Is it Swine Flu? Appendix? The regular flu? Who knows! Certainly not the doctor! J is sick, his second day home from work. I took him to the doctor Monday night (at his request, so I knew it was serious) they did the swife flu nose swab and took blood and told him they were almost certain it was swine flu. Keep quarentined, blah blah blah. The next day....
Negative. Not swine flu. We'll run more tests. An hour later....
Negative. Everything looks normal. We don't know what's wrong. It's probably the swine flu and just not showing up. Go to the hospital if anything gets worse.
Eff you too pal. We don't live in an area with an ambulance. I'm at work today. He's not THAT sick, but still, when you're told to head to the emergency room emmediatly if you stop coughing....I'm gonna worry. Stupid doctors.
Update on the job hunt: nada. Over 35 applications. One call back, a part time job at the Pomona library. I wasn't chosen. I think it was because I could only go in on Fridays and they wanted someone who could do a couple of hours each day. I'm starting to get desperate. Jordan says he has seriously bitten his tongue a few times not to quit. I've bitten my tongue a few times not to tell my boss that if he would cut his pappered spoiled brat wife off that he would be able to pay his bills.
Best of all, when J has to pick something up for the boss and whatever store won't take the company credit card (which is shut off for non-payment) J uses his and we get a reimbursment check. The last time the lady in the office gave us one she told us to make sure to CASH it and not deposit it so that if the check bounced it went back on the company and not us. Great huh? The check was for $73 dollars.
Really makes me think NOW is the time for a new job.
What am I thankful for? A paycheck that doesn't bounce.
~~~Edit~~~
I just realized that I overdrew my checking account for the first time in my life. Too many checks before I got my paychecks deposited today. I swore I would never live paycheck to paycheck. What am I going to do?
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Advice?
Ok, so in the process of reading all of those money saving ideas and remodel ideas and other wish-I-could-do-it ideas on Yahoo and MSN I came across a few things that I would kind of be interested in using if they are legit and safe. Since I don't know, I figured I would open it up to bloggy land...I trust your opinions a bit more than MSN Financial.
The first place is Wasabe. Both Wasabe and a similar website, Mint, claim to be able to track your spending and basically be able to help you create your budget and offer money saving tips. Since I have done REALLY badly at following a budget, I would kind of be interested in using these. My hesitation lies in the fact that you are supposed to give them your bank/credit card/savings/ etc. numbers so that they can track your spending. This doesn't really sound safe to me, but then again, I kind of tend to want to bury my money in the front yard in a coffee can.
The other two, Upromise and Grad Gold, claim to give you money for shopping. For instance, shopping at Wal-mart is supposed to allow me to get 1% back into an account that will be paid into the student loans. Yeah....so, this sounds great. Especially because they will mail you a check and they don't have to be linked directly to your account. But, free money always makes me suspicious. Does anyone know anything about the validity of these? I could probably talk to the financial aid guy from my college to see about Upromise and Grad Gold, and my bank about Wesabe and Mint, but I'm still looking for more opinions than "professional" ones.
So, any takers? Should I be suspicious or happy for these discoveries?
The first place is Wasabe. Both Wasabe and a similar website, Mint, claim to be able to track your spending and basically be able to help you create your budget and offer money saving tips. Since I have done REALLY badly at following a budget, I would kind of be interested in using these. My hesitation lies in the fact that you are supposed to give them your bank/credit card/savings/ etc. numbers so that they can track your spending. This doesn't really sound safe to me, but then again, I kind of tend to want to bury my money in the front yard in a coffee can.
The other two, Upromise and Grad Gold, claim to give you money for shopping. For instance, shopping at Wal-mart is supposed to allow me to get 1% back into an account that will be paid into the student loans. Yeah....so, this sounds great. Especially because they will mail you a check and they don't have to be linked directly to your account. But, free money always makes me suspicious. Does anyone know anything about the validity of these? I could probably talk to the financial aid guy from my college to see about Upromise and Grad Gold, and my bank about Wesabe and Mint, but I'm still looking for more opinions than "professional" ones.
