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Ugh. Advice please.

July 16th, 2012 at 12:33 am

So. I try to be neighborly, but I'm at the end. At our last house we were good friends with all of our neighbors. At our new house, we and one house have an adjoining back yard with no fence. They have two sons who are about 5 and 7 years older than my sons. I thought it was going to go well, but over the last year, things have soured.

Their boys alternate between friendly and mean to my sons, and they are not always but regularly disrespectful and lippy to me. They come over here, break my son's toys, kick balls into neighbors yards then tell me it's my problem not theirs. They do not respect or listen to adults. Of course my sons adore them because they are big kids, and imitate everything they do.

There have been stretches where they have been at my house in my yard for hours, every night for weeks at a time with neither of their parents in sight.
Recently, the mom, who doesn't work, has taken to letting her kids play in my yard while she mows hers. Um yeah. I'm not a free babysitter lady. I have two preschoolers, a job, and deadlines. no offers to ever return the favor.

Yesterday, they installed a trampoline smack dab in the middle of the open space between our yards. I can see it from every single part of my half-acre back yard. It is literally touching my property line.

This alone isn't the issue. They then immediately came over to tell me that our sons were NOT allowed to play on it. Ever. (even though they play on one at their grandparents once a week.). So, there are my two crying 2 and 4 year olds watching every other kid in the neighborhood but them bouncing and laughing, right at the edge of their own back yard, and yet they aren't allowed to play.

A lot of arguing, kicking, and screaming has been happening in my house since they put it up. We have had to avoid being in our own backyard because my kid's feelings are so hurt.

The neighbors 7 year old even had the nerve to tell me "We should go buy our own unless we're too poor."

So yeah. I'm miffed. I think it's time to pay the money and put up a fence and be done with these people. I feel like this is the last straw. I have other priorities for my money, but I think a fence is money well spent. I don't want my kids hanging out with these mean boys anymore, and I don't need the heartache of thoughtless parents treating us the way they do. I shouldn't have to pay a penalty because they put up a trampoline (and yes, they could have put it where my kids couldn't see it, but they didn't.).

Is spending money on a fence a good move? Or am I overreacting. And I have attached a pic for your consideration!

Can't wait for August...

July 14th, 2012 at 03:54 pm

I just can't wait for August to get here. Mostly because the crazy crazy crazy pace of July will finally settle down.

I'm halfway through my giant freelance project. I have forgotten what it is like to deal with companies outside of journalism-- slow slow slow. people are so disorganized! It's been a nightmare, BUT, the fee was raised by $500 to $2,000, so one the articles are in and the check clears, I will say it will be worth it.

I FINALLY got the car loan under $4,000! Feels good. And when this project pays, all of that will go to the car loan, putting me so close to pay off I can almost taste it.

I signed up to run a fundraiser 5k on August 4, even though I have little time to train. It's for pancreatic cancer, which killed my dad and aunt, and that my best friend's dad was recently diagnosed with. So, I feel like I have to. I'm touched. I set a fundraising goal of $300,and my friends and family have contributed $255. Brings a tear to my eye.

August is going to be huge for my life as well. BOTH kids will finally be old enough to go to preschool MWF from 9 to 1, and it's right down the street. No more driving across town to the sitter, or having one kid at school and one kid at home. I'm hoping my work life balance will improve and I will be able to shift a lot more work from nighttime after the kids are asleep to the daytime. This would drastically improve my life!

Right up our alley

July 7th, 2012 at 07:07 pm

You know I am always on the prowl for good personal finance blogs. I'm very picky-- I'm tired of generic advice. I finally have a good one to share. I stumbled on it last night and ready every single post. I really like these people!

Text is http://www.budgetingwiththebushmans.com/ and Link is
http://www.budgetingwiththebushmans.com/

Wood stoves, electricity, and mortgages.

July 6th, 2012 at 09:14 pm

Well, a week after the storm and everyone I know has power again. Finally! It's funny. New Orleans is very disorganized and has decaying infrastructure, but I never remember being without power for more than 24 hours after a Cat 1 hurricane, but here in Ohio, which is much more functional, it was 5 days! Oh well, Guess they aren't used to those kinds of winds in the midwest.

My mom finally has power which is the big thing. She is rural with a well and no power means no electricity and no water. It's really hard for her. I live an hour away. She stayed with me a couple of nights for the warm meals, showers and AC!

ANyway, all that time in the dark got me thinking about
A. how much electricity we use that isn't essential. I've been flipping a lot of switches off lately, and leaving the AC off as much as possible.

