I’ve Moved!!

Hm.  This particular incarnation of my blog was never even published.  It was a very temporary step in the move from Blogger to my own self-hosted WordPress blog.

If you’ve found this site, please visit my real blog here:  http://www.dailydollardiary.com

Day 72: Oysters, Hoodies, and Pain Reliever

Walgreens — $6.45
Does anyone else have a 13-yo who can’t swallow pills? In all honesty, I couldn’t either at that age. I can’t even remember when I learned to swallow pills but I think I may have even been in my 20’s. Anyway, The Son can’t swallow pills and he’s still sick and feeling lousy. Typically I’m not one to medicate myself or my children but I like to keep basic meds on-hand just in case. We were all out of Junior-strength pain reliever so I made a quick stop and picked up a new bottle of Motrin ($5.99).

Safeway — $51.67
The price of gas is inching up. The Tank’s tank was pretty low and we have miles to go tomorrow. Plus the fact that despite the chill, tomorrow’s supposed to be chillier so I stopped for a quick (well, not-so-quick) fill up. I pumped 17.23 gallons @ 2.999/gallon. The odometer now reads 116,665.

Vitamin Cottage — $35.82
We were all out of a few staples but didn’t feel up to making a serious list or doing any type of meal planning so I went armed with a very small list of essentials and kept an eye open for sales. I don’t know how long there’s been such a shortage of sale tags on the shelves.

• organic olive oil — $8.15
• Rudi’s bread — $4.09
• Amy’s frozen cheese snacks — $3.25
• Alta Dena cheddar cheese — $5.19
• organic string cheese — $4.25
• gallon of Horizon organic 2% milk — $4.95
• 3 tins of smoked oysters — $1.69/ea (saved $1.98/ea.)

That’s a great price on the smoked oysters. The sale lasts through mid-December. I’m going to have to remember to pick up a few tins for Santa — I’m pretty sure he’ll want to put a few in The Son’s stocking this year

Cello Teacher — $105.00
Check for 4 upcoming lessons. Tomorrow we’ll look at our calendars to see which weeks will be missed due to the upcoming holidays. This check might very well take us to the end of the year.

The Daughter’s School — $90.00
The Daughter approached me last night with an order form for sports team paraphernalia. I took it to be a good sign that she was embarrassed and hesitant to show it to me. It means she’s taking my budget-keeping seriously and had a clear sense of the gravity of her request.

She wanted to know if The Husband and I would purchase any or all of the available team-related gear being made available. The most expensive ($60) is a hoodie sweatshirt in the team/school colors customized with her last name and jersey number. Next was a pair of breakaway track pants ($20) in the team colors. And finally a long-sleeved t-shirt ($10) with the team mascot/name on the sleeve and school logo on the chest.

The Daughter said she’d be more than willing to count the items as her Christmas gifts this year.

I showed the list to The Husband and he didn’t bat an eye; just said fine, cut a check from the joint household account. He’s so amazingly easy-going. Actually, he just loves being able to provide these extras when they are important to the recipient. The Daughter’s having a great time attending school (she was homeschooled for her first 8 grades) and he loves being able to provide the experience. She’s having a great time participating in the school sports and he loves that he can facilitate that.

The school’s athletic director didn’t get his stuff together early enough last year to make these things available to the kids. The Daughter’s a Sophomore and will keep the same jersey and jersey number this year and the next two so whatever we buy her now will still be applicable all the way through her senior year. And lastly, the school doesn’t have letters and therefore letter jackets so this gear is in lieu of a letterman’s jacket.

Maintenance Monday: Getting all Steamed Up

I am of the “quality, not quantity” philosophy. But quality will only get you so far; proper maintenance of your possessions is a very important component to getting the most value out of the quality products you buy. I’m starting a new weekly “column” of sorts where I’ll share a maintance tip that I employ to help keep my house and my possession in tip-top shape.

~~ o O o ~ ~

Having remodeled two bathrooms in the past year, proper bathroom maintenance is a high priority around here. I sure don’t want to put out that kind of cash again for a very long time! At least not for bathrooms

The most important maintenance consideration for bathrooms is to avoid any situation which will allow, or even worse encourage, the growth of mold and mildew. And an important weapon in the fight against mold and mildew is your average, everyday mild-mannered bathroom fan.

My contractor kept telling me that bathroom venting fans cannot pull moisture out of a room. I politely smiled and nodded and went about my business leaving him to install the new fans.

The truth is he was absolutely correct — bathroom fans cannot and will not pull moisture (steam) out of a bathroom. But they can do something even better — they can keep the steam from even forming.

