Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Dog Blog is BUZZWorthy
I had to make a call to a person who is helping me put some advertisement on the Dog Blog (my other blog). They found the blog and sent me an email telling me it's BUZZWorthy (I get to put a badge on my blog stating that lol). I think I've got the ad all set now. Guess I should look into getting something going for this blog too. Anyway, I also got a call from New York on the jewelry I was having appraised. The offered me next to nothing for it, so I asked them to return the items I sent to them.
I've been so busy doing nothing that I haven't had time for anything else!
Wow! It's been a while. Last time I posted I hadn't started working yet. I was just days until my first day at work. Well, here it is March 22nd and I've been at work for 4 months now. I am the medical receptionist for the Lab and Radiology departments at the East Branch of CSHP. I work 7:30am - 11:30 am, Monday through Friday. I really enjoy my job. Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming, but most times I can handle the flow of the patients coming in for Lab/Rad. I also enjoy the people I work with and they seem to enjoy working with me. I had my 90 day review the beginning of this month. My boss, Paul, came over from the downtown office to go over the review with me. I did really well. I had no areas for improvement because I'm doing such a good job. I'm making pretty good money and it brings in an additional $800 or so each month. That has been quite helpful for the finances.
We're still following the Baby Steps (Dave Ramsey's plan) and we are debt free but the house. We're working on BS3 right now - funding our Emergency Fund. I've been selling everything I can to get the money for the BEF (beginner emergency fund) and the FFEF (fully funded emergency fund). I'm trying to put my entire SSDI check to the EF each month. This month I was only able to put half of it to the EF though. But, every little bit helps.
On Thursday I started an FPU (Financial Peace University) class. For the first hour we watch a DVD of Dave Ramsey teaching a concept. The second hour we spend discussing the concept. The DVD was hilarious. Dave is so funny. It makes it enjoyable to learn about finances. It's a pretty big class too - at least 40 people (mostly couples). David didn't go with me to the first class because there was a college hockey playoff game on TV. I'm going to ask him to go to the next 2 classes though:
1. Relating with Money - how money effects relationships and
2. Cash Flow Planning- the dreaded BUDGET!
We have to have a 'quickie budget' done for the Relating with Money class. I already have ours. We've been budgeting since October 2007. I work on the budget all the time. I'm always updating it and tweaking it. It's fun for me to work on the budget (did I just say that out loud? lol). I've been active in the forum posting about 3x a day. It's so informative, encouraging and helpful to be a part of the forum. During FPU we get to be a part of the FPU forum. It's not quite as interesting to me as the MyTMMO forum is. Probably because we're on Step 3 now.
On April 5th we're going to a TMMO Live event. Yep, we're going to see the man himself, Dave Ramsey, live! I can't wait. Now that is going to be a fun time. It's a 5 hour event so I hope I can make it through the whole thing. We bought VIP tickets so we don't have to fight for seats and we'll get to sit up closer. I want' to see Dave, not a projection of Dave. I'm hoping it will really get David fired up about the plan. He's okay with it but isn't exactly gazelle intense by any stretch of the imagination. But at least he's on board. That's my birthday present this year - going to the TMMO Live Event.
So, we're done with BS1 - $1,000 in the bank (our beginner emergency fund). It's kind of weird to just have money sitting there "just in case". Nice feeling though. We completed BS2 on February 20th, 2008 when we paid off the Jeep loan at USAA for David's Jeep. Now we have the title to both of our vehicles. The only debt we have now is the mortgage. Very cool. I have the budget worked out so well that I can schedule bills to be paid once for the month and not have to mess with it again. That is a huge time saver and it assures that all the bills are paid on time. I love using web bill pay. No more checks, envelopes or stamps. The CU takes care of all of that. I only write out a check when I absolutely have to.
Now we're on BS3, which I'm finding to be the hardest step so far. It's not easy, when you are a spender, to just pile up money. We had a little bit in there last week and David bought new (used) wheels for his Jeep. $400.00 worth of wheels. It wasn't an emergency but it came out of the emergency fund. We shouldn't have done it, but we haven't changed our behavior completely yet. We are both still spenders. We have cut way back though. But a one time, $400 purchase makes a big, negative impact on the EF. I'm hoping to refund the $400 by the end of this month. Our ultimate goal is to have about $10k in the FFEF. That's going to take a while, probably until the end of this year. It will be worth the effort though.
