and getting back to business...
Had to spend a little cash today for lunch - $2.15 eating off the dollar menu at McDonald's. The funny thing about the dollar menu - I used to get a meal for $4-5 and eat the entire thing, including a soda. Now I order one cheeseburger and small fries, drink it with a glass of water, and feel full. I have saved a few bucks and a lot of calories. If anyone out there is struggling with fast food, try it. You can always for back for more, but you might be surprised that you are full with less
I spent the day running around - to work at 9, to an appt. 45 minutes away and back, then home for a few hours respite before calling hours this evening. I met my friend's wife for the first time. She told me that they had gone shopping on Friday and my friend had bought me a bag of Goldfish crackers to replace the ones he had eaten from my work stash. He had it sitting on the table so that he would not forget to bring it to me on Monday. That made me smile. He was always thinking of others, no matter how many times I told him not to worry about it. As I search my memories of him, I find that they are all positive. It's a very nice way to remember someone.
No more money news except my gas expenditures. $10 this morning (used up a free gift card), then another $63 on my way home tonight. OUCH. I hope the prices go down before I need to fill up again, but I doubt they will.

Ok, I was watching "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" tonight (I DVR it because we bowl on Sundays). One phrase caught my attention - Ty usually starts off the show by saying that this family really "deserves" a new house. Now, I'm not saying that they do or they don't, but what exactly do you have to do, or go through, to deserve a new home? Does going through a life-altering tragedy entitle you to a new home any more than someone who has scrimped their entire life to save for one? That must sound really unsympathetic, and I really am not saying that these families shouldn't benefit from the show, but do they DESERVE a brand new 4000 square foot home?
I guess what got to me about this phrase is that it implies everyone should have what these folks are getting, that a big hous is something we all should want to attain. Personally, I do not want a 4000+ square foot house (and some of them on this show have been even bigger). It's almost considered abnormal to NOT want the material things that society says we should want. When I first started watching this show, they would remodel an existing home and the owners would be thrilled. Then they started tearing down houses and putting up nice ones - and now it's progressed to tearing down houses that really could be remodeled (which just seems like a total waste to me) to put up these huge houses that often look completely out of place. What started out as a neat concept seems to have snowballed - now they have to do bigger and better every week. I guess what bothers me about the entire thing is that there are probably plenty of people at home thinking that they have had a rough life and "deserve" this too. When you feel entitled to something, it seems easier to get angry at not having it than to work to get it. Maybe I'm just being really pessimistic here. It just seems that a feeling of entitlement gets in the way of knowing you have to work hard to get what you want.
Disclaimer: I am NOT against giving a helping hand to those who are really in need (this show in particular seems to chose very grateful families who make a difference in their communities). I just wish they could present a more realistic view of the "American dream".

coming home to a huge pile of clean, folded laundry! DH knows how rough these past few days have been and it was so nice to see that mountain of laundry done. And love is coming home to two wriggling little bodies who are enjoying the sunshine and saying "Hi Mama! Watch me!". It's good to remember the things that make you smile.
Just to check in moneywise, aside from all else that is going on personally - things are going well right now. A lot of little things trickling in (waiting on that Pepsi rebate still - anyone else get it yet?) and not too much going out. I mailed out an $800 car payment last week, so now we'll only owe about $2000. It is really nice to not be sending out several hundred dollars per month to the credit card companies - not that we ever carried a balance, but we did charge a lot then pay it off every month. I actually think we are spending less since we agreed NOT to use the ccs for anything but true emergencies.
I would like to give some money to my friend's widow - not for anything specific, but to use for expenses or just for the kids. Anyone have any advice on how to do this tactfully? I was thinking of finding a close relative at the calling hours and ask them to pass it on to her. I would prefer it to remain anonymous, since she does not really know me. If anyone has been in this situation before, I would love to hear ideas. TIA.

What a horrible, horrible day. I went in to work to find my office mate and good friend died over the weekend in a stupid accident. He drowned after standing up in a kayak. Why? I have no idea. I don't know if they know why he did it. It was probably one of those split second decisions where you never think "what if...". But now it's too late. My heart aches for his widow and two children. And I ache for the friend I lost. I have only known him about 9 months, but we shared a lot of laughs and had a very similar outlook on work, family, politics, even money (he was the one I brown-bagged it with when everyone else ordered out). We both had a sweet tooth and would share the chocolate we both hid in our desks. When office politics got to be too much, we would close the door to our office and swear up a storm. We both took pride in doing our job well. We would talk about how nothing, nothing at all, was more important to us than our families. And now my office feels just wrong without him there to bring a smile to me face.
I don't feel much like writing tonight. Please, everyone, hold your loved ones a little closer today. Think before you act. I am as guilty as anyone of driving a little too fast when I am late, of taking convenient shortcuts when I should be thinking about safety, of not wearing my helmet or seatbelt when I am only going to the neighbors - but the impossible can happen, even when we think it cannot. Take care, everyone. I'll be checking in later.

