This happens every time I get a day or two off from work - I go into a cooking frenzy. I have noticed that it has been much more acute (and adventurous) lately. Today the result was homemade granola (I challenge anyone who likes granola to try this - so easy and very delicious, not to mention way cheaper!). DH and I also made pickled peppers. The plan tomorrow is to make pepper jelly. We still have jalapeno peppers coming out our ears, despite giving so many away on Freecycle. I'll take some into work on Thursday - maybe that will help clear out the glut.
My next goal - yogurt. I want to try the recipe from the Tightwad Gazette. I was all set to try it the other day, but the yogurt I had on hand didn't say "live cultures", so I wasn't sure if it would work. Have to make a trip to the store to get some more yogurt before I can set off on that adventure.
I spent $17 today on a book/gift sale at work. I found a nice present for my DH, but it was $16 with the Books Are Fun people, who came last week, so I passed. The EXACT same item popped up again this week (different book group) for $9. I was thrilled, so I bought that along with a little gift for myself - a greeting card organizer/calendar/address book (it has space to hold cards for each month, as well as write down all important dates). Not normally something I would spend $8 on, but it comes with 24 beautiful orchid greeting cards - that's only $.33 per card, not counting the book! Even though I have all but given up on exchanging cards, there are occasions where I still need to have a nice card on hand, which I usually end up paying $.50 for at the dollar store. These cards are so much nicer, and I get the book to boot! No other money spent today.
One of my co-workers wives set up a table at work today to sell her jewelry - very pretty and reasonably priced, but just not something I spend money on. I wear very little jewelry - just my wedding set and one other ring with an occasional pair of earrings. Anyway, everyone kept telling me how I needed to go look, it was so reasonable, yada yada yada. I looked, and I passed. Yet I noticed many other people (some whom I have heard say they can't wait for the next payday as they have NO money) shell out $30, $40, $50 without blinking an eye. When I think how long I have to work for one bracelet...no thanks.
Slight headache all day - never bad enough to take anything for it (stupid me), but just enough to be annoying. I think I'll go to bed now...

Just to keep myself on track and accountable...a few things I need to step up on as things have not been quite to my standards lately.
1. I resolve to not go more than 5 miles per hour over the speed limit. This is better for gas mileage and for reducing the chance of getting a speeding ticket. I will ask DH to pledge the same.
2. I resolve to have more patience with my children. I have been finding myself raising my voice more often than I would like. Patience, patience.
3. I resolve to continue in my effort to declutter and simplify life.

Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow will be a better day!

We went to Binghamton for the weekend for nephew's 17th birthday party (he was FIVE when I met DH...I feel so OLD). A nice visit, as usual. I am so lucky to have found a partner with a family that I adore.
Bad news on the spending front - the entertainment envelope was empty tonight as we were looking for bowling money. We had a few events come up that we didn't plan for - a fall festival, the potato festival (we come up with a lot of reasons for festivals here in Small Town USA). Plus I forgot to budget for DH's Wed. bowling league. I'll try to plan better next month. We took $20 from the grocery envelope instead, so at least we didn't have to hit the dreaded ATM. The worst news though - another speeding ticket for DH. UGH. As upset as I was, it would be hypocritical of me to get mad at him as I speed as much, if not more, than he does. He just spends a lot more time on the road, so his chances of being caught are higher. I really hope it does not affect our insurance rates though. His court date isn't until October, so we are going to try to plead for leniency before then. He has already taken the defensive driving course, so that won't be a help for at least another year.
The good news though...two checks to deposit tomorrow. $546 commission check from my last transaction and $108 from my friend for our theatre tickets for next year (cc is already paid, so I can use this money toward other expenses). I think I will pay off two small cc bills ($50 total) and then make some payments on the big cc - the one we used for DH's tuition. It's a start, however small!

Couldn't resist showing off these pictures of my little Buzz Lightyear. The wings were his DH's invention. The shirt - well, he hasn't taken it off since he got it (in a hand-me-down bag of clothes) except when I insist on washing it. When he puts it in, he proclaims himself the "real" Buzz Lightyear and "flies" around the house saying "To infinity and beyond!" (Buzz's catch phrase, for those of you who are not forced to watch Toy Story over and over again).

And now to smack myself in the head...I had a lead on a real estate client that I called a few times, but never got in touch with. I left her a message before I went on vacation in August and never heard from her. I have been forgetting and forgetting to try again to reach her. Anyway, I looked online before calling her tonight to make sure she hadn't listed her house yet - and she had - for $119k. And it sold within a week. Ouch. She listed it during the week I was on vacation. Oh well. I guess I should have been more persistent in trying to reach her. Although, her name was given to me by another client - maybe she already had an agent and didn't tell him. I never connected her to find out, so I guess I'll never know if I could have gotten the listing or not. The agent she did list with does a lot of sales and has a good reputation, so I might not have been able to get the listing anyway (I'm small potatoes )
I spent some money ($3) to meet a girlfriend for lunch today - the first time I have eaten out in a few weeks. I deliberately went somewhere cheap - and she understood! I also stopped at Walgreens today to pick up a few good sales - Royal jello, 5/$1, Walgreen brand acetaminphen, BOGO, and coffee for DH. Spent $8, "saved" $9 - but actually didn't spend a thing as I used my rebate gift card. I wanted to go back to get the Kotex rebate again, but I forgot my coupons (Doh! double head smack!) and I certainly wasn't going to buy them without coupons! (flash - are you getting to me?)

