What to do

Totally at a loss as to what to do over the summer. I officially lost my summer gig I had going for this month which would be the paycheck that would be carrying me through RIGHT NOW and the next few weeks. Looking back I'm thinking it's silly that I didn't have something else lined up, but really it's not. This was a solid job I did ALL YEAR that was going to leak into the summer. I had no reason to believe it wasn't going to happen. Turns out twelve of the separate days I had committed to AREN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. Which leaves me slightly pissed that I wasn't told until the day of or week before on each of them, especially when I'd already made the commitment.  The job had never been like this before otherwise I wouldn't have stuck with it!! I'm totally up shite creek right now. I sure hope the next few things I do I can sneak some vodka into my water, because that's the way I'm going to roll. I'll figure it all out next week, but in the meantime, I don't have two dimes to rub together. Actually, I do. I have a bucket of change. Maybe I'll raid that.

Trying to keep my head above water

This summer is totally not working out work wise as I had hoped. I had several jobs that I THOUGHT were going to carry me thru the first few weeks of June, but not so much. I did help out with a wedding and got paid a decent amount for that. When I had first offered I wasn't even thinking I was going to be paid so that was a nice surprise. Plus it was so much FUN. I had a few jobs lined up with the people that I nannied for over the school year, but tomorrow's fell thru because they're sick. This weekend I was supposed to watch her overnight but they just sold their condo and are having to come up with money to pay the other realtor as they only broke even on what they owed. So that may fall through. I REALLY don't want to do the leasing agent thing again. My last two jobs sucked. But you know what? Reading that post makes me rethink it. All of the other jobs I had I loved. I may just have to put those two jobs on my no work list (not that I have one, but I could make one!). Plus, the boys are old enough to stay home for a few hours by themselves so we don't have to rush around trying to find a babysitter three Saturdays out of the month when Brando will work to noon.

Any way, I have a meetup with several moms tomorrow evening, so I'm hoping that will line up a job or two. I've signed up with a nanny agency, but wow, it is intense and I'm not really sure if I want to be that intense about nannying!! Sheesh, just need a little extra money, not permanent placement (that sounds SO forboding). Cross your fingers for me! I don't want to spend all summer stressed about that little extra bit that we need to come in to survive!!

Off to Scarborough Faire we go

This weekend we joined a group of friends to go to Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie. A couple of Brando's friends arranged for a group of us to stay at her dad's house, and be able to attend the faire all day on Saturday and Sunday for those who could go. Brando had to work Saturday and K's birthday party was on Saturday as well, so we drove up that evening and stayed the night. The faire itself was gorgeous with all the bright colors, costumes, and so much fun with everybody in character. Getting there was an adventure with deflating air mattresses - twin ones at that, Justinb puking, washing the comforters, rugs, bedskirts, white carpet at midnight. Definitely an adventure! Sunday morning we woke up, showered and shined, and headed off. We had a belly dancer, a captain, a Scot, and a wench amongst us. And then there was Brando and I... we didn't dress up : ) . If we go next year, though, we definitely will and then we'll add an archer and a fairy to the group. The shows were a ton of fun, and hilarious, from German rappers, Zilch the Tory Steller, to Don Juan & Miguel, to a really educational show with hawks, bald eagles, and owls called Birds of Prey. Shawners rode the catapult and looked like he was going to hurl the whole time, it was so cute. He wanted to go again! The kids loved the faire, and we did really well with not spending too much money up until the very ending *here's looking at you, Brando*. He was nice and bought me a gift. Unfortunately it was way beyond our means right now or anytime recently. Definitely won't be spending that much next time we go, or we won't be able to go ever again! We had a blast, learned a lot (about ALL aspects of life), and came back to Shawner's last week of first grade!

The jury's still out...

On my thoughts of our current president, but I tell you one thing, I whole heartedly agree with this:

"Americans know that they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe," Obama said last week. "But they also have a right to not get ripped off by the sudden rate hikes, unfair penalties and hidden fees that have become all too common."

Seriously?! The fact that we are STILL $18k in debt after... 18 months of being $18k in debt INCLUDING paying off EXTRA every month is RIDICULOUS. The fact that credit card companies are DESIGNED for you to never pay them off should be illegal. It's a product, not a lease on your life. Although the way it's designed now it might as well be a lien on one's life!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast for a *Pity Party*

You know you saw it coming with that last post.

