This was the best month so far on managing our grocery budget. Today is the last day of the month and I still have $5 left for groceries! Of course this is a short month. I will be buying some special things this week since my Brother is coming to visit. So excited about that. Have to make homemade cinnamon rolls! Maybe some blackberry pie.
I haven't gotten the sheets from my doctor yet about his okay for me to donate plasma yet. Hopefully in next few days.
I bought a new magazine called: All You about enjoying life for less with articles on spending less on everything and it contained $81 in coupons for things I actually will use them on. So it basically pays for itself. It costs $2.49. Lots of helpful hints in taking care of your home and doing many other things for less.
Yesterday was my husband's birthday although we celebrated it a week ago. I had made cake with a pudding filling and made a ton of frosting, because I usually run out. Well this time since I used the pudding filling my icing wouldn't stick to the sides of the cake. I battled it for quite a time til I just threw in the towel. But then I had all of this excess frosting on my hands! Didn't have any graham crackers for cookies, but I had saltines. So I made frosting sandwich cookies with the saltines. Heidi loves those, but I went a step further and used candy quick to coat them with chocolate. I sent one batch home with Heidi and Travis and sent another batch to work with Bob. Used up the frosting (and the chocolate coating) and everyone said they loved them.
We are paying off another bill this month, another visa. We are making great strides in paying off our debt snowball. It is gathering momentum!
Here's to carving the fat off our budget and my waistline! Have a good day!
A year of living like college students. Basically like living on nothing.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
$$ for plasma, needs vs. wants, and a rant & rave section
What is something your body makes naturally that is lifesaving and for which you can receive a paycheck? Plasma! Here in Decatur at CSL Plasma the first five donations earn $50 each. After that it is based on weight. A donor can give plasma twice a week but no more than that in a 7 day period. So I went and signed up. But because I am on so many medications I have to get a list of my meds and what they are for from my doctor and his approval for me to donate. It is a 45-90 minute process. The money is then logged on to a visa card to be used anywhere. It can be changed to a debit card as well.
I know that this sounds like a desperate attempt to earn money, but I qualified and as long as I stay healthy I can donate. Once I get that doctor's approval.
I have also been going through Macon Resources Inc., a company that specializes in getting those on disability back to work. I'm a little nervous, but I brought them my portfolio and they are excited and looking for something for me to do. I am doing well at this writing. I have stopped counting the days, I just am on a good roll and going to go with it. I have three references, all people I have worked with in the past. I guess I just want a normal life again...in SO many areas!!
Our envelope system is working. We have $25 left for the week for groceries and that will just about do it! It is SO nice not having the temptation of the checkbook. We are actively working on deciding what does and does not constitute an emergency. We need a new toilet seat, not an emergency, we need to have a septic pipe checked for a clog due to the smell...pretty much an emergency. Plumbing problems always seem to have "emergency" written all over them, yet it is in addressing them that proves if they are or not. One member of the family believes it IS, where the other doesn't think it is such a big deal. Clash of the titans. Either way it has to be addressed. I have stocked up on air freshener, waiting for my other half to find a guy with a ladder (I believe we should OWN a ladder) I don't think that constitues an emergency either, I just thinks it counts as a necessity. We need a ladder to access the vent to the septic that goes up through our roof to see if anything has fallen into it to clog the vent. Otherwise I think we may need to have our septic pumped. Yay.
On another note, I am very concerned about the state of our country. President Obama's healthcare bill has been ruled unconstitutional yet he ignores that. Right now in Wisconsin the Republican governor Scott Walker is calling for public employees such as the teacher's union and others to give back 5% of their benefits which the private sector do not receive, and stop collective bargaining to help balance the budget. Teamsters in Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania and other states are protesting the bills that Obama had said, "we need to tighten our belts, live within our means" which he means everyone who are tax payers, not government workers, not congressmen, lawyers, politicians. The tax payers can only be squeezed so much. And Obama ordered democrats TO the protests. Teachers have walked off their jobs which is illegal to protest for their collective bargaining rights. What about the rights of WE THE PEOPLE who pay their salaries? I don't want to hear one more whine from one more teacher about their pay or their job. They only work nine months out of the year and no one forced them into this line of work. Now if Miners had a beef with working conditions, I might have more sympathy, but I've had it up to here with whiny teachers. We ended up home schooling due to teacher ineptitude and oversight.
Here's another thing. The liberal media has gone too far. Farther left, no fair and balanced coverage. It used to be, Evening news, "here are the facts: X number of murders, this is what is happening in the middle east, There is a drought in Florida, more news at 11." And human beings came to their own conclusions, now we are spoon fed the news.
Planned Parenthood is on the chopping block for defunding. Joy Behar, a talk show host brought on her show pro-choice planned parenthood workers and supporters, brought no other viewpoint onto the show and bashed Republicans calling them immoral, blah, blah, and stupid. being called immoral for wanting to not use my tax dollars to pay for abortions? Does she know what morality IS? I'd like to see her dictionary. In fact I'd like to see Obama's and the Harry Reid's, Nancy Pelosi's version of the Constitution and DOI...and their dictionary and thesaurus. I'm fed up with ACTUAL liberal manipulation of facts, figures, media and their party. I think most tax payers are tired of it all. That is what November 2 was about. Wait until the Presidential election of 2012. But if Obama continues his lackidasical approach to terror, Egypt, Libia, Yemen and other places in the middle east and his focus on his party's involvement in Wisconsin and Ohio, maybe he IS above it all and our country is over.
