• Course that savings is now spent on a new window A/C unit #
• In other good news though, I saved $63.72 at the grocery store today by buying what was on sale and using my coupons. #money #finance #
• High today, 100 degrees. Right now, 98 degrees with a real feel of 106 degrees. I don't care who ya are, that's shitty. #heat #
• Every Lowes, Home Depot, and Wal-mart is sold out of A/C units. But SEARS came through. Picking it up in a little while. #sears #heat #
• Dad's truck is broken down again, and the A/C downstairs is broken. Trying to find a window unit somewhere in the vicinity. #
• fkalfjealk jkflae; jkl;f jakl;f ajkea; wjkf;awe fjka;jkle; #
• Trying to explain someone who believes they are always right, better luck talking to a brick wall. Sweet vindication when proven wrong #
• aka he actually stops his leaks! #
• Where's Harry Stamper when you need him? – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-FjQuZ2w2Q #bpsucks #bpoil #oilleak #gulf #
• Claim your unclaimed money/cash on this free search site (from Real Simple mag) http://www.missingmoney.com #money #
• RT: @cdiaz: "http://tinyurl.com/2b3pnnr" MO finally returns infant to couple, after taking it away only b/c they are blind #
• I'm exhausted dealing with hospitals this year. And no where near done yet. #
• http://twitpic.com/27bp8w #
• http://twitpic.com/27bbq4 #
• Watching the skater-frenzy at @Pitcrew207 for some guy I don't know. #skaters #
• Link from @sethglass, people having shitty days on @twitter: http://shittyday.simurai.com/ #twitter #shittyday #
• Semi-good news, new starter solenoid on dads truck got it started, not sure if it's what is causing it to konk out while driving tho #
• Off tomorrow so dad can get a colonoscopy done. Gonna be a rough day for him today while he takes "the juice". #
• 3 days and $200 to go. Support my friend and very talented local artist @markburrier – http://bit.ly/cOrCxL #art #
• Rest in peace cousin Kevin, where there is no more pain #
• Glad I went to Bombay Grill Fri night for dinner, had no idea it was closing up today :/ #frederick #
• New Blog: Life Updates for Summer 2010 – http://crystalgroves.net/life-updates-for-summer-2010/ #blog #
• Best place to buy baskets in various sizes: Go! #baskets #

I’ve noticed recently that dad has taken it upon himself, without any sort of prodding from me, to start paying double on his Tractor Supply account (his largest account with the most ridiculous interest rate). He still spends money on this account for feed for the animals and occasional odds and ends, but the money he pays back onto this account covers that -and- his minimum payment.

So, slowly but surely he is actually reducing the amount of money on that account all on his own. This is a very good thing, and I am proud.

I’m sure it helps that he no longer has to go the wound-care center, which was costing $112/month in treatments + $50/week in gas, approximately.

He is making an effort, and making small progress. That is what counts. Now if only I could curb some of his spending But one step at a time.

In other news, I got a surprising rebate today from my USAA card of almost $50. Hey, free $50 automatically placed onto debt repayments. I like this idea.

I’ve also noticed I am anxiously awaiting my bi-yearly auto-insurance bill. In fact I’ve been quite impatient about it, checking every day HOPING(??!) I can go ahead and send the money in that I saved up over the last 6 months. I started doing that 2 years ago and it saves me quite a bit of money paying the entire 6 months at once rather than each much individually. I just round up what they normally charge me and divide it by 6. That’s my payment to myself every month. After 6 months, I just send them a check with that money. Any excess (usually $50 or so) is usually placed towards any other debt or savings available. No stress, no worry.

To think in 2003 I let my car insurance lapse because I didn’t have the money to pay it that month. And it cost $150 extra to get it back on. Blah.

