We're still up at Mom and Joe's. As always we've eaten too much yummy food, and we still have a ham dinner to look forward to before we leave.

We watched Missing (okay, not something I would watch again) and American Wedding (we were laughing our butts off, if you're into toilet humor this is a must.)

Having met with the realtor I think we're are in good shape with the closing. I am 99.9% sure that is will be going through.
They had asked for some piddly stuff to be done in exchange for the safe to be left. After calling FIL to see if he wanted the safe (He said they could have it for $600.) We told the realtor to tell them that they could have the safe, but we would not be fixing any of the stuff. (Then we would just pay FIL $600.)

The water heater had started to leak, so I can see having us fix that, but I think if we're paying for the safe, they can pay for the water heater.

The other stuff was very, very minor. Some new code outlets by the kitchen sink, a note (which will be getting) saying that the gas pipe by the electrical box is up to code, etc...

I'm going to go now so I can spend more time with the parents.

Hope everyone has a restful Sunday.

Thanks Joanne for letting me know that having the buyer coming to the inpection is normal.

We heard from the realtor yesterday (Lori now, because Jeff is on vacation.... Wish he was still here since we're now to the make it or break it stage, but what 'cha gonna do...)
We'll be going to her office today at Noon to renegotiate. The things the inspector found were: Outlets in the kitchen are not up to code. I don't think it's all the outlets (hopefully), but the ones by the sink.

There is a gas pipe near the electrical box that needs to go or be fixed. DH called an electrician yesterday and he said as long as there is a 30" cavity (space) on one side of the box it should be good. And there is a 30" space on one side. The electrician will be calling Monday to set up a time to come out.

The washing machine needs to be properly drained. If we do decide to fix any of these things, this will probably be the most expensive. But Jesse (buyer) said that he is willing to have the washer/dryer moved downstairs. This will be good because there will be less piping/work needed.

Now the part that irked me. We have a safe in the garage that is FIL's. We stated in the item description that the safe is not included. Lori (realtor) said if they can keep the safe then they are willing to negotiate on the other items. I asked, "So if we don't give them the safe, they won't negotiate?" Lori goes, "That's correct."
Now I don't know if she heard me correctly, since I was on the cell, but if she did..... Does this not strike you as rude???

I just have to control my emotions, and keep reminding myself how badly we want to move. If I'm not too annoyed after the meeting I may blog again. If not, I will definately do so tomorrow to update on the issue.

State St. was fun. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours. DH took some pictures, we enjoyed a walk and fresh air, I got my Tea Rose, but we didn't have gyros. When we were leaving we weren't hungry, oh well....

Laundry is going and when I finish this I'll go run the water for dishes. I like to run it really hot and then let the dishes soak in it while I do chores or go back on the computer.
When I finally do them the water's cooled enough and they're much easier to clean.

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Coupon Trains: You can sign up to these on message boards (as long as they have a space open) or you can start your own with friends and family or even co-workers.
Basically you clip coupons or receive them in the mail or find them on items, etc... Then one person starts by sending 100 (or 50 or whatever number the group decides) onto the next person on the list. They take out whatever ones they will use and replace the same amount. (They take out 25, they put 25 back in.)
Depending on the time period the group decides the coupons must be passed on by (2 weeks, 3 weeks, etc...), the second person will also take out any coupons that will expire by then. (2 weeks, 3 weeks, etc...)
They get shipped to the next person, and it starts all over. The sooner you pass them on, instead of sending them out the last day, the more smoothly the train will run.

When you're putting coupons in to replace the ones you take, it's nice to make sure most of them have a farther off expiration date, but this will not always be possible.
You can also have Wish Lists. Everyone jots down what coupons they would like to receive (Huggies, Science Diet, Ragu, etc...) It's a nice treat and if you do have a coupon that is expiring quickly, but the next person to get the train to arrive at their depot is looking for those particular coupons, it won't be as much of a problem because they will hopefully be able to use them before they expire.

I hope this made sense? One one of the frugal boards Frugal Families , I recently asked to be signed up to a train, but unfortunately all four are filled. The moderator is going to see if there is enough people to form another one, so I'm hoping....

A very laid back day today. I've done the dishes and wiped down the bathroom, but that's about it.
I really should vacuum, but with such a beautiful day, it can wait.

Yesterday, DH suggested going to State St. today. (It's the main road by the capital here in Madison, with all the cute little shops, resturants, museums, etc... on it.)
I had mentioned that I was out of Tea Rose oil, and he suggested we go pick some more up. Plus I know Spyros is dying to take some pictures, and State St. is great for photo ops.

We'll most likely be stopping at a gyro place for dinner, since we passed one yesterday and now have a craving for them.

We haven't heard anything yet today regarding the inspection, but hopefully sometime today we'll know. I think this would be the only thing that would make the deal fall through, if the buyer starts getting nit-picky.

But I saw him yesterday (along with his mom, grandma, and his realtor.) I was here to let the inspector in and to answer any questions he had. Just as I was leaving the rest of the crew arrived. The realtor was walking towards my car, so I waited. He wanted to know what the boundary lines were.
I didn't talk to the buyer, but he looked very happy and was talking up a storm with his mom and grandma about the potential, etc... of the house.
So hopefully he likes the house so much that he does whatever he can to make sure he gets it...

