This is not a huge money saver, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. Twice a week, I take DD to swimming lessons. DD always uses the shower there afterwards, which means twice a week I'm not bathing her at home. So our water usage at home is slightly less.

On the subject of water (can't remember if I've mentioned this before): we keep a bucket in our shower to catch the extra water as we wait for the shower to heat up. It adds up to quite a lot of water each week. We use that water for our gardens and potted plants.

Last night we had dinner iwth friends. We had originally talked about going out to eat, but in the end we ate at their home, and truth be told, I think I enjoyed it whole lot more. My friend is an excellent cook, our two girls were able to run around and play, and their older son could go out and shoot hoops until it was time to eat. The adult could relax and chat. All in all, it was a much nicer experience in many way. Often, going out to eat is overrated.

Tomorrow's is my dog's surgery. I just got back from dropping him off. I am so glad that we can make the choice to do this, and that it's not going to break us financially or mean we'd have to go without food in order to do it, or some other terrible scenario. It will seriously deplete our savings, having to do this twice in less than a year, but it's money. We can save it up again, slowly but surely. Now, let's hope that this is the end of all of this.

Got away for the weekend and had a really nice time visiting two sets of friends. Sometimes it's nice to get away, even if it's just for a couple of days.

I signed up for the SavingAdvice daily money challenge and am looking forward to seeing what it's all about.

I sold two books recently on half.com. It's funny how I'll sell nothing for weeks on end, and then I sell multiple items in a few days. One sold for $7 and the other sold for $5. That's not too bad.

For those that run their own web sites, I recommend looking into

Latest on the prescription ordeal:

My doctor's office said they faxed the Rx to the pharmacy on 7/14; the pharmacy sent me a note dated 7/16 saying they hadn't received anything. I talked to the pharmacy yesterday and they are going to call my doctor's office and resolve this. Why do I feel like I'm the negotiator here? It will be worth it when done...It will be worth it when done...It will be worth it when done...

Haven't been out for coffee at all this week - yea for me. Aside from bills I haven't spent much money at all - we've been eating in three meals a day and haven't bought anything except new dance tights.

Had to take DD to the ER last night - she is fine, thankfully. And I'm happy we have medical insurance, too.

As I've mentioned before, I am not that great about using up leftovers. Dh doesn't mind eating them, but after a day or so I really don't like to. Anyway, tonight I made sure to heat up the leftover spaghetti from Monday night and last night's homemade pizza. So not only have we eaten in the last three nights, which is good in and of itself, but we've also eaten up some of our leftovers instead of letting that food (which equals money) go to waste.

The insurance saga continues. Apparently my doctor's office hasn't faxed in my prescription, although I was told they had received the fax requesting it from the insurance comapny last week. I swear, a big component of being frugal is being persistent, and determined. It would be easier to just fill my prescriptions month in and month out at the pharmacy down the street, and get reimbursed for whatever I could, but in the long run I will save time and money by using the mail order service. I wish I didn't have to make umpteen phone calls to get everyone doing what they're supposed to, however. I'll be paying my doctor's office a visit tomorrow to see what's going on. Harder to blow me off in person.

It's official - our dog will be having his second TPLO surgery done next week. At least this time around we knew to take him straight to the surgeon and skip our regular vet. So, that's that.

I got some information today from a friend who has a mileage credit card. Like us, she and her husband charge nearly everything and pay it off each month. Now that DH is back to a job with guaranteed vacation time, it seems wise to come up with ways to fund these vacations. And, given that we'll be homeschooling DD, we're going to have some flexibility when it comes to when we travel.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and it was nice to pay a $20 copay instead of the $40 copay we paid on our old plan. I got a prescription written to use with mail order. Maybe mailing this one in will facilitate things - I have no idea what's going on with my other one. I really need to follow up in that tomorrow.

Some good news on the money front - a check for some freelance work that DH did is on the way, and it is fairly sizeable. Money goes out (for our dog, most likely) but money comes in (extra work). Yes, it would be nice to play with that money, but money coming in is always good, regardless.

DivaTribe's store has 14 designers and almost 100 items in it now. It has potential. I need to keep working on marketing it and getting it out there. I think summer is a tough time for online selling, what with vacations and all, and no major holidays on anyone's mind. I'm meeting some really terrific women designers though, and that has definitely been exciting for me.

Sunday morning...

Yesterday we had dinner at my in-laws' house, and it was nice to not have to think about what to make AND have a great dinner, too! We need to go grocery shopping now. I have pasta and frozen veggies in the house, and some pizza fixings, but as far as fresh produce goes, we are all out aside form my tomatoes I'm growing.

I'm going to try out my mother-in-law's serger and see if it's something I might like to have, down the road. A friend of mine has one and raves about it, but they aren't cheap. A good one will cost $300-$500 I think. Yikes. She said she sold off most of her rubber stamps and had enough to buy the serger. Something to think about, seeing as I hardly do any stamping at all any more.

I've been trying to set up one of my prescriptions through mail order with our new insurance company. It will save me money, but what a hassle it's been! This isn't rocket science, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the first person to ever do this, but you'd think that was the case, the way the ins co and the doctor's office have been handling things. I'll be glad when it's settled - the rate is cheaper, it gets billed automatically so no checks to write, and it gets delivered to my home.

