A Diamond Ring

I told S the only thing I want for Xmas (for reasons that are way too complicated to get into here) is a "real" diamond ring, since all he got me before we got married was a little diamond promise ring. I did the leg work, went online and looked at rings on websites, went to stores and tried some on, hunted for the deals, and found what I believe to be the best deal right now. I found a beautiful 1-carat ring that was "originally" well into the 4 figures--almost $1,200!!! (Though Kay Jewelers has the same ring for almost $1,500.) Well it was reduced well into the 3 figures!!! On top of that it was reduced further as an in-store purchase this week! On top of all that, I had a 15% off coupon!!! S picked up the ring last night before the sale ended this week and I can't say which I had more fun looking at, the ring or the receipt! The thrill and art of the deal! And here it is:

Budget Help with Low Gas Prices

Last night I saw gas for $1.47. It is $1.49 by our house. Lord, I know we are in a recession--and have been for the past 12 months at least--but these low gas prices are really, really assisting us and our budget. I have lowered the gas budget through Christmas and they are saying these prices will continue to stay low awhile longer through the new year.

I have to take the car in tomorrow to possibly get it fixed. It's making a weird noise underneath, could be suspension, shocks, axle, I don't know. So the budget will be able to now support the cost for this as well as a good chuck of our +$200 shortage for property taxes due Jan. 31.

Spending $ to Save $

The other day S bought a $25 Starbux card membership which entitles him to a 15% discount for the rest of his life. If this is true, then the $25 was a great investment, as much $ as he spends at Starbux! It will surely pay for itself inside of a month!

On a lesser scale, I paid $1 for a coupon book from Boston Market. I already used the 1st coupon this week and saved $3 and change. I love BM b/c it is some of the healthiest "fast" food you can get!

BTW gas has been $1.59 near my house for almost 2 weeks now. With the recession now in full swing hopefully gas prices will stay low for awhile longer. I was thinking they'd shoot back up before T-giving; I was wrong. Now my new prediction is right before X-mas, but I hope not.

Net Worth is Down

I use Net Worth IQ to track my net worth every month. It has been depressing the last few months thanks to the economy. Although I am making decent headway in paying down our debts my net worth keeps sinking due to losing thousands in my retirement accounts. Still, it's a cool website and it's neat to check your monthly archives and track your financial progress in the world.