(NEW) SMART SPENDING CHAT THREAD

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

$225

That's the difference between the W-2 that the USAF gave us in January, and the revised one that arrived in today's mail. (My wonderful DH actually earned $225 less than they originally reported.)

So ... do we need to file amended federal and state returns, or what?

[marvholly]

Molly
Run the new numbers thru something like turbotax or tac act & see if there is enough change to other doing amended returns.

Talk about a day gone WRONG!!!

It was cold and snow on the ground in the am.  Did NOT greatly improve.  Just enough to melt the snow. 

A blogger I regularly read had posted about cleaning the shelves of her fridge in the dishwasher.  Tear apart my fridge.  Shelves do NOT fit in my dishwasher.  Did the bins & door shelves in dw.  Did the glass interior shelves by hand.

11 am DD1 calls.  Party back on.  Changed my lunch plan.  Plan is to shower, run a couple errands, get gas & go to party.  Only ended up hitting
CVS for my Rx.

Why you ask?  Because you CANNOT get there from here.  DD1 lives about 15 mi nearly due west of me.  The river between our places is notorious for flooding if it rains 3 days in a row or >3 inches.  Town halfway between us had just about EVERY E/W street closed to traffic.  I did a 'tour' of many back streets that I have never been on or seen before, many on a confusing angle.  Took me >1 hr to get to her place when it is generally 30-35 minutes.

Coming home I decide to take the BIG, main street.  The one I HATE because of all the malls, strip shopping centers and traffic lights.  Yep.  Closed near the river.  Had to go quite a bit further north to find an open, eastbound road.  Travel time: yep, over an hour again.

Today I still need to hit the library & Aldi.  Will prob do CVS & WAG too.

[mrsdutt]

MARV:

[TheOtherMe]

Great news on the mom and dad house front!   Saturday showing resulted in an offer!!!  Unfortunately, the realtor advised them to counter.  DS and I don't want to be playing games.  We both told mom that if buyer says no to counter, accept original offer and let's get this done.  Mom said offer does not require any inspections.  Only contingency is the loan.  It's a couple, but the man is buying house in his name and apparently is going to get this house.  Turns out realtor overheard them at a restaurant on Friday evening and that is why he advised countering.

Mom still does not understand that they will be out of house by time of closing.  Once price is agreed on, we will need realtor to explain this AGAIN.  

Closing is set for June 14. We are hoping to move them either first or second Saturday in June.  

Now if mom will just get well.  

Mom didn't tell DS they had countered.  She made it sound like it was a done deal to her.  I asked exactly where it stood and found out about they had countered.  Am hoping he came back with something in the middle.  Told her to take it and quit playing around with selling house.  

Weather wise, we had a very cold day yesterday, but the sun was out.  Today, it is cloudy, windy and cold and looks like rain again.  Trees here are not budding either.  

We do not need rain.  We need for farmers to be able to plant.

[Sharon]

Theo that is great news on the parents house.  Hopefully everything continues to progress towards the sale.  With your Mom you will probably have to take it one step at a time and not worry her with the details of things that are coming.   Get the offer accepted and then worry about the packing and moving.  Your parents probably feel that they can't move until the house closes and they have money in hand.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Theo, fingers crossed for the sale to go through!

Holly, sorry about your hassles.

Sharon, yay for pizza time with your nephew!


My wonderful DH is off .... he called from Denver after landing there, and once again after he boarded a plane to Houston. I think he has a 2 hour layover in Houston before boarding the last flight to Peru. He won't have cell coverage in Peru ... so we'll be emailing, mostly.

A friend gave me a basket of strawberries, and I had some with breakfast instead of my usual bananannananananana! A nice change.... and leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.


Dinner tonight will be chicken and broccoli and probably a starch/side dish of some sort. I will figure that out later. (I just like to have a plan for my proteins!) In fact, I expect to be eating chicken for at least 4 meals .... I think I will eat something else for lunch today, chicken for dinner, chicken for lunch and dinner tomorrow ... after that, maybe chicken for Tuesday morning breakfast, lol! (The joys of being "single" again, hee hee hee.)

