over my house most of the evening were quite entertaining. I know there is a city ban on fireworks, but it never seems to deter the folks in the neighborhood. I always have a free show. In fact, I often wonder how much they spend on all those things. I felt like Fort Sumter last night with fairly large fireworks going off both in front of and in back of my house. No matter where I sat, I could watch the show. I usually stay up and watch and make sure nothing catches fire. One year, we had one run up under our car. But, with early mornings the next few days, this was one year I didn't make it all the way to midnight. What amazes me is that I slept through the rest of the barrage. I guess it got to be background noise after five hours.

I hope everyone had an awesome New Year's Eve. And here's to all of us and our financial and physical health for 2008!

Earlier in the year, we were picked as a Nielsen family for a week, then the government in its infinite wisdom picked us for a census thingy. They sent us a pamphlet during the middle of the holiday/birthday/graduation extravaganza and wanted us to fill out some information on our household. Oh, good grief, we didn't even have time to slap a stamp on a single Christmas card! But after a postcard with dire warnings that it is illegal not to fill it out and a second set of papers arriving just in case we misplaced the first ones, we decided we'd better take care of it. We looked it over carefully to see if the stuff was even legitimate. No giving out info for us if we can help it. Then, Hubby sat down to fill out a sheaf of papers on his medical history for his upcoming doc appointment and then filled out this bunch of questions. We were stumped on a couple. What do you answer if they ask your ethnic origin? We are basically mutts. I put down the major one or two that I knew, but Hubby had to just guess. Then, there was the question if our fire/flood insurance was paid for with our mortgage payment. Well.....yes, fire....no, flood and wind. So what do you put. Both? And what on earth does that have to do with anything, anyway? I'm sure there were reasons for them. Especially since the government is where the flood comes from anyway. And the state is where the wind stuff comes from. So, I guess there is a need to know. A couple even made us chuckle. I would just like to know who thought that sending this in the middle of a holiday season would get our attention. Sheesh, I'm still trying to catch up on filing our bills and shredding our regular junk....

Hubby got a $50 gift card from New Company for a grocery chain in this area. We could have used it for holiday groceries, but we had a plan. We drove to a bigger city nearby that had one of their stores, but it is a megastore. With all kinds of departments including books, music, videos, some housewares, and about ten meat departments. We studied it when it opened and found that some groceries were cheaper, but others weren't. That was the last time we went there. However, Hubby wanted to buy some new music to listen to in his truck since he rarely listens to radio. So, we took the card and went off to the megastore to redeem it in the music department. They have a really well laid out department with the latest and then some. Hubby has a hard time spending money on himself, and this gift card was the best way to get him to spend some. He spent it just about dead-on. And he was a happy camper. Thanks New Company!

My goal last year was to find a budget that worked for us and stick with it. And to learn to save money for emergencies and those pesky things like tires. Debt reduction was a half-hearted effort last year. We've almost paid off the big car loan, and we've not charged much. Except that we do put DD's tuition on the cards, and I don't have an effective system set up for tuition payments yet. So, we've gone round and round with the same numbers as the final tally. Bummer.

This year is definitely the one in which we're going to concentrate on debt. We've made up our minds, which is half the battle. Now, to a plan of action. I have a couple of ideas to start with that ties into the budget. And I have a couple of charts set up. One has the debt sorted by balance. The other by interest rates. We will have a couple of issues like the tuition and Hubby's probable surgery. But, we just have to stick with our resolve. We've given ourselves a timetable of two years. Seeing the results so many here have been having this year, we are inspired. Now, we just need to roll up our sleeves, apply the elbow grease, firm our convictions, and plow into it. I'll be excited to have totals coming ANYWHERE near what some of blogs have been posting. Great job, guys and gals! Perhaps we'll join the land of the free or nearly free by this time next year....

In the interest of not heating the oven up more often, I asked for and received a new toaster from DD and Boyfriend a year ago. I have not had the best relationship with toasters. My requirements were that it toast all kinds of things and that, hopefully, it would do it without being persnickity about the settings. I didn't want to throw out perfectly good bread anymore because of burnt stuff. I like things very toasted, but not dead. And, I hoped that I would get one that would actually pop up where I could reach the item and not have to turn the toaster upside down to get it out. I have had to get into the habit of using the toaster, so it has resided a bunch of the time in the cabinet under the stovetop. I decided in the interest of saving money, to bring it out onto the counter and actually use it. Then, something happened that I've only seen in movies. I was toasting only one piece this time and it was a smaller sized piece toward the end of the loaf. And, wow, the toaster popped up and flung the piece clear out of the toaster and across the counter. I wasn't as smooth as the movies and didn't catch it. This is too cool. I am going to watch and see if this ever happens again and practice on my movie moves....

playing video games. On Christmas. DS and DIL and DGD wanted to visit with us on Christmas Day. However, they had to travel from DIL's relatives. So, we suggested that we come to their home and wait for them. We borrowed DD's little house (in the same town) because she was visiting a friend who just had a baby a couple of days before and settled in on Christmas Eve. We brought all our gifts to each other, turned on DD's Christmas tree and ate goodies we brought with us. Then, Hubby suggested playing a game that he'd played with DD before. Now, I am terrible at video games. I never got out of the dungeon in the original Mario Brothers. I couldn't keep on the road in Mario Kart. And I got walloped every time in Dr. Mario. That was the limit to my game experience.

