I am one of THOSE people. I make lists, I organize things, I relish checking off the things on my lists. At the very beginning of this deployment I came up with this list.
1) Workout consistently
2) Compile a Valentines Day care package
3) Clean the fireplace (ugh)
4) Detail the car
5) SUPER clean the house :)
6) Start my online college classes
7) Save up money for my husband to get new clothes
8) Get hubby a BBQ
9) Get an actual hair style
10) Remain POSITIVE
We're past the 1/2 way mark and reflecting on how I've done. I'm very happy to say that I have been working out often. I have lost about 10 pounds and I feel like I have more energy. It's a fun part of my day, it is a reason for me to get out of bed. When I wake up I think "It's time to go kick some butt." And I think my husband will approve of the change in me and my new outlook on working out. He loves to workout and be active so I think we'll have fun doing that together when he gets home.
I did send him a Valentines day package, and an Easter package. :)
I cleaned out the fireplace! UGH!
I did detail the car, it wasn't fun but it looks good.
The house is SUPER clean! I love cleaning and keeping our home neat. It looks great.
I have not only started online classes, I have a 99% in my college courses.
We decided to use part of our tax return so that he can get some clothes and I'd like some new work out shoes.
I did get him a BBQ :) I used the money from my last job to buy it. I think he'll really enjoy it and I'll enjoy eating what he makes.
I think I have a hairstyle, I've started loosely curling the ends and I really like it.
Last, and most important REMAIN POSITIVE! I feel like I have done this very well. Of course I've had my days. I have cried, I have asked "Why me?", I have been sad and missed my husband so much that I didn't want to do anything that day. But I was always picked back up. I would reach out to God for strength and go on with my day, or when my friend is in town she would take me to the mall, make me laugh and get me out of my rut. But I'd always find my way out. I remind myself of how good this deployment has been for my husband's career. He got a coin from the Secretary of the Navy, he's testing for his Air warfare pin, he's testing for E-4, he's on his longest deployment so far out of the other 3 trips. And for myself, I am doing very well in school, I'm taking good care of my body and getting healthier, I'm able to spend quality time with my best friend when she's in town or when I visit her. (She lives in a neighboring state.)
I also talked to my dad the other day who served in the Army. He told me that he wouldn't take back his deployment or his trips. If he had to do it over again, he'd do it the same way. He got out when my mom got pregnant so he could be home with her, but for the first 6 years he was away from her for pieces at a time and he said that he had experiences and met friends that he would always look back fondly on. It made me realize that one day my husband will be home with me, and we'll be talking about his trip, his achievements and the places he saw and it will seem like so long ago and such a short amount of time. He only has a year and a half left of sea duty, and after that we get 5 years of being together, starting our family, and having our own adventures at home. Waiting this small amount of time is so worth all of that!
Overall I feel that we have turned this deployment into a productive time. The best way I can describe the way I did what I did, was to trust the Lord and give him my fears so they aren't on my shoulders. I also pushed myself to workout and stick with it, to listen to music and dance and be happy in myself, to cook for myself and treat myself well. To let my friend in and talk to her and let her get me out of the house to see a movie or go to the mall. That is how I survived, and will continue to survive until my husband is back in my arms.
Monday, April 25, 2011
What the "Shutdown" scare taught me...
During the scare where everyone thought that the military either would not get paid or only receive half of a pay check, I realized how much we depend on a large percentage of our income. I saw a few military wives sharing ideas on how to save some money every day. I want to share some of my own and if you have more please post them as a comment here for me :)
My husband is the bread winner right now. I'm in school for Medical Billing and Coding and putting my heart into getting a 100% in my classes, so I've decided not to work until I graduate in a couple months. Also the only jobs I qualify for until I receive my diploma are retail jobs. The last job I got to help us out with money required me to stand for 6-9 hours and did not give me any breaks. They said that I needed to stand and eat at the register and that I was not allowed to leave...well after a week of that my knee was swollen and in so much pain I had to quit.( I injured my knee about a year and a half ago and it has been a slow recovery process.) I felt really bad for not bringing in that income, but I'm pretty sure the way they treated me wasn't legal. After that my husband and I talked and he doesn't want me to be at a job that would not only hurt me, but isn't at all what I want to do. Once I graduate I will be able to apply for a Medical Billing job where I can sit and do something that I enjoy. Saving money is something that I'm committed to. Here are some ideas!
