**My last post was a tax/politics post if anyone cares or is interested. (If not - then you didn't miss anything).

**I looked in Quicken and had enough money to mail off the house insurance. Didn't want to forget! I think I Was being cautious since I noted to mail it 12/20. Phew. In danger of forgetting, otherwise.

Property taxes cleared the bank. Those are the big December doozies.

Actually, I was perplexed because home insurance said "pay less for higher deductible" but couldn't find any more info on that. I finally gave up and just paid it. The bill had gone down 16% from last year, so, eh.

I found the details after I wrote the check, but figured it was for the best. Can do that next year when rates will probably go up anyway. We had already raised our deductible to $2k. This was to raise it to $3k. The savings wasn't that much. But, for catastrophic insurance, I prefer higher deductibles. (All our insurance??? I suppose we have high deductibles on everything).

**The big Scholastic Warehouse sale is on. For anyone in Northern Cali who is interested in more info, just let me know. (Leave a comment).

Dh said he expected to earn $75 for us (& can spend $100 and get $25 off - so that is his plan).

I think $45 for each teacher. BM's teacher told us that he turned $80 into 300 BOOKS last year. Amazing, huh???

Dh volunteers for $10/hour in vouchers for payment.

**Both classroom parents are raising money for a group gift certificate. Kinder teacher asked for $20, so figured would just give $20/each. Very generous, with all the books too.

**Decided on $20 Amazon gift card for work gift exchange. Problem was, couldn't use my free GC to buy another GC. Should have known! Already made up my mind and got it anyway. Oh well!

That's about $130 cash/GCs for work, boss, gardener, and teachers. We spent about $100 already on Xmas (& that includes birthday since everyone in our fam has birthdays this month and next). I expect maybe another $100 with dh's family and January birthdays. Seems way less than usual, so I am probably forgetting something!

**For the weekend? Dh has a poker game with friends. Will probably get the kids together with their cousins. Might be my last RELAXING weekend in a long time.

Next weekend we are going to try for that Star Trek exhibit, again. Dh's aunt is visiting from the east coast, so will try. We were going to go a few weeks ago, but it is at a mostly outdoor museum. Nothing but rain rain rain. We could see the Star Trek exhibit, but can't see all the airplanes and such at the aerospace museum. We heard they had a really cool playground. Don't want to pay to get in (not expensive; not cheap) and have to miss half of it. The weather might not co-operate, but we are running out of time - the exhibit closes in January. So, crossing my fingers for decent weather next weekend.

I think this sums it up pretty good:

Why the Tax Compromise is a Mistake

http://mauledagain.blogspot.com/

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

My head is spinning at work.

It's hard to remember all the "one-time" absurd tax laws for the state to generate revenue. My boss about gave me a heart attack when he said NO SAFE HARBOR for Cali income tax this year. Turns out he was wrong. (I thought he knew something I didn't and freaked me out a bit - that is only true if your income tops $1 million).

I've got clients calling me about this health care credit (For small employers with low-wage employees, who provide health insurance). It's so convuluted, no one qualifies. But I have to stare at it a couple of hours to tell them they don't qualify.

I am reading about the IRS lack of guidance on carryover basis for Estates in 2010. No Estate Tax in 2010. Sounds great, right? No. No stepped-up basis for inherited assets. I just read that this form (to allocate basis) is due April 15th, for people who passed in 2010 with larger estates, though the IRS has not issued any guidance on a number of issues, and has not even provided the form.

It's December 10 and AMT is not patched though it has been promised to be (for 2010).

The government wants to pass a social security tax holiday that is too late to implement for January.

People all the time tell me that accountants must support all this crap because it means job security. I think the line from "job security" to "it's practically impossible to do my job" was crossed when Bush took office. But, it's just gotten worse since Obama took office. I actually contribute to my profession's political action committee because I know they support SIMPLIFYING all this mess. It's honestly the main reason I contribute.

California is a mess because they can't justify to match all the tax breaks at the Federal level. I have to give California that. Though it is a huge PITA for tax payers and tax professionals, at least they don't blindly play along with tax legislature they can't afford. For me, there are 3 tax systems. Fed, AMT, and California. That's 3 times the work compared to a decade ago (when AMT was more rare and California mostly conformed to Federal law).

2011 will be a fun year, indeed!

**I am proud of dh - he is on top of things! He closed his AmEx, since we got our free gifts.

Dh said that AmEx said, "You are closing it already? After only a couple of months?" Dh truthfully said, "It's been kind of a PITA - a lot of people don't take AmEx." They tried to argue otherwise, but our first full of month of the Fidelity AmEx, I can tell you at least 20% of the businesses we tried to pay, did not take it! Not any small businesses. Not any utilities. Etc., etc. Not the parking garage. Not the haircut place.

I suppose I will wait for my Target gift card (reward) and then close the Chase Freedom. Will be closed by year-end.

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

**One of the AmEx rewards was a $100 Amazon gift certificate.

For the work gift exchange I pulled a difficult name. Our office is 90% women, but I always get stuck buying for the men! No idea what to get. Decided to get a Amazon G.C. if I can. Will be free to me.

I also have not been able to find Pantene anti-dandruff shampoo any longer. I finally looked it up today - discontinued! To top it off, all they have is the shampoo/conditioner combo. A stylist recently suggested I not use the combos, to keep my hair less greasy. I hadn't thought of it and can't say I have noticed a big difference. (Actually, that was a year ago!) But I have noticed more dandruff cropping up since I have been using another shampoo in the interim.

Anyway, there are still some available, so I will stock up on a few bottles. Will probably last forever, and maybe by then they will bring back the anti-dandruff. I'll see if alternating it with other shampoo helps at all. It looks like there is other stuff out there, but I am partial to my Pantene!

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

**A charity is coming by for pick up on Friday. I have a few things (not a huge purge), but will be nice to get rid of the stuff I missed last time.

I got a notice that a Chase statement was ready to view.

I looked to make sure my final payment hit. It had.

I had 1700 of some sort of other rewards/points. I didn't expect I'd be able to redeem anything, but was able to redeem for a $10 Target gift card with just 1000 points.

I think my Fidelity is still looking much more lucrative! But I am happy I squeezed out one last reward - I really thought I wouldn't be able to redeem my small balance. I only spent $150 or so, last month. (Some of the points must have converted over from my old reward system, which was different).

I just redeemed a $250 check under the old system - last month - so wasn't going to sweat not using every last point.

The Target card was a nice surprise - will use it for groceries.

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

Dh got a $10 off gift card from Safeway today (spent more than $75?) and also earned a $1.50 off coupone (Safeway) - he isn't sure why. Something he bought...

We really don't shop Safeway much at all any more. It's gotten so expensive! Dh still gets gas there though.

At our main Grocery store (local/regional) we get 25 cent off per gallon gas every time we spend $100. So I fill up the van there (16 gallons at a time) and dh usually hits Safeway for 3 cents off a gallon.

My biopsy came back... Inconclusive!

But, we have narrowed down what type of tumor it is. (The type that is impossible to tell beningn from malignant - great! Impossible to tell from a needle biopsy, anyway).

In the grand scheme of things - it sounds okay. If it is a cancer, it is still a 95%+ cureable type.

It is potentially such a rare type of cancer that I don't get the impression that it is likely to be cancer anyway.

Doctor will remove half my thyroid (probably in January) and if the lab results come back cancer, it would take too long and would mean a second surgery. Which is always a possibility anyway, but is certain in this case that they can not do a quick lab test to determine malignancy during surgery. That is the impression I got, anyway.

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

I think dh and I learned this past year that we can remain calm in the face of medical uncertainty.

But, I think I Feel a little extra stoic about the whole thing, this time around.

I've had a few surgeries before, so the idea doesn't scare me. I Feel rather "eh" about it. (I haven't had surgery in about 15 years, so all the bad stuff has probably left my memory. But, I tolerate pain pretty well).

& having gone through dh's brain surgery just one year ago, this seems pretty easy peasy in comparison.

So, pretty much, I don't see what the big bugaboo is!

Now, sitting and waiting for the biopsy results to come back? Ugh. Has been hell. I don't look forward to going through that all over again with the surgery. That part I probably look least forward to. But getting the results and putting this all behind me does sound pretty good. So, bring on the surgery!

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

The surgeon I met in the first place is scheduling the surgery, but I am not 100% sure I will go with him. He's fine, but I just don't know anything about him. I met with him briefly, he told me he didn't expect I had a mass in my neck, and thought he had pretty much sent me on my way. So, basically I still have a million questions! I am glad things are rolling forward, but just hope I don't feel the need to switch surgeons. That can really delay everything.

He's been really good returning my calls and answering things for me. I just hope he doesn't tell me he's only done a few of these surgeries before. I'll be meeting with him whenever they can fit me in...

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

The first time I met the surgeon, I can't help but feel his assistant jinxed me. She gushed on and on how I was on no medications and how rare that is. I was like, "Really? I'm only 33." This didn't seem to sway her opinion that I was a rarity.

