Who needs who

Even though my posts have been infrequent lately, personal finance is never more on my mind. I have spent alot of my “online” time reading rather than writing though as I feel that it’s more important to listen than to talk.

I am a regular reader of Get Rich Slowly, and he has a recent post that really got me thinking. It is from a reader that is trying to find a balance between her own financial responsibilities and that of her parents’.

I can completely relate to this post because of my own situation.

My parents are retired and take care of Christopher while I work. They have a modest pension but it is not enough to cover their monthly expenses, which by the way are very simple. They realize that they are not very good with money and are very open minded to my advice, and I’m grateful for that. I know that they are not spending the money on frivolous things.

It is a wonderful situation in that Christopher has their undivided attention all day and I feel good knowing he is with family. I dont want my child to go to daycare. I’ve heard too many horror stories and I will do everything in my power to make sure he doesnt have to go through that. So, I pay my parents generously so they can do this and not be forced to get part time jobs. It benefits us both in so many ways.

I do not feel that I am “taking care” of my parents at all. They are “taking care” of me and Christopher. Without their help, I would not be able to work and support Christopher and I. But, I didnt always feel this way.

When I was in my twenties, I was so resentful of their financial woes that I distanced myself from them both physically and emotionally. I figured that it was their problem and they should deal with it on their own.

Then one day, my husband died and I was 8 months pregnant. My parents quickly came and took care of the funeral arrrangements as well as helped me get to the hospital one month later to deliver Christopher. They were there for me and not in any financial way, but every other way that counted.

The help has not stopped from that day and I doubt it ever will. They may not be very good with money and probably wont ever be but they raised me and are helping me raise my son. The monetary price I pay for this each month is NEVER enough for all they do.

Time for a Garage Sale

Next weekend my neighborhood is sponsoring a garage sale. The HOA has started putting up signs, etc…, all we need to do is put out our stuff and make some money!

I’m not so big on garage sales because it seems like alot of work but since they are taking care of the advertising, why not?

So, my mom and I are going to put our stuff together and hopefully sell it. I just want to get some stuff off my hands but I’ll take the extra money also. We have devised a color coding stick system to keep our stuff separate as she will probably have more stuff than I do. It’s only fair.

Christopher has alot of toys that he has outgrown that will be included and he seems to have mixed feelings on the whole subject. One moment he says “can we put this in the garage sale?” and the next “these are my toys! What are you doing with them?” Sigh.

We are trying to come up with cute ideas to make our garage stand out amongst all of the other ones without spending too much and this is what we have come up with:

• Balloons
• Cold drinks in a cooler(sell for 50cents/piece)
• Cupcakes

This week I will be spending a little bit of each evening going through my house carefully for any additional items to sell. Hopefully, I will be able to clear out some clutter!

I havent decided what I want to do with the money I make for my stuff, but will shortly!

• Baby Emergency Fund?
• Credit Cards?
• ?

Realization

Since I’ve been working so diligently on my sister’s finances, I havent found the time to work on my own and it shows! Not so much with my Spending Plan but more with my debt payoff progress.

The recent balance transfer really got me thinking about my interest rates but now I need to concentrate on the other areas that I can get more bang for my buck, then it occurred to me that it is overwhelming to feel any progress on my Huge card(aka- BOA), so I should put my energies towards the Citibank 0% card.

I know that it doesnt make sense financially to pay down the one with the lower interest rate but it will make me feel good and if I feel good, I’ll be more motivated to not stray from this path. Which is so easy for me to do!

So, beginning with June(I have already made May’s payments) I will start tackling my Citibank card with all my might and just pay the minimum on the BOA card.

I really do believe that I need this boost in order to keep myself motivated!

Quotable Quote

The future is merely the past with a new outfit.

—Carla Fulton

The Bad Guy(Woman)

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I am helping my sister during her divorce. I feel that it’s important to be there for her during this trying time but to be honest, it’s completely wearing me out and now I’ve turned into the bad guy.

Last week, I offered to help her organize her bills because I knew that her rent would be due and such. So, I set everything up to make this an easier process. It has been at least seven years since she’s been on her own and I’m wondering if her future ex husband did more for her financially even before they were married because I’m constantly surprised at the lack of knowledge and even motivation. She is used to everything being taken care of for her and now she’s back into the land of reality.

