After a slight pause due to car toil and trouble, M. and I have successfully smoothed over and revived our envelope system of savings, despite facing a semi-dissolved emergency fund. We were looking into online savings account rates as well to help speed up our savings.

We cracked open the budget last night to fiddle with the viability of working toward previous goals while simultaneously re-fluffing our emaciated emergency fund. Then a tense forty minutes was spent on relentlessly nudging, jabbing and cleaving at the numbers until we could reconcile a functional solution, which we managed to do, and which is genuinely excellent.

It was stressful calculating where nearly every penny had to go but we did chisel away a teensy percentage that was being frittered away on rubbish, like unnecessary entertainment costs, which instead would be veered into our specific savings goals (such as purchasing a king-size mattress, also gravely needed at this point), in addition to re-plumping our emergency fund. And instead of trying to scrunch all of our objectives together, we decided to intensely focus on a lone goal and scrape it from the agenda before continuing forward.

We even inaugurated our little savings envelope with a dab of cash: nearly $20 from a massive pile of bottle returns, hah!

Our savings envelope, back on track.

It feels lovely to be progressing forward.
Baby steps.

Fellow peoples: although I enthusiastically support giving hearty obscenities toward insatiable consumerism and other such blatant nonsense represented by Black Friday, I still would like to wish everyone a truly joyous holiday weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving, from Lexi and me!

=^..^=

I love photos. Unfortunately as a busy mom, it’s difficult to focus on proudly arranging and displaying myriads of my photographs everywhere. So I was super jazzed when a high-quality canvas print arrived, courtesy of Printcopia.

Printcopia specializes in canvas prints and offers a wide range of print products perfect for your business or personal use. When they offered me one of their products to review, I was amazed at how simple the ordering process was. The website navigation for Printcopia was a breeze for me. It was extremely easy and super user-friendly, and after a few short moments of using the ‘Design Tool’ to upload my photo, the order for my canvas print was completed.

In addition to having an option to upload chosen images from folders on the computer, the Printcopia website also allows you to upload favorite photos from Instagram or Facebook. Easy-peasy, right?

When my 8×10 canvas print arrived, the colors were deliciously sharp, vibrant and simply gorgeous. Although I wasn’t sure what to expect, Printcopia exceeded my expectations, and I am quite pleased with the quality of the canvas.

Printcopia uses non toxic, eco-friendly inks and all products are made within the U.S.

my canvas family portrait, courtesy of Printcopia

canvas print with the ‘image wrap’ option

Would you like your own lovely canvas print to proudly display?

Broke-Ass Mommy is giving away a 8×10 canvas print with free shipping to one lucky reader (a complete value of $57). This is the perfect holiday gift.

This offer is open to US and Canadian residents only. Giveaway instructions may be found below.

WIN IT! Here is how you may enter to win your own 8×10 canvas print from Printcopia.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have fun, my Broke-Ass participants. Good luck!

=^..^=

While driving back to the city last night I nearly squashed a large icky rat zipping across our street, yecch! In honor of my grimy, pestilence-spreading friend, I’ve compiled this smashing Rat Race Edition of link crushin’ this week for your perusing pleasure.

ahh, spreading link love (and some Sunday snoozin’)

But first, I would like to recognize shared tweets for Broke-Ass Mommy this week, for which I send endless gratitude. (You guys really are awesome.)

Frugal Rules | @FrugalRules (Twitter)
The Frugal Path | @Thefrugalpath (Twitter)
Plunged In Debt | @plungedindebt (Twitter)
One Smart Dollar | @OneSmartDollar (Twitter)
Femme Frugality | @femmefrugality (Twitter)
Money Smart Guides | @MoneySma (Twitter)
Reach Financial Independence | @RFIndependence(Twitter)
Canadian Budget Binder | @CanadianBudgetB (Twitter)
Eyes on the Dollar | @Eyesonthedollar (Twitter)
Modest Money | @ModestMoney (Twitter)

These reads sure are a hit!

Enjoy some of these epic reads from the personal finance blogosphere:

Femme Frugality – Help Me Earn A $10,000 Scholarship! <--- You need to take a moment and vote, y'all!

