Looking Forward's Personal Finance Blog

Two more tax forms rolled in. Our mortgage statement and DH's W2. Now we are waiting for a 1099 and then I can file. Looking like a bit bigger refund than I was guessing. One thing was we maxed out our childcare credit this year; getting the full $1200.

*The* shower curtain arrived yesterday too. It's pretty. A bit more golden tone than brown, but I think I will be keeping it all the same. It looks good up against the tile.

Had the "Water Wise" house call Tuesday morning. The toilet in each bathroom qualifies for the rebate. I'm not surprised. Old water-hog toilets.

DH is going to order a new potty from one of the supply houses he uses. Wholesale pricing.

Going to do some painting in the bathroom this weekend. As well as tearing up the floor so DH can lay new tile. Our goal is to have the bathroom wrapped up by next weekend. All the major stuff anyway. I won't have the towel bars, hook, etc. or new door pulls for the vanity until after I get my AmEx Gold card rewards.

Well...*sigh*...my 49ers lost last night.

I did transfer $10 to the EF because we made it so far in the playoffs and the game last night stretched into overtime.
New EF balance: $2080.
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It rained like crazy over the weekend, especially late last night. It really came down. I am glad, we really needed rain.

The weather has cleared now and we are supposed to have a week of clear, mild days.

We only had one *tiny* leak around the last old (yet to be replaced) window in the house. Phew!

The plan is to use the tax refund to get the new roof this spring/summer.
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Oh, last night I ordered the shower curtain and liner. I used the gift card code from Plastic Jungle which worked out just fine. I was going to try a coupon code for 20% off, but I couldn't find anywhere on the checkout to enter it!?

Bathroom renovation cost so far: $868.

Last night I used Plastic Jungle and bought a $50 Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card for $45. That way in a roundabout way I will save on my shipping.
($7 to ship a shower curtain. Grrrr!)
Could not find any free shipping or %/off coupons that were valid online either.

Thanks mjrube94 for commenting about doing this. I have never done it this way before, but have thought how it would be a good way to save.
(Usually I think "I should have bought a discounted GC." after I make a purchase! )

I don't have the gift card code yet. Plastic Jungle says it takes them about 24 hours to process. I have the curtain and liner all picked out.
Hope I love it.
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Going to run over to the grocery store now. As predicted we need milk. We also need butter and eggs. I will try very hard to only pick up those things and no extra on sale items.
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More football playoffs today.

GO NINERS!!!

After they win today they'll be in the Super Bowl!

I bought Quicken Deluxe at Costco Thursday. After the coupon it cost $20.

I was thinking I would get the Home/Business edition because I have a little dream of having a side business here at home someday. I figured I should just buy Quicken once and have all the options. But, Costco was out of that one. (I suppose I could order it from them online...)

Do you ever buy an upgraded product in anticipation of using a feature "someday"? Or do you just re-buy the upgraded product when you end up needing it?
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Getting paid every Friday is pretty nice. DH gets paid every Friday too, so it makes for a large influx of cash weekly.

There has been some discussion about whether or not more taxes gets taken from your paycheck if you get paid weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. I don't know. Seems like it would all work out to the same amount in a year. Anybody know?
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Speaking of taxes, I have the childcare total from DD's afterschool program. $1168. I plugged it into our return I'm working on at FreeTaxUSA.com. I also plugged in the 1099-G. I wish I could get the remaining info I need so I can complete and file. Just like to get rolling on our return.

It's FINALLY raining! Yippee!
It's been so dry for so long I am so glad to see and hear the rain.

Of course ask me how I like it after it's been raining for three weeks straight. I'll be feeling differently then.
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Today I orderd the bathroom vanity, complete with countertop and sink, and a curved shower rod with cool little roller-ball curtain rings in oil-rubbed bronze.

I looked at a lot of vanities in person and online. The ones I saw in person were either cheap crap particleboard at the home improvement stores. Or high end soild wood at the nice kitchen & bath remodel stores. The place I ordered from online has excellent reviews so I am crossing my fingers.

It is solid wood and comes completely assembled. (Like a nice piece should.) None of that flat box, you assemble type thing. The set (vanity, granite top, backsplash and bowl sink) cost about as much (or less) as many of the vanity only options I saw elsewhere. If the quality is as good as it is described on the website I will be getting a great deal.

I have never made such a big purchase online, especially without seeing the product in person.

