That I’m probably going to need a nap later on.
Ha! Well, the last 5 days of rain and gloom have me all messed up schedule wise. I actually woke up at 5:30 AM! Shesh… haha… that is early for me. And it was so dark out… in fact it’s 7:30 now and it’s STILL DARK! Where is this bright sun orb thing that everyone talks about? Hmmm?
Well, kidding aside, yes, I’m not usually an early riser. I tried to stay in bed for awhile, finished a book I was reading, tried to knit a bit… but finally I got up a little after 6:30 and got dressed and made up my bed and got a cup of tea to sit and read through some email and just surf around some, check my Facebook thing and of course, it’s still dark. I’m waiting for today to be a wonderful sunshiny day. They say it will even hit 60 degrees!!!! I’m so excited! I know the critters will be happy for sure. Everyone has been so cold and damp, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is mold growing on the pony! Naa…. he’s been fairly content to hang out in his spacious pony barn, but still, it’s dreadfully damp out there. A good couple days of sunshine would do wonders for everyone.
This kind of weather gets a person thinking and lately, I’ve been thinking about a few things… technology and money come hand in hand. Lately, I’ve just been getting more and more fed up with all the technology in my life. Now, mind you, we make most of our living online, and so well, it’s hard to say that I’d like to just walk away from it all, but my gosh… it just seems that the sophistication and high degree of tech knowledge required these days is just growing in leaps and bounds! Just take website design, for instance. I used to be able to feel very secure in my mastery of web site design and graphics. Now? Shesh… there are so many new programs and applications and effects and so on, it’s just a mind numbing field of choices and techniques and you can get so caught up in the latest, greatest and within a week or two, there’s something ELSE to replace it! Oh my gosh… It’s staggering. It makes me want to get out my pen and ink, and a ruler and maybe some watercolors and just go back to doing things by hand. All the computer stuff feels so empty and so, just unrewarding anymore. I can work for hours on something and it’s neat but then I can look online and there are half a dozen things out there, all done for me, that I can buy or borrow in an instant. I don’t know. Got my head spinning a bit and making me feel untalented in my craft. Leaves me with this feeling of non-contentment that just feels cold.
Don’t get me started on cell phones… shesh…. I feel like an old stogie with my plain old non-data package phone. I’ll be honest, I rarely talk on it, just mostly to call my Dad and pass the time with him here and there. I text with a few friends off and on through the day, but I rarely talk on it that much. And yet I pay like $160 a MONTH for this! Granted we have 3 phones on the plan, but we have so much extra bells and whistles, that I SO need to re-evaluate it and drop it down to something WAY more simple and reasonable. And no, I do not want a smart phone. I want a simple dumb phone! haha… I’m actually thinking that one of those pay as you go phones makes a WHOLE lot of sense… especially for my daughters. They are just not phone people either! Believe it or not. They mostly call me or their Dad and maybe a few friends. But they would rather use Facebook or the internet… just too much stuff.
The money part… I just feel like I’m bleeding money! Of course, there are things that you can not avoid, like utilities and food, insurance, sure, but when I see some of the amounts that things cost, I really start wondering if they are truly worth it. I believe we get fooled by that “monthly” thing and think, “oh, $37 a month for a storage unit… that’s reasonable.” Yet, when you add that up… and then add the years I’ve had the thing… 6 to be exact… That is over $2,500 for that little 5 foot by 10 foot space. And there is nothing much in there but clutter and stuff I really haven’t done much with. I have a few boxes of personal things, writing, family papers, and also our Christmas tree and decorations… nothing worth $2,500 for certain. I’m working on getting everything out of there and that unit empty within a month or two.
I need to really go through my phone package and I’ll bet that I can knock off $40 to $60 off that monthly charge. That will be helpful. And I’m also really scrutinizing other “monthly” charges I incur. I was shocked to learn that by simply getting my own server account with my web hosting company, that I could cancel up to 40 hosting accounts that I have for all my websites and client sites and host them on the one server. It’s going to take me a little bit of time as it is a tedious task to convert them, but in the end, it will save us $270 a MONTH! That’s $3,240 a year!!! That’s our phone, electric AND taxes nearly a year!!!
