Pay Cut

 

Isn't he the cutest thing ever?

 

Still in pain with the back, but I'm moving, this was probably the worse one yet. Wish insurance paid for an x ray so I know what is going on back there. But called for a quote last year and the cash out of pocket would have been more then we made in a week. Not happening. So I live with the pain, but this one nearly did me in. To add to it, I can't take pain killers because my kidney's do not like them and that is worse pain then labor. I've had three kids I can tell ya the pain is worse. So....

 

Any who, we finally saw our pay cut this week. Cracks me up, they remove hubby from the position but yet took many, many weeks to find someone to fill it. No one wanted it. Hubby wanted it. But he likes his new hours. Well if one likes getting up at 3am go for it. I do not enjoy the alarm going off at 3am.

 

Pay cut hurts, shocking right? Looked at the amount verses past couple weeks of budgets, we are not going to make it. Even through I have cut here and there, we not going to make it. But grateful we finally got through the re-fi on the mortgage, that really helps. Looks like we will be back to robbing Peter to pay Paul sort of thing. On the weeks where it's super tight the van won't get money, but should be able to pick it up at the end of the month if we can keep the energy bills low.

 

So 15 dollars an hour would be a dream. Although what many do not understand is once we finally get 15 an hour we will need 20. Just don't understand how one works in one place for well over 20 years and makes well under 15 an hour?

 

So I have two kids in braces coming. Tucker starts in June, Ethan will be a ways behind him, still waiting for the referral. But Tucker has appointments lined up. So as those bills roll in pay those asap, try hard to stay up on medical/dental bills. But after that we are still saving for a second car, and a newer van. I hope that once we get a second car the van will last another 2 years, giving us time to really save. Once those are saved for, it's a matter of saving for a new house and paying down this house.

 

The pay cut makes me want to work even harder to pay down the house. My biggest fear is a job loss. We are not in a position for a job loss, so need to work towards that. But really I want a new house. 5 people in this house, we are on top of each other, the Lego room explodes nearly daily. Cooking dinner some nights just suck, no counters, it's tight in there. And the land, I want land and space.

 

So I think with a mix of paying down the house and saving I would love to pay nearly cash for the next house and just be ok? But that is a ways a way. Saving for a second car is first. And staying up with the dental payments.

 

To save for the second car, we have been working next door. The neighbors want work done, it's odds and ends. This week we are putting on cabinet doors that we designed last week, we were just waiting for the stain to dry. And then we picked up wood for two twin size beds so start on those. We get paid by the hour. There is a list a mile long for next door, but only one thing a week, we do it, we get paid and she picks the next project. So I'm hoping to have the second car saved for sooner then later....

 

I so love stories like this those who finally get it, and do all they can to pay down debt and have that feeling of being free. Our feeling won't be for a long while. I know it's coming.

I know what it's like to have thousands of dollars of medical debt, tens of thousands of dollars, and where is the money going to come from? From working 80-100 hours a week and neglecting the kids because you have to take calls or do this or that. And there is no money for a sitter. From staying up until 2 or 3am to make food for lunches for kids and going to bed and getting up at 6am to do it all again. From getting a commission check to putting it in the bank and coming home and picking up one bill at a time and making that call, that call over and over until you run out of money. Panic attacks and sleepless nights.

We are so much better from there. New insurance which mostly covers the kids, good luck finding a doctor for us. Cut our every day expenses, cut school, cut driving, cut this, cut that. We don't need anything new, or we save for it until we can afford to pay cash for it. We don't have credit cards, we don't have cell phones, well ok we do, but they are the cheap over the counter phones, mostly so hubby and I can chat with each other, or if something happens when we are out. Costs us about 20 dollars every 3 months. We haven't eaten out in well over two years.

We will get there, but it will now be even slower going with the pay cut.