Deep Discount Shopping - Jingle Bells




Went awhile ago to the dollar type store...where I get almost all of our papergoods and laundry supplies in one giant first of the month spree. (If you haven't tried their Charmin Basic try it - those rolls of TP last a good looooonnnng while!!)

Anyway, while there I ran across their clearance section wherein I did a little early birthday and Christmas shopping for the women in my life. They had boxes of body butters w/four in them for $2.25 a box...making them .56 each. SCORE!! I bought all they had!

Got my little great-niece a bunch of girlie-stuff for .75 each. 2 for her birthday and 2 for her Christmas.

Next were the foam bath gels for .75 cents each which I bought for all the women on my list. Nice to shop now while 'the list' is in my noggin!!

These will make good starts on birthday or Christmas gifts for these ladies. They are stashed away in the Christmas box!

I want to get a big spot cleared out in my basement wherein I can put one Christmas bag for each person on my list and cover it w/a protective sheet for dustproofing and then just fill them up during the year. I have just the perfect spot for this.

Once their bag is full I'll know who remains that needs to be shopped for in a literal concrete way that might work for me better than the just buying and tossing in a box method that I've been using. This way I usually overbuy for some and forget others till the last hoo-raw.

With the aforementioned sheet method the wrapping would also already be done except for adding a bit of tissue paper. Might just give this a try!

The Doorman Cameth!



The door man came (with his girlfriend no less on a holiday???) and measured all our openings for new fittings. The doors in this house are not a single one a standard size that you can pick off the showroom floor.

He'll go home, enter his figures into the computer and we'll go back maybe tomorrow to the big box lumber outlet and pick out what they say they can make work in our weird sized openings and can squeeze out of our door savings account.

I'm very excited about getting some doors on two of the closets and a door on one of the bedrooms and two new exterior doors and glass storm doors installed (what will it be like to live here w/o the winds blowing thru the cracks????). Some of the other doors may have to wait. We'll see!

Warm Cockles and Budgeting Done Right



Here's hoping there's a chicken (or TWO) in every one of your pots for 2007!!

After this post I'm off to make a big pot of chicken soup for the hungry hordes who are bound to come out of hibernating some time this year! In the crockpot is the traditional New Year's hoppinjohn (blackeyed peas & ham).

Ta-da, just now checking the mail from the last few days and here's the tag notice for Hubster's car. Happy I am that the money is sitting there all nice and pretty in savings waiting to pay the little sucker!!! Anticipatory budgeting does work if you do it right!! Yeah Frugalis Family!

Just updated the mortgage information over to the right! Oh how I wish that bugger was gone! Good to know that zillow.com states my equity is inching upwards quite nicely! Warms the cockles of my heart!!

Ummmm...I'm with disneysteve, moving and selling is quite the chore. That's why if The Hubster and I do decide to downsize it'll be one last hooray right about the time he retires. Getting his Dad's house ready to sell was a MAJOR chore and still we have no buyer in sight! I'd hate to be trying it when he's pushing 70's or beyond! Makes me tired just thinking about it!

My mother just recently built a home and she is still a year and a half later disconcerted when trying to find her stuff to bake and get ready for the holidays!!

NEW always sounds fun and exciting...but a wise person counts all the costs, eh? Seems more and more I turn things down because of the effort it would require.

How about you?

Day 365:Cinching the Ol' Belt Up A Bit Tighter!



Photocredit: hooodlumm

I like the countdown idea - let's go backwards...it is day 365 here! And off we go counting 'er down! Tomorrow is day 364.

Have been out and walked down to the creek bridge this morning already and come back to read that someone else has beaten me to it. Ima we are way too much alike!! But, I love a good competition and will use you as a carrot dangling in front of my face. Like I said on the forum...I keep thinking "What Would Ima Do?" The air is cold and brisk here this morning - fine day to step it off so you can hurry back to the house for a cup of hot joe!

