Most Americans are familiar with Norman Rockwell's beautiful picture, "Freedom From Want" showing a family sitting down to a bountiful turkey dinner. It was part of a series titled "The Four Freedoms": Freedom to Worship, Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want and Freedom of Speech.

In my late-20's or early-30's I finally figured out that the secret to achieving Freedom From Want is not in getting more stuff but in wanting less. I have my health, a wonderful husband, a precious dog, a loving family, a roof over my head, and plenty to eat. Everything else is just icing on the cake. I am blessed and very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

P.S. - If you aren't familiar with it, here is a link to the picture:

http://www.normanrockwellvt.com/NewsletterIssues/FreedomfromWant.htm

Last night I returned from a 9-day trip to Washington DC and NYC. It was a wonderful trip full of fantastic experiences. If they are able to, I highly recommend that every US citizen visit Washington DC once in their lifetime. I believed that before I went there (that is why I planned for a long time and set money aside for the trip), and now that I have actually been there I believe it even more strongly.

We visited the Memorials on The Mall (it was Veteran's Day Weekend, so there were many veterans there; as you can imagine that made it even more emotionally moving than it already is --- fortunately, we had packed our tissues). We toured the Capitol building and Botanic Gardens, the National Archives (where we saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights), the National Portrait Gallery, Air & Space Museum, Museum of Natural History, Museum of African Art, and the Sculpture Garden. We saw the Zero Milestone, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, Lafayette Square, St. John's Church, Decatur House, and the White House from the front and back (yes - we stood there with the other tourists, gawking through the fence). We shared DC-themed ghost stories in the evenings after dinner (I read up on them before the trip). We ate pizza at Union Station. We sat on a bench on The Mall, eating Carousel Dogs, with views of the Washington Memorial in one direction, and the Capitol in the other. We even saw a drug bust going on next to the Potomac River! We spent an absolutely delightful day at Mount Vernon.

In NYC, I wanted to just hang out with my family, and that is exactly what I did. In DC I played tourist, but in NYC it was all about loved ones. The only excursion we made was to a neighborhood park. Coloring pictures and playing games and musical instruments with my niece and nephew was much more rewarding than sightseeing or going shopping!

Of course, this trip cost money. I had set aside $2,000 for the trip, and then shortly before the trip I pencilled out a budget of $1,734. I actually spent $1,511 so far (I still have to get my pictures developed, but even after I have done that I'll be at least $200 under budget). Overall, I am pleased with my spendings. I did everything that I wanted to do to have a fantastic experience. I economized where I reasonably could (by walking and taking public transportation, and eating breakfast & dinner at our rental, for example), but also enjoyed some pleasant splurges that I would never do in my everyday life (such as buying a butterscotch sundae in the middle of the afternoon). Here are my numbers, budgeted and actual. There is only one item on this list that bothers me: I had purchased a bus ticket on-line at a great sale price, but I screwed up my reservation and I had to reissue it at full fare plus a $4 service charge. That was $38 spent completely needlessly, and since it was due to my own carelessness, it does bother me. But, looking at the big picture of my total expenditures, I think I did pretty well.

Mileage to & from the airport (DH drove me there & picked me up) = $48 Budgeted & Actual
Airfare = $311 Budgeted & Actual
Lodging = $840 Budgeted & Actual
Bus between DC & NYC = $35 Budgeted (Actual = $73 --- Ouch!!!)
Food & Beverages = $180 Budgeted (Actual = $101)
Local Transportation (Shuttle bus, Metro) = $70 Budgeted (Actual = $47)
Admissions = $25 Budgeted (Actual = $13)
Film & Photo Development = $30Budgeted (Actual = $5 + Photo Develeopment, not done yet)
Gifts = $100 Budgeted (Actual = $48)
Souveniers = $50 Budgeted (Actual = $25)
Misc = $45 Budgeted (Actual = $0)

THANKS AGAIN to all of the SA members who offered money-saving tips and advice on what to see!!! You all really helped in my trip prep!

Lady Luck smiled on me 3 times today. The lucky events, in order of increasing importance:

1. I found organic frozen Earth's Best waffles on clearance at Target for $1 a box, and they even have a cute picture of Cookie Monster on the carton!

