A trip to Denver ($100+taxes - for roundtrip) looks pretty tempting about now:

http://luv.southwest.com/servlet/cc6?kOHpjQSRCBQTVlgLOlhgxPh...

Would be an opportunity for LM to meet Great-Grandma.

We had such a lovely trip last time - just BM and I.

Just concerned about visiting in the weather. I only go up to the snow on sunny/clear days. Wouldn't have a clue how to drive on ice/snow. & I can't predict the weather!

Though I could finagle a day off work, I can't afford to get snowed in, either... (Has happened before - buried under a few feet of snow).

But, I thought I'd share the deals.

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ETA: We briefly considered it, but decided we have no snow clothing/winter clothing to speak of. & we are cold whimps, and it just doesn't make much sense. Thinking we may road trip to visit Grandma next summer though. Or maybe another deal like this will materialize next summer. Will see!

Weekend was productive.

Cleaning progress was made, and the dryer vents were cleaned.

Though I could probably do a once over in every room - to get them all sparkling top to bottom, they probably look better than they have in years. (TIME is key here. Time is not something I've had much luxury of since having babies!). Time and motivation - not sure where the motivation materialized from. But for a quiet week to myself - it really kickstarted me. Maybe I should kick the family out of the house for a week, every year!

Anyway, besides time, it helps to have more helping hands around (the kids). With little time and more money, I have rebeled against much "DIY" in recent years. But, I do realize my willingness to get my hands dirty has more to do with time than anything. That's my conclusion as I take on more projects I had intended to hire out. (I still rather get things done *right,* and not do things I hate with a passion - like yardwork. But I find myself taking on more, all the same, with more time).

November projects include touch up painting, and bathroom repairs (resealing tubs & sinks). Maybe some tree pruning and removal. Dh has a wall to repair. I am feeling motivated on long put off projects. But if these are done, the house will be rather beautified for it's 8th birtday.

Next year, we may make progress on the outside (fresh paint and a new fence - on our To-Do list. Though I would label us as the types to put this stuff off, in the end, what do I know? Will likely be the first in the neighborhood. A major reason we have delayed is hoping to get painter recommendations from neighbors. But everyone is too broke to maintain their house, it seems. We were also the first to put in our yard, so I guess I under-estimate ourselves in some regard. Though literally, I can't believe it if we are the first to paint our house. Just sad, since some homes are looking so shabby. Our light colored paint has held up better than a lot of the others).

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Yesterday we went to the pumpkin patch. We had Southern weather. Everyone was in their tank tops - it was WARM! It was rather surreal.

Still crazy warm weather here. Usually around now I struggle to keep the heat off. Instead, we have struggled to keep the AC off. Literally.

& yes, I Was buying fleece just a couple of weeks ago because we had a chilly night or two. Hasn't gotten much use!

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That's the long and the short of it, from my corner of the world.

I think November will be about projects around the house!

I am also considering trying to get dh on board with a no-spend November. We've just been spending too much, lately. Staying home and working on the house, may be productive. But if I could talk him into not purchasing anything for a month (besides groceries/fuel), well, I think that would be helpful. Though, certainly a challenge. I think November is a good month because we bought a lot of toys the last few months. We should be able to do it. Heck - I'd like to start this no-spend thing, tomorrow! (Speaking of time - I had too much time to shop while the family was gone. That was the downside. The busier I am, the less money I spend).

Crisis Averted!

No - it wasn't a crisis. We have already decided, for various reasons, to keep our current HDTV up in our bedroom. & to replace our main TV with a HD Plasma, next year. Prices have come down so much, if nothing else.

Dh has wanted our main TV to be a HDTV for over a decade, for sure. There is certainly nothing rash about a Plasma purchase. I'd say he has been pretty patient. Just that we didn't trust the one we bought in 2007 around the kids. So we put it in our bedroom "temporarily." Dh has since become aware of its "flaws." & at the same time, it won't cost much more to replace our main TV, then it would to buy a smaller HDTV for upstairs, which he had also intended. I prefer it upstairs because I am "blind" and like to watch TV before bed. I don't watch as much TV in the main room and usually have my glasses on otherwise. I see no flaws on the HDTV. Dh is pretty particular.

So, anyway. We ended up buying that TV though simply because it came on sale at about 75% off. Dh actually thought it was a misprint, and went to check it out. Came home with a giant TV!! That one is not a plasma.

I admit it looks very silly in our bedroom (all 50 inches or so), but keeps us happy. & like I said, keeps it safe from the kids!!!

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So, today started out the same. Some insane/impossible deal in a 50-inch Plasma. ($849?).

I figured it was 50/50 dh would come home with it.

In the end it was last year's model (not surprising) and didn't have some of the internet features touted with the new one. Dh decided to pass since he couldn't really find any reviews on it. (He saw a few good ones, and no bad ones, but wasn't 100% convinced, but for the savings. Losing some of the features touted, unsweetened the deal).

So, no TV today.

The only reason I share is because our non-frugal friends will never understand us. For one, they imagine we pay full price for everything, and then assume that since dh is patiently waiting for a DECADE for a deal too good to pass up, that appearance-wise, our friends tend to think we wake up and randomly decide to buy electronics. !!

I mean, last time, our friends thought we just woke up and decided to buy a $3k TV. (Well, we paid $1k, and only bought it because we had wanted on for many years and never seen such a good sale).

This purchase would have been the same. Like we just woke up and decided to spend $2k on a TV. ??? I don't think so!!

So for now, we avoid dropped jaws and whisperings behind our back. Not that we care, but just a common reaction we get to our purchases.

I didn't think much of it to point out that the vehicle we bought in 2006 was paid for in cash. (Only brought up because someone at work asked about the financing or something - the dropped jaws threw me off). Of course, with time I realized everyone thought I went out and brought a brand new vehicle. Whereas the one I bought was one-year-old and 50% of the cost of new. & everyone kept asking me if it had leather and automatic doors. Oh yes - and Stow & Go. Huh? Well, no, I couldn't have paid cash for all that!!!

Not to mention that I bought a real beater to drive while we saved up the cash for a minivan. Was a purchase 3 years in the making.

It's all kind of the same, and I know you cash-paying-frugies can relate!

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Today's shopping doings:

1 - Dh is going to try to get a price match on our netbook. Another store offered a lower price today. We won't return it though due to restocking fee - would cancel out deal. Too bad - other computer is a little better (more power) and my favorite color. But we spent so much time setting this one up already. Not sure if price match will be honored, but never hurts to ask. (Not sure since it is a slightly different model, etc.).

ETA: Price Match - scored!!!

2 - Target has board games on sale for $9. Will stock up on a few for Christmas. (Battleship, Twister, etc.)

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Frugal Backfire of the day.

To be fair, BM has been reading for many years. BUT, we bought a Jenga game for pennies at a garage sale. It was "adult jenga" but the kids couldn't particularly read, so who cares, right? (Oh - I think it was Truth or Dare Jenga!). BM has only been really reading sentences or phrases for a year - we bought this before then.

Anyway, today the kids got it out and BM started to take an interest in reading them. LOL.

I told dh to see if there was a Jenga at Target too. I think the old one will disappear now. It's completely over the kids' heads, so the whole thing was pretty funny. But yeah, time to replace it with a more kid appropriate version - like plain old Jenga!

**Friday night we dropped off BM at school for a "Parent's Night Out." Was a fundraiser for the 5th graders specifically, but I was impressed at the idea (seemed like an easier way to make money than last years' fundraisers). Anyway, BM REALLY wanted to go, so we said, whatever. $20 for 3 hours.

We ended up eating at home, ourselves, and taking LM to Chuck E Cheese. It was crowded as expected, but *too* bad. LM had some fun. We have tokens leftover from birthdays AND MIL brought us coupons for 40 free tokens. In the end, not too pricey of a night.

**We saw a Colombo bakery outlet on our way home Friday night. Chalk that one up to FOUR outlets in our city. (I peeked online but looks like it possibly closed quite a few years ago. I wouldn't check it out anyway because I am bakery'd out!)

**Yesterday I went to aerobics in the a.m. and got to the Entemann's Outlet when they opened. That is a good in strategy! The place was well stocked. I checked out the "free" bin and it had plain wheat bread.

There were piles of empty shelves when we went last Sunday. Yesterday they were FILLED with SanwichThins - costco sized ones at that. Wow - those things must be popular! (Those shelves cleared out quickly last weekend).

I picked up a large bag of SanwichThins, some of the donuts for the kids,& pita bread for dh. I grabbed some crackers since I knew the regular bread would be free then (Or I'd pay for the bread and then get free, something I would never use). The crackers were rather expensive, but divine.

I almost fell over when I looked at the ingredients on the bread. Wheat and flour? I mean, literally like less than 10 ingredients.

I told dh that I hope the store stays open - we are getting spoiled by the high quality food.

I slit the big bag of SanwichThins and gave them to our parents. They hadn't heard of them. Was my plan - but not sure if they would like them. Well, they did!

**I baked the rest of the cookie dough yesterday, and saladed the rest of the eggs. I ended up taking out the bacon and adding vinegar. I liked it better.

**Yesterday we had our Windows 7 party. We did the party to get a free copy of Windows 7.

We had some crazy Round Table coupons (like $5 off one pizza - we have been getting tons of those) so got some pizza. My mom slipped me some cash for the pizza anyway, so we were spoilt.

We showed off Windows 7, and my new Netbook, to the techies at the party. Spent the rest of the day chatting and playing cards.

Our parents came, so doubled as a nice day with them.

With all the bodies, my mom who is sensitive to heat, asked us to turn on the air. Not sure I would count it except that it was getting pretty darn warm (78). So we ended up turning on the air for a couple hours.

I think I can confidently say that is a record - running the AC on Oct. 24? Yeesh! Not normal!

**I asked my folks if they had a lint brush I could borrow. They said no, but I asked my dad for a lesson on cleaning the dryer vents (something I had been meaning to do). Will be my chore for today. Pretty self explanatory, but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. They improvise with the vacuum cleaner, which is a good idea (long attachments). Not surprised at all that they would improvise rather than have a lint brush! But talking to them saved me some money in that area.

It's a good reminder to clean all your appliances. When our fridge gave us issue last year, turns out we just needed to clean the coils or something like that..

I may bug dh about that - that it's time to clean the fridge.

**Since we picked up a bit for the party - I'd say the whole house is clean, but for the kids' rooms and bathroom. Today we will hit those rooms. I don't have much to do but to scrub their countertops in the bath, and to scrub their teeny-tiny floor around the toilet. (The rest of the bath is carpeted - don't ask me why. We had to ask not to have carpet by the tubs. Seemed like a bad idea!) But does mean I have little to scrub. Just the little square around the toilet/tub. Dh has shower duty since I cleaned the WHOLE HOUSE while they were gone. I often ask him to clean the shower - it's just the thing I hate the most. I don't mind any other chores, so work for us...

If we accomplish that today, I could say the whole house is clean!!! Only accomplished because the fam was gone a week. & well, it will last all of 5 minutes, of course. Why I rarely make that a goal!

I even cleaned out dh's car the other day, so we are on a clean record. It needed some major vacuuming. My vehicle was detailed recently, when it was repaired, so I got off easy.

House and cars, clean!!??!!

As usual, just trying to keep up with it, going forward. Will probably fail, but will at least try. I did enjoy having little to do to get ready for this party.

& in November I would like to take some time to detail each room (clean window sills and baseboards. Touch up paint, etc. All NEEDED!). Yeah - that's my November goal.

So yes, a few chores for today, but will take it easy otherwise.

