Boomeyers's Digging Out of Debt

I received this email from Turbotax today. I chose to have the Turbotax fees taken from my tax return, instead of paying with a credit card. This explains why I have'nt received my money yet:



Dear Valued Customer,

We want to provide you with the most up–to–date information about the tax rebate to which you may be entitled.

Recently, you may have received a letter from the IRS advising you when to expect your Economic Stimulus Payment (rebate). That IRS letter may have inadvertently left off some important information. Taxpayers who chose to have their tax preparation fees deducted from their federal tax refund will receive their tax rebate in the mail, not via direct deposit.

Our records show that you chose this payment option in TurboTax. As a result, the IRS has determined that you will receive your tax rebate in the mail. This may result in you receiving your rebate on a date later than expected.

This situation, while not unique to TurboTax, is understandably causing some concern and confusion. To help further clarify the situation, below is the most current IRS rebate payment processing schedule, as well as additional resources about the tax rebates.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you still have questions, the best source for the most up-to-date information is www.irs.gov (see the "Rebate Payment Questions" link).

Sincerely,

Bob Meighan

Vice President, TurboTax Customer Advocacy


If the last two digits
of your Social Security
number are: Payments will be
mailed no later than:
00 – 09 May 16
10 – 18 May 23
19 – 25 May 30
26 – 38 June 6
39 – 51 June 13
52 – 63 June 20
64 – 75 June 27
76 – 87 July 4
88 – 99 July 11

Other sources for current information on the rebate program are.

• http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=182734,00.html
• http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=182735,00.html

For more information on TurboTax and rebates, please visit http://turbotax.intuit.com/support/kb/tax-content/tax-tips/6255.html

The check never came. I tried to catch up with the IRS, but all I got was a maze of numbers to push and a hang up. We should have received our money by deposit on May 9th. I will try to investigate again tomorrow.
We have had nothing but rain and clouds for weeks. Very depressing. Been fighting very hard againist the depression (I've never really HAD depression before), but not so good. Too much debt, a terrible job and lack of ability to be hired anywhere else.... well, it adds up. Ugh.

Hope everyone has a great cinco de mayo! We had a lovely Frito-y, cheesey, yummy casserole for dinner!

After 4 long years of waiting, I finally received a pay raise! I'm glad for the money, but it really feels like I have sold my soul to the devil. These people don't do it for you, they do it so you can be obligated to them. We lost another receptionist, she quit, so they are hiring for the other location which means the extra hours I would have worked there are gone. I don't really mind, as I would have used lots of gas to get there! I am learning more back office work and figure I will use the training for more job experience. Lots of bookkeeping stuff. Hope I don't screw it up! :-)

Well, due to my last post, I have been AWOL. I have been working a LOT and busy every other second! I've been on field trips too and had a fundraiser for DD1's Girl Scout trip to New York city. Working a lot will have its perks in my paychecks, but I am TIRED and I am spending too much eating out. Need to take stock of food and make meal plan. I'm just too tired. Round and round it goes! I did get a Dove free sample from Walmart and today is a NICE Schick Quattro razor for DH. Love freebies!! Can you believe they are rationing rice at the club stores. A little scary!

Okay, I'll make a long story long. Over a year ago we had a change of management. The ladies came in and took over and most of our office agents left and most of our staff is gone now too! We have one lady that wants to control EVERYTHING and will drive you nuts till you quit if she doesn't like you. Sooooo, while they have been ditching office staff, we have been picking up the slack of missing people. No raise, just more responsibility. Soooooo anyway, today another lady walked in and quit. So we are down to 4 receptionist for 2 locations. It looks like I will be getting more hours, and I made the hint that I would like more money. Of course that fell on deaf ears. Sooooo...anyway, I will be working lots of hours, lots of weekends and have even MORE responsibilities. At least I have a job.

I paid the bills with DH's check last week. Had to borrow from the savings acct. Now, this check will be less than I had expected and I need to make DH's car payment (aka, the garage paperweight) and pay to see DD2's talent show and I need gas, oh, and then the regular grocery expenses. Ugh. I know somehow we will make it through, but I hate feeling like a desperate kid that wants to go to the movies with her friends, or buy a new blouse. It's aggrevating to be an adult and to feel this way. Yes, I could use a credit card and alleviate my frustrations, but I really want to stay the course and reverse process. Ahhh.... a nice whine. I feel better now!

