Jen's Blog

I spent about $73 at the grocery store today (and that included some Tom's of maine toothpaste and a new toothbrush for DD), and I think I have enough food for breakfast lunch and dinner for at least five days. Breakfast and lunch are easy, since it's just DD and I. We eat cereal or oatmeal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, with fruit, cheese, yogurt, crackers, etc. for snacks. We brought home lentil soup from DH's parents' house last night, so dinner for one night is already taken care of. I've got three other dinners planned, and I bought a Boboli crust for pizza one night, and am planning on having some simple pasta another night. So barring migraines and other ailments, we're set.

I had to go to the fabric store to pick up a zipper and return some bias tape and seam lace. I had coupons for 50% and 40% off, so I picked up two skeins of yarn that will crochet up into a nice scarf. I've already sold two of these in my shop, so with the price break I got today I'll get a little bit more profit if this one sells, too.

Speaking of returning items, for some reason in the past I would have just kept the things I returned today, figuring I'd use them at some point in the future. but now, I am of the mind that if I don't need them, return them! It was only $1.50, but still.

I'm almost finished making myself a red brocade holiday top. We're seeing the Nutcracker tomorrow, and I'd like to wear it to that, so I need to finish it this afternoon/evening. I only need to put in the zipper and sleeve facings.

Leftovers tonight. I just haven't been wanting to cook, but at least this way we're not throwing away good food, and we're not going out and spending a ton of money.

I've gotten back on my nearly every day Starbucks routine, and I feel like I want to cut back some. It went from once a week to almost every day, and that feels like way too often. I want it to be a treat, not a necessity.

I find that when I have cash, I spend it. It's there, I won't use it for gas for the car or groceries, so I just blow it on dumb stuff. See paragraph above, for example.

I went out to dinner with some other women Sunday nght for a mom's night out. I also sold a scarf I'd knit to one of my friends while we were there, so all in all I came out $5 ahead for the evening.

DH and I are both going to the doctor this morning, as we've been sick off and on for two weeks now. I feel like all I've done lately is go to or take DD to one doctor or another. That's an exaggeration, of course.

We had breakfast food for dinner last night. Sometimes that really hits the spot. We are sorely in need of groceries around here, but scrambled eggs and toast worked just fine last night.

I need to do some online shopping for DH today. I priced what I wanted at a place in town but know I can get it cheaper online.

I doubled a casserole yesterday and froze some for another dinner another night, and I plan on doing the same thing with the soup I'm making for tonight's dinner. To me, this is one of the great things about planning menus. It is just as easy to make a big batch as it is to make a small batch, and now when there's a night where I just don't want to make anything at all, I can grab something from the freezer instead. Very nice!

DH and I sat down last night and went over our budget to figure out how much to set aside in the medical reimbursement plan next year, and how much to put away in the 401k once he can (have to be an employee for a certain amount of time before one is eligible). We now have copies of the budget we think is fair for the upcoming year. I may put Quicken on my computer to track expenses next year. We'll see. The medical reimbursement will be nice, and neither of us has actively saved in a retirement account since we left teaching 5-6 years ago.

Took DD to the doctor today and she has an eye appointment this Thursday to follow up on the rudimentary eye exam given at the ped's office. Heopfully all will be fine with her eyes.

December = property taxes here. Ouch. Dh has been saving for them all year, so we're ready to pay them, but I still hate writing those big checks, kwim?

Picked up a few candles to give to a folks like DD's dance teacher, and after a few gifts for DD that I can only buy when she's not with me, plus something else for DH, I ought to be about done. We have one birthday in November and three in December, on top of Christmas. Busy time of year around here when it comes to gift giving.

Thanksgiving was nice - went to my mom and dad's for the long weekend. It was nice to see family, and not think about what to cook each day, too.

Today's Daily Saving Challenge talked about *not* shopping the day after Thanksgiving. However, my mom and I will be heading to the fabric store where flannel always goes on sale for 99 cents a yard. Can't beat that price for making the annual Christmas gift jammies.

Aside from that, I hate shopping the day after Thanksgiving. It is a zoo and stresses me out. I think one year we went out the day after Christmas - what a nightmare!

Car's at the shop right now - brakes need to be done front and back. I knew it, and am glad to be getting it done before we drive to tomorrow.

Not much to report right now. I'm pleased with how Google's adsense program is working out with regards to my web site. That has been a good addition.

We are just about done with all the Christmas shopping. I've been compiling a list of gifts that will be from Santa, including little things for DD's stocking. After Thanksgiving I'll sit down with her so that she can write her letter to Santa. I still need to get gifts figured out for her friends.

Saw Polar Express yesterday and loved it. We went to the 99 cent store first to get our candy/munchies. Much cheaper way to go.

Had some work done on the car not too long ago and was told if we bring it in between 500-1000 miles they'd check it for free, but that if we bring it in after that and something needs to be tweaked it'd cost us. I made the appt to take it in this week, before we head out of town (and before we go over 1000 miles since the last service).

