OK....as of 5:30pm, I have had 142 views, and only FIVE questions.....there must be something you want to ask. It doesn't have to just be about our finances. What do you wanna know???
****
For a change of pace....I am turning things over to YOU. What would you like to know about us? My life is an open book. Seriously....just ask. The only thing that I will not public share here are our real names (even though a few of you know them), and pictures of us (even though you have seen my kids once!).
Is there something you just don't get about us? Is there something I never followed up on? My favorite color? Just ask. No topic is off limits!!
Let the fun begin!!!!
Showing posts with label About Us. Show all posts
Showing posts with label About Us. Show all posts
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Getting to Know Mysti
I did this once before, and in case you missed it, you can go back and read Stuff I Bet You Didn't Know About Me. I don't have much to talk about today in the PF area (I will shortly though), so I thought I would spend some quality time with you and open up about myself (yeah, because I am so shy....).
1) I was 17 when I finished High School, and 20 when I finished college. Mom and Dad skipped me ahead when I was in early elementary school, so I had just turned 17 about 6 weeks before HS graduation. I fast tracked college with some summer school, and I finished a semester early. My school only had one graduation a year, so I spent 5 months doing nothing!!!! I turned 21 a week before graduation.
2) Speaking of college.....I transferred after my freshman year. I hated the first school. And that is using the term loosely. H-A-T-E-D. I transferred to a much smaller school, and loved it.
3) I love the smell of bleach. It just screams CLEAN. Love it.
4) When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a neurosurgeon. I look back at that idea and think....WOW, I sooooo don't have the temperment for that. But I read the biography of one of the first female neurosurgeons and I was hooked.
5) And the random fact....I am missing the last bone in my second toe on both feet. The nail curves under instead of going straight. My cousin has the same thing! Must be genetic.
So, no Earth-shattering revelations. Although I did find out yesterday that my Astrological sign may have changed (Taurus to Aries!). I will have to investigate which one fits me better. :)
1) I was 17 when I finished High School, and 20 when I finished college. Mom and Dad skipped me ahead when I was in early elementary school, so I had just turned 17 about 6 weeks before HS graduation. I fast tracked college with some summer school, and I finished a semester early. My school only had one graduation a year, so I spent 5 months doing nothing!!!! I turned 21 a week before graduation.
2) Speaking of college.....I transferred after my freshman year. I hated the first school. And that is using the term loosely. H-A-T-E-D. I transferred to a much smaller school, and loved it.
3) I love the smell of bleach. It just screams CLEAN. Love it.
4) When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a neurosurgeon. I look back at that idea and think....WOW, I sooooo don't have the temperment for that. But I read the biography of one of the first female neurosurgeons and I was hooked.
5) And the random fact....I am missing the last bone in my second toe on both feet. The nail curves under instead of going straight. My cousin has the same thing! Must be genetic.
So, no Earth-shattering revelations. Although I did find out yesterday that my Astrological sign may have changed (Taurus to Aries!). I will have to investigate which one fits me better. :)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sometimes Emotional Spending is A-Ok (HIGHLY sensitive)
Warning: This post is extremely personal and emotional. It entails medical detail that some may find offensive. I am ok with those that will disagree with this post. However, please be respectful if you choose to comment.
Today is the 3rd anniversary of the death of our twin daughters. And we are finally able to put their remains to rest. Today, we will be purchasing the crystal boxes that I picked out 3 years ago as their final resting place.
In the months after their death, I spent money like it was going out of style. Mostly on the kids, although we did purchase a new TV when it was on sale. The sorrow we were drowning in went away temporarily when we bought THINGS. And all of it was on credit.
I refused to pay for things related to our girls on credit though. The cremation and funeral home costs were paid in cash. I couldn't bear to pay interest on the death of my children. And when I picked out the ruby red crystal boxes for their remains....to the tune of $600.....I couldn't bear to charge it. And we didn't have the cash for it. So we decided it would have to wait.
It took a long time for us to get our act together. I am saddened and angered with us for not saving up for this very important purchase sooner. We made foolish purchases over the past 3 years that put this purchase off. But we also had other things happen....like the illness and ultimate death of G-man's father....that syphoned money in other directions.