With best intentions, I went to Walgreens to use my $5 off coupon with $20 purchase. I bought DD2 a flat iron and I bought a couple of things for the Girl Scouts "April Showers" event. However, after dropping off DD2 at her babysitting job, picking up "the girls" for bunko, and making sure I had money for bunko, I realized I forgot to use my stupid coupon!! >( Doggone it! As a useful bonus however, DD2 does not like the flat iron and wants to return it. Ugh.

DH will be paid tonight through the auto payment. It is already spent, but I will get to see what our exact salary will be now that I have upped our deductions to 5.

Went to the grocery store. Bought 64.42 worth of groceries for 46.41!

I went to work for my Pampered Chef friend. She had my gift card payments for my work last month. I got $60 to Walmart, $22 to Home Depot and $40 to Chevys. I got a LOT of stuff for my Walmart GC! I am proud! I got 5 Colgate toothbrushes for .26 cents each! We have a donation drive this weekend for the Girl Scouts. They pick up personal care items to give to local food pantrys. I will put some of the toothbrushes in for that. I got 2 Crest toothpastes for .50 Each. Would have got more, but they did'nt have any more. So anyway, good shopping deals today! I am planning on using the Walgreens special tomorrow (Happy Couponing mentioned it in her blog).

Will play bunko with girlfriends tomorrow night. $5 for an evening of fun with the girls is quite a bargain. Have really stretched my garage sale money out!

I have'nt posted much, because I am in auto mode. Paycheck comes, is divvied out and we wait for another pay day. Ugh. Soooo sllllooooowwwww. Feel like I will be in debt for ever.

Had my own garage sale. Pretty good. Was so sick, DD1 did majority of work on it. Made about $120, gave DD1 $40 cut for her hard work. Still have tons of stuff to put out. May set up again if subdivision has a sale. Gave my neighbor TONS of clothes. She brought down her wagon and we loaded it up so high she had to have her daughter hold onto it to get it home!

Thinking about starting my own website to see if I can bring in extra money. Doing a little research into it and asking some other online friends how they do it. Can't think of anything catchy to call it. Would like to stick with Boomeyers in the name, but what would go well with that?? Thoughts??

Have I been waiting for this!! I had planned to have my own garage sale today and use some of the money for snowflaking our debt, but the city department decided to tear up all of our streets and repair them, so I thought I would wait a little bit. The weather was also windy and cold!

But I digress!!!.... I went to an indoor sale and was given a bag to fill with clothes for $5!! Yee Haw! Even if I thought it MIGHT fit someone, I threw it in! I got soccer socks for DD3's practices, socks for DD1, a jacket for DD3, some lounging pants for DD1 (Tommy H, very nice and soft!) and some extra clothes for my neice that my mom can keep at her house for emergencys. I did get DD3 some more shirts and some misc. sports shirts, one for the Cardinals and two for the Rams. Nice to have on hand if we go to a game or sometimes they have spirit days at school. Did'nt get anything in the way of shoes, but I did pick up a pair of jeans for my picky DD2 for .50 and a computer game for whoever for $1. also got 2 cute reindeer decorations for Christmas and 4 cookies from the bake sale (gotta have breakfast!)

All total I spent $7 at the indoor sale and 1.50 at the other sale. Not bad. The season is just starting!!!!!

Gotta love em! Got a Tide sample from Costco in the mail and a Dove sample from Walmart. Love free!

Great dinner with friends tonight. Really enjoyed being with "the girls". What a treat!

Sad, but true. I returned some things (with receipt of course) and will use that money to have dinner with some girlfriends tomorrow night. I also invested in a food processor. I got it from Aldi for 16.99. Can't wait to use it. I hate buying appliances and usually am selling them in garage sales, but I have had the need 3 times in the last month for one, so I will give it a spin!

I guess I'll say it is REWARDING the kids for saving money! At Easter time my kids have gotten too old for stuffed bunnys and crayons, so they have VERY generous family who give them lovely cards with money in them. (Not me! I still give them just candy and a special treat). Each child made off with $50 total. I told them if they put $20 of that in their savings account, I would add $5 to their account too. Bingo! All three stashed the cash! I'm so proud!

