Staying Home, Saving Money

I find that I spend too much money when I go out. So many places calling my name, so many things to buy. So today, I decided to stay home. Not too hard to do, especially when it's cold outside, and dreary. Because I didn't have anywhere to go, I didn't get out of bed until afternoon. I love staying up and reading until all hours and sleeping as damn late as I want. Winter break. Love. It.

Preventing an ER Visit

I developed a really scratchy, itchy throat last Monday. Then, I got a cough. And it got worse in a hurry. The last time it got that bad that fast, I ended up with pneumonia. So I went to Redi-Med and demanded some antibiotics. I got a Z-pak and some cough syrup that was VERY relaxing, if you get my drift. I hate feeling so unmotivated, but it's nice to have the time to stay all day in bed if I want. Saves money, too!

Staying Home and Saving Money, Sort Of

If you stay home, you are less tempted to spend money. Except for Amazon. I bought some books I'd read in my youth, but somehow have disappeared. Still, they didn't cost me very much, so that's a good thing. I will stay home this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and try to get better. I have a mild cold coming on, complete with cough. Ugh.

Five Below is the Bomb!

Spur of the moment road trip to Indy with a friend who showed me one of her favorite stores, called Five Below. Sort of like a dollar store, except slightly better quality stuff. Dog beds for $5? Done. Makeup kits? Done. Eyeliner kits? Done. Retro gifts? Done. Cell phone cases? Done. Headphones? Done. T-shirts? Done. We NEED this store in Fort Wayne. Awesome cool stuff and a good way to get neato stuff for cheap.

Goodwill Shopping Again

I went on Saturday; I went again today. Found another pair of Unlisted heels. Not as high as the others, but the heel is wide, so I can walk in them, and they are MY size this time. They are a bit more glittery than I want them to be, but they are black. I fear I will go on an Unlisted binge, picking up every pair of heels in my size.

I also got some Etienne Aigner shoes. They are black with a little buckle that looks like a horse's bit. A jointed snaffle, for you connoisseurs. I found a couple shirts and a long sweater that will look great with black leggings. I haven't found the outfit in my mind yet, but maybe. My body is ill-suited for skirts. It's a miracle when I find one that works.

Today's total of two pairs of shoes, two shirts and a sweater was less than $21.

Well, I Went Shopping

I went shopping today. And I didn't really feel guilty about it. Bought some stuff to make some lined zipper pouches with, and I'll probably be whipping up some Christmas ornaments made out of pine cones.

Bought some new makeup too. My eyes have been watering lately, and I wonder if my year-old makeup is somehow contaminated.

I also had an image in my mind for a new outfit. Thanks to the weather, one chain of thrift stores was planning to close early. I did get a few things--new running shoes for $4 per pair. I bought a Tommy Hilfiger striped shirt that I thought looked pretty sharp. I also got some cords. I have to shorten a pair of them, but I should be able to do that. Couldn't find the outfit in my mind, however. It might show up eventually.

It was nice to shop again. And I didn't even feel guilty. But I think part of that was trying to get my mind off something else.

The Complete Tightwad Gazette RULES!!!

I highly recommend The CompleteTightwad Gazette. I've read it over and over again to give me some sort of hope. I'm not as tight as I could be, but I'm doing what I can to conserve. Take water for instance. I have a garden every year, and I use my bathwater to water the garden. Yes, it takes a few minutes, and some muscles, but I find I water every plant individually, and no water goes in between plants. I also collect rainwater. During the drought of 2012, I was able to keep my garden watered and my water bill manageable. Once a week, I give the garden a good watering with the hose. I don't keep track of how much I save, but I know it makes a difference. My water bill is rarely more than $60, unless I skip paying it for some reason.

I also rinse out baggies and reuse them.

The Complete Tightwad Gazette has success stories from people, which are inspiring. America is a wasteful country (if you work retail, you see it firsthand) and it's enough to make me want to go dumpster diving. I think I would, if I had a pickup truck. I saw a five foot long vanity being thrown out because of a dark knot in the wood on the door of the cabinet. It could have been painted over, or just sanded and stained, but no. A perfectly good vanity was thrown out. It could have been donated, but the powers that be didn't want to bother.  

Playing the Wait Until Payday Game

In my last post, I said I was becoming a bit of a miser. Since I will only have one class next semester, and my hours will probably be cut at my other job, and I may have yet another part time job starting in March, I'm thinking things will be awfully lean in the next few months.