I've also been thinking more about a wood stove insert for the upstairs fireplace. It would allow us to use free (around here, plenty) firewood to heat our upstairs in winter. They new ones are very efficient and filter a lot of the particulates out of the smoke, so it's not like dumping ick into the air by burning wood.

If the power went out like this in winter, which it's only a matter of time, at least we'd have heat, too. I looked at our heating bills and for a $2500 stove installed it might take 6 or 7 years to pay for itself. We plan to be here for 18 at least. What do you think? Worth the money?

I've also been running more mortgage payoff calculations. If I pay $400 extra every month, it'll be paid off in Sept. 2016. If I pay $500 extra, it'll be paid off in April 2016. Four years! I'm going to be ambitious and START with $500/month consistently. It'll be easier next year once DS1 starts kindergarten and one preschool bill disappears, but this year will be hard. The money will come out of my freelance income, which has been growing.

Speaking of, it's a good problem, and I am blessed. But I'm up to my eyeballs in freelance. It's just hard now bc I'm still only part time, 12 hours a week of childcare to do all the work. I've been working every night and weekends, and I'm getting burned out.

My newest, biggest project is due July 25 and was supposed to pay $1500. Just found out they extended the scope, so it now will pay more (not sure how much, but at least $500). It's going to be a crazy two weeks, but I'm just going to put my nose down, plow through it, and keep my eyes on the check. It'll take a huge chunk out of the car loan!

I have one other extra article to finish after that, and then I am going to take it slow in August, until I get the kids settled into their new preschool routine (they are both finally old enough to go, so no little one at home while big brother is at school). I think it will be a game0changer work wise, so I will hopefully see how it goes then add projects back in based on how much more work time I have.

Finally have power!

July 4th, 2012 at 02:54 pm

It's been a brutal week. We lost power in the monster storms that swept through the midwest to D.C. on friday. We just got power back. I lost everything in the fridge and freezer-- all that food and money wasted ugh. And another day I would have had to start throwing out stuff from the chest freezer.

Luckily, that didn't happen. My mom still doesn't have power, and since she is rural and has a well, no water either. She's been here in evenings for dinner, because in many ways, it's not a hardship to live without electricity for us. We have a gas stove and hot water heater, so we can cook and shower (although I work from home and need the internet, and my deadlines don't go away for holidays or disasters...)

We're in a 100 degree heat wave as well, but I have to say, the insulation we had installed in January is a-mazing. We had the attic and the exterior walls insulated, and despite the heat, the house stayed at a comfy 75 degrees. I'm impressed. If this had happened last summer, with the zero insulation in the attic, and the hot burning ceilings of last year, we'd be a family of roasted beets by now.

So yes, it's nice to be back online. I just hope the other 40 percent of people who lost power get theirs back soon as well.

Under 80k and a double hazzah!

June 27th, 2012 at 12:08 am

Just made it under $80,000 on the mortgage. We're now at $79,685.32. Why does it always feel so good to move below a big even number? Who can say.

The double hazzah is I just landed a great $1500 freelance gig this month. Yep. You guessed it, that money is going to take a HUGE chunk out of the car loan. Almost a third!!

This is all good news!

Dh Blew it!

June 23rd, 2012 at 01:47 am

So, I was all happy about my new budget and how it was working so well--until I paid the CC bills today and realized hubby had spent $400-- on a backpack,soccer shoes, and bike repair. That must be a gold-plated backpack. Argh. So much for my grand plan.

I guess I shouldn't be too angry, as he rarely ever buys anything. Other than food, he probably costs me $1000 a year. Argh.

In other news, the final bill for my office redo came, and after paying that and the mortgage, I've only got about $500 left in checking to last two weeks. I can't remember the last time that happened! (It would have been 1000, except for hubby's secret purchases!!)

Oh well, grin and bear it, right?

I will be debt free again!

June 19th, 2012 at 05:45 pm

I've been nostalgic for the five years hubby and I spent mortgage free, student loan free and auto loan free. Now we have a mortgage and car loan, and although we pay extra, I just can't stand being in debt. I hate that my money is wasted on interest!

So... The new pre-lay off budget is working out well. I feel much more in control of our cash. I even upped the biweekly transfer to the savings account from $150 to $250. If hubby keeps his job and things go well, I'm confident, I'll be able to up it even more.

On the debt front, I want to speed up pay off of the car loan and the mortgage. The bank won't let me make extra payments through the online system. And, they won't let me pay biweekly. But, I got a courtesy call from the bank-- for "premier" customers. funny-- asking me how I liked my service. Etc. I talked to that guy and he said you can walk into any branch and make an extra payment toward principal to the mortgage. They just have to know that is what the check is for. Eureka! When I have extra cash, I can just go to a branch. That is good to know.

