Sorry the truck is taking so long. That's frustrating.
When it comes to money, I'm the opposite of you and it's terrible and has caused some problems. I'm terrified of it -- can't stand to think about it. I'm not kidding when I say it gives me massive anxiety to the point of panic attacks. I need to work on that....
I am working from home today...the inauguration has the transportation situation so messed up in DC that any people are teleworking. And I'm off tomorrow. Yea! I had a root canal yesterday so I didn't work at all yesterday. Feeling better today although my jaw is still sore. I have TMJ and anything that requires that I keep my mouth open for more than a few minutes results in me having a very sore jaw for a couple of days.
Good wishes to Allison as she figures out and sets forth on her next steps!
The wedding plans are coming along very nicely. Next up is airfare out to Utah...I am hoping it will drop lower than it currently is, but my parents really want me on the same flight with them and they want to buy their tickets now, when it's still at about $150 more than I want to spend. It looks like Mark and Brie will drive out -- that way all the wedding stuff we're ordering online can be shipped here so I can check it and make sure it's all the right colors, etc., and then they'll be able to drive it out to Utah. Otherwise we would have to send it to Alyssa who has absolutely no storage space in her college apartment, or one of my husband's family members but then I wouldn't be able to check it until I got to Utah and it would be too late to do anything about it if it wasn't right. Decisions, decisions, decisions.....
Have a great day!
Yes - it is a little frustrating - not so much that it's taking so long to fix - I understand that part - I'd just like to know a definite diagnosis and price quote.
Money and budgeting can be a very scary thing - and each person/couple/family handles it differently... I am sometimes amazed to hear how others do it - as I know what works for them would never work for us. I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover book - it's a great start. If you are interested.
I wish I could share my budget here - however - I think that's a little more personal than what I want to share in a public place. I can tell you though, that Josh and I have it set up in an excel spreadsheet - I can go as far back as 2009 to see what our expenses used to be, and forward as long as I'd like - like I said yesterday, I have it detailed out until 2019 right now.
Some people do it on paper (I used to - but I couldn't any longer) and other people have apps on their phone.
I do not blame you for one single second for staying home - I would do the same thing! I hope you are able to get a lot of work done and being home is always nice too.
I am anxious and nervous for Allison... We'll see where she goes and how she does.
I sure hope airfare goes down for you soon! And all of the other plans fall into place... Such an exciting and nerve wracking time for you all!
Have a great weekend!
Hoping Josh's truck isn't too bad. My husband took his in for 50,000 mile maintenance and it was $580. He really needs new tires but he doesn't drive it in the winter so it can wait until spring. We don't really have a budget at all, but luckily have been able to stay out of debt. It was tough when I became a stay at home mom, but I really didn't charge much back then. In fact we didn't have a major credit card until we needed one for our first Disney trip. It's kind of funny but my husband always paid all the bills and really watched our money very closely. About 10 years ago I took over paying everything online and I think he's happy to be done with it. I think I told you I am saving for new windows though. I hope to have at least half down and then use the free interest financing. We are skipping our trip next year. Good for you to be saving up and I don't think it's weird to budget everything out. It's what works for you. I find when I go out for a few things, I always find way too much stuff I don't need. So sometimes it's good to be stuck at home.
Only a week until our trip and I can't wait. We might leave a day early and just stay at a hotel for our first night. Right now they're talking snow on our first driving day and that makes us a little nervous. So we decided if it still looks like snow when it gets closer, we'll be ready to leave. It's kind of nice that the weather here is going to be so nice now, but then gets colder again when we leave. Last year we went at the end of Feb. and there was a day in the 60's here and my grandson sent me a picture of him in shorts.
I'm glad to hear Allison is taking the time to decide what she wants to do. Will be excited to hear what it is.
Yes... Budgeting is definitely different for every family... I know - when we were first married, I let Josh handle the finances - and I soon discovered it wasn't his strong point - so I took them back. We both have a hand in it now, though I take the lead. Saving for big purchases - like windows - can be such a daunting task - the are so expensive... That is awesome that you are cash flowing most of it though!
When we did our windows/siding almost 10 years ago - we cash flowed the entire project... I am especially thankful that we did it that way - as many people would just take out a 2nd mortgage on their home and end up very upside down very quickly. I commend anyone who can pay cash! And for the record - every one of my trips has been paid for with cash.
That is one thing I love about staying at Disney - the ability to go and not have to put anything on a card... Same with Shades of Green - they still take personal checks.
How exciting!!!
I didn't realize that you'll be down there at the same time Suzi is! Which resort are you staying at again?
Yes - Allison is trying to sort out what she wants to do - it's such a hard decision!
Have a great and safe trip - I cannot wait to hear all about it.
Car issues are my least favorite surprises I have to spend money on Three weeks before Disney I had to put brand new tires on my car because I got two unrepairable flats!! There went $700 and another $400 a week later when something in Rob's car went wrong. SIGH. I am definitely a budgeter, too!! So, I hate when things go wrong!! BUT I am usually pretty good at keeping a cushion for just in case.