This game looked kinda fun. It was one of those Star Wars ones. Where you have to work together. We called DD to find out how to turn their system on with the remotes they had (this didn't bode well) and how to not die every time we tried to play. So, off we went into adventureland. I actually had a blast. I accidently shot my Hubby so many times, he would whack my character upside the head. We laughed liked crazy. And now I can see how addicting it is. We played for a couple of hours on Christmas Eve. And after eating breakfast and unwrapping presents, we found out that DS and family were going to be a couple of hours later coming in. So, we played some more. I was beginning to figure it out. I was having fun. And I actually moved up a couple of levels.

We put everything back in its place. Washed the dishes. Took out our trash. Visited with DS and family and returned home. All in all, it was an unusual Christmas, but I loved it....

is what my Hubby is experiencing. The MRI turned up not so great news. Looks like a disc has burst. We'll be going to the Big City soon to see a neurologist and get a plan of action. Meanwhile, we've been trying to just let things go while we spend the time enjoying the holidays.

We had to go to the mall today. Hubby broke his belt and needed a new one to hold up the ole jeans. So, off we went into the crowds. It wasn't too bad. Lots of people and music and stuff. We didn't stay too long, but it was nice soaking up the holiday atmosphere. But, coming home, eating chili and goodies, and watching football by the Christmas tree was better. This is a strange thing having the holidays to ourselves. Although, we will be seeing the kids again really soon. But, we've enjoyed having the time to ourselves...just like when we were first married...a very long time ago. Except that our tree is much bigger. That tree was about a foot and a half tall...all we could afford. I think it was the top off another tree. In any case, it fit into our Toyota's trunk.

I've spent some time on the phone recently with brother's wife. We've known each other forever. We really enjoyed catching up with each other. I need to call her more often. I really do like unlimited long distance. Some months I probably get gyped with the cost, but during times like these, I get my money's worth and then some. I need to start taking advantage of it. It helps my parents, though. They have to pay for their minute usage, and if I call them back, they can save that money. Then we can chat all we want.

I don't know what I was thinking in the grocery store. I spent a ton even though Hubby and I had already planned to only bake and cook a small amount this year. Old habits, I guess. I need to look up recipes for muffins and things. We've got a lot of baking supplies now.

I got a free poinsettia from a coworker of Hubby's. She won it, but has a toddler. So, she donated it to our house. Awesome. Haven't had one in years. I love free stuff. Especially pretty free stuff.

Hope all are having an awesome holiday! Take time to hug one another....

I now understand why I am going crazy. To the tune of Twelve Days of Christmas...

In the Holiday Season, my true love gave to me...

Five wonderful birthdays!
Four out of town trips
Three holidays
Two anniversaries (One a 50th)
And a Masters College Graduation!

I found out what had happened to me. I was told it was a hypomanic episode. I went about 36 hours with only an hour and a half sleep. Normally, no sleep would have made me a zombie. But, I was tugging things around in the attic and going through stuff and dragging out decorations and all kinds of stuff. I was also alternating between sorta normal and really angry and irritable. The professionals want me to take another med to keep me from extremes. But the stuff scared me. It has a life threatening side effect. I talked more at length with someone today that gave me more info and I am going to try a miniscule amount in January.

A big thank you to Miclason and Lux for your kind thoughts. I really appreciated it. And to those who sent good thoughts my way. I am doing fine now, much more aware though! Still stuff to learn....

DD's schedule got changed and I spent a few days with her before she left on her trip. It was a wonderful mom/daughter time. I love those....


Hubby is going to have an MRI tomorrow. Something is wrong with his neck. He got rear ended on the freeway several years ago. I'm wondering if there was an injury there combined with getting older. Things wear out. I am hoping for the best and no surgery involved.

I can't believe I've got to get out and do a tad more shopping. One gift was left out of a shipment, but it will eventually arrive. But another is being given by someone else and I have to rethink this one. Should be nuts out there about now. I mailed a box today to a family and their back-ordered gift arrived thirty minutes after I got home. This will be funny one day....

I hope everyone is well. I've got to sit down and read the entries and catch up!

