Your New Bundle

Hey guys, I hope today is going well for you.  I was thinking and realized that some of you out there are getting ready to have a baby.  It must be so scary to be thinking about bringing a new life into this crazy time.  I want to assure you it is going to be ok.

The world has faced many crazy times before, we have had to deal with extreme uncertainty many times.  We have faced severe diseases before and while scary, we have made it.  This is not the first global crisis nor will it be our last and that is just a fact.  What we do know is that we have made it each time one has popped up, this will be no exception.

With that said embrace this time.  Enjoy the journey, before you know it that baby will be here and you will be so full of love.  Enjoy every day, you will soon be watching them grow and turn into and amazing little person.

I know you are trying to get items around to be prepared and it can be a little difficult right now so here is a link to a discount on some items you might need or just want.  Enjoy https://amzn.to/2VzFeKq  lets beat this lockdown together, just as long as it is 6 feet apart

We Are All Struggling

I know there are many opinions out there about what is happening.  The truth is we are all being affected by this.  It isn't just a few people it is the whole world.  Rich and poor it doesn't matter it is hitting us all so we need to act accordingly.

I have had to stay off of Facebook other than my business pages because I couldn't take the drama anymore.  I started becoming a very angry person. Over the years I have learned that some times it is better to just not say what I think.  For two days I was not able to contain my mouth.  I was constantly snapping and feeling the need to react to what people were saying.  It was eat5ing me up inside.

The negativity was eating at me.  I now have physical pain from just how angry I was getting.  People were basically bashing people for things out of their control, no empathy could be found and people that are not even in this area were commenting on what was and was not true even though I was part of it and knew what I had seen, they still called me a liar and said I had not idea what I was talking about.  I snapped for sure.

That is not who I want to be.  I want to have peace and positive things in my life.  I do not want the negativity to creep back into my life.  I have been slowly working to make my life and future more positive.

My point here is we are all going through stuff right now but we can choose how we feel and how we behave.  We can not control how others behave but we can control how we react.  If the situation is not taking you in the direction you are seeking then change the situation.  Do not engage in things that do not bring you joy.

Stay happy and healthy and we can do this lockdown together

How the Year began

So in previous posts I said I would explain a lot of other things, so here is the start of that.  This post will be hard so I will tell you how this year started and then I will highlight other events in another post so I can get through this one without losing it completely.

This year started out with my Dad letting me know my Mom had not been feeling well so she decided to go to the hospital.  That was nothing new as my Mom had been in the hospital many times before because she had pneumonia a lot and some times it got bad and she had COPD so she needed help sometime.  I asked him did I need to come and was assured that it was just a normal trip and things would be ok.  This went on for a few weeks and my Dad got the same answer from Dr.s and relayed it to me saying there was nothing serious happening the infections was just pretty bad and she had developed a UTI so it would just be a little longer .

At this point you are probably thinking why would I not have gone and visited my mom in the hospital after he being there for a few weeks.  Well as you may remember my daughter has seizures.  Things have been out of control and the hospital was over an hour drive and I also had to work to support me and my daughter.  I felt bad but my Dad reassured me that my Mom was ok and a couple times I even chatted with her on the phone so that made me feel a little more comfortable in the situation.


One day I get a call from my Dad and he is crying so I panic.  Finally he tells me he got a call and we have to make a decision. I am freaking out because who wants to do that.  So I go get my cousin from work down the road I smoke a million cigarettes (I know not the best idea) while we get my aunt and daughter.  My cousin goes back to work while me, my daughter , and aunt drive two hours to my Dad who is at his house in shock.  More family comes as we talk about what to do.  We decide that me and my Dad and daughter will go in the morning to talk to the Dr and get more information.

That was a complete disaster.  We get told different stories and that we should not have received that call.  Things were not good but they didn't think we were to that point yet.  My Mom was responding to us being there and even gave my Dad a kiss.  We were Pissed to say the least that they put us through that.  Family from out of state was on their way because we thought my Mom was about to die.  We visited with her and everyone and after a few days were assured that they were not convinced she was going to die soon.  We all go home and for two weeks my Dad tells us how things are getting better she is still responding to him and the Dr's are hopeful.  Things feel good.

