A few thoughts .....

Once again we have problems with Yodlee "updating" their site which means problems.  This time, the drop down menu that should allow me to update account passwords won't actually drop down.  Those accounts'll just have to remain inaccessible for now.

Wonky math. Somewhere in the emergency funds, we've got math gone wrong and I can't figure it out. Last month, I was down $76. This month, $146.  A difference of $222 total when the only outbound transaction from those accounts is a single $500 borrow when I needed to open a Chase account for a bonus offer. I'm starting to wonder if I just made a clerical error at some point?

Losing steam. I'm sliding dangerously close to the other side of the 6 figure mark. I apparently both miscalculated the bare bones scenario upon layoff, and have been traveling a LOT more than planned. The solution?  Find a full time J-O-B!  But also finish my classes with high marks because I've paid a good chunk of change for them.  Which, of course, leads me to Item the Next:

Big things next month! Midterms, a trip to the Big Apple, a trip to the Big Island, hosting a Carnival, and final exams! 

I have no problems with making sure that my purely personal friendships jive well when money's involved; I pay my way and assist friends in need within reason, we're honest with each other about our limits, and it generally works out pretty well.  I have no problem with keeping my business money separate from personal money in a corporate environment, and generally dining out with the office has always been fairly straightforward: the office paid.  But what of the gray area in between?  Specifically, when you're networking and not interviewing with or working for the person you're dining with?  

From a purely business perspective, my friend/mentor advised me not to quibble over who paid the bill when I dined out with an older, successful, networking acquaintance.  "He can most certainly afford it, he invited you, and he can always write it off," she asserts.  These points were all true, at the time.  The person in question is both gracious and helpful whenever possible leads come up, and has since taken the initiative to point me and my resume at highly placed persons who were interviewing for desirable positions.  [At which point it's up to me so that there isn't impropriety or influence on my behalf which I would never ask for or expect.]

But what happens when the acquaintance morphs into a semi-friendship?  When you're meeting to catch up and tell stories, it's no longer 100% business.  I feel like that development then brings with it the obligation to offer to, and even insist on, paying sometimes.  It's only fair.  I don't want my acquaintance/now friend to think that I simply expect a great meal at his expense; that's certainly not the case. 

I'm aware that insisting on footing the bill when he has selected the restaurant, when he is more than financially comfortable [yes, finances have come up in the conversation in a career-related turn], and/or when I am unemployed seems to smack more of irrational pride than sense.  But I'm unemployed, not destitute, and it hardly seems right to assume that I shouldn't pay simply because I don't have access to a corporate account.  That seems like a recipe for brewing resentment; the line of reasoning that "you have more money than I, so let's use your resources, thanks!" doesn't sit well with me.  Neither party's resources should determine who pays. It can certainly influence the selection of the experience, but I think fair means that both parties take it in turn to pay. 

How does the financial relationship change when your business relationship acquires shades of the personal?  How should it?

[Disclosure: This post is also published at the Carnival of Personal Finance.]

I had to switch from an interesting stuffed bell pepper recipe found on Oil and Garlic that called for a tuna base to a boring old ground beef version because I couldn't find capers today.  This isn't unusual; any recipe that calls for capers always gives me pause because I don't want to buy a whole jar of capers only to use a single teaspoon. It made sense until I started tallying the recipes I've passed on simply because it wouldn't taste right without capers.
 
I should buy capers so I can make these stuffed bell peppers/ripieni [Oil and Garlic].
This Halibut with Lemon, Butter, Caper and Dill Sauce [Closet Cooking].
This Tilapia Piccata [Closet Cooking].

What else should I make with capers?  And why are they listed as "non-pareil" type capers?  I know the definition of non-pareil for laymen, but not why or how it applies to capers/foodstuffs.

I don't really sleep at night anymore. Trying to sleep is like cricket hunting. As soon as you think you're close, the very awareness of your being so drives it away. You know it's there, but sleep doesn't have a substance you can grab onto and hold tight until it surrenders. You give up first...... Hours later, you might accidentally, caught unawares by your prey, drift off.

Some nights, that doesn't happen until an inexplicable egg craving is satisfied.  The poached egg with melted string cheese on a whole wheat English muffin is one way to go.  It's just missing a few slices of tomato to make it a full breakfast rather than just a post-post-midnight snack.  Or perhaps the very lateness of the concoction makes it breakfast.  I don't really know. I just want muffins to come in two halves and a quarter so I can sop up all the runny egg yolk goodness.

