Oh, did I get some good stuff!

The Daddy daughter dance is next week Thursday and my daughter is a bit picky.  These types of situations provide a challenge during this compact.  I did not have a lot of time to get what I “needed” for her to look as I knew she wanted to look.  My first place to look was e-bay.  I wanted to try to get a lightly used dress-up dress for a reasonable price.  I found an adorable black dress with silver flowers and a bit of tool at the bottom peeking out.  Wide straps.  Perfectly appropriate for a 7 year old to wear to a dance with her father.  With shipping it was $25.  Not the cheapest, but when I received it and saw how much she loved it it was well worth it.  Also it was previously worn so it fit all my criteria.  The problem is that the dance is in February, in Michigan so she will need some sort of shrug or sweater, and she has no shoes that will go with this dress.  Yesterday she said she wanted shiny sparkly shoes and a silver sweater.  I told her I would do my best. 

Today I spent the morning helping a friend stage her house for her move (which breaks my heart, but is the best thing for her family) and then I set off.  I went   to our in town used clothing store and I found the perfect shoes.  Black flats with a ton of shimmer.  $2.  I then went to the goodwill in our outlet mall (Which calls itself “Your Fashion Secret” and charges a bit more than your average goodwill, but it’s pretty great and only about 5 minutes away from my house) and I found nothing.  Off to a consignment store in Saginaw where I found a gray, not silver, sweater type of cover up.  It was $3.50.  Is it exactly what I was looking for, no, but it will work and she will be cute and all for around $30.  In years past I had purchased a new dress, new cover up and new shoes.  I could easily have dropped closer to $100.  It might have been easier, but not by much.  At the consignment store I also found a very nice green tweed overcoat that   is adorable and I love for $6.50 and a Limited Too pleather jacket with fur collar and cuffs for Lily for $4 and a pair of athletic pants for my son for $3.00.  Not too shabby. 

Today I feel like I got the very best of both worlds.  I got what I needed (not necessarily what I wanted), I spent very little money and I got a few bonus things as well (the green coat will be perfect for our trip to Boston!).  It was a good day!

Not the best...

I really thought, in the last few days, I would find a vehicle that I would love to replace the van.  Mind you, the van is running just fine, but with 170,000 miles and at 12 years old, I can only hope that it will be around for a few more years.  It has been paid for for over 8 years and my insurance premium is less than the cost of a tank of gas each month.  It’s hard to argue that the longer I can drive it and have it be reliable the better. 

I was thinking that when it goes, it will probably be swift (like the engine will pop like a cork) and I will need to have in mind what I want to get to replace it.  Keeping that in mind I wanted to test drive a few options.  I drove 5 Crossover/vans in the last few days and I didn’t love any of them.   I was disappointed. 

On the plus side, I realize I don’t want my van to die any time soon.  On the crappy side I realize I am going to pay an arm and a leg for something I am not really, really excited about when the time comes.  Blah!

Really, these truly are the problems of the middle class aren’t they?

Finally seeing some progress...

In years past we have lived large.  We always kept a budget and I would try to adhere to it as much as possible, but I will admit that I was only good when I had to be and when there was a surplus, I would find a way to spend it.  I consider myself a spending/saving bulimic. I do really well for a while and then I blow all that progress in a weeks time.

This year is different.  I feel very motivated to pay cash for our next vehicle and, having picked it out, and knowing how much we will need (generally) is making turning down some things a little easier.  I am all for still spending money for experiences, but even those this year will be a bit less than they have been in years past. 

Plus I am seeing some real progress in our savings account.  Since we started I have more than tripled the amount in our savings so we are about 35% toward our goal.  Plus I did our taxes which will put us another 10% closer and I am planning on how to get to the goal within the year.  I have included vacations (we are going to Williamsburg/Washington DC for spring break and we do a 10 day Thanksgiving trip to Florida every year), the spending for our trip to Boston in May and some extra spending for an extended family (Husbands side) vacation we do every year in Manistee that always involves extra money for candy and groceries for the week.  These plus the cottage give us lots of fun family time…lots of great experiences, plus the ability to buy a new (to us) van with cash would be the best year ever! 

The reality of houseguests

This last weekend we had family spend the night with us.  I spent part of the week doing some pre-clean work and Friday I spent the day “cleaning like a cleaning lady” where much of my time is spent on bathrooms and floors.  Yes it took the better part of the day, but it was work that I needed to do last week anyway so I put it off unit I could achieve maximum benefit. 

I made a turkey, which I was planning on making anyway because a few weeks ago they had Turkey at Kroger for $.69 a pound and so I bought two.  Not wanting to have them be freezer burned messes by the time I finally got around to making them I made sure to include one in the month of February and one will be used in March.  I also made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, a loaf of bread, an apple pie (with homemade crust) mashed potatoes and a corn casserole.  In all I think I spent $10 in items I didn’t have in the freezer or pantry. 

I am never super self-conscious about having family over, but this particular family had not been to our house in Frankenmuth for a Long, long time (they come to the cottage during the summer because it’s a half hour from their house).  They had recently re-done their kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a new island.  It is lovely. 

As I was cleaning on Friday I was looking at my older, some discolored, some cracked appliances. I was feeling a bit down.  My counter tops have some stains and chips and my kitchen is just a bit dated.  Yesterday after I had prepared and served dinner and I was getting ready for breakfast in the morning I realized my kitchen served it’s purpose.  We were together, we enjoyed some good food and if there was any judgment on the other end I didn’t sense it and I didn’t feel the need to apologize for my kitchen’s shortcomings. 

I sometimes worry about how my home appears to others.  In the past clutter has been an issue.  My microwave has been filthy on the inside or I will try to find something and expose a bunch of junk in a drawer.  This time that was not an issue, but is still worried.  It wasn’t until I was making breakfast this morning that I realized, everything in my kitchen worked together to make a lot of really tasty food.  My house was comfortable and warm.  The finish on my appliances does not matter, as long as it’s clean and tidy. Even an “outdated” kitchen can serve as a welcoming place for guests. 

Live and learn.