I'm out of bar soap, so I am putting off getting soap until payday. The reason for that is it seems like whenever I go to the store with the intent of getting just one thing, I end up being out $30 or so. I usually get the one thing, but then I see stuff while I'm there and think, "well, I'm running out of that so I'll get some." Or, "that's a great price. I'll stock up." So in order to keep from spending money, I will play the waiting game.

Right now, I'm using shampoo to bathe with. And I have a bunch of tissue from the tissue boxes I used as entry boxes for an event a month ago. So there are actually TWO things I need to get, but I'm putting it off. I've got soap, I've got tissues. So I'm fine.

Now to see how long I can live with this plumbing situation...

I'm Becoming a Low-Rent Hetty Green

It's getting so every time I get paid, I don't want to spend any money. I'm saving an emergency fund, which means I'm trying to skimp on everything else. I still don't have a credit card, and I'm not even sure that I want one. My plumbing is screwed up, and last night, I forgot to check the toilet for the water level. I did too many dishes in the kitchen sink, and the toilet overflowed. I didn't realize this until I encountered the sticky, smelly brown goodness coating the floor a couple of hours later. I busted out the mop bucket, and poured a generous amount of Pine Sol (Sparkling Fresh!) and some bleach and got busy. It's a small bathroom, but the mop got disgusting rather quickly, so I had to dump the water into the bathtub, and reload it with fresh water, Pine Sol (Sparkling Fresh!) and bleach.

It's not like I'm completely broke. It's almost like a game--how long can I stand to wash my dishes in the tub (I've already broken one glass) and deal with a toilet from hell before I say "fuck it all, I'm sick of this shit!" (literally) and call someone to clean out the sewer line. It's bad enough I have to run a hose from the washing machine out the back door, but dish washing in the tub? Oh, if my one neighbor only knew, she'd had a coronary. She asked me the other day if I was "planning to clean my yard this year." Leaves on my lawn is the least of my worries right now.

Hetty Green was a miser, but she was a RICH miser. I will probably never attain her level of wealth, but no doubt she would approve of me putting off cleaning my sewer line, and putting off going to the dentist, getting a mammogram and gluing my glasses frames over and over again, just to keep from spending money. I think she took it to extremes, however. If I could just save about $5,000, I could breathe a little bit easier at night. But I get so far, and something happens, and the emergency fund goes poof! It sucks. So that's what recovering from bankruptcy does to you. You become guilt-ridden at the slightest expenditure. I don't really WANT to buy food, but I must eat. I haven't quite lowered myself to living off food banks and giving up the grocery store. I would feel guilty if I did that, because I AM working. And there are people who need the food banks worse than I do. It's just that I've become rather cheap. When you are broke AND you don't have credit cards, you hope, pray and wish that NOTHING happens, so you can build even a tiny emergency fund, so you don't have to depend on your ex-boyfriend to pay for your car repair bill. (And yes, I still owe him $688 bucks.)

Turning Into a Miser

I got paid yesterday, and it seems like whenever I get paid, I'm loathe to spend any money. But I forgot to pay my water bill, and when I checked my post office box, I saw a final notice bill. So I paid the minimum due.

I found some other bills too, and I'm pleased to report my electric bill was less than $30. I'm telling you, unplug everything you aren't using, including the washer and dryer. Only plug stuff in when you need it.

I'm still loathe to spend money though. I wish you could opt to not pay utilities for a month or two without penalties, so you could save that extra money. Of course, if I had a decent-paying full-time job, I might not be such a cheapskate.

But maybe I would.

Tired of my Piecemeal Way of Making a Living

I've had my bankruptcy discharge paper for about a month now, but I'm still feeling a bit down. I work three jobs, and I may pick up a fourth one. It's getting depressing to work all these jobs and not feel like I'm getting anywhere.

I'm forced to wash my dishes in my bathtub, because my plumbing is fucked up. My kitchen sink backs up into the toilet, so it ends up overflowing. I should just call a plumber and get the sewer line cleaned out, because that's what's going on. And to make things super-awesome, I have to attach a plastic hose to my washer outflow pipe and run it out the backdoor, because the drainpipe for the washer tends to overflow as well. I've had this problem before. But I'm also trying to build my emergency fund. I'll admit I'm really, really tempted to apply for a credit card with a low limit, so I don't have to owe my ex-boyfriend almost $700 for a car repair done in summer.