Oh, the temptation to go out to eat is strong when it is hot out! Or at least, when it is hot in my house!!

I had my Starbucks this morning - and I do indeed enjoy it ever so much more when it is a treat and not a given.

I downloaded two songs from the Apple music store today. $1.98 + tax. They are the two Shirley Temple songs that DD is dancing to at the fair this summer. Figured for two bucks she can practice at home if she wants to, or at the very least just get more familiar with the music.

Today went as planned - ate breakfast at home, packed a lunch and snacks for the beach, and ate dinner at home. So I didn't spend any money today. I did, however, manage to get myself a very lovely sunburn on my legs. Ouch.

Tomorrow DD has dance. When time permits, I let myself stop at Starbucks on the way there. It feels like a treat when I give myself permission to go only on certain days. It all depends on whether or not DD gets up at her usual time or sleeps in. She's pretty regular when it comes to wake up times, but every now and then she snoozes late and I have to wake her up to make it to dance at 9.

Schools here don't start up for a month or so, but I've been thinking lately about tutoring. I have so much free time right now, with no students. But it will be nice to see my returning students again, and meet one or two new ones. The money each week is nice too, of course. ;-)

We're meeting with some friends at their house for a playdate today, so I'll be packing up lunch and some snacks for that. We have plenty of food around for dinner, so we'll be eating at home. I know I'll need to go get some milk soon, and some fresh produce, but otherwise we still have enough to go a few more days easily without shopping.

Yesterday DH received the final amount due from an uninsured motorist who hit our car last fall. We took her to court to cover our rental car expenses, and finally, FINALLY, she has repaid us all that she owed. It's nice to have that done. I guess she finally understood that this was *not* going to go away and that ignoring it was just making it worse.

Now that we have vision insurance again, I'm going to use it to get prescription sunglasses at little or no cost. I'm happy about that.

Didn't spend any money yesterday - woo hoo, lol.

I took the time yesterday to update two retirement accounts to reflect our living trust as being the secondary beneficiary. I've been meaning to do this for a few months now and finally got around to it. Sometimes just getting those pesky details worked out helps relieve some of my money stress.

DD and I are meeting DH for lunch today. His company has a cafe on site that serves organic food with vegetarian options, so it lines up well with our values. It's also subsidized by the company, so it isn't all that expensive. At the last place DH was working, he would go to the market and buy a week's worth of lunch fixings for about $20-$25 and keep them in the kitchen/frig there. Now, he spends about $3-$4 a day for a hot meal, and gets to eat something different each day.

On the dog front - we have an appt. for nearly next week.

Our dog had major surgery last November on one of his hind legs (you can google for "TPLO dog" if you want to read about it). This evening, he started limping and not putting weight on his other rear leg. BIG SIGH, and lots of worrying here tonight. I will be calling the animal hospital tomorrow, to get it checked out. Please cross your fingers that whatever is wrong is something minor. I am not feeling optimistic. :-(

Someone posted in the forums asking what inspires you to save money. This sort of thing is what inspires me - that feeling/knowledge that someday we're going to need money in the bank. I want to make sure we always have it when we need it.

Well, one auction went up over eleven dollars, but the other one stayed at the opening bid of $1. That's the bummer about low starting bids with no reserve. You hedge your bets that someone will bid and then someone else will come along and say, "Oh I can bid $1.25", and you're off and running. But when it doesn't happen, you've sold your goods for a measly dollar. Oh well. I still got some money for things I wasn't using at all, so that's still OK.

I just checked, and my auctions are up over $11 now. They still have over a day to go. Woo hoo! One auction is sitting at its opening bid of $1, but the other is over $10 already. I'm glad I listed these - they're rubber stamps that I never or rarely used and gave me guilt trips, just sitting in my craft room. Better to pass them along to someone else who will be happy to get a good deal on them.

I'll post again when the auctions end - wish me luck!

Finally - the last day of this month's Visa billing cycle. What a month.

Didn't spend any money yesterday but that's because I was knocked out by a migraine. I don't recommend it for anyone looking for creative ways to economize. ;-)

My dad will be here tomorrow night, so I need to figure out dinner. It's just one extra person, but since we usually eat meatless meals and he doesn't, some of my stand-bys don't always work. It's not a big deal - I'll get something worked out that we'll all be happy with.

Didn't spend any money yesterday, aside fom paying the phone bill online. I guess I should say I didn't spend any money that didn't need to be spent. Our phone bill is almost exactly the same amount each month. it helps that we use our cell phones for long distance.

Today I'm making coffee - as I write this, in fact - so that I won't be tempted to stop for coffee when DD and I go to the park/beach for a playdate.

It is finally getting sunny here again - no more June gloom, I hope. That means I can hang clothes out to dry a little bit now, instead of hanging them int he damp air and bringing them in to dry anyway.

DH gets Monday off - hurray! A paid day off that isn't given begrudgingly. What a novel concept.

