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Crushing Student Loan Debt - A Decade Long Battle

October 29th, 2023 at 12:16 pm

I can't help but think student loan providers are acting like loan sharks. This daily compounding nonsense is beyond infuriating!

I set out to knock off $1,000 from this loan in October, and I achieved that milestone today with my $200 payment. When it eventually updates, my new balance, excluding the absurd estimated interest of $17, will stand at approximately $30,988.00. It's taken me a whopping 10 years of relentless payments, even during COVID, to finally dip below my original borrowed amount. SMH!

Tuesday can't come soon enough – it's payday, and I'm ready to hurl another $300 at this never-ending debt. My mission: squeeze out $1,000 a month to get rid of it. 😤💸

Side note, my ex figured out how to pay for his home repair, he never asked to borrow the money, I guess with me telling him up front I had no money he got the hint. 

Ex 🙄

October 27th, 2023 at 02:47 am

My ex recently called, but he didn't muster the courage  to request a loan. Instead, he went on about needing $300-$400 for a home repair. If he ever decides to ask, my answer is a firm "no."

Since our breakup, it's clear that he hasn't been able to improve his financial situation, and I'm skeptical he ever will. It's unfortunate because he's a genuinely kind and caring man, but it seems he's unwilling to pull things together.

On a different note, I participated in an interview discussing the challenges of repaying student loans. I'm eager to read the article about it.

Not Footing the Bill

August 5th, 2023 at 12:11 pm

I’m going to visit a friend who has cancer, as I mentioned before, fear often holds us back. It’s a two-hour drive and I’m fearful to take the ride alone so my ex is going. I’ve got to jump out on faith and just do things. 

 

I rented a room for one night, which cost $82. I could have stayed with my friend but she has cats and I can’t stand them. 

 

I was lucky to get a room at a reduced rate using a few points. Well my ex wanted to go early, and leave yesterday, I told him if he wanted to go early, he need to foot the bill for the room, which was 100+ dollars and I needed the money upfront if I was booking. 

 

Well as you can see we aren’t going early. One he doesn’t have the money, and two, I’m no longer footing the bill for anything he suggests or wants, nor am I  waiting for him to reimburse me as he always says. I was always booking the trip and he’ll give me the money back supposedly but it’s either I never see the money or he’s short when he pays me.

 

I foot the bill for a trip to NY a while back that he was supposed to pay me back which I never got. This is not happening to me again.  Nope. 

 

 

Breaks My Heart

August 4th, 2023 at 12:20 am

I'm not saying I'm perfect, Lord knows when it came to finances I made some mistakes; however I'm taking those mistakes and learning from it. 

I was chatting with my ex, thank God he no longer lives with me, and he was telling me how hard he was hustling to come up with $700 to fix a roof. $700!

 I don't know why but I felt so bad for him. All I can think was that you are 51 years old, in a job that is high risk that can cause you to stop working in a split  second and you're struggling to come up with $700. It's really sad. 

he always have the nerve to say "I've never been in this position."

I had to remind him that he's always in that position and that when he gets a check he needs to put something aside. 

Poor guy, he's got a big heart, but what he's doing, taking on caring for his mom 100% without preparing for his future, is a huge mistake. 

Juneteenth and Father's Day

June 19th, 2022 at 04:15 am

Tomorrow is Juneteenth as well as Father's Day. My dad never celebrated the holidays, and I miss him dearly. I would still visit with him on this day, I’d do anything to talk to him again. 

 

I decided to treat my ex-fiance to lunch/brunch. He has had a rough 2022, the poor guy is literally in tears almost daily. Since it was Juneteenth and I also wanted to support Black-owned businesses, I thought, why not brunch/lunch? I can kill two birds with one stone, take him out to get his mind off things, and support a small business owner so it worked out. 

 

He finally realized he needs to get his crap together and that the mother is toxic. I heard him snap at her, sadly rightfully so, something he never did. Even his daughter says the mom is toxic. 

 

In other news, I haven't heard a thing from either of the companies I interviewed with, I have been ghosted, I absolutely hate that. I was hoping to get some idea of my status before my trip and nothing. Not taking any chances, I paid myself for July. Paid my tithes, mortgage, a $100 on the student loan (boy do I wish I could do more), and my internet bill. I hate not being able to throw more at this student loan. Interest will start up again in August, which sucks. 

