When you're in pain, the world needs to know.  Sorry loves, I'm updating you on the weird developments in my dental world.

Many of us who grew up with the mantra Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle may be most familiar with it thanks to the annual Earth Day activities in school where you spent a week collecting cans or brought in stacks of paper you thought your parents were done with for recycling.  (Ooops.)

SSB4C made a great point about the misconception that recycling is an adequate cure-all.  It's not free, and it's better not to use the item in the first place if you don't need to.  But our society runs so much on the Disposable Attitude that I'd like to advocate another form of eco-friendliness: repurposing.

When and where you can: consider a different purpose for an item you're about to discard. 

Containers are the simplest to repurpose. Empty glass jars become coin collectors, storage for leftovers, a temporary home for new plants, a desk organizer for pens and pencils, "hurricane glasses" for tea lights, etc. Creative kids can turn containers in to booby traps, treasure chests, bombs of all sorts.

Does anyone remember the milk jug scoops?  When you finished up a gallon of milk, an adult would cut out a portion of the side, and kids could use it for scooping sand (or water during a massively unfair water fight before it escalates to just using the hose).

Or the last of the shampoo in the bottle was diluted for you to make bubbles with.  Toilet paper rolls become chew toys for the dogs, cats bat around bundles of old shoelaces with a long trailing lace.

A bag full of my t-shirts, scrubs, scrap materials became a quilt.

What about choosing not to buy things if you can repurpose another item?  


Use glass or plastic jars to grow some herbs on the window sill, or glasses as cookie cutters instead of buying round cookie cutters?

Opt to just microwave your cup of water for tea instead of buying a new kettle like EM?

Use old or mismatched socks as cleaning and dusting rags instead of buying disposable cleaning wipes? I do this all the time to clean my blinds because they fit right over my hand like those cleaning gloves, and I don't have to grip or anything.  Just spray and wipe.

Or use the clean mate-missing sock to make a heating sock?  Fill it up with rice and heat in the microwave instead of buying a heating pad.  This works wonderfully as a drape across your shoulders too, for a relaxation technique.  Though I'm more willing to sacrifice beans (ugh) than edible rice, I don't know if it heats up just as well.

There are hundreds of ways we can choose to save time, money, resources and some space in a landfill by being a little creative.

444 Express meets the insufficient funds monster! And has managed to prevent a promotional balance from garnering all the interest from the promo period on a card carrying a balance.

Abigail of I Pick Up Pennies: 1. My MIL is (finally!) quitting smoking. She has been using Kroger brand patches. She went to get another box of the step she was on. Couldn't find it. Went to 3 more Fred Meyer's and... nothing.

So she went up to the pharmacy and asked if they had any in the back. He said they were out. She mentioned they were out at 3 other stores. So he made a call. Turns out, they're not going to make that step anymore.

She asked if he would give her the Nicoderm at the Kroger price. He said he didn't think he could do that. She pointed out that it seemed unfair to pull the rug out from under people who had started the program with the generic. He thought about it, made a call, and gave her the generic price. Fifteen dollars saved -- which is a big deal when you're on disability!

2. We got Tim 3 pairs of sunglasses (he loses/breaks them a lot) and he wanted to get a case or two to keep them safe. So we headed over to Walmart's optical store. As we were discussing the merits of various cases, an employee approached us. He had a case -- nicer than the ones we were looking at, and it came with a cleaning cloth -- that he had been given and wasn't using. He just handed it to us. (So, okay, this wasn't us asking, per se. But it was still pretty cool!)

3. At Macy's the woman in front of us was using a $10 off coupon. I asked where she got it, she told me it was in that day's paper. When it didn't work for her, she offered it to us. It was supposed to stop working at 1 p.m. (It was about 1:10.) But we tried it anyway, and it worked. And I wouldn't have gotten the coupon if I hadn't asked the woman about it.

Karen - My lease was up for renewal and the management sent me a letter with my rent increase.  It was a 6% increase.  I have never renewed a lease so I am uncertain if this is a standard rate increase. Due to owning a dog greater than 25lbs and needing to live within a certain radius, my options are limited. I called the property manager and asked why my rent was going up 6%. I was told my rent was under market value and that it would still be under market value with the 6% increase. She asked if I was expecting no increase.  I wasn’t however I wasn’t expecting 6%.  She said she would look at my lease renewal and see what she could do.  She called back and offered a 4% increase instead.

Textbook madness:  With only two classes, I shouldn't complain but I had ordered books in readiness for the new quarter only to be surprised with a different book on the syllabus posted on the first week of classes.  Mon Dieu, professor!  Why lead me astray so I've a useless book at the ready and naught to be used??

