Paske Family Blog

Whew, we made it!

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:25:50 GMT

You could say that 2009 was a big year for us. We managed to save our sinking ship and we are looking forward to smooth sailing in 2010. The WeLiveFIT challenge has played a huge part in our success story. I truly believe we would not be in this position if not for the help, advice and support we received this year from the Florida Commerce family. I hate to think about where we might be right now financially if not for being chosen as... "one of seven families." I am excited for the challenge to come to a conclusion, but I must admit I am a bit nervous about going out on our own without the accountability of our coaches. I pray that David's career continues to soar to higher heights and that I can significantly contribute to our financial goals, but I am comforted by the fact that if the market tanks again and we have pennies in our pockets, we now know how to weather the storm. Thank you FCCU.

long lost weekends...

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:05:22 GMT

Last weekend I had a wedding on Saturday and a portrait shoot on Sunday. The weekend before that I had 6 shoots on Sunday and 3 on Saturday. This coming weekend I have 2 portrait shoots and a baby shower. WHEW, I am busy!!!! Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, but man I sure do miss having a few days off every week. Not only am I shooting on the weekends, but I am editing all the pictures I take on the weeknights. It is not unusual for me to see 1 or 2am several nights a week. I know that the holidays have kept me extra busy and I am thankful, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to a few real weekends in 2010...

Wal-mart Woes

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:51:37 GMT

We started doing most of our grocery shopping at wal-mart because the prices are much better than Publix on almost everything we buy. The problem is... Publix doesn't sell clothes, housewares, accessories, etc. When I go to Publix I can only buy groceries. When I go to wal-mart I can venture out of the grocery section and into the departments where I will spend extra money that is not in the "grocery" budget. Now I will say, play clothes for the boys are super cheap at wal-mart, but I find myself buying new shirts, pants etc everytime I am in the store. I like the savings on the grocery bill per item, but I am going to have to work on keeping myself focused and staying away from things that are not on my list! :-) Heaven help me if we ever get a super-Target...

It's that time of year again!

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:26:47 GMT

Last year Linley and I planned early and purchased all of our Chrsitmas presents early (around Thanskgiving) to take advantage of sales and to get it out of the way. This year should be no different. However, the amount spent might change a little. My knee surgey wiped out our savings and has slowed my work pace a little. We are finding that Linley is doing well with the photography, and we should continue to see a steady increase in shoots and card ordering with the Holiday Season coming around the corner. However, lately instead of that money being extra and going into savings, we are using it to pay bills. I've gotten used to it and we keep pushing forward and maintain positive attitudes. I think about this challenge and how it has made us mindful of what we do with discretionary money (very little) which has made positive changes in our lifestyle. I was driving around downtown yesterday with my boys in the car and we saw more than a dozen people living on the street and I spent time talking to the boys about how blessed we are to have a roof over our head, food on the table and warm clothes in this wet and cold weather. I love how this challenge has opened our eyes to the importance of talking to our children about finances and making the right decisions financially and being in a position to help those less fortunate. My son's school is collecting for a food drive to provide food for needy children and my boys love getting involved. We thank God everyday for what he provides for us and we know we are blessed to have trivial problems such as not being able to pay a phone bill on time or not having cable. We are able to pay for our healthcare, our utilities and provide for our children. So Thank You Florida Commerce Credit Union for helping us provide the best possible life for our family.

Down to the wire...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:02:42 GMT

We have had many speed-bumps on our road to financial fitness. I was looking back at all of the unusual expenses we have incurred this year and how much more we could have had in savings if it weren't for these crummy expenses. First of all, we have spent a fortune on David's classes. Close to $5000 in total. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that we have spent that money and I am anxiously awaiting the day when he passes his final test and we can reap the rewards of him having his MAI. Another place we have spent unexpected money is on insurance deductables. We have spent at least $2000 on David's knee surgery alone. I can't imagine where we would be in the competition if we had $7000 in savings, or had been able to wipe out $7000 in debt. Oh well, I wish that we have been able to avoid some of our unexpected expenses this year, but such is life I suppose. I am trying to remember that the competition is not all about winning the $10,000 at the end, but more about changing our lifestyles and making better choices for years to come. If we are debt free, with money in savings a year from now, then we will truly be winners!!

