Wow, I was excited about $25 more for DH for being a long-term sub...but we found out that he will actually be making 1/200th of a teacher's salary every day now - so instead of $75/day, he will be getting $150-$75/day. That's HUGE!
It's been a hectic week - too much to do around the house that I just can't get to. I finally pulled out all the summer clothes for the kids (it hit 80 today). The entire house is a mess though. Since I'm not working tomorrow, that's my goal. Along with planting my herbs (received from a wine and herb tour we took over the weekend), starting to prepare my garden, cleaning up the yard, doing about 5 loads of laundry, etc etc. Oh, and I take the kids to the library or roller skating rink every Wednesday too. Phew.
Moneywise - things are going well. We have booked our one week vacation at a cabin for this summer - $323 for the week. I have our 0% cc paid down to $2300 and only a few hundred dollars on the other cc, to pay off in two days when we get paid. This was from a few tanks of gas (DH lost his debit card) and ordering DH's contacts. Net worth is creeping very steadily toward $11k thanks to a great rally by Apple and John Deere stocks. WOOHOO!
DH's grandmother fell at the grocery store this evening - she's getting x-rays at the ER as I write. She's alert and I don't think she's in pain, but she is over 80, so everyone keep your fingers crossed for her.

DH walked in the house doing the happy dance today. He was called to the principals office (not in a bad way!) at the school where he is subbing and was asked to stay on until at least June 1st (but with a good possibility of staying until the end of the year). And, because he is now classified a "long-term sub", he gets $25 more per day, and a month of steady work, with at least a foot in the door for any openings next year.
Phew.

Happy dance! Happy dance!

I just came across an awesome deal at shipmycontacts.com (I wrote about them in a previous post as I was really pleased with the price and speed of shipping). Anyway, I went back there to order DH's contacts - also Night & Days. The price per box? $0 after rebate. These are the same contacts that I paid $35/box for, and my eye doctor charges $70/box for! What a great deal - ends today though.

Qurbs (Get it? Quickies + blurbs!)
-DH and I went to Spamalot last night! Those of you who know what I am talking about will LOVE it. Those who have no clue, well, it's probably not your thing To explain - it's the Monty Python musical. Absolutely hilarious. We had a nice dinner at some really pretentious restaurant/bar before the show because it was the only quick place we could find (since we were late as usual). I would have had to faint at the prices, except we had a $25 gift certificate. We still paid nearly $40 for a modest size portion without even getting salad, drinks, or dessert (salads not included with meals is a pet peeve of mine). The food was really good though.
- Financially, we broke the $10k net worth two days ago (yeah Apple stock!). This is amazing for us since we were negative two months ago. We owe it to a very large tax refund ($6k), DH working steadily, and some good growth in our stocks. I am looking forward to seeing it rise even more
- DH has a two week job subbing at one school where he has been receiving some very positive attention. It's the school that he hopes to get a job at in September, so this is encouraging.
- CC debt is down to $2500 on our 0% cc. We still have 4 more months to pay it off - shouldn't be a problem. I don't even think we'll need to use the EF for it.
- A buyer I am working with signed an offer on a house today. My first sale in way too long - hopefully the end of my longest dry spell ever. Seems like every deal I've done lately has fallen apart due to home inspections, nervous buyers, etc. I hope this one works out.
- We have that great lead on a free bathroom vanity and tub. I have to get the measurements of our bathroom to the person from Freecycle so she can tell me if they will fit.

A lot of good things have been happening lately. Tomorrow, I'm going to see if there are any garage sales around. I've been itching to get out...DH is heading down to the city tomorrow to watch the Yankees game with his brother, so I am going to spend the day puttering around. It sounds like a good idea after this week

on how to get things as cheaply as possible...
Last night I wrote a post to freecycle and to our local bulletin board to ask for bathroom fixtures (I even offered to pay a reasonable price on the bulletin board). Today I came home to an e-mail offering a vanity with double sink, mirror, and tub/shower, all in very good shape, from a lady who's mother is remodeling her bathroom next month. I can't wait to see them to see if they would work in our bathroom. Imagine, all of that for free. The single vanity I priced at Lowes was nearly $300 alone, without the sink and faucet. Then we have to add at least a few hundred more for either a tub or shower stall. I'm very excited. If this pans out, it could save us some major moolah. It never hurts to ask!

So your last good pair of socks got a hole, you want that latest bestseller, or you just want to upgrade your electronics. How do you know you are getting things as cheaply as possible? Follow these few easy steps!

1. Decide if you want to own or borrow. If the item is something you just want for a short amount of time, then borrow it. Ask friends, family, neighbors if they have one. Rent it. Borrow it from the library or see if you have a chapter of "Borrow Me" near you (similar to Freecycle - I think it got off the ground last year). Then give it back - you don't need the cluuter anyway, do you?

