Archive results for “October 2010f 2010”

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RAISE!!

Wow! Now I feel kinda bad about complaining but…

My husband got his raise!! How much?

10 PERCENT!!

He’s a hard worker, he’s reliable, he’s smart, and his butt looks great in his Costco jeans (but I’m sure the last part has nothing to do with it).

We’d like to celebrate but… we just got back from a foreign vacation. We can’t afford to celebrate until 2014. Plus, I’m typing this while sitting on a couch that smells like dog pee… kinda takes away the joy of the moment. ; )

Posted by Beks on October 28, 2010 at 8:53 PM in work | 15 Comments »
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Financial Advice?

I’m in quite a bind and would love some advice if you are willing to give it…

We were planning to pay my husband’s brother to housesit while we were gone in Italy. He’s responsible and trustworthy and I couldn’t think of a better person to trust with my dear pups. My sister-in-law asked if her sister could housesit because she really wanted a break from her parents.

That should have tipped me off.

Did I mention she’s 19?

Anyway, we arrived home yesterday and our house had a pretty nasty scent. I assumed it was because it was closed and locked tight and that ‘scent’ was simply stale air. We noticed our back window was broken out but I hoped she had a good story as to why it was broken.

The next morning, I woke up and really saw the state our house was in through clear, non-27 hour flight, eyes.

The curtains covering our back sliding glass door were soaked in urine. The urine stains were so bad, we had to throw the curtains away. It had long since dried but the flooring was curled from what had been the area the dogs had relieved themselves in.

Near the front door, the recliner stunk of urine. Obviously the dogs had used this area regularly as well – the floor is destroyed and warping upward.

Near the entertainment unit, the wood flooring is warped and permanently destroyed from standing dog urine.

I sat on the couch and cried… then smelled the couch…….

The dogs urinated so frequently on the couch it stained the back and the seat.

Frustrated and crying, I cleaned the warped floors the best I could and emptied the trash. I opened the door to our California room off the rear of the house and was almost knocked over from the smell. Dog pee and vomit covered the floor. I opened the trash and empty beer bottles and plastic cups nearly filled it. Despite our strict requirement to have no parties, she had one (she fessed up when we called her on it).

My husband and I spent five hours cleaning our house and it still reeks of dog urine. Our dogs haven’t peed in our house since we potty trained years ago but as of now, it looks like they spent two solid weeks locked indoors peeing. We have spent nearly $100 on cleansers that mask urine smells and have to spend another $55 replacing the curtains. We have to custom order the glass for the window (she said my 15 pound dogs broke a window 4 feet off the ground – I say yeah right, sounds more like a drinking game accident) and can’t get a quote less than $100. I haven’t even looked at how much it will cost to replace the flooring near the front door, the rear door, or near the tv because I KNOW I can’t afford it. I drenched the couches in cleanser but have had no luck in making them smell better.

After all this, my brother insists I still pay her.

My mother thinks I should pay her… then send a bill for several hundred dollars in damages.

I don’t want to pay her since she left the dogs left in the house and didn’t care for them but at the same time, I don’t want to start world war III with my brother’s in-laws.

What would you do?

Posted by Beks on October 27, 2010 at 9:07 PM in Home Ownership, Spending Money | 135 Comments »
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We’re Home!

After 27 hours of travel, we arrived home at midnight last night/this morning. Our flight was delayed out of Rome for an hour because of some security dogs and then we sat on the tarmac for another two hours because of a mechanical problem with the plane.

The very last thing you want to hear before taking a 10 hour flight is that your plane is having mechanical problems. Nasty turbulence didn’t help either. I spent 12 hours wishing I had a written will.

The long delay before takeoff made us miss our connecting flight from Chicago and they didn’t have any seats available for what seemed like decades. When seats finally did open up, they were in the very back of the plane and we couldn’t sit together.

I understand that planes have unexpected problems and not everything will go according to plan. What I don’t understand is how badly we were treated and how rude the employees of the airline were. Rather than treat us like we CAUSED the problem, I would have at least appreciated an apology when you add 12 hours to our travel time – but I guess that was too much to ask.

I’d hate to call out the airline *cough* *cough* AMERICAN AIRLINES *cough* *cough* but really, I honestly can’t believe how badly things went.

At least we finally made it home to a broken window and a tattered house… but that’s something I’ll have to post about tomorrow. I’ve got killer jet lag and I’m going to bed.

