Monkey Mama*s Monkey Money Blog

There is no doubt that identity theft and credit card breaches are on the rise.

I don't remember ever having my credit card info stolen, in the farther past, but lately, it just comes with the territory.

I am also concerned because every time I mention any breach, older people always think, "It's the internet!!" No doubt, some of it is the internet, but I know of far many more cases of mail fraud. I can trace my BIG identity theft breach to a lost IRA application (lost in the mail).

IT could be a coincidence, but my HMO bills me and lets me put things on my credit card if I write out the number and mail it back. I always feel uncomfortable doing so, and both times my current info was breached, was within a week of doing so. In the past there was a check washing ring traced to our local post office, so I avoid snail mail as much as possible. I can't help but feel maybe there is still some shady stuff going on. I really just need to pick up the phone and ask if I can pay over the phone, next time. I am getting more and more leery of sending anything in the mail. (A check would be worse, I think. Knowing the check washing history. At least the credit card theft does not affect my cash balance while it gets straightened out).

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So, what is it about OCtober? I am looking and my card was last breached exactly 2 years ago - October. Kind of ironic.

I just logged in, and saw a few odd charges in NYC. Nope - haven't been to NYC lately. The charges were a quarter for parking, $50 at Rite Aid, and $150 at some east coast super market.

Unfortunately, random traveling and trips to the super market aren't unusual at all. (The first place we went in Hawaii was to the grocery store!) This is the first time that I have caught a breach like that before the credit card company did.

Should be easy enough to straighten out. I only automatically pay about 1 bill, so will have to fix that and memorize a new number. Eh.

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In other news, I have had a State Farm credit card for a LONG time. It was my backup card, though I more recently got a credit union credit card, to fit the bill.

So, I got a note in the mail that they were going to close the SF card if I didn't use it in the next 30 days.

I figure it's for the best. I don't really need 3 cards. I was keeping it for my "backup card" when I closed the Chase card (when they reduce my rewards or up my fees). Backup cards are a must for time like these. I hate cash, and I don't want to be credit card-less while they issue me new cards.

BUT, it is taking way longer for Chase to scare me off than I imagined, and now I am eyeing another card with 2% cash back to my retirement account. Basically, when Chase pisses me off I will shop for a new 2nd card. I am fine with letting go of the State Farm card.

I have never found that closing old cards amounts to a hill of beans to my almost perfect credit score. Though I closed my first credit card a few years ago, I learned since that good credit stays on your credit report for a whole decade. I can't help but feel this may be why I have never noticed much impact from closing old cards (& keeping my list of credit cards very small, manageable, and most useful - best rewards). Because absolutely none of my credit history has fallen off my report, I can only assume FICO is using it too. & by the time it falls off, I will have 10 years of new history.

**I scored some *free* toothbrushes. They were on sale for 99 cents, and I got $1 0ff coupons for Walgreens, for buying them. I bought one, and went back and snatched up 3 more (I hadn't realized they were on sale, and I didn't realize the coupon was for the toothbrush, so I got another one). If I had realized I would have bought one at lunch and one after work (the Walgreens is on my way home), to make them all essentially FREE. But what I did was run back first thing in the morning to snatch up more before the sale ended. I hadn't realized they were on sale until I got home and looked at the receipt. Doh.

Was nice, since I like a particular kind of toothbrush that usually cost more like $4 or $5.

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I got our new property tax bill. No surprises since I had looked up our property assessment earlier in the year.

In our state, property taxes can not go up more than 2% per year, but they can go down as low as property values go, any given year. (These rules were put in place when absurd price appreciation meant a lot of seniors could no longer afford the property taxes to keep their homes).

I have no complaints about our property taxes, as they have steadily gone up 2% per year (even while the price of our property more than doubled in a very short time). But with the economy, I welcome the chance to pay even less.

