North Georgia Gal's Financial Awakening

I have completed my No Spend Challenge #2 for the month of August. It wasn't a complete win. Last night I ordered something from Walmart. It didn't even dawn on me until just a few minutes ago that that broke the challenge. It proves to me how reckless I have been with my spending habits. I spent it without even thinking about the no spend challenge. The items I ordered are to complete a project I am working on. I was just in the "lets get this done" zone. I have got down not spending in a true store during the challenge time periods, but the online shopping is proving to be a little bit more difficult. I have that app(Icebox) on Amazon and that has greatly reduced that spending. But it is the stores that don't have that feature that are getting me. Granted there have only been 2 purchases during the challenges and that is a great improvement from where I was before i started these challenges. I guess a little improvement at a time is better than no improvement at all.

I plan to go to the grocery store today. I have my list ready. And do well when I go with my list. I also need to get gas...I managed to make it through the challenge without getting gas.

For a few months now, I have been waking up around 4:00 and am just wide awake. So I have been getting out of bed and coming out and inevitably end up working on my finances. This morning I searched for Apps on the Iphone that would make things easier for me, as I often do. I found an app that looked promising. It is free. But in order to have premium benefits you have to pay $11.99 for a years subscription. Ordinarily, I would have done it in a heartbeat, just to see what was offered, thinking it is only $12. This is the time of day that I usually get in trouble. (I once bought a paint by Diamonds kit because I thought it would be fun...) But because I am on my No Spend Challenge, I didn't purchase it. Now I am glad I didn't. I don't need it.

I still haven't gotten gas. I might make it until Monday. I have to go to my mom's tomorrow so it will be close(by close, I mean 50 miles left until empty).

I really haven't missed spending money. I have learned that I can get by with what I have for food. And if I want something, I just put it on the list to get next time.

I still feel like crap. I am beginning to have my doubts about it being a sinus infection. it doesn't usually take this long for me to feel better. I am half way through the antibiotics, I would have thought I would feel better by now. I don't have the money to go to the dentist so I am hoping this works.

I had put an item in the Icebox on Amazon yesterday.(for those that didn't my post about this, Icebox is a chrome add on that won't let you buy anything for a specified time in order to stop impulse shopping). It came up today as being able to be purchased and went ahead and purchased it. It was right after I hit the complete order button that I realized it was a no spend day! Starting a day earlier than I thought has really messed with me. But I will be right back on track tomorrow.

My sinus infection is still just as bad as it was. I called the dr and she said It is not uncommon to get worse before it gets better. I just want to feel better!

One of my co-workers did me a favor and did what I needed to do at the Office today so I didn't have to go there. But I have to go tomorrow, no way around it. Even when the office is closed I will still have to go to Ellijay upon occasion to give things to & get things from my boss. That's ok. It will get me out of the house once in a while. And I will be able to claim mileage from the company, 40 miles round trip.

Welp, time to take my ibuprofen and Sudafed and go to bed. Maybe I will sleep better tonight than I did last night. Fingers crossed.

So far, I have completed 2 rounds of the No Spend Challenge. One for 3 days and one for 4 days. i didn't budge on either one. Today(Wednesday) was a day off from the challenge so i went to the grocery store. I thought I had one more day before starting the next round, but when I looked at the calendar, I start it again Thursday. I failed to get gas because I thought I had one more day. I am going to have to make an exception for gas because I only have 1/4 tank left. While it might last me 4 days, I don't like to let my tank get that low. If I didn't have to go to the office tomorrow, I think it would be fine.

I have adjusted my budget to get me through 8/15. Will have to make some more adjustments as that date get closer.

I am battling a sinus infection, which doesn't seem to be responding to antibiotics. I have been on the antibiotics for 3 days and almost feel worse! Have to call the dr tomorrow.

I have been doing a no spend challenge where I don't spend any money for 4 days and then have 2 days to spend for things I need. That has been working well for me and has stopped me from spending on things I don't need. I did have to spend yesterday that wasn't expected. I had to go to the Dr for a sinus infection. But due to my no spend challenges, I had to cash to pay for the visit and the prescription. I still have one more day before I can go to the grocery store.

