I walked for 40 minutes today. Not bad for the first journey out. It felt so invigorating!!! I can feel my heart jumping for joy at the prospect of getting off the meds...and my pocket book is looking forward to the heavier load it will carry when I do!

I have gotten 10 loads of laundry done today....If you arent familiar with my blog...that is not an admittance of being a total slob. I do all of the laundry for my parents and they had a really big load this time...I swear, for two little old folks...those two can go through alot of clothes and towels..they do not believe in using anything more than once...ugh. Ok...so maybe I was a little behind on my own...but goal is to finish before bedtime tonight!

Today was a no spend day- my favorite kinda day.

I will be taking some cans in this weeks so I can make a deposit to the challenge account...but my challenge account will be a slow grow this year as we are planning a couple of week+ family vacation road trips ...and that will take a significant amount of money compared to our usual camp somewhere close kinda vacations.

Ah...the new year, doesnt it feel great?

Oh...and that refund....I still dont have it. *$(@)&*# Circuit City.

My DIL asked me to stop by the bank where she works and open a savings account so that she could be entered into a drawing for an extra day off + $250. So, I did!

For opening a $100 savings. I was given a $10 bonus, a free loaf of banana bread and a cute little piggy keychain!! (Plus DIL is now entered into the drawing.)

I am going to put the $10 bonus into my 2007 challenge account...bringing my new total to $27! I hadnt planned on jump starting this until the first of the year...but since I have an opportunity..Im taking it!

My challenge account took a step backwards today. Actually about 200 of them.

My son is very kindly putting our gutted out- not yet textured or painted bathroom back together. We purchased all the materials at the first of last year...but DH never got time to do it.

DS is trying to suplement his salary this winter with sidejobs...so i am paying him to do it.

So, unplanned money that I dont have will come out of my challenge account to very happily get this project done.

New challenge balance =$703.00

I cancelled my insiders-club membership today with MyPoints and should receive a refund of $56 from the annual fee. I was able to use enough of the benefits to outweight the cost, but dont feel that I need it any longer.

I will move the money into the Challenge account when the credit goes through.

I am home alone tonight . Well, as alone as one can get when sharing their space with 2 adult dogs and 9 puppies. I am doing my best to enjoy inspite of the arm pain.

I received a $3 rebate check today, so that will go into the challenge account, bringing that total to $736.22!!

DD2 has changed our cell phone plan (she works for the company) and we are now going to save 1/2 of the prior months' bill or $35 per month. YESS!

I am trying to do some decluttering around here and was able to donate two bags full of books to the dialysis library and two bags full of clothes and other stuff to Goodwill. I bagged everything and put it in the car before I had a chance to reconsider. My closet and dresser are cleaned and organized now...and it sure feels good! But I have a long way to go..if you didnt know, I am one of those domestically challenged prople!- so small victories are huge to me!!

We are all sold out of madrone wood, which seems to be the only wood selling so far. We now have a wait list for 10 cords, so hopefully our wood guy can get us another load. If so, we will make more than we thought and THAT is a good thing!!

My new, lower salary takes effect on Monday, so I wont be able to deposit for the stair challenge until next March when my salary returns to normal. So I am going to get creative. Pop cans, rebates, and a percent of the puppy money will all help...oh, and I am doing some online surveys which sill help too.

However, when I came to this site in March, I had ZERO in a challenge account and after joining, my goal for the year was $500. So I am already pleased with my results.

Puppies eyes are open and they are starting to walk, albeit a little wobbly.They are two weeks today...and that means they will all be going to their new homes in the next 4-6 weeks!!Time to advertise!

I received a $10 bonus for an ING referral and I also received a shipping refund of $13.20 from Insiders Club. Both of these are being added to my challenge account, bringing my new total to $756.42!!!

Had enough points to cash out on the survey site so i will add that $7 to my challenge account, bringing my challenge balance to $723.33!!

Love it!

