‘That person’ who crazily walks around with tissues to open doors and leaves a shower of Lysol in her wake.

Before you harass me about my germaphobic ways, remember I work with the general public. San Diegans are passing around the Swine Flu like a delicious piece of gossip.

I wouldn’t be quite so crazy but Thanksgiving is next week. If I have to spend my four days off in the hospital, I’d rather it be from a gnarly fall off a mountain face that bested me than from a virus that originated in an animal I don’t particularly like – even when served for a Christmas meal.

Plus, as the year ends, we’re all getting low on personal hours and no one can afford a day off. My co-workers spray the sick folks with Lysol like they’d spray a thug with mace. If someone collapses, we call poison control and haz-mat – not 911.

I sneezed this morning and my co-worker nonchalantly hummed Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ while spraying me with an anti-bacterial aerosol like she was disinfecting her toilet. I probably wouldn’t have minded but… all that mist makes my hair frizz.

I need to stay healthy. I need to stay working. I don’t care if I look silly.

It’s a dog eat dog world during flu season.

The good news?

We’re still moving in the right direction – FORWARD!

We decided to pay less on the truck this month and set aside the cash since we were ahead on payments. I’d rather have a little more cash on hand just in case. In light of the current economy, we’re playing it as safe as possible.

Here’s where we’re at –
Auto Loan 1: $0
Credit Card: $0
Student Loan: $9,680.19
Auto Loan 2: $11,379.87

San Diego mass transit won an award for the most on time performance… something I was resentful of as I ran down the platform this morning chasing – and missing my train.

I caught the next one – which promptly broke down two stops later.

I showed up a record 30 minutes late for work because the functioning train was stuck behind the broken one.

I spilt hot chocolate on my skirt from shivering on the side of the tracks.

Then, I tripped down the hallway at work and broke my shoe.

All before 9AM.

Clearly…

I should have stayed in bed today.

How was your Monday?

Maybe it’s because he’s happy, maybe it’s because he’s eating healthy, or maybe it’s because he’s out to SPITE me, but he’s the most energetic dog I’ve ever owned.

Saturday, I went hiking and took him along to see if I could finally wear him out.

We hiked for HOURS.

Up hills, down hills, up steep mountain faces, jogging on trails, climbing through brush, he chugged along beside me. Naturally, I expected him to be exhausted and ready for a break…

But he wagged his tailless butt with fervor, suggesting no rest was necessary.

Drenched in sweat and resting my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath, I couldn’t help but compare him to my debt. I push, I fight, I struggle, but it pursues me with unending vigor. I feel like I can’t win.

My husband’s job loss and our recent setbacks have felt like an overwhelming stumbling block to our journey.

I pushed a while longer and ran a few more hills before going home. I took off his leash and tossed it on the counter. As I gulped a giant glass of water, I looked to see where my endless ball of energy went.

He was curled up on the couch fast asleep…and he didn’t wake up for a solid two hours.

I had two words for my energetic ball of fur…

I win.

Be stubborn with your debt fight today.

Eventually, we’ll win.

Huh?

I scribbled the info on the back of my napkin but didn’t expect to win the lotto of unclaimed property. No one owes me money right?

Wrong.

Unbeknownst to me, I was involved in a class action lawsuit against a former employer. Employees weren’t given breaks as required by law and the company was required to reimburse employees for the lost time. I only worked for the company 3 months as a summer job ten years ago but… I’m $111 richer.

Check for unclaimed property on your state’s website. There might be some money out there you didn’t know about. Let me know if you find something!

*Note: Women, if you are married, check you married AND maiden name. My unclaimed property was under my maiden name.

First, and most important, we rarely do work for people we, or someone close to us, doesn’t know. I do not trust Craigslist for anything other than used doggie kennels and throw rugs. My husband mainly does work for friends and family – someone always needs a sink fixed or a toilet repaired. Let people around you know you’re willing to help.

I do accounting work for the company I worked for a few years ago. They are often short staffed and need an extra hand. I let them know I’m always available. It makes it easy when they already have my tax reporting information and I don’t have to keep records.

Second, if we do work for someone we don’t know, we keep it under $100. My husband is sometimes approached by fellow customers in home repair stores. There’s something about him that radiates honesty and good heartedness – maybe it’s because he is. If the job is too large, he refers them to a reputable company. It’s not worth the risk of not getting paid.

Third, be good at what you do, stay on top of trends in your industry, and be honest. My husband is extremely talented and is always reading construction magazines. He is never dishonest and will likely throw in work for free. Ninety percent of his work is from referrals. Happy people will tell their friends about you.

