I live in the Ozark mtns. We do have higher cost housing if wanted but you can look at rental listings and easily find a house in the $500 range for rent. When we house hunted there were dozens of houses for less than $100K and quite a few choices (30+) for less than $50K. I guess I'm just shocked at the prices people are quoting since it's $15/hr and up. Like I said above *very few* people here make $15/hr and certainly not more money than that. Prices were the same when I lived in MS as well. The only people that got paid those kind of rates were oilfield. Of course housing sucked in MS though. With all the dangerous areas the safe areas to live were really expensive with few options. Rent started at $600 and housing prices started at $80K for anything even partly considerable. You went oilfield or bust basically. We make less here but COL is low and it's a more rural/small town area. Not city.

Yes. I'd definitely get a better medical workup. There are all kinds of things that could be causing her to not lose weight.

I'm glad they've worked it out. I would definitely get a second opinion and talk it over well with the vets. Our Golden has two vets plus I'm adding a chiro and NV. Our dog was 7 when we brought him home so surgery was never an option for us. His previous owners had opted out of surgery (I'm sure due to the high costs!). He has done well on supplements plus meds when needed for pain. I also keep him on a grain free diet to help with overall health and to control weight gain which can make the dysplasia worse. Talk it over honestly with the vets and I'm sure there are options that aren't such a financial burden. Good luck to your friends and their puppy. Goldens are awesome dogs :001_wub:

Hey your Thurs looks similar to mine. Mine is: doctor lab work ? grocery shopping at the specialty store ... possibly a second grocery store if I don't find good prices on everything at the first one Everything else is going to be sketchy

We aren't doing martial arts yet although the kids are asking about it so we'll likely add it this year. I would be annoyed at what you mentioned. Like others said we don't have just one thing going on. Constant additions, changes, messages etc would drive me batty. My kids participate in a lot of activities (although mostly seasonal so not all at once!) and it can just get to be too much when you have multiple activities with multiple kids. I did have an issue last year with soccer. I asked for information before signing up to see how this would fit into our schedule. I was given: 2 wks of practices one day/wk followed by 6 wks of Saturday games, no practice once games started. Awesome. So I can manage two weeks with 3 days at the field then it'd be Saturday only the rest of the season! I even volunteered to coach the youngest so her league didn't get dropped. Umm... not how it worked! My son's team continued having practice and my daughter's did as well, except her coach wanted TWO practices each week. I know that shouldn't be shocking but seriously... that meant 3 days of practice plus 3 games each Saturday and we had a co-op I was teaching 2 classes at on Friday (which was never a game/practice day). I was only home on Sundays and by the end of the season I was practically in tears from the constant running and stress. I expect that with league/comp sports but this is youth rec and I asked for that reason. Ugh. My home body self is not cut out for that. Nope nope.

OMG. Yeah HIGHLY localized and you should call daycares plus check care.com and other resources to find going rates in your area. I live in a low COL area so these rates are extremely shocking. Daycares here get $75-125/wk per child depending on age (the $125 being small infants). For a job like you're looking at with a small baby I'd say about $25/day especially if she has had any childcare training. If not the going rate is usually $15/day or $3/hr which ever is higher. Wow! The prices that most of you quoted above are what adults make here at SKILLED jobs. NO ONE here makes $15/hr without working a higher end/skilled/training required job. Min wage is $7.25 and most "average" jobs are $9-12/hr. Of course on the other hand you can rent a *nice* 3 bed/2 bath house for $500/mo easily.

Face mapping? http://www.youbeauty.com/beauty/face-mapping-what-acne-is-trying-to-tell-about-your-health/ Not sure if that's helpful but worth a look. :) I would consider talking to the doctor about it. I voted for higher end of ideal weight range with no acne but honestly I'd probably just talk to the doctor. It seems unusual for the acne to disappear when you go up in weight range but you to feel better when you go down in the range. Seems like there should be some fixable cause so you can have both. I'd sure ask!

Yes to both of these posts. I get what you are saying heartlikealion but I agree with SKL that it isn't up to each individual family to ensure the sitter makes a living wage. I think everyone should be able to make a living wage but you make choices with the options you have. As for the vacation and such most families are not going to be able to afford much time off where they wouldn't need the sitter. Yes an in home care provider is running the risk of losing pay for a week or two a year if the family takes vacation but the WOH parents are also running a risk by using a private sitter. If that sitter decides to take off or is sick/has a sick child then the parent is going to miss work while a day care would have a more set schedule. There are always going to be risks and benefits for everyone in each situation. Both parties have to weigh the options to see what works for them.

