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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!