I can tell you what this economy is doing. Zillions of parents are putting their children in cheaper extra-cirricular activities. Sucks for us!

{Suddenly everything we have done for eternity, is *in*}

I was suprised BM was invited to the next level karate class (parks and rec). He hadn't been back taking classes that long and it's a good 6 months before he is the proper age (though he looks 7 or 8 easily; not 5).

But dh did admit he thought the teacher had an ulterior motive. HE said, "The class has been PACKED!"

Even she raised the price 17% in January!

We had our first tee ball meeting yesterday and they are reeling with this year's high enrollment. Truth is it's really cheap at the tee ball level. I guess that is why. Like $80 for 4 months of practice and games. Sounds good to me.

It's not just the kids. I have been lucky to make aerobics (parks and rec) once a week. Which is fine. I love Saturday class, but hard to fit in during tax season. Last couple of Saturdays I went there were like 20 people instead of the usual 5. Class is merely $2.50 per hour (when you show up). I guess the cat is out of the bag. I was so relieved last Thursday to show up and only see like 10 people. Though even that was twice as much as usual. But 20 is just too dang crowded.

I don't even want to think about our discount gym. January, February always sucks with the New Years resolution crowd. Don't tell me our gym is now the *it* gym. It's a nice perk usually how empty it is. I guess MArch and April will give us a clue who is sticking it out a bit. Who finally realizes that $150/month for a family gym is kind of ridiculous... Don't tell them lifetime/unlimited childcare is only a $200 investment! (We pay $29/month membership, but a single membership is merely $10/month these days).

{On the flip side I do realize this is a GOOD thing. I would cry if our gym went out of business!!!}

Actually, I am relieved we have our current preschool option. I wouldn't be surprised if the parks and rec preschool has a wait list a mile long in this economy. Particularly after most of the prices we saw. Yeowch!

------------------------------------------

Of course, in another area, I can not believe the deals some of my friends have been getting on cars. I saw the most beautiful BMW roadster for $9999. Seriously??????? IT was only a few years old even!!! A convertible/fun car is on my wish list. For when we have like all our retirement maxed out, 6 months efund, and a few thousand dollars to spend on a used car. *sigh* I was hoping for maybe a really used Celica or just going cheap with a Mustang. Maybe even a boring Sebring. BMW Roadster was not on my peripheral before. Holy cow! I haven't looked purposely. I think I would cry at all the insanely cheap sporty cars I can't justify buying right now. There's probably a few I would love in the $3k variety. I could almost justify the $3k (just ALMOST) but the insurance and upkeep is just out of the question. I am sure roadster insurance is not cheap!

Most of my friends shopping are shopping for teens. Who now have nicer cars than their frugal parents. Cars in the $3k range, you know.

----------------------------------------

I just read that the "making work pay" tax credit is $800 per couple, in 2009, even if one spouse does not work. Nothing I read before clarified that issue so I assumed we would be getting $400.

$800, seriously? Actually, seems like there will be a lot of problems with this whole thing. I have read that everyone who marks their W-4 as "married" will get $800 back this year, in their paycheck. I am not sure if this is true. What a nightmare. (Means many couples would incorrectly receive $1600?). As for me, I'll work it out with my boss - he'll withhold whatever I want. IT seems it would make more sense for you to request $800 if you were a married single earner. No statistics, but in my region most married people are dual-earners. So why I Was skeptical about what I read. Will see when the time comes (April 1?). IT's hard to separate the mis-information. But I did research it and the whole $800 per one-earner-couple thing is very true, and was intended.

We were going to donate our $400. Dh will probably owe in the range of $400 taxes on his ebay sales and such. So that just works out kind of perfect, that he gets a credit too. Will make his little income essentially "tax free."

Watching the stock market I do admit I am terribly tempted to bump our monthly ROTH contributions from $350/month to $416, and go ahead and max out one ROTH. It would push our retirement contributions as a whole just over 16% of gross income. On the other hand, an IRA limit is so arbitrary. But there would be something that would feel so good about maxing out one. *sigh* IT just bugs me because my brain knows $5k is an arbitrary figure. But some other crazy part of me is all excited about maxing out one ROTH on one income. Something I don't think we have done before. Not from income anyway. We've been funding our IRAs from savings for so long...

The arbitray $5k may be a good excuse to funnel more in while the market is low though. If it takes 20 years to recover, so be it. We don't plan to retire for 30+ years...

OF course, if the withholding tables are messed up and it doesn't appear in my check, I will probably leave it be. I would prefer not to have near the deductions we had in 2008 again (mostly medical and dental expenses), and if not maybe it would be nice not to owe much of anything. So will see...

---------------------------------------

& yeah, work is CRAZY. NEed I say more?

(I usually wouldn't complain, but hell if I would complain about a crazy busy work load in this economy. IT's ALL good).