Jen's Blog

I mentioned this in the frugal forum, but I bought a drying rack earlier this week. yesterday I was able to do a medium size and a large size load of dark luandry without using the dryer at all. Are there any tricks to making blue jeans feel soft after being lined-dried? If so let me know. DH and I are also wondering if we'll notice a drop in our electrical bill if we skip using the dryer for all or most of the month. At the very least it's an environmentally-friendly thing to do, and that has value in and of itself.

I've started inputting our budget into Quicken. Last December DH and I worked on our budget, so I have all of the numbers right in a spreadsheet. It'll be nice to have the report available that compares our budget with how we're actually doing, broken down by category even. I get a rough idea of how we're doing if savings goes up or down, but it's nice to know what areas we're doing better in or wrose incompared to our budget.

DD's birthday party is tomorrow. The cake was $29.95 - that was the big splurge. The only thing left to buy are snacks, and since it's after lunch I only need to worry about snacks like pretzels, cut-up vegetables, and so on. Shouldn't be very expensive at all.

Today I'm putting claim forms in the mail for a prescription that was $106.90, and three physical therapy appointments that came to $270. I know I'll get $86.90 back for the prescription, but I don't know what I'll get back for the PT.

I'm thinking about buying myself a $10 drying rack to increase the drying space available here for laundry. Even when it's beautiful outside, I simply don't have enough line space to hang up an entire load of laundry.

Thought I'd compare money spent at grocery stores versus money spent at restaurants for January:

Grocery stores: $326
Restaurants: $131

Wow. Especially considering how many meals each total represents. We could shave off one nice meal ($20-$30) and buy quite a lot of nice groceries instead. Instead of going out for sub sandwiches with DD and DH (at a cost of about $16) I could buy fixings, make some pesto, find a geat bread, and probably get two or three lunches out of it. This is where my laziness factor comes in.

Something for me to think about.

And just for fun...
Starbucks: $29.55

Only one trip to Starbucks this week - I'm doing very well on that goal thus far this year. :-) DH is too.

He and I have talked about trying to leave stores without buying anything we hadn't planned on buying. We're both working on that, figuring that if we cut down on the impulse spending/buying things we like but don't necessarily need, it'll be good for our savings and our clutter-control.

Made another trip to the Goodwill today to drop off a bunch of stuff. Old tote bags, clothes, things taking up room in our closets that we just don't need or want anymore. It's always amazing that we can takes bags and bags of things to donate, and then within months do it all over again. I think it takes time, fo me, to let go of things that at one time were sentimental. I am slowly learning that the memory doesn't leave just because I give away the bag my aunt gave me when I went to college, but haven't used in at least seven years. ;-)

Spent another $16 on drinks today for the upcoming birthday party, as well as for when my parents and DH's parents are here for a birthday dinner. Both sets of grandparents are coming to the house to have a dinner with DD. We did this last year, and it was a lot of fun. DD gets some special family time, and so do the grandarents.

Total spending for the party (10 kids total will be there, plus some of their parents) is up to about $60. Still need to take care of snacks, a cake and DD's gift.

I am happy to say that sales in my online consignment store are starting to increase, slowly but surely. I may have a business here yet. That's good for me, and even better for the women I'm representing. I've had one glitch in terms of shipping an item, but basically the store has been running pretty smoothly in its first seven months.

I have lots of jewelry listed but would love to be able to list more clothing, handbags, cards and such. I'd like to round out the offerings and not look like solely a jewelry site.

This is a pretty big deal for me, as I run really cold, but I turned down our programmable thermostat from 68* to 66* during the day. I figure if I'm freezing I can manually turn up the heat, but otherwise I won't be heating up the house quite so much, and hopefully we'll see it reflected in our energy bills. I've also made the switch to washing clothes in cold water, so that's got to help as well.

For a no-spend day that turned into a must-spend day, I'm happy to say it was the least painful kind possible. I bought exactly what I needed to and spent only the money I planned on spending. No extra stops, no extra purchases. In fact, Dd and I stopped at the bank where she has a savings account and deposited $33.50 into her account - all change we'd rolled up from her change jar. The teller was very sweet with DD and gave her a couple of lollipops along with her deposit receipt.

I downloaded my credit card statement and updated Quicken. I'm not 100% comfortable with Quicken yet, but I'm getting there, and I am determined to make it work and not be intimidated by it. I know it's going to be great to click a button and see where we've been spending our money.

