Well as we all know 2020 has been quite the year. I started off strong, full of will, full of dreams and goals. Then Corona came along. A shit ton has happened for all of us this year.
I decided to start on small projects around my house. In March we went to a shelter in place mode here in Kansas so I started working from home. This may have gave me to much to think about and or look at around my house.
This led to boredom not being able to go anywhere or do anything except sit and think in these four walls. I researched and found what I thought was a decent deal for a contractor and to work he went.
I replaced my entry way with ceramic tile. I did a redo on the bathroom with ceramic tile, lighting, new vanity, and ship lap. What an amazing difference that made. That turned into looking at my deck for a little sprucing up, so new stain, new patio furniture, and a little elbow grease and another project is checked off the list.
I was offered a sweet deal on fence post pickets so I with the help of my neighbor, tore down the old chicken wire fence and built a new cedar privacy fence. While these are all amazing things that have happened there has also been a shit storm of other things to come.
The fearless leader that runs this great nation has made a lot of changes for Americans, choice not made available to myself or my fellow americans. Good News: We had extra time to file taxes due to Corona, Bad News: Holy wowsa that is one of the many areas the president failed. Or maybe I failed?
I wish I had known back in March when I was making upgrades to my house and doing Corona projects that the government was going to bend me over and assault me in ways I didn’t know possible. Story short I owed a boat load of taxes. “taxes will be so simple you could file them on a napkin” That’s a bunch of bullshit and now it almost takes a Master degree to figure out how much you should have withheld from your check. I’m guessing next year will be another shock with all the “foregoing” of payroll taxes etc that are being discussed.
There have been some positives and some negatives this year. I’m sitting here right now trying to rationalize what is what. Positive: Made it through the pandemic with enough toilet paper without having to black market purchase any. I will call this a win considering people looked like they were black friday shopping to get goods. Positive: Took a good amount of time to self reflect and realize I don’t need the hustle and bustle lifestyle that I’ve been leading for the last four years. Negative: The government wiped out my complete savings and helped me remember that I did have a credit card that was used to pay taxes. Negative: I have a positive bank account balance but back down to almost zero in savings.
Other things to consider when I look at “where did all my money go?” Did I mention that my daughter graduated high school this year? Yeah…. so there is that. While Prom ended up being cancelled (Two weeks after we purchased her non refundable dress) We were also luckily enough to have paid for announcements to have her graduation date moved not once but twice. Then the good ol’ graduation party along with turning 18, and making a move 6.5 hours away from home. Yep that pretty much sums up my financials this summer, not to mention the fact that my exchange daughter’s plans to visit were cancelled due to Rona.
Sooo this is where I sit today. I’m still working from home. (for an undetermined amount of time) This week I will once again almost be debt free… again….
I need to find a way to to stay motivated to do this whole debt free walk of life. Looking back I could have not done the “corona projects” this spring and would be in a much different place financially however this little beach cottage in Kansas is kind of growing on me. That being said I will save enough money to replace the back door for efficiency and look for ways to improve cost saving measures around this little house.
I feel blessed to be helping my daughter as she starts her new journey in college. I’ve set a budget of $300 to cover living cost and groceries. She will never learn what it takes to be successful if there isn’t a little hard work along the way. I’ve left her $786 left for housing and told her she will be responsible for paying her renters insurance. $10 per month for insurance and $78.60 for rent. I think that is very fair. I’m paying her car insurance and her dad is paying for her phone. She is 18 now, it’s time to start adulting.
I’m not exactly sure what the rest of 2020 has in store for us but good lord I hope the second part of the year ends stronger than the first part of the year.
Years ago when I started “blogging” it was to hold and keep myself accountable and I find that when I write on this “online journal” it really helps me.
I hope one day somebody will fall upon or stumble into this and see the real struggles, the ups and down of true raw life. Sometimes we have wins and sometimes we have fails. Right now I’m somewhere in between.
I’m going to make it my mission that by the time I blog again that I actually have my $1,000.00 emergency fund back in place for murphy. I’m going to vow to also have enough money saved to replace my back door. Two small goals that should be easily obtained over this next month.
