August Frugalistas 2021

[JustEm]

parents house is on the market, no major hits but that is my dad is being stubborn about letting me list it on the mls.  Not something I'm going to worry about.  It is his house and I will have to hand the reins over to him completely once we start home schooling again so he's only hurting himself because time is running out for me to have much time to help.  I personally wish he'd just hire his realtor friend to do all the work but he won't.

August is being spent getting my house back in order.  I have been ruthless decluttering.  So much has gone to goodwill and the trash and I've only completed two rooms.  I did spend about $80 on sterilite containers for better storage of toys and school stuff.  

All bills are paid for the month so I really only have groceries, gas, and maybe an additional $200 of misc spending to worry about for the rest of the month, which means a few thousand to go into investments.

Ebay is going well, still not listing new things because I'm busy focusing on getting the house in order.  but a few sales trickle in every few days so still gonna net a few hundred.  Pet sitting is going well. Likely to bring in another $1000 by the end of labor day weekend.  That money will go directly into the stock market as it has been performing very well for me.

 

 

[mommyoffive]

8 hours ago, historically accurate said:

DH is going to get his bonus this month and retroactive raise (back to the beginning of the fiscal year July 1). They sent out an email saying they expect it to go out "around the 20th". He gets paid on the 19th, so maybe with the next paycheck? However, they have yet to tell him how much on either. Weird. I guess we're getting surprise money!

DD did not get the NASA internship, but they told her she can reapply next semester. 

Walgreens has B1G1 on certain vitamins right now - I was able to pick up some vitamins to stock up with. 

I got a couple of bids on my current ebay listings. Yay for that!

We leave tomorrow for Alabama. 

Awesome news on the raise. 

Bummer you dd didn't get the internship.  I hope she keeps applying and gets it later.

Safe travels!

[mommyoffive]

8 hours ago, Soror said:

Ya for the raise! Would be nice to know the amount. We're waiting to hear about a raise too. Any day now I hope.

Bummer dd did not get the internship, hopefully next semester.

Thanks for the heads up about vitamins. I bought a bunch at Christmas when they had a sell. I need to see if they have that we use on the list.

_______________________

Dh bought a part that he hopes will fix the ac if it don't it will have to go to a shop. He also bought new lights for his truck. His work but they are not as bright as he'd like being older. That was all $150 or so. He had to switch classes (issues with transferring)- $350 more-UGH. I forgot as well about the yearly parking permit so he went through the rest of my college fund and then another $180 and our refund will be around $200 less from the the other college, which stinks. Very tired of this crap. All my fingers crossed that he passes his classes/doesn't have to drop any- this semester and ends up FINALLY getting some reimbursement. He had to switch his one course from 3hr to 5hr which means more work, which has me a bit concerned. He is so stinking busy at work it doesn't leave enough time for everything.

Annoyed with the dentist. I paid according to the EOB  but then received a bill because evidently they charge you over the negotiated rate to meet their original charge. Not amused. More medical costs not going to my deductible.

Bookings are very good right now with VIPKID it utterly stinks that it looks very certain I will be losing this job. Rumors are so all over the map as to when that will happen. Dh and I decided to ride it to the end. It pays far better than anything else I can get and it is so convenient being at home. I've looked online for jobs remote and local but not found anything that seems worthwhile yet. The best prospect I've seen is Aldi's, it still yet pays only $14 an hour when I'm making $21+ an hour now and I'd have to be out of the home. Hard to find higher pay working part time. I'm really hoping I can at least get most of my van fund done before it ends but who knows. I'll be squeezing what I can out of dh's checks(certainly any raise he gets and some of his OT pay) in anticipation of that (much rather have extra funds going elsewhere but we need to plan for the worst). If it ends up lasting longer and we don't need the funds I'm certain we'll have other expenses to put it towards.

That really stinks that you might be losing that job.  I hope that they can pivot and you still have it.  

[mommyoffive]

2 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Last weekend we drove the rescue transport and got to bring our new dog home.  She is adorable and for the most part they (her and my current dog) are getting along well.  We also ended up bringing home a 3 pound 10 week old chihuahua puppy.  One of their approved adopters canceled Saturday night as we were driving home and the coordinator asked me if I was up to fostering one of them(we had discussed that we were interested in fostering on a general level the day before when I picked up the van) so we brought her home too.  She is such a little ball of spunk.  My kids totally want to keep her but we won't because I'm not willing to divert money from the sunroom project to cover the expenses of a young puppy.  But until they find her a new home, we get all the fun of playing with a new puppy without any of the expenses so it's still a win.

