So, this is a post I never thought I would be writing.  After seven years of working for the same company, Mr. Money lost his job.  I think we’re both still in shock and will try to figure out what is the best plan for our family.  I am so thankful that we have always been able to live on not a lot of money, so it’s not like we’re going to feel a huge lifestyle downgrade.

I hope he is able to find a job quickly and that it is even better than the last one he had.  Benefits would be amazing!  Right now we have to pay for our really crappy health insurance ourselves and it’s expensive and doesn’t cover a lot.  Better health insurance and a 401k plan would be amazing.  While we’re at it, I’ll take good hours too.

I’m trying to come up with some ideas to make money from home for myself.  I could start babysitting now that Mr. Money is home to help but after he goes back to work it may be difficult.  I am sure I will come up with something that will help.  For right now, we’re trimming our budget down to the necessities and seeing how we can save money each month.  We had to stop our retirement contributions temporarily too.

I’m trying to stay positive.  It’s scary when you are a one income family with a baby and your one source of income is eliminated.    We’ve gotten through everything before, so I’m confident that we will come ahead out of this and things will all work out just fine.

I was tagged by Little House in the Valley to take part in the “7 Links Project“. This project highlights 7 of my past posts that directly relate to the following 7 questions, sort of a “blast from the past” type project. Trip Base initiated this project with the intention of uniting bloggers and bringing to light old posts that may have not gotten as much attention due to the blog’s infancy at the time of posting. Without further adieu, I’ll address each of the 7 categories below.

Your most popular post – My post about “No Poo” is by far my most popular post.  I am always receiving comments and questions on this post, and it never ceases to amaze me the number of people that give it a try!  No poo is basically a method of washing your hair without shampoo.  It saves you money, limits the chemicals that touch your body, and is interesting, as it bucks the “normal” method of hair washing.

A post whose success surprised you –Where Have All the Housewives Gone? At 78 comments and counting!  When I wrote this post, I didn’t expect it to be quite as controversial as it ended up becoming.  My stance on things is that I’m willing to listen to how others feel, so I always welcome views that are different from mine but respectful in tone.

The post that you are most proud of – The post where we finally became debt free, minus the mortgage.  I can’t stand debt, so it was such an amazing feeling knowing that we had paid everything off.  We don’t make a ton of money, so it’s even more rewarding to know that we accomplished so much by sacrificing and prioritizing.

Your most beautiful post -Maybe my post about considering adoption?  I don’t think a financial blogger normally writes beautiful posts, so that’s kind of hard. 

Your most helpful post - I think my deodorant recipe is very helpful!  I still use this deodorant recipe to make my deodorant, and it’s still working fabulously.  I like that when I run out, I just make more in my kitchen versus having to run to the store.  Love that!

Your most controversial Post – My post about “family cloth“, or cloth toilet paper, was pretty controversial.  It’s an interesting concept, but won’t work for everyone.   I think if you had a little one you were cloth diapering, it would be pretty easy. 

A post that didn’t get the attention it deserved –My post about natural laundry detergents was pretty interesting but didn’t seem to gain a lot of response.  Maybe everyone is making their own?

As part of the 7 Links Project, I have nominated the following bloggers:

* Living Well on Less
* Out of Debt Again
* Sense to Save

Since November, three of my family members have been in and out of the hospital.  First my dad had hernia surgery and stayed at the hospital for a few days.  Then he developed complications once he was home so he went back for a second surgery to correct a hematoma.  Next, my mom developed diverticulitis and spent a few days in the hospital.  After she went home, she discovered that she had a very dangerous infection called “C. diff” and had to go back to the hospital for about a week.  While this all was going on, my sister had to have surgery for what they found to be a tumor on her ovary (she’ll be fine, thank goodness) and spent the night overnight at the hospital.  So that totals five separate hospital visits for three family members.

My mom called yesterday, saying that my dad’s blood pressure was low and that his brother was taking him to the hospital.  Needless to say, they kept him overnight and today we found out he’s got about four things wrong with him including some infection.  My mom is still healing from her bout in the hospital, so she’s not really able to help take care of things around the house, and she’s not able to go be with my dad.

