Got stopped in the hall at school this afternoon, and was asked if I wanted to to sub in special ed tomorrow. Of course! The end-of-year rush to use up personal days is starting, and I'm happy to help out. This week also starts our kindergarten connection classes for next fall's incoming kindergarten class. Many extra hours for my next few paychecks - yay!

I'm also considering doing the extended school year again over the summer (June into July.) I really enjoyed working with the middle and high schoolers last summer. This summer I would have to choose between preschool/elementary or the ms/hs again - I know I would enjoy either. I've already decided to not do the kindergarten prep classes in August. It's the only month we can do some longer camping trips, and I really just want some time off with the girls before we all head back to school (spoilt, I know, and lucky too.)

Otherwise, I received three medical/dental bills in the mail today. Only one was correct! How much time I spend on the phone with billing departments - arg! Of course I do, because it's my dollars they want. I do keep good records and notes, but it's a hassle nonetheless.

It's just begun snowing...again. Where is spring this year??

Oh well, going out for a walk anyway, then a bath, some sleepytime tea and more time with a book by Chris Bohjalian (called Idyll Banter) that I picked up at the library. Did I mention that the girls are done with their homework? The day will end pleasantly...take care!

...for Easter. My family and I cleaned the house, the groceries are bought and ready, and the Easter Bunny is ready to deliver treats for tomorrow morning.

On the money front - we received our federal refund, direct deposited and 24 days earlier. All of the funds are being transferred to savings. I bought groceries yesterday, and even with hosting the Easter dinner, the amount was within the normal amount for two weeks. With the windchills of late at zero, the heat is on, but with more hours of daylight and the sun shining, the heat only goes on at night. (With a teaser day last week with temps in the 80s, and then this week's barely to 30 with windchills nonetheless - well, spring is being way too fickle!)

Still to come...we're still awaiting for our repair guy to get all the parts he needs for our minivan. Repairs includes replacing a 'boot' and the exhaust system, and a general checkover. I'm hoping for under $500.

My oldest is scheduled to take her driver's exam in a couple of weeks. She's relentlessly looking for her own car. There's quite the spectrum of vehicles in her price range, so we'll see what comes of this search. She's filling out paperwork for post secondary enrollment options for next fall, and is applying for coursework at a community college. She'll need a dependable car for that commute, but we have a few months to look. The above mentioned repair guy works as parts manager at a car dealership, and can keep an eye out for us too. Patience is a hard thing, though much easier as you get older!

Of course, my patience is being highly tested...my second daughter turns 15 next month. "Mom! Did you sign me up yet for driver's classroom training?!!" Sighing heavily, "Yes, yes." Here we go again!!

Happy Easter & take care!!

I've lost count of how many days it's been raining in a row, and it's supposed to continue through Sunday, at least. Muddy dog and bored girls, who can't get outside to play and bike ride. All I can say is, it's getting old.

Our appliances are being troublesome lately. My husband just replaced a part that broke on the washer earlier in the week, and all was well...until yesterday, when I went to put the laundry into the dryer, and it was all soaking wet, again. So he fixed the washer, again, and all was well, again...until, I put the spun laundry into the dryer. The dryer didn't want to work. Boy, I could hardly wait to tell my husband. I did, and he fixed it, and again all was well in our laundry world. Husband went to bed, before anything else broke down. Whew!

Pretty low-key weekend ahead - two of the girls head out to sleepovers, pizza at the inlaws' tomorrow night, Palm Sunday and the youth fundraiser pancake breakfast at our church (my two middle girls work it, the rest will attend), my oldest works both Sat and Sun afternoons cashiering at her drug store job, and a visit to my mom. Well, relatively low-key... Take care!!

March has been crazy! The girls and I have been off this week for spring break, and my husband took vacation the last two days. Yesterday, we went to Como Park and Conservatory (the flowers are gorgeous!), and ate out two nights in a row - yikes! Fun, and not too extravagant (well, for us, yes, but not on the budget.) For the rest of this week, I'm planning on hanging out and cleaning up the house and yard, with whatever daughters are home (See daughters dash quickly out the door!)