I found this really cool Chrome extension called Icebox. It works with online retailers, like Amazon. Instead of letting me buy something instantly, it puts the purchase on ice for the time period you establish. I have mine set up for 24 hours. So whenever I try to buy something, I have to wait 24 hours before I can actually buy it. I have been using it a little over 2 weeks and it has saved me quite a bit of money. It has stopped my impulse shopping on Amazon.

Hi Everyone...I know I haven't posted in FOREVER! I am going to try to get better at that. I need accountability.

I have gotten myself into a pickle again. I have rented out the basement of my home and am still about $300 short a month, if I want to pay them off in 22 months. I could pay less and be okay, but it would take longer to pay them off. I am also selling stuff off that I don't need anymore. I have made about $200 this month doing that.

I have been making very bad financial decisions. I started reading financial books last week have become truly inspired to get this under control. I am on my second no spend challenge. The first went really well, I took Friday off and went to the grocery store, and got gas. Didn't go overboard and was more deliberate in the purchases I made.

My problem is that my happiness has been linked to spending money for so long that it is really affecting me emotionally. I know that sounds like an excuse, but it really isn't. My spending became on addiction that I have to just stop cold turkey.

I have given up the idea of moving. I have decided that I like my house here and would be miserable in the city. My mom is still living on her own, and at 87, she is an inspiration at how independent she is. I do her grocery shopping and double check her checking account to make sure she gets everything paid, etc. She does a good job.

Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to give you guys an update on me and let you know that i am going to try to be better about posting.

Hi All! I just wanted to drop in and give you an update. I have been making some serious financial decisions lately. I have decided to refinance my house and roll all of my other debt(except for student loans) into it. I have consulted a financial advisor as well as a banker to make sure this made sense for my short term goals. By the end of the year, I hope to put my house on the market and move closer to my kids. I have been looking at condos in the area and can afford a really nice one. I could shoot myself for charging up my credit cards because I could have really gotten a nice house if I hadn't done that and still had all the equity in my house. As it is. I will have about $40k in equity in my house when I get ready to sell. The bank did an appraisal and it came back 16k more than we had hoped for. So that was excellent news. I figured my net worth and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It is a negative number, but not one I can't climb out of, less that 18k.

I am almost at that point of not being able to make my payments each month...again. I am working with my therapist to try to figure out my shopping addiction. I just lack that self discipline to say no. I think this time I am ready to do that. I am thinking about closing my credit cards, all except the one with the largest credit limit. That way I remove the temptation. It might affect my credit score, but I think it is worth it to remove the temptation.

My mom isn't doing so well. She is showing signs of dementia and confusion. I am not going to like watching her go through what my dad did. It was horrible.

Anyway, that is an update on me. I am sorry I am not around more often. I am taking college classes plus I am the main caretaker for my mom and sister, doing all of their grocery shopping and other tasks. It just seems there is never enough time for anything. I hope you are all doing well.

Hi Guys! Just thought I would pop in to give you an update. Things are going pretty good for me right now for the most part. My company was sold as of last Friday so I now work for a totally different company and my job duties will be changing. I will no longer be doing any of the accounting work. Not exactly sure what I will be doing, but I am sure they will find something for me to do. Kind of scary and nerve wrecking. But I am trying not to stress out.

But along with the sale came a big bonus check. I got 1/2 of it last week and the other half in 3 months. I used it to pay off most of my credit cards and the other half will pay off the rest of them. All I will have left is the LOC and a small personal loan. I also repaired the porch on my house which was in bad shape and am putting up a fence for my dog.

I don't know if I have been on here since I quit my second job or not, but I did. It got to be too much. So I am just down to the one now and it feels really good. I started back to school this semester and am really excited about it.

DD is doing well in college. She is sophomore now. She has been dating this fellow for over a year now. Very nice guy. I am happy for her.

DS is still doing his thing. He has started taking a very classes at a tech school while he works. He seems to be happy and I am glad.

Well, that seems to be all that is going on in my life. I miss you guys and think about you often.

I decided to close some of my credit card accounts that I don't use. It might affect my credit initially but I am hoping that in the long run, it will be better.

Small Victory...my television developed a spot on it. It is very annoying, but not big enough to disrupt the picture. I of course ordered a new television. But I started thinking about it and decided to cancel the new television. That was a very big deal for me. I don't cancel things very often once I have ordered them. So I am dealing with the spot, which comes and goes.

