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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Pleasant Surprise!

Well, I paid the cable/Internet this morning. It was $56.93 for both instead of $79.51 because I ended up with a credit when I downgraded my Internet speed. I redid the budget after the adjustment and found that the bills alone are below $400 this month. That doesn't include supplements and other items but it's a good start! I can work from that!

I hit the request payment button at $55.85, less than I'd have liked but more than I thought I'd have. I can pay both phone bills with that in the event I can't hit cash out again before the 15th. I've managed to earn $12 toward the next payout so far. That's not bad for a little bit of work.

I have just over $31 at Sidetick. I'm still holding out to request payment at $200. I may settle for $50 so I can reopen my savings account without causing problems in the budget. I have $10 worth of gift cards to use at Amazon.com. I think I'll go check to see if there is anything we need for under $10. I've got books on my Kindle application and a lot of paper backs that I haven't read yet so I'm going to focus on finishing what I have before I read any more books.

I plan to review each and every one of them in an effort to earn something from the readings. I also bought a new stain remover today that I can review. Well, that's about it so I'll be going for now. I'll update the other two blogs here later.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Earnings for last of December

OK I figured up my earnings for the rest of the month. I have $55.08 plus a little bit more ad revenue coming from Helium's second payday. That'll cover both phone bills with $11.48 left after they are paid. My balance at Sidetick is $30.56, I could request the $25 payout which is the lowest and have it the first few weeks of January.

I"m trying to wait until I have $200 to request payout at Sidetick; it's the largest amount you can request at once. That means I have to earn another $170.44 to get a balance of $200. That's the money for my tires, or at least most of it by the time I can get them bought. I have to get two oil changes after the first of the year so it's time to start looking around for specials. I still have to have the antifreeze put in my radiator.

My auto insurance bill came in today due the 3rd. It can be there by the 16th and be fine, they'll just send a cancellation notice. I know how much my light bill is thanks to budget billing but I don't know when it's due thanks to the holiday.

There are only four days left of my vacation. I've worked a few of them but mostly I took time off just because I never do.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Not looking Good

Well, I just called to cancel my pest control service because I can't afford $33 a month anymore. My other half is off taking out a title loan. Not the best idea but we don't have a choice, it's the only way we can get a loan and I don't want to overdraw my bank account. I need antifreeze for my truck and some in his car. My truck overheated this morning because apparently the thermostat was frozen shut. Theresa and I were on the way to a testing appointment for her which we're still trying to reschedule. Nice huh?

As soon as the Doctor's office calls me back I'm calling and reducing the cable and Internet since it's a bundle. That way I keep my ability to work and some television channels since we need an outdoor antenna that the hook up seems to have disappeared to in order to watch television without cable. Gotta love the new digital signals, they cost more than they're worth. I'm thinking downgrade the Internet to a slower speed and put the cable to expanded basic, limited basic is too basic to pay for just local channels. We'll see as soon as I find the rate sheet.

OK I'm going now.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Only one thing eliminated so far

OK so I've been going over the budget and have found one item that we can eliminate so far. We can get rid of the pest control and buy the store solutions to prevent pests. That puts a whole $33 back into my budget. Not much but it'll do. At least as a start. That $33 will buy approximately 3 packs of pull-ups a month until I can get Theresa potty trained.

A 55 cent bar of soap to wash dishes with saves approximately 45 cents before taxes are added. It's not much but it'll help. So far we have $33.45 less spent a month. I'm not making much progress here. Actually we're up to $22.45 when you figure that we've been running short on pull-ups and using cloth at home lately to keep from running out and Theresa isn't any closer to being potty trained than she was a year ago.

I have to find a prepaid option for my Internet so I can continue working and it can move with me. I have to cut off the cable completely and go back to the digital signal. That is provided I can find the wire to my outside antenna and then a small indoor antenna to watch television with so that we don't do without television all together. We have a VCR and a DVD player that doesn't have a remote so some disks don't play right but I can watch DVD's on my computer if I absolutely have to.

OK this has gone completely off topic so I'll be back later.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

figuring out the new year

OK it’s Christmas Eve and I’m writing a blog post. That’s fine the baby has opened our gifts and played until she voluntarily took a nap. I’ve been going over the budget for the New Year the last few years and just filled out a report for SSI. I have come to the conclusion that I have to reduce expenses and increase my income at the same time.

I’m also working on the list for next Christmas so there isn’t the panic and I don’t give into going over budget. I’ve figured up next month’s bills based on the amounts this month. (Does not include household items or supplements as of yet.)

Light Bill (budget billing) $200
ABA (4/5 wk month) $12/$15 (co-pay for financial aid $3 week without financial aid $55 an hour)
Auto Insurance (based on last bill) $42.14
Cable Bill (Internet included – special) $79.51 (will go up in February, reduce ASAP)
Pest control $33 (cheaper and easier than buying constantly to ensure nothing outside is inside.
Stone Creek (debt) $20 (fixed amount, can be paid off eventually or at 70% of total)
Phones $21.80 each for two = $43.60

Those all total = $433.25 (That does not include $55 a week child support that is currently a bit behind because of increasing gas and grocery prices. I’ll have to figure the supplements later because she’s out of one of her prescriptions and I have to buy the supplements that she’s running out of when we go back to therapy. There is still that bottle of fish oil that I haven’t ordered yet.

Next Christmas is based on this Christmas, at least for Theresa since she’s going to need therapy tools again next year. There are a few things that she did not get today that I have to buy her through the year but they’ll be on the list for next year anyway.

Finger paints, paper, coloring books (can print out the pages), play dough. (We can make that as a craft day.)

8 pack play dough $1 for small cans of generic at Dollar Tree.
Puzzles (age appropriate and younger) donate to the local Autism clinic when done
Dry erase markers, chalk, erasers
What else? I’ll be going through her toys just like I went through her clothes and am going through ours to get rid of what she’s not using or just doesn’t want to use anymore. Weird to be making the therapy list now; strange thing is that I have a feeling I’m still gonna need organization and storage containers when I’m done.

The grocery budget just went down to $229 a month for the three of us. It’s a good thing that I took Theresa off the diet or we’d be way over budget for food. She doesn’t eat a lot unless she feels like it. Oh well, I’m tired so I’ll be going now I have two other blogs to update and I haven’t gotten all the details of the budget worked out I just know that it’ll take $50 to reopen a savings account and I have to get two oil changes after the first of the year. I also have to get new tires on my truck mid year. Hoping the tax return will help a little bit with that.


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Not going so well

OK the new work system won't work for me and the amount of money that I need isn't the amount that I'm going to be making. At least it's not looking like it is at this point and time. I have no idea what to do since this stress is making me sick. That's just what I need a trip to the doctor at $100 upfront because I don't have insurance at the moment. Funny thing is that if I could afford the insurance I wouldn't need it because that'd mean that I could afford the visit to the doctor's office. DUH!


OK let's see, Theresa has been out of fish oil for a couple of months because I keep forgetting to order it. I have a half of a tank of gas to get her to two appointments and the holiday visits until the next payday. Not looking good. The only bright spot is that the cable and Internet special aren't up yet so I don't have to disappoint the kid just yet by getting rid of the shows that teach her on demand. 


I figure that if I work seven days a week every available hour for a few months I should have it all figured out. OK the kid is destroying her packaging for one of her gifts which means that she won't have anything to put her stuff in before long. I'm still working on getting rid of the things we don't need and putting the things we can use where they can be found. Not buying things we don't actually need should save some money. OK I've got work to do so I'll be going for now.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

One more payment coming, I think

Well, Helium's recent changes are a bit annoying except for the twice a month payday. At the end of the month I'll have at least the minimum $25 to request it maybe a tad more. That'll cover one of my phone bills next month. Now to figure out how to cover the other one and everything else.

