**I suppose I was incorrect. I mentioned that the boys could live in an igloo and I could sleep in an igloo. (I am mostly a cold weather whimp - but prefer to sleep in the cold - all bundled up of course).

This is mostly correct, except dh seems to be developing a "cold feet" problem with age. He has always had bad circulation to his hands - I suppose the same for his feet.

Last year he was really whimping out at night though we have *never* turned on the heat at night. I put a knit blanket at the foot of his side of the bed, because he kept complaining that his feet were cold. Wala - problem solved!

This year he got out the blanket, but it doesn't seem to be helping. So I got out a heating pad for tonight. He thinks he just needs to warm his feet before bed, and the blanket will keep them warm all night. In the interim, he may go wool sock shopping - something like that.

It's tough getting older!

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In other news, today was lining up to be the *worst* possible day for jury duty (for many many reasons).

I was regretting saying it would be no big deal. HA!!

Somehow we dodged that bullet. I figured there was no way in heck dh would be called in tomorrow because it is a perfect day for it. What do you know - he got called. How did we get THAT lucky!?!

I have a web-based seminar from home tomorrow - and it's one that I don't need the full 8 hours credit for. (If I miss some time picking up kids and such). Granted, we also have a parent-teacher conference tomorrow which dh might have to miss. I guess there was something jury duty had to muck up!

Will see how it pans out...

{Oh - one thing we forgot was the kids get out of school at 1:00 all week. HA!}.

**While in San Jose over the weekend I went to the Target right by my folks' house to look for a specific jacket. They didn't have it, but the kids section was very large and I found piles of school uniform shorts on sale for $3.88 (70%-off). Score!! I bought 4 pairs and saved a fortune. I did not look at anything else, which was apparently wise since the kids don't need anything else. But, I need to make a mental note to frequent that Target for clearance items. The selection was huge. (I had to pay a higher sales tax, but still came out ahead).

I found a jacket "close enough" for $20. BM is set clothes-wise for the foreseeable future.

It's funny to me how little in clothing I usually buy for BM, and yet how much ends up tricking down to LM. I was chuckling to myself when I cleaned out their drawers this weekend. I am sure I come across as the big cheapskate who barely has a budget even for the kids' clothing. But somehow I am dumping a giant bag of clothes with every season.

I could not believe how much of their clothes I had to go through, since I did the same already in the spring. I think I held onto a lot of the very small sized clothing that still fit, but liberally tossed it this time because I was running out of room for bigger sized clothing.

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**Oh, and I lucked out, because a charity came by for pickup today. So, I cleared/moved clothes around over the weekend, and today it's all long gone. Woohoo!

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**Paid a ton of bills today.

$700 ER bill
$145 AAA renewal

Gave some money to the school and to the Red Cross

Did some birthday/Christmas shopping for myself (Etsy)

I had so many charges to "paypal" for the donations and Etsy that I am sure my card will be put on hold for suspicious activity. It happened when I paid for the kids' school stuff this year since they had to do it in 6 different transactions.

Will see!

Dh stocked up on groceries for the first time with our new credit card - will get 6% back on the purchase.

Next week probably we will take dh's car into the shop for a safety check. Initially we always drove really old cars and it seems like they were in the shop often enough that we never had to take them in for any additional maintenance. Of course we keep up oil changes on our cars, but that is about it. It's been 2 years since the older car has needed *any* work (aside from tires, batteries, oil change), and so I think it's best to get the brakes and fluid levels checked before our beach weekend (coming up!!). I'd love to wait one more month and put off paying that until 2013. & who knows - they may not find anything to work on. But, since we are going on a long car drive I think it is prudent. I have a couple of concerns about brakes and a weird noise the car makes when you turn the wheels left. Anyway, we tend to do safety checks once a year but haven't done one in a while. Maybe we did one last fall - maybe they didn't find anything since I don't see any repair charges last year - maybe we just had them check everything over when we replaced the tires last year. I won't bother with the van because it seems in tip top order and don't plan to drive it more than 100 miles any time soon.

Oops - the site ate my post!! I usually copy and paste and all that but wasn't thinking. Grrr...

I added a page to my side bar.

http://monkeymama.savingadvice.com/little-savings-add-up.html

I don't know if I will keep up with it, but trying to remember to share all the little savings.

Surprisingly, I've been able to come up with something every day. Saved almost $100 this month, already.

Most of it is pretty usual.

Of note, I had to do some back to school type shopping for BM. The kids rarely wear pants, but I guess BM's new school campus is on the cold side. Considering it's like pulling teeth to get them to wear pants in January (when it's often 30 degrees when they walk to school), it must be really COLD!

So, usually I don't buy a whole school wardrobe, and try to hit the thrift shops or wait for a sale. But it was rather last minute and I couldn't remember the last time I bought any school clothes. So I hit Target for that yesterday.

They also had some really nice jackets at Target, but none in his size. They weren't online at all. I will be in San Jose today so crossing my fingers that the closest Target to my folks house has some jackets in his size!

While perusing online for school pants, I found some clearance items at Kohls. They might be good items for the kids to give each other for Christmas - so they might reimburse me for those. If not - presents or stocking stuffers.

Reminds me, I am not doing any Christmas preparations because I am mostly *out* of the Christmas spending. Dh's family goes big, but they also give us cash - so they just pay for their own presents and dh takes care of all that. IT's not just us - no one else we know is just into the materialism. So it's been a pretty mutual thing over the years with the rest of our friends and relatives.

Anyway, I asked dh yesterday what he was thinking about the kids for Christmas, because I was thinking the $20 I spent yesterday was probably enough. (Dh will get free books and games, and already bought them a few things throughout the year). Thankfully, he was totally on the same page. Phew! We both agreed they were WAY spoiled last year and for their birthdays, and so we look forward to an uber modest Christmas under our own roof. Dh is into having the kids buy us and each other gifts to teach them money management skills, which is fair enough, but I am not even into that so much any more. I think I am just so over the materialism of it all. I don't remember the last time dh and I regularly bought each other gifts. I have no gifts in mind for dh - he is spoiled too.

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P.S. I really like creditcardfree's snowflake posts. I suppose I wanted to share as a reminder that there are probably 1 million ways to snowflake. I know we all do it a little differently. I think my snowflakes are heavy on the credit card rewards (which have been more like giant snowballs the last couple of years - yeesh!)

All the little savings aside, last month we actually pocketed $578 cash from other income sources:

$85 focus group
$10 sold costume
$8 ATT settlement
$470 credit card rewards
$5 sold old cellphone to Sprint

I will include all this stuff in my "Little Things Add Up" page - going forward.

**Whoa! Only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving!?! How did that happen?

I will let you know when I enter the "no heat" challenge. Ha! It is still hot here - the leaves aren't even changing. Completely unusual. Oh, but I was thinking about T-Day because usually it is a challenge to keep the heat off until then. As of right now the house is 75 degrees, and the forecast is for 80 next week. Yeah...

I am extra lucky because I believe I have three online courses to take at home in November (3 week days). Usually the only reason no one turns on the heat is because all the boys in the house can live in an igloo, I Can sleep in an igloo, and I get free heat at work. I can tough out the weekends and keep busy and active, but "sitting at the computer for 8 hours" was going to be a sure recipe for turning on the heat way early. But obviously not when it is 80 degrees outside...

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**Oh yeah, literally due to the Hurricane/Cyclone, our recent rain was postponed until 8pm Halloween night. How nice was that? Seriously, the kids lucked out. (I saw on the news that the storm was pushing some storm systems out of our way - more west).

**It's funny because I am so moderate in most things. I always say, if I have a religion, it's "Moderation."

Anyway, I think I mostly get moderation on the financial front. Heck, it's probably my strength in many ways. BUT, there is some part of me that is always "Go Big or Go Home." So I am trying to recognize this in myself and re-program. (Which is not all bad because keeps it interesting. Moderation *all the time* is probably pretty boring! )

I never give to charities in $10 denominations. When I hear people need money, I think $50 or $100. Maybe even $25. But, even that is unlikely. So, I share because I bet we could all spare $5 for the Red Cross and the recovery efforts back east. & you know this is so unlike me. I am always first to say, "Forget the money - help with your time!" But, I am telling myself just to send $10 now and regroup at the end of the year when we do our usual donations (& we can probably send much more at that time). & I think we all need to hear this. I think we can ALL do something to help. No matter how little it is.

