(NEW) SMART SPENDING CHAT THREAD

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I feel like I've been eating chinese food leftovers for days, lol! Heh heh heh. The downside, I suppose, to getting takeout chinese food, is that there's so much of it that you end up eating it for 4+ meals in a row! Or maybe that's just me? Anyway, I told my wonderful DH that the last of the chow mein was all his! (smile)

One of our local F-16s from my wonderful DH's base crashed yesterday afternoon, and the pilot ejected safely. Of course, this was one of the guys that my wonderful DH knows and works with. I must admit, as the wife of a military pilot, these sorts of things scary the heck out of me and tend to make me jumpy and sad/scared for a few days. One of my wonderful DH's good friends/coworkers was killed in a plane crash just 2 years ago Thanksgiving, and this reminded us, once again, of the harsh reality about the careers that these dedicated men have chosen. Anyway, I'm doing my best to "shake it off," ya know?

Saturday means Petco, and we should be busy and up to our elbows in kittens (which is a good thing.)

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

In a burst of efficiency and domesticity, we cleaned out the closet in the laundry room and tossed/donated a LOT of stuff. We've decided that the walls/shelves/shutter-doors for the closet all are screaming out to be sanded and repainted bright white, so that's on our upcoming project list. We've also decided that we're replacing the floral wallpaper-clad stained sink with a nifty white one from Home Depot (ordered today), and we're replacing the floral wallpaper-clad old ceiling fan with a simple frosted glass light fixture. (It's a pretty small room and always seemed smaller and crowded with that ceiling fan, which we didn't really use.) My wonderful DH has already replaced the floral wallpaper-clan switchplate cover with a white one. (Nope, we're not replacing the floral wallpaper ... too difficult with the washer/dryer in there, but we decided to freshed everything else up!)

[marvholly]

I, too, had an accomplished day on Fri.

I finished all my paperwork.
I got my Dad an appointment to be 'interviewed" for his disabled transit card. that is going to be fun as Dad has had hearing problems for 50 years and does NOT speak very clearly these days. I DO plan to go with him.

I found my MIA snow shovel. Did not need to use as both north & south neighbors shoveled.

[mrsdutt]

Today appears to be my day to put things in order. I've put away all of the Christmas decorations other than the tree. I was happy to find a top shelf in a large cupboard in the kitchen held all of the items, with a few stashed in the cupboard over the microwave. I have a few loads of laundry today too. The sheets upstairs have to be washed along with the Christmas tablecloth and new items from under the tree. The rainy weather assists me in staying home to accomplish these things. I made a list of things that I still need around the house. I keep forgetting to get a ladder so I can change the furnace filter and upstairs light bulbs along with the fire alarms. God knows how disturbing those things are when they need a new battery. (Well downstairs too.)

I'm in one of my grateful moods today. Already my house is filling up with things that makes it a home. SIL2 found a set of ceramic measuring spoons that he thought I would like. I'm going to hang them next to the stove. Things like that.
I'm also getting estimates for a closet in the office this year to make it an official bedroom. I have decided I will paint the 2 downstairs bathrooms and perhaps the living room / living area.

[Sharon]

I am going to work on getting that last of the Christmas things put away. This may or may not include the outside lights. I usually like to keep the outside lights up a little longer.

Santa in the big brown truck, with the brown uniform delivered my new steam mop yesterday. I am going to try it out today and see if it works as well as everyone says.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

We had 12 kittens adopted today at Petco! (That's the best day, yet!) YAY!

My wonderful DH talked to the pay people and the last of his combat-zone related pay will pay on January 4, yay!

[marvholly]

Woke up SUPER early today. Got my meal plan for the week done except for 1 breakfast & 1 lunch.


I only went to the post office on Sat. Had to mail that paperwork I completed and 1 had to be weighed.

Today I need to run to CVS & Dominicks (Safeway). I have a particular flavor of soda on order for this week and the grocery has an item I WANT for dinner tonight. Need to fit these errands in around the political talk shows & the Bears game.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

My wonderful DH went to Home Depot this afternoon to pick up an 8 ft outdoor/white blind for in front of our living room window since finchies keep going THUD against the glass.

