North Georgia Gal's Financial Awakening

I got energy on Sunday to clean the kitchen and the living room! It felt so good. Of course then I had to lay down and take a nap! UGHHH!! The Energy Spurt continued into Monday evening when I came home, sorted the mounds of laundry in the bedroom and starting laundry. It at least looks like a controlled mess now. DH will continue with the laundry today.

We went to the grocery store on Sunday. Spent ALOT of money, but we hadn't been in a while. So this will curtail the eating out, since we have things at home now to eat.

I did get the new car, well new to me. I know that I probably shouldn't have, but I still have problems telling myself no when I have the opportunity for something that I have wanted for so long. Plus it gives my son/DH a dependable car to share(my old one). Neither one of them seem to have a car that they can rely on. So in many ways, it was a smart decision. Just feeling guily about it now. This is how I got into this mess in the first place. I can justify just about anything to myself and others if I want it bad enough. Good news is that the gas mileage is better than it was in my old car. We checked it out yesterday when DH drove to Marietta.

We leave for vacation a week from Wednesday(Jekyll Island). It is the first real vacation that I have been able to give the kids. I am thrilled and can't wait. It will have to be a little tighter since the new car purchase, but that is okay. We are staying in a hotel that has breakfast and has a refrig and microwave in the room. We are going to take lunch meat/sandwich things for lunches and snacks. Then we will only eat out one meal a day. The hard part is that my DH and I love to eat out, so controlling ourselves is what will be hard. But we have the beach and the pool, that should be enough...oh and they are taking a deep sea fishing trip. So that should be plenty. It will truly be relaxing, what a vacation should be.

Today is payday. I have updated my sidebar with current information. Paid my power bill, so there will be no chance of a notice again next month!

I woke up in a mood this morning, and not a good one. I seem to be having more and more of them.

I went to a local dealership Wednesday night to see about getting a new(used) car. Long story, but if they can get my payments where I need them, it is the right time to buy. She called me last night to see if I could come in sometime today to go over a couple of things. I asked her what is going on and she said that she just needs to go over a couple of things. If I get there, and she tells me that I was denied and here are the options, I will be super mad! She could have told me that over the phone. I haven't really gotten a good vibe from her from the beginning, but as long as I am treated fairly, I don't have to like her, right?

DH and I have tickets to Jeff Dunham this evening in Chattanooga(about 1 1/2 hours away). We gave up a hotel to put that towards our vacation, so it will be a late night!

I have a hair appointment at 4:00 and my son might have a soccer game at 5:00. I have so much to do today and I don't want to do any of it! I just want to crawl back into bed! I don't even want to go tonight!

eating out! I have slipped right back to where I was! I realize this is an issue but I can't stop myself. I am still transferring equal amounts to the savings account each time I eat out, but it isn't stopping me!

Friday is payday. I already have the power bill set up to be paid and will pay the mortgage. The power will is on time and the mortgage is 3 days past the grace period...but still sooner than I have ever made it before! Things are getting tight, while planning for the vacation. (another reason I need to quit eating out!) But we are on track to go. Can't wait!

Think I am going to take a break from the ebay challenge until after my surgery. I just haven't had the time or energy to post items.

Found out that Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl are filming a movie about 5 miles from my house! My husband is on a search for Katherine(he is just in awe of her! Run Katherine!) Pretty cool that our small little town is having a movie filmed here!

Nothing new here really. I am at home hoping that if I take it easy today, I will quit hurting by tomorrow.

The first payment on my son's ring came out of my account today. YIKES! He had better not lose this ring! He took him and my daughter to the dentist this morning...so far he is still willing to do things for me without complaining...the thrill of being a new driver! I had to give him gas money though...but at least I didn't have to drive there!

2 Weeks until our vacation. I can't wait! We are right on track with our savings for the trip.

My ex husband called today to ask about a credit card on his credit report. He is listed as an authorized user. It is my card. I hadn't realized that he was listed on the account. I had removed his name when we divorced. This is the account that I had trouble paying and have now set up payment arrangements with.

The "are you kidding me" comes because he wanted to know if when I got his taxes(for child support) I could pay it off. He actually said "we". Are you kidding me? There is another capital one card on my credit that I paid off after the divorce, even though he was supposed to pay it! He hasn't paid me any of the money from the divorce settlement. My credit is totally ruined due to the divorce and he wants me to take child support money to pay off a credit card that I have arrangments with? I told him that I didn't think so because I told our son that I would help him with his car. When I get it paid off, I will close the account but until then, I am not going to stress about it.