I also really hope that the granite color I picked looks like it does on the computer.

Used $400 in Visa gift cards that DH was given as a Christmas bonus to pay for most of the order. The remaining $323 came from a bit of DH's side work.

We loaned $600 from our EF to MIL. I drove to her bank on my lunch to deposit a check into their account. She talked to DH, so I have no idea why they needed the money. I think it's just to get them through until the 1st. DH said we'd be paid back then. I don't really mind lending the money. She has asked before and always paid us back when she said. When we've needed a little money to get us through in the past MIL has always helped us.

Although, I think the last time was maybe seven years ago and she kind of kicked up a fuss about when she was going to get repaid...
(We always paid her back quickly BTW.)

Anyhow, for now the current EF balance is $2,070.
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Got to call my bank and rattle a few cages. HeHe.
They had a little promo where if you tried the bill pay they would credit your account $10.
Okay, for $10 I tried it, but I hadn't gotten my credit. I called once about two weeks after I did the bill pay thing and the CS rep said to give them about 6 weeks. They had two months now, so it was time to call again.
No problem. Now I'm $10 richer.
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Oh, the cell phone company is charging us for two plans!

When DH bought his iPhone the guy changed his plan, but left my phone on the old plan. The past two billing cycles they've charged us for both family plans. I told DH about this after I saw the first "new" bill at the end of December. He is the one who is the account holder of the cell phone account. I love my hubby, but dealing with things like this is his weak point. He still hasn't contacted them. Now we've gotten the second bill. I haven't paid either bill and I'm not going to until they fix the account.

I figured when they turned off his phone he'd hop to taking care of things. We'll that plan backfired a little today - They turned off my phone! His phone still kept working totally fine! Well my phone getting turned off did jump him into action. He called and was on the phone for close to an hour. I was surprised he really had to fight to get things straightened out. I overheard part of the conversation and it was getting pretty heated. He had to ask for a supervisor like three times.

I figured it would be simple.
Call. Explain situation. Charges removed. The end.
I mean who carries two share plans in the same family, but doesn't share them?

It seems DH has won the battle. The old plan was removed and credited back. And, he asked for his "upgrade fee" be credited back and I believe he got that too in the end.

I want to see all the credits post to our account before I pay.
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I have been searching for a bathroom vanity, shower rod and shower curtain. I have narrowed down what vanity and rod I want, but not a curtain yet. I think I have looked at 500 shower curtains.
Why am I so picky?!

There is one at B, B and Beyond that I like, but I can only buy it online and they want to charge $6 S&H. Phooey!

I'll keep looking.

This morning was the coldest morning of the year for our area. It was 22F. There was only a little covering of frost because it's been so very dry here. We are way below normal for rainfall and it's just been day after day of beautiful sunshine. I was almost ready to water my lawn! Thankfully it looks like the rain is coming starting Thursday.
I am happy to see the rain coming our way! (As long as our roof can hold up for us one more season!)

I picked up my year-end statement from DS's daycare lady last night. $7,430 for the year.
No wonder I can't max out the ROTHs!

Nah, he is worth every penny.

I am chomping at the bit to get all our tax paperwork and get to working on our return. I entered in my W-2 this morning along with DS's childcare amount and if that was all there was I would get $6k back.
Too bad that's not what's going to happen. LOL.
Still have to enter DH's income (W-2 and 1099's), mortgage statement, DD's childcare and misc. receipts.

For the past several years I have used FreeTaxUSA.com to do our taxes. Very user friendly and has been great for us. It costs us $10.
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This is a picture I took a few months back to share. Then I forgot I had it on the memory card.

This is a tree next to my work just before it dropped the last of it's leaves.

The 49ers won!
The game was uber exciting yesterday. I think it will end up being the most exciting post-season game this year. What a nail-biter!

Transferred $20 to the EF.
Current balance $2670

Today I'm watching the other two playoff games. Not really rooting for anyone in particular. I do like Green Bay, but am hoping that New York will win so SF can play next weekend at home.
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DH and DD are working together on replacing a furnace for my boss today.

DS and I went grocery shopping this morning. $142. We should be all set for two weeks. The only thing we might need before then will be milk.

I also need to pack away the Christmas stuff. Of course everything is down. But it's all piled up and needs to be organized into the storage totes and then packed into the garage loft. I expect that will take me about an hour.