that is, texturized vegetable protein, for anyone who has not yet read The Tightwad Gazette (and if you haven't, why not??). It's a soy product used to supplement, or replace, meat - useful in dishes like chili, tacos, where you flavor the meat quite a bit anyway. Anyway, I used this tonight to mix with ground beef for chili. I will admit, there was no noble calling to this other than the fact that I had a very limited quantity of beef and I wanted to make two pots of chili. I used roughly one part reconstituted TVP per three parts beef - wanted to start out small to see if anyone noticed. Without saying anything, I served up dinner as usual. A few minutes in, DH asked me if I used turkey in the chili - I thought he picked up on the slight color difference, but he said the texture was different (although the taste was not - yoohoo!) I will call this experiment a success (no one else at the table noticed the difference - and I didn't tell them!). Next time, Ill try adding a little more.
I did get two pots of chili - one hot, on mild - for lunches and the freezer. I already packed DH's and my lunches for tomorrow and put the remainder of one pot in the freezer. I also made cornbread - not a good recipe (used cheese and creamed corn). I will definitely go back to plain old tried and true cornbread next time.
My culinary disappointment of the day: I wanted to try The Tightwad Gazette's recipe for homemade yogurt (can you tell I am in the midst of rereading the Gazette?), but the yogurt I had on hand did not specify if it contained live cultures, so I decided to wait until I went to the store again. I'll have to post on that later -

I love free food! I got a bag of pears from a coworker today. That totally made my day, especially since I have been buying pears like crazy (the kids love them). I made some really good pear muffins this afternoon. I would love to try making some pear sauce (like applesauce) too, but I need more pears already!
Not much else to report today - spent a nice afternoon in the kitchen. I am becoming such a homebody.

I started with good intentions - the best intentions, really. I knew that I was going to a grocery discount store, so I took $40 out of my wallet (did I forget to mention that the cash for my envelopes is still sitting in my wallet instead of the envelopes??? Does it matter that I know in my head what money goes toward what expense???). I spent $31 and change for groceries, pocketing the rest with the intention (there I go with my intentions again) of putting it into a envelope for groceries. Well, then we went to the Fall Festival and I reasoned that I could use that leftover money since I wouldn't be needing it for groceries (still have enough in the budget for the month). So that money got intermingled with the entertainment money (which came out of DH's pocket money, NOT the money I set aside for my entertainment envelope, which is still - of course - in my wallet). Ugh. Then to make it all worse, I spent $1.59 out of the $20 bill that I found in my pocket today (and I don't even remember where this money came from!) instead of putting it on the debit card, which was my intention for all non grocery/non entertainment expenses. So now I have no clue.
This is such an EASY concept...why is it so HARD?
(The worst part is that I have been carrying $180 in my wallet for five days now - not a good idea!)

I love small town life. If anyone is in central NY in mid-September, c'mon over to the Jordan Fall Festival. It was a lot of fun. Not very big - maybe 10 or 15 rides, a big food tent with about 10 different booths, some games, and two large craft tents. But it was a reasonably priced night out, not too crowded, and my boys had fun.
I did spend a little more than I wanted to, but I also had $10 left from my grocery trip today that I put towards my entertainment budget, plus DH kicked in the exra money he had from going to the ATM this week.
Spent: $11.50 for food for four (I brought our drinks so we wouldn't have to buy them)
$6 on used books (12 children's books at $.50 each)
$6.60 on ride tickets (my parents also bought a few extras for the kids)
$5 on a dozen of the best doughnuts I have ever had, made fresh at the festical - we always get these first as they tend to sell out every year

A delightful evening!

I also went grocery shopping with my mom today. We stopped at two Mennonite stores close to home. One is less than 10 minutes away, yet I never think to go there. It was SO cheap. They sell a lot of near-expiration or past-expiration date products. Some examples:
16 oz carton of sour cream, $.59 (a few days before expiration - but I have found it to stay good for a week or two past opening, even if it's past the date)
package of sausage breakfast links, $1.29
large bag of apples, $3.25
6 slightly bruised pears, $.95
8 oz. shredded cheese, $1.39
a huge bag of unsweetened chocolate squares for baking - 36 squares for $1.81 (my best find!)
I spent $31 at this store, and then my mom spent $33 at the next store - a similar store but with more of an emphasis on bulk goods. There I got some cornmeal, nuts, chocolate-covered coffee beans (my splurge), some seconds peaches, more pears, etc. Both my mom and I bought stuff, but it evened out in the end as we each spent about the same. I got some TVP and am going to try to use it in cooking to stretch the meat budget. I used it once in the past and it wasn't noticed...let's see if I can do it again. It will be healthier too.

Now to get one of those doughnuts...

I made two posts on Freecycle today - one for jalapeno peppers (picked about 6 dozen from the garden today - about 5 dozen more than we could realistically use - and I only picked about half of them) and another for a ton of miscellaneous clothes and other items. Everything has been spoken for except some woman's clothes. I feel lighter already.
The two people who took the peppers - one dropped off a bunch of board games when she found out I had kids and the other offered me to stop by her shop and pick out a little something. I guess what goes around comes around

BTW, any ideas for jalapeno peppers? I make stuffed peppers and salsa out of them, but you can only do that so many times...

