Archive results for “June 2011f 2011”
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I decided to dedicate my Saturday morning to rearranging all the food products in our pantry and throw away any outdated goods. I figured this might be my only shot to get organized for a while and assumed this task would take about an hour.
THREE hours later, I slipped my final can into an organized row.
And for the part I am ashamed to admit…
I had to toss 6 trash bags of food. I easily wasted several hundred dollars of grocery budget by letting my food expire. As someone who worked in a grocery store, I guess I missed the lesson on first in, first out.
It’s not that I don’t know how it happened. I come home from work, exercise, tidy the house, and tiredly open the pantry doors to grab whatever food is in front. I simply lack the energy to move things around – especially in the last 9 months.
Off to Walmart I went to purchase $15 worth of plastic bins. Using plastic bins as drawers in my linen closet has helped to keep my shampoos, lotions, and body washes organized so I figured I’d give it a shot in the kitchen. Pulling out 10 individual cans to find one in the back? Not going to happen. Pulling out one clear plastic bin? Pretty darn easy.
Ugh. Why didn’t I think to do this years ago! I wouldn’t have to live with the guilt of all that wasted food!!
Several of you posted comments about checking for discounts on cell phone service based on where you work.
I can’t believe I forgot to mention that!!
Shopping around is important but don’t forget to mention your employer since many cell phone service providers give fairly good discounts to large organizations (and some small ones too!).
The agency I work for negotiated a 20% discount with the provider we chose.
Nearly 6 months ago, my husband and I were the recipients of an awesome trade with my sister-in-law’s father. We traded some moving services for fancy furniture – furniture we could never afford to purchase on our own. Included in this trade was a very, VERY nice king sized bedroom set.
My husband loves this set. It’s exactly what he would have picked out, including the ultra comfortable mattress. It should come as no surprise that his love affair with this bedroom set would cause him to do… interesting things.
I came home from work to find him covering the bed in plastic sheeting.
“Uh hon? Whatcha doin’?” I asked.
He glanced up, then glanced at the sheeting, debating whether or not to tell me the truth.
“Um. Protecting against bedbugs?” He said and mumbled, “And protecting against your water breaking and destroying the mattress.”
“What was that?” I asked.
“Babe. We can’t afford to replace this mattress if your water breaks and ruins it. You know what we can afford? A $19 protection sheet” he said sheepishly.
I can’t fault the guy for trying to protect something we couldn’t possibly hope to replace, but I’m not going to lie…
Nothing makes you feel like a three year old quite like the crinkle of plastic sheets.
Oh the things we do for fancy furniture.
This week, I experienced a tremendous amount of unexpected generosity (special thanks to my sisters, my sister’s mother-in-law, and my sister-in-laws. You all know how awesome you are). We haven’t even made it to the baby shower yet and I have received more than my fair share of overflowing kindness.
I’ve been so focused on learning to accept the help of others, I sort of missed that giving is an area in which I am sorely lacking.
Yes. I give a percentage of my salary to charity. It isn’t from the kindness of my heart; it’s simply something my parents have told me to do. Something I do out of obligation.
I am missing a genuinely giving heart.
Of course, spending nearly the last 3 years focused on paying off debt, holding on to every penny, hasn’t helped strengthen my giving muscles. I have only clenched my fist more tightly to what I have. Yes, I need to focus on my debts, but I also need to share some of what I have with others in need. I simply didn’t realize how important this quality was until I was the one needing help.
I finally get what Dave Ramsey means when he says, ‘…So later you can give like no one else’
My dentist has been nagging *cough* kindly asking me for over a year to start using an electric toothbrush. “Even on your best day, you can’t brush as effectively as an electric toothbrush” he told me repeatedly. “Blah, blah, blah, spend a ton of money you don’t have on a stupid toothbrush” was all I heard.
At my last appointment, he asked why I hadn’t switched despite his advice. “I live on a tight budget. I don’t have a hundred bucks lying around” I said, slightly annoyed at his persistence.
