Oh poor Charlie Brown...nothing good ever happens! 3/7

garlic7girl

The other day I talked abuot the stress that the sequestration has caused with cuts and layoffs and just the whole "you don't know and can't control" what is about to happen!!! How if our income is cut we can still eat healthy foods! There are some powerhouse low cost foods we can still eat!
However, we still have bills and such and how will you deal with the stress!! What will you do differently on this journey (mental, physical remember)?
Stress affects your overall health! Admit it! We all do something when stressed some more destructive then others but that is why we are here to prevent the drinking more alcohol, eating more food, becoming a CRAB-BUCKET or becoming paralyzed and doing nothing...I can go on and on.
I challenge you to read both articles and see how you can deal...there is something out there just for you! Learn and discover it so you do not falter!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/14130-stress-management/

I really like this one:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/106429-stress-management-techniques-strategies/

Peace,
BIG HUGS from WW

verdemujer

Oh - those are just what the doc ordered. Thank you for the reminder. We only have Tabata tonight so I think when that's over, the kid and I are going home and just spend some time together. He and I need some down time and some laughs to balance out this crazy week we are having. Hugs and smiles.

lisaissasa

Oh do I understand stress or distress. Thanks for the education.

Last night my husband informed me we will be losing our huge employee discount on the cable bill. This really frustrates me. Television is a source of relaxation for me. I get lost in a program and get to be someone else briefly. I can escape my crazy chaotic life all while I ride my bike or elliptical. We cannot afford cable without the discount. Ho hum, what to do?

You know this is such kick because I got rid of my cell phones because I could not afford that anymore. So far I have not had a break because when I cancelled the service they tacked on over $500 in early termination fees and would not allow small monthly payments. They sent me to collections and tacked on late fees because my small monthly payments were not good enough for them. The collection company charges me $6 to make a payment and hounds me every day. I was a reliable and responsible client that paid on time for the 7 years I used their service. How do I get repaid? with a swift kick to the *&^%%@!

Now I have to come up with another way to unwind, waaaa!

WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr

I can understand the stress with costs going up and looking for ways to handle it. I haven't had a pay raise in the almost 5 years I've been working for the state. So, I take a 3% paycut every year, this was designed years ago that it would cost the state less if the state employees agreed that they would not get pay raises and in place of the pay raises, the employees would have a fully funded pension upon retirement as long as they were fully vested (6 years of employment to be fully vested.) Well, the current governor decided that it wasn't right for state employees to have a fully funded pension since non of the other states had that agreement with their employees, so as of two years ago I take a 6% pay cut every year (we did not get back our 3% cost of living raise that we gave up for the fully funded pension) and now with the federal tax cuts removed, I take an 8% paycut every year.

Being single on what I make is tough (especially with food allergies that require more expensive food, in some cases), I couldn't imagine how single parents could get by with this or families that are single income families. So here's some of what I've been doing:

1) I have a budget that gets reviewed every 6 months to see if I can reduce any costs
2) I am on cell phone plan of Daddy (ie my Dad pays for it), it only sends and receives calls, nothing else and said cell phone is ONLY for emergencies (and yes, I do answer the phone "Death, dismemberment, fire, flood, hurricane, volcano, or plague of Egypt?")
3) My family has been informed that my mere presence may have to be an acceptable gift at events as I can barely afford to travel in state (and only if I have somebody to stay with, travel out of state is out of the question unless someone else is paying for everything) and give gifts
4) I cut coupons
5) At work we have a food co-op going on since there are a few of us who are single, so we make something big (like I just made a HUGE pot of gypsy soup -total cost under $20) and share since it can cost less to make in bulk and by sharing, less goes to waste because you made too much and are sick of it
6) I buy non food stuff at Walmart (they don't carry a good selection of GF food at mine, and their prices on it are comparable to Publix on it) since it tends to be less and I don't have to go out of my way to get there
7) Every trip somewhere (ie to work, home from work, to the gym, to dance class, ect) I know what stores are on my way to or from and if there's something I need from one of those stores I get it when I'm going by, rather than going out of my way

aakaakaak

I'm on the wrong side of this sequestration/furlough mess. I'm seriously considering private sector jobs right now.