We started saving for this purchase a few months ago, after we "thought" we would have the money, and then didn't. Part of getting our act together was realizing what was really truly important to us. That focus has allowed us to pay off debts that have a high emotional trigger (the hospital bill) and save for things that really are important to us. Stuff is just that....STUFF. But the emotional payoff of doing something that is important to you down to your soul....that is worth way more than the monetary value of the item.
G-man got an unexpected bonus last week, coupled with the money we had already saved, and a little bit of a stretch of the paycheck....and we have enough to make the purchase. Each box is $260. They are hand made in Europe, and the shipping cost is incredibly high. But I don't care. We factored it all in. And in 4-6 weeks, we should receive our boxes.
I finally feel like we are doing justice to our girls. They gave their life for me, and for Bossy, Sassy, and G-man. They are very loved. And although today will pass as another day for most people....it will always weigh heavily for us.
The story of their death is detailed below. This experience changed us forever, drove alot of decisions in the year that followed, and will always be a part of us. Read at your own risk. There are gruesome parts that I have left out. I am very open about talking about all of this, but I also know that not everyone wants the details. If you have a specific question, e-mail me.
It took several surgeries and multiple failed fertility cycles (and lots and lots of money) in order to conceive them. Ultrasound results showed 2 perfect fetuses...TWINS! And...this funny little sac, that was misshapen and just sort of there.....possibly a non-viable triplet. But at that time, no one really was concerned about it....most likely the body would reabsorb it and that would be the end of that.
A few weeks later, they did another ultrasound, and babies were looking great. But this funny little area had grown. OK, now they want to monitor it. A week later, it was yet bigger, so they sent me to a specialist, who diagnosed it as a molar pregnancy.
Molar pregnancies are rare. In general, there is a placenta and no baby (never was a baby, never will be a baby). Although they are typically benign, they are treated as cancerous growths, and are removed. Hopefully, further treatment isn't needed, but some women go on to need chemotherapy.
And here in lies the problem. I had a molar "triplet" with 2 perfect babies. Some women have 1 baby and a molar, and it is very high risk. They almost always result in premature delivery, and an extremely high risk pregnancy for the mother. But I had 2 babies....there was only ONE documented case where the mother was able to deliver 2 babies alive with a molar triplet. ONE. In the world. ONE.
I would have been number TWO in the world if it had worked out.
The next 5 weeks were spent in and out of doctor offices. We chose to continue the pregnancy and try to get to a viable delivery point (doctors were shooting for at least 24 weeks, but we figured we already had 23 weekers, so if we could get to 23, we would be ok). There was nothing they could other than monitor things. No medicine, no procedures. Just wait and see how my body handled it. We had weekly ultrasounds and blood work. We met with the OB, the high risk OB, the oncologist. I had x-rays and scans. I spent more time at the doctor than at home.
On August 15, I really wasn't feeling well. My doctor was getting ready to travel to Europe on personal business, but didn't leave until she talked the hospital into admitting me. I was almost 17 weeks pregnant, and hospital policy dictated that I would not be admitted because there wasn't really anything active going on. But my doctor knew that something was wrong and pushed it. Over the next two days, I had dozens of tests. My blood pressure was through the roof, and I was on 4x the normal dose of medication to keep me from having a stroke. I wasn't allowed out of bed. I had a turnstyle of people in and out of my room. Things weren't good.
By August 17, the high risk doctor came in and closed the door. I need to preface this: This doctor is the one of the kindest, good hearted men I have ever met. He was willing to do whatever it took to get us through this pregnancy safely. He was in our corner 200% of the way.
I was going into multi-organ system failure. I was close to have a stroke. My thyroid and my kidneys had started shutting down. At that moment, I wasn't in crisis, but that could change at the drop of a hat. Apparently, I had been the discussion of many people over the course of the day. And planning for what would happen if this or that happened.
