Happy Friday!
Thank you for your kind words! It's really appreciated.
Friday always seems to be the best day of the week, and that is because it is. The whole house was up late last night. We have the youth theatre on Thursday nights. Although it pains us to have up that late, it is totally necessary since she loves it so much. We would rather her reach for her dreams than be held back due to her bed time. 1 night a week I think is ok to go astray from bedtime. She fell asleep pretty fast once we got home, but it was about 930p. This is pretty late for me too. I have to be up at 415a. That's the "hustle or you'll be late" alarm too. This morning we shared a vehicle. I dropped mine off at the mechanic shop to have a brake job done, and possible some belt work. So today, Darlene and I will carpool. We are lucky. She gets off of work at 1pm on Fridays. I am off at 130p so we get to spend part of the afternoon together.
Today is the flower check pick up. Hooray! Even though the money is practically spent, it's still nice to have things paid for. Speaking of money. A new company took over one of Darlene's student loans. We have been waiting for a payment to come out of our checking account for the regular monthly payment, and it has sat in there since the 15th. We are baffled since there was no communication up until yesterday. I spent 30 minutes calling between both agencies trying to determine if it was real, and also what will happen to the past payments, interest rates, tax returns, and what not. It seems that no one really knew what was going. That's never fun for me. I got sent to this woman's voicemail 4 times. Makes me leery to setup a new payment plan when no one can answer my questions. IF this new company did purchase her student loan from the previous company, the good news will be that the payment is lower than the last one. Both interest wise, and monthly payment. Only time will tell as I left them a voicemail to call me back. Either way, no funds are moving out of our account until we find a solid answer. The last thing I want to do is transfer money, then have it debited. No thanks.
I got to spend some time with my Dad yesterday. We don't get to hang out too often. I needed a ride back from my mechanic shop. He was nice enough to trail me and bring me home. We talked a little about my financial future and mine and Darlene's plan to buy a home. My Dad and I are on a "don't ask don't tell" kind of basis. I have never officially came out to him, but he knows that I'm gay. He knows that Darlene and I are together, and that is likely his only shot at a grandchild. It's tough to talk to him about most things because I don't know what his reaction will be. I need to tell him that I'm getting married in 6 months. I would rather him hear it from me, as opposed to a wedding invitation. I am making efforts to bring him around the house more often too. It's tough because our lives have been so busy. We always have a project, task, or chore that makes us somewhat unavailable. Recently he has offered to spend time with . He sees that she doesn't have much of a male influence in her life. She has 2 moms, a Grandma, and loads of Aunts. She had 2 Uncles. Robbie (Darlene's brother) lives here, but he really isn't all that involved in life. Don recently passed away in 2014. He was a big deal to everyone. A truly great man. He was 2nd Uncle, he lived in Wyoming. He played for the Green Bay Packers in the 90's as their punter. He still holds the record for the longest punt in the Rose Bowl too. He was a really sweet man, he loved to pieces, and his passing was really unexpected. My Dad sees a need for a role to be filled, so he is willing. It tells me that he knows and cares about our situation and wants to make it better. It gives me encouragement that he will accept all that I need to tell him.
Yesterday I received a CEO headlines in my inbox. These are notifications from our CEO on up and coming events and what not. It's not official, but it looks like we will be getting rid of our pension plans. They were started late 2013, and while popular, there aren't many people who actually understand what they are. I'm thinking that there will be an option for a cash out at some point in the year. Decisions to be made. This will be a tough one since there will be a few good options for it. I know for sure that I won't keep it at it's current status. If it were to be frozen and available for my retirement it won't be worth half of what it is today in 30 years. Currently inflation runs about 3-5%. If it's only 3% that makes my inflation rate 45% change based on market rate. I could never let that money sit there (not collecting interest) and not do anything with it. My temptation would be to cash out the pension (since it would count as income) would not throw me into another tax bracket, which is great news for me if I want to cash it out. Early withdrawal from pension plans runs at a 10% penalty. + 25% on taxes, so I would take about 2/3 home. This could be great seeing as how it is better than a 45-50% decrease, and seeing as how I didn't technically fund that account in any way. It would be especially nice since we are trying to purchase a home. This could be a nice security blanket. On the flip side, I would love to transfer it into a Roth IRA. This would mean it would continue to gain interest, and grow post tax. This means my funds would be legit. No taxes taken out at retirement. I definitely have some thinking to do. This will be a tough one. Sometimes my heart says that I need to live for today since tomorrow is not guaranteed. That makes me want to take the money and use it on our house. The other part of me says that I don't want to be a Wal-Mart greeter when I'm 70. Who knows. Wish me luck!
Fingers crossed today too that my mechanic bill isn't too high. I definitely don't want to pay a ton of money. I still need to buy tires, so I am hoping the bill won't make me queasy. Lots to do this weekend. Get my car, post to eBay, hit IKEA for some dresser parts. Paint my table, the final addition to my black and red chairs, spray week killer, clean up the back yard, all while entertaining an 8 year old, and fiancé. I'm just excited to lay in bed. We really deserve it. It's been a long tasking week. I was barely motivated to work out last night. I did a bit of running on the treadmill, some weights, and the sauna. Normally I am a cardio champ, but I was exhausted last night. Hopefully I can find a stream of energy once all the tasks from a Friday afternoon are complete. I hope that you all have a great weekend. Let me know if you need anything from me.
Lou
And Still counting
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Evastin
Good morning!
