Well, that didn't take long

Although we knew in March that my chapter 13 was almost paid off, we had to keep making payments until it was officially discharged. That meant over-paying by a certain amount. That amount wasn't clear until Friday, when we got the refund in the mail.

In the meantime, we decided that whatever the amount, we would allow ourselves to spend it, all of it, on anything we wanted.

When the check came we divvied up the money.

My share is already gone. I spent it in just four days. It nearly drove me crazy having that cash. I considered buying a DSLR camera, a new cell phone, an HDTV for the bedroom, and/or a sewing machine.

What did I end up buying? First, Court and I went together on a Wii, (including the Wii Fit and Wii Sports). We've been wanting one since they first came out, but the cost was always out of reach until now.

I suck at video games, so I am sure to suck at Wii. But if it will help me lose weight, then I don't care how bad I suck at it. I want to look good naked and I'm willing to do what it takes to get there (short of liposuction).

Even with that purchase, I still had a fair amount of money left over. The pressure to spend it was killing me.

So I did something a little crazy. I bought a banjo. It's a used banjo of course; new ones cost a small fortune. Beginning next month, I'll be taking lessons every Tuesday afternoon with Warren at East Jesus Music. I'm really psyched about it.

I'm glad the money is spent. Now I can go back to complaining about my allowance.

I keep coming here looking for a new post

Then I snap out of it and realize I need to write a new post if I want to see one.

I haven't had much of a muse for blogging.

The truth is, I haven't felt particularly well. I've seen my doctor and we're working on a few things. I'll see her again in a month for a more thorough assessment.

Emotionally, I've had some really bad days lately. This is to be expected, I suppose, given that my brain is adjusting to no antidepressants. On a bad day I'm not nice to be around, and I know it. I'm hoping this rough patch is just a phase of my withdrawal.

Yesterday was Amanda's last day of school. I've never been so happy to see a school year end. Though she just completed 10th grade I'll be enrolling her at the community college in the fall as a regular freshman. She tested into college English and math, so she's good to go. By the time her high school classmates are getting their diplomas, she will have, hopefully, completed her first two years of college. I hope it's a good move for her. High school just wasn't working out.

In other good news, my chapter 13 bankruptcy, stemming from my first marriage and subsequent divorce, was discharged (paid in full) on June 1. I am debt free. I cannot describe how free that feels.

Reality bites

So, we got the long awaited call yesterday. And I'm all excited, because there's something in it for me. Court promised that if she got the job, my monthly allowance would get a boost.

As it became clear over the past several weeks that she would make the final cut, I'd been pondering all the ways I might spend my monthly windfall.

Imagine my disappointment when I learned that the extent of my bonus will be a whopping $10 raise.

So much for quarter-less trips to the deli.

I am blessed

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Vacationing Dave Ramsey style

Take a look at the cash cache for the three weeks the kids are with us:

Everything is done with cash in this household, including vacations. The cash budgeted for each of our various activities while the kids stay with us has its own envelope.

Court broke in a new teller at our bank. This one barely masked her contempt as we withdrew more than $2K in cash, with Court requesting the money in specific denominations, including 249 one-dollar bills.

The teller needed more than 20 minutes to count out the withdrawal. Customers behind us in line FUMED.

I just chuckled.