No, not really. But feels like it.

I noticed yesterday my deoderant was empty. Dh usually stocks up on sale (as with everything) but they stopped making my particular type and he kept buying the wrong stuff. Which is annoying as all get out for 2 reasons. Firstly because I was happy with it but now it's gone. Secondly, because the things I have dh get now I have to go to the store and get. Gah!

Same with my razors and toothpaste. Which is most of my personal regime. Why does everything have to change? Why do I have to choose from 200 types of Crest Toothpaste, but the kind I have loyally bought for the last 3 decades they suddenly don't make.

So I am VERY frustrated with all the manufacturers.

Anyway, I found a coupon for my preferred brand of deoderant and popped over to Walgreens just a couple of months ago, and all they had of my brand and type was a small container. I contemplated because I had bought another brand for sale, and it costs almost the same for a bigger size. Well as I tried to do the math in my head anyway it seemed like both were the same per ounce. I just used the coupon and took the small - looked like a slightly better deal.

So Wednesday or Thursday I ran out. I have a backup of crappy deoderant (one that dh bought) and I keep one at work. So I figured I would freshen up at work and check out the coupons this weekend.

All that and there are no deoderant coupons in the paper. Figures. LOL.

But I have also been putting off razor shopping. I have been also using the same brand forever and they stopped manufacturing my exact type. Now they have all these fancier more expensive razors that I frankly don't think work a s well. So I will go do some careful razor shopping today. I am peeved. I have coupons for a bunch of fancy varieties, but I don't even care - I am going to look for simple looking razors. That actually work. !!

My toothpaste, we figured they changed the name and kind of figured it out, BUT dh got some the other day and tasted weird. I swore he had gotten the wrong thing, and then I realized it was the usual. They had changed something. Blech. I think he got fresh mint gel and I usually get cool mint, but who can keep it all straight. I can't imagine there would be a difference, but yeah, I noticed it. It tastes really off to me.

& yes, I am a very particular person. So dh is sick of my bitchin' and I have to go do my own shopping now.

Life used to be much simpler. Why has it gotten so complicated?

Anyway, I have been thinking I need to replace my tennis shoes. They seem to be holding up okay, but they are getting tired, and I need really good foot support. The shoes are quite old, and wear my feet a bit on the treadmill. So I think it's time for an upgrade.

So a tennis shoe ad caught my eye. I am quite happy to spend the money on a good pair or work out/walking shoes that I can wear for a few years. BUT I saw some of the nicer shoes on Sale for $20 at Big 5 Sporting Goods. It didn't even occur to me at first that I should peruse the rest of the adds. All the camping gear was 50% - 75% off today, so we may go check it out. I had been dreading that we need sleeping bags and flashlights and stuff, but looks like they had some pretty nice sleepingbags in the $10-$15 range, on sale. Yeah, I am sold. Dh said he had 2 sleeping bags but I just thinking ick and disgusting (he doesn't necessarily take great care of his stuff). So I saw a cute black sleeping bag and I think that is what I will get. Out of my allowance. The kids need some as well. They don't need anything fancy as we aren't doing winter camping or anything.

Of course I also came across some sports sandals which I had never really thought of. I suffer greatly with bad shoes and would never consider walking anywhere without my tennies. But I saw some sports sandals on sale and I may try them out.

Reminds me, last night we went for a long walk in the evening. We actually had a really nice night as my life has revolved around work so much lately, and was nice to just have an afternoon and evening with the kids. We all had a blast. We drug dh on a walk, but it was good for him. At one time I knew how long that walk was but I really haven't a clue. Maybe a mile? Walked half way around the lake to another playground. Kids delight in seeing people walking their dogs, and having a change in pace since we go to the other park almost every day.

I am quite behind on housework. I had considered going to the gym today, but I think I will focus on housework instead. I have no idea how far I'll get. But should be a good workout as well.

Last night I Was craving Japanese buffet (knew that place was BAD) and I told dh and then told him to talk me out of it. I said we had kind of a spendy month and may be a bit irresponsible. Especially since we were also making our date plans for next weekend. (We decided on the movies, and daycare).

Anyway, to talk me out of it I guess he told me dinner was expensive. Good point. We have a 10% off coupon and he actually liked the idea of going for lunch because BM has been eating us out of house and home - clearly a big growth spurt. He said BM would be around $2.50 and he could probably eat 3 adult-sized meals. We decided this is probably a good plan. He has devoured all of the snacks in our house. So it will be an expensive grocery month. LOL. We did the math and decided if we didn't order any drinks that it would only be $20 with coupon, so we decided it wasn't so bad. If BM could fill his bottomless stomach, could be good too.

I feel like in years past we sacrificed much like movies out and eating out. I guess now we are figuring out how to work them back to the budget. I never would have suggested movies for a date night. All I think is $$$$$$$$$$. But dh took the kids to a matinee a few weeks back and it was only like $14 for the 3 of them. I was kind of surprised. So I decided I really would enjoy a movie for date night. Except date night will be date day. But it works.

I guess it helps to make a little more money too, but yeah, it's nice to fit some of this stuff back into the budget. This was all the stuff we dropped when we had kids. With time we have slowly been adding some of it back in. & it's nice to have some of those luxuries back.

Of course our life has totally changed finding this drop-in daycare place. We now experience some measure of freedom we haven't had in a good 5 years. We can now actually go to the movies on a whim and stuff like that. Very nice! & having both the kids in preschool allows us some measure of freedom during the week to enjoy.

I realize the expensive part of kids I never *got* before was everything we do do when we go out is now multiplied by 2 (the cost. As we pay for 4 instead of 2). So having the freedom to do things without the kids, like when they are in school anyway, is quite nice.

But yeah, it's frustrating that all the fun things I did as a single gal now cost 4 times as much. I can't afford the simple thing I enjoyed as a totally broke college student. It's kind of ironic. But I mostly feel like a ditz for not thinking about this before I had kids. You don't realize in the early years because they get to tag along everywhere free. Well, we are taking advantage this year. LM will get into Disneyland free and his entire camping trip (& 4 days of meals) are free. So we are taking advantage. Last hoorah of FREE. Then he turns 3 and free is over. But he is actually old enough to enjoy at this point, so we figured we'd go "free crazy" right before he turns 3.

& taking a bottomless pit to a $2.50 buffet? I guess it works out in some regards.

I was just thinking in terms of the discussion the other day about all the choices/temptations in the city.

I must seem ultra disciplined to not be all tempted by everything out there.

The truth is that, sure, I am disciplined to a large extent. But anyone who thinks I am "perfect" all of the time? LOL.

I just had to share because I went shopping at Target yesterday and spent about $120.

I walked in with a few things in mind and walked out with 10 times as many things.

Of course, this is about how ALL my shopping trips go.

The thing is, I just don't shop much. When I do, I know how much I can spend. (I don't sepnd more than I have cash to spend anyway) & a lot of the times I even buy more knowing I will return much later. Just too hard to decide them. Buy now; return later.

But all that and I Still get sucked in by PLENTY of crap that I don't need.

So yeah, it was actually a pretty typical shopping trip for me.

IT started with the Dollar Aisle. I spent $3 on stuff I didn't need because "it was only $1." That dang dollar aisle ALWAYS gets me. Though it is great for frugal gifts and stuff. & small pleasures I guess.

I also spent $8 on 2 monkey plates and 2 monkey cups. Okay, I Can NOT resist the monkeys!!!!

I put down the chili pepper serving plate (but it was so cheap and cute!!!!!) and some wodden bird that would be so cute in my bathroom. My head is like, "what the hell are you doing? Why do you need a bird for the bathroom? Doesn't even go with anything." I think that one was disturbing to me because I was like - "I have to have this." & I can't really explain why.

So I put it down and talked myself out of it.

I didn't even look at all the monkey stuff. But I couldn't resist at $2/pop. I averted my eyes before I spent $20+ on monkeys. I Seriously just did not look at it all. The plates/cups were a nice treat; plenty monkey for me.

I had gone in to get some water shoes, and to be fair my kids have square feet and are impossible to shop for. So spent around $35 on 2 pairs of good quality shoes that actually fit them. Will be good for camping (how I justified). Not the kind of thing worth shopping 20 stores for, nor could I buy sight unseen online. I think in a few years flip flops will be dandy, BUT they tend to run and fall much. They need something more sturdier for now.

So that was the bulk of it.

Then I got a new wardrobe for BM. Which meant a couple of pairs of sandals and some new t-shirts. He's only grown UP so his shorts from last summer all fit still. Phew.

I used to only shop thrift for him. But I don't even bother any more, with Target now down the street. The convenince factor can not be beat. I can usually buy new clothes at thrift prices there. YEsterday I made out with a couple of shirts for $1.99/each. I don't find Target quality stellar (I wouldn't buy clothes for myself there. I have in the past and decided I prefer clothes that last more than a season, before falling apart). But as rough as the kids are on clothes, works for them. Enough quality for them to both wear and then to pass on to their cousin. So I don't really bother with the thrift thing anymore. Target always has a slew of new clothes at $4/pop. YEsterday I actually avoided the cheapie aisle and went for the higher quality stuff on clearance. MAde out better than I thought I would (I Was surprised when those couple of items rang up under $2).

I love warm weather seasons though because the sandals are more forgiving on their wide feet. I usually spend a lot more money on wide shoes for them when it comes to fall/winter. But they can do okay with regular sandals. My feet are much the same way. If the shoes have give I am fine. All my work shoes are wide size though.

I perused napkins while we were there and was not happy. I didn't like the quality and looked longlingly at the wash clothes and dish towels. I think what I really want is cheap dish towels. I don't like the material they use in cloth napkins.

I mentioned this to dh that maybe I would just buy some dish towels, or wash clothes, for napkin purposes in the kitchen. He reminded me how he had already said we should buy some dish towels and cut them up into more napkin sizes. I had written it off before, but he is right. Probably what we will do.

I think it will be cheaper too. But nicer. They aren't for show. I want something I Can actually wipe my hands with - something more absorbent.

I also did remember to check the home improvement aisle and scored big. 5-paintbrush set for $2.99. Perfect for the kids' water play.

It was HOT yesterday so the kids tried on their new shoes and ran in the sprinklers and painted the sidewalk with water. They had a BLAST. I admit, it was so hot I ran with them for a bit. It was REALLY refreshing.

Dh wasn't feeling so hot and so I picked up a take and bake pizza on the way home too. I scored sliced sourdough bread with cheese/garlic crust. Divine!!! Expensive, but divine. I had asked dh to pick me up the sliced sourdough a while back and he hadn't know what I Was talking about. HE brought home a big thing of unsliced sourdough, which was quite yummy, but not quite the same. So I showed him the packaging and said, "you ever see this on sale?? Buy in bulk!" LOL. Now he knows. IT was almost $5 full price, so yeah. A little luxury...

The pizza would have been $5 if we planned ahead - we usually buy it on sale Fridays - for when we have people over and such. But the $8 pizza was still a good deal.

So it was kind of a simple day. But I had fun shopping, and eating my expensive bread too. Yummy!!!

But yeah, the hot weather made it very apparent that BM needed some new clothes. NEeded some summery shoes and some t-shirts that didn't look a size or 2 too small. I actually did fairly well with him, since he didn't need much. Kids are both in same boat. BM was wearing cloth diapers last year - bulky. So though he did grow much, most of his shorts/pants from last year still fit now that he no longer wears bulky diapers.

I went through and pulled out their clothes that didn't fit, and all the winter stuff I knew wouldn't fit next year. Felt good to purge.

One good thing I did do was resist the urge to buy clothe for LM. He doesn't need any and regardless how you feel about hand-me-downs he gets no short end of the stick. Dh's family is notorious for buying clothes too small. So BM has lots of new-with tage/never work hand-me-downs. He's got plenty. (Plus I have to say I grew up with hand-me-downs and LOVED them. They were new to me. LM feels much the same way. HE LOVES it when I pull out BM's old clothes. The ones I sometimes think are really tired are worn are ALWAYS his favorites. Funny how that goes).

BUT I think since BM has moved up to the Boy section that I didn't see any clothes in LM's size and so wasn't tempted. I wasn't even sure of his size anyway - was the other thing. LOL. I usually get more tempted to buy them a couple of matching outfits. So yeah, made out good that way. No unecessary clothing purchases. Phew... Well this may last a year or 2 until LM joins BM in the boys' section. It was lighter on my pocketbook!

Well I have been rather absent online because dh got the bug. I mean I wrote a lengthy post this morning, yes. But then it's almost 11pm and only other time I have had online all day. Blasphame! So I feel rather one sided today. OR lately. A wee bit busy at work?

In some news, we booked our camping trip for June. Yay! I guess more about that later.

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

I just had to say I have been anti-frugal these last few days, in light of not being prepared for sick hubby. But my frugal tendencies still show.

