To Do List....

it just keeps growing and growing.

I started pricing out storage sheds today...the current place has lots of basement type storage (sorely lacking in the in house storage area however) for tools and lawn equipment.  The new place...not so much.

At first I thought about one of those rent to own sheds but upon doing the math and such decided that I'm quite happy with one of those $300 (or less) metal sheds that Tanker, me and my bro (once properly bribed with a meal) can throw together.  All we really need it for is lawn equipment...there is plenty of storage space for my beloved power tools in the house until we're ready to build a real garage/workshop.  $300 spent (plus the cost of bribing my brother) is a whole sight better than $2k or more.

And it's all about saving monies, don't ya know!

Speaking of saving monies...okay, not that this is exactly SAVING money but when I get the distinct pleasure of furnishing a house that is twice the size of what we are currently in this is sorta saving (really it is)...I'm so super excited about this:

400 mile Yard Sale

The weekend after we move...close to our little area...a massive playground in which I get to frolic about in hopes of finding treasures to assist in filling in the spaces our severe lack of furniture will leave.  I'm hoping to find some goodies on the cheap that a little TLC can spruce right on up...I'm handy with a paint brush, staple gun, fabric and sander among other things.  Let me at 'em!  If all goes well, I'll bore you to bits with before, during and after shots.  Fingers crossed that all goes well....I've really got to be finding more chairs to cozy up to the massive dining room table I have plans to build!

All of that, of course, hinges on finding hidden treasures cheap.  I know, it can be done.  I'm keeping the budget on the shopping fun low however.  As much as I would love to go and spend thousands bedecking the grand ol' Victorian out in true style...I know that on a cash only diet that's just not feasible.

But I'll sure try!

Learning Curves....(and Lumpia)

I have a bunch of friends struggling with what we'll call "the new normal"...they had been accustomed to living high without a care, racking up credit debt...they are now not living so high and learning to live on a much tighter budget.  They are experiencing a learning curve.

In the past week I've gotten no less than 10 emails or FB messages from said friends; wondering how we did it for so long, living on just above minimum wage but still slowly bringing down debt.

Um...prioritize.

Stop planning those vacations to Florida...stop buying the rapidly growing children brand new expensive clothing...thrift, stay home and hang, find local FREE entertainment.

I tend to forget that people are really just looking for an easy answer because honestly, that is stuff they all know really.  And I know they all know how to use Google.

Now...on to more important things....Lumpia.

H/T Google for the random image that came up during a search.

I adore them...I crave them...I need a good recipe for them.

Yes, I googled.

There are a half dozen now bookmarked and saved in my "Cook Me!" file.  But if, by some random chance, you have a recipe you love...share...pretty please!

(Clickity an ad, if you will, perhaps the large one down below...no purchase necessary...another pretty please!)

Ugh....Just Ugh!

I swear, going over the budget and working out the numbers is going to be the death of me.  Why in the world I ever thought a career in Finance would work out is beyond me.

Math R hard.

I hates it.

It is not my precious...it's a filthy little hobbits.

Okay...geek-freak out complete.

The good news is that I've pretty well got everything worked out.  Thankfully.  Or I would have eventually found myself offering up a child sacrifice to Mammon.

Oh and the gofundme is gone.  We will do it all on our own.  It is our responsibility to deal with.

Also a decision that was made after seeing how a friend in "desperate" need whined about how though the need that was not a need but a want was met, it was not met fast enough to suit.  This hurt because I assisted in meeting some of the "need" and did a pass on items for my own spawns' holiday to do so (it was only two books worth but still).  It also brought to light (because it finally happened in a way that hurt) that we overlook our own needs so often that it puts us in a bind, like now.  A fiver or ten spot here and there adds up...and after looking over the financials from last year, I realized how many of those went elsewhere and not to our dwindling savings.

Not this year.

No, we won't be going full selfish mode.  But we will do a double check on where we stand before we offer help from now on.  There will be deep thought put into monetary donations from this point on.

That being said....next week a trip into town with several bags of outgrown but entirely serviceable clothing will be made so that they may find their way into the donation bin.  There will, hopefully, be several boxes of kitchenware and the likes as well.

