I want my car back

So remember that blog post I wrote a while back. The one where I wrote a short version of my life story and how a car purchase really screwed up my life?  Well I wanted to bring that up because I want that car back.

When we bought our Hyundai it had 40 original miles on it. It had a 23000 loan with 8.99% interest. My original payment was 380 for the first year but switched to 329.44 @ 6.49 the very next year. Yes the car that screwed up my financial life I want back. I believe if I hadn't bought that car and if my father in law hadn't convinced my wife with a burning bridges ultimatum I would be in a better situation right now. You can't change the past but you can change the future.

That car owned me for 5+ years of my life. Through the beginning of my marriage till we were expecting our 3rd. There were alot of times where we needed that extra 329.44 It was the discussion of many heated discussion. It put a toll on our marrage and it paralyzed our finances and our future decisions

It wasn't all bad. Of course there was many good memories.  My first vacation after my 1 year date at work we took it on a road trip. We went through AZ UT Stayed in Idaho stayed by the beach in Oregon. Stayed in Washington and then back to Arizona. It's been to the cat walk in new Mexico went to Silver City where we stayed at the Drifter (never again) been to Disneyland Sea World The California Beach.  In fact that was my first time in California. Unless you count the layover.

Right before we traded it in we celebrated its 100000 milestone about 5 miles outside the town of Vernonia Oregon.

My first and second daughter were taken home in that car so was our dog. We moved twice with it.

 Eventually I did have to break up with it. My family was growing but my budget wasn't.  It was a good decision to let it go and it may be a good decision to purchase it again except this time there will be no loan and a free and clear title that I had never seen. I'm contemplating on trying to find it. Things are looking up and I think an ultimate satisfaction would be to own the car  that once owned me.

All rolled into one

I've got to get a lot off my chest right now so without explaining any further here we go

First why are turkey bags so expensive? Seriously it's 3 bucks for 2 food grade plastic bags and they hide or don't offer the off brand. Turkey companies offer a gravy mix why don't they offer a turkey bag? At least I was able to find the off brand for 1.39 for 2 bags. Less than half the price.
Second I wonder how long I have left at my job. For a while there I thought I had a secure job. I still think I do but I'm getting sick and tired of my bosses judging me for someone else's mistakes. I'm almost ready to be fired I'm ready to move on.
Next. I have been playing Mr mom for the last 2 days. My advice. Put some diapers in your pockets. If you have cargo pants put some wipes in your side pocket. Keep a bucket and towel ready and at least have one area of the house clean. Also if you can pick out an outfit and shoes for for your kids. It makes it a lot easier when you want or need to get out of the house.
4th I'll be heading down to Arizona for Thanksgiving. I will be buying a lottery ticket. Please send all of your good vibes with me. I could really use that kind of money right now. P.s lottery is not sold in my state.
5 Speaking of money I'm kind of tight right now. Nothing abnormal just not receiving what I used to. I need to pay the mortgage by tomorrow and I had to dip into my getaway jar. I need to set up a go fund me page so I can make up some mental illness, be on disabilities, have kids that are not going to have a Christmas, and ask people for donations
6th. Seriously what is up with this whole go fund me page. I would guess most need the money but when I see your not working going to college and your car is about to be towed you have a better life than I do and your in college! I even saw one where a guy was complaining he didn't get enough financial aid and if he did he could pay his car payment. What?!? What happen to the poor college student who had a run down car and he's getting free money that's not going toward college expenses and your in college! Seriously people donate to me. I don't need it could use it and if you give me 150,000 dollars I would be completely out of debt and would be able to give more and I would. Just in my own way
7  Some eateries have been really bad lately. (Blank)and (blank) come to mind. I understand raising prices but when your svc and food don't match the value it sucks. I just bought a 6 buck combo at (blank) and it ended up close to 7 bucks. I don't know how tax is was 70 cents. It wasn't worth it and (blank2) sells you an upgrade without you knowing it. The offer you a 3rd or half pound when you don't know you have a smaller option. Not worth it. I'll be staying away from those 2 for a while. And to make it more confusing I erased their names. Don't want a defamation lawsuit.
8. My muffler just got loud yesterday so I will be working on that this week. At least it's the muffler and not the engine. It's still drivable and still has no car payments. Count your blessings.
9. I again had to put used oil in my car. I did filter it with a paper towel and I did get the vans oil change done. I guess used oil is better than no oil
And 10. Let's end on a bright note. My wife was just recently promoted. What's that mean. Well even though she could have the worst month in sells she will still get a cut of the company's profit. She could do nothing but offer support and get a pay check unfortunately we haven't had that pay check so we don't know what that looks like let's hope it's good. Thank you for reading and ya'all have a great week.

Depression hitting me hard.