I have some laundry to wash and fold today too.
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Friday I was finally was able to set up the "Water Wise House call" with the city water company. This is the first step in order to qualify for the $150 toilet rebate.
That would mean a new toilet for FREE!
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Thinking about buying Quicken. Costco has a $20 off coupon for it every year at this time. I was thinking the Home & Business edition because it has the most features. With the coupon it would be $45. Advice?
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Here is the new tub/shower trim set. I hope we can find a way to make them easier to turn.

This morning we went out for breakfast at our favorite hole-in-the-wall cafe. $46.
DH loves their ham and cheese omelets. They have the best Eggs Benedict out of all the places I've been. Their coffee is very good also and the service is excellent.
It was a great way to start the weekend.
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I just applied, and was approved, for another credit card. This is the AmEx that is offering $250 in gift cards after $1k of spending in three months. I am hoping I can find enough places that I routinely use that will take the AmEx. Costco will, hopefully Safeway too. Just couldn't pass up $250 reward.

If I can I will get gift cards for Home Depot, Macy's or Amazon. That way I can use the "free" money for stuff for the bathroom. Towels, towel bars, sink faucet, etc..
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The new shower hardware came yesterday. Fast shipping! It only took three days! DH put it all in this morning and it does look very nice. However, we aren't sure how well the handles are going to work out. You have to turn them off very tightly, otherwise it drips water. Really tightly; like it hurts my hand to try to turn them.

Disappointed about that.

DH is going to call a plumber friend and find out what our options are to correct that.

Such a pain that we didn't know that we should have changed the valves to a single control before we closed up the wall and tiled. Blah!

There is a two handled Kohler set I REALLY like.
Unfortunately -
1. It does not come in oil rubbed bronze.
2. It's about $450.
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The 49ers play the Saints today in about an hour. The afternoon will be spent watching football.
When the 49ers win I will add $20 to the EF.

Go niners!

Added $25 to the EF.
New total: $2649

Paid $300 toward the cc debt today also.

Still trying to get an appointment with the city water company so we can get rolling on the toilet rebate. In the past seven days I've left two voice mails and an email. What will it take for an appointment??

Just purchased a tub/shower faucet kit on Amazon. Boy, it was next to impossible to find something for an older style two handled shower. Almost everything is the big one-handle style. Today I found out that is because it is now illegal to build a house with separate hot/cold handles for the shower. The government doesn't want you to scald yourself I guess.

Oil rubbed bronze spout, two handles, shower head and flange, overflow cover and drain cover. $133 total.
Used a $5 gift code I had and the Chase card that will give 5% back on Amazon purchases in Q1.

Bathroom remodel cost thus far: $493

I have today off again. Nothing much going on at the office. Tomorrow there is a bunch of appointments and several surgical procedures. Then the boss is going to be gone Thursday and Friday. I will work a nice quiet half day on Thursday and have Friday off. Nice for me, but not so great for my paycheck.
That is the other news; I am going to be getting paid weekly starting this week. The boss wants to try a weekly pay schedule. I don't have much opinion about it either way. We'll see how it goes.
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Anyhow, about this past weekend....

Friday afternoon my mom came down. She brought a huge, delicious veggie lasagna for dinner. It was all ready to eat as soon as I walked in the door from work.

On Saturday my family, along with my sister, her boyfriend and my mom, spent the day in San Francisco. We live about one hour from the city. We rode the ferry so we didn't have to drive and park.

DH and I had bought six round-trip ferry passes at DD's school fundraiser awhile back. We bought them in a silent auction and paid $25. Each ferry ride costs $8.75/one-way. We were thrilled to be able to use them and save so much money for everyone.

The Saturday farmer's market was in full swing at the Ferry Building when we got there. It was fun to check that out. Several of the booths had vendors from our town. I would have bought some produce or cheese, but we would have had to pack it around all day, so I had to pass.
The Ferry Building. Pier 1.


My DH did the ventalation work on this restaurant inside the Ferry Building. (see the huge hood on the left and a round duct across the upper part of the pic.)



We walked up the Embarcadero to Pier 39. The weather was beautiful. Blue skies and sunshine. Not typical SF weather.

DD and DS rode the carousel on the pier. $5.


At 1:30pm we all went to Alcatraz.
I had pre-purchased the tickets for DH and I (DS was free and my sister paid for DD) on-line for $26/pp. $52 total.


