Money and a House

So, I really, really, really want to buy a house. The trouble? I spend money like a wild fire. I don't even have anything to show for it most of the time either. James is my complete opposite and that is the reason we have kept our checking accounts separate. Even though he pays most of our household bills, he still finds a way to save money. I love him and evny him for it. I know I drive him crazy even though he never says anything to me about it.

It is time for me to stop spending. Here's my plan... most of my bills are paid automatically through my checking account so we are going to continue to let that happen. However, after all my bills are paid, I've bought groceries and put gas in my car, I have to write James a check for the remainder of the money. Yep, that's right, no more extra money in my account. Trust me, I'd die without a little bit of free money. To compensate for that, I am going to limit myself to $300 in CASH a month. Oh Nelly, that's the part that is going to be hard. I have to budget out what I want to spend my money on again and relearn to tell myself "No". I have to learn that I can't buy absolutely EVERYTHING that I want. It scares me to think what I've already taught my little woman about earning something instead of getting right away.

My motivation for all this is going to have to come from constantly reminding myself that I want to buy a house, and before the year's end. If we buy before the end off 2009, we will get the $8,000 tax credit. I think that is more than we owed total last year! James has awesome credit but mine is still suffering a bit from when I went through my divorce. So in order for all this to work out, we need to pay off about $3500 in my debt to bump up my credit score and save some money for a down-payment. Holy moly do we have our work cut out for us! Actually, holy moly do I have my work cut out for me!

For obvious reasons, my husband has absolutely no faith in me. But if this little plan works, we could have a new house by Christmas and an extra $8,000 a few short months later. My car lease is going to expire next summer. That $8,000 will just about pay off the balance. A new house and a paid off car that I love?!?! I am totally game for that. I think I'm going to have post little sticky notes all over my house, car and wallet to keep myself on track!
~Andrea

The Baby Story so far...

So, there are a few stories I am going to need to tell to support future stories. I suppose I'll start with the pregnancy story.

Starting from the beginning, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) when I was 15. It means that I have a imbalance of certain sex hormones. This causes my follicles to not develop and rather to build up into little cysts on my ovaries. It is characterized by symptoms such as weight problems, acne, unwanted facial hair and, you guessed it, fertility issues.

So, how does this all relate to now? Well, we want a baby and it doesn't seem to be happening. I am just about to start my second month of fertility drugs. The first month was a complete failure. My doctor has me taking a drug called Clomid to help me ovulate. She warned me that I have a chance of getting pregnant with multiples because the drug generally works so well. Not so much in my world. Not only did it not help me ovulate but I didn't end up growing a lining nor did any of my follicles mature.

I have to confess that from the beginning of the "trying to get pregnant" adventure, my heart hasn't totally been into it. James was the driving force behind it. I went along with it because I see what a fantastic dad he is to Katie and I truly believe that he deserves to be a dad both biologically and to experience it from birth on. I had no idea how incredibly heart-breaking it would be to hear the doctor tell me the drugs didn't work. I was shocked to feel my body break down into sobs when I got to the solace of my bedroom. I've decided that maybe I really do want to have another child but the past is stopping me, scaring me. Perhaps the past is the next story I need to tell. Perhaps I'll be able to to let some things go then....
~Andrea

Life Spices huh?

My husband has always told me that writing sooths my soul. Don't tell him but he's right. I have a few reasons to start this blog. One is to give myself a place to "get it all out". The other reason is a bit more personal. Many know we are trying to have a baby. Many don't know why it is taking so long! It's hard to physically talk about all of that so this is going to be where you can find out whats going on 'cause I'm probably not going to talk about it with you!
I love to cook and I'm getting pretty good at it too. Spices are what make a dish memorable. I think life is that way too. Our experiences, good and bad, are what make our lives memorable. So with that said, welcome to the spices of my life!
~Andrea