A Penny CloserA Penny CloserA Penny Closer is for those of us who want to improve how we spend, save, and invest. We want to be able to manage our money so that we can use it to enjoy our lives today while still saving to reach our dreams tomorrow. Articles
More Big Purchases - Window Coverings
2007-11-22 03:09:00 There seem to be a lot of big purchases that have to occur when you buy a new home. Many of them are things you don’t necessarily have to worry about with an existing home. We’ve planned for pretty much everything, but it can still be overwhelming to see all that money flowing out after saving it up ... More About: Shopping , Housing , Window , Erin , Hase
So, What Did We Buy?
2007-11-21 03:14:00 Elizabeth at Suburban Wife’s Daily Dollar Diary asked me to reveal what appliances we chose in my post yesterday discussing my latest purchases for the house. Thanks, Elizabeth, I think that is a good idea. Here are the appliances we decided to purchase this weekend after considerable thought and research. Refrigerator OK, so I wanted a Sub-Zero or a ... More About: Shopping , Household , Frugality
Big Purchases Need Big Research
2007-11-19 23:46:00 This weekend Eric and I made some rather large purchases for the new home. We purchased a refrigerator and a washer and dryer. After about a week of researching and kicking tires we finally felt ready to buy. Big purchases shouldn’t be made haphazardly. For me, there is definitely a correlation on how much money I’m ... More About: Shopping , Research , Household , Frugality , Hase
Reducipe - Honey Roasted Root Veggies
2007-11-18 23:57:00 Reducipe Pronunciation: ri-doos-uh-pee Function: noun 1 : a recipe that can help lower your food costs in a variety of ways a : by scaling back an expensive recipe to be less pricey but still just as tasty b : by turning an already inexpensive meal into something special c : by using leftovers in ... More About: Honey , Root
Ahh, How I?ve Missed Consumerism?
2007-11-18 02:56:00 One of the ways we’ve managed to keep to our budget so well was that we steered clear of temptation. The last couple of months we didn’t go out to eat often to avoid spending too much there, and we didn’t go shopping anywhere except the grocery store (and then, with a specific list). We ... More About: Shopping , Household , Reflection , Consumerism
Pay For Professionals Or D-I-Y?
2007-11-16 13:00:00 This week we are getting bids on work that we want done for the new house before we move in. After receiving a handful of quotes (many of which are higher than expected) we are starting to run into a dilemma. Do we pay someone to do the work or do we try to do it ... More About: Housing , Budgeting , Professionals , Fess
The Carnival Review #11
2007-11-15 19:59:00 The carnivals are back in town! Again, I only participated in a select few. I think that will be standard for the next few weeks as the moving process intensifies. No worries though, after the move I’ll be back to my usual carnival-going self again. Here are some of my favorite posts from the carnivals this ... More About: Carnival , Carnivals , Review , The Car
Tightwad Wednesday - Stuck Envelopes & Old Deodorizers
2007-11-15 02:57:00 Each week, I will test out two tips from the The Complete Tightwad Gazette, and on the following Wednesday I’ll review how they went and evaluate if it is worth my time/effort/money to continue with it. Thank goodness this week was a relatively easy tightwad challenge week. With all the packing/cleaning and meetings/calls with contractors ... More About: Envelope
Public Declaration - Getting Certified
2007-11-14 01:26:00 Recently, BripBlap challenged a group of us on a new meme - making a public declaration of something you’ve kept private that you are now willing to share with the world. I like this challenge. It’s something to keep me accountable and honest. I’ve been telling myself for years that I was going to ... More About: Declaration , Public , Certified , Clar , Cert
Our Home Financing Options
2007-11-13 03:29:00 Once our builder told us there were only 30 days until closing, we had to jump to it and find ourselves a mortgage. Because a mortgage is such a large amount of money, we had to shop around to find the best deal we could find. Let me tell you, that was no easy task. ... More About: Financing , Home , Options
The Roundup - Sea of Boxes Edition
2007-11-12 03:00:00 This is the first, of several, packing edition roundups. Most of our spare time is now committed to packing up everything in the house, making a determination on if the items are worth keeping or if we should get rid of them, but also to catalog all the work that will have to be done ... More About: Roundup , Edition
Moving Is Helping Us Simplify
2007-11-10 16:06:00 We’re excited about moving and have been packing in anticipation. It’s a lot of work, but it’s actually been pretty enjoyable. We’re being very critical of what we decide to keep. Melissa and I have been part “pack rat” in the past. I think some of this is just part of being human. It’s not like ... More About: Charity , Household , Moving , Psychology
I?ll Be Keeping That, Uncle Sam
2007-11-09 14:33:00 Last month, Clever Dude wrote a great post about how to value the clothing you donate to charity. As we’ve been packing up the house we’ve run across literally hundreds of items that we took one look at and decided it would be better to donate. Clever Dude wrote about a couple ... More About: Taxes , Uncle , Uncle Sam
The Carnival Review #10
2007-11-08 18:13:00 We didn’t participate in as many carnivals this week so this review will be a bit shorter than normal. Packing and getting ready for the move has taken over my brain and I simply forgot to submit to many of my usual ones. But the carnivals I did check out are jam packed with goodness! Here are ... More About: Carnival , Carnivals , Review , The Car
Tightwad Wednesday - Sensible Substitutes
2007-11-08 01:54:00 Each week, I will test out two tips from the The Complete Tightwad Gazette, and on the following Wednesday I’ll review how they went and evaluate if it is worth my time/effort/money to continue with it. This week we tested a few more of the “sensible substitute” recipes in the Tightwad Gazette. I like the ... More About: Subs , Utes
Emotional Purchases: Our Anniversary Indulgence
2007-11-06 18:08:00 To say that we didn’t spend any money on our anniversary isn’t entirely true. We did decide at the last minute to spend some money on a treat for the both of us. Traditionally, the bride and groom eat the top tier of their wedding cake on their first anniversary. We saved ours for this purpose. ... More About: Shopping , Anniversary , Psychology , Reflection , Indulgence
It?s The Final Countdown!