There are some days when it feels like the big bad news is torrential, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.  Usually you can't.  But there's almost always something you can try to make it better: use your words.   

I called EDD five times a day since reading that letter, caught in the mill of bureaucracy.  I kicked myself, over and over, for scheduling my trip for the exact day that they wanted a phone interview.  "But," I thought, "nothing I can do but keep on calling."  Until I really listened to the voice prompts, and realized one day that they change slightly. They mentioned Saturday service during which most services would not be offered but that representatives would be available to help log online requests.  You'd better believe I was all over that website again, searching for that elusive online option.  I found a series of drop down menus that would suffice, and I wrote a thorough explanation for why a phone interview wasn't necessary.  They provided a list of some 20-odd questions I had to be prepared to answer: I answered all of them in that form.  At the end of it, I clicked "send" with a prayer.

Result:  Win. 

Immediately after receiving those fines, I fired off letters disputing the Toll Evasion Accusations.  In detail, I pointed out all the problems with paying a toll for which the amount was unstated.  I stopped short of making any nasty comments and offered to pay the original toll fee.

Result: 80% Win.  They want me to pay the original toll, plus $10 (vs. the original $50 fee) to cover their collection and processing.  To justify this, they're calling the judgment "we're right, but we'll reduce the fee this one time for you.  Just pay our costs."  Uh huh.  Jerks. 

$39 cost to me, with a $120 discount.

Hel-lo, GCal!  Where have you been all my life?

I've finally cracked down and logged all my classwork on the calendar, quizzes, homework, etc., and figured out how to get three weeks' worth of work done over the next seven days to make sure that schoolwork doesn't follow me on my trips.  GCal sends me annoying helpful reminder emails when events on the calendar approach or should be happening, which is great because I'm still getting the hang of it.

During that time, I'm also ....
1) logging about 12 hours of babysitting time to help out my friends who have doctor's appointment and bad backs.  Between the three of us, you might be able to construct one fully functional human sans aches and pains.
2) visiting a cousin (maybe)
3) packing and making a shopping list for clothing I might need depending on the NY weather
4) paying bills
5) making an insanely decadent mac and cheese for friend's Halloween hang-out night.

Am I missing anything?  Oh yes, actual studying.  You know, so I can take those exams without failing.  That'd be nice.

It was with great regret I forwent sushi last night.  I will eventually, I don't have FB + her BF's fantastic sushi skills, but I didn't feel right dining out just to satisfy a craving.  (Ok, I shouldn't have linked that, the sushi cravings are back!!

Anyway, in lieu of spending $20 on sushi or some such, I went grocery shopping instead:

Vons (aka Safeway) 
7 pounds of chicken drumsticks on 50% clearance
6.5 pounds of center cut boneless pork loin
1 (8-ct) pkg turkey hot dogs on clearance 
1 loaf whole wheat (Orowheat, my favorite!)
1 (6-ct) pkg English muffins
4 ripe bananas

Walgreens [The assistant manager was a little perturbed because I pointed out that I'd stupidly printed over my coupon - it was mostly legible but I was prepared for rejection - but he took it anyway.  Nice guy.]

1 (24-tab) Zantac [w/$5 coupon]
Total: $4.68 + $9 Register Rewards printed up.  

That's going to be enough protein to last well over a month and enough carbs for a week.  Now, at last!  I can try some of those delectable pork chop recipes I've been reading.  The freshly baked French bread loaves were tantalizing, but tearing myself away was worth the effort - I might never have made it to the meat aisle if it was in my cart.  Come to think of it, this is probably the 5th time potato chips were promised and forgotten.  Ah well.  Next time.

I've got a couple posts up over at the Carnival of Personal Finance site:

• Is frugality fading?
• Family, Money, and Loans:  Featured in Studenomic's Saturday link round-up! 

 Have a great Saturday, everyone!

Cooking recap/pretasting: This has the potential to be the worst recipe ever.  My taste test of the original recipe with honey was rather sickening.  I only used one round of that terrible tomato-honey blend, and used salt, pepper and another 8 oz of tomato sauce trying to counter the overpowering honey taste.  And there was too much mixture left over at the end (about 12 oz?).  My hopes aren't high, but that was a lot of work so I hope hope hope that it works out.  And now, on to the pictures!



