Health
1. Use my gym membership. Go to the gym at least 4 days a week.
2. Stick to my diet of no more than 1700 calories per day.
3. Lose at least 79 pounds this year.
Financial
1. Pay all bills on time.
2. Pay off GCX Leasing, Capital One credit card, my car, and all collector bills.
3. Re-establish emergency fund.
4. Stick to monthly budget.
Work
1. Take vacation days.
2. Take and pass LCSW test.
3. Learn required theory of practice for abuse victims.
4. Get at least 10 CEUs.
Spiritual
1. Read bible cover to cover again.
2. Spend daily time in prayer and reading the bible.
3. Attend church every Sunday.
4. Tithe
Personal
1. Blog at least twice a week.
2. Make at least an extra $150 this year without working.
3. Organize my home.
4. Organize my life.
Marriage
1. Pray together nightly
2. Go to at least one marriage retreat.
3. Use kinder words.
4. Tell him what I love about him more often.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 Recap
I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and write a short recap of 2011.
January
Rang in the new year at church and really enjoyed it for the first time. My hubby and I started to work out and eat right for the first time ever. We spent every night in the gym and hated every minute of it. Lost 30 pounds each.
February
Continued to eat right and work out daily. Began loving the gym. Continued the weight loss journey. Lost 12 pounds. Celebrated Valentine's Day with a splurged meal out at the Nagaski Inn...mmm sushi.
March
Argued over college basketball with co-workers. Switched jobs within my company (inpatient therapist to a clinical director). New job caused us to slack off on gym...went about 3-4 times a week. Lost 7 pounds.
April
My new position became hectic. Lost a co-worker causing my workload to double. Barely made it to the gym. Lost 2 pounds.
May
Allowed a family to move into our home. Work became even crazier. Stopped going to the gym. Gained 2 pounds. Started couponing.
June
Maxed out credit cards. Planned a trip to the Smokey Mountains. Barely saw my husband due to craziness at job.
July
Went to the Mountains July 1-5. My hubby lost his job July 6 and I lost mine July 9. Looked at all my debt and cried. Hard. Started a debt blog. Had my first ever yard sale. Started emergency fund and had it to $1,300. Hubby started new job July 24 and a July 25. I struggled to find a job and could not get one. Cancelled our gym membership.
August
Hubby continued working two full-time jobs. I barely seen him. I contracted meningitis and was sick for almost 3 weeks. My prescriptions were not covered through insurance. My hubby ate out for 3 weeks. Our emergency fund was gone :( Had several interviews after my illness. New nephew was born.
September
Started a PRN job that was full time throughout the month. Hubby worked 2 full time jobs the first two weeks of Sept and quit the third shift job. Our two cars were broken into as was our home. Began extreme couponing.
October
My full-time job went to PRN. Began looking for a true full time job. Continued extreme couponing. Hubby continued working one full time job with many hours of overtime. Interviewed for two therapist positions.
November
Landed a chief clinician position. Realized that we need to move from Indiana to Kentucky. Developed plan to move to Kentucky when bills are more under control. Quit PRN job. Left for 2 weeks of training for new job.
December
Learning my new job. Found out hubby maxed out credit card again. Paid less on Christmas this year than ever before, but had more gifts than ever thanks to extreme couponing. Refinanced our home to a MUCH LOWER RATE! Paid extra on my car payment. Paid for gym membership again and just now realized we haven't used it yet again. Lost a total of 52.1 pounds this year.
January
Rang in the new year at church and really enjoyed it for the first time. My hubby and I started to work out and eat right for the first time ever. We spent every night in the gym and hated every minute of it. Lost 30 pounds each.
February
Continued to eat right and work out daily. Began loving the gym. Continued the weight loss journey. Lost 12 pounds. Celebrated Valentine's Day with a splurged meal out at the Nagaski Inn...mmm sushi.
March
Argued over college basketball with co-workers. Switched jobs within my company (inpatient therapist to a clinical director). New job caused us to slack off on gym...went about 3-4 times a week. Lost 7 pounds.
April
My new position became hectic. Lost a co-worker causing my workload to double. Barely made it to the gym. Lost 2 pounds.
May
Allowed a family to move into our home. Work became even crazier. Stopped going to the gym. Gained 2 pounds. Started couponing.
June
Maxed out credit cards. Planned a trip to the Smokey Mountains. Barely saw my husband due to craziness at job.
July
Went to the Mountains July 1-5. My hubby lost his job July 6 and I lost mine July 9. Looked at all my debt and cried. Hard. Started a debt blog. Had my first ever yard sale. Started emergency fund and had it to $1,300. Hubby started new job July 24 and a July 25. I struggled to find a job and could not get one. Cancelled our gym membership.
August
Hubby continued working two full-time jobs. I barely seen him. I contracted meningitis and was sick for almost 3 weeks. My prescriptions were not covered through insurance. My hubby ate out for 3 weeks. Our emergency fund was gone :( Had several interviews after my illness. New nephew was born.
September
Started a PRN job that was full time throughout the month. Hubby worked 2 full time jobs the first two weeks of Sept and quit the third shift job. Our two cars were broken into as was our home. Began extreme couponing.
October
My full-time job went to PRN. Began looking for a true full time job. Continued extreme couponing. Hubby continued working one full time job with many hours of overtime. Interviewed for two therapist positions.
November
Landed a chief clinician position. Realized that we need to move from Indiana to Kentucky. Developed plan to move to Kentucky when bills are more under control. Quit PRN job. Left for 2 weeks of training for new job.
December
Learning my new job. Found out hubby maxed out credit card again. Paid less on Christmas this year than ever before, but had more gifts than ever thanks to extreme couponing. Refinanced our home to a MUCH LOWER RATE! Paid extra on my car payment. Paid for gym membership again and just now realized we haven't used it yet again. Lost a total of 52.1 pounds this year.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Opinions please
Now that I finally have a full time job that pays well, we are starting to attack our bills again. Here's the question, though: how do y'all keep your bills organized? Do you do an excel spreadsheet, file them, stack up in a pile!? We are trying to figure out what others are doing because our way isn't working.
On a positive note, I got a call today from the training department at my new company and they're having all out meals for the next two weeks catered. So thankfully I don't have to pay anything out of pocket for food! Praise God! I am packing a few snacks and my faithful vitamin water and pomegranate juice, though. Yum!
On a positive note, I got a call today from the training department at my new company and they're having all out meals for the next two weeks catered. So thankfully I don't have to pay anything out of pocket for food! Praise God! I am packing a few snacks and my faithful vitamin water and pomegranate juice, though. Yum!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
A new adventure awaits
God has been amazing and faithful to me. Much more than I ever deserve. I was offered and accepted a new position for a residential therapist position this week. The benefits and pay are better than I have ever received. I start on Monday, November 14 in Lexington KY for an academy of training for child welfare workers. I will be there for two weeks. I will drive down on Sunday afternoon and come home late Friday night. My only fear for starting this job are the expenses associated with the academy. They will pay for my hotel accommodations, but I will be responsible to pay for all my gasoline and food expenses. Luckily they will reimburse me. If anyone has any ideas on how to eat out for 6 days reasonably cheap, I'd love to know. The Monday following Thanksgiving I will start at my office, which is luckily only a little over an hour from my house.
I have also decided to keep my other job as it is only PRN. I will be able to continue to do on call for the weekends and pick up an occasional day since my new job is flexible. The extra $150-$300 I'll get from my extra PRN job will help with bills and debt. I'm so excited about this opportunity and just continue to praise my great God!
I have also decided to keep my other job as it is only PRN. I will be able to continue to do on call for the weekends and pick up an occasional day since my new job is flexible. The extra $150-$300 I'll get from my extra PRN job will help with bills and debt. I'm so excited about this opportunity and just continue to praise my great God!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Some debt reduction
Since I have been working between 8-9 hours a day and driving for a total of 2 hours a day, I don't have time to do anything, let alone blog. Nonetheless, here's a mini update for today. I have an interview next week for a full time position that pays almost the exact amount that I made at my last job plus it's only 30 minutes away. I'm putting my faith in God for this position because I really need full time employment. Luckily that job have flexible hours and days so I will be able to maintain my prn position to bring in extra money to go to debt.
With me working this month, we've made an extra mortgage payment and paid a little extra on the credit card. I'm very thankful the money and hope it continues.
Next week we plan to pay off what we owe to the Indiana IRS! I'll update when we do.
More to come later...
With me working this month, we've made an extra mortgage payment and paid a little extra on the credit card. I'm very thankful the money and hope it continues.
Next week we plan to pay off what we owe to the Indiana IRS! I'll update when we do.
More to come later...
Monday, September 19, 2011
God's plan
Now that hubby has turned in his notice at the second job and informed the day job that he will only be working there, the day job has informed him that there will be big changes for him next week. They will begin training him next week in the office to eventually take over an office and he will officially start for the company on Monday with a full time, insurance eligible position. God definitely had His hand in this one. No way could this have worked out any better for him. He so deserves it, too, for working 85 plus hours a week outside in the elements busting his butt and now he will be working in a temperature controlled room. Thank you, God!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Exreme couponing & cooking
Last week my company had a class on extreme couponing. I decided to go because I have always been interested in it & have always used coupons. I was never getting anything for free, but I was saving some dough. This class taught me how to organize the coupons, where to shop, when to buy, and how to combine coupons. My hubby and I decided we would give it a try this weekend and it seemed that we did pretty well. We got all the following items for $22:
My favorite purchase by far was the free shirt I scored from Kohls. When we get a pretty good stock pile going, we are going to start donating to our local food bank. I am excited and hope we can do well at this.
In other news, our church is finally offering Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University again. It starts up next Sunday afternoon and we are attending. Yay! My hubby has been on board with the finances and food since we had the talk, which has been wonderful! He is also quitting his second job that is from 6pm-4am. They increased his hours and he has been working from 5:30pm-5am and then going to the other job at 7pm. Crazy. Next Friday is his last night there. His day job has been wonderful for him in working with his exhaustion and schedule. They are starting him on the management track so he can take over an office. We will be super tight on money for a while, but we are putting our faith in God.