“You know you can buy one at Target for $25? You need to get past your short term financial hang-ups and start considering the long term financial ramifications. Seeing me every six months is great, but there is only so much I can do for you” he said.
Great. Sounds like my dentist has been listening to Dave Ramsey. Now he’s my financial nag.
So, I bought the $25 electric toothbrush after that appointment and started using it exactly as he instructed. Sure, the thing sounds like I’m driving a dirt bike through my bedroom at 4 a.m., but it’s what the doctor ordered.
At my appointment yesterday, I decided NOT to tell him about my fancy toothbrush splurge.
He sat in his chair, pulled his tool table beside me, and asked me to open wide. I did and he leaned in, holding his metal objects of torture *cough* I mean, his dental tools. There was a pause and then he grabbed my chin (a little harshly I might add), twisting my face from side to side while inspecting my teeth. He threw his arms up into the air like a champion boxer and chanted, “VICTORY!”
So much for him not noticing.
My teeth and gums got a sparkling clean bill of health yesterday.
It’s easy to go the cheap route when it comes to our health – especially in the short term. But try to consider long term consequences BEFORE you ignore your doctor. I’m not saying you must buy an electric toothbrush or suffer the financial perils of bad teeth. What I am saying is, don’t ignore the advice of those who went to school a heck of a lot longer than you did.
Maybe now, I’ll only fund my dentist’s kid’s college fund and not his grandchildren’s too.
I decided to gratefully accept the offers of my coworkers to have a baby shower at work – especially since I was asked twice more after I posted the question.
To be honest, I had kinda hoped for a tiny shower held in a janitorial closet involving only the lovely ladies who had specifically asked. By day’s end however, the event, originally scheduled in the smallest conference room, had to be moved to the largest one. The e-mail invitation was forwarded around the office like a fast moving virus.
On top of that, one of my co-workers gave me some items his grandson had outgrown including a swing and a bouncy seat. ‘I wish I would have known earlier! I would have given them to you months ago!’ he said.
For those of us digging our way out of the debt mess we made, it’s easy to slap away the hands seeking to help. I keep thinking, ‘I’m the idiot who got myself into this mess, I need to learn my lesson and get myself out.’ But part of the lesson we need to learn is…
Humility.
Foolish pride has got to go.
My husband and I have made great strides in saving money but we still haven’t met our goal amount to get through my leave and pay the hospital bills. Spending a bunch on baby supplies isn’t an option. Accepting help is a great lesson in humility AND a great reminder that we have some wonderful, wonderful people in our lives.
Don’t slap those helping hands away. Smile…
and say ‘thank you’.
The roommates have been out about a month now and we are starting to receive our very first utility bills for just the two of us. We all used the same common areas and shared the TV so I didn’t anticipate much of a dip when they left. Sure the water bill would drop a little but that’s it…
Or so I thought.
The water bill did drop a little, only about $20. Since our water bills are sent every two months, this wasn’t a full cycle for two of us, but it’s a pretty good indicator of what we’ll be paying next time.
The cable bill dropped more than $30. They took their cable box and DVR with them and I didn’t realize the monthly expense of the extra cable box. That’s what I get for writing checks and not reading bills!
The most shocking bill of all? Electric. Since we’ve had roommates from the day we moved into our home, we never knew what the total would be without them. The statement would always hover between $135 and $160 per month. This month? $78.
We don’t have roommates to cover half the bills BUT…
Overall, we aren’t that far from what we’ve been paying.
Who knew we were so ‘green’!!??!!
About This Site
My Debt
- Original Debt: $38,495.86
- Added Debt: $1,781.50
- Total Debt: $40,277.36
- Paid: $36,084.36
- Remaining: $4,193.00
- Broken Down
- Auto Loan 1: $0.00
- Credit Card: $0.00
- Student Loan: $4,193.00
- Auto Loan 2: $0.00
- Vet Loan: $0.00
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