Monkey Mama*s Monkey Money Blog

For some reason I left mondo replies on many blogs today. Nothing left to blog myself, though I now have many different financial subjects racing through my head. Lot of interesting blogs today I guess.

I did find the most awesome website for boiling eggs last night. I learned one new trick in particular. After you cool the eggs in ice water, take them out and tap them on a hard surface, and THEN put them back in the ice water for 10 minutes.

The shells practically fell off. That last part was a new trick. Of course this website was insane in the details. Also suggested laying eggs on their sides overnight and having them room temperature before boiling, to prevent cracks. On & on. The whole cooking/colling process was longer with her directions, but did work really well. s'posedly no green either. HAven't looked inside yet.

I have found myself all week wondering how did we survive without the internet. seriously!?! It's funny sometimes my coworkers assume I grew up with internet. Um, yeah, I think internet came big when I was about 22. Maybe a decade ago. One thing I have never done is worked without internet. I could not IMAGINE!!!! But all my school years - no internet - not even college. Maybe a little. But I remember it being really clunky and not so useful in college.

Reminds me too, BM starts talking about clown fish and their symbiosis with the sea anenomes and how they protect them from the butterfly fish. HE is going on and on and on and dh and I just look at each other. So I look it up online. Lord knows where this came from but he was dead on. LOL. Likewise, dh asks me last night if the kids' had a particular easter basket. I said, lord knows, but if we told BM one was his last year, he will remember. HE remembers everything. I can't even say "anenome." Nor spell it, apparently.

I do have a rather photographic memory. But I don't remember it being prevalent when I was so young. I mean, he's 4. But he will remember the most random stuff, in detail.

Anyway, yeah, cooked the eggs last night and will devil them today. Plus my stab at very fatty wontons.

Likewise, we did dye a few eggs with the kids. We had everything on hand. At school they had written on the eggs with white crayons, to make designs. I also saw that online so we tried it. I also had the bright ideas to use markers (Washable) so the vinegar and water washed off all the ink. LOL!!!!!!! But we had dye, water and vinegar, so was a very frugal endeavor.

Well dh had gone to the store and bought eggs.

& the spread today???? Oy vey. I cringe at what you could spend hundreds of dollars on for easter. Our kids got so much candy and puzzles and toys. But we didn't really spend much - maybe $20? Too much. Lord knows what grandma will bring too. But they are having fun - that is for sure.

Guess I had something to blog after all.

Happy Easter!!!!!

Today I am working.

My Saturday working schedule is relaxed. I let dh sleep in a bit. Then I stop by the convenience store and pick up a snack. I get paid overtime during tax season and figured a couple of bucks a week is an okay splurge. I just limit to my Saturdays - helps me get through the day. Likewise, I generally just work what I want to work on and take more breaks than I probably should.

IT's funny how the tendency is for my coworkers to come in at dawn and rush rush rush to get out. Since I have been wide awake at 4am, I should give it a try. But I like just to embrace and enjoy. More my style. I really don't mind working the Saturdays. That's the nice thing about loving my job. I don't have to dread it or live for the weekends or any of that - blech.

I was perplexed today because I thought all I had was the work I had been putting off (ugh!). LOL. But I remembered something I had been planning to do next week which is easy. So I did 3 tax returns and will work on that after I finish my lunch.

Not bad for a Saturday. (The individual tax returns, I actually enjoy).

I have ugly projects for next week though. We'll see. The one I have been putting off, the ones that I am waiting on info for (which will no doubt arrive all at once), and the ugly most complicated thing in the office that we usually squeak out 10/15? My boss says we need to get it out next week.

YEah, we'll see. LOL.

I've been averaging 5 hours a week overtime and I feel rather ahead of the curve.

I've always had pretty high productivity, but I have had trouble concentrating and getting anything done since my second child. PPD issues I guess (or maybe just lack of sleep, or all of the above). I have noticed a marked improvement in the last month or 2. So we'll see. IT seems like this year was a much better year anyway. Last year was just so awful (tax season and all). But I guess that could be much of it. If I am doing my work twice as fast... Well, then it might seem a little easier. Plus on top of all that I think I have gotten over a big learning curve. So everything is just coming easier this year. Phew.

Likewise, at home dh has been less needy/grumpy. Again, the good nights' rests explains much of it. But we put the kids in 2 full days a week at preschool starting JAnuary to help with tax season. I was just telling my mom, what do I know? I worried it would be much for LM, but this was the first time we put them in care for our needs more than theirs. Anyway, he has absolutely blossomed. It has been SO good for him. Funny how that works out. By the same token, he never wants to go home.

Grass is always greener. My kids thinks it's terrible they don't get to go to full-time daycare! & most of the time after a full day of daycare LM just wants to go to the gym daycare with me and play some more. (BM is eager to see daddy, but LM has been so funny. Just play play play, everyone else has cooler toys than us). SO he spends lots of time at the gym daycare though it's not really necessary. He's happy as can be.

What do I know? I thought my little baby would have a hard time with full days...

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Anyway, I went to the Taco Bell drive thru to grab a bite and dh's car was making a weird noise. We just had a minor repair on it a couple of weeks back, AND this morning I was chatting with my mom. Knock of wood, of course,but I joked how dh's car was so "old" and by most people's standards would be time to upgrade. We joked as we tend to keep our cars 10-20 years. This is a 7-year-old-car.

OF course I jinxed the thing! LOL.

The weird thing is I have no idea what it was - thought maybe a flat since it was a noise like the tires rotating or something. No flat. Hope it's okay to drive home (not far). I'll have my dad look at it tomorrow. At least he can help me figure it out. So I don't have to call the mechanic and say it is making a noise I Can't describe in the least. I am terrible at describing that stuff. My dad will probably know what it is.

My car has also been making minor noises. USually the kind of thing I run it in for (keep on top of it). But I needed an oil change and they always push all this stuff I don't need. I asked dh to take it in and if they said anything about belts or fans it was fine for them to fix. Just convenient, was my guess on the noises. OF course this time they find nothing wrong. What good are they??? (jiffy lube).

Of course dh's car takes precedence once again. I know my fan is giving out and I should take it in before it gets hotter than Hades. But one thing at a time!

Tonight we will decorate eggs with the kids. I was tempted to skip it (they already decorated at preschool). But, eh, dh really wants to. I said maybe we'd do 4 tonight.

Tomorrow morning I am making deviled eggs. I just didn't want to make them, dye them, and then have to peel the shells later. Ugh. So I'll probably cook 4 tonight and another dozen tomorrow. But I LOVE deviled eggs and like any excuse to whip them up.

I also picked out a rather complex recipe from our cooking mags - some kind of fried wontons that are very high in calories - something like jalapenos, cream cheese, in wonton wrappers. Oh my. Of course it said it was like 60 calories per wonton? !! I decided to make them for Easter since they probably don't reheat well, and the last thing I need to do is eat them all.

Will be an experiment. We'll see how it goes.

What I would really like to learn how to make is steamed gyozas. IF these aren't half bad I may give it a whirl. We'll see how this goes. IT was in the "Easy cooking" book, so you know.

Going to dh's cousin's house, nearby, for Easter. IT will be slim with all the sickies and personal drama. I am not sure if any of the kids' cousins will be there!

Oh yeah, and everyone else has to work. Yeesh. Hey, I can swing the day off, why is everyone else working?

Tomorrow is s'posed to BEAUTIFUL Though and the kids will be spoiled by the adults. & there will be all that food for 1/2 the usual crowd. I think it will be pretty nice.

We live in the same city as dh's cousin but this is about all we see him - every Easter. Kind of pathetic. But we LOVE that he hosts and we don't have to host OR drive all the way to the Bay Area. Yay!

If I find a minute I should also take a stab at my parent's tax return... We'll see...

http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2008/03/live-like-a-new.html

Good article, primarily for those who live in more expensive areas though. I know the whole expensive thing really skews my point of view on rents.

But the last line of the article says, "the joy of paying a 2008 price in 2028 dollars"

I am personally enjoying the joy of 1999 prices in 2008 dollars. LOL. I mean we've owned a little over 8 years and the monetary advantage is phenomenal.

I have often said we have friends come over and are a little intimidated by our house. They are completely clueless that our mortgage payment is the same as theirs, for twice the space, or the same as their rents in their crappy apartments. Just clueless.

You can drop the hints, but they just don't "get" it.

OF course this is precisely why we bought so young. To control our housing prices. Which were frankly, insane.

Our mortgage is $1300 monthly and we may get it down to $1200 this year with a refi and lower interest rates.

Plus I guess lowering interest rates has been the other big thing for us. I have mentioned before our first mortgage, in 1999, was about the same but our payments were $1500. Our payments for this house used to be $1500. When we both worked we had a $1800 monthly mortgage for a time as we had a 15-year loan. So to go down to $1300 was like getting a "rent decrease" which of course is quite RARE. & we might be able to pull it off once again.

Anyway, the reason I shared was because I thought it was a very well written article that kind of showed my point of view.

Anyway, reminds me, as far as the refi front. We are in line with a broker (recommended by a friend) who will call us to lock in 5% if it ever materializes. Likewise, my credit union said they wouldn't keep our application on file for more than 30 days, and seemed less willing to work for us (and more expensive anyway). Well, they called me yesterday and said rates were coming down, and they wanted to lock me in. (It's been more than 30 days - for sure!) OF course, not near where I needed to be, but nice to see they came down a bit again. So it's just on the back burner. This other guy obviously wants our business and will call us if he can lock us in. Even 5.25% would be an improvement. Not counting on it, but if it materializes, we're all set to jump.

I had kind of given up in the interim, so was excited when the CU called. In the meantime we paid a good grand off of our mortgage since we started the process. Just with regular payments. The more we pay off the lower our payments will be if this materializes. Woohoo.

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As far as the great mortgage debate, as with anything, I am very in the MIDDLE. Call me the Middle Monkey. LOL.

I just wanted to be clear, that personally I would rather fund my retirement than prepay the mortgage right now (though I may throw an extra $30/month at the mortgage rather than have it sit in my checking account and get spent. The small dollars I do think can really add up).

The reason is being young and having the tax deferred advantage, I really think retirement is the best bet for my money.

Of course, being young, I expect more income down the road. & so, once the retirement is maxed? Any excess is going to the mortgage. When it comes to having more money than I really need, and the mortgage, I rather just pay off the mortgage. It is certainly the easier solution than figuring out how to invest any excess, and worrying about taxes.

Likewise, our long term strategy is very middle of the road. On one income, max out retirement and then pay down the mortgage ($300/month max - if that), then on to taxable investments.

With a second income? We would save up cash for a year or 2 (maybe invest) because the second income can come or go. Then we would divide the income, after year 1 or 2, to mortgage and taxable investments. split 50/50. That's our plan for now. No clear winner so we figured we'd do both. We maybe even split it 33/33/33 Fun/mortgage/invest. But we just figured we'd save a bit first, then split, and then go from there...

We'd prefer to use the windfalls/second income to pay off the mortgage so that we could live on a much lower salary. Sure, you could invest, but the taxes get complicated, and investing is just not a sure thing.

No right answer here, just my own thought process. My very middle of the road thought process. Kind of the best of all. (Why not do it ALL?) I mean I would really love a well funded retirement and a paid off mortgage by 45. Not either/or. Just going for both.

Dh went in for a throat swab today. Miraculously it was "free."

Huh?

He was really fighting going, but I was just worried. It's been about a week, and something is unusual. Doesn't look like the mild virus the kids had.

Anyway, took a swab to rule out strep. We'll see tomorrow.

If it's not, then he will make a doctor's appointment. We are starting to think he has the dreaded mono.

My mom mentioned it, and we were just like, um, yeah, hadn't thought it but that is very much like what he has.

Likewise, on a whim I called preschool this morning to see if any of the kids had had strep.

Of course, no but she tells me pink eye is going around and she had told some mom a virus had been going around and to bring her kids in with their goopy eyes(because my kids had something like pink eye that wasn't pink eye). Well, guess what, it was pink eye! Ugh. I guess she felt bad. Color me guilty. Now everyone was exposed...

Well, we still have the eye drops we bought and never used. So looks like we may need them. Figures.

OF course, I brought up the mono thing and said but I had not heard of it going around at all.

Um, well, Ms. PReschool said she thinks SHE has it. Except she had thought the same thing (hadn't been going around) BUT she has been feeling down and out for months and has a doctor's appointment today actually.

When she said she was too tired to babysit, she really meant it. I didn't realize she was still dragging so much.

So it will be interesting to see her results. Surprised they had not tested her blood yet, but she said she had been resistant to the idea; thought it was absurd.

Which makes the whole mono thing look more possible all of a sudden.

Likewise I hear it is quite mild in children. MAybe it's just been going around. (Of course don't ask me how you can watch kids for 20 years and never get it - hehe).

Um, if it wasn't for the whole eye thing I'd wonder if they had it mildly (they had sore throats recently, but it came with this whole pink-eye-like thing).

It's probably just some virus. IT could be strep. But I am scared if it is mono.

Shouldn't be huge, but I had the worst case of mono when I was 17. I literally thought I was going to die. Dh looks rather confident, but my brain races to the worst scenario. IF he has it anything like me we'll need full-time daycare AND a nurse. We'll see...

He says, "oh, this is mild." I laughed. I Said, yeah your first week was like my first week. Then I was bed ridden for weeks/months.

I almost hope it's what it is in a sick way because at least I am immune. (Though very mild on poor dh please!!!!)

& like I want to get strep? Ugh.

Oh well, I hope it's not strep and it isn't anything. That would be even better.

We are all so sick of the doctors office though.

I'll keep you updated...

Oh, I almost forgot.

I was listening to the radio and the DJ mentioned he had gone to a BBQ/party over the weekend and it had turned into a business networking thing.

He said one guy put his card out on the counter and started talking about his business, and by the end of the night he had like 10 business cards.

He was like, what the foo??? HE came to relax, not to talk business. Or be sold stuff.

Oh, I cringed because I know the feeling.

A lot of the moms groups I have been in have turned into home show networking things. All the moms are selling something. It gets so OLD. Likewise, I never buy anything, but always watch amazed at all the money changing hands. Who can afford all this stuff??????????? You name it, someone sells it. & I find a lot of people feel obligated to buy out of friendship.

