Money, Money, Money

Money can be a real pain.

Correction.

Managing money can be a real pain!

It's almost easier when you don't have much
to budget as you go.  When you have money,
there is a general laziness about it. 

Like, I bought a collar for Sadie and it doesn't
fit.  It sure would be easy to say adios to the
$8 it cost me.  But if I was struggling right now,
that same $8 might mean affording hamburger
to put in the spaghetti sauce! 

I've lived the extreme poor mode, struggling to buy only the items on sale and create some kind of meal out of those items.  Living paycheck to paycheck makes a person very aware of every dime.  I don't want to actually live that way again, but .... there are good things to be said for living that way as well.

First, you don't end up collecting a lot of "stuff" that you might like, but don't really need.  What you do buy are things that can be multi-purposed in your home.  A large bowl can be used for mixing up a pasta dish, it can also be used to hold soap and water as you're scrubbing something, or it can hold a few apples, ready to be munched on if you get hungry (because they're better for you than chips or cookies!)

Second, you get some real insight into what's important to you:

• A plant that looks nice, but you may or may not have the green thumb to keep it alive.  
• You think twice about grabbing that pricey coffee when the stuff at work in the lounge is free.  
• If it's still usable, you don't toss it out!  
• And even though it's a redneck joke cliche, "You might be a redneck if you have a full set of salad bowls that all say Cool Whip on the side of them."  
• 
  

That being said, for the time being I'm standing at the crossroads of having just enough
and learning -- or re-learning -- how to live on less again,
because retirement is looming in the not to distant future.

"Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants."

Easier to be poor....

I just want to put this out there.  I'm not a fan of lawyers.  They have a place in our society and can be useful on some occasions, and I hope I get a good one if I ever need one, but in this instance, there seems to be something very wrong in my opinion.

From what I can tell, my grandparents created a trust agreement in 1992 in order to leave parcels of land and personal property to their five children.  In 1992, my grandfather was already 85 years old.  I'm no lawyer or expert, but it appears each of their trusts left everything to the remaining spouse if one dies before the other.  In this case, my grandmother died in 1994, which makes my Grandfather 87 years old, at which time he becomes the sole heir to all said property.

My issue is with the attorney who set up these trusts.  At 87 years old, what sort of mental capacity was my grandfather working under?  He was a sharp man, very smart, but we all fade with time.  What kind of lawyer allows changes to be made to a trust after the fact?  And by someone who just might not have all his faculties when it comes to money?  What kind of lawyer didn't create some kind of checks and balances when we're talking about an 87 year old man worth aproximately $3M in land, which was to be left to his five children?   With an estate that size, why was only one person named as a trustee?   For a smart man, my grandfather was out of his realm in this, maybe he didn't listen to his lawyer and insisted on having his own way.

In 2007,  my grandfather to add his grandson as a trustee, AND agreed to immediately sell said grandson all his land for $800/acre.   I'm sure in 2007 land was worth more than that.  FFS, my grandfather was 100 years old at the time.   In my book, this should all have been illegal, or certainly gone over with someone other than the grandson who's getting rich.  Is there not some kind of age clause, a dual signee clause, surely there should have been some kind of checks and balances.

I know that no matter what, people are 'funny' when it comes to money, family or not.

This is a very good example of why I don't trust lawyers.  I'm sure the original lawyer made a pretty penny setting up a $3M trust.  What he left was a mess.  It created a huge rift within the family.  I've not seen or spoke to my Uncle or cousins in more than 15 years.

Some people quote the Bible as saying "money is the root of all evil" but it's the love of money that's at the root of it all.  May my Uncle Robert, cousin Ronald and their families rue the day, and suffer the consequences, having full knowledge that they took the wishes of my grandparents and wiped the slate clean, allowing only themselves to reap all the benefits.  May they pass from this life to the next without real family love.  

I will probably pass this life a pauper,
but my kids won't have to fight each other for anything of value,
and will remain a loving family.