Checking the Fidelity statement this a.m. we are up over $6,000.00 this year w/o any additional contributions from us, so that was good news. Two of our better performers were FSIIX up 26.15% and FSUTX up 30.08%.

I haven't set any specific goals yet for 2007 - am still mulling it all over! I've been busy trying to cross most of the '06 goals off that I haven't really spent much time thinking about '07 YET!

I like to do things incrementally (either percentage or $$$$ wise)- so t'will be helpful to get all of 2006 reports in and then take off from there!

You guys are all so very inspiring to me!!

I do know one thing that I'm working on for 2007 is to pay an additional $60.00 monthly from OUR family budget on the mortgage this year. That's the projected figure that Countrywide's new little calculator tells me I need to add to each payment in order to pay it off by retirement schedule! Sooooo, there is that.

However, I just increased The Hubster's 2007 401-K contributions to 10% and the first paycheck came in last week with that out of it - so it's smaller and things have already been scrunched up tight!

We've been pretty successful in living only on our own current income during 2006 and staying out of the inheritance money and the emergency fund and I would surely like to continue doing it that way!

???Where??? to come up with the additional $60 is going to be interesting!!

At any rate I was able to do it with the payment just posted 12/29 (hehee!! extra interest deduction captured) for January so we're good until February. I'm working on the final draft of January's budget right now (which will include February's house payment) so I'm just going to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

What won't happen is - I will not decrease our Roth IRA contributions to make this happen. The investments have a possibility of growing to MORE THAN we put in. While the mortgage payoff is a definite set return (6.75%), but the house payments are still certainly doable even w/the possibility of an economic down-turn or even into our retirement if it doesn't get paid off before then.

Yesterday was a no spend day for me! I actually made it to stay awake til midnight last night!! That was a total fluke and unplanned. Usually I'm beat and hit the sack around 9:30 or so only to rise at 2 or 3 in the morning to read under the cubbies!

How was your 2006 financially speaking?

(Following is my answer to the above forum question - thought I'd post the answer here as well so maybe I can keep up w/what's been going on in our financial life! Hopefully we'll be golden in 2007!!)




Great! But could be better!

Got FIL house empty and ready to sell, painted, roof repaired, carpeted and listed w/RE agent. Not so good in that much of this has cost us money that is still out - house has yet to sell. Estate has yet to settle and keeps having to borrow from us to keep the utilities on (cold weather winters).

Upped The Hubster's 401-K contributions to 10%. Currently 60% vested (he's worked at the same place 40 years come January 2nd, but a buyout a couple of years ago set him back to zero on this vesting point).

Have automatic deductions set up for his/her Roth IRA's. Not maxed this year. We had some big house remodel expenses on our home that were near necessities AND trying to keep lots of cash available until the estate settles - all of which kept the IRA's from being maxed this year.

The Traditional Rollover IRA from the above said buyout (profit-sharing plan monies) is up 16.45% for the year. And we are getting ready to reallocate some of it into one of those Targeted Date funds. Set up the Fidelity Income Management Account during November which I'm really looking forward to watching it purr along come 2007.

First meeting with financial planner tells me that we are doing all the right things to get ourselves ready for retirement in 6 years. An A++ from the CFP certainly was a high spot for the year.

Best for me was these last two points: 1)that we stayed on budget all year with only slight variations from our monthly target goals - all of which adjustments were able to be made by underspending in other categories - so each month the budget balanced!!! A big thanks goes to Jesse Mecham at youneedabudget.com for his zero balance budgeting software which made this doable by being able to see it all at a glance. I was rather anal about this as I didn't want to see any of my categories off target and having to be shorted on the next month!

In reality w/just one of us working our margins are so small that any variation from the plan caused a nasty ripple effect and the software makes it visible! In mid-2006 a $75.00 charge on the CC that was forgotten to be entered into the checkbook whould have made a nasty lil' dent in the next month's spending and had to reach }}}}}}shudder{{{{{{ into the carefully hoarded EF to make it work - so that it became an incentive to make sure it didn't happen again!