We only really had one choice.....terminate the pregnancy. It was killing me. I probably only had about 2 days before I would have died, based on my test results. They were concerned that something massive would happen at 2am, and they would be scrambling to save me. By terminating, we could control the situation, and it would be safer for me. I pleaded with him....put me in a medically induced coma. Something. I can hang in there 6 more weeks. I can do it. He looked at me with tears in his eyes. No, you can't. You have 2 kids at home that will be motherless.
So, G-man and I tearfully agreed. I had an ultrasound earlier that day (G-man wasn't there), and they wrote down the sexes of the babies and put them in an envelope. Together, we opened the envelope to reveal that we were having 2 girls. As my friend put it....we would have had 3 girls, and 1 boy....our gaggle of princesses and the crown prince.
Within an hour, I was transferred to another unit to start procedures. The molar pregnancy made this incredibly dangerous with a high chance of bleeding out. I had to go through 2 painful procedures over the next 12 hours just to prep for the BIG procedure. Alot of tears were shed, by us and by staff. We had residents that just didn't know what to say or do. What do you say to parents who are making the hardest choice of their life?
And at 10:30am, on August 18, 2007, G-man and I said goodbye to our daughters as they wheeled me into surgery for the 3rd time in 2 days. My daughters were kicking as they put me under. And when I woke up later.....they were gone. We never got to see them or hold them. That piece of the story is a little heavy....if you would like to know why, e-mail me and I will tell you. We do have their footprints though. And tons of ultrasound pictures. But that is it. They died at 11am, and were 8 oz each.
We chose to cremate our girls. We do not plan on living in this state permanently, and I couldn't deal with burying them and then leaving them. We went to the funeral home the day I was released and made arrangements. This is something that no parent should have to do.
It took months before we were able to go back and pick up their cremains. It just seemed so final and permanent. Never mind that I was having nightmares that I burned our babies, alternating with nightmares that I took Bossy for a hot air balloon ride and he fell out of the basket.
It took months before I found a suitable container for their ashes. I am thrilled to be able to make this purchase today, and put my daughters to rest.
Today is the 3rd anniversary of the death of our twin daughters. And we are finally able to put their remains to rest. Today, we will be purchasing the crystal boxes that I picked out 3 years ago as their final resting place.
In the months after their death, I spent money like it was going out of style. Mostly on the kids, although we did purchase a new TV when it was on sale. The sorrow we were drowning in went away temporarily when we bought THINGS. And all of it was on credit.
I refused to pay for things related to our girls on credit though. The cremation and funeral home costs were paid in cash. I couldn't bear to pay interest on the death of my children. And when I picked out the ruby red crystal boxes for their remains....to the tune of $600.....I couldn't bear to charge it. And we didn't have the cash for it. So we decided it would have to wait.
It took a long time for us to get our act together. I am saddened and angered with us for not saving up for this very important purchase sooner. We made foolish purchases over the past 3 years that put this purchase off. But we also had other things happen....like the illness and ultimate death of G-man's father....that syphoned money in other directions.
We started saving for this purchase a few months ago, after we "thought" we would have the money, and then didn't. Part of getting our act together was realizing what was really truly important to us. That focus has allowed us to pay off debts that have a high emotional trigger (the hospital bill) and save for things that really are important to us. Stuff is just that....STUFF. But the emotional payoff of doing something that is important to you down to your soul....that is worth way more than the monetary value of the item.
G-man got an unexpected bonus last week, coupled with the money we had already saved, and a little bit of a stretch of the paycheck....and we have enough to make the purchase. Each box is $260. They are hand made in Europe, and the shipping cost is incredibly high. But I don't care. We factored it all in. And in 4-6 weeks, we should receive our boxes.
I finally feel like we are doing justice to our girls. They gave their life for me, and for Bossy, Sassy, and G-man. They are very loved. And although today will pass as another day for most people....it will always weigh heavily for us.
The story of their death is detailed below. This experience changed us forever, drove alot of decisions in the year that followed, and will always be a part of us. Read at your own risk. There are gruesome parts that I have left out. I am very open about talking about all of this, but I also know that not everyone wants the details. If you have a specific question, e-mail me.
