tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57565860158814907032024-11-05T20:56:29.042-06:00In which our heroine and her family claw their way from the brink of financial disaster to solvency and beyondPolly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-18914658626287371182011-03-21T23:00:00.001-05:002011-03-21T23:00:05.512-05:00

Image by PortocalaMecanica via FlickrPrissy keeps growing. Her pants get short. Her knees come up to her chin on her bike. (Didn't we just buy her a new one?) She's a teenager. A small one, but a teenager none the less. And she bikes to school. She's had lots of adventures on her bike. Like kids who let the air out of her tires. Or the time she fell in to the pond--bike, backpack, library book

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-30980225754909631922011-02-03T23:00:00.000-06:002011-02-03T23:00:00.602-06:00

I have a funny life. At home I'm dirt poor, never go out to eat, or to the movies or to much of anything that isn't related to a kid's performance. But I travel frequently for business. I stay in nice hotels, eat at fancy restaurants, and have this second life of luxury. On my company's dime. I don't abuse my expense account. I'm honest about what I spend, and I'm not extravagent compared to my

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-59810028643049455282011-02-02T23:00:00.002-06:002011-02-02T23:00:04.794-06:00

Image via WikipediaSo, it turns out the 3-for-1 Internet/Phone/TV deal I bragged about here wasn't such a good deal after all. About a year ago, we found out it would be cheaper to add TV services to our Verizon FIOS Internet and phone service. What we didn't realize was that it was a 6 month teaser deal and that there was a penalty for cancelling the services before 12 months. So the

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-74400364944679500902011-02-01T23:00:00.001-06:002011-02-01T23:00:12.502-06:00

Image via WikipediaApparently credit card issuers have found another way to circumvent the new CARD Act protections. They are pushing their business credit card lines, which aren't subject to the new rules. In an act of decluttering (thank you Fly Lady) I tackled the mound of paperwork in my front hall and found FOUR offers for a business credit card from Capital One. This despite the fact that

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-38058639793176012792011-01-31T07:36:00.003-06:002011-01-31T23:37:12.002-06:00

I don't get it. Just checked my Citicard statement, and the high interest rate balance is NOT paid off. Despite the fact that I made the monthly minimum payment PLUS the high-rate balance from last month's statement. What am I missing? It says there's another $112 on that balance. So they really aren't applying excess payments to the high rate balance, are they? Grrr.

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-8917875783642926412011-01-23T23:40:00.001-06:002011-01-23T23:40:00.369-06:00

Image via WikipediaAs I mentioned in my New Year's entry, I'm about to retire my remaining high interest rate debt with Citicard. They've been a little weird this year. They've been relentlessly pushing their Payment Partner Plan, which I described here.  I finally decided to sign up for it. It's a cashback program for a percentage of what you pay over the minimum balance. My Citi

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-84038708407540295272011-01-22T23:00:00.000-06:002011-01-22T23:00:05.522-06:00

with my slow cooker. I hardly cook at all without it anymore. I have to confess that Mr. Poorhouse does most of the cooking around here. But he's been stressed at work lately and has had less time and energy for the culinary arts. So I lend my hand. Throw stuff in a pot. Turn it on. Come back hours later to food. What's not to love? This isn't a food blog, but we've saved a ton of money this

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-67536054190164165762011-01-20T23:00:00.002-06:002011-01-20T23:00:07.385-06:00

Image by Chris Devers via FlickrWe don't get out much. Our idea of a date is cheese and crackers and a glass of water in front of the TV after the kids have gone to bed. But I did buy a birthday present for Mr. Poorhouse from Groupon last year. You know Groupon, right?  You sign up, they send you an email every day for some local experience or service at pretty substantial discounts The

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-82952565947761274232011-01-20T22:36:00.000-06:002011-01-20T22:36:43.073-06:00

Sometimes Mr. Poorhouse and I get discouraged. We don't have a social life. Movies, bars and restaurants, and babysitters are not in our budget and haven't been for a long time. I just remembered, though, that my grandparents didn't let that stop them in the pit of the Great Depression. They went out every Friday night. With their friends. To each other's houses. They brought their pot luck

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-19562847640941024772011-01-18T23:00:00.001-06:002011-01-18T23:00:08.005-06:00

Image via WikipediaMy sister-in-law is worried. She and Mr. Poorhouse and their brother have each been getting a share of their father's pension since he passed away 16 years ago. They each chose a 15-year payout option at the time. Except that it's been 16 years. And the checks are still coming. (Well, strictly speaking, the automatic deposits are still being made, but you know what I mean.)

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-6873958079761006352011-01-17T23:38:00.003-06:002011-01-18T09:01:02.304-06:00

Image via WikipediaWisebread has a great blog post on saving money on Apple products. When Paul just had to have an iPod touch, I told him I wasn't going to buy one for him, so he saved his money, worked for Mr. Poorhouse's boss hanging doorhangers to advertise the business, did extra chores around the house, and sold off a bunch of video games and his beloved DSi (a Santa gift). In less

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-39296931297124725552011-01-14T23:00:00.007-06:002011-01-17T12:41:07.665-06:00

Through work, I had an opportunity to attend a library conference this week and managed to score many advanced reader copies of to-be-published books. This was a popular (and frugal!) way to bring home "guilt travel" gifts for the kids (and Mr. Poorhouse) without spending a dime. One of the books I picked up was Small Change by Sheila Roberts. The author herself was at the St. Martin's

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-27121579408341584022011-01-13T23:00:00.002-06:002011-01-17T00:23:39.043-06:00