This might be a somewhat long story, but I'll get to the point eventually...
I was getting dressed this morning when I noticed my jeans were a little snug. Nothing terrible, I think I gained two pounds over the Month of Eat Whatever I Want (also known as August). That puts my weight at 142, which I immediately think is too high (for me). Nevermind that I spent the majority of the last three years going from 150 to 199 to 155 to 195 to 160 (two babies). I finally got my weight in check last fall and got down to 140, where I have been since. Prior to that, 150 had been my "comfortable" weight. Now, I feel uncomfortable at 142. My point is...priorities change in health, as they do in finances. When I first started saving, my comfort level was a $500 EF. Then it was $2000. Now I am uncomfortable when I have less than $10k socked away. So, is this a good thing or bad?
I think it's good - to a degree, as with everything else. It is healthier for me to weight 140 than 150 and it is better for me to have $10k than $500. But, if I take it to an extreme and start to lose weight drastically, or forgo my family's needs or a little fun just to get $30k in my EF (which I don't realistically need), then I have gone too far. I like the balance that I have right now. It's comfortable. It might change in a few years when DH is working again (we might want to increase our EF with his salary. Or my weight might increase with baby #3) - but right now, it's a good place to be. If I could just lose those two pounds

Ok, I need to stay focused here on the goals. So here is my list, which I plan to post somewhere I can look at them everyday (listed in order of priority):
1. Pay off Discover $628 balance
2. Pay off American Express $4530 balance (0% interest until 8/07)
3. Pay off car loan, app. $1000 balance, 3.75% interest (this was a higher priority until I realized that I am only paying less than $4 per month in interest!) - at $200 per month this will be paid off relatively soon anyway
4. Pay off my student loans $6200 balance (about 4.6% interest)
5. Pay off Dh's student loans $15145 balance

After I get #1, #2, and #3 done, I will start to contribute to our Roth IRAs again. We took this year off as DH was not working. I think we managed $2000 at the beginning of the year, but there is no way that we can do that now. It is going to feel SO nice to start checking these off, one by one. I will update my progress here, although the only thing that will get paid off anytime soon will be the Discover (before 10/1 or else we'll be paying interest).
More to report: started my first envelopes today. I have $100 in a grocery envelope for now until the end of the month. Should be easy to stay within that range and eat out of the freezer more. I also put $80 in our entertainment envelope to cover bowling and babysitting expenses for the rest of the month, plus $10 leftover for anything extra we decide to do. These are the only cash expenses I have - all other expenses (gas, student loan, car loan, medical, etc.) are non-negotiable and paid for with a check or debit card, so I really don't see a need, or way, to include them in the envelope plan.
Dh seems to be on board here - he has been making a pot of coffee to take to his teaching position in a huge, huge mug I found for him at a garage sale. He is also packing his lunch each day. What a guy, what a guy. I love my guy Ooh, he just told me too that he brought a 12-pack of soda in to school to (from extra we had at home) so he doesn't have to buy any while at school. Now if I could just get him to give it up altogether baby steps, baby steps!
And now I just asked him if he had any cash - he has $25 left from $40 he took out four days ago. When I asked him where it went, he said coffee...snacks...soda...ARGH! One step forward, two steps back. I just told him the no spend plan for the next two weeks and after rolling his eyes at me, he grudgingly agreed. I think he knows we need to do this...but knowing and doing are two different things.

...and time. I listed a new house yesterday but forgot my lockbox key (needed to put the lockbox on the house). Duh. I was about 5 miles (in the wrong direction) from our branch office, so I thought I would run there to see if anyone had a key I could borrow. After a fifteen minute drive in city traffic, I get there to find not one other agent is there - only the secretary, who gives me a key to use - but the owner had not paid his bill and the electronic key was shut off that day. But, she said, I could find a different agent at an open house just a mile away from the house I listed. So I got back in the car, drove right back to where I had just come from and tracked doen the other agent - he opened the lockbox for me and I trekked back to the house for sale to put the lockbox on. All in all - about an hour of wasted time, probably $5 in gas - and I got to my other job an hour later, which meant I had to stay there an hour later, which meant less time with my kids yesterday night. Grrrr...I hate being stupid.
But we did have some interest on the house already. Plus I have a closing coming up next week - just a little land deal, but it will earn me about $500, which will go towards DH's tuition.
Speaking of tuition, the charge did come through on our new cc. It's really depressing to see your net worth decrease by $4500 in one day (and we still have $1000 balance with the college to pay by 10/11). Definitely dipping into the savings for that one.