Haha! Not recognizing the fast food place made me laugh. We don't eat a lot of processed food here and my sister recently moved in with us (we ate nearly all processed food growing up). I made a beef pasta meal one day that my sister said was like "hamburger helper." My oldest was thoroughly confused about what a hamburger helper was. When my sister tried to explain dd finally got it and was like "oh yeah the boxes in the store with the hand on them." My sister got a kick out of it and asked what the heck I was feeding these kids :smilielol5:

I'm coming back to read responses later but I'm a flexible planner also. My local ads are released on Tuesday. I spend Tuesday night going over the ads to see what is on sale. Then I search online for any new recipes I want to try or recipes to use something that is having a great sale this week. I make a list of all the meals I am going to make for the week/month. I make a grocery list of what's needed and how much. Once I do the shopping the list of the meals I'm making is stuck on the fridge. Each night I just pick something from the list to make for the next day so I can set out whatever I might need (thaw meat, soak beans, etc). It's planned and I have everything I need but I'm not stuck with a detailed menu. I won't stick to a detailed menu as much as I like the idea :(

I never noticed a difference between natural gas or LP. I hate, hate, hate electric stoves. I haven't tried induction although I've heard good things about them. I have considered trying it but I hate coil electric so much I'm worried about the induction grating on my nerves. We have almost always had LP propane and I love it. I love the adjust ability of the heat and the fact that I can visibly *see* how high the heat is. I also like that I have cooking ability even if power goes out in storms. I don't have to worry if a thunderstorm hits and it's dinner time ;) . Costs do vary wildly but a LP stove won't take that much propane if it's all you're running. Our stove is the only thing on propane here so our LP costs are low. * 1 gal of propane = 91,000 BTU. Most stoves are estimated at around 60,000 btu or an estimated 5-10 gal. of propane per month. Here's one site showing some estimates: http://lingas.com/hot-topics/how-much-propane-do-my-appliances-use/

It's going to depend on the area and it was just an example. The figures I was spinning that estimate off of are from years of babysitting and using child care in a low income, mostly rural area. Most families have a 10-30 min drive to work. It's normal. It's actually not entirely unusual for some families to have a 45 min drive just because of the location of their rural home and the roads they have to use. The gas costs go up quite a bit in that situation. The laws are different by state but where I lived an in home sitter can keep up to 6 kids (other than her own) so the 4 is a low estimate, day cares would have providers in charge of at least 4 and usually more kids so you'd still get a lower child to provider ratio with in home care. $3/hr for 45 hrs equals $135 week.... in that area a day care would be $75-125/wk depending on the age of the child and a daily rate would usually be $10 or $15 per day per child. The $3/hr comes out to more per hr than either of those calculations. Like I said I know it's going to vary by area but where I lived it was a good rate (and paying that decent rate didn't have to take all of the WOH mom's income). Unless it's a very temporary situation there is no way that someone can pay a sitter the SAME rate they make.

Too many posts to quote but I agree with so much of the above! I don't do "because I said so." Things either have a reason or they don't. I do view the children as humans with their own rights though so I approach them as such. We have rules and expectations but they are house rules and family expectations that we all (including dh and myself) abide by. Some rules are age specific but not many. The clothes... I already said above I don't require folding. I *do* require the dress clothes to be hung because we want them to be nice but that's it. The others are up to the kid. I'm not big on appearances to make other people feel good though. This is any age kid though.... I mean I'm that mom that will let the 4 yr old go to the grocery store in her ladybug costume because she loves it and wanted to. Didn't hurt anyone by her doing it and it made her deliriously happy so... :confused1:

I don't have this issue in my current area. When I do see a dog loose it's nearly always someone's pet let out that has strayed from the yard. No actual roaming stray dogs. We do have some stray cats but they're working on that. I did have an issue with stray dogs when I lived in a more rural area though. It seems people always drive out to the country to dump their strays. Then again that was in a different state in an extremely low income area so maybe that was the bigger factor? Idk. I'm in a low income, cheaper part of town now too but don't have that problem.

Yep make sure that suction is broken first. The Meluna looks like an awesome cup and I have seriously considered getting it. I had a sckoon cup first and LOVED it. It was amazing! It had a *ahem* accident though and I bought an Anigan/Evacup when I replaced it. I hate that cup. Idk why but it doesn't fit me and it HURTS. I get massive, can't stand up cramps every time I use it. I bought a Flower Cup "Blossom" as a quick cheap replacement because the Anigan was so awful. The Blossom fits and works fine. No real complaints. I plan to get another Sckoon or try to Meluna when I'm ready to buy another cup. Sometimes it just takes some trial and error to find the right fit but I've heard great things about the Meluna. Good luck!

