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Feeling Better

February 1st, 2016 at 02:51 pm

I am feeling much better. But I have not coughed out any of the pneumonia since it is stuck below my lung disease. So if I don't cough it out soon I will get sick again.

Money is very tight since I didn't work for weeks, and now work is still light. Thankfully I finally received a payment for my horse trailer I sold last year, my parents gifted me some money, and husband's sweet friends at work took up a small collection and gave it to us with a get well soon card. What nice people. So proud that my husband is such a good and hard working person that people offer to help him in time of need.

I made the house payment today (need to update mortgage numbers), the LOC payment, I paid another $100 on the computer, and I have some money left to pay towards our car insurance which is due soon.

For February I just want to pay down debt. I don't want to set a number on it, since finances are unsure right now. But anything helps.

Been working outside since we've had 60 degree weather. Husband and I finally got up the dog fence last night! We had quite a bit of trouble when the goats chewed through the wire in several places and we had to repair. Arg. I'm hoping they won't do it again now that it is all up and tight. Now it just needs hooked up and retested. I'd love to get that done today.

Also need to do goat vaccines today, baby goats are due in exactly 30 days. Can't wait for all that adorable snuggliness. Fingers crossed for lots of babies. The waiting list is so long.

Update on Flooding and Completed Goal

December 29th, 2015 at 08:43 pm

I went ahead and sent another $150 to the Roth, so I have officially completed that goal for the year! Woohoo!

Flooding is starting to get real. Roads are closing in all directions, and people are evacuating. The local airport had to drive their planes on the highway to higher ground yesterday! Talk about a weird sight. Hundreds of farmers are moving equipment and thousands of tons of grain to safety. Historic buildings are trying to get out all the artifacts and antiques. Our bridge which connects two states was closed today for only the 2nd time in history. The nearest crossing would be an additional 3+ hour drive on a good day. Many people including my brother-in-law who work across state the line are having to live on the other side until the waters recede. We are completely cut off on several sides at this time due to flood gates being shut, and one town is flooded into an inaccessible island. Scary stuff. Waters are not suppose to peak until Friday or Saturday, and are predicted to raise over 4 feet by midnight tonight. In 10 feet most or all local levees fail, and several towns will be completely destroyed. We are suppose to stop at another 9.1 feet. So it's going to be very very close. A few levees are beginning to slide, and people are on watch 24/7 to sandbag potential gaps. If anything this has really brought the small community together.


No need to worry about me, My house is 10 miles from the river so I am unaffected besides traveling. But it is a weird thing to watch possible history in the making, and not be able to do anything except wait.

Feeling the Crunch

November 16th, 2015 at 03:18 pm

The carpenter finally got my closet trim cut, and the bank has finalized the LOC.

The fencing guy has set appointments then cancelled last minute twice now. He swears he will be here Tuesday... Won't hold my breath.

Furnace is still up in the air right now. The first price he found on the units was about 3 times what we want to pay. But he misunderstood and had us down for 3 instead of 2. So that will lower the price, he is also looking into other brands. Fingers crossed we can make it happen.

Paid some on the computer, and towards the truck.

Also added back the LOC in the sidebar for the windows/furnace. Will be paying that down with our standard $200 a month home project budget, and additional as we can.

I can't believe it's already half way through November! I need to kick it into high gear if I ever want to be able to reach my goals for the year.

Right now I just want to get the fence installed and paid for. After that I can switch focus to other things. I tend to work on two main things at once, one debt, one savings. My normal checks are usually sent towards debt, and any cash I collect I put in an envelope to save for something different than our normal savings. My fence fund is nearing completion. Then extra cash will go towards the animals. The cash savings seem to grow slower, but it's amazing how much random cash I accumulate. Either by selling stuff, freelance work, or my parents often give me small amounts of money when I visit. $10 here, or $20 there. It adds up!

Husband's Payday

October 9th, 2015 at 02:59 pm

Sent the mortgage payment in, lowering the balance to $48,086.58! Can't wait to make it to the $47ks next month.

Paid $75 towards the computer, and saved the typical $110 for the truck. Also paid a small amount towards the credit card which isn't due until next month.