Frugal Rules - Four Minutes That Changed My Life Forever

Buck Inspire – Two Year Blog Review By Looper Buck Inspire

Canadian Budget Binder – My Best Financial Tip

The Dog Ate My Wallet – A Story of Immigration & Healthcare

NZ Muse – The Importance of Being Yourself (or, every blogger’s biggest asset)

Club Thrifty – The Amazing Power of Debt

Money Smart Guides – Are You Pretending To Be Rich?

The Free Financial Advisor – Meet Me: Average Joe

Reach Financial Independence – Calculating the Weighted Average Interest Rate on Your Debt (and why I am not paying mine faster)

Monster Piggy Bank – Buying Land and Building a House – Part Two

One Smart Dollar – Designing A Savings Plan

Modest Money – Avoiding Blog Comment Trackback Spam

When Life Gives You Lemons…Add Vodka – Spending Money Isn’t Bad

Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses – Why I Don’t Think Hiding Your Spending Is Such A Bad Thing

Free In Ten Years – Thou Shall Own and Ride a Bicycle

Student Debt Survivor – Student Loans are “Good Debt”?

Money Master Mom – Have Fun at the Mall, I’ll Be at the Thrift Store

harro!

Broke-Ass Mommy was featured in the following carnivals (a colossal thank-you to each of these hosts):

Canadian PF Happy Hour at Canadian Personal Finance
Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at See Debt Run
Carnival of Retirement at Family Money Values
Y and T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty

Vaguely questionable search terms. I smell a rat. (Credit: All4Humor)

And now, some gratuitous searches that may have led you here (and left me scratching my head):

“Jennifer Lynn, broke ass mom”

“broke ass single moms”

“gooshie”

“scrooge mcduck blog financial” <--- very nice!

“importance of savings of money in small ways” <--- Yeeesss!

“giraffes too drunk”

“mommy’s ass will convert you”

Ha ha ha, some of these are more than vaguely questionable and I couldn’t make this stuff up. Soo, hopefully you’re all preparing for a productive week ahead.

Cheerio, darling.

=^..^=

** Sponsors have upgraded the Grand Prize to $100, woo!

Enter below to win a chance at the grand prize of $50 Cash through Paypal or Amazon gift card (winner’s choice) or five $5 cash prizes !!

Enter below to win $100.00 Cash through Paypal or Amazon gift card (winner’s choice) !!

Hi everyone, it’s time for another Broke-Ass Giveaway! This time around we are focusing on a great theme — being thankful.

Here is what I am thankful for:

I am enduringly grateful for my daughter, who is growing and changing so much. Each golden day with her is a new wonder and it just keeps getting better. My family and friends have rallied around me as a wonderful support network and my heart is so, so full.

I would also like to express gratitude to Broke-Ass Mommy readers and those of you who are here supporting this site. Thank you.

And I’d like to encourage you to take a moment to read through this stirring and poignant post from my friend John over at Frugal Rules, as he has experienced heart-rending circumstances, making him extremely cognizant of the fragility of life: Four Minutes That Changed My Life Forever. Thank you for sharing your touching story with us, John.

Take a moment to show gratitude toward the people in your life—they are here to help you through your own personal journey.

What are YOU thankful for?

To celebrate this concept of gratitude, Broke-Ass Mommy is teaming with other personal finance blogs to help sponsor the ‘Being Thankful’ giveaway, with a prize of $50 $100 Cash through Paypal or Amazon gift card (winner’s choice).

Here is how you may enter for your chance to win:

Enjoy a day of gratitude and good luck to all participants!

=^..^=

(If you are a blogger and interested in participating in future Snowflaking financial giveaways for your readers, you may learn more here: Snowflake Project.)
This contest has been submitted to Free Sweepstakes

The cash portion of our family emergency fund, anyway, has nearly been wiped out…

Are you in danger of being wiped out?

… and quite honestly, it blows. M. took his car in for inspection and the word came back yesterday: we are facing close to $2,000 worth of car repairs.

