Didn't get paid on time.
Mortgage due this week.
Final $2000 due this week to pay contractors -- I begged for an extension, and thought 10 days would be adequate.

Credit card is getting a workout, despite the teachable moments my son and I are sharing this season.

Yay for savings.

In the lust department, I see sweet deals for the Dell XPS M1530. I wonder how frequently people replace their computers. I tend to replace mine every five years...

Except for protesters and nut jobs. I was relatively frugal: we used a 2-for-1 coupon at a highly esteemed local coffeehouse (NOT STARBUCKS), I rode the bus for free, I was given a 'free' gift or gift card or something for reaching a minimum purchase at a store where I bought eco-friendly and natural gifts, got some humourous fiction from the library (a former librarian has turned into an action figure and book list superstar, and some of her personal favourites were on the display shelves).

For those who care:
Stephen McCauley's The Easy Way Out
William Kotzwinkle's The Bear Went Over the Mountain

I am influenced by Analise's list and will see if I can make it through life having read all of Iris Murdoch's and Philip Roth's novels.

I also toured my new fitness center and will be devising an easy-does-it introductory routine for my goals. I'll also be crafting a savings goal chart and investment schedule for 2009.

The only pricey thing was making overdue fines restitution to the library. It will pay for the new librarian's salary and maybe help buy some new books so I'm not #57 or lower on the queue for most of the books on my to-read list.

Oh and of course I was targeted by a handout requester. Shocker of shockers it did not seem to be for a non-profit organization (the requester had alcohol on his breath).

Oh yeah, no readers need reminding of this, but Black Friday specials and deals are never good enough to warrant trampling someone to death and making a pregnant woman lose her baby.

Found within the Time Magazine:

Card: Dunlap Construction Co., Inc. "HOMES... A Specialty" 10820 23rd Ave N.E. Phone SH 6538

Written on the inside front page of the 1947 TIME magazine (full page colour illustrated Nash Motors illustration):

Notice:
This house built October 9 1947 - Built to sell for $13,200. Carpenter's scale $2.03 per hour. Commercial lumber $80 per M. I wonder what it will be when you find this. TGS Dunlap.

I have the feeling I'm typing this for the ghost of TGS Dunlap but here goes:

House: $392,000
Carpenter rate: $22.68/hour
Com. lumber: $238 per M.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My root vegetables were applauded at a preThanksgiving dinner, remarkably some complimenters were under 18 (only one of them belonged to me). I know I wasn't a fan of rutabagas, turnips, or squash in my tender years. Today's children have more knowledge of nutritious food.

I am officially joining a gym. I need to get out of the house and slice my adipose tissue. It embarrasses me that I see skinnier moms with younger children. (Oops, there goes my manly blog percentage.)

http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx -- I scored 81.82% on this. Not bad for an immigrant! Maybe I almost know enough to keep up in a general conversation about US politics.
The average score for the quiz when taken online is 78% -- there's a big selection bias compared to the 49% purported to be the average American score. So does that mean average Americans fail a basic test on their history and institutions? is 81.82% a failing grade?

So in my manly way (see "OT: I write like a man") I am sitting at the PC listening to "Giant Steps" by Coltrane (I kid, it is a present to DH, who is manly), and I report with alarm that I've paid out $9434.96 for the kitchen, so that leaves $2000 more.

Appliances, extra work, and a costly last-minute substitution in hardware drove the contingency budget to 13% of the estimate.

The cats don't like the kitchen. They are afraid of the dishwasher, and dislike how the floor feels. One of them lost his perch.

But I love it.

And this week, among other things, I'll be giving thanks that I paid for half of the kitchen in cash.

Today I go on the bus where there are men, and I will think of data types and asset allocation and wonder if my tires are properly inflated and have enough tread for the winter road.

I put this blog and another one into genderanalyzer.com. This blog got 68% manliness, and another one got 76% manliness.

No wonder my kid is showing strong love feelings (filial!!). I reminded him that I am a girl.

