• $40 Olive Garden
• $215 Best Buy
• $650 Lenovo
• $27 Fandango
• $98 Amazon

Told you things were getting expensive around here. New laptop, new monitor, Mother’s Day gifts, and tickets to see Star Trek (not my idea).

They say bad news comes in threes, and it certainly did this week on our financial front. First my laptop bit the dust, then the vacuum lost suction, and yesterday our dog needed an emergency vet visit. All very pricy and necessary expenditures and I feel like a Faxless Payday Loan is the only way we’re going to be able to afford it all.

Quick and easy to complete online, with no credit check and cash available within one business day, payday loan approvals up to $1,500 are available to help cope when bad news and bills come in threes.

As with all loan programs, please read all the fine print and practice responsible borrowing and money management!

• $449 NewEgg
• $503 Target
• $60 Hooters

After much internal debate, I finally took the plunge and bought a new digital camera, a Canon G10. The very next day, a virus takes out my laptop and the vacuum cleaner motor burns out. Figures.

I’m going to hold off getting a new computer and work from my HP mini as long a possible, but we did buy a vacuum cleaner. A Dyson DC24 with a 5 year warranty.

Nearly half of American shoppers have visited a dollar store in the past month and a third of those shoppers make more than $50,000 a year, so everyone is taking advantage of dollar store deals.

But beware, because not everything at the dollar stores is a bargain! Take a look at ten things that cost more at a dollar store:

• bottled water
• sandwhich bags
• sugar substitutes
• napkins
• foam plates
• foam cups
• dishsoap
• toothpaste
• batteries
• candy

• $101 Costco
• $37 Costco Pharmacy
• $135 Grocery
• $25 gas
• $37 haircut
• $8 Starbucks

I had Starbucks twice in one week, after I kicked the habit for almost four months, and it’s not as good as I remember.

Payday! And the first time in three months that I’ve had Starbucks. I felt like a little treat this morning.

• $5 Starbucks
• $23 gas
• $45 Target
• $16 grocery
• $169 Sallie Mae
• $142 chiropractor
• $39 AT&T
• $700 Chase
• $143 Zappos

We are trying so hard to save money so that we can move and buy a house in the next year. We’ve cut down on dinners out, decided not to book our fall vacation, and are working as much overtime and taking on as much freelance work as we can, but who can resist a Discount Television?

My husband has been petitioning for an HDTV for the past few months, but I keep reminding him of our savings goal to deter him from making the big purchase. With www.onlenstore.com an HDTV isn’t such a big purchase. They have discount prices on all the latest Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and other HDTVs.

At least a new TV will help us stay in on Saturday night and not spend any money, right?