However, I keep reminding myself that the entire purpose of an ‘emergency fund’ is to be used when needed, and not to feel discouraged. Frankly I hate spending money on anything that doesn’t appreciate in value so it is totally aggravating when a vehicle is chewing away at such a huge chunk of our family savings. Unfortunately, a car is a necessary evil for our current situation and there is just no way to maneuver around these expenses right now.

Thankfully we can pay this bill off immediately, and the plan is to plop these unexpected repairs onto my rewards credit card and pay the balance off in full, to maximize my rewards potential.

The cash is readily available—usually I will accrue a highly liquid stash in order to pounce on investment opportunities on items at local estate sales, and such.

The advantage of credit cards and being able to tap into a line of credit

Let’s say, however, I did not have access to immediate cash to pay for these car repairs, and the mechanic is demanding payment by tomorrow. Here is another huge benefit to a credit card—I could use my available line of credit through my card to float the cost of repairs until I was able to sell (liquidate) some of my investments, and then pay off the balance in full.

This is why a lot of folks eschew an ‘emergency’ savings account, as they would rather not tie up large balances in a conservative account with paltry interest rates. This type of strategy, however, requires excellent credit and discipline.

I can not reiterate enough the importance and good financial sense of accumulating savings. Little bits add up and really do matter. It can mean the difference between dodging scanty annoyances and experiencing complete financial wipe-out.

Our family savings cushioned us from what may otherwise have been a hefty and dire financial pounding; instead, this car situation is just a minor nuisance.

Time to bravely soldier on.

=^..^=

Good morning on this rather spectacular Sunday.

just. ugh.

So far our Wee One has managed to flip Daddy’s mug on the coffee table and unravel our paper towels while we scrambled to clean up after her carnage. Currently she is running amok with the remote and trying to scale a cardboard box. Soon we will wrangle up our little devil and cart her off to the in-laws for lunch.

But first, I would like to recognize shared tweets for Broke-Ass Mommy this week, for which I send endless gratitude. (You guys are awesome.)

Modest Money | @ModestMoney (Twitter)
Frugal Rules | @FrugalRules (Twitter)
Monster Piggy Bank | @MPiggyBank (Twitter)
Canadian Budget Binder | @CanadianBudgetB (Twitter)
Reach Financial Independence | @RFIndependence(Twitter)
Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses | @momoneymohouses (Twitter)
Money Smart Guides | @MoneySma (Twitter)
Femme Frugality | @femmefrugality (Twitter)
LBee and the Money Tree | @Lbeemoneytree (Twitter)
Kristine Snyder | @Krissylynn (Twitter)
Well Kept Wallet | @deaconhayes (Twitter)
Eyes on the Dollar | @Eyesonthedollar (Twitter)
Make Love, Not Debt | @LoveNotDebt (Twitter)

Enjoy some of these epic reads from the personal finance blogosphere:

Krantcents – A Couple Tips For A Successful Interview

Savvy Scott – How Do You Protect Your Assets?

Well-Kept Wallet – Top Ten Business Quotes

Plunged in Debt – My Friend Won the Lottery

The Free Financial Advisor – How Much Did This Election Really Matter?

Making Sense of Cents – $3,700 in Extra Income in October and My Goals

Broke-Ass Mommy featured around the web this week:

• MMD at My Money Design with Weekend Wind Down 11/03/2012 – Epic Post Next Week.
• Glen at Monster Piggy Bank awarded Broke-Ass Mommy with a fourth place trophy with MPB – Pool Room Posts #3. Woo!
• Jeremy at Modest Money with November 10th 2012 Favorite Blog Posts.
• James at Free In Ten Years (including his own excellent example of the power of compounded savings through rice) with 5 articles to make you more frugal.
• Erin at Erin Shanendoah shared her thoughts in a hundred words with Blog Feature: Broke Ass Mommy
• Mo’ at Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses with Weekly Link Love: Seinfeld Is Amazing Edition

I received an increase of organic traffic through Google search terms and here were some of the highlights.