Posted by Beks on October 26, 2010 at 9:14 PM in :) | 12 Comments »
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Paying for College…

I was listening to Dave Ramsey’s show while he interviewed Zac Bissonnette, author of Debt Free U. To be fair, I haven’t read Zac’s book (I’ve been short on time), but based on the amazing amount of information he shared in a short interview with Dave, I am IMPRESSED.

Zac stands by state colleges instead of private colleges and supports the financial decisions of students who attend community college for their freshman and sophomore years as a way to save loads of cash.

I graduated from a private college and I loved it… but sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I hadn’t paid $26K a year. My degree would be the same… but I wouldn’t be carrying student loans.

Thanks to some awesome scholarship opportunities and grants, I graduated with ‘only’ $15K in debt. My friends did not fair nearly as well. Most have more than $100K in student loans.

If you have a child in high school, buy his book and read his articles at: http://www.dailyfinance.com/writers/zac-bissonnette/

You’ll need the help.

You can thank me later.

Posted by Beks on October 25, 2010 at 5:00 AM in General Personal Finance, Kids & Money | 7 Comments »
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Interesting Siena…

Yesterday was our last day in Siena so we decided to squeeze in another cheap wine tour. We arrived at a beautiful farm/winery overlooking Tuscany. An older Italian woman walked us around her property pointing out hundreds of acres of land she and her husband owned. I stared at the view and was completely envious of her beautiful Tuscan life. She told me the land had been passed down to her husband from his parents and from his grandparents to his parents and on and on. I asked her if she was planning to pass the land to her children as well and she said, “I do not like this world. I did not want to bring children into it”

It was odd to be surrounded by such beauty and such peace and yet she was so unhappy. It felt weird to stand there as a tourist feeling sorry for a wealthy winery owner – especially since a profession in wine sounds like a dream come true. Add a Tuscan villa and I’d call that perfection.

It just goes to show, life in someone else’s shoes isn’t what it seems.

Posted by Beks on October 22, 2010 at 10:00 AM in :) | 5 Comments »
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A Hutch Update…

A few thoughtful readers have asked how my dog, Hutch, has been doing since the rattlesnake bites to his face.

The swelling went down, the lumps disappeared, his cheerful personality returned, and I’m happy to say, he’s completely back to ‘normal’.

I’ve been sensitive about taking him running since his neck was so grossly disfigured and swollen. His collar didn’t fit for more than two weeks after the bites and for at least another week after that, he was too sensitive to wear it.

Several weeks ago, I started to take him out once or twice a week. I wasn’t sure he would be able to adequately communicate pain or discomfort and was concerned about causing damage. Last week I got home from work and he met me at the door dragging his leash behind him, the waste bag holder bouncing off the walls and thumping loudly against the furniture.

I guess when it comes to communication, Hutch is pretty clear.

Saturday morning, I woke up early and decided to let him jog as far as he wanted to jog – assuming he’d tucker out at 3 miles or so.

At mile 7.5, I was the one to call it quits. When I turned around for home, he glared at me defiantly and pulled at his leash to continue forward. Apparently, the little guy is trying to make up for lost time. I missed my running buddy and I’m sooo glad to have him back.

His companionship makes the vet bill a little less painful to pay.

You can see one of the scars on his left side, but other than that, he looks great!

Posted by Beks on October 22, 2010 at 5:00 AM in :) | 7 Comments »
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Financial Peace University…

My husband and I are attending Financial Peace University (Dave Ramsey’s course) again. We attended the series two years ago but I missed nearly half when I lost my day job and started working nights.

The first class was this week and the facilitator asked if anyone was a returning student. My husband and I raised our hands along with one other couple. After the video, we gathered into a small group and were immediately asked if the course had changed our lives. My husband and I said it had and that we lived below our means.

‘Are you debt free?’ a classmate asked.

‘Um. No. We have about 10 grand left.’ I said, ashamed two years has passed and I’m still carrying financial baggage.

‘At least you are working on it. And you’re here!’ she said smiling.

The rest of the group talked about their struggles and goals for about 20 minutes and then we all headed home. It was nice to hear others are fighting the same things as me.

It’s funny that I can openly and fearlessly share every little detail about my debt with you but I’m completely ashamed to share it with the small group – then again, I don’t have to shake your hand every Sunday morning.

If you haven’t been through FPU, you should consider it. The lessons are great but more than that, you have someone to look you in the eye every week who asks… how did you do this week?

Suddenly, spending feels different.

Posted by Beks on October 21, 2010 at 5:00 AM in General Personal Finance, Life Experiences, Money & Relationships | 3 Comments »
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