I actually stopped by Whole Foods yesterday to pick up a quiche and they didn't have any! Oh nooo! That was my go-to lunch plan for the week. Oh well, sandwiches work too, of course. I will try again some other time. That is where I picked up the chicken that will dominate my life for the next 48 hours, lol! I am currently well-stocked for groceries and probably won't need to make a grocery run until Wednesday as I've got cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, apples, bananas, strawberries, bread, milk, etc... And some frozen salmon patties and chicken sausages in the freezer, too.

Maybe I will go exploring in the freezer and see what else is in there? This may be a great chance to get some stuff eaten up and taken care of!

[Sharon]

It must be a chicken kind of day.  I have a chicken in the oven right now baking.  DD and I will have that and some roasted asparagus sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.  I have a box of stove top stuffing in the pantry that I picked up over the holidays when it was on sale, may or may not cook that up also.

The chicken was mainly baked to have lunch meat for the week.  I am really tired of deli meat and much prefer "real" mean in the my sandwiches at lunch time.

[TheOtherMe]

Apr 21, 2013 12:26:42 GMT -5 Sharon said:

Theo that is great news on the parents house.  Hopefully everything continues to progress towards the sale.  With your Mom you will probably have to take it one step at a time and not worry her with the details of things that are coming.   Get the offer accepted and then worry about the packing and moving.  Your parents probably feel that they can't move until the house closes and they have money in hand.

Mom says she worries all the time about the actual move.  Yes, get the offer accepted and then deal with things as they come.  

Sharon, you are correct that they want money in hand, but there is no way to move them on closing day.  Using cheap labor (grandsons) who have Monday through Friday jobs, means the move has to happen on a weekend--actually a Saturday.  They want to unload them and then help them get settled in on Sunday so people can go back to work on Monday.

I did talk to DS just a bit ago.  We know the things they don't want that are in the house and DS is taking most of it.  I get a sewing machine in a cabinet.  DS gets her bed back and a hide a bed she doesn't want.  I think I get metal shelving from the garage as I need some for my garage.  

Thanks everybody for listening.

[TheOtherMe]

Sorry about all your problems, Holly.  

I feel very lucky that I have not had water in my basement.  I have checked every day and there is no water done there.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Yay! He's landed safely and they've been slowly enduring customs for the last 2 hours! (And they're still not all the way through!) He borrowed someone's phone who has international coverage ... I didn't expect to hear from him, but it was nice to hear his voice!

[marvholly]

Theotherme
GREAT news about the house. 

Well I did get my other stops from Sat done on Sun + library.   Got 5 books, 2 by authors I know and LOVE.  I 'should' do some housework today but I generally procratinate doing that as much as possible.

[mrsdutt]

Apr 21, 2013 23:47:03 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

Yay! He's landed safely and they've been slowly enduring customs for the last 2 hours! (And they're still not all the way through!) He borrowed someone's phone who has international coverage ... I didn't expect to hear from him, but it was nice to hear his voice!

Yay!
 
THEO:  It's nice to see things are looking up for you with the sale of the home.  I know it's stressful to go through selling a home.  Have a wine and a bubble bath and relaxing time is here.

We went to a craft fair this weekend.  I bought 2 things, then felt buyer's remorse.  I didn't need them and they were for me.  Gosh I wish I'd grow up.  I'm really trying to not be this way when I spend money.  Oh well, time will help me out.

The weather is dreary, so I napped this afternoon.  I cleaned the powder room and changed some of the decor and hung up the wreath I bought in the living room.

Frozen Pizza Hut pizza for dinner, nuked and some fruit.  I'm saving the small amount of ice cream I have for snack tomorrow.  Milk man doesn't come until Friday so I have to make the ice cream last.  It's to die for!