Yawn - almost 1 a.m. here, and I can't sleep. What fun.

Today won't be a no spend day after all. The kitties need food, and I told someone I would mail something to them this week. Since I can't do it Th or Fr, I'll have to go to the post office tomorrow. Oh well. I still won't go crazy with spending just because of those two necessities.

DD's Spanish class was downtown today, and it was so tempting to take that 45 minutes or so to go down, window shop ,maybe get a cup of coffee. So tempting, especially given I'm in a real funk today. But, I remembered my goal of having no spending days today and tomorrow, and just went home instead. I don't use retail therapy very often anymore - used to quite a lot - but now and then it is still appealing.

I think I'll make myself some tea to drink while tutoring and just take it easy this afternoon.

I spent another $20 or so for DD's party. That took care of a craft to do, goodie bags, heart-shaped balloons, fuzzy pencils to go in the goodie bags, and stickers. All that's left is food, drinks, cake and a gift. I think. I have the supplies on hand already for the kids to do one other craft, and I'm not planning on doing any games so we don't need any prizes.

I need to figure out a way to bring food and drinks along with us this Thursday and Friday so we don't break the bank when it comes to eating. We're staying with friends Thursday night, so I think I'll pack a cooler, and plan on bringing it inside so we can out our blue ice in their freezer andour food and drinks in their frig overnight.

Some days I wish I didn't even have to think about money.

I spent about $71 today on groceries, plus $7 yesterday on milk. We're going out of town for two night later on in the week, which means more money spent on food, gas and fun. But it will be fun.

Among other things I found "mole rojo" at Trader Joe's. We're big fans of mole here and I can't wait to give this a try. I'm going to see if I can come up with a tofu enchilada that uses mole. A friend of mine gave me a green chile/tofu enchilada recipe that ought to adapt well. I don't know why it's called mole rojo as oppsed to regular mole, but I guess we'll find out.

No Starbucks today, and we having leftovers for dinner, so no going out to eat tonight either.

My credit card cycle closes tomorrow, so Wednesday I'll import the latest statement into Quicken and then go through and assign categories to everything.

We have several birthdays coming up, so I need to get thinking about inexpensive but thoughtful gifts. DD has 4 friends with birthdays between now and 2/24, and then my dad's birthday is in March. My birthday is next month too, as is DD's. November through February is a whirwind around here, between the holidays and birthdays in the family!

I stuck to my goal regarding trips to Starbucks again this week, I'm please to report. Dh has set a similar goal for himself - in fact, we did this independently of one another, so it was kind of funny when we were talking about it and realized we both been thinking along the same lines.

While Dh and I try to be frugal and smart with our money, we are willing to spend more money if shopping elsewhere clashes with our values or principles. There are certain stores we will never shop at, and thankfully we have enough choices around here that we don't ever have to even think about it. We might spend more on certain things, but it is heartening to know that we aren't sacrificing our values to save a few cents here and there. This goes for buying organic foods as well. The only way prices will come down on them is if demand goes up. I look at it as a health issue anyway, for my family and for the planet. I guess you can say that we speak wiht our money.

The car is in the shop again - it started making an odd noise when the steering wheel was turned. About a year and a few months ago, we were hit (by an uninsured driver, grrr.....). It will be interesting to see if the front end place thinks this is at all related.

Dh just dropped off the car this morning, and hopefully they'll be able to work on it today in time for me to walk over and get it and get DD to ballet this afternoon.

--later--

I've got the car back - a part needs to be ordered, so they can't do the work today. I checked to see if this work would be covered under the limited 10-year/100,000 mile warranty on the car, but it isn't. Bummer. Can't wait to see what this is going to cost. :-(

--still later--
Well, now it turns out that this mght be part of a recall-type situation! I've got an appointment with the dealer to have the car looked at. If it is, then this won't cost us anything after all. Cross you fingers.

So far I've spent about $22 on DD's birthday. It'll be nice when I don't have to plan for the kids AND their parents for these things and can buy enough food, plates, etc for just the kids. Anyway, so far I've taken care invitations and postage; cups, plates, napkins and plastic cutlery; balloons; plastic tablecloth; and lollipops for the goodie bags. Things I still want to get include the cake, the actual bags for the goodies, supplies for a craft to do at the party, one or two more things for the goodie bags, snacks and drinks for the party, and a gift for DD. The cake will be $20-$30 if we go the Ben and Jerry route. I've got my eye on some games and puzzles at our local independent children's bookstore that I think DD might like for a gift. We're holding the party at 1:30, so that it is after lunch and we only need to have snacks as opposed to a full-on lunch.

