Another credit card account has disentigrated! There was a puff of smoke and small cry of pain and then...Nothing! It just disappeared into thin air. Yahoo! I believe the cry of pain I heard was the Bank of Wal-Mart in the throes of interest loss withdrawals. :)
While I am still an avid Wal-Mart customer (when it's in the budget) I am now a cash-only customer. Of course, I have been a cash-only customer since I began the Total Money Makeover, but now there is not a credit account hanging over my head to shadow my savings when I do my "necessities" shopping there.
In a few weeks I will be debt free except the car and then I am going to attack that debt with the gazelle intensity I have been using thus far on the other accounts. I can't wait until I am no longer dragging a payment around behind my little Nissan!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Poetry in Motion
Poems have played a big part in my life. Since I was a very young child I loved poetry and rhyming verses. By the time I reached Fifth grade I was even invited to participate in recitals at school. Public speaking terrifies me. But there is something about reciting someone else's words, beautiful words, words that hold meaning for the reader as well as the writer, that calmed my fears and allowed me to perform poem after poem. I still remember those poems from my childhood and many more that I have memorized in my lifetime.
I have even written a few of my own when the occasion inspired me. My father, a minister, would come to me with a thought for a sermon and ask me to think about writing a poem for him to read. I was proud to have him recite my work. Proud that he thought enough of it to want to read it in front of the congregation. God inspired me from time to time and it's always a thrill when the words come together. It might be a poem for a loved one's funeral or anniversary, my niece's wedding, poems about my son growing up or a humorous Thanksgiving poem for the family bulletin. Life, as it comes along, written in prose.
So, I've decided to share some of my favorites with you. I doubt that you will see any that I've written show up on this blog...but you never know...
What are your favorite poems?
I have even written a few of my own when the occasion inspired me. My father, a minister, would come to me with a thought for a sermon and ask me to think about writing a poem for him to read. I was proud to have him recite my work. Proud that he thought enough of it to want to read it in front of the congregation. God inspired me from time to time and it's always a thrill when the words come together. It might be a poem for a loved one's funeral or anniversary, my niece's wedding, poems about my son growing up or a humorous Thanksgiving poem for the family bulletin. Life, as it comes along, written in prose.
So, I've decided to share some of my favorites with you. I doubt that you will see any that I've written show up on this blog...but you never know...
What are your favorite poems?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Smell the Flowers
I was thinking about how busy I've been lately and how life can sometimes go by so quickly when we're always looking forward to Friday. You hear people say, It's almost Friday or Thank God it's Friday when it finally gets there. Most of my emails to people on Friday include the subject line...Happy Friday!
Spring is in the air here in Southern California and the flowers are blooming. The hills are green and fresh looking. I noticed last weekend when we traveled to the cental valley that everything still looked sort of brown and wintery. But as we drove back into Los Angeles County I began to see the grass and wild flowers and couldn't help noticing how much greener everything looked. By the time we came to Orange County the countryside was gorgeously covered with new green grass and flowers and the trees were covered in new leaves.
It reminded me to take time to smell the flowers. I hope you will too!
Spring is in the air here in Southern California and the flowers are blooming. The hills are green and fresh looking. I noticed last weekend when we traveled to the cental valley that everything still looked sort of brown and wintery. But as we drove back into Los Angeles County I began to see the grass and wild flowers and couldn't help noticing how much greener everything looked. By the time we came to Orange County the countryside was gorgeously covered with new green grass and flowers and the trees were covered in new leaves.
It reminded me to take time to smell the flowers. I hope you will too!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Rainchecks
Yesterday I picked up what I think was my very first raincheck. I can't remember ever having one before, but if I did it was so long ago that it doesn't count. I just never considered rainchecks much. Since becoming "gazelle intense" with my budgeting I have been on the look out for big bargains. Yesterday I found one at the grocery store of all places.
I have been bringing my lunch to work for awhile now in keeping with my frugality drive and soup has become a big part of that cheap lunch menu. I would rather have the good soups like Progresso and Campbells Select, but those soups are expensive, sometimes as much as $2.89 a can. I look for sales and usually I'm able to locate them for between $1.50 and $2.00. Not a bad price for lunch. Then....yesterday my local grocery store was having a sale on Progresso soups at 10 for $10.00! What a deal! Of course, when I got there the shelf was empty except for one flavor. Well, even I can't eat the same soup everyday. I picked up a few of the available ones and completed my shopping.
