I originally posted this entry without a sufficient introduction. This was an hilarious list of items my friend created, not because she doesn't like the content of my blog, which, as we all know, is, like, TOTALLY RAD. It was about getting new, different, varied ads to be published on my site. Please re-read her list and have a good chuckle as was intented.
I must also add two things:
1) Aegean nudist beaches
and
2) http://ask.metafilter.com/24986/What-to-do-when-Google-suspends-you
****************************************************************************
Original post:
Here is a list of things I might blog about, at the suggestion of my dear old friend KJ. I am hoping this list provides more interesting material for the "contentedly child-free persons" among my avid readers:
1. vodka
2. Campari
3. limes
4. club soda
5. no wait, that was a list of ingredients for an Americano
6. not an Americano coffee, an Americano cocktail
7. mmm, that sounds good
8. OK, get back on track now
9. ahem, I was saying vodka
10. gin
11. rum
12. other adult beverages
13. R-rated movies
14. actually, make that unrated movies, because the directors who release unrated cuts tend to be the more daring and interesting ones
15. fashionable glassware
16. fashionable china
17. other fashionable, breakable things
18. fancy corkscrews such as the Rabbit
19. that other Rabbit
20. high-quality German or Japanese kitchen knife brands
21. salacious celebrity gossip
22. higher-end Scandinavian-designed furniture
23. Central American jungle eco-tourism packages including zip-line rides and attractive, machete-bearing guides
24. anything with the punch line "The Aristocrats!"
25. clothing-optional beaches of the Mediterranean and Aegean
26. retail providers of adventure gear (rock-climbing harnesses, etc.)
27. retail providers of leather "adventure" gear (other kind of harnesses, etc.) <---- for browsing, pointing, and "ohmygod"-ing entertainment purposes only 28. how to toilet train your CAT. (Relevant YouTube links encouraged.)
(links provided by me, not KJ)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Money-saving tips...re-discovered
Dan and I are quickly finding that we get as much - if not more - joy from being resourceful as we did from being, well, spoiled.
Fact is, we were living outside our means for a while. Between my so-called non-traditional undergraduate degree, having a nice wedding, buying a house, my career path, and Dan's taste for toys, we racked up some debt. We have spent this past year changing a lot of our priorities - having a baby will do that to you - and have cut back on our spending quite a bit. One of our vows for 2008 was not to buy any more gifts. There were three or four occasions on which we splurged - my mother's birthday/retirement party, my bonus sister's wedding, Christmas - but overall, we were able to re-gift or make gifts. I didn't realize that most people are totally happy with a batch of brownies or a used book.
If you look back at my posts, you'll see that Dan sold his boat - one of the aforementioned toys - to pay for the installation of our wood-burning stove and three cords of wood. We were able to pay for the chimney, wood at the highest price of the season, and materials for the hearth. Our neighbor built the hearth in exchange for us snow-blowing his driveway for the winter. Dan's dad bought us a tank of oil for Christmas, so we have NO heating costs remaining this winter. That is truly something for which we are thankful.
This week's plan included taking inventory of our pantry, making a menu based on what we already have, and creating a grocery list from that menu for ingredients we were lacking. As I write this, I'm saying "DUH" to myself. This is basic, basic, basic. Duh. The point isn't that I shoulda thunka that before, but that we only spent $44 at the grocery store this week! We'll have to go back for milk in a few days, but $44 is a far cry from what we used to spend.
I must mention that I was rather pleased at some of the items currently in our inventory, including pricey items we won't see again for a while (Seeds of Change Greek Feta dressing) and items we accidently bought in multiples (Peanut Butter, rice, tuna, dried beans).
I know we're not alone in our current situation. What are you and your family doing to cut costs during The Recession?
