Nhgirl1970's Personal Finance Blog

I am holding my own doing my best to maintain a good attitude despite my job and marriage woes. I am not ready to talk about my marriage, but it is not headed in a positive direction despite my efforts.

As you know, I feel like my job is out of my league and I wonder how long I can last at it. I also found out this week the big boss gave his notice. He said he can't drink the corporate Kool-Aid anymore (He doesn't like how things are being run). All of this has kicked my butt in gear. I have looked into how to get on the sub list for the county. I think I will do so. I can always take a day off per month to sub to keep in the loop. If I ever do lose my job, I can bef up the subbing. I am also picking up what I can for mystery shopping.

In addition to all of this, I am working on the smaller ways to earn including Swagbucks,Instagc, mPoints, Epoll, and Pinecone. I am using all of these small items to earn Amazon and or Paypal. Any money going to Paypal from the snowflakes is being split between debt and savings. The mystery shopping is split this way too.

All of this does not eliminate my anxiety, but I know it's small steps in a positive direction.

Today's snowflake is $9 from Pinecone. I transferred $5 to savings and $4 to my credit card.

I haven't posted much because my mood has been horrible and I don't know what to do. As you know, I moved to FL for a job back in March. I do not love the job. I don't hate it, but it makes me extremely anxious. I have had very little training despite being told not to worry when I was hired. It is a new field for me. The little training I do get comes after I have to take care of items (i.e. budgets). I fear if something doesn't go right, I will be fired despite it really not being my fault. We work for very entitled people and my bosses will stick up for them to make them happy even if they are dead wrong. I am purposely being a bit vague since I am airing my grievances on the internet.

It makes me sad because I moved the whole family. We are "stuck" now. My son graduates in 2017 and has settled nicely, so I need to stay here for two years. I do like the area and can deal with the job for now. I guess all I can do is keep my eyes open for other opportunities in the area. It doesn't help that my husband has not found a job here yet and isn't putting in a whole lot of effort.

I had plenty of mystery shopping work in NH, but here the options are limited, but I am filling my weekends the best I can to try and save up more money in case anything does happen with my job.

I am a firm believer in things happen for a reason, so I will try my best to be optimistic that better times will be coming soon (I hope!).

Time to quit venting and head to work. Thanks for "listening".

The craziness of the last few months is finally coming to an end. I left my family in NH for this new job in mid-March. They are finally joining me this coming week!

I have my budget more or less figured out now that my first full utility bills have come in (stayed at a friend's til June 1st). I will implement it in August as I still had some double bills this month and the moving costs. The truck is $1700. I am hoping travel is around $400 for gas, food and one night in a hotel. I realize it may be closer to $500, so that is what I budgeted. DH says he has enough food left to pack a couple sandwiches; hopefully he only eats a couple of meals on the road. My son is flying down on Tuesday. I took the day off to pick him up and spend the day with him since he will be here by noon.

I am looking forward to life getting back to normal!

I flew home to NH last night and am staying until Tuesday morning. I needed to see my hubby and son. I also want to go through my stuff and de-clutter and pack a bit so to ease their burden in July when they will be joining me.

The new job is going pretty well. There is so much to learn. It's a totally new field for me.

I applied for and was approved to rent a townhouse. I am waiting on the current renters to move out. I will be able to move in no later than June 15th. It's a really nice place with very low rent. It's 950 per month which is less than 25% of my gross monthly income. I can finally start a budget!

Back to packing....have a great weekend everyone!

I did the paperwork for the new job today. I have my first full day tomorrow. I was a bit disappointed in the offer, but my pay should increase significantly within a few months. I am a condo association manager and I have a portfolio of four properties right now. However, they plan on adding a couple more properties in the next few months to my portfolio, and at that time my pay will increase. For now, the offer is $42,500 and a $200 a month car allowance. The car allowance is pretty generous considering my properties are all in the same town. I will also get a cell phone paid for by the company.