I hope you all have a terrific and blessed Easter!

I posted before how Citi had moved its due date backwards and we had a "late" payment. The charged us the lovely $39.00. This statement, I now see that the late payment is listed as a "standard purchase" and is being charged an 11.99% interest rate. Do they know how to get you coming and going, or what!!!!

This is working out well. The real estate agent that has me work for her, let me work from home today. I put in 4 hours for her. (This is all she had budgeted for me for the week.) Then last night I worked from home for the Pampered Chef lady and got in 1.5 hours. I will hope to do more for the Pampered Chef lady tonight or tomorrow. Love the computer! Sure has helped the bottom line!

I went today to see if I qualified for a Fibromyalgia study. I was very disappointed to find I am not in enough pain to qualify! Ugh! What hurts even more, was that I found out they would have paid $450. I am aggrevated because I have no validation for the fibromyalgia, because I have never been diagnosed formally with it, so I was hoping someone would finally have said, "Yes, we believe what you are feeling is real." Ugh.

Hope everyone had a safe and fun St. Patricks Day!!

I guess I'm really looking for a laying hen. Hmmmm.... guess the neighborhood association would'nt like that. Maybe I could pay them off in eggs? They are getting as costly as gold!

I have been doing an unscientific study to see who has the cheapest food. I have actually been working on a price book! The eggs at Aldi, as of now, are $1.79 for a dozen. Followed closely by $1.80 at Costco, but they must be bought in bulk of 36 eggs. Walmart came in at $1.92. Our local "nicey-nice" store is $2.67 a dozen!! I almost fainted when I saw the 18 count pack for $4.09!!!!

That is all for the egg report. I will follow up with milk and bread!

Well, if you wanted to return something without a receipt before, now is definatley a worse time! IF you choose to buy something from this store, PLEASE do not lose your receipt, especially if you had the NERVE to pay CASH (God forbid!!) If they can look it up by your CC or debit, you are okay, but if you paid cash and it was over $20, you a NO LONGER ALLOWED to return it AT ALL! I did'nt care if they had to send me a check or give me a in store credit, but you are not allowed to return it PERIOD. So, you know I have a long standing problem with this stores "rules", but now it is beyond, beyond!! The clerk smiled at me and told me to use it as a gift!!

YES! I had a no spend day. Woo hoo, happy dance. They are few, they are far between, but soooo appreciated when they are here!

I also have come to realize just how much I LOVE staying at home. I need to make peace with the debt and work hard at not making new debt, but I still don't have that screaming urge to head for the desk and work, work, work. I'm thinking I am going to live in the status quo for now and try to reverse process.

I remember when the kids were smaller and we were in debt. We got out of debt, overcame it and excelled over it. (Much, much thanks to Amy Dacyczyn!!) Grant it, it was'nt this huge overwhelming amount of debt we now have, but I think we can do it again with me still working part time and being a homemaker. I told DH as soon as the kids are independent enough, I will glady hit the grindstone and he can stay at home! I appreciate his hard work and sacrafice for us. Anyway, this is what I have been pondering today. Hopefully DH can hang in at his job, but that is a story for another day!

I have two decisions to make. One is that the library has another position open for a secretary. As you recall, I was passed over the last time. The hours are'nt my favorite, but I guess I could make it work, even keep working my current job if I wanted to. Plus my side jobs. My DH says would'nt it just be easier to hold out for a good full time job instead of juggling all the PT jobs. Thoughts?

We have a $360 rebate from Costco. I know it does'nt go far there! Should I just take it and buy lots of meat and stock up things? DH and I can't think of anything large we need right now, except for things to use to finish the basement. You have to use the whole amount at one time and it must be used by August. I think I am leaning toward stock up. Thoughts?

Geeze! I just let it slip by. Seems like I've been here forever! I missed it by a couple of days, but hey, lets celebrate it nonetheless!

Been busy trying to keep at the no spenders. I did spend yesterday, but in gift cards, no credit cards! Yeah!

Am busy changing our withholding and having DH lower his retirement contributions by just a little, so we have enough money to pay bills every month. Hope it will help. He gets paid next week, so we will see if it goes into effect that quick. I think we can change our healthcare plan in June, so I will look into lowering that amount too.