I have a meeting with our builder on Aug 20 to finalize the windows doors.  I know the project is moving, it just feels so painfully slow.  Especially when I have the entire room planned out in my head already and the space for the dogs/animal stuff would be super helpful now.

Picked up school lunches today and they told me it's the last one.  The workers have no idea what happens next.  They just said they were told to tell everyone this was it.  They seemed rather confused on the erupt end since school doesn't start for 3 more weeks. Oh well, it was super helpful for the budget while it lasted.  My kitchen table is completely full of produce I picked from my garden so I've got a lot of processing to do this week.

Oh wow 3 dogs!  That is so much fun and cuteness.

I hear you on the extra room for the dog stuff.  That is exactly what I would put in my sunroom too and the dogs would live in there as they love to lay in the sun.

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

parents house is on the market, no major hits but that is my dad is being stubborn about letting me list it on the mls.  Not something I'm going to worry about.  It is his house and I will have to hand the reins over to him completely once we start home schooling again so he's only hurting himself because time is running out for me to have much time to help.  I personally wish he'd just hire his realtor friend to do all the work but he won't.

August is being spent getting my house back in order.  I have been ruthless decluttering.  So much has gone to goodwill and the trash and I've only completed two rooms.  I did spend about $80 on sterilite containers for better storage of toys and school stuff.  

All bills are paid for the month so I really only have groceries, gas, and maybe an additional $200 of misc spending to worry about for the rest of the month, which means a few thousand to go into investments.

Ebay is going well, still not listing new things because I'm busy focusing on getting the house in order.  but a few sales trickle in every few days so still gonna net a few hundred.  Pet sitting is going well. Likely to bring in another $1000 by the end of labor day weekend.  That money will go directly into the stock market as it has been performing very well for me.

 

 

Awesome that you guys are doing so well!  It is so great you are at a spot to put so much in investments no.   You guys have accomplished so much in just a few years.

[mommyoffive]

Our power went out for over 12 hours today so that was fun.  It was a crazy hot day too.  It didn't go out because of a storm in our area.  I think a storm took out stuff in some other place and they took our less populated area and diverted power from us to the bigger cities around us.    We will have lost a bunch in our fridge. 

 

Paid for the 2 kids ortho work.   I really can't believe that 4 will need work.  I bet at this rate the youngest will too.  She hasn't lost any baby teeth yet so hard to tell.  

[JustEm]

24 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Awesome that you guys are doing so well!  It is so great you are at a spot to put so much in investments no.   You guys have accomplished so much in just a few years.

Thanks.  We really have accomplished so much in what seems like a such a short time.  From feeling like I'm always playing catch up with our finances and having to always make the most frugal decisions to being able to aggressively invest and still make the frugal choices that are my nature is so freeing.  I'm trying hard not to let lifestyle inflation suck us in, especially since we have a lot of catching up on our future savings to do.  It is a fine line though.  we've certainly been spending money on things that help us relax more like the pool, vacations, and a bigger entertainment budget.  But ultimately we are realyl frugal when it comes to large purchases and things like clothing.  90% is bought used or at deep clearance.  But I'm lucky to be able to easily find that in my area.  

[saraha]

10 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Our power went out for over 12 hours today so that was fun.  It was a crazy hot day too.  It didn't go out because of a storm in our area.  I think a storm took out stuff in some other place and they took our less populated area and diverted power from us to the bigger cities around us.    We will have lost a bunch in our fridge. 

 

Paid for the 2 kids ortho work.   I really can't believe that 4 will need work.  I bet at this rate the youngest will too.  She hasn't lost any baby teeth yet so hard to tell.  

Ugh, I’m sorry 

[mommyoffive]

2 hours ago, saraha said:

Ugh, I’m sorry 

Thanks.   They gave us a time of when it was going to come on and it didn't.  Then they said it was probably going to be another 24 hours.  It ended up coming on a few hours after that, so it was actually better than I was thinking since I was preparing for a day or more.  We had another round of storms go through last night, luckily they became weaker than what they were saying.    And the power company said be prepared to lose it again in that round of storms.  Just odd because we rarely ever lose power.  

Edited August 12, 2021 by mommyoffive

[saraha]

We were headed to northern Ohio to visit my sister yesterday and hadn’t heard about the storm after we stopped at Grandpas Cheese Barn for a break and everyone‘a power was out. We had just missed it, thank God

[Soror]

 

On 8/11/2021 at 6:57 PM, mommyoffive said:

Our power went out for over 12 hours today so that was fun.  It was a crazy hot day too.  It didn't go out because of a storm in our area.  I think a storm took out stuff in some other place and they took our less populated area and diverted power from us to the bigger cities around us.    We will have lost a bunch in our fridge. 

