Saj's Personal Finance Blog

Well I managed to make 135.00 this weekend. I had two pekinese from my C List add and a puppy. I also sold my fat sak. But I blew $26 on fast food. Went to vitamin cottage for spring water, dog food, apples and spend 28.00. Gave $20 to my son because the Fat Sak was his, and I had to explain I'd get another one when we had the room for it. $22.81 at the Grocery store for meat and veggies.
The Dollar Tree for laundry soap, dishsoap, kleenex and few other items. $11. And $15.00 for a tank of gas. I have $10.00 in my wallet and $20.00 I can't remember where it went.
So I made money, but I also spent it.

So, I'm pretty much per month, due to the garnishment, I am down on the moeny situation and how the heck will I get by? I have a shih tzu dog that is 13 and i began to groom her at home. I think I'm pretty good at it. So I decided to put an ad on C's list and see what happened. I have a few responses and two potential "clients" already. I'm just going with this. I will charge $20 per small dog. Any comments for me?

Today I am scheduled to begin child support enforcement for my one and only child. The thing is, i've had a few appointments and I haven't gone! call me stupid and spineless! I feel the father is such a trainwreck! He has NEVER had steady employment, has always let me down, and I probably make more money than him. I also believe he is mentally ill and really needs psychological help, on the last visit, he threw his son against a bed frame and now he has been charged with child abuse. so he doesn't even see his son. but i want to make the point to get him to step up. here i am with all my money issues and i don't know why i get this emotional over child support. in november he gave me $100. he didn't get a birthday or xmas gift for his own son.

I finally got my hands on the book by Dave Ramsey "Total Money MakeOver" I rented it from the library. I have been reading different financial expert's websites and tv shows, really trying to get a grip on handling my MONEY. I am pretty much rock bottom and not within my income means. I am way out of budget. I am filing for chapter 13 in order to get this Tiger Kim Academy to stop garnishing my paychecks, for classes that my son never took. I now am paying an attorney trying to get the courts to look at my case again and decide if Tiger Kim is grossly taking advantage of me. I still get by with the help of my parent's giving me cash for gas, food, medicine for my son, pet food. I still have my Aveo, which was hit by a bicyclist, and has a huge dent in one door. I'm torn about what to do with the car. If I keep the car, it could be a good investment. I owe $8000. I'm serious about recording every penny I spend and asking for receipts for everything, I am trying to live frugal, beginning a new year, and hopefully a new mind set. I really need to realize who I am and face the truth about my life style and what I expect versus what I can afford. Any Advice?

I received a couple of calls from Longwood Industries, a company that will buy your car. They match up buyers with sellers. They claim I could sell it this weekend for the price I'm asking. I gave up on selling my car a few weeks ago. I've decided to go to a 2-year college for Radiologic Technology. Its a full-time day program. I would quit my full-time day job to attend. The issue with fullfilling my goal is how do I afford to live? If I graduate with an AAS in Radiologic Technology, the income will be very good. It will put me in a position to live life and support myself completely. But, if I have to work in the evenings (waiting tables) I'll never see my son. I'm doing scholarship searches and finding out what money could be out there for me. If I sold my car, once again, I'd have less debt and relief from huge car payments. I need to make huge life changing decisions and it scares me!

So I called my son's father and asked when he thought he'd have some money for us. He offered $50 and reminded me that he still needs $2,000 for the condo that he is buying with his settlement money. I'm filling out child support paperwork today. Although I have done child support enforcement before in the past, it has never been dependable. Whether because he's in and out of jail, no work. So in a way I feel it's a waste because I know he is such an unreliable, unstable person. But tomorrow is payday and I'm left with $78 till the next payday.
$520 for late car payment
$200 to debt collection agency
$40 School Pictures
$39 Football registration
$50 desperately trying to save for Xmas
but, I have ended up using this the last 3 weeks.
I also have a $144 energy bill that I need to pay off before August 23.
Actually my sister is paying for my son's football registration, but I bounced a check and need to make up the funds.
I just don't understand why my son's father won't pay for his child. He's seriously mental. I try to understand and sympathize his point of view, and I just continue to get manipulated. We were in a physically abusive relationship and I'm still struggling with the effects of abuse. So, off to therapy I go. I really want to start saving for Christmas, because its a time of year I can't afford to spend money I don't have. But its there and commercialized and I feel compelled to give.

My sister is 6 years younger and a financially smart, business owner. Needless to say, she makes very good money. The usual stories about how am I going to make ends meet once again are familiar during our phone conversations, when I'm dwelling over my mounting debt and lack of funds. Last night she broke down crying over the fact that she made good money and her sister, mother, and step-dad, are always scraping by. She feels compelled to offer money. she feels guilty that she has the ability to afford above the needs in life, when I'm struggling to get by. She offered to pay my big debts so I could just be able to handle my monthly expenses and have a little more fun in life. I know I've made bad financial decisions and It's nobodys fault but mine and I accept that. I guess I'm a thorn in her side????