Photo: jen_maiser via Flickr The search for affordable kids' activities continues. Despite our longterm best efforts (we started when they were just babies) Prissy and Paul don't swim. As we say at our house, this is a safety issue, and therefore non-negotiable. But what to do? All the pools in our town are private, have a waitlist, and require a several-thousand dollar initiation fee,

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-4127884762279963562011-01-13T01:27:00.003-06:002011-01-17T00:24:08.764-06:00

Photo: krossbow via Flikr I'm not just talking about the 20 inches of snow that that got dumped on us today. No, I mean the excruciatingly slow process of digging out of debt. There are hopeful signs. I suspect that as soon as I file my 2010 federal taxes my back taxes due the IRS will be behind us. Our car payments will end in May. Through frugal alternatives and generous gifts from

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-48722072430401674802010-05-09T22:36:00.001-05:002011-01-17T00:24:30.350-06:00

Image by Andrea Hughes via FlickrSometimes when I catch myself in the mirror, I feel like I'm looking at my mom. She's been gone nine years now. We had a long distance relationship for all of my adult life. I had a six month old baby whom she had yet to meet when she died unexpectedly. We had turned that odd parent/child corner where I worried more about her than she did about me. She was a

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-1097439895594167282010-05-08T16:30:00.001-05:002011-01-17T00:25:01.007-06:00

Image by ekai via FlickrI don't know why it is that middle schoolers, at least the kids at Prissy's school, have such a great choice of afterschool clubs that cost, well, nothing. All the activities for younger kids--drama, soccer, music--are really expensiver around here. But Prissy participates in the engineering club, the knitting club, the photography club, and the drama club every day for

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-43430434430567223352010-05-06T20:01:00.000-05:002010-05-06T20:01:00.237-05:00

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeI think I'll rename this blog "Polly Whinges." The seal on my environmentally-friendly front loading Bosch washing machine has disintegrated.  Where do you suppose the money for the expensive repair is going to come from? Just call me Job.

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-23062189353777111602010-05-05T20:00:00.002-05:002010-05-05T20:00:01.168-05:00

Image by Stephanie Booth via FlickrOK, this isn't good. There was a whole plate of leftover sandwiches from a catered work event I attended today. I looked at them and calculated they could feed my family for a day or so. So I brought them home, carrying them waitress-style through the parking lot. At least I left the brownies. Nobody here needs them. How long before I turn into the crazy lady

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-77065580271004360762010-05-04T22:52:00.000-05:002010-05-04T22:52:42.288-05:00

Image by ~Prescott via FlickrMeeting the mortgage payment is a tricky proposition chez Poorhouse.  I have an automatic payment set in my online banking system. But since the mortgage is due monthly and the paychecks are bi-weekly, and since the mortgage payment is more than my paycheck net, I often have to make adjustments. The good news is I have a 15 day grace period, and things are better

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-31604764194952737482010-05-02T16:40:00.000-05:002010-05-02T16:40:19.320-05:00

Image by lastmodified via FlickrOr so said Bridget Jones. Our slow cooker is still getting a workout, though we are getting a little tired of the pot roast/stew and root veggies combo.  Last week we had a pot roast and Mr. Poorhouse's famous mushroom gravy. But the genius came the next day when I sauteed some shallots, added leftover thin sliced pot roast, leftover mushroom gravy, a bit of

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-60716847673279044152010-05-01T16:00:00.000-05:002010-05-01T16:00:00.476-05:00

Image by big jay cee via FlickrAfter my post whining about the cost of braces, a friend gave me a brilliant idea for saving money on braces. Dental schools offer orthodontia at a discount.  I'm not sure what the savings might be, but I suspect 10-20 percent. I'd be interested in hearing from readers about your experiences. When I was younger I did get optical care from a local university.

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-5556687213564396322010-04-30T20:38:00.001-05:002011-01-17T00:25:34.360-06:00

Image via WikipediaStarving and late for a conference this morning, I pulled into a Burger King drivethrough. I know, I know! But those biscuit sandwiches are my weakness. After the fourth time the voice at the end of the squawkbox asked me to repeat my order, I decided I didn't need to spend the money or the calories, and drove away. I was on a roll. I only had a little bit of coffee roll

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-47122550013847985752010-04-29T16:57:00.002-05:002010-04-29T17:15:45.124-05:00

Image via WikipediaMr. Poorhouse and I watched all of Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution episodes this week. We saw the documentary King Corn a few months ago, and have been thinking a lot about how subsidizing corn production introduces inefficiencies in our food system, making corn syrup super cheap and attractive as an ingredient for, well, everything. I should mention that we are by no means

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-86314189805017533302010-04-28T16:11:00.001-05:002011-01-17T00:26:00.235-06:00

Image via WikipediaBecause we don't have enough to worry about, fate has sent us a new financial concern:  Braces for the pre-teen. I had braces in 7th and 8th grade, but I also had a terrible overbite. Mr. Poorhouse did not have braces, and his teeth remain straight. Twelve year old Prissy Poorhouse has very straight teeth, but a very small mouth. The dentist anticipates braces next year

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756586015881490703.post-28751865182415655392010-04-27T15:45:00.003-05:002011-01-17T00:26:44.717-06:00

Image via WikipediaHaving another cash flow problem.  Due to an expensive transmission repair which you can read about here if you're interested, I don't have the cash right now I thought I had to pay for the Poorhouse children's childcare this summer. I'll have it in two weeks when I next get paid. The problem is that there is only one viable option for the last few weeks of summer around

Polly Poorhousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967413841209148601noreply@blogger.com0