Dh was sick Thursday (luckily was fine until later afternoon since it is worst daycare day. He was also s'posed to go to a wedding rehearsal but didn't make it - for video. It's a non paying job - relative. So oh well. I think he'll be okay for the wedding - lucky for them).

Anyway, so I came home and the weather was nice. Decided to take the kids out to BK for dinner. Like I had thought about dinner... Bummer as the play structure was closed. A neighbor had told us about a new park so we drove by on the way home to check it out. BUT it was amid a few model homes and rather deserted. I told the kids I didn't think it was a safe place to play. I just didn't feel comfortable there since it was rather in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, we went to the park down the street but it was rather deserted there as well. Just strange for such a nice day. We didn't stay long. So much for letting the kids run around...

Oh yeah - and the kids had meals while I had a $1 meal. All in all, didn't cost much.

This morning dh was really not feeling well and preschool had no spots (weird for a Friday). So much for that plan.

We picked out the longest movie in DVD format (too bad Ratatouille is on Blu-Ray since it is the longest kid movie I have ever seen - LOL. First one that popped into mind). So yeah, this morning I fed the kids, and dressed them, and put on a long movie, and went off to work. Dh and I debated if 2 short movies would be better. But they were pretty much bouncing off the walls otherwise and about to kill each other. I mused that I could at least work from home later and let them run around the backyard like banshees if they preferred.

At this point I am exhausted. I have NO IDEA how single moms do it. I now realize why everyone tells me my kids give me so much exercise and why I must be so "skinny." LOL. Usually dh does all the hard work.

As I rush off to work super late I notice dh's car has no gas because he has been too sick to go anywhere. More bad planning. I do remember the gas station by my work which mysteriously closed, was open again a few days ago. Phew. I just rode it out - lord knows how long the gas light had been on. Dh usually refills way earlier.

MAde it only to find $3.89 gas. Egads!

The frugal side of me only got 3 gallons. I think 3.5 as I thought about the wedding Saturday - I figured dh could fill up on the way home.

Of course on the way home I spotted $3.69 at the Safeway gas and we may even have a 10 cent off per gallon coupon. I tell you those grocery wars are awesome, and we have been enjoying. But usually takes great care and planning to hit the biggest discounts.

I left work kind of bored around noon and came home and fed the kids and took them to the drop-in childcare chain place. They might as well have been going to Disneyland they were SO excited. I questioned this wisdom of my decision since I figured the morning would be crowded and dh would feel better. BUT then again it was nap time and I was dragging them somewhere with a LOT of activity. Too late to turn back.

I dropped them off and worried much about them all the way to work. Sure they LOVE the place and that is what is important on a big level. But yeah, usually my kids are with dh or at preschool which is like our second family. Plus preschool has a 4 to 1 ratio; not 12 to 1. Okay for date night; not so sure good for 5 hours. So yeah, I worried a bit more than I ever would about them. Likewise, I worried much more about LM who seemed to get knocked around a bit by the older kids. Then again, he is VERY used to it. He told me the worst part of the day was when I came to pick him up. So yeah, they had fun.

The frugie in me had a coupon so it cost me $40 instead of $50 for almost 5 hours of care. Pretty sweet. Preschool would have been $50 for a half day.

The kids were SO exhausted when I picked them up and this erupted into fights of "NO - I am NOT TIRED" whenever the idea was mentioned the rest of the night. But we did put them to bed a good hour early. I guess it was okay. Tired = banshees so it was a trying evening though. LOL.

I came home and made the kids pasta and hot dogs. No planning, but the pantry and freezer had plenty of crap to whip up. You probably get the idea that I can't cook worth crap, but the truth is I only cook when it's last minute and unexpected. LOL. Plus dh is SO into the healthy rounded meals, and I generally am not, that I enjoy giving the kids a treat once in a while. Can't be perfect all the time. Sometimes you just got to let your hair down and eat some food that is not so good for you. But yeah I can cook and I enjoy doing it once in a while. But what you see is not my best work.

At least dh helped put the kids to bed. I think last night too. He's a lot better - he has the same 24 hour thing so I have no doubt he'll be fine tomorrow.

Oh yeah, but I forgot the part where I went back to work around 1:00 and there was a pile a mile high of last minute tax returns. Huh? I was only gone an hour. Most of it wasn't a big deal - people who I knew didn't owe and I put on extension ages ago, just knowing them. I just found it funny that they all showed up the 1 hour I left to take care of the kids.

Boss asked me to look over something today (well he asked me days ago but I was waiting for someone else to finish). I wasn't optimistic but I worked on my parent's tax return while I waited. PHEW! I had wanted to get it out last week, but then we had all been sick.

Anyway, she got it to me right about 6 when I HAD to get the kids; could not leave them more than 5 hours. So all that and as soon as the kids went to sleep I worked for a couple of hours.

Blech.

What a day.

Of course as I sit and type I hear a kid coughing quite a lot in the other room. Oy vey. Sounds like some major germies.

I felt pretty crappy today anyway but I have fingered it as allergies. I think they arrived. Bummer...

Anyway, yeah, next month is a short month for preschool so we had an extra $70 to spend on daycare. So that wasn't really a big deal today. I mean, yeah, I had maybe looked forward to applying that to our camping trip or putting it into an IRA or something. I should know never even to think that. That dang Murphy!

Dh bought a blu-ray disk with a $10 rebate.

I applied for the rebate a couple of weeks ago and it already arrived. (Disney?). Kudos to Disney - fastest rebate I ever got. You know, we constantly apply for rebates and have never had problems (knock on wood). But 6-10 weeks is usually the wait...

Anyway, my mid-term savings balance is $485. I considered transferring the $10 over to the mid-term savings, plus $5, for an even $500.

Heck I'd put that $10 to my IRA if I could. Too small to deposit... Though I guess I could add it to my next auto transfer, but that's just a pain.

Anyway, I also realized I was coming out ahead with this. Dh buys all his blu-ray movies out of his allowance. But I am sure I counted the whole cost. The rebate is a bonus. Gets him to spend less though he justified it only with the great rebate. Well, I just realized this anyway. But I am not adding it back to his allowance. It's gravy.

The only other thing is I am running a $75 or so surplus in the checking account. We'll see how April goes. We don't pay cash for much, but want to get the carpets cleaned. For all the rooms I estimate $75. I think I will deposit this $10 and leave it there until we get the carpets cleaned. Maybe this will kick my butt. I have been thinking about it for a while and pulled out the business card for the wonderful guy we hired in 2006. BUT I haven't called yet...

So yeah - might need it for the carpet cleaning. We'll see. If not, maybe to savings... Want to wait and see how much the carpets cost first.

We don't wear shoes in the house and generally haven't found much need for carpet cleaning. (Plus though our house is large not all the rooms are utilized all the time). BUT the family room is completely thrashed. Would have preferred to wait unil LM is fully potty trained. But it's kind of embarrasing. A couple of hallways could use it. Plus the upstairs bathroom (don't ask me whose bright idea it was to carpet the sink area? Ugh), upstairs hallway (old potty accidents) and the kids' rooms. Dh's idea. Not sure the kids' rooms really need it, but whatever. All that and might as well go over our room to.

We paid $40 before for most of the downstairs. I remember I paid the guy $50 because I thought it was terribly cheap for all he did. So I don't expect it to be much more to add 2 rooms, but we'll see.

It's sposedly likie eco friendly stuff too, but lord if I really buy that. But we haven't cleaned the carpet much with small kids, because of the chemical concerns.

Well if we do get them cleaned, next week I would hope, I think we will institute a no drink rule in the downstairs living areas. Most of the carpet stains are juice from LM's sippy cups. HEck, we should probably outlaw sippy cups. He'll be 3 soon.

I realize when he's potty trained we may need to re-shampoo the carpet. But that's okay. I just don't think it could wait (which means, yeah it's bad. Cleanliness is not usually a main concern of mine).

My parents are the type who would do their own carpets. Spend an entire Saturday shampooing the carpet. Ugh. I didn't get all the frugal genes. I'll go work 1-3 hours on a Saturday to pay the carpet guy. Much preferred. Just how I roll. I value my time and appreciate having the wage to afford it.

I read something this week about how people are really bad budgeting month to month, but were generally good at budgeting on an annual basis. Just interesting, as I tend to be more big picture, and look at things at more of an annual level. The month to month doesn't really matter so much to me. I mean I am not going to get caught up in the fact that I had a LOT of expenses in April, and my short-term savings account is negative right now. Mostly well known and planned for... In April my summary will be UGLY as I will have expended $4k in one-time bills. But that's okay. May/June tend to be pretty low expense months, by contrast...

IT helps me to look at the big picture.

Reminds me I read a comment before about not having "typical months." I agree - I never have a typical month. But we do tend to have typical years. Which I guess is a perfect example of what the article tried to say. (Likewise, if we had a large emergency, we would likely cut back on other expenses for the rest of the year, etc. Our budget is very flexible, and I think that is another reason. If you have some expensive months early in the year, I think people tend to reign in more later in the year then, etc.)

Anyway, without further ado - here's March (just one small slice of my year):



Allowance - $0 - I just noticed dh and I didn't spend any of our discretionary money this month. Weird. LOL.

Auto - $650 repairs/maintenance & $200 fuel (was a good month for us - no long trips - phew). Car repairs paid from short-term savings.

Childcare - an extra $100 this month. LM went to school one day when dh was sick. & we also registered for a drop-in childcare and tried it out. Which was an AWESOME splurge - to get a date out. We are committed to one date a month (even if we can only afford the childcare, and stay home. It's not the going out, but the childcare which is SO nice).

I just sent off the preschool payment for April, and only 2 full months (of 2) to go. I tell you, I am thrilled.

Dining - $20 my lunches out for the month. $10 was a lunch date dh and I had Monday actually. WE are going to start up twice a month. Oh - and almost $30 on our sushi date. We splurged on a trip to McDs to get the kids out of the house early in the month. So it was a more spendy than usual month in this regard, but this is going to go up with our effort to enjoy more. Lunch dates if nothing else - $20/month for 2 lunch dates are not bad. This week we had buffet at Round Table - it was a pretty good deal - 2 for $10 (and sodas).

We dropped the cloth diaper service which was $50/month and kind of find we have some room in the budget. & I think dining/dates is the area we feel most deprived. So where we decided to put that money.

& with the economy we have coupons out our ears (particularly lunch which is why we are trying to take advantage when kids are in school anyway). This is a perfect example when things go bad for everyone else, the frugal prevail. I just feel like life is better/easier lately.

Entertainment - monthly blockbuster

Groceries - pretty average month - includes a lot of household stuff

Household - gardener - I still LOVE our gardener.

Medical - insurance premiums and around $200 in prescriptions/appointments/medical tests

Misc - some toys, some easter stuff, some household items from the dollar store. A trip to the movies. & $130 for a show. (We usually budget $150 here, but we were way under on the gas budget and we had extra income to pay for the show).

Personal Care - I got a haircut (rare, indeed)

Utilities - down because I had a free month on my cell phone ($80 off), and the water company did not bill water. They said they were ready to meter water late last year, but they don't seem very prepared for me. Took forever to get set up, and then last month they didn't even bill me for water? We'll see... They generally bill every other month and had been for a short while. Just not on my bill the last 2 months. Strange.

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*As you see, we deposited $100 to our ROTHs. (1.5% income)

*Earned $625 in work retirement plan. (10% income)

*We added $250 to our medical fund and pulled out $130 for doctor visits. We still have not received a bill from the ambulance/emergency room early in the year. ??? But I now have the cash to cover it... (I think!)

*Added $100 interest to our mid-term savings fund.

*Paid off one balance transfer, leaving 2 (which is why we are earning so much interest - all the balance transfers). Interest will go down next month.

*Saved $900 for short-term bills (& this account was drained, and then some, for April, already).

I think that about covers it...

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I went through and paid all the April bills. I am waiting for the water bill (the one that always comes rather late - will come on the 15th and be due the 20th - just how it seems to be. Drives me nuts). Also, waiting on the final credit card #. I think we might hit $2k this month. Which doesn't help me - we get a bonus if we hit $2k each of the next 3 months. Who knew March would be such a spendy month...

But card closes tomorrow and we have no plans to spend anything until Friday. We'll see...

April cash flow looks good. We want to get the carpets cleaned and I have some cash in the bank for that - as well as for a trip to the ATM for our outing next weekend.

(I still can't believe we splurged so much last month and it was all well within budget. Was a nice month).

I got a note from Chase that if I spend $2k each month, April/May/June that they will give me a bonus $25 in cash rewards. (I round up to $30 since I usually wait to $200 to redeem an extra 25%).

Anyway, we put about $1300 on the card monthly (well, ideally - that is the budget for regular expenses) and often hit $2k during certain time of year (random one-time expenses and such). BUT I doubted it was worth $30 to try to hit in 3 months in a row. I told dh jokingly, asking if there was anything he wanted to buy. There wasn't. HE mentioned it didn't seem worth it. Well duh.

