We sprung the news on my family a couple weeks ago already, and I've been hesitating to post about it. Mostly because I feel it is kind of anti-climactic now because I didn't get the reaction I expected from my mom. She was actually happy for us and excited about the news!
Reveal #1
We're moving from WA state to Pennsylvania next year. Completely uprooting ourselves and moving across the country.
Reveal #2
My husband, whom I am incredibly proud of, enrolled in University last December. He has been a full time student since January of this year. I am very very proud to say that he has had a PERFECT 4.0 GPA the entire time, and has also made the Dean's List every semester!!! Way to go honey, I am incredibly proud of you!!!
The story:
It all started last winter, December some time, when my husband decided he was tired of his job. He's a long haul trucker for those of you who don't know, and has been doing it since April of 2002. This lifestyle is getting tiring. We're both tired of being apart, missing each other, and him missing important events here. And especially him missing the kids grow up. But nothing happens unless you make it happen.
So he enrolled in DeVry University, and is working towards his degree in Business Administration with Concentration in Accounting. It is an accelerated program, and he will graduate August or September 2011. After that he will pursue his Masters in Accounting and will earn his CPA. While he is doing the Masters, he plans to either Teach high school math, or work as an accountant. Whatever comes along first I suppose.
We decided that enough was enough, and it was time to do something about our future. Yes, he makes good money trucking, but we want him home! I need him home. I'm tired of going to bed each night by myself and doing the single parent thing. The kids need their daddy to be there for them all the time, and not just 1 week out of every 6 or 7. So that's why he enrolled.
Once he realized he wanted to do the teaching, we decided that it would better for us to move elsewhere. Meaning somewhere cheaper than Washington state. Which brings us to Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is in need of Teachers. A LOT of their teachers are getting older and will be retiring soon, so the need is going up. And since all of his family is in Pennsylvania or Indiana, we figured we'd move there to be closer to his family. My Father In Law has only met the kids once, and he misses them. My sister in law has never met them, nor has anyone else. Pennsylvania is a much much cheaper state to live in compared to Washington. Houses are also much cheaper. One that we were looking at cost only $125K for 2800sq feet, 4 bedrooms/3 bath with a huge yard! Our home that we sold last year was $240K, 2000sq ft, 4 bedrooms/2 bath with 1.4 acres.
We plan to buy in a few years once my husband is finished school and has a well established job again.
It is best for our family to move, we simply can not afford WA state anymore after he graduates. I am looking forward to it, there are many pros to moving, plus...we'll only be a few hours away from NYC by train!!! My mom and sister are especially excited about that. Plus, my brother is only an 8 hour drive away from where he lives in Ontario, so he has promised to come visit us as well. And we'll be living in the same area as my Father in law and Mother in law, my Sister in law and her husband, and quite a few aunts and uncles are close by as well and also in nearby Indiana.
This post is long, long, long, so I will write more about this big change in the next day or two.
Showing posts with label The Big Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Big Project. Show all posts
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Happy Birthday To Me, I'm Going On Vacation
29 Years ago I was born. And now while you're reading this, I'll probably be cursing myself for even entertaining the thought of driving 4+ hours to my mother's house, in another country, with 4 kids and my husband. (This blog post was scheduled to be posted Thursday, but was written Tuesday night).
We left at 10 Am this morning, and will be stopping for lunch sometime around noon or 1PM. Then it's back on the road, up to the land of the cold and ice, that is known as Canada. And no, it doesn't really get cold as soon as you cross the border, nor do we drive dog sleds, and we sure as heck don't live in Igloos ;o) The weather is identical to that of Washington state. I think we'll be getting to my mom's around 3 or so, maybe a tad later. Depends on how long it takes the kids to eat lunch, and how many potty breaks we need. And then of course, there is the border. Yep, we've all got our passports. Me with my Canadian one, and my kids and the man with their American ones.
I already celebrated my birthday with my husband and the kids on Tuesday night, so tonight I will celebrate with my mom, sister and step dad. Mom is baking me a Black Forest cake, yummy!
We'll be on vacation till Tuesday sometime. I don't think I'll be blogging at all during that time, but I will try to check in once or twice from my husband's lap top. I'm really looking forward to this trip because we have so much fun stuff planned.
Look for The Big Project reveal after we get back. We need to discuss it with the family first, but I will post it on the blog soon.
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Non-Commercial Christmas
Yes, yes, I know it's june! But being that Christmas is only 6 months away, it is time to start planning! Yep, I do start planning sometime during the summer. Usually around mid July after the Hallmark Ornament premiere. So this year it is early, but that's ok.