I'm pleased to find my mom settling in very well at the new nursing home. The other residents have come to recognize us, and seek us out. I'm not always sure what in the world our big group is talking about at any given time, but there is always a lot of laughing.

On the financial front - Taxes are all done. My daughter only owed to the federal for her 1099 work, and not to the state - yay! Ours resulted in getting a refund from the federal and on our property taxes, and owing a little to the state. We've fiddled with our withholdings, and this is as close as we can get (it would nice to have a little less owed to us from the federal, but it is what is it, as long as we have our four little tax deduction/credits around.)

Our Voyager van needs some repair - winter always takes its toll on our aging vehicles. Our repair guy is gathering parts, and will make the repair this weekend or next week. After that, we'll have him check over the Ford conversion van (our camping van!) for the upcoming camping season. (After this, I have to do some online reservations for Memorial weekend - can hardly wait!)

Don't let me get started on the state of things around the house! Nothing a few (or more!) dollars spent at Home Depot wouldn't cure. A whole lot of living happened at our house, that's all I can say!

Luckily, the rest of our expenses have been stable (some utilities were even down due to a milder winter and concerted effort on our part.) Groceries are still at $200 for two weeks (including non-grocery items and pet food.) We've been eating healthier (whole grains, fruits and vegies, and lots of chicken,) but lots of those things have been on sale. We have a freezer and stock up on the meat. The fresh vegies and fruit haven't been too expensive - and we eat the most perishable during the first week, and the more hardy the second week. The whole grain items are from a bread outlet store - we'd go broke buying that stuff from the grocery store! My goal is to use up some soups and meals frozen over the winter -and clean that freezer up a bit! Do I have a bad case of spring cleaning, or what?!

Take care, and Happy Spring!

Spent what we had planned to at the Funfest at the school on Saturday. Other than driving my oldest to work and church Sunday morning, we stayed home, as it was too cold to be out if we didn't have to be.

I made a very good soup yesterday. It started out being a 16-bean soup, and ended up being the means to clear out the freezer of several odds and ends of vegetables. I also tossed a bit of ham into it too. Kind of a bean-ham-vegetable soup - warm and hearty for our below zero weather of late, with leftovers for another future meal. Tonight's dinner is chicken stir-fry, using up leftover chicken.

My oldest told me that she think she needs new glasses (& maybe contacts this time.) We haven't used the vision part of our health plan before, and I'm not too thrilled with the provider list or their locations. We could go to our usual place, and just pay the out-of-network price. There is a mailorder option for the contacts, which may give us a discount. I guess I'll need to spend some time on the phone this week getting all the info gathered to make a good decision. Oh yay...

Trying to stay warm the past few days in some frugal and no-so-frugal ways. Our heat is turned up, we're wearing sweaters, socks and slippers, and cuddling under blankets on the couch and in bed. I took a warm bath each of the last three nights just to warm up a bit before bed. Even with lotions, my skin is raw from my warm baths and exposure to the weather. I'm ready for a bit of a warm-up - even a number above zero would be good!

Stay warm & take care!

...and it's financially related!

I've been moving through cupboards, drawers, my desk, etc. With my daughter sleeping and resting so much during her illness, I've had a bit of time on my hands. Can you tell?!

When pressed for time, as in most of the time, I want things neat, but end up putting things 'temporarily' into places. So far, I've cleared out the useless (to me) for donation. I consolidated items together - I don't have to purchase Christmas and regular stationery for quite a while, and the number of packages of pensin my desk was unreal! I organized what was staying in a more manageable way, so I know what I have or may need. I know - what a concept! Actually I don't mind organizing, but run out of hours in the day to get to it. Here's to trying to do better!