It took several surgeries and multiple failed fertility cycles (and lots and lots of money) in order to conceive them. Ultrasound results showed 2 perfect fetuses...TWINS! And...this funny little sac, that was misshapen and just sort of there.....possibly a non-viable triplet. But at that time, no one really was concerned about it....most likely the body would reabsorb it and that would be the end of that.
A few weeks later, they did another ultrasound, and babies were looking great. But this funny little area had grown. OK, now they want to monitor it. A week later, it was yet bigger, so they sent me to a specialist, who diagnosed it as a molar pregnancy.
Molar pregnancies are rare. In general, there is a placenta and no baby (never was a baby, never will be a baby). Although they are typically benign, they are treated as cancerous growths, and are removed. Hopefully, further treatment isn't needed, but some women go on to need chemotherapy.
And here in lies the problem. I had a molar "triplet" with 2 perfect babies. Some women have 1 baby and a molar, and it is very high risk. They almost always result in premature delivery, and an extremely high risk pregnancy for the mother. But I had 2 babies....there was only ONE documented case where the mother was able to deliver 2 babies alive with a molar triplet. ONE. In the world. ONE.
I would have been number TWO in the world if it had worked out.
The next 5 weeks were spent in and out of doctor offices. We chose to continue the pregnancy and try to get to a viable delivery point (doctors were shooting for at least 24 weeks, but we figured we already had 23 weekers, so if we could get to 23, we would be ok). There was nothing they could other than monitor things. No medicine, no procedures. Just wait and see how my body handled it. We had weekly ultrasounds and blood work. We met with the OB, the high risk OB, the oncologist. I had x-rays and scans. I spent more time at the doctor than at home.
On August 15, I really wasn't feeling well. My doctor was getting ready to travel to Europe on personal business, but didn't leave until she talked the hospital into admitting me. I was almost 17 weeks pregnant, and hospital policy dictated that I would not be admitted because there wasn't really anything active going on. But my doctor knew that something was wrong and pushed it. Over the next two days, I had dozens of tests. My blood pressure was through the roof, and I was on 4x the normal dose of medication to keep me from having a stroke. I wasn't allowed out of bed. I had a turnstyle of people in and out of my room. Things weren't good.
By August 17, the high risk doctor came in and closed the door. I need to preface this: This doctor is the one of the kindest, good hearted men I have ever met. He was willing to do whatever it took to get us through this pregnancy safely. He was in our corner 200% of the way.
I was going into multi-organ system failure. I was close to have a stroke. My thyroid and my kidneys had started shutting down. At that moment, I wasn't in crisis, but that could change at the drop of a hat. Apparently, I had been the discussion of many people over the course of the day. And planning for what would happen if this or that happened.
We only really had one choice.....terminate the pregnancy. It was killing me. I probably only had about 2 days before I would have died, based on my test results. They were concerned that something massive would happen at 2am, and they would be scrambling to save me. By terminating, we could control the situation, and it would be safer for me. I pleaded with him....put me in a medically induced coma. Something. I can hang in there 6 more weeks. I can do it. He looked at me with tears in his eyes. No, you can't. You have 2 kids at home that will be motherless.
So, G-man and I tearfully agreed. I had an ultrasound earlier that day (G-man wasn't there), and they wrote down the sexes of the babies and put them in an envelope. Together, we opened the envelope to reveal that we were having 2 girls. As my friend put it....we would have had 3 girls, and 1 boy....our gaggle of princesses and the crown prince.
Within an hour, I was transferred to another unit to start procedures. The molar pregnancy made this incredibly dangerous with a high chance of bleeding out. I had to go through 2 painful procedures over the next 12 hours just to prep for the BIG procedure. Alot of tears were shed, by us and by staff. We had residents that just didn't know what to say or do. What do you say to parents who are making the hardest choice of their life?
And at 10:30am, on August 18, 2007, G-man and I said goodbye to our daughters as they wheeled me into surgery for the 3rd time in 2 days. My daughters were kicking as they put me under. And when I woke up later.....they were gone. We never got to see them or hold them. That piece of the story is a little heavy....if you would like to know why, e-mail me and I will tell you. We do have their footprints though. And tons of ultrasound pictures. But that is it. They died at 11am, and were 8 oz each.