I did pay a chunk to the car loan. I'm so close to getting it under $4,000 that I can taste it! I have at least two more big freelance checks coming as well. Maybe I can make a dent.



$3 left and waffles

June 16th, 2012 at 09:03 pm

So, the results of the first week of our new budget of $250 a week for everything (for a family of four). I made it with $3 to spare.

The included treating my mom and sister to dinner and a 3D movie last night, which we'd been planning for weeks. So, that is good! We also went to a kid's b-day party and gifted $10 cash.

My weak spot, so far as I can tell, is the farmers market. I pick up my CSA farm share every Saturday, and I also buy all of our meat there from a local free-range farm. I always pick up some odds and ends, and I love supporting local farmers, but the money really adds up.

Thanks to the farmers market and grocery shopping, I now only have $80 left for this week. (bought three beautiful and spendy steaks to grill for father's day.)

The gas tank (fill up only cost $5.44, thanks to grocery store discounts!) and the fridge are full. That bodes well!

My mom and I also hit two church rummage sales this morning. I picked up a new in box waffle maker. I had actually been debating buying one this week. The kids love waffles and eat a lot of them for quick breakfasts. Eggos are $5 a box reg. price.

IF the wafflemaker works out, I think it could save me a lot of money. I can set aside some time to make a lot of waffles and freeze them, and I can add some more healthy ingredients to them, as well. We'll see how that goes. Best laid plans, right?

I also replaced our dying air popcorn popper for $2. We use ours a lot, so this was great. The kids have had a blast with it, as well. I think we've had popcorn for snacks at least 3 times this week.

My son spent the $3 in his wallet on a giant box of hotwheels cars, and two bulldozers. He loved it, and it was a good lesson. He saw how much more he got for his money buying used as opposed to Target or the toy store.

My basement office is almost finished as well. Well, the part I can't do myself is almost finished. I hired out the electrical, framing,and drywall. Soon, I will begin the sanding and painting. Not sure what the final bill is yet for the contractor, but I find out Monday. Hopefully it won't be a shock!

going okay

June 12th, 2012 at 08:15 pm

So... I started us on the austerity budget on Saturday, when I went grocery shopping for the week. I honestly feel relieved and more in control. And, strangely, I don't feel deprived. We've been cooking at home every night, eating leftovers, and I've been packing my lunch for the two days a week I'm working far from home. It's working out okay!

I spent about half of our $250 weekly budget on groceries on Saturday, and that's it. Nothing since. My sister and I are going to the movie together Friday night to see Prometheus. We'd been planning that for months, and looks like even that treat won't break the budget. Fingers crossed the good luck sticks.

The only hitch I forsee is Friday. I'm I'll take the kids to the swimming pool (Y membership. Paid for!), but they might want to go out to lunch, and we do have a birthday party that night, so $10 gift plus card. I think we can make it through. Maybe I can pack sandwiches for poolside and we can have a picnic. We'll see!

I also sent $157 of a recent $750 freelance check to the car loan.

Anyhoo. I think the will be beneficial. If hubby doesn't get laid off (let's hope for that) I'm hoping I will at least be able to squeeze more out of the budget every month so we can get out of debt faster.

Budget for potential layoff

June 9th, 2012 at 02:51 am

I thought I'd lay it all out on the line. There isn't any word yet on Dh getting laid off, but given the climate in the company now, I want to prepare. Seems like it's only a matter of time.

Here is what we're brining in and sending out every month.

Income: $5496/month

Mortgage 1700
preschool 790
Car 220
Cable/phone/internet $157 (cut cable, new bill unknown, probably about $100)
Electricity 150
Gas 100
YWCA $80
Netflix $10

EF savings $300
529s $400

My freelance income is sporadic, and that income, which averages to about $1000 a month is generally used to pay extra to the mortgage and car loans, and fund the IRA and Roth IRAs.

Plan: budget of $250/ week for groceries, gas and entertainment/incidentals. Family of four, two little kids who eat a lot. (I'll try to stay closer to $200.)

Plan is to sock any extra into savings and to snowball the debts.

Any other suggestions?

What can I cut....

June 6th, 2012 at 02:57 pm

I'm starting to get nervous about hubby getting laid off, so it's time to get out the scalpel and see what I can cut.

The big one is food. We eat out a lot just because we are too harried to cook. I laid out my first weekly meal plan on Sunday (first in I don't know how long), and did all the grocery shopping on Monday (forgot coupons-- working on that). So far, it's going great.

