Mbkonef's Financial Follies

DH played phone tag yesterday but finally connected today and has a second interview on Thursday. It is for a 100% commision sales job but it cannot possibly be any worse than the car dealership right now. He is miserable and wants to quit hourly but I keep reminding him that he has to have something else lined up. We aren't making ends meet as it is so he absolutely cannot quit with nothing to go to. I do feel his frustration though. I am not trying to knock car salespeople or car dealerships in general. It is just that the one where he is suffers from an extreme case of mismanagement. Nothing is as he was promised: he received almost no training/mentoring the entire first month he was there and he is talked down to and insulted (by managers) on a daily basis. For example, he is still on "training pay" (first three months) so he was told to let the other salespeople have customers so they could meet their monthly quota. This was on a Saturday when everyone else was already busy with customers. Okay, so he helps someone elses customer with a test drive etc. and makes money for them. Stuff like this and he still managed to sell 4 cars this month. They even took returning customers that he had dealt with the week before and put them with other sales people saying "You already had your chance with them." Then, at months end, he was asked "Why didn't you sell more cars?" WHAT!!!!!!!!! I can totally understand his frustration so keeping all fingers crossed here.

I've been avoiding blogging. I have been busy, but if I really think about it, I have also been avoiding making any new entries for the past week or so. The reason is, I had to use our home equity line of credit to pay bills this month as our emergency savings that we had been on is just about tapped out. I am leaving a bit in there (about $1000) to cover anything unexpected like car repair, broken down appliance etc. The truth is, however, that until DH starts to make more at his job, or even better, lands a better job, we will be facing this every month. So, I have been avoiding blogging in order to avoid having to put this down in writing. DH went on an interview last Thurs. and is hoping for a call back today for a second interview. It is for a 100% commision sales job but that wouldn't be so bad as he has done sales of one sort of another for the last 20 years and the income potential is very good. I am keeping my fingers crossed but if it doesn't work out, I am sure something else will come along eventually. It is just that I am getting tired of waiting. Sometimes I feel like I want to throw an old fashioned lay-on-the-floor-and-kick-and-scream tantrum. Actually, I am now imagining the look on my kids faces if they saw good old Mom doing that - makes for a pretty funny visual.
Anyway, if I talk myself through it, I should be happy that we got this far on savings instead of feeling like a failure for having to take on new debt. We have the option of asking my parents for a loan but to me, that is the easy, irresponsible way out and I don't want to go that route if I do not have to. Instead, I will just keep on plugging away, trying to be frugal, and working on helping DH get a better job.

On a more positive note, I have been doing pretty well with my personal challenges. I cannot remember all the individual things I did to "do something different each day" but some were: cancelled my subscription to the local weekly paper (no coupons and I can always resubcribe when things are better), realized DUH I can also turn down the thermostat when we will be out all day and then back up when I get home (I had been turning it down at night already), repaired some clothes and sewed on buttons instead of just letting it go and eventually getting new, renewed library books on-line instead of forgetting and having to pay fines, put brake fluid in car when light went on instead of having to take in for service to pay for a five second job. On my treadmill challenge, I logged 17 days of exercise out of my goal of 20 days. I don't feel bad about this because I did not decide to do this challenge til the second week of Jan so I came pretty close. As a result, I also lost about 2 lbs this month. I will definitely make my goal for Feb. and work on my eating (really snacking) habits to try to lose even more. It is amazing what happens when you combine eating right with exercising. Unfortunately, I usually don't manage to combine the two but I am really going to work on it this month.

I am having a hard time doing daily updates on my "Do One Thing Different Challenge" so I guess I am just going to have to keep on catching up. The only problem with that is I have to remember what I did several days ago. Maybe I should try writing it down!!!
Mon. 1/22 Does in look like socks??? This is what I kept asking DD16 every time she looked at something in Kohls. She told me she needed new socks (yes, she did) and I told her we were only going for socks. She nodded her head in the way that teenagers do to make you think they are agreeing when you know they are really trying to figure out how to get their way. Once we got to Kohls she kept trying to look at shirts, jeans etc. on the way back to the sock dept. I kept saying loudly "That does not look like socks to me" and continued walking. She finally gave up (perhaps out of embarrassment but I am just fine with that) and we ended up buying just socks. (DD13 did not believe it when we got home and insisted on checking the bags. She kept saying, what else did you buy?)
Tues. 1/23 Refrigerator Magic. I had put a whole, frozen chicken in the refridgerator to defrost for dinner. Still a frozen lump. I realized I had all the ingredients sitting disquized as leftovers to make a ham casserole. Yummy, easy and did not involve any extra trips anywhere or any significant prep time. Yeah!
Weds. 1/24 I took my coupons to the grocery outlet store. It is right by my regular grocery store and I use it to buy snack stuff for kids. They accept some manufacturers coupons but I always forget to bring them in. I remembered them finally and got 2 boxes of Quaker Chewy Granola bars (I only use them for school snacks) for $0.98 total ($0.99 each + $1.00 off two) Their products are already really cheap so I guess it never occurs to me to bring the coupons, plus they don't accept certain manufacturers (cause they are an authorized outlet for those manufacturers). I will definitely remember to bring them in the future. I got a bag full of snack type foods for school lunch boxes for $4.46. (Less than the price of two school lunches)

I subscribed to our local FreeCycle group a month or two ago but had not had really posted anything, just sort of interested in what was being offered and asked for. Anyway, over the weekend someone posted a wanted for dog crates etc. She was looking for old dog crates or even parts to build a small enclosure in her barn for poultry that she raises and wanted to get in out of the cold. I just so happened to have two unused crates in my living room. I had ordered one on-line last summer when I got my younger mastiff and the first was damaged in shipping and the second had a some broken welds (manufacturing defect). The third time was the charm and I did not have to pay anything for the first two. I offered them and she picked them up yesterday and was thrilled to have them. It made me feel so nice to be able to give away something to someone who could use it and also get it out of my house at the same time. I am not sure who was happier between the two of us. I will definitely have to post more things that I can get rid of as I attempt to declutter my house.