Shorts today - the first time I have worn them this year. And the best part is that they were a pair I have not worn since before my first pregnancy. Anyway, the boys played outside all day again. I absolutely love living where we do, knowing that I can let my boys play in the yard while I cook dinner. I can hear and see them from the window or door. We have no neighbors except my brother and his family next door - and we live on a big hill not close to the road. Today the play items of choice were the dirt pile (again - always a hit) and the Little Tikes playground that was a hand-me-down from my SIL. Ds2's toys of choice were three metal lids. He carried them around, stacked them up, put them in and took them out of containers...played with them for probably an hour in all. Just reinforces my desire to keep it simple for my kids (which brings up an interesting question about gift-giving occasions - I will post this in the discussion area).
Our part-time service coordinator switched job locations, so we are now short staffed one full time and one part time position until our new person starts on May 8. So...I have again volunteered to work extra hours. It will only be for three weeks. I don't really want to pick up more hours, but I can't turn my nose up at $17 per hour of extra time either. I have agreed to work 5 hours more per week. It starts tomorrow
I did take one new listing today - so at least I am back in the real estate game again. And I ran into an old client who told me that they are "casually" looking again and could I let them know if I see anything? I will definitely keep my eyes open...If I could score just one decent commission, I would be able to pay of DH's car loan. I will be showing some more houses tomorrow to, so maybe I will have an actual deal soon.

1. Free Nestle Stixx in the mail today
2. Rebate checks from Staples
3. Homemade meals
4. Dentist visit reimbursement from insurance (more than I thought!)
5. Not having to pay items that I already prepaid
6. Three new listings (ok, they are just land listings, but it's a start) and one new buyer prospect for real estate
7. $10 found in my spring jacket pocket
8. The return of my first coupon train - only a month and half after I sent it out. It's a start!

Just my and my silly good mood tonight!

so many things for my kids??? Not that I do - I am pretty good at reigning myself in, but whenever they have an interest in something, I want to rush out and buy ten more. Example: The Dora doll my SIL talked me into getting for ds1 for Christmas ("It talks! It says his name! He'll love it!"). Yeah right. He never looked twice at it. Yet he loved Dora so much...and now this month, he loves Bob the Builder. Go figure. Just my random thoughts here.

I try so hard to not overbuy for my kids - maybe to the extreme sometimes - but there is always this want to just make them happy and see their smiles. But it is more important to remember (and to impart to them) that happiness does not come from possessions. And then I watch my boys run around outside, play in the dirt pile and visit the cows in the barn, enjoy the sunshine and go on a walk with me down the road...and I know I'm doing the right thing.

then I really didn't get much done today. A little more work on ds1's room a little more laundry, some dishes, and a lot of research on a wine tour/bachelorette party I am setting up. I have never been on a wine tour, so I don't really know why I volunteered to do this! But I am finding my way.
I am going out to lunch with a friend tomorrow. She's my best friend from high school, but it seems our lives have gone separate ways (she's a single professional, I'm a mom who only works for the health insurance). Still, I value our friendship and always try to sneak in some visits. We do have a good time, even though our lives are completely different now. So I will figure about $5 for lunch tomorrow since we usually go somewhere fast and casual.
I did get assigned a secret shop for tomorrow. So that will be an extra $6 in my pocket. (hey! that will cover my lunch!) This will be my third one, but now that I am doing more, the secret shop agency is making the effort to make me aware of new prospects. It's not much money, but it's a little extra, and I only take assignments that are close to my home or work so I don't waste a lot of time going out of my way.
Spent $1.00 today at the library - $.80 on fines (I actually talked them out of an extra $.50 because my DH dropped a video off after closing time on the day it was due) and I dropped my change in the book fund jar. It's not much, but I also give a yearly donation to the library. Definitely a cause worth supporting. I got the book "Welfare Brat" out - heard about it a few months ago on NPR and have been wanting to read it.

Well, I was going to try to post a picture of my desk, as Jeffrey did in his blog, but I seem to be braindead tonight. Maybe I'll figure this out...I try to add the image, then click "update" but it never gives me a link to put in the post. I know I'm missing something (probably obvious), but I'm too tired to figure it out.
I felt like I got nothing done today, but I did okay. My three loads of laundry got done and folded (along with the loads I found in the washer and dryer, courtesy of DH and my mother leaving them there). I got two more lessons done for my continuing ed. I made a nice new recipe for dinner with enough left over for breakfast (crab quiche). I put ds's bedroom back together after painting (almost). I went grocery shopping with a 1 year old. I guess on the days I am home, I sometimes feel like I should do as much as possible, but then the time spent just hanging out with my boys is more important than cleaning too
Spent about $60 at the store today - no other money spent. If I can aim for less than $68.75 per week, I will be under budget. Of course, my shopping trip on 3/31 came through in my bank account for 4/3, so technically it will be on this month's expenditures...which means I should be aiming to spend a little less every week.