As for DH, who's probably reading this: "I want a martini when I get home. A gimlet will do. You know, when the manly worker-outside-the-home shows up after a hard day at the office."

We had a little finance chat at the Indian restaurant yesterday: Mom, Dad, and Tired Little Profiteer (TLP) or Tired Loud Pest, depending on if you too were in the restaurant with us.

TLP: I want a MasterCard.
M & D: Why?
TLP: You can buy anything with a MasterCard.
M & D, backing away from a slippery slope: When you can demonstrate victory over your wants through delayed gratification, you can get a MasterCard. Some debit cards are branded with MasterCard, meaning that the money you already have in your account is taken instantly to pay for things.
M, failing to back away from slope: Some cards allow you to pay for more than what you actually have in your account.
TLP, gleeful: REALLY?
M & D: This is not good.

What happened to the good old days, when he identified my Bank of America credit cards as Cards of Evil?

Yesterday afternoon I identified some blue chips that might be worth purchasing in the view of a long-term holding and dividend reaping. One was MCD (McDonald's). I thought of getting some for the boy -- some junior shareholders start out with companies they know. TLP knows MCD but does NOT like MCD. He was anguished that the Golden Arches were visible from the restaurant. "I hate them!" Yells in the parking lot: "I hate you McDonald's! I don't want to eat here! I'll have to look at McDonald's!" So, maybe not for him. Unless I can coax Andrew Tobias to talk to my little boy about how he used his profits from tobacco companies to purchase Russian television network time to air non-smoking PSAs.

Frugal throw-in: apparently TLP provided enough charm and entertainment for us to receive as a gift from the restaurant management a free rice pudding at the end of our meal.

Link du Jour:Money 101 Prioritizer

Rank/Item Score
1. Osaka 100
2. PG-DH Roth IRA 83.3
3. Emergency Fund 66.7
4. Home equity line of credit 50
5. PG Roth IRA 33.3
6. New Car 16.7
7. College Fund 0

I dunno 'bout you, but I get distracted with daily financial noise. I'd been thinking about my goals, but not committing them here yet because it's not January. This priotizer helped me. I may use it again after mid-February, when I return from Osaka.

Learned from the Investment Consultant that the homeowner/renter ratio is not efficient. To be ultimately efficient, 51% of the households in America should be homeowners. The largest percentage we've seen is about 67-69%. Ergo, a household earning the median income would not be owning a median SFH. The debt/income ratio would be too large in many cases (excepting a hefty downpayment, for example).

My time with the consultant was brief: he knows why I'm heavy on cash right now; he made no change recommendations for my child's Coverdell account. He was highly complimentary and accented his service as Validator. I asked him why he didn't have facial tissue out for his clients and he said they're done with crying by the time they visit him.

Not buying anything nor adding to positions other than automated contributions until December 1. That's where the oracle part comes in: sometimes dates for selling or buying will flash in my mind in advance, and sometimes I make use of those dates. I'm going to pay more attention. November 28 was the date for getting going, but I'm not sure that the market is open the day after Thanksgiving.

It's Monday, and already this week we have spent:

$289.00 kiddie dental appt.
$554.28 knobs and pulls for cabinet
$1710.00 for appliances
$670.00 for lamps
-----------------------
$3223

Calgon, take me away!

This doesn't include my CSA prepayment, which I'll hold off until Dec. 4 to reinstate.

And yes, these will all be paid in full on the credit card.

The plus for today: natural gas bill for the month showed less usage than last October. $77.13. Not terrible. I expect nearly twice that for February.

I discovered this at the library: it's one of the databases the library subscribes to. Hoohah!
I love the online screener -- for top timeliness and safety, financial stability:

Sysco - SYY
Accenture - ACN
Burlington Northern - BNI
Walgreens - WAG
--------------------------------
tragedy struck: my iPod lost all its memory and files. Resume, net worth charts, budget spreadsheets, calculators, energy conservation guides, gone.

