Ok, before I had posted about how we got some comps in the mail from Hooters Hotel and Casino in Vegas about a month ago. One of the comps was 1 week night free, 1 weekend night free and 1 night at $9.99. Both my husband and myself got the comp package, so each offer would be times 2. Well we are going in August and staying Monday - Thursday nights, so we would each get 1 night free and 1 night at $9.99, since we are not staying a weekend night we would not get the extra night free. I called today to book our hotel and the reservation desk said we could have all 4 nights we are staying FREE! YEAH! I am pumped! Now if only we could get the flights free...LOL. We are still waiting on those to go down some more....they are still at $99.99 each way and I would really like to see them closer to $59.99.....just have to be patient!

Happy early Father's Day to all the Dads out there!
For FD my bros and I are taking my Dad bowling. We used to go bowling once in awhile when we were little and it was always a lot of fun. They have one of those bowling alleys here where they have the black lights and the music so we are doing that tonight. It's $15 per person for 3 hours of bowling so we will each pay $5 a piece for my Dad and then pay for ourselves of course. I also got my Dad a cake from DQ (where else!?) so am very excited to eat some! I found a $3 coupon for that so whoo hoo for savings!

OK, so basically we have been completely out of control with little trips here and there, going to the casino, and eating out. Since we have no kids, and the mortgage is our only debt we have a hard time with self control cause it is so easy to say "Hey we are only young and childless once, might as well have fun while we can!" Well that attitude is ok once in awhile, but we have really been stuck in a rut with this unneeded spending constantly. We have come up with a plan for summer to not go on anymore random spontaneous trips. We have a trip planned to Vegas in August, that we have planned for and saved for, but until then no more going crazy. Also need to focus much more on savings for now, and less on the mortgage as I recently realized that a large percentage of our savings is earmarked for future vacations and the EF is pretty miniscule from us stupidly using the EF for non EF things. So savings it is! And large it will be!

I am super excited for this weekend! Next week is our 3 year wedding anniversary (been together 8yrs) and we are celebrating this weekend. We had plans to go to MN and watch my Braves play the Twins. DH decided he wanted to do a little extra surprise.....so instead of leaving Saturday morning....we are leaving Friday after work and DH secretly had booked a night at a casino on the way to MN. So we will stay the night and have some fun, they in the morning drive the rest of the way, then go to a game Saturday night, and another one Sunday afternoon. YEAH! Gonna be an expensive weekend but of course all paid in cash. Can't wait to go celebrate with my baby!

Good news: Every year when DH switches from school year pay to summer time pay there is always a little "lapse" since his pay periods change and we have to go an extra week or two till the first summer paycheck. We know this will happen every year and always have to take money out of savings to cover it. Well last week I got a bonus for $800 that would help bridge that gap, and then today I got another one for $800!! One of them was a special yearly bonus and the other was my performance incentive for 1st Quarter 2010. I will use the first bonus to cover the time without DH's pay, and the 2nd bonus to pay for our trip to MN next week. We are going to watch 2 Braves/Twins games and between the tickets, hotel, gas and food it will be $500+, which will probably be almost exactly the amount of my bonus after taxes are taken out. It will be our anniversary present/my BD present to us! (both are in June).

Sorry I have been MIA! I wasn't feeling well this last week and the laptop that we thought we were going to use for the summer has a virus and we can't use it anymore, it won't let us on the internet! Bummer! So we went and took my old laptop in today. They were not able to save anything off of it or turn it on.....they said they may be able to try to do some more extensive tests to try to get my info back, but would cost $170 just to try. Since I have had that laptop for 7 years I really think that I have gotten my use out of it (I use it EVERYDAY!). So we shopped around town and got a new laptop. It was $330, plus spy ware package, Microsoft Office Suite and warranty came to $641.00. I am really excited as it is really fast and also has a number pad, which I have never had on a laptop and since I have worked at banks in the past I use the number pad much more efficiently! We did 18 months 0% interest at BestBuy. As soon as I got home I transferred $600 from one ING account to a seperate ING account and labeled it Laptop. Now it can sit there and earn interest till December 2011. I am so happy to have a working laptop again! I will try to get caught up with posts this week. Hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Well I have not gotten around to taking my laptop in yet to see if it is repairable at all. But we have a temporary solution. DH has a work laptop that we can use for the summer as long as it is just for internet (no downloading or saving anything) so that is good enough for me for now. In the meantime we will research finding a new, cost effective option.