I guess that the rest of this month is going to be spent working since we have appointments just like it was any other time of year. I also have to figure out just how much work I have to do in order to get by. This is gonna be the most depressing thing I do this year.

The good news is that my kids have some form of Christmas. I guess in a couple years I can introduce them to homemade gifts. OK I'm exhausted so I'll be going. The worst news is that the grocery budget for the upcoming year is up in the air.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Broke and Irritable

I'm broke and irritable because I'm exhausted. Now I'm working with $46 but less to buy. I"m confused as could be right now. So there isn't much update going on. I'm going to bed now at 9p.m. Saturday I'll drop Theresa off at the clinic four hours and figure out what in the world I'm buying. OK I'm going away now.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

$61.41

That's the amount that I'll have left after the 2nd phone bill is paid. It's not due until Christmas Eve but I have to keep that money aside for it. Today is supposed to be payday and it better be. I'll be ill if it's not.

I've still got $193.99 left to buy food. That's a good thing. I need coffee, sugar, some more meat. I'll probably do a pick 5 for $19.99 since the portions are larger. That's five dinners, so maybe I'll buy 2 of them. I think we need peanut butter so that Theresa can have snacks.

I've got half a tank of gas to last the next four days and two days next week. We have a Christmas party and one day of therapy. That's all it has to last for other than a possible trip to my mother's house to see my oldest daughter.

Well, that's all for now. Work not going so well and as my income decreases I become increasingly irritable. I'll be back later.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Changing approaches and learning something new

I give up. I'm changing my approach to work and learning something new. I'm trying my hand at writing news articles and learning to use third person which is rather difficult for me since I prefer to feel as if I am talking to someone instead of at them.

If I figured it right I currently have $21 for Christmas for three kids and a birthday present for one. I get an unexpected payday this month which will give me $30, I need to keep approximately $15 of that for gas just in case. I have no idea what to get any of them I just know whatever it is won't be expensive.

I decided to use Swagbucks for all my searches. I'm using the SB's to get $5 gift cards for Amazon.com. The goal is to save them up until October possibly November of 2011 and use them to help covers the kids gifts.

The bills are increasing next month so my work schedule is going to be even more hectic. Sadly enough I'm thinking of cutting back therapy to make up for the income decreases since gas prices are on the rise. Well, I'm not getting any work done rambling here so I'm going now.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Groceries

OK I went to the Dollar General and spent just under $38 on some food, baby wipes and trash bags. Not too bad until you realize that I got very little because of rising costs.

20ounce coke - $1.35
1/2 gallon milk - $2.95
chunk chicken - $1
2 cans of treat at $1.15 each
2 canned ham at $2.95 each

well you get the idea, when the budget is as tight as mine is lately you need to make money stretch a bit and this isn't making me confident that we'll have enough to get by until the next payday.

I got three bars of Colgate Octagon soap at 55 cents each at a different store.  I got one bar to do dishes and clean the walls with when the Zote runs out eliminating a trip to another store. The other two are for my laundry soap since I wanted to increase the soap content in it after this last batch.

That's about it so I'll be getting to work and house cleaning now.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Almost all the bills are paid!

Well, almost all of the bills in my name anyway! I have to payout $20, $21.80 and $21.80 the rest of this month. I've still got to buy the fish oil however. I keep forgetting. The rest of my bills total $ $63.60! That'll leave a little bit of money to get the girls Christmas and Theresa's birthday present. I'm thinking we'll skip the party again this year. It's a hassle and we have therapy the 23rd so I won't have all the time off that I thought I would. Oh well, I can still get plenty of housework and work work done during the time we do have off.

Tomorrow we go to the grocery store. I got paid a day early and we need food. Not to be rude but if I got rid of the overgrown toddler I'd spend 1/4 of what I spend now and have enough groceries to last the month in one trip. I've got to pick up a couple bars of Octagon to have on hand for when I need to make more laundry soap, I think I'll get a bar of Zote to mix with it. That's only $3 less if I go to two different stores to get the soap. 

I think that I'll go get a pick 6 meat for $19.99 and a few vegetables. I'll get the baby some milk, snacks and a bit of frozen juice maybe. She likes kool-aid. I got her pull-ups and some more wipes today so I don't have to buy them tomorrow. I do have to pack her bag with the juice and chocolate gold fish so I don't spend money on snacks while we're out. I think I'll buy myself another bottle to take with us when we're out. I need a water bottle for the fridge so that I can stop running water into a glass every time I want some.

The splurge I want is a new flavor cartridge for the filter. I need a new water filter for the sink so I can actually drink the water that comes out of it. I don't like water and my flavor cartridge keeps me from buying flavored bottles. OK I'm tired so I'll be going for today.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Not much accomplished today

I'm writing an article about water that I can't seem to get past the first paragraph on. I have another article to write but I can't seem to get started.

Theresa was sick today, that interruption I don't mind a bit to take care of her. The grown man acting like a two year old I do mind. What part of someone has to pay the damn bills is not understandable at 40 plus years of age. This is the same idiot that wonders why I can't stand to be around him.

Well, I have income proofs to find. Idiot was too stupid to say the word arrears so now I have to find everything and call the county to have it mailed to the office in question. OK this is gonna be a rant if I don't stop now so I'm gonna stop.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Wonder if I could blog for living

Well, some people blog for a living. I haven't written anything else lately so what could it hurt to spend a few days creating a website. Then spend a few hours a day writing postings. I'd have to create pages and pages of each subject. That's not right, I'd have to have specific pages devoted to specific things.

I have started to look for projects to bid on half a dozen times since Friday. Each attempt has resulted in reading one or two postings and stopping the search. Why? I have no idea what so ever. I need to be working right now, actually I need to be working double time to make up for taking so much time off over the summer and not doing much last month. The end of the year is always tight with the extra costs but this year it seems even tighter.

I was going to do reviews this week to see if I couldn't manage enough of them for an emergency payout. Well, I don't feel like so I'm trying to stretch what I have until payday. Then I'm trying to stretch that out indefinitely it would seem. Oh well, it's been far worse. I survived it then I'll survive it now.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Figuring it all out and I think I may just be OK!

OK so I won't be writing for a certain site that shall remain nameless anytime in the near future after this bunch of B.S. but I will continue to collect my hard earned revenue share. At the moment that would a bit over $9 since I requested payment on the 2nd. Now the payment schedule is going to include the possibility of getting what I've already requested on the 10th in addition to a second payment the 15th. That is if I can managed to get the $25 required by then. Another payment possibility comes at the end of the month. In theory that is fine and good. I shall see just how well my ad revenue does and if those twice a month payments can help at all. What I will not do is give exclusive rights to quality work for pennies. I can find a few minutes a week to rate enough to ensure I have the one measly star to continue passive income.

Associated Content does in fact pay less in ad share but I have received more in upfront payment on a single article. I'm working on an opinionish piece of sorts for them now. Display only but that is my choice. At the moment I have a whole $2.98 there. It's not much but it is a tank of gas for the car. Maybe I should post a few to Bukisa since they only need be approximately 250 words to post. Then there is wikinut that I have made my home for daily ramblings when I can turn what would otherwise be a blog post in an article of sorts.

Sidetick- the 7th of November I requested a payment of $25 which I got the $15th of November. Today is the 5th of December and I've managed to earn $19.19 since that time. I only need another $5.81 to request another $25 which will cover one of the cell phones with $3.20 left over. At the rate of 50 cents a day for doing the basic requirement that takes all of a couple minutes that'll take me twelve days to finish earning the minimum. $15 a month is the guarantee and I believe I can do better than that. I spend a couple moments each morning writing a short blog post that earns me a single tickbuck each time it is viewed. I also take the time every few weeks or so to upload a few odd photos to the site. I also earn by viewing new pages which takes just a few minutes and is what I'd be doing on other social networking sites for free.

