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How once woman went from being a SAHM of four to a published freelance science journalist |
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I'm revising this intro after more than 15 years to better reflect my intention When I started this blog in 2004, I was a stay at home mom to two small children, a college graduate with a degree in English and Astrophysics. By 2007, I had four small children, ages newborn, 2, 4, and 6. For several years, Writing.com was how I kept my sanity. This blog began, first as a way of staying connected. Later, when I worked on a novel, I used it to stoke the writing fires as I plotted out short stories and the next step of my novel. Ultimately, I moved my writing preparation to "Invalid Item"  In 2010, I became a single mom who had homeschooled her children for several years. I had a 2, 4, 6 and 8 year old and had never had a "real" full time job, since I was married while in college. Everyone told me that I would have to buckle down and take on a "real" job. Instead, I decided to attempt to live my dream: to make it as a writer. I knew that if I didn't try then, I would never really dive in. I counted my money and set a deadline. If I hadn't began making a decent (defined) amount of money after so many months, I would suck it up and get a J-O-B. After some thought, I decided to play to my strengths. I served an internship at Sky & Telescope magazine while in college and enjoyed writing about space and astronomy. With an astrophysics degree, I thought I would be able to sell myself more easily, and a small niche should be easier to penetrate. It's been about ten years since I was first paid for an article on Space.com. In that time, writing - journalism - has been my primary moneymaker. I've often thought about setting up a blog on my website - www.astrowriter.com - but just haven't gotten around to it. There are a few things I would like to share for those who are interested in scientific journalism in general. Now that I'm back on WDC, there's no reason not to combine the two and use the site blog for that sort of interaction. There are certainly plenty of folks on this site interested in the publication process. So while I'll probably meander around some, that's the intention of of this blog: to share some of my struggles as a published journalist and to help answer oft-asked questions. |
| Oh, I am on fire now. I am still trying to decide what to do, but contests of any sort - especially gp-offering contests - motivate me like a fire under my hiney. In search of fun things to do, I found a no-limit contest for articles. Well, I was already planning to write some articles anyway. I am thinking about just kicking it in. The articles are then submitted to an ezine site, where they are 'free for the taking', thus generating exposure for me, building my resume, and hey, don't forget the gps. I was already planning to write a buisness article for the newsletter, two actually. As I sat around, making a quick scribble list for various articles, I really got hit by an inspiration for a buisness article. Tentitive quick title (up for changing at any point)--> Customer Service: Get Rid of Your Customers for Good! I came up with some great ideas. I mapped out an article already. Now I just need time...time to sit down and write it. I am going to sit down and come up with a few other article ideas, especially the buisness-applicable ones. I'm rying to think of the second one now. Maybe I will scroll down and take a look. Yes, I confess, my monetary/gp glands are salivating and I am thinking of how great this will be for my gp account. Can you say, upcoming premium membership? DH already gave me permission to persue writing again, though I'm not sure when. I am working at night already, which is the best time to write. Perhaps I can try to get some stuff done while the kids are resting which is supposed to be napping but is not. Anyway, I think I am going to get the brand new journal...no, no, I want the writing set. I think I will get the journal and then save the rest of my gps for an upgrade. I really should go ahead and be responsible and save for the upgrade first, huh? I am going to go sneak a look at my gp log and then take a look at the totals for everything I want, and then maybe add the journal to my wish list, and then... This website is much too addictive. I am too excited for my own good! I should go make dinner now. |
| I have been reading and reviewing some buisness articles on the site. Not a lot out there, actually. Kind of strange. I'll go back to my guerrilla marketing books and see what I can turn up. I'm trying to figure out how to chill about the newsletter. The biggest thing I worry about is that I won't have a lot of information. I think I just need to do a sit down and spill out some thoughts for possible topics, nonnewsworthy. You know, not on recent events. I can already think of a few, some requiring more research than others. One is on MSAs, I need to do some more research, but we have a guy coming down, especially if Michael winds up in this job-that-probably-lacks-benefits. I will set up a list of questions (most of them ones I already have anyway) and get things clarified. I will even talk to him about mentioning his name and office in the article and then pass him some buisness cards from dh to spread around, or use himself. The other thing that minorly worries me is the 'no marketing in a vaccum' push I keep getting. Which is to say, that most marketing techniques seem to work better if you do several together. I am really hyped about the newsletter but I think we should probably combo it with some other things. Then again, if we run an ad in the classifieds - and we could even run an ad for the FREE small buisness newsletter if things go well with it - and do this (direct marketing, direct mailing, basically), that gives us a decent small base, followed up with good customer service. I guess what makes me nervous is trusting someone else, even if it is my husband. I mean, I could do all this work, he could get a few jobs, but then get out there and... Of course, he has had good results thus far, so I guess I'll keep up the trust work. I think I'll go brainstorm some articles, then read some more guerrilla marketing. I can't wait until ... I stumbled and now I don't know what I can't wait until. That is sad. But I'm going to brainstorm in my 'muse journal', I think.