Screw that! I'd be broke if I played that game.

At least I know who my true friends are too...

Anyway, I didn't go Trick OR Treating this year since the fam was in Florida without me. BUT the year before when we went out it was the same thing. We ran into TWO neighbors who were passing out business cards.

On Halloween??????

So TACKY!

I wonder how it was last year. Maybe should be glad I missed it.

I was like, I didn't get the memo that Halloween night was network night. Apparently more than one person had that idea.

Plus I have mentioned that I got sick of people at Library story time and Toddler Time art the community center, cramming catalogs down my throat. Blech!

At least working I don't have to deal with it much.

I admit, I am a home seller. But I never ask anyone. I put my catalog out at work (easy enough to be ignored) and I make most of my sales by people asking me about the jewelry I wear. So I get extra disgusted when people are so rude and tacky. I start to feel like a walking dollar sign. I know you can politely make known your business and just leave at that. Maybe I am lucky I can wear my wares. Means a lot less hussle.

Of course, on the radio the DJ mentioned that if you have to try THAT hard you are probably floundering.

Amen!

Likewise, with the economy these days? Ugh. It's getting worse. I have people that only call me up or e-mail me to try to recruit me or sell me their crap. HAven't talked to them in ages. So tacky and transparent.

I can only hope they all go out of business in this economy. Teehee.

(Believe me, they aren't making any money. Certainly not with all the crap they have to buy from their friends to get them to buy their crap. I think everyone would be happier if they just gave up. LOL).

Anyway, the reason I got into this game was just because I love the product and wanted to buy it on discount. So why I am one of THOSE. LOL. But I find wearing it sells just enough to get me to my minimums and allow me to buy a big chunk of jewelry every year, at half the price, with no money from my pocket. I probably would have quit a couple of years ago but I keep making my minimums with no effort. So I am staying on for now. Until I have to shell out another dime, then I'll be out.

This year may be a little slow. I can tell home sales are down from the desparation of my acquaintances. Ugh.

Well, dh wasn't feeling so hot yesterday (STILL). I looked in his throat, concerned if maybe he has gotten strep or something. Didn't look very strepy, but who knows. The kids had a mild virus and it seems more like what he has. But it has been a good 5 days of him laying around the house (including yesterday anyway).

I insisted on taking LM to preschool, and I don't think he was too thrilled. But I didn't want him watching TV all day. BM can hold his own, and he can watch TV all day. But I think it is a bit much for LM (he is only 2.5) though dh argued that he is better at occupying himself and playing quietly. True. But he also needs a lot more help getting dressed, going potty, eating, etc. At least BM would need little attention all day, and would be fine if dh fell asleep for a time, etc.

So I called the preschool and she had a spot. Phew!!!! Not always a given. I knew not to bother asking if she had 2 spots; likewise, I wasn't going to pay an extra $70 for the day, for 2.

But I thought this was a good compromise. Dh just looked miserable.

He was very resistant though and I know why. He had to take BM in for a blood draw and shots the other day. I don't remember why it came up but I think he was asking if I could help with the kids - watch LM or something. I had a tax appointment at the same time so was of little help. Anyway, I am trying to remember because I think he brought it up, not I. But I said, well, want to take him to preschool? He said, no, too far and expensive. I told him to take him to the drop-in childcare place. Mind you I didn't exactly see why he couldn't just take both kids, but we had a little extra cash and I was in a good mood. He said he didn't think LM would do good there alone. Wanted to warm him up to the place more before he tried that.

So anyway, whatever, he obviously had no interest in the help available to him and so I figured he'd survive.

Then later, like really late at night, he was like whining again and saying we hadn't resolved anything. I Said, well, I gave you these options and you shot them down. Now you want to take him to preschool? It's too late to call.

It was like I talked him into it and he talked me out of it. & I thought it had been resolved. LOL. At this point I think the whole thing is ridiculous and he is annoyed I don't understand his plight.

So I said, fine, let's start all over. These are your options. You work them out. You deal with it. I am OUT.

Of course, for good measure, I did add that they money he was going to waste on daycare was our babysitting money and would interfere with date night. At that point he thought I was playing dirty. I made clear that this was not a threat. That I thought this was rather obvious. I didn't exactly have an extra $35 laying around. We have been trying to get more into a date night groove. But we spend SO MUCH on preschool. An extra day completely obliterates the babysitting fund. That's a good 3 hours of babysitting.

So he took LM along, and guess what?, it wasn't so bad. (YEesh).

Anyway, so I think he was appalled when I mentioned the idea yesterday. He's not giving up date night for NOTHING. Of course, yesterday felt of much more necessity. I knew LM and dh would both be better for it. Yes, the babysitting fund is obliterated, but I think we'll survive. Sometimes the kids just have to come first. If I have to pay for date night out of my allowance, whatever. We'll work it out. (shhhh, don't tell him that. LOL). I was just going to be concerned about them all day, otherwise, and worried I would get called home if he started to feel worse, etc.

Of course all the while I am just trying to avoid missing any work. It is just so hectic and a terrible time to be sick or be home caring for sick people.

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Of course after all that and dh's family came over in the evening with their corned beef/cabbage dinner. They just came up for about 2 hours, but we ate our dinner with some beer and had a good time. One day late on the St. Patty's celebration.

Dh seemed to feel a lot better. Hadn't seen him upright in days. So we'll see how that translates today.

MIL brought some pants for BM. I was thinking, does he need pants? When it occured to me that his elementary school-to-be has a dress code. I told her that I would have to forward her the dress code. She was like, "oh certainly. These pants are fine of course?" JEans? Um, no. No complaints because they will be great hand-me-downs for LM. But I realized she buys the kids so much clothes, I should get her a copy of the dress code. Will be a load off me. The clothes she buys are always very helpful, and if she buys within the school dress code once in a while, even better.

Anyway, the pants are nice, and will probably be more useful to LM. But yeah, it is spring here and HOT weather is on the horizon. It's probably going to be time to do some shopping soon. Need to get BM some bigger clothes (since he has grown MUCH since last spring/summer) and have to dig out the hand-me-downs for LM. We try to go through all the clothes twice a year. It's probably time to make another run to Goodwill with the clothes LM has outgrown in the last 6 months... Then pull out all the bigger clothes he can use for the next 6 months or so. His top drawers are filled with clothes he can wear and the bottom drawers are the next size up/next season. We got the giant dresser because it was good for a changing station as well. But it works well with our hand-me-down system. Just worked out that way. BM's dresser is much smaller but all it has is the clothes he wears now. Since he is by far the first "baby" in the family and has no hand-me-downs, well it works. The fam buys him so much clothes too, so clothes are just not a large expense for the kids. Phew!! But they grow so FAST - it is just a lot of work to sort through and keep a step ahead!

I am looking at the credit card and am so confused. I feel like we have spent spent spent but it looks like we could have money to spare this month.

Huh?

LOL.

It's just, weird.

Our budget is considerably relaxed, this year, or we are just adjusting well. (I mean the budget #s haven't changed. Just feels like we have more).

I've already said it 2 or 3 times. But yeesh.

Of course the one thing killing our budget end of last year was all the trips to see family (like every weekend for 2 or 3 months). That's a fine line. We have talked a few times about going to see my nieces or this or that. Which is far more important than money. But gas prices have been getting SO ugly. It's hard to justify during busy tax season anyway, but we have to think seriously about our driving come summer.

Likewise, I asked dh why his mom had not offered to take a kid in a while (she usually begs). I was about to say call and offer her a grandkid for a few days (please!!). Then we started talking about the logistics. The gas. Even if we just met 1/2 way as we have been tending to do.

I said, nevermind. That's one expensive babysitter when you factor the 120-mile distance. LOL. By the same token I imagine it's why she hasn't offered.

Well, this weekend wasn't so hot. Dh wasn't feeling well. While I was at work Saturday he took the kids to the movies. I didn't even ask because I didn't want to know (the cost). But I saw on the card today it was only $14. I forgot LM was free. IT wasn't so bad.

LM did good, sat through the movie and all. Getting to a better movie age. They saw the Dr. Seuss movie.

When I came home dh wasn't doing so hot so I went to the store to pick up some things and made sloppy joes for dinner.

Sunday I had a lot planned, but started feeling like I was coming down with something. (Never amounted to much, so I am thinking it is the dreaded allergies. If so, certainly milder than usual. That's the only good I can say about that. My allergies are just TERRIBLE here - though never really suffered back home).

Every year I look so forward to spring and then I quickly wish it was OVER. LOL. Just still not used to it.

Anyway, Sunday I took the kids to the doctor to get BM's TB test read. He's all certified for school.

We then went to Fairytale Town (a cute little glorified park we have membership too). We hadn't been since fall (just too cold/wet) but we generally go every week or 2 in the milder seasons. I was surprised when we got there to see how PACKED it was. They had easter egg hunts every hour which the kids really enjoyed (lord knows why. Too many people; not enough eggs. LOL). But they loved it and LM got a little bunny "pencil topper" - pretty much what it looks like. He hasn't let it out of his sight since then. HE is in love with his bunny. BM got some jelly beans which he quickly devoured.

I had packed a lunch but could not resist the nachos. Got a nacho and a soda and we all shared each other's food. I am not sure I would have if I had remembered how expensive it was. The day cost $4 for my nachos/soda. Yikes.

In the evening I just heated up hot dogs for the kids. & did the laundry and dishes and all that stuff. Ugh, exhausted!!!!!!

At work the topic often comes up who has time to do anything like shop, cook, run errands... I always say I don't need time for that. That's what my house hubby is for. Listening to them talk I feel like I have the most free time of anyone. (I mean I look at time with my kids as fun time mostly). Likewise, they all say they shouldn't complain because I have small kids and must have it the worst. (Meanwhile dh takes care of most of the household "work" so I don't have to worry about much).

Of course the same people are always constantly asking when he is returning to work. They just don't get it in the least. I don't want to give up my house hubby for nothing! They always look at me like I have a third eye when I say, well, no plans for him to return to work. Not sure if he ever will...

Just not a priority over here. Nor a necessity.

I think mostly they are sick of hearing how I am not miserable like the rest of them. LOL.

Anyway, yesterday dh was still ill, but the kids went to preschool. After I picked them up we went by the store and picked up some chips and chili for my famous "chili, chips and cheese." The kids renamed it to "silly chips and cheese" last night.

I took pitty on dh and cooked the beef stroganoff he was going to attempt. (A new one in our cook book). He looked awful. As I chopped onions I told him I must really love him (oh my poor eyes - I just can't stand onions). But it didn't turn out half bad, and was rather simple. I'll have to scan the recipe and share.

Even with my horrid cooking skills, it was edible. LOL.

I think dh will draw the line at letting me serve dinner tonight though. I was not raised on fruits & veggies and wouldn't have a clue where to start. So my meals did lack well roundedness. Though I did serve the kids grapes with their hotdogs (they asked. LOL).

So dh is chomping at the bit to cook some real dinners and get us back on track. Hehe.

Oh anyway, we were going to go on a decent hike Sunday, but that fell through with the sickies. I guess we'll try weekend after next. Now I remember why we never do anything like that. Seems like there is always something!!!

Oh, and all that talk about gas. Dh's mom is IRish and she is coming up to cook us corned beef and cabbage tonight, late St. PAtty's dinner. (They are going up to their cabin 1 hour away because they got a large electric bill so think the heat was left on or something). So they will be driving by and know dh loves his St. PAtricks Day dinner. Spoiled guy. Plus all his family is coming up Sunday for Easter, at his cousin's house. Usually we do most of the driving, so this is nice for a change.

I saw Lilyc's post on the subject and found the link interesting. Sure there are MANY different ways to figure out how much you should save for retirement. BUT what struck me as interesting was the idea that this model is successful 90% of the time? Hmmm...

http://bankrate.com/brm/news/boomerbucks/20070411_retirement...

Using their table, we should be saving around 11% gross to retirement. (Which we are).

Of course, I came across this the other day as well:

The Easiest Retirement Calculator Ever
http://www.fool.com/personal-finance/retirement/2008/03/13/t...

The interesting thing is using this calculator I do come up with $5 mil for retirement, which is what I have come up with more complicated determinations.

Keeping in mind that I am young (lots of inflation there) AND that I have way too many unknowns at this point.

Will 11% get me there? Hmmmmm. If I work to full retirement age (like 65?). I guess, perhaps.

At first glance I found the first table a little too lowball, but as I run the numbers, it actually is rather in line with my $5 mil goal.

I was pondering as well since a comment was left in my blog that I was probably further along than I though. I thought, oh no, no no no. I am farther behind than I should be.

But the reasons I feel this way are many:

1) I want to max out my retirement while young. So if I am disabled in my 40s, hopefully I have a good start to my retirement. (I always prepare for the worst).

Likewise I want to put more away while my industry is red hot. The pendulum swings both ways.

Finally, I want to put as much in while I can. Because a 2nd income down the road could keep us from putting money in tax-deferred accounts (could raise our income above the tax limits). So we take advantage best we can now, with low taxes and little worry about being over the threshholds.

2) I want to retire early. I would probably love to work well into my 70s or 80s (I am one of those). But in my 40s I want to get to the point where I don't have to work full-time and in my 50s/60s I want to be at that point where I don't HAVE TO work.

As such, I have to cram as much into my retirement in my 30s, because I expect to not necessarily have the income in my 40s to heavily fund it. I want most of it to be funded sooner rather than later.

So, with all these thoughts in mind, 11% seems little lowball. I am aiming for 15% and can easily see getting up to 20% in a few years (with a roundabout goal of 25% max on one income and maybe more with 2 incomes).

That's my goal for the next decade and then maybe we will re-evaluate. Well, that's the thing too. The more we put in now, the less we have to later. That whole power of compounding thing.

Oh, and the other reason (duh) for my worry over our retirement is that it is mostly funded by my employer right now. Which is great, but I want to be sure I can put away the 15% from my own money if my job situation changes. I totally forgot that when I first posted this. But is a big reason why I am concerned about filling it up more rapidly right now, since I am not putting much in myself.