Since I lost my job back in July, I really started watching food shows and have been getting more into cooking Here is my latest creation. I surprised my hubby when we came home. When he walked in the door, he said, "mmm, smells like olive garden in here." He loved it! I will continue to make it because it's yummy and cheap to make. Sorry for the picture quality. There from my cell phone.
I put olive oil and a little butter into a hot, hot pan and then added cubed chicken to brown it along with my homemade cajun seasoning. Cut up purple onion, red peppers, and green peppers. Put them in the pan with more cajun seasoning once the chicken was cooked and removed. Once the veggies were done, I removed them. Keeping the pan on high, I added a little homemade chicken stock, cooking sherry, and whipping cream. I let it thicken and then added more cajun seasoning. Once it was thickened, I tossed the chicken and veggies back into combine. When everything was coated, I added the noodles and more seasoning. When I plated the pasta, I added fresh parsley. YUM!
My favorite purchase by far was the free shirt I scored from Kohls. When we get a pretty good stock pile going, we are going to start donating to our local food bank. I am excited and hope we can do well at this.
In other news, our church is finally offering Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University again. It starts up next Sunday afternoon and we are attending. Yay! My hubby has been on board with the finances and food since we had the talk, which has been wonderful! He is also quitting his second job that is from 6pm-4am. They increased his hours and he has been working from 5:30pm-5am and then going to the other job at 7pm. Crazy. Next Friday is his last night there. His day job has been wonderful for him in working with his exhaustion and schedule. They are starting him on the management track so he can take over an office. We will be super tight on money for a while, but we are putting our faith in God.
Since I lost my job back in July, I really started watching food shows and have been getting more into cooking Here is my latest creation. I surprised my hubby when we came home. When he walked in the door, he said, "mmm, smells like olive garden in here." He loved it! I will continue to make it because it's yummy and cheap to make. Sorry for the picture quality. There from my cell phone.
I put olive oil and a little butter into a hot, hot pan and then added cubed chicken to brown it along with my homemade cajun seasoning. Cut up purple onion, red peppers, and green peppers. Put them in the pan with more cajun seasoning once the chicken was cooked and removed. Once the veggies were done, I removed them. Keeping the pan on high, I added a little homemade chicken stock, cooking sherry, and whipping cream. I let it thicken and then added more cajun seasoning. Once it was thickened, I tossed the chicken and veggies back into combine. When everything was coated, I added the noodles and more seasoning. When I plated the pasta, I added fresh parsley. YUM!
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Talk
My hubby and I did finally sit down and talk about our finances and health. I explained all my fears and unfortunately being the crybaby that I am, I cried. I backed up all my fears with solid reasons. He said he has noticed some of the problems with his health because he is just continuing to gain weight and is always crashing after junk food indulgences. He has agreed to eat whatever I make and take to work what I make for myself. He says he will try it for a while to see how it goes. Today he took the grilled chicken and steamed veggies that I made last night to his first job. For his second job he took what I made for dinner: steamed rice and grilled pork. I haven't purchased any junk food other than the baked chips that I have always bought. The snacks that he now takes includes baby carrots, kiwi, strawberries, bananas, peaches, and cheese cubes.
I added up all the purchases that he has made on junk food and he was surprised to see that he spent over $10 in less than 8 hours on junk food simply because he was bored. He doesn't use his debit card unless he talks to me and the same goes for me. He is much more aware of our spending. He admitted that he has no idea how much our bills are or even when they are due. We sat down for over 2 hours and went over all the bills and the budget. He was shocked to see that we have so much debt. We went through the bible to see what it says about money and debt. We are both now working on the same bible study we downloaded to our iphones to reconnect with each other and God.
This is still a new change so we will have to see how everything goes. I'm hoping for the best. So far we havent put anything on our debit cards without clearing the purchase with each other. He even became upset with me today when we were talking about lunch and I mentioned that I had subway. He said we didn't talk about that purchase and I wasted the lunch that I packed myself He forgot that today a medical rep at work was paying for my lunch and that I planned to take that packed lunch on Tuesday. I'm glad he is paying attention now!!
I'll keep the updates coming. Now it's time for some NFL!!!!!
I added up all the purchases that he has made on junk food and he was surprised to see that he spent over $10 in less than 8 hours on junk food simply because he was bored. He doesn't use his debit card unless he talks to me and the same goes for me. He is much more aware of our spending. He admitted that he has no idea how much our bills are or even when they are due. We sat down for over 2 hours and went over all the bills and the budget. He was shocked to see that we have so much debt. We went through the bible to see what it says about money and debt. We are both now working on the same bible study we downloaded to our iphones to reconnect with each other and God.
This is still a new change so we will have to see how everything goes. I'm hoping for the best. So far we havent put anything on our debit cards without clearing the purchase with each other. He even became upset with me today when we were talking about lunch and I mentioned that I had subway. He said we didn't talk about that purchase and I wasted the lunch that I packed myself He forgot that today a medical rep at work was paying for my lunch and that I planned to take that packed lunch on Tuesday. I'm glad he is paying attention now!!
I'll keep the updates coming. Now it's time for some NFL!!!!!
Stolen
We had a very scary morning today. We were awoken a little after 230am this morning by our dogs going crazy with their barking and growling. Unfortunately we did not think anything about it because once we yelled at them to hush they did pretty quickly. My alarm went off at 430am so I got dressed and ready and headed for the kitchen to get my lunch and work stuff together to leave for work. When I went to the kitchen I found the back door half open, I quickly looked around the house but didn't notice anything out of the place. My stupid self didn't think much of it so I gathered my stuff and headed to my car and left for work. About halfway to work I realized that there was a bunch of stuff missing from my car (iphone charger, converter, my makeup, sunglasses, cds, and my ipod. I freaked out and realized that all my car doors were unlocked. I called my sleeping husband and said that I think the house and car were broken into. He said he would check his car and house. He found his car trashed. Apparently they pulled everything from the glove compartment, center console, and storage areas and threw them around his car. He said stuff was missing from his car (my camera & accessories, our sunglasses, car charger, jump box, and his meds) and from our back yard (our copper fire pit). He said that someone had tried to pry our shed doors open, too, but were unsuccessful. I called the police and they were meeting me after work. I met up with an officer I knew after work and he took all my information and checked out our property. He said it was evident that someone pried our back door open and tried to pry the shed open. Apparently they used our alarm clicker to disable my husband's SUV alarm because his keys were at the back door and they pried my car door open leaving a nice dent in the side of my passenger door.
I am scared to be home alone now, but we are prepared in case this happens again. We are adding extra locks to our shed and changing all the locks to our home since on of our spare keys are missing now. We have unlocked our shotgun and shells. They are sitting beside my night stand. We will have to replace all my makeup (the essentials at least), the jump box, and the phone chargers. We found that turning this into the insurance is not going to replace the items due to our deductible and the fact that they are making 3 claims for the break in (my car, my hubby's car, and the home). We are just going to pay for everything from our emergency fund, which unfortunately will wipe it out. Since my birthday is in 2 weeks I'm going to get new sunglasses and cds. We have decided not to replace the ipod since we both have iphones. We aren't certain what to do about my camera because of the cost to replace it ($900). I'm crushed because I lost so many pictures, but there is nothing to be done. We have to move on
**We have since found a bottle of my hubby's pills in floor board of my car and part of one of my car chargers down our alley broken. I also found the serial number for the missing ipod and camera. I turned them into the police and they are checking the pawns.**
I am scared to be home alone now, but we are prepared in case this happens again. We are adding extra locks to our shed and changing all the locks to our home since on of our spare keys are missing now. We have unlocked our shotgun and shells. They are sitting beside my night stand. We will have to replace all my makeup (the essentials at least), the jump box, and the phone chargers. We found that turning this into the insurance is not going to replace the items due to our deductible and the fact that they are making 3 claims for the break in (my car, my hubby's car, and the home). We are just going to pay for everything from our emergency fund, which unfortunately will wipe it out. Since my birthday is in 2 weeks I'm going to get new sunglasses and cds. We have decided not to replace the ipod since we both have iphones. We aren't certain what to do about my camera because of the cost to replace it ($900). I'm crushed because I lost so many pictures, but there is nothing to be done. We have to move on
**We have since found a bottle of my hubby's pills in floor board of my car and part of one of my car chargers down our alley broken. I also found the serial number for the missing ipod and camera. I turned them into the police and they are checking the pawns.**
Friday, September 9, 2011
Working for the money
I made it my first week of work on the floor. I am exhausted this week. All I can muster when I get home from work is to cook dinner, clean up, lay out my clothes for the next day, and then veg in front of the tv until I pass out. It'll take a little time to get used to it, but I'll manage. I am having to get up between 4:30am-5am for work, but I am home by 4pm every day, which is so nice considering that I used to not get home until 8pm every single night. I think my feet have adjusted better than my body because I figured they'd be killing me since I am running around a hospital for 8-10 hours a day. I still must get used to running up and down 6-8 flights of stairs several times a day...my calves hate me! I'm very thankful for having lost 80 pounds because it could have been much worse. When I get a little more sleep and re-energize (hopefully by tomorrow!), I'll post about money, budgets, & relationships.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Weekend plans
I finally talked to my husband about what happened Monday. Well I actually emailed him so I could get everything out I wanted to while controlling my emotions. He has agreed to sit down with me this weekend to hash everything out. We agreed on a list of areas we need to discuss and they are as follows: Money, budgets, spending, our health, and our future. I'm going to pre-write out everything I want to say to control my emotions because they can get the best of me. I have decided the best thing I could do is let him talk first because he has a history of just going along with whatever I say. So if he says it first my opinions cannot affect his.
