Financial Benefits of Video Games???

I'm having a hard time getting DS interested in financial matters. Oh, he's interested in money, namely how much can he make and what can he buy for himself, but not shopping for sales or saving up past his next purchase. So while DD has her budget made out for each allowance and asks me for coupons and weighs her purchases carefully, DS doesn't look much past what he plans to buy next.

We've known for a long time that there are stores that will buy used video games. Gamestop is who we have here. DS would go sell his games and take the cash unless there was a new game coming out that he wanted to reserve; then he would take store credit, which is 10% more than taking cash. I have tried to encourage store credit because in the world of video games, one store's price is not much different from another. Even Wal-Mart is only a few cents different (ie, $29.97 vs $29.99). But he liked the idea of cash in his pocket, and I figured it was a way for him to learn, even though he wasn't necessarily learning as I would like! haha

Anyhow, about a month ago, DS told me he had more games to sell, so we stopped by Gamestop. He found several used games to buy and decided to take store credit. The sales fellow told him that because he was trading in 3 games, they had a promotion where he got an extra $10. Then, because he was taking store credit, he got the extra 10%. Then, if he wanted, he could buy an 18-month rewards-type membership for $15. This card would give him another 10% on his trade-ins, and because of his transaction already, the card would be a net cost of only $6. It also comes with a gaming magazine, so DS said okay. THEN, he told DS that if he brings in the cases for the games, he'll get an extra 50-cents per game.

When we walked out of the store that day, DS had paid $6 total for the membership and 3 used games. In the 4 weeks since then, we have been back several times, and DS has traded in enough that he has purchased 2 new games and many used games, all on store credit, and still has over $14 in store credit left! It was as if all of a sudden, the blinders went off, and cha-ching! He saw savings adding up.

Way back, when DS got his first little Gameboy, I knew he would start to learn about saving for games, because I wasn't going to buy him a game every time he wanted one! I didn't realize video games would introduce him to the power of maximizing your savings and rolling over rewards and store credit. Another life skill earned!

Dealing with Poison Ivy

I am allergic to poison ivy. Highly allergic. When I was in Girl Scouts, we had a campfire once that had poison ivy in it. Poison ivy can spread through smoke. We were girls. There was a lot of smoke! This girl had poison ivy on her eyelids and inside her nose. You'd a thunk I would have learned back then, but I still am not 100% sure of what poison ivy looks like. *sigh* I had thought that most of it was gone from my yard, but I discovered a few weeks ago that it's not. Since then I have had 2 courses of steroids trying to get rid of this, and while it's better, it's still here.

On the bright side, I have discovered several frugal ways to minimize the discomfort and itching of dealing with this nasty rash. First, whenever you think you might have been exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac, wash thoroughly using Fels Naphtha soap. I can find this yellow bar soap at about $1.20 at my local store, and the bar lasts forever. It seems to dry up the poison ivy oil much better than other soaps.

Second, if you discover too late that you've been exposed and the rash has already erupted, use either CalaGel or IvaRest, both around $5 or less at your local Wal-Mart. I use IvaRest when I'm going to be at home because it has calamine lotion in it and therefore is tinted a bit. I use CalaGel, a clear substance, when I'll be out and about. Use sparingly as a little bit goes a long way. The first time I used CalaGel, I squirted out a dime-sized blob, and it covered both arms and my neck with some left over!

Third, if you can't take Benadryl for itching during the day because it makes you sleepy, use over-the-counter Pepcid AC twice a day ($4 for a generic bottle at Wal-Mart). The Urgent Care doc told me about this and said it is what they use in the emergency room for itching when a patient can't take Benadryl. It works, although it was nice to use Benadryl as an excuse for a mid-afternoon nap!

Keeping fingernails trimmed short and washing your hands frequently will also help stem the spread of the rash. Don't share towels and change your bedding frequently also. The poison ivy oil will transfer to the linens and then to the next person who touches them.

Thankfully I have a daughter who is not allergic to the oils. Guess who will be doing our weeding from now on? Don't forget to stop over at http://www.lifeasmom.com/ for more Frugal Friday ideas!

June Goals Review

How did June go? Let's see:

1. Pay extra on Mastercard. Done!
2. Deposit into savings. Done!
3. Put aside $20 extra for Christmas. Done!
4. Finish "In Case of Emergency" folder.
5. Continue with Revelations Bible study.
6. Finish one unfinished project. Done! - framed a lot of cross-stitch projects
7. Purchase tickets for vacation activity before early bird discount expires. Done!
8. Finish two books. Finished Thai Dye 6/20/09

Yearly Goals Check-Up

1. Pay off van. done 2/09
2. Emergency fund to $1000. in progress
3. Pay off Mastercard. no
4. Pay off Visa. almost but not quite
5. Complete 1 unfinished project each month. Five projects completed
6. Complete Revelation Bible study. in progress
7. Inexpensive vacation. Tickets purchased, arrangements made to stay with friends; just need to purchase food to bring with us.
8. Complete 6 cross-stitch projects. Four projects completed

July Goals

1. Pay extra on Mastercard.
2. Deposit into savings.
3. Continue with Revelation Bible Study.
4. Finish one uncompleted project.
5. Set aside $20 in extra Christmas funds.
6. Weight loss (2-3 pounds).
7. Finish 2 books.
8. Finish emergency folder.
9. Clean basement.

Grocery Challenge Update

I'm trying to get my grocery budget under control, and up until now, I have not been successful. Not at all! But if I hope to make any dent at all in my debt, I have to hunker down and get "gazelle intense," as Mr. Dave Ramsey would put it. So my goal for these last 2 weeks (from one paycheck to the next) has been to keep my grocery budget at $125. Let's see what happened:

After my main shopping day I had $39.34 left over. This was to cover milk and sales that were too good to pass up the following week. On June 16, I spent $16.10 at Krogers; June 23, $9.40 at Krogers; and on June 25 I spent $11.10 at Wal-Mart. Grand total: $36.60! That even gives me $2.74 left in my food budget! The grand total would have been about $4 less if Wal-Mart had accepted my internet Kraft coupons, but still.....

Wow! I did it! I am totally amazed that I kept under my budget amount. I'm definitely aiming for this again during the budget period that starts tomorrow. We are going to Spirit Song at Kings Island for 3 days during this time and are planning to take a lot of our food with us, so I will have to decide whether that will come from the food budget or the entertainment budget - probably a bit of both - so that will add to the challenge. In any event, it's a good feeling to know that for at least one 2-week period, I kept to the budget! Wooo hooo! ;-)

Embroidery Floss in the Paint Store???

I love to cross-stitch and do embroidery. I always have a project going, and while I am slowly trying to pare down my stash of supplies, I have a collection of floss and fabric that could probably be displayed in its own mini-museum! The most common floss brand, DMC, comes in hundreds of colors and is very inexpensively priced at around 30-cents a skein at most fabric and craft stores. Ok, but what does that have to do with a paint store?

When repainting a room, usually most people try to coordinate wall color with drapes or bedding or pillows. So instead of dragging in a large piece of fabric or whatever to the paint store to try to color-match or hand-match to a paint swatch, I grab a skein of DMC floss. With all the colors available, it's easy to find a matching floss for your fabric (or to your paint if you've painted first and are now looking for accessories, drapes, etc.). DMC skeins are small and easy to toss in your purse or pocket, and you're assured of having the right color match. And I'm betting that even if you yourself don't do needlework, you do know someone who does, and they would be happy to help you out in the floss department!

Don't forget to stop over at http://www.lifeasmom.com/ for more Frugal Friday ideas!