Happy Thursday! Last night was a tougher night for my house. Darlene has monthly eye appointments that are always stressful for her and I. In 2009 she began to lose vision in her left eye. She began to see spots missing in her vision. Unfortunately she did lose 90% vision in her left eye. She now has only some peripheral vision, but not good enough to read from or watch TV. She also had a stroke in 2012. She was only 28 at that time. In 2014 we began another journey of eye appointments because her right eye was having the same signs that her left eye had once shown. On a monthly basis, Darlene and I head to a Doctors office for her to be examined, photos taken, and eventually a shot of Evastin to her eye. Yup. A needle in her eye. This shot is supposed to slow and cease inflammation which causes scar tissue from forming. If the meds fail, Darlene could be completely blind before she even gets to turn 32. I can't even begin to tell you how scary that is
for her. It's super scary for me, so I cannot begin to imagine how she feels. She really is just so brave. She gets these shots, and you think, if you had to, you could do it. But as an on looker, it always looks so much more simple than it really is. These shots usually wear her out. She's not really all that functional for the remainder of the day. I pray every morning that we have the best Doctors, and specialists, and that God heals Darlene. I like to take my drive into work and plead with God. Thank Him for blessing us, and thank Him for health insurance, Doctors, nurses. I'm not perfect. I'm not a model Christian, but I absolutely believe that God works. I pray that He heals Darlene every morning. She deserves at least 1 good eye to see grow. Besides, I shouldn't be relied upon to do hair for Proms when she gets older, I'll never be forgiven haha.
Today will also be a day that I drop my car off at my mechanic. The last time I had my brakes done he told me that I would also need to have my rotors replaced the next time I came in. Since I am getting paid for my courier work on Friday, I am going to take the SUV in to get worked on. Better to pay for it when you have extra money, then to HAVE to pay for it when you may not. Just my opinion. Brakes, rotors, crank shaft, oil change, and maybe a serpentine belt. Preventative maintenance is the name of this game this week. I would much rather take care of it now, then have to bring it in when it breaks. I have gotten really lucky **knocking on wood** and have not had to have any major repairs done. I did have to have the catalytic converter replaced, however, I was still under warranty so it cost me nothing. I have a really reliable mechanic. I trust him, and I think he does honest work. For that, I will continue to use him and refer him when I know
people need work done. Being 1 car down is never fun, but I would rather choose it and be prepared then have to scramble.
I did some courier work yesterday for the flower shop. Every now and again they will call me with 15 or so orders to complete in town. I pick them up when I can. I would rather have the money on the side, then not. Since I knew I was making an extra $90, I purchased some Big Surf tickets on Groupon. Typically over the Summer you pay $30 a ticket to get in. That's pretty steep in my opinion, but this week on Groupon they are 50% off which means $15 a ticket. That's a great deal especially since loves to go. I picked up 4 tickets so we could take her this Summer with a friend. Nice weekend reward. It also means that we won't have to pay regular admission later which is awesome. If I see museum passes or a cool event or outing I do try to pick them up if they are affordable. Even though Darlene and I have locked the budget down, it doesn't mean that I want the entire house to catch cabin fever. So, I would rather sacrifice some extra money that could
have gone to a vacation or the house fund to ensure that we have a weekend of good fun.
My upbringing was very different from Darlene. My parents took my sister and I on a major road trip every Summer. I had a set of Grandparents in Arkansas and a set in West Virginia. We would travel from California out to both locations. My Dad would take an entire month off to take us. It was very memorable for me. I've seen most of the USA thanks to all the traveling we did. I want the same for . Although I cant see us piling into a car and driving across the country. We have made a trip or 2 to Las Vegas. For us, it's only a 4 hour drive. I almost went crazy. I clearly do not have the patience that my parents had. It's not fault. I'm just one to want to be on the road when we get on the road. wants to stop at every stop. Pause the radio every 30 seconds with a new question, or asking if we are there yet after 20 minutes in the car. Oh man, my parents were patient people. They also had high expectations for me. My sister is a great woman, very kind hearted, and sweet. She is 4.5 years older than I am, and has a learning disability. I have been the oldest youngest (if that makes sense) since I can remember. My parents trust me with their affairs, and I am the kid who gets called when something goes wrong. It does not bother me in any way shape or form. But it does mean lots of pressure for me. This means as a kid I was responsible at an early age. I was expected to make my bed, clean my room, brush my teeth, brush my hair, and handle daily chores without having to being asked. I have the same expectations for. She's so smart, but sometimes kids don't like to do those things, and its hard being the only enforcer since Darlene's upbringing was much more free than mine. She was allowed to go over to a friends house without notification, was allowed to have a dirty room. Her and I differ very much in those aspects. At times we clash as parents with but we find the medium and hope that turns out to be a smart and successful adult. I don't want her to grow up too fast like I did. Its tough because as a parent, you want to do everything right. Which is impossible; but we are doing our best to raise a smart little girl.
We push forward as we get to the end of the week. Friday brings just as many plans. Fingers crossed that my car is finished by Friday or Saturday. I'm sure it will be. Friday will be payday for the courier work, and also a day that Darlene and I play in a tournament in Maricopa. Harrah's is a casino that is about 45 minutes away from where we live. We like to go on Fridays because the offer us $10 in comps that can be stored on our players cards. This means that when we go to Las Vegas in May we should have around $200 to spend on whatever we want. This could mean a fancy dinner, a buffet pass, even shopping. Either way, we are down for the comps since they can do so much. They can even pay for a room upgrade. Not to mention we get to play in a poker tournament. A good one too. The only unfortunate thing is their location. They are the only casino out here that links to Casinos in other cities. We can travel almost anywhere with Harrahs, unlike the Gila
River Casinos. They are worth the drive, but the drive is hefty!