2) Continued to use our credit cards as aids only and not a crutch. Anything that was charged was fully paid off on every single billing cycle!

Bad points: I have had the cash crunch come out of my wallet - if money was tight it was MY spending and the grocery budget was often too TOO tight this past year. Christmas was also rather scimpy for my tastes. Need to up those three areas in the budget. Hopefully the year 2007 will see a little loosening in those areas as some of our biggest expenditures are now out of the way (house painting, house windows and the already saved for doors that are coming in the next little while).

On the horizons for a targeted savings goal is putting in new carpet at perhaps the end of 2007/beginning of 2008. We think we may downsize in a few years, but I refuse to fix my house up at the last minute to sell for someone else to enjoy all the new goodies. We're doing stuff now - enjoying it and hoping that it will enhance the sellability of our house in the future.

2007? Bring it on!!!

Best of Craigslist 2006 - Shout Out To Broken Arrow

Are You An Actuary???

Pamper Me Pamplona

Okay - Between Flylady's posting about pampering ourselves and my extended family acting all crappy about Christmas I decided that the last two days was a PAMPER MYSELF necessity!

FrugalSon and I went to see 'The Holiday' with Cameron Diaz and Jude Law! A very nice movie that I would watch again and again.

Watching that reminded me that I'd been wanting a haircut and I'd had mine styled similarly to Cameron's before so I went for it -- a cross between Diaz



and Sandra Bullock's.



While at the Supercuts (I wanted to go to a nicer place where the stylist takes more individual time with you - but the budget did not allow PLUS I had a Supercuts coupon!) ...anywazsoz' I decided while there I should do something else for myself that I've been wanting to try. I was up until yesterday an eyebrow virgin. Meaning I never pluck, shape, sugar or do that weird thing with floss.

I had my eyebrows waxed for an expenditure of about 12.50 or so. It was good. The shop was virtually empty so all three of the girls 'did me!' One cut my hair and the other two did the eyebrows. Fortunately both eyebrows match!!

THEN, I went further and went to Cato Fashions. I had been reading my MissusSmartyPants stuff and thinking I needed a fresh look. So while there I got myself a new pair of basic black pants that actually fit me perfectly. As you ladies know that is a Major FEAT unto it's own. There is usually always something a bit off. These were regularly priced at 19.99. And I got a very cute and flattering top to wear to Christmas at my Mom's and will work well with the pants and also go with a long black skirt for church later. My color, a flattering blue/green that makes me ol' hazel eyes blue for the duration. Daring decollatouge' and all. Woo-hoo it was on the clearance rack for $5.99 velvet bodice ribbon and all! A SCORE!

Next up was a trip next door to the Payless Shoe store where I was able to purchase at the BOGO sale and got myself a very nice black flat everyday type (working world) dress shoe and a pair of black tennis shoes.

I know I know I said I wasn't going to buy any more shoes this year so I've blown my Vow (See Thrifty Ray's Vow post). I needed new walking shoes in the worst way. I've had three foot surgeries and shoes that fit and are on sale are hard to run into in the same breath. I promise to only wear them once this year to Mom's (it's an outfit) and then will put them away till January 1, Thrifty Ray!!

Okay, so I went a little wild. But hey, I look hot, and my feet will thank me later!

So a day of pamper me luxury - a very rare thing - and if my internal adding machine is working I'm somewhere in the $99 dollar range. Not too bad - but I don't make a habit of this kinda thing. Matter of fact I can't even remember the last time I did such a thing (maybe four or five years ago) which tells you it was long over due!

Wow -- Broken Arrow - it really does feel good to confess our indulgences! BTW, I love the tea-light lamp!!

Tres' Chic!

Like the 'new and improved' me!

Past Belated Birthday - Yah Yah Me!





"There was a star danced, and under that was I born." - William Shakespeare

One day during the past three weeks I celebrated the day of my birth!

