Mumof2's Personal Finance Blog

My doctor tells me to cut as much stress out of my life as I possibly can...that doesn't happen in this house especially with a teen living here right now....my nephew just turned 17...a  year ago my mom left to live in another area becuase of the high cost of rent she couldn't afford to live here anymore, so nephew who she has raised from birth went to live with my sister...she always had extra people living in the house, would cook or anything so even thouh they were paying for food they would hardly eat as there was nothing to eat...he sometimes slept in a bed, then the couch and eventually the floor...there was constantly yelling in the house....and he maybe went to school 1 day a week if he was lucky...my mum was stressed to the max as she didn't live there and he didn't tell her what was going on as he didn't want to worry here...she came down and he was so skinny and sick looking and she was so upset and the stress put her in the hospital....so she talked to me about it and I said he was going to move in with us that weekend and told him he didn't have a choice...and he did...he has missed 3 days of school in 3 months due to illness, he has a room to himself so he is sleeping well...he has plenty to eat (forgot how much teens eat) and he needed it as he looked like a POw with the sunken in face etc.....he has gained 20lbs since living here and is feeling much better and has so much energy now..he was so lethargic thats why he wasn't going to school...he busted his butt and did all the worked he missed out on when he wasn't at school...and he is doing great now and really back into his school work...he loved school...no here comes the drama...the vice principle of the school who is new (about 8 months) decided that he didn't like him and has told him that he will never complete the work and that he should just quit and get a job as he is making the school look bad, he also took him out of the english class he was in and moved him to his class. My nephew handed in all the work a few weeks ago and now that he has proved the teacher worng by getting all the work completed he won't mark it and said that he will fail his class, he can alway get the other english class to mark his work but he won't, so my nephew left class nad called me so angry...so I told him to sign himself out of school and come home..which he did. I called the school and told them I wanted to talk to the principle but they said I needed to talk to the coordinator first...well they didn't say who it was..but it turned out to be the teacher in question...I told her that I wasn't going in to talk about the class and theacher with the teacher involved running the meeting that would be a complete waste of time...but I have decided that I will meet with him today as well as my nephew and my mom so we can get this sorted as we need it to be (our school year is over in 4 weeks), he also called me yesterday and was telling me his side of the story and it is different as usual, he was telling me what was said in the meeting...he was only there 5 mins and left and I was at the meeting and called him out on it saying he never said that...so he does lie to cover his butt...but I'm not one to stand back and do nothing, I have given the principle 5 days to respond to my email with a positive outcome or the education dept will step in and help resove the issue, I also think that he is racist..my nephew is aboriginal as is his friend and he picks on them constantly and not just them ...so we will see in a couple of hours what will happen a few other things he has done are

used the N word in class 3 times

suspended his friend from school for haing the wrong shorts on but a kid that has been inappropriately touching girls at school and is accused of raping a couple of girls (not at school and police are involved) and he brought mace and a hammer to school got no punishment

continually tells my nephew to quit school as he makes the school look bad

gives them extra work that no-one else has to do

So hopefully today this issue will be done and finished...sorry so long but this is just a caption of what this guy is like..so very frustrating and trying to keep my nephew calm and telling him not to give up on school as that what the guy wants so he can say I told you so has been hard...he is so frustrated....I have also talked to quite a few teachers there that don't like him either.

But on a good note I put $400 on the CC...I have more to put on but our dog has grooming and surgery next week and I'm not sure what it will cost so will wait till that is done and near end of month put more onto the CC until it is paid off...all bills are paid for the month..except food and gas...which we take out every 2 weeks (pay cycle) so things are looking up financially a bit...not like many of you but to be debt free soon and saving again with be a big win for us!!

OMG we finally have a sunny day...seriously it has been spring for over 2 months and we have had 4 sunny days...so over this cold wet windy weather...have a few days of it so going to enjoy before the rain is back next week.

Have all the bills paid and had a little extra since the US$ is down here, that will com in handy since our dog need to get his teeth cleaned and have 2 lumps removed..so will book that in for mid month, will cost around $1000, he also needs to be groomed again which is around $70. Have been stocking our shelves a bit lately since I hate shopping and moreso around christmas....which we havent even thought of yet..need to start the shopping for that.

