Phew. My 5-figure tax refund and my freelance checks for Jan. and Feb arrived today. I can finally move out of money limbo and move on with my life!

I used all of the tax refund to meet savings goals. I almost feel like I cheated, but hey, whatever fills up the savings account, right?

It will put us much closer to our general savings and our college savings goals for the year.

Now that the freelance checks arrived, I can file my quarterly taxes, then move the remaining money into my IRA and into the tiki bar fund.

Limbo is still on for the kitchen renovation. The electrician is coming Sunday to disconnect the cooktop and install an outlet, the countertops are being installed monday and the plumber will hopefully come Tuesday to install the gas line and then Tah Dah! I hope we love the kitchen.

It will be just in the nick of time, as another burner went out on our cooktop today, so we are down to one.

I ran across this interesting article about how to tell if you are middle class. Here is the link:

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgetingk/article/109155/h...

It's an interesting read and I wonder what you think about it.

Here is the run down:
*Middle class = $50,000 to $123,000 a year for family of four

*Home is worth $231,000, and makes$17,600 in mortgage payments

* Spends $12,400 per year on two medium-sized sedans

*Saves $4,100 for college expenses for two kids

*Saves $2,600 per year for retirement

*Spends $14,200 a year on living expenses

*net worth of about $84,00

I thought this was interesting:
"A median-income family that saved 3.2 percent of its income—roughly equivalent to the national saving rate—would sock away nearly $2,600 per year for retirement. Of course many families don't hit even that modest goal, and stock-market losses over the last several years have further shrunk the national nest egg."

I was flabbergasted at the $2,600 a year figure. That is so low.

I will say that we are squarely in the middle class income area, have two kids and seem like the "typical" demographic they are going for.

So here's how we stack up to average:
Our house is 1443 square feet and cost $154,000 (below average),we have no car payment at the moment (way below average), we put aside about $9,000 for college for our two kids (above average), no annual vacation, and we save about $20,000 a year for retirement in 401ks and IRAs. We both work, although I freelance so we don't have to pay for daycare.

How do you stack up?

I've had house envy ever since my friends moved into a fabulous, and I mean fabulous, 1960 ranch house in our neighborhood.

When we bought this house, we still had a mortgage on a house in a hurricane zone, and were looking for something manageable, that w could work with and that we could afford to pay off within 5 years. There were also almost no houses for sale in this area, as someone basically has to die for a house to go on sale.

My hubby loved this house. I had my reservations but thought I could work with it.

It seemed like tons of space until we had two children and suddenly had no guest rooms.

So,when my friends moved into a house that was all the things we wished our house would have been, it was hard.

We casually looked at a few houses for sale, but deep down i think it's a better idea to just sit tight and learn to love our house again.

We don't really want to go through the hassle of moving, all for a few more square feet.

And, we don't want to start from scratch making improvements inside and out. We've already spent $30,000 on windows, roof, furnace, paint, etc. that we have no hope of recouping in this market.

SO, the plan is to make the most of this house, which is small but paid for, has a bedroom for everyone, even if not a bathroom to go with it, and has a decent fenced yard for the kids.

I think it will help that we are finally starting to get to the "fun" house projects. Things you can enjoy, not just things you have to do to preserve your investment (like a furnace). Our new kitchen will be done next week (counters and cooktop converted to gas).

And,we've decided to extend our concrete patio to the entire length of the house. it will give us a really nice space to spread out for kids and adult fun in the backyard, while still leaving most of the yard trees, grass and flowers.

This is part of my plan to fall in love with this house. I want to create a mini-forest flowering woodland forest-style oasis in the back. A place for us to have fun, and for the kids to explore, and to have friends over to sit in front of the chiminea, grow some berries, and support local wildlife. I think we can pull it off, and for not a lot of money, apart from the patio.

OK, so I will never have my own bathroom, even with two boys in the house. But I will still have a paid-for house.

We also are going to go hard on the green thing. We hope to redo our insulation this fall and to add solar panels in a couple of years. All of this will only be possible if we stay put.