I also wanted to post about my treadmill goal that I had mentioned in another post. I have used it 9 times this month so far and missed only two days this past week. If I want to make my goal this month I will have to double up on two days but I am going to at least try. Even if I come up short, it will still be an improvement in my general health. I am determined to stick with this and get in better shape this year.

My kids (DD7 and DS9)were goofing around last night at bed time and talking about their superstition that you could make it snow by wearing your pajamas inside out. My DD7 told her brother that he also had to run into each room in the house including closets and dance around and yell in order to ensure snow. (I think she was just trying to get rid of him for a few minutes cause when he did it she said "that ought to keep him busy for a while".) Anyway, I bet him a dollar that it still would not snow even if he did it. He took the bet and lo and behold, we had a coating of snow on the ground this morning. That's what I get for not checking the forcast first before agreeing to his bet.

My DH has a small side business/hobby selling things at a flea market in NJ. He is responsible for reporting sales tax quarterly. Since this business is new, this is all new to me. I new the quarterly tax was due but thought it was due the end of Jan. Someone told him that it was due the 20th of Jan. I logged on the the state website to try to find out. It was due the 20th but since the 20th was Sat, it is not due until Mon. 1/22. I was able to file and pay electronically and not have to pay the penalty for late filing (I think $100.00). I also made sure to mark my calendar so I don't make that mistake again.

My kids have been keeping me very busy this week. Went on a field trip to Phila. with DD13 and her class on Wednes. Thursday and Friday the three younger kids had off for school conferences so no days at home for me without kids. (My usual days off are Weds. and Fri.) This means my house and routines were really suffering. Then, my oldest DD16 had a school formal on Sat. so she had nail appt., hair appt. etc. on Friday and Sat. I bought her the dress (on a budget of course) but the nails and hair were on her dollar since she turned down my offers to help her with them. Anyway, the things I have been doing each day are...
Tues. 1/16 Made hamburgers for dinner. I realized I was out of bread crumbs. Improvised by adding oatmeal instead of going out to store to buy breadcrumbs.
Weds. 1/17 Went on the field trip and brought no money with me so no temptation to buy souvineers for younger kids, snacks etc.
Thurs. 1/18 Did my normal grocery shop but since I only had $50.00 left in the account til DH got paid Friday, I only spent $50.00 instead of pulling out the credit card etc. Anything over the limit that was not absolutely needed did not get bought.
Fri. 1/19 Realized that I could measure my dogs food more carefully. The scoop I use holds a bit more than a cup if filled to the brim. Usually I am lazy and just give them full or heaping cups which they do not mind but is not good for them in the long run. I am more carefully measuring what they are supposed to be fed.
Sat. 1/20 My DD16 had her formal and told me she did not have any pantyhose. She tried to convince me to go out an buy some. I told her to check her room first. I was told, "No mom, I don't have any" but I was sure she did. Sure enough, after looking only a minute or two they turned up. Yeah! money and gas saved.
Sun 1/21 I want to buy a thermostat with a timer but til I can, I am going to start turning the heat down at night and back up when I get up in the am. I get up about 30 - 45 minutes before anyone else so it will warm back up before the kiddies and DH get up.

I work part time for a small business man - he is a manufacturers rep for a furniture co. He is usually out in the field and I run the office. Monday was payday and he snuck in a $1.00 an hour raise. Did not tell me, just gave me my check in an envelope like he usually does. I did not realize until I went to the bank and looked at the check. It was for more than I thought it should be. When I did the math, I figured that he had given me a raise. He has done that before but usually tells me. I thanked him the next day and he just laughed. It was definitely a nice way to start the week.

I've still been working at my goal of one new thing a day but just haven't had the time to post so here goes...
Thurs. 1/11 After all that veggie talk last week, bought some frugal cabbage at the produce outlet. I made some coleslaw (without mayo) and loved it. DH tried it said it was okay but was missing something. I finally realized I should have added some dried mustard to my seasoning so I will probably make more today.
Fri. 1/12 Made a turkey casserole that I usually make but instead of 45 minutes in the oven, nuked it for 10. Still tasted great and 10 min. of mircrowave has got to be less expensive than heating up the oven for 45.
Sat. 1/13 Bought dog food at the local per store and joined their buy 10/get 1 club. I had never thought to join cause the brand I buy has a "frequent customer" program but theirs requires 11 UPC's instead of 10. This may not sound like alot of difference but at 18 or so bags a year at $35+ per bag, every bit will help. (Mastiffs do eat alot after all)
Sun. 1/14 Decided to carefully fill the dishwasher detergent "thingies" instead of just dumping it in and overfilling. Worked just as well as overfilling and wasting more detergent.
Mon. 1/15 Had to do 2 loads of laundry requiring different water temps but since both were small, I waited til second one was done and threw both in the dryer together. One less load in the dryer = less money out.

Sometimes when I think about this challenge of mine, the individual things seem silly to me. However, in total, they will save us money and force me to think about what I am doing as I go thru my day, rather than just automatically using things without thinking. I am finding that when I am on "autopilot" I am generally using more of something than necessary or doing things the same way as always just because that is always they way I have done them. Sometimes it is really helpful to take that step back and think before doing.

