I'm still here

Hi everyone

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. It's been a rough ride, and the stress has been taking a toll on my health again. I've had more hair breakage & I'm not sleeping. I still have a pending court case. Sigh. I just wish the ex would complete everything now so we can both move on with our lives. I'm more than ready to move forward. I can close this case without court appearance if he just does what he's supposed to, but nothing is ever easy.

I also woke up to some bad news from my family this week. Not good & has me very worried. In typical family fashion (we're good at it), they're downplaying things, but I know it might be worse, otherwise they wouldn't have contacted me. So I've been up since 3 am again. Started my day talking to them and worrying some more. I feel like I've been running on empty for some time now. The problem with being a strong person is that everyone expects you to be there for them, but nobody ever asks how you are doing. Sometimes I just need someone to ask how I am, tell me that they care and/or give me a hug. Sorry, I'm just venting, cause (like my family) we don't put our problems or personal business out there for all the world to know. We're very private! I just put on my happy face and go about my business being there for others. I just need something good to happen for a change. 

What else is new in Goose land

• I almost made an offer on that house I viewed. It was near perfect, but my gut is still telling me no. I've broadened my search to a few more cities, because the housing market seems to be on pause again. I need to move!!! 
  
  
  
• Received my $40 Rakuten check 
  
  
  
• Received $5 KC that I let expire, because I didn't want to waste a trip to the mall to just redeem $5

• Bought my vanity when Wayfair had it reduced to $285. Then over the weekend, it was reduced by another 30! Ugh! I'm not upset though, since I paid with gcs. I love that they have no limit to the amount of gcs you can use per order. However, I decided to pay $50 with my CC. I figured it's better to dispute the charge if anything arrives broken/damaged. I still have $100 gcs left. I opened one package to see if the mirror was unharmed, but only saw wood pieces (ugh). I didn't want to take the whole thing apart to look for the mirror in the middle.  The ex wanted to leave my vanity on the porch and I said 'no way'. I told him to put it in the garage or shed, because I don't want it to get damaged when it rains. Wood swells when it gets wet (even I know that...lol). See why I need to move? I hate procrastination. I just want to get things done and live life again. 
  
  

• My car battery died. I was going to take the vehicle to the car wash, only to discover it won't start. So the ex charged the battery. He said to test it to see how it works otherwise I need a replacement. I hope I don't get stuck somewhere. I've had other problems with this car a few short years ago, so I hope nothing else goes wrong. 

• I was going to buy this Date night top with my $50 WHBM reward, but the item had so many mixed reviews about sizing. You forfeit your reward if you return anything you purchased with it, so I decided to pay cash for it. I sized down per reviews and it fits perfectly!! This top is sexyyyyyy!!! Holy cow! I didn't expect it to look & fit this good. Okay, it shows a little cleavage, but not too much. The downside is that I hate wearing strapless bras. I'm always worried that the bra will end up around my ankles...lol.  I tried the top with a regular bra and pushed the bra straps slightly off the shoulder to hide it & voila! Problem solved. I'll definitely use the detachable straps to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. Now I need to lose at least 10 lbs so I can comfortably fit my behind into my skinny jeans again. 
  
  Yep, I'm ready to go on a date. Okay, maybe I'll never be ready but as Joyce Meyer likes to say 'Do it afraid'. So I've decided that I'm just going to Do it, otherwise I might never work up the nerve/courage. I haven't been on a date in about 25 years. I don't even know the protocol. What do you do, say? What if the guy decides he doesn't like me. Do I cry at the table? Wait until I get to my car?...lol. Oh boy! Maybe I should go on a lunch date first, cause I don't have anyone to watch DS. I can't get a sitter to come to the house, cause the ex will complain and he'll refuse to watch DS. So lunch is probably my best bet, but DS is now home on Fridays too, so I have 4 days to go out. Oy vey. I'm really nervous, because I never did something like this before. In CT, I met men through business, at social events or through friends, so I already 'knew' them and/or what to expect. My life has changed a lot since moving here, so I'm not as confident as I was before. 
  
  
  
•  I then purchased 2 of my favorite poplin shirts (was on sale last week) and paid $12 OOP. Turns out I had another $5 reward in my account, so $55 free money. Then I received another $5 reward yesterday. I don't even know what all the rewards are for and I don't need anything else. Come on! I don't need any more clothes. Heck, I hardly go out to wear all my clothes. I need to get a life...lol
  
  

• Chicos sent me a $10 reward (dunno why), so I got this blouse. It is prettier than expected, especially for a free item. I love the paisley & floral sleeve accents. This blouse is so simple, but still makes a statement - just the way I like it!
  
