Saturday, February 05, 2011
My Fiverr Gigs
| My Fiverr Gigs |
Friday, February 04, 2011
Fear and Debt
| SCARY STUFF OK, so my personal debt load isn't as scary as the national debt, but as a single mother trying to make ends meet on 1 paycheck I sometimes feel just as hopeless. What causes this hopelessness? I think it's fear, at least for me. Fear that I won't be able to pay all the bills, fear that the credit card payments (even the minimums) will be too much, fear that I won't have enough money to buy groceries, fear, fear, fear. I do not notice these feelings of fear when, at the end of every month, I get my paycheck. But by the 3rd of the month, after I've paid all of my fixed monthly expenses (such as electricity, mortgage, etc.), the fear begins to creep in. After I've paid all necessary expenses, there's not much left over. And, as so often happens, Murphy comes knocking. The fear causes increasing anxiety, and sometimes panic. Then I start acting REALLY crazy - scouring the internet for additional part time jobs (I have one steady part time job currently, one full time job, and I do contract work when I can), go through the house AGAIN (even though I haven't acquired anything new since searching the house the month before) to find things to sell, whatever I can do to try to bring in more money to pay Murphy to leave me alone. Today is February 4th, and I'm already in the hole $400. I need to come up with an additional $400 to pay everything I owe this month! That's crazy, insane! Why do I do the things I do? Why did I pull out that piece of plastic to pay for new bedroom decor? Why???? I rationalized to myself that I NEEDED it - I hadn't had a new bedroom outfit, or mattress for that matter, since, well, forever. But honestly, that's no excuse. On a positive note, though, I am $30 closer to that $400 - I sold a homeschool Chemistry/Biology kit. And tomorrow I'll be participating in a research study that will bring in $45. Labels: fear, National debt, personal debt |
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Debt Free Links
| I've found some really cool blogs from other folks who are working on climbing out of debt, and thought I'd share. Blogging Away Debt Debt Free Blog Not Made of Money |
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Quick & Cheap Meal Ideas
| Quick & Cheap Meal Ideas: 1) Fried "Stuffed" Dough - I mentioned this meal idea a couple of posts ago, and also listed the recipe for the dough. This is by far my favorite! 2) Chili Ingredients: Tomato paste $.40 Beans (I usually buy a can of blackeye peas for $.67 and a can of Bush's Vegetarian Baked beans for $1.40) $2.07 Chili Seasoning $.33 TOTAL $2.80 3) Potato Soup Ingredients: Potatoes (a 10 pound bag averages approximately $3.00 in my area, and we use maybe a pound = $.30) Milk ($1.98 per gallon) 1 cup $.12 Chicken broth or bouillon can be used for flavoring if necessary Potato flakes (not sure on the price, we use about 1/2 cup just for thickening the soup) Water TOTAL $.42 4) Rice & Orzo - This is absolutely delicious! My daughter found a recipe, and basically you mix equal amounts of rice and orzo (after cooking, of course), add a little butter, and voila! Don't forget the butter! You could also add chicken and/or peas to the rice & orzo dish. It's yummy! Labels: budget recipes, cheap eats, cheap meals, quick recipes |