Last year our bill went down $400 for the year. This year, it went down about $300. That's some pretty substantial savings. We are still in this sweet spot where we have over 20% equity, etc. (Last year, our assessment fell to the price we paid for the house. This year, down another $15k or so).

For net worth purposes, I long ago decided just to track the assessment to value our home, since it was only a steady 2% increase. (Fair market value has been crazy and volatile, on the other hand). On the flip side, a large loss of value would be more important to track and is accurately reflected with this method. It just works for my purposes.

SO, I have to lower my assets by $15k for the year. But I won't complain too much, since I have no plans to move anytime soon, and welcome the lower tax bill. Phew!

He is going in for an MRI tomorrow. (He did finally set that up!)

IT would be a miracle, but I am hoping his tumor shrunk/died/disappeared.

It looks like the odds are that either it is growing again, or it stopped growing. So, realistically, I can only hope for no growth.

We probably won't know any results until the following week.

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I am so glad we waited 6 months to bring this whole thing up again. It is still very likely that his doctor will recommend radiation. (cyber knife - small amounts of radiation directed only at the tumor - much safer than other radiation. A VERY simple procedure).

We just couldn't handle all this immediately after his surgery recovery. But, I think we feel ready to open that discussion and tackle it, if need be. So, I am kind of bracing myself for round 2 - which may be brought up even if there is no growth.

**Dh's air conditioning is fixed, which has signaled the arrival of fall.

We visited family over the weekend, and were wary to drive home in the first rain. (You always hear the stories about slick roads, but last year dh spun out on the first rain, so we were a little extra wary). It doesn't rain here all summer - it could have been 6 months since it rained, easily, which is why the roads get so slick.

When we got home, we turned off the front sprinklers (I just flip them off and on as rain comes through - last year was unique in that we got so much rain I don't think we needed to irrigate all winter). Average rainfall is 20 inches per year - not a lot.

Knowing the temps would drop this week, I turned up the hot water a wee bit.

I suppose I should evaluate the pants and warm clothing situation (kids). I just haven't thought about it at all because it has been so HOT! It's been in the 90s, until yesterday.

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**Fall is always my big kind of "spring clean" mode, so I welcome the cool weather and hope it motivates me soon. I've lost most of October, so hopefully November will be a good "get things done" kind of month!

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I offered to make some pumpkin pie play dough for the Kinder class. I had no idea what "pumpkin pie spice" was, but found it for about $5.50 at the grocery store (after a long search). I was picking up just a couple of other things and looked while I was there. I didn't realize until I got to the parking lot that the tiny little container was missed - not on my receipt nor on my bag.

I figured it was for the best - maybe I could just borrow some.

MIL didn't have any but told me it was just cimmanom, nutmeg, allspice, etc. I felt "duh," when she told me because we tend to mix our own spices. But, I didn't know what it was. Mental note to look that up next time. I found a simple recipe on the internet - all with spices we did have on hand.

Then, my mom (non-cook) actually found some, and it still had a strong smell to it. (I wouldn't be surprised if it was 20 years old!) I think in this case, it is just for the fragrance (since the kids won't eat the play dough!) In the end, MIL found some too, and neither of them wanted it so now I have tons of pumpkin spice for next time. Way to save $5!

I can't help but think this is one of those things where people don't understand if you "have money," why you would be so "cheap." Whereas, why would I have money, if I didn't try to cut costs like these down. All I Could think is, "What have I gotten myself into," when I Saw that like an ounce of pumpkin spice was almost $6. Ouch!

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**The weekend was nice. We took the kids to a zoo/park that we have membership at (in San Jose). We spent some time with their cousins (who we never seem to see. It seems we have been spending a lot more time with their second cousins, but first cousins are always so busy). & they had a blast. We need to make more of that time.

I think with our parents retiring, we have cut back significantly on the visits. For a time it seems many weekend were spent traveling to see family. IT can get exhausting (As this weekend was). BUT, I don't remember the last time we visited just to visit. It's been a long while. I think our schedule gets busier every year, and our parents' get less busy, and we are doing less of the driving to visit. Phew!

