We did it!!!

Today I paid off all our personal expenses on our credit cards! WOOHOO!!  What a great way to start off the new year!  My husband does still have a small amount in business related expenses but those should be paid off by the end of this month also.  I then will make sure to keep a much better handle on those charges. 

Goal #1 for 2012 - DONE!!  Now on to the car payment :)

12 Things for 2012

I have thought long and hard in the last month about what I would like to accomplish in 2012.  My two main goals for the year are to pay off our credit card debit for good and our car payment.  Those two things would put us debt free except our house.  But there are also other things I that I know I would like to accomplish this years also.  So here is my list.  Most of it is money related.  The last two items are personal but could also help cut expenses.  I plan to write some posts elaborating more on each goal at a later time and as I figure out how to best accomplish them.  Last year I had many more family/personal goals then I do this year but I found I had a hard time keeping up with some of them.  I also found that several of them are just things that I am always going to do so they are now more habit and don't need to be a goal anymore.  So this year I tried to keep my list more manageable and simple.


1. Credit Card - Done as of 1/6/12 :)

2. Car payment

3. Kid # 1's Wedding

4.  Kid # 2's Graduation Party

5. Main Floor Bathroom

6. Downstairs Shower

7. Kitchen Floor

8. 6 month Car Insurance

9. $500 School Fund

10. $500 Dog Fund

11. De clutter

12. Weight Watchers

5 Things I Did That Were Frugal This Week

1. Had a nice low key Christmas with my family :)

2. Returned a few gifts I got that did not fit and exchanged them for ones that did. 

3. Went for a coffee date with a friend which cost me less then $4

4. Went shopping with Kid # 3 and only bought needed items with my Christmas money.  No extra money was spent!

5. Used up left overs in the frig so that they did not have to be thrown away

Christmas Plan # 4-The Totals and What I Gave!

Well here is my last Christmas post and my totals for what I spent.   I made several gifts that I gave.  I did a post on a few of those recently and I will do an additional one soon on the other gifts.  If all of my figures are accurate then I spend less then $1000.  Which I am pretty proud about!  I tried to list what I bought by each total for those of you that are interested.  I have already started accumulating amazon gift cards and points from Mypoints to use for Christmas in 2012.  That was a huge help in staying under budget!  In January I will begin to put $50 of my small income I earn each month a side to save for Christmas presents in 2012.  I am hoping to do even better with my Christmas budget next year!


PS:  I didn't list every thing I put in the kids stockings.  But I did spend about $20 additional dollars not added to the list here :)



Photo for Christmas Cards

Christmas Cards ordered - $24.50

Stamps for Christmas Cards $17

Christmas Tree $30

Kid # 5 picture with Santa - free

Husband - I don't really do a set number of gifts for my husband but we do have a set amount we get to spend on each other :)

1 gift - $30 - fold up metal cart
2 gift - $ 58.32 - pop up awning
3 gift - $7.49 - book on guitars


Kid # 1

gift # 1 -$15.64 - 2 star wars tshirts
gift # 2 - $25.00 - small outdoor table top grill
gift # 3 - $ $36.41- 2 pairs of jeans
gift # 4 - $29.96 - World of War Craft game time
Total _______
$ 107.01

Kid # 1 Stockings Items

1-something I bought a long time ago
2-$3.00 Candy

Kid # 2

gift # 1 - $3 - snow glob I found at Good will
gift # 2 - $5+$3.49 + $19.99 = $28.48 - 2 dresses and a cardigan to match
gift # 3 - $ 13.17 + FREE item - photo book with her senior pics and collage print from Walgreen's
gift # 4 - $ 19.99 - subway style quote wall hanging
Total _____
$ 64.64

Kid # 2 Stockings Items

1-$17.25 -Christmas ornament
2-$1.99 - vinyl cell phone sticker


Kid # 3

gift # 1 - $5 - 1 black and 1 white Cami's
gift # 2 - FREE with Swagbucks - Seventeen magazine subscription
gift # 3 - FREE with Swagbucks -2 Hello Kitty seat covers
gift # 4 - $ 33.93 - winter coat
Total _______
$38.93

Kid # 3 Stocking Items

1- FREE with Swagbucks - Hello Kitty car air fresheners
2- FREE with Swagbucks - Hello Kitty cell phone sticker
3- $3.99