I hope that you are having a fantastic week.
Lou
Happy Thursday! Last night was a tougher night for my house. Darlene has monthly eye appointments that are always stressful for her and I. In 2009 she began to lose vision in her left eye. She began to see spots missing in her vision. Unfortunately she did lose 90% vision in her left eye. She now has only some peripheral vision, but not good enough to read from or watch TV. She also had a stroke in 2012. She was only 28 at that time. In 2014 we began another journey of eye appointments because her right eye was having the same signs that her left eye had once shown. On a monthly basis, Darlene and I head to a Doctors office for her to be examined, photos taken, and eventually a shot of Evastin to her eye. Yup. A needle in her eye. This shot is supposed to slow and cease inflammation which causes scar tissue from forming. If the meds fail, Darlene could be completely blind before she even gets to turn 32. I can't even begin to tell you how scary that is
for her. It's super scary for me, so I cannot begin to imagine how she feels. She really is just so brave. She gets these shots, and you think, if you had to, you could do it. But as an on looker, it always looks so much more simple than it really is. These shots usually wear her out. She's not really all that functional for the remainder of the day. I pray every morning that we have the best Doctors, and specialists, and that God heals Darlene. I like to take my drive into work and plead with God. Thank Him for blessing us, and thank Him for health insurance, Doctors, nurses. I'm not perfect. I'm not a model Christian, but I absolutely believe that God works. I pray that He heals Darlene every morning. She deserves at least 1 good eye to see grow. Besides, I shouldn't be relied upon to do hair for Proms when she gets older, I'll never be forgiven haha.
Today will also be a day that I drop my car off at my mechanic. The last time I had my brakes done he told me that I would also need to have my rotors replaced the next time I came in. Since I am getting paid for my courier work on Friday, I am going to take the SUV in to get worked on. Better to pay for it when you have extra money, then to HAVE to pay for it when you may not. Just my opinion. Brakes, rotors, crank shaft, oil change, and maybe a serpentine belt. Preventative maintenance is the name of this game this week. I would much rather take care of it now, then have to bring it in when it breaks. I have gotten really lucky **knocking on wood** and have not had to have any major repairs done. I did have to have the catalytic converter replaced, however, I was still under warranty so it cost me nothing. I have a really reliable mechanic. I trust him, and I think he does honest work. For that, I will continue to use him and refer him when I know
people need work done. Being 1 car down is never fun, but I would rather choose it and be prepared then have to scramble.
I did some courier work yesterday for the flower shop. Every now and again they will call me with 15 or so orders to complete in town. I pick them up when I can. I would rather have the money on the side, then not. Since I knew I was making an extra $90, I purchased some Big Surf tickets on Groupon. Typically over the Summer you pay $30 a ticket to get in. That's pretty steep in my opinion, but this week on Groupon they are 50% off which means $15 a ticket. That's a great deal especially since loves to go. I picked up 4 tickets so we could take her this Summer with a friend. Nice weekend reward. It also means that we won't have to pay regular admission later which is awesome. If I see museum passes or a cool event or outing I do try to pick them up if they are affordable. Even though Darlene and I have locked the budget down, it doesn't mean that I want the entire house to catch cabin fever. So, I would rather sacrifice some extra money that could
have gone to a vacation or the house fund to ensure that we have a weekend of good fun.
My upbringing was very different from Darlene. My parents took my sister and I on a major road trip every Summer. I had a set of Grandparents in Arkansas and a set in West Virginia. We would travel from California out to both locations. My Dad would take an entire month off to take us. It was very memorable for me. I've seen most of the USA thanks to all the traveling we did. I want the same for . Although I cant see us piling into a car and driving across the country. We have made a trip or 2 to Las Vegas. For us, it's only a 4 hour drive. I almost went crazy. I clearly do not have the patience that my parents had. It's not fault. I'm just one to want to be on the road when we get on the road. wants to stop at every stop. Pause the radio every 30 seconds with a new question, or asking if we are there yet after 20 minutes in the car. Oh man, my parents were patient people. They also had high expectations for me. My sister is a great woman, very kind hearted, and sweet. She is 4.5 years older than I am, and has a learning disability. I have been the oldest youngest (if that makes sense) since I can remember. My parents trust me with their affairs, and I am the kid who gets called when something goes wrong. It does not bother me in any way shape or form. But it does mean lots of pressure for me. This means as a kid I was responsible at an early age. I was expected to make my bed, clean my room, brush my teeth, brush my hair, and handle daily chores without having to being asked. I have the same expectations for. She's so smart, but sometimes kids don't like to do those things, and its hard being the only enforcer since Darlene's upbringing was much more free than mine. She was allowed to go over to a friends house without notification, was allowed to have a dirty room. Her and I differ very much in those aspects. At times we clash as parents with but we find the medium and hope that turns out to be a smart and successful adult. I don't want her to grow up too fast like I did. Its tough because as a parent, you want to do everything right. Which is impossible; but we are doing our best to raise a smart little girl.