The right time to turn on your bathroom fan is before you get in the shower. The fan keeps the temperature in the room cool so steam doesn’t form. I’m sure you’re familiar with what a steamy bathroom is like — moisture on every single surface: the walls, the mirror, the ceiling. The warmth and moisture content of steam is like steroids to mold and mildew. Don’t feed the monster! Use your bathroom fan!

Day 71: No Spend Day!

The Son is still sick and The Husband was able to pick up The Daughter from practice so I stayed home all day and didn’t spend a penny! Of course, I’ll make up for it tomorrow

Reaching Out to my Readers for Advice

I got such great feedback on my basketball shoe dilemma that I’m turning to my readers with another puzzle.

The Son takes weekly cello lessons. His teacher is a young man who recently completed his graduate degree in music performance. He’s terrific — not just in general as a music teacher but also in that he’s a perfect fit for my quirky-might-have-Asperger’s son. The teacher never takes offense at The Son’s lack of communication or eye-contact and doesn’t lose patience with him when it’s obvious that not much energy went into practicing that week. In addition, on the odd occasion when the next student is late or absent, the teacher has extended The Son’s 45-minute lesson to an hour without asking for additional pay.

Each 45-minute lesson costs $26.25 and we don’t pay for weeks during which The Son does not have a lesson. So, my question is this: how much and in what form should we give the teacher as a Christmas/appreciation gift/bonus?

– opinions of tutors or private-lesson teachers are particularly appreciated but all feedback and opinions are welcome –

Why I Don’t Require My Children to Tithe or Make Offerings

Based on what I’ve read in articles and books about children and allowance, encouraging and/or requiring one’s child to set aside a portion of their allowance for charity or tithing is a common practice. I make no judgement on this practice. I respect each parent’s right to choose how to teach their children how to handle money. However, I have chosen not to adopt the practice and I’m going to share with you the reasoning behind my decision.

The church we attend is my choice and weekly attendance is my decision. The children attend a Christian church because I am a Christian. We attend church on a weekly basis because I say so. My children go with me because I say that their attendance is not optional.

My children see me write a weekly check to my church. They’ve also seen me write additional checks — sometimes to support specific purposes and sometimes just because I have some extra funds. They’ve seen me donate my time and energy to the church. They’ve accompanied me to weddings, baptisms, and funerals. They participate in events, eat at pot-lucks, attend religious instruction, and go on Easter Egg hunts. But at this point, they are members because I am a member.

I feel that when my children are grown they need to be given the freedom to follow their own paths and engage in their own seeking. If they find comfort in the same teachings that I do, so be it. If they find fulfillment elsewhere, so be that too. They may choose a completely different faith — my paternal grandfather was Jewish. They may choose, as two of my own siblings did, to not have no religious affiliation at all. They will make those decisions, as adults, in freedom. And once they’ve chosen their path, in freedom, they will support and participate on a social and economic level of their choosing. As adults.

May the Peace be with you also.

Product Review: SmartWool Socks

Disclaimer: This is NOT a paid-per-post blog entry. I am NOT a paid-per-post blogger. This product opinion, and all opinions expressed on this blog, is most certainly biased (based on my own experiences) but is not influenced by the manufacturer or supplier of the product nor is it purchased by any third party.

Whether it’s due to the fact that I’m a Leo or just simply the way I am, I tend to be a very loyal person. But my loyalty is neither easily won nor blindly maintained. I’m not a girly-girl and I’m not a brand-hound so bling and labels have no intrinsic value. My criteria has to do with a product’s practicality, value, durability, quality, ingenuity, and maintenance requirements.

For my first Product Review post, I’m sharing one of our favorite clothing products: SmartWool socks. I love SmartWool socks and the only family member not fully outfitted in SmartWool is The Husband.

SmartWool offers a huge variety of styles with sock heights ranging from knee-highs to footies and sock cushioning ranging from super thin to extra heavy cushy.

My preferred style is the mini crew with medium cushioning. I like the short length as it allows me to wear wool socks 8 or 9 months out of the year without the added warmth on my calves. Also, I like my socks to have a fairly substantial inner cushion because I spend a great deal of time walking around shoeless on our wooden floors at home. The medium cushion and gentle compression of the socks help ease the chronic foot and leg pain I experience as a symptom of Fibromyalgia. SmartWool’s medium cushion socks provide just enough cushioning without adding unpleasant or annoying bulk in my everyday shoes.

The Son prefers SmartWool’s hiking socks. These are crew-length socks with medium cushioning. In the early years of buying SmartWools, before I figured out the differences in the styles of socks, we purchased several pair of Light Hiking socks, not to be confused with Hiking socks. The Hiking socks that The Son prefers have cushioning loops all the way up the calf whereas the Light Hikers have cushioning in the footbed only and standard ribknit uppers.

