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Headline: First Time in History Peer Pressure = Saving Money!

January 2nd, 2007 at 10:31 pm

OK, fine, you all talked me into it! Bah!

I'm gonna do the $20 challenge. To make it interesting, I'm actually going to do two: one for me and one for the house. The rules for both of my challenges will be basically the same.

1. I will have not one but TWO Change and Buck Buckets, one for me and one for the house. Since the house pays for its groceries in cash, it can play along!

2. Any extra income I bring in will be split between my bucket and the house's bucket. For instance, my checks are $2692 each month, but I only budget $2600. Therefore, I'm bringing in an extra 92 per month, and I will split that with the house. Before, the house got it all which is decidedly unfair IMO! On the other hand, if my checks go below $2600 when my insurance kicks in, the house will eat that amount because we consider insurance a household expense. Make sense?

3. Any extra income DH brings in that somehow makes it to the house will only go into the house's bucket. Chances of this happening are slim to none Big Grin

4. For both the house and myself: if monies alloted are underspent by the end of the month, that money is put into the challenge. Similarly, categories that are overspent or splurges can come out of the challenge money at will, but they will be deducted off the total. It should go without saying my bucket would pay for me only splurges, whereas the house bucket would pay for house/couple splurges.

As a note, my fiscal calendar runs a bit odd, so there's a chance I'll be reporting actual updates monthly. See, there's the inflow of cash (which runs the last day of month 1 to the next to last day of month 2), the outflow (which includes bills due from the 6th of month 2 to the 5th of month 3), and actual calendar days.



For instance: I got paid the last day in December (actually the first business day before, but that's whatever). Money from my 12/31/06 paycheck pays bills due 1/6/07 - 1/20/07. Money from the check dated 1/15/07 will pay bills due 1/20/07 - 2/5/07. Money from DH's checks that come in between sits there earning interest.

Stashing Cash Wk 10 and Wk 11

January 2nd, 2007 at 02:49 pm

I promise, I haven't forgotten!

$28.10 Week Ending 12/07 (wk 8 previously posted)
$31.07 Week Ending 12/14 (wk 9 previously posted)
$31.50 Week Ending 12/21 (wk 10)
$26.08 Week Ending 12/29 (wk 11)

TOTAL: $116.75

And ready for weirdness: I've STILL not seen a single Salvation Army Bucket! WTF!!! I gave about $23 or so at PetSmart just before Christmas, but I'm not sure what to do with the rest.

Can't BELIEVE I didn't see any buckets. I even drove around looking for them!!!

Stashing Cash Wk 8 and Wk 9

December 18th, 2006 at 08:59 pm

I promise, I haven't forgotten!

$28.10 Week Ending 12/07
$31.07 Week Ending 12/14

I've got all my stashed cash just waiting for a Salvation Army bucket, and I haven't seen a one! Guess that's what happens when you don't go shopping all that much! Oh, well, hopefully I'll run into one before Christmas. And, does anyone know if they're out and about between Christmas and New Years? I can't seem to remember...

Stashing Cash Wk 7

December 5th, 2006 at 03:14 pm

I started stashing the change and dollar bills from my allowance 10/12. Here's my progress:

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PREVIOUS TOTAL
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  $275.02 total as of 11/23
- $ 0.00 reward for 1W1G (holidays hit!)
---------
  $275.02
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THIS WEEK
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  $ 30.00 dollar bills
  $ 4.50 quarters
  $ 1.40 dimes
  $ 0.05 nickels
  $ 0.18 pennies
  $ 9.50 house pennies
  $ 21.43 balance hiding in 'Dreamland' account
---------
  $ 67.16 total this week
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  $342.18 total as of 11/30


WOW!!! Not bad for less than 2 months worth of stashing! Part of this money is going to be used for Christmas, I'm not sure what the rest will be used for yet. Although, I have been dreaming about a new pair of boots since my last pair died a year ago...

As a reminder, any cash I stash for the month of December will be deposited at random in Salvation Army Santa buckets.