I am so miserably bored right now. Bored with my hair, bored with my wardrobe, bored with my makeup, bored with having no money, bored with having no time to relax (even though I get much more bored with staying home if I do that), bored with my resume, bored with my responsibilities. So freakin' bored of everything in my life right now. I've fought so long for things to stay the same. Same house, same school, same schedule, that now that it is I'm aching for change.

It might mostly be the money thing. If I could actually have money, money to get the haircut I desperately need, money to get the clothes and jewelry to refresh my boring wardrobe, money to refill my quickly running out makeup and money to go out I might not be so bored : ) . Then, when I do have money it disappears like Houdini's bunny.

Here's to finding entertaining free stuff to do! I think I'll allow myself the rest of the day to pity party and then find something free and fun to rock the boat.

Groceries on a Budget without Coupons

So somehow we have managed to grocery shop with $110 for two weeks at a time by shopping ad items only. The first time we tried it we had a couple fill-in items from before, and the $110 lasted us the whole two weeks. This time around I spent $110 again by saving $50 with ad items and in-store coupons. I am so too lazy to use coupons I actually have to bring.

When the ads for our two local grocery stores come in the mail on Wednesdays I go through and write down all the things I might possibly buy along with their prices. Then, I go through those items with Brando (thanks, honey, for being a coworker on this) and we cull out any unnecessary items like the three desserts I'll more than likely have on there, or the tons of meat that somehow ends up on the list. After my list is pared down I create meals out of the items that are left and throw a few of the basics on the list.

When that's done I total up what the items we're buying is going to cost us and make sure the total cost doesn't equal more than $10 per each individual dinner. If we have lunches, snacks, breakfasts, and other items in there as has been the case the last two times, score!

Bailout

With all these companies being bailed out , where is the relief for the consumer? These companies who sold credit to people in excess and are now being bailed out by those same people. The customers, who are now not only paying the current money they owe to these companies, their insane credit fees, interest fees, are also paying to keep the business and the payroll for the big guys afloat.

It would be like one's brother giving a loan, knowing there is no ability to pay it back anytime soon. Dumb, but it's accepted. Then, the parents give him the money he loaned free of charge. Yet somehow one still owes the brother every cent, plus fees for being late and higher interest just because they may've skipped a bill elsewhere. Oh, and by the way, they now also have a bill tacked on to that to pay the parents back for helping the brother out.

Seems like one giant f*ck up to me.

A broken economy

makes for very last minute Christmas shopping. KT and I did our mall thing Monday, but didn't come up with much. Yesterday Li and I made round two. First stop at Walmart, second stop at the mall where I FINALLY found Brando something and Li helped me put the finishing touch on it. Yay! The boys played their DSs again, and didn't say a peep. Afterwards we stopped by Chilis for afternoon margaritas, southwestern egg rolls, spinach dip, and buffalo chicken. Mmmm.

Last night I started some of the grocery shopping for tomorrow's meal, and Justinbustin did his Christmas shopping with Daddy.

WARNING!! This next part gets deep!!

I also heard the news last night that my BFF is getting a divorce. Her husband moved out a week ago. They have been working alternate schedules for the last year and a friend of hers has been coming over and helping out with the kids while she is working. It got to be a little more than helping out, and now they are done.

My heart breaks and I am so very, very humbled thinking about how I have been stressing over gifts here and gifts there when the very most precious thing to me is that Brando and I are together and on speaking terms this Christmas. More than that. We haven't spoken about money lately so we are on pretty darn good terms. Not that we don't need to speak of money and won't, but not speaking of it allows us a breather amidst the stress. Then we have to take in a big gulp of air again because we'll realize while we thought we were breathing, we were actually just holding our breaths.

My heart is so broken right now for my good friend. She is not on good terms with her mother and sister either, and it sounds like she will spend Christmas alone. I am so very grateful for my family right now, and wish her the deepest peace in her heart over any gift this Christmas.

Pain

My FIL had been paying rent on the properties my MIL acquired from the marriage for the last ten years. They have been talking about the lease coming up for two years now and the agreement was he was still going to lease, until yesterday. He told her he wasn't going to lease and she now has less than ten months to find a new tenant. His business is hurting with the economy but that doesn't give him any less reason to follow through on his word.

