Breakfast I made the other day…
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. I had a lot to do this weekend. Went bridesmaid dress shopping for my friend’s wedding and that was a lot of fun. We also spent time with friends and started planning our New Orleans couples’ vacation for August. Anyone have any tips on what hotel we should stay at and places we MUST visit?
We haven’t really thought about houses this past week. Our house definitely isn’t ready to be put up for sale yet, and we are not in a rush to buy anytime soon for many reasons. We still like our current house and have other things we want to do with our money for the time being. But if that perfect house does come up for sale, then we are jumping on it since we are starting to think that it’s going to be difficult to find our perfect house.
We are thinking about possibly buying a house on a lake too. Any negatives for that? I’m sure there’s something that we just can’t think of…
I plan on doing an update post for my student loan payoff plan that I some months ago. We most likely won’t completely pay off my student loans this month. I calculated my payoff plan and if I paid off my student loans this month, then I don’t think I would be as comfortable with my emergency fund as it would take a larger chunk from that. I’m going to estimate that there is a 99% chance that I will have my student loans completely paid off by the end of April though.
Spending
I don’t think we did too much spending this past weekend, as I can’t even think of anything. We do plan on going shopping for new clothes for W, as lately he’s only been buying work clothes and doesn’t have much for Spring (or so he says…). I’m not sure how much we will spend but I estimate it’ll be somewhere around $200 to $300.
Also, have you ever heard of Save1? Here’s an excerpt from their website:
The company offers coupons and deals. Whenever you use one of their coupons or their deals, then your purchase also provides a meal to a child who needs it. Isn’t that awesome? I saw some other blogs talk about this company as well and I had to look further into it because it just seemed very interesting. Save1 offer many coupons and deals to a ton of retailers (most likely a retailer that you use a lot), so why not search through their website so that you can help someone else at the same time?
But how does this work? It says on their website that when they receive a commission for you using a coupon or deal through their website, that they in turn take a portion of this commission and donate it. So you save money and help others at the same time. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. Check them out now!
Extra Income (does not include salary from our jobs)
I received approximately $1,033 in payments so far for March. I also received $325 in rent from my sister for a total of $1,358 for the first 9 days of March. It’s kind of a slow start but I’m waiting on payments from several people still (and for a lo I get paid on a net-45 or net-60 basis) so that should bring March back up to where it normally is.
Affiliate income is still going really great and I’m glad I started working on this. I do have bigger plans for this and hope to see this area of my extra income to continually increase. It does stink that I have to wait so long for affiliate payments but I am fine with waiting 45 to 60 days 🙂 How have you been doing with your affiliate income? Are you trying to grow this?
Me and my friend are still working on our business plan but are stuck on a name for the business. We have been trying to think of a name for what seems like forever and I don’t know if we will ever think of one that we love!
Posts from last week
- $5,983 in February Extra Income and Goals
- Is a Business Degree a Waste?
- Debt Repayment is my Middle Name
- How to Eliminate Food Waste from Your Fridge
Food
Another meal plan this week! We’ve been doing AWESOME with eating in and have been loving it. We went out to eat the other day but had a gift card (thanks to my wonderful sister!) so it was essentially free. We also went out for drinks with friends over the weekend but that was surprisingly under $75 so we were pretty happy with that too. How are you doing with your food budget?! If you have any tasty looking recipes from last week, please share your blog post in the comments so that I can add it to my meal plan for future weeks 🙂
- Monday: Greek mac and cheese with breaded chicken
- Tuesday: Fajitas
- Wednesday: Hawaiian bread sandwiches with potato salad and salad.
- Thursday: Out to eat
- Friday: Creamy Spring Pasta
- Saturday: Out to eat
- Sunday: Steak and Jalapeño popper bites
Wedding
Haven’t made any wedding plans lately. Haha I’m horrible with this! We really need to sit down with W’s family and start doing this. However, when I went bridesmaid dress shopping it really made me want to start planning things because I definitely fell in love with a couple of wedding dresses when we were looking around.
Being healthy
I have been doing great with being more healthy. As you can see in the first picture in this post, I am working on eating more fruits and vegetables. For snacks, I am working on eliminating all unhealthy foods (well, as much as I can. I love donuts and chocolate covered pretzels) and switching to plates of blueberries, strawberries and the like. I went to Aldi the other day and was able to get 12 kiwis, 2 boxes of cherry tomatoes, 2 boxes of blueberries, bananas and apples all for LESS THAN $10. Talk about awesome, right?!