I looked at the benefits packet. Those won't kick in until July, but my costs will be fairly low. I was happy about that. It includes all the standard stuff, but what I really liked was the 401k offers a 6% match!

Anyhow, the plan is to stay with my friends through May and have a house to rent by June, although my friends are encouraging me to stay until July 1st so I don't pay double rent for more than a month. My lease in NH is up at the end of July. This is when hubby and son will join me.

I have a feeling I will have a tough time sleeping tonight so it is time to head to bed.

I have been in Florida almost two weeks. Although I haven't started work, things are progressing nicely. I had my fingerprints cleared and my state application approved. I am scheduled for the state test this coming Saturday. Assuming I pass it, I will have my manager's license. My interview went very well last week. I know I am hired, but they cannot officially do so until I pass the test. The big boss is on vacation this week, so I will find out my official start date no later than the end of next week.

I have been passing the time learning the area with the help of my friend I am staying with. I also have done a little mystery shopping for income (although hubby is working up north and I also have child support). I miss my husband and son terribly, but otherwise things are going very well. Everyone in this area is very friendly!

Things are progressing along here in Florida. I arrived on Wednesday. I got my fingerprinting done on Thursday and was called to do my interview tomorrow! In the meantime, I shopped for a business suit. I got a blazer at Sears that rang up for 4.99! If that wasn't awesome enough, I got a $6 coupon for a future purchase. I cannot believe this blazer was essentially free! It is a typical black blazer that is interview appropriate.

I had found a great deal on slacks at Dillard's for 21.40 yesterday as well.

Other than missing hubby and son, I am happy so far. The weather is a comfortable 75 degrees and the locals are super friendly!

I ended up spending $52 on clothes this past week. I was digging out summer clothes and only found one shirt and one pair of shorts. I was initially perplexed, but then I remember what happened. At the end of the season I had washed my summer clothes. I live in an apartment and my elderly neighbor had used an excessive amount of bleach in the washing machine. My clothes were ruined.

I went to Goodwill to keep it cheap and besides I want to lose some weight. I didn't want to spend the money, but it is in the mid-70's in the Florida panhandle.

I am running around like crazy making sure everything is as easy as possible for my son and hubby while I am gone. With the exception of the week I will get to come home for my car, we will live apart for four months. I head out Wednesday morning on a one-way ticket. I have to take a state test and can't get that date until I am down there. My friends have a third vehicle and insist I use that until I get my car. I also plan to pack "my stuff" when I am back for a week since the boys will have to pack everything else this summer.

I am very nervous, but also excited about my big "adventure".

The HR department for the new job called yesterday. Basically, they want me for the job, but can't do the official interview without my state certification. I have to be fingerprinted to take the test. I had previously understood I could take the pre-licensure course (which I did) and could finish the process if and when I got the job.

I called my friend whose husband has played the key role in the process. She talked to hubby and he said to get down there and get fingerprinted asap while waiting for a test date. He said in the meantime he can give me admin work (after the fingerprints) and if for some reason they have to fill the management position, two more are opening. She told him what I am giving up to go down there on a leap of faith. He said he was 100% sure he will have work for me and I will ultimately have the management position.

Mind you my major income has been mystery shopping lately. There is plenty of that here in New England, but not in the new area. Thankfully, if I need to return, I can pick up where I left off. My lease is good here through July and my husband and son will stay put. That is the toughest part for me is going alone. They will join me in late July if all goes well.

On a positive note, my friends insist I stay with them and they even have a vehicle for me to drive. They told me to fly and not drive down alone. I booked a one way ticket (since I don't have a test date and can't get it until the fingerprints are done). So, I will be leaving here next Wednesday and have no clue when I will be back. I was guaranteed that the job will let me come back for at least a week when I need to so I can get my car and more of my stuff. I hope to do that over my son's spring break in late April.

Right now I am looking at all I need to do in a week (including finishing up tutoring and scheduled mystery shops) and I am totally overwhelmed. It's an exciting, yet very scary new chapter for sure.

I am still in a holding pattern as far as life goes financially and in general. The process is ongoing for the job in Florida. I just took the "psych" test, so I can only assume an interview is next.