It makes me cry to think about it. The women who spend their lives in support of their husband to push them further in their careers who when it doesn't work out end up where? It's a little too late at that point to create a life of having a career at that point.

For all you career wives and career mommies out there, don't stop. Not just because of the ever possible possibility of divorce, but what happens if something happens to them. I so wish I had started my life later. Smarter. Gotten a head start on my own career. I might've still chosen to stay home with my boys for a while, but at least I would have SOMEthing under my belt to fall back on, even in hard financial times like we're going through right now.

I'm so grateful for my work situation right now, as I do have a friend who has a masters and makes about the same as I do working two days a week so I have nothing to complain about. However, when my situation ends it ends and I am back out there looking for something else. Kind of like my MIL right now.

Money

From Savvysugar.com with notes by me:

"It's bad news for retailers, but good for financial health. Cash is making a comeback as the preferred method of payment. Online retailers are particularly troubled by consumers shying away from their credit cards, and according to the founder of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services Howard Dvorkin, "With credit cards, consumers spend 30 percent more (on purchases) than with cash."

Edited to add: Not to mention pay an extra 6%-20% in credit card interest on their purchases they've already spent 30% more on than they normally would have. That's 50% more! Unfortunately, they seem to think we'll return to our old ways (see below). Well we didn't spend cash after Sept. 11, but we do now for a very different reason - the credit in and of itself. People who don't learn from this experience will at least will know they are destined for failure when using credit, at least with that amount of money, not in life..

"Americans have usually gone back to ol' reliable cash when the economy is troubled, like after the Sept. 11 attacks. Dvorkin thinks consumers will return to their credit-spending ways when the economy gets on its feet, saying, "It's hard to to teach an old dog new tricks. Consumers have short memories. When the economy turns around, they'll return to the same old ways."

Nowadays every time I use a coupon or buy something I NORMALLY would buy on sale I tell Brando I earned blank percent on my money. So if I use a coupon I got in the mail for a free meal at Pei Wei at a time I would've eaten out any way then I've earned 100% on my money. If I use a $10 off coupon at Bed and Bath on a $20 item I've earned 50%. If it's a $1 they overcharged me on a $3 item that I bring up at the register that's 25%. These add up to real money. With just those three things I've already earned $19 of my money I've already worked so hard to earn, without any banks CD. I'm not even counting the credit card interest I'm earning had I put it on a credit card and been paying that amount. But that's a stupid tax for me any way, and I'm still paying it on the credit card amount we have left!!

I've also discovered something with Brando going out on dates with him lately. If you're nice enough to people to have an interesting conversation with people behind the counter who have been doing the same thing over and over all day you get lots of free things. I've never seen Brando so friendly with people, but he has conversations wherever we go. Totally not expecting free things, but it practically gets shoved in his hands as he hands it off to me : ) .

Weekend of Compliments

I absolutely LOVE my job. I see different people every day, I get to talk to people from all walks of life, my co-workers love me, and every manager I work for pleads for me to work for them. Temping instead of doing something permanent allows me to meet so many different people, view and get to know so many different communities, and meet so many new friends I would've never met at a permanent job working at one community. Many, if not all, of the communities I work for request me back if I'm available, and if I am I sometimes get to work for one community four to five weeks in a row. I love that, but even more I love discovering a new property or going back to a property I haven't been to in awhile, either because I've requested a weekend off (something else I can't do with a permanent position) or because I've been at another property.

One fun example of what I love about my job is a few weekends ago I got invited to a party on Sixth Street coming up in September with Br*d W*mack, the last B*chelor. I totally want to go, but am intending to invite another girl who works for the company that invited me so I don't have to go it alone. I wouldn't be alone any way, but I'm not going to hang on the shirt tails of the guy manager who invited me (who, by the way, reminded me that my options are open, not that I would want to since I'm married, but it's good to know if I wasn't!!). I definitely need a girlfriend with me!

Another one is people telling me what a great leasing agent I make, and pleading with me to work with them. I hate having to say no, I like to keep my weekends flexible if I havet o and in leasing that is usually not an option when you're permanent. I've gotten four job offers in the last three months, two of them for a brand new property which is usually something one has to work a long time for. That's a good feeling!

