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Wedding Woes
ei34
member
Fri-yay
ei34
member
in Wedding Woes
We made it. Stbxh is being ambiguous and vague about taking the kids tomorrow. I sent him a final hardline please confirm yes or no text this morning but I'm over it. I don't care about schlepping back and forth but the kids can't not know what's happening.
But- vent over - my mother had a bad cold, she kept testing negative for Covid- but she's finally beginning to feel better. Work etc all well. Wishing everyone a good weekend!
But- vent over - my mother had a bad cold, she kept testing negative for Covid- but she's finally beginning to feel better. Work etc all well. Wishing everyone a good weekend!
Re: Fri-yay
I'm so excited to have a weekend with no real plans. It's been a while. I think I'm going to tackle painting the downstairs bathroom tonight. Other than that, a few house chores and watching sports. Maybe I'll do a little shopping, since I have pretty much no winter clothes that fit.
Colds are making their way around here too. DS was in a mood all week and I was just waiting for symptoms to pop up. Which they finally did last night so he stayed home today.
Nothing big planned for the weekend. I am making a couple bags for some friends but I still don't understand interfacing and had to order more so I have to wait for that to get here before I can do more.
Other than that, just selling and packing. I want to get the books boxed up and bookcases listed, maybe our living room chairs too.
@STARMOON44 "speak up .... no not like that"
@MyNameIsNot what colour? I need to get back on painting our place. I have a lot of paint but I've been so busy
@STARMOON44 that's so annoying
@ei34 I'm so sorry about what your kids are going through.
Yikes @STARMOON44 that's annoying @missjeanlouise healing vibes being sent your son's way!
@ei34 That sucks, another weekend of drama and unnecessary stress for your kids. That's awful.
@STARMOON44 Lol, gotta love that mentality. Well, they got what they asked for. Hopefully it all shakes down okay.
My cherry tree had spectacular leaves this fall, but they are slowly dropping, too fast for my rabbits to eat. I miss my Mini ... she was a glutton and would eat so many leaves. It would save some raking!
I believe I am going out with my mom and cousin tomorrow, and then hubby wants to do something. It's been a rough week, we talked to a mediator yesterday and have been trying to talk through what reconciliation looks like. Last night he showed some signs of finally understanding some issues, but we'll see how that looks when we talk next. Other than that, still the same, separated but living in the same house.
On the plus side, my one chicken started laying again. Either I haven't been looking close enough the last two days or she laid three eggs in one day!
IL's want to take the boys to a restaurant tomorrow where you have to sit at a counter and the food comes out on a little train. I think it's going to be a clusterfuck. N is going to be trying to climb on the counter and G is going to not want to sit on a stool that long. Not looking forward to it but we're going bc they've been asking for months.
Other than that hopefully have as chill a weekend as we can. Maybe some errands, library, zoo if we get really ambitious.
@STARMOON44, sounds like you have a great immediate boss. I hope there isn't too much fallout for him.
@MissKittyDanger, so cute! BK has the sweetest smile.
@missJeanLouise, I hope the rest of your family doesn't get sick and DS feels better soon. Good luck with the packing and selling.
My H and I have a long list of chores to get our house ready for sale. One of those is repainting a portion of our house. I haven't talked to my H yet about it, but I'd like to start tackling that this weekend. The weather is great right now and perfect for painting. But in another couple weeks there is the potential it will start getting too cold to paint and stay that way for a few months. Same with re-staining our deck. Another big task.
Our house is a side-by-side duplex. When the house was built in 1911, each side was an equal length. But sometime in the '60s, they added an addition to the side we live on. We replaced the siding for the main house about 7ish years ago and then (of course) painted the siding. Since we didn't replace the siding for the addition, it's still the old paint and a totally different color. It's about a 200 sq. ft. addition, so technically not a huge amount to paint, but it will still be a PITA.
Sure you can be upset but don't let it affect your kids.
Fuuuckkkk thissss duuuuddddeeee
FYI M's dad was quite often a flake and knowing this, it's interesting to see M as a dad - he actively makes sure BK knows he'll show up.
So the bonus is, ideally your kids learn from this. {and see that you're by far the superior parent
Good luck with all the packing and purging @missJeanLouise.
Weather is good here today but will go down hill tomorrow. We have indoor projects planned for tomorrow. Today I'm cleaning. We took the puppy to the vet for next round of shots this morning. He's up to 4.3 pounds - such a bruiser lol! He is doing well with training. He rang the bells for the first time today to tell he had to go out. He had been going to the door and just sitting, which is fine but we can't hear him sit!
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
I had a weird dream but it was really nice?
Idk much because I dream in 3rd person {like as if you're watching a t.v show?} and it kinda started in the middle.
M & I were in a vehicle - not limo but felt fancy? - going somewhere that involved celebrating because we had champagne in the car & M was saying he wanted to be sure he got the "first toast"
We go in the building and apparently I wrote a best selling novel and I was doing a book signing.
I guess it was like a fancy bookstore because it didn't really look like a book store but it clearly was lol
Anyways it was like teen novel. Which I remember the title because it's one of the vague stories I've always been "pick up and put down" kind of writing. {I have a few}
It made me feel motivated to write more tbh.
i die. @MissKittyDanger, I die!
@STARMOON44, you like butter with your popcorn?
@kerbohl I’m so sorry you have to love with this uncertainty.
and I got my 10 year plaque and link to pick out my reward gift. I’m so stuck! I always said I’d go for the luggage, but they do have nice handbags, jewelry, a vitamix (I want one - but lets be real here, I won’t use it!), a weber grill (my current one sucks, but I’m not sure if I’d use one of I even had a good one because grilling for one is pointless imo), and then there’s an awesome firepit table that I want for myself (but never entertain so would I ise it?) but I’ll most likely get that for my parents since their 50th wedding anniversary is in August and then I don’t have to worry about that come August.