My husband's laptop died a few months ago and apparently mine died yesterday. I am very bummed. I had a few things of mine saved on a zip drive, but unfortunatley most were saved on the laptop. I think I will take it in tomorrow and see if they can get it to work, or at least enough for me to access my files....otherwise I have a lot of work to do with spreadsheets to get my info back in place. Let that be a life lesson to me and hopefully anyone that is reading this is backing their files up right now! So if I am MIA for a week or two that is why. I have access to a laptop on the weekends, so at least I can check in then. We will most likely be getting a new laptop either way because mine was 6 1/2 years old and used an average of 5 hrs a day, probably more....so at least we got our moneys worth from it! It was getting realllllllly realllly slow, especially since my husband's died so we were both using mine. I am trying to decide if I want to take the money out of savings for it, or do a 0% interest deal, i know we can get 0% interest anywhere we go, or can just pick one of the 0% offers out of the mail that we get daily.....have not decided which route to go yet. I really just need a laptop for internet access and Excel, so if we need to wait a little bit to get the best deal we can. I know my job also has some discount programs for computers/laptops, so I am gonna check that out tomorrow.

Wow. I have not been living in a cave of anything but OMG I still can not get over how expensive it is to go to a movie! We went to Clash of the Titans today and it was $8.75 per person! Plus $5.30 for one pop and $6.00 for one popcorn......we snuck in the candy. So that comes to a grand total of $28.80 plus $3 for the 3 boxes of candy we brought from the grocery store = $31.80!!!!! Makes me bummed out that I even went to the movie when I think about spending that much....grrrrr....
Good thing we brought candy, that saved us $2.75 per box, so $8.25 saved there. I just can't go to a movie with out a drink and DH needs popcorn. But that would be why we only go to movies about 5 times a year or less. I would hate to be a teenage boy right now, I don't know how you could afford dates!!
Guess I will stick with my Netflix, $18.01 per month for unlimited movies, we usually get through about 20 movies a month. If you don't already have Netflix I would recommed checking it out, we love it!

To Do list of bills:
1) Hot tub repair bill $750 - Paid off
2) Wisdom teeth removal(DH, just one tooth)$143.60 -PD
3) Dr bill #1 $141.10 - Paid off
4) Dr bill #2 $59.40 - Paid off
5) Dr bill #3 $94.50 - Paid off

I had not posted an update on these for awhile. But got the hot tub repair bill paid off and that was the last one we were working on. We have been getting a LOT of medical bills in 2010 (already met $2500 on our medical deductible for 2010) but we have been paying them right away with our HSA account. I am really happy to have that it is working good for us. Now if we could just get that darn mortgage paid off!

I'M BACK!
I'm back from Mexico! We had a great time. Got to see cliff divers, go kayaking and parasailing and put in 6 hrs a day every day on the beach/in the ocean. I was nervous about gaining weight since I have been trying really hard to lose (lost 12 so far) and I know food is always a challenge for me on vaca.....but I didn't gain any weight, I was eating a lot of yummy mexican and seafood, but with so much walking and swimming it will be ok. We took $600 for spending and still had some left, yeah! My Mom is still in Mexico so we left out remaining pesos with her to convert before she comes back. We had about $3000 pesos left, so about $260 America I think. Have not decided what to do with that money yet.....??? My Mom was super generous, she paid for all 6 of us (me, DH, my 2 bros, my SIL and little bros friend) for flight, seperate hotel rooms for 8 nights, nearly all food, transportation and entertainment. The only things we paid for was some food if we were on our own and souvenirs. We also went down to the casino there, but came out ahead there too. Now I need to go lay in some aloe vera!

