A Dime at a Time

Navigating life and finances

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Home Sweet Home

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So good to sleep in my own bed!

My mini road trip went well.  I made it back home late last evening.  Even though I was only away for two nights, it sure felt good to sleep in my own bed again.  Have any of you ever sleep on one of those older pullout couches where you feel the bar across your back?  That’s what my dad has in one of his spare rooms, and that is what I endured!  When my mom was still living, she would put an additional mattress on top of it for overnight guests.  The only thing that made it even remotely tolerable was the scent and weight of the wool blanket I used.  The smell and feel of the blanket reminded me so much of my mom as she always used wool blankets on the beds in their home.  Funny how certain things will bring you back in time. [Read more…]

A quick trip.

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A road trip while paying off debt.

Hey all, I am finally going to take that road trip I talked about several weeks ago.  I had originally tried to do this back in February, but we were hit with a huge snow storm which then caused me to cancel.  On the bright side of the delay, I will save some money by not needing to rent a vehicle.  We added the insurance back on our Summer car and shortly after I get back, will drop the insurance on our Winter car.  Now my challenge is to see how inexpensively I can make the trip.  Already planning on taking snacks/beverages for the drive.  I’ll stay with family for two nights, but would like to take my elderly father out for a meal.  Other than the gas and meal out, this trip shouldn’t break the bank.  No matter, it needs to be done.

With all this being said, I don’t think I’ll be online much if at all.  I’ll catch up with everyone in a few days.  Stay frugal and stay focused on your goals.  You know I’ll be doing the same!

April Goals No Fooling!

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Because…”If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time!”  ~ Zig Ziglar

A new month is upon us which for me means setting some more goals.  While I may not always hit my goals a list gives me something to strive for.  I also feel these monthly goals go hand-in-hand with the old saying “How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!”  It goes without say that my ultimate goal is for us to become debt free, but unless we win the lotto (we don’t play!) there is little chance to no chance of that happening in the next month.  So for now, the best I can do is take it month by month until this debt is all gone.  My goals for April are as follows: [Read more…]

March 2017 Debt Elimination Update

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How much debt did we pay off?

It is almost the end of the month and time to add up our numbers.  With only two days remaining this month, I highly doubt anything more will be sent to our debt.  Should we do so (hey, you never know!) I’ll tack it on our April update.  My goal for March was to reduce our Baby Step 2 debt by $1,000.  We came ever so close!  Try as I might, I simply could not squeeze anything else in our budget to help us reach that number.  So, how much debt did we pay off in March? [Read more…]

Why A Dime at a Time?

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Because it all adds up!

How little is too little?  I was thinking about that the other day in regards to coupons.  Several years ago I left a $0.25 cent coupon on the kitchen counter of a patient’s home.  At the time I was working as a nurse doing in-home care for (what were classified as) highly skilled pediatric patients.  Being in a person’s home for sometimes 40 hours a week, you can’t help but to become a little bit like family, especially more so as the years go by.  Such was the case with this patient and his family.  While I would never meddle in their personal business, simply by being in their home, it was easy to pick up on certain things.  Money was tight for them, as it is for a lot of families caring for a loved one at home.  As a caregiver, you quickly learned what the insurance covered and what they family purchased out of their own pocket.  This $0.25 coupon was for an item the family regularly purchased…and they purchased a lot of it.   [Read more…]

Goals not met

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But this doesn’t deter me!  

It isn’t looking favorably that I will meet the goals I set for March. While naturally I would have preferred to have met them, in no way do I feel deterred.  Some of them were set with the probability of not even coming close. My mindset is always to aim high, which motivates me to strive for more. So how did I do? These were the goals I set along with my progress. [Read more…]

The people we meet in our neighborhood

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So far no sign of the Joneses!

Personal Finance blogging is an interesting neighborhood. Being fairly new, I’m just getting to know some of my neighbors. So far I am happy to say that I really like them all! My neighbors seem to remember exactly what it was like to be the newbie in town and have welcomed me into the community with open arms. Many of my neighbors have been around for a long time and I appreciate their words of encouragement. Some of my neighbors have super fancy homes, others have more humble abodes and yet others are simply happy to have places to visit to share tidbits of their own journeys. When it comes to going to their blogging homes for a visit, no matter what their status, I feel a true sense of caring. Despite my age and heavy bags, they keep cheering me on. My neighbors all seem to understand me, as they have at one time or another carried similar baggage. [Read more…]

Push me and I’ll push back even harder!

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When credit cards don’t play fair.

We can raise your credit card APR just because we can! Sure does seem that way, despite who they want to blame it on. Fellow blogger Rhitter94 over at Planet Debt Free found this out yet again this morning. For her, it was the third time in 15 months that this has happened with one of her credit cards. As aggravated as this understandably made her feel, I commend her attitude… “It just strengthens my resolve to work harder about paying off my debt.” And she is right. Push me and I’ll push back even harder! [Read more…]

Do not give up!

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I will be productive, I will be productive, I will be productive!

Oh yes I will! After a day like yesterday, I need to get moving and do something productive today. There was nothing particularly wrong with yesterday, I think it was just a combination of a lot of little things. I hadn’t slept well, I knew I had to be up and dressed early as the guy that delivers our wood is usually at our house by 7:00 AM (I’m up at that hour, but not usually quite ready for the day), our elderly dog had to see the vet and the weather was gloomy, cold and snowy. Today is a new day, I slept well, the sun is shining and although still cold (single digits) I am already feeling much more positive and motivated! [Read more…]

It’s only money…

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Another vet visit for our senior dog.  

Today I brought our senior dog back to the vet yet again. Although he is eating on his own and walking much better, I could tell his ear was still bothering him. I was thankful for a reduced rate for the recheck visit (saving us $15) but even with that, the bill was still $132. The poor boy needed yet another antibiotic for his ear. The vet also prescribed eye ointment for a swollen gland, which we are hoping isn’t melanoma. Both our dogs are scheduled to go for their annual visit next month, at which time the vet will recheck the issues our sickly dog has been having. My husbands standard reply…it’s only money. [Read more…]

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