Happy Thanksgiving to all!! I am really proud of us all for being very frugal while putting thought and effort into the holidays to make it special. Memories don't cost a thing!

Enjoy your days off from work...and try to give the turkey's a nice day too...maybe not buy a turkey?...save some cash?

So I just called the renter on the property I inherited across the country and left her a voice mail. She and her daughter have been living in the place for the last...5 years? 6 years?...and when I inherited the property the renter had been there many years already and no lease was in place. It's a standard "I take care of you, you take care of me." agreement.

I chose to keep that agreement going so as to not rattle the boat. An excellent renter is an excellent renter. And she has been excellent.

Now with the possibility of buying a house, the darn bank is red taping everything up by asking for a lease.

This leaves me to grapple with some questions I have been delaying to think about:

1. Did the renter ever pay a security deposit when she moved in? I don't know. I have not asked her because well really- what kind of answer am I going to get? "Of course I paid a deposit! First AND last months rent."

2. And then there is the guilt that she has been living in a 1980's property that has never been renovated. When she tells me an appliance has broken she buys the new item and sends me a receipt. Other than that- no changes. Same carpeting, fixtures..everything. I feel like a slumlord- I have never even had the carpets cleaned in it.

So I guess right now I don't want to rock the boat. I am afraid to ask her long term plans because...in this buyers market real estate climate after she has been renting so many years...I am afraid to hear the answer.

I am afraid to ask about the security deposit because I am afraid she will think "I have several thousand dollars coming to me in the form of a security deposit"...and get ideas about moving to a more modern updated place.

And I am afraid she wants to move and I have to take my house down payment money and move across the country for a few weeks to renovate it while debating to sell it in this bad market or pay a management company to find me a new tenant. And from reading the blogs on here- dream tenants are hard to find. If I decide to keep the place then the down payment money I spent on renovations is gone...and no buying a house.

Sigh. I know calling the tenant and clearing the air is the right thing to do. The responsible thing to do. I am just really afraid of the answers.

I have $11.00 in "cash back points" on my Discover card. The card has $0 balance and cash back points can only be deducted in multiples of twenty. I need to figure out a way to purchase an item- build my points up to 20 and then apply those to the card and pay it off. This way I can get the $11 I 'earned'.

But Discover is tricky- giving you double points on certain purchases and so forth.

I would need to be very careful one purchase at a time then going online to see the new points balance before making another purchase.

I don't want to get into a situation where I need to go through this all again because of an extra few dollars in points left on the card.

I cant believe this is one of the more prevalent topics on my mind right now. I need to get a life.

We have an Armadillo living under our house. I think it's hilarious. BB and I are both from New England and these weird looking nocturnal rodents/animals? are such a conversation starter for us. "oh look! An Armadillo!!"

Now we have one that chose to make his home underneath our house. So cute!

Sadly...we have to remove our new neighbor. I have no problem letting him stay but am afraid of him causing foundation issues if he lives there for several years. (After some research I learned they dig a home and live there for their lifetime.) I worry this guy has human-like qualities and will soon think his home is too small and dig a larger and deeper hole. And maybe a family will be born there and they will need a bigger and deeper home still. And then in 5 years half of the house is tilted as it sinks into this hole!

So I called a trapper to come out this weekend. They PROMISE they will humanely trap him and release him into the wild. If their website says they are no kill-then they are no kill-right?

The trapper wants $450 to remove the little guy. So for $450 they better not kill him.

I'm already attached to him. I feel honored that he feels secure enough to make a home underneath me. I feel very guilty for calling the removal service. He didn't do anything to me. Now I'm going to invade his home and cause all this trauma to him.

LUCKILY as a RENTER...this is not $450 coming out of my pocket. Landlord takes care of this bill. Makes me relieved that I don't own a home! I need to hang onto this feeling.

I appreciate all the input regarding our plans to buy a duplex. Hearing about trashed houses and selling for a loss due to poor upkeep was a little sad to hear! But it's important information for me to know about when pursuing this plan.

We are going to stick with it (our plan to buy a duplex). We wont be able to get a mortgage for a property without the rental income provided from the duplex.

BB and I were going through our tax info today to get the paperwork in order for the mortgage application...BB made $5,000 in 2006. $5,000!! I don't know how we lived. No wonder I was always on his case to quit baseball and get a different job. He made $10,000 last year...he is gloating that he doubled his income-I am gloating that we lived a normal life off that income! Plus we also had my rental income of $14,000 last year.

I'm not sure how we live like we make middle class money when we made $24,000 this year...I REALLY don't know how we lived normally when he was making $5,000 a year.)

If I knew how we stretch the money then I would write a book. Titled "How to live off of $25,000 a year but feel like you make $40,000." But our lifestyle and I guess our income level is so normal to us that I feel like we live a normal life. We only miss out on the Big extravagances in life. I guess all those scrimping and living frugal secrets really add up!

Anyways- I am afraid to show the bank our taxes from the past two years because I think the lender handler will turn pale and start talking about how maybe we are not ready to buy a house right now...LOL. Even I didn't realize we make so little money.

So we'll see what they say. Who knows.

In other news- my stupid camera broke and I had to buy a new one today. I'm in the middle of the eBay crunch before Christmas and cant afford to even go a week without listing items. grrr...so I am $170 poorer.