Then it is February and my Mom's birthday is here and we are excited because she made it another year and things seemed good.  My Dad went to visit her and spent most of the day with her and said she was tired but doing good for her situation.  It was getting late so he told her that he was going back to the hotel room and would be back in the morning.  I had talked to him and her and we planned for us to come visit later because we wanted him to have the weekend with her.  It was about 11:00 pm on February 16, 2017 and I had just crawled into bed.  My phone lit up and it was my Dad, as I answered I grabbed my daughter and started getting out of bed and putting my shoes on.  What happened next has shattered our whole world.

They had called my Dad and said she didn't have much time.  Before I even hung up we were almost in the car and time was not real.  I had to get gas and bought more smoke (again I know, bad idea).  My daughter got a hold of people as I drove for what seemed like forever and got pulled over twice for a broken taillight.  We arrived and the strongest woman I know, the woman who taught me to be strong and be a mom was so weak.  She barely responded but tried to hang on.  We prayed, we brought in a priest for final rights, we told her to hold on, we cried.

On February 17, 2017 at 2:30 AM we had to make the hardest decision we have ever made.  After 69 years on Earth, 38 years of marriage, 38 years of being my Mom, I was the reason they got married :),being my daughters Grandma for 16 years, we had to say goodbye.  It was the worst day of my life.  Her body had shut down, while her brain was working.  It was so unreal.  This year has been so hard.  My Mom was the person I would call when I needed advice.  She would tell me straight, she would never tell me what I wanted to hear, but rather what I needed to hear, good or bad.  It was the end of the world that we knew and the next week following her death was beyond stressful.

This has been long but I promised. So that is how my year started and it is still not getting much better but that is for another post.  I need to get myself back together.  Thank you for reading.  Unitl next time.

Time Flies

So yesterday we had my daughter's 17th birthday party.  It is bittersweet to be honest.  On one hand I am excited to see what amazing things she does in the future, but on the other it is hard to admit that my little baby is 1 year away from being an adult.

When she was born 18 seemed so far away.  Even as the years passed it still seemed like there was plenty of time left for her to be a child.  To be honest even when she turned 16 it still didn't seem that close.  It felt like I still had all the time in the world.  Then this year hit and things took a crazy turn right from the start which I will get to in a later post but then it hit me.  My baby will be in her last year of childhood.

Next year my little princess will legally be an adult.  She will be left to be responsible for her own lief choices.  It is overwhelming. Did I do enough to prepare her for adulthood?  Will she be ready to face the world without me if needed?  It is really hard to accept this for me.

I plan to make this year great and just enjoy it.  I want her to enjoy the last year of childhood as stress free as possible.  I am determined to make sure I also do my best to make sure she feels ready to face her new challenges as they come.  I think as a parent you are never really ready for anything that happens the first time.  In the case of them growing up I feel like no matter how many kids you have it is always emotional when a child grows up.

So with that I congratulate all the parents out there on keeping it together while raising your kids.  To giving them your all and loving them each and everyday.  You Mom and Dad are rock stars.

Thank you for visiting.  Until next time.

VACATION!!!!

So after not having any real time off to just chill with family or friends we are up north with my Dad. I will talk about this in a later post but in February my Mom passed and spending time with my Dad has become even more important to me.  Life is so precious.

My Daughter also turns 17 on Sunday and I have no idea where the times has gone.  So many things to plan and prepare for over the next year.  As we enjoy our vacation I am reminded of the importance of taking time for yourself.  I know easier said than done.  I rarely take time for myself, heck I don't even get alone time in the bathroom.  Either an animal is pushing its way in ahead of me or my Daughter finds this a good time to talk to me.

We were a little short on funds again this year and my Daughter's health has been all over the place so we did travel south as planned, but being here with my Dad and having time to just be in the moment is soooo worth just not being at home for a week.  I have had a crazy year and so much to do before winter gets here so it is nice to just take a break from dealing with that stuff, all of which I will get to as  I get back into the swing of my blogging.

