Toilet-Paper-Tracker

After the shock of the possibility of less tuition assistance, I've had a good night's sleep, and I am confident that we can make this work. I always forget about our big cushion (which is that we save over 20% of what we make). I don't want to reduce savings, but it's a big safety net. And I think we can swing the tuition payments without reducing savings. D is going to do school photos again next year and that is side income, so the profit from that can go right into school savings.

I want to say one more thing on the subject, though: I volunteer up at school (this year I am Parent Association president, next year I will be past president, I've been room mother and I've served on the Building and Grounds Committee since day 1). Maybe they take that into consideration? I hope so!

So... there is no school today or Monday, and most of our friends are going skiing in Colorado (or in one case, Banff, Canada!) so F and I are hanging out. She is having lunch with D, and at the same time I will have lunch with D's coworker (I've known her since before D started working there; she so great and funny!). Oh - and here is a weird thing just to show you what a small town this is: D's office got a resume from... the son of F's school principal! Who I also know because we were at during winter break and he was very sweet, taking time to talk to F about soccer. I also met him last summer at this free music in the park thing. He's my favorite of the principal's three sons.

Anyway, F suggested making valentine's cupcakes today, so that's exactly what we're going to do! I'm pretty sure I have all the ingredients we need.

When F started private school I did a spreadsheet (ha! of course!) that showed money inflowing and outflowing for tuition all the way to 12th grade. I used the amount of actual tuition, not including tuition assistance, plus an increase each year.

We've been really fortunate to receive tuition assistance each year, and I think we'll get something this year as well. But I just spoke to the school's finance guy and he said that the place that analyzes our financial situation said that the parent contribution should be more this year.

I'm not sure if this is partly because of the fact that I have to take health insurance as income, which makes it look like our income is higher. And because the cost for health insurance was higher this year it looked like I had a bigger income. I talked to him about this, so we'll see. This year, our health insurance costs have gone up even more, so next year will be worse.

D did get a raise this year, but it was eaten up mostly with taxes and cost of living increases. It was about a 1% raise. He now makes $45k.

According to my spreadsheet, if we don't get tuition assistance, our tuition savings will be depleted when F starts 7th grade. This includes money in and out, and continued savings. It could be worse... we will own our house (if all goes as planned) by the end of 7th grade. So if we can cover those 9 months or so we can use the money we've been paying to the mortgage to cover tuition.

I am starting to think that due to the terrible school system here (it's statewide) this is a pretty expensive place to live.

F loves the school, and we love the school, and we'll do what we have to do to make this work. I'm still worried and need to sit down with our budget and see where we can make adjustments. I don't want to mess with savings, but we may have to.

F needed googly eyes to finish her valentines for school... Michaels coupon 40% off, so total spent on valentines is $1.94 for googly eyes. She made them out of construction paper she already has. We got the idea from this website: http://www.theidearoom.net/2015/01/valentines-day-crafts.html

Michaels is right near Petsmart, and I had a coupon for $3 off good through the end of February, so I popped in to buy cat litter. Besides the $3 coupon, the cat litter (their own brand) was $2 off with my petperks card. So the $14 box of cat litter (I buy the 40 lb. box) was $9. And the receipt had another $3 coupon (good until 3/17) if I filled out a survey online. So I did that while F did her math homework. We'll use if for dogfood.

Now the valentines are done, and the kitchen is clean for the night, and F has done her reading and logged it.

Today was a very low anxiety day for F and I'm hoping that things are getting better. She and I relax A LOT now! I think it's good for both of us.

Also talked to our friends who used to live on the Central Coast and now live here (I lived in SLO in college). I told them we're going to visit my parents and then go up the coast and they said they'll be there at the same time (we're there for a week, but they're there almost all summer!). She said "You should stay with us! We're renting a house!" I think that would be awesome! Let's see what D says... (he's more of an introvert, and I LOVE being around people). It could also save money (sharing costs), and we all know I love that!