He came home with three bags of groceries (and the blind). Seems he stopped at the grocery outlet, LOL! He's quite the bargain hunter: He bought a huge ham (bone in) (I see a lot of ham in my future~and will freeze some!) He also found sugar free jellos and puddings for me (yum), and short-dated Kraft string cheese for just 75 cents a package. (We'll use one, and give the other to our cheese-loving friend/chore-girl!) He also found some canned soups and frozen stuff, too. And he had fun, which is nice! While I put things away (did I mention the ginormous ham?), he hung up the blind ... so, hopefully, no more window splats. (We already had a really nice/pricey blind in front of the dining room windows, but since the living room window is largely hidden behind trees and bushes, we opted for a less expensive blind that's about 1/5th the price.

I will be glad when Tuesday arrives and this end-of-the-year online cat rescue fundraiser is over ~ it's a lot of work. (And I'm tired of urging people to "LIKE ABC30 Action news and they will donate 50 cents to The Cat House on the Kings!" I've written than a gazillion times this past week!) Looks like we'll have raised between $6,000 and $7,000 though, which is nice.

[TheOtherMe]

Prepared the church newsletter today and will go send it out in the morning.

Think I will ask the church treasurer to date the check for December with the 31st so I get the benefit of the lesser self-employment tax on this amount. I'm guess that will go away for 2013.

I do have errands in town tomorrow, so will go there from church.

Need to get my Christmas decorations down, but I'm still enjoying it. One small tree had the lights go out last night. I've been using that one since about 2001 or 2002. Paid $20 for it, so it has served it's purpose even if my mom never liked it because the tree was red not green.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Ahhh choo! (Hoping this is allergies and not a cold!)

Happy New Year, Chatterboxes

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Congress finally passed the military pay raise for 2013 ... 1.7 percent increase of base pay. For us, that means $144 per month (pre-tax, of course). But the 2.0 percent decrease in Social Security witholding is also expiring ... which means that the pay raise goes poof, and then some. Fortunately, there's also a small increase in tax-free BAS (basic allowance for subsistence) and BAH (basic allowance for housing) .... a total of $527 per month .... so my thought is we might actually see a small increase in my wonderful DH's 2013 paychecks .... I will have to wait and see. (None of this, of course, factors in any increase in income tax rates that have been floating around....) My gut feeling and hope is that we end up with a few extra hundreds each month for 2013 (which would be nice..... so many see no raises or have furloughs or job losses.)

Speaking of work, my wonderful DH actually went back to work today. His plan is to submit leave paperwork for Jan 2 through Friday January 11 .... then probably start working again since he needs to do planning and prep work for heading to Texas in February. I expect he'll be gone most of February and March to Texas. (Last year, you will recall, he was there in March and April, spending much of May in Arizona and Washington.) The best news? No word (so far) of having to deploy again overseas to Afghanistan ... yay! yay! yay!

Just 592 days until he "vests" with a 20-year active duty retirement. (August 1, 2014) ;D

My plan today is to continue to declutter the laundry room

[mrsdutt]

Today I filed away every single piece of paper that has come through the door this year. Some were already filed, but I'm known for (at times) putting papers in the right place, just not the specific spot. I cleaned out the fridge and freezer too. I found some bacon and will enjoy a BLT tonight. I paid some bills and did my checkbook.

The list of items I should purchase soon includes a good pillow. I bought one today from QVC. The rep had to open a new user account because it's been years since I last purchased something from them. I need a shredder too, but won't pay the high price for one. So I tear things up small and put them in 3 piles and they go out in 3 different weekly loads. Oh the things we do to save our pride!

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I find it pretty simple to just personally shred/cut up paperwork at night in front of the TV, then dispose of it in batches with bags full of cat poop. (We have a never-ending supply of cat poop!) ;D

[mrsdutt]

So it's not just me??? ;D

[Sharon]

We have been very busy the last couple of days. We have found a couple of good deals on craigslist for DD's first apartment. I found 4 wooden farmhouse chairs for $40. We still need a table but have seen several tables listed. Also found a double dresser for $30, it is kind of scratched but I think a little old english furniture polish will help it a great deal. It looks like her fiance's family has a double bed that they will let her borrow for the next 6 months.

Today DD went and tried on wedding dresses. We did not find THE dress but had fun even so. I only got teary eyed when another girl found her dress and rang the bell.