Well, it's nice to hear I have good odds to making my retirement goals.

http://monkeymama.savingadvice.com/newusedfree-2008.html

Dh and I both allow each other $50/month to spend on whatever. No strings, no guilt, no questions asked. IT's incredibly freeing.

I think it is important to have that. Something just to not care or worry about. Even better when you are married and there are some things you just don't understand why your spouse buys!!!

Anyway, on my sidebar I have a page called "New/Used/Free 2008" where I just try to keep a compilation of what comes into the house and what goes out of the house. It is rather motivating for me to keep things flowing out. (We have some piles of stuff to sell and do need to go through and donate some older toys, etc.)

So I just updated the list for March.

I have a few totally unnecessary items, but those are my guilt-free allowance stuff. As dh has his as well (sure you will be able to figure out whose is whose.

This year dh has been spending a LOT on the kids. We are working through it. Well, it is not a lot of money and not breaking the budget. But it is driving me nuts in efforts to purge. So yeah - all the kids stuff is dh. (Except Elmo which I explained recently. LOL). & I think dh might cool it. (He also said he would return some of the Easter crap since he bought a race track for the kids last week).

I don't include groceries and consumable things. Just the other stuff, that stays around FOREVER.

2008 $20 challenge:

$ 150.00 - 2/10

$ 100.00 - March ROTH Contributions
$ 280.00 - Jan/Feb Interest on Cash
$ 65.00 - Focus Group (to medical)
$ 80.00 - Discount on cell bill (to medical)
------------------
$ 675.00 - Balance 3/20
------------------

Well, I do get paid today so will fund the ROTH $50 from this check (as I do every check).

Of course, I blogged the other day that I have some competing important goals, and they are retirement and mid-term savings (for things like next cars and house maintenance).

Likewise, all of our extra money this month has been going to our corresponding medical bills, which increases our savings in the end (since we have not been pulling doctor visits and prescriptions from our medical fund. Once the fund hits $3k - same as our deductible - we will ideally have an extra $250 some months, to invest). So not touching it helps our savings grow for the long run.

So I am adding all this to the challenge. It is a little more motivating. Plus I really think all of our extra money this year will go to the mid-term fund. The balance is currently $385. It has a ways to go... Goal to fund it to $5k by 12/31.

& only then will we put anything extra to retirement. So wanted to revamp my challenge. Sticking with retirement will be kind of boring, not much to show this year. Though we also decided to aim for a minimum 5% of income to ROTHs, come summer. But putting much more focus on saving up more cash, in the meantime.

Adding these all to the challenge is slightly more motivating. & more fun anyway.

Last year I came awfully close to $10k. This year, hoping for around $5k mid-term and $2500 to retirement. So I guess I am aiming for $7500???

Unfortunately a good chunk of the stimulus won't count, because I am using it for my $1k IRS bill.

Otherwise that could have been a nice sold $2k for the mid-term fund.

Oh well!!

I splurged today!

Well, not really.

I went out to Taco BEll for lunch. They were out of beef. (You have got to be kidding me). Settled for a bean burrito (was flustered at first).

Wasn't sure if they took credit cards, but for whatever reason I had a pile of change. (I usually spend it, but didn't have that many quarters, and so the pennies and nickels were mounting. Since they were meatless and VERY slow I had plenty of time to dig out $1.28 in coins.

I also went over to the Dollar store (Was pleased they took the card too). I am on a mission to not carry cash anymore. Just tired of cash! Always have been, but these days it is more and more likely to never need cash.

Anyway, it was over in the vicinity of Taco Bell and I have been wanting to pick up some clothe napkins. Don't ask me why I haven't sooner. Cloth napkins are so "us", and yet something we have never done.

I mean our napkin supply comes from the fast food places. We don't buy napkins. But I figured we could also replace paper towels, with napkins. Well, and stop using so much paper as a whole.

Anyway, it's time we bought some REAL napkins!

I was perusing napkins online last week and they all seemed terrible expensive and fancy. Or just UGLY. OR all of the above. I realized I Am particular about napkins. LOL. Ugly or $5/pop? Is that my only choice?

OF course my favorite color is black, but thinking I don't want black napkins that fade to a dull black or grey. So leaves me rather stumped. I didn't want the bright colors ruining the other stuff in the laundry.

Who knew napkins were so complicated?

I think I Could settle for a nice off white though. Boring, but works. At least it wouldn't be ugly...

Anyway, so I thought I'd run by the dollar store.

Well, this one had crap. They had a few really rough cheapie napkins in ugly colors. Not much. Wasn't going to fly with me.

However the store sucked me in and I walked around for a while looking at stuff.

& then I saw hair supplies and struck gold. I mean I am sure I have never paid much for my hair clips, but they all fall apart anyway. So I figured I'd pick some up. Figured they couldn't be of any cheaper quality than I Was used to. Got 6 hair clips and a slew of hair bands for a buck. (I think BM lost most of the last of my hair bands since he had taken to pony tails in his short hair - don't ask. LOL. So I figured a pile of new ones would be nice. Mine were all lost or broken).

& then on the way out I saw some large plastic tumblers with coke logos. Could do without the coke logo (I am personally a pepsi girl. LOL). But beggars can't be choosers. I used them in the bath and the kids ones were getting kind of grimy and looked like they may fall apart anyway. some had broken as well. These actually looked nice quality for dollar store. We'll see. (I had forbid dh from buying plastic cups from there because he bought some small ones for the kids and they all kept cracking). Sometimes it's just hit or miss there.

Mental note to wash them once in a while. The bath isn't exactly clean. Maybe these will last longer.

But yeah, these looked better. 2 for the bath, 2 for the kitchen.

& so I spent a whopping $4, on all that. $4.30 with tax. Plus I earned another dime in cash rewards.

Plus I got a decent amount of retail therapy. Nothing to complain about!

The sad thing is it took me a while to find the dang Dollar Store because I hadn't been there in so long. I usually hit it for party supplies and Christmas stuff. But I don't think I did this past Christmas. It had just been a while. Took me a while to remember what street it was on. IT was the 3rd one I tried. Doh!

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

Well, I am going to revamp my Challenge when I have time.

I was doing the retirement thing, because that has been my focus. IT has been slow going.

But I have all this extra money this month and I wanted to put it to the challenge! (But not to retirement).

I decided besides retirement, I also want to include the following in the challenge:

**Medical expenses that we don't have to pull from the medical fund

BEcause... The extra money we have there will go to retirement eventually. If I don't pull anything out of the medical fund this year? Well then I'll have $250/month to add to retirement next year. IT all depends if we get sick or not. Or injured or whatever. But every money saved here eventually goes to savings/retirement. So I think it should count/is still motivating.

**Mid-Term Savings - this really lacks way more than our retirement, right now. & it's really stressing me out. Likewise, if it grows too big, it will likely get diverted to retirement, with time.

So we will focus more on this too.

The challenge was very motivating for me last year and I want to get back into it more.

Woohoo.

So I'll update my totals with the new ruls later, maybe this weekend...

I have to say we are having a good year and we are finding the extras and everything even without the "reward" of the challenge. We just got used to it after the last 18 months or so. BUT I still think it will be more fun, the more we add to the challenge. So I Want to get back into it a little more.

Folks on the edge pinched by rising prices

http://www.sacbee.com/finance/story/785026.html

This article struck me for many reasons.

Firstly, it was a great "whoa is us" about the following:

*Less driving
*No new clothes
*POSTPONING remodels
*Dumping gas guzzlers
*Less dining out
*More walking
*Budget EVERYTHING
*Less cable

Oh, the Humanity!!!!!!!



I know, another one of those...

Of course, this was a lot better than the last article I saw like this. I mean, this time they talked about the seniors on fixed income and the increasing unemployment in the region. You know, the real problems. So that part I "get" somewhat, and I See that there is pain.

But I can't help but think about all the people who were over indulging with money they didn't really have or couldn't expect to hold up (home equity and inflated paychecks with the strong housing industry, etc.)

Whereas when I read the list of what everyone is giving up in this great time of pain, I think, "You have got to be kidding me." These are things we have always been conscious about, our entire adult lives, whether we were living on $10k or $100k. IT doesn't sound like THAT MUCH To give up. !?!

Likewise, we haven't really been feeling much pinch personally. & I wanted to share why.

For one, we try to avoid over-splurging on luxuries as we build up our savings, pay our debts, and build our careers, etc. I mean, trust me, I think we have plenty of luxury. But there is no way we could afford most of the things on that list above, all at once, together. & beyond that the only thing I saw on the list above that we truly have in excess is cable. Most of our luxuries follow what make us happy not what the JOneses expect of us. Which makes it quite easier to do without the rest.

Two, well yeah, we do budget EVERYTHING to extent. I mean how do you just budget some things and not others? LOL. (Sorry, that line cracked me up. Now we have to budget EVERYTHING!!!)

Three, the secret here is that our budget includes future planning. I am not guaranteed a raise every year, nor do I have a crystal ball about how much our expenses will change year to year. I have been burned bad on medical expenses, and so try to keep that front of mind.

I budget around $100/month more for groceries than we generally use, and same for gas. This is precisely why. So when things start to get ugly, we don't notice a thing. Maybe a little less to savings or splurging when the prices do rise, (what I do with the underages), but the basics are WELL covered.

Four... Along the same lines. We have quite a fair amount of fat we could trim from our budget, with little pain, if prices were to keep rising astronically and/or my pay went down. I mean, sure, no one wants to give up their luxuries. But I think knowing I Could pay all my bills and cover the basics, and even have a little to spare. I think in hard times I could give up the luxury quite easily, in order for that feeling of security and comfort.

Frankly, I wish I was more prepared for a long layoff and such. I Feel pretty confident where I am at, but I am one who likes to prepare for the worst. So I am working on it. Certainly not prepared for the worst. OF course, not sure if we ever will be.

But overall, I think we are in a good spot.

I guess the simplest is we never got used to living beyond our means in the first place. & that we have a little wiggle room and flexibility in our budget. That really makes ALL the difference.

I mean, in this region, the norm in the coming years is going to be figuring out how to survive on wages, and unemployment, when used to living extravagantly off equity and fleeting bonuses. All the while, while prices of the basics are rising. YEah, that is going to hurt. Ouch!!

That almost sounds like my world the last 5 years while our income was slashed in half and our medical insurance skyrocketed our of control. Now we are gaining traction and I am not sure I identify with all the mess... You know, our gas and groceries up $50/month or something. But somehow we'll muddle through... HArdly feels like something worth panicking about anyway.

Well, and a raise helps too. LOL.

I just had to say, knock on wood, everything is going so smoothly this year.

I think even I can take more credit than the raise, because a lot of our expenses have risen this year. Much more than my raise.

Anyway, I feel like the budget is a work in progress, and has gotten considerably easier with time.

So I just had to share. Keep with it, it does get easier.

Likewise, I don't think about it too much. Historically we have set up a budget when life changes, but we kind of fine tune things and buckle down, and then we mostly keep it in our heads. It works for us. I just don't think there has been ever been a time we had fallen so behind. So this round has taken considerable work. But I feel after a good 12 months that it has gotten considerably easier.

That's pretty much all I have been doing, and have been getting looser with time. Yet as we get looser our spending has gotten better. I know how much we have to spend on x, y, z. I don't spend a lot of time beating myself up if I was a penny over, or keeping track of each line item if I am under month to month. I just don't think overall it's good to spend a lot of time with this stuff. I guess I much prefer the "automatic" philosophy. I think your finances should really just be in the background. Not that you don't care for it and nurture it, but I don't see the point of thinking about it 24/7 either. Though I admit I spend way more time on it anyway because the whole thing is a hobby of mine. If I didn't like this stuff? Well I wouldn't be blogging here, for sure.

When discussing the benefits of HSAs, and 529s and ROTHs with dh he said the other day, "You make things so complicated." I had to laugh. I said, "No. The IRS does!!!" I just thought that was extra funny because I try to keep our budget and savings plans rather simplistic. I am sure they are complicated in an accountant sort of way, but likewise I am a very big picture person. I am not going to have 20 savings categories, I am just going to make sure we save enough for our long-term goals and our short-term goals. I am not going to count every penny either. The beauty I find with having cash is the flexibility it brings. If our priorities change and we want to go on a big vacation next year, we have the flexibility to say we will buy a much more modest car the next go round. I prefer that to saving x for cars and y for vacations and having 20 different things to save for.

So, I told dh I was actually quite simple. But he doesn't buy it. Of course I want to maximize the tax-deferred savings options, to our advantage. Which does make it complicated. But man, all that wasn't my idea - the government has made it all so complicated!!

Anyway, our finances are moving much more to the background and I think I am 10 times happier for it. This is the part I like to get across; that when dh and I both worked, and we just saved his income? We hardly thought about money, or worried about it, and didn't really need to. Well, my goal is to get back to that. Like I said, we will nurture and care for our finances. But they should be like a nice houseplant, not like an infant who needs 24/7 care.

Financial security can be quite relaxing!!!

I know personally we set the bar very high when we were younger. So I know a lot of people would read this blog and think, "gosh, that looks financially secure to me." But it's all relative I guess. I don't think we'll really "relax" until we get back to where we were a few years ago. But being so close I can taste it? The difference in how I feel is remarkable. I think my blog will take a much more relaxed tone as we get back to that bar. & as long as we can keep moving forward.

Which reminds me of something else I was thinking about the other day. Dh & I were raised quite frugally so a lot of what we do on a daily basis to save money is really just second nature to us. So I just had to add if you are new to this then maybe it will be a long while before a lot of it fades to the background. I have a good 20 years + practice, for the most part. But just another example of how practice makes perfect. If you stick with it? It does get easier with time.

& just to be clear we probably still do spend a lot of time on money saving endeavors. We just don't really think about it much. & that is the nice part.

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

P.S. I saw this blog post a while back and thought it was really excellent:

http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2008/03/how-to-be-wealt.html

There were quite a few things I have seen that I have not had time to post, and then forgotten where I saw them, etc. But this one was a standout.

I think this part was the most eye opening:

"Invest Second Salary:

I strongly recommend waiting six years before having children. By doing so, both husband and wife can work full-time. Choose to live on one salary and invest the entire other salary. In six years you will have $261,737 and a couple of choices.

