shishnit.org

When you look at real estate ad’s and they read “Formerly bought for $insertbiginflatedpricehere” 

Does that impress you or just make you sad for some displaced family? 

Yes that is a loaded question no?   I have to say that Rick and I are doing well financially, but the economy is preventing me from obtaining a better paying daylight hour job.  And that prevention is causing me such alarm and concern because I’m at a place where I’m so so ready to have my son move in with us full time.

My son.  The most important person in my life and I’m perhaps failing him?!

A topic I haven’t blogged about in forever because I’ve been trying to be respectful to my teenage son.  And yet…he’s getting himself into trouble and I feel the need to be more active and present in his life.  Impossible when you work from 12:45 to 10:15 p.m. Mon-Thurs and 8-1 on Saturday’s.  I’m working during the hour’s that he’s home from school.  He’s still living with his Dad and I’m thinking that based on his recent behavior’s that this is just not working out to be the best arrangement for his well being.  His father has too many other things and too little supervision and it’s causing issues.  In my ex’s defense, though many say there is no defense for him, I believe he’s trying his best, but when a teenager has the desire to dis-obey they will do so regardless of who is trying to tell them what they should do.

I want to blog the details because they are the things that keep me up at night. What will become of my son?  That’s the question that flies across my brain repeatedly for the two hours that I struggle to fall asleep. I’ve taken to popping sleeping pills and though I wrote a song titlted “Pop a Pill” that was not what I was referring to then.  But each night that I pop two sleeping pills in hopes of sleeping through my worry, I am singing that song in my head. It’s a sad state of affairs.

Rick has been supportive but feels out the loop since he’s the stepfather, etc.  It’s a hard and complicated situation to write about but suffice it to say that I am angry with the economy right now because I should be rejoicing in completing my undergrad and seeking better paid daylight employment but I’ve submitted my carefully constructed resume to 350+ job listings and haven’t received one phone call or inquiry.  This is the same message I am hearing from all over.

There are parts of me that regret purchasing a home this year because heck…I can’t even explore employment in another not so awful state.  Yet, I can’t leave my city anyway because I have a court order that says we have joint custody. 

Keith is at an age where he should have a part time job after school, an activity that would motivate him and keep him too busy to get into trouble, but those jobs are now being manned by 30-something adults who have lost their “real” job.  Every time I go into a 7-11 it’s not a punk kid with too many tattoo’s taking my money, it’s a formerly white collar man in his mid forties who’s over qualified to sell hot dogs.

The saddest thing is there are tons of jobs listed…that pay less than what I currently make.  Tons of the jobs I was seeking 5 and 6 years ago.  I don’t need those jobs now.  And the jobs I wanted 5 and 6 years ago…they aren’t really listed in heavy numbers.  I’m enrolling in a Master’s program and I fear that when I’m done with it, I will have even more education that a 7-11 employee really needs to have.

It’s such a sad thing that some nights as I’m popping my sleeping pills I want to down them with a glass of straight up Vodka.  I never do, but apparently I need not because there’s one member of my family taking care of that drinking binge all on his own accord…or so they say.  What will become of my blue eyed little boy while this recession prevents me from doing all that I wish I could?

FUCK YOU to every mortgage broker who told two shiny happy smiling people that they COULD afford that pretty house in the suburbs.  FUCK YOU to every former corner office holder on wallstreet who snuffed up the numbers a little bit to pad their own wallets.  FUCK YOU to the liars, cheaters, con-artists and stupid pimps who used and abused everything they should have cared about.  FUCK YOU recessionary economy…FUCK YOU!

Oh and FUCK YOU all you Mommy bloggers that think the hardest thing about being a parent is getting your child to sleep in their bedroom all night.  YOU ain’t seen nothing yet!

Last month (August) I spent a whopping total of $78 on books.  One of which was for a college course.  I purchased 13 books, so that’s an average of $6 per book.  If I take out the $24 book I bought for a college course, it averages to $4.50 per book.  It takes me on average of 3 to 4 hours to complete a book, therefore I am providing myself with 48 hours of awesome entertainment for $1.12 per hour.  (I removed the cost and entertainment hours that my college book for $24 would be because that’s not entertainment, that’s education).  $1.12 per hour for my entertainment budget for the month. 

