Hey blog-o-sphere. Long time no post, I know I'm a slacker. By slacker of course I mean my desktop/air conditioner combo blew out a circuit a few weeks ago and I've had it off since. I turned it back on today to print coupons and send an email for a possible work from home sales gig that I'm really digging the possibility of. I figured I'd see if I could write a whole blog before blowing the circuit again. Here it goes...
So, any of you who also follow my hubs probably know that we're doing this Summer of 7 challenge along with a ton of other folks. It's based on Jen Hatmaker's book 7:An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. But instead of going for 7 months, we're all doing it for 7 weeks o the summer.
We've completed week one (food) and we're on to week two (clothes). I have to say that this week really isn't nearly as much of a challenge for me as last week was. Wearing only 7 items of clothing for a week (not washing them, I've decided) will totally not be a stretch for me. As momma of two little ones (3yrs and 10mons) I don't get to shower very often and thus I don't always change my clothes at the start of a new day.
I've chosen the following items to wear this week:
One white tank top with a big flower printed on it.
One pink t-shirt that still needs to get washed from last week.
One pair of jean.
One Purple and green summer dress.
One pair of leggings.
One pair of flip-flops.
One scarf (from Child Restoration) that doubles as a baby sling.
To be honest I could probably go all summer with just these items. With one simple caveat that I get to switch out my flip flops when I redoubtably wear through these ones in a month.
I'm a foodie so last week was tough. But I found it refreshing and I actually found myself less stressed out about what to make for dinner than I usually am.
On a totally unrelated note, my 10 month old is currently perched on my chest watching the Imagination Movers DVD on behind me for the 3rd time today while chewing on my shoulder. She has one very mean tooth coming in and she's extra clingy and this DVD is the only thing she'll watch for calming music aside from Danny playing guitar.
My poor baby and her hurty teeth.
I also recently read Homemade Pantry: 101 Things you can Stop buying and start Making and I've been on a homemade everything kick. I've been making homemade ricotta, goat cheese, English muffins, shampoo, face wash, laundry detergent, granola, fabric softener, yogurt, baby food, coconut milk, teething biscuits and my hubs has been making bread, soup, pie, and arepas. He's awesome! It has cut down severely on our food budget and has allowed us to buy more fresh fruits and veggies with our food stamps and we're eating better. Also, this week is the Post Office's annual food drive I am going to go through my pantry and put some stuff in a box to leave for my mail carrier.
We've been a busy family. Because... Joey just finished her last week of her first year of school and she's already missing it. We've had two minor car accidents. We're still trying to get me my driver's license (thanks DMV for turning me away yet another time). Danny's started volunteering at a local shelter while still trying to find work. I'm still working two days a week and I'm trying to pick up a side gig as I previously mentioned. And we've planted a little garden hanging off our two little porches.
So, that's the haps with this family. I've got to go finish up some dishes and move my sad baby from the couch to her crib. Night all!!
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Monday, June 11, 2012
Monday, May 16, 2011
God is Faithful
I have been burning myself out lately as some of you may know. Working, being a mom, pregnant, looking for work, Danny's been in school full time (he finished his last final today) and has been looking for work himself (we're hoping to here this week on a job that we think would be a perfect fit for him). We've been struggling but scraping by and it's just a world of stress.
We decided that this year we were both going to try and carve out time for ourselves to have some alone time before the baby comes. Our church has an annual Women's Retreat that has really kept me from going over the edge the last two years that I attended (courtesy of some lovely ladies that gave me anonymous scholarships). I was beyond grateful.
This year Danny and I decided that no matter what I would go and we would trust God to come up with whatever funds were needed to make that happen. Then two weeks ago, all hell broke lose with our finances and we still felt like God meant for me to go but we now had less than what we needed in our bank account and my unemployment was under review and our utilities were cut off and Social Security threaten to pull Danny's SSI due to our bank changing names. UGH, right?
So, we've been trusting God with it and been honest with the people around us. Our church blessed us by paying a god portion of our rent after we had to use the money we had for it to get our lights turned back on. I've been on the phone with Unemployment everyday for nearly two weeks to make sure that they aren't cutting me off. The ladies had a last minute scholarship open up for half of the cost of the retreat for me. But we still had only $2 in our bank account and no gas in the car. I had to decided for the final count yesterday whether I would go or not, even though nothing had come through yet. We still felt like it was something that I needed and that I should go. So, I told them that I was going and made arrangements to pay the weekend afterwards.
