I haven't implemented "Project ROTH Efund" yet.

I am thinking it is likely that I will put $10k in there by end 2009. Then keep $5k of the efund out of the ROTH. But, who knows... I am only adding money to the challenge, the money that goes to retirement stocks. Not counting the cash...

Dh is gaga over Blu-Ray. He bought 7 movies this month already. Cost? $60. Not terrible. It's all his allowance money. I can't say a word about it. But I can't complain about the deals he has been getting. He just goes a little too gaga over deals. LOL. But it's in his allowance. I may think he is crazy but I can't say a word. I finally got to watch the last 1/2 of Ratatouille last night. (took the kids last July 4 and LM got a little antsy mid-way). Yes, it did look better on our TV than it did in the theaters. Yes, indeed. Dh will just never get that I don't care! LOL. "& this is important, why?" Oh, gotta love him.

The good thing with the kids in preschool is he has more time for his projects. For now he has a backlog of stuff for personal and family with friends. With time maybe he will get to some money making. OF course the more he works the more he talks new computer. We were talking computers. I thought his editing computer was the newest, but he said it wasn't. We have a computer downstairs which is apparently the newest. HE said, "remember" my parents paid for it?" Huh? I don't remember.

Sometimes I wonder if we would live 1/2 the lifestyle we did without his parents. & how do I forget this stuff??? It's so much that I can't even keep straight.

I am not too stressed about the prospect of a new computer though. Because he is a good shopper, probably won't cost that much, and will up his money making abilities. He now has so much more time. Kids in school and also being older and a little more self sufficient.

We do have 5 computers, but that is another story. He was saving one for a server or something. Maybe if he upgrades I can talk him into chucking that one. I think it's the one I had from college (a good decade ago, plus). It hasn't been used in like 3 years. I might of had it in high school. Can you say obsolete? LOL. Not sure it could be used for anything these days. But someone was telling me they could not believe people with more than one computer (not knowing we were a computer household. LOL). We get a lot of hand-me-downs, and we saved the old ones with the kids in mind. Anyway, every time dh gets a fancy computer, mine gets a little more fancy. We may just make my old computer the "kid" computer. But yeah, dh needs the fanciness for the work he does, and with the hand-me-down system, we all get an upgrade every time that he does. Fine for us. I just want internet and Word/Excel! We don't have a printer on each computer (the computers are all networked, though we have 2 printers) and I am not sure if we have ever bought a new monitor. Still the ones we had as kids. Thus, owning a lot of computers is not a pricey endeavor. We haven't upgraded in 3 years, at least, so it's not like we upgrade every year or anything. Dh's computer upstairs for editing? Probably 5 years old. Probably time for a major upgrade. He uses a lot of processing and all that.

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Oh yes and the power came back on at work!!!!! I probably should work all weekend. & will work a decent chunk. But I think I can make the trek to my nephew's birthday after all. Phew. I had been looking forward to it. & unfortunately will work before and after. Making it a very short trip too.


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Dh is all gaga about hybrid cars and solar. Expensive expensive. I think if we go back to 2 incomes we will put our money where our mouth is. For now, makes little sense. Plus I expect costs to come down with time. But dh is certainly an early adopter. Though he usually waits a reasonable period.

But interestingly there is a new company that will try to offer solar panel rentals.

http://renu.citizenre.com/index.php

It looks like a pretty interesting concept. I also found a good article on it, I will have to link later. I am a little skeptical, but not going to write them off yet. They will produce their own solar panels (to get costs down) and be the go-between between the utility companies. Selling excess power back I guess (it's all over my head - may get that wrong). For a mere $500 security deposit and a contract to pay them for the solar power at a rate set for the life of the contract.

Their website predicts we would save $5k over 25 years. This is with the big assumption that utility rates continue to rise well into the next 25 years. (who knows).