BS4 is investing in retirement. We're sort of working on that right now because David gets a company match of 4% so we put that much in. At our ages we have to keep putting in the retirement account. Stopping for a year would not be prudent at this point in the game. I've been trying to do some research on what we should be investing in but haven't really come up with an answer yet. There's an investment forum on the TMMO forum and I've asked some questions in there but we still haven't got it all ironed out. I've also been checking online for advice. We're going to have to move quick and be a bit more aggressive since we only have $20k in the fund right now. I'm not eligible for 401k at work yet. I think I have to be there for a year before I'm eligible to contribute. I will though as soon as I can. I'm going to check out a ROTH IRA also. I may be able to start contributing to that sooner (once BS3 is completed). I'd like to sit down with an investment person (a DR ELP) and see where we should be putting this money right now. I'll have to look into that too.
We'll be skipping BS5 because that's a college fund for the kids and we're past that now. So, we'll jump right into BS5 which is paying off the mortgage early. That's a bit off in the distance right now though.
SSDI lets me work and make as much as I can for 9 months. After the 9 months I can only keep my benefits if I make under $940 a month. I'm already making more than that now so I'd have to figure out away to deduct from that amount over $940. I think filling my prescriptions every month instead of every 3 months would do that, but I'm not sure. Another thing I'll have to look into. Otherwise, I lose my SSDI and have to live on my part-time pay only. I'd have to ask for a FT position at the point. I don't really want to work FT though. I'd rather work part-time and get my SSDI benefits. I'd make more that way and I don't really think I'm physically or mentally capable of working FT now or months from now. I think July is the last month that I can make however much I want without losing benefits. In August I'll have to be prepared to have a plan in place. My prescriptions would have to be about $60 a month to keep me under the limit. I think that is possible.
Gotta go for now have a call to make.
We're still following the Baby Steps (Dave Ramsey's plan) and we are debt free but the house. We're working on BS3 right now - funding our Emergency Fund. I've been selling everything I can to get the money for the BEF (beginner emergency fund) and the FFEF (fully funded emergency fund). I'm trying to put my entire SSDI check to the EF each month. This month I was only able to put half of it to the EF though. But, every little bit helps.
On Thursday I started an FPU (Financial Peace University) class. For the first hour we watch a DVD of Dave Ramsey teaching a concept. The second hour we spend discussing the concept. The DVD was hilarious. Dave is so funny. It makes it enjoyable to learn about finances. It's a pretty big class too - at least 40 people (mostly couples). David didn't go with me to the first class because there was a college hockey playoff game on TV. I'm going to ask him to go to the next 2 classes though:
1. Relating with Money - how money effects relationships and
2. Cash Flow Planning- the dreaded BUDGET!
We have to have a 'quickie budget' done for the Relating with Money class. I already have ours. We've been budgeting since October 2007. I work on the budget all the time. I'm always updating it and tweaking it. It's fun for me to work on the budget (did I just say that out loud? lol). I've been active in the forum posting about 3x a day. It's so informative, encouraging and helpful to be a part of the forum. During FPU we get to be a part of the FPU forum. It's not quite as interesting to me as the MyTMMO forum is. Probably because we're on Step 3 now.
On April 5th we're going to a TMMO Live event. Yep, we're going to see the man himself, Dave Ramsey, live! I can't wait. Now that is going to be a fun time. It's a 5 hour event so I hope I can make it through the whole thing. We bought VIP tickets so we don't have to fight for seats and we'll get to sit up closer. I want' to see Dave, not a projection of Dave. I'm hoping it will really get David fired up about the plan. He's okay with it but isn't exactly gazelle intense by any stretch of the imagination. But at least he's on board. That's my birthday present this year - going to the TMMO Live Event.
So, we're done with BS1 - $1,000 in the bank (our beginner emergency fund). It's kind of weird to just have money sitting there "just in case". Nice feeling though. We completed BS2 on February 20th, 2008 when we paid off the Jeep loan at USAA for David's Jeep. Now we have the title to both of our vehicles. The only debt we have now is the mortgage. Very cool. I have the budget worked out so well that I can schedule bills to be paid once for the month and not have to mess with it again. That is a huge time saver and it assures that all the bills are paid on time. I love using web bill pay. No more checks, envelopes or stamps. The CU takes care of all of that. I only write out a check when I absolutely have to.