We had
meatloaf and carrots on Monday
stuffed pasta shells, salad, and garlic bread last night
tonight, chicken fajitas, tomorrow, bratwurst, Friday baked ham and cheese potatoes.

We are always running to the grocery store because we don't have something. I'm tired of wasting time running to the store, so it's once a week plus the Saturday farm pick up from now on.

And next week, I'll actually clip the darn coupons.
We're also cancelling cable. And I'm going to just not buy anything that isn't absolutely essential.

And, buy used before buying new, etc.

I won't give up the Y membership though, as we really do use it-- me to workout, kids for swimming and cheap swim lessons. We use it so much.

The construction work on my office has been delayed, and not I'm wondering if I should try to do part of it myself. Like put the insulation in the wall and start hanging drywall. I guess I'm just afraid to mess it up. And, I know I can't drywall the ceiling all by myself. My contractor friend doesn't charge that much, so I'm wondering if I'd really just be giving myself a cheapache at this point.

The possibility of me taking on more work will have to wait until fall, when both the kids finally are old enough to go to preschool 3 mornings a week (essential-- for my work, can't cut it!). I'm already swamped with assignments, which I know if a good problem to have, but it's exhausting considering I have to do most of my work at night when the kids are sleeping...

If you have any more advice on how to prepare for a possible layoff? Should I keep concentrating on paying off debt or put more into savings? We could maybe live for 9 months on our savings, paying all of our bills, not counting my freelance income, which would continue.

Um, that's not good

June 5th, 2012 at 10:37 pm

Hubby's coworkers have all slowly been outsourced to the Phillipines. Today, all the project managers he works with have been fired and their jobs shipped overseas. Sounds like we better go into austerity mode and prepare to be laid off. This has been happening since 2008.

I guess I will start looking at what we can cut, try to put more into savings,and try to spend as absolutely little as possible on everything else. Ugh.

Hubby has worked there for 7 years as of August, and it's a pretty cushy gig. Lots of hard work, but he can work from home a lot of days, and sometimes help me out if I need to make a short work call during the day.

I'm hoping we don't get outsourced, but really, what could we do? The signs all point to yes. It's only a matter of time. Of course... just when I was thinking of giving up my lowest paid freelance gig because the work far outweighs the money. Looks like I have to stick it out!

In other news, I am helping my sister (who has hoarder tendencies and shops for a hobby. My polar opposite?) to have a yard sale. I've finally talked her into it. Her basement is just packed to the brim with stuff she doesn't use. It's got to go. Hopefully we can make a little cash and do it Clean House Style-- the charity truck comes at the end and hauls the last of it away. Fingers crossed!

10-minute challenge

June 4th, 2012 at 05:55 pm

I've decided to 'bend' Ceejay's 10-minute exercise a little bit into a 10 minutes to a better life challenge.

I always have so many jobs large and small that just pile up and never get done. It gets to be overwhelming.

So, I've been dedicated my 10 minutes a day to cleaning, organizing, planning, etc.

So far, I've cleaned out all of the kid's drawers and put away out of season clothes, and donated outgrown ones.

Cleaned out the fridge, made some homemade cleaners, scrubbed the kitchen, cleared out the junk drawer, etc. On other days, I'm just choosing one area of the house to clean really well, whether it's windows, sinks, or cabinets.

I also did 40 leg lifts, 40 crunches, and 20 push ups for my 10 minute exercise challenge yesterday, plus a 45 minute run in the park.

loving the chest freezer

June 4th, 2012 at 12:52 am



Kroger recently raised the price of organic milk from 5.49 to 7.19 a gallon. I guess all the other moms weren't too crazy about it either, so I've noticed that a lot more gallons of organic milk turn into manager's specials when they get near their expiration. I
ve been stocking up. Sometimes, I get 4 or 5 gallons at a time.

I don't know why I resisted one for so long. The money I'm saving on milk will have paid for the freezer by the end of the year!

Homemade cleaners, debt update...

June 2nd, 2012 at 08:57 pm

In my early 20s, I used to make all of my household cleaners using recipes from the book Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan. Most of the recpes are easy and non-toxic, using vinegar, castille soap, and baking soda.

Well, I bought the supplies and am going to start doing it again. My boys always want to help me clean the house, and if the cleaners are so gentle, I'd be happy to let them help.

I talked to a mom friend about it. She let;s her 5-year-old make homemade scrubs and use them.

My kids love spray bottles and always want to help me clean the house. I never let them because even though I use Method or Seventh Generation, I'm still freaked out about chemicals that could hurt them.

