Sunday I went grocery shopping and we really stocked up. DD went with me and I was glad she did because I had her get a second cart! I spent $262. Stocked up on many good deals: $1 items and BOGO free. According to the receipt I saved $110 on store savings and I had a (yes, ONE) $1 off coupon. I have a far way to go to be an Extreme Couponer.

Speaking of Extreme Couponers, I finally watched a few episodes. Interesting... And I really applaud all the time and organization it takes. I think there are some great lessons on how to make it work for you. However, I don't know about getting like 500 Tic-Tacs just because they're free.

On second thought, maybe I would and pass them out for Halloween!

In my area (Sonoma County, CA) there aren’t any stores that double and the weekly coupons aren't anything that would make buying something you don't NEED worthwhile.

I do remember when I was little and shopping with my mom that stores doubled, and on special days, even tripled coupons. I might be totally wrong, but I don't think there are any stores in California that do this anymore.

Also on Sunday the SF 49ers won their game!
I think I will add money to the EF for each win. Maybe $5 or $10..hmmm..
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Yesterday we took our boss out for lunch. It was Bosses' Day. I had a pear, caramelized onion and goat cheese pizza. Very different and very good. We shared a dessert - Mudpie - YUM!
It was fun and he was suprised. A splurge, my co-worker and I split the bill and tip. $32 each. I ate the rest of my pizza for lunch today.

DH is a volunteer firefighter and has firefighter engineer classes this weekend and next so it's just me and the kids from 6:30am to 6:00pm. Lots of put off house cleaning, regular weekend laundry and such. I have been alternating equally between working and vegetating. Like 90 minutes working, then 90 minutes on the computer, reading or watching TV.

This morning I took DS to have his second haircut. (That means we're averaging a haircut every 5 months. That's about par for me; it seems I only get around to getting my hair done twice a year.)
It's a children's salon. Super cute with a nice play area and tons of toys. It took about 10 minutes for his haircut and then he played with some of the other kids for almost 40 minutes. I also bought a hair clip for big sister. $25 total.

I received the check today to reimburse the cost for the bumper repair. Very thankful he was so fast sending it out.

I will put that check in the bank tomorrow morning when I am out grocery shopping. Lately I've been managing to only go grocery shopping every two weeks. It's been nice because of the time savings. I also think I save a bit of money too because I'm only tempted to buy extra stuff twice monthly vs. four times monthly.

Bought some strawberries from a door to door peddler this afternoon at DD's urging. Delicious, large and ripe! I'm glad she talked me into it. $10 for a lot. We might need to freeze some and I think we'll have strawberry shortcake tomorrow night after I get the pound cake and whipped cream from the store.

Some spending:

My DH signed up for the Biggest Loser program/competition at the gym. He and his boss are a team and if they win (largest percent of weight loss) the prize is $500 for first (I think?). Cost to join was $50. Really I just want him to be successful at his weight loss. The money would be an awesome bonus.
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DS and I walked home after dropping off the car this morning and when it was ready this afternoon we walked back to pick it up. A 30 minute walk each way. It was a beautiful day today, 65F in the morning and 76F with a soft breeze this afternoon. It's clear tonight with a big moon, and so mild. (Geesh two days ago it was pouring and five days ago it was like 40F and we had the heat on.)
Stopped at the grocery store after getting the car for a few "fill in" items. $14.
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DD's school's fall fundraiser order is due tomorrow. I ordered a roll of cute wrapping paper with cartoon dogs and cats on it and a package of fancy tulip bulbs. $22.
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I placed a Diapers.com order and my favorite "squeezy pouch" food for baby DS went up in price. I will have to check the grocery store and see if their price is lower now. I also bought DD some shampoo. $41.

I was given a $10 Kohl's cash coupon last week when DD and I stopped in to buy her some socks and a new pair of jeans. Last night I used it and bought myself a six pack of socks and DH a six pack of socks all for $11. I am proud that I used the coupon for a need and not the other things I saw that I wanted.

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My check engine light came on again last week. Today I stopped in at the mechanic and thankfully it just had to do with a burnt fuse. Hopefully it won't happen again or it might mean an electrical problem. Our mechanic took about 20 minutes checking everything over and didn't charge me anything! Yay! I was happy about that; last month he got $1796 from us.

