Cha-ching, Cha-ching, Cha-ching

I knew last week was going to be expensive. The work I had done at the house ended up being very reasonable -- $175. I was happy with that! The work on my car was better than I thought it would be -- $114 -- and then they told me I need new tires -- I've got dry rot going on. Joy. THAT will be closer to $500-$600. Sigh.

Spent a good portion of Saturday shopping. I really dislike shopping. However, it was necessary for several reasons. First, I am transitioning in my job -- and I needed work suitable pants as the job I will now be doing pretty much demands it. I never wear pants to work. Jeans on Fridays and that's pretty much it besides one pair of dressy pants that I really only pulled out on the coldest of days. Its not some sort of principal with me and pants. The fact is, I have a big butt and hips, and my waist is pretty small comparatively. Add to it that I'm not even fully 5'1" -- and well, pants shopping is a nightmare. And I really don't like to pay to have things hemmed. So, I had to pants shop. And only came home with one pair. So now I own two whole pairs of pants (sadly, capris are not work appropriate). I also had to try and do some shopping for the Princess. She put on a bit of weight over the winter, and is working to get it off, however, that is a slow and painful process. So I picked up some shorts for her. And they didn't fit. She is going out of town next weekend so is desperate for shorts. And she works several doubles this week so shopping time is almost non-existent. So, I just threw caution to the wind and money at the problem. I got online and ordered several pairs (next size up) on Target.com --- paid $46 freaking dollars to get them here by Wednesday. OUCH.

I also bought a new to me chair for the den from a friend for $100. Mother's Day and birthday shopping for my nephew were kept in budget at least.

I'll hit the hay early tonight -- full week of meetings and trying to close out my work in my current department all await me the next few days. Quite honestly, I'm whooped. And it is only Monday.

A Spendy Week

This week is shaping up to be a very expensive one!

 I took the pups in today to get their nails trimmed. Yes, technically I could do it myself -- I used to do it to Thing 1 between groomings, but Thing 2 and Thing 3 both have black nails -- I can't see the quick, so if I nip it... that's a LOT of blood. I prefer to leave it to the professionals. While I was there, I paid on my bill (carrying a balance right now). Since January, I've had shots and checkups for Thing 2 and Thing 3, Thing 2's daily meds, Flea and Heartworm preventives for both pups. That adds up to a LOT of $$$. Fortunately, we have used our vet forever, and I can carry a balance and pay it off with no interest or fees. That's a good thing.

Next, I'm having a the outlet for my dryer replaced, a new faucet installed in the kitchen AND getting my central air serviced. Cha-ching! The guy who is doing it for me is the head maintenance tech at the commercial real estate firm I worked at many moons ago. He's licensed and certified in all of those things and has his own small business on the side. He has always been very fair and extremely reasonable in his charges. (Fixed my washing machine a few weeks back for $45 total).

Then, there's Mother's Day. I asked my Mom what she might want, and she said money. I said no. I'm getting tired of our family just passing money back and forth. If we are going to do that, then we need to just abandon the whole gift thing altogether -- because I sure come out in the hole on that one! And we are doing my nephew's birthday on Sunday too.

AND I need to take my car in for servicing. I need an oil change, but it also sounds sometimes like something is clogged up because it hesitates and stutters sometimes when I'm accelerating. My car is 14 years old, but I'd like to get another couple years out of it. Wish me luck that it's not a HUGE expense.

So yeah, a LOT of money is going to be flowing out of the bank account this week. Should be tons of fun.

Feeling the Pressure

Tis the season to be stressed! Anybody else starting to freak out that Christmas is less than one week away? I still have those three presents to buy. Oodles of presents to wrap. The Princess and I put together our list of cookies we want to bake... 9 different kinds.... REALLY? Yikes. I still can't get anyone to decide on a menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so I don't know how to plan that or do the shopping for it either. I'm trying not be stressed this season.... but it doesn't seem to be going quite as I had planned.

Add to it, the Princess's iPod decided to start falling apart just over a week before Christmas... she's not really to blame as it is at least four years old and since I had already bought her entire Christmas.... well we decided to go halfsies on a new one. I found the 4th generation on Amazon (new) and we went with that, as it was less than a 5th generation -- plus it meant we didn't have to replace all of her accessories too! That however was not in my budget so I'm scrambling to work it in. Some would argue that an iPod is not the best thing to blow the budget on, but I dread the thought of living in a house with a Princess deprived of her music but I really don't like Murphy visiting right before Christmas.

How are you holding up to the pressure of the season?

And Another One Bites The Dust......

