Last week, since I've started my new job, our financial outlook is absolutely better than it was, overwhelmingly better. At the end of this month, after we've scraped and squeezed every last penny we could, we will be several hundred dollars ahead in our budget. This is a monumental place for us, but here is the danger. Many times it is easy at this point to say "We did it! We've made it through this challenge, kept our house, paid our bills!" ... not so. The challenge now is to resist the temptation.
Before now, if we found ourselves ahead in any way financially speaking, you better believe we over spent and/or dug ourselves deeper in financial trouble. The challenge has now shifted and become more intense, ironically so now that we have plenty of extra money to pay our bills at the end of the month. The challenge is no longer whether or not we can avoid foreclosure. Rather, now it is this. Can we keep the discipline? Are we going to save money? Are we going to eliminate the risk of our debts? Are we going to keep our momentum? Because I guarantee you, it is inevitable...inevitable for us, inevitable for anyone, that at the end of the month when we see those extra dollars we have floating around in our budget, it will be easy to start getting lazy again. It will tempt us with a false sense of security, when we see something we want to buy, when work stress starts to appeal to the foolish side of us that wants to indulge instead of stay on course.
Pray for us as we move forward.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Chipping Away At The Hole In The Dam
I have work. I start tomorrow night, 3rd shift. It's messy, tiring work...but it's work and I'm not afraid of it. The starting pay is good, and it should be 40 hours a week...which means we're about to declare war on our debt.
We're here, arrived at a new challenge. My wife and I must brainstorm about how, logistically speaking, next week will happen. We've initially decided to get her working different hours in her job. She'll be working 12 to 7s most likely, whereas I'll be sleeping until around the time she leaves for work and into the boys' nap time.
It's going to be difficult the first week, I know this. But failure is not an option for me, we will make it, we will persevere through this. I'm hoping and praying a 2nd shift opens up, which will make life a little simpler. Until then, this is what I have.
We are thoroughly excited about this...things are materializing, getting out of debt is in reach. We're fixed on it, we've made a budget, we have a goal.
God is good.
How was your week?
We're here, arrived at a new challenge. My wife and I must brainstorm about how, logistically speaking, next week will happen. We've initially decided to get her working different hours in her job. She'll be working 12 to 7s most likely, whereas I'll be sleeping until around the time she leaves for work and into the boys' nap time.
It's going to be difficult the first week, I know this. But failure is not an option for me, we will make it, we will persevere through this. I'm hoping and praying a 2nd shift opens up, which will make life a little simpler. Until then, this is what I have.
We are thoroughly excited about this...things are materializing, getting out of debt is in reach. We're fixed on it, we've made a budget, we have a goal.
God is good.
How was your week?
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Plan vs. My Plan
It has been a long past week.
Today was the first day in a while that I haven't been running all over the country following up on job leads. Rather, I focused on cleaning the disaster of a mess we've left at our house in our absence and I've been finding more job leads online so that I can have more follow-ups tomorrow.
Sheria and I have a little bit of money coming in tomorrow from side jobs I've been undertaking that will keep the first week of october from being a financial loss for us. As of right now, my top job leads all point to next week for my ever-anticipated definitive answer. Tomorrow I have another job lead which would actually be exactly what we need right now...it won't be pleasant work, much less my ideal work environment, but it pays well and it will be second shift which, in our particular circumstance, would make child care a non-issue. In other words, another answer to prayer and sigh of relief, but I have to make it happen.
It was my plan that I would have something definitive for a job this week, but my plan didn't turn out the way I wanted. I can maintain consistency in my effort and follow-ups, but if there's one thing the debt plus job scarcity will do, it is bring out impatience in me that I didn't know I had. Enter the plan vs. my plan. Proverbs 16:9. At first I thought that getting out of debt was my plan. And I guess it was and still is. But I'm finding more and more that getting out of debt is God's plan for me and everyday I have to tweak my own overtly human version of it to look more like His.
Today I read an article about Sprint. Sprint is my current carrier, so I was interested.
Sprint is about to start offering the iPhone, but they're going over the top with it, they're prepared to invest 20 billion dollars in this endeavor, a gamble for them considering that they are already about 17 billion in the hole and still waiting on some other risky investments to pay off.
