No, I paid another $140 for delivery with a third party piano moving company. The store wanted over $200 to deliver. Typically it is advised to let a piano acclimate to its new environment before tuning, so that is what we did.

We bought our Baldwin about 4 years ago used from a music store for $800 and it has been a wonderful piano. Before purchasing, I learned everything I could about pianos like you are. We looked at many and walked away. I decided I felt more comfortable with a reputable source and some sort of warranty. The Baldwin had the best sound and feel of any we had looked at in our range. Even though the music store had already inspected and tuned it, I still looked at everything I could on the inside, the soundboard, etc. I negotiated the price as well. The piano has great sound and holds its tune amazingly well. My oldest is a very talented pianist and is now wanting a digital for composition, but I would have a hard time ever parting with our Baldwin.

For us, allowing them was a huge mistake. They can become highly addictive for certain people as we found out the hard way. We allowed only a few hours a week and then hid the games when our teen ds wasn't playing. We recently found out that he had found our hiding spots and was sneaking the games when we were gone. We also ran into the issue where he was frequently asking to go to friend's homes that had fewer (or no) restrictions in order to play. He no longer has the games and is no longer allowed at friends homes that have no restrictions. When he does go to a friend's house, we let the parents know we do not allow these types of games. I think we will always struggle with media/technology addiction with this particular child so video games will not be coming into our home again.

Unless you enjoy printing out your own photos, I can't imagine why you would need color. We purchased a very inexpensive Brother B&W Laser that prints only last summer because I am an avid couponer and felt it was unnecessary to have color. It was one of the best decisions I've made. I did hold onto our color printer for making copies only, but we do this very infrequently and use only B&W on that printer also. With all my couponing and printing we are still on our first purchased toner cartridge and it's been about 10 months. It is SO much cheaper!

We sold our house last year and a similar thing happened to us. We already had the contract written up for building our new house and a week before we listed our old house our neighbor 2 doors down with almost the exact same house listed theirs. I panicked. They had a slightly better layout and an extra bathroom. But ours was updated and theirs wasn't. Theirs was a short sale and ours wasn't. After 12 days on market our house sold (theirs did sell month or two later and they moved out the month after we did). The people who bought our house looked at both houses and chose ours because it was updated. What I'm trying to say is I wouldn't worry about the things you have no control over. We kept our eye on their price and priced ours similarly, but we kept our house clean and decluttered and we had already updated what was really old and outdated. Do everything you can do to make your house appealing (de-clutter, clean, paint if you need to, fix anything broken or extremely old, etc) and price it as best you can. Anything else is out of your control. Housing market and buyer's desires will decide the rest for you. Good luck!

Uh, uh, gulp... :svengo: . I was just feeling ever so weary of our unending winter and grumbling about living where it is the second half of March and we still have several billion feet of snow on the ground (and another snowstorm on the way), but um, yeah. I think I'm good, thanks! The only thing I ever want blowing out of my vents is air, thank you very much! And thanks so much also for the photo; I'm all itchy now (which I know makes no sense :confused1: ).

Does anyone have suggestions about good places to stay for a family of 5? We are planning to go this summer. Hotel rooms get tight with the five of us, but condos seem really pricy. I'd like to do this as inexpensively as possible. Also, what area is convenient to the majority of main sites within the city?

I go about once a month. I honestly don't buy a ton there, because most things I can get cheaper elsewhere. Sometimes they have good deals with their coupon booklets. Here is my list of items I commonly buy at Costco: gas, cheese (big bags of shredded), eggs (sometimes depending on pricing there and elsewhere), batteries, Speedo swimsuit, spices, vitamins, soy sauce, soy milk (if I don't have a coupon for cheaper elsewhere and we are out), flax seed, Scott's toilet paper (if I don't find a better deal elsewhere and we are low), lunchmeat, Christmas cards, photos, their big bag of generic tortilla chips, Halloween candy, frozen fruit.

Yes, I agree with this. Korean cuisine is light on meat and big on seafood, vegetables and rice so I do hesitate about the steakhouse idea. My experience is that most Koreans like to stick to Korean food; my dh is still like this after almost 20 years here in the US (though he does love meat and enjoys steakhouses). I would also personally stay away from Japanese food. There is a very strong rivalry still between Korea and Japan due to the way Koreans were treated during Japanese occupation that many Koreans are still sensitive to, so I would just shy away from that association altogether (oops I just read through all comments and saw you found a place. That is serves both Korean and Japanese food will be fine). I asked dh about gifts and he replied that it is a very good gesture, but you have to be careful. Giving gifts and taking business partners out to drink is an integral part of Korean business culture, but if the gift is perceived as inexpensive it can be considered offensive. It depends in part on how much business is done, the nature of the business as well as how much money the business brings in. The nature of the gift is very important so I can't offer suggestions beyond that word of caution. .