The added bonus is that the cleaners are super duper cheap. Pennies for a 16 ounce bottle. And, you can scent them how you like, which is huge for me. I can't stand artificial chemical smells.

I got some supplies yesterday and hope to make the cleaners this week. The boys will be amped. They (ages 2 and 4) love to spray bottles and wipe walls. Why stop the trajectory if I can get them to help me out and learn to clean house?

I would also like to try making my own laundry detergent. I watched a good Youtube video outlining the process, and have a good, nontoxic recipe. They claim it costs about $8 to make a 6 month supply, and you can just funnel it into your empty detergent bottles. I'm going to try it to see how it goes, one day when the boys are out and about. I think I'm getting a good deal paying $2 to $3 a bottle for detergent, but $8 for 6 months sounds even better!

**
In other news, I've managed to pay just shy of $3,000 ($8 shy, to be exact) off the principal of the car loan so far this year. I have four more extra freelance gigs that should be paying up within the next two months too, so that should also help inch us closer to a paid off car!

bye bye cable...

May 30th, 2012 at 04:50 pm

So yeah. Our cable tv experiment will soon be coming to an end. We got cable when we had our 2 year old, because we know we'd be home a lot more, and hubby wouldn't be able to go to the sports bar to watch his favorite soccer games. After two years, we both and agreed it's not worth the money. We barely watch it, hubby ends up only watching game highlights online anyway, and when we do watch something, it's a DVD from the library or Netflix. Guess you can't break frugal Tv habits, evenif you do add cable!

So yes, we have agreed that after the NBA finals, we're cancelling. It should save us $60 a month, which I guess will go to the car loan.

I also got paid $431 for an extra freelance gig today. I'm going to split it into four pots-- car loan, savings, IRA, and mortgage extra payments. Every little bit helps.

A peak at my "farmette", and other tidbits

May 29th, 2012 at 03:00 pm

One of my big fantasies is to grow and can tons of awesome organic food for my family. I had great veggies gardens at my last house, but was starting from scratch here at the new house. Starting is always the hardest part! But, this season is starting off okay.

I have built 3 4'x4' raised beds for the tomatoes and peppers, planted potatoes and zucchini in pots, have an 8' x 4' raised bed with carrots, beets, spinach, and lettuce, made a tea 'pea' trellis, which is the bunnies stop eating my pea shoots, will make a fun hiding place for the boys once the peas vine up. I also planted 8 window boxes with cold season lettuce, beets, carrots, and spinach. We've eaten all the lettuce and spinach and remulched them. I might plant onions there next.








We have a half-acre lot in the city (huge by local standards), and my problem issues are lots of trees (shade) and the one sunny spot has to remain grass due to hubby's request. He says it's the soccer field, and he and the kids do run around on it. I'm making do with sunshine around the perimeter of the yard.

I think if I also clear out some of the invasive honeysuckle bushes taking over the side yard, I might have enough sun and room for berry bushes. The wheels are turning.


***
In other news, I sold two ceiling fans on craigslist for $80. They have been sitting unopened in my garage for a while. That money is going to the car note.

The contractor is coming to finish up my basement office next week. It'll be nice to have a space of my own.

I also finally gave in and applied for the Kroger credit card. I had been considering it because it's my main grocery store, and the card gives you 5 cents off a gallon for gas and quarterly reward certificates for free groceries. Who couldn't use those? I was set over the edge by a big carrot. They're giving me a signing bonus of &5 in free groceries and 25 cents off a gallon for the first three months. It pushed me into action.

Same old advice everywhere

May 22nd, 2012 at 11:16 pm

I read a lot of financial news, and I kind of feel like I'm stuck in a rut. Not matter what site I go to, large or small, it seems like the same old generic financial advice or some form of it is there. I'm having a hard time finding anything new. Do you have any suggestions for good reads?

At this point, most of us know all the basics. We need an advanced course!

Cat died : (, more freelance work : ), housework and fundraisers!!!

May 20th, 2012 at 09:01 pm

It's been forever since I've posted. Probably because I've been in a whirlwind of activity.

I'm in the process of finishing a room in my basement into an office work and sewing space. It's just concrete block and concrete floor, so I started with nothing. I bought lumber and had a contractor frame it out. ($150 for wood, $650 for the framing).

Tuesday, I get the electrical put in. Outlets, overhead lights, etc. Cost: $590.

Then I need to buy about $700 worth of insulation, drywall, and ceiling materials. Then spend another $600 for the contractor to install all of it.

I've been buying the lumber and supplies myself, and using gift cards bought at the grocery store for the gas discount. So far, doing it this way has netted me about $3.80 off per gallon in gas discounts. And, I paid for them with a rewards credit card that's giving me 2 percent back at grocery stores this month.