Alright...I am in. I am doing this. And I am not going to get out.
I actually convinced myself to stay in after my last 2 posts.

I wrote down that I can handle my shares all dropping ALMOST to the point of extinction- as long as they do not go to $0. I can handle that because I have faith that in 30 years it will be built back up. I was just really afraid that the market would go to $0. But after thinking about the market going to $0...I don't think my money sitting in some bank account will do anything for me anyways. Money might be worthless and crime would be so bad I would just be a target anyways.

And I have it in my head that the more shares you have...the more you will earn in the good times. I already have so many shares and funds and whatnot that it's a shame to sell all that and start over again.

And I am not a greedy little b*ch. Pardon the language but I always told myself that this money alone is more money than I ever thought I would see in one spot, and I dont care if it earns crazy gains because the turtle wins the race and I am already starting out in a sweet sweet spot. So as long as I retire with the same amount of money I started with-I'm ok with that.

And the best way to ensure that I retire with the same amount I started with is to withdraw a majority of my retirement at least 5 years before I retire. As long as I do that, then I should be fine.

And I need to remember that the stock market is not a net worth. Up til recently I thought it was a net worth. Now I see the stock market as a type of business...you put capital in-let it do its thing for a while-monitor it for issues-and at the end of it all you will have a net worth when its over.

I just get so caught up in everyone else freaking out. The news announced today that we are in "a credit crisis tsunami". -Well that sounds alarming! It makes me think that bad times are coming and I better prepare.

I mean, I have felt a tightening in the economy. Ebay sales are way down..the monthly interest payment in my bank account is pretty low..I don't have as much 'extra cash' in my accounts as I am used to...and everyone everywhere is flipping out about the economy. So I 'see' it...but personally for me-it's not hitting me as badly as I think it should. I'm just a bit uncomfortable. I'm not at the level the news and experts seem to tell me I should be at.

So I panic and think the bad stuff is coming. I think that I am on the verge of major problems.

But I need to remind myself WHY I am not on the front lines of this financial crisis.
*I don't own a house
*I don't own a business
*I don't have student loan debt, car debt or any debt
*I am not retired or about to retire where I need the stock market money
*I have not made any large financial commitments that I need to uphold in these tightening times.

So maybe I will get through this relatively unscathed. I don't think I deserve to be mildly affected though when everyone around me is flipping out. It doesn't seem very fair.

Ok I'm throwing it out there. I know you guys who are telling me to stay in the market are right. You guys have been there/done that. But when BA asked me to picture what the market would look like in late December...ok. I admit it. In my head I picture big trouble.

I worry because I don't think the market has really done bad enough yet. Everybody is freaking out and complaining and the news is going crazy...but c'mon- do we really think this is it? That the worst has passed?

This cant be it! We have had financial giants tumble, and all anyone feels is a range from basically unaffected to short term uncomfortable. We are not even in an official recession yet!

And the other countries are only starting to become affected with the economy problems. What will happen when the whole world is at its lowest point?

All I am thinking is (and this stuff is pretty crazy-you guys might laugh); The big American/ European holidays are coming up..and anybody who wants to bring down America might see this financial situation as a good way to do it...

Plus we might have a controversial president coming into office and who knows how many crazies with guns will get stupid ideas in their heads...

And then I think- this cant be it. THIS is IT? Unemployment goes up a few points? People lose their house value for four or five years? The stock market teeters up and down up and down for a while?

Everything financial related is uncomfortable but not unlivable?

We have everyone freaking out on the news, in the streets, in the political box...there has got to be more bad coming.

So selfishly I wonder...why do I need to be in the market when the bad comes? Why cant I get out and then get back in during the upswing? What are the benefits to staying in all the way down then up? If I stay in the market and my shares go down to $1 a share...I CAN handle that-I know that when I need the money the stock market will be all functional again. But in the event there is more bad coming-a lot more- is there a chance my money will go to zero and it will be gone?

Ok I don't understand stocks. I cant wrap my brain around it.I am about to knock out a few possibly wildly incorrect assumptions about the market that I use as factual. This could be a big part in my inability to understand the market. I am also about to throw out a HUGE amount of questions...

I try to understand stocks like house values. You buy one stock at $10. The more people want the stock (house), the more it is worth. The less people want the stock (house), the less it is worth.

BUT! Do stocks top out after a while? You buy a stock for $10. It averages an appreciation every year. After a few years its worth $200. yippeee! But how far up will your stock continue to climb? $1,000? $2,000? $10,000? I cant imagine many people buying one stock for $10,000.
People say to buy and hold..but if you buy and hold for 30 years wont your stock have topped out at some point? It cant keep going up forever..right?


And people tell me to not get out of the market now because I will lock in my losses. But I don't understand that either.

If I have $100 in the market...it tanks and I have $50 in the market and I sell all. I have $50. I lost 50%.

But the stock market will do 1 of 2 things. Go up or down.

Lets say it goes down. I pulled out as it was going down. My $100 was worth $50 when I pulled out. Then the market goes down some more. My $50 could have gone down to $5.

Then the stock begins to go back up.

How would STAYING in the market ALL THE WAY DOWN have given me an advantage over pulling out halfway through the decline and putting the money back in halfway through the climb?

If the stock market is going up and I put my $50 back in...and it goes up and up. How have I locked in my losses? As long as I buy in before the $50 mark...and when the market surpasses $100- I made money, right?

