Catching Fireflies July Controlled Spend Thread

[midjd]

Yay shan! It's always good (and relieving!) to have options. I live in fear (not even fear... just grudging acceptance of probable reality...) that I'm going to be dealing with the same thing with my mom in about 10 years. I hope things work out for the best, it sounds like Vegas would be a good fit (and if she has breathing problems - didn't you mention that?) the weather in Vegas should be much better for her than Seattle.

I'm at 6 NSDs, 11 SDs and today is going to be a spend (about to go to the grocery and get my oil changed). I think I can make Tues, Thurs, Fri and Sun NSDs though... that'll put me at 10 and 14 going into the last week. We haven't been doing terribly on the amounts, but it's the little things that add up.

Oh and the Soundgarden concert was AMAZING... total (tickets, hotel, food, parking) cost about $400, but worth every penny. That was a once-in-a-lifetime night. Glad I have the day off to come back to earth before going to work, even if I am just spending it cleaning and running errands.

[mizbear]

DGM update- She has been diagnosed with emphysema and has had ANOTHER stroke. I will be working on getting things out of her house and moved to mine and getting the contractors through since the windows are in. Just in case anybody misses me.

[dakota4600]

Not a bad weekend. 2 more NS/NEO days. Total 7NS, 2CS, 11NEO's.

I shouldn't complain about my IL's but I'm going to. They offered on Sunday to get us tickets to an art exhibit for free with their membership. Then they suggested lunch before at the museum restaurant, which I don't like and think is overpriced, but FIL implied that he was going to pay for it all, so I agreed. But then he told DH that $20 was our half of the bill at the end of the meal. Admittedly we would have spent that amount on the tickets to the exhibit, but it just annoys me that they always pay for SIL's meals and never offer to pay for ours. I told DH after yesterday the answer is no if they want us to go out to eat with them, because we are on a budget.

Shan- Hugs I hope you find an acceptable solution for MIL. (I doubt her sister would think assisted living in Vegas wasn't dumping MIL on her. Just saying.)

MizBear- Hugs to you hope DGM gets the care she needs.

AZmom- Good job on the race and happy b-day to DD.

Muttley- I know you are in a rural area, but have you checked with the school district. The one we live in has a decent recreation department and we pay $25 a month for mini-D's gym class.

[azmom]

***HUGS*** to Shannen and Mizbear

Muttleyn: It is a free one time introductory class I saved it to use especially for her birthday. Which she LOVED. I am waiting to see what our budget looks like once school starts and I will try and find an affordable one through Parks and Rec (that seems to be the cheapest route around here but the classes always fill up so fast)

Dakota: I'm trying so hard to not jump on the complaining bandwagon. I even just erased a my own gripe!! All I can say is I feel your pain.

Thanks for all the congrats on the race. My next 5k is 8/14 and I hope to get a stellar time to close out this series!

[spruby]

shannen - totally get where you are at with your MIL - the Vegas assisted living sounds like a possible solution. Does NV take Medicare/Medicaid to cover this (a few states have started too)? Is the facility for profit or not for profit? You should check their financials to get an understanding of whether they might need to raise rates in the short term. Honestly - financial stress is way easier than family stress. Sounds like you are starting on a plan. I did all this with my mmn (FL and VA) - but if you have any questions I'm happy to answer if I can.

mizbear - hugs on DGM - please continue to take care of you

ses - yuck on scheduling - old docs were like that - makes me appreciate on-line scheduling

azmom - happy b-day to the little one!

dakota - parents/ILs are odd

muttley - hope the new neighbors are good!

3cats - you are amazing - just sayin

Me - CSD/NSD are chugging along - but real progress we had 6 NEO days last week! Woo hoooooo!!!!

A little over a week until the first trip - can't wait!

[3catslady]

16 NSD/CSD, 1 SD, 1 EOD, and still going. DGS, the one that fell a and broke his wrist? Has just swallowed a battery. I don't know what size or anything, but they took him to the ER and had an x-ray done. The battery was in his stomach. They are not going to operate but are going to watch him until the battery makes an appearance. It was a new battery that they just put in their game and he was messing around and swallowed it. I wonder what is going to happen next to him. Don't things like that happen in 3's? Heaven help me and his family.