I picked up some brochures from work that need to be prepped and sorted for mailing on Monday. I'll work on it over the weekend (may even have a little help too.) A bit on the check at least...and I'm hoping to put a full week in next week.

Other than grocery shopping and going to the bread outlet store, we're laying low this weekend. Want to make sure everyone gets over everything, and are all healthy for school and work.

Enjoy the weekend and take care!

Everyone went off to school yesterday and today.

Yesterday, I had a friend over, rather than meet at a coffee shop. I had a very nice visit with her, as well as saved the money I would have spent at the shop. I also had a staff meeting and training, so earned a little too. We ate a second crockpot meal, as dinner had to be sandwiched between a medical appt after school, and Girl Scouts for my youngest immediately after an early dinner. Not my favorite kind of busy, but the crockpot allowed us to just sit and eat and talk for a half hour - nice!

Today, I will be heading out for our staff holiday potluck lunch. Our classes were held right up to the weekend of Christmas, so we decided after the holidays would be a more enjoyable time for our get-together. I'm bringing a spinach salad - only need to pick up the greens this morning on my way, as I have all the rest of the ingredients.

This weekend, I plan to return a new backpack we had picked up for my youngest daughter. The zippers split open the first day she used it. It seems there is no rhyme or reason on how well backpacks hold up! If the zippers aren't heavy duty, they split open...sometimes. If they are heavy duty, the fabric surrounding it splits...sometimes. If the zipper area holds up, the bottom blows out. Aaarg! You would think after all these years, I would be an expert at picking the sturdy ones. I think it comes down to luck - ok, I'm done!

Take care and have a great day!

I washed laundry, and hung it on the line yesterday. Today we have rain (desperately needed,) so the laundry will be in the dryer.

I went to the bread thrift store and purchased our usual monthly amount of bread. There was a also a great deal on bagels, so I bought a dozen packages to freeze (for upcoming school lunches.)

I also grocery shopped, and did well. We were pretty low on everything, so I stocked up a bit. I also made a start on buying items on sale for lunches and school snacks.

I've always used the coupons from the grocery store flyer, but this time I attempted to make an effort to use manufacturers' coupons. I found for the most part that I still do best with the store and generic brands (which suit us fine.) BUT...I did manage to save about $10 (about $7 being manuf. coupons.) AND...my total for two weeks of groceries (including general and school lunch stocking up and health/beauty and hh cleaning supplies) was $190 rather than its usual $200-220. SO...it seems worth it to continue working at this (thanks to Flash and all here who share their expertise!)

A rainy, lazy Sunday ahead - definitely a reading sort of day! Take care!

We had our first local corn on the cob for dinner. It was so delicious!

The weather cooperated gorgeously for drying our laundry. and for just plain enjoying. Not as much done inside as I was planning, but the summer is too short to not be outside enjoying every minute possible.

I was reminded by LuckyRobin in her blog to make an online check of our 401K for the second quarter. Ugh - I think I should have stuck to my carefree summery activities. Oh well, as Robin points out, we're in it for the long-term!

My big plans for the weekend include doing a pile of laundry - bedding, towels and the regular load. We're predicted to have a little rain this afternoon, but so far, so good for hanging out on the line.

It was another chow-down week on the snacks, so next week will be a bit paltry - I keep reminding myself it's a learning process for the girls. It's just the snacks; no real starving for them.

We're working on clearing out the clothes that don't fit my youngest, and general closet cleaning and straightening. My, how that girl has grown this summer! We're accumulating a few bags of stuff to donate soon. Where we donate has a thrift store, so we'll start checking for jeans for school (and for camping in August - I think my youngest two have either outgrown or worn theirs to tatters.)

In between, there will be time for swimming at the lake and reading and puttering - definitely my sort of weekend! Take care!!

I'm starting to receive the first of the free samples I requested. I've been jotting down what I sign up for (to keep from wasting time signing up for what I already have - my memory decreased as my numbers of kids increased!) My first signup date was July 9 - so pretty decent turnaround. Only small samples so far - good for two or three or four uses (but two or three or four uses that I didn't have to pay for.) 'Tis a good thing!

