North Georgia Gal's Financial Awakening

I did good yesterday. I ate the lunch I brought to work and made pancakes for dinner. I didn't put enough milk in the mix but they still turned out pretty good.

I went to the grocery store yesterday so it wasn't a NSD. I got more orange juice, pineapple, and milk. Unfortunately, the milk fell out of the car and the carton busted. I still have some milk but will now have to go to the grocery store Monday or Tuesday to get more milk. Bummer. I was hoping for NSD's.

Today will be a NSD and probably tomorrow too. I have no car to go anywhere and I don't need anything.

EX DH put $150 toward the cell phone bill today. That will help out when I go to pay it. That only leaves $148 balance. Hopefully I can get him to pay some more before the due date.

No eating Out: 3/3(8/8 total)
tracking food: 3/3
NSD: No 0/3

Since my car won't even be looked at until Monday, I won't have to use my gas budget this week. I might have to fill up on Wednesday, if I get my car back on Monday. But that is only going to be half of my gas budget for the week, probably even less.

I listed my DD's clarinet on Craiglist a couple of nights ago and have had no interest. I was hoping to unload that thing quickly.

I will likely have to go to the grocery store early next week for my frozen lunches and orange juice. PB&J's are good but they kill my points for the day.

I did really well this week. I lost 3.4 pounds. I am up to 19.2 now. I was really strict this week and ate alot more fruit.

Today was almost a NSD. We had to get gas for the lawnmower.

No Eating out: 2/2
Track Food: NO 1/2
NSD: 0/2

I called the dealership to find out if they had a chance to look at my car yet. He told me it would be Monday before he got to look at the car. I guess it will be NSD's all weekend. Hard to spend money when you can't go anywhere. I might have her take me to Food Lion to get more orange juice but that is about it.

I called my ISP this morning to fix our internet. It keeps going out. 52 minutes later they say it is fixed.

My mom is on her way to pick me up to go to the eye doctor. I am going to pack a PB&J to take for lunch in case I get hungry. My mom would probably buy me lunch but it is my weigh in day and I don't want to eat something heavy for lunch.

Everything has been going so smoothly I knew it was too good to be true.

I left work today to go to the UPS store to ship some packages. I usually leave the car running but it was taking so long that I went and turned the car off. When I was finally done I went out and my car wouldn't start. The nice guy at the UPS store kept trying to make it start but it just wasn't getting any power. The cable that connects to the battery is not making a connection. I am really hoping that it is just a connection problem. I had to have it towed(thank goodness for roadside service!) to the dealership in Ellijay because I don't know any mechanics there. Hopefully they won't scalp me to badly. They were cheaper than my regular mechanic when I had the engine replaced. Keeping my fingers crossed.

My mom came and picked me up and brought me home. She asked if I wanted to stop and get some food somewhere. I told her no and told her about my challenge. She went to BK and got her a sandwich and I got nothing. I came home and made spaghetti and garlic bread.

Tomorrow I have to take my mom to the eye doctor in Cleveland tomorrow. They are going to dilate her eyes and she won't be able to drive home. I get to sleep in since her appointment isn't until 2:00.

I have started my totals over for the new month.

No Eating Out: 1/1
Tracking food: 1/1
NSD: 0/1

PS...my mouse on my computer just quit working! What else can happen today?

I did well yesterday. The only thing I spent money on was to fill up my gas tank. It was only $33, $41.75 less than budgeted for. That money goes back into the budget to help with the shortfall I will have this month.

I called the sheriff yesterday and he was able to serve the renters yesterday. So they have 7 days from yesterday to respond or get out. On the 8th day I can have him removed from the house. So anxious for this to be over.

I brought some pineapple and an apple for a snack today. And I brought a PB&J for lunch. Today won't be a NSD though because I bought cigarettes this morning. Seems I am not quite ready to tackle quitting yet. I also have my car insurance coming out of my checking account today as well as a loan payment that was mailed today.