In other news, I am extremely happy that it is almost fall because there are exciting things happening. AWANA at my church is kicking off again next Wednesday and I get to lead my kiddos again and do council time with the entire group. College football and NFL is kicking off!! I'm pumped about the Indianapolis Colts and IU Hoosiers. This is my favorite time of the year. The leaves will be changing, my 30th birthday (AHHH) is in a few short weeks, trunk or treat at church is soon so I have to come up with a plan for my trunk again, and our annual Sunday school class has their Halloween 50s party.
In other news, I am extremely happy that it is almost fall because there are exciting things happening. AWANA at my church is kicking off again next Wednesday and I get to lead my kiddos again and do council time with the entire group. College football and NFL is kicking off!! I'm pumped about the Indianapolis Colts and IU Hoosiers. This is my favorite time of the year. The leaves will be changing, my 30th birthday (AHHH) is in a few short weeks, trunk or treat at church is soon so I have to come up with a plan for my trunk again, and our annual Sunday school class has their Halloween 50s party.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Our first money blow up
Fair warning: It's long and rambling, but I need advice!! Help me, please.
I knew it would happen eventually, but I didn't think it would be so soon. Today as I was cleaning out the fridge, freezer, and cabinets I get a call from my hubby at work. He states that he just finished lunch (sandwich, chips, cookies, and a soda), but is still hungry. I asked him what he would like me to do about it. He said either he can go get something or I could bring him a snack. I told him I had all the food on our counters and it would be a while, so he said he'd just run and get some grub. I said it was fine just make sure it was cheap and he said okay. I went about my cleaning and forgot about our conversation. After the food was put away, I made a grocery list for the next month and went grocery shopping. I came home, put the food away, and paid bills (cable, electric, & food). Afterwards I went online to check the bank and found an $8 charge from today for taco bell!! I was boiling mad. I decided to wait until he came home until I said anything, but I planned carefully what I would say so I wouldn't blow.
When he walked in the door everything I planned to say went out the window. Essentially I blew up at him. I feel bad for the way I handled it. Unfortunately it needed to happen, but I could have went about it differently. However, I do not think it made any flipping difference because as he was ready himself for job 2 he asked if I had any ones so he could buy a soda at work (he has canned soda at home, but it's not the mt. dew he loves). I bit my lip and handed him a buck, smiled, and kissed him goodbye. AHHH!!! Help!?
Before getting into the whole mindset of debt repayment and saving, my hubby and I had a big talk about our hopes/dreams. We appeared to be on the same page, but now the more I think about it, I think he just wanted to go along with whatever I want. He's always been this way, so I don't know why I'm surprised, but yet I am. I need advice!
I truly do not think he really cares if we are debt free or have savings. He lives in the moment. When he wants something, he gets it. He wants to go out to eat and buy things for us because he thinks we DESERVE it. He uses excuses like: he works 2 jobs, I take care of the house all week and cook, they may sell out of it, or there's nothing to do at home.
A great example is this weekend...On Saturday my SIL had a new baby so we planned to visit him and then come home to watch the nascar race. Since he works til 5am, he didn't get up til 1pm. We got ready and I asked what he'd like to eat. He said we'd just pick up something. I said I could make quick sandwiches. He said no, lets just grab something on the road and save time. We grabbed Arbys at $20 and then went to the hospital. We went to the hospital and visited. My BIL needed to be taken to best buy, so we offered because we know the area the best. Our older nephew came with us and asked for ice cream. I agreed to take him to Mcdonald's to get him a cone (I was thinking I could handle .79), but when we get there my hubby get's him a mcflurry and one for himself ($4). We went to pick up the BIL and back to the hospital to drop them off. We then headed home and it was already 7pm and hubby was hungry. He said we'd just run to the store and pick up something quick, so I'm think we'll spend $10ish. He grabs chicken fries (i'd rather starve than eat it!) so I grab freshly made sushi rolls ($4.69) and head to register. On the way, he grabs 4 cases of rc soda because they were 4/$10, 2 one liter sodas bc they were 2/$2, & chips/salsa/dip (for the race). It all came to $31. I was mad, but didn't say anything. We went home so he could watch the race.
On Sunday we went to church so I could teach children's church (we had a little 6 y/o get saved!!!). After church we planned to head straight to the hospital so we could see the new nephew, but he wanted to stop at walmart to get them some diapers because they nonchalantly mentioned that they needed to get newborn ones and he took it upon himself to get. I was mad at him, but just said get the smallest pack. Afterwards we planned to go to Outback because we had a coupon and gift card, but my MIL called to offer us a free meal at another restaurant so we went there (yeah free food). We then headed to the hospital and while we were there he gave them the diapers and said "I would have gotten Daniel these two really cute outfits, but i knew Christy would have have killed me." Yes, I would have hurt him for that, but I wanted to kill him for that comment!! After we left we were supposed to head back home before church, but he said he needed to get new workboots so we headed to shoe carnival. Yeah he needed the shoes, so I asked if we could stay under $50 and he said he could. Once inside I wandered around because I hate that place, but quickly became bored so I went to find hubby. He had picked out a $70 pair of work boots and a $60 pair of black dress shoes...because he said his black church shoes were looking rough. I started to veto it, but he looked upset and started talking about how hard he works. So I shut up and he bought them. Off we went to church. It was about 530 when we pulled into church only to find it packed. He went in to get a program that said tonight was a special music program that started at 5 and there would be no church service so we left. As we were leaving I asked if we could pick up a paper for the coupons and he said yes. He went to a gas station and got one and came out with the newspaper and 2 sodas. He said he called in a pick up order to Applebees so we went to pick it up ($21) and then headed home. At home we ate, did laundry, kitty litter, cleaned the turtles, watched tv, and then he went to bed while I was on the phone with my friend trying to recover my iphone that crashed right before bed.
It's my fault that I don't speak up, but at this point I don't know what to do. Help I need advice.
I knew it would happen eventually, but I didn't think it would be so soon. Today as I was cleaning out the fridge, freezer, and cabinets I get a call from my hubby at work. He states that he just finished lunch (sandwich, chips, cookies, and a soda), but is still hungry. I asked him what he would like me to do about it. He said either he can go get something or I could bring him a snack. I told him I had all the food on our counters and it would be a while, so he said he'd just run and get some grub. I said it was fine just make sure it was cheap and he said okay. I went about my cleaning and forgot about our conversation. After the food was put away, I made a grocery list for the next month and went grocery shopping. I came home, put the food away, and paid bills (cable, electric, & food). Afterwards I went online to check the bank and found an $8 charge from today for taco bell!! I was boiling mad. I decided to wait until he came home until I said anything, but I planned carefully what I would say so I wouldn't blow.
When he walked in the door everything I planned to say went out the window. Essentially I blew up at him. I feel bad for the way I handled it. Unfortunately it needed to happen, but I could have went about it differently. However, I do not think it made any flipping difference because as he was ready himself for job 2 he asked if I had any ones so he could buy a soda at work (he has canned soda at home, but it's not the mt. dew he loves). I bit my lip and handed him a buck, smiled, and kissed him goodbye. AHHH!!! Help!?
Before getting into the whole mindset of debt repayment and saving, my hubby and I had a big talk about our hopes/dreams. We appeared to be on the same page, but now the more I think about it, I think he just wanted to go along with whatever I want. He's always been this way, so I don't know why I'm surprised, but yet I am. I need advice!
I truly do not think he really cares if we are debt free or have savings. He lives in the moment. When he wants something, he gets it. He wants to go out to eat and buy things for us because he thinks we DESERVE it. He uses excuses like: he works 2 jobs, I take care of the house all week and cook, they may sell out of it, or there's nothing to do at home.
A great example is this weekend...On Saturday my SIL had a new baby so we planned to visit him and then come home to watch the nascar race. Since he works til 5am, he didn't get up til 1pm. We got ready and I asked what he'd like to eat. He said we'd just pick up something. I said I could make quick sandwiches. He said no, lets just grab something on the road and save time. We grabbed Arbys at $20 and then went to the hospital. We went to the hospital and visited. My BIL needed to be taken to best buy, so we offered because we know the area the best. Our older nephew came with us and asked for ice cream. I agreed to take him to Mcdonald's to get him a cone (I was thinking I could handle .79), but when we get there my hubby get's him a mcflurry and one for himself ($4). We went to pick up the BIL and back to the hospital to drop them off. We then headed home and it was already 7pm and hubby was hungry. He said we'd just run to the store and pick up something quick, so I'm think we'll spend $10ish. He grabs chicken fries (i'd rather starve than eat it!) so I grab freshly made sushi rolls ($4.69) and head to register. On the way, he grabs 4 cases of rc soda because they were 4/$10, 2 one liter sodas bc they were 2/$2, & chips/salsa/dip (for the race). It all came to $31. I was mad, but didn't say anything. We went home so he could watch the race.
On Sunday we went to church so I could teach children's church (we had a little 6 y/o get saved!!!). After church we planned to head straight to the hospital so we could see the new nephew, but he wanted to stop at walmart to get them some diapers because they nonchalantly mentioned that they needed to get newborn ones and he took it upon himself to get. I was mad at him, but just said get the smallest pack. Afterwards we planned to go to Outback because we had a coupon and gift card, but my MIL called to offer us a free meal at another restaurant so we went there (yeah free food). We then headed to the hospital and while we were there he gave them the diapers and said "I would have gotten Daniel these two really cute outfits, but i knew Christy would have have killed me." Yes, I would have hurt him for that, but I wanted to kill him for that comment!! After we left we were supposed to head back home before church, but he said he needed to get new workboots so we headed to shoe carnival. Yeah he needed the shoes, so I asked if we could stay under $50 and he said he could. Once inside I wandered around because I hate that place, but quickly became bored so I went to find hubby. He had picked out a $70 pair of work boots and a $60 pair of black dress shoes...because he said his black church shoes were looking rough. I started to veto it, but he looked upset and started talking about how hard he works. So I shut up and he bought them. Off we went to church. It was about 530 when we pulled into church only to find it packed. He went in to get a program that said tonight was a special music program that started at 5 and there would be no church service so we left. As we were leaving I asked if we could pick up a paper for the coupons and he said yes. He went to a gas station and got one and came out with the newspaper and 2 sodas. He said he called in a pick up order to Applebees so we went to pick it up ($21) and then headed home. At home we ate, did laundry, kitty litter, cleaned the turtles, watched tv, and then he went to bed while I was on the phone with my friend trying to recover my iphone that crashed right before bed.
