If it's not one thing, it's something else....

Although I do not have my full "baby emergency fund," it has been growing and at this time I'm thankful it's there. Who knew my poor dog was going to have to have surgery on Tuesday??

I have 2 dogs (a Boxer named Damien age 11 & a Rott/Shepherd mix named Snoop who is 13) 3 cats (Tinkerbelle & Mystic who are between 10-12 years old and Smokey, my 5 1/2 month old kitten) and a 1 year old no-name turtle.

Pets are great companions. They quickly become part of the family and I really can't picture us not having pets. However, pets can be verrrryyy expensive!! You not only have the expected cost of food, food dishes, litterboxes, litter, toys, treats, annual shots, etc... But then there are those times when you're broke til next payday & your cat is favoring his front paw or you see blood in your dogs stool. Those expenses aren't planned and they always come at the worst time! (Right before Christmas your Boxer scratches his eye & has to have surgery twice totaling $900. Yeah, it happens!!!) The only thing to do is [ expect the unexpected ]! As Dave Ramsey says, have a rainy day fund because its gonna rain!!

Yesterday I took my Damien to the vet with a ruptured tumor on the inside of his thigh. It has been there for several years but we were always told to just watch it. If it started to bother him we would need to have it removed. Sooo... After bloodwork an EKG, a weeks worth of antibiotics and $65 later, he checked out okay and is now scheduled for surgery next week. Surgery will include anesthesia, the tumor removal & pathology, pain meds & additional antibiotics and will cost us $250ish. Yeah, I definitely didn't pencil that in the budget this month, but lucky for us, we've got it covered. No need for "American Distress" or "Master-Card."

Get your emergency fund, people!! You can't afford not to!

Check out my YouTube channel & subscribe:
www.youtube.com/princessxbrat11

Unnecessary stress

Why does everything have to be so difficult? Nothing is ever cut & dry. You always have to jump through hoops, sometimes stretch the truth, bend the rules, and stress yourself out ...unnecessarily, most of the time.

As I mentioned before, my ultimate goal for 2013 is to be debt free except the house... That's hard to do when you're already living paycheck to paycheck & cutting corners here & there. It's hard to really make headway unless you have a couple hundred dollars to play with in the beginning. We decided to try to refinance our house. With the current interest rates so low, we could easily save a few hundred dollars per month. It's a no-brainer!

Well, we already knew that the value of homes in our area is down. We were then told that they will only refinance at 85% LTV, plus trying to roll in closing costs, it left us with little room for play, and we were going to have to pay $425 upfront for an appraisal-/ non-refundable. That was a $425 risk we weren't willing to take.

After much disappointment, we discussed everything with my mother-in-law who is lonely since her husband passed away in September. She has struggled to make ends meet & she seemed thrilled to have us sell our house & move in with her! We figure we can at least get what we owe out of the house & walk away. We will live with her for two years while saving money for a down payment on a new house. We will help her with the bills & be company for her. It's a win- win!

So now, the loan officer I was dealing with, emailed me to say there is another option for us that requires no appraisal... The HARP program. I don't even think our mortgage is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, so what the heck is she talking about? A loophole?? My thoughts... Why in the hell didn't you mention this sooner???? It's not that I regret our decision to sell our house, but we worried soooo much about whether or not we could refinance and stressed ourselves out over nothing...& she knew that! She waits until now... to say there's another option.

I guess as the old saying goes, everything happens for a reason... & I feel it all worked out for the best. If we get out from under this house now, we will be in a better position to buy a new house in a couple years.

It's tax season!!

We're among the many Americans that do not "break even." We get an income tax refund each year. We have thought of it as a savings account in the past ...we let the government take our money & "save" it all year, then give it back in one lump sum. I now know the ridiculousness in that way of thinking, & I know my money would be better invested & earning ME interest, rather than THEM. We may change our exemptions at a later time in order to cut down on the possibility of a refund & to collect more of our money throughout the year like we should be, but for now, this is working for us. I think that until we complete baby steps #1 & 2, we need that tax refund.