Another not so fun, but still an interesting example that reminds me of why I love my job, is four out of the five people I showed an apartment yesterday had just bought a house within the last three years and were in the middle of a divorce. While it was sad and heartbreaking to talk to each of these people - one with two kids, one with a fifteen month old, and one with no kids - it reminded me how grateful I am that we didn't buy that house last year. I can't imagine the stress of wanting/needing to sell your house and not being able to!! No wonder these marriages are failing. What a huge amount of pressure!

The energy I get when I come home is AMAZING. Yes, kids grow up way too fast, but they deserve the energy we as adults get from other people. They don't deserve my empty, drained personality that results from being home way too long with no adult interaction. To be an adult, I actually have to interact with them, even as an adult myself. And I'm loving it! With nannying the baby girl during the week I feel even more productive earning more income, but I am absolutely happy to keep my weekend job to keep up the flow of adult interaction. I'm such a people person that I get so much energy from each interaction and come home fired up and ready to go! I love it!

Growing up around me

Sometimes I wonder what I am doing here. Sometimes I feel like I am living life day by day, trying to survive. We're doing the right thing with finances, but sometimes I wonder why we didn't buy that house down south. I've always lived on the edge - of everything. Now it feels like we're starting to get a handle on things. We're going to counseling, we've paid down a large amount of debt, we're moving into a place where we'll actually have a decent rent to income ratio, Justinbustin is going to a FREE school, Shawners is going into first grade, and I feel almost uncomfortable, like putting on a dress I could never afford to buy. It fits me, it looks great, but I sure as heck won't be walking out the door with it. In a sense not buying the house down south last year has me feeling like I'll never walk out the door with that dress. It feels like the families we know are growing up around us - getting to know their neighborhood around them, taking summer vacations, on the boat, to another state, even just to the beach - and here we are. Home. Struggling to even keep a roof over our heads and food on our plates. 

Busy World

Little update on life:

Boys are all set for school. I've been praying for them every night that they will have a teacher who loves God and is able to teach them to the best of their capabilities. Also, that they will have friends who love God and support them, especially one in particular, and ones they can support. I've set a schedule that includes having a breakfast date with Justinbustin every morning and one with Shawners on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'll also have extra time with Shawners on those days for a date later in the day if we want!

Finances are shite. I sometimes get the feeling they always will be. We are doing okay in that we aren't adding more to our debt, and sometimes even paying more of it off (we're down to one credit card, but with still a large amount on it), but with all the inflation and gas prices lately we run out of money two days after pay day!! Today I had to take money out of our emergency fund in order to fill up my car and buy groceries for our Mother Hubbard cupboards.

Summer luvin' is good. We have spent a lo-hot (aka Dr. Cox style because I am currently obsessed with Scrubs) of time at the pool. The last week has been busy with robotics camp for the boys so yesterday and today we were back in, even amidst the tropical depression coming through our area. Yeah. The friend of mine that was here, her little one, the boys and I were in the pool while it was pouring (no thunder or lightning or we would've hightailed it out of there). Our hair was soaked, not from the pool, but from the rain. Awesome.

Brando and I are currently seeing a counselor every other week. Tomorrow is our second time. So far so good. We've set a few ground rules - no talking about what we talk about in counseling afterwards unless it's with the counselor the next time, not waste our time fighting in front of the counselor (yeah, we do that). I also mentioned to the counselor that we need a specific goal to work on when we leave - something constructive that gives us a common goal to work towards and not storming out of there angry with what was uncovered.

And just because...

Apparently I look like a ballerina when I frisbee golf

A more normal frisbee golf pose while playing with friends.
It was our first time and a blast, despite the melting hot heat!

Fireworks over downtown on the fourth of July

Blowing out birthday candles on my cupcake cake

My beautiful cupcakes my boys and Brando made me and
the real daisy cake his Mom sent me in the background.

My birthday cupcake cake

Just because it's adorable.
Justinbustin gazing out from the pedestrian bridge over Town Lake when my parents were here.

Headache or Exploding Head - You Pick

Why is it that taking care of oneself in a quality manner is SO much trouble and costs SO darn much?! It goes from having a high a*s premium to being charged a high a*s amount AT the doctor's or dentist's office. Grrr.

Then if because I'm a spouse and am trying to access information about the benefits, it's always "We have to talk to the policy holder." Granted that's not ALWAYS the case, but with this new web access they have everywhere one has to have the many usernames and passwords (which I haven't written down the many times Brando's told me because I'll remember it, I always think). When I DO have the username and password and call tech help because their website isn't working they can't help me out because (say it with me) I'm not the policyholder. 

