I bought an Epson all in one year old printer w/full ink cartridges (except yellow) for $35 from the local FB garage sale. There was another one for $25 that didn't have ink. I've already used it to print my Sam's Club voucher and some coupons. Works great!

The $35 comes from my spending money.

I also cashed out my Pact money - $37 - which goes into my Spending Money category (just covers the printer!)

I did get on Bubblews today - but only for 1 hour. (maybe I stretched it a few minutes past that ...) I am not going to let myself be on there for more than an hour a day - whatever I accomplish in that time is what I accomplish.

I cashed out on Bing for a 500 SB reward - got the code and redeemed it already. Also cashed out 2 more $5 AGC cards for a total of 4 so far this month.

I did buy some groceries - I had to pick up printer paper - so went ahead and did my ONE shop for the week. I've got plenty of food, so I don't think it should be an issue.

I finally took my broken bookshelf out to the dumpster and also sorted through some more boxes - made a trash box and a donate box (both full already.) Have a lot more to go, but feel like I accomplished a little something.

Today I finally broke open my POI Season 3 DVDs and watched the first episode - can't get my money back on them (by selling) until I watch them, and the longer I wait, the less others will be willing to pay!

I'm about to head out to the store again - not for myself, but for NE - he needs some groceries and a charger for his phone (forgot to get from his car before.)

I downloaded two new SBs apps for iOS - have exhausted 3 of the 4 and am working on the 4th one now. I am considering signing up for the accelerator, although I need to double check terms - if CC SBs count towards the 1500 they'll match or not. (it basically means an extra 500Sbs each month)

I also downloaded PerkTv on my new iPhone and have been running that most of the day. It's another app where you can exchange for gift cards.

What I haven't done at all this weekend ... is write anything towards the 50k words. I'm actually not sure if I want to do it now - especially after talking to my mom on Thursday (before I got the stranded in Kansas City call from NE.) She was very supportive and everything, but I'm thinking maybe it's too soon. Some of the stuff I might want/need to put in wouldn't be too flattering to her. Maybe I'll figure something else out.

I stayed up pretty late last night updating my YNAB budget.

Even though I haven't gone out to eat in 6? weeks (I think that's right?)I still have spent WAY too much money at grocery stores. That's the thing about credit card statements - it's there in your face how often you shopped at different places.

So my goal for November is to not grocery shop more than once per week - at any type of grocery store. I would really like to try out the vegan restaurant that Ceejay mentioned before the day after Thanksgiving - maybe can get NE to go with me - That'll be my reward for keeping to only once a week grocery shopping for November (and the end of my 60 day no eating out challenge)

So here is my basic budget. The phone cost will be changing soon (thankfully!) but the Internet can't be cut - believe me, I've looked for something cheaper. It boggles my mind that I paid half that in a boondock town in NM with no competition ...

Giving:
Tithe: $125
Offering/Charity: $20

Fixed:
Rent: 430
House Gas: 50
House Electric: 50
Phone: 75 (hopefully will be 30 soon)
Internet: 65 (ugh!)
Auto gas: 70 (usually more like $35, but like to have a buffer for months where I use more)

Not Fixed:
Groceries - 200 (would like to get to 150 or less)
Medical - 50 (monthly prescription, co-pays)

Spending Money - Funded only by outside sources such as Pinecone surveys, Bubblews, Swagbucks, etc.
Used for
Restaurants
Clothing
Household Goods
Entertainment
Gifts
Wants that don't fall into the other categories

Savings:
Car Fund (maintenance, repairs, replacement, etc): 200
Car Insurance: 42 (paid every six months)
Life Insurance: 16 (paid once a year)
Vacation: 25
Technology (i.e. computer - will need new one soon): 25
ROTH: 200

Slush Fund: Whatever is left after the above categories are funded. When this gets over $2500, it will go to:

60% House Fund
40% Emergency Fund (I have 4 months worth saved right now.)

I want to keep my Slush fund at $2500, so if it goes below that, then I will just go back to funding it again until it's back there. You could call it kind of my Buffer fund between my regular budget and my actual EF.

The Slush Fund would be used in case I have a larger expense in one of my budgeted categories than I have funds for. Also to be used for any cat expenses above cat litter and cat food (those are included in groceries category.)

ETA - With the exception of Spending Money, Charitable, and Savings - any leftover money on the last day of the month will be swept into the Slush Fund.

ETA 2 - I wanted to mention that my phone purchase was totally funded by the Spending Money category - earnings from surveys, Bubblews, etc. When I sell my 4S, the proceeds will go back into the Spending Money category to kind of repay myself. Also the difference between my 75 phone bill and my new bill will also go into my spending Money category until I've "repaid" myself.

My phone arrived in the mail on Friday. I got it out of the mailbox and then headed out to Sam's Club.

At Sam's I was planning on using my voucher to get my one-year membership plus freebies - but they said I had to have a printed voucher - not a mobile one! Ugh!
They did however give me a temporary one day shopping card.

So I purchased an Otterbox cover ($30) and an extra charger cord ($14) to use in my car. I also picked up toilet paper, quinoa, frozen fruit, cat litter and a few other things - to the tune of $100 total.

When I got home I opened up the box with my phone and realized it needed to be charged - it was 100% dead. So I waited while it charged ... 30 minutes later I realized it did not have a SIM card!

I called Ting's customer service and found out that iPhone 5 and up had to have a SIM card. News to me. So I tried to purchase one on the Ting site for $9 - but couldn't because my previous account had been closed.

Call Ting again - they reopen my account (send me a code to my email to tell them) and I am able to purchase a SIM card - $4 shipping. It's guaranteed to be here in ten business days, but most likely will be here much sooner (could've gone with the $14 shipping method and had it here Monday. Not that desperate.)

I have my new phone all set up and ready to go - once I have the SIM card I'll be able to activate it and make sure it works well in my apartment. Once I know that for sure, then I'll be calling ATT and letting them know it is the end for us. (and porting my number)

I ordered a couple more charging cords for the 5S so I can charge my phone at work if needed or by my bed at night. Only $4 each.

Oh, after I started playing with my phone, I realized I'd gotten a 32GB one! I thought I was getting a 16 GB! So cool!

I need to order a new charging cord to go with my 4S in order to sell it on Glyde - the one I use now is ... um... frayed to say the least.

I have a $50 credit on my Ting account from somebody using my referral link, so that will cover the SIM card and probably the first month's phone bill.

I am truly looking forward to seeing my phone bills go down to $30/month or less. (Currently pay $75/month)

It may take awhile for me to break even (not sure what my ETF is going to be) but eventually it will be a money saver.

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I'm going to do a separate post on my budget, since this one got so long.

===
I did just want to say that I was shocked at Sam's Club gas prices - $3.35/gallon!! I hope I just misread it, because that is at least $.36/gallon more than any of the local gas stations here. Kind of defeats one of the supposed benefits of a club membership.

So Thursday night around 6:15 I get a call from NE. He had gone to Kansas City, MO to pick up some electronics for his eBay business. Before he got to where he was going, his car broke down! Not only that though - as he tried messing with it, he majorly wrenched his bad shoulder and also landed on his back very hard.

So there was no question in my mind but that I had to go get him. (He didn't ask, but I know that is what he was hoping I would do.)

I called my boss K and told her that I might be a little late to work because of a short night. After she heard why, she told me that if I needed to, I could use one of my PCH days even though I wasn't arranging it a day ahead of time. I am SO glad she was willing to let me do that.