Today, I finally hear that Unemployment is back on track and according to my balance I'm getting all of my back weeks benefits that I've been waiting on, deposited in our account, TOMORROW! Yay! I can pay to go to the retreat. Danny's done with finals. My in-laws gave us a little gas money to hold us over. Hopefully, Danny will be able to get to a clinic today after his other dr's appointment (he's not been feeling well). I should now be able to get things worked out with SSI this week now that I know what I'll be receiving from Unemployment. Then hopefully, I'll be able to get things in order to file for hardship with the utility company once I have my paperwork from Unemployment and SSI so that they can't shut us off again.
Things plummeted very fast and now they're back on the upswing. God is good and faithful! And sometimes we just have to take that leap of faith and trust Him before we can see what's coming.
We decided that this year we were both going to try and carve out time for ourselves to have some alone time before the baby comes. Our church has an annual Women's Retreat that has really kept me from going over the edge the last two years that I attended (courtesy of some lovely ladies that gave me anonymous scholarships). I was beyond grateful.
This year Danny and I decided that no matter what I would go and we would trust God to come up with whatever funds were needed to make that happen. Then two weeks ago, all hell broke lose with our finances and we still felt like God meant for me to go but we now had less than what we needed in our bank account and my unemployment was under review and our utilities were cut off and Social Security threaten to pull Danny's SSI due to our bank changing names. UGH, right?
So, we've been trusting God with it and been honest with the people around us. Our church blessed us by paying a god portion of our rent after we had to use the money we had for it to get our lights turned back on. I've been on the phone with Unemployment everyday for nearly two weeks to make sure that they aren't cutting me off. The ladies had a last minute scholarship open up for half of the cost of the retreat for me. But we still had only $2 in our bank account and no gas in the car. I had to decided for the final count yesterday whether I would go or not, even though nothing had come through yet. We still felt like it was something that I needed and that I should go. So, I told them that I was going and made arrangements to pay the weekend afterwards.
Today, I finally hear that Unemployment is back on track and according to my balance I'm getting all of my back weeks benefits that I've been waiting on, deposited in our account, TOMORROW! Yay! I can pay to go to the retreat. Danny's done with finals. My in-laws gave us a little gas money to hold us over. Hopefully, Danny will be able to get to a clinic today after his other dr's appointment (he's not been feeling well). I should now be able to get things worked out with SSI this week now that I know what I'll be receiving from Unemployment. Then hopefully, I'll be able to get things in order to file for hardship with the utility company once I have my paperwork from Unemployment and SSI so that they can't shut us off again.
Things plummeted very fast and now they're back on the upswing. God is good and faithful! And sometimes we just have to take that leap of faith and trust Him before we can see what's coming.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Frustrated Monday
So, this week is not off to a great start but I'm hoping it will get better soon. (Please God, let it get better soon!) Yesterday, I couldn't file my regular Unemployment claim, sometimes it happens so, I just figured I'd call today. Then our power was disconnected this morning. (We have quite the back balance with the electric company.) I'd been expecting to have to deal with it sooner or later I suppose. So, I get that turned back on but only after giving them 2/3 of the money that we have in our bank account, which was 2/3 of our allocated rent money. WHEEEEE!!!
I signed up for financial hardship with them (again). Let's hope I can keep them from turning it off next month too. I had been trying to apply for Energy Assistance with the state but their office isn't open without an appointment and I'd been calling every month since August to get an appointment or even just the paperwork that I needed to file with them. They kept blowing me off, telling me to call back in this month or that month, I kept calling. They finally send me the paperwork, I got it FOUR DAYS AFTER IT WAS DUE.
I don't know if I should blame them or our horrible postal delivery person who has lost many a package due us and now no longer dares deliver packages at all, we just have to go pick them up. And if there's no tracking information, we don't even know they're here since she won't even leave those lovely little slips that they're supposed to leave.
Then I get my brain back and call unemployment to deal with my other headache for the day. I stayed on hold for a good half hour. Th woman was very helpful. She got my account set up again but then forgot to take my information to file my weekly claim. UGH! Now, I'm hold for another potential half hour (or more if they decide to take lunch before taking my call). I really hope that I can get this taken care of soon and then do something fun.
I need to make a to do list for the day but I already feel so emotionally drained. I need to make a meal plan for the week but I don't have any food in the house and our food stamps don't come in until tomorrow but we don't have time to actually get to the store until Thursday. I don't know what to do with myself. I think I just need to zone out and watch a cheesy kids movie with Joey. But, then I'd have to get her to clean up the living room to get the reward of a movie.