We chose to cremate our girls. We do not plan on living in this state permanently, and I couldn't deal with burying them and then leaving them. We went to the funeral home the day I was released and made arrangements. This is something that no parent should have to do.
It took months before we were able to go back and pick up their cremains. It just seemed so final and permanent. Never mind that I was having nightmares that I burned our babies, alternating with nightmares that I took Bossy for a hot air balloon ride and he fell out of the basket.
It took months before I found a suitable container for their ashes. I am thrilled to be able to make this purchase today, and put my daughters to rest.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
What triggers you to spend?
Some people find themselves in debt because they LIKE to spend. New cars, the latest electronics, upgrading furniture, vacations. Doesn't matter what is going on, happy or sad, they just like to spend. While that is not us, at least these people have something to show for their debt.
Some people spend to celebrate. YEAH! I got a new job....let's buy that new tv we have been coveting. YEAH! We have a new baby on the way....let's buy everything we need today.
Some people spend in anger. GRRRR.....I had a bad day at work, so I am going to treat myself to that new CD I wanted....I deserve it. GRRRR.....I had a fight with my spouse, so I am going to make myself feel better by going shopping.
The majority of our credit card debt was "life." Diapers, food, gas. Not to say there wasn't take-out, some clothes, etc too. But if you were to look at the statements over the past 7 years, I would guess at least 75% fall into the "life" category. Outside of our "life" debt....lies the debt from why we spend. Sorrow.
On January 24, G-man and I will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. AWWWW. We have had an interesting 12 years to say the least. But for us, our anniversary is a sorrow trigger that we have to fight under the guise of "it's our anniversary."
See...our twin girls died in August 2007. Complication in my pregnancy. No hope. They are gone. They were due on January 24, 2008....our 10th wedding anniversary. They should be almost 2 years old now, but instead, we have their cremated remains in a box in G-man's dresser...in an area we don't open unless we have to.
And on that fateful 10th anniversary....we "celebrated" as a married couple does.....*blush* And upon our surprise....we got pregnant. (Both of our previous pregnancies were the result of very expensive fertility treatments). So yeah, this was a surprise to say the least. But we were so hopeful....a rainbow baby (that is what a baby is called that comes after the death of a child). Conceived in the love our marriage, and the grief of the sisters that came before. The perfect storm.
Until 2 months and 1 day later that there was no heartbeat, and 3 days later we had a D&C.
Each of our losses triggered something that we bought. With the twin girls, it was a new TV. With our surprise baby (whom refer to as a girl), it was a spending spree a month later when we had a weekend to ourselves while attending a wedding.
So as this Perfect Storm date approaches, we fight the urge to spend. A local chain electronics store is closing.....hmmmmm. The pending move.....gee, shouldn't we upgrade this and that on the house. My car....the check engine light just came on.....does this mean it is going kaput, and we might be car shopping soon.
Don't know. For now, we agreed that we will go out for dinner, with the kids. The rest is up in the air. Trying hard to keep it there.
Some people spend to celebrate. YEAH! I got a new job....let's buy that new tv we have been coveting. YEAH! We have a new baby on the way....let's buy everything we need today.
Some people spend in anger. GRRRR.....I had a bad day at work, so I am going to treat myself to that new CD I wanted....I deserve it. GRRRR.....I had a fight with my spouse, so I am going to make myself feel better by going shopping.
The majority of our credit card debt was "life." Diapers, food, gas. Not to say there wasn't take-out, some clothes, etc too. But if you were to look at the statements over the past 7 years, I would guess at least 75% fall into the "life" category. Outside of our "life" debt....lies the debt from why we spend. Sorrow.
On January 24, G-man and I will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. AWWWW. We have had an interesting 12 years to say the least. But for us, our anniversary is a sorrow trigger that we have to fight under the guise of "it's our anniversary."
See...our twin girls died in August 2007. Complication in my pregnancy. No hope. They are gone. They were due on January 24, 2008....our 10th wedding anniversary. They should be almost 2 years old now, but instead, we have their cremated remains in a box in G-man's dresser...in an area we don't open unless we have to.