I managed to find NE about 9:30 - about the same time the tow truck driver arrived. He was in *such* pain. He got in my car and we followed the tow truck over to the nearest Wal-mart. I was kind of baffled at why we were taking it to a Wal-mart - I was pretty sure all they did was oil changes/batteries and tires.

Turned out I was right. Just after the car was unloaded, a police officer drove by and let us know that Wal-mart wouldn't be able to do anything for his car. Thankfully the tow truck driver didn't charge to rehook the car.

I found a car garage nearby and we took the car there. (about 4 miles) In all, it cost about $120 for hooking the car up and towing. Ouch.

By the time we had dropped the key and note in the garage drop box and was ready to head out, it was nearly 11:30.

I was totally beat, but managed to drive back. NE needed some stuff from the store, so we stopped in there, and then I dropped him off at home. It was about 2:43 a.m. by the time I walked in my door.

I used up a full tank of gas plus more - need to fill up again.

NE was supposed to work tonight and tomorrow night - but with his arm the way it is, there is no way. He doesn't have health insurance which is why he's just basically lived with a bad shoulder for five+ years. He told me last night that his arm pain was worse than the pain he was in after a car accident about six years ago.

This definitely was not how I planned on using one of my two PCH days, however I am sure glad I had it available and had such an understanding boss! If I would have tried going in to work today, I would have been pretty beat.

---
I got an email that my $9 payment from Pinecone came through just fine to my PayPal account, and I also have the $90.xx echeck from Bubblews in my PayPal account.

Today I cashed out for another $55.xx from Bubblews. I'm going to take a break from Bubblews until at least December while I work on my NaNoWriMo project. Hopefully I won't lose all my connections.

So I got an email today from Pinecone telling me that my recent cashout of $9 had been denied - from PayPal. This prompted me to ask to leave work early on Wednesday - one hour early. I figured that I would have to do that in order to get ahold of a human being.

Tonight I decided to look up the number for PayPal so I'd have it ready to go tomorrow. Color me shocked when I saw their customer service hours = 4 a.m. to 10pm PT!

Of course I went ahead and called. I explained my utter frustration with my account being limited and how I hadn't been able to purchase postage for my eBay sale a few weeks ago and then now not being able to receive payment!

The CS rep was very patient with me and told me that all he needed was my birthdate to possibly verify my identity. So, I gave him it. IT still wouldn't verify me!! Ugh!

But he told me to go ahead and try to withdraw money from my account - he didn't see why I couldn't do that. So I did - and it worked!

He wasn't sure why my Pinecone payment didn't go through or why I couldn't purchase postage on eBay. So he transferred me to eBay.

The eBay rep basically told me that he couldn't really help me unless it was happening right then - he told me where/how to find the customer service number for the shipping issue if it were to happen again.

I wrote Pinecone and asked them to try resending the payment. Hopefully it goes through because I'm expecting a Bubblews payment in about ten days or so (of 90 something dollars.)

I've got $33.xx in my Pact app that I've been waiting to withdraw until I figured out the PayPal mess - so maybe I can withdraw that too now - see if it works.

----
I wrote the majority of the outline for the book I think I'm going to write. Although as I outlined it, I realized that writing it at work might not be such a good thing. It could be kind of ... emotional ... writing it out. I'm still going to try though.

50,000 words divided by 30 equals 1,666 words a day. There are five weekends in November, so let's say I do 5,000 words each weekend - that would be 25,000 words. That would give me about 1,200 words a day to write during the week. Yikes, that still seems daunting. I'm going to try though.

----
I canceled my Amazon Prime membership yesterday. So as of now the only entertainment type thing I'm paying for is Internet (and that is expensive enough!)

I get Hulu+ for "free" through Bing rewards. I do a month of Hulu reward and then a 500 SBs reward each month. The last few days they were letting me do 60 points a day, plus there were a LOT of extra points. Swoon... I'm halfway towards my next 500 SBs reward thanks to the 60+ point days.

----
I saw my paycheck for this Thursday - health insurance and dental were taken out. I liked last paycheck so much better ... But I'm not complaining about having health insurance, no sirree!

---
I took a walk around the neighborhood today - about 32 minutes of walking. It was a little bit chilly for yoga pants and sandals, but I didn't want to chance my old tennies and didn't feel like wearing long pants or a jacket - not *that* cold yet.

---
Did any of you see the article on soda aging people as badly as smoking?? Yikes! Yet reason #50003939393938271 to stop drinking soda. I needed to see that since I've been slipping ...

I have done some spending this weekend (other than groceries and gas) -

1. I bought an iPhone 5S from Glyde for $348. It is listed as in excellent condition and should be here in a week. Once it is here and I can verify that it works well, then I'll be listing my current iPhone 4S on Glyde and see what I can get for it.

Then I can also fully switch to Ting and tell ATT goodbye forever!

2. I bought a year's membership to Sam's Club via a Living Social deal. $45 - you get the membership, a $20 gift card and 4 free food items (2 of which I'll probably let NE have since it's meat items) So the membership will really cost $25 for the year.

I can get cat litter there so much more cheaply, as well as some other food staples (rice milk, quinoa, lentils, etc.)

----
I'm still going fairly strong with the no eating out challenge. Five weeks down, and on week six. Sunday I did stop at DQ with NE -- it was the last day they were open for the season and everything was half-price. So .. we splurged a bit as part of an actual outing date. (We don't have too many actual outing dates - most "dates" are stay at home.)

---
I think I'm going to slow way down on Bubblews. It was taking way too much of my time ... and with the recent changes, it really isn't worth it anymore. In a few days I'll be able to redeem for another $55 payment. So, all in all I made around $300 something since June with it. Not too shabby.

---
I'm debating if I really need a couch. I don't really spend anytime in my living room - all my time is either in my bedroom/computer area or kitchen. Even in NM when I had a couch and loveseat (the missions) I think I can count on two hands the number of times I sat on them or others sat on them - other than when I had company overnight and slept on the couch. If I need a sleeping couch, I've got something for that. (inflatable)

---
On Saturday I walked 1.1 miles to my local library branch to pick up something that was on hold. The walk was great, except ... I decided to wear a brand new pair of tennis shoes (bought for $15 on sale a few months ago.) By the time I got to the library, one of my heels had developed a large blister and had that blister pop. The other heel had a small one do the same thing.

Thank goodness the librarian had band aids!

It's nice to know that I can easily walk to the library here. In NM I could walk to the PO, but I can't here. I'd much rather be able to walk to the library.

----
I start my belly dancing class on Wednesday night!! I am a little nervous about doing it in front of other people - in front of my mirror is one thing ... but I hope I'll have fun.

--
I'm getting seriously bored at work. There is a LOT of downtime. I just have to keep reminding myself that it pays decent and has really good benefits. Especially health insurance which starts on Nov 1!!

I'm considering trying to write a book or something on my downtime (between spurts of phone calls and people buying passes.) I haven't quite figured out what it would be about yet though. Maybe a fictionalized version of some of my family's story. It would be something to keep keep my brain busy at least. (and probably look better to be typing away at something on the computer rather than reading the newspaper or a book --- reading the newspaper - or at least scanning it, is actually one of my tasks .. I just extend it to thoroughly reading it.)

---
3 months and one week til I get a pay raise and am eligible to take vacation and sick days. I can hardly wait!

So I am really ticked at PayPal right now. I made an eBay sale Saturday night and tried printing postage on Monday - no go. Kept getting an error message. Tried again on Tuesday - found out that my "limited" account now includes no money being withdrawn at all. So I have almost $200 in PayPal being held hostage. (Bubblews payments, Pinecone, etc.)