[zippy478]

Driving by with hugs and support for everyone dealing with family or other troubles. Hope everything looks brighter soon.

I'm up to 4 NSD! YAY for me! I might hit my target this month after all If not I'll come pretty darn close that's for sure...

[startsmart]

About halfway through my 5 hour call this morning. I'm about to take the phone to the kitchen and prep some food. I did some grocery shopping last night and I finally have yummy food again! I need to clean out the freezer because the seal is broken and ants are getting in and dying. it's disgusting!

Any ideas on green ways to kill and repel ants? I don't want to spray chemicals around my food!

[Honeylioness]

startsmart - one of the ant deterrents I use is Boric Acid.

Boric acid was first registered in the US as an insecticide in 1948 for control of cockroaches, termites, fire ants, fleas, silverfish, and many other insects. The product is generally considered to be safe to use in household kitchens to control cockroaches and ants.[16] It acts as a stomach poison affecting the insects' metabolism, and the dry powder is abrasive to the insects' exoskeleton.

Boric acid is also made into a paste or gel form as a powerful and effective insecticide much safer to humans than many other insecticides. The paste or gel has attractants in it to attract insects. The boric acid slowly causes dehydration.

It is generally only available through a pharmacy. Call around first to find one that either carries the bottles of powder or can get them. I recommend the powder over the crystals as being much easier to work with in this context.

Take about 2 Tablespoons of an ant specific food and mix in almost the same amount of the boric acid into it. Make sure to wash your hands well afterward just in case.

If you have teeny little ants - they will most likely want a sugar source - try jam or honey. If they are the large black "crunchy" ants then try an oil - like peanut butter.

I take the lid of a margarine or yogurt container and place the prepared "treat" for them inside, and place it where I know they are coming and going or heading to - such as next to the freezer, a shelf in my pantry or under my kitchen sink.

They will eat the bait and the poison. It may take a week or so but they will die. And as they carry the food and poison back to the nest you can wipe out a whole colony this way.

Speaking of the nest. If you can find the entrance - and for the big ants it is probably outside next to the foundation of your house - pour a big of the boric acid into the entrance to deter them. I also sprinkle it along the cabinet openings for plumbing or anywhere I see them trying to emerge from or escape into.

[dakota4600]

We are on a roll ladies 8 NS, 2 CS, 12 NEO. Tonight should be an NS as well. I'm making a big batch of enchiladas and trying to stay cool.

Startsmart- Try Terro ant bait. It worked really well when we had them in our kitchen. They swarmed all over the bait station and were completely gone within 48 hours. We tried several brands, but the ants completely ignored everything else. These have a really sticky liquid in
them, but the way you open it it doesn't get all over unless it is tipped to one side.

[singlemomky]

Honey- I don't have ant issues at the moment but is this a safe method w/pets in the house? I want to keep this solution in mind for future reference but do not want to harm my kitty. I know you have cats so I'm sure it is safe for the kitties to be around but I wanted to be sure.

[Honeylioness]

SMOKEY - My cats have never shown any interest in the bait. Besides, I place it inside cabinets, or on a pantry shelf or even slide it under the fridge for a few days.

Boric Acid is rated as a "Low" on the USDAs list of toxicity threats. And this excerpt is from a publication printed by The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) in a cooperative effort between Oregon State University and the United States Environmental Protection Agency:

Boric acid is very low to low in toxicity when ingested. The acute oral LD50 in mice is 3450 mg/kg and for rats ranges from 2660 - 5140 mg/kg

The LC50 values in mice for inhaled boron compounds range from 0.89 - 21.1 mg/L, indicating very low to low inhalation toxicity (2).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not required
acute inhalation toxicity studies for boric acid

• Boric acid is low in toxicity when applied to the skin (LD50>2000 mg/kg). It is poorly absorbed in rabbits across intact skin, but penetration is increased in damaged skin

The U.S. EPA classifies boric acid as low to very low in toxicity for skin irritation

This translates roughly into 1 oz of pure Boric Acid given to a 23.5 lb cat or dog, MIGHT prove fatal if they were to ingest that much on a regular basis.