Is it normal for the buyer, realtor, and/or family members to show up for an inspection? I thought it was strange, but I guess if you're paying the inspector you can be present if you want to.

I'm listening to some of the mini-discs we had recorded when we had the DJ business. I pulled the first one out because I wanted to hear The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia by Reba. Then I just continued to listen to the rest of the disc.
Right now Strangers in the Night by Sinatra is on.
I really like listening to the mini-discs because the variety on each one ranges from Country to Oldies to R&B to Rock, etc...
I like it better then the radio because there are no commercials and you don't hear the same songs over and over.

DH should be home in about an hour, after lunch (salad and muffins - which I better go make so they're ready), we'll be off.

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: If your desk chair can spin, go ahead... twirl around to get that wonderful dizzy feeling. Whenever I do this, it makes me giggle everytime, the same when I'm swinging and turn upside down. Not for the faint of heart!!!

Well this is a pain... I typed a post this morning and posted it, but it didn't show up. And now I forgot what I wrote. Hmmm...

Thanks for the information on the sinus headaches. We have Vitamin C around, now I just need some horseradish supplements. I would rather try a home remedy over sinus pills any day. I was loopy until about 5pm yesterday. I am definately going to try it.

We just got back from Madison, where we went off to when the home inspector came. Well, actually I went to the library for a little over an hour and then DH came to the library when he got done delivering the mail. After that we took off for Madtown.

Our first stop was Red Lobster. Delicious! I have enough left over for dinner tonight and since I'm such a good wife, for DH's dinner at work.

Then we went to Walgreens. We usually don't shop there. But on Frugal Families the February challenge is to make/use a pricebook and to set up a system for coupons and rebates.

With the coupons today we saved $21.83 all on items we will use or needed. And after the rebates with the EZSavers guide we'll get another $7.50 back (which will be deposited directly into Savings.)

Some of the really good buys were a large Aquafresh toothpaste (with Walgreens and Newspaper coupon) for $1, and a large sized St. Ives body wash (with Walgreens and Newspaper coupon) for $1.
I normally just use bar soap, but the body wash is a nice treat and DH really liked the smell.

I find the people who can get numerous items for free (after sales, coupons and/or rebates) amazing. I think that is something I will start trying to do. And if the items start sitting around for too long, I can donate them to a shelter since they are always looking for soap, toothpaste, etc...

We'll be going to Walgreens about once a month or so from now on.

I really hope the inspection went well. The buyer has until Sunday to let us know how it went. Please, let them contact us sooner...

I opened one of the living room windows and the screen door in the front. The cat's are in kitty heaven. I would rather have windows open over air conditioning any day. And we're fortunate enough to live in a part of the country where we're able to do so, without worrying about pollution too much.
Although the manure smell and our neighbor's burn pile can get to be a bit much at times. When the smoke starts drifting into the house, it's time to shut the windows.

Frugal Thought of the Day: When you do use coupons, take the amount that you saved and put it into your piggy bank (or savings account), along with any money you get back from rebates. This is a nice way to start a Fun Fund, using it to save money for a new outfit, couch, golf club, etc... (That you buy on sale or from a thrift store, of course!)

Once again I woke up with a sinus headache... DH have me some pills right away, I went back to sleep for about 45 minutes, and now I'm really spacey... but at least my head doesn't hurt.

The inspection will be 10am tomorrow and the showing from 3-4pm has been cancelled by the showing realtor (said they won't be able to make it out...)
We have to be gone when the inspector comes so we'll probably go into Madison, to pick up some items at Walgreens (great prices with coupons and the Easy-Saver), and perhaps go to Shopko for a couple of things.

We didn't go to DeForest yesterday, so we'll go today.

All of the items (five) that we put up on Freecycle were gone by Monday evening. Yea! much easier then last time when people would say they would come over, and then never show up, or show up two hours early.

DH's crown work went well. We made an appointment for March 17 to get his gums looked at (wonder how much that will cost us, I'm sure more then we would like, but oh well....)

Baby Kitty has been very crabby lately. He'll try to bite DH from time to time, but rarely me. The past day he's been trying to bite me though. Whenever I look at him this morning, he'll look away and act all innocent.
I can't figure out what's wrong. We haven't had strange people in the house for about a week. We haven't packed any more stuff, so he probably isn't worried we'll leave him.
Maybe it's Spring coming on, and he just wants to escape our evil clutches. (You know, all the love, attention, and food we give him....)

It is a beautiful day, maybe if I'm not too spacey and after we run the errands we'll go for a walk... Sounds lovely!

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Spring fever is taking hold of me (and most likely the cat), so get outside and enjoy.

I find that if I don't blog when I'm on the computer in the morning, I forget.... The apartment we're set to rent doesn't have high speed internet (just dial-up). This really bothered Spyros, but not me because after about two hours (max) on the computer I have had enough. DH on the other hand could be on it all day....

