I had an epiphany tonight: husband’s online gaming habit is just a big social network for nerds. You join a service, add your friends to your list and then meet up to game together. You can see when others come online and what they’re doing (only instead of what quizzes they’re taking it’s what games they’re playing). Spouse, you belong to video game facebook.

As long as I’m on the subject of social networking, here’s a question: is it better for a business to eschew the whole social networking thing or to establish the absolute minimum (as in, a username, with no additional information, profile, whatever) and never update anything? I think it’s worse to jump in unless you actually care enough to keep up with it and actually use it to market the business, keep in contact with customers, get people excited about your product or service. But I was also very late to the whole social networking thing anyway. Am I way off here? Would you rather have a business have a myspace/facebook/twitter/whatever page and never do anything with it? or just not have one at all?

Well, I am not at work. But it’s not another fun day. Stormy outside and I have a headache and sore throat and sniffles. Am staying away from the office so I do not infect the co-workers. Sleep and tea are my agenda for the day.

Friday night: friends, food and games. Need I say more?

Sabbath: got to see my stepbrother, his wife (who made awesome Thai food) and my stepsister. Also, went to the park with Burtmiah and his adorable daughters. Saturday night, I went hot tubbing with the husband.

Sunday: Slept in until 8 a.m. Ate waffles, took V to Petco to look at the animals (and got Percy an awesome raised X-shaped cat scratcher). Husband grilled us burgers for lunch, then I raked leaves and we headed for the park with V. Hung out with Brooke, Mike and Madeline and got a (decaf) mocha at the Patisserie to boot. (OK, so I stole some of the spouse’s gelato, too.) After that, scored two pairs of shoes for me and a sweater for V at Goodwill.

All in all, an awesome weekend, though it would be even more awesome if I had tomorrow off work so we could spend another day hanging out, going for walks, and building block towers for the baby girl to knock down.

Prius, you have been replaced.

Bankrate has given approval for my only (listed in the article, at least) vice. I celebrated by getting a double chocolate mocha at Dutch Bros. on $2 Tuesday. ?With my birthday gift cash from the nephews.

And I only buy coffee every week or two so that makes it better, right? I absolutely won’t think about how much more I could put in my IRA if I didn’t buy that coffee. Because Bankrate has given me permission to buy the coffee.

Between V’s waking up three or four times a night and my inability to get to sleep and go back to sleep once she finally does, I feel like a zombie. (Dare I say that among you L4Ders?)
My coffee is only half decaf today.

We tried out this curry for V a week or so ago and I thought I would share it. The spouse says it has potential, but was not amazing as it was. I tripled the amount of liquid it called for, but it was still pretty dry. Still, it’s a good use for lentils, which I have a hard time finding interesting ways to prepare. And if I spice it up enough next time, we adults will enjoy it more. Maybe I’ll try it for an upcoming curry night? (Meaning, who wants to have a curry night some time?)

Curry
8oz (1 cup) red lentils
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 sweet potato, peeled and diced.
8oz (1 cup) butternut squash, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (I used ginger powder, but the fresh ginger would be punchier)
6 fl oz (3/4 cup) coconut milk (I used a full can of coconut milk and a little water too. When I make this again, I’ll use two cans of coconut milk and a little water)
8oz (approx 1 cup) broccoli florets
pinch cumin (a pinch of each of the spices was not nearly enough, be generous/spice to taste)
pinch turmeric
pinch paprika

Saute the onion in a little oil until golden.
Stir in the sweet potato, squash, ginger and finally the coconut milk.
Stir over a medium heat for a few minutes, then add the lentils, broccoli and spices.
Simmer very gently for 45 mins, stirring from time to time.
Serve alone, or with rice.

This morning we said goodbye to our first car we purchased together: our 1985 Honda Accord. She is going to a good home where someone will tinker until she is running well and then she will be someone else’s first car.

I think that’s an outcome I can be happy about.

I am trying to come up with creative budget ideas to bring back some measure of excitement to the budgeting process. Since no one is getting raises this year, there is no new money to inject. Someone should tell Pacific Power that, since they want to increase our rates 4-5% even though the upped them 8% last year. That already ate up the slight raise I got from changing jobs several months ago. (Yes, I whine.)

There is also discussion of a new (or newer) car. This means that I’m currently trying to come up with creative ways to find more money in the current budget. Since the car discussion can take months of research (we’re tediously thorough and I’m still holding out hope that the government will throw out some cash-for-clunkers initiative from which I can benefit), I have some time to ruminate on this. Of course, the actual funds available will also affect what vehicles we’re looking at. I’m drooling over the new Prius, but more realistically looking into used vehicles up to eight-ish years old.

Then we have the plain old annual budget review. When I bemoan that we cannot max out our 401(k)s and the IRA contribution (not even in my fantasies, which I no longer bother preparing an Excel spreadsheet for because it’s depressing). When I have to chide myself for overspending on groceries and dining for months. When I chide the husband for digging Ted Personal even more into the hole than it was last year. Sigh. At least my personal savings has increased this year: I don’t usually have time to go to coffee so I save at least $3 a week.

I think we need a drastic overhaul of the budget and the budget process to shock the system like a hot tub on extra chemicals (that simile was for you, spouse).

So tell me, oh internets, what is your favorite budget (or spending plan) idea? What works for you? What doesn’t work for you? What money saving tips do you have? Do you budget? Do you hate budgets?

OK, stats, since I promised them two days ago. At nine months, Veronica’s stats are as follows:

Weight: 17 lbs, 13 oz. (32nd percentile)

Length: 28 inches (67th percentile) (that means I get to start shopping for a new car seat, because she’s about to outgrow hers)

Head circumference: 16.5 inches (6th percentile)

Well, no one can say Veronica has a big head. Maybe that joke is getting old now. Good night.