I redid the budget today and I figured everything to be $475 a month. That figure did not include my husband of the moments child support or household items. I focus on one thing at a time. From the only reliable income source I have at the moment that would leave $131.60. Now comes the time to add up the rest of the monthly expenses. Those would include the little ones supplements each month.

The good news is that the bottle of vitamin D drops that I paid over $20 back in March and last nine months I can get for $5 a bottle! That's less than $1 a month for that tiny bottle. She gets 3 drops a day which isn't much but the initial cost can be horrible when you're budget is tight. Her magnesium citrate is $6 and last a few months. I have to buy complete powder ($35), fish oil ($63 for 8oz), and zinc ($4) on pretty much a regular monthly basis. That means there is an additional $102 that I have to have in my budget to pay for those. The rest of her supplements only come out every few months so I'll leave those out for now.

The monthly bills and those three supplements total $577.00. $606.60 - $577.00 = $29.60. That

While the figure may look nice to be leftover in a time when more and more people don't have anything left it is merely an illusion. There is still gasoline to get her to appointments and household needs to meet. Therefore I will be focusing on promotions, sites that pay quickly and picking up the occasional private client for a fast payment to make the ends meet. I want to become self sufficient and fall off the grid. I do not care to freeze, have a heat stroke or starve as I work my way toward that goal.  On the bright side I have found free books for my kindle app such as the one to the left of this post. 

Friday, December 3, 2010

Is My Income about to Disappear?

OK so there are some changes to the payment structure at a site that I used to work very hard on to make up what I needed for the month. I was looking through my earnings page and the highest I made in upfront payments was during the month September of 2009. I made $565 in upfront payments that month. That was enough to cover my expenses at the time.

Since then my income in upfront payment from the site has steadily declined as there have been a lack of titles that I felt I could write to or didn't have time to write to. The year since then has been spent working for private clients. I did it before that payment and I've been doing it since. Well until a few months ago when in a moment of I'm not sure what I stopped doing that.

Those private clients were the majority of my income despite the fact that I write for at least four writing sites at any one given time. I know have to focus more time to promote, and find new clients since I took so much time off. To top it off the bank account that's overdrawn will be closed the 29th if not paid in full before then. Then it goes to collections. Once again another blow to my credit that I had nothing to do with. Off to figure out what the hell to do.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Money Left??

OK I managed to take a look at the budget today. I figured the bills and only the bills to be $472; I didn't include hubbies child support because that would be his expense alone. The only one that he actually has since nothing is in his name except the court order that was put into the divorce for child support. That figure was below my reliable monthly income but there is another problem.

The figure I got didn't include putting gasoline in the car, cutting the grass or buying supplements. It didn't include household necessities either. That's not the only problem with the budget but it is a big problem. I'd love to reopen my savings account that was depleted over the summer months.

I wrote out the bills I had in front of me and paid one online. I paid the Internet bill online at no extra charge. I wrote a check for my auto insurance and light bill. My auto insurance was $42.14 this month, last month it was $57.23. If I'd been able to pay it off for the full six months it'd have been at least $100 less than I'll end up paying by paying it each month but I just couldn't come up with the full $250 I think it was this time.

OK I'm going back to figure out if I will ever have money left again.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Making up for time off

Today is not a rather productive day so far. I managed to complete one article and begin another one. So today’s total so far is $2.50 provided I keep my writing percentage up to earn that if not it’s a $2 day so far. I figured out that I’m way behind on my earnings for December already but I think I figured that out too.

The earnings for the month of December are already pretty much set so there’s nothing to do except write some articles to other sites for upfront payments. I have to write everyday to make up for the time off that I took the last few months. There are some adjustments that I have to make to my schedule because of the increased amount of time we'll be at the clinic for therapy. Little things like taking paper to figure the budget and updating my diary so that I can type those up at wikinut as diary pages to earn from the page views.

If I can manage to come up with enough items to review that I can get $20 I'll be up to the $50 for payout at Review Stream. I'm hoping to get enough before the end of December. My three girls are each getting Christmas and the two with birthdays will get presents too. That's five gifts, one for each girl, one for each occasion. I'll be testing the "review anything and get paid" theory a great deal this month. I know food reviews, people reviews and product reviews are excepted but what else can I review. People reviews only get about $0.50 each so that'd be about twenty people to review. I know a couple of people I can write reviews of today, I can write one on my pets as well. That'll just leave a lot of work to earn a little bit of money for payout. I think I can manage to get it down to writing a few reviews in an hour each day.

Well, I'm not earning anything by sitting here thinking about what I should do so I think it's time to go back to work for the day.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Taking it Easy but still earning something

Sidetick is where most of my energy has been focused today. It's a rather relaxed atmosphere. All I've done there today is make my daily blog posting and look at pictures others have posted. I'm still earning although at a slow rate for the day by doing things that I'd normally do on FB all day long when I didn't feel like working. The difference today? I'm actually getting a little bit of housework done while I do my work.

Don't get me wrong I'm searching for an article to write too but I'm waiting until I find one that I can write from beginning to end before I start it. Or at least one that I won't get a paragraph written on and stop. I have to figure out how to get the overdrawn checking account to a zero balance and close it. That will leave only the account with my name on it which means there won't be anymore overdrafts on the account. I can't stand paying bank fees just because of someone not understanding you have to know the balance.

I have earnings goals for the month although the way that I've been distracted lately I'm already behind on my working for the month. It's only a couple of days but it's going to take me a while to catch up. I need to up the promotions to make my goals for the month but that's fine too.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Figuring Expenses Again

I figured up most of my expenses again. I got up to $865 and stopped thinking there isn't any way that could be right. Well, I once I stopped to look I saw why they were so high. Child support is in arrears by $665 currently and one of the bank accounts is over drawn by $403.22 at the moment. That's gonna take a couple months to fix.

The light bill is on budget billing and runs $200 a month. So far we've been under budget which is good because the summer means that the bills are going up. The air conditioning doesn't work right. According to the last people to look at it I would be in desperate need of new duct work which I can not afford. I want to have a house built but I can't afford that either. I want it put in the trees so that it has shade. I also want window air and an alternative to the central heat without having to have something sit in the floor for it.

My credit is shot which creates a big problem there though. I have to lower my bills a great deal to do that. I also have to build up my savings account enough to cover the majority of the expense while having something to fall back on in the event of an emergency. There are a dozen expenses that I could cut out if I was the only one in the house. Since I am not it's only my personal expenses that I can reduce and not the costs of the entire house.

Well, this post is getting off track so I'm going to update my rambling blog now since that's what I'm doing.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Searching for change to make it until payday

Well, this afternoon I found myself searching frantically for change. I managed to find $1.40, which is better than nothing. The problem? It was for gas which is $2.69 a gallon at the nearest gas station. That mean that since the low fuel light is on we'll be cutting it awfully close. Hubby gets paid tomorrow which is good they could make them wait until after the holiday. Of course at the moment I'm just hoping that he'll make it home and back to get his check without running out of gas.

Out of this check he has to make a deposit in the overdrawn bank account and pay at least $55 worth of child support. I'll be keeping closer track of it this time, he has to pay arrears too as soon as we can in order to catch it up and have it reevaluated. The fact that it should have been done a long time ago is one I'll leave alone. When you make an average of $100 a week $55 is a bit high for child support.

I haven't gotten much work done lately. I've blogged a lot but other than that I've not done much else. I wrote a couple reviews this week that are pending. I've got a few left to finish.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Trouble finding Motivation

It would seem that at a time when I need motivation more than ever it is nowhere to be found. I have to figure out how to get out of this financial mess. I have a feeling that it's going to take a few months. There are a number of things that I want but those will have to wait. I wanted a Kindle so I could take books with me without needing the book. That's going to have to wait in the meantime I will read free books on Kindle for PC. It's not as portable due to my lack of battery power for the laptop but it is a way to keep from adding to the clutter around here. I love books and I love electronic toys so I can combine those to help prevent having something else to collect dust.