I love the days leading up to Christmas Day. They just seem magical....

in his own truck. That's what Hubby was when he called me from the doctor's office. His key had died. And the truck alarm system is really, really sensitive. I drove over with the extra key. I didn't realize that he was inside the truck when he called because he is such a master of understatement. Just...bring me a key, please. Mine is dead. I arrived to find him sitting inside and very still. Even bumping the steering wheel with his knee caused his alarm to go off. He was probably driving the office crazy. I knew what he meant. Even a thunderstorm can't sneak past us without setting the alarm off a dozen times. We sit in the living room with a key in our hand to turn it off or just eventually unlock the truck. But since the neighbor's car got stolen outside our window by pushing it into the street, I know no one can do that to the truck. We had been having problems off and on with DS's car and the alarm, so I got in the habit of carrying the spare key with me. Hubby will no longer laugh at that. He pantomined the unlocking/locking/unlocking whatever sequence so I could go through the routine and open the truck door to let him out. Needless to say, getting a new key thingy is first on the list for today. DS's keys cost a pretty penny so I am assuming we will hit the auto fund for the truck key. So very glad we have one now....

There is a saying here that if you don't like the weather, wait thirty minutes.... A couple of days ago, it was over 80 degrees here and humid. So, I finally resorted to the air conditioning to dry it out in here. But we did leave it fairly high so that it didn't come on very often. The next day, the high was in the 60's and the low in the 40's and I no longer needed the air conditioner. And wonder of wonders, we haven't turned on the heat at all yet this fall. Even though this house leaks like a sieve. With the temps going up and down for the last month on a roller coaster ride, we've gotten used to taking sinus medicine and bundling up then removing clothes depending on the day. Or the time of day. I had received a couple of heaters from DS when they moved. I've used one of them on occasion in the morning when it is that damp cool that gets to the ole bones. After a cup of hot tea and a little while with the curtains open and the little heater humming, it warms me up enough. I probably should exercise in the morning and get the blood flowing that way. The only thing I worry about is that the coldness in the house does affect Hubby's migraines in the morning. If his head gets too cold, he can wake up with one. I've suggested the ole cap of Night Before Christmas fame. Don't think he's going to go for it though. I think he's worried about clandestine picture taking....

I will be interested to see if it affects the budget for the fall or if I had already been a little more conservative in this season without realizing it. I'm glad that they put the actual amount before they give you the budget billing amount. That way you can see what was used. I keep the bills for about a year so I do have last fall's to compare. I'll do that before I shred. Might even do a chart. Love those charts....

Well, they tell us that by the weekend the temps will be back to almost 80. Back to the t-shirts for now....

Hubby is out of town today so I decided climbing ladders to prime/paint more walls was not a good idea. Just in case I fell off or something. So, I decided to make it a cooking day. I had a bunch of different veggies that I had bought on sale and decided to cook it all up before they went to waste. While working on that, I cleaned the kitchen floor and set up my Christmas chart. I came up with a different way of doing it this year that might work for me. The cool thing is that for two years in a row I have had the Christmas fund fully funded BEFORE Christmas. I thought last year was a miracle. This is truly awesome.

I did my mortgage payment online this time and, lo and behold, I found out that I can pay extra on principal online, too. This is great. I can add little bits that remain out of my budget and keep knocking those numbers downward. One of the debts that is actually going down. Practically, it is not a high interest debt so I should be focusing elsewhere. Psychologically, it is fun to watch it go down. I like that....

With the water cooler. Well, the one that comes with the water delivery people. Gosh, I've been renting this thing forever. It's a nominal fee, and they haven't raised my costs in the whole long relationship with them. Even for the water. I found that out when they issued me a small fuel charge. I kinda wondered because nothing stays the same cost for years and years. But the little fee for the cooler is money I don't have to spend every month. And the cooler is getting decrepit. So, we went out this weekend and used money saved up over the last year (thanks to advice learned here) and bought our own. This one heats and cools. Which I don't really think I want to use the electricity to do. I like the fact that you can unplug or turn off the buttons and just get regular temperature water. I still like my delivery service alot. I can't really drink the water here without it upsetting my stomach eventually. I thought about getting a purifier, but I would also have the cost of the filters. I don't have any waste with the delivery because the bottles are recycled. I guess the fuel to deliver it is a waste. But for years, I was after a major delivery at a hospital and they have to go past me to get to home base anyway.....justifying, I know. The only things that are a concern are that they might change my contract and up the cost of the water when I cancel the cooler and the taste problem. I cleaned and sanitized, but it still has a taste. The company assures me that it will be gone shortly. But yuck....