I emailed the instructor, hoping with my eyes squeezed shut that it was an old syllabus, that he'd neglected to update the text.  Alas, twasn't the cast.  Crestfallen, I glared at the book. I had to find, and price- and shipping-times compare. Like Superman (Prime), like Optimus (Prime), Amazon Prime came to my rescue, the book priced just $2 less than the rental with a two-day ship time.

Unexpectedly, an email pinged in from the instructor.  He'd spoken with the course representative and suggested that we touch base for a reimbursement.  A few emails and a phone call later, the course representative agreed to reimburse me for the cost of the replacement book.  ($63)

But the saga doesn't end there -- I was expecting to hit the road and needed the replacement book to meet me at a halfway point. Thanks to Amazon Prime, I expected to see the new book within a couple of days, but it took me almost 48 hours to realize that the shipping address had reverted to my home address. Cuh-rap.  Another round of calls to Amazon to get the shipment rerouted turned into five calls and 16 hours of frustration.  Finally, I was offered a $10 discount from Amazon for their inability to help me (and for the previous CSRs lying to me). I spent half of it to get the book shipped to the right place.


Macy's and the everlasting coupon: Like Bed, Bath and Beyond, Macy's has become one of those retailers I won't shop without a coupon.  They're overpriced and reasonable only with a combination of sale, coupon and gift card.   Unfortunately, my friends insisted on making an impromptu stop without doing coupon research beforehand.  *the horror*

I looked up coupons on my iPhone, and asked the floor manager if they were willing to scan my phone since I couldn't print a coupon.  He laughed at me saying, "You're just trying to be difficult" and waved off the phone. Instead he manually entered a discount when he rang up the purchase, giving us 15% off every item instead of just 10% off Housewares.  Savings: $10.79

Hot Pot and VH's butcher trick: A friend and I had hot pot plans for dinner, but I was too tired to shop at the Asian grocery store, Trader Joe's, the produce place, AND Safeway.  We needed thinly sliced pork, though, and usually there's no call for that at a regular grocery store.  My only option seemed to be buying pork chops at $4/lb and slicing thin strips off the chops.

Instead, I talked to the butcher at Safeway, explained what I needed and lo, he led me straight to the pork shoulder, on sale for 99 cents/pound and offered to slice it up for me.  I should have gotten a few pounds of the pork and frozen it for later at that price!  He saved me both an extra trip and 75% off the meat.

As always, every little bit counts! And as always, I welcome your sharing! 

Thank goodness for COBRA with the attached dental insurance.  The score isn't really zero, of course, I don't count my premiums when I'm looking at these out of pocket expenses. But to stay really honest, I'm paying around $20/month for coverage right now, and haven't paid a deductible.

I've been experiencing severe generalized dental pain since Monday, and it's only getting worse. I've seen the dentist ($100, covered by insurance), the oral surgeon ($301, covered by insurance), have an appointment with my physician tomorrow which WILL cost me a great deal (at least $45 to start), and will have to shell out a cool $350 on top of that for a nightguard.

[Side Note: Examining my receipt, I noticed that insurance still hasn't paid the balance for my cleaning from more than 6 weeks ago. No wonder offices hate dealing with insurance.]

All this because there's nothing to be done dentally or surgically as far as my dental care providers are concerned.  They are advising that I find a way to relax because apparently, being stressed is what's causing my body to react in ways that are ultimately self-destructive, painful and stressful.  *sigh*  Doing it to yourself, self.

MoneyFunk suggested a *fun* solution of drinking applying whisky to the affected area but sadly, that just made the teeth even more sensitive. Darn, we were really hoping that'd be the answer.  ($15 for whisky and ice cream bars.  Shoulda told the cashier it'd been a rough day, hee.)

I promise I'm not faking it so I can hide in bed for hours in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I really want to get out and about, but this pain is excruciating. In comparison to the pain I've had over the years with my medical condition that was way high on the pain scale, this pain is much worse; it keeps me up at night and fogs my brain. I hate the feeling of fogged brain. I hate starving even more - my teeth can only tolerate liquids (of varying temperatures) and soft foods like mashed potatoes which isn't enough.  *dreams of Lemony Luna Bars and steak dinners dance in my head*  *Oh, and craving sushi. Again.*

In any case, it's rather ironic that when I need to be at my best and fulfilling earning potential, I'm only barely making it to medical appointments and emerging with no real answers.

Time to count my blessings of current health insurance coverage and ... yeah.  That's all I've got right now.  That and a bushel of OWWWW.

Today we have a guest post from Silicon Valley Blogger (SVB) of The Digerati Life, my Northward neighbor and savvy investing problogger.  Please make her welcome!

The Digerati Life is a site that covers financial topics, from investing and budgeting to debt management. Check the site for online stock trading promotions, including this OptionsHouse promotion code page for cheap brokerage commission rates.

