Contributions for health, dental, other insurances, and supplemental retirement accounts are not taken from your final check; your contribution to the Retirement Savings Program is taken, and the university’s matching contribution is made. Other deductions such as parking citations, charges on your ID card, wage assignments, applicable taxable tuition assistance benefits, etc. will be deducted automatically from your final check.

Here we are!

After weeks and months of build-up, mood swings, job hunting, and all the other associated mumbo jumbo, we have survived until the final day without experiencing bodily harm (this was actually a little bit of a concern), completely losing my mind, or going stark raving mad. The latter two seem the same, but they're not. The last option seems more permanent.

Happily, we've arrived. But there's still work to do! Namely: deposit checks!! [oooh yes, *rubbing hands* I've been waiting for this moment.] By 3 pm of this day, I ought to receive my (a) final paycheck as detailed in the above quote, (b) a severance and vacation payout, and (c) quarterly supplemental income. I also sort of expect a (d) supplemental check to match the severance and vacation payout, but am not sure when and if that will appear. The HQ hasn't exactly got their you-know-what in order, most of the time.

Secondly, investment accounts! My 403(b) and 401(a) are both with Vanguard, and I've accumulated enough to just leave them be. No rolling over, no cashing out, no losing about 40% of it.

There's one more investment account coming due. In my first two years of employment, non-exempt employees had access to the We Think You're Stupid Plan. I've spoken to the folks responsible for dealing with the now-obsolete WTYS Plan, and have found that they will roll the account balance over into my existing Vanguard account. Since they froze the plan, everyone was immediately vested! She wouldn't tell me what the balance was at the time, but it'll just be a nice surprise, whatever it is.

Thirdly, benefits! I've stocked up on my prescriptions for now, and should have enough to last me until September. Unless I have to do it sooner, I'm going to wait until about 40 days before signing into COBRA. If there's no immediate need, and I manage to land another job, why waste the premiums? Reduced or not, that's cash. There's no problem with waiting since you can activate it retroactively so long as you pay the premiums for both months.

Also under this heading: life insurance. The life insurance policy I settled on is a measly $200k policy that I can port from my employer. It was the easiest option available to me, and while I'm no fan of PF guru-isms and simplifications, sometimes I just have to take the easier path so that the job gets done.

There you have it, folks. As prepped as a person can be, I'm walking out of this home away from home of the past 4.75 years and grateful that I can.

"What's next?"
--Jed Bartlett, West Wing

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg
[Image and Recipe courtesy of Closetcooking.blogspot.com]

Ingredients

1 pound thick asparagus (trimmed)
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
parmigiano reggiano to taste (grated, optional)
balsamic vinegar to taste (optional)

Directions:
1. Spread the asparagus out in a single layer on a flat baking dish.
2. Roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
4. Crack an egg into a bowl and pour the egg from the bowl into the water and repeat for remaining eggs.
5. Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Arrange the asparagus on plates and top with the poached eggs.
7. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on some parmigiano reggiano.

Griping on the phone about a recent Walgreen's gift card purchase, I couldn't understand why they actually require you to use either a debit card or cash. "Lucky I actually had some cash on me," I grumbled, "what a waste of time that would have been to have to go home and come back again!"

The 4-minute drive distance aside because, yes, I am that lazy and gas conservative, I hate hate hate purchasing anything with cash. We know how cash disappears from my wallet; it's my biggest PF blind spot in budget tracking. And using cash means no 5% cash back on drugstore purchases on the Chase CC. Boo and boo.

More griping ensued along the lines of "and they only offer a $50 GC option online. What is this? Do they just NOT want you to spend money there??" Given some of the attitudes encountered by fellow couponers and bloggers, this isn't a totally unjustified question.

Then, "Ugh, I probably would have just called it a day, since I wasn't going back to the bank to withdraw more cash so I could buy the darn thing. I never use debit cards, I don't even know my PIN!"
"...... Didn't you say you went to the bank?"
"Yes."
"....... ??"
"What?"
"Isn't that the same PIN?"
"As the what? .... oh. OH. *sigh* I'm an idiot."

In my defense, for some reason I was thinking of my credit card cash advance PIN. I have no idea what those are because I never use them. Can I be forgiven for completing forgetting that I can use my bank card as a debit card because I never ever do? No, because I constantly see people using their debit cards and think to myself, "I don't like debit!"

