A Rockin' Day

Two bads, three goods, folks....Away we go!


Bads

• Had to do a timed three-mile walk today, so while #5 was having soccer practice, I went out with my little Nike+ thingy in my shoe and went for it on the track. As I would walk around the track and would get to the far side, each time, I would pass this extremely awkward couple that had draped themselves across lanes 7 and 8. They were in a rather intimate position there, so I tried not to look but pretended that the soccer field was so very interesting.

As I would pass, they would laugh. I didn't think much of it until #6 ran toward me on the track to hug me. As he did so, I said, "Are you coming to walk with me?" Within moments, as if there were a parrot behind me, a woman's voice (the one draped over lane 7) was mimicking me. Hmm....Interesting. I continued to walk. Whatev. Just strange. Haven't experienced anything like that since maybe....middle school?

• Cub Scout day camp rocked, but port-a-potties didn't. They were actually very nice port-a-potties, as those kinds of things go, but still....If I can avoid using the facilities in times like these, I will. Well, it couldn't be avoided all day long...unfortunately.

Goods

• I'm going to see if I can explain this as briefly as possible but still have it make sense. When things started out with our day camp registration, we had quite a few boys going. Because of this, four of our boys were going to be combined with another smaller den of boys--a group our boys didn't know. 

As of yesterday, boys were dropping out, so we ended up with only needing to have one group. But, because we were leaving this other group in the lurch as far as leaders were concerned, we promised them we'd provide an additional leader for them for today, as was originally promised, so that they could find an additional leader for each of the other days this week. Does that make sense?

Well, today, I was that leader for the other group. It was the SWEETEST group of boys. There were four of them. Because there were only four, there were open spots on the archery range, so we, the two adults, were invited to join in. I had never shot a bow and arrow before. It was SO fun! I actually got two bull's eyes. Yeehaw!

It was fun to go to day camp and get to be one of the guys. Our last station was the bottle rockets. Thought I'd share just what the bottle rocket station entailed with a short video of #5 (Thanks, Jon!):

Our little group followed my own ward's group (with #5 in it) all day. I met up with them just as they were moving on to the next station.

As I said before, water rockets was our last station before going home. We got in there and started filling the bottles halfway, putting them on, and pumping the air into the bottles. The rockets would fly into the sky and droplets of water would fall on you.

Well, I was hot. I was tired. And those little droplets of water just weren't cutting it, so I turned to the boys and said, "I want to get wet." Well, that was all the invitation those boys needed. We spent the next 20 or 30 minutes dousing each other with water. We were running and laughing and having a BLAST! Just when I thought it was over and I'd start to dry, another boy would come along surreptitiously and pour water on me.

Seriously, I've volunteered at day camp for at least a day almost every year since #2 went (he's now 17), and this was by far my favorite memory. We even ambushed one of the staffers that just kept hanging out in the area.

When all was said and done, I stood there and the boys gathered 'round, big, huge smiles on their faces, water dripping from everything--hair, eyelashes, earlobes, and they asked, "Are you coming tomorrow?"

That made me so happy. I felt so loved and wanted.

Seriously, what a great day! I LOVED being one of the guys.

• We went to dinner as a family. I found a gift certificate for $15 for a local restaurant on restaurant.com and paid $2.40 for it. Our good friends walked in as we were eating and were seated in the table right behind us. FUN! Love you, Megan!
• Went to pick #2 and #3 up from EFY. I LOVE this experience! These kids are so enthusiastic and happy when they come home. It's fabulous. They told us about all the new friends they made and how they went about doing it. I budget money specifically for this experience for my kids all year long so that they can go and participate. Every year, I decide that it was definitely worth it and the following summer will include the same activity.

Okay, so in other news, #4 took off for scout camp at 5:15 this morning. From what I understand, he signed up for a basketry class and a horseback riding class. He is also going to have a survival experience one night (at least, I think it was only going to be for one night).

He woke me at 4am so that we could run and get him some last minute snacks to have for today. I jumped out of bed, and we hit the road. Should be a fun week for him.

Since he's gone, and I'm missing him tonight, I have to share one thing that #4 does that makes me giggle inside (Sorry, this was the only clip I could find that had the part I wanted. It doesn't even happen until 2:36 into the video--the very tail end. If you want to skip ahead, please do, but this scene is all so classic, so you may not want to. The winking part? AWESOME!)....

Whenever one of us says "I love you" to the other, we always follow it up with that last little thing Ferris does, the "I love you too. Mi mi mi mi" thing. Today, one of the kids said "I love you" to me. Of course, I said, "I love you too." But, "Mi mi mi mi," popped right into my head, and I instantly missed #4.