I got my sewing machine back today, and it was covered by the warranty. Yea! Now I can make my daughter's Thanksgiving dress ths weekend.

I've had to rescue wood from going into the shredder. I thought my husband told the tree guys to save the wood, but I came home to see it going into the shredder. Ack! In my rusty Spanish I let them know that my friend wants all of it.

We are having three trees cut down today. We got three bids and feel like the one we accepted is the best deal for the money. In about 3 hours they've gotten most of the first tree down - and we're talking 120-130 feet trees. They ought to be done by the end of tomorrow, and this includes hauling away everything. They're leaving one cord for a friend of mine who has access to a splitter and wanted some of the wood if they'd leave some.

Side note - I've got a 10% off coupon code running in my store through the end of November. The code is NOV10, and the url is www.divatribe.com/catalog/index.php.

I believe many stores have policies that they don't necessarily broadcast far and wide about refunding money for sale items. More to the point, if you buy something on day X and that iutem goes on sale within a certain number of days, you might be able to get refunded the difference in price. I think Joann's does this, and possibly The Gap. Does anyone know anymore about this?

Now, I don't tend to pay full price for much of anything these days anyways, but it's good information to have. ;-)

I was assertive yesterday and got a store to honor a coupon for a prior purchase, even though the coupon said it wasn't good for prior purchases. The thing is, the coupon was good beginning 11/7, but I didn't receive it until 11/12 and made a puchase in between those dates. So I argued - politely - my case, and they gave me the $5 credit. :-)

I'm going to email the company and let them know that they need to get their mailers out before the coupons are effective.

I'm making DD a dress for Thanksgiving. The fabric was 50% off - woo hoo! I cut it out today and will get working on it during the next week and a half. My sewing machine needs to go to the shop, however. I opened it up to see if it's something that I can fix, but I do't think it is. I'll take it back to the place that sold it to me, which is in town. I've had it less than two years but haven't checked to see if it is still under warranty or not.

DH is helping his parents upgrade their computer and in return they treated us to dinner last night at a Greek place we all ike. Yummy!

Trying to keep the credit card bill low as possible this month, after last month's total. So far so good. This cycle closes in 9 days.

Went to Lakeshore Learning today with DD, to choose a birthday present for one of her friends. Boy oh boy is that another store that tests my ability to resist impulse buys. We managed to find a good gift, plus some art tissue and 6 small wooden gingerbread boy figures. There is a lot of neat art stuff there, but there are also aisles upon aisles of things we just don't need or could easily recreate at home with things we already have, or with the help of the Internet.

Back from grocery shopping. I spent less than $60, and that ought to get us through the week. I'm happy about that. I didn't have to buy any pantry items - spices, oil, flour, etc - nor did I need any cleaning products. We still eat out fairly often, but it's nice to see the grocery bills starting to creep down.

I finished a skirt this morning, but it's too big for Barbie. (Does fit the muslin doll I made for DD though, so it's a keeper.) I need to use smaller knitting needles next time around and/or a finer yarn. I used size 4 needles - smallest I have - but I think size three would have been just right.

Am off to Trader Joe's this morning, with meals for the week planned. Still subscribing to SavingDinner's menu mailer, and it has been very helpful for me.

I am going to try my hand at knitting for Barbie. If it works out, I can make up a little something or two for DD's friends here and out of state that like Barbie. I found some free patterns online via about.com, so I'm going to practice with yarn I already have. I finished an afghan this afternoon that I had started way back around Easter. It only took me this long to finish it because it got a bit monotonous - the pattern repeated every row, so there wasn't much thinking involved after a while. Still I'm glad it's done and it's nice to have a new afghan in the living room in time for chilly evenings.

Dh is making pancakes for us this morning, so while we all enjoy going out to breakfast on the weekends, this is nice too, and much cheaper.

I need to do some menu/grocery plannign this weekend if we're going to be back on track this week.

What a week. Between the elections, migraines and DH being sick, our routines have flown right out the window. But we'll get back on track.

Paying some bills today, oh joy. Took the dog in for a check up yesterday, two weeks post surgery, and that didn't cost anything. That's good.

We have the bulk of our gift giving taken care of thus far, except for DD. We're not done with everyone, but we have quite a lot already bought, and it's a relief knowing that so much has already been purchased. Frees me up for details, handmade gifts, etc.

One year, DH and I did all of our holiday shopping during Labor Day weekend. It was an awesome feeling, being done in September.

I have yoga tonight, while DH and DD are going to DH's parents' house for dinner, so no cooking for me tonight.

I get another tutoring check Wednesday from one of my students, and another one is due next week. All of my clients pay me for anywhere from 2-10 sessions at a time. Every little bit helps. Two years ago I was tutoring anywhere from 10-12 students a week for a while, but that was way too much, with DD here as well. This year I have just four students.