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| Well, I now officially have no clue about what is going on in my life. The most recent problem we are having is my husband, LOL. Oh, wait, I've had that problem for about six years now. Anyway, he found out about a month ago that his department was being outsourced, and this of course caused a panic. The company is being sold, but the CEO says they will take him...then says they are not 100% sure they can...then says, today, what would it take for you to stay here? Duh, job security? Actually, we would jump at that, IF he hadn't interviewed for a great job he would really love. So he may be doing that. All that said, I had some excited moments on helping him start his own buisness, but now he isn't altogether sure he wants to do that. It looks like he was 100% fired up when it looked like he would get to/have to do it full time, but that required me to do the marketing and drum up customers. I was not thrilled knocking on doors for 20 hours a week when I am already not excited about leaving the kids. I was also not excited about starting a buisness full-time from where we are, which is in debt, with two house payments. I would be very happy with starting off once we have paid off everything but the house AND sold the other house. Which is still on the market, where it has been for six months now. That said, my husband said this dream job would be all the fun and joy of running his own buisness but without the headaches. True. So we are on temporary hiatus. The range is $45-60k, and he is making $44k now, so we will at least come out in the same place financially. We are also talking about him taking some classes and getting his college degree, at least a two year. But, we also talked about him working PT on his own buisness. We have several places we could go here. If he works PT on his own buisness, I have a marketing plan that excites ME and that I honestly think will have a better chance of success. Plus it is one I will enjoy doing and will thrive in, I think. The plan is simple: a small buisness newsletter. DH's ideal customer would be a small and/or growing buisness. (Actually, I suppose it would be a builder, but they are a small buisness. Hmm, now there is an ideal place to target.) Anyway, I thought, suppose I do a bimonthly small buisness newsletter? Very short, very informative, trying to reach a niche, and free. Then, of course, we always feature an add for our company. Advantages: 1) Building relationships. I am more comfortable going door to door to see if a company would be intested in recieving a free newsletter than seeing if they want wiring work done. PLUS, I think they are more likely to accept the newsletter, which will get a more informative foot in the door. ALSO, I think the best way (albeit most time consuming, but does save on postage) is to start off hand-delivering them, thus helping me develop a relationship with whoever is at the front desk. Thus, when they need work done, they will remember us. 2) Credibility. If I am sending out a newsletter talking about how to improve, and customer service is key here, then they will be more likely to believe they will get good service. 3) Time. If they don't need wiring done now, but they get a bimonthly newsletter, then in two or four months, they will be more likely to call than if I just drop in with a card. I think the overall success will be higher. 4) ME ME ME! I can author and editor the newsletter, ie credible resume work. It will also give me some good nonfiction pieces which will help if I decide to freelance article write. Didn't I try to do some nonfiction in the past b/c I thought it would be more successsful? Anyway, it will help me grow as a writer. 5) Enthusiasm. A marketing plan without an enthusiastic marketer will flop. The odds are good. But if I go in and share, then I am set. I will have more enthusiasm, energy. Disadvantages: 1) Working for free. Hey, I do that anyway. Of course, if I only make, say, one sale for Michael out of a hundred, we come out ahead. But I think we'll have a higher ratio, especially if we keep trying for six months. I am all about consistancy, and Mr. Guerrilla Marketing says that most marketers give up just when it is starting to kick in. I guess that means I can add a need for patience in there, too. 2) Delivery. I do think this will be better in terms of person, but the gas costs probably do outweigh the postage. I also was thinking - tell me what you think - of attaching a fun size 100 grand candybar to the newsletter or to a buisness card (opinions would be appreciated as to which) with a note saying, "We hope to help you increase profits by a 100 grand this month!". LOL. But that is costly still. 3) Time. I am excited about writing but the time crunch will be a killer to someone who is already not excited by how much time she spends working. But, the gym is short-term until we get out of debt, so another year, and this can be similarly short-term. No, probably not. But once I dump the gym, I'll have more hours. 4) WHAT THE HECK AM I GOING TO WRITE ABOUT?! Seriously, I don't know a lot about small buisnesses. BUT on the plus side, Ihave the internet, writing.com, forums, and the library to learn. I started reading the paper today <gasp> and plan to delve into the buisness section especially. The library has several finance magazines on the computer so I can read them from the comfort of my home and investigate. Did I mention more reading on writing.com? And more reviewing. I am so out of it. But, overal, I am excited. I am just wanting to write again, I think, and writing in such a way that I can help dh's buisness grow and help him achieve his (alleged) dream would be wonderful, and I do feel that it would help me achieve my dream, as well. Hmm, since I am just putting my articles in a newsletter, I think I will post them online as a preface, anyway. See, dh's job might help me get back to working on writing.com - which I have been intending to do, anyway! Woohoo! |
