Frugal Doings:

Found the Silicon Valley Target family concert dates. Bummer, since they are Sunday nights. BUT, is before school starts so maybe we can make it work. Will probably pick one night to go. Either "Disney" or "Movie Blockbuster" themed - I am sure there will be some overlap between the two concerts. Not only are these concerts free, but have free ice cream, and are at our University alma mater. So, I am excited about the experience as a whole.

We've seen the Sacramento Symphony Target concerts but had to pay a bit to get in, and wasn't quite as directed to the younger kids. But, if those fit our schedule, we may do one too. I believe the kids were free at least.

Dh has quite a few Scholastic volunteer shifts this upcoming week. I believe he settled on 4 hours per teacher and 8 hours for the school. (Plus 8 hours towards buying whatever his heart delights). Truth is we need to purge some books - I am not as thrilled about that part, though books are the primary gift for the kids any holiday. More than just books - often video games, activity books, etc., etc. That said, dh did purge some books from the bookshelf recently. Maybe for the first time ever (outside baby books we bought before our Scholastic days). I'd say we could purge more.

I've got so much time off and free food (BBQs, etc.) coming this month that the $0 spending has been easy. Not that I am having a no-spend month (I don't like extremes). I just figured it would be easy to spend $0 on food this month. Vacation plans being up in the air is bad for our plans though. That was 3.5 days of free food. Was planning on saving a lot of groceries, too. The budget would be best if camp is not cancelled!

Anyway, I kicked myself for probably not having enough food at work today (forgot to bring anything), so just went to BK for a $1 menu item. Woman there handed me a pile of coupons. It's been a while since someone has handed me a pile of coupons. I could clearly tell why - who comes through to just spend a dollar, right? & puts it on a credit card? Funny thing is strict budget or no, I'd probably order the same thing regardless. Not wanting their french fries and over-priced soda has little to do with anything but my taste and appetite. Well, and their over-priced sodas...

Well, it was a reminder that I can still splurge on a lunch.

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So, Joan asked an interesting question a while back when I mentioned a mix up between us and another family struggling financially. She legimitimately asked if we *looked poor* or could be *mistaken as poor* by the impression we give off. In this case, was just an e-mail mix up.

But, I think this is an interesting question. Why, if someone is frugal, are they perceived to be so cheap that they must stick out and have a miserable life? Not that Joan was saying all that. BUT, I do find that people treat me VERY different on the internet at times, than they do on real life.

The truth is, we fit in QUITE well. Very well. To the point where most people think we are just rich tightwads. Because clearly it is ridiculous that we would watch our pennies so much. (To most people, they don't seem to understand the cause and effect. I'd sum it up as saving money on stuff we don't care about so we have more to spend on the stuff we do care about).

These are the things people will never notice:

**How much stuff we buy used, hand-me-down clothes, hand-me-down furniture. We are big fans of *barely used* goods. I can assure you that no one would ever know if we didn't tell.

**That we eat most our meals at home.

**I delight in finding birthday presents that look REALLY expensive but only cost $5-$10 (on deep discount, of course).

**That when we vacation we make frugal choices - like drive and stay at Motel 6. No one sees that - all they know if that you went to some exciting destination they couldn't afford (i.e. they couldn't afford flying too and staying at a luxury hotel - usually what that seems to mean).

**That I don't spend a fortune on beauty products. Online this is met with *horror.* In person I am often told, "Well - you are lucky you don't *need* it." As if everyone needs hundreds of dollars of beauty products and spa treatments to pass in society.

I do admit everyone thinks we just buy used cars because we are ridiculously cheap (and crazy). They couldn't possibly fathom how much we save (since we are usually told that *old cars cost more*). At the end of the day, my car doesn't come up much anyway. Few people do seem to notice the car situation. Likewise, the few friends I drive around in my van know we paid cash for it and they can't wrap their brain around that anyway.

I admit we are in a unique position since we moved to a low cost area. So, this translates into maybe owning in a prestigious neighborhood, while having the lowest mortgage of anyone we know. Most assumptions are we are about to foreclose like 95% of our neighbors, that we are rich, or that we made a fortune on Bay Area real estate. The truth is that a $300k house feels extremely reasonable to us compared to what we are used to, and that we put 25% down, never borrowed against the home, and have a low fixed mortgage rate. The home was a lateral move from a $290k-ish condo we made no money on. No one else seems to comprehend how we could not be upside down. To be fair, buying price is ALWAYS assumed to be much higher than we paid. We bought the house because it was an awesome deal. Since it was new construction, we locked the price in much lower to what it was even worth when we eventually moved in. For a while (years), when the models were still open, everyone would comment, "I could never afford this neighborhood" after stopping to tour the models. But they seemed completely deaf when we would laugh and reply, "neither could we at THOSE prices."

Then there is the whole *hubby stays home* thing. No one will accuse us of being poor as long as that is a fact. You have to be lucky and rich to manage that, of course. Do you think all of our Joneses type friends can even fathom living on one income? If I opened up my tax returns I think most my friends would faint dead away.

I think for the most part we can figure out how to have whatever we want, cheaper. Whether it be a good eduction (primary or college), a reliable car, a nice home, or whatever it may be. One interesting thing with the kids is dh's love of video games and the prevalence of them around the house. Yes, I'd think it would probably be ridiculous to give my 5-year-old a brand new Nintendo DS, but both kids have a DS and a PSP at their disposal. Cost? Free. As such, they fit in quite well with all the kids and their new game systems.

I remember one day when LM was younger and we were waiting at one of BM's extra-curricular classes. I pulled out a zip lock just bursting at the seams full of games for his Leap Frog. I looked at it, probably for the first time, and thought, "Where the hell did all these games come from?" I had probably paid for just a few games over the years. I was keenly aware that other people must be thinking I was carrying around thousands of dollars of games around, when really it was probably no more than $100 to us.

Anyway, it isn't really hard to fit in. I've got a college degree, a nice home, reliable cars, furniture, appliances, clothing, etc. IT all looks the same as what everyone else has got, for the most part. I can assure we paid very little compared to average for most of the things we own.

So, I had to giggle a bit to myself when Joan asked, though I Wasn't surprised at the question. I think if our passions were different, and we didn't have the whole benefit of the low cost of living thing, my experience may be very different. I think also we are very moderate. I can think of a few people who are stingy to an extreme. Some have come across very poor when they weren't poor at all. I can't imagine ever being so extreme - in either direction.

I am curious about other's experiences in these type perceptions.

I was extremely pleased to see that the ebook selection at our library has increased dramatically since December. (I hadn't looked the past many months since I have been knee-deep in my series). I requested several ebooks that I am waiting for - chosen from just browsing the library selection.

The only book immediately available was "Strength in What Remains," by Tracy Kidder. Absolutely riveting from page 1, and since the book is only 250 pages on my nook, so will go by in a flash. "Game of Thrones" had set the bar very high and got me out of a long reading lull. I worried about the bar being set high, but realized a lot of that will be offset by reading normal length books that don't take such a huge commitment. I hadn't thought about it until I open this ebook and saw the 250 pages. "Pfffft - I can read that today," I thought when I saw that.

We did sign up the kids for the library's summer reading program.

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We ate well yesterday.

MIL/FIL really wanted to go to the culinary school for lunch. So, we went yesterday. The school is closed 6 weeks or so for summer, so good thing we went. Works out, since we probably wouldn't go with the kids out of school anyway. No lunch dates for 2 months, probably. Though with their summer camp we can maybe swing some early lunch dates, alone.

MIL insisted on paying because "they are retired, after all." ??? Because being retired means you have more money? Since they are young in retirement, my worry is very minimal, but for the long run, I do worry if they really know what they are doing. Their savings is probably far higher than average, and they have a huge home asset to tap. BUT, they entrust all their money to an expensive brokerage. At current, MIL seems to be extremely optimistic (thinks she will never touch principal and will leave us their nest egg - so she says). FIL just retired, and seems extremely wary. To the point he has told us he is "not necessarily retired" - as if he expects to have to go back. Anyway, it's interesting to watch their extreme opposite reactions to retirement.

For reference, my parents' nest egg seems to be about double the in-laws, and they are far more cautious. They certainly aren't planning to leave us any of it! My parents are a bit younger, and my dad is still looking for work anyway. Writing on the wall seems to be forced retirement for my folks. MIL certainly comes across overly optimistic, in comparison.

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Vacation plans are up in the air. Camp is closed, camp is open. Who knows? Sun came out yesterday. Things are back to *normal.* Forecast just calls for sun. Phew! That said, not sure how 65-degree-days equate to snow melt when it comes to shady areas with 9 feet of snow. I don't have the experience to know, but sounds like 2 weeks is pretty optimistic. MIL claims they are bulldozing snow out, but they have to figure some drainage or something so the non-shoeveled snow doesn't leave the entire campground a giant mud pit. I don't foresee any hikes this year. Shoveling out camp by itself sounds like a HUGE task. But, if they make it bearable (cars not sinking in mud), then it will be an experience!

We've decided if it does get cancelled that we will just do our own thing. Probably stay home, since we will need more notice to get a free place to stay in So Cal. But, will see what we can throw together at the last minute. I'd probably rather stay home and plan for a more frugal trip for later. Will see.

I don't have much to add to these. For anyone with a mortgage, read the mortgage scam article. Yikes!

An old mortgage scam aims to hijack a payment or two

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lew-20110605,0,2071538...

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Nest egg should be 10 times your annual salary, study says

"Only about 1 in 10 Americans manage to meet that goal for retirement savings, but those who do report feeling financially secure, a study by Lincoln Financial Group finds."

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/04/business/la-fi-retir...

Depressing part?

"Also, a majority of those who became 10-timers boosted their savings rate when they had extra money to salt away. It's especially helpful to do that early in your career, according to the study.

"Steadily saving a modest amount each year is important but is probably not enough by itself" to achieve 10-timer status, the study says."