I don't know if this sounds extravagant to people reading this. I know that for a lot of people in my town, it would probably sound cheap - and not in a good way. ;-) But it'll be a fun party, DD will have a good time with her friends, and that's ultimately what matters.

DH is working on our taxes as I write. We have an accountant, so in some ways it's easier. But there is still a lot of paperwork to go through, questions to answer. We've been saving receipts, keeping track of things in Excel, but it's still a royal pain. (lol - just as I was writing that DH said "This is a royal pain in the a**. Same wavelength, eh?) I have got to keep up with the Quicken - I think it will make next year easier. This year is going fairly well, but it could be a lot easier.

We have a great accountant who gives us advice throughout the year. He and DH once worked together and they've maintained a friendly working relationship ever since. Since we own a business, taxes are more complicated for us.

Made it through the weekend without any trips to Starbucks, which means I stuck to my no more than twice a week goal. Yea for me. I like their lattes, but I don't need to go there as often as I sometimes do. I actually find i enjoy it more if i don't go quite so frequently.

I got DD her shoes, plus another pair of shoes similar to some she's just about outgrown. The second pair was on clearance, so I feel like I paid a fair price.

Cooked dinner again this evening which means we did pretty well this past week as far as dining out goes.

DH and I went through the 401k papers this weekend. We've got it narrowed down to a few funds that seem to fit our goals. DH is also going to see if he can roll his 403b into the 401k, as the 403b had been set up as more of a short-term thing for saving up for a down payment on a house. We never used it for that, so it's sitting there earning some money but could be doing better for us.

Today I need to go out and get DD a new pair of tennis shoes. I'm going to go to Stride Rite and get her a decent pair of shoes, figuring one good pair that fits properly is worth the extra money, now that her feet aren't growing quite so quickly. (hope I haven't just jinxed myself)

Haven't been to Starbucks all weekend, so it looks like I'll make it to my no more than twice a week goal. :-) For that matter, I don't think we went out to dinner at this week either, so that's another :-) for us.

Dh has the paperwork from work for the 401k plan, so this weekend we're going to read through and finally get signed up. We worked out a budget not to long ago, and in that we figured out how much we were going to contribute to the plan. We will contribute enough to meet the company's requirements for matching, as it would be a shame not to - free money, after all!

Still at two visits to Starbucks this week. The tricky part comes this weekend, when/if DH suggests going.

DH and I are going to get a Ben and Jerry's ice cream cake for DD for her party, so I'd like to try and keep other costs down. I need to get to the 99 cent store and see what they have in terms of Valentines Day goodies, as DD wants to have a Valentine-themed party. I ought to be able to get some favors there, as well as plates and such, for not much money.

In the past I've made DD's birthday cakes, but this year we're going to splurge. No to mention how tasty Ben and Jerry's ice cream is. ;-)

Oh - went to Starbucks today, so I've made my two trips for the week already...

Still trying to get Quicken figured out, but I'm starting to get a handle on it. Being able to import the credit card statement was nice, and this morning I went through and gave each purchase a category. A few purchases weere hard to categorize - I''ve called some 'clothing' even though much of that ended up being 'gifts given'. Or purchases at Rite Aid - they weren't prescriptions, so I just called them 'misc'. It would probably be a good idea to read the help files for Quicken, but I haven't done that yet.

One of my goals for 2005 is to limit my trips to Starbucks to no more than twice per week. I went once last week and have been once already this week.

I find I've been drinking a lot more tea lately, including caffeine free herbal teas. I'm trying to get away from drinking coffee every day and am doing OK. I'm doing this more for health reasons than money, but the Starbucks habit is definitely a financial goal.

I've decided to give Quicken a try this year. I'm hoping it will make it easier to budget for vacations and home improvements in the future, as well as give us a clearer idea of what to set aside in the medical reimbursement plan at DH's work. Ought to also make it easier to see where our money goes, with all of the reports and graphs available. I already set up the checking and savings accounts, and imported the last master card statement (very handy to be able to do that!).

If anyone has any insights or suggestions regarding Quicken I'd love to hear them.