But if we only have dial-up we'll be more inclined to do the things we keep saying we want to do, ie; walking, taking pictures, writing, crafting, etc....

We have a showing on Thursday between 3-4pm. I just wish the house was sold already so we wouldn't have to worry about losing a potential buyer if the deal doesn't go through.
The inspector is also supposed to be here on Thursday, but in the morning. Jeff is going to calling him to find out the time.

Some good news though, the buyer (Jesse) has had the financing approved, even with the additional $8,500 needed to finish the house. Now we just have to go through the inspection and the assessment. As long as the house gets assessed for the asking price, and the inspector finds nothing majorly wrong, we should be good to go.

We are going to stop the automatic withdrawl for the mortgage, which comes out on the 10th and pay it the beginning of the month so it's processed by the time of the closing.
Since the closing is on the 15th and that's the last day we can pay the mortgage without it going on our credit record, we would rather be safe then sorry.
The title company doesn't like to do it this way, but... oh well. There is no way I want our credit marred.

Not too much to do today: Laundry, dust, pick up some, and maybe pack. I really don't think I'll start packing though until after the inspection.

DH has a dentist appointment to get the final crown put on. His two root canals will finally be done after about 1 1/2 years. Now we just need to make an appointment to see how much his gum work will be. (His gums are receeding.)

After the dentist we'll probably run to town for some food specials (if you're a fish lover, Lent is a great season for seafood deals), and we have to drop some items off at the library.

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: After washing your sheets, instead of folding them and getting out a different pair, just put the washed pair back on. Saves time and you don't need to have as many sets of sheets.

Spyros found a new website (from one of the people who's blog he reads) where you can type in what you eat for the day. It keeps track of calories, nutrients, balance between carbs, fats and protein, etc...
It's very cool and we're going to start tracking our intake everyday.

FitDay.Com

We got two checks for $13.86 today. It was for a settlement in a CD price fixing class action lawsuit. DH had heard about it on the radio at least ten months ago, so we both went to the website and put in our information. They finally settled and we got some money, which we'll be putting in our Savings when we do errands this week.

MIL and BIL stopped by yesterday. They had rented Freddy vs. Jason, and said once they watched it they would bring it over, as long as we made sure to return it on time. That will work out well since DH doesn't really like horror movies, so we often rent a different genre. (But I do check horror movies out of the library to watch sometimes when he is sleeping.)

We got a Sunday newspaper last week (something we rarely do) and it didn't have any coupons. I was annoyed, but found out the next day, on one of my chat boards, that they don't do coupons during Holiday weekends. This was something I never knew...

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: I know a lot of people (ourselves included) that would rather do anything else then exercise or take the time to write down a food journal, but it is one of the most basic Simple and Frugal thing that you can do.
It is much less expensive to take care of your body (mind and soul) than having to pay medical costs.
Although eating healthy food can be expensive, in the long run it turns out to be cheaper. And if you weigh the cost of convenience food against health food, health food isn't that much more (if at all) expensive.
Enjoy those in season fruits and veggies (which cost less than ones that are grown and transported out of season). And support your local farmer's market. Besides getting tasty eats, you'll get exercise from walking around.

We went to Madison yesterday because I wanted to get two more pillow shams for the new comforter. Um... yeah, at $10 to $35 per sham, I think I'll wait... I'll keep looking on eBay, wait for garage saling season, or perhaps just use pillow cases...

In a lucky coincidence I got a coupon in the mail yesterday, where you buy 1 Sauve shampoo or conditioner and you get a Sauve styling or bath product for free. We were also going to town because we were almost out of shampoo (and I can't find my stash since it's been packed forever...)

While at Target I also found two long underwear shirts (something I've been planning on getting for the cold hiking months) marked down to $1.48 from $5.99. Yea!

We got a call asking for a showing tomorrow. Since it's Sunday we were only able to get the call line (not talk to the realtor directly), so DH asked to make sure they know we have an accepted offer, and they had wanted it between 3-4pm. I told DH to tell them we need it to be 2pm or before.
I don't want to risk losing a potential buyer (if the deal falls through), but I also don't want DH to lose any more sleep.... Chances are they won't want to see the house anyway because of the offer.

Today we're just cleaning up the house (mostly done already) and sitting around reading books. Spyros is enjoying (and almost finished with), The DaVinci Code and I'm reading The Accidental Pope, which is very good so far.

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: This could be something I say everyday, and I know I've said it numerous times before... Use your library as much as possible. You're paying for it and they have so many things of interest.
And I didn't know this until about five years ago, if you're library doesn't have what you are looking for, chances are they can order it from another library in their system. For us it's free, but I do know some libraries that you have to pay a transfer/shipping fee.
It never hurts to ask....

Joanne, Kat and Amber, Thank You so much for the congrats and positive thoughts. We greatly appreciate them!!

We have to go into DeForest today to sign an amendment to the contract. The buyer wants to have the purchase price be $8,500 more so we can credit it back to him at the closing, to be used for trim, carpet, etc....
His financing was through Anchor Bank, but once the offer was accepted he decided to go with a mortgage broker. The mortgage broker said they wouldn't give him the loan unless he had more money tack on, because the house is unfinished.