Today we had 7 inches of snow in 3 hours. Cool! Helped to make today a no spend day! Better yet, the mailman brought me a free Senseo coffee maker that I could return to Walmart for around $63.00! And for lunch DH used a free coupon for a burrito at a local mexican joint. Free is fun!

The girls and I hunkered down to watch the snow fall. I made us some cookies and some yummy chicken chili for dinner! I do hope they go back to school tomorrow!

Here are my Feb goals:
1) Use tax refunds to fund the EF to $1000.
2) Eat out no more than 8 times.
3) Use tax refunds and salary to cut down debt by at least $1000.
4) Assume no more new debt.

Well I did close to #1, go the account up to 800.00, but I have already used it up to pay bills. Will try again with the ammended tax money.

We ate out a lot because of the fibromyalgia. Hopefully it is waning and March will be better. I will be more realistic with 10 times out instead.

I did cut down debt a lot!! I will post my new totals tomorrow!

Assume no more new debt. Okay (are you listening Front Porch Mom? Don't feel guilty, you have company!) I did do this! I let my daughter talk me into a new outfit for a dance and one outfit that was a complete waste of money, plus I treated myself to two new bras (sorry boys, cover your ears) and boy did I NEED them. So I have a JCPenney balance I will chip away at with the Am EX.

I was able to snowflake $60 to the AMEX!! Woo hoo! And it really helped me think twice about putting anything on it! Yeah! No new debt on any Amex for me!

I did receive my rebate for my Costco from Amex. They give you cash back to spend a Costco depending on how much you spent on it last year. Since we took two big trips, it was a lot. We have about $360 to play with. Am discussing with DH how to spend this.

Will think about new March goals and post them later.

Okay, ya'll would be VERY proud of me, I was on a NO SPEND STREAK!! Three days! Holy cow! But DD1 had to go in for a strep test today, plus the antibiotics, plus the throat spray, a water, well you get it. Not too bad, but I did splurge and buy DD2 and 3 some McD's for dinner. In a hurry, ya know.... Anyway, got $327 back for the refinance on our house. Will carefully see which direction to send that in. Still waiting on checks for the ammendment of our taxes. Not sure how to check on that?

Help! We've been trapped inside with no school, no spend and cases of Girl Scout cookies. Ummmm..... life is good??!!

It was easy to have no spenders, but Saturday we got OUT and had SPECIAL OCCASIONS and Sunday we were BUSY and had to go SHOPPING. Well, you get the picture. We did spend, but not too much.

Wow the ice storms were nuts! And now more snow is supposed to come tonight. Please, please, please, make the kids go to school.....please!!!

Babysitting tomorrow. Good for the pocketbook, but not so good for the fybromyalgia. Ugh, the pain and all the other fun symptoms have been really flaring up this month. We did eat out too much, shot one of my goals down. At this point it is called survival.

Hoping to fix the wreck of Sat/Sun and make another snowflake payment to the Amex!!

Yes, I have to keep a close eye on this. My Citi card payment has been moving backward. I make a budget each month and write down payment due and due date. Now I know that a due date can change because of the weekend or holiday, but then it has been staying earlier the next month and if it adjusts again, it stays even earlier! So yes, I had to pay $39.00 in a late fee. So far they have not raised my interest rate because of it, but I am keeping an eye on it. So I looked at my March budget and made sure to back up the payment AGAIN so it won't be late next month. Tricky sons of guns are'nt they??

I did make my first "snowflake" payment to the American Express. Yeah! March will be sooooo tight unless we get the amended tax return money, that I will have to be very creative making REGULAR payments, let alone any snowflake payments, but I will try!! I took a couple days babysitting jobs. It doesn't pay much, but it is better than nothing!!

Sooo... anyway, money wise we are doing OK. Nothing great, just OK. I am still waiting for our amended tax return deposits. We also did a refi, not a whole one with money out, just one with a better interest rate and it was a no cost one, but they will be sending what was left in the old escrow account, so another $800 coming in to send somewhere. Did dip in $300 to the savings account. Something is always coming up. There was another meat sale at the local store and we were almost out of our stash, so a $100 resupplied that. Except for fresh fruit and milk, I really have a load of groceries to last us a while! As soon as I get paid I will make my first "snowflake" payment. It sure won't be much, but it will be a start!!