Cold & Germs

It is cold today.  Goosebump-covered arms, warm snuggly blanket, beg the cat to sit on your lap cold.  Once we turn off the heat, it stays off.  Temperatures here in the evening will drop just below freezing, but we will "power through" under blankets, in flannel, and sharing body warmth.

I didn't want to work out tonight, but I couldn't disappoint the oldest.  I removed my relatively warm, body temperature warmed clothes and changed into frigid workout clothes.  My goosebumps had goosebumps.  My legs hurt from squats over the weekend while cleaning the bathrooms.  But I still hopped on the treadmill and did 1.22 miles (232 calories) while my son read more of the Wimpy kid series.

Husband came in with Hannibal and asked, "the sponge in the bathroom isn't brand new, is it?"

"The purple one.  No, not really.  Why?"

"Hannibal put it in his mouth."

Gross!  That kid puts everything in his mouth.  It is a good thing I use that sponge to clean the bathroom with only vinegar, dawn dishwashing liquid, and water.  After discussion, Husband was glad to hear I didn't clean the toilet with the sponge.  No, I use the toilet brush and Clorox wipes for that.  However, I did clean the shower walls with it and wiped down the counter.  Not exactly germ-free. 

Husband took Hannibal to bed, explaining to him how he could get sick putting the sponge in his mouth.  At least they weren't caustic chemicals.  We really need to get that kid to realize that only food goes in your mouth.

Improved Gas Mileage

Over a month ago, I read one of the blog posts on The Simple Dollar about Practicing Good Gas Conservation. I'll admit, I had heard of hypermiling, but I had to look it up from the blog post as well.  Most of the tips were pretty simple, and like the author of The Simple Dollar, I don't go to the extremes of hypermiling.  I decided to try it.

What you must first know is that I drive back roads to work rather than the standard stop and go to get the highway during rush hour.  The back roads allow me to drive mostly continuously.  The only problems are the frequent stop signs/traffic lights, lots of hills, a few railroad tracks, and only one lane in either direction (with slow drivers, agricultural vehicles, etc.).  Also, most of the stop signs are at the bottom of the hills, so you have to accelerate to get up the hills.

The first couple of days, I watched my instant MPG on my new car.  What a great feature!  I was surprised by the areas where I could get better mileage by coasting to the stops or accelerating as I went down a hill so I would have speed to get over the next hill (as long as it didn't have a stop sign).  I was able to gain some here and there.  But, I'll admit, I threw most of my learning out the window when I had someone behind me.  Most of the people around here seem to be pretty impatient to get to that stop sign.  I suppose I will have to learn to "not care about what other people think," but that will be a harder personality trait to change and I doubt simple math will get me there.

After about a month, I have realized a small amount of savings - I went from 23.2 mpg to 23.4.  Not earth-shattering, but the experiment did make me more aware of where I was wasting gas.  I continue to refine it and would like to see 23.5 by summer.  Of course, that won't be much savings, but with gas expected to cost over $4/gallon in our area by then, every little bit helps our bottom line.

Herb Experiment #4 - with fruit

It must be spring.  I did it again - I bought herbs.  I don't know why.  The results of the first three herb experiments chronicled here should clearly spell out the doom these particular plants face.  While I made progress with the last experiment, the basil lasted just a couple months, the failure was complete.

I did make more of an effort this year by reading the Rosalind Creasey book Edible Landscaping.  She gave me some hints, including these:

• Find a full sun location - my back patio should serve well
• Use well-draining soil - I re-used some potting soil from some of the earlier failed experiments, more from the dead rue left in the sunroom that had some stones and broken clay pot interspersed, combined with some new potting soil from an unopened bag leftover from last year.  
• Start small - well. . . I ignored this one, but she would probably have thought my purchase was small in comparison to what she plants.
• Separate young plants and transplant them singly - I bought individual plants in biodegradable pots.  I had to peel off the bottom of them and then pot them in the soil.  I was putting mine in containers, rather than a portion of my yard.
• Annual herbs need an inch of water per week - and this is where I usually fail.  I gave them a nice soaking.  The kids were told to remind me to water them.

We bought the plants yesterday at Home Depot.  Our haul included 2 basil plants, 2 rosemary plants, and 4 strawberry plants.  Hannibal was particularly excited and promised to help me plant. Both wanted me to do "Pop Bottle Science" (based on a book from their favorite aunt) and plant something in a pop bottle.  I decided instead to create a "biome" with a clear round vessel and some plastic wrap to start the pumpkin seeds the eldest wanted to grow.

This morning, I invited the boys to help me, but they were too interested in playing another hour of LEGO Batman on the XBox.  I was disappointed, but went ahead with my plans.  (Okay, I was a LOT disappointed.)  I did my chores anyway, as I didn't want the plants to fail immediately.