Tomorrow will be a day spent at home getting a package ready to send off to #1--getting a blanket and cookies made. I have some work to do and an interesting post to write for the Oregon Association of American Mothers, Inc. I'm looking forward to spending time with #s 6 and 7--just the three of us. I promised them chocolate peanut butter milkshakes at some point during the day.

Yep. Today was a good day. If I could spend everyday being a kid, man, I'd do it in a heartbeat, so glad I have the kids so I have the excuse. I just need to let my hair down more often. Who knows, maybe there'll be a water fight here tomorrow. I don't think I quite got my fill. Except, next time, I won't be wearing jeans and Converse.

But, I Thought She Was in Utah

One way or another, I just may be crying by bedtime tonight....

#1 had to pay a baggage fee today at the airport. I watched her put her debit card away when the transaction was completed.

While I was on the computer this afternoon, I checked email and there was an alert from the bank saying that an account was "overdrawn."I had just transferred some money to cover baggage today in #1's account, but sure enough, it was her checking account.

Someone had purchased $1.40 worth of food at a McDonald's in New York City and than $341 at Macy's also in NYC. Her checking account was empty.

What?!

I called the bank--Chase. Hate 'em. Sorry, is that too strong a word for you? Let me try again....Nope, hate 'em's all that comes to mind. It turned out that it was a good thing this happened today and not tomorrow. I can still reach her tonight via my niece's cell phone. As of tomorrow, getting in touch with #1 will be a lot harder--not impossible, I'm sure, just harder.

Here's the bad thing. In order to report fraud on the account, she has to do it. It's her card. Even though I'm on the account, I can't make the report. So, in other words, if this ever happens again, we're screwed. Since I'm the one who's keeping track of the account, I'm the one who would know it had happened, and the only way to get the money back is to report fraud. They won't allow me to do it, so #1 would have to. Just not sure how this would work. Again, probably not impossible, but WAY inconvenient. In short, I have very little trust for Chase.

Tomorrow, we switch banks. I called a credit union right after all of this happened, and they said they had a way to set up a card for #1. I'm not sure if this is going to work now that she's not here to sign for it, but I guess we'll see.

Wow! Who knew?

I think Chase'll be sad to lose our 11 accounts and, eventually, our mortgage. Wouldn't you think?

Much Luckier

There has been a young man in our house who has been wearing unlucky shoes. I know, tragic, huh? I didn't realize they were unlucky, I mean, he's wearing them in this picture:

By the way, Julia Shinkle ROCKS! I started a post on her, I'll have to finish it and get it up here for you to read.

image: motifake.com

But, some time between then and now, either the luck had rubbed off exposing the bad luck, or he's somehow happened to step in a big ol' pile of bad luck and changed the original standing of those shoes.

Regardless of how it happened, those shoes changed everything for him. Something had to be done.

I keep an envelope just for shoe purchases. I got the envelope out thinking that there really was very little in it and, thankfully, found that there was enough for a pair for him if he wanted them. It would just mean that when we go as a family to buy shoes, his part of the budget would be much reduced because of this purchase. He was okay with that.

Anything not to wear unlucky shoes.

image: sodahead.com

Just in case you didn't know, orange Converse are lucky. But, I guess if you think about it long and hard, they'd have to be. Why else would you buy them?

The lucky shoes were WELL within budget. With the money in his hand, shoe boy couldn't argue that some shoes were too expensive, but when all was said and done, he really did get just what he wanted. As he was trying them on, you could tell by the look on his face that those shoes were the lucky ones.

Unlike days before, that boy went off to school this morning knowing that he didn't have a care in the world. Luck was on his side. He was wearing it.

Exciting Times

#1 has been planning on a mission for awhile now. She's talked about it and planned on it. We had a few years to think and plan, so it was all good. THAT was before October.

On the first Saturday in October at the General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this announcement was made:





For as long as I can remember, young men have had to be 19 and young women, 21 to serve missions. This was a very thrilling and unexpected announcement.


To be honest, I was at a child's soccer game on that bright, sunny October morning. I was texted by #3 who was home watching Conference. She shared the announcement. When I read it, I thought it was a joke, but then I thought, "Why would this be a joke? It could be true."

This had some HUGE implications for us as a family. #1 would turn 19 in a month. #1 had been planning on a mission already. Woah! As I started to put the pieces together, I had a joyful feeling in my heart. This opened up a whole new option. Suddenly, life was different.