Giving blood is another helpful deed for those who can.

**Aside from that, I was reading the blog posts today, and thought, "It's November? Crap - I forgot to pay the bills." LOL. There is nothing due today or tomorrow or anything, but a few bills are due around the first week of the month and take a few days to get sent in online bill pay. (I am way too much of an "accountant" to do auto bill pay). Anyway, what happened was I didn't get my paycheck until way late the last 2 months due to vacations and holidays and such. But in those cases I looked at my bills ahead of time and paid them. This month I suffer from, "What, It's November!?!" I was well aware yesterday was the 31st, but time is just flying and I totally spaced.

So I better go pay my bills... My paycheck is deposited already, BUT I didn't need it to pay anything. DOH!!

Boy, people really do wait for the last minute!!

We sold a nice costume yesterday for $10. (Craigslist). Could have sold the other, but dh didn't check his e-mail in time. I think we could have sold them on Amazon, so am kind of annoyed dh didn't try that route (could probably get a lot more for them). But, who knows, maybe the other one will sell today.

I am kind of bummed with this experience because these are really nice costumes, and usually my experience with more baby stuff is to sell it for what I paid for it. In this case, not even close. I am surprised how little interest we have ever gotten for these costumes. Well, Amazon may be a better audience. I think at this point since it is too late for the Amazon route, will just offer up to relatives and close friends. If no one wants it, will keep to sell on Amazon next fall. (Though we can set the price on Amazon, so maybe we should see if it sells in the interim. For $10 it might sell in the off season).

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Oh, and the total Emergency room for BM last month seems to be about $1200. I just got a $700 bill for the rest of it. (I thought I'd owe $900, but I had forgotten that we paid $200 at time of admission).

Which in the end is rather "meh" because they never charged anywhere near what they usually charge ($1200) for dh's annual MRI. I think it kind of evens out. Unless they change their mind. BUT, they will have to change their minds quickly if it is going to impact us this year at all. So, phew!! (I am sure it's likely we will get some MRI bill at some future date).

{At some point last week I thought I would owe $2600 between this and the flood insurance, and so glad $2600 turned into $1000. Phew!!}.

First off, of course hoping everyone is safe on the east coast (& mid-west and everywhere the storms are affecting). What a mess!!

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I've mentioned before here that the flood ratings here are SO political. (As is everything?) So, I got a note from FEMA while we were on vacation how we had to get a letter from a public official stating where our property was on the flood maps? Something like that. ??? I sent it to my insurance agent who is pretty awesome and said he would take care of it. I had no doubt he would. (Um, okay FEMA why don't you tell me where I am on the flood map?!? What the heck am I supposed to know about this? Public official? Because public officials have nothing better to do?)

Usually our flood insurance is $300-ish (because initially zoned as basically "not a flood zone" - I think this is the cheapest it can be). So then I get a bill for $1600. Ouch! I look it up in the local news and stuff and no one mentions it. No one's complaining about all this insanity because no one even has flood insurance. (They can't afford their homes, they certainly have not bought flood insurance. Though I think you'd be insane not to - low lying area protected by levees. Plus, the insurance has been mandatory for a while).

I finally find some news blurb that our flood insurance is supposed to go up 20% per year to ease into the higher rates, which frankly I thought were more like $3k. This also makes no sense whatsoever. Because $300 increased 20% per year gets you nowhere near $1600 or $3k or whatever it is supposed to end up at. But, whatever! It's clearly not supposed to be $1600 for this year.

It's not due for several weeks, and so I figured stuff crossed in the mail and it would work itself out. Figured maybe I'd wait a few days before I bug insurance agent again. I was sure he took care of it. & I was pretty sure the bill was wrong.

So, phew! I got another FEMA bill today and it was more like $360. No explanation - no mention to ignore the other bill. But I can figure it out and I will keep a copy of both bills just in case there are any issues.

So, I am feeling relieved I am off the hook for $1300-ish dollars I was not expecting.

Actually, a while ago FEMA decided to cut out the insurance middlemen and just started billing us directly. I wonder if this "public official flood map" thing is the kind of thing they would usually communicate to the insurance agents. It doesn't make any sense. I wonder how many people don't understand the gobbedly-gook or don't have an insurance agent willing to deal with the extra work. Makes me wonder how many people blindly play too much.

This weekend is the polar opposite of last weekend. Mellow and chore-filled.

I am lucking out on the Halloween front. The kids had asked for some Halloween decorations, and I said "Heck no." No need to spend money on useless crap, and even worse to accumulate worthless crap. I am kind of "out" of the holiday decorating thing. But I was at Target for whatever reason a couple of weeks back and saw a bunch of decorations in their $1 bins. I figured "whatever," and spent $2. The kids were delighted, so win-win.

I have been having so much fun at Michael's lately (it is seriously better than the dollar store) that I figured I might stop by there sometime too. I just didn't have any coupons printed out so wanted to do that first. I am sure they have some super cheap decorations that will appease the kids and won't make me too cranky (won't take up a lot of storage space).

Glad I waited, because apparently we could use some foam board. Never even heard of it, but sounds very useful for costume making.

Anyway, dh lent the kids' Mario & Luigi costumes to a relative in another city. I was kind of annoyed because though the kids did wear them the past two years, I had already told them I wasn't going to buy them any new costumes this year.

Never fear. Today we decided we better get our act together (very unlike us to wait so last minute).

LM settled on a spider man costume we have - it fits like it was made for him. He is 7, and I think BM wore it when he was 5 or 6 (it was a little large at the time). Perfect!!

BM is making his own Minecraft costume. It's a video game with blocky characters, so we are just printing out the blocky graphics onto a cardboard box to wear over his head. Dh told me he needed some nylons for the eye holes (such a good idea!!). The pickaxe he needs was recommended to glue onto some foam board. They already have some foam swords, so may just be able to tape over the swords they already have. Will see what we can find.

When the kids were younger I was way too exhausted to go the DIY route. Maybe it's easier because they can do most the work now.

So, I am pleased, I think I got off pretty easy. We already got Halloween candy free at CVS a while back.

I suppose I put it out of my mind, but it's *that* time of year. Got our health insurance renewal yesterday. It went up 10%, which is about what I expected. Anyway, I think it is pretty official that in 2014 we will be paying more for health insurance than our mortgage. More than out CALIFORNIA mortgage. Just grateful we can continue to afford in the nearer future. I keep figuring it has to slow down at some point. "When" is the question. It can't go on like this forever. ???

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I figured this year I was going to read up on investing and all that (it's just one area I don't have a ton of experience or confidence). Ha! I signed up for this class early in the year - "Investing in Turbulent Times." As the year progressed I decided I already knew everything I needed to know, and that in the same way I approach just about everything, "Simpler is better." So I pretty much abandoned this plan. Or, more to the point, realized I already know everything I need to know and everything that is useful to me.

As my "Investing in Turbulent Times" class approached I decided it would probably annoy me. I was thinking, "Why is investing in turbulent times any different than other times? Aren't times always turbulent, on some level, anyway?" Ha! I nailed it on the head. The whole class was a broad investing class and that was the whole point of the class: There is nothing unique or different about now. Asset diversification/rebalancing, and "keeping costs low" are proven investing strategies.

**I applied for a new credit card, and so will have a 4-card system. I am sure I passed on it before because it has an annual fee, and because I don't want a 4-card system. But the 3-card system has been working well, so decided to give it a go.

New system:

-New Amex with 6% back on groceries and 3% back on gas. This is most of our spending, anyway.

-Old AmEx with 2% back on *everything.* Will keep this for insurance, utilities, misc. (Good thing is I don't have to change anything around - new card can just be swiped when used. This card is already set up to pay utilities and insurance).

-Credit union visa for 1% back on everywhere that does not take AmEx. (Mostly some utilities and insurance).

-Target card for 5% back on Target (used for groceries)

I am sure I would never consider this plan, but not for Quicken. With Quicken, I can download all the charges, and I just pay everything off the first of every month. It hasn't been a big deal, which is why I decided to bite this bullet. (I don't wait for statements - I just pay everything off when the month is over).

