No, there haven't been any unusual expenses lately; I'm just totally poor.
Remember, under Bush 1.3 million Americans have moved down below the poverty line.
Actually, until recently I felt quite guilty about it all; after all, I'm the one who's working, and my paycheck just doesn't quite cover the mortgage + the bills + groceries + the usual medical expenses. But I heard part of a story on NPR a few days ago, and it made something click in my head.
The story was about some book or study which showed that in some ways being a two-income family is a trap, because once the family is used to that second income, they become dependent on it. With two jobholders in the family, it becomes twice as likely that one can be thrown out of work for any number of reasons. That can be a fatal blow to the financial life of the family.
You know, I never thought we could make it on my income alone! But we didn't know that Teri would get laid off after she went on maternity leave - nor that the birth would be so hard, and have so many aftereffects. So we assumed, wrongly, that she'd be working by now and we'd be okay.
I also know that married couples who have their first baby and buy their first house within 12 months very often do get into financial trouble. It's normal, and eventually we'll work our way out of this somehow. Our tax refund should be really good this year, for one thing. That will help a lot. Beyond that, we'll see what happens.
I posted this, and it didn't appear. Fortunately I Ctrl-C'ed, so I can paste it again. Of course, it will probably end up appearing twice!
* * *
No, there haven't been any unusual expenses lately; I'm just totally poor.
Remember, under Bush 1.3 million Americans have moved down below the poverty line.
Actually, until recently I felt quite guilty about it all; after all, I'm the one who's working, and my paycheck just doesn't quite cover the mortgage + the bills + groceries + the usual medical expenses. But I heard part of a story on NPR a few days ago, and it made something click in my head.
The story was about some book or study which showed that in some ways being a two-income family is a trap, because once the family is used to that second income, they become dependent on it. With two jobholders in the family, it becomes twice as likely that one can be thrown out of work for any number of reasons. That can be a fatal blow to the financial life of the family.
You know, I never thought we could make it on my income alone! But we didn't know that Teri would get laid off after she went on maternity leave - nor that the birth would be so hard, and have so many aftereffects. So we assumed, wrongly, that she'd be working by now and we'd be okay.
I also know that married couples who have their first baby and buy their first house within 12 months very often do get into financial trouble. It's normal, and eventually we'll work our way out of this somehow. Our tax refund should be really good this year, for one thing. That will help a lot. Beyond that, we'll see what happens.
Yeah. The first tax refund should be pretty sweet. Almost all of the mortgage is interest, plus you get to deduct what you pay for property taxes. Multiply that by your federal tax rate and that is the amount you can get back (well, nto including any other taxes you may or may not get back/owe).
If you haven't adjusted your withholding at your workplace to reflect this you might try doing some research to see how much you can reasonably decrease that. It's better to get the cash in each paycheck then in one lump sum at the end of the year.
Possibly. It partly depends on Sebastian, though. Some nights he goes to bed at 8:30, but he has been trending later and later lately...last night he was up 'til almost ten o'clock. Teri was actually asleep an hour before that!
Dammit! I just took a look and discovered that I've been screwed by AT&T. It used to be free to use my cellphone after 8PM and before 7PM, but somewhere along the line they changed it to 9 PM and 6 AM. BASTARDS!
Just for that I am going to change cellular providers as soon as our contract expires.
Anyway, we can give it a try - assuming I don't fall asleep. I was up until after midnight last night making chocolate-chip cookie bars, if you can believe it. :D
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Did you have a large expense recently?
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Remember, under Bush 1.3 million Americans have moved down below the poverty line.
Actually, until recently I felt quite guilty about it all; after all, I'm the one who's working, and my paycheck just doesn't quite cover the mortgage + the bills + groceries + the usual medical expenses. But I heard part of a story on NPR a few days ago, and it made something click in my head.
The story was about some book or study which showed that in some ways being a two-income family is a trap, because once the family is used to that second income, they become dependent on it. With two jobholders in the family, it becomes twice as likely that one can be thrown out of work for any number of reasons. That can be a fatal blow to the financial life of the family.
You know, I never thought we could make it on my income alone! But we didn't know that Teri would get laid off after she went on maternity leave - nor that the birth would be so hard, and have so many aftereffects. So we assumed, wrongly, that she'd be working by now and we'd be okay.
I also know that married couples who have their first baby and buy their first house within 12 months very often do get into financial trouble. It's normal, and eventually we'll work our way out of this somehow. Our tax refund should be really good this year, for one thing. That will help a lot. Beyond that, we'll see what happens.
Oh well, time for me to sleep.
What the hell???
No, there haven't been any unusual expenses lately; I'm just totally poor.
Remember, under Bush 1.3 million Americans have moved down below the poverty line.
Actually, until recently I felt quite guilty about it all; after all, I'm the one who's working, and my paycheck just doesn't quite cover the mortgage + the bills + groceries + the usual medical expenses. But I heard part of a story on NPR a few days ago, and it made something click in my head.
The story was about some book or study which showed that in some ways being a two-income family is a trap, because once the family is used to that second income, they become dependent on it. With two jobholders in the family, it becomes twice as likely that one can be thrown out of work for any number of reasons. That can be a fatal blow to the financial life of the family.
You know, I never thought we could make it on my income alone! But we didn't know that Teri would get laid off after she went on maternity leave - nor that the birth would be so hard, and have so many aftereffects. So we assumed, wrongly, that she'd be working by now and we'd be okay.
I also know that married couples who have their first baby and buy their first house within 12 months very often do get into financial trouble. It's normal, and eventually we'll work our way out of this somehow. Our tax refund should be really good this year, for one thing. That will help a lot. Beyond that, we'll see what happens.
Oh well, time for me to sleep.
Re: What the hell???
If you haven't adjusted your withholding at your workplace to reflect this you might try doing some research to see how much you can reasonably decrease that. It's better to get the cash in each paycheck then in one lump sum at the end of the year.
Re: What the hell???
Plus Teri went to school this year, which I believe is tax deductible. I'm trying not to get my hopes too high, though.
Say, do you want to get together online sometime for a round of D2?
Re: What the hell???
Actually, if it's all the same with you, I'd rather just talk over the phone. Think you will have some time tonight?
Re: What the hell???
Dammit! I just took a look and discovered that I've been screwed by AT&T. It used to be free to use my cellphone after 8PM and before 7PM, but somewhere along the line they changed it to 9 PM and 6 AM. BASTARDS!
Just for that I am going to change cellular providers as soon as our contract expires.
Anyway, we can give it a try - assuming I don't fall asleep. I was up until after midnight last night making chocolate-chip cookie bars, if you can believe it. :D