Final Verdict: A smidge heavy on the pepper, and really wish I'd skipped the honey entirely. Now I know. And knowing's half the battle.

Final Cost: Peppers: 2 x 89 cents/pepper = $1.78
Beef: (Expensive at) $2/lb.
Tomato Sauce: 3 x 27 cents/can = 71 cents
Onion: 50 cents
Rice: already cooked at home
Garlic, Honey, pepper, salt: already in the cupboard
Total: $5.20

The Privo Kivas were on sale at 6pm.com for $14.95 plus $7.95 shipping.  I couldn't find any deals on the shipping, and they don't pay for returns, so I passed.  The price is now back up to $41, only ~50% off of MSRP. 
Regret factor: Low.  My blistered feet don't thank me for this pass.  On the other hand, I didn't know how comfortable they'd be or how they'd fit, so I would have been out $8+ return shipping if they weren't good. 

This cute silk ruffle scarf top from Banana Republic. Available in my size in teal or purple for $19.99, but hand wash only, and no free shipping.

Regret factor: Medium.  My non t-shirt wardrobe is mostly variations on the button down shirt theme, and I've been looking for a few nice shirts that could be casual but not t-shirt casual.  But hand wash only always gives me pause, I've got to be very particular about how much more complication I bring to my life and hand wash isn't high on that list.

The sweaterdress from Kohl's on sale for $23.99.  It was cute, and even fit me, but the neckline is just a little too wide, and the fabric was on that side of scratchy.  Probably not the best of materials.

Regret factor: Low.  Knit clothing is always iffy in my book because of the care needed so whatever I purchase has to look stunning to be worth the extra work.

That "keep unread" option on Google Reader always seemed like a good thing until I started abusing it. (Isn't that always the way it is?)  I wanted to keep everything from My Money Blog, or whichever blog I was skimming, unread because it's all useful information. It became the electronic equivalent of filing paperwork: I'd open something, note that it was interesting, and then Keep Unread so I could deal with it later.

Voila!  I made Google Reader three times less efficient!  Not only do I only skim the post the first time 'round, I'm not acting on it and saving it for later.  While I skip around Reader not doing anything about the interesting post, I'm wading hip deep in Read-but-save-for-later posts.  When I finally get 'round to dealing with them, I've got a huge stash of posts that need attention.  

*Shame on me!*

No real promises, but I'm trying to keep the clicking of "Keep Unread" under control. I take a second to think about whether I really need the information, or if I truly plan on using it.  Or commenting, even. If I wanted to comment on it, just go do so.  If not, read and move on.

It's amazing how easily a new bad habit can form without conscious thought. I wonder if that's how MOST bad habits start?

I'd love it if you guys voted for my bag in Well-Heeled's blog contest.  No pressure. :)   But it would sure go a long way to funding Christmas shopping this year since my gift fund is sort of ... depleted.

It's already October!  I can't believe I only have one gift, and that's practically a cheat because those comic books are purchased in July every year.

Has anyone started making their gift lists yet?  Their wish lists?  Anything?

After the dozens of failed calls to EDD, after getting hung up on every single time I thought I'd successfully navigated the phone maze, after every frantic attempt to jigger my schedule to make time for a phone interview ....

I sent a long, thorough (polite!) email through the system explaining my online classes and how they don't interfere with my job search.

And I just got an email saying:  Your online courses have been approved. The telephone interview has been cancelled.  Your check will be mailed tomorrow with the subsequent claim form.

Note: Now we'll see what the forms say, and if they make up for lost time.  But in the meantime, my budget is sighing a small sigh of relief. 

Isn't it ironic that for all that we empathize with the long-laboring, store-it-up-for-the-winter Ant Fable, many of us are waging war against the industrious ant?  Reporting back after three weeks of combat, wielding Terro as recommended by J.D. at Get Rich Slowly and Funny About Money, I don't feel guilty one bit.

Those darn things get into everything, inside, outside, food, drink, swarm over anything the least bit interesting, eat through walls, chew holes in fabric. And they swarm. Like locusts!  Or, you know, ants.

Funny makes a good point: you don't want to eradicate ants completely because they are an essential part of the ecosystem.  I'm not out for complete extermination. Be as that may, they don't belong inside my home! (or dishwasher, or closet, or under my sinks.)  And until they respect those boundaries, I will continue to hold the lines. 


