What?! It’s Wednesday?!
Aw, crap. Well, this week has been somewhat busy. Actually, no, I lied. A lot busy. I mean, I’ve been working. Which is good, because money is always needed. So there’s that. Mostly, I just haven’t had much to write about.
I made strawberry jam. It is as delicious as it looks. 
What else am I supposed to say when I’m waiting for the VA to get me in through their appointment system? I know it takes awhile in the beginning. The new patient appointments always take forever. And then once you’re in? You’re in. So that’ll be something.
Mostly I’ve just been trying to keep my head above water, de-cluttering the house and keeping up with working. De-cluttering feels amazing. Especially when you finally take the “stuff” out of the house. I’m finding things I haven’t seen in months and going, “Wow. Why did I have that again?”
My rule of thumb for de-cluttering is generally that if I haven’t used it within the last three months, it gets tossed. This, of course, is a rule only broken if it’s a seasonal item – clothing, Hanukkah and other holiday decorations – or a personal memento. I’m still working on some setup to display said personal mementos, since my parents are going through what they’ve kept and are sending my childhood things to me. Which is nice. I know there’s a lot of people who would say, “What?! They’re not keeping that stuff to remember you by?!” I live 253 miles away. If they stop remembering me, I think we’ve got bigger problems than my Mother not keeping a soccer trophy from ’92.
Oh, my gosh. It was that long ago?
Now I feel old. So I’m going to go drown my sorrows in some wine.
Because I’m well beyond old enough to drink.
Military Monday: Furniture for (Almost) Free
It’s a mantra I hear I don’t know how many times.
I’m using our tax return for furniture.
We got the credit card so we could afford the new [insert furniture here] we needed for [insert guest / child / self here].
And I’m not here to bash on anybody who does buy new furniture. Good on you. But think about your budget – particularly those of us who are in the military. Which is why I’m filing this under my Military Monday posts. Think about budget.
What are you spending money on that you shouldn’t be?
What debt do you have right now?
Don’t you think that your tax return would be better served clearing out your debt? Even if it’s getting rid of a car note or paying down a little further on your STAR card. I’m coming to the realization that if we need to use “invisible money” (credit cards) to buy something? We probably don’t need it. What about saving that money for a rainy day? Remember all those debt crises where we were all worried we wouldn’t get paid? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cushion of money to fall back on in case we wind up not getting paid for a month? I bet it would. It’s time we military families get our finances straight. That way we can stand up to Congress and tell them how wrong it is to not pay us instead of screaming about this, that, and the other bill. Maybe we wouldn’t have so many bills to worry about if we cut some of those credit cards and car notes and other loans.
So. If you’re looking to avoid the furniture store, what are your options?
Craigslist or Freecycle.
Our recliner just broke the other night. The back snapped off and it was completely unusable. So, of course, we went out straight away and got a new one.
Nice, huh? Looks new, in fact. It’s massive in comparison to our old one. And it’s suuper comfy.
Wanna know how much we paid? I bet you’re dying to know.
You ready to hear it?
$40.
That’s it. $40 and I went to pick it up in the truck. That’s it! And who’s to know that it’s not new? Nobody except us. And it is new – to us. So who else’s opinion matters, really?
Not only is it cheaper, it’s greener. I didn’t do any more driving around in the truck than I normally would have that day. And instead of buying new – which condones the use of even more energy to create new pieces of furniture – I’m saving a piece from the landfill.
I’m not trying to blow my own green horn here, but really, the benefits are all around when you’re sourcing from new-to-you instead of new-from-factory.
And did I mention that recliner was only $40? And Freecycle explains itself: everything is free! You get rid of stuff you don’t need that someone else does, and you can find things you’re looking for, for free!
NOTE: While I endorse Craigslist and Freecycle, I also highly endorse the use of common sense. Please don’t meet anyone for items in a place where you do not feel comfortable and do not go alone if you can manage it. Keep safety number one in light of past events.
Of course, if you’re feeling really ambitious, you could always invest in a piece like this…
Yep. That’s my bed. How much do you think it cost?
$200 and two days of work. Two days because of waiting for the stain to dry.
That’s it! You can find DIY build plans all over the internet! And lumber? Not as expensive as you might think! Of course, you could always use reclaimed lumber, but we actually made this bed in a real hurry because we were sleeping on the floor at the time.
So… you have a choice.
Spend all your money. Save nothing.
Or get creative.
For the long run? I’m voting for getting creative. 
Changes of Plan
I’m ultimately feeling better now that the MSG is out of my system, and thank goodness for that. I had quite the episode last night and I thought for sure I was going to go into a seizure. Luckily, I managed to not seize. Thank goodness for that. So today is all about what else is going on with me.
Recently, I made the decision to go for my Master’s Degree. I graduate with my Bachelor’s in PR & Marketing in April – which is right around the corner, ohmigosh – and I wanted to continue onward with my education. I just wasn’t sure what. At the time, Ashford University only offered a few online Master’s degrees. So at first, I thought I was going to continue on with them and achieve my Master’s in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Not a bad path, but one about which I wasn’t 100% passionate.
Then I found another college offering an online Master’s in Jewish Liberal Studies. That’s more up my alley, being a Jewish woman. Unfortunately, I was running into stumbling blocks getting together paperwork, and as time went on, I found myself questioning what, exactly, I was going to do with that particular Master’s degree. There was some work I wanted to do, which was great, and I was content.
Until, on a whim, I started searching again. Just to see. I’ve been recently coaching a lot of people with their nutrition based on my own knowledge and research, as well as helping people with modifications to their yoga practices to compensate for beginner learners dealing with intermediate to advanced programs, or people with physical limitations.
I found a Master’s, completely online, in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. During which, I can choose my electives to where I can focus on nutrition. After which? I plan on moving on to becoming certified as a Nutrition Counselor. I have never before been more excited to learn science and never before been so thrilled that it’s all just clicking into place! I’m actually excited about this and absolutely cannot wait for May, when I’m scheduled to start – yep, I’ve already started the paperwork and been accepted!
So, hopefully, in a little over a year or so? I’ll be signing this blog: LinLori, CNC
