Mumof2's Personal Finance Blog

As of 5 march 2020
Ice $3,978.64
Car $344.74
house $222.74

Total $4,546.12

Well all the extra we got and put into our ice account we had to put it on a fine it was $545..we were in an area that had loads of construction and an area that we never go to and we must have gone through an orange light that turned red while we were driving through it...we never do that but we did it so have to pay it...so it sucks but thats life...also payday today so was able to put another 300 into our ice acct...so close to our $4000 mark...next month we will reach the $5000 mark..yah

My hubbys son owed us $620 from when we helped him and his daughter after him and his wife split a couple years ago...he was injured and unable to work and his wife is just horrible the way she treated them...and still does..she makes my blood boil especially when it comes to her daughter...so frustrating..but they are finally divorced and everything was settled yesterday so he sent the money to us...we didn't expect it so it went into our ice acct which means we are now over $4200 so happy and we should be putting another couple hundred on tomorrow...we will be so close to our $5000 mark by end of month which puts us about a month ahead of where we thought we would be!!

It was pay week this week and we ended up buying a new comforter for my hubby as it is getting cold here now...his mattress is also a lot harder than we thought and is not real comfortable so we went and talked to them and are swapping it for a softer one..

Everything is paid pretty much for the month except food and gas which we take out every 2 weeks so nothing we have to do...was ale to pay $450 on the CC and have been able to get the ice acct to $3700 should be $4000 this month and $5000 next month and then will work on putting money into the other accounts.

So far so good financially this month lets hope we have no unexpected bills come up

also paid our yearly car insurance so that is done!!

We have a storm coming in today lots of thunder and lightening and maybe rain...can already smell it..but we are all down sick...not sure what is going on with us but none of us feel good...not looking for another change in weather...it has been crazy here

Still need to try figure out taxes before hubby starts his treatment and also need to finish up banking but that can wait a day or 2 no hurry everything is paid so will update later when I have done it.

Its officially autumn here now can't believe it is already march..this year is going fast

Well we got hubby test results today its stage 3 just in the lymph nodes but nowhere else so he things we have a good chance of being able to go into remission down the road, so only time will tell...hubby gets his first shot next wed (has every 3 months) and we are waiting to hear from the oncology radition team for treatment dates etc..should be 5 days a week for 8 weeks them maybe chemo..they arent sure yet...but the appointment was free, the parking was free will have to pay for the shot next week but not the doc appt so not to much expense yet..

It is becoming colder here so we went to buy some masks for hubby...apparently people seem to be worried about the carona virus because masks are selling out...I never really worried about it...but I guess others are.

Its payday this weekend/early next week so that will be nice to get things paid and done with for the month..also have car insurance to pay

Got my hair all cut off today it just takes to long and I don't have te eneergy anymore to do much (chronic fatigue) and we find out hubby treatment plan soon so that will be taking up time each day..so just easier.

While out that way..its about 40 mins from the house we went to the butchers and I filled up our freezer so we have plenty as we are not sure how hubby will go with treatments and his copd...but we are covered in that area...so I less thing to worry about.

Was talking about funerals the other day..we do on a regular basis...and I had friends say that we were weird that we don't want funerals..me, my hubby and oldest DD just aren't interested...I think they are a waste of money and I want my ashes planted under a fruit tree that anyone can eat from...they said what if people want to say goodbye to you...well if people want to see me they can do it while I am alive, funerals are expensive and a waste of money...we all think this..and i don't want headstones I think if you have them then family feel obligated to visit you or they never visit you and feel guilty so why bother..but these are our thoughts and what we want..its also written in our wills...and the kids know what we want...so do you think we are weird? or do people just think it is a society norm that that is what they should do??

theweather here this summer has been tempermental so hot then so cold..my body isn't coping and ended up with another another sinus infection..so on antibiotics and a nasal spray..so another $32 spent but hopefully i will be feeling better soon will find out this week what treatment he will need.

