Showing posts with label Venting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Venting. Show all posts

Friday, February 16, 2007

Roller Derby

You know what I hate? Those stupid shoes with the wheels on the bottom that kids are wearing now...they drive me crazy! I hate how kids wheel around places like the mall with them, and I hate that when they are trying to walk in them, they can't because the wheel is on the back of them. Hate them. Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.

Today, I saw a kid wearing them at the mall. And he fell. And I laughed. Loudly...and he heard me.

This from someone who can't wait to be a mom...

Monday, February 12, 2007

Chafing under all the authority...

My husband wants us to write a budget and stick to it. I want to do that just about as much as I want to get some holes drilled in my head so that he can screw in some antennae and pick up his Sirius satellite radio through my teeth. And wouldn't I be a useful wife then?

Here's the thing...I am one of those people who is bad with money, but I masquerade as someone who has my stuff together. I don't spend money on large purchases like designer jeans or electronic equipment. I do, however, visit Target often, and I rarely leave there without spending $100. You all know how that is...

During my first years of work out of college, I really should have been budgeting because then I would not be in this abyss of credit card debt that I am in right now. And when I was in nursing school? I REALLY should have been budgeting because I was making about $600 per month. That was NOT enough to pay the bills. Instead, I kept my head barely above water with keeping up my payments, and I used things like savings' bonds and wedding money to supplement my income. And when I wanted to go to Target for some "essentials?" I used my credit card.

Now, I have graduated from nursing school and am employed as a nurse. FULL TIME! My hourly rate has more than doubled from when I was an aide, and I also am working about twice as many hours per week. That is a considerable jump in my income. It is NICE... However, now is the time to take my place among the bill-payers in this household. Bill is being more than generous and is continuing to pay for everything until April 1. And then, a budget will be part of the plan.

We have come up with a nice plan, where he will keep handling the housing-related expenses (mortgage, insurance, etc.), while I will handle utilities (electric, cable, and Vonage). I will pay our cell phone bill, and he will pay the boys' cell phone bill. We will pay for our own cars. We will pay for our own car insurance. We will pay our own credit card payments. And I think this is all well and good. I want to do my part, and I can do my part.

My issue is when it comes to discretionary income. When I have leftover money in a month, I want to have some fun with it. I want to go to Target and but all that crap that I don't need. I want to be able to buy new shoes when I want, if I have the money. I want to go get my highlights retouched before my roots are two inches long. And I don't want that to be in a spreadsheet.

My brain knows that a budget is the way to go. And when I read some of the other budgetting bloggers that are out there, I figure I should just grow up already and realize that this is something that we need to do. After all, do I want to be paying off these credit card bills well into my forties? Certainly not...so I guess come April 1, I will let Bill but this budget into action and see how it goes. Before then? I see some new black boots in my future. And maybe some new make-up. And it won't be from Target. After all, a little gift to myself can't be all bad...