Our cash flow problem has ceased. Whew. The client that Mr. A billed the other day paid 75% of the amount due. That's okay, he's worked with her for over two years and she'll pay the rest soon.
I sat down on Wednesday night and listed all the bills that are upcoming, estimated the gasoline usage until the end of the month, listed the credit card that we have been using to balance out the cash flow and once we pay everything we'll still have some money left over to snowflake toward the credit card debt.
Unfortunately, the sudden increase in the size of Mr. A's checking account has had an undesired effect… in the back of my mind is a very dysfunctional reaction: “Yippee! We have a little extra money; I can buy a few things.” It is hard to get past that mentality and stay disciplined on the straight and narrow path of frugality.
In my defense, we are getting ready to go to church camp soon and I wanted to pick up a few fun things for the children… I admit it, there is a part of me that wants everyone to like me, okay, I want them all to love me, children and adults alike. The children will like me, I'll be like the favorite aunt and the parents will think I'm cool. I'm not spending hundreds of dollars or anything like that, but I am buying things that I don't need. You know like I don't really need glow necklaces and bracelets…
Tennis shoes were among my purchases today. I have plantar fascitis so I have to be careful to wear shoes that are comfortable and supportive. I wear tennis shoes most of the time. My current pair has wore down to flat padding, my feet aren't being supported properly and have been killing me. I can barely walk in the morning when I first get out of bed. So when Mr. A was out today I asked him to stop and buy me some new shoes. He stopped at the local sporting goods store we like to buy tennis shoes from because they sell last year's “model” and cost 1/3 of what they originally retailed for. I can't wear Walmart shoes at all. They have no support and kill my feet. My new shoes cost $20 plus tax.
Let's see. I also bought Mr. A a pad of quotes, I guess I could have just as easily printed the same thing and bought carbon paper. Those were $7.99. I also bought him a “portable desktop” a combination clipboard that holds about an inch worth of items. Mr. A needs something to keep all his invoices, and quotes. That was $15.
Mr. A's handyman business is picking up. He had work with his ex-employer on Tuesday and a job to replace a stove yesterday. We had a response from his craigslist ad, a lady emailed with a two page “honey do” list! Mr. A has to stop by her house to give her a quote. His ex-employer called again yesterday and asked him to stop by and give a quote for another upcoming project. An elderly lady from the same company has some work for him as well. So the little dry spell has passed.
Perhaps it is because he has these prospective jobs coming up that I am also spending. It's weird. Most of the time I don't even think about buying anything and am content. Then suddenly it seems like I need to buy some things. Things that I could just as well do without.
Regarding the 30 Day Abundance Exercise. I do not believe in the “Law of Attraction”. There is an entire philosophy and belief system that goes along with it to which I do not adhere. I do think it is a good exercise for me to expand the way I think about money, and that is why I embarked on the exercise. I found that it was putting too much pressure on me to participate every single day because it is hard to figure out what to buy with that much money! I did remember something else though, which would work perfectly for Day 14, which is almost a million dollars.
Day 14 – $819,200
I'm starting another business. I'm already working two days at home with my vegetable farmer's market business, and this other business I will be there 2-3 days a week. I'm hiring a manager and a clerk. Both need to be well versed in knitting and crocheting. I'm opening a yarn shop. I'll have knitting lessons and crocheting lessons. I'm going to set the place up to have a homey feeling, with rocking chairs and comfy couches. I'll have guest knitters visit and the site will have a blog. I've actually already scoped out the perfect location. It's the corner of a small strip mall, right next to a dance studio and a nail and hair salon. It's the perfect location for my new yarn shop.
Well, back to real life… I have to work today, fourteen hours! Most of it on my feet. It is an annual event at my job. That's why I needed new shoes! I never would have made it in my old shoes.
I had better get on with my day.
Fourteen hours! Ech! It's as bad as teaching…no, worse. At least when you're working 14 hours teaching, six or eight of those hours are spent grading, when you can sit down.
Yarn shop. Knitting…. You could actually make something like that go over on the east side, where there are a lot of retirement communities.
My mother could knit and crochet–she was very good at it. When she lived in Sun City there was a TG&Y (remember those? they were dime stores) that had yard goods and knitting supplies. That was where she bought all her yarn. When that place closed, there really wasn't any place left to buy yarn. Now that crocheting is back in style, though…you could not only cater to retired women with nothing to do but also to younger people. It's actually an interesting idea.
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I learned to crochet when I was five and taught myself to knit three or four years ago. Knitting is the rage… have you happened to notice all the knitting blogs? Knitting also uses less yarn. I am still most comfortable with crocheting having done it for forty years. 🙂 Yes, I remember TG&Y! Do you remember Thrifty ice cream being a nickel a scoop? I would LOVE to own a yarn shop. I'd also branch out to selling product on the Internet if I did it. There are a lot of yuppie-types in town, I think they'd go for it.
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