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.

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 .

DH cooked last night. We had eggs. A dozen of them, plus toast. We decided that if DS will eat three eggs plus toast now we will never be able to afford to feed him when he is a teenager! Plus DD ate the whites of 4 fried eggs and some of my scrambled eggs. (DH and DS eat them over easy, I have a thing about a one year old with dippy eggs, too messy for one) Oh and she had some toast too. We really do try to keep the grocery bill down by avoiding convenience foods and the like, but while the kids are in growth spurts it isn't working.

Which DS goes in a cycle, one week he EATS the next he SLEEPs (and eats) then he is fairly normal for a week while we discover nothing fits, and he gets ready to start all over again. I might be exagerating a bit but not by much, he is ALWAYS growing! Course normal is a relative term, dude eats almost as much as I do, which is a lot. I am not one of those girls who eat like a bird, more like a horse, always grazing, then settling in for a good meal a couple of times a day. (honest it look fine, not perfect but...). DD is following in my footsteps she is always eating too, but not as much as her big bro, she is downright tiny!

Anyway all this means we need more money in soon, or we will be paying off the cc for the next 30 years. Or we could move to a cheaper house, which isn't happening anytime soon, how do you sell a house when the builders will build one 3 blocks over for less?

Is there anything worse than a rainly Monday? I mean we can't go out, not that I have the energy for it. We can't even count on sunshine from the windows, seeing as there is none out there to come it. And to top it of my DS can't fit his long sleeved shirt! it is a 4t, he is wearing 3t pants just fine but broad shoulder boy can't wear 4t shirts! crazy. And it isn't warm enough yet to skip the shirt! Prolly in April it will be, but not yet! He culdn't wait to have a growth spurt for just one more month?

We sold my DHs laptop and we are going to cash the check today, it should keep us in groceries for another month .

Actually that would be one week less than a month, , we went out to eat last night. Fast food chicken. Since I was craving my DH said he would take me, which was really sweet, 'cept there was a church bus there so the fast part didn't qualify. double .

Today I am off to the dentist. It means we have to pack food for the kids and DH to eat for lunch while I am in getting my cleaning. And I know they are going to yell at me again for not getting my wisdom teeth out yet.

Craving chicken nuggets again, This is not good, it means I need complex carbs and protien, I hate when my body isn't getting enough of something, I hate the constant cravings, and I hate even more when I cant fill them! and horor of horrors, I DONOT want peanut butter!!! or bacon, I WANT chicken nuggets!

The only thing this has to do with money is I can't afford chicken nuggets, nor do I drive to go get them if I could. And there is no chicken in the freezer to make any.

No my expensis haven't gone up (except the medical being more) but I was at that friends house yesterday and I am jelous of the way they spend money. I am not certain if they all have that much or if it is credit, but I would love the option to eat out any old time I felt like it, or even just on special occasions. I woul also love to be able to afford all the games I like to play, though thanks to flylady I don't want a stack of clutter games in my closet. Only the ones I would play regularly.

Anyway I was thinking that last night and realized I was turning green, and whats worse I was thinking that it was my DHs fault, he is capable of their jobs, but he doesn't want to switch, nor put the effort into a search. But its not ike I am willing to go get a job to live like that! I would miss my kids too much, not to mention the option of staying in my pjs (though I don't generaly cause I find I don't get anything done in them)

Iwas called to fill a 6th for a game yesterday, I love games, but this was not really my style, but the trouble is, I asked if I should bring anything, I was told no. But on the way we stopped fpr pop and chips and water for me (I had no money so I spent none) Then around dinnertime they decide to order out, now I am always hungry so I was all for food, but I had no money! My friend who took me, bought a dinner and split it with me, poor guy had no idea how much I eat, but I really appriciated it. He also insisted on getting it quickly. I need food regularly! I said I would raid their fridge if I had too! ( I know, not the politest in the world, but I had reason)

After dinner we played another game that was very goofy and fun, Then I was home in time for bed, I need my beauty rest.

