I've neglected blogland for over a month now, but it is not for lack of financial adventure. Nothing big, but I've been busy working on other internet projects.

Just to post something related to the post a month ago...

I've always been called lucky. Many members of my family quit playing games with me for this reason. I'm not a sore loser, and I am a gracious winner, I play fair... I just have good luck. I once won a game of Monopoly while spending the first half of the game in jail. I only owned one Monopoly - I had to deal for it, giving free parking to the giver - and everyone landed on the highest paying spot to me (I think it was St. James) EVERY time around the board. It was crazy. I also roll sixes too frequently in Risk. I love it!

Anyway, by chance I won yet another drawing from another blog (Parent Hacks) I like to read (another maintained by a Portlander too). This time, it was a random drawing, and it was for submitting a comment on what you think no parent should waste their money on. I commented that I couldn't really say, as I couldn't think of anything we've purchased that's been a waste of money. We used the "wait 'till you need it to buy it" philosophy, and it's done us proud. In fact, we spent a grand total of $841.25 on Jasper related expenses in 2006. That INCLUDES a birthing class, furniture, and the birth itself. (Thank heavens we won that insurance battle!)

We won a baby monitor - something we haven't purchased, but it would be nice to have while I leave the baby downstairs napping while I go up to the kitchen for lunch. And it's a nice monitor, too. Sells for around $200... that's almost 1/4 of what we spent all last year. Niiiiice.