You could choose to have a perpetual income of $39,261 created from the interest and dividends so you can stay home and raise your own children. What a blessing that would be for your family-and the nation!

Another choice would be to keep the interest invested and compounding and in 14 short years (20 years total), your investment."

Everything else in the article WE have personally done. & we even did the suggestion above to a small extent. But we put all that money into a house and a cash cushion. (Maybe $80k or so over 3 years working, before kids...)

If I had seen this article before kids? OR really thought about it? I think we would have paid off our house before kids, OR followed this advice.

However, on the flip side, I have no regrets today. Even doing this for one or two years can make such a difference. There is a lot to be said for having kids while young. So I had to throw out the other side as well.

Also, for when I hear the arguments against quitting a career, etc. Well, it's a lot easier to quit in the beginning and start over, than to build up a career and then leave for a decade, and then try to get back to it. I keep thinking dh might go back to school and/or start his career over at 35 or so. ????? HE didn't like his job anyway... A lot of people don't start a career until much later in life. I think we hardly feel worse for the ware. He'll still have a good 30 years to build a career and catch more money on the back end. IF we did the 6 year thing we would have just prolonged his misery at his old job. Likewise I wouldn't have had so much flexibility while the kids were so young. These days I just have so much responsibility at work. But it's easier to handle as the kids age.

Today if I could go back in time and save dh's salary for 6 years? I never would. I prefer where we are today. Though it sounds SO appealing. But my kids are everything to me. I wouldn't have these particular, awesome kids if I waited 6 years!!!! But saving it for about 3 years was key to getting us where we are today. So there is a lot of middle ground... Well, and there are always trade-offs.

Dh had a focus group yesterday. $65 for a little over an hour. Yippee. It was the first one this year.

He also had a hearing test (and it went well - his hearing has improved). The charge was $55 - so it will mostly go to that. A wash. But I am optimistic that I won't have to pull any money from the medical fund for all these doctor appointments. Knock on wood anyway, we'll see what the rest of the month brings.

BTW, still no bill on BM's emergency trip. Figures.

Oh yeah, and he has to go in for a blood test and such Friday, for school. I think we pay $10 for blood tests. But I don't know what all they have for him - if he has to see the doc or what. Could be another $75...

Last night BM's eyes got really red. We were worried if we could take him to daycare yesterday with dh's hour-long hearing test and my tax appointments. Ugh. Of course these things happen the rare times we both have plans.

But he woke up good as new. I figured he probably had the same thing LM did, but wasn't quite sure at first. But relieved when he woke up since in the 2 hours between the development of red eye and when I went to pickup LM from daycare, he also looked good as new. I remember looking at him like, huh? I never would have noticed anything.

It's just a weird thing.

Even if it was viral I was not sure the preschool would want him. So was relieved when he woke up good as new.

It's some weird bug though. Earache (or sinus pain anyway), sore throat, red eyes for a couple of hours, and some eye discharge, and that's about all we could figure. No fever or anything. LM just did not vocalize the sinus pain or sore throat, though thinking back it seemed like he didn't eat much the days around his red eye incident.

Anyway, dh has been volunteering much at the TV station, and it seems like the shifts have been getting rather long. So when he went out last night and said it should only take an hour, I must say I was rather confused. I was thinking TV station for whatever reason.

Then he came home with a wad of cash. Aha! I had totally forgotten. So what a nice surprise for me.

Oh, I keep forgetting to mention... I read an article last week or so that people walking away from their houses is just a huge problem in California. Like, why make the payments if the house has gone down so much in value? They rather just walk away and start fresh.

Anyway, I read that thinking, gosh, this would never happen if people actually had to put money down on their house. This is just another side effect of this whole mess.

Just, wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Likewise, it really struck me when a fellow blogger said she told her dentist she had a 3-year plan to save up for a down payment on a home, and her dentist thought this was quite an impressive long-term plan. IT's like, what, people don't save for down payments anymore????? Has it historically taken a very short time period to save up for one? With housing prices these days, is it that unfathomable that it could take TIME to save up for a house?????? Coming from the land of expensive I know we were quite rare to save up our 20% so quickly. But, I mean, we knew housing was insanely expensive and it was our priority. IT really wasn't difficult in the least. (From my perspective anyway). But I could easily see being in a position where it would have taken us many years. Though we had a desire to get in the market quick, we wouldn't have bothered if we couldn't do it "right." That is why we moved somewhere where we could afford to do it right.

Anyway, so these days I keep reading these articles about people who couldn't possibly have saved a down payment (not even 1%) but took on $2k-$3k monthly mortgages. My jaw just drops when I read those. If you can't save a DIME, then how in the hell do you think you can afford those mortgage payments? IT just doesn't make any sense.

It is very frustrating to me because when we bought it was more expensive to rent our condo than to buy it. Which was where a lot of our urgency came from. We didn't want to spend too much time spinning our wheels, or worse, falling behind.

But rents have fallen while prices have skyrocketed. There is actually a considerable opportunity to rent and save, and has been for man years. Yet the attitude is just so weird. "I can't save up $50k down by tomorrow so why bother trying. The $36k in annual mortgage payments? Well I think we can do that..."

All the while I think what a dream it would have been to have the luxury to rent AND save up more money first.

What are these people thinking????

I'd be curious to hear from the older crowd how long they saved for a down payment?

It only really took us a year to do it, BUT we had put so much in place to get there. Technically, I could say 5 years. We saved a chunk that final year, but dh was saving steadily through college, and that was where a good chunk of our down payment came from. Then we just saved the difference when we both went from $10k salaries to $30k salaries out of college. We only had to do that one year, and then we were homeowners. So we kind of hyper-saved to get there, but frankly found it the easiest way to do it. We were used to living on pennies and so we found it quite easy to do it that way. I mean it wasn't a big deal to delay gratification for one more flipping year. (Plus if I took another $50 to splurge out of every paycheck it felt like quite the windfall!!! It didn't take much to improve on our college standard of living. Another $1k/year was a 10% raise, etc. AND I no longer had college expenses so, yeah, it was easy). We had to come up with $50k down on our condo. So yup, a good 5 years or so for us...

I figured I'd make this a new post because it is interesting.

I mentioned, in a prior blog, that my dh knew that Target took returns without receipts, and that he tried to return an old game we had gotten in 2004 (from Toys R US actually). & they took it.

I got a comment on my blog that this was nearly impossible - Target has terrible return policies.

Likewise, as I did a web search for Target return policies all I saw was a slew of websites about how HORRID Target's return policy was. (We aren't big on returns so I didn't really know or care. I mean we usually have recipts and return things within the week if we don't like it, etc. Not big on playing the return game, so this knowledge had completely alluded me).

So I commented that I would have to ask dh how he knew about this policy. I really had no idea. (& to clarify what the policy was. I read somewhere online that they take returns under $25 with no receipt. Not sure if it was recent or accurate. But it did ring a bell for me).

So I asked dh. The story was that he had some extra Blu-Ray disks and was wondering, in January, if he could return them to Target. (There was no receipt). So he called and asked Target. They actually said they would take the movies with no receipt if they were under $20. That they allow 2 returns per year with no receipts, for under $20.

To be clear, this was probably for store credit; not cash. (This could be where some of the confusion is?). That's same as cash to me, as much as we shop Target.

So I thought, "Aha!" This is good fodder to remind everyone why it never hurts to ask for things!

Anyway, in the movie case, Target had them priced at $25 and would not take them. Dh was willing to use up his "2 returns" for the year for $40, but they wouldn't bend. They were over $20 so they wouldn't take them.

In the end he got $40 or more from Best Buy instead. I am not sure why he singled out Target except it's close and maybe they charged more for the movies... I don't know. Best Buy is certainly a bit of a drive.

So anyway, when we found this 4-year-old board game with the old design, he figured he'd try their policy, on a whim. Probably the convenience factor.

Likewise, they sell the game for $20, but were willing to give him $14 store credit on this particular game. Lord knows why $14. But I knew it was the easiest and best deal we'd get.

So that is the full scoop...

Also, the whole thing reminded me that dh bought his PS3 at Target, and that they dropped the price by $100 exactly 91 days after he had bought it. We obviously knew the 90-day policy, but figured it never hurts to ask. He said he just asked politely for a price match though he knew he was one day late, and they gave him $100 credit. That was about it.

So you know, return policies are not always completely set in stone!!

I guess this is also a good reminder to keep those receipts. Dh always keeps every receipt on bigger purchases because he regularly watches the ads and price matches thing. I say most of the time he buys something big it goes on sale within months. Murphy's Law, but not when you have the receipt.

I guess I keep receipts too, but I just don't shop that much.

& so it begins...

The school had sent us paperwork that was very conflicting. We HAVE TO turn in this health assessment form next week, though elsewhere on the form it said it was only required for 1st graders. ???

I guess a few parents called to clarify or something because they sent a letter to clarify that it is not required for K. But they want it anyway. But they don't need it until our children turn 5. Huh?

Likewise, they sent an "oral assessment" form which says much the same. It's "mandtory" by May of Kindergarten year (next May) BUT they want it before school starts. But you can just x the "opt out" option.

Oy vey.

Anyway, the deadline made me nervous as we wait for his doc to complete this form. So now all that stress for nothing. There are 200 kids coveting my child's spot, and I just want everything squared away.

So of course I would send dh with the application today, and my opt out, now that they have changed their mind and allowed that we can turn it in without the health assessment. But it's at work where I made copies. So maybe he will turn it in tomorrow...

Then it will be official!! Oh my.

The other surprising thing is that they sent a calendar and school starts mid-August. I was rather surprised, but school also ends mid June. Holy cow. I looked up their old calendar, and indeed they had historically started after Labor Day.

Why 2 more weeks? They are taking off 15 days throughout the year for curriculum development. Obviously people had been complaining because they had all over their website how wonderful this is for the teachers (& likewise the kids) and on and on and on.

Wow...

I just look at the calendar flabbergasted. It hardly matters to us, since dh is home. But I really have NO IDEA how working parents do it.

I count 35 non-holiday school days off throughout the year.

I keep assuming if dh did want to work or go to school or whatever, that my schedule would be quite flexible. It is quite flexible.

BUT I am not sure I could really maintain a full-time status and be home all these days off and such.

So it's just a little mind boggling to me.

Likewise, I don't want to leave my kids at the school daycare full-time. I have no idea what middle ground there is. (I feel like back to square one since full-time preschool was always in abundance, but part-time, anything worthwhile or substantial anyway, was so hard to find. Seems like the choices were mostly 2 hours a week or 40 hours a week. What about the parents who want something in the middle?)

Oh well, worries for a later time. Indeed. Glad this is not stuff I have to figure out now.

Likewise, I look at the calendar and can NOT believe he starts K in just 5 months. Wow.

We had just decided to pull him out of preschool in August so he had a nice month off. Dh just really wanted to enjoy the time with him before he goes off to school. (Of course now I see he won't really be off at school THAT much. LOL).

Anyway, so now we are thinking pulling him out mid-July. Since the preschool was going to be closed the middle week, he will only be going 3 days in July. Will save $200 in July, and $315 in August. Wow.

I think we will use that money for the kids' birthday and for school uniforms (ugh, my pet peeve. S'posedly for the poor, but I am peeved to fit a second wardrobe in the budget. I think, yeah, this is REALLY helping the poor. ???????). I mean at least I could respect it if they said it was for school safety and keeping track of the kids, etc. That I get. But this is not the angle they push for. It just bugs dh and I on so many levels...

So anyway, them pushing the start date early affords me some extra cash to buy some school uniforms. I usually hit Target or the thrift shops for cheap clothes, but not sure if I Want to bother with the specific clothes I need to look for. (Ugh!). Likewise, if I spend a little more, at least I know LM can wear the hand-me-downs. (Though the kids grow so fast even the cheap clothes have lasted them both just fine).

Oh well, it will be a summer project. Should start looking out for sales on bigger sizes...

So yeah, it all comes down to that I only have to slam my budget with 2 in preschool, for 3 more months! Plus, it has been going quite well, and May is a short month (8 preschool days instead of 9). So I think I will survive. I am very pleased that it was not near as hard as I thought it would be. Was a good beginning to the year. (Likewise it shouldn't be that hard to divert it all to savings come August).

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

In other news, I dug out some old stuffed animals because I wanted to show the kids I had a stuffed pooky (GArfield pooky). Was reading a Garfield book and said, I had a pooky and was telling them the story when I lost it on the school bus but found it again eventually. Since I went to so much trouble to find it, BM asks me if I still have it. & frankly, I thought I did! So I went to see. Anyway, for whatever reason there was a pile of nicer/newer toys in the bag - along with the old ratty stuffed animals I could never toss. I assume it was the stuff I couldn't bear to toss. A lot of personalized items were in the bag (maybe just didn't know what to do with them).

Anyway, so I pulled out this personalized Elmo doll that says BM's name. We had gotten it for him around 18 months or something, maybe age 2, and though he adored it, he outgrew it at some point. Or bored with it anyway.

So BM saw it and he just fell in love. He has been carrying it all around the house and sleeping with it. & he is just fascinated that Elmo TALKS to him.

Anyway, this doesn't really seem to bother the LM. BUT the first day I found it I thought, I should get one for LM. He just will not understand why Elmo only talks to BM.

So I wondered if they still made them.

I pop online and couldn't find the exact doll (we ordered it to be personalized).

But I found Elmo "Know your Name" or something like that. This one you program it yourself and can program favorite foods, and friends' names and family names and all this stuff.

Plus I saw it for 25% off and free shipping, so for $30 I ordered one at amazon.

It was probably a little unnecessary. & then of course I start to wonder if BM will be confused or upset why LM's Elmo is SO fancy. LOL.

So I realize I should just give up. Why even bother. !!

But overall I don't really buy the kids toys, so it was a nice little splurge. Grandma buys them so much crap we generally don't need to buy them anything. But it is fun to buy them something once in a while...

