Penny Pinching Mom

To Sell or to Give Away?

I’ve been doing some spring cleaning in small spurts lately. I got my office done a few weeks ago, and found a bunch of stuff that I needed to get rid of. Today I worked on Pumpkin’s room, and ended up throwing away two trash bags full of junk. I’m not finished yet, but I had her go through some things and pick out what she wanted to keep, and so far there’s over one bag full of stuff she doesn’t want.

I found unusually few pieces of clothing that are too small for her. She just hasn’t been growing like she used to. Not a bad thing, because she’s certainly no small fry. Up until a few months ago, it seemed like she never took a break from growing. I was beginning to wonder if I was inadvertently feeding her something that contained HGH, because she went through clothing sizes ridiculously fast.

I hope to finish up in her room tomorrow. By then there will probably be another bag full of stuff to get rid of. I had thought about having another yard sale, but I just don’t know if I can stomach it or not. I had one last year and barely even put a dent in what we needed to get rid of. And then there were a couple of people who came by both days, browsed forever and asked tons of questions, but didn’t buy anything. Call me antisocial, but I just want to strangle people like that.

I’m seriously thinking about giving everything away. We could certainly use the money, but I just don’t feel up to dealing with people right now. Even my last few listings in the local classifieds have brought me more aggravation than anything. I think I listed about 15 different items, and only sold the three cheapest ones. What’s the point?

I Am Who I Am

There was a time when I was ultra-concerned about how I looked. But not any more. I guess you could say I’ve let myself go, but I would say that’s a little harsh. I still get all dolled up on occasion, but I’m not obsessed with looking flawless all the time like I once was. I stay home most of the time, so what’s the point?

I was at one of hubby’s relatives’ house over the weekend, and we had the music cranked and were dancing up a storm. That’s something I just don’t do, because quite frankly I’m a horrible dancer, but I got a wild hair and decided to cut loose with everyone else. And someone mentioned that if I did that more often, I would lose weight. Gee, why not just hand me a bottle of diet pills already?

I looked her square in the eye, and said, “I wouldn’t mind losing some weight for health reasons, but other than that I’m not worried about it.” She looked puzzled. Oh well. She’s one of those people who goes to the tanning bed several times a week, takes skin and hair vitamins, and has her nails done frequently. At the height of my prissiness, I never did any of those things. So I guess we’re just not on the same page at all.

I’m just glad that I’m able to let such comments go now. There was a time when something like that would have hurt me very badly. Now, I just feel sorry for those who can’t accept themselves the way they are and take their minds of of it by concentrating on other people’s faults. Sure, there are times when I wish I was thinner or had clearer skin and such, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just not a big deal.

Do You Freecycle?

I found out about Freecycle a few months ago. I’m not sure where I read about it, but I do know it was online. For those of you who have never heard of it, Freecycle is a network of local groups where members can give away stuff they don’t want or need. They make announcements through Yahoo groups, and other members can contact them to inquire about the items.

There are Freecycle groups just about everywhere. If I found one for my tiny little county, there must be. And if there happens to not be one in your area, you can apply to start one.

I have yet to snag anything for free yet, but maybe one of these days. I’ve seen offers for everything from bed frames to VHS movies to pets. It’s well worth joining, even if it’s just to get rid of your own clutter. It helps keep usable items out of the landfill and put them in the homes of people who need them.

Walkin’

Now that the weather’s warming up, I have got to get out and do some walking. I’ve never been a big fan of treadmills myself, although I know they serve an important purpose for those who can’t or prefer not to get out. I prefer to get out in the air and take in the scenery. It makes exercise much more pleasant.

The thing is, I’m a little scared to walk around here. Not because it’s a bad neighborhood, because it’s not. But the road is very, very curvy, and there’s no sidewalk out here in the middle of nowhere. So I worry about getting run over.

It’s a shame, because the road we live on is very flat, unlike most roads around here. It is perfect for someone who’s as out of shape as me to get started with. I could walk up the four-wheeler trail to the edge of our property, but it’s very steep and would probably kill my knees. That will probably have to wait until I build up some endurance.

I suppose I could drive down to the abandoned store at the intersection where you turn to get to my house and walk on that road. It has a long straight patch. But people fly up and down it, so that would kind of scare me too. And if I walk very far either way, I’ll be going up a pretty steep hill. I’m going to have to do something, though. I need to lose some weight and see if it improves my energy level, and I need to get out in the air more.

Always Open Your Mail

I have a bad habit of not opening mail if I think I know what it is and don’t need to read it. Just a couple of days ago, we got something from the loan company that financed my truck. I haven’t gotten the payment in yet because my truck needs some work and I haven’t gotten out much, and they don’t have a website where I can pay online. So I assumed it was a late notice and tossed it to the side.