 

Paid for the 2 kids ortho work.   I really can't believe that 4 will need work.  I bet at this rate the youngest will too.  She hasn't lost any baby teeth yet so hard to tell.  

Sorry, did you end up losing anything in the frig? 

On 8/11/2021 at 4:30 PM, cjzimmer1 said:

Is the dentist in network?  If yes, I'd be calling the insurance company and dentist office till it gets resolved.  An in network doctor/dentist cannot legally bill you for the amount that is written off (even though I've had quite a few try and the always claim "oh that was an error" but are secretly hoping you will pay it anyways) if the dentists is out of network than yeah, I guess your stuck.  

Thanks--- I'll call the insurance company today.

[Soror]

dp

Edited August 13, 2021 by Soror

[Soror]

On 8/1/2021 at 8:49 AM, Soror said:

Hello!

-We are finishing our back to school clothes shopping. DD1 just has a bit of clothes shopping left- she's shopping around online. Ds is done.

We'll get schedules on the 19th- I don't know if we'll have any supply lists before then- it goes by classes in highschool but is generally just basic stuff and not a big deal- notebooks, folders, pens, etc. The only thing mildly expensive is a calculator but I think we might have one from ds or dh. 

Goals:

-- 2022- Euro Family Vacay fund to 100%

-"New" car fund- hoping to get to 20-25%- depending on the size of dh's bonus

- fund health, car repair, and home sinking funds to goal (with dh's bigger checks due to OT we should be able to get that done this month- barring things like major vehicle repairs, etc- I think we've had our fair share so I'm hoping for a respite

Lots of medical bills (as always) this month. I upped some fun money categories and groceries since dh is making more.

Might buy some things for the house and take a little day trip to do something fun depending on bonus and checks and how much is left.

Dh's first August check is pending and his college refund went through.

Dh paid his (HOPEFULLY) last college bill for this semester.🙂

Dh had to buy new bulbs for his truck.

I had a dr's appt. ($150 not to deductible), labs to deductible but no bill yet. Trying new med- it is $22 cheaper a month, but will cost more in labs and visits until I get my levels lined out. Hopefully for my sake and my pocket book that doesn't take forever. Bought some vitamins- dr reminded me about- they are $40 for 6 wks or so, I will probably take them a couple of months and stop again (hopefully will be doing better by then)

Bought groceries.

Goal Recap:

Vaca Fund: 100%;

Car fund:  21%: Since the bonus was less than hoped we couldn't do anything else with it but that's ok. Had to rob 65 cents from my personal fund to hit that but I like even numbers

Health fund: 100%;

Car fund will be 100% on Monday (when dh's checks deposits);

Home fund will be 100% with dh's 2nd check on the 31st

Edited August 13, 2021 by Soror

[JustEm]

16 minutes ago, Soror said:

Dh's first August check is pending and his college refund went through.

Dh paid his (HOPEFULLY) last college bill for this semester.🙂

Dh had to buy new bulbs for his truck.

I had a dr's appt. ($150 not to deductible), labs to deductible but no bill yet. Trying new med- it is $22 cheaper a month, but will cost more in labs and visits until I get my levels lined out. Hopefully for my sake and my pocket book that doesn't take forever. Bought some vitamins- dr reminded me about- they are $40 for 6 wks or so, I will probably take them a couple of months and stop again (hopefully will be doing better by then)

Bought groceries.

Goal Recap:

Vaca Fund: 100%;

Car fund:  21%: Since the bonus was less than hoped we couldn't do anything else with it but that's ok. Had to rob 65 cents from my personal fund to hit that but I like even numbers

Health fund: 100%;

Car fund will be 100% on Monday (when dh's checks deposits);

Home fund will be 100% with dh's 2nd check on the 31st

I love seeing you funds filling up. I need to start a car fund.  We have a car maintenance one but its about time to start preparing for the next few years when we either need to replace our van or get a second vehicle

[mommyoffive]

2 hours ago, Soror said:

 

Sorry, did you end up losing anything in the frig? 

Thanks--- I'll call the insurance company today.

Yep we did lose a lot in the fridge.  Power was out for over 12 hours so a lot of it wasn't safe to eat.  Milk, meat, and diary stuff.  It stunk, but what can you do?   The only thing that was a positive is it wasn't right after going shopping so there fridge wasn't packed.  Our freezer stuff ended up being fine.