 

I also applied for another remote-jobs, hopefully, something will come in before August. 

 

Yikes, I forgot. I finished up three articles for $300 in gift cards. I can use this for gas and groceries, hopefully I'll be published this week so that I receive payment. 

Financial Bullying

June 4th, 2022 at 11:14 pm

 

I found this new podcast and the first episode that I listened to was about financial bullying. I had no idea that, that was even a term or how to describe what I feel when I say no to others, or how others feels about my journey. 

 

The podcaster discussed how others try to make you feel a shame or guilty if you don’t do things a certain way (insert Dave Ramsey) or say no to activities. 

 

I immediately thought about the many times I said no to things because it wasn’t in my budget and friends would give me looks, roll their eyes, make comments. Listening to the podcast I also thought about  the many times I’ve been asked when was I going to do my kitchen, remodel etc? I always felt bad or ashamed. After listening to this podcast I actually got angry. People actually do this crap, rather than encouraging each other, we beat folks down was my thought. 

 

Fast forward to today. I was chatting with the ex and shared that our dentist had sold his practice and that he should have started the much needed dental work he needed,  especially since the dentist discounted cost drastically. His response was “well I don’t have money like you.” I was furious when he said this,  so I responded, “this is your health, rather than getting new seats ( re reupholstered) for your car, you should have gotten your teeth fix.” 

 

Well I soon realized we were both engaging in financially bullying. Me, making him feel bad that he hadn’t gotten his teeth taken care of  and taking advantage of the discounted cost, and him being upset that I’ve managed to save and am comfortable. 

 

What I’ve learned is that everyone’s journey is different, we are only responsible for ourselves, and this is okay. Next time he complains about money, my only response is, only you have the power to change your situation. 

 

Different news, I polished my nails and toes today, saving close to $50. Even though I’m not a nail salon person it’s still nice to know what I saved. I also paid $31.41 on my mortgage principal because I had odd balance and  I rounded down to the nearest 100. 

 

Went to Walmart for a few things, it was raining so I couldn’t walk. I used a gift card but ended up going to Publix and having to spend cash because the shelves at Walmart were empty. 

 

I also booked my day trip/excursion. I used the CC for points but will pay that off tonight. I’m such a nerd, I’ve calculated everything down to the souvenirs I want to buy, I searched online and got estimated costs, lol. I didn’t ask my family if they were interested. I’d previously shared the info, no one responded and I didn’t want to harass someone in spending money they don’t want to. 

 

The financial journey is all about behavior change, one thing I do agree with Ramsey on 

Holiday Weekend

May 30th, 2022 at 09:58 pm

I’m so glad that I live in an area where people come to vacation. This weekend was fabulous. I pretty did a staycation right at my home. 

 

Friday kicked off the weekend with Bible study, Saturday and Sunday were both pool days, self-facial and manicure and today I just relaxed. Time usually goes by quickly but having the opportunity to do absolutely nothing it actually dragged. Lol. 

 

I also got my itinerary ready for my upcoming trip. After my last trip I learned to plan my days. Day one, they’ll be 2-3 places I’ll visit, I’ve already reached out to a driver for quotes. Day 2, I’m booking a full day tour, waiting to hear from the rest of the travelers. If I don’t hear back by Wednesday, I’m booking my tour, can’t sit around and wait on folks.  Day 3 is a beach day, some window shopping and photoshoot. Day four we head home, so I’ll relax that day.  

 

I’ll have complimentary breakfast at the hotel. The full day tour includes pick up, ferry rides, and lunch. That’s $245. I think it’s worth it since I’ll be hitting a few islands and chances are I won’t be returning to this country in the near future. Since the family is going on this trip there’s no need to purchase souvenirs. I’ll just get a refrigerator magnet and a beach/pool bag for myself. I’m estimating $600 total and this include the photo and tour. 

 

This trip was planned and paid for prior to my return from Greece so there’s no backing out. Travel insurance doesn’t cover this type of cancellation. 