I have a few items that I need that I can't find or afford in the stores around here but I have that part figured out. I just have to learn patience. I've been using Swagbucks in my spare time. So far I've had to wait for the 700SB to get a $5 Paypal deposit because the money has been desperately needed. I'm hoping to be able to start cashing in 450SB for $5 Amazon.com gift cards that I can let build up in my account to use for things that we need. I donated 5SB to the charity drive (it's all I could spare) since I don't have anything else to donate this year.

I'm spending an awful lot of time blogging lately instead of writing articles. I suppose it counts as writing something since I try to write at least one thing everyday to stay in practice. My biggest obstacle at the moment is that I want to be mobile with my computer. I'm hoping to use the gift cards to help me buy a new battery for my computer and a wireless router so I can work anywhere in my house. I just need a table in my kitchen and I'll be able to work while I make dinner. I could use the computer to let the little one watch videos without the expense of a portable DVD player that has a much smaller screen than my laptop.

OK I'm off to update the other two blogs now since the rest of what I have to say has nothing to do with working or saving money.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Earning Money to Cover an Unexpected Expense

I was planning on stepping up my work efforts to get through the extra expense of the holidays without much difficulty. Now I would be stepping up the work efforts for a different reason. I need back brakes on my truck, it seems to be an epidemic. The ABA therapist just got a new fuel pump for the holidays.

I'm not sure but I think I've spent a great deal too much on the freaking thing this year. New front brakes, (replaced the pads twice, once it didn't need it), two clutch cylinders (one twice), a new radiator and now the back brakes. I don't want to think about how much that comes to.

I have yet to price the set of brakes for the back. I'm too afraid that I need the entire braking system checked before anything is done. Well, My mind is wandering again so I'll stop for now.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

No brakes, not what I wanted to hear today

Well today was OT and speech in the afternoon. The morning went fine until we went to leave. The two of use had our things together and went to take the half hour drive to the therapist. Well the first little bit went fine, we made our turn and went down the road a bit. Of course someone pulled out in front of us, still no problem. Then we came to the first stop sign and the brakes scrubbed. We made our turn and when I went to stop for the light I hit the brakes fully expecting to stop, what happened scared the daylights out of me.

I went to stop for the red light. I heard a swish of air as my brake pedal hit the floor and the light for the brake and the anti-lock light came on. Had I started slowing down I would have assumed I locked the brakes up. I was not happy, well on to therapy we went once I managed to stop and my heart came out of my throat. The rest of the way I slowed down a bit and hit the brakes early, still metal on metal. When we got to the first appointment I took the baby in and once she went back I went to check my brake fluid it was full.

OK off to the next appointment without a problem, then we went to go home from it. I was more than a little upset by the time we got home. Rear brake pads and rotors are hopefully all that's needed to fix the problem. Now to figure out how to get motivated enough to raise the money for them and still pay all of next months bills.Centric Parts 121.61042 C-Tek Standard Brake Rotor hopefully they'll be the cheap ones and still work.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

One new goal

I have one new goal. I want to purchase a Kindle to get the physical books in the house cut down on. I installed the Kindle for PC today and got one book for it. It was free so I was splurging without splurging. I began reading "Wife No. 19" today, it's stored in Google Docs because it's over 600 pages the way that it's set up for online reading. I have a few dozen paper backs that I haven't managed to read yet.

I have four reviews pending and since I'm working on some reviews I figure I can review the books too. That'll give me a little bit more income off of my leisure time. I usually take notes during therapy, I tried to read during it once but I can't find the book I was reading for the life of me. I'm going to have to start over if I ever manage to find the book again. I want the kindle so I can take it with me and not have to worry with an actual book. My biggest problem is that if I loose the kindle I'd be out a lot of money.

The time I once spent on Facebook wasting time while I couldn't think of anything to write is now spent on Sidetick. They pay you to do basically the same thing you do on Myspace or Facebook so I take my breaks there now. I know my kindle will have to wait until the new year but that's fine too. In the meantime I have something to work for. I'm wondering if I have the patience to use my swagbucks for enough $5 gift cards to get one.

Well, I have three more blogs to update so I'll be back later on. Maybe by the time I get back I'll have figured out what I'm doing.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Making Plans now to figure out how to accomplish them

Well, lately I've been making plans in an attempt to figure out what to get my girls for their birthdays and Christmas. I figured out what to get the little one, the older ones that's a bit tougher. This year they each get one gift for each occasion plus whatever unneeded item their grandparents have decided are must haves.

I have been planning on reopening my savings account for sometime now and it has yet to work out. If I remember correctly I only need $50 to reopen it. I have the feeling that's gonna be after the first of the year, I am sure I need to see if it can be reopened for a smaller amount. I figure even if I can only put $1 a month into that's better than nothing at this point. I also have to figure out just how much I have to cut back and earn in order to get by if it comes down to get my income to take care of most things around here.

This weekend I wrote and submitted what I think was three reviews that will probably end up getting me an entire 50 cents each. Of course it didn't really take that long to write them so it's not like I worked for less than a $1 an hour, I would have liked to finish the Autism article I started writing early in the week though.

I have almost figured up the total cost of Theresa's supplements. I figured that to get the house I want I have to down size for a while. Downsizing means less room but it also means lowering the bills. Less space takes less effort to heat and cool. If I could afford a camper I could park it under the trees here while I make the plans for the house I want. The house I want has drastically decreased in size over the years.

I saw a small counter top washing machine and little dryer that would come in handy for camping if I ever went again. OK now my mind is wandering. I've decided to start using my swagbucks to get $5 Amazon gift cards and save them in my amazon account until I have the money to purchase the items I want.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

What's it going to take?

I write for a living as you all know by now. I work from the comfort or discomfort of my home. I have an Autistic toddler than I work around. Therapy is taking up an increasing amount of time and the time that I have to work is rapidly decreasing. The fact that lately the only thing I can manage to start and finish are blog postings isn’t helping.

Every word that I write seems to be trash lately. I have even considered going back to work in the real world and placing her in daycare. The added expense is something that I’m afraid would be too much at this time. The last time I had a child in full time day care it was $70 a week, that’s approximately $280 a month that I don’t have right now. I’m seriously considering an additional preschool however since the one she’s at is only a half day two days a week.

I’m not sure but I think figuring out just how to budget my time to make sure I’m covering expenses after the divorce is going to take some time.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Not in the mood to work

I'm really not in the mood to work lately. I'm getting a divorce. I should be working but I don't feel like it and the fact that we're going to have no choice but to be roommates for a while well that takes a bit of the stress of paying the bills alone off of me.

I'm at a loss for words so the writing for a living thing appears to be a bad idea at the moment. I have no choice but to search through hundreds of job postings and bid for private jobs until I get my head back on straight.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

all figured out

well, i got everything figured out. even the fact that me and my soon to be ex husband are going to have to be roommates for a while after the divorce. The cost of living has just gotten too high for us to live separately right now.

at least we're getting along well enough to be civil as we end this marriage and circumstances force us to live together even though we are apart.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Five windows open for working today

I have five windows open for work right now plus this one. I was going to do a profile to put on a writing site but I have to finish up two of my notes pages and start the articles for them first. I'm almost done with one of the articles I'm writing which is a good thing. I have to find one to put up in it's place when I finish with it though.

I have been inserting some pictures I've taken over the years into a few of my articles. I just miss the best photo op I'll have in a while. There was a doe running through my yard, free from fear and full of energy. Watch the next one I'll see will be in the middle of the road as I hit the brakes and flip off the brights so they move.