Hubby may have landed a part time job an an independent contractor via a friend. He will be a courier in the evenings for a couple of hours. I hope it comes through, we could really use that extra money. He and my son will stay here through July when our lease ends so he has some time to decide what he wants to do. He wants to do the long distance relationship for a year. He thinks I will hate Florida again. I told him this time it's a completely different area and situation. I plan on deciding whether or not it is for me before the lease is up in July. I won't come back after that.

As you can see a lot of major decisions and changes lie ahead. I hope to have some answers asap so that in a month or so I can set a budget. In the meantime I am paying the bills and only spending when I absolutely need to do so.

No news on the job yet. I spoke to my friend on Thursday, who said she would make sure her husband (the middle man for the job) gave me an update by Friday afternoon so I wouldn't be left hanging all weekend. I didn't hear anything. I will send a quick email Monday afternoon if I don't have an update by then.

In the meantime, I am going to finish the pre-licensure course and take the test by Monday. I just hope the money and time invested in it was worth it. I have a (bad)habit of being a worrywart and tend to think negatively when I am left hanging. I am trying to stay positive and keep in mind I was sought out; I didn't go looking for this position. Of course, now that I know all about it; I want the job! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

As far as finances, they aren't bad, but not a lot of progress has been made. The minimum debt payments are being paid and I am trying to save at least $26.50 a week (this is equivalent to the 52 week challenge evened out). Each time I try to make a long term plan for the year something changes.

The latest is a possible major life change. An old teacher friend of mine lives in the Florida panhandle. Her husband's condo management company is looking for a manager and they thought of me. They think this would be a great fit for me. I sent my resume and he likes it and is meeting with his boss this week. It's serious enough that they thought I should start the pre-licensure course (refundable if hired). The pay is around 65 k with full benefits. I would go down asap and hubby and son would stay here until our apartment lease is up at the end of July. It also allows my son to finish the school year. I should know more by early next week.

I hated living in south Florida for four years, but I do like the panhandle area and think I could handle it this time around.

I haven't posted in awhile. Life has been discombobulated. I need to get on track and focus.

I took a quick, unexpected trip to MI for New Year's because my mom had a mild stroke. She is doing well now. Financially speaking, the entire trip cost me $100 out of pocket. I think I posted I had a $100 credit from Southwest and my daughter's boyfriend's mom gave me rental car certificates (travel agent).

The big news is I am closing my tutoring office. I won't say it was unsuccessful. The issue is getting parents to put education first. Many cancellations cost me a lot of revenue. I was too small to push for the collections. It would have just cost me more. All of that and it is hard to keep a math tutor. They want several hours per week guaranteed and that isn't going to happen at a small tutoring center. So, I voluntarily am closing up shop and keeping on a few students who I will tutor at the library. The good thing is that will be pure profit (after taking out taxes). I will up my game with mystery shopping and hope to do it full time. Not many can, but those who do it, do pretty well.

I registered our two cars Monday. I had budgeted $300 for the inspections, oil changes, and two tires on hubby's car (that even left around $50 for any additional minor repair). I ended up spending $842. He needed four tires and a replacement license plate bulb. I needed rear brakes. I am upset about this because I just put a starter and battery in my car a couple months ago. The dealer should have said something about the brakes when they did their "inspection". I would have planned accordingly. It's also disappointing my car alone has cost me $900 in the last few months. It is not very old. I suppose I need to raise my savings this year for car expenses.

Hope all is well with everyone. I have been reading updates here and there. I have made it a priority to catch up with posts here over the next few days.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays no matter what you celebrate this season!

It's low key here with just my husband, son, and me. My son still gets pretty excited though at fifteen!

It will be a very memorable season. I work a very part time VA job and my boss sent me my entire Amazon wishlist and a $300 gift card. I was shocked and am so very grateful. Generally, it is understood in my family that we don't exchange (other than candy and Christmas Crackers) over the age of eighteen. However, with the Amazon windfall I sent my older two children gifts. I bought my son and his wife a nice set of towels. I bought my daughter a keyboard case for her iPad mini.

