Today I cashed out 3700 points at MyPoints to get a $25 Shell gas card. I got a sample in the mail of Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste with a $1 off coupon. This is the first toothpaste sample I've received despite signing up for at least a dozen. I think I signed up for this one back in the beginning of May. I've done a few PTR's and 3 surveys.

The kids are out in the yard with 3 of the neighborhood kids and I don't have to start dinner yet, since I only have to warm it up, so time to settle down with my laptop and read a few blogs and then if there is time, a chapter of the fiction book I'm currently reading.

After the kids go to bed tonight, I will do some more PTR's while I listen to the 2nd CD of The Automatic Millionaire and at least one side of one tape of Damia.

Okay, so it has been a pretty boring day and I just can't make it interesting. Oh, I'm waiting to hear back on a massage appointment because my hip is tweaked again, so that will be money out this week if I can get in.

And DH made it safely up to work. And the guy who has the position that they were hiring an alternate for before that DH applied for but didn't get the position, well that original guy has injured himself and now his slot may be vacant. He was close to retirement so he may not come back, hasn't made the decision yet, but there is a possibility that they may put DH in that slot. I am not getting my hopes up this time, though. If it happens it happens, and I'll be happy if it does, extremely happy. But no chickens in that basket.

I figured out where the "extra" money in my savings account came from. Yesterday was Thursday and that is the day of the auto deposit to savings. Can't believe I forgot that. Silly. So yes, it is supposed to be there, the total is $548.

Had a $3 deposit come through to paypal so transferred that. Still waiting on a $5 deposit that should have come through today as I cashed it out on Tuesday. It's a new one that I haven't cashed out before so hopefully it does go through.

No checks in the mail today, though I really wasn't expecting the one from SendEarnings until around the 7th, as that is when it came last time. No samples either. I do hope that those coffee samples start showing up soon. I signed up for some in April and May and so far not one has appeared. I don't drink coffee, but I was going to put together a gourmet gift basket of coffees for my FIL for Christmas, but now I'm starting to think they won't show at all. Has anyone else gotten any of the coffee samples yet?

While we were cleaning the other day I ran across some gift certificates to McDonalds so we are going to use those and go there today. The kids have cabin fever and are driving me up a wall with their bickering, so a change of scenery may do us all some good, plus its air conditioned. We may stop by MIL's house afterwards for a short visit and maybe use the whirl pool tub (they don't keep it very warm in summer, but the jets feel good).

I deposited that check that had gone missing but I found last night, so it is safely in savings. I also got two piddly payments from paypal to verify the account and then put through a request for the funds transfer of $50 from my Vindale payment. Now I just have to wait for it to show up in my bank account. It says 3 to 4 business days, but it said that about the two piddly deposits, too and those came through today when I made the request on Saturday, so hopefully it will go fast and be there in the next two days or possibly even tomorrow.

It just has been such a long, drawn out process to get everything in place to receive money through paypal and now that it is all in place, I want to get that money in the savings account as soon as possible. When I do, I shall have $420.34 in long term savings. Not bad for a girl who just 2 short months ago had only $125 in one savings account, and $5 in the other. Now the $5 account has over $200 in it. That's over $500 in savings, I'm over the halfway mark to $1000. How on earth did that happen? And also, wow.

I have to earn 200 more points from MyPoints before I can cash out for another gas card. Gas prices are finally going down here. Average is now at $3.23, cheap Arco is at $3.11, Costco is at $3.09. The Shell station is at $3.15. I am glad I chose to get the rest of my gas cards from Shell because the Exxon/Mobil stations are at $3.23. I only have one Exxon left to use.

Spent $60 today on food. Not good. We had out both lunch and dinner. Now we have leftovers from both that will equal one more meal for all of us. It was the last day of school and Rose had early dismissal (Tobias had his last day Friday), and I think we all got a little over excited about having freedom this summer, so we celebrated a little too much.

I think eating out is really my Achille's heel. I have to keep a sharper eye out on that. We still could have had two meals out for around $25 if we'd just done McDonalds or DQ or even Arby's twice. I think I will make it my goal for the rest of the month. No more eating at restaurants. And just so I get the intent right from the actual words, no more getting takeout from restaurants, either. Know thyself. I know DH will want to go out when he gets home. At least once. Well, he doesn't fly out again until July 3, so I'll just make him wait until the 1st so I can honor my ban.

I added $40 today to my long term savings account, bringing my total up to $370.52. I am still looking for the check I misplaced from Send Earnings, which is also earmarked for that account and is $49 and some odd cents. I also received my 4th Shell gas card from MyPoints today.

I added $27.95 to my freezer money account, bringing the total of it up to $209.14.

I received my first box of checks for the new checking account and my first debit card ever that goes with it, along with my pin. I had everything shipped to the CU because it is safer than having it shipped here. We have kids that like to fool with the mailboxes out here and I have found anything from a chewed up nerf football to a paper plate with a pizza crust folded up in it in my mailbox before. So far no mail has turned up missing, but still.

My 4th Shell gas card from MyPoints arrived today. So I now have a total of $50 in gas cards and $20 in Bed Bath and Beyond cards.

It used to be I could never leave Costco under $100, usually $150 but that was with a case of diapers or pull-ups and wipes. Then after we didn't buy those anymore, I still couldn't get under $100 for a long time. Last time I went I came out of there having spent $48. And this was after a month long challenge to not go there at all. I was so proud of myself.

I write a list and stick to it now. I do not go through the toys, dvds, cds and books at all. I avoid the office supply section like the plague. I wouldn't go by the bakery at all if you didn't have to to get to the walk-in refrigerator. Well, I could go the long way around, but the bakery doesn't tempt me now that I bake from scratch. Just not as good as what I can do.