Dh's dad is officially retiring in about 3 months. (Holding on for some better benefits - he has almost been laid off 2 or 3 times, so crossing our fingers he can make the final stretch).

MIL is retired, but working a lot. Tutoring, subbing, babysitting, etc. I kind of dreaded the day (she is so in everyone's business), but I think she works more than before. Kind of funny, I think. But she is happier with all the control. & obviously teaching is a much tougher/time consuming job, overall.

My dad is just a few months in his new job, but the place is shutting down in a few months. Boo! So, come 2011, none of our parents will be working again. My dad wants to work, and will continue to look for more work. The jobs are far and few in between with his age, any more (he turns 60 next year. But it's been like this since he turned about 55. HE had never been laid off any length of time before the past 5 years or so).

Both dh's parents retired (will retire) at 62.

My mom *retired* in her 20s, and my dad would work forever if he could! But, it is looking like 62 may be a magical number for him, too. Maybe younger. I don't know if he will find much more work in his field.

**Dh's vehicle had more serious air conditioning problems, so it will be $450 to fix. We had already talked about taking it in this week, before I got the news of the $1k insurance reduction. So, I am glad we brought it in after that news. I am more open to the idea to spending $450 to fix it in October. (It is another scorcher today!)

In the grand scheme of things, I don't think our luck is turning back to the bad side. IT's a repair we have been putting off, and knock on wood, but we are nowhere near our car maintenance budget for the year. So, in the grand scheme of things, it's no biggie.

It is officially our first A/C repair, ever. It's a newer car thing - our ancient cars' A/Cs just always worked forever.

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**Really GOOD news on the school front. (& good for long term financial planning!). The schools' test scores were through the roof for 2010. As such, I think the school has decided that now is a good as time as any, to expand. (They have wanted to expand since inception 5 years ago, but have been very busy getting the school set up and slowly adding grades 4 & 5, etc.). We also didn't even have a principal, last the subject was broached.

It really seems to me that the test scores have something to do with it. (Expecting more support from the district and community, etc.?)

The primary wish is to add Grades 6-8. Since the other middle school choices at current are completely abyssmal, I am very happy that there is such serious talk about moving forward with this. I have 3 or so more years to worry about all this. (My approach has just been very one year at a time. If I had panicked about elemtary school options, it would have worked against us probably. We now have the best school we could ever want. It just kind of happened. So, I haven't found it very worthwhile to panic about 4 years down the road, yet!).

We are exceptionally pleased with the school, so I hope it all works out. Will see...

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I lucked into a really nice art set for LM, for just under $50. I mentioned before, that LM wanted to take an extra-curricular art class. Dh and I cringed at the price, and decided to use the money to set up his own art studio at home. (The plus is that he gets art instruction at school - they have a REALLY good art program). So, at home, he cam practice practice practice, and expand on the ideas he gets from school.

Since the original idea, I can tell you, I am even more glad I thought of it. I am running out of paper to keep him occupied - he just draws and draws and draws, all the time.

So, I have been keeping my eye out on Craigslist. I haven't seen much, but the other day I was perusing Amazon (again), and one brand of art products was on sale (many items were 75% - 90% off). I found a chalkboard/dry erase board/easel for $38. (The full price on all these items were ridiculous, but the sales prices were quite good, in comparison). I ended up getting a pile of chalk, markers, paper and other accessories for $10. So, a REALLY good start. The shipping was free.

I really just need to keep my eye out for some paint.

It wasn't my intent to make this a Christmas gift. BUT, will probably just hold it for Christmas. (We weren't really planning to buy the kids anything - between all the free stuff dh will get from Scholastic and his game buying/selling, and how much MIL Spoils them). It's the slippery slope of what to get BM, if we get something big for LM. Dh thinks my parents wanted to give BM a big gift though. If that works out, we will just go with that. They will both get a nice gift for Christmas Day, then. They don't seem to notice or care who their gifts are from, at this age.