I texted #1, who was in Salt Lake City with a friend at the friend's grandmother's house watching Conference. I wrote: "Are you planning on turning in some mission papers?" Her response: "Hmm....I was thinking about it. :)"

I remember that day I walked around with this ecstatic feeling but at the same time, there was this rock in my stomach. How were we ever going to afford such a thing? I finally decided that that wasn't mine to worry about. If the Lord wanted her, He'd get us there on His time. It would be okay.

I pondered and pondered on how we'd get the money and where it would come from. I guess I had to do that. I had to be secure in our weakness so that when the time came that the money appeared, I'd really know where it came from and would see the miracle that it was.

I got home and spoke with the Warden. We were very much on the same page.

One thing this would do for us is it would space out our missionaries. #2 will go after #1 gets back. If it had stayed at 19 and 21, they would have been gone at the same time.

One thing I needed to know was how much a mission cost. I searched online and found that a missionary pays $400 a month to go out and serve the world. Hmm. That didn't seem so bad. I started to crunch numbers and found that for a young woman to serve her 18-month term, it would be $7200. Okay, again, not going to kill us.

It was then that I went to our bank accounts to assess where we are in savings both our family accounts and our children's accounts. It was then that I saw the miracle. There it was....sitting there....the exact amount she needed. The amazing thing was it wasn't even in our savings. It was money we'd set aside for other things. It was saved for other things, but it was there. Was it ours to sacrifice?

Of course, #1 was away at school, and this was all hers to plan. It was ours to support. It was just nice to know that we could do that without reservation. When she was ready to go, we'd be ready too.

The next few weeks were full of excitement. She decided that she wanted to go another term and finish out the school year. That would eliminate half of that money, and she'd have to re-earn it. She was okay with that. She went to see her bishop and got the process started. She started filling out her mission papers. They're all online now, which is fabulous.

I know. I know...the bangs!

To make sure her heart was in the right place, I gave her the same test I gave myself at that point in my life: "If you were called to the Oregon Portland Mission, would you still go?" Her response: "I'll go wherever the Lord sends me." Good girl!

The other morning I received a text stating that she'd been talking to one of her roommates and her roommate asked what she had against just staying home next semester. She said, "I couldn't think of a reason."

Woah! This was something I didn't expect. This meant there were a whole new set of options. She could get her medical and dental stuff done a bit more casually--not have to cram it all into the few weeks she would have been home for Christmas break. This meant she could interview with OUR bishop and stake president. This meant she could come home and earn money, which has been a huge thing sitting there in the back of my mind since this whole thing began--I want her to feel that she has invested a big portion of herself into this experience. I just feel it will mean more to her. This also means she can put her papers in earlier than originally expected.

image: imperialsenate.wordpress.com

We sat and crunched numbers last night. Minimum wage in Oregon is $8.95. I told her that if she started working the moment she arrived home, she'd only have to work for ten weeks in order to be ready financially. "Heck. If you had to, you could flip burgers at McDonald's for ten weeks and still make it. That wouldn't even be three months."

So, the fun begins. We have two weeks to prepare for her return. Now the big question, who's going to share their room?

Envelope System: Month 8

I'm learning to tweak the system in new ways. Ways that'll help us be on top of our game at the end of the month.

image credit: http://www.123rf.com

I decided that this month I'd go back into the checking account to see just how much is being borrowed and deposited from other accounts. I first, reduced our budget by that much, which made things a bit tighter than usual.

I did this just as a mental game for myself. I have myself tricked that we have less money to work with this month. In the past, when I've left any money unbudgeted, I've spent it in my brain in multiple places until I find myself in trouble. If I think there's extra money, I spend like there's extra money, but this month, because I think there isn't enough, hopefully there will be extra at the end of the month and even more can be added to those accounts that have been drawn from.

The biggest expense this month will be the trip to take #1 to school. This is a new expense that will have to be added to the budget. That's the joy of budgets, though. They are personal and can flex as your life changes.

I know in some of the previous posts I've given specifics about this process, but if you haven't read any of those, here's how it shakes out.....

