I didn't have a lawyer. No way we could have afforded it. We did think about it, but it was just one more thing.

I have a rehearsal tonight and two shows (plus the regular lessons) over the weekend, so it'll hardly feel like a holiday, but I do actually have Monday off. And it's my birthday! When I was a kid, I always loved being born when I was because I got my birthday off three years out of seven instead of two like everybody else. And also my very first day of school ever was my birthday, so my mom brought in cupcakes for the whole class and I was a hero.

So the SO & I are planning on taking a picnic lunch up to Petrified Forest and hanging out there. And then for my present I'm preordering that Northern Exposure box set, whoo!

The upcoming shows have been stressing me out some, but by my birthday they'll all be over and we can just really enjoy ourselves.

Here's hoping he's healthy again by then (selfishly) because he's under the weather now, which should be interesting for the whole playing trumpet thing.

::votes for Daisy Jane as patron saint of good banking/mortgages::

Aw, thank you. My personal finances are probably as screwy as your average person. It's particularly hard reining in Mr. Jane's spending (though not on credit) because he'll come home with a few hundred bucks in his pocket.

But this is what we do at work, and when it goes well, it's really rewarding.

I don't know that that many people employ a lawyer for a home purchase.

Hiring a real estate lawyer was the first thing we did after we saw the place we wanted to buy. No way in HELL I was buying a home in NYC without someone on my side going over the paperwork with a fine tooth comb.

Our mortgage was about 1.5X income at the time. The largest car payment we've ever had was $250 a month. We are car payment-less at the moment, however the miles are starting to really add up on both cars. Finances are pretty tight right now nevertheless because we had a lot of expenses (clothes for school, major repairs for both cars, orthodontics, and a new water heater) while increasing 401k contributions and trying to pay down debt quickly.

Sophia, have you looked into a consolidation loan through your credit union? If you've been making timely payments on those cards, your credit may be good enough to get a loan and pay off all three cards, and then be able to pay it off at much more reasonable rate.

I'm not a big fan of having to work my second job (I'm getting too old for this crap!), but having that extra $40-80 a week is definitely giving me a chance to get some things I desperately need (stuff for the wedding, then later this fall Xmas presents and a new computer and TV) and then next year, I'm hoping I can finish paying down my credit card balance. If I can refinance my car, that'll help get me ahead, and then maybe I can finally start putting my own money into my 401(k) here at work, instead of just having what the company puts in as my balance. I'm 41, and retirement is (relatively) just around the corner!

Since we were talking about the costs of car ownership...

Drive your car to death, save $31,000

By keeping your car for 15 years, or 225,000 miles of driving, you could save nearly $31,000, according to Consumer Reports magazine. That's compared to the cost of buying an identical model every five years, which is roughly the rate at which most car owners trade in their vehicles.

Hmmm....

I am more convinced than ever that staying in my cheap rental apartment is a good idea. I suppose I could find something to buy for less than three times my income, except I have no money for a down payment. I don't even have money for closing costs!

Trying to start a business is probably just as crazy, but it seems possible with less cash to start. I just got a couple of "So, you want to start a business?" books from the libarary to read on my vacation.

I also just bought a shower gift, but I think I'm going to keep some of it, since it totalled more than I was really planning on spending. So, they get some cute dipping bowls and one bottle of flavored olive oil, and I'm keeping the second oil. Possibly to use as a gift for someone else at a later date.

ION, Comedy Club Unhappy With Dick's Behavior

COLUMBUS, Ohio — David Stroupe said it was one of the worst experiences with a performer in the history of the Funny Bone Comedy Club.

He was referring to Andy Dick, a former co-star on the 1990s sitcom "NewsRadio," who appeared at the Funny Bone last weekend.

Stroupe, the club's managing partner, said the 41-year-old actor-comedian made inappropriate comments while on stage, groped patrons, took women into the men's room and urinated on the floor and on at least one person.

A limousine driver was to meet Dick early Monday morning at a hotel near the club, Stroupe said, but he couldn't be found and missed that morning's flight to Los Angeles.

Dick was across town, where he was issued a citation for urinating on the sidewalk by Columbus policeman John Fantin. Police eventually escorted Dick back to the hotel, Stroupe said.

Our mortgage payment is MY ENTIRE SALARY. Luckily, DH makes more than me (by working freelance and getting to stay home all day, she mentions with a jealous tinge to her voice) -- enough that we can pay all our bills (and pay back Bro who gave us the downpayment within the next four years) and keep out of any other debt. We paid off our CC debt over the last few years and both our cars we got well-used and own outright, so the mortgage is the only big debt we have. Still, BIG.