Terro is the ultimate two dollar magic.  I kid you not, even though the packaging states that you may have to wait two weeks to clear out the problem, it took less than 24 hours for the three battalions and supply lines to disappear completely from the front of my house. 

The tradeoff was apparently that the eradication was short-term (about a week's worth of ant-free zone), but another quick application of Terro to a central location a week later and the next wave of exploratory ants was gone.  If you're having ant problems, I highly recommend that you check the local garden supply shop, I bought mine from Lowe's, and pick up a clear little bottle of peace of mind.

Now if someone can help me get rid of the flies!  (I feel like I live in a barn. But the dogs keep opening the door and letting flies in!)

As the weeks go by, engagements are piling up right and left, and my travel obligations are too.  New York, Hawaii, New York for a wedding (?), Greece for another (?), and now a fishing trip?

I had to say no.  Though, it was my own darned idea!  I haven't gone fishing, properly fishing, since I was eight. And I hadn't seen these friends in 3 years, they wanted to go fishing, perfect, no?  But I didn't realize that even though the timing was right, a 24-hour fishing trip in Ensenada, the money was not. It was estimated to run right around $75 or more, and this after I'd already committed to a thing on the East Coast in two weeks, and Hawaii two weeks after that.  The travel fund is already gasping, I don't have the extra $75.

And if I did, honestly, I'd rather it went to Rina's best friend who just lost her husband.  The donation I could send seems too paltry.  So even though it was my big mouth that started the ball rolling on planning a fishing trip, you've got to pick and choose sometimes, and this is one of those times. And every other invitation that involves more than $10 a pop will likely be one of those times, too.

But guys.... you should really see it.  I went to the Cal-UCLA game today, wore flats that are now officially dead to me, and now my pinky toe (the worst casualty of many) has become a blister.  That's it. It's like I've got a blister with a toenail for a toe now.  It's so gross.  And I have other blisters to watch, too. 

Oh but that's not the only reason I'm sharing it with you. I was scolded for wearing my flats with a tank top and shorts.  I was told it was a "faux pas."  It's in quotes because I think it's preposterous.  You can wear flats with shorts, right?  Have I lost my mind? Was that pre-heat stroke wardrobing? 

Stacking Pennies started a great conversation about the search for style, and I heartily agreed with oilandgarlic's sentiment about being far sportier than glamorous.  That doesn't mean I'm ready to throw in the towel just yet, though, and I wanted to share this fashion blog I just discovered: 


It's written by three PhD candidates who are defying the poorly dressed academician stereotype.  The whole academically-themed site is just too cute and their content is excellent.  The photos are accompanied by an outfit breakdown so that if you wanted to, presumably, you could steal a little style!

One of the best parts is that you can see that much of their wardrobe pieces are obtainable from regular stores; it's no haute couture. 

The posts, like their fashion, are very pulled together.  I'm going to be lurking about over there absorbing color combinations, layering and accessories.  I highly recommend it!

I'm just going to torture myself for a bit here.

via Carnival: 3 Day Ensenada from San Diego $99 for an interior room, or $119 for a stateroom.


via Travelocity: 7-night NCL Mexican Riviera cruise starting at $199 for an inside room.
            It gets better: Limited-Time Offer: Book a Qualified 6-Night and Longer Sailing by October 20, 2009 and Receive up to $250 Onboard Credit. Applicable on select sailings on Norwegian Cruise Line that sail between October 16, 2009 and December 24, 2011. When speaking with a cruise expert mention Promo Code TAWLCN.
           Offer Extended!: Book an Oceanview, Balcony, or Suite Stateroom on a qualified 5-Night or Longer Sailing by October 31, 2009 and Receive up to $100 Onboard Credit.
            NCL Has Reduced Deposits by 50% on Virtually Every Sailing. Hurry, This Sale Ends October 20, 2009.
            Book a Qualified Sailing and Receive Two Free Onboard Savings Booklets.

Firstly, the county of San Diego can go fly a kite.

During the funeral weekend, we had to use the toll road a few times but each time, the toll booth read a bit fat $0.00.  I thought it was a little suspect, but could never get a good photo of the booth when we were passing by.