Create a spreadsheet and document your expenses (this is a partial snapshot of what ours contains):

• Income - we do his, mine and other and then I total them all
• Fixed expenditures
• Mortgage
• Insurance - detailed homeowners/renters, car, life, property, etc.
• Savings/investments, etc.
• Variable expeditures
• Fuel
• Utilities - I detail these: electricity, water, garbage, etc. They each have their own line.
• Household operation expenses - again, detailed: lawn/garden, fridge water filter, etc.
• Transportation - oil changes, repairs, etc. I also just added a "new car fund." There isn't any money budgeted for that yet, but when we've decided that that will become more of a priority and set a goal for what we think would be sufficient for our family, we'll start stowing money away for that as well.
• Birthdays/gifts - I put every person in the family's name on their own line.
• Pocket money - This is just for me and the Warden. We have a completely separate account set up at a completely different institution for our children's savings, etc.
• Food
• Personal care
• Recreation/entertainment
• Medical/dental
• Special expenses - This includes sports, Christmas, etc.
• Miscellaneous - I even detail this--future ACT/SAT test fees, Christmas cards/postage, EFY, etc. This, if left undetailed, will fall under the same category I was describing above. It would be like unbudgeted dollars, and I'd spend it over and over again without hesitation.

image credit: http://blogs.babble.com

As the year has gone on, I've added some expenses that I've found come around seasonally, so I can save for them for the next year. This month I added on a school supply and school clothes budget. I wish I would have thought of those things earlier, so I would have been set by now.

After you set up your categories, go through past records and find an average of how much you spend on each thing. This can be rather time consuming if this is your first budget. The first time I set it up, I went through the three most recent months' bank statements and figured the amounts from that. It might be an even better idea to look at statements that came out three months from each other just to give you an idea on seasonal spending.

For those bills I pay every other month or quarterly, I divide them into equal portions and pay the same amount each month. For example, we pay our garbage bill every other month. I called the garbage company (my kids call them the "WMDs"--the Waste Management dudes) and asked them if they would be okay with this arrangement. They gave me the thumbs up, so that's how we've done it ever since. This way, we're not $64 richer one month and $64 poorer the next. We're just out $32 each month.


The only company I found that wouldn't go for this set up was our life insurance company, which is a yearly expense. We used to just pay it when our tax return came out, but now I took the total amount, divided it by twelve and have my bank automatically transfer 1/12 of it to a special account each month. It will accumulate there until I need to pay it. That way if, by chance, there is no tax return, we can still pay it without sweating it.

image credit: http://smallbiztrends.com

At the bottom of the spreadsheet, after I've categorized all of my spending, I have a section for a "summary." In this section, I add up the cost for both fixed and flexible expenditures and subtract them from the total income.If that total line is a negative number, clearly I'm planning on spending more than I have coming in. In that case, I need to do some re-thinking. If that number is positive, which is wonderful, I have extra to spend and can reallocate those funds to which ever area I want to. When all is said and done, however, that number HAS to be zero. Even if you put all of that extra money into an emergency fund, which I would advise, do it. Get it out of there, or you'll be continually thinking of all the wonderful ways you can spend it. Before you know it, you will have spent it in not just one but all of those ways because heck, why not?--There, now you've seen into my brain. Scary how it works, huh?

Recently, just to make things easier on myself, next to each category, I have added a line for how that particular bill is paid. There are some I use my bank's online bill pay system for, there are some I use that institution's autopay feature for, there's one I pay with a check, and the others are cash.

image credit: http://www.torange.us

Next thing I do is go through the cash paid categories. As you go a wee bit farther out to the right on my spreadsheet, you will see, way across the top, a space that says 100, one that says 50, and then continues with 20, 10, 5, and 1. As I go to each item that says cash after it, I figure out how many of each of these denominations I need to cover that expense for the month. I have a friend that figures this weekly, which I think is a fabulous idea, but I just don't want to run to the bank every week. You're lucky to get me there monthly, as it is. I prefer the conveniences of online banking and the ATM usually.

I total how many of each type--how many 100s, 50s, 20s, and so on--I need. I then figure out how much money that comes to both individually and collectively, print it out, and head to the bank. At the bank, they ask for my account number and my photo I.D. I also have to sign for the money before she goes to count  it out. She counts it in front of me, puts it in an envelope, and I'm off.

image credit: http://inzolo.com

I go home, pull up my spreadsheet, get out my marked envelopes (the envelopes titles correspond with the items on my spreadsheet) and divvy up the cash. Some things I split between the Warden and me. Other things I put in my purse for this week's use. Still others I put away for future use. I have envelopes for longer term spending and those for shorter term--an envelope containing smaller denominations marked for groceries week 2, 3, 4, and 5 and for dates weeks 2, 3, 4, and 5 that I stash away.

That's about how it goes. I love that when I go to my bank statement and see the same few things paid there each month. I love the lack of guess work that this creates. I love knowing where I stand financially at any given moment.