Oh, and the kicker is there is a one-time cash back bonus that would pay the annual fee for two years. I doubt this would be the best card in 2 years time - so will probably cover the fee for the life of the card. It seems we change our cards around every few years as rewards get changed.

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**I may also take a backseat with the one-time credit card rewards for a while. Nothing about the credit card activity (open, reward, close) seems to have affected our credit score much but this year all sorts of inquiries are showing up on our credit reports. The inquiries = ouch. (I don't know why none particularly showed up last year. We've been applying for the same cards over and over - same card issuers, etc.).

So, I am sure I can be enticed, but in the meantime there isn't anything spectacular and I think we will just work on this 4-card strategy for a while. At least until next spring? Let the credit scores bounce back a bit. Our scores are still A or A-, but rather keep them that way then get to the point where I literally can't get any credit I apply for. (If nothing else, we may want to refinance down to a 15-year loan in the near future). So, I guess we quit (or take a break) while ahead.

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**I am probably going to abandon mortgage payoff plan for the next year. I feel great relief about this decision. I am feeling much more pressure to build up cash reserves (personal circumstances, crappy economy). But also feel like we need to focus on the mortgage. & of course there are always too many competing financial goals. If we could always do everything we wanted, these blogs would not exist.

Anyway, the lightbulb moment for me is that I probably have about 1/2 our HongKong airfare saved up (was going to put to mortgage before year-end) and should have the rest by spring. I decided this was a good reason to hoarde up some cash.

So, yesterday I paid off our recent Florida vacation (had the money, but just waited for payday to not have to move anything around). For next vacation, hoping to have the money saved up a solid year ahead of time. Phew!

It's not quite so simple that I am overlooking mortgage for vacation. I think I am just changing the order of things. In fact, I am pondering using the money to max out our ROTHs in spring, and hoarding up money the rest of the year for Hong Kong. Hong Kong is not a new goal, so just means more can go to the mortgage later.

I like this idea because I can focus on cash a little more, and because HK kept getting pushed up so I Was unsure if I could come up with the money. Yesterday I looked at airfare to get a ballpark - it was much better than I expected. Though I can't buy airfare for another year, so will see!! Will save up far more as a cushion (whatever we don't need will go to the mortgage).

I was initially thinking maybe saving up $3k per year, for 3 years, for this trip. But, we have been talking more seriously about summer 2014, which was stressing me out! Less than 2 years away...

The kids will be spoiled. Grandma wants to take them both on a "once in a lifetime - anywhere in the world" trip when they turn 10. So, that covers 2013 and 2015. That leaves us 2014. We are going to visit a relative who isn't getting any younger and who will likely retire in the states. So, I think it is probably best to aim for 2014.

I may change my mind 100 more times in the next year, but don't be surprised if I abandon mortgage plans in the interim.

There is always more to the story. The plan to do 15-year mortgage isn't panning out so much (I really don't want to give up liquidity we have gotten this year - and there are only downward pressures on income and upward pressures on expenses - for forseeable future). Home value went up $50k+ over summer, so I am no longer scrambling to hang on to 20% equity. Rising interest rates and falling home values could alter my goals again.

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ETA: I updated the sidebar to reflect this change of goals. Total savings goal is the same, but just shifted some of it away from the mortgage. I also put down 2013 goals for future reference.

Yikes, today is such a Monday!! Actually, I usually like Mondays because I am so refreshed. But today has been such the typical Monday. Good thing the day is FLYING by. {I did a couple of REALLY stupid things, so I am keeping all the "stupid" to myself for the rest of the day - trying to avoid all human contact, which isn't too hard}.

Dh got summoned for jury duty. It's the kind of thing I think he would enjoy. & I think maybe the first time he can actually participate. (Our county is easy to get out of if you are sole breadwinner or stay-home small kid watcher - which of course we could not afford to do jury duty so glad they are so lenient. I hear surrounding counties are not near as nice). So, anyway, no small kids at home, so jury duty it is.

I saw today that Mrs. Money Mustache had a recent jury duty experience and was bemoaning all the commuting and inconvenience. I suppose this burst my bubble a bit, but was talking about it with dh, and we decided it really shouldn't be that big of a deal. For one, we have always lived very close to downtown. There won't be any commuting (not any more than it is to get the kids to school, which can also be a real pain). So maybe erasing the whole commuting aspect will make it a lot easier. I personally don't think it will affect the kids or I very much - not planning to use any daycare or help. & I think dh will enjoy the change of scenery.

Will see!

I will say that this recipe wasn't the best ever (maybe we could use some practice), but I would make it again just for the smell. I came home last night and it smelled like an Indian household. YUM!

**ETA: Scratch that. Apparently dh forgot the salt the first time. He made it again and it was just divine. Who knew a little salt could make such a difference?**

Crockpot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/12/crockpot-chicken-mak...

I am also wondering if this one will taste better reheated.

Don't get me wrong - it was good! It's just I am used to the real thing, so our version was a little lacking.

Reminds me, we also got a new Indian grocery store just down the street. OMG. We haven't checked it out yet - what are we waiting for? (They also have food "to go" there - will have to try it out some time this month).

& also, this is another crockpot recipe we have been using a lot:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/10/indian-spiced-lentil...

The thing about Indian food is that it tends to be so complex and time-consuming to make. So I LOVE these crockpot recipes.

**Relieved to have such a low-spend week after such a spendy month and spendy vacation. Last month was just insane with the neverending last minute stuff.

According to the credit card online, only $100 was spent this week. Groceries. Phew! Won't need gas until next week. (No spending plans for the weekend). When I read about record high gas prices, I decided to leave the minivan parked. Dh has been driving it to school (less than 1 mile?). Soccer practice and all that was canceled, which helped a bit. It helps to be out of town and not driving anywhere when gas is at a record high locally.

Today I decided to grab a dollar-menu item from BK. I was thinking I was sick of leftovers (beef beef beef - dh has only cooked 2 meals since we got back?) and then BM told me at 7:40 that he had to get to school by 7:45 today. HA! That sealed the deal - went out for lunch. But $1 is barely a blip on the radar. In fact, I used toll quarters left over from vacation, which have already been accounted for as vacation expense.

**I am doing tax stuff for a friend. Well, trying. She said she would take me out to lunch Monday to thank me. I am "trying" because I don't have any information yet. This tax return will be down to the wire!

I generally do not do taxes for anyone, especially friends. A little more generous with family (especially my parents). But, anyway, this is a one-time thing (a death). & though it's kind of complex, I think I can whip it out in under an hour. So basically, not a biggie to me. {Plus, if it was more complex, she would have paid me for the help. It's just I offered to do it for free once I saw the what I was working with}.

**A neighbor is selling entertainment books for $15/each. Not a neighbor I know, but a friend of a friend.

MIL usually buys them for us, but we pretty much never use it. We just don't go out and consume that much (or we find better coupons elsewhere!!). We try to remember to look through the book when things come up.

So, anyway, not a terribly enticing offer to me (doubt we would ever save $15 using the enterainment book). But I asked MIL if she wanted any. Because I know, for one, she always buys for us. So, I bought her a few copies. If the other people use it, then what a deal! & I saved her some money on our copy.

Fiscal Doings:

**Finally redeemed old cell phone for $5 credit. Sprint had offered larger credit for accessories, but somehow we did the *big* cell phone changeover with no need for accessories. Dh was dragging his feet because wanted to pick out an accessory. I am glad he finally settled on the $5.

**Dh has some costumes listed on Craigslist. Also 2 old carseats. If all this sells, I might be willing to buy costumes this year, but sounds like the kids have a good DIY plan. More on that later, when decisions are made!

**Received my $420 Chase reward. After I cash it I will close that card. Saving that for our Pismo Beach vacation next month.


Food Doings:

Dinner last night was YUM!!

Sweet & Savory Slow-Cooked Beef

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Sweet---Savory-Slow-Cooke...

Cost = $1.66 per serving.

Plus, we had a salad pre-mix. I usually make our own salads, but they were on sale, and the salad was very good too.

*This* is what I missed on vacation. Cheap and yummy.

Will have to remember this recipe for future potlucks - so very easy and feeds a lot!


