Deep breath…

• $35 Papa Johns
• $53 Applebees
• $305 Costco
• $65 Target
• $25 Chipotle
• $23 gas
• $117 NIPSCO
• $65 Sprint
• $240 Banana Republic (must stop buying clothes – but these are really GAP outlet purchases and not pricey Banana Republic purchases)
• $39 AT&T
• $700 Chase

We made another good dent in our credit card debt this month – my husband’s overtime plus an extra paycheck allowed us to make an additional credit card payment. Another $1,500 to go before one of our remaining three credit cards is paid off, then I’m switching to savings mode because our lease is up in the spring and we really want to get into a house of our own.

We’ve weighed the pros and cons of paying off our remaining debt verses moving, and for our own sanity moving is a much bigger priority.

Bluelight specials are to sales what Kleenex is to tissues. Everybody knows that when you say an item is a “bluelight special” it’s on sale, no matter where you’re shopping. Kmart Bluelight Specials made that phrase part of the deal seeking lexicon – and I can still see that shopping cart with the little blue flashing light towering above all the clothing racks to lead you to the deals!

This weekend you can take advantage of the original bluelight special with over 40 great sale items in store and online at Kmart. Incredible bluelight special sales on items such as jewelry, patio furniture, and grills are only available Saturday, July 25th, so don’t miss out.

My husband has been going on and on about “needing” a new flat screen HDTV so it would be fantastic if that was one of the bluelight specials. Personally, I’d prefer the Roomba robotic vacuum to go on sale!

August is quickly approaching and lots of families are starting their back to school shopping, so keep an eye on the bluelight specials as you pick up school supplies for the kids at Kmart! You never know, something on your list may just be a bluelight special!

Artist Roger Griffiths of New Zealand took a stand against his bank when they rejected his $80,000 mortgage application because he’s an artist with no consistent source of income. He withdrew all of his $190,000 savings in $20 bills and demanded it be ready for withdrawl by 9 am the next morning.

What the bank neglected to consider was that Mr. Griffiths was a customer of 25 years in good standing, had $310,000 in cash as a down payment, and the property included a rental space which earned $2,000 a month. By rejecting his mortgage application, the bank was saying they had no faith in Mr. Griffiths and as a result, he didn’t see any reason why he should continue to show his faith in the bank.

I completely agree with and support Mr. Griffiths’ actions, especially considering our current predicament with the disappearing $200. If a bank cannot support even its best customers what advantage is there for the customer to continue supporting the bank? Customer service is basically nonexistent in the banking industry and in the current economy, banks can’t afford to treat good customers with such disregard. More of us should take control of our money as Mr. Griffiths did.

• $130 Gap Outlet
• $27 Carter’s (baby shower gift)
• $213 Coach
• $4 McDonald’s

I was all excited about my new purse (I haven’t bought one in almost 8 months – the horror!) because it’s super cute and a nice lady randomly handed me a 20% off coupon…and then the deposit debacle happened. Looks like I won’t be buying another purse for at least 8 more months.

I just might cry.

I called to dispute the $200 deposit error on my account and was told that the teller noted the deposit was $200 short and her drawer balanced, so the adjustment stands. I’m out $200 with absolutely no way to prove that the cash deposit was in the amount that I said it was.

There was a mistake somewhere. The bills stuck together or deposits were mixed or the teller had sticky fingers and now I have to just accept it. I know without a shadow of a doubt how much cash was in that envelope and it is not the amount deposited into my account.

Damn. I’ll never again make a cash ATM deposit.

Edit: I bank with Chase.

Today has just been a money mess!

I received a bill from the dentist for $300 and panicked – but when I called they said the bill was sent in error and they are still waiting for a payment from insurance. While that’s a relief, it stressed me out.

Then I noticed a pending transaction on my debit card for $200 with the description DR DUE TO ATM/DEP ERROR which I can’t do anything about until it processes. I’m hoping it’s not related to the $2,200 cash that I deposited from selling the car because how do you dispute the amount of a cash deposit?

• $20 gas
• $2,000 Chase

• $130 grocery
• $34 Sprint
• $376 car payment (Corolla)
• $490 car payment (Prius)
• $119 NIPSCO
• $1,100 Chase
• $20 Coach (sent purse in for repairs)
• $6 McDonalds
• $8 USPS (Paperbackswap)
• $5 Real Simple
• $167 Sallie Mae

Very exciting to pay off another $1,100 in credit card debt and we’ll be sending in another $2,200 payment as soon as the deposit from the car sale clears!