Anyway, I setup a folder called “to be paid” and included everything that was due very soon. A couple were already a month or so late and I generously took care of those. (Total of $40- which she paid me the next day for)

Last night, I was able to get her setup with Online Banking from BOA and setup her checkbook. She liked that immensely and I know that she’ll use it. We also came up with a list of what she needed to take care of in the next few days also.

But, even with all of my help, her spending has not slowed down even though she is pretty much living on credit cards and does not have a job. She is working on Spousal Support but that could take months.

So, I get to be the lecturer on how crazy it is to go to a movie, spend $75 on tickets, popcorn and candy when there is no income coming in. Perhaps its her way of coping but it would freak me out to be in her position. That just shows you how different we are in terms of money.

But, I know that I must let go and let her do what she wants to. I can help her organize her bills, etc… but I cannot make her pay them and or get a job. She must stand on her own two feet and deal with her own problems.

Easier said than done right? But I’ve got my own problems and my own family to think about.

Just what I needed

The past few weeks I have had a really hard time concentrating on anything for more than about five minutes and it has been putting unnecessary stress on me. In my type of work, I must concentrate or it really shows. Unfortunately Financial Statements dont prepare themselves! LOL

Anyway, I wasnt sure what to do about it since I was feeling kind of rundown. I just hoped that it would go away soon. I also noticed that I wasnt the only one who was feeling like this either!

Thankfully, my guardian angel has been taking care of me and this time it was through my work. I work for a really large company- 30,000 worldwide- and they are very much into developing their employees. It was one of the reasons that I wanted to work for a large company in the first place.

So, they sent us to a training seminar on time management. It was called Focus for Outlook.

If there was ever a time that I need some “time management” skills, this was it!

Also, as an added feature, my company has offered anyone who is interested a new Franklin Day Planner at no cost. To be used for both work and life. I had previously stopped using mine because it didnt seem to intergrate into my work life, but now I have not excuse!

So, I’m still working on my time management, but thanks to my new job, I can have a work/life balance and hopefully become a more efficient person allover.

Crazy Times

My life has been downright crazy these past few weeks but it’s starting to calm down. I long for peace and quiet, I’m not one for too much going on.

This is what is going on in my life to make it Crazy Times:

• Helping my sister with her divorce
  
• Still learning my new job
• Working on my Spending Plan
• Working on my diet/exercise
• Trying to raise a toddler up to be frugal

>>My sister’s divorce has pretty much sucked the life out of me lately and I’m hoping that it will start to calm down in the near future. Crossing my fingers.

>>I absolutely love my new job but I’m starting to understand why it pays so much(!) There’s alot of work to be done and my days of surfing PF blogs(at least at work) are pretty much over.

>>My Spending Plan is always in a state of needing to be “tweaked” but I’ve accepted it as a part of my life.

>>My diet/exercise situation is a day to day process but I know that by eating right and exercising regularly, my moods will be uplifted and I can handle whatever comes my way.

>>Christopher is the joy in my life but it’s also the hardest job I’ve ever had. His health and welfare are constantly on my mind and I remind myself often that he’s the reason that I get up every morning.

Quotable Quote

True friends are hard to come by … I need more money.- CALVIN AND HOBBES

Six Word Memoir Meme

I was tagged by the wise Dedicated to Financial Freedom to play the Six Word Memoir meme. I’m flattered that she would think of me, so of course I would love to participate!

Here are the rules…

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post.
4. Tag at least 5 more blogs.
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

My memoir is…

And the mirror responded, “be strong!”

What I have learned so far in my life is that we are stronger than we think we are and can handle anything that comes our way. My life is no exception.

I will tag:

1. Need to be Debt Free
2. My Debt Blog
   
3. Chicky Finance
4. Dimes to Dollars
5. Not Living on Ramen

Featured on Blog Roundup

Cents and Sensibility was featured on a Blog Roundup!  

I’m always so amazed at how incredibly powerful the PF blogosphere is.

“Blush.”