So, any takers? Should I be suspicious or happy for these discoveries?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Grouchy Grouchy Grouchy
So, do you ever read those wonderful money saving hints and tips that they put up on yahoo news every once in a while? For me, I always click on them, eager to see how I can save another penny or two, especially when money is tight. What do I find? Nothing. Oh, they have tips. Ones that are probably good for (I'm trying not to sound snobby here) rich city people who spend their money on $200 pairs of shoes, a latte every morning at Starbucks, and going out ot PF Changs or the Cheesecake Factory for lunch every day. Hints like, "Take a brown bag lunch", "Drink tap water instead of bottled water", "skip your morning latte and drink regular coffee", "carpool", and other wonderful tips to help funnel your spending money into savings. Some people are so spoiled and don't even realize it. Of COURSE they can save money! Live like I do, you'll be SHOVELING it in to your savings account! (For clarification, we're a long way from poverty. Between J and I, we live on about $56,000 per year, gross income.)
So, what if you don't do any of that in the first place? Give me some more hints! Ones that will work for someone who already takes lunch to work every day, not only cut out coffee but every other drink but tap water, doesn't have the luxury of carpooling most of the time, cannot FATHOM spending more than $100 on a pair of shoes on the best pair of shoes she owns and is STILL having trouble making ends meet? Where are the tricks and tips for us? I spent $22 on clothes the other day and felt REALLY BAD....even though I got two pairs of jeans and three tops that all looked AMAZING on me...for $22! But I still can't believe that I spent so much! Meanwhile, I read about women who go spend $250 on a new bikini and have to "break it to" their husbands, who tell them they deserve it. WTF?! I spent $30 on a new bikini and felt horribly indulgant. (Now, I really need a new winter coat. I have my eye on this one. I can't bare to spend the money, so I'll probably be wearing my mom's old one again this winter. I also love this one. See a trend?)
There are a few ways we could cut down. J is a fan of motors. Truck, Car, Jeep, Motorcycle....we could conceivably cut down to just one car. That would save a heck of a lot and I know it. But two of those are paid for and the bike is almost paid for. Forget walking or biking anywhere. It's 10 miles to the nearest ANYTHING. I could put up clotheslines and not run my dryer as much. But where the heck am I supposed to come up with the money for the poles and lines? I've already adjusted the thermostat - we sweat in the summer and shiver in the winter and fight the whole time. We have cut eating out almost down to 1/3 of what we did. Maybe once or twice a week, usually because we're out and about running errands in the city and it's not conceivable to drive an hour home for lunch and then back to the city again to finish our errands. We don't get massages, I don't get my hair done by a "professional", no mani/pedi morning, no weekly trip to the theatre. I have a cat. I spend a little extra money on food and water for her. She eats Friskies dry. We do not eat crab and lobster and steak. We eat a heck of a lot of hamburger, chicken, rice, veggies, etc. My mom and I canned and froze until there was no room this summer.
So tell me, how am I supposed to save money without completely depriving myself of EVERYTHING - car, an occasional meal out, etc?
WHERE ARE THE FREAKIN MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR POOR PEOPLE????
So, what if you don't do any of that in the first place? Give me some more hints! Ones that will work for someone who already takes lunch to work every day, not only cut out coffee but every other drink but tap water, doesn't have the luxury of carpooling most of the time, cannot FATHOM spending more than $100 on a pair of shoes on the best pair of shoes she owns and is STILL having trouble making ends meet? Where are the tricks and tips for us? I spent $22 on clothes the other day and felt REALLY BAD....even though I got two pairs of jeans and three tops that all looked AMAZING on me...for $22! But I still can't believe that I spent so much! Meanwhile, I read about women who go spend $250 on a new bikini and have to "break it to" their husbands, who tell them they deserve it. WTF?! I spent $30 on a new bikini and felt horribly indulgant. (Now, I really need a new winter coat. I have my eye on this one. I can't bare to spend the money, so I'll probably be wearing my mom's old one again this winter. I also love this one. See a trend?)
There are a few ways we could cut down. J is a fan of motors. Truck, Car, Jeep, Motorcycle....we could conceivably cut down to just one car. That would save a heck of a lot and I know it. But two of those are paid for and the bike is almost paid for. Forget walking or biking anywhere. It's 10 miles to the nearest ANYTHING. I could put up clotheslines and not run my dryer as much. But where the heck am I supposed to come up with the money for the poles and lines? I've already adjusted the thermostat - we sweat in the summer and shiver in the winter and fight the whole time. We have cut eating out almost down to 1/3 of what we did. Maybe once or twice a week, usually because we're out and about running errands in the city and it's not conceivable to drive an hour home for lunch and then back to the city again to finish our errands. We don't get massages, I don't get my hair done by a "professional", no mani/pedi morning, no weekly trip to the theatre. I have a cat. I spend a little extra money on food and water for her. She eats Friskies dry. We do not eat crab and lobster and steak. We eat a heck of a lot of hamburger, chicken, rice, veggies, etc. My mom and I canned and froze until there was no room this summer.