As for our garden...our vegies are growing so slowly...not sure we will get much from them this year as it has been so cold and wet and no sun that they just can't grow well...but we have a few sunny days so hopefully that will help.

grocery prices have gone up so much lately, but we are managing to do okay food budget has gone way up but we just adjust our budget, we don't eat take out much just cook at home.

As for the CC, we are plugging away at that slowly...figured would save what we can all month and 3rd week into the month we will put everything we can on it until it is paid off....should take a couple months but that is okay...its the only debt we have...other than that not much happening...starting to spring clean and declutter a little..I'm 2 months late but it has been like winter and just haven't felt like doing it.

My nephew has a 2 hr driving lesson tomorrow morning..its from 7.30-9.30am..hes not happy getting up that early on a sat but he has to...there is literally hardly any spaces for people to do driving lessons..everyone is booked out will cost around $180 for the 2 hours...then we will do another test in a few weeks and then he should be ready for his vort test and the same guy can do it...then he will have his licence and then he has to get a job if he wants a car so he can pay for his gas/rego & insurance

Can you believe that christmas is only 60 days away....can't believe how fast this year has gone...usually I have done all my christmas presents done by september at the latest...but this year I have done nothing yet...so thinking beginning of november I am going to get my butt into gear and start getting things done so between then and now I need to get a list made....it never really feels like christmas because we have no kids around and to me that is what christmas is about...I'm just not feeling it.

How is everyone doing with christmas preperations...one thing I will be working on will be food..prices have gone up so will make sure we add extra to the budget...is anyone else not feeling christmas this year or is it just me...I think it has just crept up on me this year

Does anyone ever feel like they have no time for themselves?? This year was suppose to be about me and my health...but I have had to help do all the move stuff for my step son (his brain doesn't work right since he had a stroke like episode), had to move my mom back to the city and organise it all...had my nephew move in and fix up all the stuff at school that was going on, helping my DD through her fertility process which  haven't worked yet and this last one she postponed..as she wasn't feeling confident enough in her gut that it would be successful, finally get my hubby through his second bout of cancer only fo rthe side affects to be worse and he is now in the hospital....so it is november, the year is almost over and I am yet to work on myself like I should be...I haven't even thought about christmas this year and it's only 62 days away and I am usually done by now...I am getting physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted and hoping that next year will be the year that I can focus on myself and my needs.

Although I haven't been buying things which I normally do when I feel like that so that is a bonus...and I am working on the CC and getting it paid off...so that is a positive...but I do have to do my budget as food and gas prics have gone up so much lately...but that is another day

Our lotto over here this week is $100 million dollars could you imagine having money like that...I just can't fathom money like that...but if I did I would set up my family with homes, and I would love to buy a hotel and give it a charity I support for the homeless and 2 other charities I support would get a great boost as well as all their money goes to the kids that they help.....what would you do if you had money like this??

Can't believe we only have 69 days till christmas..and I haven't even thought about it yet. 

My nephew is turning 17 tomorrow so will do pizza and icecream cake (he chose that) as last  year my siste did nothing for his bday and it kind of bummed him out considering she did stuff for his brother and sister...so not doing a lot he had a party with his friends on the weekend but do want to celebrate it with him...also invited my mom over but he doesn't know that yet....be a surprise....still trying to get his hours up so he can get his licence..then will see what my mom says about a car...it will be a runabout car to start with and I told him he needs a job to pay for his gas, rego and insurance.

Finally got my wand in and I really think it is helping my hubby and myself with some of our issues..was skeptical but have tried many other things that havent worked...so only time will tell...so far we can see a difference...and its only been a few days.

We have so many floods over here that food prices are soaring...and gas is back to $2 per litre..everything is going up and we feel it in our budget...we also have 2 extra house guests for 3 days this week so that will add more cost to the food budget....

Other than that not much else going in hopefully DD will be doing her IUI this month..missed the window last month it went between the blood tests...so hopefully this next cycle...and we have 2 days of sun/cloudy weather then back to another week of rain...really over the rain this year

I know it is autumn over there but spring here un australia...well it is suppose to be 6 weeks in we are still having so much rain and wet weather..I just wish we had some nicer weather to be outside more...had 2 nice days..today is cloudy and windy the tonight and for next few days back to rain...kind of over it..and if we end up with a hot summer it will make bushfire season so much worse than it could be..as everything is growing so much.

