Monkey Mama*s Monkey Money Blog

**I'll give it to Chase. The only reason I have a credit card with them is for their generous cash rewards. I consider them kind of the scum of the earth, along with all the other banks, otherwise.

But, I accidentally paid the wrong Chase credit card, and got dinged with $70 interest/late fees. Ouch! Any other time, I'd notice sooner, but I Was in Hawaii and not checking my account balances!

Dh got that squared away today, very easily. Phew. Makes you think how quickly all that stuff can add up. I am usually blissfully unaware of interest charges and fees. It was kind of insane.

On my online bill pay, I wrote DO NOT USE in "caps" for that bill. It's dh's old ancient/card and I leave it up there so I see if there are every any charges to it. Hopefully that will work.

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**Dh finally got around to depositing my paycheck from October 1. Phew! (I picked it up on Monday). Had some bills set to pay on Friday.

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**I got the American Express bill, so paid it off. We await all our rewards, and then will cancel the card after they arrive. Was good to make sure that was taken care of. I hate keeping track of more than one card with charges on it!

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**I had my MRI today. A few people asked when I would hear back. I Said, "No news is good news!"

All I can say is, never get an MRI on your arm. The most uncomfortable experience ever. 45 minutes in that thing!

But yeah -they just had me in a really uncomfortable position, and I couldn't move my arm afterwards, for a bit. My arm went numb about 30 minutes in. They scanned me for almost an hour (did the contrast dye and all that).

OF course, they praised me for staying so still and getting through it, "especially with a bum arm." Thankfully, my arm feels totally fine. I really felt bad for anyone who had to do that with painful arm maladies. Seems like they could make it a little more comfortable.

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I can't help but notice that dh has been procrastinating about his own MRI. *sigh* Kind of want to kick him in the butt!

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My other doctor appointment got delayed 3 weeks. Ugh! Doctor was sick, and it is apparently very hard to get into the head/neck department. (Generally, we can get into see any Doctor pretty quickly).

I can't say I was sad to skip the appointment. I wasn't feeling great Monday. Doc was sick. I returned to work and some major germs had been making the rounds. Ugh! I have been trying to avoid all the germs.

Just annoyed I have to wait 3 more weeks.

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If it's not overly serious, I expect to hear about my MRI results next week. If I get a phone call sooner, I will know to worry!

Starting with the good news, BM's dental quote of $1800 has been downgraded to $650. $1150 lower than expected. Yipee!!!!!

(Now that I think about it, I suppose that lowers my tax refund estimate by about $250 - but that's okay. I am still ahead by about $900 then). Phew!!!

They decided they can't do the retainer thing for another year since he doesn't have one of his permanent molars yet. (I don't know if they just missed that part last time, or what).

That is one expense I am estatic to delay.

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The dental news is mixed. My forever dentist is retiring. I knew it would happen some day, but am really bummed.

I tried a couple of dentists when we moved here - very HIGHLY recommended - and they were total scam dentists.

I told dh he could be the guniea pig this time. I just so do not look forward to the new dentist search. Dh said "Now we can have a local dentist." Pfffft. I will take any dentist within 200 or so miles, if they are honest and reasonable. I wouldn't hold my breath if I Was dh.

Anyway, I have no idea what to do!

I think we can find an honest dentist. But, what I worry about is finding a CONSERVATIVE dentist.

For one, I Was told a decade ago that I needed all my fillings replaced. I understand a new dentist may be cautious and want to start from scratch. My fillings are ancient, yes. But, I REALLY do not see the point to drill and do work when it doesn't need to be done. So, I think this will be my biggest challenge.

Recommendations sound nice, but my conclusion is that the average person is really gullible when it comes to dental work. As evidenced by glowing reviews for dentists who wanted to charge me LOTS of money for clearly unnecessary work.

I'd also prefer a more experienced dentist, though one that is not retiring this decade either.

Picky picky picky, huh? Dh has a dentist friend about 150 miles away. HE helped us sort these scammy dentists out so I know he is our type dentist. We can ask again if he recommends anyone a little closer, I suppose.

Either way, I expect our dental bills to go up. We are used to the "forever patient discounts" and the super conservative dentist. *sigh*

The first dentist who doesn't want to replace all my fillings, will be the obvious winner. Worried it will be a long time to find said dentist. (My current dentist is the one I've had since I Was 4?)

Well, I had time to pay all the October bills and see how much I needed for the credit cards, etc.

We hit the $24k cash mark, which we may or may not have hit recently. I have been treading water at about $22k all year (goal is $30k - saving $1k per month - just one thing after another this year with expenses though!)

I don't think it's as good as it sounds. A lot of big bills are due in December, and not much in the interim, so our cash balance builds up a bit before the 12/31 landslide of bills. We get an extra $1k flood insurance bill this year, to boot. (Plus, BM still needs over $1k in dental work).

So, I think I Will be lucky to end the year at $22k. Ugh!

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As such, for my 2010 goals, I have only been tracking how much I put away. Not how much spending I have been doing from the savings account for what will go down as probably our most expensive year ever (medical bills, if nothing else).

My goal was $11k to savings, and I am up to about $12,400 now. I was going to put the extra cash (above $11k) at the end of the year to my ROTH, but now I don't feel comfortable doing that. I am just going to wait until the end of the year and see how everything pans out. I may delay the IRA funding until March.

My goal was to put $4080 to my IRA, of which I only put $1080 for the year.

I am expecting $2k in tax refunds with the way the year has been (plenty of medical deductions). I didn't change my withholding because it was just a really unique year. What would usually be breakeven will be $2k back with all the medical and dental deductions.

So, I expect to put that into my ROTH. I think I can swing the last $1k from savings, this year.

The other good thing (knock on wood, because the year isn't over) is I decimated my long-term cash savings account at the beginning of the year for our new medical out-of-pocket amount - $6k. I transferred that out and expected to spend it on medical bills. In the end, they seem to only be charging pennies above our $3k deductible, so I am starting to be optimistic that I already have a good $3k set aside for next year. (Though cautiously optimistic since I have a slew of medical tests coming up. What a year!).

I think I will revise my cash goal to $25k (I give up on $30k), and will start maxing out my IRA after that point. Dh may be able to fund his own IRA next year, so I won't sweat it too much at the moment. It's somewhat ironic that after so many years of him not working, that this is by far our worst retirement contribution year. It is also by far the most expensive year we have ever had. (Between that and losing my work retirement benefits - it's just been a bad year). Ample planning makes it seem like "no big deal," but I am stressed about being prepared for the next obstacles to come our way. That's life - there is always something.

I recently declared myself to be a "Cut a Lot of Corners" mom. I kind of realized that a most of the moms I know seem to really struggle with priorities.

On the flip side, I know that I often give off the impressions of some sort of perfectionism. Which is laughable since I don't do half the things most my mom friends do. I suppose it's funny that I just kind of am putting two and two together. I decided to add a category in my blog called "Cutting Corners."

Anyway, I just read this post from small notebook (which got me thinking about all this initially when she started blogging about her own shortcuts):

http://smallnotebook.org/2010/09/21/the-guide-to-imperfect-b...

A great post!

Laundry is one of those things I don't really *get.* While everyone else is griping about how it is the worse chore ever, all I can think is that it is the EASIEST chore ever. The machine does all the work - doesn't it? Throw it in? Take it out? What else is there to do?

Aw, this post reminded me. Sorting, folding, ironing. Yeah, I don't do any of that!!

First off - our number one rule is no dry cleaning. Not only is it expensive, but dh is allergic to the chemicals. Thus, we have a good excuse to never waste our money on dry cleaning. We just shop accordingly.

My main rule is no ironing. I will iron something on occasion, but again, I refuse to buy anything that needs constant ironing. I would just go insane. I HATE ironing. I am sure this surprised dh when we first married. His mom delighted in ironing all his clothes (probably sheets and towels, too). & though I don't mind most household chores, the first thing I told him was, "I don't iron." I don't think he believed me at first, but it's just one of the few things I have completely refused to do.

WE generally put the kids' laundry away, but instead of folding it neatly, we just kind of lay everything flat in the drawers (huge time saver). Dh and I tend to leave our laundry in laundry baskets. He does most the laundry, though I certainly don't mind doing it - and do it often. We don't sort anything but the obvious reds and tie dye stuff we don't want to bleed. New clothes I always wash with my dark work clothes first in case they bleed. This always works.

My work clothes are another story. Most of them need to be washed in cold water, delicately, and hang dried. I have a drying rack in my closet and so wash those once a week and hang them on the rack. (I don't let dh touch these - and he is currently banned from my swimsuits after ruining one in the dryer). It's generally quicker/easier than folding or hanging. I tend to leave most my clothes there (on the rack) as I wear them over and over.

Bed sheets - we are the same way - tend to just wash them and put them back on the bed. So not a lot of folding. The towels tend to stay in the laundry basket until someone folds them and puts them away. I think we probably fold them more than not, but the thing is we don't do it all at once - they may sit a few days before we put them away.

Thus, we always have plenty of clean laundry. This is not a chore we ever get behind on (probably a must since we tend to have pretty small wardrobes). But we don't spend time making it more complicated than it has to be.

I LOVED doing laundry in our condo. The laundry room was right outside our unit. Back then we would save up laundry for a while and then do 4 loads at once. Clearly we didn't fold it all and hang it all up immediately. I always thought having a communal laundry room was a plus, myself.

