Got No Dough - Saving Money in Slim Times

Thanks to Crystal at Money Saving Mom for mentioning this!

Today is Museum Day 2008, presented by Smithsonian.com.  I checked it out and our local museum was on the list of participating museums, so we’re taking an impromptu trip today.

Just fill out your name and address and print out an admission card.  It is valid for you and a guest, today only.

It works out for us, because hubby and I will get in free…and at our particular museum, children 5 and under are free!  What a nice, COOL, cheap way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I just realized that I never gave a final update regarding my husband’s truck that was stolen.  It was stolen on April 25th and as the weeks ticked by, we had truly given up hope of ever finding it.

We went through a really bad streak of luck during this time and actually got into a car accident in the only car we had left.  We were rear ended on the freeway and luckily nobody was seriously hurt - just super sore for a couple of weeks.  Anyhow, the reason I mention this is we were meeting with the adjuster on June 25th when we got a phone call.  It was someone from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department telling us that they had found the truck.  We were told that it was found in South Central Los Angeles and had been minorly stripped.

So we traveled down to East Los Angeles in our rental car and we were told we had to pay $260 to get it out of impound.  We verified that it was only minorly stripped because otherwise it wouldn’t have been worth it.  We paid the fee and they brought it out and dumped it on the curb.  Minorly stripped was not quite an accurate description.  The silliest little things were missing from it, like the windshield wiper fluid container and sprayers.  It had no battery, several hoses under the hood were missing, one of the tires had only 3 pink lug nuts holding it on and the ignition was screwed up (though it wasn’t punched).  So, definitely not drivable.  And there was not a single thing left in it.  Every last scrap of paper, piece of trash and of course all of our possessions were just absolutely gone.  We did find ONE thing under the seat and it was a card that my hubby had on his dash.  To the right is a picture of it…it says “God knows your purpose, do you?” and then quotes Jeremiah 29:11.  How appropriate.

We got it towed home and parked it in our garage while we decided what to do with it.  We were going to strip it for parts, especially since the exhaust was completely intact.  The days started going by and nobody had the energy to touch the truck, especially since it was a sad reminder of what had happened.  So, we turned around and sold the truck to a guy who needed it for work.  We recouped what we paid in impound and towing fees and maybe had a couple of dollars left over.

Now here’s the irony.  The night before we got the phone call, I had a fortune cookie that said, “Your luck has been completely changed today.”  So, not only did we get the call about the truck…but I had just conceived our third child and had no idea.

Lastly, and this is really funny.  A couple of weeks later I received a delinquent ticket in the mail from the city of Los Angeles.  Turns out they had dumped the truck in a street sweeper zone and the truck received a ticket on the morning it was recovered.  I sent them proof that the truck had been stolen and they revoked the ticket.

What an ordeal!

Here is the post I promised a couple of days ago.  This serves as both an excuse as to why I’ve been a little quieter than usual as well as an announcement.

Let me just preface it by saying that sometimes in life we make certain plans.  We think we know how life is going to go and then reality strikes.  And sometimes reality is quite different than what we had planned.

With that being said, we are expecting baby number 3.  My husband and I always knew we wanted three children, but we weren’t planning on having the third baby for a few more years.  We took the proper precautions, but apparently this baby who was meant to be.

So, I’ve spent the past 7 weeks sicker than a dog.  It has been extremely difficult to go to work, but I’m proud to say that I’ve not missed any time due to my morning sickness.  Even more difficult is keeping up with housework and meals.  We’ve completely ruined any chance of saving money because we’ve been eating out so much.  But I’m just now starting to feel better and hoping that I can return to some semblance of a normal life before the new baby arrives.

So don’t be surprised if I tend to have more baby related posts.  I am having to learn how to be frugal in a whole new way.  I sold all of my maternity clothes in a yard sale to make some quick money several months ago.  Maternity clothes are VERY expensive.  Needless to say, I’ve had to be very creative.

We also need a larger vehicle.  There is no way three carseats can fit in the back of the Honda Civic my husband and I share.  So, now not only am I saving money everywhere I can, but I’m also attempting to make more money by blogging.

So, wish us luck.  This was not part of the plan for us, but I have no doubt that we can make it work.

Dive In To The World of Professional Blogging
As I’m sure you’re already aware, in order to get ahead in life, you have to either make more money or spend less.  Or both.  I’ve spent the past several months learning a new lifestyle of how to be frugal, how to save money, and how to cut costs.  I’ve also spent those same months reading the blogs of many successful bloggers trying to figure out their secrets.

Well, now we’ve had some changes in our household (more on that in the coming days) and I’m ready to take this journey to the next level.  Saving money is not enough - I need to earn more money as well.  I know it can be done, but figuring it out on my own could easily take several more years and frankly, I don’t have that much time.

That’s why I was very happy to learn about a new program that Amy at My Debt Free Goal is offering.  It’s called the Niche Blogger and it teaches you, step by step, how to create your own niche empire.  I know that she has been very successful and would be very knowledgeable on the subject.  And the best part?  It is COMPLETELY affordable for even the most low budget person.

I’ve been with the program for about 3 weeks now and have already set up one blog, with three others close behind it.  There’s a great support forum as well so that you can communicate with others who are in the program with you.

So, if you’re looking to earn money blogging, but don’t know where to start, this is definitely the program for you.  From start to finish, she’ll hold your hand every step of the way.