Brooklyn Girl's Personal Finance Blog

At the time when food prices are going up and up, this is one of the last undiscovered bargains.



And this is the price in a pricey NYC supermarket, in the loose grain/nuts/granola sections. Without packaging, even organic grains are very cheap.

And steel cut oatmeal is very healthy -- high in soluble and insoluble fiber, iron, contains protein, lowers your cholesterol, unprocessed food. And $1.60 can provide more than 10 2 people portions, making the price about 8 cents per breakfast. (you can't cook less than 2 people portion in the rice cooker, does not come out well). I don't know the price of an apple in your location, but those are generally cheap too, and 1 baked apple mashed in to the oatmeal provides plenty of sweetness for 2 people.

Downside -- if you don't know how to make it in your rice cooker, making steel-cut oats is time consuming. I have a Zojirushi so I just set it (with a sliced apple, that bakes up nicely for natural sweetener) and it makes it for me perfectly, to be ready at a time of my choosing.

in August we have
-- Geico semi-annual bill due $980
-- DH life insurance annual bill $800+
-- I bought LO bunch of fall clothing
-- Wedding, birthday, friends visit
-- Credit cards due from our July-long trip to Asia
(that's a big one)
-- And we bought a 50" 3D tv (not an impulse, we were thinking about it for a while, and had our 26" for the last 5 years), we got an apple TV too, together totaling $1,400

wow.
I did not keep track of expenses but I know we are over by a lot.

I will definitely track and try to stay within the budget in September!

Recent article got me thinking about it. There is a lot of grey area here. (I'm not yelling, but using quotes in a title screws up post formating, so I had to use caps).

Sure, a trip to Hawaii and premium channels are a want. But in so many categories it is so much less clear.

The "health and safety" criteria still leaves a lot of things open to interpretation. Even things like diapers. Clearly a need? Well, it does not pass the "health and safety" test. If you think of it, it is clearly about convenience. When I was a baby, many mothers washed and boiled cotton diaper inserts after the baby went to sleep. And what did women do during their period before this century? So, it can be done. It is just WE REALLY DON'T WANT TO. So we just consider it a need.

But is it? Than everything we just really unwilling to do constitutes a need. And if we couldn't get our budget to balance, we still would not cut those things, because they are "needs". People would not cut similar conveniences to not add debt. But, if you were in a developing country and your choice was not "debt vs convenience" but "your child crying from hunger vs. such convenience" you would do it!
It is just one example, I'm trying to show that we all think of things we want and things that we are used to as needs. No one is immune from it.

Shelter -- is a need. But living in the neighbourhood you want and having a room for every child? You might feel strongly about it, but how much of it is a need?

Food is a need. Is healthy food a need? To what degree? Is organic food for a child a need? After you read about farmed fish practices, or allowed pesticide use you might feel that way, but others might argue on this point.

The list goes on and on. It is so subjective that it is impossible to separate your budget into needs and wants. So most budgets are about what you personally want, what you find important. and "need vs. want" budget allocation is mostly moot.

After cleaning up the fridge I was about to be done, when I knocked over a container of pickles, filled to the top with pickles and brine! It was one of those plastic ones (not the ones you fill yourself, it came sealed in one, and it had a strange lid and it did not stay on well).

Pickle juice went everywhere and there was a puddle of it on the bottom.
There was like a liter of that stuff all over the fridge! And, of course, it smells.

So after I was done I had to start all over again, using up a roll of Bounty and almost entire container of Clorox wipes, and most importantly my time until 2 am. I had to clorox few times every surface and nook, disassemble every part, take out every drawer and wash it with dishwasher liquid in the sink, dry it...

I had to toss organic veggies from the lower drawers -- otherwise the smell would have remained.

Now I am exhausted and behind schedule on other cleaning I was going to do since I don't have the baby tonight.

No rest.

My fridge now:

I'm stocking up for the season ahead. Here are my finds for today.




Columbia fleece jacket $19.93


Matching Columbia mittens (same color as jacket) $9.93


Matching Columbia hat $12.93


Pants that I think will work nice with the jacket.
$14.93


Life is Good thermal top $7.83

I got all of these at REI outlet -- is a nice place to check out for sales on quality brands.

Yesterday was a wedding of a good friend.

We gave pretty close to the minimum - $300

Today we went out for lunch with 2 friends visiting from florida - $120
We treated them, I wanted to thank him for doing me a favor a while back.