Making a quick post here at work because our laptop is still at Staples while they try to see if they can get it fixed for free. I'm not holding my breath, but if they can get their third party repair center to cover the cost I'm all for that.

On my walk this morning I was telling my friend all about the problems we'd been having with the computer. She told me that they know a great computer tech/repairman.. Gee, would've liked to have known that six months ago! If Staples can't get the darn screen to work then I very well might try this repair guy. I can't say I'm not looking at buying a new laptop either. I've been looking thru ads and checking them out whenever I've been shopping in stores. I might start looking online if I get time here at work. I don't want to spend the money, but you get so used to the convenience of internet at home... Still it's a WANT not a NEED..

I think one of the main reasons I haven't missed the laptop too much is because I'm doing so much reading. Any free time and my nose is in the Game of Thrones books. Currently I'm a quarter way into the fourth book. Awesome reading, I'm really enjoying them. However, my family is complaining that I'm not spending time with them because I'm always reading!

Last weekend our alarm clock died. I thought DH and bought it when we first got together, but he said I already had it. That means it lasted for over 11.5 years! I think that's great for a cheapie little clock. It was a dual alarm and I'm pretty sure it was $8 at WalMart when I bought it. Anyhow, I stopped in at Target and they had squat as far as alarm clocks go. So I went home and shopped on Amazon. I didn't want a really loud buzzer. We have a spare alarm clock and it is so loud I want to smash it when it goes off! On Amazon I found a nice dual alarm Sony with reviews that stated it had a quiet buzzer. Plus this alarm clock has a radio, the old one didn't. It cost $15.67 and had free shipping. We received it Wednesday and so far it's perfect. Let’s see if this one will last us 10+ years.

Thinking about the alarm clock makes me think about other small, but necessary things around the house. How much do all those things add up to? (quite a chunk of money when you start adding it all up)
How long do they last? (Sometimes you really get your money's worth)

I also got my books from Amazon on Thursday. This weekend I will finish up Suze's book and start The Game of Thrones.

When I first started getting reward points on my credit card 100 points redeemed as $1. As time has gone on I noticed they had changed the redemption value for some of the lower $5-$10 rewards; you needed 650 points for $5 cash or giftcard. That didn't really bother me, I figured that was good motivation to save up your points.

Then they started doing that to the $50 cash reward. You need 6,500 points.
And now I see it takes 12,000 points to get $100.

Arg..

But I did learn something new while cruising thru the webpages. If I shop online thru the links on the rewards home page I can earn 3 to 8 times the points. Hmmm.. I'll try to keep that in mind since now I need to earn 25,000 points to redeem for $250. And not just redeeming at the $100 mark like I have been doing.

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I bought DS his new carseat from Diapers.com. I also bought some Happy Tot squeezy pouches of food, shampoo, lotion, baby wipes, DH's body wash and deoderant. Some of the items were buy one get one half off and I had a $10 account credit. The grand total was $290.

I had my co-worker sign up at diapers.com so she (I) could take advantage of their new customer promotion where she (I) get 30% back on all diaper purchases for three months. So far she (I) received $58 in account credit with a bit over one month left to earn more cash back. Her (my) plan is to have earned enough credit to pay for two cases of diapers or max out their credit "limit", which I think is $100. Hehe.

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Some more Yosemite...

One of the fireplaces inside the Ahwahnee Hotel.


The Ahwahnee dining room where we had lunch. Huge windows.


Outside the dining room. The smaller window on the left is the one in the pic above.

I feel like I'm so far behind with posting and tracking the finances. I cannot believe we're halfway thru May!

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We are still working at our weekly spending cap of $175. Here are the totals over the last weeks:
April 15 - 21: Over by $19
April 22 - 28: Over by $53 (Easter splurge)
April 29 - May 5: Over by $29
May 6 - 12: Under by $11 (yay!)