And on that fateful 10th anniversary....we "celebrated" as a married couple does.....*blush* And upon our surprise....we got pregnant. (Both of our previous pregnancies were the result of very expensive fertility treatments). So yeah, this was a surprise to say the least. But we were so hopeful....a rainbow baby (that is what a baby is called that comes after the death of a child). Conceived in the love our marriage, and the grief of the sisters that came before. The perfect storm.
Until 2 months and 1 day later that there was no heartbeat, and 3 days later we had a D&C.
Each of our losses triggered something that we bought. With the twin girls, it was a new TV. With our surprise baby (whom refer to as a girl), it was a spending spree a month later when we had a weekend to ourselves while attending a wedding.
So as this Perfect Storm date approaches, we fight the urge to spend. A local chain electronics store is closing.....hmmmmm. The pending move.....gee, shouldn't we upgrade this and that on the house. My car....the check engine light just came on.....does this mean it is going kaput, and we might be car shopping soon.
Don't know. For now, we agreed that we will go out for dinner, with the kids. The rest is up in the air. Trying hard to keep it there.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
How we got here
The short answer to this....life.
I would love to say we had a huge house, beautiful furnishings, lavish cars, expensive clothes, and tons of pictures from the F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S vacations we took. But this would be an incredible lie. We have none of these....none. Not even a little.
We paid for our own wedding; not the most uncommon thing, but most people get SOME help. So we started our married life already in debt. Add in my loans from my Bachelor's Degree, and the boat G-man bought before he met me.....and as soon as we said "I do" our combined debt was somewhere in the range of $55,000. Not the ideal way to start off your new life together.
We moved when I decided to go back to Graduate school. More loans.....We decided to have a family.....enter in fertility costs......We bought a house.......Oh man, guess what! I am pregnant....with Twins! Wait a sec....our car can't hold twins.....let's buy a mini-van.
It is 2002....we have been married 4 yrs. Well, crap. At this point I have no idea how in debt we are. We were both working, and making our bills, so we really thought we were doing ok as a whole. G-man's 'rents paid off the boat (about 7k at that point), so instead of a boat payment, we had a car payment.
Then our cutie pies were born.....4 months early!!!! Yeah, we weren't expecting that one. Thank goodness for insurance, because their bill was 1.5 MILLION dollars! Now, while we did not owe the vast majority of that....we did owe some of it (and still do!). And along with preemies, come other wonderful bills, such as special shots, special food, special EVERYTHING.
The plan for me to work went out the window. Our salary was cut dramatically with me home. G-man started working 2 jobs. But our bills just kept on coming. Our son had medical needs, and continues to have them. Special therapy, special food. Special tools. While we would never ever deny him something he needs....it is quite expensive to raise a special needs child.
In the next 5 yrs, we relied heavily on credit cards for our day to day living. Gas, groceries, clothes. If the car broke, charge it! If there was no food in the house, charge it! If you are feeling a little sad and need a quick pick me up.....you guessed it! CHARGE IT!
And while we were charging things.....we decided we wanted another baby. Back to fertility treatments.....not that we could afford them. Several surgeries, many boxes of medication, and tons of dr appointments later....we conceived another set of twins! Unfortunately, this was not meant to be, and we lost our twin girls mid pregnancy. More medical bills.....and the bill to cremate our daughters. That Christmas, I probably spent 3x as much on gifts than we usually do....just trying to make myself feel better.
We took equity out of the house to pay off debt. Then just ran it back up again. Got a lump sum of money due to a law settlement....and ran the credit cards back up. So now our house is maxxed out due to the housing bust. We still have credit cards. And options are running out.
Let's see....3 cats....one with dental issues. Going out of town to see our family....can't take the cats....so let's board them. Charge it! G-man's father became ill....more trips out of town. Cash....nah, who has that? Charge it!
Eventually I did go back to work part time. No family nearby, so I work a schedule that fits with the kids' school schedule. This stopped the femural artery hemorrage of money, but not by much.
Cars broke down. We needed a new roof. The washing machine died. More medical. More of life. Gas prices soared, and we were spending over $200 a week on gas. Our home is oil heat....to the tune of $500 a month (this has come down now, thank goodness! But the damage was done).