 

I was a little annoyed once I found out about my contract but now I’m excited about going and everything is paid for in cash. 

On a different note, I'm not sure what happened to my Memorial Day post, I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend;however, let us not forget those who made the ultimatel sacrifice.

Monday Updates

May 24th, 2022 at 01:58 am

 

 

First thing I did this morning was submit my monthly invoice to my long term client for $800. I then reviewed and updated an article that I’ll get paid $100 in gift cards. 

Next, I applied for a few jobs and consulting gigs. I’ll be honest, I want to do consulting work. I’m praying that this pans out and is long term. I do not want to go back into the office. I like working for myself, it’s the flexibility I enjoy most, as well as the money made. 

 

I’ve decided that before I do anything when I get the settlement check I’m going to pay my September mortgage, and an additional HOA payment. I’d rather be ahead on the payments since I have no clue when additional funds will come in. The remainder I’ll use to replace the valve, kitchen cabinets and paint. Though this was to be done late this year or early 2023, with how crazy things have been going I’ve decided to just take care of it. 

 

I went to my first white cost ceremony, it was absolutely beautiful, I'm so proud of my friend. She's been accepted to the anesthesiologist assistant program, keep her in prayer, I know this will be tough. 

 

Quick Update

May 18th, 2022 at 11:38 pm

Well, I paid the HOA and COBRA bills for three months. I paid two months on the mortgage because the website didn't update and I want to make sure my payments are applied to both June and July, before I pay August. 

 

I'm so glad I did this because I don't know what may happen as far as income goes. 

 

I also purchased a used refrigerator for $214 with tax. Thankfully my ex will pick it up for me, so there is no delivery charge. Though it's not the color I was looking for I'm glad I was able to get a good used one. 

 

I got the news that the payment for my settlement was received, after legal fees I'm expecting about $8500. I'm just going to save this money. 

 

I also saved a total of $433.27, I rounded up to the nearest $50 for all my savings account. I'm a big believer of putting something up, no matter how small for rainy days. So, I wanted to make sure I socked away something since money will be right. I'll update my sidebar later. 

 

Lastly, in regards to finances, I have about 310 euros left and will exchange those tomorrow for US dollars, I checked and it will be $308.

 

In nonfinancial news, one of the travelers I went on the trip with, admitted that the trip was poorly planned and that he too was very disappointed. I was really surprised because I thought it was just me. He stated that there were quite a few days that he was very upset with us not spending any time at some location visited and also that we had too many things planned for one day. 

 

That's it for now. 

Feeling Down!

May 17th, 2022 at 02:41 pm

I decided to pay three months of mortgage, HOA, and COBRA. After my conversation with the TPA yesterday, he informed me that it appears as though my contract will be ending. I was really hoping to have paid off my third student loan by June but looks like this won't be happening. 

 

I'm so bumbed by this. I really wanted this loan gone by June. I feel I worked so hard to have come to halt. I know should be thankful for what I have paid off so far, and I am but I am still hurt by this. 

Home!

May 16th, 2022 at 11:00 am

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have had traveled abroad, though the trip was not what I expected, to say I've been to Greece is a plus.  

After traveling for 23-hours, I can say I finally made it home. After a review of things, I found that I am at fault, rather than relying on others to plan the trip, I should have been more involved in the planning,  asked a ton of questions, and shared my expectations. 

 

What I learned was that you can’t travel with everyone, including friends. One traveler was solely traveling for social media likes so we would get to a location after traveling for hours only to spend thirty minutes for a photo-op, while the other was so “cheap” and inconsiderate of time, that the trip ended up costing way more than I anticipated/budgeted (penny wise pound foolish).

 

Things were so poorly plan; for example, I didn’t get the itinerary, that I asked for multiple times, until the day before (couldn’t make heads or tails of it once received),  there was only one key to the places we were staying so it forced us in many cases to travel together, also transportation wasn’t figured out prior to the trip, so we wasted a ton of time trying to get transportation. At one point we couldn’t even get a rental car. 


 I take responsibility in this, I assumed because I had no experience traveling internationally and they did, that things would be great, and that a plan would be set in motion.
 You don’t have to have travel abroad to plan things accordingly. Lesson learned. 