Kid # 4

gift # 1 - $ 28.94 - fleece lined jacket
gift # 2 - $ 3.00 + $19.99 =$22.99 - Winter hat and Tshirt
gift # 3 - $ 14.00 -moccasins
gift # 4 - $ 40.88 - Ipod charging alarm clock
Total _________
               $ 106.81

Kid # 4 Stocking Items

1-$0.50 at a yard sale
2-$2.99 Hobby Lobby find
3.$4.93 Gordmans
4. $3.00 candy

Kid # 5

gift # 1- $60 + item to go with it FREE with Swagbucks - Nintendo DS and Game
gift # 2 - $ 14.91 - 3 long sleeved layering tshirts
gift # 3 - $30.86 - Fancy Nancy book and one activity book
gift # 4 - $9.99 - used $30 in swagbucks amazon gift cards - Polly pocket jet plane
Total     ______
              $115.76

Kid # 5 Stocking Items

1-$2.99 -Hobby Lobby find
2-$9.99
3-$2


Future Daughter In law

gift # 1 - Free - party lite candle set
gift # 2 -$3 - last name sign I made for her -I will show it in a post soon!
gift # 3 - $ 24.79 - 5 colors of crackle nail polish
gift # 4 - $25.00 - gift card to Fashion Bug
Total _________
             $ 52.79

Mom - $12.98 +1.19 +1.99+0.52 =$16.68 - Family Tree I made
Step dad - Free using my points from Mypoints - Bass Pro gift card
Family gift for nieces and nephew - Free - Harry Potter Game
Sister - coffee cozies I made
bro in law $20.92 - bookends
Grandma - $12.98 +1.99+1.99+0.52=$17.48 - Family Tree I made
Mother in law - $12.98 +1.99+1.99+0.52=$17.48- Family Tree I made
Father in law - Free using my points from Mypoints - Starbucks gift card

Postage to mail Parent in laws gift $9

Roger - $11.86 - 10 pairs of short colorful socks

Jenna - $4 - a few $1 art items

Game Gift
 1 - $10 - gift card to local restaurant
2 - free using stuff I already had - candles
3 - free using stuff I already had - coasters I made
4 - $10 - McDonald's bucks
5 - free using stuff I already had - candles
6- free using stuff I already had - more candles

Teacher gift for Kid # 5 - 1-$2, 2-free using supplies I already had! - hand sanitizer and coasters I made

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

 I'll be back next week with a run down of what I bought with my Christmas cash and my final total.  I also will have a post about where we stand finanically and hopefully what our goals for 2012 will be.

I hope each one of you have a wonderful holiday with your families and that Santa is good to all of you!

Searl House Happenings.......

On Friday,  after 6 very long years of going to school part time, working full time and helping me raise our 5 kids, my husband finished his Bachelor's degree in Accounting!  I am so proud of him!  I am so glad he is done lol!

Thursday, was our 11 year anniversary.  Using that as an excuse to go out to our favorite Open Mic night jam, ( my husband is a musician for those of you who don't know and plays in a local rock band. That is however not his full time job lol)  I threw him a surprise party!  It was wonderful and he was truly surprised.  We are definitely blessed with a lot of great friends who came out to celebrate with us!

Although he is now done with school he will be putting off looking for a new job  for a few months.  He does have a really good job right now but he works alot of really crappy hours and never has weekends off unless he takes vacation days.  We have decided it would be best if he waits until May to start looking as this is when Kid # 2 graduates high school and also when the payment for child support will stop.   Financially, switching jobs could mean a pay cut for us.  We plan to spend the first part of 2012 preparing for that.  I will be posting soon about my 2012 goals and where we stand with our debt pay off :)

My husband is living proof that anyone can go back to school!  He did not even start going until he was 40 year old.  He stuck with it this whole time and I am so proud of him!

Hope everyone has a great week!  Hard to believe Christmas is only a week away!

5 Things I Did That Were Frugal This Week

1. Took Kid # 5 to see Santa at Bass Pro Shop for free and got a free pic too :)

2. Threw my husband a surprise party for graduating with his Accounting Degree for less then $100.

3. Used some Swagbucks to get the last Christmas gift for Kid # 5. 

4.  Menu planned and cooked at home for most of the week

5. Had a couple stay at home days to save on gas