Christmas for Eli and QQ — Done
Posted on October 21, 2013 by Ching under Toys, Wishlist.
Brian and I got PlasmaCars
Anyway, we only got one for QQ at first but then they actually work great for bigger kids as well (even I enjoyed riding around in it at the store) so we decided to get one for Eli also. We figured it would be more fun if they had two of them so they could race each other. Luckily they come in a variety of colors so we got a different color for the second PlasmaCar
After Brian assembled the cars, he took each of them for a spin. He just couldn’t resist. LOL. These things are so fun we even considered getting some for ourselves. Seriously. Who knows. Maybe Santa will get us each our own PlasmaCars
Santa, if you’re reading this, I would like the Zumba green and purple PlasmaCar
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Bamboo Memory Foam Pillow
Posted on October 20, 2013 by Ching under Shopping.
I’m sharing the link with everyone in case you missed these awesome pillows at Holiday Galleria.
The bamboo memory foam pillows came highly recommended by the Egyptian cotton sheets guy. I had missed out on these awesome sheets earlier this year at the Women’s Fair, but I had mentioned them to Brian. I didn’t want to miss out on them again so I made sure to buy a set. I wanted to get a couple of pillows also, specially since the sheets guy said they were the best, but Brian vetoed the purchase. He figured that I was getting a little “shopping happy” because of the margaritas. They are really awesome, though. Just ask the Junior League women. Seriously. I bet every single one of them got some. Just like they all have several sets of the soft Egyptian cotton sheets.
Anyway, the pillows came up in my email via Living Social. This was my chance. I didn’t want to miss out on them again so I grabbed a couple of king sized ones.
The deal is amazing — 71% OFF the regular price. I think the price is even better than the Holiday Galleria price. If you want to get some extras, this is your chance. The deal is only going on for 22 more days.
You may not see this deal again. Don’t miss out!
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Budget Time
Posted on October 20, 2013 by Ching under Money, Tips.
It’s that time of the year. Whenever we start talking budgets at work, that’s our cue to do start working on our household budget also. Brian and I sat down and did our 2014 budget the other day. Hopefully we’ll actually stick to it next year.
We’ve had to deviate from our budget over the last couple of years. We planned on paying off my student loan by end of 2012 but got derailed and didn’t actually make the last payment until the beginning of 2013. Buying a house brings with it some additional expenses, which we expected, but didn’t really budget for in 2012 because we originally planned on waiting until our lease expired in May 2013. We were supposed to pay off my student loan first, then buy a house once our lease was up. We just ended up doing it backwards. Things didn’t quite go according to plan, but it all worked out in the end.
We wanted to put 20% down on our house last year but we closed on our house on our 10th wedding anniversary, which was a couple of months before our CD at Intrust Bank matured. It makes me sick that we’ve had to pay PMI over the last year so Brian and I and promised each other that as soon as we found a good time to do it we’d make a principal payment that will drop our mortgage balance enough so that we wouldn’t have to pay PMI anymore. I’m so happy that we finally made that payment the other day so I’m looking forward to slightly lower mortgage payments each month going forward. Hurrah!
For 2014 we’ve had to tighten the budget a little because we’ve got a couple of things that we’re saving for — a new car for me, which I plan on paying cash for in 2018, and down payment for our next house in 2016. That means no extravagant vacations and frivolous purchases over the next few years.
Brian thinks I have a shopping problem and I agree that I have a difficult time passing up a good deal but I think we can do it. We’ve tightened out belts before (when we were paying off all of our credit card debts eight years ago) and we got through it. We were actually completely debt-free within a couple of years. So I am completely positive that we can do this.
Anyway, I highly recommend sitting down once a year to create a budget if you’re not already doing this. Brian and I have done this over the last few years and it has really worked well for us. We set pretty high goals for ourselves so even when we don’t quite make it (such as in the last couple of years) we’re still in great shape.
Our annual budget gives us a good road map to follow for the coming year so we’re not all over the place. Having a plan also allows me to look forward to the coming year with less apprehension and much more peace of mind. This may not work for everyone but it works for us. So come up with a plan, stay focused on your goals, and best of luck to you in the coming year!
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This Car Hates Me
Posted on October 17, 2013 by Ching under Life.
I drove one of our electric vehicles to Topeka the other day. When I got to about El Dorado, I got a TPS alert. The right passenger tire had low tire pressure.
I know that QT has free air so I called Brian and asked if there were any QTs between where I was and Topeka. No such luck. He did tell me that there’s free air at the Matfield Green service area, though.
I parked the car with the tire that needs air closes to the air compressor. I don’t think I did it right at first because the tire pressure actually went down instead of up. I tried again, making sure that the hose was securely fastened to the valve. It worked that time. Except, now the car wanted air in the other front tire. Yup. That’s my luck.
Although I had to wrestle with the hose to get it to reach the other side of the car, I was able to inflate the other tire without any problems. And, I got to Topeka and back home safely. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Chevy Volt hates me.
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Children First Fundraising Event
Posted on October 13, 2013 by Ching under Events.
Suzanne, Misty, Brian, and I had a blast at the Children First fundraising event at Loft 150 tonight. Thank you so much to Suzanne for the invitation and tickets.
Annie Up performed. I’d never seen these guys perform before. They’re actually pretty good. I may try to catch them again at one of their future gigs.
You’ll be able to catch Annie Up at the Kansas Star Casino on Thursday, October 17; Oeno on Friday, October 18; Port of Wichita on Friday, October 19; Botanica on Friday, October 25; and Boo and Brew on Saturday, October 26.
Visit the Annie Up web site for more gig info. To donate to Children First, click here or visit the Children First web site.
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