mjrube94's Blog

I took a vacation day today. Had every intention of sending the kids to school, then getting some things done, until...my son got sick. Started overnight Saturday, lasted all day Sunday, and was still congested today. Hubby took a wah day, so he could stay with DS while I did some things, but it's still not the same as having the house to myself.

That said, I did manage to get things done. Went to the post office and mailed out some coupon packages. Went to the bank to deposit some checks, and generally got organized.

I have back-to-school night tomorrow and Wednesday. Babysitters are required both nights; fortunately it should only be 1 1/2 hours total.

Went to dad's this weekend. I was thrilled to see a rebate for Ensure in the rebate forum. He drinks a TON of this stuff, so I bought it at two different stores and plan on filling out a form for me and one for hubby (sent to MIL's house). Somewhere I read that you need to be careful about doing the multiple address thing, because if you cash them through the same bank account it can trip you up, so I'll need to remember to keep them separate.

Deal of the weekend: RiteAid had Herbal Essence styling product far to $3.99. I had a $1 coupon, so I ended up paying $3.27 (incl tax) and will get back $3.99, plus the hair spray. Love those deals!! I need to submit my Walgreens rebate tomorrow before getting ready for next month's offers.

I'm trying to spend some time this weekend getting organized. First stop - coupons. I went through the coupon wish list thread and matched up people's wants with what I have and don't need for the Northeaster. As I get people's addresses, I'll mail them out.

I had a mail in form for Campbells Label for Education. Submit 10 upcs with the form and get 200 bonus points. So I need to get that off my list.

Also need to mail in a St. Ives form. I bought 2 products, so I send in the form and get 1 free...

Finally, I need to get my Box Tops together. I forgot to submit them at the end of last school year, so I have about 30 lying around. I'll send them in with the kids on Monday.

Somehow I ended up on the ToysRUs mailing list. Today I got a coupon for $10/$50, expiring in mid-October. I also have gift cards that I bought at a 20% discount. I'll need to see if I can combine these with a good in-store sale...

I can't wait for the next electric and gas bills. (When have I EVER said that before?!) It's been so cool for the last few weeks that the a/c has been off, and despite it getting pretty chilly at night, we haven't turned on the heat. (Twice, the house has been 63/64 when we woke up, but I'm trying to hold out until at least October 1. Flannel sheets are going on the beds this weekend, and the kids will be in their feetie pjs if necessary) I'm hoping I'll see a big difference in the bill.

I'm hoping for a quiet weekend. We have soccer tomorrow, then the kids are going to grandma's for a sleepover. Instead of going out to eat, I'm taking 2 steaks out of the freezer, and we'll have them with a great bottle of wine. I do need to go to the veggie store and pick up something to have with it.

Sunday I'm going down to my dad's...

I must have been really bored...I calculated how much it costs me to make coffee at home. We get our coffee mail order, and received a shipment a few days ago. So I actually figured out how many cups are in each bag, and how much the sugar and 1/2 and 1/2 would be, and it came to $.20/cup. Just wanted to reaffirm that it was really worth it. (Certainly more so than Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. I can get coffee at work for $.25, but it's not as good!)

I did well at ShopRite with the triple coupons. Stocked up on things for the pantry. I bought a lot of Campbells soup, and need to remember to take off the labels. The gym teachers at our school collect them for sports equipment. I gather that people don't like this program as much as BoxTops for education, for a number of reasons, but free stuff is free stuff, so it's worth peeling the label...

I need to stop down to dad's this weekend. His home aide quit because he got a new dog (she's deathly afraid), so I need to do some research and secure him a new helper. Always an adventure...

Tomorrow is my birthday (36...yikes!). We celebrated yesterday, with cake and presents, I had breakfast in bed...the whole bit.

As I was accumulating the trash, I saw the receipts for my gifts, including one for a CD hubby got me. It had an extra receipt and a form for a $3 rebate! (Of course, hubby didn't realize it, because he never pays attention to that kind of thing, but I was SO EXCITED! He thinks I'm nuts, because it absolutely made my day. I filled it out right away and will be getting it in the mail today. Wahoo!

I stayed home all weekend, so aside from whatever he spent, it was a spend-free weekend. DD had a double ear infection on Friday that required $35 worth of meds.

