In the RED

I am one of those people who has to watch every penny I spend and I struggle for every damn dime. One of the gifts the Ex left me with.....NOTHING. I didn't grow up learning how to make and save my money. My mother was a great teacher of how to spend the money. My father was a great teacher of how to make me happy by giving me money! Love my Dad :). So now at my age I am trying hard to learn to budget. Well, I should have been budgeting LONG ago, but alas there was always someone to rescue me. Not so much anymore.

I got the basics down - the regular things like the car, the mortgage, heat etc....But its the things that surprise me - things for the kids, sports needs, the new spring coat, cute new red shoes, the whatevers. My bank account is always dangerously in the red zone every week. I think I am okay and someone buys an Itunes song for .99 cents and the bank charges me $37 for insufficient funds or I need gas for car. Don't get me started on banks right now. The bank won't give me credit at this point of my life. BUT...they will let me charge on my debit/credit card even if there is no money there.

Being single needs its own line item on said budget - manicures, pedicures, evenings out, outfits for such evenings, wine, wine and plenty of wine. RED wine that is! Therein lies my latest problem, its Thursday and payday is tomorrow which is good. I am afraid to look at my account to see how RED it is. I think its a deep dark red and if it is....the bank will suck all of my paycheck into itself and there will be nothing left for ME or the bills. I can't seem to get out of this hell of RED every week....its a vicious circle, once your in you can't escape.

Hey this morning I found one of those gold dollar coins in the couch! I have one more couch to check...who knows what lurks beyond those cushions. Maybe its a sign my color is turning to GOLD!!