I made my decision

I have made my decision as far as joining Sams Club. After posting about it and taking into account what you all had to say, (along with some local people I know) we have decided not to join. I think my #1 thing is wasting and having to spend such a hefty amount at one time. I feel like if I continue to purchase things on sale and combined with coupons, I will come out better. Also I will not have a membership fee, like Tanyetta said "Why should I have to spend money to save money". I am going to stick to my usual method except I will stock up on things more so I don't get to the point that I am running out of that item. I really appreciate everyone that took the time to comment. You really helped me make my final decision :)

cell phone charges- Warning

The other day I called up Verizon Wireless to inquire about megabyte charges. I have a cousin that recently racked up a $70 charge from browsing ringtones. You would think it was free to do this in hopes that you will buy something right? Wrong. It used to be free and now anytime you browse or look up anything you accumulate megabyte charges at $1.99 per megabyte. I had the customer service rep tell me if we had any of those charges and she said from all 4 lines we had a total of $10. The rep explained that I could avoid megabyte charges if I got the Vcast unlimited package at $15 per phone (times 4 phones?? Uh, NO!) I was really lucky that I got this particular rep because she encouraged me to get a free block added to all lines and did not push me into getting the Vcast package. Had my cousin not mentioned this whole thing I could have racked up a HUGE bill! We never thought about it when the kids would ask to browse ringtones because we thought it was free. If you are a Verizon customer please be aware of this and call customer service to get a block if you don't have the need for unlimited browsing. My rep said that she has received dozens of calls from people that accumulated almost $1000.00 in charges! I guess mine could have been worse. You live and you learn.

Back to school today

Well today is the day. The girls are all packed up and shipped off, I mean sent back to school. No matter how old they get I can't resist taking that first day of school photo. They are both especially excited because they are at the same school again. Unfortunately it is just for one year and then I will be split between middle & high school. Here are a couple shots of them all ready for their first day.

Of course Briahnna has to have her signature silly shot.

New FO Business - Cash for Lawsuits Now

Hello everyone,

Just wanted everyone to know that I have developed a new division of Financial Options, LLC. This new division is called FO Funding. Check out the website http://www.fofunding.com/
Our team will provide advance cash for lawsuits and legal claims. If you are involved in an lawsuit and you need cash now. Call me! Dwayne -803-223-9385

If you're an attorney and you need cash to cover mediation, depositions, or some other case related cost. Call me! Dwayne - 803-223-9385

FO Funding providing legal finance nationwide.

The Shoe Hunters

Free Samples... YES!!!

Look at all the FREE samples I got today in the mail (8 in all)!! My hubby knows he needs to stop giving me a hard time because I do not have to keep running the store to spend $$ on health and beauty and household items. Leave a comment and let us know who the sensible one is. I will enter your name twice for the FREE gift card contest!

Family Finances Update

Hello Everyone,

I received a few emails about my upromise.com
recommendation. It is important that I mention a few facts.

1. This is a Free program to join and it is designed to help families save money for college education. It will also help those that have Sallie-Mae student loans decrease their balance.


2. To sign up you must enter a grocery card, debit card , or credit card at time of signing up.


3. When you shop at different locations, money will be credited to your child's account if the product you buy is a sponsored partner of upromise.com

Example Yesterday we had to purchase

• Tylenol Allergy due to the allergies that run crazy in our home. We used our debit card that we have registered with upromise.com .By using that particular debit card, 2% of our purchase price will be credited to our college saving account.


• I grabbed some Bic Razors and we had 3% of the purchase price credited to our account.


• Last stop, Pep Boys Auto where I purchase items to clean the car like tire shine, car wash, car deodorizer, etc.. and had 2 % credited.

See how easy it is to accumulate? 2% here and 3% there can really add up. Just by doing my normal shopping. This is like FREE MONEY! I am now having my mom and father join. Then I am going after the in-laws, aunts, uncles, pretty soon I'll have the whole family reunion contributing to my kids college education. Hey, every little bit helps.

Family Finances

It is May and tax season is behind you. It is now time for you to take inventory and prepare yourself for the next tax year. I recommend that your take a look at your current W-4 holding. If you are withholding too much of your gross income, what you are doing is giving Uncle Sam an interest- free loan, you might as well just send me the money ( just kidding- no seriously). On the flip side, if you are not having enough money taken out, you will end up paying out to Uncle Sam at the end of the year. To figure out what you should do. Take time to visit http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html .

May is also a great time for you to take inventory of all your personal belongings. Take the time to document your personal assets. As we have seen here in the United States, Mother Nature has really been ticked off at us. Why? That is another post for another day. Right now we must learn from her that a hurricane, flood, snow storm, or tornado can strike at anytime. Therefore, having your assets documented via an excel spreadsheet (with serial numbers and photos), or video taped, and stored with your insurance agent can protect you later on.

As mentioned previously, expect oil prices to reach over $70.00 a barrel by summer. What does this mean to you ? It means gas prices will climb to $4.00 a gallon for the average cost across the nation.

Great time to join the FREE program Upromise and start saving for your child's education. Mobile Gas is offering 1 cent per gallon of gas donated to your child's account. Those pennies can sure add up!

Click here to sign up: Upromise - Join millions of families who are discovering a whole new way to save for college