We have a few electonic purchases in mind, but end of the year is the time to buy, and prices will no doubt come down much lower than by $30, if we wait...

I did tell him that if we got the emergency room bill ( never got a bill yet!?!) that I just received word that I could card it. So maybe if we got in sometime before May, would help.

Likewise, we have our big vacation in May and $2k will be no prob.

So we pondered what we could do for June. Of course, now it looks like we may go camping and the fee is a few hundred dollars.

So may just earn another $30!!

Of course, I had kind of forgotten about this since I have not received this medical bill yet. (Phew, since gives me more time to save for it).

Anyway, I recieved my state CPA society dues notice yesterday and it was almost $500. My boss reimburses me, but I always card it for rewards. Woohoo. I'll have to look at the due date and push the payment to June if possible. But I can pay it in April if the medical bill doesn't materialize. Maybe I can push the medical payment to June.

Who knows. I think I have some other dues coming up and some other things I can prepay a bit.

I'll have to keep that in mind and juggle some things around.

Actually, we can also buy our Disney tickets in April, so that might be a wise move too. Spread out some of the costs. We can pay for everything else in May (gas, food, other activities. We won't pay lodging so not a lot of other expenses, now that I think about it).

But yeah, this will take a little strategy!

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.

Well, I got an e-mail a long time ago my annual summary was ready, but I hadn't looked at it.

Here it is in all its glory.

we try to budget around $1200-$1300/month for regular purchases. But we put so much other stuff on the cards. (Whatever we can anyway). So it really skews the balances. All in all, I think we spent less than the prior year. I can already tell 2008 started out much less spendy.

Misc. - was primarily medical/dental bills

Services - mostly diaper service and utility bills

Merchandise - mostly groceries & all our other purchases

Auto - repairs and Fuel

April - dh spent $2k on video stuff (TV & PSP)

May - We had a $1k car repair

June - we used a new credit card to get some rewards (so spent less than usual on this particular card).

August - I put a good $3000 on my card for our Japan flights. My parents reimbursed me since they paid. But I am the travel agent of the family.

So, the total for the year was $26,000.

Really $23,000 when you take out the flights. Probably a good $1k charged to other cards, so comes out to a pretty even $2k/month.

Some things we spent in 2007:

Travel & Entertainment:
Museums, Aquariums, Amusement Parks
Expenses for Cruise, Japan, Vegas, Florida (mostly dining since most of the rest of these trips were free).

So all that was only $1200.

Dining Out - $1300 Not a ton; mostly take out/fast food

Auto - about $3k gas; $1300 repairs/maint.

Merchandise - was $10k.

I'd peg $6k groceries/household. $2k dh's purchases. & another $2k on other merchandise.

Services - $3400 - gym, utilities, diaper service, ID theft monitoring, blockbuster online, etc.

Misc. - $1600 - was medical/dental, charity. Also DMV renewals and payments to city for programs/classes.

& that sums up 2007!

I always find it interesting to see it all laid out like that.

I woke up early and so was double checking on Vegas info this mornings. Bus is still cheap as I remember but they do have a monorail. Cost twice as much BUT I know of no other way to get across the strip in 10 minutes. Sounds like QUITE an addition. The Deuce was a big step up, and the monorail sounds even better. We'll see what we think in person anyway. Interesting to see how things evolve with time. (I had no idea they put in a monorail!)

Also was checking out all the buffet reviews and such. We are huge fans of the Spice Market Buffet (Aladdin) but I think this time we'll try Mandalay Bay too. Looks similar, but better priced.

We're staying on the north end of the strip which has the really cheap buffets. So a dinner there. & then we'll dine at Fremont Street and at our favorite Indian restaurant (also very near our hotel).

I pinned down more of a $180 budget for dining and about $60 for transportation (shuttle, buses, monorail). This assumes all the info I saw online was current (not so sure). Leaves $60 for incidentals, unexpected things, and gambling. If we adjust our budget to $300. Much more realistic but I am excited to try a new buffet, and that will be for quite an amount of food. Yes, we will have to hit they gym on our return. Though I am sure we will also do PLENTY of walking.

It seems like every time we go to Vegas we spend more money. But we also enjoy more. Gotta splurge once in a while I guess. WIll be fun...

Actually we have never stayed 3 nights before, so accounts for much of the cost. Eating out is such a budget buster when it comes to vacation. It just adds up so fast and is always maddening since it is so much easier to eat way cheaper at home. I mean $180 on food? At home that's 2 weeks of food for 4 of us!! I feel like food is always the vacation budget buster. But we are certainly splurging and enjoying in this case. Just what I always find is so pricey about vacation. The food will cost about as much as our plane tickets this time around...

Well, on a whim we decided to catch one show in Vegas. We did really good on our retirement and efund this year so we decided to take our December balance transfer interest and splurge.

I really wanted to see O (Which would be more pricey) but it was pretty much sold out. We decided to try Spamalot instead. A tad cheaper (though not much). I don't know, I am ready for vacation and the idea that "I wouldn't waste my money on a show" went out the window rather last minute. But we have been to Vegas quite a few times and never splurged on a show. IT will be fun.

So our budget looks something like this:

Vegas (4 days/3 nights):

Food/Gambling $200 (Already pd/use gifts)
Shows $150 (Paid with Interest)
Airfare $250 (Paid with cc rewards)
Hotel $0 (No cash but timeshare hell is "priceless" - LOL).
--------------------
$600
--------------------

Oh the $200 includes airport shuttle and bus fare too - the incidentals.

We'll see, it's our last hoorah before tax season and all that. I just want to REALLY enjoy. Mostly plan our budget for fine dining. If we end up over $200 I Won't sweat it much. Just all we need to spend to not dip into our checking account at all. On the other hand I figure we could splurge on 2-3 really nice meals and go cheap the rest of the time (fast food or a trip to the grocery store is just fine) and stay well within the budget. Certainly what we aim for.

Not one of our cheaper Vegas trips by a mile. But the ironic thing is gas is getting so expensive, I think our airfare may be cheaper than driving. Certainly if we took the van. Gas would have cost around $200 easy in dh's car. Not to mention wear and tear and TIME. I got the deal I wanted on airfare, but even if I hadn't it probably would have been worth $300-$400. I now realize as prices skyrocket before my eyes. Our airfare deal is looking better by the minute.

Southwest also changed their policy. You get to board in the order you check in. Already checked in for tomorrow's flight (& at the front of the line)! I am just not sure we will get the opportunity to print out our boarding passes ahead of time for the return flight, but will try.

Is it worth it to fly round trip for $125 each, to not get to sit next each other for a one hour flight? OF course it is. But I am optimistic dh and I may actually get to sit next to each other this flight. How divine. I am loving this online checking/boarding pass thing.

Our only obstacle now is staying healthy for tomorrow. & for the entire weekend really. IT would be nice, but probably too much to ask. (just usual kids and germs...).

Oh yes, and I Will have to tell you about Tahiti Village. I can't believe when people IRL seriously tell me to hold my ground or "BE careful because you get sucked in." LEt me tell you, I don't remember the last time I got sucked in by a timeshare presentation, by a car salesman, by a furniture salesman... Any salesman... I just giggle. Somehow I think we'll survive. (Just a hint. The reason we do well financially is we don't spend our money on stupid things. WE don't make rash purchasing decisions. We don't buy things we can't pay cash for. Etc. All things you have to do to buy a timeshare. We didn't need to read all the horrible timeshare stories to figure out it was a high pressure sales thing that made absolutely no sense).

I think I also mentioned people keep telling me they were "trapped" in these presentations for hours. You have got to be kidding me. Let them try to "trap" us - LOL. We do have legs. & cell phones to call a cab. & rights. The bus pass won't hurt either if we have to flee too early.

Honestly, for the most part I think we will go, be bored, and be one of the first to leave, with little incident. It's just so obvious we aren't buying it on any level they don't even bother trying. Has been our past experience.

& you would have to be crazy to think I Would actually tell them my real income. Teehee. Rule #1 - do not tell them your income. I figure the "spouse is out of work" card should keep them off our back. I remember last time we went to a Vegas timeshare presentation they were salivating when we said we were from Bay Are ($$$$$ in their eyes). I told dh, um, let's say our income is 1/2 what it was. The scary thing was how much they salivated over the $40k income or so I put down. Yeesh. This time you have to be over $50k. I am thinking $50,001 will work. $0 assets. Negative net worth? I don't know, maybe they will smell weakness if we lay on the negative net worth thing too thick though.

But yeah last time was a $15k timeshare and it made no financial sense in the least. We were staying at a hotel for $30/night. A NICE one. Why would we spend $15k on a timeshare???? Who wants to stay in a condo off the beaten path in Vegas??? This one will be even easier. They are seriously asking $50k for these things. IT's going to be 10 times easier to say, "Are you out of your mind???" I Think we can walk away from this one.

Anyway, dh likes to play psychological games with people so I think he is looking forward to it. I figure it is a small price to pay for 3 free nights stay, but we'll see how I feel afetrwards. LOL. I am sure it will be uncomfortable at best. Have to play nice... With dh by my side will be okay though. Last time we wasted a good chunk of a short trip on a timeshare presentation (For $50). This time we get 3 full days to enjoy, so eh. It won't be such a big chunk of our time at least. & more reward.

I am SO bummed. They had this spectacular "Holiday House" that timed all these lights to music. Anyway, I think it has been around a few years; but word really exploded about it last year. We went to see it 3 times last year (each time was considerably more crowded). So today BM and I discussed it on the way home, that we needed to get there early this year. So when I got home I looked up to see when it started. I did warn BM that they could be gone; because of cranky neighbors. Anyway, I called it.

Looked up the website and they just updated today - no show this year. I am so bummed, but I certainly don't fault the neighbors. IT wasn't the light or the noise but the traffic that made them cranky. Lord knows I wasn't going back there, close to Christmas.

Anyway, they are looking for a commercial location to setup next year. I don't imagine that would be hard to find. (Free spectacular light show that brings in too much traffic??). So I hope they work out something for the future.

Anyway, we were watching their videos from last year and they had one song from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra which is also very spectacular. On a whim I looked up the CD and was listening to some of the audio files on their website. LM just LOVED the music so I went to Amazon to add it to the wish list. Which is fine, except it was on sale for $8.99. Really not bad at all - eligible for free shipping. I also noticed all the books on my wish list were on sale for $4.99. So I bought 3 books and that. Of course I was short like 50 cents for the $25 minimum for free shipping. (Shipping is $6 or so). I was perusing stocking stuffers, but of course the $1 stuff doesn't apply for free shipping. Bah. I finally just bought another book I had my eye on. It was $10 though. Oh well. I'd rather pay $10 for a book than $6 for shipping.

I told dh if he wanted to wrap the stuff up for his family to give to me; whatever. Good deals. I can't complain!

I also downloaded credit card expenses - updated. We leave Wednesday for Vegas and so pretty much paid all our bills and bought all our gas and groceries for the month.

Credit card bill will be about $1350. Well in the budget, christmas and all. PHEW. Following some spendy months.

There is Vegas, but I am getting birthday cash and $130 refund of deposit from the time share company.

I think we can budget around $200 for eating out (mostly all we will spend money on). We'll use the credit and cash. We also figured we'd go to the movies (matinee I am sure. ).

Dh, very sweet, tells me today he wants to splurge on my birthday. I am like, and a trip to Vegas isn't enough??? He just said he wanted to go out to a nice dinner or something on the actual day. I just say, duh. We had already been talking all the places we were going to eat. Truth is, really, we just got to Vegas to eat!!!

In other new I am under a pile of mandarins. LOL. That is the fun thing about Sacramento. Is it city or rural? Becoming very city, very fast. Historically very rural (as is much of California really). So my coworker has an orchard of mandarin trees and she gave me 4 buckets. She said she'll give me 4 more next week. Gave one bag to each fam and will give one to preschool. Will keep the last. Kids love them.

I am always pawning off unwanted food at work and I have to keep remembering not to lug a back back to work. That is where they came from. LOL. But they disperse pretty fast between all our family and all.

Which reminds me, we don't have a garden and haven't really thought much about it, but dh wants to get an apple tree. Our main tree died (lord knows why). The one planned to block the sun in the summer and shed its leaves in the fall to let the sun shine in the winter. Anyway, the tree never got very far. Dh wants an apple tree. He said his parents had a dwarf tree and never got too out of hand. We'll have to plant one in the spring. Kids will love it.

Things have warmed up a bit here. Weather went straight from summery to wintery. It was a little crazy. It is settling on autumny. Much chillier than it was, but not freezing... Phew...

Yesterday BM had his checkup and shots so that was $50...

I went with them so we decided to go for lunch afterwards. We went out to Mongolian BBQ (like $12 for the 4 of us since they don't charge the kids though they probably should!!! BM ate more than I).

