Pamela93

My DH is wonderful about doing laundry, I don't even have to touch it and its daying. Now the dishwasher he will load and unload it but only if the sink is fully. The crocks he ALWAYS leaves in the sink. I actually left it once for DAYS and he never touched it. Finally I got fed up and did it myself. So him washing it ya that would be wishful thinking. Dishes are not his thing, well neither are bathrooms but I just have learned to deal with it. I was thinking I will have to get another one and will start looking. I don't get to second hand stores to often as the ones in my town close before I get off work and I don't get to the bigger city but once a month. So next time I go I will check it out.

We do have food he can prepare for himself. There is usually left overs also. The food is usually easy stuff like soap or pasta dishes like spaghetti. He just choosers not to make the stuff. I think I am going to try some crock pot meals. I just can't do them 2 days in a row as most mornings I am rushing in and then back out to get to work on time so no time to clean the pot before I fill it again. I will have to see how it goes.

Clever you are correct. When I am home I usually figure out what to eat for each of us. I left his as free days as when I ask him what he wants his answer is "I don't know". Then in the past I use to write up a whole week menu and when I worked he would still go out and not eat what was on the menu. Thinking I will bring back the menu idea and point out that he needs to follow it just like I do.

Well that is unless you call this weather ugly. Its been so cold here again. I know 50s isn't bad but when the nights are still in the 30s and you have frost on your windows in the Am. Baseball games have been brutal. I am a die hard mom who tries to attend all games and yes I sit out in my lawn chair freezing. We have 2 more games this week and the wind is suppose to whip and the temps the same. Then next week it will hopefully get warmer or maybe I am wishing it will be. I guess that is Minnesota living. Now the Good, I have to say just when you are over worked, under paid, stressed out, and about to give up on a job they never sees to amaze me. We have been short handed at one of my job so we have all been getting OT (yes nice on the pocket book) for a few weeks now. Its at a group home for adults with disabilities. So this job is already stressful as you have behaviors. So after many weeks of being stressed I started to evaluate my finances and my job and weighing them out. Some how my job must have know as yesterday I got a call to come to the office, now I am freaking out thinking I am getting wrote up or fired. But no my manager hands me an envelope. I look inside to find a NICE snowball. They gave us a $100 bonus for working to hard and being so understanding. Well that helped with the stress and I guess I will keep the job. Then I get to work at the house and the house manager tells me that I get to enjoy the night at some Harlem Globetrotters. YUP I got to work and see some entertainment. The bad, my DH just can't figure this budget thing out. UGH!!! So I work about 80 hours a week, now 24 of them are overnights and we get to sleep. But when I work the evening shifts my DH seems to think he needs to go out to eat. Heck not even when I am working but also at baseball. For examples Monday evening we had a game and he could not go do to his work schedule. So when I get home I ask what he made for supper, McDonalds. Then last night I ask him again when he had, he went out. Asked how he paid, he tells me he used his debit card since he just got paid. Normally he would use his blow money but he is out of it already. He will get more today when I do the bills. I asked him why he didn't eat at home and his reply floored me. He said I wanted eggs. UMMM I think we just got eggs at the store on Saturday and HE GOT THEM so he could not have forgotten. Tonight we will have a nice little talk about BUDGET and eating out. It will go something like this, either you use your blow money and have less this week or we just don't eat out together. UGH!! So frustrating. If you are still reading thanks for reading my vent.

I am with you, I have changed my WOE, stopped drinking soda, no (min) sugar, more veggies, less carbs. My DH on the other hand will get donuts and candy bars at the store and eat them right in front of me. Well I am ok with that as I have will power. We actually make two different meals as he won't eat what I do and I wont eat what he does. I have talked with him about changing his WOE but he says he is fine and since he isn't overweight he has no reason to. He even had a Heart attach scare but that didn't do anything. I just wish he would listen a little bit and see what eating clean can do to a person. At least the DS 16 is eating more like me. He is working out everyday and getting fit. Well he was already but he needs to build muscle for football and wrestling. I do agree with you that I feel so much better. No heart burn, my joints have less pain, I sleep better, less headaches, and I have drop a few pounds.

The plan is working. What would you have done had you not had the BEF? You would have had to go into debt or paid bills late to go to the funeral. Everything is working perfectly. I know the feeling of 2 steps forward 1 step back. Its does get so much better and the fact that you can refill it fast is also a plus. Good job on working the plan. Sorry about your aunt.