I pruned my flowers (from farmers market last weekend) and moved them to a new vase:



Well, I also moved the prettiest ones to a single-flower vase.

Their time is almost up. I think I will get more flowers next weekend - will be enjoyed for the rest of the month.

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We are starting to assume that camp will be cancelled. Just saw pictures from last Thursday, before the latest round of storms. Snow has fallen since those pictures.

It is clear that few vehicles will be able to navigate the mud, and that there is nowhere to park anyway (since they have cleared roads, etc., but everywhere else is covered in at least 8 feet of snow).

We hadn't agreed/decided when to take the kids to LegoLand. I suppose we will just wing it if camp gets cancelled. Would drive, and MIL could work her timeshare magic. Don't think we need too much notice. Either that, or we will find a Motel 6. Either way, will work.

We could maybe start planning for an alternate camp location at a lower elevation, but I think everywhere is going to be cold and uncomfortable. I suppose we should keep that in mind for So Cal, too. Maybe we should just stay home!!

Plan B could also be to just stay at the family cabin, which is near camp. To keep the family/campy nature of our planned vacation.

Will see...

Yesterday we drove through Napa/wine country for an elegant birthday party on top of a hill. The picture does not do it justice - was just gorgeous:



We have probably been through the area in less lush (more average) times. It's not like we get this much green, usually. It did not rain too much on the drive, so we got to take in the scenery.



The landscape was far more beautiful than I remembered - vineyards as far as the eye could see.

I've never been to Napa and the areas north of there, but for a few family functions in the past. Dh and thrown out earlier that he wanted to do a weekend getaway for our anniversary. My first reaction was, "eh." I'd love to stay home! Ship the kids off, of course. But, we had settled on maybe going to Carmel. We can swing a free hotel room through MIL's endless timeshare points. It's an hour's drive from Grandma's house - so it is not a pricey proposition.

But, yesterday, we changed our minds. We will be adventurous. We will stay in Napa and do the wine country thing. Will shave 3 hours of driving down to about 1-hour (each way) and a perfect half way point is on the way - to drop off the kids with Grandma.

So, I am excited to explore a new area. I think we lean heavily in our state exploration as far as where friends and family live. Particularly when younger - of course we only traveled (in college) where there was a free place to stay. & here is Napa practically in our backyard, and we have never explored.

Anyway, dinner last night was lovely. We were supposed to eat outside on the terrace, and the view was divine. Instead, it poured down rain all through dinner, and we were stuck inside. It worked out because it was pretty dry for our drive, thankfully.

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I've got a ton of chores to do today. Have been pretty lazy. Some house cleaning, some fiscal chores, etc. The cold/blah weather is not very motivating. You think it would be, because otherwise we'd be lazing by the pool today. But, I just feel very blah.

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In other news, had a shopping spree at Target. I had been promising some new art supplies for LM's Christmas present easel, and had never gotten around to it.

I felt very silly when we went because found a lot of great stuff for very cheap. Should have gone ages ago...

So, we bought a bunch of art supplies there. Bought a birthday present for BM (from LM - he will owe me some money for that), bought some underwear for the kids, and some magnets for the fridge (we sold all the kid fridge magnet toys last month). Just a lot of stuff like that.

We got the Target cars in November for the 5% off. We have been averaging about $100/month for groceries. This was the first shopping spree I've had there with the new card. Most everything we bought was on our "need to buy" list for a long time.

I haven't been much in a retail mood this year. Not sure why. But, I will take it.

I always get annoyed in the forums when people get judgemental of bare bones type budgets. I've had to defend a few people who said they "spent very little" who were attacked as leading boring lives, etc. *Whatever* It strikes me too much as "If you don't spend your money just so, you can't be happy." Oh yes, the people I know endlessly upside down on their cars and homes are so happy, in comparison. Right? These are the biggies where culture tells you to spend the bulk of your money. Vacations also come to front of mind - I can't even go there. Vacations are fine, but not the be-all, end-all of human happiness.

I share, because my own retail purchases have dwindled down to virtually nothing. $5 here and there to itch the scratch, but not much more. I think there is always a bit of an itch for something different and beautiful. Which I think is fine within reason. Last week I bought some flowers, for example. I've spent $20 for 2011, thus far. I managed 3 new sweaters on deep discount, and several pairs of earrings. Flowers last weekend, as mentioned. What the heck? I have never spent so little in my life, on stuff. Ever. I wonder if I have just reached a level of extreme contentment in other areas of my life. (For reference, I spent $425 last year on allowance purchases - $575 in 2009, $535 2008, $900 2007). I have been focusing on less clutter and trying to spend my money only on things that truly make me happy. All of this has been YEARS in the making - small progress every year.

I find great happiness from my electronic toys. I have really delighted having any/all music I could possibly want on my teeny-tiny MP3 player. The ebook is just one more step in that direction. I delight in carrying all those books with me everywhere I go. I really enjoyed our last trip to Hawaii because I could carry our netbook and Mp3 player and a handful of clothes, and felt I had all that I needed. (We had packed a lot of books, because we didn't have our e-readers at that point). I think it reinforced how nice it is to have all your belongings fit in a tiny carry-on suitcase. We view electronics like this as very simplifying. I am not a huge fan of travel, but enjoyed it much more feeling I could bring all my important belongings along. I think all that contributed heavily into a very happy/no-homesick vacation. Usually travel just reinforces for me how much I love being HOME. For the first time I felt home could really be anywhere, with all these electronic gadgets. We skyped the kids a lot, for one (it wasn't *just* about the stuff - it was a better connection with loved ones while gone, too).

I am blessed to know that spending more money on more things and more experiences, won't make me any happier. It's the quality - not the quantity. I think my shrinking spending habits illustrate that perfectly. Though I've never felt like a particularly material person, that small material side of me is just shrinking down to hardly anything any more. I think it's interesting. Will see how the rest of 2011 pans out. Will see if I can get through 2011 with such a lean spending on myself. Who knows - I admit the year is young.

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Every topic I write about reminds me of another. I believe the fact that BM's class all gets iPads next year is very lucky and probably not very cost saving? (I suppose I do not know for sure).

BUT, since the school expands to 6th grade next year, BM's teacher has been pushing the electronic angle as a cost saver. The school has decided to use iPads versus expensive and out-dated textbooks. For the middle school grades.

I am so excited about this. Though I knew this 3rd grade iPad class would be an amazing opportunity for BM, I also realized his future education would likely be a huge downer in comparison. I mean, to see the amazing-ness of all the technology, and to go back to pen and paper for the rest of his education... He is a smart boy - he will wonder why he is stuck with pen and paper after that. Obviously the technology is amazing.

All that said, a lot of the programs the kids piloted this year in the same teacher's class will go school-wide next year. The kids' test results in this one class have been that amazing. If they can pull off the same with the iPad (show real results) they may eventually be used school-wide. The teacher is just really into technology. I like to see the "thinking outside the box," myself. It hadn't occurred to me that they could save money with the iPads, for one. It initially struck me as very frivolous, but my mind is changing.

I just posted a financial/savings update and updated my sidebar (see last post, too).

I don't have enough time to post all I Want to today. But, will get some of it out.

Today was supposed to be a nice day - maybe a hike - swimming with cousins, etc. We have an 80th birthday party to attend tonight. Woke up to pouring rain. OF course, with the stormy/cloudy weather last night, I told dh I supposed we wouldn't go early. Will drive 2 hours for dinner. 2 hours back. Not San Jose - going up north. BUT, cousin thought it was a great idea to get a condo there overnight (has 3 SMALL kids) and why she invited us swimming, etc. Was a nice plan, anyway. Any other year but this one!

I must admit I do feel extremely *off* and I suppose the weather has a lot to do with it. I keep telling myself at least we don't have devastating tornadoes, and flooding, etc. As several friends and relatives are dealing with. But truth is this weather is really annoying me. We don't live in California for rain and storms. Non-100 degree weather is nice (since we usually get a heat wave in May), but too extreme in the other direction to actually enjoy. So there is my petty whine.

I was telling dh about an article in the newspaper about 3 different weather phenomenons that are potentially causing storms and 20-degree lower temps than usual. For many many months (winter, spring, and now into summer). Dh replies with, "I know why it's raining like crazy. Because I still have my mom's umbrella!" I burst out laughing at that. I had forgotten about that. She brought it up for BM's recital - when we had ultra weird weather. She wanted dh to meet her half way and return it the following week. To which dh and I both replied with, "Um, hell no." I just rolled my eyes and said something like, "Yeah, like she needs her umbrella. Whatever..." I had forgotten about that, but had to laugh when dh mentioned it. Guess she is upset we have her umbrella still. Rightly so. Will return it tonight. (For the record - we use umbrellas, never? Once in a blue moon??? Never in May or June).

Without the A/C, and with all the rain, will have lower than usual water and electric bills. Financially, is the plus side. I am curious how our electric usage will compare to last May. The house has settled about 70F degrees - no air or heat needed. Usually we are well into A/C weather by now.

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I had to share one more thing. Dh and I never do what everyone else is doing. We ALWAYS seem to be ying-ing while everyone else is yang-ing.

With the economy? We chose a very bare bones lifestyle when we first had children, so dh didn't have to work and so I could take some leave as well. So, basically, when the economy was good we were pinching our pennies severely. Of course, even before that we were, since were saving for a home, for kids, etc.

Then the economy tanks and suddenly everyone is cutting back and struggling. I'd say we had better times. Because I was working 100%, if nothing else. We've gotten some decent tax breaks. We got far more efficient with our budget, etc., etc.

I am used to most people being jealous of the fact that dh does not work. Jealous, envious, in awe, admired, whatever. People take it different ways. Many of our friends and family have been striving to take the same plunge.

But, for dh is I think very different than most people realize. He wasn't established in a career. He only work 2-3 years after college, and was not a big career kind of job. He was laid off, initially, and has looked for work a solid 2-3 years in the past decade. Was not 100% choice. I admit we planned ahead enough to just deal with.

