Thursday, October 12, 2006

What To Do?

I'm so frustrated right now! I got a call this morning that turned my day upside-down! We were informed that since we now make more money (thanks in part to my babysitting jobs) we are now required to "graduate" from this cool program that we're on.
They take a portion of the money we pay for rent and put it into an escrow account. We can't touch it, and it gets updated every time we pay rent. Well, since we're graduating from this program, we will no longer be able to put money into this account. In fact, upon graduating we'll receive this money. Doesn't sound too bad, does it!? Well, for us it is! We are HORRIBLE savers! If someone gives us money, we usually spend it. With this program it was pretty much, out of sight, out of mind.
Now we have a dilemma.
If we graduate from this program and take our escrow account, it won't be what we had hoped to get for a down payment on a house. In fact, if we could stick in this program for another year or so, we'd have the right amount! So our options are: 1. Cut back on babysitting ONE day a month. Doesn't sound like much, but that one day will allow us to stay in the program (since we're over our allowed limit by $5!!) 2. Graduate and put the money to use other places. 3. Graduate and put the money into an account somewhere where it will possibly sit for a few years until we're ready to buy a house.
This program that we're apart of is really nice. I despise the meetings that we have to go to, but it's been very helpful in accessing community programs we otherwise would have no way of getting into. But I really just want to be done with the whole thing! I can't figure out what to do! It's been bothering me since I found out about it! ARGH!
Then I've been having some pretty lousy days with babysitting. I had another run-in with those parents who leave their kids with me without giving me prior notice! So I enforced my overtime fee. The mom was shocked, since she thought she had warned me, but she paid it anyway. I hate to be a pushy person, but I don't want to go crazy babysitting other people's kids either. I'm almost to the point of quitting, but I'll hang in there at least until after the new schedule kicks in. (Dad's shifts change within the next few weeks, so instead of babysitting for 6 or 7 hours, it should only be 4 or 5 AND not early morning stuff either!) I'm hoping that this schedule change will help my disposition immensely! I just got so overwhelmed and upset over the whole thing yesterday I was ready to throw in the towel over the whole situation!
The nice thing about today was that it was our Enrichment night. It was the annual visiting teaching conference. It was so good! I came away so motivated and pumped about doing my duty! They showed a slide show with pictures of all of the sisters from the ward put to the music "Angels Among Us" by Alabama (LOVE that song!) And at the very end of it they had this saying:
Christ has no hands, but our hands,
To do His work today;
He has no feet, but our feet,
To lead man on His way;
He has no tongue, but our tongues,
To tell them how He died;
He has no help but our help,
To bring them to His side.
I loved it. We even had some good conversations at our table. All in all, I was VERY glad that I remembered to go to enrichment meeting...because it was just what I needed after a day like today!

2 comments:

Mall Worker said...

That does sound like an excellent program. If I were you I'd totally quit watching the pushy peoples kids. That would slove both of your problems!

CareBearMommy said...

Do what ya gotta do! If that means cutting back with the babysitting, then do that! (I'd keep watching your cousin's baby, and cut back with L and E). Then, not only would you be able to stay in your program, but you'd save your sanity as well. Just my 2 cents. By the way, I enjoyed talking to you yesterday, even though it was just a "short" 45 minute conversation this time.