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It was a funny exercise having MIL stay at our house all week with the kids. The exact same concept. She just made everything so much more complicated than it had to be.

It was funny because she was total Martha Stewart - of course everything was immaculate when we came home. But she was too tired to heat up our frozen meals every night (more like, too tired to clean up after) so it sounds like they ate fast food every night. I just thought it was kind of funny. When she was younger she truly did it all. Out of practice and aging, she tired out by dinner. But she decided running around and making the house immaculate every second was more important than eating well. Poor kids! I can only imagine all the fumes of constant house cleaning that they had to endure. Nothing they usually experience.

Since she did 10 times the work we would ever do (& there are TWO of us!), it was funny how she would go on and on how we do SO MUCH. Dh and I just kind of roll our eyes. Not really?

There's a bug going around. I guess LM was puking 2 nights ago (no one told us, which kind of annoys me), and so BM woke up puking this morning. Poor kid!

The irony is that after over 2 years, I think this is the first bug the kids have gotten at school. Kind of amazing, really.

I think daycare was a good investment in that sense. We were all sick as dogs for about a year straight, but we all seem to have immunity of steel, since then. I don't care what my non-daycare friends say - regular playdates are no match for spending all day eating and sharing sinks and a toilet with 10 other kids. IT was a horrible, horrible year, but the many years that have followed have been illness free.

Until this week - but this seems to be a pretty mild one. (When the kids had pink eye - we have NO IDEA where we came from - no one else at school ever got it).

The silver lining is that we don't have to go anywhere this weekend. I can look on the bright side - especially if he is good as new in a couple of hours like most the kids have been.

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Today I updated Quicken.

Ugh! I did it again. I made a payment to the wrong Chase card, and didn't realize it since we were on vacation. The payment was due yesterday, of course. So I logged in to a large balance and a $25 late fee.

I paid dh's card (our only non-shared credit card I believe) so will have him call them in a bit. Last time they were very nice about it but we had found it before the due date. I was thinking that if they don't remove the late fee, that's it! Then I remembered I Was due a $250 rebate soon. I guess I don't care either way - the $250 is worth it. Though I am sure they will remove the fee. Well, will see. I did that once a while ago and tried to be more careful about it, but I suppose I was in a hurry paying bills before vacation.

Anyway, our investments seem to be doing well this month. I hadn't updated our mutual fund balances in quite a while.

I need to sit down and pay all the bills for October still, and then see where we are at. I also need to get dh's new American Express card in Quicken so I can see the charges and pay the bill. We get a large amazon gift certificate and a free kindle for that, in a couple of months.

So, I made some progress but still have some work to do before I see where we are at, post-vacation. In the end, I think all we spent was $200 for the rental car, and $250 for the zip line (paid in full with future Chase rebate). My savings numbers should be looking up, as a result. I thought our total cash outflow would be much higher!

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It will be a while before we think about the heat - still very summery here - ran the air yesterday it was so HOT!

So, I survived the zip line!

Actually, I got pretty nervous just before. The anticipation on the long drive there, and second guessing myself as I saw the zip lines. (The first one was more of a test and didn't look too scary, but the rest sure did look scary!)

Of course, the irony was that everything on their website (and all over the internet) was how this company had the best safety rating, etc., etc. So when you get there, you pretty much have to sign your life away. Just what I want to read immediately beforehand: "$@!# happens!"

So I was nervous on the first couple (the second zip was the longest/fastest - great!). But, in the end it was easy peasy. I let go and looked down and was totally fine. (I am usually terrified of heights, but I think it just felt very safe. I think I usually get more terrified in the ferris wheel - was more like a tame amusement park ride).

IT was fun, and I am glad we did it, but it really wasn't *that* fun! Not sure I'd spend the money again. Dh and I both agreed. Of course, he really wants me to bungee jump (& he himself wants to skydive). To those, I say, "No Thanks!" I think the zip was good for me.

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We missed the heat wave, but it is October 1 and it feels like a billion degrees. Everyone was in shorts (some little siblings in swim suits) when we picked up the kids from school today. IT will be about 90F today. (It was triple digits while we were gone - I hear LA was 113F or so - oy vey!)

As we drove home today, and sweated in the car, I told dh I gave in. We will take the car in for a AC service. I give up waiting for next summer = yeesh!

Actually, we got some generous cash gifts for our anniversary, so the trip was probably 100% paid for. As I got in the car and said "Oh yeah - forgot about that - didn't think I would notice in October," I told dh since we spent no money on the trip (aside from the zip line) that we should just fix the AC.

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I am so glad we had the weekend to recover. Our flight was going to come into SFO at 10pm last night, but got delayed 4 hours. My mom is a night owl and was nice enough to come pick us up at 2am. We were the only people in the airport - talk about weird! The place is enormous - clearly we were the last to arrives for the night.

The cab either to their house or ours (45 minutes or 1.5 hours) would have cost a fortune - so I was so relieved. (Not sure how feasible a hotel was at that hour!) It is not the first time my mom has gotten us out of a bind like that. We were able to sleep 6 hours before coming home. Phew!

We at first thought maybe we could get a flight to San Jose, or home (though getting our car and keys back would be an ordeal later). But, kind of nice to think we could be home sooner, or just fly into our parents' backyard. BUT, then we remembered the flight curfew in SJ And how there was just no way. Going to Sacramento meant catching 2 flights (more risk of delays), so we decided the 4-hour delay was our best option. We had plenty of time to drive the 2 hours home, late this morning, and refresh and relax a few hours before the kids got off school. Phew!

The airline gave us two $250 coupons for future flights, for the trouble. We are considering Florida or Vegas - we would have to buy tickets within the year. Something to consider. At the least, could be a mostly free Vegas weekend for us in the future. The airfare was so reasonable to Florida last I looked though. Could be a good opportunity to visit dh's Grandfather again. We can stay anywhere for free with MIL's timeshare points.

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Kauai was the best vacation ever. I don't care if I ever travel anywhere else again. With MIL's timeshare, all we really need is the airfare to go back again. (Which isn't horrible, particularly for 2 of us).

I was so surprised how little we had to spend there. The first day there we loaded up on bug spray, sunscreen, food, etc.

All the beaches in Hawaii are public, and we did not have to pay to park anywhere (so unlike California!).

We splurged on 2 three-figure meals, because of the money we received. Other than that, it was pretty low key. We could have easily lasted on $200 for the week. We had fast food a couple of nights, cooked in, and mostly had cereal/fruit for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch.

We had many runs for neosporin (the reef got me! & I was so careful...), aloe vera, etc., etc. Dh burned, and I turned a few shades darker than the dark tan I already was. But we were able to get small enough sizes to bring all that back.

I was impressed how we did with everything. We left an almost full bottle of bug spray (could not find a smaller size to take with us) and a fair amount of peanut butter and jelly. We went through all the rest of the food - or was able to bring most of it back with us. (We probably could have brought back the PB - but dh didn't want to mess with it).

Things we loved:

-I swear I saw no bugs. When you think tropical island - you think BUGS! But we really didn't see any. It's like paradise!

-We could drive anywhere in about 30 minutes - and so much variety to see.

-The night sky was AMAZING. I don't think we have ever seen such a star-filled sky, and we were right outside a populated area early in the evening with lots of lights. Dh said, "Forget camping. We should plan our next trip with a meteor shower." I kept meaning to wake up in the middle of the night and sneak outside to REALLY see some stars, but never made it out much past 8pm.

-With the exception of one trail along the Na Pali coast (which was just amazing) we never really came across many people. So, we are remembering the time of year for a future trip. We had most trails and sights completely to ourselves!

OF course, we were just plain lucky. It barely rained the whole time we were there, and we just had amazing views. When we got to the crowded trail, we weren't sure we could find parking, and this guy comes buy and says - "You want my spot? I am leaving." IT was the best spot in the parking lot - was just so funny. Kind of how the whole trip was.

I'd say the only downside was the snorkeling. MUCH better in Oahu. But, still fun, nonetheless. We were able to rent snorkel gear VERY cheaply for the week. That was a plus.

Having to spend all day in the airport on our last day, was the least of our worries. We had too much of a great trip to complain.

Not to mention that we just feel completely spoiled rotten!

Oh well - Back to reality!

After continually reading that all the BEST views take treacherous hikes and routes by sea, we were awed yesterday that we were able to just drive up to the first 2 vistas. (The pictures do not do the views justice!)

Just amazing!





We then hiked 8 miles round trip through a swamp to see this:



LOL. Actually, it turned out that we felt lucky to have such spectacular views for our first 2 stops. We looked up the last one when we got back, and thought, "eh." Picture #2 was at the beginning of the hike - and I don't think anything could beat that. We didn't see anyone the 4 miles in, but on the way out we saw quite a few people disappointed by all the fog. We got (mostly) stunning views and a cool hike back - so no complaints from us.

Every day is just more amazing here. I can't believe we have 3 more days to explore!

Ah, this is heaven!

September is the time to be here. We have had virtually the whole island to ourselves, it feels. (It also helps to still be on California time - a lot of early morning treks have helped us to beat the crowds).

We got the lava pool completely to ourselves (picture #1) and picture #3 were at some gardens we visited today - got the place to ourselves there, too.

The beautiful beach we visited today had people, but not many.

I often say that we just avoid the "big guys" as much as possible. To save both money and probably even moreso, to save on frustration.