Other Doings:

Tonight we have a big concert. Lumineers. Interesting find - dh has already seen them twice, but apparently they went *BIG* in the interim. Lucky to get tickets - very small venue - hoping it is not too crowded.

**Vacation couldn't have been better! Only Snafu is that teenaged neighbor (cat sitter) lost the key to our house. So we learned to keep an extra copy a little closer to home. Lesson learned!

**Thumbs up to Dollar Rental car and United for *excellent* service. I Was so not looking forward to flying in this environment, but it actually went pretty well. I thought there would be fighting for more overhead space, etc., with the nickel and diming for baggage. On the flight there it was not bad at all. On the flight home it seemed a little more crowded in the overhead bins, but we got in the plane early. We left a few minutes early to get ahead of a big storm - phew!! We really don't fly *that much* - maybe once every year or two - but I don't remember the last time all our flights were so smooth. No delays, no issues whatsoever. Dollar was cheap, and I actually had a pretty bad experience with them once, but this time was an A+ experience.

**It ended up being fairly easy to pack light. I think all these digital toys have made travel so easy in that regard. I remember being impressed how lightly we were able to pack last we went to HAwaii, but I remember carrying a lot of books. This time, just the e-readers, which freed up a lot of room. We ended up with 2 carry-on suitcases, but one was pretty much just for the carseat I had bought. Next time we can travel *much* lighter. The kids are just so small - and we knew we would have laundry in our room so packed for only 3-4 days of light clothing.

**Weather was pretty good. We bought ponchos at WalMart for something like 90-cents each (you could pay 10-20 times as much in the parks). IT was generally not too hot or too wet all week. Oh, and there was absolutely no lines for anything. I had seen all of D-world in 2 days before - was kind of the same as before except we didn't even bother with a couple of the parks this time.

**I suppose we didn't need all those quarters, because the tolls all had attendants giving change. That had changed since 2009. We just used the quarters anyway - but I have a roll left. We easily spent $20 in tolls, but had accumulated so much other change - might have used some dollar bills early in the week when I Wasn't sure $20 would be enough.

**Reminds me, dh found a giant pile of change on one of the big rides at Universal. It was so bizarre - about $4.25 in loose change. He told me there were a couple of dollar coins in there so I didn't think much about it but had to laugh when he emptied his pockets end of night. HA!! It was just this HUGE pile of coins. Yeesh. It was like the biggest roller coaster there, so very odd.

**The only reason I am so happy is because the bed we had was really comfortable. Another A+. I usually never sleep well anywhere else - spoiled by our own ultra-comfortable mattress.

**Happy to be home. Today we just recover and adjust to the time change. I don't have much else to do. I'll do a post on the financial side later. I pretty much already did all the work, so don't have much to do today. We decided to order pizza in. Haven't gotten the mail yet - so see what surprises we get (still waiting for various medical bills).

I had estimated to make a $3k credit card payment next payday to cover September expenses + vacation. I ended up about $3100, but some of that is gas and groceries (which can use October budget for), so I think I will just pay the $3,000. How is that for some good estimating?? I also think I did a good balance of keeping track of the finances without thinking about it too much. More on my method, later.

**I generally do not like to travel much at all. I pondered on how flight home what it was that I so enjoyed about these last two trips. Dh and I had a GREAT trip to Hawaii in 2010 - about exactly 2 years ago. That is two "big" vacations, with flying and everything, that I *Really* enjoyed. {I am usually perfectly happy to do a road trip and to keep it much more simple - just more my style}.

I think there was a huge element of just packing light, and getting on and off the planes. I think electronics has a lot to do with it. That said, dh and I have not traveled much together, so I was pondering that maybe I like traveling with him more than otherwise. In recent years we have done a lot of family trips without each other. In the more distant past we would do more trips for business or with friends, without each other. I realized, we just haven't traveled a whole lot together. Without a big crowd of family. Traveling with a big crowd always sucks, of course. So hey, maybe I'd be willing to be a little more adventurous in the future, with a great travel companion like dh.

**I've decided after the last month or so that the extra $400 per *year* we are paying on our smart phones is DEFINITELY worth it. IT was invaluable in the hospital (which we seem to spend lots of time in, in recent years). On vacation, it was so great for communicating back home with the time change. I could have wasted to much time on the phone with the whole cat sitter snafu. But a few quick texts resolved that. I Called my mom to grovel a bit, to deliver a spare key 100 miles away. But, other than that... Thirdly, I do not do *work* on vacation. I can think of nothing less appealing than being constantly reachable. BUT, I did have to check on a couple of payroll things. The caveat is it depends who you give your info to. I did not give my personal e-mail to a rude manager who would call and bug me about the stupidest stuff on vacation. My employer/boss is polar opposite - he would never bug me about anything - there have been many times I said, "You should have called me!" because something or other came up. I did give one client and one co-worker my personal e-mail. IT was DIVINE. I had to crunch some numbers mid-week and it was so nice just to know when the info was ready for me. Co-worker e-mailed me a quick question - again - I didn't have to keep checking. So that was a perk I did not expect. I'd be likely to be grumpy that I had to take work on vacation with me - something I generally never do - but it just worked out well. IT just is what it is when you are involved with payroll - the payroll must go on.

**Anyway, usually I am just SO HAPPY to be home from a vacation. !! This time, I am kind of "meh." I guess that is the sign of a good vacation.

**I can say the grand total for our trip was right about $3,000. That was absolutely everything, for 7 full days in Orlando, 4 people. I think we did good. Airfare and parks was $2200 of that.

I was just looking at my gas bill, and was so confused:



I thought, surely they couldn't make such a math error on the actual bill. Looks like they added the payment to the balance and subtracted the bill. Wha???

So I looked at the invoice, and it made a little more sense:



Glad I didn't have to sit on the phone straightening that out.

We turn down our hot water heater in the summer. But since it's still 100 degrees here, I guess it will be kept low a while. Summer started out pretty mild, like last year. But yeesh. I had wanted to turn off the AC and irrigation and all that while we are on vacation. Hadn't really thought about it since it is *October.* But, will have to leave it all on - it's been really hot.

Thus, with September and October so exceptionally hot, our balance is probably more negative than usual. Will use up that balance in the winter months when we turn on the gas heat, turn up the hot water, etc.

Success!! *barely*

& thank you to the very patient CVS checkout person who helped us get this stupid thing to work. !! {See my last post}.

We went to CVS today and dh had the grand idea to buy gift cards. I think we settled on $25 Amazon GCs and $20 BK GCs (because not much came in less than $25, and we weren't sure if there would be tax. Probably not - but why risk going over $50 - because then it would definitely not work).

I grabbed a couple of candy bars to round it out and the google wallet would not work. Cashier told us they needed last 4 digits of credit card to buy gift cards electronically. I imagine there was probably some rule about buying gift cards. IT could even be more of a CVS rule than a google rule. Dh was pretty peeved.

Plus, this is like the third time in recent weeks I ran some errands in the middle of the day and it was really crowded. You should have seen the backup we caused. !! {Mental note: Never go shopping in my neighborhood in the middle of the day - nights and weekends are WAY preferable - if nothing else more cash registers open. Maybe that is a lot of it}.

So, back to square one. Since it mostly seemed to be working, gift cards aside, we decided to give it a go. So, we shop shop shopped. OF course, then it wouldn't go through. We tried about 5 or 6 times, and the last time it decided to go through.

MEanwhile, the people behind us are like, "WOW - that is COOL!" Dh, me and the cashier were like - "Um no - this is not cool." LOL. It's cool if it would work.

The CVS is not too close to us, but I was impressed with the prices. Should hit it up more - it is on the way to the gym, to piano lessons, to soccer, etc. So can be utilized without going out of the way.

We scored:

-2 liter of pepsi
-Halloween Candy (5 bags)
-lifetime supply of soap, so it seemed (16 bars?), because were "buy one get one free"
-2 deoderants
-4 candy bars (for airplane)
-Travel-sized Toothpaste
-Several hair things (plastic clips) - some "buy one get one free"

Total was $46 - so we have $4 left. Also got a $3 coupon - "extra bucks" - for later. I don't know if it will make sense, but technically gives us $7 total to use in Florida. Might be nice to buy sunblock (is all I have on my list so far - to buy there - aside from hitting up a grocery store. IT will have to be on the way though. Because who knows if the google wallet will even work).