It's my fault that I don't speak up, but at this point I don't know what to do. Help I need advice.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The money shuffle
Jana at Daily Money Shot invited the blog community to join a game that is a simple and a lot of fun! The Money Shuffle! Here’s what she says about how to play:The rules are simple. I set my iPod on shuffle and wrote down the first 5 songs (yes, the actual first 5 songs. I didn’t skip if I didn’t like the song) that came up. Then I thought of a financial situation that I was in that was related to the song title but not necessarily the subject matter of the song.Song 1: Only in America by Brooks & Dunn
Only in America can we be one of the richest countries and at the same time one of most in debt. We have the American dream of graduating college, getting married, buying a home, and having kids. Unfortunately we give no regard for debt like we should.
Song 2: I Believe by Blessid Union of Souls
One of my oldest and favorites. I can remember being 21 and a junior in college driving with my bestie, Amy, to IU on a Saturday night to see these guys on a spur of the moment road trip. How does this relate to finances? Well I drove the 3 hours there and back in my new car and charged it all on [emergency only] credit card. I also charged the cover charge for the bar, my drinks, t-shirt, and a 3am meal on the way home. STUPID!
Song 3: I won't back down by: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Another fave. This song replayed heavily the day of and following the attacks of 9-11. It was my sophomore year of college and I was the assistant manager at a local convenience store. I was at work when the attacks occurred and we had no customers after the attacks. I left work early (1pm ish) to go home and watch the news leaving the cashier alone to man the store. My manager calls me at home at 4:30pm screaming that the gas pumps are backed up more than a mile and need me there now. We were slammed that day until 2am until we ran out of gas. Sometime around 7pm that night we were informed to raise gas prices from 1.02 to 2.81. We still sold out and our register crashed because everyone was charging their gas purchases filing up their every vehicle and gas can they could find.
Song 4: Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin
My absolute favorite contemporary christian song. When this song came out it was around the exact time that I [FINALLY] realized I needed to get right with my finances.We heard this song on K-Love and very soon after the vj began talking about some little guy named Dave Ramsey...
Song 5: Walk Tall by John Mellencamp
My absolute favorite artist. I heart Mellencamp. I cannot possibly tell y'all exactly how much money have spent on this man's CDs, vinyls, concert tickets, t-shirts, books, and artwork. It's embarrassing, but addicted to him. Nonetheless, I will stand tall in my beliefs and I will [hopefully] stand firm in my debt reducing plans. I will look out for those less fortunate and always stand tall for them.
Friday, August 26, 2011
The Good, Bad, & real Ugly.
I think I'm back to my old self. Finally. That was the worst illness I have ever had. My doctors still do not know exactly what affected my body, but they sent off two cultures to determine what my infection is. My fever is gone, I've stopped throwing up, I can stand without falling over, and best of all I can stay awake for more than 30 minutes!! I even managed to drop 11 pounds during my illness. Probably because I could only eat broth, but hey I'll happily give the 11 pounds away. Since January of this year I have lost 71 pounds. Boo-ya!
Now on to the moola! Thankfully when I became ill on August 5 my husband's new health insurance kicked in. Thank you God! They covered 80% of all the medical bills and the hospital bill. Unfortunately, we have a deductible of $500 for prescriptions. So every prescription I was ordered we had to pay cash. I was prescribed a total of 9 different scripts (which I finished today!) and they came to $466! If we did not have that emergency fund I don't know what would have happened.
Unfortunately since I was out of commission from August 9-August 24 my poor hubby had to fend for himself for food, clothing, and laundry. Even though the day before I became really I fully stocked the fridge and freezer, my husband decided to eat out for every meal the whole 15 days I was sick. He took out almost $300 from our emergency fund to feed himself for 15 days. I know he is exhausted from working 2 jobs, but the man can cook so I don't know why he didn't. When I asked him why today, he said he cooked 1 meal. When I asked what he made, he said a hamburger helper meal! Grr! When I looked into the fridge today there was so much rotten and spoiled food I could choke him. I found an entire full gallon of milk that expires on Sunday that I have been chugging and using all day in every way possible today.
We went from $1300 in our emergency fund to only $530!! I'm sick about it, but there isn't a thing I can do now.
In good news, I finally have a job! I was offered PRN social worker position at a local hospital yesterday. It is full time for 8-10 weeks and then drops to PRN. My plan is to work full time for those 8-10 weeks while searching for a full time position. My hubby is still trying to decide what to do about his job. He thinks he will keep his 6p-3am job because he enjoys it most. His boss at his day job understands our situation and has offered my hubby a part time position working 4 days a week for 6 hours each day and he is seriously considering it. I don't start my job until Sept 6, so he has some time to decide.
I'll be more regular now that I'm back to life! Hope everyone has a nice weekend and stays safe from Irene.
Now on to the moola! Thankfully when I became ill on August 5 my husband's new health insurance kicked in. Thank you God! They covered 80% of all the medical bills and the hospital bill. Unfortunately, we have a deductible of $500 for prescriptions. So every prescription I was ordered we had to pay cash. I was prescribed a total of 9 different scripts (which I finished today!) and they came to $466! If we did not have that emergency fund I don't know what would have happened.
Unfortunately since I was out of commission from August 9-August 24 my poor hubby had to fend for himself for food, clothing, and laundry. Even though the day before I became really I fully stocked the fridge and freezer, my husband decided to eat out for every meal the whole 15 days I was sick. He took out almost $300 from our emergency fund to feed himself for 15 days. I know he is exhausted from working 2 jobs, but the man can cook so I don't know why he didn't. When I asked him why today, he said he cooked 1 meal. When I asked what he made, he said a hamburger helper meal! Grr! When I looked into the fridge today there was so much rotten and spoiled food I could choke him. I found an entire full gallon of milk that expires on Sunday that I have been chugging and using all day in every way possible today.
We went from $1300 in our emergency fund to only $530!! I'm sick about it, but there isn't a thing I can do now.
In good news, I finally have a job! I was offered PRN social worker position at a local hospital yesterday. It is full time for 8-10 weeks and then drops to PRN. My plan is to work full time for those 8-10 weeks while searching for a full time position. My hubby is still trying to decide what to do about his job. He thinks he will keep his 6p-3am job because he enjoys it most. His boss at his day job understands our situation and has offered my hubby a part time position working 4 days a week for 6 hours each day and he is seriously considering it. I don't start my job until Sept 6, so he has some time to decide.
I'll be more regular now that I'm back to life! Hope everyone has a nice weekend and stays safe from Irene.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
I'm still alive
Sorry for my absence.
I became sick last Wednesday and got even more ill on Friday. I was having severe headaches, chills, aches, and high fevers. I laid around the house all weekend with plans to go to the doctor on Monday. I essentially slept through Monday waking up at like 4pm and an hour too late to call the doctor, so I thought I would try again on Tuesday. Well at like 7pm I began having severe chills so I took ibuprofen 800mg and tried to rest. I woke up at 9 with chills and felt very hot. I took my temp and it was 103.2 so took Tylenol and feel back to sleep. My hubby texted me at 1023pm and I checked my temp and it was 102.1. I said I'd give it another hour and see. I woke back up and 1245am and was drenched in sweat and burning up. My temp at that point was 104.1 so I texted my hubby and he told me to go to the ER.
At the ER they immediately took me back because they thought I was going to pass out. They said I was severely dehydrated and got 2 IV bags of fluid in me. The doctor was concerned so he ordered a ton of tests. They took 9 vials of blood, did a CAT scan, took chest xrays, and urine test. He said the tests were all negative and he ordered a spinal tap fearing I had meningitis. I freaked out because I have never been sick with the exception of strep throat and colds. I called my hubby at work bawling and begging him to come to the ER. He left work and they wrote him up. The doctor explained the spinal tap procedure and risks. My husband convinced me to get it. It was so painful. I had to lay flat and still for an hour. While laying there the doctor checked what I thought was a bug bite that I said was painful. He said it looked to be infected and needed to be lanced. He numbed the area and they cut it open (major ouch!). He said it was very infected and thought it could be MRSA. He took a biopsy and sent it for testing. He packed the area with something and stitched me up. He gave me 5 vials/bags of antibiotics in my IV and 3 pain pills.
He thinks I have both meningitis and MRSA, but will not get all the results until Thursday. Right now I am taking 5 prescriptions and alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen. I can barely walk, sit, stand, or lay without being in severe pain from the biopsy. I have also been having spinal headaches and back pain from the spinal tab.
When I know more, I'll update again. I hope everyone has a nice day.
I became sick last Wednesday and got even more ill on Friday. I was having severe headaches, chills, aches, and high fevers. I laid around the house all weekend with plans to go to the doctor on Monday. I essentially slept through Monday waking up at like 4pm and an hour too late to call the doctor, so I thought I would try again on Tuesday. Well at like 7pm I began having severe chills so I took ibuprofen 800mg and tried to rest. I woke up at 9 with chills and felt very hot. I took my temp and it was 103.2 so took Tylenol and feel back to sleep. My hubby texted me at 1023pm and I checked my temp and it was 102.1. I said I'd give it another hour and see. I woke back up and 1245am and was drenched in sweat and burning up. My temp at that point was 104.1 so I texted my hubby and he told me to go to the ER.