Anyone out there with Google-Fu powers who can supply a link to John Cummuta's rapid debt payoff calculator?

While I was searching my desktop for budget spreadsheets, I came across a letter I typed: filename -- TakeAHikeMBNA.doc. Back in 2006 I was railing against a terms and conditions adjustment. I know credit card companies can change terms and conditions at will, but I am wondering, and I'd love to hear from the people who brag about their cards, if anyone's ever been returned to a 25-day grace period on the strength of a letter, or their improved credit rating.

"we're losing money from defaulting customers. We need new customers. We need bailouts. No, we don't feel like going back to 25 day grace periods, nor abandoning universal default and two cycle billing. But we need bailouts."

Heaven forbid you should go back to 25 day grace periods. Or return to 1990s-era terms and conditions. You might get... CARDHOLDERS!

My son is learning about money. He's actually very good at making change, as we saw in Monopoly. For his money math project, we supplied $2.00 worth of change, labelled with his name and 'what is left of Mr. -------'s 401(k) plan'



I've arranged for a free investment checkup for his Coverdell account with an Investment Consultant.

We ordered appliances yesterday for the kitchen: $1710. We'll be paying for those with credit card, and then from savings when the bill is due.

I reread the HELOC terms and conditions, and saw a condition about suspending the credit line when the market value of the property is significantly below its appraisal value at the time of borrowing. That hasn't happened yet -- we borrowed just before our property received its highest ever assessment, but unless the County decides it doesn't need as much of our property taxes, the assessment will go down. By how much remains to be seen.

I should do some reading about the conditions that urge a lender to REDUCE the HELOC, and conditions that urge the lender to SUSPEND it.

Considering goals for 2009 -- I see some planners are mulling theirs over already. My goals shift from month to month, it seems: something always happens. Nebulous nice-to-haves would be getting the hubby to save for his retirement this year, having an equal amount saved for the replacement car as there is owing on the HELOC, and return of automatic investment into boy's Coverdell account.

Links du Jour:employers suspending 401(k) matching

American Express seeks cash advance -- considering its credit record, and ability to pay, how much APR would you assign to AXP if it came to you for money?

I would like to be a healthy, gainfully employed, loving and sane financially secure middle-class/middle-income homeowner.

I'm gainfully employed, loving and sane. Working on healthy and financially secure.

limiting expected, standard expenditures to $5130 a month. This includes savings and Roth IRA contributions.

This was good until the kitchen remodel and Osaka. Next!

yoga and meditation for the stress-free life.

I enjoy yoga. If I remember to take enough calcium and magnesium and water before hand, I love the deep peace and serenity I get after an hourlong yoga workout.

performing at least three times weekly, aerobic exercise strenuous enough for deep breathing and circulation improved enough to stop foot/calf cramping and cold extremities in winter.

Walking isn't cutting it for me. Maybe more yoga or bicycling or heck, walking up stairs. Foot/calf cramping stopped with ample supplementation of calcium and magnesium.

maintaining a mostly organic diet of fruits and vegetables, with a weekly allotment of 14 ounces of untainted, non-toxic meat.

This was the easiest to do and maintain.

working up to nine months of emergency expenses: $28852.

I forgot about this.

starting subaccounts for replacement car, roof, and water cistern/greywater collection/filtration system.

I set a subaccount for a replacement car.

building an organic vegetable garden in the backyard sufficient to hold twelve crops.
Beets, tomatoes, chard, broccoli, kale, carrots, onions, basil, radishes installed May-June 2008.

A plus would be a small reduction of the net worth: maybe an 8% cut. I have a pessimistic view of the economy, probably because I am reading Robert Prechter's 2002 book.

