Personal Finance Blogger Rant

$14984.

Although my credit card debt has not gone down, my other debt, such as student loans, have.
Oddly, I'm proud it didn't go up, because the buy out of my former good paying contracting company has been horrendous.
For what little work there is, I've been paid, but there simply isn't enough to feed everyone.
It's extremely frustrating, as I can see what the new people are doing wrong, lots of beginner mistakes, and when I and some of the other more experienced contractors say, hey, this is a big mistake and if you do this, you get the exact opposite of what you want, there's a lot of, WE are in charge.
Yes, you are, and aren't you the ones complaining that you don't understand why profits have tanked?
And when you get sandboxed by Google for doing idiotic shit, for doing shit after you were warned not to do it, you seriously can't understand why this is a problem?
The new middle men are sending some of the other contractors my way for help, which would be fine, if I was getting any sort of income from it.
If anything, showing them how to do things the right way means even less assignments coming my way.
I had a stellar week income wise last week (the best since the merger), and instead of giving me any sort of monetary bonus (which had been customary with the former owner), I get an email with "good job".
O rly?
I had been putting serious feelers out for the last month, and got a lot of, we'll keep you in mind, love your work but not looking for new contractors, etc.
But, one of the places has just decided to contract me!
I have one more hurdle, but a firm start date.
This place has a very good reputation, and is a perfect match for my skills.
It pays slightly more than I make now, just have to see if it's steady enough to make it my main place.
Wish me luck :)

Food Hoarding

I was personal finance blog hopping, and came across an interesting personal finance blog "The Quest for $85,ooo".
On an older post, she wrote about overspending and food hoarding.
It never occurred to me that there was such a thing, but it really resonated.
There's a real problem in general society with food insecurity, and for those of us who've spent times without enough food, there's nothing like an overflowing pantry, fridge and cupboards filled to bursting with food.
And many personal finance bloggers recommend stockpiling groceries, but that's not in keeping with the way I'm shopping (fresh fruits and veggies).
But, I do end up throwing out a lot of spoiled food.
I always have fruits and veggies on hand, and I want that to continue, but I am definitely over buying.
With my small kitchen (which has a fridge and chest freezer), opening any kitchen door or cabinet pretty much guarantees food will jump out at you.
For the rest of February, I'm going to make a concerted effort to meal plan around what I already have.
Friday accountability:
Health Insurance paid today.
Still need to pay car ins, mortgage, and aiming for the $400.
Waiting for deposits to clear before I can pay the above.
Credit card debt: $15,465.
$100 to E*Trade.
Goal: $100 week for food.

Credit Card Debt Update

Snow days are really interfering with my Saved Quarter Challenge mojo.
No school today, and late starts tomorrow leave me drained from keeping Rainman entertained while doing the Mommy Taxi thing for the others.
Just no time to do more work than "get by" stuff.
"Get by" does not make my bank account happy.
Since I paid the mortgage and a student loan (2 others are due next week as well as my car loan this Friday), I am not going to beat myself up about not throwing more money at the credit card debt on Friday, but counting what I paid Monday as my Saved Quarter Challenge goal met.
I still need to meet my pay myself first savings goal on Friday, and see what bills are left for the rest of January.
I also would like to incorporate menu planning, as other Mommy Bloggers swear by it for lowering grocery bills.

Great Blog: Budget Bytes
Credit Card Debt: $14,642.

Snowballing Snowflaking Debt

Sounds vaguely obscene, doesn't it?
If it's not clear, being self employed, my income is extremely variable.
At the beginning of the month, certain deposits are scheduled to come in, with others schedule through the month.
As any self employed person knows, never count on money until it's actually in your hand/direct deposited in your bank account.
Got a $250 deposit, and put that right toward credit card debt.
Yay me!

Looking at other personal finance blogs today, there seems to be widely differing opinions on coupons.
I spend way too much on food, and when I read "I spent $25 for a whole week's worth of food with coupons!" entries on Mommy bloggers blogs, I cringe to post what I spend on food.
Part of my problem is, four teenagers simply eat massive amounts of food.
With three of those teens being boys, they inhale food.
Two of the males have sensory issues, and meal time is a minefield no matter what.
My daughter eats like a bird, but she goes through veggies like it's her job.
The other issue I have is- I love to cook.
Not the "what's for dinner" type of cooking, but trying new recipes a la Dorie Greenspan.
I'm not willing ( and am lucky to be in a position to not have to, although seeing my debt others may disagree) cut down on buying fresh fruits and vegetables, but I do need to knock off the convenience junk food.
My compromise is buying most of my fresh foods at BJ's Wholesale Club, and picking up loss leaders according to the grocery flyers.
BJ's does accept coupons, but it really depends on the cashier's knowledge of BJ's coupon policy, and after a few bad experiences with coupons, I have been lazy about match ups.
Also, BJ's generic products (for which there are no coupons), so far have been equal to the name brand toilet paper, shampoo, deli products, and baking goods that I usually buy.
I really need to add "use coupons wisely" to my New Year's resolutions. :)

Great Blog I just found: Broke Foodie
Credit card debt: $15,420.