But there are some areas where we have little choice (utilities, etc.).

The airlines are quite a doozy. I probably can't complain too much because I rarely fly unless I can find a rock bottom deal. The rest of the time, it's on our parents (this current trip is on MIL's airline miles).

The airlines are really getting on my last nerve though, for this trip.

For whatever reason we didn't get seat assignments - this is an airline I fly with all the time. (Tickets were bought with some sort of rewards - maybe credit card rewards - I don't know).

Beggars can't be choosers, eh?

I was dissapointed to see that the only seats available at check-in (I logged on exactly 24 hours before flight to nab seats) were in the back row of a smaller plane. (I have only flown to Hawaii on GIANT planes before). I told dh to pack ear plugs as a particularly bad flight is still seared in my memory - same plane - stuck by the back engine. I am pretty sure it is the same type plane and this flight is pretty long. Dh will be glad he is deaf in one ear. I should feel lucky we get to sit together.

SO, I asked dh to call and ask for assigned seats on our return flight. He called, and let my preface this by saying my dh rarely takes no for an answer and doesn't take much crap. But, pretty much, they said it is impossible. Somehow everyone else has assigned seats, but us? Ugh!

Meanwhile, when I check in, they try to sell me a million upgrades. Who pays for this stuff? The economy seating with extra room, about $79 a person. Fast track through airport security? Another $70 or so a person? Egads. On and on and on...

I then looked up the meal choices. Since our flight leaves a few minutes before 10am, the fresh food served on 3+ hour flights, is not served on ours. Breakfast is served, but not lunch.

Which is fine, because it cost an arm and a leg. Dh tells me he pretty much rather die than pay a penny for airline food. I tell him this is nice, but I rather pay $5 or $10 than starve. I am one of those people who has to snack constantly. I will try the snack thing, but if I feel faint, I am going to eat. Dh will have to get over it. I totally see his point and will try to pack enough food, though.

& so the fun begins!

(Ugh - I am just not a travel person!)

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In other news, I got our latest Surewest bill. It has been "inching" up $10 or $20 a month as our credits expire - just at the same time they raise rates.

You know dh loves his video and all that. & trust me, we never paid a dime for cable when we made less than $60k-ish per year. Never!

But, I did about fall over when I opened this bill. $180! For cable, internet and phone.

In the end, I thought this may be a good thing. Dh started griping and we talked about how maybe it was time to drop the cable. I thought we would have all week to discuss it a bit.

Instead, he called Surewest to complain, and they lowered the bill back to $160/month. IF we signed a 1-year contract.

Ugh!

I suppose we have all year to discuss dropping the cable. I thought we were so close! (With netflix any everything). If dh had to buy a dedicated computer to run hulu through the TV, it would most definitely be worth it. At these prices? Ouch!

It's hard because Surewest is a good company. Their customer service, and their services/products, are excellent. I can guarantee if our only options were any of the other big guys, we'd be completely out of the game - even though they cost less. I can't tell you how many times dh legitamitely threatened to leave Dish and they never took a dime off our bill. (We refused to sign any contracts with them). It's nice that Surewest will at least work with us.

Next year I suppose this all could be moot. If dh is working next year, I won't care about the bill. But in our current financial state, it's a little ridiculous.


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In other news, I have a MRI scheduled for when we get back from vacation. I stumped more Doctors with my arm, so the concensus was that it's probably nothing but they want to look at it to be sure.

Dh is more supportive this time. Less, "When I had "nothing" it was a tumor," and more "I think it's probably nothing." I suppose the Doctors were convincing.

We will be MRI buddies. Since his surgery maxed out our deductible this year, I already know MRIs will be $50/pop for the rest of the year. Now is good a time as any to deal with something like this. On January 1, it would cost about $1500 a pop. So, phew! (& dh already is signed up for one MRI a year for several years - like we really want to pay for more than one).

Dh has a doctor appointment today - he's got some fungus thing that won't go away. He ran out of medicine and decided he better get a refill before we leave. I think he should have told his doctor ages ago that it didn't exactly every go away. So glad he had some motivation.

We are getting our HMO's money's worth this year, that is for sure. His only real side effect from surgery (besides one-sided deafness) is that his eyes are bothering him a bit. I am wary for him to get glasses if his vision is fluctuating, but he should look into it. I've got a female checkup, the MRI, plus a consult about my neck. Outside pregnancy, we are the types who could go years without seeing a Doctor. So I think we have had our fill!

I learned that my good cholesterol was a little on the low side. My doctor didn't say anything, but I saw my results. Get that from my dad's side of the family. He always had cholesterol and blood pressure issues, from very young. Genetic. I am not sure if I have ever had a cholesterol screen (since I so rarely go to the doctor). So, interesting to note. I thankfully inherited my mother's low blood pressure. The nurses always delight in my low numbers. (Though I also tend to get faint very easily - so as with anything - too low is not always the best thing. I tend to run more normal with age and weight though. Though my numbers still seem to impress).

I have flown recently, but not for a big trip.

These new carry on policies are absolutely ridiculous!

I got out the measuring tape and my carry on (bought new in the last few years) - it is just too big. I toyed with bringing it anyway (trying to sneak by) but the more I look into it, the more I think this is a bad idea. (It's a few inches too long due to the handle thingy do, though also too deep). I don't want to get stuck having to check it.

My mom mentioned offhand that I could use their baggage. So, phew! Since we are staying with them the night before we leave. Guess I will have to pack and then re-pack.

Thankfully we are going to a warm destination - it will be easy to pack light. I was thinking of doing laundry in the middle of the trip anyway, since I only have a couple of pairs of shorts that I think will be appropriate (long/light shorts, for hiking).

WE did just go to Colorado, but we packed so light. I only now realize that we really only get one (tiny) bag and one personal item. The pleasure to bring more costs $50 at minimum (roundtrip fee for checked baggage).

The plus side is that I was impressed how light people traveled on our last trip. Now I realize why. Maybe they should have enforced this "one carry-on" thing many moons ago. It was nice not to be drowning in baggage in the plane cabin. It's the gouging to check a bag that really irks me.

I do admit that it is nice not to deal with checked baggage. Those prices are a pretty good deterrent. I can look on the bright side - no checked baggage in my future.

I am just annoyed that my relatively new carry on bag is completely obsolete! I suppose it is still nice for road trips?

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Anyway, at Overstock I found some decent carry-on lugagge for $30-ish with shipping. I may just put on my Christmas wish list, or purchase sometime next year for future trips.

Or I could title this post - "Feel Like I can't catch a break!"

We decided to put dh's MRI off for one month so we can enjoy our anniversary vacation before resuming talks about radiation and stuff like that. I do admit it has been nice to put all that stuff behind us for a few months and just forget about it (which mostly, we have done).

But, in the meantime, it is my turn to pile up medical bills. I found a lump on my arm which may just be serendipitous. I usually don't go into the doctor for much, but I do listen to my gut. I felt kind of silly going in, but finally did. After I made the appointment, I found a similar bump on my neck.

The lump on my arm definitely stumped the doctor (I thought he may just tell me I got hurt and let's see if it goes away. It looks more like swelling, to me, than anything else). But, he believes it is a tumor/cyst/growth of some sort. Though WAY more concerned about my neck. All I can think is that may have been there forever. I tend to get allergies and swollen glands, most the year, so I thinking back, it may have been there for a LONG time. It's only now that it struck me as odd, because it is very similar to my arm bump, and I am not sick at all.

I did a pile of lab work yesterday, and the results thus far seem good. (I keep getting e-mail alerts as they roll in). I have appointments with 2 different specialists (arm/neck) - probably after vacation, so, phew. Maybe dh and I can go bury our heads in the sand and enjoy our time. Even if I get the arm appointment this week, any biopsy or scans would wait upon my return, I assume. The neck doctor was too busy to see me until end of September, anyway.

For now, I am just frustrated by mounting medical bills and such. I feel like we can't catch a financial break this year!

Dh knows how to handle the situation (not!). He told me he didn't really care what my general doctor said. As "you don't know how many doctors told me there was NO WAY I had a brain tumor." Gee dh, way to help me feel better. Considering his unique situation, I won't worry about it. Doctor said was probably not serious. I will go with that, and ignore dh. Until a Doctor tells me otherwise, anyway.

But, dh was happy they took this seriously, and that I would get some more opinions. I suppose would be the case - to be extra cautious when it comes to any sort of lumps on the body. Dh's tumor was different in that it could not be seen with the naked eye. His symptoms could be explained away as a common cold.

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My poor parents seem to be in the same boat. They had to replace the pipes in their house last weekend. (Knew it was due as most their neighbors had already done it). I think they got a good deal, with the economy and all, so works out. Had some water leaks once my dad started working again.

BUT, there was apparently some politics with my dad's boss, which was making my parents nervous. In the end, the boss just up and quit. So, not sure where that puts my dad. He did not get to restart the COBRA clock, since he is a contractor for this company, at the moment. Health insurance is their only financial concern, at the moment. If not for that, he could retire. Of course, the other thing is he doesn't want to retire. So, hoping that it all works out.

I am not sure how long he is been at this job - maybe a few weeks??? Quite a bummer.

In other news, my Grandma isn't doing so hot. The last thing my mom needs is to worry about me, too.

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All I know is that I am ready for this vacation!

Our return is definitely looking like a cold shower of reality! Ugh.