BUT, from my perspective, he has a solid 30-year career ahead of him.

I am just setting the stage. On top of this, we have talked at length about him returning to the workforce soon. Whether he works very part-time while the kids are in school, to help us save more, or if he starts over and is career bound. His personal preference is to start a career and contribute heavily to the household. I don't think anyone *gets* that. I get the impression several of our friends think he is just lazy. Though he flounders with his career goals, etc., the truth is he has a huge work ethic and feels like he should work. He feels we should both work full-time, honestly, for the long run. I don't necessarily agree.

Anyway, serious talks are set aside for fall. Once both kids have the same school schedule. I think I kind of felt dh needed a break, and expected this year to be a much harder transition for LM. It wasn't, but why add daycare on top of Kindergarten? IF we didn't need to. Maybe it wouldn't have gone so smooth in that case.

& so here we are making a plan and moving forward, and everyone we know is quitting their job. What the heck???

It's WEIRD. Dh's sister was laid off and offered a generous severance. She wants to stay home indefinitely. MIL tells me her and cousin could never afford to stay home. Now she tells me cousin is well on her way. (They choose mortgages triple ours, by living in expensive area, and their spouses do not make big money - their pay is decent).

My other cousin just had a third baby - three very small ones - she quit her job.

My good friend just went part-time. We met for lunch and I figured she'd probably tell me she quit. Is her long-term goal. She did make the first step on that road - is winding down. She doesn't want to work again.

& so the trend is... Quit when kids start school.

Honestly, I think most of them are crazy. LOL. Let's work full time and go absolutely insane with babies and daycare, and then once they are in school, quit working. I am not saying that all my working mom friends aren't stressed beyond belief, even with school-aged children. But the order of things does strike me as odd. Everyone I mentioned is giving up BIG paying jobs - a decade into their solid careers. They will tell me, "Oh - can't you relate?" Building a career for 10 years and just walking away? No, neither dh nor I can relate.

I think SIL thinks that she and dh will get the kids together all the time and such. I think dh will be working and so goes the ying and the yang.

To be fair, financially this may have been a good road for them. They may have saved a TON while we focused on a much more modest and lower-income lifestyle. Maybe they will never have to work again. I don't know. I hope it works well for everyone. But, it's a sea of change. As for us, we'd probably rather do just about anything than both work full-time with small kids/babies. We may live longer because we haven't added all that stress to our lives. I have no doubt every one of these people is due a BIG BREAK. They have taken on far too much in recent years.

I just think it's interesting. Will all our friends and family be slowing down while we ramp it up again? It looks that way. We are always opposite, for whatever reason, so, what else is new?

I'll have to download the credit card transactions and figure expenses, tomorrow.

I mentioned May sucked. I didn't write down one transaction. I couldn't tell you why. I did feel, looking back, that I was flying a bit blind not being able to download the credit card transactions. But, failed to mention that we seemed to be handling it just fine and managing expenses maybe even better than usual (January through April). Solution? Write every miscellaneous purchase down and discuss more ahead of time with dh. Which helps with the "me planning to buy x" and "him planning to buy y," and not really coordinating well at times. For some reason we never wrote anything down in May. I couldn't tell you why. DOH!

For May, I got out a piece of paper, and instead of writing "$200" across the top, like I usually do, I wrote "$0." We have $0 to spend. I don't really plan a no-spend month, and the $0 is an exaggeration. But it does set the tone. We didn't pay attention in May, and now we make up for it. For the record, I don't think dh gets it. LOL. It probably doesn't help with the communication to tell him we have $0 to spend, while spending money. But we did discuss our plans for the month. He wanted to spend $30 for kids' birthday. We may be treating his folks to lunch (long planned before - for their retirement). This is just a month where we discuss everything well ahead of time. & where we will say no more than usual. For one, I don't think we need to eat out at all this month (except as planned while out of town). To clarify - no eating out while at home. I will probably skip my once a week lunch outings, myself. I have 3 short weeks at work, so no biggie. I did not eat out this past week, for one.

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Interestingly, I was able to redeem $100 to my ROTH this month. Just about enough points on the AmEx to redeem $100. Will stop using that card and getting those rewards for 2 months it looks like, in exchange for $500 cash from Chase. So, was good timing for a BIG redemption.

Grand total for year? $350.

Between that, regular contributions of 10% gross income, and my $2k tax refund, we are well on our way to maxing out 2011. Over half way there.

I added $415 to my cash savings and earned $14 in interest this month. Well on our way to reaching cash savings goal, too.

For mortgage, have been adding $50/month, from payroll tax holiday. Only scrounged an additional $15 this month (insurance refund), in addition. That said, brought grand total of extra mortgage payments, to-date this year, to $605. This surpassed my goal of $600 ($50 x 12). So, I checked off the goal in my sidebar, and added my much more aggressive goal to get mortgage balance down to $199,999 this year. I am starting to think it is doable. It's been in the back of my mind, but wasn't confident it was possible, until about now. $500 Sapphire bonus being the swaying factor.

I did also transfer $1200 to short-term savings, per usual. May/June is slow for short-term (i.e. one-time) expenses. I did utilize the funds for $130 soccer sign ups and $150 for summer camp (for 2). Once I download the credit card tomorrow I expect to take a chunk for other things - I have to sort all that out. These were just the obvious things. I will find more. Short-term savings also buys us a little wiggle room for bad months like these.

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Interesting side not - after simplifying our money system and having so few bills (paying most everything possible through the credit card), I was not thrilled to add the Target and AmEx cards this year for rewards. The AmEx can not function alone since so many vendors won't take it. So, I am paying the Visa, Target and AmEx off monthly. Versus the usual one card to pay off.

It really hasn't been too bad in the end. I immediately pay the Target and the Visa balances off the first of every month. It is more bills to pay, but not a lot to keep track of in the end. Quicken makes it simple I guess. I pay the bulk of the credit card purchases (AmEx for now) off at the end of the month. My second paycheck every month covers that and the mortgage. On the first I pay all the rest of the non-chargeable expenses. It maybe adds 30 second a month (if that) to plug in two more payments on my online bill pay. I am relieved it has been so easy to manage, because the rewards are nice.

Tornado warnings here yesterday. Of course, the hail and thunderstorms are just as unusual. Any time of year - much less June!

Our zip code attracts tornadoes. No idea why. So while everyone else was aghast at the region-wide warnings, I could comment that we've had a few tornadoes before. (Baby ones that damage property - but not much more than that). & of course the news reports confirmed that they expected them specifically in our zip code. As usual!

In the end, a tornado touched down up north - just open space. Phew! Though I'd usually think, "eh, baby tornadoes," while of course hoping it didn't cause damage to our house... With all this crazy weather, I was a tad more worried than otherwise. Who knows what these storms can produce.

Last I heard, more storms through the weekend - more snow in the mountains.

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I saw two articles today that made me roll my eyes:

Housing's Latest Double-Dip
New data says it's even worse than the 1930s.

http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/real-estate/housings-latest-...

So, what says you? Is real estate cheaper than it's been for 35 years? Adjusted for inflation?

I rolled my eyes, because from a regional perspective, there is nothing "cheapest in 35 years" about real estate here. I'd classify it as "more expensive than ever" - short/crazy bubble aside.

An excerpt:

"On the Case-Shiller measure, prices are now 33% below the 2006 peak and are back at a level last seen in the third quarter of 2002. This means that prices have now fallen by more than the 31% decline endured during the Great Depression."

Yes - my home lost 50% of it's value after the price doubled overnight. I'd theorize that insane borrowing accounted for insane prices, and that 30% - 50% and more losses in a short time frame sound horrible, but mean pretty much nothing in the big picture. It means prices are right where they started in 2002-ish (as article admits). Around here we could have bought our home for half as much just a few years prior. (Prior to 2002, to clarify).

So, did real estate go up 100% practically overnight, in the 1920s/1930s? If not, this decline comparison is useless.

But, makes me wonder if other regions are different. I constantly find my experiences very unique in the region I live in - in many different ways.

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Second article?

For Mortgage Defaulters, More Loans for the Taking

In yet another sign the credit crunch may be ending, some banks are offering loans to consumers with shaky credit.

http://www.smartmoney.com/borrow/home-loans/for-mortgage-def...

It wasn't the subject/title of the article that was so annoying to me, though. It was this quote:

"A lot of responsible people through no fault of their own found themselves in mortgages that weren't practical for them."

To which I can only roll my eyes. I know too many people who took on mortgages they could never realistically expect to repay. Hardly what I would call *responsible.* Which seems to be the bulk of the defaulters around here. There are the many who borrowed several times their booming income, and several who just borrowed six figures in equity to afford lifestyles they couldn't otherwise.

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Neighborhood Doings

Um, a short sale on our street sold in about a day. I wonder what bank it was. SMART bank. IT said "sale pending" from day 1 or day 2. Then it said "sold" after a few weeks. I wondered if that really meant SOLD! & then the movers came and it was so. That has got to be a record for a short sale.

Other neighbor just put house up for rent. With the glut of rentals, I am always amazed how this house is continually rented out with no vacancy. Still asking $1600/month - same as always (boom or bust). For reference, our PITI is about as much, but our home is much bigger. We live in a really nice neighborhood, so I imagine it's easier to fill vacancies. I told dh if we were on the other side of the freeway, how the heck do you stand out from all the rest??? There just seems to be endless empty homes. Everywhere.

Anyway, these renters were only here about a year. & I was shocked how quickly they found renters. Will see how it goes this time... I tell you - the rental market here defies logic. The only people really BUYING homes here are investors. I'd like to see the statistics of homes here - how many are rentals versus occupied by owners. Maybe it works because so many renters are being evicted as their landlords foreclose. Kind of a musical chairs? I wouldn't personally want to own real estate for rent here when it all settles down. Seems to me the rental market is on shaky ground. You can see it in the commercial real estate - has been hit VERY hard. & yet the landlords in our immediate neighborhood don't seem to have any problems covering their expenses with a constant flow of renters.