At the ER they immediately took me back because they thought I was going to pass out. They said I was severely dehydrated and got 2 IV bags of fluid in me. The doctor was concerned so he ordered a ton of tests. They took 9 vials of blood, did a CAT scan, took chest xrays, and urine test. He said the tests were all negative and he ordered a spinal tap fearing I had meningitis. I freaked out because I have never been sick with the exception of strep throat and colds. I called my hubby at work bawling and begging him to come to the ER. He left work and they wrote him up. The doctor explained the spinal tap procedure and risks. My husband convinced me to get it. It was so painful. I had to lay flat and still for an hour. While laying there the doctor checked what I thought was a bug bite that I said was painful. He said it looked to be infected and needed to be lanced. He numbed the area and they cut it open (major ouch!). He said it was very infected and thought it could be MRSA. He took a biopsy and sent it for testing. He packed the area with something and stitched me up. He gave me 5 vials/bags of antibiotics in my IV and 3 pain pills.
He thinks I have both meningitis and MRSA, but will not get all the results until Thursday. Right now I am taking 5 prescriptions and alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen. I can barely walk, sit, stand, or lay without being in severe pain from the biopsy. I have also been having spinal headaches and back pain from the spinal tab.
When I know more, I'll update again. I hope everyone has a nice day.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Blogger design help...please
I've been playing with the blog features and I'm definitely novice and don't understand HTML, obviously. I'm trying to get the tabs to work so that I can add debt, goals, etc. All I can get to work is the Home tab. How on Earth do you add more tabs??
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Drum roll, please
Today was the second and final day of my crazy, large yard sale. I had everything set up at 645am and sold until 752am. It began to rain hard. I closed up the yard sale and counted the money. I made $933.90. I went to the doughnut shop (shh, don't tell hubby) and spent $1.15. At 1130am it finally stopped raining and got HOT. Silly me decided to put everything out again. I sold from 1145am-145pm and closed up for good. I boxed up a trunk full of the leftovers and dropped it off at Goodwill. The only items that came back into my house was a laundry basket that wasn't full! I just finally totaled everything up and it came to $1,120.60!!! I am beyond excited. The only things left that we are selling is a complete twin bed for $40 and a metal bunk bed with brand new mattresses for $200. The beds are in our front yard with large signs and we're hoping they'll go this afternoon. They are also posted on Craigslist. I'm heading off to shower and get ready for dinner with my hubby. Hopefully I can get to bed early tonight!! I'm pooped.
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!
<3 Christy
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!
<3 Christy
Friday, August 5, 2011
My very first yard sale
All this week I have been working around my house to prepare for my upcoming yard sale. Today was day 1 of my yard sale. It is 2pm here and I am still open because people keep coming! I'm very fortunate. So far we have made $740 in the past 6 hours!! I think it's great! We're continuing our yard sale tomorrow too. I would love it if I could sell almost everything so I don't have to lug it to Goodwill on Monday! Ha! My ultimate goal is to make $1000 and it could be possible. We are saving all the money we make with the exception of $20 for me to get hair cut and $25 for my hubby and I to go out to eat tomorrow night. I know we shouldn't go out to eat, but my hubby wants to and I feel he deserves it for working 91 hours this week!
I had my third interview yesterday with a local hospital. This one was a peer interview and the last step in the process and lasted 90 minutes!! They said they'd let all the applicants know next week. If they offer it, I'm taking it. It would only be full time for 6-10 weeks and then would go to an on-call/PRN basis. So I'm thinking it would hold me over on pay for 6-10 weeks and allow me to continue to job hunt.
I had my third interview yesterday with a local hospital. This one was a peer interview and the last step in the process and lasted 90 minutes!! They said they'd let all the applicants know next week. If they offer it, I'm taking it. It would only be full time for 6-10 weeks and then would go to an on-call/PRN basis. So I'm thinking it would hold me over on pay for 6-10 weeks and allow me to continue to job hunt.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Emergency fund: Complete
My hubby is still trucking away at both jobs. He's holding up pretty well considering the hours he has been working. I haven't found a job yet, but tomorrow I have my third interview for a company that is almost an hour away. It is only on-call, but they said I could work 8-10 weeks full time for training and then would work on an as needed basis. I think if I could get that job it would hold me over until I find full-time employment.
My fabulous former co-worker went to my old boss and told him I needed my vacation time paid out to me. He said that is not what happens when someone is terminated and then he quit talking about it. Well this past Saturday was my last check and I was happily surprised to find that he went to bat for me with my former company and got all my vacation time paid out to me. They even paid me for a full week the week they terminated me when I should have only been paid for 37 hours. I am very thankful. We took that money put $1000 aside for our emergency fund. We used the rest of the money to purchase animal food, rug doctor rental, and caught all our bills up (mortgage, cars, insurance, electric, water, and phone). Luckily it looks as though we will be okay for a while. Thank you, God!!
We've still done well with only eating from home. We haven't purchased anything from the grocery store except side items so our last week that we only spent $31. Hopefully we will be able to keep this up!
My fabulous former co-worker went to my old boss and told him I needed my vacation time paid out to me. He said that is not what happens when someone is terminated and then he quit talking about it. Well this past Saturday was my last check and I was happily surprised to find that he went to bat for me with my former company and got all my vacation time paid out to me. They even paid me for a full week the week they terminated me when I should have only been paid for 37 hours. I am very thankful. We took that money put $1000 aside for our emergency fund. We used the rest of the money to purchase animal food, rug doctor rental, and caught all our bills up (mortgage, cars, insurance, electric, water, and phone). Luckily it looks as though we will be okay for a while. Thank you, God!!
We've still done well with only eating from home. We haven't purchased anything from the grocery store except side items so our last week that we only spent $31. Hopefully we will be able to keep this up!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
J-O-B please!
Hubby is still working away. He's making it on about 4-5 hours of sleep. Poor guy, he's looking rough, but he's trying to remain strong. He works over at the second job about 15 minutes each day and has to work Saturday 7am-4pm. By the end of the week he will have worked 90+ hours. He continues to state that he will keep up this crazy schedule until I'm working and we have paid off our back taxes and a small loan ($3000), which would mean he would continue to work 2 months past me obtaining a job. I am worried about him.
I had an interview yesterday and one today. The one today blew...big time! I drove 45 minutes to only be interviewed for 5 minutes. During those short 5 minutes, I was told they want to hire an RN instead of a social worker because they are more thorough (whatever!). Why waste my time and money?!?!?
I have another interview tomorrow morning that's a second interview for a position that is strictly on call (yuck), but at least it is a job...hopefully. I also am supposed to have an interview tomorrow afternoon, but here's my problem: It is working in a cafe as a cashier/food prep that pays $8/hour. Is this something that I should even consider because it is a 45 minute drive there...so I am thinking that with gasoline I would only make about $150 every week. Is it even worth it? HELP!
On a semi-positive note, the freeloaders have moved out! Yeah! However, they trashed our home. I spent all day on Monday deep cleaning their bathroom. It was so disgusting that I bawled. They managed to put holes in our walls, break closet doors, knick our furniture, and ruin our carpet. Any advice on how to cheaply clean carpet would be greatly appreciated because I cannot afford a Rug Doctor right now.
I had an interview yesterday and one today. The one today blew...big time! I drove 45 minutes to only be interviewed for 5 minutes. During those short 5 minutes, I was told they want to hire an RN instead of a social worker because they are more thorough (whatever!). Why waste my time and money?!?!?
I have another interview tomorrow morning that's a second interview for a position that is strictly on call (yuck), but at least it is a job...hopefully. I also am supposed to have an interview tomorrow afternoon, but here's my problem: It is working in a cafe as a cashier/food prep that pays $8/hour. Is this something that I should even consider because it is a 45 minute drive there...so I am thinking that with gasoline I would only make about $150 every week. Is it even worth it? HELP!
On a semi-positive note, the freeloaders have moved out! Yeah! However, they trashed our home. I spent all day on Monday deep cleaning their bathroom. It was so disgusting that I bawled. They managed to put holes in our walls, break closet doors, knick our furniture, and ruin our carpet. Any advice on how to cheaply clean carpet would be greatly appreciated because I cannot afford a Rug Doctor right now.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
My hubby, my hero!!
My husband has taken on the two jobs. It's going to be so difficult for him. When he walked out the door this afternoon for his next 8 hour job, I bawled. He begins his day working 7am-4pm, comes home to shower, eat dinner, nap if he's lucky, leaves again for his second job from 5:30/6pm-2:45/3am. He is doing this all on 4 hours of sleep. I feel horrible that he has to do this because I cannot find a job. Grr.
I had another interview today and have 2 more set up this week. The interview that I had this morning already called me back for a second interview next Monday. Fortunately, two of the three jobs are in my field. I am also pursing a job with the gasoline station in which I was an assistant manager in college. Hopefully since I left on good terms, they'll hire me back!
We posted a bunch of stuff on Craigslist (2 cell phones, 2 bunk beds, a twin bed, new car audio, kitchen table, large painted pictures, and a lawn mower). So far both the cell phones have sold and one of the bunk beds is about to go if the guy can get a truck to haul it with. We are posting an ad in the paper for our yard sale Saturday--$9--for an ad. It seems really expensive especially considering we live in a very small town.
Ya'll should be proud of me! I called all the people we owe money to and set up payment plans, deferments, or extensions. Everyone was so willing to work with us. Our mortgage company said that we would qualify for 4 plans that help us out in our situation. Our banks that lend for our cars, has given us an extra month to find a job to pay. All the doctors' offices were totally understanding and just asked us to keep them updated. Looks like the only thing that we may not be able to keep is our Internet/Cable, which is fine with me! My hubby will be heartbroken with no TV. though.
I think God has His hands on us. We are very fortunate.
I had another interview today and have 2 more set up this week. The interview that I had this morning already called me back for a second interview next Monday. Fortunately, two of the three jobs are in my field. I am also pursing a job with the gasoline station in which I was an assistant manager in college. Hopefully since I left on good terms, they'll hire me back!
We posted a bunch of stuff on Craigslist (2 cell phones, 2 bunk beds, a twin bed, new car audio, kitchen table, large painted pictures, and a lawn mower). So far both the cell phones have sold and one of the bunk beds is about to go if the guy can get a truck to haul it with. We are posting an ad in the paper for our yard sale Saturday--$9--for an ad. It seems really expensive especially considering we live in a very small town.