Well, LM finally expressed an interest in something. He is obviously musical and artistic.

His school actually has a dedicated art teacher. I am surprised he isn't really taking to it so much, but I am sure he will as they do more drawings and such. (They started out the year with sculpture, which he didn't seem to enjoy?)

So, they had a sales pitch for a private after school program. Dh told him the usual "hell no." But I said, "Wait a minute - it's not like BM who has 5 things going on and then wants to do the Mad Science after school, which cost an arm and a leg."

I figured if he is showing interest in something, it is fair to oblige.

Of course, the cost is $14 per class. (choke choke). No discount for more classes.

I keep hearing all about this new childrens' art studio downtown. I am sure it is quite nice, and figured that might be more economical. Um, no? $16 per one visit. It's only $8 per person, but LM can't take himself. The KidzArt program would be cheaper and more convenient, then.

The city actually has no art classes. They used to have a kid art class that one of the kids was enrolled in. Maybe it was LM. That was a long time ago - nothing right now.

I will be keeping my eyes out for more frugal alternatives for some creative outlets for LM. I may sign him up for the Kidzart just to see how he likes it. But for the most part, seems overpriced. BM did Mad Science for one term and though he enjoyed it, we weren't very impressed. That we can do at home. We just don't feel we have much to offer as far as artistic guidance. Maybe we could find some free stuff online. It seems what he liked was being instructed how to draw a particular thing, and he does do quite well. Better than I could (which isn't saying much!) Maybe we can find that kind of stuff online.

He's 5 - so not a lot of other options at the moment.

All I can think about in this economy, is who pays for this stuff?? I am tired of seeing people who can't afford their mortgages with $100+ gym memberships and apparently spending $16 for every art visit. (All my REALLY broke friends have told me all about this art place. I just can't stomach the price!)

I have an admission! I don't actually verify all my receipts (though I charge most things). I do reconcile my bank (daily/weekly - electronically, which is very simple). & I download my credit card transactions often enough that I will catch anything that is "off."

But, as far as a penny here or there, charged, or a few pennies even, I wouldn't have a clue.

I honestly don't expect to find much, but I guess I could be surprised.

I bought a little notebook quite a while ago, to note charges, particularly for things I don't keep receipts for. The goal was to match them to my statement every month (at the least). I took it out of my purse for some reason, and forgot about it (for a year???). Spotted it the other day and decided to start over again.

So far, it is real exciting:

9/4 Gas $45.24
9/4 Bread Store $7.34
9/9 School lunches through 12/31 $159.25
9/14 Taco Bell $4.53

Clearly, it's not the daily spending that gets me in trouble.

I think I also need to make sure I ask dh for all his receipts, and make sure to write those down too. I know we went out for dinner last Friday, but since I didn't bother to take my purse, makes it harder to remember when we go out together. I usually just let him cover it, then.

Will be interesting to download my activity and see what I forgot to write down!

I booked our zipline tickets. Kind of for the middle of the trip. I found a place online that sold the tickets at a total $20 discount. They charged more fees though (they don't mention that) - so in the end it looks like we saved $13. Still came out ahead, so phew. About $250 for a 4-hour adventure (includes lunch and time at a swimming hole).

I really have never done anything like this - so am very excited!

ETA: I expect a $250 Chase rebate around 11/1, so consider that won't have to come from savings. Assuming I can squeeze out another $250 - I feel lucky every time I hit 200 points that they haven't lowered the rewards for me yet.

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We had our first real soccer game Saturday. Ugh! Due to a variety of factors, I just don't think sports will be our thing. The coach on the other team was downright scary. I think dh said it best when he said, "Geez, it's just a GAME."

You hear about how kids are growing up to be so non-competitive in this day and age. So I am completely thrown off by how intense soccer league is for 7-year-olds. Not only this, but we are behind the curve since most the kids started much younger.

Don't get me wrong, he has a really good coach. & BM has been a very good sport. But, I don't think we can get behind the organization as a whole.

We actually had other issues with the tee ball league, and with this whole thing, I don't think dh or I will encourage much more on the competitive sports.

It's funny because no one in my family has ever been into sports at all (but for my mom). We have much more brains than brawn. The truth is, none of us want to take any sport quite that seriously.

All that said, BM is lucky enough to have both brains and brawn. He has always wanted to get out and run around. He wants to try a little of everything, and we are happy to oblige. He will show interest in tee ball still, and probably soccer too, but no real burning desire. Which is why we will probably stop encouraging it.

It's not the end of the road for him - just the end of playing ball, probably.

Track starts in the winter (he wanted to run a mile the other day, for fun, so that is why we have been eyeing the track club - which he could have joined last year, but I thought he was too young). & dh has dreams of swim team, because he did swim team (I had no idea).

I may feel differently with age, but just think it is all way too much at this age. & I can't help but feel he will be left in the dust if he quits now.

The track team does not require you to compete, so I think I like it already. Will see!

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Has anyone here done Odyseey of the Mind? They have a team at his school. Again, I just assumed he was too young last year. But apparently no.

I have heard nothing but good things about it, and is so completely up BM's alley. He will probably join the team for this year.

From their website: "Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level."

I think this will suit our own family a wee bit better than soccer!

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In other news, we had a delightful weekend at the family cabin. Weather was just gorgeous.

I have to preface this by saying, dh is a lucky duck. I can't say I have ever found a wad of cash, in my entire life. But to dh, eh, happens every once in a while.

SO, today he goes to the thrift shop, and is not sure he is thrilled with the prices. But he sees this really cool Hawaiian shirt (for our trip) and some nice/comfortable pair of shorts. Figures maybe he should buy a 2nd or 3rd pair of shorts, for our trip. (He may have 1 or 2?)

When he tries on the shorts, he finds $9 in the pocket!

My jaw hit the floor when he told me.

Irony is the stuff cost $9 - so he just paid with the cash he found.

Lucky Duck!

I laughed because clothes are SO not his thing. I really have no idea where this Hawaiian shirt idea came from. Since being home with the kids, his standard uniform is a white shirt and jeans. I nag him to wear some real clothes once in a while. I am not much into looks and not overly picky. But I prefer my husband doesn't look homeless, either. Sometimes, anyway. (90% of the time I don't notice).

So, as he modeled his new outfit (khaki shorts???), I told him he HAD to wear this new ensemble to his family BBQ tomorrow. His mom will pass out. LOL.

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In other news, that nasty mosquito hasn't shown up again. I think I did whack it, but no idea where it went. The cat might have got it.

Phew!!!!

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This weekend we have BM's first soccer game, and a family get together at the cabin (about an hour away). They took LM already. They wanted to do a BIG family weekend, but the 3-bedroom cabin can only fit so many people. Was a perfect fit for his grandma and her kids and grandkids. But great-grandkids - there are about 8 of them. Plus the grandkids' spouses - gets kind of crowded. We will just show up for the day.

I was hoping that the kids could stay over night, but no go. MIL gets really weird about "out of the way" we are. YEs, all 5 miles "out of the way." (I shouldn't whine - this means that she doesn't drop in on us much - even when in the area! Is probably for the best!) So I am surprised that they stopped to pick up LM. At least he is getting the overnight / cousin experience. Not very exciting for dh and I. We have been trying to sneak out to the movies, forever. We were considering tonight (only one to pay for babysitting), but decided against it. It's been too spendy.

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I put a small sum in LM's lunch account and a larger one in BM's. I think they kind of feed off of each other, and all of a sudden they want to buy lunch every day. Ugh! I told them 3 times a week, max. Since LM was so gung ho, decided to put more money in his account. (I really thought he would be too scared to go through the whole buying lunch ideal - what do I know). But since there is a $1.75 fee for every deposit, I decided to just estimate the rest of the calendar year. So, about $150. Ouch. That will buy them 45 lunches, each (when added to the money BM already had). The frugal lunch option - well, isn't so frugal with the two of them together. But, it still makes life easier on us, so be it. (Dh's grandma is always slipping me a $20 here and there for lunch, too, which is nice).

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Somehow or other, we were on the verge of trying hang gliding in Hawaii. (From cheap - not spend anything but food and rental car - to $200/hour, per person, motorized hang gliding. Don't ask me how).

I chickened out, but told dh that I would rethink the zipline thing. If I don't have a heart attack on the zip line, maybe I will try hang gliding, next time...

So I have to pick one and reserve that. Will be $260-ish, for the 2 of us. We decided to bite the bullet and splurge.

I am thinking of doing that on our anniversary. The fact is that is probably more dangerous. Oh well!

I dumped our $6/month Green energy fee on our electric bill. It's a good program, but everything has been going up and up, so it seemed like a logical cut.

OF course, I just dumped it, and then I regretted it a bit when I Was looking at it again. For everyone who pays $6, their share of energy is 100% renewable. I didn't remember it being quite so direct. No wonder we signed up!

Anyway, I just got the last bill, and they adjusted our balanced billing up by $5/month. My first thought was that this mostly offsets are gas decrease of $6/month. I guess that's a wash.

But, then I realized that they completely did not take into affect our $6/month payment reduction. They just averaged our last 12 months.

So much for that! I should sign back up. They change the amount every 12 months. So, am stuck with it for another year.

Anyway, our gas/electric is averaging $103 a month now, down from $104 last year. $6 of that is completely voluntary green energy. All else being equal, it should knock down to $97, next year.