I share because dh and I were both the epitome of good health, but have become those statistics that I always share when I see people without health insurance. We'd be bankrupt about now, without insurance. Cancer, tumors, car accidents - all that stuff can happen to just about anyone.

**Just got news that the District intends to deny our request to expand our Charter to Grades 6-8.

I don't know if it matters because the district is on the verge of bankruptcy and will probably be taken over by the state. I don't know if we were trying to get this through before all that, or if it is possible we will have more luck with the state, anyway. At least we are solvent.

The main arguments I have heard is "we will take more money from the district" and that "we will cause teacher layoffs." Considering our classes are about half the size of the rest of the district, I don't quite understand how this means teacher job losses. Unless the laid off teachers are not high quality and we not want them. ???

Just, frustrated. IT is just one episode in a sea on a completely incompetent school district. Why they approved our first charter in the first place - lord knows. It's the only thing good they have done, in my opinion, the last 9 years.

Will see what comes next - I am sure this is just the first battle in the war.

That said, a friend of mine ended up getting her kids in another charter school in the city (no luck with the charters in our district - too hard to get in). It was just another reminder that there are plenty of fish in the sea!

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

**Anyway... In other news, dh and I have not spent much time together lately. Can't say I particularly noticed. We have spent at least 1/2 of the 2 months since our Hawaii trip sick it seems (one of us sick at all times - some nasty bugs going around).

We had a nice relaxing weekend at home, and I couldn't really remember the last time we went out. Today I just noticed it had been forever, so suggested we go out. Dh was very excited about this.

Our date was ruined by bad planning. BM had a friend coming over at around 2. So we rushed out around noon (fed LM first because he refused to the srop-in daycare lunch). Got to the drop-in place and it was closed. DOH! It's been so long we forgot. Opens at 1:00 Sundays, but didn't work with our time crunch.

We just took the kids with us to lunch. I got an entertainment book for my birthday - I think I forgot to mention that one. Decided to try a Greek restaurant downtown - had a coupon. At least LM was fed, and we'd save the babysitting money.

Got downtown and manyroads were closed due to a big race. We trekked on, but realized it was about 50 or 60 blocks down. We didn't bring our GPS - we just assumed it was closer to the freeway/downtown. It really wasn't downtown after all!

We finally gave up, turned around, and had a delightful lunch (though no coupons) at this Indian cafe we love. The place is usually empty (though the food is divine and on the more affordable side since it's more of a cafe). When we walked in, they had a new menu (mostly the same in the end) and had opened up the space and put more tables in. The place was actually kind of crowded. We thought maybe all this was a good sign - business may be good? We had a nice lunch with the kiddos.

After all that, told dh we just need to do a lunch date some time. We just got out of the habit for whatever reason - seems easiest way to get our date time - with both kids in school.

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

In other news, I found the gift receipt (so I thought) for those shirts. LookingForward gave me the tip that I could return the clothing no tags (Kohls). I had looked up their policy and that is not what it said! But, I googled around and found that was mostly true.

Dh was skeptical - said he read stores were cracking down this season. I told him if it didn't work, I'd try another location later.

Anyway, I took it in and the gift receipt was the wrong one. (Doh!) But, she told me she could give me $45 store credit for both shirts. Holy Moly! Didn't expect that, with everything on deep sale, etc. I had just picked up the same shirt (another color) for $13 on Friday! But they credited me $21 or so per shirt.

That was 3 Kohls visits this week! I intend to not go back until after the holidays. The place was crowded as heck today.

Right now I just plan to buy some pants in January or so. I have lost a bit of weight. Waiting is probably best, because with my thyroid issues, I could lose or gain a ton of weight post surgery until my hormones even out. After having LM, I gained about 15 pounds in the matter of a couple of weeks. just, whacked out hormones. I lost the baby weight fine, and then everything went wacky. I had to stop breastfeeding just to feel normal again (weight gain was just one nasty side affect of many!) I don't look forward to going through something like that again. But, it is what it is! As long as wacky hormones are only temporary...

I know, I know - the year is not over yet! But all the bills are paid, and my head is in 2011. (Most any expenses left for now through 31st should be charged and paid in January).

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

Anyway, first, dh already sold the game system he bought yesterday. He bought it for $50 (a GameCube plus about 15 games). He ended up selling the GameCube in a couple of hours, for $20 (with the crappy games). He posted 11 games on Amazon, and already sold 7 of them. His profit on the games is $100 so far.

So, $50 purchase, $120 in sales, means net of $70 with 4 games left to sell.

IT's been kind of slow lately, indeed, but deals like this aren't every day, either! Woohoo.

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

Anyway, estimating my December expenses, at face value we spent $4k more than last year.

BUT, it was kind of a crazy year. The increase is due to medical expenses and some major home maintenance we did.

INCOME:

My compensation was about $10k lower than last year. Most of it was the economy, but I also lost out on a lot of overtime with dh's surgery. (This year will only be worse since I will be the one having surgery during busy season at work. Joy!)

The only other thing of note was that we seemed to do better on extra income this year than last year. About $300 more income??? Interesting since ebay sales have been rather slow since summer. We seemed to do a ton more focus groups this year. Our focus groups and ebay type sales netted about $1700 for the year, thus far.

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

EXPENSES:

Our auto expenses were the same as last year. (Well, except I didn't have to spend $2200 to replace a side door this year!) Everything else was about the same.

Childcare/Preschool - with LM in public school we saved $500 this year. Should be more substantial next year!

Clothing - we spent about half as much as last year. Lord knows how or why.

Dining out - we spent almost $1k less this year. Again, lord knows how. We don't eat out that much to begin with...

Way less on extra-curricular this year. WE actually signed up BM For 2 activities that were canceled (one them, one us). He quit karate this year, and soccer was only $100 (about all we spent for the year).

We spent a little more on gifts (like $100?) but we also bought both our parents used Wiis. So, I think we got some good bang for our buck.

Groceries - we spent less than last year. Averaged about $450/month for groceries and any household misc. items, pet food/litter, etc. This number seems to go down every year. I think we are just always constantly improving. But I have noticed this year in particular we have been spending less on groceries. We may come out $600 ahead this year over last year.

Home maintenance - spent $2k to paint our house - a chunk of change there.

Medical - spent about $5k more than prior year, with dh's surgery and all.

Misc - spent $1k over last year. That would be dh's T.V.

Property taxes - $300 lower than last year.

Utilities are up about $500 with our super high speed internet and TV upgrades. Of course, all the utilities seemed to increase their rates as well (our usage is rather consistent for water, gas, electricity).

Vacation - spent another $250 about, this year. Not bad at all. Last year we staycationed, plus a couple of weekends alone around the state. This year we went to Colorado and Hawaii, but didn't have to pay too much for the trips. Most of the $1900 vacation money we spent was to visit my Grandma in Colorado. It was a last minute declining health kind of thing. Vacation wasn't much on our spending horizon considering the type of year it was.

Vet care - this was a new category since my cat has been pretty low maintenance for the last decade. About 12 years old, we spent $1k on her this year. We paid $300 to find out nothing was wrong with her (she was drinking a lot more than usual) and about $700 for her urinary infection (emergency, etc.). BTW, she has been totally fine since.

Everything else was pretty consistent with last year.

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

I wish I could say next year would be way better, but 2011 looks to shape up a lot like 2010. Deja vu as I face going under the knife in a few weeks myself. I am still waiting to hear back from my biopsy (doctor assumes it might be inconclusive or set out for a second opinion, which doesn't sound too great), but he put me on the surgery queue on Friday since it was taking so long. I should get a surgery date soon - he wants me to have it in January unless it comes back malignant - then it would be like next week!!! I just feel in total limbo in the meantime. Since work is so much more quiet May - November, lord knows why this stuff always has to happen this time of year!

That said, dh's surgery in January went far better than expected, so I am not too stressed about it. I am just realistic that I may not be able to earn any overtime this year, as I recover.

Anyway, looking at the numbers, I do think I can get about $7500 in our ROTHS. $500 credit card rewards will go to my ROTH. I can put 10% of my overtime (which may not amount to much this year). So, I am thinking the focus group/ebay income can help us max out. That said, we may find we need it for medical bills next year. But hopefully the medical bills will calm down after 2011. Any overtime I can earn is going to medical bills - why I only guess I could put 10% to retirement. (Dh is still in limbo himself since the cyber knife procedure has not been ruled out. & it sounds pretty expensive - so who knows. We have insurance, but between that and my surgery we may need to come up with $6k out-of-pocket this year - that is our max. From what I have heard about it, it's not a cheap machine or procedure!).

**I think this year has been kind of slow on the Ebay/Amazon/Craisglsit front. Last year was REALLY slow in the summer months, but picked up quite a bit in the fall.

Anyway, dh just bought a system for $50 (Game cubes are his cash cows) and believes he can sell it for $150. The profit is in all the games - is selling them mostly on Amazon any more. We are boycotting paypal for the most part (so no more ebay). But, amazon has been pretty similar. I suppose the only noticeable difference is that they pay us twice a month, as opposed to getting instant payments from paypal.

