Payday comes so fast, but there still never seems to be any money coming in.

• $169 Sallie Mae
• $39 AT&T
• $400 Chase
• $36 gas
• $75 towing
• $250 deductible
• $50 Hooters
• $45 Hallmark

See how I snuck that towing, deductible, and Hooters charge in there? My husband’s catalytic converter was stolen this week, which cost us $325, not including a well deserved dinner at Hooters to unwind after all the drama.

• $15 Subway
• $14 McDonald’s
• $34 gas
• $10 zoo tickets
• $15 Mold-A-Rama

Yesterday we spent the day at Brookfield Zoo with family, and I made it my mission to collect every $1.50 Mold-A-Rama available. I came up two short (the dolphin was out of order, and the koala was replaced by a shark for the Sting Ray Bay exhibit). Maybe next time!

Even though we did break the golden rule of budgeting by going out to dinner last night when our entertainment fund was empty, my husband and I do cut quite a few corners to save extra money to help with Debt relief.

• We have a piggy bank – loose change ads up, and we’re always reminding each other to empty our pockets into the piggy bank.
• Turn off the AC – our dog doesn’t care that if it’s 55 or 78 degrees inside during the day, so we turn the AC off when we’re at work in the summer, and we turn the heat way down when we’re away in the winter.
• Debt consolidation – we’ve paid off our small credit card balances and consolidated the rest so that we are only paying one bill each month. We’ve taken all those small payments and rolled them into one big monthly payment.
• Full loads of laundry – we only do full loads of laundry so we aren’t wasting water, electricity, and detergent.
• Buy online – the majority of the time, I can find an item cheaper online than I can in the stores, and I’m a whiz at digging up free shipping coupons.
• Coupons – steal your neighbors Sunday newspaper and use those coupons! It may not seem like much, but put that savings in a piggy bank and see how much you have in six months!
• Buy generic – you really can’t tell the difference between catsup and ketchup.
• Cut out pop – not only is it better for our budget, it’s better for our wasteline. No costly pop and juice in our house!
• Mooch – eat dinner with your parents as often as possible. As long as you’re pleasant and chatty, they won’t realize you’re eating their steak and drinking their wine.

I realize that if you’re in big financial trouble, and not just pinching pennies, these solutions won’t do much, but there’s no shame in getting Debt help, so start by visiting Bills IQ. A quick financial quiz will tell you how much you know, how good you are at managing your finances, and provide you with tips and resources to Consolidate debt, make your payments on time, and make your money work for you.

• $41 gas
• $21 Target
• $11 Borders
• $19 Chipotle

We’ve been far too exhausted from work to cook this week and when my choices are starving or eating out, I’m choosing to eat out. Budget be damned.

Today is my mom’s birthday, so I think we are going to splurge and take her out to dinner. We suggested Hooters. We’ll see how good her sense of humor is. Then we’re going to order some Leptovox because birthday celebrations are no time to pass on the appetizers and desert!

Consumer Reports estimates that the average household can save $500 a month (that’s a whopping $6,000 a year) by paying attention to six things:

1. car insurance – the average household can save $65 monthly
2. life insurance quotes – there’s $110 monthly to be saved
3. grocery shopping – sales and coupons can save $200 monthly
4. phone bills – there’s $35 a month to be trimmed from this utility
5. bank fees – knowing your bank balance and withdrawing appropriately can save $25 a month
6. credit cards – the average household pays $65 in interest fees monthly

The two big items that stand out for us are grocery shopping and credit cards. Contrary to my recent bank fee debacle, we have the other four items nipped in the bud.

Can paying attention to those six items save your family $500 a month? What’s a realistic savings amount for your budget?

One week after Chase nabbed $87 in mistakenly deposited funds and $57 in insufficient fees from my account with no warning, I received a letter (dated the day they took the funds) that they would be taking the funds. A lot of good that did me. Good thing I didn’t need any car parts, cause Chase took all the money I had until payday!