2. If the items is something you really need and will use over an extended period of time, then you need to find a way to get it as cheaply as possible. And nothing is cheaper than free, right? Ask for it on Freecyle or Craig's List. Put out the word to acquaintances that you are looking - you never know when someone might have one or know someone who does. Check the fre section of the newspaper. If you can't find it anywhere for free, then...

3. But it used. Check out local thrift stores and garage sales. If nothing pans out, try E-bay or Craig's List. Advertise in the Wanted section of your local newspaper or Pennysaver. And, of course, if you cannot find it used, then...

4. Buy new. But first, check out prices in catalogs and online (be sure to figure in shipping costs). Do as much research as possible from your house to minimize costs of driving all over town. When you find it, consider negotiating a lower price, depending on the type of store you are at (especially if there is a noticeable defect). You can also minimize the cost of buying new by sharing the item, and cost, with someone else who also needs one (such as with tools that aren't used frequently) or by bartering if you have something worth trading.

This method won't work for all items. For example, in shopping for car seats and other safety devices, you should skip to step 4 since used car seats can have defects not visible to your eyes. This process can take a few hours, or it can take months (or longer) depending on your level of need. Here's an example from my life:

About two years ago, I decided that my boys needed stepstools for our two bathrooms. I started by posting on Freecycle, but received no responses. I kept my eyes open for one while in thrift stores and garage sales for a few weeks to no avail. Eventually I came across a good price at Wal-Mart and bought one for the downstairs bathroom. About a month later, I found a used one at a garage sale for $.50. By not running out to purchase two new stools as soon as I identified the need, I was able to save significantly off the price of a second stool. Also, because it was not an immediate need, I had the luxury of time.

I use similar approaches when my kids outgrow their pajamas. First I check Freecyle and my stockpile (hand-me-downs from a friend who now gives me everything her son outgrows), then garage sales (I rarely find any at thrift stores). Since these are items I need regularly, I also put them on gift lists for my boys, since I am regularly asked what they need. As a result, I have only bought one new pair of pjs for either boy in nearly 4 years.
Next time you need something, ask if you need it NOW or can you wait for a good deal to come along? For most things, a little bit of waiting, and researching, can be quite profitable

So many of my posts revolve around food and recipe creations that this seems like a natural topic for me to talk about Oh yeah, and I love to eat too!

1. Take stock of what you have to work with. Check out the veggie drawers, the Tupperware containers that got pushed to the back, the near empty bottles of dressings and sauces. Discard anything that already has green fuzzies (unless, in true frugal style, cutting the fuzzies off cheese doesn't disgust you), anything that is too far past the expiration date, or anything that just smells gross. If thee's anything that can't be used in time, throw it in the freezer for a later recipe. Keep a pantry stocked with staples such as rice, pasta, beans, canned cream soups, spices, flour, sugar, etc.

2. Of the items left in the fridge, identify one or two that you really need to use up pronto, such as some wilting veggies or leftover meats. These will be your starting points.

3. Decide a basic form for your recipe, i.e. soup, salad, casserole, etc. From this point, you have several options. I use both of these interchangeably.

3a. Search for a recipe that uses the 1 or 2 ingredients you have identified. You might have a cookbook, a collection of clippings, or a trusted site like my favorite, Recipezaar.com. Whenever I need ideas, I will do a seach on Recipezaar cross-referencing the ingredients I have with the course, type of dish, or preparation method.

3b. Wing it. Once you have the basic methods of cooking under you belt, you can easily adjust any basic recipe to use up what you have on hand. Here are some very basic "formulas":
Soups: Broth or water, meat, veggies, starch (potatoes, pasta, or rice). Either a can of diced tomatoes for a tomato based soup, or cream/milk for a cream soup or chowder. Add ins: cheese, salsa, sour cream, spices.
Chili: ground meat (hamburger or turkey) or chunked meat (chicken or steak), canned beans, tomato sauce, veggies (peppers, onions, celery), spices.
Casseroles: meat, veggies, cream soup or basic white sauce. Add ins: cheese, cracker topping, fried onions.
Skillet dinners: meat, potatoes, onions. Add ins: green beans, zucchini, tomato or spaghetti sauce, cabbage.
Pasta: any type of cooked pasta, canned sauces or canned tomatoes, meat. Add ins: veggies, cheese.

4. Make it. It doesn't matter if you don't have everything the recipe calls for. You can substitute milk for cream, rice for potatoes, spinach for swiss chard, etc. Your substitutions might make the recipe just a little bit better.

This sounds a little too general, so let's give a specific example. I have a pound of Italian sausage to use by tonight. In the fridge I also have a zucchini that is going soft and a half jar of pizza sauce. How do I combine these to make a meal?