I figure if I'm going to spend the money anyway, I may as well get a bit of a discount or some perks!

I estimate in the end, once I get flooring, shelving, etc, I'll be just under $4,000 for the basement office. Geesh. I'm amazed things cost so much!

We did frame out an amazing amount of storage. A wall of closets and a walk-in closet that can one day be converted into a half bathroom if we decide we need it. Looking forward to a hidden place to store everything.

****
In other sad but economic news, my cat of 17 years had to be put to sleep two Sundays ago. I found her outside lying under the tree, perfectly sentient and aware but unable to move her back legs. Of course, my vet isn't open on Sundays, so I had to find an emergency vet ($$$$$$). We thought she broke her back, but it turned out to be a blood clot. Either way, no cure. I had to have her put down. Very sad. And the bill was $450. It would have been $100 on any other day of the week. Oh well. She always was a booger that way.

It was a weird vet. fancy, and looked like a upscale urgent care for people, so I knew I was in for it financially. I knew she had a slim chance of coming home with me alive, but they just kind of avoided the topic of putting her down. And even when it came time to tell me there weren't other options they didn't want to come out and say it. They were talking to me about treatment options. Don't get me wrong. i love my pets passionately,but the reality is at 17, she's almost 100 in people years, and at that point we;re talking hospice and end of life care, not thousands of dollars in treatments that probably won't work. And if they do, she might live another 6 months or year at most?

***
On a brighter note, one of the reasons I haven't been able to post so much is that I've been up to my eyeballs in freelance work. Once again, it's the magic of the SA sidebar. I write something there and it comes true. It's magic!

So yes, I sidebar 'wished' to write more lucrative articles for a wire service. Last year, all year, I wrote 3 articles for them. This year, I've written six so far and they keep giving me assignments. Good news! Good Pay! But makes for a very busy me.

I'm hoping the work flow will become more manageable in fall, when the kids both start school at the same preschool very close to home. (This might be a game changer. ) 3 days a week from 9 to 1 means I might actually get to do more work during the day instead of pulling late nights to meet deadlines.

And, I'll have a sweet new office to work in!!

***
So yes, money is coming in, but we're very busy and I feel like I'm slipping up keeping a lid on the budget. I feel like I've been buying a lot of meals out and luxuries. I need to check myself. our CSA farm share just started, so my focus to slow down and cook with awesome local ingredients seems to be coming back.

Despite this, I noticed that we have paid just shy of $3000 off the principal on the car loan, and when my next mortgage payment posts we just might be just under $80,000 owed, which means we paid off about $8000 in extra principal since we moved in last April. (Excluding the one time 125,000 payment made when we sold our other house). Progress is being made, even if it doesn't feel like it.

***
I am a sucker for school fundraisers. Maybe because my mom was a Catholic school grade school teacher, I had to sell candy bars door to door and sell magazines to raise money for the school. when I was little, which sucked. I went to my son's preschool fundraiser on friday. Had to go alone because the sitter had his appendix out at the last minute. Poor kid.

So yeah, I ended up spending $75 on an auction lot with a snowcone theme. It included a snowcone maker, and a bunch of flavorings, and some monster-themed home popsicle molds. Yeah. I'm a sucker.

preaching to the choir.... but

April 24th, 2012 at 04:47 pm

I really liked this article for some reason. I wish I had a sly way to send it to my sister and have her actually read it.

Text is http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/bad-habits-hurt-finances.aspx?ic_id=Top_Stories_link_1#slide=1 and Link is
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/bad-habits-...

I liked the idea of eliminating one spending habit a day and saving it. For me, it's eating out on work days. That's $20 to $30 a week!

Gas mileage, et al

April 24th, 2012 at 01:49 am

I'm not imagining it. I really am always in the car since I moved to the new house.

This week, I drove: 229 miles @ 36.5 mpg
last week, I drove: 364.7 @ 37.8 mpg
The week before, I drove:428.8 at 37 mpg

Looks like 229 is a normal week, and 364 is a normal every other week because it includes a trip to my mom's so one of the grandkids can spend the night. geesh. Since the sitter/my best friend lives 60 miles round trip away, that is 120 miles a week I can't do without.

I anticipate this number will drastically decrease in fall, when both kids start going to the same preschool that is less than a mile from home, and no longer go to my best friend and babysitter's house. Until then, I'll just try to cut where I can and look for gas discounts.

Today's spending: $34 on groceries, $5 at CVS, $13 for lunch.