But what if the market goes down to 0. Then I have no shares to go up when the market goes back up.

I guess I am wondering...why everyone wants me to STAY in the market during the downswing. I can understand BUYING into the market in the downswing. Cuz your money has nowhere to go but up. But why stay in if your initial investment is going down, down down? Why not pull out halfway through the down and buy back in halfway through the upswing. You still will have a ways to climb to get back to your initial investment. The only way you will have 'locked in your losses' is if you permantly pull out of the market in a downswing. Or if you pull out in a downswing then buy back in after the market has climbed above your initial investment amount. Wouldnt pulling out during a downswing give you an opportunity to buy MORE STOCKS than you previously owned?

If you own 1 stock and it goes down then up- fine. you own 1 stock making money. But if you sell your 1 stock for a loss and it goes WAY down...and you buy in- you can maybe buy 2 or 3 stocks for the price you sold your 1 stock!

And I was In the market during the record highs. I was in that market a year or so ago. So if I pull out of TODAYS market going down down down...it will take a while to get back up to those record high numbers...I would have PLENTY OF TIME to get back into that climb before we reach the record highs from a year or so ago. This has taken a year to decline, wouldn't it take at least 6 months to get out of the red? So why would people tell me I will miss the jumps of the market if I pull out now? I might miss 1 or 2 jumps...but as long as I am back fully in by the time the stock climbs back to my selling point..I'm not missing anything.

I guess I wonder...if I sell when the DOW is at 10,000 points...and it goes all the way down to 5,000 points before going back up...as long as I buy back in before it hits 10,000 points then I will be making money-right? Why should I stay in the whole time?

if I have 100 shares worth of a $10 stock- I have $1000 invested. That stocks goes way down to $2 a share...I still have 10 shares...and I wait for it to go up...and it does go up...my $2 eventually goes back to $10 a share but I have only broken even. Everyone in the news is celebrating that the stock went up a million points but in reality I broke even. All the people who BOUGHT IN during the climb should be celebrating...but not us folks who bought years ago and just survived this whole ordeal.

And another thing...so what if my $10 stock goes down and then goes up to $100 a share...does that make me rich? I am only rich when I withdraw it right? Does that $90 I made pay me out a dividend or anything? Do I actually make money off the stock? I guess I can understand the excitement of a stock climbing if I got a cash payout every month...but I only see a return on my investment when I sell the entire stock -right?

They say the stock market historically yields a higher climb than a high interest bearing savings account so it is better to long term invest in the market...but a savings account pays me interest every month that gets compounded. It adds 3% onto the principle the 1st of every month and as long as I choose to compound the interest, I have a larger principle every month. I can withdraw some money when it is convenient, I can choose to spend the interest every month..but there is always $ invested earning interest.

That savings account money is an actual number. It is a net worth. You cant base your net worth on a stock price because it could be gone tomorrow. I thought the whole point in saving or earning money is to have security. Security to know you can put a roof over your head. To know that your kid will go to college. I can see how investing in stocks can be a way to EARN money...but I dont see how you can count your stocks as money you HAVE. Not until you cash them out.

How does a stock market come to be seen as what you are worth? How do you know you have $100,000 for retirement? Just because you had it 10 minutes ago does not mean You will have it when you retire!

But compared to a savings account once again, I get that the market on average yields something like 10% a year over the course of a decade or whatever that formula is- if I buy and hold the same stocks over the course of 30 years... but I never get to 'hold in my hands' any extra earned money (interest payment) unless I sell the whole stock. I own 1 stock for 30 years...and it is worth 10x my initial investment after 30 years...I must sell that 1 stock to actually have money in my hands and then what?-that's it. I no longer have principle in the market. My 1 stock is gone and it would cost $100 to buy it back. It would cost my entire 30 year gain if I decided I wanted to invest in the market again. It seems a one shot deal. I either own it and it is making money 'on paper' but I cant ever actually 'hold' that money the stock has earned me unless I end the game. ...

Wait. I guess the market is NOT like the housing market. Because with houses you can withdraw appreciation on your house (HELOC)..and the house will continue to appreciate! Just like a savings account..you withdraw a portion of the account but the account remains active and continues to earn interest every month. But not stocks. You are in or out. There is no 'being invested and enjoying the fruits of your investment' until you sell the whole thing.

All those years you look at your monthly stock report and see it going up (on average) a year...but that's not really your money. It's only your money when you cash it out. And once you cash it out-it would cost you everything you just earned to get back in.

Are these ramblings making sense? Is my basic knowledge of how the market works correct? I know I am only questioning the philosophy of the market because I am losing money...but the more I try to understand why I should stay in the market, the less I understand why I should stay in the market.

Have I heard rumblings that our two presidential candidates have talked about DEcreasing taxes paid on retirement accounts for a few years to try and help retirees who have lost lots of money in the last few months?

Does that mean I will be able to take my retirement funds out of the market and pay minimal tax penalties...then put them back into the market and later when I retire I don't need to pay tax??

Hi guys, still around, still saving. BB and I have been so good the last several weeks to really stop spending. I am so proud because BB has eliminated almost all his habitual spending, and we can really see a difference! Both of us have higher account balances than we normally carry.

I didn't realize how give and take our spending habits are. He wants some take-out food so he gets some for me. Then he wants a movie so he also buys me a movie he knows I will like. Then I feel bad he has spent so much $$ on me in the last few days I surprise him with a pizza. And on the cycle goes. But that has just about stopped completely.