Okay, off my soap box.
Just got done talking to my husband. He agrees we need a ladder. We'll see how soon we get one.
I know that this sounds like a desperate attempt to earn money, but I qualified and as long as I stay healthy I can donate. Once I get that doctor's approval.
I have also been going through Macon Resources Inc., a company that specializes in getting those on disability back to work. I'm a little nervous, but I brought them my portfolio and they are excited and looking for something for me to do. I am doing well at this writing. I have stopped counting the days, I just am on a good roll and going to go with it. I have three references, all people I have worked with in the past. I guess I just want a normal life again...in SO many areas!!
Our envelope system is working. We have $25 left for the week for groceries and that will just about do it! It is SO nice not having the temptation of the checkbook. We are actively working on deciding what does and does not constitute an emergency. We need a new toilet seat, not an emergency, we need to have a septic pipe checked for a clog due to the smell...pretty much an emergency. Plumbing problems always seem to have "emergency" written all over them, yet it is in addressing them that proves if they are or not. One member of the family believes it IS, where the other doesn't think it is such a big deal. Clash of the titans. Either way it has to be addressed. I have stocked up on air freshener, waiting for my other half to find a guy with a ladder (I believe we should OWN a ladder) I don't think that constitues an emergency either, I just thinks it counts as a necessity. We need a ladder to access the vent to the septic that goes up through our roof to see if anything has fallen into it to clog the vent. Otherwise I think we may need to have our septic pumped. Yay.
On another note, I am very concerned about the state of our country. President Obama's healthcare bill has been ruled unconstitutional yet he ignores that. Right now in Wisconsin the Republican governor Scott Walker is calling for public employees such as the teacher's union and others to give back 5% of their benefits which the private sector do not receive, and stop collective bargaining to help balance the budget. Teamsters in Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania and other states are protesting the bills that Obama had said, "we need to tighten our belts, live within our means" which he means everyone who are tax payers, not government workers, not congressmen, lawyers, politicians. The tax payers can only be squeezed so much. And Obama ordered democrats TO the protests. Teachers have walked off their jobs which is illegal to protest for their collective bargaining rights. What about the rights of WE THE PEOPLE who pay their salaries? I don't want to hear one more whine from one more teacher about their pay or their job. They only work nine months out of the year and no one forced them into this line of work. Now if Miners had a beef with working conditions, I might have more sympathy, but I've had it up to here with whiny teachers. We ended up home schooling due to teacher ineptitude and oversight.
Here's another thing. The liberal media has gone too far. Farther left, no fair and balanced coverage. It used to be, Evening news, "here are the facts: X number of murders, this is what is happening in the middle east, There is a drought in Florida, more news at 11." And human beings came to their own conclusions, now we are spoon fed the news.
Planned Parenthood is on the chopping block for defunding. Joy Behar, a talk show host brought on her show pro-choice planned parenthood workers and supporters, brought no other viewpoint onto the show and bashed Republicans calling them immoral, blah, blah, and stupid. being called immoral for wanting to not use my tax dollars to pay for abortions? Does she know what morality IS? I'd like to see her dictionary. In fact I'd like to see Obama's and the Harry Reid's, Nancy Pelosi's version of the Constitution and DOI...and their dictionary and thesaurus. I'm fed up with ACTUAL liberal manipulation of facts, figures, media and their party. I think most tax payers are tired of it all. That is what November 2 was about. Wait until the Presidential election of 2012. But if Obama continues his lackidasical approach to terror, Egypt, Libia, Yemen and other places in the middle east and his focus on his party's involvement in Wisconsin and Ohio, maybe he IS above it all and our country is over.
Okay, off my soap box.
Just got done talking to my husband. He agrees we need a ladder. We'll see how soon we get one.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's day you're being audited
We are being Audited. Happy Valentine's Day. Actually Bob found out about it a couple months ago but he didn't want to upset me, so he has been dealing with it.
I HAAVE had a huge amount of personal stuff on my mind.
We got our monthly statement for a Visa credit card with a balance of $2,456.93. And we are going to pay it off tomorrow!!!! The minimum payment is $55. So we will take that and add it to the other bills we have paid and head on to the next debt. This is exciting for me! I may regret it due to the fact that we are being audited..but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I love not using the check book. I like the money envelope system. It really makes it "real" when you see the amount in your hands dwindle. I guess Obama has lived on a credit card system his entire life and can't see what real money looks like and has no concept of trying to live within a budget. I would be easier on him but he is dealing with America's money, not his own.
This WAS a nice valentine's day! Bob brought me tulips, a sheep, a note pad and a beautiful card. I gave him a card from me and one from Missy. She was very proud of it! A neighbor lady came over while I was in my jammies (I seem to live in them) and while I was doing Zumba. I was sweating in my pjs while she handed me a plate of homemade frosted sugar cookies! I finally had two. So that pretty much shot the Zumba calorie burning.
I stayed home and exercised so I could save some money on gas. Tomorrow I go to see my Dr. in Bloomington. Lots of things to discuss. I had a phone conversation with my doctor in Iowa City, Iowa on the 7th. Was so happy to talk with her. I am making some major changes in my life and she is my cheerleader. I'm stepping away from some things that are so ingrained in my life I don't know what my life is going to be like with my husband or my friends. I mentioned something to my husband on a walk the other day and he acted like he never heard a word I said. The things he has said to me are cutting and will have to stop. He may not agree with my choices, but if he wants to keep living with me, some things will have to change. For better or worse, in sickness or in health. If he wants to attribute my "behavior" to sickness, I won't care. It is not due to sickness, it is due to a core belief. I know it is going to hurt some people. But I have to be honest with myself.