I ended up mailing the package first class postage - PO was closed by the time I got there Tuesday night and that was all the automated machine would let me do. Ugh! Hopefully this won't ruin my perfect rating!

Tomorrow is payday, and since no deductions are coming out of it (other than taxes) I guess it counts as the extra paycheck.

So ... I haven't had the energy to research it out totally yet, but I think I'm going to use it to buy the couch, the Sprint iPhone (to switch to Ting), and a simple printer (for coupons, etc) That'll use most of it - but once I have my phone set up, then I can sell my current iPhone and that will net me a little cash. That I'll put into my general savings.

I might still change my mind - especially about the phone. I know I'll save money switching to Ting, it's just the initial outlay for the phone that is making me hesitate.

In case you're interested, here are some Bubble posts I wrote recently about Paypal and life in general.

http://www.bubblews.com/news/8894602-kari039s-day A story about Kari and fleas.

http://www.bubblews.com/news/8892674-paypal-is-holding-my-mo... My PayPal frustrations.

http://www.bubblews.com/news/8876471-been-sick About being sick and NE being sweet.

I better hit the hay here. Another exciting day answering the same questions over and over ...

This past week I haven't felt the greatest. I powered through the last 3 days of work ... then got in a good nap before NE came over Friday night. But Saturday and most of today ... I vegetated. lots of sleep, lots of doing nothing.

Well, not totally nothing. I did *finally* get the cheese cleaned out from my oven so that I can use it again. That stuff was pretty hard encased on the oven bottom. I didn't get it all off, but after testing it, it was enough so I won't get to test out my smoke alarm anytime soon.

I also did a load of dishes. (Can I say how much I love having a full sized dishwasher again?)

I thought about doing laundry, but then realized that if I washed out a couple bras, I could get by another week. This would be my 4th week - all clean tops, reusing a couple skirts and jeans. Can you say - she has too many clothes?

NE will be coming by tonight and we'll be making pizza from a Chef Boyrdee kit. I need to get cheese and pineapple. He's bringing the hamburger for his half. (pineapple only goes on my half) Maybe we'll watch Edge of Tomorrow - rent it off Amazon.

With all the rest I've had this weekend, I am feeling much better than I have in awhile. Here's hoping it'll last. I need to get a flu shot soon, but don't want to get it when I'm feeling sick.

---
I am starting on my 4th week of the no eating out challenge. Overall I think it is saving me money (at least from what I'd been doing since living here.)

NE's stepsister that we went out to dinner with on Tuesday night (first time ever meeting each other - NE and stepsister) posted some photos she took of us on FB. The one with NE and I looked fine, but the one with NE, her and I ... I guess I don't see myself standing next to skinny people too often. Ugh.

So I am thinking of adding something new to this challenge. Not only no eating out, but no spending more than $5 on junk food per week. I would eliminate it completely, but I think that would backfire.

I also feel like I'm spending way too much time on the Internet (Bubblews esp.) So when I get home from work I am going to do 30 minutes of piano, 30 minutes of some form of exercise, 15 minutes of language practice and 15 minutes of cleaning/organizing.
Then I can get on the computer.

On the nights NE isn't here, I'm going to limit my computer time to 2 hours. Outside of that I'm going to read books or magazines! (Not surf Internet!)

I haven't quite figured out how to regulate the weekend days better yet ... Maybe 15 minutes of Internet time for every 30 minutes doing something else (piano, reading, cleaning, making something, exercise, etc)

Like I said, I spend WAY too much time on the Internet.

----

I have been watching this awesome new show on Hulu+ called A to Z - it's the story of a relationship. Two episodes so far and I absolutely love it. I also have been watching Selfie - not as good as A to Z, but it has plenty of LOL moments. Plus I love how it's playing on the My Fair Lady storyline.

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I am still thinking about my goals. This month I have an extra paycheck, so if I used that money, I could wipe out several wants - couch, printer, remote start on car in one fell swoop. And have some left over to put into general savings.

I love YNAB and have used it off and on for years and years. But ... I am starting to think that a different approach might work better for me. Since I'm not attacking a debt monster, and I don't have any big huge things to save up for other than retirement ...

Maybe something like this - still live off of last month's income (per YNAB)

Put the amount needed into the Must Have categories. Then the remainder goes into a non-tracked category - kind of a whatever it's needed for without having to be tracked.

Must haves would be: tithe/offering, rent, utilities, Internet, phone, auto fuel, insurances, ROTH contributions, car savings, general savings, emergency savings,

Groceries, clothing, household goods, hair care, etc., etc., etc. would come out of whatever is left and not be tracked explicitly.

So for example, I go to Walmart and I spend $70 on grocery items, cat food, makeup, and maybe a new pair of shoes. Instead of painstakingly splitting all those items out, I'd just track it as "Walmart:Non-Tracked"

My reasoning is that I can do pretty good for a few months tracking minutia, but then it stops working for me ... I miss a receipt or two or three .. This way I will still be tracking it, but it won't have to be detailed - so if I miss entering a receipt or two or three, I can just get the info from my CC site and not worry about the details.

I would want the amount in this category to build up so I have money available for bigger things (vacations, couches, etc. ...) Maybe put a minimum amount that has to be left in there if making a bigger spend/purchase. (This is what would keep me from willy nilly spending everything just because it's there - I'd want to be careful with the spending so I have it for other bigger things.)

Whatever extra monies I get (like from Bubblews, etc.) would automatically go into the Non-Tracked category. Extra paychecks or amounts larger than say $500 would be figured out as it happens.

Anyway ... haven't figured it all out yet.

I am still chugging along with my 60 day no eating out challenge -- however Tuesday night I did make an exception and ate out.

What was that exception? NE had a relative that he'd never met come to visit him, and he asked me along. There was no way I could say no to that. (More about it on Bubblews if you're interested.)

---
I received my August 31 payment from Bubblews in PayPal yesterday. $111.xx

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Did I get pictures hung and budget / goals sorted last weekend? Nope.

NE did help me move some heavier large things around and hang my mirror. He wasn't feeling too good, so I was doubly appreciative.

Of course ... guess who isn't feeling that great either now? And no sick days to take ....

---
I did start working on my budget and kind of updated it. I was also looking / thinking of goals ... and just really couldn't pinpoint anything really.

My computer will probably need to be replaced sooner than later (it's almost 4 years old and has started making some weird noises - doesn't help being moved 4 different times and having had stuff dropped on it...)

I think I might upgrade to the iPhone5 when I finally move to Ting, so I'm not sure how much of a price difference that'll be (after selling my current phone)

I need a new printer - my current printer stopped printing eons ago, and now I am missing all its cords (likely left in NM)I used the scanner function on it once in a while - mostly for teaching stuff. So I think I could get by with a simple b&w printer - for coupons mostly.

I would LOVE to get remote start put on my car for upcoming winter ...

I also want to get a couch ..

Mostly though I really want to up my savings - just general savings and retirement savings. I do not want to still be explaining to people that walking two blocks is better than walking five blocks and taking the bus for one block fifteen years from now.... or even ten years from now...

This weekend I will really think this through more (and maybe get some pictures up too ...) but right now I better get to bed so I have a little energy for tomorrow.

I am still going strong on my 60 day no eating out challenge.

NE came over last night and we made spaghetti - he brought the noodles and a mango for dessert. I had the rest of what we needed. (Although I had to search high and low for my strainer!)