| It has been a long two months, I don't know if I'm coming or going. The kids, Michael, and I took turns being sick - vomiting sick - for three weeks. One then the other then the other. Long as can be. To top it off, we are currently suffering careeritis, which means that dh found out they will be outsourcing his department in the next six weeks, can we find a new job? We seriously considered one that would require moving; he accepted it and then was supposed to start on the 22nd, which is three days from now, but ultimately decided not to. His CEO tells him first that he will keep him (dh) on, then that he is not sure he can but hey, please don't look for another job. Ha ha. Michael/dh had an interview that went well this week with a company he would love and now he has been called back to meet his actual employers (someone else did the initial interview), along with two other people. I am hoping we get it. Who knows. I have become a fanatic of Craigslist.org, along with Freecycle. I was just looking at the 'barter' section of CL and didn't realize til today there was a free section. Then I saw under employment there is a writing section local to Atlanta, where I live. THEN I found a PT, work at home writing position that pays about a hundred bucks a week. They are asking for "example articles ... (with) ... content relating to finance, real estate, career or lifestyle." I don't have a lot of nonfiction laying around but I bet I could dig some up. Or write some. This was posted on the 15th, so not long ago, and I would love to write articles and get paid. <sigh> But I don't have any on hand and of course, having just seen this article, I am completely unaware of any ideas. So I thought I would come and blog and see what would come to me. Okay, finance, totally Dave Ramsey get-out-of-debt related. I could pick up about a hundred different ideas on that one. Perhaps I could run a typical 'no mortgage myth' theme. That would be cute. But I don't want to do a straight copy. They are looking for "Writing abilities...fit to appeal to the age group of 22 to 45 years old." Okay, I am thinking, I like the mortgage idea, but how can I freshen it up? I could make it local - typical housing in Atlanta. I like the charity idea DR proposes - basically, instead of paying $10k to the bank, why not give it to the government? But fresher, I can't quite think of a way to present it that would be not-a-copycat, original. I will think on that tonight and then I think I will work on a sample article. Which will probably end up posted here. Today, I got an email from my mom about no more drive-thru masectomies (sp?). But I found it interesting that the National Breast Cancer folks are opposed to the bill. (Basically, the bill gives broader strokes to women coming in for breast cancer treatments, requiring the insurance companies to permit at least a 48 hour hospital stay if the doctor gives the okay.) Hmm, I'm not sure that would altogether fit. Then again, I could run a quick link with the internet --> "if you are like me, you get about three urban legends a week sent to you by some well-meaning internet newbie. Once in awhile, they actually turn out to be true! Take the case of the drive thru masectomy petition." (Okay, I will have to learn to spell that word). Okay, that fits lifestyle. A little political. Could do a quick interview with: -doctor(s) - are most for or against? - phone call to the National Breast Cancer association, whatever they are called - Lifetime, who is sponsoring the petition - The senator who is sponsoring the bill - Someone (or more than one) who has had breast cancer and would be willing to talk about their hospital stay. That is two articles. I am sure I could think about more. Ha ha, Dave Ramsey, Fun With Dick and Jane, why buy real estate with cash! LOL. They will shoot me for a DR fan, I bet. Okay, that's probably a no go and I don't know a lot about real estate, but I bet I do know a lot about lifestyle. Oh, wait, I have no life. What the heck qualifies as lifestyle, anyway? I should probably nose around with that a bit more. I am absolutely insane. Would love to get a freelancing job that is steady - is that freelancing? Even a hundred bucks a week would be fantastically awesome. A joy. Not sure how I would fit it in with the gym and everything; that would be a little tougher. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. And maybe I'll pass Gayle my breast cancer story for the gym newsletter. Hmm, wonder if I could find someone from the gym willing to talk? It is a women's gym, and I'm sure I could find more than one person. Hmmm. I might keep that option open. I'm actually sort of on fire about the breast cancer story. I think it is just the thrill of discovery. I just got the email today and did a little preliminary research, and frankly, I find it interesting that a large association like that would turn away from it. It has lit my investigative fires. However, I could find no one else willing to take a stand on opposition. Who is doing the ribbon walk? Oh, shoot, that is tomorrow. Relay for Life, right? What a shame I didn't start this sooner, I could perhaps have tried it a bit more and gone to the walk tomorrow morning. That's okay, I think I will hit a few boards and talk to a few people. Ugh, the idea of just hitting someone over the internet, rather than in person, is a little awkward; I feel like it does not validate my sources. Perhaps I will ask Gayle to send out a message with the next email she sends. But I think I will hit the official sources, first. And I will talk to my dad. That will be interesting. Okay, I am going to go to bed. Probably not, because I will keep thinking about this. I am excited, but odds are, I won't get the job. But hey, there are a lot of things posted here, so I am going to keep my eyes and ears open and something else might come up - and I'll have a nice article for my portfolio. Oh, I forgot to let you know how we are doing with our debts! So far, we have paid off all but one of the credit cards, for a total paid out of $8260.99 since January 1st. Our remaining balances: Chase $8027.93 Family Loan $6500 Student Loan ~ $13,500 Total Remaining: ~$28,193.75 (the student loans mess up my totals, LOL) |
| Sorry for being gone so long, it has been a hectic month. I tried to work extra on the transcription because of the week I took off to go to Virginia, and also because they told me that I would be laid off soon. Well, Monday I turned in my last tapes and got my last check. Kind of sad but kind of good, too. Now I have upped my hours at the gym, thanks to a great boss who told me "If you need more work, we'll find it for you." Then, smarty that he is, he told me, "The toilets always need cleaning." He was just kidding. I think. That said, our gym just started a monthly email newsletter, on which yours truly shall be a staff writer. So, okay, I don't get paid per item but I get paid per hour - and yes, I'll give it an honest measure. I'm not really sure how that will work, but whatever. I have a health article I wrote as a 'clip' that I think I will give them. Gail, the manager in charge, said whatever type of article I wanted to give her, she'd stick in (yes this is a discriminating publisher, LOL). I told her, jokingly, after a few months I would try to slip in a short story, and she shrugged and repeated, whatever you want to give me. So maybe one of the women at the gym will be a publisher, what do you think? Anyway, I'll do a few health articles, spotlight various members and employees, and consider writing or handing over some short stories. If you have any advice on retaining the rights, please pass it along! So, basically, among my many other tasks, I am going to get to write and get paid for it!! Yes, I know, they would take a monkey on a keyboard - but I'll hold out hope of shining, do my best, and if nothing else, I'll add it to my resume as a 'staff writer'. Which I basically am. That's actually kind of cool. Well, I had to come here and brag, because my husband is like 'that's good' and everyone else...blech to 'em. So, as for our wild debt free saga. We are $254.55 away from paying off our third credit card. That will be paid two weeks from tomorrow, with the next payday. I am very excited. And, including that $254, we have $560 total to go until we can go out for our celebratory dinner. At that point, we will have exactly $30,000 left to pay off. Though, since I am approximating my student loans, it may be less. We decided that, for every $5,000 we pay off, we are going to actually go out to eat somewhere 'nice'. 'Nice' like Red Lobster or Mexican, not 'nice' like Ruth's Chris. We have actually paid off $5838.79 already, so we are past due, but I like the idea of going on the even '5's. That said, I am thinking maybe we will just go once the American Express is paid off and we have exceeded it, we will go anyway. You know what, I think we will, and then we'll go at $25,000, having paid of $5,305. Anyway, we are making some stinking awesome progress, this while making two house payments (though we have someone ready to sign the paperwork, it is someone we know [ie no realtors] and they are putting together their down payment. So they should be in in another month or two. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Tomorrow I am going in to interview Sherri for her spotlight. I am totally psyched. I am looking forward to writing again, and want to make it interesting, not just name, birthdate, etc. I've seen some nasty cut and dried bios, very 'blah'. Which makes me think, perhaps I will volunteer to do the ones from our church. That would be free but it would be fun. <sigh> Did I mention I am hyped to be writing again? |