I have to go tomorrow, just for a few things (cheese, milk, eggs and veggies, maybe fruit if the price is good). I found out you can buy a Costco cash card and then use it at their gas station. It won't take cash, which I hate, but of course will take credit and debit. So I don't buy it there up to now. Last time I went it was at $3.11 a gallon, which is 2 cents cheaper than the cheapest Arco, the average is still running right at $3.29. Since I will be there anyway, I will try this. I am saving my gas cards for when things are tighter. Usually that is the one week each month we don't get a paycheck at all.

Since it is coming up on summer we won't be driving as much. No dance, no sports except one or two week long sports clinics, and only swim lessons twice a week in town. I will try to bundle everything that is needed in town into those two days. Less driving equals less gas consumed equals smaller amounts of money going into the gas tank.

I cleaned up in the mail today! Three of the four $10 gas cards from Shell that I ordered from MyPoints arrived. Supposed to take 2 to 6 weeks and I ordered them last week. Don't know what happened to the fourth one but it may turn up tomorrow. Boonies mail delivery not always that on time. Also received a new product to test that I am really hoping works as advertised. And my Swiffer hand held duster thingy sample and another Olay sample. I know I signed up for 3 offers with Olay but I think this is my fifth or six sample from them. Kind of like that.

Today was a humid 73, which is in a lot of ways worse than a dry 87, but no kind of day could have made me not be a little cranky today. Woke up with a sore throat. Not the kind that makes you want to scream every time you swallow, but the kind that is there all the time, kind of in the background, but it still hurts, just not the type of hurt you can't function with. What we call a "summer" cold, onset with weird weather swings. Even ibuprofen didn't dull it down, but fortunately ice cream and popsicles did help freeze it out. I hope it is better tomorrow.

We had two big thunderstorms tonight. One came through at 8 p.m. and dumped so much water on us that it was coming over the sides of the gutters as well as down the downspouts. I ended up taking photos with the digital camera because DH doesn't believe me when I say water goes between the house and the gutter as well as over the free-standing side of the gutter. He's never home when it happens! Digital camera has the ability to record small bits of live action, too. Now maybe I can get him to put up the new gutters I have been whining for for 2 years. He has a Home Depot gift card he got from work as some kind of thank you for something, so it won't even cost anything, the card will more than cover it. I think he just wants to buy a miter saw, but honestly, we don't need a miter saw. We can borrow one from his Dad. He isn't even a tool guy, but sometimes he wants what he wants. I suppose we all do. But the freak storms are fading the paint on the side of the house and so the gutters are a need.

The other storm came through at ten. This one went through in about ten minutes instead of a half hour like the first one. The thunder wasn't as loud, either. Didn't see lightning with either one.

Did spend some unnecessasary money today, but less than $20. I was feeling too lousy to cook so for lunch we drove up to Lynden. We got food from the dollar menu from McD's (with enough for dinner, too) and ice cream from DQ and I took a different route home than we drove there, so we had a lot of nice scenery to look at. We also went by a gas station that was at $3.16 a gallon so we filled up there, so that cost $45, but that is a planned gas expense that I would have paid out tomorrow anyway. That is 3 cents cheaper than the cheapest one in Bellingham. Going for the drive helped us all with the stir crazies, too.

In the afternoon we cleaned out my son's room and took out a bunch of toys he has grown out of which we will either garage sale or freecycle, depends on how much work I feel like doing. Today's attitude would say just chuck it on freecycle, but I sure wouldn't mind getting a little cash out of it. Or I suppose I could list it on almostfree, might actually get a bit better than garage sale prices for it then.

Some time in the evening my son's friend R came over for about an hour and a half, so they were happily occupied for a bit so I could catch up on my emails and keep my crankiness to myself.

Not much else happened tonight, other than watching a series finale of my favorite show, that really should have been 2 hours long instead of one. It deserved that, but I at least enjoyed the hour they did have. If this show were still on next year I'd have a heck of a time giving up cable next month.

Tomorrow my son has his last class before the recital and maybe if I go put the rolled coin in my purse right now, I'll actually take it to town with me and deposit it in the freezer money account. Here's hoping.

Today my mailbox was full of good stuff. I got the Head and Shoulders sample shampoo and the John Freida Sheer blond samples, both for Rose and my 2 $10 gas cards from Great Fun. Cool. Of course, it won't even fill up half a gas tank anymore, but its something to help cut the cost of running a car right now, which is much needed.

It's not quite as hot today, its at 80 but there is a breeze. I have to go mow the lawn, but most of it is now in shade, so it won't be too hot for me. The grass is growing like weeds. And the weeds are growing like weeds, too. I have to get out the weedeater, too. I think I have to replace the string, but I got a big old roll, so that means handrolling, but it is so much cheaper than getting the prepared stuff.

Have to get the rest of the wash hung up, also. Right now stuff is drying at about 3 hours time, so I should be able to get 3 more loads up tonight.

Today I got a $10 Lowe's gift card in the mail, and not one I sent for, either. They send me ones a couple of times a year, probably because I spend so much money in their garden department. Or at least, that I used to.

I also got my sample of Olay Regenerist Serum that I will try out tonight.

We used the $10 Exxon card we got last week on the way to drop DH off at the airport. It coverd just a smidge over 3 gallons. Horrible. But it is free and is a little over the amount of a round trip from our house to town and back. I am glad to have had it.

I just wish I could have used it at the Arco, because they are still $3.13, not $3.29. But I shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth by complaining about where I can use the free card. I should just be grateful to be cutting my gas expense down a bit in the first place.