Tuesday, proactive fianances work

     I am excited, the studio opens today!  I miss my students and I am anxious to get back to work even though it is a terribly busy schedule.  Hubby and I worked like dogs yesterday.  He did the store front mirrors inside and out.  He also did all the floor to ceiling mirrors and there are about 120 feet of them at least 6 foot high.  I put costumes away (a never ending job), redid the window displays and mopped, dusted, scrubbed bathrooms.  We came home at 8:30 last night wiped out.

     I was able to xfer $2700.00 into baby elephants sorority account, I still have  $718.00 left to come in, then I will be done for this semester.  B agreed to help us with the bank we have cleaned.  We were giving it up at the end of June, but she asked if we would let her take it with us as overseers to help with her college expenses.  She had not gotten a job yet.  I said fine but I am not going to help and you are on your own.  So $1600.00 is from that contract, $250.00 from her yard sale, $400.00 from her deposit check from last year,$90.00 from her babysitting and $367.00 from the final check from the college.  Yes that final amount was my contribution. 

     She is still coming down on weekends to work Saturday and Sunday.  This will give her about $75.00 a week for spending money.   She really needs to get a job up at the campus.  It costs money to get down here and the pay at Penney's is poor.   She will have to figure it out.  We agreed that we would give her as much this year as we did last year.  She wanted to do the sorority thing.  We told her the first $3500.00 payment was up to her to figure out, if she could do that we would contribute the second $3500.00 (which by the way is much less than last year with the disaster apartment situation).  So now I have to come up with $3500.00 by January 15th.  This is how we propose to do it.

     Since the end of June I have not included the cleaning money into our budget.  I am saving $500.00 a month to help with the house payment and all of the cleaning money has gone to the college savings.  This has worked out fine and now that the studio is open I will be taking home about $1000.00 a month.  I have never taken home a salary before.   So we will see how much I can save and how much debt I can get paid off.  But as I have not been doing the cleaning, hubby and I have decided to try splitting this big bank with a good friend of ours who also cleans and is in graduate school.  We will clean Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  She will do the rest of the week.  We are just going to try this.  We will split the contract and each take home about $525.00 a month.  My weekends will be free.  She will sub when we need her.  I no longer have to be stressed about leaving to take care of my mom, or having a recital and hubby a show.  Weekends are so stressful for us during show season.  We could never go anywhere without this hanging over our head.  My friend knew she could not handle the contract by herself and the company would not let her split it with anyone else.   If this works out, fine, but the first time it becomes a thorn in my side I will give notice.  We are taking the $525.00 a month and putting it in a special college savings.  By next January we will have $2500.00 saved and I won't have to stress about the whole $3500.00.

   Just trying to see into the future and this is so different from the way I used to live.  Kim 3 years ago would have known this bill was coming and put it on  a charge card.  I have become much more proactive about saving for upcoming known events , like Christmas, vacations, birthdays, school.  Now I save and I am much more likely to tell my kids no, I will not do that, it doesn't work out for me financially. I don't even feel guilty, it is just no.

     Kim 2 years ago would have used her $1000.00 emergency savings as part of the money, but not now.  This does not constitute an emergency.  I know this bill is coming and there for it is not an unknown, like a hitting a deer.  I am changing for the better.  (don't think my kids would agree)

     Out My Window:  As soon as I get situated with my new schedule I am going to have to pay attention to the yard.  Yuck!
 
     On the eye front.  They are stumped.  Specialist and surgeon are going to have a conference as to what they can do.  I think they need to replace the lens.  They want to do a lasik procedure, but I will let them decide.  All I know is that my vision sucks!  It was yellowing and affected by cataracts which were getting worse, but I cannot say that what I have now is any better other than it is brighter.

     I need to go find some replacement chairs for the studio.  Several are stained, torn etc.

  What changes have you made to be more proactive about upcoming expenses?

Have a great and productive day.

Kim