I wouldn't worry about a timeline to the return of the computers especially with kids that age. They'll get them back when they make the improvements whether that's this week or next year. They know what's up. I would also consider altering expectations and changing chores just to lower my stress. I gave up a while back on laundry and I'm much happier. Laundry is sorted into piles per person. I fold/put away my clothes and dh's. The kids each get their pile and put them away. How they do that (hanging, folding, or even just shoving in drawers) is their business. I only require that they are put away and that "good" clothes are hung properly, all else is up to them. I will soon be assigning a different color towel/washcloth per person so I know who to yell at for leaving them laying around crazy. (We hang our towels instead of using them just once) I am also considering getting a dish set per person in different colors and making these goobers wash their own dishes because darn it I'm sick of washing all the dishes for 6 people 3+ times a day plus cooking plus grocery shopping plus plus plus. Look for ways you can lighten the load on yourself and make them more responsible for their own things. No need to argue or fight about it. "Oh you didn't get dinner? Hmm... did you have your plate clean so I could make it? If not might want to wash it and get yourself some dinner." " "Socks? Idk... where'd you put them when you put up your clothes?" Also I agree with the not worrying about their rooms being clean. I require basics but not general tidiness. No food/drink (other than a water bottle) are allowed out of the kitchen. All clothes and towels have to be brought out of the room and bedding has to be changed when I wash bedding. Past that I wouldn't worry about it much .... maybe require a full cleaning once a month, every two weeks, whatever to get vacuuming, etc. done then let the rest of it go.

I agree it was wrong to make plans in front of other people that aren't included and I don't think it's petty to be hurt by such behavior. I think the all comments above about ideas on how to bring up the conversation and clear the air are good. We are frequently left out of things because we are different. I was hurt by this some at the homeschool co-op we tried to join. The co-op had co-op planned events but the families often planned additional activities outside of the co-op. Even though our kids played at co-op no one ever offered to include us in any plans they made even if ALL the other families were doing something together. I understood this when they did religious events since we aren't in their religious setting but the other activities it was hurtful. It was really upsetting for my kids when they'd hear about things everyone else had done but not them or when they would see photos pop up on FB of all the kids together. Needless to say we left that co-op and I doubt we'll go back. I'm sure *some* of it was because we were new but yeah... it still hurt especially since I joined so the kids could make friends. That went over great! Ugh.

Those random grocery store runs are killer on a budget! The appetite thing factors in big time. Everyone eats differently regardless of age. My sister eats more than I do by a good bit sometimes double what I eat when you factor in portion sizes and seconds, etc. My 4 yr old is ravenous and almost always eats more than my pre-teen. Totally variable. Honestly if you have a family of 6 with 3 teens you have to consider you have a family nearly all adult appetites there. That's going to be expensive! I think you're doing exceptionally well considering. I'm impressed!

happysmileylady has some good suggestions if you're looking to cut costs. All those little bits left over I save in the fridge at least once a week (depending on how quickly it accumulates) we have "momables" as my kids call them. I take all the little bits and bobs and divide them up then add something for substance so they may have two spoonfuls of corn each, 1/2 muffin, 5 green beans, and 1/3 of an apple then I add some slices of deli meat and some cheese cubes. It works. We use up every little bit of food, gives variety, and the kids love it. They like seeing the weird combinations we get each time. If you eat bean meals, don't buy canned. I save 75% of the cost by cooking and freezing our own beans. You can get the equivalent of 4 cans of beans from 1 lb of dry beans once cooked. This means I get 4 cans worth for $1.25 total instead of $1.25 each! Almond milk - I buy other milk types also depending on what is on sale. It can also be made at home. Rice milk works well for cooking and can be made very cheaply at home. I made changes to our eating habits when we went dairy free. We use little milk because I only use it to cook with or for cereal/adding to oatmeal. I look for vegan recipes and we eat a lot less cereal so it isn't much. Fish or any kind of "cuts" of meat are going to be more expensive than meals with meat in them. If I feed my family of 6 chicken breasts for dinner we need at least 6 but if I wanted shredded chicken in chicken tortilla soup for us I can get enough off of 2-3 chicken breasts kwim? We rarely eat meals that have "cuts" of meat served for this reason.

