I was looking up an article a friend was in and came across this little city by city comparison on best places to retire. Kind of interesting but figure I Would share a snapshot of the city I live in now.

But first I have to shock you with the city where I Was raised. You read it right - median house price over $600k. But then look at the weather - sigh. IT's about all I miss about good old San Jose these days though. A little further out from the ocean and the big cities now, but closer to Tahoe and the mountains now. I Feel pretty central. I wonder if someday Sacramento will be as crazy. IT is getting there fast. But probably will never be quite as popular without the super nice weather and high tech jobs that San Jose offers. Besides that, eh, Sacramento has served us well/.

San Jose:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bpretire/2006/snapsh...

Sacramento:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bpretire/2006/snapsh...

I want to see everyone's city - hehe - whoever is not shy I guess. Sometimes I feel private about exactly where I live and days like today I don't care I guess.

ETA: I have no idea where they came up with sacramento temps. High is usually over 100 in july - average 100 - and it is 30 degrees outside right now. I would say the temp drops as low as 30 in winter - but maybe 40 is average. I am just not sure what those numbers are s'posed to be - high or average - but the number for july is super wrong. So you can't really see why I hate the weather here - LOL.

Bunco night and I LOST. What the FOO? LOL.

IT's okay, we actually had all completely different winners tonight. I think I Earned cash to pay all year so I Can be patient and let someone else win - it is nice for different people to win once in a while. I think I will skip December too because work is too crazy next month.

In other news, this week is a budget buster. Ah, tomorrow is the 30th. But the credit card will close the 4th, that's my month end. We had a pretty good month EXCEPT the stupid wii purchase. Almost $300. I can almost squeeze it in so it is a good month, but that is $200-$300 less to our e-fund then. Bah. Only saved $100 in November when all was said and done. We have a lot to sell in the following weeks so we'll see how it goes - looks like we can maybe fetch $400 at this point - a $130 gain - I am ready to take it. I do have some CASH I Can not deposit into my e-fund either. I just know once I convert the cash to a check and sell the wii we will reach our $6k goal by 12/31. I think we will get lots of cash for christmas too - so we'll see how it goes. Not many expenses for December so we may get to $6500 in December. Perhaps... We generally take cash as an extra and spend it, but we are accumulating so much (I just spent $100 on that San Frnacisco trip - extra cash). I want to not spend any more - we need to save some.

Anyway, lots of stuff coming up the next few days, so though the budget looks good today, and tomorrow is the 30th. Eh, who knows. Eating out Friday for work. Eating out for my birthday. Groceries perhaps. It will be close.

I think December should be easy not to spend much though. A little on the christmas front, but not much. With all the gifts. I think it should be easy to step back and say we don't need anything, what a month of windfalls. But who knows. I can hope I guess.

I just had a novel idea. Since we have a local bank, I can go deposit the cash - and send it on over to the e-fund. OMG! I am too dumb to figure it out - my mommy has been my bank for so long - LOL. She is a good reverse ATM for me - I am always giving her cash for checks - hehe. I feel like such a dummy - hehe. YEah - I am going to deposit all our cash tomorrow at lunch or something. OR sturday morning. WOohoo. Why did I not think of this SOONER????? I know I Could deposit ATM too but I don't know - that scares me. Woohoo - I Am all excited now - the benfits of local banking...

Well I Can update my e-fund balance to $5700 then - woohoo. I have $75 easy to add. Actually since I get paid tomorrow I should do that at lunch - go make my deposit AND deposit the cash too. That would be fun - a novel experience. I am not sure if I have ever walked in to do a deposit before.

Gosh, next time I get cash I should go straight to the bank!!!!! I don't do well with cash - it disappears. I like to deposit it and track it - the accountant in my enjoys that much more. Cash - no one has to know where it went - LOL - so I am not very responsible with it. I Feel like such a ditz for not thinking of this sooner.

I am just curious. I know a lot of the talk of car replacement funds and collission and all that is a totally different story to me with 2 perfectly working cars at home and a family that only needs one car. It wouldn't even really put us out that much at this point to go to 1 car. Dh mostly leaves the house when I am home from work. So if a car breaks down or even was totaled I really wouldn't sweat it. Though I guess it is possible something could happen to both cars, eh? Flood?

But, I Was just curious because a coworker has not been ALL week because she had car problems. ??? IS it just me? You seriously can not find ANOTHER way? Strange.

When we first moved here and I had no one I had some car problems and took my car in. & then promptly called a cab. The car shop owner looked at me like I Was crazy when I Said I Was waiting for a cab - he had an employee give me a ride to work. Being young and cute helps I guess. Sure a rental may be cheaper, but I just needed a quick ride to work. Whatever. If I Was really desparate I could have taken a bus though. Light rail. Train. Lots of options, my office is right by the light rail. Cab fare for one day so I Can complete my responsibilities at work, no biggie to me. Those were in the days we were making big dough though. Convenience won hands down in those days.

Ah, so I just got the message she won't be in tomorrow again because she has no one to get a ride from. I thought of offering but I thought if she really wanted to be here, she would. Maybe it would piss her off if I offered - LOL. I don't know. She lives far out - 20 miles east of me. But um yeah, I Could give her a ride - I live closer to her than anyone else around here.

I just find it strange. Is it just me? Oh well, just extra strange because not someone I Would imagine is hard up for a few bucks for a rental or something. We are always talking about how crazy it is people live beyond their means. I guess it sends a message that work isn't that important and that isn't a message I would want to send. There are people here where the message would be - "I am too broke to do otherwise." Public Transportation can be pricey around here. But I am afraid she is sending a completely different message. IF it was me I Would just call in sick I guess - LOL. If I was just going to throw up my hands in findig a way to get to work, why would I admit that???

Or maybe I just read too much into the whole thing.

Ah, it is not terribly often I buy stuff for myself. But if I do - oh yeah - it will be CLOTHES. (well that and jewelry).

I told dh not to buy anything through the end of the week - it is tight with his stupid Wii purchase. Credit card will probably cut off monday so trying to defer defer defer. Then I got another wish list e-mail from his grandma so I thought - bah - and looked up some slippers for the list - to get her a better idea.

& then I came across the shoes - I fell in love with them. They even carried my size. I am not much of an online shoe shopper because my feet are such a weird size but I figured I'd give it a whirl.

I guess the upside is these were from Land's End and they have an overstock store that had jeans for $7!!! I didn't see anything near my size, but interesting to keep an eye on - a lot of deals.

I was good and checked Ebay before purchasing and then I laughed - oh yeah - plenty - but none in my size of course - nowhere near. Thank you big feet. You are useless for ebay shoe shopping. Oh well, who wants to be average.

It is good - spent $30 on those babies. I love them and just what I need. I don't have any casual shoes - just my walking shoes which I have been feeling self conscious with of late. I Wanted some cute black shoes or something. & these will be a little sporty but nice too. I got all black. OF course - black is my color!

I also bought some grey tennis shoes because they were on sale - $25 or something. I don't even know. With shipping I spent $70 or so. Most of my birthday cash. So it is okay. I just have to hold out for christmas money for work clothes which I probably *need* more. SO I feel a little bad. Very um, impulsive. Well now I own 2 cute pairs of shoes. Long overdue really. No more just high heels or walking shoes - something in between - woohoo.

I usually shop Payless but lately all they are good for is work shoes. Even that is hit and miss. I think I am getting too old. They have all the hip shoes, I just want some good old DocMartens or something like that! Plus my big feet don't help with the selection, I usually just hit a few of the stores around here every once in a while and stock up if I see something I like. So I rarely spend more than $10 or something on shoes. Nice to splurge once in a while. Anyway, it has been a year or 2 since I found anything but a few black shoes for work - LOL. I just dread going to the shoe stores - Payless is cheap and carries wide sizes. I thank goodness for them with the kids and their square feet too. THey have wide sizes for the kids which is awesome. Impossible to find at such reasonable prices otherwise. Well, I get so frustrated I haven't really shopped around in years - maybe it's gotten better out there...

But knowing all these cute shoes exist online is very bad. Must not look...

I am really pleased with the quality for the price though, believe me I will wear these forever if I can!!! We'll see how they fit...

Well, first things first. I got some more ideas for my wish list. Slippers and books. I saw fleece slippers (like $2.97) in the mail ads and thought that would be a good gift for the wish list. I have some super warm socks which when I wear, I can survive with the heat at 60 or something vs. the usual 68. They are amazing. So I saw these fleece slippers and thought - aha. I Will put some fancier/good quality variety on my wish list. Any suggestions on super warm slippers?

Then dh mentioned books - I think that is a great idea. I am a book fiend and that is something easy to shop for, hard to get wrong, etc. If they like DVDs and games and all that, books should be in the same realm. Well, you would think anyway. We'll see how it goes. SO help me if my book choices are criticized - hehe...

My friend wants to meet at IHOP tomorrow and I am not so keen on it. But then again my birthday is friday I wonder if she will buy me lunch. Who knows. Will probably go for it.