"Friday's child - loving and giving [Friday (vendredi in French) is ruled by Venus. "Friday's child is loving and giving" might refer to the Venus nature, that is, a person who is loving and receptive to love.]"

"Who keeps an arrow in his bow,
And if you prod, he lets it go?
A fervent friend, a subtle foe-
Scorpio! -author unknown"

***%%%00O00%%%***

"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words." - Plautus

Although it was a long day that day and my extended-peeps weren't acting their very best and I was near tears The Hubster did manage to take me out to the local rib place and bought me a nice dinner with just us two! Yeah Hubster!!

We celebrated w/a bit of inbibing - something we normally never do - I was just in that 'I need a good stiff drink' mode so I ordered a glass of wine, he a bottle of brew. I ordered a three-meat salad thingy which was jumbo and about $8.00. Sorry, but my Frugaliscious Gene (TM) kicked into gear when I found FIVE - count them 5 - large chunks of browned lettuce stem in my salad.

The Hubster hates it when I complain in restaraunts but after I pulled the fifth one out and set it aside on a napkin even he agreed that we needed to talk to the manager. For eight smackers you can buy more than one or two heads of lettuce and throw in the meat and cheese and still turn a profit. The manager was very nice and comped my dinner! SWEET! Dinner 17.47 on the CC - yes, already deducted from the checkbook!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"We are all born naked and screaming and if you're lucky that sort of thing won't stop there." - Unknown



Cracks me up!!! Loved this story - hope my future 'old age home' is as much fun! All ya'll aging rocksters give me a shout so we can coordinate our first annual blow-out!! Of course, my birthday is in November so socks & bowties for men and socks & earmuffs for women will be the appropriate attire. Maybe a nipple cozy should go on my 120th birthday wish list?? I mean, really, a birthday girl has got to have some way to differientiate herself at her own birthday bash!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(self portrait)

"Your future goes beyond the wooden floor of third dimension.
It goes beyond the endless sands of time that sift in the wind.
It stretches beyond the seas and the flow of creation.
It reaches above the sky, the stars, and the universe.
It is endless. Always look ahead, your lessons learned.
If you 'look' within your soul, you will see your future." ~Ellie Crystal

I'm learning from a dear soul-friend the art of looking ahead instead of behind me. Hoping to have our family foundation funded and fully going by the time I hit my 50s. A little legacy to hopefully benefit mankind.

-------------

"From birth to age eighteen, a girl needs good parents. From eighteen to thirty-five, she needs good looks. From thirty-five to fifty-five, she needs a good personality. From fifty-five on, she needs good cash." - Sophie Tucker



So, I'm here between thirty-five and fifty-five and hoping my personality is at least somewhat pleasing as I'm getting a head start on looking for some good cash in the future!! A nice roll of cash would not be an inappropriate gift in my humble estimation!

Happy Belated Birthday to Me!

Laundry List of Ailments



Finally have enough time and a cable connection that I can post about my brother's hospital stay. He was admitted to the Indian Hospital even though he had lost his CDIB card in a fire about 4 or 5 years ago. This not having it when he needed it now is typical of his lifestyle. He could have gotten it replaced many times but never did.

He had NO Identification on him except a receipt from a state trooper that had collected his license when stopping him and finding him driving w/an expired license. Another case of not bothering to take care of the bare necessities in life.

My Dad had picked him up that day to get his help on a farm project when he sees that he has swollen up by about 40 pounds. Can you say Congestive Heart Failure? Yes.

He was shipped out of the Indian Hospital by ambulance to a metro area public hospital. After a long litany of tests we have a laundry list of multiple diagnosis - (diagnosises???).

COPD - Emphyasema (sp?)
PAD - Periphial Artery Disease (legs & feet were purple/black-OH MY!!)
Heart Attack
Congestive Heart Failure

His heart is very damaged and enlarged and operating at about 20% of normal. His breathing on a scale of 1-10 (10 being normal) was running about 2 at the highest and about 1 1/2 sustained.