Fourth, pay close attention to the laws about certain types of work. California is stringent on almost everything. Working here without some sort of licensing is illegal for many trades. For example, construction work is limited to $500 (including material) if you do not have a contractor’s license. It’s also important to report all income when tax time rolls around. Nothing is worth the risk or penalties of an IRS audit. Also, if you are on unemployment, money from side work MUST be reported and will likely result in a reduction of benefits.

Fifth, don’t expect to make a ton of money. Usually, we make just enough for groceries or to cover what we’re short on an electric bill. It takes a lot of time and the money is little.

Again, I’m no expert. Before doing any type of side work, check with your local government authority and your tax advisor.

Hey buddy – its 60 degrees. Residents in other states call this a heat wave.

In this economy, it’s easy to complain about our ‘sad, sad’ lives as Americans but compared to the rest of the world, we’re pretty darn fortunate. I didn’t get shot at, my house hasn’t been bombed, a tsunami didn’t harm my family, I was able to eat today (though probably too much), and I can worship as I please.

Thank you anchorman. Thank you for reminding me that, even with no job and bills filling my mailbox, life ain’t all that bad.

Smile America… it’s 60 degrees.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand government paperwork – heck, I process it every day as a government employee! But I think it’s important for everyone to be prepared.

Here’s a head’s up to those who think they may lose their jobs…

save to survive longer than 4 weeks.

Am I alone in this? Anyone else waiting for all of eternity?

We’re still coasting through on savings and odd jobs – and I am grateful we were prepared.

I get drowsy at work and drink energy drinks to stay coherent – though I use the word ‘coherent’ loosely. It’s normal to randomly start singing ‘Jimmy Crack Corn’ at work right?

I counteract this sleep loss with sleeping pills. Makes sense right? OR, I could ‘theoretically’ stay awake after taking the twice the recommended dose of sleeping pills and then find myself suffering from the world’s worst sleep hangover known to man.

This is usually the start to a vicious cycle where I don’t sleep due to stress and then stress about not sleeping which causes me to not sleep at all. My doctor finds this cycle amusing – but maybe it’s because last time I sang ‘Oops I did it again’ in the waiting room and played hopscotch in the parking lot with tongue depressors – and tells me I need to reduce my stress levels.

Thanks Captain Obvious.

And then, unfortunately for you, I write posts that make sense to me… but uh… probably not to you.

Today I exercised, avoided caffeine, alcohol, and sugar, and tried to think of butterflies and rainbows but alas… it’s 2 AM and I’m here… awake.

So here’s the question of the day what are your secrets to sleep?

Just a note, if your comment does not immediately appear, it is likely labeled as a ‘spam’ comment. I review the comments labeled as spam every other day and approve them – unless they refer to Viagra, Nigerian Lottery Winnings, or Olestra.

I asked my husband where I should hide the money and he looked at me quizzically.

‘Hide it? It’s one hundred bucks, not the Hope Diamond honey. Just put it on the desk’ he said.

‘No!’ I screamed. ‘Can you hide it in a DVD?’ I begged.

‘Sure’ he laughed (sadly, I’m used to him laughing at me).

A few minutes later I asked him which DVD he put the money in. ‘From Justin to Kelly – because no one on God’s green earth would steal that film’ he said.

Gee hon… thanks.

It’s funny how my views about money have continued to change over the last year. Last summer, I would have spent that $100 on a date night or a cute pair of shoes. Now, I can stretch that same $100 into two or three weeks of groceries.

At this time in my life, that $100 IS the Hope Diamond.

Thursday I went running and felt a painful pop in my left knee. I fell, sat on the concrete for a bit, and then wished I hadn’t worked so hard to teach my dogs not to pull on their leashes. I was hoping to sprawl out on the ground and have them pull my limp body home like sled dogs. Who knew well behaved dogs could be the bane of my existence?

I was feeling generous – so I gave myself 36 hours to recover.

Saturday morning, the weather was far too amazing to stay inside. I grabbed the dogs and took them to the dog park. Our park has big, beautiful trees that shade a running path. Apparently I overcompensated for my faulty knee… and pulled a groin muscle on my right side.

As if it’s not bad enough that my dogs can’t double as a Siberian sled team, both injuries happened about 3 miles from home. Why? So I could spend an hour each time dragging myself home while learning a life lesson about pushing too hard.

Focus can be great. But too much of it can be dangerous.

For all you type A personalities out there (*waving my arm*)… take a break.

I typically don’t dress up for this holiday (something about being over the age of 12 – the official last year a person can dress up without feeling silly), but my brother is throwing a Halloween party and I’m fairly certain he would kick me out of my own home if I didn’t at least smudge on some black eyeliner.

I don’t have the desire to spring for a $75 polyester outfit with less fabric than a string bikini so I’m wearing something I already own…

*Cue Rocky theme song*

My kickboxing gear from college.