Oh yeah - bunco tomorrow too. Send me some monkey karma, eh? (yes I Said monkey karma) LOL. I want to win big - there is a pot that is over $100 - send me vibes for that one! LOL. Funny thing is we are having THanksgiving dinner - someone actually made a turkey. Um yeah, sounded like a good idea last month. I have the feeling the last thing anyone will want is turkey and all the stuff that has been in our leftovers all week. We'll see how it goes. I made fudge today for it. Took 5 minutes and was a cheap recipe. Dh had to buy some powdered sugar but that's about it. I will pretend I slaved over it - hehe. The stuff is so good too - usually only make it at christmas orelse I Would be 300 pounds. Butter, sugar, chocolate, and more butter.... My 3-year-old helped me and said we should make it every night. Ah, I wish...

My mom visited today and gave me $100 for my birthday. I need some work clothes - a suit or 2 - some nice shoes - for tax season. This will help a lot. A nice gift!

Oh anyway, the craziness of it all kept me wide awake through the tax update - I could write blogs and blogs about how crazy tax code is - but after about 6 hours today I started to zone out. I Was driving myself nuts thinking different scenarios in my head. Started thinking about my savings goals for 2007. Along the same lines as BA - what is more important - retirement, mortgage, savings, I Don't know. I think I can save $10k in 2007 and that is still my lofty goal - I thought about it in 1 million different scenarios today. I am probably being WAY too optimistic. I know I am losing $3k in car payments and losing any hope of a tax refund this year - even the measly $1k state refund I always receive. Not measly really, but I am a breakeven person. California is just impossible. Federal I can usually do pretty good but with this whole ROTH conversion I ain't getting any money back - I just hope I don't owe anything - for now it is close.

I Also decided the $8k or so in overtime and gifts I usually get is the perfect retirement funding for us. In past years it has been floating us with our overspending. With our latest round of budgets (which has been going quite well) and at least $100/month raise I Assume next year, we can do it! Save a little, not rely on the windfalls, the windfalls can fund retirement - woohoo. I have just had no idea where that retirement funding would come from, so it is a nice revelation. For next year all that will go to e-fund, but one it hits $15k I think I will relax and will be willing to invest all that extra. It will feel good. In the meantime I just have impatience with how slow going it all is. I just got to slow down and relax and have faith things will work out.

Well, I Was bummed to see so many blog posts today. It's awesome but I barely had time to glance at a few. I See less and less time in my future too - bummer. But I am glad to see so many active blogs - just bummed there are not enough hours in the day.

I know there are many worse things in the world than this, but OMG the in-laws are driving me mad - LOL.

I already posted about the christmas politics how when I give them a wish list they scrutinize it and they constantly ask for more. So this year I figure why bother. They will run out and spend $200 on a game system for dh, no questions asked, but everything on my list is up for debate. A wall hanging. Why would you need THAT???? Where would you put it???? Yes, and a game system is top on the list of necessity apparently - LOL. Um I have a house full of BARREN walls - there are plenty of places I could put a wall hanging. Gah.

So I went back to the old way where I ignore them. Well I Tell them cash would be nice or clothes - that is always what they get me. So they are really badgering me as usual, our usual dance. What else can I say - I want cash or clothes. IF you don't want to buy what I Want - be creative. I don't particularly like wish lists - takes the fun out of gift giving. & i am sure they equally frustrated with me because I am not aware of their invisible rules of gift giving apparently. I have no idea what they want from me...

So I as I checked my e-mail last night and saw the 20 e-mails me asking me what I Wanted for christmas (while also poo-pooing any prior suggestions) I was frustrated with dh's stupid wish list and their love affair with it. So I decided on a new plan. He has a pile of DVDs on there which I think is a useless waste of money personally, but I put some of his DVDs on my wish list. I figure in the long run it will save me some cash. LOL. I can even regift them to dh or something, what the heck.

HE told me that was very selfless last night. Are you kidding me? This is for my sanity. LOL. We'll see how it goes. These plans always tend to backfire - hehe. Hopefully this will stem the tide of phone calls and e-mails. It is only Nov. 28 - another month of this!!

I usually thoroughly enjoy their gifts which they usually pick out on their own. I have faith in their gift giving abilities. BUT I will sacrifice that to have a nice, quiet month I guess.

While everyone is blah, I Feel pretty stellar today. Coming back to work, a job I love anyway, is nice after such a relaxing week. We'll see how the afternoon goes since I think I have taken an afternoon nap almost every day this last week. Ah, no wonder I am so refreshed. I was just thinking it was funny with the talk of when so and so's kid outgrew naps. I am not sure I ever did. Since I can plop down and take a 2-hour nap every afternoon apparently. So yeah, the afternoon may be trying - my body has probably been growing accustomed to 2:00 naps...

I forgot I have seminar tomorrow too - 2007 tax update. YEah, try to stay awake through that - hehe. My dad was asking me something and was chiding me for not knowing capital gains rates off the top of my head. My lord. What people don't understand is the law and everything changes every year. I am pretty much still working on 2005 for most of 2006. & now I have to plan for 2007. There is NO WAY I can keep it all straight. IRA deduction this year - hell if I know - the years all run together. Luckily I have little handy dandy refrences all over my desk. & my bible too - Federal Tax Handbook. Then I don't have to memorize everything by year - geez. Sure, memorize all the retirement maxes for 401k, IRA, pension, etc., + catch-ups for 2005, 2006, 2007 and keep is straight. Not that hard? Try all the other million details that changed from 2005 to 2006 to 2007. At some point you just give up... So we go to seminar once a year just to have it all laid out nice and clear - 2006 & 2007 will be fresh in my head I guess. I can't even remember if this is more of a 2006 or 2007 seminar - LOL. Probably 2006 since 2007 will be a work in progress for a long while yet.

Came to work today and occured to me I hadn't left the house in 5 days!! Wow! Feels weird. & YES I really looked forward to getting out of the house. The kids were driving me a little batty the last couple of days. A few hours in the evening is way better time spent than me spending all day with them. My patience is thin with them - they were both driving me mad. Probably why I am glad to be at work today -phew. I have NO IDEA how dh does it. They are both in a "not listening" stage which doesn't help. Baby was so happy to see so much of me he stuck to me like glue all week, but the last 2 days he would take to getting into trouble, you say no, he laughs. You say no 100 times - he just laughs. Big Monkey hasn't been much better - he is in a stage. Plus I am starting to see it is extra hard with 2 because the baby doesn't get the same treatment - he doesn't get time outs - you can only say no and remove him from the situation. Big Monkey then says, hmmmmm, this isn't fair - why I Do get timeouts and "you know betters" yelled at me all day? So then he acts up more - bah. The other thing is Big Monkey was never really one for temper tantrums. He skipped the terrible 2s pretty much - straight to terrible 3s. PRobably because he could always communicate quite well. Little Monkey is another story - he did a few full-on tantrums this weekend over the silliest little things. Just falling to the ground, pounding fists and flailing. It is AMAZING to me because this behavior is apparently instinct or something. It was not learned. I just kind of roll my eyes and ignore him - wait for him to calm down anyway - so dramatic. It think it is extra strange because he is the quiet one. But then again that is me to the core - I was the quiet one - but I get so stubborn - my mom said I was a temper tantrum child. What goes around comes around I guess. So yeah, today at work is a piece of cake in comparison to the last couple of days.

Oh anyway, we got dh's vasectomy date but it was a Monday in January. Bummer - it would cost $250 in january vs. $100 in December. & Monday would not work. So I gave dh a few dates to try and asked him to call today figureing who knows when he'd get around to it. Well they had a date for Dec. 21 which works out perfect. Woohoo. $100 for a vasectomy - you got yourself a deal! His mom has that week off work, and though it is pretty busy for me, I can sneak off for a day or 2. Especially if I tell my boss why - he will do a dance for joy that I will not be asking for 3-4 months off again in the near future. The last pregnancy did a number on me too - I am still recovering. I Was crying at work a month or 2 back - and my boss is like oh lord - that girl is so sensitive since that last maternity leave. My hormones are still crazed. I think the office will probably celebrate - hehe.

I can hardly think of anything better financially than not to have more kids - hehe. I am not sure if I am so keen to do this now, but overall I know if we are crazy enough to want more kids down the road there is always adoption. Plus frankly, I can still have kids. So my options remain open. I guess if we really wanted to go for the gold I Would get sterilized too. Maybe in a few years.

I was putting papers away the other day and found our most recent Social Security Statements. So of course what does Ms. Accountant do - throw it in excel and see how much money we have made over the years. Quite Interesting.

Year Dh Moi TOTAL IRA/401K
1991 2,693 0 2,693
1992 3,757 0 3,757
1993 3,962 1,820 5,782
1994 3,263 1,972 5,235
1995 7,061 3,756 10,817 2,000
1996 7,614 5,250 12,864
1997 10,063 8,262 18,325
1998 10,944 10,104 21,048
1999 20,986 20,617 41,603
2000 41,371 47,870 89,241 6,622
2001 42,461 56,765 99,226 5,768
2002 29,049 52,671 81,720 5,000
2003* 0 44,665 44,665 0
2004 0 64,474 64,474 4,000
2005* 0 45,955 45,955 0
2006 0 70,000 70,000 2,000
TOTALS 183,224 434,181 617,405 25,390

It is amazing to me to think dh and I have made $617,405 between the 2 of us in our young lives. On top of that I estimate we received around $33k in unemployment and disability. I put a * next to the years I took maternity leave, but did receive $6000 in disability, or so, in 2003 & more like $11,000 last year. This year I just estimated my total. I would guess dh received $10-$15k unemployment in 2002 & 2003.

