A Free Car

How to score a free car by SonyaAnn! My guess is you have just figured out my life of crime. I am no longer a mild-mannered(laughable) mom. No, I'm a high rolling criminal!
And I bet no one bought that one! And no, I don't condone stealing a car but I do have a way for you to get one for free. Completely free but it will take a while to get your money back.
I called our insurance agent about how much it would be to add the van to our coverage. HOLY HELL MAN! It was going to take our insurance from $129 a month to $320 a month. And I feel that I should point out that we have been with the same broker since we were serving a life sentence married. His brokerage has been covering the Mott family for three generations. Hmmmm, that's about to change. I really like the woman that runs the office but last time around it took five calls to get a quote. Well four calls and the fifth to say I was going somewhere else. Then I got results but I don't like to be like that. The woman is old and sounds like she is on the verge of tears all the time. Yes, I know but still I do have a heart.
After choking a bit from the quote, she added that when DJ gets his license it will be $414 a month. When I regained my composure, I said that I would inform my husband and get back to her. I usually don't say things like that but they also won't take no for an answer. Unfortunately, I had to pull the man card.
I started shopping around. I tried Geico first. I love the fact that you can get a quote online. But me being in charge of getting a quote means I'm going to mess with it until it is unrecognizable. Yes, I had it so screwed up that I just called them. They pulled up the mess that I had done and deciphered it. In the end, they were going to make me pay for DJ even though he only has a permit. No one else in Illinois does that. It was going to be $235 a month. That was still a savings of $85 a month but I really didn't like her tone. I know its crazy but it was the first time that I had dealt with them and I don't know, she wasn't that friendly. I know that it wasn't about attitude but if I'm going to be giving someone that much money, screw me with a smile. Or it could have been the fact that I had made such a mess of the quote. That's fair too.
I did try to get a quote from AAA but their site said we had an invalid license among us.  Whatever! I think that it was because of DJ's permit. But who knows.
Last was Progressive. I did a pretty good job of only screwing that quote up a little. I was pretty happy with it but I still wanted to make sure that it was right. So I called and they are great. No screwing. In fact, the guy went through and saw more ways to save me money. My frugal heart was in love. He even went on to tell me about what he does to save money and earn extra points on his credit card. I had a frugal boner!
Even though I'm very frugal, I won't skimp on coverage EVER. It's like gambling our future and that is way too much stress for me. So for both cars and the van, it will be $182 a month and before I could even ask, he said that it would be $298 a month when DJ gets his license. That was one of the questions I was going to ask him but he answered it before I could ask. He wanted to make sure that I knew so I could do a budget and wasn't going to be surprised when we added him. He is a beautiful man!
I guess that I will be calling to change insurance companies this week. Pray that they don't put up a fight, I hate confrontation.
And back to the free car! By changing insurance companies, we saved $138 a month. In just under 22 months with Progressive we will have gotten back our money that we paid for the van. I can't think of a better advertisement for them. Save so much money with Progressive that it will pay for your car!
Just a thought,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

If you laugh at this one, you are a terrible person!
Just sayin'
SonyaAnn

Growing Slime

This is another experiment that I have going. Remember the green onions, well I read somewhere(I'm terrible about giving people credit when it is due. It isn't because I'm rude, it's because I can barely remember where I live half the time) that you could grow roots on the bottom of celery if you placed it in a cup and gave it lots of light. It kind of reminds me of the sweet potato experiment when I was a kid. I'll keep you posted but my guess is this one isn't going to work. I will probably just grow slime.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

I'm So Cool

So the van is a done deal. Now all I need is smudged windows, a dog with a bandanna and  soccer balls in a huge mesh bag to complete the look, oh and a lovely scrunchy for my hair. It really is a life style to drive a van.
Anyways, I know I complain a LOT about money and the fact that we have none. And while it's true that I would love to have a lot more, we aren't that bad off. I would like to say that it is all because of my penny pinching ways but Den does contribute a bit. LOL
We paid cash for the van and then just have to repay all the of "funds" that I robbed. That takes me out of my comfort zone but it is a necessary evil. It's a great deal and I have no idea how long the 99 Lumina is going to be with us. It is holding its own and it helps that we try to fix all of the problems right away. But the idea of having to go through another "Ford" is enough to scare me. LOL that's what I'm going to call any stupid money problems from here on out. From this day forward any bone headed money moves will be called pulling a Ford. They earned that one!
I just thought that I would let you know about our new addition. I'll post pictures of our new baby soon!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

So my booger for the day is my Mother-in-law, Donna. She doesn't have a blog but she is wonderful. We will forgive her for not having one. I'm one of the few people that adores my inlaws. They are all around great. She sent me this joke and while I don't like the whole cut and paste thing(seems like stealing) I laughed so hard at this joke that I figured you needed to read it. Have I ever told you that they grow'em tough around here?

Three guys married women from different parts of the country.

The first man married a woman from Utah.
He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning.
It took a couple of days, but on the third day, he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away.  
 
The second man married a woman from California.
He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking.
The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better.  By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done, and there was a huge dinner on the table.  
 
The third man married a girl from Chicago.
He ordered her to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table for every meal, in addition to a full-time job.
He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher.  He still has some difficulty when he pees.

