Nhgirl1970's Personal Finance Blog

This month is flying by. I can't believe it is almost time for my first vacation. I head down to see my older two kids and my grandkids in south Florida on Thursday for a week. I have to get a box of clothes shipped on Monday so we will have them when we get there (avoiding bag fees). I found two small drawstring bags for my son and me to take one change of clothes on the plane along with our Kindles. We can have one small carry on. I need to measure the bags again to make sure. I am not paying $45 per bag as it would negate the great deal we got flying down there ($142 for two round trip tickets).

I am also working this weekend. I was supposed to be off, but I took off six days while I am gone. I am learning the system for the new admin portion of my job that starts next month.

On the financial side, I set aside the money for the car rental and $200 in spending. However,a good portion of that $200 will be reimbursed next month. I took three restaurant and two grocery store mystery shops while I am down there.

I am also working on keeping the costs down for the July trip to Michigan. It is exciting to be taking my son to visit colleges. He is down to four choices. He is deciding between Michigan State, Florida State, Dartmouth and U Conn. His dad will be taking him to visit U Conn and Dartmouth in early August. I have no doubt he will be able to get into all of these. He is a smart kid! We are researching scholarships like crazy.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

I spent $200 on myself this past week. I rarely do this. I desperately needed clothes. I was wearing jeans and that doesn't cut it all summer in Florida. In addition to the shorts and shirts ($75), I bought a tablet, case, and accessories, which came to $125. It was a want, but it will be useful. I have two laptops. Each has issues, but are usable. My son is going to buy one of the laptops so that purchase will even itself out. The other will be my spare.The tablet (with keyboard) should work out for me for editing and mystery shop reports.

I picked up a couple more mystery shops for this week. It made me feel a little less guilty about spending that money. On a good note, I finished the school year yesterday. I hope to feel a little less overwhelmed. I am looking forward to my trip to south Florida in less than two weeks!

I purposely made it a slow month for mystery shopping. Since teaching is coming to an end soon, I knew I would have to go back in full gear in June. Thus, I took a "break" in May. I did a total of 19 shops, including the one grocery store I have left today.

Fees=$180
Reimbursements=$80.80

Shops included 3 grocery stores, one fast food, phone shops, a coffee shop, a casual restaurant, a bank, and a couple of nicely bonused sizing audits at Ross.

I already have over $200 in fees scheduled for early June. The week I am in south Florida visiting the kid/grandkids will be slow, but otherwise I see June bringing in a nice sum!

The school year ends next week and so will my long term subbing. It was stressful, but I enjoyed most of the students overall. It was also interesting teaching my own son, a unique experience we will always remember. Fortunately, that part worked out very well. He is bright, even brighter than I thought! Next year, I will do some day to day subbing, but I have no interest in being a full time teacher.

On the other side, I had my six month evaluation for editing the other day. I was asked if I wanted a second position. I will be doing some administrative work (from home as an independent contractor). This should net me another $500 per month. I never would have dreamt years ago how many doors mystery shopping would open for me.

I am definitely looking forward to my two vacations this summer! Luckily, all that extra money I brought in teaching has allowed me to justify these trips. I also paid off a car, a credit card, and saved a $1000 (so far).

I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

I booked the June trip to Ft. Lauderdale yesterday. My son and I are going to visit my older two kids and my grandkids. I got two roundtrip plane tickets for $162! We can only take a small personal item and did not get to choose seats. It's a fairly short flight,so I can handle a middle seat if need be. My son is 17, so it also doesn't matter if we can't sit together. I will ship down a small box of clothes a couple of days in advance. I got the rental discount through my daughter and a full size car for the week was $117. So, the grand total is $279! I am also scheduling four or five restaurant mystery shops so most of the food will be reimbursed. I also have a place to stay, so no hotel. I am so pleased with the total! Of course, I probably need to add $40-50 for shipping the clothes both ways, but I can get at least $12 back with a post office mystery shop.

I am overwhelmed with a ton of editing today, but again, my bank account is looking much better. Of course, I will be very happy when I have time off from both editing and school come mid-June! Excuse any typos, my keyboard is having issues. Happy Mother's Day.