1. Grill the Italian sausage with peppers and onions (both staples in my house, both of which I also keep in the freezer just in case). Grill the zucchini too. Serve the sausage with heated sauce.

2. Make Italian sausage soup with the browned sausage, canned tomatoes, diced zucchini, broth, spices, and potatoes or pasta. Add the leftover sauce to the soup.

3. Make sausage and zucchini pasta with canned tomatoes, pizza sauce, and cream (a little vodka in the sauce wouldn't hurt either).

4. Slice the sausage and cook with sliced potatoes and peppers. Layer the zucchini with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese - bake until done.
Four simple meals - and infinitely more combinations out there. This post does oversimplify things for the sake of brevity, but the best way to get creative is to just get your feet wet. I used to only follow established recipes, but eventually I became comfortable enough to start making my own dishes. The only way to get to that point is to start experimenting. Leftover sauces go great in soup. Leftover dressings can marinate veggies or meat. Sour cream is great for baking or stirring into soups, esp. chili. If you absolutely cannot use something up in time, throw it in the freezer. Leftover veggies freeze well to be used in soup later. I have also frozen leftover tomato sauce to throw in a soup or casserole later. You can always throw it away from the freezer, but if you leave it in the fridge too long, it's going to end up green and fuzzy

Just a quick tally of how we spent the weekend. Last night was BUNCO night! We now have an established Bunco night, the second Friday of each month. I host every other month. Last night I had 15 dice-tossing, wine-drinking, chocolate-dessert-eating ladies in my house and it was a BLAST! I am so glad I took the time to pull this thing together. We started in January, so this was our fourth month together. Everyone has fun and can't wait for the next month. It costs $10 to play, and I have won $20 for the past three months, so I am way ahead
My MIL comes into town to play with us, so she stayed overnight last night. Today we decided to drop my older son off next door and go shopping/out to dinner with DH, MIL, and my younger son. We stopped at a teacher store (for MIL and DH), and thrift store (for me and MIL), and the Christmas Tree Shops (for all of us), then had a great casual dinner. We spent about $50 shopping and another $30 on dinner - well worth it. It was so nice to just SHOP (not advocating recreational shopping here - anyone who knows me can attest that I rarely do this!). It has been so long since DH and I had extra cash that we just bought what we wanted tonight (a cookbook, some picture albums, dog toys, really good baking chocolate, etc) without having to worry about what we were taking that money away from. And, it's nice to know that I can have a really good time, and buy everything I want, for $50
Tomorrow - I have to do an Open House, then go bowling. And then, back to the Monday grind (and back to the eye doctor to have my pinkeye looked at!).

$86.95 and counting...
Add in the $30 co-pay I spent to get my eye drops (yes, I had pink eye too), plus the $75 I spent to update the lenses in my glasses since I now have to wear them for 7-10 days (I haven't had them updated in 7 years - my eyes have changed a lot since then. I have been putting this off for too long). I don't even know what the cost of the eye doctor's appt. will be yet, since he's not going to charge me until after my return visit Monday. It will probaby be another $30-50.
And then we have to figure in the cost of another MD visit for ds2 ($18) plus another prescription for antibiotics ($15) since he now has a double ear infection (which the pediatrician told us to be on the watch for - since he had a sleepless night, we took him in today). There was also $2.60 for children's acetaminophen for the fever, and the $10 DH spent since he was at the grocery store anyway waiting for the script...plus the additional gas and parking costs for another trip to the MD and pharmacy. Ugh. I don't even want to add this one up. It's amazing how catching one little illness multiplied by five people (the total number in our household, out of six people, to get pinkeye) really adds up.

I just updated my stats on my profile and found that my investments topped my debt!!! WOOHOO! My net worth has been positive for a while, and is about $9k now, due to my EF and savings/checking, but it's nice to know that I have more in investments finally than I do in debt

(in two children)
$18 co-pay x2 = $36
parking for doctor's office = $.50
three prescription co-pays (two eye drops and one antibiotic for the kid who also has an ear infection, possibly secondary to the pinkeye) = $45
lunch while waiting for the scripts (too far to go home in between) = $5.45

Total: $86.95
Wow. Just for two little pink eyes! And that's with insurance. I shudder to think how families without insurance can get side-tracked by such a little, but necessary, thing.

