Overheard 10-26

Noah (during a long overdue fingernail cutting, while watching Monday Night Footbal): I love the feeling of getting my fingernails cut.  Except on the days when someone brings clementines for snack the next day and you have to DIG in there with your freshly cut nails and ... oooo-eee...then, it's not good.

Cutting Back

It's official.  The clinic is open.  In fact, it's been open for three weeks.  Things are going well.  This has been the "soft opening" time where we have been getting up and running.  Our Grand Opening will be November 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. so, for those of you in the area, save the date.  We'd love to see you there.

What does getting up and running involve?  Well it means anywhere from navigating the complex process that is signing on and becoming "credentialed" with insurance companies (not surprisingly, it's not easy), ordering and tracking and then stalking furniture that doesn't arrive, ordering equipment, dealing with banks and financing, developing marketing materials, assembling about 52 pieces of IKEA furniture, hiring an employee, and then the dinky, but amazingly time consuming stuff like figuring out "Where does one buy tri-fold insitutitional paper towels?" or "Really, I have to drive to the permit office for the city of Saint Paul and ask for a guy named YaYa and pay him $52, to hang a sign outside for exactly four weeks?" 

And that it all just the tip of the iceberg.  What a learning experience.

That said, it really is going well.  We are happy to say that Brian has now seen more patients that are NOT family than ARE.  Which is good, cause let's face it, our family isn't all that big.

Brian has been, understandbly, tackling many of the clinic details.  He works (either for himself or at the other clinic where he previously was full time) Monday through Saturday.  He then continues to work for himself from about 6:00 p.m. to midnight about 6 nights a week.

Me?  I am single parenting much of the time and trying to figure out how to piece it all together.

For those of you how know me, you know I am frugal.  I am thrifty.  And I am proud of it. I coupon.  I shop deals.  I kind of have this thing down.  But this new world is going to prove challenging, even for thrifty me.

It always drives me crazy when I click on a link that says something like "10 great ways to shave $500 off your monthly bills."  Why?  Because it's either stuff I am already doing or am doing and can vouch for it not making that big a deal.  For instance, Turn down the heat.  Check.  Use tupperware instead of baggies (a dumb one, but amazing how often you see that).  Check.  Pay off your credit cards.  Check.  Have an energy efficient house.  Check.  Consign your clothes.  Check.  Sell stuff on craigslist when you are done with it.  Check.  And on and on and on.

However, most of our costs are pretty fixed costs.  And, assuming all goes well, I do realize this is temporary, but we still need to figure out creative ways to get through the temporary.

Some of the things that have happened already:

1. Cable -- called Comcast when I found a better rate with Qwest and said I would be leaving.  They then turned around and added HBO for free for a year, while cutting $70 (back to real money here) off our cable and phone bill for the next two years.  Someone asked recently if I was going to cut cable as that is often the first thing to go.  If we go back to the above budget, you'll note that there is no line for babysitters, entertainment, or dinners out.  So no.  Cable is it, my friends.
2. Groceries -- I was already pretty darn good there.  I buy what is on sale and I buy a lot of it.  We eat all our leftovers.  And unless something gets lost in the fridge (hate that!), nothing goes to waste.  However, I am doing more and more shopping at ALDI.  Man those prices are impressive.  And I still coupon like a mad woman.  I now have enough free razors to shave until I am about 45.
3. Savings -- Hate to admit it, and don't tell a financial planner, but we have both cut our 401k savings down to just what it takes to get the match and nothing more.
4. Student Loans -- We managed to pay off one small student loan before all of this began (the monthly payment on that one was 10% of the total cost, but the ginormous optometry school one remains)
5. Utilities -- We shrunk down our garbage can (even with a family of 5 and a kid in diapers, we have the smallest can available), turned down our water heater, reevaluated our cell phone plans, turned down the heat (64 degrees when we are there, 58 degrees when we are at work, and 60 degrees at night), and have become militant about turning off the lights. 
6. Lunches -- We have both almost completely stopped eating takeout for lunch.  We pack it 95% of the time now.  I am trying to make lunch for the kids at least one day a week.
7. Haircuts -- I think I am growing my hair back out.  This short hair stuff is expensive.  And we bought a hair trimmer and Brian has been doing (a very nice job, I will say) of cutting the kids hair.  Luckily Eli is still pretty bald.

It's a journey.  So if we aren't reaching out, it's not remotely personal.  We just work and juggle and, occassionally, sleep.  And second, don't take it personally if we don't accept an invite to go out to dinner.  Or if you send us a charity fundraising request and we don't act on it.  Again, not personal, just realistic.  We'll be back someday, we promise.