And today, we are going out to dinner for my MIL 60th birthday (she chose a very reasonable restaurant that she knows WE like, where for 3 of us it will be less than $100). I wonder if this is so that we don't have to spend much.

She also wants to buy herself hiking shoes (I want to buy them for her).

But these are things I am glad we are able to do. Activities with friends (good people that we like and respect, not just random hang-out buddies) are not among the things I want to cut. And I'm glad that minding our money enables us to do this.

I bought a comforter for my baby from Scandia down, but it is not a standard size, so I have to have the cover custom made.

I'm looking at some fabrics, and thinking which ones to choose. They are all organic cotton, so it is just about the design. Too many choices.

I thought I'd put it to the vote here:

I'm back after my 31 day trip and adjusting. I've been home a week. I want to do more things and am ok spending on things we appreciate and make us happier.

I also have set a record not eating out -- a whole week we did not go out except for lunches at work. That is very atypical.

I will try now to go out only when we want to go out and know will fully enjoy it, not going out just to get out of the house or not make dinner. We are still free to do it, we are just being more selective. So I don't feel it is a sacrifice or that I'm depriving myself of anything. On the contrary, we will enjoy when we go and will have more to spend freely on things we like more. Oh, and I am making quality meals with first-grade healthy ingredients. That is one of the main benefits.

Today though, I am alone, so I just made a very basic meal with one left over lamb chop and whatever I found left in a fridge.

It took 5 minutes, not any more than it would have taken to buy Chipotle on the way home.
So I'm keeping it up and it is easier than I thought.

I've been away for 22 days now. First Japan, than studying in Nanjing, but coming to Shanghai for weekends -- Shanghai is much more fun.

I've been spending a lot. Not even keeping track. Having new experiences. I think being in a foreign country for an extended period of time does change how you act, think, and feel in some ways. And now I'm remembering all of that. It is difficult to put into words.... maybe when I have some time.

Funding my "shopping in Japan fund"....

I cashed in my cashback bonus from Discover and Chase freedom, it was $842 between the 2 of them.
And tomorrow I'll try to drop off a bag of coins in the TD Bank penny arcade.

Dave Ramsey would say that no one got to be a millionaire on credit card rewards. Maybe not, but this money is nothing to sneeze at.

Because Kyoto did not have a Marriott, and we already re-financed our mortgage and can take a slight dip in a credit score, we opened a Hyatt CC and got 2 certificates for free night (these initial certificates are valid for any category, unlike the yearly ones that have limitations).

But, the Hyatt in Kyoto is only $240 a night, and it may seem like we are not maximizing the value of the certificates.
Perhaps we should hold them (they expire in one year) for something more expensive?
But that would compel us to another vacation (which we would probably take anyway, but this may influence our choice of destination).

The optimal use would be Maldives, but we can't there go on this trip to Asia, and it is too far and air fare too expensive to go from US this year, since we are already flying to 5 destinations for 7 total weeks of leave by August...

Perhaps Hyatt in Beaver Creek (near Vail). Ski season prices are around $580 per night. We would go somewhere during the ski season, I just was not sure it will be Colorado again.
On the other hand we could save the money now if we paid only for 1 night instead of 3. I am not sure what is a better strategy overall.

I'm researching pearls, as I really want to pick up something in Japan of nice value to enjoy and keep in the family to pass down. Japanese pearls are really high quality, but the jewelry is also artistic and imaginative, unlike pearl jewelry I see here.

I can't afford or justify this piece, but I just wanted to share it with you:

!
amazing

These are "transformer" jewelry - they can be worn several different ways and fit beautifully and so perfectly. I have a Japanese friend that has this one:





another example.


I love the concept.

Creative and beautiful:



I have my eye on this one:




It does not obligate you to an evening gown, it can be worn with most outfits and I think it is lovely.

More:







So intricate and delicate...

All of these are Tasaki, another famous Japanese brand. I want to see these in person in Tasaki flagship store in Tokyo. I'll also go to Mikimoto Pearl Island where Mikimoto pears are produced and sold at the best price. But I know I will see so much beauty I can't take home. It is like visiting a museum in a way. These things are art.

Which one do you think is the most beautiful?

Spur of the moment 5 day weekend kind of thing -- Friday after work (not this Friday) I'm off to the airport, and 2.5 hours later in Savannah Georgia for a romantic weekend with DH. On Monday we'll come back to Augusta where he is working for 2 weeks.

I just could not pass up staying in this hotel for $12 a night (that's the difference between what the employer is paying for DH's hotel expence and its actual cost. I have a weakness for luxury hotels.
















