The verdict is in and I am approved....
For REDUCED lunch.
Free would of been better but in a way I like it this way. I can still keep my pride and still proclaim I rarely get something for free. Still don't understand how I am 20 thousand dollars less than the federal wage limit for my family size and still they decide I qualify for reduced but oh well I'll take what I can get.
And I don't feel guilty.
Quite honestly the school probably throws away more than enough food to cover my kids.
How much will I save? Well. I usually let my kids chose which would they prefer. A packed lunch or school lunch. Lately due to slow sales I've pushed more for them to take their lunch. There's no need for that now. Lunch cost 1.95 at our school. Reduced is 40 cents. With 2 kids per day I will save 3.10 a day. 15.50 a week! 62-68 a month!
So what am I going to do with all of this saved money? Honestly I probably won't notice it. My income varies alot and. Any savings I have go to reduce my home loan or increase my savings. My mortgage is the only thing charging interest right now. What I save does go far.
Anyways.
Just wanted to express some satisfaction that's happening.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Taking advantage of free school lunches.
It's no secret that my family has struggled. At times we were barely keeping our heads above water while drowning in debt. Medical, credit card, car loans, and even the utilities were constantly threatening to shut off our power and our gas. Through it all we held our heads high, paid our bills, and sacrificed. I donated plasma for extra funds and my wife did what she could to keep our expenses low. We stayed home on the weekends. Even a drive to the resivoir was a luxury. We have in the past accepted WIC help twice for a total of 6 months. I have 4 children and that's probably considered a record for my income level. No food stamps no medicaid and no other programs that you can probably name because you've heard of them and I haven't. I also want to point out both times we went on WIC was when I felt the IRS was not fair to me and my tax situation. Here I was not using any government programs that would of cost tens of thousands of dollars but not being rewarded rather punished. For those reasons I felt I could take advantage of one of many programs my income qualified for so I did until I felt I no longer needed them.
So here I am feeling awesome not working and feeling like I'm starting to be rewarded for all of our hard times. Yet again times are starting to get rough. We owe taxes this year income is going down. I really don't own a whole lot. I have 2 vehicles that are probably worth around 3000 dollars. I have an atv thats worth 1500 and a snowmobile worth 1000. Even though I feel we are wealthy we still have our fair share of financial instability. Last week I didn't pay our tithing because we didn't make money. Our operating expenses were more than income. It's still slow and I am getting ready to go find a job. Because of all this I have decided.....,
to go ahead and apply for free or reduced lunch at my local school.
I have qualified for this program for years. In fact I have qualified for alot of programs for years. Again and again I have wrote that I have not used subsidised programs because I felt I could cut my expenses and pay for it myself through my savings. Yet time and time again I am at Costco or walmart behind a young family buying more groceries than I can afford and they pay for it with their food stamps card. Time and time again I have seen young couples take their first child home from the hospital (I stopped at a hospital once a week for work) put them in a new car and drive away. There's more than a 50 % chance they won't have to pay more than a few hundred dollars for that hospital charge. I have paid nearly 60 thousand dollars in medical expenses and still have not had my honeymoon. I have friends who have had many subsidised programs including church help who seem to be rewarded with nicer vehicles and luxury vacations. I owe taxes this year and my income is showing I'm in poverty. My cars show I'm in poverty my neighbor who is on WIC drives a nicer newer van than we do. They've recently had a nice trip to Alaska and I believe to Hawaii. I'm assuming they have the free lunch program.
If someone is taking advantage of a government program so they can afford their car payment then why shouldn't I take advantage of that same program even though I don't have a car payment.
43% of the elementary school my kids go to are on free or reduced lunch. Nearly 1 out of 2!
It's not going to save alot but what it will save I can amplify. Around 80 bucks a month would be saved. Right now I'm averaging 3% on spending and at least 10% on savings if not more. What's worth 80 dollars to someone else is worth more like a hundred dollars to me.
There are vacations we should take.
Toys we want and honeymoons I feel my wife and I deserve. And even dentist and dr visits that have been put off. If a subsidy from a government program is going to help me achieve those faster it's time to take advantage of them but not rely on them.
So here I am feeling awesome not working and feeling like I'm starting to be rewarded for all of our hard times. Yet again times are starting to get rough. We owe taxes this year income is going down. I really don't own a whole lot. I have 2 vehicles that are probably worth around 3000 dollars. I have an atv thats worth 1500 and a snowmobile worth 1000. Even though I feel we are wealthy we still have our fair share of financial instability. Last week I didn't pay our tithing because we didn't make money. Our operating expenses were more than income. It's still slow and I am getting ready to go find a job. Because of all this I have decided.....,
to go ahead and apply for free or reduced lunch at my local school.
I have qualified for this program for years. In fact I have qualified for alot of programs for years. Again and again I have wrote that I have not used subsidised programs because I felt I could cut my expenses and pay for it myself through my savings. Yet time and time again I am at Costco or walmart behind a young family buying more groceries than I can afford and they pay for it with their food stamps card. Time and time again I have seen young couples take their first child home from the hospital (I stopped at a hospital once a week for work) put them in a new car and drive away. There's more than a 50 % chance they won't have to pay more than a few hundred dollars for that hospital charge. I have paid nearly 60 thousand dollars in medical expenses and still have not had my honeymoon. I have friends who have had many subsidised programs including church help who seem to be rewarded with nicer vehicles and luxury vacations. I owe taxes this year and my income is showing I'm in poverty. My cars show I'm in poverty my neighbor who is on WIC drives a nicer newer van than we do. They've recently had a nice trip to Alaska and I believe to Hawaii. I'm assuming they have the free lunch program.
If someone is taking advantage of a government program so they can afford their car payment then why shouldn't I take advantage of that same program even though I don't have a car payment.
43% of the elementary school my kids go to are on free or reduced lunch. Nearly 1 out of 2!
It's not going to save alot but what it will save I can amplify. Around 80 bucks a month would be saved. Right now I'm averaging 3% on spending and at least 10% on savings if not more. What's worth 80 dollars to someone else is worth more like a hundred dollars to me.
There are vacations we should take.
Toys we want and honeymoons I feel my wife and I deserve. And even dentist and dr visits that have been put off. If a subsidy from a government program is going to help me achieve those faster it's time to take advantage of them but not rely on them.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Little bit of faith.
With all of this flooding going on around us I wanted to talk about divine intervention and a little about my faith. From time to time I will talk about my faith. I'm not very good at it in fact most Sundays I even dread going to church. That doesn't mean I have lost faith. I have mentioned early on that my faith is deep-rooted in so many experiences. I would like to share with you some of those. Some of them have to do with this flood going on.
Lost deer.
