Dimples' Divine Domain
My journey to financial empowerment.

I am off to Atlanta for the weekend. I have budgeted $225 for the trip and I plan on sticking to that. I'll hit you guys up when I get back and let you know if my budget was a success or not. Until then, have a great weekend and happy blogging!!!!!

My post, My $100 grocery budget and tips for saving on your grocery bill , is included in this week's Festival of Frugality #114 hosted by No Credit Needed . This is the first time I submitted one of my post for a festival so I am excited that I got listed. There are many great articles, I encourage you all to check them out. If you came to my blog via the Festival and are new to DDD (Dimples' Divine Domain): Welcome!! Come on in and make yourself at home. Don't be afraid to look around and check me out. A quick glance at the column to your right will give you a quick summary of where I am currently in my financial journey. Hope you come back again!! Did you enjoy reading my blog? Want to be instantly notified each time there is a wonderfully divine post here at DDD? Then you should definitely subscribe to my blog via RSS feeds or by email. This way you will be able to stay on top of ongoings in Dimples Divine's life and my journey to eliminate debt and financia

My tax refund was deposited into my checking account on Friday. It was like Christmas all over again. For like half a second.....then my mind started going in overdrive on what I was going to do with the money. My refund totaled $2629. Here is what I have done with the money so far: - $500 to my Emergency Fund (bringing the total to $3555.81) - $699 to pay off one of my credit cards - $40 to my FCU savings - $100 on me and sweet pea - $20 on books - $40 on movies - $40 at Burlington Coat Factory That leaves me with $1290. I was going to pay off my Discover card with that but I am holding off on that until I figure out what I am going to do about my car. Single Ma gave me some good advice on a post I did last week on my car situation. I currently drive a 2006 Honda CRV and my monthly car note is $532. I know right!! I would like to trade in my car for something reliable yet less expensive. I am looking into two different options at the moment: 1. Sell my car pr

I did a post back in October on how I kept my grocery budget under $120. In that post, I had pictures of the grocery shopping I had done earlier in the day for a total of $29.76. I also listed a number of ways I keep my grocery budget so low. Today I did some grocery shopping for meat and some other misc items. Here is what I bought: - 2 packages of chicken breasts - 2 packages of drumsticks - 2 whole hens - 2 packages of chicken wings - 1 bag of roma tomatoes - 1 bag of onions - 1 bag of organic baby carrots - 2 gallons of water (not shown) - 1 bottle of bbq sauce Total = $24.90 One big way to save on groceries each month is to package the food you buy into servings sizes. Your serving size depends on how many people are in your family. I separate out my sizes based on how much food my daughter and I consume in one meal. Take for instance drumsticks: My daughter will eat one drumstick while I will eat two. So I package those in threes. I know some folks are visual so here is wh

I haven't done one of these in a long time. So here we go: I got tagged by CT Mom for this meme. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!) It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! I tagged 5 of you guys so check the end of this post. tee hee The benefits of Viral Linking: One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode Attract large volume of new traffic to your site Build your community Make new friends The Strategist Notebook ~ Link Addiction ~ Ardour of the Heart ~ When Life Becomes a Book ~ The Malaysian Life ~ Yogatta.com ~ What goes under the sun ~ Roshidan’s Cyber Station ~ Sasha says ~ Arts of Physics ~ And the legend lives ~ My View, My Life ~ A Simple Life ~ Juliana RW ~ Mom Knows Everything ~ Beth & Cory's Mom ~ A Mind Forever Voyaging ~ enjoying the ride ~ Jennifer's though

I finished up the project for my church today. I delivered the database this afternoon and the client was very happy with the results. She asked for a couple extra things as we did a run-through of the database and I added them for her right there on the spot. She was able to see me in action and was quite impressed. I am real excited that I completed my first project. Even though it was pro-bono work, I learned a lot from the experience: - I still have much more to learn about databases, especially when dealing with non-engineering related areas. - I need to really manage my time better. Working full-time, raising a child, Treasurer of a rapidly a growing group focused on empowering and inspiring our community, managing two blogs, actively involved in my church, AND working a side business can turn ones life into chaos if not managed correctly. Because I did not adjust my schedule accordingly, this project took me a week and a half to finish when I know I could have had

I was posed a very good question by Millionaire Mommy on my new budget post : "I have to ask, have you considered reducing your car payments by driving a less expensive make/model? Or is your life energy (time price tag) a good fit for you in this category?" I never considered getting another car. I thought the only way I could reduce my car note was by refinancing my loan to get a lower interest rate and hence a lower car payment. I seriously never even thought about getting another car. I really would like to look into this. Especially if it means of having my $532 car note cut in half or more. I know so much more than I did when I purchased my car in December 2005. Back then I had just graduated from college and landed a good job and my only concern was to get a nice, reliable car. I see roadblocks though: 1. I may wind up upside down on my new loan. The Kelly Blue Book trade-in-value of my 2006 Honda CR-V is $15,500 yet I owe $19,157. I could sell my car privately