And I'm way overdue for a mammogram, a dentist appointment, an eye exam, and my cat Summit's regular check-up. I'm not sure what to pay for first. Summit should have gone when I took Daphne, but I couldn't get her into the carrier, and yes, I'm afraid of her. She will not let me pick her up or pet her. I tried to do the best I could when I first found her--bottle fed her (she was maybe four weeks old when I found her, eyes crusted shut in a driveway) and fed her Iams when I could afford it. If I ever find another kitten, I'll take it to a no-kill shelter, or give her to someone who wants a kitten. I'm not good with cats. Summit could be worse--she's very quiet and doesn't drape herself across my computer keyboard, but she's hardly affectionate.

So I'm wondering how long I can put off getting a credit card. The sink/toilet/washer problem is getting annoying. I don't think I can get a better job unless I go back to school, and I will have to take out loans for school, thereby putting me right back into debt. I know Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and things could be worse, but I'm not too terribly happy with the scraping-by lifestyle I'm living.

Sigh...

It looks like I'll have to email my bankruptcy attorney. I keep getting bills from accounts I KNOW I included in with the chapter seven conversion. Maybe I should make a copy of the discharge paper and send it to these people. Or maybe someone screwed up the paperwork. All I know is I have a headache right now (probably from throwing up through my nose) and I'm tired of being hounded for $51,000+ that I don't have. I'm fucking tired of being poor, and a hunt for a full time job may have to start in EARNEST.

Dealing With It

I have so many things I need to take care of right now: mammogram, dentist, eye doctor, taking my cat to the vet and now my plumbing is screwing up. Not my internal plumbing, but my house plumbing. It sucks, because I can't wash dishes without the water from the kitchen sink backing up into the toilet. So I can only wash dishes for maybe five minutes at the most. Then, I have to run to the bathroom to make sure the toilet is not overflowing.

It also means I can't flush the toilet more than twice in a 24-hour period. I am disgusted by my house, but what can I do? I'm broke. I'm trying to build my emergency fund, because I'm worried that I will only get one class to teach this semester. If I do, I will be in T-R-O-U-B-L-E. It sucked last spring; it's going to suck this spring unless another job comes along. And working three jobs gets old. Adding a fourth one is going to help, but at the same time, it's going to be tedious.

Building that Emergency Fund!

I'm glad and proud to say that I was able to put $200 from this last pay period into my emergency fund. I still owe a friend money for the car repair he paid for this past summer. I intend to pay him back, but it might take a while.

Anticlimax

I got my bankruptcy discharge papers last week, but somehow I wasn't as jubilant about getting them as I thought I would be. Maybe because I'm still broke

Stopped at My Post Office Box This Week...

And I found the paper I'd been expecting for years now. It was my bankruptcy discharge paper. It's still going to be hard though. I'm not making a lot of money, and it's hard to save. I guess I can continue trying to scrimp and save, or I can look for a full-time job, and teach one class at night. I'm planning to start grad school in less than a year, so I have to start preparing for that. I'm NOT looking forward into getting into debt again with student loans, but if additional schooling will allow me to teach for the next 20-25 years, it will be worth it. Because I really don't think I'll be able to retire, so I'd better have a job I can stick with.

Another Excerpt From "Recovering Bankrupt"

I wrote this as a column for the Fort Wayne Reader, sometime back in 2008. I couldn't find the excerpt I wanted, so you're getting this one, instead.

How Bad Is the Economy? A Few Observations*

General Motors stock costs less than a bed dance.

Taco Bell's value menu is beyond your budget.

Pennies are worth picking up again.

One of your friends is excited about his $25,000 a year job teaching English—in Korea. **

Dollar stores (Dollar Tree, Dollar General, etc.) are the new Wal-mart.

You rearrange your schedule to hit up all the food banks you can find.

Going out to a movie means going to your boyfriend's house to watch YouTube videos, because you can't afford high speed Internet.

You are forced to sell your gold fillings and have to replace them with Bondo.

Your new job is taking pennies from those “take a penny” cups in convenience stores.

You steal toilet paper from public places so you don't have to buy it. **

Since you can't pay your electric bill, you read by street light.

The Tightwad Gazette has become your favorite book, so much that you didn't return it by the due date, so now you owe the library money. **

You're considering buying an SUV—as a low-cost alternative to traditional housing.

Your annual garage sale has turned into a weekly event—and the pile of junk you're getting rid of keeps getting bigger.

You dump your bathwater on your garden so you don't have to use water from the hose thereby keeping your water bill lower.**

Your “winning the lottery” fantasy has replaced your usual sex fantasy. **

You reach down to pick up a dime and clunk heads with someone else trying to do the same thing.

