Not too much was going on this weekend in terms of deals. I spent my Saturday morning in my classroom, went straight to DD's school where she had a marching band practice. We also went to get our hair cuts that was waaaaay overdue.

I started my project for the tax class, but I was so confused how my teacher gave us the project material. So, I did what I could, and stopped doing it.

Baked a loaf of banana bread and peanut butter cookies. I guess I was bored on Sunday.

By the way, my DD's homecoming week is coming up. She needs to find a dress (and we need to buy it....), then, hair, make up, shoes, etc.... Ahhhh! Homecoming week is crazy busy and expensive, too.

I took a day off from work yesterday. My workload is slow during the middle of the month, and will get really crazy towards month-end. So, I took a break.

Also, I had the first exam for cost accounting last night. So, I wanted to study a little. It was nice to be able to spend a couple of hours reading the book and review some things for the test.

Anyhow, I found a lady who is trading her Quaker rebate form. I sent her a message and traded with coupons she wanted. This is going to be a money maker since I paid $3.5 for the products and will get $5 back. I love the deals like this.

I also bought some hair color. OK, I confess. I always went to salon to get my hair colored. Yes, it's expensive! But I was afraid I screw it up and my hair will look terrible. Well, I don't care anymore. I'm at the age I really don't care what other people think how I look. So, I went ahead and colored hair myself, and it turned out to look pretty darn good! I'm so happy because I spent little $$ buying hair color.

I bought 6 boxes of Garnier hair color at Longs.
$4.99 per box x 6 = $29.94
Less three BOGO cpn -$14.97
Less "Buy $25 and get $10" Longs rebate -$10
Final price $4.97 for 6 boxes of hair color, 82.8 cents per box. I'm set for next six months, I guess.

It took me FOREVER to come to work this morning because there was 5 car accident on I-80. I'm already exhausted.

I have my first test for Cost Accounting Class and I need to study. So, I decided to take a day off tomorrow. I have about 120 hours of paid time off, and I should use some. My PTO was accumulated to more than 200 hours, then I took three weeks vacation to go to Japan. I'm comfortable having around 100 hours of PTO in my book.

I need to start planning about the trip to Monterey the end of this month. I'm taking my DD and her two friends to Monterey. This is my DD's 16th B.D. gift trip. I googled a map and it's about 200 miles from Sacramento. I'm thinking about route 1 just to enjoy the scenery. It's so beautiful to drive from San Francisco to Monterey. I need to skip my Saturday class, but it's o.k. I will still do my paper and submit, so I can earn some points for it.

BTW, I got some free tuna from Target last night. I will make some tuna sandwich for lunch tomorrow

And I'm writing this blog LOL

I had some time to relax during summer because I didn't take any classes. Now, I'm taking four classes, and constantly doing something while working full-time. It's crazy.

My daughter also volunteers me to her student body activities as a parent's help. I'm also the treasure for her marching band's parent support group.

So, I don't have much time to do things around house. It is not really good for my mental health to see a pile of laundry or dishes in the sink. OK, I have a husband who hardly helps me in the house. He does "yard work" like he has so much to do.

We've been married for 20 yrs. and I know it's waste of my time to ask him to do something. So, I don't. And, no, I don't want the "D" word. It's not worth it.

Anyhow, now back to study for my first exam next week, cook dinner, clean the sink, finish up laundry, and make a grocery shopping list.

Gee! I haven't been to Safeway this week to do any deals! I should take a day off next week from work.

It's only second week into the fall semester, and I'm already tired. So many things to do and too little time....

Nice thing is that the subjects I'm taking is pretty interesting. It really is worth my time.

I will go to the dinner preparation place tonight and prep some meals. I don't think I will sign up for October because I didn't find the menu attractive enough to pay more than $10 per mea. I learned how to prepare meals in advance with pre-made sauce with zip-loc bag from them. I also got a nice hint about the ingredients they use they are suitable for freezing. I consider the fee I paid as a lesson fee.

I still haven't got FAR items from Walgreens this month. Just been too busy!! I should make a quick trip today.

My Saturday class started today. No more sleeping in on Saturdays for next four months.