This investment decision assumes that they will move just as many iPhones as AT&T or Verizon, the two leading carriers in the nation. I understand now why this is a extremely bad decision for them. Whether or not they are able to pull it off is irrelevant, it's not a smart move. If I play with a rattle snake and avoid getting fatally wounded on the first go-round, that doesn't mean it's a good idea to play with rattle snakes. They could potentially make outstanding profit from this, but is the promise of that profit worth risking the integrity of your entire organization?
Suddenly, all the poor financial decisions we've made don't seem so impossible to fix.
My dad is in ministry. Something he always said when talking to students is "There are two ways you can learn wisdom. 1) Through personal experience or 2) through the mistakes of others."
I feel as though I've gotten a little bit of both. It's not enough to just make a lot of money anymore, not for me. What am I going to do with it? That is the crucial question that is changing the way I look at things. If all you intend to do with money is buy stuff and/or let it sit in the bank, you will most likely end up like me...as soon as you lose a job, you will nearly give yourself an aneurysm trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage. If generosity were a person, I cut his legs out from under him and beat him senseless...not because I was greedy but because I managed my money poorly...which in turn, disabled me from being able to give how I wanted, just as an example. Plus, it also sucks not being able to buy Christmas presents for christmas parties. But I think this is a necessary consequence. This is us learning from our mistakes and gaining wisdom.
Is there a time where the pain you felt was one of the most necessary things for your character? What did it teach you?
Today was the first day in a while that I haven't been running all over the country following up on job leads. Rather, I focused on cleaning the disaster of a mess we've left at our house in our absence and I've been finding more job leads online so that I can have more follow-ups tomorrow.
Sheria and I have a little bit of money coming in tomorrow from side jobs I've been undertaking that will keep the first week of october from being a financial loss for us. As of right now, my top job leads all point to next week for my ever-anticipated definitive answer. Tomorrow I have another job lead which would actually be exactly what we need right now...it won't be pleasant work, much less my ideal work environment, but it pays well and it will be second shift which, in our particular circumstance, would make child care a non-issue. In other words, another answer to prayer and sigh of relief, but I have to make it happen.
It was my plan that I would have something definitive for a job this week, but my plan didn't turn out the way I wanted. I can maintain consistency in my effort and follow-ups, but if there's one thing the debt plus job scarcity will do, it is bring out impatience in me that I didn't know I had. Enter the plan vs. my plan. Proverbs 16:9. At first I thought that getting out of debt was my plan. And I guess it was and still is. But I'm finding more and more that getting out of debt is God's plan for me and everyday I have to tweak my own overtly human version of it to look more like His.
Today I read an article about Sprint. Sprint is my current carrier, so I was interested.
Sprint is about to start offering the iPhone, but they're going over the top with it, they're prepared to invest 20 billion dollars in this endeavor, a gamble for them considering that they are already about 17 billion in the hole and still waiting on some other risky investments to pay off.
This investment decision assumes that they will move just as many iPhones as AT&T or Verizon, the two leading carriers in the nation. I understand now why this is a extremely bad decision for them. Whether or not they are able to pull it off is irrelevant, it's not a smart move. If I play with a rattle snake and avoid getting fatally wounded on the first go-round, that doesn't mean it's a good idea to play with rattle snakes. They could potentially make outstanding profit from this, but is the promise of that profit worth risking the integrity of your entire organization?
Suddenly, all the poor financial decisions we've made don't seem so impossible to fix.
My dad is in ministry. Something he always said when talking to students is "There are two ways you can learn wisdom. 1) Through personal experience or 2) through the mistakes of others."
I feel as though I've gotten a little bit of both. It's not enough to just make a lot of money anymore, not for me. What am I going to do with it? That is the crucial question that is changing the way I look at things. If all you intend to do with money is buy stuff and/or let it sit in the bank, you will most likely end up like me...as soon as you lose a job, you will nearly give yourself an aneurysm trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage. If generosity were a person, I cut his legs out from under him and beat him senseless...not because I was greedy but because I managed my money poorly...which in turn, disabled me from being able to give how I wanted, just as an example. Plus, it also sucks not being able to buy Christmas presents for christmas parties. But I think this is a necessary consequence. This is us learning from our mistakes and gaining wisdom.
Is there a time where the pain you felt was one of the most necessary things for your character? What did it teach you?
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Doing The Hustle
Last week, I pretty much marched into staples and told them to look at my app. Actually, I got very positive response from them. As of now, however, they are also considering someone else. They are supposed to be contacting me shortly to let me know what their final decision was.
I have found that it is difficult to catch fast food managers during the day...they are often very busy, they usually share many of the responsibilities of their crew.