Today I did go shopping - supposedly *just* for bananas and something to scrub my stove with and something to clean my new pan that got burned sauce ... Of course ended up with more .. but not too bad.

On Sunday I shopped at Walmart and tried the savings catcher app again - this time it worked! I got $1.02 back.

I cashed out on Bubblews on Tuesday for $91 (September earnings). I am now up to $7 for October. I won't be spending as much time on it this month, so my goal is just to get to $50 so I can cash out again on the 31st.

I also cashed out $9 in Pinecone payments.

In September I cashed out for two $25 Paypal payments from SBs, so I'm a little behind for October. I was able to cash out for 3 $5 AGCs and am working on the other two.

On the YouGov survey site I have enough points to cash out for a $25 movie certificate. I'm debating if that is what I want to do or not - not sure which one to get - Regal or AMC theaters. It would be enough for NE and I to see a movie together (he and I saw Guardians of the Galaxy on Sunday - his treat. Loved it!)

I found out how much my health insurance is going to cost me - it's taken out pretax. $33/month. Not too bad at all. Next paycheck my dental will come out, but that won't be much at all.

This weekend I have two goals - get my pictures hung and sit down and figure out my budget and new goals.
Now that I have a job and I have a place to live AND I have a good idea of my monthly income ... it is time!

In February when I can start contributing to my retirement plan, things will change again (along with a pay raise.) But will check those eggs when they hatch.

So I'm now five full days into my no eating out challenge. And the news is ... I have been successful at it so far! The really interesting thing though is that other than needing to buy bananas on Wednesday, I have managed to do it with just food I already had on hand.

On Friday I picked up a couple quick/easy/fast vegetarian cookbooks that I plan to look over and pick out a few things from for this week. Then I'll be making my meal plan and doing whatever shopping needs to be done.

I think I have saved at least $30 this week from not eating out or stopping somewhere for a soda/candy/etc. Probably more. It was getting pretty bad. (Especially since when I would stop in for a soda/candy, etc. I would get something else so it wouldn't look like I only came in there for the junk ...)

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I had an interesting Friday night with NE - towed my first car! You can read more about it here if you want to:

http://www.bubblews.com/news/8128150-friday-night-towing-adv...

We also had an interesting situation happen here with regards to tailgating last Saturday - I've been hearing some sirens today, and am hoping it is not part of the fallout; http://www.bubblews.com/news/8078503-tailgating-woes

I have now been at my new job for 8 weeks. Most of the time I really like it. I definitely like my boss K. She is such a fun person to work with. I've had the office manager C tell me she's really glad I'm there - that I have such a good attitude. This definitely is not something I want to do for 25 years, but if it is what makes it possible to retire in 10 - 15 years, I think I can handle it.

Oh, I was wondering if anyone has tried Bing Rewards today. What do you think? {url]http://www.bubblews.com/news/8130036-what039s-happened-to-bing[/url]

My first sewing class is on Tuesday! A needle and thread will be on my shopping list tomorrow.

What is the price of gas where you guys are? I was reading about how prices are expected to fall below $3! It's around $3.20 here right now. Do you think they'll really fall that low?

So I deactivated my profile on the dating site. NE and I got together on Sunday night at IHOP and had a good long talk. Our waitress I think was getting antsy for us to go... But the end all and the be all of it is that neither one of us really want to let go so easily of our 11 years of friendship. He is willing to try counseling to see if we can figure out how to get past some of the issues that caused the break.

He came over again on Monday night and we had a very nice couple hours together. Before he left he totally shocked me by saying that if I'd like to, we could play cards on Wednesday night. He is NOT a big fan of playing games. However he knows how much I love playing games. I've tried to get him to do it before with no luck. So ... there's other things he's doing as well that are showing me he's really trying.

I think the break from each other gave us both some perspective.

I'm still going to do the plans I had been making related to my list of ten things I want to do. I'm just going to add him to my list.

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Today was already a temptation to just stop and get something. I was SO tired and so hungry coming home from work. But I soldiered on and managed to wait til I got home to eat.

I didn't do my grocery shopping on Sunday like I'd planned, but I think I can make do without getting anything other than bananas. (will have to do that tomorrow)

--
I really need to go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow there's a health fair at the local Public Works department that I get to go to. I would like to be alert for that.

--
I completed a survey for Pinecone, so once I'm credited for that, I'll have enough to redeem $6.

I cashed in bing points yesterday for 500SBs (which will either become Paypal cash or Amazon gift cards.)

If any of you read the YNAB blog, you may have seen Jesse's latest post about obliterating debt. He'd been heavily criticized for his previous post with people saying that since he was young, college educated and white that he had no clue what he was talking about.

So among a variety of things, in his last post he said that he and his family are going to do two things - move into an apartment for 3 months and do no eating out for 60 days. Here is a link to his post:

http://www.youneedabudget.com/blog/2014/good-debt-and-bad-de...

I have been lamenting the fact that I have been eating so horribly and spending so much money on takeout and fast food. Being here so near temptation has had a very bad effect on my spending and on my waistline.

While I don't have any debt to vanquish, I do have savings goals! So I decided to take up the guantlet of the 60 day no eating out challenge. Here are two links to Bubblews posts about it if you're interested:
http://www.bubblews.com/news/7723462-60-day-no-eating-out-ch...
http://www.bubblews.com/news/7762711-planning-my-menu-for-we...

I am also planning on *really* doing the ten items only shopping list. (I'm only going to count food items on my list.)

So far on my list:
frozen veggies
bananas
Peanut Butter
Jelly
eggs
shredded cheese
whole cantaloupes

That leaves me with 3 things I could pick up if needed later during the week.

Tonight though I am doing one last meal out before starting this challenge - heading to IHOP! NE is going to meet me there ... we're testing the waters at trying for a friendship *only.* One of the things we'll probably discuss tonight is exactly what that means ...

In other news, I finally completed my profile last night by finding a full figure shot. Now it's just a waiting game I guess.

Thanks again everyone for your supportive comments on my last post. It's been really difficult the last few days to not call him up to share this or that. I think he's finding the same thing because he emailed me this morning a link to a story about his next door neighbor getting burgled. This is the longest we've gone without talking to each other in 16 months.

Today for some reason was almost harder than Tuesday.

It'll take time I guess.

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In other news .. I got a package from Pinecone! This is the very first time I have ever received a product to review. I wish they'd sent me an email or something so I would've known to go to my PO box and get it.

Well, I have it now, and now need to use it.

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I cashed out for $25 PayPal from Swagbucks today. Thanks to all the spending I did on moving expenses, new matteress, etc, I had plenty of Swagbucks for both the PayPal and the 5 $5 AGC's.

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Thursday night I did one of the things on my list of ten things I want to do - I attended a women's Bible study group. Kind of hard to really call it a group though - only three of us were there. Bit uncomfortable. But maybe it'll grow, and maybe the small size will help me to speak out more .. although one of the ladies has a really strong personality and likes to talk ... I tend to clam up around people like that.

I started writing out my list of ten things, but then realized it was getting pretty long as I added my thoughts/reasons. So I decided to make it into several posts on Bubblews. I'll post links to them when they are all posted. (Speaking of Bubblews, I made $16 since Sept. 1.)

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After work today I stopped at a local store called Open Harvest. It is kind of a co op store. Kind of expensive, but it did have some really good deals on some things. I'm considering paying to be a "member" because it is really close to where I live, and has lots of veggie foods I like. It would be $25/year and there are discounts at the store itself, as well as at other stores in town.

I'm thinking about it.

