I think I am going to ask my neighbor about carpooling to BJs. She isn't all that interested in money but if I can get her to do it it will save us a bit each week, and that will come in handy. Course it means one less trip out of the house for me everyother week, but I suppose I can sacrifice. (her car wont fit us all, niether will ours, so if she drove I would go, if DH drove he would, no kids)

Tommorrow DH is going to the dentist which should be 100% covered, and we are going to get pictures at walmart should come to around 15$ basic package plus the disk. Though I am debating not geting the disk and just scanning the picture in, the disk always screws up black as dark red anyway. Then at some point we need to get some groceries, and I have to feed the inlaws again, I am not sure when they are comming over, they said Thursday because DH is off but they have to babysit the cousis first (don't get me started on that one)

We went to target and got next years easter stuff for the cousins and grandma. And I thought to myself, why not for our kids, reason, no junky toys for mine! I don't want to have to clean them out in a couple months! Anyway we have to store the stuff for the year but we have to store the baskets and the stuff fits nicly inside. It was a total of 11$ for 4 kids and one grandma. Not to bad.

I also talked to my DH about the whole, one for everyone, and I am not going to go that route with mine, some things like shoes you gotta have one each, some like toys nope no way am I going to do that. What about the next kid and the one after? Suppose I do continue at my rate of birthing and end up with a huge family, am I going to have to find room to store 6 (or worse) of everything! Just not happening here, my kids will have to share.

I recently went to a house, they have STUFF! New stuff, old stuff, expensive stuff, cheap stuf. You name it they have it! I was a bit green at some of it, but I also was a bit irritated at the STUFF everywhere. I am not a neat freak but I do get irritated at having to tell my preschooler and toddler NO at every turn because of stuff, and I am a bit like my son, I get sicker in dirtier houses (which explains why I was sick for 3 years straight before I learned how to keep house moderatly well, thanks flylady) Anyway, the Green part is wondering how on earth they got all that stuff! and the neat part is wondering what is the point of having it, there is, as one guy there said, nowhere near enough time to check it all out!

BTW I just realized, I sort of have a preschooler! I mean I have been doing schoolwork with him (he asks for it) and all, but he will be 3, 3 is a preschooler, not a toddler!

Unfortunatly I got two sick kids for easter

Well there is good news and bad news about inlaws, First the good news, they always come bearing gifts, I know that is so rude of me to care, but we can use the loot . And I am looking forward to seeing what the kids get for summer clothes, DMIL loves to shop and she always has lots of cute stuff for the kids, ok so some of it is pretty not so cute, but most is cool.

The bad news, we have to go to DBILs for Easter dinner, now that might not seem to bad, but cranky toddlers waiting for dinner in a house that qualifies as the opposite of baby proofed is really, really stressful, and I can't just have them here, cause they have their inlaws staying with them and I don't actually have room for them much less them and the grandparents and the BIlsBIL. Sorry that is just funny to type .

So we had to go buy eggs to dye, just had too. Sorry CC bill gotta dye eggs. while we were out of course we bought some milk and DS read a book about fruits and vegetables and wanted to buy some hukkleberries, I have no idea where to find such a thing, but blueberries, blackberries and rasberries were on sale at the grocery store, so we got some of them for him to try (well he has already tried them, but didn't like them) Both kids loved them all (this time).

Then we had salad for dinner, DH says he is out of dressing, of course he didn't remember this at the store, so he says he will stop after work today and eat the leftover for lunch Saturday, I told him I would eat the salad, we just had the conversation about how we drive to much as it is!

It is all about the attitude and I havn't had a very good one these past two days.

First I got stuck sleeping on the floor last night (DD peed in my bed). And I am now ready to be thankful for my memory foam, It isn't too comfy, it hurts worse than my old bed, BUT It has the floor beat by a mile!

Then I realized that if I give myself permission to buy something, later, I tend to find a temporary solution, that generaly works out just fine. And I don't have to go buy anything. . Unfortunatly that will not work for dying eggs, I have to go get real eggs.

And to top it all off, Even if I do have to spend the next 10 or 15 years paying off my CC, I got the CC that big, and I certainly can go pay it off. Course it would help if it would stop growing.

DO I need a phone? could I talk DH into getting rid of it if I wanted too?

