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Weekly accountability.

1. How MM was your weekend?


2. Any progress toward goals?


3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make?
HeartlandHustle | Personal Finance and Betterment Blog  

Re: Weekly accountability.

  • cbee817cbee817 member
    Ancient Membership 250 Love Its 500 Comments Name Dropper
    edited July 2016
    1. How MM was your weekend? It was pretty good- groceries ($142), Home Depot ($17). DH is going to run some errands with the girls today so that might be a little pricey (target and the tile store for our shower niches)

    2. Any progress toward goals? Nothing added to savings this week- need to stop auto transfer until September (when DH is back to work) to fund the bathroom. It's looking good though- all the drywall/cement board is up and DH is mudding/taping... always seems to take the longest. 

    3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make? I do like to cook- favorite meal would probably be homemade sauce and meatballs (recipe from my late grandpa).. the smell from the kitchen all day is probably my favorite part and it reminds me of him.
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  • csuavecsuave member
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Comments 250 Love Its Name Dropper
    1. How MM was your weekend?
    It was good.  Friday we went to TGIFridays for their $10 special.  My fish was not cooked properly so I had to wait for a replacement and then they took it off the bill.  Total for H's ribs, tax and tip came to about $16.

    Then we drove to see the ILs.  About $55 on gas and tolls and $68 for our hotel room (the total is low because it was subsidized by FIL and MIL).  The ILs are moving out of their OH summer home to be in FL full time so we got some things from them for our kitchen that they were getting rid of and we can use like a new electric skillet and Misto.

    We made $220 from BnB.

    2. Any progress toward goals?
    Not this week.

    3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make?
    I am more of a baker while H does the meal cooking.  Right now I don't have a meal that I make but I have grandma's pierogi recipe and want to follow in her footsteps making those.  Practice session #1 with H went pretty well now I just need to try it again and practice some more so that I am ready for prime time (Christmas Eve family dinner).  It is nice that H is doing it with me.  If we really want to be able to crank out some big batches it will be easier and more fun as a team.
  • 1. How MM was your weekend? Amazing considering we were going non-stop. Friday night we ended up going to a friend's house for after work drinks and we brought wine we had at our bar. My mom treated us to breakfast on Saturday before I went and helped her pick out finishes for her kitchen renovation. Then we had 2 parties and brought food/beer that we already had in the house so no extra spending. Sunday we had another party and I made brownies (again with what I already had in the house). Sunday night we were totally pooped and the house was too hot to cook so we ordered in which was about $40 (but we got enough so we both could bring leftovers for lunch today). 


    2. Any progress toward goals? Financial goals are just rolling along. We stopped and picked up paint swatches for our hallway project and now we just need to make a choice this week. 


    3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make? I do like to cook, but lately we've been so busy that it's felt more like a chore so my favorite things are the fast things with minimal clean up. 
  • edited July 2016

    1. Spendy. $23 Home Depot, $77 Bj's gas and meats, $29 pet Store, $89 Vet- food/meds. Made $50 on Craigslist! Last week we had our garage door fixed to the tune of $250. Ugh.

    2. No! We've had bills to catch up on, but I think we should be caught up by August so we can start saving again. We are financially ok, but our savings is lower then I would like because of the driveway and we have a Sandals vacation to pay for by February....Stressing over here..... 

    3.I hate to cook...when you live at home for 23 years and your mom has a meal on the table every night you tend NOT to learn how to cook....I've learned a lot of her recipes since I moved out 10 years ago...but still hate to cook...I'd like my meals to continue to appear on the table for me without having to step foot in the kitchen. I don't mind making breakfast and lunch, but dinner stinks. I can easily whip up meals, but they aren't always the healthiest. H loves frozen meals which are convenient, but I like healthy means which always take longer to make. Anyway, my favorite things to make are homemade pizza and fajitas! I also don't mind baking if that counts...

  • julieanne912julieanne912 member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Love Its 500 Comments Name Dropper
    edited July 2016
    1. How MM was your weekend?
    It was ok.  Because of H's hockey tournament we didn't spend a ton.  $8 at the bar at the hockey arena, $17 at Wendy's.  $60 at the grocery store and $31 at the vet for our dog's medication.  And, a bit extra on gas because of the drive to/from the tournament both Friday and Saturday.   