Dh he is a year older than me and when he started working it was allowed to work at 15, not for me when I turned 15. He worked at the local amusement park from age 15 - 22. I can't believe he was making as much as me those days. For me at the time every penny was going to college. For him, he was living at home all cushy - it went for the down payment on our house though - no complaints here. He saved up $40k easy by the time we graduated. All those game systems and fancy toys - even with all that - hehe. I know he worked at a bank, AT&T, Macys in between there somewhere - while working at the amusement park. Graduate college 1999, laid off 2002. Made $40k or so a couple of years in between. I believe his salary was up to $50k, but then his company did mandatory days off and vacations and such - at the end he was only working 4 days/week. Beat being laid off as it seems everyone and their brother was laid off back in 2000 and 2001. Though eventually they did lay him off.

As for me, I worked the amusement park - summers - from age 16-18. 3 years. At age 16 or 17 I Also started teaching piano. I am not sure if I reported all my income on that the first year - either that or my parents helped me more than I remembered - hehe. I lived rent free in 1995 (house sitting) and rented my first place in 1996. Those were some tight years. Oh yeah - just remembered I also had another job in 1998 which helped boost my income a bit - bookkeeping for a security firm. I believe there was a time I was doing that, teaching, and I took another summer job - didn't take many summer classes - phew. I Am kind of bummed all that and I Could have just kept working with dh in the sumemrs and look at that dough - LOL. Graduated 1999 - first job paid $32k or so, but quickly got promoted - that whole desperation for qualified people thing. Has served me well you see.

The end of 2001 we moved and I took a slight pay cut. Eh, you move to where housing is actually affordable, a few k less a year, eh. Plus with the 10% profit sharing contribution I Came out ahead. My prior job had 401k - but a crappy match. I think they matched me $300 when all was said and done - ??

The 2 years I had kids are a little obvious - took some time off...

1991-2001 were all about saving money for a house, and me just surviving and paying for college so I guess we don't have much to show for that - well except all our equity. Started putting more into retirement a couple of years and then got sidetracked by the whole kid thing.

Right now my social security would be $1,158/month at 62 and dh's would be $325. Ah, but not counting on it. We both qualify for medicare too.

I thought we had a year or 2 of six figures, but you know, we never made it - hehe. Darn close.

Dh's first job out of school was a whopping $28k/year. SO we started at $60k combined and I think that was our income when we bought our $260k condo. We couldn't afford a cent more, we really lucked into it. But we quickly got raises and so it worked out pretty well. It is amazing to me we went from 60 to 90 to 99 so fast. & that 7 years later I am making more than the 2 of us combined at our first jobs out of college. IS this a commercial for college education or what?

Looking back you would think we could have saved more. All I know is we put $50k down on a condo in 1999, and then we proceeded to save most of the down payment on this home - another $30k or so, over 2 years. We had 2 homes for a while and sunk a lot of cash into 2 mortgages. I think our mortgages totaled $500k for a few months. That took a chunk of our income for almost 6 months. You know sometimes I wish we lived somewhere where we could buy a house for $80k. Ah. Or even just a stinking condo - hehe. Oh I am sure there are trade-offs. But the idea of all the money we have sunk into housing and how much we still owe - blah...

In 2002 we made $81,000, but I would guess our take-home was the same or even less than today, with taxes. Kids have proven to be a nice tax deduction. I wonder how much in tax we paid in 2000 & 2001... Probably a lot, whereas we have swung a couple of years with 0 income taxes since then.

Well now you know the whole financial story of my life.

I can breathe a little sigh of relief because our health insurance won't eat us out of house and home. I hope.

I love looking at people's budgets, everyones is so different depending on their situation. So figured I Would share it in all its ugliness.

Updated #s:

Income: $60k+ (+ if lucky anyway, this is still the big unknown)

Expenses:
Property Tax $4300
Auto Insurance $1800 (should go down woohoo)
Home/Flood Ins $1500
Life Insurance $500
Disability Insurance $100
Health Insurance $8100
Co-Pays $600
Dental $1000 (no insurance - still haven't budgeted for Big monkey who should go in).
Mortgage $16000
Homeowner Association $800
Home telephone $350
Cellular telephones $850
Cable (internet & TV) $1000
Gas/Electric $1200
Water/Garbage $1100
Gardener $1000
Groceries $6000
Preschool $3500
Baby Classes $500
Dining out $350
Cloth Diaper Service $650 (I can hope to get rid of diapers mid-year???)
Car Loan $3000 (to payoff)
Gas/fuel $3600
Car Repairs/Maintenance/AAA $700
Car Registration $250
Blockbuster Online $240
Subscriptions $165
(Cooking Mags & Newspaper)
Clothing $250
Gifts $700
Donations $100
CASH $250 (pretty much lunch out and very small purchases)
Salon/barber $120
Emergency Fund $600 (+ $200/month once car is paid off)
Misc. $1800
(For now $150/month to whatever we want - a trip to the zoo, to splurge on gifts, or clothes, or eating out. OR unexpected emergencies, or save it. Whatever. I like having this amount though just forever we need. So the little and even the medium unexpected things don't throw us off).

TOTAL EXPENSES: $62,000

I imagine we will "find" a few thousand in additional income - gifts and bonuses and odd jobs, etc. For this year I just want it all to go to e-fund. We aren't planning any vacations or big purchases this year. Pretty bare bones. Though we may need it for unexpected things. I just don't have room right now for a repair fund and stuff like that. I just consider all that in the e-fund I guess. I Am sure I will get a raise and can maybe make that $2500 to the e-fund. For now the $600 is kind of measly but I figure that is where my raise will go - whether its $100/month or $500 - it will be in that range. Crossing my fingers...

The sad thing is I think this year we were spending another $6k/year above and beyond. We were just floating along with the extra windfalls getting us by. We have really pared down the budget.

Well it's a work in progress - as it always will be.

2006 has been breaking out pretty nice with my current pay:

+2475 1st of month
-1200 credit card purchases
(groceries, gas, diapers, phone bills, Copays, Dining Out, barber, car R&M, clothes, gifts, donations, misc.)
-700 insurance/property tax "fund"
-525 utilities/gardener/other checks/ATM/leftovers to savings
-50 Savings

+2475 16th of month
-1315 mortgage
-630 health insurance
-315 preschool
-215 personal loan

We'll see how it works out in 2007 I guess. I know my 4 biggest expenses will no longer EQUAL my second check of the month - hehe - bummer.

For whatever reason I have no idea all the insurance and property tax was fully funded in September or october of this year so I have had a lot extra this end of the year for some of the bigger expenses I've had of late. I hope the same next year means a lofty goal of $10k to the e-fund in 2007 when all is said and done. We'll see. Sounds a little pie in the sky but I figure I should aim high!

It just hit me that it has been 4 years since dh has not worked. He has probably made $3k or so the last 4 years, he has done a few little projects. & believe me, every little bit helps. But it just occured to me that it's been 4 years - wow!!!! I have been nervous this month because I got pregnant around halloween - twice - hehe. So this year I told dh not to come near me please, I know apprently October is a fertile month and I know neither of us wants another BABY right now. Haha, but it just hit me to he got laid off right when I got pregnant with my first - and well it has been 4 years!

Dh and I had wanted to wait a few more years to have kids, but after moving to a cheaper area, just a few months later, I think we were just AMAZED how much easier we had made things for ourselves financially. So we decided we were financially ready. The only mistake we made I would say is he was working and we figured we could save another years' salary before we had a baby. Another $30-$40k, which I would probably have in my e-fund right now. Taking that into account we felt ready. Then I got pregnant and he promptly got LAID OFF. So much for our grand plan. He did get unemployment for 6 months or so, so it wasn't so bad. Who knows where that money went - new baby stuff? Hehe. Probably retirement and savings, and supplementing my maternity leave. But still we were pretty stressed out going into this without everything going to plan.

I always looked at this 1-income thing as very temporary. IF we could make it a few years, well that would be great. Didn't think we could do it forever. So it is nice to look back the last few years and say, well we made it as long as we planned to at the bare minimum. We did it!!! & hopefully a few more years left.

When I first became pregnant I was making $50k/year and we had plenty of money in the bank to help us through - maybe $30k. This last year my salary was $70k, I didn't foresee it going up so fast and that has made all the difference. We have drained most of our cash, but most of it went to 2 cars, and our retirement fund which we often funded to get a bigger tax refund - which helped as well. & since we just did the ROTH conversion I really look at that $20k as a backup emergency fund in the meantime. IT is tax-free, penalty-free accessible cash. Makes everything feel less dire to me - hehe - though I probably wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole...

I am sure we spent a lot of that money on toys we did not need - probably $5k or so. But sometimes you just feel like you got to live a little.

I go back and forth with myself if I feel proud of our accomplishments or not. We could have invested our cash much better and had thousands more in just interest. We could have done better with our retirement. Sometimes I feel like we should have been saving money too, even if we had just squeezed out $20/month - we could have done that. I Am still not positive our last car purchase was the best either.

