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Home > Archive: February, 2009

Archive for February, 2009

Single Mom Life

February 28th, 2009 at 02:19 am

Howdy---I have not written in so long. I am so sorry to you and to me. Lots happening. Lots of---- all sorts of what nots. My tile is down and the laundry room is back together. My dad came up this week and striped the wallpaper in the powder room. How awful! My ex did not size the walls and my dad just about lost his mind. He got it down and primed the walls alot! So in two weeks he will paint it. The brass towel bar is gone...ickey!

My mom is helping pick a wallcolor. She loves to do that sort of thing. I have a lady coming to give me an estimate to take the paper down in the kitchen. My dad is too old to be doing this. He loves it but he is not young! A powder room---ok......but not the kitchen. If the price is right I may bite the bullet and do it! It will be the last remains if married life. I am so enjoying making over and doing over!

Work is going OK....we are under new management I guess.....things are changing again. Hours cut...hours added.....sick time changes.....very very confusing. I still have a job.....so OK I am cool with it. I got two free chairs and a table for the outside today at work. I also gave my co-worker stuff to sell at her upcoming house sale. I hope to make few bucks for zero work. I am working this Saturday for about two hours.
Just to help out. Not too hard I guess.

My son is home for spring break.....it will be harder as far as money goes. He likes to EAT!! We are getting our cars checked on Monday---so hopefully my mechanic finds everything in great shape.
Fingers crossed!


I put $30 in my credit union. So I now have $600 saved for a leather couch and love seat and chair. I want to pay cash for as much as possible. I am enjoying saving as much as I can. It is like a small game to me. I have not spent anything on me. I am trying to NOT buy a thing. I need socks. That will be my only purchase for some time.
Tonight we took the night off and ate at Ci Ci's pizza. It was fun to not cook.

I had my ex's current business partner call me this week. I have not talked to him in about 5 years. Once I got divorced I guess he chose my ex's "side".
We were friends for years along with his wife....since college! It was a nice call on the cell phone. I was pretty shocked he called me. I am still not sure why he called. He told me he felt bad for many years for me. He asked how I was. I told him I have many days that are very hard and rough and difficult but so many more days that are blessed and happy. He again apologized for not ever calling me. He called on Ash Weds. Maybe he felt God calling him to make up for lost time....maybe his soul was feeling uneasy. Or maybe he is just pulling a fast one on me. I am not sure. He told me he felt badly about how things turned out. I told him not to fear but I thanked him for his kindness.......haunting and yet strange.

Life is so full of twists and turns. What would my life be like had I not been divorced? I am not sure. I like my life and I am proud of what I have done with it. I like my job and my co-workers who I consider to be the best group of friends one could ever have. I am so happy I lost weight and got my spirit person in shape. I am glad I have my own money to be in charge of. I actually like to pay my own bills and feel a sense of ownership. I enjoy every single struggle and obstacle....I seem to learn so many things all the time. I do not miss feeling bad about myself or feeling less than. I do not miss being overweight and feeling like a nothing. I am glad the depression is gone. I am so glad I left an abusive church and a ridiclous pastor.
I am glad to be feeling so much better about me and life.

Life is good. Frugal and fab!

Lets fix the Laundry Room

February 19th, 2009 at 01:13 am

Finally I am getting my tile floor put in for my laundry room, mudroom and half bath! I had not ONE moldy floor area in the bath but another spot in the laundry room! So the floor had to be cut out and re-done with a new sub floor. So it looks better already! The tile goes in on Thursday....so happy! I have not had my washer and dryer for two days and already my girls are complaining they need to do wash! Oh well.....make do!
My dad offered to take the wallpaper down on Thursday but the floor will not be ready so he has given me a raincheck for the removal and paint job. I think the floor will be a welcomed addition.

I deposited $270 in the credit union today. That felt good. I have been trying to really watch my money and so far so good. I did go nuts and buy some strawberries---for some reason the store got some in that was super sweet....so we have had strawberries alot this week.
The girls are with dad this weekend and we have a dance competition nearby. Dad is in charge for 80%. I will be attending the part that the girls perform. The rest of the time the girls are in classes all day long at the hotel. I do not feel bad missing that part. I will use my time to clean up the dust from the tile work.