We push forward as we get to the end of the week. Friday brings just as many plans. Fingers crossed that my car is finished by Friday or Saturday. I'm sure it will be. Friday will be payday for the courier work, and also a day that Darlene and I play in a tournament in Maricopa. Harrah's is a casino that is about 45 minutes away from where we live. We like to go on Fridays because the offer us $10 in comps that can be stored on our players cards. This means that when we go to Las Vegas in May we should have around $200 to spend on whatever we want. This could mean a fancy dinner, a buffet pass, even shopping. Either way, we are down for the comps since they can do so much. They can even pay for a room upgrade. Not to mention we get to play in a poker tournament. A good one too. The only unfortunate thing is their location. They are the only casino out here that links to Casinos in other cities. We can travel almost anywhere with Harrahs, unlike the Gila
River Casinos. They are worth the drive, but the drive is hefty!
I hope that you are having a fantastic week.
Lou
Words on a Wednesday
Good morning,
Happy Wednesday!
Here we are half way through the week. It feels like the times are really dragging for me! When I go to get something done, I find myself running out of time. Yesterday I spent some time at Bookman's - similar to a Barnes and Noble. They have many books there, even games, and comics. I went there in search of a book for my 8 year old. Raynie - even though is outgoing, she struggles to maintain friendships. When asking, "is he or she your friend?" The reply I get is often, "I dunno." Then I ask the 50 questions that all parents ask, which includes, "are you nice to each other? Are you mean to each other? Do you speak to each other" --Raynie always says, "I dunno. I guess." Which never really fully answers my questions. So once I was off of work yesterday I went to Bookman's in search of a friendship book for kids. Something we can read at night. Darlene is the story teller, so I figured I could find a book on maintaining friendships. Great idea right?!?
Well- let me say that there are many "How To" books, and none that I could find about maintaining friendships. I spent 2 hours in that store reading title after title. The store is not nearly as organized as a Barnes and Noble so I was stuck searching on my own. I did however find books on " how to teach your kids to tie a bowtie" - surprisingly, this book was over 100 pages. Who knew? I also found books on "how to teach your daughter to stop drinking and driving." - "How to teach your daughter to cross her legs" "How to teach your daughter how to be glamorous" "How to teach your daughter that Mom is right" "Dealing with no Dad" "Dealing with 2 moms" --The list could go on. I found How to's on cooking, cleaning, chores, hair ties, dress, make up, even pooping. Nothing on friendship. I have had to resort to amazon where I found a book that looks promising. Hopefully I won't have to wait forever to receive it. --Do you remember when we met I talked about how impulsive I was? It's super real for me. If that books doesn't come pretty much immediately I will be searching book stores for alternative titles. Ah, the live of the impulsive thinker and doer.
Darlene and I spent time at the gym together last night. It was a cardio kind of night which meant that there wasn't really room for talking. She's not as motivated as I am about the life change, but she remains accountable in going through the motions. She's honest about it too which I appreciate. She admitted to me yesterday that she ate a blueberry muffin. Definitely not blasphemy, but I did ask how many calories it was- 270 for a palm sized muffin. When we were in the gym we were working on an elliptical machine. This machine is called a Cybex. While soft on the joints, it definitely works you over to get a good work out. When we reached 300 calories burned, she turned to me with a beat red face, and sweat dripping down her, and said "there's my muffin!" - I turned to her and said, "Now is it worth having?" Which of course is no. Her and I laughed about it while panting over our machines. We talk about worth a lot in our lives. Is it worth owning? Is it worth handling it this way? Is it worth the sweat to eat a 4 bite muffin? I think together we come to realizations daily. She keeps my head on the ground, and I hopefully do the same for her. Even though she admits to not being as motivated, she absolutely goes through the motions to ensure our success. Meal prepping and planning, keeping an organized kitchen. She does a great job. I just love her so much.
Today I will likely spend 30 or more minutes staring at the budget. Last month we went through all of our bills to determine what could be cut down. I called our utilities companies who offered to put us on an equalizer, but I would much rather pay the bill as is. I am often placing credits on the bill anyways, and would rather deal with that. Consistency is not always better. When it's December and I practically have no electric bill, I would rather take the utility money and plan part of a vacation, or take a day trip. So utilities were out. We do limit our usage between 12p-7p since that is the plan that we are on though. Even during months like this, we wait to do laundry to keep cost down. Next was my car payments. We skipped those too as that would mean refinancing. Although I am certain we could potentially get them reduced, I do not want to make any credit changes when we are months away from home shopping. Next came internet and cable. I was able to have our bill reduced to next to nothing. I qualified for a loyalty plan which took my costs from $160 monthly to $60 monthly. This includes, cable, internet, and DVRs. It's a killer deal. Most companies will eat cost to keep a paying customer I have learned. Same with my Verizon bills. We went from $180 a month to $110. For 2 IPhones, data plans, and unlimited talk and text, that's a pretty killer deal. We even combined our car, and renters insurance. That bill went from $220 to $165. We are trying to save where we can. A penny saved is a penny earned someone once said. I believe that to be true. If only coupons came in the mail for actual bills like rent and utilities. That would be awesome.
Today will be the day of checking stock piles. We recently made a run of deodorant and shampoo. I noticed yesterday that we only have 1 tube of toothpaste. I love the Colgate Optic white. While not totally expensive, I still try to get it cheaper than retail. We often shop on amazon, or go the Colgate website to see if they are offering rebates or coupons. When 1 item runs out, there are normally 2 to follow. I need to determine what we are low on, so that we can prepare a shopping list. We always attempt to get the big items out of the way in the beginning of the month. We use Costco for most household items. Toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, and of course groceries. It's nice to be able to go through the entire month and not worry about having even paper products or food. Same with toiletries. We try to get those purchases out of the way if we can. Most times, online is the way to go.