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I think Kari has fleas. Probably got them at NEs because they were scratching a good bit before we moved out. What flea meds could I get without seeing a vet that aren't expensive but work well?

This morning I bought three things I found from the online FB garage sale: a table, a camera and a paper shredder.

It was quite interesting getting the table home in my little Yaris. Bungee cords were involved.

I did a good bit of unpacking and organizing. I did manage to find places for most of my baking glassware. There are just a few pieces I have nowhere to put except the linen closet in the bathroom. I figure I can always give them a quick wipe before use.

I haven't come across my cordless drill yet - which I need for hanging pictures and for putting together my new table. So that will have to wait.

I did laundry here for the first time - there are 3 washers and 1 dryer ... Good thing I don't use a dryer very often.

I cashed out for two $5 AGC's from Swagbucks.

I have about 8 boxes of books and office related stuff I need to figure out what I'm going to do with. I only have two bookcases left that are in good shape (I broke one on last Sunday.) I am considering ... gulp ... letting go of more books. Some of the books I have kept with the intention of having them for my kid(s) later on. That dream I think is passing away quickly. Plus by the time a kid today would want to read them, paperbacks probably won't even be known anymore.

There are around 4 or 5 boxes of pictures and decorative stuff. I think I can do most of that myself, but really hope that I can get help with the mirror ..

Tomorrow I need to get my rent check over to the landlord's (and set it up to go auto-magically from Cap One so I don't have to think about it again.) I also need to call the utility companies and make sure my accounts are set up properly - haven't gotten anything in the mail, but lights and gas are both on.

I've decided I'm going to go with CB's routine of ten items per week buying at the grocery, etc. Even with all the food I ate down before coming out here, I still have PLENTY. I just need to use it!

I want to figure out how to use my rice cooker to make quinoa and steam veggies (it's supposed to do both at the same time ... never used it, owned it 3 years?) Then I'm going to try making sweet potatoes in the crockpot. YUM!

I also have a lot of sweet potato noodles that I bought that I need to use up. And the list goes on.

Today I was supposed to unpack a lot of boxes and get things more organized.

What did I actually do?

Surf the Internet (bubblews, YNAB forums, Facebook garage sale forums ...)

Watch Suits on Amazon Prime

Went over to NEs and got my frozen stuff - also washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Needed badly.

Other than that .. not much.

I found a table I'm picking up tomorrow for $20 (no chairs, but chairs I can find more easily than a nice table.)

I also found a paper shredder to replace the one I left behind on accident ($15 for about the same size one I had.)

I also talked to my brother for awhile, which was good.

Oh yeah, I also worked on my YNAB budget -figured out where my retirement accounts were at, and guestimated my monthly budget. The retirement accounts look nice, but the monthly budget looks abysmal. Adding in rent and utilities to the mix leaves almost nothing for savings.

I'm hoping that the reality will look a little rosier.

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I've been really overconsuming on the junk food. Really a lot. I'm kind of scared to get out my scale and see what it says.

I'm hoping my food budget will help to reign me in on this. We'll see. I think I might try taking back a couple things I bought tonight.

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I figured out as I was doing my budget that I had overpaid one of my credit cards - the one I use for gas. By $335. I set the wheels in motion to get that sent back to me so I can use it for expenses.

I also figured out that my retirement accounts had all grown nicely - mainly thanks to an electric car.

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I saw Target had a microwave on sale for $38 today. I was going to go get that, and return the one I bought for $49 (same exact one) from Walmart. But before I drove out there I called - they didn't have any left of course.

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who offered their thoughts and advice on my last post. He's been much better about helping me - I think he got the idea that I was pretty upset. He helped me out on Thursday getting my Internet set up - not a word of complaint (needed someone here to let the Internet guy in to get things set up.)

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I've now been moved into my new place for a full week. Today and tomorrow I plan to do a lot of unpacking and organizing. I'm hoping to get most of it done so I don't have much to do later and can feel actually settled.

Last night I bought some needed items to replace things that I'd left behind or sold previously (when I was going to grad school.)

I bought a microwave, a toaster, a crockpot, a kitchen trash can, a couple of skillets and a cooking pot. What this means is now I can actually cook things here rather than eating PBJs or buying fast food.

I also bought a bed from Mattress Firm. It was about $376 or so after taxes and delivery charges. The mattress itself was $298. Not the best one by far .. but I'm hoping it will do the job and last a while. It is the first bed I actually bought for myself .. ever. All my previous beds were either hand me downs, or provided by the place I was renting.

I plan on going by Goodwill today to see what they have in the way of kitchen tables and love seats - also any kind of cabinets. I am in major need of storage space for pantry and cookware/dishware. Of course if I manage to find anything, I'm not sure how I'd get any of it home.

I really do NOT want to employ two men and a truck again ... I don't know anyone with a truck that could haul it for me. I really need to get most of my boxes unpacked first anyway though before adding more to the mess ...

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I'd really like to highly recommend Bubblews . com for writing whatever you want and getting paid for it. I have made close to $170 since June. I have a link to my profile page in the links section - that is where I've spent a lot of my short Internet time lately.

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I'll be getting my second paycheck this coming Thursday from my bus job. I'm hoping that the union mandated pay raise will take effect Once I see that, then I plan on working on a budget. I haven't been operating on a budget or any real kind of expense tracking for awhile ... and my bank account and credit cards show it. I won't be carrying a balance on any of my cards, but the bank accounts will definitely be slim after paying them ... (I do have my emergency fund still fully intact in a separate bank, but was not wanting to spend all I had in my regular bank ..)

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I think my cat Kari is much happier being a single cat than one of many. Almost within two days of being here, her entire attitude seemed to perk up and go back to her usual self. I hadn't seen her tail straight up in happy signal for a long time.

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I need to edit my sidebar since I accomplished my two big goals and figure out what my new goals are. Will have to wait til after my next paycheck though so I have a better idea of what I'm working with.

I don't remember the last time I posted on here, so hopefully I won't repeat myself too badly.

I got a full time job working at the local bus company. I got word today that I am good to go - so I start on August 4. (We had to wait for background checks.) It pays slightly better than New Mexico, has health insurance, retirement, etc. I will be part of a union, so I guess I'll have union dues.

One really awesome thing though is that there is an exercise room in the building that I can use! Plus, if I use it so many times per week, it'll earn me dress down days.

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Once I had my offer letter, I started looking for my own apartment. What a nightmare. Almost every place I went was already full, or I would schedule a showing to find out a deposit had just been put down on it.

On Wednesday I saw a place - 440 sq ft wanting 450/mo. It was designed really poorly. I passed on it.

Today though I saw something that I think will work. Around 7oo sq ft, designed well, and 430/month. No stairs either. I put in an application and put down a deposit in case I'm accepted. Now it is a waiting game to see if they take me.

It isn't a sure fire thing due to not having any real rental history for five years. (2 years of grad school, 3 years living rent free at the mission school and 8 weeks living at boyfriend's place.)

If not, I am lined up to see another place Friday morning. Guess only time will tell.

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I quit my call center job on Sunday. That was so nice at the end of my shift to say to the supervisor that I wouldn't be back. Such a relief.

Part of the reason I did that was to give me more time to ride the bus routes here and learn them. I haven't done as much riding as I'd planned on due to apartment hunting. However, with NEs help, I am feeling more confident that I can at least begin to help people figure out a good route.