Dh and I got a $15 charge on the cc last week from EBay. After some detective work, we discovered it originated about a month ago, after DH tried to pay for something without noticing that our old bank account (which had been closed) was still listed as the payment source. The payment was denied and our cc charged - then they levied the $15 charge a few weeks later. I encouraged him to write (okay, I wrote it for him) and ask for the charge to be reversed based on our prior payment history and the fact that it was a simple error. They wrote back that they will take it off as a courtesy. YEAH! It never hurts to ask.
I sent out my THIRD coupon train today. I have removed one person who is not following through, but I also added a new person (an unknown!), so I hope it works out this time. I am getting rather sick of wasting my money on postage, not to mention the time I take to clip all the coupons, and getting nothing in return.
A lot of money out lately - $100 to pay for the remaining 5 weeks of bowling, $50 tuition for ds1's preschool program, $100 cash withdrawal that slipped through my fingers in a day (however, it was spent on all unavoidable expenses that I otherwise would have used the debit card for, so I don't feel too bad). Not to mention the $70 DH donated to the local economy (in other words, lost at the casino). Time to tighten the reins a little.
Luckily I have the next two days absolutely free I plan to get a little more organized (but can you ever really be organized with a 1 and a 2-year old???). Tomorrow's goal - catch up on laundry (probably 3 loads) and put ds1's room back together after painting. Get two more lessons in my real estate continuing education course done.
Longer term goals that I might start: tracking systems for expenditures, receipts, net worth, and real estate mileage (for taxes).

in ds1's bedroom. I woke up this morning and realized that is we did not bite the bullet and get started, we would put it off indefinitely. Since today was the last day Dh and I will both be home until next weekend, we just did it. It took all day. We painted to bottom half of the walls blue and the top white, and used chalkboard paint on one half of a wall. We also took off and repainted ALL the moulding (baseboard, ceiling, door and windows). We were quite tired tonight and tomorrow we still need to put the room back together! But I think it will look very nice.
Also went bowling tonight - paid for the remaining 5 weeks, so now all we have to do is pay the sitter every week. Our team is currently in first place, but I am not getting excited yet. In all my years of bowling, I have never finished first.
My car magnet sign came back to me today - a neighbor dropped it off. But it's pretty beat up - it would look pretty unprofessional on my car. Sigh. I hate wasting money.
I am getting ready to send out the third coupon train that I am attempting to start in my area. The first two have not made it back to me. This is getting pretty discouraging, but I have "purged" a few people off the list who seem to be holding things up, so I am really hoping this will work out. I am going to drop this one off in person to avoid those postage charges. Ouch! Who knew coupons weighed so much??

Ooops... forgot to put in my goals for April spending. Not that anyone cares, but it's good for me to set forth for myself!

Groceries: 275
Household/Cell: 412 (have to pay for last month's utilities!)
Car: 250
Medical: 100 (85 for DH's dentist appt.)
Clothes: 20
Loans: 800 (going to aim for an extra 500 to be spent)
Entertainment: 150
Gifts: 50 (2 birthdays)
Miscellaneous: 100
Real estate: 100
School: 50

Total expenses: $2307
Estimated income: $2800
If all goes well (ha!) we will have more than $500 extra to put towards debt/retirement. I'm sure something will come up though...

Time to review my goals for March and set new ones for April.

Goals for March:
-Continue to work on real estate advertising, including looking into sites such as housevalues.com. Get at least one ad in the paper. Use my car magnet sign everyday while driving.
Progress: Called two sites, housevalues.com and valuemyhouse.com. I was leaning toward the former, but then they ticked me off by calling me twice cell phone after I asked them NOT to. I really do not like to deal with companies that cannot honor my wishes. I did not like the latter company in that dues were paid yearly, not monthly. I may have to check into a few more. I like the idea of prospecting on the internet as that is how so many home buyers and sellers get started now. I do have an ad going in the paper this weekend. As for the car sign, I had it a week before it fell off my car and got lost. Not sure if I want to spend the cash for another one yet until I determine how likely this is to happen again.

-Use tax refund plus savings to pay off car loan ($5800). Will save $200 in payments per month that we can use for other debt and IRA contributions.
Progress: Decided to get rid of cc debt instead, so I only paid $3200 to the car. I have about $2500 left - hope to chip away at this in the next few months.

-Maintain weight loss - currently at 141.
Progress: Got down to 138, then back to 140.

-Sorting goal: get all my pictures back into albums.
Progress: I fixed all the blank spaces in my albums, ordered my pictures from the last few months, labeled and put them into albums

Goals for April:
Real estate goals
-Send prospecting letters to people I have worked with in the past (but not closed a deal with - I already sent them letters) to send out my new contact info
-Continue to search for an on-line lead generator
-Finish my continuing education and renew license (this MUST be done by mid-April)

Money goal:
-Send an extra $500 to debt reduction OR Roth IRA contribution - TBD

Health goal:
-Maintain 140 weight

Sorting/simplification goal:
-Redo my son's room so that my other son can move in with him (not so sure this is a good idea but we are going to find out!). This will free up ds2's room (which is off of our room) for storage, hobbies (scrapbooking), etc.