It's been awhile, but I am trying to get back to reporting my shopping. I only shopped local (within 25 miles) and only 4 shops had a bonus. This is for 25 shops, which is far less than my norm. I will increase it to full speed in July. I still teach the first few days of June, have a vacation, and am of course am teaching all of May. So, I will just do what I can until then.

Cash Earnings: $248
Reimbursements: $127

Reimbursements included $49 for groceries, $50 in meals, $5 for socks, $2 for small bottles of dish detergent, $1 for a pack of good pens on clearance, $5 for a shirt at Goodwill, and $15 for a bottle of liquor.

Edited to add: Yes, the cash earnings are low at a little less than $10 average per shop. However, 5 shops were phone shops. I did not have to leave the house. They pay a little less, but not having to go anywhere makes it worth it to me.

In some ways it is is nice to be teaching again. However, the negatives keep popping up lately, such as suggestions on who to vote for. Maybe I am sensitive, but I do not like my career and politics to mix.

I also found out we are required to give final exams on a scantron. We are also required to purchase them ourselves. I am already miffed my code does not work on the copier and I have had to do all of my copying at home using my own ink. When I asked about reimbursement, I was told to try and print class sets whenever possible (which I do). I was told to keep my receipts and use it as a tax write off. I was finally told I could take a few packs of paper from the supply room. However, I still have to use my own printer and ink if my code won't work. Btw, using another teacher's code is a big no no in case anyone wondered. It is one thing to purchase supply items as an independent contractor. As an employee, it is outrageous.

I have more or less decided I will stick with subbing next year. It is a lot less hassle.

Sorry for the rant! Off to try and relax and enjoy the beautiful weekend. I hope you all have a good one.

I keep telling myself it will slow down after June 6th when school is out for good, but I am swamped until then. I was offered extra editing, which essentially doubles my current load. I thought about turning it down, but there was no guarantee that same or a similar offer would be around this summer. So, I jumped on it. It is just about 8:30 PM here and I have been up since 5:00 AM working or getting ready for work. This is the first break I took other than running my editing check to the bank (my credit union is updating their software so I couldn't do it on my phone).

On top of this, I also offered to tutor my students on the ACT after school on Tuesdays. I love teaching the ACT, so I don't mind. However, it is rough given my already packed schedule.

I do have one more item I could finish, but it isn't critical so I think I will grab something to eat and call it a night!

I am in for another work filled weekend. I guess it is a good thing I do not live a busy life in general. I have no family or friends in this area, so there is not much else to do. Anyhow, I have four mystery shops this weekend and I agreed to extra editing.

At the moment, teaching covers my expenses, but that is temporary. Also, the extra income is helping me get ahead. Saving is more important than ever. My son will be 18 in 15 months and that will mean the end of child support.

I will reward myself with a trip to southern FL in June to see my adult son and daughter and my two grandkids. If the ticket prices stay where they are, I can go roundtrip via Allegiant for $58. I can only take a small carry on, but I can do a post office mystery shop and ship down a small box of clothes. Also, as I think I may have mentioned, my daughter is now working for Enterprise so I can rent a car really cheap (55% off).

There are a couple of other trips I want to take as well, but they are dependent on how much extra I can keep pulling in. My son is considering going to Michigan State for college, so I would like to take him up there to visit this summer. Of course, I told him to think long and hard and research before we go. I also hope to make it to a friend's wedding in NH in September. If I go on either of those trips, I will alleviate costs by mystery shopping while I am there. I will be able to edit too of course.

No matter what, the southern FL trip is a for sure thing. I just need to bust my tail a couple more months before I can finally have some much needed down time.

I kept accepting mystery shops that came along and now I have 12 shop this weekend. I also am doing my editing job. So much for resting up for teaching next week!

On a good note, this will net me $100 cash (this is actually low because only one shop had a bonus), $30 in groceries, a bottle of wine, a $5 Goodwill item, and a free meal.