Got my latte and filled up gas, and off to school. It's the Operation Management class, and I like the subject. I will start writing my paper after this blog.

I will be studying this afternoon, and tomorrow, too. Cheap way to spend a weekend.

It's the end of August! Only 4 months left in the calendar.... Where did my time go???

Anyway, I increased contribution % of my 401K. It's back to 20%. I may adjust it again if $$ becomes too tight, but I want to see how I can do it first. Like they say, "Pay yourself first." Plus, I hate paying tax.

I have to say, American tax payers are so generous, I cannot believe how nice people are. I thought Japan was bad, but it was nothing compared to U.S. tax! I'm also amazed how nice American people are about their medical system, too. There's no national health care system??? Unbelievable.... And, look how many people have debt due to medical issues. I have never heard of such a thing before I came to the States, and I couldn't understand why people have "debt" due to medical cost.

OK, there are people who struggle financially due to illness in Japan, too. But, it's not because of medical cost, it's because they cannot work. Normally, there's a cap what people have to pay for the medical expense. I used to pay 10% of the cost, which came about $5 or so per visit. There's no such a thing as "network", so I could go and see any doctor I wanted as long as they have time for me. Also, free or inexpensive health check up is provided by local health offices administered by the Ministry of Health. They make an announcement like, "Stomach cancer screening on Sep. 1 & 2, between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at ABC health office" in the local paper.

If you work for a corporation, they provide annual medical exam. Seriously. The group of doctors and nurses came to our office cafeteria once a year, set up a medical office there, checked our height, weight, did eye exam, hearing exam, X-ray, and one on one consultation with a doctor. Needless to say, it's all free, and all done during working hour because it's considered as a duty of the company to provide good care for their employees. I took it for granted because it was my norm, but now I know it is not the case in some countries.

Luckily, both my husband and I work for rather large companies now, and they provide good benefits. But, of course, we cannot work forever. I hope we won't have any serious health issues....

We received a free local newspaper today, and I found a guidebook for Apple Hill.

Yes, it's the Apple Hill season!!

There are many orchard along with hwy 50 (freeway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe) and they have yummy pies, jellies, juice, etc.

I always visit one orchard that makes awesome jalapeño jelly. I got many compliments when I served deep fried cream cheese wan ton with the jelly at the party. (It is so easy to make, almost ridiculously easy.)

I bought three jars and they didn't last very long because they're soooo yummy and we couldn't stop eating them LOL. They're kind of expensive, $6 a jar, but I cannot find the same quality or taste anywhere else.

I was waiting for this season to come, so I can buy those yummy jalapeño jelly!

It was rather slow day at work because it's almost month end and I just sit and watch everyone to finish their month-end activities. I'm busy in the beginning of the month when I have to close the numbers for previous month.

I thought about going to Longs and Walgreens, but decided not to. I wanted to have at least one no spending day this week, and I thought today would be a good one.

I bought a book of stamps on the way home, though. $8.20 and used two stamps to mail my rebate envelops..

Came home and cooked dinner. Salmon with lemon butter, penne as a side dish, and green salad. Cheesecake and strawberry for desert. It was yummy.

Tomorrow will be my spending day. I need to pay my third installment of my tuition, and need to buy some milk. I will go ahead and buy rebate items at Walgreens and Longs tomorrow.

I went to Safeway and bought some fruits and vegetables before sale ends. (Our sale cycle is Wed - Tue.)

I bought:
Green grapes 4.66 lb. $3.68 (.79 per lb)
Head lettuce $1
Nectarines 1.74 lb $1.74
Jumbo artichoke $1.50
Strawberries 1lb $1.50
Total $9.42

79 cents per lb. for grapes is the lowest I found around here so far. According to my receipt, the regular price is $2.99 per lb.

I haven't been to Walgreen or Longs this week. I have shopping lists and coupons for these stores, but I just don't have any motivation to shop this week. Maybe tomorrow. I need to get rebate books for these stores anyway.

I went to my DD's back to school night last night. It started from 6:30 p.m. and ended 8:30 p.m. Looong day for me, but it's ok. It's nice to see her teachers and learn what they're planning to teach this year. Also, I didn't go to a high school in U.S., so it's really interesting for me to experience different type of education system.