 

My next trip is to the islands, this one is with family. Lodging and transportation are already arranged. The good thing is, if I want to go off and do things on my own I can. I’m actually planning my days and the things I want to do and see. I found a local driver, at a reasonable cost through a travel group, identified things I want to see and made a list. I’ll be mapping things out, so I can get a clear picture of how long it will take to commute to significant sites and estimate costs. 

 

Now it’s time to tackle my finances. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the person that I was working with,  my biggest contract, is no longer with the organization, so I’m not sure where things are. I have a call tomorrow to touch bases with the TPA who got me the gig. Fingers crossed because I was relying on this to pay off student loan number three(3), now I’m going to pause the extra payments until I get definite answers and a feel of how things will go. 

 

Because of this, I decided to pay June and July’s mortgage, HOA, and  COBRA. Though I have a great deal of savings, I don’t like to touch it, and I only want to in case of a real emergency like no money coming in, and since I have the money to pay these things (I received my last contract payment before I left), I am. You never know. 

 

The good news is, a former client reached out to me to work on a project for a few weeks. We are scheduled to chat some time this week. This should bring in about $2-4k a month. I’ll throw a little at the student loan but I won’t be as aggressive. I’m just thankful for income. It seems like God is always one step ahead of me. 

 

That’s it so far, I’ll update my expenses and share over the next few days. 

Ready To Go

May 14th, 2022 at 09:08 am

 I honestly cannot wait to go home. Today we fly out at midnight, then there is a eight-hour delay, smh. I had no idea this guy booked a return flight with an eight hour delay. I was reading one hour, but clearly I was wrong. He is so cheap, this  is not being frugal. In my opinion cheap is when one is a penny wise and a pound foolish. 

 

 

Yesterday  we went to a shopping area and was to meet up in a hour. Well, guess what they were almost one hour late returning. I started to catch a cab but didn't because I didn't have a key to get into the Airbnb. 

 

There were some good days; however for the most part I've been ready to go. The way things were set up I actually spent more than I had budgeted and spent a tremendous amount of time wasting time. We wasted a ton of time, having been here for 18 days, it's ridiculous. On average we spent 5-6 hours just commuting 

 

Now I see why a friend of mine travels alone. I think I'm going to do this. 

 

Vacation - Long Post Alert

May 13th, 2022 at 08:12 am

Long post alert! 

Whew, I’m still on vacation and I’m so looking forward to going home. 

 

This trip started out very rocky, but is ending pretty good. One thing I’ve learned is to be mindful of who you travel with. 

 

First, I’d asked the group for our itinerary, multiple times. The people I am traveling with are international travelers so I trusted their judgment. Long story short, I didn’t receive the itinerary until the day before we left and couldn’t make heads or tails of it. So I decided to go with the flow. First sign this would be a mess. 

 

Next, we were scheduled to leave for the airport at a certain time but left late. I hate rushing but okay. 

 

We landed but had no transportation to our Airbnb. My second clue was that this would be a mess. It was late and one of the travelers was attempting to barter with a taxi, in the cold late at night mind you, over 7 euros that would have been split 3 ways, for a total of 2.33 Euros. The taxi ended up leaving us and taking someone else, he found one that was the seven euros less than he wanted to pay. 

 

The next issue, as we couldn't get into the Airbnb, when we finally did the place was filthy, but I made it work since we were only there a few days. 

 

On day one, after a 16-hour flight and no rest, the group decided to tour. So I went along because of the way things were set up, if they locked the door, there was no way for me to get out or turn on the lights. Fire hazard, 🙄 I had no choice but to go. 

 

We had no car so we walked everywhere for hours. My legs became extremely sore to the point I thought I was going to have to go to the ER. I texted my niece who is in health care and she told me to put on my compression socks. That made a huge difference, but I was still sore. Long story short, the group could care less about my legs and wanted to walk 40 minutes to catch a $12 bus to take us two hours away because paying a cab about 100 euros, which would be split was too much. Thank goodness it was too late to take the trip. 

There's a second piece to this but too much to type. 