Well not much else for today.  I just wanted to stick to my word of posting more often.  I will be posting more detailed things later that get you all caught up on what has kept me away.  Until next time.

I'm BACK!!!!!!!!

Hey guys!! I know it has been a long time since I have written.  SOOOO much has happened it is crazy.  I may not post every day to start but I want to get back to doing my blog and reaching out to people.  I have a new Facebook page and lots of thing to share bad and good.  Stay tuned because I am ready for my come back and to start sharing my successes again.  Talk soon.

A Money Check In

So I was doing a series of posts on how to pay down your debt and save a little.  I shared how I use my small change to grow my savings and ways that I earn extra money and Amazon points so I can keep up on my spending and putting money away.  I do not make a lot of money by any means but I have putt away $500 in one savings and about $150 in another.  Plus I got all of my daughter's sweet 16 decorations for free so far.  Plus her gifts and I have already started purchasing her Christmas gifts.

I have been able to go without using my credit cards for quite a while now which is raising my credit score.  It is not rising in speedy leaps but it is rising which is getting me baby steps closer to where I want to be.  One of these days I will be debt free and be able to do what I want because my score will be amazing.  It will make it so I can get things I want and have low interest rates which will be like paying same as cash.  A lot of things I will be able to pay cash for because I will have money in my savings to do what I want with.

The secret is that it isn't a race to get there it is about taking the steps to get there.  If you are always trying to put away $20 but have to use it because that is a big chunk out of your budget then what is the point you are getting no where.  If you save a little at a time so that you really don't notice then you will not feel burdened by actually saving money.

Believe me if I can do this so can you.  Even if you just start by saving pennies.  After that you can work your way up.  The hardest part is starting.  it is like losing weight, they say the first 10 pounds is the hardest but once you do your body gets going and you can keep going because you are motivated.  Once you save $10 you will want to do $20 and then $30. It will be exciting to see your balance going up.

Get started.  Do not wait.  If I can do it on a single income you can make it work too.  I am here if you have questions or just need motivation.  Do not hesitate to talk to me.  I am happy to help.

Just Talking

So things have been a little crazy.  I have my kidney stone and I am trying to avoid surgical removal but my Dr. is starting to push it.  My daughter was very sick over the weekend and then missed three days of school with it being so close to the end.   I am working with her to try to get her grades to where they should be but it is hard when she is sick a lot between migraines, seizures, and regular illness.  Her grades are not that bad all things considered but I know she wants to do better, and I know she absolutely can.

At least I am home right now so that has been extra helpful during this time.  I am really working on ideas to stay home permanently.  I have already researched insurance for individuals so that I know what it will cost each month to insure us on my own.  Now it is time to start putting my skills to use and seeing what  can pull off.  There are plenty of people who have figured out how to make money at home and still pay bills and such.  If they can I am determined to figure it out for myself.

My next post will have some more helpful hints on how to earn some extra money.  I have been doing very well.  I just bought my daughter some more of her medical stuff she needed and didn't pay a cent and her party is pretty much covered other than the actual day of and a hoop skirt for the dress. I have actually never had this much money in my accounts at once other than tax time.  I have been doing my best to save money as much as I can.  I did spend some more money on a couple of my credit cards but it was for a gift and my house, but I have only used them about 3 times in the month and a half that I have been home.

Our journey together is one that will take some time but in the end will be worth it.  If you have any success stories I would love to hear them.

Sorry I went Missing

I just wanted to say sorry for not posting in so long.  I need to get back to our debt reduction series.  I hope you are doing well and have been able to save some money and pay down some bills.  I have so much to go over that has happened lately.

To start I am working at home. With my daughter's health and her needing me more I have taken the step of being home more often now.  It has been a little challenging getting started but by the grace of God I know I am going to figure this out.  It will get easier as I get more used to the idea.

I am not losing weight like I had hoped and I have been in a lot of pain so I am back to the Dr. next week.  I know I need to get this figured out but I a a little worried about what they are going to say is wrong.  Hopefully it is not something that is going to be drastic to fix.