Ingredients: 2 cups of chopped organic baby carrots (organic is optional) = $.75 2 cups of chopped celery = $.50 2 cups of chopped sausage (whateva kind you feel like) = $.90 2 cup chopped okra = $.98 1 cups of shrimp = $1.64 1 chopped vine ripe tomato = $.33 1 cup chopped onion = $.10 2 cans of chicken broth = $1 ($.50 a piece) 4 tbsp flour mixed with 1/2 of water Spices = pepper, salt, red pepper, chicken bouillon TOTAL COST = $5.20 (approximate) Prep Time = 15 min Cook Time = 8 - 10 hours on low or 4 - 5 hours on high (all depends on you) Directions: Turn on crockpot on desired setting. Add everything to the crockpot. Season. Cover and let it cook. Recipe online The online recipe calls for a roux to add to the gumbo. I decided to not make that because I didn't want my gumbo too thick. I just added the flour mix. You do whatever fits your fancy. You can also serve this with rice. It was good and hearty. I have a lot of this left. I packaged up some of the broth

YAY!!! Yours truly made the list of the Top 50 Business Plan Posts of 2008 @ EvanCarmichael.com . Here is an excerpt from the site: "Looking to write a business plan for your startup idea? Trying to revamp your current business plan to help bring you more money? Look no further than our list of the Top 50 Business Plan Posts of the Year. We've searched through millions of blogs to find the best individual posts that deal with writing a business plan over the past year. Some are by well known bloggers while others are new upstarts but, either way, you are sure to get valuable information on how to kick your business plan into high gear this year! Enjoy!" My post, Steps To Becoming My Own Boss , came in at #27. I received an email from Evan Carmichael himself letting me know the good news. I am so excited. This is definitely a sign that I am going in the right direction with my plan. For all who do not know who Evan Carmichael is, read about him here

Are you one of those folks that need to see it to believe it? Well if you are and you were skeptical about Revolutionary Money Exchange, here is proof that they're bonus offer is legit: I joined them on 2/3/08. I received my bonus money the same day. And after I verified my checking account, I transfered the $25. That posted to my checking account today. I also have a $10 bonus, from a referral, that I transfered to my account today (Thanks to whoever that was!!). That money should show up in my account by Friday. In other "Side Hustle" news, one of my items sold off eBay yesterday. I made $10. Not much but a whole lot better than zero. It is only 13 days into the month and I have already made $188.04. Shawty is a TEN!!!!! LMAO

I have been really contemplating putting majority of my refund ($2000) into my emergency fund. That would bring my balance a little over $5K. I would then use about $500 to pay down my credit card debt and then use the remaining $129 for myself. It is just a thought I am entertaining at the moment. I know I should probably use all the refund to bring down my debt. I have two weeks to make a decision. Question for my readers: Debt first or savings? Don't limit your answer to my current situation. For anyone dealing with debt, how do you prioritize between becoming debt free and building a sound safety net (i.e. Emergency Fund)? Especially when you have children?

Woot.com is currently selling a Sandisk Sansa M240 1GB MP3 Player with FM Tuner for $9.99 with $5 shipping. Please note that the mp3 player is a refurb.It would make a good emergency FM radio for a disaster kit. (image credit: woot.com) Single Ma did a post last week on emergency planning. She asked her readers if they were prepared for an emergency. I thought I was prepared. I mean I am of course a Floridian and I have been through many hurricanes. I have had my own hurricane/emergency kit since I came to Orlando for college. My kit consisted of batteries, a number of flashlights, cans of food, can opener, an first-aid kit I purchased from a store, lighters, scissors, $10 in cash (all ones) and a pen (with no paper...lol). But after reading her posts and checking out the resources she gave and what they suggested for an emergency kit, I realized that I was way off. So I took some time out yesterday to go through my kit again and check it against Red Cross' Emergency kit

Yeah. I went and did that joker myself. This week has been a busy week and next week will be even busier. I wasn't going to be able to see the accountant I mentioned on this post for another 2 weeks. I already had my information inputted into TaxAct so I went ahead and finished it off. I wish I would have used the deluxe version. I had a refund of about $1442 right before it ran the alerts. After it was done and I answered the questions it popped, up my refund had sky-rocketed to $2629. I used itemized deductions this year instead of the standard (I should have done the same last year) and there were some deductions that I could take that I wasn't aware of (state sales tax, tithes, donations) . Applying those deductions allowed me to qualify for the child tax credit, which it wasn't giving me before. I got the full $1000, hence the large jump. I started the return last night around 10 pm. I didn't wind up finishing it until 1 am (I kept nodding off....lol).

