I can feel the baby kick quite often and am starting to feel a little shorter on breath especially when I'm hunched over, so it's been forcing good posture for me. The pregnancy is going great. I really do love the second trimester of pregnancy, it feels good and very easy. I look all big and pregnant but not suffering the "I'm so pregnant I want to die" or "Please make this end". I actually don't remember feeling that way until the very end. Like the last two weeks. My back gets sore when I do outside events with the kids. I don't know why it is all the bending wrong. Why do I only do it wrong (w/out my knees) when I'm outside? Possibly because I don't have a counter to pull up on. In any case, time is going quickly, and I'm enjoying my pregnancy very much. While there are things about being pregnant that are inconvenient and tiring, I'm certainly not one of those people who hate being pregnant. I really like it, especially after starting show. The whole world treats you special because something really amazing is about to happen in your life. And it is.In my below post, I mentioned some bad news, and I said (more later on that). I was deciding what exactly to say about the bad news. The news was that Lawrence lost his job on Friday. His boss held on to him as long as she could, but due to the economy, and that they are a floundering small company, and he was the newest employee (of 3 years), he was let go.
So I've had a week now to process the news, and it's all going to be okay. I have brief moments of freak out time, but then I recenter, do not allow a pity party, and take the steps I can to move forward in a positive direction. The rest is out of my control. Some of it is out of Lawrence's control. I will do my job to be a supportive, loving wife, who has one amazing husband. He is also in a great mental place with this. He knows that something better will come out of this, and it will probably involve a few months of struggle. We've already done some cost cutting in a budget where there wasn't much to cut, like reducing life insurance and 401k contribution. We don't pay for cable or home phone, I use public transportation and our nicer car is for sale (though it has been for a while and we have had a few bites-we are willing to downsize that), we are not buying organic foods at the moment and have even been shopping at Winco (ugh) for savings, we've stopped paying debt so aggressively, gotten on equal pay with both power and gas - as well as both living a little out of our comfort zones temperature-wise (me in the winter, him in the summer), heck, we've even invited someone to live in our home, using the house to help pay for our childcare (and a wonderful cultural experience for our kids as a bonus!) any other ideas out there? I'd love to hear some suggestions. Ya know, not wear a sweater in the house or stop buying starbucks (I wish) or stop eating out (HA!) but things that aren't on the top ten nightly news cost savings every single night. Sometimes people don't like to talk about this, but I find it comforting to know we are all in this together, and we aren't pinching pennies alone. I don't feel the lest bit of shame in being a tightwad and actually know I'd be making Dave Ramsey proud, and I HEART Dave Ramsey so there. There is shame in continuing to live outside your means and we haven't been doing that for nearly 2 years, and it feels GOOD. I love Lawrence and I love our family unit, and I love how dedicated we are to making it work, and I love all the lessons we are learning. Interesting how you don't learn much when things are simple and easy and take no effort! :) Anyway, leave a comment of some thrifty stuff you do and help some other mamas out!
That's the update! Happy Friday!
Oh man, Jenny, I'm so sorry. That is a huge blow to all of you, I'm sure. Matt's been graduated with a Master's Degree since April, has been trying to get a job since January with no luck. We've been living with his parents for a month and I'm going insane! One idea for cutting moolah: I make my own bread (24 cents per loaf). The recipe I have makes 4 loaves of bread and from start to finish takes only one hour. Sorry I don't have much more wisdom, but I'm feeling the hurt just like you! You aren't alone :) I'm glad to hear your pregnancy is going well, though.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry he lost his job! Sounds like you are so smart and doing everything you can to cut costs. I shop for groceries by the store ads. I buy what is on sale with a coupon. ( I get 2 sets of coupons in the Sunday paper). I have other ideas somewhere burried in my blog from last summer. Good luck you thrifty Mommy!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry Lawrence lost his job! Not the best time for financial uncertainty. I don't have any unique penny-pinching tips. But if you're 'ugh' about shopping at Winco, try a different Winco. They aren't all gross.
ReplyDeleteNow that L. has free time on his hands, why don't you enlist him to do some of those money-saving things?
Wow - that's tough. I'm sorry to hear about this. But it sounds as if you both have a pretty good attitude about it - you know a lot of people are behind you, and thinking of you, and will help any way they can!
ReplyDeleteI suspect you're a pretty thrifty person already, but some ideas for cutting costs are canceling magazine subscriptions or any online subscriptions that aren't required; if your bank charges for online bill-pay services (and you use them) try paying bills online directly through the supplier's website; have a garage sale; if you have call-waiting or caller id on your cell, cancel them for now; if you pay for texting but don't use it much, cancel it; cut back on how much meat you eat; move your money to a bank that doesn't charge a monthly fee; switch to a credit card that doesn't have an annual fee.
It's a little late to start a vegetable garden, but tomatoes will grow almost any time in the summer, so if you got a potted plant or two that are already producing, it's possible you could have fresh tomatoes through mid- to late-October. Winter vegetables and herbs could still be started now, but it would have to be soon. Here's a link with some info: http://www.humeseeds.com/falwint.htm
Big hugs - hang in there!
Love, Julie