The hard part of this year is my mother (in MI) had a small stroke yesterday. Please keep her in your thoughts/prayers. I had a flight credit of $100 and looked at flights and found one for $85 after my credit. My daughter's boyfriend's mom donated a rental car voucher. I will be going to MI on New Year's Eve through January 3rd. I am sorry it is under the circumstances, but glad to see family during the holidays. I haven't been home during the Christmas season since 1997. I am so happy my daughter was also granted vacation time. I will get to see her as well. She is spending the whole week of New Years in Michigan.

I am amazed at the generosity of others toward myself and my family this season. I am more grateful than I can ever put into words.

I am sure the average person would say I am cheap if I shared how many Christmas gifts I got for people that were free. However, I know I can share it here and you all would understand (and probably did some "free" and/or heavily discounted shopping too!).

I earned Amazon credit this year via Swagbucks, Media Insiders Panel, and Instagc. I purchased three gifts free so far and have plans for two more by the 15th (waiting on a couple gc's). So my nephew was free, and my husband's grandkids' gifts were all free via Amazon credit. It was nice to have the Prime shipping as well! These gifts were various toys/games.

I also got a few more gifts free via Mystery Shopping. I got my grandma a $50 Pandora bracelet, a hiking book for my husband, Lindt chocolate for my son's stocking, and a personalized ornament for a friend.

The remaining gifts I purchased at heavy discounts of at least 40% off and my total out of pocket was $167.72. My shopping is done other than ordering those two gifts from Amazon when the credit hits. The free gifts value comes to approximately $170.

The shopping may be done, but I have done NOTHING else. I have done no decorating (save a free poinsettia from a mystery shop) or sent Christmas cards. Generally we only do a tree, but we haven't even went to get our decorations out of storage. Tomorrow it is supposed to be nasty out so I probably will only do VA work which means I can address the Christmas cards at least!

My total mystery shopping income for November was $928.05. This is for fees and reimbursements. I consider my reimbursements as income because I make sure they are useful (gas, groceries, etc.).

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all. We had one heck of a snowstorm. It was the wet and heavy snow and we lost power. We were out from 8:30pm Wednesday until around 11am on Friday. Luckily, it wasn't too terribly cold sleeping (I am in an apartment so no generator). Even better is my office didn't lose power so I put the important food in the fridge there and we charged our phones and laptops there. I also washed my hair in the kitchen sink so I didn't feel too gross without showering.

My brother in law was hosting Thanksgiving (only five of us) and he lost power too. His girlfriend had power so she offered to let us all go there. I was grateful. It was nice to get out and warm up and be where there was power. He had all the food too, so we were thankful it wasn't wasted.

Friday I went shopping with a friend. We do so every year, but we aren't in it for the craziness. We go around 8am when the mayhem settles. We are there to get clothes and shoes discounted (money we save up). I was able to purchase clothing for my teen and new shoes/boots for my hubby and myself. I spent $125. I would have never got all that so cheap any other time.

Unfortunately, we did hit the crowds because of so many without power. People were out all day just to get out of their houses. I almost wish I had money to blow. The huge deals that were out on Thursday were available on Friday because the stores were without power until the early AM (on Friday). I seriously considered a TV (we still have an old tube TV), but fought the urge.

When my husband was moping about the less than stellar holiday, I put him in his place. I reminded him a local family in town lost their 16 year old son Monday. He was a good kid and somehow lost control (doesn't appear he was speeding or distracted by his phone) and flipped the car into a pond and drowned. To top it off, this family lost power during the storm as well. I can't even fathom going through this. I don't know them personally, but they will remain in my thoughts and prayers.

Has anyone been able to find a leak as to what the deals are this year? Last year I opened an investment account for my son and grandson. They deposited $100 and the only requirement was to let it sit a minimum of four months (We aren't touching it). This year I am hoping for the same for my baby granddaughter.