You bore the neighborhood kids with stories that start off with, “when I was your age, General Motors was a successful company!”

Your retirement fund has become your “to hell with the future, I have to eat and pay the cable bill NOW!” fund.

You drop in on friends who have air conditioning, so you don't have to turn yours on and spend money on the extra electricity.

You realize that both you and your parents experienced “The Great Depression,” but in different millenniums.

You're ready to punch out the next person who says, “the economy is just having a minor slump right now.”

Job interviews are something you look forward to, instead of dreading.

You gladly take a drug test, IQ test, personality test, blood test and offer to lick the interviewer's shoes to seem as much like a team player as possible.

You punch out your best friend because he/she complains about working overtime so much.

Your favorite video store is no longer Blockbusters—it's now the Allen County Public Library.

You're reading this, and crying—yet laughing at the same time.

*This originally appeared in my column “Buenos Diaz” in the Fort Wayne Reader as “You Know Times Are Tough When ...” I came up with the ideas while I was driving the ice cream truck one day.

**I've either done these things, or knew people who did them.

Unbanking Myself

A few days ago, I changed my direct deposit to have it go to my credit union checking account. I hope to be unbanked by the end of the year. And I've already ordered my "Hello Kitty" checks.

Can You Pay Yourself First?

You've all probably heard "pay yourself first." I tried that, and it doesn't work for me. If I pay myself first, I always end up being overdrawn. So I tried "pay myself last and avoid being overdrawn." True, there's not much left, but if there's ANYTHING left the day before payday, I am happy and stash it away. Better to save $20 the day before payday than to take out $100 ON payday and end up overdrawn.

Lock Yourself Out!

If you are a homeowner, you might want to hide a key to the house somewhere outside. As someone who's locked herself out of the house a few times, it gives me great relief to know that if I do, I can get back inside the house. I think they still sell small rocks that are hollow. There's a little door on the bottom, and you can hide a key in there. Toss the rock in a planter or garden, and you'll be able to get in if you need to. A $2 key is better than paying a locksmith hundreds of dollars. Just make sure that where you hide the key is not too terribly obvious, and don't tell people where the key is hidden. Also make sure that a squirrel or other animal is not tempted to carry it away.

Saving Some Money on Electric Bills

I think I posted something a while back about unplugging unnecessary appliances/lamps in your house. This past month, I tried unplugging the dryer, and I need to remember to unplug the washing machine. This should be easy for me, because my plumbing is acting up again, and I can't just run the washer, or else it will overflow the drain pipe, conveniently located in a corner of my kitchen, and flood the floor. I need to save up to have the sewer line cleared out again. This is an annual problem. Until then, I taped a plastic hose onto the washer hose, and have it drain in the yard.

Anyway, my electric bill was less than $30 this month. So unplugging works. But then again, I'm single and don't have to worry about anyone else's needs in the house. Daphne and Summit don't seem to mind, and it's not like they have any laundry they have to do.

Overdrawn. Again.

Dammit, I found out today I was overdrawn. Despite doing 90 percent of my transactions on a cash basis the last two weeks, I was overdrawn. Also, I'm not making as much money I as thought I was going to. Sigh.

Low-cost Ways to Entertain Yourself

Here are some more ways to entertain yourself on the cheap!

Take a walk at the mall. See how long it takes to make a complete circuit.


Trash pick (you might want to borrow a pick up truck and use gloves for this one).

Clean out your car.

Ride the bus for several hours. Check out your fellow passengers and create life stories for them. If you're really literary-minded, write a short story about them.

Entertainment on the Cheap

When I was going through bankruptcy, I didn't have funds to go to movies, miniature golf, take road trips, vacations, or go on minor shopping sprees. It meant not browsing through stores, so I wouldn't be tempted. And don't even talk to me about online shopping. True, there are things I can get through Amazon that I can't get anywhere else, but I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. But browsing online can lead to disaster too.

So one night, I came up with a list of low-cost entertainment. I plan to have this list in my book, but I'm going to print some suggestions here. This isn't all of them, of course.

Go to festivals and people watch. Try to avoid paying admission and parking, if you can. And bring your own snacks.

People scavenger hunt: Write down a list of people you have to find: 25 blonde women, 25 red-haired men, 10 men with tattoos on their calves, 10 women carrying designer handbags, five people wearing orange, etc.

Take a digital camera and if you run across people wearing interesting outfits (or who just plain look terrible) take pictures of them and post them on your blog. Critique their outfits, the way Vice magazine does, or else come up with something funny for them to say and put it in a thought balloon (you'll need a photo editing program for this.)