This Sunday is my last day at my second job. I can't wait. Financially things will work out, it just won't be as easy as it is now. But I need to not do this anymore. So I am excited.

Also got a $35 check in the mail. I had paid a copayment to dr but since I met my out of pocket maximum, the insurance paid 100%. I also called my therapist, who I have been paying $50 a visit, and found out that I have $150 credit with them! So that is a nice little surprise. I am going to apply this credit toward future visits. My insurance started over 10/1 so I have to start paying copayments and prescriptions again. Bummer.

My auto insurance renewed this month and it went up. I decided to look around and made a startling discovery. I am ineligible for insurance at most agencies. I was in shock. I couldn't figure out why. So I pulled a report that the insurance companies use to determine you insurance score. Apparently I am a below average risk. What makes me a below average risk you ask? Well I have opened too many accounts in the last 24 months. Industry research shows that people that use their credit are more likely to file claims. What else? I have retail store cards...and, you guessed it, industry research shows that people with retail store cards are more likely to file claims. So although I am not using my cards anymore they are still biting me in the butt. I guess I will have to stay where I am. It didn't go up much so that is good.

I got a quote from my current carrier for homeowners to combine everything. It is double what we are currently paying for homeowners insurance. He said that the only thing he could think of is that the policy we have now will only pay depreciated value and the policy he quoted me pays replacement value. Have any of you heard anything like this? I have never had homeowners insurance so I don't know if that is legit or not. And if it is legit, which is the better policy to have?

My boss came and talked to us this morning and I feel alot better about things now. He said that he doesn't feel like, if the sale goes through, that we would lose our jobs because he still needs assistants and such locally to help him. He also said that if the sale does go through, he is going to cut each of us a check for 10k and then in 3 months cut us each another check for 10k. And that isn't to help us transition to a new job, but just for our loyalty and help in growing the company. My mind is already racing about what I could do with that money. Do I put is in savings? Pay on my student loans? Pay DD's student loans and then pay for college? Put is a 401k? Pay on my HELOC loan? Pay of DD's car? The possibilities are endless. I haven't even gotten it yet and my mind is racing. It is so different from just a few years ago when I would have needed that money just to survive and get caught up on living expenses. I am proud of how far I have come. I still have a ways to go, but I know I will get there.

DD had to get a hotspot last year for her college dorm. It doesn't work at her new dorm. So I canceled it and will save $50 a month on it. We then just activated the hotspot on her phone and upped the data limit, so the actual savings each month will be $35. I'll take it.

I gave my notice at my second job. I just can't do it anymore. My main job is picking up and isn't in danger anymore, so I thought. My boss sat us down on Thursday of last week and said that there is a company interested in buying our company. They are based in PA. They want to hire the owner of my company as a consultant. What was missing in my boss's talk is that our jobs are safe. He didn't say if they were or weren't safe. So who knows. Back to 2nd job...shortly after I gave my notice(like the next day) it was announced that they are doing away with my office/position. They are going completely computerized. They will have one full time employee and that is it. So even if I hadn't given notice, the job would have ended.

Not knowing that my job was in danger, I just spent sort of unnecessary money redoing my basement. I mean I had a mold issue down there that is gone now. But it could have waited. Thanks Boss Man! He has known about this for about 1.5 months and hadn't said anything. Bitter? Me? Not at all!

So That is what is going on in my life. I will just take things one day at a time. At the end of this month, I will have $150 in credit card payments and $400 in HELOC payments. I can manage that even on unemployment. Plus I will be saving gas money and other work related expenses. I also have a few expenses that I can cut. So I think I will be okay if the worst happens. It will be weird though, I have never not had a job, since I was 12 years old.

I closed on the loan to refinance the HELOC, taking my mom's name off of it. It is now solely my responsibility, which it was before, but she was a co-signer. Now her credit is freed up. I refinanced for enough to take care of the mold problem in the basement. I think it was starting to affect my health. So that is in process.

I put in my notice at my second job for the end of September. 6 weeks notice. Surely they can find a replacement in that amount of time. My first job is really picking up, they let the sales person who wasn't doing anything go, and now we are making sales like crazy! My boss doesn't have a day at home for almost 3 weeks! Good for business, bad for him. I am excited that I won't have to get up at 4:00 in the morning any more but I will miss the people I work with. I have done my budget and I will be okay financially. Just have to watch my spending, which is difficult for me. It is time to start on my November budget now.

