Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Tex:

If I had $140 sitting in my account three days before pay day, I'd be pretty proud of myself too.

Any chance you can cancel the phone/DSL payment--sometimes you have a couple of hours before they go through and you have the option to cancel it (at least on my credit card bill, but now that I think of it not on my cellphone bill).

How well do your kids like Ramen noodles?

Seriously, though--it won't be fun, but it's doable. Tell your kids it's a "survivor adventure" and you have to live off of things you already own. First person who asks to spend money loses!

Been there done that believe it or not. Ok, with a check not debit card- you can go to commisary and get the basics. Is the school lunch person a guy because the boob thing could work. Anyway, the pay will go in Thursday at midnight surely a check written Wednesday wouldn't clear in 24-36 hours? Good luck!

Oh, forgot to say THANKS a million for giving me a second chance, a chance to redeem myself and express my opinions without coming off as before- truly appreciate it from another military wife.

dunno bout free lunch fer kids flashing yer hooters, but.......... never mind... heh heh heh {d.o.m.} laugh

Shades:

If I had $140 sitting in my account three days before pay day, I'd be pretty proud of myself too.

Haha...I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that's a decent pre-payday account balance!

Any chance you can cancel the phone/DSL payment--sometimes you have a couple of hours before they go through and you have the option to cancel it (at least on my credit card bill, but now that I think of it not on my cellphone bill).

Typically I have the option of revising or even canceling a payment...but this time it started processing immediately and didn't give me the option. Grrr. I gotta pay closer attention to what I'm doing!

How well do your kids like Ramen noodles?

Hehe. Actually, my boys LOVE Ramen noodles and prefer it to a lot of stuff. But we're cool on groceries...we have plenty to eat here at the house.

Seriously, though--it won't be fun, but it's doable. Tell your kids it's a "survivor adventure" and you have to live off of things you already own. First person who asks to spend money loses!

That sounds fun! You'd make a great mommy, shades!

Infantry Wife:

Ok, with a check not debit card- you can go to commisary and get the basics.

A while back we got into a weird grocery shopping cycle where we needed groceries right before payday (we usually go every two weeks...and we started out going right after paydays but somehow managed to get our schedule all off track), and so we would go a day or two before and write a check because it wouldn't clear until well after payday.

Thankfully, we've gotten our grocery schedule back how it needs to be!

Is the school lunch person a guy because the boob thing could work.

It's a chick, but you never know!

Anyway, the pay will go in Thursday at midnight surely a check written Wednesday wouldn't clear in 24-36 hours?

Well, we have all our needs covered, really. The kids are good on school lunches unless they go really nuts with extras, and we have food at the house, gas in the car, and pretty much everything else we'd need. The wants will have to wait though!

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

Infantry Wife:

Oh, forgot to say THANKS a million for giving me a second chance, a chance to redeem myself and express my opinions without coming off as before- truly appreciate it from another military wife.

You're certainly welcome. I try not to hold grudges, and as far as military wives on JU go, the more the merrier!

Moderateman:

dunno bout free lunch fer kids flashing yer hooters, but.......... never mind... heh heh heh {d.o.m.} laugh

Sooo naughty! Although, I was the one who started it! Hehe.

Heheh...Dave had a stupid stupid stupid moment this payday as well.  We've got about $50 left in the checking account until Friday.  We've got money elsewhere, but it's a pain in the ass to transfer it - takes about 3 days, by which time payday will have rolled around.

It could be worse, Tex.  You could have $15 left AND have overdue bills to pay.  THAT'D really suck.

dharma:

We've got money elsewhere, but it's a pain in the ass to transfer it - takes about 3 days, by which time payday will have rolled around.

We have kind of the same situation. I have one savings account back in Texas that I'd have to have someone withdraw from and then deposit it for us. I have one savings account here, but it's an emergency savings account, and I don't think this qualifies as a true emergency, hehe.

Our checking is tied to a credit card, so we if we overdraw, the funds are filled in from there, but I really, really try to not to use that.

Sooo...

Heheh...Dave had a stupid stupid stupid moment this payday as well. We've got about $50 left in the checking account until Friday.

You mean men do it too?

It could be worse, Tex. You could have $15 left AND have overdue bills to pay. THAT'D really suck.

