Not for me, but for my DD2...a little more on that in a minute...
I am so glad it is the weekend. It is tough to work when you are as run down as Ive been. The cold/cough was no fun but add in this heatwave and I was drained all week.
I am feeling better today. I have cleaned out my fridge and scrubbed it down, which feels great. It was needing attention. It never fun to see waste..and my fridge had several expired and even science experiment worthy items. But, now its nice and sparkly again. I am washing my sheets and cleaning...After feeling so useless, it feels good to be productive.
The one good thing about being sick is that Ive reduced my appetite and Ive been eating much healthier. I plan to continue on this course and see if I cant lose some weight for the rest of the year.
Tonight we have been invited to our friends house for dinner. They went deep sea fishing several weeks ago and want to share their cod with us. We have this couple over fairly often, and they are treating tonight, so we just have to show up! A free, relaxing evening with good friends sounds wonderful!!
I sat down with DD2 today to try to help her get budget focused. She is a struggling single mom, who tries...but she could do better. I suggested she read Mary Hunts "Freedom Account" article for starters. I know I have used a freedom account for years and it has been very useful. Im not sure if she will look at it or not. But I will keep tossing suggestions her way. To her benefit, she has no debt outside of her rent and utilities and cell phone. She could just be better at allocating what she gets so that she isnt in such a pickle when things like new tires and dr visits come up. I know there is so much out there to guide her to...what do you guys recommend??? What has worked for you?
The hub is back home until Wednesday. It is nice to have him here- he is changing DD3s brakes right now...but after, it will be a relaxing afternoon and evening.
Newbie budget...what do you recommend.
August 18th, 2012 at 07:28 pm
August 18th, 2012 at 08:16 pm 1345320999
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August 19th, 2012 at 01:48 am 1345340885
Sounds like her internal budget is pretty okay, she's at stasis (routine in and out is equal) and needs to create a savings line in it. I'd ask that she create an automatic transfer of some constant amount to savings so she doesn't see it, then budget for the new amount. If she commits to working with the new amount, cost savings tend to "appear" especially before the next paycheck.
Love the Freedom account, especially if you think in terms of paychecks. As soon as you save one paycheck worth, you already can claim that you are not living paycheck to paycheck.
August 19th, 2012 at 05:49 am 1345355358
Double up travel; plan errands to use the least gas. Watch Gas Buddy for cheapest price, cheapest days. Look for free/nearly free entertainment. Cancel cable and use streaming hooking computer to TV. Track spending by noting every dollar spent to see where there is leakage.
Snowballing Credit Cards, she can't afford to pay interest. What can she do to bring in a bit more money? Can she babysit, dog walk, rent a room/share apt?