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Home > Archive: November, 2008

Archive for November, 2008

Spending Guilt?

November 20th, 2008 at 10:40 pm

I had lunch with a friend yesterday who is planning a trip abroad. He's retired and so is his wife, they have no debt at all, and pretty good university-sponsored health insurance. But he says he feels nervous and guilty spending money on international travel right now. His income is pretty secure--but still he worries. I wonder how widespread this is?

I know that I'm super careful lately. I wonder if most people are too.

A Little Shopping Accomplished

November 20th, 2008 at 08:20 pm

I stopped at Kohl's on the way home from teaching and seemed to come home with mostly socks. There are socks for my mom, socks for DH,DD, and even a pair for me.

I got a little Christmas shopping done, but mostly feel like taking it easy and sitting back with a cup of coffee.

My funny story for today is the nickel I found on the steps up to my class. I reached down to pick it up, didn't realize one of my students was behind me--who regaled the entire class with stories of my cheapness. Who would leave a nickel laying there anyway?

I told them that I work for a state university and they don't pay me much--and with the state of my 403b, this would be a great addition. I suffer no embarrassment at all about this!

Bits and Pieces

November 14th, 2008 at 02:59 am

I got two $10 checks from NFO and have started to think a bit about Christmas. We are not big Christmas spenders, but I'd like to start looking for some bargains now--especially for the girlfriends and DD.

I have some ideas for DH, so when I get a few minutes over the weekend, I'm going to begin looking on the internet.
And I've got kids' clothes to list on ebay tomorrow as well as Target returns and stuff to take to the Salvation Army.

Last weekend when we moved my Mom into assisted living, I found boxes of sweaters that she'd received for Christmas for the past several years. I'm bringing them all back to her and feel the need to declutter a bit.

why I love estate/tag/rummage sales

November 12th, 2008 at 07:20 pm

I needed a couple of extra 9x13 pans for an afterschool program where the kids get dinner. I don't want to leave my good ones, and thought about buying disposables, but stopped at an estate sale on the way home and got two for $1.

Such a nice bargain--and exactly what I was searching for.

the boring microwave saga continues

November 11th, 2008 at 11:56 pm

While I was off moving my mom into assisted living, DH bought a new microwave. He's picking it up at Sears tonight, hoping they'll give him the additional 5% they're advertising. He also opened a Sears charge to get 15% off, so I think he did a pretty good job getting the price down. He HATES to haggle, but he asked for ways to save $, and they offered to take the sales tax off too, so he did well.

Now I need to list some ebay things to help pay for it. I cleaned out my mom's cupboards when we left the house and brought cake mix, muffin mix, and assorted other things home. Looks like the church dinner folks are having mom's cake mix tomorrow!

Microwave Advice?

November 6th, 2008 at 10:33 pm

The same rotten GE Spacemaker microwave that I complained about finally saw a professional repairman today. It's less than 5 years old, but the fan has melted off the rotor, a new assembly costs $89, and he thinks we should junk the whole things since the Magnetron frequently blows on these models.

My parents had the same range for 40 years--but we need a new microwave every 4 years?

Anyone out there have a fabulous above-the-stove venting microwave they love?

Trawling the internet for advice....


Does the Grocery Store Make You Tired?

November 5th, 2008 at 11:17 pm

It makes me tired--even with a list, even if I do the shopping with DH. And I see so many folks lately inspecting the unit pricing, reaching for the back of the shelf bargains, I think there's at least a little anxiety that goes with grocery shopping in this sort of economy.

I did ok with double coupons today--a couple of free things and $2 off our regular coffee--but still it wears me out.

Maybe I should've bought vitamins!

darn microwave!

November 3rd, 2008 at 05:29 am

We're back from my conference in Tahoe, and we had a fabulous time. We didn't spend a lot and enjoyed the conference while still making time for the beautiful sights.

But of course, as usual, something goes wrong while we're gone. Our five-year-old GE Spacemaker microwave (which got panned on lots of websites) started making a racket, indicating, we think, that the fan is shot. Finally this morning it shut down from overheating. DH has managed to take it off the wall, but I suspect we'll need a professional repairman.

Oh well--I can still close my eyes and see those beautiful yellow leaves, smell the pine air, and see the lake and the mountains.