But now my delema, do I pay dude back for dinner? If I had known I would have packed something for me, I don't have the 5$ for him, oh plus the cost of water, I drink alot of water, which ain't cheap these days. But I still feel a bit guilty he doesn't have a lot of money either, or he would have bought me my own meal!

Well the potluck for Games night was weird, but we got some leftovers so we might have acually profited with it . We also had a great time laughing the whole way thru our games. Looking forward to next month already

Tonight is Games Night, we have some friends over to play games, formarly this was a day of cooking, but I decided to make it pot luc, I just don't have the energy to cook.

Anyway I bought a ham which I have to figure out how to cook, and I will be having some sides from a friend and some fancy bread form another, hope that is enough.

And my DD is finally starting to take her medicine without a fight! yipee,hopefully that means it is doing what it is supposed to.

We have a 20% copay these days for our pediatritian. Today for a regular checkup it was almost 50$!!!!!

Very not cool for the whole balenced buget thing. Mght not be balenced anymore I was figuring on around 20$ with two young kids an extra 30$ each time is a lot!

I got my DH to call my BIL and get rid of two end tables and three lamps! Awesome to get stuff out of the garage, if I can convince DH to get rid of the magazines out there we can prolly fit the car in the garage! I so would like to do that next winter, course that was the goal last winter, and the one before that, and the one before that! This is the year.

I got two poems for valentines day! one yesterday on the actual day, and one tis morning waiting for me. I love getting poems. My DH is the most wonderful man in the world. And ten years from now I will prolly not have the jeans he got me, but I will have the poems . Not that I mind jeans, I need jeans that fit right now. Mine are all too big .

Had to go get some more electric outlet covers, since I have been decluttering more are exposed! We also needed a lock for one drawer in the kitchen, so even though those only cost 10$, bad enough, we ended up spending 50! Though some of it was the kids money. DD spent 15 on shirts and DS spent 10 on a puzzle and a belt. So I guess we only spent 25$ but what on earth did I get for that 15 that wasn't on the safety stuff? I hate that delema!

Thats not my theory, it is my DHs. I asked him to go thru his CDs if he thought there was a chance he had any he was given but didn't like or bought cause he liked one song and the one is on another cd. he told me, even if he never planned on listening to one of his cds he paid money for it, so he is keeping it!!!

I was in a bit of shock, somehow I have to get that phrase back to him so he can see how wrong it is!! He has come around on alot of things, I am sure this is temporary, but man is it strong and rude!

That would be me attacking the clutter in there! We have a huge amount of stuff, some of it just needs carted off to the goodwill. DH hates driving so we hardly ever go anywhere we don't actually like being, or have to go. Driving to the grocery store is a neccessity, driving to the friends house is cool, driving to good will, not for him. Anyway hoping to talk him into borowing the neighbors SUV and get it all in one trip.

I also managed to organize some things, and throw out a whole wheeled thing of garbage, no idea where to stick the house garbage for hte week . but looking forward to having the garage emptier, so at least the kids can play in the summer. I would really like to be able to fit the car. I odn't actually know anyone with a one car garage that actually puts the car in it. Weird.

Not about doing them, we did them last night. We figured them by hand the other night, but we needed a c form so that I could take care of my irritating buisness thing. I thought we might be able to escape that if we could do it online, so we got the wireless card working and went online last night and did it.

It took 2 hours! long, lots of numbers to fill in and stuff, but the end resault was we got almost 1000 extra from the federal, no idea why. And we got 10$ extra on the state, now we had to pay for the state, but honestly to not have to dig up a stamp and remember andall that stuff I was cool with the 20$ plus I hope to use the same service next year and the free option for the federal saved us a bunch.

We got the electric bill, less than 50$ !!! I was very happy, also saw the comparison to last year a quite a bit of difference.

We went to my eye dr and spent 8$ for my contacts the rest was covered by the insurance. We still have to make an apointment for my DH, I hope he will continue in having good sight, saving us money. The contacts wont last for the whole year, but my old glasses work just fine.

Finally sat down and looked at what we need to do to finish the taxes, looks like we will be getting a nice return, that will go straight to the CC. . Should be able to finish them up tonight, and get the money to the cc next month.