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This past weekend we drove to a family gathering for DH's family. He had the chance to see family he hasn't seen in a long time and DD, DS and I had a chance to meet family we had never met before. A funny thing: He had two cousins who said they remembered meeting me at our wedding. DH and I eloped. They were thinking I was DH's first wife..oops! They felt embarrassed, but it didn't bother me at all. (DH married his high school sweetheart pretty much out of high school and the divorced on their two year anniversary.)

We went out to breakfast on Saturday morning before heading out. One of my DH's favorite hole-in-the-wall breakfast stops - he used to go there about once a week when he was working close. Now it's a special treat to go there. I had their Eggs Benedict, one of my usuals, it's the best..yum, yum! $40.

We had to fill up. $3.99/gal. $66 total.
We stopped at the Jelly Belly factory for gifts. $25.
Then about 40 minutes from the party we had a flat tire. DH changed it without trouble, but with all the stops Saturday morning we kept joking it would take us forever to get to the party.
We drove home Saturday night too; it was a long day.

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The Giants won Saturday and last night. +$4 to the EF.

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After discussing with DH I decided we should get all new tires on the Pathfinder. We had been talking about a month before how it had been three years since we had bought the set that's on it now. Our plan was to wait thru the summer and buy a new set in Sept/Oct. The tires still were safe tread wise and in good shape, no weather wear, so waiting thru the summer would have been fine. But, with the sudden flat on Saturday and the upcoming trip to Yosemite this weekend we'll all feel safer with new tires now.

Monday I spent a good deal of time calling for prices and reading online tire reviews. The end result? New tires this afternoon. The brand/style I chose is highest rated for my model car, reviewers even had improvement in their MPG (crossing my fingers 'cause that would be great!) $791 total. Sadly, the money will come from the dwindling EF. But first I'll use the CC to get the rewards.

The Giants won three more games.
+ $6

I ordered the rest of the interior doors for our house. DH will be painting and changing them all (7) out this summer.
- $326

Transferred a cushion to the checking account to cover all the beginning of the month checks.
- $400

New balance. $3238.

Regarding my last post:

Q: What does it do for you to buy locally?

A: Supporting local business means keeping local people employed, sometimes people I know. They support the local economy by paying their mortgages, spending their money at places like where I work, etc, etc. Local businesses pay taxes and that keeps tax dollars in my town for services I can use (police/fire/parks etc.).

Anyone have other reasons?

Baby DS needs a new car seat. He's growing up and it's time to get a "big boy" car seat; no more infant car seat. I've been shopping and reading reviews and checking prices the past week plus. I know what I want and I've got a good deal going online at Diapers.com..

Thing is I want to support local business and economy and I feel a little bad about not buying local.
Does that happen to any of you?

Here's the story: I was checking all the seats online and narrowed it down to two. Same brand, two different models, $60 price difference, but online I couldn't tell any difference. SO, I stopped in at our cute, boutique-y baby store here in my town where they carry these Britax seats. I was immediately greeted by the sales lady; she was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. She showed me the two models in question and also told me I could "test drive" the floor samples if I wanted. As soon as I could see and feel the seats I knew which one would be right for us.

I felt guilty for the time I was in there because I KNEW I wouldn't buy the seat there. Not when I can save about $80 and get it in the fabric I want in 1-2 days vs. 5-7 days.

**sigh**

On the good side when I order this seat I will be saving a substantial amount because I shopped around and now I am 100% sure it's what I am looking for.

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I am also in the market for some new workout/work sneakers. The brand and style I've been happy with for years has changed a bit I guess and my last pair started making my heel sore.

So again, it seems I might have to see/try some in the local shoe stores just to end up buying online. Can't beat the selection and pricing at Shoebuy or Zappos.

Giants won last night. $2 to the EF. Balance now $3915.

I am taking care of my kitty-sitting client this weekend. I went early this morning and was paid with a $100 bill! $25 more than expected.
I've already put it to the cc debt.

I went grocery shopping this morning afterwards and spent $135. I bought a bunch of fresh fruit and veggies. Oranges, apples, pears, bananas, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, a sweet potato, spinach, broccoli, cucumber, mushrooms. Also milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, bread, ground turkey, cereal, and on and on. Gatorade was on a good sale; $0.79/32oz bottle.