Soooo... What will we be doing with our money?? PAYING OFF DEBT!!

With our tax refund we paid off a loan that held a lien against my husbands motorcycle (he's now going to sell it to make even more money), paid off my braces, and a small line of credit. With eliminating those 3 things, and canceling insurance on the bike, we have reduced our monthly payments by $342!!! WOOOO! HOOOO!!

Then--- when we sell the bike we will have another $3K-$4K to put toward something else!! No, it won't be one of those fancy C purses or a new tv, but we will be smart with our money & do something that's going to make a difference in our future!

What will you spend your tax refund on?

I can't see.

I've known for a while that I've been needing to go have my eyes examined & that I probably need glasses. I think I can see fine, but compared to my husband...sometimes there are things he can read from a far distance that I can't... and there are times that I get really bad headaches at work (I'm on the computer allll dayyy). So, after my trip on Saturday to the eye dr, and it being confirmed that yes, I am indeed about half blind (not really but close enough), I now notice things are blurry a lot more & my head is hurting A LOT! I think it's psychosomatic. It's weird!!

It's official... I'm blind!

For the first time in my life, I will now be wearing glasses. I finally had my eyes tested today & low & behold my near sight & far sight are both blurry, I have Astigmatism & Esotropia. I've known for a while that my eye sight is not what it used to be, & I have headaches when I'm on the computer for long periods of time. So.... I now have 2 prescription glasses... One for reading/ the computer/ aka work.. And one for farther distance/driving. So.... As my husband says, I'm blind as a bat!
(UGHHH!)

Mind over matter.

Mind over matter. A simple statement but it holds a lot of weight. It's very difficult to ignore those voices in your head, especially when they say "I'm hungry!" I've fought that battle every single day for about 3 years now. Food is definitely my enemy! I struggle with the love of food & not wanting to gain weight. I think about food 99% of the time.

In 2011 I lost 26 lbs...which was a lot for my small build. I didn't need to lose any more weight...but I thought that I did. I I over-did it...worked out excessively morning, lunch time, & at night. I ate like a bird. I was burning off more than I was taking in on most days. After a while I started having dizzy spells & lightheadedness. Finally, I slowed it down. I started eating more & exercising less & I felt better....except I still didn't have those 6 pack abs that I wanted & I still thought I was fat!

It was all mental. Most everything is. You can do anything you set your mind to, they say...but that is easier said than done. I am an all-or-nothing person. I couldn't "treat" myself every once in a while because I felt like I failed if I ate that piece of cake ...so then I would eat everything I wanted for days, even weeks... It took a lot to get back "on track." I fought this battle ...& I still do. Now I've gained back about 5 lbs...which isn't a lot, but I can see less definition in my arms, my stomach, my legs... It makes me sick!! I hate it that I was so close & I gave up. I hate it that I ALWAYS think I am starving!! I over-eat, sneak food, lie about what I've eaten, & again, I think about food all day long. I can't overcome this within my own head. I'm not sure what to do but I just know I'm not happy with the way things are going at this time.

1 week challenge

If you're anything like me, the first thing I do in the morning is grab my phone...and not just because I use it as an alarm. I see several notifications from Facebook... this person commented on your status, that person posted a new photo... When I open it up its like reading the morning newspaper. I keep scrolling, skimming through what's been left overnight while I lay with my eyes closed. I click "like" or post a quick comment... I do this usually before I even get out of bed. Sometimes I may spend 10-15 mins. That 10-15 mins is crucial when you're trying to squeeze in a workout, take a shower & get dressed for work, put on makeup, cook your child breakfast & get out the door by 6am.

At night I take one last look before I go to sleep. Not to mention the numerous times each day. It's become addictive! It's like a drug!!

This brings me to think... How much time would I have on my hands if I stayed off of Facebook?? Wouldn't I be happier & more productive?

Time to put it to the test. I challenge myself (and you) to stay off Facebook for one week!