That's going to be one of my many plans tonight. The others will include spraying weed spray. We got a few showers of rain yesterday. This normally means that the weeds will be sprouting up in the front and back yard. Even though I have a landscaper who can come at anytime, it is much less expensive for me to purchase a $12 bottle of weed spray and try to hold off on calling him. Other plans will include cleaning off my back porch, moving some bikes into storage as they are not being used, and storing the other bikes inside the house. I definitely don't want anything to rust. I have also noticed that I have way too much patio furniture. haha. So this means a yard sale may be up and coming. Yard sales are a great way to clean house and make money. Not to mention, the weather is absolutely right for that. I will have to talk to Darlene about it. She is my yard sale champion. She's bilingual in Spanish, which makes yard sales easy. I have had them before
without her and I often get stuck in communication. She swoops in and takes over. It's nice.
Hope you're having an awesome Wednesday. I am off to a conference call. Enjoy the weather if you are still in Phoenix!
Lou
Happy Wednesday!
Here we are half way through the week. It feels like the times are really dragging for me! When I go to get something done, I find myself running out of time. Yesterday I spent some time at Bookman's - similar to a Barnes and Noble. They have many books there, even games, and comics. I went there in search of a book for my 8 year old. Raynie - even though is outgoing, she struggles to maintain friendships. When asking, "is he or she your friend?" The reply I get is often, "I dunno." Then I ask the 50 questions that all parents ask, which includes, "are you nice to each other? Are you mean to each other? Do you speak to each other" --Raynie always says, "I dunno. I guess." Which never really fully answers my questions. So once I was off of work yesterday I went to Bookman's in search of a friendship book for kids. Something we can read at night. Darlene is the story teller, so I figured I could find a book on maintaining friendships. Great idea right?!?
Well- let me say that there are many "How To" books, and none that I could find about maintaining friendships. I spent 2 hours in that store reading title after title. The store is not nearly as organized as a Barnes and Noble so I was stuck searching on my own. I did however find books on " how to teach your kids to tie a bowtie" - surprisingly, this book was over 100 pages. Who knew? I also found books on "how to teach your daughter to stop drinking and driving." - "How to teach your daughter to cross her legs" "How to teach your daughter how to be glamorous" "How to teach your daughter that Mom is right" "Dealing with no Dad" "Dealing with 2 moms" --The list could go on. I found How to's on cooking, cleaning, chores, hair ties, dress, make up, even pooping. Nothing on friendship. I have had to resort to amazon where I found a book that looks promising. Hopefully I won't have to wait forever to receive it. --Do you remember when we met I talked about how impulsive I was? It's super real for me. If that books doesn't come pretty much immediately I will be searching book stores for alternative titles. Ah, the live of the impulsive thinker and doer.
Darlene and I spent time at the gym together last night. It was a cardio kind of night which meant that there wasn't really room for talking. She's not as motivated as I am about the life change, but she remains accountable in going through the motions. She's honest about it too which I appreciate. She admitted to me yesterday that she ate a blueberry muffin. Definitely not blasphemy, but I did ask how many calories it was- 270 for a palm sized muffin. When we were in the gym we were working on an elliptical machine. This machine is called a Cybex. While soft on the joints, it definitely works you over to get a good work out. When we reached 300 calories burned, she turned to me with a beat red face, and sweat dripping down her, and said "there's my muffin!" - I turned to her and said, "Now is it worth having?" Which of course is no. Her and I laughed about it while panting over our machines. We talk about worth a lot in our lives. Is it worth owning? Is it worth handling it this way? Is it worth the sweat to eat a 4 bite muffin? I think together we come to realizations daily. She keeps my head on the ground, and I hopefully do the same for her. Even though she admits to not being as motivated, she absolutely goes through the motions to ensure our success. Meal prepping and planning, keeping an organized kitchen. She does a great job. I just love her so much.
Today I will likely spend 30 or more minutes staring at the budget. Last month we went through all of our bills to determine what could be cut down. I called our utilities companies who offered to put us on an equalizer, but I would much rather pay the bill as is. I am often placing credits on the bill anyways, and would rather deal with that. Consistency is not always better. When it's December and I practically have no electric bill, I would rather take the utility money and plan part of a vacation, or take a day trip. So utilities were out. We do limit our usage between 12p-7p since that is the plan that we are on though. Even during months like this, we wait to do laundry to keep cost down. Next was my car payments. We skipped those too as that would mean refinancing. Although I am certain we could potentially get them reduced, I do not want to make any credit changes when we are months away from home shopping. Next came internet and cable. I was able to have our bill reduced to next to nothing. I qualified for a loyalty plan which took my costs from $160 monthly to $60 monthly. This includes, cable, internet, and DVRs. It's a killer deal. Most companies will eat cost to keep a paying customer I have learned. Same with my Verizon bills. We went from $180 a month to $110. For 2 IPhones, data plans, and unlimited talk and text, that's a pretty killer deal. We even combined our car, and renters insurance. That bill went from $220 to $165. We are trying to save where we can. A penny saved is a penny earned someone once said. I believe that to be true. If only coupons came in the mail for actual bills like rent and utilities. That would be awesome.
Today will be the day of checking stock piles. We recently made a run of deodorant and shampoo. I noticed yesterday that we only have 1 tube of toothpaste. I love the Colgate Optic white. While not totally expensive, I still try to get it cheaper than retail. We often shop on amazon, or go the Colgate website to see if they are offering rebates or coupons. When 1 item runs out, there are normally 2 to follow. I need to determine what we are low on, so that we can prepare a shopping list. We always attempt to get the big items out of the way in the beginning of the month. We use Costco for most household items. Toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, and of course groceries. It's nice to be able to go through the entire month and not worry about having even paper products or food. Same with toiletries. We try to get those purchases out of the way if we can. Most times, online is the way to go.