**Work is slowing down quite a bit. In November/December I have quite a lot of holidays, vacation days, and days off for education/seminars, etc. It's always a tough adjustment to go from the slow end of year to the crazy tax season. Crazy begins in late December, so I always enjoy the calm before the storm. I'll only be in the office 3-4 days a week for most of November/December. Which is fine because there isn't a lot to do!

Fiber optic internet has been useful. I downloaded Quicken to my new Netbook today. It turns out I needed to remember my Quicken login, and it took a while to track it down. But, phew, I did.

Anyway, I asked dh how long it would take to download (quoted something like 20 minutes DSL/10 minutes cable). Before dh could answer it was done. Um, ONE SECOND? Sweet!

Um, so it is like 1000 times faster than DSL??? (I've downloaded some small things since the switch, but nothing like this).

I spent the evening setting up my skype account and testing it out. Quicken was a breeze to set up. Phew!!!

I never felt comfortable keeping all my financial data on my laptop so I have the data stored elsewhere. Perfect in this case, since the Netbook is so small and portable. Don't worry - I won't cart around all my financial data with it!

ETA: Dh checked the specs on my laptop, and this machine is slightly better. Hard to imagine something so small can be more powerful.

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In other news, I couldn't tell you how much these cost in the stores because mine were free.

But, oh my, did I mention how yummy the Oroweat Sandwichthins are? & no I am not a health nut, so the health nuts can pick it apart. I grabbed them because I thought they almost looked like panini. I didn't expect them to be so good!

http://www.sandwichthins.com/

We got the multi-grain one.

I did eat one with my egg salad recipe. I think I have been eating them completely plain otherwise. Haven't even tried toasting it yet. Because they taste so good! I am sure they would be great with many food stuffs. Dh was going to whip up some hummus for the weekend - these will be perfect with it.

If we had seen this first though...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=895D870B0...

Just a PC, monitor, laptop, netbook, & wireless router, for $1199!

(We have monitors from the 80s/90s, and a PC - from the 90s as well - that's on its last legs. Talk about tempting!)

We did discuss the deal for quite a while today. Dh sent me the link, kind of as a joke. But he hadn't noticed the monitor was included too. He could have talked me into it. We would have returned the netbook I bought today - which would have made it a $800 deal for the rest.

BUT, not really necessary.

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Anyway, ended up with a Toshiba Netbook. ALMOST went with Asus. If the Asus was in stock, would have gone with it because it was cheaper (& prettier). BUT heard REALLY bad things about the power supply, so decided to go with the in-stock Toshiba. We went test driving them last night, and we both really liked the Toshiba in the end. Good reviews backed it up. Dh bought it today since Windows 7 rolled out today.

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I tested it out at lunch today, briefly. So far I REALLY like it.

To be honest, my laptop needs replacing. I am a laptop girl - love having the portability around the house, etc. BUT, the idea of buying another laptop has been hard to swallow.

We bought a pretty nice laptop in 2005 because dh envisioned using it more. So I am not thrilled with buying another one, just 4 years later. But it is on its last legs. Though we agreed to get a more low level laptop next round.

Anyway, I like the lower cost of the netbook. & it is fitting considering I do little more than internet on it. & the lighweight and size is pretty cool.

Talk about a bit of an impulse purchase though. VERY unlike us. All I can say is happy birthday to me.

Truth is, I just didn't feel we had the money to spend on it right now (though laptop has been pretty bad for quite a few months). So when the money arrived, I was a little impatient.

Dh is also always hogging up the big purchases. Glad I got a turn!

I don't think I mentioned - my parents took me to lunch last weekend, and the place was by my dad's workplace, and apparently by their "Day Old Bread Store."

So we stopped by the bread store, while in the area, and with his job in limbo they mourned the loss of the place. It is a good 20-30 minutes drive, not necessarily worth the cost savings, going forward.

It's actually an Entemanns'-Oroweat Outlet, but as we piled the donuts and bread high, for pennies, I decided to check and see what is available in our area. I mean, I have seen my dad bring home bags and bread, and I have been amazed by the low cost. But actually being there, spurred me to action. (Plus, I also realize they won't give me tons of free bread, like they have been, with his job situation. Seems like every time I am there they hand me a bag of dinner rolls, etc.).

I looked, and we also have an Entemann's-Oroweat outlet. In fact, it is right on the way to my aerobics class (though otherwise out of the way). AND it has decent hours, that would work around my aerobics class. !!

I hadn't checked it out yet, and wasn't sure of the hours, but today I took the kids out to the south side of town. I remembered the outlet had been over there, so I called dh to ask for the address. I knew it was on a major road and could find it (otherwise, wasn't prepared at all - didn't have the GPS, etc.). He told me there was none in Sacramento and we got rather frustrated with each other. (I had recalled the wrong street - it ended up being on a more convenient street).

I ended up calling my dad and having him look it up. He gave me the phone # and address. So I made sure it was open, and we drove by after our morning at the park.

It was REALLY tiny from the outside, but then I walked inside... Oh my! It was tiny, but they had so many different groceries in there. I was totally amazed. They even had my Good Earth tea that I am now addicted to.

So, I scored:

*2 boxes of tea - $5.98

*1.5 pounds sliced sourdough - $1.49

*1 bag of multi-grain/fancy wheat bread - $1.49.

*1 Box of mini-donuts (popettes) - $1.99

*2 Bags of Oroweat SandwichThins, multi-grain - FREE (& oh my gosh, these tasted far better than I expected. Yum! They won't last long - the family likes them too).

These were free because I spent $10. Easy to do with the Tea purchase.

Plus, they have a punch card system where you earn free items.

Other things available were various spices, honey, jam, tortillas, premade soups, premade mixes, etc., etc. + all the bread and donuts. Lots of junk though, which I tried not to look at.

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Anyway, if you look them up, their "store locator" isn't working. I'd just google "Entenmann's outlet," and your city or state. Or google bread outlets, etc. I couldn't find any others in our area.

For us, I wasn't so sure on all the prices of everything, what we usually pay, so I intend to take dh there sometime, and/or start stopping by there every week for bread, and whatever else we need. If we need anything, I could always call him to verify it's a good price.

It will be interesting to see how the cost savings adds up. Though it will be a fine line of not over-eating bread because it's cheap. Or stocking up on cheap donuts, etc. We will have to see.

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As an aside, I was looking for an egg salad with capers. I found this and think it might be good with all the bread I just bought:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Bacon--n--Egg-Salad-Sandw...

Capers and bacon? Hard to go wrong? Looks delish.

ETA: Turned out good. Too much mayo/mustard (hard to imagine - I usually like a lot) so I will scale it down on the next batch.

(I've got all these eggs because I picked up 18 on sale for $1.99. Thing is dh had also picked up 18 for sale, and I didn't realize. I will get through them all with the cookies and egg salad, this weekend. I shared a dozen eggs with my parents, last couple of weeks when I was alone).

Dh tried a couple of recipes with capers, at my request, that were divine. But he hasn't really made any since. I am glad to see the capers last "forever." Not sure why I hadn't thought to add them to eggs before - sounds like a good combo.

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Cookies I am making:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Impossible-Peanut-Butter-Cookies-1...

We add mini-chocolate chips. So easy and good - the kids make these a lot. Just realized it had been a while.

& these chocolate chip cookies - love the cinnamon and oats - smells divine:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf26349473.tip.html

For the record, I am often lazy, I don't sift the flour, and I rarely dirty my mixer. Still tastes pretty darn good...

Ended up turning on the AC yesterday. The humidity is just killer - today it's 90% more humidity than usual. (Assuming normal is 0%). One word - Ugh!

It's not particularly warmer than usual here (but for the humidity). But our nights have been REALLY warm. It usually drops down 30 degrees overnight, which keeps the house temp rather steady in the 70s. Just as the house starts to cool off, the sun will come up, and it all kind of equalizes.

Instead, it didn't cool off outside, house just kept getting hotter, and I had to turn on the air!!

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Dh's car ended up needing $250 in brake work. No complaints here. First brake job - 105k miles. I expected it would cost more, but just replaced the front brake pads, for the most part. Dh's car continues to be the no/low repair winner. (knock on wood). I mean, that's the most work it has ever had.

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Yesterday, I cleaned house all day, which was much more frustrating with the family around. You see why I was so motivated while they were gone.

Dh was finagling with the computer, so I did more than I planned, plus did the dishes and a fair amount of cooking. I made a lot of backwards progress during the day.

For our Free copy of Windows, dh was never to get it up and running yesterday. He needs a new graphics card. Will probably spend $30. Not bad, but so much for free.

I made much more progress on the house, once I decided to send the kids outside to play. Phew.

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So yeah, I cleaned the kitchen. The kids picked up their toys, and I vacuumed the floor. They were REALLY slow and unmotivated, and out of frustration I finally remembered the whole "whatever is left on the floor goes in the trash" thing. The kids knew I meant it, and I should have told them that a while ago. Not sure why I hadn't thought of it. They finally finished picking up, and I sent them outside. I got much more done then.

I will save the rest of the upstairs for next weekend. Just too exhausted after yesterday.

I also left dh with a list of chores. It hadn't been my intention to do most of the cleaning myself, at all.

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I boiled some eggs yesterday, and am thinking of making an egg salad. I really don't have an egg salad recipe. But I will find one.

I made the kids squirmy wormies for lunch. It's just franks & beans, but we slice up the hot dogs in thin sliced and sautee them in oil first. They curl up and look very wormy that way. But it tastes divine (was a Taste of Home recipe).

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Squirmy-Wormy-Sandwiches

I actually double the sauce and added beans instead of doing sandwiches. BUT, served with toast and the kids ended up making sandwiches out of it. Funny, I forgot it was originally a sandwich recipe. The kids thought it was better on the toast.

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Even with the heat, it feels very fall-y here. Probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but I want to bake some cookies today. (I know, it will heat up the house).

I told the kids I would take them to the park.

Going for very frugal this weekend, that is for sure.

Since I don't have too much planned today, I hope to make progress on reading my book.

I haven't read a page since the fam returned.

The weather here is, ugh...

Big storm Tuesday.

Since then, it warmed up, but there is so much humidity in the air!!! (Our humidity is usually 0).

Skipping showers and wearing the same clothes multiple days, does not fly in this humidity. Times like this I am reminded why it's easier to conserve water when the humidity is 0. OF course, it's also more necessary.

I told dh all week they brought the Florida weather with them. So today I read that our storm was California's equivalent to a hurricane. (A small hurricane, but a hurricane all the same). Also, a lot of talk about how later in the season, a storm like this could easily cause devastating flooding. So, phew...

In the end, I am worried if I will flip on the AC in the middle of OCtober. !! House is about 76 right now, but with the humidity it just feels, blech. We usually set the house to 80 in the summer. But it's the sticky heat that we aren't accustomed to.

Will see how the day goes. Hot and 76 degrees at 7am, is not good. It's not particularly warm otherwise, just humid. The days have only been in the 60s/70s.

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In my last post I mentioned the demise of the freedom card.

So, how will I survive with $500 or so less in credit cards rewards, next year?

Very well, phew.

I have spent the last few years scrounging spare dimes, to build up my emergency fund. Through credit card rewards and 0% credit card arbitrage. As higher interest rates and credit card rewards dry up, there goes a fair amount of extra income.

The good thing is we are prepared. It was really helpful to build up our emergency fund, rather quickly. But for now, we can live without.

Dh is also making at least $1200/year through his ebay buying and selling, etc. So he is kind of picking up the slack, there.

It feels good to be prepared.

With all this mess, and recent credit card whoas, I have anticipated reduced rewards and replaced my credit card already.

Anyway, so yes, I have a replacement card. Plus my tried and true State Farm card. 1% rewards, no fees. As is my CU card, now. I assumed perhaps better customer service at CU. Will see. I like to always have 2 cards. It is not always that we have had cash rewards. I still feel lucky to have 1% back/no fees. Wasn't always a given.