Ya'll should be proud of me! I called all the people we owe money to and set up payment plans, deferments, or extensions. Everyone was so willing to work with us. Our mortgage company said that we would qualify for 4 plans that help us out in our situation. Our banks that lend for our cars, has given us an extra month to find a job to pay. All the doctors' offices were totally understanding and just asked us to keep them updated. Looks like the only thing that we may not be able to keep is our Internet/Cable, which is fine with me! My hubby will be heartbroken with no TV. though.
I think God has His hands on us. We are very fortunate.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Scared
Here it is almost 1am and I am sitting in my master bathroom writing this so that I don't wake my husband. I have cried for nearly two hours from fear and remorse. I found out today that because I was terminated, I will not get the nearly six weeks of pay from vacation time that I had anticipated. Now we are do not know how we are going to make it until I start a job and get a steady paycheck. We have until the end of the month to make two car payments and our mortgage. We don't how we we will make all of them. Unless something changes between now and the last day of the month, we will loose something. We are going to pay my car payment and the mortgage. We are turning the car payment to my husband's SUV to God. We are praying to Him to make something happen so that we can keep everything we have through this difficult time.
Today alone I applied for over 50 jobs including fast food, housekeeping, front desk work, jobs in my field, and jobs outside of my field. I immediately got rejections on some jobs, but also got one immediate call back for an interview on Wednesday morning. My husband took a job and starts on Monday, but while he was in his orientation today, he got a call that he got another job. He is seriously considering doing both jobs full time and I am so scared for him. He would work job 1 from 6pm-3am Mon-Fri and the second one from 7am-4pm Mon-Fri. I do not see how that would be physically possible for him. I feel so bad that he is even considering this. I feel that all of this is my fault and that I am worthless because I don't have a job.
In an attempt to try to save our belongings, I am reposting our furniture on craigslist tomorrow morning and we are having a large yard sale next Saturday morning. I have started doing surveys from Opinion Outpost to get some money to help with gasoline and groceries.
I am hoping that God pulls out something amazing for us between now and July 31, 2011. He would be the only person that could save us from this disaster that we created for ourselves. Boy have we ever learned our lesson about fiances and being godly people. Please lift us up in prayers because we need them more than ever.
Today alone I applied for over 50 jobs including fast food, housekeeping, front desk work, jobs in my field, and jobs outside of my field. I immediately got rejections on some jobs, but also got one immediate call back for an interview on Wednesday morning. My husband took a job and starts on Monday, but while he was in his orientation today, he got a call that he got another job. He is seriously considering doing both jobs full time and I am so scared for him. He would work job 1 from 6pm-3am Mon-Fri and the second one from 7am-4pm Mon-Fri. I do not see how that would be physically possible for him. I feel so bad that he is even considering this. I feel that all of this is my fault and that I am worthless because I don't have a job.
In an attempt to try to save our belongings, I am reposting our furniture on craigslist tomorrow morning and we are having a large yard sale next Saturday morning. I have started doing surveys from Opinion Outpost to get some money to help with gasoline and groceries.
I am hoping that God pulls out something amazing for us between now and July 31, 2011. He would be the only person that could save us from this disaster that we created for ourselves. Boy have we ever learned our lesson about fiances and being godly people. Please lift us up in prayers because we need them more than ever.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
It's our life
WARNING: LONG POST
I figure I might was well be completely raw on this blog...so here goes!
My hubby and I were married back in May 2008 and he moved to Southern Indiana to be with me because it was where my good job was at. He quit his good paying supervisor job to take a low paying entry level job in our town. We purchased a home and were living what we thought was the American Dream...the debt and all. Everything began to unravel on July 2, 2008. It was a Friday afternoon around 3pm right before the holiday weekend. I was at work and got a call on my cell phone from my mom. She said they were taking my dad to the hospital with severe breathing problems. I immediately left work and headed to their town about 40 minutes north of mine. I called my hubby and he met me there after work. It took the doctors a while to figure out what was wrong. They found that he had 2 liters of fluids on his lungs and wanted to check his heart. I took the following week off from work to be with my parents while my husband worked. On the Monday of that week the doctors found that 70% of my dad's heart was "dead" and unrepairable. We were devastated. They said my dad could not ever work again and would have to take it very easy, but they thought he had at least another 6 years to live. He would first have to be in the hospital another 2-3 weeks and then go to a nursing home to gain strength and learn how to best live. We found out that he would never be able to drive again and my mom has never driven a day in her life. oh no...
I quickly called my dad's sister and my mom's brother as they basically all the family we have. We investigated my parents' finances and found out how bad their situation was. We decided to move them out of their home, but here's the kicker...I co-signed for my parents $120k mortgaged home and $16k car. I was so scared. We put all their belongings into storage and moved them into my brand new 3 bedroom built home. My mom was so angry at me because she thought I could have done something more to help. My job continued to get crazy and with everything going on with my parents I resigned from my position and was thankful for savings.
My mom moved into my home first while they transitioned my dad to a nursing home. My mom was miserable in my home because I live in town and she lived in the country. We butted heads all the time over cooking, cleaning, and care of her animals and our animals. Right before my dad was discharged from the nursing home, my husband lost his job because he had missed too much work due to everything going on. UGH!! Luckily we had some savings and my dad's social security that he would be getting would help.
We decided that I would not get a job right away, but care for my dad as my mom could not emotionally handle it. My husband began working part-time and went back to college to finish his bachelors degree. Yes, unfortunately we took out extra student loans to live off of.
Everything was going pretty smoothly...I even interviewed for a job as a therapist because things seemed to be going well...that was until February 2009. There was a huge ice storm that hit our area and shut everything down. Well during that time, I forgot to pay our auto insurance and the first day back to school my husband slides through an intersection and collides with a snow plow. He lost his drivers license as our insurance had lapsed and then lost his job because he did not have a valid drivers license.
Suddenly my mom became ill over night (literally) and by 8am in the morning it looked as though she was throwing up coffee grounds. I called her doctor to see what to do and he said to bring her in. I walked into my mom and dad's bedroom to tell her to get dressed because I would take her to the doctor. I walked out to get myself dressed and called my husband to tell him where I would be for when he got out of class. I suddenly heard my dad yelling my name and help. I ran to their bedroom and my mom was passed out on the floor and blood and what looked like coffee grounds. I ran to get the phone and called 911. During the time of call and me panicking I didn't think to do CPR. I kept screaming my mom's name, but she was completely unresponsive. The police. fire, and ambulance arrived quickly to take her to the ER. I threw on clothes and got my dad in the car. We raced to the ER and called in all the family. The hospital said she was not responding, but allowed me to see her. She was ice cold. They air lifted her to a large hospital and a large city. My husband, dad, and myself raced there. Once we arrived at the other hospital. we were told they were putting her in ICU and running a bunch of tests. At this time all the family was there as well as our pastor.
At about 1am we were told there was nothing more they could do because she was brain dead from the lack of oxygen. I was her POA so I had to decide whether to keep her on machines for ever or unplug them and let her die. I decided that I would have her machines unplugged because I knew she wouldn't want that. She was unplugged at 4am and died within five minutes. I was crushed and felt completely to blame. She was cremated and we had her showing on Valentines day 2009. We found out that she had a perforated ulcer that lead to multiple organ failure. My dad quickly deteriorated and died two days later (Feb 17, 2009). He was walking from the bathroom to his bedroom and collapsed. I quickly did CPR while my husband called 911. They were not able to revive him and pronounced him dead. The doctor said his heart just stopped. I still believe he just quit living. He was buried with my mom a few days later.
Three days after my dad was buried I started my new job and my husband went back to school. He continued with school until May and then has not returned. He started with a temp agency in June. Unfortunately our areas does not hire anyone unless they start out as a temp so he never had a permanent job until Sept 2010. We were not able to sell my parents home and could not keep up with their car payments and all of our car payments and bills. So we had to file for bankruptcy in Sept 2009. We gave them my parents car, their home, and both of our cars. Since my husband could not hold down a good job, we continued to suffer financially even after the bankruptcy.
We finally had enough in October 2010 and went to a Dave Ramsey class. We did well until Christmas and then we spent too much on stuff. I took a new job in March 2011 and it took me away from home more and I was spending too much on take out, clothes, and shoes. In April my husband took an almost 20 foot fall at work and was off work for two weeks. He has been in physical therapy since.
The week before the Independence Day 2011 holiday weekend, we went to the Smoky Mountains for vacation (stupid, I know). We spent too much money. On the drive back home we had a revelation! We decided we are throwing away too much money and have nothing to show for it. So we resolved to go back to Dave Ramsey budget and save. That was on Monday...on Tuesday my husband went to his early morning PT before work and then to work. As soon as he went to work, his boss called him to the office. They said they were going to have to let him go because he was causing them too much money with his accident!!! That afternoon I was called into HR and told I was being investigated for a co-worker complaint. Great! Well on Friday I was called back into HR and told I was being terminated for allowing my husband to come into work with me on two separate occasions (We were required to do on call assessments of psychiatric children/adolescents and those two times we were an hour from our house with family or shopping and I got called in and he went with me....just as all my coworkers did. Well when another co-worker left she turned us all in for it and they terminated all of us for it even though we didn't know we couldn't do it).
We have come to the conclusion that we were not where we need to be with the Lord so we are working on this and putting Him first again. We are taking control of our debt, spending, and other poor habits. Once we get our finances better under control, my husband is going back to school online to finish his youth ministry degree so that he can become a youth minister.
One more thing...