If the adage "You have to spend money to make money" is true, why can't it be true for personal finances? I was musing about this just this morning. I suppose if you consider investing money the spending part, then it is true. But why can't I go out ad buy a new bike or have a nice dinner and expect that to bring more money into my world? {grin}

Finances aside, DH and I are going to see F 9/11 and then go out to dinner, to celebrate our anniversary. And we'll enjoy every minute of it. :-)

Had to fill up the car today. The price of gas makes me think twice before driving now, that's for sure. I hope it's doing the same for others who have a choice regarding how much they drive. That's the only money I had to spend today.

Last night I got hit with my occasional "I don't bring in a significant paycheck" feeling again. Usually I'm fine with our situation, but every now and then that feeling of not contributing financially creeps up on me.

I made some money on banner and newsletter advertising this week via DivaTribe. That will go towards hosting and domain name costs, and it's good to know that DT has the ability to pay for itself.

The only money I need to spend today is on my Rx. Next month I'm going to look into doing mail-order for this Rx and hopefully save some money.

Now that DH is an employee we have vision insurance again. So I can get new lenses every twelve months - yahoo! I wish we would have known before I had my exam that we would have coverage so soon, but what can you do.

Launch day is here! For anyone who would like to see what I've been working on, here is the link:

I've had books listed on half.com for a while now, and made a fair amount of money. I don't think I'm going to make the move over to ebay, though, even though they're trying to make that easy and all. Listing at half.com was quick and easy, and I only paid if something sold. Those were all plusses in my book. So at some point if I have to take my stock down and deal with it elsewhere, that's what I'll do. I only have 14 books listed now anyway, so it's not a big deal. I sold one this morning for $3. It's better than nothing. I have a swap board on DivaTribe, so I may go list my books there if I have to take them off of half.com.

What I am doing to save money today....
Cooking dinner at home.
Waiting to get prescription sunglasses until we have DH's vision insurance in place.
Running only full loads of dishes and laundry.

What I had to spend money on today...
Kitty #2's vet appt

What I chose to spend money on today...
A zipper for a new dress for DD, and some more hooks and eyes for future tops/dresses
A tall Starbucks latte, chocolate milk and a cinnamon roll to share with DD
A new bathroom rug to replace the old ones in the guest bathroom
A gift for DH from DD for Father's Day
A sundress for DD at Ross (for $6 I can barely make it myself!)
Paper plates and napkins for lunch outside on Sunday with the extended family

OK, so I'm not actually giving up. But I am feeling extremely frustrated and worn down. Being a one-income family and a stay at home parent is not easy, especially in California.

Still waiting for the plmber. Gotta' love those 'windows' of time when they say they'll arrive.

Plumber is coming again today...
Exam + contacts = $159 yesterday...
Vet tomorrow...

I give up. It feels like we will never catch a break.

The consignment store launches officially on 6/21. I hope it will be a success, for all involved. I continue to dabble in making things to sell myself.

I think the job offer for DH is going to prove to be a good thing for us, in the long run.

I have one student for tutoring this summer, though I may not see her more than once or twice. I have three students lined up for the coming school year, though.

I tried buying cheaper coffee and am regretting it. It's just not the same.

My plans to save money today include tutoring (one session=income) and hopefully receiving (in the mail) money due for one other session, and three meals plus snacks all at home. Money going out today includes a contact lens exam (minimum of $75).

It sounds obvious - and really it is - but when we don't have a good variety of food in the house, I lose what little motivation I have in the first place to eat at home three meals a day. So with a good run to Trader Joe's this afternoon, and a trip to the farmer's market tomorrow, we should be set for the next week at least. If I wasn't such a picky eater cooking might be more fun, but there are so many things I just don't like to eat, that it makes it hard to get all that creative.

My parents will be here this weekend, for father's day. I have no idea what I'll serve, other than doing deli stuff for lunch on Sunday.

I haven't spent any money today, but I'm itching to go out to dinner. We shouldn't - two of our three pets got to the vet tomorrow, and that's somehwat expensive. Our third pet is due too - I still need to make that appointment.

The consignment store is coming along. I've been sewing up a couple of infant girl summer outfits to list in the store. I think they're cute, but who knows if they'll sell. It's worth a shot - they won't sell if I don't list them, after all.

A friend of mine is going to a homeschool conference tomorrow. It would probably be fun, but I'd end up buying things I don't need (not to mention the money I'd be spending on gas just to get there). I suppose I will go to one in the future, for the fun of it, but this year it just isn't something I need or want to do.

I don't know if one of my summertime tutoring inquiries is going to pan out. I left a message with the mother, but she has not returned it. Even if she is interested in hiring, that doesn't speak well for her follow-through, and that raises a red flag in my eyes.

Our credit card cycle ended yesterday, and our balance was at an acceptable level. Not as low as the last month, but still within a range that may allow for some savings too. (We pay it off every month but use it for the majority of our purchases, as an easy way to track our spending.)

DH started looking into alternative solutions to our root/pipe problems. The more we talk to others about this, the more it seems spending $10k isn't the only way to go.

DD is out of milk. I hate having to go to the store for just one thing, but I also hate buying milk too soon and then worrying that it's going to go bad before we can drink it all.

Guess that's it for now.