Well, I met with the psychologist today, and let's just say that our thinking on F's anxiety is different. It just wasn't a match. Please bear in mind that she's never met F, so maybe her take on the situation is biased based on her experience with other 9 year olds? Basically she said that a big part of it is probably attention-seeking. (My take: F is very frustrated by the unwanted anxious thoughts; she is an only child and gets tons of attention; right now she is playing with D who just got home). She also suggested that if F came in to see her, she'd have her do drawings to explain her feelings since she's "only 9." (My take: F is not much of an "art" kid and doesn't feel super comfortable with art, but is very verbal and loves making up stories; I'm not sure what "only 9" means since F is very capable of describing her feelings and so are the other 9 and 10 year olds I know). Lastly, she wants to find the source for the worry; did we not hug her very often - !!!! - or maybe it was because she was a preemie. (My take: she has had bouts of anxiety since she was 2; I think she's just that kind of kid; I was that kind of kid; sometimes there is no trauma involved).

So, anyway, I spent $85 on the appointment, and I made another appointment, but I'm going to call and cancel. I just don't feel that it's right for us. (You may agree with the psychologist, but I think with a psychologist, it has to be right for your specific family).

In good news: dropoff was so much better today, and at pickup she didn't have any big worries to report. We decided that 3:30 would be our "worry time" and other times she'd try to put her worries into an imaginary box to discuss later. This seemed to work pretty well. We've also taught her some anxiety management tools and she's been doing relaxation techniques.

In other good news: my dad is fine after surgery. We can't wait to visit my parents in CA in March!!!

Lots to report today:

1. Our meal plan:
- lettuce wraps with rice (had this last night and for lunch today)
- soup with garlic bread (chicken with rice soup)
- lemon crumbed fish (F's favorite!)
- tostadas (refried beans, corn tortillas, lettuce, sour cream, salsa)
- chicken piccata with rice and asparagus (on sale for 88c/lb)
- grilled cheese with tomato soup

2. Unexpected Expense: F has been experiencing a lot of anxiety since the end of winter break. According to my friend who is a child sports psychologist, separation anxiety is not uncommon in 10 year olds. We have books and have been trying to help her, but it's been over a month, and I think it's time to consult an expert. I saw a really great psychologist years ago when I was trying to break up with my long-term boyfriend, and she agreed to see F for a couple of sessions (everyone thinks that's all it takes to get anxious kids the tools they need to manage their worries; I hope so, because we can't afford more than a few sessions!)

3. Free Entertainment: F is going to a birthday party this weekend. They are going to see Cirque de Soleil (wow! what a party!) at one of the casinos about 45 minutes away. It's about 6 girls, and the mom (a good friend of mine) asked if I could help drive (her husband was going to go and drive half the kids, but he and the son are going to a chess tournament). So I am using the husband's ticket; it should be pretty fun and the girls are all wonderful kids.

4. Plumbing Leak: We finally got the bill from our plumbing leak around New Year's Eve. We used (are you ready? this makes me feel sick): 3x as much water as usual. The bill is $110 (compared to our usual $65) for water, sewer, trash. I am going over to the water company tomorrow to apply for the once a year bill amnesty. I don't know how much of a credit we'll get, but it's worth a try. I have to bring a copy of our repair invoice.

I've had a project that is just a few hours a month.... four or five. I haven't invoiced it yet (started in August), but I spoke to the client and he said to go ahead and invoice. It all added up to about $3k, so I'm pretty happy! I am very close to my yearly goal, and I have a new (large) project that I just got. Plus one that was put on hold that should be starting up in March. I am going to try to put them off until after spring break.

Because things aren't that busy yet, I am trying to take an hour a day to clean out the office. Like most architects, I have a ton of old files and drawings and spec books and just PAPER! There are legal requirements for how long I need to keep things, but a lot of my stuff is waaaaay older than that. I've had my own business for 11 years, but some of the paperwork is from the previous business.

The storage closet is so clean now!

And I have an old printer that I may have sold on craigslist (need to speak to the buyer tomorrow).