I've spent some time wrapping up some loose ends - I have two e-mail accounts, and one has started to be bombarded with spam, about 50-100 every day. I spent quite a bit of time changing all my contact information to my other account in preparation to close that account. It will be simpler in the long run to go back to one account. In doing this, I decided to close my mypoints account as well. I have just ordered a Wal-Mart gift card and have only a few points left in my account, so it's done.
I got my first pinecone survey under my belt and $5 in my paypal account. They were very, very fast. I will definitely do more as they send them to me.
I also had two sales on E-bay - although not for as much as I would have liked, but it did clear a little bit of clutter out of my house and put a little more into my paypal.
We are off tomorrow to visit DH's family for the holiday weekend. We always have a blast. Hope everyone has a great weekend

March budget and spending:
Groceries: 250 -> 242.08
Household/Cell: 160 -> 154.85
Car: 190 -> 141.01 for gas, 143.89 for an unexpected repair, total 248.90
Medical: 15 -> 3
Clothes: 0 -> 0
Loans: 300.36 -> 300.36
Entertainment: 120 -> 218.15 (paid an extra $100 to pay off the rest of our bowling fees for the season)
Gifts: 50 -> 64.59
Miscellaneous: 100 -> 345.36
Real estate: 100 -> 175.60
School/Day care: 200 (certification fee for DH's teaching) -> 0
Investment: 4000 -> 2000
Cash withdrawals: 100 with no fees -> 195 with 4 in fees
Total income: 7567.08 ($6k tax refund)
Total expenses: 5585.36 -> 3988.61
We've got some extra cash left, which has already been put into DH's Roth ($3500, we're almost to the limit for 2006!).

Budget for April:
Groceries: 225
Household/Cell: 45
Car: 175
Medical: 200
Clothes: 0
Loans: 300.36
Entertainment: 100
Gifts: 50
Miscellaneous: 100
Real estate: 75
School/Day care: 200 (certification fee for DH's teaching)
Investment: 3500 from March surplus, 500 from April
Cash withdrawals: 100 with no fees
Total income: 3600
Total expenses: 1920.36
Another great month! I've already put $200 on the cc and will definitely be able to do some more later this month.

About a year and a half ago, I lost my pregnancy weight - nearly 20 pounds. I kept all of it off for about a year, but then the sweets crept back in, little by little, until my sugar consumption was back to the level it was before I lost the weight. Ah, evil sugar! Anyway, I'm just 5 pounds above where I want to be, but it is all in the middle and my pants are tight *pout*. Back to the tried and true, South Beach it is! Relatively easy to follow...I can do it! I should lose the weight in a week or two, at most, then I can switch to the next phase to maintain.
A few weeks ago I started an exercise routine too - treadmilling while I caught up on some tv shows that I like (kudos to the people who invented DVR and Netflix). It's been going well - I started at 20 minutes at a fast walk, which was just over a mile. Today I did almost a mile and a half in just over 20 minutes. I have found it much easier to stick to this since I have something to occupy my time (despite the inherent contradiction in watching television while you exercise). I think I can keep doing this
My parents returned from their vacation early this morning - not a good trip. In fact, they said it was probably the worst they had ever taken because my dad was sick the entire time. What a bummer. It's good to have them back, although I don't think I will be rocking it out to Meatloaf anytime soon (if you are confused, read back a few posts!).
Spent $100 over the past two days stocking up for the South Beach diet, and for my parents' return. I got a lot of fresh veggies, some cheeses and canned goods, and beef and pork. I also spent $157 at the dentist today for myself and ds1 - should get about $80-100 back from my insurance. I could pay less, but I really like our dentist and that is VERY important to me! I did tell her that I wanted my x-rays every two years instead of 1, which cuts down the bill a little.
Today, I moved $3500 into DH's IRA for 2006. We might be able to put the last $500 in by next week, but if not, I am not going to sweat it. I really only thought that we would be able to do $2000, so I am still very pleased. Sigh - now we have to start coming up with the money for 2007!

Since my babysitters are out of town and DH already agreed to sub today...I took a vacation day. Ahhh, a Monday off. I love it. I get harassed all the time I work (teasingly) because I only work half-time, so when I take a day off, I usually end up with 3-4 days off in a row. I have to remind everyone that I also only get paid half of what they do
I listed two new pairs of pjs on Ebay a few days back - bought as a gift for ds2, but he had so many pairs handed down from ds1, that he would never use them. I feel bad for selling them, but I don't know where they were purchased (so I can't return them) and if I kept them, they would hardly ever have been used. I guess at least this way, someone can get some use from them (and I get a little cash in the pocket). Anyway, they are currently selling at $4.76 with four days left. I have two Little People videos up too - no bids, but two watchers.
The kids just sat down to watch Blues Clues - got to sneak my time in on the treadmill - quick!