Yes Plinda I am glad I spent the time with the Dh and DS. Time goes by so fast and from learning from the other children once they leave for college you don't get much time with them. I am glad I spent the days with my DH. We are now back at it and even more gazelle cause next year I don't want to feel guilty that I went and spent that time. As for DHs medical bills. We are saving our snowball so when the bill comes in we can pay it off right away. That way we have no new debt and if we over save we will throw what is left at the next debt. Thanks everyone for the comments.

So I am sure I will get a wet noodle beating for this since we are in BS2 yet but it was a much needed trip. Emotionally and physically (well not actually physically as I am exhausted 2 days later still). My state had its State Wrestling Tournament this past weekend and we went. My DS16 wrestles and so I was saving as you never know if he would make it to the tourney wrestling or not. My DS23 made it his first year and we didn't thing he would. So I figured I was going to be prepared this time. I saved a little bit for a few months a had $1000 saved just in case. Well he didn't make it, got 6th in our section. So I had this money and 2 of our variety guys did make it. Did I say we have been a wrestling family for 19 years now and Its kind of in our blood now. So I have this money and I have 2 choices take a mini vacation or toss it as a snowball. Yup the vacation won. It has been a long time since we have just taken off and went somewhere for pleasure so we went. But the reason the plan is working is WE DID IT ALL WITH CASH AND ON BUDGET!! Actually under budget, $50 under. We made a plan and did a budget for what we would spend and where. Any other time in the past I would have not saved and then got caught with no money and a needed trip and cards would have been used. Now I got paid and don't have to worry about where the money is coming from to cover the trip and bills. We also put Tires on the vehicle and paid our federal taxes all with our snowball money. But I am starting to stress a little my DH went to the dr yesterday for a pain in his chest area (thinking heartburn) well as he is 49 they figured they better do the full work up. EKG, Xrays, and blood work. Now I am going to hate that bill coming in as we have not yet meet our deductible. I know the clinic will work with us on the payments but I don't want to add anymore debit. Hopefully we can get this one paid off fast. UGH!! All that to tell him it most likely is heartburn and to take these meds. Nice thing is they gave him some sample to try first. Thanks Pamela

What are your SL payments? I am wondering if you might see more traction if you pay off the 2 small ones of those instead of the CC#2.

Well due to taxes and vehicle issues our snowball throwing is on hold. We have to pay into taxes this year, both state and federal so untill we know the exact amount we are not throwing any snowballs. Then on top of that I need 2 new tires. I had some vehicle issues what were fixed back a few months. Those issues caused the tires to wear unevenly and more extinsively then they should. So before we go on any long trips we need to put 2 tires on and we are planning a trip to go see the grandson and his mother and father too of course. So untill those 2 things are done we are saving the ball. I really am hoping to know this before the end of next week. With having to pay in for taxes it got me and my DH talking about retirement. I know he is not fully all DR like I am but I found out he doesn't think we will ever be able to retire. He was told back in 2001 that he would need 1.5 million in retirement saving to live. Not sure who told him this but I had to remind him that our cost of living will be down since we don't have any debt. He now has my income for another 10 years hopefully after he retires. I need to find a website were I can figure this out so I can show him its not as bad as he thinks it will be. I also don't see him retiring and just sitting at home. He will have to do something even if its part time. I have to confess I almost went back to being normal the other day. My Dh has been saying I need to get a new to us vehicle evertime something goes wrong. (see he is not fully DR) Well his exact words are "we really need to start thinking about replacing your truck as its starting to cost us". I have learned when he says this to say "the $300 every few months is still better then the $335 every month in payments". But the other day after my heater fan went out AGAIN for the 2nd time this year I just about went and got a new one. But DH took it and did a good checking into why its going out and found out we have some wires that are lose. He rewired them so hopefully it won't happen again and I figure out how stupid it would be to go and spend the money on a new vehicle when mine still runs great and really doesn't cost that much to fix when there is an issue. I have to say I also was looking at $30,000/vehicles. YUP if I was going into debt I was doing it big time. LOL thankfully you guys were in the back of my head telling me to stop and yes the thought of it did make me sick to my stomach. Well on to another day!!