Now we're on BS3, which I'm finding to be the hardest step so far. It's not easy, when you are a spender, to just pile up money. We had a little bit in there last week and David bought new (used) wheels for his Jeep. $400.00 worth of wheels. It wasn't an emergency but it came out of the emergency fund. We shouldn't have done it, but we haven't changed our behavior completely yet. We are both still spenders. We have cut way back though. But a one time, $400 purchase makes a big, negative impact on the EF. I'm hoping to refund the $400 by the end of this month. Our ultimate goal is to have about $10k in the FFEF. That's going to take a while, probably until the end of this year. It will be worth the effort though.
BS4 is investing in retirement. We're sort of working on that right now because David gets a company match of 4% so we put that much in. At our ages we have to keep putting in the retirement account. Stopping for a year would not be prudent at this point in the game. I've been trying to do some research on what we should be investing in but haven't really come up with an answer yet. There's an investment forum on the TMMO forum and I've asked some questions in there but we still haven't got it all ironed out. I've also been checking online for advice. We're going to have to move quick and be a bit more aggressive since we only have $20k in the fund right now. I'm not eligible for 401k at work yet. I think I have to be there for a year before I'm eligible to contribute. I will though as soon as I can. I'm going to check out a ROTH IRA also. I may be able to start contributing to that sooner (once BS3 is completed). I'd like to sit down with an investment person (a DR ELP) and see where we should be putting this money right now. I'll have to look into that too.
We'll be skipping BS5 because that's a college fund for the kids and we're past that now. So, we'll jump right into BS5 which is paying off the mortgage early. That's a bit off in the distance right now though.
SSDI lets me work and make as much as I can for 9 months. After the 9 months I can only keep my benefits if I make under $940 a month. I'm already making more than that now so I'd have to figure out away to deduct from that amount over $940. I think filling my prescriptions every month instead of every 3 months would do that, but I'm not sure. Another thing I'll have to look into. Otherwise, I lose my SSDI and have to live on my part-time pay only. I'd have to ask for a FT position at the point. I don't really want to work FT though. I'd rather work part-time and get my SSDI benefits. I'd make more that way and I don't really think I'm physically or mentally capable of working FT now or months from now. I think July is the last month that I can make however much I want without losing benefits. In August I'll have to be prepared to have a plan in place. My prescriptions would have to be about $60 a month to keep me under the limit. I think that is possible.
Gotta go for now have a call to make.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Vocational Rehabilitation
I went for the Voc Rehab orientation this morning. It was basically a PowerPoint presentation and then setting up an appointment to see a counselor. I'll go back to see the counselor on November 26th. I have a packet that I need to fill out. I've already done some of it, but I'll have to get back to it. This afternoon I went and picked up my Skills Certificate at the PPWFC. I have a Silver Certificate (there are Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates). All of this, the disability stuff and only getting a siver cert has me wondering if I really am capable of going back to work. I'm going to give it my best shot. But even David said that I won't continue working if it's too hard for me. I'll give it my best though. We really need the money. Looks like we'll have the BEF in place by the end of January and start on the DS in February (paying off the $700 family loan). We will never borrow any money for anything ever again. Period.
I'm going to go clothes shopping Saturday afternoon. In the morning I have to go pick up the AFM box. Then I have someone coming over to buy some christmas stuff I posted on craigslist. It's just $10, but every dollar helps.
I have to upgrade my MS Money. The trial period is over. I'm checking one out on eBay. It's about $20 online (the MS site). The $20 one is an essentials version. The one on eBay (which is at $1 plus $4 s/h) is a deluxe version. I'm also watching a DR Financial Peace University DVD set on eBay. It's at $75 right now. Theres about 3 days to go on both items. I could definitely work both into the budget.
Tomorrow I'm going to go over to the Open PC lab at PPWFC. I'll be working on a Computer Skills Assessment (Word, Excel, 10 key, etc.). I don't know how long it will take so I'm going to get there at 9am when it opens and try to complete if by noon the latest when the lab closes.
I'm disappointed that I only earned a Silver Certificate on the Reading, Math and Location Skills Assessment. I really feel like I could have done better. But that was when things were different, before the accident. I really had a much harder time with the test than I thought I would. So I'm not sure how I'll do on the Computer Skills Assessment. I'll just do my best. I'll bring that stuff to the Voc Rehab appointment. I know that doing as well as I do doesn't look like I have problems, but I know it's different now. Even filling out the application for the appointment on the 26th was making me anxious. I felt like I couldn't figure out how to fill out the application at some points. It's frustrating. And I'm having a heck of a time with my right thumb (the one that was dislocated and surgically repaired).