But he did have a birthday recently. And on his birthday, budgeting stopped. He took the day off from work. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, then we drove to his favorite store so he could pick out two new video games of his choice, then we finished the day off with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (far away AND expensive!).
I must say that it felt nice to go back to our old lifestyle. Eating at restaurants, DRIVING, buying things without worrying about sales/tax/price...it was nice just to let go and refuse to think about long term consequences of our actions today.

I can understand how hard it is for people to go from a mindless spending lifestyle to a controlled budget. It was so easy, carefree and relaxing to just live and not think about money.

But! I think that because we have been living very frugally and watching our money- that we enjoyed his birthday MORE than we would have otherwise. Honestly, he gets pampered every birthday, but this one was one of the most enjoyable days we have celebrated. I think one reason was because in the past we have lived each day somewhat lavishly by going out to eat regularly, buying items as we wanted them- so when a birthday came up- it was difficult to top our normal lifestyle. We would try by eating out at a verrry expensive place, or getting several several gifts, but it didn't have the same effect that this birthday had.

The economy falling has been an eye opening experience for me on many levels. I wish I did not lose money in the stock market, but I think this experience might save me money over the course of my life. I have already gotten used to a cheaper lifestyle, and if we get into the real estate market soon then we might end up saving a lot of $$ due to this depressed economy.

Yup. Although this economy has been hard to digest for everyone- I think I have learned and experienced a lot that I would have missed out on ordinarily.

I inherited a few large antique pieces of furniture that I am not in love with. In the interest in adding to my house down payment fund- I called an auction house to see how I can get an appraiser to come out and tell me about the pieces that I have. I know NOTHING about the pieces other than I have been told it is an antique.

The auction house guy was kind of vague.He said he is not an appraisor but does sell antiques in the auctions. He said he will come to the house on Tuesday to look at the pieces I have and tell me what he thinks.

He did warn me that antique sales have been down in today's economy.

I hate this feeling of being uneducated and vulnerable to swindlers but really experience is the only thing that will teach me what I need to know. But by the time I have experience the antiques will be gone.

I know I will get low balled. But everyone is going to low ball me so they can make a profit on the sale.

So since I really have no baseline idea of what I would 'like' to get for each piece...I am nervous that I wont recognize a REALLY low ball offer or a decent offer. And I don't know if I should call other places and get other offers...I am just not sure who else to call.

I just got a call from someone looking for the Australian Cattle looking dog I found last week and posted on Craigslist. The woman said that he looks like a purebred and wants him. I told her I couldn't handle him and took him to the shelter so he could be neutered and checked over by a vet and he was likely up for adoption by now if she wanted to call the shelter. She said that if I had posted in the Craigslist ad that he was un-nuetered I could have "gotten around a thousand bucks for him-Even without papers." Well now I am so glad I took him to the shelter and dont have to worry about swarmy people trying to use this poor cast away dog as a breeding machine for their own profit. I could never sell a dog for money.

And a lesson for all readers that buy their pets from breeders!!! REMEMBER THIS STORY! I FOUND a dog that LOOKS like a purebred to my totally untrained eye-and some girl wants to breed him and sell the babies as purebreds!! She was willing to invest $1,000 into him (and who even knows how old he is??)-imagine what she would charge for the babies?? Go to the shelters, you'll get just as quality a dog it seems.

My financial advisor called me today to tell me we had invested in developing market funds last year and now the fund has been acting a little wacky so he is suggesting I sell. I sold and put 50% in money markets and 50% in high yield bonds. Now I turn on the news to find out the stock market had a spectacular day today! Hope my selling caught it on the upswing and I made a bit of money. Didn't even think to ask him about that.

I just received my IRA statement for the month of September...I lost $19,800. About 9% is gone. I shoulda-woulda-coulda but keep reminding myself that this stock drop is a concern for people close to retirement- I have time to wait for the gain. Or that's what people tell me and I choose to believe them.

I don't have time to blog now- but suddenly some new financial road bumps have come up. Or- not new road bumps- OLD road bumps are back. More about that later though.

Driving to the gym yesterday I found a dog on the side of the road. No collar. Super friendly. He did have a bowl of water and a pile of dry food though- weird. The area we were in was somewhat desolate with marshlands on either side of the road- a common place for dumping furniture, trash ext. I saw a dogs dead body dumped there about a year ago.

He (an unaltered he) jumped in the back of my jeep easily and I took him home. He washed up nicely and plays well with Casey. They actually love each other.

I put up some posters by where I found him in case he belongs to somebody.

Baseball boy was giving lessons when I came home and didn't come home himself for about an hour. He freaked out. He knew I want to keep the dog and he is totally against it. Saying I cant travel on the road with two dogs-he needs to be fixed-what if he is sick...

We did just spend nearly $400 for Casey last month- we don't have the expendable money to do that again right now.

I just feel that we DO still have so much to offer. We live in a good sized house, we DO have money- just that we were planning to use it towards other things- but when you see an animal, or someone who has NOTHING-you feel kind of ashamed for wanting to keep your money for whatever you want it for.