This will serve dual purposes:

1.) A free costume.

2.) A deterrent for potential toilet paperists who are angry over the lousy Chiclet gum selection since we can’t afford the good candy this year.

Have a good and safe holiday.

Perhaps it’s because my husband is blaring Amy Grant’s ‘Tender Tennessee Christmas’ in the other room.

No. I’m not joking.

His happy-go-lucky Pollyanna ‘I love the earth and all holidays’ attitude is for the most part a wonderful thing…

But thoughts of Christmas in October simply make me (and anyone within 50 yards of his subwoofer) suicidal.

I have to give him credit… it is an important reminder that we have to start thinking about Christmas gifts now. Since I’m broke and can’t spend 50 bucks on the last remaining blockbuster gift card in the Vons checkout on December 24th, I’ve got to make my plan of action. I’ve got to start taking left over change from payphones, digging through the neighbor’s garbage for recyclables, or compiling leftover foil for a life sized foil ball. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 29 years on this earth, it’s the fact that everyone needs a foil ball the size of a Honda.

No?

Hmm. Well, what was the best low (or preferably) no cost gift you ever received?

Last year my siblings and I compiled letters from us to our parents telling them how much we appreciated and loved them and had them printed and bound at Shutterfly.com (Walmart.com also provides the same photo type books we used). But I’m out of ideas! Help!

Residents in our area are often sent letters asking to reduce water use. Thanks to ‘Navy showers’, reduction in roommates, and landscaping akin to the dust bowl, we personally cut our water usage by 50%. According to water company reports, our fellow residents cut their water usage by nearly 10%.

I received a letter titled ‘Water Rate Increase’ with my bill. The water company is raising rates in part because of… get this…

Lower water sales.

Um. Didn’t you ask me to stop using water? And now I have to pay more because I actually stopped using it?

Our 50% reduction in water usage resulted in… a bill that was 5.5% less than last month’s.

Striking oil in California won’t make you rich – but striking water just might.

It’s times like these that you just have to laugh.

The big question…

How long can we hold on without my husband’s job?

Our initial numbers (without unemployment benefits) put us at 8 weeks. Our reductions to debt paired with our cash in savings and unemployment benefits put us at…

9 months.

Had this happened before we had taken control… had this happened before we made the decision to live below our means and reduce debt… we would have made it through a month, maybe two tops.

But now, we’re looking at 9 safe months. 9 months to find a job before things get hairy. Sure we won’t make progress other than minimums and we certainly won’t eat anything other than Ramen noodles but, we can hold on.

I have four words to say –

Thank. You. Dave. Ramsey.

1 – If you are hoping for a huge change… this is not the answer. Not all changes are permanent and/or large. Some adjustments may last as little as 3 months.

2 – Loan modifications are not quick. If you can’t wait the standard 9 weeks for the review of your file and another 5-9 weeks for paperwork processing, you don’t have enough time and you may want to move forward with other options like a short sale or foreclosure.

3 – Give an accurate listing of all your expenses. Don’t exaggerate but don’t minimize either. Have a good understanding of exactly how much you are paying. Keep this information available for when you call the bank.

4 – You will be rejected if you have recently made large purchases or if your credit score is low. You shouldn’t be making large purchases anyway so I can’t say as if I blame the banks for this stipulation.

5 – If you have a second mortgage with another lender, they will likely require you to get approved for the Making Home Affordable Program on your first loan before they will consider a change to your second mortgage. If you are accepted for the program on your first loan, it’s easy to submit the same paperwork for your second mortgage.

6 – This should not be your only option. It’s worth a try, but don’t fool yourself into thinking this will solve your problems.

7 – If your home is not a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac mortgage, this program does not apply to you… BUT some lenders are still willing to modify other types of loans.

8 – This is a voluntary program. No one HAS to help you. Sure it’s good business sense to lessen foreclosures on the banks part, but if you are a problem child, don’t expect any help. Banks don’t want to keep you as a customer anyway. Be kind, courteous, and polite even if you are frustrated.

According to the bank’s calculations, my husband and I qualify. We are now in the first 9 week waiting period while they review our files. We have stellar credit scores and we haven’t made large purchases in a long time. We are good candidates for an interest rate reduction from the over 7% it is currently, down to the market rates of 5-6%.

Do I really think it will really happen?

No. But it’s worth a try.

I’ve been embracing this as my last chance to go running after work and have been pushing harder than usual. My poor dogs are tuckered out. I have a feeling they are ready to welcome winter as a reprieve from my shouts of ‘Run!’

Enjoy these last two days of ‘summer’.

Go for a walk. Let the sun kiss your face.

Make sure you give summer a proper goodbye.

