19
Jan
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 11 Comments
My emotional connection to money, loans, debt and the interplay with relationships has changed so drastically that I feel a certain discomfort with the situation
This whole get-out-of-debt nonsense has really screwed me up, you know that? I mean, really. When was the last time someone handed you $2,000 and you said, “no, thanks”?
Not long ago I mentioned some freelance work coming up. It’s a fun, challenging project, but one for which there has been little time lately.
It is for a dear friend and is not on a strict deadline. Nonetheless, I want to get it done sooner rather than later. I am shooting for the end of February. It should net around $3,000 toward our debt and I look forward to making that payment. …continue reading
6
Nov
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 7 Comments
I remind myself to speak clearly and honestly without hidden agendas both at work and home.
I cringed as my phone rang at work. It was a call from a colleague, Larry, who has an amazing ability to suck time and air from any situation.
“Hey, what computer is 172.168.00.55? Is it important?”
That’s the LDAP, our directory server, the most important computer in the place. Why do you ask?
“Someone left a page up in here and it’s down.”
Someone left a page up in here and it’s down. I don’t understand what that means.
“I’m in the office and there’s a screen up with a bunch of of computers on it and they all have green dots except that one, it has a red dot and says ‘not connected’.”
I’m like, you’re freaking kidding me, right. …continue reading
21
Oct
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 5 Comments
Last night I swear I saw the emotional switch connecting work to money flip…
This Summer we got more serious about our backyard garden than ever before. Most everything we planted actually grew too.
Peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, cantaloupe, basil, rosemary, chives, blackberries and holy-crap-it’s-trying-to-take-over-the-world mint. That stuff sends out runners and pops up everywhere!
The best part was watching the kids experience the joy of planting, watering, watching. Seeing those first little leaves poke out of the ground. Finally eating the harvest.
For their fifth birthday we planted a few new seeds of our own. Like it or not, our kids are along for the debt-free ride. …continue reading
1
Oct
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 8 Comments
We have 15 years to get our act together and I mean really together.
Halloween may still be a month away, but there’s a whole lot of death going around in our home.
Not so much death-death as death-talk; as in, how big a party does The Wife get to have when I croak? Turns out, if I get walloped by a bus it’s going to be a huge one!
In my last post I talked about finally getting our wills done. Sticking with our theme, today I sent off my first life insurance premium. Now if, in the next 15 years, I wake up on the wrong side of the dirt The Wife gets at least $900,000 …continue reading
4
Aug
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 6 Comments
The Wife went so far as to fill out applications at Home Depot and Barnes and Noble, but balked when I asked if that was really what she thought she was put on this planet to do.
It was chilly this morning. Finally. After weeks over 100F we were due for a little cooling off.
I opened all the west-facing windows to tempt the cool air in while I packed lunch, made coffee and thought about a conversation The Wife and I had last night on the back porch.
Is it a business or a hobby? What’s best for our family? When is it time to say “when”? Who should we ask for guidance?
Six years ago The Wife took a leap, left a desk job and opened her own business: a fitness studio. She had a passion for the work and it showed. Clients loved coming to her and the first year was a success. …continue reading
9
Jul
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 10 Comments
If only he had looked back. A huge smile burst across my face like a badge of honor…
The huge spot of missing hair you chopped off with kitchen shears in kindergarten, a pimple on the end of your nose as a teenager, the dent along the side of the car in college… some days we all plod-on hoping against, but nonetheless awaiting, the inevitable: someone to notice and say it out loud.
Living like no one else, paying off debt, spending less than one makes, all of it is supposed to garner a certain amount of ridicule and contempt. Yet thus far I found it almost easy to live with a plan, cut up the cards and look forward to a day of freedom from debt.
Today I finally got made fun of! …continue reading