Keeping him is not an option. I cried so hard last night and BB was comforting, but firm. So he spent the night on our screened in back porch. After his exhausting day I hope he slept well. But he just woke me up at dawn trying to dig through the screen- so now I am up. Keeping an eye on him. If he damages the screen BB will be livid.

I promised to take him to the shelter today. Ironically, the same shelter we got Casey from 3 weeks ago. They are a no-kill and BB assures me the dog will get adopted quickly. I am clueless about his breeding but he's a medium hair dog with perky ears and he is very social. Seems like an excellent family dog. I just hope a family comes by soon looking for a dog....

I went out to lunch with a friend of mine today. We have been friends a few years now. She has said to me on numerous occasions that I can do better than Baseball boy and to think long and hard before really walking down the isle. I don't mind- I know she is looking out for me- actually her reasoning is flattering.

She is truly concerned that we will always be in the poorhouse and my life will never match the potential I have to do better.

It's a bit hard to explain here- but I'm gonna try. Her standard for "I have a successful life" is my version of "I have so much money I am not sure what to do with it all." Lucky for her- she has got great job skills and is used to making over a 100k a year when she is working. So she's not a piner (but I wannnttt itttt!) she just buys it if she wants it. And she dates men who can afford her.

She and I get along real well so she has no problem being honest with me. So last year she sat me down and expressed that she is concerned BB and I will be poor for the rest of our lives. The same questions lots of friends ask me, and I ask myself sometimes; "When is this baseball going to pay off or end? When is a REAL job in your future?" But she always ends this conversation with, "Are you SURE you want to marry this guy?" Not-"what are you guys gonna do?" It's not a 'how-will-you-guys-together-survive?' question. It's a 'you-can-still-get-out now.' question.

Today she was like, "You know your so pretty-why are you settling down now? Don't you want to have a boat, or a big house?...what is it that you like about BB?"

In her heart of hearts, she thinks we are headed for divorce- because BB does not have any potential to provide the lifestyle that I could have with someone else. And I will eventually realize I could be living a much more comfortable life with someone other than BB.

A few times when I talk of buying a house or some big commitment thing- she goes-"Oh Gamecock- don't get a house together-if you guys break up..." And when she talks of us breaking up, I DO get offended. BB and I have never been rocky in our relationship since I have known her. He and I have never gotten into a big fight or anything, and I have nothing to really complain about BB to her except petty things, like "he annoyed me today because he used all the gas in my car." -Plus-she has only met him once! So it's not like she does not like him on a personal level.So when she predicts we will break up I do get offended. But other times when she deeply questions why I am marrying him, I know it's just her being concerned.

She truly does not understand why I choose to be with a poor man when I can have a rich one. I have tried to explain that I'm not concerned about the financial future because right now we live off less than 30k a year-combined. Literally- we have nowhere to go but earn more money. And we are comfortable right now. Sure we don't have everything we want. Sure we do pine for things- but if we can comfortably live off no money now- we will feel like we are rolling in dough when we start really pulling in money.So if money is the #1 cause of breakups- and we have not broken up by now- I think we're good. Plus I look at her and she has a combined household income of over 200k a year (living with her BF) and is equally comfortable in her life as I am in mine. She has dreams of buying things she cant afford too!

My friend does not get that. She has told me she supported my dating when he had potential to make the big leagues- but now she does not get why I stay with him.
She thinks I am settling for a mediocre life when I could have her life.

But I think her concern is more reflective of her. Her easy dismissal of the way BB loves me and the fun life that I get to live because of him makes me wonder what her relationships are like. I wonder if her relationships do not have the level of understanding, caring and happiness that BB and I have- or she would not be so easily dismissing the fact that I have those elements in my life. (After all, finding a guy who truly loves you and cares about you is the hardest guy to find.) I think she thinks she has it all, but actually sacrifices some personal needs for material needs and believes her relationship is the way everyone elses is.

She thinks the way her life is- is the way everyone's life is. (weird sentence right there BTW) And of course life is not like that, so I just brush off her concern as her issue.

I'm not sure why I am bringing it up in this blog. The fact that she is concerned for me is not on my mind- it's more that she does not understand how I am ok living like this. It's more that I am starting to wonder if she thinks I am a loser because not only do I not have the money she does- but I am kind of rejecting the best option I have available to have that kind of money in my life. I have always had her respect- but she does equate money with brains and success...so now that BB clearly isnt going to the majors- I wonder if her outlook of me will change. I know she respects ambition. She has plenty of it. And I don't have it.

You know when you see an attractive girl with a sloppy man and just think "what does she see in him??"- I think that's the way my friend see's my relationship with BB now that he has no major league prospects.

Am I way laid back to dismiss her concern, or am I supposed to make some snarky remark to shut her up?

So...last week I read a post where a blogger (I forget who) looked at current real estate prices and commented that some properties had lost $200,000 in value from 2 years ago.

This got me thinking. I had to sell my mother's townhouse after her death in the Boston suburbs in 2006.

The property was purchased by a young, single real estate agent who was taking advantage of the fact that I had to sell fast. -he was just a year or so older than me! I was annoyed he could afford the place when I couldnt.($2,400 mortgage payments were not possible for me to sustain very long.)I was royally annoyed at the buyer because my selling price was 10k below any other townhouse listed price in the community- and it was one of the most upgraded townhouses in the community- and he got the property for 13k below the asking price- AND he got 3% commission fee because he was the realtor acting on behalf of the buyer!