Gratuitous Searches that may have led you here (and left me scratching my head):

“happy birthday spooky witch”

“ten fingers drunk”

“giraffe coin”

“moms small ass”

“broken ass first time”

Ouch. Broken ass first time? Now that’s a travesty.
Stay safe out there.

=^..^=

This week I qualified for and completed my first focus group. It turned out to be a strange but entertaining experience. This particular group was for lip balm and each day for one week I was given a specific task to complete before bedtime.

For example, during one assignment I was sent on a shopping excursion in order to scout out the lip balm section from a venue of my choice. My mission was to document (with photos) where display setups were from the front door, how aesthetically-pleasing displays were arranged, and then base conclusions on how each brand was propped up/packaged, etc. It was a bit hilarious trying to discreetly zigzag through the aisles in order to document everything on my phone. Clerks tend to look at you a bit oddly for wandering around trying to snap pictures randomly.

The best part: I generously was compensated $150 for my participation!

My first focus group, for lip balm. Also featuring my daughter’s ‘sad doggy’—she drags this damn thing everywhere. (That’s my ‘cutie poo’ tote in the background.)

Which leads us onto … “My Financial Challenge Update“.

As a stay-at-home mommy without a reliable income stream, I made a financial challenge at the start of summer to raise $1,000, somehow. This is how things currently stand:

(All income was made from writing projects, sponsors and focus group participation.)

June – $80.00
July – $57.71
August – $425.80
September – $0
October – $262.50
November – $150.00

TOTAL: $976.01

SO. CLOSE. Just a hair’s breadth away from my $1,000 milestone. Wheeee doggies!

Broke-Ass Mommy Site Stats

Subscribers –

July 3rd:
2 subscribers (Can I send you something to express my gratitude? A tater tot, perhaps?)

August 8th:
18 subscribers

September 5th:
31 subscribers

October 20th:
73 subscribers

November 9th:
185 broke-ass subscribers, as of this morning.

Alexa Rankings –

July 10th: 3,507,434
July 30th: 1,236,943
August 6th: 906,877
September 5th: 369, 754
October 12th: 261,838
(current) November 9th: 211,222

Page Rank: 2 3!! <— Check your Page Rank, folks. There was an update recently.

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In unrelated news, here are some personal finance reads featuring some of my favorite lady bloggers on the internets. They are all kinds of awesome:

Frugal Portland – My Personal Philosophy at Age 31

NZ Muse – On Unabashedly Saying ‘No’ to Booze

When Life Gives You Lemons…Add Vodka – Why A Courthouse Wedding Is Not For Me

Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses – What Do Our Spending Choices Say About Our Values?

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff – Do You Fit Fun Into Your Life?

Mochi and Macarons – What Does It Mean To Be An Adult?

Little Miss Moneybags – Little Miss Milkbags–Would You Sell Your Breastmilk?

The Dog Ate My Wallet – Growing Your Professional Network

Master the Art of Saving – No Mortgage Payments For A Year—Sign Me Up!

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Broke-Ass Mommy was featured in the following carnivals (a colossal thank-you to each of these hosts):

Finance Carn. for Young Adults at 20s Finances
Y and T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty
Canadian PF Happy Hour at Canadian Personal Finance
Yakezie Carnival at Parenting and Money
Carnival of MoneyPros at Finance Product Reviews
Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at My University Money
Carnival of Retirement at CashNetUSA Credit Resource

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Now, onto the weekend.

Time to get your weekend started.

Have anything you want to accomplish by the end of the weekend?

Do tell.

=^..^=

A recent quibble between me and M.:

M.:    (pops open cellophane package of a tiny satchel of peanuts)

me:   (glancing at receipt, crumpled on car dash) Oh my jesus, did you just spend ten dollars on peanuts?

M.:    Huh?

me:   This receipt shows you just bought peanuts from that store.

M.:    Mmmhmm, was hungry, and shit, these are good.

me:   It says, ten dollars! On peanuts? That’s fucking ridiculous.

M.:    It’s not my fault you don’t appreciate my gourmet nuts.

me:   And this is why you are never allowed to go shopping alone again.