My vegies are starting to grow..can almost pick radishes..hubby eats them I don't and I am trying to grow potatoes this year so we will see how that turns out...hopefully in a few weeks we can start eating some of our own food...we also have our fruit tress flowering so will need to cover them the best we can to keep the birds from eating al the fruit...we have heaps of birds in our yard.

It looks like we will need to up our food budget by quite a bit everything has gone up..and I only have so much energy to be able to cook, we hardly have take away...its not worth the money and honestly I ike our food better..we also have a teen boy in the house..so he eats quite a bit...but he is healthier now so I don't mind...made banana bread today got 3 loaves so will cut some up for nephew to take to school, 1/2 for my mom to take home, 1 for us and 1 for my neighbor...he also cuts our lawn without us asking so when we bake we always give them some...they are good neighbors.

We have been doing good with the budget and not spending on anything we don't need, I am slowly chipping away at the CC so hopefully it will be paid off in a few months....I thought I might start thinking about christmas...usually I am done by now...but this year I am just not feeling it...have been to unwell and having to many "episodes" right now to worry about it...pay week this week so hopefully we can pay some extra on the cc 

Well my brother that has a rental has asked my mom if she wants to move in there in april (he currently has tenants) 2023...so we have agreed that she will live with her friend for the next 6 months and split costs and my nephew will live with us till then and then move in with her in april...not that I wanted him to be here that long but I guess it is what it is...and she can stay in that house until she dies...so no more moving for her..which is what she wanted. 

My nephew is learning how to drive (hubby is teaching him) he can sit for his test late november...so mom is looking at a cheap car for him...will see how we go with that...Our oldest DD is doing her iui again this month so hopefully that will be successful...it is her 4th iui so fingers crossed it works.

I have paid all my bills for the month, bought most of our meat, done a fairly good shop at the grocery store for the month we want to go to costco but not during the weekend or school holidays...so we will probably wait a couple weeks and then go...but I did manage to pay $500 into our ice acct and $800 onto our CC...looks like things are hopefully getting back on track.

Also ordered a terahertz frequency wand which will hopefully help with our illnesses...fingers crossed everyone I have spoken to that has used it has said that it is great and really helped them....so we will see have tried plenty of things that haven't worked...so hopefully this will.

Well we sent our taxes on the 17th january this year..yes via snail mail as it's the only way we can do it without it costing us over $300 plus to get them done.....it is now 25th sept and we haven't even heard if they have them..nothing is logged into their computer when we check online...I'm not going to chase it up..the last lot from 2019 & 2020 were just completed this year and was a nightmare...so we will wait and see what happens will see if they eventually get to them...I usually send them where they have to sign for them as it is very personal information and we don't live there and if someone gets a hold of the info then they could use it and we would never know....but still haven't heard from them!! the IRS has got to be one of the most incompetent places we have dealt with since covid started

My mom has now moved to the city and living with a friend until we find her a house to move into...it is so hard at the moment but her lease was up and her doctor wanted her closer. My nephew has not been at school much this year which has affected him...he was to lethargic to go and just started not caring about school...which was sad because he loved school, is so bright and was a great student..well he has been here a month now and we had a meeting at the school on friday as he has decided he wants to get back into his schooling so he can graduate next year (his final year at school), the school is happy, this month he has missed 2 days and that is because he was at the hospital and spent the next day recovering and they have written up a plan for him and he is determined to do everything they need him to do...They still have a couple things to get put in place...but we are so happy that he is putting in the work and getting back on track...

This is the last week before school holidays, we do it a little different here, we have 10 week terms and then have 2 weeks off between terms, except in summer when we have 6 weeks off...I like it this way...gives everyone a break...my nephew says he will spend those 2 weeks catching up on his school work...but the good thing is it is spring here so I can so more yard work and all our vegies are starting to grow...I planted pototoes in bags today...have never grown them so will be interesting to see if they grow or not...going to try and grow sweet potatos as well. 

I know it's not what people want to hear but the US$ has been dropping over here which means the money we make in the US converts to more here so will be able to add extra money to our ice and CC...

