Going for Not Broke

I'm not proud of the fact that after my daughter was born, I gained a bunch of weight that I've yet to shed. I have fat clothes, but only a few. And a few that I do have, I've loaned to my pregnant younger sister when she's dropped by after work and has wanted something to wear besides her work uniform while we hang out together. I've yet to get anything back from her that I've loaned lately, and so, my wardrobe is smaller than ever.  The urge to go shopping has been very strong lately.  Each time I see her, it crosses my mind to ask for them back, but I've yet to get the gumption to do do. She won't yell or anything, but I just worry about looking petty. Ideally, I'd lose some weight so that I can get back into my regular clothes, but that's easier said than done. Meanwhile, I have no shorts in this sweltering weather. I really want to shop. I gotta get my clothes back. And lose the weight.

I've had a lot on my mind lately concerning how little some of the things I do for extra money pay. I've done some writing via online sites that, once time spent researching a topic and fretting over and rewording my work are factored in, pay way below minimum wage. With time, I know I'd get faster and could eventually get bumped up to better pay. However, in the meantime, though, I'm spending hours on something that nets me about $5 after taxes. It's work I enjoy, but it's also time away from my daughter that doesn't gain me a whole lot of headway in my quest to eliminate debt. Therefore, I've decided to focus my efforts mostly on crafts, which I've done on the side for about 10 years now. Am I good? Eh, I'm not horrible. But I think with greater focus on it, I can get better. To start, though, it would pay less than the online writing. Hopefully, though, after several months of dedication, I'll be able to turn that around. This doesn...

Anna Nalick's song "Breathe" has a line that sums up me. It goes: "These mistakes you make you'll just make them again If you only try turning around." It's been a rough year for us financially. On the home front, our heating-and-air unit crapped out to the tune of $5,000 and our roof started leaking. Add to that, my dad had major surgery three hours away, and during his nearly three-week recovery time, I spent a lot of money on gas, hotel rooms and dining out. Then, after he was released and was home just a little more than a week, he got a bad blood infection and wound up right back in the same hospital again for another three or four weeks. (He's doing well now.) The thing of it is, though, is that when tough times hit -- and they don't even have to be as tough as this year has been -- it becomes very easy for me to say, "Well, if I gotta charge A, then what's the harm in charging B, too?" Then, before you know it, I'v...

For once, I can say that I haven't had the time to blog because I've been doing work that actually pays me. I did some web-page writing. I was slow at it, and for two weeks worth of sacrificing my spare time, I made roughly just $80. My hope is that it will lead to better- paying gigs later. Fingers-crossed. If it doesn't, though, I still plan to continue working the extra as much as possible. I NEED to pay things down more quickly.  For some reason, I've been feeling the weight of how much we owe more strongly lately, and I just really am ready to see some significant progress.

This year has been tough on our pocketbook. My dad had major surgery , and because he was hospitalized three hours away, we spent a lot of money on fuel, fast food and motel rooms. Thankfully, he's finally home, and we're hopeful his health with continue to improve. Also, I got speeding ticket. I fully admit speeding, and I make no excuses, so I have no one to blame but myself, but that was still $150 we didn't really have. Plus, my daughter had hearing tests that are going to cost us a couple hundred (thankfully, though, her hearing is fine), our roof is leaking, and my husband has to have some costly dental work done. We've put a lot of things on our credit cards to accommodate, so, so far this year, we've made anti-progress. Here's hoping the rest of the year goes better.

This has been a challenging year for my family. My dad had a precancerous tumor on his pancreas and is recovering slowly from the surgery to remove it. He's had a couple of setbacks, one that lasted three weeks, but we're all hopeful he'll be back on track soon. Partly because of that, I want to host a family get-together. Mom and Dad will have their 45th anniversary this October so that seems like a perfect time to hold it. I think I have a lead on a FREE place big enough to accommodate my siblings, their kids and my parents. As for the rest -- the food, decorations and activities -- I'll have to plan according to what's on sale and when. Immediately after that, I'll be planning a baby shower for my kid sis. I hope to get the same venue for both parties. Again, though, I want to keep an eye out for deals for decorations. There is only so much I can do about the food in advance, but I figured I'd start setting aside money for both feasts now.

I found this article very enlightening. Time Magazine -- Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us I've often wondered why medical bills are so high. When I've contemplated starting my own business, my biggest reason for not taking the risk is the fear that without employer-sponsored health care, my family and I would not be able to afford it. A month's health insurance for my family would cost more than $400 a month, and that's with a $5,000 deductible. Who can afford to pay that when you don't know from month to month what your income will be? Perhaps if the doctor bills were a little more reasonable, health insurance would be more affordable for everyone.