[mommyoffive]

23 hours ago, saraha said:

We were headed to northern Ohio to visit my sister yesterday and hadn’t heard about the storm after we stopped at Grandpas Cheese Barn for a break and everyone‘a power was out. We had just missed it, thank God

Glad you guys are safe!  Did you still get to go on the trip?

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, Soror said:

Dh's first August check is pending and his college refund went through.

Dh paid his (HOPEFULLY) last college bill for this semester.🙂

Dh had to buy new bulbs for his truck.

I had a dr's appt. ($150 not to deductible), labs to deductible but no bill yet. Trying new med- it is $22 cheaper a month, but will cost more in labs and visits until I get my levels lined out. Hopefully for my sake and my pocket book that doesn't take forever. Bought some vitamins- dr reminded me about- they are $40 for 6 wks or so, I will probably take them a couple of months and stop again (hopefully will be doing better by then)

Bought groceries.

Goal Recap:

Vaca Fund: 100%;

Car fund:  21%: Since the bonus was less than hoped we couldn't do anything else with it but that's ok. Had to rob 65 cents from my personal fund to hit that but I like even numbers

Health fund: 100%;

Car fund will be 100% on Monday (when dh's checks deposits);

Home fund will be 100% with dh's 2nd check on the 31st

You are doing awesome filling up all your funds!!!   Is the car fund for your new car?  I laughed at the 65 cents thing.  That would bug me too.

I hope the vitamins will help ou.

Yeah for the vacation fund.  I hope for sure that next year is a million percent more stable than now.  Did you decide where you are going yet? 

[Soror]

23 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

You are doing awesome filling up all your funds!!!   Is the car fund for your new car?  I laughed at the 65 cents thing.  That would bug me too.

I hope the vitamins will help ou.

Yeah for the vacation fund.  I hope for sure that next year is a million percent more stable than now.  Did you decide where you are going yet? 

Yes, my "new" car. I'm hoping to have that full by the end of next year(I want to buy early 2023)- of course with my job so iffy in the long term- IDK. We'll do the best we can. 

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Yep we did lose a lot in the fridge.  Power was out for over 12 hours so a lot of it wasn't safe to eat.  Milk, meat, and diary stuff.  It stunk, but what can you do?   The only thing that was a positive is it wasn't right after going shopping so there fridge wasn't packed.  Our freezer stuff ended up being fine.

Ugh, that does stink 😞 Very positive that it wasn't right after shopping at least.

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

I love seeing you funds filling up. I need to start a car fund.  We have a car maintenance one but its about time to start preparing for the next few years when we either need to replace our van or get a second vehicle

Having the funds and goals made is a huge motivator to me. I hear you better to think ahead although it is hard at times to anticipate everything. We're planning on downsizing once dd1 can drive. My van will be 18 years old and pushing 200k miles so it would be a good time anyway. Then we'll be going straight to working on a replacement funds for dh's, his is the same age as mine and already over 200k miles. He bought it from his mom (at fmv) after his dad passed a few years ago. In between that we'll be buying a cheap vehicle for dd, she turns 16 in 2023. Too much to think about at once so we are doing one at a time.

[JustEm]

@Soror one at a time makes sense.  recently, my dh mentioned needing to save for another car and I looked at him like he was an alien because while we technically only own 1 car my parents' told me their truck was ours to use whenever they need it.  they leave it here when they leave for the 5 months out of the year they are gone so we basically treat it as our own car so I was confused why we'd need another.  He said it was for a few years when our oldest will be learning to drive.  That was when I realized we really did grow up in two very different families.  Funding my children's cars is not something I want but dh feels differently so we're going to have to come up with a compromise. thankfully we have some years, so for now i'll save for it but will make a strong case against it when the time comes.

Our van on the other hand has many years left in it but if i start putting small amounts away now.

[Soror]

4 hours ago, hjffkj said:

@Soror one at a time makes sense.  recently, my dh mentioned needing to save for another car and I looked at him like he was an alien because while we technically only own 1 car my parents' told me their truck was ours to use whenever they need it.  they leave it here when they leave for the 5 months out of the year they are gone so we basically treat it as our own car so I was confused why we'd need another.  He said it was for a few years when our oldest will be learning to drive.  That was when I realized we really did grow up in two very different families.  Funding my children's cars is not something I want but dh feels differently so we're going to have to come up with a compromise. thankfully we have some years, so for now i'll save for it but will make a strong case against it when the time comes.

Our van on the other hand has many years left in it but if i start putting small amounts away now.

