Baby Steps

    I did buy something this week. But it was used so that is a plus. This cost me $20 from one of the FB resale pages. Bought in a pricey neighborhood. Hubs and I struggled to get it in the Jeepo. Okay, I struggled. Very loudly.  It is hefty piece and I am a delicate flower. (i hear you snickering! LOL) It has a few scratches on top but all an all it is a nice piece. This will go in Kid #2`s room. It will be a side table/extra room for clothes. She needs more storage space so this will help her out. It has to be wiped down. So yes..I spent.

   I found another website that is more promising to help me have motivation not to spend. It is called And Then We Saved. I just started reading it but she doesnt seem weird like some of the other places that I have read. This will help me. I am not a dumbbell but sometimes I need guidance on what to do. Point over there and will say..AHHH HAH!!  She has a spending fast set up for a year. Then you learn how much you can save. I really am gonna do this. <---she convinces herself. LOL
I am slowing down my spending now because I will start this Fast on January 1, 2015. That means I will be baking my own birthday cake. Phooey.

 
   I have much to do before it gets cold-er out. I have to bag leaves. I have to start prep for painting and then painting. I have those damn apples to peel...today. I have to cover windows before the Arctic Chill comes<----gotta order oil. So much so much so much. I would rather sit here and vegetate.
 
Still vegetating.................................................................................................................................
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  I need to get motivated. Time to get up. Change my clothes. And move! Have a great Sunday!

Buy something Christmas edition

   I am learning through therapy that I have to dispel the words Should and Cant from my vocabulary. It puts up a brick wall for me. It paralyzes me to do things.  I have conditioned myself as a doormat for so many years to just keep the peace. Only their happiness.  It is time for me to do what I want to do. I want to save money! I want to fix up the house! I want to take back control of me!
 
    This leads to my Christmas plans. Hubs approves and he said just do it. I am not going to allow the children to bulldoze my ideas anymore.  I want to buy one of those small fresh $20 table top Christmas trees. That will be our tree. I am tired of dragging all the crap up and down the stairs. Small quaint decorations are best. As for presents, I want to spend a max of $50 per person times 2 cause Hubs will buy gifts too. That is it. Once January comes, I am not spending unless it is necessary.
    I did talk about buying a new tv for the livingroom but we shall have to see about that. It is not a forever no but maybe not for Christmas. I have important things that have to be done that cost money like have the junk out back removed before it snows.
 
 I have already implement a new no spend rule for right now. I am not buying anymore alcohol or cigs for anyone. Those are luxuries. If you want them, you figure out how to buy them. I am done. The kids need to realize that I am not their Sugar Mama. You have a place to live. If you want extras, figure it out. I am done supplying it. I have faltered before with this declaration but not this time.

  This is totally not a rant post. I had a very long therapy session yesterday and I have realized that I have to just stop worrying that my offspring will be mad at me. I buy them what they want cause they ask for it cause they know I am just too soft to hold my own convictions. I feel like I am being used in a sense. I feel that I am hampering them their opportunity to eventually leave the nest. I have to do this for Hubs and I.

  Quaint and small decorations. Very small budget for Christmas. Basically 1 gift each. Start saving for what we want to do. Buy nothing new. And no luxuries. I am hoping that this will be good and show hubs and I how much we really have.

Election Day 2014

*249*

  I have to finish my 2nd cup of coffee and I am off to vote. It is right up the street so no trial or tribulation out of my way to get there. I have sucky choices. I will just the lesser of the two evils.

   Yesterday I called the Ear dr office that did my surgery. I was able to get in on a cancellation for early this Friday. Early Early EARLY. I will have to leave around 730am. That is okay cause I have to go. I think I have a new infection in my mastoid. The tinnitus is louder now. It had quieted down alot after the surgery. It is back up to where it was before but now I have moments where it is REALLY high pitched for like 5 seconds and then it is quiet. I am not saying deafness but all the ringing stops for a few moments. It is weird. This made me worry. Will I need a 2nd surgery? What will happen to me? My equilibrium? My hearing? These are all the scary questions I keep to myself.

   After therapy today, I wanted to trim down all the dead plants to bag them up. It is a good day for it. It is warmish. I also should wash all the furkids. Ruby is doing so much better. She has 3 more days of her antibiotic. I will see if she needs more but her demeanor is so good. She is running around again. She is so much better and it is a major relief. I will always have to keep an eye on her because it can come back. We will just make sure that it never gets bad. We didnt know.

This is gonna be a short one. I am hungry. I will make some eggs or something before I gotta go. I will let you know what happens.

Leafy Showered Saturday

*249*

  It is a dreary first day of November.  It is a good day to get some things done. I brought all the Halloween decorations inside and put up a Fall flag. Those caramels that I made are going to be covered in chocolate. Speaking of chocolate.. a fun sized Kit Kat is a appropriate breakfast, right?

