Diapers

This weekend I put the last diaper in the house on the baby, gave her to
hubby, and ran out to Target to pick up a new package. I realized that
we could get 20 more in a box if I went for the regular Huggies instead
of the special ones. Okay, I'll give it a try...

Turns out they're better than the uber-spiffy ones!

They are shaped slightly differently so the legs don't leak as much.
They fit better in general.

And for $0.05-$0.10 less a diaper!

October Utility Bills

Are down again!

This is so fabulous. I realize that the weather has something to do with
it, but it amazes me how small efforts are paying off.

Sunk-Cost

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/09/08/the-sunk-cost-fallacy-good-money-after-bad/
Has a sunk-cost article that makes me think about our recent attempts to
sell excess stuff.

It's really hard to put prices on some things. I know what it cost new.
I know what we paid for it. And it's HARD for me to accept less than I
think we "should" get. So I lower it /a little bit/. And then I get
really pissed at all the low-ball offers I get. $15 for that baby swing?
Are you kidding me? $75 for my exercise equipment?

The thing that really made me think about this article is the point that
it's important to only base decisions on what something is worth now. It
doesn't matter what you paid for it. If it's not worth anything to you
right now, then it doesn't matter what you get for it. If it's taking up
space that you NEED, then it's more important to get rid of it than make
all the money you can.

Something to think about, anyway.

Update

I haven't forgotten about this blog!

We're still determined to control our finances rather than the other way
around. We're making progress. We've had some bad months and some good
ones, but overall we're doing very well.

- We have not charged anything on our credit cards.
- We have paid every bill on time.
- We have money left over at the end of the month to put in our
emergency fund or pay off debt.
- We paid for SIX FULL MONTHS of car insurance, which we've never been
able to do before. This saved us bunches.
- I've rented out my office a few hours a week to the tune of an extra
$50 a month (and still have the option of using the room at that time)
- I've completed my first round as a teacher and am now officially able
to sub and already have two more dates at the school set in my calendar.
- I've joined Stampin' Up and already have workshops and classes
scheduled. I'm on my way to earning back my initial investment.

That's a brief update.

It was my original intention to blog here everyday. To be honest I don't
feel like I'm qualified to write articles about basic
credit/debt/investment stuff. That seems to be what every successful
blog does and you know what? I think there are many qualified writers
out there. I don't need to add the stress of being one on my shoulders.

This is what I have going on in my life right now:
- Full-time mommy of a baby
- Food/house/etc.
- Faculty member at local school (part time as needed for 10 to 20-week
intervals or substitute work)
- Member of local chorus, rehearsals every Tuesday night
- Member of networking group
- Member of stamp club
- Stampin' Up! demonstrator
- Business owner
- Massage therapist

(I separate the last two because I'm also the person who does the
website, email marketing, networking, and so forth as well as the actual
massages.)

Sept. Utlities

It seems like I just wrote about our August utilities, but I guess time
has been a flyin'!

Our water/sewage bill went up $4 and our electricity went down $1. Not bad!

I can't believe how much less we used compared to last year. The hottest
months almost always had our electric bill around $270 and we're barely
breaking $200!

I'm so glad we got the Kill-A-Watt meter. I guess we could have just
figured out what to turn off/unplug on our own, but seeing the numbers
and doing the math was the extra incentive that we needed to really make
a habit of it.

Not much new!

I've been busy lately.

I auditioned and subsequently joined a choral group. It's something I've
wanted to do for a long long time. These are the benefits that I foresee:

- FUN! I love singing and have always wanted to be part of a group. I
also miss performing.

- New people. This will give me the chance to know people as friends and
possibly clients. This will expand both my social and business contacts.

- Community. It's hard not having a group. Hubby has work. Some people
have church. Others have a very large family. I'm looking forward to
being a part of something.

I've also officially joined Stampin' Up! I'm excited about this. If
nothing else I hope that my scrapbooking/cardmaking addiction will start
paying for itself!

I've scheduled two workshops in September and a number of classes in
Sept., Oct., and Nov. I've updated my demonstrator website. I've sent a
number of email invites out.

*Crosses Fingers*

I love Open Office

On my laptop I was debating whether to get Office, which I am very used
to using, or whether to do something else. Since my hubby is getting my
old computer I can't transfer the license like I would if I was getting
rid of it entirely. (We would format the hard drive in that case so that
none of my programs or files would remain or be easily useable.)

I downloaded a copy of Open Office, which is very close to Microsoft
Office and is completely free. It's a very nice package and extremely
easy to use. I highly recommend it!