This may have already been discussed in the blogs. I apologize if so. But, I'm so behind in reading that I may have missed it. A new scam that might have caught me was made known to me. Three times, we have been questioned to make sure that our accounts hadn't been compromised. Two with credit cards, one with debit. Fortunately, only the debit one was a real attack. The others were goofups. One was when getting gas, the machine kept cutting off. That triggered a couple of small transactions that looked like someone was trying to get our card to work. I'm glad someone was watching.

The new scam involves calls like we received, saying they are from the fraud department of whoever. They have your name and get you to confirm your address, which they already know. They also have your credit card number and the bank that it is issued on. They ask you to verify a fraudalent purchase which doesn't exist, yet. They then ask you for the PIN number on the back of the card to verify you still have the card. And to supposedly issue you a credit or something. That is the number they are wanting to get from you. Then, they can start charging things. The credit card companies say that they already have the PIN number since they issue the cards, and I'm assuming that the fraud people have it, too. They are saying, Don't give out the PIN number. This is real slick. I probably would have been taken since I have already received these types of calls legitimately. I was real leery of giving out numbers and such. I had no real idea if those people were legit. I don't think anyone asked for my PIN number though. The one time we got an email, I didn't use the connected thingy, but called the bank people directly. This is getting scary. You don't know who to trust on the phone or the computer. I will call the people on the back of the card to verify. The problem was that a couple of times, these calls came from a company monitoring fraud for our banks. I hope that I got this scam explained right. It shook me up when I heard about it. But, it also makes me mad. And makes me determined to get rid of all these things that can be used against me. If I just own a couple of them and don't use them much, then I hope that I can keep track of what is going on much better. People used to hold a mortgage burning party. I'm going to hold a shredding party for these cards....

I fell off the budget bandwagon for two months...and it shows. So, this weekend I reworked the facts and figures in the ole budget for another year and today marks the first month. Off we go....

I am so tickled. Hubby got a raise. Before this, it would have been absorbed into our spending. Now, it is being absorbed into debt reduction. I truly have learned a lot. Every bit helps. With a child still in college, we seem to be going around and around with the credit cards, since I charge her tuition over the phone. That is the best way for me to be sure that the payments get there on time. I just haven't incorporated them totally into monthly amounts. So, I make progress on one front and back up on others. I need to really focus on that this year. Costs of college continue to rise and that is just a fact of life. I need to set up a plan and not just go willy nilly with this part of our finances.

I am also beginning to get stubborn. I lived through the oil embargoes, and we just got to the point where we didn't go anywhere or buy anything. I truly understand that costs need to be recouped and transportation covered. That is no surprise. But you get to the point where you get stubborn about not buying too much. When eggs get to the price that I paid for them the other day, it is time to get serious. I have been challenging myself, but not digging in. I need to lose at least ten pounds anyway. Maybe I can cut back on the amount of food bought and eaten and lose weight. And I really need to consider why I think that a 1.50 coke is a good idea. It is just syrup and fizzy water. We bought some ice cream at a shop the other day that was 3.50 apiece. I had a coupon that got one free, but gee whiz...3.50 for a scoop of ice cream? I need to rethink everything. And those treats need to be just that...occasional treats. I am going to enjoy playing with the new figures as I save money and as debts go down. Here's to a new budget and getting back on the straight and narrow....

Years ago, something got into the attic and ate the Christmas wreath. Across the street, a cat got into an attic and had kittens. They had to pull boards off the eaves to get them out. Now, I've heard another Thing in the attic. We have possums and rats next door in their storage building, plus oodles of squirrels and cats on the loose. But this Thing is chewing on something. It scares me, not that I am worried about the stuff up there, but I don't want it to eat anything crucial. Like wiring, or the heating unit, or even through the PVC water pipes up there. I just got a notice from my termite exterminator people that I am due for my contract inspection. I am going to inquire whether they do bigger pests. Not only that, with the cool weather, maybe I'll just go ahead and get rid of most of the stuff up there anyway. That way, Exterminator Man can get around easier and maybe find this critter. Sigh. Sometimes, nature has a way of getting me to do things that have been sitting on my list for a long time.....

If you have been in a Texas town on a Friday night, then you've probably encountered Football Season. It can be totally nuts. Tonight is the big game with the cross county rivals. Neither town has much more than 10,000 people, but the stadium here will be filled with at least half of each town. That's all they can fit in. Ten thousand screaming fans. With large bands and all kinds of noise makers. And jumbo scoreboards that make noises, also. I no longer attend, but I can hear the noise from my house. It brings back memories.....

We used to buy the season tickets when our kids participated. And gas to the away games. Playoff games. Food at the games bought to support bands and teams. Programs bought to support schools. And food and water to band kids. Hotel rooms. And so on. Was a big cost during the fall. Cost of watching your kid do his/her thing....priceless.

