The next 4 years...

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Will be determined tonight if you live in the US. Voting time at our voting precinct was a breeze - exactly an hour but I see on Facebook where friends are spending two to four hours in line.  Facebook is hosting an interesting experiment to track the number of votes casted by its user. It's pretty cool and you can access it here.

 

 

 

Another "election" that affects us in the U.S. is occurring on Thursday with the Communist Party of China.  Sometimes I feel that as Amercians we tend to stick our head in the sand when it comes to other countries politics but this election/selection will affect us as well.

Small celebration...

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We were able to melt our snowball a little more this week as our new total is $4,124.48! To date, we've paid off $39,979.77. Small celebration in the middle of all this personal craziness!

Doctor Update

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Yesterday I went to the doctor for a check-up and to discuss our infertility issues.  Due to my inability to become pregnant on Clomid, I have been referred to our local infertility clinic which equals more $$.

To say that this new development is upsetting is an understatement. I guess naively, I thought we could get pregnant the old fashion way but that does not appear to be the case. Our appointment with the specialist is November 14^th and so I have a little bit of hope that the procedures they’ll suggest is something we can afford.

Dear Newsweek...and other Magazines

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I do not own an iPad. I would love to but I cannot afford one while trying to pay off debt and I'm sure I'm not alone.

So it's not a shocker that I was floored last week when Newsweek announced that it would no longer print their magazine but instead their readers could find it on their tablet.  This follows the announcement that Smart Money (a magazine that I loved by the way) was going digital as well.

It worries me that companies assume that a majority of their readers have tablets (iPad or others) or feel that they will purchase one simply to read their magazines. I also feel that I'm being left out simply because I choose not to purchase another piece of technology and it's very frustrating.

That's not to say that one day - when the debt is all paid down - that I won't get iPad or Tablet but it makes me realize how if you can not afford to keep up with technology then you are really behind the eight ball.

How I feel ...

 

 

How I feel when I pay down our Debt Snowball
which is officially at $5, 221.94

Answering Questions

Quick post to answer a few questions/things I learned about the car. Thank you to everyone for the positive vibes - I really appreciate them.

1. How much did it cost? With all the rebates, a little over 19K. We are able to use the credit union to reduce the price to a supplier price and then stacked a GMC competitor rebate and a trade in along with it being the end of the month is what helped us reduce it by $5,500.  The GMC competitor rebate worked since I drive a car that is not within the GMC family.

2. Research - sounds simple but it helps when trying to negotiate price.  We knew that Mr. M's car could only drive a few miles so that only gave us a few dealerships to price compare but it was helpful.

3. If you find a dealership that you do like, tell them what you want and that you're a cash buyer. Our car wasn't on the lot as they got the shipment and called us. I never knew this but a friend mentioned it to us and it was a very helpful tip.

The "new car smell" is great and I can tell Mr. M is pretty happy. 

Christmas

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I realize that Christmas is a few months away but if I don't plan now, I'll end up overspending on gifts. With that said...I haven't even started so I know that I need to create a game plan like now.

 

Ironically today, I saw this great post by The Frugal Girl today on this very subject. She's creating a series about Christmas and how to enjoy this great holiday in a frugal manor. Take a moment to check her post out here.