motel. Fast forward to today - we are in a nice three-bedroom home with a beautiful one-year-old daughter. We are able to pay our bills AND save money. We are able to put some presents under the tree, which was impossible six years ago. In fact, we ate Steak n' Shake on Christmas Day and that was it.

So, if things aren't looking exactly like you want them to this Christmas, they can get better.

What a wonderful and uplifting message, thank you Amanda.

[disneysteve]

I've spent quite a lot of time reflecting recently and, while we still have some debt and are nowhere near rich, we've come SO far. Six years ago, my husband and I (boyfriend and girlfriend at the time) were homeless and living in a motel. Fast forward to today - we are in a nice three-bedroom home with a beautiful one-year-old daughter. We are able to pay our bills AND save money. We are able to put some presents under the tree, which was impossible six years ago. In fact, we ate Steak n' Shake on Christmas Day and that was it.

So, if things aren't looking exactly like you want them to this Christmas, they can get better.

That’s a huge transformation in 6 years. Happy holidays to you and your family.

[crazyliblady]

I've spent quite a lot of time reflecting recently and, while we still have some debt and are nowhere near rich, we've come SO far. Six years ago, my husband and I (boyfriend and girlfriend at the time) were homeless and living in a motel. Fast forward to today - we are in a nice three-bedroom home with a beautiful one-year-old daughter. We are able to pay our bills AND save money. We are able to put some presents under the tree, which was impossible six years ago. In fact, we ate Steak n' Shake on Christmas Day and that was it.

So, if things aren't looking exactly like you want them to this Christmas, they can get better.

Congratulations! That is amazing progress! Don't stop, as there is always room for more progress.

[bjl584]

I've spent quite a lot of time reflecting recently and, while we still have some debt and are nowhere near rich, we've come SO far. Six years ago, my husband and I (boyfriend and girlfriend at the time) were homeless and living in a motel. Fast forward to today - we are in a nice three-bedroom home with a beautiful one-year-old daughter. We are able to pay our bills AND save money. We are able to put some presents under the tree, which was impossible six years ago. In fact, we ate Steak n' Shake on Christmas Day and that was it.

So, if things aren't looking exactly like you want them to this Christmas, they can get better.

Thank you for the update, and the motivation to keep going.
Great work, and keep it up

[crazyliblady]

I think the minimum is $50 if you do paper I Bonds (buy with tax return). Minimum $25 for electronic I Bonds.

Thank you! We have a tax preparer do our taxes. Do I need to take the form with me to meet with the tax preparer?

[disneysteve]

Thank you! We have a tax preparer do our taxes. Do I need to take the form with me to meet with the tax preparer?

You don’t need to bring your own forms to have your taxes done. The preparer will have everything and it’s all electronic now anyway. It’s all done online.

[scfr]

Picked up an extra shift at work this week and last.

Got an Am-Ex offer for $25 off a grocery order pickup at Fred Meyer.

[rennigade]

My older Subaru was making a lot of noise from the rear. Turns out wheel bearings were shot. Replacing the bearing on my vehicle is a nightmare. A bearing costs $50. Or, what I did was replace the entire assembly (the whole part that holds your wheel to your car.). This part costs $140, but simplifies things. Replaced both sides and now it's quiet again. After shipping and tax it was around $350. I don't know what a shop would charge but it would be at least double that.

[Thrif-t]

My older Subaru was making a lot of noise from the rear. Turns out wheel bearings were shot. Replacing the bearing on my vehicle is a nightmare. A bearing costs $50. Or, what I did was replace the entire assembly (the whole part that holds your wheel to your car.). This part costs $140, but simplifies things. Replaced both sides and now it's quiet again. After shipping and tax it was around $350. I don't know what a shop would charge but it would be at least double that.

I can tell ya, my daughter just had to get a new left wheel bearing on her 05 camry it was $450 at the shop. You did good

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I've spent quite a lot of time reflecting recently and, while we still have some debt and are nowhere near rich, we've come SO far. Six years ago, my husband and I (boyfriend and girlfriend at the time) were homeless and living in a motel. Fast forward to today - we are in a nice three-bedroom home with a beautiful one-year-old daughter. We are able to pay our bills AND save money. We are able to put some presents under the tree, which was impossible six years ago. In fact, we ate Steak n' Shake on Christmas Day and that was it.

So, if things aren't looking exactly like you want them to this Christmas, they can get better.

Congratulations and wow! I promise in another 15 years you'll be living a life you couldn't even dream about.

[kork13]

Today we're getting new countertops put in for the kitchen & master bathroom -- existing counters were hideous, laminate that got covered by a thin layer of concrete... Then never got sealed. So they're chipped, stained, and overall aggravating to look at.

So we finally gave in & started the replacement process. We got a reasonable price on the project (~$5k), but we've been worried about the backsplash. It looks just fine, a decent tile, but the demo process often damages the backsplash tile, which would likely force us to replace the it. That would likely mean $1000+ in extra costs.

The install team arrived today, and they were able to tear out the hideous stuff WITHOUT DAMAGING THE TILE!!! Incredibly thrilled. There will be a small (¼ inch) gap below the existing backsplash, but filling that in is a far cheaper & easier fix. We're excited to see how the new counters turn out, and relieved at the significant cost avoidance.

[jenn_jenn]

Today we're getting new countertops put in for the kitchen & master bathroom -- existing counters were hideous, laminate that got covered by a thin layer of concrete... Then never got sealed. So they're chipped, stained, and overall aggravating to look at.

So we finally gave in & started the replacement process. We got a reasonable price on the project (~$5k), but we've been worried about the backsplash. It looks just fine, a decent tile, but the demo process often damages the backsplash tile, which would likely force us to replace the it. That would likely mean $1000+ in extra costs.

The install team arrived today, and they were able to tear out the hideous stuff WITHOUT DAMAGING THE TILE!!! Incredibly thrilled. There will be a small (¼ inch) gap below the existing backsplash, but filling that in is a far cheaper & easier fix. We're excited to see how the new counters turn out, and relieved at the significant cost avoidance.

That’s great! You probably saved even more than $1k. We had a new backsplash put in last summer (also due to demo damage from something else). It was nothing fancy and cost $4k.