Work is going OK. I have spent alot of time just enjoying the fun of my co-workers. I am not sure what I would do with out that adult talking time I have. We are a great group of ladies and the four of us are close....we just spend alot of time having small jokes and ladies chatter that is wonderful and refreshing. I just get a kick out of it all. I decided if I quit work there is a chance I would gain some weight and also get depressed. I decided at times work can be a hassle--but for the most part it works for me. I do not do much for me. That sounds weird...working as ME time....but it is! If I am not at work I am devoted to my kids in every which way.
Plus I like the extra money---it helps! IT REALLY HELPS!

Stay frugal everyone.

Still Trying

February 14th, 2009 at 01:39 am

Greetings! Yes I am still trying to blog. I am not doing very well at it.
It has been a cash draining month for some reason. Yet I got my VISA bill and the statement showed so much less. I guess because I have been trying to simply pay cash for so much more. I guess I am doing that with some success.
Lately I have been teetered with the thought of quiting my job and just staying home. Part of me says of the small amount I get I could stay home and cut more corners. On the other hand there is very little expense in working.....no childcare issues, I wear a uniform, I work one mile from my house and I have the perfect hours. Where it gets hard is the sumemr....my girls are home and they seem to need me. Those three months are so SO hard on me. I thought about asking to have one extra day off.....I am off on Thursdays.....maybe Weds I am off. Not sure. I bring in about $600 a month after taxes. When I got divorced I had a budget that was used to figure spousal support that did not include things like dance expenses for TWO and other children costs. I get child support but as my kids grow I get less and less. I just can not figure it out. I also find that it is my only adult time of conversation so to speak. I have my co-workers who enjoy being around and I find alot of fun working and being around adults. I am torn---very torn. I find myself feeling guilty since so many are not working....I feel I shoud be grateful. My support will not last forever.....then I will have to dip into my savings to support myself and the kids. I have some serious thinking to do.

I am still waiting on my new floor. I got the tiles with my loews gift card. My friend Bill is doing the work. He is very slow in getting back to me. He has called to pencil me in then he does not show. I am now learning that I have to be more patient with friends I guess. My friend was supposed to check my furnance and he never showed up on my day off.....by then I had a fit. I did call him and he said he never got the apt in his book from the secetary. I got mad but re-scheulded with him. I hate to waste my day off waiting. I am sure I am not the first to have this happen to them!

I have been trying to not spend on me and only spend on the kids. So far so good. I have not gone out with friends or bought myself much. I did one splurge and bought season 2 of BIG LOVE from Amazon. I do not have HBO but got hooked when I bought season 1 last year to watch. I heard it was good and it is! I enjoy watching it since I do not go out and do not go to movies.

My daughter who is 12 bought me a canister set for Valentines Day. She made up a whole story to buy someting on line and then she gave me cash for it. They arrived today from Penney's I was pretty surprised. She seems to be the one who listens when I make comments when I admire something. I almost have to be careful! She is so sweet to think of me.
I sent my mom flowers and my dad called me to tell me they arrived on Thursday. I was bummed my mom did not even call me.... I don't get that at all.
I decided to send her flowers as so many of the little old ladies at my place of work do not have anyone to think of them.
I decided that was sad to not send your mom some flowers while they can enjoy them----maybe she will call or maybe she will not. I was glad my dad called....he seems to dote on me and the kids. He is all ready to take down my wallpaper after the floor goes in...he adores doing projects that I hate. My therapist had told me to nuture the dad relationship that my mom could be trickier to please or have a good relationship with....I think she was very right.

Work is going ok. They still think the housekeepers were stealing from the kitchen so we are banned from entering the kitchen area. Now they are feeling badly and have offerd us free food and leftovers. I refuse now to eat any of the food or go in the kitchen. I was so angry to be accused and felt very belittled. I told my co-workers I would never ever partake of anything "free" ever again. I rarely did anyway! My co-workers are also pretty hurt. We are pretty much eating our own lunches and snacks from home. I think the management has now seen that accusing us was the wrong way to go. Eveyrone eats freely when the rule was to apply to ALL workers. There are different standards and I resent that. I do not like managers who play the favorites game. It always backfires...and it has. They now charge if you want crackers or a packet of ketchup. It seems petty after years of a free for all.....I get really mad when the bosses are eating everything in site. I hate double standards.

Oh well---I am ready to run for office as I am so mad about the stimulus bill. Just cut taxes for about 1 year---give the little guys more money in their paychecks....I think that is all that is needed. I really have had a hard time listening to all the news about the stimulus ---too depressing. I feel terrible for all the folks out of work. If you are in that postion---do not give up. I just pray for our entire nation to find economic peace for all.

On a bright note...all the snow is melted on my driveway. YAHOO!
Stay frugal!