Head Smashing KeyBoard
I signed up for financial hardship with them (again). Let's hope I can keep them from turning it off next month too. I had been trying to apply for Energy Assistance with the state but their office isn't open without an appointment and I'd been calling every month since August to get an appointment or even just the paperwork that I needed to file with them. They kept blowing me off, telling me to call back in this month or that month, I kept calling. They finally send me the paperwork, I got it FOUR DAYS AFTER IT WAS DUE.
I don't know if I should blame them or our horrible postal delivery person who has lost many a package due us and now no longer dares deliver packages at all, we just have to go pick them up. And if there's no tracking information, we don't even know they're here since she won't even leave those lovely little slips that they're supposed to leave.
Then I get my brain back and call unemployment to deal with my other headache for the day. I stayed on hold for a good half hour. Th woman was very helpful. She got my account set up again but then forgot to take my information to file my weekly claim. UGH! Now, I'm hold for another potential half hour (or more if they decide to take lunch before taking my call). I really hope that I can get this taken care of soon and then do something fun.
I need to make a to do list for the day but I already feel so emotionally drained. I need to make a meal plan for the week but I don't have any food in the house and our food stamps don't come in until tomorrow but we don't have time to actually get to the store until Thursday. I don't know what to do with myself. I think I just need to zone out and watch a cheesy kids movie with Joey. But, then I'd have to get her to clean up the living room to get the reward of a movie.
Head Smashing KeyBoard
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Obama tax compromise
So Danny and I have been on the edge of our seats for a while hoping that Senate would come to some kind of agreement for our sakes. Since I've still not been able to find a full time job yet and we'd really like to be able to follow God's call for us to CO and our hope is to use about half of our tax refund check to pay off some debt and get in the good graces of our utility companies once again.
Now, since I've not been working much really our income is down quite a bit from last year but I intentionally don't declare all of our exemptions that we're allowed because I always feel that I'd rather be owed a refund then have to come up with a payment last minute. It also forces me to save my thoughts of wants for big purchases which usually cuts my wants down by half or more.
I'm determined to make the most of our money but at the same time, I don't want to just buy things because I'm getting a good deal.
Danny and I are currently trying to purge the house of all unnecessary 'things' in preparation to move 2/3 of the way across the country. We're going to be giving things away and selling things of value and in hopes that CO can be a fresh start for us. A leaner lifestyle for us, learning to repurpose things that either don't fit anymore or things that get damaged, learning to buy less, learning to save more when we do buy.
God says that when we are good stewards of what he blesses us with, He will be faithful and provide. To me that means, that debt begets more debt and frugalness should beget fruitfulness. This is of course, is just a theory of mine that I've not known firsthand to be true for a long time now.
I was just moved my the President's address today, and I just had to write something. Since, I've been waiting in hope that the tax cuts would be extended to provide Danny and I the funds that we're hoping for and today I've been put at ease. And I talked to Danny on Sunday about my fears on Sunday and we decided that even if this wasn't how God was planning on providing for our move, that he'd provide for us somehow, if this was indeed that move he has planned for us.
Now, since I've not been working much really our income is down quite a bit from last year but I intentionally don't declare all of our exemptions that we're allowed because I always feel that I'd rather be owed a refund then have to come up with a payment last minute. It also forces me to save my thoughts of wants for big purchases which usually cuts my wants down by half or more.
I'm determined to make the most of our money but at the same time, I don't want to just buy things because I'm getting a good deal.
Danny and I are currently trying to purge the house of all unnecessary 'things' in preparation to move 2/3 of the way across the country. We're going to be giving things away and selling things of value and in hopes that CO can be a fresh start for us. A leaner lifestyle for us, learning to repurpose things that either don't fit anymore or things that get damaged, learning to buy less, learning to save more when we do buy.
God says that when we are good stewards of what he blesses us with, He will be faithful and provide. To me that means, that debt begets more debt and frugalness should beget fruitfulness. This is of course, is just a theory of mine that I've not known firsthand to be true for a long time now.
I was just moved my the President's address today, and I just had to write something. Since, I've been waiting in hope that the tax cuts would be extended to provide Danny and I the funds that we're hoping for and today I've been put at ease. And I talked to Danny on Sunday about my fears on Sunday and we decided that even if this wasn't how God was planning on providing for our move, that he'd provide for us somehow, if this was indeed that move he has planned for us.
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