How to Deal with a Setback

So, we've all been there... Things are going along just peachy... We're working our snowball, or avalanche, or other method, then... BOOM! Our world gets rocked. And we find ourselves with new worries and concerns that didn't even exist a month ago. And one of them, even if it's not highest on the list, is the financial fallout. All of the sudden, we have less money that needs to do more. We keep hearing that the recession is over, but it isn't. Not by a mile. This post is inspired by a friend's recent stroke of misfortune. His company recently told them all they could each take a 10% pay cut or 15 employees would be let go. To their credit, a unanimous vote was rendered... So how do you deal with a $5000/year setback? First, let's break it down... $5000 per year translates to $416/month, net of taxes you have to replace $312 per month. First, cut all your "disposables" by the same amount - 10%. Groceries, gas, gifts, etc... That will probably take care of $100, but let's say $112 just so we can start dealing with round numbers. $200 to go. Next, cut the cable. It's the most obvious, and maybe most painful option. There's another $50. Don't forget, if you tithe, that will drop. There's another $50. This last $100 may be the hardest to compensate for. There are several options. You could change your cell phone plan. Could you live without your smartphone? Research insurance rates - higher deductibles, different companies. $50 left... Try not to touch your retirement or savings, because if these amounts are a % of your salary, they will be reduced already. Don't cut your health or life insurance either. Not having these can make a bad time turn dire. Lastly, cut your debt repayment by the remaining amount... So, there. How to deal with a financial setback. Im thinking about sending my plan to Congress. They're the only body I know that asks for a raise when told they need to cut expenses.

The Hunger Games

So, last July, my sister began harassing our entire family to read these books called "The Hunger Games."



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I refused. 

Just like I had refused to read anything with Harry or Potter in the title.

Just like I had refused to read anything about a vampire and a werewolf.

It's not that I don't like reading.  I love to read.  LOVE it. 

Where else can you be a Scottish maid that's been kidnapped by the Laird?

Or a London debutante getting ready for her first season?

Or a pioneer who marries her arch enemy just to go west?

I love to read.

I just don't have time to read.  Really.  I know it's lame but it's the truth. 

But the last book I read was "Baby Wise" about 5 years ago.

Regardless, last week when my entire family purchased their midnight tickets to the premiere of "The Hunger Games," I threw $10 in the pot...mainly because I missed the 3D midnight showing of "Star Wars I."

(Yes - I know...just say it, "NERD!")

But I went.

Without reading the books.

And I LOVED it.

(Now, some in the Christian circles are debating the movie itself.  I'm not here for that.  It's fiction people.  Get over it.)

I googled what happens in book 2 & 3.  (Told you , no time for reading.)

Besides the storyline, I was enthralled with the future of it.  The government.  The country.  What we had become.  I know it's all fiction, but you could see it possibly happening.  Maybe not the whole teenagers who fight to the death on tv, but the government telling you where and where you cannot go, what you can and cannot eat, what job you have, what you wear...  Get the point?

Sadly, I could see it happening.   And I love the end - sorta. 

It confirms that we can't rely on our government for everything.  We can't let them pay our bills, provide our food, even give us our healthcare.  (Wink, wink.)

If you haven't seen the movie, I would recommend it.  I wouldn't take kids, or probably even preteens.  The movie is kinda violent, but nothing that TBS would have to edit out.

Then do like me and google the next two books.

 Or buy your husband an iPad for his birthday and steal it for the first 2 days and actually read a book!

Bittersweet Freedom

So, tonight, our family became debt-free.  Entirely debt-free.  Including our mortgage.  As we talked about before, we sold our house.  We closed on it tonight.

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It was very bittersweet.  Partly because we literally made no money from the sale.  We had to bring a couple hundred dollars to closing.  (Which I'm not really complaining seeing how one person that I know who just sold their home had to bring almost $15,000 to closing.  What I'd give for the roaring mid-2000's...)

For the first time ever in my adult life, I have no payments.  We'll have rent, we'll have utilities, but nothing that can't be replaced.

I should feel like I've lost 50 pounds.  (Lol - I've actually lost 10 since January!!!)

But I'm kinda sad tonight.

I love this house.  It was our very first home.

Almost six years ago to the day, we got the keys to this house and moved in.  We spent the night even with no electricity.  The next night, I remember looking at the light on in my closet and thinking, "Wow."  The only place I've ever known to have a light in their closet was Peggy's condo at the beach...aka, my favorite place on earth.

It was where I interrupted my husband playing his Playstation to hand him a stick with two pink lines. 