    ETA:  Forgot, I spent $110 at Costco on Friday.  Half stuff like pantry/freezer staples, the other half was 2 new sheet sets and a couple throw rugs for the house and our camper.  They were all on sale.  The sheet sets were only $15 for a queen set, and we already have one set and they are super nice and our guests love them.  So now we have an extra set of sheets for both of our guest beds.  

    2. Any progress toward goals?
    Was able to cash flow almost my entire portion of our 6 month insurance premium ($500 out of $600), instead of tapping into the money I had saved for it, so that money will just stay in savings.  In June, I moved office locations and as it turns out, I'm making more monthly bonuses here because it's busier, so that has really helped boost my finances, both for savings, and I can now throw a bit extra ($100) to my student loans every month.  I'm leaving my budget where it was and using the "extra" money for savings and the occasional small splurge.

    3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make?
    I do, although not as much in the summer.  This time of year it's more quick meals.  I don't have one particular favorite meal to make though, as I like to try new stuff all the time.  I think I'll say I like cooking "projects" where I learn how to do something new or do something labor intensive that takes all day or something like that.  
  • 1. How MM was your weekend?
    - It was OK. H spent $40 at the bar on Friday and $30 on dinner when he came home. We spent $220 at Costco on Saturday. H left for TX yesterday and I didn't leave the house, so that's it. 


    2. Any progress toward goals?
    - $300 in savings, $100 in our cash fund, $100 to our house account. The plumber came out last week to fix from where the leak sprouted last month. He's going to bill us, but I think it'll be around $400. 


    3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make?
    - I do like to cook, but I don't really have a favorite meal. I love to have people over, so I like party type food.  It's easy to make and I can make a lot of different things. 
  • hoffsehoffse member
    Sixth Anniversary 2500 Comments 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    1) Ours wasn't bad, actually.  We spent $35 at IKEA on Saturday for lunch and getting some new curtains, etc.  We spent $103 at Warby Parker for some new glasses for H.  That's going to be H's birthday gift.  On Sunday we spent $88 at Costco and $70 at Walmart.  That was for our groceries for the week, as well as soda, alcohol, paper products, citronella candles, etc. for a party we are hosting on Wednesday.

    I did just call the caterer to place an order for our party on Wednesday, and I figure it's going to be about $175 with tax, tip, and delivery.  But we are expecting about 15 people to be there, so it will be less than $12 per person.  This is just much easier on us than having to cook for that many people mid-week.  Besides, they do a great job, and there should be a lot leftover for lunches and dinners the rest of the week!

    2) I paid my last tuition installment and got a reimbursement that offset it!  Now it's going to feel like a "bonus" every time I get reimbursed for the rest of the year!  I have been waiting 18 months for this.

    3) I really don't like to cook very much.  I enjoy baking around the holidays, but my H is the primary cook in our family.  My favorite thing he does is pizza night and filet with grilled brussels sprouts and/or baked potato.  He does a great filet.  He also does really good homemade fettucini alfredo (sp?)

    But no, I'm really not a fan of cooking, especially for large numbers of people.  Hence the caterer.
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  • labrolabro member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Comments 250 Love Its Name Dropper
    1. How MM was your weekend? We just got back from a week long trip to the beach so this weekend consisted of grocery shopping and that's about it.


    2. Any progress toward goals? Nope. Although I think by this time next month I'll be able to pay off my car!


    3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make? Love to cook. I think my favorite thing to make is pot roast in the fall/winter because 1. it lasts forever and 2. is so incredibly warm and satisfying on a chilly day. I cook most nights of the week so I like to make a lot of whatever seems quick and easy - usually some sort of meat roasted or baked in the oven with fresh veggies.
  • 1.  Fair.  We spent a little on Chinese takeout and drinks with our neighbors on Friday night, maybe $25? Saturday, I met my college friends for lunch and pedicures costing me about $55. Sunday I went to Sprouts and spent less than $60 on groceries for the week.  We've started meal planning recently and it's been helping us reduce both cost and waste.

