Money and changing times . . .

I can't believe I haven't posted since May.
Life has been changing so quickly, and I am
a bit reluctant to waste time with yammering
about it on line, until now. I finally
have a quiet hour to myself and I have time
to collect the thoughts rambling through
my head.

I have moved. I am working a lot. I help care
for 2 rambunctious lads. I've made friends
and so on.

I started cutting expenses in April and May.
My budget has been super stretched, paying
for my roof, and I was tired of being broke.
I canceled my home phone and internet. I ate
in as often as I could.

One day my neighbor showed up and asked me what
I was going to do about my horses. "Fatten them
up." I said. "I want them." He said. "I'll
take care of them til they die, they'll want
for nothing." Now in these times, you don't
get an offer like that. So we agreed, and he
built infrastructure from the ground up at
considerable expense (I donated gates and such)
and the horses went across the street. The
neighbor man has only them and some stray cats
to answer to, I think it was a blessing all
around. (Annual savings $2000)

In late May, my house mate moved in. She came
with a dog, a runt~kitten, a kid and a healing
heart. As she moved in, I was slowly moving
out. I was tired of living in 2 places and
needed to make a home in one.
(Annual savings: monthly utilites and about
$80/month in gas, wear/tear on the car.)

Soon after my fiance proposed I officially
moved in. (Savings to move across state line
and not pay Georgia state income tax, $200
per month.) The wedding is set for mid August.
(Tax savings to be determined, but I will be
in a lower bracket.)

I got a call from one of the managers at my
work, my weekend pay was being phased out.
So while I didn't know it was coming, my
above changes certainly helped.

Next up, my frugal wedding.

~M

Couponing my way to collapse?

There really is an art to this couponing stuff.
One of my girlfriends brings home tons of food
that she gets for very very cheap. But as a
fellow LATOC poster pointed out, most of the
deals are for processed food ~ which they eat
so little of.

This may be why I favor couponing at chain pharmacy
stores like CVS and Walgreens. Today's CVS trip
was as follows:

step 1. Research blogs/circular/online coupons

step 2. sign up for CVS extra care card and check
cvs' site for online coupons

step 3. scan card at cvs kiosk for more coupons

step 4. make multiple purchases, up to item limits,
to make maximum use of etra care reward buckso5

The blogs explain this process in more detail.

Today's haul:

1 dawn dishwashing liquid
2 11oz maxwell house coffee
2 bottles extra laundry detergent 45 oz
2 large single roll tp
1 speedstick lady's deodorant
1 8oz herbal essence hairspray
1 15oz vo5 shampoo
1 15oz vo5 conditioner
1 10oz aussie hairspray
1 clearance/discontinued item

All this for about $18.50. I could
have done a bit better.

Cheers, M

I feel doom lurking . . .

This is a recent pic of an alligator in the
everglades.


I really felt a sense of doom on the horizon,
a sense of noodginess that changes are coming.
I felt unprepared, and unsettled. So I called
a few of the brightest minds and ended up
picking a good friend's brain. "Calm down."
She said (I paraphrase), "This thing is going
to take decades."

We chatted a bit more, about everything from
my relationship to the minimal doomstead size.
She suggested that I go buy more food, and hold
onto my doomstead, all very good advice. I had
to cut our chat short. But the moral of the
story is . . . slow and steady wins the race.

And of course, I need to keep plans flexible to
adjust to a changing world.

~M

sigh . . .

I'm sitting here watching Russell-of-the-
pornographic-tongue lick the remnants from
a jar of peanut butter. Next to him in my
second dog crate, lies my redbone napping.
The collie mix and the pyrenees rule my back
fences.

My American Eskimo has his own pen, he doesn't
like my other dogs. Buddy the doomer dawg
sleeps in a catbox turned dog house on my
front porch.

And now a seventh dog has been dumped. It's
a girl, cowering and shivering and begging
for scraps of food and love.

Sheesh. Why can't folks take care of their own
problems instead of bringing them to my door?
I can barely afford to feed my own, let alone
take on anymore.

Seriously.

~M

Fixing the leaks . . .

Now that my leaky roof is a fading memory, I am
turning my attention to my budget. I am reconnecting
with my inner financial geek.


OOOOooooooohhhhmmmmmm . . .

I switched satellite tv providers to save $15 per month.
I pleaded with the propane company to put me on a payment
plan to avoid paying $5 per month in interest charges.

I am watching my bottom line like a hawk. I have cut my
Christmas budget by 1/3rd for the kids and cut it to the
bone for everyone else.

We eat in alot. We cart leftovers to work, to each others'
homes, etc.

I share and get a lot of ideas for free or nearly free
fun stuff to do in and around my area with the work chicks.

I let folks know that I'd love to be the recipient of
their unwanted stuff. Several girlfriends cleaned out their
closets. My boyfriend loaned me a couch. Dad gave me a
bunch of stuff just before he moved.

My budget for the rest of the year is wicked tight. I'm
trying to make grocery lists instead of winging it. I often
grocery shop with cash, and shamelessly put stuff back
when I've reached my predetermined limit.

~M

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