Last year we spent a lot of money on the kids and each other. The two highlights of Christmas 2008 were the Wii and accessories we bought as a family gift, and my iPod Touch (that my husband saved up for out of his own truck money without telling me. awwww! <3).
Since he and I are all about being more frugal this year due to The Big Project, we've decided to do a non-commercial Christmas as best as we can. Our goal is to buy nothing that is electronic, nothing that involves electronics, nothing that uses electricity. That means no DVDs, no Wii games etc etc. I think we can do it. I know we can for the kids, but we're not sure about each other yet. It will challenge us to think outside the box, that's for sure.
We did set a price limit, but I'm thinking of discussing a raise in that department. I'm not sure yet though, I have to give it some time, shop the sales and see what I can do with our amount. I think the kids will be easy, I just have to really watch the clearance aisles. The amount does not include stocking stuffers, or clothing. Or stuff I can make on my own. So I could make the girls a whole bunch of hair bows, korkers and clips, and it wouldn't count towards the budget.
We just have to be creative!
Last year we spent a lot of money on the kids and each other. The two highlights of Christmas 2008 were the Wii and accessories we bought as a family gift, and my iPod Touch (that my husband saved up for out of his own truck money without telling me. awwww! <3).
Since he and I are all about being more frugal this year due to The Big Project, we've decided to do a non-commercial Christmas as best as we can. Our goal is to buy nothing that is electronic, nothing that involves electronics, nothing that uses electricity. That means no DVDs, no Wii games etc etc. I think we can do it. I know we can for the kids, but we're not sure about each other yet. It will challenge us to think outside the box, that's for sure.
We did set a price limit, but I'm thinking of discussing a raise in that department. I'm not sure yet though, I have to give it some time, shop the sales and see what I can do with our amount. I think the kids will be easy, I just have to really watch the clearance aisles. The amount does not include stocking stuffers, or clothing. Or stuff I can make on my own. So I could make the girls a whole bunch of hair bows, korkers and clips, and it wouldn't count towards the budget.
We just have to be creative!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Cutting Costs & My 500th Post!
You are all witnessing an Historical event people! This is my 500th post on my blog! I've been doing a lot of blogging in a year, haven't I?
On to business though. Remember when I mentioned we cancelled our Dish Network satellite service? The service was cut off June 1st, and we've been doing just fine without it. We've been watching stuff via our Roku unit, and DVDs. It has been a fine transition.
This week I got mail from Comcast, our internet provider. They are offering limited basic cable for $10 a month for one year. I'm debating whether to get it or not. We get all the local channels (4 of them), plus a Canadian channel, a news channel, Discovery, Weather channel and The Hallmark channel. Getting that would mean I wouldn't have to buy some of my favorite shows on iTunes, so I could watch Ugly Betty, Ghost Whisperer, The Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives and a few others.
My husband doesn't want to because he says we can do just fine without it. I know we can, but I don't particularly like watching my shows on the computer, even though it saves money. Of the shows I do watch, the majority of them I can find online for free or through iTunes.
What would you guys do?
As for The Big Project, I apologize for not updating in so long. Things have not gone as planned, unfortunately. We've cut our expenses as much as we can right now, and we're hoping to be able to see that savings grow real soon. Let's face it though, trucking is slower due to the economy and it has taken us a bit longer to recover from my husband's accident than we thought. Things are picking up though! I'll still do the big reveal in July, so look for that!!
On to business though. Remember when I mentioned we cancelled our Dish Network satellite service? The service was cut off June 1st, and we've been doing just fine without it. We've been watching stuff via our Roku unit, and DVDs. It has been a fine transition.
This week I got mail from Comcast, our internet provider. They are offering limited basic cable for $10 a month for one year. I'm debating whether to get it or not. We get all the local channels (4 of them), plus a Canadian channel, a news channel, Discovery, Weather channel and The Hallmark channel. Getting that would mean I wouldn't have to buy some of my favorite shows on iTunes, so I could watch Ugly Betty, Ghost Whisperer, The Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives and a few others.
My husband doesn't want to because he says we can do just fine without it. I know we can, but I don't particularly like watching my shows on the computer, even though it saves money. Of the shows I do watch, the majority of them I can find online for free or through iTunes.
What would you guys do?
As for The Big Project, I apologize for not updating in so long. Things have not gone as planned, unfortunately. We've cut our expenses as much as we can right now, and we're hoping to be able to see that savings grow real soon. Let's face it though, trucking is slower due to the economy and it has taken us a bit longer to recover from my husband's accident than we thought. Things are picking up though! I'll still do the big reveal in July, so look for that!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
More On "The Big Project"
I've been updating you all on "The Big Project", check out my other Big Project Posts.
