Going for Not Broke

As I mentioned in an earlier post , I’d like to purchase a lightweight, flat-panel TV to replace my heavy analog one before my daughter starts walking. All of the articles I’ve seen about TVs toppling over on small children have this new mom very nervous. I need to put aside money for the TV so that I don’t get tempted to charge. It’s possible that by the time I have the money saved, my little girl will likely already be walking. For now, as I wait for my savings account to grow, I’ve been researching TVs online so that when the time comes, I know what I’m buying and where I can get the best deal on it. Looking at TVs solely on a computer screen, however, doesn’t give me all the information I need to make a final decision. I’d like to get either a 32-inch and a 37-inch screen, but without an in-person view, I’m having trouble choosing between the two. I’m all for the smaller and likely less expensive TV, as long as it isn’t so small that I have to squint to see it from...

Through the Target website, I requested a sample of Garnier’s Ultra Lift 2-in-1 Wrinkle Reducer . The Target link will take you directly to its Sample Spot page. Other samples that you can also request include a spring beauty bag, but I don’t have the code required for that one, and a Gevalia coffee, but I’m not a coffee drinker, so I passed on that one.

Through the Walmart website, you can request a free sample of Sani-Hands hand sanitizer wipes. I've found in the few months I've been a mom that you can never have enough wipes on hand. To go directly to the site to request your sample, click here .

I don't know why I keep putting off getting our landline disconnected. Our bill this month was $105, and we didn't make a single long-distance call, and quite possibly didn't even make a local call. (We do receive calls on the home phone. Contacting everyone who currently calls our landline phone would be a little time consuming, but not impossible.) To be fair, $30 of the $105 total goes toward our Internet service, but even allowing for that, we're paying $70 a month for a service we no longer use. So why is it so hard for me to just pull the plug on the phone company? It still feels necessary, even though I can clearly see that it isn't. For more than a year, I've been telling myself that I should switch our Internet service to our cable provider. What we're paying for the Internet itself will go up about $10, and there may even be a $100 or so installation charge. However, eliminating the $105 we're paying to the phone company every month would m...

As I had hoped , the warm weather we've had over the past 30 days did indeed result in a drop in our electric bill. From mid-January to mid-February, our usage was 1,817 kilowatts, and from mid-February to mid-March, it was down to 1,119 kw. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. However, I'd like to do even better. Back in late February , I unplugged a few things -- my alarm clock and the laptop computer when not in use. (Although, in all honesty, I haven't been the best about remembering to unplug the laptop as soon as I get done with it. Hopefully, that becomes a habit soon.) I realize the savings from disconnecting two devices from their power source results in spare change at best, but each penny I don't spend on electricity can be spent elsewhere -- our bills, for instance. I've got a few more things in mind to unplug: The desktop computer/printer combo and the TV and DVD player in our bedroom. The desktop computer can easily be turned off with the power s...

After I had my baby, I snacked -- a lot. As a result, the pants I wear now are two sizes bigger than what I was wearing when I got pregnant. Now, I'm trying to lose the weight, both for health reasons and to get back into my "good" clothes. In the meantime, I've been rotating three pairs of pants that are in the bigger size. A few days ago, though, my husband noticed a hole in one of my jeans. I don't want to buy new clothes, though, not when I have perfectly fine clothes waiting for me if I could just get the weight off. So I've decided to buy an iron-on patch to cover the hole. Hopefully, this will tide me over so that I don't need to buy new clothes.

Yesterday, I had a moment of weakness. It began when I decided to solve my freelance dilemma by upgrading the operating system, but first, I needed to do research to see if the software I use would still work. Turns out, it doesn’t -- at least not very well anyway. Therefore, upgrading the my computer means purchasing new software. My next thought was, “Well then, I might as well just buy a new computer.” So, I did some web surfing, checking out computers. I picked one out and made peace with the cost of the software. The combined purchase would be approximately $2,500 once taxes were figured in. Rather than buy right at that moment, though, I got up from my computer to clear my head a little. Odds are, I won’t make that much in freelance work this year. I’m barely on track to make $1,000 at this point. So when I got back to my computer, I didn’t head to the virtual checkout to make the purchase; I closed the window instead. I’m proud of me. Ultimately, I might opt to buy both...