Are we gonna make it??

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:32:53 GMT

David is recovering nicely from his surgery, but he is coming up on 2 weeks out of work. As you well know, he is 100% commission so no work = no pay. The good news is that he has been able to do a little bit from home, and he has had some loose ends tied up on a few jobs which he can now bill for.

I am dreading his next paycheck as I am sure it will be a small one. Luckily, we are in a better place now to deal with these bumps in the road and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We do have an unexpected safety net though... David did some consulting work for one of his teachers and will get paid a hefty check for his efforts. This check may come just in time to fill the gaps we know will arise at the end of the month - cross your fingers!!

He made it!!

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:17:13 GMT

David is home and recovering - yay! It was pretty rough but he is a trooper and is getting better every day.The good news is that we had the money to pay for our deductible. Last year we would have been hard pressed to come up with the money, but thanks to the challenge we had plenty of reserves in the bank. It stinks to have to spend our savings right here near the end of the challenge, but we're trying to look at the bigger picture and be glad that our life changes have had a positive impact on our savings.

Limping along... literally!

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:55:06 GMT

So David has had a bum knee for many years now. He injured it playing Soccer in college and it has never fully healed. A few weeks ago he re-injured it pretty bad and has been struggling with a very painful knee since then. He finally gave in and went to the Orthopedist (a $250 visit) and had an MRI (an $800 MRI) which revealed that he has a torn ACL, a torn meniscus and some cartilage damage. He was advised by the doctor to have some pretty major surgery, but in the mean-time he has to wear a brace (an $800 brace). Needless to say we have spent a small fortune getting to this point and he hasn't even had his surgery yet. being that David is an independent contractor we have to provide for his Health Insurance out of pocket. We have a good Blue Options policy, but our deductable is $2500. Yeesh!! So far we are about half way into the deductible and I am sure that the surgery will put us well over the $2500 mark. I really feel like this year we have had many unforeseen financial challenges and thankfully we have had money in savings to cover all of them. The bad news is that it is not helping our standings in the competition towards the $10,000 prize. Hopefully we can round out the year without any other surprises and replenish our savings as much as possible. You know what they say... two steps forward and one limp back!

One step closer...

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:45:12 GMT

Whew!! David has officially passed his last class!

This year has been challenging for us in more ways than one, and a big part of that has been David's pursuit of his MAI designation. He had two classes in August, which meant two trips to Atlanta and two weeks out of work. Thankfully he has passed all of his classes and we can go forward with our timeline to have his designation by the end of the year.

The Comp exam (Comprehensive) is only offered a few times a year and you have to have completed all of the coursework successfully to sit for the exam. If David had not passed one of his classes he would have had to wait to re-take the class and would not have been eligible to take the October Comp. Needless to say, he has had to deal with tremendous pressure at every turn. Not only is this hard on him mentally, but it is expensive at every turn as well. We have had to pay for each class and materials, plus the travel expenses, and now we have to pay $300 for him to sit for the Comp and $300 to turn in his work log to prove he has done enough appraisal work in the "real world".

I keep thinking of all of the money we could have put towards our debt, or into our savings account, if David wasn't doing his MAI work this year. All I can say is geeze, this had better pay off... but I know in the long-run it will!

Me.. A Saver??

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:15:17 GMT

Okay, I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that I have saved up almost $2000 from my photography "side job". That is a HUGE accomplishment for me. Money burns a hole in my pocket unbelievably fast. I am so proud of myself, not only for hanging on to the money, but also for making it in the first place. I absolutely love photography, but it has been difficult for me to charge people to do it. I almost feel badly for charging money to do something I enjoy so much.

But, I digress... the bad news is that I want/need a new camera. a Nikon D700 to be exact. It costs $2200. Yep, I have saved up almost enough to buy this amazing piece of equipment. I have been saving for months to buy this new camera, but now I feel guilty for not putting the money I have saved towards our weLiveFIT goal. I know that the camera will help me to move my photography to the next "professional" level, but I am torn about not being super intense towards our family goal. Any advice would be appreciated...