I was able to add that $6 survey check that I received a few days ago...+ I received another $20 CC rewards check...so my new challenge balance is $702.22!!!

Boy, 2 challenge updates in as many days...Love it!!

I received a survey check in the mail yesterday for $6 (dont you love surveys sites that pay quickly...and in cash??)

And I was able to request another rewards CC check for $20 because DH put a large motorcycle repair on my card last month (luckily the repair was paid for by a 'friend' of a 'friend' who had borrowed the quad for a ride and then rolled it into a large pond)

So, my new total with both comes to:
688.22!!!

...which will bring me to $700 on Monday when my stair challenge $$ goes into the account! woo-hoo! But that is a happy dance for Monday!

I received my $20 CC rewards check and am adding that to my challenge account...which brings the total to: $662.22!! Woo-hoo!!

(Maybe the mail will bring a rebate or two today and I can add even more!!!....fingers crossed)

I received $7.80 for the cans I returned and I also deposited the $3.92 rebate check that I received this weekend...which brings my challenge account to $612.20!!!

I received the Advil PM rebate in the mail and will add this to my challenge account.

3.92 + 586-20 = 590.12!!!

We registered DD3 in HS this morning...deposits, yearbooks, color guard, pics, student body card...and I handed over a check for $111.

I passed about 4 coffee stands on the way home...boy did a mocha sound good! But I was good and came home without tossing another $3+ out the window.

2 rebates totalling $6.50...which will bring my challenge account to $585.20!!

I also got a coupon for free make-up up to $13 value...which will be a nice stocking stuffer!

I am planing to start running cans to the recycle center again...and I will put that money into the challenge while my stair challenge is on hold for the winter. (Ill keep doing the stairs, but after September, my pay gets cut back and I wont have the $14 per week to contribute to my challenge)

I used samples of laundry soap today for free laundry...and clothes air out on the line.

I also used the free pouch of chicken from Tyson to make a yummy pasta salad. Enough for at least 3-4 days lunches.

I also used some of my free sample shampoo, conditioner for my shower...

So, this was a pretty frugal day.

I received a check for $8.47 from Insiders Club for shipping refund. I am rounding it up and xferring $8.50 into my challenge account.

new total: $551.70

I have continued to add $14 each week for my stair challenge...but I am going to have to table that deposit for the winter when my paycut goes into effect- which will start in October..

So I am thinking about other ways to keep adding to my challenge...hmm, time to get creative!

I received my first rebate check from Insiders Club. It was for shipping fees and a $10 bonus rebate= $14.47

This brought my challenge account to $513.52!!!

Ok- this is exciting...at least for me.

A couple of days ago, I bought a package of batteries for all the battery operated things around here.

Rayovac had the best price, so I went ahead and bought a big pack for $4.87.

TODAY, Im perusing online coupons and find a $3 rebate for the batteries!!!

So, I got the UPC and found the reciept and I will mail the rebate off tomorrow...

Totally unexpected $3--- HOORAY

Which makes me wonder....do you serious rebaters save receipts and UPC codes incase a rebate comes along??? And do you recommend???

Doing the $3 happy dance here!!!!(of course, this will go to the Challenge money- so I will go ahead and deposit tomorrow...which, by the way, throws me over $500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I havent updated my challenge account in a while.

But here goes:
current balance: $470.56
+ tape rebate 2.99
+ valvoline rebate 11.50

new total: 485.05

I am holding off on taking from this account to pay all those bills from last week.

DH is working some overtime and we sold 2 cords of wood to be delivered this weekend...so I am HOPING, HOPING that there is enough between the two that I do not have to take from my challenge account that Ive worked so hard to accumulate.

I have planned all meals at home this week and am making several today to have on hand...the weather is supposed to hit the 100+ mark again as of Friday....ugh.

So, I will be splitting in the evenings after it hopefully cools off a little!!

Today has been a busy bug day (Mondays always are) So far Ive sold almost $500 in jobs...nice!