There was a photography company with a display inside the grocery store this morning. They were running a special deal on Sepia/old fashioned style photos. $5 sitting fee and one 11X13 for $10, additional prints and packages at regular prices. I signed up for DS and DD to have a photo together. Total price of $15. The hard part will be for me to ONLY buy the one specially priced photo and no others!

I just realized I hadn't posted our past two weeks of the $175/wk spending.
April 1 to April 7: We went over by $88.
April 8 to April 14: We went over by $48.

After shopping today we have $5 left for the rest of the week. Hmm..I still need to buy formula.

What would you pay for a Senior Prom dress?

My boss is buying a $550 for his DD! (Yes, I am sucking in breath as I type that) And, yeah you all remember he's the one with money troubles and upcoming bankrupcy. I guess to be fair it's not up to him; his wife and DD made the decision.

My co-worker and I think that is a crazy amount. Especialy when you search prom dresses online and can find really cute ones for $40-$100.

I can rememeber shopping for formal dresses at discount or outlet shops. I had beautiful dresses always for less than $100. I never felt deprived.

Thank you to my Mom for never over induldging me and teaching me where to shop!

I wonder what sort of lesson will their DD learn from this?

It's shaping up to be another beautiful day here. Sunny and mild.

DH and DD have been working outside doing some much needed yardwork. Yesterday the did the front yard and it looks wonderful. Now they are giving the backyard some TLC, seeding, fertilizing, etc.

Yesterday I went shoping on Amazon. I know, dangerous. I bought nine books and a jacket for DD. Total $103. The jacket is for when she is riding on the motorcycle and the books will be gifts for Easter and for her birthday this summer. It is the complete set of the Rose books from the Little House on the Praire series.

The Giants won yesterday! Added $2 to the EF.

This morning DH and little DS ran some errands and while out they filled up my gas tank at Costco. $72. Gas there is now $3.92/gal. Blah!

I am going to work tomorrow even though I took it off. I look and feel fine so I might as well save a paid day off for another time.

Yesterday the sales tax increased in several of the towns around us. It was voter approved, but still it hurts. The State of California has its base sales tax rate, then each county can have it's own on top of that and then each city on top of that.

In our town the sales tax rate is 9%. The town to the south of us is now at 9.5% and the two towns to the north of us are at 9.5% too. On the news they listed the cities that had increases and I think the highest sales tax on the list was 10.5%!

What's the sales tax in your area? If any.

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Gas prices?
The Chevron and Shell I drove by yesterday were both at $4.03/gal. for regular. Diesel holding at $4.49/gal. **blah**
Last week I bought gas at Costco for $3.82/gal.

What about your gas prices?

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Our weather here has been record breaking warm the past few days. 85F on Thursday broke local records. Last week record rain; this week record heat. Last week heat ON; this week A/C ON.

Today is shaping up for a mild, mid 60's low 70's, partly cloudy day. It looks a bit breezy out too. It will be a low key day here at home. Chores around the house, baseball game this afternoon and Suze tonight.

I took the truck in for its smog test yesterday afternoon. I ended up taking it to the lesser expensive place 20 miles away. It cost $53 there vs. $70 at a place here in our town. The inspection took all of 5-8 minutes. And it is pretty much just a visual inspection. Thanks State of California!

I bought a few gallons of diesel, just a few at $4.49/gal!! Yeah that's right, no typo. Our truck won't be getting much use for awhile.

I paid $3.82/gal for gas at Costco on Thursday. $71 to fill up the Pathfinder for the week. We're now over our fuel budget for the month. Lovely.

Last night I booked our 'tent' in Yosemite for May. $120. Was looking at the website and planning a few trails we'll go hiking on. I wonder how much snow might still be there when we go.

I went to the grocery store this morning. DH made me a list. On top of that there were several items I saw that I couldn't pass up. One was 12pk Pepsi products buy 2 get 3 free, that will last us months as we rarely drink soda, also my fav rice was on sale ending today among other food stuff. Anyhow I spent $202 at the store.
Budget for this week is shot.
I am justifying this weeks' spending to myself because next week we'll need very little, maybe nothing.