   Hubs and I are going out tonight with a friend to have some Irish grub.  I am a tad mad about it but it was planned without my input so I have to endure the expense. I looked up the menu and all the entrees are $12 or less. So that is good.
 I was planning on today being the first day of my new venture in not over spending. I guess I will do my best and make sure not to drink any beer. I will just chalk it up as a fun loss.

 I have it all planned out. I will buy in bulk. I will try to buy most of my groceries twice a month in large quanities so that I am not back and forth to the store. Home made as much as possible.
I am not posting amounts cause that is mine but I will share how the budget will look.

Mortgage
Electric
Oil (intermittent)
Car insurance
Gym (i have to get rid of this)
Cell phones
Medications (that will go UP in January till we meet our deductible)
Co-pays (UP also in January)
netflix 
Hulu Plus
Water (every 3 months)
Groceries $500 (that is bare minimum w/o coupons)
gas for 2 cars

There is also the fact that he gets a weekly stipend to spend how he wants. I dont get that luxury. We will have to work on that. 

We have discussed Christmas. This year I will purchase a replacement tv for livingroom. Each person will get one nice gift that is not expensive. After that, game on for saving. I will save my ass off. I still have to get a new fridge. Sears has layaway so I might do that to have a new one by the end of December. Crossing fingers.

After I calculate our income minus these bills and sundries..I could possibly save more then $500 a month. If I could cut the grocery bill, that would be even more. Baby steps though. Baby Steps! This will change with the new year. I will have to pay for all our appointments and scripts out of pocket. But once we hit the max on our deductible, it will be easier to save.

My goals are simple. We need new floors that we never got. We need new windows. We need the outside of the house painted. We also need a cushion of financial stability for when shit hits the fan.

I will report back on my progress on the 1st of every month. If I fucked up. I will own up to it. Wish my luck!
Oh yeah..I ate a snickers too.

Buy nothing year, Getting ready for winter, and feeling JOY

All for $3 each.

*250* 

   I bought three pumpkins. Two for carving and a warty one that looked cool. We are planning on carving them either today or tomorrow. I will make some pumpkin seeds. I love the smell of roasting seeds.

   I started this post a couple days ago but I was busy. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to talk about so I started it for when I was free. So here goes...
  Yesterday was Kid #2`s 21st birthday. We went to Japanese place. She and He (no longer calling the boy cause sounds bad) shared a large Scorpion bowl. We all shared sushi and appetizers. It was nice. Those two went out afterward and were feeling no pain when they got home. They were safe. They have a designated driver.

  I will start with Winter. It is really warm out there today (same as yesterday) but I can feel it coming. Cold weather. Higher electric bills. Me stressing the fuck out.  I am going to start covering the windows this weekend. I will leave one or two undone until it really gets cold. That is how I have always done it. Just in case Winter gets shy.  I have yet to have the furnace cleaned. It has to be done.. I will squeeze it in when I can. 

   That got me thinking when I read this article ,*Buy nothing year*, the other day that someone posted on FB. These two were extreme. I am not making my own soap. I am too lazy for that. I had read a article a few years ago about a middle aged couple from Manhattan who spent money on bills, groceries, major essentials (pharmacy, toilet paper, co-pays), transportation when it was too far to walk and basically that was it. They banked the rest. If something broke, they learned to live without it. 
 Could I do this? I probably could if I was all by myself. I may be able to get Hubs to participate somewhat but he would probably cave here and there. See, I have these adult dependants that rely on me to purchase everything they are too cheap to pay for or dont have the money for.


I want to do it!

I bet it would be way easier then losing weight. Ha! 

I have already been verbally stating to Hubs that I dont want to do Christmas..anymore. It is all about the presents and I am sick of it. I want to buy each person one thoughtful gift. That is it. A nice sweater. A book that they want. Fancy slippers. You know..normal gifts. I am done with killing myself to make a holiday. 

I want to save to fix up the house. 
I want to declutter!

oh yeah..I read this article *10 ways to decluter your home (and Life!)* Here is the book. that the article is based on. It gives a whole new approach to cleaning out. You look at things and decide if they give you Joy.  I want the book but I am not spending any money. Let me see if the library has it...Ugh..no luck there. I cant buy it now but I will put a pin in it. I put it on my wish list.

    This month was just a money pit!  I had to pay for and purchase quite a few things this month. The vet bill, my phone died (got a samsung galaxy for $100), the kid`s bed, fixing his car, the kids birthday. I am fortunate that I was able to do all those things but I now need to rein in the spending.

  This bitch is also learning to be assertive. Give up the passive aggressive stance that I used as a mechanism with these kids. I also have to re-learn how not to be a door mat. And the way people feel should not reflect my feelings. Just cause your mad at me doesnt mean I have to be upset. Those are your feelings. It will take some time but I want to work on this for the future.

Anyway. I have to cut this short. Bringing the Hubs his lunch plus gotta go to the bank. Have a great day and if I dont post.


Happy Halloween