Have a wonderful day,
SonyaAnn

Look here

I found a new place to hang out. Run over to green UPGRADER. You can even grow your own furniture!!!
As you can see, I still have not gotten back into the swing of things since Anna was back. And just for shits and giggles DJ will be off next week. I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids. It will be my mantra. Maybe it won't be so bad?
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

Since Sluggy is such a perv thoughtful person, she saw this and thought of me. I'm not sure why but I think its a hint.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Slim To None

I don't want to get anyone's hopes up but we might be getting a new addition to the family. No it isn't a child, thank all things! My inlaws are willing to sell us their 2006 kia van ubber cheap. So any ideas how I can come up with $3000 in a few days? I'm all for being a pimp.
The problem is if Den doesn't ok this purchase then we can't get Anna and all of her crap college stuff home . To which you say, "Why would you want her home?" Exactly! But if my inlaws don't have a van then we can't borrow the van to haul Anna back. Hmmmmm.
Think fast cuz I have to have a good way to convince him,
SonyaAnn

Been Around

If you are a frugal person(pretty sure that you all are), then I'm sure that you have heard of Spent. It's a game where you have to make it on $1000 a month. I read all over the web about how hard it is and that it takes a few times to beat it. So far I haven't had a problem winning. So the question is, does it make me smart, thrifty or poor?
Give it a shot and see what you come up with. I would really like to know.
Thanks,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

And my booger for the day is Jonnie from MoM of BoYs with ToYs. Stop over and say hello.
And thanks for coming to see me,
SonyaAnn

I'm Wondering

Is getting an alligator high a good idea? And here would be the link.
I'm glad I'm not this messed up,
SonyaAnn

Helping

Times are hard and everyone knows this but with the terrible things that have happened in Japan this is my little way of helping. We have made a generous donation to the American Red Cross. We have designated our funds for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. I would give out links but it is better for you to cut and paste www.redcross.org. Just to make sure that you are actually going to the actual site and not being scammed.
Swagbucks is now letting people donate their swagbucks to help Japan. Here is the link. I figure that using the link is ok for this. So if you don't have any money to give at this time, you could still give.
Also, at My Points you can cash in your points and donate to the Red Cross.
We are doing all three. I know that everyone wants to help even when we don't have much to give. So I thought that I would post about some alternatives. Also a prayer and/or a good vibe are top of the list.
Thanks,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

I am this clean!!!!
Have a wicked and clean day,
SonyaAnn

Our Life Without

It's been since September of last year since we have had satellite. I am happy to report that they have not hit me yet. I'm surprised. I tell you what the first few weeks were touch and go but we all survived.
I wish that I could say that I used the money for some worth wild cause but alas we spent it. Well to be a bit more clear, I spent it all. We have been buying Star Trek dvds. We purchased the entire Voyager series. Yay, we are so cool. Not really but I can pretend.
And another odd side effect of not having tv is when I'm around it, it grates on my nerves. BAD. I actually have to have it turned off to concentrate. Which makes me wonder what I was absorbing when it was on in the back ground or worse yet, what were the kids being fed. I also have a new found hatred of commercials. So let me get this straight, I paid someone to pump commercials into my house. Yup.
It is wonderful to pick and choose everything that we watch. We did netflix a long time ago but eventually we ran out of things that we wanted to see. We have a Redbox close and I get the movies that we want from them. Otherwise, we buy what we want. I can't say that we have saved money but we have something tangible for our money and that is a bonus to me.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

I found 1!

It's exciting times, people. I found another way to make some money online.It isn't huge money but it should add up to $20+ a month and just think we can all put that money towards higher gas prices. Hmmmm, I ruined it for myself.
Anyways, its called Toluna and they are yummy. Anyone that gives me money is wonderful! And I don't even get a referral for it. Oh well. Toluna just wants your opinion and it doesn't take much time to answer any of the questions. The one thing that I don't like is if you qualify for a survey they "steal" you. Meaning that you are going there if you like it or not. But that is what the back button is for. So that's it.
Have a great week,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

And my big and beautiful booger for the day is........Jane from Life Doesn't Begin at Retirement!
Pop over there and say howdy,
SonyaAnn

This Should Be.......

Wicked Wednesday even though it's Thursday. Gas prices are really getting terrible by us. And don't even get me started on the robbing thieves of Illinois. Gasbuddy.com is a good way to search for gas if you haven't heard of it. We also use the Chase Marathon credit card. We only use it for gas and get 5% back on all purchases at a Marathon. Have I missed anything?
Just trying to make light of a miserable situation,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

I really hope this is real! It is dedicated to Donna Freedman and her car slapping incident.
Have a wicked day,
SonyaAnn

A Reminder

Sometimes a nice little reminder that I'm not all alone in the frugal fight helps. At times, it feels as if I toil away for nothing. But it is nice to know that I'm not by myself. I ran across a nice post on Heavenly Homemakers about not trying to keep up and peeking in peoples windows(of course, that would get my attention). Now if only I were as Godly as them. Holy water still boils around me.
Happy day,
SonyaAnn

Muffin Monday

Yay for muffins. I haven't posted a recipe in a while and this is a really good one. I got it from allrecipes but I changed it because I didn't have enough blueberries. They are really yummy.
There were a few complaints online that they weren't sweet enough but I thought it was just right. That way the sugar didn't overpower the blueberry taste.
Also, I tripled the recipe but ended up with 4 dozen instead of 3. And I have no idea why that happened cuz I have standard size muffin tins. Go here for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing muffin Monday with me,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

And my booger for the week is...........................The Finer Things in Life. Stop by and say hi.
And have a wonderful weekend,
SonyaAnn

Veg anyone?

According to this video, food prices are going to shoot up. It is a bit unnerving to say the least but this is what I am doing to save money. All of this for $20.08 and I got $25 back in gift cards. My freezer is begging for mercy. Hey sluggy, are you proud of me yet?
Den said that we should buy another freezer and he could use it for a night stand. LOL
Thanks for stopping over now help me pack the freezer,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

I wonder if women would have the same response?
Happy Wednesday,
SonyaAnn

Hmmmm

What to do, what to do? Sooooo what do you think of this?
Thanks for stopping by,
SonyaAnn