I'm not an avid hunter. I like hunting. It's a very inexpensive way to get free range non hormonal natural meat. A family can have a freezer packed with 1 elk harvest. A deer is much smaller yet still produces a good amount of meat. On the second day of hunting season this past year I shot at a small buck. At first it didn't seemed fazed like I had missed. It hopped away and then bedded down. Thinking I might of hit it I walked down to the area it was. With all of the sagebrush and grass and me not wearing my glasses that day I couldn't see it. Only knew it was in a particular area. When I was approximately 10 feet away it jumped up and ran off. Thinking I had missed I waited for my cousin to catch up with me. When he did he informed me that he thought I did hit it but it might of been a gut shot which means it can live for hours even days. With that in mind we started searching for blood. My cousin found some and thought the deer had went to our right and down hill. I started searching with no luck. After a few minutes and being worried for the sake of the deer suffering I decided to offer a silent prayer. Both my cousin and I grew up on prayer and both had talked about our faith and the power of prayer. Soon after I felt I should change direction. I went through some very dense brush. I looked around decided to go back to where we first saw some blood. I took two steps up the hill and there was my deer. It startled me. It had been gut shot and I did have to shoot it again to make sure it was dead. Coincidence? I don't think so. I was avoiding that area until after that prayer was said. Yeah it's not the best prayer story I have but it's still a favorite of mine.
Lost credit card.
To explain this story I need to go back a few years. My late cousin Jack (not real name) became a thief before he died. We never locked our doors until Jack robbed us on Sunday while we were at church. It wasn't until weeks later we realized who tge thief was. It wasn't alot but it was enough to lose all trust with Jack. On a Summer day decades ago we were planning on going to a family reunion Jack had stopped by the house but left soon after. Before leaving to our reunion my mom could not find her purse. I suggested we say a prayer and soon after my mom found the purse buried in the laundry hamper. It was missing money. We think Jack had done that before he left. After jack died at a young age of 20 I would sometimes feel his presence. About a year ago I had lost my credit card. I had just learned some financial clues about credit cards and needed it to complete my plans of getting out of debt (which I did 3 months later) I said a prayer but still was having no luck. I eventually thought of Jack and said out loud, "well maybe Jack should find my credit card. He needs to make restitution for steeling." I went down stairs and on top of our laundry hamper was my credit card. As if someone had gently placed it there.
Lost glove.
Prayer is sort of my last resort when it comes to lost items. In this case I prayed more of a way for me to accept this glove being lost so I could go buy a new pair. We were getting ready to take our snowmobile out for the first time. My wife was in charge of getting our kids ready while I got all of our equipment together. The last item I couldn't find was one of my wife's glove. I looked under seats around the house and tore the car apart looking for that glove. Eventually I declared my defeat and as a last resort I asked my heavenly Father if he would help. I also said that I didn't think it was worth his time but it was my last resort and I would be more than willing to buy another pair. I just didn't want to. I went back to the exact spot of my van that I had just been searched. There laid out in PLAIN SITE was that glove! I couldn't believe it. Unless it was hidden in the blanket I just moved I have no way of explaining it.
I have several other stories and I love telling them. My basic reason for sharing those with you is to also tell you our experience with divine intervention while buying our home. This recent flooding going on in northern Utah has reminded me how blessed we are even though at times we felt we had been betrayed.
When we started our search for our new home my main concern was what feels like home. Although it would of been nice to live on the hill or in a house with more square footage we both agreed to buy what feels right not what looks the best. Some good advice for alot of artificial wealthy home buyers who are buying for looks and pride not for what feels like home.
Im just saying.
Our first house we looked at (we will call the blue housr) was a gorgeous 2 story beautiful newer home. Granite counter tops a deep 3 car garage with plenty of space for all our storage needs. Trust me when I say my friends and my family would of been envious. We passed on making an offer and moved on. Our second house we looked at had a smaller garage a nice back patio upgraded kitchen small bedrooms (that was a downside) and a big finished basement. What threw us off though was we went through a doubled door and there was another kitchen. We were confused. Apparently that's in quite a few houses. There was also an extra bathroom and 2 additional bedrooms. We decided to pass until our realtor brought up the fact that the property was a good idea for our buisness. The additional un needed kitchen dI'd have a separate entrance. We were excited.
We decided that we wanted this house and we wanted to put an offer on it. Before I tell the next part if the story I want to let you know how hot the market was at this time. There was one other house we looked at but decided to pass. 2 days later it was under contract. The blue house we looked was under contract that weekened. There was an additional house we looked at with so many bad signs. Cat pee smell. Neighbors who had an entire driveway full of cars. Under contract again just a few days later. Most houses in this area were only on the market for 2 weeks. The house we were putting our offer on had been on the market for almost 90 days which to us meant we had a good shot at getting this house. What happened next makes me question if divine intervention pursuade our decision.
A couple of days later their realtor let our realtor know that they received 2 other offers that same night. To this day I feel like their realtor lied to us. I'm not sure but it doesn't make sense that after 90 days all of a sudden they get 3 offers? My first red flag popped up when I heard that. Something didn't feel right.They didn't meet our deadline for a response and when they did respond they asked us if we wanted to revise our offer. Can I just stop right there. This was the second red flag I received durring this whole ordeal. This is exactly why I hate the real estate market. Realtors and homeowners are constantly raising the prices through tactics such as these. Some people are always winning and some our losing. You do NOT win if you don't get the house for LOWER than what they advertised. I feel like their realtor again created a fake 3rd person to have a bidding war. Because I felt that, I was very careful with my revised offer. I don't care if the market was hot I care about what feels right to me! This house felt right.
We didn't get it.
In fact we were even hopeful that the offer would fall through. Houses that went under contract after we looked at them did fall through. Again anxiety gets in the way of logic for some and they put too much trust into the system.
Moving on.
Sorry this is a long story.
So while we were hoping and waiting to get that House we went to another house. Again this house was beautiful. Nice Upgrades huge unfinished basement. Nice little old lady who was ready to move on. We loved that house and were ready to make an offer. But again Devine intervention steps in and redirects us. We felt we should at least keep our next appointment and look at one more house. I mean what could it hurt. We found the house we wanted right. So we go to this other house and weirdest thing happened. By the time we were done with that House we didn't want either of them. Turns out we had forgotten what we really wanted. A finished basement and an open floor plan. It didn't matter if it had upgrades. We wanted something that felt right.
The 3rd time we went looking we started at the house we are now living. Now to say we went through the front and a light shined down and we looked at each other and said this is it....Yeah right!! My first impression was it's nice but not what I'm looking for. My wife was the same. She was unsure. It was pretty plain. Lower asking price than all the others we wanted but beautiful better views then all of them. We decided we'd probably like the other house so we moved on and looked at it. The last house we looked at had the best upgrades. The whole entire outside of the house was just beautiful. My first thought (a dangerous thought we all get) was people would be envious. This could be it.
Again, Devine intervention steps in. The house felt enclosed to me. They had put way too many bedrooms. I wish they would of just left some open spaces. The living room felt tiny. The last thing that made me not want this house was the basement. Good job at putting a home theater in but really?? No natural lighting and to top it all off. A sump pump and the smell of new carpet and paint.