On another note, David came home this weekend after completing his LAST class!! To celebrate we went to lunch as a family. No, not to a super expensive restaurant, we went to McDonald's. To be more specific, the McDonald's in Wal-Mart on Buck-Lake Road. No sooner did we sit down to enjoy our cheap lunch date, then our coach Warren walked by. I'm sure he was wondering why we were eating out instead of making lunch at home, but rest assured it could have been a whole lot worse than MickyD's meals for 4!!

Birthdays on a Budget...

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:28:48 GMT

This past weekend we celebrated Peyton's 4th birthday and David's 30th birthday. We made a "birthday budget" and worked hard to stay within it, but I am beginning to think that birthdays on a budget are impossible!! We had Peyton's party at the Tallahassee Rock Gym (which I highly recommend for birthdays aged 4 and older!). The fee was reasonable for 10 kids to climb, but on top of that was cake, invitations, a present (Peyton picked out a new bike), paper goods, the list goes on and on....

The following day we went to Atlanta to attend the Braves v. Marlins game for David's birthday. Tickets were $11/piece so not too big of a bite out of our budget.What I didn't bargain for was $11 hot dogs and $5 bottles of water. Needless to say we tried to share food and wait out our hunger until we left the stadium. We had a great time but MAN that place is expensive once you get in the door! :-)

Overall we spent less than we would have last year (when we weren't in the challenge) but I was still amazed that we ended up going over budget on both birthdays!! Oh well, I guess we will have to make up for it on my birthday in October... :-(

YAY - David passed!!

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:52:13 GMT

David got a letter from the Appraisal Institute today that said - he passed his class!! We are so excited that David's hard work is paying off. He only has one more class to go (next week) and then his final exam at the end of the year. Whew, this has been a long journey but we SO close to the end.

In other news... Peyton's birthday party will be at the Tallahassee Rock Gym. They charge a reasonable fee for a 2 hour private birthday party for 10 kids. Peyton loves Spiderman, so climbing walls is super exciting to him! :-) David's 30th birthday is coming up too - this Sunday actually. I have a great surprise planned for him (and I got a great deal too!). I will fill you in next week with all the details of the birthday extravaganzas!! Chow!

Home again!

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:02:56 GMT

David got home last night from a loooong week of class in Atlanta. We missed him terribly, but we know that this will all be worth it in the end. The good news is that he managed to spend very little money while he was gone, and he was able to get some work done while he was away so his check this month won't be teeny tiny. I am learning to adjust to having the kids by myself (typically I would be taking them out to eat and doing expensive activities). This past weekend we went to FSU Fan Day which was free and we ate lunches at home or at Mimi's house which is free too. :-)

Our next challenge is Peyton's birthday. He will be four on August 29th and I am trying to come up with a low budget party idea. He is old enough now to know what birthdays are and all of his friends have had BIG birthdays. Help! I welcome any suggestions...

Desperately seeking entertainment...

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:31:12 GMT

Ugh! Our only form of television entertainment just broke last night!!

We don't have cable, so we watch DVDs if the need for TV strikes us. The boys have lots of movies to choose from, and David and I have all the episodes of Friends on DVD. I went to play a movie for the boys last night, and would you believe the darn DVD player wouldn't work. The boys were most upset and couldn't understand why they weren't able to watch their movie, and I was bummed because I really needed a few minutes of quiet to get the house cleaned up. :-)

Needless to say, WE NEED A BLU-RAY PLAYER!! The timing of the cheer contest couldn't be better because I can't afford to buy a new DVD player, and it would probably cost just as much to get our old one fixed.

Soooo, please help the Paske family and vote for our cheer!!!

On the road again...

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:42:11 GMT

David is in Atlanta this week for MAI classes. While it stinks to have him gone, we know that all of his hard work will pay off when he gets his MAI designation (Member of the Appraisal Institute).

Having your MAI is sort of like having a PhD in appraisal or having a CPA designation as an accountant. There are LOTS of classes to take, you have to have many many hours logged as an appriaser, you have to submit a thesis-like demo appraisal, and you have to pass a huge comprehensive test at the end of it all. David has one class left after this week and he is scheduled to take his comp exam in October.

If we can make it through the next few months it will make a huge difference in his career possibilities going forward. This process has been a huge sacrifice for us both in time away from each other and in financial outlay for the class fees ($1000s of dollars) and the travel expenses. Not to mention the fact that he can't work while he is gone. When you're on 100% commission - no work = no pay.