I probably would have skipped it because I feel broke and because shots took FOREVER but it turns out dh and I both have a focus group this week - $60 each. What the heck - a $12 meal. The remaining $100 or so will go in the bank. Hell, that paycheck is more than my overtime rate would be. So - easy easy money.

My dad e-mailed me our Japan itinerary. How exciting! I was originally worried about the time change, but these days I wonder why. I think I am so sleep deprived that I could sleep anytime and anywhere. We went to NC like a year ago to visit my sister and I remember I slept like 2 days and 2 nights straight. LOL. Anyway, my goal is to sleep as much as possible on the plane (we leave around noon). Since I often sleep the afternoon away I don't expect it to be hard. I just don't want to be awake and uncomfortable. 12 hours later we arrive in Japan at 5pm. I figure I can be awake enough to get to the hotel. Maybe dinner. But then knowing me I could conk out for another 8 hours or so. & then be on track for a day of sightseeing.

I have no idea how I will swing it on the way home. Will be much harder to change back.

In college my husband used to work nights on the weekends. So he would go to school during the days and then flip his schedule every weekend. I thought he was going or die an early death or something. (Lord knows why he never just took night classes). But um, yeah. That will be my inspiration. It can be done. LOL.

Oh well, I have NO IDEA how I am going to get all ready for the trip. I know I don't have much to do, but time is short. Our weeknights are clogged with focus groups, and I had plans Friday night, though we leave Saturday morning! Not sure what I was thinking. I am rethinking Friday night plans. For one I invited my friend over and the house is a DISASTER, but packing seems more important at this point. Maybe we'll meet up at McDs or something - let the kids play. We were actually going to go to the "movie in the park" thing but I worry it will be too cold and late since I have much to do. We'll see!

My kids aren't big on ear infections but I think BM had 2 last year during swim season at preschool. I remember he was sick and Ms. Preschool is generally good at helping diagnosing. She asked me if he was susceptible to ear infections and I said no because at 3 he had never had one! So we quickly wrote it off until a couple of days later I saw some discharge in his ear. Couldn't be! But it was. I guess she was quite shocked as well. From her experience either you have a lot or noe many... We chalked it up to all the time in the water I guess. All those preschool germies too I guess... Anyway he had a terrible bout with another one soon after where one day he just started grabbing his ear and screaming in pain. He takes pain rather well and of course didn't complain until it was unbearable. So it was not fun...

But anyway, LM has just been sleeping horrid the last few days and horribly cranky. We figure teething/growing/whatever. But last night he started saying his ear hurts. Gosh, I didn't even think of anything like that! Thank goodness he told us. We are stil uncertain but dh is taking him in today to be sure. Will be $50. But gosh if that is what it is would explain a lot. The kids spent a lot of time in the pool last week and LM fell in and got dunked twice. If he has an ear infection I am starting to see a cause and effect... Today he seemed fine and said it didn't hurt and dh was ready to take his word. He asked me, "what are the symptoms?" I said I wouldn't mess with it - symptons are fever and ear pain and discharge from the ear, etc. BUT I know so many kids who had an ear infection with no outward symptoms, and the parents felt horrid when they figured it out. Just not something to mess with - so I convinced him to take him in.

I need to go in to the doc next month for female stuff and with the kids birthdays they are both due for wellness visits. Now that I think about it their wellness visits may just be free or reduced... Hmmm. I guess we'll find out. LM probably needs shots too. I hate that. Easily $200 in copays for the next month. Blah. Thankfully it has been pretty quiet on the health front the last couple of months. The year hadn't started out as well. Regardless it will be a record year for medical expenses on premiums alone. So every $50 visit just kind of sucks. But the silver lining is now I remember the welness visits did not cost as much - so phew.

I already wrapped up June before, but I always have to wait for the final credit card statement to make sure nothing got missed and where we stand...

Was a very good month income-wise.

Received some cash to spend on our cruise, and had a good interest month. Also received $250 in credit card rewards and $200 in other money from freelance work. Dh also received $75 for his focus group. Seriously, a few months like that, and it is not so far-fetched we could come up with his IRA contribution as well next year. IT certainly adds up! Doesn't even include the $60 we spent in free gift cards (more credit card rewards).

(Oh yeah - and the $15 we found on the ground we deposited in the bank as well!)

As far as expenses, I treated myself to some clothes, a big chunk which I have yet to return.

Gas was $350 but with the state farm insurance rebate to offset it our auto expenses, net, were $300 or right on budget - woohoo.

Diapers - I paid 2 months on the service so bigger than usual. A good choice since otherwise it was mostly a low-expense month.

Gifts - Fathers Day & Kids' birthday stuff too. Portion of one FDay gift was reimbursed cash from other family. Sometimes I report those as income in Quicken but I don't think I did in this case. So was not all our own cash outlay at least. But June can tend to be a pricey month as we prepare for the kids' birthday. We didn't do much this year, in contrast.

Groceries came in at $375, or $125 under budget. Granted we were gone for 5 days and granmda probably stocked up on some food for us while we were gone. BUT we only ate out once (ordered pizza) all month. All in all I have to say we had a stellar grocery month. Usually the times we don't eat out at all our grocery budget reflects it a bit. Instead it was $50-$75 lower than I expected it to be and the only reason dh has to run to the store today or tomorrow is for party stuff - we have plenty of food! How bizarre! I hope this keeps up!

Medical - just our insurance premiums. Probably a first for the year.

Misc. was a trip to the zoo, a toy ball, and a few used books for the kids. A meager misc. month since I usually budget more like $150 just for extras/unexpected, and usually we splurge it at the end of the month if nothing else comes up. But with our cruise we took the attitude no other splurging all month. Zoo was last minute and spontaneous, but cheap enough to keep us well under budget.

All of our utilities are fixed (& yes expensive - water/sewer is insane around here, etc.) But gas/electric is only $75 of it. Not a bad month at all. May can often get up to the 100s but it was quite mild so we only had a $50 electric bill. phew. We'll pay June's bill in July. Bracing myself for that one. We've hardly run the air or heat since February. Until now!

Well, that sums up June. With the cruise (compounded by last month's very unexpected car expense) we did not have money to save for June. But since we got a rebate on the insurance and significantly reduced premiums on dh's car I pulled money out of short-term savings and put it into long-term savings. When I get my auto insurance in the next month or 2 I will have to evaluate if I can pull out more or if I pulled 2 much. I assumed my premiums would go down $200 for the year... Which so far looks reasonable/low-ball.

In Conclusion, June was a GREAT month because:

1 - We found lots of sources of extra income
2 - NOTHING "unexpected" came up
3 - We splurged so much on our cruise we kept it very low key otherwise for the month

If every month looked like this I could max out both our IRAs easy peasy. But well, usually life happens! & we generally don't find so much side income in 1 month either. Though we could certainly work on it...

Well I think I had 2 in January. Not a great start to the year.

But dh had a flat today.

With all the construction you would think that would explain much (construction on all corners by our home - hotels, stores, houses, you name it). But he said looking back he knows he ran something over on the freeway this morning and saw the flat when he got home. Since my flats were chalked up to running over giant bolts on 2 different occasions, I would say Sacramento is REALLY bad on tires. I am so annoyed. Well, at least it isn't all the consttruction, thus far...

The interesting thing is that dh said he does not ever remember changing his tire, he thinks this is the first flat he has ever had on his 5-year-old car. Considering that I am a flat-tire magnet, I find that quite impressive! I've probably had 10 flats in the last 5 years myself, no matter what the car.

I haven't heard how much it set him back. If it's fixable, a few bucks. If not, maybe $20. I must say for all the flats I have had it is only this year that they were unrepairable flats. We'll get another used tire. I keep reading how never buy used tires but I don't buy it. I Can see staying away from this re-treading business, but beyond that, as with anything, go down and pop off a "used but barely used" tire off a retired car and pay 1/2 as much, maybe less. Replaced tire, or just a patch, it will barely blip the budget. When it comes time to replace all 4 then we go new. But this one at a time business, eh. Of course, considering the car is 5 years old and never a flat or new tire I am wondering if it is time for new tires. Perhaps... The used tire will be by far the nicest one!

For all my flats I have never gotten a flat from a "used" tire (knock on wood anyway).

Well I'll see what the verdict is tonight.

Dh also spent our $50 Target gift card (credit card reward) today. Loads of laundry detergent (with $5 off), some groceries (with coupons), and 2 pairs pajams for BM. Grand total around $53. The PJs were more
than I Would have spent ($13 for one pair?) but the last ones I bought didn't last long either. You get what you pay for? They are hard to find at the thrift shop where I do well with pants and shirts and jackets sometimes. But I am starting to wonder why even bother. In this weather, put them to bed in underwear... Save the money for nice winter PJs. LEaves $25 for now for birthday presents for the boys (should be plenty). & I will get another $50 gift card in a bit. Probably save up for more groceries/laundry degertent/paper towels, whatever. I am tempted to start stocking up on warmer clothes for fall/winter for BM, but the thing is lord knows what size he will be. 5 or 7? LOL. I can keep the card until I know though I guess...

ETA: Oh gosh yes, the road construction is insane. Is that why - fiscal year? The road by my house is under construction as well - s'posedly for quite a few months. Doing a lot of work with all the development. But the road by my work 10 miles away is even worse. I am just sick of all the traffic and road closures.

Well, we had much fun on our cruise. The cruise was "free" but I estimate that we spent around $450. I did write everything down as I tend to on vacation just add things up in my head and forget a lot. So instead I wrote everything down and rounded up. We had $200 excess to spend, plus $140 from fam, which means we probably spent $110 from our budget which wasn't bad at all. & we certainly splurged and enjoyed!!!!

Our room tab was about $160 which was sadly $80 tips and $80 drinks. Both of which we probably could have cut way down. (To future cruisers). The had an option to prepay the tips (& save a few dollars on the total) so we just did that right away. It didn't even occur to us until the last night as we distributed them that we WAY overpaid. They had a recommended amount per day but for one we had skipped one formal dinner. On the drive home I asked dh, um, weren't those tips s'posed to be for breakfast, lunch and dinner??? We only ever are dinner in the dining room so we realized we probably way overpaid...

I actually also for some dumb reason thought the unlimited soda was $6, but it was $6/day. I didn't realize until after I purchased it. So not worth it. I bought 3 bar drinks though insanely expensive were YUMMY and we also ordered champagne in one night - so mostly the champagne and soda was 1/2 our bill. What we didn't realize was room service was free (the food). Well duh. Man that whole cruise thing is NICE! I was not a big fan of the dining room but dh liked it for whatever reason. Plenty of buffet and other options, which we did for lunch and breakfast. Plus we ate lunch off the boat twice.

Anyway, so that is my advice to future cruisers. Really analyze those tips and only pay what you need to. We felt obligated to $40/each, plus all the tips they charge on every thing you purchase. I don't know why we didn't really think about it until later, but now I see why they push the big tip pre-payment thing which was most of our problem.

Anyway, we lucked out and had 4 straight days of sun (apparently some record) and just had a great time. I didn't get seasick at all so phew. I had dramamine out my ears but barely used it. The boat was so big I guess.

Catalina Island was nice. We went on a little semi-submarine ride which was pretty fun. Through the cruise ship was $37/person or something but we were thinking of doing the $15 glass-bottom boat tour just on our own time, if we felt like it. So we got off the cruise ship and headed over and decided the submarine thing looked more fun. We had all this money from grandma to spend anyway. I thought that the prices were actually more expensive than the cruise ship (& what I saw on the internet - by a couple of dollars) like they had just increased prices or something, but they only charged us $15 for the whole thing. We were like, huh? Oh - it was on special for the day. So the suckers on the cruise ship were paying almost $80 for a little boat ride that cost us $15! Too funny. I assume overall this is a common practice (though this one wasn't advertised well) as to draw in people who wouldn't pay the big bucks otherwise. We found the same thing in Ensenada. We hadn't really wanted to do any of the tours. Well I didn't, and though dh was interested he didn't want to spend 5 hours. So we took the shuttle into town just to check it out and they were offering 2-hour tours that were like $15/each as opposed to $50+/each through the cruise. We said sure, what the heck. So that was actually pretty nice.

Both times we got off the boat we splurged on some big lunches. Lord knows why, not like we didn't have enough food on the boat. I guess we had some hope of finding some authentic Mexican food too, but it just wasn't going to happen in Mexico - we probably couldn't have eaten anywhere more American than we ended up but it wasn't too pricey.

But yes, on the boat we would generally wake up, eat a BIG breakfast, nap until noon, do some sight-seeing, get in back to sunbathe/nap a couple of hours before dinner, go to dining room, go see some shows (some good comedians and stuff) and then go eat again - LOL. That is pretty much the schedule I got accustomed to for a week. It was pretty sweet...

