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.

A Little Bit of Shopping

While I avoid "Black Friday" like the plague that it metaphorically is, I did get out on Saturday and did my part to boost the economy (snort!). I had to go to Target for toilet paper, but since the damn parking lot was so packed I was forced to park near the Old Navy. However, needing new jeans anyway (my size 2's and 4's truthfully no longer fit me anymore and I need to quit pretending they do!) I thought I'd peek inside and see what kinds of excellent deals these stores were supposedly running. Well, I ended up buying a pair of jeans for $9.99, 4 shirts for $5 each, 2 lacy camisole shirts for $5 each, and 2 cardigans for work for $10 each. Yep, that was not a bad deal at all!

$800 on average? I don't THINK so.

They say the average U.S. family spends roughly $800 on holiday gifts. The recommendation is to spend no more than 1% of your annual income on your holiday gifts. I spend waaaaayyy less than that. Part of it is b/c I am a great bargain shopper; part of it is b/c S and I simply do not really spend very much $ on each other or the baby, considering; and part of it is b/c I do not have that many people to buy for in the first place. I really only buy for me, S, the baby, 1 aunt, 1 uncle, 1 cousin, and my mom, though her present counts as a combination b-day/Xmas present (she is NOT big on holidays anyway). Lately 2 small kids belonging to my aunt's granddaughter have been added to the list as well, since we spent Xmas Day at her house last year. Sometimes I'll get something for 1-2 friends, depending on if I'll see them right around the holidays. So less than 10-11 people, that's not too bad! And that's how I like it.

Gas Prices and Debt Free Friends

Today gas is $1.74 near my house. Praise Jesus. This is SO helping our household budget. Please God please let this keep up until after the holidays.

One of my dear friends and her hubby are going to be debt free before this year is out! I am so excited for them, although I can't help but point out that they make well into the 6 figures. Still, they've been working hard and it shows.

I have done our household budget into August 2009. S and I will not be totally debt free until early to mid 2010. But come August we'll be sitting a hell of a lot prettier than we are now, thanks to my personal finance strategies. (Patting myself big-time on the back.)