My little bro (19 y/o) was not so lucky on the trip. He lost $70 pesos in the ocean because he forgot he had money in his swim shorts, got arrested in Mexico for being drunk in public so he had to pay $300 pesos for that and then on the way home from the airport he got a speeding ticket. He still had a fun trip, but he really can not afford to be paying fines every other day for stupid behavior....

It is nice to be home and sleep in your own bed. The beds in our hotel were really hard.....so I looked under the mattress and no wonder they are so hard. The thin mattress are on slabs of concrete instead of on springs! Aww! It was ok when you were sleeping but then I would be really sore when I got up....or maybe that was just cause I was so sumburnt! I did really good on not getting burnt until the day before I left and then I burnt the carp out of my feet and legs....bummer.....

So now....back to the real world! We got back on Sunday but I have just been soooo worn out since then I had not had a chance to get on here....you know how they say "You need a vacation from your vacation!" Yup thats me! I was back to work on Monday and am getting back in the swing of things, but I think all that sun fried my brain. I will post the new BL results, mortgage for April and savings updates this weekend.

Thanks everyone for reading!

When I had my wisdom teeth out they asked for the payment up front, and said medical would probably not cover it. (I do not have dental) So I paid the $1500 OOP and hoped that maybe some of it would be covered.....but even if some of it was "covered" I would still have to pay for it in full since I have a $3200 family deductible that has to be met before my insurance covers anything. I had to call and remind the oral surgery office to submit the claim, but finally a month later it got processed.....and they covered the whole amount towards my deductible! I am so pumped! I knew I would have to pay for the whole thing regardless, but since it went towards my deductible instead of being not covered that helps us a lot because we have a lot of medical expenses and we will meet our deductible, now we have $1500 less to meet. Now we are down to only $700 left on the deductible for the year. So instead of having to pay our $3200 deductible PLUS $1500 for my teeth, we only have to pay the $3200! So doing a happy dance today because in a weird way we saved $1500!

Seems my last post got cut off for some reason and I did not notice....so here is the rest of the previous post:

Next month is our last $25 payment on our 0% interest TV, so I set the Home Maintenance account up today and also set up a $25 a month auto deposit starting in April so we continue to have that $25 going to something and not disappearing. It's not much, but it's something, and that plus my bonus will be a good start. So that account will be used for when we need a new washer/dryer, new dish washer, bathroom remodel, and other home improvements.

We are back from our weekend trip to MN. It was soooo much fun.....and my husband was super lucky!
My aunts family goes every year to stay at the casino in Mahnomen and gets a block of rooms. We have gone the last few years and always have a great time. This year DH and myself brought one of his friends with to gamble with him and met a bunch of my family there. Right after we got to the casino I was up at the room getting ice for our cooler (cheaper for drinks!) and DH and his friend were gambling in the casino. Well they called me and told me to come down to the casino right away. So I run down there, thinking they must have won $100-$200......I get there and they are playing a penny machine(that is usually all we play) and betting .40 cents and they won $1064.00!!!!! WHAT! OMG! I was soooooo excited! I still can't believe they only bet .40 and they won so much. So I tell them don't touch that machine (it was called Virtual Golf) I want to go get the camera. I run (yes I was actually running) up to the room to get the camera and while I am doing that they start playing on the machine next to the one that they just won on (another Virtual Golf machine).....by the time I get back (maybe 5 min later)they have gotten the bonus on this game betting .40 cents and won another $200! So crazy! So in about 15 min they won $1200 which they split, so $600 for DH right after we get to the casino. Later that same night my husband was playing by himself betting .90 cents on a different penny machine (Black Knight) and won $400. So needless to say our trip was paid for and then some. We took $1200 out of savings to pay for room for 2 nights, gas, food and gamblng (we love to gamble!) and came home with $2000! WHOO HOO! So I put that whole $2000 into the EF. Very happy to come back ahead and had a wonderful trip!