Sure enough, this week's mailbag brought proof that I was right, that was a timebomb waiting to go off: three Notices of Toll Evasions!  Um, what evasion, people??

There was never an attendent or any other cars on that road so we couldn't see if the booth was active, if it was out of service, or what the situation was.  There wasn't even a phone number posted on the booth for roadside assistance/questions/etc.   Call me crazy, but if you tell me that the price is zero dollars, zero cents, that's exactly what I'm going to pay ya!  Not any of this extra $50 per incident nonsense....  

A request... no, wait, three requests for administrative review will be in tomorrow's mail.  Wish me luck, guys, I'm not going to fork over nearly $200 for what amounts to a county-enriching fee-trap without at least a strong argument.


Secondly, the state of California can go fly another kite.  

I was honest on my last claim form stating that I had started classes during the time period in question, noting that the classes were online only, and what do they do?
A) Send me a notice of a telephone interview scheduled for 3 weeks from now,
B) paperwork to "verify" my "eligibility for training benefits," a list of questions that I could easily answer on paper stating that no, my classwork does not interfere with my job search,
and C) No Check.

Oh and there's icing on this cake: they refuse to answer the phone.  Really. The recording says "We're currently receiving too many calls to answer," sends you through a Mephistophelian maze of phone options, and then hangs up on you! Way to not even TRY.


Dude. Also, way to punish the populace: hound them for pursuing other options in case sitting around on UI doing nothing but fruitlessly job-hunting seemed kind of useless.  We should sit tight, surf the 'net, and hope that Big Brother provides, hm?  Obey precisely or else BB will yank the funding? 

I didn't ask for you to pay for my schooling and I'll adhere to the "regular unemployment provisions," so couldn't you make this another form letter that I can fill out so that I have some income for the next four weeks? I'll survive, though my cash cushion will be more than a little devastated by this sudden drawdown, but can you imagine someone relying on each check for that month's bills?  I would be thoroughly freaked out.

*sigh*  I guess I wouldn't normally be so put out but ... oh heck, of course I would be!  It doesn't matter how much I'm bringing in (or not, at this point) - money has just been flying out the door these past few months.  The only thing to do after sending off my objections to the first problem, and preparing to deal with the second problem, is wait and see.  In the meantime, it's absolutely infuriating.

I cheated on my no-frivolous-spending mandate recently on a pair of cute, faux-leather ankle boots.

Armed with a sale, a $10 off coupon, and a gift card I wasn't planning to use on boots, I bought  them anyway.  The last pair of boots I owned have been retired since 2006, and were knee-high: not exactly the easiest to deal with when you're constantly having to take them off, and put them back on.  (This is a problem when traveling and when you're Asian and go to anyone's house.  By my age, removing your footwear is a compulsion at the molecular level, practically.) 



Now, how do you protect faux-leather boots?  Other than not wearing them?  Full disclosure: I'm really tough on my clothing/shoes. I fully intend to wear these boots outside, and that means they're going to encounter weather.  If I travel in them, they might even encounter rain.  Sleet. Ice. Snow?  Can/should you waterproof faux leather?

For once, I'm thinking ahead to try to protect the shoes instead of destroying them, but Google is silent on this matter.  It seems like it would have been easier to spend the extra money on real leather boots since lanolin's an easy fix for that stuff.  But faux leather, does it just not require protection?

For a mere $7000/year + ~$1000 in maintenance fees + trading fees, you too can generously house up to 7 guests on a week-long trip in Hawaii!


"Is that worth it?" was on the tip of my tongue, but as I'm one of the invited guests, it seemed prudent not to question my hostess's financial decisions. ;)   No, really we talk money pretty liberally, she's deemed it a worthwhile expense in her budget, and she's got her long-term plan, her financial advisors and all that jazz taken care of.

Now, to worry about my own money! My friend has invited me to come stay with her and a few other friends in Hawaii for a week in November. It's a rare opportunity for me, but that doesn't necessarily mean I can afford it.

I'd be responsible for my own airfare, meals, and rental car. I've already volunteered to cook to "pay" my way. We'd be staying in a 3 bedroom villa, and it looks like single bed guestrooms start at $200/night, you can just imagine the market value of these accommodations!