So that’s some of the things that have been crossing my mind… I want to see us saving at least $300 a month by the first of the year. All the websites converted, the phone bill reduced, the storage unit done… And I really want to take a look at some of the technology that is robbing us of time, money and maintenance/learning curve time… time to really look at all our “toys” and decide which are helpful and enjoyable, and what is just no fun. Like a new printer. Something where the ink cartridges are not SO EXPENSIVE for just a few teeny ounces of ink! I’ve tried the refilling thing at home and that is just too much messy work. I can’t understand why they can’t make a basic, simple little workhorse printer that has reasonable ink prices. It’s almost cheaper to buy a WHOLE NEW PRINTER than to buy a cartridge! That’s crazy…
Well, the sun is FINALLY starting to come up and brighten up the day a bit. Sorry to rant a bit… just things that have been setting on my brain. In a little bit longer, I’m off to see about some free pallets at a nearby company. I want to build a fence in a bad little area of the yard… I can’t drive fence posts in because of an old barn foundation buried just beneath the soil line. So I’m thinking, a pallet fence just might work… wired together, they will make a nice solid fence that I can anchor up to some trees and a building or two. And FREE pallets…. hey, that’s worth a little drive if they are decent enough!
And later on today, we’re building our homemade apple press!!! We have all the parts and I stopped at a favorite road side stand and got a bushel’s worth of different apples…. Gala, Golden, Winesap, Red Delicious and a few Honeycrisp as well! Should be interesting… I’m hoping our design will work!
Take care….
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oooooo Missy..do you think your alone?? ha…nope sir..want examples? Ive been layoff..from a auto factory..for a yr now..only jobs are 9 dollars or less here in Fremont. I have a 12 yr old car..sure..no car payment..but heck..its got 200000 miles on it..so Im limited on travel..job wise.
I was a draftsperson for 15 yrs..back in the day..before computer..before CADD. I love to draw..but there was no money in it unless it was “tool and die” or automotive in design..so off to school learning that. When CADD came..my choice was to go back to college..take night classes..or whatever..and drawing a car part was boring enough.,.I sure didnt want to go back to school..again..for that..so I went back and took some “computer classes”..and I was pretty good at that..although..”secretaries” dont make much..and all THAT software has been updated..HOW many times??? Still..its not that much..mostly updating..and thats always gonna be like that Ms Sherri..youre NEVER gonna keep up with the new stuff..no body is..and most of that..you wont even use anyway..so stop panicing about that.
I also have.,.just your basic phone. Mine is with Sprint..69 bucks..just for calling and messaging..oooo wait..taxes..and all the misc stuff..they charge a 5.00 mth charge..for “credit”..even though I have good credit (not excellent but good)..when I asked for them to explain..they said “its just something they do..for MY good”..Ive never been late..but ..whatever..so my bill is always 80 plus.
I find the cheapy phones you get..the “pay as you go” dont work well..at least out here..the calls drop..you cant here anyone..unless you go outside..its a mess..dont recommend it.
Finally…weve been having contractors coming to my daughters house to give “estimates” for possibly work needed. Estimates..usually are free..at least all that weve gotten this summer was. So I get a call from Perrysburg Plumbing<the word Perrysburg alone should explain this..anyhow..they told me I owed them 59 dollars for a quote on some plumbing. I said "what!?..you must be mistaken,.he didnt do anything but give me a quote..AND it was verbial..not even written" ..she said "well..our guys have to pay for gas (really? how far is Perryburg to Maumee..3 miles???!)..and..I was to pay for their "time"…I said..WHAT!!! No one else charged me for quotes..and no one told me there was gonna be a charge. She said..she told me..pllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaasssseeeee….why WOULD I do that???
So ya..its constant rippoff. Here in Fremont..I have a well..but I have city sewer..which is 68 bucks a month,. HEY..I live alone..I dont FLUSH that much. This summer I stayed in Maumee mostly..but STILL had to pay 68 bucks..wither I use the sewer or not..I was told..everyone does..even if you go on vacation.
BLA BLA BLA..I could go on and on..just letting you know your not alone.
ALSO..I SO dont envy you.,.having to take care of all those animals in the winter..when the water freezes..and the "poop"..nooo thanks..