No joke. It's really not all that bad. Haha, but it could have been avoided!

it's an emergency savings account, and I don't think this qualifies as a true emergency, hehe.

That's how I look at it too.  if we had no food or were out of gas for the car, then I'd be happy to use that money.  but, we're not, so.....we're not going to use it.

It's kind of a good reminder of how things used to be.  This used to be the norm...at one time if we'd have $50 left over after the bills were paid and food was bought we'd have considered ourselves rich!

dharma:

That's how I look at it too. if we had no food or were out of gas for the car, then I'd be happy to use that money. but, we're not, so.....we're not going to use it.

I think having a degree of difficulty in accessing savings money is pretty helpful. It makes us stop and think about whether we really need to use it (or does for me at least!).

It's kind of a good reminder of how things used to be. This used to be the norm...at one time if we'd have $50 left over after the bills were paid and food was bought we'd have considered ourselves rich!

Absolutely. We certainly have more discretionary money now than we used to...but where does it all go?

Early in the mornin' rising to the street
light me up that cigarette and I'll strap shoes on my feet
got to find the reason, reason things went wrong
got to find the reason why my money's all gone

Hehe.

little whip:

When I do that, which is more often than I care to admit, (and not by accident, either)

Haha, music to my ears (eyes?...wait...that expression doesn't lend itself to type very well...you know what I mean, hehe). I don't feel so bad now.

I go to the local Food Lion, get what I need for the next few days, and write a check for $20 over the amount, (the most they will let you get away with.) They always take a few days to present the check for payment, so by the time they do, the money is there.

Earlier in the year my bank, in an act of completely overzealous fraud prevention, froze my debit card (I had spent about $250 at the commissary, in contrast to the usual $100 to $200, so they found the expense suspect and I had to call and confirm the purchase), and so I had to write checks and get cash back from the PX to pay for day-to-day expenses.

I'm sure I could do that again if something urgent comes up between now and payday. It takes a few days for checks to make it from here to the mainland and then a day or two to clear once they're there. I want to say you can get as much as $300 back per check doing it that way.

Thanks for the heads up!

11 by little_whip Tuesday, September 27, 2005

When I do that, which is more often than I care to admit, (and not by accident, either) I go to the local Food Lion, get what I need for the next few days, and write a check for $20 over the amount, (the most they will let you get away with.) They always take a few days to present the check for payment, so by the time they do, the money is there.

whip! you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law, if you do not have an attorney one will be prrovided for you free of charge.

Do you wish to make any further statements?

Haha...I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that's a decent pre-payday account balance!

Not even just decent--it would be miraculous. I get paid on Friday and I currently have $32.74 in my checking account--of which $20 needs to pay for my italian tutoring tomorrow night. And I only have that much because I used my credit card over the weekend... Ug! Budgeting is not my strong suit.

Hehe. Actually, my boys LOVE Ramen noodles and prefer it to a lot of stuff

When we were little we ate a lot of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs--I thought we were the coolest family on the block. Turns out, we were just poor

That sounds fun! You'd make a great mommy, shades!

Thanks. I usually get along with other peoples kids really well. But I have hard enough time being responsible for myself--I wouldn't want to subject a kids to me at this stage. (Perfect example, for some reason, even though I know I am meant to be at work around 9ish, I refuse to get out of bed until 8:55--and then I am amazed when I get stuck in DC traffic. I do this every morning. My kids would never make it to school ontime!)

Moderateman:

whip! you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law, if you do not have an attorney one will be prrovided for you free of charge. Do you wish to make any further statements?

I'm going to wage a peaceful, mostly silent protest against your harsh treatment of little whip for her creative financial management. Hehe.

Shades:

Not even just decent--it would be miraculous. I get paid on Friday and I currently have $32.74 in my checking account--of which $20 needs to pay for my italian tutoring tomorrow night. And I only have that much because I used my credit card over the weekend... Ug! Budgeting is not my strong suit.

I know how that feels! I think I'm much better now about budgeting than I used to be. Budgeting takes sooo much discipline!

