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Home > Archive: June, 2009

Archive for June, 2009

Murphy Came for a Visit... Again

June 17th, 2009 at 01:04 am

So today, I came home to a leak in my living room ceiling. I rushed to put a bucket under it and ran downstairs to shut off the water to the house.



It appears that it was a steady, but slower leak that had started fairly soon before I came home. So my timing was lucky.

Of course, after I determined that the water was not coming from the upstairs bathroom and instead from pipes in the ceiling, I panicked. It was 4:45 and the ceiling was still filling with water, creating bubble pockets of water under the paint. I poked them to release the water in the buckets and water kept coming (obviously remaining water from the pipes).

I called my sister's boyfriend (who does home repairs) and he called a buddy who is a plumber. The plumbers (the buddy & his father) gave me a heck of a deal. They cut into the drywall - which was already damaged and would need to be replaced.



They replaced the pipe and were very nice during the whole thing.



They only charged me $125.00, which was awesome since the job probably cost twice that. But they were very good friends with my sister's boyfriend and I think they did it as a favor to him.

So now I have a big old hole in my ceiling. The drywall needs to be replaced. But that'll have to wait.

So, in the midst of all this, I cancelled my plans to meet friends out for our normal Tuesday outing. Instead I am now sitting at home with a glass of Captain & coke, full of dinner I just made and am settling in to watch a library movie. I just need to relax.

This doozy of an evening comes at the tail end of a biospy procedure that I had yesterday. I ended up not packing food yesterday & today for work and was feeling a little guilty for spluring on food out when I had a fridge full of food at home.

So tonight I'm taking it easy, having the rum & coke, watching the movie & heading to bed early. I've already pre-packed food for tomorrow, so I'm back on track Smile

Frugal Things This Month

June 14th, 2009 at 10:52 pm

- So far this month, I packed my lunch all but 1 time. That purchased lunch was from last Thursday, and it broke a 6 week streak of packing breakfast & lunches for work. My goal for the rest of the month is to pack my lunch all but 1 time this pay period as well.

- I have yet to turn on the air conditioning this season. I came close yesterday because the humidity, but held out Smile

- A friend from work gave me a cutting from her mint plant. I have already repotted it and am enjoying the fragrance. Once it starts growing again, I plan on using the leaves for mint water. Yummy in the summer!

- I gave myself a pedicure. A friend had given me a foot spa for my birthday a few years ago, so I make it an event. Soak my feet, paint the nails and generally act all girlie!

- Utilized the library & friends for all movies watched this month so far. No video rentals for me!

- I've listed a few items on Craigslist. I'm looking to partially fund my week long Staycation in July by selling items such as a graphing calculator, a scientific calculator, an old desk, two mini tables, two lamps and some plastic storage bins. Goal: $60.00

Migrane Weekend

June 14th, 2009 at 06:11 pm

Just my luck - I had the day off on Friday & got a nice migrane.

So I slept in - which was enjoyable at least.

I got veggies from the farmer's market. Then I took the cat to the vet - $140.00. Poor little guy had a panic attack in the car - fun.

I did go to dinner with my parents and nephew and they came over afterwards so that I could take a migrane pill and we all watched a library movie - Hotel for Dogs. Very cute movie - especially for animal lovers.

Yesterday, I got gas in the am, took a walk in the park with a friend. Had a dull headache, but by the end of the walk, it was back to migrane status. Walking was probably not the best idea.

Yesterday afternoon, I went with a friend to a graduation party. Free catered food and a chance to catch up with some old friends. I ended the party early & headed back home in time for another migrane pill.

Today I am sitting around, and doing my best to get rid of the migrane. part of my problem is that I should have just stayed in bed Friday & Sat and I wouldn't still have the headache today. Its my own fault. Oh well.

My only two goals for today are to pack food for work tomorrow and to make a budget since payday is tomorrow. Definately doable Smile


Father's Day Gift Plan

June 12th, 2009 at 07:18 pm

My dad's hard to shop for and doesn't have a lot of time to do entertainment type stuff. But there's a lot of stuff around the house he wants to get done, so I'm giving him the gift of my time and offering to help him: Clean out the garage, paint the window trim, set up a new entertainment stand. He has a bad back & really shouldnt be doing these jobs - much less by himself. AND I get to spend time with him Smile

Edited to add: My dad's birthday is also in join, so this is a joint gift Smile

Day Off and Grocery Budget

June 12th, 2009 at 05:04 pm

Today I have a day off - and I'm running errands for 1/2 & chilling for the other.