We did this through high school and college. Through football and basketball bands. Hubby particularly loves stadium hotdogs. Last time he went to the college game with DD, he didn't have enough money on him to pay for all the food. I think they missed me. I'm the one that keeps up with all that. I never added up all the costs associated with Football Season. I'm sure we spent a lot. But it was worth every penny. However, I'm not venturing forth tonight. The town will be packed. Since it is a clear night, I can probably hear the bands and some of the action from my house. It won't be anything like being there. But it is free....

I went mouse hunting today. Actually, it is the furry, fake kind that the kitty loves. I gave her one to play with last night, and I have to find it/them before I let the dogs back out so that the little one doesn't go on a hunt and find it herself. She eats them. I've gone through too many mice to not hunt them down. Funny where they end up. I have bought many toys over the last couple of years for kitty, but she is like toddlers...she loves the simplest things. Not the fancy bell and whistle toys, but little mice and water bottle caps. She plays hockey with those. She likes tissue paper and playing chase with Hubby. So, I've decided to save my cash and quit buying toys. She'd rather have the "box."

Little doggie loves one particular stuffed animal. Well, it isn't so stuffed anymore. She loves squeaky things, but she kills the squeaky within ten minutes. Then she disembowels the animal. But she loves playing tug of war with it forever after that. She'll play with another...but she goes back to her favorite. I'm going to have to sneak it away to wash it--just like a toddler and a blankie.

Bigger dog likes tug of war stuff, but that's it. Maybe a rope to tug on. No other toys. Both dogs love bone things to chew on and an occasional treat, but toys are not a big concern to them. I've decided to quit going overboard and just get them their new toy at Christmas. Yes, we fill their stockings--a tradition started by our DD when she was little and had a hamster. Cost of toys for kitties and doggies add up. If you have an inexpensive toy idea for doggies or kitties, I'd love to hear it. I'm trying to save, but I love the joy in their attitudes when they play. I think I found all the mice today.....

The people here who know these things have said officially that they feel that our portion of hurricane season is over! It usually happens around October, but I've been holding out until I heard the words. So, yesterday, I unpacked the food supplies and returned them to the pantry. I need to make a new inventory so I can use these things up. I like to refresh the supplies starting in the spring so that we aren't finding expired stuff.

Today, I just might start unpacking my suitcases. Between the storm season and the new grandbaby, I've been living out of the suitcase for a couple of months. I was just repacking a lot, so I just decided to live out of it. Worked well for me.

This week, I need to unpack the financials. I have bill receipts that I need to file. Hubby did a great job of finishing packing them up for me. I hate to undo such a neat job, but I sorta need to get into them by now.

I think I'll also unpack the special items. Things that I pack into lower back cabinets so they won't blow away or other things into bins so they might be spared from water damage. And the stuff stored in the deep freeze. I'll need to use the freezer in November. Time to clear it out and plug it in again.

On a financial note, I'm going to keep these new things that Hubby bought for file storage. I'm not going to find another use for them in the meanwhile. I'll just store them with old files or something until next year. Then, I won't be buying something else for next time. Also, I'm going to be able to use those pantry food items and save some grocery money.

Wow, time to do cartwheels, send up thankful prayers, and UNPACK.....Yippee!

Lost my blog entry....here we go again....

I have gotten out the primer and bought some new equipment, and I'm off the starting line for painting the inside and outside of the house. This is going to take the next three months as I am really slow at this....

Right after my crazy shopping binge, Hubby brought home a bonus check. What a gift! And perfect timing. We're going to use it for the house stuff because it really, really needs to be done right NOW. This will help me be able to keep on debt payoff without stopping because I was concerned I would need the money instead for the house. Whew!

I had a good comment from CeeJay74 on my last entry about maybe returning some items from my shopping spree. Good thought. It made me go over all the stuff. I realized that I had done better than I thought. Not in total money spent, but that I had gotten most things 50 to 70 percent off and even some for free, using sales, store coupons, and gift cards. I still might return a couple of things. One item in particular makes me go, Huh? Also, I am relieved that most items are definitely things that I will use. The therapist laughed and reminded me that I haven't done this in a very long while. I still feel a bit guilty. Hubby said not to worry, and he even let me use a tad of the bonus money to start a laptop fund for me. I can then take my budgets and information with me when I travel to visit the kids. And it will be a lot easier in hurricane season. I am so excited about this, but after going crazy at the stores, I'm keeping things under control and doing this carefully and logically. I'm saving up for it. Lesson learned......

I'm been blogging here for a year! And it's been fun and enlightening. I've met a lot of great people. And I've finally been able to really budget. Unfortunately, the last month of my year's budgeting went completely haywire. I don't even know what the numbers are. But I guess having eleven months of better discipline can give way to the last month of disarray. I forgive myself.