Hopefully this still works out... Jeff (realtor) said he has never closed on time with a mortgage broker. I know we'll be pushing to make sure we close on time, and I think the buyer will too since he is going out of town shortly after the closing date.
So we shall see....

We're going to call the two apartments today, start packing up some stuff, and do other moving related chores.

DH's court appearance went well. But since he isn't a lawyer he couldn't present the case. So his dad had to (and he doesn't have the best communication skills....) but DH was able to be sworn in and FIL could ask him questions. This definately helped. He was awarded about half of what he was asking for.

FIL had said we would get $1000 knocked off the money we owe him, for DH's help. Since Spyros didn't talk FIL asked how much Spyros thought his time was worth. DH said $700, so that's some more money taken off our debt.

I told DH he was a dork (exact words) for not saying $1000. He had spent a few hours (at least) gathering the information. Besides having to take off of work on two seperate occasions, and going to FIL's house two times (an hour trip each way). Lawyers charge hundreds of dollars an hour.... And granted DH wasn't able to talk in court, but without the info he gathered, FIL would have not had a case....

I told DH he needs to have more faith in himself. Many people think he is smart (and he is, very...) but he often downplays it, and sometimes feels uncomfortable with the praise. I told him that he shouldn't do this, it's wonderful to be smart. (That's one of the reasons I married him...)
Spyros also said that at times he thinks he may downplay it, so people don't expect as much of him... Well it's good that he realizes this. And it something that we both could work on... reaching for higher expectations. (Another-words getting off our butts and doing more!!!)

DH was a sweetie yesterday with my headache and all (Headache's gone today!) When he got back from court (and after I gave my lecture....) we ordered a pizza and went to the library for a couple of rentals. We saw Just Married and Daredevil.
Both very good...

When we go to DeForest today, we need to get some groceries so we stop eating out as much. We have food, but it doesn't look appealing to either one of us. We've wasted a lot of money eating out the past month, but I guess if it helps to keep your sanity.... We just have to stop using that as an excuse!!!

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: Stop to smell the roses, literally. When we went to DH's great aunt's wake, there was flowers all about and I stopped to smell all of them. It may look strange to some, but a funeral is life continuing, so you may as well enjoy it as much as you can.

After three counters, we have an accepted offer!!!
Now barring nothing goes wrong with the financing or inspection, we will be closing on March 15th at 9am.

Now the apartment hunting begins, but since we already did it in December (when we had our first offer), it won't be that bad. There's the one apartment in the country (about 10-15 minutes to DH's work) that is still available. We really liked the space of this one, and are going to call them first to see if we can work out a deal where if the deal falls through, they'll tear up the check and lease (like the other apartments that we went with, did).

I'm thinking they may be willing to do this since they've had the apartment available since December and no one has taken it yet. If not, then we'll go with Leroy's apartments.

We need to pack up more stuff, the biggest pile is the eBay items. I'm really glad I didn't start working on that yet. I had the descriptions all typed up but never put the items up. I need a stable environment otherwise I know I'll go crazy trying to keep everything straight.
The rest of the stuff that needs to be packed is the kitchen, bath items, clothes, desk/computer, and the garage. But most of the stuff in the garage will just get transfered and not packed into boxes.

We need to put a few more things up on Freecycle and Dawn (DH's co-worker at the Post Office) is going to take some building materials that we have here. We also need to throw out a few more items, but hopefully DH will be able to get rid of it all in the PO's dumpster (his boss said it was okay). If not then that means one more trip to the dump : (
And finally, FIL needs to get the safe out of the garage, and we'll need to use the 1 ton van that we traded (for the minivan), to move a few of our bigger furniture items.

Not too much to do, but it's going to happen fast, as long as the financing and inspection are good.....

I've had this horrible sinus/normal headache for about four days now. I think it's starting to get better, but ugh.... And I didn't take any more medicine today, because I really hate taking pills. I've done a complete 180 in the past year or so, I would offer anyone asprin/sinus pills whenever they had a slight ache. And I was taking them quite often myself. I woke up one day and just realized that all the pill taking wasn't helping my headaches anymore because I was immune to them.
So now when I do take sinus pills, it feels like (what I imagine) I'm on heavier drugs!!!

DH just left for the second court hearing that he is helping FIL with. The last one was a waste of time. They sat for about an hour and got called up. The defendant said he pleaded Not Guilty. So they sat back down for about a half an hour. Got called again and the defendant said again, Not Guilty. They were then asked if they could come back next Thursday (today) at 11am for the hearing.
So a total waste of time for DH and FIL to be there (But they had to be...) DH took off from the PO two days and Kwik Trip one day for nothing. And he had to do it again for the second court appearance.
I just hope this one goes well, and they are done with the matter.

Well I'm off to write a list of things to do. I am a devoted To DO lister....

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: Take a look at all the medicines you may be taking. It is so easy to just pop a pill, when proper eating and fitness habits could solve the problem.

So we countered at $151,900 and wanted to move the closing day foward from Monday the 15th to Friday the 12th. (Because if we close on Monday Spyros will have to take off of both jobs, whereas Friday it could be none.)