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For the final news, BM's class is the "richest" in the school. Was the same class last year, and they always raised the most money for any fundraiser.

At the beginning of the year, teacher asked for about $500 for some software for the kids. The money was raised in an instant. When I saw the request, I thought, "pfffft," since I just wrote out a pile of checks to the school for field trips, supplies, etc. I initially thought, "Maybe we can contribute around Christmas." But when it took him 5 mintues to raise $500, I thought, "nevermind." We focus much more on giving time than money, at this stage in our lives. Seems like a *time* giving year. & I appreciated not feeling the pressure to help, once the money was raised.

That said, I think the techer was so surprised/amazed, he decided to ask for even more. (Why not???). HE asked for money for a video camera for the classroom. BUT, he did it through some donation site, while we were on vacation. Where he was limited to only certain retailers. I Was just showing dh this week, and he said, "What? I can get that for 25% the price." I looked, and no one had contributed one cent. I told dh, "The other parents may have a lot of money, but they aren't stupid." No one wants to pay way more than they have to! (I have found a lot of our well off neighbors are actually pretty money wise and frugal, so I wasn't surprised at all to see the parents balk at this purchase).

So, dh contacted him and told him we would offer to just donate the equipment - we could get it for $100.

I am glad we waited for a more "fitting" opportunity to help. Dh is excited to help with their video projects. With a camera, they can get started!

**It's official that 2011 IRA Contribution Limits will remain unchanged for 2011. (Our tax research company calculates the changes every September - I just remembered to look). IRS will make an announcement in the next couple of weeks, probably.

For whatever reason, they didn't calculate 401k limits this year. I presume the $16,500 max will stay the same (my educated guess).

Knock on wood, but I think it is official that our financial luck is turning around.

I feel like ever since I smashed the side of my van last year (into a pole), it's just been one thing after another! $1k here, $2k there. Neverending big bills and suprises.

Turning point? We didn't end up spending much of anything for our Hawaii trip. BM suddenly doesn't need $1k+ of dental work, after all.

The latest? I got our flood insurance renewal. IT was supposed to cost an extra $1k, for this year only. (The amount of our flood insurance is 100% political. I've ranted before. It was a 500-year flood zone or something, when we bought our home. We were skeptical and have always had flood insurance - we live in a basin next to a river - it's kind of "duh" thing. Since Katrina and all that, we have received a lot of focus for being in a very similar situation. The plus is that there is ton of money being piled into improving levies here. The bad is that we are now considered a 10-year-flood zone. Seems about as ridiculous to me as the 500-year designation. The rates we pay for our flood insurance still depend on the whim of all the politics. We were supposed to pay higher rates for the year 2010 (though certainly not what we probably should pay for a 10 year flood zone!!). We were going back to $300/year annual rates for the next 2 years, ideally until levies improved enough to warrant 200+ year protection.

So, as I understood it, we would need to cough up $1300 for this year. I haven't really focused on the "hardship" of that. Was just relieved we were getting so many breaks in the interim, until this is all worked out. But, all the same, it was going to hurt our bottom line this year.

So, I got the renewal, and I Was pretty pissed off, to get a bill for $300. I told dh that everyone was an idiot who didn't know what they were doing.

But I called my insurance agent today, and since we have had "continous coverage" for "so long," we get to keep the old rate.

I am still a little skeptical, but I have it in writing.

I was feeling uncomfortable moving $3k from savings to our ROTHs, this year. Wanted to be a little better off with the savings. However, I will probably fund $2k from our tax refund. & wala, here is another $1k I Didn't expect. So I am feeling more confident about reaching our financial goals for the year.

I am so happy about this! IT's like I found about $2500 during the last 2 weeks alone. What a load off!

