Navigating life and finances
As 2020 approaches, I think I need to add some measurable numbers and dates to my previous goals, and also add a few other things to help keep me motivated. Many of you hit the nail on the head when you said I am motivated by having goals. Yes, I am! So, here are my 2020 Goals Expanded: [Read more…]
I got pulled over on Thursday. Nothing worse than seeing a police car with their lights on come out of nowhere! As it was, I was pulling into the Wal-Mart parking lot. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what I might have done wrong to get stopped. It turns out that one of my brake lights was out. The officer asked for all the usual stuff, insurance, registration, and license. I had yet to put my new tag on my car, but thankfully was still legal (until next week) and did have it in the glove compartment. All turned out well with no ticket. Surprising, because I was kind of expecting one of the “fix-it tickets,” but the officer just let me go on my merry way. [Read more…]
Over the weekend, I spent a lot of time scrutinizing our 2019 finances. While we did well paying off our debt, I know there were areas where I was sloppy and could should have done better. I think I became so overly focused on the debt that I lost track of the day-to-day stuff. No doubt, not paying closer attention ended up costing us more over the course of the year. [Read more…]
I forgot about another expense I took care of yesterday. It was for a bunch of lab work I had done with my physical from a few months ago. Unfortunately, the gal at my doctor’s office that drew my labs sent them to be processed at the hospital rather than to Quest, which would have been cheaper. I’m not one who frequents my doctor’s office all that often, but I think she was fairly new. Anyhow, the bill was for $377. I paid via our Discover and submitted the claim to our FSA. I made the full payment to our credit card, and it will be back to a zero balance come Monday. I could have our FSA pay the bill directly, but by paying it via our Discover, I get 1% back. This morning I see that the claim was already approved, so we should have our money back within a week or so. [Read more…]
It sure has been an expensive month so far. My brakes weren’t the only thing that needed fixing. It turns out my car also needed a new caliper, hubs, and wheel bearing. Some parts were under warranty, but when all was said and done, I still had a $532 bill. Yikes. Some good news is that I did leave the shop with a coupon for a free oil change. The business owner was kind enough to write it for synthetic since that is what we used before, and he made the coupon valid until the end of 2020. He gave me this for helping out with setting up their Christmas tree. Not like I didn’t have the time during my three-hour wait! Lol [Read more…]
The past week was an odd one, leaving me at times, wondering exactly what day it was! Hubs managed to make it home late last week Tuesday, just before the first snowstorm hit. I wasn’t sure his flight would even happen, as my phone was pinging with alerts. Thankfully, he made it home. Had his flight been scheduled for Wednesday, it wouldn’t have happened as no one was coming in or going out of our small airport. [Read more…]
We have a new addition to add to our budget, and this one is a blessing! I am pleased to announce the birth of our newest grandson! He was born yesterday, making his appearance a week earlier than expected. From the pictures, he looks a lot like his sibling, with blond hair and blue eyes. [Read more…]
Rest easy, Old Boy.
Hi everyone. Although I’ve been absent from my blog since doing my virtual debt-free scream, I am not saying goodbye to blogging. Hubs and I still have a long way to go on our journey, and writing has helped keep us on the straight and narrow. Sadly, the goodbye was to our furbaby who had been with us for almost 16 years. For a lab-mix, he certainly lived a good long life. Letting him go didn’t come easy, but we knew that Winter would be a struggle for him. So, difficult as it was, we had him put to sleep. [Read more…]
Not quite the update I was hoping to give, but our zero balance screenshot should be coming very soon. I think the closing date of our Visa is today, so the next statement should be here before the end of the week. The payment has posted, so that’s a good thing!
I’ll keep this brief as I’m having some computer issues. I’m not entirely sure what is going on, but my browser keeps wanting to redirect me elsewhere. It gives me a search bar, but one that says it isn’t secure. After speaking with my daughter, she said to shut it down and change all my passwords (using a different pc) and she would figure out what is going on with my primary computer when I see her later this month. Thankfully I do have another computer, but man is it ever slow! Ugh, technology is so hard to keep up with, especially the older I get.
Thanks for hanging in there with me while I get through this minor blip.
After a few horrendous days/nights of dealing with my RLS (restless legs syndrome), I broke down and saw my doctor. I left the office with an additional prescription, order for labs, and an order for my yearly mammogram. The office visit and mammogram should be covered 100% by our insurance. The labs, you never can tell with those. Thankfully, the prescription cost will only add $7/month to our budget. Right now, we still have a fair amount in our FSA to cover these expenses. [Read more…]