Bill(Me) the Kid (Part 4)

This Wednesday will be the one-month mark in our new debt diet and I’m hoping (and praying) that things start to get easier. Throughout our entire marriage (4 years on October 4), Chris and I have tried to stick to one budget or another, but, ultimately, we always gave in to temptation, letting the spreadsheets and calculators fall to the wayside while we indulged in dinners out, frequent trips back to A-town and the list goes on and on. This is the first time in either of our adult lives that we’ve actually stuck to something — anything (well, except trying for a baby … that we worked on diligently for years).

And I have to admit I’m still not all that comfortable in our newfound miserly ways. It’s like breaking in a pair of new shoes. At first you’re all excited about them and they look great from a distance, but when you get up close and personal you see that they’re squeezing the life out of your poor, sausage-like toes. Yowzer! =)

But, I’m cautiously optimistic that, like new shoes, once I walk around a bit more things will start to take on a better, more form-fitting shape. Plus, as I told the hubby this AM, there’s no point in being negative, it only makes things seem more dire. Anything seems better when you splash some sunshine on it (geez, how Pollyanna is that!!!).

So, in honor of the one-month mark, I am embracing some new ways of bankrolling the baby life:

• Chris and I have both registered with two different organizations to participate in local focus groups (the pay for our opinions — of which I have many, lol — is anywhere from $50-$150. Yay!). I’ve already been called to participate in one next month, now I’m just waiting for the details.
  
• I am currently working on four freelance articles — three for the fall/winter issue of babydallas and one for the October issue of FortWorthChild.
  
• I have several either brand new or barely used baby items that I plan to hock on craigslist, plus a stack of books, magazines and DVDs that are waiting for me to haul down to Half-Price books.
  
• And, if I get up the guts, I plan to call one of the local “movie places” that are always advertising for “extras.” I LOVE movies and I think it would be awesome to see what it’s like on set, and hey, possibly get some $$$ for standing around? Heck yeah! Bonus? It’ll make a great story to tell Coop someday … yes, honey, mommy was so destitute that she auditioned for the part of “woman by the counter” in the Brad Pitt flick as a way to get some quick cash.

-smell you later-
Coop’s Mom (aka Tessa)

p.s. I must confess, I even googled “sell your hair.” Mine has highlights, so that’s a no go (they only want au natural), but at least when we’re living in a cardboard box I can say that I left no stone unturned, lol!