Likewise, dh has been going a little overboard with Easter. He clearly has not learned a thing. I said, "I hope you know your mom and your grandma are also buying them a slew of toys and candy." Which is why I could care less to partake in the Easter shopping. I understand the joy and all, and not much money was spent. But it's just all the crap filling the house. I find the best bet is to let everyone else buy the crap, because they insist, and then there is no point for us to. & well I can't believe dh hasn't figured this out yet either.

I was looking for a game or puzzle or something and pulled out a few from the closet for ebay or Craigslist.

The main one being Cranium. Someone gave it to me for Chsristmas in 2004, and fankly I hate the game.

Dh got annoyed at me when he saw there was a receipt taped to the bottom. !!!!!

I had to admit that I might have known it was there, but kept it around for friends who love the game. Of course, nice as that gesture was, the game has never been opened.

Dh said Target had a good return policy and he would try to take it there. He cased it out first and said the new boxes look very different and who knows if they would take it.

For whatever reason, he tried today and they gave hime $14.

Not bad...

It retails $20. I think we would be hard pressed to find $14 for it otherwise, much less with so LITTLE effort. So I am really rather pleased with this find.

Dh used the money for Easter stuff and some groceries at Target.

Anyway, he was really peeved at me when he saw the receipt. But he couldn't be peeved for long. I had actually found some nice shirts in a box (from EARLIER than 2004 - indeed). No doubt from his mom, which she buys him clothes every year that he never wears. They looked nice and simple and so I hung them up in the closet. When he saw them he asked where the hell did they come from and he never intended to wear them.

I don't think I brought up the receipt to him, though it did peeve me. Not sure why he didn't just return them then.

So when he brought it up I told him there was a good $30 or more in unreturned goods in his closet. so yeah, be careful who you point that finger at.

I think we will be double checking each other's tossed aside gifts going forward. LOL.

I also redeemed my BK coupon today. Got an entire chicken sandwhich value meal for $2.50 (saved $3.65 since the sandwhich was free). Not bad!

I saved 1/2 the sandwhich for tomorrow. Was WAY too much food. But will stretch out nicely to 2 lunches with a yogurt from home and some water from the tap.

Oh, one final thing. Dh called to redeem our free month from Verizon (by signing up for a year contract). Anyway, I don't remember the last time I called Verizon. I never call them. I leave that stuff to dh. He has called many times to turn on roaming if we went on vacation (to the east coast and such). He was the one who called to change our plan last year. HE totally changed our plan to a new one and signed a one-year contract.

So he calls today and they say they won't even talk to him because he is not on the account.

Go figure.

LOL.

So now I have to waste my time calling them. Bah. I knew we went through this ages ago but I thought we had gotten that squared away, ages ago. Figures.

BM told me yesterday his ear hurt and I told him we'd keep an eye on it. He is 1000% otherwise and has only had one ear infection - we he started preschool. The germs. Well, the germs and all the water play.

Anyway, I noticed tonight though BM seems to have some pretty decent hearing loss. IT took me a while to realize. Likewise, I called dh to tell him and he felt bad. He said he noticed BM was NOT listening well today at all. He thought he was just misbehaving or in a mood. But hearing my thoughts and putting 2 and 2 together, he said he noticed a little bit that his hearing seemed off.

Plus when I asked, well yeah, his ear had hurt earlier today too.

Another trip to the doc!

Yeesh. Will try to get in tomorrow.

IRonically, dh just got an appointment for a follow up hearing test. He had vertigo about a year ago and had some hearing loss. They wanted to follow up in a year. So they just made an appointment for him.

& as far as LM, he clearly does not have pink eye. Just a false alarm. At least we didn't have to pay for a doctor visit - that just worked out. So I am glad we chose not to go with the antibiotics. Not needed.

He's good as new and his mood has improved VASTLY!!!! (Knock on wood). Oh, just being under the weather brought out his nasty side. Likewise, I had been quite worried something more was wrong. But it has seemed to dissipated rather quickly, as he also feels better. Phew.

So yeah, will be shelling out some money for doctors' visits this month. Feels never ending lately... Like something every week.

I have personally been feeling good as new since Monday. I actually felt rather bad over the weekend, and then just woke up monday good as new. But man, it took a while to get past that flu bug. Bah.
--------------------------------------

Today I wrote out $3500 in checks. *choke* $1200 to the IRS and $2300 for property taxes. I got it all ready to go but will mail them in April.

It occured to me that I had heard that stamps were going up. Phew, in May. So I got them all ready to go - will pop in the mail in a month.

But anyway, I think we should have just gotten forever stamps. I have a whole sheet of stamps since we just don't really use them any more. I will have to put a big note on the sheet to add a cent with every stamp. How annoying! Like I will remember next year when I am still using the same sheet.

Yeah, next time? Forever stamps.

I also found out today that tonight is Daylight savings. Huh????? I was rather thrown off by this. I had no idea, and was a little confused. But I was glad someone had told me. LOL.

Then later I brought it up to dh. Oh, he was not happy! He hates it as it is, but TIVO has had a horrid time with this time change thing. They couldn't figure out how to change the time last time, for the longest time (like days). So our TIVO was all screwed up. It had been programmed for regular daylight savings, not this new extended version.

So as dh started on his anti-Daylight Savings tirade, I realized why I had no clue. I forgot it came early this year.

This actually made me VERY happy. I love the early daylight savings. I LOVE it when it stays light out rather late. For now the kids and I have plenty of daylight to get out of the house after I get home from work. In the summer we spend the evenings at the pool. & getting an extra couple of months to do so is just divine if you ask me.

Dh is not pleased, but I told him to just be happy for me.

He said why don't I just work from 7am-4pm in the summers.

He has a point, that would be much easier. Well, Daylight Savings wasn't my idea.

Anyway, it just feels like the lazy hazy days of summer have arrived early with this early time change.

I just wish I had a little more warning that I would lose an hour this weekend.

Knock on wood, but we have been doing remarkably well with our budget.

I have also been listening to too much Dave Ramsey.

I had been long planning to divert $215/month come summer, from preschool, to IRAs. Then assuming an extra $100/month each year for raises, and another good $300 monthly come 2010, when LM graduates preschool.

This would get us to ROTH max in 2010. $10k/year...

However, it has also been bugging me that we were a tad behind on our mid-term savings. We have some catching up to do.

Anyway, so I had a talk with dh about it. We have a bad habit of me making too many financial decisions, though I usually keep him abreast. It works for us. But not necessarily the best. So since I was struggling with what to do, we had a chat.

I was thinking maybe we should bulk up our cash savings a bit more and then work on retirement.

I also started thinking maybe we should only focus on 15% to retirement, before focusing on maxing out. There really is such thing as saving TOO MUCH for retirement. I worry if we will suffer in other ways. My goal is to never borrow another dime again, for one. Likewise, we need some more cash cushion to achieve this. Anyway, I have been listening to too much Dave Ramsey and started thinking about this. Since he recommends 15% to retirement, then college and mortgage (though I mostly don't agree with that plan).

Anyway, dh and I found some middle ground.

I was concerned because we have NEVER made retirement a priority. I have been trying, but it seems like there is always somthing. IT's kind of harsh to put it that way, because I don't think there is anything better we could have done financially than made it a priority to buy a home while it was really inexpensive. (Likewise, not wasting money on rents for much of our 20s/30s).

So I feel that was a good move to help us in retirement. We plan to have a paid off house in our mid 40s. Most of our peers have $500k mortgages/ARMs likewise. (Or just insane rents). So I am really pleased in the spot we are in and how we have kept our housing costs considerably down. (Keeping in mind this is just how it is in the area).

But it seemed like we put a LOT of effort to getting into a house with 20% down. A LOT of effort to being home with the kids. & the last 2 years was just a LOT of effort to build back up our cash savings.

We have always had 10% of my pay going to retirement, and usually thrown a few thousand into the IRAs every year. But it's always been an afterthought, or a tax savings strategy. OR just something we're s'posed to do...

Not a lot of thought to retirement.

So I found myself thinking I didn't want to put more to retirement this year (than the 12% we already are). That I really wanted to build up some more cash.

But I worry if this is how I will always feel. Seems like there is always, well, "let's do this first, then we'll hit retirement hard!"

So I discussed with dh and feel we came up with a good solid plan.

Dh agreed with my fears and felt with the efund in cash that I am way too focused on cash. & that we need to change our mindset about retirement. Just put it a priority.

I argue that we need some cash savings on top of the efund though. That I don't want to touch it.

The middle ground we came up with is to contribute 5% of my salary to retirement, as a goal starting in August when BM is done with preschool. On top of my employer's 10%, will put us at a good 15% contribution rate. I Am going to consciously set aside 5% of every raise and bonus as well. (As my boss will set aside 10%).

We'll go with that for this year. Next year we will put away 5% of my raise.

The year after that we will raise our contribution to 6%. & raise it 1% a year until we max out. (Or perhaps more if we feel it is feasible, like the year LM is done with preschool we can up it an extra couple of percentages). But it sets a minimum goal if other things come up.

So basically, all that cash is going to retirement, and we are making it a priority. We agreed to make it a priority to always put 15% minimum to retirement, going forward.

It's kind of what we have been averaging the last decade anyway, but the difference is we now have the commitment. If we had made this commitments sooner, we could be contributing much more today. That I certainly feel.

This also means if my job situation changes, we will have to come up with 15%. Which we should be able to do.

For now we are taking advantage of my boss's "match" and bulking up our cash savings. For the long-term we have no plans to rely on his 10%. But in the interim we will certainly use to our advantage. IT will allow us to freedom to bulk up our cash a bit.

We also set a limit for our cash savings, at $30k. That would be a good solid 3-month emergency and medical fund. & would be a good $15k liquid cash, in addition, for our next car purchase. Likewise, if I Was out of work for 6 months with no income? We could forego the nice car next time around. So it would be a good, solid emergency fund.

Anything above that we will start to invest. Starting with a balanced fund.

Likewise, as long as we are hitting 15% to retirement, any windfalls will go to bulk up our cash to the $30k level.

At that point our focus will shift more to retirement, though I would like to fund a good $3k/year or so to taxable investments for my future car and stuff around the house, etc. I mostly plan to fund that from my overtime though, and our situation should lend us to also be able to max out our ROTHs starting in late 2010.

So overall, our goals are the same. We are just kind of prioritizing them, and also fine tuning some things.

We still won't give the mortgage a second thought until our retirement is maxed out. But any windfalls/extras is pretty much earmarket to retirement up to the max, and then the mortgage. It's exciting for me to think of paying down the mortgage faster. We hit it so hard up front, and it will be nice to get to that again. We haven't been able to justify extra money to the mortgage since we have been down on one income. So it's nice to see it once again on the horizon. In the distance anyway...

Anyway, mostly with what I have been struggling with lately, is just how to best maximizie our financial situation. There are probably 100 different ways we could approach things that would be just dandy. I find the sheer amount of options to be mind boggling. So that's why I say this is where it gets tricky!!!!!

Dh and I have always been very careful with our money and mostly savvy savers. BUT we have never really planned for much beyond the next 5 years or so. Seems like coming out of college we had so many short-term goals. & that would be my biggest regret, not thinking more big picture. IF we had, we would be maxing out our IRAs today and have little money whoas. But anyway, I really look forward to this next stage in our lives, thinking more about the big picture and planning forward for it.

So that is our plan for now. VERY subject to change....

I had a new client come through this last week.

She owed about $400 between Fed & state. I told her she gets the gold medal for breakeven taxes. We should have a contest. LOL. It seems like most of my clients have WAY overpaid/underpaid this last year. Yeesh.

It's frustrating to see the ones with situations who are struggling but are unwilling to change their withholdings. (The family who went down to one income due to illness or the many people who came through with 2 houses, trying to sell one). Likewise, more frustrating are the clients who make big financial decisions and don't think to run it across their tax profesional. Then they are surprised when they owe $5k. I had a client lose her ROTH contribution because she sold a large chunk of stock and pushed her AGI too high. Someone else took $30k in retirement distributions, and they were surprised they owed. (Had not withheld anything). Etc., etc.

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

In other news, CNN had an article on Top 10 foreclosure cities and sacramento was ranked #1. I've seen it at #2 or #3, but not #1 before. Yikes.

OF course #2 was Vegas. Gee, the hot climates are suffering.

That's the thing about Sacramento though. Our home had run up a good 125% at the peak (from when we bought in early 2002 - to the peak in late 2005).

Most of the people I met in the area either moved here from more expensive lands and then moved on to ORegon/Nevada with all that home equity. OR they felt priced out of home ownership and moved to Oregon/Nevada to buy a home. But the first group really were key in running up prices. PArticularly since they either already had equity from more expensive areas, or like us, just found the prices to be dirt cheap in comparison. (Whereas from the locals' perspective it was getting quite expensive in 2001/2002).

Since we enjoy the area so much, I really thought high prices were around to stay, for the most part. & still I think a decent amount of home appreciation is around to stay permanently. (I know too many people longing for $100k houses again, like you could get a decade ago, but I think that's a pipe dream).

But I guess we are unique. It seems like not very many people are tied to the area. Seems like most of the transplants have moved on.

Sacramento has historically been the cheapest area of Cali to live in, and it still is by a mile. I will just never get it. All I can figure is the combo of the weather (very hot in the summer whereas most of the state is rather mild year-round) and also the jobs. The jobs just aren't here. I admit most of the people who came through here the last few years didn't have jobs here. So it was a no brainer to take their insane equity and go to where the jobs were in more affordable states. A majority of the people I have met here had jobs in the Bay Area.

That's really all I Could figure. I saw Stockton (very nearby) has been hitting #1 in foreclosures for a while. But I think, who would want to live there??? & how come no one wants to live in Sac??

IT is a really weird dynamic because there is so much money and jobs in the Bay Area that there are many less nice areas between here and the Bay that have insane house prices and are thriving. Likewise, if you are in Sac and you want to move out to the country, or further out from the hub, it just gets more expensive. Very counter-intuitive. But the reason why is very clear. The further you get from here, the closer you are to a bigger metro hub.