A little more than two months ago, my husband and I allowed a family from our church to move into our home as they were being evicted from their home. It was the mother, father, their two children (one teenage girl and one young adult) and their eldest daughter's baby. We thought this would be the good, Christian thing for us to do. At the time we allowed them to move in we thought they were good Christians, too, but they're not. They have broken two of our living room chairs, their dog has ruined our carpet, they do not help with chores or bills, and rude and curse too much. So, we got with our pastor to develop a way to get them out. We gave them until this Sunday after evening church services to vacate our home. This has been a difficult few weeks for us as we are trying to get them out of our house, get it cleaned up, get jobs, and control our finances.
Please join us on our journey. Help keep us going and ask any questions that you may have.
I figure I might was well be completely raw on this blog...so here goes!
My hubby and I were married back in May 2008 and he moved to Southern Indiana to be with me because it was where my good job was at. He quit his good paying supervisor job to take a low paying entry level job in our town. We purchased a home and were living what we thought was the American Dream...the debt and all. Everything began to unravel on July 2, 2008. It was a Friday afternoon around 3pm right before the holiday weekend. I was at work and got a call on my cell phone from my mom. She said they were taking my dad to the hospital with severe breathing problems. I immediately left work and headed to their town about 40 minutes north of mine. I called my hubby and he met me there after work. It took the doctors a while to figure out what was wrong. They found that he had 2 liters of fluids on his lungs and wanted to check his heart. I took the following week off from work to be with my parents while my husband worked. On the Monday of that week the doctors found that 70% of my dad's heart was "dead" and unrepairable. We were devastated. They said my dad could not ever work again and would have to take it very easy, but they thought he had at least another 6 years to live. He would first have to be in the hospital another 2-3 weeks and then go to a nursing home to gain strength and learn how to best live. We found out that he would never be able to drive again and my mom has never driven a day in her life. oh no...
I quickly called my dad's sister and my mom's brother as they basically all the family we have. We investigated my parents' finances and found out how bad their situation was. We decided to move them out of their home, but here's the kicker...I co-signed for my parents $120k mortgaged home and $16k car. I was so scared. We put all their belongings into storage and moved them into my brand new 3 bedroom built home. My mom was so angry at me because she thought I could have done something more to help. My job continued to get crazy and with everything going on with my parents I resigned from my position and was thankful for savings.
My mom moved into my home first while they transitioned my dad to a nursing home. My mom was miserable in my home because I live in town and she lived in the country. We butted heads all the time over cooking, cleaning, and care of her animals and our animals. Right before my dad was discharged from the nursing home, my husband lost his job because he had missed too much work due to everything going on. UGH!! Luckily we had some savings and my dad's social security that he would be getting would help.
We decided that I would not get a job right away, but care for my dad as my mom could not emotionally handle it. My husband began working part-time and went back to college to finish his bachelors degree. Yes, unfortunately we took out extra student loans to live off of.
Everything was going pretty smoothly...I even interviewed for a job as a therapist because things seemed to be going well...that was until February 2009. There was a huge ice storm that hit our area and shut everything down. Well during that time, I forgot to pay our auto insurance and the first day back to school my husband slides through an intersection and collides with a snow plow. He lost his drivers license as our insurance had lapsed and then lost his job because he did not have a valid drivers license.
Suddenly my mom became ill over night (literally) and by 8am in the morning it looked as though she was throwing up coffee grounds. I called her doctor to see what to do and he said to bring her in. I walked into my mom and dad's bedroom to tell her to get dressed because I would take her to the doctor. I walked out to get myself dressed and called my husband to tell him where I would be for when he got out of class. I suddenly heard my dad yelling my name and help. I ran to their bedroom and my mom was passed out on the floor and blood and what looked like coffee grounds. I ran to get the phone and called 911. During the time of call and me panicking I didn't think to do CPR. I kept screaming my mom's name, but she was completely unresponsive. The police. fire, and ambulance arrived quickly to take her to the ER. I threw on clothes and got my dad in the car. We raced to the ER and called in all the family. The hospital said she was not responding, but allowed me to see her. She was ice cold. They air lifted her to a large hospital and a large city. My husband, dad, and myself raced there. Once we arrived at the other hospital. we were told they were putting her in ICU and running a bunch of tests. At this time all the family was there as well as our pastor.
At about 1am we were told there was nothing more they could do because she was brain dead from the lack of oxygen. I was her POA so I had to decide whether to keep her on machines for ever or unplug them and let her die. I decided that I would have her machines unplugged because I knew she wouldn't want that. She was unplugged at 4am and died within five minutes. I was crushed and felt completely to blame. She was cremated and we had her showing on Valentines day 2009. We found out that she had a perforated ulcer that lead to multiple organ failure. My dad quickly deteriorated and died two days later (Feb 17, 2009). He was walking from the bathroom to his bedroom and collapsed. I quickly did CPR while my husband called 911. They were not able to revive him and pronounced him dead. The doctor said his heart just stopped. I still believe he just quit living. He was buried with my mom a few days later.
Three days after my dad was buried I started my new job and my husband went back to school. He continued with school until May and then has not returned. He started with a temp agency in June. Unfortunately our areas does not hire anyone unless they start out as a temp so he never had a permanent job until Sept 2010. We were not able to sell my parents home and could not keep up with their car payments and all of our car payments and bills. So we had to file for bankruptcy in Sept 2009. We gave them my parents car, their home, and both of our cars. Since my husband could not hold down a good job, we continued to suffer financially even after the bankruptcy.
We finally had enough in October 2010 and went to a Dave Ramsey class. We did well until Christmas and then we spent too much on stuff. I took a new job in March 2011 and it took me away from home more and I was spending too much on take out, clothes, and shoes. In April my husband took an almost 20 foot fall at work and was off work for two weeks. He has been in physical therapy since.
The week before the Independence Day 2011 holiday weekend, we went to the Smoky Mountains for vacation (stupid, I know). We spent too much money. On the drive back home we had a revelation! We decided we are throwing away too much money and have nothing to show for it. So we resolved to go back to Dave Ramsey budget and save. That was on Monday...on Tuesday my husband went to his early morning PT before work and then to work. As soon as he went to work, his boss called him to the office. They said they were going to have to let him go because he was causing them too much money with his accident!!! That afternoon I was called into HR and told I was being investigated for a co-worker complaint. Great! Well on Friday I was called back into HR and told I was being terminated for allowing my husband to come into work with me on two separate occasions (We were required to do on call assessments of psychiatric children/adolescents and those two times we were an hour from our house with family or shopping and I got called in and he went with me....just as all my coworkers did. Well when another co-worker left she turned us all in for it and they terminated all of us for it even though we didn't know we couldn't do it).
We have come to the conclusion that we were not where we need to be with the Lord so we are working on this and putting Him first again. We are taking control of our debt, spending, and other poor habits. Once we get our finances better under control, my husband is going back to school online to finish his youth ministry degree so that he can become a youth minister.
One more thing...
A little more than two months ago, my husband and I allowed a family from our church to move into our home as they were being evicted from their home. It was the mother, father, their two children (one teenage girl and one young adult) and their eldest daughter's baby. We thought this would be the good, Christian thing for us to do. At the time we allowed them to move in we thought they were good Christians, too, but they're not. They have broken two of our living room chairs, their dog has ruined our carpet, they do not help with chores or bills, and rude and curse too much. So, we got with our pastor to develop a way to get them out. We gave them until this Sunday after evening church services to vacate our home. This has been a difficult few weeks for us as we are trying to get them out of our house, get it cleaned up, get jobs, and control our finances.
Please join us on our journey. Help keep us going and ask any questions that you may have.
Quick Update
Praises to the Lord! My husband now has a job! He is in orientation today and tomorrow with his official start day on Monday! His new job is about 5 miles from the house and he will be making $1.10 more than he was at his last job and it was 60 miles round trip. So he will be making even more. We will have insurance that begins on Monday with the same insurance company he used to have, but it will be several hundred dollars cheaper than it was before. We are so thankful.
I also got a phone call about 10 minutes ago asking me to come back in again for yet another meeting with managers to discuss a possible schedule for me! It is closer than my previous job was, but it is still 43 miles from my house. It is still better than the 66 miles I was driving. I'm still praying for a job closer to home, though.
In regards to our budget, we still have not eaten out or spent any money since Sunday until today. We had to go to the store to get sugar, a few seasonings, dish liquid, ziplock baggies, scrubbers, and plastic spatulas as our dishwasher has taken a liking to melting them lately. We only spent $9.27. Unfortunately when my hubby gets off work today, he has to pick up dog food as our fur-beasts are out. The dog food will be around $23 :((
I also got a phone call about 10 minutes ago asking me to come back in again for yet another meeting with managers to discuss a possible schedule for me! It is closer than my previous job was, but it is still 43 miles from my house. It is still better than the 66 miles I was driving. I'm still praying for a job closer to home, though.
In regards to our budget, we still have not eaten out or spent any money since Sunday until today. We had to go to the store to get sugar, a few seasonings, dish liquid, ziplock baggies, scrubbers, and plastic spatulas as our dishwasher has taken a liking to melting them lately. We only spent $9.27. Unfortunately when my hubby gets off work today, he has to pick up dog food as our fur-beasts are out. The dog food will be around $23 :((
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
To tithe or not to tithe?
Today was probably the best day I have had since I lost my job. I actually got dressed up in my professional clothes, heels, make-up, jewelery, and did my hair. I had my first professional job interview in front of a board of directors since I lost my job. I forgot how much I loved dressing up and having intelligent conversations. I have had two other interviews since I lost my job, but they were both over the phone, so I don't count those. Out of my fear, I have started to apply for jobs out of my field. I have moved on to jobs in human resources, banking, and retail. I'm not sure if I will even get a response, but I'm thinking with two bachelor degrees and a masters degree it has to account for something.
In more positive news, my hubby was offered a job for a local company and did his drug screen today. He will likely start on Monday, but he has another interview lined up for tomorrow morning and one for tomorrow afternoon in hopes of earning more money. To be safe though, he interviewed for another company that he once interviewed for, but didn't originally get the job because they hired someone with more experience. They offered him an interview because the other guy didn't work out.