I do need to go to the store today. ShopRite is having triple coupons up to $.99, no overall limit (4 coupons for the same item allowed). So I made a list, and checked it twice, and will head over there after work.

I also have chili in the crockpot. 2lbs of beef, plus beans and everything else, should easily be enough for 3 meals...

I bought something from Lillian Vernon today. After checkout, I was offered a 30-day free trial to Reservation Rewards, with a $10 bonus for my next Lillian Vernon purchase. I suspect this will be like all the other trial offers (i.e., not worth the monthly fee), but I'll check it out and cancel within the 30 days. I don't shop at Lillian Vernon a lot, but I can certainly find something, especially with Christmas coming up.

I also forgot to mention my cooking from the weekend. Week 3 included homemade peach ice cream (used up the rest of the peaches from when we went picking), fresh bread, potato-leek soup, and beef bourginon. Yummy!

I was at the Grocery Coupon Guide last week and I signed up with a few companies. Today, I received 1 free coupon each for Alberto VO5 and Tresemme. Excellent!

Not much happening on the financial front. I'm waiting until the 15th to get paid and take care of my first round of monthly bills. We got a letter from our gas company, saying that they were going to attach something to our meter to let them read it electronically. That'll be great, because they always estimate my readings, so I never have a true picture of my usage.

THat's it for now...

Be warned: Boring post about electricity usage!

I went online and looked over my last 13 months of electric bills. In August 05, I averaged 68 kwh per day. This August, it was down to 58 per day, despite the fact that the average temperature was 5 degrees higher this year (and the A/C was on non-stop). So I feel like I'm really making progress.

During the summer, when the pool filter and a/c are on, usage varied from 50-58 kwh per day. During the rest of the year, from October through May, it ranged from 22-34.

I'm going to keep tracking this over the next few months and comparing it to the same period last year, to show me that it keeps getting better. I have plenty of room for improvement, too, considering that my kids (and husband) keep every light and television on all the time!

I went shopping while the kids were in school today. First stop: Walgreens, to take advantage of their monthly rebates.

Bought 3 packages of Kotex @$3.49 each = $10.47, minus $3 in coupons = $7.47. Will get back $10 Walgreens gift card, leaving me with 3 free packages +$2.53. I have a bit of a stockpile from the last time they ran this deal, but they don't go bad, so may as well stock up. Also bought a Zone nutrition bar ($1.50, far), and children's Tylenol and Motrin. (Buy 1 of each get a $5 gift card. Used a $1 coupon, too).

I then went to Shoprite. Didn't do quite as well here, as I needed to buy hubby's (expensive) razor blades, and they had beef tenderloin roasts on sale, for $4.99/lb and $5.99/lb. So I bought one of each. I'll freeze one for Christmas dinner, the other I'll make into filet mignon steaks, and beef bourgignon.

I received a $5 Walgreens gift card from last month's rebates, so I'll need to add that to my challenge, bringing my total to $90.36. Missed out on a $25 offer from Citibank to pay 3 bills online. Disappointed in myself, but the offer expired on 8/31, and things have been crazy the last few weeks so I'm not going to lose sleep over it. THere'll be other offers. I also have an offer for credit protection on my credit card. These strike me as an amazing waste of money, but if they're going to pay me $20 to try it out for 30 days, I may as well. Just need to write myself a note to cancel...

Kindergarten and 2nd Grade. Yipes...Did they grow up when I wasn't looking? I had to work late today, so I couldn't relax and ease into things as well as I'd like, but the kids did pick out their clothes and get their backpacks, and I'm filling out all of the necessary forms (and writing the necessary checks)!

I'm taking tomorrow off, but I do need to the grocery store and Walgreens. School is only 1/2 day, so I'll use the rest of the time to get caught up on some chores...

I decided to quit the 2006 $20 challenge at the end of July, when I used the money I was saving for vacation. I think I was a bit burnt out, between the whole e bookdrop experience earlier in the year, and all of the bank account openings.

That said, every time I get an unexpected source of income, I immediately think "Challenge Money"! I miss it, especially as I read everyone else's entries about how they're doing. So I decided to dip my toe back in the challenge pool!

My challenge savings account (the first one I ever opened with a bonus!) currently has $61.65 in it. I don't have a goal for the money - I'm just going to accumulate it until something strikes me.

Today in the mail, I received a $13.71 Eckerd rebate and a $10 Walgreens gift card so I'll transfer that today, bringing the account to $85.36.