The vet has not started interviewing people yet. Web Design has picked up a bit this week, so hopefully my check next month will be a little more normal.

All my goats are bred, and I can't wait until March when I have lots of little babies. Estimating about $3,600 from kid sales.

Holding My Own

October 5th, 2015 at 05:26 pm

Work is not picking up. Feeling discouraged. Trying to stick to a bare budget, and expecting the worst. We may or may not be able to get by on my husband's income alone. Probably short term, but no way for any length of time. If something came up like car repairs, we'd quickly have to cut in our EF. Wanting to avoid that.

I seen that the vet job posted that they will be calling for interviews this week. Praying that I get called, and get the job. Steady income would go a long way for me right now.

Still expecting $550 from the goats soon, $100 from my freelance work, and I may be getting $500 for selling my horse trailer. That money will first and foremost be spent on animal food for winter. May have some left to cover bills or save.

Husband booked a one night stay at a bed and breakfast for our anniversary this month. I'm really feeling like we can't afford it. But he refused to let it go, since we had already been planning for it.

Slowing Down

September 29th, 2015 at 02:34 pm

Projects have slowed down a bit.

My paycheck is less than half of what I'm used to. Boo. And the following one will be even smaller. I hope that the vet calls back soon.

I still managed to put $100 towards the computer, husband saved for his truck, and I put back money for the house payment. Besides that I had less than $100 left which I applied to the credit card.

I've changed my October goal to something simple. Save something. I just want to be able to pay my bills, and I'll be happy if I can save anything.

Windows & Jobs

September 25th, 2015 at 02:54 pm

The windows ended up being almost spot on to my original estimate. $2,900 for the 3 doors, and 2 windows.

We decided to forgo the main back door, and just get the essentials for now. So the total bill is $1,900. We will keep shopping around for the door. But honestly that is the cheapest I've found, for an installed door of that quality, which has everything we want. I might trying purchasing a new door knob and seeing if I can rig up a way to make it close for now.

I put the down payment on the credit card, and have $1,000 which I need to deposit and pay the credit card with. Will have to scheme up a way to come up with the other $900, especially since I'm worried my checks won't be enough to cover bills, let alone extra.

Anyway. Business is still super slow, and I'm getting worried. I did send in the application for the vet job. And my old job is begging me to come back. (Still haven't found a permanent replacement since January.)

Lots to think about. Husband does not want me to go back to old job. It was very stressful and draining on me. The job its self wasn't bad, but I had so much "extra" work to do, and I had to work several evenings, come in on my days off, get called at home, etc. I felt like I never got away from it.

IF I did consider going back, I'd have to sit down and have a heart to heart with the boss. About what I would and WOULDN'T be doing. I'd have to make a list, and lay down the law at the beginning. I just can't go back to that much stress again.

We'll see. Hoping the vet job calls back. From what I understand they are giving interviews to everyone that applied, before deciding. Hopefully I have a good chance since I did work as a receptionist/secretary for 3.5 years, and I have very good references from all my bosses.

Still pushing on the house. I caulked/painted another window. And also the outside of all of the windows. I'm not sure what happened but when I looked at my painted window yesterday, it had 3 cracks in it. Frown It definitely didn't crack as I was painting it. So I'm wondering if the caulk didn't stress it as it dried or something. Bummer. Now I'm kind of scared to do the others.

Also working on the kitchen archway. That's a big project. 9 boards to cut, sand, stain, seal, and hang. Yikes.

Progress

September 17th, 2015 at 02:47 pm

Some progress on the money front. Sent $100 to the computer, and $110 to the truck fund.

Only owe another $200 on the credit cards, and still have $100 owed to me for freelancing.

Next check is husband's extra check. I think I will save the extra $350 for our windows/doors. The Roth is so close to being finished. But my work is slowing down. Frown And honestly I'm a little worried about the future of the job. So I'm having to prioritize things. We have to have a door before winter. So that takes precedence over the IRA, especially since I have until April to fund that last $500.

The $500 coming in, in a few weeks I haven't decided on. It will probably go towards the animal fund, or towards hay/other animal expenses.