For this year, momentum never picked up since summer. Usually dh can pick up a deal like this at least once a month, but it's been many months! Selling is good in the month of December - people paying more for everything.

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

Dh is putting up the Xmas tree as we speak. IT's a nice plastic one that we picked up about a decade ago on discount (after christmas - of course!). Has served us well!

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

Today dh was out and so I Asked him to pick me up some salmon. I was going to do crock pot salmon (sweet and spicy) last weekend and never got around to it. With some lemon rice pilaf. Yum! I even got the kids to eat it last time (didn't like it the first time they tried?). So, I don't have to eat it ALL myself. Dh does not like fish at all.

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

I was relieved to see the gas bill for November. November started out looking like an easy record breaking "no heat" month. But, the last 10 days of the month, or so, were bone chilling winter. I mean, it was literally colder than our coldest winter days usually are.

So, we have been running the heat pretty heavily the last couple of weeks. The heat bill wasn't bad at all - I guess the cold came on late enough.

I have no idea what to expect next. It's been like 10 months or so of spring here, up until being slammed into winter. I rather liked the long "spring,", but the cold has been hard to get used to in comparison.

**Did some fiscal chores. Paid ALL the credit cards, though most had not closed yet, etc. well, still waiting for first statements from Target and Amex so I know where to send the payments.

Paid dh's Chase - it was $15 - he didn't remember what - didn't get a bill. Oh well - just paid it. Made sure he is carrying CU Visa from now on. Will be $30 charges next month - at least I know what that was for. (To clarify - got bill balance from online bill pay at my CU - so I can pay it - just didn't get any details because I can't find the login to see the detailed bill).

Paid CU Visa which had all the "we don't take AmEx" charges.

Paid old Chase - had some straggling charges, but I think we can now put it to bed.

I never want to pay that many bills in one month, again! (We are in credit card transition stage - both Chases should be gone going forward. But, the separate Target card and the Visa are still a must).

**The AmEx did close, so today I will experiment with importing the data. The snafu is they only allow quicken imports for statements. I am used to being able to download data whenever. So, I have just been manually putting in groceries/gas to get a running total, and things I know I will forget how to categorize later. What a month too - with all the Christmas stuff. Usually it should be a lot easier (a lot less charges). Hopefully, downloading will at least go smoothly. Crossing my fingers. IF nothing else, I Can just delete any duplicate entries. (IT should be smart enough to match anything I already entered).

*I zapped my deposits online (scanner) and so have to remember to mail off the property taxes - they are due Friday. Was just waiting for my paycheck.

*We have been writing down every misc. purchase, and it seems to help. Well, I have to work with dh a little more. But, it was a relatively spendy month, and I did a better job than usual of keeping withing our spending confines.

Our usual MO is to go a bit over the last week of the month. Those last couple of days before the credit card closes.

I don't know why I never thought to just write it down before.

As I looked at the credit card this week, it seemed to be about as usual. All our careful planning had gone to hell. But when we returned the plates, I realized that I had been looking at an extra $200 charge that we don't have to pay. Duh.

In the end, we were dead on with the budget. Which happens, never. I feel relieved that we can be very aggressive with retirement next year. We will have less room for error, but I think I found a way to be a little more accurate and efficient.

As always, it's not the fact that you use credit cards that you tend to spend more. It's only if you don't pay them any attention. I'd say we treat our credit like cash, and this little tweak of paying closer attention than usual is all we needed to equivalate a cash system (in my opinion).

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

**Yesterday I was rewarded for bad behavior!

MIL/Grandma bought me some XL clothing for my birthday. They accosted me on Thanksgiving and said, "Tell us if you don't like it." When I said, "XL???" clearly I didn't like it! "That's all they had - just try it on." (Mind you - they usually do great with clothes shopping for me - similar tastes).

I tried it on over my clothes and it looked like a tent. They gushed over it and someone removed the tags. Oy!

"I think it's a little big."

"No - it looks great!!!" snip snip

When we went for the dishes return yesterday I went to look at the shirts. They had given me a shirt like I already had plus a faux suede button up shirt to go over it. I already have one of the same style which I like and has held up for many years. When I looked, I fell in love with a red one. I didn't think they had removed the rags from the outer shirt, so decided to exchange. I Was excited about that.

I was bummed when I got home to find all the tags had been removed.

I knew we had spent our "cash" for the month, but on the way home yesterday I stopped by Kohls. I had already had my heart set on that red shirt! I went in and it was on sale. I grabbed a dark blue one too. I knew they were high quality shirts that would last a while.

I tried on a BEAUTIFUL dress which just didn't fit well (phew!) On the way out I grabbed a BEAUTIFUL shirt that was on sale for $12.99. I figured it probably wouldn't fit well and I would return it anyway.

I was rewarded for bad behavior because the register clerk had to make me wait a few seconds while she got change. She was very worried about this, and so gave me $10 off for "making me wait so long." (Yeah, a whole minute?) In the end I paid about $30 for 3 beautiful pieces. The shirt fit perfect in the end. I can't complain. I will just add it to the birthday bounty. I made a good haul.

The credit card closed and it didn't show up on the bill. I told dh I was just testing the card. Sometimes charges late on the 3rd squeak by and I can wait a month to pay them. Phew!

Considering all the clothing I know MIL already bought me for Christmas, I have like a whole new wardrobe. Which is good because I have to cut my spending next year!

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

Almost forgot!

Got our new kindle and $100 Amazon GC for opening another AmEx a few months back.

The kindle is pretty cool - I must admit. Talks of selling it or gifting it? In the end, will probably keep it. we are that impressed already.

GC was bad timing - we just did a fair amount of shopping on amazon (christmas and all). Figures! Will use it later.

Now that we got our gifts, dh is closing that card.

Today the birthday bounty continued.

*$100 check from my mom

*keychain monkey that sings happy birthday, from sis

*hilarious card from SIL.

Today was a good haul for day after birthday.

The cash? Will put it towards my new dishes. That means they cost me a whopping $75-ish in the end. Woohoo! (Actually, the original ones arrived yesterday and so we will take them back tonight. Dh ended up getting them in store, cheaper. If we take them back tonight, refund might hit credit card before it closes - which will make life easier. Just in the nick of time!).

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

Lots of interesting articles today:

How Charities Get You to Give

http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/budgeting/how-charities-g...

How Many of the Rich Actually Work for a Living?.

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2010/12/01/how-many-of-the-rich-...

IRS Assumes AMT Will be Patched

http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/IRS-Assumes-AMT-Patched-...

(Not the most exciting article, but basically, the IRS says to Congress - "Can you finalize the 2010 tax laws please, so we can enforce it???" AMT is just the tip of the iceberg of uncertainty.)

Finally,

Weighing a Custodial Account for Your Kid

http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/taxes/custodial-a...

I've had a toilet jinx this week!

When I flushed the toilet at work, I felt the little chain "give."

It was funny because we already had a broken toilet at home!

Dh noticed that the toilet was leaking (thank goodness!). There was stuff sitting around the toilet and it was hard to notice, otherwise.

As I cleaned it up and looked around, I could see it looked like the wall behind the toilet was stained with water. I realized it leaked when it flushed. I am not engineering-minded AT ALL and so I assumed it was a leak in the water line. After toying with it a bit, and even googling fixes, dh was smart enough to look in the tank. It was actually kind of spouting out of the top (& dripping down). The gasket in the bottom of the tank looked kind of tired. The water line on the other hand, was just fine!

Dh told me he would run to Home Depot and see if he thought he could fix it. Initially, stuff like this has scared him off. But over time, he has realized these kind of things are pretty easy to fix. (As for me - I don't think I could fix these things if I tried. It's just not in my DNA in any way shape or form).

Concerned with potential for water damage, and knowing dh doesn't move very fast with this stuff, I told him it was up to him. If he called a plumber, I wouldn't blame him. We've just been flushing it once a day with a towel to catch the water. (My bladder is very small and I awake often at night - wasn't in the mood to trek down the hall in the middle of the night, which would wake me up).

Well, today is my birthday, and dh decided to fix the toilet. Said it was easy peasy. The cost? $8 for parts.

Can't think of a better present?

I asked dh to consider replacing the parts in the other upstairs toilet. We rarely go in there, and I don't want to find the same water mess in there - if the kids aren't going to notice. The one downstairs, we use enough, so will wait until that one self destructs too.

Lesson learned - don't keep stuff sitting around the toilet!

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

Birthday presents?

No cash this year. (Surprised since dh's family tends to be heavy on cash).

2 sweaters that I had picked out (from Grandma)

Entertainment Book - (We don't use nearly enough, but when MIL asked, I decided what the heck. Will get some use).

The kids got me some puzzle books

Dh fixed the toilet

The fam is making me sloppy joes for dinner. But dh had gotten groceries for 3 or 4 of my favorite recipes. I will dine well this week!

Last but not least - Marie Callendar pie - Lemon Cream Cheese

I have tried to instill much better eating habits in my kids (the ones I was raised with would make you cringe), but I think celebrations will always equal food. Maybe that is somewhat universal as dh doesn't seem to protest. He was raised with exceptional eating habits, but pigging out for any celebration is just kind of given.