I'm taking a quick break from keeping an eye on the sky - my laundry is on the line, and it's looking like it will rain. So far it hasn't, which is why I chanced hanging it out. (Ok, no logic to my thinking, but it keeps me entertained.)

I went to Target a couple days ago to hit the first of the back-to-school sales. I only bought supplies that were on sale and priced well - not one and the same, as I found the sale bulk glue sticks were priced higher than the smaller two-stick packs. Tricky, tricky!

Funny aside - as I was checking out, the cashier asked if I was a teacher. My first thought was whether a discount or nice perk would result from my answer. Then I noticed her befuddled look at what was on the counter. So I said yes, but that this was for my family. She stated that she thought I was buying for a classroom, but I said no, just too many kids - ha! Lest you think I was buying out the store - I bought 4 each of 10-packs of spiral notebooks and pocket folders, and packages of looseleaf paper. One set for each girl, including a mid-year restock - $12 of the supply budget accounted for! For once lots of bags for little money.

Still no rain, but the clothes aren't drying too quickly either. In a bit I'll have to leave the sky watching to my daughters, as I need to go pick up my second girl. She is coming back from church camp with her friend. All my girls will be home!

Take care!

To rain, or not to rain - that is the question I ask, before I go off to work!

It looks like rain clouds are heading our way from the northwest, so I'll wait to hang out the laundry. If there's no rain when I get back from work, I can hang the clothes, and be here to watch for rain.

I've been doing what a few here are doing with their laundry - spinning it twice in the washer to get more of the moisture out of the clothes. Well, I tried it, and noticed that the clothes didn't really seem more drier. So, the last few times I've watched the 2nd spin cycle, and have seen hardly any water come out into the laundry tub. I wonder if my spin cycle is pretty efficient to start? I feel like I'm just wasting electricity doing the second spin. (I think this really qualifies being under those very, very small things we do in the quest to save money!) Take care!

Rainy, rainy. Slept in a little this morning. Went to my second daughter's band competition - her Mozart duet went well. She'll find out her score from her band teacher at school on Monday. The two youngest are still at the Grandma tea. They were all dressed up in pretty dresses, and my youngest had on a hot pink straw hat to crown her ensemble. They brought two of my china teacups for the tea. I hope they have a fun time with Grandma.

The rest of the day has involved laundry, cleaning and baking for the week. I know, what an exciting life I lead!

Going over the finances, and I'm thinking I may not have to take from the savings to cover the first $1000 bill of my oldest's recent hospital stay. A little tightening up on the spending, and we can cover it. We still have the meds, lab, dr and emergency room fees from the stay, but they look pretty manageable. Having a reserve of funds has helped us!

I find it funny that I keep thinking we have made all the changes in an area of spending than we can, only to revisit it and find that yes, we can do better. Hope is everpresent!

In our situation, part of this fact can be attributed to season changes - utility charges reflect this. I also think change happens bit by bit, and the small successes spur us on to try out even more ideas.

Hmmm...quite the philosophical waxing amid all the practical cleaning around the house! Back to action! Take care!!

I worked extra today so one of my coworkers could get off early to visit her new grandchild. She's a young grandma. I'm 43, and I think she's only 2 or 3 years older than me. I can't even imagine being a grandma that young, but what fun she is having! It better be a while before I'm a grandma!!

I work the last Kindergarten Connection night tonight. It's hard working on school nights with the girls' homework and all, but extra dollars on the paycheck will be much appreciated.

In a bit, I pick up my daughter for her medical appt - actually she'll see two doctors, with two co-pays. I keep telling myself to be thankful for medical care and insurance, but handing over the copays week after week gets a bit discouraging. At least the money isn't being spent on frivalous things.

