Digging Out From Our Mess

Busy lives!

2013-06-18T09:52:00.003-04:00

I am not lost! Just crazy busy!

Like most families, June is a busy busy time. End of year school stuff. Getting ready for camp. It seems like every time I think we are "done" something else creeps up!

We have had doctor appointments, and tons of phone calls to track down the forms I needed for camp.

My boss is out of the office part of this week, but he was crazy all over the place last week!! Made for complicated days....I would start something, and then get pulled away.

G-man took this week off to do house stuff. Project 1 (fixing the Bilco door to the basement) is done. He is currently finishing up the makeover on Sassy's room (painting done, carpet cleaned, putting together her desk and dresser and reloading today). He will steam clean the other rugs while we have the cleaner. Next on the chopping block is.....the pool.

This week, the school scheduled all sorts of things, and unfortunately, we can't attend everything. One thing was yesterday, and I didn't see the information on it until last night...oh well. Then there is a reading thing today, and DARE graduation tomorrow, the kids' social on Thursday, and "promotion" on Friday. We just can't do that much in one week.

Bossy has a medical procedure on Thursday (scheduled 7 months ago, when they were supposed to be out of school already).

And then Friday is the 5th grade "promotion" ceremony.

My brother will be in town the last weekend in June. Oh, and my parents "may" be coming in early July.

My aunt is in the hospital, so I went to see her over the weekend, and will check in with her later this week after she gets settled in the rehabilitation center.

So....once things settle....I will hopefully get back to business. Hope everyone is well!

Camp!

2013-06-11T08:34:00.000-04:00

Thanks everyone for weighing in on my bill. As rotten as it sounds....part of me wants to say....your error....not my problem. Even though I know that isn't right. I want to take all the bills I have and uber analyze them before I call. *sigh* Just once, it would be nice to come out ahead.

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Today's topic.....summer camp!

This is our 7th year at camp, and all I can say is I wanna go to camp! There are 6 or 7 camps through the program and they are all set up the same: 5 days a week; one day at the pool; one field trip per week; and "theme" days. Camp is 7 weeks ($70/wk for the first child, and $58/wk for siblings), and they offer extended camp, at a hefty extended price ($120 for the week, per kid).

This year they are going to a different "camp" within the program. It is at the school that is the absolute FARTHEST from anything....so they are going to take the school bus to and from camp, instead of having us drive them. The bus stop is the local elementary school, so we are 90 seconds away.

As they are getting older, they need to be around kids that are their own age, or even a little older. Because Bossy has needed nursing, we have been "restricted" to which program they have gone to. Technically, I could "demand" they hire a nurse to go where I want him to go....but the expense is ridiculous and I wouldn't do that to the program. But now that he doesn't need the nurse....we have free reign to pick the program (within the age restrictions).

Being at the older kid camp, the themes are a little more mature (no more Disney day) but still age appropriate. And the field trips are as well....instead of the bounce house place....they are going to an amusement park! Plus the science center, a play, the movies, roller magic, and more.

This year, "extended" camp is only 1 week (full week only), vs two weeks they have offered in the past. Additionally, you have to sign up for the full week, instead of by the day. We typically have sent them on the days where we both work (so 6 out of 10 days) at $15/day/child. For $90....we got 2 extra weeks of child care.

We crunched the numbers, and we would actually lose more pay if we took off from work. Plus, we have another week and half we have to deal with. Neither of our employers will be happy if we are shifting our schedules for 2.5 weeks. So, they will go to the extended camp.

Camp must be paid for in cash/check (no CC). For the past few years, we have saved money each paycheck to pay for camp. This year, we also sent the kids to Dog Class and Spring Break Camp...so we had to come up with another $250. Plus extended camp is a little more this year. I talked to our favorite person there, and she is allowing us to pay in two installments.

I am signing them up today, and have $950 of the $1076 we need. In two weeks we will have the remainder. So it isn't too bad. If we didn't do the other camps, we would have had the full amount 2 weeks ago. Years and Years ago....the kids were part of the "extended school year" programs, and the district paid the majority of camp. One year, we paid $66 per kid!! For the summer! Oh well....times change.

What are your kids doing for the summer????

Mini Ethical Issue

2013-06-10T08:39:00.001-04:00

You get a bill....you know it is wrong, in your favor......do you say something, or take your chances that the company doesn't figure it out?

SO I need to do a mini-come clean (maybe mini will be my theme of the week.....): Bossy's supplies total hasn't been "accurate" per the bill for about 5 months. The amount I have reported is the amount that the bill SHOULD be, but the bill hasn't been right.

January: Start the financial waiver process
Early February: Approved for 60% off the balance and any future bills in February. Because of timing, I was told by the financial manager (who is no longer there), the adjustment needs to be made manually (month by month for the balance, and then the same going forward), and it may not be complete by the February billing cycle, which was only a few days away.
Mid-February: Get bill that does not reflect discount, but we were expecting that.
March: Get bill, no adjustment made. Call customer service, and they said in their system, a partial adjustment has been made and was done after the bill went out. Was told it would be corrected by April bill.
April - Get bill that shows the partial adjustment. Call again why the full adjustment wasn't completed. Customer service doesn't know and passes it on to the next level up, who assured me it would be done by May.
May - never got a bill.

So here we are in June. I called again, and was told they have lots of accounts and they just haven't gotten to mine (to which I rebutted and said why did someone start the process and never finish it?). Asked why I didn't get a May bill.....and was told they don't like to send out inaccurate bills (but they did for months prior). Asked what the current balance was...and it was still showing the partial adjustment. Asked why the past 6 months of service charges isn't on the bill.....was told that insurance hasn't paid those charges yet, so they don't know what our portion will be (which we have dealt with before).