I guess I thought no one was reading my little blog much anymore...and then I get such nice, well-wishing replies! It was very heartwarming to get those responses. We will make it, even if it means reducing the old EF a bit. I am fortunate for the foresight to set one up so that it is there when we need it.
luxliving, good points about having a job actually lined up for DH when he is doen student teaching. I am excited that he will be ABLE to work again without the demands of school or student teaching - but no, there is nothing definite lined up. He has been in touch with three schools about substitute teaching and is all set to go for one school. We still need to find out if there are any requirements for the other two. He is supposed to contact them both when he is done student teaching, but it would be a good idea to look into this beforehand. DH got his child abuse clearance for the one school, but if it is required for other schools, we need to start on that now (it took several months).
We have a few good leads on possible jobs. My new SIL (as of last month) teaches in our town, so we have made a lot of contacts there. In fact, one teacher is going out on maternity leave in February, and another is retiring in June (and says she is saving her spot for DH!). In another school, we know the lady who calls the subs, so DH hopes to get called there a lot for substitute teaching. We are optimistic.
But, even if he can't get a job teaching right away, at least he will be able to do something. Any job at all would work - just to bring in some money. I'm not concerned at all that he won't find work - he might not find a teaching position right away, but he will find work
I'm gearing up for a no-spend week or two. I cleaned out all the cupboards and freezer today to get a good idea of what's on hand. I think I mentioned before, I could go a while without shopping. However, my mom can't. And what I don't buy, she will. I don't want to shift my expenses on to her, so I still feel obligated to buy some groceries and household items. I think I will start the No Spend Challenge #2 on Thursday after I get paid. I'll post more about the ground rules when I figure them out

well, they are not that desperate! Just did the budget for September this morning and realized we have a MINIMUM $200 shortfall. oh well. It's not completely unexpected. DH has not been working for 14 months now. We've made it so far on my PT job - we can make it three more months until he is done student teaching. Then that boy is getting a JOB!
We do have to tighten up our already-tight belts. I think I will have a no-spend two weeks coming up soon. I have a cc bill to pay off by 10/1 ($300) in addition to all the regular bills. I also think I will set aside some money for envelopes after I get paid this Thursday. It really helped on my last shopping trip to have a set amount. Once I have the money in the envelopes, I am going to take the cc and debit card out of my wallet. if I need money, I'll have to take it from the appropriate envelope before I leave the house. The only exception will be gas, which DH will need to have access to a debit card for as he will be on the road so much. Wish me luck!

Finally getting around to a recap:

Goals for August:
Groceries: 275 -> 364.14 (due to camping supplies)
Household/Cell: 340 -> 89.76
Car: 250 -> 208.50 YEAH!
Medical: 15 -> 15
Clothes: 20 -> 0
Loans: 300.36 -> 100.36 (200 car payment came through in Sept.)
Entertainment: 100 -> 235.42 (I can blame this on my purchase of next year's theater membership - $128 paid early to save money)
Gifts: 125 -> 140
Miscellaneous: 200 -> 386.97 (thanks to DHs $155 speeding ticket!)
Real estate: 0 -> 90.62 (lockbox key semi-annual fee)
School: 0 -> 0
Investment: 0 -> 0
Cash withdrawals: 100 with no fees -> this was horrible: $460 with $6.50 in fees (all of which I can blame solely on DH)
Total expenses: 2097.27
Total income: (three paycheck month!!) 1920 -> 1940.85
I also received two commission checks for $3750.82, which was used to pay off DH's tuition (on cc). I had a little left over, which made up the shortfall for the month.

Next month is when things really start to get tight. We are paying the LAST tuition bill - over $5500, on a cc with 0% interest for a year. We will have to throw everything we can at this so that we won't have to deplete savings to pay it off next year. Also, I have to start paying $40/week for day care (2 kids, one full day) as DH is student teaching. My mom is watching the boys two days per week to help us out, but we had to cover the other day I work. I am thinking seriously of going to the envelope system since there will be so little money left over (I went to Aldi's yesterday forgetting that they do not take credit cards - and not knowing my debit card #. I scrounged up $13.44 between my wallet and car. It was amazing how many things I put back on the shelf when prioritizing! I left there with $.13 in my pocket and still have everything I needed. This is really what persuaded me to look at the envelope system again!).

Goals for September:
Groceries: 275
Household/Cell: 90 (cell) - my mom told me NOT to pay her for household expenses until DH was done teaching - they are so generous because they know how tight things are right now. I am so fortunate.
Car: 400 OUCH! Dh is commuting over an hour to his teaching site every day.
Medical: 200 (one copay, two prescriptions, and two dentist visits)
Clothes: 0
Loans: 300.36
Entertainment: 165 (35/week for bowling and babysitter plus a little extra)
Gifts: 75 (three birthdays)
Miscellaneous: 100
Real estate: 0
School/Day care: 40 - only need this one Monday for Sept - next month it will be 160
Investment: 0
Cash withdrawals: 100 with no fees
Total expenses: 1745.36
Total income: 1579.50
I am expecting a commission check of about $500. This will go toward the shortfall of $165.86, plus toward an existing cc balance.
It looks worse than it really is. If it were really this bad, I would obviously cut out the entertainment budget. But we bowl together as a family (my parents and siblings), plus DH really enjoys it. We are sitting on a comfortable emergency fund, which we may have to dip into for the next few months until DH can start working again. So we're okay. We have a place to live, food on the table, and medical care. It's all good