So, I think we did well for how little thought we put into it. Got some practical things.

Which reminds me, the "travel size" section was really cracking me up. & I probably didn't need the travel sized toothpaste, but I am picky about my toothpaste, it was free, and will free up some space. Some of that stuff is just silly! Razors in packages of two? Because you can't buy a bigger package and pull out 2 razors? I really don't get it!

When we got our new phones, one of the perks was getting a free $50 balance on google wallet. Woohoo!

*Woohoo,* except it has *never* actually worked.

So yesterday I was talking to my mom and she mentioned how my dad liked to pay things with his phone. I said, "Really? Is he using google wallet?" Yes, he was. "Where the heck did it even work?"

CVS!

So dh and I have a mid-day CVS date. HA! I told him I would gladly help spend that money. I have no idea on what.

I am trying not to get too excited because odds are it will not work. My mom was kind of like, "Gee - I wouldn't give up on a free $50 like that!" I was like, "you don't even know." You don't even know how many stored we tried. & then it's frustrating because you planned things around the "free" purchase but maybe you needed it anyway and didn't want to not just pay for the stuff and move on. A lot of the places are food places. Dh went to a food place and it didn't work. But you still want to pay for the food. On and on and on. Which as why at some point we just gave up.

I know the whole point of the free stuff is to get you to like it and use it - but this is something that has really backfired.

Oh, and apparently dh's balance expires like next week - so it's use it or lose it time! Glad I had that random conversation.

**I was recalling that it must be getting close to that time of year. Several have calculated that the IRA contribution limits will be $5,500 next year. ($17,500 for 401k). It's not "official," but looks to be certain.

I think that is awesome, because we can max out. It will have been 5 years since it increased.

On the flip side, I am wary of how much we will have for any mortgage pay-down, this year or next. I'd rather put it to the ROTH/tax shelter, so I am okay with that.

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**In other news, Grandma is finally home from the hospital. & she is good as new! Dh spent the weekend with his family, and it was well needed. They apparently go insane when family crisis hits. I didn't expect that. I figured they were insane with dh because it was dh, and his surgery was so super serious. But, apparently that is just how they are. Dh gave me an earful when I got home and I knew precisely what he was talking about - they totally drove me *insane* when he was in the hospital. I think it's possible Grandma was able to go home because he brought some calmness and sanity to her hospital room for a couple of days. I can only hope they take it down a notch now that she is home. *crossing fingers.*

For one, they are just so negative. They whispered to dh how they were concerned she will *never* recover from this. Meanwhile all the hospital staff says is that they have never seen anyone recover so fast. For the record, the first thing she did when she got home was clean her apartment. Obviously she is totally fine. Not bed ridden or brain damaged, in the least.

So, dh is a SAINT.

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Dh and I went out to dinner Monday to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. Wooohoo!

Among our peer group, this is basically unheard of. Especially among our like-minded friends, which is hard to wrap our brains around. (Why are our like-minded friends so marriage-phobic or have so many failed marriages - the failed ones failied VERY quickly). Anyway, so every year that passes I feel like we have been married like 50 years or something, any more. We are hands down the "old married" ones. I just know we are blessed and have something rare. & since we met so young and waited a while to marry (wanted to finish college first, etc.), it's more of a "17 year" celebration. How am I even that old???

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P.S. Almost forgot the GOOD news! Got an ER bill for $250. This was knocked down from an estimate of $900. I can not be sure this is all of it, but apparently the estimate I did get was rather useless. (I had a feeling - I just had no idea if it was high or low).

I have been checking, because waiting for the first billing cycle to close on my latest Chase card. Today I logged in and it hadn't closed yet, but I happened to notice my reward points already posted. !! That is the first time I have seen points post before a statement, though it is possible the statement is there now. Maybe they were processing it when I peeked.

Whatever the reason - woohoo! I can redeem my $420!
We are using it for a hotel stay in November, on the beach.

This means I will seriously think about more double dips. We already did a Citi double dip.

On to the triple dips!!

**I don't even know where to begin on our weekend to-do list. !! Soccer, robots, both kids have big projects due, etc. Plus it would be nice to catch up around the house - looks a bit like a tornado hit it.

**Welcome to Hotel Monkey. Dh's friend needed a place to crash. My dad will crash the night before we fly out - but we scored a free ride to the airport, in exchange. This will probably save us $50! We will just catch a cab ride home - it was the 2-cab-thing that cost just about as much as parking. This changes things drastically. Can you tell I am excited? My dad has something going on in our city the day we fly out - early in the morning.

**I've been shopping shopping shopping. SO over it. May I never need to step in a store for the rest of the year! IT will be possible. I usually don't shop much. Still trying to sort out my messy cat (so keep running back to the pet store for stuff). I bought some awesome Christmas/Birthday gifts for my mom for $7. I am very pleased with that! I won't wait for Christmas. Dh is delivering for me this weekend. Though I saved the birthday one for later because it wasn't quite as exciting. Had to pick up some snacks for soccer. I could have had dh do it, yes, but felt I was out shopping shopping anyway. Picked up some more $2 clearance shirts at Target - for the older child.

**Yesterday we got to say goodbye to the Space Shuttle Endeavor on its "Farewell California" tour.

I didn't personally see it, but it did rumble right over my head. BM says it flew pretty low over his school too - at least he got to see it fly by.

**It's not surprising that some of our neighbors are getting involved in local politics. They are the types. BUT I think they have just been so focused on our charter school - has been a lot of energy and work to get it set up and to continually add grades {& most these people had small children, to boot. Who are growing and taking up less energy on some level}.

That energy is being redirected in several ways. More focus on after-school type stuff. & now a friend of ours is running for the school board. This is awesome, and dh is committed to any non-financial support he can give. (Though he assured us even $10 would be a great help - so we will probably contribute something like $20).

Boy, dh's schedule is getting awfully busy!!

Anyway, last night a neighbor held a meet and greet for the candidate, so we scored some free food in exchange. Maybe we can make it a $30 donation, since we were well fed!

**Amazon withdrawal! Our amazon credits ran out. Dh was telling me how there was all sorts of cool stuff coming out this next month (of course). Blu Rays, cds, whatever. I told him he could pass off whatever possible on my Christmas wish list too. Though patience is not his strong suit. (You would think his family would know by now that I am not into that crap in the LEAST - but would be worth a try?).

Anyway, he has a substantial credit at the new/used store, and so picked up some new stuff on credit. Phew! Will carry us through until the next credit card rewards?

We both have birthdays, and Christmas coming up, and his family is generous. Considering how much we have caught up this year, I could not imagine asking for one thing for Christmas. We certainly don't *need* anything. [I usually keep a list throughout the year, or focus on needs]. So, seriously, I will just fill my wish list with his crap. It's plenty of "gift" not to have to pay for that stuff. Christmas/Birthday is largely where dh scratches this type of itch.

He hasn't been buying or selling any games and systems lately - it's just been very dry. For some of these new blu rays he may have some old DVDs to sell.

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**Dh went to a volunteer appreciation potluck the other day at the public TV station. I didn't go because it was during BM's soccer game. Dh received a free water bottle and a $25 jamba juice gift card. Score!!

The kids and I already redeemed 3 jamba juices. Probably enough to buy 3 more. {I told them not to get used to it - and hope they like my homemade smoothies since they are infinitely cheaper!}

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**Dh's grandma is still in the hospital as they are just now allowing her to eat and drink again. Crossing our fingers that goes well - getting her digestive system back up and running. Dh will go this weekend to be with his family - the rest of us have too much to attend to at home - and kids couldn't see her anyway.

I think if we hadn't had so much hospital time in the last few years that I would be much more open to working more at this point in our life. BUT, it's been such a luxury to be able to deal with all this (when it was us) and to step up to the plate when it is our family. Because, the rest of our siblings and cousins have not been able to step up to the plate in the least. My dh is very nurturing. He may be more taking care of our parents than working in the years to follow. I didn't grow up near any family, and I feel extraordinarily blessed to be flexible enough and close enough to help when times get rough. Even better to be with someone like dh who handles it all very well.