I've been doing a pretty good job about cooking at home, and even planned ahead to use my crockpot on Wednesday, which is a day when I can't be in the kiitchen from 2:15 until about 5:45 or so. It was nice knowing that dinner was done when we were all hungry and ready to eat. I've been trying to keep track of which entrees DD likes, so that in the future I can plan better to take her tastes into account, or plan for leftovers for her when I want to fix something for myself and DH that she doesn't care for.

I won't even tell you how much our credit card bill is this month. We will pay it off, like we always do, but ouch. Between car maintenance, the dog, and doctor/dentist visits, it's been a big month for necessary expenses. And it gets worse - 6 months of car premiums are due, as are property taxes. DH has the money for property taxes set aside already, so that's taken care of, at least. I should also have about $175 in Rx reimbursements coming my way, and my in-laws covered the cost of my visit to the headache clinic, so that helps.

Our Halloween party is this Sunday and it is coming together nicely. DH thought of a cheap costume - he bought a green apron and is going to dress up as a Starbucks barrista. With some planning I could have made the apron, but we did luck out and get it on sale. I made my costume, and my mom made DD's. I spent almost as much on my wig as I did on the materials for my dress, lol.

Did I mention we're having some trees cut down? And that our furnace is broken and while we're hoping it can be fixed, we *might* have to replace it? Ugh. And that our dog went under the knife for what is hopefully the very last time last week? Ugh again. Somehow, some way, we keep in the black despite it all. Thank goodness we save when we have it instead of spending it all when it's there. With al themoney we've had to spend and are planning on spending, we could have taken some mighty nice trips or done some terrific remodeling in the house. Oh well. The dog - wouldn't have it any other way, truth be told. And the other stuff - you have to do what you ahve to do, right?

Insurance/doctor's office update: I talked with a woman from the office this morning. They had DD's certificate number wrong in the computer. Now, why they told ME the claim had been REJECTED is beyond me. Actually, no it's not. The claim didn't get rejected, it just didn't get processed, and rather than figure out WHY, it was easier to just pass the bill along to ME. Now that I've done their job for them, they are going to resubmit the claim.

I've cooked every night this week except Monday (DH fixed dinenr that night, while I was at yoga), including two recipes that DD really liked. It was a good week, dinner-wise. I've started keeping a list on the freezer door of what I have in there, so that the next time I need a half a can of this or that, I'll know at a glance if it's in there or not.

I swear, there is a problem with every bill we receive from our family doctor! Today I got a bill in the mail with a sticker that said our claim was denied and we were responsible for the remaining balance (I ahad already paid the copay). This made no sense, though the bill seemed to indicate they had contacted our ins company twice. So, I called the ins co, and lo and behold, they have no record of any claim being filed! Grrr.... So I call the dr's office and conveniently, after being on hold for a while, I am told the billing person is gone for the afternoon (this was around 4 p.m.) and they would leave her a message. You bet your sweet a$$ they could leave her a message! We have had non-stop problems with this office staff billing the wrong insurance, getting accounts mixed up, etc.

So tomorrow I will speak to this woman and try to figure out what the hell is so hard about properly billing. Every time this staff claims that nothing is their fault, yet they're the only office that ever has any problems when it comes to out bills. So we get to take our time to do their job yet again, but I refuse to pay out of pocket for something that is covered by insurance.

We found out that something that should have been caught and fixed a year ago after our car was in an accident went unnoticed (or undone). Dh took the steps necessary to get our insurance company involved, and long story short, the car has been fixed and our insurance is covering it. So yea for DH and his persistence.

I bought three skeins of yarn a week or two ago, and after working with the first one, I decided I didn't like how it was working up. Rather than keeping the other two skeins, I dug up my receipt and returned them today. Actually, I exchanged them for two skeins of yarn that I've worked with before and like.

I sold one of my scarves in my store, as part of our fundraiser. I think I mentioned that before. Anyway, the scarf sold within 24 hours of my listing it! All of that money is going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I've got two more listed, with plans to make two more still.

I was just looking at how much money I had in savings, checking etc at the end of August last year versus how much I have today. It's down, but it's not down in an amount equal to the amount we've spent on our dog's surgeries, so in some weird way I feel like we're on the right track towards rebuilding our savings. I need DH to do the same thing to get a more well-rounded view of our finances.

I didn't get the crockpot out yesterday. We had leftover chili to finish, so we warmed that up and watched the debate.

I've been thinking that I need to get going on my handmade gifts if I don't want to be rushing around at the last minute this year. I have one more scarf finished, two more in progress and yarn for a fourth, but I'm not sure if they'll be gifts or not yet.

Seems like any time I have cash in my wallet it's gone in a flash. It's so easy to spend a few dollars here, a few dollars there. Much harder to make little purchases when I have no cash. I feel ridicuous using my credit card for anything under $10, so I don't.

I donated a scarf to my site's

A friend of mine owns a used bookstore and said I could try selling some of my beaded bookmarks there. I took her 11 today - we'll see if any sell or not. I've had them listed in my own online shop but haven't sold any, so I thought I'd try this route for a little while.