I will make the most of it and be sure to use the Shopkick app and scan my receipts for Receipt Hog (I will have enough for a $5 cash out after today, but I am saving up for the $30 cash out). I am also wearing my Nabu bracelet (basically a FitBit) so I can track my steps as well.

Have a good weekend everyone! Time for me to get to work.

Where I am teaching, we are paid monthly. As I said when I took over this position, I expected to get the regular day to day sub pay initially. I thought at day 61 was when I would get retroactive pay. However, when I opened my check today, it was about $800 more than I expected. Apparently since they hired me for the position for the remainder of the year, I get regular teacher pay from day one!

This will help me pay off my dad's loan a lot quicker. I owe him $2500. I will probably have the tax return sometime this month to pay off the remainder. After that I will be beefing up the savings account.

I am on Spring Break. It is a much needed break. I was sick for two weeks. I probably would have recovered faster if I had been able to rest, but that was impossible with three jobs. I also would have reset my subbing to day one if had missed a day. This would have been a loss of several hundred dollars. Anyhow, I made it through. This week is just the editing and a few mystery shops.

I made a tough, but necessary decision. I sold the car I bought in June. My other car is paid off next month. I will have no payments. This means one car for awhile, but financially it was a wise decision. I didn't lose as much as I thought I would. My tax return will cover the loss. I have a large one due to the move last year. My dad gave me a loan until the tax return comes in so I could go ahead with the sale. I still want to kick myself for buying the car in the first place.

I am reworking a new budget. I keep tweaking it, but need to finalize it and stick to it.

As far as long term decisions, I am seriously considering a tiny house. There are several pros and cons, but sooner than later I will have an empty nest. It is so enticing to think I could save up and pay cash. No rent or mortgage is enticing! Also, I don't have a lot of stuff, so size wise it is doable.

On the marriage front, it is more or less over. I have not seen positive changes. As a matter of fact, DH drinks at night. He is harmless and never drives, but it is not good for someone who is depressed and a waste of money for someone who earns so little. I can't get past the guilt factor of where he will end up. But honestly, I can't live with him just because I feel guilty. He won't seek professional help and thinks the world is against him. He has alienated his entire family and only his son is on speaking terms with him at this point. I have decided with my large June paycheck, I will hand him some cash for moving expenses. Now it is a matter of mustering up the courage for the big talk about it. We own nothing together and have no kids together, so the paperwork should be easy.

As you can see, my thoughts are all over the place these days. On a positive note, I have kept up with the personal goals on my sidebar for the most part. The grocery goals has not been met. There have been less grocery mystery shops available and I can't take as many with teaching.

It was obvious right away the interview was a formality. Luckily, I will have lesson plans for a few weeks. This makes it a little less overwhelming. It would have been tough to whip out lesson plans over the weekend when I have not been around.

Financially, I know I will make 90.23 for the first 20 days, then from day 21-60 it is 108.23, day 61 forward it is 175 a day. It says it is retroactive, but I am still a bit confused. If I interpret this correctly, after I get past the 60 day mark, I will receive the difference so that technically I will make $175 all along. Does this make sense? Does anyone interpret this differently?

Nevertheless, I am counting on the 90 all along. I am going to take the difference and pay off a credit card, pay down the car, and save an extra $1000.

And of course, I have several other sources of income (child support, editing, mystery shopping) to help pay the everyday bills. I hope to have some time to just relax and let everything sink in over the weekend.

I have done so-so with my goals. I have not stuck to the 10 PM to 5 AM sleep schedule (close though), but I have avoided the electronics in bed. I have done pretty well with the 5000 steps, but I have a bad habit of forgetting to put my fitness tracker bracelet back on after showering. I also have been good about work and stop promptly at 9 PM if I have not already finished. I need to do the math on the groceries, but off the top of my head, I think I only faltered once recently on the $20 challenge.