Up to now, I haven't had too much pain with the endometriosis. But the last couple of days, I have been in almost extreme pain. I went yesterday to the GP and got a prescription for a pain pill. So glad I am having the surgey next month.

DH bought the materials to finish the porch outside of the french doors. I can't wait! If I can just keep him focused long enough to finish it!

I have been on a slight spending spree the last couple of days. Bought stuff for easter baskets, ate mexican, got the dog groomed. Just need to stay put today. Need to get back on track.

As I was getting gas the other day, something occured to me. I always pull into the full service place in town. The price per gallon is usually cheaper or the same as the other places in town, so why not?? But as he came out to help me and I said Fill it up please, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I just got enough gas to get through! Before I started this journey, I was constantly getting $10 or $20 of gas...just enough to get through a couple of days. Granted, gas was way more expensive then, but I still didn't budget for it. But since I started this journey, I have filled up every time I get gas!! I know that may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but to me that is huge. That is a sign that I have gotten my finances in order. I have budgeted for gas and actually have the money to fill up, not just get by a couple of days! I am not worried each week about how I am going to get gas. It is already accounted for. And most of the time, I have money left in my gas fund that I am able to transfer to my new car fund. This is just a huge step for me. Little steps make a huge difference!

My DH should be wrapped in bubble wrap. He is constantly hurting himself. This morning, he cut the cornea of his eye with a newspaper! Yes, with a newspaper! This was at 6:45 this morning. So we were going to go to the Hospital because he was in extreme pain. I called my best friend who also talks sense into me and makes me calm down and realize better plans. She got ahold of the eye doctor(who has a cell phone number on their recorder...gotta love country doctors!) and she met us at the office. They washed his eye out, found 2 big scrathes right in the middle of his eye, put some antibiotic drops in and patched his eye. All of this for only $65! Deal! And that covers if he has to go back!

So today will be a quiet day, working from home, taking care of the injured!

My son passed his driver course last night so he is scheduled to take the driving test on Friday. I was okay because it never really seemed to happen. But it has happened. He will be driving. YIKES! I don't know how I will handle this. I know he will be fine but I am just scared to death!

Because he will get his license, his insurance will be due on Friday as well. He has most of it left from the car payment loan, but he is a little short so I will have to make up the difference.

But there is no soccer games that I have to drive to this week so I will be saving that gas. And next week the only potentional games are at home. I think most of the traveling is done! HIP HIP HOORAY!

I also discovered that my daughter has a talent show on the 27th. My DH and I have tickets to a comedy show that night, non refundable. I am in a quandry. She is performing it for the school during the day so maybe I can go to that performance and still be able to go to the show. UGGHHH! Couldn't they have let us know further ahead of time the date for the talent show? Some of us have lives you know!

Well, done ranting. Very grouchy today for some reason. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

I looked online today and the power bill is there. It is $146. I budgeted $200. So that leaves about $54 that I will transfer into the household account.

My DH called me today. He stopped at a local supply store for a new deadbolt and came out with a set of french doors. He got them for $50!! They were in the "scratch and dent" section. But that will lead to getting that project done sooner! I might have a small back porch before summer! And quite cheaply too.

My boss came in with a new computer this morning, so I am trying to get everything moved over. Quite time consuming! But worth it in the long run!

Got home from Athens cheer competition today. We had a great time! And the Gym Dawgs were awesome!

I had budgeted $300 for the weekend. Below is the breakdown:

Hotel $138
Gas $25
Admission $40
Food $164.01(WOW!!!!)
Shirt $20

Total $380(WOW!!)

I had budgeted $300 for the weekend. I grossly underestimated the cost of eating out! We had breakfast at the hotel this morning...could have gotten it cheaper if we had gone out to McDonalds or something, but it was convenient(that is how they get you!). Fortunately, this is the only competition that requires an overnight stay this year.

I do have a thumbs up for the weekend. The competition had all the usual things for sale. But in addition, they had a HUGE table of purses. They were oh so cute! Had matching wallets too! But I resisted! I kept going back and looking at the one I wanted. But in the end, I remembered about our vacation and didn't purchase the purse! That was a huge thing for me!!! Another "I'm so proud of me" moment!

I transferred $10 more into my vacation fund. I had budgeted $30 for haircuts and it was only $25. I also got my first check for completing surveys. Every little bit helps!

It is right! that is the amount of money in my various savings accounts! I am just in awe. Of course, $300 of that is in the vacation fund, so it will be coming back out. And eventually, I will have to transfer most of it into my checking account(have one large bill to pay). But WOW! I can't beleive that I have managed to save that much! I have never in my life had that much money saved. And none of it came from my tax refund! This is all money that I truly saved...little by little!