We sat down my wife wondering my opinion was. I told them it again didn't feel
Right. It was too enclosed and I didn't trust their disclosure. What's funny to me is what my realtor said next. He was frustrated. He compared both houses and told us that this one was the better of the two. It was worth more. I told him it just didn't feel like home.
On our way home we talked about the two houses. Pros and cons and we both agreed it's not about the value as much as it is the feeling we had. The first home we saw that day wasn't perfect it had it's flaws but it felt more like home then any other house. The second house was nice and even though it held more physical value the spiritual and personal growth value was not there.
There is a canyon that we go through on our way to our old home. It's about a 10-15 minute drive. Before we were out of that canyon headed home it was like a lights witch had turned on and both of us knew which house we thought was right for us. We ate lunch to celebrate and called our realtor with our decision. He wasn't thrilled but we didn't care. We realized that although we wanted to buy a house with equity we had already been blessed with a large profit on the sale of our old home. We had some leway thay others didn't. We were out of debt, had good income, and my inspirational credit card loan and cash back program was working better than I thought it would. With alot of faith we would be all right.
I'll skim down the next few months. They were challenging. Moving getting the house ready living on 4 hours or less each night and even my parents who agreed to let us stay with them for a couple of months changed their minds 2 weeks before our move out date. It wasn't easy but I know the Lord blessed us. Our realtors partner let us use his barn for our storage. We called several apartment complexes trying to get someone to rent to us. None would for just 2 months. Finally my wife called this new apartment complex and the head property manager answered. He was so helpful. He agreed to rent to us! My brothers and friends of ours helped us move up to the 3rd story apartment . My boss and my hr mananger were so helpful in getting all my paperwork I needed. My realtor was great and so was my loan officer. I am great ful for all of them.
After we moved in we discovered even better blessings. 2 of our neighbors have all girls. We have all girls. 2 other neighbors have more girls. First of all I'm not the only dad without a son and second my girls have someone to play with outfront. They were not even allowed to play out front at our old house. Only my oldest daughter had someone her own age to play with.
The last and final thought I have and the main point in writing this is with all of this flooding going on we have been dry. We are built on a hill and the land we are on slopes slightly to the south and to the west. I consider that now a blessing where as before I questioned why we couldn't have our 1st Choice home. Now I know. That home was in the flood zone. They may have had their basement flood which would of been disastrous for us. We could of had our buisness destroyed. Our inventory was suppose to be in the basement. The house my realtor wanted us to buy? The neighborhood was on the news due to flooded basements. That house probably too flooded. It's exciting how things just work out.
We always prayed that we would find our house not get the house we wanted and I know the Lord directed us to the house that fit us best.
Lost deer.
I'm not an avid hunter. I like hunting. It's a very inexpensive way to get free range non hormonal natural meat. A family can have a freezer packed with 1 elk harvest. A deer is much smaller yet still produces a good amount of meat. On the second day of hunting season this past year I shot at a small buck. At first it didn't seemed fazed like I had missed. It hopped away and then bedded down. Thinking I might of hit it I walked down to the area it was. With all of the sagebrush and grass and me not wearing my glasses that day I couldn't see it. Only knew it was in a particular area. When I was approximately 10 feet away it jumped up and ran off. Thinking I had missed I waited for my cousin to catch up with me. When he did he informed me that he thought I did hit it but it might of been a gut shot which means it can live for hours even days. With that in mind we started searching for blood. My cousin found some and thought the deer had went to our right and down hill. I started searching with no luck. After a few minutes and being worried for the sake of the deer suffering I decided to offer a silent prayer. Both my cousin and I grew up on prayer and both had talked about our faith and the power of prayer. Soon after I felt I should change direction. I went through some very dense brush. I looked around decided to go back to where we first saw some blood. I took two steps up the hill and there was my deer. It startled me. It had been gut shot and I did have to shoot it again to make sure it was dead. Coincidence? I don't think so. I was avoiding that area until after that prayer was said. Yeah it's not the best prayer story I have but it's still a favorite of mine.
Lost credit card.
To explain this story I need to go back a few years. My late cousin Jack (not real name) became a thief before he died. We never locked our doors until Jack robbed us on Sunday while we were at church. It wasn't until weeks later we realized who tge thief was. It wasn't alot but it was enough to lose all trust with Jack. On a Summer day decades ago we were planning on going to a family reunion Jack had stopped by the house but left soon after. Before leaving to our reunion my mom could not find her purse. I suggested we say a prayer and soon after my mom found the purse buried in the laundry hamper. It was missing money. We think Jack had done that before he left. After jack died at a young age of 20 I would sometimes feel his presence. About a year ago I had lost my credit card. I had just learned some financial clues about credit cards and needed it to complete my plans of getting out of debt (which I did 3 months later) I said a prayer but still was having no luck. I eventually thought of Jack and said out loud, "well maybe Jack should find my credit card. He needs to make restitution for steeling." I went down stairs and on top of our laundry hamper was my credit card. As if someone had gently placed it there.
Lost glove.
Prayer is sort of my last resort when it comes to lost items. In this case I prayed more of a way for me to accept this glove being lost so I could go buy a new pair. We were getting ready to take our snowmobile out for the first time. My wife was in charge of getting our kids ready while I got all of our equipment together. The last item I couldn't find was one of my wife's glove. I looked under seats around the house and tore the car apart looking for that glove. Eventually I declared my defeat and as a last resort I asked my heavenly Father if he would help. I also said that I didn't think it was worth his time but it was my last resort and I would be more than willing to buy another pair. I just didn't want to. I went back to the exact spot of my van that I had just been searched. There laid out in PLAIN SITE was that glove! I couldn't believe it. Unless it was hidden in the blanket I just moved I have no way of explaining it.
I have several other stories and I love telling them. My basic reason for sharing those with you is to also tell you our experience with divine intervention while buying our home. This recent flooding going on in northern Utah has reminded me how blessed we are even though at times we felt we had been betrayed.
When we started our search for our new home my main concern was what feels like home. Although it would of been nice to live on the hill or in a house with more square footage we both agreed to buy what feels right not what looks the best. Some good advice for alot of artificial wealthy home buyers who are buying for looks and pride not for what feels like home.
Im just saying.
Our first house we looked at (we will call the blue housr) was a gorgeous 2 story beautiful newer home. Granite counter tops a deep 3 car garage with plenty of space for all our storage needs. Trust me when I say my friends and my family would of been envious. We passed on making an offer and moved on. Our second house we looked at had a smaller garage a nice back patio upgraded kitchen small bedrooms (that was a downside) and a big finished basement. What threw us off though was we went through a doubled door and there was another kitchen. We were confused. Apparently that's in quite a few houses. There was also an extra bathroom and 2 additional bedrooms. We decided to pass until our realtor brought up the fact that the property was a good idea for our buisness. The additional un needed kitchen dI'd have a separate entrance. We were excited.