The other thing I have decided to do this month is challenge myself to work out a minimum of 20 days per month on our treadmill. I will pay myself $1.00 for each time I do and have made a deal with myself. The money can only be spent on me - no stuff for the kids - and I cannot treat myself with food. Clothes, Bath & Body, etc. are fine but food treats are off limits. My goal is to slowly get back in shape but I am fine with a little bit at a time.

I got a check in the mail on Tuesday, reimbursement for a dental appointment. I pay the dentist and get a discount for paying in cash and then they submit to insurance and insurance reimburses me. This saves me since insurance does not cover 100%. Anyway, I had been to the dentist over the holidays and somehow forgot I had this reimbursement coming to me. Since I already paid the dentist, I will put it back into the almost non-existent savings account to try to help it wheeze its way back to life.

My "one thing a day" for Tuesday was to make homemade croutons. The younger two kids DS9 and DD7 said they liked them. The two teens DD16 and DD13 said they were "okay" which is sometimes as high as the praise gets with teens so I will definitely make them again. Even if they are not too much cheaper than ones bought on sale, they are definitely healthier - can use whole grain bread etc. and no trans-fats etc. I almost always prefer to make foods when I can so I can control what goes into it. Yesterday (1/10) I installed a nightlight in the kids bathroom and am working on training them to turn off the main light at night. It has got to use way less electricity to run a tiny LED nightlight than a light bar w. three bulbs (even if they are fluorescent). I bought one of those nightlights with the light sensor so it is supposed to turn off during the day. I now realize that the kids bathroom gets almost no outside light - it has no window and faces an interior hallway. So, I may have to move the nightlight out into the hallway so that it will go off by itself during the day. Either way, it still has to save something over the kids leaving the light on all night. I think my new thing for today will be to try cabbage. I have never been a fan but I love most veggies and the post with the cabbage recipes got my mouth watering. We are having company this weekend for dinner and I may just try the coleslaw out on them also.

My idea for today is to make homemade croutons. My kids are okay about eating salad but switch to "salad is yummy" simply with the addition of croutons. So I go back and forth between buying them so the kids will eat salads and not buying them cause we go thru a box so fast and they are not so great for you. So, my idea of the day, which I have been meaning to do for a while, is to make homemade croutons using whole wheat bread and my own seasonings. I will have the oven on anyway cause I am making homemade pizza tonight so I figure I can throw them in while the oven is still hot. If anyone has any really great crouton recipes, I would love to hear them (think healthy and taste great).

No, it does not. I just put those new "curly" (for lack of a better term) fluorescent (spelling???) bulbs in the kids bathroom lightbar. My kids leave the bathroom light on all night as a nightlight of sorts. I switched the bulbs out today figuring at least it would save some money over regular bulbs. My only complaint is that they cast a weird color - sort of greenish but since nobody uses that bathroom for makeupt etc, who really cares. I am also going to get one of those nightlights with a light sensor next time I am out running errands and see if I cannot convince them to turn the lights off at night and just use the nightlight. One can hope (and worse case, one can sneak in an turn off the regular lights after they are asleep. Shhhh - don't tell!)

I set a goal to try something new each day that saves money, is frugal etc. They won't all work and they may not all turn into new habits but my goal is really to force myself to reconsider how I do things and reasses how I am spending my money and resources.
1/5 Use half as much toothpaste each time I brush my teeth. I don't really need to cover the whole brush with a thick strip of toothpaste. Half as much works just as well and will make it last much longer meaning less money spent on toothpaste.
1/6 Use half as much mousse when I style my hair in the morning. I always seem to have to wash extra off my hands - why am I paying for something just to wash it down the drain? I am consciously using less and my hair still holds as well.
1/7 Hung all our towels out on the deck since the weather is so nice. I don't have a clothes line but the weather was so nice that I hung the clean towels from our chairs. They dried in no time and I just fluffed them in the drier to soften. Saved me a load in the drier.

Arrgghhh! My DH's new employer was supposed to set him up for automatic deposit of his checks when he started work (end of November). I just called the bank to check and no deposit. Two weeks ago (his last pay period, also the first time they paid him) they told me that it takes "a long time" to set up automatic deposit. What!!! Since they have had the paper work for over 5 weeks and automatic deposit is something they insist on, all it should really take is someone getting off their butt and filing the necessary paperwork with the banks. We have had paychecks done this way before and never had it take longer than one pay period. Of course, today is DH's day off so now he won't get his check til tomorrow and won't be able to actually get it deposited til Monday. Yeah, banks are open Sat. and Sun. but those are not "business days" so nothing goes in until Monday anyway. Very frustrating!!!

On a brighter note, I did change our Netflix subscription last night to 1 out at a time (unlimited per month) for 9.99 a month. We will re-assess in another month or so to see if we are using this. If not, out it goes completely. I tried to do a price comparison with Blockbuster but all I could find on their site was heavy promotion of their 3 at a time unlimited w. returns to the store etc. Sounded gooded since there is a Blockbuster 10 minutes away but at $17.99 a month, not going to save anything. I was trying to get info on their other programs but was unable to find it. Sorry Blockbuster but you just made it too darn hard for me, so Netflix it stays for now. Not sure what my idea will be for today. There's still lots of day left for me to figure something out.