On the Outstanding Items list, I have a few things to add:

$10 Chase bonus for online bill pay
$10 Pepsi rebate
$24 Bali (Buy2Get1 Free, *2)
$10 Everyday Values grocery voucher
$10 Everyday Values grocery voucher #2

I think there are others; I'll check my notes and add to it later. I'm excited to be back in the game...

Week 2 of my "challenge" to spend part of my weekend cooking some food from scratch. I made chicken noodle soup, enough for hubby and me to have one night, then a bunch of individual servings for me to have when he's out for dinner. I made pulled pork in the crockpot for dinner tonight, and cinnamon rolls that are in the oven now. I also need to use up some of the remaining peaches.

I've made the cinnamon rolls one other time, and they're fantastic! But I need to start tracking how much it costs me to make all of this stuff. I think it was Retire@50 that used to itemize the cost of her meals (where is she, anyway? I miss reading her blog). I need to do the same. Is it really cheaper to make them for scratch (yeast, cream cheese for the frosting, etc.), then just buying Pillsbury refrigerated rolls on sale with a coupon? I know they taste a lot better, but I don't know if they cost less.

I went to BJs on Saturday and I'm making progress on my bottled water issue. Hubby willingly agreed to switch to Brita filters, but I hadn't had time to price them out. (BJs has the pitcher + 1 filter for $22, and 5 replacement filters for $22. I need to figure out roughly how many gallons each filter is good for). Until I get around to that, BJs had the Poland Spring 3 liter bottles for $.90 each (instead of $1.59 each at the store). So I bought enough of them to hold me over for a few weeks until I check the Brita information.

Cheap day today - bike riding in the park. It finally stopped raining, and is clear, but cool (65 degrees or so). My favorite time of year...

I ran my net worth as of August 31st and it went up over 5% last month. Nothing like automatic 401(k) contributions to make the finances look better!

Also on the financial front, I tried a new commute (again). Once the kids start school, I can take a train to work. The net result will be a little better than what I currently have, some of my out-of-pocket will come out pretax, and my auto insurance should drop a little, because my round-trip commute dropped from 60 miles/day to 14. That should help with my enormous gasoline bill, too. So I'll start this daily on Friday.

Checked out the various rebate programs for September. Walgreens, as usual, has the best. Specifically, Pepcid 8-ct far, zone perfect bar far, 2 kotex maxi pads far, 4 pepsi 12-pks far (and different from the mail in pepsi rebate, so you can do them both!). Also rebates on batteries and children's tylenol and motrin, both of which I need to stock up on.

Also, I don't know that I'll take advantage of them, but they have buy $20 proctor and gamble items get $10 gc, buy $20 Huggies products get $10 gc, and buy $10 lysol get $3. These could be good deals if you combine them with coupons. In fact, I'm trying to figure out if I'll be invited to any baby showers coming up, because it may be worth getting the huggies deal and giving the diapers and wipes as gifts.

It's going to be pouring rain through Sunday, so it's a good opportunity to scour the sale ads and the coupons.

I'm planning a trip to BJs tomorrow, too. Haven't been in months, but I'd like to stock up on some things for school, and also for all of the baking and cooking I'll be doing this fall.

I've been working like a dog, and will certainly enjoy my relaxing long weekend. Hope everyone else does the same.

Wow, we're in the middle of a damp, cold stretch. Feels like fall in northern NJ!

I was super-proud of myself on Sunday. Spent the entire day cooking and baking, including homemade bread, blackberry ice cream, blackberry and peach clafouti (thanks Contrary, for the suggestion!), blackberry sauce, steaks for Sunday night dinner, and bolognese sauce for Monday night. It's been a long time since I did that much in the kitchen and it was great!

I've been positively swamped at work, so I haven't had time to get my 8/31 stub and finalize the August numbers. If I thought they were better, it'd be easier to get motivated to do this!

Got my electric bill today. The actual usage was really high due to the a/c being on during last month's heat wave. Fortunately, we still have a credit of about $85 on our budget billing...I'm hoping that we can end the year with a credit and drive next year's rate down...

Quiet rest of the week...work, work, work!