At this point, I feel really helpless because I live too far away and am working full time so it’s not like I can just up and leave and go help them.  I want to be there to help cook and clean, but right now it just doesn’t seem possible.  I’ve been considering quitting my job to go help take care of them.  While this sounds like a great idea, I just don’t think it’s a wise choice right now.  Then I wonder if I’m just being too crazy because we’ll be losing my income and family should come first, not money.  So I’m torn.

Positives of Quitting

-I’d be able to go up and stay with my parents as long as I needed to with no pressure from my employer.  If I need to stay up there a month, fine.  If I need to stay two months, that works too.

-I’d be able to focus on things I love and work towards making those my full time job.  I’d love to make money blogging, selling soap, and maybe even finishing my e-book and selling it.  I’d be free to do as I pleased, and do things I would love after I got done taking care of my parents.

Negatives of Quitting

-We’d lose my health insurance from work.  We’d have to look into finding private health insurance, which could be very expensive and most likely won’t cover pregnancy.  This would create stress.

-I wouldn’t have a job and consistent income once I was done taking care of my parents.

-It probably would take me awhile to get used to not going to work every day.  I’d probably miss the interaction with people.

So, I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.  I want to be there to help my parents, but I just don’t know if it makes sense for me to quit my job.

What do you think I should do?  Is it silly I am even considering quitting my job?

Happy New Year’s Eve! I’m looking forward to a relaxing evening at home because somehow I GOT SICK. Waaaah. I know 2011 will be a better year than 2010. In November and December, both of my parents were in the hospital twice each and even my little sister had surgery and had to stay overnight. It’s not been a great year for them health-wise. It’s been so hard to be living in an area that’s not close enough that I can run home and take care of everyone.

Financially, I think we were pretty successful and I’m happy with the way things are looking for us. I hope that 2011 is just as successful. I’ll be creating my 2011 goals this weekend when I hopefully feel a little better.

I think in 2011 I’m going to share more about natural living on a budget. I have shared many money saving tips, and while they are definitely valuable, there’s only so many things you can do to save money. I’d also like to invite you more into my home and share with you how I do things naturally and on a budget in more of a personal style. I also have become more interested in decorating and making my house a home, so I’ll share some tips and tricks I’ve learned to not break the bank while renovating.

Thanks for reading and being such a wonderful support system. I’ve met so many great people as a result of blogging, and I look forward to all the new friendships I’ll encounter in the next year.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2011!

Last Monday my father had a hernia operation.  While the surgery itself went well, afterward he experienced some bleeding and developed a hematoma in the incision site.  He has a blood clotting disorder (Protein S deficiency) and is on Coumadin and other drugs that probably contributed to the hematoma.  Last night he had surgery to help drain the blood and get him back on the road to recovery.  The whole day yesterday I spent worried sick about my dad.  The thought of losing him just shattered me.  I would have given all the money I had just to make sure he would be okay.

Money is worthless.  Money can’t keep us warm, it can’t buy love, we can’t eat it to keep us nourished, and sometimes it causes more problems than anything else.  I think about saving money for the future.  I struggle with thinking I don’t have enough money for everything I’ll need in life, and I need to realize that’s okay.  Life is a journey, not a destination.  Money will come and go.

I read something the other day that really hit home.  Everything is perfect and exactly how it should be.  While this seems like such a simple statement, it has really spoken to me.  Instead of worrying about things, I need to embrace them and realize that life is just how it’s meant to be right now.  Even when the situation is not ideal, it’s meant to be.

Every day we are gifted with 24 hours.  How we spend those hours is up to us.  We can’t save them for the future; they must be spent. Time is more valuable than money.

Sometimes it takes a crisis to make you really figure out what’s important.  I am very thankful to have extra time to spend with my dad, and I won’t take that for granted.

Here’s your change to ask any burning question about me/my life that’s been on your mind.

photo credit: andy.brandon50

Do you want to know my favorite food?  What’s my pet peeve?  Ask away.  I will do my best to answer all of your questions!

Today is my birthday.  I turned 27 today!  It’s been a weird day because we were on vacation all last week and today was my first day back to work.  Boo!