I will start work in 5 days. Yikes! I'm going to feel like an idiot if I can't do the job because I talked myself up so much. It has been 7 years since I worked though, so I anticipate an adjustment period, mentally and physically. The first day I have to go to HR for orientation at 8:15am. Not sure what the rest of the week will look like. I have Thanksgiving off, paid. That's cool. But I have to work on Friday and David is off. He has hockey that night though. We'll have the afternoon together. Maybe we can do something special.
I haven't been feeling good for days now. My allergies are really bothering me. My nose is runny and I've been coughing. I use cough drops when the cough gets bad. I feel dehydrated. I need to drink more water. I weighed myself this mornin and I'm under 250. Woohoo! I think working will help with losing weight too. I'll be more active and focused on other things.
Enough for now.
I'm going to go clothes shopping Saturday afternoon. In the morning I have to go pick up the AFM box. Then I have someone coming over to buy some christmas stuff I posted on craigslist. It's just $10, but every dollar helps.
I have to upgrade my MS Money. The trial period is over. I'm checking one out on eBay. It's about $20 online (the MS site). The $20 one is an essentials version. The one on eBay (which is at $1 plus $4 s/h) is a deluxe version. I'm also watching a DR Financial Peace University DVD set on eBay. It's at $75 right now. Theres about 3 days to go on both items. I could definitely work both into the budget.
Tomorrow I'm going to go over to the Open PC lab at PPWFC. I'll be working on a Computer Skills Assessment (Word, Excel, 10 key, etc.). I don't know how long it will take so I'm going to get there at 9am when it opens and try to complete if by noon the latest when the lab closes.
I'm disappointed that I only earned a Silver Certificate on the Reading, Math and Location Skills Assessment. I really feel like I could have done better. But that was when things were different, before the accident. I really had a much harder time with the test than I thought I would. So I'm not sure how I'll do on the Computer Skills Assessment. I'll just do my best. I'll bring that stuff to the Voc Rehab appointment. I know that doing as well as I do doesn't look like I have problems, but I know it's different now. Even filling out the application for the appointment on the 26th was making me anxious. I felt like I couldn't figure out how to fill out the application at some points. It's frustrating. And I'm having a heck of a time with my right thumb (the one that was dislocated and surgically repaired).
I will start work in 5 days. Yikes! I'm going to feel like an idiot if I can't do the job because I talked myself up so much. It has been 7 years since I worked though, so I anticipate an adjustment period, mentally and physically. The first day I have to go to HR for orientation at 8:15am. Not sure what the rest of the week will look like. I have Thanksgiving off, paid. That's cool. But I have to work on Friday and David is off. He has hockey that night though. We'll have the afternoon together. Maybe we can do something special.
I haven't been feeling good for days now. My allergies are really bothering me. My nose is runny and I've been coughing. I use cough drops when the cough gets bad. I feel dehydrated. I need to drink more water. I weighed myself this mornin and I'm under 250. Woohoo! I think working will help with losing weight too. I'll be more active and focused on other things.
Enough for now.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Clothes shopping
I have dinner going. The potatoes are boiling and the chicken is baking. I really felt like having a nice meal tonight. I still have to do an inventory of all the food I have so I can plan out some meals. I forget that I have stuff so it's a good idea to list everything out. I'll take care of that after dinner.
I'll have to do some clothes and shoes shopping this weekend. Thankfully the dress code is business casual so I don't have dress to the hilt. I'll start at Goodwill and see if I can find anything there. I may have to get shoes at one of the cheaper shoe stores if I can't find any at Goodwill.
It's going to be weird to go back to work after being off more than 7 years. I'm sure it will take some time to adjust to being somewhere for 4 hours straight. I'm sure I can do it though. I want Paul & Caryn to know they made the right choice offering me the job. I don't know how much training I will need. Hopefully I'll pick it all up quickly. I'm really excited that I'm getting so much per hour ($11.52). It should be interesting to start up a new job.
I'll have to do some clothes and shoes shopping this weekend. Thankfully the dress code is business casual so I don't have dress to the hilt. I'll start at Goodwill and see if I can find anything there. I may have to get shoes at one of the cheaper shoe stores if I can't find any at Goodwill.
