The month is almost over and it's time to tally up the budget for July.  Brian and I were talking about it over the weekend, he said he was glad I was trying to get us on a budget and figure out where all our money goes, but I didn't tell him any other details about the spending. I said I'd show him at the end of the month.   Our grocery & extra splurge stuff spending as just over $1300 for the month, over $300 for lunches/dinners for the month, $380 in gas, then the almighty $3,000 for utilities/mortgage, etc. bills.  For a grand total of just over $5,000 for the whole month.  That's alot of money when you think about it.  Especially when you think that we don't always have that much coming in every month.  Looking at the spreadsheet I realized I have all the bills in the wrong month, everything is written a month ahead, i.e. I put the august house pymt in the july column. Oops, guess I'd better fix those things.

And I don't mean any cuss words, I'm talking about the budget "b" word. I started keeping track of everything we've bought in the month of July, thank goodness the spreadsheet program has a long list of columns and rows.  I listed all the groceries (I had made a grocery shopping list a while back trying to find the right fit for me), my makeup, dog food, dog treats, etc.  So far we have spend almost $800 in groceries and other things for us (like a music CD that hubby has been asking for for 3 months).  I thought I was doing good keeping my grocery budget around $400, blew that out of the water this month.  One thing I did wrong though was to try and make the spreadsheet work for the whole year, instead of month by month.  I had to go back to a few items that we've bought more than once (like milk) and add the amounts all together, then when I was trying to add a new line item, I had to go back and move the numbers that went with it too.  So I decided to group the first part of the month together to save me from going through all my receipts again, and starting from the 20th do a day by day list and see how often I buy certain items.

I figure if I can do this for the next 6 months I should be able to get a handle on the impulse shopping and really get things together around here.  I haven't told hubby what our numbers look like so far, I need too but I know he'll stress over it and then he gets grumpy and extremely short tempered. I figure I'll wait til the end of the month and show him the print out and see what he says.

I did another spreadsheet with all our monthly bills, so I can see the difference from month to month, what goes up or what comes down at certain times of the year, and if I pay extra one month (more than the minimum due).  Gas was another big ticket item for us, but there's no way for me to get around it right now. Once I start working it'll probably get worse, driving on this mountain isn't easy on a tank of gas.

I need to put in a line for toys - that always gets me in trouble, I buy toys for the boys when I know I shouldn't, they have more than enough and don't play with half of what is in their toy boxes, and there's 2 huge storage boxes full in their closets.

When I want to buy something I think about it as a want or a need, sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's not.  I want new sunglasses but I don't need them, so I won't buy them. That and I really don't want to make an eye doctor appt. for me, I have too many other appts. on my calendar right now through the month of August.

larger view

Yesterday Brian's dad was at our house and asked Tyler how he got so cute. Tyler's response, without any hestitation was "from my hair cut".  That explains everything - I think.

He is going to be the "get grey hair at a young age" of me yet. I think he's trying to give up naps already, at only 2 1/2.  His  year old brother still takes a nap, at least he will for the next two weeks, once kindergarten starts there won't be any naps, he will be at school until 2:30. He may get quiet time in his room, but my quiet two hours in the afternoon are slowly flying out the window.  It took me over an hour to get Tyler down for his nap today, and he fought me the whole time, since it's quiet in his room now I'm guessing he's asleep, but I'm afraid to go look.

I've been trying to get Brian and I on a budget this month. Trying to figure out where all our money goes, I think it misses the bank all together and flies the coop somewhere between the accounting office between the east coast and the west coast.  So far this month, including bills that I paid that were all due by the 1st, we have spent over $4,000, and it's only the 17th of the month. I can't believe that.  I started a spread sheet with all the groceries that we've bought, including my make-up and misc. things, prescriptions, gas and eating out,  I've even made separate columns for the eating out so I could see just how much Brian spent, since I'm home majority of the time I don't have that much for the eating out column, but he takes people to lunch and forgets to use the company credit card, $40-$50 lunches coming out of our pocket each week gets very darn expensive, that's my gas allowance for the week.   The grocery list has over $700 for this month, and I was trying to keep it at $400, blew that theory right out of the water.  I'll wait til the end of the month and then show it to Brian, he has not idea what we've spent money on so far. 

And I finally found the pebble bath mats I wanted for the bathrooms, but considering how much we've spent so far I don't think I need to buy them, I need to wait until I get some notary money or something in to pay for it.  I have to keep telling myself is it a want or a need. Frankly I don't need anything, but I sure want a lot.  I need to go to work, I wish the state would issue my real estate license so I can start working and figure something out.  Brian says his commission this month will be better than last month, I hope it's enough to cover everything and not have to borrow out of savings to survive.

