I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 27 years, disabled daughter, college-aged son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!So it is official, DH is working 28 days straight, then will come home for a week and then he may have to work an extra week again after that. But the two extra weeks are guaranteed now. So I won't see him until the 27th, when normally he would have been home today.
That will give us an extra $5250 net this month. I am planning on spending in this order:
$5250
- 700 car repair
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$4550
- 302 2 new twin mattresses for the kids
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$4248
- 400 new car music system
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$3848 to remaining credit card debt
I don't think it is going to cost $400 for the music system, though. The simple CD player/radio I want is around $100. I am allowing $300 for installation fee, but I don't think its anywhere near that. But whatever is left will go to the EF.
DH may very well get 2 or 3 more extra weeks between now and Christmas. There is a huge backlog of work due to the first guy quitting. So he is doing his own regular two weeks in the field engineer position and then in his extra weeks he is either training or helping with the backlog in his old position, but at his new rate of pay. Works for me. Especially if it means this card might be paid off by year's end and not with next years tax return. Sure would love that.
Breakdown for Extra Pay
September 13th, 2007 at 12:12 am
September 13th, 2007 at 12:43 am 1189644184
I assume from this post that your husband leaves for weeks at a time and then comes home for a few weeks before leaving again. I would like to ask you, if it is not too personal, how does that effect (or is it affect..I never get that right) your marriage?
The reason I am asking is because when I get married in January, if I haven't found a telecommuting job I will be keeping my same job that is a 2.5 hour commute each way. I'm thinking of keeping the house I have (and maybe getting a roommate?) or renting a small apartment and driving here on Monday morning, working, staying overnight, working Tuesday, and then driving home Tuesday night. Work from home Wednesday. Repeat on Thursday and Friday. Or, I could drive down Monday morning work til Thursday, drive home, work from home on Friday.
I'm worried just because everyone says marriage is hard, and when you have kids it will get harder. I want to start out on the right foot, but as my dad says, having no money is the hardest thing of all on your marriage, so giving up a great paying job would be very stupid right now.
Didn't mean to take over your post. Any helpful hints would be great.
Chrissy
September 13th, 2007 at 02:11 am 1189649471
First of all, your relationship has to be rock solid to do something like this. A weak relationship cannot handle this sort of thing. I don't consider marriage to be hard, but I do consider it to be work. You put the time in doing the work with a spouse on the same page as you are and you should be fine. My husband and I put a lot of time in before we got married making sure that we were on the same page and that we knew where the other person stood on every issue we could think of. We've been a couple seventeen years, and married for 12.5.
The important thing is to keep the contact. Frequent emails and phone calls 2 to 3 times a week to share what is going on in our lives with the other person and the kids is essential. Letting the kids talk to their father whenever they are missing him is also essential.
I think you also have to be a person who does not mind solitude, who can cope with being on your own for periods of time. Of course, I have the kids but they are in school all day now. And I enjoy the solitude. But when he comes home I am sure ready to see him again.
You are talking about being away from your future husband four days at the most each week, which should be easily doable in a strong relationship, even one just starting out. Just make sure that your time together is time together. We go two weeks at a time, normally and the time goes faster than you think it would.