Ingredients: 2 packages frozen ground turkey (equals about one package unfrozen) = $2 ($1 a piece) 1 red pepper = $.75 2 cans kidney beans = $1.10 ($.55 a can) 1 onion = $.15 (1 bag of onions@ $1.50 a bag. About 10 onions a bag) 3 roma tomatoes = $.54 ($1.25 a pound. 7 good sized tomatoes make a pound. Can substitute a can of tomatoes for about the same price) Spices = $.10 (yeah......guesstimate. Sorry, don't have time to calculate that mess) 1 package cornbread mix= $.25 optional TOTAL COST: $4.89 Prep Time = 15 min Cook Time = 8 - 9 hours on low or 5 - 6 hours on high (all depends on you) Directions: Turn on crockpot on low setting. Add kidney beans. Dice up tomatoes, onion, and red pepper. Add to crockpot. Season and brown turkey in skillet. Add turkey to crockpot. Add more spices. Cover. Keep yourself busy for 8 - 9 hours. (Some people go to work. Others run errands and handle their business. I mean you can look at the crockpot for as lon

A speaker system I had on Amazon just sold this afternoon. Net earnings = $71.04. This takes care of the $52.07 I needed to reach my goal for my trip to Atlanta in 3 weeks. I am so amazed by the amount of money I have been bringing in on the side. The past couple of weeks have been really good. I still have a number of items listed on Amazon and eBay. I am contemplating on what I am going to do with that money once it comes in. For the time being I will let it sit in my Misc account. I am going to the A yall!!!!!!! Anyone have suggestions of some places I should hit up?

On February 29th I will be heading out on my first trip to another state. The furthest north I have gotten is Pensacola, Florida. I have been to two islands in the Caribbean. But this will be my first time in another state. And I am sooo psyched!! My girls and I are going to Atlanta to see Steve Harvey and Monique. Even though I am extra excited about taking this trip I really don't want to spend any of my budgeted money on this trip. And if you noticed, I haven't taken this trip into account on my February budget . So I put my hustle hat on and have been working on making some extra chedda to spend on this trip. Here is the estimated cost of the trip: Tickets: $48 Gas: $45 Hotel: $52 Spending money: $80 TOTAL: $225 Here is what I have collected so far: Text-Link Ads: $11.28 Ebates: $16.65 (paying out to my paypal on the 15th) Amazon sale: $72 eBay sale: $40 Revolutionary Money Exchange: $25 American Consumer Opinions: $8 TOTAL: 172.93 Only $52.07 to go!!!! I listed a

Yeah I know......this is like my 20th budget revision but whatev. There probably will be 20 more. I posted my January budget results this weekend. Things got a lil shaky this past month. Some comments left by my loyal readers rang true and I decided to take another glance at my budget and see if I could beat shape my budget into submission. I was fortunate to have found this fascinating woman's blog via Single Ma and was reading through her Baby Steps to Financial Freedom posts and came upon her 13th step: Crafting A Budget That Fits Your Needs (I definitely suggest reading her post if you are looking into redefining your budget). I went back and analyzed my budget results for the past 3 months. I identified my weaknesses and my strengths. I created a list of my needs, wants, and values. I prioritized them and then created a budget that fit my family. Just so that you all can get a gist of the changes I made, here is my original budget that I intended to use for F

ING Direct Being that it is tax time and some of you fortunate folks will be receiving a tax refund in the next month or two, I have included ING Direct referral links on the top left column of my blog. Currently there are two links for opening a savings account and another two links for opening a checking account. Just click on the link of your choice, follow the steps, and open an account with at least $250. You will receive a $25 opening bonus and I will get $10 for the referral. Each link can only be used once and the ones posted on my blog expire on February 20. If you wind up selecting a used link just email me at dimplesdivine at gmail dot com and I will update my blog with new referral links. Ebates Ebates is offering a $10 sign-up bonus. With Ebates you can earn cash back on your purchase at your favorite online store just by shopping via Ebates portal. You must make a qualifying purchase between January 20 and February 14 in order to receive the bonus. This offe

Looks like paying more than the minimum on my credit cards is definitely paying itself off. My credit score shot up this month. January 08 Credit Score Transunion: 663 Experian: 660 Equifax: 617 December 07 Credit Scores Transunion: 632 Experian: 627 Equifax: 601 I also closed one of my credit cards in December. That posted to all three of my credit reports and it doesn't look like it had the negative effect to my credit scores as I once thought. My goal is to reach a credit score of 700 by June of this year. Though it seems that I can easily achieve that goal with the first two credit reporting agencies, Equifax is up in the air. Unfortunately, I have one collection from 2002 still showing with them while the same collection account has fall

BUDGET RESULTS January turned out to be one crazy month. I went over my entire budget by $29.27. Luckily I have overdraft protection and the money was pulled out of my savings account. I forgot all about my insurance bill that is automatically debited from my account on the 28th of the month. My overage was also offset by the $262 in extra income I brought in. Makes me wonder: Did I overspend because I had the extra income or was I just lucky? Income: I brought in an extra $262.52 via a combination of income from my blog, Pinecone Research and sales off of Amazon and eBay. That extra money definitely saved my behind. Miscellaneous: This category has been labeled as DDD's baddest budget buster and I do believe that I broke the record this month. I was over budget by $312.62!!! There were a number of things, unforeseen and foreseen, that came up: - Car registration renewal: $36.10 - Doctor appointment co-pay: $15 - Prescription: $15 - Cold medicine: $20 - Souvenirs from

I'll let this video speak for itself.