2. DH returned from an overseas business trip, bearing gifts from family and associates as he always does. I know this will sound ungrateful, but often the gifts are something I neither want nor need and I have to find a way to get rid of them (donate, pass on to someone else, or sell), but this time they were absolutely perfect: A bit of cash (from his mom ... I wish she wouldn't but I can't find a gracious way to tell her not to), some chocolates (yee-haw!), and 6 pairs of socks! I am so low on socks and now I don't have to buy them --- They were exactly what I needed!

3. Now for the real doozy: As soon as we got back from the airport (after picking DH up) he wanted to check the oil in the car and told me to go on inside since it was cold. 2-1/2 hours later I went outside to find he had left the car doors wide open with his briefcase sitting on the back seat!!!!! Yes - there was cash in the briefcase, and yes, it was still there. Oh my goodness, that was a close call. I have no idea how many people drove by who could have just grabbed that briefcase and ran, but none of them did, and I am so grateful. Note to self: Do not leave DH alone with valuables when he is jet-lagged!

They say bad news comes in 3's. Maybe good luck does too.

Yea - The certificate of coverage and paperwork for our new health insurance policy arrived in the mail today! Having it in my hands is reassuring!

DH is self-employed so we have to purchase our own health insurance. The company we were insured with in Washington does not offer coverage in Texas, so we had to find a new company.

As a non-native English speaker, issues like choosing health insurance are things DH is more than happy to leave to me. (Heck, "Insurancese" is hard enough to figure out for those of us who speak English as a first language, right?)

Since this was my responsibility, and since I believe adequate insurance coverage is an essential part of our financial plan, it was a relief to open the envelope and find the certificate.

A newspaper article I clipped awhile back offered some very good advice on finding an individual policy. I ended up using www.ehealthinsurance.com to get quotes. I had wanted to go with Blue Cross / Blue Shield since they were rated A+ by AM Best, but they had some odd requirements that seemed to be saying "non-U.S. citizens need not apply," so I decided to go with United Healthcare which has an A rating. After some mind-numbing reading about coverage under different policies, I made my choice.

I decided to go with a high-deductible, HSA-eligible plan. [This is the first time we have had that type of plan.] Our premiums are a whopping $321 per month less that what they used to be. We will be funding our HSA up to the maximum amount allowed, so that is where the money we save on the premiums will be going.

Now I just need to choose where to set up our HSA (Health Savings Account). I am leaning towards HSA Bank because it's recommended by Kiplinger's. If anyone has had an HSA and can make recommendations, please chime in.

Anyway ... I know this is a very boring entry, but gosh, don't you all feel good when you get those really important financial tasks completed??? I sure do.

There's a part of me that is very reluctant to talk about giving since it can seem like bragging, but this blog is anonymous and charitable giving is a part of PF, so here goes ...

DH & I have selected a few organizations that we donate to annually. But occasionally we give a bit extra when there seems to be an extraordinary need.

Now that the evacuations in Southern California have grown to such a large scale, this seems to be one of those times when those of us who have our own financial houses in order should reach out and help the poor families affected by this disaster.

So, the pooch & I are off to take a walk, and we will be stopping off at the mailbox to drop off a check to "United Animal Nations" which (among other things) assists in the rescue & sheltering of animals during disasters. I know their coffers will be seriously reduced during this disaster, and we want to do our little part to help in rebuilding them.

http://www.uan.org/index.cfm?navid=358

Next month, I am taking a 9-day (8-night) trip to Washington DC and New York City. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am! I have never been to DC, and it is a place I have wanted to go for a very long time.

Over a year ago, when DH & I decided we would probably be relocating and I would have the opportunity to take some time off and do some travelling, we earmarked some of our savings as my travel fund. After doing some research and getting some GREAT advice from Savings Advice members, I decided that $2K would be a more-than-ample budget. [This is actually a fair bit less than what DH & I had originally earmarked, but I decided I just didn't need all of it.]