I will have to consider just adding the green energy back. Paying for it anyway.

I must say further attempts at energy savings seem to be failing. New computer monitor was bought largely in that vain, and dh sung the praises of the energy efficiency of his new TV. But, energy usage seems to remain unchanged.

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Dh found a great deal on a Blu Ray yesterday - it was $10. He sold his DVD copy within hours, on Amazon. (Kind of unexpected how quickly it sold), for $20.

I admit this is one area where dh and I differ, and the kind of thing an "allowance" comes in handy for. I have no idea why anyone would waste all that money on DVDs, etc. I wouldn't spend a dime of my own money on that stuff.

But, dh is a different breed. All that said, when you walk in and see his extensive DVD/Blu Ray collection, you can kind of guess what people are thinking. Reality is that he is making money by converting to Blu Ray. Kind of funny. One of his more recent finds was Toy Story, practically free after rebates and coupons. Plus, it came with movie tickets, and of course, he sold the DVD.

Who knew someone would pay $20 for a used DVD? IT had special bonus features or something like that. You got me!

CORN!

As weird as it sounds, our local grocer seems to do pretty well on the produce front. We get lots of high quality fruits and veggies at decent prices.

Thus, I haven't been overly impressed with our farmer's market finds.

Or maybe I just have no taste.

The grapes we got were maybe marginally better. Not enough to really notice.

BM oooohed and aaaaahed over the strawberries. Maybe those were extra good. The rest of us are not strawberry fans.

The green onions were not anything exceptional. Same for the cilantro and the pistachios.

I'd still go to support the local farmers and all that. Just not the huge increase in quality that most people expect from a farmers market.

But, today, I actually remembered the corn. I was going to bake the ears of corn, but in the interest of time, decided to boil them at the last minute.

Best corn we have ever eaten, by a mile!! YUM!

We are going to a BBQ this weekend, so we decided to offer to bring fresh corn from the farmers market. BBQ corn - even better!

I heard the distinct bzzz of a mosquito in my ear on Monday night as I lounged on the couch. I jumped up and yelled, "Mosquito!" Everyone else looked at me like I was crazy, but it was confirmed soon after. I call it vampire mosquito because I got a lovely mosquito bite on my neck. (Though honestly, one of the more pleasant mosquito bites I have had - hasn't been too bad - I have benadryl cream on hand).

It appeared last night again and dh casually mentioned he had a handful of bites (I didn't know). That's what he gets for being home all day.

SO, this morning I sit down for a few minutes when both my knees start itching. I am just scratching them for a while when I look down and see the mosquito. Aaaaarrrrgggghh! I slapped it away (and ran away screaming). If dh was awake he would give me a lecture on keeping calm and getting rid of that thing for once and for all.

Now I have about 8 giant welts all over my knees. I don't know if it couldn't find any blood, or is just gorged itself. Egads! If we keep feeding it so well, it might as well be a pet.

It just runs off and hides until its next meal. It's a sneaky one!

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Not much else going on. The boss is on an extremely rare month-long vacation, and yesterday all the computers and phones were having issues (traced to a T1 line, eventually). But, what a mess. Thank goodness for cell phones.

Hopefully today is a little more productive. I have a couple of big projects that I really need to get done before my vacation. It''s usually pretty slow this time of month - but geez louise. Though I feel I should probably work some overtime, I think I will apply it to my vacation time so I don't have to use as much vacation time for vacation. I haven't worked any overtime since April, but to work a couple of weekends to not eat up vacation time. When I work overtime, I get paid for it (once a year bonus) so if I have to work overtime, I could probably use it anyway. Maybe October will be a good time to earn some extra cash.

If people didn't know me, they'd probably figure I wouldn't work a minute overtime. But the thing is things have been slow for a couple of people in my office. Though one manager delights in working 100-hour works, I have kind of taken the position that if people have nothing to do, I shouldn't be working more - I should be delegating better. But I am getting to a place where I can't delegate further. Though I'd probably be fine if not for leaving for a week.

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I am still tired of all the miserable people in my life. It could be a character flaw, but I have low tolerance for whiny people. So DO something about it.

I was reflecting on it the other morning. I had a conversation with a relative (a mother) who was "forced" to work full-time.

I was also thinking about it in terms of risks. I think Frugal Foodie (correct me if I am wrong?) posted about a study where 95+ year-olds stated what they would change in their own lives, if they could turn back time. "Take more risks" was one of them.

I am extremely risk -adverse. Probably well more than average. & I noticed a lot of people agreeing that they were not risk takers. But, I was thinking about it in terms of this miserable relative. They are highly educated and make good money. BUT, choosing to live in the same city as their family is not helping them (median home price something like $700k). Meanwhile, all I have ever heard is how awesome her job is. They have always been very flexible with her, and offered her a full-time position on the spot when her spouse's job was in jeopardy. Now, times are tough, and she is just pissed that she would have to sacrifice anything for them. I suppose it's a pet peeve of mine - when people expect the world from their employers, but just gripe when they have to return the favor.

Regardless, if the work is too much, so quit! So find another job!

The irony is that we have 2 other relatives who work for the same employer. When I asked another one about the hours and how she was taking it, she replied, "Pfffft. I told them I wasn't working more hours - I will quit if I have to." They decided to keep her at part-time.

I think that kind of says it all.

I kind of think of these life choices when it comes to risks. It's risky to think outside the box and demand what is better for you, sometimes. But I think most people over amplify those perceived risks, and it keeps them very stuck.

On the flip side, dh and I were considering a hang glider experience in Hawaii. This is a very different kind of risk. I actually got turned on to the idea because there is no way in heck I would ever get in a helicopter (you know how risky those can be?). But I was reading about these motored hang gliders and the amazing safety record of this company.

The truth is, even a helicopter ride is probably less dangerous than my commute to work. But, my commute to work serves a purpose of survival. I finally told dh that I was happy to consider the hang glide ride when the kids were adults, but as long as I have small children, I don't want to do anything too overtly risky. Kids are another animal. I can hardly imagine anything worse than not being alive to raise them, so why would I do anything to risk that??? (Within reason of course. I could hole up and never leave the house to achieve some higher sense of safety. But, living life is important too).

So, I Can't help but wonder what kind of risks these elderly study subjects were wishing they had taken. Did they wish they had quit their unfulfilling jobs? Or did they wish they had gone sky diving? I couldn't help but feel it was the more mundane risks in life that they probably regretted. I really don't know for sure.

**I had to sit down and square away everything for September, since we will be gone the end of the month. NO sitting and waiting if dh makes some amazon sales or if money falls out of the sky by the end of the month (sometimes it does)! Most the bills are paid the 31st (health insurance and mortgage - the biggies).

So, we barely spent anything on gas or groceries all month, and yet my checkbook balance for 9/30 was -$250. Frustrated by this, indeed.

As I looked at it, I remembered my mom owes me $110 for the cell phone. (They reimburse me every other month - on the months I have a bi-monthly utility bill - so works out perfect).

Phew. I looked at the months' expenditures - we spent a fair amount in Denver (food) I hadn't reimbursed from savings. Also, soccer expenses, and some clothing. So I transferred that amount from savings - soccer/Denver/clothing. I can live with that.

I told dh it was a fine month, but that we relied heavily on an efficient gas/grocery month.

On the flip side, it is easy to curb spending this time of year. Dh's family is big on the wish lists, so anything I have the urge to buy goes on my wish list, and I will probably get it come December. As of now, my last fleeting thought was a bike basket - for the farmers market. On the wish list it shall go.

My stress level with BM's dental situation has also decreased because we get 10% cash discount + 25% off when it comes to income tax deductions and credit card rewards. We are 2 months away from cashing out another $250 Chase reward. Plus, with all the medical bills, I am estimating about $2k income tax refund at this point. (I usually go for breakeven, so this is pretty substantial for us - decided not to change my withholdings for such a freak year - and do appreciate the forced savings). I will probably just transfer that to my IRA, early next year - to reach my 2010 financial goals. Which makes my 2010 goals much more doable - with that extra $2k to utilize. I usually file around January 31, so expect the money in February - and will apply to 2010 IRAs.

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This weekend has been nice.

**On Saturday, the wild salmon was on sale. I honestly couldn't tell the difference (usually they have farmed salmon). BUT, the kids certainly could. They helped me eat 1 pound of salmon, over the last 2 nights. I did the crockpot recipe - it is so delish.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/03/crockpot-sweet-and-s...

But yeah, the kids never like it, so I Was impressed that they ate so much of it.

**Yesterday we went to the Gold Rush days - 2nd year in a row for us. SO MUCH FUN!

To start, you pan for gold and turn it in for a certificate. Then, you can go to 6 businesses for a treat.

Last year was much better. Almost every business was giving away things. Apparently, the kids' favorite was a real flake of gold from the jewelry store. So we ran to the jewelry store first, to find they weren't giving away real gold this time (aw, shucks). {I can't say I minded much - last year's gold is just taking up space - not real useful!} From there, we didn't see a participating business for many blocks. Last year we were sampling food and all sorts of goodies. !! (I think we had found some extra certificates on the ground, at some point, last year - we took advantage).

We were wary at lunch since we have had some pretty horrendous meals there in the past. Should have researched better. We ended up at some small cajun place which boasted "Best cajun food" or something like that, on their walls. I wondered how much cajun food there really is in Sacramento, anyway. Still a little wary.