Treasure hunt: take a baggie with you and pick up things that look interesting. Make a charm bracelet or sculpture out of what you find.

Read. Go to the library and check out fresh reading material.

Take a walk.

Write down your wildest fantasy.

Daydream.

Go to a thrift store with $10. Create an outfit with that amount. See if you can include shoes, as well.

Pick up every free publication in town and critique the articles.

More tips to come!

Saving Money at my Favorite Place on Earth

My $10.20 hat.

Last Saturday, I went to Cedar Point for the second time this season. Seeing as that I've not had a real vacation in seven years, I think going to CP twice in one season is totally justified. The place just makes me happy--riding Millennium Force is better than having sex AND an orgasm, and I wish I could bottle the feeling I get when I ride it.

Even though I had a little more money to spend this time around, I didn't go hog wild. Here's some tips for saving money at Sandusky's best-known attraction.

Pack food: I packed three ham sandwiches, six cans of Caffeine-Free Coke, four cookies, a third of a bag of Lays Classic Potato Chips, a baggie full of veggies, and a couple of protein meal bars, along with some water. I figure if I were to buy the equivalent amount of food in the park, it would have set me back at least $60. As it was, I had the urge for french fries, so later on in the evening I had some, washed down with Coke. I was disappointed with the fries--they looked burnt and were a little soggy. I think that little snack set me back about $11. I was still jonesing for fries, so after I left the park, I stopped at McD's and bought a large order of french fries. It was the same amount of food for less than $2, and I drank one of my cans of soda. The fries were superior to CP's offering, and cost a fraction of the amount. CP knows it has a captive audience, and few people are going to drive a two-mile causeway to leave the park looking for better-tasting food at a cheaper price. So pack some food and save some money.

Check for discounted tickets: Meijer's is a regional grocery chain, and they sell admission for CP for $10 off. It's not that big of a discount, but it's something, at least. You also get a discount if you stay at one of the resorts, but cheapskate that I am, I usually make CP a one day trip, even though it's a hell of a long day. I think there's a Subway on route 250 that offers $10 off admission, but I forget what you have to buy in order to get that.

Buying gas: Check for any price wars going on in town, and fill up the night before you leave. If you can possibly swing it, fill up mid-week, then try not to drive anywhere until the day you leave. (I know for some of you, that might be impossible.)

Don't buy souvenirs: I know it's tempting, but try not to buy any trinkety things if you can help it. If you must buy something, get an article of clothing, or a beach towel. That way, you'll get some use out of it. I usually take a walk on the beach and collect shells and whatnot. I plan to make a CP necklace out of shells, and wood, and various bones I found on my August trip. I also got a tiny glass bottle charm, and I've got sand and shells in that which I'll string on the necklace. Instead, take lots of pictures and make enlargements of them, or get footage for a CP video.

Skill games: Unless you are a master, avoid these money-draining activities. I did play a ring toss game this recent trip. I didn't win anything, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that buying a hatful of rings enabled me to keep the hat. This game was located in Frontiertown. If you are going to play a skill game, check to see if you actually get anything for your money. I had fun playing, but $10 is a lot of money to spend on five minutes tossing rings. However, I DID get a hat. Never mind that the hat probably cost 20 cents to make, in my mind, the game wasn't a total loss.

Check the weather and dress accordingly: I saw that it was going to rain that day, so I packed an emergency poncho that I'd bought years ago and never used. It only cost me a dollar at Dollar General. Sure, I could have bought a blue poncho with Cedar Point emblazoned on the back, but I didn't even want to ask how much these pieces of plastic went for. (Probably at least $5, even though they probably cost 20 cents to make.)

Bring your own meds: Sure, they have Dramamine for sale, and probably an assortment of painkillers, but be smart and bring your own. I had some aspirin in case of a headache, but it was smooth sailing at CP, despite the rain. It cleared up, the temperature was great and I was happy. I heart you, CP.

A Short Tip for a Short Post

Buy low, sell high.

Working on a Cash Basis

I've been trying to purchase everything for cash and not rely so much on my debit card. There are some things I still pay for with checks, like utilities. But the day-to-day items I've been purchasing with cash. The couple exceptions where I didn't bring enough cash, I DID rely on my debit card. I deposited some money to make up for my sin. But it was nice to know I did have money in my account to cover my error.