I have never had any problems with my cats - however some home remedy website recommend using baits such as tuna juice ... that I would not do because the cats would be attracted to that.

[singlemomky]

Honey - good to know. Like I said, I don't have issues at the moment. My kitty does not get on my counters, etc. in the kitchen which is the most likely spot for ants in my house so he most likely would not even notice a small lid of 'stuff' up there.

[shanendoah]

Yesterday was a needed NSD. Hopefully today will be, too.
We'll probably go over to the MIL's tonight so she can shower, as I think tomorrow and Thursday won't be good days for it. We got no crisis phone calls yesterday, so that was good at least.
I did hear back from one of the assisted living places and their prices were closer to Seattle's. Makes me wonder if I read the number wrong on the "luxury" assisted living place I saw.

spruby: We aren't far enough along to be doing serious research yet. If we were to decide on a place in Vegas, we would probably ask DH's cousins who live there to go check it out for us before moving the MIL.
Right now, she does not qualify for Medicaid because she owns her condo in Reno and collects rent. Selling that reduces income, and if we need to reduce assets afterwards, we get her a nice set of dentures. She needs them and it would eat up $10k right there.
However, she's not at a point where Medicare would pay for any assisted living, so I'm not certain if Nevada Medicaid would pay. (Medicaid rules are fairly consistent, but they are all state run programs, so there can be variances.) Right now she only needs custodial care - help getting in and out of the shower, mostly. Someone to help her up when she falls. The knee surgery should help a lot of that, but yes, hw much an improvement there is will depend on whether or not she does her PT.

[startsmart]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll check them out in more detail tonight, may need to just empty and really clean up the freezer so there is nothing for them to find. I know thing have spilled and they're after the sticky stuff on the bottom of the freezer.

5 hours on the phone. without a break. Ridiculous.

[pointy]

update: 14/23 NS and 19/28 No QVC

[moneysquirrel]

Update: 10 NS and 7 CS days = 17 NS/CS Days
I have been away for the boards for a while -- out of town and no computer except for the phone. I was amazed as to how little I spend. Nothing to tempt me but I read a few good books, relaxed and visited with friends and family members.

Have quite a bit to read to be up to date with all of you.

[dakota4600]

Okay to was an NS/NEO day! I made a big batch of chicken enchiladas and now have 3 additional meals in the freezer. Then I decided to make homemade sopapillas. They were yummy. We froze the uncooked ones to fry up later. Hopefully they will puff up as well once they are defrosted.

[3catslady]

17/25 NSD/CSD, 1 SD, 1 EOD. I got a few groceries and I got a card for my phone. Total spend in budget was $5.57 for groceries and $22.19 for my phone card which will last me 3 months.

[MittenKitten]

sapphire: No DS#1 did NOT get to go on it. Bummer. The weather did clear but his turn had passed. BUT one of the grandparents DID give him a week for his birthday so I did sign him up for next week. I am thrilled since then he will be busy for a week WITHOUT screen time.

We are having wicked heat and humidity here. Heat indexes in the 110s. While we are used to humidity this is crazy, moneysquirrel I feel we are down in LA with you! How was your bead show? My MIL is into beads and makes some beautiful stuff. In fact we went to her home yesterday but with the weather it was kinda a boring day for the kids. Plus the vans air is not working right. We tried to go to a beach and it was closed. That lake is losing water, every place else here is overflowing but this one is spring fed and they don't know why. Then we went to a park but only stayed a short while it was so hot! Then we went to the river edge where the river has completely submerged the sidewalk. Kids played in the water there.

Came home to find DS#2 getting off the CareCab having a FIT. Good thing we got there, my mom couldn't have handled it. Another child on the carecab had toys similar to his and he thought they were his and was NOT going to give them up! Got him inside and gave him some new toys I had stashed away. That settled him down.

DF is no longer receiving unemployment so we will see what happens now. At least now I should be able to get him and DS#1 and DD insurance for the year for little to nothing. Oh and the rentals air conditioning is out which there is NO WAY I can afford to replace. The joys keep coming people!

