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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

One step forward, two steps back

Since this was intended to be a blog about the ups and downs of our journey, I feel like I'd be remiss not to report that October hasn't been a good month for us. There was still a lot of month left at the end of the money.

On October 9th we made the difficult but necessary decision to have Ally, our 14 year old lab, put to sleep. Getting a bill for something that emotionally devastating is a strange thing... very different than getting a bill for say, a car repair. The money didn't matter at the time. In fact it was several days later that I finally looked at the statement. Mike had taken care of it when we got there, and I never even asked what it had cost. Now, nearly two weeks later, I'm trying not to think about that day... trying to think about the good times... and here's this bill that needs to be paid, regardless of the feelings that surround it.

The day after we said goodbye to Ally, we immediately shifted gears (the best we could) and welcomed some good friends who were visiting from New York. Quite the opposite of the money we owed the vet, the money we spent when they were here was all fun money. We went out to eat numerous times. We went to the movies. We went to the zoo. And while it was all worth it - except, perhaps, the Chihuahua movie - it was a LOT of money to spend over the course of four days, and it took more than a nibble out of our budget.

On a more positive note, we started going to a new church about six weeks ago. Every month they start a new series, and this month the topic is... MONEY! I always knew that the bible had a lot to say on the subject, but I've never heard it broken down so succintly. The first week was our attitude about money, and this most recent week was, appropriately enough, debt. Most of what the pastor said was not new to me, but it always helps to hear a new perspective from a good speaker. And I was happy to hear that despite the little roadbump that was the month of October, we are still on track and doing what we need to do.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Truck Update and Free Stuff

Last night, Mike came home from work, changed his clothes, and headed straight outside to investigate the problem with his truck. One hour later he came back inside and pronounced it fixed. One hour of his time, and not a penny out our pocket. YAY! What could have been a financial crisis turned out to be an easy - and free - fix.

And speaking of things that are free... If you're a mom, and not signed up with this site, you need to do it now. It's a company that reviews new toys, books, clothes, equipment, etc for kids. There is no cost to become a reviewer, and you get lots of cool stuff to review (and keep) a few times a year. I love it! I've received products 3 times now, and each time has been better than the last. Most recently I've gotten over $300 worth of cool stuff, and because they match the products they send to your profile, it's all appropriate for your own unique family situation. The reviews are easy to do, and when you're done you get a check in the mail in addition to keeping all the products!

To apply to become a reviewer, just send an email to reviewers@iparentingmediaawards.com I get nothing for referring people by the way. Just spreading the word! : )

You know how I know?

From Scott Noelle's Daily Groove. I got this in my inbox this morning, and thought it was a timely and appropriate reminder, especially with today's ecomony the way it is!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
:: Do You Know How I Know...? ::

There's a scene in the comedy movie "The 40-Year-Old
Virgin" where two men get into a back-and-forth
exchange of insults, each beginning with "You know
how I know you're gay?"

While I'm not inclined to re-enact the homophobic
banter, the scene inspired me and my wife to use the
back-and-forth format in a positive, playful way...

One day, when we were stressed about money, we
deliberately shifted from scarcity to prosperity
thinking by asking each other repeatedly:

"Do you know how I know we're rich?"

Each time, we sifted through our current life
experience for evidence of abundance and answered...

* Because we have two wonderful children.
* Because we have plenty of good food.
* Because we have supportive friends.

Soon our kids caught wind of the fun and joined the
game enthusiastically...

* Because we can play all day.
* Because we all love each other.
* Because... Because... Because...

Soon we were all *feeling* rich, and the ebb in our
cash flow didn't seem like such a big problem anymore!

So... How do you know YOU'RE rich? :-)

http://dailygroove.net/how-i-know

Feel free to forward this message to your friends!
(Please include this paragraph and everything above.)
Copyright (c) 2008 by Scott Noelle

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Sigh

This is why you need savings!! Once upon a time we had savings in place for emergencies, car needs, etc. Now we do not.

This morning, Mike went out to leave for work and put his keys in the ignition. The car chimed twice like normal, then just died. He checked the battery and it was fine. It's not the starter or the alternator either. But the car is getting no power, and he is stumped. So we have no idea what could be wrong, but we're thinking it can't be good for us and our debt repayment efforts.