The last few times I used the phone were to :
-talk to my mother, really she does have email.
-call the insurance company, is an 800 number so I could have borrowed a neighbors, but it was about 2 hours.
-called DH to see why he wasn't home, left a message, he was on his way already


the next few times I anticipate using it will be for more of the same. Plus calling frineds in PGH, longdistance even from my MILs house.

So I guess the answer is not exactly, and doubt it.

According to my crossword book a God send is an unepected blessing. Well I could use one right now, but funny I havn't exacly asked for one. I mean this might sound more religious than money related but isn't it rude of me to ask God to fix my money troubles, when I don't give Him any?

K so aside from the vices I don't consder vices, like kids. I am at the end of my cutting rope. I have cable internet and hot showers, and using my dryer. That seems to be it. I could attack the grocery budget better than I did yesterday, but realy The most expensive thing was chicken, and I can't go vegetarian. (cravings) So I don't think I really overspent on any one thing, I just bought a lot of things. I guess the cheerios were prolly expensive, but a really perfect breakfast.

Wonder how long it takes to wash below the bottom hair in a cold shower?

Sunday, DH is home, we went to the store, yeah! but we bought everything we need. But umm boy was it a lot of money. I mean a lot! of money, a whole lot of money. And I can't even say it will keep us for awhile. And we left the eggs in the car, so we have no eggs for me to color for easter, and no eggs to bajke with and no eggs for eating. REally not happy about the eggs.

OH and I bought a chicken cheap about 2 something for the whole thing, but I got it home to cook it and the stupid thing was green on the inside and part of the skin, and part of the skin was brownish, really not fresh chicken looking. Not cool.

Games Night is my favrite night, I love playing games, but I am soooo tired. Thanks to Kashi's link I will be making white chili, and last night we had the lasagna spinach stuf (think hamburger helper version of lasagna, cept it tasted better.

Now I just have to go finish cleaning the house, I could prolly get it done in abut 30 minutes, so the hard partis starting . Maybe after some leftover lasagna .

K I really am not so brok that I can't aford food, but I am stupid enough that we are out of carbohydrates, and we are not atkins followers. So I am left with half a loaf of bread and some flour to make it till sunday! I have no idea what is for dinner.

VOOM is from Dr seuss 'the cat in the hat comes back'

Ok so the two shows I actually go out of my way to watch are LOST and ALIAS, they come on right after another or I prolly wouldn't watch Alias. But the terrible thing is that WifeSwap comes on right after Alias, and that is a train wreck. Fortunatly my husband is there to step in front of the screen and rescue me, but last night I was busy yelling at the screen so he left me there a bit longer than normal.

They had a workaholic mom and a treehouse mom. Now there is nothing wrong with a mother working, sombody has to bring home the bacon, And there is nothing wrong with a stay home mom, somebody has to watch the kids, and my vote is for a family person. BUT I was irritated at the stay home mom, because my role is not to 'keep everyone happy' I am not a paid entertainer, I love my family and we all find ways to stay happy together. I am not a Washerwoman, we share the laundry responsibilities in my house. I am not a Short order cook, we share the fun and work of food around here, I am not a ...well you get the picture, I know they prolly go out of there way to edit the wives extream, and they hunt up the more extream, but I still get so irritated at it. (and I really hould go look up how to spell extream)

So why is this titled VOOM? Cause the world needs more VOOM Voices Of Opposing Moderation. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing, but I have no idea why people see so much of the world in black or white, how about some shades of grey? There are a lot of shades of grey and you can still get into a debate about things within the grey. So I think it would still sell, but prolly not as much as the extream stuff.

Anyway I would be interested in lots of moderate ideas on lots of troubles. How about instead of hearing how you have to either ship your kids off for 6 hours a day or refuse to teach them at all, how about some reasonable alternatives? For the most part I can teach my own, but eventually I will run out of knowledge to share, what do I do then?

Generally in America the only option left is to ship them off to school. If I can teach my kid to read and do math in under an hour every day, why do I want to suddenly dump them in 6 or more hours when I run out of knowledge? My only hope is they will be total self learners or that I can teach my old self some new tricks by then. But I really wish there were more teachers willing to teach in the home, instead of wasting 6 or more hours. (No insult intended to any mass school teachers, of course you need 6 hours when you have 30 kids)

Last night while not sleeping I had another thought that was interesting about money, but I forgot it when I finally fell aleep. Sigh, I really did consider getting to write it down, but I wasn't that awake. Least it was interesting to me .