I am getting things in order partly because I have a desk in the office I'd like to rent out to someone. I think things need to be tidied up first and I've been using that desk as a base for my garbage operations. It would mean an extra $100 or so in income when I finally rent it, but I need the right person.

I went to the doctor today to discuss acid reflux and other exciting digestive issues. The bad news is that I need to have an endoscopy (I thought she might require that). The good news is that she gave me a prescription for the omeprazole that I take for acid reflux; my dosage is doubled, but because it's prescription strength rather than over the counter, I get it through the pharmacy.

My insurance covers generic prescriptions 100%! A $0 copay! I was shocked when the pharmacist handed me the prescription and didn't ask for any money. This is something I've been taking over the counter and paying for every month. I have to take it every day, so I guess I'm happy I need a bigger dose.

In other health-related news, D is going to start allergy shots, and it looks like those are less expensive than we thought, too. We'll see, but that could be really good news for our budget.

1. I've been using YNAB for a month now, and it's awesome! It works the way I was already tracking our budget (month-ahead, tracking everything). That in itself was appealing. But it also allows me to track our accounts and make sure everything matches up. And I've been working very hard to make sure we don't have carry-over balances into next month, so we've spent less this month.

2. I bought a total of five jackets and returned four. The one I kept is great, and it was on sale. And it was the single most expensive clothing item I've ever bought. But totally worth it. It doesn't get extremely cold here (lowest is probably zero, and it's usually in the 30s in the winter). This jacket is perfect for our weather. It's the LL Bean 850 jacket (no hood - hoods make me crazy). I settled on black because it won't go out of style as quickly, and I plan on having this jacket for a thousand years.

3. I just heard about this meal planning program called Plan to Eat. I do pretty well on my own (and have for about 12 years!), and I don't need a program. But I'm curious, and there's a 30 day trial. Have any of you used it?

PS - it continues to snow here, and it's beautiful! Hope your weather is what you hoped for, too!

I always shop on Saturday or Sunday (because of my work schedule) but today was a snow day! I dropped F off at school and went shopping, thinking that they'd probably call a half day (they did) because the snow was really coming down!

It's supposed to snow into tomorrow, so I thought it'd be better to get the food for the week today and not have to go out tomorrow (unless the roads are good, and then we're totally going sledding! If they are bad we'll go sledding on Sunday instead).

This week's meal plan:
- pasta with aubergines
- tuna melts with salad
- potatoes and peas (since I have peas in the freezer)
- pad thai
- something from the freezer (chipotle chicken stew made last week)
- manchego and spinach frittata

After we got home we had snow slushies and made a snowman. Since I grew up without snow, I really, really love snow days.

Yesterday we spent a lot of money on a cross country skiing day trip to Enchanted Forest in Red River, but it was planned. Here is a list of all the way we saved but still got a really great weekend break:

- F and I own our own gear (my skis and boots are about 20 years old but are still great!) so no rental fees for us. Only D rented, total price: $16
- the ski area is the biggest x-c ski area in our state (33 km of trails), but it's still a cool little family-owned business. For trail passes for three of us it was $45. That's a lot less than downhill! (We don't downhill, by the way).
- We did not stay overnight, so no hotel. And our neighbor popped in to let our dog out since it was a long day (no petsitter).
- We packed a lunch, so we didn't pay for lunch (and we didn't need to take out any ski time to go eat).
- Used half a tank of gas to get there and back which is pretty good, and gas prices are low right now. $8 in gas.
- We went with another family, and had so much fun!
- We all stopped for dinner at our favorite place in Española on the way home. The last time we ate out was three weeks ago since we knew we were going out after the ski trip.

And, here's a big one: everyone was so satisfied with the trip (and exhausted) that we just stayed home today and didn't feel the need to go out today. F mentioned ice cream, but then I got two apples at the store, so we're having an apple/blueberry crumble instead.