I am doing pretty well mentally. It has been a full year since my last hospitalization. I had lost 20 pounds in a month while I was trying a new treatment and trying to remodel the kitchen and upstairs bathroom on my own with some help from some friends from church. I think my mental state has been really good, and I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow to see what he has to say. I talked with my doctor in Iowa City, Iowa on the 7th and she is my cheerleader in what changes I am making in my life. After talking with her she said she was going to go to the Deluxe pastry shop in Iowa City and have a piece of cake in my honor. It is a tremendous load off, but how do I say what I want to say to people? It is really none of their business, but it is an integral part of my life. I've talked with my bishop and I need to talk to him further. He is concerned but not worried.
Anyway. It is good working toward our financial goals. There is yet many things my husband and I find in common. I think of him as someone so much more grown up than I am. I feel I have lost 30 years of my life wherein I could have been pursuing other things in my life than what has been my entire existence.
This is too deep. if anyone reads this who has any idea what I am talking about, don't worry about me please. Things will work out.
Take care and happy valentine's day.
I HAAVE had a huge amount of personal stuff on my mind.
We got our monthly statement for a Visa credit card with a balance of $2,456.93. And we are going to pay it off tomorrow!!!! The minimum payment is $55. So we will take that and add it to the other bills we have paid and head on to the next debt. This is exciting for me! I may regret it due to the fact that we are being audited..but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I love not using the check book. I like the money envelope system. It really makes it "real" when you see the amount in your hands dwindle. I guess Obama has lived on a credit card system his entire life and can't see what real money looks like and has no concept of trying to live within a budget. I would be easier on him but he is dealing with America's money, not his own.
This WAS a nice valentine's day! Bob brought me tulips, a sheep, a note pad and a beautiful card. I gave him a card from me and one from Missy. She was very proud of it! A neighbor lady came over while I was in my jammies (I seem to live in them) and while I was doing Zumba. I was sweating in my pjs while she handed me a plate of homemade frosted sugar cookies! I finally had two. So that pretty much shot the Zumba calorie burning.
I stayed home and exercised so I could save some money on gas. Tomorrow I go to see my Dr. in Bloomington. Lots of things to discuss. I had a phone conversation with my doctor in Iowa City, Iowa on the 7th. Was so happy to talk with her. I am making some major changes in my life and she is my cheerleader. I'm stepping away from some things that are so ingrained in my life I don't know what my life is going to be like with my husband or my friends. I mentioned something to my husband on a walk the other day and he acted like he never heard a word I said. The things he has said to me are cutting and will have to stop. He may not agree with my choices, but if he wants to keep living with me, some things will have to change. For better or worse, in sickness or in health. If he wants to attribute my "behavior" to sickness, I won't care. It is not due to sickness, it is due to a core belief. I know it is going to hurt some people. But I have to be honest with myself.
I am doing pretty well mentally. It has been a full year since my last hospitalization. I had lost 20 pounds in a month while I was trying a new treatment and trying to remodel the kitchen and upstairs bathroom on my own with some help from some friends from church. I think my mental state has been really good, and I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow to see what he has to say. I talked with my doctor in Iowa City, Iowa on the 7th and she is my cheerleader in what changes I am making in my life. After talking with her she said she was going to go to the Deluxe pastry shop in Iowa City and have a piece of cake in my honor. It is a tremendous load off, but how do I say what I want to say to people? It is really none of their business, but it is an integral part of my life. I've talked with my bishop and I need to talk to him further. He is concerned but not worried.
Anyway. It is good working toward our financial goals. There is yet many things my husband and I find in common. I think of him as someone so much more grown up than I am. I feel I have lost 30 years of my life wherein I could have been pursuing other things in my life than what has been my entire existence.
This is too deep. if anyone reads this who has any idea what I am talking about, don't worry about me please. Things will work out.
Take care and happy valentine's day.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Contolling money, emotions, and surroundings
The groceries are put away, the valentine decorations are set out. I found a couple other things to set out in the living room, but I try to keep that room pretty spare. I'd like the whole house to feel that way. In a while I am going to go in and do dishes and make sure the counter is free of stuff. It is so restful to the eye which cuts down on feelings of anxiety and mania for me.
Speaking of mania and anxiety, I have been experiencing some over the past couple of days. Trying to maintain my good run of mental wellness. I have a big life decision I have been contemplating and I'm sure that has something to do with it.
I wish like Ziggy said, "Never get personally involved in your own life" I wish I wasn't so tied to my emotions. I don't know what it is like not to be. My husband can be extremely detatched. I feel things very deeply. When I say something is "gut wrenching" you can be sure my stomach is in that exact feeling physically.
When I worry about things I worry too much. I need to step back and take in a deep breath. Today I am worried about something and I have decided that that is exactly what I need to do. Detatch myself and take a step back. There are many reasons that what I am worried about isn't happening. Many scenarios. I will think good thoughts and reason the the thing I'm worried about isn't due to anger or malice.
Sometimes I think worry happens because we are not sure exactly where we stand, or what is going to happen next. Sometimes deciding on an action will be the thing to do. I guess I'm talking to myself right now. I know I don't have very many followers, if any today. Do what I can. And today I need to get some cleaning done in the kitchen and guest room. My desk runneth over in the computer part and I don't have a waste basket in here. I guess I'm going to remedy that today as well. I have two birthday presents to wrap for my husband's 55th birthday coming up this month.