So yeah,

$160 charged to our room - drinks/tips
$ 50 parking
$ 10 souvenirs for kids (shirts)**
$ 45 Tours
$ 70 Lunches
$ 6 Buses

I don't know - I am missing $100 for now. I'll add it up later. Oh we also stopped to eat a big meal on the drive in and lots of gas and stuff but I am not sure I added that in the $450. That could make the trip a good $500+ easy. Took the compact car for the 6 hour drive each way but gas was like $3.70 in LA - eeks. I'll have to itemize later - this is just off the top of my head.

**Dh is really big into souvenirs and I pretty much hate them. He was big into it for the kids so we decided on something useful like shirts - one each. BUT the funny thing is when we got home grandma had like bought them whole new wardrobes or something. We could have done without I guess...

Grandma also bought a lot of toys, like there wasn't enough to entertain them here as is. Oy vey.

Anyway, that pretty much sums up our trip. It was really nice, fun, relaxing, but I am REALLY glad to be home too!

Oh yeah, and customs was just hell. I don't know what the hell they are doing over there but we got off the boat and it took almost an hour to get through customs. They weren't checking bags or anything, just taking their damn sweet time as it was analyzing everyone and then when we get through of course we get carted off to some area to get checked out because they are looking for some guy with the same name as my husband's. They annoyed me too because they said I was clear but they took my ID and birth certificate back with his passport and all I could figure is they cleared him because he was traveling with me and they could clearly see he was the P.N. he claimed to be, not this P.N. they are looking for. But I Was just really annoyed, okay, I'm clear, so give me back MY I.D.!!!! It was really annoying though. I am all for increased security but I mean come on, what are do they doing????? We were just eager to get home so were not happy at the hour or so delay. IT took an hour to wait 7th in line and to be harassed. Especially since it didn't really appear they were doing much but harassing random people like us. They didn't do anything. They made us sit in a room for a while, asked dh the same stupid questions they had already asked him (where he lived?), and let him go. Dumb. All I could hope is in the meantime they were doing some background check or verifying something with their computers because from the outside it didn't look like they did anything but harass him. Which is absolutely ridiculous - not a common name and he has lived in the same place his whole dang life. That is my rant for the week though... Everything else was great - just a horrid end to the vacation. But we still made it home around 5pm Friday and so we were pleased!

It is SO good to be back!

Oy vey - kids were spoiled rotten all week. As were we I guess. It is time to get back to reality!!!!

Today we are going do run some errands and do some father's day shopping. Going to buy dh a Blu-ray disk. Well duh. He gave me a list of movies he wanted. My usual lazy self would say, knock yourself out - here's $50. Or order online. But I didn't really think ahead and felt obligated to put a little effort into it anyway. So we'll go shopping today and surprise him with whichever movie I can find.

There is a cute little place in town for the kids called Fairytale Town. A few farm animals and playgrounds and stuff. Kind of dinky but the kids LOVE it! Anyway, once a year they pour water into all the little waterways (for whatever reason are usually dry) and they call it Wacky Water Day. Best thing for us is that we have a membership so it is "free". I swear last year we missed it and then they did a second one for some reason (it's usually one shot a year) and the day happened to be like 110 degrees. We decided to go regardless, probably crazy, and I have to tell you that there is nowhere else I would rather be on such a hot day. The water was freezing and there was lots of shade, and BM had an absolute BLAST!!!! So on a whim I looked it up, just remembering that wonderful day, and they are doing 3 days this year! I hope to make them all. Especially nice since we returned from our trip to 100-degree weather. Ick! We have been getting used to nice 80 degree days with ocean breezes, so it has been quite a shock to return - blah... Anyway - the first one is tomorrow. I would love to take the kids and give dh a break but I think it might be a bit much to take both kids alone. I might drag him along. I think he would enjoy it anyway. He was cautious with the heat and I said - oh no - there is nowhere you rather be if it is HOT! IT was just so refreshing last time.

We'll probably also enjoy the pool this weekend. Usually it annoys me it doesn't open until Memorial Day, but I guess it has been a little more mild this year, as we haven't even thought to go yet. We have one a couple of blocks down we can walk to, part of the homeowners association. Oh yes, but this is my son. He is learning swimming at his preschool. & well Wednesday he fell off the little raft and I guess he sunk to the bottom, and then instinct kicked in and he "swam" up to the top. The pool is shallow enough that he could have just jumped his way up if you ask me. But my kid is a crazy daredevil who knows no fear. So he fights his way to the surface, sputters and chokes, and immediately exclaims, "I surprised myself! I didn't know I could swim under water!" So this is the story we hear when we get home. He is ALL excited and wants to go to the pool and show us he can swim under water. Mind you, as brave as he usually is and little fear he shows, he usually freaks out completely at the idea of putting his face under water. So I was rather impressed with this breakthrough. But I turn to dh and say, "seriously, who almost drowns and gets EXCITED about it???" Oy vey. Only my little daredevil. He really freaks me out. We had a little talk yesterday about how we only swim with grown-ups around and such, because he just took off upstairs and said "I am going to go swim under water." I have no idea what he had in mind (bath tub?) but we had to have a little talk about that. Gah. I can just see him diving in some body of water somewhere now that his fear is gone. Well it will be interesting to see his new swimming skills. Another one that is hard to do 2 kids to 1 adult. I guess dh and I got used to splitting the kids up - we always do our own thing. But now LM is old enough to do all these big kids things too. I guess I am just not used to it so sounds daunting. But BM and I are going father's day shopping, they are going grocery shopping, and then we're gonna meet at the pool. LM has been VERY insistent that he wants to go grocery shopping for whatever reason - LOL. Hoping to enjoy the weekend - not much going on. Mostly keeping cool...

It's funny but we have made our exact efund goal with all of our cash accounts. Exactly $12k. How bizarre. I just noticed as I was adding some interest. About $1k of it is really just short-term savings, but I am putting away far more into that then spending until December, since property taxes and insurance and all that all comes due in December - a hefty $4k or so. So anyway, the point being, nothing bad happening, I think we will stay up above $12k the rest of the year. By the time December rolls around and we drain our short-term savings, we should have a good solid $12k in the efund. So basically, we've pretty much made it. Woohoo!!!!

The money I transferred from GMAC showed up in my account this morning. Wow - fast! I am thinking on it. If I put all the money I want to (& transferred) into a CD it leaves about $1800 cash in my accounts. But I expect to receive $6k balance transfer cash any day. So in the grand scheme of things it isn't so bad, but in the meantime I am tying up most our cash. Eeeks. We'll have more balance transfers though to build up cash for the next few months. It might even simplify bookkeeping a bit as most of the interest I will be earning will be from the BTs then - our savings interest we can track separately in the CD. Hmmm... Might be easier to get an idea how much mony the BTs are really generating - with less calculating anyway. Well I haven't committed yet, but will do so today. The thing is our parents are always good for a short-term 0% loan, so it isn't a huge biggie. But then again I don't want to come crawling to them either if we tie up too much cash.

& here's our expenses for the month. It's ugly. I already posted all about it though - but find it easy to share my Quicken snapshots:



Auto is a little high/groceries low - pretty much a wash. Already explained over on the dining - definitely enjoyed this month. Education was for a bunch of classes. Don't foresee paying that much going forward. Medical included $130 for my filling last week. Misc - some stuff for around the house, dh rock climbing, etc. Subscription to beloved cooking mag (think I got 2 years though - was on discount). & vacation was all of our expenses for our Monterey trip - funded by my writing monies.

So yeah we splurged and enjoyed but we still saved more than we spent, so that is something. Here's to some cheaper months though - generally try to keep our spending around $4800 and have been trying to save $450/month. Did not happen in May. But not going to beat myself up over one bad month either. Sometimes you just got to splurge.

& there is about $800/month fat we could easily trim in case of lost job so how I get to $4k/month expenses, or $12k as 3 whole months expenses. It feels so good to have that though! Of course with time I would like to edge that up to our true expenses. But on the other hand if I lost my job tomorrow I think the gardener and preschool and stuff would go, regardless how much cash we had. Just can't justify those kinds of things with no income... So overall maybe $4k is right on... We lived on $4k easy peasy when I was on maternity leave last and we weren't driving anywhere and such. So kind of my thinking for now, plus $4k/month = $50k/year which makes it really easy in terms of thinking in terms of expenses. Since my goal is to increase our net worth by 1/2 our expenses for the year, makes it an easy $25k/year or on average $2k/month. So yeah, that is going to be my set basic spending/expenses in terms of financial goals, for a while. I think once we make all of our goals I will up it to $5k/month though & $30k net-worth-annual-increase goal. It's a little too much to bite off today, but would be rather conservative. MEans once I meet my e-fund goal I will need to add another $3k to stay at 3 months expenses, but one thing at a time. $5k/month would be a pretty darn good living for us. In the end I think $15k would be an awesome efund, but that will take a lot longer, and smaller goals make it easier to ahieve progress AND feel accomplishment. Not that $12k was exactly small - I really didn't think I would make it this far this year - but have so far had a pretty darn good year!

I mean as far as expenses go, $3k simply covers our fixed monthly expenses - mortgage & health insurance mostly, and then property taxes and all of our other insurances. Leaves $1k/month for everything else - utilities, groceries, car expenses, etc. So though $4k sounds like a lot, it's all relative. We could also move just about anywhere and cut out most of our mortgage/insurance expenses, which is always a sweet option. But $4k/month is really squeaking by with our fixed expenses. On the other hand, $5k just makes all the difference. MEans preschool, gardener, retirement, savings, etc. Maybe $4500/month would be a good compromise as basic living expenses. Would leave some wiggle room. Well, somewhere in there. I could probably dig revising my efund goal up to $13,500 once we hit $12k. I guess overall my conservative side is still popping out wanting to save more cash. The rest of me thinks we need to put a lot more efforts to investing going forward.

ETA: Oh, I just set up my CD. Woohoo. I had no intention of, and don't really recommend overall, tying up most of one's savings in a CD. But the timing with the balance transfers is just uncanny. IT just works out perfect. I have been sitting around waiting for my bank to offer a great promo rate and the timing really couldn't be better. Anyway, guaranteeing a 5.7% APR for $10k, or about 1/2, of the balance transfers makes it pretty darn worthwhile. Until now there was of course risk of falling interest rates and such.

Well the credit card arbitrage process has been slowed considerably. I got my first statement and was ready to get my $50 Target gift card, only to find I was 350 points away about. & the only way I can see to get 350 points is to spend $350. Easy enough on one hand, but most of the stuff I pay is already set up automatically and I doubt I will spend $350 in gas and such for the next month.

But I did need to fill up so I dug out the card and spent $50 on gas today. I did need to pay the diaper service and was getting pretty late so I just paid 2 months - $106. I then signed up for our next community center classes at $50. & suddenly I am $200 closer to my goal. On a regular month I could spend another $150 easy, but I don't want to take the card on our cruise. Of course it wouldn't be the worst idea to run all of our cruise expenses on dh's card, just easy to keep it all separate. Hmmmm. An idea as I am sure he will run up against the same thing. I guess I will have to check when his card closes for the month. Will probably have to wait another cycle regardless, for the whole balance transfer thing. But that way he can put all the groceries and his gas on the rewards card - for the 3%, if he run up his card with the cruise stuff. Win-win!

I signed up for karate & swimnming. I only show up to aerobics 1/2 the time, so I still have a good month left. & we decided to drop toddler class for a while. I can't get off work during the day - it is just too much. So BM gets swimming, preschool, and karate and LM gets nothing. Then again every toddler class, about 15 minutes into it, LM tells me he is ready to go home anyway. HE seems to enjoy it enough, but 15 minutes is his limit I guess. So we are dropping it for now, maybe indefinitely. We just got to get him out of diapers and maybe we could afford to drop him off at preschool once in a while, which he would much prefer. Just LOVED getting to stay there last night.

Well for June/July I Expect to get a $250 rebate from Chase, as well as $100 in gift cards from Citibank. What a nice windfall. & then around $90 the first month of arbitrage. It will go down considerably every month as the new rule is the minimum payment is 4% of the balance or something - they just upped it which works against us. Oh well. I still expect to make in the realm of $500 - $1k, so no complaints overall.

Interestingly I got another 0%, no fee, balance transfer offer from Chase. I think I have a chance of a higher limit with them because we have had our card quite a few months by now. But all the same I decided those up front offers are no good because lord knows how much they will really give you.

Oh, but back to my card, waiting one month isn't the worst. They denied a credit increase online, but with my credit score I expect to be able to up it if I call in person. Only exception if they freak out about all the credit I just applied for I guess. Well, we'll see. It's worth a try, but $20k is a good start, where we are at for now.

& how weird will it be to say, "I have $20k in credit card debt." I can imagine just saying it out loud to freak out friends and family. They would seriously think we lost our mine because we are so anti-debt for the most part anyway.

Oh gosh, I hope we don't get too used to this!