This year, DD has 8 classes. English, Spanish, Pre-Calc, Chemistry, AP World History, Symphony band, Leadership, and Health/Driver's ed. She's sophomore in high school and she told me this year sucks for electives because she can only choose two. Health/Driver's ed is mandatory, that leaves only two electives and she chose the symphony band and leadership class which she cannot live without. It means she doesn't have P.E. this year. She will take it in her senior year but she doesn't like the idea because she'd rather take some type of AP class. (Yes, she's a nerd.) I should have her talk to the school counselor and see if some type of sports activity will substitute P.E.

btw, I found this article. Some of you may have read it already, but I thought it was pretty good.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/103404/20-Timeless-Money-Rules?mod=oneclick

I went to the part with my friends last night. One of our friends is in mortgage business and he threw a party to get his name out.

The theme was 70's and some people looked like they're at a Halloween party. (I'm sure they can reuse their outfits in October.)

I can hardly drink, but my friends drink like fish.... Sometimes I have to remind them there are people in this world who CANNOT drink more than one glass of wine.

I went out with my friends last night for B.D. outing for one of my good friends. After I came home about 9 p.m., I realized we were out of milk. That means DH will have a temper tantrum. (Yes, DH. I don't have a son.)

So, off to Safeway. Actually, it is nice to go grocery shopping at night because the store is pretty empty.

In short, I paid $71 for grocery that should last for about 10 days....could be more.

For example, I bought three thick pieces of rib eye steak (my DH is the steak and mash potato man), about 5 lb. of chicken thigh, 3 lb. of ground beef, a rack of baby back rib, two case of bottled water, two gallons of milk, 4 bottles of Cattlemen BBQ sauce, 2 boxes of Cheez It, lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, grapes, tomatoes, etc...... My receipt says Club Card savings $53.18, Coupon savings $4.60, Total savings value 46% $60.78.

And I get 10 cents off per gallon at the Safeway gas station which is cool.

I noticed that our cash flow is really tight in August. I realized it's because August is the "Back to school" month.

We spent quite a bit on DD's clothes and shoes. I just wrote a check for her school bus pass. Her marching band fee of $160 is due soon also. Oh, she wants to buy a yearbook, that's another $60 something....

I also had some expenses for my school. Tuition installment, parking permit, and textbooks.

I hope September won't be as bad as August

I splurged a little today.

My daughter and I went to the Japanese restaurant that just opened and giving out BOGO coupons for lunch menu. One of my friends told me she really liked the restaurant. So, we gave it a try. Well, it was… o.k.

I see this trend at many Japanese restaurants around here that everything is waaay overpriced. My DD ordered Unagi donburi (Eel bowl) that was $16.95. I ordered Chirashi that was $16.50. There were few things I didn’t like.

1. I ordered some green tea. It’s supposed to be like “water” at Japanese restaurants, means free of charge. This restaurant charged $1 for it.
2. Miso soup didn’t have enough fish broth in it. So, it tasted too weak.
3. The edge of my tea cup was chipped.
4. Sushi rice needed more vinegar.

Dishes were just ok, not fantastic. It’s obvious the owner is not Japanese because they served wasabi and gari (pickled ginger) with Unagi donburi!! What the heck???

The total bill was $22.95. My dish was free from the coupon I had ($16.50 off). I gave the waitress $5 tip, so I paid $27.95 at the end.

After lunch, we went see “Rush Hour 3” using free movie tickets I got from Safeway. ($19.50 value.) The movie didn’t have very good reviews, but I thought it was pretty funny.

Total spent: $27.95
Saved with coupons: $16.50 + $19.50 =$36.00

Sharing a Sunday afternoon with my DD: Priceless : )

I'm stressing a bit about our cash flow.

We have about 2k for four weeks. I have to cover all of our utility bills (including phones, TV, internet cable, etc.....) and grocery. This should be enough. I mean it "should" but I'm bit nervous because there's always "SURPRISE!!" type of cost. I need to watch our cash flow really carefully.