That's going to be one of my many plans tonight. The others will include spraying weed spray. We got a few showers of rain yesterday. This normally means that the weeds will be sprouting up in the front and back yard. Even though I have a landscaper who can come at anytime, it is much less expensive for me to purchase a $12 bottle of weed spray and try to hold off on calling him. Other plans will include cleaning off my back porch, moving some bikes into storage as they are not being used, and storing the other bikes inside the house. I definitely don't want anything to rust. I have also noticed that I have way too much patio furniture. haha. So this means a yard sale may be up and coming. Yard sales are a great way to clean house and make money. Not to mention, the weather is absolutely right for that. I will have to talk to Darlene about it. She is my yard sale champion. She's bilingual in Spanish, which makes yard sales easy. I have had them before
without her and I often get stuck in communication. She swoops in and takes over. It's nice.
Hope you're having an awesome Wednesday. I am off to a conference call. Enjoy the weather if you are still in Phoenix!
Lou
Blowin up on A Tuesday
Last night was fairly uneventful. We did talk about birthdays. and I share a birthday month. May. Which is one of the wrong months to have a birthday in Phoenix. Ha! It's too hot! Last year we had a mediocre turn out to her birthday, and that was mainly due to the heat. This year we hope that a water theme park will attract kids to coming. She is into TMNT and Minecraft this year. What this means for Darlene and I, is that no matter which one she chooses, the party colors will be green and black. OR black and green. How lucky are we? We already purchased green and black table cloths, so 1 small part down. 15 to go! We are lucky since Grandma is a baker. We never have to worry about cakes for birthdays. Custom cakes delivered to the door. Never a bad day.
We finalized my birthday too. We are going to spend 2 night in Laughlin NV, and 1 night in Las Vegas NV. So far, I have spent my major birthdays in Las Vegas. 21, 25, and soon to be 30. I would like to keep the tradition going as it is my favorite. Laughlin is great for poker. Better players in my opinion. Laughlin is an older crowd. It's only 3.5 hours away from Phoenix, and the poker is awesome. Not to mention we haven't had to pay for a room in Laughlin in 4 years. Never a bad day with that. I am excited. We will be coming off of a flower weekend. We will deliver flowers all weekend, then head out to Laughlin at the end of the day. It's like hard work meets the road to fun.
I bought Darlene some roses the other day. Just a reminder that I appreciate all that she does. She has always been really good at expressing how she feels, She makes it a point to have her opinion known. When it comes to big financial goals, I get lucky and she is just as motivated as I am. I have not always been so lucky with that, and I love that she is on task. It was hard last night because part of me didn't want to go to Laughlin or Vegas for my birthday because I saw it as an avenue to derail funds for the house. She puts me back into perspective. --"You only turn 30 once Lou. We are going." Which is true. Life is short. We should have fun. We can have both. A house and a big birthday.
I am launching new software systems at work today, so this one will be shorter than the others. Please let me know if I have fallen off the of the tracks of what you want to know. I hope that everyone is having a great week!!
Lou
Monday in the Hanemaayer house
Good morning,
Happy Monday!
All weekends seem to fly by when they happen in my house! This weekend was filled with some much needed relaxation, laundry doing, and bargain hunting. My daughter received her progress reports on Friday. While she is a pretty smart kid, she doesn't like to do homework. So when I ask did you get this done in class?- the answer is often "yes" no matter if it is true or false. got a reality check this weekend when her progress report reflected numerous missing assignments. We talked a lot about what trust means, and how that she has not only lost privileges (tv, electronics, etc.) but she has also lost mine and Darlene's trust. I explained that due to her not being honest I will now be early to pick her up from school, meeting her at her classroom where she will need to show me that an assignment has been completed before being able to check it off the list. This was a big struggle for her. I have a feeling she was going to attempt to get away with
the behavior again. I also explained some realities. Such as, if I were to not complete items at my job, we wouldn't have a house to live in, cars to drive, food to eat. We talked a lot about responsibilities and how school work is preparation for life just as a career is a stepping stone. -- that was my not so fun part of the weekend.
The remainder of the weekend was spent on a Saturday poker tournament. This was not for money, so just for fun. It gave Darlene and I an opportunity to see friends that we haven't had an opportunity to see out due to our busy schedule. We both did horribly, but neither of us minded seeing as how there were no real stakes on the line. It was a fun tournament that lacked seriousness. Sometimes those are needed to keep the game fresh.
We also did some light shopping. This always includes a pinterest meal that Darlene saw. As you may remember, Darlene and I are going through a lifestyle change. We are more food conscious, and we work out 5-6 nights a week. Currently the rule is no intentional carbs (breads, pastas) and no processed foods. Also portion control. That was about the first 2 weeks. The last 3 weeks have obtained calorie tracking (notice how I didn't say counting?) to ensure that we have goals. I think the brain is a funny thing. When you're trying to "quit" something I think we naturally make things harder on ourselves, and often self sabotage. I have taken a different approach with this by calling it a lifestyle change instead of a diet. If I order a salad at dinner on a night out with friends I get the "are you on a diet?" questions, to which I reply, "No, just making better decisions." I think it makes it easier. I'm not giving myself these crazy restrictions. Just
making choices that will better my future. I also think that it will teach Raynie how to eat "cleaner" when she's older. She's already a healthy kid. We want to match her health so we can all do things together. Go on hikes, bike rides, play sports. All of the above.