So I again asked when the adjustment will be finished, and was told she would call me back. She called back that afternoon, and said they were mailing me an updated, corrected bill. I asked the balance......$362.

WHAT???

I didn't say anything, because I wanted to see the bill. It arrived over the weekend, and as I initially suspected, they adjusted the amounts that had previously been adjusted. From what I can tell, the full adjustment was completed but wasn't updated in the system, and then my phone call triggered it. Instead of seeing that the adjustment was complete, they took another 60% off the bill.

I had estimated that the bill should have been about $900. Subtract 60% (which is $540) and you get $360. So there ya go.

I know the bill is incorrect. I could open my mouth, and would then owe another $540. Or, I could just pay off the bill (we still have overtime money in the wings that we were deciding which debt to put it towards and in what increment) and be done. I am guessing if I pay off the bill....all the accounting mistakes will drop off the bill and only "current" billing will show up. The likelihood of them finding their error will decrease.

But that isn't how we roll. I just KNOW that this will all backfire. Because it always does.

We talked about paying off the bill, AND continuing to put the agreed upon payment per month aside for awhile....and if the bill comes back around, at least we have some money toward it. If it doesn't come back around, then that money would be a big snowball toward the next debt.

So....what would you do? Roll the dice and hope they don't figure out their mistake? Tell them they made a mistake and all they will say is Thank You? Run for the border????

I am a good person, and I pay my bills. Heck, it took us 8 YEARS to pay off Bossy's hospital bill....most people would have given up WAY before that. But this is tempting....

GBU - June 9, 2013

2013-06-09T09:16:00.002-04:00

This school year just won't end.....anyone else still have kids in school...for 2 more weeks!!!??

Enjoying the new sofa set. :)
Bossy had a great Occ Therapy session.
Free lunch at work during the staff meeting.
Almost have a bill "issue" figured out.
Sassy is excited about the upcoming changes to her room, and has started (independently!) sorting her items to get rid of the "little kid" stuff.

Bill "issue" that shouldn't have been an issue in the first place!
G-man didn't like my "convert to gas from oil" plan, and doesn't have a real reason why.
Lots of bills got paid this week....amazing how fast a paycheck can disappear!

Tight finances = need to go grocery shopping.
Lots of rain = flooded basement.

The GREAT:

I gathered all my misc stuff for School/PTA and passed it on. I still need to officially go over everything with the incoming person, but at least my box is GONE.
Flowers are starting to fill in, and my Peonies bloomed!

So....where are you all at this week???

Tipping

2013-06-04T07:47:00.002-04:00

I mentioned yesterday about tipping the delivery guys who brought the new living room set. And 444 and NDChic both said they don't tip in that situation.

So I started thinking about it....Is tipping in certain situations regional? Is there a "rule of thumb" when it comes to tipping? How do you decide to whom you tip?

I grew up in Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. Both my parents were born and raised Long Island New York. So the basic dichotomy is watching my North East Parents in the South.

There are lots of differences, but I just wanted to set the stage. In case tipping is a regional thing.

I learned that you for just about any "service" performed. Wait staff, hair dressers....I think most people conform to those. But in addition, I grew up watching my parents tip the delivery guy (food, furniture). The exception was someone like a florist who delivered a vase of flowers....he didn't get tipped.

I also learned to tip the chef at the Japanese restaurant who puts on the show at the Hibachi. And the SkyCap at the airport. And any driver (limo, cab, even the shuttle bus at the airport).

Going back to service folks....repair people didn't get tipped. If someone was hired to do some other type work (painting, landscaping, etc), they didn't get tipped per se.....but I remember when my parents had the pool and sprinkler system installed....and Mom brought the men drinks and snacks.

So I ask you....what do you do in these situations? Do you tip? Any situations I didn't mention that you do tip?

Discuss.

The Sofa Story

2013-06-03T08:34:00.001-04:00

We are very happy with the new furniture, although it will take some getting used to. The cushions are much firmer (uh, maybe because they still have structural integrity??), and the entire seat is higher than our old set. But they are still comfy and we are happy.

The cats are less than happy with the sofa set, but are enjoying the new chair. The arms on the sofas are much more narrow than before, so they lost their hang out spot. Too bad!

I was quite annoyed with the delivery guys, who were almost 2 hours late. We were given a 2 hr window for delivery....and they were 2 hrs outside of that. They did call when they were "45 min" away. Curious, since the warehouse is 5 min from my office, and that is 30 min. Anyway, it was almost 1 hr 15 min after that phone call that they showed up.

Additionally, there were 3 movers (but one supposed hurt his back, so his lifting abilities were limited). Luckily we had some extra cash so we were able to tip all 3 ($5 per guy).

For now, painting the room is on hold. G-man is feeling overwhelmed with house stuff (which is a whole other animal that I don't understand), so we are putting that project on the "Fall project" list. We did gather a bunch of paint chips, but that is as far as it will go for the moment.

****

Meanwhile....we had moved our old set onto the curb with the very fancy cardboard "FREE" sign. I placed a "free" ad on Craigslist, and were hopeful that they would be gone shortly. I got one e-mail response asking if we would deliver them into the city for $25 (uh, no).

Then.....a light at the end of the tunnel! We saw some people looking at the set! Yay!

Upon further inspection.....they were just trying to remove the slip covers and were going to leave the sofas! Ok, I know they are on the curb...but without the slip covers, we had ZERO chance of getting rid of the set.

G-man ran outside and said "no....take all or nothing." They argued that they just needed the slipcovers. He argued back. They left. Maybe we were wrong.....but we didn't want to have to rent a truck to bring the sofas to the dump, then pay the dump fee....just so they could have the slipcovers.

Meanwhile, our neighbor came over and said his Sister In Law, who had been living with them for about 6 months, has found her own place...and maybe she could use them. She arrived about 10 min later and took them (although a thank you would have been nice....but whatever).