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To celebrate, I am setting up an appointment with our auto mechanic. I really thought we could just live until next summer with the broken AC thing. Meanwhile, it's been HOT here. So, I give up.

It's supposed to cool off in a few days, and it might not matter at this point. But, I suppose I no longer have any reason to suffer through any more freak hot spells. I don't expect it to be much to fix - just a recharge. Will see.

**My arm has been poked, prodded, zipped and zapped, and apparently nothing is wrong with it. I feel relieved that it cost so little for all that. (I think, anyway. Will see what future bills say). $50 for a MRI and $10 for an ultrasounds. Since we surpassed our deductible for the year, we seem to be only left with very small/reasonable co-pays. Phew!

Since they found no mass/tumor/cyst with the MRI, they were concerned it could be a blood clot. Which is why I went in for an ultrasound (immediately). They found nothing, so I am back to the original diagnosis that it seems to be nothing.

I still can't get into the head/neck doctor for a couple of more weeks! So I still have to figure out the lump on my neck. But I suppose it's nice to put the arm thing behimd me and focus on the neck. (Verus facing 2 different medical issues at once).

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My Grandma seems to be going downhill pretty fast. I can't help but feel like it was REALLY the right thing to visit her. One of those things were it didn't make much financial sense at the time. Hopefully, one of the few times I will ever have to make a decision like that.

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My job is uber frustrating because Congress can't pass timely tax legislation. I giggle a little when anyone talks about tax planning. It's an art we have long gave up on even trying in the tax profession.

So, I Read this article today - which sums it up and shows how things will affect the average taxpayer.

I hadn't run the numbers as I have been in blissful denial, waiting for tax patches and extended tax breaks. But, according to this article, I can expect to lose $200/month to income taxes, next year. Figures. *sigh* I'll wait until 12/31 to run the numbers myself, and see what the heck to do about it.

I also heard the state raised taxes, but no details (not sure yet if it affects income taxes).

But yeah, the gist of the article is that Congress may not have decided anything, but payroll tax withholding tables need to be finalized soon, for the year 2011.

Delays to Tax Tables May Dent Paychecks

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870468980457553...

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I started reading the 4000-ish page series. Songs of Fire & Ice. A Game of Thrones is the first book.

Took dh a year to finish it. He finished the 4th book in Hawaii. 3 more books are due in the series. He says it is by far the best series he ever read, but is frustrated since it really is just a 7-book story with no real ending to any one book.

I've been putting off the undertaking, but had thought maybe I would have time to read the first book on vacation. (Instead, we didn't have much down time - lots of eating, napping, hiking - not a lot of reading).

So, dh keeps leaving the book around the house very conspicuously.

Finally, I wasn't feeling well over the weekend and the kids were bouncing off the walls. They were home from school all week, and usually I get them out of the house much more than dh. So, a week with no school, and a sick mom on the weekend, didn't bode well for them. So I finally told the dh, "If you take the kids to the park, I will start that book." Which he had placed somewhere near my sick bed over the weekend - with a nudge nudge. I Was really in no mood to read, but I was in the mood for some settled down kids.

So, I am committed. I am hoping to read 3 books by the end of the year. Will see. First book is 800 pages, but I know one of them is 1300 pages. But, it's going fast.

As such, I won't meet my "12 book" goal for the year, but an equivalent amount of pages? Maybe.

Anyone else read the series?

The kids are set for Halloween. I am not crafty at all. Usually we just buy BM a costume, give LM a hand-me-down, or request that they both wear some past year costume.

The kids wanted to be Mario/Luigi this year, so I just bought them new costumes. Was about $70 for the both, with shipping, but I had a $20 rebate I applied to that. I could have gotten some really dumbed down costumes for about $20/each (but then I'd have to buy the red/green shirts too, etc., etc.). So, I just got the deluxe costumes that came with everything. They were very cute. They even come with inflatable little tummies - LOL. I bought on the large side so they could wear more years.