I Was thinking about it because BM had quite a schedule this year, and it kind of fell apart the last couple of weeks between him and Grandma both in the hospital. I was thinking, "I knew we could handle this, but of course the crap had to hit the fan at some point. I hadn't planned for that." Though I should have - because it always does!

We also totally flaked on a meeting with BM's teacher - HA - due to all the chaos. We rescheduled and I was worried she would express concern with us not quite keeping up with everything the last couple of weeks. She was totally cool, so phew. Somehow BM thrives in all the chaos. I think we are so used to being conscientious and holding up our end of the deal that we largely feel, "So what if we are letting things slack?" these days. Can't be perfect all the time! BM missed a lot of soccer and robot club. We begin to make it all up and catch up, this weekend. Kind of sort of, because then we go on vacation. Well, here's to October and November then. Things should settle down. & if they don't, what can you do?

**I was starting to think I could make mad progress on the mortgage this year. Just waiting to see how things settle out the rest of the year.

HA!

This is also one reason I am reluctant to invest aggressively outside of ROTHs. Once we build up a certain sum, that will be fine, but there is too much "need it now/need it NOW!" IT's going to take a while to work up to that - where I actually have monies that I might not need for 5+ years.

Anyway, just bills bills bills. As long as 15%+ of our income is going to medical bills, I don't have a lot left for the mortgage. But this is why I Was leaving final decisions to 12/31. I didn't want to put a chunk to the mortgage, and then be scrambling to pay bills.

So, we wait and see.

**The kids' dental visit actually wasn't too bad. They needed all kinds of sealants - I am happy to pay money for prevention. IT seems to be working - BM has outgrown his cavity-proneness.

So between checkups, x-rays, sealants (all times 2) the bill was $1k. Ugh! To be fair, I am sure I had $500 in the budget, so is only $500 more than expected. This on top of recent medical bills. & poof - $1500 *less* for the mortgage - in just one week.

They also reduced their no-insurance discount. Was 10%. Now is 8% by check or 5% by credit card. Will probably stick with the 5% by credit card (can get 2% off that, with the credit card reward). IT's all tax deductible for me - we itemize medical deductions since well over 7.5% of our income. So there is a 20% discount of sorts, on top of that.

Orthodontist wants to see him in 6 months. I will brace myself for that one!

This dental office has an ortho in-house, which is very convenient. BUT, we will shop around once they start recommending any real work. For one, this office is a bit of a drive. I think age 10 is when ortho talk tends to get serious, so I am gearing up for that next year.

**I thought as medical bills were mounting, that maybe I should revisit my tax calculation. I know I have been under-withholding a bit, BUT, the medical bills are a HUGE variable. The year before I got refunds - last year I owed a lot - only difference being the medical.

So I plugged in some better estimates, and relieved to see we will only owe about $900 for 2012. That is with 100% ROTH contributions - no reuglar (tax-deductible) contributions. Phew! I am fine with that. AMT would put us owing closer to $1500. OUCH!! I am quite sure AMT will be fixed. For reference, our income is low enough that the Feds only tax us about 3% on our entire income last year. AMT = the tax for the rich of the rich. Just to illustrate how broken AMT is.

**I think many assume that my tax bill is so low due to my tax knowledge. I suppose I make better tax decisions due to my tax knowledge. But I did not choose my job (employer had large tax-free compensation for many years), did not choose to buy a house, to marry, or to have kids, and to pay insane sums for medical insurance, due to the tax code. The way I live my life is just heavily incentivized. (Is that a word? )

& so it continues! Because I worry next year that taxes will start to go steep, and at some point I will have to increase my withholding due to this refinance. & higher taxes. My "breakeven tax return" has turned into "owing $900" over the past few years - I haven't changed my withholding in ages. Mortgage interest deduction has been decreasing, etc.

& then it hit me - orthodontia will be a nice tax break for us. I just never had even thought about it before. SO, probably no need to change my withholding. One more thing I didn't choose for the tax break, but it will help us limp along with LOW taxes another few years.

**Dh earned $85 for a focus group last night. Woohoo!!

**I got an emergency room statement - looks like bill may be $1k-ish. Will see. This was not a bill. So if it is a good estimate, it is useful. If not, it is not useful! Heck if I know. Though I'd be content with $1k. (Our deductible is $3k, and I am worried I will get a $3k bill).

I just received a $1k check from MIL. It was supposed to be for vacation, but welcome to my life. Easy come, easy go.

I don't know why it feels like it would be a miracle if we could just stay out of the hospital one year. *sigh* But I do know people going through so much worse (cancer and so forth), so I find it hard to complain. But I still feel underlying/passing aggravation. I'll forget about it quickly. Nice to vent, but no reason to dwell.

**Reminds me, kids have dentist appointments today, which is rarely good news. Will see! Beyond BM's wimpy cavity-prone baby teeth, I hold my breath every time as he is getting to that orthodontia age. One of his best friends - same age - just got braces. Lord help me - I thought I had at least one more year.

**Today I bought tickets for the Robot Wars. We are so excited about that!! Very nerdy. We were watching them last year on TV and since the robot wars are local we decided we have to see that live!! It will be in late October. I'll probably just tack this on tho the vacation budget - was $70 for the four of us. Basically it's "demolition derby" with robots. Totally cool!!

I was going to do this a few days ago, but then everything vacation was up in the air.

But since we seem back on track, here we go. I find it useful to write everything down, just so there are less surprises. & it always adds up faster than you think!



Our annual vacation budget is $1500. We usually spread it out a lot more throughout the year and do a lot more staycation type stuff. Or travel closer to home (driving). This year, we haven't done squat, so we have $1500 leftover.

I was looking at the budget last week and I think we had about $100 left over for food, so I figured we'd be tapping into other savings a bit. This is just a unique/rare trip. But, that said, I would be a lot more stressed about the food side while we are there. Because every penny over would have to come from somewhere else.

I knew the in-laws would likely give us a couple of hundred dollars (which has the added bonus that we don't have to go to the ATM - just one less chore - since we don't keep any cash with us in general, but like to have a few more dollars on hand when traveling - even if we usually just deposit most of it when we get home).

BUT, MIL gave us a generous check over the weekend - intending to pay for all the parks. Which it just about exactly will pay for. {I was not expecting anything like this, in the least!!}

I only added $500 of it to the budget, since we don't need to spend $1,000+ on food. $709 left over for food is also ridiculous, but it's just the point where I am not going to stress. Whatever we have left over upon our return will go to savings/mortgage.

My first inclination was to put the $1k check to the mortgage, but I have medical bills on the horizon (could be large - I am not sure) and we have another vacation coming up in November. So I already put the $1k to the credit card (balance is a credit balance) and I will consider the parks paid for. (There is always a possibility we will not go to all these parks - someone could be sick - we may chose to chill one day - so could have even more left over for savings).

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PLANNING

I wanted to lay out my vacation planning because I have been doing it a little bit at a time. All we really have left to do is make the arrangements for our cat and pack. !! I feel like all the hard work is done.

--Around May? we decided to go to Florida and book our airfare. Since $1500 is obviously not enough for a week in Florida, we decided to divert 5 months of savings to airfare. We have already replenished it, and by careful airfare shopping I was able to drop the figure down to "4 months of savings."

{This is the first *big* flight/trip for four that I have ever considered as a family with our own funds}.

So this is why I don't have airfare on this budget - it's done and paid for. I am trying to manage everything else that we have yet to pay for.

--Cat Care - I already checked with neighbor and a friend if they would be available to help with the cat. So I just have to finalize that. I am doing a tax return for a friend, so will probably give neighbor $30 for the help (is a teenager). My cat makes such a mess in her old age, that I bought a GIANT litter box in the hope she isn't as messy as usual. I literally scoop it every day, and am just trying to make it easier on whoever watches her. I will probably buy a second GIANT box to that end.

WE can't find any spare house keys, so dh will make a couple this week.

--Dh has been collecting quarters for tolls, and I am just rolling my eyes. Obviously extremely slow going consider how we don't even use cash for anything. One of us will run to the CU and get two rolls of quarters - he finally agreed this made sense.