Today is a rainy day (much needed after several days of 90+ degree heat). Too bad I can't take the set out for a napping test drive!

GBU - June 2, 2013

2013-06-02T07:54:00.001-04:00

June is here!!!????

The new living room set is here!
The old sofas are gone (and there is a story behind it!)
Mini Date night with G-man on Friday
Kitty seems to be better.

Several hot days this week have made the house very uncomfortable. But we aren't ready to put in the air conditioners yet.
ANTS!

NOTHING

The GREAT:

I forget how independent the kids can be sometimes. It is neat to sit back and just watch them.
I am so caught up at work, I am bored! (This will probably change in the coming days, but this past week I even did the back burner stuff, and cleaned out my desk, and my e-mails....all those things you do when you are bored!)

Thursday ramble

2013-05-30T08:34:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday! Thursday is such an odd day....not quite the weekend, but most people are already starting to check out.

Luckily, Thursday tends to be our "quieter" day around the house. This is going to change over the summer, as Bossy's Occupational Therapy will be Thursday instead of Saturday. But for at least the next couple of weeks, Thursday is just a chill day.

June is almost here....and of course there is a ton to do in the coming weeks!

Sign kids up for camp
Get medical forms signed
Pre-op bloodwork for Bossy's procedure
Father's Day
Bossy's Procedure
End of school year stuff for kids....Concert, Promotion Day
My last PTA meeting as Secretary!
Open the pool (although I really don't do much on this...it is more of a G-man thing)

Add in our self imposed deadlines for painting and house projects, and it makes for a busy time of year!

I am going to take some time tonight to map it all out. Some things are time sensitive, so I need to make sure those are done. And working around other various things....if you don't have a plan, it can get messy really fast.

What are you up to?

How bad is your stuff...

2013-05-29T07:59:00.000-04:00

when no one wants it for FREE?

We placed our current living room furniture on Freecycle. We were honest that the furniture isn't in great shape without the slipcovers, but they would be great couches for a Man Cave, basement, rec room. We said we were non-smoking, but did have cats.

We had 1 person who couldn't see the pics and asked for them again. And then radio silence. I take that to mean they aren't interested.

At work, we work with families that have next to nothing. One girl knew she had a family who was looking for furniture. She called them, and they hemmed and hawed about the distance to come get it (about 45 min drive for them). And she wanted a picture.

So far....nothing.

If no one claims it by Thursday afternoon.....they will go out on the curb with a FREE sign, and hopefully they will be gone by morning. That is the way alot of stuff works in our neighborhood.

Here are the pictures of the set. I realize they aren't great pictures (both pieces are the same color, but my pictures make one look lighter than the other), and I realize that getting beat up furniture isn't a big party. But in my experience....if you offer it for FREE, SOMEONE will take it.

We did our part for the economy

2013-05-28T07:23:00.001-04:00

We shopped. Alot. We used all sorts of payment methods....GC, cash, credit until the cash transfers.

G-man's Shopping

Part of G-man's and my deal with the overtime pay was he got $200 as "his" to do what he wanted. So he took advantage of some Memorial Day sales, and still has about $50 left. I hope he enjoys his sunglasses, fishing rod, and lures. :)

Bossy's Shopping

Shorts, t-shirts, jammies, oh my! It has been at least 2 years since we had to buy clothes for him, and alas, the kid grew. He is still on the small side, but at almost 11 yrs old....his size SIX shorts didn't fit any more. He picked out mostly solid or striped shirts, and Angry Birds PJ bottoms. He is happy. Oh, and he loves his new swimsuit (his other ones are THREE years old!).

Sassy's Shopping

Sassy got some t-shirts, shorts, and also got her first.....foundation garment. Doesn't she think she is the Cat's meow now??? I found them on clearance for $2.80 for a 3 pack! She is JUST starting out, so this is really more to cover her up than support anything (other than her little buds!). But it was time. Sassy still needs a swimsuit (poor kid is right in between sizes). We will have to continue to look for that.

She also had a Justice gift card from Nannie from her last birthday, and she enjoyed getting a few tops.

We started shopping for her room makeover (taken from the Sassy money from the overtime) At Target, we were able to get Sassy a new bedding set for 50%, and a $7 hot pink sequined pillow....which produced a smile a mile wide. We also ordered her a desk from Overstock.com.

Mysti's Shopping

I used a $50 gift card I had at Kohl's to get some new foundation garments. :) And we earned $30 in Kohl's cash. I will order 1-2 more garments for myself (probably a combo of garment and tops) with the Kohl's cash and another $25 GC I have been saving for this occasion. I also used the generous JCPenney GC that HS over at Our Debt Blog gifted to me to get some new tops and capri pants.

House Shopping

Some stuff just wears out over time. We needed new Drip Pans (even steel wool wasn't helping anymore). A new scrub brush for the sink.

And a living room set.

Yes.....we pulled the trigger and did it. After ALOT of talking about it, we finally decided to get a new set. It is a mid-level set that suits our needs. It is a brown-grey neutral color on the love seat and sofa, and a brown-grey pattern accent chair. We got 10% off the already clearance price for the holiday weekend, which more than covered the delivery charge ($75....cheaper than renting a U-Haul and gas).

I tried to post the picture, but the site wouldn't let me. If you want to see the set here is the link. The chair is in the pattern you see on the pillow.

So in the coming weeks, we will paint and freshen, and close Pandora's box (the rest of the makeover will have to wait.....rug, coffee table, pillows, etc).

I actually feel good about the shopping. Most of it we had money for (yes, I said MOST). The kids got ALOT for the money we spent (about $125 per kid). I got some desperately needed items, and look forward to not looking so shlubby (that is the technical term ya know). G-man got something that jazzes him (doesn't do a thing for me!). And of course....the furniture that I have been talking about FOREVER.