Fact is, we were living outside our means for a while. Between my so-called non-traditional undergraduate degree, having a nice wedding, buying a house, my career path, and Dan's taste for toys, we racked up some debt. We have spent this past year changing a lot of our priorities - having a baby will do that to you - and have cut back on our spending quite a bit. One of our vows for 2008 was not to buy any more gifts. There were three or four occasions on which we splurged - my mother's birthday/retirement party, my bonus sister's wedding, Christmas - but overall, we were able to re-gift or make gifts. I didn't realize that most people are totally happy with a batch of brownies or a used book.
If you look back at my posts, you'll see that Dan sold his boat - one of the aforementioned toys - to pay for the installation of our wood-burning stove and three cords of wood. We were able to pay for the chimney, wood at the highest price of the season, and materials for the hearth. Our neighbor built the hearth in exchange for us snow-blowing his driveway for the winter. Dan's dad bought us a tank of oil for Christmas, so we have NO heating costs remaining this winter. That is truly something for which we are thankful.
This week's plan included taking inventory of our pantry, making a menu based on what we already have, and creating a grocery list from that menu for ingredients we were lacking. As I write this, I'm saying "DUH" to myself. This is basic, basic, basic. Duh. The point isn't that I shoulda thunka that before, but that we only spent $44 at the grocery store this week! We'll have to go back for milk in a few days, but $44 is a far cry from what we used to spend.
I must mention that I was rather pleased at some of the items currently in our inventory, including pricey items we won't see again for a while (Seeds of Change Greek Feta dressing) and items we accidently bought in multiples (Peanut Butter, rice, tuna, dried beans).
I know we're not alone in our current situation. What are you and your family doing to cut costs during The Recession?
Friday, February 6, 2009
Posting!
I'm going to try to post more often, as this site is a source of revenue for my family. If you don't know what I mean, I'm not really allowed to tell you what to do. I just know that I'm not allowed to click on my own ads, ever. CHECK THIS OUT:
http://ask.metafilter.com/24986/What-to-do-when-Google-suspends-you
A friend of mine said, "Sounds like you're having a fantastic week!" And that was only Tuesday. As most of you know, my husband lost his job on January 31st. I'm not going to waste too much space here, but I will tell you that Dan WAS the bread-winner, and his employment provided us with health, dental, vision and FSA benefits. All of those went away immediately on January 31st. We need to bring in money as soon as possible, and reduce spending NOW.
Here's what we've been doing:
1) Looking at EVERY way we spend money and figuring out how to reduce it.
2) Eating everything we already have, including the emergency tuna.
3) Taking fewer and shorter showers. I had never thought about my water consumption from an economic perspective before, just an environmental one. We are blessed to live in an area with no water shortage, and with good, clean water. I just never thought about how much we get charged to flush the toilet or wash our dishes before.
4) Unplugging energy-suckers! We have a clock-radio in Vi's room for no reason at all. Unplugged. We keep our coffee maker plugged in all day. No more. All of those little plugs with (what are they called? transformers? that can't be right) box-thingies on them suck energy all day. Who knew? (Probably lots of you did. Hmph.)
5) Driving less.
6) We withdrew Vi from daycare, since Dan is home all the time. That was a no-brainer. It is one of the saddest parts, for me, since I had such a long, drawn-out struggle with child care. We had finally found the *perfect* place, and now she's losing her spot in the program.
7) Dan applied for unemployment. This will be a rather long process, as the system is flooded with applications right now. In Maine, the unemployment rate is around 7% right now. I have a friend who applied over three weeks ago and still hasn't received a check.
8) Dan applied for a few jobs, posted his resume, and is calling on all contacts for ideas. He has a list of his former customers with whom he had a good, long-term relationship, and will be contacting them for suggestions, thoughts, prayers, and brainstorming. He is in touch with a long-ago customer, from his coffee shop days, who works as a truck-driving instructor. He may have his Class B trucking license in a few weeks - I'll keep you posted.
