India Stuff

Really sad stuff happened in India last week. The Princess kept saying, "My grandma and grandpa live in Bombay." I kept telling her they don't live there anymore, and I hope she wasn't scared. She didn't seem to be.

Prayers are definitely with all the familiesn affected by those horrible hotel attacks. I guess before September 11th, I would have said I can't imagine how a city would recover. But, NYC has proved me wrong and life just goes on.

Interesting Book

This family has inspired me to try to pay off our home early. I know we will do it, just not sure of how early. Can you imagine having paid off a home in 8 years? Can you imagine having no house payment? I can only wish, and after reading this book, that I can do it. It's a goal I have and will gladly work towards.

America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money

Bills Bein' Paid!

Recently, I took over our bill paying. While I am the first to say The Man is totally awesome with money, his timing and over-extended schedule made for some late paying on the bills. Nothing dramatic, none of that final-final notice stuff. But, things weren't getting paid on time and I now see the value of saving on late charges!

For the last 7 years, they have been pretty much his responsibility. I've reminded him here and there not to forget to pay one or another, but in his traveling and my oblivion, they would get overlooked.

I now feel a part of our getting out of debt. By January we will pay off one entire credit card, the balance (no interest/no payment for one year deal) on our furniture, and our car! Our car will FINALLY be paid off! Now to just pay off that lousy student loan. Hmph.

One tip I can share in this is to distribute money based on your income. We get our mortgage bill and music lesson bills at the end of the month, so a lot of the paycheck goes to these. I simply distribute money from the previous check to a savings and then move it at the end of the month, covering a lot of those payments. It's worked well.

If you are eligible, please vote on Tuesday!

62 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

My Personal Challenge

I am challenging myself to eat at home for one month. I will allow one trip out to eat but that is it. Can I do it? Will it save me money in the long run? I can't wait to see what happens!
BTW...the Rockstar, without the rockstar hair.

Change of Heart

We are going to homeschool the Princess! Yeah! Oh, and the Rockstar chopped off all his beautiful hair. Pictures to come...it's been a busy weekend.

School

The Rockstar has started school. He is taking:

• Biology (preparing him for AP)
• 10th grade English
• World History
• Sign Language I
• Math (Still figuring that one out)
• Elective (still need to decide)

With his math, the good news is he may be starting Austin Community College. It counts towards college credit and he's in a class that is free because we live in the city! How cool is that?! He's matured so much and I'm amazed at how much he absorbs and knows. He's one smart cookie. Oh, and he's starting drums. Hello, ear plugs!

The Princess, sadly, is going to school. I know sadly shouldn't go into that sentence but it really conveys how I feel. I didn't think sending her to school full-time would bother me but really, I wanted to homeschool her again. I know statistics are totally on my side and she would just blossom, but I also know the feeling of being overwhelmed with her attitude and her not wanting me to teach her. I am sad to see her go to school. I just want to keep her with me and continue to teach her as I always have. She's about 1 year ahead of our local "exemplary" school district, and I know her first grade year, she'd just blossom. I'm sad to see her go into school but also know she deserves a chance at it. I'm torn, really.

Been a While...

I'm not really online anymore. I find ways to keep myself busy that don't include being online much.

But, we just got back from a great trip to St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and Wisconsin. I loved the heartland of America! I really, really did. But, it was good to be home.

I'm Back To Life, Back To Reality

In the past 3 weeks, I've been:
**tentatively diagnosed with mononucleosis (NO FUN--and I am in denial)
**went on a vacation with my 2 nephews, my 2 kids, mom and brother
**cried over the phone because I wish my husband worked in town
**started holistic treatment for my ailments
**re-homed a baby bird back into its nest with its siblings
**won $50 on a radio contest (gas card!)
**helped another homeschool mom with some lessons for her 9th grader
**sang some songs in Luckenbach, TX in celebration of Waylon Jennings' birthday
**treated 76 chigger bites on The Rockstar's legs. Ouchy.
**missed the monsoons in Arizona. Nothing smells better than the rainy desert.

Yeah, I've been busy. I do have to say, my money tip for this week is this: If you have a local radio station that has website, sign up for all the contests you can. I've won 2 contests in 2 months on my favorite radio station's site. I won 4 Chipotle burritos on one and a $50 gas card on another. I NEVER win anything, so it's worth a try!

