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.

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.