Well, we lucked out. The food was excellent. Since dh's Grandfather lives in Florida, and I had never tried the gator meat (didn't remember, anyway), they ordered alligator for me. (His parents were with us, and treated). It was okay. Dh delighted in ordering hushpuppies. I was wary to order the Buffalo burger since I am particular, but I wish I had. IT was REALLY good (tried a piece of MIL's). Definitely worth the wait.

After that we found some treats (VERY crowded since the participating stores were hard to find). One candy store was just giving candy away to anyone - what a MOB!

WE found the "Historic Schoolhouse Museum" which was really cute. No idea it existed. We also found a museum that focused on the Pony Express, plus saw lots of Pony Express riders on the way out.

BM proved to be quite the gambler, and we filled up on Sarsaparilla, of course.

I think there were way more costumed people than last year.

I think the best part was that it was similar to last year, but a completely unique experience. We will definitely go again next year. We spent about $5 on sarsaparilla, and $8 to park.

They literally dumped tons of dirt on the streets.



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Today we plan to lounge by the pool, though we invited a couple of the kids' friends and have sandwich fixings for lunch, if they decide to stay and eat with us.

I have a $10 coupon for Kohls. As usual, I really think I can go on and find something for $10-ish. I usually fail, and spend a ton. BUT, I actually walked in their a couple of times in recent months without buying anything. Don't ask me how! So, I will probably pick up a top - something fitting for work. I am still on the neverending search for a button up sweater to wear over my work dresses. I can never find anything flattering - just a lot of odd styles. That will be my pie in the sky goal. But, a regular old top is probably what I will settle on.

I thought today would be uber spendy.

Probably will be. But, we got enough produce that dh said he would get gas/groceries tomorrow. When I mentioned I was still going to pick up salmon, he decided to go gas up, get the groceries, and pick up the salmon for me. So if not for my salmon splurge, today probably would have been a low-spend day of sorts.

Anyway, I went to the bread store this a.m., since we decided just to do sandwiches for Monday.

For just over $7, I got 2 loaves of bread, a loaf of sliced sourdough bread, english muffins, tortillas, oatmeal cookies, generic oreos, and some cinnamon donut pop 'ems. The pop 'ems are my staple work treat (that way I can eat one or two but don't end up eating the whole box). Oatmeal cookies would have been plenty, but we recently got turned on to "Minute to Win IT" and I had told the kids I would get some so that we could try the oreo trick (you move them from your eye to your mouth using only your facial muscles).

Which reminds me, I was craving Oreos last weekend (can't remember the last time I had them), so I was looking at Walgreens when I went to pick up some milk. There was an enlarged price thing that said something about what a great deal they were at $4.57 (something like that - well over $4). *choke choke* I grabbed the generics for $2. They were actually pretty good. I asked dh how much Oreos were at the grocery store - he didn't know. I asked him if $5 sounded a little steep. HE certainly agreed.

These Walgreens generics were fat oreo cookies with lots of filling. At the bread store, they were more like little oreos, but I figured they would do the trick. They were $1.50.

Anyway, since I spent $7, I got the english muffins for free. I also earned 2 free loaves of bread with my punch card.

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After aerobics/bread store, I came home and showered/changed so we could try out the farmers market by the library. I have to preface this by saying we have had a lot of expensive farmers market around in the area (all organic and all that - we aren't much into the organic). So we didn't really have high expectations. This is the kind of neighborhood definitely where you slap an organic label and everyone would pay twice as much.

So, we were very pleasantly surprised. A wide variety of really well priced produce. Most of it was sold as organic, too. I had pressed dh to get there early because I heard they had sold out quickly in recent weeks. As I walked past a few people lowering prices mid way through the morning, I told dh maybe later was better. We aren't that picky.

Definitely will become a weekend trip for us. Even better, they are putting lights on the freeway overpass so it may be safe enough to ride bikes over there, by next year. I am so excited about that!

We spent about $13 on pistachios (most of it!), corn, green onions, carrots, cilantro, grapes and strawberries. Everything was about $1 per pound of per bunch, but for the pistachios and strawberries - which were our splurges.

We saw "all natural beef" at $5/pound. We decided to look into it. Dh was wary of buying beef in the hot sun. I said I just wanted to look up how natural it really is. Which is why I am not head first into the organic movement - I am pretty skeptical if everything labeled "organic" is really worth the higher cost. But at $5/pound, you might be able to get me to switch to organic beef. I just need to do more research on that one.

Overall, a success!

Having to pay cash would REALLY throw me off, but dh had a $50 in his pocket. His Grandma had given it to him at some point. I told him that I could have really used it for bills (or in savings), but that could be our Farmer's market/skating rink budget for the month. Both cash only. Just throws off my whole bookkeeping system! So, yeah, I was annoyed to know he had $50 sitting in his pocket - for many weeks apparently. Guess it works out.

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No time to cook breakfast this morning, so scrambled eggs and fresh fruit for lunch. BM is becoming the master chef of scrambled eggs in our house.

**Not much to report. Budget seems uber tight, but I suppose I committed all the preschool money (rounding up) to short-term savings, though we also have spent a fair amount of it. That was they money we had to justify our uber high speed internet, and super fancy HD programming. So, I "double booked" it so to speak, and am feeling the pinch.

Of course, on the flip side, my gas balanced billing went down $5/month. While everything is going up $5 here and $10 there (all the utilities, etc.), gas is heading down. It was $14, then $31 (probably to make up for it being too low). $26 probably sounds about right. It is amazing how energy efficient our home is - that is the gas stove (we use almost daily) and the furnace for winter. + hot water. Reminds me, I just turned the hot water up because it has been more like fall than summer.

Anyway, by some miracle we only spent $500-ish on grocery and fuel, this month. Our budget is more like $800. I wish I could say I saved the difference, but we seemed to spend it all. I think I am just going to hang tight through December, and re-evaluate come January. The extra savings from preschool is important since we have a one-time flood insurance bill due this winter - something like an extra $1200. We can probably survive without it next year, if I feel I need to absorb it in the spending budget.

**Since the weather has been 20-30 degrees cooler than normal, we haven't been in the pool in at least 2 weeks.

But, September has brought summer weather (???) so we went to the pool tonight. Heck, not sure I have ever seen it so crowded on a Friday night.

**Weekend plans are getting kind of busy.

Saturday - clean house a bit, dh needs to stock up on groceries, both our cars have absolutely no gas. Today is the close of our credit card cycle. It shows - we are running dry here. Though I was shocked when dh agreed not to get groceries until tomorrow. Has helped the bottom line immensely.

I'd like to pick up some fresh salmon - it's been a few months. A treat for me, myself and I. (Dh and the kids don't like salmon). I told dh I would stock up at the bread store, too. Tomorrow will definitely be spendy!

Sunday - MIL/FIL are coming up for our Gold Rush Days - was so fun last year. Hopefully it is not a billion degrees...

Monday - Invited friends over for swimming/lunch. If we go early, can probably beat the crowd. Though I am hoping they clear out early so we can laze around most of the day. That one is for Mr. Social BM more than the rest of us. The rest of us would like a nice quiet day. Not sure what happened to our weekend! Tomorrow should be quiet - but plenty to do.

**I suppose I do deal with the heat better than dh. When I commented on all the "crazy people" with babies and no A/C, I admit that was when we were new to the area (many years ago). I suppose I have acclimated. I still wouldn't want to cart around an infant in the hot car, but it really doesn't bother me. 10 minutes in the car between 2 air conditioned havens - eh - somehow I survive. It probably depends on the day. On the freeway, it may be a hot breeze, but it's a breeze. I suppose as long as I don't get stuck in traffic or anything like that.

**Knock on wood, but LM still LOVES everything about school.

**The soccer league is nice enough to give us this weekend off. Phew! I suppose we start games the following weekend.

**We have to remember to check out our new, local farmers market tomorrow. I keep forgetting!

Posy from MyMoneyBlog.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/charts-college-tuition-vs-housing...

The post shows graphs of the Education bubble compared to the housing bubble and the huge increase in healthcare costs.

Kind of interesting. Clearly all of these cost increases can be largely explained by the available of easy debt.

I commented on this before when we were looking for a neurosurgeon for dh's surgery. My MIL is crazy, so who knows, but she swore that a #1 surgeon in LA would only charge $10k for the surgery, and would even travel up north to do so. This was his fee - our insurance would cover the rest of the surgery and recovery. (HE didn't make us the same offer so lord knows if this is really true - she is on another planet sometimes). But, the whole thing sounded very weird to me. But then you think about it. For the last decade people haven't thought twice about cashing in their equity to afford the best doctors for any medical procedure, etc., etc. Heck, I know a pile of more lower class/lower middle class moms who have been getting boob jobs and tummy tucks. Price is no object when you have $100k equity at your disposal.

Suddenly the gravy train has run its course, and $10k cash in hand is better than the $30k that no one can afford?

OF course, the point of the post was that education is the BIGGEST bubble. By a mile!

Well, that isn't very surprising. Do we know very many people who have really considered the financial ramifications of their college choices? I personally feel like one in a million, with my own very practical approach to college. The prevailing attitude is that "It doesn't matter how much it cost - it will be worth it."

Isn't it amazing how wide reaching and devastating the affects of the debt bubble were? It's just mind boggling.

A credit card offer caught dh's eye.