It's going to be weird to go back to work after being off more than 7 years. I'm sure it will take some time to adjust to being somewhere for 4 hours straight. I'm sure I can do it though. I want Paul & Caryn to know they made the right choice offering me the job. I don't know how much training I will need. Hopefully I'll pick it all up quickly. I'm really excited that I'm getting so much per hour ($11.52). It should be interesting to start up a new job.
Guess what?
I got the job!!
The HR person called me this morning and offered me the job at $11.52/hour. I'll start on 11/19, the week of Thanksgiving. And boy will I have something to be thankful for. On Monday, the 19th, I have to go downtown to HR for orientation. I don't know how long orientation lasts. I'll get Thanksgiving Day off paid. Woohoo! I had to go this morning for my drug screen. It took me two hours and three large cups of water to get it done. They'll have results in 48-72 hours. It'll probably be quicker than that but I'm sure they say it will take that much time to cover themselves. When I go to HR on Monday I get to park in the Parking Garage for free because I'm an employee. Yep, that's me, an employee. I am very excited and nervous all at the same time. I do have to work the Friday after Thanksgiving but David is off for the day. I'll only work a half a day. My normal hours will be 7:30 - 11:30 am, Monday through Friday. I'm still going to go to Voc Rehab on Wednesday. I want to see if they can do anything for me even though I've already accepted a job. Then in the afternoon I have to pick up my skills certificate at the PPWFC.
I called David first to let him know that I got the job. Then I emailed Lisa and then called Lynn. Everyone is happy for me. Lisa called me after I talked to Lynn. I also emailed Kitty to let her know. So this is my last week as a homemaker.
It's already 3:30pm and David is home. I'm going to make chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner tonight. I probably wont get that going until about 5pm or so.
Okay, I'm going to go check out the TMMO forum. I'm just so excited!
The HR person called me this morning and offered me the job at $11.52/hour. I'll start on 11/19, the week of Thanksgiving. And boy will I have something to be thankful for. On Monday, the 19th, I have to go downtown to HR for orientation. I don't know how long orientation lasts. I'll get Thanksgiving Day off paid. Woohoo! I had to go this morning for my drug screen. It took me two hours and three large cups of water to get it done. They'll have results in 48-72 hours. It'll probably be quicker than that but I'm sure they say it will take that much time to cover themselves. When I go to HR on Monday I get to park in the Parking Garage for free because I'm an employee. Yep, that's me, an employee. I am very excited and nervous all at the same time. I do have to work the Friday after Thanksgiving but David is off for the day. I'll only work a half a day. My normal hours will be 7:30 - 11:30 am, Monday through Friday. I'm still going to go to Voc Rehab on Wednesday. I want to see if they can do anything for me even though I've already accepted a job. Then in the afternoon I have to pick up my skills certificate at the PPWFC.
I called David first to let him know that I got the job. Then I emailed Lisa and then called Lynn. Everyone is happy for me. Lisa called me after I talked to Lynn. I also emailed Kitty to let her know. So this is my last week as a homemaker.
It's already 3:30pm and David is home. I'm going to make chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner tonight. I probably wont get that going until about 5pm or so.
Okay, I'm going to go check out the TMMO forum. I'm just so excited!
2008 Budget
I made David's lunch. We're saving a lot of money by me making his lunches each day. All he spends on is breakfast and chew. That's about $20/week. That's his blow money. My $20 usually goes to get groceries. I need to fix that. I should be able to blow my blow money on whatever I want. I need to adjust the grocery budget if it's not working and I have to use my blow money. At the end of this month I'll figure out just how much I spent and then make an adjustment.
I'm craving orange juice this morning. A nice, cold glass of orange juice just sounds really good. I do have a few dollars. I could get some orange juice if I wanted to get some. There's some change in the change jar I could use.
I added 2008 to the budget. I just copied previous months and pasted them into the budget workbook. I feel good getting that done. Of course, I'll have to make changes along the way to account for my new, job income but that will be a pleasure to do. And I'll have to tweak things as we go along too. It takes a few months to get a working budget that's fairly accurate. And of course, we have the holidays coming up and I'm sure that will have a slight impact on the budget. I don't really know how much to plan for for the holidays. Thanksgiving will be okay since we'll be going over to Lisa's. Just bring something to share instead of cooking a whole meal. And I'm sure we can do Christmas inexpensively too. We'll get our AFM food just before Christmas. That will be a big help. And I already have a turkey for Christmas if I need one. That would be my $5 turkey. I saved over $7 on that deal. I saved 41% total on the whole bill that day because I only bought sale items. I'm trying to be a good steward with our money.