We should be able to qualify for the COBRA assistance based on the requirements of the layoff date and I’m hoping to be able to combine this coverage with the reduced cost services at his school.

If in the crazy event, the COBRA assisted coverage doesn’t work out. We’ll have to go without. As I said before, the money simply isn’t there – but we are fortunate to have at least something through his school. Yes, my husband could possibly suffer an illness not covered by the student hospital that could cost thousands of dollars but if we chose to pay for health insurance and skip our mortgage payments we would SURELY default on our loan and our home value is 135K less than we could sell it for.

Possible health problem OR definite mortgage default and foreclosure resulting in a 135K shortfall.

At this time…it’s an easy decision.

Thank you Gina for the reminder. The student hospital will really help us in the event something happens. And thank you to those who opened my eyes about the COBRA assistance. I had no idea!!

I expected his benefits to expire but I did not expect the high cost to maintain his health insurance through COBRA. We’re looking at $250 a month for an active healthy guy who hasn’t been to the hospital for a medical reason since birth.

This expense isn’t an option for us. It’s either healthcare or our mortgage payment and since healthcare won’t keep us sheltered at night… it lost.

In light of this, I have restricted him from doing anything dangerous. He is officially banned from riding a dirt bike, surfing near sharks, standing on ladders, and clipping his toe nails. I have also encased him in bubble wrap and tied large sofa cushions to his stomach.

I think it will work.

First, we cut our dental and vision insurance. This is something that can easily be re-instated but the $25 a month can help me now.

Second, I cancelled all my appointments health related or otherwise. None of my appointments were an emergency and I requested that my doctor renew my prescriptions without the annual check-up since the last 6 years have been clear of any problems. These appointments and tests run in the neighborhood of $500.

Third, I called my cable company to cancel our cable, reduce our internet speed, and reduce our phone service. I explained our situation and was surprised when they offered reduced internet costs, reduced phone costs, and added free services and free channels for a 12 month period. I would tell you how much I’m paying – but I’m afraid they’ll figure out they made a huge mistake and ‘correct’ the discount… or fire the guy who gave it to me. I would have cut out the internet and phone entirely but my husband needs internet for school purposes and job searching late at night when he gets home (free internet at the library is closed) and I’m uncomfortable without a home phone for emergencies.

Fourth, I contacted my student loan company for a deferment.

Fifth, my husband and I contacted friends and family and let them know we’d be available for odd jobs. Since unemployment doesn’t start for nearly a month after a job loss, my husband has done everything from pulling weeds to insulating walls. I have been helping a company with paperwork at night after work. We use this money for groceries and for the important bills like electric and water. At no time should you feel you are ‘too good’ for any type of job.

Sixth, we cut off all our subscriptions and memberships. If you’re like us, you may not even remember you have some of them since they are automatically billed to your credit card and you may not look at each item on your online statement. Some examples: gym memberships, club memberships, magazine and newspaper subscriptions (some automatically renew unless you cancel). Savings – $50 a month.

Seventh, we’ve been using more public transportation. It takes twice as long to get somewhere, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s far from fun, but it saves $50-$75 a month.

It’s not a lot, but each item buys us a little more time.

When I get moderately stressed, the skin around my ears bleeds from an odd rubbing habit I’ve had since I was a kid.

When I get really stressed, my body goes into a self-induced coma.

This job loss has me REALLY stressed.

It’s not a big deal, I just don’t think I should operate any heavy equipment or walk in high heels. In fact, it’s kinda nice. If I ever require surgery, just tell me I’ve got to figure out a way to pay cash for the doctors and I’ll pass right out. I could save a fortune on an anesthesiologist.

My husband is dealing with it exactly as I expected – with a huge smile on his face. I married the eternal optimist. Some people are blessed with the ability to see only the positive in situations, and he’s one of those people. He’s been active in his job search and has been an all around very pleasant person.

It’s annoying as hell.

But at least I get to sleep through it.

Kidding!

and applying for the Making Home Affordable program.

Yesterday, I left work early and made THE call. My call started at 5:07 p.m. and ended at 5:57 p.m.

I called the Making Home Affordable number on my Bank of America mortgage website and waited 17 minutes on hold. Someone answered and transferred my call since my mortgage used to be a Countrywide mortgage and they had a separate division.

I’m fairly certain they routed my call around the world because really, what else can explain the 24 minute hold time and the gentleman who sounded like had lunch in Bangladesh. He asked for my name, account number, checked my account, thanked me for paying on time, and told me I would be transferred yet again to a representative. 9 minutes later, a message said, ‘Our office is now closed. Please call back another time.’

I would give you advice on dealing with the Making Home Affordable program but since I didn’t talk to anyone, I will tell you this… you need more than an hour.