 

Needless to say, we left that location and headed to the next. I decided to hire a personal driver for a few hours since my legs were still somewhat sore. I'm glad I did. I got to see so much vs had I been walking with them. 

 

To wrap things up, we spent more time in vehicles (e.g. Cars, cabs, ferries) than touring, seeing the area. I feel like I missed so much. One day we visited two sites for a total of two hours, about one each but we spent a total of 8 hours on the road. I'll make another post about this later. 

 

Financial news 

While on vacation I got word that the HR manager who wanted to hire me full-time is no longer with the company. I'm nervous because I make about 8k a month with them. Fingers crossed that this contract doesn't end. 

 

So for now, I'm going to slow down on my student loan payments. I'll still pay extra but the kit is aggressive. 

 

I picked up another contract for about 2-3k a month but this will cover my everyday bills. 

 

I had booked my trip to Turks & Caicos already so too late to cancel. The total for that trip is $1000. I'm traveling with my family so no drama there

Finally!

April 17th, 2022 at 01:20 am

I have no idea what triggered my ex but he broke down and told me he has to get his life together. He has a client, a few who are millionaires, who want to help him and he finally spoke with one today. He said he’s tired of living the way he is living. 

 

For starters he need to focus on him and not the mother, in my opinion. The mother keeps him in a financial black hole. I’m not saying not to help mom; however, he’s not in a financial position to do so at this time and parents shouldn’t live a reckless life with the intent that it’s their kids responsibility to take care of them. 

 

I think it hit home because I’m trucking along, much better mind you, without him. I think this trip I’m taking and his inability to do the same is nudging at him, not mention him being sick and no money saved. Either way what ever the cause, I’m glad he’s finally realized he has to get his life together. 

 

I’m not saying that I’m the queen of doing right financially but at least I’m willing to try. All I ever asked is that he tried. 

 

Stimulus Check

March 17th, 2021 at 07:23 am

Hi all!

 

its been a while, hope all is well. I have a question regarding the stimulus check.  

I help support my mom, so I file her on my taxes as a dependent. She gets social security benefits, retired, Will she get a stimulus check? 

Checking In

August 22nd, 2020 at 09:08 am


Just checking in, I hope everyone is doing well, for me I’ve been trucking along.

We have another storm brewing, 🤦🏽‍♀️🙄, hopefully it passes us by. Yesterday I headed out to the store to pick up a few snacks, other than that I’m doing pretty well with hurricane supplies. Though today it appears as though the storm made a turn, I’m always thinking better safe than sorry, these things can shift at any moment.

Yesterday I paid $300 on the student loan, finally got the balance just under $6k at $5885. This is one of four loans, and I’m so happy to be tackling them finally. For September I’ll be able to pay about $1500 on it.

I also made my first mortgage payment after refinancing, I really want to pay extra on this loan but won’t start doing that until January. I’m thankful for the long term savings.

My emergency fund, finally hit the 6 months worth of expenses saved yesterday. I’m so excited about this, because I’m genuinely nervous about this virus and the impact on businesses. I’m working but we laid off a ton of staff, that we brought back but things look shaky.

I’m so thankful that I worked my butt off to pay off this debt. By doing so my expenses reduced and I was able to save. Rather than needing $2500 a month for expenses, I only need about $1200 a month. I did rounded up to $1500 to include groceries and miscellaneous stuff.

Separate from my EF that covers mortgage payments as well, I also have about 2 months of mortgage (including escrow) payments saved, and about $2k for home repairs.

Though I haven’t hit financial independence I have hit financial peace of mind.

I’m praying things turn around with this virus and economy. One thing I’ve learned, the stock market is not the economy.

In friends and family news, my friend lost her dad to COVID, this is the third person I know who had lost their lives to this virus. Another decided to take a family trip because they needed to get away, well, the entire family was diagnosed and fell very ill, the husband ended up in the hospital for a while, thankfully he’s still with us.

Stay safe everyone

Another Loss To COVID

July 29th, 2020 at 04:02 am

Please take this virus serious, I lost one of my good friends today

Another Student Loan Payment

July 24th, 2020 at 09:17 am


It’s pay day and I came in under budget with my cash envelopes, by $94. I stuck to a plan, and that helped. I was so tempted to head to the grocery store but I promised myself that I wouldn’t go until the next pay day, that’s today.