It's Pay Day today, and I transferred $500 towards my CC account first thing in the morning.

I may have to use my EF to cover some cost incurred this month. It seems that I do well for first six months of the year, and go downhill from there

My DD had an appointment for follow up check up for her wisdom teeth. Took one minute. She is heeling just fine. Good news!

Not so good news. She complained about her tooth, and said it might be a cavity. Sigh.... We used up her insurance coverage for this year. We're spending so much for dental expense this year, between DH and DD.... and me, too.

I'm back from the dentist. My face is so numb.

It hurts my wallet, too. $605.50. Ouch!

My dental insurance paid $672.50, but they only cover half of crown work.

My classes will start in Sep. and need to buy textbooks, too. That's approx. $350.

How easy it is to spend $1,000! And, so hard to save....

As soon as I bring my CC balance to zero, there's more charges coming in. Well, I should be glad my starting balance was zero instead of adding CC charges on top of debts.

This month has been a killer month for me, though.

DD's dental fee $1,095. I'm still waiting to see how much my my insurance will cover.
My dental fee $600. I have to redo my crowns and the insurance only covers 50% of the cost. I still have about $300 in my FSA account, so out of pocket will be about $300.
DD's back to school clothing $230 We went to Aeropostale and American Eagle. What can I say? She is a teenager... I already sent a payment to my CC account for this portion last night since we're getting paid tomorrow.
Dream Dinner $85. This is one of those things you prepare several meals, take them home, and freeze them. I went to the place and tried out yesterday, and it was really easy and tasted pretty good. $85 is for 7 meals of my choice. The portion is pretty generous for 3 servings, so it will make good leftover lunches for me.

I started using pennies in my penny jar.

I have a bunch of pennies in a good size jar, and didn't really think about it for few years.

Then, I realized, these are money!! (Duhh....)

The problem was, I have a rather thin wallet that does not allow me to look for small change so easily.

So, I started carrying a coin purse, and put a bunch of pennies in it.

Result:
Bought a stamp 58 cents.
Got rid of 8 pennies.

Bought a couple of newspaper. $2.12. Got rid of 12 pennies.

Bought a coffee and gum. $4.12.
Got rid of 12 pannies.

I used up most of my pennies I carried around in no time!

This is much better than Coinstar or whatever that charges so much to convert coins to bills.

I took a day off today to stay with my DD. She just had her wisdom teeth removed. (All four of them!!)

She was so out of it when she came out of the doc's office, and went straight to sleep after we got home. Good thing doc's office is only five minutes away from my house.

My husband was home for lunch, so I went to Walgreen's to pick up her medicine while he was home with her. The cost of medicine was $41.98 and paid with the gift card. Good thing my gift card was loaded with rebate.

I also bought some more Kellogg cereals because the sale ends tomorrow and they had a good stock for the "Special K with red berries." My DD seems to enjoy this cereal. I bought two boxes on Monday and she finished one box already. I bought four boxes and paid $6.85.

I only had one $1 off coupon left, and used a $2 off from $10 purchase coupon that was in the mailer. For some reason, $2 coupon gave me 15 cents off extra even though there's no tax on food items in CA.
So, $10 ($2.50 each x 4 boxes) - $1 - $2.15 = $6.85 and got $5 catalina back.

Final price, approx. 46 cents per box.

I went to the dentist and, of course, he found a couple of new cavities. I know he's telling me the truth because I can see them myself. Also, I need to replace one of my crowns. That sucks because it's expensive and my insurance only covers 50% of the cost for crowns. The gal at the dentist office told me she will send me an estimate.

Also, my daughter will have her wisdom teeth removed this Friday. They want 50% of expense paid up front, even though they will get some $$ back from the insurance company. The total cost is $2,040 and we need to pay $1,095 this Friday. I think we should get about $300 back, so final cost should be about $800. I wish I would've known she will need to have wisdom teeth taken out this year. I could have double coverage from both my husband and me. (We work for two different companies and both of them offer pretty good benefits.) I didn't cover her under my husband's insurance this year because we normally don't need much for her dental work. Just regular cleaning.... Well, lessons learned. I will get ourselves double coverage for dental next year.

