Blessings Darlings!
The Chubby Hubby is home from his business trip and visiting his mother (at this time she's NOT going into a nursing home). My barely-there garden is peaking, at 2 pounds of beans and 4 cucumbers a week. The weather has cooled down to merely summer from the incredible heat and humidity of this last July.
As is always the case after CH's summer trip, we're broke. We'll have to take money out of his IRA to pay bills, and the Spawn will probably be buying all our groceries. Luckily, they are understaffed at work so he's getting more hours than usual. Unfortunately, since he was at work for 15 hours last Friday, he's been hit by a summer cold and been out sick today and half of yesterday. I have the cold, too. My sinuses are like Dr. Who's Tardis - they may SEEM normal, but I assure you that they are far far bigger and more swollen than you can see from looking at them from the outside. They have swolled to house size on the inside.
Did you know that there is a Chinese dish that uses cucumbers as the vegetable? Well, there are probably several, but I'm referring to Bon Bon Chicken Salad. I'm making that for dinner Friday night. Because that's the veggie I have the most of. Tomorrow will be .... probably a pork or tofu stir fry with bean sprouts and cabbage and a carrot for color. I sprouted the bean sprouts myself, of course, and grew the cabbage. I did not grow the carrot.
I'm trying to figure out a way to afford high-quality 'facial tissue' to get us thru' the cold. I just don't think it's ethical to head to the store that has it on sale, use the coupon that requires we buy two packages of 3 packs each, and then return one of the 3 packs. That way we'd end up with only the one 3 pack we need, and use the entire coupon on it.
If I don't spend any of the house money on food, or pay the credit cards, then I can afford car insurance. I'm very glad the garden is peaking now!
Sorry about all the whining. I'll be more uplifting and discuss puff pastry based treats sometime soon.
Frondly, Fern
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Harvest Time
Blessings, Darlings!
As all y'all who have been reading this for a while know, it's been a long, hard slog the past few years. Money has been pretty non-existent. Well, non-existent in a first world way, at least. All clothes except undies and socks come from Goodwill. The only thing I go to Starbucks for is coffee grounds for the garden. Haven't bought books at all, one meal out a month at most, if things around the house get repaired it's by us or not at all unless it's the car, etc. Bills have been paid a bit late on occassion, but always paid in a reasonable amount of time. Spas? Facials? Nope. Movies? Nope. Vacations? Nope.
Not exactly living the American Dream of the American Lifestyle, but there is NO question that we are living richer than most of the world, right?
It's paying off. Not that the business is pulling in mega bucks, tho' consulting is doing well. But, you know we have to move, and move fast. Landlords/management companies pull credit reports on prospective tenents. We applied to rent a WONDERFUL house, and the agent renting it immediately told us we were the #1 prospect (and 2 other families applied the same day we did) because of OUR STELLAR CREDIT RATING. The weeping, the stressing, the juggling needs/wants/desires, everything has worked to make us, if not financially secure, at least look great to potential landlords.
I hope we get our #1 choice in houses. Once we are settled after we move (in any place we move to!) we get to work to amass savings for later house/land purchase. And of course, we will keep knocking off the debts the business has. But at least the hard work has shown SOME results.
Most amazing has been the magical working aspect. I have NEVER before held back from micromanaging magic. I have declared what I wanted and worked for it. This time, since the awful day in December that the landlord's bank slapped foreclosure papers on the front door, I stepped back and did magic aimed "at the highest good of all involved". One of the results: living 10 months rent free. Holy cow - I'd NEVER have worked for that. That monetary aid alone allowed us the opportunity to work on bringing out a new product rather than just doing consulting.
I did it this way because I knew I was too emotional to see all options, and too pissed at some of the people and institutions involved to focus well. But it paid off incredibly. I'm still in awe.
Frondly, Fern
As all y'all who have been reading this for a while know, it's been a long, hard slog the past few years. Money has been pretty non-existent. Well, non-existent in a first world way, at least. All clothes except undies and socks come from Goodwill. The only thing I go to Starbucks for is coffee grounds for the garden. Haven't bought books at all, one meal out a month at most, if things around the house get repaired it's by us or not at all unless it's the car, etc. Bills have been paid a bit late on occassion, but always paid in a reasonable amount of time. Spas? Facials? Nope. Movies? Nope. Vacations? Nope.
Not exactly living the American Dream of the American Lifestyle, but there is NO question that we are living richer than most of the world, right?
