My English Castle's Personal Finance Blog

Dd had her sometimes BFF (should it be SBF?) over last night for a sleepover. besides eating their way through the house, they had a spat around 1am, but by 3am, they were BFs again. Now I'm a TM (tired mom), but we have a full social schedule today.

I've made a huge spinach orzo salad that will be taken to DH's boss's pool party and to a birthday party later today. I had a BOGO coupon for the feta required, but the checker wouldn't take it. DH, outraged, went to customer service where they refunded him $4.99 instead of the $3.79 the feta actually cost.

Tomorrow the tall ships will be in the area, and I'm determined to have more summer fun.

On my "rest-of-the-summer" bucket list was ice cream cones by the lake, swimming, margaritas outside, a festival, and a BBQ with friends. I got two of those done last night.

I like Little Gopher's List! Wish I could make it to the Minnesota State Fair: It's the best and just thinking about it makes me homesick.

CB's last blog entry was a little over a week ago--and she wasn't feeling well. Has anyone heard from her?

I hope she's just on vacation!

This morning after I dropped DD and her friend off, I went back to yesterday's estate sale. Happily for me, everything I was tempted to buy for full price yesterday was half price today and was still there--cute Coach sandals, a great summer bag, some nice jewelry, a very nice J Crew sweater, a garden lug, a couple of girly picture frames for DD, and a framed print. I was very pleased with everything I got for $56.

My current summer bag just lost its strap, and the sandals are so nice. I signed up early for the sale, and literally everyone in the first set of people in went right for the clothes and shoes. Now to find places for all of it!

I've been listening to David Allen's Getting Things Done as an audio book from the library. I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried his system. It's not that complicated and seems intuitive. I'm going to give it a shot over the weekend to try to eliminate my paper clutter and better organize my school and home files.

I had a faculty breakfast this morning with lovely free food, stopped at an overwhelming estate sale but only bought a few things, and came home to work. It's warm again here, so I'm going to just do some minimal organizational planning the rest of the day.

I spent nothing except $4 at the estate sale for some silver picture frames and a girl's top for my friend's daughter. Leftovers tonight!

We had a lovely six days in Minnesota. DH had to stay home and work, so DD and I drove straight through (ugh), but really enjoyed the beautiful weather at my mom's home. My brother and I still haven't decided what we're going to do with the lake house, but I'm determined to enjoy it as much as we can while we still own it.

Three of my girlfriends joined us on Friday, and we cooked, laughed, drank wine, and just plain relaxed.
Yesterday on the way home I spent a bit too much at the outlet mall, but got DD some needed back-to-school clothes, and a few new things for me.

I'm working on my fall classes today while DD is at the Humane Society day camp. Tonight we're joining some friends for dinner. It's been a very nice week!

I've spent the morning and much of the afternoon reorganizing the kitchen to help eliminate some of the problem areas. I've cleared a shelf in the basement for seldom-used appliances, scrubbed out some cupboards and discovered, to my horror, flour weevils in my stash of bread machine flour. Out they went, and I'm busily scrubbing out the containers which weren't sealed very well. Cleaning those cupboards out made space for my mom's dishes which means they're finally off my office floor.

While cleaning downstairs I found a few items which need to be donated or freecycled, so those will go today or tomorrow. Slowly but surely I'm getting there. Stock market plunges always make me very busy as I feel the need to put the house in order!

I spent the day puttering around--wrapping presents for upcoming birthdays, sifting through my recipe box, packing for a trip to the lake next week, planting some late-season perennials, and just tidying the house. It's been very relaxing and pleasant.

I've been watching my ebay auctions far too closely. Lots of watchers, few bidders. I need to discipline myself to check less often. There's not much real financial news to report, and I feel too laid-back to think about goals just now. Maybe I'll just enjoy August for a bit, or perhaps think about some spinach and lettuce planting soon.

I'm updating my mortgage numbers. I would indeed like to pay that off. Anyone have any real speculation about Congress ending the mortgage interest deduction?

DD and I went to a Humane Society event at our neighborhood bank. I donated some cat food (that was free with the coupon!) and we watched dogs bobbing for hot dogs, enjoying free nail trims, and having a good time. They also fed us with hot dogs, chips, and cookies.

After she got home from camp, she picked some strawberries from our everbearing plants, I cut and froze chives and a bit of the last gasp rhubarb. Our neighbor invited DD over to pick his black raspberries which we had with enchiladas made from leftover rotisserie chicken. All in all a frugal, but very rich, day.