So I have become kind of obsessed with cooking lately. I am cooking 1-2 meals on the weekend for my lunches at work during the week. Since I work from home on Wed and Fri, I only need 3 lunches. I can grab anything while I am at home. I have done really well doing this. I haven't eaten out in a couple of weeks. Really proud of myself.

Things at my 1st job are looking up. We have several jobs that we expect to close in the next few days. I just want us to get past this hump.

I am in the process of refinancing the HELOC on my house to take my mom's name off the loan. When we did the first HELOC and paid off all the credit cards, my credit score shot up over 100 points. So now there is a great chance, with the 2 jobs, that I can get it by myself. We started that process this morning.

I still have planned my budget going forward without my second income. I need to wait until the HELOC is refinanced and things are a bit more stable, but I have hope that that will be sooner rather than later. My body is starting to revolt!

Yesterday was a NSD. I stopped today and got a few things at the store and had to get gas on the way home(1.79/gallon...can you believe it???) Tomorrow is a work at home day and I plan on going no where so it will be a NSD as well.

I am back at my second job after my surgery complications. And so things are getting back to normal.

I have been cooking more at home. I found a great website that helps you plan your meals and then gives you the grocery list too. I spent all day Sunday baking. I have meals for all week now. And the majority of them are diabetic friendly.

I think we are about ready to start looking at getting the HELOC in just my name. My credit score has gone up drastically and I think I can qualify for it now. After I do, I think I am going to quit my second job. I just can't do it anymore. My first job is becoming more time consuming and I am beginning to struggle. Of course that is assuming I can make ends meet without it. I have to sit down tonight and really take a good look at my budget.

I have two checking accounts, one is so I can transfer money to my DD if I need to and the other is the account I use Daily. I paid some bills on Friday and used the wrong debit card! Fortunately I had a little bit of money in there, but not enough to cover everything. So I have one overdraft fee and I am still in the negative! I have cash to put in on Tuesday, I just hate that I made such a stupid mistake! I am going to try to get the bank the waive the fee because I don't think I have had one waived this year.

Well...at least I paid my bills and didn't have to beg, borrow or steal to do so. But I didn't do as well as I would have liked. I am extremely disappointed with the amount of money I spend on food. Between eating out and groceries I spent an outrageous amount of money. I am working on eating out by taking my lunch to work. But pizza was my down fall last month. I ordered pizza like 6 times. Must make an effort not to do that. If I could just get the eating out number down, I would be happy. I did manage to put $40 into my savings account.

I haven't heard from plastic surgeon and suspect that I won't. I made it clear that if insurance didn't pay I couldn't do anything.

I fell up the stairs yesterday which really hurt. But the drainage has stopped and I wasn't in pain...

I finally admitted to myself yesterday that my company is in serious trouble and I might not have a job much longer. The owner was counting on a SBA loan to save us, but we found out we don't qualify for it. I don't know what is going to happen. My boss(who happens to the owners daughter) is leaving the company. I knew this was going to happen. They tried to grow too quickly. But my boss said that she knows something I don't and that I will be okay if my company folds. I think she means that I will have a job where she is going, which is a company that I have a long standing relationship with. I don't know what that will entail but I am scared that it will mean driving to Atlanta, about 2 hours away. We shall see what happens.

I called to cancel one of my credit cards because even though there was a 0 balance, I was being charged an monthly maintenance fee. I told them why and they agreed to waive the charge for me. They also offered to give me a credit limit increase of $200. But I declined. That is the victory. In the past I would have been like "you want to give ME credit? Sure!" But not anymore.

I went to the dr on Monday and my incision isn't doing real well. It is still draining and looks infected. So I am on antibiotics and have to take another 2 weeks off of my second job. I am working my first job from home. Total massacre to my budget. I make it through July, but August is screwed. I am sure everything will be okay...just hate waiting to see how.

Yesterday was a weird day for me. I woke up feeling like I had the flu. Then my lower back started hurting and sending pains down my leg. I thought it might be a kidney infection so I went to the walk in clinic. While I was there I discovered that my incision is leaking. Not a good day at all. I was out of it most of the day. Not able to think straight. It was 5 before I thought to go to the walk in clinic. And the only reason I ate dinner was to take my antibiotic. I am still struggling a little today. But I called the dr and found out it is normal for the incision to leak clear/pinkish fluid. Wish they would have prepared me for that.