I mentioned in my last post that David is traveling to these classes on a shoe-string budget and this trip is no different. Luckily we have family in Atlanta so the accommodations are free. They even offered to feed him dinner - nice! Bottom line is: we are hopeful that our big sacrifice will have an even bigger payoff.

At this point, only time will tell... I can say that I miss him terribly and I can't wait for him to get home!!! :-)

Keeping Up the Good Work...

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:05:05 GMT

YAY! We are so excited to be in the top 3 families at the half way point. David and I are proud of all that we have done so far, but we have to stay focused until the bitter end. I almost wish we still didn't know the standings so that we would not have the temptation of feeling complacent in the competition and getting lazy. The thing I keep telling myself is that this is not just a 10 month competition, it is a total lifestyle change. It's not like we can do this for 10 months and then next January go back to spending willy-nilly. I am glad the competition has taken place over a long period of time beacuse the longer we "live Fit" the more likely it will become a part of who we are and how we operate as a family. For example, David just attended a week long class in Orlando for his MAI designation. He truly traveled the "We Live Fit" way. We found a hotel on travelzoo for $30/night and he packed a cooler full of milk, cereal, lunchmeat and bread so he wouldn't have to eat out. Last year, he would have stayed at a nice hotel and eaten out for every meal. These little changes are paying off in a big way and we have "the challenge" to thank for that. Here's to keeping up the good work... :-)

BIG NEWS!

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:47:01 GMT

I got a new JOB!! And that's not all... I got a company car!!! It really couldn't have come at a better time. David and I have been sharing one car for almost a year and it has been a tremendous burden on our family. This new job opportunity presented itself and I was interested, but hesitant to make such a big change. When I found out there would be a company car available I was sold! I am still working in the forensic engineering industry but with much less travel and a more flexible schedule. This truly is a blessing all around for our family. The salary is comparable to my old job, so no major changes to our budget, but there will be welcomed changes to our lifestyle!! :-)

Old habits...

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:37:44 GMT

Today David had to write a check for the boys school tuition. As he was writing the check I asked fearfully, "Do we have enough money to cover that check?" The good news is that YES we had plenty of money to cover the check, the bad news is that I didn't know the state of our account. I have been operating on the "spend no money because we don't have any money" plan, but in doing that I have stopped checking our account regularly. David has been taking care of the bills with the online service and I have been using cash only for purchases. It really is a good thing that we are in great financial shape this month, but this served as a reminder that I need to keep myself involved in the process whether I am spending money or not.

Photography Biz is Getting Some Exposure

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:37:05 GMT

I got my copy hot off the presses yesterday. That's right, one of the weddings I photographed is featured in the Tallahassee Magazine this month. I am SO excited and hopeful that this will mean more business for my little side venture. I also bit the bullet and bought an ad in the magazine this issue so that readers would know how to contact me after seeing my pictures in the article. FYI, I paid for the ad with money that I have made doing photo shoots, so no worries about messing up our budget. :-)

I really have my fingers crossed that this could be a way for me to make some extra income to put towards our "debt snowball". The only problem is that I have a wish list a mile long of photography equipment that I want to add to my collection. Can you say cha-ching?!? I guess it will have to wait...

Please visit my new website if you get a chance and let me know what you think (keep in mind it is still a work in progress and you will need flash to view it). The address is http://www.linleypaske.com. Hope you like what you see!!

~Linley

Work, Work, Work

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:11:17 GMT

Linley's job requires her to travel from time to time and sometimes the boys and I get the priviledge of tagging along. Well this time, Linley was due for the Shark Tooth Capital of the World, again. Well it just so happened that a friend of mine, had some extra tickets to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure that he graciously offered to us. Now, that makes for a little bit of a side trip, but for free tickets, we are all over that! So its, a couple days of work for mom and the boys get to enjoy the pool and playground and then plan for one very long, hot day at the theme parks. My goal is to spend as little as possible at the parks, sneak packed lunches, waters, as much as we can to avoid paying $10 for a bottle of water. I hope we can make it fun and worth it while trying to beat the heat and keep money in our pocket.