This was all in preparation, of talks of annual fees and evaporating rewards. Though what pushed me to the edge was when my State Farm card really pissed me off when it took forever to remove a fraudulent charge. Chase did the same, but the $1 charge wasn't worth losing $750 in annual rewards. But the writing has been on the wall as far as rewards.

Anyway, this is why I stay tuned in to the financial community. Heads up like this (read comments):

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2009/10/chase-freedom-cr...

Talk that Chase no longer offers $250 redemptions for $200 in points. (Phew, I JUST redeemed my $250 last month. I was nervous I might not be able to).

Someone mentioned they now charge an annual fee, but that you can call a number to decline this "upgrade." (ETA: Oh yeah, to decline any credit card changes usually means you agree to cancel the card. Be careful with this option if you need the credit line!!!)

Interestingly, I never got any such notice. I wondered if I missed an e-mail or online notice, so I perused my online account. No notices. Nothing. I can still redeem $250. I read all my online disclosures and they were unchanged.

I will keep an eye on it. But either they let me retain my original benefits, or I am closing the account.

Part of me wonders if they profile their customers a bit and realize this, and that is why they let me be. My gut says I will be getting a notice in the mail any day though. They have a lot of customers.

Glad I am prepared.

My effective interest rate on purchases has been about 3%. It will settle to 1.5%-ish if I can no longer wait to $200 to redeem $250. I guess it depends on the annual fee and how it compared to the rewards we claim above 1%. If we still come out ahead, it will be worth keeping.

I've never had a problem closing cards and retaining a high credit score. But I usually keep my cards for a long time. These days, I have only had the Chase card like 3 years? If that? I do worry a bit about short term credit hit. Not that much, but a little. (Compounded by my credit card arbitrage last year - I had opened and closed 2 cards). This is another reason why I am glad to switch to a CU card. I assume I will have it for a long while! I believe my State Farm card is 6 years, and I may revert to using that one more too. I was thinking of canceling it just last year. When they pissed me off. Maybe it will be good to hold on. Maybe using it more will be a good thing to - so they don't just cancel it. (For now it's a "backup card" that I never use).

In the past I always hated closing cards I Was intent on closing, because they would BEG you to stay. Funny enough, no begging in the year 2008! OR 2009! I closed quite a few cards. I am kind of curious if they will have any interest in keeping me as a customer. If I can haggle at all, for better rewards. (Pre-2008, I certainly could). But, I can't say I won't delight in no longer giving Chase my business, either. It's been kind of "too good to pass up." Making 3% on all my purchases??? Better than my savings accounts. But as that era passes, I am happy to drop them like a hot potato. & I will take delight in it.

ETA: They are converting to plan vanilla 1% cash back. I just read the clarification. Not worth any fees, when I already get that everywhere else.

Charity pickup tomorrow. Yippee!

I am setting out 7 bags in the a.m.

That was easy!

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

Today, dh rescued a kitten. When talking to him, I of course said, "Awwwwww, I want to keep it!!!" Funny thing is he didn't resist too much. So I said, "Why do I get the feeling you are somehow open to the idea?" My cat-hating dh!?! Anyway, he said that he knew if he didn't get it out of the house by 5pm, that it would never leave. (If I saw it when I got home). LOL. So, I guess he is just open to reality.

I guess he REALLY loves me.

He did let me have a cat in the first place. We rescued an older declawed cat, which has REALLY spoiled him. She is really extremely well behaved, etc. He doesn't know how good we have it. But anyway, I have been a little spoiled to. The thought of a crazed kitten running around, I know is not my thing. But what sealed the deal was when I started thinking about costs of taking on a kitten. Phew. I don't remember the last time I took my cat to the vet, etc. & along the same lines, I didn't need to expose my cat to anything. She is a sheltered indoor cat and doesn't need much. BUT, bringing in another cat is another story. We have adopted kittens with deadly diseases, etc., when I Was a kid. So thinking about the best interests of my current cat, etc.

All this and I didn't even see it though! & all this ran through my head.

Anyway, dh lucked out. When he called, the first thing I did say was to give it a warm towel and take it to the shelter. Realistically I didn't really want a kitten. BUT, on the way home he passed a neighbor who fosters baby kittens. He stopped to chat with her hoping she may offer to take it. Of course she did. Phew! Though I don't think a baby kitten would take long to adopt out at a shelter. But she said it was only about 6 weeks, if that. Poor baby kitty!

I am proud of my dh for saving that kitty. If not for me, doubt he would have. He hates cats, what can I say? Easy enough to think someone else will take care of it...

On a side note, our cat always sleeps between us, and I would assume she just loves us both and likes the body heat. Wouldn't you know, the whole time dh was gone, she didn't sleep with me? She slept at the end of the bed, on dh's side, like she was waiting for him to come to return. I think she just gets a lot more attention from him any more. I, on the other hand, am insulted!

Yes, I do think the storm is over. Phew. Was pretty nasty.

Still warm. House is at 71. No heat needed. No sun, but it also didn't get any colder over night. So house temp has stayed rather steady. Usually it warms up a bit during the day and drops back to 70 in the colder nights. Major reason why is extreme energy efficiency in the house. Our parents & friends have been running their heat for weeks, in their older homes.

Yesterday I turned up the hot water heater a bit. I put a black mark where we had it set for summer. We average 6 Therms a month in the summer. I can't remember where I set it for winter, or fall, so I think I will mark the winter level once we find it again. Summer is marked. We go in between for spring and fall.

Chalk that one up to energy efficiency too. Funny thing is we LOVE our HOT showers. I think between the insulation and the hot garage, it just doesn't have to work very hard in summer. Plus, in summer we are probably happy with "lukewarm."

I also turned off the outside irrigation ahead of the storm. Seemed a good time to reset everything for our more wet fall/winter. In summer we were told to conserve water for drought, but both the HOA and the city were clear that unnatural emerald green lawns were still expected. But that we could only water every other day.

Talk about conflicting messages!

I decided to stick to my watering 2 times a day schedule, and stick to the days the city allowed. If they wanted to bother us we would ask them how to make our lawn look nicer not being able to water every day in 100+ temps.

(Our city is known for being huge water wasters. Our long term goal is to do desert landscaping in the backyard. Not allowed in the front yard, of course).

Anyway, the summer was a tad mild, which maybe helped. But the watering schedule really did well. The lawn stayed pretty green, and we used a lot less water than usual. Phew. We've only been watering 2 times a day for a couple of years. IT seems like a good strategy - and is allowed. WE are limited to 20 minutes a day or something.

Last fall I wrote down our fall/winter watering schedule, which was a huge help. I lowered the watering times and switched everything to water only one time a day. Kept it at 3 days a week or whatever it was for summer. I made sure to write down where everything was at for summer. I should have done all this sooner. I can never remember how we watered last year or where the hot water was set, etc. Hopefully this makes life easier.

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I ran by the store this morning and stocked up on tea. Good Earth Original - sweet and spicy. The one I mentioned yesterday.

Thankfully my friend told me to look in the Health Food aisle. Wasn't sure what that meant, but I found it easily enough.

I actually got the last 2 boxes - is a popular one.

Amazon cost 60 cents more per box, to buy in bulk. I may shop around a bit if I don't get sick of it. But looks like grocery store wins - will ask dh to keep an eye out for it on sale.

For soda - I had settled back onto the small cans (12 ounces?). More expensive, but I drink so much less that way. I've come full circle. Dh had talked me out of them because they were more expensive! I picked up some six-packs at Target for about $2.50 or so. "Ugh," I thought. So while at the store I checked just in case they were on sale. Full price there was more like $3.50. Suddenly $2.50 didn't seem so bad. I will keep an eye out. Though I do hope to wean off a bit with the tea as a replacement. A much cheaper habit, that is for sure.

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We will probably get dh's brakes checked this week. Not sure what to expect since at 100k+ miles they have never had any brake work done. BUT, we have had them checked many times. Always fine and dandy. (FORD, by the way. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a decent car. My pet peeve of late).

They felt *off* to me last week and so I talked dh into it, though he thinks I am crazy. Better safe than sorry. (I've lost my brakes before - he hasn't).

Interestingly, my brakes were grinding this morning. I think it is just from the rain/storm. They were fine once I got on my way. BUT, I was thinking it just figures. Our cars have settled on the same repair schedule. Though mine (DODGE) is at 70k miles. But obviously 70k miles isn't bad either, for no brake work. I can't complain if they both need brake work. Or new brakes altogether.

I think our driving habits are very different up here. Neither of us particularly drives in stop and go. No brake work since moving up here, though I always had brake work done in the Bay Area. Much more often!

I was going through our auto records a while back. As much as my car has pissed me off with it's issues, I realized my vehicle has had no mechanical issues (knock on wood). What it has had is a lot of electrical/computer issues. It makes me realize our tendency to buy stripped down/less featured models in our younger more broke years really paid off. When I smashed my van door the first thing I thought was, "Thank goodness that is not an electric door." Because of course everyone else I know has an electric door. My annoyance at the very idea ended up being more logical than I realized. All those fancy features just add up to one more thing that can break. I knew that, but as I now own a nicer vehicle with more features, I really feel the pain in the pocketbook.

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In financial news, Fidelity sent me a notice that they will start to charge low balance fees for funds under $2k.

I have a few funds I wanted to add a little to while the stock market it low. But it would really throw off my stock market allocation! So I haven't.

Anyway, if I contribute my November ROTH contribution to Fidelity, I will save $12. I guess that is good motivation to top that one off.

I rather the market go lower before I feel enticed to add to the others. Like other bloggers have mentioned, I expect the market to dip again too. Either that or I at least wanted to evaluate my cash position in December. Will see.

The house has warmed up because the storm has brought warmer nights. BUT, it was crazy outside today. IT seemed windier by our house, where there are many downed trees. I stopped by the store on the way home and could barely open the car door it was so windy. Yeesh! Just didn't seem quite so bad by my work, though the parking lot was littered with branches and there was standing water all along the roads.
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Looks like the fam spent a whopping $150 in Florida. I think I can jive with that. Not bad for a week at Disney. On the other side of the country. The $150 is pretty much just food. I should look up how much they spent last time. Probably about the same.

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I had some idea to replace my Pepsi habit with other habits. Like smoothies in summer and tea in winter.

Hasn't panned out so well. I fell off the wagon when my mom gave me a case of Dr. Pepper. My sister had left it when she visited. Dh told her no and I took it. Dh was wise!!!

Literally, that is when I fell off the soda wagon. I am back to a small amount every day, but I had quit rather cold turkey. *sigh* At least it's at a manageable level now.

Anyway, a friend gave me some of the most awesome tea. Some sort of sweet & spicy. Was naturally very sweet. I remember my idea to replace my soda habit. So, I will probably stock up on this tea. Much more healthy, anyway. This is the perfect thing to do it with.

I forget the brand, but will share later.

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With the weather turning colder, and the family returning, I went through all the kids' clothes. I didn't spend a lot of time on it. I think LM still fits most his clothes from last year. If not, I Can pull out larger sizes from the closet.

School starting SO EARLY was interesting. I know dh bought the kids shoes. Might have stocked up on socks and such. But too warm to think about fall clothing.

Anyway, so going through BM's closet, he had outgrown most his pants, yes. But MIL had bought him 3 pairs that fit (for school). Were way too big before, but now was glad to have them. He also had plenty of jeans that fit.