Also going to get my hair all chopped off tomorrow..I have been really struggling with my chronic fatigue and my hair is half way down my back so is just so hard to handle and if my hubby needs daily trips to the hosp for treatment then it is just to much to handle..its hair it will grow back

he gets his foot things this week but they are all paid for already...so hopefully not to many more expenses this week...all parking we need should be free so that helps

Well changed how we are going to budget since finding out about my hubbys cancer, going to get $5000 in our ice acct then save to update our car its a 2005 and starting to show its age...but have the money there just in case and then start saving for a house which we are hoping to be able to buy in next 18 months...the fees are a killer over here which you need up front..around $20000-$30000 dollars just for the fees and then the deposit as well...make it so hard for people to buy over here...but we will get there...if we can find something that we really like

Hubby had his scan yesterday..it cost $200 so not a great expense and worth it to not have to wait another 6 weeks..we get results next friday and hopefully a treatment plan...parking was free so no cost there. If he has to have daily treatments at the hosp he gets free parking as he has a disability sticker..so that will help...not sure what other kind of expenses we will be looking at so have decided against paying off the CC completely and just adding to our ice accout for now till we get a few more thousand in that account...all bills are paid on time etc...and the CC is our only debt so right now i think this is what is best for us...not looking forward to the next year or so...but just want to get it started and finished so we can continue on with life

Well good news today, my biospy came back normal no cancer present just sun damage which is great news..especially since my hubby has just been diagnosed with cancer...he has a scan tomorrow to see if it has spread or not and then find out next week treatment options etc...so that will be around $200-400 not sure till tomorrow...not looking forward to that but at the same time just want to start getting treatment started and knocking the cancer on its butt!!

Hubby got his new bed in today...it is comfy and I am hoping he sleeps better now...he has been sleeping in a recliner and doesn't mind it...but Im sure this is more comfortable

we had extra money left over from the food budget so we bought some extra things that were on sale to use it up and that we use all the time..have been doing really well with not eating out at all..

I have chosen to cut a few things from our budget that have just come up (we pay most things annually) and that is our extra garbage can..we don't use it all that often so have cancelled it...so will save $145 for the year...also our chemist (your drug store) we get discount when we buy from them but not sure if we will continue with that it depends if they have one product i am looking for but is expensive if they do we will continue...if not we won't renew and will save $64 for the year.

next friday we should have the grading and treatment that my hubby should be getting for his cancer, I was going to pay off the CC next month but we only have $2000 in our ice account so I have decided to pay $500 a month onto the CC and put the rest into our ice account until we hit a few more thousand as we don't know what our expenses will be in the coming months...it seems good to me we won't be paying much interest on the CC and our savings will grow. If we don't have a lot of expenses then we can put the extra on the CC and get it paid off

What are others thoughts on this??

I am ususally the one person in the family that people come to when they need help financially...not money wise just budget wise and helping make phone calls etc...they know I won't lend them money. i always tell them you can't borrow your way out of debt you just need to work on it...I will sit down and write them out a budget after we figure out all their debts/income etc...it is time consuming but worth it if they stick to it.

One of my nieces uses a place that pays their bills for them and gives them an allowance, it cost them over $100 a month...I tell them they are wasting their money..and if they wanted to they could pay me the money instead..they won't..her sister is the one I am currently trying to help..she asked whether or not I should just pay her bills for her and she could pay me (Im like you have debt you can't afford to pay anyone) but that way she wouldn't have to worry about it...I sid no she needs to worry about it..if she isn't willing to put in the hard work on paying down her debt and building her savings then her habits won't change and she will always have debt..she said never thought of it that way...so will be slow going with her while we get things sorted out for her but hopefully she will be better off...her sister on the other hand and her hubby are always spending what they have...because someone else deals with their money they are not learning any lessons...what are your thoughts on this am I right/wrong or both??

We don't celebrate valentines day I have always seen it as a waste of money we do things like that all year long so don't worry about it..and with the fires this year can only imagine how expensive flowers are going to be for those buying them...however my hubby has always bought our girls since they were born a rose on valentines day...its their tradition with him...we got some about a week ago on sale and put them in the fridge...they are still as fresh as the day we bought them and it was a fraction of the price..so a savings!

