Fabulous Financial Solutions

I’m a huge fan of DIY. The remains of my various projects litter the entirety of the back porch. It’s fun to work on projects, and it’s a good way to bond with my son. The thing is, though, with few exceptions, I’m not sure I really save money doing it myself. Here’s why.

I tend to not finish things. However, unless I take the supplies that I bought back to the store, I’m out some bucks.

Sometimes I don’t even start things.

I don’t know how to do some things myself. Not every project works out. Like the jam-making project that turned into a gross lollypop-making experiment, thirty dollars later. At least it’s a good family memory. Sort of.

Even if the project works out, I may have only saved ten or twenty bucks by doing it. Considering that I can bring in $50 an hour tutoring, the time that I have spent going to the store for supplies, cursing my incompetence and ultimately completing the project may not have been worth it.

I get luxurious ideas when I DIY. Do I usually buy cashmere scarfs? No. Do I knit them? Yes. Nuf said.

My dog has been scratching and biting at an itchy spot near her butt. It is ridiculous. She is just about bald on that part of her body now. The vet said to give her Benadryl, but I have to give it to her every day if I want her to stop.

I was talking about it to the pharmacist, and he told me what he parents do when their dogs do that. They mix up a concoction and spray it on their dogs. Here’s whats in it, because I’m using it and IT WORKS!!!

1/2 cup Listerine (the original kind)
1/4 cup baby oil
1/4 cup water

Put it in a spray bottle and give it a few squirts on your dog’s hot spots. Shake it up first. My dog has come to look forward to it, and has quit scratching as long as I apply it 3-4 times a day.

One of the most challenging things, financially speaking, about fixing up this house is that there is just so much to do. That translates to a lot of things to buy! Since I am not independently wealthy, that means that if I don’t prioritize, I’m going to get myself in a bind. In other words, I’d better not buy the new carpet before I buy the new air conditioner. That sort of thing.

I’ve learned (the hard way) to make a list of the crucial things that I need to buy, in order of importance. Then, I make sure that I have a few hundred in reserve, because there is always something weird that is going to pop up when you’re fixing up an old house. Nails and screws can add up, believe me!

I still have my list. It’s not getting any shorter, since new things get added to it daily. But at least I have air conditioning!

The song got it right–all my exes live in Texas. It’s a lucky thing for me, actually. I have chosen the wrong man three times. All three times I have had to get a divorce. A Texas divorce, however, is not difficult to get. Divorce in Texas is made easy by the fact that you can easily obtain Texas divorce papers (it’s important that you get the ones especially for Texas!), fill them out, and avoid our Texas divorce lawyers altogether. Not that Texas divorce attorneys are bad. Just expensive, unless you happen to be friends with one.

I was friends with a Texas divorce attorney when I was divorcing my second husband. She told me that we’d fill out the papers together, and I could file them myself, thus saving tons of money. I watched as she logged onto her computer, opened up the online attorney database that she used, and pulled up the appropriate papers. It took about ten seconds. I gave her some details like my social, DOB, etc., plus the same for my soon to be ex. In about ten minutes, the printer was spitting out the paperwork. I took it down to the district clerk’s office and filed for divorce myself. It was a piece of cake, and it ended up costing about $250, when all was said and done.

For such a conservative state, Texas divorce laws are pretty liberal. A judge is not going to question a no fault divorce. Well, there are questions, but they are standard ones that judges use in all Texas no fault divorce cases.

If you’re looking for a Texas Divorce Form, Amazon has books like this one that you can go by. It will save you scads of money, believe me. Do it yourself divorce Texas style!

If you don’t want to buy the papers, you can go to the law library at your local courthouse. Warning: Interpreting the books there and finding the papers you need is a formidable task. It’s what I did the first time, and I came very close to messing up what could have been a very easy uncontested divorce. Still, if you know what you are doing, and you have the time, it is doable. Just be prepared to pay a fortune in copier fees. On the other hand, just get the book!

Soon, you’ll be singing that song…