And here we are. Teetering on the edge.......we can't live like this anymore. We gotta do something.
I would love to say we had a huge house, beautiful furnishings, lavish cars, expensive clothes, and tons of pictures from the F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S vacations we took. But this would be an incredible lie. We have none of these....none. Not even a little.
We paid for our own wedding; not the most uncommon thing, but most people get SOME help. So we started our married life already in debt. Add in my loans from my Bachelor's Degree, and the boat G-man bought before he met me.....and as soon as we said "I do" our combined debt was somewhere in the range of $55,000. Not the ideal way to start off your new life together.
We moved when I decided to go back to Graduate school. More loans.....We decided to have a family.....enter in fertility costs......We bought a house.......Oh man, guess what! I am pregnant....with Twins! Wait a sec....our car can't hold twins.....let's buy a mini-van.
It is 2002....we have been married 4 yrs. Well, crap. At this point I have no idea how in debt we are. We were both working, and making our bills, so we really thought we were doing ok as a whole. G-man's 'rents paid off the boat (about 7k at that point), so instead of a boat payment, we had a car payment.
Then our cutie pies were born.....4 months early!!!! Yeah, we weren't expecting that one. Thank goodness for insurance, because their bill was 1.5 MILLION dollars! Now, while we did not owe the vast majority of that....we did owe some of it (and still do!). And along with preemies, come other wonderful bills, such as special shots, special food, special EVERYTHING.
The plan for me to work went out the window. Our salary was cut dramatically with me home. G-man started working 2 jobs. But our bills just kept on coming. Our son had medical needs, and continues to have them. Special therapy, special food. Special tools. While we would never ever deny him something he needs....it is quite expensive to raise a special needs child.
In the next 5 yrs, we relied heavily on credit cards for our day to day living. Gas, groceries, clothes. If the car broke, charge it! If there was no food in the house, charge it! If you are feeling a little sad and need a quick pick me up.....you guessed it! CHARGE IT!
And while we were charging things.....we decided we wanted another baby. Back to fertility treatments.....not that we could afford them. Several surgeries, many boxes of medication, and tons of dr appointments later....we conceived another set of twins! Unfortunately, this was not meant to be, and we lost our twin girls mid pregnancy. More medical bills.....and the bill to cremate our daughters. That Christmas, I probably spent 3x as much on gifts than we usually do....just trying to make myself feel better.
We took equity out of the house to pay off debt. Then just ran it back up again. Got a lump sum of money due to a law settlement....and ran the credit cards back up. So now our house is maxxed out due to the housing bust. We still have credit cards. And options are running out.
Let's see....3 cats....one with dental issues. Going out of town to see our family....can't take the cats....so let's board them. Charge it! G-man's father became ill....more trips out of town. Cash....nah, who has that? Charge it!
Eventually I did go back to work part time. No family nearby, so I work a schedule that fits with the kids' school schedule. This stopped the femural artery hemorrage of money, but not by much.
Cars broke down. We needed a new roof. The washing machine died. More medical. More of life. Gas prices soared, and we were spending over $200 a week on gas. Our home is oil heat....to the tune of $500 a month (this has come down now, thank goodness! But the damage was done).
And here we are. Teetering on the edge.......we can't live like this anymore. We gotta do something.
Welcome
I am hoping that this new blog will help me get some of my frustrations and emotions out while we work on making our lives more manageable. So sit back, grab a cup of coffee (brewed at home, of course!), and enjoy the ride with me.
Names have been changed to protect the guilty. It is one thing to invite our friends to see this....it is another to have people stumble upon it. Yeah, it would be just our luck that our family would find this. Not so good!
So, here are the players:
Mysti - Me!
G-man - my hubby
Sassy Girl - our beautiful daughter
Bossy Boy - our beautiful son
Names have been changed to protect the guilty. It is one thing to invite our friends to see this....it is another to have people stumble upon it. Yeah, it would be just our luck that our family would find this. Not so good!
So, here are the players:
Mysti - Me!
G-man - my hubby
Sassy Girl - our beautiful daughter
Bossy Boy - our beautiful son
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