Flying United, I can use a left over travel voucher to defray the cost of a round-trip ticket (approx. $500). Another option is to check through each of my rewards (hotel and others) to see if any can be redeemed for airline miles and/or value cards to further bring down the cost of airfare. For example, 20k Starpoints could be redeemed for 25K United miles to bring my total United account to 41k, but that's only enough for a saver fare to HNL, which isn't available for redemption.  S'ok, maybe next time.

Meals would just go on the credit card and get paid out of the travel fund, there aren't a ton of ways to get creative with groceries. As for the rental car, Hilton points can be redeemed for a few days' rental. I should have enough for at least a couple days with either Budget or Alamo.

My travel fund sits less-than-pretty at about $500. If I take this trip, that'd be it for the year unless I can come up with extra cash between now and then. On the other hand, when am I ever going to get to go to Hawaii for the price of a plane ticket and food

Oh wait, the fun stuff!  My friend insists that I have to go to a luau for my first time in Hawaii, but I just went to a luau party where several people said the dancers and fire dude were significantly better than the shows they saw in Hawaii this year.  The only thing missing from the huuuuge spread of food, mai tais, pina coladas, and the show was a roast pig.  Does anyone think the whole authentic package is worth between $50-200 per person just for roast pork?  (Yuuuummm...)  Is there any other reason to go?  Right now, I can't really get behind it.

I'm hoping to have tons of free fun walking the island, enjoying nature and maybe reading lots.

444 Express's post on How the Poor Stay Poor made me laugh because a) my dad's smoking addiction drives me up the wall -- I'm sure that he's going to get sick on me next, and financially it's terrible, and b) I was inordinately proud of my grocery basket contents today. 

For under $15, I came home with:
(2) 10-ct boxes of instant oatmeal
(1) 6-ct package of whole wheat English muffins
(1) loaf of 100% whole wheat bread
(1) Jonathan apple
(4) Bartlett pears
(1) 12-ct package of string cheese

I know the comparison of cheap fast foods and expensive wholesome food is made constantly, but I really like that, if you look at it, shop sales, and use coupons, nutritious foods can be had for not too much more than a few fast food meals.  For the record, the string cheese was my splurge at $4.99 for a package of Precious brand cheese + a peelie coupon for $1 off.  I miss peelies!

Oh, and there is a meal combination in that list because I've been buying two cans of tuna fish every time they were on sale for the past year. We now have a stockpile of tuna tucked away in every corner of the kitchen. It's 'bout time I started eating it!  My friend suggested that I dice some apple into the tuna salad, and it tastes delicious!

Now, time to crack the books!

By which I mean: I'm getting my money back via refunds and such.

The Epson is working out wonderfully, so the tiny Canon i-70 from my college days has been retired. I'm considering eBaying it, as well as an old 35 mm point and shoot Lexio camera also from college days. Of course, that means I'd have to overcome my aversion to eBay that marks me an internet troglodyte. It's really time to get over that.

Happily, returning the ink for the printer to Staples was easy as (eating) cake: I've now got a $25 Staples cash card to go with a $6 ink cartridge recycling credit. Perhaps this can go toward a new external hard drive for a friend. I just need a good sale + rebate to combine with the cash + credit. 

Chegg processed refunds on the two textbooks they failed to send me, and the third book finally arrived so we're set on that front.

A failed rebate postcard goes back out tomorrow with proof that my purchase was indeed valid. Perhaps they'll pay up this time around.

This comic is pretty funny all on its own, but I unearthed this gem from the archives recently and thought y'all'd appreciate it.  It's the best example of contrary human fiscal behavior yet. 

Sooo I think I've rounded up all the extant parts and widgets (widgets?? It's a whole different language going on here.)  Yes, Blogger switched to New Blogger or some sort of thing forever ago, but like New Coke, I thought it'd go away soon enough.  Or at least by the time I was ready to take on another template change.

I sure was wrong, but in the flush of new-cold delirium, it seemed like a worthwhile endeavor since I was stuck cooped up in the house anyway.

Uh yeah.  Not really. Turns out that you have to upgrade from Classic Blogger, add these newfangled widgets, replace the HTML template with the right one, save that, go back and re-add those widgets because the first time around you forgot to save it, save, then find out you added the wrong template that has text screaming from one end of the screen to the other right over the sidebar.

Oh wait.  Start over.  Replace the HTML template. Save. Edit widgets. Save.  Realize that you're now missing Adsense and can't add it because javascript in the HTML? Doesn't. Show. UP.