Never send hubby to get groceries

April 22nd, 2012 at 05:58 pm

You'd think I would have learned that lesson by now. I sent him out last night to get milk and bananas, we were out and I needed them both for bed time.

He spent $59.24, and ended up buying a bunch of stuff we already have plenty of, or that I have coupons for. Argh. So, that was yesterday's spending.

Today, I had to do the "Actual" shopping, and spent
$13.67 at Target to stock up on laundry detergent, coffee, and Method cleaners. Box of diapers. Great sales with coupons. I used the 24.77 gift card I discovered in my drawer yesterday, and $15 in coupons.

CVS: 66 cents. I have a bunch of Extrabucks about to expire and had to use or lose them, so I bought some Buy 2 get one kids toothpaste and sale shampoo. My bill was $18.48 before coupons and EB.

My trip to the grocery: $12.31. got 6 free dish detergents, sour cream, vegetables, a giant pack of chicken legs to make for dinner. I used $9.24 in coupons.

Oh, and I've started pricing out supplies for the basement office finishing at various big box hardware stores. The same stud is $2.19 at one, and $3.03 at the other. Looks like I'm really going to have to shop around to make sure I get the best deal. So much price difference!

It pays to clean!

April 21st, 2012 at 06:54 pm

I've been cleaning and sorting the basement storage space, prepping to finish it into an office. It sure pays to clean. I found a Target gift card from 2003 with $25 still left on it (verified with Target), I posted my old camera on ebay at 11 a.m. and it's already sold for $85, and I posted my old clarinet on craigslist for $25, and someone just came to buy it. I haven't played it in almost 20 years. So, off to a better home.

I also posted all of my vintage sewing patterns for sale on etsy, in giant lots of 50 or more. Hopefully they will sell, but there seem to be a lot out there not going for much.

I also freecycled a broken dehumidifier, and put two recycling bins full of paper out to the curb. it feels nice to get rid of stuff. I just am to the point where I don't want it or need any extras clinging to me anymore.

Spending and home office thoughts

April 20th, 2012 at 08:54 pm

4/19 No Spend Day. Hazzah!
4/20: $31 for fill-up @ $3.67 gal
$12, for cheeseburger lunch with the boys after swim lessons, $28 pizza dinner for the family.

Met with my contractor friend today to talk through finishing my basement office. (I'll post some pics of the before later.)

I'm thinking I might not have much left of my now $4,000 budget once it's done, but you kind of have to spend some cash to do it right the first time to save down the road. So yeah, I think we've decided to fully frame it out, do vapor barrier, insulation and drywall. Then the cost of ceiling panels and flooring.

I also need some significant electrical work, some closet doors for the wall of storage, etc. I am trying to economize where I can. For instance, I am in an architectural salvage auction for 15 feet of shoji screen closet doors, very nice. Current bid is $6. My max is about $60, which would still be a steal. And, I have an IKEA chandelier I can reuse for a light fixture. I need two, but buying one more is only $30, so that saves a bunch.

My plan is also to utilize grocery store gas perks for buying gift cards (4 x fuel points worth 10 cents off a gallon). when buying supplies for this project, so I can at least get a gas discount if I'm going to spend the money anyway, right?

Oh, and while clearing out the room I have found some items I might be able to sell for a little bit of money, to defray some of the costs, namely a fabulous camera that I used to use all the time but no longer do, and my wood clarinet. Haven't played since high school, so probably don't need that, right?

Spending update, and home office project

April 19th, 2012 at 01:39 am

Tuesday 4/17 $48 at grocery store

Wed 4/18 $11 lunch
$45 at Target (printer ink, bubbles, kids' socks, etc.)
$20 family dinner at Five Guys
$8.15 library fines.

geesh. This challenge is really making me think about how much money my family spends on meals out and groceries. More than I thought.

Also ran a mile today and trained with personal trainer for 1 hour. (I get a deep discount through the Y).

Anyway, I am cleaning out the large, icky concrete block and concrete floor room in the basement that we will soon be finishing into my sweet home office and sewing room.

I've been sorting through boxes that have pretty much been sitting there untouched for 1 year, since we moved in. I've found a bunch of old pictures, and a bunch of papers that made me think... why do I have this? So yes, the recycling bins are extra full this week. I also refinished the last of the 4 foot wide bookcases my grandpa made me before he died. Much of the paper stuff from my office will hopefully be housed there.

I'm trying to have a keep eye for tossing, selling, and sorting. I'm tired of living with so much stuff.