Anyways- I was annoyed because he made some comment about holding it a few months and then selling it for a profit. I was still all wrapped up in the "Real estate only appreciates! Real estate is the biggest money maker ever!" that I had been hearing for the last 3 years. So selling BELOW asking price really offended me.

Well- Sure enough it was for sale 4 months later. Listed for 20k more than he bought it for!

Then price reduced. Then price reduced again.Then the price reduced to the buyers buying price. And the pictures showed a cleared out space. No furniture. He had moved out. I stopped checking it at that time. He was not going to make money off of me. That was good enough revenge for me.

I just went online. Wouldn't you know it- the dang thing is for sale again! And it's MY realtor who is selling it again! New furniture in many of the pictures- so not the original buyer. And it is LISTED for 101k below what I sold it for! Just in 2 years it has changed owners 3 times and lost 100k in value. That blows my mind. Thank GOD I did not try and hold onto that place.

-But my old realtor is using a few pics from when he sold it from me. The kitchen and study has my mom's furniture in them. Same pictures. Huh. weird.

Disapointing new yesterday on many fronts:

The house BB and I really like is under contract. Not our contract. I knew that 40k price drop would work against us.

After now tracking our spending 2 months in a row it is clear I need to get a full time- never travel on the road with BB again- job if we want to buy a house.

After tracking our spending 2 months in a row it is clear we will need to put down 30% if we buy a house. About $30,000 more needed.

After going to the mall to buy BB a dress shirt, tie and shoes for his wedding attire...he (once again) is too tall for the normal department stores and we had to go to a discount chain for his shirt. I feel bad that on his wedding day he does not get to wear a quality fabric. The material is just not right on this dress shirt. Good news though- we got the shoes 70% off! They were on clearance and the saleslady gave us the sale price for a sale starting today (extra 30% off) because of the upcoming occasion...Starting today all clearance items at Dillards Department store are an extra 30% off by the way!

Thats all.

Not withdrawing from the market was a good idea. Not withdrawing from the market was a good idea. Not withdrawing from the market was a good idea....

This is cyclical. This is cyclical. This is cyclical...

These lawmakers know what they are doing. These lawmakers know what they are doing. These lawmakers know what they are doing...

I don't need this money for 30 years. I don't need this money for 30 years. I don't need this money for 30 years...

I am feeling better about my position in the stock market.

Before Wall Street opened this morning my financial advisor called me regarding the email I sent over the weekend explaining I wanted to make changes in my portfolio.

It turns out I have been reading my monthly statements wrong. I thought I was 98% in stocks and 2% in cash/cash equivalents...but it is 98% mutual funds (and I think I need to relearn what mutual funds are.)

He said I am actually about 50/50 in safe investments and stocks. I have about 7% in mutual funds, 7% treasury bonds, 21% bond funds and 8% in cash. The rest are also in mutual funds...but mutual funds that are losing money so maybe aggressive mutual funds? Is that possible?

He told me that the conversation we had about a year ago where I said I wanted to go more conservative was a good move because now I am 50/50- but going more conservative will mean missing the upswings of the market.

So after talking to him...I felt better that even if the market tanks, 50% of my money is safe-and so I did not change anything in the portfolio.

I was expecting the market to increase today with the news of the bailout- but the pullout of foreign countries has tanked the market some more- once again what I THOUGHT would happen did not...so oddly enough it makes me feel better that maybe my fear of the market collapsing is unfounded.

ummm...in other news- that house pic I posted 3 days ago explaining BB and I love it- dropped 40k in price last night. It's only been on the market 2 weeks! BB and I are bummed believe it or not- because now someone is sure to sweep it up before we can get out to see it in November. Plus- now it is in a price category that tends to tell me the neighborhood is really bad...so that is disappointing as well.

Today was an excellent no spend day.

Baseball boy and I took our new dog, Casey, to the baseball field and let her run around on the field. She loved it!

Then I worked at BB's baseball school for a few hours filling in. BB went to the gym.

In the afternoon I came home and napped.

Afterward BB and I took Casey to the beach. It was Casey's first time at the beach. She loved it and was very amusing. At one point I looked up after wading out into the water to see 3 huge fins rising out of the water not far from Casey and I! After yelling to BB and grabbing the dog I processed that they were not sharks, they were dolphin! They were in pretty shallow water so everyone stood on the beach to give the dolphin their space and admire the show.

After we got home we relaxed..then I got bored and decided to test out the rollerblades I bought yesterday at the garage sale. It was amusing but I got the hang of it quickly. Overall a good $8.00 purchase. (until I end up in the hospital..less a matter of 'if', more a 'when'.) I hooked Casey to the leash and let her pull me around the neighborhood on the skates. She was good- but only because she was exhausted from the beach. She's normally a bit out of control on the leash...still learning her manners.

Baseball boy grilled himself some steaks and made me a few grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.

Now Casey is sleeping on the couch with me. And I am debating an early turn in too.

Garage sale was a sucess- sort of. I made $206.00 (good) but only sold about 60% of the stuff. Overall it was a good time- I am just frustrated thinking about hauling it all in.
And I bought a pair of rollerblades from next door. I have never rollerbladed in my life- but guess I will give it a shot.

It's hard to figure out what will sell and what wont-you see it all as 'crap' and so you have a hard time arranging the sale to showcase your best 'crap.'