Lucky him - no blockages. Luckier him my Dad was an emergency room/intensive care nurse & nursing professor for years and could see his critical state. They took 20 pounds of fluid off of him in one day's time!

He has worked very intermittently throughout his life and we are hoping that he has enough work credits to enable him to begin collecting SS disability. Our tribe will be paying for the majority if not all of his hospital care.

He's 54 years old. He has always pushed the family away. He has five children and only one of them came to see him in the hospital as the mother of the child brought him as he's still a teen. The other grown kids didn't bother. None of his "friends" came to see him.

Sadly, these friends have always been more important to him than family. BUT, he was surrounded by his sisters, parents, nieces and nephews. Hopefully through this he will see that we really do love and care for him. Even when it's hard and for many years it has been next to impossible to get close without getting screamed at and pushed away. This is my brother whom I believe is undiagnosed bipolar.

The medical team at the hospital were all very nice except for the one lady who kept trying to treat him for diabetes and wouldn't believe any of us when we kept denying that he had it! They tag-team doctor at this particular hospital and I can't say that I cared for it - we never saw the same doctor twice and we were there for 8 days!!

Anyway, they released him right before Thanksgiving and he went home on oxygen and is currently staying at my Dad's house. No telling how long he'll willingly submit to that.

That's all for now - I just wanted to record some of it here for my own memory's sake and to thank all of you who prayed while we were there! The prayers were needed and are much appreciated.

To make this financial in nature - I had to raid the petty cash here at the house to the tune of about $60.00 in order to keep running up to the hospital and feeding myself while I was there on 'my watch'. Now will have to resupply that money from somewhere in the budget.

Offline A Few Days



Just a note to let folks know I'll be off the boards for possibly a day or two as my brother is in the hospital w/a newly diagnosed heart condition. He's 54 and not married and so my sister and I are taking turns sitting with him as his patient advocate!! Which everyone needs when they're in hospital in my opinion. Anyway, please put us in your prayers. Thanks guys!

Loving from the Oven

In the oven are some Jiffy banana nut muffins = 29 cents. Thawing is some Owens roll sausage = 99 cents. For supper tonight we'll dig into this along with a couple of cups of milk = 50 cents and some scrambled eggs = 36 cents.

Supper for two $2.14!!

I've been outside and am afraid for my house as it appears it will disappear in an avalanche of leaves. I keep sweeping the patio and keep sweeping but those dog-gone leaves and acorns just keep coming!! Piling up maybe a foot or more deep in the corners! Jeepers!


If you don't hear from me for a few days break out the leaf blowers and come in after me, okay???

Frugal lunch today was leftover spaghetti and earlier FrugalSon and I had a cup of hot cocoa w/marshmellows (20 cent bag on clearance) before he headed out to work.

Need Purchasing Advice



Okay folks I need some advice. My shredder appears to have died - it will reverse the papers but not go forward. So, it looks like I may be in the market for a new shredder. I know I want a cross-cut one, but does anyone have recommendations on a brand that you've had good luck with? Hopefully one that won't break the bank.

Anyone???

Thanks in advance!

~~L.L.Frugalis
Shout out to miclason!

A Suppressed Head

Did some of my Christmas shopping at the grocery store today! Love it - fundies for $4.00 for 3 pair, couple of big bags of peanuts for my brother, giant hot sauce for CashHappySon, de-icer for FrugalSon, t-towels and dishcloths for sister, niece, niece-in-law, ex-sis in law, mother - all five of these gifts for 14.00 total, candy for stocking stuffers, etc. Total here was $48.87, a dollar of which was for a loaf of bread. The rest comes out of the budgeted and saved for Gift Escrow.


Whittling the Christmas list down!!

Voted today.

Took CashHappySon to the orthodontist and found out that they will be putting braces on his upper teeth as well, which is basically a surprise to me as I asked the doc about this when we started and then the answer was No.