Do others on here celebrate valentines day? Do you go all out or just something simple or just treat like another day??

happy valentines day to everyone...may you be spoilt by love everyday of the year and not just valentines day

had to spend big bucks today (or big enough) we went to see someone about my hubbys foot, he no longer has padding on the bottom of his feet and makes it difficult to walk..so they did some tests and some moulds of his feet and are making him custom supports for his shoes, we also bought a new pair of shoes that has a deeper insole for the new supports so today was a $750 day of spending..we put it on the CC as I want to keep extra money around for the cancer scans etc...so hopefully not to many more big expenses while we still try to save up our ice acct

We still have 6 months left on this lease and then we were going to move closer to our old neighbourhood where all our docs are (about 1/2 hr from here) and where everything I use is pretty much walking distance..I love to walk.

After researching for a bit. yes we would save more in rent and gas but to get the packers in to move everything is so expensive, we can no longer do it ourselves so need them to do it, also with my hubby going to be in treatment for his cancer not something he probably needs, so we have decided that we will stay here for the next 18 months and then hopefully buy a house...it figures out about the same...not that I want to be here that long but I think it is the best for now..I just hate how much rent we pay...honestly I wish we could buy houses as easily as you guys can and with the same deposits...would make our lives so much easier

had my biopsy today on my face should get results next week (thurs) and get my stitch out and hopefully its nothing to worry about..

was able to put an extra $300 into the car acct so that is nice. other than that everything else is going well and no money spent!!

Well this week is going to be busy with doctors, I have a regular doctors appt, I need to have blood tests, my hubby needs to see a foot doctor (the pads on his feet have dissolved) and then I have to have a biopsy on my face...and thats just this week.

Lucky for us we live in a country where our govt pays for most of our medical services...or we would be living in a tent somewhere...so thankful for that

Not big news but made another $150 payment to the CC, every little bit counts right..I am hoping to have it paid off again next month...all going well

Well we saw the urologist today not great news it is a 9 which means he has an aggressive cancer we are booked in later in the month for a cat scan to see if it has spread then see him a eek later for treatment options...so we will see what happens, we are staying optomistic and hoping for the best but we will deal with what is dealt to us...so by end of month we will have a plan on treatment...the scan will cost us $200 but we were not waiting the 8 weeks to get it for free!!

his bed should be in the next 2 weeks so hopefully no delays there...been good at not spending money this week other than groceries and gas.

My first goal was to get our ice account back to $2000, I have achieved this month already next step is to pay off the dredded credit card which we can hopefully do by march!!

I love pay weeks, have managed to pay just about all our bills for the month, other than groceries and gas which we take out every fortnight in cash the first which will be this thursday

So far this month we have managed to put money into our
ice account 1799 (should reach the $2000 by end of month)
Car $170
house $107

Our goal is to work on the ice acct to $2000 then the car to $15000 then a house deposit...

we are thinking about moving in august when this lease is up back closer to where we were it is much cheaper and with only 3 of us living here we don't need such a big house and the yard upkeep around here is horrendous...we will just see what is available when the time comes and then decide.

So far this years budget is going well but we find out thursday what treatment my hubby will need then we will work on any costs involved with the budget

I do all of my moms online banking and her budget each year...it works well for her as it takes the stress out of her going out to pay bills etc and it is easy for me. She is currently living with 2 of her grandaughters and their kids (they have 1 each) one moved in with her a year ago and her finances were horrible I got her on track and set it up with her paying all her bills and getting rid of debt...she stuck with it until a few months ago when she stopped doing her budget and now doesnt have her bills paid off like she should have. Well my other neices finance so I found out yesterday is a shambles..a complete shambles, she has no idea what she is doing, so she is my next project and she is willing to learn and do what I need her to so after I write up my moms budget then we will be writing up hers and i have her gathering information now...this is going to take some time and not what I need on top of what is going on with my hubby but its family and you help them right...especially if they ask for your help and are willing to do what you need them to..wish me luck

Wow can you believe it is feb already...time flies.

The weather here has been crazy drought, week over 110 and busgfires now it is cold and wet which is a nice relief but messing with my health.

Payday this week so have paid what bills are due and done the budget so far things look good..but its only the 2nd so we will see what happens. busy week with docs and tests this week, my doc has ordered some blood tests and scans...we also see the urologist and see where we go from here.