One of the ways I mentioned we'd be saving, is by cutting out our Dish Network bill. I love having satellite TV, but for the amount we're paying ($82.89/month with HBO and 200+ channels), we're not using it enough.
We also have a Netflix membership, but have recently switched from the 3 at a time, to the 1 at a time membership. We still get unlimited DVD rentals per month, so this will be perfect for us.
Another perk of netflix is the ability to watch movies instantly on your computer. This only works if you have a high speed connection though. We've used that a few times, but I strongly dislike watching TV shows on the computer. I'll do it if I have to, but I try to avoid it. So, in addition to that perk, you can buy a "Roku" unit, which connects to your entertainment center and allows you to watch your Netflix movies instantly on your TV!!! You just need to have a router and WiFi (which we have so my hubby can use wireless on his lap top when he is home).
The Roku unit is awesome. We use it more than we watch regular TV actually. And since Netflix has over 12,000 movies in it's instant library, there are countless choices for us to watch. I have about 90 items on our "menu" right now, including seasons 1-3 of Doctor Who, tons of movies for the kids, lots of shows from The History Channel and BBC, The Wiggles, and loads more. My kids have begun to watch shows like "Inspector Gadget", and the original "Mario Brother's" cartoon. Remember those? I was just a kid when those came out!
Since most of my favorite shows aren't available on Netflix instant, and are new episodes on TV, I have plans to just keep buying iTunes cards and buying the shows as I need them. I don't watch a lot of shows, so it might be maybe $15-20 a month, if that. I can probably watch several of them online on ABC.com too, if I choose.
Anyway, back to the point: we will be canceling our Dish Network account at the end of May, and relying solely on our DVD library (I just joined the Disney DVD Club again), Netflix and our Roku, and any shows I buy on iTunes. If we cut out the $83/month for Dish, and half of the Netflix bill (1 DVD at a time costs about $10 with tax, and we spend $18.42 right now with Tax), we will be saving just over $91/month towards The Big Project. I am not counting the iTunes cards in the new budget because I include those with the grocery budget. We're also looking into changing car insurance companies too, and seeing if we can't get a better rate.
That $91 from Dish and Netflix in turn will save us $1200 in the next year!!!
Check back soon for more posts on The Big Project!
*******
I wrote this post last week before my husband's accident. Unfortunately the savings has to be put on hold for a short time, as we're out of income for a couple weeks or so. I expect to be back up to par really soon. We'll just have to work harder this summer to make up for the lost income. It's just a minor set back, and we'll get back to saving in a few weeks.
One of the ways I mentioned we'd be saving, is by cutting out our Dish Network bill. I love having satellite TV, but for the amount we're paying ($82.89/month with HBO and 200+ channels), we're not using it enough.
We also have a Netflix membership, but have recently switched from the 3 at a time, to the 1 at a time membership. We still get unlimited DVD rentals per month, so this will be perfect for us.
Another perk of netflix is the ability to watch movies instantly on your computer. This only works if you have a high speed connection though. We've used that a few times, but I strongly dislike watching TV shows on the computer. I'll do it if I have to, but I try to avoid it. So, in addition to that perk, you can buy a "Roku" unit, which connects to your entertainment center and allows you to watch your Netflix movies instantly on your TV!!! You just need to have a router and WiFi (which we have so my hubby can use wireless on his lap top when he is home).
The Roku unit is awesome. We use it more than we watch regular TV actually. And since Netflix has over 12,000 movies in it's instant library, there are countless choices for us to watch. I have about 90 items on our "menu" right now, including seasons 1-3 of Doctor Who, tons of movies for the kids, lots of shows from The History Channel and BBC, The Wiggles, and loads more. My kids have begun to watch shows like "Inspector Gadget", and the original "Mario Brother's" cartoon. Remember those? I was just a kid when those came out!
Since most of my favorite shows aren't available on Netflix instant, and are new episodes on TV, I have plans to just keep buying iTunes cards and buying the shows as I need them. I don't watch a lot of shows, so it might be maybe $15-20 a month, if that. I can probably watch several of them online on ABC.com too, if I choose.
Anyway, back to the point: we will be canceling our Dish Network account at the end of May, and relying solely on our DVD library (I just joined the Disney DVD Club again), Netflix and our Roku, and any shows I buy on iTunes. If we cut out the $83/month for Dish, and half of the Netflix bill (1 DVD at a time costs about $10 with tax, and we spend $18.42 right now with Tax), we will be saving just over $91/month towards The Big Project. I am not counting the iTunes cards in the new budget because I include those with the grocery budget. We're also looking into changing car insurance companies too, and seeing if we can't get a better rate.