A Little Peek into My World

#6 is sitting here next to me drawing ninja's--his specialty...."Mom, which do you think will win--the one with the sword or the one with the bow and arrows?" Hmm....Tough question.

The plan for the day...grocery shopping. I know, exciting--THRILLING even.

The big man has set off for a day of spelunking (oh my goodness! I even spelled it right on the first go 'round) with his scouts. #1's got a day-long date with a friend that just returned home from his mission. Yikes! #2's off at a meeting for the trek that's coming up. #3's in Redmond with her bff (an annual tradition), #4's down the street taking care of our friend's chickens while they're out of town, #5's still in bed--man, oh man, that boy can sleep! #6--drawing ninjas. #7's off with #4, she LOVES those chickens.

Yesterday we took the MOST AMAZING hike! As we climbed the mountain, I watched my kids taking care of each other--#2 was HILARIOUS! He wouldn't admit it on the way up, but on the way back down, it was quite clear that he was worried about the safety of his three brothers. He lined them all up and made sure they walked as far from the path's edge as possible. He did it all in a very humorous way so that no one knew that he was really dealing with a bit of anxiety.

Today the sun is shining as much as it was yesterday. I'm wanting to be out in it. Summertime grocery shopping is not my fave, but it HAS to be done today. I've returned to the coupon site I use. With the cash system I'm finding I have to be much more careful how I spend our money. I used this site for awhile, but since the other was the first I used, I've gone back to it. I'm sharing these links here because they're both GREAT sites, and if you're looking for a place to start, I recommend either of them.

I'm working on a new blog just to see how it goes. I did a basic post last night--nothing to write home about, but I just put it out there to see if it would get any views last night. It got two--one from the U.S. and one from Germany. Fun! I don't know if I'll make it work. It was just simply an experiment. I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I wrote in my last post. I don't keep my blog for the world to see. It's fun that they do, but it's just a venting place. That I would be considered worth reading is kind of a hilarious idea, actually. I don't want to change because someone says I should. I want to change because I want to, and to be honest, there is part of me that does.

The Madhouse came into being because life was just a bit insane with running a household and working on a college degree. I needed a creative outlet. Now, with school over and having attained that goal, I feel that any madness is self-inflicted, and I have much more control over life. The thing I'm not controlling right now, though, is my children and what's happening in their lives.

I'm not sharing a link to the blog at this point because there's really not much to look at yet. It's just a skeleton--an experiment, like I said before. When and if it becomes more, I'll share.

So, I'm off to get the coupons ready. Heading to Fred Meyer to take advantage of the playland. #6 can still go in with #7 until September. Kindergarten'll end all of that fun, and I'll have to be a bit more creative on the shopping schedule.

One little side note:  yesterday, in the car, we nearly finished Harry Potter #5. We have a chapter and a half left. That means tonight, after we finish, we will watch the movie. YAY!

#7 just walked in from feeding the chickens. She raced upstairs with a "flower" for me. I'm now sitting here with a dandelion behind my ear. This seems to be a fairly frequent addition to any ensemble lately. Are you sporting one too? C'mon....everybody's doing it!

Envelope System: Month 7

Little by little we're gathering it all back together. After taking the blow of the stolen purse in March, things are still having to be fine tuned. I think, though, as of today, it's all back in order.


We, in our previous account, had some scheduled transfers that went from one account to another to be held until we had to pay our yearly payments, but for some reason, although we were assured that everything would be restored to what it has been, our accounts weren't set up so that we could transfer between them. The crazy thing was that the credit union had somehow come up with my in-laws' account and set that up for us to transfer into. How did they even know that we were related? That was kind of an interesting reality. One that didn't make me very happy. I was shocked that they would take liberties like that. It wasn't something we asked them to do as we didn't even know what their account number was.

I had also sent a fax giving account numbers and asking that it made possible for us to transfer between all of the accounts. That was back on May 21st. Today, I tried to make a transfer, and still, there was no change made. Hmm....

I went in to the branch to get the cash today and explained to the teller what was going on. She set me up with one of their reps, and it is finally all ironed out. We'll just have to work it all out when those payments come due.

I also made a firm resolve today that I was going to remove my debit cards from my purse. I keep thinking that if I just held to that to begin with, the purse situation would have been so different. **sigh**. Not sure why cutting ties with the debit cards is so difficult. I guess I have a fear of not having enough cash on hand. It makes me feel a bit insecure. But, on the other hand, if I have my debit cards with me, there's the opposite fear of spending too impulsively and too much, so I guess I have to choose the lesser of two evils. I think I'd rather have too little cash than spend money I don't have.

