Can't Wait For the Tax Return

I am eagerly waiting my tax return. Hoping to go to the eye doctor, and the dentist, and take Daphne to the vet. I think she has another UTI. Also hope to get Summit in for her annual checkup as well.

And perhaps I'll get caught up with utility bills as well.

Filed My Taxes!

I filed my taxes. So hopefully I'll get the direct deposit soon. I need to use the money to take care of myself, like going to the eye doctor and the dentist. I also should take Daphne in to the vet. I think she has another UTI. Also, Summit is overdue to go to the vet. It's very hard to load her into her carrier. I meant to take her when I took Daphne in for her annual appointment, but she refused to load. And to be honest, I'm a bit afraid of her.

So the money will go to take care of some stuff I couldn't really afford when I was going through my bankruptcy. And it will be gone soon.

Tax Return!

It looks like I will get a decent tax return this time around, which means maybe I can take care of some things. Things like going to the dentist, going to the eye doctor, and taking my cat to the vet. Maybe I can also take my dog and have the vet look at her skin. There's some strange bumps going on, and I want to make sure they are harmless.

And maybe I can pay on some bills that I have. From RediMed, where I went the day after Christmas to take care of a cough that got fierce in a hurry, and to pay for my mammogram.

I also should get my plumbing fixed. My toilet overflows every so often, because it can't flush properly. And there might be something going on with my water heater. Just what I need. The return is spent before I've even received it.

Overdrawn Again!

 This time, I was overdrawn on the credit union account. I suppose I'm overdrawn on Wells Fargo as well, because I forgot to close the account and I'm sure they've implemented their monthly fee. Gotta get that taken care of.

Staying Home and Saving Money

Which is what I did on Monday. But here's a moment of weakness/stupidity for you. I had some very small stains on a shirt. I had bleach, so I decided to take care of them. Like a dumbass, I forgot that gravity exists and the bleach ended up oozing into one of the gray stripes of the shirt. So now, it's messed up.

Went online to order another one. Thought I had the EXACT one, until I opened up the package. The stripes were smaller. I liked the way the larger stripes looked on the original shirt, which was a Tommy Hilfiger that I got at the Franciscan Center thrift shop. Maybe someday I will find an exact replica, but I'm so mad at myself for washing out the shirt by hand, hanging it on a metal hanger, and finding rust spots on it, which infuriated me, causing me to use the bleach to try to get the spots out, then messing up the shirt.

I love that shirt. It looks awesome on me. And I go and fuck it up.

But lessons were learned. Hang wet shirts on plastic hangers. And realize gravity never gives up.

Bargains at Ulta

Nearly everything I bought at Ulta was on sale. And that's how you spend nearly $50 at one crack.

Another Post from the Bankruptcy Book!

This is a book about what it's like to live through a Chapter 13 bankruptcy--if you happen to be a single, middle-aged woman without any kids. This is the story of how I survived. This is how I learned how to deal with situations, how I lived with a toilet that wouldn't flush properly (I kept the lid shut to contain the aroma) how I lived with a washer with a clogged-up outake pipe that would occasionally overflow onto the kitchen floor. (I bought a $10 plastic hose, connected it to the washing machine, and ran it out my back door until I'd saved enough to get my plumbing problem addressed.) This is about a woman who collected rainwater to bathe in because her water got shut off. This is about a woman who hung clothes to dry in the backyard, and around her house because her dryer wouldn't heat. This is about a woman who thought differently about money when she no longer had it. This is not a book about how I lost a huge pile of money, this is not really about investing. Financial books tend to assume their readers have college degrees, decent jobs, and fell on hard times. I DO have a college degree, but decades of crappy jobs, “chasing the dream”, being in debt, medical bills and being downright stupid about money was what nailed me. The only thing that kept me from being homeless was my mother leaving me half the house I grew up in. If not for that, I would have been hard-pressed to find shelter.

If you're Catholic, being in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy is like doing financial penance. Forgive me Father, for I have spent—way too fucking much. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. So if you're Catholic, think of Chapter 13 as suffering for your financial sins, for the next three to five years. This is how I got through it. And really, that is the only “how to” about it. If you are thinking about declaring the big B, this is how I got there, and how I dealt. I can't speak for you, but do some research, and find a lawyer who will be professional, and not treat you like shit. It's going to be harder than you think. Bankruptcy might seem to be the end of the world, but for me, it taught me a few things that having several million dollars wouldn't have. Hopefully, this book will teach you, as well.

Car Update!

I can't remember if I mentioned my car, but it IS working! It was just a blown spark plug.

But my emergency fund is almost gone. Thanks to hardly any hours at my retail job, the car repair, the usual bills, a letter from the Allen County Treasurer regarding my property taxes, and not getting paid from my teaching job the fund has been depleted big time. The house insurance is due too, which will wipe out whatever I get from this next payday. Ugh.