To those with MIL issues I give you hugs. My grandmother HATES my dad's wife and can be very difficult. I am just grateful I am not the one to have to deal with her many issues. I will have to deal with my mom at some point but we have her pretty well set up in her detached townhome.

mizbear: get well! That is one stubborn infection.

[MittenKitten]

If anyone is in need of new shoes Naturalizer is having a 70% off sale online. Also if you sign up for their e-mails you will get a code for $10 off your first order. Shipping for the first pair is $6.50, $2.00/pair after that. In addition if you shop through Ebates you get 5% back. (If you already get their e-mails you can use NAT2011 for an additional 10% off your order)

I just bought a pair of walking shoes for $16.49 shipped. Since I have needed new shoes for over a year....

[sheilaincali]

MK- you be careful in this heat. It is NASTY down here. The Boy is at a Survivor camp through the Y and the heat is really messing with their schedule. They rush the kids out to do an outdoor activity in the morning and are back in the AC by lunch time. I understand but I am kind of disappointed. For the price I had to pay for the camp the fact that he is only able to do 50% of the activities is a let down. As members he can swim at the Y for free and that seems to be the bulk of their afternoon activities this week. Oh well- he is still having fun and it gets him out of the house all day. Next week tennis camp starts back up again.

Sorry about DF's UE benefits ending that's a major bummer.

[shanendoah]

Yesterday was a CSD. Today will be one as well.
DH's class decided to to a potluck tomorrow for their last meeting. He went to the store last night to get what he needed to make his savory cheesecake. Naturally, he forgot something. So, we'll be going back to the store today.

MIL: So one place I heard from in Vegas had Seattle level rates. Another place wrote back but didn't answer my questions about costs. However, doing the search a little differently, I found 2 places here in Seattle that look like they can fit in her budget. I've heard back from one (which actually had prices on line) and we'll probably see about trying to visit them sometime this weekend or next week.
Haven't heard from the other, but its specifically listed as affordable assisted living, and they take Medicaid.
Its looking more and more like we might need to make the changes necessary to get the MIL on Medicaid.
She needs to have a pulmonary function test in order to have her knee surgery. The first time she went to take the test she apparently had problems following directions and couldn't do the breathing part. I talked to the tech today, and we'll hopefully get her in on Monday with DH there, and see if we can do this the second time around. The tech is doubtful, but understands where we're coming from in at least needing to try.
I am hoping that even if she can't complete the test, they will let us sign a whole bunch of waivers and still get her the knee surgery.
If she becomes wheelchair bound at this point, she will stop being able to even stand up to go to the bathroom or get in to bed on her own. . She will need a caregiver pretty much full time and that's just not an option.

I am really frustrated by this because it just seems like every time we gain some momentum, a new speed bump pops up.


heat: Everyone in the hot areas, take care of yourselves. Lots of water and all that. Be careful.

[singlemomky]

Ugh heat - we're at 86 w/a heat index of 97 right now; supposed to hit indexes of 110+ the rest of the week. Good thing my DSis has a pool

[dakota4600]

I'm sick of the heat. On the long range forecast the lowest high temp for the next 10 days in 92 and lowest low is 73.

I need to find motivation to work out. I've been watching what I eat for the last month and have only dropped a pound. It is frustrating. (I even took a PG test (negative) since I'm not losing anything.) But I really hate the heat and working out in general is boring. In Colorado it was easier, because it was cooler and there was someplace to go (ie a destination on a hike, not just around the neighborhood.)

[muttleynfelix]

I'm with you guys on the heat. I am so sick of it. It has been in the 90s since June! I know this stretch of hot weather hasn't bad as bad for us as it has been farther north, but I am so done. WE have a float trip Saturday. It is suppose to be 98.... of course the river is spring fed and has the fabulous temp of 58F!! What a contrast. I'm on day #2 of a raging sinus head ache as well. Yesterday I didn't take anything and it just got worse and worse. Today, I'm at least attempting to manage it. Of course it didn't help that the headache actually started as a tension headache from a work problem and so I didn't realize what the actual cause was until later.