Got our latest electrical bill, and month by month, it's been getting lower. We have natural gas for the furnace, water heater, dryer and oven. So being vigilant about what's on (and could/should be off,) swapping out incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent, and searching out those hidden usage sources is paying off. As with most things in my life, there is still room to improve, but we're headed in the right direction.

Enjoy your day! Take care!!

It's a beautiful sunny day - just not very warm. Last night the temp was down in the 30s outside (60 inside this morning - heat is off, so piled on blankets!) We had 80 here a couple days ago! Ahh, Minnesota. At least, there was no snow like some in the west had. I wanted to hang the laundry outside, but with temps so low and hardly a breeze - wimped out and used the dryer instead.

Grocery-shopped yesterday for the next two weeks. I've been shopping every two weeks since January, and it's working great in keeping that portion of the budget down. I've been consistantly spending $200-230 for two weeks of groceries. This covers three meals a day for six people (bring lunches to school and work), some pet items (we get the majority of food and supplies at Petco once a month) and most of our paper, cleaning, and health/beauty needs. Previously, I spent $150-170 a week. So quite the savings! I've learned two things: 1) Shopping is not a favorite pasttime for me anyway, so I get to do it half as much. 2) The less time I spend in the store, the less I spend (I know, this one is very profound!)

Most importantly, the grocery savings have allowed us to fund a small emergency fund, have helped us to keep current with the medical bills of late, as well as, have let us up what we are paying monthly toward the cc debt (with no charges for almost a year, and consistent 'more than minimum' and some 'way more' payments, we are seeing progress!) It does feel good to be in charge of the finances, instead of the other way around. You all are good influences here!

I'm jealous of all the talk of gardening lately. Here in MN, after May 15 is when it's usually safe to plant anything not frost tolerant (and often there is still a lot of covering things up at night.) So I've raked, cleared the perrenial beds off, and planted our frost tolerant pansies in the wondow boxes of the girls' playhouse. Our trees have gotten so tall over the years, that I'm getting less and less full sun, and lugging vegies around the yard catching the rays of the sun is a less than fun activity. I was just reading in our community ed brochure that garden plots will go for $10 behind the school I work at, not even a block away. The $10 covers the tilling and fencing (very necessary - the school backs up to woods with deer, raccoons, rabbits and more.) Sounds like a good deal for a sunny patch and fresh vegies.

Another spring time thing to do at our house - clean the garage! I ended up piling in my mom's stuff from her move from assisted living to the nursing home. Decisions will have to be made. Then there is the yard and patio furniture to freshen up with paint. So far, only one chair needs a full paint job. This stuff is ancient - some were my parents' things, some even my grandparents'. I can only imagine how many times they've been painted over the years. But nothing beats how well they were made - steel and wrought iron - heavy but indistructible! And I still have paint leftover from last year that's still good.

Enjoy your day. Take care!

It's so windy today that within two hours my clothes were dry on the line. And I took them down at the right moment, as I was feeling a spattering of sprinkles in the wind just beginning. I love clothesline weather!

In an effort to be more accountable for 'where the money goes' ....well, here goes....

I transferred some money over to the savings from the checking. I was going to do a smaller amount, but in one of the forum discussions, someone mentioned to try 10% off the top. Now, we already have about 14% taken out into retirement funds automatically off our gross wages. But, since it's taken out before we receive our checks, we don't even notice it gone. Our savings cushion has been harder to achieve, because we need to get the money transferred on our own. So, long story short (yay, right) I am trying to take the 10% off our takehome pay. We need to build a cushion for next month's expenses, and if we don't use it, it'll become our hidden cushion (or buffer as some use.) So, this act felt good, very good.

Other spending today - went to the discount bread store, and spent $10.39 for a month's supply for our family. I even found several items with whole grains (my mission is to integrate cheaper, but healthier food to the whole family & not just wayward me!) This is about $5 - 10 less than I usually spend.

Still need to get gas for our smaller van, as well as groceries, and maybe the dress for my daughter, if we find a bargain. 'Tis all for now....Take care!