Another month is starting. I need a job this week.
Tomorrow I will be getting more follow up on job opportunities as well as expecting the call from Staples.
Yesterday my wife and I did something we don't normally do, a necessary step in getting out of debt. We made a budget of how much we could afford to spend on groceries, formed a list of affordable, practical meal ideas and then withdrew the cash for the groceries rather than use our debit card. I'm beginning to see how much of a significant moment this was for us, it is a leap in the right direction.
We have also spoken with relatives and opted out of gift exchange for christmas get-togethers. We will only be buying gifts for our sons and possibly our nieces and nephews but none for any adults or siblings and only very minimal gifts to each other as husband and wife.
We're making a lot of changes. I personally have been. For a long time, I have been a push over about many things that I shouldn't have let go. God has gifted me with the ability to make thoughtful, guided decisions and I have to stop hiding from my purpose in this marriage and in my life.
I've had a lot of fear in my life, but no longer.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I have found that it is difficult to catch fast food managers during the day...they are often very busy, they usually share many of the responsibilities of their crew.
Another month is starting. I need a job this week.
Tomorrow I will be getting more follow up on job opportunities as well as expecting the call from Staples.
Yesterday my wife and I did something we don't normally do, a necessary step in getting out of debt. We made a budget of how much we could afford to spend on groceries, formed a list of affordable, practical meal ideas and then withdrew the cash for the groceries rather than use our debit card. I'm beginning to see how much of a significant moment this was for us, it is a leap in the right direction.
We have also spoken with relatives and opted out of gift exchange for christmas get-togethers. We will only be buying gifts for our sons and possibly our nieces and nephews but none for any adults or siblings and only very minimal gifts to each other as husband and wife.
We're making a lot of changes. I personally have been. For a long time, I have been a push over about many things that I shouldn't have let go. God has gifted me with the ability to make thoughtful, guided decisions and I have to stop hiding from my purpose in this marriage and in my life.
I've had a lot of fear in my life, but no longer.
The Lord is my shepherd.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tire Tracks
I've been making tracks all over the surrounding areas, doing in-person follow-ups on job leads. I never understood the value of this until this week. My Father-in-law offered this counsel to me and it has really paid off.
Our mortgage company is restructuring our payments over the next several months. This gives us another month to plan, secure more income and make this thing happen.
I've made bad decisions in the past, but if there's something I've definitely learned in my life, DO NOT ignore calls or letters from people collecting a debt. I know, sometimes it's hard to deal with it, but you have to do it. Luckily, Sheria and I knew this and we communicated with our mortgage company promptly. Our prompt, clear communication has bought us valuable time and opened the window of opportunity wider for us to make this happen. If you are in debt and you have lenders contacting you, absolutely do not ignore them. It will heave a world of hurt on your head later if you do. If you are prompt, polite and articulate about your situation, I've found they will nearly always make some arrangement with you. The catch is, you have to uphold your end. You have to make good on the arrangement.
Here's a major problem in society today. I think a growing number of people are realizing the death trap of debt. However, many people are not doing what it takes to get out of it. Sure, they'll go and look for another job. But what kind of job? It's tough for someone to be in a job they've always loved and then work weekends on a job they hate. It may seem beneath them. But the reality of it all is this. You sacrificed your inegrity, your financial stability and your name to get yourself here. Now it's time to sacrifice a little comfort to get out.
That means you can't go to the drive thru as many times as you'd like when you're hungry. It means you may need to deliver pizzas or work awkward hours for a while until things get better. I have come to terms with this. I hoped for other things to come through for me that I waited for. There's a time for that, but not when you're in debt. Actions have consequences. I am owning up to mine now. If I don't want my boys to be raised by a sitter 3-5 days a week, I should've taken action before now to prevent this from happening...cut spending, save more, stay away from loans and interest, etc.
Unfortunately, I was pushover about a lot of these things. Now we pay the price for it.
God has been good to us. We're in trouble, but things could've been much, much worse. I know there are people out there who have lost their house, others who have been forced to declare bankruptcy. I want to avoid much much worse. I want to get out of this altogether, and we will, whatever it takes.
I have some promising leads on many part time jobs. Well-paying full time jobs are much more scarce than they used to be in this economy unless you have more advanced education...and even still, it's hard to land one. I've pretty much determined that in order to make this work, unless by the grace of God I can land that ideal eight to five somewhere, I will need to have multiple sources of part time income.
Here's what I have now that is certain.
