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Home > Archive: April, 2015

Archive for April, 2015

Financial Update

April 28th, 2015 at 02:48 pm

Added $100 to vacation, and $60 to the gun fund. Also I just started a new savings fund for fencing. Husband wants it up ASAP, so if I don't save for it, then he wants to put it on the LOC. I'm putting all my goat money there for now.

We got some trim up, and my desk is slowly coming along. Progress is progress. Garden is growing.

This weekend the dogs are getting their shots. It's going to cost $250! Ouch! But it's 3 year shots, which is good because they are 100 pounds each, and never been around other dogs, or rode in the car... So that's going to be fun. Also they are getting heart worm tested so they can begin going on prevention. I do have the money put back for this.

Goodness, I have a lot of buckets going. Seriously considering condensing them all, and just working on one at a time. But they all have different time frames. I'm not even sure which are the most important at this point. I'm not too worried about vacation since I've got a budgeted amount going to is and it will be completed before the trip. Anyone else have a lot of separate saving buckets?

Feeling Lonely

April 28th, 2015 at 02:19 pm

Thanks so much for all the well wishes.

I'm doing okay. Very lonely. Frown I held that cat for 8 hours a day, and working from home is very quiet and lonely without him.

Husband is determined to find me a new companion, and I've always wanted a ragdoll cat. I started looking for kittens but they were $800 and up!? I seen some that were $1,800... For a cat. Yikes.

I was about to give up, but I finally found a small breeder that breeds only for pets, and her kittens are significantly cheaper. $400. Still more than I would think of spending on a cat, since you can get free ones. But my mom has pledged $150 to buy me a new friend. I called the breeder and she was so sweet and nice, and I've made my decision. I'm going to go for it.



This is what a ragdoll kitten looks like. Have you ever seen anything cuter in your whole life?

She has some due in the next two weeks, and then at the end of May. So I'll be able to wait and see which one I like. They won't be ready for pickup until July, so it's going to be hard to wait that long.

She is about 5 hours away, but I have a wedding to go to nearby, in June. So I'll be able to stop by, and play with the kitties, and maybe pick mine!

I'm very excited, just hoping I can make it a couple months alone. :/

Sadest Day Ever

April 24th, 2015 at 02:22 pm

My cat passed away in his sleep last night. Frown

He was my best buddy, and 12 short years were not enough.

He has been very sick since Christmas, so I'm glad his suffering is over. But last night he was acting his chipper self, eating, walking, using the litter box, etc. So it was a bit of a shock. I wish I had more warning, I expected him to slowly go down hill, and I would be able to be there with him until the end.

I guess this way is better. He's had a very good week, and was happily purring and snuggling right up until last night. Which is better than him loosing his ability to eat and walk, and slowly suffering for days.

I held him for a couple hours last night, and then put him to bed. I wish I had held him just a little longer. I wish I had been there to comfort his passing. Despite him acting pretty normally the last few days, he has been meowing more, and been more clingy. I guess I now know why. Frown He wanted someone to be near him.

I'm going to be so lonely working from home now. Everyday he sat on my lap or my feet, and I would hold him and talk to him for hours. I'm glad I got to stay home and spend so much time with him these last few months.

I already miss him. Even my tough husband was crying this morning. I've only seen him cry a couple of times in the past 12 years.

I'll never forget the wonderful time I shared with my cat. He was the best pet anyone could ask for, and I will miss him terribly. I don't even know what I am going to do with myself. I feel lost.

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.

Unexpected Windfall

April 17th, 2015 at 04:46 pm

So, we got a good surprise yesterday.

We received a letter from husband's work that they have a Profit Sharing plan.

It said as of December 31st 2014 that his account balance is $2,600 and that he is 20% vested.

That means if he quit today he would be given 20% or $520 right? That's pretty cool!

That just doubled our current retirement money! I like free money!

I'll have to do some more reading on profit sharing, I don't really understand it.

Coming Along

April 17th, 2015 at 03:36 pm

The desk is coming along great. The pipe is all put together, now I just have to build the top.



Here is what it currently looks like. The board is just set on top for demonstration. Don't judge my floors! They aren't dirty, just need refinished.

I'm facing a dilemma though. I had planned on staining the top the same color as our floor and trim. But I'm worried that will be too much of the same color.

What do you guys think? Too matchy, or do you think it would help it blend and fit in? I'm torn. I love the stain color, I just don't know if too much will look ridiculous. The desk will have wall built shelving as well, so part of me thinks it might look good to have the same color and go for a "built in" look?

I also stained the next part of our trim. Yay for progress.

Been a very busy week, and the stress has flared up my lung disease. Ugh. Feeling pretty poorly. Hope things slow down, and my health returns soon.

Next week is an "extra paycheck" for husband. Should have about $350 to put towards something... I'm not sure what yet. Possibly the IRA or my gun.

Also I posted some pictures of my new baby goats, and within the day someone had decided to purchase two of the bucklings! It is nearly unheard of for a person to just buy bucklings. So I'm pretty stoked.

Whew

April 15th, 2015 at 02:45 pm

Proposal is over, and now it's time to catch up with everything... Work, cleaning, fun.

I paid all my bills, and have almost all the materials purchased for the desk. I went to 3 different hardware stores yesterday, and still have another to go to. They don't keep enough in stock.