I have spent very little money the last couple of days. I bought a burrito to take my medicine yesterday and that was it. I don't have any bills to pay until the 30th.

Okay...I know this sounds simple but shopping is a sort of addiction for me. I have the urge every so often to purchase things...things I don't need...like a bedroom set and a dining room set. I don't need these things but they sure would be sweet. I spent the afternoon looking at these things online and even picked out a few items that I liked. Rooms to go has a sweet no interest deal for 5 years. But then I remembered that I don't want another inquiry on my credit report and there is no guarantee that I would be approved. i do have the credit card with a local company buy they don't have that good of a deal. And I don't want another payment. I have done real good using my credit card and paying it off within a week, just using it to carry me over. So in the end, I closed the internet and didn't do anything. I know this seems like something that should be so easy, but for me it isn't that simple. That is how I got into this mess to begin with, causing me to get a second job. I want to quit my second job soon...and I can't do that if I add more debt. So common sense won!

Oh...I met with the plastic surgeon and I am more confused than anything. He said that he didn't think that he could get enough tissue out of my breasts for the insurance to be willing to pay for it. But if I did a lift, it would make me smaller. But if they don't take anything out, how would I be smaller? I just don't understand. I am a size GG and he doesn't think they can get enough out??? He is sending the appeal to the insurance but doesn't expect it to be approved. So I probably won't be able to do anything since I can't pay for it out of pocket.

Used to be when I got an offer for a credit card I immediately accepted it...like "someone wants to give me credit??" And it was usually when I was most desperate. But I don't need credit cards anymore. So when I got an actual credit card in the mail from PayPal Mastercard I had to make a conscience effort to not immediately activate that sucker. I even looked very closely to find the credit limit they were offering me. Couldn't find it. But it doesn't matter. I don't need it. So I cut it up. Even though my credit score has gone up, it still has too many inquiries on it. So I don't want to put another one there either, which would happen if I activated that card. Baby Steps.

I no longer have to pay for prescriptions or dr copays. That is at least $80 a month savings on prescriptions alone.

I have an appointment on Friday with a cosmetic surgeon to see about breast reduction surgery. I am not confident it will happen but it is worth checking into.

I go back to the surgeon tomorrow for my followup appointment. Hopefully (or maybe not) he will release me to go back to my second job on Wednesday. I really need to go back but I am scared that it will just be too much. I am going to give it a shot anyway.

Need to work on August budget, but can't get motivated. I have to stop at my mom's tomorrow to pay her bills. She says she doesn't know that she will be able to take that back anytime soon. It isn't that hard because she has no bills, just household expenses. Just kind of taxing keeping up with her expenses and my expenses. I just have to make sure that everything that needs to be paid is in each account.

Going to pack my lunch and head to bed. I am exceptionally tired tonight.

I checked out my insurance website today and found that my surgery is going to cost me about $2700 not including the dr portion. This satisfies my deductible and also kicks me over the Out Of Pocket Maximum. I am not quite clear on what that means exactly, whether office visits and prescriptions are now 100% covered or not. I which I had checked into medically necessary breast reduction surgery sooner. I am quite large and I am only 4'7". I am not having pain right now but am sure that as I get older it will start affecting my back. I doubt that they will approve it based on only the recommendation of a doctor.

I am recovering nicely still. I am supposed to go back to work at my second job on Wednesday. I don't know how that is going to go. I still can't lift anything over 5#. DD came up today and we went to the grocery store and she is doing things around the house tomorrow that I can't do.

I am keeping an eye on my credit score at credit karma. It hos gone up 79 points since I got the HELOC and paid off all the credit cards. I have used a couple of them occasionally but pay them off within a week of using them. Things are going according to plan to get the loan in only my name at the end of the summer.

Surgery went very well. I came home with no complications. Until last night. I had an allergic reaction to (they think) the pain killers they gave me. So I had to spend the evening in the ER getting that taken care of. And since I am allergic benadryl, they had to give me a cocktail of antihistimines before the itching stopped. I was miserable for about 8 hours! But I am good now. I am taking ibuprofen for pain and that is seeming to manage it. DD came up for the day to run errands and do stuff around the house. Just waiting for her to get back. For the most part I can take care of myself, just can't lift anything over 5 pounds. You don't realize how many things weigh 5 pounds until you start paying attention.