• Pondering a dinner with my new black cherry vinegar from @OilVinegar214. Had to sip it this morning it was so wonderful. #
• Dad's truck broke down again. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it, but he currently is without transportation. :/ #
• Twitter and facebook cookies, cute – http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/2010/07/facebooktwitter-cookies.html #fb #
• Direct link to their site: http://www.loveoliveoilvinegar.com/ #vinegar #oliveoil #food #
• I visited Lebherz Olive Oil and Vinegar Emporium today. Their vinegars are fuckin amazing. Black Cherry, Blueberry http://bit.ly/bXqcF7 #
• Yes, I saw the man in the all red spiderman-esque outfit roaming the streets of Frederick this evening. Awesome advertising #maninred #
• I hope Google calendar eventually works on the calendar embedding abilities more. It has a lot of potential but is pretty stuck #google #
• Here's a schedule for 2010 for some different states: http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/sales-tax-holiday-schedule.html #taxfree #
• Maryland Sales Tax Holiday this year is: August 8th-14th. Includes clothing and footwear up to $100/item. #taxfree #taxes #maryland #
• I was not up for the earthquake, felt nothing, knew nothing till Twitter this a.m. #quakeageddon #
• BP says no more oil is leaking into the Gulf, still more work to do tho: http://yhoo.it/aFCjUs #bpsucks #gulfspill #bpoil #
• NES on Violin, but of COURSE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42fsPaAkcag&feature=popular #mario #nintendo #
• Thank you @107designs for being uber and mighty and fast with a perfect answer to my problem http://www.pixlr.com! #
• Alright intarwebs. Free image editing software other than paint that is like photoshop. I have to do a tutorial w/something free #webdev #
• Having trouble sleeping this week, so I'm up to do some work to keep me occupied. #
• Maybe I should only date men who wear @oldspice like @IsaiahMustafa. #
• Some days I wish I didn't have to deal with people. #
• The downside of making sites all day at work, coming home and having no desire to work on your own sites. #webdev #

Here’s a bulleted list of random updates from me:

• We’ve had a serious lack of rain in the mid-atlantic, most especially here in northern maryland/southern pa. We’ve had a few spouts of rain recently, but not enough to do counter the damage from the 106 degree heat (which I’ve dubbed #scorchageddon on Twitter to go along with the #snowpocalypse of February) and the wind that dried most of the rain out shortly afterwards. Dad and I decided to invest in an electric submersible pump that we used to draw water out of our stream to water the garden. It works VERY well, but we plan to create more “pockets” of water along the stream now for this purpose and for minor swimming holes. We just need to find a way to get a bobcat over here with a bucket to do this. SWIMMING HOLES! Unfortunately the heat really scorched a good chunk of our garden, so it will not be a very fruitful year. Especially for the potatoes I think. Which sucks because I love potatoes. Last year we dealt with too much rain, this year it’s not enough plus killer heat. Maybe our third year here will be the charm next summer :/.
• Dad is healing very well. He is still not lifting anything over 10 pounds as much as he can prevent it until we are sure everything is healed. But oddly enough, his back pain from April seems to have disappeared completely since the surgery. Seems the gall bladder had other effects as well.
• Per my previous post, finances have been a concern over the last month, but only in regards to debt repayment, not actual bills. But when I take the time to sit and think through payment processes for the next three months, I can usually figure out a plan that will get me through any snags in my debt repayment plan.
• Car Insurance is due in August, and is generally around $450 for both of my vehicles. I put away $42/paycheck every 6 months so I have $502 available every time car insurance is due. Not only does this mean I pay less for car insurance for paying my premium up front, but I also have a $50 cushion that I can then put towards other debt if I choose to. I keep the cushion in case my car insurance premium’s fluctuate, like from speeding tickets (record is clear right now tho!).
• A co-worker of mine is working on publishing a book of artwork from his awesome blog rarewords.org. He needs to raise an additional $300 to meet the goal for this project. If you have a few extra bucks, please help him out and you’ll receive a small gift in return.
• I suppose for the next year or so, I’m going to be researching a new used vehicle for dad. I’m looking for something that is 30+ mpg, 4-wheel drive, is either an SUV or truck, has large pedals, or at least pedals that aren’t close together (he has stiff legs), has less than 60k miles, is a 2000 or newer, and is no more than $10k. At least I have an idea of what I’ll be looking for, and I’ll just keep an eye out over the next year while I save up for the actual purchase. If I have a few models that match the above description to look for, then I can keep an eye out for one in that price range. I imagine I’m going to find what I’m looking for in the Jeep brand.
• There’s really not all that much exciting stuff going on. I have a steady schedule between work, the Grove, spending time with the boy, working on web projects, and enjoying my house. I just recently removed a very large project from my plate, and am enjoying the fact that I no longer have to deal with the stress of it anymore. It’s quite liberating, actually. I plan to utilize a lot of that free time on either freelance, projects around the house, or study work. Time management skillz, I haz them.
• One of my big projects is going to be a large clean-out of the basement and hopefully a yard sale during the Pippin Fest this September. I’m going to browse craigslist for some cinder-blocks and wooden planks to help with creating shelves for organization on the cheap.