It is interesting how our upbringings affect our views on money. Both dh's and my family bought us cars at 16, nothing fancy at all, older models with more miles but something just for us to drive. We are doing the same for ours. It is nice for the teen to have their own transportation and not have to be the taxi all the time. Them being able to earn some funds for bigger wants has also been nice. There is no public transportation where we live and living in a rural area they need transportation for a job. I don't want to have to take them and dh is too busy. Ds has been paying for his spending money and also saving up for an upgrade to his ride.If we lived in a different area we might have different views but here it is much more likely than not for kids to have their own vehicles.

[JustEm]

37 minutes ago, Soror said:

It is interesting how our upbringings affect our views on money. Both dh's and my family bought us cars at 16, nothing fancy at all, older models with more miles but something just for us to drive. We are doing the same for ours. It is nice for the teen to have their own transportation and not have to be the taxi all the time. Them being able to earn some funds for bigger wants has also been nice. There is no public transportation where we live and living in a rural area they need transportation for a job. I don't want to have to take them and dh is too busy. Ds has been paying for his spending money and also saving up for an upgrade to his ride.If we lived in a different area we might have different views but here it is much more likely than not for kids to have their own vehicles.

Growing up we had 3 cars. One for my dad, one for mom, and one for the driving kids to get themselves to school.  Other than school they had to figure it out with the other driving kids how it was going to be used. So, by the time I was driving my parents didn't do any driving us but my siblings and I took each other places on our way to other places.  It worked out pretty well. 

We live in a place where they could walk and bike to countless great first jobs so no car necessary for that. we'll see how it all turns out. I've still got some years before really needing to think about it.

[saraha]

10 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Glad you guys are safe!  Did you still get to go on the trip?

We were apparently behind it but ahead of another storm that broke after we got there, 5 hours on the road and not a drop of rain!

[mommyoffive]

On 8/11/2021 at 9:51 AM, historically accurate said:

DH is going to get his bonus this month and retroactive raise (back to the beginning of the fiscal year July 1). They sent out an email saying they expect it to go out "around the 20th". He gets paid on the 19th, so maybe with the next paycheck? However, they have yet to tell him how much on either. Weird. I guess we're getting surprise money!

DD did not get the NASA internship, but they told her she can reapply next semester. 

Walgreens has B1G1 on certain vitamins right now - I was able to pick up some vitamins to stock up with. 

I got a couple of bids on my current ebay listings. Yay for that!

We leave tomorrow for Alabama. 

Thanks for the tip on Walgreens!!  I put in a big order last night.  If you see that sale again let me know.  We go through things soooo fast.

Hope your trip is going well.

[Soror]

Dh's check showed up in the bank account so I got to assign the monies. Ya! (my kids thought I was being sarcastic when I said I enjoy that). 

- monies to Sep budget

- auto repair fund full

Health Ins has my EOB up for my labs, it was cheaper than I expected-$53 (YA!!!). I will def go back there even though it was a pain in the ass they are way cheaper than the last lab. Now when I get labs done again I know what to expect as it has the amount for each one. I hate going to new providers or getting new procedures etc done and having no clue what I'm going to be out of pocket. Figured up expected medical bills for Sep and deductible left. Ds should hit his ind. ded in Sep (waiting on a provider to bill they take forever). Since he has the expensive ($260/30 day) med I need to be on top of refills so I can get in most refills while ded is met, will go ahead and call next week for refill. Sure wish I could get a 3 month supply of it at the end of the year but they only do 30 days on it.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Soror

[historically accurate]

Just got back from Alabama. Oldest is safely ensconced in her room and getting to know her new suitemates. She starts classes on Wednesday. I had to make a huge Walmart run as she forgot every toiletry excepting the extras I packed. I had to laugh when we unpacked as her suitemate has a humongo makeup case and "girlie" stuff strewn all over her side of the bathroom, and my girl? Didn't even have a comb with her. LOL. Oh, well, we got it all taken care of. She ran to Walgreens today for a 9volt battery since her smoke detector beeped all last night, and the RA was like, "we may get to it in a few days."

Going to catch up on things today and probably take a nap. 

[Soror]

And the bad (because I just posted a good update of course)-

-Dh has been unable to fix his ac he has to take it into the shop this week

AND

-the outside unit of the a/c is making a funny noise so I got to call the HVAC guy today

No idea on the costs of either but I'm certain we are looking at hundreds of dollars at least.

This is why I like having very hefty funds because sometimes multiple things go wrong at once (seems like a lot of times here).

[Soror]

Dh is taking truck for ac repair Wed.

Still trying to reach AC guy, our old one retired evidently.

Went to dentist with EOBs in hand but they did not try to overcharge me. Up to date paid on all visits except for dh's today, he'll pay when he goes.

