Ah, it's that time of year. Softball and Tball are starting up. Unfortunately, it meant a bit of an investment, as the kids both needed new cleats, a new bat, a glove for DS, etc. Fortunately I had a 10% coupon for Modells which made it a little more bearable.

The bigger expense yesterday was a new mattress. We've had ours for 12 years and it's shot. I think we got a decent deal (though it's so hard to tell from those ads!). We did get 0% financing for 12 months, and I'm good about paying them off in time.

I'm back in the saddle with my "diet" and exercise. I walked on the treadmill for 40 minutes Saturday and Sunday, and will be on again this afternoon. I had my oatmeal for breakfast and fruit and nuts for lunch so, so far so good. I know I'm being totally shallow here, but on Friday, 2 people at work asked me if I lost weight. I had definitely fallen into the "I don't feel like doing this anymore" trap, so when they asked the question, it perked me right back up and now I'm motivated again.

Made out great at Walgreens today, taking advantage of their March rebate specials.

Right Guard Body Spray $4.99 far
Fructis Hair Spray $3.99 far - $1 coupon
Listerine Tooth Defense Mouthwash $3.49 far
Crest Toothpaste $2.99 far - $1 coupon
Reach Toothbrush $2.99 far
Kotex pads $10.78-$1 coup=$9.78 $10 WAG giftcard after rebate
Listerine Cool Blue kids mouthwash $3.99-$1coupon - $2.50 rebate = $.50.

So I paid $29.22 and I'll get back $33.05 in WAG giftcards, plus I got a bunch of stuff I can use. A successful day...

since my last post. I need to get better about posting. It's not like anything out of the ordinary has been going on, other than life itself (which is never ordinary, I guess)!

I must admit that I've been pretty lax with the financial side of things. Not necessarily overspending, just not keeping as close an eye on it as I'd like. The kids are pretty busy in school (it's sad how much they make 2nd graders do!). Plus DD is making her 1st Communion on May 6, so we have that to prepare for. Hubby's been travelling quite a bit, and my job has been hectic and crazy.

Financially, our net taxes due are likely to be in the $1500-$2000 range. Not horrible relative to last year, but I'm not happy about it. Hubby's bonus comes in April, but we're not sure exactly how much it will be. The plan is to pay off the HELOC (we switched about $6800 to it when the 0% cc ran out). I'll have a much better picture of where we stand at the end of April when these variables (and others) are taken care of.

Still working on the reimbursement from the insurance company for DS's speech therapy. And (unbelievably) waiting for the school to schedule his sessions. My final (I hope) meeting with the therapist at school is next Wednesday. The bureaucracy is killing me.

I've slacked off a bit on the diet and exercise but not terribly. I'm maintaining (which is better than gaining, not as good as losing). I need to get motivated to get back on the horse.

So that's been my deal. I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone's blogs and start blogging again myself a little more regularly. Until then...

I did pretty well taking advantage of some sales today. First stop was Walgreens, where there March rebate program started. I got 2 packs of maxi pads, Fructis shampoo, deoderant, and a toothbrush. Spent $21.17 out of pocket, and will get $23.20 back on my WAG gift card.

Next stop was ShopRite. Bought 10 bottles of Pepsi for $10.18, and I got a coupon for $10 on my next order. I also bought 5 Lysol products for $8.15 and got a $5 coupon back. 10 Eggo Waffles for $16.67-$10 coupon back, and 6 Motts applesauce 6 packs - $5 coupon back. We use all of this stuff all the time, so it was a great deal for me. In fact, I'm thinking of going back for more soda tomorrow, to stock up for the spring/summer.

I figured my February net worth. Not as big a hit as I thought, with the stock market tanking. It's always a good exercise, even though most of my savings are long term (college, retirement), so day to day changes don't really matter.

Speaking of exercising, I'm back in the saddle. Went on the treadmill today and will meet my goal for the week. Also tried to eat pretty well today.

So all in all, things are going pretty well...