1. Unplug appliances you aren't using. I unplug my microwave & laptop/phone chargers at night or when I'm not using them.I unplug the t.v./xbox/phone when I go on a trip.
2. Cut fabric softener dryer sheets in half. I did this, they still work :)
3. Use Icefilms.com instead of paying for Netfilx and Cable!
4. Turn your a/c a couple of degrees higher at night and turn it off before you leave (unless you have pets at home)
5. Instead of buying video games, use gamefly.com to try them out, play them as long as you like and send them back. That way you don't end up with a ton of games you only played a couple weeks and probably won't play again. My husband loves this!
6. Instead of buying movies or dvd's, watch them for free on Icefilms.com whenever you want.
7. If you pay to play WoW...you could play it for free on a private server and save yourself some money.
8. Buy meat in bulk when you see it on sale or for a great price. Wrap it up and put it in the freezer for later.It saves you trips to the store and is usually cheaper than buying it in singles.
9. Use the workout center at your apartment complex or a friend's, or use the gym on base. Gym memberships are way overpriced.
10. Eat at home. You can eat for a week at home on the money you would spend on one night out for 2 people at a nice restaurant.
11. Use the library instead of buying books. On base there is also sometimes a book exchange, I use that all the time.
12. Eat leftovers for lunch the next day. It saves you the cost of lunch and you are not wasting the food.
13. Deposit around $50 to your savings or to make an extra payment on a credit card instead of making a purchase. Instead of buying a $50 game, rent it or borrow it, and deposit the money you would have spent in savings. It will add up.
14. Set up an allotment to your savings account. When you get paid, the money will go right into savings automatically and there's no way to accidentally spend the amount you intended to save.
15. Pay off debts faster, increasing the amount that you pay a month from $50 to $75 a month can actually save you hundreds of dollars in interest charges. It's even better if you do that twice a month.
16. Don't use credit cards unless you can pay the amount off in full. For example, you have $200 and need to spend it on tires or a car repair, pay for it on the card, and immediately make the $200 payment to your card. That way you are building your credit by using the card, but not incurring debt.
17. Use parks or the beach. Go camping or hiking. It will give you something to do and save you money you'd spend on the movies, dinner out, etc. Free entertainment is always good!
18. Use energy efficient curtains. They block out the heat and keep in the a/c. I keep them closed and it really helps vs. no curtains and replace your old light bulbs with energy saving ones.
19. If you own a house, there are so many ways to be energy efficient. Do some research to find whats best for your home. New water heaters, lighting, appliances, windows, etc can all save you money.
20. Think about if you NEED something! If you like an outfit, put it on lay away. Think about it. If you still love it and must have it then get it. If you change your mind don't buy it, or return it if you already did. I return stuff all the time. If I'm not happy with it, I get my money back. If it's a big purchase, do research, compare prices, read online reviews about it. Is it worth the price? Will it last? Do you NEED it? Save up the money and wait a couple weeks. If you still think it's a good idea, proceed.
These are just 20 that I could think of.
We have a few savings accounts. There is one for our future child, one is to help us save for a trip, and the next one is a long term savings fun. After this whole ordeal, I am considering putting some into an emergency fund. I read an article where they said to put 8-18 months of wages into an emergency savings account in case you ever do not receive the pay you were counting on. We don't have anything like that. As soon as I start my job we will restructure how things are paid and I'll be able to contribute to our savings.