So tell me, how am I supposed to save money without completely depriving myself of EVERYTHING - car, an occasional meal out, etc?
WHERE ARE THE FREAKIN MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR POOR PEOPLE????
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A long time in coming
This has been a long time in coming. To one particular person, though I spare you any additional shame, though you may deserve it, by naming your name.
I am extremely angry with you. I've worked for a while to be able to say that, calmly and without letting the hatred excapte from the core of my being. I've prayed for help to ease the hurt that you've caused and it hasn't come yet. Maybe I'm hanging on to it too tightly. I know that it's a weakness of mine, hanging on to things.
You tell me you're leaving because you can't bare to let us down any more than you have. Every time I talk to you, you tell me that you'll pay me back as soon as you get the money, but then I found out that you were so irrisponsible as to get pregnant. Not only that, but you were TRYING to get pregnant. Given the fact that you and your husband are in trouble with the law for numerous things, he has no job, you don't have a car and you quit school so there's no chance of a better payhing job, I guess you purposefully decided to ignore your other responsiblities to me, the state, your parents and so on, and fulfill your own self-centered desires.
This wouldn't hurt me so much if it was just money. Money is money. I'm not so obsessed with it that I would be ready to destroy our friendship over money. But you know that I don't want to have my own children until I can afford them.... and you always say that you don't want to raise your children on welfare. So, what have you done? You have not only chosen to betray yourself and your beliefs, but also effectually screw with my life and prevent my own descision for however long it takes me to pay off the bills that I would have payed off with the money you owe me.
Money I could forgive. Your self-centered descision to have a child at what I see as being at my expense....that I'm not sure I can forgive.
I can't stand who you've become. I am struggling to not judge. But to me, you are worthless. As a friend, as a member of society, as a mother for bringing a child into the life you have created for it....worthless. I know it's not my place to say that, and it's cruel, but I can't help my shortcomings.
I want so much to tell you these things, but part of me still values the freindship we once had, and knows that it's not my place to judge. We all have to answer for our actions in the end. You'll have to answer for what you have done, just as I will have to answer for my feelings and actions toward you. I cac accept that, because I know my feelings are wrong. But, can you accept the responsibility for your actions?
I am extremely angry with you. I've worked for a while to be able to say that, calmly and without letting the hatred excapte from the core of my being. I've prayed for help to ease the hurt that you've caused and it hasn't come yet. Maybe I'm hanging on to it too tightly. I know that it's a weakness of mine, hanging on to things.
You tell me you're leaving because you can't bare to let us down any more than you have. Every time I talk to you, you tell me that you'll pay me back as soon as you get the money, but then I found out that you were so irrisponsible as to get pregnant. Not only that, but you were TRYING to get pregnant. Given the fact that you and your husband are in trouble with the law for numerous things, he has no job, you don't have a car and you quit school so there's no chance of a better payhing job, I guess you purposefully decided to ignore your other responsiblities to me, the state, your parents and so on, and fulfill your own self-centered desires.
This wouldn't hurt me so much if it was just money. Money is money. I'm not so obsessed with it that I would be ready to destroy our friendship over money. But you know that I don't want to have my own children until I can afford them.... and you always say that you don't want to raise your children on welfare. So, what have you done? You have not only chosen to betray yourself and your beliefs, but also effectually screw with my life and prevent my own descision for however long it takes me to pay off the bills that I would have payed off with the money you owe me.
Money I could forgive. Your self-centered descision to have a child at what I see as being at my expense....that I'm not sure I can forgive.
I can't stand who you've become. I am struggling to not judge. But to me, you are worthless. As a friend, as a member of society, as a mother for bringing a child into the life you have created for it....worthless. I know it's not my place to say that, and it's cruel, but I can't help my shortcomings.
I want so much to tell you these things, but part of me still values the freindship we once had, and knows that it's not my place to judge. We all have to answer for our actions in the end. You'll have to answer for what you have done, just as I will have to answer for my feelings and actions toward you. I cac accept that, because I know my feelings are wrong. But, can you accept the responsibility for your actions?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
so...