Guess I should start cleaning up around here. David should be leaving soon so I'll start right after he leaves. More later.
I'm craving orange juice this morning. A nice, cold glass of orange juice just sounds really good. I do have a few dollars. I could get some orange juice if I wanted to get some. There's some change in the change jar I could use.
I added 2008 to the budget. I just copied previous months and pasted them into the budget workbook. I feel good getting that done. Of course, I'll have to make changes along the way to account for my new, job income but that will be a pleasure to do. And I'll have to tweak things as we go along too. It takes a few months to get a working budget that's fairly accurate. And of course, we have the holidays coming up and I'm sure that will have a slight impact on the budget. I don't really know how much to plan for for the holidays. Thanksgiving will be okay since we'll be going over to Lisa's. Just bring something to share instead of cooking a whole meal. And I'm sure we can do Christmas inexpensively too. We'll get our AFM food just before Christmas. That will be a big help. And I already have a turkey for Christmas if I need one. That would be my $5 turkey. I saved over $7 on that deal. I saved 41% total on the whole bill that day because I only bought sale items. I'm trying to be a good steward with our money.
Guess I should start cleaning up around here. David should be leaving soon so I'll start right after he leaves. More later.
The time has almost come...
It's a bit after 4am. Blitz woke me up to go out. I let her and Huxley out for a few minutes. It's really cold and windy out. They're back in bed. I'm up because I'm nervous about hearing from CSHP. I should know within hours whether I got the job or not. It was weird not seeing it on their website or in the newspaper. I've really been focused on getting this job. I don't want to work too far from home with winter coming up. I also don't mind working part-time for now and then maybe FT later. I figured it out last night that I'll be starting off making about $5 less per hour than I did at my last job. Hopefully I can move up that way as I go along. I know I'm not going to get a job for $17/hour but a girl can dream.
I'm going to jump in the shower later so I can be ready in case they need me to come down to the HR office today to do pre-employment screening or a drug test. I need to check my list of meds and see if it is up to date. I can also check with Wal-mart today on those $4 prescriptions. I want to save money wherever I can. Plus it would be easier to get prescriptions when I need them instead of having to wait for them to come in the mail. Too bad I can't get all of them at Wal-mart. I may check their prices just to see what the difference in cost would be. It's nice having a 3 month supply but it would be nicer to save some money and have quicker access to the prescriptions.
I also need to make a call to the Healthcare company so we can have someone come and pick up the oxygen machine. We're paying for it but David's not using it. And it's pretty expensive. The Healthcare company was part of our financial planning. I need to take care of that too.
I'm going to get the house straightened up today: laundry, dishes, vaccuum, paperwork and cleaning. I really need to catch up. I'll feel better if I'm caught up on stuff. The house is kind of a mess right now. No problem though, I'll just jump in where I am.
My allergies are really bothering me. I have post nasal drip, a cough and my tongue is sore. My eyes are watering too. I don't want to take allergy medicine because it will make me sleepy. I need to be awake to get the house cleaned and chores done. I think I'll also take an inventory of what food is on hand and plan out meals. I have quite a bit of meat in the freezer so I'll be able to make quite a few meals. There's quite a bit in the cupboards too. And Saturday I pick up the AFM food. All that shoud last for quite some time. The only things I'll need are perishibles: milk, bread, produce. Oh and I'll need to get cereal. Although I probably should stop eating so much cereal and eat smoothies again for breakfast. I've gained back a few pounds because I've stopped walking because of th weather. I could wait until later in the day to go walking when it's warmer and less windy out. I need to get back to walking. Either that or use the treadmill over at the clubhouse. That might be too boring for me though. But I've got to exercise somehow. I don't want to gain back all the weight I lost. I should start out today and just get out there and walk this morning. I have a hoodie I can wear to keep me warm. And I have gloves and a hat to keep me warm too.
David's radio alarm is going off. He hasn't got up yet. Wait, I think I just heard him getting up. Yep, that was him. His alarm is off now. The dogs should be in bed sleeping. That's where I should be too but I'm too amped to sleep. I'll probably go back to bed in a little bit though. I really need my sleep. I haven't sleep through the night for so long now. Either the dogs are waking me up or I'm getting up to go to the bathroom. It stinks. I won't be able to work if I feel like this all the time. I've got to stay in bed until at least 5:30am. I want to be at work by 7:20am because people start getting to the lab at 7:30am. I don't want to keep people waiting. (She says, knowing that the job may not be hers.)