*sigh*

Annnyway. It took a good long while, but between that and watching listening to old episodes of Reba, we might be all set around here?

Many many thanks to fantastic FB who did all the designing, colors, more designing, tweaks and twitches needed to make this happen! You wouldn't believe the amount of work she had to do, between rewriting crap code, tailoring things for New Blogger who is unbelievably picky, and still making things pretty.  

*dusting hands*

Whatcha think?

I'm doing a quick vertical analysis of my Vanguard accounts which include the tax deferred 403(b) and 401(a), a Rollover IRA integrated into the 403(b), and my Roth IRA.

The column showing my account purchases/withdrawals since February 2006 = 34,938. There haven't been any withdrawals, by the by.

The column showing my investment returns to date = -63.

Total? Less than I've contributed over a 44 month time span.

I'm going to put my full-of-hope hat on and be glad that I've squirreled away at least that much, mostly pre-tax, and be glad that I haven't seen such numbers like –$1,571.82, –$1,908.34 or even –$3,711.14 in a good while.

How close are you to breaking even? Or has anyone's portfolios returned to full health?

Given the recent local break-ins, and a belated sense of general responsibility, it seemed like time to check out the world of renters insurance. After all, I did just successfully shop around for my auto insurance and saved a good chunk of change. If I were willing to tackle health insurance this week, we could call this an Insurance Trifecta! But I still have subsidized COBRA for another 5 months, so I might not be that ambitious.

Renters insurance is one of those things *everyone* says you should have, but most people I know don't. Logically, it makes a lot of sense because I would absolutely hate to have to replace my belongings out of pocket.

The big ticket categories are: electronics, comic book collection, clothing, furniture.

• As a rough estimate, my personal gadgets probably cost in the neighborhood of $1500 and I can't begin to calculate how much my comic books would cost to replace.
• My wardrobe, humble though it is, contains just enough pricier items that it'd be difficult to rebuild in less than 2-5 years. That's how long it took to accumulate a couple good coats, a high quality leather bag, two suits, and a few really nice dresses (>$1500). That's without considering all the daily wears which are more numerous than quality.
• All my furniture is old, I haven't got anything less than 7 years old in here and most items are well over fifteen years old, but when you have to replace it, age doesn't matter.

Of course, renters insurance will cover the entire household, not just my stuff, so that puts in perspective the value of the insurance.

I requested my first rate quote from Geico. As a renter, I find some of the questions odd: do most renters know the year their home was built or the construction/build type as a matter of course? I had to look it up on Zillow, and I'm still not sure what sort of build this is. Perhaps that's a dunce cap question if you can't answer it, so just call me a construction dunce. (We do have an excellent Walk Score, by the by.)

Personal Property (includes personal items such as clothes, furniture, appliances, linens, even toiletries and cleaning supplies.)	$30,000
Personal Liability (protection in the event an insured is found liable for unintentional bodily injury or property damage, occurring on or off of the property, not related to automobiles or business. For example: a slip and fall on the premises, or even if you should accidentally injure someone with a golf ball at the driving range.)	$50,000
Deductible	$250
Medical payments to others	$500
Property damage to others	$500
Replacement Cost Coverage	included
Earthquake Coverage	included

Cost: $435/year

Personal Property	$30,000
Personal Liability	$100,000
Deductible (lowest option available)	$500
Medical payments to others	$5000
Property damage to others	n/a
Replacement Cost Coverage	n/a
Earthquake Coverage	Must purchase separate policy

**State Farm only offers online rate quotes, not online purchase.

Cost: $212.

Spending all the money I just saved by changing auto insurance makes me grumpy, though.

Does anyone out there have renters insurance? Do these quotes seem reasonable to you? (These quotes include coverage of a full household with two large dogs on the "special" list.)


And if insurance shopping bores you, My Pretty Pennies went shopping for much more fun stuff: bathing suits!
And Fabulously Broke bought delicious boots!
Mapgirl went to New York and bought clothes! And food, yumm....
Stacking Pennies has a clothing buying plan!

All of which should provide the color against my boring and DebtHater's car troubles.

Turns out that the tagline isn't such a gimmick after all.

Rather than waiting for my current insurance term to end, the new policy's scheduled to start midweek. Even with only a little more than a month to go, it's worth it to get a small refund from Mercury and put it toward the new policy now. Why pay 1/6 of a $1000 policy when I can use that to start a new $600 policy?