Purple Heart picked up my donated clothes, but left (why?) the desk, so I've found a freecycling home for it, I hope tomorrow. I've listed a few more things on ebay.

In a strange stroke of coincidence, I ended up subscribing to the paper today. After writing about it this morning, I checked the newspaper website, but decided it was a bit too expensive.

However after taking DD to Kumon this afternoon, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some corn for dinner. Outside the grocery store was a salesperson from the newspaper with an offer too good to refuse. They offered a subscription for 40% cheaper than their website--throwing in a $10 grocery store gift card as a bonus. I guess it was meant to be!

I should really devote some time to the veggie garden tomorrow, but the mosquitoes seem very thick these days. Perhaps over the weekend. I spent the evening with three months of the NYT book review, culling articles for my classes and making lists of books to read. It was all very satisfying.

I'm thinking of subscribing to the daily paper again. We used to get it, but switched over to the Sunday and the Sunday NYT only. However, the local paper started including a free Wednesday edition with a Sunday subscription, and I've really enjoyed it. I found some useful coupons, including, strangely enough, one for the gold buyer I just met.

I also listened to an NPR broadcast yesterday about newspaper sales in India and was struck by how many Indian kids said they enjoyed the paper, commenting on how it kept them up with current events. As a child, I felt the same way. I loved the newspaper, and DD is now 9 and might enjoy it too. I know I can read on line for free, and we always listen to the Newshour, but if I can find a decent deal, I'm giving it a try.

And without any real reason to be, I was super grumpy all day. It seems sometimes like I spend hours and hours driving DD various places, playdates, and classes, and errands. I was stuck in traffic for almost an hour today ended up having to drop off some editing work during rush hour. But it's all good now. DH and I talked about having a quick meal out while DD was with a friend for dinner, but I vetoed it as too expensive. I picked up some deli salad and a rotisserie chicken which was good enough.

I've been halfway decluttering without getting most of actually out the door yet, so I suspect that's weighing on me. I have lunch with my university boss tomorrow so perhaps that will get things done and motivated around here. I spent on nothing except groceries, and with $45 and some decent coupons, got almost enough for the week.

I always hate August, so I suspect my grumpiness has to do with that!

I managed to get quite a lot done this afternoon:
*Got five or six things listed on ebay
* Made a huge pile of things for Purple Heart
* Had my hair cut and colored
*Prepared a fast but good dinner of burgers and a salad from the garden and freezer stock
*Put another dent in DD's school supply needs at Walgreen's (using some register rewards in the process)
* About to tackle the next pile of laundry and junk.

I'd love a couple of cool days. They say it's going to turn cooler, but I've heard that before....

I was scheduled to help a friend organize her house today to help her get organized before she has twins this fall, but she's cancelled. I suspect she's embarassed about the state of the house, so I've decided to spend a couple hours on my own house.

I need to list some ebay items and just put lots of things away. Yesterday I spent nothing, but I've got a haircut this afternoon. The blueberry pound cake I baked for my friend will go to my stylist, I guess!

I crave order and need to get more of my Mom's things dealt with. I see how overwhelming it can be for people and want to clear it up before school starts.

Indeed the local paper was right; the gold buyer they said was best gave me about 20% more than the other buyers. He was in a strange location behind bullet-proof glass, but was a very nice guy. I kept one ring to sell on ebay, but if it doesn't meet the reserve he offered me, I'll go back to him.

And Kumon starts tonight for DD. Such excitement!

I took a couple of pieces of gold jewelry to two jewelry stores today. They included two of my dad's rings and a couple small pins belonging to my mom and great aunt. It was interesting to watch how they determined the gold content and weight. Although I was initially very hesitant to go, everyone at both stores was very nice. I'm going to have my mom's ring reset eventually, and the pleasant experience at one has made them the venue of choice for the restyling.

The bad news? The jewelry isn't worth much--One store offered me $147 and gave me the name of two nearby stores. The next store was worse at $120. We tried to go to a third place--one that the local paper's investigative team said was the highest payer, but they're closed on Saturdays.

Both my brother and I are doing our bits to get my mom's affairs in order. She left the house to us in a trust years ago, so there are few tax consequences there. I think the funeral home owes us a couple hundred dollars. The rest of the estate is mostly a few thousand dollars and personal property. I wouldn't look for a European cruise vacation in my future, but I'm glad her money outlasted her--and she had enough. Considering she came from a family with nothing, leaving a lovely home and two (sort of) well-adjusted children, she was magnificent. A life well lived.