It would be so nice to make more money. We could get the BEF done, pay the family loan, get a month ahead on bills and then pay off the jeep. After that we'd start on the retirement again and whatever is left over would go towards paying off the house. It'll definitely take years to do, but it's better than taking 30 years (the length of our mortgage). It will be so nice to not be in debt. It will be awesome to pay for things with cash and have the money to do things with. We are living like no one else so that later we can live like no one else. I don't know that we'll ever be millionaires, but it would be fun to work towards it. But even if we don't end up as millionaires, at least we'll be able to enjoy our lives guilt free and debt free.
I'm a bit nervous about whether I will be able to actually keep a job. I know it's just nerves making me worry about that but I am worried. All I can do is what I can do. I'll work if I can. I need to make some sacrifices too to get us out of debt. David can't be the only one who works all the time. Even if I can just work part-time, I'll be adding in more money, making a bigger 'shovel' to pay off the debt with. I always doubt my abilities before I attempt to take on something new. Guess that's just human nature. I'm confident in my abillities but I'm also worried that I don't have the skills to do the job. It's hard going back to work after not working for 7 years. I'm hoping Voc Rehab can help me and I'm hoping I can get this job. Having Voc Rehab help would make it a bit easier because I wouldn't have to worry about SS doing a medical review. I worry about that because I haven't been able to afford to go to the doctors (mental health or physical). I could try to get back after I'm comfortable in my job. It's not that I don't need to be seen, it's just that I can't afford the copays. We'll have the HSA for next year and that will help us with meeting our deductible. We've gone to the basic PPO for this coming year. I hope that is the right thing to do. If not we won't be able to change it unti 2009.
I should get up and start doing some stuff around here. I don't know that I'll go back to bed. I'm too nervous. I could use that nervous energy to clean up around here. I've had a basket of laundry in the living room for days now. And the counter is full of dishes again. I need to get back to my FlyLady routines. I've completely gotten out of my routines. And the house shows it. But I know that working 15 minutes at a time, I can get a lot done around here. I just need to pace myself. It will feel good to get things 'under control' again. Routines are the way to achieve that.
It's almost 5am now. I can't believe I'm up but then again what else would I be doing with all of this nervous energy I have.
I need to remember to call the Healthcare company and Vonage today. I want to see if they have done anything on getting my money back to me. That $80 would help out a lot. I'm afraid of them trying to rip me off though. I can't believe I had to pay $39.99 to get my service transferred back to Qwest. They told me it wasn't a disconnect fee. The person I talked to at Vonage repeated that over and over again. The person said that it was just a temporary fee and I would get it all back because I was within the trial period when we cancelled. I'm sure they will give me the run-around though. They always seem to.
I think I'll probably jump in the shower after David leaves. I don't want to be showering later when the call from HR could come in. If I don't hear anything by 10am, then I'll call her back.
It feels so cold in here because we have the heat turned down to the low 60's and it's cold and windy out. I don't want to feel like I'm freezing all winter long.
I only have a few dollars left for this week. I think I have most everything that I need. Just remembered, I need to make David's lunch. BRB.
I'm going to jump in the shower later so I can be ready in case they need me to come down to the HR office today to do pre-employment screening or a drug test. I need to check my list of meds and see if it is up to date. I can also check with Wal-mart today on those $4 prescriptions. I want to save money wherever I can. Plus it would be easier to get prescriptions when I need them instead of having to wait for them to come in the mail. Too bad I can't get all of them at Wal-mart. I may check their prices just to see what the difference in cost would be. It's nice having a 3 month supply but it would be nicer to save some money and have quicker access to the prescriptions.
I also need to make a call to the Healthcare company so we can have someone come and pick up the oxygen machine. We're paying for it but David's not using it. And it's pretty expensive. The Healthcare company was part of our financial planning. I need to take care of that too.
I'm going to get the house straightened up today: laundry, dishes, vaccuum, paperwork and cleaning. I really need to catch up. I'll feel better if I'm caught up on stuff. The house is kind of a mess right now. No problem though, I'll just jump in where I am.