It's paying off. Not that the business is pulling in mega bucks, tho' consulting is doing well. But, you know we have to move, and move fast. Landlords/management companies pull credit reports on prospective tenents. We applied to rent a WONDERFUL house, and the agent renting it immediately told us we were the #1 prospect (and 2 other families applied the same day we did) because of OUR STELLAR CREDIT RATING. The weeping, the stressing, the juggling needs/wants/desires, everything has worked to make us, if not financially secure, at least look great to potential landlords.
I hope we get our #1 choice in houses. Once we are settled after we move (in any place we move to!) we get to work to amass savings for later house/land purchase. And of course, we will keep knocking off the debts the business has. But at least the hard work has shown SOME results.
Most amazing has been the magical working aspect. I have NEVER before held back from micromanaging magic. I have declared what I wanted and worked for it. This time, since the awful day in December that the landlord's bank slapped foreclosure papers on the front door, I stepped back and did magic aimed "at the highest good of all involved". One of the results: living 10 months rent free. Holy cow - I'd NEVER have worked for that. That monetary aid alone allowed us the opportunity to work on bringing out a new product rather than just doing consulting.
I did it this way because I knew I was too emotional to see all options, and too pissed at some of the people and institutions involved to focus well. But it paid off incredibly. I'm still in awe.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, April 5, 2010
LW MONDAY: Finances - Insurance
Blessings, Darlings!
Yeah, I know that most of you Americans who read this are preoccupied with taxes right now. But while I'm writing on Financial Wellness today, it's not taxes that I'm writing about. It's the equally-confusing area of INSURANCE.
Since almost all blogging is personal, this was brought on by the health insurance company we currently have our business policy with sending us our renewal. And 20% rate increase. And since I was rather depressed and non-fuctional last year when we renewed I didn't notice that they had cut what they cover - from a $10/20/40 plan for drugs to a '75% coinsurance' plan.
Ya know how coinsurance USED to mean that if you were married and your spouse ALSO had insurance on you, claims would be split between the companies? That's not what it means now. "Coinsurance" NOW is code for 'copay'.
Assholes.
But it does explain why I've been paying a fortune for the drugs I'm trying to improve my health in order to get off of.
So - I'm suggesting that if you haven't check over ALL your insurance policies lately, it's time you did. Health, life, long term disability, homeowners/renters, car, whatever you have.
And shop around. It's not as hard to do now that you can do it online. I remember helping a friend shop around for his first car insurance in high school. I had to do it by phone, calling a multitude of agents for different companies. It took forever. OTOH, even then I could do it from the comfort of my room.
So far, in the few hours I've spend today - Easter, by the way. Happy Easter to those who celebate it - I've identified a new plan with a different company that looks like it will be both less expensive and cover my meds more. Take THAT, current company! I have till June 1 to lock a new plan in place, so I can fully research everything.
Go forth and be wonderful!
Frondly, Fern
Yeah, I know that most of you Americans who read this are preoccupied with taxes right now. But while I'm writing on Financial Wellness today, it's not taxes that I'm writing about. It's the equally-confusing area of INSURANCE.
Since almost all blogging is personal, this was brought on by the health insurance company we currently have our business policy with sending us our renewal. And 20% rate increase. And since I was rather depressed and non-fuctional last year when we renewed I didn't notice that they had cut what they cover - from a $10/20/40 plan for drugs to a '75% coinsurance' plan.
Ya know how coinsurance USED to mean that if you were married and your spouse ALSO had insurance on you, claims would be split between the companies? That's not what it means now. "Coinsurance" NOW is code for 'copay'.
Assholes.
But it does explain why I've been paying a fortune for the drugs I'm trying to improve my health in order to get off of.
So - I'm suggesting that if you haven't check over ALL your insurance policies lately, it's time you did. Health, life, long term disability, homeowners/renters, car, whatever you have.
And shop around. It's not as hard to do now that you can do it online. I remember helping a friend shop around for his first car insurance in high school. I had to do it by phone, calling a multitude of agents for different companies. It took forever. OTOH, even then I could do it from the comfort of my room.
So far, in the few hours I've spend today - Easter, by the way. Happy Easter to those who celebate it - I've identified a new plan with a different company that looks like it will be both less expensive and cover my meds more. Take THAT, current company! I have till June 1 to lock a new plan in place, so I can fully research everything.
Go forth and be wonderful!
Frondly, Fern
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