I sold a mink coat (at a huge discount...but the woman was really thrilled with it)..1 barbie in a box, 1 porcelain doll in a box, 2 waterford ornaments, all my scrapbooking stuff, all my CD's, an unopened makeup set, a jewlery cleaner, 3 necklaces, and a tupperware set. And 4 books! (leaving multiple barbies, dolls, books, and jewelery to go back into the house.)

Anyways...I am feeling better about the market today. Sort of. I am still going to go more conservative.

I may miss a soar in the market but I don't care. If this was a few thousand dollars I was playing around with and learning about the market- or I had previously been playing around in the market and knew enough to know what I dont know, or knew enough to be cocky- then I would stay in. But as it is- The money I have invested is too great an amount for me to feel comfortable managing based on my zero knowledge of finances.

In the back of my mind I still think some anti-Americans could really do us some damage right now and I don't want to have a heart attack if that happens.

I am once again trying to figure out the market...so forgive my ignorance a bit, I have some questions here:

I am in 'aggressive stocks' and 'conservative stocks.' But what do those terms mean? How much does a stock gain/lose in what time frame to be considered aggressive or conservative?

The news gives accounts of the stock market by saying "the market is down 20% from last month.." and obv that 20% is a compilation of stocks rising while others fail. But are conservative stocks currently tanking as well?

I am thinking of getting out a little bit. I am 98% in the stock market- I think 60% aggressive/40% conservative...and I want to move maybe 20% into a money market account just to make sure that come hell or high water I will have something in the end.

So I should take 20% from the aggressive stocks...right? I imagine the conservative stocks are quietly going along dipping and gaining in small increments and it is the aggressive stocks that are causing the wild fluctuations in my monthly statements-right?

I know you guys will tell me to look at my statements to find my weakest links...but honestly I really have trouble understanding my statement. I am going to set up a phone meeting with my financial advisor but we don't talk very often and I am not sure I am such a huge priority to him. He will do what I ask him to do-but does not often have many suggestions for me.

Also- The money is in an IRA I inherited- If I move money into a money market fund...I need to pay taxes on that money-right? I dont mind that idea- once the bailout starts and a new president comes in- he will probably raise taxes. Better to pay them now than later.

Do I sound completely crazy? My mind is kind of panicky. And I just want to be done with this wild ride. The govt may be doing all they can to calm people down with this bailout...but I just have a bad feeling about things. America seems very vulnerable right now and in this global environment- we are not the only people who know that. And once we begin this bailout plan- we will still be very vulnerable because I imagine the country might be close to broke for a while.

I dont have the experience to imagine what is going to happen in the future, nor the faith to see this course through. I may have my whole life to let the markets recover- but I also have my whole life to get back into the market later.

I feel like such a wimp. But I am done with worrying about the markets.

Why is it that you look around your house and think you have so much junk and imagine a house clutter free and cleaner...but then it comes time for garage sale selling you cannot bring yourself to add anything to the sell pile?

I want to get rid of all the porcelain dolls still in their boxes. I want to get rid of all the paperback books- I never reread them. Scrapbooking stuff that I will never use. Stuffed animals with tags still attached. Barbies still in their box. Shoes still in their box.....

But now we have a garage sale tomorrow and my sell pile is so small!

I think to myself.."If the junk sells then my bookshelf is clear to keep all these books."..."No one will pay $10 for these designer jeans but they were $60 and after tearing off the tags I never wore them once!"...."I hate this little figurine but if I sell it and my friend who gave it to me asks where it is-what will I say?"

And so back into the closets and far corners of the house the junk goes!

I WANT the junk-junk to sell so my semi-junk will have a place to live...but no one will buy the junk-junk and will pay such low prices for the semi-junk that I think I should keep it!

Lunacy! It is! I gotta get detached. Keep the vision of a clean house fresh in my mind.

Ok, I know someone out there has a husband who builds/resells gaming electronics.

I was cleaning behind our TV yesterday and came across an XBox controller. For the OLD xbox- not the 360. It is green with the cord attached...just dusty. Baseball boy told me to toss it.

Can I sell it on eBay? Is there a market for it? I tried to look it up on ebay but typing in 'xbox controller' brought up NEW controllers. Is it worth anything?

In other news- eBay is making me some money. I added $400 to my house fund yesterday, and more is coming...I am quickly replenishing the $3400 I 'borrowed' to pay off the credit card. Just this wedding next month- things/finances are getting blurry. Glad it will be done and business as normal in 6 weeks!

AND! The charts on the fridge are WORKING! I have posted:
1 chart of our daily spending totals
1 chart of our wedding expenses
1 chart of our house fund balance...
Yesterday BB was looking at the fridge and says "Hey! We have not had a No Spend Day this month!" I was overjoyed. Truly. I am still smiling.

So I watched President Bush last night. (Keep in mind- I am a democrat, never liked Bush.)

Anyways, to start off- he did seem to be trying to 'sell' this bailout package. I thought president's talk and people do.

Bush sounded like he was trying to convince us to 'buy' something. And I understand the bill needs to pass congress, and Congress won't pass it without the public's support...

But last I checked there were still enough people who trusted Bush to support his plan. In addition, the plan SOUNDS good to average people who don't pay attention to economics and industry. I mean, to say that the govt is going to use $700 billion to put into the banking system so that banks don't fail, lending still continues, the stock market recovers, and in several more years the money will be repaid plus interest...well- I think that would get plenty of support from average people. Especially with the economy as it is- I think people are looking for anything with the promise of improvement. So just the president's endorsement should be enough to pass this bill.