As far as finances, they are crazy once again. I have a baseline budget, but a specific budget is difficult. My circumstances keep changing. My DH got hired at AC Moore part-time. Considering how things have been going, it is a good start. Then I got a call for an interview for tomorrow at the high school. I have been subbing a bit. They need a long term sub to take over a class for the rest of the year (and I would be eligible to apply for the job next year). I hadn't anticipated this. I have to say I have been very lucky when it comes to jobs. I lost count how many times I have been sought out when I am not looking. I am grateful.

If I get this job it starts next week (nothing like waiting til the last minute for interviews). I will have two full time jobs and the mystery shopping. I can cut back on that for awhile if need be. However, financially, I can get so far ahead in the next few months. It's exciting, but I won't make any plans until I know the job status.

Over time I have had some comments expressing interest in mystery shopping. I put a link in my sidebar. This is for the Mystery Shop Forum and the link goes to the new member area. If you are interested in getting started, I suggest thoroughly reading that area of the forum. You will learn quite a bit. The forum also links to legitimate companies. My recommendation if you are first starting out is to start with the following companies:

Marketforce.com (mostly groceries, fast food, and cell phone shops) They pay monthly by direct deposit (or you can get a check but it will take an extra week or so)

Bestmark.com (My referral is NH2490). Lots of car related shops (reimbursed oil changes!) and electronics shops. They pay bi-weekly by check.

Maritzmysteryshopping.com (gas station audits, banks, home improvement) I recommend starting with the home improvement shops. The gas station shops are great, but get some experience first.

There are over 200 companies available. I highly suggest if you are serious to do a great deal of reading. You can also find more reliable information and sign up for companies at: http://www.mspa-na.org/member-companies.

Good luck!

I am sure some of you probably use this app already, but for those who don't, I thought I would mention it. I tried Receipt Hog a year or so ago and uninstalled it. It would never credit my receipts. The app was clunky for lack of a better description. As I was going through my micro earning programs today, I saw it and tried again. I just uploaded 5 receipts and connected my email and I am at 250 points. You can cash out with as little as 1000 points for $5 Amazon or Paypal. If you save up and get 4500, it is $30.

You have 14 days to upload your receipts and you can send yourself a weekly reminder. Since I mystery shop, this should be a great "double dipper" for me. I am getting reimbursed anyhow and I can also upload the receipts to earn points from Receipt Hog. Of course you are under no obligation, but if you are interested my referral is KEZ87274. Whether you use it or not, I am truly happy to share an app that can benefit someone! If you do use the app, let me know how it works out for you. I will let you know when I reach 4500 points (there is a maximum upload of 20 receipts per week).

I have only gone out in the last week to do mystery shops and do the final paperwork for substitute teaching. Any money spent is being reimbursed other than business cards for subbing. Thank goodness I have a Publix shop today because I need a few groceries. I may have to spend a few dollars out of pocket.

Things are still tight on the money front, but I now have my badge and can sub. It was recommended I get business cards to hand out, so I ordered 100 from Vistaprint. They came to $17.79 including shipping. I used Swagbucks when I ordered, so I will get 8 swagbucks per dollar spent.

I also received an invitation for an interview from Upwork (formerly Odesk) to write ACT and SAT articles. It is an ongoing project. Hopefully that will pan out as well.

Things have not improved on the marriage front even after my talk. As a matter of fact, most days DH isn't out of bed until noon or so. I think I may call his son, but I am not sure. He has his hands full with his own family. I honestly do not know what to do. I consider DH more of a friend than a partner at this point and don't want him to be homeless. He has nowhere to go, but I cannot afford to support him any longer.

I have not kept up with my 15 minutes of organizing per day. I have done it on average two days a week. However, I have been working an awful lot. I have been good about not working after 9pm. I have only done so twice and have not worked past 10pm at all.

I did okay on my goals the first week of January. I was busy and did not get to the 15 minutes of cleaning/organizing on two days. I took a vitamin most day and hit 5,000 steps four days. One day my Nabu tracker didn't track properly, but I am confident I got enough steps in that day.

I did well on the grocery category. I spent $9.99 out of pocket and 5.99 was on cough medicine for DH. I bought an additional $38 dollars in groceries, but that was all covered with mystery shopping.