The other thing I did this month was a tally the money in all of the envelopes. I put it on the same spreadsheet with the budget. It feels really good to be storing up for things for the winter and for everybody's birthdays. #7's birthday is next week.

Had to put this boys picture on cuz I'm missing him right now.

With birthday envelopes, I put the same amount in each person's envelope every month now, but when it started out, I had more in some envelopes than others because of how far away their birthday was. I had to make it proportional, so one month, I took a little extra of the budget and filled some envelopes more than others. I mean, if you're starting this right now, and you've decided you want to have $120 to spend on each birthday that comes around and one person in the family has a birthday this month and another has a birthday in December, you're going to put $120 in the June birthday person's envelope and spend it this month (it will be at zero in July) and put $60 in the December and then put $10 in each envelope each month thereafter. Anything you don't spend when the birthday comes around is a bonus for the next year.

Same reason as above

Here was my great victory for this past month....We signed three children up for fall soccer. I asked one of the kids to go over and get the sports envelope. The Warden was standing there watching while this was happening. I finished the registration, pulled the envelope out, withdrew the cash and handed to the Warden asking him to please deposit it into the bank on his way to work. I could tell by his face that he was very impressed. YAY!!!  We still had money left in the envelope, so when #3 announced that she wanted to try out for the high school soccer team, there was enough to pay for her summer training. No sweat!

Originally, I had a sports envelope for each season with some seasons having more money allocated than others. I decided that this was far too complicated, so I have since combined the funds and created a "sports" envelope. Once you get your envelopes going, don't be afraid to down-size (combine envelopes), but don't make it too simplistic. I still have an envelope for "sports and school photos" because that's something I never think of until the time arrives. I could combine those, but I'm fearful that I'd spend everything I'd need for photos on the sports themselves. Then, where would we be?

Tonight, I was able to go with #1 and a $50 gift card and get her a $200 set of luggage for $30. I also found #3 a pair of soccer shorts for less than $10. YAY! I'm also fully back on board with coupons. I've found that, although I've been using fabulesslyfrugal.com and have enjoyed it, I save more money by going back to what I started out with--theobsessiveshopper.net. I really can't figure out why one site is more comfortable for me than the other. Maybe it's just because I got so used to the obsessive shopper. I somehow feel more in control with it.

Anyway, I hope this is helping somebody. It sure has helped me. Somehow blogging about it each month keeps me on track.

Yaddi Yadda

"By the end of the week it'll be half strength" was what #4 was told when he went in to have his ear re-checked yesterday. It looks great and you really have to look to find the owie. The doctor took out the last remaining stitch (they put the dissolving kind in). The doctor who stitched it up really did a FANTASTIC job.

After the doctor's appointment, I took #4 to Arby's. He commented on how great it was to be "just the two of us." I agreed. He's such a sweet personality. So great to be around.

I got the cash system figured out for the month and went and got the money to fill the envelopes, so we're in business for the month. We usually take our kids out to eat at least once a month, but I found that we didn't use the eating out money last month, so we had a bit extra. Nice deal! I love it when that happens.

Did you know that Monday nights after 4pm, the Outback Steakhouse allows one child to eat free for every paying adult? Well, they do. I love the Outback! I was THRILLED to hear this news. We went there for our Monday night FHE activity. The kids had never been there. Our server was FANTASTIC!

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, and maybe it's just the part of the world I live in, but with the economy being what it is, people seem to be more grumpy these days--even people on the job at certain businesses. I've gotten so I kind of brace myself. Well, this was not the case at Arby's. They were SUPER nice--smiling, saying all the nice things that make you feel like you're welcome there. It was a nice change of pace.  Yay Arby's. I might just go back...soon.

Like I said, we're back up and running with the cash system. Last month was just a little too monetarily crazy with the events of March. Things seem to be ironed out a little bit better now, so it's nice to be back on track. April just felt very insecure. The cash system makes me feel in control, and I love it.

Last year, with American Mothers, we had the opportunity to help with the float decorating for the Portland Rose Festival. Next week it all starts up again. It can't get here fast enough. Seriously, it's SO FUN!  If you're in the Portland area and want to be part of things this year, let me know.

Here's the float we helped with last year....


See that purple and that blue?  Yup. I wore purple coconut and blue coconut home in my hair a few nights in June of 2011.  Good times.  Good times.

