Babisodes: Daddy! Daddy!  Look.  That ladybug is giving another ladybug a piggyback ride!

*cough*

*wheeze*

Dadisodes: Ahem.

Yep.  Sure is.
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Visit 5 Minutes for Mom to see other Wordless Wednesday participants.
Or visit Seven Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday.

Our family is no exception.  Dadisodes and I had a good cry last week, post 401K check in.  I am also updating my resume, just.in.case.  As our family buckles down to do a bit of belt-tightening, I figured why not share some of the ways we’re doing it here and get feedback.

13 Ways to Pinch a Penny While Feeling the Pinch

1) Eat out less and cook more meals at home.

2) Give meals longevity by preparing larger portions to save energy or gas, and leftovers can be spread out to other meals.

3) Starbucks (Starcrack).  Make it at home, or opt for the regular brew.   Having a regular $4.50 cup of Joe adds up to $90/month, and over $1000 per year.  A cup of the regular stuff is usually about half the price of the fru-fru brews.

4) Drink more water.  Alcohol, coffee, and juice can really add up.

5) Ride a bike or walk.

6) Purchase store brand versus name brand (example: We love the cushiony clouds of Charmin, but buying the store brand can sometimes cut the cost of bathroom tissue in half).

7) Shop second hand/thrift stores and garage sales.

8 ) Make fewer trips- Plan an itinerary ahead of time to prevent leaving the house for multiple trips.  I’m also purchasing many items I would normally buy at Target at my grocery store.  Not only does it save gas, it also keeps me away from Target, where I tend to spend an extra $50 bucks on stuff I never intended to buy.

9) Vacation delay- The cost of a vacation can be a heavyweight on any budget.  Until the economy mellows out, and job security is more certain, we’re holding off on any extravagant vacations.

10) Do-it-yourself toys and gifts.

11) Library- Rather than purchasing books, check out local libraries for titles (even new releases).  Most libraries have on-line systems where you can search for and reserve books, CD’s and DVD’s from home.

12) Hold off on big purchases or investments. Dadisodes and I share a small car and recently moved into a home.  Although we could certainly use another vehicle and furniture, we’re keeping our coins in the bank for now.

13) Stay home.  It seems every time we leave the house, we spend money.  So we’re spending more quality time at home listening to music, reading, or playing our 5,230th game of Candy Land.

How about you?  Are you and your family taking measures to pull back on spending? Do you have any tips to share?  Please share them in the comments below.

Oh. Mah. Gawd.

Today has been a bit….uh…nightmare-ish.

I ran out the door this morning like my house was on fire.  Sadly, I left without my cell phone (it’s been missing since yesterday).  I dropped Babisodes off at preschool and proceeded to Starbucks, where I began typing up this post….

1)    An older woman wearing far too much make-up was occupying my usual table (Grrr!). She was also charging her Crackberry, and it blocked the only 2 outlets available.

2)    My computer began running out of power so I packed up my stuff, threw her a dirty look and went home.

3)    While uploading my post into Wordpress….my Mac CRASHED!!!

4)    My life flashed before my eyes as I tried to give it CPR for 3 hours (none of Babisodes’ photos from age 2 to 3 have been backed up).

5)    I gave up and called Mac technical support. They refused to help me unless I gave them a credit card number so they could charge me $50 up front

6)    I was ready to end this love affair with Mac for good. Seriously. Serious as a heart attack.

7)    I brought the ill laptop to the Mac store at 3pm and begged for help.

8)    I waited there for three hours with a 3-year old, while many, many geeks worked on my laptop.  They couldn’t fix it.

9)    6:30pm- They gave up, and I needed a brand new hard drive. Thankfully they were able to restore all of my original files on their external hard drive. Best of all, it was all FREE!  My warranty expired, but they were so very kind and didn’t charge me a dime.  Love restored!

10)     Oh, and did I mention that I’m late. Yes, that kind of late.

11)    But… I tested negative.

12)    And I’ve retained enough water I could double as the Michelin man.

13)    Oh yea, and my cell phone?  I spent an hour calling my cell phone inside my house listening for the ringing. I finally found it upstairs under someone’s bed…

1. I need a vacation.

2. I really need a vacation… alone.

3. A vacation on a warm, tropical island.

4. Where I’m sipping fruity beverages brought to me by a tan, hunky man…on the beach.

5. A beach all to myself, where the only thing screaming and pooping are seagulls in the distance.
6. Perhaps I’ll even read a book, without pictures.

7. No cell phone. No computer. No noise.

8. This is all because our month long visitors clearly gave Babisodes far too much attention.  And now I’m left alone with a 3-year old going through severe attention withdrawal.

9. By noon, I’m counting down the seconds until her naptime.

10. 5pm- My ears threaten to bleed from the tantrums and whining.

11. 7pm- I’m contemplating selling her on eBay.

12. Bedtime- Screw it, Freecycle.

13.  #9-12 can be nullified if #1-7 are fulfilled.

*Don’t freak out. I’m not really going to eBay or Freecycle her. But I am considering sending her back to her grandparents…until 2021.

1. I signed up for an online, creative non-fiction writing course.

2. It started on Monday.

3. I still haven’t turned in my homework (most have completed theirs).  It is due Saturday.  I’m guessing I’ll be busy at 11:30pm tomorrow night.

4. The class consists of 7 women, all of whom are writers. Real ones. Perhaps I should creatively write about “intimidation” for the next 7 weeks.

5. My mother and grandmother are still here visiting (2.5 weeks now).

6. My father will also be joining us next week for a weeklong visit.  This will up the number of people in my house to 6. We have 1 shower.

7. The level of loud, Chinese banter in this place will soon reach new heights.

8. I went bra shopping this week.  The rack is a sad state of affairs.  However, I did manage to score Calvin Klein bras for $7 bucks!  I’ll put the savings towards an upgrade for the girls.

9. I’m feeling pulled in every direction right now- class reading assignments, writing, family time with visitors (this may be my 95-year old grandmother’s last trip), blogging, tending to the mound of laundry…

10. I locked myself in the bathroom last night for 45 minutes to finish my first class reading assignment. I nearly fell asleep on the can.

11. I’m ovulating. I still have visitors staying here…

12. Some visitors still do not have a return flight tickets.

13.  I woke up this morning and realized it is 9-11.  Terror, fear and heartache all washed over me as it did seven years ago.  I will never forget this day.