So, I ended up spending $25 for 2 pairs of pants at Kohls. Not the best deal ever, but I had a $10 off coupon. Dh mentioned that we look there. I started to say no, but remembered I had a return. So we found these pants on sale, and ran with it. We also stopped by Target where I grabbed a couple of things off the $4 rack for LM. Like to buy him something new once in a blue moon. Was remembering why I stopped shopping thrift - because I could get those and get use through 2 kids. But BM has outgrown those. Not I just buy those so LM has something new and cute, that I picked out. I got the kids some warm winter hats and mittens. AND, we perused the pants and found nothing on sale. Nothing really he could wear to school. Good call dh, good call. Kohls was the way to go. (& can you believe it? - all I bought was those pants!)

I stocked up on $4 sweatshirts at Hanes, last month, which he can wear to school, so he is totally set. HAsn't outgrown his jacket, or anything like that. Was an easy year!

If nothing else, I find with school starting extra early, Back to School shopping was WAY spread out. It was too hot to shop for fall clothing just a couple of weeks ago, even. Wasn't in the mood anyway.

As an aside, my boys do not fear cold. So when we went shopping I was bundled up in closed-toed shoes and a sweater. BM was wearing flip flops and shorts. LOL. I am sure we got some looks. But we were both comfortable. I was probably a little over dressed, and he a little under dressed. Ah, my crazy boys.

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I am completely exhausted since the fam has returned. Not near as productive! They exhaust me.

But they have been nice and have kept the house clean. My dining room still looks sparkling - they all unpacked the day they got home, etc. I wish I could say I have been so good.

Have any of you geeks out there heard about the Windows 7 launch party? Host your own Windows 7 party, and get a free copy of Windows 7?

Of course, my dh signed up. I keep forgetting to mention, but doesn't look too late.

http://houseparty.com/windows7

You know, all those annoying MLM sales parties you are invited to? Here's a way to get them back. Muahahaha.

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I don't expect to be very bloggy the next few days.

Tonight I am cleaning carpets and that's about all on my list.

Tomorrow, my family returns.

& well, work is a little crazed. Not normally a really busy time of year, but procrastination syndrome is rampant this year. I've got clients who won't return my calls - their taxes are due Thursday - Hello!!!!

Anyway, tomorrow my family returns REALLY late. Sunday will be back to my usual chaos.

Not sure if I am ready. But I know I will be happy to see them, all the same! Back to chaos! Good chaos, at least.

Weather Update: Man, it's warmed up.

I mentioned I went shopping crazy. Well, I walked into Target and all the workout clothing was on sale. Fleece sweats $6.49 or something like that. It's been cold, my hubby (heat for bed) is out of town, and there is fleece for $6. I am sold. I went *way* off my shopping list!

Anyway, so back to the weather. It was in the 100s just like 10 days ago. & then I heard on the weather with the record cold temps, the ski slopes at Tahoe are opening record early - this weekend. What happened to the record hot temps? & then I bundled up in my fleece, and woke up sweating. Today the house warmed up and I am back in my summer PJs. Weather can't make up it's mind. Wonder how that whole snow/ski thing is going to pan out. Unless I am unaware of an approaching cold front. It was only COLD for a couple of days.

Back to Target. I know, I know. Maybe I have been too harsh on Target. I have been boycotting their adult clothes, though for the kids I don't care. They are rough on the clothes, but they don't wear them long enough to matter. The stuff is cheaper than thrift - I buy all the kids' clothes there and at Hanes any more. But *I* want to buy something I can wear every days for years, if I like. & I have been noticing that anything I buy at Target doesn't pass muster. So I stopped buying clothes there. & have been spending a lot less on clothes in the end.

So when I saw the $6 fleece, I thought about it. I wondered if I wanted to spend $6 on something that might just fall apart. BUT, it turned out to be Hanes fleece. So I was sold. I guess maybe I should peruse Target sales a little more - they do have other brands. I wouldn't buy anything Target specific though, personally. But it was a good experience to remember there are other brands there. Some good ones.

& this is why I ended up getting some warmer/brighter workout clothing, for winter bike riding, at Target. Was a popular brand I saw in all the stores. Figured what the heck. Sales were good. Though still no luck with pants.

Fleece was cheap, and workout clothing I have been looking for, for a while. They hit my $10 price point - yay! Now I just hope the stuff lasts.

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I got distracted, but I got the final closet pictures. My biggest project of the week, perhaps.









I still have to go through a few things with dh.

Dh is always hiding kids' presents on top of that black dresser, under blankets and such. I had a novel idea to just move the stuff inside the dresser. Duh.

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Status:

**Master Bath is sparking, Master Closet and bedroom remain clean.

**Dining Room is still immaculate (no one to mess it up - hehe).

**Living Room is filled with about 8 Goodwill Bags

**Carpets have not been washed yet (maybe tomorrow or Saturday)

**Dishes clean, and new table clothe to brighten dining nook. (Not a lot of choices so I went white. Said machine washable. Will see! I have enjoyed it for the week anyway).

I did decide to not mess with the rest of the family room/kitchen. I'll let the fam recover this weekend, but they can help me clean it up another weekend. I don't need to clean the entire house by myself.

The same attitude about the kids' bathroom and rooms. Will be a team effort sometime after their return.

**The fridge is FULL of food. I used another 2-for-1 BK coupon today when my lunch plans changed (was going to come home and eat through leftovers). & I have lunch plans for tomorrow. We will be eating leftovers Sunday and Monday. But maybe it will go fast when the fam returns. Anyway, it was stupid to get 2 sandwiches when I am going out tomorrow. I had forgotten. I will have my second sandwich for dinner, since it won't last very long. My parents are taking me out for fondue Saturday, and well, the fridge will remain full as it is until the voracious eaters return.

I've barely eaten a sandwhich all week - I even have a loaf of bread left.

I bet the family will look forward to all the leftovers. Bet they miss the home cooking. The have been eating out all week.

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Today I jumped on the productive train again.

Worked all day, did dishes and laundry. Cooked a simple dinner. Went shopping for some more work pants (had to exchange - bought wrong size. I did try on other things, but luckily nothing fit well. I stuck to my exchange. IT always amazes me when I walk into a store 2 days later and it is filled with new stuff. EVIL). Finished up the last touches on the closet, made the kids' beds, put away clean sheets, lugged goodwill bags downstairs. Put out trash (trash got taken today, and I already filled our trash container back up).

Phew!

Caught up on internet, and still time to read.

Today was my last crazy busy day. I am going to unwind my last couple of days of "freedom." Only things left on my "To Do List" are to clean carpets, and pick up my family from the airport!

I've been keeping pretty darn busy.

Updated Quicken. Hadn't paid attention to the stock market this week. Yeesh. Hot hot hot.

My retirement and savings is doing well. Checking, not so much. I have no idea what kind of spending dh will be doing this week. The trip is "paid for," but you know how that goes. Food adds up and so on. I see about $100 of charges on the card thus far. Will see when all is said and done. Will come from savings, since there is nowhere else for it to come from.

There is family drama, of course. I think dh is going a little batty. I am extra glad I sat this one out. Though no doubt the financial side will drive me batty. I don't enjoy being forced into a trip I don't want to go on, or being stuck with bills to appease my MIL. I would GLADLY pay our own way if I had any time to prepare. We had talked about going next year, before all this. Before MIL stomped her feet and demanded we all go this year. Anyway, all I can think of is the serenity prayer. & glad they went without me this year, anyway. Guess it will be MUCH cheaper in the end. & better for my sanity.

I think part of the thing is they are ALL sharing a hotel room (suite) too. I would just go nuts, personally. We all went to Hawaii, but we all had our own rooms on different floors, and our own cars, etc. Well, we had less kids to drive around, so no one was stranded if one person took one car. Sounds like the car situation is driving dh nuts.

Though I did have a nice chat with dh tonight. He broke away from the pack to spend some time with his grandfather. The reason is he is working on personal documentaries for our parents. (Would for the grandparents, but with all their friends and relatives mostly passed, it's not as easy. With my dad's sudden health whoas, he decided to get started on our parents' videos. As their friends have been starting to pass on, etc. Time is a ticking).

Anyway, I had a nice chat with dh on his apparently "long" drive over. & a nice chat on his way back to the hotel. Though he did some filming, in the end he just had a nice time with his East Coast relatives. Said they chatted for hours. I think he appreciated the break from the rest of his immediate family too. The rest of his family seems to have little interest in spending time with their relatives. Which I guess was REALLY pissing dh off today. Because if nothing else, he has some videos to do. So I think in the end he got something special out of the trip. Something special that the rest might miss!

I guess it's the bane of living in Florida. Remind me not to retire in a touristy spot like that, if I ever want quality time with my family.

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Anyway, in other news, I went shopping and spent too much money. Too much retail therapy!

I feel like we should just hole up inside the rest of October and November. & not spend any money. I think it's doable.

It's been a little jekyl and hyde. I feel like I am spending more than I should. That we are spending more than we should. Though we saved more money than we have in years. But I don't think the savings excuses the spending. Was okay for summer, but I could go for a no-spend quarter about now. We will work on keeping October and November rather low-spend. I think it will be easier with the weather turning colder. With work getting busier, etc., etc. It seems we can go the entire tax season without spending a dime sometimes.

Anyway, truthfully, most of the purchases I made were rather pent up - stuff I "needed" or had wanted for a long time. Saw some good deals. I hope I scratched the shopping itch good. This time of year it is easy to put things on Christmas lists. Dh's family demands lists. I will start obliging. It does make it easy not to spend much at the end of the year. Our Christmas shopping list is small. I think it will be a record low this year. Dh already has free gifts galore for the kids (Scholastic buys and such - video games scores in dh's business of buying and selling, etc.). SIL no longer wants to exchange gifts (cousins). I don't think we are exchanging gifts with anyone in particular this year. I don't remember the last time we bought each other gifts. It will definitely be a record low year for us.

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Today I didn't get much done. I talked on the phone all night and internet-ed. Warmed up the laptop so I could update Quicken. Next thing I know it is past my bedtime. Too tired to read. Yeesh. I actually was awake enough to read the last few nights. Apparently I am WAY more well rested than usual. It's usually hard for me to stay awake much past 8pm. But tonight, no reading for me. Too tired. My day caught up with me.

The work day actually went pretty fast. I am just amazed how quickly the evening went. I was much more productive being anti-social! Working always exhausts me a bit more. More than cleaning house all day, apparently.

I think my "vacation" has fared well.

I got a lot done yesterday. But I ALSO had time to read, to watch a fair amount of TV (got caught up on Medium - love that show though it's hokey often times). & I took a nice nap!!!!

I ran all my errands in the morning and did most the housework after 5pm. I've had more energy than usual. Maybe all the restful sleep and endless free time. But it's dangerous. A day in front of the TV and napping can zap my energy pretty fast. So I am proud I didn't waste the day away.

I have way too much food!!!! I know they boys eat far more than I. But it is readily apparent as I look in the fridge. I have barely made a dent. What was dh thinking? He was thinking he was cooking for a bottomless pit, like our sons.

I wouldn't be surprised if I lose weight this week. BEcause I have been too busy to eat. AND because I have been working so hard it has decreased my appetite. The more I work out, the less hungry I am usually.

IT could have easily gone the other way. I am an emotional eater and could have easily eaten tons of junk while I miss the family. So I am rather surprised with myself, thus far.

Anyway, my parents are going to visit me and help me eat through this food. Phew! I am starting to worry if some of it will go to waste. I guess I will take down whatever is left, to my parents, this weekend when I pick up the fam. There's a plan, since it is hard to judge what I will eat the rest of the week.

But basically, I can't fit one more thing into the fridge!!!!! I bought some eggs on sale yesterday, since I love hard boiled eggs. I could barely fit them in the fridge - yeesh.

