Super Boring Finance Update

This writing thing is fantastic. I just cannot tell you how much it thrills me to have an extra check every month that is enough to pay the mortgage. We don’t use it to pay the mortgage, I’m just saying that to me that’s a lot! (We don’t have a $200,000 house tho, so it’s not THAT huge a check LOL.)

But wow, I’ve never had so much fun playing with numbers and adding things up. We didn’t even have a budget for my birthday party on Saturday. We just bought what we needed to buy, and that was that. The not worrying was something so new for me I didn’t know how to feel. I’d get confused and think, “Shouldn’t I be complaining about something?” When Randy would come in with groceries or yet another party supply.

One of the things we’ve been doing is opening all the mail that comes in. If you’ve ever read Shoe Addicts Anonymous you know what I’m talking about. The dark place where mail comes in and gets dumped in a location you hope you never see again. As if by the very act of hiding it you are putting it on PAUSE, knowing you’ll come back to it when you’re in a better place.

Well I’m not in a book, but I did the same thing. I think a lot of people do (if they don’t, please don’t tell me…I’m okay living in a fantasy where I’m the only one that lets the kids play with the mail so I can later say, “those darn kids got it what was I supposed to do, tape it back together?”) and just don’t tell everyone else because they have different boundaries than I do.

Of course there’s the added bonuses of guilt and shame that come with money when you don’t have enough too but that’s a post for a psychiatrist to make, not me!

So now it’s the Tetris game of, “What to pay off first?” There are a couple HUGE debts (can you say student loans?) a few medium size debts in the low thousands, and then there is the mass of piddly $50 - $300 debts. Those are the really embarrassing ones. I sometimes ask myself, “Did you seriously not have $95 to just pay that off?” Sadly the answer for a long time was no.

I cannot imagine how much more difficult this would all be if we had credit card debt on top of it all.

Oh, and it looks like next month *fingers crossed* we’ll be paying off the car. Please, ask me what I’m doing with that $300/month payment. We’re putting it into a *gasp* savings account. Go figure.

While I think it’s fine and dandy for the six-figure families to rock out with the Dave Ramsey and the Suze Orman and the whatnot, what I think is more important is to know if what you bring in can pay for what goes out. If it doesn’t, no book or plan or anything else is going to make a dollar become a dollar fifty. But we all believe we’re the only ones with that problem and so we think maybe Suze or Dave can help because they’re helping so many other people.

I wonder how many people like me, bought those books for the day when we could have enough money. So, you know, I’d know how to not mess it all up when I was finally on track.

So maybe they weren’t the worst purchases I’ve ever made, after all. *laugh* It’s all in how you look at it, I guess.

June 30, 2008 | Filed Under Family, Money | Leave a Comment 

Friday, Friday Everywhere but Not a Time to Drink

It’s only 2:30pm here in the beautiful Chicago Suburbs and all I want is a margarita.

But there’s this voice in my head that says if I have a margarita and something happens to one of my kids (aka they stick their hands in the fans - the fans we rock like the Rolling Stones during this time of no air conditioning. Yes we have the window unit but I see this as an endurance test. Can I not use the air and live? Tune in to find out!) it is all my fault.

But if you had the margarita maker I had…you’d be tempted too. Trust me.

Don’t believe me? Go look. Seriously…it’s a monster of a beautiful thing. Horribly beautiful or some such thing.

See, I’m in that totally weird place where I start narrating my own life. Not just for you, oh no! I do it when I walk into the kitchen and find myself saying (out loud) "It’s time for SAMMICHES!!!" Getting the kids all jumping and excited and then the dogs start barking.

I wield a lot of power around these parts.

In other liquor related news Randy is stopping at Binny’s Beverage Depot (aka HEAVEN) where they have fun things like bottle signings by Jeff Leinenkugel (I don’t know how to spell it and don’t love Leiney’s enough to look it up. If it was Hamm’s…well then I’d be looking that up!) I’m so class. So class.

I also have a chip in my manicure from last Saturday. It’s the most obnoxiously obvious french mani I’ve ever had. I adore it for it’s garishness.

What a rambling, half-insane wrap-up of my week. Oh, and the editor at one of the writing companies I work with quit this week. That was surreal.

Back to party planning. I’ll try to update later…I know there was another story about the girls I wanted to share…

June 27, 2008 | Filed Under The Everything Basket | 4 Comments 

Food Fight!

My husband wakes me up before he leaves for work. He lets me know what has been taken care of and what I need to do when I wake up. Here are the necessities that he sometimes does and sometimes does not take care of:

  • Feed Children
  • Change Children
  • Feed Dogs
  • Let Dogs Out
  • Make Coffee
  • Feed Mr. Turtley
  • Turn on Mr. Turtley’s lamp

I don’t get snippy if he doesn’t get it all done, because I know it’s difficult enough just getting ready in the morning much less a list of chores! All I ask is that he let me know what he did or did not do (Whichever list is shorter (the do’s or the I did’s) is the one he gives me, for simplicity’s sake, in the AM). This morning all I got was, “I only had time to make coffee.”