Dear Bank of America… I had far better things to do than spend 50 minutes of my life listening to Kenny G. and the recorded reminder that someone will be with me shortly. Obviously you and I have VERY different definitions of ‘shortly’ AND, I had to drink three glasses of Chianti just to keep my ears from bleeding.
Ugh. Kenny G.

I’ll let you know how it goes… if I ever get through.

Our realtor praised the beauty of the townhouse until he spotted… termite dust in the corner.

A LOT of termite dust. And the more we walked around, the more we found. Those hardwood floors showcased the busy work of those nasty bugs.

The place was loaded – so our realtor recommended we move on. I had wanted the townhome badly and was heartbroken at the sight of that nasty termite residue.

Fast forward three years to two mornings ago. I had flipped my head upside down while blow drying my curly mess and was staring at my bathroom floor thinking a nice mop job would go a long way when suddenly I spotted IT. IT was a pile of termite dust.

I dropped my blow-dryer – and screamed.

I looked heavenward and said, ‘Gee thanks Lord. As if I don’t have enough to worry about – job loss, money, etc. You send me pestilence?!?!’

I ranted and raved for three days. I cried. I told Chris that if we didn’t lose our house to job loss, we’d lose it to the dang termites that we can’t even afford to eradicate.

Then this morning, I dropped my sweater on our driveway. I bent to pick it up and noticed termite residue on the asphalt. As I start to scream in anger, the wind blew and ‘termite dust’ tickled across my face and into my hands.

Turns out, our tree is shedding tiny bits thanks to the sudden turn in the weather. The ‘termite dust’ is actually our tree sneezing into our bathroom window located directly under it and across our yard.

So. Um. Sorry for the yelling Lord. And, um, if it’s not too much of a bother, could you keep the real termites away?

A job.

He was laid off on Friday.

I’m struggling with this not only because of the lack of significant income but more because of how it happened. There were two employees laid off on Friday. The other employee was given three days notice, my husband was given no notice. I could understand if my husband had been at all unreliable or perhaps a bad employee, but he was neither. They simply needed some final projects completed and were worried he wouldn’t put in the extra overtime to complete them if he knew he wouldn’t have a job by Friday afternoon.

My husband has worked at this company for SIX years. I expected better from them.

I’m dealing with it the best way I can. I’m working to reduce, reduce, reduce. I’ll go more into that later.

I’m also trying my best to be something I am not – optimistic. Here’s my new list of reasons it’s G-R-E-A-T he’s unemployed:

1 – He can make all those mid-day calls to businesses only open from the annoying Monday through Friday 8-5 window. I’ve been trying to call my bank for YEARS!

2 – My husband, who is far more talented in the kitchen than I am, will cook more. Sure it will be Ramen, but it will somehow taste better since he’s making it.

3 –We won’t be weighed down by worries about job loss.

4 – We will be more creative in our bill pay process. Perhaps San Diego Gas and Electric will accept peanut butter cookies and hugs for payment? How about if the cookies are homemade?

5 – I don’t have to worry about my car getting repossessed because… I OWN IT!! And, we’re ahead in payments on the truck so we have some glide time.

6 – I will be able to empathize, once again, with some of my readers on what it’s like to not have a job and wonder how on earth we are going to pay the bills.

So here’s to my struggling readers – I’ve been there before, I’m there again, and we’ll survive it.

That was a mistake.

Today, my husband’s co-worker was laid off and another was reduced to part-time without benefits. It looks like less than a 3 month count down until my husband gets the axe.

I am terrified.

At this point, since we had to clear out part of our savings, we can only last 8 weeks without his paycheck.

That number sends a terrifying chill through my bones.

I’m focusing on the good though:

1. He still has a job today.
2. I lost my job last year and we survived.
3. We’re both healthy.
4. The new seasons of Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy have started.

It’s all about priorities.

It was always about who dated first, who dated most, who was the skinniest, who was the most tan, who traveled the most, who could annoy mom and pop the fastest…and on and on.

I thought that since ten years has passed since we lived together, we perhaps…

actually grew up.

Hah.

As we sat at my brother’s wedding, my sister said, ‘How’s your debt snowball? I think I might be done in late fall of 2010. I’m winning!’

To which I immediately responded, ‘You are soooo immature. This isn’t a race. We aren’t 12 anymore.’

Needless to say, I secretly went home, looked for anything and everything to sell and re-adjusted my budget in an attempt to somehow pull a payoff date of EARLY fall.

Just a heads up – when it comes to relationships between sisters, you never grow up.

Sure, if I had no debt and had no plans or acquiring new debt, my credit score wouldn’t matter…

Or would it?

