Happy Sunday!

How are you all doing today? I hope you are all doing well. This weekend, I planned on having a mental health weekend. Full of writing and binge-watching YouTube videos. Saturday, I did sleep in, but today, I woke up with a determination. I made biscuits to use during the week. Then, I thought, why not make pita bread and soft rolls to go with meals during the week? I made both yeast doughs and set them to rise. However, neither dough got a good rise. I have made these recipes so often that there should not have been an issue. Thankfully, the rolls did rise enough after I shaped them so the dough did not go to waste. The pita bread ended up being flat bread in the end. Am I complaining? Not at all, because we will eat it all. Also, I did gift some to a friend who loves my baking. The only thing that we thought that could have affected the dough was the humidity, which was seventy percent.

While I made the biscuits and baked them, I made three salads to use as sides for dinner tonight or lunches the next few days. I made coleslaw, macaroni ranch, and tomato cucumber. I will be posting these recipes later this week! Earlier this week, we had made a turkey. So yesterday, I put the carcass and bits into a crock pot covered with water and let that go on high for twenty-four hours. I love fresh stock. This stock was rich with flavor, and I ended up with two-quart jars, a salsa jar, and a pasta sauce jar full of broth. I did not pressure cook these for long-term storage because I will use them for cooking meals during the week. Then I picked the bones clean, and the dogs got a large container of turkey bits to eat for dinner during the week. 

With the cost of food, I have been doing everything I can to ensure no food waste. What about you all? What steps have you taken to stop food waste and make things last longer in your home? 

I hope you all have a great upcoming week. Blessings to you all.

Why Thank You IRS (Sarcasm Intended)

Many do not know I work from home. Technically, I am an Independent Contractor. I love what I do! The pay is typical, but I do have to pay my taxes out of pocket. Yesterday, I had to do my federal taxes, and thank heavens that I did not have to pay state tax because of living in Florida. Willingly, I pay my taxes, but I think it's so unfair that I get dinged for not having health insurance and for being a self-employed worker. How are people supposed to make it through life in this economy with the government charging us an arm and a leg for working for ourselves? I know it sounds like I am complaining, but I am not. I will gladly pay the tax because I do suffer from anxiety, and working from home does help. But, people in my position should not have to worry about extra taxes and working so we can have a mentally stable day. Just my rant this morning. Blessings everyone!

Getting Out Of A Financial Mess

When I married my Ex-Husband, I was young and stupid. He and his Mom told me I needed to listen to the financial advice that they were giving. I was so foolish to listen. Why?

When we were married, his mother had suggested that only one of us take on the debt so the other could build their credit up in case we got behind. Since I was the one who took the kids to the doctor's and handled everything in the house, that burden became mine. When I say burden, I mean everything, but the mortgage, water, and gas bills were in my name. I am not complaining about being a Mom or handling things with my kids. I am not. I am stating I was foolish to put all the bills in my name, which my ex would push off as he was the only one working as I was a stay-at-home mom. 

Admittedly, my debt is horrible, which includes loans I had to take out to get me and my kids into a place to live after my Ex cost us our home. We were robbing Peter to pay Paul. After going through counseling, I finally learned this was a form of financial abuse that started from day one of our marriage. It is also not uncommon for this to happen in marriages.

Five years later, I am slowly chipping away at the debt and trying to build up my credit score. I have seriously considered bankruptcy but decided against that. All while my ex-husband has new cars and a brand new mortgage. Am I bitter? Not anymore. I could not afford the divorce and made him pay for it. But for him to pay for it, I had to agree that all of his debt was his and all of my debt was mine. All those bills we accumulated during our marriage are now mine.

Why am I even making this post? Because I hear so many people say, "I cannot afford to end a relationship financially."

Trust me, I get it. It is hard. I am slowly paying off my debt, which is a lot. When you add my student loans and back taxes due to my job, I know I have a long way to go. Remember, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Even if you pay a small amount at a time, it is better than nothing.

Here are some ways I am paying off my debt and getting myself out of this issue. I complete survey sites activities to earn a few extra dollars to pay the debt off faster. If anyone is interested, you can go to our page Help In Life, for a list of the sites that I used to earn some extra money.

I am a testament that things will work out. Knowing I am struggling now, but that does not mean things will not get better. Stay strong. everyone better days are ahead of us.