Totally jealous over here. So many nice choices! Just nothing that stands out as "the one". I can understand that.
You have so many nice choices for a gift. It turns out this year is my 5 year anniversary and I got invited to a dinner. I'm curious as to what it will all entail ....
orange (burnt orange actually) is one of my favorite colors and if it didn’t close in my already small house I’d love that as an accent wall!
I've got to get my money management under control. I'm terrible with it, I always have been, but I'd really like to not be. I have to stop at Michael's to exchange for a couple of new frames that arrived shattered, but otherwise, I'm home until I take my mom's car out to get the oil changed. She wants to go b/c "she needs to learn what to do". I just said okay, and bring a book. I'm waiting until after the first of the year, but all she wants to talk about right now is when she dies, what I'm supposed to do with the house, the money, the will, etc. I'm very tired of it, but also trying to be graceful with understanding that she just lost my father and it's very prominent in her mind. But after the first of the year, we'll be finished with holidays and birthdays and if she's still doing it, I'll have to gently bring it up. It's making our visits together uncomfortable for me.
Any advise to someone from going to “I want that. Charge now worry later!” to actually putting aside money from my paychecks? I’m genuinely in awe of people who don’t spend money on stupid shit like I do.
I love your apartment btw!
The patterns can be changed! I did it. But it takes deliberate thought and planning. Like any habit, once people get used to it, that becomes their new habit and it becomes easier and more second nature.
First and most important: write down your current budget. Most people set the timeframe to be one month. Include all income sources. Then your "hard" expenses, ie expenses that are needs. Like rent/mortgage, average monthly utility bills, minimum credit card payments, car insurance, gas, groceries, etc. Then what you usually spend in "wants", ie eating out, entertainment, clothes. The more accurate your numbers are, the better the next steps will be. Pull up bank and credit card statements if that helps the accuracy. If something is an annual expense, divide it by 12 for the monthly amount.
Subtract your "need" expenses from your net income. Hopefully the result is a positive number! That's the money you have to play with for "wants" and savings.
Look at your needs expenses. Is there any way to cut those expense that is worth the sacrifice (if any)?
What are your financial goals? What do you want to achieve with your want/savings bucket? Look at your current "wants" monthly expenses. Are you willing to get rid of or cut back on any of those items, in order to achieve the main financial goals?
Now write a new budget with your new numbers. This should also include categories that are things you're saving up for. Like travel (looking at you, Pam!). Make conscious choices to stick to it as best you can.
Here's a made-up example. My goal is to go on a two-week trip to Asia. It will cost about $4K. I shop my car insurance around. Found another company I'm happy with, $50 less/month. I'm spending $600/month on groceries, but I'm not careful about what I buy. Search online for budget recipes that are still yummy and nutritious. Cut $200/month on groceries. Dang! Looking at my 'cc statements, I'm spending $300/month eating out. I love to eat out, so I don't want to completely cut that out of my budget. But I can easily cut it in half. $150/month savings.
I just carved out $400/month extra in my budget. If I stick to what I've allocated for my various spending categories and put that extra money into savings, I can take that trip in 10 months.
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Some other tips I've used or have seen other people use.
At least for me, it was never meant to be a "bare bones" budget. But rather making conscious choices to enjoy my life in the "now", while also planning for the things I really wanted in the future. I was more strict with myself when I was saving up for the down payment on my first home. When I was laid off for a year, already knowing what my "bare bones" budget looked like helped me tread water until I found another job.
FWIW, I am NOT a Dave Ramsey devotee. But his snowball method is fantastic and very helpful.
The idea is to take extra monthly income and choose one 'cc to pay down first. The best choice is either the highest interest debt or possibly the debt with the lowest balance (to get the snowball rolling). For example, there are two 'cc's. First 'cc with a $500 balance has a minimum monthly payment of $50. You can carve out an extra $100/month to pay it down, plus the monthly payment. The balance is paid off in a few months. No more minimum $50/monthly payment and that debt is gone!
Now you have an extra $150/month to work on the second 'cc. The second 'cc has a minimum monthly payment of $100/month. So now you're paying it off at $250/month.
Edited to add: This same idea can also be used for savings. As more money is freed up in the budget, more money can be put toward financial goals.
I'm with @short+sassy on the budgeting tips. I do have a very detailed excel sheet like I fill out on a regular basis with everything we buy. It has formulas that automatically calculate percentage as well, because the whole percentage of what you SHOULD spend on categories is a good indicator to me. So you shouldn't spend more than 35% of take home income on housing, 25% on life, 10% on savings/debt repayment, 15% transportation (I think), and there's other ones in there that I'm forgetting. It helps me.
having major eyelid issues and I’m not even sure I’ll ever be able to wear eyeshadow again - but bought this yesterday because it’s in a Salem WItchhouse pallet and I’m obsessed with that place and all things Salem…
I say if the colours are something you would wear and it sparks joy, not a bad purchase! I don't think this palette would work for me, cool as it is - I'm not good with the reds and orange. I may be Dutch and love orange, but orange eyeshadow does not look good on my eyes.
Also, BOOM! 1 interview scheduled, taking 2 personality tests for first steps on 2 other jobs, and a message just left by the 2nd local competitor. Pleaaaase, let this work out quickly. I'd like to be gone ASAP.
oh, I love the colors! But I could possibly never be able to wear it anymore. I can’t get a doctor to get down to what happened.