I had gone about 14 years ago; no one else had ever been to Alcatraz before. It was interesting and more of the island was open on this trip. DS was wonderful. We let him out of the stroller to walk along the parade grounds and paths.
Beautiful views of the city and bay.

The Golden Gate from Alcatraz Island.


Our group split up and DH, DS and I walked back down the Embarcadero to catch the earlier ferry so we could get DS home close to his regular bedtime. The sun was setting as we walked. It was lovely.

The Bay Bridge from the Ferry Building.


The rest of the group went to dinner on pier 39. DH, DD and I stopped at a local brewpub/restaurant on the drive home for dinner. DH loves their Kilt Lifter ale. I had a Pomegranate wheat. $60 for dinner, dessert, beers, tip.

On Sunday evening DH and I went for dinner and a movie. My mom stayed an extra night so we could go out. We used gift cards for the restaurant. Paid the tip with cash. We used two of the free passes I had for Sherlock Holmes 2. We both enjoyed the movie.

It was really nice to go out as a couple for a "date night". It was doubly nice to go out and only spend about $20!

A great weekend from start to finish.

A very funny email I received! I thought I'd pass it along if you'd like a good laugh.

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"Hi Everyone...I usually don't send these types of messages but had to because I was laughing so hard I was crying! Some of it is a little raunchy so I hope I do not offend anyone. If you have a minute it is worth reading."

http://likeandshare.blogspot.com/2011/12/15-funniest-autocor...

Before:




After:






We spent about $70 in prep supplies like cement board, drywall, mortar, special screws etc.

We paid OOP $188 for the tile and supplies (grout, spacers, etc). The rest was paid with a gift card and money from MIL. (The tile was my Christmas gift and I couldn't be happier about that! )

Free labor from DH and FIL!

DH needs to finish trimming out the window with a new sill. I need to buy a shower curtain and rod.
At some point we will replace the fixtures - the shiny cheap chrome stuff does not match AT ALL!

Bathroom reno cost thus far: $360

I've never been one for New Year's Resolutions, but setting some goals and tracking progress is a great idea. So here goes....

2012 Goals

*Pay down credit card debt to under 13k.
Starting balance: $20,434

*Grow EF to $7k.
Starting balance $2,624

*Replace roof.

Those are the biggies. Then I have several other items I'll post in my sidebar.

*Weight loss. Baby will be TWO years old this year. Time to get some of that baby weight off.
*Consult on Lasik for my horrible eyesight.
*Is this the year for braces for DD??
*Get a trust set up.
*Life insurance.
*Re-home one of the horses to save money.
It's very hard for me to do this, but it needs to be done. We're not riding or enjoying them like we should. Finding her a new home would save us $150/month for board, plus the extra in vet visits, wormer etc.. Not an easy decision, but a financially wise thing to do.

Long Term....

*Pre-payments to mortgage.
*Save for preschool.
*Save for an extended family vacation.

I have the afternoon off today. Right now I just finished watching a movie with DD. DS is napping. Going to get some To Do stuff done today. So far I've...

- I cleared the cash out of my purse and deposited $40 to the EF.

- I added DH as a second card holder to my Wells Fargo CC. By doing that I am hoping I'll be able to transfer the points he earned with his debit card to the credit card's point total. They discontinued the points program for the debit card about August and he has enough points to redeem for about $40 worth of gift cards, but there will be points left over. I would really like to combine the two point balances so we don't lose out on any points.

- Cancelled HBO. Our special deal ended. Not paying $10/mo to keep it. I will try to get another deal on it in a few months when "Game of Thrones" season starts.

- Paid mortgage. $1776.

Still need to...

- Buy some TP! Yikes, we're out!
- Donate some pet food I have to the animal shelter.
- Donate two bags of DD's old clothes and my old plate set.
- Un-decorate the tree and remove from the house.
- Call the city water department and set up a "water audit" thing. First step in qualifying for a $150 credit for a new toilet.
- Dishes.
- Wash all the new clothes DS got for Christmas.
- Take a picture of the new tile for you all to see.

Happy 2012 everyone!
May we all accomplish what we need to this year. I'll be cheering us all on.
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I am at work today, although it is not very busy, I would much rather be at home. I might get to stay home tomorrow because so far there is only one appointment and my boss is leaving early. It would be nice to get a few "To Do" things crossed off my list tomorrow.
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The 49ers won their game on Sunday!
I will need to add $10 to the EF. They won 13 games this season. That was $130 to the EF!
Now let's see what they can do in the play-offs.