Today I sat down and came up with an actual itemized budget, and my total is $1,734. This gives me a nice fat 15% cushion I can go over without blowing my slimmed-down budget. If I can stick to the $1,734 number while still doing what I want to do on the trip, I will be thrilled. If I go over by a bit, that will be fine. Unless I've made some gross error in calculations, I don't think I will go over the $2K unless I have a real emergency or turn in to a careless spendthrift.

Here are the numbers. The first 4 items I already know the actual cost, and the others are what I am budgeting in each category:

Mileage to & from the airport (DH will be driving me there and picking me up) = $48
Airfare = $311
Lodging = $840 [I do realize this is a lot. I am picking up the tab on a place large enough to accomodate myself & my siblings who decided to tag along on my trip.]
Bus between DC & NYC = $35
Food & Beverages = $180
Local Transportation (Shuttle bus, Metro) = $70
Admissions = $25
Film & Photo Development = $30
Gifts = $100
Souveniers = $50
Misc = $45

I've given myself pretty generous gift, souvenier, and food/beverage allowances. I've also added $5/day in the "misc" category as "mad money." So, I think this is a budget that is doable and won't cause a moment of feeling deprived.

If there's anything I've overlooked, please let me know!

Almost all of the time, I enjoy being frugal.

Sometimes it's because I enjoy the creative challenge of coming up with ways to reuse things or do things just as well but less expensively. [For example, squishing leftover bits of soap in to usable balls or creating my own condiments with items on hand.]

Sometimes the reward is so great that even tho' something is a lot of hard work I am willing to do it. [For example, having a garage sale or moving ourselves.]

Sometimes it's all about having a positive mindset and realizing that spending a lot of money isn't always better. [For example, enjoying cheap entertainment like walking the dog or reading a book from the library.]

Sometimes it's an intellectual challenge, which I find enjoyable. [Shopping around for the best deal on purchases, whether major ones such as a house or car, or minor ones such as cereal.]

But ... I will confess ... Once in a blue moon it is NOT fun. Sometimes I do it just because it is the right thing to do, because it keeps me moving toward my over-riding long term goal of financial security.

So ... you're probably wondering what this dreaded chore is that has me writing in a less-than-positive way? IRONING DH'S DRESS SHIRTS!!! Laugh if you like, but I just don't like ironing those things. I think it's because the payoff for the effort involved is so ridiculously low.

I don't mind housecleaning ... Yes, it's work and not always fun, but the reward is a nice, clean, sparkling home! I don't mind cooking simple meals, doing the dishes, laundry, etc, etc. I'm not a huge fan of yardwork but the payoff is great and it does provide a pretty good workout so I'm happy to do it. I don't even mind ironing simple, flat items like hankies, table clothes, etc. But those darn SHIRTS with all their little bits ...collars, cuffs, fronts, backs, and whatever you call that little thing that goes across the shoulders ... each little part has to be ironed individually, and all that turning and ironing this way and that ... all that time and effort involved and all you get for it is a shirt that is not wrinkled. Big whoop.

When we first got married we were less frugal minded. We were both working long hours at semi-yuppie careers, DH wore a dress shirt to work every day, and we took his shirts to a cleaners to be laundered. As we started getting better with our money I started ironing his shirts when I had the time (I'd say I ironed about half of them at that point); if I fell behind on the ironing or was out of town myself, some shirts still went to the cleaners. When DH's former employer switched to a business-casual dress code and he only needed dress shirts for client meetings and business trips, we stopped taking shirts to the cleaners at all and ironed them all at home. Since DH started his own business, he needs dress shirts only when he travels (plus occasionally for a really important meeting). The number of shirts needing ironing has gone down, but that hasn't helped my opinion of it. I still really dislike it!

If we ever reach the point where we are "set for life and then some," I seriously think I will start sending his dress shirts out to the cleaners again. [How's that for a silly "when I am rich" fantasy?]

In the meantime, I will continue ironing his dress shirts, and will continue reminding myself that it is for the greater good!

When you move, it's always interesting to see the sort of mail you get that is addressed to the previous tenant.

Today at our new apartment we received a "Frederick's of Hollywood" catalog addressed to a man. I realize he might have been buying stuff for his SO, or he might have even been a cross-dresser, but can't you just imagine that he was a frugal fella who figured getting the catalog for free was much cheaper than subscribing to Playboy?

