a little progress...

I think I lost 5 lbs. I'm not sure if I did, b/c I'm not sure how accurate our scale is. It said I was like 244, but that seems too good to be true. But it was nice to see the scale needle go to the left with a weight loss. I'm not sure why I lost the weight, but I'll take good news anytime I get it (for sure)!! It also makes me happier that my oldest son has noticeably started to lose weight, too. (Walking to school has really helped him lose it!! :)  ).    I have been watching  what I eat and do portion management. I think that fact that the cupboards have been pretty bare due to lack of $$ helped a lot, MORE than I want to admit!
Ahh, the blessings due to lack of money...............I do remember Saturday night going to the refrigerator and just shutting the door with no food in my hand, b/c there was nothing worth eating. I even remember drinking a glass of water. That's a damn sight better than a malt!! Long ago, the pattern of eating had been established. Mon. - Fri., I either stay at the same weight or lose some weight. During the weekdays, I eat 2 meals and a light lunch. The weekend is a different story; snacking at midnight is not uncommon. Weight is often gained, undoing the hard work of the weekdays.

The near future looks good for losing more weight. I am unsure when I'll be getting my car back, by the end of the week, hopefully. Today, I walked to the train station which was over a mile. I walked fast and sometimes ran because I only had 20 min. There was good news and bad news. The good news was I got there with one minute to spare. The bad news was that my shirt was literally soaked with sweat. Then, I had to ride a train full of passengers and work with co-workers. I sat by an attractive 20something. I subtly looked at her facial expressions to see if she could smell me. She dozed off....I don't think you can sleep if you smell something bad, right? Had I not put on anti-perspirant/deodorant I would have smelled like a repulsive mess!! I'm hoping I don't stink anyway. I get paid in 1 week and 5 hours, but it almost seems like it's a month or so away. The time might go by kinda fast but it seems like such a long time until I see money in my account again!!! I added up all the things that I will be spending my money on between September 7 - Sept 20. ...it's all bills of one kind or another. It really looks like I will have very very little money to spend on anything besides a bill. I wonder if things will be harder than the last 2 weeks. God forbid but it could be that way.

The only thing is, I'm close to getting rid of this credit card. I have less than $350 to pay on it, and then I'm going to cancel it. I planned on having it paid off by October or November. But along came 3 kids' public schoool tuition payments and CCD, and my plan was crushed. Hopefully by the end of the year it will be all GONE. When, I do pay it off, it's going to make paying the next 5 or 6 cards that much easier to pay off. Except for 1 credit cards, I have not spent any money on the other credit cards b/c I'm doing a debt consolidation program. On 1 of the cards, my TARGET card is 0% interest, which is unbelievable, I know. The other cards range from 5% -9%. The interest is very low, so I have been making progress on my credit card debt. But I have to be really smart and I have to be really patient. hopefully in 2 yrs. the credit card situation can be much better, and I can afford a used car to buy.

Andy starts high school !

I registered Andy for high school yesterday, and he's beginning high school as I write this!  Two years ago, our school district wanted to pass a property tax hike to better pay for school expenses. It was defeated. So, the school came up with ingenious ways to charge parents extra money that they need. First of all, registration (which is charged at nearly every school) is a not-so-bad $125. Yet, it doubles because they charge a "workbook fee". Students are given workboods and since they write the answer right into the book, you can use the workbooks only once. So, now the cost is $250.

Then, the high school passed a rule that any student living within a mile and a half of the high school are NOT entitled to riding on the school bus unless they pay $150. When they asked me if I was paying for busing, I had to make an instant decision. We know with Andy reaching 200 lbs. (he's 5'9") this summer, that walking 1 1/4 miles to school (each way, to and from school) would be good for him. The idea of him walking over 11 miles a week sounds pretty good, actually. The only problem is when we get rain or storms, we'll have to drive him to school, and hopefully if it's storming after school either his mom or Matt, our nephew will bring him home.

The thing also is that Maribeth & I agree that we don't want to have Andy trudging to school in the snow and the weather being 0 degrees. Plus, we know that weather is unpredictable in the fall. So, we will save $50 if we wait until October 1 to have Andy use the bus.

I was also not happy that they did not schedule Andy for a gym class. I am going to ask about this, but I already know the answer. They'll say, "since your son is in special ed class and takes academic subjects the rest of the time, there is no opportunity for him to be in gym." That's not right, but I don't know much I can do to stop this.

finally a little justice !

My credit rating is in the toilet b/c in 2003 at the start of the divorce process we declared bankruptcy. But there are a number of inaccuracies in my credit report which makes my credit rating even worse.

One thing is that someone committed identity theft against me 5 yrs. ago before I moved back with Maribeth. They made a purchase at JC Penney for just under $600. They were even sloppy b/c they used the street address for Midlothian (where I lived while I was separated) and the town where I live now as the customer's address.

So, I was really harassed for 3 yrs. about this debt. I told them I wouldn't pay for it after a 1 hr. long conversation. I followed it up w/ a letter from one of the attorneys I know. So they stopped demanding money from me. HOWEVER, they reported to all the credit agencies that I had a debt that was never paid. That naturally hurt my credit rating even more.

So, I joined Experian for a little bit of money and protested the bogus debt. There were about 3 other things wrong too. Another thing I pointed out which was the truth was that JC Penney never gave me a credit card after I declared bankruptcy, and even if I wanted to, they would have never given me a credit card! That was a good point but not as conclusive as the halfassed address mixed from 2 different towns.

I just found out that Experian finished their investigation and said I was right. They are deleting the bogus bad debt. So my credit rating will improve.

One thing that bothers me is that they weren't sure about one of the other inaccuracies. I haven't worked w/ hospital for 3 yrs. and have been w/ my law firm for 5. None of the credit card companies have the right employer I am with and say I make less moeny than I do (all of which also makes my credit rating lower). I told them about the fact I was w/ my law firm. They told me they might change it but they might not b/c usually credit reporting agencies get the employment info through other means not the person like me. Heck, I was willing to give them a paycheck stub, you can't get better proof than that!!