The spa is gorgeous too:





but I don't think I'll be using it at those prices. I thought about it, but the thing that put me off is that they not only mension that they put 22% gratuity on my bill for convenice, but that the ADDITIONAL gratuity is at your discretion, really making it sound like it is expected and you will look like a cheepskate if you don't tip on top of the 22%. Do the math on a $200 facial...)

DH is not working on a weekend, but it is cheaper for his employer to pay for his hotel than fly him home and than fly him back.

My ticket was $308, but we applied for a Delta credit card for their special offer of 75,000 miles and they also are giving $100 off a Delta purchase in the first 3 months, so it brings the ticket down to $208.

Taxi to the airport - $0, I recently discovered a free traffic proof way to LGA - since I have a metronorth pass already, I can go to a Harlem stop (past manhattan traffic) and from there take a public bus that only has 2 stops before going express to the airport. With only carry-on bag it will be easy.

It is not easy, but we are getting better at making our schedules and errands work with baby's play and schedule.

Last three days:
Saturday we needed to run errands and we went to a little town. I took baby around the town and to his favorite toy shop that has a toy railroad installed. We played there for free while DH went to the post office and to pick up his glasses.

On Sunday we went for brunch in Williamsburg with our friends. We arranged for flexible schedule and left after baby's nap. We had fun seeing our friends and having lunch outdoors, like people who have houses do. Brunch place:


And Monday, DH had an offer to make $125 for doing a focus group after work. It started at 7, so there was no way he could do it if he had to wait until I get home and take the baby, and we had no other arrangements available.

But we worked it out - he drove the baby to my office at 6 p.m., and I took the little one to see Grand Central and we came home on a train while DH did the group. It was an adventure for the baby, he was fascinated by Grand Central and loved looking out of the train window when we rode home.

So with the extra money DH made today I bought this:


for our balcony herb garden. I will put herb planters on all of these shelves and always have fresh herbs available with no waste.


I still managed to make dinner:




Black sea bass in lemon mango cream sause (I know pasta is not very nutritious, but I simply had no time to make brown rice last night).

Today we are invited for dinner at our friends house. Baby is coming along, he will get to explore new space.

I believe it is not only good for us to do these things, but it is also good for him.

So, we are managing to have a life even with our monster commutes and 2 full time jobs and a baby. Now if only we could manage to get enough sleep.

Since we are going to Asia, I would like to save money to be able to buy something really nice there.

1. We'll be in Japan, so I will make a day trip from Kyoto to Toba and visit Mikkimoto Pearl Island and buy some definitely authentic, high-quality Japanese pearl jewelry directly from the sourse (with substancial savings). Also seems a great opportunity to pick up nice gifts for mom and mother in law.

2. I want a nice piece of asian art for our apartment, and want to have some money allocated for this in case I happen to see one.

3. My skinny husband can pick up some good quality clothig at a nice price while there. He has trouble with clothing in the US, as anything with his neck size tends to be made for someone 40 pounds heavier.

I like unique/unusual things, and when there is a place and memory attached to them, even better. Plus, there is an allure to having something that is not sold where you are.

For the first time in my life I'll be flying in Business Elite (there is no first on international flights, this is the top level) and I will be in a fully flat bed -- the seat reclines to 180 degree flat. This is like a dream.

My husband will be flying in coach -- but I'll trade with him for few hours so that he can stretch out and rest in my bed and I'll go read something in his seat. It is more economical but still pretty cool.

I'll be spending 6 days in Japan and 25 days in China. I'm making plans on where I want to go and what to see and where to stay on days I don't have class. Last time I was in Japan was 10 years ago, so I don't remember much.

It is my 6th trip to China (2 weeks, 10 days, 7-8 months, 1 month, 1 month) but everything in China changes so quickly, it is like arriving to a new place each time.

I'm just nervous about not seeing the baby for that long. The longest I've ever been away is 1 week.

When my baby was in a toy store he loved a railroad with complex network of wooden rails, structures, trains, all secured on a special table. He kept returning and playing with it. A mom that was there said that her son has one and it is one of the toys he plays with a lot. (they were there buying another train).

I inquired about the cost and was told that the table alone is $400. Ouch! I would not be buying that (together with the tracks, structures and trains it would run up to a stratospheric price).