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On Wednesday I went to the local mall for the purpose of going to Lane Bryant for some underthings. I got waylaid by Sear's clearance instead. I bought 7 tops and a skirt for $60. One of those tops was something I'd been looking for - a kind of shrug to replace the one I left in New Mexico. The other things were just kind of refreshing my dressy tops for work.

I still need to go back for LB - NE called while I was there wanting to do a trip to Omaha, so I cut my mall time short.

Remember how stressed I was a few days ago? Well on Wednesday I had yet another job interview. I thought it had gone well, but I got the usual song and dance of them letting me know in the next two weeks or so.

When I got to the apartment I got to deal with a flooded sink and kitchen. Fun. (Plumber took care of it with 90ft of snake ... I was only two hours late for work.)

On Thursday as I was driving to my call center job I got a phone call. It was from the place I interviewed at on Wednesday! They wanted to know if I'd still be interested in the job even if I'd have to wait until August 4 for the background check to be finished.

Oh yeah!

I have no idea how much it pays, or for sure what the benefits are. I also am not positive on the days/hours. I've looked and looked for where I found the job listing, but haven't been able to locate it anywhere.

So ... how would y'all suggest I go about finding out this information without looking bad before even starting my job? Btw, it is for an admin asst job at the local bus transit company. (City government job, so I'm pretty sure I have at least health benefits.)

I'm so happy to have a full time job finally, and to have the ability to get my own apartment in the very near future!!

If anyone here lives in the three cities I put in the title and might be interested in completing a secret shopping project in your area, you'd really help me out by leaving a comment here with your first name - and if you use a different email for SA, then the email you'd use for work related stuff. You do need a smartphone so you can download the secret shopper app. This project pays between $100 and $140.

Thanks for helping me out if you're interested.

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I had my second interview today for the admin asst job, and then also had a personality assessment. I asked when they plan to make a decision .... AUGUST!!! This position has been advertised for at least a month! Seriously, if people need a job, they aren't looking for one to maybe start two months later.

I gave the staffing agency another call today to keep my name fresh. Something has to give here soon.

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Last night at the call center I was asked to work the next two Sundays - I jumped at the chance. That just means 28 hours for the next two weeks instead of 24. I'll take it though, especially considering that a full time job seems to be taking it's sweet ol' time coming along!!

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I'm almost halfway to my next redemption on Bubblews. It's going much much faster this round.

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I'm having trouble depositing my final paycheck from the school and the first check from the call center. I tried using my phone apps for both Cap One and Bofa, but neither one would accept them. They are way too long for a good picture. I checked to see if there are any ATMs here for either bank ... Nope. I'm really not sure how else to deposit the checks, other than opening yet another bank account. I really don't want to do that. Would love ideas! (This is going to be an ongoing problem with the call center checks. Previously I had my school checks direct deposited, but for whatever reason they give a paper one for the last one.)

On Monday I started a part-time job where I call people to survey them about their opinions on the healthcare in their area. Monday and Tuesday nights were training and orientation, and then Wednesday, Thursday and tonight I spent calling people using the training study. About two hours in to my shift tonight I got the message that my session had been ended by my supervisor.

The reason it was ended was because I'd received high enough evaluations on the completed surveys to move on to an actual client survey! I didn't make any phone calls yet on this new project, but I will start making them on Monday.

This job definitely does not pay much - but it does at least guarantee a minimum amount per hour as long as you are following their policies, and the possibility of making more in bonuses if you complete so many surveys in an hour, or later on for positive attitude, etc.

The way I'm looking at it right now is, it's a job. It's something. Not what I'd want to do full time or for very long, but it will bring some income in.

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In other news, I just redeemed for $54.44 on the bubblews site. It took awhile, but I think the next one will come much faster. (If you want to read some of my latest postings, click on the link on the left hand side of my profile. That'll take you to a list of my postings there.)

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I recently got the bill for my new ISP. I was quite incensed by some of the charges and called to complain. About $45 worth of charges were removed after I spoke with the CS agent. I'm still not happy with the ISP, but I unfortunately don't have much choice.

So on Sunday I get to where I'm supposed to start training at 9:30 a.m. I wait and wait and wait ... no one is there at 9:50 a.m. I call the lady and find out "sorry, there was an out of town emergency, can you train on Tuesday?" I told her yes, but after talking with NE I decided to just not do this job at all. This was at least the third time I've been blown off. Also, there'd only be 8 days total left that I could work before the campaign is over.

I'm not that desperate for money to work for someone who will jerk me around like that. (I have at least one more paycheck coming from my librarian job, plus plenty of savings.)

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I called the staffing agency to let them know I'd be available for any job openings ASAP. I will probably need to give them another call today to make sure they got my message (and keep me in their minds.)

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I heard that the governor of NE declared a state of emergencies due to storms - I haven't watched the local news here so am not sure what storms he was talking about. (am going to do a search) It was really humid and overcast here yesterday, but I don't think we got any rain (although we did have somewhat heavy winds - nothing compared to spring winds in NM though.)

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NE and I went to CiCi's last night. He likes to eat late, so we ended up being there right before closing time. I had no idea that they offered whatever was left on the warmers to customers at closing. I took most of a veggie pizza home - meals for a couple days.

I think the move has caught up with me. Last night and today I have felt really run down and blah.

This morning I got the Internet hooked up here so I can start training for the online tutoring job tomorrow. It is so nice to be able to use my computer again.

The interview on Sunday I think went well overall. I won't know for sure until later this week.

I got some bad news from my former employer. They let go of the IT person - the one who I worked with a lot and had lung cancer multiple times last year. Apparently they are going to have the new librarian also be the IT person. Yeah, that's going to go well. Looking Forward, this is an example of loyalty from a boss huh. :roll eyes:

Been spending way too much money. Hopefully the job I'm about to start will help with that.

I'm writing on my phone so this will be short.

This has been a LONG week with many frustrations - mainly because I was SO tired. The upshot though is that we arrived into Ltown Thursday night. Friday we unloaded the truck into my storage unit, and today finished getting what I wanted into the apt (Saturday)

Saturday night I spent cleaning and organizing so my stuff would fit better. We also thrifted a ton of his clothes he doesn't wear anymore so I'd have some closet space (on Friday)

Sunday I have my second interview in person for the office job. Tuesday the Internet should be set up and Wednesday I start training for the tutoring job.

I easily met the $500 spending for the Quicksilver card by renting my truck and tow dolly. I spent over $450 on gas for my car and the truck. I think my total moving costs are roughly $1200. Of course I'll have another move once I've found an apartment, but that'll be an in town move so should be fairly cheap.

I'm going to look into the chase freedom card deal. I love when the deals offered are attainable for me.

So far everything is going well. Although sometimes I stop short and wonder if I've really made this major change or if I'm just dreaming. Kari I think wishes she was dreaming - she's having a really hard time adjusting going from a one cat house to an multi cat household. I will admit that it is a bit overwhelming sometimes. I did get him to put out two more litter boxes so we now have four with clumping litter. Helps a lot.

I took my mom to the airport this afternoon. She was here helping me pack my place the last few days.

This morning before she left we did some shopping. I bought two skirts (one black, one white) one pair of dress black pants, 5 dressy tops, and a belt - $150 - all from Dillard's and Lane Bryant. This was after she and I had gone through all my clothes and gotten rid of anything that was worn or not a good color for me. We had specific things we were looking for, and for the most part we actually managed to find them.

I also paid for both my hair cut and her hair style. $86 with tip. Gulp. My hair looks so much better - it sorely needed a trim. (I did this before she realized what I was doing.)

