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Archive for March, 2009

Have no clue how our tax refund is so big...

March 17th, 2009 at 10:57 pm

So I thought after our GIANT tax refund we got last year that I managed to adjust my withholdings so that I would get just a very small refund (like $200 or something) as like a pillow to make sure I didn't owe.

We went to do our taxes today. Last year we went to stupid H & R Block and paid like $250 or some INSANE amount to get them done. I do NOT trust myself to do my own taxes, NO WAY, so I have to pay someone to do it. Just not that much. My friend referred me to a place and I went there and it was only $60 : ) Plus the tax lady was just awesome.

Well, with state and federal we're getting back like $4100!! AHHHH!! I really thought we'd get like $500 back tops and almost fell out of my chair when she told us how much we were getting back. I would have rather had the money throughout the year and have no idea how we're getting so much back. I asked her if she was sure and she said yes and went over everything with me.

So I guess I'll be able to get current on bills, pay the little piddly cc's off that we owe a few hundred or whatever on, AND once again have the $1000 emergency fund. So yay!

Dealing with collectors...

March 16th, 2009 at 09:57 pm

So although I've been trying to get better with debt and up until recently have never paid a bill late, like a lot of people right now there are circumstances that are causing me to miss payments, miss bills, etc. To put it bluntly, it sucks. I've been getting a lot of calls... I got up to date on a few things this week though, so I anticipate a lot less calls. As far as I know these things haven't actually gone to an outside collector, which is good. I have to call later on an account and I'm dreading it... I feel like such a deadbeat : ( I'm especially pissed about this certain account because I only owed like $400 on it but it kept falling behind, compounding late fees, etc., and now I don't even have the $$$ to make the account current. ARGH!

One thing that is VERY VERY annoying is that SOMEONE is calling me and when I pick up it says "blah blah please hold for the next available agent blah blah" HELOOO, you called ME. I'm not waiting on the phone and wasting minutes to wait for YOU when you call me!

I'm so beyond stressed out. My hair is literally falling out : (

Another difficult week...

March 13th, 2009 at 02:32 pm

So I went outside today to see a handy pink flyer on my door. Yup, water shutoff notice. Saying we owe $600!! WTH, I had no idea we owed so much!! I'm seriously going to start limiting our tenant's water usage or just jack his rent up insanely. (In our area landlords ALWAYS pay for water, btw. I know it doesn't work in most places like that, but here it does.) So I started freaking out, called the water authority and had to pay $200 in order to keep our water turned on. That's a massive $200 that was supposed to go to somewhere else.

UGH. I'm beyond stressed out and want to rip my hair out. Who knows how I'm going to make up that $$$ to pay the other bills....

I'm baaaaaaaack!

March 11th, 2009 at 12:37 am

Hello, fellow Savingadvice bloggers. I'm back. Obviously back blogging, but I mean back in the sense that my "woe is me, I'll never pay this all off!" has changed into "Ok, man up and DO IT!"

I had a few horrible awful months. Seriously... just.. yeah, just bad. Don't want to get into details. Let's just say this month is rough.

I'm even MORE up to my eyeballs in debt without even charging anything more.... Sad to say with our rough few months that a lot more things have wound up being late. Late fees SUCK. I'm getting back on top of things. Sometimes I seriously just DID NOT have the money. No other choice. I hardly answer my phone. I'm getting back on top of things, I promise!!

Still working two jobs. BUT everyone WISH ME LUCK on THURSDAY!! I have an AMAZING opportunity coming up... *crosses fingers*

I eat oatmeal every day for dinner. It's all we can afford : ( Although I must admit that homemade oatmeal with brown sugar and syrup is yummy ; )

So uh... yeah. The husband is feeling better. He's been blanketing everywhere with job applications. He thinks he's going to get a job really soon. I don't have the heart to tell him the state of the job market!! I mean, doesn't he watch the news?! But I'm certainly not going to be the one to burst his bubble when he's so optimistic!

So I'm just trying to get caught up, back on track. *sigh* When I see late fees charged I want to bawl. I always call and ask them to waive it, but apparently things don't work like that anymore. Knock on wood, but I have not paid any bills late in March...

Oh yeah, I started running. I'm getting pretty fat. I take rescue dogs that are cooped up all the time in the shelter with me as running partners, so it looks like we all win : )