The current status:
Well, first off, my bills are fine. I never have any trouble paying my regular bills, because I make them #1 priority. The first one being the house, obviously. Still to this day I see people who are late on rent, forget to pay rent, can’t pay rent, because they spend money on other things first (chinese take-out and tattoos anyone? Seriously?). ALWAYS pay your mortgage/rent first, and figure out the rest later. If you don’t have a place to stay, if you are foreclosed on or evicted, it’s going to hurt you a lot in the long run.

Now that my mini-rant is over…

So yes, my bills are fine, no concerns there. My current struggle is with debt repayment and putting money back into savings. I am about a month away from getting my savings back up to “acceptable” emergency level. That is going to continue, and once I hit that level, I will stop putting money into savings again until the debt is gone. Once the debt is gone, then everything goes back into savings again. See how that works?

The Stress:
The debt however, I’ve become a victim of my own advice. With recent events concerning my dads emergency gall bladder surgery, now his truck breaking down again as of last night (after I bought my vinegar, argh), I’ve attempted to pay off two debts at once. 1. My fathers recent situations, and 2. my last personal loan debt from a friend. Doing both at once over the last month has not been helping, simply because you’re making less of an impact, while other stuff starts “piling up”. That’s why in my Personal Finance class, I say to make your minimum payments, and put everything else on one debt until that debt is gone.

So while I do feel bad that I’m going to have to reduce paying back my friend, and even moreso not reaching my goal of having them paid back by December 2010, it’s going to be better in the long run. I don’t know how much fixing my dads car and truck is going to cost me, but whatever it costs it is going to charge me interest. So I’m going to have to pay it off as priority. But I will be at least sending some money to my friend in the interim.

The concern now though, how much is all of this automotive work going to cost me? Catalytic Converters, some other thing I forget, and yearly inspection for dads car. A tow to a mechanic and then whatever the mechanic fees are for dads truck. I can’t imagine getting out of there for any less than $1000.

The sad irony is, I do plan to buy my dad a new used vehicle eventually (in cash, no car loan). AFTER the debts are gone besides the house. Theoretically I was hoping for September 2011 as a birthday gift. It may still happen, it may not. If we can get these two vehicles working enough to last another year and a half, I will be very happy.

• GLORIOUS RAIN, YOU ARE MOST WELCOME HERE N THE BELLY OF DROUGHT. #
• Whoever thought of this is genius: Make your own chocolate bars – http://www.chocomize.com #chocomize #chocolate #custom #food #
• Power Metal Kid-Friendly Dinosaurs. Why Finland kicks ass: http://offbeatmama.com/2010/07/hevisaurus-finnish-kids-music #metal #kids #
• Watching Spartacus this evening with the boy, bowling tomorrow with the Grove and doctors appt, and staying home for myself on Sun. #
• Apparently several places had exploded transformers and melted powerlines the last couple days due to heat. We're just not used to it #
• Wonder if Volt would mind if I hung out down there, probably lots cooler down there. #
• A/C is still on for now with generators running, but generators gonna run out soon, then we're screwed I think. I have no way to get home. #
• Large explosion to one of our powerline transformers or something. Exposed wires on fire and melting. We're on generator power. #
• Co-worker @filet0fish says it's 105.8 degrees outside right now, oi. #scorchageddon #
• Planning out the grocery list this week for shopping Sat. Going to try to get that 2 weeks of food for $100 challenge done #frugal #
• That's apparently as hot as the Mojave Desert: http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/weather/weather_blogs/blog%3A-maryland-as-hot-as-mojave-desert- #
• Frederick MD (where I work) was the hottest city in the nation yesterday at 106 degrees: http://is.gd/dizti #scorchageddon #
• DoTD: http://bit.ly/bcgBk5 & http://bit.ly/bAsiB6 & http://bit.ly/a20JJ8 & http://bit.ly/dDwxZD #desktops #wallpapers #
• New Blog: Money Saved in June 2010 – http://crystalgroves.net/money-saved-in-june-2010/ #