I have to spend some money this week for subbing. They are charging $55 for a certified sub certificate. This seems ridiculous to me, as the only thing I had to do was get fingerprinted and take an ethics class. I have a degree and have been a regular teacher so this just is a fee that is meaningless in my opinion. However, it is the last step and I should be able to sub after this next week. It's exams this week anyhow, so doubtful I would have had work. In the meantime, I am picking up all the extra work I can with my editing job.

I also had a talk with DH about his lack of working and its effect on our marriage. I tried to do it in a caring way, and I hope it sunk in. I guess we shall see in the coming weeks.

Time to go out in the pouring rain. I have to go do some trailer checks at the movie theater. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

My goals are updated on my sidebar. I originally had a much more detailed list. After a great deal of thought, I realized I needed goals I could attain without setting the bar too low. They are still on the low side, but it's what I feel I am capable of at this stage. I hope to exceed several of them.

I am excited about the $20 a week out-of-pocket for the groceries and household goods. This is very dependent on the grocery store mystery shops not going away. Assuming they stay, I average 6 of those a month. I am reimbursed $10 for groceries for those shops. I also earn a fee, but I am not using the fee on these shops. A good amount of food is also covered with restaurant shops. The rest of the food and household goods will be ordering from Amazon Prime Pantry. That money is free to me as well because I earn Amazon credit from several programs including Swagbucks, Media Insiders Panel, and InstaGC.

I personally like a set it and forget it amount for savings. However, my income is so variable right now, the 52 week challenge is a better fit.

As far as the cleaning, I do basic cleaning daily. The idea with the 15 minutes is to focus on something larger such as going through boxes, scrubbing a floor thoroughly, etc.

The trips should be doable since I can work while I am gone and I am staying with family and friends. I shouldn't pay more than some extra gas to reach those destinations.

I hope you all reach any goals you set for the year. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2016.

I really need to update my sidebar. I will be doing so soon. I want to think hard about my goals and my future in general.

I do have a few goals for 2016. One is to keep my grocery/household goods budget at $100 per month. I have been pretty close to that lately. Mystery shopping and Amazon credit allows me to stick to such a low budget.

I want a more structured 2016 in general. This means some decisions need to be made soon. My son is taking extra classes through virtual school to graduate early. We need to look at colleges when he officially has enough credits to be considered a senior in mid-January. If he stays in the area, I will stay as well. I like the area, but nothing has me tied here otherwise. I have until mid-April to make a decision.

I also have to decide on my marriage. My husband has been so depressed and does nothing about it. He won't seek help. He has not worked at all since the end of May. I don't want to sound like I have no compassion, but I admit I am resentful. I don't mind being the major breadwinner, but I do mind him not having any responsibilities and sitting around all day. He literally has nothing if I end the marriage. If family doesn't take him in (I am sure someone would though), he would be homeless. I truly think even if he found something part-time he would improve. He needs a routine and some sort of structure. Otherwise, I only see him going downhill. There's more to it, but those are the basics of the story.

On a positive note, I do love the editing job. There has been a lot more to learn than I expected. Although we work as employees in almost every aspect, we are independent contractors. I find this to be an advantage because I can fill my day with other income as well. I don't have to work set hours. I only need to do the edits within 24 hours of receiving them. This has allowed me to ramp up the mystery shopping. I will also go back to publishing that monthly income next year.

I also finished all the paperwork etc. for subbing. I am waiting on an email and should be able to teach in January. I am not sure if this will lead me back to teaching full-time or not, but I do miss the classroom to a point. The pay for the subbing is decent since I have a degree.

I hope you all have a good holiday and enjoy your family, friends, and/or a little down time.

I only purchased two items during the weekend shopping frenzy and I bought them both online. As a matter of fact on Black Friday, I took my phone and used it to make money. I used Shopkick and Checkpoints to check in and scan items.