But that's not the only progress. We've had a second wind with house projects and have knocked some stuff off the list. Last night we scraped and caulked 3 of the windows on the outside of the mud room. There was barely any paint left on, and all the old caulk holding the window panes in had dried up and fell off. Only a couple very old brittle nails were holding the glass in. Yikes. It was hard work though, it took several houses to scrap all the loose paint and wood. We had to finish up the caulking after dark, which means it's a little sloppy. But at least it's waterproof, and the windows will stay in.

Now that the caulk has dried I'm getting ready to paint them this morning. That will add a big improvement to the outside of our house.

Unfortunately there are still 8 more windows to do. 7 of which are 12 pane windows. >.< It took me hours and hours to do 15 panes... I'm going to be at it for days to finish 84 panes. Hopefully these will be a little easier.

Money Blues

September 10th, 2015 at 03:38 pm

Well husband and I have seem to have gotten a second wind with the house projects. I'm really really itching to get stuff done.

The problem is money. Frown

Everything to so darn expensive in an old house which needs everything custom.

We are trying to finish up things that we can without spending much. We put up the trim around our bedroom door. I removed and cut down a door that hasn't been able to be opened since we installed new flooring... over 2 years old. Yikes! I also sanded and painted it. Which is not an easy task when it's a 15 glass pane door. It took me over 6 hours to do 3 coats, and then scrap all the windows. I'm still sore from squatting 3 days later, and it could really use a couple touch ups still. But alas it's so nice to have a functioning, white door in the kitchen now. It looks so clean and bright.

Tonight we are going to paint and put up trim around it, and another door.

I've done a little more work on my desk. It's done for now except the wall shelf, which I am undecided about. I really love it. We have a friend over occasionally and all 3 of us can fit on the desk with our computers for online gaming.

Still waiting on the fencing guy who just had a baby. I will call him soon.

I called around to get quotes to refinish the hardwood flooring. $2,000 seems to be the going rate. Ouch. Not going to happen anytime soon.

I got a new window company to come and measure my doors and windows, since I was so displeased with the last guy. They haven't given me a quote yet, but I'm going to estimate it will be $1,500 for the 2 downstairs windows, a storm door, and a bathroom door. Another $1,500 for the back door. And $2,400 for the 6 upstairs windows...

The storm door and bathroom door are must haves. Neither have doors right now. I've been living with a curtain on the bathroom for over 2 years now.

The storm door is needed because we have to heat the room in the winter to keep the pipes from freezing. Can't heat a room with no door.

The backdoor does not have a functioning latch. We put in one of those cheapo eyehooks on both sides to keep it from blowing open, or the cat getting in, and we literately have to lock ourselves in or out. So if husband goes to work, and accidentally latches the eyehook, I'm locked in and have to go out the front door and walk all the way around the house through the wet grass to unlock it from the outside. Totally fun. Especially when the snow gets here...

Add all that, plus we still need more trim and about a million other little projects, and the dollar signs are flying. Sigh.

I have $800 on the credit cards, from projects, vet, insurance. I do have $400 coming from some goat sales, and freelance work I've done. So that's good news. Tomorrow is husband's payday, and next check is his "extra" paycheck. So it will get paid off. But it feels like I will never get enough money to finish our house. People always ask us if our house is finished yet, and are surprised when we haven't made much progress. They just don't realize how expensive it can be to purchase something as simple as a dang door. Especially when that causes a chain reaction of other projects. Such as when the bathroom gets a new door they have to remove the dryway, so then I will have to redo that, and repaint. It just seems never ending. More projects, more money.


Just feeling a little disheartened.

Little Update

August 31st, 2015 at 02:22 pm

Mortgage is down to $48,140.35. Paid my first $100 towards the computer. Also put back $110 for the truck fund.

Still owe about $600 on the credit cards for heartworm treatment, and 6 month car insurance. Should pay it off in 2 more checks.

Then I'll get back to saving. Really wanting to knock out those last few goals. So close!

To the Roth

August 17th, 2015 at 02:58 pm

Sent the $250 goat money to the Roth IRA! Woo Hoo. Getting so close. Only $500 more to go!

Stinks to think that about the time I finish these goals, there will be new ones. lol. But that is life.

I finally got a hold of the fencing guy, so he should be putting in my fence next month sometime! Hurray!