Like me, The Son wears his SmartWool socks nearly year-round. The wool absorbs moisture and allows for very natural, healthy breathing of the skin.

The Daughter, odd ball that she is, prefers an ultra lightweight footie style. They provide just the perfect balance of warmth and breathability for her without adding any bulk — these socks are as thin as any ultra-lightweight cotton footie she owns. The Daughter has a much shorter SmartWool wearing season than do her brother and I but she does really value her few pair during the winter months.

SmartWools socks are extremely well-made and durable. Although we’ve had to pass down many pair over the years because they’ve been out-grown, we have yet to retire a pair for being worn out. This is a significant acheivement in longevity if you consider that I’ve had some of these pair for at least 6 or 7 years and they get daily wear on our floors. The Son and I both have a few pair that are getting thin but none that have completely giving up the ghost.

Another great advantage to these socks is their low maintenance. Wool, unlike cotton, doesn’t need to be washed after each wear. I can usually get three days out of each of my pair of socks. I encourage The Son to change his every other day as he’s a stinky teenaged boy who frequently plays hard in his socks.

Washing is easy — I let the dirty socks collect in a special laundry basket and wash many pair at once. I put them in the machine and wash on the gentle/handwash cycle in cold water with a cold water rinse using wool soap from the local yarn shop. SmartWool says the socks can be machine dried (see more below) but I prefer to hang dry. They dry very easily overnight on a great little plastic drip-dry multi-clip hanger I found a few years ago.

Make no mistake, SmartWool socks aren’t cheap — typically $12.95 – $15.95. But in my experience, they’re worth every penny — especially since I never buy them full-priced (more on that in just a minute). Several years ago I let an REI employee talk me into trying REI’s cheaper SmartWool wannabe socks. I’m a huge fan of REI and their house-brand products but that one pair of REI socks was the first and last pair I ever bought. The REI socks are denser and less flexible. They are simply wool socks; they provide none of the “walking on a cloud” experience I get with the SmartWool socks.

My two favorite sources for SmartWools are REI and * (affiliate link). I have found a few pair at Marshalls or T.J. Maxx (I can’t remember which) a year or two ago but haven’t see them since. Thanks to the excellent sales I’ve found over the years, I’ve gradually been able to go from having a few pair worn on extra cold or snowy days to having a full wardrobe of socks for both The Son and I.

Sizing Tip: The SmartWool sizing guide assumes that the socks will be dried in a clothes dryer. If you use a dryer, go by the sizing chart. If you hang dry, buy one size smaller.

According to the sizing chart, my size 10’s would require a size Large. But I prefer to hang dry my socks so I adjust my sizing accordingly and usually buy size Medium. But this sizing/shrinking issue gives me a little extra wiggle room when I’m bargain hunting — if size Large is the only size available or had a better selection of colors, just a single trip through the dryer shrinks the socks down to the right size. And this shrinking process does not felt or otherwise affect the feel of the socks.

Washing Tip: I picked this tip up several years ago from a very helpful REI employee. The best way to wash your SmartWool socks (and arguably all of your socks) is to wash them inside out. This allows the skin and oils to be released into the water and washed away instead of being trapped inside the socks and locked deep into the inner cushiony loops.

image credits: REI and Elizabeth

Day 70: Sushi & Ankle Braces

The Son is nursing a pretty bad cold so I left him at home today — this gave The Daughter and I a few hours together without the pressures of rushing to an activity or decompressing from school. A nice break for us.

Church — $20.00
Weekly offering.

Handyman — $70.00
He worked several hours yesterday installing the rebar and finishing the frame for the retaining wall. The plan is for him and his son to come out next weekend to do the pour. I paid him today at church because I had to leave before he was done yesterday.

Wild Oats — $13.55
Lunch with The Daughter: sushi tray and Odwalla juice for me; slice of pizza and Izzie soda for her.

Kroger — $20.75
Stopped in hoping to pick up both of my prescriptions — I tried earlier this week but both had expired so they had to contact the doctors to get them renewed. The clerk informed me that, despite three attempts by the pharmacy, my internist never responded to renew my Clarinex prescription. So I picked up my synthroid ($10 co-pay) and an ankle brace that The Daughter found and felt she needed in anticipation of basketball practice starting tomorrow.

Day 69: New Shoes & Spaghetti

The Son was feeling under the weather today so it took a minor bribe to get him to come along on a shoe shopping/sister-pickup trip without a big fuss.