Earlier this week, I noticed that my microwave wasn't heating on the 30 second and 1 minute buttons. No worries, I just started using the 2 minute button. But in the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't good. I was hoping it would last until the Black Friday Sales, at least. No such luck. This morning I popped my coffee cup in to warm it up. And pressed the 2 minute button. It started going... but made a terrible sound (closer to what my lawn mower sounds like than what a microwave should!). And it smelled funny, not quite like something burning, but close. Yeah, ummmmm, I think it was done.
So I turned it off and unplugged it. Crap.

Being ever resourceful, I dragged up the Princess's teensy microwave from her dorm. FYI, when a college student "says" she's cleaned the microwave, you might want to check on that before putting it up to store. Ew. So, I got busy cleaning that. Then my mom called. I told her what I was doing and why and she was like "Oh, No!" -- it seems her "friend" had gotten rid of an almost brand spanking new one a month ago when he'd moved to a place that had a built in. But she called him to check just be sure. Somebody must have felt sorry for me, because she called back telling me to go to his house and get it! Woo hoo! I asked how much? And she laughed and said NOTHING! That's my absolute favorite price!

So, I hopped in the car and headed out to get it. Lost about 2 hours of my day, but I consider it time well spent!!!!!!!

I Am Weak. And Spoiled.

I have a confession to make. I am a sheet snob. I have very few of what most would deem to be luxuries in my life. I drive a 13 year old car. My clothes are a combination of garage sale, thrift store, and 75% off clearance finds. The furniture in my house is almost exclusively second hand. I keep the ac at a temperature in the summer that most would find somewhat sweltering. However, I sleep on 600 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Sheets. And I love them. Unabashedly.

A week or so ago, I noticed a small hole in my fitted sheet as I was putting them back on the bed after washing. Well, pooey. But no worries.... it was a small hole, . Right at shoulder level. And over the course of the next week, the hole grew. It is now about 12 inches long and growing. Sigh. I needed new sheets. And I knew from previous experience that I was NOT going to be happy with anything less than what I had. For me, fabulous sheet are essential to a good night's sleep.

So yesterday, I went to Sam's and picked up another package of the same sheets I already had. I had been very happy with them until the hole, and in all honesty, they had held up well over the course of five years of daily use, and weekly washing, and Thing 2 sneaking onto them. So, I am the brand new owner of a new set of 600 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Sheet and $65 poorer.

And it is worth every penny.

Chocolate and Pups......[And The (Budget) Hits Keep Coming...... ]

A few weeks ago, when we lost Thing 1, my sweet friend RunnerGirl brought over the ultimate comfort care package: a couple bottles of wine and a huge bag of Dark Chocolate M&Ms. Since I've been doing the low carb thing, I haven't eaten many of the M&Ms, even though I adore dark chocolate. Just a few small handfuls here and there.

Knowing the risks of chocolate and dogs, I kept them well out of Thing 2's reach..... or so I thought. When I got home from work yesterday, I started on about my business..... and then noticed that an empty bag of Dark Chocolate M&Ms was on the floor of the den. Well, I knew who had gotten into them.... because the Princess doesn't like dark chocolate at ALL. Crap.

I got out the peroxide and forced it down her throat to induce vomiting, but honestly I had no idea if that would help since I had no clue what time she'd ingested it. I stayed outside with her, but noticed other tummy issues developing. So, I put a call in to the vet. It was after hours, so the answering service had the vet call me back. After we estimated that she had ingested probably a full pound of candy, give or take, the vet sent me to the after hours emergency clinic. Many tests ensued and poor Thing 2 was doing things that were going to induce dehydration quickly. Based on the tests, they concluded that she was not at risk for true chocolate toxicity, but she needed fluids and meds to control the tummy stuff.

They injected her with fluids under the skin --- she looked all lumpy. And they sent us home. $216 poorer. However, I'm good with that, as I could NOT have handled losing her right now. We tried sleeping on the porch to mitigate any overnight accidents (she has never slept outside as long as we've had her and I was not going to make her do that when she was sick), but she didn't like that and wanted to sleep on top of me with me petting her the whole time. At almost 70 pounds -- not a good idea.

So we moved back inside around midnight. Thankfully all went well. Sigh, that bonus I earned a few weeks ago is starting to go away fast. BUT I'm glad that I have the money in the bank to cover this and didn't spend it shopping mindlessly. Here's hoping for a smoother (and cheaper) week next week.

Another Cave.... I'm Beginning To See A Pattern Here....

For the past few years, my smart phone has been provided by my company. When they issued them to us, they were perfectly happy and even encouraged us to use them personally. Cool beans. I got very attached to my iphone.

Then out of the blue yesterday they announced that they had changed proxy servers and would be monitoring every single bit of internet activity. Including data usage on the smart phones. Ordinarily I wouldn't be concerned with this as I am not an abuser of privileges. However, the Big Brother aspect of it creeped me out. And it irritated me too --- they want me to have that work cell phone with me at all times, but want to monitor what I do with it when I'm not at work? If I was doing anything creepy it would be one thing, but keeping up with two cell phones is a pain in the butt so mostly I just carried the work one with me after hours and never caved to having a personal smart phone.