When a stock broker mentions growth investing, they are referring to companies that show a lot of future potential. To understand growth investing versus any other type of investing, it will also be helpful to understand market capitalization. The market capitalization figure will tell you the size of a company. I look at growth investing a little differently than what you’ll find from online definitions of the term. To me, you must figure the company’s market capitalization in order to know its place in its industry.

Many investors probably don’t pay much attention to market capitalization, but they all should. The market capitalization figure should be one of the first numbers you look at when analyzing a company. Companies can be divided into groupings by their market capitalization. A large cap company is greater than $10 billion, mid cap is $2 to $10 billion, small cap is $300 million to $2 billion, and there are smaller companies less than $300 million. This figure is the result of multiplying the price of a single share of stock by the shares which the company has issued outstanding. That is the equation to determine market capitalization if you don’t have a listing for it already on your information source. You should do the calculation anyway, because then you’ll know your stocks' value, for sure.

Market Capitalization = Price of Single Share of Stock x Shares Outstanding

Now stocks can also be categorized as either growth or value stocks. A high growth company can have any kind of capitalization, whether it be micro cap, small cap, mid cap, or large cap. The growth part of the analysis has to do with potential. How much market share does the company hold in its industry? To figure market share of an industry, you’ll have to get the total market capitalization of the companies in the industry you are analyzing. Then divide each one into a hundred to figure its percentage share of the market. This figure will also give you a chance to see potential growth for your company. A company often grows by taking market share away from other companies.


Total Industry Market = Market Cap A + Market Cap B + Market Cap C
Market Share in % = Market Cap (A, B, or C) /Total Industry Market

All the calculations and rules of thumb in the world won’t help you identify a growth stock if you pick the wrong industry. You have to ask yourself, what kind of money is this company making right now, what could it be making ten years from now, and then look at the industry your company pick is in… is that industry in decline or not? In general value investors look for companies in established industries with an undervalued stock price. Growth investors look into emerging and presently hot industries for a company that is about to take off or has the potential for high growth in the future. In value investing, your gains are from buying cheap and selling at reasonable prices. In growth investing, your gains are made by buying at a reasonable prices and then selling at even higher prices. Pay attention to market capitalization figures, and the position of the industry your company is in, and that will make you a better investor.

Interrupting this bulletin with the note that Fabulously Broke's giveaway is finally giving me a crack at those ninja coat hooks I fell in love with last year.  Oh yeah, I still want them.
1. Sephora has a free with any purchase offer of a 10-day Supply of Bare Escentuals bareMinerals foundation, good until 2/23.  Use offer code TryBE at checkout.

I suggest that you might check out a local Bare Escentuals shop, a local one had signs up giving the 10-day supply free without a purchase. I like that one better.

2.  Danielle Ms. The Frugal Lawyer made me laugh with her contemplation of giveaway items as I've been thinking about doing a giveaway. What do you think of:

A collection of PF books [Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel - I swear I didn't hate it, Phil!; Shoo, Jimmy Choo!; The Wealthy Barber, etc.]
A tiny never-been-used handbag,
Southwest drink vouchers,
A free year's subscription to PearBudget
and the obligatory UPrinting business cards?

I'd oblige you with pictures but it's been a long day.  Oh fine, hold on, wait right there .....


There y'are. To be more fair, I'd probably break up some of the items if there's interest.  And for the PearBudget subscription, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial and then decide if you'd like the year's free subscription after.  That'd probably the best way to do it, no sense in wasting a subscription if you don't really like it.

I'm going to poke around for more goodies.

Did you think I'd fallen off the wagon?  The Minimalist one, I mean. I'd like to say I hadn't but I did put the quest on pause for a while, I needed to catch my breath and just enjoy ownership for while before I picked up the momentum again.  This time, due to a chance remark by a male (*cough* shoe whore! *cough) friend who claims I own more shoes than he, I've targeted ... my shoes.

I've had a lot of shoe rules over the years:

• They can't make my feet look like boats. My feet are smallish so wrong-sized shoes just make me look like a clown clomping around looking for my personal Tokyo to stomp.
• Room to wiggle my toes (in the closed toed category).
• Not trendy - I wanted cute but also for them to last a long time.
• I had to be able to run in them. All of them. Just in case I ever encounter a creepy middle of the night, walking alone, something scares me scenario and then I have to outrun a serial murderer/survive a zombie invasion/catch a mugger/make it to Safe first.

Would you be surprised if not all of them met my last requirement?

Even with those rules, I've picked up some doozies of Bad Judgment over the years so I won't show you the shoes that were just culled from the herd.  Instead, I'll show you the shoes that made the first cut. I'm setting new rules: comfort first, attractive second, and I can't own more shoes than half my age.

My biggest problem with shoes is the same problem I have with all clothing.  I have unreasonable expectations. I want a multi-functional,everyday shoe that's comfortable and casual, but won't look weird paired with jeans, black pants, shorts or maybe even skirts.  In search of that perfect shoe, I kept buying Almost shoes.  That is a LOT of money wasted on shoes that aren't Keepers.