Well those are the big changes as of right now.  I am still saving and paying bills although my income is not as big right now but I know it will pick up in the future.  I just have to get the hang of what I am doing but a lot of my friends are working from home now so I know I can do it if they can.  I will be back soon.

We are on this journey together and I happy you are here.

Just A Brief Moment

I am a little behind I know I need to give the next way I earn money.  I am actually doing a lot more, I am no longer working as of last Monday.  It has been great actually other than less money to work with at this point now but I refuse to give up on my debt free journey.  Currently I am working on earning Amazon points to pay for my daughters sweet 16 party.

I am super happy so far not working.  I have been able to be here for my daughter and actually get the rest that I need personally to recover mentally from all the stuff that has been going on.  I am not saying go out and quit your job but, I really feel that some people are not meant to work in a corporate world.  Ever since I was a kid I knew that I was not suited to work for the big companies and after many unhappy long years I am looking into pursuing something that is actually suited for me.

I will be back with more money making opportunities soon so do not worry,  Until then check out the older post for previously mentioned ways to earn and keep on working on the debt free journey.  God did not make you to struggle so stick with me, we can do this together.

Just Checking In

We talked a lot about how to get started on the debt elimination journey and creating a savings.  I hope things are going well for you and you have started to make a dent in your bills.  Whether you are paying it off $1 or $100 at a time, the objective is to keep going.

To keep you motivated since we started this journey together I have accomplished paying off two cards and have saved almost $200.  I share this because I want you to know that you can do it.  I do not even make $18000 a year so if I can do it I know you can too.

I have faith in you that you can do this,  You just have to stick with your plan.  You made a goal and a commitment to get debt free.  Lets keep going together.  Remember the great feeling you will have once you pay off all the debt you owe.  Knowing you will have extra money each month because you do not owe $100's of dollars to credit cards and student loans.

I am proud of you for the hard work you are doing.  I am proud of you for deciding to finally get out of debt.  You have taken a big step and I know you can do it.  I will be here each step of the way to help you as much as I can.

Soon I will start telling you about the ways that I make extra money in my spare time to help off set the money that I am putting toward my debt.  I am actually buying my daughter a new backpack and because I work to make extra money and gift cards I am getting this $50 backpack for free.  So it is absolutely worth the effort.

Until next time, I am glad we are on this journey together.

On To The Actual Saving

Ok so you now know how much you owe and how much you will dedicate to paying down this balance each week.  You have been thinking about the best way to use your taxes to your advantage.  You have put in the work to take back your money and now we are going to talk about how you can do all this and start to save some of it too.

I know when you are living paycheck to paycheck that building a savings account seems totally impossible.  The truth it is easier than you think.  Remember back when I talked about using cash only so you are more accountable for your money, well this is where that also helps your savings.

I want you to find a container it can be an actual piggy bank or a pickle jar.  It just has to hold money.  Now when you pay for something the change goes in the jar.  When the jar is full you roll it up and take it to the bank.  Now I actually save my $1 bills and my change but if you can not do that at least do the change.  It adds up and then if you need it you will have it.  You need to be dedicated though.  It means just because you want pop that day you can not go into the jar.  The savings isn't so you can buy a new t.v. later.  This is the saving you are building for real future emergencies.

Ok I am going to let all of this sink in.  I may not post for a couple days and if I do it might be on something different just so you can get working on this and get a feeling before I throw more at you.  Next we will start the different ways to earn some extra money to help with all of this.  There are so many different places claiming to pay you but through trial and error I have found some good ones that have helped me build up my cash.

Remember this is a journey and we are in it together.

Make a Commitment To Pay

In my last post I discussed the first step to getting out of debt and saving money.  Hopefully you have at least started putting together your debt down payment book.  I hope at this point you have a clear picture of what you are working with.

Now that you have seen the number it is time to start tackling what you can pay.  I know that having no extra money makes this part tough but you CAN do it.  I know because I am doing it right now.  You have to decide right now what you are going to commit to.  I do not care if it is $1, $5 or $50.  Right now you are making a decision about how much extra you are going to pay to a bill each week.  Yes I said each week.  It can be done and in future posts I will tell you how you can make extra money easily to put toward this.