I treated myself to lunch, and some soda and chocolate, since I couldn't have justified the expense otherwise. Decided it was a small splurge and I was worthy. I have cut my soda consumption lately - lord knows why. Really - no idea why i have had any motivation to. I just no longer keep it in the house (a habit I started since having kids - sleepless nights and caffeine needs, I suppose). I haven't seen anything compelling enough to make me want to quit. But, "quit" is a liberal word - I still drink soda when out, etc. Today I just wanted a big cold soda! I've probably gone back and forth in that it is much cheaper to keep soda at home (buy in bulk), but in the end, I rather just buy it once in a while (even if it costs several times more to drink it less). Maybe subconsciously it has to do with my health issues. I haven't been compelled by any studies, etc., because even when I keep it in the house, I just don't drink that much? But realistically i know less soda is probably better.

My mom told me my present was in the mail. Lord knows - could be anything. I'd guess maybe a check, or else she would just wait until she saw me (wouldn't ship anything probably). But, will see!

I know most of our friends and acquaintances spend a fortune on their vehicles. That said, I thought I was exaggerating a wee bit when I said everyone we know buys 2 new cars every 5 years.

So, we were having lunch with those friends I mentioned - who are in a big financial mess - though the upside down house seems to be the most of it (or the most they have talked about).

So, the wife mentions how the are going to need a new car. She kind of whimpered how it sucked that the car needed replacing. To which her husband replied, "well, yeah, it's OLD! IT's 6 years old!"

Of course, I kind of choked on my food at that moment.

They recently paid $30k+ for some Honda minivan that quite a few people have told me "was worth the money because it is so reliable." To which I do have to roll my eyes! I am not paying a $20k premium on my vehicle to "ensure it never breaks down." I know they think I am the crazy/cheap one. But, I think they are crazier! (These are mostly people deep in debt and on the verge of foreclosure. If you can actually afford said car, whatever. But I don't know anyone in a demographic that they can afford such a car. Anyone that I do is too careful with their money to spend that much on a car!)

Anyway, we aim to keep our cars to 20 years of age, and most of them were bought well over 6 years old. So, we obviously are coming from a whole different angle. My minivan is currently 6 years old, and it's still probably the *newest vehicle I have ever had.* This is why I choked to think of it as some old piece of trash.

They did mention they had heard that prior rentals were a good deal. We told them both our cars were prior rentals, and we do think those are the best deals out there. You hear mixed reviews, but we haven't had any problems. I think it just depends on the type of vehicle. I could see avoiding some sort of sports car that people would tend to be crazy with. But our cars are pretty boring!

My plan this year was to bump my emergency fund from $12k to $15k.

To do so, I was going to add $3k to my cash ROTHs.

I expect a $2k tax refund due to all the medical bills (& thus, many one-time tax deductions). I will file my taxes in early Feb. and apply the refund to our 2010 ROTH contributions.

I've been waffling back and forth on that other $1k. It was my goal all along, but next year I will be sacrificing cash for retirement savings. I don't know if I want to tie up another $1k in retirement (even if I could easily pull it out in emergency!)

Anyway, I was just paying all the bills for December, and seemed flush with cash. I finally figured that since I was charging my insurance premiums (new feature) that I was skipping one month of payment. Since I don't have to pay for the December charge until the credit card bill was due in January.

Wala! I rounded up and put $750 as a transfer to my ROTH in December. I expect $250, easily, in Christmas cash to cover the rest. Problem solved!

It's cheating a little, but this was a really unexpected benefit to being able to charge my insurance. I was just looking forward to the cash rewards.

**Weird. Got an "overdue bill" for my supplemental life insurance. It was due 10/1. !! I looked back and couldn't find the bill, nor any payment for it.

No idea what happened with that! Set to pay it immediately, of course.

**While at it, I needed to transfer some money over to pay that (rather unexpected). So, decided to transfer the money to pay my property taxes, homes insurance, etc. December is a spendy month! About $4k in bills, money transferred, checks ready to mail.

**While at it, looked on line for the 10th time (on a whim) to see if new health insurance rates came through yet. Nothing, as of Wednesday.

Glad I checked! New numbers were there - so I could pay the December bill, etc.

Our insurance went up 12%. No surprise! I just worked $100/month increase in the budget. In the end it was $77 increase.

Of course, it was even better than expected, since they now take credit card payments for premiums. (They have always taken cc for everything but the premiums).

So, I figured I will earn about $15/month in credit card rewards, with that bill alone. Phew!

Other good news? Absolutely no change to our plan. I am not 100% sure if my surgery will be better in Dec or Jan. Financially. In the end, I don't think it will matter much. So, I don't have to stress about that. (If they raised the deductible or something like that - then it would be time to panic!)

Our health insurance is absurd, as usual, and gaining very fast on our mortgage payment. But, the flip side of the coin is I feel we REALLY got our money's worth this year, and we didn't pay much of anything after the deductible. (Knock on wood - still a month to go!). But, I am rather pleased with it.

In addition to all that, dh will probably be working next year, and can help shoulder the costs. IT would really be the only reason he needs to work. 15% of my income to health insurance - it's gotten pretty ridiculous over the years.

**I just finished ordering my free 8x10 collage - Walgreens.

Decided to just do some Hawaii pictures.

It's a good promo because Walgreens is the only store we have within walking distance. (Can pick up in store). I was checking out their picture options and comparing to Shutterfly. One of these days I would like to print out some of our photos. Since the digital age, our pictures primarily seem to be stored online. I am sure there is lots of competition out there, too. But Walgreens is pretty darn convenient.

So I figured, what the heck. Print some Hawaii photos. We have some frames laying around. Will think of Walgreens next time I need photos. (Said could be ready in one hour! Pretty sweet!)

**I have $3 free MP3 from Amazon. I will have to ponder what I want to get since I paid for a few MP3s rather recently. It had been a long/dry spell between promos.

Of course, if I can't think of something, I am sure dh could use it (he already spent his free $3).

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

I think free collages and free MP3s will be the limit to our Black Friday purchases. We have no shopping plans for today.

Sometimes dh is enticed by something, but this year only the online deals have been enticing. I know he has been picking up some Blue Rays on deep discount this week.

WE always host Thanksgiving. We got the job when we moved to a low cost area - we have more room than anyone else in the family. BUT, I also enjoy not having to travel for the holiday. (Now that I think about it, since we stay home for Xmas, and a local cousin does Easter, we don't travel much for holidays - how did that work out? )

Anyway, but we do a potluck. Dh made some casserole and I whipped up my "5 minute fudge" and boiled some eggs this morning. Dh and kids helped a little more than usual with the cleaning. When I got home last night, the dining room was cleared and they had put out place mats and decorations, etc. Phew! This has been the easiest one thus far. (Maybe not so easy when the kids were smaller! But now they can help!)

This year, I am MOST grateful for having our entire family together for T-Day. I have hundreds of things to be thankful for, but that is the biggest one. Dh's Grandma is not getting any younger, and lord knows what we will do without her. She does the turkey and stuffing! So, I am grateful to get one more year of her expert turkey & stuffing, my dh's help, my dad's gravy, etc., etc. Everyone does their part, and after having so many health scares the past couple of years, I feel blessed to get another T-Day with ALL of my loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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

P.S. Something else to be thankful for - the day our new external drive arrived, the old one started working. Not terribly reliable, but dh is getting all our files back, and says he rescued my spreadsheets. Woohoo!!

Trying to get as much done for T-Day as possible, because lord knows how next week will go.

Dh is handling the groceries/food, but we've been kind of lazy around here. The fam is helpful with picking up and vacuuming, but I am the only one who scrubs anything.

Yesterday, admittedly, I spent most of the day on the couch. We all seem to have this lingering cold thing, which isn't too bad, but doesn't leave much "umph" to get anything done. Which I think is why the house looks like hell - we haven't felt well the past 2 weeks.

So, my goal is to work until I drop, today. (Then maybe sleep all afternoon!)

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

IT doesn't help that I Was asked not to eat/drink 4 hours before my biopsy on Friday. In the morning I asked dh to bring me a big refreshing soda when he picked me up. I had some snacks. I usually snack constantly, and I figured I'd be starving. I told him I was going to need a sugar infusion.

Later, I changed my mind. I said, "Just bring me water!" I was SO Thirsty.

Yesterday, I just felt thirsty and told dh I felt like that is why I went a step backwards. So I drank a ton of water yesterday and do seem to be feeling better today.

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

Credit card update:

I resisted calling AmEx about weird charges that had not gone through yet. I am glad I did.

The "BMW" charge completely disappeared. I finally realized that our dinner the other night was a very similar amount, and narrowed it down to that. Doh!

IT wasn't the BMW I was thinking of.

So I stared at the $109 and change cellular charge wondering what the heck it could be (still hadn't cleared), and it finally hit me that I just paid the cell phone bill. (What threw me off was the name and city it was showing up as - which made no sense).

I just knew I hadn't spent $100+ on anything, so was determined to figure that one out.