The shoe that I want, this Magic/Bond-like item, doesn't exist and I have to accept that.

Instead, I'm now trying to shape the shoe-pack into a streamlined unit where a set of two or three pairs will see me through any sort of trip: the long weekend, a short week, a three week jaunt.




Clocking in at a grand 17 pairs, even after rejecting another 7, I still have a few more than my accuser, but this is a good start.

A few thoughts now that I'm facing the collection as a whole: the MaryJanes may have to go soon. They're fun, but not really age-appropriate.  The silver ones I'm only holding onto out of sentimentality since they saved me well over $100 in bridesmaid shoes (4 silver shoe weddings).  As long as my declaration of No More Bridesmaiding! stands, I won't be needing them either.

What's your shoe philosophy?

Audience Participation!
Krystal's Shoe Closet
The Asian Pear: What's on my feet 
Rina at Gotta Little Space: What's in YOUR closet? 

Shooo-eee, I can certainly spend when I've a mind to. Some blame to be placed on school and textbooks, and some on household expenses.  I won't go through the litany here because it just sounds like a bunch of hooey excuses. I've already got a few returns in mind (gifts never given), and a mental note says that quite a few of those expenses would have come out of the gift fund. If I still had one for the year.

This, by the by, is what comes of relying on the stock market for NW gains.


My post Pets and money: where do you draw the line? was included in this week's Carnival of Personal Finance.  Please be sure to check it out, there are some great articles!

She changes by the hour. When she's industrious, bustling around the kitchen, it might be in the guise of a young housewife eager to learn.  Sometimes she's the seasoned veteran barking at my dad for hovering nearby anxiously in case she should slip, trip or burn herself.  Then she turns around and she's confused and angry. Why has he been keeping her at home?  She needs to go grocery shopping. She needs to buy things, anything, right now.  Why won't he take her?  They didn't just go that morning, she would remember if they had!  He's just trying to keep her prisoner. He's just trying to hide money from her.  Fine. Fine! Don't take me, I hate you!

She sulks.

Then, slyly, she sneaks out the front door, racing for freedom.  *pat pat pat pat* Her slippers slap the concrete and she makes good the escape and exults in tricking her captor.  She stops to talk to the neighbor.  Nonsense and gibberish pour out, the neighbor nods understandingly and pats her shoulder. As soon as Mom heads to exit the cul-de-sac, the neighbor knocks on the door: "She's out again!"

Another weary race to hunt her down. This time she's in a grocery store trying to sneak a toy past the cashier, that time she wandered into a strange neighborhood and couldn't remember where she wanted to go.  Still others she's trying to find a park where she can play with the other kids.


Karen was kind enough to send me this link to this Help Guide for Understanding Respite Care. From there I found the Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA): National Center on Caregiving.

The FCA page provides links to the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) which service the state on a county level.  They've also got links to a number of other resources:
     General Information & Assistance
     Services for Family Caregivers
     Services for Care Receivers Living at Home
     Resources on Living Arrangements for Care Recipients
     Government Health & Disability Programs
     Legal Help & Advocacy
     Disease-Specific Organizations
     Family Caregiver Organizations

I've got the phone numbers for our local county, and will call to see what services are provided in this area.

As riddled with error, delay and obfuscation the county health system has been, I'm foolish to hope for better from the caregiving resources that are also state-funded, but that's all I've got left right now.  Just a little bit of hope.

That's all I can do on this front for now, wish me luck tomorrow.

Hey hey, it's Saturday!  We're reminiscing, updating and swooning over puppies today.  You're welcome to join!

My last report of getting better was a bit ambitious, I still sound like a warthog. I imagine that a warthog rumbles and coughs something like this anyway. 

Remember when .... 

phone calls at a phone booth only cost a quarter?
Or are you from the dime generation?
I'm from both. (35 cents)

Updates

Round One: Unemployment has run out this month, and I'm still in post-application, post-interview limbo, so Extended Benefits FAQ say:

Once you have exhausted your entitlement to your regular UI claim, you may be eligible to file the first extension. If you are eligible to file the first extension, EDD will automatically file the first extension and send you an additional Continued Claim Form, DE 4581. No action is required on your part.

Meh, I'm not terribly enthused about relying on someone else to take care of my business, but I don't believe in universally painting everyone on the government payroll with the same brush so I'm going to shet up and fill my wait period of ten days landing a job so I don't need the extension.

Settling accounts today ... 
Some invoices have been paid, others have not.  Just in time to log some income on this month's ledger before I show up terribly in the red!

Chegg didn't deliver one of the books I'd ordered and it turns out I don't need it anyway so that order's canceled and a return processed ($56).

Meet the Boerboel South African Mastiff puppies [Ustream live here]