We decided that we wanted this house and we wanted to put an offer on it. Before I tell the next part if the story I want to let you know how hot the market was at this time. There was one other house we looked at but decided to pass. 2 days later it was under contract. The blue house we looked was under contract that weekened. There was an additional house we looked at with so many bad signs. Cat pee smell. Neighbors who had an entire driveway full of cars. Under contract again just a few days later. Most houses in this area were only on the market for 2 weeks. The house we were putting our offer on had been on the market for almost 90 days which to us meant we had a good shot at getting this house. What happened next makes me question if divine intervention pursuade our decision.
A couple of days later their realtor let our realtor know that they received 2 other offers that same night. To this day I feel like their realtor lied to us. I'm not sure but it doesn't make sense that after 90 days all of a sudden they get 3 offers? My first red flag popped up when I heard that. Something didn't feel right.They didn't meet our deadline for a response and when they did respond they asked us if we wanted to revise our offer. Can I just stop right there. This was the second red flag I received durring this whole ordeal. This is exactly why I hate the real estate market. Realtors and homeowners are constantly raising the prices through tactics such as these. Some people are always winning and some our losing. You do NOT win if you don't get the house for LOWER than what they advertised. I feel like their realtor again created a fake 3rd person to have a bidding war. Because I felt that, I was very careful with my revised offer. I don't care if the market was hot I care about what feels right to me! This house felt right.
We didn't get it.
In fact we were even hopeful that the offer would fall through. Houses that went under contract after we looked at them did fall through. Again anxiety gets in the way of logic for some and they put too much trust into the system.
Moving on.
Sorry this is a long story.
So while we were hoping and waiting to get that House we went to another house. Again this house was beautiful. Nice Upgrades huge unfinished basement. Nice little old lady who was ready to move on. We loved that house and were ready to make an offer. But again Devine intervention steps in and redirects us. We felt we should at least keep our next appointment and look at one more house. I mean what could it hurt. We found the house we wanted right. So we go to this other house and weirdest thing happened. By the time we were done with that House we didn't want either of them. Turns out we had forgotten what we really wanted. A finished basement and an open floor plan. It didn't matter if it had upgrades. We wanted something that felt right.
The 3rd time we went looking we started at the house we are now living. Now to say we went through the front and a light shined down and we looked at each other and said this is it....Yeah right!! My first impression was it's nice but not what I'm looking for. My wife was the same. She was unsure. It was pretty plain. Lower asking price than all the others we wanted but beautiful better views then all of them. We decided we'd probably like the other house so we moved on and looked at it. The last house we looked at had the best upgrades. The whole entire outside of the house was just beautiful. My first thought (a dangerous thought we all get) was people would be envious. This could be it.
Again, Devine intervention steps in. The house felt enclosed to me. They had put way too many bedrooms. I wish they would of just left some open spaces. The living room felt tiny. The last thing that made me not want this house was the basement. Good job at putting a home theater in but really?? No natural lighting and to top it all off. A sump pump and the smell of new carpet and paint.
We sat down my wife wondering my opinion was. I told them it again didn't feel
Right. It was too enclosed and I didn't trust their disclosure. What's funny to me is what my realtor said next. He was frustrated. He compared both houses and told us that this one was the better of the two. It was worth more. I told him it just didn't feel like home.
On our way home we talked about the two houses. Pros and cons and we both agreed it's not about the value as much as it is the feeling we had. The first home we saw that day wasn't perfect it had it's flaws but it felt more like home then any other house. The second house was nice and even though it held more physical value the spiritual and personal growth value was not there.
There is a canyon that we go through on our way to our old home. It's about a 10-15 minute drive. Before we were out of that canyon headed home it was like a lights witch had turned on and both of us knew which house we thought was right for us. We ate lunch to celebrate and called our realtor with our decision. He wasn't thrilled but we didn't care. We realized that although we wanted to buy a house with equity we had already been blessed with a large profit on the sale of our old home. We had some leway thay others didn't. We were out of debt, had good income, and my inspirational credit card loan and cash back program was working better than I thought it would. With alot of faith we would be all right.
I'll skim down the next few months. They were challenging. Moving getting the house ready living on 4 hours or less each night and even my parents who agreed to let us stay with them for a couple of months changed their minds 2 weeks before our move out date. It wasn't easy but I know the Lord blessed us. Our realtors partner let us use his barn for our storage. We called several apartment complexes trying to get someone to rent to us. None would for just 2 months. Finally my wife called this new apartment complex and the head property manager answered. He was so helpful. He agreed to rent to us! My brothers and friends of ours helped us move up to the 3rd story apartment . My boss and my hr mananger were so helpful in getting all my paperwork I needed. My realtor was great and so was my loan officer. I am great ful for all of them.
After we moved in we discovered even better blessings. 2 of our neighbors have all girls. We have all girls. 2 other neighbors have more girls. First of all I'm not the only dad without a son and second my girls have someone to play with outfront. They were not even allowed to play out front at our old house. Only my oldest daughter had someone her own age to play with.
The last and final thought I have and the main point in writing this is with all of this flooding going on we have been dry. We are built on a hill and the land we are on slopes slightly to the south and to the west. I consider that now a blessing where as before I questioned why we couldn't have our 1st Choice home. Now I know. That home was in the flood zone. They may have had their basement flood which would of been disastrous for us. We could of had our buisness destroyed. Our inventory was suppose to be in the basement. The house my realtor wanted us to buy? The neighborhood was on the news due to flooded basements. That house probably too flooded. It's exciting how things just work out.
We always prayed that we would find our house not get the house we wanted and I know the Lord directed us to the house that fit us best.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Another Rant.
Ready for another rant?
Here it goes.
I am an avid watcher of the reponut channel on youtube. When Matt post a video I typically watch it within days. Most of the time he doesn't get much confrontation but In this video he does.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NTux9l7mRyg
If you skip to the 10 minute mark you will see Matt repo a motorcycle. Soon after the owner (or should I say loaner) runs out so childishly and is crying claiming he made a payment and proceeds to use profanity and unprofessionallism durring the repo. (OK so I might of exaturated crying) Seriously though. This is a prime example of what is wrong with alot of people. They are grownups acting like kids using someone ELS'S money to buy the toys they want (like when their parents bought them their toys when they were young!) When lack of funds or hardships come (uhm life does happen)They act as though they did nothing wrong! They act like children! This guy actually grumply comments "this won't happen again". That comment probably didn't help him! Now the financial company is going to demand full payment forcing him to pay all he owes!
Do you not see why you should not give any authority to financiers? Why would you give them that much authority so you can have a motorcycle a car an RV or a recreational vehicle that you do not own!?