  

• Purchased a pair of jeans & top with my Madewell reward and paid $5.28 OOP. The jeans retails for $128, so I'm not complaining about the OOP. 
  
  

• I've started taking DS to dinner on weekends. We haven't done this in years, so it was nice for us to get out again and he's happy. It was even nicer to be able to enjoy a craft beer again. It's kinda weird doing things on my own, because I've been dependent on the ex for so long. Baby steps. I have to keep reminding myself that I CAN do this. I don't have to be afraid of the unknown, because I'll never do anything if I continue to live my life in fear.

• Went to Ollies to look for new lunch boxes for DS and came home with bakeware instead (insert face palm emoji...lol). Well, Ollies had heavy duty Wilton bakeware (cookie sheets, loaf pans, cake pans, cooling racks) at really low prices (large cookie sheets are $6.99). I had a 15% off Q, so this worked out great. I bought a Wilton cookie sheet set at Target for $18 a few months ago & this thing is so flimsy. I researched this Ever Glide line and saw that it debuted in 2018. That explains the good quality, cause everything is so poorly made lately. 

Stopped at Target after dinner on Sunday (we didn't go anywhere fancy this time), because I had a $15/100 that was expiring and I'm on my last bottle of Tide (please excuse the crooked pic. I don't know how to straighten pic on my new computer)

6 x 90 oz Tide $77.94

3 x Old Spice Spray 22.17

1 x Old Spice b/w 7.39

1 x Razors 7.29

Less 15/100 (15.00)

Less Bic DQ (4.00)

Less OS Q (6.00)

Less $3 Tide DQ (3.00)

Tax 4.49

OOP $91.28 Paid with gc

Earned $25 GC (2 x $10 Tide, $5 OS) + $14.10 Ibotta ($6 OS spray, $3 OS b/w, $5 Razor, 10c any item) and submitted for $15 PG rebate. 

Total earned $54.10

I decided to just use one of those discounted Target gcs I bought last year, since I'm only $12 short of my $1k Christmas savings. It's only May, so I can easily make up for it. Saved me from spending more OOP. 

My Target only had 1 Captain spray, so I had to get a different brand. I added the b/w, since it had a $3 Ibotta rebate. It actually smells good. Not nearly as good as the Captain, but it will do. The Deep Sea smells okay. Not bad, but not something I'll buy again.  I sense a theme here - Captain, Deep Sea, Harbor...lol. This is right up my alley, cause I grew up by the ocean. 

That's about it for me right now. I'll try to write again later this week.

Have a wonderful week peeps!

Quick check in

Hi everyone

I'm still here. Thank you to Lori & Teresa for checking up on me. I really appreciate it. I'm currently in the middle of a legal battle with the ex. This is something that could have been avoided, so I'm really mad about it. It's costing me a lot of money right now. We all know that lawyers don't come cheap. I have to deal with 2 different types of lawyers. Next week is my week for lawyers appointments.

I also have an appointment with my realtor to go view a house tomorrow. The house is really nice & fairly new. Again, over my budget and has a sink in the middle of the kitchen, but at this point, I'm just ready to move. Actually, I'm more than ready to move. I really like this house. It's not far from here and everything is modern, but I just don't have peace about it. My gut is saying no, but I'm determined to go check out that house...lol  Oh boy. The housing market is heating up, but the ones I usually like are over budget. I'm willing to pay a little bit more (not too much) if I find the right house though.

On top of that, the washer's not working right. Ugh! We haven't even had this thing for 2 years. The previous one (a GE. Do yourself a favor & stay away from this brand) didn't even last 3 months. So we bought a Speed Queen that has worked great, but won't rinse now. I've done some research, the ex checked for ways to fix it and I'm coming up with the same answer - the filter needs to be cleaned (I've seen several people mention this. Looks like it's a common problem with the newer washers - different brands) He said he already did that and a tech is bringing a new valve next week. So I've been washing a load, then haul it upstairs to rinse in the bathtub (I tried filling the washer with water, but it won't hold), then haul everything downstairs to spin. I'm buying myself a non-digital washer when I move. I seriously don't want this headache again. All the newer digital things don't work. We actually have a digital LG dryer (probably 6-8 years old) that still works great. It seems that the newer pandemic stuff is the problem. If anyone has a newer washer that works great, please let me know the brand & model in the comments. I just need to find something that works well. TIA. 