Right now I just want you to make the commitment.  I personally chose $20.  It is a high number but it is what I chose.  Each week I pay $20 to the bill that needs to be worked on tight then.  This is not extra to every bill you are just committing to pay this amount to one bill so that makes it more achievable.

That is it for today.  I want you to look at what you can do.  Again if it is only $1.00 then that is where you start.  You may have to even buy one less pop during the week but you got this.  I make less than $18000 a year and I have picked $20 so I know you have $1 some where.

I happy to be on this journey with you and sharing what I have learned.  I know we can do this together.  You got this!

Flash Back To Savings

Awhile back I started to do a series where I was showing people how to pay down debt and save money even when you think it is impossible.  I know it is possible because I am doing it very slowly.  I have struggled for years and I am getting back to doing the work.  If I can do it on 17000 a year than pretty much any one can if they really do the work.

Today I am introducing the first part.  It is figuring out just what you owe.  You need to see the big picture in order to get it under control.  When you see it and know if it is growing or shrinking you are more in control of the situation.

How ever you want to to log it is up to you but you have to keep track.  I personally like to use a composition note book and do it by hand.  If you want to go digital that is fine.  Some people are really good at spreed sheets so that might work for you.  Also if you are a part of a couple you need to work together also so you are both on the same page.

You take all your bills and list them and the amounts that you owe.  Then make a column that says total and add them all up so now you can see exactly what you owe.  No matter the number do not beat yourself up.  What ever the number you can do this.  Life happens and you now need to face it and deal with things where they are right now.

Each month you will add and subtract based on  your statement,  You will add interest back to the balance and subtract any payments you have made.  So if you got charged $3.00 interest add that and if you made a $25 payment you subtract that.  Then you go to the total amount owed and do the same.  This way you keep an accurate account of what you owe.

Ok so you now know where to start.  I will keep giving you ways to get out of debt and save money.  If you have questions please comment I am here to help.

Feeling Frustrated

So I am working on a lot of new things this year and honestly it is getting overwhelming.  I have tried being positive more each day, but the reality is that some days are hard.  Nothing seems to be going right and no matter how hard you try you just can not turn things around.  I just had so many plans for this year and it isn't going as easy or as well as I planned.

As a matter of fact everything seems to be heading the opposite way of how I thought it would go.  The more I try the farther backwards I seem to go.  I have been home and separated for four years.  It is time for things to start turning around.  I was headed on a good path and then it is like something snapped and now I am spiraling backwards again.

It is rough to really want to get out of your situation but you seem to just keep repeating the same day over and over.  Some times I feel like I am in the living in the movie Ground Hog Day.  I wake up and do the same thing every day.  If I had a stalker it wouldn't be hard for them to track me down since my schedule is always the same.

Most people fear change.  They want to stay in their comfort zone and never have to do anything different but I am ready for change.  I want a lot of change.  I would be happy with just about everything changing.  I want things to improve.  I have so much that is just making me feel down that if even one thing would start turning around then it would give hope to keep pushing.

I really intend to keep working to be positive and be happy with what I do have because I know things can be a lot worse.  I just do not want things to get that bad because I can not turn things around or think in a more positive manner.  

Serious Thinking

I have so much going through my head lately.  I want a change so I have a lot of things to accomplish ahead.  I could lose my job any day so that really puts a spin on the situation,  I need a job that lets me just work and has structure.  If I could afford to work for myself I totally would because it would make things so much better around here.  Sales jobs are just not my thing.  If some one doesn't want to buy something I am not one to really push the issue.

I want so much more for my daughters future so I have a lot of work to so there as well.  She only has 2 years until college.  It may seem like I have time but if you are a parent you know how fast time flies.  I want to give her the sweet 16 she is dreaming of and also give her the choice of whatever college she wants.