We went fruit picking again today, this time for peaches (again) and blackberries. Man, am I envious of JodiM for having bushes in her backyard! I was online earlier and found recipes for a blackberry cobbler, blackberry ice cream, and roaster peaches with blackberry sauce, all of which will be made on Sunday. YUMMY! These pick-your-own farms are great. The kids had so much fun, plus they had a hay pyramid and petting zoo.

Tomorrow we're off to an Oktoberfest. It's an outdoor thing, free to go. We'll need to pay for food and beer. We went last year and it was entirely reasonable. Then Sunday is a stay at home day. I'm going to cook, bake, and relax - not necessarily in that order.

I need to printout my paystub for 8/31 and see how I ended up the month. (I already know it was tough, I just need to see what the damage is)...

I'm thinking about auto insurance again. Once the kids are back in school, I'll be able to change my commute to work (again!) and take the train, instead of driving. That should save me something, because hubby and I are both listed as commuting >30 miles each way. I won't be, and it turns out he's not now - that's a mistake. So we should see a cut for that. Also, I got the dates for the insurance reduction program. There are dates in October and November we could go to, and hopefully see the savings when our policy re-ups in December. Anything to get that number down...

Let me preface this by acknowledging that bottled water in general is a ripoff. That said, hubby likes Poland Spring bottled water, in the clear plastic gallon. (I can push hubby only so far with the whole frugal thing before he balks).

The regular Poland Spring gallon (in the milk-type container) is $1.39/gallon. When they came out with the clear plastic gallon, the price was raised to $1.59/gallon. Last week in the store, I saw they discontinued the clear gallon jugs in favor of 3-liter (~53 oz) clear plastic jugs that are easier to handle, but they're CHARGING THE SAME PRICE! They're giving you 17% less water!

So inspired by everyone on this site, I called Poland Spring and told them that I preferred the old design, and can't believe they're charging the same price. They thanked me profusely for my comments and said they'd pass it along to the marketing department. They did take my name and address, so maybe I'll get a coupon or two in the future, but I'm not holding my breath.

I did make some progress with Hubby, though, because when I showed him the bottle and told him it was the same price, he agreed to switch to Dannon water...

As an aside, does anyone use Brita filters? My SIL likes them, but the refills seem pretty expensive, too, and I'm not sure it would be any less than bottled water...

Let's see...I find my brain is mush after 10pm, so I'm having difficulty collecting my thoughts.

I have 3 rebates that I need to fill out: $10 for the Pepsi 12 packs, $10 for the Eggo Waffles (should have done this a week ago, but I threw out two of the boxes without getting the UPC codes, so now I need to get them from my MIL, and a Bali Bra rebate (b2g1 free). Also have one of those grocery rebates from Everyday Values to send in. I keep sending them even though I cancelled months ago and they keep sending me the checks.

I also need to mail a few school-related things. Milk money is due soon, as well as emergency forms and the like.

Called my dental insurance charge and confirmed the $93.75 charge. I forgot that our insurance coverage was lowered a bit this year. We now have a $50 deductible, and they cover 75% of cavities instead of 80%. So now that I now it's a legitimate charge, I'm just thankful that we have the insurance...

I'm looking forward to a quiet week. My niece is moving in on Sunday, so I need to do some preparation for her. We've got a play date tomorrow and an all-around quiet week...

I read a comment in Ima's blog that someone was set up to ignore entries from another blogger. Can anyone explain to me how to do that? Thanks.

Hubby went to the dentist for his checkup a while back and had a cavity that needed filling. We got a bill in the mail for $93.75, which is our share. I need to call our dental insurance to confirm it because it seems a bit high to me. His checkup was fully covered, so I'm assuming this is the $25 annual deductible plus 20% of the total but the math didn't work out.

But here's the kicker. While he was getting the filling done, the dentist saw that he had a cracked tooth and suggested hubby make an appointment to have it taken care of. Hubby knew the tooth was cracked, but never did anything about it because it never bothered him. He decided to make the appointment and get it taken care of.

Turns out the dentist put the equivalent of a crown on his tooth. As someone with a small fortune of work in my mouth (I told my dentist I wanted to go to his kid's college graduation because I feel like I foot the bill!), I have no objection to what his dentist did; that's how they take care of cracked teeth. However, hubby didn't realize until after the fact that the cost of a crown is $1000! (Again, that's in line with what my dentist charges so I'm not shocked at the number). Our insurance will only cover half, meaning that we have to pay $500!