Waiting still on lab bill to go through so I can pay it then I'll just be waiting on one provider for medical bills, they bill months at a time.

Called in prescriptions and will pick those up today. Need to remember the discount card for ds' med.

Will make menu and grocery shop.

[JustEm]

We need 4 new tires so I suppose I have to make an appointment and be out a few hundred bucks.

I really need to get to the dentist. Haven't been since before covid and I think I have a filling out. But I need dh to figure out which dentists are on our plan because I don't currently have a dentist

[mommyoffive]

Dh went to the dentist yesterday.  Fully covered by insurance.

Finally got the last kid into the doc after them changing the apts a few times.  Fully covered by insurance. 

Bought some rugs for the house.  We need to put in new carpet, but with 2 dogs it isn't something I want to do right now because they will ruin it.  One is an elderly dog and the other is a crazy pup.

[Soror]

5 hours ago, hjffkj said:

We need 4 new tires so I suppose I have to make an appointment and be out a few hundred bucks.

I really need to get to the dentist. Haven't been since before covid and I think I have a filling out. But I need dh to figure out which dentists are on our plan because I don't currently have a dentist

Here's hoping the tires aren't too much. FYI I have gotten lists of providers from the insurance company itself and also just called providers to ask if they accepted our insurance. 

4 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Dh went to the dentist yesterday.  Fully covered by insurance.

Finally got the last kid into the doc after them changing the apts a few times.  Fully covered by insurance. 

Bought some rugs for the house.  We need to put in new carpet, but with 2 dogs it isn't something I want to do right now because they will ruin it.  One is an elderly dog and the other is a crazy pup.

It is so nice to have appointments done. I am caught up with the kids now for check-ups (still have some regular appointments with some providers). I hate appointments. Even without the money aspect it is a PITA. I really want a new upstairs rug but too many other things to spend money on right now. It does freshen up a place. Very smart of you not to do the carpet yet. 

[Soror]

And good news--

We got an $163 refund from IRS pending for tomorrow- not sure why- that will be nice to go towards the HVAC and dh's a/c

A/C guy came out- $85 for service call. It is a simple part so dh has decided to replace it himself. Waiting for the exact quote but he said he thought around $300, dh can buy the part for around $100. Dh was worried the fix would require him messing around with the Freon and he doesn't have the equipment. I'm thrilled that he can do it himself. He said he can fix it tonight. 

Now, to see how much it costs to fix the a/c in dh's truck. I expect it to be $400 or less, hope around half but I've got no clue.

 

[mommyoffive]

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Edited August 18, 2021 by mommyoffive

[Condessa]

Various extra expenses this month.  After doing the dishes by hand for months, we coughed up $320 for the dishwasher repair.  He had to order a part, so that will be completed next week.  Dh got a dental appliance to help with his sleep apnea.  Dd12 hit a special life milestone and we took her out for a nice (fancy) dinner, for the first time ever.  Dd10 needed new glasses because she lost the old ones, and the kid size didn't fit very well anymore, but neither did the adult ones.  Got her adult petite ones but the price came in at almost $200 more than our insurance would pay.  The hospital invited us to participate in a cancer charity event that we are going to.  Our expenses there are covered, but we needed to put some extra in the fuel budget to cover the travel cost.  Some car oil and filter changes and tire rotation things.

We completed our mortgage refinance and paid back the part of the fee for that that we took out of our emergency fund.

I was pleased that after all the extras, we still managed to sock some more towards our goal of filling the IRAs for the year.  We can make it if we stay on track. 

[mommyoffive]

Has anyone looked into refinancing again?  I heard the rates dropped again, but I haven't looked into it at all.

[mommyoffive]

On 8/17/2021 at 8:00 AM, hjffkj said:

We need 4 new tires so I suppose I have to make an appointment and be out a few hundred bucks.

I really need to get to the dentist. Haven't been since before covid and I think I have a filling out. But I need dh to figure out which dentists are on our plan because I don't currently have a dentist

We got new tires on the van in May and they were in short supply.  Hopefully that isn't the case.  We got the last ones that would work on our van in the store. 

[mommyoffive]

On 8/17/2021 at 1:23 PM, Soror said:

Here's hoping the tires aren't too much. FYI I have gotten lists of providers from the insurance company itself and also just called providers to ask if they accepted our insurance. 

It is so nice to have appointments done. I am caught up with the kids now for check-ups (still have some regular appointments with some providers). I hate appointments. Even without the money aspect it is a PITA. I really want a new upstairs rug but too many other things to spend money on right now. It does freshen up a place. Very smart of you not to do the carpet yet. 