...hmmmm...I'll be having further discussions with them about this on the phone tomorrow as the kidster is the one paying for it and the lowers will put him in hock a good little while and if the upper ones will cost him more then I'm gonna up the stink level! His upper teeth appear fine, he just had an extra lower tooth that needed help! Always somethang', isn't it?? Then after the ortho it was off to work time for him.

Picked up and dropped off FrugalSon at his two jobs. Picked up CashHappySon from his job. Tired now. Something off with the blood pressure or some other body parts as today I have had a feeling of suppression.

Just took my blood pressure and will be reporting the numbers to the nurses in the family to see if I'm dead yet! Just an off feeling kinda like the feeling when your ears are stopped up but it's not in my ears but in my head. Weird. A suppressed head. Surely some humor in that but at the moment I can't come forth with it! :/

Steaming!



The Hubster has now announced that two of his siblings (5 kids in all) want to drop the price on FIL's house a whopping $7000.00! We just listed it about a month and a half ago!!

These are the same people who took almost a year to get it cleaned out...all the while I'm encouraging them to please hurry as there is a prophesized real estate bubble about to burst.

Slow shuffle, slow shuffle, slow shuffle...and now they want to run to the finish line????

I mean, I mean, I mean, good gravy people where was all the rush when it would have been useful??

Now, they may eventually HAVE TO drop it 7000.00 but all in one fell swoop? Get real people!

I'm steamed!

...and having a hard time keeping my tongue. Wondering about their logic.

So glad that these folks are no blood relation to me!

It's Soooo Rewarding!



Just noting that today I requested online a $20.00 rewards check payout on my Discovercard. They said it will take 5 to 7 days to appear in my checking. Just wanting to note here when it was requested so I can count down the days to see how quick they are.

I bet they don't slow down on drawing my payment out of the checking though! This is the first time I've done an online request for this.

Anticipating money = good feeling as long as it doesn't take too long! I'll log it as inflow when the money clears my account.

Also of note today I made a payment on the mortage of 404.03. Will update on the right when it posts.

Deposited 20.45 today from the October Challenge - a mysterious .07 cents made it into Piggy this month as I only logged 20.38 as income. You gotta love a good mystery!

I spent about 4.00 today out of my allowance as I had already wiped out the October grocery budget and after yesterday's freezer fiasco I needed some hamburger for tonight's dinner and an onion, plus I got myself some Vitamin A&D (1.67) which really helps me along with Vitamin B6 & E to fight off the cold/runny nose/mucus/sore throat thing when it starts to creep up during the winter months. I had run out of A&D and I don't like to head into cold weather without it!

So, at first twinge I dose myself up w/2 B6's, 2A&D, and 2E's. By morning my head is 99% of the time cleared up. If not totally clear then a dose of one of each for the next few days usually zaps any crud that is trying to jump on me!

There you have it - L.L.Frugalis' cold remedy. Anything that gets past those vite-viti-vege-mums requires a dose of the Hot Toddy (hot whiskey, honey and lemon) and some Vicks Vapor Rub to the chest just for the Mom effect.

Go, and cough no more!

Free Supper and Good News



Saturday night we went to our Sunday School Class's fall fellowship cookout where we had a lovely time and FREE food! Gotta love free food. We went at the last minute and because of that didn't have time to bake or even stop to add anything to contribute to the meal.

Not our norm.

However, I don't feel in the slightest guilty over it as for years we were the ones to host the entire dealy-who, footing the bill for the meat, buns, drinks and decorations.

The party made Saturday a no-spend day.

Great burgers and a good time. It was hosted by a couple who are nearing retirement like ourselves. They have been in their current home 29 years.

They recently went out house-hunting to see about downsizing, etc. However, prices in our area have risen so much so that they decided to stay put and do a remodel instead. She had a fabulous new kitchen!

I enjoyed showing The Hubster that new kitchen countertops wouldn't have to be all that more expensive than just replacing like for like our old laminate counters.