So on the one hand, I feel like the dentist was just doing his job, and if the work needed to be done it needed to be done, so we just need to suck it up. On the other hand, spending $500 to fix a tooth that wasn't even bothering him in the first place is disappointing, to say the least. I feel like I was duped, but it's our own fault. Adding salt to my wound is the fact that we only have about $125 left in our medical FSA for the year, so that doesn't even fully cover it, and it's just a bad month (aren't they all?) with everything else going on.

Let the buyer beware...even (especially?) with doctors...

I'm working from home today, so in addition to work-work, I can get some other things done. I need to go to the bank to deposit some checks (never made it yesterday) and to town hall to pay the tax bill. I also need to get the car's oil changed. It's pouring rain, so I think when I get back from that I'll stay in for the rest of the day! I have a few loads of laundry to do, and the dishwasher to run. I also need to continue to declutter. My niece will be moving in a week from Sunday, and I need to clean out the room she'll be staying in.

I told hubby that as social coordinator for the family, I am keeping Sundays to ourselves this fall. I'm just beat from all the running around we do. So Sundays will consist of Church, football, and cooking. My plan is to break out the bread machine (which I haven't used in YEARS) and the ice cream maker and spend the day cooking and baking for the week (snacks for the kids' lunchboxes, soup, a hearty meal or two that can be reheated, stuff like that). I really enjoy cooking, so I'm hoping it works out. I'm so excited that I'm planning the meals already!

So that's the scoop. I need to post a message in the forum to check on the status of the Northeaster and Caboose. As far as I know, it's moving along, but I haven't seen a post lately, so I just want to make sure. I have a BUNCH of pet food and baby coupons that I need to unload...

I had a pretty good weekend, spending-wise. I ended up not going grocery shopping last week. I was planning on going yesterday, but didn't have the time, and wasn't in desperate need of anything. So I missed out on a few good sales, but nothing I can't live without. I'll do this week's shopping today instead.

We did go back to school shopping yesterday. Kohls had its usual Saturday sales, plus a 15% coupon and some gift cards. I did spend above the amount of the gift cards, but it was budgeted because they both needed clothes. So all in all, not too bad.

I need to go to the bank tomorrow to drop off some rebate checks. I'm hoping for a quiet week...I'm planning on working from home on Tuesday, and we're going to my brother's house for dinner Thursday. Other than that, a quiet week...

In advance of paying the bills on the 15th, I looked at our credit card statements. Oh boy...we went COMPLETELY off the wagon this summer, particularly with vacations. We made different plans with different people all over the summer and all of the spending is hitting this month. I'm trying to remain upbeat about it...it's the kick in the pants that I need to get back to serious saving again. Now I need to look at the details to see exactly how I'm going to deal with this damage.

For starters, it should be a cash-free weekend for me. We're going to the town pool with friends tomorrow (no charge - they have guest passes). Saturday we're going to dinner at a friend's house, and we only need to bring a bottle of wine, which we have. Sunday, we're staying home all day. I have food in the freezer, and fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. One day at a time...

We're going to have a houseguest for a month or two. My niece is going to a college nearby, but is on the waiting list for a dorm room. She should be in no later then 10/15, so she asked if we could put her up. Of course, we'd love to have her. She'll be in school and at work much of the time, and she's often a help to me with the kids, so I'm hoping it works out well.

OK, I'm back from the Jersey shore. Weather was great, kids had a ton of fun. Now it's time to get serious. First piece of good news: I got the $200 pool rebate. Quickest turnaround I've ever seen! This will need to go into the checking account to offset the cost of the thing. I also received the $3.xx Lysol rebate and a $16.47 half.com payment, both of which I'm putting into my savings account. (I'm officially done with the $20 challenge through the end of the year, but I'm still going to save stuff like this separately).

I'm also starting to get organized (tall order). I renewed the registration for my car, due by the end of the month. (Learned THAT lesson!) $76.50 to the state of NJ...don't know why it's so much, but they have you over a barrel. I also have two $10 rebates from all those free trials from a few months back. Not sure if they'll pay out, but it's definitely worth the $.37 stamp. Finally, need to mail in the $10 Kelloggs Eggo rebate.