At the same time not only have we lived on 1-income, but there were months that we lived on NO income - maternity leave. I get so tired of people walking around making six figures saying they couldn't possibly have a spouse stay home, driving brand new cars, going shopping every week, with just so much excess. It's a choice and I respect people's choices. BUT It gets under my skin when they are constantly whining to me how lucky I am and how bad off they are. You just want to shake them sometimes. I know many people who assume we must be independently wealthy, not only because dh stays home, but because I took a lot of time off work as well with both kids. & throw in the super nice house (with a mortgage less than most people around here pay rent - ahem - that's what people don't get). But then you get back to the whole thing where people will completely turn up their nose at our frugal lifestyle, mostly that we drive old cars and don't value brand names, and then be very openly jealous of the fruits of our frugalness. Well most people can't have both, you have to pick what it is you value in life and work for that. I value my family and have taken great financial sacrifice for us to be home with our kids. Come on. I can totally respect people not wanting to give up some of that financial security. For me it has been hard, because I like to have all my ducks in a row and plan far ahead for the future. HAving only $5k in the bank and owing about that much drives me MAD. But to be home with the kids, it is worth the stress.

Looking forward, dh doesn't plan to get full-time work for at least 4 more years. When both kids are in school... In the meantime, baby turns 2 next year and we love our daycare situation with big monkey so I wouldn't be surprised if he takes on a 10-20 hour/week job. But something that doesn't take a lot of time away from the baby. We'll see. If he could bring in some money I know we could save it all, build up the e-fund, and I can relax a little. I am not even sure if full-time employment is in his future ever again. But for now our goal is 4 more years of just 1-income and maybe a little supplemental. Overall I can not feel that proud with our accomplishments. BEcause if he was working it would pretty much ALL go to income tax and daycare. ???? So are we that great with our money or just smart enough to step back and say, um, it's just not worth it. LOL. I don't know. It seems much more logical at this point to pick up a little extra here and there, where we can, than to work full-time just to squeeze out that little extra.

But today I look at it as 4 years down, 4 years to go I guess. Only 2 more years really where daycare is cost prohibitive. Then one will be in school and I am already paying for one today - I know little monkey will have an awesome place to go to when he is 3 if dh wants to bring in more money. So we are really over the hump. I look forward to more income in the future - that is for sure. I want dh to get a PT job where he can put his entire paycheck to 401k or something and we can start really saving money. With just me working, it is not going to happen in the near future... But it is getting closer...

I guess we had some good fortune. Dh never found a job here when we moved, his layoff was inevitable - he told them he would be leaving when he found a job. So it is best we got pregnant when we did - he had commuted for a year - who knows when he would have found a job and when we would have felt ready for kids otherwise.

We wanted our kids 2-3 years apart and we lucked out with 2 years exactly. If it had been 3, or 4 or 5, it would be a lot more diffucult. Luck has played a big part in our financial choices. Heck, if we had waited a year to move we would not have been able to purchase such a nice house. We had no idea the real estate market would go so crazy up here when we moved, we made it in the knick of time. But you know, looking back, maybe the layoff was good, part of a greater plan. & we couldn't have times the kids better financially. Having them 3 years apart would just mean 1 more year where working would not be as lucrative for dh. What if it took years. I am not sure if we would have felt like we could afford a second child - who knows...

LOL.

Just looking at the pile of stuffed talking turkeys reminds me. Why do people buy such USELESS things????? Dh's family is very generous to us so I can't really complain. But then they bring over these silly little things. Every Thanksgiving they bring over a little stuffed turkey that makes funny noises or phrase when you squeeze it. They do the same at Halloween - weird haloween stuff.

I was just looking at the 3 turkeys we now have and asking dh if we were going to have like 10 turkeys in a few years. They are all of a little different size and shape. Did they forget that they brought one last year too? Do they see a gaping need for talking turkeys in our house??? LOL.

Oh I admit I have bought the occasional dancing hamster or something of the sort. But believe me, 1 is plenty - hehe.

Hmm, have we always had spell check on this thing???? Cool...

One more thing - dh's ROTH IRA conversion is complete - FINALLY!!!!!!!! Phew. Ah, why I should be so happy to get such a massive tax bill this year? Oh yeah- because it means dh can make some money next year. I can get a super huge raise too - now that would be nice. Phew. & we did indeed get to take advantage of a low income year for that - woohoo. I was starting to worry it wouldn't get done in time, for this year. So far I Am pretty impressed with Vanguard. I think I popped the form in the mail Tuesday, and all was said and done friday, holiday and all.

It's 65 inside today. IT doesn't feel chilly. 63 upstairs. Funny because I flipped on the heat upstairs but came downstairs and am just fine without even socks. I guess we'll see what dh thinks when he wakes up - if we decide to turn on the downstaits heat too. YEsterday I was about to turn into an ice cube - hehe - less of a chill in the air today, overall.

We were thinking of going in on a $150 gift for dh's dad, and he saw it on sale at Fry's yesterday for $57. Since his dad gave us $40 totally unneeded for groceries, I thought that sounded like a great buy - shelling out $17 of our own money for such a nice gift - hehe. Unfortunatley he went closer to noon and it was already sold out. I doubt he would have braved the crowds much sooner, so oh well. Reminds me he bought something at Frys last year on Black Friday, but I forget what... Guess we are BF shoppers after all, I Forgot. Not much luck when you are too scared to leave the house before noon though - hehe.

Nothing much exciting to report. We netted $90 for groceries from the family and he got the other $50 for the guitar yesterday. I made $150 that I haven't collected yet. I made $40 from jewelry sales and $100 rebate from our credit card. Dang, a good month indeed. Plus the $110 preschool refund and not having to shell out $300 for that this month.

All that adds up to about $900 extra, which is promptly being shelled out. I will owe about $350 to the insruance company in increased coverages and $600 to the estate lawyer still. She is in Sydney and back in a few weeks - a last minute thing - so I am not sure when we will get those signed, but nice to have the money to pay the balance.

December should be good though - I expect some overtime, a bonus (small albeit every little bit helps - maybe $200 if I am lucky). I just checked - I got $150 last year but this year is coming up on my 5-year anniversary. Not sure if that will warrant me a bigger bonus??? Well, expect some nice cash gifts too. & since most of christmas is paid for, I plan to stockpile the e-fund. We'll see how it goes.

Ah, yesterday was luxurious. I mostly SLEPT. LOL. Lots of sleep to catch up on. I feel an extremely lazy weekend coming on. The calm before the storm - work will get pretty busy this month.

With so much extra money I told dh I wanted to order a pizza in this weekend and watch a chick flick or something - that is what I am in the mood for. We actually have a free rental coupon.

& I can not believe how fast the Christmas festivities hit!!!!!! My birthday is Friday and I wanted to go to Spaghetti Factory to celebrate. But Friday is the work christmas party & saturday is the moms group christmas party. We decided to go out sunday for lunch then - slightly cheaper than dinner anyway. Anyway, pizza, fancy dinner, parties, and then lunch. IT will be quite an extravagant week for us.

Oh yes - and I got 2 birthday gifts already. A nice sweater and some goopy, smelly shower gel that is promptly going to the regift pile - LOL. But it will be a nice regift so no complaints here. I don't expect much more since dh and I are not shoppping for each other this year. So that probably about does it - I might get some cash from my mom now that I think about it - woohoo.

I woke up and pulled on my big, warm robe because it felt so chilly. The kids slept until 7am, my word, and I was conked out since about 8pm - I didn't want to get up. I haven't gotten that much sleep in ages, but my body was protesting because after napping all week I didn't get a nap in yesterday with all the festivities. I hope I can get back into the swing and not fall asleep at work in the afternoons - hehe.

Anyway, since it was light already I glanced at the thermostat and it said 63 - oh my goodness!!! Downstairs it said 65 or so - funny how the upstairs has been cooling off faster of late - have no idea why.

Checked the weather and it said current temp was 33. It usually doesn't drop much below 30 around here so I figure it must have been a pretty cold night - brrrrr. I can feel it. Reminds me how it has been unusually warm I guess. It has barely dropped below 67 inside so last night was a bit of a shocker. Hope Big Monkey's new, warm PJs arrive soon! More nights like these and the house will settle around 60 overnight - an 8-degree drop from the day. I am paranoid about babies and blankets but Little Monkey has been sleeping with a nice, thick knitted blanket, even keeping it on all night, so I think we will turn off the heat at night. This is something we haven't done the last few years with the wee little ones around. It is nice that he has graduated to blankets. Though while shopping online the other night I saw some of those blanket sleepers with foot holes. Hadn't seen those before. Oh well, blanket is doing just fine. I know I am extra paranoid and about 18 months he should be able to handle a blanket. Particulalry since it is knit & has holes to breathe through if it gets pulled over his head.

I think it is interesting that overall Black Friday is not a favorite pasttime around here. I Always felt it was overrated. But I am a pretty good shopper I think - hehe. Sure there are the occasional super awesome deals on Black Friday, but to me not worth the hassle and crowds I guess. & risk to life and limb, etc. I get the feeling that many in the frugal crowd agree.

Ah well, now you can laugh at this silly California girl who is gonna freeze her ass off because it dropped to 63 inside the house - hehe. It is funny because we had relatives over yesterday from back home who were saying the weather here isn't that different. Well it isn't really, but back home it never drops below 50 or rises above 80 - very rarely. It is such a shock moving from such a mild climate to where it drops down to 30 regularly overnight AND gets up over 100s in the summer. It is the difference of night and day. Luckily spring and fall are usually pretty mild - more like summer and winter back home. I would not survive anywhere else I am afraid. We talk about moving to ORegon but I know I would probably not last more than few weeks. Brrrr. I know it would costs 10 times as much to make the 2-hour mkove back home. But I do REALLY miss the weather. I guess maybe that is why people are willing to pay 700k for the crappiest fixxer-upper house. It's the weather.