Yeah I am not done because we now step into the land of ortho!  Argh.  I have a few other apts that a few kids need to go to now after a well child.  And I should get them to the eye doctor. Sigh.  It never ends.

I only wish we would have kept the rugs we moved in with for the rooms.  I got rid of them because why would you put rugs down on fully carpeted rooms?  Silly me.  To protect the carpet from all the stains  your kids, dogs, and husband will do in the next 16 years.  It would have been easier and cheaper to just buy a new rug when needed.  I got some 5x7 rugs for $24 so hopefully we like them.   They had great reviews so we shall see.  It just doesn't make sense to put new carpet in now with the dogs.  When will it ever?   I like the look of hardwood but hate living in it.  

[Soror]

13 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Yeah I am not done because we now step into the land of ortho!  Argh.  I have a few other apts that a few kids need to go to now after a well child.  And I should get them to the eye doctor. Sigh.  It never ends.

I only wish we would have kept the rugs we moved in with for the rooms.  I got rid of them because why would you put rugs down on fully carpeted rooms?  Silly me.  To protect the carpet from all the stains  your kids, dogs, and husband will do in the next 16 years.  It would have been easier and cheaper to just buy a new rug when needed.  I got some 5x7 rugs for $24 so hopefully we like them.   They had great reviews so we shall see.  It just doesn't make sense to put new carpet in now with the dogs.  When will it ever?   I like the look of hardwood but hate living in it.  

We have hardwood but that is a smart idea on the carpet and rugs. Crap happens, It stinks to get ride of stuff and then need it. I hate keeping things around but it gets me sometimes. 

[Soror]

Dh's truck done- $360 

Dh got our air fixed ($115 part +$85 service call) BUT the guy sold him the wrong part and we'll have to change it before we need heat. No repercussions there- seems like there should be- new part will be around $200- which stinks. BUT I got the call back from the HVAC place it was going to be at least $500 for them to fix it. So we will still be ahead $200 or so. And dh has learned more about HVAC stuff which will help in the future so we can hopefully avoid some service calls and know enough to know to double check parts we get. 

 

[saraha]

2 hours ago, Soror said:

Dh's truck done- $360 

Dh got our air fixed ($115 part +$85 service call) BUT the guy sold him the wrong part and we'll have to change it before we need heat. No repercussions there- seems like there should be- new part will be around $200- which stinks. BUT I got the call back from the HVAC place it was going to be at least $500 for them to fix it. So we will still be ahead $200 or so. And dh has learned more about HVAC stuff which will help in the future so we can hopefully avoid some service calls and know enough to know to double check parts we get. 

 

Ugh, I’m sorry!

[historically accurate]

DH's Credit Card Is Officially At $0 Balance Today!!!!!!!

We're swimming in medical bills and travel to college bills, so I am trying to figure lots of things out right now. But it feels good to have a win today. 

[mommyoffive]

3 hours ago, historically accurate said:

DH's Credit Card Is Officially At $0 Balance Today!!!!!!!

We're swimming in medical bills and travel to college bills, so I am trying to figure lots of things out right now. But it feels good to have a win today. 

Yay!!!  Congrats.   You did it.  Having one less monthly bill is awesome!

[Soror]

13 hours ago, historically accurate said:

DH's Credit Card Is Officially At $0 Balance Today!!!!!!!

We're swimming in medical bills and travel to college bills, so I am trying to figure lots of things out right now. But it feels good to have a win today. 

Awesome!!!  That is a great win.

21 hours ago, saraha said:

Ugh, I’m sorry!

Aw, thanks

[historically accurate]

And to keep the wins rolling, DH received his bonus and his retro pay today (yesterday was payday, but they ran 2 separate runs for these items). We weren't expecting them today at all. Bonus was smaller than last year's, but his raise was actually a pretty good percentage. Hopefully, we can beat back the medical bills to a dull roar and pay Oldest's travel bills (her books were more expensive than expected leaving little to get there and back). DH has some goals for the house and the car in the next few months, so we'll discuss this weekend and dole out that cash.  

Next up is the balance transfer I did a month or so ago so it gets paid before interest hits. 

School came out and said no virtual options this coming year, so school lunches are over sadly. It was nice while it lasted though. 

DH's car is going in the shop today, but we hope for no charge. They did the muffler about a month ago, but it's sounding like the muffler is going. DH thinks the brackets holding the muffler are loose, so they should do that for free. 