Somehow any office I visit has free and complete access to all of my benefits. They can tell exactly what I will be charged. Do I have that same access? Nope. So when I got fined a hefty $83 for two dentist appointments when we have dentist coverage it comes as a complete shock, not only to me but to the budget. Granted it was a nice dentist office - nice facilities, nice staff, nice dentist and I'm paying for it.

I'm attempting to write down a sheet I'm going to have to put in a lockbox somewhere of all our passwords, usernames, 800 numbers, policies, accounts, credit cards, loans, to put it all in ONE DARN PLACE so hopefully I'll avoid this frustration in the future.

Eating Out and Eating In

For seven years I have been the mother of strict as far as what comes into our house for snacks and hydration. The past three or four weeks I have realized more and more how much we need to eat in. Not only is the cost of food rising, but the cost of the gas to get to the food is rising.

The first four years of our marriage we ate at home on a $150/month budget religiously. When we moved to California we had more money than we knew what to do with and more crowded living conditions so much so that we made Kianti's our favorite dinner spot and money hoarder. When we moved back to Texas we continued that trend.

Our barreling car race of seeing how much we can spend eating out slowed down at the pace of a snail from eating out at elaborate places, to eating out at inexpensive places, to eating out at cheap places, to sharing a meal and only drinking water at cheap places, to eating more and more at home, until three years later I finally feel like we are starting to get some balance back.

One of the main reasons for this last baby step is I have started to buy drinks. When we go out if it's on a weekend we'll normally get one iced tea for Brando and I to share, and water for the boys. Somehow that iced tea completes the meal and makes spending the money to eat out seem worth it. Way back when I used to make iced tea at home, but at the moment that takes up too much time and is way too much of a pain in the butt so I've been buying Sweet Leaf Tea. I've also been buying crackers. Lots of yogurts. Occasionally chips and dip. Juice coolers. Things I've never, ever boughten before and certainly not on a regular basis. Of course all healthy and organic still : ) I won't deny my true roots, but snacks nonetheless.

A lot of these items tend to be on the expensive side because of what I'm buying. I get around that by buying whatever is on sale that week. That way I get to try something new and it's usually less expensive than the generic brand would be at my local grocery store. Oh, and I've been buying my meat at Costco to grill at the pool - usually healthy, super inexpensive, and tons of it.

I've actually been happy eating at home. The first time I realized that was last week when I didn't have money to grocery shop at the beginning of the week like I normally do and we had to do without the snacks and major source of protein that enables us to spend the evening at the pool grilling our dinners. Boy did we miss it. We pulled together a last minute grill out with a few friends last night despite having hardly anything, then this week I made up for it a little with yogurt smoothie drinks and ice cream cones to round out the deal. Slowly but surely we're making our way to a consistent healthy habit of eating at home and enjoying eating out once or twice on the weekends.

The Work

Some of you may be thinking you missed the memo about me working. You didn't. I signed back up, for weekends only, with the staffing company for leasing agents that I worked with last year.  My first job this time around was because the company requested somebody "energetic and upbeat". Whoohoo, baby, that's me. When I went in, the manager I worked with wanted to hire me the first day, and her fiancee tried to set me up with his best friend. The next day his best friend came in to meet me. Sorry, buddy, still married. I didn't get divorced overnight. Good to know my dating options would still be open if I wasn't married though ; ) . Nice start to getting back into the work force.

I'm not considering the permanent position she offered until the end of the summer when it would start. It's opening up a new property, which was also the case with the permanent job I accepted last summer. And then quit a week later when I discovered the 60+ hour work week they wanted out of me. I was picking my nanny up at six am in the morning in order to get to work on time. I think I ran on three hours of sleep that whole week, with school, homeschool, work, and the nanny. This job would be weekends only. Though, it would also be EVERY weekend.

Right now I really like the option of being able to say I'm not available this weekend that temporary working offers. I do miss out on the money for the leases I sign at each community. If I was hired on with one company I would get commission on each lease. Right now though we really need something to just get by and not mess with our dynamics too much, and for now this is working!