I wrote up a post but it looks like it has disappeared...so a small catch up my nephew is doing great here had a couple days off school as he was sick and ended up in the ER, he took himself as he was on his way to school when he almost collapsed...did everything himself, he ended up having a sinus infection and he clenches his jaw so much that his whole jaw was in pain and was having headaches...also took him to the dentist as they thought the jaw ain could h ave been his wisdom teeth coming through...it wasn't (it was the clenching jaw) and we found out he needed several fillings...so we booked him in for his first lot, they say they need 2 more appts and it should only cost my mom $106 out of pocket...so that was nice, over here the govt will pay $1026per child per year to go to the dentist...so that helped a lot...we asked why he had so many fillings he brushes twice a day and doesn't eat  a lot of junk food and they said it was probably his lack of eating/diet....one of the reasons he moved in with us was he wasn't being fed. But he is doing great now, eating a lot, putting on some weight, has more energy, going to school everyday (except when sick) and is much happier.

My mom came down earlier in the week for a couple days...she is so much more relaxed seeing how he is going and looking now so she is finally relaxed enough to focus on herself and her move...she will move tuesday back down to the city and stay with a friend until we find a place for her to live..hopefully won't be long.

We are spending more on food with a teen in the house but that is okay, all bills are paid and even managed to put $400 on the CC...will take a few months to get it paid off again but we will eventually...I'm not going to stress about it...working on that and getting my ice acct back up.

Well nephew has been here 2 weeks and is doing well...eating well, I forgot how much teenage boys eat..but he is putting on some weight and feeling much better, he is sleeping well and hasn't missed a day of school in 2 weeks..he is much happier within himself and my mom is feeling so much better and not as stressed, she will be down tomorrow for a couple days then back home to finish packing then move down to the city next tuesday...just need to organise storage this week and it will all be done. Hopefully we will find her a house in th next few weeks.

Have had a couple of warm days before the rain hit again so was able to plant some of our seedlings into one of our garden beds will do the rest this week...they have grown so well...in a couple more weeks we will plant some more seeds so we have them going all spring/summer...our back grass really needs to be mowed but we have  huge tree that blooms with flowers for about 4-6 weeks...it attracts hundreds of bees everyday...they are in the tree and also as the flowers fall they go onto the ground so we will wait till the flowers disappear and then do it...don't want to hurt any of them.

All bills have been paid for the month, we will just need to keep extra for some groceries and gas ( will do that this week) and then start adding some to our ice acct and CC debt...

Not much else going on...hope everyone has a great week

Cant believe we have a week till spring so over these cold dreary days..everything is starting to flower and bloom, we are startingour seedlings...have tried a new pot thing this year to start them from seeds s hopefully it works if not we will buy from the store and get it started...my daughter puts her seeds from her bell peppers in a plastic ziploc bag with water and paper towel so they will grow...we have the first lot done and they are in a pot growing...there were a lot and not sure how well they would grow so as they get bigger we will seperate them into different pots...so excited that we will be finally able to spend some time outside.

my mom is moving down here in a month not sure where to yet as we can't find her a house/unit...so we are working on that daily and this sunday my nephew (who was living with my mom one reason she is moving back so they can live together again) is moving in....he currently lives with my sister and is not doing well...he is 16 almost 17...living in a 3 bedroom home with 8 plus people...she has cut off the internet and even though they are paid to buy groceries she doesn't feed them...it is really stressing my mom out to the point she is having panic attacks (not good as she is 84) and he is having stress seizures...he ilso so lethergic he is missing school..so he is moving in with us so my mom knows that he feed, taken care of can do his homework as we have the internet...and that will relieve a lot of their stress...my hubby is also teaching him how to drive so he can do that more consistantly and get his p's hopefully november.

Other than that not much else is going onfinancially not doing any better (no savings) but not doing any worse either...hopefully things will improve soon....

We have decided not to move right now..just the time and money it would take just really isn't worth it and we don't really have the energy ourselves to look at houses do paperwork and then pack and move...and they are sending someone to come fix the doors at least. With our daughter not long out of hospital from stress seizures, hubby still rehabing from his cancer and my dizziness and chronic fatigue...just not worth the hassle right now.

We have paid all our bills for the month, and things are doing ok there, not to much to report...food still going up but we are coping with that...has been much easier now that I have gone back to menu planning, makes it easier on all of us and I am doing a monthly one and I am back to cutting up fruit and vege for the fridge so we can snack on that instead of crap food like cookies etc.

I was bored the other day and looked up some psychics online...don't trust a lot of them but I have seen them before...funny things is they all said the same things so that was weird...would be nice if what they said was going to happen did...but it was a fun thing to do.

other than that just doing some yard work today the only sunny day we have...next 9 days are rain...i am really over the rain this year it has been non stop...can't wait for spring and summer...especially since the beach is at the end of the road....

