Why I’ve been silent

I’ve been getting emails the past few months asking me why I rarely blog any more.  Some of it was that I got so burnt out on politics that I just shut down. Some of it, is that I won’t want to put just anything on my blog. You can follow me on Friendfeed and see some of the content there. Logic would dictate that I figure out this MediaRSS plugin so that I can import my FF content to here. But the main reason I no longer blog is financial.

Meaning: I have no money.

The stress of constantly being behind in bills, of trying to keep on top of billing has turned me away from writing.  Anything I write will be shot through with how broke I am and I do not want to have that be the focus of my blog. But the truth is that due to a dominio effect that started in Spring of 2007, there’s a very good chance of my family being homeless in the coming months.

We spend most of our money on paying late bills and their fees, but we’re also behind on our mortgage now. Having that over our heads has made the effort to get out and enjoy life a little hard. Add in the IRS funds we owe for the past 2 years, it becomes a little suffocating to try to be fun.

We don’t have credit card debt, a car payment or anything like that.  We just owe on our house, the IRS taxes and property taxes.  When we purchased our home, we got a decent rate, put down 20% on a home that was underpriced for the market.  Even now that our home’s value has dropped a bit, we’re still not upside-down on our mortgage.  What hurts a bit more, is that even if we were renting, we’d still be in the same boat, but propbably would have been evicted by now. We have no place to go if we lose our house. Nowhere.  Many people are lucky enough to have friends and/or family willing or able to help them in dire times.  Neither of us can claim that. Nevertheless, the domino that fell in Spring 2007 has created a cacophony of sound we can no longer ignore.

As you know, I work for my husband–our small company of two. While there’s been some industry upheaval, there hasn’t been enough to explain why we went from working 20 – 30 sites a month down to about 10.  Even at 10 sites a month, assuming they’re new sites, that’s still barely scraping by. Even if I were lucky enough to find a job outside the home, we’d need childcare for the kids and another car, so my husband can continue his company he started in 1995.

We’re trying. We’re trying so hard to give our kids a good life. We don’t spoil them, but I enjoy taking them to the zoo, botanical gardens and museums.  I’ve given up my memberships to the Arboretum and Natural History museum. Instead opting for the museums free days and saving for Arboretum or Descanso Garden trips.  Our zoo membership ends soon, so that twice monthly visit will end too as it’s either than or end the hosting on our business website. They’re growing so big, so fast that I can’t afford to get them clothes that fit properly. That makes me so sad.

It’s so frustrating to see all the work you’ve done so much to create topple. I’ve been here before and weathered it, but then I was single and childless. I didn’t have any responsibilities except to myself.  I do not find solace in knowing that I’m not alone in this experience, that other families in this country are feeling the same effects.  We can all hope for the best and hope that it comes sooner rather than later. That some solution presents itself as soon as possible. Otherwise, this could be the end of my blog as it stands.

Thank you.

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  • Wow! I am late to this. Sorry to hear about what you have been going through. Welcome to George Bush's America. :(

    As someone above stated stated, could you give a link to your business, or tell us what field you are in?

    I am on the East Coast, but shoot me an e-mail at [email protected]
    and I will be glad to try and help you if I can.

    Hang in there.

    Peace,
  • I'm in telecom, but it's so rarified, there's not much else we can do with what we do. :(
  • I hope we all get out of the prolonged recession . I Wish all luck to the obama gov. to overcome this crisis.
  • Call me out of the loop but I don't know exactly what your business is. I've heard you talk about going out and taking photos but I wouldn't have a clue as to what it's about. How about a link here to your business website and having some of your blogging friends spread the word? As for payment I thinks it's time to take some money up front in the form of a deposit before work starts. At least youd have some of your time covered and most people who put a deposit don't want to lose it.
    Lastly I'd be sitting down with paper and pen and figuring out how to broaden things without much effect to the home life.

    And as Red Green would say "I'm pullin for you, remember we're all in this together."
  • Hey Faboo Mama USC has this new program. They pay for your living expenses and schools good for connections and jobs.

    http://www.annenberg.usc.edu/Prospective/Master...

    Email me if you need to talk.

    Hugs,

    Browne
  • Thanks you all. A bill collector is a great idea. I know when we were going through a similar situation in 2005, our then-landlord gave us a few names of who he used. I should look into that.
  • It's frightening how often I'm hearing this type of reality. Check out robblack.com he's got some great financial advice. Wishing you luck.
  • *hug* i hate seeing my friends suffer through this crap. i really do. and all i want to do is help... and i wish so hard that i could. is there any way you could set up a chipin widget so your many friends around the world can chip in with a couple bucks here and there to help out? i would really love to donate what i can. serious.
  • I'm sad to read that this mess is affecting you as well. I have so many friends and family that are in the same situation and it sucks. There are a lot of good people that are underutilized and we'll all be better off.

    Hoping for a quick turnaround in 2009. Namaste.

    sean808080
    http://sean808080.com
  • I'm so sorry Anika. Is there any way you could add another service to the business your husband you share? LIke Dave Ramsey says,the first thing you worry about is shelter, food, and water. If you have to put everything else on hold, then do it. Well, with the IRS, can you call them and get a forbearance of some kind? With the kids, free activities are everywhere. Is the zoo in your area free? It seems like isn't.

    Going back to work won't be the solution because all of your money goes to child care.

    This is what I got from the IRS site: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc202.html

    You may also request a statutory extension of time to pay tax for up to 6 months if you show that it will cause you undue hardship to pay the tax on the date it is due. Undue hardship means more than inconvenience. You must show that you will have substantial financial loss if you pay your tax on the due date. You will need to submit Form 1127 (PDF), Application for Extension of Time for Payment of Tax, a complete statement of all your assets and liabilities at the end of last month; and an itemized list of money you received and spent for three months before you requested this extension.

    I'm an amazing Researcher. If you need someone to help you find solutions and what not, I am here to help.
  • {{{fabooj}}} I remember you writing back when, about the problems you were having collecting from some of your clients. Thus the comment on Twitter about looking at houses in KC.

    I would be not surprised to find myself unemployed before year-end, although I don't actually expect it at the moment. Hang in there, I hope your clients get a clue and send you some coin… if it comes down to it, you could always sell your accounts receivable to an aggregator or bill collector. >8-}
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