I cleaned the chicken coop out when I got home. Taking advantage of a dry day. No rain (yet) today, but grey clouds and a chilly breeze.

Working on laundry and next up while I'm on the computer is April's budget.

Later DD, DH and I plan on making the little chocolate cakes with hot chocolate sauce in the middle tonight for dessert. It's a recipe DD made at school. I hope it turns out well because I love them whenever we have them at restaurants. I'll post the recipe if they turn out well.

I was online checking email, paying bills and transfering money when I saw this artical from Wallet Pop. I thought you all might find it interesting.

Saving money - Brewing coffee vs. Buying coffee

This weekend I made the chicken club casserole that Frugal Foodie posted. Thank you FF, it was tasty and like you said made plenty for two casseroles. We had one Sunday night and the other is in the freezer. I did make it up from scratch, as in I didn't have any leftover chicken or bacon, so I had to cook everything first before I could assemble the casserole. That took a bit of time. Next time I'd like to add more cheese and bacon. DH bought me the chicken when he stopped at the store and he totally scored these huge boneless, skinless breasts for 1.59/lb.
I also have plans to make Monkey Mama's pistachio cake at some point. I love pistachios and pistachio pudding, so that's right up my alley.

Sunday a local girl scout stopped by and I bought three boxes of cookies. My box was the Samoas, DD's pick was the Dolce De Leche, and DH's fav is the Do-si-dos. $12.

Sunday evening DD fell off her scooter and scraped up her knees, her upper lip and chipped both front teeth! I already had a dentist appointment schedualed for her on March 1st. I think at some point she's going to need some cosmetic work for those teeth.

I am on lunch break right now. So far I've brought lunch to work every day this month. Today was a chicken tamale with rice, a cup of yogurt, water and a few Valentines chocolates.

MonkeyMama's post has reminded me how much I need to call and get a haircut appointment. My last haircut was in April. I have much longer hair (to the small of my back), but I am a "wash and go" girl too. And obviously don't pay much in a year for haircuts!

Need to make dentist appointment for the family and myself soon. I'm like three months overdue..

Many of you have posted about V-Day spending. I bought a 36ct bag of Nerds Valentine boxes for DD's class for $3.60. I didn't buy DH anything (which is normal) and he and DD made a special dinner at home - sausage and basil lasagna. Yummy!! DH did have a huge flower arrangement delivered to me at work. Very sweet; he is a romantic type. He said they were a good deal from the florist in his weekly business group. Of course I am not going to out and out ask how much. He paid with $$ from his side work, NOT household cash flow.

On the news they were reporting the average amount of money spent by women on V-Day was about $80, and by men was about $160. Our family was WELL under those numbers!

I have my laptop back. It needed another hard drive. Go figure. The repair tech said that the disk drive wasn't "talking" to the rest of the computer because the hard drive wasn't connecting things right. I'm glad I didn't have a bunch of things saved to the computer because I would have lost them all again. Still a pain in the butt!! I do have all my Microsoft Word, Works and Excel loaded in now. The silver lining was the repairs didn't cost anything.

The past couple weeks have been uneventful, just trying to keep spending down. Budget was tight in January and will be tighter in February - Short month and all. I have been taking lunch to work everyday since the middle of January. I almost always take a frozen meal like Eating Right (Safeway brand) or Lean Cuisine, a piece of fruit and a yogurt for an afternoon snack. $2/meal + $0.50/fruit + $0.60/yogurt = healthy for under $4. I really need and want to buckle down on my weight loss. I've gained almost 40lbs. (Ouch, I don't like typing that!) It is frustrating because I am trying to be good and so far I'm only down 2 lbs. Ugh! I need more weight loss to keep me motivated. It took me a long time to lose the baby weight after DD. I think my body just really holds on to the "mama fat".

