After giving it some thought, I have come up with a new “scheme” to work towards. Last year, we paid off our house. Owning the home outright is a good feeling, but we really need to make some repairs and improvements. So, that is what I am going to save up for.
The first order of business is the fence. Recently, our backyard neighbors paid to clear some trees and vines between our homes and to replace a section of fence. We will be replacing the rest in sections as we are able. The fence between us and the neighbor on the left was replaced a few years ago. They paid for the materials and FMP and I provided the labor. The fence between us and the neighbor on the right was partly hidden by the above-mentioned vines and trees. When that part of the yard was cleared, it was obvious that sections of this part of the fence are on the verge of collapse. The amount needed to fix the parts of the fence that need it is around $2000. There are about 10-15 sections that need repair. That would be about $200 per section. Since I am not a good estimator, I am going to up the estimate to $250. If I want to fix a section every month, I will need to save the equivalent of about $8.50 per day.
Before I get to where I am right now in savings, I need to go over the “rules”. The following are sources of income: rebates, money I find on my daily walks around the campus, things I find that I can use or give as presents, sales from Ebay or any other source I end up using to sell finds or creations, anything I win from the contests I enter, anything I am given that I can use or give as presents, coupons that save me money and money I make from scrapping the various things I find that do not work. Also, if I can afford to “lend” money to someone, it is obvious that I can spare it. When/if the person pays me back, I will put that towards the scheme. For entertainment, I spend $5 of my “mad money” each week on lottery tickets. Anything I win from that will be put in the pot.
What doesn’t count: savings from making things myself that I would normally buy and change collected from our cash expenditures. If I think of other things in either category, I will add them as time goes on.
Here is where I am right now in the process. I don’t have dates for most of this because I didn’t think of that until just now.
Money loaned out and repaid: $100.00
Lottery winnings: $41.00
Circle K snack pack nuts win: $1.69
Food Town free product with purchase: $1.99
HEB coupon savings: $6.84
HEB coupon savings 8/12: $21.89
TOTAL: $173.41
Looks like FMP has a little bit of time to recover from the rush of harvest before I have him out helping me build fences.~~TSG
In the Ensuing Panic 
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