Yesterday, I was trying to get a fire going and looked around for some scrap paper. I grabbed the envelope from the loan company, and started to toss it in the fire. But I just happened to notice that it felt a little thicker than a late notice, so I opened it and took a look.

I’m glad I did. It was a letter stating that they had received notice from my insurance company that the coverage on my truck had lapsed, and they were adding insurance to my loan! Knowing full well it hadn’t, I checked online to make sure there wasn’t some mistake with the insurance company. There wasn’t, so I called the loan company and asked what was going on.

The guy I talked to said I wasn’t the first person who had called to complain about such a letter, so there must be some kind of computer glitch. (Or maybe they’re just trying to get more money out of unsuspecting borrowers.) Anyway, he told me to call my agent and have them fax something over stating that my coverage has not lapsed. I did, and hopefully that’s taken care of.

Moral of the story: As my mama always said, when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me. Never assume that you know what’s in an envelope. You might be setting yourself up for an unpleasant surprise.

The Ins and Outs of Wood Heat

If it hadn’t been for our wood stove, I don’t know what we would have done this winter. Money was very tight, and there’s no way we could have fit heating oil into the budget. Hubby was able to cut all the wood we needed for free, so all it cost us was gas and oil for the chainsaw and the time it took to cut, split and stack it.

Even so, there are plenty of things I don’t like about wood heat. For one, I’m severely fire challenged. I have a hell of a time trying to get one started most of the time. I guess I’m getting a little better with practice, but there have been some days when I couldn’t get a fire going to save my life. Fortunately, those days weren’t unbearably cold.

Then there’s the whole fire hazard thing. I know if you take care of your stove and chimney and use common sense the risk is minimal, but I still worry. Having good fire alarms is an absolute must.

And how about the mess factor? I hate having little wood chips lying around. I’m not an avid house cleaner, and that doesn’t help. But even on the occasion that I’ve gotten a wild hair and tried to get the mess cleaned up, it seems like no amount of vacuuming is sufficient. I always find something else as soon as I get the vacuum put up.

Oh well. I suppose we’re lucky to have heat. The way things are going, it seems like it’s becoming something of a luxury.

A Sigh of Relief

We got our federal tax refund last week. I ordered my new computer, and we’ve gone out to eat and bought Pumpkin a couple of things. Now comes the fun part: getting the bills caught up and trying to keep them that way.

It’s going to be a challenge, for sure. We’re cutting it pretty close every month, and try as I might to stretch those dollars as far as they’ll go, I always seem to get thrown off track by something. Sometimes that something is Hubby. Others it’s unexpected expenses, and others I have no one to blame but myself. But I’ve got to reign in that budget-busting monster and get things under control.

I’m planning to shop for cheaper car and home insurance. I think we’re getting pretty good rates as it is, but it never hurts to try to do a little better. I’ve also been getting serious about using coupons, and it has saved me a good deal on groceries. But I’ve got to get a budget down on paper and stick to it, and make sure Hubby sticks to it. I’m dreading it, but I’m determined to take this opportunity to get things back on track.

Wish me luck. I’m certainly going to need it.

I’m in Prescription Drug Hell

A couple of weeks or so ago, I came to the conclusion that I probably had a sinus infection. A few days later, it became glaringly apparent. The headaches, the throat full of phlegm and the entire left side of my face feeling like it was being stabbed were pretty good indicators.

So I called the doctor and made an appointment for Pumpkin and myself. She had been having symptoms to a lesser degree, so I figured I would take her in too. Just as I suspected, the doctor declared that we both had sinus infections. He gave her Zithromax, and gave me Levaquin. He added that I had a lot of inflammation, and told me that if I didn’t feel better in a couple of days to go back to the pharmacy and get the steroids he called in and had put on hold for me.

I started taking the Levaquin, and two days later I was feeling much worse than I did when I went to the doctor. As much as I hated to, I called and told them to get the steroids ready. But I didn’t end up getting them until yesterday, and just started taking them today.

Well, the fun began last night. I had felt halfway decent all day yesterday, but last night I got nausea and diarrhea. I’m sure it’s from the Levaquin, because it often does that to me. Then this morning I started the dreaded steroids. So far they don’t seem to have had any ill effects, except maybe contributing to the nausea. But the last dose I took remained on my tongue a half second too long before going down, and it left a revolting taste in my mouth. If those things didn’t cause weight gain, they would be a good candidate for the world’s top diet pill. Cuz I can’t even think about eating anything with such a nasty taste in my mouth.

On the bright side, the infection does seem to be going away. But the evacuation of all that phlegm has been no picnic. I’ll just be glad when I’m done with it all, especially the medications.