Likewise, Sacramento seems to have location down pat, but it is the least desirable area of the state. I mean 1-2 hours drive to the snow and beautiful lake tahoe. Just over an hour to San Fancisco and the beach. A days' drive from the bauty of Northern Cali, Washington & ORegon. OR likewise, just a few hours to Disneyland/So Cal. Houses are cheap and I have an awesome job. The area itself is very beautiful (as it has been historically much less metro - it is called the city of trees). Likewise, this is our haven. I REALLY miss the 70 degree year-round weather back home. I grew up quite spoiled. But it's not worth the insane cost of housing for that one benefit. IT's really all I miss. So it still boggles my mind somewhat that this is undesirable land. But it really all comes down to the jobs I guess.

Anyway, it's not terribly shocking that home values plunged 20% last year (on average - some areas even more). It was quite obvious the high prices couldn't be sustained for the long haul. I mean, still leaves us with a good $100k equity over our purchase price. Though we've lost $250k in the course of a year. So yeah. The fact that so few really bought at the peak and so many are in trouble is just really mind boggling. Clearly the true problem in the home equity ATM mindset. Indeed.

Likewise, it's funny, but we are working with a mortgage broker highly recommended by a friend. I like him okay, and I think he will be able to help us refi, but he is REALLY into rental real estate. I told him a couple of times we weren't interested in the least. But he is really gung ho and just sent a general newlsetter about how he is going to buy and wants to help his clients get in the market. But since then I keep talking to other people who want to snatch some up with these "low" prices. IT's not just him.

Likewise, all my friends who have been priced out the last few years are excited at the chance to buy a home.

So, they are circling. Likewise, a foreclosure went in our neighborhood for $350k but afterwards one went from $400k.

I read somewhere it will yo yo for a while. Indeed.

It seems like not a lot of lessons have been learned from what I See of the people wanting to buy right now. I mean I met this broker guy once and told him we weren't comfortable with a 15-year mortgage right now, though we may be in a year or 2. We went over all of our finances for loan qualification.

Anyway, so he is trying to get me to buy rental real estate. He seemed really reasonable until he got on this kick.

No thanks, I do NOT need a seond mortgage right now. Frankly, it's the last thing I need. & even if I Was interested, I'd wait it out a bit longer. Indeed. But yeah, I liked him until that. He seemed very reasonable until I clearly saw that he sees no downside to buying a house, for rental, that one could not afford without the rental payment. Not my idea of a good financial move.

But it's just an indicator that cycle may just begin anew. Everyone who didn't get screwed over the first time didn't learn a thing. They are chomping at the bit to jump into the mess. Yikes!! Like they think they have the secret weapon. If nothing else I was bothered that this rental plan depended heavily on renters. Shaky financial ground indeed. I don't even have a dime to put down on a house anyway. Not one worth owning anyway...

So yeah, I watch very interested as all this plays out. I am at a loss to what's next... I can guess another year of losses though as subprime ARMs reset like crazy this next year. & is primarily what makes up the high prices in this area - lots of suprime ARMs that drove up housing prices.

I guess we are officially at ground zero though, according to CNN.

Just busy.

Yesterday was quite spendy.

We finally had a chance to try out that drop-in daycare center and the kids LOVED it. They want to go back, for sure.

I am glad it got such glowing reviews, but maybe a little too good... We figured we'd try once a month for now, and maybe twice a month when BM graduates preschool. But of course they wanted to go back like TODAY! LOL.

Anyway, it was $25 to register (one time, can use any location - which is super nice since they have some locations in the Bay Area where we spend much time and sometimes need a little help).

You know between our parents and dh's sea of family we can usually find family to watch the kids for free, but there's been times we had to scramble or cancel our plans. So this is just really a neat thing about the place. That they have so many locations in the Bay. Plus many locations around here too.

Anyway, we left the kids for 2 hours so it was about $25 for that and another $7 for lunch. We could bring their lunch though which is nice. We would probably plan around lunch/dinner or just bring it for them. But we splurged yesterday. Though that pretty much clears our babysitting fund.

& while they were there dh took me to lunch and we went to pick up his car from the shop.

The car repair was minimal. We spent $250, but that was for oil change and safety check and all that, as well as the repairs they did.

A little big to pay out of budget, but small enough to just take out of short-term savings. I left $150 in there last month that I didn't need, so will probably even out and not hit our vacation part of the savings.

So far so good anyway.

Oh yes, with the rest of our babysitting fund, we splurged on lunch out. Dh took me to all-you-can-eat sushi. It was good. We sure ate A LOT!!

I hesitate to say it, but work is going rather well. I Feel like my boss took a lot off my plate. I am torn if I should just embrace it, or it I should ask for more. It's a tough call. I Am turning out tax returns in a day and I keep thinking maybe I should hold onto them for a few days - my clients are getting spoiled. Don't want them to have high expectations. LOL. This is the complete opposite of last year (our WORST tax season ever).

For example, last year we hired a temp for a few weeks and I gave her a slew of stuff I just had not had time to look at for months. The same stuff has been coming in and I just do it that day. Clearly not busy enough!

I think a lot of my co-workers are feeling the same. I just haven't figured out what's different. Except everything that could have gone wrong last year, went wrong. This year seems to have better karma or something. I don't know!

So I keep thinking, is this the easiest tax season ever OR is just anything a piece of cake after last year? Was prepared for the worst and so feel ahead of the game.

Or perhaps the worst is just yet to come. ??

A LOT of my work was outsourced to a guy back east, middle of last year, so I think that is mostly what is helping me. What a load off. I just had way too much to do and it has been impossible to find employees. So this has really helped keep some level of customer service. I mean I could do all the work by the deadlines, but the clients just weren't happy with the slow turnaround. So that has been good.

If not for that, I can't tell you what my sanity level would be...

Likewise, we are cutting out some audits and reviews and other summer work. I also just churned out some stuff I usually don't get to until summer.

I don't want to get too optimistic, but I think my plan to cut back my summer hours may just work this year. I have an extra week of vacation and had wanted to leave at noon on fridays last summer - for 3 months or whatever it worked out to. Then it just got insane.

This year is looking WAY more promising...

Anyway, lunch with dh was so nice yesterday. We have really had little time together lately. Particularly with the kids no longer napping, and just having in general opposite shcedules (I sleep 8pm-5am and he sleeps 2am-8am or something). He's been so annoyed with my sleep schedule, but I think it goes both ways. IF I thought there was ever chance in hell he would wake up at dawn, I might consider staying up late. But yeesh. Mostly I can't keep my eyes open past 8. NO matter how hard I try.

With new babies and all my sleep was just so interrupted. We used to alternate every other week who could sleep in on Sunday, etc. But since the kids have been sleeping fine I am just in sleep heaven. I no longer have the urge to sleep in. EVER. I've always been more early bird anyway. But never like this before. I guess I find it is the only time I have peace and quite and time for ME which is probably most key - at dawn. Dh finds the same with the late nights. He has always been a night owl.

So anyway, we have been going round and round. I hope setting up a regular date night helps. Even if we can only afford once a month for now. Will get better soon enough...

Also, I have been going home once a week for lunch, while the kids are at school. They go to school near my work and makes the most sense for me to drive them, though I Work a shorter day on those days since I have to pick them up by 5. But during summer it will be no prob to swing the short days and the long lunch. So that will get better too. Work has been a tad hectic to do that every week yet, during tax season.

I had stopped going home for lunch because of insane gas prices. (I used to go home for lunch every day when the kids were babies). But ramping back up to twice a week. A work day when I can go home for an hour? HArdly feels like work. So I guess it is good middle ground to try twice a week - once for dh and once for the kids. Both for me.

Anyway, I knew I came to this site and was like, "I LOVE my job. I have such a flexible job. I hardly work in the summers." Blahblahblah. & then I had the year from hell. LOL. & you all thought I Was crazy.

So, this is a lot more what I am used to. & more my speed.

I have just been embracing it, figuring I had financial catching up to do. Which is funny because I went into my review this year just with the attitude, whatever you want me to do. The money doesn't hurt. (Which is so not me as a whole). But my boss knows me too well. He said he would cut my workload if I like. I didn't exactly see how he could. & I told him I was embracing it. But I think he knew me too well and found opportunity to cut my workload. I can't really complain about that... IT was really a smart move over all. I have a bad habit of taking on too much and I just think he could tell.

Plus, for the long-term I really would like to go part-time, and he is well aware. So, yeah, the less responsibility the better. You know, it is always hard to cut back when you get piled on the responsibility.

Likewise, I have been at this job 6 years and this is my second tax season in more of a management capacity. I think I Am just working faster and know my job better. IT makes a BIG difference.

Well, LM woke up and looked good as new. But like I Said, I wouldn't have noticed anyway. Though he did clearly have gunky eye yesterday, and today he clearly had none.

Anyway, dh had gotten home so late last night that we hadn't started the antibiotics yet. We called back and they said if we hadn't started it and it cleared up, then forget about it. It wasn't bacterial then. Just keep an eye on him. Could be viral or allergies, or who knows.

Well, glad we didn't bother. Though we already shelled out the bucks for the prescription. Figured. At least it doesn't expire for 2 years. In case anyone gets pink eye in the meantime??

& we avoided giving completely unecessary medicine. Which is really a pet peeve of ours anyway. Worked out.

I also went from feeling like a dork for not even noticing to deciding I didn't notice because nothing was wrong. LOL. I mean usually my mommy instinct is right on, so it was a little disconcerting. Turns out my reaction of, "I don't see anything wrong," was right!

In other news today I went to BK for lunch. I put it on the card. I usually don't pay any attention to the receipt, but decided to keep it since it was on the card. So I noticed if you call and do a survey you can get a free sandwhich (when you order any size fries or drinks). Really not a bad deal. So I called and did the automated survey, got a code, and am off to a free sandwhich. Woohoo.

I had just never noticed that before. The receipt says you can take a survey once a month. Sounds good to me. I figure savings of $1-$2 from just ordering the sandwhich, plus would get fries and drink too.

I'll give it a whirl.

Well, Ms. Preschool diagnosed LM with pink eye late yesterday. She called me around 4:00 to let me know. Obvious when he woke up from nap I guess.

But she called so we could get in to the doctor or whatever. I haven't dealt with pink eye in forever, if ever. So I didn't really want to call the Doc without him in front of me to answer all the questions I knew they would ask. But we had just called a couple of weeks ago, later in the evening, to set up an Urgent Care appointment so I knew it would be fine to call in the evening. That we could get him in if it was necessary.

So after dinner, dh called and they just sent a prescription to the pharmacy. The 24/7 pharmacy at the hospital - didn't even know they had a 24/7 pharmacy.

Of course, they said, call back in an hour to make sure it is ready. Dh was a dork and left after 45 minutes. I was like, "aren't you going to call?" Whatever, he is the one that has to sit around for hours. So that was around 7:30. At 9:30 there was no sign of dh so after I put the kids down to bed, I called him. He said it wasn't ready and the line was a MILE long. Guess it was busy there. He got home around 10.

$25 later we have prescription eye drops.

I frankly think his eye looks fine. But I know Ms. Preschool knows her pink eye. Thank goodness for her. I wouldn't have noticed anything. Seriously! It was a little gunky. & that is the reason they just assume it is bacterial and go for the antibiotics.

Since then I have imagined eye itches and think I can NOT miss a day of work for pink eye. Trying to be mindful. They say he will not be contagious after 24 hours and I won't be home all day, to be exposed, so that helps. Likewise we did share a pillow the night before. Great!

OF course the kids were rubbing their faces together all night. LOL. Just hugging and wrestling and such. Trying to tell BM to stay the hell away from LM's eye. He was not listening so well. Yeesh.

Yeah, don't know how I feel about that. I cringe at how easily they prescribe the stuff. Always going for the antibiotics without knowing for sure if they are necessary. But I appreciate not having to pay a copay, and I appreciate MUCH more our insurance companies' attempts to keep highly contagious, sick kids out of the Doctors' offices, if they do not need to be there. I will never understand running to the doctor for every sniffle. Likewise, this is where the kids going to daycare comes in handy. Whenever they are sick I call and ask what is going around. If it's step throat? We go to the doctor. If it is just a cold going around? We stay home. It's nice to get that extra insight because all the other parents do rush to the doctor with every sniffle. So we usually have a pretty good idea what is going around.

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

In other news, dh has been peeved with me since I have not worn my wedding ring in ages. To be fair, I bought a cute little ring and wear it on my ring finger. My wedding ring just does not fit.

I can't tell you how much I weighed when we were married. Maybe 120? I don't know. I used to be a waif and size 0 was too big on me. Likewise, I have gained a lot of weight over the years, but most of it was well needed. I remember I had surgery when I was 16 and I couldn't gain weight it my life depended on it. I lost 10 pounds and just as I gained most of it back I had mono and lost the 10 pounds again. So my weight hovered around 90-100 for a long time. Yeah, and I couldn't gain weight if my life depended on it.

So from that, to today. Was 134 before kids. 142 before LM. & then I got down to about 147 immediately after I had LM. I gained a lot of weight with both kids but most of it came right off. I mean it was just 6 weeks later and I was back to 147.

Anyway, BUT then my hormones went whacked and I started gaining weight like crazy. I went up to about 165 for a while. I mean for the first time in my life I was DIETING and it hardly seemed to help. I was just trying to slow the weight gain.

Things have settled down. I would say I settled around 155 before I joined the gym last year.

I haven't gone very religiously. But I have been better. I have been toning up, for sure. Likewise, I think I have been losing more weight from my hormones settling. It's just dropping off, very slowly. I have generally been gaining muscle weight, at the gym.

I guess being sick was the kicker. I have settled back to about 147 (lost a good 3 pounds while sick), which is the lowest I have been since my last pregnancy.

Yesterday my ring was practically falling off. I might have bought it closer to 160 - I don't remember.

So anyway, before I had told dh that I really wanted ONE more year - please. & that I promised I would resize my ring on our anniversary in the fall.

So anyway, with my "fake" ring falling off yesterday, I told him maybe it was time.

I looked online to get an idea of what resizing costs. I see in the range of $10 - $50. So I think we will go to the mall and case the jewelers there, for a start. Of course, I also read sizing up costs more than sizing down.

I finally realized that last time I squeezed on the ring it was probably rather tight. My goal weight is probably in the 140 range, and I am pretty much there. I am actually pretty happy with 147. It's a good weight on me.

