Yeah I know most of the time its just crap. This time it was a charity request for a donation. Opened it and the loveliest collection of return address stickers. Waste not want not right? Thanks charity! I don't do my giving via mail requests but I won't waste these either.

Oh and I just "reclaimed" $6.74 cents in uncancelled postage! A few minutes in a bowl of water to free them from the old envelopes and when I go to use them a swipe of the ole glue stick and they'll work good as new

Rhetorical Question of the day: Why does it take longer to procrastinate the task then do it?


I've been really hesitant to finish getting my ING account set up and dilly dallying on making the phone call to set up my PIN etc. I made that call about 15 minutes ago. It took about 5 whole minutes to get it all set up.

In the last 15 minutes I did the following:

1. Made the call

2. Paid my visa bill via my bank website

3. Transfered money into my ING account


I'm a happy camper! I once again owe no money and I have moved my emergency fund along. Woo hoo!

I have had a nice quiet day today. Read a bit (Catherine Coulter - a nice read, definitely not literature but very enjoyable) and some home cooking.

Made up a huge batch of Chili that fits the requirements of the WW core plan. Had one serving and have 6 more to go into the freezer for future meals. Mostly all fresh ingrediants but did use some canned tomatoes and tomato paste (I'm practical).

Right now I'm cooking a chicken in the slow cooker. A whole chicken rubbed with olive oil, salt pepper and thyme, sitting on a bed of garlic. I used two full heads of garlic, unpeeled some of the cloves and left peel on some of them. All the cloves are whole. Supposedly in the cooking the garlic taste infuses the chicken but remains mellow and isn't overpowering.

Half the cloves are stuffed in the chicken and half are under the chicken. Its a version of the 40 garlic clove chicken recipe. Oh yeah there is a few tablespoons of white wine to provide moisture too - got to love a recipe with so few ingredients and none too unusual.

I don't do very well making this sound hoity do I? I bet with a french name this would sound so much fancier than I'm making it sound here.

Save money, save calories and keep your portion sizes reasonable.

When doing fast food order the children's meal rather than a "normal adult" combo.

I think each time I do this at Wendy's or McDonalds (not that I eat at each that much I save about $1.50 to $2.00 and it is enough food. I'm not stuffed but I'm no longer hungry. I could eat more but I don't need to.

Supper tonight was the kids cheeseburger meal at Wendys. The toy gets put aside til I find some kids that will like it. Sometimes though you can swap out cookies or get a cheaper price. I find some McDs are happy to do this and others only let you swap out toy or cookie

Of course you save more if you cook, but its nice in theory at least in my life theory doesn't work those nights I'm driving home late and am starved.

I got curious yesterday and today did a quick google for a quiz on investing and risk tolerance. I was quite happy to find a site not sponsored by a bank, mutual fund company or other corporation (no need to get more spam mail in my email account that I hae specifically for that stuff). I found a quiz at:

http://www.rce.rutgers.edu:8080/money/riskquiz/default.asp?

The first time I tried the quiz I scored a 29 - lowest score in the high risk tolerance category. I did it another time and scored a 28 highest score in the moderate category or investent risk taker. Figures I do it twice and don't manage to be consistant.

I guess this means I really don't need to be keeping that jar of pennies in the freezer.

I get the theory of borrowing money at low interest rates to invest it at a higher rate. And I'm reading the blogs of people who make this work for them. Work the Credit card offers of zero percent interest, borrow the money in just the right way, transfer to the 0% card, all the while investing and earning money on this "free money".

I get it. My finance degree admires them for working the system. Take opportunity and seize it. Bleed those credit card companies dry. I really do like it. I wish it was for me.

It isn't for me though. I don't want be in debt in order to make money. I don't want to be leveraged. Its not within my risk tolerance. I'm a fuddy duddy who is happy at being financially solvent for the first time in many years. If I wasn't doing so much cross border stuff I'd lose my visa and just keep a debit card. I rarely use my visa unless I'm in the US. I like not owing people money. It feels good. It feels nice not to have bills looming over my head.

Maybe its because I'm lazy. I don't want to be as diligent as I would need to be in order to make sure I danced the dance perfectly to ensure that I never had to pay a late fee or any other rip-you-off payment the CC companies create to gouge consumers.

I keep thinking of that poor Aussie fellow who played with dangerous animals and died. I know its not a nice analogy but it keeps coming to mind.