But I looked on craigslist and found one seller with a large set of all of that stuff. The seller about 40 minutes and $30 in tolls and gas away from the city, but my husband goes that way anyway for work, it would only be a short detour. So I made an offer to the seller (20% less than his asking price, which I think is reasonable). I am hoping that no one offers more and that I will get it. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I finally got what I had my eye on for a while. Why did I decide to take the plunge? I finally saw it at the price I liked and I did not have to pay any more for a nice color. This is the one I got:



Bloomingdales had it on sale for $269, -$45 gift card I had, -10% off coupon, I got it for $219 before tax.

Plus, I bought it through Discover shopping, so I will get 5% cash back, bringing the total to $209.

Plus, DH says there is a rebate for a FREE grinder attachment with mixer purchase or a glass bowl (I'll get the grinder, to make sure I have fresh ground meat without any additives).

The tax was $21.57 -- Amazon charges tax in NY too, and it is $350 on their website.

I think it was a good deal for this mixer, in this color, and with a grinder attachment too!

I'll start making stuff like fresh baguettes, scones, butter and buttermilk, baked products. I'm also considering an ice cream or a pasta attachments.

What is your favorite recipe for KitchenAid mixer?

My mom came over to stay overnight with the baby and DH and I went out and stayed at the hotel.

We had nice "us" time and baby and my mom had a great time too.

Friday
$21.63 tip and tax for dinner - $82 dinner was from $39 groupon I bought few months ago. It was nice.
$21.50 movie tickets to Hunger Games
$25.78 Drinks and wings snack at Buffalo wild wings
$0 Marriott (free night certificate)
$14 Hotel parking

Today
$4 hotel tip
$29 Breakfast (2 paninis and large latte) and a loaf from Panera bread.
$2.50 street parking
$53 -- 3 toys for baby, snack, bottled water
$64 Swiffer wets, box of clorax wipes and $51 for $60 worth of itunes cards (we did not need one right now, but it was 20% off and I know we will use them.
$14 two drinks
$20.62 baby wipes
$37.39 diapers
$24.58 - charger for DHs work laptop. His old one broke and he is about to go on a business trip. Why wouldn't his work replace it, you might ask? They would. But to drive to work costs $35 in just gas and tolls, so replacing it ourselves is cheaper.

Today again I had to shop for groceries in Manhattan during lunch. While there is a huge selection of imported less perishable goods -- from Italian prosciutto, to cheeses from every corner of the world, basic things like fresh meat and fish are a challenge to buy. Why? They are not very fresh. These are very perishable items that simply don't have good turn over. One would assume this is due to high prices, but I think in reality it is due to lack of freshness. The store will resist discarding it to the last. And consumers won't buy it in the future because in their mind the store has proved itself not trustworthy when it comes to these items. So the turnover is even less, and meat is even less fresh. It is a vicious cycle.

So where do you go looking for something better? Try a truly Japanese grocery. They do appreciate freshness in food, and surprisingly, are often cheaper than Korean Groceries.

My grocery shopping for today:

$3.88 Yaki soba (fresh noodle with yaki sause) -- you prepare it in a flying pan with a bit of water.
$0.99 Tofu
$5.88 some thinly sliced pork (it looked better than any other store in the area).
$2.38 (impulse purchase) Tiny 150gram jar of Kimchi from Korea (I've decided to give it a try because I love good kimchi but yet to find one in store). So thinking that maybe this expensive one will be good.
I'll toss the noodles with the sause, some vegetable, some tofu, and a little meat. There are at least 2 family meals and some leftovers in this.
$1.58 Green tea, unsweetened. It was an impulse purchase, and afternoon treat.

So in total $14.71 for groceries

And my lunch at a nearby Japanese noodle shop:

Spicy pork broth noodles: $8.66 (7.95 + tax)


Other expenses:
$2.82 Almond croissant in the morning
$20 KVS availability tool -- we are trying to find a low milage award to Asia this summer.
$10 Living Social deal -- Time Out New York for Kids 2 year subscription
$2 doorman tip

I'll try to buy some fruit or berries (if anything looks good) for the baby on my way home and than update the post.

$4.74 breakfast - small almond croissant and coffee

$17.60 lunch:
$8 for a sandwich (juicy porkbelly on crusty fresh bread with cilantro, pickled pear, pickled carrots and spicy sauce.
$3.50 -- big splurge for fresh watermelon juice. I was tired of water and green unsweetened tea, and this seemed to be the healthiest sweet drink option. and
$5 for a large spicy lentil soup with a trace of pickled vegetables.

The soup I got was for supper. We had no chance to get groceries since we came back from Florida. To go shopping in our area is at least 20 min driving each way, and I did not want to expose baby to that on the days he already rides 2 hrs to and from daycare.