I stuffed my cash envelopes for the next budget period, and I’m promising myself the same thing, get what’s on my shopping list only, and don’t go back to the store until the next shopping date, two weeks away.

Today I paid $300 on my student loans. I’m down to my last $455 on this loan before I start tackling the principal. Thankfully we have one last month in that the loans are interest free, I’m hoping to knock $1,000 off the principal next month, bringing that balance just over $5k.

I read the proposed senate stimulus bill, and there is no mention of the federal student loans, bummer. Fingers crossed that the paused interest will continue, for a few more months.

Friends and family news
My friend whose mom decided to have a party during this pandemic, that was diagnosed with COVID, later put on a vent then in an induced coma, has taken a turn for the worst. The family was asked to call in hospice. The daughter in law who attended the party, tested positive but is showing no symptoms and is going about her daily routine as if she’s not been diagnosed and it pisses me off. It’s not much I can do besides tell her she needs to quarantine.

I can’t stress this enough, wash your hands, keep your distance and wear a mask.

COVID-19

July 17th, 2020 at 11:01 am


I can’t stress how important it is to wear a mask, wash your hands frequently, and practice social distancing. This virus is serious, it is not a hoax, and if one person dies from it, that’s too many.

As you know my friend’s mom did not take this pandemic seriously, she is now in ICU in an induced coma, and her daughter in law, my friend’s wife now has the virus, contracted, they think from the party they all attended. Please adhere to CDC guidelines.

I’m in Florida, and things are bad. We have had over 100, clinical staff quit, at a local hospital. Let that sink in, over a 100. Nurses do not want to expose themselves, they’re seeing first hand what’s happening. My friend who is a physician shared, based on what she’s seeing, it’s not going to get better. Please, do what you must to protect yourself, family, friends and others.

Refund, Cash Back and Student Loans

July 8th, 2020 at 04:22 am


Received the refund, for the house after the refinance, the amount was $779. I also received a refund, thank goodness, for my professional membership from the job, in the amount of $219.

Now that I have a nice chunk set aside for professional membership and certifications, $763, I’m going to stop contributing to that account and add the amount I was contributing to the student loans. My membership is ridiculously high $219 and the certification (two) are about $150 every other year, and of course they’re due in different years 🙄🤦🏽‍♀️. So with $800 saved, this should cover those expenses, plus I get a refund so I can stop saving after July. Once I’m told no more refunds, I’ll kick the savings back up again.

I promised myself that any money I get, something will always go in the savings, pay yourself mentality. I’m not saving as much as I would like to, I’m trying to pay off the student loans but I vowed to always put something up.

So out of the $779, $100 went to the EF and 619.90 went towards the cash back credit card payment. The $619.9 includes the appraisal, $510, and two fees of $54.95 for the refi, so overall I did not spend anything out of pocket and made money using my credit card cash back.

I had about $60 left, so I paid $30 towards the student loan and left $29 in my checking account as a buffer. I also paid the $219 (the refund) towards the credit card, for my professional membership fee. I like the idea of using the card, not carrying a balance and earning cash back. Even if it’s just $30 a month, that’s $30 I have to add to my student loan every month.

When I went to pay my student loan, I saw that there was a allocation option, never noticed it before 🙄🤦🏽‍♀️, so I clicked on it. Low and behold, I can allocate the percentage I want applied to each loan, interest first of course. I noticed that the loan that showed a balance of $29k was actually split into multiple loans. The smallest balance is just over $6k, that means that at the rate I’m going, $1k month, I can have this loan paid off by December. I feel so much better, knowing that these loans are broken up and that I would be able to pay one off this year. I feel like I can make some traction.

Lastly, the prayers are working, my friend’s mom is doing better, she’s still on the ventilator and in ICU but she’s doing much better, thank God and thank you all for your prayers.

That’s it in a nutshell.

Praying

July 7th, 2020 at 03:27 am


So Miami-Dade County is going back on lock down, I’m literally a skip and a hop away from this county. I can’t figure out, why the governor refuses to lock us back down. The bars, that are supposed to closed, are packed, people aren’t wearing masks and our numbers are skyrocketing. I’m in Florida.