Speaking of Kelloggs, I'm not sure if I blogged about two great deals from my last shopping trip. I bought 10 boxes of Eggo Waffles for $20. I got a $10 coupon for my next order at checkout, and will get a $10 check through the mail in rebate making them effectively free. I also bought 4 boxes of Barber Chicken (2-ct). They were $2/box, and I had $5 in coupons, making them $.75/box, or $.38/chicken. Can't beat that for dinner! I like them because they're fast and easy when I forget to defrost something else...

I need to look over this week's circular and do my shopping tomorrow. I also need to order some discount gift cards for back-to-school shopping. (I've been putting this off because it requires me to go through my daughter's closet, which is a huge chore!). That's about it for today!

Every summer, we go to the Jersey shore with mil. She pays for the hotel and food, we pay for boardwalk, rides, and things like that. We'll be back Wednesday. That will be it for summer vacations, and I'll prepare for the back-to-school madness. I've let the focus on finances lapse over the summer, and need to get back to it for September...

I came home today to a message on my answering machine from Discover Cards. Seems as if someone applied for an account using my SS#. However, my birthday was slightly off, and the address to which they wanted the card sent was different from the address on my credit report, so it was flagged to their fraud department. I called them back and told them I didn't apply for the card, so they cancelled the application. I also called Experian and put a 90-day fraud alert on my ss#, where they'll call me before authorizing any credit. (They notify the other 2 agencies as well). I called Citibank, with whom I currently have credit cards, and they said that they can't really do anything proactively, but it would be a good idea to change my password from my mother's maiden name (which is easily gotten) to something else. So I need to do that, as well as log on regularly to my credit cards online to make sure there is no unusual activity. I'm trying to take comfort in the good news that the Discover application was filled out on 7/24, and they caught this, so maybe no other damage was done. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Other than that, I'm swamped at work, which is preventing me from getting much done at home. Still plugging away, though. I'm off to check credit card activity...

Vacation was great. We were in San Francisco, Napa and Sonoma. The weather was great, and I can't think of anything more relaxing than sitting at a winery overlooking the vines with a glass of wine in hand. Doesn't get much better than that!

I must be rubbing off on hubby. He went to pick up the car from the offsite parking lot we use. The person in front of him showed her AAA card, so hubby did the same and saved 10% off the total. Way to go!

I received a $20 Eckerd rebate and a $5 gas rebate from June. I managed to get the pool rebate out on time (long story). I'm hoping the company honors it without the warranty card (I included a note). I need to go through my to-do list and see what's on it.

The weather is unbearable...can't wait until it breaks. Unlike Kashi, I hate August! Way too hot and humid. Great if you're at the beach, not so great if you're commuting to work in pantyhose! Blech. September is my favorite time of year...

Fantastic sales at the ShopRite this year. My favorite one: Buy 10 Kelloggs products get a $10 checkout coupon for your next visit. This is a no-brainer. Eggo waffles are on sale for $1.67 each, and I have a bunch of coupons for them, thanks to the train, and my kids eat them all the time. Wahoo. I'll look through the rest of the flyer and go shopping on Thursday.

So that's it for now...

For those of you who are sick of reading my posts on property taxes, I'm hoping this will be the last one for a while. I got the official stubs from the town today, and my taxes did, in fact, increase from about $8,100 to $10,160/year after the revaluation. I calculated $10,200 based on a sample calculation that the town sent out a while back, so it didn't completely knock me off my feet. What surprised me was that this new rate is for 2006 taxes, and I've already paid February and May 06 taxes at the old rate, so I actually need to shell out $2900 for the next two quarters, before dropping back to $2500+ next year.

So in addition to coming up with the extra money, I need to put aside about $1000/month to cover the new property taxes and house insurance, both of which I pay directly instead of through my mortgage. Ouch.

Onto better things, I made some progress preparing for my trip, including cancelling the mail and paper, and having my sister water the plants. I froze 3 lbs of peaches, 1 cup of raspberries and 2 cups of blueberries, so I'm looking forward to making a great fruit pie when I get home. I also need to take care of a pound or so of cherries, but that will have to wait til tomorrow.

I'm hoping this vacation will be thoroughly relaxing...I can use a few days of nothing!

This vacation is kind of sneaking up on me...I'm just realizing how much I need to do before I leave!

First off, some more good deals at Walgreens, including a bunch of back-to-school type stuff for $.10 each, envelopes for mailing out the coupon trains, and two more rebate items I didn't get last time. Total spent: $23.95, using a previously issued WAG giftcard, and I'll be getting $6 more in rebates back.