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As I said, the last few days have been really busy with the packing and also the end of the year stuff. Friday was kind of a let down in a way. At mass they called the four of us who were leaving and gave us all a gift.

The last two years people leaving had received a storytelling doll. I was looking forward to that because I thought it looked really neat and would fit what I had done at the school.

I didn't have a chance to open my gift until I got home ( and after a run in with my mom being all drama queen ....) It wasn't a storytelling doll. It was some sort of vase with two openings. I had no idea what it stood for, and in my tiredness asked my mom if she'd like it.

She loved it, and said yes.

Tonight my mom texted me. Apparently her ex husband (whom she is now somewhat back together with .... long story) let her know what the vase was. Here is a link that looks similar to it:

http://www.kachinahouse.com/p-7263-native-american-acoma-han...

When I realized what it was, my heart sank. I realized just how special and meaningful the gift really was. I felt like such a dolt. I've asked my mom if she'd be okay with sending it back to me, now that I know the significance of it. She hasn't replied yet, but it is kind of late there.

Ugh.

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I've written a few more posts on bubblews if you're interested. Instead of linking to a particular post, I'm going to link to my profile and then you can click on ones that look interesting. (if any ) I'm almost to $16, or about 1/3 of the way to my first payout.

http://bit.ly/1oysoor

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I *think* I have one part time job. The online English tutoring job. I received an email asking me if I was still interested, and that if I was she'd set me up for training. I replied that I was interested, but I haven't heard back.

I also had another phone interview on Friday. This was for a conceirge service, but part of it was also sales. The person who interviewed me said she thought I would do great at the customer service aspect (friendly, intelligent, personable) but wasn't sure about the sales aspect.

I talked with a my mom and NE to see what they thought. They both said the same thing, that they didn't think the job was a a good idea. That was my gut feeling too. So I wrote her and told her I wasn't interested. She wrote me back a really nice email telling me she appreciated my getting back to her and that if I changed my mind to let her know.

Tomorrow I'm going to possibly have a Skype interview for an office position (on site.) I don't know anything about pay yet, but I have received a link to the company website. It looks interesting.

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So that's some updates on me and my life right now. I'm so ready for Tuesday and NE!

Well, not too much really happening on the financial front. I sold another item on eBay on Monday just before leaving work. This gave me enough time to print out a shipping label and walk to the post office to mail it the same day (although it didn't go out until today.)

Bing is having a special deal where you earn double search points on Tuesdays in May. I was happy to see that as I have been spending a lot of points on the Hulu+ 300 point offer - in fact I have my Hulu+ account paid for through the end of August!

I just have to say here how much I love Bing's customer service. This morning I was doing my Bing searches when I noticed the double deal. I usually get 30 points in searches a day. On my page it had the correct wording saying that I could get up to 60 points, but it only gave me 30 credits. I wrote to customer service about the issue around 7:15 a.m. By 1:30 p.m. I had a human response, and this afternoon around 4 p.m. when I checked the Bing Dashboard, it was fixed!

I also mentioned that my mobile search wasn't working right. That hasn't been fixed yet, but I feel sure they will make it right.

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If you are a Swagbuckker make sure you check out the new offer on the Discover tab called Read. You can earn 60 SBs just signing up for newsletters - instant credit!

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I mentioned the bubble news website I signed up for a few days ago. I posted a new article that may interest you about my dad and thinking about the two-year mark coming up.

http://www.bubblews.com/news/3274570-my-father039s-watch

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I should be able to cash out GymPact tonight - another $10! Love making money doing what I'd do anyway!

So I found this website that pays you for views/comments/likes/shares, etc. You write about whatever you want to write about and then supposedly they pay you. Who knows how profitable this might be, but it is another possible avenue.

At any rate, I wrote my first "bubble." It's about a recent book donation to the library. If you'd like to read it (and give me a few views ) here is the link:

http://www.bubblews.com/news/3248639-frozen-and-the-school-l...

If you decide that you would like to try it out for yourself, I'd appreciate you using my referral link. I get a varying amount for anyone who signs up and writes a post. Here is the referral link: "http://www.bubblews.com/?referral=5366e5ace9afd2.04799990" *I made a clickable link on my sidebar. I make links here so rarely that I can never remember how to do them for this blog.

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I applied for a couple more actual jobs today. One for a social work type position (working for the city) and the other for a 6th - 12th grade librarian at a Lutheran school. I kind of figure that if I went out of my comfort zone and worked at a Catholic school for 3 years, I can deal with a Lutheran school. The librarian job is only part time ... if they're interested in me, it'll be interesting to see what exactly that means. It's difficult to imagine dealing with that many grades as a part time job.

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I sold 4 items on eBay this weekend. 3 movies and 1 book.

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Yesterday I was invited out to a church member's house for lunch. That was a nice afternoon - too bad it didn't happen til I was almost leaving. I really like the mom and the little boy. The little boy (a first grader homeschooled) was just so adorable in how excited he was to have me there. )

It sounds like the church here is going to have a going away party for me. I think it'll be combined with another couple who are also moving towards the end of May. I guess this means I'll have to actually go into big G on a Saturday night - not a prospect I'm excited about.

With the end of another week, it means that the countdown continues -- 3 weeks til school is over -- only 1 week of media classes left. Today I started telling kids in my Friday classes that I was leaving. Most of them seemed dissapointed, and a couple of them even made me a quick card during their choice time. (They had a typing final today, then the remainder of the period for choice time on the computer.)

We also had the talent show today. It was pretty awesome.

My back is not doing any better. In fact today it is worse than it has ever been. I had found the names of several chiropractors to call on Thursday, but my back didn't feel too bad on Thursday and I got super busy ... Ugh. I haven't gone for a real walk in nearly 3 weeks - due to weather (wind/cold) and my back. Today the weather was absolutely gorgeous and I was jonesing for some fresh air ... so I told myself I was going for a walk no matter what! Last period I was walking by the coat hooks and jarred my back as I was going by -- pain! Then just as I was about to head out the door on my walk, I knocked over my walking stick and nearly tripped on it - major jarring. In the end, a route that normally takes me 32-34 minutes took me 42 minutes - and that was with shortening it a bit!

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Yesterday I got my oil changed (third day in a row stopping at place for oil change ...) They also changed my air filter. $56! Ouch!

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I checked my BofA cash rewards balance and saw that I have my $100 bonus pending. Once it's there, I'll transfer it to my checking for the 10% bonus.

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I've made arrangements with our two maintenance guys at the school to pack my truck for me after school is over. $50 for both of them. I figure it'll take less than two hours. I think hiring them will be a good idea - both to save my back and to make sure NE isn't too tired for the drive the next day.

I'm also considering hiring one of the teacher assistants to do a final cleaning of my place for $50. I was told that this is a standard rate. It sure would save me a lot of headache on that last day.

I'll be having my place inspected sometime in the next two weeks - to see how much I owe in damages. Thanks to my darling cat, I'll be owing a good bit. Blinds broken (better for checking out what's going on outside of course!) - check. Edge of couch (mission owned) shredded - check. Edges of door frames shredded - check. Bulge in linoleum (two summers ago when the air hadn't been turned on yet and I was in CA) torn to pieces - check. Etc. At least there is no toilet accidents.

I told AL, who was Kari's original owner -- Thanks AL for giving me a cat that is going to cost me a pretty penny! (I was joking with her.)

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I started watching a new show on Amazon Prime yesterday - Suits. I am hooked! Best of all, in episode 3 (which I watched today) a Tesla was featured!! (Oh.. I did sell 13 of my Tsla stocks when it hit back to 216 last week. This was from my 27 shares I consider touchable - shares not from inheritance or rollover IRA.)

