Campfrugal's Personal Finance Blog

A Great Space for My Kids

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:07:22 PST

So, I found this ad:

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/1450409108.html

I actually think this would be a great room to have around my home. I have a spot for it. I could re-decorate it and put the PS2, Guitar Hero and other games in it, along with snacks and have a great...

The Food/Household Category

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:24:43 PST

Another blog brought up how much food costs these days, so I thought I would do a post similar to hers in response.

Last year (2008) I spent 6,240 in the "food" category or roughly $520/month. I thought that maybe I could give myself a challenge this year (2009) and cut that amount...

Passive Income

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:29:32 PST

I have created a new category. I am going to see how much passive income I can make in the next 12 - 14 months, starting with now (November 09).

I will be opening a new checking/savings account somewhere where I can get a sign-up bonus.

It is kind of like the $20 challenge,...

Paid more on debt and other stuff

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:28:55 PST

November is here, I can feel the crunch of loosing half my income. I was a little grumpy yesterday. Probably because I paid the bills, but money also went to my long-term savings goal.

Anyways, I paid another $600 on my debt.

I listed quite a few items on ebay and craigslist....

What Needs to be done before 2010

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:15:53 PST

Before the end of the year, there are just stuff that needs to be done before I loose half my income.

*My husband needs a suit because he is best man in his brother's wedding. I did find a good deal at Target, if I can find the right size jacket.
*We really need new mattresses....

Free Items, Gift Cards and Money

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:38:36 PST

So I thought I would start keeping track of the Free stuff I receive. This will include items I receive in the mail, Gift cards and cash.

I use different sites for different things.

Mypoints.com. I use the click thrus for points and then redeem for gift cards.

Cashbaq....

Fashion/Clothing catalogs and staying trendy

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:12:11 PST

I love to look at fashion/clothing catalogs like Newport News. You can also look at them online, but if you get the catalog, you can rip out the look you like and take it with you when shopping.

It also helps me when I go into my closet and make something out of what I have without...

No Raise for the New Year 2010

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:36:00 PST

Well, there will be no raise for me due to the deflation of our economy from COLA (cost of living adjustment), so the new base income I will be living off of in the year 2010 will be $18,900.

Thank goodness my husband has been working steadily and I have my summer job.

We used...

Not been here for a while

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:02:56 PST

Just a note to fill you all in on my happenings this summer and revelations throughout the year.

I have been working on elimating my debt and now have it down to just over $9,150. My debt was around $23,596 in September 2008. I have paid off $14,446 in a year.

My summer job...

Dave Ramsey Steps vs. Mine

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:44:58 PST

Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps:

*Step One: $1,000 Emergency Fund
*Step Two: Pay off all Debt
*Step Three: Three to Six Months worth of expenses saved
*Step Four: Retirement Allocation Plans
*Step Five: College Funding
*Step Six: Completely Mortgage/Debt Free
*Step Seven: Build...

Free Christmas Gifts for Services and Items I Need

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:25:21 PST

I got to thinking the other day, when one of my kids asked if I would like her Christmas List.

Which brought on this thought. My daughter mentioned we needed a DVR, so that she could record certain shows while she is at college; and my youngest (starting 9th grade) would like a...

OMGosh, a New Credit Card

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:32:23 PST

I was able to find another credit card that would transfer the balance from my highest interest rate card and give me 0% interest rate for 6 months, 10.99% after that and no transfer fees. So here is saying good-bye to my Chase Visa with a 23.25% interest rate, who didn't want to...

Preliminary Budget "The Hannah Project"

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:44:08 PST

When my mom was growing up, my grandma and grandpa knew they only had somewhere between $1500 to $2000 to live on for the year. They lived in Kentucky, did tobacco farming and a had a blacksmith shop, along with 10 people living in a small house. They gardened, cooked from scratch,...

What a Week, but I am still on track

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:57:43 PST

I transferred money from my ING account to pay off a credit card, but don't ya know that my Jeep broke down instead. It is such a long story, that I just don't want to go over it again. But, I did end up with a rental car. I was going to keep it for 4 days, but it was so totally...

Entertainment Book and Cashbaq

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:38:15 PST

I use a couple of online sites to earn money back or points.

mypoints.com
ebates.com
mrrebates.com
Pinecone

Just yesterday, I joined a new one. Cashbaq.com. I was able to get the Entertainment Book for my area at the 7.99 price on 2009 books. Shipping is just $1.99, total...

New Link for Pinecone

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:30:32 PST

Sorry for the mix-up, here is another link. I hope this one works.

http://www.pineconeresearch.com/signup/ds552Referral1.asp

Pinecone is hiring

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:20:58 PST

PineCone Research is growing. They are offering select members the opportunity to recommend membership to a friend or relative who is NOT a member of their household, so I thought I would see if anyone is interested here.

Below is a link to signing up.

https://www.pineconeresearch.com/Signup/Signup_Form.asp

$1200 Month for 10 years

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:45:01 PST

A month or so ago, I refinanced my home from a 30 year to a 15 year. Well, I just did some calculating and if I make $1200 a month payment, I will have it paid off in 10 years, which is my goal.

Now, I need to figure out how to live off the remaining amount. Of course, when I...

To Pay Off or Not to Pay Off, hmmm

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:12:12 PST

So, I have enough in my ING account to transfer back to my checking account to pay off the MK Visa. I still have two other accounts with money in them for emergencies. So, should I or shouldn't I. I think I should, it just makes me nervous. But, I know I will feel better having...

Strawberry Pickin - Starting my Harvesting

cherylwarnke@aol.com (campfrugal) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:20:48 PST

So yesterday morning I went and picked Strawberries. It was a beautiful morning.

I got 9 jars of strawberry jam, a one gallon bag of frozen strawberries and had a large container left over just to enjoy.

This year I planted a garden. I have corn, two kinds of potatoes, 6 different...