They are renewing our lease (if we want to) but they are upping the rent, its not a lot but we would be paying an extra $520 a year, we wouldn't mind so much if they would do some repairs around the house but they haven't, our hot water system costs so much to run and we literally can only have 1 person shower every day before we run out of hot water... so frustrating...some of the doors stick so much...but at the same time rents are high here and I think many will rise since interest rates have gone up...and the hassle of moving is just not something we really want to so right now (financial wise)...to use movers it would cost around $4,000- 5,000 just to move from 1 suburb to another, and then we have to pack and unpack the house...and before all of that we have to look at houses and we have a lot of covid cases right now so don't really want to be out and about in that...so we are still thinking about it...have about a month to decide so will see what is out there and do a pro/con list....can't wait till we can buy a house ourselves

We have hit that time of year where we have hit our threshhold for prescritions and they are free except for one of mine which I have to pay $20 for....it saves us so much money every year, thankgod the govt has that incentive. 

I have been looking at new phone/internet plans haven't decided on anything yet...but looking, I am going to change our contents policy...we don't need to have it so high...to replace everything if we needed to..so going to lover it and save round $150 plus a year....have been menu planning so this week will do a menu plan for next month and do a big shop in the beginning of the month and then just what we need weekly...so far this week has been working out well..only time will tell in the long run.

I have started decluttering which is hard as I don't have a lot of stuff but my hubby and daughter do....but I will get it paired down more each month....and I have started spring cleaning a little...I know its not spring for another 5 weeks but cleaning makes me feel better.

New budget starts next month, will be tight but workable each other month should get better...and hopefully get more savings and money back into our ice acct

We sent our taxes in mid jan this year and yet they still haven't put up that they have received them and they definately haven't been done...wish the irs would get their act together...I have decided that we are not chasing them anymore for their incompetence....it costs us so much money each time I have managed to get through it has been 2 hours plus on a cell phone across the world and so not worth the expenses....we never get any paperwork from them in regards to taxes...so guess if not done in the next year or so we will follow up...I just can't be bothered anymore...not worth the hassle!!

So I decided earlier this month that I would start a new budget..back to basics, redo everything and start over and get back on track...not only have we gone off the rails we have flipped several times and ended up god knows where with everything that has been going on...so today went back to basics.

for the rest of this year I will concentrate getting $2000 back  into our ice acct and paying off the dreaded CC these are my main 2 goals to achieve this year once that is done we will start saving. Once we reach the $2000 in ice acct we will continue to add $100 a month to boost it up.

I have also divided up and opened up accts for different things such as car/pom/ins so I can keep them seperate...wasn't working to well having them all in the same acct...so those amounts will start going into those accts in august.

Come december I will open up a xmas acct and put $100 a month in it for christmas for the family & charities...usually I just budget in for december but thought this might make it easier on the budget.

I am back to menu planning and have that written up and then we will start shopping with only what is on our menu anyone wanting treats can use their own mad money for that...hoping this way we can save some money on groceries. We currently spend $1000 plus on groceries...but food is expensive our milk alone is $6 for 2 litres..but some things we won't compromise on.

All going well the CC should be paid off oct 2022, the ice acct should be at $2000 by sept...and starting oct we should be able to start saving something each month...that amount will vary each month..but any savings is good.

The CC is the only debt we have so once it is gone we will be debt free again. feeling positive about the new budget, will just need to figure out the best places to do our grocery shopping between stores and markets (fresh fish/fruit/vege..all locally grown)...but we will discuss that at our family meeting later today. 

Next thing to focus on is our health and that will take more research but can focus on that now the budget is done for not only 2022 but also 2023...if anyone has any suggestions then please leave them below for consideration..thanks

I did an online order the other day and the prices have gone way up...I have to say that we don't drink/smoke etc so we do eat good brand food for some things...it just tastes better and we have a certain milk that my hubby and DD drink as it helps his asthma/copd and settles better in her stomach (A2 milk) it has gone up in the last couple weeks from $5.20 per 2 litres to $6 😳....we buy eggs that are from our state and they are jumbo and $7.50 per dozen (but they last so much longer than others and taste so much better)...our food bill is going up...a whole waterlon was $30 online (no we didn't get one)....so glad it is winter and we use our slow cooker a lot so we can chuck everything in a big pot and just cook it all day and have a healthy meal for dinner with lots of vegies/lentils etc...we are looking up other things that we can all eat that may be fairly cheap to cook...hubby can't have any tomato based foods since his cancer treatment....I have food intolerances....so can be tricky but we do our best...trying not to raise our food budget more than the $1000 a month that it is now...also going to start going back to the markets now that we are starting to feel better...just hope they don't keep rising much more...and I can't wait till spring when we can grow some of our own food again....