When we were little we ate a lot of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs--I thought we were the coolest family on the block. Turns out, we were just poor

That made me laugh so hard! That's the beautiful thing about children. They really appreciate the simple things in life. Growing up, I never thought we were poor...haha, everyone around us had the same crappy stuff we did!

When Adrian's away, we eat a lot of macaroni and cheese (good with Dijon mustard for grown ups!) and hot dogs...that's my youngest's favorite meal.

But I have hard enough time being responsible for myself--I wouldn't want to subject a kids to me at this stage. (Perfect example, for some reason, even though I know I am meant to be at work around 9ish, I refuse to get out of bed until 8:55--and then I am amazed when I get stuck in DC traffic. I do this every morning. My kids would never make it to school ontime!)

Hehe. I had my oldest when I was 18, and started college (on top of work) only a few months after he was born. When you have kids, somehow you manage to be responsible for the important stuff just cause you have to...the other stuff...well...haha.

(Btw, just from reading the things you've posted on JU, I get the impression that you're not giving yourself enough credit...you seem quite responsible to me!)

I will say I absolutely HATE mornings. I hate getting up, so I figure the boys do too...so I let them sleep as late as I can!

Moderateman: whip! you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law, if you do not have an attorney one will be prrovided for you free of charge. Do you wish to make any further statements? I'm going to wage a peaceful, mostly silent protest against your harsh treatment of little whip for her creative financial management. Hehe.

tex? you have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law, if you do not have an attorney one will be provided to you for free.

do you understand these rights? heh/.

Moderateman:

tex? you have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law, if you do not have an attorney one will be provided to you for free. do you understand these rights? heh/.

Brutality! Brutality! (ok, that wasn't silent and peaceful, hehe)

little whip:

It's only illegal if the check is not honored when it's presented for payment, and even then the merchant will just write you a nasty letter, demand you make it right, PLUS pay their extra fee, and then get scalped by the bank for another $35 in overdraft charges...even if they didn't honor the damned check!

That's one nice thing about the way my checking account is set up (tied to a credit card). Cause if the bank is going to overdraw you on something, they'll pass the big thing through first and then if there are any small checks, they'll charge you an overdrawn fee on every damn one of them (instead of honoring the small ones and just charging you one fee on the largest expense which puts you over your limit).

Worst case scenario for me is that I have a bit more debt to chip away at.

When Adrian's away, we eat a lot of macaroni and cheese (good with Dijon mustard for grown ups!) and hot dogs...that's my youngest's favorite meal.

Ha! When Karl was in Iraq my kids lived off of chicken quessadillas which in my house is a slice of cheese, a flour tortila and a little chicken, they thought that rocked. Throw a canned veggie in the microwave and a cup of juicy juice and bam you have all the food groups covered!

Budgeting takes sooo much discipline!

I hear you on that one. I budget the big things (rent, car payment, phone), but then everything else (gas, groceries, fun money) all comes out of the same pot and I simply pray that there's money in the pot at the end of the month (I only get paid once a month, so this is even more challenging!)

That made me laugh so hard! That's the beautiful thing about children. They really appreciate the simple things in life. Growing up, I never thought we were poor...haha, everyone around us had the same crappy stuff we did!

I still eat it--though these days I don't tend to have milk around (when you are only buying for one it goes gross before you finish it) so I make it with water and it tastes just fine. The hotdogs are an additional treat when I've had time to run to the store.

Hehe. I had my oldest when I was 18, and started college (on top of work) only a few months after he was born. When you have kids, somehow you manage to be responsible for the important stuff just cause you have to...the other stuff...well...haha. (Btw, just from reading the things you've posted on JU, I get the impression that you're not giving yourself enough credit...you seem quite responsible to me!)

I can be responsible when I want to be (ie, I pay my bills on time)--but I've grown accustom to having to look out for myself alone. I definitely lead the life of a single city-girl. In fact, I've comtemplated getting a pet but decided that the poor thing would be lonely because I'm only home when I am sleeping or getting ready to go out.

will say I absolutely HATE mornings. I hate getting up, so I figure the boys do too...so I let them sleep as late as I can!

Having to wake up starts every day off on a bad foot, as far as I'm concerned. My boss thought it was funny a while back to schedule staff meetings at 7:30 am on Mondays. I've since managed to terminate the idea. I think he got tired of hearing me gripe about them.