Comes with a Kindle and a $100 Amazon gift card. (IF we spend $200 in the next couple of months - um, I think we have that covered).

Will probably get it.

First year is free and then the membership is $175. *choke choke*

Poor, naive dh tells me, "I think I will call and ask them if I can just cancel the card after I get the reward."

Oy vey!

I told dh I would look around online to see if there were any catches.

Dh is of high intelligence, but sometimes when it comes to this stuff, I do have to roll my eyes. "Yes, dh, I am sure they will be honest and up front with you. It's not like they will just say anything to get you to sign up."

But a quick google search shows me these offers are pretty common. & that there is ample time to cancel it before the insane annual fee kicks in.

Dh and I do these offers all the time. It's probably been a while. But our credit scores both average about 800. So, eh. I haven't found it amount to make much difference what we do (opening and closing cards over the years). Apparently, paying our bills on time makes up most of the score.

This one is all dh. He will just get it in his name, and he can deal with closing it.

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We will probably give the Kindle as a Christmas gift to someone in the family. Not sure who yet. Dh's family really wanted to get him one before his surgery. Would have been useless because he did not feel up to reading for quite a while. & we declined the nice offer because we could never see spending all the money on books, etc. We prefer the library! So, I don't think it's the greatest offer, for our own purposes. But, it may pay for Christmas. A kindle + $100 to spend at Amazon should cover Christmas pretty well.

**The weather Gods were super nice to us. We had an all day soccer tournament on Saturday. It never got hotter than 75F. About 30 degrees cooler than average?

Definitely the coolest summer day, in decades.

**Yesterday I scrubbed the floors. Which is something I never have (make) time for. So, this means, I am feeling pretty caught up.

BM has a hand-me-down desk in his room. I was making sure their rooms were picked up and vacuumed, when I asked BM if he wanted to move his homework to his desk. For now, he has taken over the kitchen island, which is fine. He can be with the family and ask questions while he does homework. But, at the same time, he usually doesn't need much help, and might as well use the desk in his room.

**For the long weekend next weekend I Was thinking I really need to do a Goodwill sweep throughout the house. I found a couple of things around the house, and the kids' room just seems piled high with junk. They don't have a LOT of toys, but there are just little happy meal and birthday party favor type crap all over the place. I just despise that stuff. I swear we just threw away a bag of useless crap. I have NO IDEA where it all comes from!!!!

I just need to go through every room and make another pile.

**Nickel and Diming continues. LM's teacher asked for $5 for a project. Soccer asked for a $10-$30 clinic. We are passing on the time and money for the clinic. I have the means to handle all this stuff, but I can tell having the 2 kids in school is just going to compound everything. Plus, the extra-curriculars are asking for more money with budget cuts, too.

I know the new Kinder parents enthusiasm for parties and stuff will annoy the hell out of me.

**Dh has already volunteered 6 hours at Scholastic since school started. He is committing 1 hour a week to each classroom, and a couple of hours a week at the public TV station (in addition to the long weekend/night pledge shifts he always does). Plus, he is making progress on home video edits and such. He is keeping plenty busy. We may not be made of cash these days, but I think we are doing our fair share to help.

**Talked to the mortgage broker who did our last refi. "Tell all your friends they only need 5% equity + no PMI!" Ugh. Doesn't matter much - either you are upside down or you have a lot of equity. Not much in between, around here. I know a few people barely upside down who are desparate to refi (& the really upside down). But have yet to come across anyone with just a wee bit of equity. I thought the FHA requirement was still only 3.5% down, anyway. MEaning, I don't think the 5% equity thing is that much of a surprise or novelty, all things considered.

**The school situation has been pretty sweet. There is a big push to walk to school and all that. That's fine and dandy, but by nature of the school (it's not the neighborhood school - it's a public charter - and kids come from all over), walking is only feasible for a very few.

So, ironically, we walk to/from school all the time. I suppose we are "weird," when we think of some of our neighbors who drive everywhere (like the couple of blocks to the pool? One neighbor behind us regularly drives one block, rather than walk.. ???)

Yes, if I think about it, we are weird.

BUT, anyway, I don't know whose bright idea this was, but since so many people can't walk, they just encourage everyone to drop their kids off at the corner shopping center, and walk to school from there. I imagine all this does is move the traffic mess from the school to the shopping center. One would wonder how the very small handful of businesses feel about this, but maybe it generates sales for the drug store over there - who knows.

As for me, I drive the kids to school, because it's on the way to work. I would avoid picking them up in the car at all costs - even if I have to park across the street and walk over. But morning isn't too bad, and it doesn't much matter. It's on the way, so I pull over a few seconds and toss them out the car.

But, the school is REALLY into this walking thing, so I had the passenger loading zone to myself today. Kind of funny. As stupid as I think it is, I guess I will just enjoy.

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**I saw this question recently posed in a blog: "If you could live anywhere, where would you live?" As replies poured in about tropical islands and exotic locales, all I Could think to answer was, "Close to my family." The events of the past year (almost losing my dad, facing dh's own mortality) have definitely sealed the deal on that answer. In fact, I have spent most of the past year thinking to myself, "Thing goodness we didn't move!" Because, we were pretty close to moving out of state just a few years back.

I think my goal for 2011 will be not to spend any money. I was just saying how I am doing just dandy on my savings goals, but expenses are another story. Even before this latest doozy. So, maybe if I put my mind to expenses. Try to will Murphy away. It's not ALL Murphy, but we have had plenty of Murphy thrown in, no doubt. It all started when I smashed my car door last year, and hasn't seemed to let up!

That said, what's done is done, and there is nothing I can do about it.

How it this for positive thinking? Since our upcoming Hawaii trip comes with free airfare and free hotel, I decided to just pretend like the massive dental bills are really for the Hawaii trip. It's hard to get upset about a couple of thousand dollars when you are spending a week in paradise for free. Good timing?

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Of course, I had a good talk with a friend. She was saying how her neighbor's teenaged child kept losing his retainer. Ouch!

& suddenly it hits me - that my 7yo will be responsible for a $500 retainer. Yikes!!!!!

The plus side is that we do not put anything disposable in his lunch. So we will talk to him about putting it inside his lunch bag at lunch. If he forgets it there, whatever. We will have to check after school. But I don't necessarily see much throwing away, unless he buys lunch and sets it on the tray. Ugh... Of course, if he loses it that way, a no school lunch policy might be the result.

I hadn't thought of any of this, but was a good heads up. She told me, "I am sure your kid is much more responsible than my neighbor's son." Um, the 7-year-old? I am not so sure! He can't even remember to take his backpack, after 2 years of school. Lord help me!

I've noticed strange little things about the economy.

I had been noticing very few trucks on the road, when driving long distances on the interstate. I don't know if there is less, or if they are driving faster. Or both? I just rarely seem to pass any trucks in the 70mph zone, anymore.

Of course, last night I saw plenty of trucks. Way more than I have lately. Hmmmm...

& then, at seminars, suddenly, no pens. They usually always set out pens and paper (at hotels and such). & now - no pens! Just a funny/random observation. No more budget for pens, eh?

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I saw a Tesla roadster yesterday. Sweet!

I think we saw one when we were driving back from Monterey. Know I had seen one recently - not 100% sure where. Before that, the only one I had seen was in my neighborhood. Spotted once, many years ago. Meanwhile, every time I am driving in the Bay Area I think, "You think I'd see more Teslas."

& so I saw one yesterday, right around Palo Alto/Stanford.

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Ugh. I picked a terrible time to go to the Bay Area. I usually don't encounter much traffic on my daily commute. But last week, there were 3 times that there was an accident or fire at my exit. Then there was a fire by my work. Traffic traffic traffic. & that's about how my day went yesterday. Traffic traffic traffic. The brakes got a workout. Was just unusually heavy traffic, everywhere.

I actually waited out the commute traffic and left around 7pm to drive home. So I thought. They had done a lot of work and widened one section of the freeway to about 20 lanes it felt like. & I Was just STUCK in traffic for the first 60 miles or so. I told dh that it all seemed to be commute - no accidents. & lord knows why so backed up since there seemed to be twice as many lanes as usual, at the worst of it.

As gripey as I was, I can appreciate our own region. The traffic can be pretty terrible for certain commutes, but the commute is fast. It's over and done with within a couple of hours. I Can drive anywhere at 8am or 6pm, and the cars are off the road. & here I am sitting at 8pm, in commute traffic from hell - these people who commute 60+ miles each way so they can afford a house.

Gee, I wished I lived in the middle of nowhere, so I could spend hours in my car every day? That is the life of most of our family and friends. Clearly, we don't *get* it!

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I started reading "Predictably Irrational" yesterday. It is about behavioral economics. Wow, a very interesting read!

There is no doubt some very interesting knowledge to gleam, by reading the book. I am about 50 pages in. I have 2 observations thus far.

1 - Having been raised frugally, I have an extreme leg up. If nothing else, I just haven't necessarily been "trained" in the social norms that the average person has. For example, my first car cost $1500. There was a chapter about price anchoring and how the first cost we associate with an item, tends to leave a particular imprint. I thought about that in terms of cars. If the average person spends $10k-$20k on their first vehicle, and if I spent $1500, then I expect cars to cost significantly less than the average person.