Well, back to work for a minute then to get the laundry out of the machine to hang up.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

working in multiple windows yes or no

OK lately I've been working with three to five windows open. It's helped productivity to an extent, at least when I feel motivated.

December sees the amount of set income we have going down to $606.60 each month. This is going to be fun but I think with a little bit of persistence I can manage to make enough to get by until I can bring the bills down some. A few like the amount currently spent on supplements can't be reduced.

The light bill is a set amount of $200 each month. I'm thinking that I should take it off the budget billing plan but then I wouldn't have any idea what it'd be each month. I've figured that there might be $150 left before my income to take care of everything for the month.

I'm still figuring and hope that I'm wrong. I've noticed that I at least get all my ideas jotted down by using the multiple window technique. I'm loving that so far but the things I write when I'm gone aren't making it into the computer's word processor.

OK back to work for me, at least until I can go nap because like my little darling I don't feel well either.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Why Frugal Living?

I’ve read a lot on frugal living lately and I have to say it’s all getting to be a bit confusing. Some of the methods people use are reasonable while others make you wonder what tragic event they encountered that made them afraid to live. Then I began to take a closer look.

When it comes to earnings and savings there are a lot of factors in play. Married people are often assumed to have more income when in fact that’s far from the case. Some married people working age make about the same as a retired person living on the fixed income of social security. Add kids to this lower level of income and you have a formula for fear.

Then there are the single parents that seem to work so much they feel as if they never get to see their kids. It always seemed to me that when I left the house to go to work and put my baby in a daycare that I was missing out on something. The last few years at home with my Autistic little one have proven that I was right.

I spent the last three (almost four) years home with my little angel. When you go to work you miss the firsts, crawling, steps, words and boo-boos. So maybe even the most extreme of the extreme ideas aren’t that extreme if it means you can stay home with the baby for just a little while longer.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Relearning How to Meet a Deadline

I'm stuck lately on what to write, when to write and finding time to write. I am going back to research and deadlines. I have to have deadlines or I'm never going to get back to earning enough to make a living. I have a very limited time line to work in so I have to make the most of it.

I have two mornings a week to work uninterrupted that lately I've been using to catch up on housework. I have to clean the house but I need to get a lot of stuff thrown out so that I have less time cleaning up and more time working when I can. I also have a tendency to go to bed early lately and get up earlier although I don't seem to get much done getting up earlier.

I used to do my best work late at night I'm beginning to wonder if I can't do that again. Oh, well I've got to get ready to go before the kid gets home from school so I'll be back later.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Sold an Article and Did Most of the Budget

I managed to sell an article on the Gluten/Casein free diet to Associated Content this week. It seems to have taken forever to get it processed. I figured out that I don't see a difference in pay when I choose non-exclusive or exclusive. I also figured out that at my current rate I'd need to write and have approximately thirty a week excepted to help supplement my income enough to keep up with my rising costs.

I got most of my budget redone last night. My light bill has finally gotten the new budget amount; it's $200 a month and we were around $50 under budget for the current bill. That's good so hopefully we'll continue on that path so that we end up with a month we don't have to pay the bill so we can buy a few things we're gonna need by then. I know it seems silly to pay $200 a month for utilities when you don't use that much but if we don't we end up not knowing what the bill is each month. We also end up with just one month when the bill can be outrageous instead of several of them. My dryer hasn't worked in months so that's one temptation I don't have to worry about and the weather has been nice enough just to use fans for most of this month!

The afternoons are a little warm but the mornings and the nights are just right. I'd leave a window open at night but it's been too cold although my heat is only coming on once for about ten minutes. The bad news is that I have to pay the remaining $32 on my eye doctor visit next month and we get to start paying my auto insurance by the month on top of Theresa's supplements. One of her supplements went down to once a day which means it'll last 100 days at $15 a bottle which is less than $7 a month, I think that's just an estimate.

OK I have rambled long enough it's time to think of something else to write about.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Change of Plans

I've had a change of plans once again. This week I managed to sell one article to Associated Content and submit another that's still should be reviewed in the next week. I've found I work better listening to music so I'm going to be really tired with very little sleep as I find the times I get to listen to music uninterrupted.

Actually I can work while listening to a television show with the headphones as I type up an article. I figured out that I want a new computer, that way I have one to work on and one to watch shows on. Yes, I know it's not needed but it'd be nice to have so I'll dream. Oh, yeah I'm supposed to be talking about a change in plans so I guess I should get to it.

Monday and Wednesday mornings will be spent by taking two hours in front of the computer to write whatever comes to mind with my headphones on and the television set off. No exceptions for hubby since the baby will be at preschool during these times. Then I have from around 8pm until well midnight or later to get more work done. That's at least four hours.

What am I focusing on now? I'll be reviewing the items I'm buying of course since that's one of the easiest ways to earn. I may even review some television series if I can stop watching them long enough to write about them. There are a number of older shows that I could those "where are they now" articles about the cast; sadly enough I'm just old enough that those actors have started passing away.

The holidays are closer so a lot of stuff will be holiday related. I think I can find the time for two more blogs provided I pick the subjects carefully. Starting with one more should be best since I have very specific ideas for the next two. It shouldn't be that hard once the new schedule I have planned for the new year goes into effect. I'll be getting a new appointment book soon to keep up with everything or maybe I'll just buy an ink refill and print one out since the ones you buy never seem to have what I actually need in them.

Right now I've got an article on hold to write this. I couldn't figure out what to say next so I decided to come here and update this thinking maybe I'd get an idea. Well, I have one now so it's back to work.

Friday, October 15, 2010

One article Day so Far

Well so far today I've managed to write and save one article to be edited later. I noticed lately that when I managed to submit an article that was accepted for upfront payment that I had tiny typos that while barely noticeable stuck out like a sore thumb to me. I have an idea for an article related to the one that I wrote which will give me two articles to submit for upfront payments at Associated Content.

I did some math today and figured out that in order to supplement my income enough at the current rates I'm getting I can write 30 articles a week. That is provided that all thirty are accepted for upfront payments; I can also submit at least five a week just for performance payments in areas that don't usually get upfront payments to help my earnings. The whole point of sitting on the articles I'm managing to write today is to see if I can increase the earnings rate and make sure I haven't left anything relevant to the article out of it.

I bought a few bottles of Theresa's supplements today. Finally I had the money to replace three of the four she ran out of. Still need the fish oil, that's why I'm trying to force myself to write. I've got to pay hubby's phone bill too while still getting us where we need to go.

What did I spend today?
zinc $4 (bottle will last one month; hoping that they get the 30mg capsules in soon)
magnesium citrate $6
acetyl l $15 for a grand total of $25.

What's left to buy? The pro-omega fish oil for approximately $63 to ensure it last the month. There is also the matter of paying hubby's phone bill. It's only $21.80 and he's about out of time because he  seems to use it more when he has no choice but to conserve it.

I have a better idea now of how much I'm spending on supplements each month. The complete powder ($35), zinc ($4) and pro-omega fish oil ($63) are the only ones that I have to buy each and every month. (I think I could be wrong.) That comes to $102 each and every month. I may come off better when/if they get the 30mg zinc capsules in so she just gets one instead of two. I'm beginning to wonder if they are some supplements that would cover two or more areas that she has issues with. The next time I have to buy supplements I'll make it a point to figure out the average monthly costs.

It's time to go update everyone on the family side of the day now.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

One article sold none written

Well, I just accepted an offer from Associated Content that I probably should have declined and resubmitted on to see if I could increase the rate. Oh well, I know what I'm writing for them next and the article should be live by tomorrow so that I can begin earning performance payments on it. One is an editorial and the other two I have in mind for upfront offers to see if they'll except them. Holiday related should do well in searches provided I don't get forgetful and lose focus. I have to get as many articles for upfront payment written as possible.