The best news is I saved SO well for our trip this year that we actually came home with a lot of gift cards leftover AND an excess of cash we didn't end up spending. WOO HOO! Disney fund for the next trip is already in place I am thinking perhaps joining Arianna for the 5K in January 2018 or a Disney Cruise sometime next year.
I know - I hate that part of being a grown up.
I also try to keep a cushion - or at least a healthy savings account... I have to admit that ours was pretty depleted and we were not being responsible with our $$ for the last few weeks of the year - which really gave us an eye opener when we needed cash for the truck. Lesson learned - again.
That is really awesome! I also came home with $$ on my GCs - not a lot, but some, which was nice! Saving mine for our next trip as well.
We are also looking at going back in Jan 2018... I have to see what the girls' schedules look like though.
I'd love to do the 5k with you all - I just don't know if I have it in me to try and get into the race itself - I've heard it's madness to even get registered!
Thanks for stopping by - it's always great to see you Jackie!
Hope you get some news about the truck soon.
We had fun down at the outlets. It was cold, though. We found some cute stuff for the baby at the Carter's outlet and a couple of really soft fleece jackets at Northface. I did get a new vacuum from Walmart,course. My carpet really needed vacuuming after a week. The funny thing was that someone took the old one out of the trash after I took it out to the street on Monday night.
I'm still working on quilting the quilt. Other than that, nothing's going on.
Glad to hear that you're making progress with your weight loss and getting back into shape.
Have a good day
Liz
Thanks - I am hoping we will hear something before the weekend.
I am glad to hear that your trip to the outlets was successful... I wish we had a Northface outlet near us - as I really want to get a down coat to replace the TWO that the girls lost/had stolen - both of them were white and I wore them all of the time. Sigh.
Glad you were able to get a new vacuum! Well - hopefully the person who took your old one was able to get it working again?
Thanks - I've been concentrating hard on it - considering I don't have much else to concentrate on right now - except for work. LOL
Have a great weekend Liz!
Good morning D; just popping to say hi! Enjoying your updates - except the news on the truck. Car repairs are the worst. DIL has a vehicle with a lot of miles on it and is starting to have problems; Tyler is pretty good at fixing the simple stuff. Hope you hear a price quote soon. I am so amazed at your budget; not weird at all but absolutely kudos to you. I preach to my sons all the time about if they have a credit card to put it on automatic payment and make sure it is paid every month. We have a CC that we charge everything on, only because of its rewards; but it is paid off each month. January is always a hard month with taxes due for 2 houses and 2 college tuition payments.
I wish I had your drive to clean out our closet; I so need to get in there and just start tossing. It seems everything gets thrown in there. Do you have a timeline for the bathroom remodel?
Hope to see a TR soon!
Hugs and prayers!!
Thanks - I hope we hear something soon too... Just a price would be very nice to have.
I have nothing on auto payments - yes I am
that obsessive about controlling our finances. LOL However - all of my dad's stuff is on auto pay - I'd never be able to handle two households.
Yikes - January is tough for many... But wow!!! I am not looking forward to those days! Hopefully everything goes well and Feb will be here before you know it.
I do not have a time line for the bathroom - a lot of it is hanging on the truck right now... Depending on the cost of that beast is what will determine how much we can spend there.
If everything goes well - we will start the bathroom sometime in March, and hopefully finish it by the end of May (though I am praying for the end of April... LOL)... The hardest part with that will be determining what we want to do with the tub - whether we want to get a new one or re-enamel ours? We'll see...
Me too - we are seriously considering a January 2018 trip... I have to see what the girls' schedules look like for next year though...
Take care Carol and have a good weekend!
what a shame that the mechanic didn't understand what Josh meant. Crossing my fingers that you will hear what the repair of the car cost soon.
I have budget for everything and I try to don't use money on stuff I really don't need. This is how I'm able to travel several times a year which I love and that is a huge motivation to keep living on a budget. So I don't think you're weird
I can't wait to hear what Allison's plans are. Crossing my fingers that she follows through.
Being able to make money instead of spending money is a good thing. So it doesn't sound bad spending time at home working as long as you enjoy your work.
My car is doing good.
Today it was snow storm outside and I had an appointment at the physiotherapist. It was really difficult to drive because I could only see 20 inch in front of the car. I got to town to my appointment with out any accidents. When it was time to drive back home it wasn't that much snow outside so it was much better visibility when driving so it wasn't a problem driving back home. A lot of roads have been closed today due to the weather and flight, buses and boats hasn't operated as normal today because of the weather.
I hope so too - we've been managing OK without the truck - we've had to be a bit creative with transportation some days - but for the most part, it's been going OK. It will be a relief to have the truck back, until then though - we are surviving.