We were blessed enough to have another lovely Christmas here in our home with family.

I hope all of you had a blessed holiday also.

Not much drama from the in-laws. Or my family either.

DH and FIL tiled the shower. It looks AWESOME! Pictures to follow.

I made out with plenty of really nice/useful gifts. Everyone seemed very satisfied with their "haul". DS still has a few gifts he hasn't opened yet. He opens a gift and then wants to play with it right then. So it's taking a little more time to get thru his stack.

The food has been amazing all this weekend. I am sure I've put a few pounds on.
DH handled most of the cooking.
Christmas dinner last night was sooo delish. Prime rib, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, fruit salad, dinner rolls, deviled eggs..

Okay, now I'm hungry. Gotta go eat some leftovers!

We've been busy bees here. Trying to make up the lost days we had from being sick.

We went to Costco first thing yesterday morning and I picked up our Christmas cards. $15 for 50 photo cards and envelopes. They turned out very cute.

We stopped at Home Depot and bought all the tile for me and DH's bathroom.

Getting the bathroom tiled was on my Christmas wish list.

DH is planning to start working on it on the 23rd with his dad. At first I thought that might be kind of crazy, but I'll be at work all day so what do I care.

The total for the tile and materials was less than what I expected. Then we had a $75 gift card and MIL chipped in $200 (Christmas gift). Making the out-of-pocket cost for us $188.

I hope it turns out as well as I picture it in my head.

When we got back home a did all the Christmas cards then took them to the post office and mailed them out. I had planned to this on Thursday, but was sick that day. Oh well, I think everyone will still get their card before Christmas.

Mailed 27 and have about 10 that we will pass out personally.

Getting the photo cards made up with the personalized message makes doing cards very easy. I address the envelope and stuff in the card. Stamp the return address. Stamp with postage. Easy.

I like getting Christmas cards.

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Today we've been cleaning, catching up on laundry and putting to final touches on the decorations.

I need to wrap gifts tonight. DH has wrapped several, but I haven't wrapped a single one - yet...

Not to be graphic...

We all ended up with DD's "stomach bug". Blah!

Little DS threw up right after I picked him from childcare Wednesday night.
It's heartbreaking to see a toddler wretching.
Thankfully, he seemed to recover the quickest. Only a few hours of the "bug" and then he had a full night's sleep.

I was sick from midnight until about 7am Thursday.

DH stayed home from work with me yesterday. He was having some milder symptoms and thought it would be best to stay home and rest. Maybe not get as sick as the rest of us. Well, early this morning the "bug" hit him hard so he is home again today. Poor guy!

It really sucked because you feel so bad that nothing gets done even though you're home all day. I feel like I've lost two days worth of time. I needed to get things done.

On the bright side - I am very thankful that we did not get this over Christmas. That would have been WAY worse.

The 49ers lost their game on Sunday by two points. Blah!

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Our tree looks wonderful! DD picked it out this year and it's the tallest one I think we've ever had. I put the tape measure on it and it was 7.5 feet. Very full and dark green. Two out of three strings of tree lights were dead this year.
(They were working just fine when I packed them away last year. I hate that!)
Made a run to the hardware store for some new sets. About $36 for three 50' sets.

DH hasn't had any time (daylight time) to put lights up on the house yet. We also have an inflatable Santa, bought on clearance, that we are going to put in the yard this year. He did put our green bulb in the light post light so we've got a bit (wee bit!) of festive color out there.

I really love when we get the decorations up. Things look so merry and colorful. I have always enjoyed decorating for Christmas.

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Had a 20% off coupon for Kohl's. It ended on Sunday so when I bought lights I stopped in there and did a quick look around. When I didn't find anything worth standing in line for I gave my coupon to a lady with a cart load of stuff. Merry Christmas!

Yesterday I got another 20% off coupon in the mail.

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My order from Amazon is trickling in a few boxes at a time. I ordered eight items and I think only four of them are being shipped together. I ordered last Tuesday. $112 total. Gifts for multiple people. DD's boots, DS's fire truck board book, calendar for co-worker, etc...