Anyway, to revisit my list yesterday:

1 - Kohls - shop with my $10 "coupon"
*2 - Groceries (just a few items, like, we are out of cereal and PEPSI!)
*3 - Best Buy for recycle
*4 - Crown books for a treat

*5 - Vacuum closet/finish tidying up
6 - Arrange CDs (ones to keep)
*7 - Wash bed sheets
*8 - Clean up bedroom - dust/vacuum
*9 - Clean Master Bath - make it sparkle
10 - Maybe start some carpet washing in the p.m. This can certainly wait
*11 - Clean toilets - as everything else is getting so clean, I am noticing the toilets haven't been cleaned in a while

12 - Update Quicken / Look at Sep. expenses

* - Complete!!!

I need to go to Best Buy again today - more recycling.

I skipped Kohls because I forgot my coupon. Noticed when I got there, but I was only traveling to one shopping center, like a mile away, for all my stops. No biggie.

Carpet washing and Quicken are easily doable on a work day.

SO, I feel rather accomplished.

I also renewed my car's license and my driver's license, online.

TODAY

Not much planned. Will take it easy and enjoy houseguests.

Before they arrive I would like to clean the kitchen a bit. I don't expect it to take long. Famous last words... & I will run to Best Buy, Target and Kohls.

Will see. I got a slow start today. I am annoyed that everything opens at 8am, but Best Buy not until 10? I was annoyed, but since I still haven't showered or dressed, I guess it will work out. My parents won't get here until noon.

One funny thing - I never make the bed. Never see the point. I hate having my feet covered up and so kick the covers off all the time. & though dh blames all the blanket whoas on me, I think he is a little guilty.

So last night, it was chilly, and I bundled up in bed, and left my feet in after I had made the bed all pretty, etc. I woke up, got out of bed, and looked at it. It hardly looked like anyone slept in it! It took me about 1 second to make the bed. To straighten the covers. I thought to myself, "This is why people make the bed." LOL. I would too, if I always slept so still.

Yesterday, BM earned his yellow stripe in his martial arts class. It was quite a ceremony.

The irony is that he tends to goof off whenever I am there, and never practices. I mentioned this again yesterday and he said, "Teacher didn't say I have to practice." Oy vey! Though admittedly, I think dh discourages some of the practice at home - so he doesn't break his neck and such.

So the teach, after class, tells me how much she loves my son and blahdeblah. All I could think is Lord knows why. LOL. I don't go very often, so he must have some better days. Though dh, who takes him ever week, said she just wants our money. LOL.

Well, she clearly sees something in him. To put up with him. (I am ashamed to admit he is really good at goofing off behind her back too. That might be part of it!)

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Reminds me, BM had an awesome progress report from school. He is challenged and happy. Last year wasn't bad, at all. But this year he is in his element. It didn't occur to me that superior behavior, effort, and attitude, would result from an awesome teacher and a "just right" challenging education. But it seems to be the unexpected side benefit.

I probably bring it up too much, but I feel so blessed with our school situation. As our school district falls into further shambles. Ugh! I just feel little else but lucky, for this school. I am definitely giving daily thanks, as I read the local news and talk to all the parents in the public schools. It's just a complete mess.

Lord knows, no one in my community wants to hear about a good school experience.

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I've got lots of homework to do while the family is gone.

I figured I would take the time to get all set up at Alliant Credit Union.

T Rowe told me, "from their experience with said bank, the CD rollover would take another month."

On a whim today, I peeked at my T Rowe account. I really didn't expect anything. Clearly it's not there yet. But I had a strong urge to peek.

Wouldn't you know, it transferred yesterday?

Holy cow!

Suddenly I have got some homework to do!

I have about $2500 to invest. The other $4k stays in cash, to round out my ROTH Efund. I already invested more liquid $4k at awesome stock lows. The lowest days of the market this past year. I fared well. This CD rollover replenishes my liquid cash.

Today I peeked at the Dow. It was at 11,700 when I invested in the CD. Today it is at 9740, give or take. That is a solid 16% decrease.

I feel pretty confident that I will just plow it into my T Rowe Target retirement fund. I got a decent discount for waiting. I earned 5.5% in the interim.

I need to decide what to do with the cash though. Ugh! I will probably just leave it in cash.

When I made the decision to keep a portion of my Efund in my ROTHS, in order to max out a year I wouldn't have otherwise, the MMMFs paid decent interest rates. Now I have fewer options.

Lots to think about.

Also, did I mention I am so glad I didn't waste my money on a medallion stamp, for the rollover? I reasoned that the bank might not care. That reasoning could have backfired and delayed the rollover. Last time I rolled money over, Merrill or whoever said they didn't require the Medallion signature, but it turns out they did. But I risked a nightmare to save $10. Glad it worked out! My new rule of thumb is "brokerages care; banks don't." Which makes chasing CDs easier with ROTHs. I didn't want to pay a $10 fee for every rollover.

ETA: I decided to move some of dh's IRA into cash, and to deposit the whole chunk of my CD into my Target Retirement fund. Dh has Vanguard, and I think their MMMF has fared a little bit better due to their extremely low fees. It's done. I can always change my mind later!

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I don't think I am ready to jump back into bonds, but I am getting there. Cash isn't faring so well in my retirement accounts. I need more options. & I expect that in the next year, that I will want to expand into some "safe" taxable bond investing. As my cash reserves gets back up to snuff. I am definitely saving cash up for our next cars, in conservative monies and such. Thing is I don't know if I will need it tomorrow, or in 10 years! I am thinking bonds will be good middle ground. Bond funds, that is. I am sure I will be called too conservative, but I never would have invested that stuff in stocks before, and less desire to, now!

I have been reading up on the subject of bonds.

I found this article yesterday, and it pretty much summed up what I have learned, myself. But I thought it was good to share:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-petruno26-2009sep26,0,...

& though the bond funds I've seen recommended have not fared as well as my cash the last couple of years - the truth is they are faring FAR better now. So I may spread out my Efund a bit. Don't worry, I am playing it ultra conservative when it comes to the Efund. At this point I just have more reading and research to do.

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MIL just bought a pile of Sears pics of the kids. So as school picture time has arrived, I tossed it all in the recycle bin. Eh. I am not a huge fan of school pictures - not in the digital age.

So um, they had pictures at preschool. & dh and I joked that they would probably be awesome and too cute to pass up.

Boy, did we nail it! LM came home with a shirt yesterday with his picture on the front - a shirt which advertises his preschool and the photographer. Lovely. But it's probably the best picture I have ever seen of him. I haven't seen prices so I guess will see. We will buy the cheap package. Blah!

BM? Terrible picture last year. I bought it because it was Kindergarten!!!!! It was so sentimental. No doubt he took an awesome picture this year. We will find out soon enough.

It doesn't help that in all these "free" pictures I have from MIL, that she had them in some hideous outfits. The pictures are cute, but the outfits ruin it for me. I am extra appreciative she let them wear jeans last year. She buys pictures because in this digital age, we don't see the point. Of course, she way over buys, and I am stuck with a million pictures I don't want or need, anyway. Which is all the more reason I don't pay for the stuff. !!

I got a promo e-mail a while back from my professional association, about their "partner credit union." I peeked at the rates and was impressed. What struck me was the interest rates on the kiddy accounts, at the time. That's a tough one. I like that the kids can go to the bank down the street, but it pays them pennies. Maybe we will earn interest elsewhere, and pass on bigger interest rates to the kids. I don't know.

I also looked up the branches and nothing terribly close to where we live. Eh. Plenty in the Bay Area which we pass through a lot. & don't get me wrong, my old CU had one branch in a city I probably never set foot in. But, I have gotten spoiled with a branch just down the street from my house, at our current CU. Everything there is awesome, but not so great on the rates. We use Ally for online savings, but they are starting to lower their rates a bit. They are still good, but I think the writing is possibly on the wall there. (I've heard mixed things about how troubled they are, etc. But regardless, they are in the midst of a complete restructure, and I have certainly noticed declining interest rates).

I saw this particular CU mentioned again and thought, "isn't that the one I heard of already." I delved a little deeper, and I am totally signing up.

Savings rate is 3%. $5 minimum. I will transfer most of my Ally (currently at about 2%) money over.

Better: They offer no-fee HSAs with 3% interest. Um, did I read that right??????? I have been shopping HSAs for ages. The fees and low returns on cash investments, have kept me out of the HSA market. I am still "out" due to tax reasons, but I am sure I will eventually be "in." Seems like a good place to start. If we can go one year without any medical expenses, it is possible the HSA will be the better tax way to go, for that year. & I will need the money for near-term medical expenses, for sure. So not interested in investing it beyond cash.

Best: They have a trust application. They seem to understand and cater to living trusts. Go figure. I was starting to think those would be impossible to fund, beyond our home.

I've got $1k in my trust savings at my current CU. It took forever and a day to set it up. But the interest rates is so dismal, I don't keep any real cash in there.

I have lots of paperwork to fill out. But I thought I would share.

The CU is actually based in Chicago (I was surprised to read). So you can join if you live or work in some of the areas surrounding Chicago. OR, if you belong to one of these organizations:

http://www.alliantcreditunion.org/membership/eligibility/org...

Not sure what the odds of most of you qualifying, but FYI!

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My professional association has awesome insurance rates (life and disability). But most of the rest of the deals they seem to offer are rather ho hum. Usually they cost more than what we are already paying for certain services, etc.

But this looks like quite a deal!

I wasn't even really looking, so I am excited about the find.

Net worth is up $27k, today.

Since my annual goal is $25k-$30k, that isn't half bad.

I am still at the whim of Murphy and the market for another 3 months though. No need to get too excited.

My cash is up $6k for the year.
Kids' Investments up $3k (2k market; 1k contributions).
Retirement is up $16k (about $11k contributions and $5k market).
Paid $2500 off mortgage - regular payments only.

That about sums it up!

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ROTHS

This year is the first year, probably ever, that we are contributing monthly, in order to max out a ROTH. My old method was to lump sum when I did my tax return (when they were deductible IRAs anyway. We just put away whatever made the most sense. & we have done less of that even, since having kids).

I am thinking ahead as January fast approaches. I can automatically contribute to my own ROTH in Jan, Feb, Mar, April and apply it to the prior year. I am trying to decide if we should plump as much as we can into 2009. (We still have a second, spousal ROTH, to consider). In past years I have done this, with dh's earning prospects so up in the air, etc. My goal was just to put as much as possible into the ROTHs, because who knows.

As we get on better footing, I am thinking of just letting 2009 go and focusing on 2010. Thing is, I think we can max out $10k for 2010. Certainly if we have 16 months to do it!

I had a thought about the flip side. The flip side is all we need is a $5k unexpected windfall, and we could regret not attempting to max 2009 first.

The thing is I also think the odds of $5k falling out of the sky, are pretty slim. Our parents are both facing their own financial setbacks, and even my employer seems to be facing financial pressures (a stark contrast to the abundance of the past decade. Not that I am worried about my job, but not expecting a huge raise or anything).

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I almost forgot to mention. I got a notice about some new push to insure children in our region (health, dental, etc). Sometimes the poverty guidelines for our area shock us. I know many would read my blog and not be impressed with our spending. But in the region, I knew very few families who could live as well as us on $50k, a few years back. (Though admittedly, we relied on savings a lot during that time).

In lower income times I look at the aid we were eligible for and often wondered about it. If we retired early, we'd be eligible for all sorts of aid. It always bothered me that those things tend to be based on income more than assets. It probably has come up a lot because we have settle for lesser income with small kids, and likely will in the long run as our assets grow enough to supplement our income, etc.

So anyway, I clearly do not expect to get free health insurance for my kids, but I look it up anyway. What is the income cutoff? about $70k for a family of 4.