Well, here's one thing I haven't done since we moved in with my parents! I totally cranked up a Meatloaf record (yes, record - we are stuck in the 70's) and sang at the top of my lungs while doing housework today. What a freaking blast. I've forgotten how freeing it is to be alone! (well, aside from the kids, but I don't care what they think of me). Not that I'm looking to move out of here anytime soon...but days like this make me wonder if we should be moving on to get our own place soon. And then my parents return from vacation, and I remember all the good things about sharing a house, like shared dinner duty, free babysitting, and all those times when I would rather NOT be alone
Still, though...there's the flip side of decorating my house the way I want, buying and cooking the things I like, and, of course, rocking it out to Meatloaf

My parents went on vacation today for a week, so DH and I have the house to ourselves for a bit (I feel like a teenager - house party!). It's nice to be the only adults in the family for a while, but then I am also glad when they come home. It's nice to share the cooking and cleaning, to have company when DH is bowling or working, to haev an extra pair of hands to watch the kids if I have to work, or to be able to play cards in the evening. Most people, when they hear that we live with my parents, ask us how we can stand it. Most people say that they could never do it. I have a great set of parents who enjoy our company but respect our privacy. It just works
But, for this week at least, we have the house to ourselves!

I got handed an envelope of cash tonight at the party - a gift from a relative whose mother I had helped out before her death last year. It's actually a rather long story that I am not going to get into at all, but it was a very pleasant surprise in an otherwise aggravating weekend!
So now...I have $1k extra, a total surprise, to do something with. As much fun as taking a vacation sounds, it's not in the cards for us right now Here's the realistic options:
1. CC balance of $2900 at 0% interest until August
2. Add it to DH's 2006 Roth contributions (currently at $0, but $2k slated to go in as soon as we get our state tax refund back).
3. Pay towards student loans, $5700 and $15k at about 3.75% interest.
4. Beef up EF, currently at $7k.

Only other debt is a $157 cc balance, which will be paid off this month anyway.
My parents are going to Vegas in a few days...DH said to give it to them and try to double it! He's kidding, of course...but what should we do with it? I am tempted to put it toward the student loans, but the window of opportunity for 2006 contributions is quickly closing...

Warning - rant.

Well, I went and ruined everything - talking about my house sale. The deal fell through. After we had a verbal agreement on all the terms of the sale, the buyers backed out because they decided that they didn't want to live on a main road. HELLO??? They didn't REALIZE that the house was on a main road? I was just a tad ticked off. I think my seller handled it better than I did. I am just so sick and freaking tired of all of these deals falling apart. My last deal fell apart when my buyer walked after the home inspection that wasn't even that bad - no major problems! The other few offers I have written lately have been beaten by other offers or came in too low (after I warned my buyers that they were too low...) and we couldn't negotiate an agreeable price. I swear, some days I feel about ready to pack it in. I am SO frustrated. No sales in 5 months. Aside from my maternity leaves, this has been the longest I have gone without a sale. I am really glad, with the way things are going, that my family does not rely on my sales for income (we treat it as a bonus when I get a commission). So frustrating. Just had to get that off my chest. I have spent over $600 so far this year on real estate, but not made a cent. Am I nuts, or what?

The Meatloaf concert was very good. We had a nice time. Bonus: we found a restaurant that we had a Dine A Mate coupon for ($10 for the both of us!) and we found a free parking spot instead of paying $5 to park in the lot. It was nice to get out. Last night we celebrated my father's birthday, and tonight we have a surprise 50th birthday party for my cousin's husband. It's nice to get my mind off my latest failure...I definitely plan to party it up tonight

...but, shhh, I don't want to say too much and jinx anything, the way my real estate luck has been going lately...but I *think* I may have a deal on the house I have listed...we have a verbal agreement, just have to sign the final paperwork tomorrow. But then, we have to get through the home inspection. I'm not too worried - I think the house is in pretty good shape. But I never breath easy until it's over. I've had a pitiful dry 4 or 5 months since my last sale. Much of it my fault for getting lazy, but I have also had a string of really bad luck (being beaten by other offers, having a bad home inspection, losing a listing). I am ready for something to change.
Remember...it's a secret though

DH is working very steadily - almost every day - subbing for four different school districts. He has a long-term position coming up in April with a small possibility of continuing throughout the rest of the year if the teacher doesn't return after her surgery - plus she is retiring at the end of the school year, so it will be so good for him to get his name in at that school. We have been living for so long on so little that I am having a hard time getting used to two incomes again! It's great because we end up with extra money left which I can throw at the cc - which is down to $3100 from $4500 not too long ago.

Tomorrow DH and I are going to dinner and the Meatloaf concert. Any other Meatloaf fans out there? I saw him once in high school - DH got me tickets for Christmas this year to go again. Ah, a night out...I love it.

Still loving Tinapbeanas find - the pocket mod. I write down all the sales in it when I go through the ads each week so I always have them with me if I want to make a quick stop somewhere. I use it for my to-do and grocery lists. No more forgetting those little things that I used to!