I was reading Parade magazine this week and was reminded of a very important reason to keep up those scores – employment. Employers are using credit scores as another way to narrow down candidates. In this rough job market, that’s the last thing you want to worry about.

My current employer ran a credit check on me prior to offering employment. I had been unemployed for 2 months but had managed to pay my bills. Had my credit score fallen, I likely would have been passed over.

Congress is considering blocking this practice but right now, it’s very legal.

Do you think credit checks are a fair way to judge potential employees?

You can read the article at Parade.com/creditscore

I had NO idea how expensive it is to be a part of a wedding. New rule – no more weddings except for family.

We made no progress and made only the minimum payment on the truck.

Debt Breakdown:
Auto Loan 1: $0
Credit Card: $0
Student Loan: $9,731.52
Auto Loan 2: $11,532.21

He’s been dealing with a constant barrage of advice from his divorced co-workers – all telling him he’s making a mistake getting married. Not because he’s marrying the wrong girl, but because they think marriage in general is a mistake.

To my brother,

I remember how nervous I was on my wedding day. I wasn’t sure if my marriage would work. I was scared to fail at something so big.

Five years later, I can tell you this…

It’s worth it.

The laughter, the fun, the tears, the fights…

It’s all worth it.

Chris sent me a text today that said, ‘After almost 5 years of marriage, I love you more today than I did when we first started this adventure.’ I picked a great guy and I’ve been fortunate to have an amazing five years. I am so so very blessed with marriage.

You picked a great girl. You’re in for a great adventure.

Happy Wedding Day.

Rather than let the issue drop, the man has turned into an activist for consumers. His website, though not updated regularly, gives some good information on important issues such as the Credit Card Bill of Rights and consumer lending laws.

If you’re having a slow day, check it out:

www.newcreditrules.com

On a side note, I think he has a good idea and his dedication is admirable but wouldn’t it be easier to not be taken advantage of if you get rid of the credit cards entirely? It seems like the site should read, ‘You are all VICTIMS’ at the top. Activism on consumer protection is necessary BUT so is consumer responsibility.

*Warning* I can’t verify the validity of his claims but he has been all over our local news stations and on Good Morning America and they are far better at fact checking than I am.

‘SEEMED’ being the operative word here.

Would you like a towel to use at the pool? Sure, that will be $22.99 – and he didn’t get to keep the towel. He didn’t realize the towels had to be returned by 9:30 at night and was fined the full $22.99.

Endless soda with your meal? $4.99

Oh, and let’s not forget the mandatory gratuity of $150 per cabin.

What started as a ‘cheap’ bachelor party turned out to be quite a zinger to the pocket book… a $230 zinger to be specific.

Be very careful when cruising and be aware of any rental fees and times. You can check your tab at any time to see what you are being charged for, so it’s a good idea to check it daily.

I was hit with some unexpected expenses.

Friday, we were invited to a club by a promoter. Our drinks and cover charge were free. Woo Hoo for night one!

Saturday, the bridesmaid/ trip planner took us to a nice dinner at the Palms. None of the prices were on the menu but she had told us we would pay $75 for the dinner and for an all access wrist band to the clubs. After the meal was finished, the bill arrived and I was quite surprised when I was asked to pay double and pitch in for the bride to be (the bridesmaid/trip planner had told us she would pay for the bride to be but then decided not to pay).

I was really upset, especially since the bridesmaid had known the full price but had accidentally added incorrectly when telling us the individual price a few days earlier. Plus, when she decided to not cover the bride to be for anything but instead, divide it among us, I felt deceived. Had I known in advance, I could have made a better decision about going or staying home.

Yes, I could have made a huge scene and demanded more money from the bridesmaid but…

This bride to be is my future sister in law and it just wasn’t worth it to ruin the trip.

So…

I paid way too much and we’re not going to make any progress this month.

Sometimes we just make bad decisions.

Ugh.

This month was supposed to be a better month. It was a better month for our discretionary spending since we started a cash based system. It’s our necessary spending for health (supplements, specific healthier foods, etc.) that really hurt. I don’t regret spending the money, but it is really hurting our bottom line.

There’s also the wonderful surprise we received on September 2 from our health insurance company. They decided to raise our rates 28%. Oh, and the first payment with the new rate was due today. That’s an extra $115/month we have to now pay – and we didn’t even get a 30 day notice. If we didn’t need their health insurance, I would have cancelled it right then and there. I understand that rates sometimes need to be increased. We’ve dealt with many companies that have raised rates recently. But giving less than a 30 day’s notice is dirty in my book. We are fortunate – we had a little bit of wiggle room to be able to cover it this month. I know that there are many families that didn’t.