This year so far has been a bust in every sense, health and wealth especially.....so I am going back to basics and getting back on track one step at a time...it is hard in winter with us all being down under the weather, unexplained seizures etc...which means we have also bought things we haven't necessarily needed but wanted or made our life easier...and also lots of take away (which we hardly do)...so going back to basics and writing up a menu again, only buying what food we need....and working on paying off the CC again...will take some time...but a restart is just what we need I think

Hope you are all enjoying your summer because I am hating this cold...only 55 days till spring!!

So my daughter went to bed last night and her waist down was in pain...she took some panadol and went to bed...I woke up at 4.30am with a feeling today wasn't going to be great...next thing I know my daughter is in my room in pain, uncontrollable shaking etc....we call the healthline and after a bit they suggested we take her to the hospital ...we organise for our youngest DD to pick me up as I can't be left alone due to my dizziness and falling...and my hubby takes my daughter into the er she is almost incoherent and then after I leave...she starts having seizures....she has never had a seizure in her life...scares the crap out of my hubby and daughter...they go into the back of the ER....and she keeps having them...after a couple hours I take over from my hubby (only allowed 1 person at a time) and she keeps seizing....she is exhausted in pain...had blood and urine done and apparently both come back clear.....was waiting for a cat scan to see anything....she must have had around 50 seizure in 4 hours.....so I am heading up there soon to relieve my hubby....hoping for some answers as it is bizzare to just start having seizures for no reason...has onyone else heard of this??

My daughters 3rd iui didn't work...she is a bit upset but okay....I keep telling her what every baby is suppose to be hers will be...and she believes that...she is pretty positive...her specialist is going away so she won't be able to see him till mid sept and then will probably try again in oct.

I have my ice acct back to where I want it, have some money in savings..will add more this week, and going to focus on paying off the CC again....thats my plan putting our money on the only debt we have till it is gone..then it will all go into savings.

Not much else to report I don't have much money so no point doing all our savings etc as it is minimal....but working on it. 

So my mom has decided to move back to the city, she left because of the rising costs and they haven't really changed but she needs to be clearer to better healthcare...so we are looking for apartments for her...something else I get the pleasure of doing....plus we are still thinking of moving ourselves (depending on our daughter) so more added stress, she is 84 this year so we would like her to be closer if she needs medical help, where she lives just isn't that great. 

On top of that my stepson and his daughter just found out that her nan (on mothers side) is in a home because of dementia (she has not spoken to her for 5 years)....her mother texted her and let her know...its the first time she has texted her in a year....but that is another story....they want to come down so she can see her but can't afford it...so we said we would pay bus fares...gas prices are just so high and its a 5-6hr drive....well last night he ended up in hospital having one of "episodes" ct scan came back clear but still incoherent etc so keeping him till moday where they will do another mri and compare with his last one...no-one can give him an answer to what is going on...hopefully they find something (but in a good way so he can be treated)..so not sure if they are coming down anymore or not.

Paid a majority of our bills...we need to go to the atm and take money out from one acct and put it into another one (us to aussie) but being a weekend we will wait till monday when the bank is open and more people around I just don't trust people anymore...not that anything has happened but why risk it when we don't need to..so will do that tomorrow..hoping to save some money this month

planted some more garlic today....a bit late but it should be fine....also ordered a kit so we can propergate our own seeds etc this year...it comes with everything you needs from gloves, soil, seeds etc...so will be handy...we are also growing things from the seeds and bases of things we use like celery...cannot wait to grow our own food again.

Have a few yearly bills that we have paid (we put money in our POM acct each month to cover them) so ambulance cover and car registration, were paid this month...also have the girls bdays this month....neither really do anything...and we give them $200 each...so have that coming ou as well this month.

Hope you all have a nice relaxing 4th of july!!