Yup I agree with the others, the mall is nothing but a big normal mall. I live in MN and go by the place a few times a year only been in it about 3 times. The no tax is great but not when you don't need the items anyways. Check out the pool at the hotel. Find something free to do if you need to kill time. If you do go to the mall just walk around and look at the amusment park in the middle. Sometimes they have free entertainment I believe.

This past Sunday my husband drove 4 hours to go see the grandson being born. Ok he wasn't in the room but at the hospital. She was having a scheduled C-section due to the little boy being breech. It was a 6am Monday morning. I new this would be coming soon so we have set a side money for gas, food, and a hotel stay. Now I was not able to get off work and we will be going down this weekend again. My DH comes home last night and said that he only has $5 left for the week of his blow money. When asked why he stated "I had to eat". LOL I forgot to tell him he could use the debit card as I left the money in there. I did tell him there was this much for gas and hotel so watch the account. Also he stayed at the DD's house on the couch. Money saved on the hotel! He is finally getting it. I LOVE THAT MAN!! But now I have to refill his Blow Money with the eating out money or maybe we should just see how long the $5 will last him. There is pop in the fridge and we don't have any sporting events to go to. There is a few less days of work for him. MMM Maybe I will wait and see what he says. WIN!!

I have never felt this way before. This program really does change your life. The past few months there have been many things that have come up that would have put in me a major stress depression. I listed them below. 1. Extra Gas and football tickets, as my son's team made it to state football. 2. Vehicle needing $500 in repairs 3. Plugged sewer drain 4. Christmas: Extra gas to go shopping, presents, and more groceries needed. 5. A baby being born X 2 6. Carbondioxide alarm going off, found out it was the alarm had went bad. Heating bill for inspection plus new alarm. But for all of these items we had extra money due to really watching what we spend and actually paying off debit so that we have a snowball. All of this was or is being cash flowed. No cards being used, no skipped loan payments, no borrowing from parents, or the I will pay $20/month till its paid for. I also see that now as we are being good stuwarts with Gods money he is being good back to us. Bonus at my work ($250), being recognized by my employer (employee of the month) ($300), Bonus at part time job ($40), and winning a prize at the christmas party (speaker returned as I don't need it and they gave us the receipt to do so if we wanted to) ($50). All the little things all count up. Only down thing is "I WISH I WOULD HAVE FOUND DAVE YEARS AGO!" I use to hate paying bills as there was always to many left after the checks were gone. Now I have left over money and look at where to toss it. Paid off 2 more debits in the past month. LOVING LIFE!!!!

I can't believe its been a month since I have posted a blog so I figured I would update. We paid off 1 loan and 1 credit card in the past month. Things are moving along rather smoothly. Hate to say almost too smoothly but after Septembers murphys maybe he has left us for a few months. Nice thing is the murphys are more of a small bump in the road then a huge mountain to climb. Hubby couldn't believe it when we went over how much our snowball is if we behave ourselves and don't go off budget. November seems to be pretty much a calm month at least on the calendar it is. I have quit one of my jobs. This brings me back down to 2. It was time I have worked the 3 for over 3 years now and my body is run down. We also went over the eating out and realized that has increase again and mostly due to me being to tired to cook and hubby to busy. So we will just watch how often we eat out and see if it make a difference with me not working. Also we are doing great and really don't need the extra anymore to survive it will just make our Debt Free date alittle later. We have went back to having a date night since that is one thing also that suffered with me working so much. But our date money this month was needed for an extra football game that was not budgeted for. The Varsiety Football team that my son plays on had made it to the quarter finals so they not only played on Tuesday but also Saturday in the same week. They won so now they are on to the section finals Friday. We didn't budget this one since it is on the last day of the month and the day I get paid that money was for Nov so we just rearrange it a bit and got it all figured out. Now is they win it will be a different story and the snowball might be gone as the game will be 4 hours away. Guess we will wait and see. This is one issue I would love to have! We did end up with a date night but it was done very cheaply. I made dinner in, no TV turned one and we sat at the table and talked. We then watched a movie I rented from the "Red" box in our town ($1.20). Then it was a nice relaxing hot tub soak before bed. Nice and cheap and the whole thing costed under $20, drink included. Can you say we won with money this month!!! I love my new life and my new journey with money!!!