Jeff called about 10 minutes ago and said he countered at $148,000, plus he wants to stick to the 15th. Come on... you're getting an assessed house of $180,000 for cheap, at least you could give us the closing date!!!!

Irritation, but.... Jeff is calling our loan office to run some numbers and to see what is the lowest we can go to cover all the costs. If $148,000 works, that's fine, but I think it's going to have to be at least $150,000 to cover everything. We shall see...

The other party that was interested isn't ready to make an offer yet. Plus I think their financing is too low....

It's supposed to be 45 degrees today, which is like Spring for us. If it is that warm, we'll probably go out into the garage to do some more cleaning/packing.

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Pay complete attention to your partner/child/pet today. Instead of watching TV or reading when they are talking to you, turn the tube off or set down your book. They will appreciate more then you will ever know.

Our realtor called us at about 10 to 8 this morning to let us know we have an offer!!!
We have an offer!!!
Offer we have!!!!

Just a refresher course: We started at $180,000 with another realtor. Got a new realtor and started at $164,900. About a week ago jumped down to $154,900.
The offer we got is for $144,900. An obvious low-ball and he most likely wants it for $150,000. Which is fine with us since this is the lowest we can go to pay off the mortgage and realtor. So this afternoon will go to the realtor's (Jeff) office and do a counter-offer. I don't know if we'll do $150,000 or something like $152,900??

Jeff also said that he contacted another realtor whose party was really interested. Now that we have an offer this may prompt them to make one?....

If all goes well we could be closing mid-March. Yippeeee!!!!

In other news, I have a sinus headache, so I'm sleepy and groggy from the medicine. DH must have known this because he did the dinner/breakfast dishes. (I had already been feeling yucky last night, so I didn't do the dishes then.) That was very nice of him.

I'm doing laundry right now, and as soon as I get off the computer I may lie down again....

I'm really not thinking straight, and I'm too excited about the potential sale, so....

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: When dissatisfied with something, make sure to let it be known. We rented a dry-system rug cleaner yesterday to do 2 rooms, the upstairs hallway and stairs. The one room didn't look like it made a difference at all, and in our bedroom it just fluffed up the carpet.
We were not pleased, so when DH returned it, the same day, he let the guy know, very politely of course. The guy tried to get DH to rent a wet RugDoctor, but DH said he didn't want to waste anymore time and just wanted money back for the rental. (We had no problem paying for the crystals though since we did use them, and we had some left over and they did seem to lighten some of the stains.)

Another thought, we have really never had luck with trying to clean our own carpets, so there may be times when hiring a professional should be your first and only decision....

It took us two days, but we finally finished Terminator 3. It was decent, but I'm glad we waited for the library copy and didn't see it in the theatre.

We also went into Madison today, because OfficeMax had a 100 spindle of CD-Rs, free after rebate. We also picked up a 24 pack of glue sticks (cheaper to buy in bulk, and we use them between collages and card making). Then we headed over to Michael's and I picked up 2 Double-Tipped Markers and a pack of paper (5 different earth-tone colors), for my card making. It was all on sale, between the store sale and a 50% off coupon.

Then we came back home to eat lunch and finish the movie. After lunch we headed off to Lodi for a farm toy show. We were disappointed since we thought there would be a lot of antiques there, but they had hardly any. It was all new packaged stuff... But DH did get to take some pictures (our purpose for going), even if it did cost $6 to get in...

DH went to bed early today because of the 7-8pm showing. And we have to go to a wake tonight for his great-aunt, that he's only seen a few times and that I have never met. We're going to drive MIL and BIL, since they have a really un-safe vehicle, especially for any travel more then around town.

I thought we were just going to stay around the house yesterday, but since the weather was so nice, DH decided he wanted to go to Devil's Lake for a hike. We met up with Jodi, Paige and Rob and had a nice two hour hike. Paige is about 11, so her speed of walking (taking breaks and constantly bending over for snow/trinkets) was perfect for me. They were going to go out to eat, and invited us to join them, but with DH's lack of sleep this past week, I thought it would be best if we passed.

We also did end up making it to the pet show at the library yesterday. DH took some neat pictures and the guy said Spyros could come over sometime to take more pictures.

I found out some sad news today, (some of you may care, others may not...) Angel will not be renewing for any more seasons. This will be the last one, so they have 9 shows left to tie it up as well as possible. The one positive note, this means there will be one less night of TV watching for me....

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: Get rid of your cable, or at least reduce your package. There are so many more things of interest to be doing.
I've also noticed since watching TV more heavily over the winter then the summer, that my dreams often incorporate the shows. This is not something that I enjoy.
And who really needs to see all those commericals. They are intended for one thing only, to make you buy stuff!!!
We've had only 6 channels (local ones) since this summer, and it's been more then enough.

DH had a good time at the Rave last night, but they definately have a nice racket going for themselves. You must buy 2 drinks (which are $6 each, it makes no difference if you get a water or a long island ice-tea), and you either park in their lot for $10 or get a $35 parking ticket for road-side parking.

Unless the tickets are free, I really can't see us going there. Most of the musicians that play there are not ones that I would want to see anyway.....