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Getting set to order my Christmas cards. I use Costco and plug in pictures of the kids and dogs. $14.95 for 50 cards/envelopes. Going to try to finalize the card online tonight so I can pick them up Thursday or Friday. I want to have them all mailed off by Saturday 17th.

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Poor DD is home sick today. Vomiting last night.
She has her class Christmas play tonight. We are all hoping she will feel up to that.
And, we are all hoping we don't get what she has!

We bought our tree this morning at Home Depot. $43.

Once the 49er game is over (currently half-time) DH is going to pull out the Christmas totes from the garage loft and we'll decorate our tree.

DH had a side job this morning and while he was gone I hosed down the front of the garage and house. Now the house is ready for DH to hang the outdoor lights. Which might happen this afternoon...
*fingers crossed*.

I cashed out my rewards from the two new cards.
Chase - $157
B of A - $122.
Add that to the $250 from my other card last month and that is $529 in the last 30 days.

I drove DD to and from a field trip today. While everyone was eating lunch on the field trip I noticed one of the girls had an iPhone. She had it out just looking at it and wiping off the screen, kind of flashing it around. REALLY?! A fifth grader, a 10 year-old, with an iPhone?

I guess a case of more money than brains?

I was standing and talking to another mom and she knows the girl pretty well and she said the girl's dad would buy her anything she asked for.

Can't imagine raising my kids that way regardless of income.

I can see getting a child a cell phone for safety reasons. But, there are plenty of plain vanilla phones that call and text. What's wrong with that?

Speaking of safety - What if someone saw that phone and wanted to steal it? I mean what could be easier than to rob a 60lb 10 year-old?

The 49ers won on Sunday. Yay!
Added $10 to the EF.
New balance $2126.

I am not going to make my $5k EF goal this year. *sigh* I'm slightly disappointed, but hey I've got next year, right?

I checked the amount I deposited to the EF in the past year and the total was $7302! Used cash out of the EF for car repairs and dental work and car insurance. If we could have kept the money in there I would have met my goal and then some, so I know it's do-able.

Sure, he has run into burning buildings, cut open mangled cars and has performed CPR. BUT, today he headed to the mall on a Sunday in December AND he took both of the kids with him!!!

For THAT I give him the brave badge.
LOL!

Such a nice break for me. I am watching the 49er game and having a nice fresh cup of coffee with eggnog mixed in. Yum.

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Last night DD and I ran all over town searching for a pair of solid red tights to go with a black and red dress she has. We searched about 12 of the outlet stores before we went to Kohl's. There we found one pair and it was lying on the floor kind of under another rack. We grabbed them for $9. Kinda pricey, but supply and demand I guess.

Afterward she and I went to Safeway. They are doing the buy $75 get $10 off next purchase deal again. I didn't know that ahead of time or I would have split my basket into two transactions. The total was $210. Well at least I earned one -$10. I will need to go back in before the 14th(?) to use it.

The splurge item I bought was lobster tails. On sale for $5/tail. I have had them before and they are pretty darn good. Better than some restaurants and for $5 how could I pass it up??? DH boils them a few minutes then grills them on the BBQ. He doesn't care much for lobster, so more for me and DD.

Steak and lobster for dinner tonight with rolls and corn. $27 total for "fancy" dinner makes me .

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This morning we went to a friend's house to see Santa. She has her dad dress up so she doesn't have to take her children to a mall Santa. I think it's because of the germ factor. It's pretty cool that she invited several families over. Free pictures with Santa!

When we got back home I spent about 1.5 hours cleaning up the backyard. Poop patrol, cleaned the hen house, cleared out the garden box and swept the patio. DD raked up a bunch of leaves. It's another gorgeous day with beautiful clear blue skies. A bit cooler; about 60F right now, but so mild. This type of weather makes it easy to be outside doing things.

I have been doing a TON of online shopping, but before you get the wrong idea I have not done much buying...yet...

This year more of the gifts we're getting will be from online. And those that I have not or will not buy online I have LOOKED at online. You know reading reviews, comparing prices that sort of thing.

One example is DS's Santa gift. After searching and looking at a 100 different toys DH and I decided on a battery powered ride-on quad that I found on WalMart's site for $50. Amazon had one in stock for $62. Nobody had it for less. In fact some non-battery types (sit and scoot) are selling for more. Naturally, Wally's website was out of stock, but they showed my local store had a "limited number".
Forced me to go to the store to buy it. It was more expensive in the store. $60.
I went ahead and picked it up because I was there and they had only two. I'm keeping an eye out for any sale on it so I can get a price adjustment.

