With the price of everything going up, I've been trying to figure out a way for us to economize. My pal Cheryl told tales of cutting almost $100 off her electric bill by unplugging everything in her house and replacing lightbulbs. Inspired by that, I have tried some of the same tactics, as our DWP bill is up about $50 from 18 months ago.

I had already replaced bulbs in the past, so the past two weeks I've been very diligent about turning off not just the TV, but the cable box as well. I've unplugged everything I can, but that wasn't too many things, as most stuff was already unplugged, or is rigged behind a giant piece of furniture and a baby fence (the media center and our computers.) I've been turning my computer off at night, the A/C unit can be unplugged when not in use, and I took out a night light in the hallway which was really only there for Betty when she stays over. The phone chargers were sometimes left in, and the vaporizer as well. Not much, but something.

Today when I was writing out the DWP bill, I thought I'd take a look at where we were a year ago. Turns out, we are using almost the identical amount of KWH as last year, and that price has not gone up a significant amount. Where is the $50 coming from? The garbage. Our garbage has gone up almost 400% in 18 months. In January of 2006, we paid $14.65 every two months. We now pay $56.00. There isn't anything I can do about it either. You can't ask to have them pick it up less. It isn't determined by weight or volume, other than the amount of cans you have, and we have the minimum. One garbage, one recycling. I might be saving $3 or $4 over two months turning everything off, and ever so slightly "minimizing our carbon footprint," but really, I was looking to save cold, hard cash and the DWP bill isn't going to be the place to do it.

Dexter and I watch the Garbage Truck Show every Wednesday morning. These are very fancy and computerized Robo Trucks, and I certainly don't want to have that job, though I think Dexter might. Those guys should get paid a decent wage. I have no idea where it all gets dumped, but I bet it's pretty far away from here. All that costs money.

Dexter should be FINALLY switching off of formula when he turns one next week, and that will save us $32 a week. I'm not sure what a gallon of whole milk costs at Trader Joe's, but it's not $32, that's for sure!

Steve talked me down out of the tree tonight with the thought of Thinking Like a Rich Person, and not like a Poor Person. How much time did I spend fretting over that DWP bill this afternoon, instead of typing up invoices for the jobs I'm doing right now or making more hats and masks to sell? I'm worrying about $5 when I could be making a hat that sells for $150. He has a valid point.

How very "The Secret" of Steve!!!

A milestone reached!

I am wearing a pair of PRE PREGNANCY PANTS. They may have been my fat pants, but they are on, and they fit. Not "sausage tight, at least I can get them zipped but they look trashy" but actually fit.

I'm down about 7-8 pounds, according to the scale, over the past 5 or six weeks, slow and steady. My clothes have been looser and I've started to have people notice, enough that they are saying something.

So I won't reach my goal of all weight off +5 (aka 20 pounds) by Dexter's birthday, but I will probably see 10 pounds down and start to be able to wear some of my old clothes again.

Huggies

Dexter and I saw this commercial this morning for the first time, and we both loved it. I was fast forwarding over the commercials (natch!) and we both spotted the duck, so I stopped. We watched it three times. It's like a little French film about the unrequited love affair of the duck with the little boy. It may be my favorite commercial I have ever seen. I wish I had made it myself. I hope the people who made it win a bunch of awards.

It made me proud that I already buy Huggies. How's that for a tv commercial working??? I stopped the tivo AND reaffirmed my brand loyalty? I think I'll even post it on my facebook.

I don't work for an ad agency and I had nothing to do with the making of this commercial, though I wish I did.

Random recent observations around town...

Yesterday I saw a young woman at the corner of Parkman and Sunset here in Silverlake, obviously coming from yoga class, sucking down a cigarette as if it was the last one on earth. That cracked me up. So tragically hip in her gigantic Brett Somers sunglasses and her brunette choppy do clipped up off her neck in the back, yoga mat sticking out of her silk screened canvas tote bag. I couldn't see her feet, but I'm sure she had some kind of 80's throwback ballet flats on.

This one was out of my usual haunts...at a small park in La Crescenta, a Mom in a full size (H2?) bright white Hummer had pulled into the handicapped parking spots to drop off her son for Little League, and was yelling out the passenger window for him to hurry up and get himself through the gate so she could leave. Offensive on so many levels. I just stared.

We were leaving a little Moms Club gathering that Rebecca had invited me to. I had let Dexter play in the wet sand/mud area, which I guess was not the "right" thing to, by the looks I was getting from some of the other moms. Rebecca was in full support though, and reminded me that these moms had taken their kids to a park with a wet sand play area. What did they think their kids would want to do? Sit nicely on blankets on the grass? Dex had an awesome time, and dried off enough by the time we had to leave.

The downturn in the economy is really bumming me out. In the last month it has become 1973 again. I cannot believe how much the price of everything has skyrocketed. It's a domino effect I know, but I wonder how much of it is just get what you can. I know I've raised the rate I'm charging for work. I don't want to, but I'm sure if I pull out bills from this time last year my jaw will drop. It's not just that we've added a new mouth to the grocery bill either. I'm buying almost the same things, but getting baby yogurt instead of low fat "grown up" yogurt, for instance, and the bill has got to have gone up 25%. Our internet went up $6 last month. The cable keeps edging up. Gas is literally $4/gallon here. All in the past few months. It's kind of crazy and bizarro.

I'm not sure if it's just the media whipping everyone into a frenzy, and I'm falling for it this time. I don't usually pay attention to that kind of crap, the fear mongering that Dateline and 20/20 traffic in. But rumors of killers on the loose and internet predators are one thing, and actual $4 gas and grocery bills through the roof are another. Hence the 1973 comparison. War is dragging on, the country hates the president, and gas prices are rising. It's all very depressing to me.