Stay safe.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I am trying to do a better job of eating what's in the house v. running to buy "new" (read: more interesting, tastier, pricier, etc.) food. So far, so good .... but I am just on Day #2, LOL. Will have leftover chicken for lunch, plus some toast, and an apple. (I try for some protein, a carb, and a fruit/veggie). Then I will have leftover chicken for dinner, along with some broccoli, some marinated mushrooms/sliced tomatoes, and probably a banana since they're passing their prime. (My apple will be my lunch veggie, but my banana will be my dinner carb, lol!) If I need more carbs, I will have popcorn this evening as a snack..... or crackers .... or Fritos. (yum!) I finished off the strawberries with breakfast.

 

Currently 85 and heading for 92. Later this afternoon I will probably take a half-dip in the pool ... just enough to cool off, not enough to freeze, lol! I do have a ceiling fan on already this year.

 

The CPA said to bring in a copy of the old W-2 and the new W-2 and he'd take a look at it.

 

 

[Sharon]

I am continuing on the decluttering/cleaning of the office/sewing room.  Today I took an old TV, an old computer and assorted cables to the recycling center.  It is free to drop these items off you just need to drive them there.  The room is looking better and better.  It of course won't be fully clean until the wedding is done.  This does make more room for wedding stuff as needed.  Next up is to reglue a leg on a chair.  Once that is done the chair can go back to the kitchen.

[TheOtherMe]

When I got home from my dentist appointment today, I had an email from the realtor.  Mom and dad had countered and the buyer countered.  They are now apart $2,000.  Realtor wanted to know if they should counter for another $1,000.  Told him to call me ASAP.  When we talked I told him that we are done countering, that they are not going to lose this buyer over $1,000.  I can't believe it, but the buyer has not seen the disclosures on the house.  I always saw those as I was looking or before.  He is going over those tonight.  Only issue is that when they get a 4 or 5 inch rain, they get some seepage.  They keep it cleaned up with towels and it's never caused damage.  Hopefully, that will not hinder the sale.  

I also got a phone call today from the daughter of one of my rep payee clients.  I didn't mind until she told me how she got my phone number.  I had given Social Security permission to give my number to her, but she got it from the bank.  She had her mother at her place and called the electric company and found out the bank that was paying the bill.  Then they called the bank and found out the account balance (that was fine).  However, the personal banker also gave out my name and phone number.  I called the rep payee coordinator at the bank and, no, that is supposed to be confidential.  I do not want this client's son to have my phone number or to know how to contact me.  I do not trust him and from what the daughter said, I should not trust him.  He's an alcoholic and verbally abuses his mother as well as financially.  Well, the financial abuse is over.  Bank looked at the last two checks and saw that he signed the checks over to a bar and put a stop payment on the one I mailed Saturday.  Surprise time.  Checks are now going to the daughter.  This son is not feeding his mother.  She gets the one meal a day provided by the local senior center and that is it.  How can people treat their parent that way?

[Sharon]

Theo that lady is lucky to have you in her life.  Is the same lady whose son was having her living in a shed in the backyard?  How sad though that she needs your services when she has two children who SHOULD be looking out for her.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Theo, I am glad you're there for your clients ~ and that you're diligent. Grrr to the bank for invading your privacy ... I would complain to the manager over that.

Yay! Emails and a phone call from my wonderful DH! (He called using his computer!) Apparently, the breakfast buffets in Peru feature broccoli and chicken in mushroom sauce and salad with snow peas and artichokes. (My wonderful DH was in heaven!) Bacon and eggs were also involved. He also learned at dinner that ordering a steak "medio" (medium) means "really, really, really rare!"  (The silly thing? I bought a book on Peru cuisine and warned him about this ... he remembered that afterward!) Anyway, he's dealing with jet lag but really exercising his language skills already. Today they had "in briefing" and some meetings at the Embassy .... tomorrow are the "Opening Ceremonies." (Whatever that means!) He would've missed lunch entirely if one of the other guys hadn't saved my wonderful DH some chicken McNuggets. (I laughed at that .... someone's traveled all the way to Peru and their idea of culinary adventure is McDonalds? On the first day? )

I spent an hour today looking for toilet paper. We bought some at Sam's and my wonderful DH stashed it somewhere in the house. Nope. Could Not Find. So I ordered some from Amazon that will be here in 2 days. (I still have a few rolls.) Apparently this stockpiling thing works better if it's not treated like an Easter Egg hunt or hide and seek! It must be somewhere VERY weird ... it's not in any of the three bathrooms, it's not in the walk-in pantry, it's not in the garage (by the paper towels), it's not in the Yellow Room closet (where the surplus cat food lives.) I know it's not in the laundry room or the office.