So as I'm getting closer and closer to my move to NE, I have been looking harder at housing. I'll be staying with NE until I find a place of my own, and I'm assuming that means that I'll need to find a job and probably have at least one paycheck before I'll be considered.

I let go of a lot of my furniture, etc. before starting grad school 5 years ago, and will be letting go of more furniture/stuff prior to moving. So that means I could go with something really small easily.

I haven't paid rent for 3 years and I haven't paid utilities (other than Internet) for 8? years. I'm planning on asking my principal and the mobile home park manager to write some kind of letter of reference/explanation for the 3 years of no rent, and then ask the woman I stayed with for 4 months and my mom who I rented a room from for 9 or so months to also write letters of reference.

As for the utilities ... I'm guessing that I'm going to have to pay security deposits since it has been so long since I've had a utility account. Anyone know if a near 800 credit score would allay that possibility??

In looking on Craigslist for the town I'm moving to, I found some places for $330 - 360 that are around 4 - 500 sqft. I asked NE about the addresses/location of these places, and he let me know that they are not in very safe/decent areas.

So I checked out the various apartment rental sites, and the cheapest place I could find (that allows pets) has a 1 bedroom for $430 and includes high-speed Internet (as well as water/garbage.) I'm guessing that electric/gas will add $100/month. So, I'm looking at $530/month for housing. (A 2 bedroom goes for $450/month at the same place. NE thinks it's silly to do the 1 bedroom when it's only a difference of $20. Maybe I could do the 2 bedroom and get a roommate?? If I had a roommate, then I'd probably have to have cable, right?)

The place I'm looking at is across the street from NEs apartment complex - he says he doesn't have a problem with me being so close by. That would mean I'd be within biking distance of a great park for walking/biking.

I have thought about trying to see if I could just rent a room in someones home (then get rid of a lot more of my stuff too ... ) but Kari (my cat) complicates that idea a lot. Plus I'm not sure it'd be that much less expensive.

One thing I'm going to really really really miss about my place here is having a washer/dryer/laundry room.

$530 would be about 38% of my current take home. So if the job I eventually find pays the same or less, AND doesn't have health insurance ... That'd be a huge bite.

Then there's the question of how long to take a lease for. I was figuring a year ... but NE and I were talking the other night and he was asking me about what I'd been finding. Then he mentioned that he thinks the management company for the complexes in his neighborhood offer 6 month leases.... I've made it clear that I'm not interested in living together without being married. I'm guessing a 6 month lease might be more expensive than a 1 year lease?

What do you all think? Risk living in a sketchy area (according to NE druggies hang out in this area, lots of car break ins, etc.) for $300-$350/month. Or rent a place in the complex across the street from NE -- 1 bedroom for $420/mo --- or a 2 bedroom for $450/mo ... then maybe have a roommate (add basic cable) and charge $250/month?

I know I still have time to figure this all out, but it's going through my head now, so thought I'd ask and see what ya'll think.

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Other question. I'm not a math person, so am wondering if those of you who are can help me out with this.

I have a cc that pays me 5% cash back on gas/gas station spending.

I have another cc that pays 2% cash back on gas/gas station spending -- but if you have your rewards deposited into a checking/savings account at a particular bank, they give you a bonus 10% (I'm guessing on the total rewards earned that month or perhaps on the amount being transferred?)

Am I right in thinking that the second cc is the better cash back deal for gas?

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It snowed here today! It's been so nice the past week, and then it got super windy today (the dust was so bad in big G it made visibility really bad.) Then the wind quieted and I thought it had started to rain ... but looked out the window and saw it had snowed!! We sure need the moisture.

It's been a little bit since I last posted. Five weeks left of the school year, and 5 1/2 weeks til moving day!

NE was here visiting a week ago during Spring Break. One of the days we visited Bluewater Lake and Canyon de Shelly (de shay.) We got ourselves royally lost within in Bluewater Lake park - lots of dirt roads that all looked alike. What took us five minutes to go from the gate to the lake, took us nearly 40 minutes to find the gate again! While there though we found a flock of 16 Pelicans. At one point they flew up out of the water and preceded to entertain us for at least 15 minutes flying different formations. So cool!

We only took in the South Rim at Canyon de Shelly - but that by itself took a good two hours, and was well worth it. NE was really tired out by the last lookover stop, so I did that one by myself ... and ended up getting royally lost on the way back to the car. Heading out to the overlook took me maybe 5 minutes, but heading back took me over 25 minutes. I was SO thankful to see NE and the car!!

Here's some photos NE and I took (NE is a lizard hunter - hunts them for photos only.)



This is the lizard NE caught - I think he said it was a side winder??



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I cashed out again on GymPact last week - $10 - and was paid within a day. It seems as though they've got their act together again. I'll be able to cash out again by Tuesday or Wednesday of this coming week.

On Thursday I got another book review assignment - which I turned in Friday afternoon, and already received a $25 payment.

I made the $500 spending requirement for the BofA Cash Card, and have reserved my rental truck/car dolly with the Cap One Quicksilver card - which also easily meets the $500 spending requirement. So within the next month or two, I'll be receiving $200 in cash awards from those two cards. I'll probably cancel the Quicksilver card because between my Pen Fed card (gas 5%), BofA card (2% groceries +10% bonus when direct deposit cash awards into BofA account) and my Swagbucks card (1.5 % on everything) - the Quicksilver would be superfluous. I also really need to cancel my Discover and Amazon cards. I need to keep my Chase one though, as it is my oldest. Can you say - FT you have too many credit cards for one person!!

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Yesterday I had Good Friday off, so I decided to get my title transfer taken care of. Yikes. I got to the MVD (DMV) around 12:30 p.m. and was finally called around 3:37 p.m. While I was waiting I did two things - read the book for my book review and talked with a Native American woman who had been waiting longer than I had to do the same thing! I had unfortunately let my registration lapse (it expired in December ... ooops) so I had to pay a fine for that to renew it, plus the cost of the title transfer -- so a total of $78. I put it on my BofA card, which finished up the $500 spending.

So now my car is totally in my name, and is totally legal to be on the road.

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I've sold a few more items on eBay, although that's kind of been slow going the last few weeks.

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I have Monday off as well, so plan to make Sunday and Monday packing and decluttering days. I am getting down to the wire!!

On Monday I also want to check with the PO about getting a PO box in NE - see if it's possible to do without being there in person. That way I can have my mail forwarded there starting the week I move.

Last Friday I had either a filling fall out, or a tooth chip - not sure which. I have insurance coverage through the end of June, so will probably wait to do anything about it til I'm in NE. It's a nuisance, but not painful.

Speaking of insurance, I need to look into how I can get onto Obamacare. I'm assuming that I'd qualify for the "life change" qualification to apply/start outside of the initial signup process. (going from having insurance w/job to not having insurance)

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I finished season 3 of Dowton Abbey yesterday. OMW!! I am SO tempted to pay for season 4 to find out what happens next. Poor Mary. I have another show my aunt recommended to me though - Mr. Selfridge. The first season is on Amazon Prime, so I'll watch that before I decide whether or not to give in to temptation.

I am now into my second month Netflix'less. I am more than getting by with Amazon Prime and my "free" Hulu Plus subscription (free through Bing rewards! -- in fact, right now they are running a promotion where you can get a free month of Hulu for only 300 points!!! I've already cashed in on one, and will be cashing in for another one probably Monday.)

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Not much else I can think of right now.