I spoke with my friend, his mom is still not doing well. My other friend had to give up her office, the hospital has to turn her floor into a COVID unit, and my neice who is a nurse, is starting to feel fatigue, she hasn’t had a day off since February. Oh and we have positive cases that I’m now dealing with on the job, one employee has been admitted.

I just don’t understand. We prepare for a hurricane, we will even bunker down if the storm is approaching but we can’t do this for two-three weeks, my God.

I know this isn’t finance related, but it can be. If things do not get under control we are going to see some devastation. A local city, is feeling the pinch and will start shutting electric off of residents who can’t pay their bill, the average bill is $1200 due per household and over a million dollars past due for the city, for three months. Now you start factoring in rent and mortgages, that have been placed on hold, this will be a mess.

I just pray things get better.

Wear the Mask!

July 6th, 2020 at 07:56 am


Listen for those of you who think that your rights are being violated when asked to wear a mask, please put your selfishness aside.

This mask wearing topic has become political, and it is a health care issue.

My friend’s mom is fighting for her life right now. She decided against his wishes to have a party. That’s right a house party. People showed up, there was no social distancing and no mask wearing. Guess what, she is now in ICU fighting for her life. I received a 2:45 am call that things have turned for the worst. The family can’t even visit her.

Please keep this family in your prayer.

COVID-19 Hits Home

April 5th, 2020 at 09:21 pm


A senior cousin of mine who works in a nursing home has been diagnosed, with the COVID-19 virus. Pray fully she’ll get through this. This virus is a scary thing, and has started to hit home.

I needed a few items from the grocery store, I was running low. Just to go in and see the store marked up with tape, so that people keep a safe distance is scary.

I pray that as a nation we get through this soon

Stepping Out on Faith

March 1st, 2020 at 02:09 am

Happy Saturday everyone,

It’s the last Saturday of the month. I had so much I needed to do, but was feeling blah.

I needed to complete my taxes, wrap up the income driven plan application for my student loans, balance my checking accounts, review my cash envelopes, bill my client and update my March budget.

I got most things completed that were on the list. I decided since I have the side hustle, it might be best to let an accountant complete my taxes vs TurboTax.

Just a few updates
The scholarship dilemma, has been taken care of, the organization decided to keep their promise. However, I’ll no longer do any business with them after this.

SO finally came and removed all his remaining things from the house. He’s officially out. I’d been asking and not pushing him to get his things and finally, I just said screw it, come and get the rest of your belongings or I’m dumping them. He looks terrible, he’s lost a ton of weight. I’m sure the stress of the mother and the kid, he has to decide for himself how and when he’ll handle those things.

I’ve also been attending a ton of professional/networking events. With my education, credentials and experience there is no reason why I should be making less than 100k a year. I’ve been selling myself short, and doubting myself for too long. I’ve recently had renowned people in the industry share my name as the one to follow in HR. I feel like, I got this. My next role, must be closer to home at least, $100k

I’m stepping out on faith.

Am I Wrong to Ask For My Money Back?

February 22nd, 2020 at 04:36 pm

‪I made a commitment to an organization to donate $500 last year, in honor of my dad for 2020.

I wanted the reward to be offered in his name. I’ve been speaking with the committee member and expressed my wishes, multiple times. Well I spoke with a member and reminded her this was what I wanted, last week. Today I get a call that it can’t be done, will I be wrong to ask for my money back? ‬

Please no judgement on why the $500 wasn’t paid towards debt. I love my dad, and really wanted to do something in honor of him.

Birthday Shenanigans

January 18th, 2020 at 08:42 pm

Thank you all for the birthday wishes, I greatly appreciate it.

Yesterday was a very low key birthday celebration. I took $50 out of my slush account and bought two pairs of earrings, my last pair broke.

Then the SO insisted on taking me out for breakfast 🥞 so we did that. Next after breakfast I headed over to the used appliance store, in search of a dryer. Well I found one for $180. I was a little nervous but decided to purchase. As I was heading to over to pay, the SO decided to purchase as a birthday gift. No complaint from me. Saved me $180. I have an account for home repairs and was thinking I should take the$180 and add to CC but it’s best to just leave it.