In the future, I will do as AmEx advises, and not pay attention to anything that hasn't cleared. As they cleared, the proper names showed up on my statement.

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

Today I whipped up an excel sheet, because I haven't had a chance to have dh dig out some older copies. (Says he has a late 2009 backup, which I can start over with for 2011).

I am mostly waiting for November to be over, to see where we stand for the year. Any unplanned expenses in December can be charged and paid in January. With using the cards, we are always paying last months' bills, so just how it is.

Having Quicken up and running has been MUCH better, but still feeling a little blind without my excel sheets. This will get me through the end of the year probably. Phew!

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

I did some unexpected Xmas shopping yesterday. I forgot that the kids are expected to buy gifts (both of them this year) now that they have allowances. It's kind of dh's rule, and I am still adjusting.

Well, this is the first year that both kids are buying, and I found the perfect gift for them to go in on for dh. (Usually we just pick up something random last minute, because I forget?)

So, I am pleased with that.

I actually found a random catalog while cleaning up, that had a lot of gag gifts. I was trying to get ideas for my mom, and funny enough, didn't get any ideas. But, I found the perfect thing for dh. & then I saw this cute mohawk hat that screamed BM.

But, let me back up. I used to be a catalog shopper, before the days of internet. A habit I picked up from my mom, I suppose. With the internet, I generally get ideas from the catalogs, and then search out deals on the internet.

It doesn't always work out so well, but yesterday worked out pretty darn well!

The comic book set I bought for dh was on sale at Amazon. I grabbed something else from the kids' wish list to get the free shipping. (I am not sure we will give it to them for Xmas - but I rather buy that than pay about the same amount for shipping anyway).

I initially found a similar $40 hat for $15 on Ebay. I was actually pretty set to buy it, but on a whim did one last search, and found it for $5 at Children's Place. Score! This hat had a lot of negative reviews, which I Was set to ignore (it's a hat!). But, I peeked, and was glad I did. Complaints about the sizes running REALLY small. Which means the Ebay one would have been a waste. They had bigger sizes, which I ordered. phew. I also found a 20% off coupon online, so the hat ended up being $4.

I then did ask BM to help me find something for LM on the site. Might as well - was going to have to pay $5 to ship the $4 hat. There were some REALLY cute hats, but they were all baby sized. Which makes me feel even luckier that I got such a large sized hat for BM.

I gave up but they also had scarves for $4, and BM had been wanting one. I think it was more meant for toddlers, so will see. But it's $4 down the hole if so, and we know plenty of toddlers. The scarf I have in mind for a stocking stuffer.

I'll still keep an eye out for something for my mom, but if I don't find anything, I won't sweat it. We have gotten very casual with gifts over the years. We pretty much just buy my dad FOOD!

I don't remember November ever being like this. It's like the stars aligned at crazy. It's usually my slowest, most relaxing time of the year. Will have to pass that up for this year!

Just a lot going on - work, home and everywhere.

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

I am pleasantly surprised by our HOA. If nothing else, they do seem to have their finances in order.

Our first HOA (condo) was fine. No complaints. However, the fees were $250/month when we lived there (included cable, some utilities, and some nice facilities like clubhouse, pool, racquet ball courts, and stuff like that). The fact that it was an uber high cost of living area probably didn't help. Last I saw, the fees had risen to $400/month. Ouch! Glad we sold the place 8 years ago.

Our current HOA? Maybe a little more particular, but not much bite. (I'm to the point where I would complain more about them letting homeowners off easy - which I never thought I would complain about. But the economy has left little in the way of *pride of ownership*).

We just got notice that our dues would go down this year, by $5/month. (They are lower than they started at 9 years ago).

We bought in the community new, and they sent us a note this week that though they had completely paid off the clubhouse this year, they were not going to reduce our dues in light of foreclosures and lack of payment from many owners.

Honestly, I think it's a miracle they had the foresight to stay solvent. They also have an almost 7-figure repair reserves (which means I see more due decreases in our future. They are playing it WAY safe, but I have no complaints about that in the interim). In the end, our dues have stayed rather steady, even decreasing slightly, even while the economy has all gone to hell.

& I never thought I'd see the day I'd praise a HOA.

So hey - good financial news!

The dues are around $72/month, but not apples to apples with our condo, by ANY means. For one, our HOA doesn't own our walls and roof!

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

The kids finished their first trimester. Had conferences yesterday.

BM? He has the same awesome teacher as last year and is in academic heaven. I didn't expect to gleam much from the meeting.

LM? I was curious because though he seems to be doing great, and is mostly pretty "go with the flow" he has his difficult/stubborn side.

So, I was relieved that they both had glowing reports from their teachers. WE always get lots of compliments from the teachers, but I can't help but feel it's the school and the teachers who should get the compliments. (I know we raise our kids to be respectful, and that we emphasize doing well in school, but they can be a bit of handful if not properly challenged, etc. I can't take all the credit for them being VERY happy in their school environment). This is PUBLIC school, so I know it is a huge blessing.

I am also completely amazed by the technology factor and how they utilize technology to keep our kids challenged. I am still reeling from this whole lexile reading thing (which I wish they had when I was a child!), but now they are doing similar things in math. BM will have a completely custom/computer generated math curriculum come January. (Is that cool or what?)

Anyway, pleased with the kids' reviews, we treated them out to dinner. Their choice was Sizzler. Yum! We have a really nice one with a pretty big buffet. So, we ate well. (I think the kids chose it for the dessert factor - make your own sundaes).

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

Got my dishes:



I think they are just beautiful! (The red is more of a deep maroon - love love love).

Out of 48 pieces, we had one broken bowl. So, maybe best I couldn't cancel my online order. Out of 3 boxes due to arrive, I think I can fish out one intact bowl.

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

I've been flying blind on my finances. (My Quicken data in limbo!)

It doesn't help that with the Target card, transitioning out the Chase, and that not everyone takes AmEx - we have been regularly using 3 cards, plus some straggling expenses on the Chase. Make it 5, since dh insisted on using his own Chase. I finally talked him out of that - because moving from one cards to 4+ is driving me a LITTLE crazy - but will be a couple of charges there. (He is concerned if we need a backup Visa since the AmEx is so limited. I told him I would carry his card in my wallet - in case we ever needed it. He couldn't possibly carry 3 cards. )

So anyway, yesterday I had a few moments to sit down with dh and assess the Quicken situation.

I didn't lose ANY data! (Happy Dance). Over the weekend I need to search for any remnants of my excel sheets. Those, I probably won't be so lucky with (since he didn't back those up!)

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

The Fidelity AmEx is interesting because they show transactions before they authorize. They have all sorts of disclaimers how not to call about those transactions because they have not posted.

Anyway, a weird charge for $2-ish had posted, which I have to ask dh about. It could possibly be for the online backup site.

But, in the "not cleared" area was charges to BMW, a cell phone company, and other companies I never heard of. I Was googling them all to clarify.

Um, seriously? We have had the card 5 minutes.

The thing is I don't think I can call to make a fraud claim because they haven't posted. I will read all the fine print on that later and maybe call them anyway (after I check with dh).

I am less happy with AmEx by the minute. Maybe time to shop some Visa reward cards. (Not that this has to be an AmEx thing, but who on earth could have our credit card info? we just got the cards)!

To be continued...

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

Turkey Day - we provide the turkey and the place, but not much else. Maybe a few sides, etc. Dh is going to do some shopping today.

Xmas - Not much to do. I got LM that art stuff, and my parents are giving BM a hugely expensive gift (something nerdy - robotics thing). Dh will fill in the rest with his Scholastic vouchers - he is volunteering 24 hours or something (so means about $500 in books - though will donate most to the school). BM's teacher told us last time we donated 8 hours, he got 300 books from that. IT's a non-cash way to make a HUGE difference. His goal is to add 500 to his class library the next Scholastic sale. !!

Anyway, Dh's family is big into Xmas and he may buy some things, but I am not sure I will bother buying anything else for anyone. Maybe a work gift exchange and stuff like that. I prefer simplicity and a non-material Christmas, myself.

We don't necessarily buy big gifts for the kids every year. I didn't buy the art stuff for Christmas, but since we found something big for BM to open on Xmas Day, (even thought not from us), it seemed appropriate to hold the art stuff to Christmas, too.

The kids will get a zillion gifts from the in-laws, which is why we don't bother much with it. They don't seem to notice or care. As far as they are concerned, "Grandma" is in charge of Christmas gifts. My parents don't even usually buy them anything, and they are too small to think that is weird. Books and games from Scholastic are perfect for stockings and a couple of gifts under the tree.

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

I've been writing down all our misc. purchases, and after adding everything from the credit cards today, that dh didn't tell me about. I think we have about $11 left for the rest of the month. In fact, may need it today for co-pays.

It's a work in process!

Money spent?

Medical $10
Gifts $20
Parking $10
Eating Out $70
Babysitting $15
Clothing $50
Music Downloads $5
Misc. $9
-----------
$189

Today, I am going to sit down with dh and tell him how we have no more money for the rest of the month. (I can pull co-pays from medical savings, but rather not. The savings is for more substantial expenses!)