No Eating Out: 5/5
Tracking food: 5/5
NSD: 2/5

The lady that i work with asked me to lunch today. Of course I said NO!! I brought my lunch. She didn't leave right away so I quickly ate my lunch so there would be no chance of me changing my mind!

I got my budget for August and September done. If I don't get this renter situation under control by the first of September I am going to be in real trouble. Hopefully it will all work out though.

The sheriff called me yesterday. He is trying to serve the renters with the eviction notice but they won't answer the door for him. He said that there was a truck in the driveway. He is going to keep trying but eventually will just have to tack and mail it.(post on the door and mail a copy to him).

I brought my lunch again to work plus some fresh fruit to snack on. I took some chicken out of the freezer for dinner tonight.

Today will not be a NSD as it is Tuesday and I always fill up on Tuesday and Friday. After I fill up I will know how much I overbudgeted for gas this week. It should be at least $25.

Today turned out to be a pretty spendy day. I went to the grocery store after work. I had to get my sister some milk and we needed milk and orange juice. I spent 17.64. Total spent today is 24.16. Ouch. It is amazing how little things add up.

My sister gave me the 200 for my dd clothes. It has been deposited into my account. I look like I have lots of money(for me) but it is already accounted for.

I was really tempted to eat out tonight. We had a bunch of errands to run after work and it was 6:30 and I was starving. Instead I bought a kit kat(yes I accounted for it in my points) and had a snack. It hit the spot. I then came home and ate my planned meal of nachos. That felt good.

No eating out: 4/4
Tracking food: 4/4
NSD: no 2/4

I usually stop at BK on Monday mornings to get an orange juice and a milk for my oatmeal. Instead I stopped at the gas station and got a milk that is twice the size for less money. It should last me all week.

I am really excited about this challenge. I know I can do it. I brought my lunch today and some fresh fruit to supplement my meals.

Today won't be a NSD as I got cigarettes and milk this morning. I am thinking about quitting. I had thought I would quit for my 40th birthday in December. But I think I should probably just go ahead and quit now. I know it won't be easy which is why I keep putting it off.

Seems I have gotten a fan which has nothing but negative things to say. I appreciate the rest of you sticking up for me. This person obviously can't see how hard I am trying to make changes in my life. If your intention was too make me feel bad about myself, you must understand that I don't need you to make me feel bad about myself. I beat myself up on a regular basis. You simply will not make me feel any worse about myself especially since I am trying so hard.

Today was another NSD. In fact I didn't leave the house at all. Tomorrow I will need to get milk and orange juice.

My sister is giving me $200 toward DD school clothes. I am looking good for the 10th. We are waiting for that date because it is a sales tax holiday. She doesn't start school until August 17. If my mom can give me some money toward the clothes than I will be sitting pretty. I really need a couple new bras and an internet site my sister sent me is having a sale. Although I have the money in my account I can't get them because I will be short on the 10th.

Really looking forward to the week ahead. I am in a good place regarding my diet and budget. I am eager to do well on the no eating out challenge. That will really help my budget.

no eating out: 3/3
tracking food: 3/3
NSD: 2/3

Today was a NSD for me. The only time I left the house was to go to my Mom's for my DD to do some work around there. I am making dinner now. My brother gave me some fresh corn on the cob so I am making that. I made a green bean casserole and mac and cheese to go with it. It is a no meat kind of night.

I have done well sticking to my diet today. I haven't entered my dinner yet, but I am sure that I am going to go a few points over. Good thing for the weekly points!

My daughter gave me the $30 she owed me for the vet bill for her dog. Now I am just $200 short for the 10th of the month but I am hoping that my sister/mother will contribute some to the school clothes shopping. I am sure it will all work out.

No Eating out: 2/2
Tracking food: 2/2

We went to the grocery store and I spent $115. I had budgeted $200 so that is an $85 savings. YEA! I will have to make a trip next weekend to get orange juice but that should be all.

My prescriptions came in $10 less than I had budgeted.