Since Leona Helmsley's will and the fact that she left $12 million to her dog has been so much in the news lately, I thought this might be a good time to explain how we "little people" can make sure that our beloved four-legged children are taken care of long after we have departed this earth.

When my DH & I had our estate documents made, we did make a provision for our pets. We did not have a special document, we just had a paragraph inserted in the wills. Here is a direct quote from my will; I have left a few things blank for the sake of anonymity:

" ... I intend that the first xxx Dollars ($xxx) of ... my estate shall go to fund a trust for the benefit of any pets we own at the time of our deaths. My brother, xxx xxx, shall be the physical custodian and caretaker of our pets. He shall receive reimbursement for any funds actually spent for the care and welfare of said pets, and shall also receive compensation for his services, to be determined by the Trustee. My sister, xxx xxx, shall be the Trustee of this Trust, holding and managing the above sum for the benefit of our pets, as she sees fit, in her sole and absolute discretion. At such time as all of our pets are deceased, if any funds remain in this Trust, said funds shall be donated to a pet-related charity such as "xxx xxx" or "xxx xxx"in a proportion as the Trustee sees fit."

When I sent the Estate Documents and my "Letter of Instructions" to my Trustee sister, I included some comments and this is what I wrote to her about the Pet Trust:

"There is a large amount ($xxx) earmarked for a pet trust. You would probably want to set up a separate checking account for this, and have the trust file a tax return, so that you don't end up paying the taxes on the interest out of your pocket. Yes, we do realize that $xxx is a huge amount of money to leave to pet(s), and we definitely do NOT intend for our surviving pet(s) to live in the lap of luxury ... No Louis Vuitton dog collars, please!!! The reason this amount is so large is because:
- We want to leave ample money to cover our pets expenses
- We would never want any family members to have to pay for our pets expenses out of their own pockets
- We want xxx to be paid for the care he provides our pets
- We want to leave money to a pet-related charity, but only after all of the above-mentioned obligations have been fulfilled."

Compared to the amount that little Trouble Helmsley received, calling the amount we are leaving "large" is quite laughable. However, everything is relative, and compared to what our lawyer told us the average person leaves for their pets (a few hundred dollars) and as a percentage of our "estate" it is quite large.

Our pets are our responsibility, and when we bring them in to our family we are commiting to provide for them. That is why we felt it was important to make sure they would be taken care of (not pampered or spoiled, mind you, but have their basic needs met) for the rest of their lives.

Open your mind and eyes to the many opportunities to create a rich & rewarding, full & fun life that are free (or very inexpensive).

These will be different for everyone. For me, they include walking or playing with the dog, hanging out with my husband, volunteering in my community, talking with friends & family, playing games, and checking out books & DVDs from the library.

I'd been sitting on the fence about whether to keep some cash in MMA's, move some to CD's, or wait to see if the yields on Treasuries went up. When the Fed decided to pump $38 billion in to the US economy today, I decided it was time to get off the fence. Expecting yields on Treasuries to be down immediately, and expecting yields on MMA's and CD's to go down very soon, I went ahead and got 2 six-month CD's (at 2 different banks) today. I would have gone for longer terms but my DH will need some of that cash in about 9 months for his business, and I'm also trying to keep things semi-liquid for when we buy a house (and who knows when that will be). Well, thank you, Fed, at least now the decision is made and I don't have to think about it anymore!

Isn't it amazing what you can do when you commit to doing it in writing on a public forum?

I have completed 6 days of my 9-day commitment to eat only foods that I have on hand in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. No trips to the grocery store, no takeout, no restaurants. And it looks like I will make it the full 9 days in spite of being thrown a curveball:

On day 3 the refrigerator & freezer went on the fritz and stopped cooling completely! The temp in the fridge went up and then held at 50F, and the temp in the freezer is holding at 20F.

I have been "triaging" the order I eat things, and since I do not want to take a chance on getting sick I did throw away quite a bit from the fridge: chicken sausage, eggs, Egg Beaters, milk, and mayo. I had really been counting on those things to give me protein during these 9 days! Oh, well. Life happens.