Ugh - May was terrible!

Didn't 100% hit me that it was JUNE. Probably should have paid the bills a bit sooner.

About $500 short, for June bills, at current. Since I can't download the AmEx yet, I am not sure where we failed so badly. I think a little bit of everywhere. Kind of funny reading everyone else's May posts. Is it in the air?

Anyway, we usually loosen up a little bit in the summer, but I will be strict with the budget this month. Will have some chance to make it up. Though we have a lot of road trips, etc., we also have a LOT of free meals coming to us in June. So, will see how it pans out. Once the credit card closes I can look a little closer and see if I missed anything. Just a precursor early morning glance and an "UGH!," for now.

Got the new Chase card, and so I will delight in being able to download purchases in real time for a couple of months. It is much easier to manage that way - I have not had the inclination to manually enter everything in real time with the less flexible but very rewarding AmEx. It's not that time consuming - I have just put finances in the background lately. I thought I would do that more after tax season, but maybe not. Maybe the ugly month of May will motivate me?

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All that said, my pie in the sky mortgage goal is starting to look like a possible reality. For background, we never borrowed against our mortgage (many refis), except for the last refi. It was too good to pass up, but didn't really have the cash to part with. Anyway, since we are so close to breaking the $200k barrier, decided to pay off some of those closing costs this year. Didn't intend to finance that part for 30 years, anyway. Though we generally have a no pre-payment rule with the mortgage - before ROTHs are maxed and we build a little more savings.

To break $200k by 12/31/11 was pretty pie in the sky, but have been trying.

Anyway, I was about $2000 short on current trajectory. Trying to add whatever we can every month - any unexpected income, etc. We've earmarked this $500 Chase bonus for the mortgage, which will help a ton. Add that to expected christmas money, and we are currently only about $85 short. Which, I would transfer from savings to complete the goal.

Dh will apply for a $250 Chase bonus in a couple of months - if still available. We've earmarked that money for a school donation.

In addition, AmEx will earn us about $500 in ROTH contributions, this year. Would be a little more, but are focusing on the Chase rewards for the summer.

Yes, will probably be a record credit card reward year for us - and will go a long way to our financial goals. Everyone has their own credit card issues/personalities, but I Cringe every time Dave Ramsey types say "No one got rich off credit card rewards." I won't be rich, but will make virtually impossible financial goals very possible, with very little effort on our part. I can do a lot with a free $1000, personally. Living on one income, those extra amounts sometimes make all the difference. $1000 here and there means bigger ROTH contributions, or mortgage pre-payments.

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I might finish my book tonight.

I was tearing through, and then it got very tedious in the 4th book. Problem is there so much going on, and then you have to sit through MORE characters and story lines being introduced. UGH. I was just thinking, "What is happening with everyone else? Is anything ever going to be reoslved???" I read more during tax season because those books were moving along much better. Harder to put down.

Anyway, the last 300 pages or so have turned back to fast paced and hard to put down. So, I will finish this week some time, and will have to wait for the new book in July.

The HBO series has been very good. We have found some nuances that we didn't quite pick up in the book. This is a series to be re-read for sure. But, I probably will never have the patience to read all those 1000-page books again. My tendency to skim/read quickly is apparently not good for this series, either. I felt better that dh completely missed some of what I did, too.

Anyway, it will be time for me to find some new reading material. I am glad to hear the library ebook selection seems to be rising quickly. That is where I will start.

This series was the first book I could get into in a long time. Unfortunately, only leaves my expectations higher.

For today, a lot of Blockbuster stores are selling DVDs and Blu Rays for 99 cents/each.

I wouldn't be surprised if they had 1000 Blu Rays set out - they had a TON!

Dh snatched up 15. He didn't buy any he wouldn't keep, but plans to sell most of them. I think we could have easily erred on buying a lot more and selling them for profit.

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Seeing two movies this weekend was plenty time consuming, but of course the movie we have been waiting for was available today. Dh just happened to notice after we bought all the Blu Rays, so back in line again.

Anyway, will finally get to see "Waiting for Superman." One of my clients was in this documentary - is about public education. Have heard it was really excellent (albeit, sad).

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It's 66 degrees at current. Yesterday it rained. Today is cold and windy. It snowed at our cabin this weekend (lower elevation). Which means camp is getting MORE snow. 2 more weeks or so before camp opens??? IT is winter wonderland for now. Will be interesting!

Summer camp - 2-3 weeks before opening?:

We hit the Farmers Market. The pickings were slim, but stocked up on cherries, strawberries, and some salad fixings.

For $5, I got the most gorgeous flower bouquet. I put it in this super huge vase my boss got me a few years back. I've never had enough flowers to fill it up. Was like a super size bouquet.

The picture does not do them justice. This is the kind of splurge I keep my allowance money for - and why it doesn't have to be very much. LOVE them!

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I cleaned out the cupboards last night. I figured it has probably been 4 years since I last went through. I got through half the pantry and maybe found one old/expired item. I Was impressed and praising dh.

Then I moved lower - there was some long forgotten food on the lower shelves. Most of the stuff I tossed was for one-time kind of things. Different recipe experiments and such. So, for the most part not bad.

I really did not find anything to toss in the fridge. I knew we had cleaned out the freezer about 18 months ago very thoroughly (before dh's surgery) so I didn't look TOO Closely at all the frozen fruits and veggies. BUT, there were some old frozen waffles in there (from who knows when? Maybe MIL bought them after his surgery).

I found a lot of chocolate chips. No idea why. I think we will be baking some cookies!

I found a couple of random non-food items. (A puzzle thing that the kids are playing with, for one).

All in all, threw away far less than expected. Phew!

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We went to the movies yesterday with our Living Social deal. Basically 50% of full price.

Dh told me that he had intended to go to the movies more with the kids in school. BUT, in the end he went zero times all year. Crappy movie year?

To be fair, we have a movie theater in our house, so he can get most the experience at home, anyway. He still likes to see the big/grand things in the theaters, though.

I like to go to the movies once in a blue moon. For the most part, I don't care for movies as a time suck, but enjoy the experience factor of a movie on the super BIG screen.

We saw Hangover II, which we knew would not be as hilarious as Hangover. (If nothing else, kind of knew what to expect). It was good for laughs.

We have more movie tickets so will see the new Kung Fu Panda movie tomorrow or next weekend. Our tickets expire soon, so needed to use them. There is always some kid movie, so still felt it was a good purchase. The date was nice for yesterday.

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Today?

Clean house. We've kind of been distracted by declutter projects. But, need to do some basic house cleaning for today. IT always goes fast when we all chip in, so expect a mostly leisurely day.

We decided to nail down vacation plans this weekend, since we are kind of all over the place in our plans. I kept thinking we had 8 weeks (summer) to figure out So Cal plans, but then realized my work is pretty busy two of those weeks. So, now we are down to 6 weeks and a full June calendar. July is pretty wide open, but the kids' birthdays add a wrench. So, if we go, will probably be for their birthday. Suddenly, not sure where we will squeeze it in. (All that said, we all have a week off in October, so is Plan B. Was kind of saving that for a bigger road trip).

I suppose we should have planned further ahead. We are weird personalities in that we plan most things well in advance, and here we are trying to wing vacation. We are a weird mix of just "relax/wing it," and "plan far ahead." Anyway, just winging it is not working for this summer. Time to make a plan.

This summer is a little unique in none of our parents are working, and have been waiting for the kids to be free from school to plan some activities. So it's all this stuff with our parents that is really filling up the calendar! Lesson learned - plan our own plans well ahead for next year.

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Weather sucks, which is good. It's conducive to staying in and cleaning house. Which is what we really need to do today.

I don't expect to spend any money, this weekend, outside the $15 or so we spent at Farmers Market yesterday.

Was talking to my friend yesterday about weekend plans. She seemed surprised we really had none.

I said, "We never go anywhere holiday weekends." Are you kidding me? Who wants to deal with all the crowds? Will enjoy the peace and quiet at home.

But, anyway, thank goodness for the quiet weekend.

June is shaping up to be pretty busy. Another big gas month.

Week 1 - 80th birthday celebration out of town

Week 2 - Track meet/visit relatives out of town
(Should be last track meet)

Three BBQs in a row (lots of free food!). HOA party Saturday by the pool, kinder party Monday, last day of school party Tuesday. Kids will be partied out. 2 of those events will have bounce houses, etc. Last day of school they do a lot of water play - just wear their swimsuits.

Week 3 - A mid-week trip to San Francisco, and a hike with my dad for Father's Day. May postpone hike to July.

Week 4 - Camping trip, and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner for public TV station

I share because you can categorize this under "I am too cheap/frugal and boring to every do anything fun or to live life." People still say that to me all the time. More in internet forums than in real life. But, still. Whatever. Most everything I mentioned will cost us $0. & GAS.

Along the same lines, budget is probably way over blown this month. That said, I was e-mailing a friend and sound like she was going through some hard times. Randomly she wanted to meet for lunch Friday. IT was not in my budget at all, and was about to say no. She often meets me at Taco Bell, which is fine. BUT, I Was more concerned about the gas. I was planning it down to about the mile so we didn't need to fill up again until June 1.

Anyway, I had a change of heart and just met her. Whatever. There is more to the story. I am the one to always be available and drop everything to meet her. So there was an element of that - not that I can say the same for some of my friends (in return). But, decided I would be a good friend.

I have some McDs gift certificates, so we might also get the kids together this weekend. So, though we mostly plan to stay in, we have some prepaid movie tickets (2 movie showings) and this McDs date to keep us occupied. Without spending more money. Decided to fill up dh's car since it has a smaller tank. If we end up needing to - will err on draining that car of gas, first.

