A Work at Home Mom’s Blog

As you probably know from recent posts, I’m trying everything I can think of to save money. I don’t have much choice right now, and I’m trying to get together enough money to have Pumpkin a birthday party. So I’ve been cutting back any way I can.

Some of my efforts have worked out pretty well, such as driving as little as possible. I have been making it a point to get as much done each time I go to town as possible, and I’ve managed to go out no more than once a week most of the time. I’ve also done a fairly good job of stretching the grocery dollars, but I suppose I could do better.

But some things haven’t worked out as well as I had hoped. For instance, I ran really low on foundation. I despise going out without makeup on, but without foundation, I’d rather not use anything else, either. If I can’t cover up my pimples and blackheads, what’s the point? It wasn’t too big of a deal, though, because as I said I don’t get out much lately. So I only put on makeup when I’m definitely going out.

That worked out fine until this past week. There was so little foundation in the bottle that the small amount that was there just clung to the sides. So I got the bright idea to add a couple drops of water. Hey, it works for shampoo and conditioner, so why not makeup? Heh.

I did manage to get some more out of the bottle, but it didn’t provide any coverage whatsoever. Oh well, I guess it was worth a try. I ended up going to the store anyway, and darn if I didn’t forget to buy any foundation. So I guess I’ll be going to the store without makeup again.

So I told my mom that I would come see her this past Friday. Hubby was getting paid and I had a check on the way, so for once I should have had enough money for the gas. But wouldn’t you know it, things just didn’t quite go as planned.

Hubby got paid alright, but they took out a bigger bite in taxes than we had figured. And as for my check, it didn’t materialize. It was due from a client I’ve worked for about eight months now, and they’ve always paid on schedule. I’m not sure what the deal is, but I guess I’ll be contacting them to find out.

Anyway, that amounted to not having enough to pay the mortgage payment and Hubby’s truck payment. The mortgage comes first, so I’ve got that ready to send. And since there wasn’t enough to pay the truck payment anyway, I figured I might as well keep my word to Mom. Pumpkin and I hadn’t seen her all summer, so I went on up there and let her spend the weekend as planned, then Hubby and I picked her up today.

I still haven’t gotten to pay any money on my laptop. I hope he doesn’t sell it to someone else. It’s brand spanking new, and I’m getting a killer deal on it, so I definitely don’t want to lose it. I might have to buy some software that I need to do my work for it, but I definitely won’t have to buy memory for a while because it has tons of it. Hopefully he will hang onto it for me until we can get our finances straightened out.

One good thing: Hubby will be getting three paychecks this month instead of two. So maybe, just maybe, things will not be so bleak by the end of the month.

We’re really low on funds right now. There are a bunch of bills that urgently need to be paid, but we have no money to pay them. I’ve cut corners where I could, but there’s just nothing left to cut right now.

I put our Netflix subscription on hold for a while until we get everything sorted out (guess I won’t need to buy home theater seating just yet ). I like having movies to watch, but it’s not a necessity. We haven’t been sending them back very quickly, so we haven’t been getting a lot of them anyway. When we do get our subscription started back, I’m going to a cheaper plan and trying to send them back as soon as we watch them. Might as well get our money’s worth, right?

I’ll be glad when we can quit cutting corners just to get by. I try to be somewhat frugal anyway, but it’s less fun when doing it out of necessity.

I was once pretty good at saving money. At one point when I was single, I kept at least $1,000 in my checking account at all times. But I was never much on savings accounts. I thought they were a good idea, but I liked having my money easily accessible. The bank finally talked me into opening one eventually, but by then I had lost my touch. It was cleaned out within a few months.

I haven’t had a savings account since, but I’d like to get enough money together to start one some day. Or maybe put it in some other investment vehicle. I’d like to know what it feels like to have a real financial cushion to fall back on when hard times hit, and to have some money put away for when Pumpkin goes to college.

The past few years have been quite a financial roller coaster ride for us. But I hope to be able to get back on our feet and stronger than ever soon. And when we do, I’m going to start saving money like a mad woman.