Tonight I am making hamburger soup and staying home. If I am lucky I might be able to stay awake until 9pm.

[Peace77]

Sharon,

Don't forget to check the Free section of Craigslist and Freecycle for free deals

[TheOtherMe]

Woke up with a cold or something. I did go to church and get the newsletter sent out. One person on the Leadership Team didn't understand that 12 PM Sunday for the deadline meant 12 noon. He sent his part at 12:21 AM, so I had to re-do the newsletter this morning. Another person sent their article to the Pastor but not to me so I had to call him and have him forward it.

Came home and took a long nap. I don't feel any better. I know there is all kinds of crud around and I have it. I'm freezing one minute and way too hot the next minute. Lucy is taking care of me.

I do own a shredder. I have all the information I need for my tax return on spreadsheets and saved on my computer. I need to go through my box of receipts for this year and toss those that don't have identifying information and shred the rest. Actually, I can take a grocery bag full at a time to my new bank.

I did call about the money in my escrow account at the old bank. Was told they will process the refund the week of January 7. At least I have a time frame now of when to expect the money.

Church treasurer agreed to date check December 31 so I can save the 2% on the SE tax.

[marvholly]

Back sometime in July I determined that I wanted to hit 2000 posts by the end of the year. I exceeded that by hitting 2237.

Lynn
I need to finish my 2012 filing too.

Molly
I have a FULL shredder container and also mix it w/my used kitty litter.

Sharon
I remember shopping for wedding dresses w/DD2. I was the ONLY one to bring my digital camera (before nearly every cell phone had it). I shot front & back pix of the ‘acceptable’ ones. She really appreciated that.

[Sharon]

I was snapping pics of the wedding dresses yesterday. We went for the overall picture of DD in the dress and then a close up of the detailing on the bodice.

I have a pile of shredding that needs to be done, mostly old loan documents from mortgages. I will keep the current set of loan documents but the rest are going to be shredded. I went to the county and got printouts showing that all the other mortgages had been paid and properly recorded with the county showing as paid. I have refi'ed multiple times in the 16 years that I have been living in this house.

[mrsdutt]

I don't know why, but I have spent the past five days so filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. It feels pretty nice.

I'm going to make sauce today and share with the family this week. I love meatballs. Well, my meatballs.

Happy New Year to each of you. May this year bring you nothing but goodness.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

It's 2013! (And a sunny day, here!) Chilly though ... 53!

I am feeling retrospective-y today.

For me, 2012 had several focal points ~

(1) volunteering full-time for a nonprofit and helping to turn their finances from the red to the black. We now have an "emergency fund" (reserves) and some funds for capital improvements/infrastructure.

(2) Afghanistan ... after 8 deployments to Iraq, my wonderful DH deployed to Afghanistan for four months and returned safely. This came on the heels of 2 months in Texas for him, and a month in Arizona/Washington ... so he was gone for about 7 months of 2012. We both long for the day when deployments and repeated separations like that are behind us, but the homecomings are sweet.

(3) Renovations ... around our home were my projects for the year. In the spring we took out some flower beds/old front walk/porch and had pavers put in. We also de-wallpapered a bathroom and three rooms now have a fresh coat of paint (new colors) and new artwork/accessories Oh, and I got that nifty locking brick mailbox out front I'd been wanting!

(4) We also said goodbye this year to two of our furry family members: siblings Daniel and Gracie (11 and 12 years old) ... which was hard and sad.

[TheOtherMe]

Very cold day here. Started below zero and only got to the low teens. When I took the trash out, it was ridiculously cold. Lucy really wanted to go in the garage when I was getting the trash and recycling ready, but I managed to stop her.

I have had my television hooked up to a sound system. The sound system died today. I had to figure out how to hear sound through the tv. I bought the tv for a great price as an out of box set with no manual or remote. Google was my friend and I took the laptop over to the tv and found a site that walked me through how to get sound on the tv. It's just not 5.1 stereo anymore. It only took me an hour.

I'm going to have to unbox the stereo with 2 tiny speakers so I can play my CDs.

My dear mother turns 89 years young tomorrow. Happy Birthday to you, mom. I love you.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I wrote some checks out today and managed to remember it was 2013. So far, so good.