You gain more control when you stop paying interest or OWN not finance your stuff! I have over 25k available in credit to me right now that I can use at my disposal. I have 3 loans that are NOT charging interest! I earn cash back on those loans! If my financiers and I don't agree I have made it so I get the last say. Guess what?!! They listen. I get what I want when I call. I don't have to negotiate making a payment because I control them. If I went deep in debt where I bought a new car and they put a lean on it they would control me. They chose how much insurance I have to buy. They chose the payment. If I don't pay they collect their asset by repossession. Non of my stuff (with the exception of my house) has a lean on it. If I stop paying I LOSE NOTHING. Quick story before I end my brother who has alot of the same financial ideas and goals I do, called his creditor to cancel his card. This creditor (capital one) is known to not negotiate very well. My brother who does not pay interest because his balance is always paid called to cancel. His reason? A 59 dollar annual fee. He found a card that would give him the same benifits without the fee. After asking to cancel and explaining his reason capital one found it more favorable to stop the annual fee. This is all because my brother had leverage. They did not.
Keep your leverage.
Don't pay interest
Control them.
Don't let your creditors control you.
Here it goes.
I am an avid watcher of the reponut channel on youtube. When Matt post a video I typically watch it within days. Most of the time he doesn't get much confrontation but In this video he does.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NTux9l7mRyg
If you skip to the 10 minute mark you will see Matt repo a motorcycle. Soon after the owner (or should I say loaner) runs out so childishly and is crying claiming he made a payment and proceeds to use profanity and unprofessionallism durring the repo. (OK so I might of exaturated crying) Seriously though. This is a prime example of what is wrong with alot of people. They are grownups acting like kids using someone ELS'S money to buy the toys they want (like when their parents bought them their toys when they were young!) When lack of funds or hardships come (uhm life does happen)They act as though they did nothing wrong! They act like children! This guy actually grumply comments "this won't happen again". That comment probably didn't help him! Now the financial company is going to demand full payment forcing him to pay all he owes!
Do you not see why you should not give any authority to financiers? Why would you give them that much authority so you can have a motorcycle a car an RV or a recreational vehicle that you do not own!?
You gain more control when you stop paying interest or OWN not finance your stuff! I have over 25k available in credit to me right now that I can use at my disposal. I have 3 loans that are NOT charging interest! I earn cash back on those loans! If my financiers and I don't agree I have made it so I get the last say. Guess what?!! They listen. I get what I want when I call. I don't have to negotiate making a payment because I control them. If I went deep in debt where I bought a new car and they put a lean on it they would control me. They chose how much insurance I have to buy. They chose the payment. If I don't pay they collect their asset by repossession. Non of my stuff (with the exception of my house) has a lean on it. If I stop paying I LOSE NOTHING. Quick story before I end my brother who has alot of the same financial ideas and goals I do, called his creditor to cancel his card. This creditor (capital one) is known to not negotiate very well. My brother who does not pay interest because his balance is always paid called to cancel. His reason? A 59 dollar annual fee. He found a card that would give him the same benifits without the fee. After asking to cancel and explaining his reason capital one found it more favorable to stop the annual fee. This is all because my brother had leverage. They did not.
Keep your leverage.
Don't pay interest
Control them.
Don't let your creditors control you.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
My prediction came true! Avoid the artificial wealth trap.
I would like to tell you what happened today.
When I started this journey one of my main messages was and still Is "when is it our turn?" Meaning when do my wife and I get to have fun like all of those bloggers and facebookers out there. When do we get to go on a honeymoon type vacation? When will I get to go on my cruise or all inclusive resort? I don't mean to be a complaining charly but those who have had assistance through government programs church or parents have also had several vacations marked off their list due to the fact that they have more disposable income. Let me put it this way. If I (example A) make 500 a week and my friend (example B) makes 395 a week and we both have a baby. He gets his paid through medicaid and ends up paying 500 dollars while I pay 6000. He in the end makes more than I do!! How? Well besides tax factors that play in his favor when he receives Un earned income return. He has almost 106 dollar savings every week compared to me. That's not all. He will be on WIC Food stamps and housing assistance. Which makes it seem he's making more like 800 a week while I still make 500. In the end he has more disposable income to go on vacations buy a car or truck or even buy some off road vehicles. BUT, I argue the top example (me) has a better chance at being financially independent. Example A has found ways to not waste money earn more money and while the government assistance example (B) is buying vehicles vacations and off road vehicles at full price the top example is getting them at substantial 90 % savings! Not paying interest and actually owning them. Eventually example A figures out that example B is using social services to help him out of a hardship while he continues to own not sell his posesions. Example A finds out he's donating to that social service. He stops donating to that and other social services because he loses faith that they help the poor. In his mind they reward the poor choice makers. So, he keeps more of his money so he can go on his vacations and buy his toys. Thus the story of my life.
Anyways.
I bring this up because my in laws who bought plane tickets to come see us who saved on a car rental because we let them use our second car who saved on gas because we filled that tank twice who got their meal payed for and entertainment payed for by us who won a lawsuit awarding them nearly 70 grand 3 years ago who have claimed bankruptcy 3 times who bought a flat screen t.v. right after bankruptcy when flat screens were 1500 dollars who bought a bigger flat screen t.v. who bought a "smart" fridge who bought a home with a pool who bought a new car for mothers day with a car payment who bought another SUV a year later because she didn't like the car she got for mothers day (2 car payments) who flew to Georgia twice flew to ohio several times flown to utah several times who went to Vegas several times California several times. Who went to the grand canyon and paid for an air flight over the grand canyon who paid for the underprivileged grandchildren to go to Disney land who gave them each 100 dollar gift cards for souvenirs while I barely bought my kids anything who paid 300 dollars a day on food that those kids wasted and then gave my wife an itallian ice for her birthday. (true story! Thats all she got for her birthday that year and it was durring that trip) not to mention bought overpriced light up ears that night! (So quick story. After my FIL buys my wife her 5 dollar birthday present on our way to world of color that night my FIL sees light up ears. He's hesitant to buy them probably because he's spending over 300 dollars a day! His wife pursuades him to buy them because he deserves them. "Just do it. Just do it" she says. This is after they get a big settlement from his former company but you soon find out that money is going to be gone!) flew to Hawaii for a 10 day 3 island vacation to have their late honeymoon who rented a convertible while there who spent lavishly on excursions snorkeling and rafting trips while there
Who bought brand new couches even though the old ones were not that bad who got a dog then 2 years later paid hundreds of dollars for another puppy. Who out of the goodness of their hearts took their daughters x boyfriends stuff and delivered it from Arizona to Texas who got fitbit from my FIL mom decided they didn't like them returned them and forked out 100 dollars more for Google watches. ( another back storie on that! After telling us they had no money but bought plane tickets to see us while we paid for their food gas ect Christmas comes around and they tell us again they have no money!!??They give my kids 5 dollar gift cards to the dollar store for Christmas and tell us they don't have alot of money this year. Apparently they do have money if they are able to return fitbits they got from my wife's grandma who again has no money and buy Google watches which are 70 dollars more and they bought 2!! 140 dollars of money they don't have!!??)
After all that my prediction has come true!!
They have finally come to us for a loan.
