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Home > I paid myself first.

I paid myself first.

August 15th, 2007 at 09:51 pm

DH got paid today. I deposited his check in the bank, and when I got home, I went online to ING direct and scheduled $100 to be transferred from my bank account to ING.

Now let's hope I don't wind up having to take that money back out before the end of the month.

I've paid a medical bill, our county property tax bill (the balance is due in November), renewed the paper, deducted our life insurance premium, and picked up DH's shirts from the laundry.

On the topic of DH and his clothes, he took all his suits to the alterations lady today because he has lost 20 pounds since February and they're all too big. So I should probably count on that costing at least $100. It's cheaper than a whole new suit, at any rate.

I also went to Wal-Mart today. I know millions of people shop there regularly, but I hate that place. I went there because my younger son's radio/CD player bit the dust. It was a cheapo I got several years ago with points I earned from doing surveys with Harris Poll. I'm suprised it lasted as long as it did. Anyway, both kids use their CD players on a daily basis for audio books and music, so it needed replacing ASAP. I did a little online research and found that I could get one that was not a complete piece of junk at Wal-Mart for a reasonable amount. I looked at Best Buy's website too, but for what I wanted, I'd wind up spending more than fifty dollars. My older son's cheapo stereo (purchased at Big Lots two years ago) is going to need to be replaced soon too, as the CD player only works intermittently. ANYWAY, long story short, I went to see what Wal-Mart had. They had a reasonable selection of stuff, some off-brand stuff that I wouldn't buy but I found a Memorex CD/radio/cassette player for under $30. I also spotted a kind of nice Sony CD player with remote for $68 that I might buy my older son for his birthday (September 3).

While I was there I needed to pick up a few other things, milk, something for dinner, ibuprofen. I decided to stroll through the grocery aisles to see what their stuff looked like and how the prices were compared to Kroger & Publix.

I don't know if all Wal-Marts carry the same stuff or if it varies by neighborhood, but I thought a lot of the stuff here looked kind of....scary. Some of the meats and processed foods looked incredibly cheap and crappy, full of disgusting chemical ingredients. In fact, the place was loaded with nutritionally void processed junk.

I did find a half-gallon of Horizon Organic milk for a dollar less than Kroger, a package of Nature's Own "double fiber wheat" bread for twenty cents less than Kroger, two pounds of all-natural ground beef marked for quick sale (I'm cooking it tonight), plus a can of mixed nuts and a bag of spinach. And a two-pack of Advil for cheap.

Otherwise, I can't see that I will be doing much shopping for groceries there.

There is supposed to be a Wal-Mart supercenter opening early next year in a neighborhood not too far away. The Wal-Mart I went to today is in a neighborhood that is kind of scary, so it's possible that the new Wal-Mart will carry higher-quality groceries.

I'm not sure that would change my opinion of Wal-Mart, though...the aisles are always filled with displays of crap, making it hard to get through....there are always shopping carts of random stuff everywhere...there are a hundred checkout stations, but only two of them will be open...Target is by FAR the nicer shopping experience.

School started on Monday, so I am hopeful that I can get my eBay business going again, at least a little bit. I have three things up now, plus two more set to launch tonight.

Just because they're so handsome and the light of my life (and I'm glad they're back in school), here's a picture of my kids:


I'll report again once I've dealt with all the bills.

7 Responses to “I paid myself first.”

  1. Househopeful Says:
    1187215969

    Walmart is the only store in my area that carries the Morningstar products, which are the fake meats made out of veggies. I stay away from most of their packaged stuff, but their store brand frozen veggies and their fresh produce is pretty good.

  2. boomeyers Says:
    1187219651

    That is a great idea to get your son the cd player for his birthday. I try to hit the kids big gifts for that.

    Walmart has great prices on lots of their cooking items (vanilla, flour, baking soda) and also their cereal! You definately have to watch.

  3. jdedit2001 Says:
    1187222668

    Cute boys! I understand what you are saying about Wal-Mart. Every time I go there, I'm always cursing under my breath. Totally agree about all the junk in the aisles.

  4. Amber Says:
    1187228568

    Way to go on paying yourself first, remember it is ok to start out with smaller amounts so that you are not withdrawing at the end of the month
    In regards to Wal-mart I try to stay out of that place as much as possible, their meat and produce always looks scary; and let's not talk about the junk all over the place

    The boys are really handsome

  5. carol Says:
    1187232496

    Congratulations on paying yourself first, and if you do have to take any portion of the $100 out of the ING account, then you will know it's ok to drop to a lower amount. When I get my check, I may pay myself only $5 to $10, because I may be putting more into one of the other envelopes(I use the cash budget envelope system)but the important thing is that I consistantly pay myself first.

    The boys are adorable. Good call not buying any of the meats there at Wal-mart. That's something you will certainly want to buy somewhere else.

  6. fairy74 Says:
    1187237371

    your boys are so cute! Good job paying yourself firstSmile

  7. Susan Says:
    1190757574

    If you are serious about getting out of debt, you need to check out DaveRamsey.com. He is extreme, but you'll get out of debt.

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