But to be on the safe side I am goning to contact my doctor and tell him of my anxiety. I may take a quarter mg of clonazapam in the meantime. He has told me that I am able to do that when I have extra anxiety. I've done it for the past three days. Time to call the doctor. I thought getting one of my feelings out, closing the door on some "old stuff" was going to be the answer, turns out it is still very much an issue.
Anyway...
Oh, I got to practice a little bit of psychology yesterday. I went into a place that I go to often and the owner was there alone and we started talking. The very first thing she told me is, "I'm depressed." We talked for about an hour and a half. That was okay, I had errands to run but no other appointments. I told her some things that I do when I have depression to get out of it, or cope with it to some extent and one of the things I do is a "did" list, not a "to do" list. a to do list seems overwhelming and when you are depressed sometimes you cannot concentrate on one thing longer than five minutes, and the sight of a long list is not helpful, basically we know what needs to be done. So I told her about my "did" list, and that I write EVERYTHING that I do during the day. For instance today, I could write: Got up; made the bed; did a load of clothes; called a friend; checked facebook (not that that is on a to do list, but it was something that I did); got the mail; straightened the livingroom; made breakfast; read; wrote my purchases on our calendar of expenses... etc. Even opening the shades is on my list, because I have five things that are constatly things that I need to do EVERY day. If I don't do them then I know that my depression is getting severe. 1)get up. 2) make the bed 3) open the curtains 4) do a load of laundry 5) wash the dishes. If I can't do those five things I know I'm doing pretty bad. If I can ONLY do those things I am going down hill. If I do them all at once I am manic. Kind of like the weather predicting rock...set it outside, if it is wet it is raining, if it is white it is snowing... it's just a little indicating device.
Then I went to the next place where I was picking up something for my husband's birthday. I can say it here because he never reads this: I went to a bird watching supply store and got him a new feeder that attracts mockingbirds, cardinals, wrens, finches etc. and a bag of the best food to go in it. I had never been in this store, but the woman was very personable. We talked about the birds, her cat, her health and then she mentioned her husband had PTSD. I told her that I have that and she wanted to know what it was like, did I have triggers, are there things I can and can't do? How should she deal with her husband. And I tried to help her by telling her how my husband is with me. We talked for an hour and a half, I finally purchased the bird feeder and feed, and a little bird "sculpture" $3, to set on a shelf in our living room, and she told me thank you for coming in and she was so glad we talked.
I always wanted to be a psychologist. Glad I could help. Finally I got to the Y, logged 5 miles on the cross train eliptical, went the the grocery store, dollar tree, library and finally got home around 8 p.m. just early enough to get the food away and sit down before my husband came in the door at 9.
So this was more about mental health than anything, but I have noticed that taking control of our money is directly impacting the way I take care of my home, and my wellbeing.
Speaking of mania and anxiety, I have been experiencing some over the past couple of days. Trying to maintain my good run of mental wellness. I have a big life decision I have been contemplating and I'm sure that has something to do with it.
I wish like Ziggy said, "Never get personally involved in your own life" I wish I wasn't so tied to my emotions. I don't know what it is like not to be. My husband can be extremely detatched. I feel things very deeply. When I say something is "gut wrenching" you can be sure my stomach is in that exact feeling physically.
When I worry about things I worry too much. I need to step back and take in a deep breath. Today I am worried about something and I have decided that that is exactly what I need to do. Detatch myself and take a step back. There are many reasons that what I am worried about isn't happening. Many scenarios. I will think good thoughts and reason the the thing I'm worried about isn't due to anger or malice.
Sometimes I think worry happens because we are not sure exactly where we stand, or what is going to happen next. Sometimes deciding on an action will be the thing to do. I guess I'm talking to myself right now. I know I don't have very many followers, if any today. Do what I can. And today I need to get some cleaning done in the kitchen and guest room. My desk runneth over in the computer part and I don't have a waste basket in here. I guess I'm going to remedy that today as well. I have two birthday presents to wrap for my husband's 55th birthday coming up this month.
But to be on the safe side I am goning to contact my doctor and tell him of my anxiety. I may take a quarter mg of clonazapam in the meantime. He has told me that I am able to do that when I have extra anxiety. I've done it for the past three days. Time to call the doctor. I thought getting one of my feelings out, closing the door on some "old stuff" was going to be the answer, turns out it is still very much an issue.
Anyway...
Oh, I got to practice a little bit of psychology yesterday. I went into a place that I go to often and the owner was there alone and we started talking. The very first thing she told me is, "I'm depressed." We talked for about an hour and a half. That was okay, I had errands to run but no other appointments. I told her some things that I do when I have depression to get out of it, or cope with it to some extent and one of the things I do is a "did" list, not a "to do" list. a to do list seems overwhelming and when you are depressed sometimes you cannot concentrate on one thing longer than five minutes, and the sight of a long list is not helpful, basically we know what needs to be done. So I told her about my "did" list, and that I write EVERYTHING that I do during the day. For instance today, I could write: Got up; made the bed; did a load of clothes; called a friend; checked facebook (not that that is on a to do list, but it was something that I did); got the mail; straightened the livingroom; made breakfast; read; wrote my purchases on our calendar of expenses... etc. Even opening the shades is on my list, because I have five things that are constatly things that I need to do EVERY day. If I don't do them then I know that my depression is getting severe. 1)get up. 2) make the bed 3) open the curtains 4) do a load of laundry 5) wash the dishes. If I can't do those five things I know I'm doing pretty bad. If I can ONLY do those things I am going down hill. If I do them all at once I am manic. Kind of like the weather predicting rock...set it outside, if it is wet it is raining, if it is white it is snowing... it's just a little indicating device.