We're going to hopefully go to the library and see a family fun show featuring Aaron and his pets, which include snakes, spiders, and who knows what else. DH wants to takes pictures, and ask the guy if he could take pictures at his house in a more habitat friendly setting.
I don't know if we'll make it though since the last showing is at 11:15, and DH may not make it back from delivering the mail in time....

I woke up to some beautiful roses, and DH sent the MO out for the comforter today... I love getting presents!!

We really don't have too much else planned, besides leaving the house between 2:45-3:45pm for the showing. We still have Ali and Terminator 3 (borrowed from the library) to watch. So we'll probably do that, curled up on the couch and eating ice-cream.

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Instead of doing something special for your significant other only a few times a year, try doing small, free things more often. Chances are you will receive wonderful surprises in return. And I don't mean material ones, it could be a caring thought expressed or an extra hug.

From comments people have been posting, I see that it's normal for the owner to stay at the house during the showing. For those of you who have looked at houses, is it ackward having the owners there? Do they talk with you, or go to a different room when you enter the one they're in?

I don't mind leaving the house, except when it interrupts DH's sleep. But his sleep would still get interrupted if we stayed because no one would want to hear him snoring loudly in the bedroom. And I'm sure people would feel strange walking into a bedroom, not in their house, with a stranger sleeping in it.
But it would be nice, staying. Maybe it's a Wisconsin thing???

But some good news... We have 2 showings today, and 1 tomorrow. We're going to run errands in Madison during the Noon showing. We need tp, a indoor flood light (that burned out right before the last showing), and DH needs to stop at the Public Radio station to pick up 2 tickets and 2 CDs that he gets for pledging.

The tickets are to see a Techno DJ show at the Rave in Milwaukee. The DJ is Humpty from Digital Underground. They were around in the 80's and there big hit was The Humpty Dance. I'm really not into that type of music, and I don't like large crowds unless there are 3 or more people with me (safety in numbers and I have more people to talk with since DH gets easily sucked into the music...)
So he'll be taking his friend, Eric with him. It should be a good time for them, and DH will get some male bonding in.

I won DH's Valentine present last night off of eBay. What is it, you eagerly ask.... It's a comforter and sheet set.
Hmmm.... That sounds more like a present for Kim, you may be thinking. But let me assure you it's all for DH. I want the bedroom to look nice for him and to be a room he enjoys spending time in. ;- )
And just because I've been wanting a new comforter for over a year now, has nothing to do with it!!!

We normally don't do much for V-Day. Maybe a rose and card for me, and a card for DH. But I figure between the DJ tickets and the comforter set, this is enough money spent for 10 Valentine's Days, if not more.

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Instead of buying expensive presents for each other, for the day of love... make some coupons up to let your significant other get out of things they would rather not do, or would like to take a break from.
Some ideas: Take the garbage out for them, Start their car early for a week, Make the families lunches for a week, Give them a message with out wanting one in return.
The possibilites are endless, just like (hopefully) your love for each other. (Ahh, how sweet!)

Big fat flakes of snow are steadily falling as I gaze out the window. The kind you would eagerly run outside to meet with your tongue sticking out, when you were a child.

Our normal schedule for the week has been completely turned upside down. DH took yesterday off from both his jobs, so he could get some sleep in the morning since he was really tired from the showing the night before.

He also needed to prepare all the evidence for today's small claims trial. He is helping his father with a case that FIL brought against the man he bought his house from. The man did crappy work, didn't apply for permits and never had the work inspected. Some of this work could have killed someone, including: electrical shortage/fire and smooshed fireplace vent to the point where both ends were sealed shut.

They had to be at the court house at 8am, and they don't have a definate time when they will be going into the chambers. It could be 8am or it could be 4pm, so.... DH took last night off so he could sleep during the evening.

Then we have another showing today at 6:15-7:15pm. Since DH works tonight, he'll lay down when he gets home (hopefully in the morning and not the late afternoon), then I'll have to wake him up around 5:40pm so we can be gone during the showing.

Since we've had showings the past two days, I really don't have anything to do in terms of house cleaning, so I want to work on updating my pricebook.
I really believe this is an important factor in living a frugal life. If you don't know what one is check this out, Starting a Pricebook
And if you've been meaning to start one, now is a great time!!!

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: Get busy on that Pricebook!!!

Yesterday we get a call around 9:30am asking if they can do a showing at 6pm. In our info. sheets we ask for a 24 hour notice if it's past 2pm... but we really want to sell the house, so I say fine.

DH goes to bed as soon as he showers and eats (instead of staying up for a couple hours) since I have to wake him up around 5:30pm so we can be gone.
We leave the house before 6pm and go to Burger King and the library. We get back about 10 to 7 and all the lights are still on, the sheets haven't been took and there's no realtor's card.
So we call our realtor to see if he can find out today if they came or not. As soon as we get off the phone and take our shoes off, guess who shows up....

So we leave again and go to the library. When we get back and DH finally lays down again it's 8pm. Completely screws up his sleep, since the people were rude enough to come an hour late. (They didn't take the info sheets either, and I just know they took a couple steps in and decided the house wasn't for them.... Which is fine, but with the lateness I am highly irritated....)