Good Update

August 14th, 2015 at 03:01 pm

Well things are going better than expected.

Computer is great. Love it, and actually am not feeling guilty about it.

I tried to login to my dell account to make a payment, and it says I can't make payments until the first statement comes out. Which isn't for two more weeks. So I just used the money elsewhere, and will begin paying it with my next check.

I completely paid off all the credit cards, and was also able to send $250 to the Roth IRA. Hurray! Only $750 more to go for the year.

I have $750 worth of goats sold, and have received a $250 down payment which is currently transferring from PayPal. I'll get the other $500 at the end of September. I haven't decided yet if I will send that money to the animal fund or the Roth.

Now that vacation is over and we are back to relatively calm, we are going to start earmarking money towards the truck fund again.

If I keep going at the current pace, I should meet all my original 2015 goals. We'll see.

Back Again!

July 20th, 2015 at 01:56 pm

I survived camping in the Wild West for 10 days.

We seen 4 parks, and thousands of animals. Drove 90 hours, flew on two planes, and rode a bus and a train. It was a lot of fun, but I'm glad to be back in my own bed, and I'm happy to see my own pets again.

I believe we only went around $100 over budget, so all in all not bad.

I added $250 to the Roth. Only $1,000 more to go for the year.

Busy busy week coming up. I have a lot of catching up on work. Then each evening I'm helping out at VBS from 5.30 to 8 all week. Saturday is my sister-in-laws hometown wedding reception, and husband and I are going to a play. Sunday I am driving 10 hours to pick up my kitten!!!

Monday and Tuesday I have a doctors appointment, and Wednesday I'm eating dinner with my family. Yikes. Glad I had a vacation, but it's definitely over now.

Vacation & Mortgage

July 2nd, 2015 at 03:07 pm

Mortgage payment sent today bringing total down to $48,462.49.

Also saved the last bit of our vacation fund, so that is now COMPLETE! Woohoo! Only a week until we leave, I'm both excited and nervous. Lots of little details, and scary unknowns.

It's going to be an expensive next couple of weeks. We are hosting a 4th of July party, so $60 in fireworks were purchased, and still need to buy brats and hotdogs.

Tomorrow we are going shopping to get some needed clothing, and the last few things for our vacation.


Lots of packing and planning to do still.


Back Again

June 29th, 2015 at 03:01 pm

Back again!

We went to Charleston, SC. I think it was the most beautiful city I've ever seen! I only got to spend a couple hours, but I'd love to go back for a week. So much history, and beauty. Also I couldn't believe how kind the people were there.

As a side note, we didn't realize that was the same day that the president was visiting for a funeral... So traffic and police were crazy. We didn't get in until midnight, so luckily when we got up in the morning to explore most of it had died down. But the street in front of the church was still blocked off.

I've got $325 to add to my animal fund, and a new goat. Smile Next trip is Monday.

I'm Back

June 22nd, 2015 at 03:29 pm

I'm back from the wedding. It was very stressful, but turned out lovely. I still owe MIL $30 for the hair dresser, but after that I think I'm done with expenses on this.

Just in time, for my goat trip next weekend. I will be making only $275 on the deal, and will be bringing home a new goat. The following weekend I will be getting $200 more for another goat that is leaving. I'll probably be sticking the money into the animal fund.

Vacation is only one more paycheck away from complete.

Looking forward to working on some of my main goals soon.



A Little Better

June 18th, 2015 at 04:12 pm

Well the utility bills came in low this month, so I sent the "extra" $150 to the Roth IRA.

Got lots of stuff done this morning, but still have a lot to do today.

I cleaned out the goat barn and put down new straw to get ready for more rain that is coming. Sigh.

Cleaned out the dog pen, and new straw. Cleaned out the boys goat house, and new straw.

Wethered (goat term for neutering) 2 boy goats who are going to their new home in about a week. Gave 3 goats their shots, and routine medicine.

I was literately soaked to the skin with mud and water after all this. We've had nearly nonstop rain for a couple weeks now, and at least another week to go.

We don't have it as bad as OK or TX. But rivers and streams are still flooding, roads are closing. My entire yard is several inches of standing water. My town is next to a large river, and there is talk about the bridge closing. Which hasn't been done for over 20 years.

