Just when I thought we were making headway at climbing out of debt, our car needed maintenance. We’d been putting it off for a while now, but we knew it needed to happen. Nate took the car in and had it assessed – apparently one of the rear tires was ready to blow, and our [...]
Entries from July 2008
July 29, 2008
Dumpster Diving
On my way out to get the mail, I looked over at the dumpster which is located right across from it – there was a futon mattress and lamp that didn’t look too bad. I went over to inspect. The lamp was still shiny, and despite my not caring for the style, I [...]
July 23, 2008
The truth comes out
The recent excavation that yielded the $75 check earlier this week, uncovered something much more disturbing: a collection letter for over $3,000.00. I’m not going to go into details about it, other than to say that I’m ending the shame about this sort of thing right here and now. I spent last evening debating whether [...]
July 21, 2008
Paper or Plastic?
I’m not talking about grocery bags – I’m talking about monetary transactions. It’s becoming apparent to me that there are certain disadvantages of using my debit card vs. cash. It is much more difficult for me to keep track of how much I spend when I simply whip out my card, punch in my pin, [...]
July 20, 2008
It pays to be organized
I’m starting to see how keeping one’s house neat and tidy has it’s benefits. Today, while looking for something in a stack of old mail, Nate found a check for $75 (that’s still valid)! There are still pockets of mess, so I’m inspired to get a handle on them (hoping to find more cash [...]
July 17, 2008
Challenges and Goals – so far
It is very hard to get out of the habit of running to the grocery store for every little forgotten thing. After repeated failures, I’ve pretty much decided that a new strategy is in order for making sure I can avoid the store altogether. I will say, however, that I’m very good at [...]
July 13, 2008
Jamorama
Last night was my second attempt at jam – I burned the strawberry jam the first time around. After a google search for “making raspberry jam using honey” I came across this information which was exactly what I needed before venturing into rather unknown territory. I’m happy to say that all turned out [...]
July 12, 2008
Farmer’s Market and Patio Garden
It’s pretty sad that I live only a block away from a farmer’s market but have only made it there twice (and the first time without buying anything because I didn’t have cash). Today I made it part of our errand run to stop there – I had to back-track to the bank because [...]
July 10, 2008
DIY: haircuts
Until this past weekend, I have been avoiding what I now see as the inevitable: cutting Seth’s hair. It was halfway down his back, golden silk that curled slightly at the ends. As beautiful as it was though, it was starting to get really annoying to take care of. He was constantly [...]
July 8, 2008
Operation “Eliminate Grocery Store Trips”
So far, it’s only 8 days into July and we’ve not managed to eliminate grocery store trips. And, since I want to avoid it, Nate has started going instead, which, as most of you who regularly read my posts, means coming home with extra things that we do NOT need or are NOT good for [...]