I’m taking the day off from blogging (well, I guess I already did-ha!).

Tell me what you’d like to see improved about Ultimate Money Blog over the next year!

Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery; but today is a gift, that’s why they call it the ‘present’.

I know when you’re deep in debt, have massive savings goals, or even busy with life that it’s hard to remember to enjoy each day as it comes. I will be the first to admit that I am horrible about this. I’m always over planning, over thinking, and contemplating the next move without embracing every day that’s gifted to me. It’s easier said than done, though! How can you learn to live in the present? Here are some ideas:

Stop dwelling on the negative

When there’s something in your life that’s not going as well as you like it to, it’s easy to let that consume you. Whatever it may be, make a plan to resolve the issue and do the best you can. For example, you’ve gotten yourself in debt and now you’re clawing your way out of it. The first step is realizing you need to get out of debt. The second step is to make a budget and plan to get out of debt. The rest is just sticking to your plan and doing everything you can to dig yourself out of debt. Then stop worrying about it.

Stop over planning

You can plan and plan and plan, but chances are no matter how much you plan, in the end things are going to end up differently. Things can change at any moment, and you have to be flexible to allow these changes to work into your plan. It is great to plan for the future, but don’t get too wrapped up in it that you forget to live in the present.

Focus on the day

Make sure you are living in the present by focusing your thoughts on what is currently happening. Take one day at a time, and be grateful for every moment you have.  Anything may seem overwhelming, but when it comes down to it, you will get over it.  Things will work out how they’re meant to.  Just do the best you can and things will fall into place.

How do you focus on living in the present?

Mr. Money and I have babies on the brain.  Despite the obstacles we’ve occurred, we’re determined that we will be parents in one way or another.  One of the reasons we waited to try to have a baby was because we wanted to wait until we were financially secure.  I understand now that you’ll probably never truly be ready to have kids, but we wanted to be as prepared as we could be.  We really wanted to make sure that we were student loan free.  That was something that we didn’t want to negotiate on.

Now we’re student loan free and working on trying to have a baby.  It’s so exciting, and it finally feels like the time is right.  I can’t help but wonder if maybe we’ve waited too long now, though.  I’m 26 (I know, young!) but Mr. Money is 33.  What if it takes years to get pregnant?  Yikes.  I do think there are many benefits to waiting to have children, but I also think there are some drawbacks.

Pros to having a baby when you’re older

-You have time on your side to pay off debt

-You’ve gained some career experience

-You have time to save money for an emergency fund or for the baby

Pros to having a baby when you’re younger

-Things cost less than they would in 10 years, making it cheaper to have a baby

-You have more energy to play with the child and raise it

-If you do have trouble getting pregnant, time is on your side

Basically I think that we’ve got time on our side, and hopefully things will work out and I’ll be knocked up before you know it.

Do you think it makes better financial sense to have a baby when you’re younger, or older?

I’ve been going back and forth on a decision regarding my job for a few months now. It’s no secret I’m not loving it, and I feel like a sell out for sticking with it. I use the economy as an excuse, and I don’t know if that’s right. I just need to make a decision and be happy with it.

Here’s the truth: I’ve been considering going part time and stepping down from my position.  It would (hopefully) be less stress, and I’d have more time to do the things I love.  I recently picked up a copy of Your Money or Your Life, which has been recommended to me many times. I’m hoping that will help me make a decision.

Here are the pros to going part time:
-Less stress
-Change of scenery
-More time to do things I love

Here are some of the cons to going part time:
-Pay cut (maybe $6? an hour)
-A lot less money that we could be saving

Ultimately, when I do have a baby, I’d like to stay at home for at least a year. To do that, we’ll have to have some savings to live off of. We’re saving towards that goal, and I feel like if I went part time that I’d be giving up on that.

I feel like I should work while I am able to, and make money while the opportunity is there. But then I wonder at what cost? If it’s costing me happiness, is it worth it? At what point do I decide that money isn’t everything and decide to choose happiness and freedom over money? I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do that. That’s why sometimes I feel like I’m putting money first.  I need to make a decision, but it’s such a tough one.

What would you do?  Do you ever feel like you are putting money first above everything else?