Just so you don’t get the wrong idea on how I relate to my children, it wasn’t a bribe at all. He wanted to stop by the bookstore and a Starbucks while we were out (both are right across the street from Wild Oats — a stop I needed to make anyway). As he was paying for both the book and the treat with his own gift certificates, it was an arrangement that was mutually beneficial.

Famous Footwear — $72.61
Yup, got The Son those basketball shoes we discussed. Men’s size 11 black Nike Air Team T.R.U.S.T. beasts! The shoes were $64.99; I checked on-line and couldn’t find any similar shoes for a lower price. The shoes came with white laces that were just a bit short to be completely practical and The Son didn’t particularly like their bright white-ness so we paid an additional $2.49 for 54″ black laces. I’ll save the white laces and the box — they might help garner a higher resale price once The Son is done with them.

When I took The Daughter to the same store this spring for her basketball shoes she tried the Nikes first but didn’t like the fit. She ended up with a nice pair of Converse. Today we tried the Converse shoes first but The Son said they were not comfortable. He found the Nikes to be very comfortable. The Converse were less expensive but fit is paramount.

Wild Oats — $15.22
3 lbs. Coleman 95% lean ground beef — $4.00/lb. I used approximately 1 pound in tonight’s spaghetti dinner and froze the rest in two separate packages for future use.

Day 68 — Ugh x 3: Shopping Futility

Day Three in what seems like an unending string of “ugh” shopping days. I seem to take one step forward and then one step back and I’m definitely not following my own shopping advice.

Marshalls — ($32.41)
The Husband and I had an errand to run up north so we took the opportunity to stop by Marshalls to return The Son’s basketball shorts and track pants.

Target — ($21.61)
After dropping The Husband off at his office, I proceeded to Target to return the picture frame I’d purchased.

Target — $126.02
Last Sunday the Target sale flyer listed picture frames as being on sale so I wanted to make sure I returned my frame and looked for alternate frames by the end of the week. The sale was extremely disappointing but I was determined to find just one frame for an 8×10 of the kids together.

I ended up buying two frames. The first was a large frame with a double white mat that fits an 8×10 photo ($17.89). But it turns out I only have one 8×10 with a black background — a really cute close-up photo of the kids lying down looking straight up at the camera. Though this photo is adorable, it would not have been my first priority for framing. I’m still undecided as to whether or not to keep the frame.

The second frame is one of those really cool “floating” frames — the photos are sandwiched between two panes of glass so it looks like the photo is floating ($29.99). But in this case there are two separate layers of double glass so you can float a photo collage on two different levels so some photos float above and others behind each other. It’s a great concept and look but I think it would be more effective with group photos of various sizes and various backgrounds and subjects. Ugh!! This frame was not on sale and will definitely go back.

I hereby resolve to take my envelope of photos with me on any and all future photo frame shopping trips!

But wait the Ugh factor just gets bigger. On my way to check-out, I passed the kids’ clothing department and, because I just can’t leave well enough alone, I detoured to see what they might have in the way of “swish” pants for my nephew. Wouldn’t you know it, I not only found swish pants with functioning drawstrings (a must for this skinny mini), but they’re lined with soft jersey knit fabric ($9.99). And I found a stray black hooded windbreaker on the sale rack ($3.74) that will coordinate perfectly with the black “swish” pants. Naturally, I bought them both but now I have to return the “swish” track pants I bought for him at Marshalls. Yes, the very same Marshalls I’d made two returns to just mere hours earlier; the very same Marshalls that’s way, way north of where we live. Can we say UGH!?

The final two Target purchases were a very handsome Timex Expedition watch ($44.99) with an analog face and a small digital display. The Son desperately needs a new watch for Christmas. This summer he pointed out that he can barely close the band of his several-years-old kids-sized Timex watch around his expanding wrist. He didn’t want a new watch for his birthday but chose to wait until Christmas.

The new watch is beautiful (I hope he likes it) but the band is a leather and buckle affair and I’d bet dollars to donuts that he will only accept a watch with the same sporty webbing and velcro styled band that he’s used to wearing. So I also picked up a replacement band ($9.99). It has the added benefit of featuring a little medical symbol on the band and includes a wallet card for medical notes. As The Son is allergic to penicillin and has asthma, I thought the special watchband and wallet card would be a great idea.

Cash — $2.00
Two hours’ worth of parking on campus where The Son attended basketball practice.

I did manage to take my own shopping advice once today — after leaving Target I stopped in at a local camera store to research sub-compact digital cameras which is what we intend to get The Daughter for Christmas. I looked at the various models available, handled them all, and talked to the clerk but I left the store will nothing but info — no purchases. Whew, at least I did one thing right today.