    2.  Not last week.  We both get paid later this week and will be able to make some moves then...

    3.  I love to cook!  Especially fall and winter foods, like bierocks and soup.  I make a great Italian sausage and potato soup and butternut squash bisque.  I've also been known to make a mean prime rib.
    HeartlandHustle | Personal Finance and Betterment Blog  
  • 1.  Good!  We spent $100 on groceries, H spent $15 on beer, and I spent $7.  Today, however, I had a $300 vet visit, which I put on our Care Credit since we're in cash accumulation mode.

    2.  We will add $100 to savings tomorrow.

    3.  I love to cook!  My favorite thing to cook is homemade fried rice.  
  • 1. How MM was your weekend?

    $11 at BK for breakfast, after my H and I were done with my pt Sat. job.

    $2,040 wired for earnest money (see below)

    2. Any progress toward goals?

    Yes!  Finally found another investment property to buy.  Needs a little rehab, but the rental ROI will be awesome, plus I'll have an extra value of about $30K after it has been fixed up.  I was happy to be able to cash flow the $2K earnest money, instead of taking it out of my HELOC.

    3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make?

    I don't hate cooking, but I don't especially care for it either.  I'm with you, @formerlyjessica490, I don't understand why delicious meals don't just magically appear on my table like they did when I lived with my mom, lol.

    To be fair, my H does most of the cooking, but his repertoire is limited.  My favorite thing to cook is Filipino Chicken.  I remove the skin from either drumsticks or thighs.  Throw it in a pot filled with 1/3 Apple Cider Vinegar 2/3 water.  Then some garlic and soy sauce.  Voila.  Easy.  Delicious.  And quick "grab n go" healthy food for the week. 

  • 1 - not bad.  Ate dinner out friday night - $45, Oil change for my car on Saturday - $26, Pool time on Sunday - $18 and gas for my car $21

    2 - $33 to retirement.  Dh will be moving into his new studio in 2-3 weeks.  It won't be totally finished but hopefully he can get a temporary occupancy from the city and will have 2 more months to finish it all.  We just can't afford 2 rents in 1 month so he's scheduled to leave his current studio the first weekend of August.  We are going to start packing up his place this coming weekend.

    3 - I don't love cooking but it sure beats spending tons of $$ eating out all the time.  We tried a new recipe last night - pizza stuffed chicken breast - it was awesome!  My standards are chicken or shrimp stir fry or pad thai, chicken fajitas, DH will grill.  Sometimes I get in a rut and we tend to have the same kind of dinners all the time.  I'm not one of those meal planners lol.
  • 1. How MM was your weekend?
    A little spendy but all planned.  My laptop went up a few weeks ago so after looking around, comparing options and prices, H helped me pick out a new one.  We also found a great deal on a small TV for our camper.  I also surprised H with a new set of golf clubs.  I had been eye them up and they had a really good deal so I snagged them.  He was really excited.  Groceries: $150, Barnes & Noble: $20, Old Navy (some back to school shopping for the kids and a few things for me): $100.  Everything was in budget and cash flowed.

    2. Any progress toward goals?
    Yes, after much discussion and consideration, we decided to buy a camper earlier this month.  With the kids at their current ages (5 and 3) and being an "outdoors" family, we felt it was a good investment.  After running the numbers we found that we can do several camping trips with our current vacation fund compared to just a couple non camping vacations.  For example, we can go to a really popular tourist spot about 5 hrs away - cheapest hotel room (nice but not fancy) is $250/night.  Less than 10 minutes away is a super nice campground (heated outdoor pool and indoor pool, full hook up, lots of kids activities/playground, etc) for $35/night.  A friend of mine said that they recently did both (hotel and camping) and their whole family preferred the camping over hotel.  Also we have everything we need at our hands - food, personal items, no hulling luggage, etc.  We'll take it year by year but so far it's been fun.  They payment is very reasonable and we'll have it paid off early.  It also won't change our savings rate/goals.

    Started working on the August budget since school tuition starts back up next month.