Part of our weekend was also spent going through the ads. We didn't purchase any newspapers this week due to the coupon count being so low. $146 in savings is really pitiful for a Sunday paper. I only purchase the ones that are above $225. Anything over $300 and I am dragging the whole family out to buy papers with me. However, we did go online and pull up store ads together to see where we could get the best deals. This takes about an hour. We write down a wish list. Where we can get it, and how much. Then we write the needed list (as this often differs from the wish list). Then we set out. Our best deals were found at Food City this weekend. Pinto beans (high in fiber, and protein) were on sale $0.69 a pound. We purchased 3 pounds which will last us weeks. We also picked up some granny smith apples. These are great for treats as all you need to do is bake them with a bit of cinnamon to make a healthy dessert.
Next came the meal prepping. We purchase the egg white cartons from Costco. They are super cost effective, and make super healthy meal options. On Sundays I will starting making breakfasts for 3 days in the week. This typically includes 2 egg white meals each which can include, plain egg white omelet, spinach omelet, or mushroom omelet. I cook, and store these in separate contains which makes it easy to walk out the door with. This ensures that I don't have to eat off of the lunch truck (often runs $10+ a day and who knows how many calories) and also ensures that I am getting a meal in which I know the ingredients. After breakfast is completed, Darlene will step in and make some proteins and veggies. We rely on chicken and fish as they have the lowest calorie count, and a high protein count. she will often make 4 days worth of protein. This prevents the snacking while something is being cooked as often there is a meal ready to go. We do have snack foods
though for the in-betweens. Carbmasters yogurts, almonds, and occasionally string cheese. Although we try to avoid too much dairy. I will include a picture of the meal prep from the weekend.
This Friday will be an exciting Friday for us. I know that I have talked about it's fun for me to pay bills. I really do mean that. There is a satisfaction of knowing that I can do it, that makes it so nice. This Friday I get paid for courier work that I did over the Valentines' Day weekend. There is a flower shop here in Phoenix that pays $6 a delivery for flower arrangements, or edible arrangements. The job is pretty tough. I am lucky and have built a good relationship with the folks who work there, and at times get some favored treatment as I am the fastest contractor they have. I typically do double what any other driver does. Which is great for me. Usually these courier jobs pay for vacations. Last week we spend a week in Las Vegas. We paid for the flight, hotel, care rental, food passes, shows, boarding, and house sitter all 3 months in advance. We took the trip in May, and was paid in February. By the time the trip came around, all we needed was spending money as everything else was already paid for. This year the money will be needed for necessities. I need 2 new tires on my SUV. They are not cheap since they have 20" rims. The tire retails for $190. I usually take it to Discount tire, and talk them down to about $150 a tire. I'm hoping to continue to haggle with them. Then I will be taking my car to my mechanic for a tune up, oil change, and brake job. Almost my entire courier check will go to this. The best part though, is that I was paid at my real job since I took vacation. This means I am not losing any more. It means that I worked the courier job to ensure that we have a great running vehicle at all times. The next run will be in May for Mother's day. My 30th birthday is this May. this means that the courier work will be funding a 30th celebration. It is really nice to have things like that. It makes other events possible.
Hope you're having a great Monday.
Lou
Happy Monday!
All weekends seem to fly by when they happen in my house! This weekend was filled with some much needed relaxation, laundry doing, and bargain hunting. My daughter received her progress reports on Friday. While she is a pretty smart kid, she doesn't like to do homework. So when I ask did you get this done in class?- the answer is often "yes" no matter if it is true or false. got a reality check this weekend when her progress report reflected numerous missing assignments. We talked a lot about what trust means, and how that she has not only lost privileges (tv, electronics, etc.) but she has also lost mine and Darlene's trust. I explained that due to her not being honest I will now be early to pick her up from school, meeting her at her classroom where she will need to show me that an assignment has been completed before being able to check it off the list. This was a big struggle for her. I have a feeling she was going to attempt to get away with
the behavior again. I also explained some realities. Such as, if I were to not complete items at my job, we wouldn't have a house to live in, cars to drive, food to eat. We talked a lot about responsibilities and how school work is preparation for life just as a career is a stepping stone. -- that was my not so fun part of the weekend.
The remainder of the weekend was spent on a Saturday poker tournament. This was not for money, so just for fun. It gave Darlene and I an opportunity to see friends that we haven't had an opportunity to see out due to our busy schedule. We both did horribly, but neither of us minded seeing as how there were no real stakes on the line. It was a fun tournament that lacked seriousness. Sometimes those are needed to keep the game fresh.
We also did some light shopping. This always includes a pinterest meal that Darlene saw. As you may remember, Darlene and I are going through a lifestyle change. We are more food conscious, and we work out 5-6 nights a week. Currently the rule is no intentional carbs (breads, pastas) and no processed foods. Also portion control. That was about the first 2 weeks. The last 3 weeks have obtained calorie tracking (notice how I didn't say counting?) to ensure that we have goals. I think the brain is a funny thing. When you're trying to "quit" something I think we naturally make things harder on ourselves, and often self sabotage. I have taken a different approach with this by calling it a lifestyle change instead of a diet. If I order a salad at dinner on a night out with friends I get the "are you on a diet?" questions, to which I reply, "No, just making better decisions." I think it makes it easier. I'm not giving myself these crazy restrictions. Just
making choices that will better my future. I also think that it will teach Raynie how to eat "cleaner" when she's older. She's already a healthy kid. We want to match her health so we can all do things together. Go on hikes, bike rides, play sports. All of the above.
