Blogging My Way out of Debt

Woah! Looks like I’ve taken an unintended vacation from this place. I’ve had some health issues that I’ve needed to deal with, and that has taken up a lot of my time. I also have taken up (again) my old hobby of crochet, and just started knitting.  You can visit my Etsy Shop to see what I’ve been up to!

As a side note, today is my BIRTHDAY!!!! Kacie celebrated her birthday a few days ago. And there are 9 birthdays in the month of June at my office. NINE! Four of them this week. It seems that the Gemini’s are taking over. 

For my birthday, my father sent me a $100 check to do with however I want. Then I got a call that the medicine I need to have my nuclear medicine scan next month is going to cost me $188 out of pocket. Looks like I’m buying medicine for my brithday.

It’s ok, though. I’ve got plenty of yarn to knit and crochet things. I’ve actually been commissioned by a woman at work to make two items for her (and she’s going to pay me!) Maybe this really is a good side business for me.

Sorry I’ve been away so long, I’ll try to check in more often!

Well, I’m a woman, and yes….I have ailments sometimes. The most recent need for a homemade remedy is the heating pad. It cost me ZERO!

Homemade Heating Pad

1. Find a tube sock
2. Find some rice/buckwheat/flaxseed (make sure the rice isn’t instant)
3. Fill the foot part of the sock with the rice
4. Tie off
5. Microwave for 60 seconds.
6. Apply to affected area.

This works well for menstrual cramps, back aches, sprains and strains.

What else do you use as a homemade remedy?

It was a very interesting week, wondering if I’d get a stimulus payment. My SSN ends in -40, so I thought that I would get a direct deposit earlier in the week. But I’m glad its here already. I have a few plans for it.

1. Renew my driver’s license.
2. Pay off $78.81 on credit card. (DONE)
3. Put some in my vacation fund.
4. Put some in my E-fund.
5. Pay some copays that I incurred the past few weeks. The total is about $65. I always wait to get the EOB to see if they processed the claim right. I usually find errors, like I did with one visit to my PCP last month.

I’ll renew my driver’s license today via the internet. It’s $50 for 8 years. That should be easy. I set up an electronic bill pay to send $78.81 tomorrow to my credit card (my sirius satellite radio is linked to that card, and I used it to pay for groceries when I forgot my Electric Orange card earlier in the week). When I renew my driver’s license, I’ll set up the transfers to the E-fund, the vacation fund, and the copays. That should eat up the whole thing. I’m not buying anything, mostly because I don’t need anything.

Have you been stimulated?

**EDIT** Changing the date on this post from the original date to today. I want to keep it at the top because this is such a great way for people who visit to earn FREE MONEY!!!!

SO, I wanted to write a big thank you to the two people who used my referral link to sign up for Revolution Money Exchange. The deal has been extended to May 15, 2008, so use my link!

ALSO, Lulugal over at How I Save Money.net had some Starbucks Coupons to give away, and I got mine in the mail today! Woo Hoo!

P and I have been having a struggle over saving money. He wants the instant gratification, and doesn’t see the reason for saving. So, when he complained about having a computer that could barely run windows, and he needed to upgrade, I showed him how saving the money will help him fulfill his goals for creating videos and composing music.

Here’s how. First, after listening to him tell me about his weekend dreams, I did a bit of research. I found that a Mac is the best option for composing music and creating/editing videos. So I found a refurbished iMac that has most, if not all, of the software preloaded on it to do what he wants. It has a large enough hard drive, and enough RAM to get him started, and it’s only $1000. If you’re not aware, the iMac is the all in one desktop computer.

So, he finally saw that the computers price was reasonable, and I tried to tell him that if he saved money for it, he wouldn’t spend the next 3 years paying off the computer! I told him that he had to set a time frame for when he would have the money saved, and then he could reward himself for saving. It would create the creative outlet he’s been needing, by killing 3 birds with one stone!

When I go visit him at the end of the month, we will create a budget for him, and make sure to automate his savings. If it’s automatically deducted from his checking account monthly, he will never know it’s gone!

I’m so excited that I can help him, and ultimately us, with this. Maybe he’ll see that he needs to start saving for his future children’s college education too. (no there’s no children in the next year or so, but it’s never too early to start)