Then I went to the next place where I was picking up something for my husband's birthday. I can say it here because he never reads this: I went to a bird watching supply store and got him a new feeder that attracts mockingbirds, cardinals, wrens, finches etc. and a bag of the best food to go in it. I had never been in this store, but the woman was very personable. We talked about the birds, her cat, her health and then she mentioned her husband had PTSD. I told her that I have that and she wanted to know what it was like, did I have triggers, are there things I can and can't do? How should she deal with her husband. And I tried to help her by telling her how my husband is with me. We talked for an hour and a half, I finally purchased the bird feeder and feed, and a little bird "sculpture" $3, to set on a shelf in our living room, and she told me thank you for coming in and she was so glad we talked.
I always wanted to be a psychologist. Glad I could help. Finally I got to the Y, logged 5 miles on the cross train eliptical, went the the grocery store, dollar tree, library and finally got home around 8 p.m. just early enough to get the food away and sit down before my husband came in the door at 9.
So this was more about mental health than anything, but I have noticed that taking control of our money is directly impacting the way I take care of my home, and my wellbeing.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Biggest Bang for the Buck!
Today I went shopping for groceries and spent $76. One dollar over budget, but with that money I was able to purchase at Aldis:
Two frozen pizzas
Taco shells
two cans evaporated milk
two jars of apple sauce
10 pounds of long grain rice
a gallon of 2% milk
two cans of cherry pie filling
two cans of sliced carrots
two cans Baked Beans
Cranbery/Orange muffin mix
Cranbery Juice
All Purpose Flour
32 oz Plain no fat yogurt
Rice snacks
Ground Sirloin
two boxes of stuffing mix
Grape Jelly
Cornbread Crackers
Steel cut oats
Pita chips
Liquid Egg Whites
Tastes like butter, margarine
Salsa
Marinara sauce
two boxes instant mashed potatos
Minced Garlic
Yellow Cake Mix
Fudge Brownie Mix
two toothbrushes
Great Northern Beans
Colgate toothpaste
Mini Marshmallows
Parmesan Cheese
24 pk spring water.
Then I went to Dollar Tree and spent $14 miscellaneous on:
A diet Pepsi
two rolls of gift wrap (Bob's birthday is around the corner)
stuffed animal (whale) Heidi collects them
two valentine decorations
Zipper Freezer bags
two airwick aerosol air fresheners'
Dental floss sticks
Dish washing liquid
and 10 "gilette style" razors.
Needed to go to Walmart to buy my lactose free milk and bananas
Also 7 boxes of jello gelatin
an avocado and it came to $11.42
I know where I will be shopping from now on.
Two frozen pizzas
Taco shells
two cans evaporated milk
two jars of apple sauce
10 pounds of long grain rice
a gallon of 2% milk
two cans of cherry pie filling
two cans of sliced carrots
two cans Baked Beans
Cranbery/Orange muffin mix
Cranbery Juice
All Purpose Flour
32 oz Plain no fat yogurt
Rice snacks
Ground Sirloin
two boxes of stuffing mix
Grape Jelly
Cornbread Crackers
Steel cut oats
Pita chips
Liquid Egg Whites
Tastes like butter, margarine
Salsa
Marinara sauce
two boxes instant mashed potatos
Minced Garlic
Yellow Cake Mix
Fudge Brownie Mix
two toothbrushes
Great Northern Beans
Colgate toothpaste
Mini Marshmallows
Parmesan Cheese
24 pk spring water.
Then I went to Dollar Tree and spent $14 miscellaneous on:
A diet Pepsi
two rolls of gift wrap (Bob's birthday is around the corner)
stuffed animal (whale) Heidi collects them
two valentine decorations
Zipper Freezer bags
two airwick aerosol air fresheners'
Dental floss sticks
Dish washing liquid
and 10 "gilette style" razors.
Needed to go to Walmart to buy my lactose free milk and bananas
Also 7 boxes of jello gelatin
an avocado and it came to $11.42
I know where I will be shopping from now on.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Financial to Personal, The past and what is to come
So I have decided to compromise on the Satellite issue. We down graded our service to the fewest channels because my husband enjoys watching TV and for $21 a month we are still saving over $40 by down grading. We are moving the tv out of the living room however. I don't believe in Fenshui (or however you spell it) but I don't like having the energy taken up by that tv and what it represents. Usually the news and that is depressing. So we are going to move it and its cabinet into the bedroom. We can watch movies from there or whatever, but I spend so little time in there and it won't be staring me in the face every day. In place of the armoir in the living room we are putting the chair that actually MATCHES the rest of our furniture, a huge stuffed chair and ottoman. That will give us light from one more window and a great place to read! One more way of taking charge of our lives. We're in charge of our money, now to be in charge of the rest of our home.
Our home is very comfortable I think. It isn't too big, it serves its purpose and it has a sun room that is a perfect observatory for watching wildlife. I go out there even in the winter (with a jacket) and take pictures of the birds or watch the deer and foxes and squirrels. We spend money on birdseed and cracked corn (for the deer) but it is a worthy thing and it is beautiful to watch all of the different kinds of birds we get. I want to make some bird houses. Maybe I will do some of that in the spring.