It is the end of June here...can you believe that we are half wy through the year already...geez the last couple of years just seem to be flying by. It is payday this weekend but probably won't pay bills till monday....non need to be paid right now...I haven't really saved much this month, we have blught a bunch of things that we "wanted" such as 2 new water bottles for me..mine was old and needed replacing (2nd one was almost free and it won't go to waste), we have bought more soil ready for spring, I ordered a new 10 tray dehydrator....we will dehydrate fruits and vegetable, we are also buying jars so we can learn how to preserve food in jars as well this year (have always wanted to do it but never known how...always scared that I will kill people doing it the wrong way) so going to try that as well. I oredered a years supply of our clothes washing sheets....cheaper buying them in bulk...many of these do cost a little more because they are made from natural materials...I am all about natural things when we can use them as I have sensitivities to many chemicals but it is also better for the environment. 

We find out monday if our daughter is pregnant, it isn't looking good right now but we are still hopeful until they tell us otherwise....if she isn't not sure what they will do as it is her 3rd time trying and she won't do ivf due to all the hormones etc, it will affect her bipolar to much she thinks and it is her choice...but we know she will have children one way or another...we haven't ruled this one out yet. 

I think we are going to raise our food budget in july, it just doesn't seem to be working out right now with the prices of things....although we are going to try and go to the markets this week and start buying things in bulk so we can start drying things that we eat a lot of and see how we go..and of course it is all locally grown so cheaper its just a 45 min drive....unless my daughter and I go and we catch the train and walk there. 

I am hoping next month to put a good chunk of money onto the CC and hopefully have it paid off in a couple of months.

Called the IRS the other day and they informed me that they sent us a check, which I wasn't happy with as our country will no longer be accepting overseas checks, we talked to the bank and it hasn't come into effect yet but will in a couple of months but they said it could take weeks to clear, because it has to go back to the states and clear before it is available in our account...I am just hoping that when they do this years taxes (yes we sent them in jan) they do the right thing and put it into our account...just glad this saga is over...it has been a long time and quite the saga.

Well as an australian I can't believe what I am hearing from the US...I have read so much and who knows how much of it is true or not as there is so much to research but my question is and I would like honest opinions, or tell me if I am wrong (but don't be negative teach and inform..don't tear people down) but these are y thoughts.

Women in some states can't have abortions, so they will need to travel to get one, who pays for that? if they can't get them who is going to pay their medical costs, doctors visits, childcare, formula (which there is a shortage), clothes, education etc? Where are the men in all of this are they going to have their names put on the birth certificates and are they paying half for all of these bills from the beginning of the pregnancy as that seems fair. If not and these women put their kids into the foser system then isn't the govt paying for them and what little care they get in foster care anyways....what happens when all these kids have no foster care places to go it is an already burdened sysytem. 

Most rape and children that are molested are done so by people they know and made to have these children, if they have an abortion in a different state and then return home they can get up to 10 years jail...where a rapist prison term can start at a year...so an already burdened jail system is going to be overrun by women going into jail for sometimes lifesaving medical care or just for not wanting to put them and the child through a really tough life...and if they have other kids who knows where they will end up and then getting a job after prison will damn near be impossible as they have been to prison.....the scenarios for the financial of not only individuals but the US just seems to keep going on and on.....what are your thoughts? 

Also if a doctor was to do a medical procedure like an abortion how would anyone know thought they couldnt discuss a patients medical history? isn't that breaking the law as well so how would the police or anyone know?? If you just deny it they have no reason to open your records right? I know we have a couple medical people on here so thought I would ask

Finally got through to the IRS again..after 2 hours waiting on a cell phone..can't imagine what the phone bill will be...but thats another story.

So I tell them it has been 4 weeks and the money still hasn't hit our account, he looks through our account and says that they sent a check...I said why I specifically stated that our country no longer accepts overseas checks and the guy last month was told this when he said it would be processed, I also put sticky notes on our taxes (yes we have to do paper copy) on the front and where the bank details are stating this. Then they say it should take us around 9 weeks to get it so when we do write a letter and send it back stating that we want to add it to this years taxes so it can be put in the bank....we we sent our 2021 taxes in mid jan and still haven't heard anything so I'm like "what if you process this years taxes why you wait...if it takes 9 weeks to get here then it will probably be the same getting back" he said then hopefully they will add to the next years taxes...I am beyond frustrated at this point...told him they have to do better when it comes to overseas people doing taxes...he said he will bing it up at the next meeting...who knows if they will but damn I have never seen such incompetent people in a business, it seems like no-one knows what they are doing there...okay rant over!!