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Weather is divine. Just mild 70 degree weather - the kind we are used to back home. About 10 degrees cooler than usual.

I don't foresee going swimming this weekend. Usually we really kick off pool season by now. Told the kids we need to take advantage and play tennis. While we can do it mid day without getting heat stroke.

I don't remember many (any?) years we didn't flip on the A/C in May. But, looks like this year will be an easy no-AC May. Often we get a heat wave with three-figure temps. Instead, it's barely broke 70 degrees all month. Aaaaaaahhhhhh... Summer is delayed, but know we will be sweating soon enough! So, we will enjoy the mild weather!

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Speaking of weather, will head to the Farmers Market today. It's been open a few weeks, but we have been out of town every Saturday. Anyway, I just heard the pickings were pretty slim due to the bad weather (hail just a couple of weeks ago, for one).

Will see what we find. Bah to the weather. But yeah, I know, I have several relatives in the Missouri area, etc. I appreciate that we aren't in the midst of tornados and flooding - seems pretty precarious in many places. I do hope everyone is hanging in there.

Chase took their sweet time, but I got approved.

Fraud department called Sunday to verify my identity. Was starting to wonder if they would even bother, since I applied for card through existing account online. Same address, same name, same phone #, same internet login.

I've applied for several cards/refis, etc., since ID theft. I have not found any one to ignore fraud alerts. If you ask me, was a waste of time and effort on Chase's part - in this instance. Wonder if accounts of "lenders ignoring fraud alerts" are way over-blown.

That said, I haven't applied at the likes of jewelry stores, home improvement stores, and the type credit cardsthat the ID thieves applied for and maxed out in mere minutes. Maybe these are the lenders not doing their due diligence.

Anyway, I logged on today and saw the card had been approved. Should arrive any day. I am on my way to $500 free dollars.

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Finally got a quote for magician for birthday party. $150. Probably about the most I'd consider paying. Of course, occured to me there may be room for haggle. Then again, July was already filling up. I haven't set a date yet - waiting for a call back. I just wasn't thinking WHEN I talked to him. Over the phone. Sometimes you get more haggle cues when you see the body language of a person, etc. I am NO expert, but can kind of pick up on that stuff. In person, anyway. Apparently not over the phone.

He did say July was already filling up, and we think he is AWESOME, and so I'll probably just leave be. If he was newer and more hungry would be another thing. He seems to be popular and not in need of more advertising. A lot of the time we have found people will give us a discount if we "tell all our friends" about them, etc. I don't get the feeling this guy needs that kind of word of mouth.

Anyway, the interesting thing is since he is also a school teacher, he was telling me he does way more shows in the summer. So we have more time to work with. Lucky kids!

How excited are the kids that this guy is going to do a private show for them??? Priceless! We saw him at a public event a while back. Just completely hilarious, and right up our alley.

I did wonder what I got myself into when he said "indoors was better," for the birds and rabbits and all that. Oy vey.

I panicked a bit at first. Big party for 2 kids - IN our house? & then what to do for other entertainment. Decided most older kids will be dropped off (I HOPE) and that food, presents, and a 1-hour show is probably ample. Stragglers can play video games or board games. Will probably just make cupcakes and order some cheap pizza. Magician aside, will be pretty simple. & even then - we just pay him and he shows up. My kind of party!

Interesting observation? Not ONE mass invite kinder party this past year. ??? I think almost everyone in BM's class 2 years ago did. & of course, all the parties are over the top. From since the kids were born - over the top. We never did much of anything until last year when we had the party outside of the house - completely taken care of - was a nice change of pace. I told the kids to plan for more modest parties if they plan to split up. It's up to them, but they seem keen on pooling resources for bigger/fancier parties. When I told them I could get the magician - it was decided. One party. EASY for us. (Their birthdays are a few days apart - and they have several joint friends).

So anyway, what's with the birthday party drought?? I can't help but wonder if people skip the parties altogether, rather than do something more simple? Or are just sticking to family and close friends? Oh well - no complaints here. LM only wanted to invite one or 2 kids from his class, anyway. Works out.

BM had no class parties either. His closer friends have July birthdays, so it may be a busy month. If no parties then, will really wonder.

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ETA: Magician does not budge on price. He gave me an opening to ask, but when I played along, he told me he could recommend cheaper magicians. LOL. Well, at least I tried. You just never know with these things.

HELP!!

Finally got a hold of awesome magician. He has time available between the kids' birthdays. $150. Probably the top of my price limit, but he will be WELL worth it. Before contacting him, had no idea if it would even be reasonable.

After talking to him, think this has to be an indoor party. Magic show is 1 hour.

So, what to do for the rest of the party? For CHEAP?

Kids are turning 6 and 8.

We've always done at home parties. When younger? No entertainment needed. Well, last couple of years were out of the house.

He told me inside was better for the birds and rabits. {What have I got myself into?}

Unfortunately, going outside is out of the question. No matter which day we choose, it is ALWAYS 110 degrees, and we have no shade during the day. Later in the day may be bearable. IF we can do a late afternoon type party and send them outside at 5:00 or something - the stragglers - after all the magic, eating and presents. Of course, if it is just stragglers, there are video games inside. So, maybe that works. Hmmmmm...

Talked to my dad and nailed down some dates for things we have been talking about. He invited us camping, to Mt. Shasta, and Yosemite. Busy retired man! We passed on everything but camping. My dad's aunt moved here many decades ago, from Kansas, and has a very large family here. Since she passed on a few years back, her family does an annual camping trip in her honor. Since the camping is pretty local, and always in July I said, "Thanks, but no thanks!" I went camping once in the area in college and it was 110 degrees. Not something I wanted to re-live.

That said, we haven't used our tent for real camping since we bought it. So this year I said, sure. If it's 110 degrees, we pack up and drive home... At least we have that luxury.

We've also talked about camping near the family cabin. Hear there are really nice camp sites in the wilderness over there. Since we don't have much cooking equipment, is kind of our limitation for now. We can eat at the cabin and sleep under the stars. Kind of our kind of camping. We aren't used to the "100% fend for yourself outside" camping.

Yosemite? Maybe we should wing it and tag along. Will see what kind of campsite/arrangement they end up with. We'd probably go our separate ways during the day, so that is why I resist. But, any free/cheap camp arrangements may make it worthwhile...

Family camp is coming up in a few weeks, though it is going to feel like winter camping with all the snow - it's crazy.

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We picked a mid-week day to hit the CA Academy of Sciences. I hear the place is just insane crazy on the weekends, so have been waiting for the kids to get out of school.

Decided to do a big hike with Grandpa on Father's Day weekend.

The kids got 2 free tickets to Six Flags - we still have to pick a day for that. We'd usually go May or September, but not so easy with school. Will try to go mid-week in the summer. I used to work at an amusement park - Wednesday is best if you don't want to wait in lines/crowds. I suppose the catch is these tickets have to be used in the summer anyway.

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Dh and I got some movie deals on living social, and they expire soon. Haven't worked out free babysitting for that. SO, decided to use them up this weekend. Will see Hangover 2 (pay daycare) and will take the kids to see the new Kung Fu Panda.

Today I bought tickets on Groupon, for Comedy Sportz. Expires around my birthday in December. We went once maybe a decade ago and it was hilarious. So, I thought that was a good deal. $9 instead of $20.

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Kids get out of school in a few weeks. Holy Cow! We have to figure out what to do for birthdays and get invites out.

I am a little overwhelmed thinking about that and vacation plans. Was thinking Grand Canyon type road trip, but not sure we can leave our cat. Last time we left her just for the weekend (Colorado) she developed a bladder infection from stress. *sigh* Not sure of ANY alternative. Will see how she does with camp - will be gone 3 nights. If she doesn't do well - no long family trips for a while. She was fine when we went to Hawaii because kids were home with Grandma. Meaning, it's not like we can never do anything fun. But doubt we can talk Grandmas into pet sitting, and so any lengthy family trips are out of the question for a while. Just crossing my fingers she can handle 3 nights alone. We wanted to do a long weekend in So Cal, too. It's up to kitty.

All that said, can maybe maybe sweet talk my parents into visiting kitty for one day, to help.

Growing up, we always had outdoor cats, so few made it to the old and feeble stage. My indoor kitty is a very different responsibility, as she ages.

Plus, kitty was abandoned when she was 2. We then adopted her. She has serious separation issues. Though in the past we could leave her a week and she'd be fine. She gets overly stressed though, I am sure. These days her body doesn't handle the stress so well. Wish I could communicate with her: "We will be back - we always do come home!" IF we left her anywhere else, she'd flip. It's bad enough to put her in the car for a move or a trip to the vet.

Since BM had several track meets in a row, we were kind of tracked out. That said, this last meet we figured we could get out very early and since it was right by SF, make a day of it. Dh wasn't into the idea, so I was either brave or crazy, and decided just to take the kids myself.

Thankfully, the trip was a success.

We decided to head to Fisherman's Wharf for the day. Though the area is obviously a tourist trap, I don't equate it as such. There is a lot to see and do for very little.

That said, I am used to transportation for one. Versus three or four. So the "many people" factor made things far more expensive, just as I find it does for vacations, etc. IT's just the one one-income limitation I noticed. I am used to traveling anywhere and not sweating this stuff. When I Was a broke college student I could afford endless travel and trips like this. But, I was just paying for me - not for four people.

So, the damage:

$32 public transport for 3
$18 lunch at Subway
$30 Dinner at Ghiradelli
$5 bridge toll
$2 Musee Mechanique (quarters) + kids brought own quarters
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$87 - Ouch.

Could have easily been a $25 day for just Moi! OF course, packing more food could transform the day into a very frugal adventure, in comparison. I always find that food is the BIGGIE since we are so used to eating very well for very little, at home.

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It's ironic, but we have been crossing off some long overdue "To Dos" with all these track meets. I had been meaning to take the kids to SF, forever. We always talk about driving up early some Sunday morning (I know a free parking spot - if you get there early enough). But - just have never made it.