I have also been running a lot lately and run at least a couple of miles everyday. The weather is starting to get nicer so I plan on running outside with my dog more also. I’m really wanting to become more healthy and honestly to look like my normal self. Need to lose probably 10 pounds of fat and gain a ton of muscle!
Have you been doing well with your extra income, spending and being healthy?
Lisa @ Cents To Save says
Great job on switching out the junk food for fruit. Aldi's has great produce and great prices. I need to work on building Affiliate income.
makingsenseofcents says
Thanks Lisa! And yes Aldi is super cheap.
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
Tim says
Good luck in finishing up that business plan, and don't sweat it if you can't come up with the "perfect" name. Just find something acceptable and get going.
…Tim
My recent post Shiny Object Syndrome – A Reason Why Startups Fail
makingsenseofcents says
Thanks! And we need the perfect name because of the industry we are getting into. The name means everything since it will be plastered everywhere.
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
DC@Young Adult Money says
My spending wasn't too bad despite going to an out of town wedding. What killed me was a HUGE speeding ticket (apparently they are more expensive across the border than here in MN….) that really was just a dumb move on my part. Paying it off this week and moving on as quickly as I can.
My recent post $500 Cash Giveaway – Save Money this Spring through Planning Ahead
makingsenseofcents says
OH NO! Speeding tickets suck 🙁
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
Holly@ClubThrifty says
Great job on everything as usually!
In New Orleans, I like to stay on Royal Street so that I can be a block away from Bourbon if I need to use the bathroom. Sounds crazy but Bourbon street has very few bathrooms and the ones that are there are insanely gross. I love visiting the old cemeteries!
makingsenseofcents says
Good to think about! We definitely want to stay within walking distance.
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
Holly@ClubThrifty says
Another good reason to stay nearby is to make your own drinks. (if you drink) You can bring your drink in anywhere on Bourbon street so Greg and I just make our own giant sippy cup drinks instead of buying drinks at all the clubs. We've saved a ton of money that way. Drinks are expensive!
John S @ Frugal Rules says
Great week once again Michelle! My affiliate income has really picked up over the last week or so and just makes me wonder why I waited to start doing it. The waiting 45-60 days does suck some, but it's better than not getting it at all. 😉
makingsenseofcents says
That's good that your affiliate income is picking up! I love how passive it is.
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
Sara says
I've also recently started shopping at Aldis and can't believe i haven't done it sooner…2.5lbs of bananas, 5 apples, 3 lbs of oranges, a carton of strawberries, frozen broccoli, brown rice, and some other odds and ends for $14. Pretty great,
makingsenseofcents says
Yup, that's pretty awesome! They have great prices.
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
makingsenseofcents says
My diet and exercise always goes WAY downhill when traveling.
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
makingsenseofcents says
Thanks Glen! It definitely was super tasty 🙂
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
mytoughgirl says
I'd love to visit New Orleans one day too. I can't wait to hear about it from you after your trip (the cost break down will be of a great interest). Sorry~ I don't have any tip since I've never been._It's so great that you're making extra money and I'll have to pick your brain later when I decide to do that also~^^
MakingSenseofCents says
I will definitely do a cost breakdown 🙂
Jason Butler says
When going to to New Orleans I usually try to stay near Bourbon Street. Everything is in walking distance. You should check out Acme Oyster House if you like oysters.
My recent post Debt & Life Balance
MakingSenseofCents says
oooh I LOVE oysters!
Deacon says
Congrats on making that much so far in March. I am trying to follow your lead as I brought in about $2,600 last month and I am on track to do more than that this month. Thanks for being an inspiration!
My recent post Tips on Being a Tougher Consumer
MakingSenseofCents says
$2,600 is AWESOME!
The Norwegian Girl says
well this week started off good! I went to the gym for an hour, and afterwards I stopped by the grocery store to splurge on delicious, fresh fruit! So now my fridge is filled with two kinds of apples, oranges and bananas. This week I`m going to do good! I really need to loose some weight. In 2010/2011 I lost over 20 pounds, but recently I`ve been noticing that my clothes has been feeling a bit tight, and I`m not about to let it all back on. So here`s to a fresh, healthy spring! And to fitting into that beautiful dress that`s been hanging in my closet for almost a year…
MakingSenseofCents says
Yes I need to be more healthy also. I plan on going home tonight and running and working out for as long as I can 🙂
Budget & the Beach says
Glad to hear that eating healthy and exercising is going well. My ex boyfriend's parents lived on a lake in Northern Cali. I have to say that waking up to a view of a lake is incredibly peaceful. I'm sure it's a lot more expensive, but you probably hold the value a lot more. With the student loans almost paid off and all the extra income you make (you make in extra income per month what I sometimes make in my freelance career per month), your full time job, and w's job, I think you could save for it.