Here's the kicker: When I was on Amazon just now they have them priced at $125 and up!!!
Is this the hot toy for little boys this year?

DD's Santa present is a new pair of boots that she can wear when riding motorcycles. That's another Santa-ish gift she's getting - a little dirt bike! DH and in-laws bought it from a family friend for $300. It's in excellent condition and is valued at $1200+ so I guess that was a good buy.
Anyway, I think I have picked out a great pair of boots for $40. I have looked at about 400 pairs of boots over the past three days. That's the good thing and bad thing about online shopping - You get a lot of choices!

I have a running wish list on Amazon of gifts for family and when I'm done changing it I will put it in the cart and click the BUY button. I plan to that by Monday or Tuesday.

I ordered a pair of earrings for my coworker online last night. $19.44.

I'm going to put the computer down now for a little while. But I'll be back soon.

I paid our auto insurance policy for the year today. $618 for both vehicles for one year. This is the second year I've been able to do that and it feels great!
By paying in full I am saving the $7/mo "statement fee" or the $3/mo "auto-bill fee".

December is also when our homeowner’s policy is due. That will also be paid in full; paid thru our impound account. $611 for one year.

I find it funny that the amount of these two policies was basically the same.

Here it is - DECEMBER!
I can't believe it's really December because it is such a beautiful, sunny day here in Sonoma County. It's 70F! Can you believe that?
How's everyone else's weather?

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I have been meaning to post about a person on Suze's show on the 'Can I Afford It' segment. (This was two weeks ago I think??)
He was asking if they could buy a round-trip private plane flight from Boston to Chicago for $20k. Their son is hyperactive and doesn't travel well.
His income was $20k+/mo. Personnel management?? His wife was a SAHM.

Which made me think: how do I get a job like his?

No really - I COULD DO THAT!!!

Did any of you see that episode?
Did he really need to call into Suze?

Boy, how fast three days can fly by!
We had a delicious T-Day dinner at my mom and dad's with my in-laws. My mom is a fabulous cook and baker, so no one went away disappointed or hungry.

We were staying with the in-laws so after dinner we drove there and watched the 49er game. Unfortunately the niners lost.

DH, DD and MIL went to the 10pm sale at WalMart. MIL bought the $188 32" TV at Midnight. DH bought a little food processor/chopper for $2.88 and a few other small items.

Black Friday DH and FIL went off shopping at 6am. They do this every year and it's pretty funny because they are such unlikely Black Friday shoppers. I don't know if you could give me such a good deal that I would be tempted to shop in such craziness. Sure I look thru the ads and if I see something worthwhile I ask DH to try to pick it up. But, rarely is there anything that tempting to me.

DH did buy an early Christmas gift for himself; an iPhone for $100.
I can see the allure, all those "smart phones" do really cool things, I know. But now our monthly cell phone bill is going to be higher. DH and I have already had a "discussion" about that, but the phone is still staying. We very rarely argue about money. I just think having to upgrade the cell plan is a stupid waste; he feels it's very important to his happiness.

Other than the phone, DH did score some good deals on a few needed items (shoes) and on a few Christmas gifts (me and the kids). All the money he spent was cash from a side job he did last weekend. No household money spent for Black Friday. Something to be happy about.

While DH was shopping I drove up to see my grandma with DD, my BFF, my mom and dad. It was a long day. We started out about 8am and came back to the in-laws just after 9pm.

Grandma is doing better! Hard to see her just laying there in the hospital bed, but she was very talkative with all her visitors. She was really happy we drove up to see her. The doctors plan to release her to an assisted living/rehab facility on Tuesday. She is expected to be there about three weeks before she can return to her home. Hoping and praying it will all go as easy as that.

On Saturday DD and I checked in at the ranch where our horses live. They were great. I miss riding so much. We brought out carrots, apples and crunchy oat horse cookies. I also bought two 50lb bags of senior horse feed. $40. They'll be getting that daily as a special treat, plus they need the additional calories as the weather gets colder.

Saturday evening we drove home. Ahh, so good to sleep in my own bed last night!

Our Thanksgiving trip cost $157. That was for two fill-ups (gas for $3.49/gal) and the horse feed.