Last weekend we visited family. Stayed at my in-law's house Friday and Saturday night. DH told me he was talking to his dad and that they want to refi their mortgage. They're at 7%!!! I was shocked, I mean I would have refinanced LONG ago. I don't understand why they aren't in a hurry..??..
On Saturday I took DD to Mount Shasta for her first downhill skiing experience. She took two 90 minute lessons with equipment rental was $70. This was paid by my mom as a Christmas gift. We just didn't have time to do it around Christmas, but did manage to squeeze it in before the snow melts. DD loved it and was a natural. Her afternoon instructor said she is ready for the chairlift her next time out. Now I will need to brush up so we can ski together, the last time I was skiing was 10 years ago. Would like to get my BFF and my dad to go with us too.

Yesterday was a big spending day. Baby had his 9mo checkup for $125. DD and DH went grocery shopping for lunch supplies for the two of them for $52. I ordered diapers and wipes at Diapers.com for $27. I bought baby formula and other needed supplies at Target for $104. At Target I needed to buy paper plates and napkins for DD's class party this Friday. I was going to buy some cute heart print plates with matching napkins, but then I found the clearance aisle in the back corner of the store.. I bought a 125ct pack of paper plates for $4.50 and a 400ct pack of napkins for $5. Sure they were just plain white, but now her class will have enough for all their parties for the rest of this year. I also scored a six pack of binkies for DS for $7.50. They are regularly $6/pair. Now I can have a spare everywhere.

I paid the Sears card off. Don't get too excited for me though because I tacked it on to another card.
I had to pay Sears before the 20th to avoid the intrest from the past year being applied. It was 0% for the year if paid in full by January 20th. I had fully intended to do this and was on track to until I was was out on maternity leave. Doh!

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Did major grocery and Costco shopping this past week. Used some nice coupons at Costco. $4 off boneless porkchops, $2.50 off laundry soap, $3.50 off dishwasher tabs. They have Quicken there for $65 and I have a coupon for $20 off. (I am very tempted to pick it up. Sounds like a good deal, but I haven't checked around at all.) We also buy our razors there (DH and I use the same kind) it's a 52 ct. for $23. I also bought 12 fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $20, 6lbs of hamburger, papertowels, a six-pack of Lean Cuisine $7.59 (great for lunch) and several other items. Total $210.

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I have my W-2 already, now waiting for DH's. I also need to get the year statement from DD's school's childcare and the mortgage companies. I guess there isn't any hurry with all the news I hear of the IRS delay. But I am going to start plugging in numbers today to my online tax program. I have used FreeTaxUSA the past several (5) years. $20 for state and federal. With our new tax deduction (DS ) and my decreased income I am curious to see how things will calculate.
Here's to getting some money back!

And Happy almost New Year!

I had this post all typed up on Sunday morning (12/26) and Blam-O my computer kicked me off the internet. I haven't had any time to re-type until now.....


Belated Merry Christmas to all! I am hoping all of you had a lovely holiday. This year more than ever I felt so lucky to have what I have. We are so very lucky. May we all have good luck and success in 2011!

We hosted this year for the first time ever. Inlaws came Thursday afternoon in their motorhome and my parents and my sister came Christmas Eve morning and everyone stayed until Sunday morning. FIL and DH were in charge of the prime rib (from Costco) for Christmas dinner and it was AWESOME! I tried two new recipes - roasted carrots with ginger and brown sugar glaze and a potato gratin made with heavy cream. The carrots were fab, the potatos I'll make again with more cheese Also had ham, green beans, fruit salad, dinner rolls and a ton of desserts. I made the hashbrown quiche and lemon scones for Christmas morning. Had to laugh a bit because FIL was kinda "eh..quiche..hu?" until he tasted it and then there wasn't enough of it. It went fast! Could've made a triple batch! DH made breakfast Sunday morning for everyone. Total for the Christmas groceries about $230. Also had the housecleaners come for $90.

I feel good about our spending on gifts this year too. Less than in past years, but scored some very nice gifts too. Best find for me was a Giants jersey for DH's big/Santa present. $60 on Ebay. Very nice.

As DH pointed it out it was nice not having to travel and really nice not having to pack up all the gifts and drive them home. We just unwrapped and pretty much put them away.

Of course the kids (just DD and DS) were spoiled rotten with all the grandparent and auntie time, plus their gifts. Baby was so cute, he opened his presents pretty much by himself (a little help from big sis to get started) and he got so excited when he saw all the goodies inside the paper. Of course the wrapping paper itself was exciting also.