I can't seem to find out what the exact deals will be this year thus far.

Less than three weeks ago I replaced the battery in my car. Yesterday, I leave the mall and it won't start! It was the starter. As I wrote in a previous post, I have mechanical breakdown insurance through Geico. My repairs no matter how large, will not cost me more than a $250 deductible. Well, the battery was $200 (dealer rip off in my opinion) and the starter was $280 (probably too much as well, but I literally broke down across the street from the dealer). It wasn't worth making a long, drawn out call to Geico for the $30. However, the dealer said the two are related and encouraged me to see if Geico will reimburse me anything. They said they will back me up however necessary.

So, if all goes as planned I should get a refund of $230. Keep your fingers crossed for me! My sad looking savings account could use that refund, but I am so grateful I had it!

My ex and I are far from friends, but I have to say we have always been civil. It just isn't worth the drama to be jerks to each other and it certainly would not be good for our son 's well-being. Anyhow, my ex is TERRIBLE with money. He used to pay child support by check and I put a stop to that about a year and a half ago because every other check was bouncing. I told him if he didn't start paying me via Paypal, I would be forced to go through the court system. Mind you, he is paying almost a third less than the court would order.

Anyhow, this has worked well until yesterday. He emails me that support will be a week late. The support was due yesterday, thus I had no advance warning. I emailed him back politely explaining this was unacceptable and why.

He emailed me back and said, "I will figure something out. Thanks for the compassion." That was sarcastic of course. Anyhow, the money was in Paypal this morning when I checked and he never bothered to let me know.

What boggles my mind is how he can get in such a financial mess that he can't come up with $277 (every two weeks). He makes 82k a year, lives alone, has no car payment, and rents an apartment. That being said I would bet my last dollar he has massive credit card debt based on his behavior. His debts really aren't my business, but when he isn't paying his obligation, I get a little upset. I certainly am quite careful with every dime I receive from him.

Anyhow, had to vent a bit. I am over it. I simply will never understand how he or anyone who makes decent money can not have a dime in savings (I am 99% sure he doesn't and probably borrowed the money to pay me). The good thing about this is our son is 15 and sees how much money his father wastes. Not good that he sees the waste necessarily, but is learning that it is negative behavior. My on is very big into personal finance and already has a plan on what he will save, spend and invest when he gets his first job. I am quite proud of him!

It was lower than anticipated. I have three payments that were expected by the 31st that haven't rolled in yet (probably in today or Monday's mail). The grand total is $752.77.

My car has had a few weird issues lately. The key was periodically getting stuck in the accessory position a couple of weeks ago. I made an appointment to get it looked at, but ultimately cancelled. I switched to my spare key and it started working fine.

Today I started the car with no issues. I pulled into the next apartment building to check my mail. I turned off the car because my mailbox key is on my chain. I get the mail, go back out and the car won't start. I called the dealer and they don't think it is the battery because it started so readily the first time. They won't know until they look at it.

First and foremost, I have towing through Geico so I am all set there. But, what I wanted to point out is I also have a not well-known piece of coverage: mechanical breakdown insurance. Even if my transmission or engine went (which of course won't be the issue, but wanted to point out expensive issues) it is covered. I only have to pay my $250 deductible. I know in the past when I shopped insurance not every company had this. All I can tell you is through Geico, the car has to be purchased new or if used, have 15k or less on it. This coverage costs me $3 a month. This is exactly why I won't shop for another insurance company.

I am happy with Geico anyhow. I pay $78 a month for full coverage on two cars. Since it broke down one building over, I am not having it towed until my husband gets home so I am not stuck sitting at the dealer all day. I am stuck at home, but I can deal with that. I will let you all know how it works out. My main point was to let you all know to check your policies and to know this is available.

Just checking in. Tutoring is okay, but not great. I could write a novel on the ups and downs of the business. I have been toying with the idea of shutting it down in June. I am so tired of people paying late and changing schedules. Long story short, I could make more doing the mystery shopping/evaluations if I didn't have to rush back to tutor in the afternoons. I am going to evaluate the decision over Christmas vacation.