Anyone else take advantage of the Memorial Day sales???

Kitty is Home!

2013-05-25T08:55:00.002-04:00

Thank you for thinking of my kitty. He is doing so much better. He is definitely much perkier than before the vet visit. He is still taking the stairs a little slower, but he is back to being the sweet, cuddle boy that he is.

He did NOT have pancreatitis, and thus it was decided he had some sort of Intestinal bug. He came home on a bland diet for a week (he isn't loving it though), and then back to his regular food.

He is also on Pepcid for 2 weeks, and an antibiotic for one week.

And the vet bill was not as bad as we were bracing ourselves for: $337 (+$8 at the grocery store for generic Pepcid). Kitty fund to the rescue!!

This is the first year we have had a kitty fund, so I am glad we started it! The Kitty fund is $30 every 2 weeks, and was designed to cover food, litter, and annual Vet visit, plus a little extra for misc. Since we started it in January, we have taken money for food and litter. The cats' annual vet visit is later in the year.

We have $228 in the Kitty fund, or 2/3 of the bill. A year ago, we would have had ZERO. The remainder of the bill will come from the EF.

Onward and upward.....

Kitty Update

2013-05-23T15:35:00.001-04:00

I brought Kitty in at 9am. I was going to do it this afternoon, but they were concerned with what I was reporting and wanted me to bring him in sooner than later. His physical exam was good....nothing too out of the norm. He was running a little fever, and had a full bladder (thank you for not peeing in your carrier!!!). They wanted to keep him and see if they could get him to eat and so they could do some bloodwork.

Spoke to the vet this afternoon. Kitty's amylase levels are very high, which indicate intestinal inflammation. His potassium level is low as well, but apparently that isn't unusual in older cats. He still hasn't eaten. They are giving him antibiotics and fluids, but he doesn't seem to be dehydrated.

She suspects it is pancreatitis, and wants to run a blood test to test for something or other. If it is pancreatitis, he will probably have to go on a different, bland diet. So we would have 3 cats on 3 different foods! And we will probably have to give him a potassium supplement.

He is staying there overnight and they are hoping that once the antibiotics kick in and it is quiet there, maybe he will nibble on his food. She said he doesn't seem stressed being there....he is just hanging out.

Right now, he is in good hands. While I miss him being home, he obviously was in distress. I am glad I took him in. We have money in the Kitty fund, but I am sure it won't cover everything. Ain't that just the way is always goes!

He is overall a healthy cat. Hopefully this is just a minor set back and he will be back to catting about in no time.

An emergency vet visit

2013-05-23T07:51:00.001-04:00

I am worried today. One of my cats seems to be "off." He is 14 yrs old, and has always been in good health. Other than he likes to eat super fast and then puke it up a minute later.

He is a lap cat. Especially if you have a blanket. As soon as you sit down, there he is. Rub me, cuddle me, love ME. And he is just so darn sweet you can't help but do it.

The very first night we got him, he was so scared. He hid under the bed in the guest room and wouldn't come out. I kept trying, and G-man convinced me to just leave him alone and he would come out when he was ready. Eventually we went to bed....and a minute later I heard "patter patter patter JUMP." He hopped up on the bed, snuggled in by my feet, and that has been his nighttime sleeping spot ever since.

He stayed in bed with me when I was on bedrest during my pregnancies. He put his little white mitten paws on my belly and kept us all safe.

And he is VOCAL. Of our 3 cats, he is definitely the loudest. He meows at nothing (we say he is talking to his ghost friend). At meal time he stands at the cabinet and keeps meowing, even as you are getting the food out. He makes his presence heard.

But the last few days....he hasn't been social. He isn't eating. He doesn't seem to have the usual spring in his step. He hasn't cuddled or slept with us. He isn't meowing. He isn't HIM.

So as soon as the vet opens this morning, I will call and make an appointment.

He is my first bebe......and I am not ready to lose him. I know that all pets pass on, and I don't know if this is the beginning of the end. I just know that for today, I am terribly worried about him.

Please keep him in your thoughts......

The never ending list

2013-05-21T07:39:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, I planted the flowers we purchases on Saturday. Went to water them.....no water. G-man hadn't turned on the outdoor faucet yet (we shut it off from the inside in the winter to prevent freezing). Luckily, it rained, so the flowers got a natural drink.

G-man tried to turn on the faucet for future use....and it broke. He said the handle just crumbled in his hand, and then it was leaking. He shut the water off again, and now he had a mini project to deal with. Meanwhile, I am hand watering my flowers. A few look a little weak.....I am trying not to worry.

The fan in our bedroom is a little off balance.

The towel bar in the bathroom fell.

The screen in one of Sassy's bedroom windows needs to be repaired.

The landscaping timbers on the side yard are rotten.

And, and, and.....There is ALWAYS something to do. None of this stuff is sexy or fun. But it is all important in one way or another. The joys of running a household....

G-man has an overwhelming list of things to do, and the above things are in addition to his already huge list. Yardwork is probably the largest "to do" item.

My list is just as long. I swear, I don't think it is possible to be 100% caught up.

Maybe someday!

Sunday Night Chit Chat - May 19, 2013

2013-05-19T19:27:00.001-04:00

WHOA! I haven't played along since February!!! Bad Mysti!!!

Ok....someone tell me I am not the only one who does this:

And on to the Chit Chat for the evening...

Reading: I started reading Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell at Christmas and haven't picked it up in ages. I have way too much going on, and reading just isn't on the list at the moment.

Watching: Not sure tonight. Have to see what I have on the DVR. I know I have several shows that I have at least 3 episodes of, so it will definitely be a marathon of something. Maybe Revenge....maybe Elementary.

Listening to: Bossy is watching Family Game Night. Sassy is upstairs, so all is quiet on the second floor.