On the upside only 10 days till we find out if our daughter iui worked...fingers and toes crossed!!

we cut up a bunch of celery a few days ago and it has started growing in a glass so we are going to plant in a pot soon and see if we can get it to grow...love growing fruit and veg from produce we already have..and it tastes so much better...

have a great weekend everyone...we have another cold wet one

We have a sunny day today so finally took the dog for a walk, he was so excited we have had constant rain for a week so haven't taken him out, also was able to meditate outside today in the sun, so that was really nice, haven't been able to that in weeks...next week we have I think 4 days that are cloudy/sunny so will hopefully get out much more. Although it is still cold but I have opened the whole house up to air it out..I just love fresh air in the house and it has been weeks being able to open it up as well as hubby gets real cold now.

Our garlic is growing so well yesterday we have 34 growing and more keep popping up each day...can't wait to harvest it in nov...and can't wait to start growing some vegies in spring

My DD was inseminated on the 17th..so fingers crossed...she had to do a trigger shot and I was reading that it can show a positive test after a couple weeks so we took a test yesterday with had a slight positive...not to see if she was pregnant but to see if the line gets darker or lighter in a week or so if it is lighter it means she probably isn't pregnant if it gets darker then she probably is but she gets a blood test on the 4th july to find out for sure...we all have a good feeling so hopefully she is and she has no issues...I have been doing a lot of research as I am finding out so much on this journey with her...glad to be included in this process with her and be there every step of the way that she needs or wants me to be there...I feel very blessed.

I bought some potato chips the other day and they had about 8 dark brown ones in it so I contacted the manufacturer to let them know as it is abnormal, I had the batch number and all and they sent me a gift certificate for $6 to replace the chips with...so that was a bonus..wasn't expecting it.

Today I am going to try and call the irs again they said it would take 2-4 weeks for my money to hit our account and its been 4 weeks and still not there so not sure what is going on....hopefully will get some answers!!

The news hardly mentions covid anymore...our country is now over 8,000 deaths...I know that doesn't sound like a lot to people but it for us....but we only have 25.6 million people here.....over 250 in hospital...which worries me as we are going into flu season here and our hospital have been so short staffed over the last few years....we still wear masks and sanitize whenever we go anywhere as we can't risk covid....although the prices of things have gone up it's good that our stores have remained stocked with things throughout the pandemic and afterwards...this year is going to be bad with flu i think and my doc said the same thing...as we have had 3 years with almost no flu due to all of our protocold that we had in place and many children have not been exposed to the flu since they were born....but now we don't have any mandates in places for wearing masks/sanatizing etc...it will be bad...we will keep wearing then and doing what we need to do.

My DD should be inseminated this week she is so excited...I'm hoping to be well enough to go with her (I have the other 2 times) as her support person it is an interesting road to be travelling with her....we are learning a lot as well...I am just hoping it works this time...fingers and toes crossed.

We are looking for a new phone company our cell service provider just sent us a new bill and it had 43 pages and it had that my hubby had sent 2990 text messages in a month and 1996 MMS, he doesn't even have photos or anything on his fone...and they never picked up on anything...luckily with our plan it didn't cost us anything so not sure how they did it but guessing someone spoofed his fone at some point mid may....doesn't surprise me as all the politicians were texting individuals and thats when all these random messages started coming through on everyones fone....we weren't happy with their response when it came to the phone and then not even mentioning anything and pretty much blaming us saying we did it...so I was not so polite told them where they could stick their service and that we would be leaving them...so now looking for a new carrier.

Tomorrow is payday...

I am a minimalist, I like having what we use and thats it...I like thing clean and organised....my hubby and daughter are not minimalists at all...they aren't hoarders but they have a lot of stuff...my hubby mainly tools (they both build furniture together at times), his prospecting and camping things, his leather work and sewing...just a lot of it....my daughter makes jewellry and also likes to do sewing...so she has a lot as well as all her baby stuff...not only do they have 2 rooms each and the shed, but we also have a storage unit....I just want to go through it and get rid of it all...but I won't its not my stuff and they usually keep it neat and tidy so that isn't an issue...does anyone else deal with this? do you live with someone who likes their stuff and they have a lot of it??