DD Rent answers - she has 3 roomates and all untilites are included. And she is in another town, it is about 1.5 hours one way.

My hernia surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. I have done my best to prepare for it. I have all my laundry done. I am going to sweep and change the litter box tonight. I have all of my bills set up for payment already and all of my income is on direct deposit anyway. So I should be set. Even if it doesn't go smoothly(which it will), everything is paid through June 15.

Ex DH informed me last night that he will no longer be able to contribute to DD's rent while she is in college. He lost his high paying job back in October and has had a series of low paying jobs since then. So I get it. He isn't making the money he was when he agreed to pay toward the rent. But that leaves me having to come up with the difference. I can do it, it will just put a kink in my plans.

About a month ago, my daughters brakes starting messing up. So we went to the Ford Dealership Quicklane (even though she drives a Kia) because they had the best price. But ever since she had them done, they have been squeaking and even went out once. She has gone back o the dealership 2 times and they have assured her there is nothing wrong. Yesterday she took the car to the Kia Dealership and had them look at it. The brake pads the Ford Dealership used are crap. Apparently you have to use Kia brand brake pads or they don't work right. No one mentioned that to us. But not only were the pads crap, they didn't turn the rotors, which needed to be done, by this point on the front and back. Needless say we spent a small fortune getting the brakes back up to par. She called the Ford Dealership and they told her to bring the pads back in so they could show their dealer and they offered her 2 free oil changes. I don't think we will be going back there again though.

I need some advise. I took this week off of my second job. I realized how burnt out I really am. I am afraid that I don't think I can continue to do this and take care of my mom and sister. With this in mind, I worked out my budget through mid Aug without this income. By reducing the amount I pay on the LOC(still paying over the minimum but not as much as I do now) it is very tight but doable, if I get my ex dh to commit to paying toward DD rent each month(he hasn't missed a month yet so I don't think it will be a problem). There is also a possible scenario that goes like this...I am paying $250 a month on medical bills for DD. The balance is just over 2k. I could take out the money from the LOC and pay that off and have that additional money each month. The thing that I am worried about is that if I find I can't live without this income, I won't get such a sweet position that works so well with my first job again. So if I make this decision, it will be a final decision.

It is times like this that I miss my dad. He would know what to do. And he would support me no matter what.

yep...tonight I wasn't motivated to do anything. I fell asleep in the chair and couldn't wake myself up. I managed to do the stuff that was on my list, 2/3 things. Still have to do the dishes. But it is 8:30 so that isn't looking good.

Tomorrow is Wednesday which is typically a work at home day, but I have to go to the office because I didn't get some things finished and I am off work Thursday and Friday. It is worth it to be off the rest of the week.

Nothing really new on the budget front. I am going to have money left in my eating out fund for this two weeks. YAY! That will help when I am off work for the surgery.

Well...in a panic at 5:00 I realized that I had failed to book an airfare for my boss yesterday. So I jumped out of bed and booked the ticket. WHEW...there were still decent seats left.

I was just going over my finances and it is very weird to me to not have to set up a credit card payment or 4...I only have the one payment now per month(except I make 2 payments). I keep feeling like I am forgetting something. I imagine that feeling will go away eventually.

I ordered a book this morning on decluttering and organizing. Thanks Snafu! It should be here on Thursday. I have some many books that I need to read it isn't even funny. Most of them are for work.

I think I am going to go back to bed for about an hour...I hope everyone has a good day!

I had a great Mother's Day Weekend. I got so much done around the house! Even had some valuable alone time. Did some grocery shopping on Saturday. Yesterday was a NSD. I didn't even leave the house. We put together my closet organizer so I was finally able to get all of my clothes put up. My room looks so much better now. But I still have the treadmill area to clean up. I found that if I break things down into smaller tasks, and do a little at a time, I get more done. I will do a little then watch a little tv. It works for me.

Got the money my ex DH sent over the weekend for DD's rent. (he pays 1/3 and sister pays 2/3). I am looking good through the month of May. Then I have my surgery. It will all work out. I have faith.