I pretty much stayed home yesterday, that was my birthday celebration. SO gave me $20 for dinner, I put the money in my cash envelope and ate what I had.

I got a quote on the hurricane shutters yesterday, $3,000. I was actually expecting less. This is the guy who did a friend’s home, at half the price. I’ll call around and get at least three more quotes, and set up a sinking fund for this as well.

Lastly in financial news, the CC was knocked down to $5,500, I’m hoping to have this card paid off by April/May.

My electric bill decreased by about $20 but the water went up $10 🙄🤦🏽‍♀️. I had a running toilet 🚽 that I believe caused the bill to increase; however, I finally got it fixed.

Year is Off to a Great Start

January 11th, 2020 at 12:43 pm

So much has happened this year, on a positive note, and I pray it continues.

First, I can’t believe it but I’ve had 10 days in that I have not dined our, not even a soda or chips. It’s been tempting but I’m determined not to eat out this month.

Next I dropped an extra $200 on the credit card and an extra $100 on the mortgage.

I’ve decided it’s no rush and to hold off on the dryer, not to mention my toilet is running, so that’s a priority. Thankfully my uncle has plumbing skills so I’ll have him to take a look at it.

Then there is the big news, my brother had to drop his lawsuit. I wanted to go out and celebrate, not to mention cry, when I got the news. I’m still on this I can’t believe it, but I knew it, kind of a high.

Apparently after my attorney laid into his with the facts and ensured his attorney we were prepared to go after him, the attorney, if he moved forward with his frivolous lawsuit, they had a change of heart.

The sad thing his; I honestly think his attorney knew all along but because my brother is greedy, and he saw a money pit, he moved forward. To go through this process, I’m sure it cost my brother at least $10k

I’m due a refund, but will use the money to finalize one last item with my dad’s estate and then get whatever the difference is back. I’m estimating about $1500.

I’m just so thankful that this is over.



Finally

January 10th, 2020 at 02:44 am

Finally!

My attorney stated she’s been trying to contact me with no luck, and wanted to let me know my jerk of a brother has decided to drop the lawsuit.

Thank you Jesus !

I just wanted to cry

Day 2 and No Spending

January 3rd, 2020 at 02:53 am

Great day today.

I had the boys and they were pretty good. We made homemade pizza 🍕, and completed a few home work assignments. They opted to watching a cartoon/movie on Netflix. So that was our day.

I ended up not having a spend day. After the boys left, I finished up putting away a few of the Christmas items, straighten up the closet in the spare room, and moved the elliptical in my bedroom. I figured having the elliptical in my bedroom I’d be more likely to use it while watching tv 📺. I cleaned my bathroom, totally forgot to take care of the guest bathroom 🚽, so that’s on my to list this weekend.

I transferred $1 to my cash envelopes ✉️, for not spending any money 💰 today.

Tomorrow it’s back to work. I can say this week that I’ve been off has been AMAZING. I’m fully rested and ready to make 2020 one of the best years ever.

January 1st

January 2nd, 2020 at 03:49 am

January 1st and it was a no spend day for me.

I also marked some things off my list, like weighing in, journaling, walking, drinking more water, reading a little, and dumping four chairs, decluttering.

Because it was a no spend day, I added $1 to my January challenge of no dining out. I also added $1 for this week’s 52 week challenge. All the money saved this month will be added to the snowball.

I had a scratch off and won $2, this will be added for next week’s 52 week challenge.

Tomorrow I have my great nephews, I have a few board games that we can play, we will make pizza at home for lunch. I refuse to spend any money. I did get them zoo passes for Christmas, that might be something we can do, we will see. However; I wish it was a little warmer, I’d take them to the pool.

I’m in south Florida and we don’t have much of a winter, but I can feel the temperature dropping a little. I decided that I will not turn the heat on, unless it drops below 60. I can’t stand the cold. The blankets that I have and PJs should keep me warm. My electric bill is slated to be less than $60 this month, and I’d like to keep it like that.

That’s it for now, hope everyone enjoyed their holiday.


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