In fact I wrote another journal entry on this very subject!!
Thankfully my wife and I had already discussed this. I warned her that we both are very charitable and if we loaned them money it would not help them.
Instead they asked for us to prepay our phone bill.
I'm alright with that. That isn't a cash loan they can't eat out with. It's not something they can avoid paying us back. They have to pay that or their phones get shut off.
Let me say this one last thing. I have shown how much they have bought and how much they have done. I have done this to compare our lives to theirs. We have been very frugal with our money not claiming bankruptcy and not using government programs they on the other hand have had more income went through bankruptcy got a huge financial break when they received a settlement and then spent that all within about 6 months then went further into debt to the point where they have no room on their credit cards to pay their bills. Here's the real kicker when your comparing apples to apples. I have had 4 kids 2 surgeries and 2 hospital stays durring all of this. Add that all up that is 8 major medical bills. I have had nonstop Dr and dentist bills for 8 years. Through all that I didn't ask for help because guess what? There was no one who would help me. I tried! They on the other hand our on their 3rd medical procedure have no kids (no diapers formula clothes school lunches)to take care of) have a lower mortgage payment have a roommate that helps pay that mortgage and still have no money. That is seriously pathetic and avoidable.
Look for the warning signs and make sure you don't fall for the artificial wealth trap. If your relatives are falling for this do not let them take you for granted. Absolutely no cash loans. Do not pay their bills!! Make honest excuses like, We are saving for Hawaii or we are saving for a car!! Do not make the same mistakes they do. Don't go into debt to go on frivolous vacations! Stop getting pets you can't afford And stop getting car loans!! They ate the worst. My in laws have 2 with an estimated cost of 770 dollars a month!! That is horrible.
K I'm done venting have a great week!
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Saving on vehicle maintenance. (Avoid buying penny pincher segment.)
One of my biggest pet peeves is the auto mobile market. This is from the cars you buy to the oil that helps them run. Car parts auto mechanics even windshield wiper fluid can be too pricy. Here are some automobile maintenance secrets you can try to save a lot a of money and keep your car on the road at huge discounts.
#1 Avoid buying name brand oil and synthetic oils. I am probably the only (uncertified) mechanic who will say this but listen to my reasoning. Besides the fact that oil has risen quite drastically to 6 or 7 bucks a quart. Oil hardly comes down in price when the market does. Which means those greasy (pick your swearword) are making huge and bigger prophets while your stuck paying the same price. 2. How long do you typically keep your car? If your like me you either A. Keep it till it dies or B. From 3-5 years.My wife and I like to upgrade to something different every 3 to 5 years. If I invest in low quality oil for my oil changes and I sell my car in 5 years it will be worth the SAME if I were to use higher grade oil. Dealers and Kelly blue book don't care. If it runs and drives with no mechanical issues it will be worth the same. Lastly oil has improved. You don't need to change it every 3000 miles. Even with Supertech oil (my favorite) you can change your oil every 5000 miles. Even one more thing. Off brand oils are made by name brand companies. Look it up. Lastly buy your oil at Walmart. They are the cheapest. Again I like supertech.
2. Going along with the subject of oil. Have you ever had a car or truck that loses a quart or 2 durring that 5000 miles in between oil changes? Why not use the oil from your previous oil change to get you by till your due for your next oil change. It still has lubricating abilities and most likely you have a thousand or less miles till your next oil change. Simply make a filter out of a 2 liter soda bottle and a power aid or gator aid bottle. Cut the 2 liter in half and fill it with 4 or 5 sheets of paper towels or napkins. Place on top of the sports drink bottle. Carefully pour the used oil into the top of the soda bottle funnel being careful to not overfill. Then wait. It takes a few hours to filter but with little effort on your part. I don't do this every oil change but when I'm in a pinch or whenever I find it more valuable I will use this trick.
3. Avoid buying windshield wiper fluid. I put this on here because the ingredients in windshield wiper fluid are much cheaper than what a gallon cost. Summer blend especially is extremely cheap costing as much as a few pennies to make. Simply mix one teaspoon of dish detergent with 1 gallon of water for your summer blend. Winter home made blends do smell a little if you chose to make it with vinegar or isopropyl alchahol. You can YouTube or look up directions online
4 Batteries. Most of us simply cannot avoid buying a battery. We will need to replace them more than once in our lives. This makes the battery manufacturers very happy. But seriously again this is another part of our vehicles that seem to go up in price without any rhyme or reason. The main materials to make batteries are lead plastic and sulfuric acid. All three are not expensive materials. So before you run to the auto parts store, try a few revival meathods. Recharging with a slow charger, flipping the battery on it's side several times and even a mixture of Epson salt and distilled water can squeeze a few more years out of a dead battery. I once bought a car with a bad battery. I tried all three meathods and was able to use that battery an additional 3 years until I sold it .
Tires. If you can learn how to change your own tires. This is by far the cheapest way to get tires. You do need to find someone to balance them but you do save alot. Tires are always being sold used with 80% and up tread for up to 50 % off. 2. Try to find a used tire place this again is a good cheap option. I once was quoted 129 dollars Per tire. That was before tax. After doing more research and running out of time I found a used tire place that sold me 2 tires for 80 bucks. That included Everything, mounting balancing and taxes. Lastly try ebay. They have inexpensive brand new tires they will ship to you free. This sometimes can save you alot of dough.
Speaking of ebay. Use Ebay and Amazon to buy your parts. They don't have the same overhead expenses that brick and mortar stores do and they offer free shipping. I typically save 50% or more over other auto parts stores.
Lastly stop buying the best when it comes to replacement parts. All you are doing is buying parts for the next owner of your car. I have hardly had to replace a part more than once durring the entire time I've owned any of my cars. Buy the most reasonable part and let the next owner take care of it.
Hope this helps you save a few bucks.
#1 Avoid buying name brand oil and synthetic oils. I am probably the only (uncertified) mechanic who will say this but listen to my reasoning. Besides the fact that oil has risen quite drastically to 6 or 7 bucks a quart. Oil hardly comes down in price when the market does. Which means those greasy (pick your swearword) are making huge and bigger prophets while your stuck paying the same price. 2. How long do you typically keep your car? If your like me you either A. Keep it till it dies or B. From 3-5 years.My wife and I like to upgrade to something different every 3 to 5 years. If I invest in low quality oil for my oil changes and I sell my car in 5 years it will be worth the SAME if I were to use higher grade oil. Dealers and Kelly blue book don't care. If it runs and drives with no mechanical issues it will be worth the same. Lastly oil has improved. You don't need to change it every 3000 miles. Even with Supertech oil (my favorite) you can change your oil every 5000 miles. Even one more thing. Off brand oils are made by name brand companies. Look it up. Lastly buy your oil at Walmart. They are the cheapest. Again I like supertech.