My recent post Fear of Not Having Enough Money
MakingSenseofCents says
Thanks! I definitely love the houses on the lake. We are leaning towards that also.
Justin@Thfmlyfinancs says
I'm always so impressed by your weekly income updates. I love the idea of doing all these extra things to make money, but the actual process of doing them seems to elude me. I do make a couple hundred bucks a month from my blog, but I'll have to check into some of the other things you've been mentioning in some other posts.
My recent post Simple Household Tips to Save Money on Water and Electricity
Momof2PreciousGrls says
I had a sick kid this week so noting fun. Hubby took the younger one to the park while I payed nurse to the older one. This after the younger one was ick 4 days last week. It's getting old!
I did try a really god recipe Saturday and it was delish… http://www.semihomemademom.com/2012/02/slow-cooke… I love anything I can do n the crock pot!
Going to try this tomorrow with a fancy version of grilled cheese! http://utah.todaysmama.com/2012/03/20/tomato-basi…
MakingSenseofCents says
oh no! I hope your kid is better!
Both of those recipes look yummy! Thanks for sharing.
therandompath says
That's great that you are getting in more exercise! I am too, although there are days when I have to push myself to exercise, but after the first 5 minutes, I'm glad I did 🙂
My recent post Billing Issues: It Pays to Check Your Mail
MakingSenseofCents says
Thanks! And haha I agree.
My Money Design says
That breakfast looks outstanding! The Mrs and I have been on a major health kick. We've been doing killer ab routines and other various exercises. We've got to get Summer ready!
My recent post Wealth Creation Strategies That Are Within Your Reach
@StumbleForward says
Looks awesome Michelle. Does most of your income come from affiliate income and rent from your sister? I would be interested in learning where you derive most of your income from.
As for my income it's a nice part time income but no where near what you are earning. Typically I earn around $500 to $600 a month. But I'm looking for ways to increase this with affiliate income but I haven't really found anything to work that well for me yet.
My recent post The House Building Process Step By Step – A Guide For Beginners
MakingSenseofCents says
I'm focusing on affiliate income for now and I hope to make that at least 50% of my monthly income. $500 to $600 is still a good amount 🙂
Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence says
awesome job, eating healthy to fit in that dress haha!
My recent post Little house in Guatemala, week 18-19
MakingSenseofCents says
$300 is awesome! 🙂
Sharon says
How nice it will be when you pay off your student loans!! What are you going to do with all that extra money per month? :)!
I was eating chocolate covered pretzels when I was reading this post and quickly switched to a bowl of strawberries. I REALLY, REALLY need to drop a few pounds, so thank you so much for the reminder! :)!
Affiliate income? Would you be able to point me in the right direction for this? I have a couple set up, but am looking for more ways to add to it!
My recent post We are one step closer to a secure retirement while putting a squeeze on the budget to do so.
makingsenseofcents says
Haha we plan on saving it and eventually buy our second house!
What are your questions related to affiliate income? I just started so I can try to help 🙂
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
@girlmeetsdebt says
I can't wait to hear about your new business with your friend! Great job on eating in more!
makingsenseofcents says
Thanks!
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
pilotsandpugs says
I think a good balance between healthy eating and moderate exercise is good. If I run too much I just end up eating more, because my metabolism revs way up. Gotta get a good balance between the two, and it seems like you have. Good like with it all! If you want to tone up and add muscle I highly recommend Julian Michaels 30 day shred. It is only 20 minutes, but I swear you can see results within a week. Good luck!
makingsenseofcents says
Thanks! And yes I will check that out.
My recent post $1,358 in Extra Income and Awesome Life Updates
graduatingfromdebt says
Good job on the extra income and getting out of student debt. I will also pay off my student loans in April and I can say I am very relieved.
My recent post Why Online College Might be a Better Option for You
Kathy says
we have a timeshare at Quarter House in New Orleas in the French Quarter. Great location, walking distance to everywhere and safe. If you are interested you can call 1-800-736-5906 and you can also view it on line. http://www.quarterhouse.com. Reaonable rates and units have kitchenettes. Good luck. Would be interested to know if you end up staying here. Kathy