The article that was accepted is How to make it through the holidays broke. It's not my best but it's not my worse, I think I can do a few more along those lines.

I'm wondering if I can write enough to put hubby's cell phone back on a monthly plan before he runs out of money in his account for it. He's the whole reason I pay for roll over minutes, he doesn't do well conserving his time for emergencies. Two cell phones only cost me $43.60 a month for a total of 400 minutes that roll over to the next month when all of them aren't used up to 1000 minutes. That's not too bad but given the way he went through the money in the account this month I think next time I lower the bill I'll change my phone plan to $15 every three months and add a little bit of money for text to save the minutes.

I didn't write anything today I started to then I forgot what I was doing. I tried to join the call for the "How to" guides but my Google voice couldn't complete the call. It worked fine to call my cell phone however. Not sure what the problem was and I can't find the right place to ask the question.

My auto insurance is due next month, I usually pay it every six months and save about $100 overall. Well, this time we won't be doing that. The closest estimate I can get is that it'll cost me about $60 a month at most for basic liability. I meant to do some shopping around but I haven't had the time to gather all the information that I need to get an accurate quote.

We went grocery shopping today. I had a budget of approximately $63 to get enough food to last us until this time next week. I spent almost $89, that's what I get for waiting until the cabinets were nearly empty to go shopping. Theresa has healthy snacks she can actually have, the problem is I still have to go back to the store on our way home tomorrow.

I've been redoing the budget as best I can estimating everything. The good news is the bills are under $500 if I got all of them but that doesn't include buying the supplements, groceries or basics for the house. I have a feeling this month and the rest of the year are going to be kind of crappy. Maybe not if I can manage to get back in the mood to write. I'm almost there but I feel like crap thanks to the weather being hot then cold. Oh well, I've updated my work and saving progress now it's time to

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Not a complete loss

Well, even though I didn't manage to write any articles today it wasn't a total lost. The journaling I did this morning gave me some ideas. I did manage to read through one article that was rather helpful this morning before I got kicked offline. I already carry a notebook with me to watch Theresa's therapy sessions. I go over the budget makes a couple notes on the session, etc..

Well, the problem is I may have to many ideas while I'm watching and waiting. I think that I'll start outlining at least one of those ideas to turn into an article when I get home.

Friday is hubby's payday and it's not going to help. The check is spent and it's not even here. On the bright side I got my performance pay from Associated Content even though it was less than I was expecting. I think the totals for last month and this month come to what I was expecting. Oh well, it'll be there next month. I have a few ideas for article to write for upfront payment. I just have to make sure that they're edited and on subjects that are actually being searched for.  I wonder just how many articles can be gotten out of the holiday season.

I'm thinking of starting a "how to" guide tomorrow but I'm not sure of the subject that I want to write about at the moment. I had a clear idea and I can't find it now. Well, it's time to end the work day and go to bed. Well, after I play a few games to clear my head.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

no work done today

Well, I didn't manage to do the first bit of work today and that's fine too. I did find the time to check my earnings and so far I seem to have all the basic needs covered. Theresa is out of a few supplements that I'll have to get a little later. She'll be fine until I can get them. She just needs 3 I think.

Pro-omega fish oil - $62.53 for an 8 ounce bottle that'll last all month and into the next (I think)
Acetyl L - $15
Magnesium citrate - $6
Zinc - $5 to $7.50 (depends on where I buy it)

That's $88.53 minimum. It'll be Friday, at the moment I have the $9 to cover the rest of the $3 per week ABA co-pays and $5 for an emergency. I'm not sure how I managed to run out of funds before payday this month. Actually I think letting hubby have some decision making power helped. One day I'll sit down and pound the expenses into his head, until then we both agree I'm in charge.

Monday, October 11, 2010

slowing down to nearly a halt

Well, today I managed to write one new article about Christmas gifts. I'm still on the Christmas theme. I was going to do a few editorials but I'm too sore. Last night I tried to hook my spare monitor up to my laptop so I could see it better without having to make the items on the screen so big that I constantly have to scroll to read what I want to. I can't get a picture on the monitor. Not sure what's wrong with it, and I can't figure out which wires to use to hook my computer up to the television set.

I think I would be more productive with the t.v. for a monitor, a wireless mouse and keyboard for a better angle. The mouse and keyboard will have to wait. I have a feeling that I can get the right wires faster than the rest. Any increase in productivity right now would be welcome.

I have to write at least five articles a day average to finish the month correctly. It would be better if I could have a few more 13 hour days every week until the end of the month. Well, I'm taking the rest of the night off to think so I'll be back to bore you more later.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Can't budget without all the facts

Well, I keep saying I'm going to redo my budget but I can't. I don't have all the facts of my budget at the moment. There are changes to it right now that I can't get until later in the month and next month. The best that I can do is to estimate them as best I can. I know about how much money I have coming in on a regular basis now I have to figure out how much more I need to come in.

What are the bills that I know each month?

Debt $20.00 (it's gonna take a while to pay off at that rate but that's fine to)
My phone $21.80 (can be reduced if I think hard enough)
Hubby's phone - undecided at the moment it's gonna be a while before it's put back in the regular bills
Cook's pest control - $33.00 (could cancel but then I'd have to deal with wasps and things myself, not sure about that)
that's $74.80 if I could leave it at that then I'd be doing flips.

The co-pay for ABA therapy is $3 a week, that's not much only $12 to $15 a month which isn't bad considering that the full cost of the therapy is $55 an hour. The light bill is being figured again and I should have the new monthly budget amount about the middle of the month so that I can figure that into my budget. Then there are Theresa's supplements and her diet, the food is a bit expensive but she does great on it.

How much are Theresa's supplements every month? I have no idea how much they average out to; I just know they help her so I buy them. I think I figure it out though, well when I have all of them and the prices in front of me. Of course I'd also have to have her doses in front of me to figure it out, the best I can do at the  moment since they just increased is to get myself a rough estimate.

She has one vitamin C tablet a day which is $7.50 for 100 tablets or $14.75 for 250 tablets. The larger bottle works out a quarter cheaper than the smaller bottle. Which bottle depends on the budget that particular month since the drive to get it involves going farther than I would on a normal week. One pharmacy carries it or I can order it and pay shipping that's more than the gas I use to go get it.

A bottle of her multivitamins is $14 for the chew-able and $16 for the capsules that are easier to get in her. They last two months when she takes them like she's supposed to which makes the average cost $7 to $8 a month which isn't too bad.

The fish oil is cheaper to order online and have delivered to the house. A 4oz bottle is $35.96 and a 8oz bottle is $62.53. The 8oz actually lasts all month and part of the next month. One 8oz works out cheaper than 2 of the 4oz.

Complete Powder is $35 for a month supply. That's a big savings over the 4 bottles of HLC at $38 each she was going through because of the dose.

75 days worth of calcium powder is $13.

OK this is getting to be rather confusing. I need to sit down with all the supplements and the costs then average them out by the month to get a true picture of the monthly expenses once again. I know how much money I have for groceries each month now it's time to make the amount I spend on them match that.

It's also time to get back to work.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Overall the day was productive

I wrote 12 Christmas articles that didn't take that long and one article about playing catch up which is what I'll be doing the rest of the year. All and all it was a rather productive day even if I did end up needing a nap.

My nap was short, the work day was too. I managed to accomplish most of my work by noon which I think was rather good. I also figured out that in the morning I have no choice but to go over my budget again. I think I have to keep up this pace for the rest of the month to be on track for next month.

I have to buy zinc again. I have to call Wednesday and make sure I can switch zinc. The one Theresa has now is $7.50 plus tax, the one I want to put her on is $5. That's a help to my budget, I can get the vitamin D drops for less than I paid for them the last time when they run out. I still have to order her fish oil. I think the 8oz bottle would work better now that her dose has increased so much. It works out less than two 4oz bottles and would last the entire month, possibly into the next month.