DH has been in need of a new phone for some time, his volume control doesn't work very well and it is all scratched up. But we hate to pay for phones when you can just wait and get your phone for cheap/free. So we waited it out. I called today and found out only DH's phone is eligible for the upgrade and I need to wait till the end of April. BUT when I talked to the rep he said that they had a sale today only and we could actually get 2 phones for FREE! We don't even have to do the rebate thing, they are instant rebate so we didn't have to pay anything at all. Plus we should get the phones in 3 days. I really don't NEED a new phone right now, but I figured I would just keep my phone which is still in good condition so we have an extra one in case one is lost or broken before our next upgrade. Of course this strategy only works if you are not obsessed with getting the newest/flashiest phone and you have to be patient till you are eligible. We have never paid more the $3 for a phone, as long as I can use it for phone calls, texting and taking pics I am good. Love getting Free stuff!

I went in to have my wisdom teeth check up appt today. Doc says everything looks good and got my stiches out. Also no charge for the follow up so that was good too.

So it is March 3 and we have had 0 NSDs. Fuel on the 1st Bar on the 2nd and Groceris on the 3rd........gonna need to work on this more.
On the plus side we have 3 NEO days under our belt!

To answer some of the questions regarding the wisdom teeth removal.
Yes I did go to an oral surgeon. They put in an IV for anesthesia, then said ok in about a minute you will fall asleep, I said Ok, and then I woke up in recovery! It was crazy how fast and effective the anesthesia was!

Here is how the bill broke down:
Evaluation $70
Extraction - Surgical $750 (3 teeth)
Extraction - Partial Bony $335 (1 tooth)
Antibiotics $45
Anesthesia $375
Pain Pills $6
Subtotal $1581
5% Discount for paying cash $79
Total $1507

So because 3 of the teeth were already out of the gum line that saved me some money because that was only $250 per tooth instead of $335 a tooth for teeth that are still under the gum line. Plus a little discount for paying cash.
Unfortunately I do not have dental insurance. I did ask them to submit it to my medical, I think the one tooth that was bony impacted, and possibly the anesthesia may be covered by medical.....I still would not get any money back because it would be going to my deductible, but at least that would reduce our deductible some. Will have to wait and see what happens with that part of it.
For now I am just making sure to keep up with the icing of the face and taking my meds. I would say the pain is minimal, more annoying then painful. Just happy to be done with it because they were REALLY killing me the last 2 weeks before I had them out!

So I am sitting here with the ice packs on my face.....I am so glad this is over! The total came to $1507 - with any luck my medical will cover some since one of the teeth was bony impacted. I will post for the $20K Challenge when I am more coherent to do the math!

I may have to have my wisdom teeth out.
I don't have dental insurance......so I am hoping that I will be able to file it under medical (usually if they are bony impacted then they are covered under medical) but I won't know the severity until tomorrow. I have to go in for an xray to find out exactly what is the verdict. I think I only need one out (it is cracked) but I guess I should just get them all out now......ugh.......

DH had a tooth extracted back in the end of October and we are still waiting for the bill. Since I am very detailed with my finances, I always note every medical visit and make sure that each claim is received by the insurance and that I get the EOB and the bill. Well after giving it a couple of months (normally I would not wait that long, but with the holiday season I allowed more time)I called the dental office today. They said that they had sent me a bill, I verified my address and they showed the correct one on file. I am absolutley sure that we did not get a bill because I do the mail everyday and file everyday so there is no way it could have gotten missed. So they are sending me the bill now. I just wanted to share this story because I work in health insurance and I talk to people everyday that don't notice that they did not get a bill and all of the sudden they are getting collections notices. So just a helpful reminder to all is that you can not depend on your insurance or your drs office to make sure that your bills are paid on time. You need to be an advocate for yourself and make sure that everything is taken care of, because in the end it does not matter who drops the ball, you will be the one with a hit on their credit report or a collection agency calling you. Keep track of your appointments, your EOBS and your bills.

DH was visiting his family out of state and his Dad always takes such good care of us. He came back with a jumbo pack of tp, 8 pack papertowels, 2 bottles of dish soap, bottle of Drano, 3 boxes kleenex, shampoo, razors, shave foam and deoderant for DH, a jug of laundry detergent, box of dryer sheets, 2 boxes cereal, 2 packages of chicken breasts, 2 packages of bacon, 3 brick cheeses, 1 bag shredded cheese, 2 bags frozen vegetables, case of moutain dew (for me!), 2 boxes crystal light mixes, a big bag of pistachios, plus a check for $150! Gotta love that! So we are WELL stocked for some time!