Spending has been kept to a minimum. However, the next two weekends there will be more spending involved. We are going to a pumpkin fest with friends who want to go out to eat as well. I am going to tell my friend we will join them for the fest, but opt out of the dinner. Therefore, it should only cost a few dollars in gas. I suppose I need to double check if there is a cost for admission to the fest.

Next weekend I am going to Connecticut for two reasons. I will visit a friend who will put me up overnight and will be meeting my boss who I work for as a virtual assistant. He is flying into NY for 10 days from Vietnam. My friend lives about an hour north of NYC, so he can take the train to meet me for dinner. I am budgeting the cost of dinner, but I suspect he will pay. However, I don't want to rely on it. He asked me to choose the restaurant, so I will pick something budget friendly so no matter who pays, the cost will be reasonable. I put the cost of a half a tank of gas, dinner, and lunch the following day with my friend in the budget for next week. Since the main reason for the trip is business, I can write most of it off on my taxes.

I dont think I was supposed to publish the actual email. If you need a referral, let me know.

My September mystery shopping income was $790.15, but I was missing a payment of $30. I will have to call about it if it doesn't arrive by Friday. This is much lower than the August total of over $1300. I did not shop as much (back to tutoring more). My goal is $800 per month so I am happy.

I received $30 for beta testing the latest version of the Media Insiders app. I also was offered to extend testing it for another $20 which I should receive at the end of the month.

I cashed out $12 from Pinecone.

Finally, I received a $100 voucher from Southwest for my fiasco flying home Labor Day weekend.

Needless to say, it was a great week for snowflakes!

Total income from mystery shopping income for August is $1337.21. This was my best income month ever for mystery shopping, but I worked hard at it this summer. Most shops were completed within 25 miles of my house, but I did travel (as much as 150 miles) for a few highly bonused shops.

As I previously stated, I reworked the budget for fall (our income varies so I went on the low end). Savings will be as follows:

EF-Continue with $26.50 per week (easy version of 52 week challenge)
Short term savings: $50 per week
Roth IRA-$300 per month

If I make more than anticipated, I will split it between debt payments and savings.

My "guaranteed" monthly income is as follows:

$650-Mystery shopping (approximately 15 hours per week)
$1625-Tutoring (30-35 hours per week)
$550-VA Work (5 hours per week)
$600-Child support
$575-DH portion of household expenses

Total= $4000

Debt:

Car:approximately 6k left on my loan (site is down so can't get exact amount at the moment)

Student loans: $27170.35

I figured this would get very lengthy posting everything that has happened the last couple of weeks, so I will go with the short (er) version.

My trip to Michigan went well. Had a great time with friends last Saturday night (who also bought my drinks and dinner). It was fun catching up and having laughs. I really needed it. Sunday was the wedding and I saw a lot of family I hadn't seen in a long time. I had a great time there as well. The weather was perfect all weekend until I went to leave.

I had a flight delay due to heavy rain and without going into the whole fiasco, I ended up home at noon on Tuesday rather than midnight the night before and spent the night in the Chicago Midway airport. Now that I have finally caught up on everything, I will be emailing Southwest today to see if there is anything they will do for me. I realize they cannot control the weather, but the gate agents were incompetent to say the least.

My husband and I had a long talk and he is looking into getting some help for his depression. We are also actively seeking out a counselor. In the meantime the break from each other (11 days with both of our trips) made a positive difference. I also feel better after working out a budget for the fall. Since most of our income is not a set amount, I went on the low end.

Tutoring is also coming together. I have a few new students and found a good math tutor. I now feel comfortable to advertise more heavily.

It is a beautiful day so I am going to get out and enjoy it before the predicted afternoon storms. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

I haven't really written about my husband for two reasons. One, although I don't share this blog with anyone in the real world, if they went looking, it wouldn't be too difficult to find. Two, I don't want to make him sound like a total loser and put him down. However, I have come to a point that if I don't share somewhere, I will break down completely.