I ran across a few things I might be able to sell, like my old Pentax K1000 camera and lenses, and I'm considering giving up my collection of 1960s knitting books and vintage sewing patterns. I'm sure there are some crafters out there who could make better use of it! I may also sell my 1950s desk with the kidney bean shaped top and my blue formica and chrome table.
They are great pieces, but they just don't work for me anymore. Boo.

Weekend

April 15th, 2012 at 03:28 pm

April 14: No Spend Day

April 15: $44.83 on bulk organic tea bags. Ran out. This lasts a couple of months.
19 cents Copies of tax documents. (Yes, I'm that guy.)
$33.81 for milk and misc groceries

April 16:
$10 lunch
$68 groceries, stock up on manager's special english muffins, got cream, 6 cans of bacardi drink mixers (restocking for date night and surprise guests), blueberries, apples, organic yogurt, etc.

Miles driven for the week:
364.7 @ 37.8 mpg

No wonder I felt like I was always in the car. I am. It's depressing! I know the number of miles will drop a lot in fall, when both kids start going to preschool close to home, rather than to the sitter, but it's going to be a real pinch to reduce miles between now and then.

Spending and pink eye!

April 13th, 2012 at 08:51 pm

Here are the expenses. And I wonder where all my money goes. Now I know, and I don't like it! Ugh.

April 12:
$90 swim lessons for DS1
$8.97 3 cartons of Breyer's on sale at Walgreens
$25.25-- lunch out with hubby and DS2 (Indian)
$36.17-- fill up @ $3.67 a gallon

April 13:
$15 Dr. copay for DS2
$36 lunch with DH and DS2 (DH's idea. Cuban. Good, but spendy!)
$20 for pink eye prescription
$17.38 for organic milk and pedialyte

Today was payday, so $150 went to EF, and $2100 ($430 extra) was paid toward the mortgage. All CC bills were paid today as well. I will be sending $519 to city income tax this weekend as well.

As for that pinkeye...

My youngest and I had the flu last week and finally got over it, but now the littlest has pinkeye and a slight fever. He goes to the doctor today. Poor little guy can't catch a break. It seems like with toddlers, illnesses just kind of cluster together and go on forever. Last year we had a 6 week stretch with two rounds back to back of ear infections and pink eye for both kids. They just kept swapping the pink eye back and forth.

The Doc says this may be a resurgence of the virus we had last week. She confirmed the pinkeye, and sent a strep sample off to the lab just in case (it tested negative in the office, but better safe than sorry). Poor little guy. He's 2 and gets really pitiful and snugly when he's sick.

daily expense, basement redo, and tax refund.

April 11th, 2012 at 08:54 pm

April 11 expenses: $15.41 lunch out, work day. No more spending planned for today, although sometimes DH takes DS1 out for cheeseburgers after swim class, so that might add another $8 for the two of them.

In other news, our federal tax refund of $4,696 and state refund of $433 posted to the checking account today. I'll use some of it to pay the city tax ($591, plus maybe more for the city where we used to live), put some toward the car loan (haven't decided how much), and reserve the rest for an electrician to wire my future office in the basement and to finish my basement office.

We have a modestly-priced finishing of a currently unfinished basement room planned, to turn it into my sewing room and home office. I'm trying to keep the cost to $2,000 or less with materials and labor. it might not be possible, but I'm trying!

Right now it's a blank slate. Concrete block walls, concrete floor, open ceiling, etc. Maybe 15 by 20 feet. It will involve putting up a ceiling, framing out an entire wall into closet storage, putting up furring strips and hanging some sort of wall panels, and flooring.

My friend is a contractor and has already agreed to take on the job. He charges very reasonable rates, because he has little overhead in his business. It's just him and a truck.

I have kind of an idea of what I want, but have just started looking at materials and options. It's exciting, but overwhelming!

Oh, and I sold our 4 year old $25 Ikea high chair on craigslist today for $10. One less thing to trip over.

Expenses and miles, oh my!

April 10th, 2012 at 05:18 pm

Today's spend: $24.38 on groceries. Mostly milk and produce.

I have been keeping track of how many miles I drive in a week, in a bid to reduce my overall miles. This past week was 428.8 at 37 mpg. Wow. No wonder I feel like I live my life in the car!! Granted, I had two round trips to my mom's (1 hour drive) for Easter weekend, but geesh. That is still a lot. That included all my regular trips to the babysitter, swim lessons, groceries, etc.


I'm planning to keep track for the next three weeks to get a handle on my average miles, and then come up with a plan to cut where I can.

On another note-- car note, that is-- the sitter was out of town yesterday, so I sent the $60 I would have spent on babysitting to the car loan. It's money I would have spent during a normal week, so I can rationalize that!


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