I love that we have a plate glass window in front. I was hoping we would find a place with a window like that, like my grandma Canaga's window in Oregon, but nothing as huge as that. Our cat Missy likes it. She sits there everyday when she isn't helping me throughout the rest of the house. We make a good team, Missy and I. She helps me type, wash dishes, do the laundry, read... but not so much on the reading she lays in whatever I am looking at because it isn't HER! So she remedies that.
I found the envelopes! I hadn't "put" them anywhere, I didn't have a chance, Bob saw the envelopes and thought they were empty and put them back with the rest of the other ones. Whew, that was close, I was going out of my mind about it. So now we both know where the envelopes are and today I will go shopping for the first time. I'm going to Aldis to see how many of our regular foods I can buy at a discount and stock up in things that maybe we don't have. What a blessing to have the money to buy food. Thank God for that.
When our power went out we spent two days with emergency water, a propane indoor heater and kerosene lanterns. We enjoyed that so much that we are going to try to have a night each week when all the lights are off and we spend the evening with just the lamps and the fireplace going. I was able to get some illustrations done during the day that I had put off for ... years. Man! thank goodness the power went out!
Missy is here in the guest/sewing/computer room with me and just asked me to open the curtain so she could look out the window. I mean there she was sitting on the chair staring at the closed curtain! Hint hint.
Today I will be working on my resume to take to Macon Resources tomorrow to see about trying to get a job. With being on disability they can help me get a foot in the door. I can work for 9 months without losing benefits to see if I can keep a job. During that time, if I CAN keep a job, that money will go toward our debt. As I have said, I have had a good run, nearly a year of not having to go into the hospital, but this is extraordinary. It is tough to keep a job when you are incapacitated and hospitalized 4-5 times a year.
I have three references for my resume of people I have worked with. I had to go back a few years to find the people who knew me when I was at my very best, and they each were happy to provide a reference, one even told me he would mention the two ties I custom painted for him. :) But I don't think I'll include that in my skills.
I've been asked to list EVERYTHING I can that I think are my strong points and skills. Since I have lived long enough to see type go from ditto machines to the first copiers, paste up to page maker, negatives to computer graphics and rolling and processing film, to photoshop I think I have had quite a history of the printed page. And here I am typing on virtual paper. At least I'm not killing any trees. But I will NOT even go there right now.
In my spare time I have been a telemarketer, teacher's aid in music, weigher for Weight Watchers while at the same time Dairy Queen drive through person..that was always fun to see the weight watchers I had weighed in the night before come through the drive through for a sundae the next day!, A reporter, candle sticker designer, production artist, photographer, nurses aid, layout artist, button and bumpersticker designer (and worked on superbowl and world series projects) typographer typing 70 wpm., muralist, portrait artist, political cartoonist, columnist and art director. Those were just the paying jobs. I've also been a set designer, (one paying job there), stage manager, lighting tech, actress, props person, special effects, speaker, teacher, taught seminars, Sunday school teacher, chorister, singer with my guitar, (had a paying job there too) and "celebrity judge" for a talent contest! This one was when I was a columnist! Tried out for the Gong show, recorded in Hollywood many times, Sang on tv in Nashville...but now I'm just getting into personal experiences and not exactly vocations. I got to sing the National Anthem at Lee County Speedway in Iowa! Christina A. should have studied a little better before the super bowl.
Anyway, I don't know what I will put on my resume but it is kind of uplifting to look back and see the things that I HAVE done, as opposed to the things I haven't been able to do over the past 10 years. During the past ten years I wrote a novel which I have never finished correcting, rearranging and publishing!! my bad. Went to school and got my associates degree in art, graduated with honors. I was the council trainer for the Mississippi Council in Firebuilding, attended Woodbadge and have taken girls to girls camp for over 20 years. My favorite thing of all has been being a wife and mom. I am so blessed to have the husband that I do, the daughter that I love so much she will never begin to grasp how much...not that she doesn't KNOW that I love her.. It is a mom thing. When she gets to be a mom...she will totally understand! So I guess never say never. I have wonderful friends who love me for me and care for my welfare and spiritual wellbeing. I have friends that are so much more than family, and family who are friends. And family that has been broken apart but hopefully can come back together at some point. i had a great mom and dad who "did the best they could with what they knew at the time" as my dad always said. When I look back at being a parent, I KNOW that there are some issues that my daughter is going to have to face that I laid on her when I was in severe depression, her "not knowing if she was going to have a mom when she got home" her words. I can never make up for that. But that is what severe depression is. It affects everyone around you. I wish I could take back those years and hand them back to her clean and pure and full of love and laughter.
That is all in the past and I can't undo it, for good or bad. it is what it is. But I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for the terrible times i put my family through. as my husband reminds me, It is the illness. But when you have the "illness" you don't think clearly and say things that are horrible. I don't know how my family survived intact through my deep depressions, and I don't know that they are over. But I thank God for the fact that they stayed with me. I honestly don't know If I would still be here today had my family fallen apart. Now my daughter is married to a wonderful guy who loves her and takes care of her. He is fun, intelligent and makes her life happy. I love to see her happy. It is indescribable. What she will have to further face in her life, atop all other things she has faced, I don't know. But I will do my best to be the best mom she could have, cause she gave me the chance and didn't bail on me like a lot of children would have. It put a dent in our lives, no doubt, but I could not be prouder of the woman who is my daughter.
So...that was random...not really too much about finances, but another thing about my daughter and son-in-law... they are doing the same total money makeover as we are and they are succeeding on basically one income. I am so proud of them. It is a wonderful thing to be best friends with your family.