Seriously???? My income is like $75k. I easily pay $5k a year for health insurance for the kids. It would be the same to ask for a pay reduction and to take the free health insurance.

Gah. Talk about tempting.

I know for the long run, I am much better off pressing on, and paying our own insurance. I won't sweat it. I mostly share because it amazes me that on my income we are so close to eligible for any kind of aid. It's absurd. The area is expensive and my income is below the household median, so that's how it goes.

I guess with time I realize these things are rather flawed. A family with 2 incomes who make $70k can be in a pretty precarious financial spot in an "expensive" area like this. But, one family living on one $70k income by choice. Should that same family be eligible for aid? Hmmmmmmm. The two aren't really the same, at all.

Anyway, I told dh that was good to know, if we ever faced less income or job loss, etc. It's good to know there are options, because health insurance is darn expensive! It's certainly been the biggest pain in our side, financially, the last few years.

I would probably be more outraged if we qualified for help. So I am rather glad we don't. Makes you wonder who is paying for this. We are, somehow. With our insane health insurance premiums, for one.

This last weekend was interesting.

I got my long-awaited 3-day weekend in my favorite area of the state.

And...

Not sure it's my favorite area any more.

Anyway, we had a very nice time. No doubt about it!

I budgeted roughly $500 for the weekend. Not really sure where we came in. Will see as everything hits the cards in the next couple of days. & I will tally it up.

We decided to drive down along the coast since we had plenty of time. The bad side was there were few choices for lunch. Our planned fast food stop became a $30 gourmet meal. (A salad and a hamburger? Split? Water in a cup?). Thank goodness for the GPS, lest we missed the only food for miles. The thing was awesome for the trip. (We knew it would be since we borrowed the in-laws' so much, in the past).

Saturday we made up for it. We went to an Italian deli I had heard about. We primarily went for the gelato. But OMG, we both had the best sandwhiches we have ever eaten. For $6.95! Mine was so huge I could have finished it for dinner and been content. I always think of as food as the most expensive part of traveling (particularly with the kids). So the deli was quite a find!

We ordered pizza in one night and had an excellent Thai feast the next night. So I think we struck a good balance.

Yesterday we spent a few dollars at Burger King, and filled up with gas. (We piled up on leftovers for brunch, before we hit the road). The drive wasn't so bad. Though taking a cat nap at my folks' house helped, before the last leg.

I did get to sleep, and kayak. Watched some movies with dh, read a little. The relaxing weekend was a success. I find these days I can even go a day or 2 withou missing the kids too much, with helps. By Sunday, dh and I missed them terribly though.

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Today I transferred over $500 from savings, to pay for the trip. I think that shores up my negative 9/30 checking balance. It should work out.

We did receive $150 for our anniversary, and will probably deposit $100 in the bank. That will help too - but I will just deposit it with my paycheck.

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This morning as I made sure all the bills were paid and all is well, and transfers made for the 30th, etc., I pondered upcoming expenses.

I almost forgot about my pesky vehicle repair. Ugh. Dh said he would call about that when he returns from Florida - since they said if we need the part, it is backordered for a month. Well, it was a few months ago anyway.

Seems fair. Would like to pay for that in November. Though, it's not certain it will be a pricey repair. It's just likely, I guess. But we will take it in this month, in case it takes a month to get the part. Want everything kind of settled before the Holidays.

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Apparently we missed a 100+-degreed weekend. Phew.

We had perfect weather by the beach! Lots of clear, sunny days (rare). Phew! We lucked out! Though we certainly saw plenty of fog, too.

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Back home, after another scorcher today, it looks like weather will settle around 75 degrees.

One day it's 100 degrees. The next we will probably be turning up the hot water a bit, and digging out blankets for the beds. Not much in between I guess. September was "summer" through and through, for whatever reason. That is rare too.

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Anyway, back to my favorite area of the state. Well, I hadn't made it down there in about 10 years, and yes, things have changed much.

On the way down I was telling dh about Ima Saver having lived in a RV for a while and how it was no longer her dream. I told him I was sure if I lived on the beach any length of time, it would lose it's allure. Particularly around here. We have cold beaches.

It's funny how wise those words were. On the way back up I told dh, "It's not like I remembered." I remember the area being this amazing place I wish I could live.

Instead, I think we have found a much more appealing home in Sacramento. It's funny how much has changed in a decade. I told dh that I know I have said it before, but lord knows why our area of the state is so cheap and looked down upon. I have officially converted. I rather live here than the beach, yes. It is so much more beautiful here, and there is so much more to do. Maybe I like that we are so central to everything. The beach, San Francisco, Tahoe, etc.

I had a nice time, but there is definitely no place like home.

Dh and I also reflected a lot, on our long drive, about our low-cost-of-living haven, and how it has turned out for us. I think our move has turned out better than we had ever imagined.

We talked about our friends and family and how difficult everyone's lives seem in comparison.

We definitely made the right choice!

I wasn't a blogger here in 2002 when we made such a life altering decision, to move. But at the time, we were bitter. We were bitter that we could not justify paying for the high cost of living in our hometown. We were smart enough to realize it was a losing battle. But the decision did not come with great joy. The joy was shallow. The joy was that we could actually afford a single family home, etc. It helped to lessen the blow, of leaving everything we knew and loved, behind.

Bitterness has given way to serious contentment, with time. True joy, beyond anything material. I share because I know there are many, many people out there who struggle in extremely high cost areas. Who struggle if they should move, etc. If you do your homework, it can be extremely rewarding. I have a lot of friends who moved up North who aren't happy. But they are WAY farther out from their family and I think the weather factor is pretty shocking. (The "up north" move wasn't near in the realm of cost savings we found, either. We were lucky to be able to make a far simpler/smaller move for far more cost savings). From that, I know it can go both ways.

I guess I Feel lucky too, that we ended up happy with our move.

I think my parents went through a similar metamorphasis. All I remember is them longing to get back to the mid-west, when I was a child. These days, they could live anywhere, and they rather just stay put. I feel like our own journey has become very similar.

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Well, I am now gearing up to be "single" for a week, since my family is leaving for Disney very soon. It is definitely not boring here!

I mentioned earlier, that I was short a lot, in checking, for the month of September. Excess spending just kind of snowballed from my dad being in the hospital and everything, in the spring and summer.

I also said that I am making "pay myself first" a priority, and how it all seems to work out in the end. Not exactly worried about it!

Dh had a good sales run this month. However, a $50 items did not sell on ebay yesterday. He had a high minimum because it's the type of thing that can sell for too low, once in a while. I think he will easily sell it before the end of the month.

But assuming that doesn't sell, I currently face -$200 in the checking. Which is not bad. It was -$500.

Dh's family is big on cash anniversary gifts, so I won't be surprised if they give us $100.

The -$100, that will probably remain, will probably transferred from savings, as "emergency expenses."

Phew!

I will be so glad it wasn't the original -$500 or so I saw at the beginning of the month.

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Credit card bill for this month is rather benign. We are up to $1200, and I think all I have is $60 due for karate. That leaves about $250 for gas and groceries. We budget for about $1500 on the card, monthly. We pay EVERYTHING on the card.

We will take $500 out of savings for our beach vacation. I will probably transfer it over Monday, so that there is enough in checking for all the 9/30 payments (mortgage and health insurance). I'll probably be $100 short otherwise, as mentioned. Speeding up the transfer makes it easy. Actually, gives me another month to come up with $100. Now that I think about it, I may not need to transfer money from savings at all. Which is how it all snowballed in the first place).

I don't want to jinx it, but September has been rather low key. Phew! Even with our rather impromptu beach weekend, our expenses will probably be under $4k for the month.

I am not sure what October will bring. The rest of the fam is going to Florida (on MIL's dime). BUT I am sure there will be some expenses there. But, with them being gone, it will be pretty low spend here for a week. October can go either way. We already have halloween covered though, so that is good.

In November, we should probably get my car taken care of. It still has a potential $1k repair. November is just kind of slow at work and probably a good time to get it taken care of. I just needed some time after all the car repairs of August!

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I finally give up. One of the few things I spent any money on with my kids was their nursery. In the grand scheme of things it wasn't a lot, but I did spend in the realm of $200-$300 for the crib bedding and decor. I have been trying to sell it for a year at $40, $30, $20, $10. At $10-$30 I had PLENTY of interest, but just interest from a LOT of really flaky people.

So I give up. My posting expired, and to the donation pile it goes. Some charity comes by every other week or so, so I will set it out next time I get a pickup notice.

I guess not very many people want a sophisticated leopard print theme for their nursery. I LOVED it, and it was worth every penny. I had just hoped to get a little something for it. *sigh* Hardly spent so much on anything else *baby.* But most everything else was extremely re-saleable.

De-cluttering of the last year is complete! Yay!!!!! Now it is time to hit the closet, as I also mentioned. Time to go for another round! Hopefully I will have the motivation and energy while the family is gone. I am taking 2 days off work to enjoy the peace and quiet. Here's to being productive. (Fall gets me in the de-clutter mood, not sure what it is!) I assume true fall weather will arrive in October, and will help. Though even in this heat I have been eager to de-clutter.

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That's the long and the short of it. Boring can be good.

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We treated out last night since BM lost his tooth. Main reason being we have been encouraging him to wiggle out his "stuck" baby tooth. We had been promising frozen yogurt since his new permanent tooth already came through - many weeks ago. Spent $30 on fast food and frozen yogurt. Was a nice treat!

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I got a cheap tickets promotional e-mail, and perused airfare prices. Nothing tempting, which is good. I perused Vegas and Denver airfares, etc. But I looked at Kaui airfare for next summer, and almost fell over. Looked at spring and fall too. I think if I ever see $500 tickets to Kuai again, I will bite. They don't even sell tickets for September 2010 yet, though. But I'd go in May if I saw a good price. I can usually find cheaper tickets to Oahu. But I think Kaui adds a fair amount of cost. I barely saw anything under $800 per ticket. !! Though, yes, I saw $500 per person tickets, earlier in the year.

I will start keeping an eye on things and set up a price alert - maybe for May or September airfare. I didn't really want to decide anything until next summer. But it doesn't hurt to start pricing things. I think if I saw a good price I would nab it though. I got the Hawaii itch!

P.S. I found $500 RT tickets for May. But I will hold off. It was flying out of Oakland. Which works for me, to save $600!!! I think this is why we never spend much on airfare. We have 4 major airports at our disposal. Of the 4, one will usually have some pretty discounted airfare. You can never tell which one. Last time we went to HAwaii, starting in Sacramento was pretty cheap. As of today, that would be the most expensive starting point. Will see!

How much does the tooth fairy pay at your house?

$1 seems reasonable from what I have heard. Just curious.

Hallelujah! BM's tooth fell out. Well, dh had to "yank" it. There wasn't much to yank. It was bothering him today, and hanging by a thread.

As I mentioned, the other tooth had already grown in. It hadn't changed in about 6 weeks, so I just mentioned to dh that we should at least make a consult appointment with the dentist.

BUT, now there is no need! No sooner than I spoke the words, and it decided to come out on its own. Phew! $1 is no big deal - we saved a lot not going to the dentist!

I read somewhere that Fall started today (is that correct?)

I am trying to talk myself into aerobics class, though it's the last thing I want to do in the 100-degree heat. Ugh!

The room is air-conditioned, and I will be fine when I get there. Just not real motivated as I sit in my stuffy office. Blech.

That's my whiny evening update.

I read this article, and sent it to dh, and told him I appreciate he didn't spend much money on all this crap:

http://www.pfadvice.com/2009/09/21/how-i-practically-stole-a...

!! I was surprised when he said the commenters were harsh and that the Wii was a decent deal for new. Which makes me even more relieved. All I know is we have game systems out our ears, and I didnt spend a dime on most of it. Phew!

