Dear Florida,
I am so sorry I complained about your Summers. It just gets hard to handle the ever increasing heat. It is difficult to survive financially sometimes because of the horrendous air conditioning bills. It is also painful trying to get into a hot car and my fingers often get singed on the steering wheel your sun beams down on.
I understand that it is indeed Florida and I will try to keep my complaints to myself from now on if you could tone down winter just a bit. My fingers are numb and I'm so over this shivering all the time. So, do we have a deal? A bit less complaining from me and a little less winter freeze from you?
Thank you,
Oh and, PS Could you keep from snowing again? That was just too much.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Silver Lining Found
Today was another of those days. It started yesterday when my sister called to let me know our father was in the hospital. She was going to call me this afternoon to let me know how he was.
This morning we had workers in our back yard bright and early to repair our septic system. Tree roots had grown throughout the drain field and destroyed it. We had a nice view out the kitchen window before, a lush lawn with birds and squirrels. Now we have a big dirt mess. Only one tiny corner of our backyard was spared. I imagine it will take sometime to repair the damage and we will have to wait a few months before things start growing in again.
At some point in their work they cut our cable. We were without phone, Internet, or cable. As I'm one of those strange people that detest cell phones I had no way to hear from my sister until this evening. Dad is back home after having three units of blood and the rest is a mystery. He's kind of funny about his doctor visits. He just won't talk about them. I have no idea what treatment he gets. He says he gets "juice" through an iv drip. That is the extent of his discussions.
My husband must be catching on with optimism. Sometimes he can be a bit grumpy when things do not go as planned. I was expecting a negative reaction to the backyard devastation. This afternoon he gazed out the kitchen window and a big smile spread across his face. He said, "You know, I won't have to mow this for quite some time."
This morning we had workers in our back yard bright and early to repair our septic system. Tree roots had grown throughout the drain field and destroyed it. We had a nice view out the kitchen window before, a lush lawn with birds and squirrels. Now we have a big dirt mess. Only one tiny corner of our backyard was spared. I imagine it will take sometime to repair the damage and we will have to wait a few months before things start growing in again.
At some point in their work they cut our cable. We were without phone, Internet, or cable. As I'm one of those strange people that detest cell phones I had no way to hear from my sister until this evening. Dad is back home after having three units of blood and the rest is a mystery. He's kind of funny about his doctor visits. He just won't talk about them. I have no idea what treatment he gets. He says he gets "juice" through an iv drip. That is the extent of his discussions.
My husband must be catching on with optimism. Sometimes he can be a bit grumpy when things do not go as planned. I was expecting a negative reaction to the backyard devastation. This afternoon he gazed out the kitchen window and a big smile spread across his face. He said, "You know, I won't have to mow this for quite some time."
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Trudging Through the Recession
I read somewhere that the recession has not affected those who were already poor as they are carrying on as usual. The ones who are truly affected are the newly poor. Those who have been laid off and haven't found new employment or those who have used all of their savings or retirement are the ones who are affected the most. I agree that it must be a new experience for people in that situation. I can sympathise with those dealing with poverty for the first time. What I disagree with is the idea that this has not affected the already poor. I can tell you we are worse off than before.
The main way this has affected us is with jobs. A few short years ago jobs were more plentiful. You could leave one low wage position and be in another within a week or two. Individuals are hanging on to even the worst of jobs at this time. Sure some people quit, due to their addictions or problems, but most workers are staying put until a definite replacement job is in their grasp.
I have also noticed that many managers, at least in my area, are reluctant to fire at this time. They are aware that unemployment benefits may be paid out for quite some time. They also know that there aren't many other places to find employment. They are more willing to work with the staff they have and retrain people or even transfer them to other locations instead of firing.
Some businesses seem to be using the recession as an excuse to take advantage of their work force. Benefits are being slashed, raises denied, unsafe working conditions ignored. When you were treated like this a few years ago you could just go pick another job but now many are stuck dealing with it.
My husband is one of those dealing with it until something somewhere opens up. He is working on his third year with no raise. He has been told that he would get one after a sales goal was met and then he was told to wait a month, then he was told all raises were held because of the recession. When hired he was making above minimum wage. When our state had the minimum increased all the workers were dropped to minimum wage. He worked for the same company, different owner, years ago. He used to get a raise every three months and a holiday bonus. Now he gets minimum wage and the run around.
I just wanted to say that the economy has affected the working poor by taking away our choices. There are fewer jobs and more people applying for whatever does open up. We may have always been poor and already had the skills to survive but it is harder now.
