Remember that 2nd job? Well I have been extended until the end of June! Yes the long days are tiresome and some days I feel like quitting, but given all the financial/legal matters that have popped up this year the extra money has been a blessing. The job was supposed to end mid-March, but they extended me until the end of April because half the team had quit because they found full time jobs with benefits. Even though I am only part time I was trained on all of the products and my process speed is high so it was cost effective to keep me. Well then the only other team member who knows everything I know went out on family leave and will not be back until July, so now they really cannot afford to let me go.

Congratulations to me! I finally settled on a renters insurance policy and yes it is for actual replacement cost and includes additional coverage for my computer. I also got a discount because they are partnered with my auto insurance company. Part of this process was inspired by some new gal pals, who happen to be lawyers that were talking about how the personal liability coverage works. Prior to my struggles I always had renters insurance, but I clearly did not understand how the personal liability portion worked otherwise I would not have scrimped on it. Well scrimp no more! The deductible is a bit lower than I would have liked, but my EF is not where I would like it to be yet so this made sense.

I can also add a separate rider to cover business property at any time. That came up because for my job I am being asked to travel to multiple locations and I have to take the company laptop. Perhaps I am paranoid, but I do not trust the company to take care of it if something that is not my fault happens and I may not have whatever absurd amount of money they claim it is worth lying around either. On Tuesday I will contact our IT person and get a value from him so they can give me a quote.

I also made major headway on that legal matter that crept up sooner than expected. I was able to just get a free legal consult and did not have to hire an attorney, thank heavens! The amount of paperwork was kind of ridiculous and the time spent in the courthouse was lengthy, but everything was completed correctly and filed. The actual cost ended up being a bit less than I expected, but it still would have been nice to funnel that money into my EF or toward debt repayment. Now I just have to wait for a judge to review it and give their approval, which can take a couple of months. Thankfully I have only had to miss one day of work to deal with this and do not anticipate missing any more. What a relief it will be when it is all over!

Wow. I am making progress in an unexpected way. Remember when I mentioned my neighbor asking about buying my old car (even though it is a piece of junk) and how I was not sure where I stood with it financially. Well one of the wise members here suggested I get a report to find out if the lien holder is even still listed. I did that (and it cost me $3 *eye roll*) and it turns out the lien holder is still on there. I had no interest in trying to deal with them so I decided to get some legal advice on what my options were. I really just want to be done with the matter and am happy to make payment arrangements if that is necessary.

I am not exactly in the know when it comes to lawyers so I used the Employee Assistance Program at work to ask for a referral. That turned out to be a wonderful idea because they connected me to a firm that specializes in debts and collections and told me I can have as many consultations as I need on any number of matters for free. Yep FREE! Can you believe that?! If I ended up needing an attorney to represent me they could provide that for a fee, but I was hoping not to get to that point.

The experience was actually quite pleasant despite how embarrassing it was to explain why I wound up with an unpaid and now non operational vehicle. After all of that I was given surprising news. Apparently it is past the statute of limitations to collect on this debt, which is why it is no longer showing up on my credit reports (I just thought they made a mistake lol) and why I was sent cancelled debt forms to file with my taxes a few years ago. Basically the cancelled debt forms were the lien holder’s way of settling their books since they cannot pursue me any further. This also means that the vehicle is the lien holder’s property because they possess the title and they will take possession of it if I call them and tell them where it is. Apparently this will happen fairly quickly because they will not want the city to tow it and have to deal with impound fees or whatever.

I will admit I was stunned by this information and did not do anything for a week or so. A part of me was relieved that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but another part of me feels bad about not paying like I intended to. I did not want to be in this situation and I certainly was not looking for an easy way out. I have more than learned from this experience however, and am doing everything I can to never be in this situation again. Continuing to stall does not change anything so today I placed the call to the lien holder. I did not identify myself or provide my contact information, but gave them the vehicle’s identifying information and location. I even told them that it will require towing, how nice of me right? That was also a pleasant call despite the circumstances. Now I just have to wait and see how long this all takes. The firm told me to contact them immediately if I have any hassles from them, but hopefully it will not come to that.

Wow what a great choice it was going with stainless steel cookware! I am so in love with it I could quit my job and just cook all day long =) I have not used every single pot or pan yet, but that will come in time. The slow cooker is probably my current favorite since I tend to throw everything in before I go to bed and the food is done by morning. I know I can have it cook while I am at work, but somehow it freaks me out to not be here just in case. I also have not used any oil while cooking and nothing sticks!

I actually thought I ruined the rice cooker because after using it, I washed it and then noticed a strange rainbow colored stain all over the inside. Apparently this is common with stainless steel and more likely to happen when cooking starches. Harmless, but still annoying. A little web searching indicates I can clean it with vinegar or Barkeeper’s Friend.

As I continue to shift from constant dining out to meal planning and cooking at home I expect my food budget to shrink. So far the savings are minimal, but I am inspired to keep at it =)