However, I still want my private life to be private. I don't want them viewing what I say to whom on my own time -- whether its the Princess texting about grades or whatever. So, on my lunch yesterday, I went to the Tmobile store to check out smart phones. I had some research in hand about the $400 - $600 phones, but once I talked to the clerk, I ended up going with one that was $240. It should fit my needs just fine --- once I get used to it. I must say I got way frustrated with it at first as it didn't "do" stuff the way the iPhone does. But honestly, I'm probably smart enough to figure out how to work another phone. And a savings of $160 - $360 makes that a LOT easier to do!

Plus, Tmobile now lets you add the payments for the phone to your cell phone bill, interest free. If you end service with them before you've paid for the phone, then you have to pay off the balance, but that's workable. Main thing is that I didn't raid my savings for it. And that makes me happy.  The additional $10 for phone payment and $10 for data plan doesn't make me so happy though. Time to start crunching numbers again.

I Caved.....In a Really BIG Way

Back during the spring, we cut the cable. Went to internet only and rabbit ears to pick up local stations. The Princess makes good use of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus. This has worked for us. I don't tend to watch  lot of TV anyway. Except during football season. College football season to be exact.

So, I made it through Thursday night when multiple game were playing. I was NOT happy about it though. Then I woke up Saturday morning and started scanning the listings to see what games were being played on the major networks. I wasn't happy with the offerings. Barely any SEC games. I already had plans with friends to go watch Alabama play, but typically I like to have games going on the tv all day when I clean and get other things done. This wasn't really an option. It wasn't even time for kick off of the first game of the day, and already I was jonesing about no Sports Center.... sigh....

The Princess woke up to get ready for work and was having the same feelings I was.... but she opted to put her money where her mouth was.... she asked if I'd call the cable company and see what the options were for getting ESPN, and she would pay half the increase if we decided it was affordable.

Since I was sorely feeling the lack of football too, I agreed. So, I made the call --- and found out that because I had been an internet only subscriber for a while, I could get the "new customer" pricing with no contract whatsoever. So if I got the "bundled" internet, phone and cable, I could get it for $96 plus tax --- I'm already paying $55 for just internet. If I went with just the internet and cable, it would be $110. More stuff for less money? Well, okay..... so the Princess and I talked about it, and agreed to go halfsies on the increase. There's no contract, so I can cancel at any time... which will likely be in January after the final whistle of the National Championship game.

So, yeah, I was weak. And I caved.... but it IS football season. And this IS the SEC. We all have our priorities... ha.

And What A Weekend It Was!

My 25 Year Class Reunion was last weekend. I had such a fabulous time! A lot of the people there, I've been able to catch up with on facebook and subsequent girls nights out (and girls and guys nights out, too!). It was so fun though to have so many people that at one time meant a great deal to me in one place! I loved laughing at the old jokes and old memories. And made some new ones too!

The weekend didn't end up being the budget buster I was expecting --- splitting food, sharing rides and such helped out a great deal. Even if it had though -- -it would have been worth it!

The picture above was taken at LightRails -- its a very recent art light installation in a 1931 underpass connecting two areas of Birmingham that are both going through an Urban Revitalization. It was right around the corner from where we were, so a stop off at it was a MUST. I borrowed the hula hoop from the very young couple behind me --- who I'm sure were thinking we were terribly ancient to be out there posing for pics and borrowing hula hoops from random strangers!

Oh, and apparently I am now TERRIBLE at the Hula Hoop! Its okay though, it was fun to make an idiot of myself!

Well, Hello There Murphy!

As many of you know, my car is 13 years old. It's a 2000 RAV4, and beyond the scheduled maintenance stuff (oil changes, brakes, alternator, batteries) it has been relatively trouble free. The only really big issue I had with it was when a tree fell on it..... and I can't really blame the car for that!But it is 13 --- and as such, problems are bound to start happening. And they have.

Yesterday, when I pulled up to the house, I went to raise the drivers side window. Nothing. Nada. It didn't budge more than a couple centimeters and then stopped. Completely. It wouldn't go. Crap. More rain was coming. I don't even have a driveway, much less a garage to park the in. I tried it again. Another centimeter at most. So, instead of getting out of the car, I put it back in gear, and headed straight to my mechanic. His immediate reaction was "Damn. This isn't going to be cheap." I asked how much and he said that it would run about $250, as the motor is likely shot and the door would have to be opened up so I might want to think about it. But in the meantime, we'd at least get the window up so it wouldn't rain into the car or tempt someone to helping themselves to my stereo. So, after letting the motor reset several times and him guiding it up, we got the window up and secure. He then put a big piece of black duct tape (or whatever kind of tape mechanics use) over the controls so I wouldn't accidentally roll it back down.