Also, I think I have located 2 goats that I will be able to purchase. Not exactly what I wanted, but still good. And each one is $100 less than the ones I had reserved. So that will save me $200.

The goat kids are a joy to watch. They are so full of energy, and love running in a big herd and jumping and playing. Too cute!

Good and Bad

April 13th, 2015 at 03:20 pm

We got our 3rd garden box filled, and got all our garden planted. Ideally we still have 2 more boxes to build, but I think they can wait until next year.

More goats were born. Two single bucklings. Frown I had two girls reserved. So that stinks. Only one goat left to kid.

The lady who was suppose to transport my new goats keeps changing her mind about the route she wants to take. So I had to back out of my purchases. I guess I will be skipping goat buying this year. Frown Bummer. I already had the money taken out of the LOC. So I just paid it back.

I bought part of the materials for my desk. My husband convinced me to change my design at the last minute, so I wasn't sure what I needed to purchase. I just had to guess. I think I may have bought some pieces that I won't need, and they are non returnable. Oh well. I'll only lose about $10-$20, and maybe I can find a way to use them. I'll have to sit down and figure out what I still need.

Got our next trim cut and sanded. Can't wait to stain, but it's pouring rain here.

Very busy at work. Have a big proposal tomorrow, but hopefully after that it will calm down.

Got a Deal

April 10th, 2015 at 02:49 pm

Well it just so happens that one of husband's co-workers was selling a very nice saw that was practically brand new. So we bought it for $200.

I can't wait to use it! This weekend we are having a friend over, and going to the Zoo. But hopefully next week we will knock out the next bit of trim. Our house will look so much better once that's done!

I have purchased 2 goats which I have to pay for now, and also we would like to get my desk built. So we may be putting some money on the LOC for the short term.

Savings are on hold for the time being, but I'm okay with it. We've both been working hard, and it's for some reward.

More goats due today!

Planning to Spend

April 9th, 2015 at 02:56 pm

After some discussion with husband, we have decided to hold up our savings for at least a check or two.

There are some things we need, that we can't keep putting off.

Firstly, we need a miter saw to do all of trim. We have been borrowing one from father-in-laws work, but I think it's time to buy our own. I'm pretty sure he isn't suppose to be loaning out tools, and we use it a LOT.

I can get a very nice basic new one for $250, or I can try to find a used fancier one for $350ish. We need it ASAP, so we might have to go with new.

We also need the materials for 2 more garden boxes, and my desk, the gun, and we need all the plants for the garden as well.

Next paycheck if I don't save I will have the money to purchase one of the things on our list... Just not sure which one is most important. Probably the saw, since it is holding up any progress on the house.

WooHoo

April 6th, 2015 at 01:56 pm

I received a letter from my college stating I was picked by the faculty to receive this year's Outstanding Web Designer award.

Cool! Oddly I'm not enrolled in any classes this semester, so I'm not sure why they picked me. I guess just from my overall performance. 4.0 GPA. Smile

They are having a little awar breakfast, and I talked my husband into going with me. I don't usually go to things like that, but I think the award would be good for my job credibility.

I'll be officially graduated in May since I missed the fall deadline.

Also, this weekend I purchased the materials for a garden box and the next two pieces of trim.

Yesterday we actually built the box! Yay! I love checking stuff off our to do list. It still has to be filled with manure and dirt, but that's a job for another day.

Now hopefully we will be as productive and get the trim finished this week too.

Falling into Place

April 3rd, 2015 at 02:58 pm

New employment is going well. We have some lulls, and then we get extremely busy. Which is expected with this type of work.

If a couple of deals go through, employer said I could be looking at a raise in May or June. Big Grin

So fingers crossed everything goes as planned. That would probably boost my income $500+ a month! Nearly doubling my amount of savings. That would be so awesome.

Also I've picked a desk! I'm going to build the darn thing myself. lol. I love building, and I can't find one I like that I can afford, so seems like a good plan.



This is similar to what I'm envisioning. But I want a shelf underneath on one side to hold the tower.

Husband thinks I'm crazy, but he likes it.

Of course this will have to wait until after we get some trim done. Hopefully we are going to get the materials Saturday, and will start working on getting the dining room knocked out.

The Itch

April 1st, 2015 at 07:12 pm

Does anyone else get "the itch?"

I'm doing well on my financial goals, I fully funded my EF, and paid off my debts. Overall things are going great...

But I'm starting to get the itch to buy things I want/need.

For example the gun. I'm saving for it sloooowly, but part of me wants to buy it now and pay myself back later, or put it on a 0% credit card.

I need a desk. Right now I work full time on the kitchen table and my crap is everywhere. Husband hates having to clear my giant stack of papers every night to eat, and I'll admit it's a mess.

Also I've been waiting several years to buy myself a desktop. I promised myself I would for a graduation present, but I never did. When I started my job my employer gave me a laptop to use, but it's not mine. If I quit I have to give it back, and I'm not suppose to use it for personal use such as games or pictures.

I need a printer too. I never needed one because I could use my employer's, but now that I've switched jobs, I quickly realized how often I used one.

I just don't know how to curb the craving of wanting to buy something. Especially if rationally it's something I could really use, and would make my life better.

Do you ever give in?