I need one of ya'll who isn't going to judge me to come help me clean up this friggen house.
It is A LOT LOT better than it used to be but it is still a friggen mess! I say not going to judge me as my corners are cobwebby and door jams are dirt encrusted. There miiiight even be more than one wall decorated in either makeup or crayons or both. Siiigh. I feel like I can never get ahead. I try to stay on top of the dishes and laundry as best I can but it sure doesn't feel like it lately. I want to get this place scrubbed so I have a baseline to try and keep up with daily.
My brother helped out a ton last weekend by getting our yard cleaned up. My backyard wasn't mowed but maybe once last summer. My hubby would rather run 80+ miles a month than keep up with the yard. I can't even start the easy start mowers! Plus our mower keeps dieing. Thankfully it is all purty and the dogs are not walking around in the jungle anymore. Of course now there will be the upkeep on that but I have a week or three (hopefully) before I have to figure that out. The concrete driveway and porches were all pressure washed and are nice and pretty now. The front porch light was replaced and now works. That hasn't worked in years. We also have a nice pretty new mailbox now. I had changed it in the past but used the original pole that was super wobbly. My brother changed his recently so he knew exactly how to do it.
I want to purge out some of my clothing soon too. The things that it is time to admit I am never going to wear again or just hate. You know that ones that are currently to big and you only owned and keep because at one point they were some of the only things you could wear?
I am trying to clean up my credit score too but that will take a while. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it public this time but I think I have in the past. That dark cloud from a few weeks ago was court. I had a defaulted credit card that kept taking me to court and then not showing. They finally showed the 3rd time and we are currently in a payment arrangement hence the mention of an extra bill. I never cared about my credit. I didn't know how important it was and that is a lesson I have learned as an adult with high interest rates on everything. Our house is uber high and it sucks. We could be paying $200 less a month if our credit was better! The plan is to try and clean mine up then maybe refinance the car and house in the future.
The bills are actually current and I now have a plan that I hope to stick to for paying them. In the past it was rob Peter to pay Paul but thankfully the taxes allowed me to catch up and breath. I predict it will get tight again soon but I hope to hold on as long as I can. (It would help if people learned how to turn off lights and what not when they are not in the room Hmph!)
I want to improve things in my life. I am tired of just being.
I am starting to feel sad about certain things though. I don't want to say depressed but just deeply sad if that makes sense? Which is what yesterdays post was about.
Now cleaning is one job I hate! Yet it tends to fall to me anyway as hubby hates it more and with many household chores he does such a poor job that I'd rather just do it myself. Methinks he knows that and that's his evil plan to begin with! Lol
ReplyDeleteI used to be in a similar position but took a lesson from my stepfather some years back who advised me to NEVER carry a balance on my credit card. Pay it off in full every month, he said, and that's what we do now. The only debt we have is our mortgage and we're hammering that to pay it off ASAP. I don't want to still be paying off the house when I'm 70! Of course we don't have kids and I can only imagine how much more expensive daily living can be when you've got kids to support. I hope that all works out well for you
I'm sick of this ever-lasting winter, I'm coming on down! LOL
ReplyDeleteSeriously, it's tough to be doing all the Spring cleaning on your own. It's a huge job to do the inside and outside. Glad your brother helped you out. I have to bargain with my man to get him to help with keeping the kitchen clean. Any chance convincing your kids to help? Bargain with your husband?
If you have to do it on your own, write up a list and tackle items one at a time. I started my "Spring cleaning" in January and I'm still going through old paperwork and shredding stuff. Ugh! http://fatgirlwontrun.blogspot.ca/2014/01/simplify-and-unclutter.html
Glad you've been able to get your finances in order. That must be a huge weight off your shoulders. Re-establishing credit can take years but keeping your payments up to date is the best thing you can do to start :)
The problem with bad debt and credit issues is that it really does drag you down, mentally and physically. I had major issues back in the day with credit cards (growing up I was never taught to save and such and my parents always lived paycheck to paycheck so that's what I thought everyone who WASN'T rich did!) ... at the ripe age of 42, it clicked for me ... I started making arrangements for settlements and reduced payoffs (back before you would get a 1099 for same) and was without any credit card debt for oh, 7 years. Can I just tell you how easy and FAST it happens if you don't keep an eye on it ... I, for one, just can NOT have a real credit card as I have no restraint. I am making myself take every extra dollar and apply it towards the lowest balance card and will roll that payment over to the next lowest once the first is paid off. I suppose it IS the snowball effect that Dave Ramsey refers to? Good luck and stick with the payments. You may be "cash poor" while doing this but trust me, the end results of having that cloud move out of your life is a great feeling!
ReplyDeleteClark Howard has a radio show and a web site and is very helpful. I know he would tell you to destroy ALL credit cards and only pay cash or use a debit card. He would also tell you to concentrate on the card with the lowest balance first then when it is paid off roll that money to the next lowest until they are all paid off. Sometimes you can call the CC company and they will give you a lower interest rate. If we need an appliance or furniture so many companies will be you a 1 or 2 year same as cash deal. That is what we do. Our only bill is our home equity loan. We never carry a balance on a credit card - no more eating out or going to movies until your are solvent. You can get movies at the library. I don't get my nails done and I color my own hair. I fill up the gas tank at the beginning of the month and I make it last by combining trips. I don't make a special trip if it is avoidable. Be careful about throwing out food - manage how much you fix at a time. It will be so worth it. You can do this.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the sadness. I know it stinks, and yes, you can certainyl be sad without being depressed. Take care sweetie.
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