Preschool is out last week of june & unpaid so we were going to save $70. We have been doing so good and living so budget-tight overall we decided to splurge. So we paid $40 to Ms. Preschool so she would watch the kids last night. We went to a gourmet Indian restaurant. Oh, it is just the best food ever, and we have been getting spoiled since they opened one in our city (an international restaurant we would hit occassionally in San Francisco as a treat). Now since it is so rare we get out without the kids, it is mostly where we go. But of course, as I mentioned before, my tolerance for really spicy food is going so downhill since we don't eat it that much. We eat a lot of more mexican spices at home -peppers and such, but it in no way shape or form prepares you for the curries and such of ethnic food I guess. I didn't even get the spicy stuff since my tolerance has been getting so low lately, and disapointed so I just kind of felt sick afterwards.

But the good thing is we usually spend $50 here and dh noticed a coupon in the paper way back with no expiration. He wondered aloud if they had forgotten the expiration date, and saved it. & lo and behold there has been an occasional coupon since, with expiration. So dh dug out the old coupon which was 20% off. Not bad. So we spent $40.

So all told, night out is $80. Yeah, that means we can afford a night like that all of once in a very blue moon. I really just don't know how people do it. Of course, like I always say, silly me, I want a nice house and financial freedom so I am less inclined to spend a lot of money on babysitters and eating out. Then your friends ask if you are really that bad off, and I am just wondering how anyone can afford a regular $80/night. Yeesh. Of course they wonder how we can just drop a grand on a t.v., so it is all a matter of priority I guess - LOL.

But dh and I were talking about it because we have never been much of a couple in the way of going out. Before we were married we always did our own thing - own friends, own vacations. I don't even think we spent a New YEars together until we had been together 5 years. We're just weird like that. Since we've been married we do a little more. But frankly, I found it beneficial that is how we lived our life before kids, because lord knows now the only way we get out is if we get out separately. So I guess we established some good habits for our sanity overall.

BUT I got this friend who I keep saying we need to do a girls movie night at our house and she keeps saying we should get babysitters and make it a couples night. I am thinking, are you out of your mind? You are turning our free evening of fun into a $40 night for me. LOL. So anyway, I swear we have had this convo like on 10 separate occassions. She doesn't get that I don't want to do a couples night. I know our hubbies - neither of them are interested. & she is probably equally frustrated with me that I don't get she wants to do couple things. But you know I told her there was pretty much no way I could get a babysitter. If nothing else, can't afford it. & then dh has been rock climbing with a movie buddy and his girlfriend. I guess they started getting insistent that I need to come along one of these days. Dh said at the time he was like, yeah sure, we need to all go out one of these days. But then he thought about it later and was like, wait a minute. No way. He told me if we actually had babysitting - free from grandma - or not free - he sure as hell would not give up some free time with me. It's a catch-22. HE was just saying, gosh, people without kids just don't understand. I told him to invite them over for dinner sometime and I would try hard to stay up past 9 - LOL. We can put the kids down and watch a movie or something. But overall, yeah, we were never into the couple thing and I think we are even less into it now. But this is why dh values his theatre room so much, because it is rare we really get out or go to the movies. HEck he goes to the movies alone all the time because it is just easier. I am not into the movies so why add $50 for a babysitter and a ticket for me.

Which reminds me - we watched "Little Miss SUnshine" last night. I think our new t.v. may help our marriage a bit - LOL. I do not really like watching movies in the theatre room overall. I am just weird that way myself. I'm going to watch a movie, I am going to watch it in bed. Where I am REALLY comfortably. I could care less that the t.v. is only 20 inches or whatever it is. It's a t.v. - I see the picture, I hear the sound. What more do I need. We even got comfortable theatre seating with time but I still feel the same which drives dh BATTY. LOL. So last night he said he really watched this movie. I said fine, but I'm watching it in bed. & for once it didn't end up in a fight. He was like, okay then! 50 inches of t.v. bliss. Lord knows he rather watch it on the big screen, but at least he stopped whining with this t.v. LOL.

Anyway, the movie was SO good. Dh insisted he heard this movie was really good, but I just really have a problem with movies. They take a lot of time. & if I am going to spend 2 hours watching a movie, more and more with time I just get fed up. Most of them are so bad these days. So I was wary, but this was seriously a FUNNY movie. We were both just laughing out loud most of it. To me that is the measure of a good comedy. So go see it!

ETA: SInce I can't comment... YEah, I remember being paid $2/hour to babysit, etc. Of course, we are extremely particular with the kids since they are so young still. Their preschool teacher, family, and a couple of my friends who we trade with are about who I trust. When they get a little older I think overall we can save a lot of money hiring a teenager nearby for a little less. But overall it has gotten pricey with time, indeed. Ms. PReschool charges $13/hour for both kids pretty much. But during the day I only pay $4/hour for 1, even though he is nowhere near full-time. So it kind of works out. She donates the money to a family in Africa so that always helps me stomach it a little bit more. & $13/hour for the best babysitter ever - worth it once in a blue moon...

Oooh, a spendy weekend.

Well went back home yesterday and had a marvelous time. The sad thing is I packed up the car around 8:30pm to head on the 2-hour drive home. I knew I was pushing it late but I didn't want LM to sleep too early all the same (more of a 9:00 bed time) and he was having so much fun with both grandmas - being the complete center of attention. This doesn't happen with larger than life BM around most of the time.

So anyway, was driving back and telling dh I was sleepy - on the phone - when he urged me not to push it. Oh I am fine I say, haven't even turned on the cold air or opened the soda to wake me up. so says I, until I hang up the phone. I was a good 10 miles out and I could just not keep my eyes open - thanks to LM waking me up at 4:30am, and days and weeks of lack of sleep regardless. So I decided to turn around. Was quite an easy decision with droopy eyes, my baby in the car, and my parents just a few minutes away with an extra bed. I did tell dh I felt bad though, that I should have left earlier. But he made a wonderful point - if so I probably would have felt sleepy 1/2 way and felt obligated to push on. I have done that too many times. Probably why I knew better than to push it. So anyway, it was an easy choice, though annoying since LM nor I sleep very well away from home and I was exhausted.

So LM kicked me all night but I managed to get some sleep, and I don't think my parents or dh could have been more pleased that I sucked it up and went to bed instead. I told my mom I might just leave at 3am if LM was too much of a handful - as long as I could get some sleep first. Anyway, he was fine until 5:30 though he slept SO restlessly and kicked me awake quite a few times. Gah! But around 5:30 he started freaking out so I popped him in the car and took off. He slept the whole drive so worked out well - I was worrying this was his new wake time or something. I am an early bird but truth be told it is the only time I have peace and quiet around the house - I don't need him waking up at 5am too - hehe.

Anyway, as annoyed as I was by the whole thing it really worked out. We got home about 7:30 when the other boys were waking up. It was a beautiful drive with the sunrise and hardly a car on the road. Loved it. Probably drove faster than I should (I usually pretty much stick to the speed limit) but it made for a quick drive indeed, with no traffic to speak of. Unfortunately I REALLY lack sleep but hopefully will get to bed early tonight.

Anyway, yesterday we went to the local art & wine festival by my parents' house and was fun. Actually ran into a couple of blasts from the pasts. Parents bought me both lunch and dinner and LM was in the best mood he had been in weeks or months. Just all day happy happy happy. HE only even napped 1 hour on the way up and after being awake since 4:30am that was it. Wha??? LOL. Just crazy.

While there I wanted to get my mom a gift but didn't get the chance. She was difficult. I might just make a donation in her name. If there was really nothing she wants, I respect that. But I want to do something nice for her all the same.

I forgot my camera which was a shame - we really enjoyed a lot of the gifts and crafts - some interesting things - but most way too pricey. But I did spot some cute stuffed toy snakes in different patterns and got one in white leopard print for LM. He was having fun waving it at passer-bys, it got a lot of attention. My mother also ended up having to go sit down at First Aid while she had LM, was just getting too tired. We found her and she was fine, blood sugar up a little high, not sure why, but we were ready to go and left. But while over there LM got a free balloon. He made out well.

He really gets overshadowed by BM who is super genius BTW. LM is not slow in the least, but there is no comparison. BM was practically reading by the time he was 2. LM could care less about letters and I am not even sure he knows his colors and shapes. But he talks up a storm (I have never had a kid who talks in fragmented sentences - ???? - they both went straight to full sentences. Didn't expect that with LM so much, who knows why except he mimics his bother so much). Anyway, so he had fun showing off his colors and numbers yesterday. HEck, I didn't even know he knew some of those and he definitely ate up the attention. LOL. Imagine my surprise when he counted to 10 for Grandma and pointed to his balloon and told me it was purple as someone handed it to him. Truth be told I have kind of enjoying him as a baby because my older son was never really much of a baby very long. I think officially he is not much baby any more though, and it's time to face up to it. Waaaaaaah. I was very content to have a simpler child, believe me. LOL. Dh and I joke that their brainpower combined is just going to be scary when they are older - hehe. Have to watch out for those 2 when they put their heads together as they grow older. Oh, I know I shouldn't brag but it's mother's day. I am proud of my boys though they scare me sometimes. But it's funny to learn LM knows much that he hasn't been quick to share, or maybe we just have not encouraged out of him much. I am sure that is more to the point. We were in a big hurry for BM to grow up, and I know now LM is my last baby and I just want him to slow down!!!

SO yes, $7 for a snake, which was a steal compared to everything else there. Not much less than $20-$30. I'll have to snap a picture and share!

BM had quite a day with dh yesterday. They went to a birthday party in the morning and then dh took him to a little kiddie amusement park called Funderland. I think I took him last summer and he was a little overwhelmed. But this time he had a blast - more his speed I guess now that he is about 4. It's like aimed for 3-5 year-olds.

Friday night BM was obsessed with his digital watch and kept reading his time every minute or 2, ticking off the minutes. He was upset when I made him take it off for bed and I suggested dh pick him up a cheap little clock radio to keep by his bed. I figured he could keep an eye on the clock in bed if he like, for one. & also, since he has an analog clock in there which leads to much confusion since he doesn't really understand it. Sometimes he will fall asleep and though dh said he had to stay in there until the big hand lay some place on the clock sometimes he stays in bed once he awakens because he doesn't realize he fell asleep. LOL. At least dh can better explain how long he needs to stay in his bed for nap time. But in true dh fashion, oh no, a little cheapie alarm clock would not do. HE had to get him a CD player. Oh - don't even ask...

All I hope is he didn't just pick up something cheap. Hope it lasts. If he expects much else for his upcoming birthday, I wouldn't count on it - LOL. spoiled spoiled. THough I must admit he was beaming ear to ear when he showed me. Most definitely an appreciated gift. But yeesh. I never would have suggested if I realized what I was walking into...

So that was $25. Maybe $10 at funderland, I don't even know. My $7. Oh they spent $7 on Taco Bell. And so about $50 spent this weekend. Oh and a tank of gas - make it $100. I was bad, I took the van. But it is just so comfortable.

Which reminds me, dh blindly picked up a Taco Bell kids meal and it ended up being like $4 - *choke choke*. Mind you, dh and I can eat there for $4 easy. So it became clear once he paid, he kind of scratched his head and looked at the receipt. The experience was good though because he told me he was going to order kids meals more carefully from now on. I said, well, yeah, you are lucky that one was so blatantly expensive, orelse he might not have even noticed. It's like they charged full price for everything in the meal and tacked on $1 for some crappy toy. No more TB kids meals, for sure.

Today is Mother's Day! Not much going on. Dh got me my gym mat. BM gave me the most adorbale little present he made at preschool - I will have to get the camera and share. Dh also saw Round table had a $5 coupon in the paper so we pigged out on pizza for lunch - yummie. I have been working a bit, but no mind, just a laidback day overall. I had actually wanted to clean house all day (something I rarely do but so way behind it would make me happy - would have made everyone chip in). But I am just too exhausted. Tax season has been over almost 2 weeks and though the house looks slightly better, not much. Then again, my mom was telling me about some reality house cleaning show. We were saying how we both weren't big on house cleaning but just can not possibly fathom how a house could be so filthy as to be filled with trash, bugs, and stuff. We definitely have too much stuff piled around the house, but at least all the floors and walkways are clear. LOL. I guess I find it takes minimal effort to keep the house decent, so I will just never understand. THough I look forward to doing some spring cleaning and a super scrub down. Not a neat freak, not a big fan of cleaning, but I also get really sick of clutter and mess all the same. A good cleaning is long overdue around here. Believe me no one else would think to help. I don't mind the cleaning, but times when it is really busy it gets a little maddening. But as dh says, it looks fine to him. LOL.