I did the meal planning, and spent $80 for the week's groceries (and that includes ingredients for a salad for the potluck lunch the Parent Association is making for teachers/staff on Tuesday.

Usually Monday is my "get a lot done" day. But because Monday wasn't a work day and we only have four days this week, it's been Totally Productive Tuesday.

It can't just be my work habits, though. Things I've been waiting on answers forever were finally resolved. I now have a clear list of tasks for the rest of the month. Even though it means a lot of work, I feel good that I have something to do!

Also I paid down some principal on our mortgage (we now owe $63,446). And according to the taxes, I'll be able to pay down a large chunk when we get our refund. So we'll be in the 50k's in a few months.

Tuition assistance forms are due on February 13th, so I need to get on that, too.

Yesterday, F and I had such a wonderful day... we played games, she worked on her diorama for school and then we went for a run. I am worried because I think when she does her first 5k she'll be a lot faster than I am - that in itself is a good thing, but I don't want her out there on her own, so I think D will need to run with her (she might even be faster than he is, though).

I bought Turbo Tax yesterday and started plugging things in (even though I can't finish our taxes because I haven't gotten all of our tax forms; I still know the amounts).

Now I'm slightly depressed because it appears we didn't withhold enough (Federal Withholding) from our paychecks. At least I think that's what's going on. I put in my W2 info and there was a big refund. Then I put in D's W2 info and we owed money. So I took out my W2 info, and it was a refund again. Then put it back in and we owed. Which says to me: we withheld enough if just one of us was earning, but since we earn very close to the same amount, we need to withhold about $30 more federal and about $12 more state per pay period.

I've adjusted my payroll for February (too lazy to do this for the last half of January). And now I make about $100 less a month. So... that's not good, right? I've also adjusted my monthly business distribution to give ourselves back the $100, but this feels like I'm not really facing the problem.

Next year is going to be more challenging since we will own our house in Dublin outright (although it seems like mortgage interest at this point is a very small deduction off the Dublin house rents received). Also D is making more, but I'm not sure his W2 will reflect that since he 6% of each paycheck will come out before taxes for the employee savings plan (it's matched).

I am definitely going to do a 2015 Trial on Turbo Tax, but I am wondering if I also need to finally have an accountant do our taxes.

Good and bad...

- Made asian meatballs with rice for dinner which is everyone's favorite. Yum, yum, yum! And frugal!

- Took our dog to the vet for annual wellness. She had her shots, too. Grand total: $90.87. But she is healthy, so I am thankful!

- Got an email from UNM Press. My royalties (which have dwindled since I wrote the book 9 years ago) are over the required amount, so they're putting $105.46 into my account. That will go to the mortgage!

- I got an email from the library that the book I wanted (This is Where I Leave You) is available. I just checked it out on my phone. I haven't seen the movie (I'm not a huge movie fan; something to do with sitting still).

- As I sit here typing away, F is practicing piano. She seems super frustrated and I can't help her because I can't play an instrument at all. She'll need to wait for D to come home. But I feel terrible that I can't help and that I never learned an instrument.

All sorts of things going on here...

- I had to take D's car today because of the snow (his has snow tires on it; mine is fine to get him to the office, but F's school is on top of a hill). Love those snow tires! His car is sort of fun to drive actually...

- F has been having a lot of anxiety lately. The school psychologist and her teacher were both very helpful. We've been trying things, and it's been helping, but when they recommended two books for us, I just got on Amazon and bought them. I didn't even look at the price. (It was $23.43 total). I don't have a book budget (we are library all the way), but I do have a budget for supplies for F. I think these books need to stay on the shelf; people who tend to have anxiety have it at times throughout their lives (I know first-hand!)

- I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to buy a winter coat. Here is the key thing: we have almost nowhere to shop here. There is Target and REI, but we don't have a Landsend or LL Bean. I want a good down coat that will last, and I'm sick of wearing a Target fleece through winter (it's really not warm enough). I think I mentioned before that my office is buying it since I need something warm for site visits. Well, I had to send back the one from Landsend (waaaaay too big). I bought one at REI and spent a fortune, but I did an experiment before removing the tags, and it wasn't warm enough. I just ordered a coat from LL Bean, so we'll see.

