. . . and we’re back!
Wow. Has it really been several months since my last post? Things have been really crazy on the home front. First of all, my husband and I unexpectedly became grandparents in February. Since this news came out of nowhere, we had not budgeted for the arrival of a baby in our family. Needless to say, we used up all of whatever savings we had (not that much there in the first place!) making sure that our granddaughter and her parents had what they needed to get started on their parenting journey. Secondly, since our son and his girlfriend are still in high school, I volunteered to babysit so they can finish the school year. I have been taking my last college classes online while babysitting an infant during the day. Of course, I still have three of my own children to take care of as well. Whew! Totally exhausting.
Unfortunately I had to quit my retail job about a month ago. The very early morning hours working shipment, then coming home to classes and babysitting, was just too much for me. I was not functioning well. As they say, when mama’s not happy, nobody’s happy. That was certainly the case in our house. I had no time to budget, no time for the grocery menu planning, no time for anything it seemed. So, I quit. Even after I quit, things seemed hectic. I really forgot how difficult it is to take care of a newborn!
Well, this month I am accomplishing a goal that I set out for myself over twenty years ago. I am finally getting my BA in two weeks. It hardly seems real! At this point, all of the tedious coursework is done and I am wrapping things up. I am taking a few months off to give my own kids some much needed attention and to give myself some badly needed rest and relaxation. I have started back up faithfully with our budget and menu planning. No more eating out on crazy weeknights – we are ready now.
Although we had a few serious financial setbacks, we are still better off than we were in January. Admittedly, it is not by much. As of June 1st, we have only paid off $1500 of the debt that we started with on January 1st. After a month or two, I plan on starting a serious job search. Once I start working full time by the end of this year, we will be able to really put a dent in our financial mess! We are still forging forward despite my lack of employment and we’re ready to work with that “gazelle intensity” once again.
Hang on folks, another post is on it’s way. I promise!