If I wore my ring from 120 to 145 pounds, well, I think a small resize will be fine, even if I lose more weight. IT is probably LONG overdue. Likewise, it will be nice for the ring to fit even if I gain a few pounds again.

So yay to losing weight and yay to resizing my ring! Dh will be happy.

I haven't said much about it because just as I feel I did little to warrant gaining 20 pounds in a flash, it seems to be dropping off with no effort either. I feel like I am just along for the ride. Ah, hormones!!!!!

Likewise, if my goal weight is a flabby 142 (just a general goal to lose the 2nd pregnancy weight), a fit 147 is about the same size. So I am pretty happy where I am at.

I guess the exciting this is I usually always gain weight during tax season. So the gym has helped to keep the weight steady during my stress time. Well worth the $15/month or so for my membership. That I am pleased with. I expect I will lose a few pounds over the summer when I have much more time to hit the gym and be active.

I haven't been dieting in the least. So, I guess I am also just happy to have my old metabolism back. Phew!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the nice weather, we went on quite a few walks last week.

We walked to the school for the stupid lottery I posted about earlier. It was a nice walk. We have also resumes afternoon walks at work. I would peg it as a very short walk, but after weeks of being sick it felt LONG and winded me a bit. Hadn't made the walk since last fall.

Took the kids for a couple of walks, and yesterday we all went to the NAture Center. Had been there once. It is $5 to park but they have a lot of free programs there. Yesterday we just went to check out the hiking trails. Had not been on the trails before. Not particularly big, but it was also to test LM's ability. He just wasn't much up to hiking last year (when he turned 2). Now he is nearing 3, which is the age we took BM on his first hike and he LOVED it. So we have been telling him we will do more hiking when LM can walk with us.

I have to say BM's first hike was rather intense. We did a hike in Waikiki, and he did so well we took him up to Diamond Head. Anyway, he got a lot of attention being the littlest hiker there. But he had no fear and did very well. I don't think LM would be so keen on such big hikes, but we are warming him up.

Anyway, the landscape was a little blah. A few trees were blooming, but for the most part dry and dead from winter. However, we saw quite a few animals. We have a lot of wild turkeys that hang around my office and I keep telling the kids. Knew they would love to see. So we firstly came across some turkeys in the parking lot. They weren't quite as big and healthy as the ones I am accustomed to. But they got a kick out of that. We looked at the animals & exhibits inside, and the kids had a blast. Then we started on a short hike. We were actually on a time schedule. Dh had to get to some volunteer work.

So we started the smallest trail and immediately came across about 10-15 deer. Now turkey and deer are not an unusual sight at all. I have friends in the area who have deer hang around their yards and I see turkeys all the time in the commercial area where I work. But I don't know if I have seen so many deer at once. There were 2 with antlers duking it out as well. Quite a sight!

We also saw a dry/dead meadow and a pond. Apparently the nature center is bordered by the American River, and there are some trails that get a little closer to the river.

Anyway, dh and the kids really liked it. LM said it was "So fun!" So we vowed to go back in April, when more flowers will be in bloom.

I have a good 2 hour hike to try later this month. I am pleased to say LM will be very up for it. So that will be our next hike.

I forgot this one this morning when linking articles:

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2008/03/02/3302498.htm

Behind the Meltdown: Equity plunge saps will to spend: Economy suffers as homeowners in area lose $2 billion in wealth in '07.

It's just craziness for one, to see how much home values are affecting spending.

& to see another article about a bunch of people who borrowed $100k - $200k against their homes for STUFF.

I have also noticed a lot of furniture stores going out of business, which I guess is a sign of the local economy.

The paper was quite interesting today - I'll share some articles.

I just had to say first, I stopped for gas on the way to work yesterday and the place was JAM packed. Usually Saturday mornings are pretty quiet. Looked like everyone was heading out to enjoy the nice weather. I am clearly not the only one raring to get out of the house.

Likewise, it had been weeks since I had gotten gas. O.M.G. It jumped like 50 cents a gallon it seems. I was just quite surprised. Of course in the paper I saw $4.25 gas in the Bay Area. (Mental note - fill up on gas BEFORE next trip to Bay Area). I am hoping we don't have to pay $4/gallon when we drive to LA in May, but is why we'll take the subcompact instead of the roomy van. Oh yeah, it will suck, but it will cost considerably less. 20 mpg vs. 35 mpg. Pretty significant. I guess the plus side is we have a free room so we planned 2 full days to drive. (If we were planning night time driving and all that to save hotel costs, then more room would be pretty necessary. There is no leaning back the seats or stretching out the legs. But during a leisurely day drive it won't really be so bad - have certainly done it before.

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

Anyway, the first interesting article I saw today was if those "keep the change" programs were really a ruse to add more fees. Interesting. Of course I didn't realize that Wachovia's program was so lucrative (5% interest plus 5% bonus for the money you keep an entire year?)

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-perfin24feb24,1,124283...

Another interesting article was on a topic I already saw. Government was questioning private foundation status of some of the big colleges just so FLUSH with endowments. Likewise, Stanford just announced they are offering free tuition to families who make less than $100k/year.

I am not sure what their student demographic is, but I found it interesting most of the other colleges offered significant tuition breaks to families making up to $150k. Yet the college square in the middle of the most expensive area of the entire country caps it at $100k. I had quite a few friends go to Stanford. It would be hard to live in the Bay Area and make less than $100k.

But for me, sounds good. I guess as we approach college age with the kids we will have to study the caps. If we have to cut our income $20k/year to save $50k/year? You know? Something to consider... Definitely something to try to plan around.

Likewise, room and board is waived for families living on less than $60k.

There will definitely be quite an unfair advantage for people coming in from other areas of the country. I mean can you survive in the Bay Area on less than $60k? Hardly. But I guess life isn't exactly fair.

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/753472.html

Sorry, I think you have to register to read that article.

If you aren't registered with sacbee, found this:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/education/1277397/stanford_tilt...

But the sacbee link has some interesting illustrations.

Anyway, I also found this article interesting because it listed current tuition rates.

Annual tuition:

Stanford - $35,000
UC - $8,300 (Berkeley, UCLA, Davis, etc.)
State - $3,500
Community College - $590

I have no idea what private school cost when I went to college in 1994.

State was about $2,500/year so it really has not gone up considerably. (Phew. All I have heard is rates have double, tripled, whatever).

UC used to be in the realm of $6k/year if I remember correctly. It really hasn't gone up too much either. The general rule of thumb was that it cost about twice as much as state. It is also part of the public school system.

Community College - rates have remained steady. I read recently the rates have not risen in decades.

Anyway, California may be expensive as a whole, but when it comes to education you get your money's worth.

I would say my entire education at State (& a class or 2 at community college) was less than $10k - including books and supplies.

I was working on a Masters' and it was $7500 at my alma mater (for a 3-year program, & it was quite affordable to come up with $2500/year). I mean this was for a very excellent, prestigous program. I am considering driving 4 hours round trip once a week to go back and finish my degree. I don't like any of the other options available to me since I moved. I took one class at a private school in San Francisco. IT cost twice as much and I wasn't particularly impressed. It will be worth the gas. But I haven't priced it recently either.

This is why I don't have any student debt. Worked minimum wage jobs and just paid as I Went. Went to school for 5 years. Not that it was exactly easy. But my education did not really cost that much.

Likewise, the illustrations in the article show room and board at $10-$14k at these various colleges.

Yeesh!!!!!

I think room and board is a terrible deal where I went to school, and some of these places. I have to tell you I lived on my own, outside of the school, and didn't pay anything near in that range. Nor would I have to today. & yes I am talking about the most expensive area in the country.

It's certainly a regional thing.

But yeah, you can see why I am not freaking out about college. Stanford could be free, and costs haven't really risen that much from when I went to school almost 15 years ago. & I am not buying the whole room and board thing costs 4 times as much as the education. Plenty of other living options.

Phew!

& beyond all that, 2 generations of our family have gone to college for pennies, and have risen our economic status from poverty to just about upper middle class. So, yeah, if we have to pay a bit more for our kids to go to college. That's okay with us. We know our college degrees were steals. We don't mind giving back now that we have the means.

Of course, there is a flip side to this. I had a client come through who sent their daughter to USC last year. They are retired and paid $50k for her child to attend USC last year. O.M.G.

They said she was in architecture and so I mentioned that my good friend had gone to Cal Poly and majored in architecture, as well as her brother. I just mentioned because it was quite intensive, so I made a comment that it wasn't exactly the kind of degree where you could have a life or a job with (as they could probably use some help paying for this). So they certainly agreed and we discussed how intense the program was. BUT they were quite impressed my friend got in to this particular State school. They said it was probably the best program around and QUITE intense. Their daughter had not gotten in. So they felt this was their only alternative. !!!

They also said there were too many females so it was easier for males to get in. YEah, I remember it being primarily male when my friend was there, so yes, a lot has changed.

But I have to tell you, coming across so many people in love with expensive private schools, usually for no real good reason, and you know my stance on it. At first glance I just thought they were CRAZY. LOL. So it was really eye opening to hear their side of the story. I mean I talk to a lot of wealthy people every day who have to send their children to the "best schools." My opinion is they just buy into the name brand. So this was a really different story than I usually hear.

I came home and told dh I hope that our kids don't want to be architects. LOL. I said, "add architect to the list of insanely expensive educations." I had doctor and lawyer on the list. At least those pay well. (In theory anyway). I know my friend is not making much money in architecture - for sure. I mean if my kid has to be a doctor, we're going to help them. We understand some career paths will be expensive.

Likewise, you have to consider if it is worth the cost. Is it worth shelling out $200k for an architecture degree???? Not entirely convinced. O.M.G.

However, I don't want to squash my kids dreams either; whatever they may be.

So yeah, college may not be as expensive as I have been hearing it is. Locally. BUT it might be 10 times harder to get into state school than it was when I was a college applicant. Yeesh.

likewise, it is really hard to get a feel of what the college situation will be when my kids hit college in 15 years or so. I am sure much will change. All I can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Well, March is starting out quite decent.

Dh is doing a $65 focus group next week (it's actually been a while).

Also, we are very happy with Verizon and have been with them for about a decade. We have been on contract/off contract with them for many years. We shop around every time we need new phones, but I hardly feel it is worth the effort any more. They are just the best for our needs. Plus I have no complaints about the service.

Anyway, we upped our minutes last year and I guess we are on a one-year contract - ??? (I thought they were 2 years - color me confused. I guess 2 years when you upgrade your phones?) We upgraded in 2005 and they are fine.

I didn't even realize our contract epxired next month. So they offered us a free months' service if we signed another 1-year contract.

Sounds good to me.

Save us $80.

So between the 2, an extra $145 for March.

This is good since I think we need to take both cars into the shop.

Dh's engine light came on. I'll have to check the fluid levels (yup, he hasn't a clue to do with the cars, I am the "mechanic" in the family - which is a very scary thought. My brain doesn't do well with mechanical things. But I can change a tire and do basic maintenance on a car). So I will look it over and make sure the fluid levels are okay. But we've had the car about 6 years and it has like never needed anything. It's super car! We were going to drive it to So. Cal in May and take it in for a lookover before the big drive. I figure might as well take it now. Kill 2 birds with one stone. Make sure there is nothing to this engine light thing and make sure nothing needs replacing/fixing before our big drive. It's close enough to May.

To be cleasr, the car has computer issues and we have taken it in a lot to be told it was nothing. So, though we are pretty vigilant about maintaining our cars, well, I have to say we don't get very excited when the engine light comes on, in this particular car. BUT it's been so long we've taken the car in for anything but an oil change, I wouldn't be surprised if there is something to it this time. I mean I think I will be shocked if we take it in and they say "nothing needs replacing." Just isn't possible. I don't remember replacing the brakes or anything. IT has a good 75k miles. If it wasn't my trusted mechanic who takes very good care of us, I'd think they were crazy.

Likewise, last time I had a Ford, it seemed like around 60k miles EVERYTHING needed replacing at once. So I kind of dread that this is where we are heading. No repairs, no repairs, no repairs. & then replace most of the compoments of the entire car at once!!!

I know we've replaced the tires and maybe a belt here and there - but that is all I can remember.

We'll see...

So anyway, I am sure it will need some work.

I mean it's just a little cheapie Ford. So I am extra astonished by that thing. Sper car, I Tell you!

Likewise, I need to take my car into the dealer for a recall thing. However, I have had a lot of problems with the driver side window. So while we're there we'll ask them about it. I assume it would be a quick fix and they would know what it is (my mechanic can fix it temporarily but that seems about it - it is very intermittent - I guess this is when the dealer comes in handy), but might pay a bit to have it fixed. We'll see... I don't really expect it to be much, but you never know.

In other news, I am so peeved with our local elementary school. We found out yesterday BM got in. That part is good. But they had a lottery and they made EVERYONE participate; even though there were quite a few obvious people getting in. Just seemed like a waste of time and resources. We had top priority because we volunteered x hours to FORM the school. IT's a relatively new public charter school.

Anyway, I feel pleased with it because it is right down the street. They have NO spots for 1st-5th grades. Everyone is returning. I've heard GREAT things about the school, but the proof is in the pudding. No one is giving up a coveted spot.

Anyway, the only interesting thing about the pointless lottery was going and seeing how many people were vying to get in. I counted 250 people (they had a list on the wall) for 61 Kindergarten spots. WOW!

I can't even go there, but I will. We were s'posed to have a school in our neighborhood and there was a lot of political BS there. We don't have a school. We have 1000 homes, I'd say our neighborhood runs pretty much 1/2 retirees and 1/2 very young families. So maybe 400 homes with pre-K children. & the school district was just maddening to deal with. So the parents finally had enough and we started our own public school. I give so much kudos to the parents. Likewise, parent participation is very high and that is much of why the school is so successful.

So anyway, to make a long story short, the school district says there is no demand for a new school in our neighborhood (The district is WAY overcrowded and they are building houses faster than you can blink. What the foo?). Instead the land that was reserved for the school was sold to a developer. Rumor was the school district got a large kickback for deciding to build the school elsewhere - like 10 years later on land that hasn't even been studied. In fact, I believe they bought the land in the end, even though like I said, they don't even know if it is buildable land. What a bunch of BS. But they wouldn't buy the land where the need is because it was "too expensive." So they paid twice as much for questionable land. Yeah, makes a lot of sense...