I filled up my car for $25.25. I fill up every Friday and Tuesday. When I fill up on Tuesday it is usually around $35-40. It is never more than $50. So that is at least a $25 savings since I budget $100 per week for gas.

I had talked myself into getting a salad from zaxby's tonight and starting the challenge tomorrow. But my daughter wouldn't let me and since she was driving I couldn't argue with her. I had told her about the challenge and asked her to help me. Help me she did. So now I gotta rustle something up for dinner. She has already eaten at a church picnic. Guess I will make some nachos and settle in for a quiet night at home.

Well...I didn't think I was going to lose any of my shows since I downgraded my satellite package. But I found the first show last night. Anger Management. The new Charlie Sheen show. I hadn't gotten to much into it so it is not a huge loss. But my tv recorded thirty minutes of a screen telling me it doesn't get this channel. Interesting I know.

I ate my lunch I brought today. Cheddar potatoes and broccoli. It is a weight watchers meal. That is usually what I eat for lunch. Have a bunch of them in the freezer. Not planning on buying anymore when I go to the grocery store. Want to use the ones I have first. I am also on my second bottled water for the day. I need to incorporate some fresh fruit back into my diet. Will make sure to pick up some of that at the store.

And most of it is already gone. Pretty Sad actually. But at least the bills are paid. I have $175 left in my account after everything is paid. Lets hope I can grow some willpower and leave it alone.

I have $200 budgeted for the grocery store. I am going to try to come in under $100. Shouldn't be too hard...just buying what we need. We are going to try to eat what we have on hand. That will take some planning but I think we can do it. We actually have a ton of food on hand.

One of the suggestions I got yesterday was to open an internet savings account. That was a good idea. I opened an account with Ally and put $50 in it. I have set up my direct deposit to have $50 from each paycheck put in it. I mean if I could spend that much on eating out than i should be able to save that amount as well.

Weigh in last night was terrible. I gained two pounds. I really need to get my motivation back. I have been struggling with that lately.

Hopefully the tenants will be served today or tomorrow. They have seven days from the date of service to respond. And on the eighth day I can put them out. Just hoping that they leave in the seven days. Really don't want to have to remove them.

I ate out at lunch again. I brought my lunch but it wasn't what I wanted. So I went to Arby's and bought food that I didn't need. Why is it so hard for me to resist? It is like the money sitting in my checking account is burning a hole in my pocket. I am fine if I don't have any money in my account.

I also have my weigh in tonight. So I probably blew that as well. My will power is non existent. I have to get this under control or I am wasting the money that I give to weight watchers each month.

I blew it last night. Before I realized what i was doing I had ordered a pizza. Even worse is that I ate most of it. So I blew it on finance front and diet front. I am back to being committed this morning. Will shortly eat my oatmeal for breakfast.

I went to the court house yesterday and began the eviction proceedings for the renters. Hopefully they will get out soon. I hope i don't have to pay someone to empty out the house and dispose of their property.

Thank you guys for all the ideas posted. I have read them all and agree with everything said. The changes I have made are below.

I went from the 250 channel package on my satelitte to the 120 package. It is 50 less a month. And hopefully i won't even notice the difference. It still has to two channels i watch plus all of my local programming. I also dropped the HD channels. I won't miss that as my tv is so old that it doesn't even look like HD.

I also looked into cancelling my home phone. However to have internet service, the price would be the same as what I am paying now. The price of just internet is the same as the price for internet + phone. So I kept the home phone. They tried to sell me a larger internet package for $10 more a month but I stood my ground and refused it.

I have made a decision to reduce my eating out/grocery money. Starting on Friday I am only going to buy things we are out of. We will eat from our massive supply of food. The freezer needs to be cleaned out anyway

I changed my cell phone package as well. I went from 2100 minutes to 1400 minutes. I am nervous about this. We haven't gone over 1400 minutes in month but now that I changed I am scared that we will go over the minutes. I will just have to keep an eye on it.