9 months later we brought home Eli.  I'm not sure that Playstation has been played with since.

Then 18 months later, Morgan.

Then 18 months later, Hannah...hmmm...I'm noticing a pattern here.

I remember sitting in a tiny office at a job I hated, looking at the pictures with the online listing of this house, and planning exactly where I was going to put all my kitchen tools, gadgets, and plates.  I love this house.  And it kinda makes me very sad going to sleep tonight, in it, knowing that it's no longer mine.

I know it has to happen.  I have no doubt it was God's will.  I'm just very surprised at the sadness I have from it.

I love you house.  In case I never told you.  You were a great first home.  And part of my heart will always be here with you.

How to Sell a Product

So, a couple days ago, Forbes did its annual "Billionaires List."  All the names you'd expect were on there

Bill Gates
Warren Buffet
Oprah Winfrey

But then one person (who was on the cover of the magazine) was new this year.

Sara Blakely

GO READ THIS!

She is the youngest women on the billionaire list.  She created Spanx.  Most women out there know what Spanx are...men are probably scratching their heads.

I don't want to be a billionaire - well, I do, but know that probably won't happen.  But I just want like 20 minutes with this lady.

I want to ask her, "How did you make your first pair?  How did you sell it?  How did you get a manufacturer?..."

There is a lady who founded a purse/bag company.  (They will remain nameless though because I'm not a big fan of the bags.  As their prices have gone up, their quality has come down.)  While I'd like to give her an earful for the poor quality of the bag, I still want to know how she started. 

How do you go from idea to product?

How do you go from an employee to an employer?

How do you get clients?  You may be the best lawyer, doctor, whatever in town, but it doesn't matter if you can't get clients.

I want to talk to real entrepreneurs, business owners.  And not those stupid pyramid scheme companies.  Someone who started something from the ground up.

I could do something like that.  I just need an idea, some start up capital, a manufacturer, some clients...  Pretty much everything.

Let me know if you want to be an investor!

I'm Alive!!!

Let me tell you, it's been a rough couple of days.  It was touch and go there for a bit, but I think the worst is behind me.

After a lifetime of no allergic reations to ANYthing, I've had reactions to two separate drugs including serious breathing problems.

I ended up in the ER around midnight Tuesday.  This was my doctor:

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I'm not kidding.  I'm not quite 30 and this doctor had to be younger than me.  It was so scary.  But he was good and thorough.  And all ended up well.

In all of my downtime in bed, I been tweaking my house plans.  We are supposed to meet with our contractors this weekend


Floor 1



Floor 2

Now, it's not exactly perfect, but you get the idea.  I think I'm done.  I think I've tweaked it as much as I can tweak it.

I've never built a house before.  Some people swear I'll be annoyed with the fact my garage isn't right next to my kitchen.  Some people say I will want my bedroom with all the kids' rooms.  (Um...pretty sure that won't be the case.)

I've actually already sketched out my furniture layout.  I'm no decorator.  That was not one of my gifts.  Mr DDA already wants me to pick out paint swatches.  Aahh!!!  And I tell him, "Honey - we can pay people for that." 

Most of you follow my sister's blog and know that she has wicked interior design skills.  But she can't do a tax return to save her life.  (ok - well, maybe to save her life, but you get my point.)

This whole process terrifies me and excites me at the same time.  The one common denominator I hear from everyone that has built a house is, "It was the most stressful thing I've ever been through." 

But at least I have all you to vent to. 








I'm gonna need to find a therapist...

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

All around me, I'm surrounded by taxes.  And no, not just at work.  Every year, I prepare dozens of returns for friends & family.  Last year, it got so bad, I spent every night working on some one's return.  I had to put a limit on it this year.  Especially since I can't charge for it.

In case you forgot, it is tax season.

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And while the private sector is working 80 hour weeks trying to prepare every return possible, I don't escape the madness entirely.

Friday night, a group of us went to see "Act of Valor."  (Side note: Great movie, but super intense.  I needed a Xanax a third of the way into it!)  And we ran into one of my husband's co-workers who always proceeds to tell me his latest tax scheme.  All which are *mostly* valid. 

Most people I know get refunds.  (Some huge - again, can I just say that the Earned Income Credit is welfare?  Just had to point that out one more time.)

But it seems a lot of people, more than normal, are having to pay taxes this year, me included.  It's one thing if you're expecting it.  But if you're not, it can be crippling.