Dh is from South Korea and we lived there several years, so I'm very familiar with Korean customs. I don't know much about fondue, but sharing a pot is not going to be an issue because this is how traditional Korean meals are served (each person gets their own bowl of rice and soup and the other dishes are communal) and the intimate style of dining would be good (very Korean). If fondue is dairy based (like a pp mentioned) stay clear because many Koreans are lactose intolerant. A Korean or American restaurant would be a good choice. You should stay home on a business dinner unless all spouses are attending. If ordering drinks that need to be poured (from a pitcher or bottle to a glass), your Dh needs to offer to pour drinks for each of the Korean businessmen first according to age (offer to oldest first) and he should pour their drinks for them with TWO hands. Then he should allow another businessman to pour his drink for him. When being introduced, a small bow (even a head nod with eyes lowered) will go a lot further than a handshake.

We used http://www.sleepinitaly.com/ and had a great experience. We booked an apartment in Campo de Fiori which is very centrally located in Rome. It was perfect.

The Rick Steves Rome guidebooks will give you tips on how to avoid the long lines and they really do work!

I second the recommendation to get a Rick Steves guide book. My Rome one was invaluable for planning our trip. I also agree that in Rome you must visit the Colosseum, the Roman Forum (they are next to each other), the Pantheon and all the sites nearby (Trevi Fountain, etc), and spend a day in the Vatican. St. Peter's Basilica is breathtaking. No picture can match the feeling of being inside that massive piece of art. It moved me to tears. I highly recommend taking a day trip to Pompeii. It can be easily reached by train. Also, be aware that not many Italians speak English so learn some basic words and phrases before you go; I really did have to use my Italian. We rented an apartment in Campo de Fiori through a place called Sleep in Italy, and I really recommend it. The location was absolutely perfect, and, in fact, we could walk to most places in Rome including the Vatican City. Rome is best seen on foot anyway and I feel like we experienced so much more this way. We shopped at the Roman food markets and cooked our own food at our apartment, which saved a ton of money and made us feel more like a local. It was really a neat experience. Also, do the walking tours in Rick Steves Rome guidebook. My favorite one was the Jewish ghetto walk, but we did 3 or 4 of them and they were all incredible. Oh, yes, and the CityPass is very handy. I believe there is also a package that gets you into some of the main sites as well if I remember correctly. If you do eat at restaurants be aware that most don't open until afternoon or early evening and that if they put bread on the table it is not free. You will make wonderful memories - Rome is an amazing city!

We took the train from Rome to Naples and it was great, but be aware that not so many Italians speak English very well. I taught myself basic Italian phrases before we went and it really made for a much smoother trip. I don't know anything about the Eurail passes though. For Rome, I would allow AT LEAST 4-5 days minimum if you can. We were there 8 days (including our day trip to Pompeii) and that was perfect. Oh, and I forgot to mention when you are at the Colosseum you have to see the Roman Forum (they are next to each other). Very neat. You'll have a great time!

In Rome, the Colosseum and St. Peter's Basilica are not to be missed. Get Rick Steve's guidebook and do some of the walking tours - the Jewish Ghetto one was my favorite. Rome is an absolutely amazing city. Take a day trip to see Pompeii. It is haunting, absolutely incredible. We did the day trip to Ostia as well, but it wasn't nearly as interesting as Pompeii, which can be done in a day as well.

My DD has Julie, Kit, and Felicity. Julie is my favorite doll of the three, but it is her least favorite. She says that her hair falls out when combing it more than the other dolls. Fwiw, we do not have the AG brush, so that may contribute to it.

Sure! Most of us are lactose intolerant so we are only looking for lactose free. 8th Continent isn't really our fave either, but when I can get it cheap I buy it. I do see a few here and there for Soy Dream, but not as much as the other brands.

Sure. I save a lot on makeup now. And I stockpile it (within reason) so when I run out I don't have to pay full price. Haircolor too. I pay about a third of what I used to on haircolor.

Makeup, laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, body wash, makeup, deodorant, paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, face wash (I have a teenager with acne), hair color, hair gels and products, toothbrushes, floss, razors, etc. We use reusable or homemade products when possible (cloth napkins, rags instead of paper towels, homemade window cleaner, etc), but when you can get many of these non-food items for free or near free it really does save; with 5 in our family and older children we definitely would spend more than just a few hundred a year on these items paying full price. This is a much smaller chunk of our budget than food, though.

Definitely certain regions are better than others. Our region only has one store that doubles and I do get great savings there. But I also get great deals at Target because they have their own store coupons on their website which I can match with available manufacturer's coupons when they are on sale bring the prices way down, sometimes free. CVS is another good one once you learn to use the Extra Care Bucks to your advantage. Our CVS employees are wonderful at helping to find extra ways to save. Being price knowledgeable is very important, though, to make sure you don't overspend at some of these more expensive stores.