I did purchase the Kindle Fire that was on sale for $34.99 late Wednesday night and it arrived on Friday! I went back and forth deciding if I should, but my other one is 2 years old and the power button is sticking often. I use my Kindle Fire every day (sometimes for work too). So, I bought it for $21 after taxes and Amazon credit. This morning I made my other purchase on Target.com. I bought my son a pair of jeans for Christmas. They started at $18.55 including tax. By the time I used my Red Card, used the 15% off Target is offering today, and gift cards from Shopkick, I paid $6.98 including tax. I also get free shipping.

I am doing very little shopping this year. I am only buying for my son (spending $50 or less), my nephew (I stick to no more than $15), my grandmother ($25) and putting savings of $25 each in my two grandkids accounts, that will be it. My adult kids and I don't exchange. My husband still isn't working (that is a post for another time) so no exchange there either. I should spend less than $150 total. One part of me feels slightly guilty. However, I do not want to spend money I don't have and everyone has so much stuff already.

I did have my friend crochet some really nice stockings for my grandkids too. I paid for the supplies when I visited her in Michigan last January. I picked them up when I went back in October. My daughter brought them to my son's house on Thanksgiving. I wish the picture feature worked here so I could post how nice they turned out.

On a financial note, I am keeping a tight budget until my first full paycheck at the new job on the 17th. Thank goodness for savings and mystery shopping income. It will pull me through in the meantime.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Does anyone here participate or know someone who participates in a health care share plan? I read a blog where the author reviewed Liberty Health Share. I am intrigued and considering trying it out now that I am working for myself again. I am not a fan of the Affordable Care Act and the plans are well-outside my budget. The health share does allow you legally opt out of the ACA without penalty. In short, you pay a monthly fee, have a $500 "deductible" and then you are covered either 70 or 100% depending on what you choose. It isn't insurance per se, but it quite similar, the members all pay into it for coverage. If anyone is interested in learning more the url is : http://www.libertyhealthshare.org/

On another note, is anyone having issues with having to continuously verify their info with Paypal lately? I get a lot of payments for mystery shopping and the last two weeks I constantly have to verify with a code.

Finally, not sure if I mentioned it here yet, but I officially have the editing job!It's work from home four days on, two days off, and I have 24 hours to complete my edits so no set schedule each day. I am very excited!

Today I am going to the movies alone. It will be free (eventually, I have to pay up front) because it is a mystery shop. I was hoping to see The Peanuts Movie, but it isn't showing at this theater. I will see the Cooper (I forget the exact name) Christmas movie since there really isn't anything interesting playing. I am going alone. My husband's been ill and my son is working. I also get a drink and candy or popcorn as my reimbursement. I will also get paid $5 cash.


Afterward I am going to stop at Target and get in on the last day of the buy one, get one holiday drinks at Starbucks. I think I can use a Target gift card. If that is the case it will cost me nothing since I have five dollars on a Target e gift card from Shopkick. I will bring the second drink home to my son who should be home from work by then.

Between the movies and stopping at Target I will stop and do a cell phone mystery shop for another $15.00.

**** Snowflakes****

This past week I did well on snowflakes:

$25 PayPal from Media Insiders Panel
$3 Amazon from Swagbucks
$1 Amazon from MPoints
and I am up to $8.44 in Google Play credit from the Google Rewards app.

I had a cheap desk when I lived in NH and gave it to my son's friend who helped pack the moving truck. Space was limited and the kid really liked it.

Anyhow, I hadn't been in a hurry to replace it down here in FL until now. Since I am self-employed again, I really need one. Sitting on couch with the laptop for hours wasn't cutting it. I found a cheap desk on Amazon for $62.50 that would suit my needs. I had Amazon credit so after tax it only cost me $2.17 out-of-pocket. When DH was putting it together, the slide out for the keyboard was missing. Not a big deal since I use a laptop, but I did let Amazon know. They credited me $12.60!

I also needed a chair since I had given my son my other office chair. I didn't have the heart to take it back after three months. I drove by a thrift store today and stopped in. I got a very nice cloth chair with head rest in mint condition for $20.

After figuring in what I gained back in Amazon credit, I spent $10 for a desk and chair. Not bad at all!