I am assuming that things with plenty of sugar, salt, or vinegar are going to be okay. The things in the freezer are all safe, tho definitely have lost quality and general appeal because they are partially defrosted. [Last night I baked some sweet potato fries that turned out semi-mushy because they were only half-frozen when they went in the oven.]

The repair company is coming on Tuesday, so hopefully the fridge will be fully functional by the time DH returns home.

I will admit that if the fridge/freezer had completely stopped working and everything in it had to be dumped, I probably would have let myself go the store and restock.

I am going to have to deal with getting reimbursed for the repair from our friend/landlord who lives overseas. In the past we just deducted any house-related expenses (we had to get the garage door repaired twice, and we paid his property tax bills for him) from the following month's rent, but we had prepaid our final month's rent so we don't owe him any more money. We'll see how that goes ...

P.S. In the interest of "full disclosure," I did buy a glass of lemonade from the lemonade stand of one of my client's daughters, but I'm not counting that as a takeout purchase but rather "PR for the business."

Today at foreclosure auction my neighbors "The Jonses" (not their real names of course) lost their house.

I've been following what has been happening with this house for the past 6 months, and dug in to the records available on-line, because I am interested in buying it. [Even tho' DH and I are planning to relocate to Texas in 2 months, we have been keeping an eye on the local real estate market and are would gladly stay here if we found a screaming deal on a house.]

The real estate market in my area has definitely cooled off, but it is not the disaster that it is in some other parts of the country, so foreclosures in the neighborhood are not an everyday occurence.

If this were a case of "poor, naive borrowers ripped off by an unscrupulous mortgage company" I would not tell this story. But this is a clear example of people not just trying to keep up with the Jonses but trying to BE the Jonses, and it is my hope that by sharing it anyone who is living beyond their means or living paycheck to paycheck will stop and think about their lifestyle and the consequences.

There can be no doubt that Mr. Jones is an extremely intelligent, healthy, sane man. He would not be able to have the job he had if he were not. He also made a top-drawer salary. [No, I do not know exactly what his take-home pay was, but it is public knowledge what people in his profession make and his salary was top-tier.] Mrs. Jones is a lovely woman who is always impeccably coiffed and dressed fashionably but tastefully.

The Jonses drive late-model European luxury cars that are always spic and span.

Their home is their pride and joy, and they wanted nothing but the finest in upgrades. Even tho' the house was brand new and perfectly fine by most people's standards, when they bought it 3-1/2 years ago, they had many features (sinks, light fixtures, cabinets, flooring) ripped out and replaced with top-of-the-line items before they moved in. Their kitchen appliances are the type Martha Stewart might have in her home. They turned one bedroom in to a well-equipped home gym, and they have a TV that takes up an entire wall in one room.

Mr. Jonses' yard is the envy of his neighboors. He maintains it perfectly, thanks in part to his ~$3K mower that makes it look like a golf course. [Yes, at least one neighbor went out and bought the same machine, perhaps out of envy over his neighbor's grass? And yes, even I asked about it and went on-line to see how much it cost thinking my DH might like one ... And NO, after seeing the price, I most definitely did not buy one.]


The Jonses were the envy of the neighborhood, the ones some others tried to keep up with, and the subject of much admiring (and probably slightly jealous) talk.

But talk about a huge difference between appearances and reality! What I learned from digging in to publicly-available records is that the Jonses not only refinanced their home about 4 times over the course of 3 years, they currently have a whopping THREE Deeds of Trust on the house. There are not only the 1st and 2nd mortgages, it looks like maybe there was a piggyback loan to cover the original downpayment. And each time they refinanced they increased the principal balance. This means they used their home as the proverbial "piggy bank" which no doubt is how they paid for the luxury cars, appliances, tools, fixtures, and who knows what else.

About a year ago, Mr. Jones and his employer parted ways. Circumstances are unknown. According to Mr. Jones, it was his choice because he plans to start his own company. Whether this is true or not is not certain, but the new company is not yet launched so I have my doubts.