I just typed up a lengthy response and lost it - hate when that happens. I get some from our Sunday paper, but the better value ones are available online or from signing up at manufacturer's website. Silk and 8th Continent are probably the 2 most common ones, but occasionally I will find some for brands like Lactaid and some other less common ones. There was recently one available online that was $2/1 for 8th Continent so I got these for under a dollar at Walmart. Silk sent me one that was buy one get one free and then our Target had them for $2.75 each so I got each one for about $1.35. The online coupons I can usually get two prints from each coupon so I can stock up a bit when I get these.

I am an avid couponer as of a few months ago. Some people would consider me extreme, but I am not at all like the people on those shows. I have my binder organized and spend several hours per week making my lists and clipping coupons. I consider it my other part time job and, honestly, I make more per hour than I do at my "regular" job so it is definitely worth it. We don't buy a lot of convenience foods either, yet I find a lot of coupons on basic staples, meat, spices, cereal, yogurt, drugstore items, personal items, makeup, dairy, and feminine products to dramatically lower our out of pocket expenses. I often get our personal product items (toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, razors, etc) for free or near free. I have a stockpile and have non-perishables items stocked with what our family needs for at least 6 months or so; I don't "hoard" - everything fits into our cabinets except our soda stash which we keep in our basement. I can't stand clutter, lol. We drink mostly soy milk in our family and there are always coupons for this that cost us less than half what we used to pay at Costco. I got about 40 packs of sliced and shredded Kraft cheese at the end of August all for free (sadly, we are now almost out - yes, we eat a lot of cheese). You CAN eat healthy and still save a ton of money on coupons - we do! I also don't buy things like pop-tarts, candy, and many boxed side dish foods; I just don't clip those coupons. I used to be a big store brand person too, but now that I shop sales (rather than what we need) and pair with good coupons (and know my rock bottom prices) I can stock up paying much less and then shop from my stockpile. I would say I easily save at least $100 per week couponing. We have a great local website that does all the store sale matchups with coupons for me so I just go through and make my list each week and pull my coupons. I have to shop anyway so it doesn't take me any more time to do that. I really enjoy it and feel like I am doing a great deal to help my family. Even my dh is a convert and that is saying a lot:tongue_smilie:.

We have a 2009 Prius that we purchased used in 2010. We saved about $7K by buying used, so it can be worth it if you find a good deal, but they do hold their value so shop carefully. We like it fine. It is mainly Dh's car for commuting to work. It gets fantastic gas mileage and we save a bundle in that way. It is not good for winter driving as it is light and slides easily on ice. Also Dh gets very frustrated by how often he gets gas but the tank doesn't fill all the way (it is a "balloon bladder" where it contracts and expands depending on the weather), so even though the gas pump stops, the tank is not full. It is too small for our family of 5 to go anywhere all together in it, given that my children are older and our oldest is big in stature (bigger than dh), but our other vehicle is a Toyota Sienna so we often take that when we go places together. The only other issue we have experienced is that recently (past 4 or so months) the check engine light will come on and then go off on occasion. We've figured out it must be something to do with a bolt in the trunk and it always goes off on its own but it is still irritating. Overall, I would recommend it; dh probably would not.

I didn't read all the replies but first I'm sorry you are having a hard time, but I do think what you are experiencing is a natural process. I (and my dc) went through the exact same thing when they started PS after homeschooling about 4 years ago. It is a tough transition. For us, overall it has worked out to be a positive thing but it did take a good 6 months or so for everyone to feel that way. There are times that I still have a pang of wanting to homeschool again, but (most) of my kids are doing well and have no interest, and I know it isn't really a very good fit for me. Give it time and it will likely get better.

Hi! We transitioned from homeschooling to PS about 4 years ago, but we still afterschool and I still enjoy reading this forum (which is why I still hang around, lol). The transition is a process and it will probably have some rough moments, mostly for mom, lol. My kids did really well and two out of three love school. My oldest is now in his last year of middle school. I, too, was scared of middle school but it has been a really good experience for him. Academically, they keep him challenged (which the elementary couldn't do since he is GT), but one thing that I have found that has been surprisingly beneficial is that the kids do see things that make them pause (swearing, not so great family situations, kids behaving in not so desirable ways - my worst fears going into this world) and it has created some great discussions for us and shown them how they DON'T want to act, kwim? It is the real world and they are a bit better able to find a niche where they feel comfortable. That has been our experience anyway. As far as academics, I wouldn't worry. The schools are generally very good about meeting the kids where they are. Just make sure they understand the why behind what they are learning and are strong with the basic core subjects and they will do just fine.