Wanted to record my spending for the month...not a great month, but luckily we had a lot of extra income due to tax returns.
Goals were:
Groceries: 275 -> spent $430, but $50 was on diapers/wipes, so really it was $380 - still way up there. I attribute this to the two St. Patrick's Day dinners we put on for extended family - added about $30 per dinner to the budget, but worth it.
Household/Cell: 265 -> 82.20 for two months of cell phone ($50 discount on each month for various reasons) - just realized that I never wrote my mom her check for our share of the utilities, so that will fall under next month
Car: 250 -> 312.42 on gas, no spending on car maintenance - unfortunately with all the driving DH and I do, there is just no way around this expense.
Medical: 100 -> 155 (had to refill a 3 month script and go to the dentist)
Clothes: 20 -> 37.77 (ds1 outgrew his pajamas)
Loans: 5800 -> 3300.36 for student/car loans, 2415.78 for credit cards (all paid off!), so 5716.14 total
Entertainment: 150 ->62.77
Gifts: 30 -> 0
Miscellaneous: 150 -> 193.91
Real estate: 150 -> 230
School: 100 -> 50
New category, this month only: car insurance - 1180 -> this is being deducted from my paycheck instead
Total expenses: $8470 -> 7270.53
Estimated income: $6930 -> 7235.98
The biggest shocker - not accounted for abive - we withdrew $600 from the bank this month. This is a huge amount - about double what we normally take out in a month, and we really do not know what it went for. And since we spent all of what we earned (and then some), that means it all came out of our savings. Ouch. I always try to keep track of cash spent, but I never succeed because 1. I never remember to write it down at the time of purchase, and 2. DH refuses to account to me what he spends cash for unless it's over $20. Gotta figure out how to get a handle on this.

Overall, though, I'm pretty pleased with the month. We came in under budget on quite a few items, enough to make up for the extra on groceries and gas. I like the idea of going to cash system for groceries, entertainment, etc., but I don't think I will ever get Dh to agree. I might just do it with my recurring expenses and let him do his thing. Another idea to mull over...

Net worth was up by about $6300 from two months ago, thanks to paying off all the credit cards and over half of the car loan. Yippee! Finally I feel like we are making progress. Hopefully I will be able to kill off the rest of the car loan within a few months, especially if I make some commissions soon.

Just wanted to give an example of some frugal fun (if you are 2)...ds1 found a pile of sawdust where we cut wood. He and my niece played there for about an hour. I love the ability to find something where others see nothing

Here's my to-do list from yesterday and my progress:
-clean, clean, clean - got this mostly done - have a little more dusting to do in our bedroom and need to vacuum two rooms.
-do a market analysis for a client - done!
-start my third online course - get at least two lessons done - done - did three lessons!
-get my pictures in my albums - going to do this next
-cancel the three trial memberships that I have gotten gift cards from already - I cancelled two, but I am not sure which one the third set of gift cards came from. DH opened the envelope and says it was from Great Fun, but it was a Circuit City gift card, which was supposed to come from the Buyers Advantage program. SInce I have only had then open two weeks, I am going to wait another two weeks before cancelling in case I have anything else on the way.

Tomorrow: Another day at home with no plans. I will continue cleaning and maybe even get ready to paint ds1's room. DH found some mistinted blue paint at Lowe's this morning for $7 (gallon). We did have some blue paint...but the puppy punctured the top when we left him alone in the mud room (thankfully this was NOT in the house). We came home to blue footprints ALL OVER the floor, on both doors, up the wall...it was a mess. Luckily it came off with just a little scrubbing, but we had to get more paint
Anyway, ds1's room has a red carpet. We are going to go chalkboard paint either on half of one wall, or maybe the two doors. Then we are going to paint either the moulding blue, or maybe do blue vertical stripes on two walls. Does that sound weird? The room would be really dark if we did the walls all blue, plus I am not sure how it would look with the carpet. DH wants to do Yankee pinstripes, but I don't think we have the talent or the patience for it! But I would like his room to have more of a boy feel. After we get this done, we plan to move ds2 in with him. Wish us luck with THAT endeavor! (they are 1 and 2).
I did write my compliment letter to Winkflash and got a nice response thanking me for taking the time to write. It was nice to write to tell someone how good they are doing - I always plan to do it more often, but never get around to it. I also wrote a follow-up letter to Nextel to thank them for finally taking the time to listen and address my concerns, as well as tell them that the Better Business Bureau complaint was satisfied. I did check my account and the $50 credit was there WOO HOO! I feel vindicated