So, if we cut our gas and grocery spending through the end of the month - will buy us wiggle room. I need to immerse him in my own world so I don't have to do this every month. (& I have to take our spending limits more seriously, myself). We both have room for improvement.

Got my CU's online deposit to work.

No more trips to the deposit paychecks! Will be real nice...

It took a little trial and error to get it to work, but not too bad.

Dh had some cash from his focus group, so will have to run to the bCU to deposit that.

Dh didn't see what the big deal is, (since I usually go on the way home, or he goes while he is at the grocery store or gas station right there), but he often forgets to make deposits for me, which makes me anxious. I think this will make life much easier. & considering we don't use our scanner much, might as well utilize it more.

We scanned it last night, and it showed up in my account around 11am today.

Get your Fico score for free:

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/easy-cancellations-free-fico-scor...

I wasn't able to get mine (Easily) due to fraud alert on my credit bureau accounts. I didn't care enough to call and all that jazz. But I did check dh's score. I think it was 796 (as opposed to usual 800s) but we have made a mess with 0% credit card balance transfers and all sorts of activity the last few years. I'll take it (& assume my score is very similar). I don't remember the last time I saw his score, outside of our last refi.

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

Adoption for cheapskates

http://gracefulretirement.blogspot.com/

Here was a good post. I knew state of California was very generous with foster-to-adopt program (will pay you quite well to adopt a baby. Yes, they pay YOU!)

A relative of ours has adopted two siblings, and had them both since the day they were born, through this program. (There may be more siblings in her future - the biological mother has 10+ kids in the system already. Very sad, but has been a blessing for our family).

What was eye opening about this post is that other states have similar programs.

It's a good reminder for those facing the high cost of adoption - that the state will pay you to take babies that no one else wants. I think people focus so much on private adoption, that they lose sight on all the unwanted babies in this country.

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

Made an "impulsive purchase" of sorts.

We actually just asked for cheap dishes/silverware when we got married. We may have bought some of it. I don't remember spending much of anything.

The funny thing is that we get endless compliments on our cheap/plain dishes. Okay then!

They are getting worn, tired, chipped, and some broken/trashed (10 years later).

So, I know dh has talked about replacing them, or buying some supplemental dishes at least.

& then I saw them. I saw the most beautiful set of dishes in the Kohls ads. I looked them up online, and it was even better. Free shipping and glowing reviews about how sturdy the plates were and how much everyone's guests always loved them.

So, I asked dh when he got home, and braced himself. I thought he would hate them. He said, "Fine by me."

I felt bad purchasing them, because it's been a rough year, and it's really not a need. BUT, we decided to just get 12 sets (cheaper to buy sets) and keep the old plates as a backup (for large family gatherings and stuff).

Truthfully, I just bought the cheapest thing I could find to start, and have never loved them. As I went back and forth over this set, I just looked at them and thought, "I have never seen such pretty plates before. Those are mine!" & I finalized the purchase.

I spent about $180 - the sets were 50% off between coupons and sales.

Though the shipping was free, there was a surcharge, and I couldn't use my $10-off coupon. So, dh may be able to get the total down to $160 if he can find them in the store. He said he would double check today, for me.

IF we can't cancel the order, we may be stuck with the shipping surcharge, but still worth a try to save $10. I know returns are easy with Kohls - we can just return to the store.

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

I hit target the other day and tried my new RedCard. BM had absolutely no non-school pants that fit him any more. I ended up spending about $50 (new pants, a couple of shirts, socks, underwear). Plus, saved 5% off that. Not bad, for a new wardrobe.

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

The weather here has been pretty warm. I am out of the heat contest as of Sat or Sun. Probably Saturday. I was upstairs putting away laundry and stuff like that and it was just FREEZING. I told dh that I knew I would survive, but that it was probably a good idea to test out the heater and make sure it was still working. Before winter really hit. (I was justifying, but I think it was a good excuse!)

I heated the upstairs to 68 and took a luxurious shower. The sad thing is that it got hot after that and the house has been mostly 68 - 72, in the days since. (I think warmer than otherwise, since I did warm it up about 8 degrees!)

This time of the year, there is really no point to go cold turkey. Turning on the heat 15 minutes for some extra comfort can't mean much to our gas bill. BUT, the longer we draw it out, the better I think we do in the winter.

I'd still like to make it to Thanksgiving, before turning the heat on again, but not holding my breath. We got a cold spell this week and it's already in the 30s outside. Hasn't gotten inside yet (still 68) but I think I will be cold in a couple of days! There is a big/cold storm coming through this weekend. Feels like spring to winter, overnight.

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

Anyway, I am pleased with my plate purchase. I justified it as a birthday gift (b-day in a couple weeks) - I may get the cash to pay for it. If not, will get Christmas money.

Next year I feel we will really be tightening the screws, so hopefully that is my last hoorah for a while.

When we first had kids, our budget was so tight that it was hard to justify much of anything. I have been spending the last couple of years replacing things around the house and making LONG put-off purchases. I Was looking at the stockpiles around the house of stuff I have been buying on sale. Or, if I find something I really like (shoes, bras, whatever), I just buy extras for later. (That's a function of being picky more than frugality).

I think we are well equipped to have a spending freeze of sorts for a while. Phew!

Today, I was just listening to a random radio station that was doing it's little trivia (to make you listen to the commercials - asks a question and then answers at the end of the commercials, I believe).

I was just about to get out of my car when the Trivia question asked was, "How much money is Jeffrey Strain trying to prepare an entire Thanksgiving meal with?" Something along those lines.

I know the answer to that one. $1

It was 92.1 in Sacramento.

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

In other news:

Um, I got an E-mail from Chase reminding me all about how they are changing my cash rewards to way less favorable terms.

Really???

You would think they would sneak that into the fine print, rather than shout it from the rooftop! I already got the clear as day letter about this.

I just think it's funny. Am I supposed to be excited and happy about this? ???

Did they notice I haven't used the card since I received the first notice?

Dh decided to pay for an online backup service to save our data.

For the most part, we have most of our computer files on external drives, and dh even backs those up once in a while.

My dad gave us a new drive about 2 months ago. We used it to replace our net disk.

I was telling dh about some free online storage I was thinking of trying. (Apparently, I should have, for my very few important documents!)

He had his eye on something that could back up the whole computer. But, it wouldn't back up the external drives. SO, he found another place - that was cheaper anyway.

For whatever reason, he didn't backup everything. Just what he thought was important - and I don't think he captured any of my spreadsheets or Quicken data.

The problem is that the process killed the hard drive. He now thinks it *burned out* being ran so constantly through the backup. (Maybe the other place had a good reason not to back those up!)

How frustrating is it to do something right, and then lose a lot of your data? Ugh!

The kicker is that the old net disk had everything from about "2 months ago." But that seems to not be working at all either. ??? So the only other backup he has is from September 2009. Thanks, Murphy!

In the grand scheme of things we are well backed up. & whatever didn't get backed up was not important. But it's pretty annoying to be so pro-active in protecting your data, and losing some of it in the process!

The only thing that saves my butt is that I downloaded a copy of our Quicken data just a couple of weeks ago, on another computer. It is unclear at the moment if dh made a newer backup. But 2 weeks ago, I can certainly live with.

My spreadsheets don't matter so much, since I had already figured out most of it through the end of the year. I think those will be easy to re-create (or to just start over 1/1). Most the rest I only really update once a year - so those should be fine.

Pictures, we always back up often, so those are fine. Dh puts them on CD and gives them to our parents, all the time. (It's a good backuo method!)

I am going to sign up for free online storage for my very own few important documents. Because I know dh meant well, but he didn't realize where some of my important documents were. & I don't want to have to re-invent the wheel again. I feel blessed that it's not too bad, this time, but I better cover my own butt for next time.

I will try out the free site and let you know what I think.

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

In other computer news, dh finished fixing the upstairs computer. It is about 8 years old. He spent $250 (+ some hand-me-down parts) to fix it up. He tells me he thinks it should last another 8 years, easy.

The kids now have 2 computers at their disposal. (The other is just a hand-me-down - well, so is this one obviously - but had to put more $$ into it).

Ugh!

I probably love Quicken because any credit card or bank account (MANY) I have had with them, have been easy to download, etc.

Not so for the Fidelity reward card. I can download all my transactions, but only at the end of the month, after the statement is closed.

Um, NOT helpful.

I had just sat down and had a financial meeting with dh, laying out how tight our budget is as we shoulder our own retirement contributions now. Retirement back to 10% is a must, January 1, and our budget is fine, but just not a lot of room for error.

I told dh we had $200/month Misc. spending and that at the beginning of every month we were going to have to keep a running total. Back to PAPER for that.

For the most part, this is fine. I can still look online and make sure I am capturing every misc. item (which shouldn't be that many). BUT, the other side is monitoring our gas usage and grocery purchases. 1 - to make sure we aren't going over budget. & 2 - to know which months we have more wiggle room due to lower grocery bills and stuff like that.