Grocery shopping tomorrow.

[marvholly]

Molly
You do NOT know what ‘chilly’ really is. We did NOT get out of the teens on Tue (like theotherme) and only low 20’s forecast for today. Stayed in and did didly Tue but need to hit the library today.

My new grocery ads come today and most sales start either today or Thur. I 'may' hit Aldi or the fruit market enroute to/from the library IF the ad warrants the stop.

[mrsdutt]

I started documenting my seed supply yesterday. I keep them in those air free bags so they don't expire. I think the sealer broke. It sucks air, but won't seal.

I had a tiff with DD1 yesterday. Not pleasant, but there are times I must stand my ground. Most things don't bother me, but this thing did. We're not known for staying angry for long. Life is too short.

The weather is cloudy and raining. better than snow, I must say. I'll pay the rest of the bills today and check out the new grocery ads. I don't need anything, but if there are good prices on stockpile items I'll grab what I need for that.

MOLLY: I thought it was a good idea when you said you reflected on 2012. So I'm going to copy you in that activity.

Stay safe.

[motherto2]

Happy New Year All! It was back to work today. Not too bad. I was dreading it because of all the ruckus that was going on before I left. I totally need to work on not worrying about the things I have no control over at work.

I realized yesterday that I have 5 years 7 months left before I can retire. It's really 6.5 months, but if you wait til the last day of the month or first 2 days of the month, it can affect your pay, so I will gladly wait out those last couple of weeks. Got to work today and realized my next step increase will be effective this month vs. May when I thought it would be. Woohooo!!!! I don't pay into SS, so I didn't get that little something extra in my paycheck a couple of years ago, but I won't be out any money this go round either. Thank goodness! I think my take home will be somewhere around $70 every two weeks. I'll take it!!!! First increase in 2 years

Can I just say one more time - I HATE cold weather! It's not even that cold around here - mid 40's, but I just can't function. One thing I'm looking forward to downsizing a bit in a few years is running the heat a little higher so it's not so cold in the house. I do the 64-66 degree now to save money on electric, but I hope one day I can bump it up about 4-6 degrees.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Hey, mid-50s can be a wee bit chilly for those of us who run around in shorts and who don't actually HEAT our houses, lol. Then again, I do close the front door at night when it dips into the 40s and 30s.

Bills mailed. Clutter donated to the Cancer Society Discovery Shop. Visited a few grocery places (my wonderful DH wanted some more of a specific canned soup from the grocery outlet), and I wanted some ham (on sale) from the meat market. I also picked up some fresh green beans (yum) and romaine hearts (also on sale!)

The cable repair people have been called and will come out on Friday between 2 and 7pm (a 5-hour window???) to replace the cable box in the guest room (my wonderful DH watches it while treadmilling, etc.). Cable tv in two rooms is one of our happy entertainment splurges.

motherto2, yay for your raise!

Lynn, I am sorry you had a spat with your daughter, but kudos to you for standing your ground.

Holly, chilly is relative! (grin)

Theo, happy birthday to your mom!

[TheOtherMe]

I got some of mom's birthday wishes as I had to call their health insurance company and pretend to be her.

Did this from DS's house in case we need BIL to be dad, but they let me answer for my "husband". When we called mom to sing happy birthday DS suggested it would be so nice if they lived closer. Mom thinks it's time for assisted living. DS ran some numbers past her and she's to talk to my dad. DS and I are going to visit one tomorrow afternoon that meets their requirements. It would actually be the nicest place they've ever lived in.

[marvholly]

There is NOTHING I want on the Aldi ad so did not stop there or the fruit mkt. Today is a run many errands & see my Dad day. It’s still going to be chilly today (we ‘may’ go a bit above freezing). However the 7 day forecast has us hitting 40+, maybe even 50.

Mother
I am generally able to keep my heat set between 62-64. Just wear a sweater, velour top or sweat shirt.

[Peace77]

I did go to Aldi's yesterday. They have all the leftover holiday items on sale. I splurged on chooolate covered nuts, chocolate truffles and Andes mints. The 1st 2 are te same as are sold at Traders Joes but were marked way down. Also got holiday print paper towels for 69 cents. I don't care what the design is on paper towels.