| Just dropping in to let you know I haven't croaked yet, though that sounds good right now. Can't believe I used to stay up all hours. It is eight minutes to midnight and I am ready to die. Right now I am listening to a medical transcription tape on high high speed - think chipmunks - trying to get to the last one I promised to do today which of course must be at the end. ??? I will do this one - which will probably take close to 30 mts - then I am taking a hot bath and going to bed. I know I should skip the bath, for a variety of reasons, but blech. I am zonked, and I am going to be losing this job soon, boo hoo. I don't know when, and I can still hope that I won't, but it looks like outsourcing is going to happen, per the new owners. Anyway, looks like my goals are kicking me in the teeth. I am sorry for not responding to folks who are reading, I am feeling like I go go go all the time. I will try to do better, but it is great to get comments and know I am not just babbling endlessly to myself. Okay, the note is about done, so off to work I go. I hope. Yes, here is the note that I need to transcribe. I've only transcribed 4 hours today, plus spent another 2 hrs at the gym. It's great to be a stay at home mom. LOL. I should stop snickering. It really is nice to be able to work from home and be with my kids most of the day. Even if I wind up staying awake all night. Oh well, this job will be ending soon! <sniff> |
| Okay, I am making another quick slip in because my brain is dead. LOL. I got a phone call on Thursday (2/16) from my dad that my grandmother was in the hospital. She fainted while she was out somewhere. The general feeling was that it was medication related, but they gave her a whole check-out. They found she has a leaky valve on her heart, which they are going to try to correct it with medication. She is home now, no major problems noted otherwise, and they gave her a thorough checkout. However, I took the three kids (4, 3, and 1) by myself on an 8 hour drive, basically took care of them alone 24/7 in my father's 200 year old, nails & screws everywhere, death-trap house (my husband couldn't come, though had it been an emergancy he would have, of course), then drove back down. I feel like my brain is literally leaking out of my ears. I got home last night and dh was working late; he didn't get in until after 10. He will be doing the same thing tonight. He is doing a seperate contracting job and so is making a measly $45/hr. So of course I told him to go ahead and go. But it is yucky timing. Anyway, we set up our tax return before we left and we are getting somewhere close to $3700. So that will knock out one credit card and pay off over half of another. This is our pretty debts: Household Bank $1854.00 - dh just transferred part of this to get us 0% interest so we are going to knock it out in July so he feels like he accomplished something, LOL Nowline Visa $2516.58 at present - the tax return will completely wipe this one out American Express $2718.52 - the rest of the tax return will cover this one. Chase - the evil card - $8588.95 - Not really anything to say here These should all be done by the end of the year, and we will then have no more credit card debt. Family Loan - $6500 - We are both itching to get to this one, because dh's uncle has basically already written it off. I am excited about giving them a big fat check, or maybe a box of $100 bills. I would love to see the look on their face for that one! Student Loan - ~$13,500 We should be totally done within two years, hopefully less. I am so ready to make this all just *disappear*. Alright, my brain is still leaking out my ears, so I am going to go make some dinner. I am so excited to get the credit cards GONE and I am more excited to be out of debt and have paid everyone off. The kids are so hyped about Disneyworld, and I am looking forward to the cruise. But I need to work so much harder than I feel like doing right now. I am probably not going to get a lot done today, with dh gone, but if the kids will actually go to sleep early (last night they didn't go to bed until 10 although I put them down at 7), I might be able to get some stuff done. By tomorrow (Thurs) I hope to knock out a tape and a half, and I should be able to get paid. Woohoo! It's the little things, LOL. |
| I am waiting for the baby to finish lunch, and I can't work on my laptop, lest you think I am in hiding from my employment, LOL. Last night I did 20 notes, so $40. I spent a little while working on a word expander program; that sets it up so I don't have to type the whole word. For instance, I could set is so that I type "ffef" and it types "full fledged emergency fund" or whatever. Works great with the drugs and the repetitive sentences (blood pressures were monitored for the month; they appear well controlled --> and that's a short one). So it took a little time last night but then I should be able to do more tonight. My intro goal is going to be 25 notes a day for six days, so 150 notes or $300/week. That's just the starting point. Once I hit that goal for a full week, I'll start the slow move up. On the other side, I have been hanging around the medical transcriptionist forums and have some good data. I have a very fuzzy story that I will later have to evolve about a medical transcriptionist. Very cool. So see, this is fodder for life. I also had an interesting thought on an article for a homeschooling magazine that merges with Dave Ramsey and his teachings. So all of this obsession is giving me fodder for writing later. I will just have to remember it.  