Holidays, blended families and finances . . .

Thanksgiving is next week and everyone
has been very cool about not making demands
of the kids. We're all almost too cool
about it. My bf called and said his oldest
would be up our way next Thursday evening.
Bless him for getting the ball rolling.
We decided that dinner would be at my
place, I invited my folks up and checked
with the ex about his plans before inviting
the kids. We still haven't checked with
his ex, but hopefully things will work
out.

My folks offered to bring stuffing and handle
the gravy. My bf and I will do the rest.
I'm not a stickler for everything being
homemade, I just want to enjoy the holidays.
I'll probably buy an extra turkey and put
in the freezer for Easter.

I've started Christmas shopping with the kids.
They pick out what they want, try it on and
I take it home, wrap it and stick it under
the tree. No hassles, no returns. My budget
for them is quite modest this year. I
told the bf that I can only buy a small gift
for his youngest kids, I have a roof to pay
for in 12 equal monthly installments.

And I asked him for a wheel barrow.

~M

This and that . . .

I should be doing "the feed" and getting
ready for work, instead I'm sipping a
second cup of coffee and posting here.

My boyfriend and his former son-in-law
brought me a lovely couch late last night.
Well broke in and loved on, needing a bit
of mending here and there, but awesome.
"You need furniture," My oldest said.
"The rooms echo."

My new roof survived tropical storm Ida
and it was nice not to worry about leaks
for a change. I have one moldy looking
spot that needs some attention . . soon.

My oldest daughter met my boyriends'
youngest kids, and I swear you could see
God's hands in the matter.

I've been living credit card free for
almost a month. I'm watching my money
much more closely and don't make rash
decisions anymore. (Still have debt,
but no visa other than a check card.)

I've been pondering some "what if's", I
am a doomer after all. What if my car
needs repairs, etc. And I basically need
to work on my savings.

~M

Update . . .

 

later.

~M

The roofers are here!

Despite a damp morning, the roofers showed
up and are now working away on removing the
crumbling shingles. What a relief.

I've been mending some fences this morning
and I let Secret out to graze. Her coat is
getting shaggy and fuller for winter. Penny
stood at the fence and nuzzled me. I moved
some fencing around so she can get some fresh
grass as well.

My dad is putting up a for sale sign on his
place. I had a good cry about it in private,
the bf held me while I cleansed the loss from
my heart. Such a tumultuous year, and the
changes keep coming. Yet, I'm happy.

~M

Credit . . .

Well I've done it. I canceled my last Visa card
last week. They wanted to offer me an attractive
adjustable rate linked to the prime rate and I
sadly had to opt out.

I ran the card up a bit, I bought some dog houses
and paid for some repair work on my home. Then I
made the call. Opting out of new terms means simply
that I can't use the card anymore and the old terms
will be in effect until it's paid for. My prior
arrangement was a lovely fixed rate.

So how will I cope? What if something happens?
First, I've made very simple holiday plans. I'll
be paying cash, less of it, and to less folks.

Second, I have a wee bit in savings. It will stay
there during lean times as some insurance.

Third, I'm slowly stocking up on essentials and
re-examining where/when/how I can save here and
there. I'm taking the lads to the library tomorrow
instead of the mall or a fast food place.

Lastly, I'm cultivating a "thrift is cool" philosophy.
Anyone can spend themselves into the ground, only
cool folks can have more fun, and do it on a dime.
I know wat day hiking at the park costs zilch, and
when the movie only costs a buck.

More later.

~M

Sorry for the lack of pics and posts . . .

Life is really rather busy, I rarely
see a keyboard these days outside of
work.

I've picked out a dark green color for
the roof, and am going with a 25 year
shingle. There are more rotten bits
that need to be fixed, but that may
wait til spring. The roofer is *hopefully*
going to be here next week.

The propane tank is full.

My hay barn is full, I've upped the mares
to all grain and add oil for extra
calories.

The dog houses are on their way for my
hounds, so they will have at least some
shelter when I'm not home to let them in.

I've been looking at garage doors as well.
Mine are held together with duct tape and
bubble gum.

~M

Deferred maintenance . . .

 

 

 

When we bought the place over
a decade ago, it appeared solid
enough. Little did we know what
lay ahead.

So now it's a gorgeous October
day and the sound of a hammer on
wood is wooing me. Finally, we're
getting some work done on the place.
(We = my kid, myself and our
critters.) The house was put togther
rather badly and is already rotting
here and there. The capenter is
fixing the rotten bits and the
problems that caused the decay.

Hopefully, next week the roofer
will come and finally put a solid
covering on my home.

I'm having to max out a credit card
to get ready for winter. I have yet
to buy propane and dog houses. I'm
closing the card out at the end of
the month, opting out of the term
changes.

I'm financing the roof with a one
year loan. Money is going to be very
tight for a while. But I can't help
but get the feeling that time is of
the essence, and that consumer credit
is drying up. It's now or never.

On the other "home front", my courtship
is going exceedingly well.

Cheers,

~M