Many of you mentioned having my kids help with meal planning. My DS doesn't live at home anymore and DD already does most of the cooking. We are both going to make an effort to eat at home more often and eat out not at all.

This is the beginning of changes that Iplan to make. Hopefully it will all lead to more money into the budget.

Okay...so I have posted my income and expenses here looking for some guidance. I already see one thing...dining out is huge! i really had no idea that we were spending that much eating out.

This is from the 29th of June until the 27th of July. I have included the amounts budgeted for gas and prescriptions and groceries. I have tried to make this as accurate as possible.

Income
Salary - 1950.00
Child Support - 677.92
From DS For Car Payment and Insurance - 350.00
Transfer from Savings - 320.00(this was the balance in Savings)
from Mom for Health Ins for DD - 245.00
Advance from Mom for IRS Refund - 953.00

Total Income = 5395.92(wow!)(three paydays)

Loan Payment - 200
Amy Misc - 149.88(Cigerattes, Weight watchers, Eharmony which expires this month)
Vet for Dog- 33.40
Auto Fuel- 373.93
Auto Service - 285.47
Dining - 398.72(WOW!! Includes DD birthday lunch)
Entertainment - 7.99 (netflix)
Groceries - 659.12
Household - 48.50
Medical - 820.05 (include prescriptions and DD ins policy)
Misc - 12.31
Cell phone - 229.06(it is actually around 300 but exdh pays towards $135 toward it each month.)
Water - 62.27
Loan from MIL - 100.00
Car Insurance - 247.87
Son's car payment - 300(I included the $ he gives me in income)
Telephone/Cable/Internet - 174.92
Credit Card - 50(only a $600 balance)


Total Expenses = 3978.49

Rental Expense:
Mortgage - 550
Power - 179.00
Insurance - 69.62

Total Rental Expenses = 798.62

Income - 4495.92
Expenses - 3978.57
Rental Expenses - 758.02

Will have 502 left in my account on Friday. However...I need to make another house payment on the rental property but since I will be short on the 10th for my sallie mae payment(first one) and DD's insurance I can't make that payment. There is only one house payment because my mom actually pays for the house I live in plus the power bill. I need to start giving her money but can't find it in the budget.

I will try to not be offended by any comments. Listing my dining out was a real eye opener. I am spending almost 600 on groceries and an additional $400 on eating out! That is $1000 a month on food! Seriously! No wonder I am overweight!

Anyway...any help would be appreciated.

Well, it is the rear ball bearing that is bad on my car. That is what I thought it was going to be. But they needed my car for a couple of hours to fix it. So my mom brought me to work and will pick me up at the end of the day to go get my car. I told them to go ahead and change the oil and rotate the tires while I was there. Saves me from coming back in two weeks.

My mom is getting her finances straightened out since my dad died. She is losing about 2200 per month. Which means that she won't be able to help me out as much. I am not sure what I am going to do. I rely on her help so much. I make pretty good money and I don't understand why I am always broke. I just don't get it. I have looked back through the month and there isn't any extravagent spending. We probably only spent $50 dining out. We have cut that way back buy it hasn't made a difference. I am just frustrated. And in three years I will lose the child support I get. i have got to figure something out before then or I will be screwed.

Thanks for reading my ramlings. I just have to vent sometimes.

My weakness is eating out. I control it pretty well through the week, but the weekend I usually blow it. As I did this weekend. We went out to mexican on Friday and we got Subway on Saturday. Now I have $26 left in my account for gas. I am going to have to get that check from my mom early. She is fronting me a refund from the IRS of $953. I had originally though I wouldn't need it until Friday. But now I need it sooner. I used twice as much gas today alone because I made the 25 minute drive to work and realized that I had left my computer at home. I had to go back and get it. And I was actually going to be on time this morning. Bummer.

There is something wrong with my car that I will need to take into the repair shop. It is making a rubbing sound and jerking to the left every so often. I hope it isn't a costly repair. I just don't have the money to get it fixed, but I guess I will have to find it somewhere.