Since he and I was both in interviews for so long today (his interview lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes and mine lasted 1 hour 10 minutes) and rewarded ourselves with a fountain drink each from Chuckles. I was hoping to not have a spend day today, but at the same time I am proud that we didn't do what we would have done a few weeks ago, which would have been go out to eat for total of like $60. I was happy with spending only $1.55!!
Today I made a list of all the organizations and businesses that I need to call to inform them about our job losses to see what we can do about our bills. I am praying for mercy from them in this matter.
Question: Since we are still getting checks from our former employers for our accrued vacation times....do we still tithe or do we hold on to that money for dear life??
In more positive news, my hubby was offered a job for a local company and did his drug screen today. He will likely start on Monday, but he has another interview lined up for tomorrow morning and one for tomorrow afternoon in hopes of earning more money. To be safe though, he interviewed for another company that he once interviewed for, but didn't originally get the job because they hired someone with more experience. They offered him an interview because the other guy didn't work out.
Since he and I was both in interviews for so long today (his interview lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes and mine lasted 1 hour 10 minutes) and rewarded ourselves with a fountain drink each from Chuckles. I was hoping to not have a spend day today, but at the same time I am proud that we didn't do what we would have done a few weeks ago, which would have been go out to eat for total of like $60. I was happy with spending only $1.55!!
Today I made a list of all the organizations and businesses that I need to call to inform them about our job losses to see what we can do about our bills. I am praying for mercy from them in this matter.
Question: Since we are still getting checks from our former employers for our accrued vacation times....do we still tithe or do we hold on to that money for dear life??
Monday, July 18, 2011
Cha..Cha..Changes!
As I was opening the mail today I was about to throw away what I thought was junk mail, but my hubby yelled, "stop, it's a check!" Well he was correct, it was a check. A refund check from the State of Kentucky (he used to live in KY before we were married and then he moved to Indiana to be with me!) from 5 years ago for my husband. Here's the kicker though: it was for $2.45! It actually made me happy because we are now $2.45 closer to our 1k emergency fund.
A lot has changed because 2 weeks ago, I probably would have thrown the check away rather than deal with pitiful check. It's different now because the check is already in the bank!
Apparently there's a lot of things you'll be willing to do when you don't have a job. Today my hubby and went shopping...but it's not the type of shopping you're thinking. We went shopping in our deep freezer and fridge freezer. There is so much stuff in there that we completely forgot about. Now we don't need hardly anything from the store. There were 53 meals in those freezers not counting all the deer meat from my hubby. I know, I know it's pathetic that we have that much unaccounted for food. This realization leads me to our next money saving strategy: we will not be eating out or buying meals for the next 50 days. Blog pals you're going to have to hold me accountable because I can easily give in. The only thing we'll go to the store for are the sides and such because we don't have much in way of veggies and fruit.
Also we have decided to do No Spend Days. It is going to be very difficult because we love to go to a local gas station called Chuckles because they have super cheap fountain sodas and we are addicted! It is also going to be hard for us on Sundays because we love to go out to lunch with our church pals. We are going to put ourselves with a goal of no more than 2 spend days per week.
Putting it in His hands!
A lot has changed because 2 weeks ago, I probably would have thrown the check away rather than deal with pitiful check. It's different now because the check is already in the bank!
Apparently there's a lot of things you'll be willing to do when you don't have a job. Today my hubby and went shopping...but it's not the type of shopping you're thinking. We went shopping in our deep freezer and fridge freezer. There is so much stuff in there that we completely forgot about. Now we don't need hardly anything from the store. There were 53 meals in those freezers not counting all the deer meat from my hubby. I know, I know it's pathetic that we have that much unaccounted for food. This realization leads me to our next money saving strategy: we will not be eating out or buying meals for the next 50 days. Blog pals you're going to have to hold me accountable because I can easily give in. The only thing we'll go to the store for are the sides and such because we don't have much in way of veggies and fruit.
Also we have decided to do No Spend Days. It is going to be very difficult because we love to go to a local gas station called Chuckles because they have super cheap fountain sodas and we are addicted! It is also going to be hard for us on Sundays because we love to go out to lunch with our church pals. We are going to put ourselves with a goal of no more than 2 spend days per week.
Putting it in His hands!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Five things
Five things I'm proud of:
Tell me five things about you!
- Graduating with my bachelor and master degrees in just 4 years while studying abroad in Jamaica for a semester.
- My home...even though we are currently upside down in it. I love it, it's cute.
- My salvation.
- My relationship with my husband.
- This is so vain, but my Coach purse from my hubby that was 85% off!
- My job loss.
- My debt.
- My laziness.
- My love of reality TV...hello Big Brother, Wipeout, & Teen Mom
- My weight.
- The fact that I don't have a job...I'm trying not to care or think about it and put all my faith in God.
- I haven't worked out since I lost my job 10 days ago.
- My poorly landscaped yard that has been begging for help.
- Calories, carbs, sodium, fat...
- All the bug bites that are itching like crazy on my legs.
Tell me five things about you!
We baby stepping
I am becoming quick friends with Craigslist. We are former foster parents and as a result we have an excess of bunkbeds and twin beds currently. We aren't planning on using the beds in the near future, so I posted them for sale on that website for extra cash. So far we have an offer on one of the bunkbeds and on a twin bed. Once their checks clear and the moo-la is in our pockets, they will be out of our shed.
Typically when I have yard sale money or even extra cash, the money goes towards fun stuff like new unneeded clothes or shoes. However, this time that money is becoming our emergency fund. It will not fully fund the emergency fund because we will likely only make $600 from the Craigslist sale. At least it's start.
We are also compiling belongings that we do not need or want anymore to put together a yard sale. We have a lot of stuff we don't need and I am praying that we can make at least $400 from it as it will include electronics, furniture, and name brand clothes.
If anyone has any idea how to earn extra money through the Internet, please share the love.
Typically when I have yard sale money or even extra cash, the money goes towards fun stuff like new unneeded clothes or shoes. However, this time that money is becoming our emergency fund. It will not fully fund the emergency fund because we will likely only make $600 from the Craigslist sale. At least it's start.
We are also compiling belongings that we do not need or want anymore to put together a yard sale. We have a lot of stuff we don't need and I am praying that we can make at least $400 from it as it will include electronics, furniture, and name brand clothes.
If anyone has any idea how to earn extra money through the Internet, please share the love.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Grocery Quest
We did something today that we haven't regularly done: a menu and grocery list! We wrote out everything we will need for 30 meals, which is 2 full weeks of groceries. I budgeted $160 and we only spent $132!!! Very excited about it considering we typically spend about $400 a month! We even switched grocery stores in an attempt to save money and it worked quite well.
My husband and I did some more much needed budgeting today and have come to a new conclusion. If I do not find a job within two weeks, I will begin looking outside of my field and into anything that pays. We have figured out that if we both make $9.00 an hour we will have enough income to cover our monthly bills...just not cover the debt! If we can both get jobs making that amount we can hang on until we get better jobs in our fields. It is difficult for me to understand why it is so difficult for me to get a job considering I have two bachelor degrees and a masters degree. Trusting in God...
My husband and I did some more much needed budgeting today and have come to a new conclusion. If I do not find a job within two weeks, I will begin looking outside of my field and into anything that pays. We have figured out that if we both make $9.00 an hour we will have enough income to cover our monthly bills...just not cover the debt! If we can both get jobs making that amount we can hang on until we get better jobs in our fields. It is difficult for me to understand why it is so difficult for me to get a job considering I have two bachelor degrees and a masters degree. Trusting in God...
Friday, July 15, 2011
Our Debt
Total debt including mortgage: $188,641
Total debt excluding mortgage: $96,446
Total debt excluding mortgage & school debt: $28,648
Here's everyone we owe:
Total debt excluding mortgage: $96,446
Total debt excluding mortgage & school debt: $28,648
Here's everyone we owe:
- Car loan 1 (hubby's car): $16,773
- Car loan 2 (my car): $4745
- Mortgage: $92,195
- Credit card: $245
- Loan: $400
- Federal back taxes: $3169
- State back taxes: $1704
- Medical: $800
- HVAC: $812
- School loan 1 (hubby): $622
- School loan 2 (hubby): $10,675
- School loan 3 (Me): $17,401
- School loan 4 (Me): $39,100
Here goes nothing!
We have been concerned about our finances and debt for almost a year now, but did not give it the energy that was required. We even went to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Unfortunately we took it right around Christmas, which coupled with the holiday season and work, became too much and we gave up. We continued to slack off until it became too late.
My husband and I both lost our jobs right after Independence Day 2011. We don't have any savings and we are scared, so what time is better than now to finally get it together?!
We have not found jobs yet, but we are hopeful. We have enough funds from vacation time to cover us for 6 weeks. We are praying and leaning on our Heavenly Father to get us through this.
Why do a blog and put everything out there? Well we want to hold ourselves accountable. My husband and I only have each other to hold us accountable, and neither of us are the strongest right now with finances. So we are putting it all out here and hoping this blog will keep us straight.
I'm afraid that due to our job loss, we will become behind on our bills and eventually loose everything we have. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am working on compiling our list of debts (God help us!) and there will be a lot of it!!! I will post all of it here.
WELCOME TO OUR MISERY!!!
My husband and I both lost our jobs right after Independence Day 2011. We don't have any savings and we are scared, so what time is better than now to finally get it together?!
We have not found jobs yet, but we are hopeful. We have enough funds from vacation time to cover us for 6 weeks. We are praying and leaning on our Heavenly Father to get us through this.
Why do a blog and put everything out there? Well we want to hold ourselves accountable. My husband and I only have each other to hold us accountable, and neither of us are the strongest right now with finances. So we are putting it all out here and hoping this blog will keep us straight.
I'm afraid that due to our job loss, we will become behind on our bills and eventually loose everything we have. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am working on compiling our list of debts (God help us!) and there will be a lot of it!!! I will post all of it here.
WELCOME TO OUR MISERY!!!
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