I'm doing this because I have been overdrawn quite frequently. Seems like whenever I check my account balance, all seems to be well. I have $200 until my next payday. Then, I buy something for $50, and the next time I check, I'm overdrawn. So I've decided to take out enough money every few days to cover the purchases I need to make. As for shopping online, I think I might buy one of those Visa cards you can put money on and use that.

So after I'm done shopping, I sort out my cash and see what I have. Whatever fives and ones I have, that goes into a box. When I get up to $100, I plan to put half in my IRA and the other half I will treat myself with. Or, I might keep a few ones for the next shopping trip. It's too stressful to worry constantly if I'm going to be overdrawn. But I'm getting paid on all three of my jobs, and as someone said to me, it's easier to manage money if you have money to manage. I'm not rich by anyone's standards, but having income from a third job is helping me. It means I can go to the grocery store and spend $100 and be okay about it.

So you might want to consider going to a cash basis. I tend to spend more when I use plastic. When you are actually shelling out cash, you stop and look around for bargains a bit more, and figure out what you can get this shopping trip and what you can live without. If it helps, make a game out of it. Improvise until payday, if you need to. Each day I spend out of the store means more cash for me.

The Continuing Saga (Discovering Priorities and Saving My Sanity)

But of course, I couldn't continue the pace. I got moved to another department, and was miserable. I dropped down to part time, in order to save my sanity and teach more. And my stress level did drop. However, the part time insurance would make me regret my decision. It hardly covered any of my most recent bills, but whatever. So I'm bitter about my financial stupidity. But the bankruptcy has made it crystal clear what's most important to me. Shelter. Food. Clothing. Everything else is gravy. Doesn't matter if it's a fifty cent Redbox rental or discounted magazines, my financial mess has made me resent corporate America. I'm going to see just how cheaply I can live, as a form of rebellion. I'm not an economist, but even I knew if a country's economy was based on mindless, wasteful spending, and people lost their jobs and now longer had credit, the shit was going to hit the fan, and the economy would grind to a halt. People go on and on about “freedom”, and how America is the “freeist” country in the world, but it's all hogwash. Economic power is freedom. I want to be able to have a year's salary saved. It's a big goal, but if you had a year's salary in the bank, how would that make you feel? Would you go on a spending spree? Would you quit your job?

The Story Goes On

Why am I bitter? Well, I'm kicking myself for my own financial stupidity, and faith in the American workforce. I always thought I would find a “good” job. I did finally find my niche, but in order to find more work in that field and to have any hopes of getting a full time job, I need to get a master's degree. I worry about it, but it's only going to cost around $12,000 to get my master's. It's a lot of money, but at the same time, it isn't. I figure it's worth it if it will give me a job that I enjoy, where I can make decent money, have a good schedule and time off so I can work on my writing and other creative activities. I worked a full time retail job, plus a teaching job, and I literally didn't have a full day off, where I didn't have to do anything for MONTHS. The money was nice, but I couldn't enjoy it. Then, when I filed for bankruptcy, I was still making good money, but had to send $600 a month to the trustee. I did some math, and realized if I could keep up the pace after I finished my bankruptcy, in three years, I'd have more than $21,000 saved. More than enough to go back to school and feel as economically secure as a single woman could possibly feel in the United States right now.

Miley Cyrus is Rich and So is My Friend Heidi!

Today's post (yes I know it's late, sorry) is from my friend Heidi. We have known each other for a long time. I've traveled quite a bit with Heidi and visited her when she moved to Key West for one winter. She has a neat blog, and I asked her to write something for Recovering Bankrupt. So go check out her blog!

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My name is Heidi, and I have a blog called Heidi’s Wanderings (http://heidiswanderings.blogspot.com).  My blog is about everyday life, and how to enjoy life. And I was really glad when Gloria asked me to do a guest post I knew exactly what to write about. So please feel free to visit my blog and wander along with me.

I’m Rich

Yes, I do believe that I’m rich. That does not mean that I’m a millionaire. I don’t have a job that pays me loads of money, but believe it or not I am rich! I know that there are those of you who are thinking she’s crazy you can’t be rich if you don’t have loads of money. But that’s not true.

So what makes me rich?

I am able to read and write. Did you know that over 57 million school age children in the world are not attending school. That is not because they don’t want to it’s because they live in places that don’t provide free education to all children.

I ate three well balanced meals today. According to the United Nations 870 million individuals in the world do not consume enough food in a day to meet their daily energy requirements. That means they aren’t able to take in as many calories as they burn. This isn’t a choice for them. They don’t have access to the food.