In my crossword book, needs and wants are interchangable. Soemhow this seems to be anti savings.

K so I figurecd it out, I'm not a lazy parent I am cheap .

See I have a lot of odd views on a lot of things, I don't work cause I like being with my kids all the time (ok more like most of the time .) And it is really cheaper, I don't have to buy my kids a billion outfits cause the day care workers would notice if they wore the same three outfits all the time, not to mention that my DD can wear her big bros stuff around the house, but not out. (I know that is sexist, sorry, DS doesn't wear pink either)

I potty trained both kids earlierish, I thought it was cause I was to lazy to keep changing diapers , but actually it is cheaper even with the laundry, if it is cheaper to wash cloth diapers than it was cheaper to wash extra clothes for the transition time (though DD still lapses into that, specially if I catch myself thinking things are going good .)

I get rid of sippy cups ASAP, well I think I suffered with the stupid thing too long with DS (he was 2 when we finally taught him how to use a big boy cup) DD is working on it now and I fully expect her to have it down by the end of the summer, most likely earlier, she is more physical than him. I can now claim it wasn't that I didn't want to wash or hunt up the lids it was frugal, costs more to wash the lid than just the cup, and the cups we favor are cheap but disposable, meaning we have to periodically replace them.

I teach my kids at home and truthfully I have no idea when I will send them to school, too much work to wake up that early!! Not to mention the gas money I would have to use to take them in cause I guarantee I would be late all the time! Oh and the extras, of course there would be the teacher gift (my kids already get me one) the fundraisers, the class snacks and parties the extra school supplies, while scrap paper might work at home, you certainly wouldn't send it in to school! So I am not lazy I am frugal . (BTW for any educators out there trust me he is learning, and we have plenty of friends)

There is more I am sure, like I have a schedule, flexable and approximate, but standard enough to mean I can't just head off to spend money at the drop of a hat, I have to wait till I know my kids will not be sleeping or eating in the near future. Wait they are always eating , so I guess not sleeping and pack some food.

I suppose some other things might just be me being lazy, but I am working on spinning it right

I so have no idea how to spell that!!

Anyway the other night DH made popcorn with our air popper. I love my air popper, way better than microwave IMO.

He didn't get to sit dwn to eat cause he was switching laundry or something so it was getting a bit cold by the time he sat down, I suggested we needed a heat lamp to keep the stuff warm. See first impulse buy someting! Then after I thought a minute,why can't we make sure the laundry is done earlier or later? or use the regular lamp we do have, or any number of other ideas that do not involve money!!

Anyway just noticing how my first impulse is always to buy something, gonna have to work on that.

I hate insurance. I got a statement about my DDs last visit to the DR and there is 40 more I am supposed to owe, for no reason that I can figure out which is on top of the 50 I already paid!

Then in the same mail there was a statement from my last visit which had a Zero paid by them for my blood work done. I swear the next kid I have will be a home birth and I will call my ped to tell her about it and bring the baby to her, might have it in the caroutside her office so she can do the fancy clamp thinig on the cord. I so am not looking forward to another round of bills, I know I was an idiot in paying off my DD but now I am trying to figure out how on earth to fix my idiocy from before and manage to afford my life, and now the new medical bills!!

Update, the charge for my DD was wrong, the blood work should go thru covered at 80%. And prenatal care is 100% but not labwork, so I have to figure out how to talk my midwife out of the bloodwork.

Well I thought about it, and mildly considered redoing the budget with the extra amount for mdical visits figured in and the extra food, but I really don't want to know what the answer will be.

And to top it all off I had a major cravin for fried shrimp last night. It has mostly subsided today, but it annoys me that I can't fill my cravings because of mony. I don't mind that my DH didn't want to drive off to find me some at 8pm, I mind that if he were interested we don't have the money .

K I am done pouting, really. Not like things are that bad. It is shrimp I can't afford, not milk or bread. We have those.