All that said, a lot of that can be erased by the fact that I expect an average home to cost about $800k. They pointed out that people that move from High Cost areas to Low cost areas, tend to spend more. Like what they spent in the high cost area. Interestingly, both our homes that we bought cost the same. One was a small condo, and the other is just a large/luxurious house. Same price. I've always been open that prices that seem high to the locals are "dirt cheap" to us. ($300k for a house? A STEAL!) Without that price anchor we probably would have bought a much more modest home.

2 - #2 probably all leads back to #1. For some of the experiments and stuff I didn't quite get it. I just don't think like most people, I suppose. (Don't get me wrong - for a lot of things - I think like most people). But the chapter about "free" stuff was just kind of silly to me. Believe me, I am 100% sure I have acted irrationally for something free here and there. BUT, there were a lot of experiments about the difference between charging a nominal amount (say, a penny or a dollar) for something and how people wouldn't pay it. But they would take it if it were free. Amazon's free shipping was used as an example. Whereas to me, Overstock's $1.99 shipping is just a good as a policy as Amazon's free shipping. Plus, with Overstock, you don't have to spend $25 or whatever to get the $1.99 shipping. They are both BARGAINS when it comes to shipping, to me. There was also mention of people tending to hoarde free stuff that they don't want or need. Just not something I tend to do?

I guess Murphy is here to stay for a while longer. It's been forever?

Another couple of thousand of dental bill, for the kid.

One cracked filling, which I am not thrilled about. Have to look into that one more. (He grinds his teeth? Fine, but I grind my teeth like crazy, and I have some pretty ancient fillings. I wish my dentist would touch him with a ten foot pole. He just refuses to do fillings on kids, though BM doesn't even mind it. That's the only good thing. Or maybe it's bad because he doesn't have a real fear of cavities).

One or 2 new cavities.

Some preventitive work. He finally has 3 molars ready for sealant. (Not that it matters - that's not his cavity problem. But, maybe it will help). They don't bother with the baby teeth. Which is probably fine since not where his cavities are, as I mentioned.

Some more teeth pulled and a retainer. I wouldn't even bother with a second opinion. I know these dentists are good and honest (unlike most I have ever seen), and this is the story of my life. This is why I have been trying to save, well ahead, for orthodontia. I can only blame my genes. & as dh said, they aren't making any money pulling teeth and giving him a retainer. The whole cavity thing was diagnosed by my forever dentist, in the first place.

It is what it is.

We have to be a little better about his hygiene. So we have to treat his teeth like a third child or something - so be it. We know better, but it all kind of fell by the wayside since dh's surgery. Been preoccupied and then got out of our elaborate oral hygiene routine.

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The silver lining is that LM has perfect teeth, like usual. HE is low maintenance, like the rest of us. Cavity wise, anyway. He will probably have horrendous orthodontia bills. But, without losing any teeth yet, he's cheap I guess. Until then...

These dentists are being a little more proactive than mine was a few decades ago. So, I can only hope that helps a little bit with future orthodontia work. I had a LOT of teeth pulled, but nothing like a retainer, so young. Will cross my fingers that it helps.

Here's to better news tomorrow.

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Dh is being all whimpy about his car A/C. I told him I would drive the flipping thing then. I don't think it's an expensive fix, but I could just care less about it right now. Money is flying out the window! I think I rather sweat.

I've probably said before, but we have never had AC problems before getting newer vehicles. There was one year where I swear just about everyone I knew, who was too proud to buy a used car, or keep a car more than a few years, were all without AC and couldn't afford to fix the AC in their cars. So, you know, you just have to roll your eyes when everyone looks down at your older car choice, but all you know is you have never had to live without AC in your car while it was 110 degrees outside.

So, dh's AC went out last summer. (2001 vehicle - by far one of our newest vehicles). This would be the first AC issue for either of us, in 16 years of car ownership. The mechanic said it was nothing and just recharged the AC. So, no biggie.

It's been about a year. So, Sunday I was driving somewhere and the AC stopped blowing ice cold. I noticed the car starting getting kind of muggy. I kind of shrugged to myself, because it has been unusually cool. I just thought, "Well, it's the end of August, whatever." I can put that one off for quite a few months! Phew.

Of course, the thought did cross my mind that September could be hotter than Hades. Have seen that predicted by the weather experts.

BUT, as quickly as it had stopped working, it kicked back on - ice cold air. Double phew!

I did mention it to dh.

So, today is apparently 106F degrees. {Ironically, the weather forecast says 75F degrees for Sat/Sun. 75F! This is absurd. 106F is a pretty normal summer day for Sacramento}.

So I was talking to dh at some point today, and he tells me, "You are so lucky you didn't drive my car today. It's a million degrees outside and the AC stopped working!"

Aw, crap.

I was going to drive his car today, but he really prefers to drive his car, and he had an errand to run for ME today. I told him if he also got his oil changed, I'd leave him his car. Good move, I suppose. Of course, he wouldn't have had to gone anywhere if not working on my honey do list. Poor guy.

I'm still leaning on ignoring it until next spring. But if September ends up Hotter than Hades, we may change our minds. Honestly, during that summer when everyone's AC was broken I was just, "O.M.G." I think it can be pretty unsafe to be driving around in a hot car when it is well over 100F degrees. With small kids!?! When dh's AC was out I kept an ice cold water bottle with me at all times. I'd just carry a water bottle everywhere and stick it in the freezer between trips. It worked okay, but I Am sure it would be quite easy to get heat stroke if you are not careful.

Anyway, time to break out the old freezer water bottle trick... According to the weather forecast, it is smooth sailing the next 10 days anyway. A whole whopping 75F degrees and all. I can only cross my fingers that September will be normal-ish.

Aaaaaahhhhhh...

I am not quite sure why the last couple of months have been so crazy. Like the starts aligned. In a bad way.

But this week, I find myself with nothing but free time. How the heck did that happen? I had a very relaxing weekend!

Not much planned for the next 2 weekends, though BM does have a soccer tournament.

I find myself feeling so relaxed and content when I went to bed last night. All I could think was, "What next?" Life - there is always something.

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LM is doing better with school than I ever could imagine. He is in such a GOOD mood. I am furrowing my brow because Mr. Extrovert wild child had a rough adjustment with school. Just a few weeks of being overly tired. Then he adjusted, and that was that.

LM is the complete polar opposite. HE is so sensitive and shy - and obviously he thinks school is the best thing ever. (I've never seen him happier!) I kept telling dh we would have to put him to bed earlier! But no - he is just fine. ???????

Again, what next?

Going from home full-time to school full-time should never be this easy. But, I will enjoy his chipper mood and excitement about school.

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This week will probably go by fast. I have a seminar in San Francisco tomorrow. Will stay with my parents tonight, and probably visit with friends or family for dinner before driving home tomorrow night. I am just winging it.

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The kids have dental and doctor visits this month, and the cat has a follow up appointment (more tests to make sure her infection has cleared). HEck, dh is due for another MRI. We are putting it off a month - until we get back from Hawaii. Didn't want any bad news to put a damper on our trip. Plus, regardless, we have to talk about this whole radiation thing. His doctor thinks he should get it anyway. We just wanted to put it aside for 6 months and regroup. Boy did that 6 months go fast!

Anyway, not something he will talk about in Hawaii!

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I am doing just dandy on my goals. Haven't updated much on them because I am not thrilled with the bigger picture.

I will hit $11k in savings in September, which means I can easily put $4k away in my IRA, as was my goal. (I already put away $1k, so leaves $1k per month for the rest of the year - to meet my goal).

That said, I haven't really increased my savings balance.

About $5k in medical bills, $1k vet bills, $2k to paint house, $1k for dh's TV, $1k for Denver, plus some smaller Hawaii expenses and a mattress for LM.

Yeah, that all adds up to about the $11k I saved. Gee, no wonder I am not getting anywhere.

Boy, this year has been unusual. We just haven't had anything in the realm of this spending, like ever. So, I just have to keep telling myself that. We may have easily had 5 years prior where we didn't have any big purchases. & in the grand scheme of things, it's not horrible. It's just really setting me back on my goals. I just want to get cash to a comfortable spot (for us) so we can move forward with everything else. I feel the cash is an extra pressing goal with the economy. We've been feeling it at work this year, for sure (cut benefits, a layoff, etc.).

I am trying to be patient. Dh tells me that he will probably look for work in one year. I am trying to tell myself that most of my perceived money shortfalls are moot if he is working in the year anyway. But, at the same time, he has spent about 2 of the last 8 years looking for work. So, being ready to work doesn't really mean a lot. (Couldn't find a minimum wage job when the economy was good??? Was very disconcerting. Before getting a degree, finding a crap job was never a problem). We have always realized that he may have to return to University to get his foot in the door. So, in one year's time, will we be flush with income? Or deep in University bills? Or just spinning our wheels some more.

I can't talk about most of this stuff with anyone. To my friends? "You have no non-mortgage debts, and your spouse hasn't worked in almost a decade? What are you worried about????" Plus, we are rare with home equity. Their answer would just be to borrow from the home, in emergency. (That's not "real" debt!)

Of course, if I wasn't worried, I could quite easily fall into financial disarray. Trying to stay where I am at. It's not easy as it looks, I suppose. I don't think most people realize that life isn't all roses and peaches just because you make certain financial goals. It's always work. IT may be easier, but it will always be work to strive for financial comfort. Plus, since having kids, we have mostly slid backwards. Have always considered this rather temporary. I am used to saving more, and more cash in the bank! It's hard to slide backwards once you are used to a certain level of comfort.