People have this fear of the IRS, not entirely unfounded, that if they owe the IRS even a penny, the Service will seize their house and maybe one or two of their children.  They freak out, even break down into tears. 

If you should find yourself in this position, here's what you should know:

1. File your taxes, ON TIME.  Even if you can't pay them.  This is one of the biggest misconception I deal with.  People even get their returns prepared and simply don't file because they can't pay the tax due.  Even if you know you can't pay, file your return.  There are penalties for not filing as well as not paying.  But you could at least avoid the Failure to File Penalty it will save you some money in the long run.

2.  The IRS has payment plans.  If you call and ask, they will set up an Installment Agreement and it's practically guaranteed, as long as you pay it off in a reasonable amount of time. 

3.  Going hand-in-hand with #2, if you owe money to the IRS and are due a refund, the Service will keep your refund.  So say you have an abnormal year where you owe the IRS $4000.  Set up a payment plan for $250/mo.  By the time next year rolls around, you will still owe at least $1000.  If you are due a refund then, the IRS will keep the amount you owe to satisfy your balance.  Strangely, that surprises a lot of people

4.  You can't declare bankruptcy on money you owe the IRS.  Especially in today's volatile economy, you may have a booming year in one year and be destitute by the time tax season gets here.  I'm no bankruptcy attorney, but tax debt, for the most part, can't be included on a bankruptcy. 

5.  You'd honestly, be better off getting a low interest credit card and using it to pay off your tax debt, and then pay the credit card.  The IRS charges compound interest, just like a credit card company.  Meaning, they charge interest on interest.  Couple that with penalties (and the interest on penalties) and you can end up with double the original balance - quickly.  If I was your personal tax advisor, I would tell you it's much better to owe Chase than the IRS.  If you miss a credit card payment, it won't be nearly as costly as missing a payment to the IRS.

It's never fun to owe money, but owing taxes can be especially frightening.  Hopefully, these few tips can help you if you find yourself in that situation.


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In the interest of full disclosure, I'm currently on drugs.  Lol.  I went to the doctor today and was told I may have mono.  I'm on some antibiotics and a serious slew of pain killers.  So if you notice spelling, grammatical errors, missing words, or just something plain ol' wrong, give me a pass this time, mmkay?

SOLD!!!!

So, it's been a crazy three weeks...

After much debate, we sold our house. 

Every day the negotiations went on, I though for sure I'd be updating you all with a "It's sold!" post.  And every day came & went. 

It was truly one of the most stressful processes I've ever been through.

They offered a pretty lowball offer.  That we couldn't even entertained.  So we countered, then they countered, then we countered...  You get the point.

And to top it all off, we will be renting from the buyer till our house is complete.  So then we had to figure out how much rent we were willing to pay, how long we wanted to stay here, how much security they wanted vs. how much we were willing to pay... 

And I swear sometimes, dealing with real estate people is like dealing with emus.  Ever tried to talk to an emu?  They look at you like you're the crazy one...not speaking English or something.  THEY ARE AN EMU!!!

But after two weeks of painful negotiations - we all signed on the dotted line.

I heard angels singing.  And no, that's not a metaphor.

I pulled a Gideon, laid a fleece out, and secretly asked God for Him to find us buyers that would rent to us till our house is built.  And He did. 

But even that miracle wasn't enough for me.

I was feeling really bad about the sale.  Nauseated.  Because the buyers picked maybe the worst possible property management team in the NRV to manage the house.  (They shall remain nameless - but they are "explosive.")  I really wanted to cancel the whole deal.  So I asked God for one more thing.  (My mom calls it "Flipping over the fleece.")

One more virtually impossible thing - just to know for sure this deal was the right one for us.

Sell my parents house.

My parents house has been on the market for 2 years.  (Yes - 2 years.)  They've had a few offers but they all fell through. 

I am not lying when I say this, my parents signed a contract on their house 2 days later.  One with virtually no contingencies - except an inspection.  And the buyer - a guy I kinda/sorta dated one summer in high school.  So weird.  (Although he never went to my house, so he probably has no idea the hours spent on the phone with him in that bedroom!)

Ok, God.  Got the picture - Loud & Clear.  Why am I so shocked when He does that?  Anyone else get surprised when they ask for something and get it?  Ok, I'm glad it's not just me.

So I had no qualms whatsoever about signing the final contract.  After all is said & done, we may walk away with $30.  Literally.  But in this market, I'll take it. 

We close on the house hopefully in mid-March.  We will be in this house till May 2013. 

Just enough time for us to complete this:


Our Dream Home