Plus, with this house, we already know what we are dealing with and what the issues are. With a new house, we'd be starting over completely.

So, I am determined to fall in love with this house and stop dreaming of one that's bigger.

I'm still waiting for our tax refund. I feel like I've been waiting forever. The IRS web site said it'd be in my account by March 16, but alas no. Maybe I'm extra anxious because it's a large refund (north of $10k) and I have countertops to pay for.

I also feel like everything is on hold, waiting for such a large chunk of money. Once it's here, I can send it into the various accounts where it needs to go and be done with it. I just hate waiting!

On a positive note, I finally got paid for the first two months of my regular freelance gig. Now, I can pay my qtrly taxes (for a decent amount) and move all that money where it needs to go: taxes, IRA, tiki fund, etc.

I just feel like everything is on hold!! I hate it!!

Bean is about to turn 2 and little brother is 4 month old. Next thing you know they will be getting their own apartments!

I'm 35 today, and boy I guess time flies. In my head I'm still 28.

In honor of the festive occasion, I'm going in for a haircut and color, which I haven't done since 1999. Yeah,that long. I have wanted to for a while, due to two babies and no time to take care of myself, plus I need a change. This is just giving me an excuse.

Then, mom is coming to babysit tonight so hubby and I can go out.

I was fuming yesterday. As I posted before, the kitchen is going way over my $5,000 budget, even though it seemed like basic changes-- new cooktop, new counters.

As I mentioned, I was forced to buy a new sink because the contractor said my current 1957 cast iron beauty can't be reused. So, I bought a Kohler stainless steel one for $150. I also had to buy a $150 faucet because my current one only fits my current sink.

THEN, the counter people called back with the final bill based on their measurements, etc. They added another $285 to the bill. Even though the rounded edge of one counter was in my original diagram, they "forgot" to include the special circular edge charge. Get this: $99 for each 1/4 circle, so one half circle costs about $200. Who has 1/4 circles??? I was very livid. They also are making me take the backsplash behind my cooktop out for some reasons about the new counter not adhering to it. I had planned to keep this, so that's more money for ripping out and more money to replace it with something new.

This is not a major construction project, and yet it is more expensive and complicated than I feel it needs to be.

I can't wait until this is finished. If I didn't have two small kids I could save some of this money by doing the demo and stuff myself, but with two little ones, it will be next to impossible.

I'm steamed, but feel I am in too deep to back out.

So yeah. I had budgeted $5000 for a modest kitchen update-- really nice counters and a cooktop that is converted to gas. The budget is already blown, despite my best efforts.

The cooktop cost $777 after tax. That was expected.

What I didn't expect was that the $78/sq. ft. quartz counters including installation don't REALLY include installation.

Every little tiny thing costs extra. They're charging me $500 plus to take out and haul away my old countertops, charging me for the cutouts for my sink and cooktop, etc.... so I'm looking at $4300 for the counters, about $500 more than I had planned.

So, from the get go the budget is blown.

The bad news is, the expenses are already mounting. The counter guys came today to make the template and told me there is no way to reuse my current sink, which is from the 1950s, because of the way it mounts to the counters. Long story short, I need to go buy a new sink.

And, I just realized that I need to pay to have the electric cooktop unhooked and pay to install a three-prong plug. Shame on me for not remembering that even gas cooktops need an outlet. That one is my fault. Luckily, I have a great electrician, but I am probably still looking at $100 to $200.

I have thought of trying to save by doing some demo and stuff myself, but with two babies under 2, that just isn't possible right now. Plus, if I accidentally destroyed the cabinets, I would really be in trouble budget wise. So looks like I am just going to have to take this one on the chin.

I had to go to a trade show for work today, so my mom and sis came to help hubby with the babies.

When I walked in the door, Bean noticed the helicopter flying back and forth over our house. I didn't think much of it until I realized it was literally hovering on my block and it was really loud. Then, bunches of police cars started driving back and forth down my street.

Great, clearly someone is on the loose, so I put the whole house on lock down. Mom and sis weren't allowed to leave, all the doors locked, etc.