I have to figure the cost of her supplements again and then figure them with a monthly average. Next month I do believe my auto insurance is due. I have the feeling I'll be paying it by the month since I doubt I can come up with the entire six month premium in one lump sum. I was supposed to get a quote for a different company but I never had time to get all my information together and make the call.

I have got to go grocery shopping but first I have to find a bunch of recipes from people that have actually used them so that Theresa's food doesn't take like crap. Noticing serious behavior issues with things that she's not supposed to have in the house. Well, time to go ramble about the kids day now.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Not very productive

I managed to write two new articles today and make a list of six to try and write tomorrow. I started an article this morning. I think I managed to get half way through before I left it and went to write something else. Of course since it's so close to Christmas all the articles that I picked for tomorrow are related to the holiday. I chose some that are dated but once I write those I'll find some that aren't.

I'm looking at the empty and popular titles to see where I want to write. I think I'll do a few diary pages at wikinut this weekend. I can break the week up into individual pages. Today Theresa has a schedule change that she took well so I can write about that.

I'll be redoing the budget tonight and tomorrow. This month saw a $320 light bill and over $100 in doctor's bills for my eye that weren't planned for. I've got to pay $53 next month that wasn't in the budget. I'm not sure but I think my auto insurance is due next month. Instead of paying it off for the next six months I'll be paying it by the month because I can't come up with the entire amount. I have to get brakes on my truck too.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to get brakes. I just know the last estimate was about $250. I think I'll start hiding some cash until I have enough to replace them. Well, it's time to go ramble about Theresa's day and then call it a night.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Broke and the month isn't half over yet

Great I've got $5 until I get paid. $3 is going to Spectrum for the ABA co-pay in the morning. $2 to get by until Sunday. I can manage that. I just have to put gas in the truck, a tank should last next week and the next. Then I have to pay for my pest control, phone bill, the rest of the ABA co-pays and one more bill. About $75 worth, this is going to be a rather fun month.

Next month I shouldn't be this broke this soon. Well, I may be I really need to put brakes on my truck. Last time I checked that was about $250 just for the front. I can do that. Oh well, I'll be redoing the budget yet again.

My air didn't work right all summer but the heat is working just fine. It's almost enough to make me a bit ill.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

One Article Day

I managed to write one article today. I'll know in about a week if it's been accepted or not. I have ideas for articles that aren't coming together. Research is slow for some of them even the ones that don't actually require more than a few definitions and a check on my spelling to make sure I got it right.

I washed some shirts by hand this morning, that in itself makes an article. It wasn't fun but I wanted to wear them this week and I didn't feel like doing a load in the washing machine when there wasn't one.

Friday the ABA co-pay will be $3, I've got to make sure I go by the bank the next week to get it out. I don't feel like writing a $3 check. Well, time to go waste some time and come up with more ideas.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Increasing expenses and still decreasing income

I haven't felt much like writing lately. That'd be fine except for one thing.....I make my living writing. I had some time off because of a costly injury and now my vision is blurry. I'm not sure if it's because of the light or if my eye is worse. I'm hoping I just need new glasses that I've need for a while or at least since the pair I'm supposed to be wearing broke.

I have one more payday coming this month unless I can manage to get some articles submitted and accepted for upfront payments. I have four bills left to pay that won't be covered until payday, and not enough to cover the rest of the things that have to be bought. I should be writing an article right now but I'm not. I took Theresa to therapy today. I have less than a half of a tank of gas to last me until the 10th which is Sunday. We have one appointment tomorrow, two Thursday luckily within ten minutes of each other. Friday our appointments are in one building. I should have enough gas to last all week. The 10th I fill the tank and make it last the rest of the month.

I think I managed two articles today but I'm not sure. I did a load of laundry which reminds me that I'm going to need laundry detergent soon and don't have any of the ingredients. I can't buy the ingredients this month either. I really don't want to spend a $1 on a generic box that won't last the month and doesn't work very well. I may end up hand washing a large portion and using the washing machine for Theresa's clothes.

Theresa ran out of two of her supplements. The zinc is approximately $8 and I keep forgetting to get it. The fish oil if about $38 when I have it delivered and I don't have $38 to order it right now. I have to pick up two new supplements for Theresa in the morning. Together they should come to about $14.

I separated the finances from dear hubby because he doesn't seem to understand the concept of bills. Actually I know he doesn't and he doesn't actually make enough to cover any at the moment. So he's now responsible for taking his paycheck and paying his child support, cell phone bill, his portion of the auto insurance and buying what he needs. This month he's not doing so well. Of course with all the extra expenses I'm not doing so well this month either.

Oh well, all this talk of finances makes me realize that it's past time to work. I have an idea to submit to AC for upfront payment but I have to actually write it in order to submit it.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Not much working or saving lately

This month hasn't been much for working I've been rather unmotivated. I managed to write one Christmas article and submit a review today. I've been looking around for a couple of hours without any luck to find something else to write. I finally decided to write an opinion/editorial in the morning. At least I think that I have.

The injury to my eye so far has cost me more than $100 with a balance of almost $32 left to pay on today's visit. Then I have another follow up in a week. The doctor told me that if my eye felt completely fine by then I could just skip that appointment. I really hope to skip it since the eye is healing on its own and there haven't been any problems with it.

I bought what I thought was all we needed just to find out that I skipped a few things. I'll be rolling change to get those since it's just a few dollars worth of things. Then I'm hoping next month will be a bit easier to get through. I still have to get Theresa a costume for Halloween. That's going to be fun unless she doesn't go again this year. She's never seemed interested in it before so I'm not sure if she'll be going or not.

Well, it's not that late but my eyes are blurry and I'm tired so I'm going to check on my accounts. Then I may or may not call it a night depending on what I need to do.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Painful Time Off

The time I took off the past couple of days was rather painful. Thursday I poked myself in the eye with the arm of my glasses. The pair I'm supposed to be wearing is broke so I'm wearing an old pair that is actually too old. The arm I poked myself with is just metal now. Rather painful to say the least, more painful was cancelling Friday and this coming Monday's therapy sessions to go the doctor. I scratched my cornea and added to the list of things I never wanted to know. There are more nerve endings in the cornea than the rest of the body.

I don't have insurance because it usually costs me more to pay for it than it pays out as little as I go to the doctor. Well, my visit required $50 upfront and then I could pay half of the remainder to set up a payment plan. The remainder was just under $45 and I have to go back again. I decided to go ahead and pay that to make the balance due after the next visit the only portion I have to make payments on. $95 plus that was not planned for.

I estimated and I figure I have about $70 to get everything that we need to get me by until I get paid again on the 10th. Then the last bill for the month will get paid. I have to put gas in the truck to get my kid to therapy out of that $70 too. I have a feeling I'm going to end up rolling my change to get something I forget to put on my shopping list. I may take it and pour it into one of the counting machines that gives gift cards and use that to get what I need.

Well, I'm tired and I have a few things to do. I wrote one article today, it was about Christmas dinner. I still can't get into my AC account so I can't submit content there for upfront there. It'd be really nice if I could because they pay faster and I could actually use the money at the moment. Well, back to work.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

How to Guide - Published

My first "how to guide" on being a freelance writer was approved with a few minor edits. I'm happy. I spent more than a day on it trying to figure out where everything actually went. I haven't done much for upfront payments; actually I haven't done anything for upfront payment since the new month began.

I have done a few diary pages at wikinut but I think I've told you that already. I can't log into Associated Content hopefully that'll be fixed in a day or so then I can submit more content there. So in the meantime I'll continue to work on how to guides.