Lizard inside Moody Gardens, Galveston, TX

Very scary sky on the coast in Galveston, TX

Twitter

I'm on Twitter. Join me and let's see what's going on in each other's lives, one sentence at a time. Or maybe two.

username: jenada

Sick

I hate going to the doctor, so when I go you know it has to be bad. I went last night to urgent care and was diagnosed with a double ear infection, strep, and a sinus infection! YIKES!

Couldn't Be More Excited...

Yesterday was Memorial Day. While everyone was enjoying margaritas and grilling, I raided her recipes! She's the most amazing cook. I scored her shrimp gumbo recipe along with her Cajun Shrimp Sauce w/Basa Fillets and the high point? Zucchini bread recipe! Total score!

The Rock Star

The Princess

I read an article today about "thinking" like a millionaire. I think the concept is great because it stated many people with money live frugally. It also said one must have patience and not be the first to go out and buy the newest car, newest gaming system, and anything else society makes us feel we "need." My favorite line was, "Patience is often the difference between creating savings and being in debt. Having the patience to wait until you find a good deal is a cornerstone of good finances."

This really resonates with me simply because I've learned to live well within my means. I've known people my entire life who get even a small amount of money and will spend it on total crap. I mean crap. One week, they could be living day to day with the real possibility of having no food on the table. Then, they get money and they go buy a video game, or a useless piece of furniture. I'm happy to say I feel like we've done good in this sense. I don't buy my kids toys unless it's a special event like Christmas or Easter. At that, we don't go over $50-100. We don't let them talk us into the biggest and best toys commercials tell them they have to have.

My husband and I are going to pay off our car and we'll have two fairly new cars paid off and trust me, we are not going to run out and get new ones. We'll probably drive these into the ground, but that's the point. Thinking and behaving this way helps us save money!

On another note, I'm worried about gas prices! I hope that $4.00/gallon threat doesn't make it to Texas anytime soon. It's such a chunk of change to fill up your tank these days, huh?

Great Message Board for saving tips!http://moneycentral.msn.com/community/message/thread.asp?board=smartspending&threadid=649515&GT1=33009

Cool Article

I've never been a coupon kind of gal. Our local grocery stores never do double coupons, and I always forget my coupons at home. The Man sent me a great article and it linked to a site called CouponMom which seems pretty neat. I am going to actively try couponing to see if I can save money. I hear of women taking 70-90% off their grocery bill and I'm just floored!
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/FindDealsOnline/TakeABigBiteOutOfGroceryBills.aspx?page=1

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

Well, maybe not desperate measures, but different measures for sure. I'm actively trying to figure out what to do with this thing called "unemployment." Even though my Master's is in Education, I find myself more and more hesitant to go into the education field as a normal teacher. I just don't know what I want to do, except I'd love to teach college-level education courses. I've had one offer but most of the work was on the weekends, and I just can't do that when my husband travels all week.

I have to figure out what I can do from home to make enough money to pay for The Princesses tuition and anything else we need at this point. I think a semi-mindless job would be ideal, and a lot less stress than teaching! With a husband that travels, it's very difficult to be a working parent and spend 50 hours or so working each week., along with raising two kids. I was a single mom for years and I swear, I don't know how I did it. With The Rockstar still being homeschooled, I've got to find something either very part time or something at home.

My brain is working overtime in this capacity, but I know whatever I decide will have to pay our bills. I'm kind of glad our situation (read: Having hardly any money!) has pushed me to pursue something that interests me and that will help me pay our bills. While I decided I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and wife for a long time, when desperate times arrive, I'm ready to take them on and do what I can to make life easier for us as a family. It's tough, but hopefully I'll find something that can work for me!

Cardiology, Money, and Trips

We made it to Hema's annual cardiology appointment this past week in Houston. Everything is fine, thank God. She has had a narrowing of one of the major arteries in her heart but that narrowing has remained the same in size. So, we're on bi-annual visits to her cardiologist from now on! He also gave a "gentle discouragement" for her participation in any kind of karate/tae kwon do. She was slightly bummed, but it's for safety. When your chest is sensitive, nothing like that is a great idea. He suggested tap dancing and I realized he doesn't know my daughter too well. As long as he knows her heart, we're okay!

I am lovin' me some Dave Ramsey. I think he's awesome and I love his principles for money. He had a woman on that paid off $31,000 in debt in 14 months! And, she only makes about $40,000/year! I just think he's inspirational. I love anyone that lights some fire under my butt for things like that.

Lastly, we're almost certain we'll spend part of the summer in Houston and in Galveston. We also may spend some time in Ohio (Greenville, Sandusky) so that is awesome! If I know you from AAA, maybe we can meet up? Let me know!