Cooking/Baking: Haven't done alot of this over weekend. G-man made Thai Coconut Soup on Friday night, and then last night we were at a cookout. Tonight was Tacos. But my poor empty fridge and freezer are just beckoning for a bulk cooking fest! See how empty my fridge is (and for the record, something spilt in there, so I took the opportunity to wash all the shelves and such):

Happy you accomplished this week: PTA stuff!!! Last Sunday I had to finish the minutes from the April meeting, then we had a 2 hr meeting on Tuesday, and I had to finish THOSE minutes on Wednesday (long story why there was a rush). I am just glad that got done.

Looking forward to next week: Payday on Wednesday....it will be a nice fat check. And this is going to sound weird.....but G-man has a bachelor party on Saturday, so I am alone on Saturday night. Just kind of looking forward to it.

Thankful for today: The rain held off long enough for me to get my plants in the ground and get some misc yard stuff done.

*BONUS QUESTION*
Do you like your name? Would you change it if you could?

Most everyone knows Mysti isn't my "real" name. My real name is a pretty common one from the mid 70's when I was born. I don't really like it, but I don't dislike it. I probably wouldn't change it just because I have no idea what I would change it to.

Thanks to Carla for hosting!!

GBU - May 19, 2013

2013-05-19T13:47:00.001-04:00

Is it really possible that June is only 2 weeks away????

Despite being a crazy busy week, it was overall ok
Bossy enjoyed his field trip.
Science fair was nice, and both kids scored well on their project. Overall winners haven't been announced. But I am proud of both their efforts.
Got my plants for the front yard and got them planted.
Had a Reiki session (and still have $10 left on my gift card!)
Overtime pay!
Went to Scout cook out and had a lovely time.

My car is leaking oil. G-man changed the filter a few weeks ago, and it has been leaking since. We decided no more DIY for my car. Will need to go into the shop for it. Spending more on oil than it is worth.
Still trying to play catch up on all the household stuff.

Allergies are KILLING the kids. Sassy is a little better than Bossy, but they both are in bad shape. Bossy is all puffy!

The GREAT:

Watching Bossy at the cookout with "the guys."
Watching Sassy be the only girl with "the guys" and she could hold her own.

Fun Fluffy Friday!

2013-05-17T07:48:00.001-04:00

Another long week means my brain can't handle a "real" post....so it is time for.....

FLUFFY FRIDAY!!!!

Time to get to know something about me, and I get to know something about you!!! Play along and post your answers in the comments.

1) Are still enjoying Spring, or are you already in Summer mode?

2) Name 3 things that are in your car right now that shouldn't be there (if you don't have a car, pick any spot where "stuff" collects).

3) What is the last thing you spent money on (doesn't matter the form, or how much....if you paid for something, it counts).

********

1) Still in Spring mode. I haven't planted my plants yet (good thing, because we had a freeze the other night). Still have yardwork to do, and I can't even think about wearing shorts yet (not that I wear them ANYWHERE except in the house).

2) I really try to keep my car "clean", but I have an empty drink cup, a box of envelopes for PTA, and a box of empty bottles that need to be recycled!

3) I had to think about this for a minute. We were at science fair last night, and bookfair. Did I buy anything......nope. So the last purchase was $33.59 at the gas station ($30 in gas, and $3.59 for drink and breakfast).

Happy Fluffy Friday!!!!

Is it Debt?

2013-05-14T08:27:00.000-04:00

The other day when I talked about the RESET, fellow blogger 444 posted this in the comments:

"I would not list the 401K loan along with other debts, since it's not a true debt. You took money from your own account when you accessed that money, and you are replacing it over time; the "interest" is really just additional amounts you are adding to the account. On a balance sheet, the 401K is an asset and it's smaller after having accessed that money, so that should be the only way the transaction is noted. The smaller account balance shows where the money was shifted.

Whether or not you list assets in your public accounting of your financial situation, don't show the 401K loan as a debt. It's implied that debt is owed to outside entities; debts to yourself aren't debts in the usual sense of the word. Give yourself credit for having brought your consumer debt down considerably."

So my question to you all is this....do you consider a retirement loan "debt?"

444 was (and I assume still is) a supporter of the loan. As she stated, we accessed money that was ours to start with, and we used it to lower our consumer debt (since it paid off the CCs and Lending Club loans"). And yes, a retirement account is an asset, and if you withdraw money, then you just have a smaller asset. In all of those senses, she is right.

As long as you look at all of this as purely "business," all of this is right.

BUT.....part of getting out of debt is emotional. The toll it takes on you while you are working on it is exhausting at times. So I have a hard time just seeing the numbers as numbers (although I do love me some spreadsheet porn).

If we didn't count the loan in the debt total, our debt would be $42,898.55. The CC debt would account for 13%, vs the 8% is accounts for now. And let's really be honest.....the retirement loan paid off consumer debt. So by not counting it, it doesn't reflect the true picture.

Also, we pay $380.15 a payperiod for this loan. That is $9,883.90 a year. Without counting this transaction as debt, it appears that we are contributing almost $10k per year to our retirement account. And in most circles we would get a high five for that. But then others would say put that 10k toward the "true debt" and knock it out faster.

Well, that is double dipping.

I think it is important to note where that much money is really going, and why it is going there. It is going there because we had incredible consumer debt at very high interest rates, and we took a calculated risk to eliminate as much interest as possible. So we took the loan.

In 3 years, we will have an extra 10k to play with (and in all honesty, it will probably continue to go into the retirement account). But we may choose to put it toward remaining debt; we may choose to save it up for a year toward a vehicle. I don't know. Too far in the future to predict that.

But for us, this loan is debt, no matter what a spread sheet says. So 444, I get what you are saying. And there is a logic to your case, but for now it is going to stay as is.