This job has gotten less stressful, for which I am grateful. I feel like I know more about what is going on and am getting more done. I am getting faster, in general, and am starting to enjoy it. I feel like I am learning, broadening my horizons. Anyway, I'm going to play a little while the baby keeps eating. I am feeling better, and I wanted to let you know that. I have given up on the housework and will try to be positive about the fact that dh is playing with the kids from the time he gets home until they go to bed. He gets them partway ready in the morning (fixes breakfast and gets them dressed) as well. I will try to be more positive. |
| I know, it's the same day, but I am so frustrated. I don't know why I think dh will be any help with me around the house. Remember, I am upping my hours so that he can see his kids. Thankfully, he does come home at night and put the kids to bed after playing with them for an hour or so. That is it. He can't clean up the kitchen, do the dishes, sweep the floor that he insisted to me when we moved in needed to be swept every night, pick up toys...the list goes on and on. He can fold his own laundry - he prefers to do that since I don't fold it right and I am tired of folding it only to have him refold it. He can't take out the trash. He forgets what day the trash needs to go down. I am so tired and frustrated I can't even begin to articulate. Yesterday, I stayed home and worked with our just-turned-one year old, who threw up on me twice. He took the other two kids to his parents house (read: so his mom can watch them), they went out to eat while I had tomato soup, he came home and could do nothing to help because he watched the kids all day. Baloney. His mom watched the kids all day. Then he is mad that, although two nights this week I went to bed between 8 and 9 at night and got up at midnight to work all day, I didn't let him sleep in. His idea of letting me sleep in is having the kids jump all over me for an hour while he slowly wakes up. Then he tells me at 10 EVERY TIME it is time for me to get up because he's been up with them all day. They aren't dressed (the baby his; he dressed and changed him, thank goodness, but the two who ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is pull their clothes out of the drawer are still in pjs. Breakfast dishes on the table, toys all over the floor, why do I even bother? So I will be working 60-80 hours and take care of the whole house. I need to put my MP3 player on and listen to Dave Ramsey some more and tell myself it is all worth it. I just have to tell myself over and over and over again, it is worth it. But for now, I am frustrated, upset, and angry. Okay, well, off to do laundry, dishes, sweep, and clean. Love my life. <deep breaths> If I can spend one year - twelve lousy months - doing all of this, and am blessed to do it at home with my kids (read: I get to see them while I work, but that is better than not seeing them at all), then we will be able to do a lot, lot more. I am not sure I will be able to continue 60 hours to put our FFEF (full-fledged-emergency fund) in place. We will have to see how that goes. But I can do this, I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I just have to keep telling myself that. <sigh> |
| LOL Okay, so after a great deal of thought last night, I decided to make my goal 50 lines a day. If I do that six days a week (M-Sat), that is $600/week, or about $2400/month. Take out 25% for taxes (I hate 1099s), that's $1800/month, give or take. That should have us done in just over 15 mos - my calculator says 16 mos. Of course, since they pay bimonthly, I will be able to make a little bit more, and I can continue to hope for a big windfall. Or two. Like our tax refund - I am really hoping to get a tax refund that will take off some of our debt (we've already decided that is where it is going). My next hope is that I will get much faster. I would like to have, as an eventual goal, 100 notes a day. But I will work up slowly to that. That would be $1200/week, or $4800/month, pre-tax. So $3600/month after taxes. That would knock it down to eight months. Realistically, though, it looks as though I will be busting myself for at least a year. But then we will be 100% out of debt. Okay, I lied, I keep forgetting to throw in the money we owe dh's uncle. That is another $6000, so that would be two more months. But that would still move us to 18 mos, or a year and a half. This will be an interesting time. I can only hope that dh will be helpful around the house. Probably a foolish hope. <sigh> But that's okay. I can do what it takes, so I can yell, "We're debt free!" <cue Mel Gibson> I think I'm going to go to sleep for the rest of the day, LOL. Tomorrow I will pick up a new tape and hit my goal. I will most likely try to get the whole tape done if they only give me one to do. That will be my plan. So, deep breaths. I will get up at 7 in the morning, and I will work until midnight tomorrow night. I will do what it takes to get everything done. So wish me luck! |
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