I don't get paid until next Friday and I have 18.57 left in my account after I deduct my fuel allowance. I probably won't use the full $100 for fuel, but I deduct it just in case. I have enough left to buy some OJ and milk should we need it.

I weighed in at WW last night. I lost a pound. Not quite sure how. I really ate with reckless abandon last week. I guess I just didn't overeat. Hopefully this trend will continue. I have lost 17.8 pounds since April. It is coming off slow but I don't feel deprived. If I had to be real strict I don't think I would lose anything. At this rate I haven't had to give anything up, just eat it in moderation.

I have been gone a while. I slipped into a deep depression and am just now digging myself out.

My dad died two weeks ago. It was expected and probably a little of a relief. he had been sick for a long time.

Financially I am just keeping my head above water. The renters haven't paid rent in a while and I have made the first steps to evict them. He keeps saying that they are going to move out but I feel that I am going to have to legally evict them. I hope to get some decent renters in so that I have a steady income from them.

I made a stupid decision a few months ago to take out a 2000 loan. At the time I was desperate but now I have one more monthly payment that I am struggling to meet. I still owe my employer 900 toward a loan last November. I am hoping that things improve shortly. My mom paid off my car note with my dad's insurance money so that should allow me to start making payments on my student loans. They are close to being in default and having my tax returns held. Lose one payment...replace it with another.

I found out in January that I no longer qualified for the state run insurance for my dd. I found an insurance policy for her that is $467 a month and has a 3500 deductible. My mom is helping me with the monthly premium. But since then we have hit the deductible because she was having issues with what we thought was her gallbladder. 3500 later and we still don't know what is causing her pain. Have another test scheduled. When I got the insurance I had to put my ds on the policy as they wouldn't insure just a minor. The good part of this is that the hospital has programs for low income families and since he is the insured they will likely look at his income and we won't have to pay very much of the cost. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I joined weight watchers and was doing good up until the last two weeks. I have been struggling with finding good things to eat.

That is about all going on. I have missed you all and have thought of you often.

Well...my letter worked. I got a call last night from the male renter. He had received my letter. He wasn't aware that the rent wasn't being paid. He had given his wife the money to pay it. She wasn't paying it. She has since left him and their child to go on a drug and alcohol binge. he has agreed to make weekly payments to get it caught up. He is desperate to not lose his place to live. His mother is moving in with him to help him out. Hopefully He will be able to make the payments and then all will be golden. We will see though.

I found out what I have to do to evict the renters. They have stopped answering my texts and when I went by there on Sunday they didn't answer the door. I know they were there as they only have once vehicle and it was in the driveway. I sent them a demand letter yesterday to be out by the 24th. If they aren't out than I will file with the county. These tenants really fooled me. I thought they were so nice. Rarely have I been so wrong about someone.

I took out a loan to payoff my property taxes and my sears card. Don't know if it was a wise move, trading one debt for another, but it is done anyway. I will make extra payments on it and now I don't have to worry about the property taxes if I decide to sell the rental house, which is something I am considering.

Money is really tight right now. After the kids insurance went through underwriting, it became $486 a month instead of the $239 per month. Ouch. I was paying $66 per month for the state based coverage. I am just about at the breaking point with my budget. There is very little wiggle room and it is taking all I have just to make the minimum payments on things. Thank goodness my parents are quite generous or else I would be losing everything. It really brings home the fact that the renters need to pay me. I would be on easy street if they just took care of their obligations. I just don't get it though because even if the renters were paying I still wouldn't have the money to pay for the house that I live in. My parents are currently paying for it. I don't think I have that much expenses but I am always broke. And I make good money for the area that I live in.

My company just got a 401k option. I want to contribute to it but I can't right now. i am thinking that once i get everything stabilized I will contribute $100 per pay day and let the rest fall where it may. I am going to be 40 this year and have nothing to saved for my retirement. The only thing I have going for me is that the house I live in will be paid off when my parents die. I know that is huge but it isn't enough.