That reminds me, the funniest thing, we used to pile the laundry in the corner of our bedroom and once in a blue moon I would go through it. In less busy times I tend to keep on top of it, but during tax season it's just a pile. But anyways, since we put the gargantuan t.v. in the laundry corner - LOL - dh has been putting all the laundry away. You don't know how much his laundry piles would annoy me sometimes. To be fair, some of it was mine, but I would be more likely to put mine once in a while. I don't touch his clothes because he gets particular. His clothes live on the floor. I know, we're crazy - I don't let him touch my clothes either - LOL. But now there are no clothes on the ground. LOL. WOW!!! I would have let him get the t.v. sooner if I knew. Honestly right now the only pile on the ground is mine. I should set a better example if I want him to stick with this!

Ugh, not a typical month thank goodness. Got the car locks fixed yesterday - grand total for mirror, window, locks, oil change, and a fixed seatbelt (bugger was twisted so I asked them to fix - think they just threw it in anyway) - grand total was $850! Of course if I knew the door locks would be such a pricey ordeal I probably would have fixed the side mirror myself. Yikes! The part alone was $200. So much for convenience. Probably wasn't worth it. Dh wondered aloud why I even bothered, but when I smashed it to smithereens it had some sharp edges. I figure $200 is better than someone getting scratched and suing us - you just never know. But the odds that I will smash it again? LOL. Probably big. I will really try to be careful though - I should just get in the habit of turning in the mirrors whenever I park in the garage - would be a simple solution.

So the #s for April:



As you already know, dh used his entire annual allowance for his PS3.

Auto - we were $100 under budget for gas (good with these insane prices - includes a trip to San Jose as well) but the repairs were $850 and blew my budget out of the water. I think we have only been budgeting $600/year for repairs (& not coming anywhere close). So a bummer, will maybe up it in the budget.

Diapers - paid 2 months for the diaper service because paid late last month.

Dining - all we did was order in 2 pizzas in April - one was reimbursed by family - so not bad at all. I use my cash to get $1-$2 meals here or there, but really didn't do much this month either.

Education - kids and I are each taking 1 recreational class. cheap cheap cheap overall. I had my first aerobics class last night and it KICKED my butt - LOL. But it also felt really good. Well not so good today, but I need this. BM starts karate on Monday.

Groceries were $50 under budget. They were $50 over last month so probably a wash. Includes paper diapers (LM is sensitive to the cloth at night) and soap and all our household goods.

Household - dh bought a new filter for the fridge - in addition to the usual gardener expense. What a racket. I wonder if you can find them cheaper on ebay or something. We only change them out 1/2 as often as they suggest - and even that could be overkill - sucker is like $40.

Medical includes dental - since all 3 of us went in, in April. Paid with short-term savings set aside for it.

Misc - $1300 to the t.v. and stand. I spent $150 Target that I haven't broken out yet. Some of it for kid clothes - rest to my allowance. Got to dig out the receipt.

Professional dues from last month were reimbursed.

To car loan - final payment - woohoo.

No mortgage payment - I postponed it to after the first so I wouldn't have to touch savings to pay for the TV. Which just now reminds me another reason to catch back up - to help our taxes - will make sure to get 12 payments in for this year.

That sums up April.

It was a really crazy month.

Got my bonus so paid off the car.

To pay for the $850 car repair? I am not sure. I think I have $400 excess in the checking and so if I don't save the earmarked $450 to the e-fund this month I can swing it. But we are just SO CLOSE to having a *full* e-fund and wanting to invest a little above and beyond, it is frustrating to be so close, but so far. Since this month was so crazy, and leaves little cushion, I will probably need our June earmarked savings to pay for my tooth filling. Most of it anyway. Anyway, part of the reason for the e-fund I guess is so we can earmark a certain amount to retirement in 2008 and not touch it! Because it would really frustrate me to miss a couple of months of contributions over this stuff. Well, we'll see how it goes.

So anyway, it was a very spendy month, and kind of crazy, but my bonus and the unexpected cash gift from my parents helps immensely, so not much to complain about. & it is nice going into summer. Even though a/c bills get crazy and gas gets crazy too, overall summer tends to be very mellow and less expensive, lord knows why. So I am looking forward to a typical summer, please. On the flip side, we have been so busy and want to get out more, so I don't know.

Which reminds me now that I have some more time, we probably need to set a goal to bring in a certain amount each month - maybe $200/month or something. Will either invest or save - need to hit ebay and Craigslist.

In case you concluded I don't have a life during tax season (because I didn't), gosh, I can't believe how quickly our May calendar is filling up. Every weekend is filled with activities. It will be good to get out, but gosh it gets so easy to overdo it too. This is the exhausting part about having kids - feels like it is always something - LOL. I forgot about this - silly me - thought things would really calm down. But with dh itching to get out of the house and work on movie things, I am finding my time even more hectic and squeezed, in a sense. So it goes. At least less sitting at a desk all day...

Just adding the pants per my last post.

Items bought new in 2007:
Nintendo DS accessories (3) (dh)
Underwear(dh)
Packing Tape (for ebay selling)
Bubble envelope (for ebay selling)
Shipping Labels (for ebay selling)
Professional Pants (4)
Professional shirts (8)
Professional Blazer (1)
Professional Skirt (1)
Professional Shoes (3)
Panty hose (ebay)
Knee-his (for work)
Tire Pressure Guage
Pin-wheel
Toy Bird
Jump Rope (kids)
Dish Towels (4)
Table Clothes (2)

Items bought used in 2007:
Tires for Car (2)
Used books for kids (6)
**Toddler Jeans (growing boy) (4)

**New with Tags!!!

Items free in 2007:
Old cell phones for kids to play with
Toddler's First Library Card!

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

Well first - zetta - just had to say your calculator was annoying me. LOL. Actually I Was really excited to see it but it annoyed me so I Decided to do my own. I imagine it will be a project - hehe. But one I will enjoy. I am going to play with the numbers. I don't have much to prepay my mortgage today so I got time to figure it out. I agree with you and I do need something concrete to show me how much better off 1 choice is over another, etc. So I will work on it.

Well today is another $75 down the drain. Dh had a ringing in his ear last night so called the doc last night told him to come in today. $50 copay. To basically see a doctor who said everything was fine and is scheduling him for a hearing test to see if they can narrow down what the prblem could be. It is probably related to his vertigo last month and could just be an infection or virus still. who knows, not much answers.

Since I was going to have to leave work to help wrangle the kids and I was also unable to watch BM today so LM Could go to toddler class, I thought maybe I Would try daycare today. She had an opening so the whole thing ended up $75 for the day - doctor and daycare. At least LM got to go to his toddler class which we already paid for.

Doctor bills, doctor bills, doctor bills. So far we are still coming in miles ahead than if we had paid the super giant premiums on full coverage. We would be paying $25 co-pays on top of that and we would be saving about squat. So far I Am pleased overall with our choice, though the year is young...

Now ask me the last time dh went to the doctor. Gheesh. I am so glad we did not switch to HDHP. I don't think we could have afforded all this... The bills would be sky high every single visit. & this is why - I knew the second we swithced someone would need lots of doctor visits...

I feel really bad for dh though. HE has a constant ringing in his ear and can't hear very well out of it. I hope they can look at it before the weekend.

Forgot to mention, dh mentioned BM's 4T pants were too tight AND too short. Oy vey. The kid is only 3. So I won an ebay auction last night - 4 pairs brand new pants for $20. I'll add it to my list of items purchased this year. I am getting behind on my spending log. I should just keep it on paper since I have had a harder time logging on here - will have to catch up. The only reason I spent so much really was because I was bidding on 2 lots of clothes and I wanted to win both and combine shipping. But I lost - oh well. I could probably find the same at the thrift shop for $15 easy (or on sale even), but I figured I saved time and gas so $20 ain't bad. $8 for the pants - but $12 for the shipping... I am sad I lost the other lot too. I think I could have won but I was too busy trying to win both at once - I should have had dh get on another computer and bit on that one - LOL. Live and learn.

I picked up my son from preschool last night and we went to Kohls to return 1 top that did not fit. I Almost fainted when I walked in because they had cleared out everything I had seen on Sunday and all new merchandise.

Figures!!!!

He actually settled down long enough for me to try on 1 dress and a few blazers. The dress was okay, but not great, and I am glad I grabbed some varying sizes. Tried 1 size 10 blazer and it fit really well, didn't like the style. So tried a size 12 one, was really nice with the dress and fit like a glove - I loved it. Was wary because it said "dry clean only" (though I usually ignore and it wash everything but wool) and it was a little wrinkly - not sure if I could really iron it. But I figured I would get it and could return it if I found something better in the meantime. Of course black, but fits better than my others. So I Was pleased.

I tried it on when I Got home - with black pants - looked very nice.

Problem - I tried it on over a sheer dress and so over a sweater it was a lot tighter. It fits fine, but no buttoning. But if I lose some inches before March I may be able to button by then. I can get away with it unbuttoned, though it doesn't look nearly as sleek open.

But I will go by Sears and peruse the blazers. I may return this one in the end.

I also found a beautiful almost cashmere-like sweater on sale from $13 from $50 or something. Just gorgeous, and another nice black top. I had pondered returning some of the others, but when I got home and looked I saw all the beautiful clothes I had gotten at $13/pop - I am keeping them. Just too good of deals. I am trying to go for some more quality in my wardrobe - so it lasts.

I am considering returning 1 pair of pants though. We'll see.

So I have a short size 16 blazer that actually fits good but looks dumb with pants, the old size 10 one that fits for whatever reason, but is too shiny of a material to pair with matte pants, and my new size 12 one that I can match with pants for a suit look(woohoo). Oy vey - LOL. If I lose a little weight though they should last a while - on the small side.

In other news I got my GMAC account all set up - woohoo. This will simplify!!!! E-fund alone is going to GMAC. Keeping our allowance money and our short-term savings in Virtual Bank, since rarely tops $2k. & now it is much easier to track all my varying funds, and I Am earning another 0.5% on my e-fund - woohoo!

After being unable to do much today I finally told dh what I would really like to do is just clean up a little. I have been pretty overwhelmed lately and everything around the house seems to be suffering. Anyway, came upstairs to file bills & papers, opened that new GMAC MMA I intended to (oh yeah, I think they lowered their rate too - figures - but still felt it was worth it). Dh decided to vacuum the downstairs and I am so grateful. When I ask to help he does. But usually all the housework falls on me. I don't really mind for the most part - I don't do a ton, but I think I go through this every busy season - it just sldies by the wayside and becomes so overwhelming I can't even think about it. Anyway, just simply vacuuming the family room and kitchen/dining area just feels like a weight off - just less overwhleming. THank you dh - & it is extra nice when I don't have to ask!!!!!!

I picked up the kids room sand laundry last weekend and now the office area is a little more tidy, everything filed. I would love to scrub the kids' bath (filthy) and should probably get a new shower curtain - it's just disgusting. & the table clothe downstairs is trashed - ripped and stain - time to replace - may do a little shopping tomorrow. Unfortunately we have extra big shower, hard to find a shower liner so will just go over to Bed, Bath Beyond - I know I bought the last one there a while back - see if I can find one.

Maybe tomorrow I will hit the kitchen and the rest of the downstairs needs a good vacuum.

HAving a bigger house, overall I don't spend a lot of time dusting and scrubbbing overall, so it is really not that much, but the downside is the master bath pretty much never gets cleaned. IT is always filthy - just the one thing I never have time for. & then when I get to it, it takes so long to scrub, I just never want to do it again. LOL. SO as usual the rest of the house will probably be "clean as it needs to be" as I always say, and the bathroom - eh - it will wait as usual But at least once I get back on track it won't be so hard to keep up. I hope. I really prefer to do my own housework for many reasons - I doubt I will ever hire a maid. For now, in the winter, it is the only exercise I get. Seriously. So I like to do it myself.

Anyway, the good financial news is I totally forgot when I lessened BM's preschool days that most months would be $280. $280 or $315 depending if it is 8 or 9 days that fall in that month. I totally forgot because no sooner than we switched than they shut down 2 months. Anyway, just paying the bill and thinking it shouldn't be MORE than 9 days so I better check. I saw it was a short february and 8 days. I Was really pleased. & THEN I noticed march was the same. $70 I did not expect to save in january & february - woohoo!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I am super stoked because we are short about $200 this month based on income anyway mostly because of all the car repairs (was looking pretty good even with all the emnergencies this month until the last couple of days of course). BUT I made almost $100 in Cookie Lee sales this month - woohoo - and just found another $70 - WOW!!!!! To bridge the end of the gap I have had my eye on selling an old Milli Vanilli C.d. I have. They are selling upwards of $20. I also have a couple of baby items to that I need to clean and put up for sale. So overall I am super pleased.

I am also extra pleased with my decision to round up the mortgage payment by $32. A day at preschool is $35 and since about 1/2 the months we pay $35 less than I budgeted, is easy to apply that to the mortgage. Just something I totally hadn't realized and I Am super pleased! All works out...