Thanks to everyone for all the amazing support and great advice! I truly feel more in control. I smile a lot more. This has been a terrific experience. Here's to the next year....

I came home to help Hubby catch up after Humberto. And because his parents are arriving tomorrow. Hope they don't expect much because I'm still working on it. I've about dug Hubby out of under all the laundry he had waiting and the dishes and the bill paying. Granted, he usually does quite well, but the workload he's been under since the storm and combined with the week that his friend passed away has gotten him far behind. This is when you find out they realize how much you do at home.

I spent a short period stripping the fridge of all the spoiled stuff and the stuff that refroze after we got power back on. That eliminated everything left in the freezer. Nothing left in there but a couple of freezer packs and a paintbrush. The fridge looks like when we first got it. It has a few condiments, a thing of cheese, and of course, chocolate. Pretty bare. I'm not going to buy much until we find out where the storm they are predicting for the gulf goes this weekend. Before I left to see DGD, I stripped the pantry for Hubby to see what to use and take if he evacuated while I was gone. So that is in bins and the pantry is sorta bare, too.

The beds are stripped and bare, the baths are fairly bare until the towels finish drying. The only thing not bare is my desk. Piles of bills to be paid and papers to be filed. Funny thing is, the files are in boxes to evacuate, too. Hubby finished that up for me while I was gone. So the filing thingys are bare, also. And the walls are bare. I took most things down when I left in case that a window or two blew and things wouldn't blow around so much. A few of them were gifts from family members, and I'd like to keep them. I will be SO glad when hurricane season is over and I can put everything back where it belongs. And fill the fridge back up with goodies--on sale of course....

We got hit by another hurricane. Humberto. Actually, Hubby and critters went through it. I blissfully slept through it at DS's, not even realizing that Humberto had moved and gotten stronger. Earlier in the week, I had noticed that one model said it might, but I went to bed thinking they would just get a lot of rain. I am still hanging out with the new DGD. Hubby said that the kitty woke him up and he discovered that the hurricane was moving over our town. Normally, we would have been a little more alert, but our minds and hearts have been elsewhere. We made it through okay. Our neighbor had a tree that made it through Rita, but fell this time. It missed the houses and fell across the driveway. That was a big relief, especially since they have two elderly relatives that live with them. We got a bunch of water that blew in around a door and into one room. But a little water cleanup is just fine. There were people with trees on their houses from Rita that got another tree from Humberto. Hubby did have power out, but the house was back online by Thursday night. Kudos to the electric crews! His plant is going through restarting now. Three or four refineries in the area are getting power back, but it will take a few days for start up. You have to do things slow and carefully. So, I expect gasoline to rise a bit in the short term. I am grateful for it all, since the storm blew up so quickly that no one was really able to evacuate. So many people still live in trailers from Rita. Riding out a storm in the trailers must have been scary! Hubby now says that he sees what I feel. I have sat up through a smaller hurricane and listened to the winds howling for hours. He now realizes how scary that sounds. I am looking forward to him telling me I was right face to face.

Meanwhile, I am having a blast watching the first few weeks of DGD's life unfold. She is a little sweetie. And, so far, I don't think DS and DIL have plotted my demise. So I guess I'm not getting on anyone's nerves yet. But my inlaws are arriving next week, so I guess I better go home and help clean up. Course I've been gone for a bit. I was in the middle of a few projects. Maybe I can just blame the whole mess on a hurricane and just stay and play with the baby....

I didn't realize how long it had been since I've been on the blogs. I need to really catch up on everybody!

I went out of town briefly for a baby shower and then a visit to DD after summer sessions ended. Then, we've spent a lot of time getting things done for hurricane season. I had the food supplies pretty much down, but files need to be readied and assorted things needed to be done. With Dean looming out there, we felt an urgency to get things ready to leave. Hubby is on the last convoys out this time, so I have to be ready to leave on my own. That also means separating some of the stuff so that we can get what we need out. My thoughts and prayers go out to those now in damaged areas and flooded towns. I have a friend from high school living in Ohio now, and I definitely need to write and find out if she and her family are okay.

The local bank took a fraud report on my compromised debit card and refunded my money in 24 hours. They even refunded the entire amount. And they watched my account for the one item that hadn't gone through yet. And refunded it the very next day when it did. Wow, I think I'll take more of my business to them. That's service and a comfort.

One of the dogs had a reaction to her vaccines this time. She is about eleven, so I didn't even think about that happening. She broke out into hives. What a miserable little puppy. We took her to the emergency clinic and they got her fixed up. Didn't know doggies could get benadryl. They didn't charge us for an office visit because it was a vaccine reaction, but we did pay for the two shots. That and the vaccines decimated the pet budget for the month. I might have to consider upping the amounts in that column. But happy puppies are worth it.