And that, my friends, is priceless!
Our home is very comfortable I think. It isn't too big, it serves its purpose and it has a sun room that is a perfect observatory for watching wildlife. I go out there even in the winter (with a jacket) and take pictures of the birds or watch the deer and foxes and squirrels. We spend money on birdseed and cracked corn (for the deer) but it is a worthy thing and it is beautiful to watch all of the different kinds of birds we get. I want to make some bird houses. Maybe I will do some of that in the spring.
I love that we have a plate glass window in front. I was hoping we would find a place with a window like that, like my grandma Canaga's window in Oregon, but nothing as huge as that. Our cat Missy likes it. She sits there everyday when she isn't helping me throughout the rest of the house. We make a good team, Missy and I. She helps me type, wash dishes, do the laundry, read... but not so much on the reading she lays in whatever I am looking at because it isn't HER! So she remedies that.
I found the envelopes! I hadn't "put" them anywhere, I didn't have a chance, Bob saw the envelopes and thought they were empty and put them back with the rest of the other ones. Whew, that was close, I was going out of my mind about it. So now we both know where the envelopes are and today I will go shopping for the first time. I'm going to Aldis to see how many of our regular foods I can buy at a discount and stock up in things that maybe we don't have. What a blessing to have the money to buy food. Thank God for that.
When our power went out we spent two days with emergency water, a propane indoor heater and kerosene lanterns. We enjoyed that so much that we are going to try to have a night each week when all the lights are off and we spend the evening with just the lamps and the fireplace going. I was able to get some illustrations done during the day that I had put off for ... years. Man! thank goodness the power went out!
Missy is here in the guest/sewing/computer room with me and just asked me to open the curtain so she could look out the window. I mean there she was sitting on the chair staring at the closed curtain! Hint hint.
Today I will be working on my resume to take to Macon Resources tomorrow to see about trying to get a job. With being on disability they can help me get a foot in the door. I can work for 9 months without losing benefits to see if I can keep a job. During that time, if I CAN keep a job, that money will go toward our debt. As I have said, I have had a good run, nearly a year of not having to go into the hospital, but this is extraordinary. It is tough to keep a job when you are incapacitated and hospitalized 4-5 times a year.
I have three references for my resume of people I have worked with. I had to go back a few years to find the people who knew me when I was at my very best, and they each were happy to provide a reference, one even told me he would mention the two ties I custom painted for him. :) But I don't think I'll include that in my skills.
I've been asked to list EVERYTHING I can that I think are my strong points and skills. Since I have lived long enough to see type go from ditto machines to the first copiers, paste up to page maker, negatives to computer graphics and rolling and processing film, to photoshop I think I have had quite a history of the printed page. And here I am typing on virtual paper. At least I'm not killing any trees. But I will NOT even go there right now.
In my spare time I have been a telemarketer, teacher's aid in music, weigher for Weight Watchers while at the same time Dairy Queen drive through person..that was always fun to see the weight watchers I had weighed in the night before come through the drive through for a sundae the next day!, A reporter, candle sticker designer, production artist, photographer, nurses aid, layout artist, button and bumpersticker designer (and worked on superbowl and world series projects) typographer typing 70 wpm., muralist, portrait artist, political cartoonist, columnist and art director. Those were just the paying jobs. I've also been a set designer, (one paying job there), stage manager, lighting tech, actress, props person, special effects, speaker, teacher, taught seminars, Sunday school teacher, chorister, singer with my guitar, (had a paying job there too) and "celebrity judge" for a talent contest! This one was when I was a columnist! Tried out for the Gong show, recorded in Hollywood many times, Sang on tv in Nashville...but now I'm just getting into personal experiences and not exactly vocations. I got to sing the National Anthem at Lee County Speedway in Iowa! Christina A. should have studied a little better before the super bowl.
Anyway, I don't know what I will put on my resume but it is kind of uplifting to look back and see the things that I HAVE done, as opposed to the things I haven't been able to do over the past 10 years. During the past ten years I wrote a novel which I have never finished correcting, rearranging and publishing!! my bad. Went to school and got my associates degree in art, graduated with honors. I was the council trainer for the Mississippi Council in Firebuilding, attended Woodbadge and have taken girls to girls camp for over 20 years. My favorite thing of all has been being a wife and mom. I am so blessed to have the husband that I do, the daughter that I love so much she will never begin to grasp how much...not that she doesn't KNOW that I love her.. It is a mom thing. When she gets to be a mom...she will totally understand! So I guess never say never. I have wonderful friends who love me for me and care for my welfare and spiritual wellbeing. I have friends that are so much more than family, and family who are friends. And family that has been broken apart but hopefully can come back together at some point. i had a great mom and dad who "did the best they could with what they knew at the time" as my dad always said. When I look back at being a parent, I KNOW that there are some issues that my daughter is going to have to face that I laid on her when I was in severe depression, her "not knowing if she was going to have a mom when she got home" her words. I can never make up for that. But that is what severe depression is. It affects everyone around you. I wish I could take back those years and hand them back to her clean and pure and full of love and laughter.