2. Going along with the subject of oil. Have you ever had a car or truck that loses a quart or 2 durring that 5000 miles in between oil changes? Why not use the oil from your previous oil change to get you by till your due for your next oil change. It still has lubricating abilities and most likely you have a thousand or less miles till your next oil change. Simply make a filter out of a 2 liter soda bottle and a power aid or gator aid bottle. Cut the 2 liter in half and fill it with 4 or 5 sheets of paper towels or napkins. Place on top of the sports drink bottle. Carefully pour the used oil into the top of the soda bottle funnel being careful to not overfill. Then wait. It takes a few hours to filter but with little effort on your part. I don't do this every oil change but when I'm in a pinch or whenever I find it more valuable I will use this trick.
3. Avoid buying windshield wiper fluid. I put this on here because the ingredients in windshield wiper fluid are much cheaper than what a gallon cost. Summer blend especially is extremely cheap costing as much as a few pennies to make. Simply mix one teaspoon of dish detergent with 1 gallon of water for your summer blend. Winter home made blends do smell a little if you chose to make it with vinegar or isopropyl alchahol. You can YouTube or look up directions online
4 Batteries. Most of us simply cannot avoid buying a battery. We will need to replace them more than once in our lives. This makes the battery manufacturers very happy. But seriously again this is another part of our vehicles that seem to go up in price without any rhyme or reason. The main materials to make batteries are lead plastic and sulfuric acid. All three are not expensive materials. So before you run to the auto parts store, try a few revival meathods. Recharging with a slow charger, flipping the battery on it's side several times and even a mixture of Epson salt and distilled water can squeeze a few more years out of a dead battery. I once bought a car with a bad battery. I tried all three meathods and was able to use that battery an additional 3 years until I sold it .
Tires. If you can learn how to change your own tires. This is by far the cheapest way to get tires. You do need to find someone to balance them but you do save alot. Tires are always being sold used with 80% and up tread for up to 50 % off. 2. Try to find a used tire place this again is a good cheap option. I once was quoted 129 dollars Per tire. That was before tax. After doing more research and running out of time I found a used tire place that sold me 2 tires for 80 bucks. That included Everything, mounting balancing and taxes. Lastly try ebay. They have inexpensive brand new tires they will ship to you free. This sometimes can save you alot of dough.
Speaking of ebay. Use Ebay and Amazon to buy your parts. They don't have the same overhead expenses that brick and mortar stores do and they offer free shipping. I typically save 50% or more over other auto parts stores.
Lastly stop buying the best when it comes to replacement parts. All you are doing is buying parts for the next owner of your car. I have hardly had to replace a part more than once durring the entire time I've owned any of my cars. Buy the most reasonable part and let the next owner take care of it.
Hope this helps you save a few bucks.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
3 year anniversary post.
So for my anniversary I decided to kind go into why I have this blog what's it's point and where do we go from now on. I think I've made it very clear that I feel I have been treated unfairly when comparing my life's journey to some others. I felt I was making right choices such as self reliance working hard paying my bills paying my taxes and providing for my family. In the end we sacrificed and paid more than our neighbors. We have paid close to 60 grand in medical bills while others went to college and paid close to nothing. We HAD to pay for all our children. More than 50% of Arizona residents the year I had my first child did NOT. Those choices were never presented to me. If someone came up to me and said I could get a part time job delivering pizzas go to college and the state would take care of all of my wife's and baby's medical bills, I would of probably chose that. You get more benifits working half or less than half the time yet I chose the latter and paid the price.
My first year of being married I had 3 jobs. When my wife got pregnant i didn't seek government help. I went to work. My wife and I must of really loved each other because we barely saw eachother. When we did our taxes on turbo tax that year the government took my entire wages from my 3rd job. We know this because turbo tax allows you to see your return while you are filing. When we had completed our last 1099 our return dropped to us owing money and it was because I had worked that 3rd job. I WOULD OF MADE THE SAME WITH OR WITHOUT IT.
Here we are 3 years later from starting this blog. What has happened is a miracle. I'm out of debt have money in the account currently not working. I'm a stay at home dad helping my wife. She works at home. I guess you could say that my trials were meant to be and directed me on my path. I am still unsure. I believe in God. I have never doubted that I was meant to have trials yet I still wonder if he was always keeping an eye on me.
So I've decided to take this blog in a different direction. Instead of focusing on my "I can't afford it awards" I'm going to focus more on my penny pincher segments. What to avoid buying. I have a lot of ideas I would like to write about on that subject so I am going to focus more time on that. That doesn't mean my "I can't afford it awards" are going away. I will just be focusing more time to my penny pincher segment.
Reviewing my ransom
I wrote a post a while ago of 10 things that would have to happen before I erase this blog. I reviewed those and found some of them are done! I have made progress but I still have a ways to go. A few have changed and I've added one to the list. These are the things I'm working on achieving and when they are complete I will erase my blog . They are the blog ransome.
They are, starting with the newest one.
1. Go to a MOTAB Christmas Concert.
I still believe the ticket process is corrupt. I have tried for years to go with no sucess. Politicians church leaders news anchors and church employees go every year and others have to fight for them. One more ransom to the list.
2. Go on a honeymoon! Still have not gone on an official honeymoon meaning one week to a vacation spot such as Hawaii or cancun or on a cruise! We were supposed to go in February but those plans have changed. I want to have my honeymoon.
3. A house of envy. This has officially happened. This year we moved into one of two nicest houses on our block. I seriously thought that would never happen and it did.
4. Four vacations in one year.
OK I want this every year but let's be honest. Unless I'm independently wealthy this probably won't happen so I will accept 4 vacations in 1 year. 4 1 week vacations. So within a year span I have had 2. If I get 2 more this one will be accomplished.
5. Debt free. I am in debt. I also have enough funds to pay off all my debts. I don't want to. I currently pay no interest and make around 100 dollars a month on my debts. They are paying themselves off.
6. No medical bills. I thought I was good o this one. I just realized i am not. Guess I'll be calling a Dr tomorrow.
I hate Dr bills. They should not be a constant concern.
7. A getaway place. Preferably a cabin. Have you ever been depressed or just wanted to get away even for a night. I envy those who have this. There's rejuvenation and real sychological help from being in a secluded cabin by a fire letting your stress go.
8. An affordable house payment. I would say no house payment but I know that is probably not going to happen for at least another 10 years. What is an affordable house payment? My last house was affordable. I know that. If I were to pull a number I would say under a thousand would satisfy me to say this has been achieved.
9. A trip to Alaska and Hawaii (subject to change)
Just for the heck of it.
10. A cruise. I have always wanted to go on a cruise. Why haven't I? Because unlike my former coworker who has been on 3. I had bills he didn't. I had Dr bills for babies. He didn't. He had the state pay for his. He had another one taken care of through bankruptcy and yet he gets to go on cruises? Yep that's how the economy works. Screws the ones who are self sufficient and rewards those who are not.
