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Jun 29, 2008

I’m A Loser, Baby (and other links)

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Or at least I’m hanging out with the Loser Moms today. They graciously allowed me to join them for a guest post about my own healthier lifestyle goals. Go check out my guest post, and see how my Hot by BlogHer journey is going!

Also, stop by my reviews blog today for your chance to win a Huggies Summer Essentials Kit!

Finally, we decided that one way to save money was to grow some of our own vegetables. Over at Being Savvy Columbus, I’m discussing the benefits of growing vegetables in your own backyard. (And while some local greenhouses are mentioned, it’s worth a read for anyone who has thought about growing their own veggies, no matter where you live.) I can’t believe how easy it is. See how well my peppers and loose leaf lettuce are doing?

PS – Wisconsin Mommy is offering up a $25 gas card to BP. Get over there and enter to win, unless you have no problem affording $4 a gallon gas.
Filed Under: money · Tagged: ,


Jun 24, 2008

Give Me Your Best Frugal Living Tips, O Wise Readers

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Now that we are mostly incomeless, seeing our bills staring us down is a little intimidating. There are still two more paychecks coming, so current expenses aren’t a problem, but the ones looming out a month are a little more frightening. If another job doesn’t present itself in a month or two, meeting those bills will be difficult. Aaron will be applying for unemployment assistance, but of course that will be far less than his old salary, and we’d prefer to not use it at all if we could help it.

(Yes, we paid for unemployment services with our taxes, so we should have access to it. I agree, but I still would like to take as little as we can. There are people who are far more needy than us. At least we have family and friends to rely on a little if needed.)

As a result, we’re making cuts to drastically scale back our spending so we can stretch these last two paychecks as long as possible. Looking over the checking account, it’s obvious we’ve had a lot of unnecessary spending. I’m finding lots of items around the house that we no longer need also, and I’m considering listing them on eBay to make a little extra cash and declutter the house in the process.

While I’ve always been a cost-conscious shopper, I’ve never been an obsessive coupon-clipper, price-tracker, or make-at-home-er. Cooking generally involves convenience foods – actually, convenience is the official word in this house, now that I think about it. But I know we may need to put some convenience and luxury aside until a new job is found.

Mira is doing her part by feeding herself now,
freeing up my hands for more blogging.

We won’t be giving up our internet access, because we must have it in order to do our freelance work. Sure, I could go to the library to write my blogs, but Aaron’s job requires him to be checking news all day long. I think the library has limits for how much internet time you can have, and living at the library isn’t that attractive with the whole no food-or-drink rule. We have to keep our cell phones, too, because we’re locked into a family plan contract, and the cost of canceling is an obscene amount of money, with the possibility of a first-born child thrown in, too.

So I’m turning to all of you for help. What is your best frugal tip? How do you make your budget stretch further, not just for food, but for everything? Give me your best dollar-saving advice, within reason, of course – I’m really not into separating the two-ply toilet paper into two rolls to make it last longer. At least not yet.

Thanks in advance! (And whoever has been clicking on my Adsense ads in the past week, thank you. I’ve never had that many clicks before. You’re very kind!)

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Today is the last day to enter my Mabel’s Labels contest over at Mommy’s Must Haves. Contest closes at midnight tonight! Also check out my review of the Step 2 Sand & Water Cart. I’ve got a new contest coming up later this week, too.

Filed Under: money, shameless promotion · Tagged:


Jun 17, 2008

Each Time A Door Closes…

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…another one opens, right? And hopefully it is a bigger, better door: prettier, shinier, brighter, more comfortable, makes you happier, pays better, offers more perks.

Oh, that kind of wandered off, didn’t it?

I had planned a cutesy post about a topic that I thought was important today: men’s cologne. And I was all set to write about that until my husband called me around 4:30 pm to tell me he was coming home early today.

Because he lost his job.

Dammit.

I’d like to say this came completely out of the blue, but it didn’t. When he started working for this state agency two years ago, it was a non-political agency. With our new governor (a man who has made me question if he really is a Democrat) in place, he quickly set about putting this agency under his control, allowing him to appoint a leader of the agency.