But instead the president sounded very alarming. He used sensational words to get an extreme emotional reaction, and predicted an outcome worse than I anticipated was possible...he really strongly implied that America as we know it will be wiped out if the bailout package does not pass.

So my questions are these:
1. Now- what if it does not pass? Will Americans go into a panic because they thought this was the answer and without it America is doomed? Pres Bush really suggested there were no alternatives besides the bailout. He just set us all up to panic if the bill does not pass.

2. MUCH more important than the first. What if the bailout passes but FAILS? All the experts are trying to figure out if it will pass...but what if it passes, the treasury invests $700 billion in mortgages/banks, and the economy still continues going downhill? What are we putting up at stake here? What are the risks?

I can't help but remember President Bush's last big idea to start the Iraq war. After the war on terror. And the bombing in Afghanistan. In my book, President Bush has had marginal success in some cases and less in others. Not a great track record.

Therefore...I really am concerned about this bailout NOT WORKING...and I am at a loss to imagine what the government/society/economics/daily life is like in the case of failure or mistakes or mismanagement.

ok, I am on my new computer.

I dont know why my computer was $800. oh yes I do.

It was $650. The cheapest in the store was $500 but the sales guy said it wont last a year. This model was the next cheapest price. But then I had to pay $150 for them to wipe it clean from unwanted programs and install security stuff. Then taxes. And my printer is obsolete and is not compatible with this laptop....all came to $830.00.

New question...old computer had 2005 microsoft word. We purchased Microsoft office word 2007-upgraded and installed it on old computer...bringing old windows into the current version.
-we are trying to install word on this computer using the upgraded disk but it asks for a 25 digit product key that we thought we found on the bottom of the computer...but it is 'invalid'. Any ideas?

I spent the morning on monster.com applying for jobs I am way overqualified for. I worry that no one will call me in for any interviews.

Since Baseball boy and I generally have no clue whats going on in our life a month in advance, I applied for part time work, or easy, call center type jobs that already have a high turnover.

I dont want to commit to a complicated 'career' job that will take priority over everything else in life.

I want to have 3 days off in November for my wedding, and get 2 days off in December for 2 out of state weddings I am attending...complicated 'career' jobs dont usually give vacation days until you have been there several months. But easy part time jobs tend to be flexible.

I really hope I get some calls!

BTW- living in the suburbs sucks during high gas times. I can't apply to any city jobs because it's almost an hour away...but local jobs are very few right now.

Well it seems as though everyone out here in the blogs are weathering this economy really well. Some people have had setbacks, but just temporary ones. No one has admitted to going on shopping sprees..no new cars...nothing crazy. For myself- I have shut down the house hunting. And that's a BIG attitude change considering how much this 'want' was consuming me!

Baseball boy and I are treading water right now. Considering neither one of us has a job...I'm pretty impressed with us. He's been focusing on healing from the surgery (maybe it's a WE have been focused...since I drive him around, take him to PT, get him ice for the knee, grocery shop, took over all household chores..)

And I have listed about 20 items on ebay. A few items have been shipped off- many are waiting for bidding to end. I kind of decided to forget about getting offended at the selling prices of the items and just list them ridiculously low to get the items out of here (though I know my selling tactics drive down the prices for all other sellers out there who need the money to feed their kids...I apologize sellers.)

So far...grand total deducting fees and shipping...$5 profit. But it's not as bad as it sounds, I purchased 2 things off ebay (see..I do put the money right back into other sellers hands!) and have about $300 coming once biddings end.

But since we are unemployed, we have both been very good about budgeting. There have been a few 'bad things' like take out and eating out- but not much. So far for the month we have spent just about exactly my rental income and BB's last paycheck from baseball. If I only spend $30 more this month (1 week to go!) I will NOT use my credit card!

Excluding wedding stuff. Wedding stuff goes in another catagory to be paid off in the month or two proceeding the event.

On top of that, Baseball boy's parents had a garage sale this weekend and included some items I had left at their place for storage (I really didnt want the items)and so "I" made $100! Should I send them a gift card or something for their effort? They were selling their own stuff, but...I'm not sure what I should do in this case.

PS. I like that you all are posting your stock investment information. My information comes to me 1x a month through the mail. I am curious to do a comparision to see how my investments are doing.

I feel like there are so many new developments in the finance industry that I cant keep up with it all! Everytime I turn on CNN or MSNBC the anchors are buzzing about some new development and "what it means to me."

Really- I know it's their job to get me riled up over this stuff, and to make it seem like it's the end of the world, but their constant excitement makes it hard to judge if something is "really big" or "they want you to THINK it's really big."

I am lucky I have a small understanding of finances to use as background because the terms they use and speed that they talk is way to advanced for most people. I understand why people choose to stick their head in the sand and flip the channel.

And then I am lucky to also have this forum to go to and read what is going on in the world in "laymans terms."

BTW- Who is this Carmen girl now hosting a Suze Orman type of show on MSNBC and do we like her? I normally like females in mens industries (like finance) but she talks kind of weird (emphasizing 'key' words that are not really key words- speeding up then slowing down her sentences.) But maybe I need to get used to her.