The deductibles are lower, and the coverage is actually a little better, too! I did a bit of research and it seems like there's an even split between people who love and hate just about every insurance company that it's worth taking the chance on Geico. My other choice was Progressive but for every kind of coverage, they were $200+ more costly than Geico.

The funeral was this weekend.

I managed to keep it together for the most part but it was difficult. Everywhere I went, I was introduced as an adopted daughter. That made me smile because, let's be honest, it's been a long time since I felt like a part of my own family. Or even since I wanted to be part of my family, the way things have been.

I can't have been the only one who heard echoes of their father's voice as we organized the family, completed chores, cooked, ate, and rested together. At first, it was oddly comforting to "hear" him as the days went by. But it was upsetting too. He should BE here, this shouldn't be happening, it's not right that he's not here for this! *"This" is the moving. The family was scheduled to move into another house and nothing is going the way it would have if he were still here. Everything would have been like clockwork.

The resounding sense of wrongness grew louder as I watched the family dynamics shifting. The teenage daughter, already struggling with her relationship with her father, now struggling with the lost authority figure. The brothers quietly trying to find the right place and pace for their new responsibilities. We're all busy with necessary chores, but we're also driven by a need to fill the hours with work, to keep moving.

We worked on the house yesterday, after recovering from the funeral. Locks were changed, outlets taped off, walls washed. Painters and carpet cleaners were scheduled, and I've been asked to help out again when they arrive next weekend.

That's where I've been, mostly. And that's where I'll be, mostly, until we get adoptive mom moved in and settled safely and securely. And after that? I'll be a consultant as my friend learns the financial ropes his father always kept safely tucked away. Yet another reason to hit the books even harder and make sure I'm up on my money knowledge.

First up, Quizno's Coupons, exp 10/16/09:

1) Buy one sub and a regular fountain drink, get one sub free.
2) $1 off one sub, $2 off two subs, $3 off three subs.
I don't like Quizno's anymore, but I hope that any fans out there can use one of these deals.

Second, the silver lining to recent overspending mean that credit card rewards redemption time rolled around much more quickly than usual. My Chase Cash Plus check arrived in the mail: +$50

Third, slow and steady email clickthroughs have finally yielded a $25 gas gift card from MyPoints. That'll defray a bit of the recent and upcoming driving.

Fourth, FINALLY redeemed Swagbucks for a reward. Would have gone for Amazon GCs except my savings accounts begged for a cash infusion. $5 is better than nothing. HOW is everyone accumulating 'bucks so quickly? I feel like I'm the slowest earner ever.

Now that I've settled up the bill for Dad's tickets, I'm on a mission to get lower auto insurance rates. Wish me luck!

A few thoughts .....

Yodlee is all over the place. A few weeks ago, I got an invitation to try their Beta and it kept locking me out of my account. When I gave up on the Beta, the original version kicked me out too! Now it's showing me bills due two weeks ago that it didn't think were important until now. Thanks!

Bills-owing are at an all-time high thanks to the school bills (>$1000), and the unexpected traffic fee. That's eaten into the gains made in the retirement accounts. I'd better hit the books even harder, that quiz I took last night made me sweat!

**Dividend!! My stocks paid out a fat $4 dividend. Marked this one 'specially because I'm excited. Whoo!

Wonky math. Somewhere in the emergency funds, we've got math gone wrong and I can't figure it out. I never take money out of that account, or at least haven't yet, but it's down by a handful of dollars. No time to work on it today, unfortunately.

Changes. This snapshot is useful tracking, but everyone doesn't need all these details. It's time to consolidate more accounts and simplify both the system and reporting while preserving the subaccounts I love so much. Currently, my money is spread across ING/ED/Citi/Wamu.

I get free checks from Wamu, Electric Orange can't serve all my checkwriting needs. Citi is the easier B&M from which to bank with linked checking and "high" interest savings accounts, while the ING/ED accounts have marginally better interest rates. It's nice to have the flexibility of looking for either Chase OR Citibank branches when I'm travelling rather than hoping for one or the other.

I'm looking for a single bank with B&M and online access, free checkwriting (paper and electronic), ability to manage sub-savings accounts with good interest rates, and no fees. Too much?