That's what my dear, dear son said to me this morning. Awww...I love the little things they come out with. Of course, I would like to know what other mommies he has that he was comparing me to!
Tough week around here - both boys and myself sick with colds. Now my niece next door has it too. It will probably hit my parents next, which means it will hop to us all one more time before we can get rid of it. Grrr. The boys are a little more tired (AKA "cranky") than usual, which means I am a lot more tired AND cranky, as they have been getting me up several times for the past few nights.
Tonight DH and I have our pinochle club picnic to look forward to. Great food, nice company, and a night of playing cards. Free to boot!
Some good money news: I won two free tickets to the local movie theater. Our newspaper gives away something every week. One week my mom noticed that there were no winners - people didn't even both entering, so we started. My mom, myself, and DH have all won $10 g.c to restaurants so far. And this week I won the tickets! So keep an eye out for local contests, especially if you live in a small town like we do.
Bad money news: DH sold a video game on half.com for $13, but when he went to ship it, he noticed it was cracked. I issued a refund right away, so I hope we don't get any bad feedback from this. Also, we just got his new cc, so that means we can put his tuition on it. Our net worth will go down by $5700. This is after a few months of seeing it steadily rise. It was at $9k this week, so it will be depressing to see it down so much, especially since it will be a long time before we get the tuition paid off (0% cc for one year). I guess the upside to this is that he will not have to pay any more tuition after he is done student teaching this fall!

Wow, when it rains it pours. Both my brother and DH's nephew have asked him in the past week if he wants some of their dress clothes as they were cleaning out their closets. YES! We took everything. All together, about 10 nice dress shirts, 4 casual shirts, three pairs of pants, two ties, one pair of shoes, and even two new bars of soap! We'll probably keep most of it, but there are a few items that will likely be too big. This is very helpful, as DH started student teaching this week and needs to dress up every day.
I make it a habit to always accept free items. It is widely known that I will take anything. I typically get several garbage bags full of kids' clothes each year from friends with older boys. If I can't use it, I will pass it along to someone who can or donate it. I wish I had some female friends or relatives who were the same size as me!
I feel very productive today. I tackled our closet, which was long overdue for a cleaning. Even though I just culled my wardrobe a few months ago, I managed to pull out another huge pile of clothes to freecycle. It felt really NICE. Then I worked in the garden for a while, pulling up old plants and weeding. We are nearing the end of the season, but we still have plenty of beets, swiss chard, broccoli, and peppers. The beans are still coming too, which surprised me. I thought they were done a month ago. The tomatoes, cukes, and cabbage are done.
After that, I took my boys down to their "school" (a preschool center that also does day care) to visit and get used to the place. They will be going there one full day per week now that DH is teaching. My mom is watching them the other two days I work. My oldest son went there last year, but it will be a new experience for my youngest. I hope he adapts okay. From then we went to the library, and finally, home.
Now, to cook dinner...tonight I have to finish some laundry and tally up my spending for the month of August.

I signed DH up for a new 0% (for a year) rewards. Granted, he was preapproved for the offer, but still...it is really scary how little information you need to provide.
1. occupation (student)
2. household income (I put $25k - my two PT jobs - but I could have just as easily put $50 or $100k - they don't verify it, nor do they apparently care that DH makes $0!)
There might have been one more question, but I can't recall. Hit enter, wait 2 minutes, and BAM you have a new credit card. WHAT?? That's it? No wonder there are so many people with so much debt. They make it so easy. I guess it's been a while since we have gotten a new credit card. Seems I used to have to give a lot more information.
"The times, they are a changin"

That DH of mine is always surprising me. He has taken a very frugal turn lately. The other day I handed him an empty Shredded Wheat box and jokingly told him to think of a use for the crumbs in the bottom. He took them and made a pie crust, then filled it with a half-empty can of peach pie filling from the fridge, and topped it with a crisp. It was good - not outstanding, but a good use of leftovers. He's been doing a lot of little things lately that he never used to. Makes me smile!
We went to the NY state fair yesterday. What a money pit. Actually, we didn't do too badly. All the money we spent was admission and food, but we really did eat a lot. Spiedies, fresh fried potato chips, a blooming onion, fried dough, fudge, ice cream, and beer (DH only). This was all split by five adults over the course of eight hours, so don't anyone think we can eat THAT much without being sick We did save money by not getting drinks with meals (I actually found a $.75 soda machine - the only one in the fair - and stocked up for later) and skipping the wine booth. We toured the tents but really didn't see anything at all we wanted. My SIL wanted me to buy a scooter for the kids (they were cheaper if you bought two), but we just said no and walked on. I would have liked to get one, but I just thought about how much we really could use $50 more than the scooter. She ended up buying two herself - I really don't know why (they have one child) - but that means she will probably end up sharing with my kids too!
The downsides: we didn't buy advance sale tickets because we didn't know until that day that we were going. Cost: $8 for two tickets. I also spent $1 on a coupon booklet that we didn't use any coupons out of. Blah. Other than that, no regrets.
Today we had a Labor Day picnic - cold weather, but no rain. We had quite a crowd - about 20 people. A nice lunch, games (horseshoes, lawn darts - yes, we know they're illegal - we are careful!, "rodeo golf", and bocce ball), then inside for more games (pinochle, board games). A whole night of free entertainment and visiting with friends and relatives. Ahhh....only money spent was for groceries, which my mom was chipping in for.
Speaking of mom...she has told me not to pay her any money for the next few months while DH is student teaching (I pay her some money every month for electric, phone, Netflix, Dish tv). She knows this is a hard time for us, as DH will basically be working full time, yet not getting paid. Add to that a 80 minute commute every day...and our expenses are going to be high. I'm not sure how I feel about this though - guilty, I guess. We'll see how the finances look. I'll give what I can spare, but it is nice to know that we have a little breathing room.
Enough rambling...