What I didn’t realize before this morning is that list helps me actually, physically, wake up in the morning. Only one thing did not do the trick and when I opened my eyes it was 9am!

Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal…but Randy also forgot to tie the dog gate shut that leads into the kitchen.

Even that, not such a big deal, the kitchen is childproof. Well, it was. I didn’t realize my darling 3yo Sadie was strong enough now to open the refrigerator. You see where I’m going now, don’t you? But it’s still a fun ride…stick with me.

I stagger out of my bedroom toward the coffeepot, unaware of the trauma I’m about to experience.

My fridge is empty.

Hold on. I’m really not sure you understood the hugeness of what I said.

Picture a completely empty refrigerator. Now picture every individual thing from your refrigerator on the ground or on a counter or in the living room and most of it is open.

Now I think we’re on the same page.

They used the stepstool to get to the freezer.

There were freezy pops, empty hot dog containers, and cheese everywhere.

There was so much food consumed and thrown about my two dogs had stopped eating. When dogs are full you KNOW there was a lot of food happening.

Jam was on my kitchen table and the floor and the counters. The girls were covered in jam and butter and smelled vaguely of hot dogs, cheese, and something else I couldn’t identify. Perhaps success at a raid well accomplished?

Either way, the floor and kitchen table still have sesame seeds stuck all over them. Walking into my kitchen is like walking on, well, jam and sesame seeds. There’s really no analogy.

So good morning to you. I cleaned up what I could, but am on deadline so left some for Randy, because it’s a huge no-no to leave the gate undone. (Yes the gate used to have a latch, they used a toy to crowbar it apart and it snapped the lock. I figure why buy another one they’ll just break again when I can tie it shut and try to teach them to stay the hell out of my kitchen unless they’re helping me cook.

All in all it was such a huge disaster I couldn’t even muster the energy to get mad at them. My first thought (honest to goodness) was, "At least I can have my first cup of coffee without having to worry about feeding them first."

I try to remain an optimist. Always.

June 26, 2008 | Filed Under Family, Parenting | 11 Comments 

HSN is My Dirty Little Secret

I get a lot of emails from PR representatives. When a review or giveaway is part of the plan I put it over on MommyBlog Reviews so it doesn’t get all mixed up with my personal stuff.

But this one I’m willing to do here because it gives me an excuse to talk about my most awesome dirty little secret.

Home Shopping Network *drool*

I know some of you are probably thinking HSN is only for 800 karat rings, but oh no…there is so much more. My last two computers have come from HSN, because they not only sell Gateway (I heart Gateway) but they also have the mother of all budgeting love – easy pay.

No interest, no credit card, just, “Pay it in five installments, ok?” Sure, HSN, I can handle that. Anything for you my late-night TV demon lover!

I’m 99% sure we’re going to get our next big set of cookware from HSN, because they have that Emeril stuff. We’re very anti-non-stick in this family so those stainless steel pans send my heart all a-flutter.

Now…faux crock bags. Oh yes, ooooooh yes! I just got a call from my friend who is THE fashionista and she tells me croc is so in it’s not even funny. Just because I work from home doesn’t mean my sense of style is dead, people! I love being trendy and bags always come in your size!

So join me June 27th in watching the CALLA Handbags presentation (I may live Twitter it as well)

Here is an excerpt from the press release I got that set me to drooling…

On Friday, June 27th www.BagTrends.com founder and VH1 Fashion Correspondent Pamela Pekerman is dishing on summer/early fall trends and the hottest new styles from CALLA Handbags!

On June 27th, tune into HSN or www.HSN.com, to purchase the Today’s Special CALLA Concord Satchel in croco-embossed black, rose, bronze, steel or camel material for $59.90. With gas prices hitting $5 a gallon, don’t stop shopping – shop smarter! This satchel has the look of crocodile at a fraction of the coast and is the perfect marriage of fashion and function – hello, 5 pockets and generous shoulder strap drop.

CALLA is a new diffusion line from Charm and Luck designer Jenny Syquia. Beyoncé, Lindsay Lohan and others stylish celebrities have all been spotted with Charm and Luck bags. CALLA (Charm And Luck Los Angeles) has similar style-conscious bagistas in mind but these hot handbags won’t break the bank! Retailing from $60 to $110, CALLA bags are made from high-quality, man-made leather and feature animal embossed prints.

You can visit the HSN CALLA page here!

I’m not being paid for this post. I just have a weakness for fun bags and HSN. That’s it. Hope you enjoy the presentation as much as I do, because I’m planning on grabbing some popcorn for the event.

I’m not kidding – I seriously love the way those live hosts rock the sales. If you’re looking for better networking skills and marketing panache HSN is a great tutorial. The way they talk to the callers on the phone. Sheer genius!

June 25, 2008 | Filed Under The Everything Basket | 4 Comments 

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