A few months after that, foreclosure proceedings were begun. The Jonses listed their house on the market and tried to sell it, but they did not have any luck. I know they had at least one offer. It was a lowball offer from my DH and I, that we made when we thought there was only 1 mortgage on the house. Now we know why they didn't even bother to counter. They weren't able to be very flexible in their pricing because they owe about 98% of their asking price on the 3 Deeds of Trust. That does not include the delinquent property taxes, nor what they would have to pay in sales taxes and real estate commissions. [Naturally, they went with a full-commission agent, even tho there are discount agents available in our area. Nothing but the best, right?]

The foreclosure auction was continued (postponed) once, but the 2nd scheduled auction date was today and the house was auctioned off. Of course, no one wanted to bid on a house with so much outstanding debt, so the house was "reverted to the beneficiary" which means that the bank now owns it.

The Jonses are really, really nice people. While I definitely hold them responsible for what has happened to them, I wish them well and hope they can pull themselves out of the quagmire they are in. I hope they will move out of their house and leave with dignity. It would be a real shame for the neighbors to see them being forced out by Sherriffs deputies.

There are SO MANY lessons to be learned from this story and I'm sure you can figure them out for yourselves ...

Anyone else remember that childhood jingle?

Pick yourself up
Dust yourself off
Start all over again
Woot woot!

Well, that's what I decided to do.
After my budget-busting trip to the grocery store yesterday (I bought a frozen pizza and a pack of Fig Newmans, neither of which was on my list nor on sale), I came up with a challenge for myself to get myself back on track.

DH is out of town on business for the next 9 days, and during that time I am not going to buy any more groceries (nor get any takeout nor go out to eat, of course). I will eat all my meals using what I already have on hand (plus from my garden). I was inspired to do this by seeing several other SA members do the same thing at times. Also, with the move only 2 months away, it is time to start seriously reducing the amount of food in the pantry and freezer. [I will be thrilled if we move NO food at all except for perhaps some spices, and maybe any leftovers staples like rice & beans.]

I think this is going to be fun! I like a challenge, and I'll enjoy coming up with some creative dishes. It's not like I'm going to be deprived at all, because when the fresh things run out I have plenty of frozen or shelf things to fall back on, plus the first batch of microgreens from my garden will be ready for picking very soon (I did some thinning yesterday evening and enjoyed a nice little salad from that).

I know you should never go to the grocery store on an empty stomach! It's such a basic rule and I've adhered to it for a long long long time ... until today. In the interest of saving time and not having to make an extra trip, I stopped at the store on my way home from a client's house even though my stomach was crying out to be fed.

You guessed it ... I came away with 2 items not on my list, and they were totally unnecessary: Fig Newman's and an Amy's Mushroom & Olive pizza (not a big surprise that it would be pizza with me)! And ... neither one was on sale ... GASP!

Now I have a full belly and a lighter wallet. Sigh ... It is so hard to be human, isn't it?

When I heard this quote, I had to pause the DVD player and go write it down:

"Destiny might lead us to the path, but the rest is up to us."

(from the movie "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont")

This entry has been percolating inside my head for awhile ...

There were a couple of comments made recently about ungracious houseguests (one was made by me). The one that really stuck with me was the poster who said that a guest was invited to use poster's summer place, then complained because they did not have Starbucks coffee. My heart ached for that person, having their hospitality disrespected like that.

It got me thinking about what hospitality means, and naturally that started me thinking about "Mrs. C."
Ever since I met her, Mrs. C has been my role model for a gracious hostess. Mrs. C is a 70-something California farm wife who I think of as a second mother. It makes me sad that I haven't been able to go see her for several years, but I hope to go again soon.

When I go to Mrs. C's house, I am always greeted with wide open arms and genuine interest about what is going on in my life.

As soon as I arrive, Mrs. C offers me a "refreshment." If it's a hot day, she gives me a nice tall glass of ice water with a big fat wedge of lemon from her tree out back. If it's a cold day, I'm offered a cup of coffee made from "who-knows-or-cares" brand of coffee. If it is evening and she and Mr. C are having a glass of wine, they pour one for me. [Once when I was under the weather, she hand-squeezed a great big glass of OJ for me, using oranges from her yard.] Then I'm invited to perch on a stool in her kitchen while we chat and get caught up on each others lives. I know that eventually the pictures of the grandkids will come out!