I'll probably put a few short post out there just to get me through this depression I am experiencing I'm not going to talk about the subject depression right now or how to deal with it except to say the earlier you learn to deal with it without medication the better off you will be. Control your mind with your mind.  I'll go deeper into that conversation at a later date.
I'm just realizing this morning that I still have alot of debt I can't get ahead and seem like I'm always behind. My credit card payments have sky rocketed due to my injury and my medical will be going up 15 bucks a week next year. Its a rainy gloomy day which is somewhat helping and not helping.  Its helping me feel the emotions to deal with it and also contributing to my depression. Oh if only I had 150 thousand dollars my debt would disappear.  My depression won't but triggers of it would.

The Get Away Jar

Last year before while I was struggling to stay in my house and put food on the table I really wanted to do something nice for me and my wife. Something we had never done before. Something other people would be jealous of. I started saving everything I could in a jar. Although I did want to take her to Hawaii or Jamaica (like my cousin did. JERK!)it was way out of my budget. I was able to turn a small 125 dollars into 500 dollars and was able to provide a pretty nice trip at least for our taste. Here is how you do it.
Now remember when I did this I was practically spending every penny just to get through the rest of 2013 but was able to save without hurting my budget. This can also work to save for an emergency fund.
First start with anything. Pocket change, a penny, even 5 buck from your
Bank account. Something you can say for sure unless your life depended on it is going to your vacation. Your mini getaway. Sacrifice as much as you can. Pack your lunch. Don't go out to eat until you get your vacation. Be mad about it. Next invest. Yeah your not going to have enough to put into the stock market nor would you want to. Look at the classifieds or the thrift stores for ideas. I was able to pick up a pair of snowboarding boots for 5 bucks a brand new air compressor for 15 and 10 car phone chargers for about 11 bucks. I sold the car phone chargers for 20 the air compressor for 35 and will sell the boots this year. My 30 dollars turned into 54 and I will hopefully get an extra 20 for the boots. Next put a little bit from your pay check. Anything. I started with 25 but ended with 5 a month but I put something.
When you hit your goal amount then comes the fun part. Try to save on your trip. Try turning your 500 dollar trip into a 400 dollar trip or make your 500 dollar trip more glamorous by buying packages or deals off of groupon or other deal sites. We have a local deal site I used. I was able to get a condo for 2 nights for 50 dollars a night. Try winning your trip through a radio station. Very unlikely but it could happen. Look at renting a condo vs a hotel. You might have to clean but it's well worth the savings plus you can cook in a condo and have a romantic candlelite dinner.Yeah it's not "normal" but some significant others are not looking for normal. Stay at a cozy cabin. Look for used or new gift cards people are selling. I found a gas card with 100 dollars on it for 70 bucks. 30 dollars saved. Use coupons. Pack a cooler. One of my most memorable short trip was to Pinetop Arizona. I stopped by the dollar store grabbed shasta and some snacks for my cooler and had an awesome weekend.( I still wonder what my wife wrote in that bible we found when we dropped it off at a church). Freeze your own ice or oarange juice to keep your food cold eat at a Costco or Sam's club for a meal. The point is get out away from your kids and go on an overnighter. When your done start over!

There's always #7

Sad news. After my 6th attempt of registration for free tickets to theMoTab Christmas concert I have once again lost. I received an email yesterday.

 Better luck next year.

Cheaters at the MoTab Christmas Concert.

Earlier this year before I deleted my entire blog I had a post titled cheaters of the church. Well it is a week away from entering for tickets for the Mormon tabernacle Christmas concert so I've decided to revisit this topic with more evidence of how members are getting an easy ticket or cheating at the system to secure their seats. I also want to let you know that even though I am starting this blog a week earlier than when the registration starts I'm not going to post it until the registration period ends. I don't want to decrease my chances of winning because I reminded someone to enter.

For the most part I think the lottery/drawing system the church ticket office has set up is fair. After alot of researching I have also found flaws and questionable integrity of the entire system that makes it unfair let me give you a couple of examples. First of all, all of the members of the Mormon tabernacle choir the orchestra actors maybe the sound and light crew all get tickets for whomever they would like to invite without entering the lottery.  Now this seems fair and I also believe it is fair but it hits a gray area for me. Say you have a member of the MoTab  that's been there for 10 years and gets tickets every year. He or she can't move over and let someone else receive tickets. Or a performer who is on their 3rd year of performing. Can they not move over and let someone else have a seat at the performance?  I think that should be my new ticket office slogan "move over let someone else have a seat"

Here are some evidence I've found on blogs of MoTab and performers receiving tickets without entering the drawing.

So these are actual screenshots of bloggers who have had the opportunity to go to the concert. I wanted to get evidence and ideas on how to increase my chances. Notice the supplier is in the MoTab and how often does she get tickets? Every YEAR! It doesn't really specify how many tickets they are able to acquire 

Again my frustration is not with performers or motab getting tickets it's the fact that they reserve them for them every year.  Can they not move over one year out of 3 and let more people who have tried for years to get tickets receive the opportunity to go.

