Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

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Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Dgflorida »

Sounds like you have found a sweet spot. Taxes here are actually high compared to Texas. A surprised. 35 years ago, I worked to get a controlled tax rate for senior citizens. It was passed successfully by the Florida legislature. However, there are 2 components to property taxes. The other one is evaluation. That has been a killer.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Dgflorida wrote: Mon Dec 23, 2019 7:24 am Sounds like you have found a sweet spot. Taxes here are actually high compared to Texas. A surprised. 35 years ago, I worked to get a controlled tax rate for senior citizens. It was passed successfully by the Florida legislature. However, there are 2 components to property taxes. The other one is evaluation. That has been a killer.
I do get a homestead reduction but it has to be renewed every year. Also since I am certified as being disabled they knock $2,000 dollars off of the value of my property every year. That also has to be re-certificated every year. My house is re-evaluated every year and the property taxes go up every year but as long as I apply for the freeze every year I am ok and pay the lower taxes. I am glad my brother did the paperwork for getting my taxes reduced when the real estate slump occurred. My brother is a 100% disabled vet and his house is free from any kind of taxes.

Congrats to you for all of the work you did to get a controlled rate for seniors.
Janet Alliesmama
Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Dgflorida »

Thanks.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

I had to make an order at Oh Nuts in order to get my brother a Christmas gift. In the past I have told him and my SIL no more gifts since I cannot buy them anything that they cannot buy for themselves and I do not need anything. They sent me a box of meat from Omaha Steaks last year. I wish they had not since I really am not in to beef. Anyway since my niece is having us to dinner on Christmas Day I needed something to give her and her DS. They are each receiving $20.00 in a card and each will be getting a batch of special cookies baked for them. He will be receiving snickerdoodles his favorite and she will be receiving a pecan cookie that has several different names ie Russian tea cake or Mexican wedding cookie. Also my great nephew will be receiving some hot chocolate (1.00) from Dollar Tree and I already had the cute mug with Santa's reindeer on it. She will also be receiving a pair of fuzzy socks from Dollar Tree. Then I thought it might be awkward giving them something and nothing for my brother. He is on a very restrictive diet but he can eat cashew nuts. I was able to obtain a free bag of cashews (normally $11.99) for him with my regular order from Oh Nuts. I routinely order nuts from Oh Nuts for health reasons and just ordered earlier than usual in order to get the free bag of cashews. My niece is going through a divorce and I thought it would give her a little bit of lift with some money and cookies. Normally I do not give them $20.00 but her son is also going through a rough patch with his father gone. He is a really good kid and he will appreciate the money and can buy himself something that he will like rather than me trying to buy him something he may not like.

Yesterday I went to Ruler to buy Teddi some baby carrots they were $1.50 and were organic compared to the $2.50 at the other store and they were not organic. Also the same hot chocolate at Dollar Tree for $1.00 was "on sale" at the other store for $2.25. On Sunday I bought cream of mushroom soup at Dollar General for .75 cents. On a good day it is $1.25 at Big Lots and at the grocery stores it usually runs around $1.75. I bought three cans which will get me through the year. There are certain things that just do not taste as good when you use gluten free mushroom soup. ie pork chop casserole. I figure the 3 cans will get me through the coming year and in to the next seasonal sale.

I am eating things from the freezer rather than making anything new. I do need to make tuna fish salad and my faux potato salad tomorrow. I boiled a dozen eggs to use up some of my large stockpile.

I am really excited. The study through the University of Phoenix has continue to include me even though I was unable to send them a photograph, by computer, of the equipment that I am using. So far they have paid me $30.00 in Amazon gift cards. The study has the potential for me to earn up to $380.00. Also doing another study with a different company for something else. It is for 3 months and I just have to check in once a week for a few minutes and that will earn me a $25.00 gift card. Plus I am earning Amazon gift cards on BING. Another site I am almost up to $75.00 in cash and another site half way to $25.00 in cash.. Things are looking very good for 2020.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Today I plan on paying half of my property taxes. That will be a relief. I need to go over my budget for Jan and Feb to see if I can squeeze out the last half sooner than I planned on. It will be so good to get them paid off and then start the new year with a budget that will allow me to pay them quarterly and on time to avoid the penalty for being late. I will have all but one credit card paid off by January 10th. That one is a small payment so easy to manage.

There are so many things that need to be done in the way of repairs for the house that I have had to allow to slide. I am going to make a list and then prioritize which is most important and also the least expensive.

I am blessed to have a lot of food in the house so groceries are not a concern. A while back I bought a small spiral ham at Ruler. At the time I froze some in anticipation of using it for my Christmas and New Years meals. Since I had dinner at my niece's house I decided to use some of the ham last night to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I have canned cheese from my emergency pantry so made a grilled ham and cheese sandwich using the gluten free bread that I bought for half price the other day. I also added a pickle from Dollar Tree and a cup tomato soup from Dollar Tree. Very tasty satisfying meal and very frugal in cost. I also had some of my cranberry salad for dessert.

Breakfast this morning will be the other large slice of ham and a fried egg with gluten free toast. I froze the ham in separate packages. The slices were large so two to a package (waxed paper) then the individual packages were put in one quart sized plastic bag in the freezer. When I cook bacon I save the fat in a jar in the fridge and it adds nice flavor to the fried egg. According to the American diabetes association 1 tsp of bacon fat can be used for flavoring. I have a small cast iron skillet that I cook the egg in and that contains the bacon fat flavor to the egg. Also I do a quick heating of the ham in the skillet after the egg is removed.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

I decided to make the faux potato salad and tuna fish salad with the hard boiled eggs. Teddi is not feeling well and was throwing up earlier today but he was begging for something to eat so I gave him one of the eggs chopped up and it was tolerated well. Then late afternoon he was hungry again and I gave him another little bit of the chopped egg.

For lunch I had some of the tuna fish salad with gluten free pretzels with pickled jalapeno's to give it a little bit of zip. Dinner is going to be a tuna melt with some of the canned cheese and will add some pickled jalapeno's in the tuna. Also a cup of tomato soup. Later tonight I will have a snack of cranberry salad with a little bit of cottage cheese to help balance the sweetness. I am suppose to have fruit and cottage cheese around 9:00 PM. I am out of canned fruit right now but do have dehydrated peaches which I will use when the cranberry salad is gone.
Janet Alliesmama
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