She said the expense was only about 500.00 more for what they got which looks much like granite. Very nice. We just aren't THERE yet in our decisions on our house.

Good news was the husband in this situation owns his own business and is giving CashHappySon a job that should start in two weeks.

This is a grown-up job that will give the kiddo a skill that he can always use in life and while maybe not lavishly - with it, he could support a family. We are thrilled!

I Also Agree With Tina



Right Tina, you should blog about Starbucks more often!

hahahaahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Let us see where this takes us!

Starting hits 14,262

I am decidely not a coffee snob. I paid $1.00 a brick for the last coffee I bought and I bought all the scratch n' dent store had on hand that day! Hot and brown and I'm okay as long as there's loads of sugar & creamer on hand to dull it.

The Bean Strategy

Yes, I met my goal yesterday and have been out already once this morning!

The Bean Strategy is working. Five beans migrated from one pocket to the other yesterday as the laps were taken.

Last night my leg did ache while watching TV, but when I went to bed I never noticed it. Of course, I fell fast asleep soon after head hitting pillow, which we might attribute to the extra exercise yesterday. Anyway, I did not toss and turn trying to get the leg comfortable so at least for the one day we shall deem the experiment a success.

I slept all thru the night which is quite unusual. Sleeping beauty!

Of course, I was dreaming about you!!

3 Beans Down, 2 to Go!

Toot! Toot!!

I've been having a bit of trouble in the last few months with circulation in my right leg. Not sure what the problem is - seems minor at the moment. But it is enough to be noticeable. Enough to make me think I need to get more mobile.

Last night I was reading two separate books written years apart about 2 different subjects and they both have this method listed as a way to get things done.

Putting beans in your pocket.



The strategy was listed in one book as a method for salesmen to make a bunch of sales calls every day.

With the two mentions I kind of felt like it was a sign. Now you have to know first that I read A LOT. Always have. I have never read this strategy before anywhere! So to have two mentions come up at the time I'm stressing over my leg aching seemed important.

At any rate this morning I put five beans in my right hand pants pocket. I've walked 3 separate times for about 7 minutes apiece. The 7 minutes is just an easy trek around the neighborhood to a point and back to the house. Nothing magical in the number. I just have had a goal to walk everyday for a long time. I never seem to get it done, maybe because it seems an all or nothing kind of deal like a 30 minute walk.

So anyway, I've been out and down three laps and even though it is rainy & drizzly here I've found it easy to do.

Take a mini walk - move a bean!

We'll see if it lasts. Unless we have a major downpour I'll get the other two laps done before bedtime tonight. I need to keep moving on that leg before things go from not so bad to worse!

Anyway, you guys might want to think of someway to use the magical fruit bean strategy to help you accomplish some goals.

What is the color of the music in your life?? What beat will you march to? Toot free!

Blood Red Sunsets



"And autumn! ah, how sadly fair, with its golden glow and the dying grandeur of its tinted woods--its blood-red sunsets and its ghostly evening mists, with its busy murmur of reapers, and its laden orchards, and the calling of the gleaners, and the festivals of praise!

The very rain, and sleet, and hail seem only Nature's useful servants when found doing their simple duties in the country; and the East Wind himself is nothing worse than a boisterous friend when we meet him between the hedge-rows." ~~Jerome K. Jerome, Idle Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow

The weather here has turned cold today. My house sits below street level on some points and as I walked outside today I was looking face on at eye-level as the leaves all blew down the street.

Red, orange, yellow and green!

Imagine yourself laying down on the asphalt and looking at the leaves tumbling past your eyes. It was very exciting in the high winds as I walked on down to the mailbox the leaves were racing me down the street. With the penetrating wind it was so invigorating. A beautiful but icy cold fall day!

Today's mail was nothing but a Certificate of Deposit purchase confirmation and one of the bank statements on f-i-l's estate. Aside from my water bill I rarely get a bill in the mail any more. Which makes me almost as happy as racing the fall leaves.