Had a stupid moment lately? Please do share! :)

Penne in Spicy Tomato Sauce (Penne all’arrabbiata)
[Image and Recipe courtesy of Delish.com]

Ingredients

* 1 pound(s) whole-wheat penne
* 1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper, or to taste
* 1 can(s) ((28-ounce)) plum tomatoes, drained
* 1/2 cup(s) freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
* 1/4 cup(s) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, crushing them roughly with the back of a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
3. When the pasta is ready, drain and return to the pot. Stir in the sauce and place the pot over high heat. Stir until the mixture sizzles. Remove from heat. Add cheese and parsley; toss well. Taste and adjust seasonings; serve immediately.

Spaghetti with Tuna and Tomato Sauce
[Image and Recipe courtesy of Delish.com]

Ingredients

* 1 can(s) ((7-ounce)) Italian tuna, packed in olive oil
* 3 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
* 1 can(s) ((28-ounce)) plum tomatoes
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
* 1 pound(s) whole-wheat spaghetti
* 4 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh parsley, divided
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Drain tuna in a sieve set over a small bowl, squeezing to press out as much oil as possible (reserve the oil). Break up the tuna with a fork and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the tuna oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with their juice and crushed red pepper; break up the tomatoes with a fork. Simmer over low heat until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in tuna and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain it and return to the pot. Add the sauce and 3 tablespoons of parsley; toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and serve immediately.

Turkey Piccata
[Image and Recipe courtesy of Delish.com]

Ingredients

* 1 lemon
* 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
* 4 turkey cutlets (about 1 pound), each cutlet sliced in half across the grain
* 2 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 clove(s) garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon(s) drained capers, rinsed
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) sugar
* 2 teaspoon(s) butter
* 1 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh parsley
* 12 caper berries for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Remove skin and white pith from lemon with a sharp knife. Working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut the lemon segments from their surrounding membranes. Chop segments coarsely and reserve with the juice.
2. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly dredge turkey in the flour mixture and pat off excess. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey to the pan and cook until the outside is golden brown and the interior is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.
3. Add garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for several seconds. Pour in broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in the reserved lemon segments and juice, capers and sugar; cook for 30 seconds longer. Add butter and swirl the skillet until it has melted.
4. Spoon sauce over the cutlets, sprinkle with parsley and pepper. Garnish with caper berries, if using.

Golden Polenta and Egg with Mustard Sauce
[Image and Recipe courtesy of Delish.com]

Ingredients

* 1/2 cube(s) low-fat plain yogurt
* 1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon(s) Dijon mustard
* 1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon(s) water
* 1 pound(s) green beans, trimmed
* 4 eggs
* 2 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
* 12 ounce(s) prepared polenta, sliced into eight 1/2-inch rounds

Directions

1. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and water in a small bowl.
2. Bring 6 cups of lightly salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add green beans and cook until just tender, 4 minutes. Remove the green beans with a slotted spoon and divide among 4 plates.
3. Return the water to a boil; place eggs, one by one, in the boiling water and set the timer: 5 minutes for a soft-boiled egg, 8 minutes for hard-boiled. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice the eggs in half.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add polenta rounds in a single layer and cook, turning once, until crispy and golden, about 4 minutes per side. Place 2 polenta rounds on each plate and keep warm. Add the reserved sauce to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching, until heated through, about 3 minutes.
5. Divide the polenta rounds among the plates, top with egg halves and drizzle with the sauce. Serve immediately.

You'll notice the main course is missing. That's because I ate half of it before remembering to take a picture! So delicious....

The drinks flowed freely, conversation was actually pretty good, and I know more people than I realized.