MIL kept insisting she must hem the pants on LM's costume. I told her it was fine, we could tuck the pant leg in his socks. Since he grows a mile a minute, I just didn't see the point. (I haven't looked at the costume since we got back and won't be surprised if it's been hemmed!)

BM's costume fit better than expected. I didn't buy big enough, I guess, to last very long. Well, LM has many more years of Luigi ahead of him, then.

Anyway, the kids are happy. I only spoil them like this once in a blue moon (this may be the first time?). LAst year, BM was content with some cheap dracula costume at the drug store, and LM Was content with his choice from the hand-me-down/old costume pile. Plus, I imagine they will wear these costumes another year, the both of them, at least.

I REALLY need to go through the old costumes this weekend and see what we can sell. I think there are a couple that are too small - will have dh list on Craigslist. This will help whittle down the cost for this year.

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I saw this post on MyMoneyBlog:

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/vanguard-lowers-minimum-balance-r...

Admiral shares mean lower expense ratios. The new minimum is $10k for a couple of funds we already have.

I checked because I thought it was possible we had $10k in one fund, but we didn't (more like $6500).

BUT, it is interesting because I am still waiting on my profit sharing rollover. I hadn't decided what to do with it. Now I am thinking of going with the simple allocation I have for dh - Total Stock Market & Total Int'l Funds. The expense ratio is roughly half for the admiral shares.

In fact, I may just put dh's money into a Target fund (I have always kept his more simple) and I may just do a lazy type portfolio with those and some sort of bond fund, for my own money.

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10/15 is the big tax deadline. My boss needed some help with the tax software yesterday - he was filing our profit sharing plan's information return.

I hadn't thought about it, but I hadn't got a statement of the 2009 performance yet. I estimated some returns in Quicken - don't remember what percent I used. I am hoping today that I get my updated statement. Seems to me if he had enough info to file the return, he can give us our balances. I usually get them some time around 10/15. So I am hoping I get that today.

He told us in January to get ready to roll the money over, since he was closing the plan. Maybe he will get that rolling soon, too, while top of mind. I am upset to lose the benefits, but am looking forward to managing my own money. The plan cost a fair amount (administrative fees, brokers, etc., etc.), and these admiral shares will be much cheaper!!! Anyway, I opened a non-ROTH IRA to roll the money into - probably around March. Just waiting waiting waiting. But the timing of this Admiral share thing may work out then. Because really, I have been kind of paralyzed by choice. I chose a Vanguard IRA, but no idea what to do from there. I've got $1k here and $5k there, and dh's IRA might be up to about $20k. So this will be a big chunk of money to manage (I expect it to be about $45k).

Just noticed someone moving into a house which had been on the market for MANY years. Maybe 2-3. I don't know - the house has been clearly empty forever.

Bank owned - was asking about $250k. With a little digging, I found that it sold for $193k.

A lot of the same model houses sold in a flash when priced at $199k (which meant bidding wars and final sales prices around $220k at times).

Some of the banks have been kind of slow - and living in some sort of dream world. THough, certainly not all of them have been like that.

Guess this one finally woke up.

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My finances were mostly in order, but when I went to transfer money to my savings account, I was locked out of the account.

Which, of course, worried me a bit. I figured out that Quicken had been unable to retrieve data the last week or so, and so assumed that maybe that is why my account got locked.

So, I begrudgingly called today (not my favorite thing to do). This is a large credit union, and I immediately talked to someone, and had the problem solved in about a minute. They beat Chase, because I didn't have to sit on hold for a long time or deal with those "say yes" systems which never work.

OF course, when I Called today, I realized the phone service was 24/7. So I could have taken care of it last night! Will have to remember for next time. (We called Chase Saturday, on the contrary) and they told us they couldn't help us until Monday. Kind of obnoxious).

If you want to know why I solely bank at credit unions. (Consider big banks for credit cards, on occasion, but that's about it).

**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.