First, I created the biome.  I put some pebbles on the bottom, put in about 2 inches of soil, created a little trench, then put in 4 pumpkin seeds.  I covered them up, watered the soil well until I saw the water in the pebbles, and then covered the glass container with plastic wrap.  I placed the container in the sunroom in the sunniest corner on the table that formerly housed Herb Experiment #2.

Next I brought in the planter from the front porch - home of failed Herb Experiment #3.  I was going to put in both the basil and the rosemary into this planter, but they looked a little crowded.  Instead, in went the basil and one strawberry plant.  Then I found two more planters in the garage and put the remaining 3 strawberry plants into one and the rosemary into the other.  Afterwards, I took them out to the patio and watered them thoroughly with the hose.  This is the result:



I thought they would do fine outside since they were being sold at an outdoor portion of Home Depot and I doubt they are taken in each night.  However, after reviewing the weather forecast, I brought them back into the sunroom.  Despite the summer-like weather we've had in Ohio these days, it is still March and some frost may still occur.  The sunroom will protect them for a little bit.

So, I need to go out and check on them frequently and water them.  I will need to check the biome for sprouting of the pumpkin.  Once the pumpkin has sprouted, I will need to poke air holes in the biome.  Once established enough to transplant, I must find their final location - one of my flower beds in the backyard OR into a container once they have sprouted.

A new year, a new spring.  Let's see how this one goes. . . .

Driveway Parking

Oh, and I really must share this story about Iago - some of you live for these stories.  On Friday, we decided to meet Husband at Old Bag of' Nails for dinner.  This was a mistake, as it is an Irish Pub the night before St. Patrick's Day.  It was crowded and they filled the aisles with these urchins doing Irish folk dancing and passing a hat around for donations.  Too bad my purse was at home and I don't carry cash anyway.

I also ordered the broiled Tilapia, trying to be good, and discovering how much I really hate fish.  Husband shared one of his breaded shrimp with me and I was so disappointed I hadn't ordered my usual.  But, I saved calories by not eating most of my dinner - I ate wild rice and broccoli and only a few bites of the fish.

The real story, however, was on the drive to the restaurant.  I asked Iago to drive the van so that we didn't have to change the seating position, the mirrors, etc.  Even though we've eaten there many times, I had to provide Iago with directions (it's a route with only one right turn and one left turn).

As we backed out the driveway, Iago said, "Oh, I need to tell you what I told [Husband].  I don't look behind me until I'm out of the garage, so if you park in the driveway, you had better tell me.  [Husband] parked in the driveway and didn't tell me and I was backing out and almost hit his new car."

Seriously?  You don't look before you back out of the driveway?  What the hell is wrong with you?  We have kids who play in the neighborhood!  (This is in my brain.  I can't say all this out loud immediately. . . though I do get to it later.)

Me:  "You really need to look before you back out.  There could be kids."
Iago:  "In our driveway?  Other people's kids?  Why would they be in our driveway?  And if they are, that's their fault.  They shouldn't be in our driveway."

What is wrong with you???  Kids play.  They don't care about artificial boundaries.  Oh, god, you're going to back over one of them someday.

Me:  "You need to look out the back before you back out of the garage."
Iago:  "I'm just telling you that if you park in the driveway, you should tell me.  If I hit your car and you didn't tell me, it's your fault."

Why do we let you drive?  You clearly don't have enough responsibility.  And we let you have our children in the car.

Me:  "No.  You need to look before you back out of the driveway.  If you hit something, it's your fault.  What if you run over someone in the driveway?"
Iago:  "They shouldn't be in our driveway."
Me:  "No, you are required to look before you back up.  That's part of driving."

I could continue, but at this point, I wasn't getting through to him.  Husband and I talked later and we had the same thoughts, but neither of us feel we really got through to Iago.  So now if we park in the driveway and he is leaving the garage, we need to make sure we tell him so he doesn't hit our car.  How dumb is that?

It comes as no surprise that Husband was concerned when we made the decision that Iago would get to drive Husband's new Camry home while we took the van and stopped at the grocery store on the way home.  Husband cringed the whole time Iago was backing out of his parking space, but breathed a sigh of relief as Iago made the difficult left-hand turn to head home.  Iago even texted Husband to let him know he made it home safe and sound.  I saw Husband's shoulders visibly relax when he got that text.

Basketball, Chocolates, and Words with Friends

This weekend, blessed with good weather, has felt blissfully long.  I return to work tomorrow feeling well rested.  The kids begin Spring Break, with Uncle Iago somewhat concerned about how he will keep them entertained at home for a week.  Husband and I are both really busy at work, so time off is not possible.