SO Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Did a bit of shopping this morning with little DS. Mostly Santa related. Stocking stuffers (shampoo, deodorant and mouth wash) and odds and ends to compete the gift list. Bought some frames for family pictures for gifts at WalMart $3 (5X7) and $5 (8X10)!
I had ordered a Santa gift from Ebay for DH and when I was done there was a link to Vistaprint for buiness cards 250ct for $4. DH needed some new cards for his side work stuff. I had them shipped at the slowest/cheapest rate and was pleasently suprised when they arrived two weeks ahead of time. Santa will put them in his stocking.

Still need to buy something for the boss - $20 Starbucks card I think. Sister - small cookie sheet pan to go with cookbook I bought already. Looking for a DVD for co worker. A few more stocking stuffers for baby. Santa gift for the cats (dogs and chickens already done ) Some sweets for my Grandpa. DH and DD will go shopping tomorrow for gifts to donate for a child off a "Giving Tree".

AND next week all the food...((Gulp!))

DH had $470 extra in his paycheck this week from sales commissions. Yay! That helps offset some Christmas spending.

Gotta get some gifts wrapped!!

Our new mortgage is $289.13/mo less now with the refi(saving $126/mo on P/I) and the lower property taxes. WhooHoo!

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This past weekend my family (DD and DH) decided we needed some new Halloween decor for the yard. They picked out three foam tombstones, a strobe light and I picked out a string of purple lights. We also bought some cool window clings that look like bloody hand prints and splotches.

And we bought a costume for DD. Spent $70 on everything. DD bought a wig for her costume with her own money for $9. I tried to talk her out of it, but it's hard when it is HER money she has the choice. I told her we won't be carrying it around on Halloween night if she gets too hot wearing it. She still bought it. Oh well..

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Crazy fall weather here. Last week we were using our AC and Sunday we had the heat on. I am kind of feeling ready for the cooler fall weather. Snuggling inside on the weekends with coffee and football. 'Course right now I'm watching a lot of baseball - GO GIANTS! I told DH this morning that I might need to call off work today and just stay home to watch game 3 playoffs. And do laundry!! (Always have laundry to do. ) I'll be going to work soon. My boss will have the game on the radio in his office so I'm sure I'll catch the important parts.

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Would love to catch up on all your blogs now, but I have got to get caught up on the checkbook register. My budget is current, but the checkbook is behind!! I can't remember the last time I was so lax. Will take care of that right now while little DS is taking his little AM nap. Such a good baby!

Just bought a highchair. DS will be ready to try "real" food very soon. He has been watching us eat with great interest the past few weeks. I have been buying baby foods anytime they've been on sale plus using coupons. I've been getting good deals and will be using them soon enough.

I DID NOT buy the $200+ highchair. I bought a $55 chair. Very cute and functional. And it converts to a booster as he gets older. Excellent reviews also.

I just ordered thru Diapers.com and will get it and more diapers on my doorstep tomorrow! (I love getting packages ) Had a $10 referral credit and a promo code for the chair saved an additional $5.40. No tax and no shipping. So I spent $76 total.

I think I did pretty well.

Driving home this afternoon DD was looking at the newspaper insert ads. I think it was a JC Penney or Kohls ad when she said, "Look at these cute shoes mama." They were cute little pink plaid ballet flats. But, uh, $28!! Not for my nine year old who wears holes in her shoes before she even outgrows them! (If they were everyday shoes - okay, I'd buy them.)

I said, "Honey, wow, those shoes are kinda pricey."

"But mama, look the regular price is $39."

Ahh, a "teachable moment"...

"Well sweetie, that's how the stores get you to buy something like that. They make you think you're getting a good deal. Sometimes you are. But not on those shoes." I said.

She thought about that and was like, "Okay, maybe we can find some like these for a lot less, then we could buy them."

"Maybe." (universal parent answer. )

She does need a new backpack and lunch sack for school. I usually wait until fall, Oct/Nov, to buy clothes and new shoes. So far she has always been fine with wearing "old" clothes to the start of school. Sure hope that doesn't change anytime soon.

