Wisconsin had a bald raccoon that looked like a chupacabra.

A Bosley Hair Restoration commercial just came on and Olivia piped up, "We should call that number for Daddy!" I almost choked on my Diet Coke.

mr.flea will be unemployed in 4 weeks, so we need to re-do our budget and enforce it hard core. The hardest thing for me I think is going to be stuff for the kids. We have savings for the purpose - this is a planned layoff - but we don't know how soon he'll get a job and we can;t run through all of our savings because it's very likely we'll need to move when he does get a job.

flea, whatever happened with the other company that offered him a job? Any more word from them or IBM?

The heat index is now 116 outside. My brain? Has melted.

For some reason my mother thinks I'm good with money. Given the staggering amount of credit card debt I have, I think her benchmark of "slightly better than she was at my age" may be the wrong yardstick.

I'm not unhappy that today all I have to do it sit still in a dim room and write. It's horrifyingly hot out -- it sucks all the air out of your lungs the minute you step outside.

So, do you keep a record of all your cash transactions, too?

Yup. I have a "wallet" account in MS Money. So an ATM withdrawal transfers to my wallet and then I enter transactions there--usually every night, or every few nights, I go back and tally it up. But I'm not a big one for little purchases (that's how I save money), so it's not too difficult.

Tracking cash is one reason I try not to use it much--I'm terrible at it, and then I have no idea where it went! I prefer to be able to look in Mint and see where all my money went this month and have a feeling of "hmm, credit card bill is high/low, best not spend money/can spend more"

Here it is between 120 and 135, depending on where in the city you are, with actual temps 100 - 104. It's actually 102 at the airport, which usually runs cooler than the city.

And we just had the fire alarm go off due to the air handlers cycling.

So, do you keep a record of all your cash transactions, too?

Yup. I have a "wallet" account in MS Money. So an ATM withdrawal transfers to my wallet and then I enter transactions there--usually every night, or every few nights, I go back and tally it up. But I'm not a big one for little purchases (that's how I save money), so it's not too difficult.

Oooh, that's interesting. That way you know for sure what you spend all of your money on, all month. I just put a comment in the "Notes" field of the ATM withdrawal entry in Quicken -- like, "haircut tip," or "work birthday lunch." It obviously doesn't cover the whole $20, but it gets close enough to keep me happy.

Man, you guys, it's "only" a heat index of 108 here. But I worry about Tim, since he works in an un-climate-controlled warehouse all day. This whole week he has been coming home just WIPED OUT. He has been drinking Gatorade in mass, mass quantities. (Plants crave it.)

His job is only slightly better, in terms of this heat, than construction workers and highway workers. At least he's not in direct sunlight. But he's been perturbed for the past couple of months that he's gained a few pounds -- I think he's probably sweated them off by now. My poor honey.

Oooh, that's interesting. That way you know for sure what you spend all of your money on, all month. I just put a comment in the "Notes" field of the ATM withdrawal entry in Quicken -- like, "haircut tip," or "work birthday lunch." It obviously doesn't cover the whole $20, but it gets close enough to keep me happy.

Yes, I've done that for awhile, even before I really had a budget. I'm not sure I would have been able to set an accurate one up without it.

And then when I review it periodically, that's how I learn where I can cut: "Oh, that's how much I've been spending on lunch out? Sh*t!" Good categories are key for that, so I don't just do Food and Drink, but rather Meals, Coffee and Snacks, Drinks, and Groceries.