It was hot here today, 94F, the AC felt so good!
A very low key day. Stayed cool inside with baby DS and DH. DD played with a friend in the AM and splashed in the pool with the neighbor kids this PM.
For dinner we had BBQ cheeseburgers with Sandwich Thins for buns. Thank You Monkey Mama! They were perfect. I am not sure I would have bought them had I just saw them in the store. Bought at Costco, so I put some away in the freezer. It was a 24 count package (3 packs of 8) for $5.69(ish).
I sat outside for about 30 minutes this evening with DS. He enjoys being outside, so much to look at. It had cooled to about 80F. Very nice.
Time to give baby his bath!

Yesterday I went to our credit union and applied for their Visa card to take advantage of the lower interest rate. I couldn't open the card only in my name because I don't make enough money on my own..*Ggrr* So I had DH meet me there (aka The Money Man. lol.) I told him I figured it'd be about 20 minutes, so he just took a break from the office. Well guess what - I was wrong. It took a hour. When did it take so long just to get a credit card? Didn't they USE TO pass them out like candy?

I asked the loan officer about that. Told him I figured that things had tightened up for unsecured loans. He said that was exactly what's been going on. And the high credit limit we were requesting. Is $15,000 really that high??

He said that we might have to close the cards we paid off. I told him I wasn't willing to close cc#2 because it is linked to our checking for overdraft and it is one of my longest history credit lines. I would be fine with lowering the limit in order to get the new loan. In the end it all turned out fine. We will be closing cc#1, but no changes to cc#2. Our new APR is 9.4%, with no fees.

After I feed baby lunch I have to take some paperwork over to the c.u. so they can transfer the balances. Can't wait to see the balance shrink!

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We went to Olive Garden last night for our anniversary dinner. It was an enjoyable meal. Baby DS slept all through and DD was sweet and polite (as usual! ) I had a drink, boy did it make me relaxed! Haven't had but a sip of champagne in almost a year. Total spent $65. My DH gave me a $100 bill "to spend on myself and buy something nice". I want to use it for bills, hehe. Maybe I'll see if I can find a nice summer outfit for cheap and put the rest to the cc or ef.

Today is my 10 year wedding anniversary!

My DH and I kind of eloped and got married on the south shore of Lake Tahoe. On a little beach at the water's edge. Just us, my BFF, the preacher and his big St. Bernard doggie. We had known each other for seven weeks!

It's going to be a low key celebration, what with the kids and tight budget. We do plan to "make it up" when bills are paid and savings higher. (We took a 10 day cruise for our 5 year. Loved it!)

Is it really June? Just asking, 'cause here in northern California it's cool and cloudy. We even had a few sprinkles early this AM. 60F right now. I had the heat on a little earlier this morning.
On the weather report they said this cool spell might set some new low records. Monkey Mama - they said Sacramento didn't have any days in May over 90F, breaking a record from 1971.

I bet we'll have the AC on again this weekend..Crazy weather!

Relaxing no spend weekend at home. My in-laws came Friday for an overnight visit with us and baby. They live about 3 1/2 hours away. When baby was born they drove their motor home down and parked it in our side yard. It is still here so when they visit they have a place to stay. It works out VERY well. LOL. I can send them to their place when I need a break.

Saturday we kicked on the AC. It was about 86F. I know not really that HOT, but uncomfortable. My DH works in the HVAC industry so we have newer and efficient furnace and AC.

My mom visited all day Sunday. My DH had a job so he was gone. DD had a friend over and they played in a little kiddie pool and the back yard most of the time. Baby DS slept more than usual, so my mom and I had lots of time to visit. We talked about when she thinks she will retire and her maybe moving to our area. She lives about 2 1/2 hours away. Even looking at buying several acres together and living on the same property. She also brought me a check for $160. I closed a credit union account I've had from childhood. They mailed the check to my mom. Putting the money toward one of the cards.

The biggest bummer from this weekend is that I talked to my boss on Saturday. He can't afford to cover my children's insurance costs. He has a lot on his plate, financially speaking, and he is moving into a new-to-us building in July. He has been in the same location for over 20 years, so it's going to be a big change. He said he'd really like to do it and we can re-visit the idea in a about 6 months when he 'might' know if he's better off $ wise. We'll see. My boss is a very nice guy, but not real great with money.. The insurance premium for the kids is $452 per month. I can't see us able to swing that right now. It stresses me. And baby will have several medical appointments within his first year. *sigh*

But, the weekend was nice overall anyway.

Today, DD started her week of basketball camp. She wasn't too sure about it. But, when we got there this morning she saw a few girls she knew and happily jumped in. She is very open, social and not shy. I pick her up at 3pm. I am thinking sometime this week we'll go to the city pool after I pick her up from camp. Maybe invite one of her school or camp friends too.

I am enjoying the long weekend. It's very nice to have DH and DD home all day with me and baby. DH likes making breakfast on the weekends so I've been treated to breakfast in bed the past three days!

Getting ready for summer break. DD's last day of school is this Friday. It will be nice to not pay for full time childcare because I'll be home on maternity leave for almost all the summer. I still want to give DD some time away from home. She is going to a few week long day camps. One is a really awesome horse camp with a friend from school. They went together last summer and had a blast. On Thursday they get to camp out overnight in the barn too. Me and the other mom split the driving, so that works out nicely. This camp costs $325. But I prepay so it's $300. Grandma (my mom) paid for camp this year as a birthday gift for DD.
The second camp we bought in a silent auction at DD's school's fundraiser. It's a basketball camp. Cost $170 if you prepay or $190 if you don't. We paid $120 at the auction. I thought that was a good deal!