A few years ago I decided to sign my son up for karate classes. Since I had a huge tax refund coming to me, I felt really rich, and decided pay 1/2 the contract when I received my refund. Well I signed the paperwork and was to start in a month from then. Well reality set in and I realized I really couldn't afford to pay $160 a month for classes. I didn't cancel the "contract" properly and now 3 years later the karate place wants $5,000 from me. Colorado law is that any contract needs to be cancelled within 72 hours from the signing date. My son never took one class, but I'm held accountable for my signature of the contract. I asked to have a trial and talk to the judge so I can try to ask for relief of this debt. I don't really know what to expect.

well I drove to the Carmax in my area on Saturday. I was given an "agressive" offer for my little Aveo, of $5000. Too bad I owe $8400. I don't have the balance to pay. So I drove back home and let everything sink in. The good news is that I have a reliable, gas sipping, little car. It's not like I've lost or didnt' get something. I tried to get out of debt. I'm going to try to just pay what I can every payday, and get thru the debt payment process over the next year or so. Staying in the one bedroom isn't that terrible, I like the apartment and the area. I have about $11 in my bank accounts, but the good new is that my 401K contributions are growing!

Here I am running around on less that 1/4 tank of gas, I went to the dr. for a few medical issues (not too serious) I need a couple rx's, my son needs lunch money, I need gas money, money period. So I call my son's father. He just recently was given a 17k settlement for an auto accident. well he's never paid Child support as a responsible dependable father would, and now that he has extra money he is stringing me along, I asked him if he was going to make a $100 payment this week, as we had discussed that he would, and now he just has too many things to pay and maybe next week. I managed to beg $50 out of him, but uhhhhhhh...its so frustrating...he has the money and we need the money...

So, here I am working my job, that I found through a temp agency about 2 years ago. I have been promoted to a position that involves accounts receivable, doing financial reporting to the controller and keeping track of the service work that we provide. I feel I don't know enough about accounting and business to be as effective as I should be. I feel stupid when I have to continue to ask the controller the hows and whys about things like the accrual process, lien waivers, what happens when I enter a credit memo or need to adjust a customer account. I want to finish my degree and I constantly wonder if I should pursue something that I would really love or I could get a business degree and maybe that would help me in my current company. I don't really know how or where. I just feel very out of the professional world. I am in charge of collecting the past due accounts for our department and when I first started this position about a year ago, I really didn't focus on the past due accounts, and the 120+ past due balance got up to 140K! I am still trying to collect on past due invoices from 2007. The thing is that even my supervisor never brought up how important the collections were. I'm lucky to have an understanding controller, but I feel that I'm just putting invoices into the computer and really out of the bigger picture....what is the way to turn? Plus I need to make more money with my degree, hopefully.

Well here it is, payday again and I'm down to $39.00 left over. That still doesn't include fuel/transpo to work and around town, food, or anything else that might come up. What if I tried to sell my car. I looked on Kelly BB and it should be worth $7500. I owe $8400. Giving up a car is unimaginable. Its like "hello! am i seriously thinking straight?" family and friends would think that I am seriously flippig out, and I would wonder if I did. But first of all it would be a good $500 off my back. I could move into a two bedroom apartment for my son and I (yes we currently live in a one bedroom) very crammed. How would I go about selling my car? I put my ad on craigslist and didn't get one response.

I called nelnet and was given a foreberance until Jan 09. I am accruing inerest of $240 each month during that time. I took public transportation to work today. I can save $10 a week buying a pass. I still need to commute outside of my city to various appointments throughtout the month, but I can save the mileage on my car. I don't know if trying to sell my car would work for me. It would be wonderful to use that money for debt. But in reality, I have a 10 year old son, what if i have an emergency? Not having a car is like taking away a major piece of my every day life. I wonder if that is too drastic?

I can feel the stress all over my body. Out of money, bills to pay, what bills to pay first, what is the most important right now? My dog needs to go to the vet. I can't seem to get rid of worrying about money money money. Food is an easy way to spend alot of money. There are only two of us, but needing to keep nutritious food at home is important. When it was just me, I could live on a tortilla with butter, in the oven. Or just cheap food. But with a young son that is growing and needs 5 fruits and veggies a day...etc...it's getting way to expensive to live. is it just me that lives paycheck to paycheck?

Today is payday:
My money went the following places:
$1192.00 gross
$23.64 Dental
$83.84 Medical
$23.84 401K
$4.17 Vision
$66.98 Social Security
$28.15 Federal Tax
$21.00 Colo. State Tax
$6.18 Life Ins.
$40.00 Savings #1

My Savings #1 balance is now $40
My 401K balance is $767.00

My rent is $625.00 + $62.50 late fee
$200 goes to a bill (7 more months)
I have a negative balance of $-8.97 left over.
This is a sad situation.