Only extra bills we had this month were the sheets for my hubbys bed and a log book for me to track my diet and sleep etc..

Jan was a bit of a bust getting any money saved because of the bed but we knew that so hopefully feb will be better...time to update my sidebar amounts.

Well did the budget over the weekend...and we decided that we would cover the rent and our daughter will pay 1/3 of the gas/water/elec and we pay the rest...but we pay a lot of rent each month so we also did the figures if we moved back to the area we use to live in or at least closer as everyone we use is still in that area. So in july we are thinking of moving back there depending on what is available and if we can find something to suit us...it would save us alone over $5000 a year in rent which could go towards our home deposit rather than someone elses morg or lifestyle...the owner of this house likes to travel overseas a lot...so hopefully we can find something.

We have ordered the bed and paid for it on the CC but it should be paid off by march so not a big deal could have paid it off sooner but want to get our ice acct back up as it is really low right now.

Groceries have been fairly cheap, we have a few over 100 degree days coming so its mainly salads and meat so no real cooking etc.

Hubby has his urologist appt on 6th feb so we should know the results of his biopsy and what treatment he will be doing...heres hoping its not to bad.

Well hubby had his doc appoint with his regular doctor on thursday and he said from the mri he definatly had cancer but it looks like it hasnt migrated from the area...but they might do a bone scan to see just to make sure so hopefully he is right...he also had his biopsy done on friday and is doing great...so in next 2-3 weeks we will see the urologist and I guess see what the treatment plan is and what grade the cancer is...so will just deal with things as we find out more...not really to fussed about it right now.

On thursday my youngest daughter decided to move out..so we helped her move friday as well...she had work..she is moving in with her cousin...she is happy and thats what counts...she is still working 2 jobs and studying but she says she is fine and she has some savings...instead of paying money into our ice acct like we planned I paid for a bunch of groceries which i had promised to do for her. Both our girls have bought plenty of things on sale over the last couple of years for when they moved so she is covered in that area as well

So this weekend I will be redoing our budget as she was paying rent here so we will cover that now...our oldest said she would goes halves in her sisters share of the rent but she has chronic illnesses and on disability so not sure if we want her to do that...she already pays her way here

Hubby has also got bad reflux for a long while now, he has been sleeping in a recliner as he likes to watch tv when he sleeps as he has to sleep sitting half way up so we have decided it is time for him to get a bed...its around $2400 but want him to be comfortable...so lots to do this weekend...

So we are looking at our US taxes that we need to do every year which can be a hassle...for 2.4 years I have been trying to get my itin number uppdated...finally we think we have sent them what they have asked for again..so hopefully gets processed need it for me to be on the taxes.
We don't pay state taxes obviously but we do federal taxes (hubby ex military) but with the changes they have made with SS from what we have read they count the entire amount now which means we will end up owing $3000 plus...I hope we have read this wrong...I really don't want to owe a country that much when we get nothing in return or use any services over there...lets hope we are wrong...if we are reading it wrong then let me know please

Our gas heater for hot water went out yesterday...our landlord said they would call someone and try to get it fixed...not happy...something is always wrong with this house..they jetset around the world but won't maintain this house...was going to stay here a couple years till we had enough deposit for a house...$30,000 is such a lot to save when you also pay a high rent...but we will get there...but may not stay here longer than august (lease renewal) depends what is around and what is happening with my hubby.

We decided last year that we would save for a newer car ($15000)..ours is okay (getting old) but is fairly big and we want a smaller one for now...my daughter wants one a bit bigger than hers so we have decided to buy hers from her in may/june when she get a newer one...so will pay her $8500 and bank the rest.

Once that is done we are going to save a house deposit we are buying with our daughter as she has a chronic illness and can't work so will probably always live at home...she is easy to live with and really good with her money...so hopefully we can save and find something we like.

Hubby has his biopsy on friday (which just happens to be my b-day) so hopefully we will have some answers if it is cancer or not...and what next steps need to be taken.

Its also pay week so putting any extra into our ice account and get that back up...other than that not much else happening...

Not a financial update but it has been raining here all day...might not sound like much but with the fires over here it is really helping out....and hopefully will we wet the ground enough that new fires wont start...