Net worth cut by 1.4% from this time last year. I thank my prudence in rebalancing and the gutsy move to put RSW in the kid's fund, and for living in a cheapish yet desirable part of a city (overcrowded schools == desirable) that is a slow arrival to the housing crash. For those who are paying attention, my house value went down 3.05% since last October, if we ignore the bathroom refreshing and the kitchen renovations. Some forum commenters believe every property in Seattle will go down an additional 30%. some think that some neighborhoods are resilient. Ours is not: our area's median house price took a 17% haircut from peak prices last year. Still thinking an additional 20% value reduction could happen with our house before 2011.

You'd never know it by my current balance, but I met the 15% of gross income contribution for retirement goal I set for myself way back in April.

We are soaking beans for bean soup.
We played Depression-era Monopoly (a reprint to celebrate its 65th anniversary): my son, my husband and me. My son is mentally old enough to understand the rules, mentally strong enough to sustain interest in a game for three hours, but not savvy enough to bargain well, and not mature enough to handle not winning.

I finally used a $20 gift certificate at a beloved local bookstore: Although I was hunting for Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim, I got French Women Don't Get Fat, Lee Bailey's City Food, Running with Scissors for me and Fantastic Voyage for the husband.

Reading also Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, and The Pursuit of Alice Thrift. I guess I need very funny novels right now.

Winterizing: rainboots, socks, gloves, hat. New shoes for boy. Thermal panels.

Kitchen is looking superbly sunny/fresh/happy: peach on top, white molding 5/8 down, mint on the bottom. White cabinets. Even the boy, who was jonesing for RED approved.

Learned the HELOC rate we are currently enjoying at prime - .75 is variable, not fixed. Fixed rate is 2.5 points, or 77.16%, higher than our current variable rate. We have up to fifteen years to pay it off: my original scheme was to pay the HELOC in three. My strategy now is to make small, but not minimum payments (for that would be interest-only: yecch) on the HELOC, ratcheting up as the lending rate rises. Put more money in the emergency fund, retirement funds, paying down the house fund. Then if we're called to pay up in full, we can do so.

I mentioned that our Visa limit went UP $7500 within ten hours of our HELOC withdrawal, yes? "More rope, madam?"

Bought Money magazine: a guilty pleasure for the alarmist feature questions. More recession watch items: one friend wants to sell his condo, two friends want to buy condos (but not my friend's condo) and my buyer's agent would like some extra work. I hope to be invited to some housewarmings in 2009.

Water bill absurdly high this cycle: blaming the garden hose timing, or a plumbing leak, or something.

Source: King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, p. 129. Vermont: Countryman Press, 2003.

Blueberry Crisp

Filling
2 pints blueberries, cleaned and stemmed
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) sugar
1/4 cup (1 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice, or 2 drops lemon oil

Topping
1 1/2 cups (6.25 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) sugar
10 tbsps. (5 ounces or 1.25 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup (3.5 - 4 oz) walnuts or pecans, chopped

Grease and flour a 9-inch pie pan. Preheat oven to 350F.

Filling
Put the berries in the pan. Mix the sugar, flour, salt and lemon together, and sprinkle this mixture over the berries

Topping
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, melted butter and nuts. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit.

Bake the crisp for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling is bubbly. Cool slightly, then serve warm, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

My blueberry crumble sold for $15 at the bake sale. I am glad I contributed something, given our kitchen has been gutted but for a fridge and an oven. I cut some squares and meant for them to sell individually but someone bought the whole thing including the pan, which was labelled with our contact info.

$15 is a big profit for squares from a 9"x9" pan.

It's a "socially responsible" "future" type of stock. He has Dodge & Cox fund, and Mesa Realty Trust in his fund, and holds some BNI (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) in a DRP.

Maybe I should involve him in these decisions, but his math isn't quite up there yet.

Good: credit union dropped the borrowing rate.

Bad but not terrible in this environment: equity dropped to 64.7%

Bad but kinda good: down 9.6% in Roth IRA. Glad I finally dared look because one fund is 26% of my entire portfolio.

Good but kinda bad or vice versa or whatever: my child's eyes were opened to the expense of university education and he wants us to (re-)start saving.