    3. Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite meal to make?
    I do like to cook but honestly week nights have been so crazy the last couple of weeks.  I like making homemade lasagna, sweet potato chili, homemade pizza (dough and sauce from scratch).  It really varies by the time of year.  
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  • @blondie42107 - so exciting to have a camper! I'm hoping that we can rent one when the girls are older and take them x-country. 
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  • cbee817 said:
    @blondie42107 - so exciting to have a camper! I'm hoping that we can rent one when the girls are older and take them x-country. 
    Thanks!  We didn't go crazy with the one we picked out.  We are able to pull it with our current SUV.  We'd love to do a week or two trip some time!
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  • @blondie42107 yay for the camper!  What kind did you get?  We have a toyhauler.  We've had ours 3 years and it's gotten to the point where we can practically just hitch up and go since it's pretty well stocked with everything we need.  Just have to add food and clothes.  We just refinanced ours too to lower the rate by 2%, but are still going to continue to pay the old payment to pay it off faster.  
  • Thanks, @julieanne912!  It's just a travel trailer but it sleeps 6 very comfortably but can sleep up to 8.  We did buy ours used - three years old however it was only used 5 times!  Super clean and in great shape.  They never used the shower.  We are slowly getting it stocked and figuring out everything we want/need in it.  It's been great to stock the fridge, toss in clothes and hit the road!
    Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers
  • Thanks, @julieanne912!  It's just a travel trailer but it sleeps 6 very comfortably but can sleep up to 8.  We did buy ours used - three years old however it was only used 5 times!  Super clean and in great shape.  They never used the shower.  We are slowly getting it stocked and figuring out everything we want/need in it.  It's been great to stock the fridge, toss in clothes and hit the road!
    H wants to upgrade to a 5th wheel in a couple years (our current one doesn't really have another bed a kid can sleep in, in addition to some other things we don't like about it), and I'm trying to convince him to look at used models... so many people buy them, use them a few times, then sell them since they don't use them.  I saw one on Craigslist the other day that was only a year old and only used 2 times, but the guy lost his job so he was trying to sell it... it was a good $20,000 less than a new one would have cost.  
  • Thanks, @julieanne912!  It's just a travel trailer but it sleeps 6 very comfortably but can sleep up to 8.  We did buy ours used - three years old however it was only used 5 times!  Super clean and in great shape.  They never used the shower.  We are slowly getting it stocked and figuring out everything we want/need in it.  It's been great to stock the fridge, toss in clothes and hit the road!
    H wants to upgrade to a 5th wheel in a couple years (our current one doesn't really have another bed a kid can sleep in, in addition to some other things we don't like about it), and I'm trying to convince him to look at used models... so many people buy them, use them a few times, then sell them since they don't use them.  I saw one on Craigslist the other day that was only a year old and only used 2 times, but the guy lost his job so he was trying to sell it... it was a good $20,000 less than a new one would have cost.  
    @julieanne912
    We have a family member that started out with a travel trailer then upgraded to a 5th wheel.  Last year they upgraded to a huge 38 ft? 5th wheel.  It was brand new but end of year so they wanted them gone.  Even being a great deal it was over $50,000.  They opted to do this instead of getting a cottage; not stuck in one vacation spot.  It's super nice but way more than we want/need right now.  
    Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers
  • Thanks, @julieanne912!  It's just a travel trailer but it sleeps 6 very comfortably but can sleep up to 8.  We did buy ours used - three years old however it was only used 5 times!  Super clean and in great shape.  They never used the shower.  We are slowly getting it stocked and figuring out everything we want/need in it.  It's been great to stock the fridge, toss in clothes and hit the road!
    H wants to upgrade to a 5th wheel in a couple years (our current one doesn't really have another bed a kid can sleep in, in addition to some other things we don't like about it), and I'm trying to convince him to look at used models... so many people buy them, use them a few times, then sell them since they don't use them.  I saw one on Craigslist the other day that was only a year old and only used 2 times, but the guy lost his job so he was trying to sell it... it was a good $20,000 less than a new one would have cost.  
    @julieanne912
    We have a family member that started out with a travel trailer then upgraded to a 5th wheel.  Last year they upgraded to a huge 38 ft? 5th wheel.  It was brand new but end of year so they wanted them gone.  Even being a great deal it was over $50,000.  They opted to do this instead of getting a cottage; not stuck in one vacation spot.  It's super nice but way more than we want/need right now.  
    Yup, that's about the size H wants for the next one (still a toyhauler) :neutral:  It's crazy, but to get a "garage" area the size he wants  that's the size we would have to go!  I'm like, where the hell are we even going to take that thing, it won't fit in a lot of campgrounds.

    But yeah, we don't take hardly any other vacations, so the camper and associated costs is basically our "vacation fund".
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