I went to CannonSatellite.com to look into satellite and see if it was any cheaper than cable. I also talked to the people with my lawn care company to make sure they wouldn’t mind if I cut back to twice a month instead of every week – that’s helped us save hundreds a year. I don’t know why I got on this money saving kick but for me it’s all about making sure we’re financially viable in this economy and I know that my job’s secure but I get really worried that I might lose my job or get hurt or something else terrible. I love being part of a supportive family but there’s something to be said for taking matters into your own hands and that’s what I’ve done – I’ve asked every member of my family to put their best effort forward when it comes to saving money but at the end of the day it’s an individual effort and everyone has to answer for themselves with what they’ve been able to save.

From what I understand now, curtains tend to be the unlined window treatments that are stationary on a curtain rod that does not open and close, whereas a drapery is often lined and is on a type of hardware that includes the ability to be drawn open and closed. Well, now I feel educated as all get-out! I always just called them all curtains!

Thinking about the window treatments that I currently have in my house, I realize that I only have draperies in one room at the moment, but when we moved in here the hardware that was in place were only curtain sash rods and I actually put the draperies on those instead of buying new hardware. Since they were for a spare bedroom and weren’t going to be actually used at all I just have them in the open position, and I have a valance covering the hardware so no one can see what is up there anyway.

Recently I took out a home equity loan and one of the first things that I looked into after closing on the mortgage was getting some Insurance Quotes to help pay for that loan if something happened to me. I would hate to burden my family with that debt if I passed away before it was paid off. There are a lot of Cheap Life Insurance policies to choose from; I am going to try to get a simplified level term level premium policy for the term of the loan. I think that will provide the best coverage for my family.

Anyway, now I’m home and am cooking the bread in the machine. I’m anxious to give it a try! I remember about 30 years ago a friend gave me some english muffin bread that she had made from scratch. It was really good!

What can I say about living here? I love it! California’s always been a dream of mine and I can’t believe I actually get to live here all the time. Thanks to the market taking a nosedive I got in on a great townhome at an unbelievable price and I’m making some improvements, too, that should help up its value even more when I eventually try to sell it. I added http://Homesecurity101.com security and some new windows and I’m going to put hardwood floors throughout the place so it should be really nice when I’m done. I wish sometimes that I was closer to the ocean but that’s what’s great about this state – you’re never far from the water! Living so close to LA makes it easy for me to go on auditions and really eat at great restaurants and enjoy concerts and all that which are all things I was looking forward to before I moved here. Unless something big changes I think I’ll live here for the rest of my adult life!

So this morning I get up from bed and am going around to his side to make up the bed and what do I see on the carpet? His glass of red Crystal Light on its side. And a big red stain on the carpet. I was so angry I could have spit nails! When I went out into the kitchen I told him that he had stained the carpet and that he is going to have to clean the mess. I suggested that he start out by getting carpet cleaning tips from the http://www.thesteamteam.com/ website. He just stared at me like I had three heads. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother trying to live in a clean house!

I’ve never been one to want to be home alone.  I guess when I was a young child some traumatic event happened that ingrained abandonment fears or some kind of phobia about home invasions, I don’t know.  But whatever it is, I do not enjoy being home alone.  I get very anxious, to put it mildly.  So when Thomas was told by his company that he was going to have to travel one week a month, and that was non-negotiable I was one very unhappy camper!

Fortunately the company is giving Thomas a travel allowance generous enough that we could install a home security bear system.  I still don’t like being home alone, but when I have to be alone, I feel less vulnerable and try to distract myself by watching special “chick flick” shows on our Direct TV that I would not normally be able to watch if Thomas was home,  eating Edy’s vanilla caramel ice cream, and pamper myself by doing special beauty things like manicures, pedicures, dye my hair, avocado masks.  And sometimes I invite Laura over for a “ladies night” and sleep-over.

All of those things help to keep me distracted from the anxiety that I feel when I’m home alone.  Hopefully as the months go on the anxiety will slowly disappear.

They are not even being given cost of living adjustments, so their purchasing power keeps decreasing while the cost of living keeps increasing. I keep hearing on the news that there are a lot of people living in illegal tent cities around the country because they can no longer afford to live in a house or apartment. And the police keep rousting these tent cities. Where are these families supposed to go? The shelters are full, or in some cases refuse to take them because many of these people are disabled and can’t work and the shelters won’t take anyone that won’t or can’t look for work.

This is so very sad. I don’t know what the answer is, but this is really a tragedy on our own soil.

I’m not saying that I want guns and I’m not saying that I am against guns. This isn’t even my house. But I have neighbors who deserve the same kind of sign that I found on a friends site. They are a pain in my butt and a sign like this would be great revenge!