I still don't know exactly what happened, but when I finally sent the relatives home, there were 4 police cars in front of the house four doors down. I suppose the neighborhood gossip will fill me in later this week.

There have been some random crimes in our neighborhood lately, with people robbing people and stealing their cars when they are walking out of their garage. That kind of stuff makes me angry because we live in a nice quiet neighborhood and these folks are clearly coming from somewhere else to prey on my mostly elderly neighbors.

It also makes me angry because hubby gave our gun to his dad because he thinks we don't need it. I say be prepared, but I also have mixed feelings about having a gun in the house with babies. Maybe I should invest in a baseball bat or a bee bee gun!

The weird vibe followed through to dinner, when I made chicken casserole. The weird thing is I was on auto pilot. I have never once made a casserole in my entire life, but I must have been channeling my grandma because I didn't have to think about it and it turned out fine!

I hope tomorrow is much more boring than today.

I'm behind the 8 ball on this one. I have been considering Lent and what to do about it, so my resolutions are

1. No fast food
2. No unnecessary or unplanned purchases. This means no sneaking the candy bar in the cart at the grocery. If it isn't essential, we aren't buying it.
3. Cut back on sweets. I have a serious sweet tooth. Once whatever is in the house is eaten, no more is coming in, except for the two March birthdays.

In years past, hubby has gotten a bonus this time of year. With things so bad in the economy, I wasn't expecting it this year, but it came today.

Now, what to do with the money? Which goal should I put it towards? Should I just park it in savings? Put it in the bean college fund?

I used part of it to pay for the cooktop, so that is one goal met.

I got this in the mail today. Feel free to use it:

$50 bonus if you open an ING checking account and have use your debit card 3 times in the first 45 days:

EL633

It's official. I am super cheap. That, or everyone else has lost their minds.

I'm wringing my hands because we budgeted $5,000 to redo our kitchen. That includes converting the cooktop from electric to gas, a new cooktop and super beautiful and indestructible Silestone quartz countertops.

We will likely have money left over when we are finished, depending on how much the counters set us back.

So, I was watching Sweat Equity on DIY last night and they said several times that the AVERAGE mid-range kitchen remodel costs $54,000. Ten times my budget. Are these people crazy? That's mid-range? I could add on to my house for that!

No wonder we are in a housing crisis, if that's what people think they need to spend on things.

It's 10:15 and I am up with Baby Squiddy. During my baby shift, I watch Clean House. Totally love that show!

I'm watching now and I just keep wondering why the hell people hold onto things they admit they no longer need or use. Usually, it seems they have some symbolic or emotional attachment, I get that, but really? Do you need 90 pairs of shoes like this lady? Do you need the first bedroom set you bought as an adult, which is a symbol of your independence, to still see yourself as independent?

Maybe there is something wrong with me, but I have no problem clearing out closets. I always have a bag or a box set aside for charity.

I know it's hard, but there comes a point where you have to move on,
- admit when you aren't going to be as thin as you were at 25 and let the clothes go
-admit that you have a hubby and family and don't need all the stuff you bought for your single life!
Please!!

Watching these shows makes me want to give away EVERYTHING, so I will never be up to my butt in shopping bags and balled up clothes!

I am giving myself a new money challenge.

I'm a freelancer, so I get paid by the project. I can;t always control the pay rate, but I have a little more control over how many projects I take on.

To give myself a goal and more motivation, I am awarding all my projects "freelance points."

For my weekly column, I am giving myself 1 point for every one I finish.

I'd like to average at least one more project per month in addition to that. For each extra project, I am giving myself 2 points.

If I meet my goals, I will have 76 "points" at the end of this year

52 points from my weekly columns
and 24 points from the one extra project per month I'd like to have.

I think I am ahead of the game so far. I have all of my weekly columns, plus I've had three extra projects this month, so that's 6 points to the 24 I need.

I took the plunge and ordered our new cooktop yesterday. I have waited 6 weeks for an appliance sale only to turn up empty-handed, so we decided to just pay full price. (Although, when I ordered it, I found out it was on sale, though only about $23 off, which is kind of a weird amount to be on sale).