Oh well, not much planned this weekend. Dh said he had some books and DVDs to sell. & I have quite a few large baby things to get up on Craigslist this weekend. So we'll see how much we make on all that. I think we already made $300 extra money this month, so this will just add to it - a good month indeed!

I just read in someone's blog that they didn't intend to go to the mall or shopping between now and Jan. 1. To that I say amen. I don't plan to step foot in a store. I usually don't anyway so it is not too hard.

Ah, I was looking at the budget and everything figuring just one more week and not much going on. A good month!!!

Then dh reminded me that I was going to go shopping to get Big Monkey some warmer pajamas. He just has some cheap ones that are all warped and that I am not happy with. Forget being warm in the least. He reminded me anyway around dinnertime and I hadn't gotten dressed and I didn't feel like going out and the idea of going out shopping at all the next few days sounded like hell on earth if you ask me - LOL. So I decided to pop online and be lazy. I couldn't really find any PJs below $25 - overall is is apparently warm PJ Season. Unfrotunately all the cozy 1-pieces were dire cheap - didn't hardly see one for more than $8, but figured that just doesn't really work since he is fully potty trained at night. Bah. I am not sure if he could get thos off. This is super ironic too because in the past I can never find those 1-piece footed pajamas in bigger than a 1-year-old size. But they were EVERYWHERE. Anyway, as a last resort I did pop by Children't Place Website and saw they were having a pre-Thanksgiving sale - phew. I usually only buy socks and the famous footed PJs there because they are the only places I can really find them at a decent price. So they had a bunch of PJs in the $8-$10 range. I got 2 pairs for Big Monkey, 2 pairs for little monkey (since he didn't have much in the particularly warm variety - pretty worn). & then I remembered he needed pants and socks so picked up some of those. They had a ton of shirts for $5 and I was extremely tempted, but nothing particulalry exciting (solid colors) and I figure he probably doesn't "need" any shirts. Oh but I did buy him a sweatshirt for $5 - just remembered that one. Something of the warmer variety for outside. All that was about $70 with tax & shipping, but I looked last minute for the online web coupon codes. Sometimes those can be pretty hit and miss but I lucked out - just googled coupon code and found a 15% off right away. Woohoo. Total was more like $63 for that pile of clothes. I knew I had just thrown out a coupon too knowing I wouldn't use it so was super happy to retrieve the code online after all. Anyway, I usually don't spend that much on clothes - but man, not having to leave the house - I was VERY happy - I think I did good.

Oh yeah - I also saw the cutest PJs on ebay which I did win but ended up $14.50 with shipping. Oh well, Big Monkey will appreciate having some nice PJs I hope - especially as it gets chillier. "As of now I would say the boys are pretty set for winter. Little Monkey could maybe use a jacket and a pair of shoes, but he doesn't really go out much so he may not need them - who knows. We can put on his christmas list I guess. It is so funny to me to see people bundle up their kids in coats just to walk from the car to a house or a store front. I dropped off my son at preschool the other day - it might have been in the high 50s/low 60s, and a lady was bundling up her kids in coats to walk them to the door. I am looking at my son in his thin shirt wondering - hmmm - am I missing something here??? I have noticed that a lot since. Since the kids generally don't go outside much in the winter they don't have particularly heavy coats or anything. Carrying the little one from the car to a store or front door, I think he will be okay.

Oh yeah - the other thing I got my Chase rewards card and they are SUPER annoying. I had to call them twice and I had to sit through their buyer protection plan whatever spiel - no no no no no. Then yesterday someone called. I NEVER answer the phone - I am pretty anti-social - hehe - but I had just gotten off the phone with a friend and I assumed it was her again. Picked it up - stuck listening to some speil from Chase - not sure what they are saying. Trying to be polite, but when I Say no I am not interested they keep saying "but you can cancel in 30 days." & so I say well, I don't want to cancel in 30 days - I Am saying NO NOW. SO much for being polite - next time I will probably hang up on them - gah. So annoying!!!!!! Luckily I Am usually not home to answer the phone - dh will tell them to buzz off if he answers. HE's good for that. But the only other credit card I ever had directly from a big cc company was MBNA and they were super annoying as well. They called me once to send me a new card and asked me all this personal info + my social. I called to report this "fraud" and they were like, oh yeah, that was US. You are sitting here scrazthing your head - HELLO??? Who gives that info over the phone and why don't you have it??? Oh well, a matter of time before I get so p.o.ed I Decide the rewards are not worth it.

Everything around here is good. I only stayed up until 10:15 cleaning house so I think we did good. Not too much last minute hubaloo. Cleaned for 1/2 hour - 1 hour after kids went to bed. This morning I have to vacuum and make deviled eggs. That's about it. Our ice breaker broke a while back, but the dispenser in the freezer still works. So I have been making ice for days - pouring it into the storage bucket in the freezer, and then into bags for the cooler and drinks. Almost there. We could have easily whimped out and bought ice. I guess this is how people did it before ice machines - hehe.

Not sure what is on the menu today - besides turkey, beans, spinach, cranberries, pie, cheesecake, soda, mashed potatoes, etc. Probably much much more. Our parents are coming and dh's aunt/uncle/cousin & her family. Just one other little one for the kids to play with, bummed dh's sister and my niece couldn't make it. Oh yes and grandma too and another of dh's cousins. A full house, but not a BIG year since we are missing 3 of the usuals. Great-Grandma is going to do the stuffing and the turkey which is still thawing as we speak. My dad does the gravy, dh's dad carves, his mom does pies, my mom will separate all the turkey from the bones after/finish carving I guess. Everyone has their little part. I love doing deviled eggs - yummy. My dad is also making his homemade salsa when he gets here - something to munch on until dinner at 2.

Ah, there is so much to be grateful this Thanksgiving. I hesitate to do a list because it is all boring and the same as everyone's - hehe. But I am just super grateful that we can afford to live in such a nice place close to family so that we can see them. There was a big part of my life I thought we could never afford to live in California. So I am grateful to be here, to have an abundance of food, for us all to have our health, and such wonderful healthy kids. Dh's cousin has been completely unable to have kids of her own, and so seeing her and her little adopted boy today is always a huge reminder how lucky we were so easily to have kids of our own. I am mostly gratfeul for food, warmth, a steady job. Everything else is just gravy.

Have a wonderful Day!

EDITED: While I Was typing away I got an offer for the freecycle item. A family in a new apartment who owns NO furniture or kitchen items. I remembered I have a pile of silverware and old stuff I had intended to give to my sister, but she didn't need. I Will add to the pile. I think I will go through the house and see what I have. An EASY purge - I LOVE Freecycle!!!! Doesn't get much easier than that - will probably show up today to take this stuff off my hands!

I think we have been doing awesome this month on the energy bill - just not so quick to turn on the heat just because the thermostat says "less than 68." If it doesn't feel cold, we don't touch it, but a couple of times I turned it to 69 because it felt really chilly. No doubt tomorrow we won't need it - the turkey will heat the house - well at least the downstairs. All that cooking will and body heat too I guess. 15+ guests tomorrow...

But overall I think it has been rather warm. Rainy - and the air seems to stay warmer. A chill in the air, but 50% of the time we don't even turn the heat on - house has settled around 68-70.

& yeah we don't have a fireplace, that could be another reason our house is SO insulated, just another way not to lose heat. Don't even ask - it is a long story - why we have no fireplace - hehe.

Oh yes, but I am not so confident we will have the most stellar bill ever this month because I think I did 10 loads of laundry yesterday, and 10 to go. We were all sick a couple of weeks back and the house has settle into quite the trashed state. Yesterday I went through the upstairs and just washed all the sheets/comforters/blankets. I still have to wash the sheets on our bed and pull out some warmer blankets. I picked up the kids rooms and vacumed. Filed away a stack of papers a mile high sitting on my desk at the top of the stairs. I still should scrub the bathrooms a bit but saving that for last. Don't really expect anyone to go upstairs.

I am not the biggest house cleaner, BUT I usually keep on top of it a little better. It was pretty bad.

Today we need to clear out the living room - boxes from storage and piles of stuff to put away. A couple of presents to wrap... Scrub the guest bath and the kitchen.

Not much cooking to do - mostly we are providing space - phew. I had wanted to bake a cake, but decided on storebought cheesecake - sounds yummy. Mostly I have to wake up early tomorrow and prepare deviled eggs.

Oh back to laundry - washing the highchair cover and halloween costumes to put away or sell, etc. LOTS of laundry. I actually don't mind laundry - to me that is an easy chore - you throw it in and the machine does the work. I don't necessarily fold and put away laundry every load either - hehe - probably why I don't mind it so much. I just tend to throw it on the bed a fold for 5 minutes before bed every night OR throw it in the corner for later. There wasn't even that much in the corner yesterday - phew. Been keeping up with that I guess.