I read a book several years ago (cannot remember the author) about the power of just doing one thing different each day. One of my resolutions this year is to do one new frugal thing each day. It can be learning a new frugal skill, making something new from scratch, finding a new way to do without something or make something last longer etc. but my goal is to do one thing each day. I may have to be pretty loose on my definition of new as I increase my repetoire of frugal skills/ideas but I will stick with the goal of one thing each day. Today my frugal thing will be to cut back on our net flix subscription. We cut our cable down to basic over the summer (we get almost no reception without basic) and added NetFlix. It was less than we had been paying for just one premium cable channel so I thought it would be worth a try. I find that we are not using it as much as I had hoped and I am paying to just have movies sitting around unwatched. We are currently on the 3 at a time plan for $18.99 a month. I am going to mail all movies back today and change us to the lower priced 1 at a time plan, or look into Blockbusters plan to see if there 1 at a time plan is even cheaper. Either way, it should save me about $7 - $8 a month and every little bit helps. If I find we still aren't watching the movies, it will go altogether.

Do you ever put off doing things that you know you should do cause they would directly benefit you but you just keep putting them off cause they seem too difficult, annoying, time consuming etc? And then once you actually force yourself to do them, you find it was really easy and want to kick yourself for not doing them sooner? Thats me today. I have been meaning to send in out of pocket vision expenses to our insurance co. for reimbursement but kept putting it off, just cause it is boring and annoying. Also needed to send in a rebate for a free bag of dog food ($35.00 value) but kept putting that off too. I did both yesterday and accomplished both in less than 20 minutes. They got mailed today and now I find that I can't wait to get my hot little hands on the money/rebate. What was I waiting for??? Now it will be the checks!!! I have no one to blame but myself but am really glad that I finally got around to doing it.

On another note, I was thinking today how funny it is that sometimes the universe seems to provide you with just what you are looking for when you least expect it. Over the holidays I noticed that my DS (9) and DD (7) needed some new pants. They wear uniforms to school so usually only need weekends worth of non-uniform clothes. But with the long holiday, I noticed that they could each really use another pair or two of pants. I had intended to take them to the local outlets the day after Christmas but my DD was sick so no go. In the meantime, cleaning out closets (since I was stuck at home with her sick) I found several pairs of pants from her older sister/family friends that fit her now and several that will fit when she outgrows what she currently has. I also happened to mention my sons need for pants to a friend who told me she had been given a bag of clothes for her son but there were several pairs of pants that would not fit him. Voila, three new pairs of very nice jeans for DS and no longer any need to go shopping for pants. (At least for those two - DD (16) needed new jeans but we were able to find 2 pairs for under $30.00 total so not too bad.) Now, if the universe would just provide her with a nice formal dress for her winter formal later this month... (Actually, I may just drag out the sewing machine and get to work.)

...that the white unisex socks he is now wearing used to be his sisters. My nine year old DS goes through socks like crazy. If I did not know better, I would swear that he sat is school chewing on his socks. He is constantly wearing holes in the heels. He is in need of some new socks. When I was cleaning out a closet over the holiday I came across a bag of white ankle height crew socks (definitely unisex type) but I know that they belonged to one of his older sisters. I had him try them on and they fit perfectly, voila - new socks for him, no money spent for me. A win-win situation unless someone tells him that they used to belong to one of his sisters. Then he won't be willing to wear them. So I'm not telling. Besides, he'll wear these out soon enought too!

I cannot believe that the last time I blogged was 12/12/06. In my ideal world (ie. not reality) I would have time every day. Instead, I think I'll just settle for a January goal of a minimum of 2 entries a week and then we will take it from there. Part of my issue was feeling that I had nothing financial to say, then I just got too busy with the holidays. My highlights from the last half of Dec.
1) Yeah to my boss for a $500.00 bonus. Very generous and very much appreciated
2) Boo to DH's new employer for making us play "Where is the paycheck?" He started working there immediately after Thanksgiving and did not get his first paycheck til 12/22/06 and even then they had his start date wrong and shorted it by a week. This week is a pay week so lets see if they can redeem themselves.
3) Yeah for me - no Christmas debt that is not covered so I was able to pull this off even on a greatly reduced income.

Goals for 2007

I feel torn about setting goals for this year. On the one hand I really need to set goals and really want to. On the other hand, DH's current job situation does not even pay all the bills and probably won't for several more months so I feel frustrated and unable to prevent us from going into debt. This means using our home equity line to cover certain bills until his income rises at the current job or he gets a different (ie. better paying) job. After 20 years of marriage and almost as many of trying to live frugally, having to incur debt just to pay the basic bills feels like a failure to me. On the plus side, hopefully it will be just for the short term. Either way, I guess I have no choice but to keep plugging along and doing our best. In that light, my current goals for 2007 are:
1)DH increase income to be able to cover all basic bills - accomplish this by June of this year.
2) Add no new debt other than home equity to pay mortage and COBRA ($2200 total a mos. and COBRA should disappear once he is covered by company insurance - after 90 days).
3) Add minimum of 2 new sources of income myself by June - currently thinking of additional part time work and selling items on E-bay/Craig's list. I'm not going to totally kill myself but even a few hundred extra a month would help.
4) Re-assess all current fixed expenses to see where we can cut additional spending. (Insurance, cell phone contracts, cable etc.) Even cutting $50.00 to $100.00 total a month would help. Right off the bat I will probably temporarily cancel our YMCA membership - it is $80.00 a month and we almost never use it during the winter. We can always rejoin when we are more financially sound.
5) Have anything on equity line of credit paid off by end of Dec. 2007 -ie. increase income to point where we can pay off any of this debt.
6) Rebuild savings to minimum of $2500.00

This sounds like a lot to me right now but I know that it is all do-able once I find additional sources of income and DH's job situation gets more settled.

