Growing fruit

I bought a raspberry bush and a blueberry bush last April at Whole Foods. My son wanted to buy them saying it would save money. I had doubts at first when I saw the $19.99 tag on each plant.

We planted them in May and today I gathered the first raspberry. More will be ready soon and the blueberries are almost ready.

First raspberry
Blueberry bush

I’m excited about fresh fruit and will be buying more bushes next year.

Struggling Financially

I noticed that filling my car up was costing more months ago. $50 became $80 and now my most recent fill-up cost $103. When gas cost was $80 per fill-up I started using my credit card to pay for it. Fill my tank now and worry about paying my credit card balance later. I did this for the months of April and May. I have a balance on my credit card that I cannot pay off.

For the month of June, I am no longer doing any unnecessary driving. I can’t afford gas. I took my son to Dunkin Donuts yesterday which is only a few miles from our house to buy a breakfast sandwich and hash browns. I decided to put $15 of gas in my tank and it did not even give me three gallons.

Higher prices got me struggling. I chose to take my son out for some food. The $7 I spent at Dunkin would not have got me far with any bill that I have. The fifteen-minute drive to and from felt great and we listened to a cd of his choosing. It was a treat to get out of the house and do anything.

Grocery wise I have noticed some items going up in cost but I have been able to purchase alternatives and get everything we need. Until this month. Ground chicken and ground turkey are now the same prices as beef at my stores. Breaded chicken strips went from $7 to $10.99. I normally spend about $280 on groceries for my son and me. For June it was $323. I bought very few convenience items. I’m finding some pantry stable items cheaper by purchasing from Amazon.

Pet food has gone up as well. I am worried about having enough money to pay bills and purchase things I need. I need to think of ways to cut costs and earn more money. I am feeling uncomfortable with my finances.

Being disorganized can be costly

I am disorganized with paperwork. You receive mail, glance at it, sit it down, and it’s easily forgotten.

I was looking through paperwork and found a form that had to be faxed in today for my insurance. I filled out form and faxed it within five minutes. It would have cost me money if this wasn’t turned in on time.

I had another form that needed to be filled out. I receive a monthly payment to help with extra expenses with my son. I didn’t receive payment this month because I didn’t fill it out in time. It took two emails and two phone calls to take care of this. I will not get a payment this month but I will get a double payment next month.

Work has been slow lately and I have used credit cards to cover expenses. I have to go through all my accounts to see where I stand. I am not in a good financial place.

I’ve been meaning to read Kumiko Love “ My Money, My Way”. I have read two pages in three months. I also bought a budget book and an appointment book from Amazon in the hopes of taking control and being organized.

I am a work in progress. I need help. Am I lazy? Depressed? Unmotivated? I need to figure myself out.

Stressed

I have been really stressed lately. So many reasons why. I don’t have time to relax.

I have started to make home cooked food that is different than I normally would eat. It’s helping me to eat better.

Sesame ginger chicken
I tried a recipe called sesame ginger chicken and it was so delicious. I added to much red pepper flakes so it was very hot.

I keep thinking that I will write more for a form of self therapy. I don’t feel okay mentally but I’m trying.

MLM’s and “small Business”

I have been recently annoyed with MLM’s on social media. It starts with a post saying hey you want to blah, blah, blah. Be on the first for this oppurtunity. *insert before and after pic* of a person that is not identifiable. Then there are multiple comments wanting to know more and the author of post replying they sent dm’s.

I saw a post like this yesterday and was curious. I asked what product they were selling. There was no company name for the product in the original post. The dm’s started. Five in a row rambling about benefits and such. I was still confused about what company this was because they never said it. Dm’s with how I can pay them using third parties, etc. I asked if there was a website to look at the product. A link was sent but the link took me to a website to sign up for a customer account. You couldn’t view anything, etc.

I had enough and blocked the person. No questions was answered and it appeared sketchy.

Those friends who plaster posts about Beachbody, Scentsy, and others. These companies are getting rich of you, not the other way around. Some do enjoy buying these products. But the constant posts trying to get friends to “support” you is lame.

My annoyance for the day.

And it begins

My life is crazy being a single mom. Up and downs is my life. So many goals over the years have either been switched up, fizzled, or disappeared.

I have millions of things to do, want to do, or needs to be done. I feel weak. I have a hard time getting started on stuff. Motivation is zapped. I feel overwhelmed.

I am trying to change and feel better about myself. Today is my day one.