Martha vs. Donald

Felt like a long week. Paid cash for a bedroom set, found a dining room set, went to San Diego (productive) and Pasadena (waste of time) for software demos, Martha Stewart and Trump's Apprentice both started this week and going to Phoenix for 5 days starting tomorrow morning.

Total spent Monday 9/19:
$7 lunch with colleague
$15 stuff at Bed, Bath & Beyond
$3400 dining table with 6 chairs and full sized china cabinet and hutch
$23 dinner for 2 at IHOP

Total spent Tuesday 9/20:
$0 expensed lunch for 2
$55 gas
$22 groceries for dinner

Total spent Wed 9/21:
$46 lunch for 3 at upscale Vietnamese restaurant
$0 leftovers for dinner

Total spent Thurs 9/22:
$0 brought lunch
$12 carwash (saved $10 with Entertainment coupon)
$26 dinner for two at Thai Specialty (saved $7 with Entertainment coupon)
$22 socks and a tie at Marshall's

Total spent Friday 9/23:
$0 expensed lunch for 2
$0 leftovers for dinner

Redecorating Gone Wild

This redecorating bug is getting really expensive. Sold the old dining room set for $500 (originally about $1200 5 years ago), 3 piece blue colored sofa set for $500 (originally $1500 3 years ago), and entertainment unit for $200 (originally $1000 5 years ago) all to an office colleague. Still could stand to get rid of another sofa set and cocktail table set and accessories but haven't been able to part with it just yet. We've transitioned from a light woods and contemporary look to darker woods and Asian-inspired look. The master bedroom is going to be "West Indies" plantation style. All said and done this will cost about $20k in furnishings for a dining room, living room and master bedroom. We'd better not get tired of this stuff anytime soon. (Yeah, and I passed the real estate broker's exam!)

Friday:
$0 brought lunch
$24 dinner for 2 at China Palace (saved $10 with Entertainment card)
$130 2 nights reservation at 4* Hilton resort in Phoenix through Priceline (saved $180 off internet rate)

Saturday:
$0 leftovers for lunch
$5375 complete bedroom set (cash price with delivery and setup)
$76 clothes at Off 5th Avenue
$12 hotdogs and popcorn at movies (Red Eye, good movie but really short at an hour 20 min!)

Sunday:
$32 groceries (saved $39 in coupons)
$6 drive thru at Taco Bell for 2
$20 aquarium screensaver
$150 upstream DVD player for new plasma TV
$0 went shopping for dining room set in Long Beach and LA but struck out
$0 prepared dinner
$50 2 days rental car reservation for Phoenix
$9 Zen Micro armband and silicone cover on Ebay

The Exam

Took the real estate broker's exam this week. To prepare, attended a weekend cram course 6 weeks ago, bought 2 prep books, and subscribed to an online prep service. Statistically, over 60% of the examinees FAIL even when re-tests are factored. I'm glad that I studied so much leading up to the exam because I recognized about 1/3 of the questions almost verbatim. With so much material that you have to learn, it's a shame that you only get tested on 200 questions.
Thankfully, results will be received within 5 business days. Anyway, really relieved that it's all over and I can get some sleep now and can get back to watching reruns of Three's Company.

Total spent Wednesday 9/7:
$5 lunch at Jack in the Box
$97 one week ad in newspaper for house rental
$200 donation to office colleague whose family is based in New Orleans
$4 parking for real estate investment group meeting
$3 dinner at Jack in the Box (again!)

Total spent Thursday 9/8:
$4 takeout lunch at park with colleague
$0 prepared dinner

Total spent Friday 9/9:
$10 lunch with colleague
$3 candy and ice cream at Rite Aid
$20 fee to replace lost driver's license at DMV

Total spent Saturday 9/10:
-$3000 rejected the dining room set and hutch that was delivered but was damaged
$35 drycleaing
$42 bed for the cat
$20 dinner for 2 at Don Jose's (saved $9 with Entertainment card)
$1250 very comfy lounger/chaise at Basix

Total spent Sunday 9/11:
$46 groceries at Ralph's (saved $43 with coupons)
$12 lunch for 2 at Arby's
$17 phone cards for international calls and lottery tickets at 7-11
$52 groceries again at Albertson's (wasn't in the mood to cook what I had planned earlier)

Total spent Monday 9/12:
$0 colleague treated me to lunch
$17 takeout dinner for 2 at Maggiano's (really serves 5 easily, saved $10 with email coupon)

Total spent Tuesday 9/13:
$7 parking in downtown LA
$6 lunch
$15 15 minute chair massage
$2 can of Red Bull
$3 Starbucks
$190 roundtrip ticket from OC to Phoenix (planning to looking at rental houses)
$89 dinner for 2 at The Catch (saved $23 with Entertainment coupon)
$31 two books from Amazon

Total spent Wednesday 9/14:
$57 gas
$0 company lunch
$630 cocktail and console tables at Mikim's ($700 off for going out of business sale)
$0 leftovers for dinner

Rental Applicants

Ad running in Riverside Press Enterprise: "A Brand New House. Corona. 5 BR, 3 BA, upgraded, $2100. 714-123-4567 Paul"
Rental applicant #1: nice older couple, declared bankruptcy recently, owned flooring biz and the partner ran off with all the money, willing to pay one extra month in additional security deposit
Rental applicant #2: "How's your credit?" "Oh, you want someone with good credit?"
Rental applicant #3: selling her house to lock in profits and looking for rental for the next year or two, filled out application on the spot, agreed to non-landscaped backyard, and willing to pay rent starting immediately.
Rental applicant #4: indignant that we weren't planning to landscape the backyard in house #2
Rental applicant #5: large family (both SIZE and number of people)

Guess which one we chose? Choice for house #2 won't be as easy.

Total spent Monday 7/29:
$54 gas
$255 ordered 1 replacement tire
$0 prepared dinner
$99 7 day ad in Press Enterprise for rental house in Corona

Total spent Tuesday 7/30:
$0 expensed lunch
$2 attended real estate seminar and then quick drive thru dinner
$1550 Dell desktop computer with 24” widescreen LCD monitor

Total spent Wednesday 7/31:
$0 colleague treated me to lunch
$26 dinner for 2 at new restaurant, Fire Dance
$5 cat litter box at PetSmart

Total spent Thursday 8/1:
$18 treated colleague to lunch
$0 prepared dinner

Total spent Friday 8/2:
$0 company lunch
$30 install new tire
$0 leftovers for dinner

Total spent Saturday 8/3:
$7 McDonalds
$17 lunch for 2 at Pick Up Stix
$56 birthday toys for twin nephews and niece
$4730 semi-impulsive purchase of 10 piece dining room set and entertainment unit
$31 dinner for 2 at California Pizza Kitchen (saved $8 with coupon)

Total spent Sunday 8/4:
$300 2 months interest payments to mom
$16 misc groceries at Vietnamese supermarket
$8 creme puffs for friend's bbq

Total spent Monday 8/5:
$3 tollroad to Corona
$60 grout sealer and misc tools at Home Depot rental property
$64 tile for outdoor shelf project at home
$4 lunch at Weinerschnitzel
$55 gas
$52 groceries (saved $34 with coupons)
$3400 Pioneer 43" plasma tv and cable
$65 dinner for two at Opah (Kobe beef burger and the best scallops)