[marvholly]

Hired a new lawn service this year.  I have NOT been happy w/my old one for MNY years but the $ was right.  this guy is the same $ and appears to actually care.  He rang the bell when they finished to make SURE I saw what they had done.

I will make it my business to be home on service day for at least a month to be sure it is going right.  We discussed the WAAAY overgrown state of my bushes & he asked about 'trimming'.  Plan is a major cutback prob next week.  I definatly want to be here for that.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Who stashes toilet paper inside suitcases!?!?!?!

 

MEN!!!

[snapdragon]

Apr 23, 2013 16:20:19 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

Who stashes toilet paper inside suitcases!?!?!?!

 

MEN!!!

I was going to suggest you check the back of the vehicle - too funny!

Was he planning on asking you to send him a suitcase?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

  I am sure he was thinking, "Hey, look at all this unused space!"

[motherto2]

 Molly, too funny!!!  Who would think a suitcase?  I had a toilet paper scare last week that makes me rethink my TP strategy.  I buy stuff that's like the old Scott's TP from Aldi.  It works just fine for me.  I've been buying the "fluffier" stuff for the kids and guests.  Weelll. after the week I had last week, I'm going to keep with the fluffier stuff.  My folks had to go and buy me more.  I think I went through about 8 rolls (sorry, TMI ).  But I also realized it's not good to get down to one or two rolls, just in case. 

Theo, fingers are crossed that the house is a done deal soon!  You will get them moved one way or another.  Hope your mom is feeling better. 

I got a letter from someone regarding my dad's estate and a court date.  It doesn't really say what it is for, but it's a bank, and it has some other banks/companies listed, so my assumption is he must have had some outstanding stuff.  Since I was never allowed to have a copy of the will or to know what was going on with his stuff, I have no idea what is going on with it.  I had decided a couple of years ago not to stress out over it, but seems weird to hear something three years after his passing.

My kayak came in!  Super stoked.  My first mate and I sat on it for a few minutes.  Since the weather is pretty chilly again, we won't be using it for a bit, so I'm going to get him used to it on dry land in the living room.  I even bought him a life jacket.  He looks pretty spiffy, but he gets really offended when I put any sort of clothing on him.  I figure he stands still like a statue when he gets something on, so maybe he'll sit very still when we get out on the water!!!  Had to figure out what scupper plugs were, and whether I needed them or not.  Still not sure about those, but it looks like mostly it could be personal preference.

[Sharon]

That reminds me Fred Meyer has my preferred brand of toilet paper on sale this week.  I need to do some stocking up, only I store my excess TP in the pantry.

They are tearing down a house that sits on some acreage near my house.  The lady who lived there for years was an avid gardener.  Since I know the bulldozers will be coming shortly to start building a subdivision I went down and transplanted some of her plants this evening.

If the house was for sale and someone else would be living there I would never have dug up the plants but the house was half torn down this evening after work and I had read in the paper that we are getting a new subdivision.

[TheOtherMe]

Apr 22, 2013 21:09:48 GMT -5 Sharon said:

Theo that lady is lucky to have you in her life.  Is the same lady whose son was having her living in a shed in the backyard?  How sad though that she needs your services when she has two children who SHOULD be looking out for her.

This is the lady.  The daughter did say she is living in the house.  The daughter will be taking over as her representative payee as soon as Social Security and her get it arranged.  There is another daughter and son who winter in Texas and don't want the responsibility of their mother.  From the way the daughter explained it, the son doesn't even visit his mother.  Perhaps he can't stand to see what has happened with his younger brother or he doesn't care.  I don't know.  