As for today? Absolutely nothing planned. Is next weekend a 3-day weekend, too? Nothing planned.

Aaaaaahhhhhhhh... The pool will open, and I look forward to some R&R at home.

I got jury duty. Sort of.

I didn't remember the last time I was called for jury duty. Apparently, it's been 7 years - I figured out.

Anyway, I read it over and the same rules apply. Sacramento county is actually pretty easy to get out of jury duty. I am the sole source of household income and my employer doesn't pay for jury duty. (He despises it - but to be fair - it does really disrupt his SMALL business). For other employees, I have heard him get really upset. They live in other counties and can't get out quite that easy.

So, I got a letter from my boss confirming he won't pay me, and sent off my excuse already.

Dh has been excused a couple of times as sole provider of unpaid childcare to his children.

I certainly wouldn't mind jury duty if I could afford the loss of income, and if it wouldn't freak out my boss. I think we are getting to the point where dh could handle it. (Daycare is no longer an insane expensive consideration. Likewise, how to find quality care just for jury duty??? These days we have more options and kids are at school all day any how).

That said, as I read the "acceptable excuses" I asked dh if he was working 5 hours a week if that would count. We were just talking about him looking for work, yesterday. So, maybe resetting the jury duty clock isn't a bad thing while dh eases into employment. I don't want to have to not check the box because dh makes a few hundred dollars a month. IT's not like we can live on that, much better than $0.

They never really call me much. I am trying to recall if this is #3 or #4. I think I might have been called once to jury duty, but then they never actually pulled my number to show up at court. When I Was 19 or 20 I got called in, but the guy/accused confessed, and so they sent us home. Last time was same excuse as this time.

I actually find the rules kind of interesting. It always bugged me a bit that unemployment was so individual and unrelated to household income. Dh took unemployment last he was unemployed and looking for work. Why wouldn't he? But I can't say I would complain if he was ineligible due to the fact that we could easily live without his income. & thus becomes the issue with many welfare programs. Casting a wide enough net without casting too wide.

Jury duty struck me as kind of opposite. Sole income earner gets an easy out. But, what if I contributed 95% of the income? I suppose I could plead my case at court. But no automatic out, there. IT struck me as opposite because most people I know would be financiall devastated if they lost work for a few days (even with a working spouse).

I turned up the hot water last night - back to winter levels. It was getting chilly. Will turn it back down in a couple of days, ideally.

I'd probably survive, but knew the air would be cold this morning. (So, probably needed hotter water in the shower).

The house was about 67 degrees this morning. IT's comfortable (I don't even have slippers or socks on at the moment). BUT, I was worried another cool night and we'd have to flip on the heat.

No need to fear. Weather calls for 80 degrees tomorrow. Well, okay then.

It's been raining cats and dogs. So unusual for this time of year - this colder rain. I just feel like huddling under a blanket with some hot chocolate.

80 degrees tomorrow? Are you kidding me? Wishy washy weather!

Thankfully it looks like we won't have to turn the heat on in May. Usually we have the air running by now... Don't get me wrong - I am enjoying that we haven't had a 100-degree day yet. But I think my body is just really confused - feels like winter.

Thanks to MyMoneyBlog - I just found an easy way to make $500.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/chase-sapphire-preferred-card-new...

I haven't seen an offer this enticing... Ever???

Dh signed up for an AmEx last year and got a free kindle and a $100+ Amazon gift certificate.

I'd probably put this $500 cash to the mortgage. I was about $1,000 short of my goal, and this is an easy way to make up the difference. All I have to do is sign up for a credit card, and charge everything for 3 months. Our health insurance alone will get us 70% of the way there. (Spend $3k in 3 months).

There is a high annual fee. Will close the card the second the reward check clears. That's how we do it!

This may turn out to be a lucrative credit card reward year. I expected $600 in ROTH deposits with our Fidelity card. This may lower the Fidelity amount to $500-ish (if we don't use it for 3 months). Add $500 cash, and we will hit $1,000 in cash rewards this year. I'll apply since I think dh already has several Chase cards and I haven't applied for a cc just for a one-time promotion in at least 1 year - maybe 2 years. I haven't seen anything very enticing in a while.

Woohoo!

I think it gets better in the higher grades. I got an e-mail recently from a 2nd grade room parent: "Do your own gifts!" IT was the teacher's birthday or something.

Don't get me wrong - both the kids have AMAZING teachers and I am sure they deserve to be spoiled a bit. I have mostly played along when it comes to the extravagant group gifts throughout the year. But, the Kinder e-mail was asking for a ton of stuff for some big year-end party (complete with entertainment and bouncy houses) and then asking $20 for a teacher gift. The thing was this person really wants to get her an airline ticket. I don't know why. We contributed for Christmas but only 1/3 or 1/2 of the families contributed. So, if I Really thought she'd get an airline ticket, and she really wanted one - then sure, whatever. But I don't see it happening. I wrote her back and declined (so she could plan ahead - I doubt anyone else will let her know ahead of time they don't plan to contribute).

I am gifted out. I think it's a bit much.

Lest I feel like I scrooge, dh told me he planned to get her a really nice Scholastic voucher anyway. Will be free for us, while very valuable and useful to her. Now I can honestly tell room parent that "We already got her a gift."

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I got a $13 insurance refund. I have $2 in my checking account. I probably need to buy another set of aerobics classes ($30) and may need some cash for San Francisco this weekend. With all the mortgage chips I have just been paying the mortgage after the first of the month. Though I use my 16th paycheck to pay it, it kind of works out to pay it after the 1st of the following month. Then I don't have to rush to deposit my paycheck on the first - a few utilities, and piano lessons are due right away.

So, anyway, I could probably really use that $13 for other things, but I will just add it as a mortgage chip. The insurance was already paid and I wasn't expecting a refund. It will work out.

That said, I may back down on the mortgage chips through summer. Seems to be more travel and stuff like this. More cash expenditures, etc. Summer will be over in a blink, and then back to aggressive mortgage chipping.

Let's try this again. (No website problems, but I just had no idea what I Was talking about. )

There was a summer park program through our city that was dirt cheap. I don't remember what it was - maybe something like $15/week for a 20-hour per week program. Every week day, 4 hours, lunch included.

Last year the program was dropped. A neighbor was trying to get support to keep it. I had e-mailed a friend who is a local journalist, but she was knee deep in bigger budget whoas at the time. That said, neighbor was vocal and program was re-instated. BUT, at a park that we have to drive to versus one we could easily walk to. We decided to skip it.

This year started about the same, so neighbor e-mails a councilmember. Within a couple of days the program is back up and running - we can already register and everything. Talk about results. I saw the price was $75. I thought that was what they raised the price to - weekly. Which, BTW, is dirt cheap for the area.

But I had a feeling maybe they didn't raise the fees at all. Looks LOWER. I logged in to be sure, and it was $75 for EIGHT WEEKS. That work out to 47 cents an hour daycare.

Maybe you get what you pay for, but our neighbors have been raving about this program for years. (We have been reluctant to leave the kids outside in the intense summer heat. Indoors would probably be better. Really my only concern, but I guess they keep cool with water play, etc.).

Anyway, I signed both kids up. BM will likely go often, and LM doesn't seem that interested. But, for $75, we can support the program, and he is all signed up if he changes his mind. Would also be good drop-in daycare for mornings, for him.

I doubt dh would want to drive over there every single day, but maybe BM can go 3 times a week or something.

If dh were working, we'd have half the daycare covered, for PENNIES. Which is maybe why I feel a little more gung ho to support it this year. We may really NEED a program like this, for next year.

I highly doubt lunch is covered, but if it is, it will pay for itself. The way my kids eat?

Anyway, my neighbor said many in our neighborhood would gladly pay double to keep the program. In the end, looks like they lowered the price a bit. Look what happens when you ask questions!! Now we can just hope that enough people sign up.

I had noticed the program many moons ago because I thought it was a typo - the price.

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With the economy and all, I am trying to be cognizant of costs that I am currently paid in benefits. My boss pays for my continuing education, but seems to get more stingy over the years. I was surprised when another employee mentioned he paid for his own. ???

I actually REALLY enjoy driving and love signing up for classes in the Bay Area. So I can couple those all day seminars with visits with friends and families, etc.

That said, I can save my boss almost $1000 if I just sign up for webcast seminars this year. One of the last ones I went to in San Francisco was broadcast live. Why ask my boss to pay so much, and use all that gas money, when I can get the same thing at work or at home?

So, I asked him and he agreed. I am probably the office guniea pig. I expect to stay home on those days and take over dh's computer (since it seems the best suited for these things). The netbook may be fine, and I can go sit by the pool (LOL) but it's small and the speaker does suck on that one. Will see.

I will probably save more than enough in gas, eating out, bridge tolls, etc., to make up for the $150 I just charged for the kids' summer program. ($75 x 2).

Wala - it's all paid for.

No more quiet drives all alone, but I think I will survive. I can always do those on the weekends instead, once in a blue moon. Just ditch the family and go for a drive. Probably nicer than traveling that around a boring old seminar, anyway.

I remember years past packing lunches and pumping milk in my car during breaks. Do you know how nice this option would have been with nursing babies?? Too late for me - hope the new moms enjoy!

Anyway, I am relieved to have a viable/high quality/easy/low cost continuing education program. In case my boss decides to cut me off or my next employer doesn't pay all my CPA expenses.

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To cap off my frugal finds, I found a mystery Togo's 2 miles down the street from my work (no one seems to know it was there???)

I noticed that my favorite sandwich was on special on Mondays. So, I went over there today. $5 for sanwich, drink and chips. Sandwich alone is almost $6. I could skip the extras and come out ahead. But figured a soda would be a nice treat for me, and chips for the kids later. One sandwich equals two meals for me.