I noticed it the other day when I realized that seemingly out of nowhere that LM had amassed like 30 leapster games. & when we went to San Jose and BM pulled out 2 game systems and a MP3 player out of his overnight bag. Most people who don't know us from adam, I assume would think we waste a LOT of money on this stuff. When we discussed it last night, dh reminded me that a lot of our games came from Scholastic, etc., too. I don't really know where it all comes from. I just know it doesn't come from my paycheck!

I couldn't help but feel that dh should write that article though. How about a Wii for free, accessories and games galore, too. Now, that is a steal!

As with anything, it's relative! I just couldn't relate to the artcile, one bit.

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Our 9-year wedding anniversary is this week. (More importantly, we have been together over 14 years!). I think this year is a little more meaningful to us since we know SO MANY people divorcing this year. We feel like more of a rare breed than we have before in our young lives. I think we tend to take our anniversary for granted. This year we maybe have a bit more to celebrate. Last year we cleaned out the garage to celebrate. This year we will relax by the beach.

Next year I want to go to Hawaii, but that might have to wait until year 11.

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I think the locals have abandoned summer, though it is a 100-degree week.

We went for a 12-mile bike ride on Sunday. It was nice, though hotter than I preferred. But the usually busy lake and recreation area was eerily quiet. It was like everyone had given up and assumed fall would have been here by now.

I do hope we can enjoy our next bike ride without melting!

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Updates on my dad. He went to the emergency room yesterday (it had actually been quite a while, phew). I haven't heard an update so I think all is well. His blood pressure had gotten low and he fainted. They keep changing around his medications at this point, due to side affects like these. In addition to his blocked arteries and such (Recent developments), he has always had kidney problems, and is actually lucky to even be alive past childhood. But all these medications keep messing with his kidneys, which is another concern. But literally, he was in the emergency room like every day for a time (always nothing). So I am glad it has been a while, though I feel myself worrying a bit more.

For a time I was thinking I probably should have just gone to Florida with the fam. But with this recent development, I am relieved to stick close to home. Their trip is just in a couple of weeks.

In other news, his employer has been a real PITA. My dad REALLY has wanted to return to work for a while (6 weeks???), but they keep giving them the runaround. I keep waiting for news there, but there isn't much to report.

I noted on Baselle's blog the other day that I am not very observant, and so rarely find change. (That, and the short ones are always looking for it anyway - they would find anything before me).

So I was overly proud of myself when I spotted a penny in the Water Park's wave pool yesterday. A strange place to find a penny. Approximately $60 spent for a day at the park. One penny found. Woohoo! (The kids found a penny last time too - but think it was elsewhere).

You know you have been on the SA blogs too long when a penny can bring such great satisfaction.

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We put off our final 2009 season Water Park visit to yesterday (last weekend opened) and it worked out perfectly. We had a REALLY nice day.

For one, the place was practically empty. Though the weather has been hot, it wasn't so bad yesterday. IT was pretty darn nice. HAving most of the park to ourselves was rather unexpected, but VERY nice!

I am looking, at it was 91. It felt more like 80 degrees. Was just a nice, warm day. Since LM couldn't ride any of the slides at our location, we didn't do much. We floated down the lazy river endlessly. The parking is more expensive at our location ($10) and we bought a $8 snack to pass the time a bit. (Yes, *choke choke*). Thus, though we broke down each visit to $40 (not bad for 4 of us) we had quite a bit more extra expenses than usual.

But we will definitely get season passes next year and take more advantage as the kids grow and can do more. I (& BM) much prefer the San Jose location, so we will plan more trips there as well. Dh and BM can hit this park more often on their own - since BM can ride everything.

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I've been having hot flashes. I figured I Was too young for this. The other night I resisted the urge to turn on the air, and woke up on the cold side later, so was glad I Resisted. The first time "hot flash" crossed my mind.

Last night was terrible. LM woke me up around midnight and I was just sweating and miserable. I didn't even care, I turned on the air. IT was just that bad.

It couldn't have just been me. The air turned on for a LONG time to cool the upstairs back down to 78. Usually it's enough to set it to 78 just before bed, and turn it off for the night. I was too tired to turn on a light and see how hot it had gotten. But, yeesh! It felt like it was 85 or something.

Weather forecast is literally 100-degrees for much of next week. What the heck???? Extremely unusual. But the weather has not been usual lately, that is for sure.

This weekend would no doubt be our summer "last hoorah" (& lucky to have such pleasant weather so late in September). BUT, we still have our beach getaway coming up in a couple of weekends. & plenty of summer weather remains here.

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I actually sold something for money!!! The kids' tricycle sold yesterday, for $15. I knew that one would sell closer to christmas, if nothing else.

My other listing expires tomorrow. I listed that one a handful of times over the last year. I will donate it if it doesn't sell. There is a lot more interest at my rock bottom price, but only interest comes from major flakes! Figures. One lady was really pushy, and then just didn't show up because "she slept in." & that was a few days ago - still never showed. Dh has had enough with helping me sell these things!

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De-cluttering has been going quite well.

I switched to de-clutter mode when I had my kids. NEsting kind of takes over, and also, they took a lot of my storage space. That was when I discovered freecycle (which is ingenious)! So many things that would have gone to the trash, otherwise.

We cleaned out the garage last year (There really wasn't much), but some of the items I am getting around to were found in that cleanup. It's about time.

DH has a lot of space in the house (2 rooms for his electronics and such). I don't know if he will ever get around to cleaning some of that out. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. It's funny because he can be so anal about the rest of the house though. But lord help me if I suggest he clean up his own room.

Which pretty much means, I only have one more area to hit - the Master Closet. IT's big, and a I have a lot of crap in there. I haven't been very motivated. Fall often motivates me to de-clutter, so I am trying to get myself in the spirit to work on it while the family is in Florida for a week.

I've gone through and gotten rid of some of the obvious. Off the top of my head, I have a pile of CDs that dh will probably work on selling (any worth value anyway). They have been replaced by MP3s. Others I will have dh put onto my Mp3 player. I need to go through and prioritize what I really want to keep, etc.

I've done a few passes over the clothes. Could probably do some more. Thankfully, I don't have much of a "skinny clothes syndrome." Most of my adulthood has been "underweight" or "barely overweight." Not much in between. Since I have no desire to be underweight again, the "skinny clothes" are long gone. As they should be!

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Of course we are going on a bike ride today! Yay!

The heat will make us leave far earlier than we would have otherwise. Blech.

Ready to try out our bike locks and my new bike computer on my favorite ride. Though we will cut it short with the hot weather probably.

I usually look SO forward to fall as I HATE the summers here. But this year I definitely felt we made the most out of summer. It was also on the mild side, which helped immensely. So I find I don't look forward to fall as much as usual. But I know I will enjoy it! Once it comes down below 90 degrees?

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More important than giving blood is probably convincing others. I have a friend who "got out of the habit" about 18 years ago when having children, and who lives down the street from the blood bank. So I talked her into it! & dh doesn't seem too opposed, though I will have to make sure he actually goes (blood drive next week which should work).

I am going to bring up to another friend who lives by the blood bank. Not sure what her response will be!

Well, the weekend was a much better time to freecycle. BUT, yesterday I got rid of some old CD storage (4 pieces) AND my giant bed!!!! So, took 3 days from listing Monday.

So the garage is now cleared out a bit. Might not look like much, but we were able to put a couple of bikes back where the bed was. (Guess the bed pieces were stacked sideways). Plus, all those garbage bags are just bottles and cans to recycle. We can move some more of that stuff out of the way and make room for the rest of the bikes (dh's and BM's bikes, etc.).

Dh wants to get some storage for the bikes. For the long run, I think it's a good idea. For the short run? Hardly a priority!

So, the bed... It was my childhood bed. My parents are really into large, fancy waterbeds. Thing is I have always had a large bedroom. I pulled out a picture of it assembled in my old rental, and I appreciate how LARGE my room was. (I rented a room in a house throughout college, the bed looked small in that room!). & I had a fairly large room when I lived at home. But these modern houses go big on the kitchens and the Master Bedrooms (our Master closet is as big as a bedroom). They really scrimped on the rest of the bedrooms. So, though I have been holding onto this bed for all this time (for my future child), it didn't seem very practical once the kids did arrive, and their rooms filled with other furniture. The bed has probably been sitting in the garage since we set up LM's nursery and moved BM into my "room," in 2005. It used to serve as a guest bed. BM has since claimed the mattress that was in the bed.

It's a nice piece of furniture though, and I tried briefly to sell for a few dollars. But I give up. My parents would be upset if they knew I gave it away, but really, who wants a GIANT piece of furniture? I don't even have any of the waterbed parts any more. I have used just with a regular mattress since I have always live in a split level since moving out of my folks' home. It's just too heavy and not practical to use as a waterbed in an upstairs room.

I am glad someone took it who seemed appreciative. I had people interested in using the wood for other things, which made me sad. Though I did just want it gone. But the guy who picked it up was down on his luck and needed some furniture. I hope it gets some good use!

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I have succeeded in some major declutter. Bike, bed, old telescope (missing parts, or I'd keep!), and CD storage.

I have a kid item that I think will sell closer to Christmas, if not now. The other item is going to get donated if it doesn't sell soon. I paid a lot of money for it, but it is unique enough that no one is particularly interested. I will re-list one last time at $10. But I give up. At this point it's just about my pride. !! I've listed it a few times at lower and lower prices... *sigh*

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In the garage, we still have a large "coffee table" that doesn't take up much room. The legs are off and it is propped against the wall.

I am not sure what we will do with it. Moved it when kids were walking (Was a hard wood - worried about bumped heads - and took up a lot of room anyway). I don't know if dh wants to put it back in the house now - will have to discuss.

That table brings back memories. One of the only furniture items that we bought new, together. I would say the main reason our house is filled with hand-me-downs is because we don't value spending a lot of money on furniture. As long as it is functional, and not hideous, could care less about the rest. & when we were younger people always gave us nice/used furniture. BUT the important second factor is that we can not AGREE on anything!!!!

Our sectional was a compromise I have grown to hate (never really liked the colors), and the table in the garage took a long process of "fighting" to agree upon. I like the table, at least. The more I think about it, the more I think it will stay in the garage a while. The family room is the kids' playroom. I am now recalling we agreed it was best to keep it in the garage until the kids outgrow "playroom age." They jump all over the furniture in that room and everything, anyway. Probably for the best. IT will be nice to take it out of retirement someday, though.

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I gave blood, and survived.

I've probably gained 50 pounds since I last gave blood. & seriously, mostly good pounds. I was always told I had good/easy veins, but yesterday was a little different. I am not convinced I have changed. My arms are skinny as can be. BUT I lucked out and got a new nurse - LOL. I was scared spitless. She looked very carefully at my left arm and asked if she could use my right arm instead. Seriously? What happened to my great veins? That was the point I got scared.

I am always told I have great veins and rarely even feel the needle. & though I haven't given blood in a while, I have had blood tested more recently, etc. So I was scared at this point. She was very slow and cautious - clearly new at this. It hurt a bit, but nothing terrible.

So I can't help but wonder if it was more her or me. I am sure age and weight could obstruct my veins "a bit." Will see, next time.

I could care less about the freebies, but got a movie pass, and a soda, for my efforts. The hard part was I had a long drive home. It was only a few miles from work, but far from any freeway. It seemed like it took forever to drive home, my arm was so sore immediately after.

The GPS also came in extraordinarily handy. Phew!

I just got a message about a blood drive in our community in a couple of weeks. I am trying to get dh to go to that. & if he gets a free movie ticket, maybe we can go on a date to celebrate our good deeds.

