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Now that the blogs are back, I can catch up a bit.  I actually had written a timely post about my second week off, but SA "ate" the post even though I tried to save the draft.  So here it is, reconstructed and added on to.
Anyways, my second week off:  This started with a night away at an Inn along the Delaware River, about 20 miles away from home--not far but far enough to "get away."  The Inn has new owners so they were offering a special on the room rate...
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August 4
 
MM(23) got a job!
 
We never got around to ‘the talk’ and setting expectations with him.  Though it came up in passing that we expected him to take a job (any job) in September.  Was giving him 3 months to go full force on the job search.  But for the most part, ‘free room and board’ means taking any job in the interim.  We were adjusting our expectations re: the job market, and also MM(23)’s seemingly lackadaisical...
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We're in another heat wave here and I haven't ventured out much, so much so that today I was really getting stir crazy. So I got my first cone of the season. Mint chocolate chip, in case you were wondering.

It was not my first choice place to go, just over the hill at a working dairy farm less than a mile away. This one was in town, but it lacks the lines of the other place, which has received all kinds of awards and likely attracts folks from out of town because I drove by...
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Very glad the blogs are back. Not sure why they were down, but as Tabs said, it's nice to have them back and we do enjoy them for free. Like many have said, I feel like we are community or a group of friends who live away from each other.
I've blogged before about keeping things since we don't have a recycling program in our town or county. One of the items is cans from soup or baked beans or whatever. DH's daughter is going to get married and she said she wanted to have a rustic...
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Huzzah for our blogs being back! I would really hate to lose this community and the hundreds of blog posts I've done over the past 9 years or so...
Due to good cashflow I paid back everything we borrowed from the HELOC this year (not counting the $27K total borrowed over previous years that we're still carrying). We've got the boiler to pay for in September, so I'll definitely borrow from the HELOC again, but it's nice to have it even temporarily paid down!Net worth increased...
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Debts
Mortgage -$105,201.17 (-$773.85)Car Loan -$3,088.82 (-$642.98)HELOC -$2,653.21 (+$2,653.21)
Savings
Roth IRAs +$57,027(+$2,467)401K +$117,071 (+$6,574)Emergency Fund +$13,283 (+$241)Animal Fund +$1,543 (-$1,579)HSA +$1,979 (-$346)
Overall: +$6,120.62 (This is for May-July)
Got the windows replaced and paid the balance. Insurance is supposed to be mailing me a $ 4k-ish check tomorrow, which we will put in savings for now. This home improvement has seemed to jump-start...
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I just started jotting down some things in another place, not expecting the blogs to be down for so long. Catching up...
 
August 1
 
Frugal Things
MM(23) cut his own hair today.  He did a really good job. I guess my Dad lent him some fancy scissors.
 
MM(23) is definitely going for the whole Money Mustache thing.  While I enjoyed some of Money Mustache (put things into words that were in line with our own philosophy and beliefs) I personally never...
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July was amazing.  $4,000 in the green!  That was after posting how much in the red we have been all year.
 
What’s interesting was that it wasn’t a low-spend month whatsoever.  90% of the battle was not having any expensive emergencies.  Phew!  10% of the battle is being done with MM(23) college expenses.  That is an extra boost.
 
Will see what August brings.
 
I might have blogged more about July spending or numbers,...
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First of all, I just want to say how grateful I am to this site for providing a free blogging section.  Considering that I've gotten all kinds of benefit and joy out of it, and for the low, low price of free, I really can't complain at all.  Though if I am allowed to a bit, the blog section does freeze at times, sometimes for up to a week, where we can not read any individual entries.  Not sure what's going on, but for now, the blogs appear to be back.  Yay!
Net...
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Investments $2,275,677
Savings $7,682
Home Equity $152,000
July Net Worth $2,435,359
June Net Worth $2,454,261
Monthly Gain/Loss -$18,902
A little down for the month of July, but no biggie. Got a new position at work, with added supervisory responsibilities, but no pay raise yet. I hope this strategic move works out for me. 🤞🏾
 
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TM(21) is really into this 'rainbow sandwich' right now. It just needs some blue (but he doesn't like cheese.  & I mean, I saw some bright blue gouda cheese the other day at the store).  I just happened to walk by and it looked pretty.  Yes, that is a monkey plate.
 