I used the money in my medical fund to go to the new eye doctor. I think I'm going to like him and his office. They accidently misplaced me between the initial info visit with the assistant and the visit with the doctor. They left me in the dilating area for about an hour. I just got ready to ask if I was missing in the system when the doctor himself discovered me and apologized like crazy. Seems I was misfiled. They were so upset, but I was okay. Things happen. He really seems to know his stuff. Afterwards, I called Hubby to come and meet with me down the street for a little dinner. Was the worst dinner we've had in a long time. That restaurant is now placed on the Never Go There Again list. There went a chunk of the eating out budget for the month. And for practically inedible food. Rats.

The hurricane preparations have helped to demolish the budget for the month. I was in the red last month and this month is going in the same direction. But I am reassured by the fact that around October, I'll have a supply of food to eat up. We've been eating all the stuff out of the fridge and freezer, and I dumped the ice cream I bought. No one was eating much of it, and that is not something that you need in your freezer at this time of year. I don't know what possessed me to buy it a couple of weeks ago. I lost my mind for a moment.

Where does all the paper junk come from? I have been shredding up some boxes of stuff found in the garage. I thought most of that old stuff had been destroyed before Rita. I have almost five bags of confetti now. Good grief. Nothing like thinking all your past might be spread all over the county after a storm to get the ole shredder fired up.

Glad to be back and I'll have a ton of reading to catch up on. Welcome to all new bloggers and howdy to those I've missed reading. Pretty soon is my first year blogversary. I can't believe how much I've learned from all of you in such a short time. And made some new friends. Hope all are well....

I just got a fraud alert about my debit card. Someone has counterfeited my card in another state. The charges add up to almost 500 dollars so far. But the company that watches those things for our bank alerted and caught it. My card is now frozen. I have to file something with my bank tomorrow. Wow, I think I will do what so many have said and quit using the debit card and go back to a credit card or cash purchases. This way the money won't leave my account. I hate that we have to live this way. I had just gotten used to using these new types of payments since everyone laughed that I still lived in the dark ages. But we didn't have to deal with this stuff then. I am going to pay off and free up one credit card for all monthly purchases and then use it and pay it off out of my budget every month. Perhaps one that has rewards. No more using the debit cards. This is sure a wake up call....

I got tired of things in the pantry closet falling off the shelves and onto my toes. I decided that a little redo was in order. I had a couple of things to add in there and didn't have any where for them to go. So I started reorganizing things to accommodate them and stop the avalanches. What I had was ants. Not the itty bitty things that show up randomly around the house, but some big, black things. I assume they were run in by the monsoons we've been having. There is an access door in the bottom section of the pantry that the termite people use to inspect the bathroom plumbing in that area, so I am assuming that's where they were coming from. The pantry itself is in a hall with a bathroom behind it. The rest of the house is on a slab. Not that there couldn't be accesses from cracks. So a little do-over turned into ant tracking. I only had to discard a couple of items, the rest was okay. But I realized I need another storage strategy. I might have to store more in sealed containers. It would make things easier to stack. Probably need to invest in something. In addition, I found a couple of items on my to-buy list that I didn't realize I had stocked. I do have a master list for hurricane supplies, but the other baking/cooking supplies don't have a list. I need to rethink that or I'll waste money on things going bad or on things that have multiples in the closet. At least I have a central place now. That was step one. Seems I haven't completed the task. I probably wouldn't have done as massive a redo if I hadn't found ants. Guess I should thank the little critters.....

I absolutely adore my mom, so this is a tongue in cheek sort of thing. I have been antsy about attending DIL's baby shower because I have a hard time with larger groups of people. The kids' college friends have always been great to me, and I have been invited many times to hang around and have enjoyed listening to them all talk and stuff. But this was going to be a bigger crowd. I know that it is all about the baby and mom to be; but for some reason, I was going through a time of anxiety. Guess it has a lot to do with hurricane season getting ready to amp up and the rest of the preparations I need to make. And the fact that Hubby's project had gone south. He hasn't had a failure in 20 years. It has been tough on him, and I've been worried about him.