The only thing I can think of is to manually enter every gas and grocery purchase, into Quicken. (Then download the rest at the end of the month!) Manually write down every "Misc." purchase on paper. & the rest is rather fixed and can wait until the end of the month to download it.

It will be worth it, for the rewards. But will take some getting used to. I will also write them a letter about how I feel about their Quicken compatability - boo hiss. My little credit union let me download every day if I like. ???

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

Dh landed a $65 focus group next week. IT's funny, because I will come home and literally have 4 messages from focus group companies, but we haven't qualified for any lately. (Actually, BM did one a toy one for a new company, but it turns out it was identical to one he did for our regular focus group company).

They have also been a little more "looking for moms" lately, whereas usually dh is the only one who qualifies for these since he does most the shopping. So he has been rather frustrated. Usually he will just say, "can I do it?" and he may qualify. These days, "women only!"

So, he is happy he got one.

I actually have to pay about $65 to renew my tax preparer PIN this year (it's a new thing, and my boss is being cheap, with the economy). SO, I figure that will pay for that!

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

Dh is still working with the computer. He tried to convince me that spending $200 to upgrade our current computer was better than spending $250-ish for some crappy computer off Overstock.

I have been skeptical, and probably rightly so. So far, he has had to buy 2-3 parts rather unexpectedly because the old computer didn't have this compatibility or this compatibility. He had a hand-me-down external hard-drive, but then he couldn't hook it up AND hook up a DVD drive. The workaround cost money. His dad gave him a box that he had laying around, but the printer cable isn't compatible with the new box. Stuff like that! (I guess that would be a new computer problem too - fair enough).

HE worked all day on it Sunday and spent about $200. Yesterday he met his dad for spare/free computer parts. Last night he probably spent another $50. If his dad didn't live 100+ miles away, he'd probably have those parts too. But, he is anxious to complete the project. Was on hold all week until he was able to meet his dad (aka free computer part store - he is a hoarder of sorts).

I am hoping today it is up and running.

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

I got my final Chase rebate. My Credit Union now offers remote scanning of deposits, so I am going to try that out this weekend. This check will be my test.

Ugh! I am drowning in fiscal chores, it feels like.

**Got my new Target card & ordered one for dh. I just put him as an authorized user, since it seemed easier. (We usually own all our cards jointly).

I couldn't add him until my card arrived, which I thought was kind of a pain. (I've always just applied for a joint card).

**My boss gave us the distribution forms for our profit sharing plan. He announced January that he was closing the plan - lord knows what took so long. I opened an IRA in Feb or March and have been waiting to roll it over.

I got to update my net worth by $1k (current year returns) - I presume it's been sitting in cash for quite a while, while getting the paperwork ready, etc.

The rollover into my IRA should be rather easy. But, now I have to figure out how to invest it. Doubling the retirement funds in our control will give me considerably more leeway to diversify (more funds, etc.). On the flip side, it is a lot more to manage. I haven't had control of this money before, so now I have to consider putting all the high return stuff in the ROTHs and the lower return stuff in the regular IRA. I will probably just stick it somewhere simple to begin with, and will think long and hard about our strategy. It's a lot of pressure, to suddenly double the retirement funds that I manage on my own, but without the fees in the profit sharing plan I think I can fare better for the long haul.

**Refinance? I think the odds are slim.

I have had mixed feelings on our mortgage broker, but don't want to go through the hassle for so little benefit, without knowing it is going to be an easy process with no B.S. So, I only want to refi with this guy.

Our broker was hard to reach. He was playing conservative (partly probably because he was just SWAMPED). He really didn't think it made sense for us to refi, and I tried to convince him otherwise.

Reverse psychology- genius, eh?

Sounds funny, but we quickly figured out our disconnect. I presume we will stay in this house forever. We've already been here a decade. (I also presume we will pay off the house in about 15 years' time, anyway. Maybe faster when dh returns to work).

For him, the presumption is everyone moves every 5 years, anyway. So he asked me point blank, "How long are you planning to stay in this house?" My reply? Forever!

He then conceded that it might make sense. IT would shave 3 years off the loan, afterall, if we stayed to the bitter end. Which is why I think it's a bit of a no brainer.

He then told me that he couldn't get the rate lock for long enough because it's so crazy. So, to just call him if rates drop slightly.

He was talking 4.25%/no points, but with the forever factor, I think I rather go 4% and pay a point. BUT, I since ran the numbers and the 4.25% was "keep the same payment and shave 3 years off our current payoff time." The numbers say it is worthwhile, though I hesitate to go through the whole process to save just over 0.5%. But, I suppose it makes sense if we can get the rate lock. (If no rate lock - forget about it!)

This will be a case of if rates drop at all, we will probably go for it. If not, oh well. It's hard to cry about 4.875%.

Now I have to keep an eye on rates. I just printed out rates on Bankrate yesterday and will check it daily to see if it drops.

Psychologically, without the 4%, not sure I want to bother! I admit that part is psychological. 4%!!!!!!!

I suppose you all took our warm weather! It's been darn cold, and very sudden at that.

I usually get in a fall cleaning mood, so hopefully this is what I need. Felt more like spring (or summer), until today.

A few more days of this and we may cave with the heat. For now, it's still 70-ish inside (warmth leftover from the hot weekend). Just depends if it heats up again, outside, before the house gets too cold.

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

The kids still refuse to wear pants (only shorts!), but I did go through their drawers. Had a few donations from LM's drawers (outgrown clothes).

BM is out of jeans that don't look like flood pants. As soon as my new Target card arrives, we will go pant shopping there. (I think that's all he really needs though. Phew!)

To fill up the donation bag (to the brim), I went through my closet and threw a few things in. I haven't been strict with the "1 in/1 out" rules, but made up for it with this purge!

Some charity came by to pick up our donations today. It is so easy to stay de-cluttered with the curb service. I am so spoiled with that. (I don't care who it is - if they will take my crap from the curb - they can have it).

A toy purge is probably in order, before Christmas...

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

I got my new Fidelity Retirement Awards American Express.

For the most part I am very happy with them - good first impressions. (The cards arrived within a week of applying - how about that?)

I have avoided Am Ex for a LONG time feeling they weren't quite as convenient as Visa.

Of course, our local utilities do not take American Express. Kind of a pain, but we will survive. (Extra pain, since the utilities are some of our bigger bills. All our small bills like netflix, gym, etc., will take it, but that's just $10/$20 per month versus the $160 in utilities I have to charge to my visa instead). Oh well!

I haven't found out for our cable/internet/phone provider, but that's another $150/month that will probably go to visa. Boo! (On the plus side, I haven't been charging it - I asked dh to get our online account set up so I could start charging it. It's a small/local company which is why I guess Visa will be our only option). For a bill like that, might as well get some cash back. Our Visa is 1% cash back.

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

Vacation plans are forming for next year. Sort of, I guess. It's so far away.

LM declared that he wanted to go to Legoland some time. I agreed we should probably go before the kids got too much older (it's for small kids, really). Dh said he had 2-for-1 coupons. Kids free with adults, or something like that. Expires end of next year. So, that is our loose plan. Maybe next October since the kids get a week off school.

MIL can get us a free place to stay. We will drive. We decided maybe we should skip Disney (been there the last 4 years in a row) and that maybe we should do Universal Studios or Magic Mountain instead. If it's just a few days, I don't expect it to be a very pricey vacation. (More like, dirt cheap!). Last time we did LegoLand, we did a week-long trip and 2 days at Disney - for $1000-ish. I can't help but feel this will be significantly cheaper. & really, $1k wasn't bad.

I've never been to the Grand Canyon, and we have talked about driving through Vegas quickly (showing the kids some of the sights on the strip - but not a place to hang around long with small kids - a drive by would probably do for now). So, we may think about camping and/or making a bit of a road trip of it.

10 Things 529 Providers Won't Tell You

http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/rip-offs/10-things-529-pr...

Hmmmm, and I can't help but feel this list is incomplete. I read recently that 529 plans were very restrictive in how much often you can buy/sell funds within the plan. (I do not know if this applies to ALL 529 plans, but the article I read seemed to hint that it did).

I recently said in the forums, that to point out the flaws of 529 plans used to be "blasphame," but lately, there is more media about the downsides.

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

Not to say 529 plans don't have their place. I just think they generally have their place with wealth planning and higher net worth individuals.

I don't think the average person understands all the pitfalls, that is for sure. So I like seeing more of these articles.

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

BTW, #4 is just plain stupid. Something like, "Save $100k and lose $5k of financial aid." Do you need $5k of financial aid if you saved up $100k for college?

But, I think #4 pointed out some other good things that most people don't understand about financial aid considerations.

We refinanced 2 years ago (to 4.875%), because we were not sure we would have enough equity to refi later. Plus, not a fan of ignoring rock bottom rates for the "possibility" they will drop further.

I talked to our mortgage broker recently and he said he was keeping an eye out for me. I was kind of rolling my eyes, thinking, "yeah right." Like it will really be worth it to refi. I thought he may turn into a pushy salesman.

But, now I am starting to appreciate it. Because, I haven't heard anything from him. (So he isn't being overly pushy, obviously).