Part-time on-call on-demand IT/Networking gig. Income, unknown as of yet.
Part-time ministry-mentoring job in my Dad's ministry. Income, $300 a month.
Part-time musician job, playing guitar and gigging on the weekends. Income, around $400 a month.
Here are part-time jobs that I am following up on heavily, of which I currently stand a good chance of landing. Both of these also have chances for advancement.
Part-time Murphy USA cashier. Income, about $800 a month.
Part-time Staples Tech Associate. Income, about $750 a month + possible incentive/sales pay.
Here are other jobs of which I have received positive remarks but no interviews/intent to hire as of yet. Income is still uncertain. Number of hours offered is also unknown.
Pizza Hut delivery or team member
Woodforest Bank customer service rep.
Radio Shack Sales Associate
Actually, I do have an interview with Radio Shack tomorrow at 2:00 pm, but I have not received any intent to hire just yet.
Other places I've applied:
CVS Pharmacy, 2 locations. Currently not hiring(contrary to what their website says).
Play 'N Trade, Applications only, no positions currently available.
Car-Mart Albertville, position already filled.
Railroad Bazaar Music, taking apps only, no positions currently available.
Sanmina-SCI(2 different apps). They are call-back only.
Phoenix Huntsville, position already filled.
McDonald's Team Member, follow-up tomorrow.
Huntsville Utilities, Collections Dept.
Pizza Hut Arab, Follow-up saturday.
Keep in mind, I only need to make about $15,000 a year for us to get things straight. I can already exceed this amount if I can get one part time job, when you consider the other smaller forms of income that I'll have in addition. Staples appears to offer the best pay so I have really been working to stay on top of it, but there are other hooks in the pond too. I have other leads that I have to keep available to me...nothing is certain yet and I need certain more than anything. If I can get two part time jobs, getting out of debt is going to move a lot faster, much faster actually.
Tomorrow I'll dig those tire tracks deeper.
Our mortgage company is restructuring our payments over the next several months. This gives us another month to plan, secure more income and make this thing happen.
I've made bad decisions in the past, but if there's something I've definitely learned in my life, DO NOT ignore calls or letters from people collecting a debt. I know, sometimes it's hard to deal with it, but you have to do it. Luckily, Sheria and I knew this and we communicated with our mortgage company promptly. Our prompt, clear communication has bought us valuable time and opened the window of opportunity wider for us to make this happen. If you are in debt and you have lenders contacting you, absolutely do not ignore them. It will heave a world of hurt on your head later if you do. If you are prompt, polite and articulate about your situation, I've found they will nearly always make some arrangement with you. The catch is, you have to uphold your end. You have to make good on the arrangement.
Here's a major problem in society today. I think a growing number of people are realizing the death trap of debt. However, many people are not doing what it takes to get out of it. Sure, they'll go and look for another job. But what kind of job? It's tough for someone to be in a job they've always loved and then work weekends on a job they hate. It may seem beneath them. But the reality of it all is this. You sacrificed your inegrity, your financial stability and your name to get yourself here. Now it's time to sacrifice a little comfort to get out.
That means you can't go to the drive thru as many times as you'd like when you're hungry. It means you may need to deliver pizzas or work awkward hours for a while until things get better. I have come to terms with this. I hoped for other things to come through for me that I waited for. There's a time for that, but not when you're in debt. Actions have consequences. I am owning up to mine now. If I don't want my boys to be raised by a sitter 3-5 days a week, I should've taken action before now to prevent this from happening...cut spending, save more, stay away from loans and interest, etc.
Unfortunately, I was pushover about a lot of these things. Now we pay the price for it.
God has been good to us. We're in trouble, but things could've been much, much worse. I know there are people out there who have lost their house, others who have been forced to declare bankruptcy. I want to avoid much much worse. I want to get out of this altogether, and we will, whatever it takes.
I have some promising leads on many part time jobs. Well-paying full time jobs are much more scarce than they used to be in this economy unless you have more advanced education...and even still, it's hard to land one. I've pretty much determined that in order to make this work, unless by the grace of God I can land that ideal eight to five somewhere, I will need to have multiple sources of part time income.
Here's what I have now that is certain.
Part-time on-call on-demand IT/Networking gig. Income, unknown as of yet.
Part-time ministry-mentoring job in my Dad's ministry. Income, $300 a month.
Part-time musician job, playing guitar and gigging on the weekends. Income, around $400 a month.