Or not enough? I'm trying to figure out what my subconscious was telling me last night as I was DREAMING about savingadvice.com.
Ok, picture this (a little bit of Golden Girls melodrama here) - I dreamt that I was attending a conference on building a new home and I knew that Priceplus and SCFR were going to be there (I figure Priceplus was there because he was a fellow New Yorker, but I have no idea why SCFR was dragged into this!). I wanted to attend so badly so that I could see what PricePlus looked like when he wasn't wearing bike shorts (sorry, Priceplus!). I kept losing the directions, then finally found them a half hour after the session started, only to find out that I was 1.5 hours away from the site. Well, the magic of dreams managed to get me there anyway, where I met a very friendly SCFR (with curly black hair), but no priceplus to be found.
So, am I sick or what? I wonder what my dreams tonight will bring me!

(a cutesy combination of "quickies" and "blurbs")

- went to BOA today to find out why I was being charged a $3 maintenance fee on my savings account. Turns out that it was my fault (gosh, I hate it when that happens). I suppose I was told at some point that I would get charged is my savings account balance falls below $300, but since it never had been (until last month), I had forgotten. The representative from the bank was extremely nice and helpful, even taking the $3 off (without me asking) because she said it was a stupid requirement! Then she gave me her card with her direct line and told me to call if I ever had any more questions or problems. GREAT customer service at the branch, although I am disappointed that no one bothered to answer my e-mail to the bank. Might have to write BOA to give a thumbs up to the lady who helped me...(and a thumbs down to the online CSRs)
- DH's car does not seem to want to start lately. I barely got it started to get home from work (remember, mine's in the shop), and then we couldn't start it coming home tonight from our card match. DH scraped some crud off the battery terminals and it finally caught. oh boy...
- A big round of applause for Tinapbeana for introducing me to the pocketmod on her Friday freebies! LOVE it! I've bene carrying it around all day, making a to-do list (5 things already crossed off) and a shopping list. I even had enough space to make three different shopping lists for three different stores (not that I go to them all, but I don't decide which store to go to until after I make the lists). I was able to write down all those little things that I always forget because I have no paper handy! Keep 'em coming, Tina!
- Lost a bet on the SU game last week with my office mate. He totally took advantage of the fact that I don't follow basketball Actually, he gave me a four point spread, but I still lost and had to buy him a shake from McDonald's today. I wound up getting myself some soup there too, since I couldn't find much to bring for lunch today. Thumbs down for Jodi - way to blow $5.
- Spent - or saved - some money on dinner tonight, depending on how you look at it. DH and I were supposed to go out to a restaurant for dinner tonight before our card match, as my parents were taking the boys to my aunt's house for pizza. However...they were very late in coming in from chores due to a difficult emergency labor (cows, not people ), so we didn't have enough time to go to the restaurant. We went to our local pizza place instead and had a nice dinner (pizza and salad) for $8 - saved about $20 over the local restaurant we were going to go to, and we both agreed that we enjoyed it as much as we would have at the restaurant. It was a nice evening.

What, you ask? How could free meatballs possibly be bad? Well, let me start by saying that they were store-bought meatballs, which in my opinion, fall far short of my mother's meatballs (yes, I'm a meatball snob). But I digress...they were leftover from DH's grandmother's birthday party yesterday, so my MIL packed them up and sent them home with us, as MILs tend to do. Great, I thought, I'll throw them together with some sauce for dinner. Well, I did, managing to use up some leftover pizza sauce that was inhabiting the fridge for a touch too long (+1 for Jodi). However, I forgot to take off my son's shirt, which happened to be the most adorable green and white striped rugby shirt BROUGHT BACK FROM IRELAND as a gift for him. He got sauce all down the front of it (+1 for the meatballs). We did manage to stain stick the hell out of it and most came out (+1 for DH). Fast forward to today, when I decided to use up more of the leftovers for lunch. I found some of my mother's homemade sauce in the freezer and it made a great lunch (+1 for Jodi), with leftovers for dinner. At dinnertime, I prepared a bowl for my son, then somehow managed to drop it in the three feet from the island to the table. It had already been cut into tiny pieces, which all managed to fly in distinctly different directions, all over the light green carpet (yes, a bad decision made by my mother, who is counting the spills until she can get linoleum). The devastation was widespread, and I think we got one mess closer to a new floor (+5 for the meatballs). In the process, the sauce splattered all over my semi-new pants, worn about 5 times (+1 for meatballs). Again, DH and I attacked the mess with Resolve (carpet) and stain stick (pants) (+3 for Jodi and DH).
There is one serving of meatballs and sauce left in the fridge...I am NOT taking it for lunch tomorrow. I am glad I will be at work, and not here to witness the damage they are certain to inflict upon my family tomorrow.
Score thus far:
Meatballs - 7
Jodi and DH - 6
Ugh, we're still losing. It's pretty ugly when meatballs go bad...