So this little lazy risk adverse girl is going get her thrills on this money making strategy not by doing but by cheering on those others who make it work for them. So excuse me while I go oggle and admire their daring-do while keeping my pennies in a jar in the freezer *grins*

I could have done several things tonight. All administrative, all would have only taken me a few minutes each. They are all things I need to do to move my savings along or take advantage of some points programs I'm in - ensure I'm registered properly etc.

But have I done anything tonight? Nope not a thing (unless watching an episode of Crossing Jordan and CSI Miami count - and you'd think after yesterday I'd never want to watch CSI Miami again).

So why am I procrastinating? Am I afraid to succeed? Why do I indulge in behavious that don't get to where I want to be. Okay so they'd have involved the phone and I dont really like the phone.

So now rather than just do what I need to do I'm writing about it and not doing it.

*sigh*

After showering with my gorgeous meezer, all fluffy from this post shower hair drying treatment (aka the blowdryer) I sat on the couch and got sucked into a day long CSI Miami marathon. I had seen about 1/2 of them before - proof I don't watch much TV - anyone who watches a lot of TV would have seen them all before.

The good news is I didn't spend any money. The bad news is that I didn't do much of anything.

I'm relaxed and almost ready to start a new work week. A short week is always a bonus

And ole and frugal meezer, he decided that two can shower as cheaply as one!

I'm merrily having my shower this morning - doing my weekly body polish routine and I look down and low and behold Mao has joined me for my shower. This isn't the first time he's decided that he wants to shower. The water doesn't bother him at all. He just merrily stands there licking at the water droplets in the tub. I'm not sure if he even notices the water at all. I'm the one who gets worried - I like a hot shower - that he'll be scalded or something. So wasn't long before I picked him up and removed him from the shower.

After I finished my shower he went back into the tub.




Afterwards he enjoyed being blown blow dry. I assume that a cat who doesn't enjoy it woudn't sit still for it - I wasn't holding him down or restraining him from leaving in any way.

..the darn store changed the pattern.

Went to the "continually has an inventory blow out sale" kitchen stuff store all prepared to buy a new set of china - an everyday set. I wanted the ones that match my mugs. I had bought mugs in 4 different colours at this chain earlier in the year - navy, green, red and yellow/gold. They had a pieces in each colour and mixing the four colours then.

But they have discontinued the navy blue and replaced it with the rather nice mid greyish blue. But the plate that has the 4 colours combined still has the navy blue place settting. Therefore they really haven't replaced it properly.

Okay so this is low on the list of natural disasters. Yeah, so its not even on the list. But it was enough to throw me for a loup. Then I started looking. I think the green is a different shade and they have two styles of plates and a new style of mugs too.

I know this isn't true open stock. But I wanted to get the 4-colour plates which went with my cups and then some solids too. Hard to do when you can't mix and match like you wanted to.

I may still go back and buy (I did replace the mug I had broken with the same style in the same colour) but I'm not quite sure what I want to do.

I may check the superduper sells everything but the kitchen sink (and may sell that too) Superstore grocery store and see what they have.

But today I limited my spending there to less than $4.

Savings tip of the day - if you are buying it because its a good deal, you shouldn't be buying it. It is simple. The way to really save is to not spend money on things you don't need.

Yeah, I buy stuff in this category too. But less so when I remind myself that I save even more if I don't buy it.

A rainy day, a pile of coupons from you know where.. a perfect marriage. I spent much of the day cleaning up the disaster my coupons had gotten into.

Didn't find any interesting ones. Found lots of expired ones and they are now tossed. The good ones are filed or, in one of the 6 envies for trains I put together. Also put together a few RAOK's for some lucky people.

Now I'm all couponed out - at least untili I go to the store next and SAVE! Woo hoo!

Though I do note now I eat less processed food that there are less coupons that I use. The crappier the food nutrionally the more likely you can get a coupon for it. Sad but true.

It was nice that you were all at the grocery store today. It was wonderful seeing three generations of a family do things together, and yours was truly an inspiration to us all with respect to how close knit you are. It is wonderful how you all communicate. No raised voices, everyone having their say with intense long deep involved conversation amongst you all.

Now if I may make a small request, please move your family meeting elsewhere. Anywhere other than the junction of two aisles at a busy grocery store on a Friday night. Say why not move the meeting to your home. That way we who would like to get home aren't standing around waiting for your meeting to finish.

Thank you for your consideration,

A tired shopper wanting to get her groceries done.