Now, I'm certain that most people can live without their windows working. I am not one of those people. For around town driving, I generally have my windows down, even in the summer with the AC blasting. To and from work, the windows down, AC going and music blaring is a good psychological transition for me from home to work and vice versa.

I am not happy about this latest development. Not at all. So, coming off a month that featured paying off my debt, the Princess's birthday, increased vet costs...... now I need to get a repair done. Joy joy joy. The only silver lining I see to this is that it will keep me out of drive through lanes!

Hello Murphy..... would love to see you go back right now to wherever it is you came from. Ugh.

Where Are My Painting Supplies?

The Princess is heading to Tampa with my Mom this weekend and will be gone a week. During that time, I'm planning to repaint her room --- we are changing it up to a more grown up scheme. Most of that can be handled with a new coat of paint. I've already purchased the bedding and curtains --- shopped around for good deals on exactly what we wanted over the past couple of months. Once I get the walls and ceiling painted -- all we really need is an area rug. And that's not necessarily a "must have".

Anyway, my Dad gave me a gift certificate to Lowe's for my upcoming birthday to cover my paint and supply costs. I was hoping to have enough room left on that to put towards a new weedeater as mine has now officially died.

I went down into the basement last night to gather up the supplies I'd need and to see what I would need to purchase. Unfortunately my paint rollers and trays are nowhere to be found. So dang frustrating. The last time I used them was when I repainted my bathroom about four years ago. I assumed I had put those things right back where they went, but I can't find them to save my life. I am so dang irritated.

I'm going to put in some calls to some friends today to see if they have some I can borrow. I'd like to skip that expense for now if I can. Wish me luck.

An Expensive Month

For the second year in a row, May is turning into a very expensive month. Last year, it was the Princess's graduation, graduation party and birthdays and Mother's Day. My bank account was screaming for mercy by Memorial Day.

This year, May looks to be just as expensive! My niece's graduation, my nephew's 21st birthday, my other niece's birthday, Mother's Day --- plus the fact that baby clothes are so dang cute (as we anxiously await my newest niece's arrival in September). Plus Thing 1 was way past due for a hair cut. I let them go all summer short on him. Fortunately he feels like he looks rather dapper!

It is only the 11th and my bank account is already going "OUCH!". And to compound matters, it looks like we are due for another wave of cold weather starting Monday as overnight temps dip back into the 40's. In Mid-May. In Alabama. Ridiculous.

I'm just hoping that June is a bit easier on us!

Shopping With The Princess Is Dangerous

So, Friday we found out that my brother and his wife are expecting a little girl, due in September. We are absolutely tickled. Little girls' clothes are so fun --- and we haven't had a little girl in the family to shop for since The Princess. She's 18 now. I already knew that I could get myself into trouble shopping for baby clothes. What I didn't realize was how dangerous The Princess would be!

The Princess and I stopped at Target yesterday to each pick up a few things. We split up to get the stuff we each needed to get. After a bit the Princess called me saying that she was over in the "baby department". My mistake was going over there to meet up with her. Yikes.

We were flipping through the clearance racks..... and each of us were like "ooh! isn't this cute" and "awwww, how sweet". She did remark several times in a louder than necessary voice, "I think they will LOVE this!" --- I guess trying to make sure no one thought we were shopping for her! Ha! Anyway, after piling my cart full, we finally realized we were going to be late to where we were going and decided we needed to eliminate a few things..... that wasn't especially successful.
I just about stroked out when my total rang up at check out.

As we walked out to the car she said, "You know Mom, you really should know better than to go shopping with me." Yeah, well, NOW I know.....

Lesson learned: Do NOT take the Princess shopping with me! I mean I KNEW you don't take kids to the grocery store, but it never crossed my mind to not let her loose in the baby deparment!

Stress + Headache = Budget Busting

This has been a week.from.hell. Without going into a lot of detail, this just has NOT been a good week. All I can really say is that it has translated into huge headaches at the end of the day. Those headaches meant I did NOT want to cook dinner at all. Enter the budget busting. Wednesday night's headache translated to carryout pizza. $15 dollars worth. Last night's headaches meant $15 in Chinese food.

While $30 isn't really THAT much in the grand scheme of things, it does mean that I have very little left for dinners out this month ---- and I'd penciled in a couple of meet ups with some of my friends. Those will likely have to be pushed to June since with a birthday, Mother's Day and my niece's graduation.... well, May is pretty expensive as it is.

Oh well.... I guess I'll get out the pencil and calculator and start crunching numbers. That won't be stressful at ALL.