Stashing Cash Wk 6

November 25th, 2006 at 04:23 pm

I started stashing the change and dollar bills from my allowance 10/12. Here's my progress:

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PREVIOUS TOTAL
----------------------------------------------
  $245.49 total as of 11/16
- $  0.00 reward for 1W1G (gah the holidays hit!)
---------
  $245.49
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THIS WEEK
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  $ 20.00 dollar bills
  $  5.75 quarters
  $  3.10 dimes
  $  0.15 nickels
  $  0.73 pennies
---------
  $ 29.73 total this week
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  $275.02 total as of 11/23

Stashing Cash Wk 5

November 16th, 2006 at 09:58 pm

I started stashing the change and dollar bills from my allowance 10/12. Here's my progress:

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PREVIOUS TOTAL
----------------------------------------------
  $ 94.73 total as of 11/9
- $  0.00 reward for 1W1G (haven't braved the car wash yet)
---------
  $ 94.73
----------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK
----------------------------------------------
  $ 26.00 dollar bills
  $  3.75 quarters
  $  1.60 dimes
  $  0.35 nickels
  $  0.22 pennies
  $118.64 MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT BABY!
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  $150.56 total this week
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  $245.49 total as of 11/16

Stashing Cash Wk 4

November 9th, 2006 at 09:00 pm

I started stashing the change and dollar bills from my allowance 10/12. Here's my progress:

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PREVIOUS TOTAL
----------------------------------------------
  $78.23 total as of 11/2
- $ 0.00 reward for

Text is 1W1G #3 and Link is http://tinapbeana.savingadvice.com/2006/10/31/one-week-one-goal-3_16543/
1W1G #3 (I didn't make it on time!)
--------
  $78.23
----------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK
----------------------------------------------
  $10.00 dollar bills
  $ 4.75 quarters
  $ 1.40 dimes
  $ 0.15 nickels
  $ 0.20 pennies
--------
  $16.50 total this week
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  $94.73 total as of 11/07

Stashing Cash Wk 3

November 2nd, 2006 at 08:08 pm

I started stashing the change and dollar bills from my allowance 10/12. Here's my progress:

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PREVIOUS TOTAL
----------------------------------------------
  $49.43 total as of 10/26
- $ 4.04 reward on 10/30 for meeting

Text is 1W1G #2 and Link is http://tinapbeana.savingadvice.com/2006/10/31/1w1g-2-results_16492/
1W1G #2
--------
  $45.39
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THIS WEEK
----------------------------------------------
  $27.00 dollar bills
  $ 4.25 quarters
  $ 1.20 dimes
  $ 0.20 nickels
  $ 0.19 pennies
--------
  $32.84 total this week
----------------------------------------------
  $78.23 total as of 11/02


$15 of this week's dollar bills were poker winnings.

Stashing Cash Wk 2

October 26th, 2006 at 07:28 pm

I started stashing the change and dollar bills from my allowance 10/12. Here's my progress:

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PREVIOUS TOTAL
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  $33.44 total as of 10/19/06
- $ 2.55 reward on 10/22 for meeting

Text is 1W1G #1 and Link is http://tinapbeana.savingadvice.com/2006/10/22/1w1g-1-results_16043/
1W1G #1
--------
  $30.89
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THIS WEEK
----------------------------------------------
  $ 6.00 dollar bills
  $ 6.25 quarters
  $ 3.70 dimes
  $ 1.40 nickels
  $ 1.19 pennies
--------
  $18.54 total this week
----------------------------------------------
  $49.43 total as of 10/26


About a third of this week's change was found in a bag in my dresser when cleaning out for 1W1G #1.

Stashing Cash Wk 1

October 19th, 2006 at 06:41 pm

Alright, I started stashing the change and dollar bills from my allowance a week ago. Here's my grand total


$17.00 dollar bills
$ 9.75 quarters
$ 4.70 dimes
$ 1.00 nickels
$ 0.99 pennies
------------------------
$33.44 total


Granted, I had about half the change already in a change jar (I just kept adding this money to that same stash), so the actual total is about $25. Still, not to shabby!!!

It's Allowance Day!

October 13th, 2006 at 06:34 pm

I love allowance day... I didn't get one as a kid (just got lunch money for the week on Mondays), so I think that's part of the magic for me. My own little bit of money to do as I please. Woohoo!!

Even better: I still had $30 left over from last week's allowance. It's actually probably closer to $40, but I've started stashing all my change AND my doller bills in a drawer at the end of the day. Can't wait to see how that works out...

At any rate, having $30 left over will more than cover my dirt at the gem mine tomorrow, and a fair portion of dinner. A weekend getway for the cost of 1/4th of a hotel room. How Frugal!!