Grateful for Showers

Life is just amazing! If you read this post, you know that I've had some struggles lately. The month started out so bleak financially, that I neglected to withdraw the cash for the month.  It just wasn't worth it. That's how little was left in the budget after the bills were paid.  We decided we'd live mostly off of savings this month.

Teachers have a union, but school administrators don't.  With the school budget being what it is in the state of Oregon right now, administrators don't get raises.  It's been a few years since the Warden's had one.  When there is a furlough day, which happens a few times during the year, he also doesn't get paid. Just thought I would explain this in case you weren't aware of these little facts.  We're getting hit by the economy just like everyone else.  I don't think I mentioned this in the above linked-to post.

The main issue was that we were majorly required to walk by faith and trust that if we did our part, God would bless our lives with what we needed.

When the purse was stolen, my checkbook was in it.  Because of that, we had to completely close that account and open a new one.  When we did, we were told that they would take care of everything and that everything would be restored as it was.  I thought this would include new checks for the new account.

I waited and waited for the checks to arrive.  I gave them a few weeks and then called.  They had not been ordered, so I went ahead and ordered the checks.  They arrived just before payday.

So, here's the big deal....I use those checks to write our monthly tithing payment to the church.  I was taught as a child that that's the first thing you pay when  you make money.  I believe strongly that doing so brings blessings--some that are clear and apparent and some that I'm not even aware of. I believe strongly in the challenge give in Malachi 3:10.

We found ourselves, this month, with the need of paying two of those checks--last month's and this month's.  That's a sizable amount of money.  It left us with very little after bills were paid.  Gas money?  Grocery money?  The only thing we could do was dip into savings, which we try to do very seldom--only in emergency cases.  This was one of those.

Not wanting to dip into it, hoping that some other option would come up, I didn't withdraw the monthly cash.  Doing so, would symbolize a lack of trust that paying the tithing would bring the blessings we needed. On the morning of the 19th, when I figured out the budget for the month, I knew we were going to need some kind of miracle before too long.

Later that day, I graduated.  I watched BYU's commencement exercises online, and as I did so, during a lull in the proceedings, I switched over to Facebook--just one of the blessings of not taking the walk.  There, on the wall, was a friend who was looking to hire two freelance writers for his business.

What?!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  This was absolutely perfect for me!  I contacted him and asked a few questions about the job.  Was it something an at-home mom could do?  Did it require a huge amount of time?

He assured me that I could do the job he needed done.  He asked me to write a cover letter and resume and take a writing test.  Having not done a resume or a cover letter in quite a long time (except for my last class at BYU), I was nervous.  He had posted the listing on Craig's list, so I was sure there were many, many applicants, and I was sure I wasn't going to be chosen, but I was pretty sure that I wanted it and was more perfect for it than anyone else who would be submitting a resume.

I hurried to get those things done. I took the writing test, and it was SO FUN!  I loved it!  This was just such a perfect match for me. How could he not hire me?  But, I haven't really spoken with him in twenty years, and he doesn't know that I'm perfect for this job, so why would he hire me?

Those were the thoughts that went through my mind.  On Monday mid-morning, I saw a chat box pop up on my computer.  He wanted me to call him.  What?  Really?  Was he just going to laugh at my sophomoric attempt at a resume?  Was he going to say, "Umm. Yah. Nice try, but no."

I called him right away, and guess what.  He wanted to hire me!  For real!  I now have a job.  It really is perfect for me.

The first deadline was last night. There were seventeen articles to be written.  Knowing that, since I was hired on Monday and the deadline would be Wednesday, my family would have to sacrifice just a bit more this time through. In the future, I'm thinking there will be more notice when a deadline is approaching, so I'll be able to pace myself a bit more judiciously.

So, my parents were right....Pay your tithing first.  I'm so extremely grateful for what's been provided. Something tells me, though, that the open windows of heaven may not be done showering down yet.

Hard Times - Be Ready for Some Whining

I'm having a tough go right now. I'm kind of keeping it to myself, but I have to get a job. I have to.

Increased car insurance with a new driver in the house and another one soon to come, which will increase it further. With the stolen purse issues, we've had to add some identity theft security to our lives as well which costs additional money each month--money that we didn't have before. I wish we didn't have to, but without it, there could be some really uglier, nastier things in the future. Wish I had a crystal ball right about now--don't we all?

School administrators have been on pay freezes for awhile. There is no raise year after year, and there are furlough days that he doesn't get paid for, so just like everyone else, the economy makes life tricky for our family too. Prices of things go up, but the dollars entering the home stay the same.