To end my anniversary speach that has no organizations or rythem. (Sorry my mind has not been as sharp as it used to be) Let me say this. Through these last 10 years of grown up responsibility I have realized there are 4 things society charges us to much for. If you can control these 4 things you can have so much more authority to make decisions. Society is craving these powers. Fight for them back!
1. CAR PAYMENTS. you lose so much freedom when you become a slave to the lender. If you can't pay for a car outright don't! In emergency situations where you need a car do not go more than 110 a month. That's around a 5000 dollar car. Stop giving lenders the power to tell you what you need to do such as how much insurance you need or what your required to pay. Americans give too much power to the auto industry.
2. Dr bills. The medical industry makes too much damn money. Lasik eye surgery has continually come down while Dr bills continue to climb. Why? A BECAUSE THEY CAN. Nobody fights for lower prices. You can!! Avoid Dr's if you can but if you need to go negotiate negotiate negotiate. I've heard so many lies from their trained phone operators. Continue trying to get a discount and they will do it!
3.Insuranse. this is both for auto and medical. Continue fighting for lower prices. When I was first married I paid 1600 a year for 2 cars. I now pay around 600 for 2 cars. Tomorrow I am going to reduce that to under 500. Why? Because I can. Insurance companies will continue to try raise your rates. They are trained to make up excuses. Continue to fight back and shop for lower rates.
4. Learn how to use credit cards. If you are paying interest you are using them wrong! Stop having the mentality that you will pay them later. You won't! I have carried balances on credit cards for 10 years. I've had an awakening last year and currently have not paid interest to a credit card company in 10 months. In that time I have earned over 1000 dollars in cash back incentives. I'm not debt free. I just realized a secret that not a lot of people know about.
Be healthy Stay away from student loan debt and stop spending more than you make.
Here's to 2017. May it be my and your best year yet.
My first year of being married I had 3 jobs. When my wife got pregnant i didn't seek government help. I went to work. My wife and I must of really loved each other because we barely saw eachother. When we did our taxes on turbo tax that year the government took my entire wages from my 3rd job. We know this because turbo tax allows you to see your return while you are filing. When we had completed our last 1099 our return dropped to us owing money and it was because I had worked that 3rd job. I WOULD OF MADE THE SAME WITH OR WITHOUT IT.
Here we are 3 years later from starting this blog. What has happened is a miracle. I'm out of debt have money in the account currently not working. I'm a stay at home dad helping my wife. She works at home. I guess you could say that my trials were meant to be and directed me on my path. I am still unsure. I believe in God. I have never doubted that I was meant to have trials yet I still wonder if he was always keeping an eye on me.
So I've decided to take this blog in a different direction. Instead of focusing on my "I can't afford it awards" I'm going to focus more on my penny pincher segments. What to avoid buying. I have a lot of ideas I would like to write about on that subject so I am going to focus more time on that. That doesn't mean my "I can't afford it awards" are going away. I will just be focusing more time to my penny pincher segment.
Reviewing my ransom
I wrote a post a while ago of 10 things that would have to happen before I erase this blog. I reviewed those and found some of them are done! I have made progress but I still have a ways to go. A few have changed and I've added one to the list. These are the things I'm working on achieving and when they are complete I will erase my blog . They are the blog ransome.
They are, starting with the newest one.
1. Go to a MOTAB Christmas Concert.
I still believe the ticket process is corrupt. I have tried for years to go with no sucess. Politicians church leaders news anchors and church employees go every year and others have to fight for them. One more ransom to the list.
2. Go on a honeymoon! Still have not gone on an official honeymoon meaning one week to a vacation spot such as Hawaii or cancun or on a cruise! We were supposed to go in February but those plans have changed. I want to have my honeymoon.
3. A house of envy. This has officially happened. This year we moved into one of two nicest houses on our block. I seriously thought that would never happen and it did.
4. Four vacations in one year.
OK I want this every year but let's be honest. Unless I'm independently wealthy this probably won't happen so I will accept 4 vacations in 1 year. 4 1 week vacations. So within a year span I have had 2. If I get 2 more this one will be accomplished.
5. Debt free. I am in debt. I also have enough funds to pay off all my debts. I don't want to. I currently pay no interest and make around 100 dollars a month on my debts. They are paying themselves off.
6. No medical bills. I thought I was good o this one. I just realized i am not. Guess I'll be calling a Dr tomorrow.
I hate Dr bills. They should not be a constant concern.
7. A getaway place. Preferably a cabin. Have you ever been depressed or just wanted to get away even for a night. I envy those who have this. There's rejuvenation and real sychological help from being in a secluded cabin by a fire letting your stress go.
8. An affordable house payment. I would say no house payment but I know that is probably not going to happen for at least another 10 years. What is an affordable house payment? My last house was affordable. I know that. If I were to pull a number I would say under a thousand would satisfy me to say this has been achieved.
9. A trip to Alaska and Hawaii (subject to change)
Just for the heck of it.
10. A cruise. I have always wanted to go on a cruise. Why haven't I? Because unlike my former coworker who has been on 3. I had bills he didn't. I had Dr bills for babies. He didn't. He had the state pay for his. He had another one taken care of through bankruptcy and yet he gets to go on cruises? Yep that's how the economy works. Screws the ones who are self sufficient and rewards those who are not.
To end my anniversary speach that has no organizations or rythem. (Sorry my mind has not been as sharp as it used to be) Let me say this. Through these last 10 years of grown up responsibility I have realized there are 4 things society charges us to much for. If you can control these 4 things you can have so much more authority to make decisions. Society is craving these powers. Fight for them back!
1. CAR PAYMENTS. you lose so much freedom when you become a slave to the lender. If you can't pay for a car outright don't! In emergency situations where you need a car do not go more than 110 a month. That's around a 5000 dollar car. Stop giving lenders the power to tell you what you need to do such as how much insurance you need or what your required to pay. Americans give too much power to the auto industry.
2. Dr bills. The medical industry makes too much damn money. Lasik eye surgery has continually come down while Dr bills continue to climb. Why? A BECAUSE THEY CAN. Nobody fights for lower prices. You can!! Avoid Dr's if you can but if you need to go negotiate negotiate negotiate. I've heard so many lies from their trained phone operators. Continue trying to get a discount and they will do it!
3.Insuranse. this is both for auto and medical. Continue fighting for lower prices. When I was first married I paid 1600 a year for 2 cars. I now pay around 600 for 2 cars. Tomorrow I am going to reduce that to under 500. Why? Because I can. Insurance companies will continue to try raise your rates. They are trained to make up excuses. Continue to fight back and shop for lower rates.
4. Learn how to use credit cards. If you are paying interest you are using them wrong! Stop having the mentality that you will pay them later. You won't! I have carried balances on credit cards for 10 years. I've had an awakening last year and currently have not paid interest to a credit card company in 10 months. In that time I have earned over 1000 dollars in cash back incentives. I'm not debt free. I just realized a secret that not a lot of people know about.
Be healthy Stay away from student loan debt and stop spending more than you make.
Here's to 2017. May it be my and your best year yet.
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