Friend did an amazing job on my face and hair, she created an understated glamorous look that I couldn't ever reproduce. Not least because she's quite skilled, but I'm much too impatient to spend that kind of time: 1.5 hours. Still, she won't be close to hand and free with her time forever, so I should ask for a few makeup lessons. Wish I could share the gorgeousness of the peacock dress I wore, but I've got to preserve anonymity! :)

Florentine Ravioli
[Image and Recipe courtesy of Delish.com]

Ingredients

* 1 package(s) (20-ounce) frozen cheese ravioli or tortellini
* 6 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 4 clove(s) garlic, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
* 1/8 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
* 1 bag(s) (16-ounce) frozen chopped or whole-leaf spinach
* 1/2 cup(s) water
* 1/4 cup(s) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook ravioli (or tortellini) according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add salt, crushed red pepper to taste, spinach and water. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has thawed, wilted and heated through, 5 to 7 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls, top with the pasta and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil over each portion. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

I really hate hearing Garmin pipe up when you make an executive decision that does not follow the GPS exactly. No matter where you go or what you do, it just won't adjust to the new route. It forces you to wait while it recalculates and brings you around in a circle to follow the original directions.

But that has little to do with this post. It's just that I keep hearing that faintly obnoxious voice when I realize that I've got to recalculate my savings plan.

My perusal of JD's post on How to Handle a Windfall followed right on the heels of .. yes, recalculating. Earlier this week, I'd had a little meeting with my notepad and pen, wherein a divvying up of expected monies was set on lined paper. I wanted to make sure that every penny had its place and the best way I know how to stretch a windfall/irregular income's impact on my financial life is to make a plan.

It's just as simple as me, a pen, paper, and calculator. First, I sketched out my existing holdings using my handy dandy Snapshot as a starting point.

Next, a list of expected income. Normally, I treat each piece of income as an individual transaction which means that I take out a cut for regular expenses, savings, and another expense fund from each check. The problem with this method is that I have to pick my favorite child. Savings already got a lion's share because that fund makes me happiest when it grows. After expenses and savings, who gets an infusion of cash?

That's where things get a little haphazard. No budgeting by the Force for me, it's budgeting by feel. Priorities, after the first two ironclads, tend to shift according to what was most recently raided. My instinct usually goes straight for the recently wounded, and tops that up first.This causes a bit of churn in higher-activity accounts, leaving less-frequently tapped accounts languishing. For example, I spend out of the insurance fund twice a year, while the travel and car maintenance funds give it up 3 or 4 times a year. Somewhere in there, I needed a great big chunk for taxes. By the time I was through, savings had 33% of the pot, expenses a paltry 10%, taxes another 33%, car maintenance and insurance split the 24% left over, while house and insurance funds were entirely out in the cold.

Not at all masterful. And I subconsciously knew this because each night, I'd take out the notepad and look it over again. And each time, it just didn't look right. [Or feel right.]

Recalculating:

Projecting that there might be trouble with the timing of one check, I ran two new lists. One with three checks, and one with four checks.

From both columns, I took 25% off the top for taxes.
Then I took 40% of the net for savings.
The remaining 60% (of net) was divided equally between the travel, insurance and auto maintenance funds.

Once again, the house gets neglected but I have a good reason this time. Once money is in the House fund, it's never coming back out until I buy a house. Right now, it's more important for me to have available cash flow in the areas there will definitely be spending in the next six or so months. So you see? Logical, clean, simple. I can use these ratios in the future for any irregular income without having to agonize over which should get more.

Well worth hearing that aggravatingly measured voice in my head.

Tofu Parmigiana
[Image and Recipe courtesy of Delish.com]

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup(s) plain dry breadcrumbs
* 1 teaspoon(s) Italian seasoning
* 1 package(s) (14-ounce) firm or extra-firm water-packed tofu, rinsed
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
* 2 teaspoon(s) (plus 1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 8 ounce(s) white mushrooms, thinly sliced
* 1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese
* 3/4 cup(s) prepared marinara sauce
* 1/2 cup(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella
* 2 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Combine breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 steaks and pat dry. Sprinkle both sides of the tofu with garlic powder and salt and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their juices and begin to brown, 4 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the tofu steaks and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn over and sprinkle with Parmesan. Spoon the mushroom mixture over the tofu, pour marinara over the mushrooms and scatter mozzarella on top. Cover and cook until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Parsley Brown Butter
[Image and Recipe courtesy of Delish.com]

Ingredients

* 1 pound(s) fresh or frozen gnocchi
* 2 tablespoon(s) butter
* 2 medium shallots, chopped
* 1 pound(s) zucchini (about 3 small), very thinly sliced lengthwise
* 1 pound(s) cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) grated nutmeg
* Freshly ground pepper, to taste
* 1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 cup(s) chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions until they float, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add shallots and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes, salt, nutmeg and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to break down, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

As previously alluded to, my future state of employment remains uncertain, the couple few things in the hopper remain hopping.