A typical meal at Mrs. C's house is pasta with pesto sauce that Mrs. C made using her homegrown basil, then froze in ice cube trays so that she can get exactly the amount she needs, depending on how many people she has over. There are usually one or two side dishes of vegetables, often something from her garden. If there's desert, it's probably a bit of fresh fruit. If you are heading out on a long trip, she pulls a loaf of her famous fruit bread out of the freezer (she makes it in bulk before the holidays and freezes enough for a whole year) and gives it to you to take on your journey.

Tho' it felt odd to do it, I decided to mentally calculate how much Mrs. C spends in order to make her guest (me) feel like the most important person in the world. The answer is: Not very much at all; in fact, next to nothing.

And it's not because Mrs. C doesn't have the resources to go out and buy expensive bottled water or brand-name coffee or take people out to fancy restaurants. Mrs. C's husband is a successful farmer and they live a comfortable but quite simple life. I have no idea of their finances (and I don't care), but if you were to tell me that they are millionaires (or even multi-millionaires) I would not be one bit surprised. Mrs. C just does not feel the need to try to impress people with brand-names or expensive stuff. And, Mrs. C knows that spending a lot of money is not what makes one a good hostess.

The important thing is that Mrs. C's hospitality is offered with warmth, caring, and love.

Even if I get the occasional snub from insecure or snobby visitors, I will not let that bother me and I will continue to offer hospitality "Mrs. C-style."
If you ever get the chance to visit me, I'll be happy to give you a nice glass of ice water, or a cup of coffee. And if I have some chocolate or cookies on hand, I may even share those!

Please excuse me while I do a little bragging ...

My "baby" (40) brother had his annual review at work last week; he had an excellent review and was treated by his boss to a nice lunch at the restaurant of his choice. He has worked at the same place for 12 or 13 years (I forget exactly how long).

So ... What is so remarkable about that, you may ask? My brother is developmentally disabled. Except for perhaps a month or 2 in-between jobs, he has always worked (part-time), ever since he graduated from high school.

And speaking of his high school graduation ... Imagine the family's surprise when, sitting in the bleachers bursting with pride just because he was simply graduating, the principal paused at the end of announcing the honors grads and said: "And this year we are giving out a Special Presidential Award for Academic Effort to ... (fill in my brother's name here) ..." We went wild! The little stinker had never told us he was getting anything.

Anyway, back to his job ... In the past he has done janitorial work, has bagged groceries, and has stocked store shelves. His current job is unloading trucks. On the days he works, he gets up at an awfully early hour and rides his bike to work (he cannot drive a car), and always arrives on time for his 6am start. He is punctual, hard-working, careful, and cheerful.

Tho' he lives with our mom, he pays her some rent and no one claims him as a dependent. He helps my mother out a lot around the house, and he does volunteer work in the neighborhood. Several of the neighbors trust him enough to hire him to look after their homes & pets when they are out of town.

He is quite a remarkable man, who does much more than many folks who do not have his limitations.

Why did he turn out to be such a productive member of society? Several reasons. My parents, while not perfect, made accomodations for his disability but did not coddle him. He had some wonderful teachers who patiently taught him. He has a great employer. And, he has 3 sisters (I'm sure he'd refer to us as psuedo-mothers) who have never let him slack off.

I know that not everyone can work, but I do get frustrated when I hear people making lame excuses about why they can't. I think about my brother and what he has accomplished in his life. If he can do it, just about anyone can!

Here's some free entertainment for your dog, if he's anything like mine:

Throw your dirty clothes on the floor.

Let dog roll around on dirty clothes, in utter bliss.

The stinkier the clothes are, the better, apparently.

Now, if only I could get him to pick them up off of the floor and carry them to the laundry basket ...

Here's a site where you can answer a few simple questions and come up with a rough estimate of your life expectancy:

http://www.nmfn.com/tn/learnctr-lifeevents-longevity

I'm sure it's not perfect, but it does give you a number you can plug in to those retirement calculators when asked to enter your life expectancy ... Probably a better number than just guessing, tho' my number from doing the game was the same number I had been guessing (90 years).