Overtime money

2013-05-13T16:27:00.002-04:00

It's here! The overtime pay that G-man earned while in Boston!!

It was a horrific situation that was the catalyst to all of this, and I won't ever forget that. We have already donated to the Boston One Fund, and G-man was part of some very personal situations that really hit him hard. He did what he needed to do, and we are fortunate that he is in a position that allowed him to get paid for what he did.

I wish none of it had happened. But it did, and here we are.

In total, he submitted 50.75 hrs of overtime, which includes a couple hours from a training from the very end of the previous payperiod (since he was out of town, he couldn't add it in, so it got submitted late). This brings his total overtime for the year to 66.75. Unless something else "big" happens, that is likely the end of the OT (due to the federal budget sequestration). There may be an hour or two over the next 6 months, but nothing big.

The interesting thing about this paycheck is when you look at the Gross Pay vs Net. Once you take out taxes and deductions, we normally see about 51% of the gross pay as net. But this one, we got 58.5%. That gives me a clue that they didn't take out enough taxes (and trust me.....they take plenty!!!!)

It is really is pathetic that 1/3 of just the overtime pay went to taxes. And it isn't enough. *sigh*

But enough complaining.....

As I mentioned, we planned on taking G-man's 3rd paycheck in April, plus his overtime pay, plus all sorts of little piles of money (including the money we had set aside from his cancelled guy weekend), and put it all together and see where we were at. Admire the pile for a minute. And then decide.

So, all the piles together.......come to just shy of $3000!!! I have transferred the money from our main checking account to the "holding" account, so I don't have that nice number to look at yet. Give it a few days. Then I can just bask in the glory that is a big pile of money!

Now, you hard core, gazelle intense folks are going to say! Yay Mysti! Finish off your Baby Step 1 (which technically is done if you go off of Dave Ramsey's $1000 EF, and we are just shy of $2,000, not including my "just makes me feel safer" money). The remainder should knock out the medical/dental bill, and then put a dent in CC4. Right? Oh you hard core folks.....you are so funny!!!!

No division decisions have been formally made other than:

G-man will have some for him, since he worked so hard for it
Some will go to fixing up Sassy's room
Some will go to "fun" (probably the living room furniture)
Some will go to debt.

The money from G-man's trip that didn't happen will also get put aside for the future trip (because it would have been spent if he had gone).

We have Discover Cash Back monies, My Points, and Swagbucks, so those will go towards Sassy's room. Her carpet is trashed, and we are in the process of figuring out what that will run to replace. Until we know some more concrete info, we can't really make an informed decision. Worst case scenario is we rip out the carpet and leave her the hardwood (which is in OK shape, but not great).

But she needs a desk and dresser (hers has gotten too small for her clothes). And no....I don't want to go on Craigslist. That is where her current stuff came from. We are looking at a Target desk and IKEA dresser. Nothing fancy, but it is new and all hers. And we will paint and just freshen things.

The fun....we found a sofa, loveseat, and chair set on clearance for $1000. We have been debating this for a while. Ultimately we decided that this house just won't accommodate what we really want, and since a new house isn't in the cards....we have to go with what will work. We like the set enough that I don't think we will feel like we are settling.

And then the debt. The dentist will get part....and there are some bills that aren't part of the big debt and part will go in that direction.

Or at least that is the current plan. I am feeling like we are spending more of it than we should. But I also feel like we will get more of a boost from doing it this way than we would if went gazelle. Like I have said....we aren't gazelle.

And like I said....we are going to let the money sit for a bit just to make sure that we do what we want to do and that we have thought it out. There was one thought of going on vacation....but I just know I wouldn't enjoy it at this stage of the debt process. We also thought about not doing anything with it, and just letting it sit. But that didn't seem right either.

I will let you know as updates happen!

GBU - May 12, 2013

2013-05-12T09:21:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

G-man fixed the hinges on a cabinet door in the kitchen. That *&%^% cabinet has been in the "open" position for months!

G-man blew out a brake pad. New rotors and brakes needed. Luckily, we had JUST enough in the car maintenance fund to cover it (or it would have been in the UGLY category).
Sassy is woefully behind in her science fair project...which she has been doing at school. So a good portion of my day today will be spent working on that with her.
My dad called. Didn't go well.

Financially this didn't impact me....but in my alright tight schedule, it screwed over my world. The T-shirts we ordered for Science Fair came in with the school name missed spelled! The chair approved the graphic and didn't notice. So I spent 8 hrs last night "fixing" the problem.
I am so far behind in so many things, I can't see straight. And it seems that all my time lately is putting out fires left and right.

The GREAT:

Bossy earned his Scout rank badge at scouts. This is his first official rank as a Boy Scout, and required him to tie a square knot and and a few other things. He worked hard.

Crazy busy weekend!

2013-05-11T08:54:00.002-04:00

I am waiting for my coffee to kick in and allow my eyes to stay open.....and then I HAVE to hit the ground running!!!

I really should have done "stuff" last night, but I just didn't want to. I knew it was Friday night, and I think mentally I just was done for the day. I was supposed to have a Reiki session (the last of my gift card....I really need to figure out how to budget this in once a month....or at least every 6 weeks), but the practitioner rescheduled because she was sick.

On the agenda for the weekend....

The regular stuff (laundry, cleaning, etc)
Help Sassy with her science fair project board
PTA stuff (finish minutes, which are taking forever because of the horrid blow out that happened at the last meeting; clear out e-mail, work on binder, and if I get to it....make a CD of all the templates for the next Secretary)
14 Reports from Work!!! (need to read, edit, fix. Then prep releases, envelopes for copying and mailing on Monday; Unfortunately....several of these reports are for upcoming meetings, so they are time sensitive, and I didn't get alot of them until 4pm on Friday!)
Get plants and plant them! (this may be one thing that gets booted if time doesn't allow for it)
Take Bossy to occupational therapy

Some of these things are long and involved. *sigh*

Mother's Day....hahaha! G-man is working both jobs, so he will be home from 3:30pm-5:30pm, and the rest of the day is the Mommy show. I picked tacos for dinner, because it is easy, tasty, and the kids love them (so I don't have to hear the sadness from children that happens when they don't like dinner).