Is your significant other a spender or a saver?

I presume the majority of my readers are typically pretty money smart, but what about your significant others? How does your partner view consumerism, savings and finance, and how does it mesh with your values?

M. definitely likes to splurge and, although he will take care of all necessities first, he is more inclined to be a spender in our relationship. Not an over-spender, mind you; he doesn’t, for example, haphazardly rack up unnecessary debt. But if there are a few bucks in his pocket, chances are it will melt away quicker than ice cream squatting in hell. Alternatively I am a rabid saver that will only buy the bare minimum, and I experience frequent buyer’s remorse over everything.

Actually it’s quite nice sometimes because M. and I are very open about communicating our expectations and therefore tend to balance each other out, as opposed to clashing over these differing viewpoints. This is beneficial to putting our financial habits into perspective when we work as a team, instead of making our differences a frictional bone of contention: I tame his wanton spending tendencies, and, in return, he makes me less of a pinch-penny miser.

What about you—are you the spender or saver in your relationship and how do you and your partner manage financial discrepancies?

=^..^=

Related posts:

• Financial Lessons I’ve Learned from Scrooge McDuck
• How Much Cash Do You Carry?
• Discover Card Flogged Me With A Gold Angel
• Bitcoin, the ‘Comeback Kid’
• Financial Challenge Update and the Incoherency of Fatigue

As the delicious Autumn chill swirls through the city air, there is a riotous fluttering of crisp and golden leaves outside. Everything has such an enchanting russet undertone. Yesterday the first fragile snowflakes descended here, y’all! Lexi and I hit the wet pavement to walk three blocks to the mailbox. (Ruddy cheeks, delicate sneezes and snotty noses ensued.)

Lexi is so, so proud to clumsily sprint ahead now, and my heart does these fancy little somersaults, all twisted-like, every time she turns to peek slightly over her shoulder. To check. To know that I am close, to grasp onto.

My days are now full of her laughter and her exquisite shenanigans, and it is such a cozy place to be.

On the financial front, M. and I are discussing various goals—a conversation which was ignited by our beloved, fatally-wounded MacBook yesterday, as it decided to shit the bed on us—and we have decided to implement some type of envelope system for our savings. Just, right now our wish list is so long and varied and somehow we must begin to organize our thoughts and prioritize all of these wants, in order to focus more and make a bit of progress toward each of them.

Last night we curled up with chilly fingers and hot tea to quietly murmur over these things: what percentage for long-term savings (with the principal never to be touched—we decided on 20%), and what percentage to stash into tiny vanilla envelopes, with each of our goals scrawled across in spotty ink. It is hard to believe that at some point in the future these envelopes will all brim with crumpled tens and twenties. There are excited whispers of introducing strict “no spending days” as we eagerly anticipate contributing to each of our financial goals.

Progress is exciting. Stagnation = boo!

More soon,

me.

It is Monday. (Again.)

Some PF link crushin’ to get you through the rubbish of Monday.

Here are some personal finance reads floating around the blogosphere, for your distinct perusing pleasure:

LBee and the Money Tree – Broken Heart, Broken Wallet-Part 1.

My Money Design – My Money Design For Achieving Financial Freedom

Modest Money – What Happens to Debt When You Die?

Canadian Budget Binder – How To Have The Wedding of Your Dreams and Still Be Frugal

So Over This – My Credit Cards Are Plotting Against Me

Money Life and More – How Much A Cheap Cruise Really Costs

Club Thrifty – Top 5 Finance Apps to Keep Your Finances in Check

Simple Debt Free Finance – The Worst Things For Your Credit Score

Frugal Rules – Are Rich People Really That Different From the Rest of Us?

Reach Financial Independence – Little House in Guatemala, Week 1 (with lots of pics!)

Monster Piggy Bank – 6 Simple Money Saving Tips

Pelican on Money – The Thank-You Letter That Landed A Job

~¤~¤~

It is also time for another Broke-Ass Monday! Enjoy some of this fun free stuff circulating around the web.

…it’s another Broke-Ass Monday!