My hay is past it's prime, which is sad since I paid to get the fertilizer and it grew beautifully. Literately over $400 worth of grass going to waste out there. If the rain ever stops I should still be able to cut it, but it won't have much nutritional value. So I will probably have to buy some to supplement. The bad thing is, my hay supplier is having the same problem. So I'm not sure if he will have any quality hay either.

High Spend

June 17th, 2015 at 01:06 pm

Payday came and went. Had to send $450 to the credit card to pay it off. Not sure why it got so high this time. I'll have to go back through and look at the charges.

Besides that I had to spend $130 for the second half of the bridesmaid dress, and also $15 to get it hemmed.

That's pretty much all my check. Rats.

This weekend is the wedding, next weekend I make a goat trip to the East, following week I make a goat trip North, and then next week is vacation. Lots of traveling!

Fence fund did get completed. No progress on anything else.

Getting Close

June 3rd, 2015 at 01:44 pm

Sold another goat. He goes to his new home Monday. Poor guy is separated from his momma, and they have both been crying nonstop for two days. :/

That added $225 to my fence fund, bringing the total to $935. Only $65 from my goal!

After the fence fund is topped off, I will start sending the goat money towards the animal fund.

A $1,000 animal buffer will make me feel much better in case of emergencies.

Haven't been doing very well on my 5 things this week. Been feeling pretty sick, and it was all I could do just to work, and drag myself out of bed.

June Goals

June 1st, 2015 at 01:59 pm

Sold a goat yesterday. My favorite baby. Frown I'm going to miss him terribly. He was my little buddy. But if I kept all the babies I loved I'd have 100 goats. lol.

Added $200 to the fence fund. Only $290 to finish it.

Only $300 to finish the vacation fund.

Might try to knock out both this month. We'll see.

As a side note, I've gotten pudgy. So I've started trying to eat healthier, and work out daily. So far I'm just shooting for 30 sit ups and 30 squats a day. I also purchased a jump rope, and am hoping to incorporate that in for cardio. (I hate running) I just to love jump roping as a child, so I'm curious to see how it goes now.

Payday & Desk

May 29th, 2015 at 02:07 pm

Well we got the top of the desk on yesterday! I'm sitting at it right now and love it!



Still have to cut, stain, and build the shelves underneath. And also the wall shelves above. But at least it is usable right now.

So happy with how it turned out so far.

Now I just need to get a rolling chair, a lamp, and possibly some sort of organization cubby, or something for paperwork.

And ugh. Look at my horrible floors. I wish the construction company would call me back with the quote to refinish them. I can't find anyone else who does it.

Payday today, I added $250 to my Roth IRA. Glad to see the goals still working their way up, even if it's slower. Still need $3,500 to finish my main 2015 goals. Which would be about $500 a month. Very doable, but I have a feeling the truck goal may get scratched for other more important things such as fence and flooring. We'll see.

Much Accomplished

May 26th, 2015 at 07:58 pm

Husband and I had a VERY productive weekend! Woohoo!

I got my desk top stained and put all the coats of poly on. We leveled and tightened the frame. It's all ready to go. Hoping to screw the top together this evening.



The boards are just resting on it in various places to dry. But I wanted to share the color.

We finally cleaned out the mud room and organized all our tools. We cleaned out the dining room which had been a horrible mess, and basically our construction room for the past 3 years.

We cleaned out and put back on the closet door under the stairs. The house had shifted, so the door no longer fit, and we had to cut and sand it down. This is where we put all our remodeling necessities, such as our paint brushes, paint, drywall tools, etc. That we still need and use frequently. But now all our company doesn't have to look at it!!!! I'm so excited.


We cleaned much of the house, and planted our flower beds. Also one of my best friends made a surprise visit for the first time in several years. We live far apart, so it was very spur of the moment, and we had less than 24 hours together. But it was great fun to catch up.

My last goat kid was born, and I got all the babies tattooed, and cleaned out the goat barn.

We got more work done this weekend than we have in a month. Hoping it continues!