I just had to say I am feeling really frustrated today because we make it a point to keep up our cars and keep on top of things. BUT today we were stranded with no cars. NO CARS. What the hell? LOL.

Anyway, about 12 hours after AAA rescued my car last night, I am ready for work and hop in dh's car. Since he is going to replace my tire today. Back out the driveway and the breaks abosultely do not work. Anyway, having had break probs in the past, I know full and well the emergency break is my friend. I pumped the breaks and tried again, and thought, hmmmm, something is just not right here. So I go inside and tell dh I am apparently not going to work until the tire place opens. Ah, but it is open he says. Phew, Anyway, he was all annoyed with me though since I drove his car last night. What did *I* do to his car anyway??? LOL. HE goes out and tried the brakes and says they are fine - like he doesn't believe me. I told him to be my guest and drive around the block - with emergency break in hand please - gah. He didn't want to call for a tow. Such a doofus. Well yeah I pumped the breaks and they might feel semi-okay, but the guy is clueless. Seriously. It was then and there I figured it was probably fate or the powers that be that gave me a flat tire so that I would drive his car and realize immediately something is wrong. I think they felt just fine last night, but I don't drive the car every day, I don't know. & dh soesn't see what is wrong - oy vey.

As usual I feel lucky that I find out in the driveway rather than the freeway, which I have lost brakes ont he freeway twice - Not Fun!

So dh went off to get me a new used tire since I felt work was too far to drive on the donut, and apprently it is in great demand, don't want to wear it out - hehe. Would be quite a detour to avoid the freeway anyway.

I called AAA and they got there in about 15 minutes. I literally said, eh, just come pick it up anytime. They get there in 15 minutes. Versus my priority on the side of the freeway taking 1 hour. Figures.

It took the guy 3 hours to deliver the car 5 miles away- - ??? They haven't looked at it yet, just got it. Dh is still iffy but he will see when we get the bill - LOL.

I was feeling really good about the budget this month. Now I am just annoyed. I don't know. Dependswhat the damage is. The tires were no biggie, but new breaks or whatever - blech. Push our emergencies to the realm of $500 this month. Oh yeah we have plenty of cash, but I was just looking to saving a lot more this month. Oh well. I hope this is not a sign of 2007 to come.

Oh yeah, dh got a really sweet tire for $25. USed again. I asked him why $25 when the last one was $30? He said he didn't know - didn't notice. Maybe they felt bad for him since he was just there - LOL. It was a really nice tire, better than the last - even weirder that it was cheaper. Oh well.

Hey in other news I booked our dentist appointments back home (still have not found a decent/honest dentist around here) on a saturday in Feb. & BM gets his first checkup. We'll see how it goes...

I also got the broker's 1099 woohoo - gonna get some real idea of where we stand for 2006. Last I checked we were getting money back - maybe $100 net. Beats owing - woohoo. It had our huge tax loss which I expected, and the dividends were about $20 so overall I Am pleased - probably better off than I thought. Well I'll go crunch and let you all know.

Jan. 30 - $25.00 Another Tire
Jan. 29 - $22.00 Gas
Week 4 total: $140.00
Week 3 total: $330.48
Week 2 total: $278.05
Week 1 total: $374.24

**5 no spend days**

Items bought new in 2007:
Nintendo DS accessories (2) (dh)
Underwear(dh)
Packing Tape (for ebay selling)
Bubble envelope (for ebay selling)
Shipping Labels (for ebay selling)
Tire Pressure Guage
Pin-wheel
Toy Bird
Professional Pants (5)
Professional shirts (7)
Professional Blazer
Knee-his (for work)
Panty hose (ebay)

Items bought used in 2007:
Tires for Car (2)
Used books for kids (6)

Items free in 2007:
Old cell phones for kids to play with
Toddler's First Library Card!

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

Ah, no no-spend days this weekend because I asked dh grabbed to grab some salmon at the store for my salmon patty craving - saturday. YEsterday I Was in quite a mood and was REALLY craving sweets - sent dh for ice cream. So $30 between sat & sun - he stocked up on milk and yogurt as well, maybe other things.

I think beyond stressed I Was also exhausted. I love to take naps on the weekends and got a lovely 2-hour nap Sunday. Then I could not keep my eyes open past 8:00 and slept like an absolute log - hardly stirring all night. It was nice. No wonder I Was in such a funk - exhaustion I guess. BAby has been sleeping rather well too - we both took an hour or so on the floor one night and since then he will wake up, cry for 5 minutes, and go back to sleep. HE is a drooling fool so no doubt teething or something. But just those nasty molars left, might be a LONG few months, but at least he has not been up EVERY night.

Oh well, today is not the frugalest of days. BM has to be picked up from preschool by 5, over by my work (sort of) a good 20 minutes from home. I am working on cranking out my last set of W-2s. Phew!!!! But asked dh to pick up BM. There is not way I will be done at 4:45. So a lot of wasted gas today. THere will be a lot more days like this in the spring months. Offset by lots of overtime pay I guess...

I don't like to do things last minute but if I think about it, it is truly a miracle I am not further behind considering I Was IT specialist week 1 of January and dh was out of commission about a whole week, week 2. So I have had 2 weeks about to do a month's work. Hopefully I will be all caught up tomorrow and no more Sundays working. But I wouldn't count on it. Just stuff piling up that I didn't have time to do this month, and then the tax appointments start - I have one this week and one next week already. Oy vey.

I am still waiting on my 1099s and stuff but I Want to file for my refund already - LOL.

In the meantime I may be almost done with my client's W-2s, but I have a big pile of 1099s to work on too. Hopefully those will ALL be out of my hair Jan. 31. Almost there!!!! All this stuff makes January about the worst time of year for us. December is pretty bad, so is JAnuary. I am sure I will saying Feb & March are the WORST too when my days are filled with tax returns, and no time to do our regular accounting. & then April is really really really bad because we are so behind AND we have April 15th as well as April 30th quarterly payroll filings. So yeah, I will be saying every month is the worst until May. & then I will say I will have so much time to catch up. But then someone will quit or go on maternity leave or something. LOL. I just notice with time I get gradually more and more busy, even during "slow" months. I've tried to resist too much work and responsibility, but there is only so much you can do - I think with my longevity I am a little too heavily relied on. Feel like the place would fall apart without me lately. We need a new manager. That is what we really need. I think this comes at a good time though. Concerned about money, a little more willing to take on more and work more. I still have it pretty good overall. Lots of flexibility.

That reminds me, I keep trying to think of other ways to make money. I just remembered my boss offered a bonus for us to recruit people. I don't remember how much, a couple thousand perhaps. You will appreciate this though. What was SO crazy at my first CPA firm job was there was a huge shortage of staff from 2-5 years or so experience. The reason, well they paid crap and worked you to death, but you had to do CPA firm audits to get your license - for 2 years. Anyone who stayed longer was on partner track pretty much. OTherwise there would be NO Reason to stay really. At my first job I Was making about $30k/year and they offered us a $10k bonus to recruit someone in the 2-5 year range. $10k. You know how many people got that bonus? 0. Was impossible. Just impossible!!! Of course whenever I got together with my college friends we would spend the whole time trying to recruit each other, each with dollar signs in our eyes - LOL. No way no how.

Anyway, well, I will keep it in front of mind for once things settle down after April. I Will have to really think hard and see if I can find anyone. LOL. IT's pretty much an impossible task, but wouldn't hurt to try I guess. Today there is no 2-year audit rule so basically it is impossible to find anyone, experience or not. I think as long as I work here I won't get worked to death at least. So far it's been okay. But you know if one more person leaves, I don't know. I might even ask my boss if his reward applies to new-college grads. IF so I wouldn't mind getting involved in college recruitment. We got to spur some interest in our little firm. Something to think about when it is not so BUSY.

Jan. 26 - $38.00 Gas
Jan. 25 - $00.00
Jan. 24 - $68.00 burger/groceries/books
Jan. 23 - $ 3.76 pizza
Jan. 22 - $00.00
Week 3 total: $330.48
Week 2 total: $278.05
Week 1 total: $374.24

**5 no spend days**

Items bought new in 2007:
Nintendo DS accessories (2) (dh)
Underwear(dh)
Packing Tape (for ebay selling)
Bubble envelope (for ebay selling)
Shipping Labels (for ebay selling)
Knee-his (for work)
Pin-wheel
Toy Bird

Items bought used in 2007:
Tire for Car
Used books for kids (6)

Items free in 2007:
Old cell phones for kids to play with

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

Phew, now this is a "normal" week - nice to settle down after craziness of last couple of weeks - what a low spend week...

Got gas last night - around $2.34/gallon - cheapest I have seen in ages - phew. Ah, gotta love Cali - did I ever mention EVERYTHING costs more here?

Well it has its perks, that's why people are just crazy enought to live here - hehe.

Jan. 25 - $00.00
Jan. 24 - $68.00 burger/groceries/books
Jan. 23 - $ 3.76 pizza
Jan. 22 - $00.00
Week 3 total: $330.48
Week 2 total: $278.05
Week 1 total: $374.24

**5 no spend days**

Items bought new in 2007:
Nintendo DS accessories (2) (dh)
Underwear(dh)
Packing Tape (for ebay selling)
Bubble envelope (for ebay selling)
Shipping Labels (for ebay selling)
Knee-his (for work)
Pin-wheel
Toy Bird

Items bought used in 2007:
Tire for Car
Used books for kids (6)

Items free in 2007:
Old cell phones for kids to play with

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

With all the craziness this month it looks like we will make our overall "budget" of $1200 on the credit card. If nothing else comes up anyway - we are so right on with all the expected expenses. & we had a GREAT month. This is AMAZING.

I budget my credit card 2 ways - 1 - if it is $1200 I should have the cash easy for it. (This is worst case - assuming a big utility month and less money overall - which it is this month). Second, we budget our categories. Our actual budget leaves more than $1200 on the credit card, but on an annsual basis we should have the money - since I do the budget annually. Maybe a little short one month, over the next. Anyway, this month we have spurlged and had a lot of unexpected stuff, but a lot of items on our budget remained untouched, so we might actually hit the $1200 mark. Will be darn close. If it was any other month and not one with a $100 gas heat bill, we might have had extra money for the e-fund. Or more smartly for the slush fund for the future months over $1200. IT is going to be pretty brakeven though. But I think this is a first, if not only since I have been here, but maybe in years.

I have been overall feeling really behind lately and last night I Was thinking about all we are doing and how miles ahead we are from like a year ago. I have to hang on to that positive thought. The better interest rate alone is putting us ahead. The commitment to savings, the slashes to our budget, the re-institution of our allowances, etc., etc. Each in itself may be small, but all together is huge. Woohoo.

In other news the baby slept absolutely AWFUL last night. BUT I had a plan and it was well executed and even worked. Since he seemed content to have "mommy" or "dad" just in his room, my plan was 2 part. (yes he has just started yelling out "mommy" and "dada" - pulls your heart strings when you are trying to get him to go back to sleep on his own). So dh had had about 2-3 hours sleep the night before, me 5. HE clearly got the night off. So I Went to bed around 8 or 9. Baby woke up 12:30, at that point I had had enough sleep to function for today - phew. Stage 1 of plan well executed. I go in his room and laid on the floor and it WORKED. (I have tried in the past - but no). HE was driving me NUTS because he would be snoring but if I so much as moved an inch his head shot up - LOL. So he has been lately. IF I was super exhausted I could have just slept there - not comfortable, bad on the back, but I had my pillow and blanket - I could have. But was feeling well rested to just laid there. The only part I Was not prepared for was to hear twinkle twinkle little star about 50 times. I Was starting to go a little insane - LOL. The music soothes him though. I finally escaped when he conked out for good. I went downstairs to wait it out and make sure he was really out. It was 2:00 - 1.5 hours I had laid there listening to that damm aquarium - LOL. I turned on the t.v. and turned up the monitor really loud so I could be sure to hear him - losing his voice from all the yelling and screaming for the last few nights. Then BM got up and started making all sort of racket. Dh and him were talking - I am just freaking out - I thought I was in the free and clear. But no - BM wet his bed. So anyway, the same EXACT Thing happ-ened the night before. Both times LM was OUT like a log. & I told dh at least BM got up right then because any sooner or later would have just been the worst. We were already awake and it did not disturb LM, so PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know he is only 3 but he usually stays dry so we just let him sleep in his underwear. At this point he would absolutely refuse a diaper anyway. I think it has something to do with LM disturbing his sleep - I don't know. We decided no more milk at bed time for him - he should be old enough to handle it - should probably be weaning him from night time milk anyway.

Anyway, I fell asleep around 3:00 and got up around 7 well rested today. LAst night wasn't so bad. I see some floor sleeping in my future, so be it. LOL.

I don't have any real time for me or to do anything around the house except after 9pm or more likely at 5am when I usually get up and have time to do my own thing. This part will suck, but as long as I can get some sleep, I guess I will survive.