Normally, I wait for sales. But we are still cooking on the original 1957 electric cooktop that came with our house. It is in sad shape! We are down to two burners, and one of the good ones is starting to go bad.

It takes three weeks for the special order cooktops to arrive, so if you add that, plus the time to have it installed and the gas line run, and we're looking at a month at least before our new cooktop is up and running.

Right now, we are racing against the clock! Can our old stove last one more month after 53 years of dutiful service? I sure hope so!!

This got me thinking about how many appliances these days will last 53 years? Not many. Our stove in our last house was a 1953 O'Keefe and Merrit and the thing is still baking and cooking perfectly. They literally don't make them like that any more.

In other shopping news, I did get a second chance on an item I saw about a month ago on the clearance rack at Kohl's. it's a black fitted blazer/tuxedo jacket that fits perfectly. I originally turned it down, but had been kicking myself. Well, it was there when I went there yesterday. Marked down to $24 from $60. I paid zero because I used a gift card. Not too shabby.

I had a thought today. I've been covering a securities fraud trial for a news wire service for two years now, and every time there is a new round of legal problems for the accused, I make cover the proceedings, which means I make money. ergo, these people's legal woes= I make more money.

It's a little weird. I have to cover a bail hearing Tuesday, so I was thinking about it.

In other news, I bought the new cooktop today. it was only on sale to the tune of $23 off. Kind of a weird number, but better than nothing. I considered getting a store credit card because I could have saved about $60 due to an in-store promotion. But, I hate store credit cards.

I've been waiting around to order my new cooktop from a big box store. I want to wait until there is a sale. But things are getting desperate. My current cooktop alal 1957 is down to 1 and a half working burners. I can't wait much longer, especially considering special order takes 21 days.

When do these things go on sale? I am hoping President's Day is the answer!!

Okay, so 2010 isn't going swimmingly savings wise. I've had to take money out of savings to cover bills the last two months, hence the reason my savings goals have increased from $10,000 to $12,000.

I guess I should expect it. This time of year is usually pretty thin as far as money because we have to pay our property tax, home owners and car insurance, gym memberships (not a normal gym, a community center with lots of stuff for the kids, so it's worth it). This year is no different than most.

We usually start getting ahead again in March, because the bills are paid, we file our taxes and often get a refund, and sometimes hubby gets an annual bonus at work. This year, though, who knows.

On the upswing, I have lost 3 pounds, so 7 more and I will be in good shape. I'm too cheap to pay for yoga classes, so I use the DVR to tape shows off of FitTV, and bean and I sneak downstairs while Squiddy is napping to do a 20-minute show. It's kind of fun.

I am also planning to sell some of the supplies from my craft closet and do a craft show with a friend later this year, and will put the proceeds into the tiki bar fund. Last craft show, I had profits north of $300 for about a week's worth of sewing and a fun day at the booth.

When I get my first freelance checks of the year, I will put some of that toward my IRA, the tiki fund, and self-employed tax bill. Can't wait to get those checks!

On another note, I started the savings accounts for the babies. We are giving them each $1 a week in allowance, plus adding in money from gifts and such. I figure we'll get a jump on savings before they like to buy stuff!

So, of course I am having a Superbowl party since the Saints are in for the first time ever. I've never had one before and I have no idea how many people are coming, but I think I have overdone it.

I am making two pots of red beans and rice (one reg., one vegetarian.) Picking up a giant box of Popeye's, making hurricanes (REAL ones, not the Pat O'Brien's blech), and the king cake from Haydel's arrived this morning. I'm also making chocolate cupcakes with yellow icing-- the closest I can come to black and gold. Plus, I have fleur-de-lis cupcake toppers and a giant Saints banner to hang.

It will be a true New Orleans food experience for all of my new Ohio friends. It should be interesting. Albeit a spendy treat.

So, hubby was asked to attend a "Global outsourcing" meeting today at work. I am hoping he still has a job when he gets home.

Here's the rub. If he gets laid off, he may have another job--in Houston. I am not a fan of Houston.