When I got to the counter I mentioned the empty shelf to the cashier in the hopes that maybe there were more cans in the back of the store. But as the cashier next to us heard me she said, "We're all out." I was disappointed until my cashier said, "But I can give you a raincheck." A raincheck? Oh wow! I can come back to the store when the shelf is full and all the other shoppers are paying $2.59 or more a can and get my fill for $1 each! I quickly said "Yes!" and was directed to the counter at the side where a manager filled out a form for me. Sure it took a few minutes more, but it will certainly be worth it when I get to use the raincheck. I don't know who came up with the idea of rainchecks but I love it!
Rain check
–noun
1.
a ticket for future use given to spectators at an outdoor event, as a baseball game or concert, that has been postponed or interrupted by rain.
2.
an offered or requested postponement of an invitation until a more convenient, usually unspecified time: Since you can't join us for dinner, we'll give you a rain check.
3.
a ticket, coupon, or the like, entitling a customer to purchase at a later date and for the same amount a sale item that is temporarily out of stock
As you can see...it was meant originally for times when people were rained out...but thank goodness it was transferred to the grocery store!
I have been bringing my lunch to work for awhile now in keeping with my frugality drive and soup has become a big part of that cheap lunch menu. I would rather have the good soups like Progresso and Campbells Select, but those soups are expensive, sometimes as much as $2.89 a can. I look for sales and usually I'm able to locate them for between $1.50 and $2.00. Not a bad price for lunch. Then....yesterday my local grocery store was having a sale on Progresso soups at 10 for $10.00! What a deal! Of course, when I got there the shelf was empty except for one flavor. Well, even I can't eat the same soup everyday. I picked up a few of the available ones and completed my shopping.
When I got to the counter I mentioned the empty shelf to the cashier in the hopes that maybe there were more cans in the back of the store. But as the cashier next to us heard me she said, "We're all out." I was disappointed until my cashier said, "But I can give you a raincheck." A raincheck? Oh wow! I can come back to the store when the shelf is full and all the other shoppers are paying $2.59 or more a can and get my fill for $1 each! I quickly said "Yes!" and was directed to the counter at the side where a manager filled out a form for me. Sure it took a few minutes more, but it will certainly be worth it when I get to use the raincheck. I don't know who came up with the idea of rainchecks but I love it!
Rain check
–noun
1.
a ticket for future use given to spectators at an outdoor event, as a baseball game or concert, that has been postponed or interrupted by rain.
2.
an offered or requested postponement of an invitation until a more convenient, usually unspecified time: Since you can't join us for dinner, we'll give you a rain check.
3.
a ticket, coupon, or the like, entitling a customer to purchase at a later date and for the same amount a sale item that is temporarily out of stock
As you can see...it was meant originally for times when people were rained out...but thank goodness it was transferred to the grocery store!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Surprise Bonus!
Along with my regular weekly check yesterday I received an unexpected year-end bonus! While my debt reduction plan is rolling along nicely, you can imagine that this was certainly a terrific boost! This surpise windfall will go a long ways towards making me debt free except the car. I am ecstatic!
I practically held my breath until the postman picked up my check that paid off one of the debts that I have been so looking forward to paying off. It was one of those "90 days same as cash" deals I picked up two years ago! As I wrote the letter asking for confirmation that the account was indeed closed for good I felt a sense of euphoria come over me.
Self discipline is not one of my strong points and it would have been so easy to buy something I wanted instead of paying off that debt. But I received the check before lunch yesterday and deposited it in the bank while I was at lunch. This morning the postman picked up the check I wrote to pay off the debt and I breathed a sign of relief that once again I was able to dodge the bullet of self indulgence that has kept me a prisoner of debt for so long.
I have another check to write with the rest of the bonus money that will put a huge dent in the next highest debt, in fact it will almost pay it off as well. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train...it's daylight after being in the darkness of debt for so long.
I practically held my breath until the postman picked up my check that paid off one of the debts that I have been so looking forward to paying off. It was one of those "90 days same as cash" deals I picked up two years ago! As I wrote the letter asking for confirmation that the account was indeed closed for good I felt a sense of euphoria come over me.
Self discipline is not one of my strong points and it would have been so easy to buy something I wanted instead of paying off that debt. But I received the check before lunch yesterday and deposited it in the bank while I was at lunch. This morning the postman picked up the check I wrote to pay off the debt and I breathed a sign of relief that once again I was able to dodge the bullet of self indulgence that has kept me a prisoner of debt for so long.
I have another check to write with the rest of the bonus money that will put a huge dent in the next highest debt, in fact it will almost pay it off as well. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train...it's daylight after being in the darkness of debt for so long.
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