I am so proud of me!

Today is payday! Not much to do since I set everything up in bill pay ahead of time. I had some OT so that went into the vacation fund. I had $58 left of my gas budget, so that went into the new car account. Need to really focus on that after the vacation. My car wouldn't start at the soccer game last night! 2 hours away from home and my car wouldn't start! It was able to be jumped, but I fear that it might be nearing retirement. It is a great car! (200000+ miles and never had any major problems!) Don't need anything from the grocery store so I should be able to keep expenses the next couple of weeks to a minimum.

My DH has really gotten on board with the saving thing. He has been giving me one of his checks each week. Some has gone into the vacation fund, and some has gone toward keeping the other items current.

Heading to Athens tomorrow for a cheer competition. It is an all day thing. Then we have tickets to watch the gym-dawgs compete. I have budgeted $300 for the entire trip, including hotel. We should be able to easily do that. Thought about cancelling the hotel, but it is supposed tobe raining and I am very uncomfortable driving in the rain after dark, especially for 2 1/2 hours! So I don't mind spending that.

My best friend received her tax refund and
another really large unexpected payment. She wants to take a me on a girls weekend. We looked at different places online last night. Thought about Grove Park Inn, but man...that place is EXPENSIVE! So I looked around some more last night. However, it was bothering me that she would be paying for me to go. Not that she would ever hold that against me in the future or anything. But it bothers me. The old me would have jumped at the opportunity, because that was how I lived. But the new me doesn't feel comfortable with this. So this morning I told her that I really wanted to do a girls weekend, but if she wanted me to go, we would have to wait until I could pay my share, which will probably be in the fall. She tried to convince me to go anyway,, but I stood firm. Am I crazy? Turning down a free weekend?

A little history: She has MS and hasn't been able to work for almost 2 years now. They struggle to do the "extra" things. Their cell phones have been cut off because they couldn't pay the bill. This is probably going to be a turning point for them but I still don't feel comfortable letting her do this.

Also,, the old me would have jumped on it! I would mention to my sister what I wanted and it would show up within a week! I am trying very hard to get the things I want on my own now. I think that would just throw me back into that life again.

I feel good about the decision I made. I think it shows that I am making progess on the new me.

I bought an AC unit today. I think I got a good deal. It was 119 and I got them down to 199. Very pleased with myself. I think in the long run this is going to keep the main unit from working so hard. Currently we are not able to turn the stove on in the summer without it getting in the 80's in the house and the main unit running continuously! So this should help with that.

Well,not really. But I have resorted to "stealing" the change out of my husband's pockets each night. He uses cash for everything, so he ends up with a pocket full of change each night. I just scoop it up and put it in the bucket. I contribute to the bucket as well, just not as frequently. However, I conribute more when I contribute. I hardly ever use cash...but when I have to get cash from the bank for something, I usually have dollar bills left. I put those in the bucket each time I have them. So it probably evens out.

It was 79 degrees yesterday. My air conditioner isn't working. The pipes under the house have a tendency to fall, but not sure that is the problem. I am going to go to sears today to look for a window unit. I hate them because they are so noisy! But it beats spending on a new AC unit right now!

Well, I just checked my power bill online and I have a 0 balance. I wish they would post the new balance so I can go ahead and put the actual amount in my budget! Isn't that crazy? Now that I have everything paid on time, I want to know sooner how much I owe!

Rebooked the hotel for Jekyll Island. When I went online today, they are running a special for 4 nights...30 less/night! So I rebooked it for the 4 nights and it only cost us $25 extra! That way we can have 3 full days at the beach! Sounds like a plan to me! I am so excited about this! I hope that we will be able to save the money. I think we will, but it will be tight.

My son woke up this morning feeling really bad. His throat is killing him. So I took him to doctor and got him some more antibiotics. I say more because this is probably the third time he has been for his throat. Problem is that he never finishes the antibiotic and so it keeps recurring. But he has other things this time as well. Just hope I don't catch it!

I put a roast in the crock pot this morning. Should be good for dinner.

TV is still in the middle of the living room. I had a brilliant idea while at the doctor. I am going to call one of those places that pick up stuff. Don't know why I hadn't thought of it sooner!

Right now finances look ok. Rain is forecast for the rest of week, so my DH might end up not working. That would be bad for our vacation! Starting to get excited about it. Trying to figure out things to do.

I got the dining area cleaned up, the living room cleaned up and the Kitchen cleaned up! YEA! I feel better about being here now! I did list the TV on Freecycle and have not heard anything. I will take it to good will as soon as my husband can load it in the car!(he damaged his hand today.)