My mom is also taking DD on two grandma/grandaughter trips. (My dad's work is most busy during the summer. So it's just the girls!) One week in June to the coast and visit my sister. And in July to tour some of the California missions. (My DD will be learning about them in 4th grade.)
As I type this I am thinking how lucky DD is! She'll also likely spend a few days with my inlaws too.
I want to plan a camping trip for us four. I hope I can find the time...and the money...

Ah, the money...
*sigh* My CC#2 balance has crept up a little this month. Spendy month and decreased income. No fabulous purchases, just regular expenses.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

Redeemed my credit card 'points' for a $200 payment. Received a $200 check as reimbursement for a work expense so that goes to the card also. This covers the $400 copay to the hospital when I delivered DS. So...two steps forward and two steps back...

It seems like this is a regular pattern with us. I'll have a few months where we just "break even", maybe even lose a little bit of ground. Then a few months where we gain ground, pay something off completely or make a big purchase in cash, add to savings, etc. I LOVE those months!!!

This will be a "break even" month, except for a small bump in the savings account. We are talking like $25-$40. But I feel like every little bit gets us to the goal..eventualy.

I want to go FASTER!!!

We could meet our saving/payoff goals faster if we were willing to really cut back. I'm not saying we spend a lot on a lot. Honestly, we could LIVE without the cell phones, DSL, cable, horses, breakfast out...you get the idea. But, I feel life should be comfortable. As comfortable as you can comfortably afford. And if our income suddenly dropped off/dried up we would make these cuts. I think there is a certain number of people out there that just couldn't give anything up. We could do it; we have lived without these before.

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Baby DS had his two week check up. He is now 8lbs. 8oz. and 1/2 inch longer. He's great at nursing so I knew he was growing well.

No baby yet. (I'm ready anytime now!) And I didn't win the big jackpot. I don't think anyone did, so now it's $266 million on Tuesday.

Had a nice relaxing Saturday. It was a NSD because we didn't go anywhere. Oh, actually DH deposited his weekly paycheck, so it was a MMD (make money day? ) I watched the Kentucky Derby. The winning horse was "Super Saver". He,He, I thought of this site when the race was over. We took a little walk because the weather is beautiful here this weekend. Came home just in time to watch Suze.

I am not going to bother with the checkbook or bills until tomorrow. Monday will be the financial start of May. I am expecting my first state check then too.

I think we'll be headed out for breakfast and a little grocery shopping now. No NSD today!

To most people I think that would sound crazy. Out on maternity leave has been nice, I've gotten plenty of things done around the house and little projects that have needed attention. It's also a luxury to take a nap in the middle of the day! But, right now I miss the mental and physical stimulation of work.
I work in a small, one doctor, veterinary office. There are four of us "girls" and the doctor. I am a Registered Veterinary Technician, and I pretty much run the office (and my boss!). Two of the other gals are in their 50's and the other is a college student who works part-time. We have all worked with each other for quite awhile and get along very well, like family. Makes for a very comfortable and flexible work environment.
The trade-off is this is a pretty low paying field of work. *sigh*
I like to think I'm a pretty smart cookie and as such I could work in a variety of jobs/careers. Sometimes I think about making a big change, learn something new, make lots more money. BUT, I really enjoy the work I do. My days are interesting and we have loads of really good clients that I get to chat with everyday!

At what point do you trade happiness/enjoyment with bringing in more money? (Not that they're mutually exclusive.)

BTW, I bought a Mega Millions ticket, so if I win I could just work for fun. That would make me very happy!

Looking at my goals I put in the sidebar made me realize that I already have a $1000 EF - so goal met, right?
Ha, not quite. I've built a $1000+ buffer in our checking account, but I don't look at that as my emergency money. I look at it more like revolving credit I give myself. It helps me not have to stress about not having "enough" to cover a check or DH used the debit card 3 times today situations. The downside is that I do look at it as "extra" so sometimes, like now, I owe myself $700.

Now, about that $224 million dollars. That is today's Mega Millions jackpot. I am not in the habit of buying lottery tickets, but for that amount I may go ahead and lose the $10 in cash I've got in my wallet. Wish me luck!
If I suddenly stop blogging you will all know what happened to me!

I am overdue to start this blog.
I have been reading and commenting on entries on this site for over a year and have thought, "Gee, I should do this blog thing too." But never took the plunge. Now I have a little free time on my hands because....

I am overdue to deliver my second baby. A boy! So I'm off work, my house is clean, laundry done, dishes in the dishwasher, DD in school, DH working, dogs and cats sleeping.. I guess TODAY is a good day to start a blog.

Thing is my blog title is Overdue, but none of my bills are! WhooHoo! It's one area of my finances I've always done right. Pay on time. Now if Saving could come as easily.

We, DH and I, like buying the things we want, when we want. This of course has put us in a bit of CC debt, but not so bad as many Americans. So "lucky" on that I suppose.

So far the hardest part of blogging for me was coming up with a "name".