Also went to Shoprite to do dad's shopping, and got all of my non-perishable stuff. Not too big a list, pretty much just taking advantage of sales and coupons.

Finally, went to the Post Office to mail out the 2 half.com orders. Should receive in the neighborhood of $8.50, and it cost me $3.20 to ship, so not bad.

Called the pool company again. Now they tell me that they don't have my warranty card, and can't give me another because they're all serial-# specific, but that they went on the company's website, and I should be ok just sending in the form with my receipt and the dealer number. I'll do it, and I'll document my frustration from the last month. And if the company doesn't pay out the $200 rebate, I'm going to tell my pool company that I want $200 taken off of my closing cost. I've had it. We really like them, but $200 is a lot of money, and I'm really getting mad!

Lots to do tomorrow and Wednesday. I need to stop the mail and paper, go to the post office and bank, order and RX, pickup dry cleaning, do laundry, and pack. I also need to arrange to have the plants watered. I'm sure there are other things, but I'm just so tired now, I can't even think of them!

We went to a farm that had pick-your-own and got some (lots!) of peaches and raspberries. Also bought strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, and a pie (couldn't resist) while we were there. On the positive side, the fruit is fresh and fantastic, and the pyo was priced well relative to stores. ($1.19/lb for the peaches and $4.99/lb for the raspberries). On the other hand, we picked far more peaches then we can reasonably eat in the next few days, so I'll have to figure out whether to freeze or bake the rest. The other fruit was overpriced, but the freshness compensated. I'm chalking the whole day up to "Entertainment", so it shouldn't blow my grocery category out of the water. (BTW, JodiM, blackberries are also $4.99/lb when they're in season. Not sure how that compares to your area).

Today, we're going to a birthday party for my friend's two kids. I already have gifts for them, so no money out-of-pocket for that. The kids do want to see Monster House, so we'll do that tonight.

Otherwise, I'm just wrapping things up before I go to California on Thursday. I need to do a little itinerary planning, stop the mail and paper, stuff like that. I also have to call the pool company first thing tomorrow (), and visit my dad tomorrow night.

Of course the information from the pool company didn't come, so I had to call up (again!) and lay into them a bit. "Ann" assures me that she will take care of it today. She must be the only one in the place I haven't yet spoken with, because everyone else said the exact same thing! *Sigh*

I got the Northeaster coupon train today. Right on the heels of the caboose going out. It seems like it's chock full with good stuff (as always), but it's too close to dinnertime for me to give it the attention it deserves. I usually need to set aside an hour or two for this...

I also received a free sample of a razor in the mail. I don't sign up for too many free samples, and don't really keep track of them, so it's always a pleasant surprise when I get something!

Another quiet night tonight. I did a great job of planning the menu for the week, so I've cooked dinner every night! This hasn't happened in a long time, so I'm pretty excited about it...

Forgot to mention: I called Pillsbury a few days ago to check the expiration date on a product I have. They asked me if I wanted to be included on a panel to answer surveys and the like on their products. I said yes and just filled out the introductory info. Nothing offensive. They said I'll receive a welcome letter in a few days, after which time they'll send me occasional surveys. Compensation differs by survey. I"m not expecting much - heck, I'd be excited if I get some good coupons out of it. Just another reason why it pays to call those customer service centers...

I received an order from half.com. Two books @ $2 each, plus shipping reimbursement. It's been a while since my last sale and these things usually come in bunches, so maybe this is the start of something great!

Not much else new here. Just work and home today, same for tomorrow and Friday. I need to get down to my dad's before next Wednesday to do some grocery shopping for him. STILL waiting for the information from the pool place, despite calling on Monday (again) and having them assure me they'll get it out in the mail that day. If I don't get it by tomorrow, I'm going to have a fit, because the rebate expires on 7/31 and I'm going to California next Thursday, so it has to be wrapped up by then. I'm not normally a betting person, but $10 says I don't get it tomorrow...

Closed out my Sharebuilder accounts (mine and the kids). I also wrote a letter to HSBC to close that online savings account. At this point, I have two others that I still need to close (one soon and one when the 6 months is up), which will leave me with 3 checking accounts and 1 savings account, all of which I use. It feels good to get some of these things crossed off my list...