Thanksgiving

It has been one crazy year, my posts are proof. I won't rehash it all! This year I'm so thankful for my job. It is by far the most difficult job I've ever had, but with the support of my supervisors and their confidence in my abilities sure does help. Despite what most of my fellow co-workers think of me, I'm going to continue to do my job to the best of my ability. It's almost like my supervisors are aware how my co-workers feel about me and they're making themselves more available to me. Even with all this going on, I am thankful for my job.

I have to give a shout to someone closer for all their support of me in my struggle to get back on my feet, both emotionally and financially. Without this person holding up the tent, I would have been lost in the crowd. Thanks!!!! I will continue to try make you proud and stay out of the dog house! :)

Thankful for my current place to live and the opportunity to get on my feet financially enough to get into a place of my own, one I can find a afford each month. Our work schedules allow us to have time alone and we see each other on the weekends.

The most shocking thing to me is that I'm getting paid tomorrow and I don't even have to work. Plus, I have paid days off coming to me that I also have to take or I'll loose those hours next year. So, today I will try to figure out days I would like to take off and put in my requests on friday. The nice thing, I'll know within a few minutes if that works or not and try different day off. Still trying to get the 26th off after Christmas so I can go do my shopping for myself. I like to shop for my clothes on that day, because everything is 60% or more off.

Everyone Have a Fabulous Thanksgiving tomorrow and remember to have fun, within reason if you're traveling in any shape or form. Hugs

Sad today

My confidence is pretty well shaken and feeling pretty down today. Mostly confused on why I get treated so strangely when I'm nice and respectful to everyone without any side intensions or asking for anything in return. I'm really confused. So tired of everything I do being wrong and being judged by people who I have the upmost respect for. I don't get it! Everyone is laughing at me and I don't know why. I do work well as a team player, I'm helpful only when asked, and yet they see me as a problem and I don't understand why. I enjoy my job and I work with a great bunch of people and yet they don't care for me in the least. What a shame!

I know my mind thinks differently and I'm on a different plane from everyone else and that is why I try so hard to treat everyone with respect and on an equal plane. Not on the same plane as myself, but respecting them for who they are as a human being.

Update 11/20/2011; I'm doing better today with a small plan to just keep my head down and not make small talk. It won't be easy considering that if I didn't talk with my co-workers I wouldn't living where I'm living now. I worked with her for 5 days and she turned out to be a good friend. Thanks for allowing me to vent.

Gross Income Percentage

Okay, in doing some research on this whole house search game and looking at qualifications local offices have for low income home buyers. And I did the math of what they want. They want anywhere between 25% to 33% of the gross income towards the mortgage payment. Well, If I could afford that number on the net side, I would have a descent rental up the street from where I'm currently located. On a duel income, that number wouldn't hurt so bad. My gross income is $2000/mo, 33% is $660 - $1600 (net) = $940.00. I would have to pay utilities, car insurance, cell & net, credit card payment and what ever was left would go to food and gas. Now, if the percentage was lowered for single income folks to 20%, that would put additional $260 in my pocket and take my left over net fund to $1200.00. I wouldn't be "house rich and cash poor" and it would be a huge benefit to all businesses around me because I would have more money to put into the economy. Now, I haven't done the math of the bigger picture, but I have a feeling that it would go along way towards feeding the overall economy. My only plan to get it changed would be on any future home purchases, lower the GIP on the mortgage requirements on single income to 20% and 30% on duel income. That would allow the new home owners to breath more easily knowing that they can afford their new home on the monthly basis and actually make ends meet. Yes, it would change the amount of the mortgage everyone could get, but it would mean that everyone would get a house they can actually afford, not one that is outside of their means. Those payments include insurance, taxes and interest. So, the $400 x 12 x 30yr doesn't = $144,000.00. It's closer to $90,000.00 or less. So, in my effort to keep my payments down to where I want them to be, my mortgage would be closer to $80k or less. I'm not one to give up easily or settle for something I don't want. I can't say for sure I would be looking at the 33%, but I could be looking at the average of the two.

An added note; in 2009, I was pre-approved for a USDA loan for 92k. :)

Renting vs. Ownership

Well, I'm to the point where I don't want to be a renter any more. I don't want to pay hard earned money on dumps that never see any descent TLC. I don't want to pay hard earned money on utilities due to 20 year old appliances, shitty windows and no insulation. I don't want to put hard earned money and time into making improvements where it only benefits the owner. When I owned my camper trailers, I made improvements on them for Me. I replaced water lines, updated the power system, took care of the roof and countless other items. I've been looking at places I can afford to rent and find that no one should be living in these places. Some of these places aren't even fit for storage. The others I can afford don't allow pets of any kind and I have to have a furry face to come home too and pull me out of bed in the morning. I don't know how I will make this happen without getting in over my head, but with all the different options out there, one of them will work for me. I'm aware that they look at the gross income, but I won't allow them to make my payment on that number, but only on the net income. My effort to not be house rich and cash poor. I don't know how soon this will happen, but it will happen. I don't want to be a renter anymore!!!!!

Food & Health

I eat pretty well and over the past few years, I have made so many adjustments to my food choices, nothing helped me feel very good. I'm finding that I'm hungry! My regular calorie intake has completely changed this week and finding I'm starving. So, I building a stash of 'pretty' healthy foods in my desk at work. Still eating a high fiber foods, but I need so much more. I don't eat high fat foods, but I'm discovering I'm hungry. This may seem lame or silly, but I've been dealing with this for 5 years. An interesting part about this is I saw an article on the net yesterday that actually says that Probiotics can be a huge help for IBS symptoms. The more I stressed on stuff, whether it's work issues or life, the worse I felt and the more uncomfortable I became. I would get to a point where I wanted to hide. And I've had some stressful moments at work this week and my body issues never came to mind. I'm off to work and will think more on this and add more later.

There are foods that I still can't have, but I'm thrilled that I can have other foods again. IBS can be life changing in the struggle to figure out what works, helps, calms and what doesn't. Money spent in trial and error. Pages of notes tracking the results, good and bad. There is no magic pill for this, it's all through trial and error on the individual basis. Probiotics so far works for me and may not help others.

IBS Issues

Okay, I was going to wait 30 days before I posted this, but can't wait that long. Day 3 of taking a probiotic in the level of 15 billion and my life has completely changed. I had no clue on how bad I felt. My biggest issue with IBS is crazy gas after everything I ate. Well, it's like night and day, before and after. These weren't little girl gas issues, these were gas issues that would make your brother blush! LOL

I had a good conversation with a lady who worked the vitamin department in a health food store and she handed me a 30-day supply of a refrigerated probiotic. And told me I could take the lower level after I get all those taken. She told me after taking an antibiotic, my body doesn't replace the good germs, thus taking the probiotic to replace all the ones lost. My gas issues have gone from all the time down to just the necessary time the body needs to make room!!!!!!!!!

Now, I'm going to be disappointed if my issues come back with all the new found needed germs, but I guess I will deal with that later. Right now, I'm loving the fact that I can enjoy eating again and even my foods I changed to reduce all my gassy issues. I've been adding more fiber to my diet thinking it would help but it didn't. I wasn't any more gassy, but it didn't help to reduce the issue. Adding fiber is one of the ways to reduce the symptoms for some, but not me. My fiber intake was any where between 12 grams to 25 grams. But for me, Probiotics is my new friend.

Hope that helps someone who is SICK and TIRED of feeling like poopoo all the time.

12/16/11: I got my gas back on the probiotics above, so the new stuff I'm taking is in liquid form and it seems to help if taken before bed on an empty tummy. It tastes nasty, but it seems to help.