• Broke-Ass Mommy is helping to sponsor a $100 Cash Giveaway through Paypal or Amazon gift card (winner’s choice) in our ‘the importance of emergency fund’ giveaway. Don’t miss your chance to win, you cheeky muff.
• WorkSaveLive is celebrating their one-year blogoversary by giving away an iPad Mini, $100 Amazon Gift Card, and $50 Paypal Cash to three lucky winners! Hurry over to enter.

Good luck to all participants. See you folks for the next Broke-Ass Monday!

=^..^=

Enter below to win a chance at $100 Cash through Paypal or Amazon gift card (winner’s choice) !!

It is essential to make it a priority to establish an emergency fund.

Having an emergency fund shapes wise financial habits and is a huge milestone once achieved. I used to live paycheck to paycheck and every unexpected expense would cripple my bank account balance, sending it hurling into the red. One day I became sick of the constant struggle of trying to survive and made it a priority to break this vicious cycle — now I’ve socked away eight months worth of expenses for when those unforeseen, pesky emergencies crop up.

This was a slow continuous process where I siphoned off a percentage of income every time I received money, in order to place that amount into a specific account marked solely for emergency savings. I faithfully contributed to this account no matter what. (And, well, then basically forgot about it.)

Thanks to diligently socking away between 10-15%, I quickly managed to accumulate a nifty safety cash buffer, which was exhilarating. Let me tell you, having an emergency fund in place brings huge relief and an enormous psychological boost. And once a tidy emergency fund of your own is established, I guarantee you’ll have incredible peace of mind. Then the fun begins!  You can begin investing wisely for the future to watch your hard-earned money grow.

Taking control of your financial future by establishing an emergency fund definitely feels empowering!

Now, onto the good stuff!

To celebrate this concept, Broke-Ass Mommy is teaming with other personal finance blogs to help sponsor ‘The Importance of an Emergency Fund’ giveaway, with a prize of $100 Cash through Paypal or Amazon gift card (winner’s choice).

Here is how you may enter for your chance to win:

(If you are a blogger and interested in participating in future Snowflaking financial giveaways for your readers, you may learn more here: Snowflake Project.)
This contest has been submitted to Sweepstakes Plus

A little Halloween munchkin devilry.

Hmm, it’s Halloween. What shall I do?

I have an idea!

I look eerie and spooky- ookie. Now lets see what I need for gathering loot.

Dang, this may be a bit unwieldy.

…a short time later…

Look at the spoils I have harvested. Muahaha. Well done, me.

Happy Halloween! love, Lexi xx

=^..^=

…a muddled Monday

Happy Monday, all.

Hopefully everyone survived the weekend intact. Here are some personal finance reads floating around the blogosphere, for your distinct perusing pleasure:

Canadian Budget Binder – Frugal Halloween Fun: Mr. Cbb’s Scary Witch Finger Cookies!

Money Smart Guides – Top Ten Rare Coins of All Time

Frugal Rules – Should We Really be Concerned About the Fiscal Cliff?

Modest Money – Why Is Talking About Money Hard?

My Money Design – Confessions and Resume Screening Tips from Someone Who Interviews

Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses – Wells Fargo Is a Jerk, and Avoiding Scammy Loan Lenders

Pelican on the Money – Rejected For Being Debt Free, Really?

Club Thrifty – How I Saved at Least $50,000 by Buying New Furniture

Monster Piggy Bank – Fruit and Vegetable Garden (with pics!)

Reach Financial Independence – Moving Abroad: The Check-list

Your Wealth Effect – How Do You Kill a Financial Zombie?

Also I would like to recognize shared tweets for Broke-Ass Mommy this week, for which I send endless gratitude. (You guys are awesome.)

Modest Money | @ModestMoney (Twitter)
Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses | @momoneymohouses (Twitter)
Frugal Rules | @FrugalRules (Twitter)
Reach Financial Independence | @RFIndependence(Twitter)

Currently inundated with a writing project, so this will be on the brief side.
Talk soon.