- It's 5:30. Almost time to leave for indoor soccer. I am bringing a book, but I often end up talking to the other moms (we've all known each other a long time by now and they're awesome!)

- But I really just want to sit on a folding chair in my sleeping bag and read my book! Actually I'd like to sit in bed at home and read my book.

- Grilled cheese and tomato soup tonight - we won't be home until 7:30! Late dinner - needs to be something easy!!

Stay warm everyone!

I finished my business taxes (1120S for an S-corporation) about ten seconds ago. Obviously had to post to tell you! (I'm very proud).

I met with an accountant yesterday to go over a few things I was having trouble with (conceptually) so that I could finish. He was recommended by a friend/colleague, and when I heard the accountant's name I was pleasantly surprised - it was someone I knew a long time ago. He used to be married to a friend of mine, and I've since lost touch with the friend (I see her around occasionally).

I called him to make an appointment and he remembered me, too (I always think people won't remember me but this is such a small town!). Anyway, I asked him if I could pay him to consult with me for an hour, but at the end of our appointment, he said I didn't need to pay, and to remember him if I have any more complicated accounting issues.

The return is done, and I've learned something (so I shouldn't have trouble next year). And I made a profit.

Have to go now - need to pick F up from school and it's snowing so I'm leaving a little extra time. We had hot chocolate last night, so I guess hot cider after school today. And I have to clean out the car because I'm driving on the school field trip tomorrow, and I want to take D's car (it has the snow tires); his car is, um, how do I say this nicely? Not very tidy inside.

I was supposed to start my business taxes on Monday (I did! I mean that I did start doing them, not that I finished). I wanted to finish on Tuesday (I didn't) and then I wanted to finish on Wednesday (I didn't, but that's excusable because I had a bunch of other work to do) and so I decided to do finish up today (I didn't and my excuse is really lame).

Here is my really lame excuse:
I got distracted. I had a long list of things to do around the house, room by room. It was like a fine-tuning list of things to do... just those little things that you mean to do but never get done. I got a lot done on the list (moved some stuff out of our bedroom and into the closet, decluttered some areas, etc). And on the list was to tidy up F's art area.

As the child of an architect, F has an abnormally large and extensive art area. I thought it was maybe a 15 minute tidying session, but as I got into it, I decided there were things she didn't need anymore (some baby/toddler things, baby scissors) and then I decided that it need a total makeover so that things she uses most are most accessible. Forty-five minutes later and I was still at it, and the taxes weren't touched, and it was time to pick F up from school.

It's still not done, and I very badly need to finish because I have art supplies all over my kitchen now! The worst part is I need F's help to finish because she needs to make some decisions, and she's doing homework, which is obviously a priority (I think).

Here is the thing: it is way more fun to organize the art area than to do business taxes.

I will definitely finish the taxes tomorrow! (ha, ha!) I have to finish the business taxes so that I can do my personal taxes (the business is a pass through entity - an S-corporation).

Do you do your own taxes, too?

I've been using YNAB for all of 7 days, but it's already helping me stay within budget.

I had to buy some supplies today (consumables)
- sale on bodywash and lotion at sprouts (it's their 25% off vitamin and body care extravaganza) - I made sure to check prices against amazon first
- and I also bought D's face sunscreen and some vitamin D3 on Amazon

But... I didn't go over this month's budget on supplies because I checked available budget first in YNAB. (I sound like an advertisement).

I also had to buy a dimmer switch for our new LED lights (also Amazon). I'll install it myself when it arrives. Dimmer switches are pretty easy to install. We put in 6 lights that are 4 w each (24 w total). They replace 210 w of lighting that we use all the time, so I'm pretty happy! This is well within "small appliances" which is where I put stuff like this in our budget. No plans to buy anything else so the rest will flow over into next month.