Gratuitous Mentions In Movieland



CashHappySon was feeling rather generous yesterday and took me out to the movies where we saw 'Employee of the Month'. Slacker finds redeeming benefits of work in the quest to get the girl (Jessica Simpson).

It was 'cute' but there were WAY TOO MANY references to ahemmm....'men's testicular area'.

Well!

The movie would have been much better in my opinion without all of that. I'm no prude and I would have probably not thought too much of it if the words had been used once or even twice in the script. But come on people, after about the 10th or 12th time already - ENOUGH!!!

Oh and don't forget the 'MUST HAVE' for teen movies - the ubiquitous fart joke!

Please.

Afterwards CashHappy wanted a maltie thing w/M&M's in it. We went to Carls Jr.'s and got in their drive thru line but he only had $6.00 left and was going to buy for the group. Their malts w/additions were $2.89 each so after careful calculations on his part we bolted out of line and moved on down the street. In the end he bought The Hubster, myself and himself .99 cent Frostys from Wendy's ("After all Mom, you guys deserve some stuff sometimes." - the boy's quite the orator, eh??)and we added our own M&M's from home!

Then he gave me .11 cents of the change to add to Piggy.

FrugalSon was working during all this and missed the day's entertainment. He's the 'word police' around here and wouldn't of enjoyed it anyway. We did save him some 'Smoked Piggies In A Blanket' for a late night snack.

Shhhhh! Don't tell Piggy we're eating his relatives.

$20 CHALLENGE
12.20 balance
+0.11 entertainment droppings
_____
12.31 Oct MTD

Cummulative Total $62.40

WHOOP - Temple of the Slithering One



Da-da-da-da-da. da-da-da-daa-da.

Charmer anyone? You know -- of the snake kind??



The painters started work yesterday morning bright and early when all of a sudden I heard a whoop sound. I thought they were laughing or something and paid it never mind, but then comes a knock on my door and one of them tells me I have a "Big A** snake in my attic vent" at the ridge line. You've seen them, those big triangle shapes that are screened on the inside but let air in and out of the attic.

Well, I said, "thanks for letting me know." What was I supposed to say or do?? There were two big brawny guys out there...did they want me to come out and do something???

Anyway, that was a funny moment, I'm sure I did not make the appropriate response. I closed the door and went back to work and thought I'll tell The Hubster about it when he gets home.

I think there must be birds nesting in that area and that's why a snake was up there. Must of been pretty scary when that snake popped out at the guy up on the extension ladder at full extension. No wonder he 'whooped'.

How 'un-charming'.

Man Robs Bank as Retirement Plan

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This is not it...

Is It Time To Cash In Your Old CD?



Will you make or lose money if you cash in an old Certificate of Deposit? Will the new higher interest rate really compensate for the hit you take on the early out penalty? Check here for the calculator that can help you decide!

Laundry Room Confessional


Okay - this seems to be the appropriate time and place - does anyone besides me iron their money??

Time to 'fess up!

Turn up the sound and watch this. Nothin' to do with finances but fun!

This writing somewhat describes what it feels like to be an INFJ. I didn't write it, but Laura did. Excellent logical progression of what it feels like, especially when being mistaken for being extroverted!


"In any situation with new people, I go through several now-familiar phases:
I am the stranger, the outsider who is Not To Be Trusted.
I am harmless, pass for tame, and probably dull.
I am more interesting than previously thought.
I am *very* interesting.
I am beyond interesting; I am weird. But in a good way.
I am even weirder than first believed, but immensely loveable and lots of fun.
Surprise! My good nature has limits. The awesome eruption was short-lived, though, and the apology and making-up came quickly on its heels. I am still loveable, but assertive when cornered.
I am still weird, still loveable, and rapidly becoming a repository of secrets, confessions, and core-dumps despite being a goofy oddity. Was there ever a time I wasn't one of the gang? Will there ever be a time when I truly will be one of the gang?"- Laura

Consider Yourself Warned!