Tomorrow I get to pay the light bill which is right at $320 and my cable bill which is $80 after I go to the eye doctor to see just how much damage I did when I poked myself in the eye with the arm of my classes. I really dread seeing that bill. Since I need to make up for the cost of the unplanned for eye exam I'm going to work now to see how much I can get done with one eye closed.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

So Far Only Diary Pages Written

So far it's been about three days since the month started over for me. I haven't done much writing; instead I've done laundry, dishes, and some other boring cleaning. I've been writing at wikinut mostly these past few days in the Diaries section. It gives me somewhere to write about the day with the potential to earn from it.

I have been rating and leap frogging at Helium. I looked at my zones today and realized they were out of date or rather the name was. It's going to take me a while to fix that. I have no idea where to begin. I can edit them all day long but there are no changes being made to them where I want them to be.

Oh well, it's Tuesday so it's almost time for NCIS and I refuse to miss it. I have two months when Tuesday nights are free and I'm using all of them to my benefit. In two months I have to start over making four out of six ABA driven parenting classes for my financial aid requirement. I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth it.

OK I'll be back to update you more later.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Slow and Easy to Start the Month

The recent work changes that I made are going rather well. I know my working month seems strange but the way it runs is from the 25th of one month to the 24th of the next and payday is the 10th of the following month. It makes for an interesting schedule and means that I have to spread my work out as much as I possibly can to make the most of what I do. I also have to participate in active promoting to get something real accomplished by the end of the month.

I have managed to write one entire article yesterday and today. That's fine. The new pace means that I can actually get more productive as time goes by and get more done which will increase my productivity.

I have one splurge in mind, a three meat-meatloaf with onions, mixed peppers and such that is both gluten and casein free for Theresa. It's going to be a nice way to make the budget stretch and figure out how to cut recipes to suit the three of us. It'll be kind of fun too. I have more time to cook so I can actually make more of Theresa's food instead of buying the obscenely priced ready made items that are hit and miss when it comes to taste.

I think that now I may be able to update both of my blogs daily and eventually create another one that's updated every few days and still relevant when it's posted. Bye for now, time to get the last of the weekend things done so that I can have the baby off and on the school bus on time in the morning.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Most of the Day Off

I'll be taking most of the day off. Today starts a new month of earnings in one place while continuing in the same month for other things. I'll be taking most of the day off today but I will get some work done today probably after Theresa goes to bed.

I figured up my expenses against my regular income and guess what. There's enough to cover the bill right now and not much else. No problem. I get to go over everything and see where else expenses can be cut. I have a few areas that I know I can cut I just have to make sure that I'm careful with them.

Theresa is a picky eater but she's not a picky eater. Last time we went to the store I saw gluten free pretzels that were half as much as the ones I normally buy her so I figured we could try them. I'm not crazy about the taste but Theresa seems to like them, then again she likes rice cakes too. I just opened the bottle of Gain dish washing liquid that I had a coupon to get free last month so I can write a review on it and earn a little of money off of it.

You know I like the fact that there is even a place that I can write and earn money on things that I use each and every day. I think I'll do a couple of diary submissions at Wikinut tonight since that's the only place I've seen to put them. I'm going to try to write a new AC article and a couple of Helium articles since the month started over. Helium may have to wait until I leap a couple of older articles. My days are getting more organized and easier as the time passes.

Well, that's all for now. I'll be back shortly with more updates.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

So Far So Good

Well, so far the new work tactic is working out pretty well. My last client payed the day after I sent the articles to her. I love that she checked them so quickly. This new venture may be badly timed but that's fine too.

My savings accounts are now officially and completely empty. That means I'll be doing a lot of promoting between the times I find to write. I'm kind of use to being broke so it should be fine, cutting corners is my specialty. I actually managed to write two articles yesterday. The first is about the changes and the other is about how I spent my day I don't know why but I felt the need to write about my day and the new changes. I'm rather satisfied with the articles even though neither one are in areas that usually get upfront payments. Articles are articles.

During therapy today I'm going to work on reading the book I started and haven't had much time for. It's a mindless romance that while I'm not really fond of them is relaxing to read. I think I'll review it when I finish. There are tons of things that I want to review and I can money by doing it. The change to no longer taking private clients means I have more time for my work and my family.

It's almost time to make another batch of laundry detergent. I've only got a little bit left in the bucket so I'm going to pour it into a small container and go ahead and make the other batch tonight so I don't run out. The next time I make it I have to go buy part of the supplies but that's OK too. It still works out cheaper than purchasing other detergents. I'm finding the time once again to order samples of things so I can try and review them without spending any money.

I listed all my income sources yesterday and I have a good bit of them. Maybe now I can organize my time so that all of them are taken advantage of during the week instead of being forced to focus on one or two during the month. Who knows when I get rested up I may take on private clients again. I'll just make sure I only take projects that pay well and have long deadlines.

OK off to make a tiny bit of money before we leave for therapy. I may take a few minutes to put my goals down on some index cards so I can post them around my work space. I saw a spiral book of large sized index cards this morning that'll work well for that. The pages tear out so I can post them but it's sturdy enough I can take it with us and write them out while we're gone so I don't feel like I'm missing family time.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

All Done

Well, I finished up my last private project a couple days early. Now all that's left is to wait while the client goes through them and get paid. Time to focus on my own writing once again. The only down side is that my savings account is now empty, so is my baby daughters.

The summer saw a drastic reduction in income with an increase in bills because things kept breaking. Once school started back our income increased slightly, then my radiator burst. $323 to fix it, money set aside to pay the next month's bills. Well, the problem was resolved when some income that we were expecting to loose came back. Then a few days ago my husband did something stupid. Well, he's going to be broke for about a month but me and our daughter will be just fine.

Tomorrow begins the first day in the scariest venture ever. I begin writing my own stuff again and nothing but my own stuff for a while. This is going to be interesting. Wish me luck and send me some inspiration.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

A Scary Decision

It seems lately all decisions are scary but I had to make one. I took the summer off because I didn't have preschool to get uninterrupted working time. Well, when school started back two days a week I decided to take private clients again since I had eight hours uninterrupted to work. That turned out to be proof that things don't always work out as planned.


I'm in the middle of the second project I've taken since school started and it's only getting more stressful. While the income from private clients is helpful it's not worth the stress. That's why I gave notice that this is my last project. There will be no more, from now on the only writing I do will be my own. I can earn more with my own writing; the only drawback is that I won't get paid as often. 


I think that without the pressures of deadlines I won't be as sick as often and I can fit in all those little things that get neglected as I rush to finish up. Of course a little more help around here would make things a lot easier. That's another story all together. 

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Not Going to Finish Early

Well, the 75 articles I have due the 27th are 75 that I was hoping to get done and turned in early so I could get paid early. That's not going to happen. I forgot one small thing when I took the job and figured out just how many articles a day I'd have to write to finish both on time and early; I have other things to do besides meet a deadline. Somehow when I'm not writing for myself I feel more pressure.

I came to a conclusion, I'm finishing this set of articles and going back to work strictly for myself. I may not make as much as fast but I won't be constantly in a rush. If I have to I can go to work part time at least for a little bit to keep myself from going completely crazy.

Well, it's late and my eyes hurt so I'm calling it a night. I can always work all weekend to finish early since we're not going anywhere. I have to make sure that I can still see if I want to work so I'm taking some more time off to do my own writing using a voice recognition program so I only have to look at the screen to edit what I wrote.

I promise myself if I don't manage anything else I'll replace my glasses next month.

Starting Over

Due to something going haywire there were posts being repeated and that's not what I wanted. So I deleted them all. Now I'm going to work, have a project to finish and in a couple of days I'll be back here to start over completely. Who knows I may decided to start an entirely new blog in the meantime that covers working and saving individually.

Oh well, time to go be productive, sort of.