Here are part-time jobs that I am following up on heavily, of which I currently stand a good chance of landing. Both of these also have chances for advancement.
Part-time Murphy USA cashier. Income, about $800 a month.
Part-time Staples Tech Associate. Income, about $750 a month + possible incentive/sales pay.
Here are other jobs of which I have received positive remarks but no interviews/intent to hire as of yet. Income is still uncertain. Number of hours offered is also unknown.
Pizza Hut delivery or team member
Woodforest Bank customer service rep.
Radio Shack Sales Associate
Actually, I do have an interview with Radio Shack tomorrow at 2:00 pm, but I have not received any intent to hire just yet.
Other places I've applied:
CVS Pharmacy, 2 locations. Currently not hiring(contrary to what their website says).
Play 'N Trade, Applications only, no positions currently available.
Car-Mart Albertville, position already filled.
Railroad Bazaar Music, taking apps only, no positions currently available.
Sanmina-SCI(2 different apps). They are call-back only.
Phoenix Huntsville, position already filled.
McDonald's Team Member, follow-up tomorrow.
Huntsville Utilities, Collections Dept.
Pizza Hut Arab, Follow-up saturday.
Keep in mind, I only need to make about $15,000 a year for us to get things straight. I can already exceed this amount if I can get one part time job, when you consider the other smaller forms of income that I'll have in addition. Staples appears to offer the best pay so I have really been working to stay on top of it, but there are other hooks in the pond too. I have other leads that I have to keep available to me...nothing is certain yet and I need certain more than anything. If I can get two part time jobs, getting out of debt is going to move a lot faster, much faster actually.
Tomorrow I'll dig those tire tracks deeper.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Muscling Through The Noise
I have an interview tomorrow at 6:00 pm.
This week is going to be tight, but we're just going to have to pay some bills and trust God with the rest.
I'm going to by a small notebook whose sole purpose of existence is to record every single transaction we make.
I have a rehearsal this week, if I can get the songs together for it. If it goes well, I could possibly be looking at a gig this weekend which should pay a little bit of money, make ends meet until the next payday. Trouble is, it's somewhat of a gamble. It will take money to put gas in the car to drive to this rehearsal. And then once its over, there's no absolute guarantee that they'll have a gig this weekend. So either I spend a little bit of money in hopes that they'll get a gig this weekend or I do nothing.
The ideal situation would be that after my interview tomorrow, the hiring manager would ask me when I can start. That would be an answer to prayer actually. But then I run into the likely scenario that he'll hold my first check...it is very common for an employer to do that.
I also have a possible one-time work opportunity with my father-in-law who is into contracting/carpentry/remodeling, etc. The work normally pays very well, but it is all in how soon he is able to get something definitive from his client.
I'm not afraid of honest, hard work. Never have been, never will be. But the work I do needs to be profitable. We can't spin our wheels financially anymore, I need a stable job or else getting out of debt is going to be considerably more difficult.
God has been good to me. Prayer is what keeps me grounded everyday. My best days lately are the ones where I've prayed the most. It can be hard to pray when there are lots of pressing matters on your mind...but if you can muscle through the noise and be still everyday...it makes a difference. It definitely makes one for me.
Blessings!
This week is going to be tight, but we're just going to have to pay some bills and trust God with the rest.
I'm going to by a small notebook whose sole purpose of existence is to record every single transaction we make.
I have a rehearsal this week, if I can get the songs together for it. If it goes well, I could possibly be looking at a gig this weekend which should pay a little bit of money, make ends meet until the next payday. Trouble is, it's somewhat of a gamble. It will take money to put gas in the car to drive to this rehearsal. And then once its over, there's no absolute guarantee that they'll have a gig this weekend. So either I spend a little bit of money in hopes that they'll get a gig this weekend or I do nothing.
The ideal situation would be that after my interview tomorrow, the hiring manager would ask me when I can start. That would be an answer to prayer actually. But then I run into the likely scenario that he'll hold my first check...it is very common for an employer to do that.
I also have a possible one-time work opportunity with my father-in-law who is into contracting/carpentry/remodeling, etc. The work normally pays very well, but it is all in how soon he is able to get something definitive from his client.
I'm not afraid of honest, hard work. Never have been, never will be. But the work I do needs to be profitable. We can't spin our wheels financially anymore, I need a stable job or else getting out of debt is going to be considerably more difficult.