You can't. It would be impossible for someone to make $10/hr then turn around and pay the sitter $10/hr. I wouldn't suggest underpaying anyone but all there are a lot of factors to consider. The WOH mom pays for childcare, gas, and other costs to have her job. An in home sitter does NOT. If you count that she's already made more than the WOH mom. Plus a WOH mom with a job gets all her income from that job. An in home sitter usually has 1-4 families they do child care for so their income is coming from multiple places. A little play math: WOH mom works 40 hr/wk making $10/hr and spends $40/wk on gas + $3/hr for childcare (45 hrs paid adding in 30 min commute/leeway time both ways for 5 days/wk). Mom made $400 - $40 gas - $134 child care = $225 take home. In home sitter charges $3/hr per child and keeps 4 kids for 45 hr each week. So $3/hr x 4 kids x 45 hrs = $540. In home sitter made at least DOUBLE what the WOH mom made. * These are just a simple example but it shows that a mom can easily pay just $2-3/hr and not be cheating or underpaying the sitter in any way even if they mom makes $10 or more an hour. The in home sitter wouldn't make any money if she only kept one child at $2-3/hr but that is her issue not the mom's. This is for in home child care though... nanny type situations where the sitter is dedicated to your child(ren) only require a different pay scale. In home sitter keeps 4 kids, each from a different family, at $3/hr per child = $12/hr income.

I think it's going to vary depending on your conditions and what you try to grow. I actually don't feel like it saves money UNLESS you are considering special conditions and the same goes for most DIY things like this. Sewing, knitting, crochet - It doesn't save money compared to thrift store clothes but it does for special things like formal dresses, etc. It also gives custom, high quality items for much less than ordering custom made would be. So generic store < homemade but homemade < custom ordered. Chickens - If you only eat a dozen or so a week or buy cheaper eggs then getting chickens would be silly. If you want organic, free range eggs or eat a lot of eggs it makes sense. When we're buying eggs in store we don't eat many but if we had chickens we'd eat 4+ dz/wk. That would save a lot of money! Gardening might not save us money compared to what we currently spend on groceries but it does improve our diet and saves money if you consider the cost of the better diet at the store. We are selective in what we grow choosing based on what we can grow in the area plus what we eat. Cherry tomatoes, berries, and bell peppers are a few items that save money to grow at home or that we can eat more of if we grow ourselves. Herbs are always a good one. One other big benefit for gardening for us is convenience and availability. If I have a garden then the veggies are in the yard and I can access them easily. This means more fresh fruits & veggies without me having to drive to the store constantly to have fresh produce. Of course this doesn't apply if you have to drive to a community garden plot but this is a factor for those that grow at home. The gas costs of the saved trips to the grocery store count into factoring the savings.

Yes it does! We have lived in MO for a year now and I'm surprised at how well things can grow here. May sound silly but we moved here from the south so I wasn't sure if the midwest would grow things as well with the different climate and weather. I actually have beans growing off my back porch. Mind you this isn't because I *planted* beans. No no no.... I stupidly soaked beans and forgot about them so I tossed them out back door. There are now beans growing LOL Definitely can save money in specialty markets. I don't sew our daily clothing but I have saved money with odd items. I put together or sew all the kids halloween costumes and I've also altered/sewn pageant and other formal dresses. Heck just the one pageant dress I made for dd was worth the cost of all the sewing supplies over the years.

If the invitation is for 6pm and guests expect dinner to be served AT 6 then they need to be sure to arrive at that time or earlier. If it will be later when dinner is served and the first hour or so is time to socialize/cocktail hour then there's some give in the arrival time since there is still time before dinner is served. If dinner is served AT 6 then you can't be even 10 min late without being a disruption. This would encourage people showing up before the time listed to be sure they were there on time and could get greeted, seated and settled in in time.

I've seen many grocery cost threads on forums over the years and that seems very average if not low compared to most families if you ask me. Specialty foods raise the cost and healthier food tends to be more expensive than unhealthy food. I agree that people's "guesses" on what they spend are usually wrong. It's hard to guess if you don't actually track the spending. Also if people eat out then they aren't being honest unless they count that money into grocery costs but few people do. I've often heard "oh I only spend X on groceries" but they aren't adding in the other couple of hundred they spend a month on drive thrus and take out. We eat nearly all of our food at home so our grocery costs are going to be higher. Almond milk is double the cost of cow's milk so that's a factor. Any gf or dairy free specialty items will be higher like gf flours, pasta, tofutti, daiya cheese, etc. All of that factors in. I do think most people that spend very little on groceries are likely buying the cheapest option also... not the most cost effective for what they need but the cheapest regardless of quality. That will change your costs drastically too.

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