[startsmart]

Ants are leaving! I had a few ant stakes from my mom that i put on top of the fridge and now the only non-frozen ants I see are moving like they're drunk! Victory is mine. Now I just have to clean up the carcasses.

weather- is actually lovely here. I'm accustomed to summers in the 100s up to 116 but right now it's 77 (at 10am) with a high of 98 this week. sorry for all of you dealing with heat and humidity - that's a lethal combo!

Yesterday ended up being a NSD as I worked for 5 hours, took a 2 hour break, and then worked for 6 more hours.

Tomorrow I'm having my screen on the front door replaced, working on the website I'm building (a volunteer gig) and working for my client.

[Deleted]

Startsmart, my mom and aunt were complaining about the cold weather and I told they I took the warm weather back to buffalo with me. The weather in buffalo is closer to SJ normal temps and the SJ temps are closer to buffalo normal temps. ;D

[azmom]

I am not sure exactly sure where I am at with my CSD/NSD and that is not a good thing. I know it can't be much because I do not have a heck of a bunch of money to spend! Pay day is Friday and I am counting down the days. I'll be doing an update on my challenge on my blog tomorrow so I should have my exact numbers tonight. Spend days are on the horizon and I want to set a budget BEFORE it gets out of hand. School Shopping, Football Gear, Camping Trip, Running Shoes to name a few.

For those of you who have kids: How do you set a back to school budget. Is it a per kid amount, a total amount, etc? I made a very streamlined list of things the kids need (I say that loosely because if they had to they could go to school tomorrow and be fine but they do need new shoes, a few more articles of clothing and DD is starting 5th grade and wants things like accessories) and for two kids I am at $400. Included in that our school supplies we donate to each of their teachers. I always want to know what the average (frugal) back to school mom spends to see where I match up.

Heat: Sorry to all of you dealing with it. Like SS we are pretty much accustomed to 100+++ degree heat here but not with as much humidity. We are stuck inside and I can either run very early in the morning like when the sun comes up at 5 a.m. or go to the gym when DH gets home to get my workouts in. Needless to say my workouts suffer greatly during the Summer months.

I finally signed up for a twitter account and I am still really confused. I know how to send out a tweet and figured out how to follow people but I do not understand what the # means or pretty much all of the other lingo. **sigh**

Zippy and Midwestern: You all are doing fantastic! Do you have any questions need any help with any areas you are struggling with. When I first started I asked a ton of questions about meal planning because my grocery budget was out of control and I started there. I also lived about an hour outside of town and had a trial and error period with packing snacks and consolidating shopping trips. Stars really helped me keep track and keep me motivated. Just wanted to put that out there because I know we get a little chatty and some of us have being this for a while, I sometimes forget what it was like to first get started. So ask away and jump right in with any questions.

[startsmart]

azmom- for twitter # or hashtagging is just a way to follow trends. So if 500 people started talking about #wir to discuss the women in red or #back2school or anything you can click on the # to see everyone who has used that tag in a post. We use it in my business to connect with others who are in our programs.

As for back to school, I don't doubt it's expensive. Though I don't have kids myself, I usually donate to classrooms this time of year. What items come up year after year? I would recommend a running list so you can stock up throughout the year by watching sales. I know kleenex goes on sale in winter and some teachers request it in the fall. Same with tape, index cards, binders... can you start stockpiling those and hide them away in a tupperware container so in the summer you don't need to spend as much $?

gin- I'm definitely not complaining about the cooler temps! While the farmers may not like it and the tomato crop may come late I love this break in the heat! Especially when I can work from my porch and relax outside without feeling like I'll die! So, no rush to return the weather

new client - I have a new client this week to do some copy writing for a website. We will have two main pages up by the end of the month and then might extend the contract for blogging. It's nice to have some extra cash coming and now I have to decide if I will pay down debt faster, save for the job transition or go to Mexico. Decisions, decisions!

p.s. Mexico wouldn't even be an option except I found a wonderful place for $150 for 10 nights, beach front, wifi and round trip airfare for $500. So tempting.