God has been good to me. Prayer is what keeps me grounded everyday. My best days lately are the ones where I've prayed the most. It can be hard to pray when there are lots of pressing matters on your mind...but if you can muscle through the noise and be still everyday...it makes a difference. It definitely makes one for me.
Blessings!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Doomsday
The electricity was not cut off today.
Which means we will have a narrow window of time to pay it on monday before they cut off.
But it looks like that is the least of our worries.
Our most recent mortgage payment which was scheduled for this past monday has bounced. We learned this just today.
It doesn't make sense on paper, I budgeted this past week carefully. We kept our checking transactions to a minimum and we had a little cash that we used for any expenses we've had over the past week.
So WHY has this happened? I just don't understand. It doesn't add up. Something somewhere went awry. There were no other bills that were scheduled to be debited in this past week. Additionally, the balance in our account at this moment does not add up with our budget, by a pretty wide margin, actually. There are a couple hundred dollars that are suddenly just not there anymore, considering that we've made only a few low-amount transactions, mostly for gas(and when I say gas, I mean not a lot of it. Just enough to get to work when the tank is on empty)...but even most of that was paid through cash and not our checking account.
Did I make a mistake? Do we have an unauthorized transaction on the table that caused all of this? Not knowing is almost worse than the fact that it even happened at all. The banks are closed right now. Tomorrow we're going to get a printout of our transactions and see exactly what happened and we're going to enroll in online banking so we can hopefully keep closer tabs on our weekly transactions.
I've texted my sister-in-law to see if I can get a job in fast food. I'm sick to my stomach right now, to be honest, and angry. It is frustrating to me that I have put forward so much effort to budget everything out, make it all work and yet still, this happens. And it is equally frustrating to me, the part of me that knows that it is probably our own mistake...it was most likely no one else's fault but our own...although I hope my own shame will be relieved by looking at the statement printout and find that the mistake was on someone else's shoulders and not our own.
Where did $200 go?
It is equally frustrating to me that over the past month or two I have [weekly] put out multiple resumes to various places and none of them have given me any leads. I guess I am now starting to feel the sting of the economy. It's not so bad for someone who already has a good job and who has their money in control, they won't notice the difference. But when you've defaulted on your mortgage and need a job, it's a different matter. I'm probably one of innumerable average joes who not only lost their job but also realized they'd rather work a cash register than face foreclosure.
Praying for a job. Hoping in God. Prayers are appreciated.
Which means we will have a narrow window of time to pay it on monday before they cut off.
But it looks like that is the least of our worries.
Our most recent mortgage payment which was scheduled for this past monday has bounced. We learned this just today.
It doesn't make sense on paper, I budgeted this past week carefully. We kept our checking transactions to a minimum and we had a little cash that we used for any expenses we've had over the past week.
So WHY has this happened? I just don't understand. It doesn't add up. Something somewhere went awry. There were no other bills that were scheduled to be debited in this past week. Additionally, the balance in our account at this moment does not add up with our budget, by a pretty wide margin, actually. There are a couple hundred dollars that are suddenly just not there anymore, considering that we've made only a few low-amount transactions, mostly for gas(and when I say gas, I mean not a lot of it. Just enough to get to work when the tank is on empty)...but even most of that was paid through cash and not our checking account.
Did I make a mistake? Do we have an unauthorized transaction on the table that caused all of this? Not knowing is almost worse than the fact that it even happened at all. The banks are closed right now. Tomorrow we're going to get a printout of our transactions and see exactly what happened and we're going to enroll in online banking so we can hopefully keep closer tabs on our weekly transactions.
I've texted my sister-in-law to see if I can get a job in fast food. I'm sick to my stomach right now, to be honest, and angry. It is frustrating to me that I have put forward so much effort to budget everything out, make it all work and yet still, this happens. And it is equally frustrating to me, the part of me that knows that it is probably our own mistake...it was most likely no one else's fault but our own...although I hope my own shame will be relieved by looking at the statement printout and find that the mistake was on someone else's shoulders and not our own.
Where did $200 go?
It is equally frustrating to me that over the past month or two I have [weekly] put out multiple resumes to various places and none of them have given me any leads. I guess I am now starting to feel the sting of the economy. It's not so bad for someone who already has a good job and who has their money in control, they won't notice the difference. But when you've defaulted on your mortgage and need a job, it's a different matter. I'm probably one of innumerable average joes who not only lost their job but also realized they'd rather work a cash register than face foreclosure.
Praying for a job. Hoping in God. Prayers are appreciated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)