Paulette kicked my butt in gear.

http://pauletteg.savingadvice.com/2009/09/12/witterings-on-a...

Actually, it's a long story. But I stored blood for (my own) surgery at one point (age 16?) and realized that it wasn't so bad. So I signed up to donate, but alas, weighed too little. (I know - what problems to have!)

Of course, through storing my blood, I got on the list, and they used to call me all the time. & I had to repeatedly point out I didn't qualify. IT was actually rather obnoxious.

So at some point, post college, when I actually became a regular sized person, I decided to donate blood. I signed up 3 or 4 times over the years, but heck if anyone would call me back.

Doesn't that figure?

With time and distance it lost its appeal I guess. It doesn't sound terribly fun, though I've had times in my life where I was poked and prodded often, so I know it isn't the end of the world, and you get used to it.

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So I read Paulette's post that she gave blood, and I tried again. Her post was just perfect timing. "Yeah, I should do that!" As I have said many times before.

My dh knowing my whole blood giving saga, just laughed when I told him. I told him I would show up uninvited if I had to, this time. He didn't seem so convinced. HE said, "Good luck with that."

So, I decided to skip Red Cross altogether. I decided maybe the issue was them - maybe they have more donors than they know what to do with. Maybe there is a mark on my record that I am uncooperative - because I kept telling them I weighed too little. I don't know!

I found the biggest supplier of blood in my region, and became even more convinced as I read on their website about how much giving blood saves lives, etc. I was also extra pleased it was only once every 8 weeks (at most). I didn't want to give blood like every week or something (something that stopped me in the past - not wanting them calling me incessantly, etc. I have low blood pressure, I faint easily, and I probably wouldn't want to do it any more than 6 times a year - no matter what the standards are. So I was rather relieved they weren't going to badger me to give blood every 2 weeks or anything like that. I just didn't know what to expect!).

So I did their little online form, and somebody immediately scheduled an appointment for me, tomorrow.

Boy, that was 10 years in the making...

I thought I would try to convince dh to give blood. I thought he may be hard to convince, but he was like, whatever.

Well, that was too easy. Paulette unexpectedly spurred me to action, I thought I would do the same here.

& I feel good knowing that it was so needed. Clearly, the need is there. I didn't expect I would be doing it TOMORROW! No time to get cold feet, eh?

Who's next?

**Today is Monday, and boy is it manic. Just a crazy work day.

**I read the PF article on winterizing and stuff like that. I am making a mental note to add that to my list of why living here is cheaper in many regards (though it's a "pricey" area). I have nothing to "winterize." I often read winter posts around here and think the same thing (during winter time anyway). Though I know you would all find our "non-seasons" rather boring. But hey, it's frugal!

**Dh and I both got some pretty mild flu bug. Not *that* under the weather, but not quite 100% either. We decided at the last minute not to go to the Waterpark. I was going to take the kids to a local park that we have membership too, instead. Something simple - I didn't mind going out - just not into a lot of walking and climbing and swimming, etc.

Our plan, prior, was actually for BM and dh to go to the water park and for me to take LM to a little amusement park. Dh wanted me to warm him up on some of the rides, since they are going to Disney in a few weeks. I hadn't felt up to the water park, etc., so had agreed. But as our plans changed again, BM really wanted to go there too. I really thought he was mostly too big, and told him so, but probably mentioned it cost too much money.

So, stupid me, I found a $20 bill in my wallet, quite unexpectedly. I am usually so organized that I don't just find money laying around. I mean, come on. So, I screamed with delight that I had found $20. I was very excited about this.

So BM saddles up to me before I even have time to think, and he says, "Mommy, can we go to Funderland now that you found $20????"

Aw, he got me! I said, "Oh sure," before I even really thought about it.

Then it's like, "Wait a minute!" LOL. Does my 6-year-old know how to get what he wants, or what?

I counted up the cash I had to spare and told the kids we could go if they both contributed $3. They flew to their piggy banks the second the words were spoken.

Unfortunately, I read my coupon wrong and had to break my "emergency $20" after all that. Oh well! Just for $2 or so. I also made clear to them that no food would be bought.

In the end, it worked out. The day was rather cool (but extremely pleasant to be walking around outside). I ran into a friend, and we had a good day.

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**While we were gone, I asked dh to install my new bike seat and bike computer. Yes, he spoils me rotten!

Anyway, BM and I went on a short ride, after. The seat is divine, though I probably need to adjust it a bit. The bike computer is pretty cool. We are definitely doing a big ride next weekend, now that we have decent bike locks too. We are doing a long ride with an eating stop mid-way.

OF course BM now wants a bike computer. Not sure how I feel on that. Mine is precariously mounted in that I worry it might get shifted in transport, etc. I am not sure he is gentle enough to handle it, though it did only cost $9.99. *sigh* Will maybe consider a more expensive one for Christmas or something. He wanted to borrow it, but I had to explain how it worked and how the magnets were installed on my bike, etc. He will have to be a little patient. But hey, definitely a great Christmas idea, for him. Dh can probably talk him parents into getting him something a little sturdier.

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**September is working out okay, financially. I seemed to be way negative in the checking, I think I mentioned before. I mostly tracked it back to when my dad was in the hospital - just a lot of little, unexpected expenses, that I probably should have pulled from savings. But it kind of snowballed from there.

However, dh has had an awesome run. He may net $300 this month easy (he usually neys $100 on ebay selling and such, but has netted nothing in recent months. Kids have been home and no doubt his time has been hampered, but business has been much better in September too - it's not just him). I also got a $250 rewards check from Chase. SO, the hole is closing fast, thank goodness.

I feel bad not to be able to save that $250, but am telling myself to get over it.

When we made far more money than we lived on, our philosophy was very "save the left over." & really, it worked fine. I mean, we saved FAR more than we do now even.

But with more expenses and less means, "pay yourself first" is the way to go. I tend to pay ourselves rather aggressively, but it always seems to work out in the end. I realize more and more, as time passes, that this is the way to do it.

I just have a mental block about it. Historically, any unexpected money would go straight into savings. So I still feel a little "bad" when something extra comes along and I "need" it. I have to keep reminding myself that the only reason I can't save it is because I saved a lot already. Duh! IT will take me a while to completely work past this mental block.

In the meantime, I am saving more than I really can justify, and all the extra seems to swoop in so I don't have to dig into the savings. & that's pretty cool. IT's just amazing how things seem to work out.

Well, the negative account in my checking (as of 9/30 anyway) looks to be around $100 at this point. I can live with that. I've got about 16 days to find $100, anyway. If not, I will just transfer some money from savings for October, a few days early. $100 I Can definitely deal with - it doesn't really affect anything. Not like a few days of interest amounts to much, anyway!

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**Oh yes - so we spent my found $20, which doesn't really count. It won't affect our budget anyway.

I called it - the only other thing we bought all weekend was FOOD.

Oh - I did get BM a costume. He wanted to be Dracula for whatever reason. The whole shebang was $10 so I snatched it. (LM is happy with the hand-me-downs we have). But we did spend about $15 on food. Junk. Oh, it was bad. I knew I would pretty much spend no money but food. But I went a little crazy and not sure why. PArt of it was I was trying to get the kids to agree on a treat. It never happened, and I just kept finding more and more food while they fought over it. Then I told them to get their own thing. I won't do that again! We usually pick up fiddle faddle or whatever is on sale there (Walgreens). But I made the mistake of letting them decide, and it went downhill from there. NExt time it will be 99-cent fiddle faddle!

I was a little disturbed though as the kids delighted in hideous and grotesque costumes. Not my little babies any more! BM would have taken anything more grotesque, if it was cheaper. Blech. (Probably best they weren't cheaper). I was a little thrown off. Last year they were happy with the cute little fuzzy costumes. What happened??

& we thought his newfound fascination with Dracula was strange? LOL.

All my packages arrived at once.

I didn't expect my bike stuff to arrive so fast! I shouldn't be surprised. The free super shipping usually ends up being faster than standard mail, through amazon. For books and stuff. Clearly for bike supplies, too...

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I am not feeling 100%. I would chalk it up to allergies, but dh has similar symptoms. A minor bug I guess.

SO, I doubt I will go on much of a bike ride today. But will talk dh into helping me install all my new gear... New cushy bike seat (for longer rides), new bike computer, new bike locks, and an air pump I can attach to the bike. Phew.

I was talking with my dad and he has a bike storage bag I can have. Yippee! Glad I brought it up - saved some money there. The fanny pack is totally fine, but will be nice to have more storage options.

I still probably want to buy a portable multi-tool, and a first aid kit. I have some picked out - quite reasonable in price and highly recommended. & I will need a patch kit at the least. Will probably make another round of purchases in October, and be done. I hope. I don't foresee endlessly buying bike supplies. It's just hard to start with NOTHING. But perfect example of my style. Spread out the purchases, find used or hand-me-down options, etc., etc. Research endlessly for best price and quality.

I did end up finding some workout clothes at Marshalls, for a steal. So that worked out well. I still need some pants, as the weather rapidly gets cooler. I considered buying more higher priced items at Target, but then remembered everything I buy there seems to fall apart so quickly. Marshalls didn't have much in my size, for pants. BUT, I actually have some workout pants that aren't falling apart, so I have some time. I really had no workout shirts, before.

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Yesterday I ended up spending like $7 at 7-11 for some food. We were with our parents all day. Can I say, thank goodness for that? We were going to run by Walgreens and it was closed. So more than I prepared to spend. BUT, all day after that BM kept saying, "I'm starving!" HE's in some major growth spurt mode. So I felt relieved we stocked up on a few things - would have eaten my parents out of house and home.

My parents' bought me Togos for lunch (kids just had PBJ) and the in-laws bought some Thai food for dinner. Plus we were invited to their next door neighbor's party for a time. Food food food galore. The kids ate like ALL DAY. Thankfully there was so much food available. $7 wasn't bad for all that we ate yesterday (usually how it goes - we get spoiled).

We decided to come home today - not much planned. May spend a few dollars, but still in low spend mode.

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I am so excited though! A large reason we went to San Jose yesterday was to take BM on what of my old favorite bike rides.

We didn't do my ride, 100%. We stuck to the dirt paths, which I am not a fan of. BUT the paved road had a fair amount of cars, and the end of the ride was pretty steep. So in the interest of safety, I played along.

Going up was fine. I could get into it. Going down is another matter. I was slow as molasses, which took away some of the fun. I am just not comfortable at all on the dirt paths. I have only ridden pavement before.

I tried not to have too many expectations on the ride. It's easily been a decade. I figured, I was young, in shape, and had a far better bike last round. So I was wary if it would kick my butt, or what.

I came off the ride rather impressed. It was easy peasy. I may not workout as much as I would like to, but I was pleased with added weight, a lesser bike, etc., etc., that the ride ended up being quite easy. In much better shape than I would have thought. I also was able to give all my gears a good trial run (really haven't had the chance) and all seemed well.

I also got a true comparison of some of our new rides we have been trying around where we live, and I think the one I have come to love is very comparable. Thank goodness! I told dh I miss the hills, but truth was, I am not much of a hill rider. I like something more than complete flat. BUT by the same token, I am a little too cautious to want to go down a huge hill. So I feel better about things. I think I can be very happy with bike options where we live.

I've always felt the one thing I missed moving here was my bike rides. & well, that no longer seems to be the case! (Plus, heck, we can hop in the car and ride anywhere we want. Now that we have bikes, I am sure we will bike ride around San Jose more - we are there enough anyway).

Since having children, I have not had the money nor the time to tend to most of my hobbies. Time has probably been the bigger issue. But it feels nice to move on. Life returns to some "normalcy"?

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Pictures from my ride: