September Spending Wrap Up

Last Saturday the house had a party and Darling spent about $16 on a bottle of wine at HEB. Sunday I spent $15 at Salvation Pizza with friends. Monday I spent $4 on public transportation to visit my sister's house. Wednesday I spent $6 at South Austin People Soap, then Darling and I went to a Michael Franti and Spearhead concert. We didn't spend any money at the actual venue, but went across the Street to Hoboken Pizza and spent $10 on dinner. I really wanted a shirt, but couldn't bring myself to pay $30.

Today I paid two months of phone bills I accidentally racked up. The website has been down, and I lost track of how long I've been casually checking to see if it was up again. This is why I usually pay bills immediately: I really have no sense of time passing at all. This is a little depressing because I thought we had earned all of our rent money last week, and now we're about $15 short. Not that it's a big deal: rent isn't actually due until the third, but I like to pay it before calculating net worth. I was also planning on sending the surplus to the student loan company tomorrow. Now I'll just have to be satisfied paying them whatever tips come in tomorrow.

That brings my spending for the month to $479, $222 (46%) of which went to local business. Obviously that doesn't include my rent, which would make the local/non-local argument a little abstract (we are a local co-op after all), but it does include that annoying double phone bill, transportation costs, and debt payments.

So, lessons learned?

1. I'm much more dissatisfied with the "local" label than I am with the "organic" label. There are a number of large local businesses that I am unconvinced do much more good for the Austin economy than their national counterparts. These includes HEB and other massive chains spawned from the area, any corner store that sells gasoline and no local products (besides Blue Bell ice cream), and multiple trendy restaurants owned by the same local millionaires.

2. There are too many wonderful local food options in Austin, and they are going to make me fat and broke. I have got to stop eating out.

3. Renting movies from Vulcan Video is just as satisfying as eating out, for a fraction of the price.

4. Time spent with friends is invariably money spent with friends. Which none of us can afford (one of my best friends is a grad student, the other is pregnant). We need to put an end to our Sunday snack runs.

5. It was relatively easy to cut sodas out of my routine. I haven't given them up forever and ever (I had one with my pizza last night), but I have stopped buying one every single shift at work and every Monday on my way home from babysitting.

All in all I feel good about this month and my involvement in Austin's economy. I was considering a no-spend month for October, but Darling made a good argument for financially fasting in November instead.

Undergarments and Such

I've been laying low the past several days, in life as well as the blogosphere. I had a good week at work, which left me feeling strangely exhausted as well as better-off financially, and kept up with my local shopping.

On my way home from work Wednesday I stopped into Lovely on South 1st, lured to the porch by a rack advertising $3 items. Expecting the usual stains and rips of similar sales, imagine my surprise to find an ankle length brown leather skirt still bearing the original $100+ price tag! When I went in to pay for this treasure, I was offered a glass of wine, which is apparently a weekly promotion. So, a beautiful skirt and a glass of wine after work for only $4 (including tax).

Thursday a housemate and I checked out Sew Sister on 3rd Street. There we met Megan Summerville, who is possibly the coolest seamstress I've ever met. She sews bras and underwear to order, offering a wide variety of laces and styles as well as an option for bring-you-own-fabric. A perfectly fitted, sewn in Austin custom bra costs only $68. Better yet, she has a small surplus of bras which cost on $11 each! She took our measurements and stood at the dressing room, ready to make adjustments on her sewing machine when needed. She also educated us on the dangers of polyurethane in bra pads. Polyurethane, on top of being really hard to spell, releases toxins as it ages. The older a padded (or even lined) bra is, the more poisonous it becomes - and the bra rests against two lymph nodes.

On a too-much-information note, I did not think a lace bra without padding would be comfortable in the slightest. I have always had back problems and difficulty bra shopping, for both financial and physiological reasons. I am a Double F. Regardless of my weight (at least within the 135-200 lb range), the cup size does not change. I have tried many bras in an attempt of find something that doesn't dig into my shoulders, sag within a few hours, or sacrifice comfort for support. These simple, beautiful bras put all my previous best-bras-ever to shame.

So, for $22 I a came home with two of the prettiest, healthiest, most environmentally friendly and comfortable pieces of underwear I have ever owned. While I can't be sure of where the textiles were produced, at least I know these garments weren't produced by slave labor, which has been my biggest concern when buying undergarments for several years.

Anyways. Yesterday Darling went to Texas State Optical and spent $5 getting his glasses repaired. The little nose-pieces had fallen off :( I sent $9 to my student loan company and $9 to my investment fund.

Aside from work and occasional shopping, I've basically been doing my impression of a giant slug the past several days. After years of borrowing DVDs, Darling and I watched the last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer this week and saw the last episode at 4 a.m. this morning. I also read Foreign Bodies yesterday. I read sci-fi once in a blue moon, usually when I'm at my absolute laziest. As in, too lazy to get a book for myself and reading whatever it is Darling has from the library. Maybe I'll pick up the pace this week.

Tracking Empowerment

I have really enjoyed tracking my spending from a local perspective this month. This is kind of weird, because usually this sort of chore is a real hassle. Keeping track of every bus ticket and library fee, asking Darling to keep me updated on his debit card activity and guiltily noting every snack and meal out. It's easy to fall behind and give up, especially when I do something silly like lose my day planner last week. I seem to be spending way more than I was expecting in surprising areas: $80 eating out in two weeks?!

But instead of feeling embarrassed and procrastinating my daily confessions, I've felt empowered by the knowledge of exactly how much of my money is going where. I may not be perfect, but I am in charge.

Although my only intention this month is to track money flow, recording every purchase definitely curtails impulse buying. I'd rather go without organic sodas at work than record spending a dollar nearly every shift. That tiny chore seems to make a convenient treat just a little too bothersome.

I've spent $220.50 this month, roughly $140 (63%) of that at local businesses.

Catching Up On Spending

Friday night Darling and I decided to rent a couple of movies for $5 rather than spend another $40 eating out like we did the past two weeks. We got No Impact Man and Humboldt County, both of which were excellent. Now I just need to make sure and return them both tomorrow to call it a totally frugal venture.

We also sent $19 to my student loan company, which barely covers the interest earned after last week's minuscule payment. Then $9 went into savings and $10 went into investments, as per my very careful formula of sending money wherever I feel like it whenever I want.

Saturday I also spent my day at work and spent no money. Sunday I had a repeat of last week and had a sandwich from Thundercloud and drinks from the corner store.

And today I spent $8 travelling to my sister's house for babysitting. What I didn't spend was the price of my semi-customary soda and candy for the ride home. Yay me. Now I just need to work out that Sunday snack attack and I'll be good.

Education and Employment

As of next week I start my ideal work schedule, which should be a regular occurrence until the restaurant needs me more or I need them less. Four lunch shifts a week.

Darling and I are both earning about the same amount of money right now, which is not a lot. It reminds me of right before we left Virginia, where I was a cafe barista and he sold books and games at the shop next door. It's so hard to believe my sweet, wacky husband used to arrange student Visas and negotiate university access to Middle Eastern universities for the British Council. Now he is proudly arranging artisan salads and brewing gourmet soups in a high-end hippie establishment.

Some people might see that as some sort of a downfall, and sometimes so do I. Knowing how qualified he is can sting when he's washing dishes, landscaping, or getting chewed out by a boss for being slightly late. At the same time, I'm a waitress. And I like waiting tables. I don't think my husband could have ever understood that without experiencing this lifestyle himself.

All my life, people have told me I would go far, that I'm smarter than the average bear. But truth be told, those of us in the customer service industry are not less intelligent than computer programmers, chemical engineers, or newspaper reporters. The kids who ace all the exams in high school and college aren't necessarily protected from the ranks of construction worker, telephone tech support, or receptionist. In fact, as my smartest friends graduate college and head hesitantly pursue their doctorates or face the job market, I'm increasingly relieved that I dropped out with as little debt as I got away with. I thought $16,000 was bad - one of my housemates graduated nearly $70,000 in the hole, and is biding her time doing landscape work and housecleaning.

Having said that, I want my husband to finish his associates degree, and may even push him to pursue a bachelors degree simply because it would be very easy and affordable to do so. Painful as it will be to lose his full-time income, I know he'll be much happier designing solar rigs and planning wind farms.

Speaking of which, we have less than a month before spring registration, and not long before he has to renew his NABCEP certification. Definitely coming up on a No-Spend Month...

An Ideal Financial Picture

I've been following Jackie's 31 Days To A Better Bank Balance series over at Money Crush. The other day she recommended writing a paragraph describing and ideal financial picture. This is mine:

My debts are paid in full and my living expenses are so low that they are easily covered by the interest earned by a handful of thoughtful investments. I have well over $50,000 in a savings account designed to smooth the edges of our inconsistent income, and a reasonable retirement account. We spend the majority of our time travelling and learning. Due to our diverse skill sets, my husband and I are able to lend a helpful hand and earn money almost anywhere we go. We are not dependent on any employer and are free to follow our hearts rather than develop careers. Thanks to health insurance, universal and otherwise, we are in excellent shape.

Spending Update

Sunday I worked the brunch shift, which was absolutely pitiful. Darling and I went to our weekly game afterwards and spent about $10 on snacks - mostly a bag of nectarines from Central Market and a couple of iced teas from a gas station.

Central Market is a Texas company, but so huge it doesn't feel like shopping local. It's definitely a chain that offers produce and other groceries - organic and otherwise - from around the world. And even though the convenience store I bought the tea from was at least technically locally owned, I can't bring myself to consider anywhere that sells gas as autonomous or independent.

Monday I bought a bus pass for $2 and used an Metro electronic change card to get to Lenore's. So it was very nearly a no spend day.

Tuesday I picked up our paychecks and went to the bank, spending $2 on another bus pass. We spent the afternoon and evening at a friend's house gaming and pitched in $7 for pizza from one of the many chain restaurants that couldn't make a decent pizza to save a life. So blah.

Oh yes, Darling also bought something to do with computers for my dad from Amazon for $13.

This ups our spending to $177.50, $120 of that being local.

Date Night Spending

Yesterday Darling and I went on a date after work. We had dinner at Whip-In, a really cool Indian Food Restaurant/corner store with a section dedicated to beer and wine sold by the bottle alongside candies and snacks, a bar with plenty of beers on tap, and a tavern-esque area marked off with tapestries where you could sit and order off the menu and listen to a live band.

Craving pie after dinner, we went to The Woodlands Cafe (I may have made up all or part of that name, not totally sure). Like anywhere else on South Congress, it was trendy and delicious and expensive. We probably won't be hitting two places in one night again: we spent $40! At least we spent it locally...We also shelled out $2 for my bus pass.

Oh yes, and before going to the shop, I made a $6.50 loan payment. Which is embarrassing in retrospect, as I've never sent them so little money and I did so in the wake of spending so much cash eating out.

After work today I purchased a $10 bottle of contacts lens solution from a nearby local shop. That brings this month's spending to $143.50, $108 of which was local. That knocks the total percentage back up to 75%.

Big Red Love

Yes, I love Big Red. Oh so much. And I always drink it around my brother because we love it together. My Dad used to buy us Big Reds on the drives to and from his house in Austin when we were little. I have no appreciation for the other "Bigs," such as Peach and Blue, though I am enamored with the fact that if you combine Big Red and Big Blue you get Big Purple (no joke).

I gave up my Diet Coke addiction after college, and it took over two years before I stopped wanting one. every.single.day. But Diet Coke is the stuff of all-nighters, desperately scrambling to piece together a decent student newspaper from scraps of mediocrity, going straight from Biology 101 to the night shift at work, desperately trying to squeeze into ever-tighter jeans. That relationship was abusive and dishonest: Diet Coke never made me thinner, and the caffeine high was never enough to counteract my sleep-deprivation. I'm glad to have broken that dependency.

Anyway, I shouldn't be buying soda, especially the chemical storm that is Big Red in a plastic bottle sold in the nightmare that is Walgreens. But I wanted to use their restroom and needed to buy something.

Sometimes I buy soda - or soy chai, or candy or chips. Every once in a while I stop completely, but that obviously isn't the case this month. My current goal is to create an honest assessment of where my current spending habits lie, my next goal will be to re-align them with my core values.

66% Spent Locally

The past two days our phone hasn't been working so I didn't know until this morning that my Mom came to town to visit. First thing this morning (after bottling up the yogurt cultivated last night and making a smoothie with what was left over from last week), I hopped on the bus and made the two hour trip to my brother's house up north.

It was a pleasant enough day, Mom bought us lunch at Conan's and, as usual, Baby-O was the constant center of attention. I bought a Big Red and a piece of candy at Walgreens, which brings my total spent today - including bus fare - to $7. Oh, and yesterday I bought a soda from Wheatsville. So I've spent $85, $56 of which went to local businesses.

Plumbing Fun

The past few weeks the house's filtered water faucet has been leaking. We went through the usual fix-it techniques: jiggling, whining, bringing out a handful of random tools and starting at it dejectedly. A few times we would unscrew this or twist that in the hopes of an easy solution, which caused the faucet to leak faster.

In the meantime, we kept a cup (which became a tall glass, then a pitcher, then a larger jar) under the faucet to catch as much water as possible. The smart thing would be to turn off the water at the source unless we needed it, but I couldn't convince the other ten folks who use the sink to take that option seriously.

In the past, I fixed plumbing problems with the aid of the Interweb. No such luck this time around. No one knew the brand of the three-year-old faucet, which was purchased online, so I couldn't go straight to the manufacturer's website. What's more, I didn't know the proper lingo to describe exactly what I needed. I found how to fix a leaky faucet, then a variety of single-handled leaky faucets, but none of them looked like the one we had. The obvious solution was to find the malfunctioning washer (I was told, over and over again), but I couldn't figure out how to get to said washer.

Today a housemate and I just took the whole faucet to Breed & Co., where a gruff old man used proper tools to completely disassemble the casing and remove the part that needed replacing. They didn't have the piece what we needed, so he sent us to Crump Plumbing Supply.

Crump told us what it is we had (a butler faucet), and informed us that they didn't have the replacement piece we needed. But for $19 they sold us a new faucet, which promises to be easier to repair and find parts for.

Installing the faucet was fast and easy, and for $20 and driving time our problem was solved. Considering I wanted to hire a plumber to do what seemed like a technical project, I'm pretty proud of our DIY.

Happy Labor Day

Today was spent hanging out with my dad, brother, sister-in-law, and baby niece. We simply sat and chatted, ate some ice cream and drank some tea :) Very calm holiday.

I ran some errands afterwards and ended up downtown with a $20 bill in my pocket and no bus pass. I slipped into the business nearest the bus stop, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and bought my favorite drink (iced chai latte), so I could get smaller bills.

Not only was the beverage kind of yuck because for some reason they use vanilla powder instead of milk, but it wasn't even a local business. There's only about 5,000 locally owned cafes in Austin, how did I slip into a Californian chain? At least the service was good...

That ups my total spent to $77 spent, about 70% of which went to local business.

My walk was fairly short today as well, only a few blocks from the bus stop, really. I ought to make up for that tomorrow before or after work.

Where A Softly Spends Her Money

Stating that I mostly spend money locally made me question my blog-related honesty. After all, the past several months I have mostly shopped at gas stations, Brookshire Brothers, and Mexican Restaurants as a result of being on the road to and from my Mom's. For the time being, there is no "regular" in my life.

I decided to carefully track our expenses this month, both to prepare for an upcoming "no spend month" as well as determine whether darling and I are as local as we want to be. We did something similar May of 2007. Since I track our spending anyway, it won't be difficult to post what's happened so far:

According to my planner, we've made the following purchases this month:

1st: no spending

2nd: $3 spent at South Austin Soap People

3rd: $43 spent taking Dad and Darling out to dinner at El Mercado (includes a $10 tip because my Dad grabbed the waiter to get a better look at his tattoos!!!)

$19 sent to the student loan company

4th: no spending

5th: $5 spent on a large iced soy chai latte at Ruta Maya International Headquarters while I was checking their free class calendar (includes a dollar tip)

So far, $70 spent, roughly 74% of that at local businesses.

Getting Out, Working Out

Last year I went through a 6-month period of working out like crazy. I jogged a couple of times a week, lifted weights four days a week, and took rowing classes.

One day I got a little overexcited with a 25 pound dumbbell, and had to take a break because of pain in my collar bone. Imagining it to be a pulled muscle, I gave it time, but wasn't alarmed despite the fact that even lifting my arms to wash my hair hurt. A week turned in to two weeks, then a month, then my work-out buddy and I moved on to other hobbies.

Anyway, nearly a year later my collar bone still hurts. Not enough to be debilitating, but I definitely notice it during yoga stretches and definitely still can't row. When I told my sister, she pointed out a strange indentation in the bone, and thinks I broke it! Good job, me.

This is vaguely related to the fact that having reduced my work schedule to the point of perma-vacation (at least it still feels that way), I'd like to not sit on my but all day. At the same time, I'm wary of hurting myself again. This makes me think that I want to avoid jogging as well as weight training, because of the stress to the knees and what not.

Austin has endless fitness opportunity, so I'm sure there are countless catches that might catch my eye. But I'm not interested in spending $10-20 a session. Maybe this week I'll focus on taking one long walk a day, and keep my eyes open for something close, free, gentle, and exciting.

Why I Don't Bleach

First thing this morning I was invited to go out and plant some beets. Deciding to enjoy a quick cup of coffee first, I slipped online for a brief glance through my blogroll. Surprised that someone actually commented on yesterday's lackluster post, I read Col's question and typed a "quick" response, which actually took well over an hour. The beets were planted and the gardener was making lunch. I enjoyed lunch, read my blogroll, went to the library, and came home to yet another comment.

I felt surprised by my long-time reader Lizzie's response, and decided to edit this post to make my point more clear. That was about five hours ago. I am so sick of this subject. The more direct I try to be, the more muddled my explanations. So I am going to sum it up as simple and clear as I know how, and apologize if anyone misunderstands me. I adore Lizzie and Col both, so hopefully this does the trick.

Col said: I'm probably missing something here but why the not happy about Clorox?

Answer: I don't buy any Clorox products because I find baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and other alternatives to be more effective, cost efficient, and convenient. However, the word Clorox makes me think about dirty toilets, harsh chemicals, and poison control - not concepts I like to associate with body care products!

Lizzie points out that Wal-Mart (which I mentioned in an offhand way in my original post as one of the corporations I don't support), has very eco-friendly policies and offers employment to many people who might otherwise do without. Which is cool.

However, I don't shop at Wal-Mart. What little recreational or grocery shopping I do takes place in local businesses, because they are more convenient and plentiful where I choose to live. This isn't a choice everyone in the world can make, but I'm fortunate and stubborn enough to have managed it.

This isn't to say I would shop at Wal-Mart if there was one within walking distance. I prefer small businesses. They don't have to make the hard decisions multi-billion dollar companies do, and I don't have to justify those decisions when I shop there. More important, I simply don't shop that much. I'd rather produce than consume!

Soap, Whittling, And Burt

Slept in again a little this morning, but still woke up early enough to start a batch of buttermilk blueberry waffles, which Darling finished when I had to rush to work. Another steady-but-slow day, but I made okay money. Stopped by South Austin Soap People to buy one of their $3 outcast bars on my way home. Since it's Friday, I made a habitual payment to the student loan company. I send them between $10 and $20 dollars every week, based almost entirely on my mood. This week I'm apparently feeling uppity and arranged for a $19 payment. Then I transferred the same amount to our savings since we're working on re-building the emergency fund.

Darling is whittling. I'm really pleased by how much he is enjoying the woodcarving tools I got him for his birthday, even though our hardwood floor is covered in shavings. He tried whittling outside, but mosquitoes nearly ate him alive and I can't find the Burt's Bees Repellent. And when did bees start making repellent, by the way? I'm growing a little suspicious of Mr. Burt.

Oh. Stupid information highway. A quick Google search reveals that Burt's Bees is owned by none other by Clorox. Yuk. I need to start making my own repellent. How hard can it be?

A Quiet Day

Last night I was up a little later than expected finishing up some kitchen chores. I still woke up early enough this morning to do some stretches, eat breakfast, and start reading The Audacity of Hope, which was a nice start to my day.

The lunch shift is was very calm and quiet. It's not incredibly profitable, but I have time to chat with my customers and we usually have a pleasant time together. It is definitely not normal to enjoy my job this much.

Back home, I started a batch of cream cheese, put some alfalfa seeds to soak/sprout, and read a bit more in the garden while waiting for it to rain. Darling went to work his evening shift, and I've been killing time - I mean, relaxing - ever since. But I do need to hang that cream cheese, listen to my relaxation mp3, and get to bed pretty soon.

Because I am 83 years old, apparently.

Co-op Life

Look at me! Answering a question in a timely manner. See what sleep can do for a Softly?

Lizzie asked me to describe life of the co-op in detail. I'll start by saying that all cooperative housing situations are different. There are dozens in Austin, including ICC student housing, unofficial family-style rental arrangements, and even sprawling, permanent campsites. There is probably something for everyone.

Sunflower is a fairly average co-op. We own two large lots in a very trendy area; one lot holds the two houses, the other lot has our large shed and garden, which slopes down into a shady "meadow." The back house has five bedrooms and two bathrooms. The front house has a den, pantry with laundry facilities, office, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms. Darling and I have the most space, basically the entire second story of the front house. This is the largest bedroom with a walk in closet, our "own" bathroom, and a closet located on the landing. Darling converted the closet to be a small office when we first moved in.

There are 9 permanent residents. Included in our ranks are a professional musician and father, a massage therapist who has lived at the house for ten years, a recent college graduate, an Irish environmental consultant, an Indian engineer, an underemployed ex-programmer, and a professional community organizer. The average age is probably in the mid 30's.

We pay a monthly room and variable rent, which is determined every year when we build our budget. The house budget includes everything from groceries and utility bills to maintenance and accountant fees. It's actually fairly massive, considering we collectively pay for our large and productive garden, appliances, and emergencies (such as when our water heater died last year). The room rent is more or less permanent, and the same for every room. The variable changes with our budget, and is paid per person per day. So Darling and I each pay a variable, and when someone is out of town for a few days they are not required to pay a variable for that time. Guests staying for more than a few days (often sleeping on the futon in our den) are expected to pay a fraction of the variable.

As well as rent, everyone is expected to pitch in a certain amount of time to do chores and housework. Every chore earns a "point," which is measured in 15 minute intervals. Grocery shopping for the house usually takes a couple of hours, therefore earning about 8 points. Taking out the compost, watering the garden, sharing a meal, anything done for the greater good earns points. We are required to earn 30 per week, some people earn far more, others fewer. We supplement the point system with a chore wheel: the key things that must be done every week (cleaning out the fridge, sweeping and mopping, dusting, etc.) are accomplished on a rotating basis. There is no immediate consequence to not doing one's chore or gaining points, but when someone is lazy, of course, conflict arises.

We have a meeting every week which includes a (rotating) facilitator and note taker. The agenda hangs in the kitchen where anyone can add anything to it at any point. As no one likes never-ending meetings, we're pretty good at self-regulating how much to mark down during the week. Some items come up over and over again, usually scribbled on the agenda at 2 a.m. "DISHES!!!" Other items on the agenda might be emergency maintenance issues, a potential party, a visiting guest, or a heads up on upcoming board meetings. When a single person is responsible for, say, not keeping up with points, it is usually brought up first in a general way during the meeting, "We all need to be pitching in."

The meeting is followed by a round of "personal space," during which everyone shares their experiences and feelings of the week. This is by far the most profound part of the meeting, and more than once we discover that someone who hasn't been involved has been under a lot of pressure at work, having her heart broken, or been quietly ill. We end the meeting with a group hug, which we jokingly end when it "gets awkward."

