*271*
I have had enough of struggling with money. Ever since we bought the Jeep and then lost the $500 a month from SS for Natalie being an adult..I have been struggling. We should have never ever bought a car but there was no stopping THAT train. I will not get into it.
I have medical bills, a dental bill, Ruby has to be fixed before September, we owe the IRS a smidge, plus the regular living expenses, and having two *kids* that think I should still pay for everything. AND I have not saved one penny for the trip to Denver. Not one! At this rate, I truly doubt I can get the $1000 together for the trip. So I am calling for drastic measures.
I already warned Chelsea and I am going to tell Natalie and Raymond. If they bat their eyes at me like I am speaking a foreign language, I am gonna smack them.
They want to smoke..they have to pay for it. I am not buying one more pack of cigarettes anymore. No more take out. No more $1 menu. No more 99c cans of iced tea. No more trips to Dunkin Donuts (me too). No more wasting gas. No more scratch offs or lottery tickets. No more gulps at 7-11. No more eyebrow threading.
The list goes on and on. Natalie will be finished with school in June. Then she is going to help me with the jam making. IF FRED EVER TAKES ME TO MEET MR. MOSEY. (dont get me started!). If she helps me 100%, I will share the profits with her. Then she has one semester in the fall and she is done. She can get a good job at the hospital if she wants it.
I am trying to trim the fat before the floor drops out. I want to be comfortable and be able to pay all my bills without sweating every single month. It is ridiculous. I am constantly stressed. Then I get attitude because I did not buy enough quick microwave foods to eat or I do not have money to buy pizza.
I am not saying I will never buy another pizza but once a fucking month. Not every fucking week.
Drowing is not fun! Especially when you can prevent it. I am going to live like it were just Fred and I. We can live without stuff. I will make sure there is plenty of food but I am not doing any extras. If it were up to me, no take out, basic cable, no netflix, no gym membership, and no smoking allowed!
So today is where it starts. For this week and next week, I will have exactly $250 to spend (total not each week) for groceries and gas. I have bills to pay at the end of the month and I am squeaking by. Fred might be able to give me some extra cash from his part time job but I am going to sock that away for my trip to Jersey to Dale`s house. I want to have some fun while I am there. I am leaving room empty in my suitcase for thrift store shopping!
I want to be able to get by on a certain amount. Pay my bills on time. Not have an exessive electric bill. There will be plenty of food to eat, just not taco bell. Like tonight is going to be home made cheeseburger macaroni. I have big block of Velveeta and I know how to use it! hehehe
So for NOW..I am not turning anything off. I want to see if i can do this with cutting the fat first. If it works, cool.
Wish me luck and hope I do not pop a blood vessel with these kids getting mad at me all the time with me constantly saying NO.
If you have any recipes to share that stretches your food dollars, please share here. I love that.
I hear you, sister!
ReplyDeleteHave you got a yard stick? do you know how to use it? lol ;)
Good Luck with cutting back, i think we are all having to do this.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up we really had to watch our pennies, I remember my mom making this casserole. I asked her for the recipe when I got married so this recipe is at least 50 years old, it is cheap, quick and made with ingredients most of us have in our pantry.
7 Layer Casserole
Place in layers in deep casserole in this order :
1 cup rice - rinsed
1 can corn
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper ( we like spicy)
1 can tomato sauce and 1/2 can water
1 onion and 1 bell pepper chopped
hamburger - can be any amount, pull apart in small chunks
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
1 can tomato sauce and 1/2 can water
bake at 350 for 1 hour and cover with grated cheese, bake another 30 to 45 minutes depending on how much burger you used.
This is good left over, almost like spanish rice.
I like to make beans and rice too. Brown burger or sausage add bean of choice and spices, serve over rice. This is a quick cheap meal.
Hugs,
Victoria
That sounds good, Victoria, I'm going to have to try that. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, you two. I am going to try that recipe. Natalie will gag but she can get a job and buy her own tacos at taco smell.
ReplyDeletehamburger goes in raw? Do you cover for the first hour?
Good for you! If Taco Bell is eating up your vacation money then there's no reason for you to continue. Your kids are adults and get to live with you for free. Surely they see it's time for you to start spending money on yourself again?
ReplyDeleteBurger goes in raw Heidi and yes you cover it the first hour. Sorry I didn't mention that LOL.
ReplyDelete