The main way this has affected us is with jobs. A few short years ago jobs were more plentiful. You could leave one low wage position and be in another within a week or two. Individuals are hanging on to even the worst of jobs at this time. Sure some people quit, due to their addictions or problems, but most workers are staying put until a definite replacement job is in their grasp.
I have also noticed that many managers, at least in my area, are reluctant to fire at this time. They are aware that unemployment benefits may be paid out for quite some time. They also know that there aren't many other places to find employment. They are more willing to work with the staff they have and retrain people or even transfer them to other locations instead of firing.
Some businesses seem to be using the recession as an excuse to take advantage of their work force. Benefits are being slashed, raises denied, unsafe working conditions ignored. When you were treated like this a few years ago you could just go pick another job but now many are stuck dealing with it.
My husband is one of those dealing with it until something somewhere opens up. He is working on his third year with no raise. He has been told that he would get one after a sales goal was met and then he was told to wait a month, then he was told all raises were held because of the recession. When hired he was making above minimum wage. When our state had the minimum increased all the workers were dropped to minimum wage. He worked for the same company, different owner, years ago. He used to get a raise every three months and a holiday bonus. Now he gets minimum wage and the run around.
I just wanted to say that the economy has affected the working poor by taking away our choices. There are fewer jobs and more people applying for whatever does open up. We may have always been poor and already had the skills to survive but it is harder now.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Little Things Revisited
I have a lot of tasks to accomplish each day as millions of others do. Work takes a big portion of my time. Keeping up with a household, caring for my family, and surviving financially can weigh on me too. Days off are often spent running errands, cleaning, or organizing. My point is all this monotony can weigh you down.
In an earlier post I wrote about my dryer breaking. I was dealing with it just fine, hanging everything out to dry and keeping up with things. Now my washer broke.
Years ago in a fit of frugality and independence I purchased appliance repair books. I was sure I could figure it out when a future problem happened. I looked through them. They had a trouble shooting guide and diagrams and step by step instructions. Only one problem, now that I need them, my brain turns to butter when when I try to even glance at these books. My husband tried to look at them too. Then he asked me to fix it. I realize now that we must be incapable of this.
Our routine has now changed and we have another day off task to accomplish. We have to go to the laundromat. Trudging into the crowded place with basket after basket of uniforms, regular clothing, smelly towels, and dog bandannas. We could resent this new intrusion on our time. However, I am determined to find the bright side. I will make the most of this.
My husband was dragging baskets to the car today and muttering about wanting more free time and how awful it was we had to go to the laundromat and couldn't we have another go with the repair manual. We loaded up the washers, and sat. I pulled a deck of cards out of my purse and soon our grumpiness was gone. We were able to get all of our laundry done at once and spend quality time together. Matter of fact we got a few jealous looks from grumpy people who didn't want to spend time doing their laundry where they had to wait for a dryer.
My point? Find small moments, little wisps of happiness everyday, in the most unusual of circumstances, or in the most common of chores. Seek out the joy in everything you do.
As we loaded the last basket in the car, my husband laughed and said,"You know, I had the most wonderful time doing laundry with you."
Of course maybe that was because he beat me at rummy 335 to my 225.
In an earlier post I wrote about my dryer breaking. I was dealing with it just fine, hanging everything out to dry and keeping up with things. Now my washer broke.
Years ago in a fit of frugality and independence I purchased appliance repair books. I was sure I could figure it out when a future problem happened. I looked through them. They had a trouble shooting guide and diagrams and step by step instructions. Only one problem, now that I need them, my brain turns to butter when when I try to even glance at these books. My husband tried to look at them too. Then he asked me to fix it. I realize now that we must be incapable of this.
Our routine has now changed and we have another day off task to accomplish. We have to go to the laundromat. Trudging into the crowded place with basket after basket of uniforms, regular clothing, smelly towels, and dog bandannas. We could resent this new intrusion on our time. However, I am determined to find the bright side. I will make the most of this.
My husband was dragging baskets to the car today and muttering about wanting more free time and how awful it was we had to go to the laundromat and couldn't we have another go with the repair manual. We loaded up the washers, and sat. I pulled a deck of cards out of my purse and soon our grumpiness was gone. We were able to get all of our laundry done at once and spend quality time together. Matter of fact we got a few jealous looks from grumpy people who didn't want to spend time doing their laundry where they had to wait for a dryer.
My point? Find small moments, little wisps of happiness everyday, in the most unusual of circumstances, or in the most common of chores. Seek out the joy in everything you do.
As we loaded the last basket in the car, my husband laughed and said,"You know, I had the most wonderful time doing laundry with you."