I want her to be financially taken care of.  The agency where I volunteer would like her in a family member's hands, so if the daughter does it properly, she can do it.

[TheOtherMe]

Mom and dad's house is under contract!  Now to get them through the rest of the steps.  Mom said she didn't understand any of the stuff the realtor says will happen from here on out.  Only thing she does understand is a termite inspection, but she thinks the city does it.  That doesn't make sense to me.

Molly, that's funny about the toilet paper in the suitcase.  I store mine on shelves in the garage.  

I did talk to the supervisor at the bank.  She was composing an email to upper management the employee's manager as we talked.  Then she read it back to me.  She said the employee would be reprimanded within the hour.  I have no idea of what that means and I don't care.  She said he wasn't new, but that is still no excuse.  She could have given out my phone number to the son I don't want to have it. She left my email address in as  contact info.  If that gets given out and he contacts me by email, I am to forward it to her and not respond to the son.  Can do.  The employee had a strange name.  Daughter had taken notes and spelled it for me.  There was an employee by that name and manager I spoke with knew which branch he works in.  Sorry for getting him in trouble, but he will be in worse trouble if daughter gives my number to her brother.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

My house is clean ~ yay!

One load of laundry completely done and hung up/put away ~ yay!

Quilt is still in the dryer. (Cat barfed on it, this wasn't a planned laundry day for the quilt!)

Spent the day looking for a foster home for 2 fluffy bottle baby kittens and we were successful ~ yay! Also got the rescue's Amazon.com Wishlist updated. And worked on some more listings of cats who could be sponsored. All in all, a productive day online in the rescue world.

Made it to the grocery store today and picked up assorted stuff. Forgot tomatoes. Oh well, next time! Will need broccoli soon ... have one serving or so, left.

After dinner (while it was still light out), I filled bird feeders and refilled the bird bath and hosed off the front sidewalk (bird poop). Also watered some dry spots on the lawn. There's a lovely full moon tonight, but I came in because I was getting dive-bombed by skeeters.

Splurge for the day ~ ordered a cute Japanese silicon coin purse today that looks like a calico cat face. It was cute and I wanted it! SQUEE!

My wonderful DH called tonight and reponded to my emails. So far, so good down in Peru. He's enjoying the food but says today's lunch was waaaay expensive (over $50) ... and that was for chicken! Seems some of the restaurants really cater to a wealthy elite. He's resolved to try to find better values when he can. (They get $90/day for per diem and I doubt he'll spend that every day ... so there's room for splurges here and there)

[marvholly]

Trees are finally buddin out here.  Noticed when I took the trash out Mon.  However, we are supposed to be somewhat cooler than avg (40's) and get some rain over the next few days.  Forecast is for 60's over the weekend but that is likely to change being this far out.

Molly
I would NEVER have thought to check suitcases.  We/I only store traveling type stuff there.

[mrsdutt]

We're suppose to get to the 70s today.  No clouds in sight, so maybe we'll make it.

I spent yesterday morning cooking and baking.  I made enough bisque to last me through today and a nice apple pie.  Hopefully that will last through today.

I spent a couple hours watching (playing) with the baby too.  DD3 took the oldest to the store with her and baby and granny played.  She is such a joy.  I love when they see their moms and get so excited they squeel.

No plans yet today.  I need to get out of the house for a while.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Today was a quiet day.

I did some reading.
I did a lot of online stuff for the rescue. And made some calls.
I picked lemons from my tree and gave them to a neighbor (she makes fresh lemonade!)
I chatted twice with my wonderful DH (all is well.)
I took a brief dip in the pool and watched a swoopy mockingbird eat berries off our tree/bush.

Otherwise, I wasn't super motivated to do chores or decluttering.

[marvholly]

We were forecast to have rain/snow overnight.  Got the rain but so far NO snow & not too likely since it is nearly sunup.

Wed was my BIG grocery/errands day.  7 stops in 3 hr 10 min.  Did REALLY well on meat & produce. 

Need to do 2 loads of laundry and clean up the kitchen.