Well the OT project has officially ended with the end of 2009. I ended up putting in 72 hours of OT in 8 weeks! Wowsa! I must say I am happy it is over though, the money was very, very, nice......but I was definitely getting burned out.
My regular position will have some OT in January, but probably only 4 hours a week or less, so that will be more managable.

To Do list of bills:
1) Hot tub repair bill $750 - Paid $250
2) Wisdom teeth removal $143.60 - Still waiting for bill
3) Dr bill #1 $141.10 - Paid off
4) Dr bill #2 $59.40 - Paid off
5) Dr bill #3 $94.50 - Paid off

I got my end of the year filing all done. I keep a temporary file with folders for all of the bills, paystubs etc through out the year. Then at the end of the year I move everything into a permanent file that hold 3-4 years of statements. I like to keep everything very organized and easy to find. There will be no digging through shoeboxes looking for old statments in my future!

I just found this fun show on CNBC called "Til debt do us part". It is about a debt couselor that comes into homes and helps couples get their finances in order with challenges on reducing debt and bringing in more income. Kind of like Nanny 911 only for out of control finances instead of out of control kids. I love watching shows like this to find little tips and tricks for budgeting!

On Thursday I got a text message from Discover that said to call their fraud unit. We had been out of state last weekend so I thought it was regarding that and that they were just making sure that was us using the cards out of state. So I called in and was told that my husbands card was being used in FL! Definitely not us (wish I was in FL, but am far, far away from any sunshine!). The card had only been used once for $200 at a grocery store, and somehow that had a card made because the Discover rep said that the card was physically swiped there I said how could that be, we both have our cards in our wallets, and he said that the technology that thieves have now, if they get your name and CC number they can make their own cards! YIKES! So the rep immidiatley canceled the card and took the bogus charge off of our bill. We will get a new card in a few days and they will continue to monitor transactions coming in for additional fraudulent charges. Bad situation, but so happy with Discover that they notified us right away and took care of everything!

So on top of the $800 in car repairs, $400 in medical bills, $100 in dental bills (estimated), and Christmas shopping.......now our hottub stoppped working and will cost at least $600 to fix. Bummed. If we don't fix it now it would freeze and be completely ruined....so I guess we need to come up with that money too now. Whine whine whine......hoping 2010 will bring a few less unexpected bills.

So just last week we paid $360 for a new battery and new brake pads for DHs car. Now he has been having all these electrical problems so sometimes his car does not start because the security system thinks something is wrong and won't let the car start.....so we took it back in, and they called today and said it will be $400! Yikes and that is after the $360 from last week......ugh! Plus we have been spending more then usual month with Xmas presents and BD presents. We are going out of town soon and that will be more moolah for our mini vacation......And I need to renew my passport which is another $75.....luckily we have an EF to cover this, but just frustrated at the money that seems to be flying out the window right now!

I am only 25, so have not had a lot of experience with medical bills. I have been on my own insurance since I was 21, but luckily have been relatively healthy until now. Now we are starting to have medical expenses. And I am going to make sure I stay on top of the medical bills. I actually work in health insurance, so I understand everything regarding my plan etc. I am very adamant about making sure that everything was received by my insurance, processed correctly and my portion was paid in a timely manner.

I had a dental cleaning/checkup at the beginning of Oct and the claim was still not received by my insurance by the last week of October. So I called the dental office and made sure they were submitting the claim (the rep told me she didn't know why it wasn't submitted). It was now received and I was happy to see it was paid in full, and I did not even have a copay.

We also have 4 seperate medical bills that I am waiting to come in. We have a Health Reimbursement Fund (HRA) that had $380 in it (this is money put in by my employer) so that will help cover some of the bills. I estimate once everything is in and the HRA has been used up then we will owe about $400 (our plan applies everything towards our $2500 deductible, once that is met then the plan kicks in....next year it goes to $3200 ) We have the money in savings to cover this, but I am hoping to get some OT at work in the next couple of weeks to cover the bills. Have to wait and see if work is offering OT or not....