I confirmed the balance of our boat loan. ZERO!! Yeah!!

Now, the only debt payment we have is our home loan. I'm so glad we can use this money ($270 per month we used to pay towards boat loan) for the saving for our daughter's trip next summer.

She is going to NYC and DC to participate the summit of international affairs organized by the organization called "People to People." It's a good chunk of money (approx. $3,000 plus spending money) but my husband and I thought it will be a wonderful experience for her.

It is an investment for her future.

This summer seems to be slow on good deals. Or, maybe I'm not in the mood for deal hunting after taking vacation for almost three weeks.

Maybe still in the adjusting stage to my normal daily routine.

Looking around for good CD rate, though. I'm glad interest rate is getting higher : ) Good news for savers.

I came back from my vacation on Tuesday. Still recovering from jet lag.....

I spent about 20 days in Japan and it rained almost every day. Rainy season came late this year, normally it ends in the beginning of July. On top of that, a typhoon came early, and an earthquake hit while I was there. Now I remember what I had to deal with!! All kinds of natural disaster!!

The weather really sucked, but it was nice to see my friends and family. Also, food was sooooo good!! I had different type of meals every single day and still could not cover everything I wanted to eat. Japanese do it right when it's about food.....

I drove my daughter and her friend to the band camp in San Jose. It's about 150 miles away from where I live, so I drove more than 300 miles in one day. That's a lot.... It cost about $30 for gas, and I gave her $60 to spend during the camp. She shouldn't need much money since the camp fee included meals. But, just in case.

I saw the camp schedule and it is busy. Their days starts at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast, and ends at 10:00 p.m. I think she will like it because she is the type of person who needs to be entertained 24/7 LOL

It was hilarious!! He has such a good sense of humor, and this is how business people should be.

Our management can learn a thing or two from Mr. Buffet.

http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2006ltr.pdf

I should not write too much detail here because this is about my in-laws.

Let's just say, I don't have much sympathy to people who ask for money help because they didn't prepare themselves.

I feel bitter about these people because I had to struggle myself because I lost my father when I was young. I worked hard, saved hard, and never asked other people to help me for money. I always kept my emergency fund, so I don't have to bother other people. If I can't do something due to lack of money, I simply won't do it.

So, it really bothers me when people call us and ask for $$. I'm talking about the person in her 40s, not a teenager. And, she has a husband, not a single mom. My husband felt really sorry for her, so he sent her some money but I just don't understand it. By the way, the last time my husband saw her was 15 years ago.

I'm not talking about her in particular, but people who expect other people to help them in general. I know there are some catastrophic event. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the situations they could prepare for it, but they didn't. I just don't get it.

As you, fellow parents, all know, kids are expensive!! We only have one, so we tend to overspend on her. I guess I'm not complaining. At the end, kids are "priceless." Am I right?

Here's this week's spending for our daughter....

Band camp $480
Sunsplash summer pass $60
Book for summer reading $20
Reeds and sheet music $50

She just told me she was accepted to play for the local youth symphony orchestra. We need to pay for membership that is about $400. Then, she was nominated to go to students' summit next summer. The cost is $2300, excluding airfare, so at the end, it will be about $3,000 plus. Its installment is due soon, too.

I have to say, she is a nice kid, and very talented. So, I'm telling myself this is a good investment.

Man.... we only have one and costing this much! I don't know how people with five kids survive!!

MSN Money had an article "Brown Bag challenge." Well, I'm a brown bagger myself.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/ConsumerActionGuide/TakeTheBrownBagChallenge.aspx

Here's my meal plan for today.

Breakfast: Nature Valley Oats'n Honey Cereal & Milk
General Mills is offering free milk everywhere this month with their product purchase. I bought $8 worth of their products, and got 2 gallons of milk for free. ($9 worth.) My family use milk a lot, so to me, it was free General Mills products with my milk purchase. Well, we buy milk anyway. So, my cereal is free while my milk is, let's say, 25 cents.

Cost of breakfast: 25 cents

Lunch: Left over from last night's dinner

Cost of lunch: zero

Total cost of today's meal at work: 25 cents