I usually eat out once a week. Usually to meet up with friends or get a nice lunch date with dh. Monday is kind of ackward since we probably tend to do most our eating out on the weekends. I am usually more in the mood mid-week to break up the schedule a bit and do something different. BUT, today was feeling kind of lazy and thinking, "Meatball sandwich for $5!" Funny - Tuesday is chicken salad on special. My second favorite menu item. Will see how long this lasts.

Boy, the weather has been crazy here.

Turned off the heat ages ago. May can often be pretty darn hot, but it's been COLD this week. That said, so far there has been no need for heat. Will see.

Yesterday I got an update from camp that there was a snow storm. They have been clearing out the absurd ten feet or so of snow that remains. So, the snow wasn't very helpful.

Camp is probably about 80 miles away? I didn't think much about it and was thinking about walking to the store to pick up a couple of things. In the end I asked dh to drive to the store for me. HE went out into the garage and then came back in for a jacket. He said, "It's raining sheets." We had no idea! The snow storm was a bit of a clue.

The gutters seem to be working beautifully. So much so we didn't even hear the drip drip dripping that usually comes with the rain. I did walk around the house and checked them out while it was pouring down rain. Had thought we'd have to wait until next winter!

BM's recital went very well. On the way there we witnesses an amazing thunder/lightnings show. The thunder was SO LOUD though it was never quite on top of us (thank goodness! Was quite a storm). It is rare we get such a treat.

On the way to dinner afterwards it hailed. I was just telling dh the other day that we probably don't get much wear and tear on our cars with mostly paved roads and no snow to deal with, etc. As hail pummeled the car, I thought, "There's another one we don't deal with much." But, it was teeny tiny hail and the kids enjoyed it. Nothing dangerous.

So, that was a lot of excitement.

Then the clouds parted and the skies cleared so our parents could drive home in nice weather.

We nixed the beach hike yesterday. Though we were aiming more north than we usually explore, we decided this was going to have to be a Bay Area trip. The drive is just too long to make a day of it without a stop. Which is why we usually aim south. We can usually stop for a rest on the way down and for dinner and/or a free night's rest on the way back. I changed my mind a few times, but the bad weather sealed the deal (Wasn't going to drive 4-6 hours just to get rained on!). Today is also a busy/scheduled day, so I Was exhausted just thinking about it.

We quickly changed courses and found a hike one hour from our home. Much better! I am bummed that we probably won't make it to the beach this spring (all the wildflowers), but will see. Spring is not over yet!

Our trip started out rocky. We ended up on a gravel road (VERY bumpy!) and that is when dh thought I Was crazy. Plus, we seemed so in the middle of nowhere. How could there be a beautiful waterfall in this middle of nowhere?

LM flipped out and demanded to go home shortly after we started the hike. Oy vey. To be fair, it was then we noticed his shoes were pretty worn. Will buy him new shoes today. I carried him maybe 1/4 mile and that seemed to appease him. It is possible that he is bipolar. It runs in the family a bit. He was like insane happy most of the rest of the day. I am not sure how this bodes for future hikes. We probably walked 6 miles, but it was a pretty easy stroll. Then again, he didn't seem to have any trouble with it. It was only the beginning where he freaked out. Will have to do more hikes and get him more acclimated to it.

Anyway, we had a picnic lunch by the waterfall, explored a bit, and made our way home. The scenery was just so serene and beautiful. We saw very few people all day. Is apparently a popular swimming hole in the summer. We will have to go back in summer and fall (the scenery looks gorgeous in the fall). We enjoyed the lush greenery which won't last very long. At some point dh said, "It feels like we are stepping into a painting." It was just so gorgeous.





While driving home, we noticed an odd looking "mountain range" in the distance. We couldn't quite figure out what the heck it was. It was just this mountainous looking peak in the middle of nowhere. After a little digging I found out what it was: Sutter Buttes - The Smallest Mountain Range in the World. Um yeah - that is what we saw! Was on our list of eventual hikes. Now I am enticed to check that out for our next local hike. To see this miniature mountain range in the middle of the expansive valley, is a sight to behold.

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In other news, BM has his first piano recital this weekend.

His progress is pretty quick. Though I took lessons for almost 2 decades (& would like to resume again in the future), I am thinking that 2 years of playing will probably give him a pretty solid musical foundation. Which is really my goal. I've tried to teach too many adults - it's pretty much impossible. I wanted to give my kids a basic music knowledge so they could learn any instrument they choose. I didn't want them to reach adulthood with regrets. & we have a piano that needs some playing.

BM has been doing amazing with the piano teacher. So much more focused than when I tried to teach him. She is very affordable, so I am pleased.

Tons of extended family are coming up for his first recital today. He is excited.

I have to laugh because if he was my only child, I Would be painted as the crazy soccer mom - I am sure of its. Activities, activities, activities. It's all him. HE is the marvel at track because he is SO into it. None of the other little kids are so committed and gung ho. I Was never quite able to get across to most people why I felt the need to send him to daycare when he was one (though dh did not work). His social calendar was absolutely EXHAUSTING to us. He *needed* it though, though the rest of us could do without. I am feeling that exhaustion set in again. IT would not be my choice to do track, piano lessons, etc., almost every day of the week. But he absolutely THRIVES with it. I just have to remember that he is 8 and soon enough he will be independent enough to handle a lot of this on his own. It may be several years, of course. But this *crazy schedule* is not forever. Dh and I are not cut out for this!! Thankfully, LM has no interest in any of this stuff. IT helps balance it out a bit. IF I had 2 kids like BM? Or more? Oy vey! Since LM is only 6, I am not particularly worried about him. I don't think he needs to be knee deep in extra-curricular activities. I don't think BM does, either, based on his age. But based on his personality, it is what it is.

So much to blog about, so little time.

I've got many thoughts swirling in my head due to events in recent weeks, but it's been BUSY. Not busy busy, but just life busy. *Away from the computer* busy, I guess.

Anyway, my Mother's day wish was a beach hike. Though my #1 choice would be Carmel, it is a 3-hour-drive:



We've lived in Sacramento for almost TEN YEARS at this point. It's time to realize we are northerners and that we have never really explored the north part of the state. I think any travel/adventure is usually dictated primarily by friends and family. Why not go to Carmel and get a visit with our parents? Why not go and catch up with an old friend?

But, we spent last weekend in San Jose (track meet - spent the rest of the day with my parents). Plus, our parents are coming up Sunday, so didn't want to do another big south drive.

I decided to look north - and narrowed it down to Point Reyes or Marin Headlands. Each is about a 2-hour drive. I don't think I have been to either. The truth is the landscape is probably about the same anyway. Beach, vistas, wildlife, wildflowers. Whale watching season too. (Will watch the whales from land this time!).



Point Reyes has an "earthquake trail" along the fault line, but Marin has an animal rehabilitation center that we can visit. So, depends what is more enticing to the rest of the family. Point Reyes would be a better step to exploring up north more.

We still haven't been hiking near as much as I'd like, but LM is warming up to it. Hopefully this will kick start more frequent hiking adventures with our family. (BM would have been happy to be an avid hiker when he was 3, so we have been patiently waiting for LM to be a little more strong and adventurous). He did well on a strenuous hike recently, so here's hoping...

The endless driving continues in the weeks to come. Next week BM has a track meet near San Francisco. I decided that we would probably just go and would have a good chunk of the day to explore San Francisco. (I'll probably take the kids to Fisherman's Wharf - will take the public transport into the city). Hoping I can meet up with some friends while we are there. My favorite part of the city is not as accessible, and the kids really want to take the subway. So, the wharf it probably is!

We have an 80th birthday party to go to the weekend after in another city up north. We had been invited to a relative's hotel (she's got 4 kids) to go swimming, etc. Since dinner is in the evening, probably makes sense to join them and make a day of it. Though at this point, driving doesn't phase us much! We were also considering a morning hike, if we could clean up at their hotel.

So, busy busy busy, indeed.

Gas may not be the cheapest, but we will drive the gas sipper, pack a LOT of food, avoid bridge tolls, and get gas close to home (grocery discounts here). We paid $4.30 for gas last weekend though we have been paying $3.90 at home. The price difference usually isn't like that (heck, we usually have more expensive gas?). We decided to fill up here and avoid those type surprises. If we see cheaper gas we can always top off the tank. I won't hold my breath. I think our gas prices are comparable, but not when factoring our grocery gas discounts (which we've only had a couple of years). Thus, the shock!

The kids only have a few more weeks of school. I can NOT believe it! Boy, the school year just flew! Come August they will both be on the same schedule. We will enjoy it while it lasts (looks like maybe only one year?).

I've said often that we have no plans to *permanently* increase our lifestyle. To that end we avoid payments and contracts (increased expenses that are hard to get out of). We prefer to focus on one-time splurges. For example, if I had a windfall, I may be open to a vacation or a toy, but not a more expensive car which would just be more expensive to maintain (more annual taxes and insurance). Buying up in home is absolutely out of the question!

But, apparently lifestyle creep shows itself in many ways. Recently, it was the cat litter box. I broke it a couple of weeks ago. A cat litter box should be cheap enough to replace, but we had a top-of-the-line model, and after much research decided to get a BIGGER top-of-the-line model. Final cost when all was said and done? $42. For a cat box!

Okay. So the story is that my dh is spoiled rotten and when I became pregnant and concerned with toxoplasmosis, his mommy couldn't bear the thought of him having to deal with the cat litter. So she bought us this litter box:



You just roll it over and the box is clean. Wala!

After checking some local stores and comparing online prices, I chose to pay more with amazon than some store I never heard of and had little in online reviews. I can't say I have ever made that decision before, but Amazon really won my loyalty, and I didn't have time to wait for a sale.

I decided to try the extra large model since my cat has been filling the litter box daily. It's been insane. Her health seems to be fine, but she is getting old. I clean the cat litter box 3-4 times more often than usual any more.