I am meeting a friend for lunch today and I was going to go shopping, but alas now I am not. I am bummed - was looking forward to it. I had asked dh's grandma to pick up a cute christmas outfit for Big Monkey since dh slashed that out of the budget. I said okay because I knew his mom or grandma would get something. But she e-mailed me monday and said she hadn't found anything (probably early) and if I picked up something she would reimburse me. Woohoo. I looked forward to going to Target - knew they would have something. But just got an e-mail that she wants to go shopping this weekend and will probably find something. Bummer. I was really looking foward to shopping after lunch today - with someone else's money - hehe.

Dh went to the store and stocked up on drinks and beans and chessecake. & oh yes the turkey. My mom said she will give me some cash for the turkey. OVerall we didn't spend much. Dh's family is bringing the rest of the food.

Oh well - I have lots of picking up to do. I am trying to balance the bare minimum of cleaning before guests who will just make a MESS - hehe - with the fact that without a day off I never have time to do all the extra chores, etc. So I am kind of doing a bit of everything, but want to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow - don't want to go overboard on the stuff that doesn't matter. & yeah, I intend to maybe pick up a bit Friday after the big turkey day - but mostly I intend to rest up and relax after tomorrow.

Oh yeah - took Big Monkey for a haircut - about $15 at the kid place - they are awesome and worth every penny. I then tried my hand at Little Monkey's hair noticing it was looking shaggy, and it actually turned out pretty well. Not bad fror a kid who can't keep his head still and kept whipping his head around rihgt when I tried to cut - LOL. I am glad no blood was shed. I cut my oldest son's hair for the longest time, not that great at it. BUt little monkey - at almost 18 months this is his 2nd haircut. He is pretty bald overall - hehe. Well I am super impressed with my hair cutting skill. Probably just a big fluke.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!!

Oh man, Christmas with the family really annoys me - hehe.

With my family, how I was raised, I like it. We get each other a few little things and don't make a biggie out of it. Even as a kid, every few years I would get something super cool or awesome, but that wasn't the norm. The words "wish list" are not in our vocab, we resent being told what to buy each other - the fun is in the surprise. My mom might buy the kids some clothes or something or a small toy and that is a-okay with me. The LAST thing they need is more toys. Overall I think my family views Christmas more as a time for giving, not for exchanging gifts. We have never been big on material stuff anyway.

Dh's family is a whole other ball of wax. IT amazes me how similarly we were brought up money-wise, and how frugal he can be, it amazes me sometimes because he was somewhat spoiled ROTTEN and our kids even moreso. It annoys me because they do not need 1 million + toys. This year proves to be particular interesting because my MIL is so unfair when it comes to the grandkids. She is constantly showering Big Monkey with gifts because he "needs" things (toys and clothes). & she will look at Little Monkey and say "He doesn't need anything." I am just sitting here wondering why Big Monkey *needs* MORE books and toys because he has plenty, and how her flawed logic can be so obvious to everyone but her. Sure he needs clothes more, but Little Monkey's hand-me-down are a bit worn - he could use some new things too.

Anyway, last year he was a baby and I didn't say much, but I expect her to be fair this Christmas. Probably too much to ask. I was so annoyed with dh because we were putting together a wish list for the kids and he says, "most of these toys can be for both kids - why are you designating certain toys for just 1 of the kids?" I am like, hello - because if we don't designate she will just buy everything for just the big one. Come on. That is why the wish list is heavily weighted for Little Monkey. We'll see how it goes.

Oh well, in years past my son has received what feels like 100 presents - he was bored after opening 1/4 of them and could care less. Last year was a bit better with 2 other grandkids to share with. I just hope my SIL has a baby soon, would get even better. I Think before they only had 1 grandkid to buy for and they went a little crazy. Dh's family is a little wacky so you try to talk to them and they turn it around to we hate them or something, so you just throw your hands up and give up. IF they drown in a mountain of toys, I guess we can just hope we don't notice if quite a few "disappear." You ask them to buy less presents and they take it as the biggest insult imaginable I guess - I do not understand in the least. For now the moutnain of present is worth family peace, though it is all pretty aggravating to me as to me it goes against everything we stand for as parents. A battle that will get fiercer as the kids age and are more understanding of what is going on.

Anyway, I did the obligatory wish list so we'll see how it goes.

The other aspect to all this is they are a wishlist family and I have never partaken. I have been in the family for over a decade. Last year was a pretty tight year for us so I decide what the heck. I Could use a few things. They will spend hundreds of dollars on me, so I put a few $50 items on the list. & some little things. Well, they got NOTHING from the list. LOL. IT was like they looked at it and said, um, okay, where is your "Real" list? LOL. IT was so frustrating at the time, but looking back kind of funny. You know dh has a list a mile long of games and DVDs and they will buy that but I Ask for a few kitchen items and they look at me like I am crazy. We were discussing it later and dh was like - well your list was "Expensive." Um, a new game is $50 and they don't blink at that!?! Hello???? I think the thing is they like buying video games and DVDs, maybe because it is easy. My list, apparently too complicated. I don't want a DVD or a game or anything of that nature. USually they get me clothes and gift cards, which is pretty nice and well needed. So for this year I just went back to our old usual ways. They ask me for a wish list over and over and over and I Say I don't want anything. Then they get me clothes and cash and everyone is happy. LOL.

Oh yes, yesterday was quite a spend day.

I didn't really intend to spend much, but a day in a tourist trap adds up pretty fast I guess.

The good was one of our bus rides was free (broken money-taking machine?) and at the carousel after going through much to get stupid tokens they didn't even take them. So I have some for next time. So hey we got a few free things - hehe.

Big Monkey had a blast. A day in San Francisco was as much fun as Disneyland to him. Frankly, he looked more fascinated. HE was a handful at times, but overall it went pretty good. The ride went quite well. My only regret is we left the house closer to 10. Since we didn't get to SF until around noon, I wish we had planned to leave early in the morning. We were a little crunched on time, but next time we will leave earlier. We just did not get in near as much as we had wanted, but I think that was good for the pocketbook.

We ended up going on a $5 boatride too. I thought my friend was crazy when she saw some lady hold up a sign that I didn't see. I thought - yeah right - what's the catch???? I wasn't too enthused when she drug me over to check it out. IT turned out to be the highlight of the day. Very funny tour guide, great tour, and the kids both got to steer the boat, though my monkey not for so long because he kept spinning the wheel left and veering for Alcatraz - LOL. So my friend's son got to drive all the way back - he wasn't so wild with the wheel - hehe. Anyway, I totally recommend the $5 boat tour if you ever make it to San Frnacisco and Fisherman's Wharf - money well spent!

Well - here's the breakdown:

Fancy Lunch - $25
Dinner @ Subway - $7
Cute chocolates for the kids - $6
soda - $2
water - $2
donuts - $3
---------
Food $45
---------

Boat tour for 2 - $11 (includes tip)
Juggler - $1 (tip)
Souvenirs - $10
Carousel (2 rides) - $10 (what racket, eh?)
Toy - $7 (don't ask - had to buy something to get stupid carousel tokens that we didn't need after all)
-------------------------------
Entertainment & souvenirs $39
-------------------------------

Subway - $9.50
Bus - $1.50
Gas - $20
Tool Booth - $3
-------------
Transport $34
-------------

Grand total of $118 spent, plus $7 for a christmas present for my dad. That was in the christmas budget though.

Oh well, I don't think I would have spent as much if I hadn't of been with my friend - I think I would have stayed out of the stores altogether. But I got my son a couple of little tokens as a result. Food is always the killer on these types of trips, eh?

Oh yeah, besides all that, no time to read blogs or forums today - this week doesn't look so hot. Got a little done around the house today - MUCH more to go...

Tomorrow is a day off work, but I am helping a neighbor with quickbooks, hopefully will not take ALL day. Also meeting with my insurance agent, hope the damage is not too high. I checked my dh's car on blue book and had no idea it was worth so much - has hardly dpereciated at all in 5 years - I guess we did get quite a steal. IT is worth like $4k trade-in & $8k (what we paid) by dealer??? I will discuss the whole comprehensive/collission thing as well. We really don't have a ton of money to replace it at this point. Is worth $4k and we could probably, BUT at the same time not without clearing the rest of our cash. So I am considering it, depends on how much it cost of course!! I figure odds are I won't bother because I know I could find a sweet car for $1,000 if need be. No biggie. People throw away cars like water so it is easy to find a steal. I really assumed dh's car was worth squat at this point. So I am impressed with our buy today though kind of annoyed - hehe. It will be a tough decision...

Ah, and the true test. I just checked craigslist and there are 30 of them for sale, most ASKING under $3k which means you can find one for $2k easy. Go stick shift and its even less. Blue Book can be deceiving I guess. I thought $4k trade-in was pretty pie in the sky...

Why get a job when you can wait in line all night and buy a toy you can sell for 200%+ profit????