Savings and 5 Things

May 14th, 2015 at 09:15 pm

Wednesday - 5/13
- Attended niece's graduation
- Went out to eat with family
- Worked & meeting
- Completed late night mock-up for project
- Went out to lunch with boss

Thursday - 5/14
- Meeting
- Making chicken and dumplings for dinner
- Balanced checkbook
- Washed dishes
- Grocery shopping

I sent $250 to my Roth IRA, also put $45 in the fencing fund.

Been very hectic here. Crazy busy every day, and just exhausted. Can't wait for the weekend.

Settled

May 12th, 2015 at 02:27 pm

Got our settlement check.

Finished the goat fund, and added to the vacation and fence fund.

Have $500 for Juno's future treatments. That will relieve some stress.

Moving on up. Really hoping to add to the Roth IRA with my paycheck this week. It's been a while since I've contributed.

So it Begins

May 7th, 2015 at 05:41 pm

Got Juno's pre-treatment antibiotics and 3 months of heartworm prevention pills for $85. That is not included in the original $500 estimated cost for heartworm treatment. Ouch.

Paid the neighbor $85 to fertilize my hay field today. Well worth it. The land has set empty for 25 years, and it was really lacking. I only got 10 bales off an area last week where I've gotten nearly 100 in previous years.

Added $175 to my goat fund.

My $1,000 settlement check should be arriving any day. Currently planning on putting back $500 for Juno, $240 to top off my goat fund, and the rest will probably go towards my credit card or possibly the fence fund.

Small Updates

April 23rd, 2015 at 04:44 pm

Been so busy and stressed out recently, my health has not been taking it well. Things are finally starting to smooth out.

All my goats are reserved except for 3 wethers. So that is great news. They will go to their new homes starting at the end of May. I still have 2 does left to kid. One this weekend, and one in May.

I've pretty much finalized goat buying plans, and I have 3 that will be joining my herd. I will get them in May/June.

After talking with husband we have decided we really would like to finish the pasture fencing this year. That would give my boy goats, and Juno a lot more room to run. That cost will be $1,500. Goat money will cover it. But I still need to build up my $1,000 buffer as well.

Tomorrow is husband's "extra" paycheck. I'm going to use it to pay off my credit card. Which frees up my entire paycheck to save next week.

Saturday I have my award's banquet, and then we are going to go mini golfing and do some clothes shopping. We really need the date night, especially since life has been so crazy lately.

Been raining a lot so desk and trim have been on hold. I'd love to finish them this weekend.

Ordered

March 23rd, 2015 at 06:23 pm

I just ordered our airplane tickets for our summer vacation.

Unfortunately the flight we wanted went up $25 since I checked last, so I had to book a 30 minute earlier flight. Yuck. Oh well. I'm glad it's done and paid for.

Everything is reserved and ready to go, we just have to show up!

Also, just realized my state refund was finally deposited. So I went ahead and paid $225 to the Roth. Only $2,000 for my goal.

Got a letter saying our house escrow is going up this month $7. Boo.

Went to the chiro again this morning. They used ultrasound and some briofreeze on me, and whew it felt good. I was hurting pretty bad, so I hope this will help. Another appointment Wednesday, and husband is going then as well.

Payday

March 13th, 2015 at 03:33 pm

Put $250 in the Roth, $100 in vacation, put back $120 for a class I'm taking next week, and paid off the credit card.

Also sold a goat that is getting picked up on Sunday. Not sure what I'm doing with that $200 yet. Maybe Animal Fund.

Knocked Out Another

February 27th, 2015 at 03:15 pm

Payday today!

Sent mortgage payment bringing the balance to $49,008.37. I'm very tempted to send an extra payment to bring it down to the $48ks.

Paid off the credit cards, put $100 in vacation fund and sent $25 to my IRA.

Best of all I finished topping off the EF! Another big goal completed. Now all that is left is my smaller goals. 2/5 done before March isn't bad.

Done and DONE!

February 10th, 2015 at 03:05 pm

Line of Credit is paid in full!!! Debt free again except for mortgage!

How cool is that to have our hardest goal done before the middle of February! Also sent $1,000 to the EF!

The other goals are going to fly by, EF will be done by the end of the month, and the others will follow soon after. 2015 has been a great year so far!


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