If anyone has a Colette Peters book on Christmas cake decorating lying around that you don't want, you may want to list it on Half.com. You should be able to sell it for at least list price, and probably more. Of all the books I've sold on Half.com, it's the one that sold for more than I paid for it.

Reading posts about childrens birthday parties and yarn hoarding, combined with the fact that Spiderman 3 is in the theaters now, jarred my memory of a really terrific and frugal birthday party game my mom did when I about 7. She took cheap little "prizes" and wrapped them up, one for each party guest. [I don't remember what the prizes were; the game itself was the main point, not the prizes.] Then she tied string or yarn around each prize and wove a gigantic "spider web" throughout the entire house, crossing and twisting all of these balls of string/yarn around each other, furniture, staircases, etc. Each piece of string/yarn ended at the front door (with little balls remaining for unraveling). When all of the guests arrived, each one got a little ball of yarn, and we had to then untangle and unravel the web until we reached our prizes. Imagine 10 little girls climbing through this giant web of yarn to get to a little prize ... Oh my, we had so much fun and we got good and tired doing it, which probably made the rest of the party easier on my mom!

My parents did lots of other great, fun, and frugal party things (cupcake decorating contests, picnics in the park, etc.) but the spider web game was definitely the most memorable!

Anyone else remember that old song "Clean Up Woman?"

That song is running through my head this morning!

Already this morning I:
- Used my husband's dinner leftovers to make my breakfast (chopped up a bit of meat in to little pieces, zapped it in the microwave with some BBQ sauce, and rolled it up in a whole grain tortilla --- yum)
- Used his leftover toothpaste tube: He grabs and squeezes from the middle, and when he thinks there is nothing left in the tube I take it from him and get a couple more weeks' worth of brushing from it by starting at the bottom and squeezing the living daylights out of it!
- Used his leftover soap scraps: When the soap bar gets too small for his liking, he grabs a new bar. I save his little soap scraps, moisten them a bit, and squish them in to perfectly good little soap balls that I use for my showers.

I actually like doing these things; I like the creative challenge of finding ways to make things stretch as far as possible!

Last night I dreamed I pulled in to the gas station to fill up and the price was $6.50 per gallon! Everyone at the station stood around chatting and comparing gas prices at different stations.
Bizarre ...

I got a welcome Email from Pinecone today! They said I'd be getting my first survey soon! Yippee!!!

I really didn't expect they needed any more participants in my demographic, so I was pleasantly surprised when they accepted me.

Thanks to everyone who spread the good word about Pinecone and especially about the link: Ima Saver, Broken Arrow, Lucky Robin, and snackatack2000.

I hope everyone who signed up got accepted.

I'd like to make up a batch of homemade burritos and stick them in the freezer to have anytime I want a quick lunch ...which is most days

I know store-bought burritos aren't very expensive if bought in bulk packs, but I'd like to try making healthier versions at home (using whole wheat tortillas, for example).

Have any of you ever done this successfully? What tips can you offer?

My "new" car has a cassette player, so I'm now able to get books on tape from the library and listen to them while I drive. Today I picked up "The Millionaire Mind" and started listening to it. Just started it, but it sounds like it's going to be very interesting.

My Netflix charge is going down!

I subscribe at the 1-at-a-time (2 a month) level and the price is going down from $5.99 to $4.99 per month. Yea! I'm happy to save a buck!

I'm not sure if they are making changes on the other subscription levels.

At the risk of embarrassing myself, thought I'd share this story to let others learn from my mistake.....

Since we paid down our mortgage, we take the standard deduction on our taxes instead of itemizing. So, I no longer care about getting a receipt when I donate used goods.

There are a couple drop boxes for used clothes in my town that I ASSUMED were for some sort of charity. They have the American Flag on them and a big recycle sticker and a nice-sounding name. Since the locations are so convenient, the last couple times I cleaned out my closets I dropped off clothes there.

Then I heard that these were actually set out by some sort of for-profit re-selling outfit. So, this morning I looked one of the drop boxes over thoroughly while pumping my gas (one is located at our gas station) and, sure enough, there is no mention of it being for a non-profit charity.

Shame on me ... my bad for not reading carefully enough before dropping off my "donations"! I will be much more careful in the future.

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