On to new shtuff...

We refinanced our lovely country mansion this summer. I was all brilliant and smart and edyoukated about what is best, which loan to choose, how we can pay it off even faster etc...Dear GumpyCrazyUncle trusted me and my banking type advisor boyfriend. Silly Unk. Enter, The real world...we're doing some pretty fast dancing to keep up with everything now. The loan is for 15 years. If we pay twice monthly instead of just once it will be paid off in 12. If I put half of my babysitting moola on the principle it will be paid in 7 years! Unk wants to retire in 12 (he'll be a young 67)and won't that be nice to have 0 house pymt and hopefully some moola saved for the next adventure??!!Well, we'll see as it looks like I lose one of my babies soon. OY I am scouting around and working my dented cranium to come up with ways to save on the spending end. So far I've found a few small ones and am on the lookout for more. If you know of any (even little ways, comment to me here!! I am trying out the make-your-own genre. I already make my own mixes, flour, cornmeal etc. This week I tried the homemade laundry soap. So far, so good! Next is the softner, stain remover and automatic dishwasher goo. Figure we can save literally hundreds of $$ per year this way. I have D/C'd the garbage pick up. Oooo this kills me. When I pitch something I have this need for it to be totally outta here. But I'm workin out my inner conversations with myself. I need to find bins or tubs or cans or something to keep glass, metal, paper and plastic.And we need a burn can. Our county accepts recycles for free and charges only $1 per bag for refuse. It will mean that when I go to town (on my few consolidated trips)I must drop things off before I pick things up. Big deal. I can do that. That will make a savings of just under $300 per year. Yup, I can do that. If we win the lotto or something we will get a wood burner. I use the clothes line sporadically (it's that whole crunchy towels thing). I don't buy name brand anything except for Unk's Zesta Saltines. I DO go on mini trips too often. sigh. Gonna have to learn the word NO in my travel-loving heart. I FINALLY found someone who really cuts my hair cute and wouldn't you know, she's in Indy, and charges a bloody fortune. So, the hunt is on for someone local who doesn't insist on perms and a blue rinse. The self-pamper thing I do (nails) is gonna be a pretty memory. Chiro visits are down to twice a month instead of weekly-we'll see how that works out later! I don't do magazines and only "shop" the library for reading material. We signed up with a new phone company and have a contract for TV, Net and home phone. Could've done without the TV part but it was only about $13 less w/o it. That's my current list of findings and financial roundabouts. Guess we'll see what we see...