Four More Days!

I can not believe there are only four days until Christmas day.  This is the first year, in many, many years that we have not had to borrow money to get the kids their gifts.  Sure, it's not going to be a big Christmas, but each kid is going to get exactly what they asked for, which doesn't happen very often around here.

We have lots to do the next few days, too.  On Christmas Eve, we are going to visit some of my husband's cousins, and then we are going to my sister's house to exchange gifts with my dad.  Christmas Day will be spent with my mom, of course, which I am really looking forward to. 

I am also looking forward to seeing what Junior and the kids have for mt under the tree.  It's been many, many years since Junior and I have spent money on each other, letting the kids pick out gifts for us.  We decided that we will worry about "real life" stuff like car insurance and changing our cable package after the first of the year.  We have until February to pay for our yearly car insurance policy, and I think I have until March to decide about the cable.  It's nice to put those things on the back burner for the next week or so, and not worry about money.  Or even worry about anything.

We are dedicated to enjoying this Christmas, stress free. 

A Summer Job?

It's weird not to be putting the kids to bed right now.  During the school year, I am very strict with bed times.  During the Summer, not so much.  I think it will take me a week or two to adjust to our new non-schedule, and then things will be right in my world.  At least until school starts back up in August.

The kids are planning all kinds of activities for their Summer.  Camping is high on their list, as well as swimming at my mom's house.  I am thinking, and stressing, about money, but what else is new.  I want to be able to camp for a week this year, but I don't think it's going to happen.  I may have to get a job selling Illinois home insurance, or something.   I know being a salesperson is a hard job, especially when you have to sell a business insurance policy.  But, I am a fast learner, and I think it might be something I am good at.  That is, as long as I am able to do it over the phone.  I am not good with the face to face stuff.  At all.   But giving out business insurance information  over the phone can't be too hard, right?

Or maybe I should just go back to working fast food for awhile?

We Saved Money!

For the first time since we have been married, Junior and I have set a monthly budget for ourselves. We used a good bit of our tax money to pay off some loans, our van, and some other things. I wanted to get rid of as many monthly expenses as we could, so that we could afford to put more money towards rent, therefor allowing us to find a better place to live. As most of you know, we moved a few weeks ago into a cute little double wide trailer, which I love. It has three bedrooms and two full baths, and is perfect for my little family.

One of the monthly expenses we got rid of was our auto insurance payment. We were paying about $55 a month, which came out to about $660 a year. That's a good chuck of cash. Of course, if we paid for 6 months or a year at a time it would have been cheaper, but we never had the money to do that.

Until this year. Junior went in with $600, hoping he could get a deal for paying for a full year. Our hope was that we would save at least $60. I do not remember who we had our policy with last year, but Progressive beat their price for a full years coverage. When all was said and done, Junior qualified for a bunch of discounts, and he was able to get a years coverage for less than $350. I couldn't believe it! He saved over $300 by paying up front for the entire year! How crazy is that?

All I can say is that every year when we get our tax refund, we are going to pay for a years worth of auto insurance. We would be crazy not to.

My Girls

Here's a random shot of the girls. I took it a few weeks ago when we were fishing. I wish Ryan was in the picture, too, but what can I do. He hates having his picture taken. I used to be the same way, too. In fact, there are very few pictures of me in the past 15 years since I have been married. I wish I had taken some when I was pregnant, but I always thought I was too fat. These days, I have accepted that fact, and will, most of the time, smile for the camera.

Life is too short to hide from the camera. I mean, when I die, I want some pictures of my life to leave my kids. I mean, Junior and I have already provided them with our term life insurance, but I want them to have memories, too. Wonderful memories of a mother who was always smiling. Well, at least of a mom who was willing to smile for the camera.

Making Payments

I pay the bills every month, and keep track of the checking account. Junior used to do it, but in the last year, it has fallen on me somehow. I don't mind, I'm just not that organized yet. Every month, I forget to pay our car insurance. We haven't lapsed, yet, but regularly pay on the last day possible. I need to set up a calender or something with all the bills marked on it. I may need to look into Premium Finance if I can't get my act together. They make sure your premiums are paid every month by deducting them directly out of your bank account. This could make my life a whole lot easier.

Health Insurance

I have been thinking lately that I really need to go get a physical. I know I am overweight, and extremely out of shape. I have tried diet after diet, but nothing seems to stick with me. I need to have some blood work done to make sure it's not something like my thyroid. As awful as that would be, at least it would be a reason for my weight. I also think Junior and I both need to have our blood sugar levels checked. I had gestational diabetes with Kasi, so I am worried I might be developing the real thing.