That $91 from Dish and Netflix in turn will save us $1200 in the next year!!!
Check back soon for more posts on The Big Project!
*******
I wrote this post last week before my husband's accident. Unfortunately the savings has to be put on hold for a short time, as we're out of income for a couple weeks or so. I expect to be back up to par really soon. We'll just have to work harder this summer to make up for the lost income. It's just a minor set back, and we'll get back to saving in a few weeks.
Friday, May 08, 2009
The Big Project
A few days ago, I mentioned The Big Project in a post of mine, and promised a bit more information.
As of now, I can not give any information regarding details. That will all come to light in approximately two months after we have shared the news with our family members. I can, however, give some information so I don't sound like I am talking like a crazy lady.
My husband and I have embarked on a new chapter in our lives. It is something big, exciting, scary, and full of ups and downs. We're looking forward to it, but it will take a big sacrifice on our parts. Mostly mine though, because I do all the budgeting.
Here is what else I can tell you. We need to save up $15,000 in the next 13 months.
Crazy you say? Perhaps.
Last night we worked out a budget for "The Big Project". It was really draining because we are trying to figure out ways to cut back and save, save save.
Here area few areas where we have already started saving:
1) We paid off our daughter's bedroom set, saving ourselves $110/MONTH
2) We cancelled our storage unit, saving ourselves $63/MONTH
3) We put our YMCA membership on hold for J/J/A and that will save a total of $225
4) We reduced our YMCA membership which will save $20/MONTH
5) We reduced our Netflix membership, which will save $8/MONTH
6) We're going to cancel our DISH Network Satellite as of June 1st, saving
us $83/MONTH
*we have to pay an early termination fee, but it will be less than $100
Those all added up for the next 13 months will add an approximate $3,800 to our savings account. We already have almost $1000 in there right now. Our tax return next year will be at least 4K, if not 5-6,500 like it was this year (we're low-balling so we save more). That will also help put a huge dent into what we have left to save.
My husband gets monthly and quarterly fuel/safety bonuses, so those will also be added to the savings accounts (not for the summer though, those are being put aside for school clothing for the kids). During the summer months though, we need to save as much as we possibly can. We're really cutting down on a lot of luxuries so that we can reach our final goal of $15,000.
Stay tuned for more information on "The Big Project", including updates to the amount saved. (I will be trying to add a savings tracker to the side, but I think it will take some time for me to figure that one out).
As of now, I can not give any information regarding details. That will all come to light in approximately two months after we have shared the news with our family members. I can, however, give some information so I don't sound like I am talking like a crazy lady.
My husband and I have embarked on a new chapter in our lives. It is something big, exciting, scary, and full of ups and downs. We're looking forward to it, but it will take a big sacrifice on our parts. Mostly mine though, because I do all the budgeting.
Here is what else I can tell you. We need to save up $15,000 in the next 13 months.
Crazy you say? Perhaps.
Last night we worked out a budget for "The Big Project". It was really draining because we are trying to figure out ways to cut back and save, save save.
Here area few areas where we have already started saving:
1) We paid off our daughter's bedroom set, saving ourselves $110/MONTH
2) We cancelled our storage unit, saving ourselves $63/MONTH
3) We put our YMCA membership on hold for J/J/A and that will save a total of $225
4) We reduced our YMCA membership which will save $20/MONTH
5) We reduced our Netflix membership, which will save $8/MONTH
6) We're going to cancel our DISH Network Satellite as of June 1st, saving
us $83/MONTH
*we have to pay an early termination fee, but it will be less than $100
Those all added up for the next 13 months will add an approximate $3,800 to our savings account. We already have almost $1000 in there right now. Our tax return next year will be at least 4K, if not 5-6,500 like it was this year (we're low-balling so we save more). That will also help put a huge dent into what we have left to save.
My husband gets monthly and quarterly fuel/safety bonuses, so those will also be added to the savings accounts (not for the summer though, those are being put aside for school clothing for the kids). During the summer months though, we need to save as much as we possibly can. We're really cutting down on a lot of luxuries so that we can reach our final goal of $15,000.
Stay tuned for more information on "The Big Project", including updates to the amount saved. (I will be trying to add a savings tracker to the side, but I think it will take some time for me to figure that one out).
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
PayPerPost Update
I've really been on the fence regarding PayPerPost, and I think I have finally made a decision. Finally.
You'll probably be seeing a post or few, on my blog each day, depending on how much time I have. I did very well with PPP last year, and though the monetary amounts paid out have gone down quite a bit, I can still make some money.