Anyway...that is it for my ranting and raving for the day. Sorry it was so long.

I admit that I haven't been coming to this site lately. There is alot going on with my daughter right now and I am just super stressed. Haven't been doing much of anything but dealing with her. I have missed you all and hope all is going well for you.

I got my tax refund from the state and the federal. I got back $2900 from my federal and 400 from my state. I gave my mom $1000, put $250 in savings, and spent the rest on bills. got everything caught up so hopefully I will be able to stay that way.

Update on the renters: They are still there and haven't given me any money. They say they are waiting on their tax refund but I think I am getting the run around. I told them I had to have some money this week. When we meet I will tell them that we need to come up with some sort of a payment plan to get them caught up.

My son turned 19 this month and is no longer eligible for the state funded health insurance. And because he is 19, we are now considered a family of 2 and I make too much money monthly for my daughter to be eligible. I looked into adding them to my policy at work and found out it would be $800 a month to add them. I just don't have that kind of money. So I searched and found a high deductible plan that both children can be on. Did you know that health insurance can't write a policy for anyone under the age of 19 unless there is someone 19 or older on there with them. This works perfect for me since my son is 19. I don't know what I would have done otherwise.

Money is tight again right now. I am looking at my budget trying to figure out where to make adjustments. I upped my grocery allowance because I never stay under $150(every two weeks). So now it is $200 every two weeks. Being more realistic keeps me from stressing when I go over.

Well that is kind of an update on me right now. I'd love to hear from all of you!

I went to the doctor this morning for my appointment with the psychologist. used to be a $40 copay. Then it went down to $20. Well we have changed insurance carriers and now there is no copay for mental health appointments. AWESOME!

I haven't posted in a while...not much to say. Financially I have been skating along with minimal problems. My mom loaned me the money for my mortgage last month so it wouldn't be late. The renters are supposed to give me alot of money when they file their taxes.

So I have been cruising along thinking man...things are getting better. I actually have money left over. Than wham! I realize that I forgot to pay my phone bill and my water bill. they were due on the 15th. I don't have THAT much money left over so I will have to pay them on the 27th, my next payday. What a kink this puts into my plans. I had to rework the budget and make room for these payments. That sucks.

I have lost 11 pounds so far on my low calorie journey. It feels good that I have found something that really works for me.

I hope everyone is having a great new year so far!

I know many of you are going back to work today but I couldn't think of a better title. being back to work means I again have access to the computer. Ever since I got the ipad I haven't gotten my laptop out of the bag while at home. So I haven't been blogging.

Christmas was good. Didn't overspend and was really okay that my daughter only got one gift. She got enough other things from my family and her dad.

It was snowing here last night. A nice dusting greeted me this morning. It was pretty but there wasn't enough to complicate travel this morning.

I broke down and asked my mom to loan me some money so I could make the house payment on time. I hated having to do it but I really didn't want a hit to go against my credit.

I lost 4.1 pounds last week. So far I have lost 7 pounds in two weeks. I am extremely motivated to continue with this diet. I am not sure why this is working when nothing else did before. But I am not complaining.

On the way home last night I thought about ordering pizza for dinner. Was just about ready to do it. But in the end, I didn't do it. I had a meatloaf in the fridge that needed to be cooked...add some mashed potatoes and baked beans and dinner was done. I was proud of myself for fixing what was there instead of bringing more junk into the house.

I haven't eaten breakfast out in two weeks either. And the scale is reflecting that. It is easy to avoid the temptation when you see results right away. I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast instead of the two croissant sandwiches each morning. No wonder I kept gaining weight. The pants I am wearing today are literally falling off of me. I looked for a belt at Walmart but they didn't have any that would go around me. Didn't think to look in the mens department while I was there. Need to find one because I don't have any smaller jeans until I lose about 40 pounds.