I guess this shouldn't be confusing at all - just want to clarify that my user name and blog name did indeed change, for anyone who's used to seeing my name around. I dropped the initial from my name - just wanting to remain slightly more anonymous, kwim? I was looking for a more generic name altogether, but then I was feeling a little TOO anonymous. I like the familiarity of my first name. So, from now on, I will remain just Jodi.

I spent way too much time today sorting out my digital pics. Between the summer parties, a wedding shower, bachelorette party, family reunion, my son's birthday, and (of course) the wedding, I have literally hundreds of pics to doctor up, label, and get printed. I have all the fixing and labeling done (I love Winkflash because they print the file name on the back of the picture - because I am anal about having my pictures labeled, that means I don't have to do it by hand when I get them!). I spent tonight uploading them to Winkflash and will get my order out tomorrow. There are some other companies that are offering free shipping, and I have tried a few, but keep coming back to Winkflash. Shipping is only $.99 no matter how big my order is, so it's a small price to pay for their service and quality.
Tomorrow - need to do some tasks around the house. I might sneak out to a few garage sales too, as the season is winding down around here. Sigh.

A lot of times I hear people use the excuse that they don't know how to cook their own meals, so they end up with convenience food or ordering out. Listen up, y'all - here are two super simple meals (and fairly cheap too).

Here's what we had for dinner tonight: (1 hour prep time total - very little hands-on time)
3-5 pieces of beef, pork, chicken, whatever - brown in oil on both sides.
Combine one small can of tomato paste with a can of liquid (water, broth, etc.) and pour over the meat in the pan/electric skillet/whatever you cook in. Simmer - check to see that the liquid does not get too low - add more if needed.
When you have about a half hour before dinner, throw in some potatoes, carrots, peppers, onion, whatever (cut in chunks).
When you have 15 minutes left, throw in some chopped zucchini, squash, shredded cabbage, etc.
Tonight I used 3 pork chops, one potato, one carrot, 1/4 green pepper, 1/2 onion, 1/2 yellow squash, 1/2 zucchini, shredded cabbage. I used tomato paste, water, and liquid smoke (just a drop) for the sauce. I also threw in some "gourmet Italian seasoning" that was given to us in a gift box. It was delicious The squashes, peppers, and cabbage were grown by us, so no cost. The price of one potato and one carrot is neglible. It fed two adults and two children (who admittedly both ate like birds), with one serving leftover.

Second recipe - from Recipezaar #89204 "Crockpot Chicken W/ Blackbeans and Cream Cheese...yum!" (I'm not just saying that - it's the name of the recipe!)
Put 4-5 frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of a crockpot (finally - a recipe I don't have to defrost for!). Add 1 can black beans (drained), 1 can corn, 1 jar salsa. Cook on high 4-5 hours (until chicken is done). Throw a block of cream cheese on top in the last half hour of cooking. Stir to combine and serve (over rice or noodles, if you want).
We used homemade salsa from the garden and home grown frozen corn. We buy canned beans for about $.50/can. I also cut the cream cheese in half because an entire block sounded like a lot. This fed three adults and three kids for dinner with one serving leftover.

Ok, just wanted to share those culinary experiences. I realize not everyone has the luxury of being able to have a garden, so costs might be a little more than I have quoted. But I just wanted to give a share these two recipes that I thought were outstanding, very easy to make, and economical to boot. The first recipe is very versatile and can be altered to use up whatever you have in your fridge.

Now, maybe I was just in the dark all these years...or maybe there are a number of people out there who might not have thought of this. Whenever I took my car in for repairs, I just agreed to the total, sighed, and signed over my first-born. Last year, I was given a very high price to get my car in line for inspection - so high, that I told the repairman that I would need to check out a few things before authorizing the repairs. I started to call around to check out prices - lo and behold, within ten minutes the original mechanic called me back and took $70 off the repair bill. Just like that. He "said" he happened to call around and find a part cheaper, but I wonder if they quote to maximum just to see who will pay it before lowering their estimates.
So...inspection time again. I just got the call about when needs to be repaired (wiper blades, wheel cylinders, rotors) to the tune of $345. I had already told the guy that I would probably get the wipers myself, so when he called me with the total, he had discounted the wiper blades already ($45 to $22 for three - about as good as I can get in an auto parts store). I told him I would need to check around and get back to him before authorizing anything. I called another chain store just down the road and got a price quote of $30 less. I then called the first place back and (screwing up my courage because this is never easy!) asked them to match it. He said yes without hesitation (makes me wonder if I could have gotten away with more???). Anyway, I am happy because I am going to get out of an inspection for $300ish (not so bad - I do not take good care of my cars and, I admit, drive quite hard). And I saved myself $53 ($30 + $23 on the blades), just by asking. Never hurts to try