That said, I am really glad that 2007 is here. I am determined to make this a better year for myself, both financially, physically and mentally. I took off the week between Christmas and New Years but with a sick child, sick husband and the need for a guinea pig funeral, I was certainly ready for the return to "reality".

That's the legal kind (of drugs I mean)!!! My DH went to the doctor on Friday and was prescribed some medication for his high blood pressure. The doctor mentioned to him that Target carried the generic version for $4.00 for the 30 day supply. Target is about a 20 minute drive and I happened to be headed for our local Giant grocery store where I usually fill our prescriptions. I told him I would check out the pricing there and let him know. I asked the pharmacist to please check the price and let me know before filling the prescription. She told me is would be $20.00 with my prescription plan co-pay. I told her no thanks, I was going to see if the doctor was right about Target. She immediately offered to check, saying that they had a data base with pricing from both Target and Walmart. She confirmed that the price was $4.00 and was able to offer to match that price for me. Yeah!!! Saved me $16.00, and a 20 minute drive or at the least a phone call and a drive back to Giant. It felt really weird asking for a price comparison on a prescription but it was painless and took less than 5 minutes total. If I calculated the savings into an hourly wage, I would earn $192.00 an hour ($16.00 per 5 minutes). Wow - wish I could find a full time job like that!!! Anyway, even though I felt silly telling her no thanks to the first price of $20.00 I am glad that I did. And obviously I am not the first person to do this or they would not have the competitions pricing and make offers to price match. We do not get prescriptions filled very often but in the future I will definitely call around and check rather that just assuming that my co-pay price is the best that I can do. What I find ironic about the whole thing is that the $4.00 price was without my prescription plan and we have been paying COBRA for our insurance since July to be able to stay insured. Got to appreciate the irony in that one.

I am referring to financial ignorance specifically. Sometimes I look at my neighbors and even close relatives who blissfully spend, spend, and spend as if there is no tomorrow and their money is unlimited and I wish I could be as blissfully ignorant as I assume they must be. Well, not really, I don't want to be in their position but I do just wonder what it would feel like for a day or so to keep spending anything you want and never worry about the consequeces. Like I said, I don't really want to be them and definitely not when the consequences really do hit, it is just that sometimes I get so tired of being informed and unignorant (I know, not a word, but I feel like using it anyway). I often feel like life is a giant rollercoaster ride with highs and lows, and if you don't experience the lows, you cannot really appreciate the highs or the ride to the top. It is just that lately I feel like I am getting very tired of the finacial lows and am frustrated not to be at least working slowly back up. DH's new job is off to a very slow start financially and we will still be spending out of the dwindling (and soon to be extinct) savings at least for the forseeable future. Not where I wanted to be when he got a new job so I am back to feeling frustrated. I am making a major assumption to say that those I see around me spending and spending are blissful and ignorant. I guess it is because I could never spend that way unless I was completely ignorant of the financial repurcussions. Sometimes I just get tired of always being so responsible, yet I know darn well acting irresponsibly would only make me feel guilty, not better. Sometimes just getting it all out like this makes me feel much better. Sorry for boring anyone who may actually be trying to follow this little rant of mine. Okay, now that I have ranted, I feel better and can go back to my usual more positive self. Sometimes I just need to get it all out and I don't want my DH to feel like I am nagging him about it.

I never got a chance between last Friday and now to blog on how my shopping trip went. I think I did pretty well, though some of the things I did not save on like a gift card (my daughter needed a gift for a friends birthday and did not know what to get her).

$20.00 Blockbuster Gift card - for DD's friends birthday
$10.00 Zip-up Hooded sweatshirt from Old Navy (on sale from $17.50) for my 9 yo DS who has a love affair with sweatshirts - not quite sure why but he should love it and its a really nice one for the price.
$3.71 for small size body wash at Bath & Body + used coupon to get free large size body spray in same scent ($10.50 value) for my 16 yo DD for Holiday gift.
$4.00 cash (approx) + $10.00 credit card reward certificate for 2 Crayola kits and erasable markers (the Crayola kits were buy 1/get 1) for my 7 yo DD for holiday gift - she just loves anything arts/crafts.
$3.61 at craft store for 2 pack of MadLibs for DD7 for holidays (used 40% coupon) and 3 rolls of tape (3/$1.00)
$4.22 at fabric store for 2 3yd packs of waistband elastic to finish DD13's new pajama pants and for additional pajamas for her and DD16 who now wants a pair
$26.00 (25 and change - don't have receipt in front of me) for books for kids for holidays - one was free!
I did not finish as much as I hoped but I am more than half way done with kids gifts and felt like I did pretty good.

On the positive side, DH is now working. Yeah!!! He is selling Nissans for a local dealership. This is a change from what he had been doing and is way less money to start but he has been in sales all his working life and has potential to really increase income so I am deciding to be positive about this. Today I am home, or I should say, off work as I will be out shopping most of the day. I have about 1/2 of my holiday shopping done and hope to get at least another 1/4 done today. So, it will definitely not be a no spend day, but I am going to do my best to make it a wise spending day. I have a stack of coupons, etc. that I will be using to maximize my savings. For example, I have to hit the local craft store for something but am armed with a 40% off one item coupon and intend to buy that one item and nothing else. Then it is off the the mall to Bath & Body for my DD. I have a coupon for 1 free item (up to $12.50 value) with any purchase. I will be getting her a gift with the coupon but will make sure the required purchase is something small since they do not specify a dollar amount. Then off to the toy store where I have a $10.00 credit card reward card.
My DH will also be spending today - his car desparately needs 2 new tires and possibly brakes. The upside is it is the same make as he is selling at the dealership and the service department will do it for him while he is at work and give him a really good deal since he is an employee. Yeah to the employee discount since I also have the same make minivan. So, spending today but hopefully wisely! I will try to report back on how we did.