With everything going on, I am still very grateful. We are still credit card debt free and we are still holding our head above water. We’ll keep plugging away with increasing our emergency savings and paying off the rest of our debt, even if sometimes it feels like we are spinning our wheels. Eventually we’ll get some traction

I’m still sick.

My doctor says she can squeeze me in on Monday.

If I’m still sick by Monday, I’ll shoot myself and save her the trouble of an insurance claim (totally kidding folks, it’s the fever talking).

I was able to drag myself into work today. I completely forgot about the pre-scheduled site visit between me and oh… 25 or so other people.

Hmm. Perhaps showering would have been a good idea.

I scrambled to meet the project manager who took a look at my shoes and said, ‘Thank God! A woman with sense. Thanks for wearing closed toed shoes. Whenever we go on job walks, all the women wear open toed shoes and it’s very dangerous.’

I did not see the necessity in mentioning that my sick nauseated 5 in the morning haze prevented me from finding my cute pink strappy sandals… or even a hair brush for that matter.

Seven hours of 100 degree heat and ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Maybe’, and ‘That’s only legal in Thailand’ later, I was allowed to return home.

Sorry no financial updates. My brain is a blob and I plan on spending the next 48 hours under my big fluffy comforter.

Have a good weekend.

Thanks. Now I’ve got THAT to worry about.

In all my sitting at home time – most of which is spent in complete misery – I am able to squint open my eyes and read some of the daily news. I stumbled upon this headlining article at AOL…

http://autos.aol.com/article/cash-for-clunkers-greenwash

I found two quotes particularly eye opening…

‘Three revealing line items in a separate CNW survey noted that the drain on the family coffers would be offset by reducing the pay-down of credit card debt, deferring home improvement and removing money from non-targeted savings.’

and

‘Other critics groused that Cars for Clunkers took $2.8 billion from the general roster of 300 million citizens and handed it tax-free to a small group of 700,000 citizens.’

What are your thoughts?

As I’ve said earlier, my husband and I are involved in litigation. Someone has been suing us over an incident that didn’t involve us and didn’t occur on our property. After two YEARS of legal paperwork including nightmare depositions asking insanely personal questions, our attorney finally believes what we’ve been saying all along – we don’t own the property.

We had to hire two experts to support our claim. Sure it seems simple but this is California – aka lawsuit country – and frivolous lawsuits are common. Even my parents have been sued before!

Obviously I can’t elaborate since the case is still pending but it’s a big deal to finally have someone – ANYONE – certify what we’ve been saying.

The trial is still set for Christmas but I’m hoping the new facts will cause the judge to throw the whole lawsuit out.

Ugh. Maybe I can finally cross out the ‘lawsuit’ line item in our budget.

One of the guys who attended the bachelor party in Mexico got the entire bachelor party sick. Once home, they quickly spread the flu to their spouses… myself included.

Currently, I’m sitting with a napkin up my nose (I ran out of tissue about 3 hours ago) and I haven’t showered. Fortunately, my husband pretends not to notice.

Sorry but I’m going back to bed. I thought you weren’t supposed to get sick in the summer!!

Sure I could stay home and skip the expense, but it means a lot to me to be a part of the events leading up to her marriage to my brother.

I promise to be good.

Have a good weekend.

I was angry since we had just paid off our card – and because we’ve been burned in the past when we allowed others to use our credit.

Just as I expected, there were problems… but not the kind of problems I had guessed. Not only did the guys pay before they left, they overpaid by $20 each (we’re giving it back).

Our credit card still took a hit from my husband (I’ll talk about the REAL expenses of a cruise in a later post) but we’ll be able to pay it off before it rolls over and starts to accrue interest. We won’t be able to pay extra on the auto loan but at least we’ll be heading into October without credit card debt.

Would I loan money again on my credit card? Even though it actually worked out this time, I’m still SOLIDLY on the no side.

Begin with an end in mind.

OK, so here’s the sad part, I don’t remember how exactly they applied that statement to management. BUT, that statement is HUGE for me personally.

Often times, I pick a task with no end. I want to get more fit or I want to eat a healthy diet or I want to live as a penny pincher and on and on and on. Here’s the problem: Unending goals like these will lead to burnout.

Head smackingly obvious right? Then why do I keep making these stupid never-ending goals?

I think that’s what I appreciated about the Dave Ramsey program and why it has worked for me. I was convinced to pay off one debt at a time. It’s a goal with an end followed by another goal with an end. I also think that’s why training for a marathon and a triathlon has kept me more motivated than working out without an end in mind. If I want to quit after I finish I can, but I have a feeling I’ll be signing up for another one as soon as I cross the finish line.

Rather than say, ‘I want to be debt free forever’, say ‘I want to pay off my car by next summer’.

Begin with an end in mind.

What is your end?