Well, I survived my first full week of camping. Actually, it was wonderful. I even entertained a brief thought of how wonderful it would be to leave the rat race for a cabin in the woods...but that delusion was apparently brought on by a lack of cleanliness, as a hot shower brought me back to reality
We spent about $220 on groceries getting ready for the trip (almost my monthly budget!), but we also brought home a ton of stuff (probably $50 worth), such as two jars of jam with only one serving gone, four boxes of nearly full cereal, etc, so it's not as bad as it sounds. Plus, we fed a crowd most nights (DH's family), as well as ate every little think that appealed to us for a week (chips, cookies, ice cream, cheese, etc - all stuff we normally do not even buy). Ugh. We both agreed that it was time to get back to the "South Beach" when we got home. I'm hesitant to step on the scale.
The only other money we spent was $8 on renting a rowboat ($5/hr) and paddleboat ($3/half hour). Dh spent about $50 to go golfing twice. So that's...$323 for the cabin, $170 for food, $58 on entertainment for a grand total of $551 for a week's vacation for four. I can live with that. This will definitely be an annual event for us.
We saved money by: gathering and sawing our own firewood (well, actually, we had DH's nephew do a lot of it!), staying in all nights for a campfire/game night (cards, Yahtzee, poker, Scattergories, and many, many others), and making use of the (free) playground and beach for the kids. The only outing we did all week was to take the kids to my MIL's school as she teaches pre-k and they have a blast playing in her room.
It was great!

A thought occurred to me today as I was playing with my youngest son (I don't want to make it sound like I rarely get thoughts - I just rarely remember to share them!). Anyway, I watched him complete a puzzle that he was unable to do by himself a few weeks ago. Each time I saw him struggle with the pieces, I would take the pieces from his hand to show him the right way to do it. But no matter how many times I did that, he still would try to put them in the wrong way each time. A few weeks pass...and now with this particular puzzle, he is getting the pieces in right, everytime, by himself. Trial and error, combined with a little guidance, and he's got it.
Rings true for finances, too. How many of us have been frustrated by watching family and friends make finanicial mistakes, and tried to give them advice? And how many of us have been ignored? If someone is not a point where they are ready to make a change, we can talk ourselves blue in the face - and nothing will change. However, by being there and leading by example, down the road that same person might compare their path to yours and decide to make that change.
For me, I decided to live below my means after college, when DH and I were living paycheck to paycheck. First, we decided to keep a $500 cushion. That grew to $2000. Now we have 6 months of expenses tucked away. Other people may not have decided to make the change until they were facing a mountain of credit card debt and were at rock bottom. Whenever the concious decision is made, it's nice to have the support of people here.
I guess all I am saying is that we can share our ideas and lead by example, but we can't help others change until they are ready (no matter how much we hate to stand by and watch!). Just like I can't force my son to get that piece in right until he sees how to do it for himself, no matter how much I try to help him

Let me try this picture thing again...

Hey! I think it worked! I wanted to post the picture I took last weekend. It happened as DH and I were getting ready to leave for my brother's wedding. My brother had borrowed the car seat, then brought it back and left it on the passenger side of my car (where I obviously couldn't see it!). I ran it over. But, oh no, I didn't break it. Instead, I wrapped it around the wheel. It got wedged into the wheel itself. It's hard to explain - I would love to share the picture. So, I had to go buy a new car seat today as, even though it didn't break, I don't dare use a damaged car seat for my son. $40 mistake.
DH and I spent $200 today getting ready for the camping trip. Granted, a large chunk of that was not for camping specifically. i.e. two packages of diapers, when only half a package (or less) will be used this week. Some of our purchases:
$40 car booster seat
$12 Pink Floyd pajama pants (DH needed a new pair for this week - loved the Pink Floyd ones!)
$21 two packages of diapers
$10 laundry detergent picked up for my SIL
$14 dog food
That's $97 there in non-grocery expenses. I'm sure there was a little more too. So we really only spent about $100 on groceries, which I can live with. The stuff we bought will last us long after this week. Plus we filled two large boxes of home-grown produce to take with us on the trip, so all of that is free food.
I think we are mostly packed and ready. I did get a call today from a client who wanted to look at a house, but couldn't do it today - so tomorrow I will have to show this house, 45 minutes away, while Dh packs the car and the kids. Ugh. But if it turns into a sale, it will definitely be worth it...to the tune of about $2k.
Have a great week, everyone! I know I will have a ton of catching up to do when I get back, but I will be looking forward to hear about everyone's successes, large and small, when I return

I have a lot of catching up to do, since I haven't really written an entry in a week. Here's the recap of the week:
The good -
-Tonight I will be making more muffins for the freezer with some past-ripe bananas. If I am really ambitious, I will use up some zucchini too.
-DH went shopping and since they were all out of the larger value pack of meat, he took two smaller sizes to the butcher and had them rewrap them with the lower price! I was so proud of him. He would have NEVER done that a year ago.
-I finished my brother and new-SIL's wedding gift in time (just barely) and they really seemed to love it. I wrote a poem giving them advice for their marriage, including to get out, have fun, and spend time together. For each stanza, I directed them to open an envelope with contained a gift card that related to the poem. I think they really enjoyed it and it will provide them with dates in the coming year, ending with a night out at the restaurant where they had their first date.
-I got my first commission check from the recent house sales and the other is waiting at the office for me. I have already paid down $1500 on the cc (Dh's tuition last semester) and will use the next check to pay it off.

