What's a straw bale house? I'm really intrigued, and I'm assuming it's not something that would be susceptible to a Big Bad Wolf weather front.

I've seen these on This Old House. Think of an adobe house, except with straw bales in place of (very large) adobe bricks. The walls are very thick.

Wow, that daycare bill is staggering. Burrell, have you done your taxes, yet? If not, you might want to have an accountant do them, and talk to her/him about how much you're making in real terms. Granted, the house and the babies are in your favor, tax-wise, but it might pay for either dh or you to go part time. Sometimes, with two parent working couples, after all taxes and expenses that are part of working are taking into consideration, so much of the 2nd full time salary goes to daycare, that in the end, one spouse is working for peanuts.

I know this is distinctly not my business, but I once saw a special on one of the news programs, where the second spouse's job actually cost the family money, when everything was taken into consideration (higher tax bracket, take out food, dry cleaning, commuting costs, baby sitting costs, workplace gifts and parties, lunches out). I realize your job isn't just a job, it's a career--a calling, really, and that may make it worth while. I don't know what dh does though, and well, okay, shutting up, now.

What's a straw bale house? I'm really intrigued, and I'm assuming it's not something that would be susceptible to a Big Bad Wolf weather front.

My parents wanted an adobe looking house, but the actual adobe is very heavy and doesn't maintain well. One way around it is to fill the walls with straw instead of adobe. Basically, their walls are about a foot thick, but only the 2 inches on the inside and outside are (cement, I think?) and the space inside is filled with straw. It insulates really well. I think there are some other advantages, but they escape me at the moment.

My mom planned the house so that in the morning, they get max sun exposure. The walls warm up and keep the house warm in the evening. They also cool down at night and keep the house cool during the day. Even when it's in the 90s there, you really don't need air conditioning. If you keep the sun out of the house, the walls keep it relatively cool. When it's cold out, they heat with a fireplace. It both blows warm air and heats the walls around it, making the space easy and cheap to heat.

I think the most important thing is to be sure you seal the straw in well. If it gets wet, it molds and is really gross. Also, you can't get it out with out knocking down the entire wall, so wet straw is bad.

not having grocery shopped in two weeks.

That would be quite a challenge for me. First I would run out of fruit, then milk, then I would break into my pantry full of Progresso soup cans, then it would come down to eating kidney beans out of a can and drinking chicken broth.

a certain sort of minimum account, WITH DEPOSIT PRIVILEGES, must be available to all comers.

The plus side to that is then all businesses could pay with direct deposit and save money on checks, and the plus side to that is then people could direct deposit part to a savings account without being tempted to spend the cash.

A straw bale house is just what it sounds like. They can be just the bales, or you can build a traditional post-and-beam frame. Then the bales act like giant bricks, and you build the (usually just) exterior walls with them. Then you plaster the whole thing over with adobe or somesuch, and it's reasonably weatherproof, ridiculously insulated, and cheap!

We're thinking about doing a steel frame (like what you'd buy for a modular workshop or warehouse) and tying the bales into that. Out here in the southwest, where there's so little rain, there's very little risk of problems with mold or fire or big bad wolves. But they've built them all over the world, in some really terrible climates, and they've stood up well.

You people on that side of the hill have to pay for it.

But we get to talk to Mr. Vartan while waiting on line for coffee.

You people on that side of the hill have to pay for it.

I know, but I can get to both my jobs (important) and the beach. And we haven't even gotten to the weather thing.

the second spouse's job actually cost the family money, when everything was taken into consideration (higher tax bracket, take out food, dry cleaning, commuting costs, baby sitting costs, workplace gifts and parties, lunches out)

Doesn't that really depend on the second spouse? Workplace gifts and parties, lunches out and take out food, and dry cleaning are by no means mandatory.

I have to bill a client for the first time. I found an invoice template, but it seems so formal. Should I use it, or just use my "letterhead" with a couple of sentences on it?

Going way way way back, Jesse, I use a fairly informal invoice done in Word. Still, most of my clients want it to be clearly an invoice, because it goes to accounting. If you'd like, I can send you a sample.

Since I'm a freelancer, my income varies, plus there are the self-employment taxes and the $400 a month I pay for health insurance. My mortgage is $850 a month, which is cheap in this market, but I bought the house 15 years ago, and it's small. I still owe a lot on the mortgage, because I refinanced to take money out to start my business. My truck is paid for and I drive cars until they die. Basically, most of the time I can buy the things I want and do some things for other people--and I don't have to commute, go to staff meetings, or wear heels.

Workplace gifts and parties, lunches out and take out food, and dry cleaning are by no means mandatory.

YOU CANT AVOID THE GIRLSCOUT COOKIE MAFIA!

Wow, that daycare bill is staggering.

Emmett's pre-school and kindergarten costs were equivalent to an extra rent payment. About $800/month. Before that it was cheaper, but I lucked out with a job that had its own subsidized daycare. So it was only $400 a month.