Speaking of DH, he is driving me crazy! He did a search on mapquest for the hotel we are staying in at Jekyll Island and it didn't show that it was on the beach. However, I pulled up pictures of the hotel website and you can see the beach! But he kept calling me over to show me where the directions were taking him! I tried to tell him that those mapquests are not always accurate, but it was driving me crazy!!!

I listed some items on ebay today. Hopefully they will sell and add to my ebay fund.

I told my parents about the vacation.It went something like this"

Dad:"Why Jekyll Island, do you know someone there to stay with?"

Me: No...I have never been there.

Mom: Are you camping?

Me: No, I found a good deal on a hotel on the beach.

Mom: Oh.

Silence.

Mom: Well, you will have fun.

And that was the end of it!

Today was a NSD. helps when you don't leave the house.

After I wrote this, I realized that I am rambling...sorry. Just had alot to say!!!

I had a postage due notice left in my PO box last week. I thought it might hav been from the ebay stuff. I went to the PO today and it wasn't for me! YEA!

I also went to the grocery store today. I only "NEEDED" a couple of things, but I found more to buy. Walked out $190 poorer. But I don't feel too bad because I haven't done a big shopping trip in a long time.

I made another sale on half.com. Will mail that on Monday.

My boss got me a new laptop yesterday. The old one is on its last legs. So I have been spending the last couple of hours trying to transfer stuff over. Should make for a fun afternoon.

I also have so much to do around here. I am feeling very overwhelmed. Don't even know where to start. I have to get rid of this tv...no one has contacted me about it so i guess it is going to goodwill monday. Trying to get it loaded in my car will probably prove to be a challenge. I have another tv that I have been trying to get loaded for about 5 months now!!! But this one is sitting in the middle of the floor and it is annoying!

My goal for the day is to get the laundry that is on the chair folded and get the dining room back in order. I will then get the kitchen cleaned up after dinner. I don't even want to look at the bedroom and my bathroom!

Got a letter from one of my credit cards. The one that I made so many extra payments to last month. They said that since I have been making the payments, that have removed the past due classification from my account. It is still over the limit, but at least it isn't considered past due any longer. That is a relief.

Well, done rambling. will try to keep it brief next time!

I always feel like when I do something financially that I should feel guilty about it where my parents are concerned. They aren't struggling by any means, but live like they are. And they have helped me out more times than I care to mention...never expecting it back. But I have finally grown up. I have a savings account. I have the beginnings of an emergency fund. It's about time!!

So I have booked this vacation to jekyll island for April. I am oh-so-excited! it is the first vacation that we have taken as a family. I am just thrilled that I can now do this for them! But i dread telling my parents about it. My dad will be like "how can you afford that?" my mom will just get all quiet...and be like "oh..do you really think that is smart?". Maybe it isn't, but I am more financially secure than I have ever been in my life. None of the other monthly expenses are going to be "put off" for us to go on this trip, or we won't be going.

Shouldn't I feel excited to share this kind of thing with my parents? i still feel like the kid who can't really talk to her parents.

I received a deposit of 38.19 from half.com today. transferred it to the vacation fund.

I almost made it! At 6:00 I was having a NSD. But then....

My DH elected to pick son up from soccer and do dinner instead of taking daughter to cheerleading. Ok...that usually works pretty good. However, he also had some work to do on his car. Now I know my DH pretty well...and one thing always leads to another. Usually when he says that, we come home at 8:45 from cheerleading and dinner hasn't even been started or has another 30 minutes to cook(always feels he has to do elaborate things!) So in order to save aggrevation and mad feelings, I picked up dinner on the way home. If I had pushed the issue, he would have had his feelings hurt because he is honestly trying.. Sometimes it is just worth it. I know my DH and love him dearly, his ADD is just something I have learned to deal with.

Good news? I transferred the same amount that was spent on food to the vacation fund! And I think he is starting to come around witht he budgeting thing. He actually knew that we shouldn't be spending the money to eat out, as we have been spending alot lately. that is a start! He also asked about the state of our(my) finances. Wanted to make sure we had enough to cover the propane and what he needed to do to make sure we had enough for vacation! Unfortunately, I wasn't in front of my account so I couldn't speak intelligently about it. Will bring that up again later!

Okay...so I have been struggling with eating out. I dont usually eat lunch, but lately I have found a reason to. Today I was going to go to Arbys and get a wrap. they were out of wraps!!! I am a picky individual in that if they don't have what I want, I just don't get anything at all. So I drove away empty handed. I guess the decision was taken out of my hands! Isn't that funny how that happens!

