*tap tap tap* hello- is this thing still on?

Hello again, blog world!

Wow---I had no intention of stepping away for 6 MONTHS....SIX !! Time flies when your having Fun??  Yea well this procrastination thing really needs to stop...this isn't me...I don't back burner other areas so Why is it so hard for me to do this blog thing??

I tell myself A~L~L the T~I~M~E to put it on my weekly goal list but do I get to it....??...quite obviously No. 

What's changed, why do I think I just might be able to finally keep up with a post or more weekly? One change is I'm the Proud owner of a Brand Spanking NEW LapTop...thanks to the Hub's. Yep I'm truly one lucky gal. And he paid for my share of the hotel during flying Pig weekend.

My 'old' laptop was exactly that old, and a refurbished laptop to boot [nothing wrong with that] 'cause at the time that was all I could afford.

After Christmas I re-evaluated $$monies$$, set a stricter budget, started monthly meal plans with what ever I had on hand [#freezerfood #pantryfood]  #noextragroceryspend became daily IG/FB posts and any extra that I saved went in the #laptop fund. Then last week the inevitable happen...I had done all I could on the tablet I have and really needed to work on the computer. That lasted all of 5min then **Big**Blank**Screen...as in click you are done! waiting a couple minutes to attempt a reboot was quite the joke, I.Wanted.To.Cry! With about 400$ away from my goal of saving to pay cash for a 'new' laptop computer I told the Hub's I'm just going to go ahead and go shopping. I wanted to have a dependable working computer. I had things to get done...I had Blogging on my Goals List...so here I sit, doing a Very Long Over Due Blog Post.

No More Excuses...the Hub's retired {thank goodness}
                                lots of politics during 2018__LOTS__
                                the races
                                rescued a kitten from Walmart parking lot
                                the Election is over {we lost}
                                Thanksgiving came & went {I didn't cook}
                                the races
                                Christmas Happened {got both G'daughters over at same time}
                                New Year's {we went out FINALLY}
                                did I mention Races I signed up for
                                I got my Sports By-Line Back #GoMe
                                I turned 64...SIX FOUR
                           
So Cheers to me,
                          Cheers to my Hub's,
                                                         Cheers to being able to finish this Long Over Due Blog Post !
                               
                               

Computer/Cash/Credit

Pull up a chair, get comfy, have a drink it's going to be a long post, hope you stick with me till the end...............

This was me-before H2B was in the picture and before our first years together- incurring debt during previous marriage, and plain stupidity on my part, and it was a fairly sizable DEBT!!

More than I want to admit..... 

$~$,~$~$~$~$

Then, even though I was finally in a much happier place-still before H2B-more purchases were made, (rewarding myself for not killing anyone) all on credit, a lot!

More than I want to admit....

If you haven't been out of control with spending I would Love to shake your hand and congratulate you. It wasn't easy for me to admit to my self that 'Hey Lady' there's a bit of a problem here..Your broke again two days after payday...the paycheck is gone?? So I looked at the countless entries in the checkbook registry....Deficient spending waiting it's turn....measly amounts to various card companies.

**** C~R~A~Z~Y ****

It had to stop...,it was going to stop! I was going to be in control not the credit cards. So I started making a plan...
making a budget...
cutting up cards...

it was HARD to do at first....but I buckled down, then out of curiosity I sent for a free credit report...yet another rude awakening...

[enter 4letter word here]

So there I was, living paycheck to paycheck, digging my way out of the Debt Gutter,

which comes to present day..

I still have a credit card that I (still) owe on but its shrinking every month. I'm making extra payments every chance I get, and want/will be at zero balance by the end of 2014. Do I have all the other cards back? Yes I do, but they are locked up. Occasionally I have used one but only when necessary, for instance hotel rooms in 2009 during mom's funeral, and paid the bill across 3 pay periods. 

I'm doing this on my own...taking responsibility for what I have done to myself and making better choices for my spending. Yes I still have a splurge day, or two, or three, But I always get back on track and I don't use the credit cards.

With all this said, most of my postings have been during breaks from work where I have no privacy {AT ALL!} though I have used the H2B computer whenever I have had a chance. I have finally been able to purchase another laptop, though refurbished/used new to me from the good folks at 'The Computer House' and it is paid for in full...

~~~with Cash~~~!!

And Blogging Again Finally!!

arunnersmom~that what I am!

It's got to get better........

Well so far March has sucked a big one, between work ,

taking care of the H2B,

then starting with the sneezing, (never a good sign for me)

my computer has C~R~A~S~H~E~D!!!

(insert alot of bad-bad words)

 

then it finally caught hold of me the dreaded bug!, which ends up turning into walking pneumonia, Of Course...



Later Gators...time to regroup....

arunnersmom~that's what I am!