So, I'm in the middle of packing and it made me realise that I don't need any more clothes. I filled 3 of those 27 gallon containers with just clothes from my spare closet. That is just crazy! That's just clothes. I haven't even packed any of my shoes yet & there's a lot. I just left some clothes in both closets for use now. It's actually enough clothes to fill a normal person's closet, but it feels so empty to me. Oh boy! I need to buy more containers soon. I actually like packing this way. I just lift all the clothes (hangers & all) and small piles in half. Then place inside large trash bags (in case something spills or gets wet), then into the container. When I have to unpack, I can just pull our a bag at a time and hang. Easy peasy. I've been dropping off bags of stuff at the recycling bins every week (it's closer than driving to the thrift store and I can go at any time). The thrifts are getting lots of my designer purses and clothes. 

As I was cleaning out my closet, I found a brand new bottle of my favorite perfume. I have completely forgotten about it. I've been using designer perfume since I started high school. When Target had a big sale on it (holiday season before the pandemic), I bought 2. I'm still using the other one, but forgot that I had this one. I was really surprised to see it at Target, because it's only ever been available at the high end department stores. Then they changed the fragrance name and I got a new bottle at Macy's about 2 years ago. Then the new fragrance was discontinued too and I was so happy that I scored my bottle. Now I'm even happier, because I now have 2 (3.4 oz) bottles. I've been using this fragrance for about 25 years and was sad to learn that it's discontinued. 

You'd think I can take a break from shopping, but stores keep sending me more & more rewards. How the heck am I supposed to say no. I received 3 Half Birthday rewards this week. I've never heard of such a thing, but I'll take the free money. Happy half birthday to me...lol Here's what I got

• WHBM - $50 Bday reward
• Soma - $5 Bday reward - too little to use, since I don't get free shipping 
• Madewell - $15 Bday reward 
• Kohls - $5 monthly KC

I need to make a list again, because JCP just sent me an email to say I have a $10 reward expiring soon. Totally forgot about that. I have a Nordstrom reward as well and I'm pretty sure there was something else. I need to check.

• I purchased a new Sam's membership for $10 during their 40th birthday celebrations. The ex is the main member on our old membership, so I couldn't switch it to my name. This couldn't have happened at a better time, cause our old membership expires at the end of the month.

• My CC sent me a $10 credit offer if I switch to digital statements. I might take them up on that offer, except I'm not good at remembering to print digital statements. It's so much easier for me to just open snail mail and file my statements. 

• I'm on a drugstore hiatus, but did a Wags run last week. They sent me a $20 WYS $40 booster and I had a $7 WYS $25 makeup booster. Say no more, cause I needed new nail polish. I always paint my toenails during summer. I bought 2 Dove b/w, 4 Loreal lipsticks, 4 S Hansen nail polish, 1 Loreal cleanser. Paid $30.xx OOP and earned $27 rewards. 
  
  
• The day after I spent my $18 BC, RA sent me a $8/40 Q. Then today I saw that I have $5 BC again from the monthly challenges. So much for taking a drugstore break. 

• Visited the dentist on Tuesday and they told me that my teeth are super clean. Yay! My cleaning didn't even take much time, but I spent an hour at the dentist office. The guy who did the x-rays didn't know how to do his job. Sigh. Then I had to wait a long time for the dentist to come talk to me.  Then came the bad news. I need a filling for the small cavity I have. That's going to cost over $200. I know that I need the filling. My teeth are sensitive to cold, so I can feel a sting whenever something cold hits that tooth. I told them I'll call for an appointment, because I have so much going on now & here's just another expense. I'm just gonna go pick some $$$ from that money tree in the backyard. 

• Ordered a Wayfair gc with my CC points. They haven't had any good discounted gcs in a while, but when I checked this morning there was a whole bunch of them at 10% off. However, the Wayfair was 15% off and I need a few furniture items from them. So I ordered the gc and combined with those Wags MM ones I bought last year, I now have enough to pay for the vanity I have my eye on. I'm not crazy about the knobs/handles, but that can easily be replaced. I'm not getting the vanity for makeup. I mainly want it for the drawers (storage) & mirror. I'm not crazy about a dresser and I don't like a chest of drawers. 

I apologise for venting. I'm a smooth sailing kinda girl. I just want to get everything done so I can move on with my life. I just keep reminding myself that 'This too shall pass' & that God still has great plans for my future. I'm looking forward to it!

I might not be able to post regularly, but I will check in from time to time. 

Have a wonderful weekend peeps!