I feel like I have been on the go all day. My first appointment of the day was 45 minutes away, then I drove back to the office for our staff meeting, worked for about an hour then took some personal time to go show some houses, again 45 minutes away (I got a "maybe" on one of them!), then to my financial planning appt. Finally made it home, but the kids were playing outside and I didn't have the heart to make them come in on such a nice day...so I spent an hour and a half running around outside with them (not that I am complaining about THAT!). Dinner, dishes, some online education - 10 pm and it's MY time!
The financial planning session was actually pretty good - it made DH and I feel pretty good about our position. While we still have too much debt for me to be comfortable with (of course, I would rather have NO debt at all), it's almost all student debt and the planner advised us not to pay it all off since we were making more with our money elsewhere, and since it is deductible. Not sure I agree with that, although I can certainly see how it makes sense. I would just love to not owe any money, period. But I think we are ahead of the game in retirement for our ages (about $24k saved - we are both 28), and we have no cc debt and only a small car loan ($2800). He told us to keep doing what we are doing. The only change he suggested, and it wasn't even a strong suggestion, was to look at mutual funds over straight stock purchases, which is what we have now. I have heard a lot about this on here and have been thinking about it myself. I do NOT tolerate risk well, and it seems the mutual funds are much less riskier than holding the 8-10 stocks we now have. But DH is adamant that the potential for growth is so much better. He says we are making about 20% on our current investments. So I think we will probably leave things as they are for now, but when we start to really accumulate more retirement savings (when he is out of school), I definitely want to put at least 25-50% in funds. Then I will feel a little more secure. But the planner said we are actually doing fine and he wouldn't recommend anything different. A mental pat on the back for us
I withdrew my complaint from the Better Business Bureau today. Still have to write to Winkflash to pat them on the back. I'll put that on my to-do list for tomorrow, along with:
-clean, clean, clean (DH has the day off from school - we are going to get busy!)
-do a market analysis for a client
-start my third online course - get at least two lessons done
-get my pictures in my albums
-cancel the three trial memberships that I have gotten gift cards from already.
Busy, busy.

I thought I was making so much progress on getting my real estate continuing education done - I had just finished my 7.5 hours course. HOWEVER...there is a time minimum that you must spend taking the course - 6.5 hours, I think. When I finished my last test questions, I was expecting a big CONGRATS! but instead I got a screen telling me how much additional time I needed to spend in each part of the course in order to get credit for it. Nearly 2 more hours total. I guess it doesn't pay to be a fast reader...
The good news: Nextel wrote me a very nice letter with an apology (all I really wanted) and a credit - $50 - when I had originally only asked for a $20 one. A very nice surprise. Now I will contact the Better Business Bureau to withdraw my complaint. All I really wanted was someone to listen to me and acknowledge that I was given false information and treated poorly. Now I am happy
Other good stuff: my pictures from Winkflash arrived today. That was super fast. I plan to write a little letter of praise to them. I am trying to point out all the good things I see in companies rather than just focus on the negative.
News on the money front...I have a one hour financial consultation tomorrow through my union - free. I don't think they sell stuff, so I am hoping it does not turn into someone puching whole life insurance on me (like the last one I went to). I have a questionnaire I have to print out and complete. In fact, I forgot about it until just now. Better get cracking!

I just finished ordering my pictures from Winkflash. 151 pictures for a grand total of $19.11. If I had been using my old film camera, I would have spent approximately $30 on the film, and then at least that much more on developing. Sure, I probably took more pictures with my digital than I would have with film, but I still think this is much cheaper. Plus I got to crop and edit out the red eye. It sounds like a ton of pictures, but it's for 3-4 months. I maintain my regular photo album, then a small one for each child, plus my scrapbooking. I enjoy it, and there certainly are things I could spent a lot more money on, so it's a guilt free expenditure for me.
I also got the bathroom cleaned top to bottom today - it needed it so badly. What a dummy I was too - I cleaned the toilet with a product containing bleach, then wiped down the outside with a product containing ammonia. Then I had to freak out because I didn't know if mixing them caused the toxic fumes, or if just using them in the same area could cause the fumes. I looked it up online, and it seemed that you would have to mix them together to create hazardous gases. So I guess we're in the clear. I'm okay, and the house hasn't blown up I tend to get a little paranoid at times!
Got to get online to do some more of my continuing education. Ick.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Being as that DH will be in school until December (and not working), I will continue to do these little things to save. Ah, who am I kidding - I would do them no matter what our circumstances are! it's one of those things that is just ingrained in me. Such a mindset...when you get into it, it never leaves you. DH really surprised me the other day when we got a invitation for a high school reunion for a high school he did not attend - they enclosed a stamped return envelope. Since the invite was not intended for us, we obviously were not going, so DH said to reuse the stamp! Sure, he may have been half joking, but the other half of him wasn't! he is not the type to think frugal, but lately he has been coming up with little things that really surprise me... I do love that man. He really could care less, but I think he understands that it makes me happy to save money and pay off our debts.
Accomplishments for today:
1. Cleaned out and defrosted the freezer (finally). Took several hours - there was SO much ice build up that quite a few things were immovable until the ice melted.
2. Organized, fixed (cropped, removed red eye, etc), and labeled all my digital pics online from Nov-Feb. I have them all downloaded (uploaded? whatever) to Winkflash except Feb, which I will do tomorrow. Then I can order the prints I want and get them into my albums.
3. Took three books back to the library BEFORE they were due. I still have The Millionaire Next Door audiotape out - only on tape 3 out of 8, but they won't let me renew it anymore. I am going to return it tomorrow, then sign it back out again if I can. I have to admit, I am a little disappointed so far. I was expecting great things of this book, but so far, all they have done is say the same thing 50 different ways. Ok, I get the point that most millionaires are not the flashy spendthrifts that most people think they are - but I already knew this before reading the book. Does there have to be a chapter on how millionaires spend less on clothes, and how millionaires spend less on cars, how they spend less on everything...can someone tell me if the whole book is like this before I keep listening? The reason it is taking me so long is that I have found National Public Radio to be more interesting (I only listen to radio/books while in my car), so I never get to the tapes!
Man, can I ever just say something without getting off on a tangent??