Thursday’s post made me realize how silly it was that I didn’t know how, and in these boring months between payoffs, I find myself needing a distraction.

I learned a few things:

1. Bikini tops, though amusing to community pool staff, are not conducive to learning how to swim.
2. It takes an aquaphobic person 17 minutes to be coerced into a 3 ½ foot lap pool.
3. My husband is a very patient man.
4. Swimming, biking, and running on the same day with untrained muscles will cause pain that rivals injuries sustained in a roll over car accident.

As I walk with a limp today, I can’t help but compare this pain to the pain I felt when starting my journey toward a debt free future. It’s painful now and it will continue to be painful in the future. It will never be easy. If it were easy, everyone would be debt free and physically fit.

Pain is a sign of growing, learning, and taking responsibility for the future.

What is my worst financial pain? Not being able to travel. I don’t miss my credit card balance, but I miss the yearly trips that came with it.

What is your worst financial pain? What do you miss the most?

My husband is attending a bachelor party this weekend and the event required one credit card to book the trip for all five attendees (the bill could not be split). Most of our friends know about our recent credit card payoff (maybe shouting that fact from my roof and breaking into song was a clear sign) and naturally suggested that since we ‘had the room’ on our card (as if it were free), that my husband pay for the entire trip and be reimbursed later.

I’m not going to lie. I am upset.

Perhaps I’d be more trusting if this hadn’t happened before with concert and event tickets and in the end, we were always short. People conveniently ‘forget’ to pay or promise to pay later and then get annoyed when reminded. Plus, the credit card will be kept on file in case there are damages to the room or if alcohol is consumed.

When I asked why someone else couldn’t pony up a credit card, he told me it was because everyone is nearly maxed out but us. Um… isn’t that a good reason NOT to loan these people our credit card?

My husband and I rarely fight but this is a sensitive issue for me and I feel like we are opening ourselves up to a lot of potential debt.

Am I overreacting?

I don’t know how to swim.

I won’t drown, I’m simply limited to a doggie paddle and as it turns out, that won’t get me very far.

Even worse, I SHOULD know how to swim. My father set a state record in competitive swimming. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I married a competitive swimmer who also played water polo.

Unfortunately, I realized that three of the six weeks before the triathlon are blacked out for wedding events and will severely cut down on my preparedness – and I have yet to stick a toe in water. I turned my friend down but now I’m looking at the next one in March and… I think I can do it.

Ann, a brilliant reader, also pointed out that if I paid off my student loan first, I would lose my tax deduction.

As someone who gets WAY too much joy from writing off the student loan interest, I am grateful to Ann for reminding me of this fact.

I’m sure a lot of you have student loans and this should be a consideration in your debt payment plan.

Thanks Ann!

My score is up, but only slightly. The credit card payoff has not yet hit the reporting agencies (of course, if I had missed a payment, it would have likely been reported the same day). I hope to see a bigger jump in four more months.

If you decided to check your credit report with me and follow my once yearly free report check, this time I used:

Equifax

Do me a favor…

take Labor Day off.

Have a glass of wine. Go for a run. Ride your bike. Use a kitchen appliance you haven’t used since you received it as a wedding gift 5 years ago. Spend time with the ones you love.

Don’t worry about that checking/savings account today… the banks aren’t open to bounce those checks until tomorrow anyway.

I’m off to the beach (free) to spend time with the man I love (free). Have a good day – I know I will.

I left to housesit for a co-worker and came home to …

My husband explained that he had discovered mold under the floor and in the walls and decided to replace everything to be safe.

So why… why… why… did I assume that when we intended to insulate the separation closet wall in a 50 year old house, that we would simply be able to insulate the closet wall?

This is our spare bedroom as of today…

A few days ago, my husband asked if he could insulate all four walls. We both agreed that as long as we had one wall down, we should take down the remaining three walls, fix the electrical, and fix the phone line. Total tab so far? $142. I am so very thankful to be married to a talented construction man.

When making decisions like these, it’s hard not to want to put it off until later or take the easy way out. What we constantly have to consider is: Is this going to cost more later if avoided?

My nearly $200 electric bill tells me… I should have done this two years ago.

The good news? Energy improvements, including insulation, are tax deductable. Yes!

Want more info? Go to: energystar.gov/taxcredits

Dave Ramsey suggests paying the extra amount on your lowest debt (which would be the student loan) but the minimum payment on our truck is more 4 times higher than the student loan. Plus, the interest rate on the truck is twice as much.

Another good reason to pay more on the truck is to quickly rid ourselves of the hefty payment. In the event of job loss, a student loan can be deferred due to financial hardship – auto loans are not nearly as forgiving.

We’re hoping to have the truck paid off in 10 months or less.

Here we go!