My allergies are really bothering me. I have post nasal drip, a cough and my tongue is sore. My eyes are watering too. I don't want to take allergy medicine because it will make me sleepy. I need to be awake to get the house cleaned and chores done. I think I'll also take an inventory of what food is on hand and plan out meals. I have quite a bit of meat in the freezer so I'll be able to make quite a few meals. There's quite a bit in the cupboards too. And Saturday I pick up the AFM food. All that shoud last for quite some time. The only things I'll need are perishibles: milk, bread, produce. Oh and I'll need to get cereal. Although I probably should stop eating so much cereal and eat smoothies again for breakfast. I've gained back a few pounds because I've stopped walking because of th weather. I could wait until later in the day to go walking when it's warmer and less windy out. I need to get back to walking. Either that or use the treadmill over at the clubhouse. That might be too boring for me though. But I've got to exercise somehow. I don't want to gain back all the weight I lost. I should start out today and just get out there and walk this morning. I have a hoodie I can wear to keep me warm. And I have gloves and a hat to keep me warm too.
David's radio alarm is going off. He hasn't got up yet. Wait, I think I just heard him getting up. Yep, that was him. His alarm is off now. The dogs should be in bed sleeping. That's where I should be too but I'm too amped to sleep. I'll probably go back to bed in a little bit though. I really need my sleep. I haven't sleep through the night for so long now. Either the dogs are waking me up or I'm getting up to go to the bathroom. It stinks. I won't be able to work if I feel like this all the time. I've got to stay in bed until at least 5:30am. I want to be at work by 7:20am because people start getting to the lab at 7:30am. I don't want to keep people waiting. (She says, knowing that the job may not be hers.)
It would be so nice to make more money. We could get the BEF done, pay the family loan, get a month ahead on bills and then pay off the jeep. After that we'd start on the retirement again and whatever is left over would go towards paying off the house. It'll definitely take years to do, but it's better than taking 30 years (the length of our mortgage). It will be so nice to not be in debt. It will be awesome to pay for things with cash and have the money to do things with. We are living like no one else so that later we can live like no one else. I don't know that we'll ever be millionaires, but it would be fun to work towards it. But even if we don't end up as millionaires, at least we'll be able to enjoy our lives guilt free and debt free.
I'm a bit nervous about whether I will be able to actually keep a job. I know it's just nerves making me worry about that but I am worried. All I can do is what I can do. I'll work if I can. I need to make some sacrifices too to get us out of debt. David can't be the only one who works all the time. Even if I can just work part-time, I'll be adding in more money, making a bigger 'shovel' to pay off the debt with. I always doubt my abilities before I attempt to take on something new. Guess that's just human nature. I'm confident in my abillities but I'm also worried that I don't have the skills to do the job. It's hard going back to work after not working for 7 years. I'm hoping Voc Rehab can help me and I'm hoping I can get this job. Having Voc Rehab help would make it a bit easier because I wouldn't have to worry about SS doing a medical review. I worry about that because I haven't been able to afford to go to the doctors (mental health or physical). I could try to get back after I'm comfortable in my job. It's not that I don't need to be seen, it's just that I can't afford the copays. We'll have the HSA for next year and that will help us with meeting our deductible. We've gone to the basic PPO for this coming year. I hope that is the right thing to do. If not we won't be able to change it unti 2009.
I should get up and start doing some stuff around here. I don't know that I'll go back to bed. I'm too nervous. I could use that nervous energy to clean up around here. I've had a basket of laundry in the living room for days now. And the counter is full of dishes again. I need to get back to my FlyLady routines. I've completely gotten out of my routines. And the house shows it. But I know that working 15 minutes at a time, I can get a lot done around here. I just need to pace myself. It will feel good to get things 'under control' again. Routines are the way to achieve that.
It's almost 5am now. I can't believe I'm up but then again what else would I be doing with all of this nervous energy I have.
I need to remember to call the Healthcare company and Vonage today. I want to see if they have done anything on getting my money back to me. That $80 would help out a lot. I'm afraid of them trying to rip me off though. I can't believe I had to pay $39.99 to get my service transferred back to Qwest. They told me it wasn't a disconnect fee. The person I talked to at Vonage repeated that over and over again. The person said that it was just a temporary fee and I would get it all back because I was within the trial period when we cancelled. I'm sure they will give me the run-around though. They always seem to.
I think I'll probably jump in the shower after David leaves. I don't want to be showering later when the call from HR could come in. If I don't hear anything by 10am, then I'll call her back.
It feels so cold in here because we have the heat turned down to the low 60's and it's cold and windy out. I don't want to feel like I'm freezing all winter long.
I only have a few dollars left for this week. I think I have most everything that I need. Just remembered, I need to make David's lunch. BRB.
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