In the meantime, I've blocked off two chunks of time in July for travel: New York City and San Diego!

New York, for a week: This is a completely spontaneous trip spawned of determination (details later) and a need to have plans. It's completely unbudgeted but I'm using a free flight voucher and crashing with friends to keep costs down to food and more food. Maybe even drinks!

I've got potential flights picked out and some consideration was given to staying in a hotel for a couple of nights because my friends with whom I'm bunking for most of the stay are way down south, far away from city action. Thus far, this has not panned out as my Hilton Honors points are nigh on useless in New York, a Category 5 and 6 hotel town, for more than a single night's stay. I've been collecting those dratted points since 2001 and still haven't accumulated enough for a respectable stay in the Big Apple. No go on the Marriot and Starwood fronts, either, I haven't concentrated on accumulating points from them.

Oh well, I might try to grab a cheapie hotel deal for somewhere in the neighborhood of $80/night, or I might just suck it up and not spend on a hotel at all.

Shockingly (or not), I don't plan to do any shopping. Just a lot of sightseeing, eating, and walking around getting to know New York. I should have some freelance work on the boil by then, and if so, I'll take my lappy to Central Park for a nice day of work or two.

Couple hundred dollars should do it, right? Depends, if I can meet up with a longtime friend on the East Coast, I might need to take a train ride and spend a little more. It'll be worth it, though.

San Diego: Comic Con, of course! And this year, I'm giving myself a whole day off before and after the 4.5 day pilgrimage. Ahhh, such luxury!

California, misc: At some point, I need to spend some more time with my dragon-nephew before he gets too big for me to tote around.

Overspending at the pump: $50. Oww-www!! Gas was $2.95-2.97 this weekend, up about 20-25 cents from 10 days ago. True to form, I didn't need my car, or to fill up, until after it made the stag-like leap to nearly-unaffordable heights. C'mon folks, about to be unemployed here, can the rising prices be abated even just a little??

I did bring it upon myself, though, making myself available to chaffeur out of towner friends and then visiting Housebound Friend on Crutches 50 miles away all in the same weekend. And there was the bach'ette party that I completely skipped since it both required much more spending on the drinks and clubs, and was located in the desert, 60 miles in the opposite direction. Honestly, I was so tired by Sunday night that I couldn't remember what day it was, never mind when and where the party was!

Saving at the (Red)box: In an almost laughable attempt to save money, we skipped renting from Blockbuster and the local shop, opting for the Redbox at the grocery store and a free rental coupon emailed to my phone. Savings? $1.08.

Microscopic savings led to more spending: Tricksy! Those Redboxes are inside grocery stores! And they had those Walker shortbread cookies I so love on sale for less than $4 a box. Mmhmm, ten dollars of groceries later, the brilliance of grocery store + Redbox's marketing plan was another little thorn in my side. Grawr!

Here's a new one on me. I slipped on scheduling my Chase credit card payment due to a number of excuses that just don't matter. The due date was the 9th, and it wasn't until a day later that I realized that I couldn't remember paying the bill! I went back and forth with myself, checking banking and bill pay records to make sure it wasn't just a glitch in my mental matrix.

*ugh* Nope, no record of paying it.

I quickly hopped online, made the necessary transfers to my checking account, and paid the bill, all the while, kicking myself and muttering under my breath about fools being parted from their planners.

In the follow-up phone call to the company to check the potential late fee and finance charge damage, I recalled that the balance due had never showed up in Yodlee. [Full disclosure, I'd been mucking about with my Chase account online and had signed on a number of times in the last two weeks so I knew the due date, it just got lost amidst the meetings, conference calls, and job applications.] I mentioned that I didn't recall seeing any minimum payment amount listed online, was that just a glitch?

The customer service rep said that for some accounts, they weren't requiring a minimum payment and that meant there'd be no late fee. [That's really odd.] He also said that there would only be finance charges for the time elapsed between the due and payment dates, but he was sure that it'd be waived because of my activity history.