• How secure is your password? I use many & mix & match. 1 would take 30 seconds, another 252 yrs. Maybe I should migrate http://bit.ly/da6DKw #
• DoTD: http://bit.ly/chZl6k & http://bit.ly/bHbU7p & http://bit.ly/culgFw #wallpapers #desktops #
• Got two more egg customers today through referral. Dad and I are going to be stepping it up a notch here soon. Will blog about it later #
• Unfortunately they wanted 100k more than what the property was worth and 50k more than I could afford. Thus the drama began #
• Yesterday was the 2 year anniversary of receiving the notice from our deceased landlords estate that we had 30 days to get out or buy #
• 825 medical references into XML. I'm only on 177 #
• I am taking on freelance html/css/wordpress work right now, if you know of anyone that would be interested or in need #webdev #in #

Total Saved: $174.48

Over $100 less than last month, but still that’s a good chunk of change. Definitely think this is going to be a monthly post at least for the next year. Much like I did my $0 days last year. Adding up my savings for a year will be interesting.

I think as a challenge next year, I might do a years worth of these posts after I am out of debt, where my total saved is donated to my church the next month. We’ll see how my finances go at that point.

• I have found the perfect college I want to attend. Like amazingly perfect. I have a goal #
• Hates when clients email saying "Please fix this", and don't actually say what the problem is. #
• Trying to find grape leaves for sale in the area in order to make dolmades is proving tedious. #
• Feel sorry forth northbound http://twitpic.com/1zipl5 #
• Find renewable energy in your area: http://www.green-e.org/ #renewable #energy #environment #electricity #
• loud screaming in the office and in Volt today cause USA just scored something. Scared me! #worldcup #
• Nothing burns my biscuits more than wrong assumptions or false accusations. #
• Desktop of the Day: http://bit.ly/97MS3T & http://bit.ly/c19DjR #desktop #wallpapers #
• I've had several people request services from me for photography or financial planning. This is all very interesting! #finance #

• Just made 4 dozen devilled eggs, fed 20 rabbits, 30 chickens, 10 guineas, and a big fat turkey, and I smell like farm. #
• An army of 10 seguays(?) just road by the hospital en masse http://twitpic.com/1y5hei #
• Heading back over to the hospital soon. They should be discharging dad around 11am or so, but he'll still have a drain in for now #
• Fwd:I can keep track of his patient number on a big screen in waitin http://twitpic.com/1xt2iu #
• Getting checked in http://twitpic.com/1xsp9u #
• Debugging xml sucks, don't mind sayin' #webdev #
• I'm glad my co-workers semi-humor me when I say lets not all stick our hand in the same bag of unwrapped candy. As much as they resist! #
• Just called dad, he says today has been the best feeling so far. Only one more day to get through before surgery #
• Excited to see the date for the Maryland Women's Conference announced. I've already asked off Trying to bring some friends this year. #
• This feels like the longest week ever. #
• Saw a woman getting arrested at the corner of rockwell and motter on the way in this morning. #frederick #maryland #
• Finally a crystalgroves domain open. Now my personal blog can be reached at crystalgroves.net & crystalgroves.me, portfolio to follow soon. #
• Dad had a decent day today, not so much pain. He has plenty of fruits and veggies to prevent inflammation. Crossing fingers. #
• Well, Home Depot never did deliver on their "we care" statement of helping me find the garden statue I wanted in April. #homedepot #
• One of my other favorite cooking sites is recipepuppy.com. Lets you list ingredients you have and it lists recipes from those for you #