Of course maybe that was because he beat me at rummy 335 to my 225.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Grocery Shopping With a Penny Pinching Lunatic
I haven't always used coupons. When I was raising three small children and working and attending school I felt I didn't have time to put into it. In fact I made several attempts at saving and failed miserably. I was disorganized with the coupons and never bothered to look at the sales ads. Shopping was a hurried affair racing through the store and tossing items in the cart, sometimes without even remembering what was in the cabinets at home. It would have been to my advantage to save then but at least I have the skill now.
Once I made a commitment to this way of shopping it has become quite easy. Every Sunday I purchase two papers. I read through the paper and then I clip and organize the coupons. Occasionally there are really good coupons for pantry items that I use large quantities of. If there are then I will buy two more papers.
I organize my coupons into envelopes according to my own categories. I've never liked those pre-made coupon organizers. They are too small and there aren't enough categories. My envelopes are leftovers from old card sets and they are lined up in an old five by seven index card file box. The best thing about having your own system is creating your own categories.
When the new grocery ads come out I see what I may purchase if it is a good enough price and if I am running low. Before I shop I make a list and bring only the coupons I will use. I cook pulling what I want from my freezer or pantry. I never pay full price anymore. My family never feels deprived because we have what we want.
I never run out of toilet paper for instance and have to run to the store to buy a four pack for $2.74 because I have several 24 packs in the hall closet that I purchased for four or five dollars.
When people complain about the price of an item it makes me happy to know that when they were buy one get one free the previous week I bought eight of them and used my coupons to get an even lower price. I don't like being at the mercy of the ever fluctuating prices.
One more step is pulling the coupons that have expired once a month. It may sound like a lot of work to many people. It is only a small amount of extra work for me but it is all worth it for the savings in my grocery budget. The savings are huge sometimes. I usually save more than half off the bill. On one recent trip I brought home $130.00 worth of groceries for $30.00.
It may not be for everyone but it sure helps me trim my budget.
Once I made a commitment to this way of shopping it has become quite easy. Every Sunday I purchase two papers. I read through the paper and then I clip and organize the coupons. Occasionally there are really good coupons for pantry items that I use large quantities of. If there are then I will buy two more papers.
I organize my coupons into envelopes according to my own categories. I've never liked those pre-made coupon organizers. They are too small and there aren't enough categories. My envelopes are leftovers from old card sets and they are lined up in an old five by seven index card file box. The best thing about having your own system is creating your own categories.
When the new grocery ads come out I see what I may purchase if it is a good enough price and if I am running low. Before I shop I make a list and bring only the coupons I will use. I cook pulling what I want from my freezer or pantry. I never pay full price anymore. My family never feels deprived because we have what we want.
I never run out of toilet paper for instance and have to run to the store to buy a four pack for $2.74 because I have several 24 packs in the hall closet that I purchased for four or five dollars.
When people complain about the price of an item it makes me happy to know that when they were buy one get one free the previous week I bought eight of them and used my coupons to get an even lower price. I don't like being at the mercy of the ever fluctuating prices.
One more step is pulling the coupons that have expired once a month. It may sound like a lot of work to many people. It is only a small amount of extra work for me but it is all worth it for the savings in my grocery budget. The savings are huge sometimes. I usually save more than half off the bill. On one recent trip I brought home $130.00 worth of groceries for $30.00.
It may not be for everyone but it sure helps me trim my budget.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Holiday Exhaustion
I've picked up extra shifts at work so the hours were good this week. I worked yesterday, then baked cookies til midnight, then went back to work this morning. After work was a whirlwind of visiting relatives and delivering cookies. I'm so exhausted, yet a full day of housework awaits tomorrow.
While at work this afternoon a man came in read the headlines on the newspaper by my counter and started yelling at me about the current administration and how we didn't need this health care plan and how he's looking forward to when we get rid of "him." First of all, I'm there to work. I'm a quiet person who remains professional at all times so I just back up, ask them what they need, or do something to diffuse the situation. If I were a bolder person I would have said, "So you don't believe I deserve health care too?" At work in the service industry you have to remain polite and bite your tongue sometimes.
While at work this afternoon a man came in read the headlines on the newspaper by my counter and started yelling at me about the current administration and how we didn't need this health care plan and how he's looking forward to when we get rid of "him." First of all, I'm there to work. I'm a quiet person who remains professional at all times so I just back up, ask them what they need, or do something to diffuse the situation. If I were a bolder person I would have said, "So you don't believe I deserve health care too?" At work in the service industry you have to remain polite and bite your tongue sometimes.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Apologies
I owe anyone who's been here a huge apology. I would also like to say sorry to Kelly at http://almostfrugal.com/ who was nice enough to give me a guest spot on her blog on December 9th, and I didn't even drop in and leave a comment. She has an excellent site, by the way. You should visit.