The scones were *amazing*.  I might try another scone recipe today, to use up some expiring cream.  Very much an 'ingredients already on hand' recipe.
Edited to add:  Oh...
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I wasn't trying to get a perfect score but I sometimes wondered if it was attainable. So now I know it is. To summarize what I've done over the years, I accumulated about a dozen credit cards with over $100K of available credit on them while utilizing just 1 or 2% of that credit, and of course I always pay in full on time. I also paid off a recent car loan earlier this year so that installment credit also helped reinvigorate my credit history since I paid off my home mortgage...
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July 15
$95 Pizza
$30 Greek Food
$10 Euro Deli
MM(23) requested pizza & baklava, for his birthday.  He didn't want anything (non-food), and so I sent him $75 to buy some clothes.  He told me it was on his radar and he planned to go to the thrift shop.  
I found an Eastern European deli in our neighborhood but they did not have the baklava they had advertised at some point.  It was a million degrees and I was short on time, so I gave in and we went...
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July 12
$1 Free Fries
$116 Groceries
I noticed no other household spending (MH) the last several days.  Other than this grocery run.
I took my mom out, and got some french fries to supplement my lunch.  She really enjoys getting out of the house, and I felt much more comfortable with it this time.  We drove by all the places from my childhood.  All my schools are still there, but most the rest has been replaced with housing.
 
July 13
$70 Birthday...
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In my last entry, I mentioned that I was planning to take 2 weeks off the end of the month.  I've just finished the first week off (note, I wrote this on 7/26 but published it belatedly).  However, I did have a client meeting in the middle of it, which meant that I did spend at least a full day (three partial days) in the office in preparation for it.  My firm has an unlimited PTO policy, with the rule being that, for my position (since I am an associate, not a lead,...
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I just received an email telling me that Apple's subscription bundle is going up in price, from $38 to $40 a month.  Yeah, it seems like everything is going up in price these days.
To be fair, a $2 a month increase is not the end of the world, but I have also been working for months to migrate all my personal data from Apple's iCloud to my own local storage, because if I can save $40 a month, I would still like to do so.  So, I guess this latest price increase is all...
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If I get around to it, I will top off my 'tracking spending' posts through the 15th 18th, and maybe leave it at that.
Today I am in decluttering mode.  Trying to get rid of:
--4 Chairs (more to follow next week, when I can access)
--3 2 Bikes (note to self, might list next weekend)
--Swamp Cooler (I thought DL threw away the box so I couldn't return; have since found box)
--Electric Skillet
--Clock Radio
--Kids' Games (10)
--Laptop & CD Bags (FIL)
--Hodge Podge...
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July 11
NSD - across the household
I was preparing to go take care of my mom, and the schedule was switched on me at the last minute.  I ended up staying one extra day (that I hadn't planned for).
I was mostly dreading everything about this.  The last time I stayed with my mom was just after she was released from the hospital 2 years ago.  My Dad had a trip planned, that he refused to change.  My Dad isn't honest with himself about my mom's mental state,...
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Apparently the new working term is "No Waste Kitchen" and many people are jumping on the bandwagon to claim they have it.
Sadly, I do not. Of course I've tried to keep waste to a minimum. Since I've moved in the little town, recycling is nonexistent, although after seeing some stories, one has to wonder how much of the recycling stuff that is picked up at the curb or the bag bins at the grocery stores really are recycled, but I'll stop there as far as those topics.
I was raised...
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I just want to warn everyone in advance that this entry will put us uncomfortably close to politics again.
Though, the great irony is that I am personally a self-proclaimed Independent, who is willing to vote either side, depending on who is most qualified.  I've voted Republican before, and I've voted Democrat before as well.
In fact, I strongly believe that when you call for emergency services-- be it law enforcement, the fire department, or emergency medical services--...
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