I spent my first discretionary spending money of the week on a cup of Starbucks for $1.59. It was worth it. While DD was at Vacation Bible School, I planned four weeks of a fall class. Not sure why I'm not that productive at home with my own coffee, but I'm not.

While there, I ran into two colleagues and chatted a while. One dropped off a freelance project for me to grade, and it was just nice seeing folks.

I had planned on getting some bids on my mom's small amount of gold jewelry this morning, but it can wait until tomorrow. I think I just need some downtime to read and relax.

Great weekends to all of you!

My fabulous DD is two grades ahead in reading, but has always struggled with her Math. My sister-in-law sent my nephew to Kumon for math help for a couple of years--and now he's graduating from engineering school. Has anyone out there used Kumon? Reactions?

I like their methods, but I'm not sure if it's worth the $100/month they're talking about.

Raining raining raining here. It's a happy peaceful sound!

Just when I thought I had our budget figured out until I get paid in October, our A/C quit last night. I did all the troubleshooting things I found on websites, but to no avail. It cycled on, quit quickly, the fan worked but wouldn't "listen" to the thermostat. Off to Angie's List to find a repairer. Now $592 and a new control board later, I'm wondering how that's going to fit in the budget.

But at least he got it fixed before the heat starts again tomorrow. Glad we have an emergency fund. Wish I had fewer emergencies.

For weeks my desk has been bothering me. I've got too many misc greeting cards, note cards, and just plain junk in that desk. Tonight I sat down, sorted greeting cards into types and purged a bag of stuff. Happily I came across a very pretty card and searched for its matching envelope, only to find that it was a (oh dear) two-year-old birthday card from our friends and frequent house guests from the UK. Here's the best part--it had $60 in it! I remember when they gave it to me, but I must have stashed it for the great photo of DH's home village on the front. Yeah $60!

We had a good weekend back with a nice dinner with friends on Friday night, some tasks accomplished Saturday, and a terrific fundraiser picnic for a colleague whose son is battling leukemia. With donations from local businesses we had a picnic for over 125 people and raised close to $1000.

DD has a busy week with Vacation Bible School and a nature camp class so I'm hoping to get some work done. I got great back-to-school bargains at Target last weekend and need to sit down and plan out the budget until I get paid again in (eek) October. I see some belt tightening in my future. So tonight we're dining on picnic leftovers. the A/C can go off for a couple of days, and some bills need to be paid.

Hope you all have less sultry days!

I think I'm still a little jet-lagged. And it may be the heat, but I seem to be moving very slowly. DD and I have had a quiet day. I'm reading a lot; we went to the grocery store and took the dog to the groomers. We also stopped at Walgreens to buy (DD would be horrified if she read this) some deodorant. Despite regular baths and showers, at the lofty old age of 9, she appears to need deodorant. What a milestone, eh?

Like lots of folks, we've had the A/C on for days, but it's an a nice even 100degrees out, and none of us do very well in the heat.

I tried to upload some of my England photos to my blog, but it keeps eating them. I did get my Facebook album up for some friends. My $100 new digital camera did a beautiful job. And only $95 with the Target Red Card!

I may give myself a couple of days to unwind and then attack the to-ebay pile.

We had a very happy time on our 16 days in England--four days in London, a week near DH's family in a National Trust cottage with friends and more time in places we'd never been--the Norfolk seafront towns and the old Suffolk wool towns. It was very fun--and very expensive. We did some budget smart things--packing snacks, utilizing the grocery stores, and only eating out once a day at most. But England is increasingly expensive, and the effects of the recession and inflation have also hit there. Tonight I'm going to do the math or maths( as DH would say) and figure out what we spent and the damage to the waistline!

Glad to be back on the budget program!
Not so glad it's as steamy as it is!

It's been a spectacular day here, the kind you dream about in February. I spent a chunk of the day finding homes for a bunch of my mom's things--extra sheets, kitchen linens, that kind of thing. I took advantage of the weather and hung some laundry outside.

But my excitement of the day has been the arrival of our new cherry dresser. I knew I'd like it, but it is so much prettier than the models were in the store.

So I'm spending the rest of the day sorting through our old dresser's contents, pitching some things, and rearranging others. That dresser is going into DD's room to replace her 9-year-old trash-picked chest. I painted it when I was pregnant with her, and we'll all be glad to see it go. I think I'm replaying my childhood. I didn't have a stick of new furniture until I moved to my first apartment--and neither does DD. She has a second-hand (but very pretty) four poster bed, an estate sale desk, and now our old dresser.