I resisted the urge to stop to get something to eat this morning..even to go to Ingles to update my breakfast collection. I grabbed the cream cheese from home this morning so there was no need to stop.

However, I realized that I didn't have a lighter this morning. I usually smoke 1 cigarette on the way to work in the morning. I could have used this as an excuse to stop by the gas station and since I don't have any cash, I would have had to come up with $5 worth of purchase(most gas sstations have started that minimum for debit/credit cards). But I didn't do it! So I am at work, with no lighter(healthier anyway!) eating my bagel.

Got some good news on the propane issue...it is only $278. I usually only order the minimum and in december it was $451. When I asked why she said that the minimum amount increases during winter. It was 165 gallons then and only 100 gallons now. That will get us through probably until next winter! Really need to look into buying a tank so we can have whoever is cheapest deliver. but that is really a hassle. They want alot of money to remove the old tank!

MY DH gave me some money toward the propane, but since I was already expecting money from him, I will still have to transfer some out of savings.

Got a hospital bill last night for a surgery I had 2 years ago!!! I knew that they had never billed me and that eventually they would catch it. $950. will have to set it up on monthly payments. So glad I had insurance because w/o insurance, it was over $4000! but since they have a negotiated rate with the insurance company, it is only $950. WOW! Tell me there isn't a huge mark up on medical care!

Yep...I hit a wall. I hadn't thought about our propane tank. I knew it was coming up because it is usually November and March when we have to get a fill up. But since we have been using the fireplace, i didn't think we had used that much propane. Apparentley we have! It is at 15%!!!! Glad I looked tonight! Will have to call tomorrow and schedule a fill up asap! But the brick wall part is because I hadn't saved enough in the household maintennce account to cover it! I had to transfer all out of my EF, new car fund and household maintenance account! And I am still runnning short! Brick wall. Poor planning! I failed to plan for this LARGE expense! UGGGHHHHH!!!

Yes that is right...but let me explain. I have been unable to fight the temptation to eat out lately. So I have decided that when I do eat out, if it is completely avoidable, I am going to transfer the same amount into my savings. I transferred 7.78 for my lunch and 3.43 for my breakfast. I haven't decided if I will put this in the EF or the vacation fund. Probably the vacation fund since that is what I am supposed to be saving the most for right now!

yup...they finally came and picked it up last night. $50 added to my ebay total(actually is it was craigslist, but they all go toward the total!) I put the $50 into the household maintenance account. I wanted to put it into the vacation fund, but until we get the washer straightened out, I thought it should go there. I can always move it later if this part we ordered fixes the washer.

My child support payment was $9 more than I estimated so I transferred that to the vacation fund. New total is various savings accounts...$743!!! I am in awe!

We got the order forms for the class rings for my son. Have to order then on Friday with a $65 deposit. I will take that money out of his savings account. I hate to do that(seems now that there is money in ssavings, I hate to take it out, even for its intended use!) I then have to make payments on it, but thanks to my new financial mindset, I am not stressing or calling my sisters to help! I've got it covered! What a feeling!

On another note, I can't seem to shake the eating out bug. I left my cream cheese at home this morning, so i stopped for breakfast. It was late when we got home from thhe soccer game the other night, so i stopped at subway. I have just got to get myself back into the proper mindset to not do that! Yesterday I was wanting Subway for lunch. I don't usually eat lunch but yesterday, I could almost taste it! But fortunately, I had left my wallet at home and had no easy access to money...it wasn't worth going to the local bank(that we rarely use but still have an account with) and going into the bank(since I dont have any checks) and cashing a check. So i went home and we had grilled cheese and tomato soup. More cans off the shelf! Any ideas? My willpower just sucks right now!

Another sale on half.com!! I am just in awe! I listed a bunch of books on Sunday and I can't believe how fast they are going. I know I am not making much, but slow money spends the same as fast money!

Looks like I am going to have to drive 2 hours for the soccer game tonight...left my wallet at home so hopefully my DH will bring me some cash. Trying to talk my sons best friend into going with me...at least it gives me someone to talk to! DH said that he would go but that was before the person buying the fridge wanted to come tonight instead of last night! UGHHH!! The only upside is that there is a Chik-Fil-A there! Seem to be addicted lately...good thing there isn't one near me!

I changed my car insurance. I still had full coverage even though my car was paid off. I adjusted it to liability and comp only...a savings of $60/month. I have already set up a transfer for that $60 to go into the new car fund. Can't wait to see that start growing!