Cash Chat with your host Keira Knightly! *

[drewbear]

So by now most people who chose direct deposit for their IRS rebates have their money and the paper checks are being sent out soon. So let's get a little personal, hmm? Inspired by this site, I decided to run down how I used my rebate money:

1) Deposit just over 1/3 of it into my original savings account.
2) Use $100 to open a new, higher-yield but deposit-limited savings account.
3) $100 towards extant loans. Yay, extra payment this month!
4) 3 books from Barnes & Noble (including Nurk), a pair of jean shorts from Kmart, eBay, some pizza and some "personal items" whose exact nature I won't mention here.

Since I'm slightly ahead on my loan payments and I'm getting the PTO I cashed in for my birthday on this paycheck, I may send some money towards Kiva. It looks like a good organization.

*...yeah, I don't know where that title came from either.

Comments

[ginmar.livejournal.com]

Also, flour, rice, sugar, spices. Powdered milk. A good first aid kit. Hell, a bicycle. If things get bad, the roads will be blocked. Do you have a tent and a sleeping mat? These things can be cheap. Hell, I know how to improvise these things if you're lost in enemy territory. Do you have a car?

[drewbeartx.livejournal.com]

A bicycle is already on the list of things to get and is almost certainly going to be the first costly thing I get. If nothing else, I can use the exercise from using it.

I already have a 5-lb bag each of flour and sugar, as well as about 3 lbs each of rice and beans. I have at least half a canister each of chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, dill, onion powder and "fajita seasoning". I have multiple containers of black pepper and salt (why do I always think I don't have any salt at home? It's not like I even use it.) I also have vanilla extract (the real stuff, not imitation), orange extract, anise, rum extract and peppermint extract. Earlier this month I bought bags of brown sugar, both light and dark, as well as bagged hulled walnuts and pecans (ostensibly for baking cookies, but I haven't gotten around to it yet...).

Didn't think about the powdered milk; I'll pick some up next time.

I get paid this Friday and I'm going to try to get a friend with a Sam's Club membership to take me there to get more stuff in bulk.

[ginmar.livejournal.com]

Tuna's good for you; get vitamins, too. Make sure you have good containers; flour, rice, and sugar can go bad in moist environments. A slice of bread can absorb the moisture. Rotate stuff, especially. Buy soup in bulk. Get a tube tent. Get baby wipes. Soup is good for you and as long as you buy canned fruit without fructose corn syrup you're okay.

[drewbeartx.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know about the HFCS. It's insane trying to find anything in the stores that DOESN'T use it.

Would you recommend glass or metal containers? I've been eyeing this set of square glass jars with the flip-top seal dealie. (yeah... I have no idea what that seal thingie is called)

[ginmar.livejournal.com]

It's got to be air tight, that's what matters. Put pasta or rice in there and rotate.