9) We are working on the health insurance issue. My biggest fear is, of course, for Vi, who is just getting over pneumonia. Her course of anti-biotics will be done tomorrow, and I worry that the infection will come back. Dan points out that keeping her out of day care will avoid "kennel cough." :-)
Most of all, we have been laughing. Don't get me wrong - we are terrified and I am still having bawling fits. But, Vi is at this age - 18 months, now - where she is a total ham. Everything she does is cute, silly, funny, goofy or intriguing. She has really kept us from crawling into bed and hiding. With an active toddler, that's not an option at all.
We've been doing a lot of brainstorming and long-term planning. Dan is still interested in going to college, but says "I can't wait two or four years for a paycheck." Being an apprentice for an electrician piqued his interest. 2nd shift jobs are a realistic, short-term possibility.
So, my question to all of you is, what should Dan do? Please let us know if you have any ideas for him, for us. Anything at all - no idea is stupid.
Thanks for all your support as we navigate this time in our lives!!
http://ask.metafilter.com/24986/What-to-do-when-Google-suspends-you
A friend of mine said, "Sounds like you're having a fantastic week!" And that was only Tuesday. As most of you know, my husband lost his job on January 31st. I'm not going to waste too much space here, but I will tell you that Dan WAS the bread-winner, and his employment provided us with health, dental, vision and FSA benefits. All of those went away immediately on January 31st. We need to bring in money as soon as possible, and reduce spending NOW.
Here's what we've been doing:
1) Looking at EVERY way we spend money and figuring out how to reduce it.
2) Eating everything we already have, including the emergency tuna.
3) Taking fewer and shorter showers. I had never thought about my water consumption from an economic perspective before, just an environmental one. We are blessed to live in an area with no water shortage, and with good, clean water. I just never thought about how much we get charged to flush the toilet or wash our dishes before.
4) Unplugging energy-suckers! We have a clock-radio in Vi's room for no reason at all. Unplugged. We keep our coffee maker plugged in all day. No more. All of those little plugs with (what are they called? transformers? that can't be right) box-thingies on them suck energy all day. Who knew? (Probably lots of you did. Hmph.)
5) Driving less.
6) We withdrew Vi from daycare, since Dan is home all the time. That was a no-brainer. It is one of the saddest parts, for me, since I had such a long, drawn-out struggle with child care. We had finally found the *perfect* place, and now she's losing her spot in the program.
7) Dan applied for unemployment. This will be a rather long process, as the system is flooded with applications right now. In Maine, the unemployment rate is around 7% right now. I have a friend who applied over three weeks ago and still hasn't received a check.
8) Dan applied for a few jobs, posted his resume, and is calling on all contacts for ideas. He has a list of his former customers with whom he had a good, long-term relationship, and will be contacting them for suggestions, thoughts, prayers, and brainstorming. He is in touch with a long-ago customer, from his coffee shop days, who works as a truck-driving instructor. He may have his Class B trucking license in a few weeks - I'll keep you posted.
9) We are working on the health insurance issue. My biggest fear is, of course, for Vi, who is just getting over pneumonia. Her course of anti-biotics will be done tomorrow, and I worry that the infection will come back. Dan points out that keeping her out of day care will avoid "kennel cough." :-)
Most of all, we have been laughing. Don't get me wrong - we are terrified and I am still having bawling fits. But, Vi is at this age - 18 months, now - where she is a total ham. Everything she does is cute, silly, funny, goofy or intriguing. She has really kept us from crawling into bed and hiding. With an active toddler, that's not an option at all.
We've been doing a lot of brainstorming and long-term planning. Dan is still interested in going to college, but says "I can't wait two or four years for a paycheck." Being an apprentice for an electrician piqued his interest. 2nd shift jobs are a realistic, short-term possibility.
So, my question to all of you is, what should Dan do? Please let us know if you have any ideas for him, for us. Anything at all - no idea is stupid.
Thanks for all your support as we navigate this time in our lives!!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Things come in threes, right?
Dan lost his job yesterday.
Vi has pneumonia (but is improving rapidly).
I'm not thrilled about the prospect of whatever the 3rd item will be.
Vi has pneumonia (but is improving rapidly).
I'm not thrilled about the prospect of whatever the 3rd item will be.
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