Anyway, I feel quite accomplished for the day

...eating my sandwich while EVERYONE else (except Jim, my office mate) was enjoying a manicotti, meatball, garlic knots, and salad dinner (Jim and I agreed to skip the $6 lunch and bring our own to the staff meeting). We got quite a few stares and even some comments when we pulled out our sandwiches. Everyone assumed I was doing it for health reasons, though, since I have recently lost quite a bit of weight. I did feel really self-conscious though. I will have to get over that. I do feel good about the extra $6 in my pocket
During the staff meeting someone asked about fund-raising for a developmentally disabled person who wants to take a vacation - she can pay her way, but somehow the staff who need to go with her need to have their way paid. Now, I am not opposed to fund-rasing (well, acutally I am a little opposed to making kids hawk overpriced items to people who don't really want them (no offense intended here - I know it's a way of life for schools/clubs), but that's another rant...and I might just have to suck it up when my kids get old enough!) - but then someone suggested that "why don't we just do something like an early Christmas collection to help her!" So now we are going to have a Christmas collection in July and another one in December? After the meeting Jim (a fellow cheapskate of sorts) and I went back to the office to complain. Not specifically about this, but there is always SOMETHING at the office to contribute to. There are always fundraisers (right now there is a box of candy, an order form for food, and a sign-up sheet to sponsor someone for a walk-a-thon). There are always "parties" (Pampered Chef, jewelry, candles, etc), and there is always the collection for baby/birthday/retirement etc. Not to mention our regular birthday club to which you have to pay $1 per pay period to belong to and which you are looked at as a grouch if you don't participate. Jim did not want to participate, but they celebrated his birthday anyway, so now he feels obligated to contribute. Sorry, had to rant a little. I get so tired of having to say no all the time...
Other than that, a good day - had my teeth cleaned at the dentist ($85 for cleaning and exam - I will get about $40 back from insurance) - I have to go back next month for a teeny cavity but I did get a toothbrush from the deal, and the hygienist slipped in two toothbrushes for my kids too
Made a good taco casserole tonight - found the recipe on recipezaar.com, the best site ever for recipes, IMO. I used the shells, seasoning, and salsa from a kit - browned the beef with onion, then added the seasoning and a little tomato sauce. Then you layer the crushed shells with the meat, and cottage cheese/sour cream mixture, and shredded cheese. Yummy. I have already added the recipe to my keeper pile and will definitely make it again. I got the taco kit for about $1 on sale too, so it was pretty cheap.
No work tomorrow...plan to catch up on my pictures. If I can get them labeled and ordered from Winkflash, I will feel accomplished I have a backlog to order from November. I try to order 3-4 months at a time as their shipping is only $.99 no matter the size. I would like to get all my pics in order by the end of the month.

I got my coupon for free dog food today - after all the trouble I had registering on the site. Free cat food, too. And now that we have the new puppy, we will use it (the dog food, that is)
Also got some deodorant...I was never really into the freebies much, but it is very easy to get hooked. However, I do have to scroll through about 50 to find one I would use...oh well. Can't complain about free stuff.
Mot much to report today - big car payment went out in the mail. I decided to bring my lunch to work tomorrow rather than kick in for a manicotti lunch at out staff meeting. At least my office mate agreed with me, so he's brown-bagging it too (I would feel a little weird being the only one). Maybe we'll just eat lunch before the meeting and not eat during...
Busy day tomorrow...work, dentist, back to work, home.

A technical post rather than my usual rambling...
Money in:
tax refund (federal) - yeah!!!
$100 on it's way from cashing out my cc reward. I looked over all the gift card options which I could have used to get a $25 gc for redeeming $20 worth of points, but there really was nothing I needed or wanted. I already have a wallet full of gift cards that I never use because I rarely buy things new. So what do I need more for? I took the cash!
I also cashed out my BOA cc rewards - a $50 credit to my account. After I ordered it, it said it would be credited within 4-6 weeks. I was so mad that I called Customer Service and asked them to cancel it, but they couldn't. I assumed it would be credited immediately (and it did not say otherwise) and I wanted to close the account soon. But anyway, the credit showed up within 3 days I wonder if my phone call had anything to do with that, or if it was just dumb luck.

Money out: $1419 balance paid on my BOA cc.
$3000 car payment being sent out tomorrow - $2860 left. Not too bad for taking out a $7500 loan 14 months ago. I'll be glad when this is gone and we can focus on the student loans.

Still left to pay: one cc - it still has temporary authorizations on it, so I don't know the final amount yet. Should be paid off by the end of the week (app. $270).