I am officially back to being self-employed as of Monday. I have one more full paycheck on Friday, but I also will get paid a week's vacation.

I organized my banking so all of my income goes to one account and I did a spreadsheet for mystery shopping. On average,that alone should net me $1300 plus reimbursements. I always make sure my reimbursements reduce my household budget. I often get gas, groceries, and small household items. I have reduced my household budget to $260 a month out-of-pocket. The rest will be covered by my reimbursements.

I did all the paperwork for the merchandising job. I will actually be an employee, although I will be able to take what I want for work. I am also starting the training on the editing job. I will get paid per report for that, but should average about a $1500 a month I am told. Next week I will get fingerprinted for subbing.

Waiting to hear about Cobra from my job. I can't believe they didn't do an exit interview (large company). I did set up disability insurance through Freelancer's Union the other day.

Snowflakes: $10 Amazon through Swagbucks (I decided not to wait on the $25) and another $1 Amazon through Mpoints.

In summary for those that aren't aware, I moved to the Florida panhandle in March for a job recommended by a friend. The good news is I like the area. The bad news is over time I grew to hate the job. It was an entirely new career for me (condo management) and the lack of training was frustrating. I let them know my initial concerns my interview. I was told they hire for attitude, not experience and they would teach me what I didn't know.

I did a lot of thinking when I took a vacation week in early October to visit my mom who has been ill in Michigan. When I returned I spent an entire day applying for jobs I would enjoy and would allow me some flexibility.

I am in the final stages of being hired for a part-time editing position from home, I am also doing a LOT of mystery shopping (I have done it close to full time in the past and have made pretty decent money), and I only have one more step to being able to sub in the local schools. Finally, I was also offered some merchandising work (as an independent contractor).

I did the math and I will be able to replace my income including insurance. I gave my notice and they only held me to one week because they had someone to fill my position. Yesterday was my last day. I have such a sense of relief!

I look forward to enjoying my new area (The job took everything out of me and I barely left the house since August when things went downhill) and my new jobs. I am thankful for the abundance of opportunities and multiple streams of income.

On a side note, I had the following recent snowflakes:

$3 Amazon from mPoints
$9 Paypal from Pinecone

Happy Halloween everyone!

While I was on vacation last week I cashed out for $2 Amazon through mPoints. I also cashed out another $1 this morning (mPoints) and another $5 via instagc (all Amazon).

Right now I am saving my Swagbucks. The $25 Amazon card is discounted so it makes sense to hold off for that. In the future I will go for Paypal, but from October through mid-December I would like to get as much Amazon credit as possible for Christmas spending. I have $23 right now.

I also earned $1.80 through Google Rewards. My daughter had me sign up last week when we were on our trip. I don't have any plans for those earnings right now, so I will let them add up.

Since my job isn't going well and my mom has been pretty sick up in Michigan, I have been picking up a lot of mystery shopping. I have done shops on my lunch hour, on my way home, and weekends. She has been in and out of the hospital for a month and is in ICU with congestive heart failure right now. My daughter and I have decided to drive up. We leave Sunday. I am glad we made the decision because my mom isn't improving.

My daughter is in SW Florida and I am in the panhandle so she has to drive nine hours up here to meet me. She will spend the night Saturday and we will take off early Sunday. I do have a week's vacation so at least I get paid. This time off will also give me time to think about a long term solution job wise.

I am using short term savings to pay for the extra gas. The trip should be cheap. We will stay at my parents and I picked up some food shops so we won't make much of a dent in my parent's grocery budget.

By time I return the money will start coming in for all of the mystery shopping I did this past month. I really want to beef up my savings and pay down my credit card. I can't wait to get back on track.I have felt so discombobulated most of this year.

3 $3 Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks

1 $1 Amazon gift card from MPoints

I also earned other "snowflakes" that I am not cashing in just yet.

Between Monday and today:

-$3 Amazon gift card from Swagbucks

-$2 Amazon gift card from Mpoints

-$5 cash from Instagc (going to savings)

All of the Amazon I accumulate is going to be my Christmas budget this year.