Exactly - sometimes I am much more careful than at other times - though I am trying hard to be better about my spending.
We will see what she does... Things will fall into place for her soon - and then I'll share a bit about it.
Yikes!!! Glad you made it there OK - that is always the scariest part about driving in the winter... I've driven is some pretty awful road conditions and not being able to see when the roads are bad is not fun... I am happy to hear that the driving conditions were better coming home.
I hope you have a nice weekend Lillian!
Hi D - Congratulations getting the closet cleaned out. It feels great to be uncluttered. I am slowly moving things back into the kitchen and love having half empty drawers a shelves. I still have a lot of stuff to move back in, but also plan to give more stuff away. It is a great feeling to clear it out of the house.
The one thing I have been doing different lately is cooking lots meals. We ate out a lot during the ten weeks we didn't have a full kitchen and it is a joy to cook again. I also find myself doing a lot of cleaning. I want to keep my brand new stuff as new looking as possible.
Hi Sue!
I remember that feeling all too well - it was so nice to not have everything in my cabinets and drawers - just living off of the bare minimum... Eventually I did move everything back in - though like I said, I will be going through everything (maybe this spring) and packing a few of my duplicates up for the girls to take with them when they go.
Yes! I did the same thing!!! I was so happy to have my kitchen back and to be able to cook a meal!
I still find myself doing this now - it's something I never really thought about until I didn't have my kitchen for so long - I am very grateful to have it now though. And also, I am still quite obsessed about having the space clean... After living in the cluttered mess for so many weeks - I just HAD to have it meticulous at all times... To the point where I was driving Josh batty with it - so I backed off a bit, LOL.
Enjoy your new kitchen!!! And I hope that one day soon you'll share pictures with me - I can almost visualize it without - but I still wanna see. LOL I bet it's magnificent!
So sorry to hear the news about the truck-I just dread when something goes wrong on our vehicles.
I totally understand about the budget. We follow the Dave Ramsey method as well. I am so addicted that I have several people I follow on YouTube. The financial boards on Pinterest are never ending!! Oh the spreadsheets and binders...
Can't wait to hear about Your daughters new career plan. It will be exciting!
I know, me too... Josh can do a lot - he can do anything around the house - anything with computers... Though cars are not his strong suit and we are most times better off paying for that service - which always hits us hard!
Awesome!!! I've never thought to look on Youtube... I subscribe to his pod cast and often listen while I am working. I also belong to several DR groups on FB, which I love - they always have really good suggestions and opinions.
I have a pretty detailed excel spreadsheet - which Josh and I created years ago - it works very well for us - It's color coded, so I know what gets paid when and as everything is paid - I can change it to "green"... It works well. I am happy to see another kindred spirit here.
Happy budgeting!!!
Me too - LOL... It's a difficult decision... She will find her path soon - I know it.
***********************************************************************************************************
Well - yesterday was a pretty typical day for me... I did my heavy lifting right away - so I didn't have to worry about it later.
Then I tidied up the house a bit, made myself breakfast and headed up to work... Where I worked all day. I was able to get a lot done, which is always nice.
I did take a picture of our walk-in closet for you all.... Please don't judge too harshly... And yes - this is organized, compared to what it was. We still have a lot of finishing work to do in this area - the window still needs trim + matching window treatments and we still need to finish mudding and taping + painting the wall where we took out the old window several years ago... But like I said - NO ONE goes up here, so it will be the last area we finish. Also - at some point, I will be discontinuing use of my old dresser (which is annoying anyways) and we will install a better storage system in here... Also the shelf straight ahead which stores my tanks/tees/shorts is also a temporary storage solution and when we eventually redo this space - we plan to do something a bit better here too.
And yes - this is all of my clothing - after donating 5 giant bags to Goodwill... I have entirely too much! You can see Josh's shirts peeking out from the extreme right of the closet... The rest of this room is mine. If anything - I figure this is a good "before" photo for later...
So, anyways... Sharing non-public spaces of our home is a bit weird for me...
The other night - it was so cute... The boys lost a toy under the couch... So, Josh went to the rescue... It was so funny to see all of their heads under the couch searching for the toy...
And finally - here's this week's menu plan... I thought you all might enjoy seeing how I have been doing this? So far, so good... This has made it much easier for me to grocery shop (especially since I don't have a car at the moment to grab anything I may forget) and also this has made it easier for me to stick to my own eating plan.
This one is MUCH less detailed than the one I did a few years ago - which I think is better for me, the easier something is - the easier it is for me to stick to it.
We don't have any big plans for the weekend... Staying home and saving $$ is our plan.
Victoria is going to a winter bible camp this weekend - she goes every year and loves it...
I think Allison is working all weekend?
And Josh and I will be lazy.
I am definitely planning some TR updates over this weekend. I only have 1 full day left to do and our departure day - so this TR is almost finished.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Sending prayers and Pixie Dust out to all of you!
D~