Shortly after that, people who had worked there before this change of leadership began disappearing. Some transferred or found other jobs, others were encouraged to find employment elsewhere, and for those who remained, many were reassigned to new positions.

Aaron watched as his entire department was torn down, leaving him with the jobs of those who were no longer there, along with his own responsibilities. Despite the additional work, he received no pay raise, since our lovely governor had frozen the pay of most state employees. But at least he still had a job, so we continued on with little complaint.

More people disappeared, though, and this time new people appeared, despite a state hiring freeze. These new people held positions that had never been advertised on the state’s jobs website and collected comfortable salaries. Some didn’t even seem to know how to do parts of their job. Aaron was again given new responsibilities that didn’t suit his skill set, yet also was expected to continue with most of his previous job, too.

But today it all ended. After overloading him to the point that no single person could accomplish all of those tasks in a timely manner, and giving him a useless manager who never responded to his multiple requests to meet and discuss his responsibilities, he was told his services were no longer needed. Pack up your desk, turn in your keycard, and see you again never.

We’re not in a state of panic – yet. Probably because it’s still sinking in. The paychecks will run out in mid-July, and our health insurance is good through the end of July. Then we’ll panic for sure. We’ll have the option of Cobra after that, but there’s no way we can afford it. And last I checked, gas is $4 a gallon and the job market suuuucks.

We’ll get by somehow. We both bring in a little money from writing, and his resume is sitting on several desks already. Aaron has been unhappy with his job for several months, so the job hunt actually started back in March. Hopefully this is some kind of blessing in disguise, and the ideal job will fall into his lap as a result.

Until then, I’ll be reading Megan’s eBay column carefully to learn how to make the best auction listings, and temporarily giving up my search for a Wii Fit. I’ll also try to convince my sweet, devoted husband to not bother getting me a birthday gift this Saturday, because in this case, the thought will be good enough.

This is a big setback, financially, but it’s not the end of the world. At least he won’t be under so much stress from the toxic work environment he had to deal with. Aside from having no income at the moment, things aren’t too bad: we’re healthy, we have supportive friends and family, and we have each other. I’d say that’s still better than what many have.

Filed Under: Aaron, daily life, money, rant, the J-O-B ·


Mar 15, 2008

Spring Cleaning

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(Yes, I’m supposed to be studying for finals. Shhh…I can’t tear myself away from blogging. )

Spring is just around the corner, and the desire to start tossing practically everything we own out the window is growing stronger everyday. It seems we always collect more junk each year, and then I spend a month going through it and purging what we no longer need.

Years ago, the amount of stuff that I would re-home was tiny. But having two kids somehow multiplies that amount to the nth degree. From clothes that are quickly outgrown, to toys that seem to reproduce like bunnies in the dark, if I don’t get this junk under control it will take over our house.

(And let’s not forget the money that was spent on all of this stuff. I wouldn’t mind having some of that money back.)

So what do I do with all of this stuff? Well, sorting it is generally how I begin. Anything that shows serious signs of wear is thrown out immediately. What purpose does a chipped glass have, anyway? Even if that glass was part of the set we received for our wedding, I can’t keep every item that has the slightest sentimental value.

Those items that can be reused are then scrutinized for value. Most of the Cordy’s clothing will be saved for Mira. Some of Mira’s clothing, and toys they no longer play with, will be sold to a resale shop like Once Upon A Child. Anything not sold back there will be given away.

Electronics and brand name baby clothes (like Gymboree) will likely go to eBay. These items have a higher resale value, so I can clean out my house while making some decent money in the process. I’m a bargain shopper – most of the items I own were purchased on sale to begin with. On more than one occasion I’ve sold items on eBay for close to what I purchased them for, and once or twice for more than I paid.

Miscellaneous items will be offered to friends and family, and the remainder will then go to a charity group. I used to hang onto things in the past just because I didn’t know what to do with them, but didn’t want to toss them out. Now I have no problem throwing a box of stuff together and dropping it off at our local Goodwill.