Alive

It turns out Brando was a single dad"ish" for the last three weeks before our (yes, I do mean our) meltdown Wednesday night, with my working on the weekends and going to class or studying four out of five evenings. Me being in the hot Texas sun from 8am-5pm on Monday-Wednesday this week helping out with the boys cub scout camp, then going to class or falling asleep, and being utterly exhausted didn't help matters. He was overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed. Fortunately I knew I was and went to a friends house to stay the night, which didn't help his cause, though it did help mine. He didn't know he was overwhelmed though, and sent a series of VERY mean texts the following day throughout the day. As I told Allison, it was the worst text day in all my texting life. His friend convinced him to come home if I agreed to not talk about it, and he did. Over the next day I had a realization about the single Dad thing that's been going on for him. Also that one of his love languages is acts of service, and while I was busy being extremely apalled and defensive of not becoming a Stepford wife when he was upset about me not helping around the house lately (read: exhauted), he was busy feeling VERY not loved. Especially when he asked the boys to do chores and I asked him if they could wait until the next day as they were tired from being at camp all day, then he asked me if I could help out and I said, "I'm not doing NOTHING!", which started it all. Granted while I was exhausted, he was busy being exhausted in the way only working full time, making dinner and putting the kids to bed every night and having them by yourself on the weekend can make one.

So, in a nutshell, that was our very, very sad last few days. Our pastor is going to talk with us if we are willing on Sunday (or today, but Sunday works better all around). While we have sorted through this one argument, I would really like to find out how to AVOID having major meltdowns in the future, or at least talk about strategies of how to deal with them. It's not like this is the last time our lives are going to be overly stressed. In fact, I'm taking off to work here in a few minutes and realized I'll be working on Father's Day tomorrow as well. Sorry, honey!

Thank you for all your sweet comments of concern! It means so much to me, feels like a big group hug, and a bunch of really sweet individual, supportive ones to boot. Let me know if you hear of that instruction book, will ya'?

The Busy's Back

I spent the weekend working both Saturday and Sunday*, the last five hours cramming for my first exam for the semester, tomorrow will be spent all day in the sun at camp with the boys since I have to be there for Shawner's age, class is in the evening an hour after camp lets out, then more camp, homework, and class again on Wednesday. Fortunately it's all for a brief moment... until I work again next weekend.

*Some of you may be thinking you missed the memo about me working again. You didn't. That post is coming.

Our Embarrassingly Large Amount of Credit Card Debt

Originally posted Monday, November 13, 2006.

Inspired by Courtney.

Credit card debt $20,000.

Okay due to popular demand (ha) I’m taking off the house and car debt. We still want to get rid of the car debt but credit card debt was the start of this. I’m putting a link to this in my sidebar because I don’t know how to just put it in there. The point of this is to help motivate us into getting rid of it! Well we’re working on it before this, but this might be a good accountability tool.

Update May 2008: Somehow between the time I posted this and the time we actually started paying off our debt, our debt grew to $43k. Since then we have sold our rental house in Marble Falls and paid off half that so we are back down to our $20k debt. Not sure if that's an accomplishment or not, but it certainly has helped our bottom line: we are down from $3000/month over our heads to only $350/month over our heads (oh and both those totals do include the car debt so that is a $10k difference).

Update August 2010: We have been blessed beyond belief and our debt is gone. I cannot wait to start saving at some point in the future. In the meantime, we are hoping to just resist the temptation to use our credit cards, with some pretty darn big motivation not to.

Financial Workshop Week Three

On Saturday we went out to lunch as a family and then went to Chick-Fil-A and let the kids play in their indoor tunnel playscape and worked for two hours on finances creating our 'cash flow planning' system. We came home to the business center and worked on it for another two hours until the kids had enough and we called it quits. It ended up showing exactly how far in the hole we are in, how far in the hole we will be in once our house sells, and gave us an opportunity to figure out what the heck we are going to do with that negative income once the house sells.

Today we went to week three of FPU and learned about relationships with money. Rather how we handle money affects our relationships. One thing he mentioned is that money fights are the number one cause of divorce in America. I've always heard it was money, but it really is the money fights not the money 'cause boy have we been there. There was a part on teaching our kids about how to handle money as well and how to pay them for work, how they can handle money as a teen, when to open a checking account, etc. Great information!

We talked to the leader of the class afterwards and showed him our entire cash flow plan and he agreed we are down to the barebones, now it's just a matter of finding out where we are going to get the extra money to come in.