Oh yeah - my hubby decided againt all that racket for the PS3 BUT silly me didn't realize there was another game system coming out this week. When we got home last night he told me he was thinking of going. Though I think it is insanely silly, I actually encouraged him to go last night. Why, because our neighborhood is extremely terrible for auto theft AND the kids rooms are right above the garage. Big Monkey and I got home so late we couldn't park in the garage, without risk of waking the light sleeping little monkey. So when I Walked in and dh told me his crazy plan I said, whatever. I Rather him take our most expensive possession to the Best Buy parking lot in his sight all night then sitting in the driveway. This turned out to be a good choice because though I did not turn on a light in the van and I KNOW for a fact I locked the doors, dh said when he went outside a light was on in the van and the driver side door was unlocked. VEry strange but there is no doubt I would have met bad news with such a "come get me" sign on it. Frankly I am not sure if someone was tampering with it I have no idea how the door could have been unlocked or a light on otherwise. Strange. The other reason I did not mind so much is the Wii is a mere $250 vs. the $500 playstation. Though if dh does not make a nice profit I will not doubt be annoyed. Time will tell I guess - I am sure those things will flood Ebay for a while. Maybe closer to Christmas - the last minute shoppers - will be what we wait for.

& yes I am annoyed that dh's sleep schedule will probably be ALL Screwed up all week. Not worth it if you ask me - geez. Today he will be useless, that is for sure. HE is still not home yet - it is 9am. He told me at 8 he got a ticket to buy one so he was "in." I will be curious to hear how many people behind him got tickets and if it was worth waiting in line from midnight.

ETA: looking at the thousands on listing on ebay I am not too keen on this today, BUT I noticed Play Station is still going strong. I Was just tempted to list the thing today because guaranteeing shipping tomorrow might be our only edge. But we decided to wait it out - dh can return it if it doesn't pan out. Imagine waiting all night in the cold to just return it. I am having a bad feeling it may stay in our house for a long while - like forever. We'll see...

Oh yeah, I called dh again and periodically people were yelling "wii." I asked what was going on and he said anytime someone walked out of the store with one, they all yelled "wii." OMG! LOL. What a bunch of crazy people... He said only 4 people in line behind him made it, the rest camped out for NOTHING!!!!!

I have no words...

Woohoo - the month is looking good.

Just deposited my preschool refund and unless I Am forgetting something (I could be), I have another $185 to add to the e-fund. The month is not over yet and dh made $100 on the guitar AND I have quite a few large baby items to sell. We will get $100-$200 through the end of the year - maybe $100 this month. Plus I have $125 cash sitting in my pocket. As I always say I hate cash, but I will splurge a little on our trip today. Hopefully I will have $50 at least leftover, probably more - so makes it pretty certain we can get our E-fund to $6k this month! OMG!!!! To go from feeling like you can not possible save to saving $1k in such a crazy time of year is super awesome. It was mostly working extra and selling things - but I think we can keep that up for a while - the little things really help.

Oh yeah - but wish us luck. Our house is insured for about $200k and rebuilding costs have SOARED these last few years since we bought. Doing our insurance review Monday. Hopefullly the damage isn't too bad - I know we need more coverage on our house. But I don't now what else they will try to sell us. I will probably just be aggreable and then come home, pop on the internet, and research everything and call and cancel most of it - hehe. I am a pushover, and dh isn't but he said he didn't want to go because he doesn't know anything about any of this stuff. Oh anyway, when we moved here I met with the insurance agent and he was really NICE and didn't push a bunch of stuff on me. But he shortly retired, the young whipper snappers are pushy, we'll see. It's hard to know what is necessary or not. Our old agent was always pushing more medical and liability stuff on our car, and I might consider it now that we have a lot more significant assets. Feel like the more you have, the more you have to spend to protect it. On the flipside, they just changed their rate structure so instead of going by zip code they are charging auto insurance by driving record. So though our home insurance may be going way up, I think our auto insurance may significantly decrease next year - woohoo. I Was so bummed when we moved here and our insurance pretty much doubled. Did not make sense to me since it is a less metro area and I drive way less, etc. But with our perfect driving records (knock on wood), our rates have got to be great with the change. I know it was simply the zip code that was totally reaming us. Well we'll see how much a difference it makes next year when the rates take effect. Oh anyway, I put the $185 for savings in the short-term fund because I wil probably need it for insurance - might not go to e-fund after all.

I admit I don't completely understand all of the ends and outs of profit sharing plans but I was clarifying something with my boss yesterday, for a client, and realized I have more guaranteed to me today than I realized. I thought I wasn't eligible for my contribution unless I Worked a full year, but I Am eligible after working 1000 hours. So I added my contribution through November to my tally. Woohoo - added $2500. I had accrued some of it already but don't want to get into profit sharing plans and why - hehe. But I will start accruing that every month. Well after I hit 1000 hours next year. & the coolest part is at the end of next month I vest another 20% and will add another $5k to my balance. Next year I should vest about $6k and get an $8k contribution, so next year is looking pretty good. I have a round idea in my head that I Want to get our Retirement up to $100k by the time we are 35. Depends on the market and other factors, but I think even if dh doesn't work until then that we can do it.

Oh anyway, my birthday is coming up and christmas. Since most of the shopping is done I Expect to save a big chunk in december - we will probably get some nice cash and I Am putting it straight in the bank. I was thinking about it in regards to the luxury thread because I Feel like we have quite a few luxuries. BUT this time of year it is like dh and I Are not even exchanging gifts - we see no need. I think having a little luxury in your life it ieasy to give up a lot of things. Oh yeah, and my friends around here think I am absolutely DEPRIVED because I don't want anything for Christmas. Is it that hard to see that I am satisfied with what I have? LOL. HAving the money to enjoy things throughout the year and hire a gardener, and have dh stay home. Those are all the luxuries I enjoy through the year and I can forego the materialism that is Christmas. I think I will survive. & plus the truth is though my family is not big on gifts and my mom will probably get me something silly that I Will promptly freecycle - LOL. The truth is MIL absolutely spoils us rotten and she will get me some nice gifts that I will enjoy, and some cash. So don't feel to worried about me. Though frankly I am hoping to get gift cards or cash because I need a new suit for work. Ah, here I go being all practical...

Ah, well everyone have a great weekend. We are taking the kids on the BAy Area subway equivalent today and spending the day in the city. I hope the kids enjoy it - I am sure it will be quite an adventure for them. Hopefully I survive. I am a little nervous because we went to a playdate last night with my travel buddy for today and I guess the preschool teacher told her our 2 monkeys are quite mischevious when they are together - they can not be alone. This is the first I heard this so of course I figure we have to watch those 2 like a hawk - they do get pretty rambuctious together too. Hopefully we won't have to turn right around because they can't behave or something. LOL. We'll see. I am sure they will be fine, but you know if it's one of those days somoething is in the air, or someone is in a funk, it can spell disaster. But if it goes well, I really hope to plan more trips like this in the future just my son and I. I think he would enjoy.

Um, well, first I Spent too much time here today so I am vowing to myself not to come online tomorrow. I wil break this vow unless I spell it out here to be accountable to myself - hehe.

I tried to read everyone's list, but might have missed a few. Hopefully I will catch up. I like Tina's idea to make a category for 'list.' I hope more people do so, so we can catch the lists we missed more easily.

I think I Added 3 items to mine and I think I don't want to add any more. I imagine you can easily get your list out of control this way. IT is what it is and I think it is closed - hehe. I reserve the right to change my mind.

Today was super cool because I know on that thread about giving things away some people had said that when you give you are rewarded. I totally believe in karma and all that and probably why i am a "lucky" person overall. But frankly lately I am tired of giving and giving and giving, and other people being so UNgiving. Just for example, we lent and gave away all of our babys tuff to SIL, and the only thing I Wanted to borrow from her with my second son was a baby bathtub, since her child was 1 at the time. & she wouldn't let me borrow it. What the hell?????? Reminds me she would not give me back something she had borrowed and I needed back, as well. I Will give someone a ton of hand-me-downs, but they are trying to sell something I would just give away and they won't even budge on the price for me. Stuff like that - I am SO fed up with people. BUT today karma hit fast. Ds's preschool teacher called and was clarifying how much of a refund she owed me. I thought she had already sent the check in the mail, but since she hadn't I told her to keep $100. I figure things were tight for her and she is super awesome. It's for christmas but I figure it was silly to wait a few weeks - she probably needed it now. She was super grateful. & then later I met a friend for dinner who I hadn't seen in years, and I figure I would swing it however, but he offered to pay for my dinner - insisted really. I didn't expect it at all and it felt really good. So my spend day today turned into a no-spend day like that - woohoo. Though I guess maybe in a sense I spent $100? Nah, I just decreased my refund...

Oh well it is nice to be grumbly and think why bother being nice. & then to have someone be nice on a day you are feeling that way. Know what I mean?

Anyway, it was quite strange today hanging out with someone I haven't seen since having kids and stuff - reminding me of my carefree youth - aaaaaahhhhhhh. I guess he moved to San Francisco recently and I have a really good friend who lives over there but I never visit in the city because she lived in such a bad neighborhood. But she just moved, so we were making plans to hang out in the City soon, and I Was thinking cool now that I know 2 people there. But I was thinking back and figuring this other girl is like my best friend and I have seen her a few times back home and such but I don't think I have hung out with her, without the kids, since I had my first son over 3 years back. That is just sad. Everything is so crazy and the distance doesn't help, but it just feels so weird to talk about plans to take a day off for myself and go to a museum and out to dinner and all that stuff the single people do - hehe. Anyway, we are trying to plan a visit in December, we'll see how it pans out. This weekend I Am taking my son to the city on the rapid transit - kind of a dry run - I guess we'll see if I Will be up to taking the route alone. I Am sure I will be. When we moved here I figured we weren't relaly that much further from SF, but have since learned driving is not an option. I rather drive 2 hours home and then another hour into the city, then get into the city from this isde, over the bridge. IT is the worst thing ever if you ask me. I used to take the train from the other side, just less familiar with the area on this side, and it is annoying because it is a good hour drive to get to the train - it is a pretty large trip all the same - though probably faster than driving and sitting ont he bridge for 1 hour waiting to get past the toll booth. I Talked to my friend today if it was possible to get those fast passes even if you only use them once or twice a year - the electronic chips so you can zoom through - you know. He said probably possible, but not always faster, since he traveles a lot for work and gets stuck on the bridge all the time, fast pass and all. Bummer.