So much for having a nice little chunk of change to sit on for a bit! Just as I was pondering what to do with the remainder of my tax refund, fate intervened and decided for me.
1. DH got a letter in the mail from the wonderful state of NY Department of Motor Vehicles. It seems that if you accumulate 6 or more points on your license within 18 months, you are required to pay a "Driver Responsibility Assessment" to the tune of $100/year for 3 years. What the f$^&? Dh plead guilty, paid his fines plus his ridiculous NY state surcharges, and now he has to pay an additional $300? That is absolutely absurd. Just another way for NY to get its hand in the pot. I'm all for taking responsibility for your actions, but this is punishment not fitting the crime. Grrr.
2. My car decided to throw a tie rod, or something equally expensive, I'm sure (the mechanic hasn't looked at it yet). I was driving Friday when all of a sudden, my tire started wobbling and jerking. I immediately pulled over, thinking I had a flat or something, and noticed the odd angle my tire was sticking out at - and a rod that seemed like it should have been attached to something! Have I ever mentioned how much I despise my lemon, er car?

Not to mention that DH still has to pay $200 for his teacher certification...or that we have two dentist appts coming up this month (with x-rays)...and my MLS dues of $114 are due this month...I am really glad that we are back on track and I will not have to put anything on a cc. In fact, I just added $1000 to the BOA savings account last week, so we won't even have to dip into the EF (separate savings account at HSBC).

Oh, mysterious charge for $3 appeared on my BOA savings account Friday ("monthly maintenance charge" which I have never been charged before - BOA customers beware). I e-mailed them on Friday about it and was told I would get a response in 12 hours - still no reply. Looks like I have to stop in there tomorrow and threaten to take my business elsewhere. Grrr...don't mess with a lady who had a Friday like I did!

I hate when I pay money that I didn't need to. I hate it even more when I am trying to do something smart with the money and end up wasting it!
Anyone who's following my million questions in the investment section knows that I have been pondering putting money into mutual funds for some time. I finally decided on the Vanguard 2045 fund. I wanted to buy while the market was down a little, so I transferred the money into my Ameritrade account rather than taking the time to open a new Vanguard account (which would have taken a few weeks, since I needed to use some of the money that was already in my Ameritrade fund - I called Vanguard and the forms needed to make the switch had to be sent in, not faxed). I figured that the trade would cost $10. Then I could switch all the shares over to Vanguard when I was ready to open that account.
The trade cost $40! Ouch. Of course, when I went back in to see where this was stated (or find out if we were being ripped off), it says right there in the fee section that MF trades cost $40. Man. Oh well. Hopefully, my shares will gain $40 in the next few weeks so that I can feel I made the right choice by not waiting
(in 2 days, we're up $17.80!)

February budget:
Groceries: 200 -> 266.03
Household/Cell: 60 -> 0
Car: 190 for gas, 300 for new brakes on DH's car -> 181.69, 330.47
Medical: 27.00 -> 276 (what was I thinking? I must have forgot about my eye appt. and contacts)
Clothes: 0 -> 76.92
Loans: 100.36 -> 100.36
Entertainment: 120 -> 127.43
Gifts: 25 -> 25.19
Miscellaneous: 100 -> 127.49
Real estate: 40 -> 90.62 (forgot that my key rental comes due in Feb.)
School/Day care: 0 -> 0
Investment: 0 -> 0
Cash withdrawals: 100 with no fees -> 120, no fees!
Total income: 2400 -> 2360.50
Total expenses: 1162.36 -> 1722.20
Ok, not so bad. Expenses were a bit more than planned due to me needing contacts and an eye exam, and several get-togethers where we threw frugality out the window when shopping. Still, though, the first month in a long time where we earned more than we spent. The excess went to the cc, which is down to $3500. This month, we have a large windfall (aka tax refund) which will be used to catch up the 2006 Roth investments.

March budget:
Groceries: 250 (adjusted up for our annual St. Patrick's Day dinner - lots of corned beef and Guinness!)
Household/Cell: 160 (going to purchase DH's Tracfone minutes for the year)
Car: 190
Medical: 15
Clothes: 0
Loans: 300.36 (Dh's student loans went into repayment this month - about $110/month, but we will pay more as often as we can)
Entertainment: 120
Gifts: 50
Miscellaneous: 100
Real estate: 100
School/Day care: 200 (certification fee for DH's teaching)
Investment: 4000
Cash withdrawals: 100 with no fees
Total income: 8200 ($6k tax refund)
Total expenses: 5585.36
Wow, an excess of $2615. We had already decided to put $1k on the cc. Now we'll have to decide whether to put more on the cc, the beef up savings, or to add to the 2006 Roth contributions. As it stands now (after this month's planned investment), I will have reached $4k, but DH will only have $2k of this year's contribution made. Not a bad problem to have!