We brought my grandmother's rocking chair home from my mom's too. She brought it from Sweden--and for more than 100 years old, it's in great shape. Now to find a place for it!

We're back from five days in Minnesota for my mom's funeral, cleaning out her apartment, and winding things up. I'm so thankful (again) to have such a great brother. He's the executor of her estate and is so diligent and careful about everything.

The funeral was lovely and meaningful. Years ago she chose a picture of herself she particularly liked--having a great time at my dad's retirement party. We put that on the memorial folder, my sister-in-law found someone (only in Minneapolis!) to sing her favorite hymns in Swedish, and we had a lovely lunch afterwards. The only thing missing was having her there.

We brought a car full of her things home that I need to go through. Anyone need some plastic hangers? ;-)

Again I'm struck at how few tangible things are left.
And how much the intangibles mean.
Thank you all again for your kind words during all this. It's much appreciated.

I'm still kind of off from the events of the week, but I've decided to do as many normal things as possible, to help me feel a bit more centered. So today DD and I worked in the garden, I hung some laundry, and we went to a movie at the library. We cut rhubarb from the garden and found some wild strawberries on the side of the house. I also talked to the funeral director about an obit for my mom. My brother and I wrote one--about 20 lines long and the Minneapolis paper wanted (eek!) $600 for it. So I'll shorten it tomorrow.

I decided to cash in some money from MyPoints toward a $50 Paypal deposit. I'm still hoping to get my balance equivalent to a couple of mortgage payments. I did some capstone project evaluations and have decided to take some money from the paltry little Upromise account and put it into DD's 529 plan. Nothing big, but it's made me feel a little more normal.

Going through Mom's papers, I found the payment card for my parents' wedding rings. They were married in October 1942 and paid $82.50 for their rings. Isn't that sweet? My dad paid them off at about $5/week in February 1943. I'm not sure why I find that so poignant, but I'm happy my Mom kept the card.

I lost my mom yesterday. I saw her about a week ago in Minneapolis, but she was very weak, and indeed I sat in the car afterward and prayed that she'd have the strength to let go.

I know I got my practical side from her. She was raised without much money, and she worked hard all of her life to help my brother,dad, and me. We used to poke fun at her frugality, but she taught us all many valuable lessons about loving, giving, and indeed saving.


She was one of a kind, loving friends, family, food, and fun. So here's to my mom.

Last week when I was at the MN Landscape Arboretum, we spent about 30 minutes admiring the iris. I've always loved iris, and have often thought about putting a few in our garden, but balked a bit at the cost.

This morning DD and I went out for a long walk, and in a very expensive house I always admire, a lovely man and his gardener were dividing iris when he asked me if I'd like some! We got the car and I came away with about six big clumps of lovely purple iris!

Let's hope this is the theme for the day!

I feel very good about everything we got done this weekend. I did indeed finish cleaning DD's room, and today we did lots of overdue yard work including putting together two new raised bed gardens and digging out a sprawling shrub and lots of weeds. I'll be reaching for the ibuprofen tomorrow, I bet.

Some of DD's outgrown clothes went to a freecycler today. Actually, I never even listed them on freecycle. This woman has been such a reliable freecycler, that I just e-mail her directly now when I have girl's clothes. She always shows up and loves DD's clothes. None of them are worth selling on ebay or Craiglist, but they have plenty of wear left in them.

May I just gloat a bit about how nice DD's newly clean room looks? We did a great job. We flopped on the couch last night and watched a Brit thriller on Netflix. Such a good feeling about all that work accomplished and very little money spent except on DH's birthday celebration.

I've spent two hours already in DD's room and am taking a short break. We're reorganizing her closet and preparing for redecorating her room. I had a huge pile of clothes that just went with DH to the charity shop. Another pile of my mom's things went with him too. I'm determined to get DD's stuff done today, and DH is also taking returns back.

Slow but sure progress there.

DH really enjoyed his birthday gifts, especially _The King's Speech_ DVD which we watched after returning from dinner last night.

Back to the excavation site--

Yep, the old man is a year older. DD and I bought him some small things as we're economizing a bit here. I got some cheap books from his Amazon wishlist (which is PAGES long), a gauge for the gas grill's propane tank, a pizza stone, and a few other things.

Tonight we're taking him out to dinner to celebrate. He's very easy to please. Growing up poor meant they usually got socks and underwear and one very cheap toy for their birthdays.

I'm going to list some more Amazon things this afternoon, really I am...