I love him and overall he is a good guy. This is a second marriage for both of us. I give him and his ex a lot of credit. They married young and had three kids by the time they were 22. Despite the odds being against them, they both got a college education and stayed together until the youngest was 16. And my husband always worked two jobs.

As far as he and I go, we will have been married six years (anniversary is in a few days) and have known each other for 14 years. It is his lack of work ethic that is slowly destroying our marriage. To make a very long story shorter, after thinking long and hard, his jobs were always handed to him. All of them were through someone he knew. Now he is in a position that he doesn't have the connections and therefore isn't finding work. The big issue is the lack of effort.

He is a substitute teacher and has no other job. I am ashamed to even type the fact that he made just over $9000 last year. He has not brought home a check at all since June. Every time I get ahead, I have to dip into savings because I am basically supporting the household.

We talk about jobs and there is the excuse that he isn't being called (I don't even know how often he is really applying) or that it is overnight and he can't do it, blah, blah, blah. To make matters worse, it seems his family feels sorry for him because he was diagnosed with prostrate cancer three years ago. Mind you, it is not affecting his health whatsoever.

I get so angry because this is an easy fix in my opinion. I don't care if I make more, I just want him to get some kind of full-time job (even two good part-time jobs would suffice). He has nothing if I tell him to leave. He has ruined his credit (I refuse to pay his old credit card bills or his student loans). I don't get how an educated person who worked hard for so many years just gives up.

What is putting me over the edge is he is enjoying a week long vacation courtesy of his son. Meanwhile, I am working three jobs this week. I am going to Michigan for the weekend, but that is mainly due to getting my flight nearly free (cc deal) and I am spending one of those days working. I am not sure it's worth the effort of trying to save the marriage any longer. We really don't have the money for a counselor and I am not even sure I could even fit one into my schedule.

I "think" I have decided to give him an ultimatum after we are both back from our travels. I just have to decide the time table. Kicking him out during the winter seems harsh. To top it off, I own both of our cars. Do I give him one (it's paid off but he wouldn't be able to pay me for it) or save it for my son who will be driving next summer (My son is not his biological son)?

Anyhow, thanks for "listening" while I dump my feelings.

Things have spiraled out of control financially this month. The summer is slower at tutoring to begin with, but to make matters worse I had a small chain of rotten situations take place. I had two parents bounce checks, which is really awful considering I live in a fairly wealthy area. I also had a teacher of all people not pay me at all. I am really angry at myself over that one. I always take payments up front, but since it was a teacher and her tutoring situation was unique (help with the new version of the Praxis test) I had to decide what to charge her and how many hours she would be tutored. Therefore, I told her she could pay at the end. In the end, I gave her a very fair price figuring she could recommend our services at school. I sent her an invoice and left her voice mails and she has ignored me completely. On her last day of tutoring, she was so grateful for how much I helped her. Oh well, live and learn I guess.

Anyhow, all of this has forced me to dip into my personal emergency fund to pay for overhead the last two weeks. In summary, I didn't have a lot of savings for the business because it was started last year as a last minute decision after the tutoring company I worked for shut down with nearly no warning. It's been a good year overall, but our first one. Many yearly costs (insurance, LLC, etc) renew this month. I also had to give up taking a paycheck this month.

Adding to the issues, my hubby and I already had separate vacations planned and paid for this month. His son bought him a ticket to see him in Seattle. However, he will still need bus fare to get back and forth from the Boston airport (our trips overlap and is flying at odd hours so a local ride from friends or family won't work) and money for eating on the trip. I had bought a plane ticket to go to see family in Michigan Labor Day weekend (I literally got notice of the two bounced checks two days after paying for my plane ticket). Fortunately, my costs will be nearly nil. I will stay with family and most of my meals will be paid for. I picked up a couple of mystery shops for restaurants while I am there too.

I really need to update all my financials here. I am embarrassed to do so because it won't be pretty. I will wait until I return from Michigan to see exactly where everything stands at that point.