Mortgages

I hate money issues!   OK, maybe it's more correct to say I hate issues that come up with the bill paying process!

I bought my home, and was mortgaged through Bank of America.  I thought things were going well; I have no idea what makes banks sell off mortgages to other companies -- except to say I'm certain that it's related to money and making a profit.

However.  I DO NOT like the company they sold my mortgage to.  Carrington Mortgage Services.  If you Google their rep, they get like 1.5 out of 5 stars.  That's a horrible indication as to what service will be like.  I didn't care read all the issues people have posted about, because I didn't want to become any more upset than I'm already feeling.

We started this process a few month's back, maybe 3 or 4.  I mailed my check on or about July 7th because of the holiday weekend.  It goes in their envelope, with their pre printed address form, to a PO Box in Phoenix.  That should have taken 2 days tops.   But they didn't process my payment until 7/21.... 2 weeks later!  Which of course resulted in a late fee of $22.86.   If this is going to be the norm, I plan on overnight'ing my payments, or setting up a payment from my bank's bill pay option.  Either will be some totally extra effort on my part with trips to the bank, or to the post office, but probably cheaper than wracking up late fees.

When I called to make an inquiry, I learned that they really aren't a mortgage company, they're debt collectors.  Technically, that's what a mortgage is -- but they say it in such a way that you feel like they're ..... doing some other kind of collecting.   And I don't like feeling that I owe monies to a company who regards their customers in such a way. *shudder*

As you can tell, I am NOT happy with this.
I am a good person, I have good credit, and I don't make late payments.
I refuse to work with second-rate companies such as this,
and will be looking into refinance options.
Even if it costs me a little money, I will be ahead of the game
by not losing sleep wondering if my account, my home, is secure and up to date.

TWO THUMBS DOWN!

1 FWD, 3 BACK

Have you ever felt like you just can't get ahead???  
I am sure my son feels that way, and because I'm his mom, I feel it too.

My son is disabled, visually impaired from birth.  He doesn't drive a car, has been taking public transportation most of his life.  He receives SSI benefits - disability payments for someone who's never worked before.  He's 28 years old now, and still lives with me.  Why?  Because his SSI payments were only $400 a month.  Now what grown man can live on that little bit?  The fact that he lives with me affects his monthly income.  So he got himself a part time job at Home Depot as a Lot Attendant.  Hard work for little money. But a little bit helped him out.  Then Social Security stepped in and "readjusted" his benefit to $175/month, but keeping $72/month in order to pay back what they say they overpaid him.   So now on his part time of 20 hours/week, at rounded to $10/hour, then taking out taxes, and medical insurance as now dicta.... errr... mandated by Pres. Obama and his take home pay is quite small.  He pays $400/month toward household expenses but they still calculated in the figures that somehow gets $175 added to his income because I "supplement his expenses".   Perhaps this manner of finagling numbers around is how our country has become so much in debt.....  I mean, if I give them proof of the household expenses ... Mortgage and various Utilities....  and he pays $400 which is $4 less than exactly half.... where do they come up with $175???

Its so confusing.  He received a letter 15 pages long trying to explain all of this legal mumbo jumbo regarding his eligibility.  Time to hire a lawyer I suppose to help us out and perhaps appeal this decision.  But who can afford a lawyer?   I know I can't.  :(

I am sitting here alternating between being mad as hell, and just wanting to throw up.   It's not like I'm asking the world for a free hand out.  Just a little help so that he can live a full productive life, as best as he can.

I'm frustrated and want to scream.  Or cry. Or both.  The system sure doesn't help out the little guys who try and be honest about their situation.  Because we both know that a person can stand on a corner and get work for cash that never has to be reported to anyone.  But do things by the book, and it throws it right back at you -- ten-fold.  

The really sad part is no matter how much I try to make it so that he's a tax paying citizen doing his part and being independent, at this rate he will be dependent on me forever.  And I won't be around that long.




So here's me and my frustrations,

giving our Government

The Finger.