I am a day early but we madeit thru with only 60$ mostly form my protien. We did hopefully get enough meat for 2 weeks, and we got some more pizza cheese that will prolly last a month.

Not to happy about the lack of potatoes, but hopefully we can get some next week.

My internet is all screwy I am on my laptop cause my desktop has some sort of virus that is making the DNS stuff not work. Way not cool, way not good for my mood.

And to top it all off my protien needs just went up dramatically so one major cutback in our budget is about to go up!

He vacuumed! Now I know, you think ok nice but not that amazing? Well my Vaccuum is busted, essentially to make it clean anything you have to get on your hands and knees and use the attatchment thingie, which is all of 4 sq inches! And you have to drag the upright thing behind you very heavy and not designed to be dragged on its side. This all adds up to a chore that should take 10 minutes for the whole house taking 15 to just do most of the living room! I truly have the most wonderful DH in the world .

We really need to invest in a canister vacuum, but the money just isn't there right now. We do have plenty of room on the credit card, but I don't want to do that. I want the CC paid off not growing!

Well DH was very late comming home yesterday, I was a bit worried, but hopeful for overtime. Nope Lemonaid. I have been craving lemonaid and he decided to stop and get me some. He is sooo sweet. He did spend almost 2$ but he bought the koolaid and the flavoraid packets. The flavoraid is cheaper so he thought he would check and see if it was good enough (it isn't).

So yeah he spent money, but it really helps me out to have lemonaid.

I went job hunting just now, not for me, for my DH. You know it is a royal pain! Half of the entries are for MLM style companies, one wanted 40$ for an information packet. Last I checked the point of a job was to make money?

Most of the entries do not list the hours, you would have to pay him a lot to get him to switch to a later shift or a rotating one. And speaking of pay, they dont even tend to list ranges. That is annoying, why apply for a job if they may be thinking of a base pay lower than his current pay?

And where on earth are these jobs? A location more specific than Charrlotte would be nice. We can't really afford to move or a hour commute (it is 25minutes now)

Sheesh if I was listing a job I would skip the flowery new team member crap and list ALL the pertinant information!

For the most part it seems like a royal pain in the arse! Maybe thats why he hasn't been to keen on looking.

On the mood I just wanted to now what sarcastic looked like .

I read that post about how we have more money more stuff and are less happy. I like that thought. Not that I like USA being such a pain. But makes me think that more stuff isn't the answer. Less stuff might help.

Weird thing DH noticed the other day, we have less garbage lately. At first I thoght it was because I am doing less 'flinging' of stuff we don't need. But then the more I thought about it, the more I think it may have something to do with our grcery budget. Less prepackaged stuff, less packaging less garbage. Very odd but cool benifit of saving money .

Well I found a book that was lost from October visit to the library. We fnally took it back yesterday and I was prepared for sticker shock, but it was a cheap book, so we only owed 2$ on it. Now that book I had lost before was 17$. We paid 10 then and took some more books out, and I learned how to renew them online. Hopefully we wont lose any this time and we can get back into the habit of going to the library. I love letting the kids get new books to read. I love reading myself, but there doesn't seem to be enough time .

Thursday disclaimer BJs s a warehouse store

Spend only 44$ between the grocery store and BJs, that was with buying pringles No the kids didn't ask I have been craving them.

We are still planning on heading to south charlotte to go to the library, didn't make it yesterday.

But we did make it to Nakato for dinner, I got some money in the mail for my birthday and I expect I will get more today. Plus while rearanging my dresser I found some loot. So a joint early Bday for DH and a Bday for me, we had an excelent dinner, and the kids loved the show. The only depressing part, we had to buy a meal for my DS . He is 2 he did share with his sister, but still I was hoping to squeeze a litle more time out of sharing with him.

It is my brithday, and my DH stayed home to make me pancakes! He supprised me with it, he even got out of bed at his usual time and went in to nap in the living room, I didn't know he was home till my DS came in looking for him and got very upset when I said "it is Wednesday, Daddy works on Wednesday." Daddy came running in to cheer him up. Apparently DS was in on the suprise .

We are also going to waste some gas to drive far off to the library in South charlotte (there is a small one 5 minutes away), they have a big childrens room in SC so I don't have to make the kids be so quiet the whole time, and I can go get a book for me while DH has the kids looking at books.