I just finished reading a book about a group of Southern gals who grew up together and put on those extravagant weddings and social teas and such that us common folk just can't afford. I won't say "poor", but I don't think it's a California thing like it is in the south.  As I was reading this I was thinking in my all colorful mind that I could live that life, fancy clothes, hair always done, make up always done, diamonds and pearls and the whole get up.  I could even naturally get in the southern drawl.  Then reality slips back in as our water meter reader comes in the yard on his golf cart with his grand kids and dog and a gopher eats some dead grass in the yard.  I don't think those southern folks would appreciate me sitting on my porch in my jammies reading a book and shooting gophers like it's something we do everyday.  Guess I'll stick with my blue jeans and boots attire, leave the fancy clothes for special occasions and get used to all the dirt in my yard!

Wow, it's already the 14th of the month and I don't think I've been on here since late June.  To bring y'all up to date on the mountain activities - the parade was awesome, I should write that as AWESOME, we had so many people in the parade and watching the parade, I was in tears (but I am an emotional person). I posted a few pictures a few minutes ago.  The burritos were a huge hit, we sold out before the parade started at 10am, over 100 burritos sold in less than 30 minutes. The bake sale sold out within 15 minutes of the parade ending, and would have sold out before the parade if I had had a parent there to man the table.  I just can't believe the people that show up for this parade, this little 1/2 block route parade that some said would never fly.  Living in a small community like this you pretty much know everyone, or someone recognize faces, this time there were people there that between my husband and I we didn't know.  A few days before the parade my husband was stopped on the way home because of a fire, so while he was stopped he got out and started passing out sodas and water to everyone stopped with him, and got to talking about the parade with a few people he did know, then people he didn't know asked about it, all the info on it, etc. So we're guessing that the word spread from there.  The parade was at 10, by 2 we were done and I was taking notes for next years parade - does that give you an idea of how things went?!!

Unfortunately the next day a good friend on the mountain suffered a brain aneurysm and died the following Friday, so her memorial service was today. She had lived a great life which was great, and she was a wonderful woman. She watched the parade and waved to everyone and took pictures and pre-ordered some baklava from me,  she'll be missed so much on this mountain.

Okay, I'm almost caught up - on the 9th I had my hysterectomy, came home on the 10th and haven't really been able to slow down since.  I'm moving around, but I can't lift anything over 2 lbs - a loaf of bread pushes the limit I think, definately the milk jug or the apple juice, even the coffee can is more than 2 lbs.  The surgery went fine, but I've had a few after effects of the medicine, and I didn't loose a darn pound while I was in the hospital or since I came home. I didn't eat solid food until Friday and nothing, not one pound has gone.  I expected something after the surgery, since I thought some of my weight  gain was from my enlarged uterus, but apparently not.  So no weight loss, bloated like I was 3 months pregnant, and another problem associated with being pregnant and you've got one uncomfortable sore woman!

Okay, time for a nap if possible. I'm trying to not take a pain pill, but I'm going to have to take something.  Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to blog some more.

The parade will be here Friday morning and I'm not ready for it yet.  I have baking to do today for the bake sale, have to ice down the sodas and water, decorate the quads, hang up the sponsor signs, clean up around the fire station, take down the recycling cans to the fire station, put up the "entries start here" sign, set up tables and canopies, put 4H stickers on the ATV safety guides we are passing out, put 2008 stickers on the participant ribbons, I think that's about it.  I made one batch of baklava last night, have one more to make today, then some sugar cookies, lots of brownies and who knows what else my over active mind will think of.  I'm in charge of the parade and the games, two other 4H moms are in charge of the bake sale, but I talked to one of them last night and she didn't know she was supposed to be calling people to get baked goods, uh duh, how else are we supposed to have a bake sale if we don't have baked goods.  I delegated this time but I just can't let there not be enough food (I think is a control issue!)

Okay, my dad showed up to get the trash and took the littlest poot with him for a while, now I can finally get in the shower and get laundry started!! Off we gooooo.

Oh yeah, since the post last week about the fire on the mountain we have had 1 real fire last night that closed the main road for about 30 minutes, which my hubby got caught in that closure, but he did manage to announce the parade (such a good 4H daddy!), and one car wreck Monday night that did not cause a fire but the rumor spread across the mountain in a heart beat that there was a fire.  All that worrying does wonders for your stress level and heart rate. And, no, I still have not written up my fire list, have to get that done, the fire danger is too high this year to not have it ready.