That is all in the past and I can't undo it, for good or bad. it is what it is. But I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for the terrible times i put my family through. as my husband reminds me, It is the illness. But when you have the "illness" you don't think clearly and say things that are horrible. I don't know how my family survived intact through my deep depressions, and I don't know that they are over. But I thank God for the fact that they stayed with me. I honestly don't know If I would still be here today had my family fallen apart. Now my daughter is married to a wonderful guy who loves her and takes care of her. He is fun, intelligent and makes her life happy. I love to see her happy. It is indescribable. What she will have to further face in her life, atop all other things she has faced, I don't know. But I will do my best to be the best mom she could have, cause she gave me the chance and didn't bail on me like a lot of children would have. It put a dent in our lives, no doubt, but I could not be prouder of the woman who is my daughter.
So...that was random...not really too much about finances, but another thing about my daughter and son-in-law... they are doing the same total money makeover as we are and they are succeeding on basically one income. I am so proud of them. It is a wonderful thing to be best friends with your family.
And that, my friends, is priceless!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Key to the envelope system
Key to the envelope system is remembering where you put the envelopes once they have money in them.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Zumba for days not going to the Y...real exciting.
I ordered Zumba! Not exactly in the budget, but it is a three month pay out of $20 so I can exercise at home. We talked about getting an XBox 360 and a Wii fit, but that sounded like too much to spend. We've lived without them for this long we can do so still. Besides, yesterday I spent an hour walking on the trail behind our house next to the river. I hope to be outside a lot more this spring and summer, but for now, I'm going to the Y, going to do this "Zumba", join netflix and get workout videos from them, if they are available... hope so.
Nothing much new here. I'm going to go to the Y today and maybe stay for three hours. I love working out when I can see results, and the weather has been such that I haven't been able to get there. I also have an appointment with a job placement service through Voc Rehab to help me with my resume and get a job in graphics. I hope I can do that and stay healthy.
Speaking of health, I got some lab results in the mail that said my blood sugar is 96, all calcium, sodium, potassium, kidney, liver functions and protein levels are normal. Cholesterol 122: Triglycerides 111: HDL Chol 52: LDL Chol 58. Then it said, "Desirable cholesterol for the average person is under 200. Target triglycerides is under 200. HDL is the good cholesterol and should be higher than 40. LDL is the bad cholesterol and should be under 130." So all is good everything else says health is normal!!! continue same meds and diet. That makes me so happy to see that something I'm doing is working. YaY!
Today I am going to go to Aldis and Dollar Tree and see what I can stock up on, or if there is anything that we need.
I'm talking with Xlibris publishing company about publishing, The Visitors of Pompadour. It is a self-publishing company and would cost about $500 for print on demand, but it would be on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble's web site and Xlibris' web site also. The book can be sent on to other publishers, I would maintain the rights to have it published through a different publisher is I could get one. I guess I just want to have it done and available and accomplished. Maybe that is a little self centered. But I have been encouraged by many and want to do this. It would be three monthly payments of $176.66. maybe after more of our debt is paid off, because this doesn't constitute an "emergency" of course neither does Zumba!
My glasses look good I've decided. When walking yesterday I took a picture of me in my glasses and it turned out pretty good, so I made it my profile pic. Maybe I'll put one on this site. Probably not.
Can't think of anything else to say here. Watching my eating, our money and now trying to get the house to a point of "oasis" from the world by getting rid of our satellite. They've reduced stations so we only pay $21 a month, but that is not the goal. I want NO TV. I don't think it is healthy for this household. At least I don't think it is healthy for ME. And if we could save even more that would be great!
We've still been utilizing the library quite a bit getting books on CD for me for in the car or at home to listen to when I'm working. I've been checking out children's books and their publishers.
Nothing much new here. I'm going to go to the Y today and maybe stay for three hours. I love working out when I can see results, and the weather has been such that I haven't been able to get there. I also have an appointment with a job placement service through Voc Rehab to help me with my resume and get a job in graphics. I hope I can do that and stay healthy.
Speaking of health, I got some lab results in the mail that said my blood sugar is 96, all calcium, sodium, potassium, kidney, liver functions and protein levels are normal. Cholesterol 122: Triglycerides 111: HDL Chol 52: LDL Chol 58. Then it said, "Desirable cholesterol for the average person is under 200. Target triglycerides is under 200. HDL is the good cholesterol and should be higher than 40. LDL is the bad cholesterol and should be under 130." So all is good everything else says health is normal!!! continue same meds and diet. That makes me so happy to see that something I'm doing is working. YaY!
Today I am going to go to Aldis and Dollar Tree and see what I can stock up on, or if there is anything that we need.
I'm talking with Xlibris publishing company about publishing, The Visitors of Pompadour. It is a self-publishing company and would cost about $500 for print on demand, but it would be on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble's web site and Xlibris' web site also. The book can be sent on to other publishers, I would maintain the rights to have it published through a different publisher is I could get one. I guess I just want to have it done and available and accomplished. Maybe that is a little self centered. But I have been encouraged by many and want to do this. It would be three monthly payments of $176.66. maybe after more of our debt is paid off, because this doesn't constitute an "emergency" of course neither does Zumba!
My glasses look good I've decided. When walking yesterday I took a picture of me in my glasses and it turned out pretty good, so I made it my profile pic. Maybe I'll put one on this site. Probably not.
Can't think of anything else to say here. Watching my eating, our money and now trying to get the house to a point of "oasis" from the world by getting rid of our satellite. They've reduced stations so we only pay $21 a month, but that is not the goal. I want NO TV. I don't think it is healthy for this household. At least I don't think it is healthy for ME. And if we could save even more that would be great!
We've still been utilizing the library quite a bit getting books on CD for me for in the car or at home to listen to when I'm working. I've been checking out children's books and their publishers.
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