I hope this list helps and gives you some ideas. Please share any that you have :)
My husband is the bread winner right now. I'm in school for Medical Billing and Coding and putting my heart into getting a 100% in my classes, so I've decided not to work until I graduate in a couple months. Also the only jobs I qualify for until I receive my diploma are retail jobs. The last job I got to help us out with money required me to stand for 6-9 hours and did not give me any breaks. They said that I needed to stand and eat at the register and that I was not allowed to leave...well after a week of that my knee was swollen and in so much pain I had to quit.( I injured my knee about a year and a half ago and it has been a slow recovery process.) I felt really bad for not bringing in that income, but I'm pretty sure the way they treated me wasn't legal. After that my husband and I talked and he doesn't want me to be at a job that would not only hurt me, but isn't at all what I want to do. Once I graduate I will be able to apply for a Medical Billing job where I can sit and do something that I enjoy. Saving money is something that I'm committed to. Here are some ideas!
1. Unplug appliances you aren't using. I unplug my microwave & laptop/phone chargers at night or when I'm not using them.I unplug the t.v./xbox/phone when I go on a trip.
2. Cut fabric softener dryer sheets in half. I did this, they still work :)
3. Use Icefilms.com instead of paying for Netfilx and Cable!
4. Turn your a/c a couple of degrees higher at night and turn it off before you leave (unless you have pets at home)
5. Instead of buying video games, use gamefly.com to try them out, play them as long as you like and send them back. That way you don't end up with a ton of games you only played a couple weeks and probably won't play again. My husband loves this!
6. Instead of buying movies or dvd's, watch them for free on Icefilms.com whenever you want.
7. If you pay to play WoW...you could play it for free on a private server and save yourself some money.
8. Buy meat in bulk when you see it on sale or for a great price. Wrap it up and put it in the freezer for later.It saves you trips to the store and is usually cheaper than buying it in singles.
9. Use the workout center at your apartment complex or a friend's, or use the gym on base. Gym memberships are way overpriced.
10. Eat at home. You can eat for a week at home on the money you would spend on one night out for 2 people at a nice restaurant.
11. Use the library instead of buying books. On base there is also sometimes a book exchange, I use that all the time.
12. Eat leftovers for lunch the next day. It saves you the cost of lunch and you are not wasting the food.
13. Deposit around $50 to your savings or to make an extra payment on a credit card instead of making a purchase. Instead of buying a $50 game, rent it or borrow it, and deposit the money you would have spent in savings. It will add up.
14. Set up an allotment to your savings account. When you get paid, the money will go right into savings automatically and there's no way to accidentally spend the amount you intended to save.
15. Pay off debts faster, increasing the amount that you pay a month from $50 to $75 a month can actually save you hundreds of dollars in interest charges. It's even better if you do that twice a month.
16. Don't use credit cards unless you can pay the amount off in full. For example, you have $200 and need to spend it on tires or a car repair, pay for it on the card, and immediately make the $200 payment to your card. That way you are building your credit by using the card, but not incurring debt.
17. Use parks or the beach. Go camping or hiking. It will give you something to do and save you money you'd spend on the movies, dinner out, etc. Free entertainment is always good!
18. Use energy efficient curtains. They block out the heat and keep in the a/c. I keep them closed and it really helps vs. no curtains and replace your old light bulbs with energy saving ones.
19. If you own a house, there are so many ways to be energy efficient. Do some research to find whats best for your home. New water heaters, lighting, appliances, windows, etc can all save you money.
20. Think about if you NEED something! If you like an outfit, put it on lay away. Think about it. If you still love it and must have it then get it. If you change your mind don't buy it, or return it if you already did. I return stuff all the time. If I'm not happy with it, I get my money back. If it's a big purchase, do research, compare prices, read online reviews about it. Is it worth the price? Will it last? Do you NEED it? Save up the money and wait a couple weeks. If you still think it's a good idea, proceed.
These are just 20 that I could think of.
We have a few savings accounts. There is one for our future child, one is to help us save for a trip, and the next one is a long term savings fun. After this whole ordeal, I am considering putting some into an emergency fund. I read an article where they said to put 8-18 months of wages into an emergency savings account in case you ever do not receive the pay you were counting on. We don't have anything like that. As soon as I start my job we will restructure how things are paid and I'll be able to contribute to our savings.
I hope this list helps and gives you some ideas. Please share any that you have :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)