Monday, June 14, 2010

I Could Go For Trading Seashells

I hate finances. I really do. Nothing used to get me more worried and stressed out than money, or the lack thereof. In fact, after I quit working full-time, I would imagine I lost a year of my life worrying about how we were going to make it.

Good times. Or not.

I have been home now for 5 or 6 years and I draw a whopping $50 a month right now teaching sewing lessons. I am thankful that I have that opportunity, but I wish I had more things I could do here at home to earn money. So, husband has a lawn care business and I've thought well, I'll just support that and get behind that and help him with that. And he is having the hardest time finding weekly yards to mow. I keep wondering what is up?

I mean, here we are....husband is perfectly willing to work this extra job so we can pay off debt and get ahead and....it's just not working. God must have something He wants us to learn from all this. I'm thinking there is a good reason.

In the meantime, I'm reviewing credit card terms and making phone calls (it's not that bad--but I just want to have them paid off! We're certainly under the average family debt in America, but his root canal and my recent surgery didn't help matters.) Today I scooted all around the house rounding up change that I will turn in tomorrow to the bank. I've got grocery shopping down to a pretty frugal routine. I'm a crusader for lower electric bills this summer. (Little Bit: I'm hot. Me: Get some ice water. No mercy.) I'm trying really hard.

But we are blessed. SO blessed.

I really could go for the bartering system though. And I can't help thinking about Abraham Lincoln's father who could not read or write. When he owed a man money, he made a mark on the wall. When he paid him back, he wiped the mark off.

Doesn't that sound much simpler?

7 comments:

  1. Oh Brenda . . . I hear you! We're paying off an int'l adoption loan, and then the economy crashed. Expenses went up, pay was cut, etc. Mr Perfect has been working 4 side jobs to try to dump what we can into the loan and it's just insane. The children don't see him unless he's facing a computer and I crashed and was lonelier than I ever had been before. He's given notice at the side job that requires the most time, so we'll have him back again, and while that will cut way into what we send to the loan - the loss of him was just not worth it.

    Amazing - the grass is always greener, isn't it?

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  2. Cause of K's medical bills we are over 100,000 in debt right now. But God answered our over 1 million dollar medical debt with the other hospital with a hurricane. Figure out what He is trying to teach you and don't worry about the other. With worry, it's hard to see the lesson.

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  3. Oh, Brenda! We are hot too! We got a $400 electric bill and immediately realized we need to keepthe thermostat around 80. Given that it's pushing 100 degrees here right now (yesterday was 98), it' still better in here than it is out there.

    I relate to what you're talking about in this post in ways yo will probably never know. And we are facing new financial challenges right now that we are not prepared for.

    I'll be praying for you.

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  4. finances here are definitely a challange- because we are trying to save for another car... which will absolutley be needed soon! We are doing a lot of "we need to do this" so money isnt getting saved as quickly as it should. Life is hard and one income is hard but so so so so so worth it! I will take my hard financial existence of being a two income family and having to allow someone else to raise my kids.

    I know we all believe we are blessed and we ARE, but that doesnt mean things arent hard sometimes and we just need to face it and look back at the other mountians we have already climbed and know there is a summit in this one too!

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  5. I lived in a small town briefly where there were a lot of stay at home moms. And they bartered. A lot. Garage sales stuff for groceries, help with a small photography business (stuffing envelopes) for family portraits, haircuts for a new baby quilt. Living out - out of the overflow for others... It was awesome. I miss it so. Move here and I'd barter with you!

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  6. Do you by any chance do transcription? I have been transcribing interviews and focus groups for several years now, and the company I'm working for has a big backlog of work. They are looking for a few more folks to help out.
    The files are electronic (you download them from their ftp site) and the transcription software can be downloaded from Express Scribe for free.
    Let me know if you are interested. I may even post something on my blog since there are so many folks out there looking for work right now.

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I don't get to talk to a lot of actual grown-ups during the day, so your comments make me really happy! :)