Our weekend consisted mainly of watching our NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament brackets.  When I left work on Friday, I was still in the lead of the competition we have going on there.  Husband is yo-yo-ing on his ESPN, but is currently somewhere above 98th percentile.  Basketball is my favorite sport to watch and I have always enjoyed March Madness, even though the nature and timing of my job rarely lets me watch it.

We watched some basketball, we took the kids to the library, we played some Star Wars Trouble (a version of the board game Trouble, but with the added fun of R2-D2), ate chocolates, chocolate milkshakes, and took the weekend with ease while still appeasing their need to do some fun activities.

Husband and I also discovered the Zynga game, Words with Friends.  It was shocking to see that my husband has never played Scrabble (which is essentially what Words with Friends is).  We have been together over 16 years and he has never played.  We played Words with Friends twice yesterday and he beat me both times.  We sit here tonight on the couch, with basketball on the big television, the windows open, and laptops perched on our lap playing Words with Friends and not really talking. unless it's about the fact that Kansas is down against Purdue and how that will impact our brackets.

This is a good weekend.

Iago's Expensive Teeth

As I've posted before, Iago's teeth are pretty bad.  Yesterday, he finally had his appointment for his cleaning and exam after four delays for various reasons on Iago's part.  In addition, one of the onlays the dentist had put in had fallen out.  The nice part about that was that the dentist fixed it for free since it was one that he had put into Iago's mouth.

This time, the dentist pressured Iago regarding his plan for Iago's teeth.  Iago needs 6 crowns on his front teeth.  This comes with a whopping price tag of $7,200.  Our dental plan only covers $1,200 annually.  This would leave us with a $6,000 dental bill.  The dentist kindly informed Iago that he wouldn't charge him any "build up" fees.  How nice of him.  But he insisted that Iago needed the work done or he would "lose the teeth."  They even provided him with information on a payment plan - which we already have and I'm still making payments on ($675 left to go) from both mine & Husband's unexpected dental work from last year.

Iago continued to defer and told the dentist he didn't think it would get done.  Husband reached out to some local friends and asked for referrals for a new dentist.  I agree.  I'm done with this dentist.  Especially now that he has radio ads.  Yes, I said radio ads.  He is advertising his new "cosmetic dentistry."  They offer facials, massages, and botox injections in the same office.  I think I'm paying for the large fish tank he had installed in his entry.  I think he recommends expensive treatment plans and caters to those who have money.  We don't have that kind of cash.

We will look for a second opinion.  However, I know he needs at least 1 or 2 crowns.  Which means that my bonus check will once again go towards taxes, teeth, and bills.  It was supposed to pay for taxes, braces for me (with the thought that they would relieve some of these migraines), and our vacation this year (either Disney World with the family or Paris with my sister).

I'm tired of giving up my hard-earned bonuses to pay for teeth.  Last year, according to my Quicken account, we spent $4,711.70 on dental bills (plus an additional $875 that carried over to this year) and another $630 on orthodontia for Igor (we are still making payments of $125 a month on those through June of this year).  This is a little insane.  And I know I need one tooth fixed (onlay or crown) and several other cavities.  We delayed them until this year for the benefits.  Now I want a second opinion, too.  I just have lost trust in this dentist.

Family Circle Magazine - 4 years for $15.96!

On Facebook, I clicked "like" on the "The Krazy Coupon Lady" after seeing that some friends had.  Now my Facebook newsfeed is filled with updates like, "Diaper & Wipes deals" (don't care about those anymore!), "Las Vegas Hotels from $59.00 and more!" (don't care), "Game Day:  How to get Great Tickets for Less" (might care), and "New Target Coupons:  Oscar Mayer, Purina, and more!"  Since my recent focus is to try to find some extra cash, being broke and on a "no non-discretionary spending" rule until my bonus check comes in April.  But I saw a post and had to spend the money:  "Family Circle Magazine for Only $3.99 per year!"

So, I clicked on the link and the details took me to a website, www.discountmags.com, where I could select Family Circle magazine, choose the number of years for a subscription (I chose 4), and then enter a coupon code (KRAZY) and get all 4 years for only $15.96!  Before the discount, the four year subscription would have cost $48 & change.  Then, to make matters even better, I was able to pay for it using my PayPal account!  That was fabulous, as I basically just used the money I earned from selling items on eBay to finance something I enjoy reading for the next four years.  My useless junk just turned into something useful! Hooray!

Now, where to find some more "useless" junk. . .

As an aside, I also signed up for MindfieldOnline, an online market research form.  For completing surveys of 5-20 minutes long, I earn from $1-$2.  Unfortunately, I have been disqualified from several, but right now I have $4 pending just for using spare time on my smartphone to complete a couple market research surveys.  Pretty easy money.  I learned about that from the Krazy Coupon Lady, too.  She advertised another one and I'm sorely tempted.  It's not much, but it adds up.  And we could use it right now.