Crap! It's Christmas!

This is late I know, I haven't been worrying about the debt things to much as I have been worrying about how to pay for Christmas without adding to debt.

November recap - it was a great month in which I paid $952 towards cc debt, WHILE purchasing Christmas presents. In case you are wondering I did pay off the next smallest card, my next victim is the Kohl's card, which stands at $321 right now.

The 870 that was in our savings for our cushion is gone. I knew it wouldn't last long. My son had a dentist appointment, and he is not covered yet by insurance (starting 1/1 he is!)...$115 and we had a car inspection due.....which was $430.....OUCH! What happened to the rest? Christmas.... does it every time.

Goals for December... don't use credit card. don't use credit card. breathe. My husband worked some significant overtime at FT job last weekend, and should be working even more this coming weekend, all of course we get in the paycheck AFTER Christmas. Which is fine, I will have a good check to work with, and maybe we can knock out that Kohl's.

Wishing all my friends a safe and happy holiday season.

A Little Cushion

So for our family, November is a 3 and 5 pay month. Which means, my husband gets paid 3 times this month from his FT job, and 5 times from his PT job. He was paid today and nicely I was able to bring our EF back to $1000, and I put $870 in there for safekeeping, Christmas, Car inspection, if there is anything left, it will go to snow ball to the debt.


My goal for the end of this month is to pay off the next smallest card, the balance is a little over $200. All my bills due up to 11/11 are paid. This makes me very happy, and I hope my positive attitude can hold up this whole month!

I really need to sit down and get a budget on paper.... anyone have any suggestions on how to do make a budget?

Happy November!

How I Hate This Process...

I am frustrated. I am tired of thinking about money all the time. I don't know how much hubby's next paycheck is going to be because of all the overtime he worked this past weekend. He is also still working a few hours a week at his part time job. I need to sit down, and get organized, pay my bills for the month and figure out where we stand. How come I just don't feel like we are getting anywhere?

I am letting my worries about money consume me, I sit here with the kids and play, but in my head I am crunching numbers. After they go to bed, I sit and read other blogs about other people and their debt. Then I lay in bed for about 15 minutes and worry about the future.

I just want this to be over with.

It doesn't help that my husband had a tooth ache which ended up in $273 unexpected dental bill, $60 of it being a new patient fee, which he realized later he was not actually a new patient, did he think to ask for that to be taken off the bill? No. It was all out of pocket since he has been out of dental insurance.

Hubby's car is up for inspection in November and Christmas is in December....anyone else want my money?

Sorry for the whiny post. I just needed to get it out.

Sometimes Sweet is the Way to Be

About a week ago I recieved my quartly trash bill. Immediatly I was furious, they had tacked on a $10 late fee, and to my knowledge it was mailed out before the due date. I put in in my file, and walked away.

This morning I take the bills out to see what is due by 10/15.... and there is the trash bill. Due by 10/10. I start to write out the check including the fee....and then the annoyance came back. I looked through my paid bills, and found the stub from last quarter. No due date. No due date? So HOW could my payment have been late? Why was I being charged a late fee? I look online and the check was dated for 7/7/07, and cashed 07/10/07...so wth?

So, I pick up the phone, and call. I give my name, and say in my nicest voice that "I received my bill last week, and I am doing my bills today, and I am confused by something, could you help me?" She asks for my account number - I give it. "I am so sorry, I will waive that fee for you right away!"

I didn't even have to ask her to waive it.

I immediately called my girlfriend, and said Neener Neener, she has about $30 worth of late fees and they refuse to remove them....I had to cheer, you catch more flies with honey.

October is Going Great Already!

Insert sarcasm here.

So hubs was told that it could be 2-3 weeks till they need him at his PT job. Can we say FREAKING OUT??!!!! It doesn't help that last week they had him leave early one day, and this week he has worked a whopping 12 hours at PT job. This doesn't make for a good month.

I had to dip into ef to remove for my son's preschool tuition. It's due tomorrow, paydays are Thursdays..... it's already killing me. My thoughts are running rapid. I can't concentrate. I hope I can get some rest tonight.

How did I get here? If you can spare, please say a quick prayer that this is only a 2-3 week break.

It's Been A Whole Month

Well, since my last post it has officially been 1 month.

Why? Well, I have been disappointed in myself, and I am tough on myself, I beat myself up, and make myself feel incredibly guilty.

The month started up fine, I was proud about how much I spent on vacation, to turn around and wash my Mothers Day gift in the washing machine. My purse, with my iPod. I was crushed. So I did what any idiot would do, after a week of trying to revive it using different tips from Dr. Google, I bought a new one.

a) I KNOW that was stupid. Trying to dig out of hole, and not getting anywhere by buying expensive toys. I get that. However - my kids love my iPod, my husband does as well, it keeps me sane, and I need all the help I can get.

b) this time, I am going to insure the sucker, along with my camera and all it's parts. I enjoy photography, and it is an expensive hobby, but I hope one day, it will pay in some way.

So, it has been very hard on me since July, my husband working all night, all day, getting home around 4, eating, going to bed till 10. I knew this would be hard but it becomes trying. So you think I would be excited to hear that he will be getting a little over a week off from his part time job...... just the opposite, all I am thinking about is money......and how losing 8 days will effect us.

We aren't sure how much he will be working after that, whether it will be 12 hours or 24....we have no clue. Hopefully he will find out more this week.

I also offered to help a fellow graduate plan our 10 year high school reunion. I begrudgingly fronted $200 for deposits, as did she. I will get back $130 of that as $70 is for hub and I to attend.

She has asked me to be in charge of collecting the money, as I am at home and that scares me a little. I figure I will use one of the kids savings account to dump the checks. Any other ideas?

Good News:

a) efund - is at $1000
b) my smallest card - the children's place card - PAID OFF!

Here's to October!

Darn This Efund!

Well the good news is I did NOT dip into my efund to have to pay for shore groceries and shore spending cash, the entire week I was there, I spent under $100....so I came home with plenty of cash, and added that to efund.

So after the deposit I make tomorrow my efund will be at $900. Again, I didn't make goal of today, but I am not far off. I never, ever thought even with the extra income, that this would take this long. I am disappointed, however, we have not added to our debt at all, so I should be proud of that.

I put up some of the kids old Halloween costumes on eBay, and now thanks to Hector, I am going to check out Half.com!

I need to really make a firm budget and stick to it. I tend to be incredibly weak when hubs suggests getting take out, or ice cream. Proud though as I have lessened my trips to Walmart spending $100 on silly things, I stick to my lists and get the heck out of there.

Welcome new readers, any suggestions I am open to constructive criticism!