If we went there, we'd have no friends, no family, no babysitters and two kids under 2. Sounds like a nightmare.

So what do you do if that's the job you can get?

Do you move whole hog?
Do you send hubby there alone to telecommute?
Do you split your time 50/50 between here and there?

What are the options???
I hope we don't have to seriously think about this, but just in case, I want to have some ideas.

I started the year with a goal to earn a minimum of $500 a month from regular freelance work. It doesn't sound like a lot, but with two babies and me having to do all of my work at night... Well, yeah, it can be a lot.

I'm happy to report I exceeded this for January, bringing in $750, and I am on track to bring in about $1100 in February. Woo-hoo! Of course, I will have to pay a big chunk of that in taxes, but it feels nice to meet the goal and have some steady work coming in.

2009 was hard. My and hubby's freelance work dried up. It became clear exactly by how much when I started looking at our taxes. In 2008, we made $28,000 in side income after expenses, and in 2009, it was only $3400. That's a huge difference.

Here's hoping 2010 is better!

It's been a fight-tastic weekend. Hubby and I haven't talked all day. We are arguing over our wills. He doesn't want to pay a lawyer to do it because he thinks it's a racket and a scam, but I say we need help making sure our stuff is in order. we have kids now, we need to make sure they are take care of. We need to have a clause that sets up a trust for the kids in the event that we both die. We can't do that ourselves.

It's not something I can do without him, or I would have. I'm just so tired of arguing with him over this kind of adult stuff. He has no problem dropping $2,000 on a ski trip, but try to spend that on a will and it's a fight.

I have never heard of this book or system before. It's like Weight Watcher only for your money. It sounds like it could be effective, although time consuming.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/LearnToBu...

OK. So, you know I am from New Orleans, and we are going to our first superbowl ever. I don't care about football, but I care about the Saints. It's such a HUGE deal that they are playing in the game for the first time ever.

Anyway, one of my best friends recorded an original song and video for the occasion, called "Who Gonna Win Dat Superbowl" and it's hilarious. Please watch if you have time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BKILbsBtvI

Huh. Weird. I realized today that this process of clearing things out, going through every drawer and throwing or giving things away is making me spend less money. I guess all of that stuff I'm not using that I spent money on and have now given away is at the front of my mind when I am out at the store. It's making the idea buying more stuff that will just get lost in drawers and such less appealing.

Now that I have cable TV, I have also started watching the shows Clean House and Hoarders. Boy, talk about problems resulting from living in a culture of consumerism and unlimited shopping opportunities. Those shows also make me want to clean up and clear out!

I'm on a serious decluttering kick. I think I'm up to 225 purge points.

So, I decided to tackle the linen closet. I took all of the towels out and realized I have 23 of them crammed onto two tiny shelved. I had no idea I had so many, and this doesn't even count the babies' towels. Geesh.

I think I can do with half that or less.
How many towels do you have hanging around? Am I the only one who thinks this is tooo many?

I can't believe January is almost over. It's been such a busy blur!

It's been a long time coming, but I think I am ready to post my new goals:

2010:

$10,000 to savings
$4620 to Bean's college funds
$4620 to Squid's college funds
$4,000 to my IRA
$600 more to new car fund

Other goals:
To pay for these major costs out of cash flow, not savings
New gas cooktop
New kitchen counters
New car (preferrably a hybrid)

**Non-money goals**
Lose 10 more pounds
Can 24 quarts from the garden
Plan European and Mexico vacations for 2010-2011

Phew. Not as ambitious as the last few years, but let's face it. Our income has dropped a lot since the Wall Street meltdown, because our sidework has all but disappeared. This has put a dent in our stockpiling goals, but we are still doing the best we can. These new goals are still a bit of a stretch and will require a significant monthly commitment. Let's hope we can make it!

points from previous purge: 208.5
from today's drawer cleaning

2 more items to sell = 6 points
10 more to give away= 15 points

229.5 total

Thanks for reminding me, Ima! This is my half bath:





There's much more on the wall you can't see, but y'all get the idea.