Ok....time for a coffee refill and a 1.75 hour quick cleaning before I have to get in the shower to get ready to go to Occ Therapy. Probably will bring reports with me so I can read while he is in session). From there....not sure the order, the pace, or anything.

Wish me luck!!!

RESET - one year later

2013-05-08T08:01:00.003-04:00

I have spent 3 days working on this post to shorten it. With constant interruptions, this is the best it is going to get. Sorry for the length!
****
Last year, we did a RESET of the the debt. For tracking purposes, this was going to change the annual date of looking at the big picture, although I do continue to give a nod to the blogiversary too (in August).

So the RESET entailed taking a loan from G-man's retirement account, after paying off a different loan and waiting the 60 days, per regulations. We never included that older loan in our debt number, although we do count this newer loan. This all happened in late April 2012, and it was early May when we had officially paid things off with this loan.

The loan was for $38,000, which consolidated 3 CCs and Lending Club, and included some money for the new mattress we purchased last winter. This loan is autodebited from G-man's bi-weekly paycheck, at $380.15 a payperiod. The interest rate is 1.875% (I think!). It is a 4 year loan, so if we do absolutely nothing but the minimal, it will be paid off in late April/early May 2016.

Because this loan has such a low interest rate, most of the payment goes to principal, which is just refunding our retirement account. Previously, the interest rates on the CCs were 15.99, 11.99, and 9.24%. So obviously, our new rate was WAY better!!!

Taking this money from our retirement account sparked alot of debate. Very few people thought it was a good idea. I will say, one year later, it absolutely was the right choice for us. While our CC debt did go up (more in a minute), we were able to pay off just shy of $10,000 in the past year on this loan. With the interest rates such as they were, there is no way that would have happened without the loan.

***
So where do we stand now? Current numbers are posted on the side bar.

Retirement loan - One more paycheck (next week), and we will have paid off $10,000 of this loan! We are very happy about this, and while it stinks that we pay just under $400 a payperiod, at least we are paying it back to ourselves, and not to a big credit card company. We have toyed with changing the amount we pay (we can pay as much as we want, but the $380 is the minimum). But for right now, it stays as is. We would like to get a little further down the line before we make any changes.

Student loan - Not a whole lot to say on this. The monthly payment is $229 at 3.375%. This consolidated loan is technically is 2 loans, where one has a balance of $1200 (the very last of my undergrad degree), the remainder is my graduate school. Long story why it isn't one in the same. And if we were to pay extra to this loan, we would designate it to the little part. But since we don't do that....it is a non issue. The payoff date is 2024, based on the minimum. Um....that is the year my KIDS will graduate college. No, that won't work. There is NO WAY the loan will be around then. Based on current plans, the whole kit and kaboodle will be paid off in 3-4 years, so I don't pay attention to the 2024, other than to remind me that I wish I understood all of this better when I was younger.

Car loan - Again, not much to say on this. $230 is autodebited on a monthly basis, and is slated to be paid off in late 2016 if we don't speed up the process.

Credit Card - This one is the thorn in my side. It was under $1000 when we did the retirement consolidation loan. And then there was a car repair. And the *(^&*#$^ trip to see my parents. And a few other slip ups. And another car repair. And here we are. It is on its way back down, but it is frustrating that it was almost paid off and we used it again. The slip ups are on us. The car repairs....that is a function that we can't seem to go a decent amount of time without SOMETHING happening, despite saving for car repairs. And the trip to my parents was certainly NOT vacation....but it was something that had to be done.

Dentist - This little darling bill was much smaller a year ago. Then I needed a root canal and a crown. Since our insurance didn't cover it, we had to foot the bill. The first part of the money came from our FSA, which then dried up shortly after. And we have been paying since. But since our insurance doesn't cover even a cleaning, regular dental stuff contributed to the bill. At least it is under $1000 now.

Bossy's supplies - Earlier this year, we received a financial waiver that reduced our bill by 60%. We had a 100% waiver several years ago, but when the company changed hands....all that went away. The bill continued to rise until the company changed hands again, and we got some much needed help. One thing that has helped us this year is that Bossy is being weaned from this, so we aren't using as much. However, we were able to order "extra" when we hit catastrophic at the end of 2012, and that extra has been carrying us this year. We haven't needed to order food for him since December, and we probably have another 2 months worth before we have to order.

Right now, we are about 5k less than where we were when I started this blog. And 9k less than a year ago. Based on the minimums, we will pay off at least another $11k just on the retirement, car, and student loans. So by the end of the year, we should be at the lowest debt number we have had since starting the blog!!!

Our goal is to be under 60k by calendar year end. We are optimistic that this is possible. It really will be about our personal spending. The 3 loans do what they do. The credit card just needs to continue to go DOWN. And dental emergencies need to stay away!!!

There ya go!!!! Long winded, kind of boring, and not sexy at all. Need to think of a financially sexy post, to spice things up......suggestions welcome!

GBU - May 5, 2013

2013-05-05T09:40:00.001-04:00

I haven't done this in a month! I am a slacker. Sorry!!!