My plan right now is to just do what I feel comfortable with. Even if it is one post per day, or three, or zero. With The Big Project needing funding (see a post for that on Friday, May 8th), I figured this would help offset the costs a little, or else give us a bit of wiggle room for spending money, or going out for pizza or something along those lines.
Every little bit helps, right?
You'll probably be seeing a post or few, on my blog each day, depending on how much time I have. I did very well with PPP last year, and though the monetary amounts paid out have gone down quite a bit, I can still make some money.
My plan right now is to just do what I feel comfortable with. Even if it is one post per day, or three, or zero. With The Big Project needing funding (see a post for that on Friday, May 8th), I figured this would help offset the costs a little, or else give us a bit of wiggle room for spending money, or going out for pizza or something along those lines.
Every little bit helps, right?
Monday, May 04, 2009
A Week? Oops!!!
Wow, I thought I had posted more in the last week.
We have been so busy. Wednesday we spent all day clearing out the closets and de-cluttering, we threw away so much crap!
Thursday we spent all day at our storage unit clearing it out and re-packing things to put back in our shed. We had rented a cargo van to bring stuff to goodwill and home, and there was so much stuff we had to make two trips. First we went through everything, and decided what went to goodwill. So we packed up the cargo van for goodwill, and was it ever packed! Then we went BACK to the storage unit and filled up the rest of the stuff for home. When we got home, we had to re-pack a few things from boxes and put them into our Rubbermaid/sterilite bins, and then they went in the shed. It was time to bring the cargo van back by then, so we left the garbage in the storage unit. My husband and son went back to the storage unit after the kids got back from school, and then cleared out the garbage. Whew, that was a chore! We were so tired Thursday night.
Friday we were blessed with gorgeous weather for our trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. We had so much fun! The kids got tired towards the end, but they were all troopers. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing, and it was well deserved. Today we are heading to Lowes to get a few things for outside. I need to get some planters for the kids flower plants they planted at school, and my husband needs to get some bolts to fix the wheel barrow. Plus we need to go to the bank, I need to return some stuff at Bath and Body works. Ugh! we're so busy it seems.
Anyway, on Friday unfortunately we were not able to see the Tigers, Penguins and the Lion. They were all hiding. But we still got to see some neat animals.
I don't have much time to post, we're on our way out, but here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. It was hard to get really good shots because it was so bright outside, plus a lot of the animals were far away, and I shot a lot through glass. So please pardon my fuzzy pictures.
I wanted to add some more pictures, but that will have to be saved for another day. Blogger only allows me 6.
Be on the lookout for a post titled "The Big Project". I have to talk to my husband about posting about it, but it should be ok to post with some limited information. I hope to post that soon, within the next week or so.
We have been so busy. Wednesday we spent all day clearing out the closets and de-cluttering, we threw away so much crap!
Thursday we spent all day at our storage unit clearing it out and re-packing things to put back in our shed. We had rented a cargo van to bring stuff to goodwill and home, and there was so much stuff we had to make two trips. First we went through everything, and decided what went to goodwill. So we packed up the cargo van for goodwill, and was it ever packed! Then we went BACK to the storage unit and filled up the rest of the stuff for home. When we got home, we had to re-pack a few things from boxes and put them into our Rubbermaid/sterilite bins, and then they went in the shed. It was time to bring the cargo van back by then, so we left the garbage in the storage unit. My husband and son went back to the storage unit after the kids got back from school, and then cleared out the garbage. Whew, that was a chore! We were so tired Thursday night.
Friday we were blessed with gorgeous weather for our trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. We had so much fun! The kids got tired towards the end, but they were all troopers. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing, and it was well deserved. Today we are heading to Lowes to get a few things for outside. I need to get some planters for the kids flower plants they planted at school, and my husband needs to get some bolts to fix the wheel barrow. Plus we need to go to the bank, I need to return some stuff at Bath and Body works. Ugh! we're so busy it seems.
Anyway, on Friday unfortunately we were not able to see the Tigers, Penguins and the Lion. They were all hiding. But we still got to see some neat animals.
I don't have much time to post, we're on our way out, but here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. It was hard to get really good shots because it was so bright outside, plus a lot of the animals were far away, and I shot a lot through glass. So please pardon my fuzzy pictures.
I wanted to add some more pictures, but that will have to be saved for another day. Blogger only allows me 6.
Be on the lookout for a post titled "The Big Project". I have to talk to my husband about posting about it, but it should be ok to post with some limited information. I hope to post that soon, within the next week or so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