$2.5 baguette
$3.78 1 orange and one mango (not even organic)

It was a right decision to buy soup, since it turns out we couldn't have gone anywhere - to eat out or to shop for groceries - as soon as we drove up to the house the baby threw up in the car. A LOT. It took a while to wash him up, calm him down, hold him until he felt better, than wash the car seat cover, the car seat and belt itself, his clothing. Cooked some "safe" neutral food -- buckwheat kasha on milk for the little one... But I'm glad he felt better and ate it -- I was worried because it is not usual for him to throw up. Especially that much!

one more expense after I made the post - $5 for a $10 starbucks card from Google offers. (I think it is like Groupon). It was a very clever tactic. If they had just offered me $5 to sign up I probably would have passed, but there was something about a $10 starbucks card that was emotionally more appealing.

This time I won't give up after the first 4 days.

I will post it here, so that I am accountable for continuing to do it the whole month. If I stop, you guys can call me on it. If you guys want to join me in this challenge, I'll do the same for you.

To catch up, here are the first few days:

Apr-01
baggage handlers tips $15


Apr-02
breakfast $4.74
metronorth one ride card $7.50
lunch $17.00 (that was in connection with Groupon and also provided dinner for next day)
pasteis de Nata $9.00
rail pass $178.00
Korean bbq $56
Milk and spinach $12.00
new headphones (2 pairs) $56.00
water filters $27.21


Apr-03
almond croissant $2.82
lunch $10.80
3 scalops for baby $7.5
DH lunch $6.5

So now I'll be in first class with a 17 month old baby. I'll be the person everyone will hate because the baby will probably cry as he does not know how to equalize his ears. I don't know how we will get through this whole trip and to enjoy it.

Tonn of packing to do now, laundry, cleaning up... stuff at work tomorrow. The day before the vacation is always stressful. At least, normally, when we start vacation we relax. This time, I don't have a clue of how things will be. I'm so sleepy.

Our new mortgage payments start in March. And since they start on the first, our bi-weekly mortgage will hit 3 times this month. That, in combination with maintenance (that has fuel assessment spread out over 4 months at $250 a month) is brining our March housing payment to 4K. Ouch.

An important EF milestone -- 6 months of take-home salary saved outside retirement accounts.

It took a long time, but man, it is nice to get there.

It takes 1 hour, and the best thing is I'll be doing it during my lunch break, so I'm not wasting any time that can be spend with my family and I'll be paid exactly $75 per hour.

From what I understand, I'll be hooked up to the EEG to monitor my brain response while they show me some multimedia (I assume commercials or something). Should be interesting.

The money will go into my ipad3 challenge.

I was going to open a Chase Freedom Card for rewards. I was going to get it mainly because they were tempting me with $300 for opening bonus, but I was also going to use it for reward categories.

But I had to wait many months to do it - I was in a middle of a refinance and did not want a chance of a new credit application messing up my refi rate.

Now, after we closed on a refi, I called to apply, but the offer has expired. The best they offered me was $100. I guess they got too fed up with people who took advantage by opening multiple cards, collecting over $1,000 and than closing them, so they are no longer so generous, even to perfect credit potential customers.

I declined opening it for $100. Not worth it.

So today, while baby stayed with MIL, I went to Manhattan to Saks to return one of the gifts I got for Christmas. It was a set of a hand wash and a body wash. It was $75, so with tax I got back $81.66! Not that I did not like it, but that is a bit much for a body wash, even for a very good one.

Unfortunately, it was past 30 days so I only got credit. I'll have to find something to buy in Saks for a relatively small amount.

Now, I don't think I saved much money, because I had lunch and dinner in Manhattan and enjoyed my very rare day of solitude.

I also bought few things in Bloomingdales, but that was using another gift card I got for Christmas. Got home late, did not do much in the house.

.

It sold it on ebay, with "buy it now" for $370. It sold in one day! We had a 7 day return policy, so today a week has passed since the buyer has picked it up (took her like 3 weeks, I was starting to worry!), and we can consider it officially sold!

(-$20 shipping, paypal and ebay fees.) Take home will be, I'm guessing, about $330?

Once everything clears we'll add the money to an.... ipad fund. Yep, thats right. I'm pretty sure I'll want ipad 3. We sold our iPad 1 before 3 comes out (the value of ipad one will be less after that). But man, it kept its value pretty well.

But I am determined to fund it from the "extra" "challenge" money, meaning not the money that come from our regular salary, I feel to guilty about that.

Once we buy the 3, DH will take my 2.