July 23, 2011

Admitting something's wrong

Please note that the following post has little, if anything to do with crafting, paper, or scrapping.

I am embarrassed to admit there is anything wrong. Maybe that is why I am typing it out here. Maybe no one but my 61 followers will ever read this. Maybe someone will once again come to my rescue. Not that I deserve it. But my son does. He has done nothing to deserve any of what me and my hubby of nine years are putting him through.

Sure, from the outside we look like a normal family. Hard working husband and father. Me a stay at home mom since I lost my job a year and a half ago. That should have been the first clue. But we failed to take the hint. Less money coming in, should mean less spending. NOPE. We are obviously not smart enough to take hints that BIG.

So we get money from Uncle Sam, and instead of putting it away, what do we do? We buy a brand new TV, a vacation to Disneyland, and a computer.....that we put on a brand new credit card promising to pay it off. HA! Life is grand..... who cares if bills get paid on time.

So for those mistakes we fall into a rut.....one bill is late and we rob Peter to pay Paul. Then rent is late....what's an $85 late fee? No worries we will get caught up next month. Again, HA! Another year goes by and rent was late probably 9 out of those 12 months.....$765 in late fees that should never have happened in the first place.

Uncle Sam comes round again.......this time it's another laptop and an iPad. Gotta have the latest and greatest. Screw the bills. Now we are behind on rent, the car, the cable, the utilities......ask for help. A kind soul grants us the help we need, and yet we still dig in deeper. Out to dinner 3-5 times a week.....we have to have the latest Blueray......and yes, I needed that damn Cricut Imagine. Like Hell!! More late fees.....more money out the window!

As I sit here and type this on my relatively new computer, I have an eviction notice and a notice to end tenancy from my landlord, my phones are currently shut off, and I had to borrow some money to refill a prescription. I sit here in the dark, sleepless, cause all I can think about right
now is what the HELL are we gonna do??? Who in their right mind would rent to us? I sure wouldn't.

Like I stated earlier....we did this to ourselves.....but I never thought of the consequences it would have on our child. At the end of next month, we may be out on our butts living in our van. What good will the new TV be then? The laptops? NONE.

We need to make a serious shift in our priorities and we need to do it quickly. No more spending. If we don't NEED it, we don't buy it.

School starts in just over a month, I need to buy clothes, supplies....heck because of the current residence situation, I am not even sure where my child will be attending school this coming fall.

So yes, I admit, I have a spending and budgeting problem. If you know someone that has been in a similar situation and made their way out please post a comment, I would love to hear some advice. No haters, please....your comments will be removed.
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4 comments:

Miss Melani said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Miss Melani said...

It takes a big person to admit a mistake and a bigger one to put it on a public forum for the world to see. I'm proud of you for admitting it.

What you need to do now is focus on gathering yourselves together and getting out of the situation. What's done is done, all you can do now is move on. Save what you can. See if there's something you can get rid of or downgrade. Have a garage sale and get what money you can.

You, like me, have a room full of scrapbooking/stamping supplies we can use without having to go out and buy the latest of EVERYTHING and we can share our toys. When I'm out, I tell myself that. Yes, there will be projects you might need something for. Limit yourself to a small amount of money.

Once you get your housing situation squared away and your bills paid off, limit your activities, but don't cut them out completely. You still need to have fun and have a little enjoyment in your life, but make it a common sense decision. Don't go beyond your means. I've had to learn the same lessons. I've come to appreciate what I have more and now I don't just go out and buy everything, I'm MUCH more selective and can leave a store without actually making a purchase.

I've also developed a relationship with God. That has made a HUGE impact. I'm a different person now than I was a couple of years ago. I like the person I am now. I'm not so materialistic. Maybe this is for you, maybe not. If you want to delve into it more, I'm more than willing to join you in your journey.

I love you guys. I know you can get out of this. It will be hard and not so fun, but you can do it. I am here to help you and support you as much as I can. I wish my days weren't so full now so I could come see you more often. I am here for you anytime, day or night. You know how to reach me. I will send out a prayer for you guys.

Things will get better, I know it will. Remember, you're all together and your all have your health. CJ's healthy and doing well. I know you're down and out, but it will get better!! I know you're down, but you will be UP soon. A new, better adventure is on your way!! You will find a place to live, you will get your bills paid off, but remember, it will take time. Be patient and know that you have people rooting for you!!

Theodora Stacey said...

I feel for you darlin', but hang in there, and know that there are ALOT of people on your side. My only word of advice is what you probably already know... Learn from the mistakes that you made, pick yourself up by your bootstraps, and move on. Beating yourself up over everything only makes you feel worse. I agree with Melani, it takes a lot of courage to post your issues on a public forum. If you need anything, send me a note in FB.. I will help in any way that I can.. Everything will work out, even though right now it seems like everything is going wrong. Stay strong!! Like I said before, if you need something just holler!!

Joan V said...

Hi Katt, here is a good site to read and use as reference. http://christianpf.com/

It is called Christian Personal Finance. Just read a few things that may catch your interest or sign up to get the emails. I read articles and then forward them on to my kids.

Hope everything works out for you and your family.

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