School Daze!

Every year I am shocked at how much I have to spend to send my kids to school!  And every year I complain that when we were little going to school I KNOW my mom never had to spend any money.

When did it get that we not only have to fully supply our kids with every little eraser to binders and a variety pack of duo-tangs  - that by the way I always get back half used at the end of the year (yes, I reuse them).; but then spend at least $100 dollars per child (that increases or doubles when they reach junior high and high school) at the beginning of the year BUT also through out the year you are dinged $5 - $10 dollars!!

Now this is excluding indoor runners, back packs, lunch kits  - oh, and don't get me going on lunch supervisor fees, out-door runners and of course the kids always want or ok, "need" at least one new pair of jeans for the beginning of the year.  I swear I get nicked and dimed to death!

I wonder what my tax dollars actually pay for.

Ok, I am done ranting and raving - well not quite....But every year I just never feel prepared for so much money flying out of our pockets just to get the kids to go to school.   I at least now save on busing fees, as I refuse to pay the annual increase and then have half my kids NOT allowed to ride the bus because they are now in junior high (same school still).

At least a few years ago they allowed them to ride if they had younger siblings taking the bus (which they did).  Even though I paid the maximum fee they changed the rules.  So now I drive them every morning and pick up with all the hundreds of other parents tired of getting empty pockets.

So the count down is on... two days to go and bags of school supplies filling up my kitchen.

I'll look at it this way....my oldest graduates this year...wow, will I be able to complain about university!!

Hold Those Stocks! But add that Stop-Loss

Last week we watched the stock market have quit a roller coaster ride.  As in life we have our ups and downs.  It's those downs that make us appreciate those rides up!

Don't get me wrong, I did have a moment of panic, wondering how low it was going to go and if I missed it.  It is never a good day when 14 out of 15 of your stocks are showing RED/LOSS!  It is down right scarey.

My husband was one that wanted to sell all - but I just could not justify selling all our stocks at a loss would help.  Especially when the majority of them are good blue chip stocks that pay a nice dividend.  If anything I wish I had more money to buy those stocks at a much lower price and average down a bit.

Thankfully two days later things started to climb up and a got my dig in - sorry, tacky - but "I told you so" did slip out of my mouth.  It could have gone the other way - where I was banging my head on my computer saying "Why, why, didn't I sell?"

I did do alot of researching to ease my mind.  It just wasn't justifiable to sell at this point.

But one major thing that I will add to my portfolio is "stop-losses".  We do have some penny stocks that I know we will hold until we make a decent amount of cash (though I am hoping for ALOT more) on.  But seeing how low they can go and knowing that for some of them, I really don't want to add anymore money - even to average down.

Learning to add a stop loss at a point of either 5% loss and then buy back or whatever you are comfortable with is sooooo important in ending up on the winning end of these things.

So on that note I have not done my part.  Now I am at the point where I am below that so I want to hold out and seriously crossing my fingers and having enough research and belief in those companies that they will come back a bit.

Hard lesson to learn, but a good kick in the butt!

The Tape has Come Off - The Stove That Is......

My husband's favorite story to tell people is how clean our stove is..."It's so clean that it still has the tape wrapped around it." He laughs at this and I roll my eyes.

Yes, at the beginning of our marriage I must admit that I didn't know a hole lot about cooking.  But after having six kids, there was no way that we financially could order out so I had no choice but to "ripe off the tape" of the oven and live and learn.

The reason this comes to mind is in the midst of summer holidays there is something that I have learned from visiting family and friends; something that I never would have imagined...inspiration!  To cook that is.

Yes, the company and conversations are great with stomach aching laughter, but it is the food that is served and how it is served that always inspires me.

From our week long visits to my in-laws cabin - I've learned how to make three meals out of one kind of meat (lunch, dinner and mid-day snack), how putting out a plate of pickles and hot peppers can change the look of a dish and that left over hotdog buns make great garlic toast for a pasta dinner.

My youngest sister-in-law showed me how to make the most delicious cheese, pizza, and apple pie desserts over an open camp-fire with a cool devise called a Camp Cooker (for various breads). YUM! To quickly feed twelve people a fabulous egg breakfast with a muffin tin, sliced ham and cheese.

I honestly can't write how many cooking ideas I have taken away from all the visiting we have done throughout our 18 years of marriage.  Enough, I guess to enable me to have an eighteen year marriage without my family starving and living on pre-made meals.

So to all those who are taunted through early relationships thinking that they have to read recipe book after book - all you have to do is visit and learn...then go home and RIPE THAT TAPE OFF and start  cooking!

CHEERS!

Turning the Ugly Duckling to a Swan.

Stressed about your money?  Who isn't lately when stocks just keep on going down, down, down.  It is hard to stay optimistic.

All the financial articles speak of taking advantage of the lows from those stocks that were always out of reach before.  Makes sense, but I struggle with how low is the low?

For example, RIM (Research in Motion) the poor blackberry just can't seem to catch a break.  My dad loves this stock but I have been avoiding it.  But when it started trading in the low $25 range a couple weeks ago, my husband wanted to snag himself some.

I used a free trail on Stock Pointer and they had a great chart where it compares what the stock is currently at and what the stock SHOULD be at based on financials.  It was an eye opener.

The chart showed that RIM is valued at $120 but actually was at $26 at the time.  Wow, talk about a stock doing the opposite what all the research says it should be.  I then had to check my Lululemon (LLL).  A stock that has made no sense as far as a retail store goes.  It showed the opposite.  Before the stock split (back in July) it was sitting at $115, but showed the stock only worth in the $30???

I figured Lululemon is like the Prom Queen.  People love it.  You are seen wearing it around town with the "prom queen" wrapped around your bottom or top and everyone will smile at you.

Sometimes you just have to understand the company and what the people see or don't see in a product.  Financial reports just don't mean much.  It's just a popularity contest.

So I took the dive and bought him some at $25.  I was feeling great.  Thinking I had hit it's low.  Opps,  it went down to $23.11!!  I was kicking myself, but realized maybe there is something to be said about financials.

The stock has slowly crept back up after the announcement of new products, but I am still in the red. I am hoping that the stock screener will at least meet me half way.  The popular kids will see the potential and "coolness" of the blackberry and start buying again.

I will hold for now and hope that my ugly duckling will soon turn into a swan.