I think the best way to get rid of unwanted junk, though, is to stop buying so much to begin with. We’ve already cut back on our frivolous spending, thanks to $3.45 per gallon gas and grocery bills that are pushing $100 every week. Simply asking “Do we really need this?” goes a long way.

What about you? How are you saving money and simplifying your life?

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This post is part of the Parent Bloggers Network blog blast sponsored by Zwaggle, an online community devoted to helping parents get rid of what they no longer need and find items they want, without the retail price tag. Sign up for Zwaggle through this blog blast to get extra Zwaggle points to use towards their first transaction.

Filed Under: daily life, money ·


Aug 14, 2007

WOHM, Now SAHM/WAHM*

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It’s done.

Yesterday afternoon I did something that was, surprisingly, hard for me. I went back to work, where I met with my supervisor and handed over a crisp white envelope containing my letter of resignation.

I was due to come back to work next week. A little part of me knew deep down that it wasn’t going to happen, but the other larger percentage of my brain was still trying to leave the door open unless some miracle solution would appear to me like a burning bush.

It’s not that I wanted this job to be a career. It was only part-time, and I had my difficulties with some co-workers now and then. I was a student advisor, which was rewarding, but also meant I had to deal with a lot of obnoxious students who tried to work the system. It wasn’t what I had in mind when I graduated with a BA in History, and I’m currently back in school pursuing a nursing degree, so I knew I would never be there long.

But it was still hard. Damn hard. I nearly cried when handing over the letter, blubbering that I wish I could still work there, but circumstances being what they are, it’s not possible right now, blah, blah, blah.

There was no way it could work. Since losing the babysitting services of my friend, who charged a very low amount, I looked at other daycare options. But $1500 a month for three days a week is more than my salary, and even two days a week at $1000 would be my entire salary, making it pointless to leave both girls with someone else three days a week. I can make no money just as well from home as I can from working with the girls in daycare. Also, with the possibility of Cordy being diagnosed with a delay of some sort, I want to be available to get her any help she may need.

The truth is, I’m thrilled to be a stay at home mom. Thrilled that I will be able to continue breastfeeding without scheduling pumping sessions into my day. (And thankful, because so far Mira hates bottles.) Ecstatic that I get to be there every day as my second daughter grows and develops, instead of hearing what new trick she did at daycare.

I had planned to be a work at home mom when Cordy was born – at that point I had been working from home for four years – but then my former company cut telecommuting from its benefits while I was on maternity leave. Daycare had never been in my plan, but we were forced to find care quickly and leave infant Cordy there while we went into the office five days a week. I was miserable and depressed, which is why I sought out this part-time job I’m now leaving.

(Let me clarify at this point that I in no way see moms who work outside the home as bad moms. I just didn’t plan on working in an office when we decided to have kids, so it was a bit of a shock to me. I’m a big believer in “whatever works” parenting – whether for financial need or personal need. No SAHM-WOHM war here, OK?)

The other side of this is that I’m a little scared, too. It’s strange to not have a job to go to each week, or have an office as my home away from home. It’s frightening to realize our income is taking a serious hit and I will have to employ some drastic budget cutting strategies to make ends meet. There’s enough foreclosures in our neighborhood – I don’t want to be one of them. It’s also a little unnerving to have to think of something to do with the kids every. single. day. Oh, and have few chances at intelligent conversation with adults. I’ll miss that the most.

As I’ve said before, it’ll all work out somehow, and even though I’m very nervous about our finances, I’m grateful for the chance to be home with Mira and Cordy. And this change in status may give me the chance to find new work online – I’m already proud to be working for Family.com, and there’s always the possibility of finding other paid writing gigs.

If the past two years have taught me anything, it’s that I can’t fight the tidal wave of change that life sends my way – instead of being pulled under flailing and kicking, better to get on top of it and surf, baby, surf.

So here I am. A stay at home/work at home mom, arms outstretched and surfing along that wave.

*Translation: Work out of home mom, now stay at home mom/work at home mom

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Filed Under: daily life, me me me, money, the J-O-B ·