Chase was roundly berated earlier this year for charging $10 monthly service fees, and had to refund millions, but I had no idea that this other practice of not charging minimums even existed. Of course, the rep said not to count on it because he didn't know what the rules were regulating the exceptions. That just makes me think he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Has anyone else seen this before? Heard of it?

It's June 9th.

I still haven't gotten feedback or follow-up from the place I really really want to hear from, and I have a couple anemic freelance options to consider.

One is a lock but it's just a favor for a family friend, a one-off deal that I could probably complete in a solid week.

The other is something I really don't want because it's going to a huge mess to navigate (workload + politics --- TONS of politics) but it may come down to that or unemployment. I'd rather put off the latter for a while longer if there's a solid financial advantage to making this commitment. We're in talks this week. A very "we'll see" situation.

I've done my best to keep maintain Zen-mode since the end of last month but it's slipping from my grasp like a wiggly water toy you play with at the Discovery Channel Store.

The delicate fabric of that calm is revealed when those closest to me ask the most innocent questions about my plans or job situation. It feels something like a vise of atmospheric pressure closing in, reminding me that I still haven't got my life ordered properly and by the way, young lady, what do you intend to do with your life when you grow up? I'm not sure which movie character menacingly delivers that line, but I'm properly chastised/chagrined every time.

No answer, I'm afraid. But I'll repair the bastions of calm and move along my day. Trying not to fret too much about the terrifying maw of a completely unscheduled life after a date three weeks into the future.

Strange. Writing about it is rather calming.

J. Money's having a giveaway at Budgets are Sexy for three Amazon gift cards ($50, $30, and $20). I'd like y'all to head on over there and cast your votes for me.

Really.

I need a win here, people.

:)

Every time I get set in my financial plan, I turn my mind one-quarter turn to the right and find myself seeing it in a slightly, or wholly, different way. That change of focus is, in many cases, a good thing.

So ... I thought I had too much cash? No, not really, it was more like I finally realized that my previous worrying was excessive. Not unjustified, just rather obsessive. I am a slightly obsessive personality. Normally, I vent, develop a game plan, set the course and go! This time, I tinkered with the game plan, started off and kept second, third, and fiftieth guessing myself. For months. No wonder I was going slightly mad.

No small part of that is that there's enough uncertainty in the job market, aside from the rather certain rejections I've had, to keep me guessing about how confident I should be.

More, reading articles about folks who planned well, saved, and still couldn't find a job after months and even years of pounding the pavement catalyzed panic mode. I could literally taste my every fear coming to life: of following my family's footsteps into unemployment and drudgery, of being the last bastion of support, and spiraling into financial and health failures ... just like they did.

That's one reason I haven't even mentioned the layoff date to my family. I have no answers for them, other than unemployment +savings, and I can't even mention the savings because my lousy brother will take that as an excuse to coast even more. The irony, of course, is that I'm hiding a major life event from my family that I support and still live with, yet I still haven't forgiven my dad for lying to me about his job losses and indebtedness.

After spinning my mental wheels for a while, that steam wears out and leads to more productive thinking like, I can probably take a little of that stash and start investing now. I know that I haven't maxed out either of my retirement vehicles yet, but with a dwindling income stream, I'd prefer not to lock up any more cash in the 403(b)/401(a)/Roth.

I've been wanting to buy some dividend stocks for years. Not on a grand scale. But what am I waiting for? Someone to take my hand and lead me through it? That's not how I operate and that's definitely not how I learn. I can read all I want about the schools of thought behind investing, but what I want is basic: to create income and protect assets. I'm looking for dividends and lower prices for companies that are basic and sound.

The temptation is to do it up big: throw five grand in the pot and create a diversified portfolio right from the get-go. But that dips far too heavily into the emergency pot for something that is essentially a business venture, non-essential, and a bit of an analgesic for the financial fear that swamps my common sense every so often.

So! The plan: open up an account with TradeKing using a referral from Sun at The Sun's Financial Diary, deposit $1000, and buy some stocks. And hold them. No day trader am I.

Simple. Quick, except for setting up the ACH transfer capability which has always seemed rather primitive to me. Easy.

It's all about finding the comfortable zone between being ultra-safe and taking some risks. I'm not going to get anywhere by stashing all my money in retirement accounts and CDs, nor will I throw caution to the wind. It's just time to get in the game. More importantly, it's time to work on things I can do.