--I spent a lot of time last week considering transport options. Airport parking is the most expensive, BUT there is not savings of any note by paying for transport. So, parking wins. Convenient convenient convenient. (One option we have living so close to the airport is that several hotels in our neighborhood have parking at $2-$3 per day cheaper, but their shuttles "run every hour" and had some pretty poor reviews. So, we will pass! The shuttle/economy parking at our airport is very good- never remember waiting at all - they must run every 15 minutes. I will double check before we depart, as these things do change).

--In May or June we booked our hotel - free with MIL's timeshare points. Sometimes they have fees (usually taxes or parking). So, will see.

--On the car rental - I reserved around $130 for one week. We will probably want to add me as a driver - will pay whatever it is. I read that we do not need a transponder and that they try to tack it on anyway, so we will be vigilant about that. We will have our quarters for tolls - their transponder fee is absurd. This will be an issue in the future since apparently they are going all electronic. But I researched carefully that we do not have to have a transponder for the areas we will be driving.

We were planning to buy a booster car seat there, but I found one at Target for $15 last week (very small). I was going to put it in our luggage but not sure it will fit. At least I know $15 seats will be easy to find (I can return it and just buy a seat in ORlando). LM is 7 and very tall, so I have no problem waiting until we get to the store, or driving him to and from the airport without a booster. The car seat rental industry absolutely sucks eggs, and the car rental company charges more like $13 per DAY. The airline will likely make us check it, could get lost, could charge us - so I don't want to mess with our nice seats.

I have been so looking to the day where we don't deal with all this. We are 90% there. Next time will be heaven!

--I priced all the park tickets, taxes and parking. I haven't found any discounts, because we are buying only one-day tickets. IT is what it is. Dh and I have two one-day park hoppers left over from the year 2000. So we are saving a little there. The plus is we are just buying all tix at the gate - this leaves us a lot of flexibility. IF we all get sick one day and have to skip one day, we won't be out the tickets.

--The museum and Gatorland are just big *maybes* if we are up to it. I have never been to Gatorland, so that one is probably more of a priority. It's dh's family tradition.

--Aside from gas and food, I don't see us spending anything else while we are there. GMIL gave the kids $50 for souvenirs, but I wouldn't be surprised if they keep it to spend on something more important to them (like video games). So, will see. None of us is into the "stuff."

--I got paid yesterday, so paid all the bills through mid-October. So I don't have to worry about any of that on vacation (& jiggled things around since I won't get my paycheck until we return).

--We borrowed two carry-ons from family - might only need one (for the kids). I already have one. We have never traveled "four of us" and "so long a trip" since airlines started charging for checked bags (airlines have also reduced carry-on sizes, rendering most our bags useless). I think 2 carry on luggages will probably be more than ample (we will also all carry backpacks). Our strategy is to pack 3-4 days of clothes and to do laundry mid-week. Since it's a "family visit" too, we should have plenty of down time for that. Florida = packing light clothing, so makes it easier. I picked up a couple of light exercise/water resistant type shorts at Target, on sale/clearance. It will help me immensely to pack light, and to be comfortable. It's just not the kind of clothing we have or need in our non-humid/dry climate.

So, all in all, I got some cat things to take car of, and we have to pack. Dh is going to get keys made and I will pick up some quarters. I think most the work is done!!

We don't leave for a couple of weeks. I really am the anti-procrastinator. I just want to relax and enjoy best we can. I think I have done everything that I can to that end!

So, GMIL had her surgery already!

Still too early for final decisions, but vacay is probably a go.

GMIL did great!! Tumor was not cancer. We have this streak in our family lately. Lots of tumors - always benign. Admittedly no final biopsy results yet.

She is doing really well but dangerous part is she will be off her feet so long. she was 100% spry going into surgery - not sure she will ever be as active again. But I still think she has good odds. Most 87 yos might not fare well with this kind of surgery and bed/recovery time. But most 87 yos aren't so healthy, active, and have so much family support. Next few days may be riskiest as she is 100% bed ridden for whatever reason. Seems its always so important to get up and walk after surgery. So that seems to be the area of most concern right now.

Dh was initially concerned that MIL was holding back info. (As she left some relatives in dark and based on past experiences). So I think he feels great relief to be with family and to see her in hospital. I told him if he was that concerned that he has all the time in the world and to stick to MIL like glue. . But since things are well I think he will come home with us today.

Pretty much out of nowhere, GMIL is having some serious health problems. Which seem to be stemming from a tumor, which they just found. She is 87.

We decided to go see her this weekend. The reason being we plan to vacation soon. Well, who knows...

Feeling jinxed, because we planned this trip when my Grandma passed just a few weeks before we were to visit her. So we planned a trip to Florida to see dh's paternal grandfather, instead. Which is apparently up in the air now due to GMIL's health.

The planner nature in me was to think through the possibility of cancelling the trip (or going without dh) and kid logistics if dh leaves town. Nothing is of any huge consequence. I can easily cover the kids without daycare, this time of year, and aside from airfare (which I know from recent experience is fully refundable in the worse scenario) we haven't put a cent down on this vacation. Dh is of a similar nature and started fretting. I told him I figured it all out and not to worry his pretty little head about it. Pretty much. No decisions can be made at this point. & I don't give a flip if we lose the airfare, anyway. & he doesn't need to worry about the kids if he needs to be with his family. So I just don't want him to worry about *any* of this.

So, I warned the kids of the possibility. I don't think dh or I care that much, but they probably need time to get used to the idea of skipping vacation. I admit I probably had a few minutes of freaking out about it, but I am not a big vacation person, and it didn't take me long to adjust to the idea that we might not go. Aside from the irony of missing more "very precious" grandparent time. !!

The good thing is GMIL is feeling very well, so it will be nice to spend some time with her this weekend. Hopefully outside of the hospital. I think she is very healthy and she has a lot of family support, so fingers crossed. Her odds seem good. I think everyone is just trying to be realistic given her age. *sigh*

This Grandma lives in San Jose - so just a couple of hours away.

{If she ends up having surgery or something, dh is just no longer interested in the least with the idea of being on the other side of the country while his family goes through this. I also think it's probably better to skip the trip than to take the financial risk of being stuck there if something happens. Canceling/losing carefully purchased airfare is one thing. Feeling like we have to fly home last minute could be exorbinant. All of this is especially if we are just going to be worried and distracted the whole trip - then why even bother. So, will see}.

I quote Lucky Robin.

In the year 2007 I believe, I made a pretty aggressive goal to have "$150k in retirement" by age 35. I think I was thinking more like the day I turned 35, and was definitely counting some more work retirement contributions in that calculation (another $10k-$20k that I never got). & even then, this goal felt pretty "pie in the sky."

For reference, in the year 2007 I only had $55k-ish in my retirement funds.

But, for all the setbacks, and how aggressive I felt the goal was at the time, I am getting pretty darn close!!

As of yesterday, had about $135k, including cash I already have for ROTHs but did not contribute yet. I can't physically put any more money into retirement accounts (that cash maxes me out), so it is what it is. I also don't really have any other investments (aside from things that are in the kids' name - obviously not for retirement!).

& I could set aside more money "for retirement" (in taxable accounts) to meet my goal, but it doesn't make any sense considering big picture, tax considerations, etc. So I will not do that.

But, will see how the rest of the year goes. At this rate, I suppose anything is possible. 3 more months until my 36th birthday.

& I would be willing to max out ROTHs 1/1 to meet this goal. Off by 30 days from my goal? Who gives a flip! I am at the whim of the stock market. Who cares about *perfection*? I can't beat myself up about it if the stock market takes a dive tomorrow.

I'll post again on this subject and my progress, around my birthday. Again on January 1, if need be.

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Next goal? Pay off mortgage by age 45. I have no idea how - but I think even if I fail, I will be pretty darn close. What's the worst that happens? Pay it off at 46?

{Truth is, I can imagine scenarios where we pay it off in just a few years. Other scenarios it would be put off indefinitely - like prolonged job loss - but you just have to hope for the best}.