In a few minutes we're heading over to the indoor soccer place (it's just an old building on a college campus that is used for indoor soccer). I am crossing my fingers that they have the heaters going; last week they didn't and I was so cold! F was running around, and she wore a hat and gloves. I'm taking a blanket in the car just in case! The weather says 27 deg but feels like 15. I know that's warmer than it is where most of you are right now - so stay warm!!!

We did our quarterly net worth update and it was good news! Net worth increased by about $16,000 since September.

And... I resolved the plumbing saga today (after D fixed the problem himself on Saturday). The plumber was nice and took a little less than half off the bill. I didn't want to pay over $100... We ended up paying $124, but I figured for the extra $24 I would keep our good relationship, and have someone to call in an emergency!

I went to the chiropractor today, and turned out I didn't need to pay anything. I paid for a visit last year, and insurance covered all but $8.50, and they just wrote that off. They'll also submit to insurance, which is good, because our deductible is lower this year so this will help if we end up getting close to meeting it.

Right now... in bed with my laptop on my lap, and F is next to me reading one of her Christmas presents that just arrived from her UK cousins today: the Arsenal Football Club Annual 2015. She is memorizing everyone's birthdays!

I did really well on groceries this week. I had to check the receipts to make sure, but we were under $100 which is good for us.

This week's meal plan:
S - pasta with courgettes (and some goat cheese)
M - v. sweet salmon and green beans
T - mexican eggs with garlic bread
W - crockpot meal from the freezer with salad
T - chicken tikka in crockpot with rice
F - baked potato and broccoli
S - quesadillas and guacamole

Unfortunately I accidentally bought a bag of cat food we didn't need. I thought we were out, and didn't realize that we had a bag waiting. Oh well, it will get used eventually and it was on sale. Also had a deal from American Express (spend $25 at Petsmart, get $5 back). I looked, but there aren't any other deals I need right now.

Now I'll tell you about the unplanned purchase I made today. I've been thinking about it for a while because I'm so cold all the time and I spend a lot of time in unheated job trailers or on jobsites. I bought an on-sale down jacket from Lands End (I also used a coupon code for an extra 15% off). Actually, the office bought it for me because it's my new site visit jacket. Now hopefully I won't shiver noticeably at outdoor meetings. It probably won't come in time, but I have to meet at a job site on Tuesday that is basically a big dirt hole up in the mountains (brrrrrrrr).

In an effort to save money on the plumbing bill (they are coming back on Monday, and for now our water is shut off!), D is outside trying to find the shutoff for the irrigation line; he's digging out some cans down by the street (which I really don't think have anything to do with this), digging around the box to find another can (there doesn't seem to be one).

Here are some thoughts:
- Someone wasn't logical about where they put that shut off. We know there IS a shut off because we have the little metal stick thing with the prongs; it was propped up by the house. The irrigation was put in 16 years ago and never used.
- I probably used the prongy stick thing at some point, and I probably propped it up by the house. Why can't I remember ANYTHING? Argh!
- The ground is frozen. That is bad.
- We own a pick-axe. Isn't that cool? I can't remember why we own a pick-axe.
- We need to turn the water on at some point so I can take a shower and make lunch. Then we'll turn it back off right away so we don't create another frozen flood.
- F has a friend over, so we really do need to make lunch.
- I am going to be really good and not go out for lunch, although it's tempting. But it would only make this problem more expensive.
- According to the plumber the water company has a once a year leak amnesty. I have to call them on Monday.

I am sitting here at my computer because there is nothing I can do... Almost (luckily almost) nothing is open today, or else no one is answering the phone. I just talked to D and he's the only one in the office.

- We have a (BIG) leak in an irrigation box; I am pretty sure the loud bang we heard on new year's eve was the valve freezing off. We didn't know what it was, and it was outside and could have been coming from anywhere. I shut off the water to the house, but it doesn't seem to fix the leak, and the water is running down the driveway and freezing (which is how we realized what was going on). I called three plumbers, but only one answered (so glad they answered, AND had an appointment time for us, even though it's not until 3 pm)

- Tried to call the new accountant for one of my clients because I need to send them an invoice; they're not in today.