Remember how happy I was when I finally rolled over my Rollover IRA?

The pure joy may perhaps be less than obvious, but it was there, I promise. About three weeks after that happy occasion, I received Another Statement from my former brokerage. Wha?

Two cents. A dividend of two cents paid out into the account that was safely and finally closed, keeping it open. Then Chase, in their ongoing brand conversion, opened up a brokerage account for me funded by those two cents. I could just imagine trying to do something with that two cents and being charged another annual service fee. AUGH.

Grumpiness and inertia kept me from doing a darn thing about it until I received a Welcome to Our Brokerage Services! letter yesterday, complete with account number and phone number.

A few minutes later, a friendly fellow with Chase Brokerage services ran a solution by me: write off the two cents and close the account. Yes!! Thank you. They can have that two cents if it means one less account for me to deal with.

Blissfully Domestic is giving away one lovely Vivianne Tam HP Mini from Intel.

I hadn't admitted it here yet, but I've been ogling Minis wherever I see them, and have firmly slapped my own wrist a number of times for wanting to pet them ... and then own one! Especially since my new laptop from December would be decidedly jealous if I actually went out and purchased a travel sized. But winning one in a contest would be A-ok!

The contest ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, June 8, 2009. One winner will be chosen via Random.org. Please read the official contest rules here.

• I'm getting better at this cooking thing. Dinner creation: sole, quinoa cooked in a rice-like fashion, and lemon butter haricot verts! [Right, green beans. But the schmancy packaging said haricot verts.]

• And I made a luscious lobster macaroni and cheese, which I forgot to capture on digi-film because we dug in so quickly. It might even be better than my last favorite mac'n'cheese incarnation. I can think of a few changes I'd make to it, though.
  

• We saw UP this weekend. It was so good. Very cute, moving, a little sad (yes, I teared up), but very good.

• New shoes, 35% off, filed under budget-cheat because they were a gift. They won't be the multi-purpose walking/casual shoes I was really looking for, but that's ok because these 993s hug my heels and support them like a good friend. And yes, 35% off is hardly my style when the shoes still ring up to $95, so I can only take my solace in knowing that we clocked in the world's shortest shoe shopping expedition. Walked in, looked at the wall for a minute, pointed at the ones I wanted. Not counting the time it took Dorky Sales Guy to find the shoes, the selection and decision process took 7 minutes, tops.

• New 1/2 sleeve button down shirt for work, on sale and another 20% off because the shirt was missing a button. Silly people: the shirt comes with an extra button! But of course no big-box retailer is going to pay their employees to sew on a button to save $5. So I will! Thank you.

• And my PF blogger win? We sprung for the 3-D tickets because it was an earlier showing. We used premium movie passes worth $10.50 each, and paid the 3-D surcharge ($5) with a gift card. Total: $26.50. I'm not sure what kind of math they were using for that, though, because 21+5=$26. Except we got to the theatre a little late and the place was packed to the rafters; the only empty seats were in the front row. We're too old for that nonsense, so we went to Customer Service to exchange the tickets for a later, non 3-D showing. I offered the CS rep our gift card to replenish with $5, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. I could see he was having trouble, at one point fumbling with his own wallet, and I started to grin evilly.
  
  I had no intention of causing trouble for the poor guy, I was just trying to save him the use of a new gift card! But, evidently, as the sweat beads formed on his forehead, I realized he didn't know how or simply couldn't add the $5 to the card. He returned with two tickets in hand for the later showing, a free movie voucher card, and said "it'll be just a minute." My friend was happy, willing to walk away with the free movie voucher which was worth another $9.50. I, however, stood firm. If nothing else, I insisted, he had to return with the gift card - we still have $5 on that thing and that's cash value! I don't care if the value of the voucher was almost equal to the $10 in GC that he owed, I expected that gift card with $5 back. Friend thought I was pushing it, I simply smiled and shooed him off.
  
  Five minutes later, the discombobulated fellow returned, flush with apology, another free movie pass, and the original gift card. I graciously told him not to worry about it, confirmed that the gift card still had the remaining $5 on it, and walked away with two free movie tickets, worth $10 each, in exchange for the "loss" of a $5 value on the gift card.
  
  I could probably have suggested that he simply load up a new card, but that would have been pushing it. He needed to towel off as it was. :)