That’s less than some people’s booze allowance and when I spend time with my family, I do so always sober so I’m completely present.  When I have conversations with people I’m doing so with all of my brain cells and I’m not slurring my words, and because I read all of those books I can communicate intellectually.

Geesh…I better quit my one less than stellar spending habit because clearly the rewards aren’t worth it….right?  Someone pass me a beer, I want to become a mindless twit who get’s angry over differing opinions and can someone help me eat $700 worth of groceries this month..because I don’t know how in the hell we could do that without a lot of help.

Sometimes I wish people had to walk around for just one damn day with their FICO score on their foreheads so as a society we might consider our poor choices.

p.s. don’t buy books…they kill trees and are a stupid investment to some.

p.s.s. some of my book purchases for the month (ie the ones not for college) were e-books for my Sony Ebook reader.  I love trees.

I just read this budget in a blog.

“Let me preface this by saying that I have been trying to keep our discretionary budget under $2,000 a month.  The budget is like so:

Entertainment - $50

Booze - $100

Other - $50

Clothes - $200

Gas/Auto - $350

Dining Out - $150

Kids - $50

Household - $300

Groceries - $700

TOTAL $1,950”

This rather long crazy list really struck me for several reasons.

This person has money and they can do whatever they wish, I fully believe that to be the case.  However, one reason I enjoy reading blogs is to understand how other’s choose to live and why.  This budget for things that are not necessarily necessities (entertainment, booze, other, dining out being those items) is larger than my total monthly bills minus my mortgage each month.

I also find it sad that Entertainment, Booze and Other are more than what they choose to spend on their children for the month.  I didn’t include dining out in there because perhaps they do in fact take the children out to eat. Who knows, I’m just reading a blog.

I just counted up all my expenditures for the month of September (yes I have a budget too). My total bills for the entire month were $2490.  I might even throw another $200 at that just to be fair and add in things I may have overlooked.

Imagine if people just lived normally instead of having an attitude that “more is better” and “who cares, we work hard for it”.  Perhaps our economy and the society we live in would be better if we all didn’t think we deserved whatever we wanted and could afford and in many cases things people can’t afford.  This person calls this their discretionary budget.  How many other millions of people live like that and justify it?  Am I the only soul that lives below my means in an effort to ensure a decent future, a future where there is no social security, where there is no guarantee, where the economy is going to total shit and we need to consider a rainy day??

Rick and I live far below our means.  I save money, so does he.  We have a good life.  We aren’t living paycheck to paycheck.  We do eat, and I do purchase books.  And if something happened to him, I would be able to maintain our life.  I might not be able to save as much money as I do, but I could keep what we have and would be ok.  We own two cars. Read that correctly, OWN.  As in paid for.

My discretionary budget includes books, CD’s, rental movies, etc.  And as most of my few readers know, I live 10 minutes from the most beautiful beaches in Florida in a middle class moderate neighborhood.  My budget also includes any and all expenses I incur due to being a full time college student.I expect to graduate college in February and when I obtain a better paying job I intend to add nothing to our monthly outgoing bills.  IE: I won’t be spending money every month on useless things just because I can.  I will just add more to savings and perhaps look into investments.

How much stuff is enough?  How much do you spend on unnecessary things?  Do you live below your means?  Do you live paycheck to paycheck?  How do you decide how to spend your money?

I get credit card offers all the time, I throw them away.  I have a good life and I don’t spend tons of money to have it.  I deserve financial peace of mind. I deserve savings and a safety net.  I am working on the latter two.  My monthly book purchasing budget equals their booze one and I suppose I could always sell my books and gain back some return. However, I’m fueling my brain not killing my liver.

This is not about that particular family.  It’s about America and the financial state we are in and the type of “the world owes me everything I want” attitude that dominates in America. The mere notion that we deserve THINGS and that THINGS in fact make us happy???

The biggest thing I covet is my knowledge that my simple easy going lifestyle is abundant to my soul.  My realization that I need for nothing is really a blessing. 

p.s. I think when my income increases I’ll definitely have a larger “charity” budget.