Over the weekend we got an offer for 3.99% (that a 30 year loan!) from Quicken.

I ran the numbers out of curiosity. Even if we borrowed the closing costs, we are looking at a monthly payment of $999. O.M.G. (I was freaking out during our last refi to $1100/month, because that was cheaper than renting a studio condo when I Was 18 - admittedly a more expensive area. But, you know, to me that just seems insanely cheap for a mortgage, considering what we looked at a decade ago as far as rent or condo ownership).

I told dh, "Rates will NEVER be lower." He said, "I've heard that before." (Yes - he has - twice already).

I will pass this one up. I know that we would have to pay a higher rate to opt out of escrow, and I don't want to deal with an online company like this. The reviews are mixed.

We went with a broker last round, and it was the most pleasant refi experience we have ever had (compared to some horrendous ones).

But, I will probably e-mail our broker guy and ask him if he can get us 3.99%. I presume no (not in a low cost way) since he hasn't called us. But, doesn't hurt to put the bug in his ear.

Selling point? Initially, we'd pay off the loan a little faster. ($300/month to principal versus current $285?). This time I would just keep paying the old payments, so we'd be paying down $400/month to start. The breakeven seems lightning fast. That's the final selling point for me. Guess that happens when you get so low in the interest rate.

I think it's almost impossible to pass up rates below 4%. It's insane.

I know I could more easily get a rate that low with a 15-year mortgage, but we just aren't there. In a couple of years? Maybe. But with just my income, now? Sticking with the 30 years. OF course, last time we had a 15-year loan, it was in the realm of 7%. !!! (2000 or 2001). You can see why a 30-year at 3.99% might be more appealing. Low rates AND a longer term, both? Sweet.

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

I think people's reactions to our constant refinancing are kind of funny. PArticularly in the area we live in. People equate "refi" with "cash out."

I personally equate "refi" with "making it easier to pay off our home SOONER!!!!!" We generally don't even borrow the closing costs. Only considering the last couple of times, and paying points, because the rates were so lucrative.

IF we had just waited, would have been even better, but I didn't have my crystal ball. I don't regret any refis we have ever done.

This refi would put us well on track to pay off in 25 years. Which may be 3 years behind original purchase pay off, but we would be paying $500/month less than original loan payments (for decades).

I won't hold my breath, but am looking into it.

**I was annoyed when dh seemed to write off my old laptop, and then the second I replaced it, he wiped the thing clean and set it up with some kid friendly installation. (Was trying Linux or whatever that free operating system is). HE set it up with passwords and child controls, so the kids could do some of their online stuff.

I was annoyed because he could have just fixed it for ME!

But, it has turned out useful since BM's teacher bought some software program - he can do all the math stuff online from home.

So, I was annoyed, but I suppose it works. I have come to much prefer the netbook for my own purposes.

Anyway, I attended a seminar that focused on free and inexpensive computer gadgets, internet resources, etc. Today, I was setting up the kids for their spanish class website, and both kids wanted to use the computer.

We do have the "oldest hand-me-down" in my *office* at the top of the stairs (since taken over by the kids). Our hand-me-down system is thrown off since one of our newer computers bit the dust 2-3 years ago. No plans to replace another any time soon. The old one isn't even functional at this point - though it sits there. I suppose its non-function is why dh got the laptop all set up for them.

At the seminar, speaker mentions good refurbished computers on Overstock.com - $250 price range. That perked up my ears. I'd buy one today to get that set up back up and running.

I was trying to convince dh, and finally said, "Anything is better than what we have up there!" He just wasn't very gung ho on going cheap.

So, he's up there wiping it clean and re-installing everything. Who knew I'd just have to threaten to spend some money, for him to fix what we already have?

The computer is 8 years old - darn it - we can get a few more years out of it.

I was reminded yesterday that with the Target card, Target will donate 1% to the school of our choice. (I don't expect it to add up to much - but every penny helps!)

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

It's been a weekend on the more relaxing side. Phew!

Dh had planned to do some location scouting for a film project he is working on. (Wanted to take pictures of the family cabin and a nearby lake and waterfall). He was going to run up there during the week, and I said, "Um, why don't we all go?" Hello? A hike would be nice. I have never seen this waterfall though I have heard about it.

Unfortunately, today is rain rain rain. So I suppose we will postpone.

We'd also been wanting to go to the Aerospace museum, but will get far more money's worth on a clear day (lots of outside exhibits and a cool playground).

So this weekend is full of cooking, working out, napping, board games, etc.

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

We had a soccer game yesterday and it was downright warm outside. It was nice to bask in the sun a bit and wear our flip flops. The house was getting on the warm side yesterday. Heat is NOT on the horizon. Usually the *challenge* begins, for us, around Halloween and if we are lucky (or tough) we can make it to Thanksgiving without running the heat. But, it's November 7 and the house has yet to drop below 70F degrees.

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

AS far as 2011?

With our tax refund (due to large medical expenses), it looks like we may hit $25k cash by year-end. (I've been spinning my wheels around $20k-ish for most of the last 2 years - building up cash being my primary goal = and putting LOTS of cash to this goal).

I hesitate to speak it, because the last 18 months or so have been rife with emergencies and surprises.

But, I can also be optimistic.

The $25k breaks down as follows:

$5k cash efund
$10k cash ROTH efund (for catastrophe)
$3k medical deductible (will be spent, unfortunately)
$7k mid-term cash savings (replacement vehicles and home maintenance, primarily)
----------------------
$25k Total

(My goal was $30k, but I officially give up! A loss in retirement benefits means I have to shift priorities away from cash and towards retirement. Which is primarily why I give up altogether. I'd prefer more emergency funds considering the economy, etc.).

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

I don't have enough info to finalize any plans, but am tweaking the numbers and thinking I can make it work for 2011:

**Assume no raise
**Assume + $100/month to health insurance
**$1100/month to short-term savings
**$400/month to mid-term savings (cash)
**$600/month to ROTHS (10% gross income)
**Overtime to fund medical deductible for 2012

That's the plan!

When LM was done with preschool, I Changed our short-term cash contributions from $1k to $1200 per month. However, our property taxes and insurances have been decreasing, so I think it is reasonable (though tight) to go with $1100/month. This is for every expense, all year, no matter how big or small, that is just one-time or random.

This way, I can squeeze 10% to retirement, out of the budget. We only went with about 5% this year, with all the events of this year (medical bills and 10% cut in compensation).

I am pleased that I Was still able to get cash to a comfortable level. It's really more cash than we've had since having 2 kids, and it was a hell of a year to make said goal.

I also have a backup plan for 2011. Dh will probably work a bit to help build up cash further, max out the ROTHs, and start paying the mortgage down faster. I really don't need that much to make these goals - a few thousand dollars a year would be a huge help as far as maxing out the ROTHs and having extra for the mortgage.

**Our home insurance premium went down 15%. It's back to where it was in 2006.

I didn't notice at first. When I got it I thought, "Hmmm, it didn't go up!" But then I looked in Quicken and saw it was significantly lower than last year. So I looked at the last few years to see the last time it was this low.

Between that and getting a surprise of being grandfathered into some old flood insurance premium, I saved about $1200 in insurance this year that I certainly was not expecting! Woohoo.

**I just have to get through this month with no giant surprise bills. Since everything we charge in December is paid in January, I can push off any December surprises to next year!

**All in all, the numbers look pretty good for 2010. Especially considering the expensive year we have had. I felt like my financial luck had turned a corner, about a month ago. With all this medical hoo ha, not sure I still feel that way. But the home insurance bill is a step in the right direction (surprise good news versus surprise big bills).

**A few people have told me I should have surgery this year because of the deductible. Honestly, not sure it really matters. (& it doesn't seem to be moving along quite that speedily. In fact, I may have a heart attack if I have to have surgery end of December - busiest time at work. They will give the time if I need it, but I think my stress level will be better come January. Early December is fine, but probably not in the cards).

For now, depends on what they do to our plan. If it stays put with the $3k deductible, I already have a good idea that we are using the deductible for dh's MRIs next year. Plus, it gives us another year to seriously consider radiation for dh, without freaking out about the cost. For this year, we still have out-of-pockets to run through, and I get the feeling surgery won't be as cheap as the services we have been using this year post-deductible. They can still bill us another $3k for 2010.

So, really, the surgery will make no difference - will just get billed earlier in the year if I have surgery early 2011. (Dh's first MRI wasn't until May which bought us more time to save up for it). Then again, sometimes it takes the hospital years to bill us. But dh's surgery? The bill was in the mail when we got home from the hospital! Not crossing my fingers for slow billing.

What I am worried about is what they will do to our health plan, for 2011. I will find out in a couple of weeks, and will beg for a 2010 surgery date if it will save us a significant amount of money. But, if no changes? Not really a big difference. Any way you slice it, we will have a few medical bills and will run through our deductible in 2011, either way. IT may make sense to use our deductible for surgery next year, and then pay for all the low cost things like MRIs, post deductible. I'll have to find out the co pay for surgery, this year, to make an informed decision.