Another thing that is unfair and is easily fixable is the ability to put multiple entries in for a small group of people who want tickets. For example you can get your aunt's, cousins, third uncle, half brother, 3rd daughters friend to all put in entries for you without any of them going. This happens every drawing. 

So did you catch that? Basically having a big family who have no intention of going is all you need to win.

This person didn't even know she was entered.  She probably hadn't even thought about it.

To help make the process more fair. The ticket office could put a statement on their website encouraging applicants to not enter  to increase another person's chances of winning. Only enter if you plan on attending.  Another idea is to have the persons name who is applying for the tickets on all of the tickets and require that they be in the party and have ID.

Those who work for the church and certain church leaders should not be guaranteed tickets

I have (I should say had) a friend who's dad worked for the church or had a leadership position. He was able to get tickets EVERY YEAR. and my friend was able to go twice because of his dad. He's never put in for the drawing but was still able to get tickets. 

I'm not sure what relationship my friends dad had with the church. I do remember my friend asking me if I wanted him to ask his dad if he could get us tickets. He shouldn't be getting tickets. If there are people out there who have put there names in continuously and have yet to go. All Leaders and workers should put their names in the drawing like everyone else

2 years ago KSL news bragged or talked about their news station receiving tickets. Again without entering a drawing like everyone else, they were able to take someone else's chances who has been waiting 5 years of putting in for the drawing or 29 years if your counting my age to go. I'm not the only one who's complaining either.

You and me both Josh. This will be my 6th year of entering and it's hard to keep losing when you know there are people who go every year. There are those who "cheat" to increase their chances.  Those who work for the church or hold leadership position keep their tickets every year instead of letting someone else have a shot. Keep going Josh you and I will make it there someday.
Unfortunately to Josh and I there are people who are lucky to win tickets almost every year

some people are just lucky. I am a believer in luck. It wasn't until I met a few "lucky" people.  There are those who just have the "lucky bug" but that's a toppic for another post. I congratulate this person for winning but they should move aside and let someone else win. An easy way to help prevent continuous winners is to ask them to wait a year before entering again.  

another example of a continuous winner. This one however cheated to get this result. This post is connected to the above post about having a big family across the country is all you need to win

This didn't make sense to me at first. Notice how she says she goes every year with her family. She also mentioned in a post that it's tradition for her family to go to the concert every year. At first I questioned how is this person getting tickets every year. I looked back four years and it was true. They really did have a tradition to go to the Christmas concert every year. Then I realized something.  Notice how she mentioned the next morning they headed to the concert?  There is one morning where there is a short version of the concert and a music and the spoken word and that's on Sunday.  I'm guessing that Sunday is not a desirable ticket.  You have to wake up early it's cold find a baby sitter.  I think they have found a way to go and that is through stand by on Sunday Morning.  So if you want a better chance of going put in for Sunday or go to stand by on Sunday.  

Does anyone find an Irony in this post.  Her family tradition is to go to the concert and break the Sabbath day? I'm not perfect I just thought that was oxymoronic to have a tradition to feel the Christmas spirit at the concert and go to fill your stomach with food you broke the Sabbath to obtain. 

One last thought.  I watched a few short segments of the concert on YouTube.  It may be just my imagination but does anyone else notice that a majority of the front middle rows of the conference center is of the older generation?  Do they reserve those seats for certain people every year?  Do they include those seats in the drawing or are they automatically reserved. Again something else that seems unfair with the whole ticket distribution

This year I decided I was going to cheat. My goal was 50 entries but I only got 10 people to help me. I've decided not to. I would be oxymoronic if I complained then did exactly what I was complaining about. I have my own entry my 6th one. I really hope I don't get that dumb email offering me a discount to the DVD. I want to see the real thing. For those who have lost know what I mean with the e-mail.

Good luck especially to those who are still waiting. 

Even miracles have restrictions, or do they?

I am one that normally avoids the news when it comes to children being sick or dying. I have a soft heart and sometimes become very emotional when I stumble upon a story.  It's just come to the point where I have decided to avoid some stories
There are stories I'm dragged into because of my wife and her charity work but for the most part I stay away. One particular story caught my eye this week. It's. About a boy who is in hospice waiting to die and it's breaking my heart. What really gets  to me is when a community rallies together to make his final days his best days.
It's during these times I and others rely on our faith to get us through.  We pray for understanding and comfort.
Through a different experience I learned that sometimes part of a persons mission is to strengthen a community toward God. One thing we never see is the miracle we want and that is for this young boy to live. I have never heard a person who is in hospice care who has been told they are going to die especially a young child and pull through and live a normal life.  I would like to see that once in my life. Miracles are not restricted but I/we have yet to experience a miracle like this.


Not my will but thine be done.