I'm really struggling with this. I want to do something that I can do at home. I applied for a job the other day that I'd really love to have. I think it'd be perfect, but we'll see how things go. Pray that I get it, will you please?

We're just trying to do the right things in hopes of receiving blessings for doing so. He's never let us down before.

Envelope System: Month #6

I've been putting this post off, but I need to write it so I can document the mistakes and successes from this past month.  In other words, I can't put it off forever.

The day the Warden got paid, I emailed him the cash amount and denominations we needed, and he stopped at the bank on his way home to pick them up.  He's right up around the corner from the bank, so it just made sense to have him do this.  It also gets him involved a bit more.  Up until now, it's just been me.

That night, after dinner, I sat down with the list and the envelopes and distributed the funds.

There are two things I want to do with this system that I haven't implemented yet but will soon:

1.  Have a weekly meeting with the Warden to discuss where we are financially.
2.  Have a spreadsheet in which we jot down how much is in each envelope and update the amounts each month.  For now, I only have what I put into that envelope each month not the accumulation.  With the new spreadsheet, I can keep track of the total amount and know if any goes missing.

One of the things I originally did with this system was to put my debit cards away in another part of the house.  I'm not sure why, but as time has passed, these cards have crept back into my wallet even though they went unused.

The day after the money was distributed, my purse was stolen.  I had just cleaned my purse out that afternoon, so I knew exactly what was in it.  The good thing was that I had started to leave most of the cash in envelopes outside of my purse.  The bad thing was that I still had the month's medical/dental/pharmacy budget, the first week's grocery budget, the money to spend on clothing for the month and the gas money for April in my purse.  Needless to say, that money is now gone.

With the rules of the envelope system, you're not supposed to "rob Peter to pay Paul," but it can't be helped this month.  I should, at this point, take another look at the different budgets and reallocate funds, and I think that's exactly what I'll do.  I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet.  It was tough enough deciding on the budget originally and getting everything just right.  Now, to have to do it with less to work with, that's a tall order.  I just need to get past it, and do it.

Anyway, this is all about this month--not last month....

Last month was a tricky one.  Two kids were signing up for high school track, so I pulled out the spring sports envelope and had all but $20 for that.  One thing I hadn't accounted for was my non-high school child wanting to run track too.  There was no money left for her, but she walked in the door with a flyer and told me that she didn't really want to run track, so it was okay.  She shared with me why she felt it was a rip off--too much money for too few meets.  I should have known, by the way she brought the flyer in, that she really wanted me to say that she should do it anyway, but I didn't argue with her.  I just let it go.

A week later, one of the high school track runners  had been injured and things still weren't getting better.  We decided as time passed, that that child was going to have to withdraw.  Sad because I looked forward to seeing both my kids run this year.  In the meantime, that child has gotten a job and is earning money toward college, so it really was a blessing.

Because of the withdrawal, we received that child's portion back from the high school, and we now have the money to pay for the other child to run and for her younger brother to play spring soccer.  After the money was returned, I approached that child and asked if she was sure she didn't want to run track this season.  She, very enthusiastically, shared how she really had wanted to run, and although I hadn't said anything, she was concerned that there wouldn't be enough money to sign up with.  It really is quite expensive considering it's middle school track, but I feel badly that she jumped to this conclusion without even asking.

Where does one strike that balance between kids' activities and the money required for such activities?  This is a very frustrating thing right now.  Our kids don't do an awful lot of after school activities--just sports during part of the year, so when they come forward and show interest, I want to be able to say yes.

At this point, I am working on a post about what to do if your purse or wallet is stolen.  I really have gained a new education this past month.  The individual(s) who stole mine were pros.  There's no question about it.  I'm pretty sure they waited for a chump like me to show up.  The surprising thing is how many people I've spoken with that have had very similar things happen to them.  Wow!  I had no idea.

I'm still dedicated to the envelope system.  Maybe more than ever.  Even though a portion of it was stolen, it could have been much worse.  We still had cash stowed away elsewhere for other things--Peter's still waiting there and willing to give to Paul as needed.  PHEW!  Had all of our money been in our bank accounts, all the thieves would have had to do was use those cards as Visa purchases and not had someone check their signatures or used the checks in the purse, and it would have all gone away.  Then we would have REALLY been hurting.

Another really good thing is that we aren't credit card users, so there wasn't even one of those blasted things in the purse.  Phew!


If you haven't started the envelope system for yourself, I highly recommend it.  Here are the previous posts:

FYI:  Envelope System
Envelopes
Month 1
Months 2-6