My only excuse is that I allow things to weigh me down and cancel out my voice. Instead of logging in when times are tough and pounding out something on my keyboard, I choose to do things like sit in a chair and stare at a wall instead. I know, real productive.
I'll explain how my silence started. First I have a son who is incredibly talented (totally unbiased motherly opinion here) in art. He was accepted to an art school in California. His paperwork was complete and he was going to go full time and live on campus in student housing so he used the last of his money to buy a plane ticket and off he went. When he arrived he was told that all of his loans did not go through so he could only take two classes instead of four and he would not have a place to stay. We were broke in Florida and my son was homeless in California. He stayed as long as he could hopping from one couch to another, went to school and looked for work. he never found a job or a place to stay so I used the cash we had saved to repair our car to bring him home on a bus. It was a little bit cheaper than a plane and when every penny counts...
Second, my dad was planning to visit over the holidays. He has prostate cancer which leached into his bones. He's been surprisingly healthy but he's a tough man. When he went for his check-up he found he needed two units of blood and further treatments that cancelled his plans.
Third my sister who is diabetic had an amputation over a year ago that never healed properly and she had to go in for more surgery to remove more of her leg. She's recovering now and working hard to build up her strength and balance.
In addition, my eldest daughter and her year old son were planning to visit when her grandfather came down. She was starting to get her life in order. Her boyfriend found a full time job, they purchased a used car, she was going to school, and they were set to move into a rental of their own. Then the car broke down and they couldn't take the rental because it was outside of town where they would need a car. She dropped school. Then, worst of all, her boyfriend sliced almost half his finger off on the saw at the meat packing plant where he worked. He then lost his job because he failed the post accident drug test. Lovely.
Other than all of that, everything is fine. I am working as many hours as they will give me. We are packed into our two bedroom house. My youngest who moved here with us originally has one bedroom, my husband and I the other. Currently, my son has the living room floor, two air mattresses have popped. We don't have money for extravagances but we are surviving.
I really can't complain. My husband, youngest daughter, and myself all have jobs which in this area are particularly hard to come by. Even fast food restaurants seldom hire. I just hope my son can find work soon.
My only excuse is that I allow things to weigh me down and cancel out my voice. Instead of logging in when times are tough and pounding out something on my keyboard, I choose to do things like sit in a chair and stare at a wall instead. I know, real productive.
I'll explain how my silence started. First I have a son who is incredibly talented (totally unbiased motherly opinion here) in art. He was accepted to an art school in California. His paperwork was complete and he was going to go full time and live on campus in student housing so he used the last of his money to buy a plane ticket and off he went. When he arrived he was told that all of his loans did not go through so he could only take two classes instead of four and he would not have a place to stay. We were broke in Florida and my son was homeless in California. He stayed as long as he could hopping from one couch to another, went to school and looked for work. he never found a job or a place to stay so I used the cash we had saved to repair our car to bring him home on a bus. It was a little bit cheaper than a plane and when every penny counts...
Second, my dad was planning to visit over the holidays. He has prostate cancer which leached into his bones. He's been surprisingly healthy but he's a tough man. When he went for his check-up he found he needed two units of blood and further treatments that cancelled his plans.
Third my sister who is diabetic had an amputation over a year ago that never healed properly and she had to go in for more surgery to remove more of her leg. She's recovering now and working hard to build up her strength and balance.
In addition, my eldest daughter and her year old son were planning to visit when her grandfather came down. She was starting to get her life in order. Her boyfriend found a full time job, they purchased a used car, she was going to school, and they were set to move into a rental of their own. Then the car broke down and they couldn't take the rental because it was outside of town where they would need a car. She dropped school. Then, worst of all, her boyfriend sliced almost half his finger off on the saw at the meat packing plant where he worked. He then lost his job because he failed the post accident drug test. Lovely.
Other than all of that, everything is fine. I am working as many hours as they will give me. We are packed into our two bedroom house. My youngest who moved here with us originally has one bedroom, my husband and I the other. Currently, my son has the living room floor, two air mattresses have popped. We don't have money for extravagances but we are surviving.
I really can't complain. My husband, youngest daughter, and myself all have jobs which in this area are particularly hard to come by. Even fast food restaurants seldom hire. I just hope my son can find work soon.
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