Here we are in the new year. Dh and I went to the store together last night to do some grocery shopping. Our cupboards were pretty bare, but now we're set for a little while. Bought more convenience foods that I have in a while, so the bill was higher than usual, but it is still much cheaper than going out for sub-standard dinners at supposedly reasonably priced restaurants.

My insurance company is covering some of my costs at the headache clinic, so that's good news.

One of my goals for the new year is to limit my trips to starbucks to no more than twice a week. I went yesterday.

I took on a new student for tutoring, but I'm not sure if I'll keep her in my schedule for the next smester or not. If I do, it would be an extra $75-$100 a month, so it might be worth it. It's hard on DD to have me here tutoring for three hours ina row, however. We'll see.

I made one of my mom's birthday gifts this year, out of lavender buds our neighbors harvested from their garden. I made an eye pillow with the lavender, plus flax seeds. it smelled yummy! I'm going to try making some lavender-filled muslin 'pillows' to put in the dryer.

DH and I tried to go out the day after Christmas and get a few things we needed, but we had no luck in finding them. That was disappointing.

I have yet another doctor bill to dispute. I took DD in for a meet and greet with a new doctor, and they did a very routine physical (but no lab work) - eyes, ears, heart, lungs, weight, height, eye chart. There are two charges on our bill - one for $70 that insurance covered its part of, and one for $160 that insurance denied!! So now I have a call in to the doctor's office to find out what the charges are for, and a supevisor is supposed to pull the doctor's notes and give me a call back. I get so tired of this kind of stuff, yet I refuse to pay for something when I don't even know why I'm being charged. And when insurance doesn't cover it (and it seems like they ought to have covered everything from this visit), it makes me raise my eyebrows.

I'm also waiting to see what kind of check I get from the headache clinic. They don't take insurance (though the hospital they're associated with does) so I have to pay in full and then submit a claim to my insurance company. Long story short, the ins co cut a check for x dollars, but it appears they also had a negotiated discount with the hospital that isn't included in that x amount. So if the check that the hospital sends to me also does not include the negotiated discount, I'm going to get on the phone and find out why. But I'm waiting until I get the check before making any calls.

I get so weary of dealing with these things. But $160 and $225 is a lot of money! I hate to pay what I don't owe when we pay good money for insurance, and I hate not getting back money due to clerical oversights and the like.

I looked online to verify that the late fee on our credit card had been waived, and indeed it has. I called my credit union to put a stop payment on the lost check, and the rep who answered told me that I could do that online for $5, versus via telephone for $15. So online I went! I'm sending the credit card company a new check today, and hopefully this will be the end of the troubles. I've never had this happen before, but so far it hasn't been difficult to resolve. Bummer about the $5 for the stop payment, but better that than my check for over $3000 falling into the wrong hands.

Hopefully the last of my last minute shopping is now done. I went to the grocery store today, in hopes of avoiding the madness of the 24th. I think I'm set. According to my list, I am. I find making lists helpful - when I don't make one I inevitably forget something. I usually make lists when packing to go somewhere too.

It appears our last credit card payment has been delayed or lost in the mail. I spoke with a very nice representative this morning, and after hearing when I mailed the check and that we have never been late in the past, nor do we even carry a balance, he waived the late fee and made a note in our account. So I'll give the check one more day before I call my credit union to put a stop payment on the first check and mail out a new one. What a pain. But at least the rep was helpful.

Here we are, heading into the final few days before Christmas. I got DD's dress and cape made, as well as my top. In her cape she sort of looks like a wizard, or a young Jedi. But she loves it.

We've been baking cookies yesterday and today and will make some more tomorrow. I think these will be DD's gifts to her cousins, as well as gifts for our neighbors.

My parents get here Friday, and my mom and I have figured out dinner for that ngiht - southwest vegetarian stew (I'll make it) and one of her own bread recipes (she'll make and bring). Saturday we're responsible for bread, salad and stuffing and then we'll all go over to DH's parents' house for the big dinner. Sunday? Haven't gotten that far yet.

Dh and I tried hard not to go overboard this year as far as gifts for DD goes, and I think we've been relatively successful. I am an only child and was the only grandchild on both sideas for abuot 15 years, and DD is an only child, my parents' only grandhild, and there's a 17 and 19 year age difference between her and her cousins on DH's side. So the mindset to spoil is ingrained in me, and I have to fight it. I want to fight it, because I feel like it wasn't necessarily all that good for me growig up.