One of the things that keeps me going is imagining the national guard locking the house, senate and president in one room until they unscrew the problems they created. Alternatively I imagine holding them all hostage and executing one of them a day until a solution is met. I'm not dumb enough to believe that either of these plans are remotely possible, but it makes me feel a little better to imagine it.

verdemujer

This is an interesting article on budget woes that I can relate too. See if you relate too.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/nations-lower-class-at-least-grateful-it-not-part,28999/

garlic7girl

....I cancelled the service they tacked on over $500 in early termination fees and would not allow small monthly payments. They sent me to collections and tacked on late fees because my small monthly payments were not good enough for them. The collection company charges me $6 to make a payment and hounds me every day. I was a reliable and responsible client that paid on time for the 7 years I used their service. How do I get repaid? with a swift kick to the *&^%%@!

Now I have to come up with another way to unwind, waaaa!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! What robbery and decit! UGH! I pray God makes justice for you!!!!!!!!! Raaaaah!

Oh adn sadly yes...another way to unwind...can you do Netflix or the library on computer? There are a lot of shows and movies at the library.

garlic7girl

3) My family has been informed that my mere presence may have to be an acceptable gift at events as I can barely afford to travel in state (and only if I have somebody to stay with, travel out of state is out of the question unless someone else is paying for everything) and give gifts
4) I cut coupons
7) Every trip somewhere (ie to work, home from work, to the gym, to dance class, ect) I know what stores are on my way to or from and if there's something I need from one of those stores I get it when I'm going by, rather than going out of my way

Okay someone who understands my plight! I actually had an arguement with one of my friends because I said I am limited and I can't do everything like I used to years ago...No concerts, vacations, shopping trips....I said if I don't have it I don't have it! I am being honest! I was so bewildered that someone would be mad at you not having money!
I am just so appreciative to God I have a home and I can go to the library...and eat! All luxeries! Life is hard...esp now...Retirement ha what is that....I may have to work till I am 80! I had to dip in retirement because my how heating and cooling system died this summer....I went w/o air for a month during the 100+ weather! To spend that $6000 sure hurt but what you gone do?! When I want to seel just say..."oh just fan yourself like us southern belle's used to back in the day" Ah no folks aint going for that!

garlic7girl

This is an interesting article on budget woes that I can relate too. See if you relate too.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/nations-lower-class-at-least-grateful-it-not-part,28999/

My parents used to say their grandparents said the Depression was no big deal because they were already poor just a shock to those with money. HA!

WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr

3) My family has been informed that my mere presence may have to be an acceptable gift at events as I can barely afford to travel in state (and only if I have somebody to stay with, travel out of state is out of the question unless someone else is paying for everything) and give gifts
4) I cut coupons
7) Every trip somewhere (ie to work, home from work, to the gym, to dance class, ect) I know what stores are on my way to or from and if there's something I need from one of those stores I get it when I'm going by, rather than going out of my way

Okay someone who understands my plight! I actually had an arguement with one of my friends because I said I am limited and I can't do everything like I used to years ago...No concerts, vacations, shopping trips....I said if I don't have it I don't have it! I am being honest! I was so bewildered that someone would be mad at you not having money!
I am just so appreciative to God I have a home and I can go to the library...and eat! All luxeries! Life is hard...esp now...Retirement ha what is that....I may have to work till I am 80! I had to dip in retirement because my how heating and cooling system died this summer....I went w/o air for a month during the 100+ weather! To spend that $6000 sure hurt but what you gone do?! When I want to seel just say..."oh just fan yourself like us southern belle's used to back in the day" Ah no folks aint going for that!

I don't think I will ever retire (mainly because the only way anyone will know I'm dead is because I didn't show up for work, and this is becoming a sad reality in my life as this has already happened to two people I work with, one in her 40s the other in her 20s, both single.) My neighbor is having to use her taxes to replace her HVAC system (thankfully, my system was only a few years old when I bought it and I'm hoping that because I have a home warranty on it and I get it maintained annually, if it breaks, my home warranty will cover it)
Like you, I'm appreciative I have my condo (no matter how many people tell me I was wrong for buying it), I have my two cats, and I occasionally can do something wild for supper, like go to Chipotles and have a burrito bowl (I don't need a fancy restaurant to feel like I'm having a treat, I just need something I'm going to enjoy.)
Anybody tells you to fan yourself like the Southern Belles did back in the day, tell 'em that you're gonna do like us real, contemporary Southern Belles do: hike up your britches and do what has to be done, even if it means re-mortgaging Tara, because we're a hell of a lot stronger than you think we are... where do you think the term Steel Magnolia comes from?? Then you promptly do a flying leap over the fainting couch and go take care of business as you see fit... they have a problem with that you tell 'em to come talk to this Southern Belle!:happy:

garlic7girl

Thank ya Belle!