I want a better future for myself as well not just sitting on my couch because I am poor or do not feel good half the time.  I want to be able to enjoy life a little.  I think I need to make a check list of things I want to do do so that I can keep up on my goals, then as I check them off it will also help me have a sense of accomplishment.  I think I just want my life to mean something one day.  I am not saying I need to be mega famous but when my daughter talks about me to her grand kids I want it to be positive things.

I know we all feel this way at some point but I want to do something about that feeling.  I want to actually make that feeling go away and turn it into something positive.  I want to look back on my life and be completely at peace when it is time for me to leave this world.

A Positive Spin

So since the beginning of the year I have made an intentional effort to be more positive.  It has been going well and it is making things seem a little easier.  I have even been making a joke about things that are going bad and not letting them get to me as much.  I know it is only 5 days into the new year but I can see the affects already.  I notice my days are a lot easier and it is not as rough to go to work.  Things are easier to deal with even when it is a rough topic.

I am determined to keep this going all year.  No matter what happens I want to keep a positive attitude.  I am seeking God more in my life and actively seeking the good things that are going on.  I am not letting people get to me with negative thoughts or comments.  It is all in how you look at the world.  I want to see it as a good place.  I want my daughter to go into the world and create a positive space and I can't expect her to see the positive if I don't myself

We owe it to ourselves to have the best life we can,  There is no way to achieve that if we are constantly going around looking at the negative around us.  If we create peace and Joy around us then it will spread, It will infect others and help make the world a better place around us.

Stay true to yourself.  Find your own beauty and dance to your own music.

Happy New Year

I just wanted to take a moment to say Happy New Year!  I am looking to this year with a positive attitude and plan to make some personal changes.  I am very excited to see what this year holds.  Last year was rough and I suspect that this year will have its moments.  I also suspect it will be easier to deal with if I choose to have a different perspective this year also.

So with that I hope you have a great year.  I hope you are blessed more than you can imagine and I hope to continue to connect with you more this year.  Thank you for reading.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to take a moment to wish every one a very merry Christmas.  This time of year is such a great time.  It is a time to slow down and be with family and friends.  I get to enjoy being with everyone.  I love the excitement of the year and being with my daughter.

Today we spent time with my parents.  We don't see them much any more since they moved up north from us.  We are lucky to still have them around so I love the time I get to spend with them.  It is a time to just relax and take in the world around us.  You know that the new year is right around the corner and so many possibilities are coming.

I have heard people say " who cares about the new year it is just going to be the same stuff another year longer".  Well I like to think that  it means we can look toward something new coming.  New year dreams, new adventures, new blessings, a time for new ideas.  I like to think of it as a fresh time to get going.  It is like how nature takes time to rest during winter and them blooms bright come spring.  Well that is what we can do with the new year. We come back refreshed from all the stuff that has happened over the past year.  Brush it off and think of the amazing adventure ahead.

With that said I hope you have a very blessed week ahead and smile as you look forward to all the possibilities  that are headed your way.

Happy Holidays from our house to yours.

Feeling Pretty Good

So for a long time things were really rough.  Then all of the sudden the other day I was sitting here doing my surveys and such and it hit me.  I was fine.  I wasn't stressed even though a lot of things were crazy.  I was relaxed and at peace with my situation.  I didn't care that things were going wrong. I was just enjoying sitting with my daughter and doing my thing.  It was a great feeling.

As you all know it has been a long time that things have been going crazy for me.  Every day I woke up worried about what was going to go wrong and would I make it just one more day.  This day it was all gone.  I wasn't worried, or stressed or anything of the sort.  I was just at peace.  It was an amazing moment for me.  It has been so long but I got there.  Every day since I have thought about that feeling and I keep it going.  Not every day is perfect and sunshine but I am still here.

I am also thinking about taking a big step into a career change where I am in charge.  I want to help people.  I want it to be in a big way though so I am thinking of becoming a life coach.  I can help people figure out what they want to do and how to get there.  I am not sure this is my true calling but it has been on my mind day after day for at least a week now so I am researching the topic.  I think it would be amazing to help others find their true passion and how to get there.

I am ready to change and do big things with my life.  I know I am poor in money but I am rich in faith and spirit.  I am going to make it.  So will you.