The problem with all of this is that we do not have health insurance right now. We used to go to the free clinic, but we need to be re certified, and haven;t had a chance to go down there. They also sent out a letter saying they are overwhelmed with patients, so they may not approve us again. I need to look into kaiser insurance and get a quote. We can not afford too much of a monthly payment, but I know we have to do something. I found kaiser California online, but think I may need to look into something closer to home. I also found kaiser permanente atlanta Georgia and that is a lot closer to me. I hope they can give us a policy we can afford, because we can not continue to be uninsured.

I Need Health Insurance

How important is having health insurance?

Unfortunately, we are finding out the hard way that it is extremely important. I have been having a lot of pain in my lower back, that is affecting my hips and legs. I think it might be my sciatic nerve. I would love to go have it checked out, just to make sure, and maybe get some medicine to help relieve a little bit of the pain. But, insurance through Junior's work is just too expensive, and I am no longer covered through the clinic. So here I sit, suffering.

I can get a free health insurance quote through kaiser health insurance. They have all kinds of plans, either co-payment or deductible. They offer family plans, as well as business health plans. You can get it through kaiser permanente Denver or kaiser permanente Northern California. It doesn't hurt to check out what is available. I am going to look into it, too, because I'm not too sure how much longer I can deal with this. I tried to walk through the grocery store with Junior and the kids this morning, and halfway through I had to go sit in the car. I'm sure part of this is all the extra weight I carry, so maybe losing some of that will help, too.

Insurance Quotes

Junior and I have been talking about getting some kind of renters insurance. Currently, we don't any insurance, and I know that is irresponsible. It's just that with our credit, we have a hard time finding affordable policies. I was browsing online the other day, and came across this site that shows you quotes for Insurance in Raleigh. They offer homeowners, auto, life, and even business insurance quotes. It's so much simpler shopping online for quotes, instead of driving around town trying to find the best deals. You can easily find the quote that is right for you, right from home. What can be easier than that?

Van Insurance

Remember a few weeks ago I told you about the problems we were having finding Van Insurance? Our agent told us that many companies won't insure full sized vans because too many people are living in them. When he finally found a company willing to insure it, he told us not to be surprised if they sent someone out to take pictures in a few months, making sure we're not living in it.

Well, we got a letter the other day, saying that the company wanted more proof of residence. We had to bring our power bill, and let them make a copy to send to the company. A few days after providing that, we get a phone call saying they want to make a copy of another bill. We brought our cable bill down there, and they copied that, finally satisfied that we live where we claimed. Talk about overkill! I understand that they have to be cautious, but it was getting ridiculous.

Autonetinsurance.co.uk makes it easy to find the right insurance for you. They will compare quotes, and get you the best deal possible. They even offer up to 70% off van insurance. Maybe if you need your van insured, they can get you a better deal than our agent got us.

Van Insurance

We just bought a new van. Not a mini-van, but a full sized van, complete with television and VCR. Yes, I said VCR. I told Junior we need to replace that with a DVD player, because most of our movies are on DVD's now. We did face a problem when we tried to switch over our car insurance. It seems that insurance agencies are refusing to insure vans because too many people are living in them. We should have looked into Amica Insurance. Our agent finally found us insurance, but warned us not to be surprised if the insurance company sends someone out to take pictures of the van in a few months. They want to make sure we're not living in it.

The Importance Of Car Insurance

Remember my post from a few days ago about the importance of having car insurance? If not, let me remind you how much trouble you can get in if you drive without it. You face fines if you are caught, and if you get into an accident, you can, and will, be sued for damages. You can have your license suspended, and when you get it back, you may have to carry State Required insurance, which is a lot more expensive than regular car insurance. If you do not have insurance, or are looking for a better deal, check out mycarwizard.com. They give you quotes from several agencies, so you can compare them in one spot, saving time and money. No one can afford to drive uninsured.

Hard Lesson

I haven't said anything about this, because it's really none of my business, but a member of my husband's family had a wreck recently, and this person was uninsured. The woman that was hit is suing for a new car. She may need to look into lawsuit funding so she can get a new car now, instead of waiting to go to court. It's a good thing she wasn't hurt badly, or she could be suing for medical bills as well. This is a hard lesson to learn, so I hope this family member will keep current car insurance from now on.