If you read my earlier post today, my word for the day was FRUSTRATION. I have decided that I am just plain old tired of being frustrated and it is up to me to change it. So, I have decided that my word for the rest of today will be CREATIVITY. Whenever I am feeling depressed, frustrated, stressed out etc, one of the sure fire cures for me is to do something creative. So, I am going to make the time after work to work on some projects that I have been putting off. Not putting off cause I don't want to do them, just putting off cause I "don't have the time". I usually make homemade Christmas cards each year. I was not going to do it this year but I saw a really cute card in a craft book so I am definitely going to continue my tradition of homemade cards and get to work on them this evening. I already have what I need so I just need to plant myself down and start. I also bought a pattern over the weekend to make some of those pajama/lounging type fleece or flanned pants for my DD. We already bought and washed the material so what am I waiting for? I will at least get the pieces cut out tonight so that I can sew her up a pair tomorrow. They are so easy, it is just the pattern pinning part that I seem to hate and is the major sewing hurdle for me. Anyway, I feel better already, more in control since I decided not to be frustrated anymore. Sometimes, not always but sometimes, changing your mood can be as simple as deciding to! I would much rather feel creative for the rest of the day than frustrated!

It is only 8:29 am and my word for today is FRUSTRATION (yes, with all capital letters, thats how much frustration I am feeling right now). Hopefully ranting about it will get rid of some. First, my DH, who has been out of work for 5 1/2 mos. is supposed to start a new job selling cars for a local dealership. He went in yesterday and spent the day there. They were supposed to go over all the details with him, pay, benefits etc. He came home and when I asked him for details his only response was "I don't know. The person I was supposed to talk to was not in today". Argggggggghhhhh! So I am frustrated at the "employer" - I mean, how can you tell someone you are hiring them but not give them any of the details??? I am also frustrated by my DH - how can he "work" for them all day without them telling him any of the details? He is supposed to go back in on Weds. to talk to the Human Resources person who is supposed to be in by then. I told him to just leave if they don't give him the details. Not someone worth working for if they are that disorganized and care so little for new employees. So, DH says he has a new job and I say, NOT until they sit down with you and give you details. Very frustrating. Second frustration, I was driving my kids to school this morning and put down my window to remove the condensation. Only problem was my window now will not go back up! I think the motor died so it is stuck in the down position - wide open. Luckily I can park right in front of work where I can keep an eye on it. I called the dealership and am going to take it in this afternoon to at the very least put it stuck in the up position so I can safely lock it and not get wet if it rains. Very frustrating! Even more so when my DD says, "oh yeah mom, dad was having trouble with the window over the weekend. Did we forget to tell you?" Fortunately, the steam from my head did at least help warm up the car - since cold air was blowing in the open window the whole way to school. Hence, my word for the day! Here's hoping it is only the word for the morning and I have a better word for this afternoon.!

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all! I had a conversation with a friend yesterday which got me thinking about spending styles and specifically things that I would never spend money on. This same friend and I are neighbors and walk together at least once a week. I don't know great details about her financial life (my philosphy is not to ask, only discuss what someone else brings forth) but I do know that she was very happy last years cause her DH took a new job and it came with a significant bump up in pay. She and I have recently been discussing finances on a pretty superficial level - I mentioning many times how I wished DH would get a job soon and I was tired of living off our savings. She said they would be in trouble if her DH lost his job cause they had almost no savings. About two weeks ago she participated in a family wedding and told me when all was said and done they had spent close to $1000 dollars on this (bridesmaid dress, flower girl dress, ring bearer tux, hair for girls on day of, hotel for two nights etc.) I was somewhat amazed but did not say anything. On Monday she was complaining to me that they had to ask her dad for a loan because they were "out of money". Then on yesterday she was telling me how she went to a warehouse store and bought a veggie tray to take to the thanksgiving dinner they were attending. She rationalized it to me that with the cost of fresh veggies it was almost the same price. Now she knows well how frugal/cheap I am and mentioned it with the excuse already in place which I thought was rather funny. I proceeded to tell her that she could have easily hit the local produce outlet which is cheap and high quality. She claimed not to have the time to get over there nor to cut up veggies. I found this interesting cause she then proceeded to tell me that she had to kill about 1/2 hour while running errands before she could pick up her son (in the same general area as the produce outlet mind you). After we got off the phone I started to think about all this and it got me thinking about what people will and won't do with their money and how much people care about what others think of them. I am not knocking my friend in any way - she is a good friend and will remain so, I just find her choices interesting in light of her situation. I know she is very concious (even worries) about what others think of her. I personally have reached the point where I do what is best for my family and myself and don't worry about what anyone else has to say about it. If we cannot really afford to spend the money on something, I don't do it just to "fit in". Anyway, getting to my title, the whole conversation and my subsequent train of thought has gotten me to yet another list (I have always liked lists). This time it is a list of things I have never bought cause I just refuse to spend the money on them.
1) Premade fruit or veggie bowl or tray. I love fruit and veggies and frequently serve trays at parties, I just prefer to make them myself.
2) Store made birthday cakes. I have made all of my childrens birthday cakes (44 so far if I am counting correctly). I just refuse to spend what they charge for a cake.
3) Starbucks coffee - nothing against it, just will not spend what they want on it. I actually just had my first ever cup of Starbucks a few weeks ago. My daughter was at a birthday party and the parents had brought a take out "box" of coffee to share with the guests parents.
4) Cleaning service/person for my home. Nothing against this either, I actually have a small commercial cleaning business (offices etc) that I do on the side. I even went so far as to interview someone once but when I found out what they charged and thought about everthing else I could do with that money, I would rather clean myself.