If and when conflict is not resolved with a group hug (and it happens often), individuals are welcome to request a 5-on-5. This is a respected, personal way of taking someone aside and letting them know how you feel in an official way. Basically, each person has five minutes to make his/her case without interruption, back and forth until they feel the manner is resolved. In the year I've lived here, that is all we've needed, but we have a budget to hire an arbitrator should the need arise.

This is a phenomenally different lifestyle than what Darling and I experienced as a renting couple (as a legal co-op, residents literally own the house and pooled assets). It has affected nearly every facet of our existence. And no, it's not always comfortable. There are conversations I'd rather not have: I don't want a doorbell, we have to hire a plumber before that leaky faucet gets worse, our money is spread too thin between too many accounts, and just wait till I catch whomever is hoarding the bowls... I really don't look forward to the inevitable day a house mate leaves and we must find a new one before our vacancy fund runs low. And when Darling and I have a tiff? It can be awkward, to say the least, acting out our couple drama with an unsuspecting audience.

But the rewards are endless.Our diet alone has improved dramatically. Before moving here, Darling and I could not devote as much money as we would have liked on nutritious, organic food. By pooling our money (to the tune of about $250 a week), our house is able to purchase a healthy variety of nuts, seeds, oils, fruits, veggies, grains, dried beans, and dairy. The house only purchases vegetarian food, by the way, and we are allowed to add anything (within reason) to the list. In fact, simply not having to shop every week has increased my free time dramatically.

I can focus that free time with other household activities, and am often found in the kitchen baking the house's bread and preparing yogurt. Darling makes breakfast almost every morning and helps deal with the house's financial and board responsibilities. For some reason my passion for gardening has waned, and it's nice to know someone is picking up the slack outdoors. Others wield hammers in the endless pursuit of keeping this old house standing. Being a homeowner is a group effort!

There is also something to be said for the strong support system we have access to. There is always someone willing to offer a ride, a shoulder to cry on, or an herbal remedy. Privacy is a non-issue.

Space can be an issue, and I don't mean for more stuff. Darling and I hope to expand our family someday soon, pretty much as soon as nature allows. In the event that a baby Softly doesn't bounce into our lives by the time we finish paying debt, Darling and I will save to adopt/foster. Incidentally, two or three babies have been born in this house since it was made a co-op. I figure babies don't need all that much space, but at some point we will need a nursery. Part of me fantasizes that we will rent two rooms of the co-op, which would still be affordable. But in reality, Darling and I love to travel, and it's very likely that we'll seek other living situations when he finishes college. At this point, I have no desire to leave.

Hope that answers your questions, Lizzie!

September 2010 Net Worth

Sleep = Amazing.

Right after writing my last blog I went to bed. It was just after nine in the evening, but I was determined to develop this new habit. After removing my contacts, putting them back in to read for a bit, writing a little, and taking my contacts back out, I practiced some relaxation exercises and finally drifted off.

When Darling came home from work at midnight I was convinced I'd never get back to sleep, but was wrong. I woke up bright and early the next morning ready for work. That evening my friends were annoyed at me for heading home early, but Monday I had much more energy while hanging with my sister and babysitting my niece. The only downside was that Monday evening I really wanted some "me" time after the house meeting, which starts right after I get home from my sister's and ends sometime after dark. But Darling and I went to bed and woke up together Tuesday morning feeling great. So great, in fact, that after working my lunch shift at the restaurant I agreed to work a double and didn't get home until late last evening. Fortunately, I have today off so it wasn't a big deal to sleep in late. And that extra cash certainly helped beef up the net worth at the last minute.

This month the Softly household suffered a drop in assets, which now come total $1,812. But we paid a good deal of debt last month, which is now down to $11,495. Our total net worth comes to -$9,683. Which is a teeny, tiny step backward from last month.

I'd really like to dedicate all of our spare change to debt until we dip below the $11,000 mark, but it occurs to me that having almost no money in our emergency fund is a bad thing. We've done really well by chipping steadily away at debt, maybe the time has come to do the same with savings.