I already headed to the Farmer's market to stock up on veggies with the last $11.78 of my grocery budget for this pay period. I ended up spending $11.86, but I'm perfectly happy to go over budget Smile

I love my deals at the Farmer's market!For that amount, I was able to get the following:

- 2 bags of mixed greens (its a LOT of lettuce)
-3 cucumbers
-5 large tomatoes
-baby carrots
-3 green peppers
-mushrooms
-onion
-celery

I definately get a lot for my money & its all healthy Smile

This afternoon, I get to head to the vet with the little kitty. Expensive, but necessary Smile Poor guy is gonna hate me when I bring out the cat carrier.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Funny Money Related Obama Quote!

June 10th, 2009 at 07:00 pm

CNN has an article talking about Obama's Pay as You Go Plan and they quoted him as saying,

"Paying for what you spend is basic common sense," Obama said. "Perhaps that's why, here in Washington, it's been so elusive."

Please let me know what you think! I find it pretty on point with what we talk about here.

And to be honest, this pay as you go plan reminds me of that movie Dave. Anyone remember that one? The guy impersonates the president who was medically incapacitated?

The best scene was when he invited a friend to the White House. The friend was an accountant and they balanced the budget in one night over sandwiches!

Frugal Exercise!

June 9th, 2009 at 10:37 pm

My favorite choice of exercise is walking. However, its been raining 5 out of 7 days for the past few weeks.

So I've turned to my trusy $20.00 elliptical - best bargain I've EVER gotten!

I'm able to burn about 400 calories (using my heart rate monitor bought on sale) for 30 minutes of exercise and I can watch tv while doing it Smile

I also utilize library workout dvds, swap workout dvds from friends and use Comcast's On Demand Exercise tv.

I also use weighted bands for my wrists and ankles to up the workout. My sister gave me them for my birthday last year & boy were they a great gift!

But like I said, the best thing I do is walking. I utilize different local parks, neighborhoods around mine and even the local university campus.

I recently went walking at a park that is next to water on one side and a protected marsh on the other side.

The different scenery is what I enjoy most about the walking.












Since my home-based workouts can get a little repetitive and boring, I'm always looking for new ideas.

I have a few items on my wish list and am keeping an eye out for good deals:

Weighted jump rope
Weighted hula hoop - how fun is that one?

Unprepared Can Cost Ya

June 9th, 2009 at 02:51 am

So last week, I realized I couldn't find my driver's license. However, I felt that it was likely in my house somewhere since I switch purses and sometimes just keep my license in my back pocket (not the best idea, I know!)

So I cleaned and organized and check piles of papers, went through my purses, went through my car, checked my pants, the washer and dryer. Finally, I gave up.

Then I went online to check what was needed to get a new license. I need $10 and basically a bunch of documents that I could NOT easily get my hands on.

My mind was running through how long it'll take to get the stuff and what are my chances of getting pulled over without my license? It would have been EXPENSIVE!

So in the end, after I started getting the paperwork together, I did one last check of my purse - which I'd already gone through several times. And in between a bunch of checks in my checkbook - there was my license!!!

So crisis adverted - but I'm still going to get that documentation where I would be able to use it quickly. Planning ahead never hurt anyone Smile

Got a Case of the Mondays!

June 8th, 2009 at 01:00 pm

Here's Monday & I'm in a sleepy mood. Dont want to work today Smile

I've had a great weekend. Stayed within my grocery & entertainment budgets! Yeah Smile

I'm kinda in a financial stall right now. I'm sticking within my budget, but as things are tight, I'm not putting as much to savings as I'd like. So now I'm looking at alternate ways to generate income.

The first step I'm going to take is to list some things on Craigslist. I have:

an old desk
a scientific calculator
a graphing calculator
a wireless router
an extra DVD player.


I have a lot of upcoming incedental expenses in the next month & every little bit helps. I have the following:

Car Registration
Car repairs - check engine light is on
Dental Bills - cavity to be filled
Sister Birthday
Dad Birthday
Dad Father's Day
Mini Vacation - want to drive to the beach at least 2 times this month. Can be done very frugally, but gas will still be an extra expense.

I've decided to not renew my AAA membership this year.

In lunch news, I've packed breakfast, lunch & snacks 100% of this month again so far! Its become pretty easy Smile

And in utility news, my electric usage is low, more so than this time last year. My gas usage is at 0!

I still have yet to turn the air on, although its getting much more humid. I'm hoping to hold off as long as possible, but historically, by mid-month the A/C goes on.

Hope everyone has a good week!