Just so happened that at bowling tonight, I bowled a 210 game (6 strikes in a row) - 547 series, which was the highest on our set of alleys. Just so happened that this was also against my brother, a 200 average guy, who I don't think that I have EVER beaten. We are a very competitive family, in a good way. But this is a very sweet victory for me (we also beat him and his wife in our pinochle match this afternoon!)
Spent a bit today - $40 for two weeks of bowling, $35 for the sitter, $35 in books and puzzles for the boys. I had two hours to kill after showing a house (buyers not interested ) before I had to be at the card match, so I stopped in at the Christmas Tree Shoppe and TJ Max. My goal was to find a few jigsaw puzzles for my two year old who shows quite a proficiency for them (he shows my 3 year old where the pieces go). I found four very reasonably priced puzzles on the clearance racks. I also picked up a few books for Easter baskets, a few St. Patrick's Day cards, and a new photo album. (side note - I found a birthday card for my niece who was born on St. Patrick's Day - and they had four different ones to chose from! Imagine, four cards that all said "Happy St. Patrick's Day and Birthday!" What will they come up with next!). I don't usually buy cards, but my MIL and SILs always send them to my boys and I thought it might be a nice surprise to send one back. Well, that and they were 50% off!
Pondering calling in sick to work tomorrow - I don't feel too bad, other than the sore throat, but I work with people who often have compromised immune systems. I don't want to spread around the germs. Still, I feel guilty calling in when I feel good enough to work - we'll see how things look in the morning.

About a week ago, my mom got a cold. About 5 days ago, ds1 got a cold. About 3 days ago, ds2 got a cold. Yesterday, despite washing my hands so frequently that they are all cracked, despite not touching anything that my kids nibbled, breathed, or sneezed on, I got the cold too. Might have had something to do with the fact that when they snuggled into our bed, I didn't have the heart or desire to turn their little faces away from mine as their warm breath fell on my face. Or that I used an entire box of tissues to wipe their little noses 20 times a day. Or maybe it was when one of them sneezed in my face However it happened, there's no more denying it. I'm sick too. Ugh.
We have a very busy day tomorrow - I'm showing a house at 1pm, playing in a card match at 3:30, and bowling at 6:30. This also means that we have to pay for a sitter from 3-9pm (that's IF I still feel like doing all this - I will probably feel worse tomorrow).
Moneywise, things are looking up - very up! We received our federal tax refund. I have to move it over to our Ameritrade account (and/or to Vanguard) to finish our 2006 contributions for our Roths. I made a $1000 payment on the AmEx (Dh's tuition at 0% - only $3500 left) and paid off a Discover charge earlier this month for a car repair. We have no cc debt other than the tuition. I also made the first payment on D's student loans since he finished school. The payment is $110, but I paid $200. I want to knock sucker out so early (tip of the hat to BA here). We have plenty of money in the account and several paychecks of DH's from subbing that he hasn't even collected yet, much less cashed. Yup, things are looking up.

I just got my renewal paperwork for my car insurance and thought it was pretty reasonable, until I looked up last years and saw that it went up $200! Ouch. But before I started the routine of calling around for better rates, I decided to call my agent to find out why...and I'm glad I did.
Turns out that DH's car safety course had expired and we hadn't sent in the new one yet ($81 will be taken off). I am also due to take the course again - I have to sign up for one (another $81 off). My agent referred me to AARP - she says they offer $10 courses. I think the normal cost is around $36-40, but I can take it through my union for $18. Whichever way I take it, it's well worth the cost to have $81 saved over three years! Lastly, I informed her that DH is no longer driving 30+ miles per day, but is now driving 3-10 miles per day. That took off another $20. Now we're talking - back to last year's cost with 5 minutes effort!

And we spent...gasp...money. I don't know what came over us! Actually, I do know. Dh needed sneakers and underwear. So, no, I'm not really that upset about spending the cash for things we needed. At least, not too upset. It just surprised me how fast we spent the money. We dropped $51 at the shoe store for a pair of sneakers (DH) and a pair of dress shoes for work (me - a gift for my birthday several months ago - mom gave me the money to spend on clothes for myself and I honestly have been searching this long to find a pair of shoes that I liked). Then I spent $6 at Sears for two shirts! That's better than the thrift stores prices - second only to the garage sale prices and freecycle! Lastly, DH spent $24 at Penneys for boxers. oh, did I mention this all happened after we went out for dinner and before we went to a movie?
I was very disappointed by dinner. We went to Applebee's, mainly because we had a gift certificate there. Usually I enjoy the food there, but most of my meal was covered in a very salty sauce. We spent $21 out of pocket after a $25 g.c. I can't imagine spending $46 for that meal when I could have had a better meal at a non-chain local restaurant. I hate being disappointed when I am looking forward to something so much!
We, like probably many others, saw our net worth plummet today. I was applauding the fact that we were not only positive, but over $1k net worth...until today. At last glance, we were -$3! Ouch. I hope this is a temporary setback! But I'm also wondering if this is a good time to get that mutual fund I have been researching...hmmm.