Gosh, she'll be back to school on August 18th! Fourth grade! *WOW*

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Today baby DS is three months old. I will have to take/post a picture soon. Such a cutie!

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Grocery shopping yesterday. $108. Dinners for the next week easy, plus milk, bread and cereal. Tonight it's Sloppy Joes, broccoli, and homemade fried french fries. Yum!

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Overspent last month *sigh* Over budget by $900. Money I would have LOVED to put toward bills or savings. My excuse - long month and we did a lot and had several one time/occasional expenses (car registration, medical/dental etc..)
This month it'll be childcare and increased fuel usage.

Crunching numbers now.

I guess I have an eye for quality??
I am always picking the most expensive items. lol.

$250 for a highchair! *Ouch*

Just looking around for a highchair for DS. We will need it before too long. And I think I really like the Stokke Tripp Trapp. I'd never seen it before, but gosh it seems like a good idea. All the reviews I've read are positive. Lasts for years, easy to clean, comfortable etc..

I am patting myself on the back.

I bought a very cute pair of chocolate brown capris at Kohl's. Suggested retail $40. I paid $3.45!
I returned a gift item for credit, shopped during their "Power Hours" (such a ploy, whatever!) and used a 15% off coupon.

Next, I had a gift certificate for Partylight candles. I have a friend who sells them. I do think they are the best candles, but are a bit spendy. I ordered online thru my friend's website and spent $0.35. 'Grapefruit Fresh' jar candle and votives shipped to my door; a special gift for me!!

DD needed a gift for a friend's birthday. WalMart! Returned some unused Newborn outfits from DS. $26 in store credit. That bought the gift, a card, laundry soap, coffee and Gatorade. So $0.10 spent there!

Ordered again from Diapers.com. Had a $10 referral credit and used a coupon code they had posted. Plus no sales tax and free shipping. I can also mail in manufacturer coupons to be credited to my account. Spent $24. Would have cost almost twice that if I had purchased in a store!

Getting a couple To Do things crossed off my list today. Ah.. it feels so good.

Grocery shopping this morning, about 8am. It was good because the crowds hadn't showed up yet to shop for the weekend. Bought a coffee and cruised the store with DS. Total $149. They had buy two 12 packs of soda get four Free! That much soda will probably last us until the end of the year.

Paid a medical bill. $130.

Mailed a box of gifts and such to BFF. $8.

Called my car insurance agent to discuss some changes to my policy. Left a message. Dropping collision, keeping comprehensive, probably. I'll put the savings into a "new car fund".

Vehicle registration on Pathfinder. Paid online. So easy! $124 for one year.

Still need to pick up chicken feed and pine shavings, deposit DH's paychecks and....Oh I forget!

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Basic look at our July (& most other months) budget.

Mortgage $2064
Savings
& ROTHs $200
CC#3 $400
Sears $275
Childcare $0 -for now
Horses/Pets $300
Auto Insur. $115
Utilities $250
Food $600
Gas $125 + reg. $124
Gym $150
misc/cash $400
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$5003
All I can think of off the top of my head. I've got a more detailed budget on a works spreadsheet.

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If I don't post again before the weekend -
Have a Wonderful 4th Everyone!
We're going to have a relaxing weekend hanging around home. No plans to go anywhere; can see our city fireworks from our house.

Yesterday afternoon I went to Costco for a few items. They had 4GB memory cards (and other sizes) in a two pack for $10 off. I needed memory for my camera. As a plus when you bought the cards you also get 100 prints from the photo department for free. I also bought trail mix, TP, PT, and some meat. When I got home and started putting thing away I realized I didn't put the cards in the truck. I had left them in the cart!!! Oh big crap! I put baby back in the truck, rounded up DD and drove back to Costco now at 5:15pm. Thankfully traffic wasn't too bad. I couldn't believe I hadn't picked them up. Just left $30 sitting there. Stupid. I thought I might get lucky and find my cart still in the parking lot because I was parked a little further out. I got there - No luck. I went to the membership desk and told them what had happened. He directed me to the "front end" manager who gave me a new package without blinking an eye! WAHOO! Made my day. Thank you Costco!