- Tried to call the insurance company that handles our umbrella policy because we haven't seen their invoice yet, and my records show that I'd already paid it last year at this time. They're not in either.

- Called Vanguard to exchange the mutual fund that my husband's IRA is in (this was transferred from another broker, and I've been bugging him for a year to move it since the fees are out of control!). I requested a call-back because the wait was so long, and finally got the call, but even though we're married and I know all of his passwords, etc. I can't make transactions for him.

- So I have to fill out an agent authorization for him to be able to act on my accounts, and he has to fill one out so I can act on his. I realized after filling it out that we'll need to take them to the bank for notarization.

- I tried to call Capital One 360 so I can find out if there is a minimum for my checking or if I can close that account and just use the savings, but the wait was more than 2 hours, and no call-back feature, so I just hung up.

I'm not complaining that places are closed - it IS still the holiday break. The problem is, I'm still on break, too, and on Monday I'll have to do actual paying work, so I was hoping that I could cross a few things off my list today.

Well, it turned out that even with an unexpected medical expense, 2014 was a good year.

- D got a raise in October, and then a promotion which came with another raise (effective 1/1/15)

- We spent 25% on wants, 53% on needs and 22% on savings (close to the 30/50/20 ideal)

- D had a lot of side work (photography) and with that extra money, we were able to get both IRAs up to the $5,500 limit

- Our food spending was less than last year!

- We paid off $4,013 in mortgage principal

- We made $1882 more than we spent

- We have a little over $10k in our car savings fund

- Everyone is happy and healthy, and that's what really matters!!

Happy New Year!!!

Quick ten minute declutter:
- the "hat and mitten" bin in the laundry/mud room (found lots of teeny tiny stuff that doesn't fit F anymore)
- one old broken cheese grater that I replaced about a month and a half ago
- some kids' sunscreen and toothpaste F won't use from under the sink (bring to the shelter?)
- broken hanger

Today I bought;
- a toaster oven (it is a very good brand, and it's convection and is easy to clean; was in the scratch and dent section) which uses a third of the watts of our oven; I decided to go with one that does 6 slices of toast because that's the most we'd make for garlic bread - that way we'll barely need to use the oven!
- a bunch of LED light bulbs to replace the 35 watt halogens in our track lighting. Instead of 35 watts, each one is 4 watts.

I am weird about energy usage, and also I don't want to change those bulbs again! I shouldn't have to ever again!

Also today: began drafting my New Year's resolutions. One is to have an eye exam (it's been a few years), and I started calling around places to find out prices. One wasn't open, so I'll call them back tomorrow. They take the 15% vision discount that comes with my insurance (vision isn't covered for adults). So far the prices seem really high ($140-150 without the discount). Our Lenscrafters just lost their eye doctor, but I don't know if they'd be cheaper anyway. The one that wasn't open is stuck into the side of a Walmart; I'm not a big fan of Walmart, but I don't think they're affiliated.

If you've recently had an eye exam, what did you pay? It's probably covered in the UK, right? (I'm scared to even talk to D about it; every time something like that comes up he wants to move back immediately!).

We have $40 in small appliances/household furnishings, and I'm thinking of making a purchase...

Right now when we make a quesadilla or cheese on toast or make a burrito for lunch (these are all single items, not six burritos or something) I have to heat up the entire oven which is something like 2000 to 3000 watts per hour.

This probably happens once a day.

I am thinking of getting a small 600-1000 watt toaster oven for those small jobs.

What do you think?

I redid my wardrobe spreadsheet. Big disclaimer: everyone's wardrobe needs are different! I teach exercise classes three times a week, and my work clothes are casual (jeans). I only very rarely need to dress up.

