While I've already admitted that I'm fairly lazy when it comes to budgeting and keeping track of our financials, I thought I'd reveal the receipts/content that I have in my wallet right now.
Contents:
$1.56 in change (all but an Aldi quarter are going into the kid's piggy banks right now)
$4 dollar bills
Assorted kid pictures
1 debit card
1 Discover card (which I use for most purchases because of the %back)
Tipping chart cheat sheet
Coupon for free apple dippers at McDonalds
$45 gift card for Dillards (which I've had for a long time and meant for school clothes)
AAA card (we're still debating whether or not it's worth our money)
Costco membership card (debating whether or not it's worth the kitty litter savings)
Library card (natch)
McCafe card from McDonalds with only 2 punches out
Swimming pool guest pass
Drivers license
American Express card (getting ready to cancel this- never use it)
Kohls credit card (never use it- should take it out of my wallet)
Insurance cards
$43.00 in Wal-Greens gift cards from Wal-Greens freebates
Blank check for emergencies
Book of stamps (lost then found)
Once Upon a Child Appreciation card (a store I never go to since Goodwill and Yard Sales are cheaper)
$25 Olive Garden gift card (Discover card cash back bonus)
$10 Lowes gift card (earned from clicking on mypoints emails)
Starbucks gift card with less than a dollar on it (one of the best Christmas gifts I received last year)
$20 Chilis gift card (Discover card bonus again)
A few grocery store coupons for $ off purchases
Receipts in my Wallet accumulated since November 30th:
QuikTrip (Gas)- $23.88
Office Max (Organizing Supplies)- $17.56
Dollar General (food and Christmas presents)- $25.16
QuikTrip (drinks and chips from last weekend)- $7.41
Shop-N-Save (groceries and donations)- (original total $92.05/after coupons $69.86)
Target (food, toiletries, Christmas)- (original total $65.17/after combining MRF coupons with Target coupons $40.63)
Goodwill (kids shoes, Christmas presents)-$22.00
Dinner out at the local Italian place- $20.87
Wal-Mart (Christmas presents, groceries)- (original total $51.69/after coupons $48.61)
Save-A-Lot- (last minute bread purchases for Food Day at Hubby's Work)- paid cash $5.33
Food For Less (few grocery items)- $7.29
Jiffy Lube (oil change)- $58.00 (Hubby was right- I should have driven to the dealership!)
Total= $346.60 for nine days worth of spending.
A lot of that spending was groceries and my last bit of Christmas shopping. But, still flying without a budget or a plan can obviously cause you spending problems. $7.41 for dinner snacks because Little Guy woke up from his nap and told me he wanted chips for dinner (we had other food too). Sigh.
I don't regret the dinner out though. The food is just plain good and we d0 like an occasional night out as a family.
I still have some Christmas grocery shopping to do since we're hosting this year- but I'm so ready to give my wallet a rest and eat out of our pantry after the holidays.
1 comment:
I'm totally with you on the Discover card. Cash back is great!
I finally found a rewards card I like (Amazon Visa) for places that don't take Discover.
Amex here too, only because of Costco, and I don't use it either. But there's a deal right now through the 18th if you spend $40 two times at WalMart or WalMart.com w/Amex you get $20 back on your statement. You have to sign up first if you didn't get something in the mail. Info here:
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=1014439
I figured that'd make my Amex worth it for the time being.
I get roadside assistance for $3/month as part of my cell phone plan/bill. I think that's a lot cheaper than AAA and I've used it successfully a few times. As long as you don't need their maps/discounts (I never used them) I think this works better for peace of mind and is still cheap. If you have the plan, anywhere you are w/your phone (even friend's car) it's good.
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