Okay, that is my short list. I may or may not come up with more. I would be interested to see what others have also never bought.

In the spirit of all the list making that I have seen lately, I have been thinking of things that I have to be thankful for, partly because this is thanksgiving week and partly because it helps me to focus on what I do have as opposed to my financial frustrations. Here are a few in no particular order:
1) 4 healthy children - I was having coffee with friends last week listening to them talk about kids with seasonal allergies, food allergies etc. and thinking how glad I was that we did not have to deal with any of that (to say nothing of people dealing with their children having life threatening diseases). My DH and I have four very healthy children who maybe see the doctor once a year for something viral etc. if even. Boy are we lucky in that regard.
2) My dogs. I have two mastiffs and they are my major self-indulgence. They are definitely more expensive to feed and care for than a smaller dog would be but they give my whole family such love and joy that they are well worth it.
3) A frugal upbringing. My parents were both physicians so we always had money for whatever we needed but we were never spoiled. For example for Christmas we were allowed to ask for one "big" gift (which in the 70's topped out in the $20.00 price range) and also got some smaller stuff. It made you think about what you really wanted and would really use cause you didn't want to "waste" your request.
4) A fair amount of intelligence. I have a good memory and pick up concepts quickly. I think how much harder it must be for people who do not have either to be as frugal as possible as easily. I am not saying they cannot do it, just that it would be a much harder process. For example I can stand in the store w. a coupon and quickly determine if it will give me a better unit price on an item combined with a sale than the same generic/store brand item. Just makes the whole saving money stuff easier when you can quickly make those calculations yourself.
4) A safe warm home to return to each day and in which to raise my kids. You would never find my house in a magazine photo shoot but it is clean (relatively) and plenty large for our family. Each child has their own bedroom, we have a finished basement and a nice size yard. I laugh when people talk about buying their dream home. I tell them in all seriousness that my dream home is one with no mortgage. Right now we have built up a lot of equity in our house and are on target to have it paid off in 10 years of so.
5) My health and my DH's health. Both of us are healthy and in decent shape (we could both stand to lose a little weight).
6) A love of learning and acquiring new skills. I am not afraid to try new things so I have learned over the years how simple it can be to paint, do simple decorative painting and wallpapering, sew, quilt etc. I have replaced sinks and garbage disposals, installed ceiling fans and done other things that I never would have thought I would be able to handle. I love the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing something yourself. (But I also know when to call in the professionals if needed.)
7)My DH. He drives me crazy more often than not but I figure if we have put up with each other for over 20 years we must be well suited. (Not that I possible do anything that drives him crazy!)

I read an interesting story in the paper over the weekend about a man (I cannot remember what city - I think in the midwest somewhere) who had been anonymously giving money to people around the holidays for the last 30 years of so. He had given away something like 1.3 million in that time and was finally revealing his identity due to health concerns and other reasons. I found it a really nice story and really admired him for his spirit of generosity. I must admit though that I was also curious why after 30 years he was finally revealing his identity. I don't say this to knock him or what he has done in any way but it just made me curious.

I have been trying to get my holiday shopping done a little at a time since before Halloween. With my DH out of work and money tight I absolutely refuse to add debt for holiday presents. I usually make big plates of cookies for neighbors and teachers (I love to bake) so that will be a pretty low cost gift. I buy my ingredients on sale or at Aldi and usually end up making double batches of about a dozen different kinds of cookies. I also have a great, very simple recipe for really delicious homemade peanut brittle that I may make for some teachers. I tell people that it is a top secret, really difficult family recipe. If only they knew, it is about as easy as making rice krispie treats! Don't tell! Keep my secret safe!

My DH is jewish and we celebrate Hannukah in our house. (Probably spelled that wrong, I usually do.) I think it makes gift giving easier because there is a definite limit - eight gifts per child - count them up and you are done. My youngest two daughters love crafts so I have been hitting the local AC Moore weekly to take advantage of their 40% (and sometimes special 50%) coupons. Buying a few gifts a week and making sure to get them all on sale has kept me from adding any debt and I am about 1/2 done with the shopping. Another thing I have been doing for the last year or two is to try to wrap gifts as I buy them. I keep a list and write them down once they are bought, then wrap and label. It is pretty stressful to try to wrap 32 gifts (8 each X 4 kids) but it is pretty painless to wrap 2 or 3 once or twice a week. I keep the wrapping paper (bought 2/$1.00 after the holidays last year) in my closet, along with a roll of tape and scissors. This way I am always ready to roll. I find that this also thwarts the attempts to sneak peaks to see what Mom has bought. I myself was terrible about this as a child. I would find my gifts, no matter where my mother hid them including the attic, the basement and a locked closet (I had to find the key first). Actually, I still am really bad about this. My DH gets really mad at me cause it is almost impossible to surprise me, no matter how creative he gets with his hiding places. After 20 years, I still find my presents, I have just stopped letting him know that I do. Then I just have to act surprised when I open them. Don't tell!