If you haven’t read about my housing problem, click here to be brought up to speed. If you can make a donation, that would be great. If not, I totally understand, because I’ve been there and done that. Heck, I am there now. But I’ve come up with another way you can help if you like.

If you’re a work at home mom, or any kind of mom for that matter, you can find lots of great stuff at Mom’s Talk Network. By clicking that link and signing up for their mailing lists (for free), purchasing their quality ebooks, or signing up for coaching, you can help me earn commissions. If you sign up or purchase by the end of the month, I’ll get paid for it on the 10th of next month. It’s a little later than I need it to be, but maybe if I can make the money and have proof of it I can get someone to loan me that much and then pay them back when I get paid.

If anyone has any other ideas to help me get this money together, I’m most willing to listen. No get rich quick schemes or anything that requires an investment, and nothing that requires me to scam anyone else, please. (Sucks that I have to say that, but you know how it is on the Wild Wild Web.) Legitimate ways to raise funds quickly are what I’m looking for. If you have any ideas, please drop me a comment.

Insurance has been something of a luxury for us lately. We were barely able to get Medicaid so that Hubby could get the medical care he needed while he was out of work. Once he went back, we were barely able to keep it a while longer in a transitional capacity.

I suppose we’re luckier than some. If you don’t get health insurance at work, you’re often out of luck these days. And that insurance is often only good if you’re close to home. If you travel very far, you have to get separate travel health insurance.

The last job I had that provided insurance included a low level of travel insurance with their plans. It was one of the best benefit packages offered around here, and I miss it. Not the job, but the insurance. Hopefully soon we can get all the insurance we need again.

We had several people come and look at our mobile home over the weekend. Three different people sounded really interested, and two of them have made offers. But they’re both lower than what we need to get out of it.

We priced it slightly above what we expected to get, but they are going even lower than that. I think it’s well worth what we’re asking for it, and a steal at what we’re willing to take. But I can understand people wanting to get the best deal possible. I’ve been there and done that.

At least we know that if worse comes to worst, we have it sold. I just hope we can get enough out of it to either make a down payment on something (if we can find something in our meager price range) or pay rent for a while until things get better. I really don’t want to rent again, but we’ve gotta do what we’ve gotta do.

Those of us who have credit that is less than perfect have a hard time getting credit cards, home loans, and other types of credit. Sure, we get offers for credit cards in the mail all the time. But who wants to pay outrageous fees every month for a secured credit card that may or may not help improve their credit?

Fortunately, there is help. There’s a website called Bad Credit Offers that lets you compare offers for people with bad credit side by side. Whether you’re looking for a credit card with reasonable rates to help rebuild your credit or an auto loan so you can get a much-needed car, they can help.

I’ve been browsing laptops for a week or so now. Hubby has offered to buy me one, and I’m not going to turn him down. I can definitely use a new computer, and a laptop would be awesome.

I would like to know that I’m getting the best possible product for my (well, Hubby’s) money, though. So I’ve done some shopping around, and I’m not done yet. CouponChief has tons of online coupons, so they were one of the first sites to cross my mind.

And guess what? They’ve got some really awesome HP coupons. There is one that was added today for $200 off on a customized notebook. Consider it bookmarked.

You’ve probably been exposed to one or more loyalty rewards programs online at some point. You join up, make everyday purchases through the program, and receive some type of reward. Some programs offer prizes, others cash.

I’m not usually impressed by these kinds of things. It seems like a lot of work for little reward. But the utango rewards program looks like it might be worth a try. Unfortunately I can’t join right now (they’re only offering it to singles or couples who have been married three years or less), but according to their FAQs I will get the opportunity eventually.

The utango rewards program is a cash rewards program, which is of course the best kind. But it offers more than any other rewards program. Members can earn up to $200 per year, plus they receive anniversary rewards and bonuses for referring friends and family. Best of all, you can earn up to a $1 million lifetime cash reward. How’s that for a retirement fund? Oh, and did I mention that it’s free?

I will absolutely, without a doubt be keeping my eye on this program. It seems easy enough to use, and it would be well worth my time for that million bucks.