I really miss having my friends to go shopping with. My husband has decreed that Saturday, I belong to him. Ok...I'm cool with that. He won't tell me what he has in mind, just to have my nicest dress and shoes in a bag and ready to go Saturday morning. Aside from the fact that that kind of makes it hard to do my hair or makeup in preparation, I'm pretty excited. Only one problem. All of my "nice" dresses are from highschool. 6 years and 30lbs ago. Except one. I have one LBD that has seen me through all of my "nice dress" occasions...including my wedding, almost a year ago. (Short, sleevless, low cut. Not really too suitable for the chilly weather we've been having.) So he said money be damned, basically, if I need a new dress to go and buy one. Wonderful, right? How many men tell their wife to feel free to go buy a new dress?
Only one problem. I have no one to go with. My friends have all left. I have a few "friends" (i.e. girls/women/ladies that I would like to call friends but they never really want to do anything with me. We just chat once in a while.) but no one I really feel like I could go, "Hey lets go shopping after work!" to. I'm not terribly outgoing and I haven't really made any friends at church either, or at work. (My only friend that's nearby that I would be that comfortable with is a guy. A litlte awkward since I'm married and...a guy, shopping, who isn't gay? Yeah right.) So, I'm kind of Cloth Creek without a Stylist. Does that really work? Oh well, I guess it's up to me to figure this out.
Only one problem. I have no one to go with. My friends have all left. I have a few "friends" (i.e. girls/women/ladies that I would like to call friends but they never really want to do anything with me. We just chat once in a while.) but no one I really feel like I could go, "Hey lets go shopping after work!" to. I'm not terribly outgoing and I haven't really made any friends at church either, or at work. (My only friend that's nearby that I would be that comfortable with is a guy. A litlte awkward since I'm married and...a guy, shopping, who isn't gay? Yeah right.) So, I'm kind of Cloth Creek without a Stylist. Does that really work? Oh well, I guess it's up to me to figure this out.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
This isn't Tool Time, and we're not Tim & Jill Taylor, but we've deffinately got some Home Improvement goin on!
So, last spring we bought a bunch of paint and one of those pretty butterfly flags when one of the local stores was having a moving sale, and said we were going to start doing house improvements. Instead, it decorated by living room floor for MONTHS. But, I am now happy to announce that our supplies have been put to their full potential. J and I spent last Sunday doing improvements. Take a look!
So, the door wasn't necessarily a "home improvement" but when your house is silver/grey/offwhite and your door is white and your shutters are faded maroon.....well, I at least wanted to add some color. So, a red door it is! I LOVE it. You can't even tell that the first coat looked hot pink. lol. And the faded maroon shutters? The next step on the list. Hopefully to match the door. The mulch we bought after the paint and stuff of course, but that strip was too small to mow with our riding mower and J had had the neighbor kid mow it with their push mower, but we decided to prevent snakes, etc and just mulch it. I think it looks pretty wesome. Oh, and why would we need a riding mower you may ask, when we live in town? Cuz of my rockin' awesome front yard!
And yes, we live in town, with our own miniature creek. I'm deffinately a fan. About as good as you can get, for having to live in town for now. If I could make the housees around us disappear, to a mile or two away, I'd be in heaven! (Not a city girl!)
So I'm not a very regular blogger, obviously. I pondered deleting this as I have my other blogs because I don't think anyone really reads it and I almost never get a single comment. But then I decided to keep it. Why? Because I don't scrapbook. I'm terrible at remembering the camera and in 10 years I'll look back and love to read these. So I'll keep going. If I gain readers and commentors, great. If not, oh well. So, look for a series of blogs to catch you up with the last few weeks.
Now, granted, I kind of have to comment on others' blogs to get readers I know, right? Well, I keep coming across "Etiquite Blogs" about how to properly post a comment. Excuse me? I know my etiquite. Be polite, don't mis-spell people's names, disagree respectfully and don't spam. Don't even try to tell me how to format my comments. That just makes you picky and you don't deserve comments, in my humble opinion.
Also, fair warning, I usually blog long and full with much strong opinion, so it could be a lengthy read. :)
Now, granted, I kind of have to comment on others' blogs to get readers I know, right? Well, I keep coming across "Etiquite Blogs" about how to properly post a comment. Excuse me? I know my etiquite. Be polite, don't mis-spell people's names, disagree respectfully and don't spam. Don't even try to tell me how to format my comments. That just makes you picky and you don't deserve comments, in my humble opinion.
Also, fair warning, I usually blog long and full with much strong opinion, so it could be a lengthy read. :)
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