Some bad-
-$132 spent on the tuxes for the wedding. I had forgotten to budget this, so it took a chunk out of the checking account. $35 spent to get my hair done too.
-In general, a lot of money spent over the weekend with all the festivities. Would I change any of it? Nope!
-$14 spent on chicken BBQ dinners tonight. My cousin and his girlfriend were performing at our local farmer's market. I typically would have eaten after we got back, but my parents wanted to eat there, so I agreed.

Back to normal life...until Saturday, when we leave for a week of camping! The cabin is already paid for, so all we will need to do is a big grocery shop for the week on Friday or Saturday.

Wow, what a week. It started last Thursday with a get-together. My future SIL (now my SIL!) had a little party for the members of her bridal party while the guys were having their bachelor party. Friday, we spent the day getting ready for the rehearsal dinner (held on our lawn). Then we went to rehearsal, came back and ate ourselves silly. The weeks spent baking cookies for the party were a complete waste as my brother hired an ICE CREAM TRUCK to come to the party - it was so cool! What a great idea. I shudder to think of how much it cost them. Anyway, our cookies were ignored, but I can't blame anyone. The ice cream was so good.
Saturday was the big day - my brother's wedding. We got our hair done, went to the ceremony, then partied away the night until the DJ stopped playing and the restaurant closed us down. What a blast!
Sunday was the family reunion. After, the newlyweds came over to open their gifts. Monday, we spent the day cleaning up, taking down the tent, returning the tuxes, etc. Yesterday, I went back to work.
Whew. What a blast. I haven't even had time to visit, much less post here. It's good to be back!

Some friends called us yesterday and wanted to get together tonight. We invited them over here since we have the pool They brought the meat and beer and we made the sides and dessert. It was a good time. I also sent them away with two bags of veggies (sweet corn, cukes, zucchini and squash, swiss chard, and beets). It was nice to be able to share the extra food we have. They are going to use some of it to make baby food for their daughter.
No money spent today. In fact, we never left the house. I do have to pay my mom for some groceries she picked up for us. I will add it to her monthly check for household expenses. Other than that, I have no immediate bills to pay and still have some money in the bank. Feels nice
Tomorrow I have to pick my car up from the shop. I took it in because it is out of freon again, after we filled it last year ($400 total for freon and recharge) and they assured it there were no leaks. Well, there is a leak somewhere, but they can't find it. They told me that they would look at it for free. I told them I was not going to pay to have it refilled until they found the leak. Anyway, they ended up putting more freon in. They want me to drive it for a week, then take it back in so they can hopefully see where the leak is. I really hope they do not try to charge me for the freon that they put in, as I told them I would not pay. They will have a fight on their hands if they do Sorry, just an inherent distrust of mechanics. I would just as soon live without AC in my car then pay $300-400 each summer. We can always drive DH's car. But I do have to pay for the oil change they did when I pick it up tomorrow, so that will be $15-20.
I also am going to pick up a few things for my brother's wedding gift. I looked over his registry, but everything seemed so impersonal (towels from your sister? Or maybe a toaster??). I wanted to get him something thoughtful. DH and I decided to get a variety of gift certificates to places they enjoy (restaurants, ice cream parlors, coffee shops, mini golf, etc). I have a picture holder that would display the cards nicely. It will be a gift they can really use throughout the coming year. I hope they like it. And the best part is that I can cash in some of my cashback bonus points to get them for free
So tomorrow will be a spendy day. But that's okay. It will probably be a spendy week, with the wedding on Saturday.

Real estate
-Look into joining women's professional organization in nearby town for networking opportunities -ACK! Still not done. Keeps slipping my mind.
-Make an effort to pick up one new client - DONE. I did connect with a couple who looked at one of my listings. I have been e-mailing them houses, so it might turn into a sale.

Money:
-Pay second summer semester's tuition without loans, using commission checks I should be receiving in June - DONE. Checks should be received next week and cc will be paid.
-Make an additional $200 through various means (garage sale, farmer's market, E-Bay, etc) - I only made about $130 through the farmer's market and garage sale. I ran out of steam towards the end of the month.

Health:
-Maintain 140 weight - DONE

Sorting/simplification goal:
-Find a good, used desk for cheap - DONE. DH got one for free from my brother.
-Continue my "5 minutes per night" rule for getting my bedroom/upstairs in order - Oh, I haven't been so good on this one. I only did this about half the time.

I think I'll relax a bit for August - no formal goals. I have my brother's wedding and family reunion next weekend, then we will be going camping for a week. Time to just relax

Goals for August:
Groceries: 275
Household/Cell: 340
Car: 250 - should be able to meet this as DH's school ends next week for the summer
Medical: 15
Clothes: 20
Loans: 300.36
Entertainment: 100
Gifts: 125 (one wedding, one graduation)
Miscellaneous: 200
Real estate: 0
School: 0
Investment: 0
Cash withdrawals: 100 with no fees
Total expenses: 1725.36
Total income: (three paycheck month!!) 1920
Wow, in the black again. I should be getting two commission checks for about $3600 total, but they will be used to pay the cc ($3500), which has last semester's tuition on it, so I am not even going to count that money.