I guess I Am excited because just as I Was gaining independence from my first son I got pregnant all over again. I don't intend to do that again anytime soon -hehe. I See some freedom in my future - woohoo.

Oh yeah, I Was going to say I have been trying to meet other people around here, but it is always so mom-centric - people I meet for playdates, or even on a night out all we do is talk about the kids. I look forward to spending time with people that know me pre-kids, and talking about something else. Though I will probably bore them and talk about my kids the whole time, huh? Anyway, I am super excited at the prospect.

Oh yeah - I forgot to say why I felt so overwhelmed. Work is crazy tomorrow since I intend to take next week off. YAY! But next week I am preparing for the big feast here AND doing some freelance work. Plus I have a few appointments thrown in to keep me on my toes. Saturday is the big trip to the city. I Figure Friday night I could do all my last minute planning and such. But then I just came online and saw I have a playdate tomorrow after work. OMG! I totally forgot. I am officially overwhelmed. This is why I have to keep off the internet - I have much to do!!!!

What the heck - all the cool kids are doing it - LOL. I picked 44 because I like to be random - hehe.

1.I didn’t see what the big deal about giving birth was after being induced with my first and him being delivered a mere 4 hours later – only about an hour or so of real labor. No drugs – which I had intended to. I figured it was my positive attitude. He was a 9 pounder – easy peasy.

2.I learned what the big deal was with #2 – LOL – I am sure my positive attitude helped, but not enough. HE was less than 8 pounds – but it was the BIG monster head. I Still made it no drugs and would do it again. I like a challenge.

3. Reminds me after my first “easy” birth I had wanted a big salami sandwich from my favorite deli back home and so my MIL delivered it right after the birth. Anyway, just gave birth, chowing down my hoagie – everyone thought I Was crazy – LOL. Hey I couldn’t do that if I had been drugged up.

4.Salami and PB make a good sandwich by the way.

5.In school I Was obsessed with grades – all As. I think I freaked out at the A-s. A+ for this perfectionist. (I’ve chilled out since. I think.).

6.I Was so quiet as a child, people usually thought I couldn’t talk.

7.Oh yeah, was super, super shy, I am growing out of it – slowly.

8.I am DEATHLY afraid of spiders. I can hardly think of anything worse than a spider crossing my path. But if I see one in the house I will ask dh to set it free outside. I really value life so don’t like killing bugs. But if dh isn’t around I will do it for peace of mind – can’t have a spider running loose. I will lose it…

9.My favorite color is black.

10.I did mensa’s sample test online and passed – I have been meaning to see if I could join. I think I could pass, though my perfectionist ways I think I haven’t taken the test because I Am scared of failing it. But anyway, overall I don’t really get along with people and probably why I was historically so shy. I question everything, look at things critically, and like a good debate. Feel like no one else does in real life and it frustrates me to sit around and talk about hair and makeup and boys because I could care less – LOL.

11.That reminds me I Could care less about celebrities and when people sit and gossip about celebrities it is like nails on a chalkboard to me – drives me mad. I guess I wish people could put that kind of effort and caring into stuff that really matters – geez.

12.All that talk of me being high minded but there is hardly anything I love more than some really trashy reality t.v. I could watch that stuff all day – don’t ask me why. Mostly because it is so FUNNY!!!!

13.I am a pretty accomplished piano player and taught piano for a while to pay for my college.

14.My first job was at the local amusement park. I thought it would be so cool but it really sucked – LOL.

15.When dh and I met it was “love at first sight” but we were too shy to speak to each other for months.

16.I Was a pretty boring kid, never got into trouble, BUT I did sneak out at night quite a few times to meet my boyfriend. The only really risky thing I remember doing my whole life – LOL. Don’t tell my parents – hehe. Yeah, boys are my downfall…

18.I REALLY enjoy boogie boarding (because it is easier than surfing – but fun) and bike riding but don’t have much opportunity for either where we live now. Really miss it – both are just great natural highs.

19.I never wanted kids and now I Can’t imagine if I had never had them – my word. Kids are the best thing ever. Having always been pretty in tune with myself it amazed me how blind I Was to my maternal side. Guess there is a lot to still learn about myself.

20.Though I Was the youngest in school (started kindergarten when I Was 4 since birthday is in December), I was the first of all my friends to date, drive, get a job, move out on my own, buy a house, etc., etc. I always laugh when people say the kids that start school early feel “behind” because they won’t turn 16 as soon as all their friends.

21.I thought of something crazy – I traveled cross country to meet a guy I had met on the internet. This was after dating dh too. Don’t even ask – just lucky he wasn’t a psycho. HE was who he said he was and we were good friends for a long while.

22.I guess it is because I am responsible or organized but I Am always nominated as leader for whatever reason – and it freaks me out. In school, in any organization I belong to. I am like I Am the shyest one, why is everyone nominating me leader????? But now at 29 I find I am getting used to it and I am getting so bossy I Want to be in charge – I like things my way – LOL.

23. I LOVE reading. I will read labels on shampoo containers if I Am bored and there is nothing else to read. I could read 2 novels in a day – easy.

24.I love writing too. The blogosphere is like a fantasy come true for me. I could sit and blab about all of the boring aspects of my life and people will actually read and care – OMG. I LOVE it. LOL. I remember writing in my journals as a child to some imaginary audience pretending anyone would care. Or even better yet reading everyone else’s blogs – it is just so voyeuristic – I love that too. Goes with the whole reading thing I guess.

25.I want to write a book someday. I actually have considered going back to get a literature degree when I am old and wise. I Think then I will have more to write about. For now I am stuck on a subject…

26.Reminds me if I had my way I would go to school forever. I just LOVE learning. When the kids are older I’ll be taking classes at the local colleges just for fun – no doubt.

27.Oh yeah – I was in marching band too – flute and piccolo.

28.My first car my dad sold to me for $1500. I redid the paint job myself (well with some help). I think my dad wanted to teach me hard work but I have since preferred to hire people for that kind of stuff. NEVER again – LOL. Plus a professional job would have turned out MUCH better. But I guess I am still proud of my accomplishment.

29.I had mono when I was 18 and thought I Was gonna die. I Was in bed for weeks – was awful.

30.Growing up in the San Francisco area I am extremely tolerant of different cultures/races/lifestyles. I wish everyone could experience that. I know plenty of gay parents and interracial couples, and Arabs. They are all just PEOPLE like us.

31.That reminds me I really love the Indian culture. Growing up I had mostly Indian friends, and I LOVE the food – it is the BEST. Homemade Indian food – heaven on earth. My best friend explained to me once that Germans and Indians descended from the same people. Makes sense I guess!

32.I moved out on my own when I was 18. I Could not stand to live with my parents – LOL. I pretty much put myself through college, paid as I went. I think I Was too independent and my parents too smothering so I Was out as soon as I could. Frankly I never got along with them when I lived at home and now we are the best of friends – couldn’t live without them.

33.I LOVE Driving. Nothing like a good roadtrip…

34.I don’t think I ever ate fruits or veggies growing up. Reminds me though I am SUPER picky when it comes to food. But way better as I get older. I LOVE spicy food.

35. I love pepsi. I Don’t drink coffee or splurge on sweets particularly, but PEPSI will be my downfall.

36.I have no interest in drinking, drugs, etc., etc. I think I Am lucky I have seen so many people suffer from these things that I have no interest to do them myself. Lucky in that overall in my life I haven’t had to learn too much the “hard way.”

37.Never got a traffic ticket ever. Everyone thinks I Am SO boring – LOL. You know you fill out those online surveys and I am like check check check – never did this, this, this, and everyone figures I Am just a big lyer.

38.As seriously as I Take life, most of the time I don’t take it too seriously. I’m weird that way. You will never meet anyone more on the ball BUT more laid back overall. I don’t sweat the small stuff – you gotta have some fun – only live once…

39.I volunteered for a local organization to save baby birds. I realized my lifelong dream to care for wildlife was misguided. I can take care of them, keep them warm and clean, but medically I am awful. Good thing I didn’t go to med school.

40.As shy and laid back as I can be, man I am super stubborn sometimes. Drives my family mad. LOL.

41.I considered not changing my name when I go married, empowered woman that I am, but everyone was freaking out and my dh’s last name is much simpler than my maiden name, so I Said whatever. I Wasn’t stubborn on that – LOL. Good choice, shortened my last name by quite a few letters and don’t have to spell it out all the time now.

42.My dh and I got engaged within a few months of meeting but waited 5 years to get married. We had a lot we wanted to accomplish first – I think it was good. We met at 18/19.

43.I love cats – particularly black cats – they seem to have extra personality for whatever reason. Fell in love with my roommate’s black cat in college and