=^..^=

As biting and shivery weather settles forth, there have been some items I have contemplated splurging on, but the real trick has been scuffling with my (naturally) frugal nature, as a few of these will set me back a pittance. But nonetheless, they are still exquisite ways to indulge myself a teensy bit during the frostier months.

Here are some ideas on how to pamper myself through the upcoming winter chill:

1. A small box of truffles, or another delicacy from a skilled chocolatier, or even a tarte framboises-pistache from the best pâtisserie in the city, perched loyally on my writing desk some frigid morning, waiting to be nibbled on and enjoyed with a frothy dark-roasted french-pressed coffee, served in a porcelain mug.

a delicate box of truffles

2. A Moleskine journal, to capture every wisp of thought, anywhere.

Source: Moleskinerie, Troy Pesola

3. A wallet made from chewy real leather. My current tattered purse was purchased at Target six years ago as a broke-ass student, and is absolutely filthy.

a definite upgrade

4. A pair of luxurious lambswool slippers to sink my chilly piggies into.

Baaaah!

5. A King-sized bed set-up. (Potential bonus points: a memory-foam mattress.) Although this one is not a small indulgence and NOT cheap, it is a hot item for M. and I, as we are fed up with hobbling about all ache-y after what should have been a restful night of sleep. (Will be writing a heck of a lot more on this later.)

snoozin’ like a Queen

Do you have any planned indulgences for yourself or a loved one to get through the nippier months? Do tell.

=^..^=

A shocking disclosure.

With a forecast of nearly 76°F today, I will be escaping the clutches of the internet to caper through some enchanted forest pocket of woodlands with my butter bean, and other groovy shenanigans. Enjoy those lazy days of autumn and see you tomorrow-ish.

=^..^=

M. and I are fond of browsing the farmers market for fresh, locally grown produce and it has become somewhat of a tradition in our little family to attend the market every Saturday morning at the parkway five blocks from our apartment. Once we arrive home, our sacks brimming with delectable bounty, another ritual ensues—the frenzied preparation of a savory, home-cooked breakfast, a bursting potpourri of newly-obtained ingredients.

Here is an example, with scrambled duck eggs (for our eggs we enjoy alternating between chicken and duck), peach, veggies, tomato and a fresh-baked blueberry streusel muffin:

Mmmmm, a heavenly breakfast that is simply delish!

We always utilize cash whenever we attend the market and thus carry anywhere between $50 to $100, depending on what is in season and what our selection for that particular week is.

This weekend we were stuck in line behind a patron who was fumbling through his wallet to pay for a string of garlic bulbs, and I was a bit surprised when the gentleman had to eventually step away to track down an ATM because he had no cash on hand. This made me wonder how often people still carry cash, and how much.

Usually I make an effort to have around $40 tucked in my pocket at all times (with a nice selection of $5′s, $10′s and singles) and a cache of spare change somewhere in the vehicle, which is especially useful while living in the city if, for example, I want to run downtown for a cheap bite with friends, as parking in designated lots or ramps can cost upward of $5 or more.

A drawback with having access to immediate cash on hand: it can be much harder to keep track of since it is ridiculously easy to spend.

Admittedly there have been occasions where I’ve lost track and then scratched my head at the end of the day, wondering where the hell all my cash dwindled away to. Using vending machines during tediously long errands that tend to crop up (such as car oil changes) and the drive-thru for coffee are HUGE culprits here. Gulp.

Now I am a bit more mindful about guarding my cash and find it helpful to carry a bag, containing: my tablet, a notebook and pen, my current novel or magazine of choice, bottled water, a coffee mug, and some snacks to smother those dreaded munch-y pangs.

Is cash still king?

Do you find plastic more convenient and tend to swipe everything? Does cash vanish more easily because you feel a greater urge to spend down with it?

I am curious for a peek inside your wallet: how much cash do you regularly carry?

=^..^=

Related posts:

• Financial Lessons I’ve Learned from Scrooge McDuck
• A Candid Look At My Finances
• Weathering Weekend Expenses – It’s Blustery!
• Financial Check-up: Our Vacation at Cape Ann