[mommyoffive]

32 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

And to keep the wins rolling, DH received his bonus and his retro pay today (yesterday was payday, but they ran 2 separate runs for these items). We weren't expecting them today at all. Bonus was smaller than last year's, but his raise was actually a pretty good percentage. Hopefully, we can beat back the medical bills to a dull roar and pay Oldest's travel bills (her books were more expensive than expected leaving little to get there and back). DH has some goals for the house and the car in the next few months, so we'll discuss this weekend and dole out that cash.  

Next up is the balance transfer I did a month or so ago so it gets paid before interest hits. 

School came out and said no virtual options this coming year, so school lunches are over sadly. It was nice while it lasted though. 

DH's car is going in the shop today, but we hope for no charge. They did the muffler about a month ago, but it's sounding like the muffler is going. DH thinks the brackets holding the muffler are loose, so they should do that for free. 

Wow yay for the bonus and retro raise!!!  Awesome.

Boo on no more meals.  It was so nice.

Hoping no charge on the car.

[saraha]

1 hour ago, historically accurate said:

And to keep the wins rolling, DH received his bonus and his retro pay today (yesterday was payday, but they ran 2 separate runs for these items). We weren't expecting them today at all. Bonus was smaller than last year's, but his raise was actually a pretty good percentage. Hopefully, we can beat back the medical bills to a dull roar and pay Oldest's travel bills (her books were more expensive than expected leaving little to get there and back). DH has some goals for the house and the car in the next few months, so we'll discuss this weekend and dole out that cash.  

Next up is the balance transfer I did a month or so ago so it gets paid before interest hits. 

School came out and said no virtual options this coming year, so school lunches are over sadly. It was nice while it lasted though. 

DH's car is going in the shop today, but we hope for no charge. They did the muffler about a month ago, but it's sounding like the muffler is going. DH thinks the brackets holding the muffler are loose, so they should do that for free. 

You guys are on a roll!!!

[historically accurate]

DH and I decided where the bonus goes - paid off the small amount remaining from Huntsville. Ordered medications from Caremark (I went ahead and ordered everything that was due even if we didn't need it yet - trying to up my stockpile there cuz Covid). Set aside some for upcoming bills. 

No charge on the car - yay! Some plate that the muffler brackets attach to had some rust, so they double plated it and hung the muffler back up. 

Best part of yesterday was not financial - DD's MRI on Friday was clear. She has migraines, and they were looking for tumors/malformation. So, so, so glad it was clear.

[mommyoffive]

RARE! $30 Target Gift Card w/ $100 Diapers & Wipes Purchase at Target - Hip2Save

[saraha]

4 hours ago, historically accurate said:

DH and I decided where the bonus goes - paid off the small amount remaining from Huntsville. Ordered medications from Caremark (I went ahead and ordered everything that was due even if we didn't need it yet - trying to up my stockpile there cuz Covid). Set aside some for upcoming bills. 

No charge on the car - yay! Some plate that the muffler brackets attach to had some rust, so they double plated it and hung the muffler back up. 

Best part of yesterday was not financial - DD's MRI on Friday was clear. She has migraines, and they were looking for tumors/malformation. So, so, so glad it was clear.

What a relief for your dd!

Sounds like a great day all around

[saraha]

Was able to glean in an elderly neighbor’s garden as she had all she wanted to from it, brought home a plastic bag of banana peppers, 10 plastic bags of tomatoes and 2 5 gallon buckets of green beans, plus spent a nice morning chatting as she sat and watched me pick. Today is all about canning more green beans and making freezer salsa

[Soror]

1 hour ago, saraha said:

Was able to glean in an elderly neighbor’s garden as she had all she wanted to from it, brought home a plastic bag of banana peppers, 10 plastic bags of tomatoes and 2 5 gallon buckets of green beans, plus spent a nice morning chatting as she sat and watched me pick. Today is all about canning more green beans and making freezer salsa

Nice haul, even better to get it for free and keep it from going to waste.

5 hours ago, historically accurate said:

DH and I decided where the bonus goes - paid off the small amount remaining from Huntsville. Ordered medications from Caremark (I went ahead and ordered everything that was due even if we didn't need it yet - trying to up my stockpile there cuz Covid). Set aside some for upcoming bills. 

No charge on the car - yay! Some plate that the muffler brackets attach to had some rust, so they double plated it and hung the muffler back up. 

Best part of yesterday was not financial - DD's MRI on Friday was clear. She has migraines, and they were looking for tumors/malformation. So, so, so glad it was clear.

Ya for dd!!!

Awesome that there was no charge for the car. Very smart to get some extra scrips. I just refilled a 3 month supply of one of mine. 

Congrats on dh's bonus that is awesome that you are knocking out another bill.