Obviously not doing it for the savings! But I can stomach this a little more than shelling out the $25k-$40k to BUY solar and save $5/month on the electric bill. The $500 deposit is no sweat off our backs to use renewable energy. Regardless of the politics and greenhouse debate, it just makes sense. Of course it is preferable to use renewable energy.

Short of this we will wait a long while for costs to come down.

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Being a moderate person I feel very offended by internet comments this week. LOL. Eh, not so offended. I don't take it personally or care that much. But I do roll my eyes and I do share to educate people.

You know my pet peeve with "people with big houses have insane electric bills" and all that crap. Overlooking the energy efficiency and the fact it doesn't really take much to heat our cool our home.

But you have heard that gripe many times. Not trying to be bitter or annoyed. Just to educate! Be careful what you assume. If nothing else, that is what you should take away from this. Be careful what you assume!

Anyway, do I live in a cave because I use cloth napkins and cloth diapers? Are you kidding me? (& wash out plastic bags? LOL). All stuff like that. I just don't know when trying to conserve a little bit became so negative. Not sure what the deal is. If this is a cave, then so be it. It is a pretty luxurious cave.

I think mostly people are wary of what they don't know. You don't know how many people I tried to explain the diaper service to, who could never say much more than, "I could never do that!" What, it's exactly like using a disposable except instead of setting them out in the trash, you set them out on your doorstop and get fresh diapers delivered to your door every week. I mean come on, it is EASIER than disposables. But people just hear cloth and their brains turn off. "Cloth is scary." LOL. I think it's along those lines. Fear of the unknown. I mean seriously, I thought I might be able to convert people. Instead they all assumed, no matter how much I tried to explain, that we slaved away over dirty diapers. ???? & they all act like they are in totally in awe of this. People boggle my mind. LOL.

On the completely opposite end of the spectrum. On some of the solar discussion I saw criticism that Americans just have wrong priorities. Maybe. But someone was comparing granite countertops, high-end TVs, and SUVs as being proof that Americans have the money and spend it well. They just don't want solar.

Okay, the SUV thing may make sense. I don't get SUVs and they probably cost in the $25k-$40k range that solar panels do. But even with the SUV at least it has a more immediate/tangible benefit with that than solar. You aren't really paying $40k for the SUV. You are paying the premium over what a car would cost, for the SUV. So even that I can see some flaw with.

But um, TVs and granite countertops? Are you kidding me? I am a proud owner of both. The granite cost us maybe $2k-$3k over what the tile would have, but since we like will never have to replace it, that is why we bought it. We bought for the quality. IT wasn't an expensive purchase, and no I did not finance it over 30 years!!!!!! We paid little since we picked it out with the construction. I wasn't going to take the "free" crap the builder offered, for sure. (We did take the free crap upstairs and we do regret it. Will have to rip it out and start over - probably should have in year 2 or 3. But saving our pennies to do it right). But going new construction it was far cheaper, than buying the same house used, which was our frugal angle to buy a lot of nice stuff for less.

As far as the TV, more the same. I mean that's just luxury. But um we bought the TV because it cost $1k. & because dh is a huge videophile.

We're not buying the solar because it cost $40k!

Hello! & the comparison here is what? I wouldn't spend in the realm of $40k for ANYTHING.

People are just funny.

So that is my convoluted piece on being frugal is okay, and so is buying nice stuff. Which is why we try to be frugal so we can buy nice stuff.

If you want to whine about people having $40k to blow, whine about things that cost in the realm of $40k. I mean paving the floors and walls with granite. Maybe... Is that what he meant? Buying 5 TVs every year? Or was it simply the sum of it all, SUV + TV + granite = solar panels? LOL.

I know, I think too much...

But I guess that is my pet peeve. It is easy to say "anyone who buys "x" is wasteful." & anyone who does "y" might as well live in a cave." & obviously any time you say those, you are going to offend someone. So just think before you speak. IS that really true? Or is it little more than stereotype?