Now I know sometimes showings can last longer then you thought, because you really liked the house or whatever... But if someone asks for 24 hour notice after a certain time, please use your brains and realize that the person really does have a reason.
Please be considerate. Although people really do want to sell their houses, remember their lives are being interrupted a lot more then the viewers.
And don't make appointments to look at houses just for entertainment value when you really have no intention of buying a house.
I read a magazine article once where this couple would look at house (even though they weren't in the market), just to see how people decorated and to get ideas. Rude!!!!

Alright.... On a more positive note we have another showing today at 11am.
I know you all will be happy when the house finally sells because I'll stop complaining.... So if you know anyone, or anyone's sister's best-friend's college roommate, please tell them about this fabulous 2300+ sq. feet house for only $154,900.

We're going to do the grocery shopping while the house is being shown, and cruise over to the library again since Terminator 3 finally came in. And I need another book to read....

Simple/Frugal Thought for the Day: Do something for yourself today. Even if it's just staying in the shower for an extra five minutes....

I know it's been a couple of days... unfortunately my neck and back went out at the same time, so I've been icing and doing as little as possible.
Although I did finish The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. I highly recommend getting this book from the library or friend. You learn a lot of interesting history and it's a very enjoyable read.

We also watched Office Space, X-Men 2, and started watching 28 Days Later, but turned it off because we didn't think it was going anywhere or would be good. (Which is strange because I really like horror movies and will usually suffer through any B movie....)

On Saturday the realtor came over and we dropped the price to $154,900. The house was assessed at $180,000, but as long as we get enough to pay the mortgage and realtor, that's all we care about. (Having extra money to pay off some debt would be nice, but we would rather move on with our lives instead.)

We had a showing on Saturday and they were semi-interested, so we'll see.... I think with the price drop more people will be semi-interested. Now we just need someone really interested.

We also had our tax appointment this past week. We'll be getting about $350 back from the state and federal governments, but after we pay the accountant fee, we'll have about $150 to put into savings. Just another reason I can't wait to sell the house.... we'll be doing our own taxes and saving the accountant's fee.

Simple/Frugal Thought for the Day: Adjust your dependent numbers so you get the most money during the year. Why let the government get that money when you could have it for yourself and get interest paid on it.
If you're worried about having to pay the government instead of getting a refund, just put the difference into an account so you have the money if you do end up owing.

Two posts in one day....

I just finished The Little Friend by Donna Tartt ( I know it should be underlined, but I would have to find the sheet to tell me how, so....)

I was excited because her first book The Secret History, was very good. This book, however was not. Rambling sentences. Trying to show sides of characters that didn't/shouldn't exist. And in the end, you don't find out who the murderer was, you don't even get left a thought to who it might have been.

If you must read it, you've been warned. I would skip it and read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown instead.

Another snowy night, last night here in Southern Wisconsin, (And probably all of Wisconsin...), And it sure it beautiful, at least until it starts getting muddy and/or icey.... The only crappy part is the shoveling, left to DH. I do feel bad, but shoveling and mowing the lawn are two things I don't like to do.

We have our tax appointment today. Boring, but it must be done. I just hope we don't end up having to pay the government. I don't even care if we don't get a refund, as long as we don't pay.

We'll be turning this into an errand day. We have to get some Dickies for DH, some stuff at Menards (fridge bulb, dead plate and phone jack cover), stop at bank, and library.
I've had the DaVinci Code on reserve for some time now, DH got a copy from his former co-worker a couple of days ago, and since I kept meaning to cancel the reserve, what should show up?? X-Men 2 also came in, and I'm happy because I've really been wanting to see it again.

One nice thing is DH got a check for $75 due to not using all his sick time last year. If you don't use it they give you a check, since it's cheaper for them then if you were to actually use it.
So we'll be sticking that in the savings account along with a bit more of his check... I love whenever we are able to put money away.

My cat is driving me nuts, he's been very needy (well forever), but this past week, or has it been month, has been worse then normal.
Okay back from a pet session, let's see how long that satisfies him....

We're going to be calling the realtor today, and telling him, Price the House to Move!!! We're thinking $155,000. Assessed at $180,000, down to $155,000. Someone has to buy it or I'm getting a bulldozer!!!
Seriously we want to get on with our adventures, and we can't with this house. We don't want to with this house. I want to unpack all the boxes and have an actual decorated room. I want to have everything organized, not in a box in a room. (But you've known this for some time now, haven't you?!?)

Our other cat has been enjoying the flakes of snow that have been falling. She's been sitting on the desk in front of the window and her head is constantly wiping around to follow their movement. She's a cutey, even if she loves DH better....

Enough babble, must do something to exert this energy. I think the dishes are calling....

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: If your teeth hurt, make an appointment with the dentist.

Amber let me know that her bank wouldn't take change unless it was rolled. Once again, Stupid! I thought every bank had a change counter.... I must just be spoiled!!

And Thanks Renee for the nice comment... I will definately try to keep the frugal stuff coming....