Part of our weekend was also spent going through the ads. We didn't purchase any newspapers this week due to the coupon count being so low. $146 in savings is really pitiful for a Sunday paper. I only purchase the ones that are above $225. Anything over $300 and I am dragging the whole family out to buy papers with me. However, we did go online and pull up store ads together to see where we could get the best deals. This takes about an hour. We write down a wish list. Where we can get it, and how much. Then we write the needed list (as this often differs from the wish list). Then we set out. Our best deals were found at Food City this weekend. Pinto beans (high in fiber, and protein) were on sale $0.69 a pound. We purchased 3 pounds which will last us weeks. We also picked up some granny smith apples. These are great for treats as all you need to do is bake them with a bit of cinnamon to make a healthy dessert.
Next came the meal prepping. We purchase the egg white cartons from Costco. They are super cost effective, and make super healthy meal options. On Sundays I will starting making breakfasts for 3 days in the week. This typically includes 2 egg white meals each which can include, plain egg white omelet, spinach omelet, or mushroom omelet. I cook, and store these in separate contains which makes it easy to walk out the door with. This ensures that I don't have to eat off of the lunch truck (often runs $10+ a day and who knows how many calories) and also ensures that I am getting a meal in which I know the ingredients. After breakfast is completed, Darlene will step in and make some proteins and veggies. We rely on chicken and fish as they have the lowest calorie count, and a high protein count. she will often make 4 days worth of protein. This prevents the snacking while something is being cooked as often there is a meal ready to go. We do have snack foods
though for the in-betweens. Carbmasters yogurts, almonds, and occasionally string cheese. Although we try to avoid too much dairy. I will include a picture of the meal prep from the weekend.
This Friday will be an exciting Friday for us. I know that I have talked about it's fun for me to pay bills. I really do mean that. There is a satisfaction of knowing that I can do it, that makes it so nice. This Friday I get paid for courier work that I did over the Valentines' Day weekend. There is a flower shop here in Phoenix that pays $6 a delivery for flower arrangements, or edible arrangements. The job is pretty tough. I am lucky and have built a good relationship with the folks who work there, and at times get some favored treatment as I am the fastest contractor they have. I typically do double what any other driver does. Which is great for me. Usually these courier jobs pay for vacations. Last week we spend a week in Las Vegas. We paid for the flight, hotel, care rental, food passes, shows, boarding, and house sitter all 3 months in advance. We took the trip in May, and was paid in February. By the time the trip came around, all we needed was spending money as everything else was already paid for. This year the money will be needed for necessities. I need 2 new tires on my SUV. They are not cheap since they have 20" rims. The tire retails for $190. I usually take it to Discount tire, and talk them down to about $150 a tire. I'm hoping to continue to haggle with them. Then I will be taking my car to my mechanic for a tune up, oil change, and brake job. Almost my entire courier check will go to this. The best part though, is that I was paid at my real job since I took vacation. This means I am not losing any more. It means that I worked the courier job to ensure that we have a great running vehicle at all times. The next run will be in May for Mother's day. My 30th birthday is this May. this means that the courier work will be funding a 30th celebration. It is really nice to have things like that. It makes other events possible.
Hope you're having a great Monday.
Lou
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Fun time in the Hanemaayer household
I have had some serious time fly by in the last year. I feel like the older I get, the more rounded I become. In 2014, we enrolled in a new elevated school. I would love to have sent her to Phoenix Christian, but the $1200 monthly payments are just not feasible when we are trying so hard to purchase a home this year. The school is great, and I have successfully developed relationships with the school staff, and Administration. I can feel the high level of respect that they have for Darlene and I. That is not something that we felt at any point at Simis. I thank God that we found her new school. Lots of changes too. is so smart. She skipped from 3rd grade to 4th grade during the first Quarter of school. It was a serious accomplishment. I had proud step mom moment.
The house looks great! I think we are furniture'd out. We have taken major strides to ensure that we have our stuff together. In 2014 we purchased new furniture, including a gorgeous bed for our Cal King, and an amazing couch. even got a brand new bed. The queen we had her in, was too big for her room. We went to Nick's furniture and bought her an amazing leather bed. Much more space, and a really sharp bed to go with her new dressers and desk.
Home searches are underway. We have started to take steps to ensure that we are ready and available for the home buying process. I am excited that I have someone that I can trust to go on this journey with me. I feel so blessed to have Darlene. She is my sunshine. My ray of light in a dark place. My confidant, my true partner. I can't wait to marry her in August!
More to follow as I really need to get back into blogging. Enjoy your Wednesday. Stay Blessed!
The house looks great! I think we are furniture'd out. We have taken major strides to ensure that we have our stuff together. In 2014 we purchased new furniture, including a gorgeous bed for our Cal King, and an amazing couch. even got a brand new bed. The queen we had her in, was too big for her room. We went to Nick's furniture and bought her an amazing leather bed. Much more space, and a really sharp bed to go with her new dressers and desk.
Home searches are underway. We have started to take steps to ensure that we are ready and available for the home buying process. I am excited that I have someone that I can trust to go on this journey with me. I feel so blessed to have Darlene. She is my sunshine. My ray of light in a dark place. My confidant, my true partner. I can't wait to marry her in August!
More to follow as I really need to get back into blogging. Enjoy your Wednesday. Stay Blessed!
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