The purge is underway.

(P.S.  Click an ad if you would please....you don't have to buy anything...you don't even have to look if you don't want...but your click might, just might, help my adsense account reach the minimum for the first time EVER.)

End of the Year Bitchy Post....

Just gonna lay all the gripey things that have been bothering me out there on the line.

2013's most annoying things for OzM:

1.  Family knowing that other family members are struggling, heartsick and just having a rough time in general but turning a completely blind eye to the issue and remaining self-absorbed and ignoring their own obligations to said family member(s).

2.  The "my shit don't stink" people.

3.  Having your intelligence questioned because you don't believe the way someone else does (on any number of things; not necessarily religion).

4.  Waiting and waiting on karmic payback.

5.  Finally:  Those that forever scam the system but come out smelling like roses regardless of how many levels of crap they've dove into while those that follow the rules and do the right thing are forever being screwed over....and over....and over.

Okay...now that that hissy fit is over (brought to you by so many things)....what are your plans for 2014?

Still working out the bare bones of ours.  Budget is being worked on as incoming numbers have changed in the past month.  Outgoing numbers are relatively the same but we're upping the amount paid in on the vehicles in hopes of wiping that out sooner (especially since the Durango is just a very expensive yard decoration right now...see gofundme goo to the left and if you feel the need to help out, thanks...if not, still thanks).  Credit reports are being pulled at the end of January and being gone over with a fine tooth comb as I've be remiss and not done that since some accounts were paid off.

Oh and nagging will commence soon....Tanker has not been as active in jostling the VA over treatment delays as he should.  That will be changing...rapidly....as he is constantly in pain, despite meds, and has "numb" episodes more and more often.  Not exactly conducive to healing.  I kinda figure since we fall into some sort of gray area where we make too much for help, but not enough to do more than bail out the leaking boat with a teaspoon, and he's not rated at 100% (which is a requirement for most of the aid programs out there) that the VA should at least get him going to the point that pain isn't an issue holding him back from getting back to work (which is what he wants).  Gonna be rough on him though as they want him to go back through physical therapy (because it worked soooo well the first time...note the sarcasm).

And I'm on the j-o-b hunt again (still but upping the search).  Positive thoughts there would be greatly appreciated.

Alas, such is life.

Here's to hoping the next year is kinder to us all!

Resolutions....

I don't really do well with them, so I tend to not make any that are vitally important.

This year, however, I am making a resolution to strengthen my resolve.  I do well with things at the beginning of the program but as time lags on I'm easily distracted....oh, shiny!....I'm hoping this year will be different.  I'm hoping that having a "plan" will help me stay on track (ha!) and that Tanker will call me out on any straying from "the plan."  Because I would really, really love to write next year's New Year post from a farm of our own.

Really...sincerely...hopefully.

Saaaaa-Weeeetttt!

Tons of goodness today.

Got the go ahead to pick up the keys to the house a day early!  Had a decent bit of rain hit (of course, I had watered the garden early this morning).  Made some killer salsa with all the goodies from the garden.  The pinto, white and black beans are already starting to 'brown out' as we call it, so we MIGHT get the benefit of those plantings before we leave.  The black-eyed peas are doing the same.  All the plants I've transplanted from garden to pot are thriving which means we get to take at least some of the garden with us.

And finally....we've sold EVERYTHING we were wanting to sell except the trailer.  No biggie on the trailer...it'll sell; either here or there.

The moving countdown is officially under the two week mark and boy are we ever ready to go.

In other news, started the $5 jar and paying via cash only on Tuesday...there's already 1/10th of our goal in there.  Tanker commented on how he disliked the rapid decline of total cash in his billfold when he dumped the fivers but he likes that the balance in the jar is growing.  Give and take, Tanker, give and take.

And so, I leave you with a picture of what caused the screamers to squeal like teenage girls at a boy band concert....they insisted we look for the end so they could have the pot o' gold.  Unfortunately, the operator of the camera didn't double check the settings, so the picture just doesn't do this one justice.