My birthday was wonderful. My REAL family celebrated with me and the weather was GORGEOUS (you have to understand, that for the majority of my life, it has rained on my birthday).
G-man did NOT have to deploy again (yet).
The kids really did well with decreases screen time (for Screen Off week). My driveway and sidewalks are filled with chalk masterpieces!
Water bill arrived, and it was lower than I expected! It was $190, which for us is good. The November bill is always higher (last Nov it was $297) because of summer water usage for watering plants and the pool. (I am thinking of making a rain barrel for the plant water, and only using hose water when I spray with Miracle grow).
I am kicking around the idea of converting the hotwater to gas from oil (and maybe the heat). This will require a loan. But I think I have figured out how to have it paid off in 2-3 years, without it costing us any more per month than what we are currently paying.

Work started off quiet, and revved up over the course of the week.
We need new drip pans for the stove. These are the stupid purchases that annoy me. Ours have been cleaned and cleaned, and they are just beyond cleaning at this point.
I think a large number of my perennials are dead. Of the 10 in one bed, only 3 appear to coming back. I have no idea what the problem is.

Figuring out how to spend the overtime pay (which should be paid out on May 13) is hard. Guilt over doing somethings. Guilt over not doing other things. If it was a few hundred dollars, it would be easy. But we RARELY have this much money to "play" with, and it is hard. It shouldn't be, but it is.

The GREAT:

My husband and kids worked so hard to give me a lovely birthday. G-man made me dinner, including a FROM SCRATCH cake. I don't know many husbands who would do that. We went for a walk after dinner, hung out with some friends for a bit. I did get my lemonade and magazine. :) G-man and the kids gave me some crystals for our collection. They are beautiful. And my girlfriend gave me earrings and a necklace, in purple! Love it! My kids told me all day long "happy birthday" and made me homemade cards. I really did have a great day.

Happy May!

2013-05-01T08:42:00.001-04:00

The first third of the year is gone....the coming third is typically the most "chillaxin'" part of the year.....and the Fall is so far away, that most people don't care much about it at this point.

Here in CT....we have finally found a taste of SPRING. The weather is nice this week, but it is still dipping down at night. The kids are looking forward to not needing jackets in the morning anymore....but we aren't quite there yet.

We are still waiting to hear if G-man is leaving for Boston. He is on Standby, which means he has to be ready to go if the call comes. His bag is packed, his toiletries are gathered and just need to be thrown in his bag....and off he would go. I have 2 meetings this weekend, my birthday, and miscellaneous stuff to do.....if he leaves, I need to figure out my new plan. Oh well. Everyone always asks me if it is hard when he is on travel.

Honestly....it is all the same to me. His schedule is such that most evenings he isn't home. And most days on the weekend he is gone. So, all in all....it doesn't matter in that sense. I usually plan meetings around the times he IS home, so I don't have to take the kids. But, as my kids will tell you....they have sat through MANY meetings.

The biggest hiccup is that Bossy's normal status quo is thrown off. He is a crabby patty because Daddy is supposed to be home on these days and times....and he isn't. It really is rough for the kid, and all of us who live with him.

Moving on to the financials.....

We did our RESET last May 6 (which is Monday), so I will really discuss this more next week. But the total number is slowly going down. There will be a few changes to it by Monday, so I won't dwell on the exact numbers. But so far, we are on target for where we thought we would be.

Four more paychecks and we will have camp paid for, and will move on to Christmas Savings. Our Cat savings account is working out, as we have money for food and litter in there. Their yearly vet visit falls later in the year, so we are saving up for that as well.

Our water bill should come by the end of the week, and that falls under "irregular" bills, since it is only 2x a year. I am a little afraid to see this one. Sassy loves her showers!! We have been on her about cutting it back, but we will see what the damage is. We have money in that account, but if it is too high, then it messes up the account savings for the personal property tax. By July I will know if we need to up the bi-weekly savings for that account.

Medical....as of right now, we have used about $1400 of the $2500 max contribution to our FSA. We have been saving more in a separate account, as we knew that the $2500 wasn't going to be enough. The kids have a dentist appointment in June, and Bossy has an Endoscopy. All of that will probably run $600. G-man has a dentist appointment in July, so I am estimating that by the end of July/early August.....our FSA will be drained and we will have to start pulling from the medical account for co-pays. We will have about $900 in the account by then. So, that is in pretty good shape, barring any major surprises.

That's about it for the moment....keep on bobbin' along!

Just normal life stuff

2013-04-29T10:33:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday!!

I survived the family function....albeit, it was considerably easier without having Mom and Dad there. The highlight of it for me was talking with my 19 year old cousin. He has been going through alot of personal growth and changes over the past year, and it was nice to share my "black sheep of the family" perspective with him.

This week is "Screen Off" week for the kids. It used to be "TV Turn Off" but the powers that be got smart and realized that kids still have phones, tablets, computers, hand held games....I have alot of little projects that the kids are going to help me with. We need to go to the library. And since the weather is nice, the kids have been enjoying being outside and playing basketball, riding scooters, and Sassy's favorite.....sidewalk chalk!

G-man and started talking about the "extra" money from overtime and such. We decided to wait until the money is paid out (probably next paycheck), add in the 3rd paycheck money, and the other misc monies we have and once we know the total....we will go from there.

Hard core people will say put it all to debt. I can guarantee that isn't going to happen. But yes, some will go in that direction. We are still kicking ideas around. Most likely some will go into savings, some will go to the house, and some to debt.

This week will be full of returning stuff errands. G-man bought a new wiper blade for my rear window, and it doesn't fit. I bought several dresses for Sassy for the family function, and the ones that didn't fit or we didn't like all need to go back (it would have been easier if she was with me). And my new nemesis....the little bathroom organizer thing I bought for under the vanity.....needs to go back AGAIN (the first one didn't fit, and the second one was cracked when I opened up the drawers).

My great aunt was recently in the hospital and has moved to a Rehab facility. So I will go by and see her as well.

Saturday is my birthday....so I am trying to keep that day as open as possible. I really just want to relax. We will see if it actually happens.

What's up with you all???