Remaining debts: car loan
my student loan - app. $6800
DH's student loan - app. $15000 (and will probably grow by about $6k more). UGH.
Luckily, no mortgage debt.
Still need to contribute $2000 more to my IRA. DH doesn't think he can contribute to his this year since he has no earned income - anyone know anything about this?

I am showing a house tomorrow, 45 minutes away, at 8 am. On a Saturday. UGH. But it's a promising prospect, an investor I work with who buys a lot of beat-up places to renovate and rent out. This place, on the market for a hefty $27,500, already has an offer on it, but the agent is letting us get a look too before the seller decides. We were going to meet at noon, but we decided speed was of the essence. I hope he wants to put in an offer. It would be a cash deal and a quick closing - would only net me about $370, but I would take it!! I have decided to attack the car loan and student loan whole-heartedly, so every bit helps.
I resisted the urge to order out this afternoon at work and ate my humble little lunch at my desk. Since I ate out three times last week, I decided to limit myself this week. I haven't eaten out yet, but might have to tomorrow due to work (I won't be at a place I can easily bring a lunch to). We'll see - actually, I might be able to get home in time for lunch, which would be the best option. Tomorrow night we are putting on a Irish dinner (with some non-Irish dishes too) for my family. DH is making a Bailey's cake - YUM!
I deposited nearly $1000 in the bank today and noticed that my tax refund was there - credit cards, begone. I will still have a few thousand to play around with and will probably put toward the car loan. We always pay off the cc every month, so we never pay finance charges...but I am always worrying about when payments are due and missing one (did this a few months ago to the tune of $40!), so I decided NO MORE. DH actually agreed to go along with it. The problem we both have is that we take our debit card out of our wallets for one reason or another, then find ourselves out of gas, or with a cart of groceries, and have to whip out the cc to take care of it. So a little organization will help. Carrying cash just is not an option for us. DH is too careless with his wallet. Although, I must say, it has come back to him every time. The last time he left it at a supermarket. The funniest time was when he lost it in the ocean...didn't even realze it until someone came walking down the beach calling his name. Unbelievable. The man has great karma. But not a chance I am willing to take with a walletful of cash. So we are going to make an attempt to be more aware.

I want to try this out too...this is one of the few pics I can find recently of my boys together - on my 1 year old's first birthday

finally got my letters out to past clients to ask for referral business. I sent them a small gift too (either a Super Certificate or a Dine-A-Mate type book, depending on where they lived). I have only been talking about doing this for a few months now...next I want to send a few letters out to people who did not buy a house from me, but did look...some of them stopped looking due to circumstances and may be in the market again soon. Never hurts to remind them I'm alive
I have made some decent from-the-freezer-to-the-crockpot meals this past week. Feels good to get the freezer cleaned out a little, although now I am seeing that we have about 30 bags of corn (my parents grow and freeze their own) and 20 cartons of frozen strawberries (my mom picks and freezes tons every summer). I love being creative and seeing what I can make out of nothing. And this is a good time to do it too, because DH and I have just been shopping way too many times this month - probably at least twice every week. We have to go again tomorrow because we have invited the family out Sat. for a corned beef/roast beef dinner (not too many of them like corned beef). I already bought the corned beef and we got the roast out of the freezer, but there are a few other things we need to get. I don't mind though, spending money to entertain. I like making a good meal for people and watching them enjoy it.
I signed up for a few more trial memberships last night - now just to remember to cancel them! I was careful to write down the information about each, esp. the date. As soon as I receive the g.c., I am going to make the calls. There were two offers that made no mention of a g.c. anywhere on the sight, so I guess the promotion must have ended. I skipped those.
Working a short day tomorrow since I have to go in for a few hours on Saturday. I plan to stop at the bank and post office after I get out - got to get my letters in the mail. Then tomorrow night either DH or I are going to pick up my parents at the airport. They have been on a cruise for 11 days. I always hated being alone in the house with two toddlers (give me some adult conversation please!), but this last week and a half has been kinda nice. But it will be nice to have some more activity around the house again.

Another reason to hate this online education I am taking...it failed to save my spot when I stopped, so now I have to take half the lesson all over again.
Today was a pretty laid back day. After I dropped ds1 off at preschool, I took ds2 out for breakfast. We had a nice time - he flirted with everyone in the restaurant (he's 1). Then we went grocery shopping and spent about $45. A big chunk of it was for the corned beef we are going to cook on Friday, and my splurge on two cartons of Ben and Jerry's ice cream (2/$5). The bad news though - they rolled out of the bag and under the seats while I was driving - directly on top of the heat vent. They were mush when I unpacked them. They are frozen again, but I don't know if the taste or texture will be affected. I am going to be really ticked if I can't enjoy these! Speaking of which...isn't it time for dessert?
I finalized my insurance choice yesterday - stayed with Liberty Mutual. I took the higher liability, but did cancel the rental coverage and upped my deductible. The cost was $1223 for two cars, both with collision. Definitely better than the $1343 I paid last year with the same company, so I think my time on the phone paid off. The best part is that it will be automatically deducted from my paycheck with no installment fees, so I don't have to pay it all now. I can use that money toward other things without having to pay any more over the long run. YEAH!
I am going to take a good look at the money situation tonight, so I can decide whether I want to pay off the car loan, student loan, or something else when I get my tax refund. I was gung-ho on getting rid of the car loan, but I think I may pay off the cc first (currently at 0% interest), and then pay off about half the car loan. I have to run the numbers to see...