I have a safe place to live, and my government is stable.  By the end of 2012, 45 million people in the world were displaced due to conflict in their country.

I can go to my kitchen and turn on the faucet to get a glass of water. 38% of the world’s population is unable to do this. Imagine walking to a well to get your water everyday.

I have an operating toilet. Don’t laugh at this one 15% of the world’s population doesn’t. I know there are people who appreciate the great outdoors, but on a cold winter morning I really do prefer going indoors.

These are a few of the reasons I know that I’m rich. And they are just the practical reasons.  I have loads more reasons and if you stop by my blog you might find a few of them out.

My Summer of Poverty, Part Two (my continuing bankruptcy story)

Of course, it's September now, but I've been writing material for the blog for a while.

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Now, it's July 2013. Istruggled making payments because my work hours were reduced in the spring. My trustee died. My lawyer suggested converting my bankruptcy to a chapter seven. I was worried about losing the house, but my lawyer said she wasn't really concerned about that. There is only $3,000 of unprotected equity, and with closing costs and the amount I owe my creditors, it isn't really in the trustee's interest to try and sell the house. My recent surgeries (colonoscopy and right hemicolectomy) came to $60,000 (yes, I had insurance). I should have been done with the bankruptcy, since I was on a three year plan, but thanks to a paperwork screw up, I could convert to a seven, AND include my most recent debt. It's not the most noble way I could have addressed it, but do YOU have $60,000 set aside for a rainy day? Yeah, thought so. So I guess it's working out. Had I gone for a seven in the first place, I wouldn't be able to convert now. However, I do regret paying $17,000+ to the trustee, knowing that had I done a seven, I could have saved a good chunk of that money and maybe gone back to school. However, even if I saved the full $17,000, it still wouldn't be enough to pay for the medical bills. So, I guess there is a huge positive to this, even though right now I'm down to my last $50 (most of it in change) and my car died on the other side of town. Too poor to pay for a tow, I begged a car care place to push me off the road. Even my emergency blinkers weren't working. I can only hope the car will not be towed or vandalized until payday comes, and I can pay a tow service to bring it home. Most of my next two paychecks are spoken for, and with my hours being cut, I have no idea when I'll be able to get my car repaired.

I know this blog doesn't seem very funny. Where's the humor, you're probably wondering. Well, I'm trying to save that for my memoir. Since I tend to be very wordy, I'm writing this all up on a sleepless July night. I figure, if I write a bunch and post a little of it at a time, I will have plenty to write about. Maybe not a daily blog, but perhaps twice a week. I am planning to share some tips and suggestions if you are planning to file for bankruptcy. Please bear in mind I am not an attorney. Everyone's case and situation is different. States have different laws regarding equity in homes. There are also income limits as well. I can only tell you my story. My experience has changed my mind about money. It has also made me bitter as well as more compassionate.

Here a Sock, There a Sock, Everywhere a Sock Sock

From time to time, I will be running some money-saving tips and tricks. Consider this a brief break from my ongoing bankruptcy story! Hope you enjoy it!

I felt in the mood to clean the other day, so I rummaged through a couple of drawers. It dawned on me that I have a lot of white socks. I actually thought about getting rid of all my white socks and buying maybe 12 pairs of white socks all the same fabric, color and style. The white socks I have go all over the map: ankle socks, short socks, long, scrunchy socks. So I sat down and looked at them, and tried to pair them up. It was tricky going, because I have socks that are nearly identical. Close, but no cigar. So instead of ditching them all and buying new ones, I thought I'd take a Sharpie and number the socks. Pair number one got a number one written on the bottom of them, Then, pair number two, and so on. I ended up with 20 pairs of white socks. I put the ones that didn't have mates (I may find them later) or the ones with holes in them in a kitchen drawer. I put my worn underwear there. I recycle the socks and underwear as rags to polish furniture with, or to tie my tomato plants to stakes. Because I had a Sharpie and some common sense, I now have more white socks than I really need. There are some sock styles I like better than others, but at least I don't have to wear the same pair days in a row because I can't find another matched pair of socks. So, call it $20 or so saved, because I took the time to sort my socks and number them.

The Continuing Saga of My Bankruptcy

I think I mentioned the story was a long one, so I've broken it up into several segments. Here's another one. In the meantime, I'm going to complete my second financial money management course, as required by the bankruptcy courts.

So I scrambled for work, while my credit card payments ate into the $18,000. I eventually got work, but I had to add two part time jobs in order to feel like I was going to stay afloat. Then, within a month, I lost one job, and the other one ended.