K so I like church, DH is rather against it, but willing to suffer for me.

We tried one out yesterday, my DS hated the nursery, not to suprising to me, he is used to me all day, not clingy, but still. DD didn't seem too upset.

But the cost, even if I can't convince my DH to tithe we would still need loot for the offering (I hate that churches ask for money). Plus the snacks for the kids! I can get DS to sit still pretty easily, but DD needs entertainment or food, and since the services are always over lunch I have to pack food.

They are always growing! Now my DS is outgrowing all his pants and my DD is outgrowing the shirts. And my DH and I are always getting holes in our socks, we decided to get each other socks for valentines day. I can't wait! DS wants a big puzzle for his valentines day present, soon as the grandparents send money we are going to buy him a puzzle and us some socks.

Well they have to come over and take the thingie out, but then it will be a HUGE penalty thing and then we wil get rid of it. Should save us 35$ a month, which will only take 575 divided by 35 to start saving us loot. (575 is the penalty, which is less than I thought it would be) Anyway 75% for the penalty or 100% for a thing that doesn't work. so we will save 25% of the next 22 months (roughly)

Well we definatly went over budget yet again, but over biuget of 50 is way better than over budget of 100. So we are still getting better, but not perfect yet. The grand total was just over 70$ I am hoping next week it is less than 50 to balence it out.

We figured it out, if we hadn't bought shower curtains or papertowels we would have been under budget .

but now when we have company they wont look at the empty paper towel holder strangly, and our shower curtain was a bit holey.

We got Dhs check yesterday, and it came with an awesome end of year bonus! DH expected it in October, but when it didn't come he didn't tell me cause he didn't want to disapoint me. Well it came now and I am very happy, it still isn't enough to pay off the cc or anything, but it will make a nice dent .

Just when I start to think things are looking up, something happens. This time it was a 2 am wake up by a sick DD poor girl. Anyway, we at least have cheap soup and some hotdogs that DH can cook, so we wont have to order out or anything.

Anyway the fever comes down fine with tylenal so hopefully she will fiight it off and not need a doc or medicine.

Went to a friends house they have a very expensive kareokee (how in the heck to you spell that?) machine, fancy. Plays DVDs and all that, part of me wanted one, nifty toy and all. BUt as I was faling asleep last night it occured to me, My kids can't read that cfast! so it would only be for me (DH doesn't sing) Not worththe money. Instead I can stick with cds of songes we like and sing along with 'fake mics' no way Im amplifying my pathetic voice anyway. Plus the song words and sound were on DVD, I have a DVD player! bet it would work just fine.

Ick, its cold, the driveway is iced over and I am bored. Though the iced driveway is keeping me from going to spend money I guess. But we do need yogurt, hope it thaws before this evening.

I want a restaurant! I want a waiter to b ring me my drink! (waiter so I can flirt of course) I want a fancy cloth napkin, I want someone to clear the table for me! I want to enjoy a full meal without having to worry about the extra dishes that fancy food makes!

Ok done whining now, I think.

I paid bills the other day, it was the easiest I had ever done it! Not only was there enough money in the bank to pay all of them, but even enough to pay extra on the CC!

Mostly there was money cause we have been using cash gifts from christmas for the groceries. Still have some left so we should be good for a bit.

And it was easy cause I took all the bills that I found and put them in my 'breifcase' which is really just a zipper three ring binder. Kind of like flyladys office in a bag, but not as big, and made of fake leather, but I already owned it. It was a gift back when I took my first teaching job. Somehow I get the feeling I would have been a better teacher if I had been a bit more organized back then. Oh well I was a pretty good teacher regardless, least the parents and kids thought so.

Company! I had company for a late Christmas celebration; they brought the greatest Christmas present, dinner! Though honestly the way I feel I was happier about not having to do the work than not having to spend the money. I do have to do the clean up but they brought paper plates and plastic wear too! Which is a lot easier on the clean up. And they let enough flatware and plates for a months worth of meals! Not that I plan on using them every day, but they will come in handy when I just can’t get the dishes done.