2007-11-05 17:07:00 Yes, folks, this is it! It’s the final countdown! We have been given our closing date so now we are now in the final stretch. The big day: 11/30. So much for Thanksgiving! We had to call the folks to let them know we won’t be coming down to visit and cook. Unfortunately, we will need to ... More About: Mortgage , Housing , Final , The Final Countdown , Countdown
Reducipe - The Blue Box Special
2007-11-04 20:04:00 Reducipe Pronunciation: ri-doos-uh-pee Function: noun 1 : a recipe that can help lower your food costs in a variety of ways a : by scaling back an expensive recipe to be less pricey but still just as tasty b : by turning an already inexpensive meal into something special c : by using leftovers in ... More About: Blue , Special
Don?t Get Me Anything = You Better Get Me A Gift?
2007-11-03 16:11:00 This weekend is our first wedding anniversary. I guess we can no longer call ourselves newlyweds. Eric says I’ll be an old married hag after the weekend. Well, at least officially now. :-) An interesting thing happened when Eric was traveling for work recently. He had dinner with several co-workers that he doesn’t see very often and ... More About: Shopping , Relationships , Gift
10 Classes To (Hopefully) Fix My Life
2007-11-02 14:51:00 I got tagged by Kyle, my meme loving buddy, over at Rather Be Shopping with a new meme. The revenge tag is the best kind of tag, I’m told. :-) Anyways, I’m glad he tagged me because I like this meme. I think there is enough in my life that needs fixing to warrant a challenging courseload. Devise ... More About: Education , Life , My Life , Classes , Reflection
10 Classes To (Hopefully) Fix My Life
2007-11-02 14:51:00 I got tagged by Kyle, my meme loving buddy, over at Rather Be Shopping with a new meme. The revenge tag is the best kind of tag, I’m told. :-) Anyways, I’m glad he tagged me because I like this meme. I think there is enough in my life that needs fixing to warrant a challenging courseload. Devise ... More About: Education , Life , My Life , Classes , Reflection
The Carnival Review #9
2007-11-01 16:36:00 Step right up, it’s time for the carnival review! This week I hosted my first ever carnival, Make It From Scratch #37 - The Frugal Edition. I really enjoyed being able to host one of these carnivals instead of just reviewing them! If you haven’t gotten a chance to check out all the wonderful do-it-yourself projects ... More About: Carnival , Carnivals , Review , The Car
The Carnival Review #9
2007-11-01 16:36:00 Step right up, it’s time for the carnival review! This week I hosted my first ever carnival, Make It From Scratch #37 - The Frugal Edition. I really enjoyed being able to host one of these carnivals instead of just reviewing them! If you haven’t gotten a chance to check out all the wonderful do-it-yourself projects ... More About: Carnival , Carnivals , Review , The Car
Tightwad Wednesday - Tomato Soup & Seasoned-Rice Substitutes
2007-11-01 02:22:00 Each week, I will test out two tips from the The Complete Tightwad Gazette, and on the following Wednesday I’ll review how they went and evaluate if it is worth my time/effort/money to continue with it. I’m excited about this challenge because I like being able to try recipes featuring the original versus the cheaper version. ... More About: Rice , Soup , Tomato , Tomato Soup
Tightwad Wednesday - Tomato Soup & Seasoned-Rice Substitutes
2007-11-01 02:22:00 Each week, I will test out two tips from the The Complete Tightwad Gazette, and on the following Wednesday I’ll review how they went and evaluate if it is worth my time/effort/money to continue with it. I’m excited about this challenge because I like being able to try recipes featuring the original versus the cheaper version. ... More About: Rice , Soup , Tomato , Tomato Soup
Saving Money But Losing Touch
2007-10-31 03:17:00 I went to breakfast with my best friend this morning. We have been friends since high school and have been lucky to have moved to the same town later on in life. Today was the first time in a long time that we had planned to meet. We used to meet for breakfast pretty frequently, usually once ... More About: Relationships , Money , Touch , Saving
Saving Money But Losing Touch
2007-10-31 03:17:00 I went to breakfast with my best friend this morning. We have been friends since high school and have been lucky to have moved to the same town later on in life. Today was the first time in a long time that we had planned to meet. We used to meet for breakfast pretty frequently, usually once ... More About: Relationships , Money , Touch , Saving
Make It From Scratch #37 - The Frugal Edition
2007-10-30 02:27:00 It’s time for Make It From Scratch #37! This carnival features the efforts and ideas of those who like to cook, craft, and create things from scratch. If you are new to A Penny Closer, welcome! This is a blog about a couple who are working together to reach their goals through budgeting, saving, and ... More About: Carnivals , Frugal , Edition
Make It From Scratch #37 - The Frugal Edition
2007-10-30 02:27:00 It’s time for Make It From Scratch #37! This carnival features the efforts and ideas of those who like to cook, craft, and create things from scratch. If you are new to A Penny Closer, welcome! This is a blog about a couple who are working together to reach their goals through budgeting, saving, and ... More About: Carnivals , Frugal , Edition
When Saying No Helps Your Family
More articles from this author:2007-10-29 02:59:00 I’ve been pretty busy here the last couple of weeks. Between packing the old house up in anticipation of our move, I’ve also had to do some work-related travel. Needless to say I need to get some more time to catch up. I multi-tasked today, and spent some time doing work around the house while I ... More About: Family , Relationships , Retirement 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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