I was talking with Mom on the phone about the gift she wanted to send. She knew I was struggling a bit about getting ready to travel to the party, so she suggested that I get out and buy something new and summerlike to wear. I had mentioned that many of my clothes definitely need to be retired because they are getting rather worn out. She had a good point. She doesn't advocate spending a lot of money, though. She is frugal and really doesn't like spending a lot of time shopping for clothes for herself. I resisted for a couple of days. I wondered why. I guess it is because I knew I might unleash the clothing buying monster. But then I got out to run some errands and ended up at a couple of my favorite stores. I haven't had much luck yet at thrift stores, and I decided to look at sales and bargains. Boy, did I hit the jackpot. For some reason, one store had plenty of things, most of which were under ten dollars and a bunch under seven dollars. I think I tried on everything in the section. I even got a great couple of jackets for fall for less than ten dollars apiece. I did end up buying a couple of things full price, but I have some gift money to use. And I have some money in the clothing budget that I rarely use. I ended up with a lot of great deals, and except for some underwear, I won't need to buy anything else for another year at least. It was actually quite freeing to know that the budget money was there. The bad thing is that I found out that the clothing buying monster is still hanging around. I overspent a bit and will make it up in the clothing budget for the next couple of months. I haven't been stockpiling that money, I've been putting practically the whole amount each month into the $20 challenge. So I might have to actually keep a little fund for future mad escapades that have a purpose. So, it was Mom's idea and a good one. But I did go a little crazy. She obviously didn't advocate me spending a bunch of money. She was being a very supportive mom. And I love her for that. I now have a bunch of new things that fit and that I will wear. Most will work great for fall and winter. All went with things I already own. So thanks, Mom, I appreciate your suggestion. It will help me out in many ways. It's my fault that I haven't disciplined myself yet in the buying clothes sprees. That is something I am going to work on for the future. Meanwhile, after all the effort and expense, if we do have to evacuate again, the clothes are going with me.....

It's getting hot. We've been blessed with a cooler than normal July, but now things are heating up. It is a little after noon and already the heat indexes are at 103 and rising. I got my electric bill with the refund on it. The refund for our household was 70 dollars. But they didn't deduct that much from the leveling charges. I noticed that even with the cooler weather and without the leveling and refund, my bill would have been about 220 for the month. I guess they are anticipating the pain I would go through if they didn't keep more of the surplus for the next couple of months. The air part of my system is very old and not very efficient. So I have to agree with them. Keeping a higher surplus in the credit part of the leveling will help keep this next month from destroying the budget for electricity. I am plotting now on focusing more on saving for a new air conditioning system because that will ultimately save us money and make us more comfortable. Also, the electric company has a program for rewarding you for replacing all your systems to new efficient ones. We've already replaced the heating system when the burners melted down, so now I need to rethink fund allocations for a new air unit. Meanwhile, I need to fix some iced tea, run the fans, and deal with the heat....

We recently visited one of Hubby's dear friends in the hospital. This entire family has hearts of gold. They've been through some really tough times over the years, and this year has been a hard one. So far, he has had a reoccurrance of cancer and treatment, surgery for another reason, and now a big heart attack. These people have always given and given. I hate to see them going through so much. Once, before I got diagnosed and treated, Hubby was out of town and they called to see if I was okay. I was worried that my air conditioner seemed to be on the fritz. He sent out a couple of men from the plant to check it out! That's just one of the many times they have been so kind to us. Course, some of it comes from Hubby also having a heart of gold. He had been this guy's boss for many years even though the guy was older than Hubby. Hubby always treated him with respect and helped him when he could. You could tell from all the former co-workers and others keeping in touch how many lives this family has touched. I am sending thoughts and prayers out to them each day. I am becoming aware of the fact that even as I concentrate on paying down debt and building my resources for the future, that there is another kind of wealth. His heart may be damaged, but his heart's spirit is solid gold.....

I ran into Hubby's truck. In the driveway. He tried to take the blame saying he didn't pull up enough since I've told him I often can't get out with the curve of the driveway there. But I didn't pay attention to that fact and tried to back out of the driveway without really seeing the truck bumper there. I found it the hard way. So we both contributed, especially since I know I can't get out easily and should have looked to make sure. Didn't do any damage to the truck, but I creased the car over the back tire. Sigh. Guess I have another item to add to the budget to save up to get done. Repairs on the car for dumb mistakes.....

I have gotten a message on my machine supposedly sent by my electric company that I will receive refunds on my next two electric bills of around 30 plus dollars each time. It seemed a bit odd that the electric company would send a recording to every household just to tell them about this refund. No reason for the refund was given. Yesterday, I talked to someone who had already received a refund, but had not heard any recording. So, I guess the whole thing is legitimate. It said something on her bill about fuel charges, so I guess they overestimated how much fuel would keep increasing or something. In any case, their machine told my machine that I would have some extra money. I appreciate it this time of year, especially since Hubby forgot to turn the thermostat up one day when I was out of town and it spent the long day trying to cool the house down to a low nighttime temp. And I keep forgetting to unplug some things when I'm finished. This refund combined with lower temps from all the rainy weather might help the summer electric bill to be an unusually smaller one. Since it is leveled, I will be interested in seeing what happens. I get excited over the littlest things....