We have a showing today between 11-12:30, so once again.... Positive Thoughts.... Must... Keep.... Positive.

We're almost done painting the room. The ceiling needs one more coat, but we have to go to Menard's to get more paint. (Would have had enough if the paint sprayer worked proper...) We'll probably do that today while the house is being shown. We're going to get 5 gallons and tackle our bedroom too. I know DH isn't looking forward to it (me neither really....) but the carpet in there is gross and the walls really do need some sprucing up.

He's not looking forward to having to take the bed apart.
I had wanted a bookcase headboard frame with lights and drawers underneath for a long time. We saw an ad in the paper for $400 for the exact kind I wanted, so we went to get it. (This bed is beautiful... solid oak, not pressboard. Lots of drawers, doors and compartments. Originally $1200, so a wonderful deal!)

They had it with just a matress and no box spring, looked like a waterbed. When we put our boxsprings on it didn't fit, although it's a king. So DH had to do some adjusting and added some wood to the frame to lengthen it on the foot end. (It looks fine since the comforter covers it...) So now DH does not want to have to take it apart to paint and then put it back together.
He even suggested that we don't put it back together since we'll have to take it apart again to move. Normally I would say fine, but I really love me bed!!....

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: If you're doing a project make sure to prep the area very well first. Clean, sand, take inventory, etc.... first. It is so much less stressful to have everything you need instead of making a dozen trips to the store. (Plus you save gas and time...) And when you finally do the project, do the best you can the first time.
Reminds me of a story....

A very rich man had his employee come into his office and told him he wanted a house built. So the employee begins to build the house, not doing a very good job because he kept thinking: Why don't I have lots of money? Why can't I have a nice house? Why don't I have time to build my own house? , etc....
When the employee finished with the house it looked livable but had a lot of problems if you looked closely. (Paint specks on the carpet, subpar electrical, crack in the foundation, etc....)
The employee went to the rich man to tell him the house was finished. The rich man said: "That's wonderful! And for all your years with this company I'm giving it to you for your retirement gift."

Everytime we make repairs/paint the house, only to have it sold.... I try to remember this story.

Hopefully errand day today: Library, Bank (put saved change into savings), Ace Hardware (paint brushes), and the grocery store.
I have some mushrooms to use up, so I'll be making Veggie Lasagna. I also need to slow-cook some apples with cinnamon...

I can't understand when people wrap up their change to deposit it. I thought you could take it to your bank and they had a machine to count it. Sometimes (most of the time) I think you have to pay something for the wrappers too. Any insight on this anyone???

I'll be doing some laundry today too, along with (perhaps) vacuuming (can't tell I've been putting this off...), and I need to put the paint sprayer back together and away.

DH needs to work an extra day this week at Kwik Trip because he's taking next Wed. off, and he has no vacation time until April (or is it March??). I think this is beyond stupid!!! If you want to take time off and not get paid, there should be no problem, especially if you get someone else to take your shift. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!!!

It's a beautiful, quiet, snow filled day. I love days like this, I just wish no one had to travel anywhere (if they didn't want to.) I really can't wait until DH works less. It will be so much easier to do everything. And I really miss the little things like snuggling on the couch and not having him fall asleep at 7pm., or going out with friends and not having to sleep 5 hours during the day just so he can maybe make it to 10 pm.....

Oh well, enough of my self-pity....

Frugal/Simple Thought for the Day: If at all possible, stay in!

We went over the bedroom again, and we will still need to go over the ceiling and possibly one wall again. Oh well... at least it's almost done.

We're going to call some painters and see about getting our living room and possibly bedroom, kitchen, hallway and one more bedroom done. It depends on how much it costs, but for sure we want to get the living room done.
If the cost is too high we will do the other rooms ourselves, hopefully with less hassle...

I also want to call around to our friends and see if any of them have a carpet cleaner. I would like to clean the carpet in one bedroom and the hallway, and I can't see renting a cleaner for just those two areas.

A couple looked at our house on Friday. They have a limo service and would like to have garage space for the two limos and their two vehicles. They took measurements, so hopefully the vehicles will fit. They are handy types, so they said they wouldn't mind the work that would need to be done. (Trim, Carpeting, and possibly painting...Depending what rooms we paint.) There is also one roof valley that needs to be redone, but other then that this house is very structurally sound, being only 10 years old, for the most part.

So once again, if you know anyone.... We're only asking $164,900 for over 2300 sq. feet and two garages!!! In a friendly neighborhood, close to Madison, but still far enough away....

We had a nice time visiting with our friends, TJ, yesterday. We've been going out to eat more then we should lately, but it was enjoyable, and DH and I are reaching for the food as comfort. It's not the best to have both people in a relationship reaching for food as their comfort, but oh well.... cheaper then alchohol, cigarettes, or drugs!!!
But if we reached for the exercise tape that would be much better!

We also got a microwave from Freecycle.org yesterday. We have a very big one that will stay with the house, and if we're going to be moving into an apartment, I wanted a much smaller one. This worked out very well.

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: If there is something that you absolutely don't want to do (such as painting), it may be better for your mental health to hire someone. But of course, make sure to shop around for the best price...