P.S. Our retirement vehicles are maxed out, so not much else to do there. To obviously be re-evaluated as economic and job factors change. But on the retirement, I do feel the *hard* part is done. Around the $100k mark, compounding really starts to take over. We can commit to max out, but other than that, I think it's prudent start hitting other financial goals. I think I am just a "one focus at a time" person - always have been. I really enjoyed hitting the mortgage hard when younger, and hitting retirement hard for a time. IT's going to be back and forth until the mortgage is gone. But I do think the *hard* part is done with both of these monsters. Plenty of work to still do, but over the hump.

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I like aggressive goals for two reasons:

1 - If you fall short, you still did pretty darn good.

2 - I am continually amazed at what I have been able to achieve in this life. It definitely takes more than "thought." But, by the same token, "thinking it" is often 90% of the battle.

Perfect example? My spouse told me he thought we should buy a residence, in our early 20s. & I thought he was out of his flipping mind!! But, we sat down and ran the numbers, it actually made sense, and we were buying a condo just a couple of years later. I basically went from "I can never afford a home here" to "homeowner" in 2 years.

**Who, what is with all the new cars? Yeesh. New cars everywhere.

I was starting to get used to people keeping cars longer (perhaps living within their means?). What happened?

I noticed a *lot* of new cars at the kids' school - then started noticing more on the freeway too.

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**Ugh Ugh Ugh! Our promotional rate expired on our internet, and they won't give us a discount. What happened is that the super awesome little guy was bought out. We noticed this in the news, earlier in the year. The story of our lives!! This is the immediate consequence.

I am almost embarassed to even admit it, but our internet bill just went up from $40 to $70/month. !!! I think at most, we might have paid $50 for it, at some point. Yeah, it's super high speed internet (fiber optic) and it's really the only reason I think dh is okay with the "no cable" thing. Since we are able to stream such high quality to our TVs. Which is why I was willing to pay $50 for it. & he does utilize the high speed for his "work" (uploading videos, etc.). It's unpaid work at the moment, but hoping to make a profit at some point.

But anyway, the plan of action? I've only got to pay two more bills this year, so I am just going to wing it. Dh will call and complain a bit, talk to retention, yadda yadda yadda.

We are just going to have to fight it out next year. Jan. 1 I will rework the budget. Dh talks numbers, so it will be a good time to discuss. Jan. 1 I will know my 2013 salary and health insurance rates. We can evaluate the insanity at that point.

Something better will eventually come along. Dh will keep an eye and ear out for alternatives. It's just, "how long?"

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**I've been slowly piecing together vacation details. I was thinking about it today, and suppose this is part of my "simplicty" approach to life. It's easier to break down planning for a vacation into many smaller tasks, over a long period of time. The only thing left for the last minute will be the packing. I like to brainstorm lists the final days before we leave - which means we don't tend to forget things. I think about it a few days, and then check the list before we finalize the packing. As with anything, there is nothing very formal or special about my organization. I grab a scratch piece of paper and just jot a few things down.

I was just talking to my mom the other day and she said something like, "Why do people make things so complicated?" Is that where I get it from?

Meanwhile, I asked MIL if we could borrow a carry-on luggage, because she is driving up for a visit this weekend. She said she would bring 4 bags for us to choose from. I know she means well - but this is "making things way more complicated than it has to be." HA! If the roles were reversed, I'd figure beggars couldn't be choosers.

Anyway, I think I am going to work up a vacation budget and post more about this tonight. I can lay out my thought process, what's done, and what needs to be done still. I did a lot of research this week, and want to get it documented before I forget. {I honestly have a good memory and tend to keep most stuff in my head. But, I think my brain is getting to its limits on this trip - time for a spreadsheet}.

I was catching up on my e-mail the other day, and lots of interesting articles in my inbox.

Big-money funds buy foreclosures -- to rent

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/says-370027-market-homes....

"No condos wanted, and no "McMansions", either. The objective: Bank-owned "family'' homes, with, say, 1,800 square feet and 3 bedrooms, in stable neighborhoods where prices are expected to rise.

That's the sweet spot for Carrington Capital Management LLC, a private equity fund with Orange County ties in an increasingly competitive field -- big-money players going after foreclosures."

I share because I have kind of watched in awe as the flippers have moved back in (& have been surprisingly successful). Most the houses in our neighborhood have been foreclosed, bought by flippers, and then bought by investors to rent out. I have also mentioned that most buyers are not even from the area; many not from the U.S.

So, what has changed??? The market almost feels more speculative now than it did in 2005. {I know a few individuals buying homes, but no one who is buying anything within the realm of reason, or with more than a 3% down payment. ???? So, what has changed?}

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An Ethics Test Your Adviser Might Not Pass

http://www.smartmoney.com/invest/stocks/an-ethics-test-your-...

New research suggests most assets are managed by firms with regulatory violations or conflicts of interest.

Man, I see this *so much* in my line of work. So, I didn't find this surprising in the least.

& ha, my favorite investment advisor, Merrill Lynch, made the list for felony, misdemeanor, SEC violation - they got a giant red x in every single category. Surprise surprise!!

Even Vanguard had commodities trade violations (on the red list!)

Critics also say that what Diligence perceives as potential conflicts are commonly accepted practices throughout the industry -- for example, the hybrid model of firms that both sell products and provide advice

But that's the problem - it's a HUGE conflict of interest! Just because it is a commonly accepted practice doesn't negate that.

P.S. I am skeptical how squeaky clean all those green companies really are - yes. I've seen it over and over with small asset management firms. A lot of them are squeaky clean until they run off with your life savings. So, you just have to be careful. Take this list for what it's worth - a list of companies that have already been caught red handed. Others yet to be caught.

I think we all got a little bit of some bug. Though we went to emergency around 6am in the morning, I had a full 9 hours sleep before that. I came home and crashed until noon, napped in the afternoon, and slept another 9 hours last night. Yeesh! I've been feeling kind of "ugh," for weeks - attributing it to allergies. I am pretty confident that I slept off the virus that befell BM. IT just contributed to the "ugh."

BM refused to sit still so we watched a lot of movies.

He is asleep, which is very unusual for him at this hour (7am), but he is breathing well and his fever has been gone since yesterday morning (don't think anyone gave him a fever reducer). I won't wake him up for school - glad he is getting some sleep. He will probably want to go to school - but he can go late if he feels strongly about it. I am quite sure he will probably feel 100% today.

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I didn't think much about the emergency room - was $200 for the visit and meds. But I thought later that we haven't maxed our deductible yet this year. So, I have no idea how much it will cost us in the end. My guess is a few hundred dollars for doctor's time and for medications delivered in the ER. Could be thousands - you never know.

Will see!

& such is our life!

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Friday I splurged on an extraordinarily expensive hotel reservation. It was a rare splurge, but was feeling confident about the rest of the year. Thinking probably a $5k deposit to mortgage on 12/31, barring the unexpected. Of course the unexpected didn't waste any time.

This trip - to Pismo beach - is end of November. Probably won't get any medical bills by then, but we can guage how the rest of the year is going. Most anything that comes up in December can be paid in January, anyway. So it's a pretty safe point to see where we are at for the year. We can save $150 by downgrading room to a non-ocean-view. I'll wait closer to the last minute to decide. We are 100% going, but don't *need* such a nice view to enjoy the trip.

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Trying to do something productive yesterday, I priced out or Orlando tickets again. It's flipping $1,000 for 3 days (Universal cost as much as Dinseyworld - yeesh!!). & that is including the fact that we have 2 non-expiring tickets from the year 2000. !!

I already knew this, but was hoping to knock it down a little bit with discounts. I don't seem to be finding anything (every discount seems to be reserved for multi-day tickets, which we are not buying). Ugh! Buying 2 or 3-day tickets for a gajillion dollars isn't particularly enticing.

I think this is a rare trip in that we really want to go to Universal and check out the Harry Potter stuff, but doubt we will go back again? Not every time we go to Florida? Usually 2 days in Disney would be *plenty* for us. (Maybe primarily because Disneyland is in our backyard, and Universal Hollywood - so there is a lot in Florida that is not too unique or exciting to us). But, I will admit that if we are going to buy 3 days of tickets, might as well do it when we have a couple of old tickets to use up.

How well we do on our vacation budget in Florida, will also be a deciding factor for Pismo Beach hotel choice. It's hard to say. Grandparents may treat us to some meals - MIL and GMIL like to hand us cash before we vacation.