I just ordered my online real estate continuing education classes. I tried out a sample class first and liked the speed of it - but now that I have paid for 22.5 hours of classes and started them, it is S--L--O--W! I don't know how I am going to get through these hours at this pace! Probably with savingadvice.com on my other browser for convenient flipping! Anyway, I did it again - I waited until the month before my license is up for renewal to cram all my hours in. If I spend just an hour a night, I'll be done by the end of the month...license doesn't need to be renewed until 4/16, so I will get it done. It's still better than sitting in class all week!
I got a few free samples this past week - deodorant, shampoo and conditioners. Nice. I like to see little things trickling in. I also signed up for one of the free trials - greatfun.com. I am supposed to be getting a link for an Exxon card, I think - but nothing so far on my e-mail. I have gotten two e-mails from them to confirm my membership, but no gift card mentioned anywhere. Can anyone who's done this tell me how long it took for them to get the e-mail? It's been 2 or 3 days now...I always screw these offers up somehow!
I stayed up too late reading Dave Ramsey last night. Have to decide which of his principals I want to attempt. It just goes against my frugal sense to pay off my 0% cc before my car loan, but since it is such a small balance, Dave says to do it...and I do think it would make me feel better to have it gone!

if I finish this milkshake. If my typing starts to deteriorate, you will know why. I decided after driving my Arby's on my home from bowling that I wanted a jamocha milkshake, but didn't want to spend the $$ for it. When DH and I got home, I got out the blender and some old, old mocha chip ice cream that we were saving for this purpose. A little milk, and a bit of Baileys on a whim...but whoa, it's a little strong! YUM. But these little Bailey's bottles have been sitting around too long (I rarely have a drink anymore), as was the ice cream...so I can pat myself on the back for using them up
I signed up for the free trial of myfico last night. Got my score (789) and DH's (774). I just had to rub it in his face slightly that mine was higher, I imagine due to his extra $10k in new student loans, since all our other credit accounts are the same. I was surprised to see some of my old credit cards still on there - anyone know how long they will stick around for? Some have been closed 4-5 years now, I think.
$2 on pizza for lunch today (had to show houses at lunchtime) - still berating myself for not waiting until I got home to eat, but the thought of pizza was so tempting...then I had to stop at the store for milk and ended up getting some grapes out of the bargain produce bin ($6 spent). And $15 for the babysitter tonight. Nothing extraordinary, but little things that add up. I am showing another house tomorrow after work - maybe this will be the one they want
I already made my lunch for tomorrow - I ended up eating lunch out at work twice last week due to poor planning. I just have to remember to pack it at night as I never have time in the morning. Just another example of how poor planning costs you money...

Finally, a break in the cold. DH and I spent some time outside with the boys today - took them to a local playground. My older son had a ball, but the younger one didn't really know what to do. He just wandered around, but still had a good time. Best free entertainment around.
We stopped at Lowe's first. Finally bought the chalkboard paint for ds1's room (but who knows when we'll get around to painting it!). We are going to do one half of one wall. DH and I were awfully tempted by the magnetic primer, but decided the $20 price tag was a little much. We also look at moulding for his room - right now there is some really cheap, ugly plastic moulding - but were a little sticker shocked at the prices. Nearly $1 a foot. Doesn't sound so bad, but if we are to do the ceiling, corners, and around the windows, we will need 175 feet. Ouch. So we are going to see if we can do without the moulding on the windows - we have to take down the old stuff to see what it looks like.
I also ran into Big Lots quick to grab ds1's current obsession - Sesame Street fruit snacks (or Elmo snacks, if you ask him). $1.69/pack. Not the most frugal, but they are more expensive at the grocery store. While I was there I snagged three boxes of Kashi cereal for $1.99. Lovin' the Big Lots tonight.
I have to get my insurance resolved here soon - renewal is due 3/20. Hopefully I will have it figured out by Monday. I'm pretty sure I will stay with Liberty Mutual at this point - just a matter of figuring out my exact coverage. The good news would be that I wouldn't need to pay the entire balance at once. Liberty Mutual won't charge installment fees if I have it direct debited from my paycheck, so I won't pay any more whether I pay it up front or in installments.
I have about $500 extra in my checking account - plus another check to deposit for $300. Hmmm...what to do with it. Emergency fund is full, all cc's are paid off except my 0% interest (which I just paid another $200 on today)...but maybe I will add it to the cc just the same. It feels like I have been scrambling the past three months between Christmas, annual fees (real estate associaton, MLS), and DH's tuition ($2700). Now that most of that is paid off, I have some wiggle room again!