Enjoy your day..and know your not alone. : )
My house we went with Boost pay-as-you-go. $20(because we rarely use the evil torture devises) every 3 months/phone and there is good coverage in my area. They also have good rollover for unused time if you recharge on time. Big thing for any plan…Read the small print, most things you pay for only when you use it but some stuff has a regular fee use the feature or not.
Linda – I’d tell them you’ll be glad to pay that quote charge as soon as they show you where you signed in writing acknowledging the fee. Shame on them for trying to rip you off!
Like Lynda, I have a pay as you go, only I use Virgin mobile. It costs me $20 every three months and rolls over if I don’t use it all, which I never do. My phone is an old one that does nothing but calls and texts, won’t take pictures, data, etc. I only have it so the schools can find me if something happens and I’m not at home.
I think if you can get the stuff you want out of storage to your house and organized, that will be a big weight off your shoulders and a good amount of cash you can use for other stuff. The server stuff is over my head, but, man, will that make a difference in your budget, so I don’t blame you for working on that before the end of the year.
good ideas..thanks ladies!
I switched over from inkjet to laserjet a few years ago and haven’t regretted it for a second. Yeah, it means I can’t print in color (I could never in a million years afford a color laserjet), but the toner lasts FOREVER. Plus, it never goes bad. The problem I had with the inkjet was that I’d go a couple of months without printing anything substantial and the ink would dry up and clog the heads. Seriously, I WAS buying a whole new printer every time I needed more ink. Yay for laserjet!
Hang in there Sherri- I know how it is to be there awake…with all the junk weighing on your mind. I do that at night…it’s like my mind won’t shut down.
The Husband retired almost 2 years ago and then this year he had that heart attack…I’ve looked for ways to cut back. I’m always trying to tweak the budget. It’s like it’s a living entity!
as for the Animals…many of yours are going to be providing a service for you. So it’s not like they are really an expense. If they eat grass –that’s less gas money and time and labor out of your pocket for getting the acreage cut in the growing season. If they eat scratch and need nest boxes… that is a minor thing compared to the eggs and sunday dinners they might supply.
So you have to look at the cost of some ‘modern mules’ compared to the services they provide. Think of the time to switch over to your own ‘server’ account as a NEEDED expense; start-up time and money…eventually it will ‘serve’ you better so you can be doing the things you love!
I recently had to buy firewood– we usually cut our own, but w/ The husband’s health, the expense was necessary…so now I’m looking for ways to stretch that wood and the propane we recently bought. So, I spent extra recently for a good piece of cast iron for cooking on that wood stove; sometimes you just have to spend money in order to save! I also bought a stove top percolator, and am thinking of selling my clothes dryer (this will make room for my deep freezer in the utility room–it throws off heat and makes the kitchen harder to cool in the summer). We don’t use it very much anyway. Even in the winter– I hang my clothes in the bathroom to dry! So what’s the sense really?
I know you’re considering your options. That’s what we do, when we choose to live life differently; outside the box. I tend to have a hard time with it when everyone else around me is doing what is ‘normal’.
So hang in there… you truly are NOT alone.
Pat
BRAVO! I know you make your living mainly with computer related services, but I have to say, about computer/internet for mainly pleasure and info uses, how much time is wasted following useless “stuff” online? I have went without internet for a year, and AFTER THE FIRST WEEK didn’t miss it much. Sometimes now I wonder why I paid $549 for a new laptop, $280 for installation of wireless service and $40 a month for something I don’t even turn on every day, anymore.
I still don’t have a cell phone. Never have. I have decided that , when my currant phone card expires (I don’t have long distance service on my land line) I will get a pay as you go cell for my few long distance calls neccessary. Will give me the gadget to carry along in the car for emergencies as well. All for an average of $10 a month. I understand that one has to do some research as to what companies work best in what areas of the country. WOW, $160 a month! Don’t know what is unique to Ohio or what bells and whistles you have but my son and wife and wife’s neice are on a family plan with what I would call full services (but what do I know?) and they pay $70 a month. I think THAT is outrageous!
$160 a month is almost exactly what I pay for my heating fuel (budgeted monthly, in Wisconsin) my electric bill and my land line phone–all 3!
Good for you on looking at places to trim the budget. Heating season has pretty much arrived! Cha-ching!