Funny thing is while I Waited for it to arrive I got out a cheap little box and I found it quite easy to maintain. I started to have second thoughts about bothering with the $42 cat box. Maybe I should just send it back?

But then, the cat began to drive me nuts. Since she has pretty much always had this COVER over the box, she seems to have no sense of boundary in an open box. There was a ring of pee all around the litter box. So as I clean clean clean all week, I was relieved when the box finally arrived.

The last box lasted 8 years. It was free. I can only hope this one lasts a little longer.

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P.S. Did you hear? Vanguard lowered the minimum initial investment for their Target Date retirement funds. $1,000. Before, only STAR fund had a minimum $1k investment.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/vanguard-lower-minimum-investment...

Bad timing for me. I put my kids' college money in the more conservative STAR fund since I did not have $3k per child. I believe it was last summer I had enough to transfer it into a Target Retirement fund (minimum $3k investment). OF course, maybe it works out because the market was rough before that time. But I only have a short time-frame before the money gets more conservative - college investing is nothing like retirement investing for 40+ years. I've only got 10 years left to save, and will probably get pretty conservative in 5 years time.

We finally made it over to the culinary school for lunch today.

For reference, we live within a mile of two culinary schools. One did a fundraiser for the kids' school recently. It was a dinner - the school didn't pay a cent - so 100% funds raised went to the school. Seemed pretty win-win for everyone - the students were so excited to cook for a big crowd.

Well, that dinner was the BEST meal I EVER ate. But it took about 3 hours (so we paid a fortune for babysitting that night!)

Since then, heard about this other culinary school that is open for lunch 2 days a week.

Dh and I met there around 1:00. Almost cancelled our date because today ended up kind of crazy and no one over there was picking up the phone for reservations. I got back to work around 12:00 (out at clients) and dh told me he never got reservations. I called and got them on the first try. They told me we'd have to come after 1:00 - which was fine.

They obviously had a pretty hectic lunch today - I could tell from the sound of the lady who took my reservation.

We probably ended up getting there and getting seated closer to 1:10. There were a few people there, but in the end we got the dining room completely to ourselves for most our meal.

The food was okay. Nothing GREAT, we were in and out in about 45 minutes (3 courses). Plus amuse bouche and some post dinner type amuse bouche. Don't know what the proper term for that would be.

The cost? $10. + tax - so probably $11 in the end. Per person. Tips are voluntary and go to scholarship fund. We didn't tip because we had no cash and didn't realize (until after they swiped our card for the amount of dinner - half way across the building). For next time we know to be better prepared - will totally tip. Tell them ahead of time, or bring cash. Service was great anyway - and was for a good cause.

Dessert was the best course, but the risotto was pretty good to. I ordered halibut and also had an arugula salad with fried goat cheese. Dh had shrimp and ravioli.

I suppose 1:00 is the time to go. Works for us, and seems 12-1 was pretty crowded. They close the doors at 1:30.

I told dh that it wasn't PERFECT, but not bad for the time constraints.

We will definitely be back!

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It's amazing the deals we find when we keep our eyes and ears open!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is divine because we have absolutely no plans. (It's been a while!)

Though I think a do-nothing day is rather divine, we mostly celebrated yesterday (took my parents out to dinner), and plan to go on a beach hike next Saturday. Next weekend just worked better for the hike.

Going out to dinner was certainly nicer the night before the big day!

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Dh and I had an interesting discussion yesterday which I think clarifies our experience.

I don't remember how the topic came up, but I mentioned that several of the kids' friends had 7:00 bed times. (For reference, we are lucky if our kids sleep 9pm - 6am! & it's better now that they have school - they slept even less at night when they were little).

Anyway, I was telling dh that was probably why one of BM's friends had quit track (they practice until 8:00, and the mom had told me many times it was a bit late for them). I rattled off names of kids who sleep at 7:00 - because was skeptical that kids really go to bed that early.

Then he says - "Wait - all those parents work. Yikes! They really don't get to spend a lot of time with their kids during the week. Dinner and then bedtime?"

Seems like a simple observation, and probably something I have thought of before in past instances. But, it is an interesting point. I get such weird reactions often, to being a working mom. I try to be positive and think that people are pushing back to their own negative working experiences. Otherwise, it is really easy to take offense to the endless stupid comments.

But dh is right. It's more than just negative working experiences. Here I am thinking that people are just insane and condescending, but maybe their kids go to bed at 7pm too, and they just can't wrap their brain around working and spending quality time with their kids.

I think it's important to remember that in the future.

It relates to my whole experience as a working mom. I have no idea what everyone else is freaking out about, most of the time.

On the flip side, I think this story illustrates the point that you often have to be flexible and creative as a parent. Because if your kids go to bed at 7pm or 9pm, each sounds like a VERY different experience. If you think I Could simply will my kids to stay up late or go to bed early - HA! If they were "7pm bedtime" types, I'd probably push for an earlier work schedule, myself. It's always been a fine balance of molding them to our schedule while being cognizant of what kind of schedule they thrive on. I don't think either of us likes the fact that they are usually wide awake before 6am, but they sleep well and are well adjusted. & I need that 9pm-10pm hour to unwind, myself. (Though often I go to bed before the kids do!) Which is how we settled on 9pm. Any earlier and they wake up to dang early! So, is what works for us, for now.

When BM was a baby, he just slept most the time that I was at work. I never *got* what all the other moms found so unfortunate about my schedule. I never felt like I missed anything. No doubt he slept while I Was at work because he preferred nursing to the bottle. So it just kind of evolved. The whole experience to me was always, "So what's the big deal???"

I'll be dedicating blog posts today, I guess.

Apparently hell has frozen over, because a Kinder field trip was going to be cancelled if they didn't get more chaperones.

Um, since when???

Is this a sign of the times? People too broke to pay for a zoo ticket? (Parents have to pay). Or is it an opposite kind of sign? People are actually employed? Can't get time off work?

I've personally never had any desire to chaperone these things (nothing about being responsible for a bunch of 5-year-olds, appeals to me). BUT, if I wanted to, the opportunities have always seemed pretty scarce. At the kinder level. Some of the moms hog up the chaperone opportunities pretty well.

I was looking forward to a nice leisurely Friday (no kids) and a 3-day weekend, etc. Now I am taking a day off in the middle of the week, instead, to go to the zoo.

Dh is going too, if no one else steps up.

Part of the nice thing of a day off was saving gas. Then I remembered I had a blood donation appointment that evening - across town, of course. Tried to reschedule it, but couldn't. Settled for earlier in the day instead. At least can avoid the traffic.

Kinder chaperone
Giving blood

Not what I had in mind for vacation.

Oh well - all for the greater good.

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I am not sure about camp this year:



Word is they don't have any historical record of this much snow so late in the season - not even last year.

Anyway, that's two years in a row of working dang hard to get camp ready, since last year was pretty intense with the snow too. Opens in 6 weeks? I expect there will be some snow when we get there.

Maybe we should take the kids up to the snow this month. The roads should be cleared, etc., and no snow plowing to do at the cabin, but looks like lots of snow to play in!!

Got an e-mail from a mortgage broker friend.

I rolled my eyes at the Title: "Renters Beware"

It was basically warning, warning, "rental costs are about to explode!"

So, buy a house. Of course!

At face value, I don't have much issue with the article. It points our many reasons why we chose buying over renting ourselves.

But, the whole section on rent about to explode? Seriously? Where, how and why?

For reference, I keep reading article after article about how the only people buying homes in the region are cash-rich investors. Some large percentage of homes are being paid for in cash. By investors. Most who don't even live in this state (or even in this country).

Lack of rentals? You have got to be kidding me. There is absolutely no lack of rentals here...

I downloaded the April credit card expenses today. I can't wrap up the month until that is available.

It was weird because several items I expected to come through for April, didn't. Even our health insurance didn't clear by the 3rd. Strange! So I will pay the bill plus the health insurance. Phew! For the best, since it was a spendy month.

I might have time to share the expense side this week - I don't think I have since December or January.

But the savings side is quick and easy:

$1200 to short-term savings (one-time type expenses due within the year)

$415 to mid-term savings + $12 interest

$650 to ROTH + $450 (10% Bonus)

Didn't earn $50 credit card rewards (ROTH) this month, but will next month. Very close to next $50.

$3000 to medical savings (bonus)

Mortgage chips $178: $50/month payroll tax holiday + $100 bonus + $15 Amazon income + $13 insurance refund

It was a SLOW month for Amazon. Summer is always very slow for video game deals and sales.

April was a good month, and I am starting to get optimistic that we will actually hit our $30k cash goal this year! BUT, I won't hold my breath.

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That reminds me. I got my Mother's Day gift. I strongly hinted that dh and the kids fix a hole in the wall (caused by a door knob). It's probably been there for years.

At some point dh bought a patch kit, but he lost it!

They poo pooed the idea since we probably won't be home this weekend. I said, "Do it Wednesday - I probably won't even notice - you can surprise me Sunday." The kids get out of school early and no activities, so is our "get things done" day.

They took my advice, but were excited to show me their work. They still have to sand it down and spray some texture over it.

I am happy as a clam.

BUT...

This means we are on top of all our home maintenance.

I can't help but feel that this means something else is around the corner. There always has to be something, right? Because Murphy has been rather brutal with us recently.

I suppose it's good to be realistic. I have said we bought a new house expecting very low maintenance the first decade. That decision has worked well for us and paid off. We've put very little work or effort into our home. BUT, now that we are 10 years in I Expect more appliance replacements, etc. It's not like the home builder put in top of the line appliances, for one.

Our initial strategy was to utilize the time to save up for future home maintenance. Instead, this ended up being an important strategy to stay home with our kids (no big expenses for many years). It's been interesting, because the last few years have been rather Murphy-filled, but the few years prior to that were kind of opposite - when we had almost half the income. I suppose it works out.

All I know is it is way too quiet and easy at the moment.