A lot of good it does for families with small kids now. To have an elemantary school in 10 years (maybe 15?).

So anyway, we are "founding parents" and were in the first lottery. They basically pulled out everyone's # and sent us on our way. YEah, what a freaking waste of time. Like they couldn't just do the math and say we have 30 founding parents and 60 spots. Gee, you're all in. !!!!! ??????

Bureacracy!

But I can figure that about 200 people didn't get in. So it feels pretty darn nice to have that all squared away. Phew!!!!! On top of all that, this school is very different than most in the area and is really a perfect fit for BM. So I am really pleased about this.

LM? That will remain to be seen. But I think it will be a good fit for him, for very different reasons.

So we'll see.


After the stupid "lottery" yesterday we went out to dinner. The kids were quite cranky, as were dh and I Really - LOL. So I was kind of nervous if it was a good idea. But the kids were absolutely perfect at dinner. Go figure. Could blow me over with a feather. I think it was just a fun change of pace for them. We spent $40 - yeesh.

But it was a fun splurge. A very once in a blue moon splurge.

The only other thing was I was trying to set up a babysitting night with their preschool. Anyway, Ms. Preschool truned me down. !!!!! LOL. I was shocked. Not often, but she has taken them before in the evenings. She is like our second family and really no one else I really trust to watch the kids; outside of our true family anyway.

Anyway, it leaves you wondering if there is some reason she doesn't want to watch my kids. She just said she had a full daycare lately and wasn't up to it. I think that is really true. She took LM an extra day last week for free. I tried to pay her but she said, "oh - you're family. Don't worry about it." So I think she was being honest. Just threw me for a loop.

Anyway, I have a friend who uses a drop-in care center and is very pleased with it. The upside is it is a little cheaper and a LOT cloer (just down the street). In fact, the place is a chain based in San Jose and so we could also use it in San Jose if we sign up (sometimes, rarely, but sometimes we do need care there when we are visiting family).

The downsides though - the placed had an overwhelming smell of bleach. I am not really into heavy cleaners and I am very sensitive to cleaners and scents. I admit. But I, personally, could not stand to be in there very long. I imagine the kids living in our house with so few chemicals and scents would feel much the same. We're just not used to it. I mean, I Can't even walk down the cleaning aisle or the soap aisle in the store. My eyes burn and my airways constrict. Blech.

So that was REALLY my pet peeve. A little strong on the bleach!

Likewise, they had a 12:1 ratio as far as the adult to kids. For BM who is almost 5? Quite fine. But I think it's a bit much for LM.

Well, we'll see. The kids seemed to really like the place. We may drop them off for an hour as an experiment. If nothing else it would be kind of nice for emergency/last minute kind of stuff.

As far as other babysitting options? I am not really comfortable with a teenaged babysitter for LM yet. & all the good ones either live too far from us or are booked solid. Likewise, I know a lot of people find their babysitters on Craigslist. That just makes me very uncomfortable. I mean, that is where I found this daycare and they are the BEST in the world. But it is different taking your kid to an established/licensed daycare. Just very different than throwing a dart at the yellow pages, essentially. Probably a lot of great babysitters, but I rather get one from referral I guess.

So we'll work on it. But this drop-in center may be good in the interim.

The other nice thing was the price for one kids was QUITE good. $7.50/hour for one. That's about as cheap as it gets, teenager or not. However, for 2 it is $11.50/hour. PRetty avergae. BUT sometimes we need care for just one. & the price is certainly good. Of course they also charge for meals and snacks which are included with Ms. Preschool. So in the end the price is about the same. But there is a huge convenience factor. The hours are also way better/more inclusive.

So we'll see with that. It might work out in the end. I think date night can be much more cheaper and enjoyable not having to drive so far to drop off/pick up the kids. So in a weird way it just may work out, her turning me down. Kind of kicked my butt to look at some other options. She was my first choice, but doesn't necessarily make the most sense.

Then again it is hard to put a price on knowing your kids are WELL cared for...

Well, I worry less and less about BM with time. He doesn't need as much supervision, for one. & you can reason pretty easily with him. LM is still my little baby though. I might need another year to feel comfortable with this babysitting thing. I mean he loves the gym daycare, but they can run out and get me if he has a meltdown, which he did just this week. So, yeah, mommy isn't so sure. The nice thing is mommy worries less with time. IT does get easier with age. Phew!!!

You know, things have been going good, but yesterday was hell.

The good side is, and I hesitate to say it, but this year feels rather CALM. (knock on wood???) 2007 will go down as the tax season from hell for sure. It seems like last year all my clients came in with deaths in the family, brain tumors, and other horrid/complex tax issues. It just never ended. We lost a manager so the workload was insane, and we just didn't have enough management to catch mistakes.

Likewise, I thought most of it had been cleared up but I Was very frustrated yesterday to catch my own mistake. Grrrrr. This is why I work for a firm; why I am not a fan of being out on my own. So a second set of eyes always looks at my work and catches my dumb mistakes before they go out the door. IT's very frustrating to me. Likewise, I am happy the pace is much slower this year. I am not rushing as much; which helps.

So anyway, crisis averted. Life goes on. But I have been a little preoccupied.

On the flip side, this year has been kind of boring and most of my tax returns are done. It isn't even March! Hey, I might have time to care for my Corporations. Those are really our bread and butter, and they really get the short end of the stick this time of year. I keep wondering if I am forgetting something. I think a bulk of my tax appointments ended up in February, and I think that is awesome. Since March/April is a very busy time with our Corps.

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

This morning though I did reply in the forums about a question from someone who "had to" pay $130k to go to film school. He has to network after all. I started choking when I read it; particularly knowing a large pool of unworking film students with FANCY degrees. Hehe.

Anyway, I have heard it said many times you can't be an engineer without the fancy degree and the connections. I just roll my eyes. My dad is actually an engineer and he just has a bachelor's from state. It is from him I get most my attitude about money; I must admit. But who can argue with success?

Anyway, I know networking is a huge part of my dad's career. I couldn't tell you how many times he has been laid off. HE is usually hired on for a project and let go. That's the nature of the industry. Maybe he's worked for 30 companies and been laid off 30 times. I honestly would not be surprised. I don't know.

Likewise, with the networks he has made in the WORKING WORLD, I never have known him to be out of work for more than a week or 2. The only exception was back in 2005 I think - he hit 55 and had a hard time finding a job, for about a year. We attributed it to age. However, he thought his current job was in danger and took on a side job recently this year. Now he is working 2 jobs. Sometimes when it rains, it just pours. Now that he's almost 60.

From my experience, networking was really key to helping me land a good job right out of college. I was in the networking clubs and familiar with all the CPA firms in the area. However, I have to say, I don't talk to any of those people today. I run into them here and there; mostly at seminars. I know how to look them up. But my career network is far more solid with the people I have met at various jobs. Once you get to your first job, your college and your college experience suddenly doesn't matter so much. You get your foot in the door and you move on.

Likewise, my husband has a pretty large network of friends in the film industry. He didn't have to go to an expensive school to network with the people who went to the expensive schools.

I just had to cringe when I Read that post though because most of my dh's friends in the film industry work minimum wage jobs. It might be a little different if we lived in LA or NY. But for the most part, seems to be a thankless/volatile career. I would put it akin to the music industry. My dh is lucky he has me, but I ain't shelling out six figures so he can hob nob with the best. LOL. He'll just have to meet them outside of college. His friends are pretty talented and are starting to land jobs. & I think that is awesome for dh. The friends he has will make or break his career. I agree. He just didn't have to meet them at school.

My point is, yes, networking is key. But no, it doesn't have to cost 6 figures to network with the right crowd.

I mean, if you believe that, be my guest. I rather keep that money in my pocket, personally.

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Anyway, that was my rant-y post of the day. Now for something more interesting.

I have totally noticed with a good 18 months of tracking my investments that the market seems to behave similarly on a monthly basis. For example, the market is ALWAYS up on the last day of the month. From what I Can tell anyway. It tells me that the last day of the month is probably a horrible time to invest. Of course that is probably a big chunk of why investments up on the last day of every month. BEcause everyone gets their paycheck and funds their 401ks??????

So I did a web search on best days of the month to invest. Just curious. For now I dollar cost average in on the 10th and the 20th. Not to be different. It's just I get paid on the 1st/16th and it gave me a decent grace period to get my paycheck to the bank. I don't have direct deposit and I don't always rush to the bank on payday. So I had been doing one deposit a month, on the 10th. This year I added another one on the 20th. Just sounded nice I guess. My account is usually pretty flush on the 16th, paycheck or not. So I gave myself less time on the second half of the month.

Anyway, if I read this article correctly, it says about the 27th/28th is the best day to invest.

Of course, it goes on to briefly explain a plan to buy and sell certain days of the month, which reduced volatility by 45% (? I think that is what it said - you can read for yourself). This was an elaborate market timing plan to keep your money in money markets most of the month and jump into an index before the end of the month for the run ups, then sell back to MM. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Don't worry, I am not going to bother doing that. But I found the concept rather intriguing all the same.

Anyway, didn't see much else on the topic. Will have to research more. Maybe I should just put my money in my money market every month until the 27th/28th and then invest. An idea! But more practically, I may invest on the 27th instead of the 20th. Of course, I am not sure that feels very settling. I generally fund my investments from my interest-free checking. So it seems to me I just want to transfer when I get it. & I think in many regards that just makes the most sense.

http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/value/archive/2004/va0525.h...

I have mentioned many times before that we don't use cash for the most part.

Anyway, I roll my eyes at the idea that just because you have a credit card you spend more. Sure, may be true for many. But I find quite the opposite.

I earn 2%, on average, on every credit card purchase I make.

It is easy to track. When I spent more cash, I have to tell you I had NO IDEA where most of my money went. Now with the magic of online banking and Quicken I know where every penny goes. With pretty much no effort on my part. (That's the best part. I don't have to write anything down).

Likewise, we have a budget and we know how much we have to spend. Whether we use credit or cash, doesn't make a difference.

HOWEVER.

There is a BUT here.

I keep cash for my fast food/junk food purchases. My small luxury I guess. We don't have a lot of room for eating out, but I give myself a cash allowance of sorts.

I am just so used to guaging how much I have and how much I Can spend by the cash in my wallet.

Anyway, while we were sick dh ran to BK a few times for dinner/lunch. I saw all these BK charges on the card. I asked if he had paid through the drive thru. The thought had never occured to me, though I usually swipe the card when I go INSIDE a fast food place (generally only to let the kids play).

Anyway, so I tried it today. HAd leftovers all week and was in the mood for something greasy. Went to McDs and swiped the card.

Well, wasn't that easy?

It's just going to take a bit of mind shifting.

I think my best bet is to set up something in the budget. "Burn money" or something. Just limit it to the $20/month or so I usually pull out of the ATM. There's really not much need for cash any more. I could hardly think of anything else we need cash for. The occasional split lunch with friends or gambling money (poker/bunco). That's about it. Dh and I always carry an extra $20 in our wallet for this kind of stuff, or for emergencies.

I really enjoy handling cash less and less. Woohoo!

Plus, heck, I earned a dime of "interest" on my lunch.

P.S. It's 70 degrees here and beautiful. Neener neener (LOL).

Well, I guess I don't have to work saturday, but I generally prefer to work saturday and take sunday off. Though I guess I could rearrange my schedule according to the weather. If I really wanted to.

But I luck out. Weather looks to be 70 degrees/clear this sunday.

I picked out an easy looking hike that isn't too far from hear, to try. There is also the nature center. I have only been once, but they have a lot of activities. The kids loved it. They have a few easy hikes around. I figured that one would be a good warm up for LM. See how he does. Before we go on a 2-hour hike (the other one).

Anyway, one reason we don't frequent the nature center is because it costs $5 to park. There is plenty that abounds around here for FREE. But it looks like it will be a good place for some nature hiking, and I could buy a membership in the $30 range. I think we'll just give it a try. I have never been on the hiking trails. But will probably end up getting a membership if it goes well.

We had also talked about going to Family Camp this summer, and decided against it. I was looking at the cost today. The nice thing is all the food and activities are provided. It really is a good deal, and great with small kids. I have never been, but I guess dh has been before. Many times when he was a kid.

Well, this is through our old city and I just figured out that they charge quite a premium for us not being residents any longer. What a bummer as it is really the best one around. It is right by Yosemite.

Anyway, so I was reconsidering. With LM only being 2 yet, it would have been $125/night (food and everything!). All we need to bring really is sleeping bags.

Our non-resident status puts us at $180/night.

Sacramento has something similar. But it is NOT Yosemite!!!!

I think we can get around this for the most part. We need to plan a big trip with the family. If grandma signs up and pays, I assume she will get the san jose rate. We'll have to see. Of course in that case she would just pay for us anyway.

I think since LM is free though, it might be worth a try this year on our own. It's still a good deal. It will cost in the $600 range for 3 nights. Just that and the gas to get there, really.

I am considering it because we have a free room for our LA trip (wasn't expecting it). & with this whole economic stimulus rebate thing. I am thinking I want to go to Yosemite!!!! I think it would be good to gauge how the kids do though. & heck, take advantage of having a 2-year-old (free). Cost will be more like $210/night once he turns 3.

Anyway, the nice thing is registration opens up in May. Gives us some time. I guess the other thing is planning around my vacation. I have an unused 7 days or so I did not know what I was going to do with. So I don't know if I want to tie it up with another trip. We'll see... I had wanted to just cut back my working hours in the summer. Decisions, decisions.

Oh anyway, I was going to go to the gym last night (it has been weeks, since I first got sick) and dh talked me out of it. Weather was really nice so kids and I went for a walk. I think that was a good start. Though I will probably hit the gym tonight. Just the treadmill; going to take it SLOW. I have lost so much weight but it's not good weight loss. Losing a lot of muscle tone from being sick. Blech.

Likewise, I know hitting the gym will help me fend off future germs. This thing was just so nasty; knocked me off my feet for so long. So it is nice to be building up strength again.