DH has a second job interview today with a car dealership. Not what he is really looking for but at this point, a job with benefits would be nice. I don't mean to be snobby about it, I just have a hard time seeing car sales as a great career move for him. I know good car salespeople can make good money, it is just that car salespeople (really used care sales people) have such a negative stereotype in movies etc. that I am worried. I just don't want him to take his focus off finding a better long term career and I think car sales fluctuate too much depending on the economy. Then again, so does the housing market and he was selling to builders so maybe I am just being crazy. Anyway, only time will tell.

I saw this in a cartoon over the weekend and felt it fits me perfectly. The mom and dad had some "down time" with the kids all out of the house and the mom spent it running around cleaning, doing laundry etc. In other words, "up" on her feet. Today is one of my two days "off" from work but I think I will be glad to go back to work tomorrow so I can get some rest. It it 1:00 pm and I have already done the grocery shopping for the week and put all away, emptied the dishwasher, done three loads of laundry, walked the dog 1 mile, cleaned the yard (from the dogs), and changed the sheets on 5 beds plus all towels. I am not even close to being finished with all that I want/need/am supposed to get done today.

On a financial note, I feel like I did well at the grocery store today. I spent $82.88 for the weeks groceries but that includes a lot of stockpiled items that we will not use right away. Out of 60 items I bought, only 8 were not on sale. My before coupon/bonus buy total was $136.00. So, not too bad I feel. I even got DH two free deodorants (they were on sale for $1.01 each and I had $.75 coupons which they doubled up to the price, so, 2 for totally free. It would have been even nicer if they doubled them in full - then they would have been paying me to buy them. Oh well, you can't have everything.

I always thought I was a very frugal grocery shopper but I have become even more so lately. I read Mary Hunt's book "Live Your Life for Half the Price" (not sure if that is the exact title). She talks about needs shopping vs. shopping to "restock". She called it something else but I cannot remember what. Her point was that if you buy to restock only when things are on sale and buy enough to last you, you can spend way less on groceries or spend the same but get way more for your money. I used to think that I was doing this but after reading her book I see that I was not doing it as well as I could. I have started going thru the weekly flyer at my local favorite store, as well as at two others that I pass several times each week (so not really going out of my way). I also cut all coupons for stuff we would use (but not necessarily buy). You never know when something will be a great deal that you would not ordinarily buy but would use. For example, I had a coupon for a new brand of Panasonic batteries specifically for digital cameras. I would not ordinarily shop for batteries at the grocery store but I cut out the coupon cause it is something I would use if the right deal came along. I was very pleased today to see the same batteries on sale today, $2.99 for a 4 pack, down from 3.99 I think. Not such a great deal yet, but combined with my $2.00 off coupon, 4 high tech batteries for my digital camera for $.99 is a very good deal. Wish I had more coupons.

Okay, my "down" time at the computer is all up. Time to get rolling and mop all the doggy footprints off my floors.

By the way, thanks to everyone who commented on my first entry. I am not too down about our situation. I know that my DH will find a job soon, it just can't come soon enough for me. I guess it is teaching me patience and gratitude for what I do have. I am just impatient to get our financial train back on the right track (okay, so I still have to work on the patience thing!)

I am starting this blog more for myself than anything else but if it entertains/enlightens others, so much the better. I am a mom to 4, wife of 20 years and part time administrative assistant. I was raised by frugal parents and have pretty much always been frugal by nature. When I was in high school I banked the majority of my paychecks and prided myself on never having made a withdrawal from my savings account. Oh - those were the days. My DH is pretty much the opposite but over the past 20 years I am slowly converting him to my way of thinking. Not as much a conversion as I would like but he has definitely seen the method to my madness. He still has his small splurges on things that drive me crazy (why does he need to stop to buy a soday for $1.29 at a convenience store 5 minutes from home where there is cold soda in the fridge???0 but after 20 years, you just learn to look the other way at silly little things like this. I am sure I have my share of money saving things I do that drive him equally crazy but he is turning the other way also.

Lately (past 5 months) I have been feeling more obsessed by money/finances than usual. I am somewhat of a finance geek in that I read personal finance books, budget books, etc. for enjoyment. Of course, I do not run right out to buy them, I get them from the library and then if I feel they would be a good reference book, I buy them used on Amazon etc. Anyway, I was a stay at home mom until 2 years ago when my youngest started kindergarten. I always worked part time but it was flexible and usually evenings etc. after the kids were in bed. DH was always the primary breadwinner and did a nice job at it. Our only debt is our mortgage and payments on his truck, which were being covered by his employer. 5 months ago, (one day before our 20th anniversary I might add - can you say bad timing!) his employer called him into a meeting and laid him off. He was a sales rep and they told him he did not understand their approach of "valued added" selling ie. he should have been able to talk his customers into the higher prices his company wanted based on his superior service. Too bad but his customers are builders who are looking to squeeze every last dollar and are totally not willing to pay extra for service. Anyway, 5 months later with the housing market in a total slump in our area, he is stil out of work. We have been living off my small part-time income (which used to go straight to college funds), unemployment and our emergency fund. Back in June I thought he would have no problem getting another good job and we might even be ahead since they paid him back vacation pay thru July. Ha ha! At this point I am just taking everything one day at a time and trying not to sweat it too much. It is just so frustrating to see the money we worked so many years to save slowly (and sometimes quickly) draining out of our savings. But, back to my title, I keep telling myself, today is the tomorrow I worried about yesterday and we are still plugging away, trying to stay out of debt and find him a job. Can't come soon enough for me!!! Okay, enough ranting for today. On the positive side, I have a job, we have a home equity line of credit we could tap if all else failed and we have managed to go 5 months without increasing our debt! Yeah!