So... here is the verdict;

- I have plenty of tshirts (long-sleeved, 3/4-sleeved, short-sleeved and tank tops) - too many in fact, and I don't wear many of them.
- I have three cropped jeans for summer; I think I could get rid of one of these
- I have a glut of cardigans I've knit myself; I am trying to knit other things besides sweaters (currently working on a pair of slipper socks, and F wants a new cardigan which I have yarn for)
- I have too many pairs of tights, but one extra is not a big deal; I can't think of the last time I wore these, but it's good to have a pair around; I may toss one pair (they're super old) but first I need to figure out which pair is the one that's awful (and I am pretty sure one pair is awful - like, you know, the crotch is 6" too low or something)

What I could use:
- a short-sleeved tunic to wear on "nice" work days (but so far haven't found anything I like)
- I don't have a nice skirt to wear to work on "nice" days - but then again, if I had the tunic, I probably wouldn't need the skirt
- I really could use a pair of nice work trousers; this gap in my wardrobe comes up a lot
- I need underwear! But I can never find any I like, so I have the materials to sew my own

So, here is the plan for 2015:
- one pair of nice trousers
- one nice short sleeved tunic
- sew that underwear!!!

Woke up to snow this Boxing Day - beautiful!

Because of the snow, and the fact that it's on a holiday (which means our City didn't plow our street or even the busier street that we use to go downtown), we're staying in today. Which means no spending!

F is playing with her presents. D is having a leisurely cup of tea.

We all had leftovers for breakfast, and for dinner I'm using leftovers to make Rachael Ray's turkey croquettes. I can't tell you how much I love leftovers!

I think we'll drag the sled out later.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you at SA! This community has been a source of comfort and advice and has helped me keep on track throughout the year! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Lightbulbs: D is in the kitchen right now changing out the spots to LED. That is 8 watts/bulb instead of 45! Wow! Those bulbs are our Christmas gift to ourselves this year.

Gym: I am teaching weightlifting at noon today. In a way I'd like to just stay home, but actually it's good to get out of the house and exercise! I couldn't run yesterday because it was just too cold and the sidewalks were icy.

Mince Pies: How could I forget mince pies? I had some filling left over from last year in the freezer, and I'm making dough today. We need to leave a mince pie for Father Christmas! And D needs his mince pies. So tonight is traditional New Mexico tamales, salad and mince pies! Then out to see the farolitos with the rest of the city! We're going early so it's not too crowded!

I am thinking of switching from Moneywell to YNAB in the new year. It might be sort of irritating and complex in the beginning but here are my reasons:

- I haven't been really tracking properly (shifting money and tracking all accounts including savings) because it's sort of difficult in Moneywell
- New year with new budget is a good time to start a new program
- YNAB closely aligns with how I budget already so it should be more intuitive
- I want to be able to use my phone and YNAB has what appears to be a really good ios interface

The only thing is... I do sometimes have negative categories when I'm paying something back over several months. I'm not sure how YNAB looks at that. I suppose I could set up a debt account and track it that way, lowering the debt each month.

Do any of you use YNAB? Do you like it? Is it worth the money?

Our menu this week:

Breakfasts and lunches - the usual, except Christmas morning.

Sunday - chicken, roasted cauliflower, rice (using the cauliflower up, and the chicken is from the freezer)
Monday - cod with broccoli and potatoes and aioli (need to use up the potatoes)
Tuesday - penne with butter and pecorino romano with stirfried courgettes
Wednesday - tamales (it's Christmas Eve!) and a salad
Thursday breakfast - sausage (it's in the freezer) and french toast souffle (this is made the night before and popped in the oven in the morning)
Thursday Christmas dinner - I am making cranberry sauce, potatoes dauphinoise (sounds fancier than it is!), turkey, gravy, tarte tatin; my friend is making a sweet potato dish, brussels sprouts with maple and a chocolate dessert.
Friday - Rachael Ray's turkey croquettes with leftover turkey! Going to try baking rather than frying.

It's pretty frugal (and luckily Christmas dinner is a shared effort!). Now we can afford some red wine and the adults can relax while the girls play!