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Archive for July, 2008

It Says What?

July 30th, 2008 at 01:39 pm

Okay, Joseph Sangl & BAlite got me going on this one, here's my current desktop wallpaper. I stared at this one long enough that I painted my bathroom that deepest color of red. The desktop wallpaper is supposed to say something about me. What?, I'm wondering??



Henri Matisse's The Dessert, Harmony in Red, 1908



"The grand show is eternal.
It is always sunrise somewhere;
the dew is never all dried at once;
a shower is forever galling;
vapor is ever rising.
Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset,
eternal dawn and gloaming,
on sea and continents and islands,
each in its turn,
as the round earth rolls." —John Muir



Does it say something else that I change it from time to time? The one I use the most often is of how I'd someday like one end of my house to look - if I had the money to add the loggia and roof covering the back steps down to the basement. Currently all I've got is a concrete patio out on that side - no roofing:



What???? You thought my desktop was going to be all black & white w/pink around the edges??

What does mine say about me?

What's on YOUR desktop wallpaper?

Small Change Added

July 29th, 2008 at 02:34 pm



Adding 33 cents in small change to the challenge that CashHappySon gave me.

$20 CHALLENGE

$005.19 balance
+000.33 small change
_______
$005.52 July MTD

2008 Challenge Total $169.62
Cumulative Challenge Total $698.23

Throw Some Dogs A Bone...

July 24th, 2008 at 02:11 pm

Dear You:



"Just Never You Mind What I've Got In Here!!!"


Throw Some Dogs A Bone...
a/k/a Lux's Monetary Influx Announcement



Hubster got a nice little profit sharing check this week of $431.00 and some odd change.

Of course you know what I want to do with it? Of course you do my lil Pupcake...put it into our retirement monies, but he wants to have some money to spend.

"Well, you earned it. It's all yours honey, spend it if you want."

I understand. He does get tired of me always wanting to put back for that proverbial rainy day and we do usually keep our blow money to a strict minimum.

So, the final decision that he came up with? He's going to cash it and give me half and him take half. He wants me to spend mine, too.

Soooo, what to do w/my $215+?????

Likely I'll BUY a couple of savings bonds or some stock or put it towards one of my drips w/$200 of it. And blow the $15 and change on ING savings or whoever's running the nicest rate at the moment. How does that sound???? At those online banks I have subaccounts called CD Savings Escrow. When it gets up to the $500-1000 level and rates are good, I pop off and invest it in a certificate of deposit (old school) and start over saving in it again.

Old dog, same OLD tricks, w/a different twist to make it more palatable for those who like to gnaw their entire bone away on the same day. See me??? - I can do that too, but have a little bone left to gnaw later as well. Dig a little hole here and there, stick in my bones and cover them up for later!!



It's all good! Some things never change.

YEAH Profit Sharing!! YEAH Hubster!

Love,
Lux

~~~
P.S. Yesterday was a No Spend Day!!

Re-deposited $7.28 from CashHappySon reimbursing me for something he bought off of ebay.

Balanced checkbooks yesterday.

~~~
P.P.S. Funny - Hubster & I - our Chinese Horoscope Symbols? Both dogs.

quote from a website talking about the Chinese Dog Symbol:

"They generally have hidden savings accounts for future family endeavors such as family vacations and college tuitions."

Not to worry, I know where he keeps his socks of money buried!!

You Know That Bloated Feeling?

July 21st, 2008 at 03:20 pm



When I went and picked up my purse it felt like a ton of bricks was in there! So, since my shoulders & whiplashed neck can't take that kind of bloated abuse it's time to clean out the bottom and I found $3.93 in there in small change. Taking it to the challenge.

$20 CHALLENGE

$001.26 balance
+003.93 bloated feeling
_______
$005.19 July MTD

2008 Challenge Total $169.29
Cumulative Challenge Total $697.90

And BONUS - I found a pair of my favorite earrings I'd been looking for!

DeClutter Funding Cheers Me Up!

July 19th, 2008 at 02:41 pm



Cleaning out a drawer sees me adding to the $20 Challenge allowing me & my bottom line to cheer up!

$000.12 balance
+001.14 drawer change
_______
$001.26 MTD

2008 Challenge Total $165.36
Cumulative Challenge Total $693.97

Yesterday was a No Spend Day!

Paper or Plastic?

July 11th, 2008 at 05:51 pm



While we were gone on vacation we stopped at a local farmer's market and were given FREE two nice canvas tote bags big enough for shopping!

This link came in my mailbox this week. I'm trying to remember to take the canvas bags with me. It's a new habit to get into.

Click here and use the internal slide-bar to view.

Text is
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016 and Link is

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200...


Hopefully, this will help serve me a good reminder.

Yesterday was a No Spend Day!

---
edited to add: The shopping cart in the picture above is about the size of one I was given not long ago. I painted mine a brassy gold color and have it in my utility room holding Hubster's dirty duds. The rest of us use the other tub for dirties. When I get tired of these at home I'll haul them to one of my junque booths & sell or use for display. You can also see one of the blahhhhh utilitarian light fixtures that I'm about to have changed out.



Here's the similar light fixture in the kitchen - consider these my BEFORE pictures.



Next week I paint the kitchen ceiling so Hubster can hang the lights.

Desk Cleanoff to the Challenge

July 8th, 2008 at 05:48 pm



While messing about Big Grin in the piles of files on the desk we found twelve cents to add to the challenge.

$20 CHALLENGE

$000.00 balance
+000.12 desk mess-about
_______
$000.12 July MTD

2008 Challenge Total $164.22
Cumulative Challenge Total $692.83

Since My Summer Vacation

July 3rd, 2008 at 06:28 pm



The Frugalis Fam got back from vacation a few days ago. Everyone had a grand time and we left w/$490 in cash to spend and came home with $332. More to spend on the next vacation. Big Grin

Ten days in a fab-o resort obtained thru my time-share exchange - our condo was right on the water with fabulous water views from the balcony. We ate out three times as per our norm. We eat out one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner during the week, besides our drive-thru meals on travel days. Those 3 meals went on the charge card to be paid off next month along w/gasoline charges. Groceries were put on the charge card as well. Had extra groceries left over that were brought home. The pups were split up, Toffee my little doxie went to Moms and Carmel went to the kennel. I missed the little buggers. Possibly more vacation details later.

Frugalis - Family of Four
135.00 exchange fee - paid
100.00 kennel fee - paid
114.87 grocery charges (prices were HIGH!)
097.99 meals out charges
089.56 gasoline charges
158.00 cash expenditures - entrance fees, momentos, t-shirts, ballcaps, drive-thru meals, tips
______
695.42 spent
332.00 back to vacation savings

I've added a new etf - FCG over on the left - to my portfolio this week. Put it on automatic investments w/Sharebuilder.

On Tuesday the Frugalis Housebudget purchased a new printer. We've had the old Epson for about 10 years! It was time for a 'refreshing'. Yeah, no more wavy lines and thin ink spots. I'm not sure where the ticket is to give a price but Hubster did his usual research before buying some kind of Canon printer (apprx. $84.00). Ink prices are the kicker, of course.

This week I bought two new light fixtures to update the kitchen and utility room 'rent contractor' el cheapo stuff that is here. Ugh. I'm second guessing myself now and will go look one more place before I have HubsterDearest install them. These I bought are okay, but are fairly tame. I'd like something a little more creative like a mini-chandelier over my sink area. Then, when looking at the ceilings it appears the kitchen ceiling needs to be repainted before that light can go up anyway. Something new makes the old look shabby. Isn't that always the case?

Hope everyone has a happy 4th!