Infantry Wife:

Ha! When Karl was in Iraq my kids lived off of chicken quessadillas which in my house is a slice of cheese, a flour tortila and a little chicken, they thought that rocked.

I'm not much of a meat eater (don't eat chicken at all), but I love cheese quesadillas. I have the mix to make my own tortillas. Very yummy.

I think having the guys away takes some of the pressure off when it comes to cooking. I definitely change the way I cook when it's just me and the kids.

Throw a canned veggie in the microwave and a cup of juicy juice and bam you have all the food groups covered!

My oldest will eat anything I make for him (and call it good!...his daddy trained him well), but I have the hardest time getting my little one to eat veggies. I have to be very sneaky.

Shades:

(I only get paid once a month, so this is even more challenging!)

That makes it infinitely more difficult IMO.

I still eat it--though these days I don't tend to have milk around (when you are only buying for one it goes gross before you finish it) so I make it with water and it tastes just fine.

This is very good to know! I can't tell how many times I've been out of milk (the kids go through it fast) and wanted to make mac and cheese for them. Hehe.

In fact, I've comtemplated getting a pet but decided that the poor thing would be lonely because I'm only home when I am sleeping or getting ready to go out.

Hehe, that's the nice thing about kids growing up...suddenly I have help with putting the dishes away and taking out the trash...a pet might love you, but he can't vacuum the living room!

Having to wake up starts every day off on a bad foot, as far as I'm concerned. My boss thought it was funny a while back to schedule staff meetings at 7:30 am on Mondays. I've since managed to terminate the idea. I think he got tired of hearing me gripe about them.

Gah, that's awful. What time did you have to get up to be able to be there on time? There was one semester of college where I had a 7:00 am class, and we had about an hour and a half of commute time. Getting up so early actually made me physically ill, lol. I can't tell you how many mornings I threw up before breakfast! Ugh.

Gah, that's awful. What time did you have to get up to be able to be there on time? There was one semester of college where I had a 7:00 am class, and we had about an hour and a half of commute time. Getting up so early actually made me physically ill, lol. I can't tell you how many mornings I threw up before breakfast! Ugh.

See, I can't even blame it on an illness--I'm just plain lazy. The good thing was that getting in by 7:30 meant I was heading in before rush hour, so it was 15-20 minutes top. I only live 3 miles from my office -- but in rush hour this can take me up to 45 minutes. If it wasn't the highway, I'd walk it and make it in faster--but I have a feeling the police wouldn't be too keen on me walking down 395.

The good thing was that getting in by 7:30 meant I was heading in before rush hour, so it was 15-20 minutes top.

That kind of thing saves a lot of stress. Believe it or not, we have a huge traffic problem here...to the extent that we carefully plan our trips to Honolulu and Pearl City during non-peak hours.

I only live 3 miles from my office -- but in rush hour this can take me up to 45 minutes. If it wasn't the highway, I'd walk it and make it in faster--but I have a feeling the police wouldn't be too keen on me walking down 395.

Hahaha...I'd be scared to do that. And I don't think I could motivate myself enough to walk 3 miles that early in the morning!

I never have $140 sitting in my account 3 days before I get paid, so I would be proud of it too. I'm sorry but I did laugh at your dilemma... It sounds like the sort of thing I would do and then I'd be D'ohing all over the place.

As for your creative way of getting the school to provide your boys lunches, if it were me, they'd be eating for free for some time to come.

Cheers,

Maso

Oh yeah, forgot to mention...

SUBLIME ROCK!

Yikes. I'm going crazy with bills myself...hard to keep up with sometimes. I should sign up for my bank's epay system; maybe I'll look into it.

Also, I can't believe how much our water and electric bills have been lately...it's crazy. If it makes you feel any better, I'm in the same boat, too...waiting for PayDay Friday.

As for your creative way of getting the school to provide your boys lunches, if it were me, they'd be eating for free for some time to come.

I'm with maso on that one.

The fact you mention the boobs thing along with your kids having extra milks sent me on a dangerous train of though towards induced lactation and some kind of solution . Luckily you have been spared this train of thought as it got derailed by some deeply buried sense of good taste that popped up to say hello for the first time in years.