I decided to go to trucking school. Long story short, nine months, eight tries at passing the CDL test, two schools, and $23,000 later (all on the credit cards) I finally got my license. I worked six weeks, got sick, then lost my job. Then, the real fun began. I was literally scared shitless all of June, 2008. I finally did get a full time job, and added a teaching gig, and for the first time was bringing home around $600 a week and feeling better. I wrote letters to my creditors, saying I'd pay them. I did pay off some bills, but the majority of them were too overwhelming. Then, Discover Card put a lien on my house. Since I co-owned the house with a relative, I couldn't lose it. So I called a lawyer. Had an appointment with him, and I didn't like his attitude. He wanted to know my political beliefs, and tried to convince me I lived in a ghetto (it's a starter house neighborhood, in a very convenient location). I called another lawyer and frantically filed paperwork while my worklife was sending me into another department, and lots of stress. I was convinced if I didn't have a heart attack then, I never would. Paperwork was filed, a plan was decided on, and I started making payments. That was May, 2010.

The Continuing Story of My Bankruptcy

I have another blog, but I have a bad habit of not posting on a regular basis. I'm going to try with this one, to actually post at least once a week, if not twice a week. I want to gather a "platform" for my "brand" and my "book" oops--it's actually going to be a book, no need to put it in quotes! But I also want to try and give hope to people who are struggling. Particularly those who are trying to decide if bankruptcy is the way to go. As someone in her forties, I had to decide if I wanted to be in debt for the rest of my life and have no hope of saving anything for my golden years, or declare bankruptcy and try to salvage something for the future. Since I'd spent over twenty years in some sort of debt, the decision wasn't really easy, but Discover card was about to put a lien on the house. Since the house isn't solely in my name, I didn't want that to happen, so I filed. Here's another part of the story. It's long, and since I know people are impatient, I've broken up the story into several parts. I also did that so I would have something to post every week.

So what's my story? I got a credit card at 18, courtesy of my dad, and it just got worse. My dad wasn't the best when it came to money, and due to my mother's intervention after my dad had surgery, she took control of the bills and paid them off. I wasn't so lucky. I stupidly thought I'd get a good job someday, and meanwhile, my debt grew bigger. I took on multiple jobs, but I didn't curb my spending. I'd try to avoid using credit cards, but my car would break down, or I'd have some other emergency, and because I had no money saved, I had to pay for it with credit. It was a vicious circle, and when I got laid off from my post office job, my mom didn't want me to look for work. Her health had deteriorated, and she wanted me to take care of her. I told her she'd have to support me (i.e. give me enough money to cover my bills, and no, I didn't tell her how much I owed) and we were able to survive on her Social Security. Luckily, dad had left her $40,000 in life insurance. Mom didn't have a lavish lifestyle, and she got by okay. Ironically, it was probably at the end of her life where she was the most financially comfortable. But she died, and the $18,000 she left me didn't go very far. I probably should have declared chapter seven while I was taking care of her. That way, since I didn't own property, I could have walked away from my debt, and I would have a fresh start, plus an inheritance. But I didn't. Hindsight is 20/20.

More to come!!!

Welcome to Recovering Bankrupt!

Welcome to my bankruptcy blog. I'm in the process of writing a memoir about my experience. It's going to have some humor in it, because I am looking at this experience as a chance to learn, but also as a chance to see what I can do when push comes to shove. Plus, I think adding some humor to a stressful situation might give a sense of, “hey she's going through the same thing I am, but I never thought about using my bathwater to water my garden with.. That's a good idea!” I'm going to try and update this blog at least once a week. I should probably go for more frequency, but right now, I'm going through very lean times. I currently have internet at home, but if I can't pay my bill, I have to scope out free wi-fi somewhere else. And if my car is on the fritz, it means I have to travel by bike. Suffice to say, there may be days when I don't have internet at home, and don't feel like going out for it either.

So, if you are thinking about filing for bankruptcy, read my blog! I am NOT a lawyer, so if you have any questions, I would strongly suggest you consult an attorney. I live in Indiana, and I can tell you about MY particular situation, but I can't really offer legal advice.

But here's where I am NOW. I filed for chapter 13 (the repayment plan) and was nearly done with it when I experienced a loss of income, then got hit with MAJOR surgery. So my plan was converted to a seven, and I expect that to be done withing 60-90 days, once I take my second financial counseling course online.

How did I go from a chapter 13 to a seven? Stay tuned...